This Means War!by Whirl WindChaptersChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter SevenChapter EightChapter NineChapter OneChapter TwoChapter two: The spy, the Attack, the Mission and the Return Everypony in Ponyville was scrambling. They were all packing up and evacuating to where ever they thought was safe. Some fled to the Everfree forest while others took refuge in the mountains. The guards that were protecting Ponyville did not interfere, in fact if some had it their way they would be leaving as well. Reports from their informant had tipped them off to an attack incoming. All of them were preparing barriers, bottlenecks and other defenses but with very few pegasi they had little to no anti-air. Reinforcements would not be arriving for a whole day and the attack was said to be here in twelve hours. With Fillydelphia falling in less than two hours the whole situation seemed hopeless. A loud whistle echoed through the clambering. “Listen up!” Everypony came to a halt and observed a blue pegasi standing on top of town hall with a bullhorn. “We can not just abandon our homes! We must fight back the forces of King Sombra! We need every able bodied pony to fight in the name of the princesses! I am pregnant and I am going to battle, who is with me?!” Everypony started to murmur and look around. Then one red stallion stepped forward. “Eeyup!” he exclaimed. Then another pony stepped forward. “YEAH!” Soon pegasi from all over were falling in, the whole Ponyville weather team by the looks of it. Delivery ponies lined up as well. With a new sense of bolstered confidence they all went to the nearest guard station and put on armor. When the blue pegasi stepped down from town hall’s roof she was met by the red stallion who stepped forward first. “Mam, I don’t know who you are, but you can’t go into battle pregnant.” he said sincerely. “I know, I wasn’t really going to go to battle. I can’t risk the lives of two unborn foals. But what else could I say to get results like this.” she responded with a smile. “Well, I understand that. I sent my little sister off to Appleoosa when I heard of the war. Her and mah grandmamma are there now. I stayed behind to help keep the town together but… What is your name anyway?” “Air Mail. My husband is fighting in this war somewhere and I should be with him… but…” “No need to explain. Listen, I know that nopony here will stop you if you decide to leave. Go to Appleoosa and stay with my family. Tell them Big Macintosh says hello and hat you were sent by me. I will make it an order if I have to.” he said with a friendly smile. Air nodded and gave Big Mac a hug. “Good luck.” she said as she started to walk to the train station. **** General Wind was gathering what forces he had left from the attack on Fillydelphia. His lines were thin and his numbers were not what he would want them to be, but he had no choice. After only about threes weeks he had at least a thousand of each type of pony, which gave him plenty of room to strategize. Once he had a plan formulated he set out with his army. In twelve hours time Ponyville would be under siege and night would cover the land. He went to his tent one last time as his army marched outward. There was a letter on his map of Equestria. He picked it up and unwrapped it, a red powder shot out of the scroll and hit him in the eyes. He recoiled in pain and rubbed his eyes but it only seemed to make the pain worsen. The last thing he saw before he was knocked unconscious was a pony form that hit him. **** “WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY LEAD GENERAL IS MISSING?!” King Sombra yelled in a fit of rage. His horn began to glow and one of the messengers was crumpled into a heap. The other watched in horror as his partner was crushed like a bug. “He-he was last seen in his tent, then he just vanished your highness.” the other messenger finally said. “HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?! HOW COULD NOPONY SEE HIM GET TAKEN?! WHY WAS THERE NO EVIDENCE OF A STRUGGLE?!” At every word the entirety of Canterlot castle shook. “Do-do I order the troops to fall back your highness?” “NO! SEND THEM TO CRUSH PONYVILLE! I WILL LEAD THEM!” King Sombra exclaimed. The messenger ran out of the room without hesitation and took to the skies as fast as he could. King Sombra went to the armory to get outfitted in his armor. Without a leader the lines of King Sombra’s army were unorganized and unruly. They marched at an uneven pace that spread their lines thin and ultimately slowed them down. When King Sombra arrived he had to take time to regroup his troops before beginning to march again. He trotted next to his new advisor and asked, “How many forces are in Ponyville?” “One thousand, all land based ponies. The rest are civilians.” the pony responded. “We will crush them easily.” King Sombra said arrogantly. “Sir, reports of reinforcements have been confirmed. There are two thousand heading from the Crystal Empire as we speak.” “No matter, we will be so entrenched into Ponyville by the time they get there that they will never be able to get us out!” King Sombra said with a laugh. “As you command sir!” **** General Wind awoke several hours later. He tried to move but found himself chained by his hooves. He was blindfolded and suspended in the air spread out, vulnerable. The clopping of hooves echoed on wood as he tried to struggle. “Ah you are awake, I was not sure how long you would sleep you fake.” A voice sounded through the room. “I will destroy you!” General Wind exclaimed as he struggled in the air. He tried to flap his wing only to realize they were strapped to his sides. “Who are you?!” “I will not speak to you, but I will talk to the one trapped and out of view.” “Who do you mean? There is nopony else here but me!” General Wind yelled as he continued to struggle. The smell of something strange hit his nostrils and he recoiled. “Get back!” he yelled defiantly. Something was shoved into his mouth and it pour liquid down his throat. He gagged and coughed when it pulled out. “What was that?! What have you…!?” he started to say before his head was wracked with pain. “Now then, I wish to talk to the one within.” General Wind let out a loud yell before going limp. “Whe… where am I?” A calm voice came from his lips. The blindfold was taken off to reveal his natural eyes. His vision was blurry for a moment then things came into focus. He was inside some kind of tree and masks adorned the walls. His eyes fell onto a zebra standing in front of him holding a blindfold. “Who are you?” “My name you will know later, I think that is for the better. Are you feeling well? By the looks of it you were living in hell.” the zebra said with a tone of sorrow. Whirl nodded his head. “I… I killed… so many…” he said as the memories of what he had done flooded into his mind. His body remained limp and he started to cry as the faces of the ponies he had slain came to view. The zebra walked up to him and placed a hoof on his chin. She forced him to look her in the eye. “Another potion or two should do the trick. It will take a while before you beat this sick.” “What do you mean? I am still General Wind?” Whirl asked in fear. The zebra nodded. “I am sorry you have to endure this, but it will be over soon, and him you will not miss.” Whirl’s eyes remained coated in tears. He looked back down towards the floor. “Th-thank you…” he said after an hour of crying. The zebra was working on another batch of potion when he said it. She looked over to him and saw some green in his eyes. “You are most welcome, but now I must cover you eyes before the General you become.” she said as she covered his eyes. Soon after he was thrashing about in his chains again. “YOU CAN NOT BEAT ME WITCH! I AM THE ALL POWERFUL GENERAL WIND! I HAVE SLAIN HUNDREDS IN THE NAME OF THE SHADOW LORD AND I WILL SLAY YOU FOR HIM AS WELL!” **** The fumes were filling Sonic Flare’s lungs with each breath. It was like having thick peanut butter cling to his throat, except it tasted horrible. The shadow refineries were the worst place imaginable. Flare observed as pony after pony was either drug in or simply tossed into the churning shadows. The cries of foals rang through the air as they were taken away from their parents. But that was all about to change. Flare placed devices around the entirety of Los Pegasus, devices that would disrupt all dark magic for at least three hours. The city was at it’s knees to his will. A hoof grabbed him from behind as he walked through the refinery. “What are you doing here?” the shadow pony asked. Flare smirked and took off the helmet to his disguise. “This.” he said as he pressed a button on his watch. In an instant the entire city exploded in a ray of light. Everything that was shadow was banished as the light soaked into everything. Flare ran to the cages where ponies were being held and kicked them open swiftly. “Everypony grab somepony else and get the hell out of Los Pegasus now!” Without hesitation the ponies started to lift the unconscious ponies and started to carry them out of the refinery. Flare ran out of the refinery and onto the streets. “Everypony get out! Hurry! Head for Ponyville!” he shouted as he ran down the street. Floods of ponies started to pour out of the buildings as Flare announces the evacuation. He had one more job to do. He ran back to the refineries and started to plant explosives around the support structures that held the building together. Wiring them each meticulously and carefully he made sure they would all go off thirty seconds after the shadows returned. Panicked ponies filled the streets as Flare finished his task. He saw how slow things were getting so he flew up to the highest building and flashed the light on top of it three times. Within moments carriages hauled by guards rode in and started to fill up. This picked up the pace as other guards redirected ponies to different towns across Equestria, though a majority were heading to Ponyville. Flare quickly made one last check to make sure everything was in place before he fled the city. Three minutes to go before the shadows took over again and the city was completely deserted. Flare retreated to the rendezvous point with a group of guards hauling ponies away. They were so far away from the city that there was no way the shadow would catch them. As if someone had turned off a light switch the city behind them turned to darkness. Flare started counting down. One of the guards look at him with a confused look. “Three… two… one… boom.” Flare said with a neutral tone. As he said boom a large explosion shook the ground and a lot of ponies screamed. The guard that had been looking at Flare jumped in surprise and picked up the pace with a worried look on his face. Flare chuckled and smiled at his job well done. He turned around and saw the burning rubble of what used to be Los Pegasus. “A necessary sacrifice.” he said quietly as he continued. His mission completed after a sore three weeks of dodging patrols and planting light devices throughout Los Pegasus in places where nopony would ever search, he took to the sky and started to fly to Ponyville ahead of the evacuation. He had only one thing on his mind, find General Wind and stop him by any means necessary, even if after all his efforts he had to kill him. **** King Sombra’s forces were camped outside of Ponyville. Contrary to General Wind’s plan, King Sombra had elected to attack a dawn rather than at dusk. Confident in his power King Sombra openly mocked the forces of Ponyville. Sonic Flare had just arrived during the night and checked in with the guards leader. “Report.” “King Sombra arrived just at dusk sir. Ever since he got here he has been sending threatening and demoralizing messages. He had also fired random volleys of magic which we have blocked successfully so far.” the lead guard said. Flare chuckled. “He has been sending messages? How?” “YOUR ARMY STANDS IN THE WAY OF MY REGEME! SURRENDER NOW AND JOIN THE SHADOW!” King Sombra’s voice echoed through Ponyville. Flare laughed out loud. “Really? Is he so arrogant as to give away his position just to threaten us?” The lead guard was shocked that Flare could laugh even though the battle would happen soon. “Sir, what is so funny about all of this?” Flare turned to the leader. “Simply this.” He picked up one of the enemy flags from beside the map of Equestria and planted it near Ponyville. “Do you see it now? They are there, what is close enough to them that would make this funny?” The leader looked at the map carefully. “Sir, I am afraid I don’t see what you mean. The closest thing to them is Ponyville and the Everfree forest.” “Exactly.” Flare said as he threw down a folder. The leader picked it up and opened it. The file contained pictures of a unicorn pony named Trixie, as well as all the information on her. “What does this unicorn have to do with… oh… oh my… OH WOW! When did this happen?!” he exclaimed as he read on. “Just over a year ago. I need one of your bravest soldiers.” Flare said as he took the file back. “That would be me sir. Allow me to go.” the leader said. “If you think you can do it, be my guest. I can take lead until you get back and you will come back. Make that an order.” Flare said as he gave him a salute. The leader nodded and exited town hall. Flare looked at the map again and chuckled. Then it suddenly hit him. “Why is King Sombra leading this attack? With every engagement we have fought him in he has always lost. This is an important battle, where is General Wind?” he thought as he walked out the door. He turned to the guard outside. “Where are our scouts, I need a report from them now.” The guard gave a salute before he trotted of to signal the scouts. He returned shortly after with two pegasi. Flare recognized them immediately. “Cloud Kicker, Cloud Chaser… you are the scouts?” he asked in surprise. Cloud Kicker nodded. “Yes sir, good to see you again Sonic.” Cloud Chaser smiled. “You are leading us now huh? Ponyville lead by one of it’s citizens, that is awesome!” Flare nodded. “Report.” he said in a slight dumbstruck voice. Cloud Chaser shook her head. “I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary, I have gathered up an estimate of how many we are up against. There are about one thousand unicorns, one thousand pegasi, and one thousand earth ponies.” Cloud Kicker nodded. “That is the number I came up with too for each group. There is one thing I did notice that was out of the ordinary. General Wind is no where to be seen. I checked with the scouts from Fillydelphia and they say he has gone missing.” Flare’s expression turned to worry. He turned his head in the direction of King Sombra’s forces. “Missing? I wonder if one of our operatives…” Cloud Kicker shook her head. “Word is it was the gryphon king‘s forces. But we haven’t seen a single bit of them since this war has started and they have not chosen a side in this yet. I can tell you one thing is for sure, it was not one of ours that took him out.” Flare’s ears perked up. “How do you know he has been take out?” Cloud Kicker shrugged. “He is a monster, everypony wants him dead. It is not unreasonable to assume he is dead.” Flare turned around and headed back inside. “Dismissed…” he said as he closed the door. A loud crash could be heard inside as the two started to walk away. They decided to look in the window to see what had happened. Flare had kicked the table holding the map in two and was sitting on the floor with his hooves over his eyes. “He’s not a monster…” **** Whirl opened his eyes to a familiar sight, the zebra who had been tending to his ‘condition’ was giving him another dose of potion. Whirl smiled as the warmth of it started to flood his senses. “That truly is the best feeling in the world.” Whirl said with a smile. The zebra smiled, walked over to the wall and pulled a switch. The chains holding Whirl suspended in the air started to clink and lower him down. His hooves hit the ground and he tried to support himself, but you try being suspended in the air for days on end and stand up right afterwards. He fell to his knees and chuckled. “I assume this means I am good to go right?” “Indeed so, you are free to go.” the zebra said with a smile. Whirl tried to stand up again but he stumbled and fell again. “So, now that I am better… what is your name?” “My name is Zecora, and I make potions from all types of flora.” she said with a smile. She walked over to him and helped him onto a seat. “It will take some time for you to fully recover. It could take a day or an hour, one or the other.” Whirl chuckled. “So is… General Wind really gone?” Zecora shook her head. “Unfortunately he is not, it is not something easily forgot. General Wind will always be a part of you, he is now part of two.” Whirl frowned. “I was afraid you were going to say that… so I really was responsible for all of those deaths… all the ones I killed…” Zecora shook her head again. “No that was him not you. Always see it from that point of view.” Whirl stood up and slammed a hoof on the ground. “I have to go help my friends.” he said as he started to walk toward the door. “Which way to the nearest pony town?” Zecora didn’t try to stop him. “The nearest town is east. Be careful though, the forest is full of beasts.” Whirl nodded and opened the door. He quickly flapped his wings and took to the sky. Once he was clear of the top lair of trees he saw it was late at night, but to feel the cool night air again without feeling hatred inside was amazing. He looked up toward the moon and smiled. “I will be back soon Luna…” he thought as he saw the full moon. The lights of the town were lit and Whirl flew straight towards it. He landed just outside of town hall. This was the town he knew and loved, everypony here would recognize him. “GET HIM!” a voice yelled as Whirl was tackled. He hadn’t realized he was still wearing his generals armor. “No wait!” Whirl said before he was bound and gagged. “Take him to the general! He will decide what to do with this monster.” one of the guards said. Whirl struggled and muffled as he tried to speak. They ignored him and continued to drag him into the town hall. They stopped right in front of another pony and dropped him on the ground. “Dismissed…” the pony standing above Whirl said. Whirl tried to identify the pony but the light inside was too dim to make out any features. The two guards that had drug Whirl in walked outside. “You have a lot to answer for General Wind…” the voice said. Whirl muffled something through the gag. The pony walked up to him and removed the gag. “I am not General Wind!” Whirl said when the gag was removed. The pony above him scoffed. “You look like him, you are wearing his armor and you sound like him.” “Please, you have to understand! King Sombra put me under a spell, he was controlling my mind! But… I remember every moment of it… I remember the look on the faces of every pony I killed… I… I…” Whirl tried to explain. “I deserve to die…” The pony tossed another log on the fire that was illuminating the room making it brighter. “I don’t think you deserve to die… I believe you.” the pony said as the room brightened up substantially. He took off his helmet revealing his fiery mane. He set the helmet down on the table. “The real question is, who do you fight for now?” the pony asked as he walked up to Whirl. Whirl squinted his eyes, then widened them again when he realized who he was talking to. “I fight for my brother…” he said with a smile. The pony standing above him shook his head. “Brother… you haven’t called me that in a long time. How do I know this isn’t a trick by King Sombra?” the pony asked as he stared at Whirl. “Flare I… you can’t know… you are right… if you think it is safer to leave me ties up then leave me tied up. I am just glad to be home, with you… Who knows, maybe I will see Luna soon too…” Whirl said with a slight smile. “You will, I promise. But first I need information, you were King Sombra’s highest ranking general. Tell me everything you know about his battle plan.” Flare said as he lifted Whirl into a chair. Whirl found himself overlooking a map of Equestria. “King Sombra will have changed everything once he knew I was gone. He may be a king but he is a fool. He never came up with a battle plan and when he did they were garbage. He has three thousand strong in his leading army and reserves all over the place. Nothing more than five hundred strong. I am surprised he is not attacking already… my plan was to attack at dusk the moment we arrived. How long until the reinforcements arrive?” “You knew about the reinforcements?!” “Yes, that is why we marched so soon after we too Fillydelphia. I knew it would never work but King Sombra forced my hoof. You have more than enough troops to stop him long enough to get your reinforcements. I can tell you what King Sombra might do, but I can not give you anything solid. I’m sorry.” “It’s okay, we have a plan. A plan that will turn the tide of this war.” “What kind of plan?” “I can’t tell you if I am to release you. Listen, I love you as a brother and I can promise you that nopony will hurt you if you stay tied up. But if I let you go others will try to hurt you. They are looking for blood and I don’t want them to have yours.” “I understand… but you can’t expect me not to defend my home.” “I expect you to trust me. I am sending you to the Crystal Empire, to Princess Luna. You will be safe there.” “Flare… I…” “No arguments. This is an order. I need you to follow it exactly.” “Alright… I will. Heh, General Flare. I can’t believe it. Did you ever think we would be fighting against each other in a war?” Flare shook his head. “I always imagined us fighting side by side… Never against each other.” “One more thing before you send me away… Take off my helmet and show it to me.” Flare walked over to him and took off his helmet. He turned it around and showed it to Whirl. Whirl saw that Zecora had covered the eye that was between two horns. “Smash the top gem on the helmet so that it never becomes uncovered.” Without hesitation Flare smashed the decorative piece. “What was it?” “A spying device, don’t worry it is only for sight not sound. He didn’t hear anything and Zecora covered the eye so he could not see.” “Then it is done… you are free.” “I… I am… You… you be careful. Promise me.” “I promise. I also promise that you will not be harmed by anypony on your way to the Crystal Empire. I do not blame you for anything General Wind did, nor should anypony else.” Flare said as he untied Whirl. “Take that armor off and you will be on your way.” Whirl took off his armor as quickly as he could and threw it aside. He felt truly free now. He started to laugh and then he started to cry. His hooves covered his eyes and he sobbed uncontrollably. “I’m a monster…” Flare came over to him and wrapped a wing around him. “No you are not… You never were… King Sombra is the monster.” “I didn’t fight hard enough… if I would have fought harder maybe he could have been stopped… maybe I wouldn’t have been General Wind at all…” “There was nothing you could have done. King Sombra is powerful and pure evil. He does not care how many die to serve his cause…” Whirl continued to sob and stayed silent. “Come on, lets get you to the train station.” Flare said as he picked Whirl up. Whirl nodded and followed him out of town hall. The two guards had dumbstruck looks on their faces as Flare supported what they saw as the enemy. “General Flare what are you…?” “I need to take Whirl Wind to the train station. This is NOT General Wind.” “But sir…” “No buts, this pony is not to be harmed under any circumstances, that is an order.” The two guards gave a salute before helping to support Whirl. “Where should we direct the train sir?” “To the Crystal Empire at once. Take Whirl directly to Princess Luna with this message.” Flare walked up to one of the guards and whispered something in his ear. “At once sir.” With that the two guards took Whirl to the train station and loaded him on a train to the Crystal Empire. Chapter ThreeChapter three: Battle for Ponyville The train started to roll away and Flare was there watching it go. His best friend was on that train to the Crystal Empire and Flare could feel nothing but joy. “He’s back… he’s back… I kept my promise…” he thought with a smile. He turned to his remaining guards with a grin. “Prepare for battle!” The guards gave a salute and ran off to prepare the troops for war. Flare had other business to attend to. He trotted through the streets to Sweet Apple Acres where he met with two of his guard ponies. “Report.” “It is all set up, just give the word and I will signal the other two to draw it to their army.” one of the guards said with a smirk. “Good, this is our best chance of winning this battle with minimal losses. Did you get our unicorns in place to lure it back?” “Yes, we followed your instructions to the letter sir.” the other guard said. Flare smiled widely. “Great, if everything go perfectly we will win this battle with little to no effort. Get into position.” The two guards gave a salute and moved out to the front lines. Flare followed them and landed in front of the lines. Dawn was rising as Flare landed. The sun was at their backs and they were almost ready. Flare started to walk up the line. “Alright listen up! Today we fight for Equestria! Some of you are here to defend your homes, others are here to defend their families, and others are just here to see King Sombra’s flank as he runs away crying!” A roar of cheer and laughter sounded from the lines. “We are ready to fight! We are ready to win! We are… AIR?!” A rumble of confusion sounded through the lines. Flare pulled Air forward. “Air what are you doing here?! You should have evacuated by now!” he whispered in her ear. “I couldn’t leave you here to fight alone!” Air responded with a slight hiss in her tone. “What about our foals?!” Flare asked worriedly. “Well… about that… I kind of already had our foals… they are in Appleosa with Big Macintosh’s family…” she explained. “You… you had our foals? Wha… wha… THAT’S WONDERFUL!” Flare shouted happily. He turned to the lines again. “I AM A FATHER!” The lines erupted with cheers as Flare hugged his wife. “TODAY I FIGHT FOR MY NEW BORN FOALS WITH MY WIFE BY MY SIDE! LET THOSE WHO HAVE SOMETHING TO FIGHT FOR GIVE A BATTLE CRY THAT WILL MAKE SOMBRA TURN AWAY RIGHT NOW!” The lines erupted louder than ever with the cries of battle. “FALSE HOPE!” echoed through out Ponyville. Over the horizon a shadow creped over the hill. “YOU WILL ALL PERISH IN THE SHADOWS!” Flare gave Air a kiss before returning to the center of the lines. “We are the light, and there are no shadows when there is this much light!” Flare shouted with vigor. The army of shadow started to move down the mountain. Flare pulled out a firework and shot it into the sky. “Hold!” he shouted as he braced himself. A loud roar echoed through the town. All that could be heard was the stomping of approaching hooves, at least at first. Soon a low rumble shook the ground, then another, then another. Soon the low rumbles became loud stomps. Suddenly, from the Everfree forest, an Ursa Minor burst from the trees with two pegasi guard ponies leading it towards King Sombra’s army. It smashed into the side of his lines as the two guards took to the sky. One of Sombra’s units stabbed the Ursa in the paw and it went into a frenzy, taking large chunks out of his army with one swipe of its paw. It let out loud roars and King Sombra’s army turned their focus to the Ursa. A roar of cheers rang from Flare’s army as they waited for the Ursa to flee or wipe out the whole army. Then something unexpected happened. A louder roar came from the Everfree and over the top of the trees an Ursa Major smashed through with little effort. “FALL BACK QUICKLY!” Flare yelled frantically. The lines started to move back in an orderly effort. “Unicorn contingency step forward!” Three hundred unicorns stepped forward with their head held high. “Change of plans, generate a force field between us and that major! Combine your powers!” The unicorns horn’s started to glow and multiple lines of magic formed into one light. A golden beam shot out of the light and a barrier started to form. The two guard ponies that flew up to the sky dove down and managed to barely make it inside in time. “Second unicorn line step forward!” Three hundred more unicorns stepped forward in a set of lines. “Make a secondary barrier so we have a backup!” The unicorns duplicated the others and formed a barrier. “Everypony else brace for that thing to break through! Because I don’t know if this barrier will work or not!” Flare said as he grabbed a spear. “Hold fast to your courage!” Everypony got ready for battle with an Ursa and braced for the impacts of it hitting the barrier. King Sombra’s army had already started to flee but King Sombra himself remained. His horn glowed in a dark aura and he shot a beam right through the Ursa Minor just as the Ursa Major burst through the forest line. King Sombra fired a second beam at the Ursa Major. The Ursa dodged the beam and swiped at Sombra. King Sombra simply turned to shadow and avoided any damage. He wrapped himself around the Ursa and started to suffocate it. The Ursa started to fall when a spear flew through the air and made contact, not with the Ursa but with Somra himself. Sombra flew back down to the hill and solidified on it. A spear stuck out of his back left leg. He pulled it out with a loud yell of agony. The Ursa Major fell unconscious and crashed into the ground. “HIT THEM WITH EVERYTHING YOU GOT!” Flare shouted as their barrier fell. His army charged over the hill and intercepted Sombra’s army as it fled. King Sombra tried to get his army in order but he couldn’t risk being captured. He fled from his army in his shadow form and let the rest fall, and fall they did. As Flare’s forces hit them from all directions they quickly tore through Sombra’s forces. “Fall back to Ponyville!” Flare shouted as they started to get too far away from the town to effectively protect it. Flare’s forces turned back towards the town and quickly got back into defensive positions. “Hold steady! Be prepared for anything! Get those barriers up!” he shouted as they started to reform their lines. Flare ran through town looking for Air, frantically searching every building. He found her in the care of a medical team as he ran by the library. His heart stopped as he saw her laying on her back with blood on her coat. He ran over to her and stood outside of the circle of ponies that were tending to her. “What is wrong?! What happened?!” he asked as he started to panic. One of the medical ponies stepped back and pulled Flare aside. “She was slashed with a spear on the left side of her chest. Don’t worry, she is stitching up nicely and is going to make a full recovery.” “Get her to the hospital immediately after you stitch her up! That is an order!” Flare said as he looked at Air again. The medical ponies placed her on a gurney and carted her off to the hospital. Flare wanted to follow more than anything else, but he was the general of this army and he had a duty to hold off a second attack. He started to move back to the front lines, along the way he saw the wounded being tended to in a massive triage. “How did we have so many casualties?!” he shouted as he made it to the front line. The highest ranking pony stepped forward. “Sir, one side was hit with a large volley of magic and spears. While the others managed to break through the lines on the left side of the battle field were hit heavily as they bottlenecked against the Everfree Forest.” Flare stomped a hoof on the ground. “Hold your lines, prepare for another attack!” **** “AN URSA! TWO URSAS! WHERE DID THEY FIND SUCH RARE CREATURES?!” King Sombra yelled in frustration. One of the soldiers stepped forward. “Sir, the Everfree…” he started. King Sombra used his magic to vaporize the soldier that stepped forward. “SILENCE! I KNOW ALL ABOUT THE FOREST! We need to send some ponies in there to find dark creatures to follow our command! You four ponies, go now!” Sombra yelled. With a quick salute the four he selected ran towards the forest. They ran in deep knowing that what awaited outside was far more terrifying than what was in the forest. They walked deep into the forest but found no creatures to bring back. What they did find was a trap net that sprung out of the ground and held them in the air. A red powder splashed into the net and knocked the ponies unconscious before they were dragged away. **** Hours after King Sombra sent the four ponies into the forest King Sombra was in a rage. “Forget taking Ponyville! We need to take a bigger target! THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE! I want the contingency from Fillidelphia to march towards the Crystal Empire now! The rest of you head south to take Manehatten!” The army acknowledged the order and marched outwards. King Sombra lead his troops around Ponyville and towards the Crystal Empire. Author's Note Admittedly, this was a hastily added chapter, but I did not want to leave it out. Chapter FourChapter four: The Final Stand The rain poured down on the train as it pulled into the station. Two guards stepped off the train supporting a green pegasus between them. Whirl Wind looked up to the sky and saw the dark overcast cover the empire. The two guards started to walk forward and Whirl hobbled along. Nopony was on the streets today but many looked out the window at Whirl with anger in their eyes. Whirl saw them looking out the windows and stopped looking around. Finally they were under the cover of the castle as they got underneath it. The guards took Whirl inside and lead him up the stairs. Whirl felt overwhelming joy over his current weak state, he was about to see Princess Luna for the first time since Canterlot. Once they reached the top of the stairs they entered a large hall that lead to various rooms in the castle, one of which was the throne room. The doors swung open and the three entered. Whirl saw an alicorn on the throne but it was not Luna, it was Princess Cadance. “Your highness, we have been ordered to deliver this prisoner to Princess Luna.” one of the guards said. Princess Cadance’s mouth was agape at the sight of one of the most hated generals in King Sombra’s army. “I am surprised he is so… intact.” Princess Cadance said coldly. Whirl gave a nervous gulp and his expression turned to the most frightened look. “W-well…” “Silence! Your crimes do not allow you to speak!” Princess Cadance yelled. One of the guards finally spoke up. “We were told that this is not General Wind despite the fact that this pony arrived in Ponyville in his armor. We were also ordered not to harm him in any way.” “And who gave these orders?” Princess Candace asked in the same cold voice. “General Flare your highness.” Princess Cadance’s expression turned to surprise. “Take this pony to Princess Luna immediately. She is in her room.” The two guards nodded and walked out of the room with Whirl in tow. Whirl sighed in relief as they took him away from hateful eyes. “Nopony understands…” Whirl said under his breath. One of the guards scoffed. “What is there to understand? You killed thousands upon thousands of ponies.” the guard said in a voice as cold as Cadance’s. Whirl sighed sadly and kept his mouth closed. The trio finally arrived at Princess Luna’s room after a long walk of silence. One of the guards knocked on her door. “Enter…” a voice said from the other side. The guards pushed open the double doors and took Whirl inside. “Princess, we have a prisoner we were ordered to take directly to you.” Princess Luna turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of Whirl Wind being supported by the two guards. “Leave him, then leave me.” “But your highness…” “There is no need to fear, leave me with him.” “We have a message for you from General Flare.” one of the guards said as he left Whirl’s side to whisper in Luna’s ear. Whirl tried to hear what it was but he couldn’t. The other guard had let go of Whirl and he fell to his knees. Both of the guards left the room and closed the door behind them. Whirl panted on the floor and looked up at Princess Luna, he smiled widely and tried to stand in vain. He quickly fell back to the floor. Princess Luna looked at him with a neutral expression. “Princess Luna… it’s me… Whirl Wind.” Whirl said as he reached out a hoof for assistance. Princess Luna didn’t move. “How do I know it is the real you?” Whirl frowned. “Didn’t Flare tell you?” “All he told me was that he wasn’t sure if you could be trusted.” “But I…” “What can you do to make me believe you have changed? How can we ever know if it is you?” “You… you can’t.” Whirl said as his eyes started to tear. “I guess I can’t really show you anything. It was me who killed all those ponies, but it wasn’t me at the same time. I… I should be punished for what I did…” Princess Luna looked at him with her same neutral expression. “What punishment do you propose.” Whirl looked down at the ground. “Death… would be too merciful… A life sentence would be to easy… I deserve torture… the worst torture that can be mustered up by the most ruthless ponies…” “You would accept punishment even if you were not General Wind?” Whirl nodded and sobbed. “Yes… I can remember their faces… the look in their eyes as their life drained away. I remember crying out inside of my own mind, hoping that it would cast out the evil within me. One… one pony… he understood… he told me before he died… ‘I understand…’ were his last words.” Princess Luna walked up to him and sat down in front of him. “I know, I debriefed him when he returned with our spy. He told me about what he saw in you, what he saw in your eyes. What I see you your eyes now.” she said with a smile. Whirl looked up at her with a soaked face. “He… he is alive?” Princess Luna nodded. “Yes he is, he is still recovering from his wounds but he is alive.” “So you believe me?” he said as he looked back down with a sob. Princess Luna put a hoof under his chin and lift his eyes to hers. “Yes I believe you, and no, you will not be punished. It will take some time for others to understand, especially those who had family in the army. Princess Cadance blames you for what happened to Shining Armor as well, I have not yet convinced her to see what has happened to you.” she said as she stood up. She helped Whirl to his hooves and walked him over to a chair. Whirl fell into the chair with a pained sigh. “For now you will stay in here with me. I can not trust anypony else to watch over you right now.” “I want to go back…” Whirl said as Princess Luna started to walk away. “Back to where?” She asked in a confused tone. “I want to go help Flare defend Ponyville. King Sombra may have failed in his first attack but we can be sure he is regaining his strength as we speak.” Whirl said with a grin. Princess Luna looked to him in surprise. “No. No you can not go back.” “And I can’t stay here. Not while my best friend is out there risking his life. I want to have his back if things get worse.” Princess Luna shook her head. “Whirl, Flare is a great leader now. He can handle himself.” “I don’t doubt his new skills. I just want to be there for him.” “Whirl, please listen to me. You can not go back, not while this war is going on. Everpony wants you dead except for Flare and I. And… I can’t lose you again.” Princess Luna said softly. Whirl opened his mouth to speak again, but he couldn’t find the words. “Do you know what I did after Canterlot fell? I cried… I cried for hours… Flare told me he would get you back to me alive. He kept his promise, and now that you are here you are not going back…” Princess Luna said in a stern voice. Whirl looked at her with a surprised look. “What… you… cried for me?” Princess Luna nodded. “And my sister… and the rest of those I loved… but the look on your face before you were trapped in crystal… that stuck in my mind for everyday we were apart. It made me cry every time I thought of it, no matter where I was.” Whirl smiled. “Even though I was General Wind?” “I knew that King Sombra had cursed you… he did the same to countless others. They will not be held responsible for his curses. When he is gone they will be welcomed home as though they were fighting for us. The only reason you have been singled out is because you lead them as though you were a normal pony. But only those who had seen the curse in your eyes would know of it. Like that guard General Wind tried to kill. When he came back and told me what was going on I knew that you would break the curse on your own soon.” Whirl shook his head. “But… I didn’t break it on my own. Zecora… she captured me and gave me a potion. Zecora cured me…” “Zecora? The zebra? I must remember to thank her when next we meet.” “Me too, I owe her my life. She freed me so that I can see you, and Flare, and my home… for my own eyes… I am free…” Whirl said as he started to laugh before crying. “I can’t believe I am here… I can’t believe I am with you! This is the greatest thing I could have hoped for!” Princess Luna walked over to him and hugged him. “This is the greatest thing I could have hoped for too.” A knock came from the door. “Enter.” Princess Luna said happily. Princess Cadance opened the door and walked into the room. She glared at Whirl and then turned to Luna. “Have you decided what his punishment shall be?” Cadance asked coldly. Princess Luna shook her head. “This is not General Wind. This is not the one who imprisoned Shining Armor. King Sombra was the one who did all of those things.” Princess Cadance slammed a hoof on the ground. “How can you say that?! This IS General Wind! He has killed thousands of ponies and helped to imprison your sister!” “NO! He is the one who saved me from being imprisoned as well! He would have saved us all if he could have! But he couldn’t! He could only save me and King Sombra cursed him! Cursed him in the most fowl of ways! You have no idea what it is like to go to war against those you love! You don’t know what magic as dark as that can do to some ponies!” Princess Cadance recoiled. “He… he…” “HE IS NOT GENERAL WIND!” Princess Luna said in her royal Canterlot voice. Princess Cadance finally relented. “Fine… if you say he is not General Wind, then he is not General Wind. I just wish you had some more solid proof than his word.” Princess Luna’s expression loosened. “His word is all I need. If it would have been Shining Armor, you would be in my place right now.” Princess Cadance nodded. “You are probably right. I’m sorry I shouted.” “It is quite alright, but don’t let go of that anger. Just redirect it towards King Sombra, he has ruined all of our lives in one way or another.” Princess Cadance walked up to Whirl. “So… you saved Princess Luna? Why were you there when the elements were trying to stop him?” Whirl raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know?” he asked as he looked around her towards Luna. “You didn’t tell her?” Princess Luna shook her head. “I couldn’t. If I would have told her, there was a chance she would have given the order to try and capture you. While I would have given anything to have you back… I couldn’t risk the lives of anypony to rescue you… I’m sorry.” Whirl nodded. “I understand, I am actually glad you didn’t… Anypony who would have tried would have died. Anyway… Princess Cadance I was hospitalized in Canterlot’s castle infirmary… after Flare and I got the elements of harmony into Canterlot.” Princess Cadance’s expression turned to total shock, then a small flash of anger. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” she said as she turned to Luna. “It was not important at the time.” Princess Luna replied. “Not important? I tried to kill him, I sent troops out specifically to kill him. Now you are telling me I tried to kill one of the ponies who sacrificed himself to save you and the one who got the elements of harmony into Canterlot in the first place.” Princess Candace said in an angry tone. “Death would have been a release…” Whirl interjected. “Princess Luna kept all this from you so you would try to kill me, so that you would do what was right for Equestria and not what was right for me.” Princess Cadance turned back to Whirl. “You really are a pony of honor Whirl, but I would have done it even with the knowledge of who you were. You were compromised and needed to be stopped. My judgment would have been fine. But… I am new to ruling an empire, I guess I understand why you made that call Luna.” Princess Luna smiled. “I am truly sorry I did not trust you. I just did what I thought Celestia would do.” Princess Cadance smiled as well. “Well, that still doesn’t tell me why you were with Luna when the elements and Celestia were imprisoned.” Whirl nodded. “Indeed it does not. I wanted to see the elements of harmony at work, so I asked to be there in a wheel chair. They allowed me to watch and when King Sombra imprisoned the others… I didn’t hesitate to do what I could.” Princess Cadance nodded in understanding. “I am glad that you did. Luna has been a valuable asset to the war effort. Without her we would have lost some of our key battles. Not the ones against you of course, you were a brilliant strategist and you certainly stopped us at every turn. You especially did well when…” she said before she was abruptly interrupted by Luna putting a hoof on her back. In her ramblings she failed to notice Whirl put his hooves over his eyes and the stream of tears flowing down this forehooves. “Oh Whirl I…” she started before Luna shook her head. Whirl simply cried on as Princess Luna walked over to him. “We will give you some time alone. I will have dinner sent to you soon.” she said as she gave him a quick hug. Before she could react Whirl flung forward and hugged her back. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t want to do any of it! I tried to stop him! I really did! BUT HE WAS TOO STRONG! HE OVERWHELMED ME!” Whirl sobbed hysterically. Princess Luna was taken aback but expected this at some point. She patted his back lightly. “Shhhh, it’s going to be okay. You are in control now. None of that was your…” “I wasn’t strong enough! I wasn’t strong enough to stop him!” Whirl sobbed some more. Princess Cadance was convinced now more than ever that this wasn’t the same pony they were at war with just the other week. She watched the tears pour down his face and couldn’t help but shed a few of her own. All Whirl reminded her was the Shining Armor was still trapped in Canterlot. Princess Luna continued to try and console Whirl as best she could, but she knew she wasn’t making much difference. Whirl held on to Luna tightly, he never wanted to let her go. A flash of lightning flashed outside of the window. Whirl opened his eyes and looked towards the window. “Why is it so stormy outside?” he asked through his crying. Princess Luna looked to Princess Cadance. Princess Cadance shook her head. Luna’s eyes widened and Cadance grew a concerned look. “Princess Cadance, prepare for an attack.” Luna said with a concerned tone. Princess Cadance ran out of the room and raised the alarm. Princess Luna stood up and started to leave as well. Whirl tried his best to stand but he just fell out of his chair. Princess Luna looked back at him. “Stay here, we will handle this.” she said before she trotted out of the room. “LUNA!” Whirl shouted as the door closed. **** The sound of explosions blasted over the sound of thunder as King Sombra advanced into the city. “NOW IS THE TIME FOR MY REVENGE PRINCESSES!” King Sombra yelled over the commotion. Princess Luna was at her balcony firing at the attacking troops while Princess Cadance brought the crystal heart to the throne room. King Sombra’s attack was so unexpected that he had pushed his troops deep into the city. “How did his forces sneak up on us? They were last reported moving south, away from here!” Princess Cadance shouted as she came into the throne room. “I don’t know! He must have tricked our scouts some how!” Princess Luna said as she backed off of the balcony and into the throne room. “Guards to the battle field now!” she ordered the guards at the door. Princess Luna turned her attention to Princess Cadance. “What do we do now?” “We protect the crystal heart at all costs. If Sombra gets his hands on it then it is the end of this war.” “Then it stays here. We will have to protect it our last…” An explosion rocked the room and a vortex of shadow funneled in the center of the room. King Sombra appeared in the center of the vortex and the vortex finally dissipated. Princess Luna didn’t hesitate to fire a volley of magical shots towards him. He easily deflected the magic and laughed. “Foolish princess. I have more power than you could imagine.” “How is that possible?” Princess Luna asked. King Sombra stuck his hoof to his neck and pulled down his armor revealing the alicorn amulet. “Just this magical artifact that I stole. Now, I am more powerful than you and this other whelp.” Princess Cadance was about to charge forward when she was stopped up Luna. “Don’t, we can’t beat him with that amulet on. We need to trick him into taking it off.” she whispered to Cadance. “You are sad Sombra! So sad you need to use a magical artifact to beat us! Why don’t you take that off and fight us like a real stallion?!” Candance said in a taunting tone. King Sombra laughed again. “I don’t think so, I know I am not a match for you without it. Now then, prepare to be imprisoned like the rest of the fools who dared to trifle with…” “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” a shout rang out from above. A spear plunged into Sombra’s back and rammed out of his chest, smashing the alicorn amulet. Silence filled the room as the scene froze. Even the sound of thunder couldn’t penetrate the atmosphere. King Sombra fell to the ground. “How…?” he said with his final breath as his heart poured the last of his blood onto the ground. Whirl flopped over off of Sombra and rolled onto his back with a grunt. “One pissed off pegasus…” he said with a chuckle. Princess Luna ran over to Whirl and held his head up. Whirl let out a yell of pain and she put him back down. “Yeah, I think I might have broken a few things princess… might want to hold off on moving me at all…” he said with a chuckle. “How did you get in here? How did you kill Sombra?” Princess Luna asked with a shocked tone. Whirl was panting a bit when he answered. “Well, I know you told me to stay in the room but I don’t listen very well sometimes. I snuck in here while you were on the balcony with your guards and while Cadance was out getting the crystal heart. I flew up to the chandelier with all of my strength and watched as Sombra came in.” he said with a chuckle. “But Sombra is a shadow, how did your spear harm him?” she asked softly as she looked over to Sombra’s body. “On the way here I ran into one of Sombra’s soldiers. I disarmed him… actually he probably did more damage to me than the fall did. If there is one thing I learned about King Sombra while I was his general, it was how to kill him. During a training accident a drone swung his spear randomly and cut Sombra’s face. I noticed his blood drip down his cheek before he healed himself. Not wanting to end up like the new puddle formerly known as the drone, I kept my mouth shut. It was then that I realized that only shadows could harm shadows. That spear… is made out of pure shadow in the refineries…” Whirl explained with the occasional deep breath. Princess Luna looked back at Whirl with a smile. “You… smart pony…” she said as she gave him a kiss. Whirl kissed her back for as long as he could before he coughed. Princess Luna pulled away and giggled. “What now?” Whirl asked as he looked up at her with a wide smile. “Now… We pick up the pieces and fix what we can before we start over. But first, we get Sonic Flare from Ponyville and go free my sister and the elements.” she said as she stood up. “I will go fetch a medical team, Cadance, watch over him for a moment.” Cadance nodded and walked over to Whirl’s side as Luna walked out of the throne room. As she walked along the halls and out of the castle all she could see was confusion, ponies were watching as shadows started to melt off of the ponies they were fighting. Some found family while others found fallen comrades, for not all of the freed ponies were alive anymore. “I need a medical team!” Princess Luna shouted. A unicorn holding a medical kit made a final check with the pony he was with before standing up and walking to the princess. She lead him to the throne room where Whirl and King Sombra laid. “Well, if you need me to make sure they are dead…” the medic said as he glared at Whirl and Sombra. “No, I need you to help the pegasus who killed King Sombra and saved us all.” Princess Luna said sternly. The medic didn’t argue, he walked up to Whirl and started to examine him. “This is going to hurt a bit, I need to check for broken bones.” he said as he started to press into Whirl’s ribs gently. Whirl winced in pain every time the medic touched a rib. “Sorry… it appears you have four broken ribs on the left and two on the right.” he said as he opened Whirl’s mouth. “No blood at all, so no internal bleeding as far as I can tell from just looking at you. I will need to do a magical scan… but it will be very painful with your broken ribs.” Whirl nodded and braced himself for pain. Seeing that he was ready the medical began to use his magic to scan the internal organs. Whirl moaned in pain as the scan tore through his body. When it finally stopped Whirl was gasping for air. “Good news, no internal bleeding. But you have a few cracked vertebrae so it is important that you stay still while I mend them.” the medic said as he prepared his spell. Whirl braced again for more pain as the medic started to mend his bones. When all was said and done it wasn’t all that bad, at least until they had to fix his ribs. The medic started to wrap Whirl’s chest with a cast. “When I am done wrapping this I am going to need to stand you up to set and mend the bones. This is going to hurt a lot but it is the only way to fix them on the field.” the medic said as he finished. “Okay, brace yourself.” The medic lift Whirl with his magic and Whirl cried out in pain. The medic flipped him over and stood him up. The cracking of bones could be heard as they were reset. Though the resetting was painful it was nothing compared to the mending. Whirl fell to his knees after they were mended and panted heavily. “There we go… low activity for the next month. Nothing if possible.” the medic said as he packed up and started to leave the room. “Wait… am I… okay to travel?” Whirl asked as he got back to his hooves. The medic stopped for a moment before saying. “Light travel.” he said before he left to tend to more wounded. Whirl felt much better despite the recent resetting of his bones. He walked over to Luna carefully and smiled. “I am ready to go if you are. I think Princess Celestia has been standing long enough.” Princess Luna smiled down at him then looked at Princess Cadance. “We will be back with your husband soon.” she said with a smile. **** The train rode out of the station with a low rumble. It was hectic in the Crystal Empire as ponies were doing their best to recover from the battle. Nopony even noticed Whirl as he walked through town. When the train started to roll Whirl let out a sigh of relief. “I wonder how Flare is doing…” he said under his breath. Princess Luna looked over at him. “What was that?” Whirl chuckled. “I was just wondering how Flare was doing, since the war is over and everything…” Princess Luna giggled. “I bet he is doing fine. I mean, he handled himself just fine in the battle for Ponyville. Somehow he managed to protect Ponyville with only fifteen percent in casualties. Our projections were a lot less promising.” Whirl let out a small laugh. “I am willing to bet he cheated, he does that when things look like they might go bad for him. Like the time he filled our hoofball with helium because he thought it would make it go farther… it did but he still lost.” Princess Luna laughed at Whirl’s story. “I am glad I made him a general. He seems to know how to come up with a plan, weather or not it is good.” “Well, it seems like it was a good plan this time. I just can’t wait to be home. Well, I can wait just a little while. Huh, I guess it doesn’t matter, I am not going home to anything really. A house… one good friend… a job… How do I just go back to so little?” Whirl asked in a sarcastic tone. “Ponyville will need you to help get them back on track. Analyzing weather is a great job to have and it will help Ponyville get back to normal.” “Yeah, after the funerals…” Whirl said sadly. “Funerals I helped cause…” Princess Luna sighed. “It will not be easy for anypony to move on, it seems as though it will be hardest for you. You must live with the atrocities performed by another. A trial that few ever face.” “Speaking of faces… it is going to be awkward to show mine around anypony. This is going to be one interesting return.” Whirl said with a chuckle. **** Flare waited at the hospital with his wife, Air. He held her hoof and smiled at her as lovingly as he could. “How are you feeling honey?” “Feels like I took a spear to the side of my chest. But other than that, I couldn’t be happier. Our foals will be here, Frost Star actually turned out to be a unicorn! I can’t believe we beat the odds on that one! Little Solar Glider has my eyes, she is adorable. They both are. I can’t wait to see them!” Air said excitedly. “I need to be going if I am to get there in time for the train. I don’t want to be late.” Flare said as he stood up and put on his saddle bag. “You aren’t going to go in your armor?” “Nah, the war is over. They don’t need me anymore.” Flare said with a grin. “But I thought you looked sexy in your armor.” “Not as sexy as you did. I can’t believe you stayed! That was crazy! What were you thinking!?” Flare asked with a chuckle. “I was thinking that I was going to protect my home. And you, what were you thinking when you joined the guards? And how did you manage to become a general anyway?” Flare laughed. “I was the only pegasus in the Crystal Empire. So Princess Luna made me a general to represent the pegasi race.” “You were the ONLY pegasi?” “Uhh yeah, well… no. My superior officer was a pegasi buuuuut… I may have broken his wings, badly. Soooo…” “So Princess Luna made you a general in his place? Wow, way to climb that ladder. You aren’t going to break my wings to become head mail pony are you?” “I tried that already remember? That is how we met.” Flare said with a laugh. “Right, after you struck me with lightning. I remember now!” Air said as she joined in the laughter. Flare gave her one last kiss before turning to the door. He stopped only for one moment to put on his armor. “For you.” he said as he winked at Air. Air giggled as he left the room. Flare walked through town and every guard he passed gave him a salute. Giving each of them a salute in return took time and was really repetitive. When he finally arrived at the train station he stopped the guards from saluting. “If one more guard salutes me and makes me salute back I am going to go crazy.” he said as he walked passed them. A train was already unloading at the station as Flare arrived, but it wasn’t the train from Appleosa. He sighed in regret and sat down on a bench to await the train. Whirl and Princess Luna stepped off of the train to find Flare sitting there. Whirl smiled and ran over to him, tackling him into a hug. Flare was taken by surprise by the sudden tackle but was happy that Whirl was back. Whirl helped Flare onto his hooves with a smile. “How did you know we would be arriving?” Whirl asked with excitement. “I didn’t! I thought you would head straight to Canterlot!” Flare said just as excitedly as Whirl. “Not without you! You deserve to be there when we finally release the others!” Whirl said with a smile. Flare shook his head. “I can’t go with you, I am waiting for a train.” Whirl smiled and nodded. “When Air gets here she can come too!” Flare chuckled. “Air is already here. She stayed and fought with us. I am waiting for my two foals to arrive. Frost Star and Solar Glider were born, both fillies, they stayed with the Apple family in Appleosa so that Air could stay and fight. She is waiting for me to return with our little fillies in the hospital.” Whirl gasped and hugged Flare. “CONGRATULATIONS! Is Air okay though? What happened?” Flare chuckled. “Air is fine now, she was wounded in the battle.” Whirl sighed in relief when he heard Air was alright. “How did you manage to win with so few casualties?” Flare laughed. “Oh that! Okay, so you remember Trixie right?” Whirl nodded. “Who could forget?” “Well, you remember the Ursa Minor that lived in the Everfree? Well, I kind of unleashed it on Sombra’s army, but here is the catch… It’s mother, the Ursa Major showed up too! It was crazy!” Flare explained with a smile on his face. “So, who was the one who took Sombra down finally? It was Luna wasn’t it?” Princess Luna, who had been listening to the two reminisce, shook her head. “No, it was Whirl Wind. He used King Sombra’s own weapons against him in a surprise attack. It was really heroic. Whirl, if Flare is not coming then we need to leave immediately.” Whirl nodded. “Of course. Flare, we did it. We stopped Sombra and saved Equestria. Not too bad for a couple of regular pegasi huh?” he said as he bumped Flare’s shoulder. Flare chuckled. “Not so regular anymore huh?” Whirl shook his head and gave Flare another hug before he turned to Luna. “Let’s go and save your sister and the other Luna.” Princess Luna smiled. “You finally called me Luna. I was waiting for you to feel that comfortable around me.” Whirl blushed a bit. “Well… I mean… I jumped off of a chandelier for you and I would do anything else for you too. Calling you by name is a lot easier also.” he said with a chuckle. Princess Luna smiled and boarded the train again. Whirl took one last look at Flare before getting on. “I will be back soon, keep the fire burning brother!” he said as he closed the train’s door. **** The train rolled into the Canterlot station with a hiss. When the doors opened Whirl fell out the door looking absolutely awful. He may have been through a war, but trains still bothered him. Princess Luna followed him out of the train and giggled as she helped him up. “Not a train king of pony huh?” she said when he got on his hooves. Whirl shook his head slowly. “Noooo… I prefer flying whenever possible.” he responded with a chuckle. He slowly started to wobble out of the station. “Lets hurry up, we don’t want to keep them waiting.” Princess Luna giggled again at his unbalanced walk. “No, we surely do not. Would you like me to call a carriage for you?” she asked playfully. “Oh ha ha, it isn’t that…” he started to say before he clapped his hooves over his mouth and ran to the restroom. After vomiting a couple times he emerged from the restroom to find a carriage waiting for him. Princess Luna boarded and said, “There you are, we were wondering when you would be out.” Whirl blushed and boarded as well. “Yeah, uhh… sorry about that.” he said as they started to move. Princess Luna giggled and let out a sigh as they rode through town. Ponies everywhere were helping restore the city to it’s former glory. Even the nobles were assisting in the effort, which was a shock to Luna but if you love something enough you would do anything for it, even if it is just your home city. Whirl was keeping his head low so he wouldn’t get noticed. Every now and then a pony would recognize him and glare. Whirl let out a sigh and laid his head down on the floor of the carriage so his entire head was out of sight. Princess Luna looked down at him with sorrow, she felt bad that she couldn’t help him sooner. A slight bump shifted her attention forward, her eyes widened in horror as they reached what used to be Canterlot castle. Giant holes covered the castle as though something immensely powerful had hit it in random places. The place resembled cheese more than it did a castle. Princess Luna stepped out of the carriage as they rolled to a stop. “Nopony goes in there until we can guarantee that it will not fall on top of our heads. Whirl, we are here, you can come out now.” Whirl popped his head up and stepped off of the carriage. He kept his head low and followed Princess Luna towards where her sister and the others were held. As they walked next to the wreckage that was one the castle Whirl looked up at it as though he were ashamed. “Whirl, what is wrong?” Princess Luna asked. Whirl sighed. “Just… regretting the damage I did to the castle…” Princess Luna nodded. “I understand, what happened exactly?” “After Sombra freed me, he ordered me to turn this castle into something befitting his new empire. I took some unicorns and decided to start blasting holes in it.” Whirl said sadly. Princess Luna giggled. “Well, you did a good job. I did the same thing once, with our last castle. It was overtaken by the Everfree forest long ago though. We will be sure to stop that from happening here.” she said jokingly. “You… did the same thing?” Whirl asked in a confused tone. “Well, when I first became Nightmare Moon I absolutely decimated me and my sisters castle. Not much left of it now.” she said with a laugh. Whirl chuckled. “Well, we are just two peas in a pod huh?” he said as they reached their destination. The six were held up in the air by dark crystals while Princess Celestia and Shining Armor were frozen next to each other. Princess Luna stepped up and her horn started to glow as she closed her eyes. Her hooves dug into the ground as her magic began to channel. A beam shot from her horn and a bright light formed on Princess Celestia. Soon the light spread in the form of cracks along the crystal structure. Soon cracks covered the entirety of the crystal structure. A pulse shot from Luna’s horn and hit the structure with a powerful force that made Whirl have to cover his eyes. He heard a loud shattering noise and looked up in time to see everypony fall to the ground. Princess Luna was panting as she too fell to the ground. Whirl helped her back up then ran to the next pony to help them up. The six stretched and groaned with a slight pain. “Ohhh… what happened? Did the elements work?” Rainbow Dash asked as she got to her hooves. Twilight rubbed her head and stood up as well. “I think so, King Sombra isn’t here anymore.” she turned around and saw Whirl standing. “Hey, what happened to your wheel chair?” she asked as she looked around. Her eyes finally fell on the castle and she gasped. “What happened?! Did the elements do that?!” she asked in surprise. Whirl shook his head. “You don’t remember anything do you?” Princess Luna interjected. “They wouldn’t remember anything. To them it was like a long nap.” she explained. “More like a long wrestlin’ match.” Applejack said as she stood up. “What happened to us anyway?” “For the past few months… you have all been trapped in dark crystals. King Sombra used the power of the Alicorn Amulet to make the elements backfire.” Princess Luna explained. Princess Celestia was helped up by Shining Armor. “What happened to Canterlot? What happened to Equestria?” she asked as she got to her hooves. Princess Luna hugged her sister and said. “A lot sister… a lot…” Chapter FiveChapter five: One Week Later Princess Luna’s chariot landed out side of Whirl’s home and she stepped off with a smile. It had been five days since she heard from him last and she was excited to see him again. She walked up to his door and saw a not hanging from it. To whom it may concern, I have elected to remain in my house to avoid the scolding eyes of my peers. I can never redeem what I have done in a thousand life times, though I will continue to work towards making Equestria a better place. It pains me that I will never work with my weather teams at the town hall anymore, I will miss you all dearly. I would move but… there is no where in Equestria I would be accepted as an equal. No, I will always be seen as the monster I was forced to be during the war. Since that will never change I have decided to remain here, far enough from Ponyville to not bother anypony. If this is Sonic Flare or Air Mail reading this come on in and make yourself at home. It is nice to know at least you two are still my friends. If this is Princess Luna… well… if you think you can stomach me anymore, please come inside. You will most likely find me in my basement working on something. Signed, Whirl Wind P.S. If this is somepony who is angry with General Wind, please knock on the door so that you can kick me a few more times. I love the bruises. Princess Luna opened the door slowly. “Hello?” she said as she walked inside. The place looked like it had been unattended for months. Thick dust covered everything except for a few places where Whirl had walked. She followed the path to a door and opened it. The noise of tools at work could be heard from the basement as she descended the stairs. She spotted Whirl sawing through a dowel rod as she got to the bottom. “Whirl, it’s me Luna.” she said softly. Whirl turned around and looked at Luna. His face was bruised and so were parts of his body. His left eye was swollen shut and he had a gash over his right. He smiled and put down his tools. His smiled revealed several missing teeth and Luna gasped in horror at the sight of him. “What happened to you Whirl?!” she said with concern as she started to use her magic to summon bandaging and ice packs. Whirl sighed. “What did you expect? Everypony hates me and have tried to kill me on more than one occasion. Flare has held them off as best he could but… he has two fillies to care for now. He can’t be with me all day.” he explained. “I knew I should have made an announcement about what happened to you.” Luna said sadly. “Flare made that announcement and he was the general leading these very ponies into battle. It’s okay though, I do feel I deserve some of it.” he admitted. “No you don’t. You deserve to be praised. It was your blow that ended Sombra. It was you who saved me so that I could lead Equestria.” “All of those things were mentioned. It seems that when you lose the ones you love, you feel the need to get revenge. Since Sombra is gone and I am still here…” “That doesn’t justify anything. Come on, we are going to put this straight right now!” she said as she picked him up with her magic. “But Luna I…” “No buts. I am putting an end to this.” she said as she pulled him up stairs. She took him outside and he closed his eyes from the bright sun. Once she got him on the chariot, they headed to town hall. Ponies cheered and bowed at the sight of Princess Luna riding through town, while others glared at her passenger. When they arrived at town hall everypony had followed her chariot to see if she had anything to say. She stepped out of her chariot with Whirl following closely behind as she stepped up to the podium. “Citizens of Ponyville! I am here today to correct a terrible tragedy!” she announced in her royal Canterlot voice. Everypony in the crowd cheered and a few shouted, “Hang him!” and “String him up good pricess!” Princess Luna clapped a hoof down to silence them. “Nay! This pony is a hero! His only crime being that he stood and let everypony here treat him like a villain! Whirl Wind saved my life! Whirl Wind killed King Sombra! Whirl Wind did not have control over his actions during most of the war, but when he did, he fought with us! Now that he has returned home he has been exiled by none other than himself! This is not a pony seeking blood, this is a pony seeking punishment for crimes he did not commit! Let those of you know Whirl Wind for the pony he truly is, step forward!” At first no one stirred, then two pegasi holding one newborn each flew up to the podium. Then a guard unhooked himself from Luna’s chariot and stepped forward. The crowed murmured for a moment before Luna spoke again. “These ponies pledge that Whirl Wind is a noble pony, let us see who they are! Vector, step forward!” The guard pony stepped up to the podium as Princess Luna stepped down. “At first I was with all of you ponies, hating this stallion for crimes most fowl. But after the battle for Fillydelphia he approached me and I can say that I had never been more afraid in my life. As I fought for my life I saw something flicker in his eyes, sorrow, regret, fear. As he plunged the spear through my chest he whispered on thing to me… I’m sorry. It was then I realized that he was not in control of what he was doing, nor was anypony else in Sombra’s army. We forgave them and I forgive him.” he said with a prideful tone. “Sonic Flare, also known as General Flare, step forward!” Princess Luna shouted as Vector stepped down. Sonic Flare hoofed the filly over to it’s mother before stepping up to the podium. “I am pretty sure you all remember me, so let me make this quick. Whirl Wind was a key asset to the victory we achieved here in Ponyville that fateful day. When you all stood by my side in battle you trusted me to get you through it all, well I trusted Whirl. His advice on the battle won us the day and we owe him our lives. I especially owe him mine, if it weren’t for him… I would never have seen my wife… my two beautiful fillies ever again. I owe him everything and so do you all!” Flare said as he pounded the podium with his hoof. By this time, six more ponies joined Whirl on the stage. The very six ponies each gave him a hug before they spoke, each explaining how he helped them get into Canterlot in the first place, how he was a loyal pony who saved them all. Then it was Twilight Sparkle’s turn to speak. “Whirl Wind is a lot of things to many of you in this crowd, I hope that most of you look at him for what he truly is. He risked his life and got me and my friends safely into Canterlot to save Equestria. Even though we failed, he did not. In the end it was him alone that had the tactics to finally take Sombra down. I think of him as one of the greatest friends I have ever had and I am proud to call him my hero.” she said before she stepped down. Princess Luna stepped up again. “Now then, how many of you ponies still think of him as a monster?” she asked as she looked out to the crowd. Not a single hoof was raised as she stood there. “Whirl Wind, will you please step up here.” Whirl stepped up to the podium with tears streaming from his good eye. “I remember it all… I remember everything he did during the war… how I was powerless to stop him… how he destroyed the lives of so many… I tried my hardest… I really did… I’m so sorry…” he said as he collapsed onto the podium in tears. Princess Luna rubbed his back reassuringly and he lifted his head again. “All… all I can do is ask for forgiveness… I never expected any of you to forgive me, not in a thousand years… but seeing my friends up here describe me like that gives me hope that I am redeemable in your eyes as well. And even if I am not redeemed in your eyes… I know that I have good friends looking out for me, caring for me, and loving me for who I am now and not what I was. I… I can’t talk anymore…” he said as he stepped down. Princess Luna embraced him and led him back to the chariot. As they took off, Twilight stepped up to the podium again. “I think you all have a lot to think about.” she said before stepping down and following the chariot along with the rest of the ponies who came up on stage. **** Once they were all at Whirl home they all took a seat in the dusty house, it was quite cramped but they managed. Whirl looked like a half mummy with his bandages on, but he didn’t really care. Right now all he could think of was the fact that he was surrounded by friends. “Sorry for the mess, I wasn’t really motivated to clean up when I got home…” Whirl said with a guilty tone. “Well duh, I wouldn’t be motivated to do anything if I was attacked right off the train neither.” Rainbow Dash said bluntly. Applejack nudged Rainbow with her elbow. “What Rainbow means is that we understand. Ya know we could lend you a hoof and clean this mess up for ya.” Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “I think that would be best, you don’t seem to be in very good condition right now. I mean, health wise that is. Not that it makes you look bad, just that you look bad in an unhealthy way.” “I think he gets it Fluttershy.” Twilight interrupted. “But she is right, you do need to rest and this place could use a good scrub.” Flare laughed. “If you say no to this I will just have them come over and clean my house!” Air poked Flare in the ribs. “No you won’t, that is your job.” Everypony in the room laughed at Air’s joke. “Whirl, why don’t you watch over the little ones and we will get started.” she said as she set down her two fillies. Whirl smiled and nodded. “Thanks everypony… it really means a lot to me. I can’t believe you all came up on stage for me. Especially you…” he said as he looked to Vector. Vector smiled. “I know that you would have done the same for me, it is in the nature of ponies like us. Once I saw the sorrow in your eyes I knew you weren’t in control. I am just glad that you did realize we had a spy in your ranks.” he said with a chuckle. Whirl nodded and picked up the two fillies as they walked up to him. “Actually… I did know. That is the one thing I WAS able to do while he was in control. I made him doubt himself sometimes on important things. You two are just so adorable!” he said as he nuzzled the fillies, who responded with a giggle. Everypony smiled and stood up. “Well, lets get to work.” Twilight said while she used her magic to summon a duster. Everypony else grabbed rags and other cleaning materials. Princess Luna sat down next to Whirl and wrapped a wing around him. “I am glad to see you smile again.” she said as she kissed his cheek. Whirl turned to her with his smile shining brightly on his face. “For the first time since I have returned… I feel like smiling. I wasn’t expecting a parade or anything, but I didn’t expect to be jumped two seconds off the train.” he said with a chuckle. Princess Luna frowned. “That should have never happened and I am sorry that it did.” “It’s alright, I am just glad to be home. Home with friends, home with family.” he said as he tickled one of the fillies who giggled. “Solar Glider has her mothers eyes and nose, but Flare’s sleek wings.” he said with a chuckle. “They are indeed adorable.” Princess Luna said as she regained her smile. Flare trotted over to the couch with a rag on his hoof. “Uhh… I need to clean the sofa you two are sitting on.” he said with a chuckle. Both Whirl and Luna stood up and moved to the other already cleaned sofa and sat back down. Whirl looked around and everything in the room seemed brighter somehow. He smiled as he examined the room from top to bottom. His eyes fell on Rainbow Dash who had come into the room holding General Wind’s armor. “You still have this?” she asked as she looked at it suspiciously. “Yes, I am going to melt it down and make something useful out of it. It seems to have some magical properties that I want to examine out of curiosity. If we can figure out how the magic work then we can use it for good.” he explained. “Well… where do you want it?” Rainbow asked as she turned to look at Whirl. “Just put it in the basement.” he replied. Fluttershy whispered something towards Whirl but he couldn’t hear what she said. “What did you say Fluttershy?” “Um, I found this picture. It was under a chair.” she said as she hoofed him the picture. Whirl took a look and saw his family. He frowned and handed the picture back to Fluttershy. “I… I can’t look at that right now…” he said as tears filled his eyes. “What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked. Whirl sighed. “Did you wonder why I didn’t say, ‘I wonder if my family is okay’? It’s because I already know the answer to that… they died… General Wind saw to that…” he explained as tears ran down his cheeks. “When I got home… I saw the picture and I threw it… I killed my whole family…” Princess Luna embraced him with her wing again. “No, you need to stop doing that. General Wind is a different pony, he killed your family. You did not.” Whirl sniffled. “It is hard not to blame myself. Since I remember everything that happened exactly as it happened… I can remember the feeling of the movements, what he was thinking as he killed… the bastard was enjoying it…” he said quietly. Princess Luna tightened her embrace. “But you weren’t.” she said simply. Whirl shook his head. “No, I wasn’t…” Soon after Fluttershy joined in the hug, then Applejack, then all the others. Except for Rainbow Dash who chuckled. “Group hugs aren’t really my thing.” she said simply. A purple aura formed around her and forced her into the group. “But they are our thing.” Twilight said as everypony started to laugh. Whirl felt a bit better. “I already had the funeral… I guess what I really needed was closure. Was my dad disappointed with me in the end? Did my brothers still hate me for leaving to chase my dreams? Did my sister ever make a true masterpiece of art? What are my mothers students going to do without her?” he asked as he started to cry again. Princess Luna looked over to him. “We can always visit her students.” “And your father was surly proud of you. He gave you his Wonderbolts goggles and he gave you a letter that said he was proud of you.” Rainbow Dash said. “And if I know anything about brother is that they always forgive you after a week.” Twilight said with a smile. “You can always search the art galleries for something made by your sister.” Fluttershy said happily. Whirl laughed as he cried. “You are all amazing.” Everypony in the room went back to what they were doing after they stopped the group hug. Fluttershy walked over to Twilight and whispered in her ear. “Hey Twilight… I think we should help Whirl find closure with his family. I think it will help him move on in his life.” Twilight nodded. “I was already thinking about art galleries to look at. Why don’t you talk to Cheerilee to see if she knows who Whirl’s mother was. Rainbow already helped him find closure with his father, ask AJ if she can ask around to see if anypony in her family knows who his brothers were. Maybe they kept a journal.” she explained. Fluttershy nodded. “I’ll go talk to AJ really quick, then I will make an excuse to leave.” she said as she walked over to Applejack. She quickly explained the plan and then walked up to Whirl. “Um, Whirl… I need to go take care of my animal friends at home.” Whirl looked up from the fillies and nodded. “That’s fine. Thank you so much for the help. Take care.” he said as his smile slowly returned. Fluttershy waved goodbye to her friends and left. Vector came over to Whirl with a grin. “Hey, I was wondering if you wanted me to finish that crib you were making in the basement. I am very good with my hooves.” he said with a prideful smile. Whirl nodded. “Yes, that would be great. The plans are on the table across from the workbench. Also, keep it down. Flare would never know that I am making him a crib for his fillies and it is supposed to be a surprise.” Vector nodded and whispered. “Of course.” he said as he walked down to the basement. Applejack then walked over once Vector was done talking. “Hey Whirl, I need to go back to the farm to do some work. I’m sorry I can’t help out more.” she said with a nervous grin. Whirl raised an eyebrow when he saw Applejack’s expression. “Are you okay?” “Yeah ahm fine, I just really need to be going.” she said innocently. Whirl nodded. “Alright, thank you for all your help.” he said with a smile. Applejack smiled. “’Taint nothing. I woulda done it for any of my good friends.” she said before she walked out the door. Whirl went back to paying attention to the fillies. Princess Luna smiled. “I always wondered what it would be like to have foals.” she said as she tickled one of them. Whirl blushed and said, “Yeah, me too. I am not sure how good of a father I would be though.” Princess Luna giggled. “I am sure you will be a great father someday.” Whirl nodded. “I have to ask you something Luna… What kind of relationship do we have…?” Princess Luna frowned. “Well… we are really good friends. You know that right?” Whirl nodded. “Do you… think we could ever be more than friends?” Princess Luna didn’t know what to say. She thought about it for a moment. “I do love him… but… I could never grow old with him… I don’t even know if I can have foals with him… I can’t be with him… or anypony else… ever.” she thought as she sat there. “Whirl, I think it would be better if you found yourself a wife who… isn’t going to out live you by… forever.” she said sadly. Whirl looked down at the fillies again. “Right…” “But we will always be friends… the best of friends.” she said as she regained her smile. Whirl looked up to her again. “Always.” he said as he grew a smile. The other finished their work and sat back down in the room. Air and Flare each took a filly and held them again. Flare smiled and looked towards Whirl as he sat down. “So, does it feel more like home now?” he asked happily. Whirl nodded. “Yes, thank you all for the help. This place would have never been cleaned again.” Twilight giggled. “Something tells me that office of your was never as organized as it is now.” Whirl looked over to her with surprise. “You mean… it is actually clean?! Wow! You must be amazing at organization. That was three months of weather reports, not that it really matters now. Oh… what am I going to do for work now?” Rainbow Dash laughed. “What do you mean? I will get you your job back as soon as you are better. It is the least I can do for you after you approved me to move clouds whenever I want for relaxing and such.” Whirl chuckled. “Never thought that would mean so much. But you did fill out all the paperwork amazingly well.” Rainbow Dash blushed. “Well, I may have had Twilight fill those out for me.” Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash. “You told me you were going to copy the format because you didn’t understand it!” she said a bit annoyed. Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I figured they were already filled out, it’s not that big a deal.” Whirl laughed. “That is too funny! But I have to agree with Rainbow, as long as they are filled out properly it doesn’t matter who does it.” Twilight giggled. “Well alright, if you say so. But next time you are doing it yourself Rainbow.” Rainbow Dash shrugged again and looked back to Whirl. “Anyway, I need to jet. Wonderbolts training.” Whirl nodded. “I understand, have a good time.” he said as he waved goodbye. Twilight stood up also. “I should get back to the library, Spike gets nervous when I am gone too long.” she said with a giggle. Whirl looked over to Twilight. “Alright, come again soon.” Rarity and Pinkie both stood up also, both giving a reason to leave before taking off themselves. Flare and Air had to leave also because it was the fillies bedtime. Vector came up stairs with a full crib all finished up. Whirl asked him to deliver it to Flare and Air before he too left. All that was left now was Princess Luna. “Well, I suppose you need to get going soon too. It is almost sunset.” Whirl said with a slightly sad tone. Princess Luna nodded. “Yes, unfortunately I do need to return to Canterlot. Our post services are working again so send me a letter every now and then.” she said as she stood up. Whirl walked her to the door and opened it for her. Her chariot was waiting for her outside with one less pony pulling it. Whirl looked at the other three and they looked as stoic as ever. “Be safe on your way home.” he said to Luna as he helped her onto the chariot. Princess Luna leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. “I will. You be safe at home and take that note down. I don’t think you will be needing it.” she said with a smile. Whirl simply nodded and she took to the sky. Whirl stayed and watched until he could no longer see the chariot. He walked back to his door and tore the note off, tearing it up happily before letting it go in the wind. He slowly walked back inside and lit some candles before the sun went down. As it turned to night he sat in his favorite chair and stared at the floor. A small glimmer flicked off of some glass as he looked down. He turned to see his families picture hanging from the wall. As he looked at it he saw his brothers making faces as him and his sister stood proudly. His mother and father stood in the back with smiles on their faces. Whirl took down the picture and held it in his hooves. “I’m sorry…” he thought as he sat there and stared at it all night long. **** Chapter SixChapter six: At the Hospital The sun rose over the hilltops and Whirl saw the light through the windows. He was still holding the picture of his family in his hooves and his face was soaked with tears, as was the bandage that covered his other swollen eye. With a sigh he stood up and went to his medical kit to change his bandages. He did his best to wrap it on his own, but he was sore from the beatings he had taken and was in no shape to do much of anything on his own. The bandages ended up being loose but he didn’t really care as he walked to his front door. “I wonder if the newspaper is up and running again…” he thought as he opened the door. Sure enough when it opened a newspaper hit him in the face. “Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!” the little colt who was delivering the paper said. He ran up to Whirl and hoofed him another paper. “Here, for free. Just don’t tell my boss.” Whirl chuckled. “Don’t worry, I can’t really feel much on my face anymore.” he said with a grin. “Hey, I know you! You are in the paper with Princess Luna!” the colt said happily as he opened the newspaper he was going to give to Whirl. “Whirl Wind right? That is so cool!” Whirl opened the paper hurriedly and saw himself standing behind the podium that he spoke behind yesterday. He saw the tears that were in his eyes and the title that read, ‘General Wind or Not General Wind?’. Whirl sighed. “General Wind? What does that mean?” the colt asked with a tone of curiosity. Whirl looked down at the colt with a slight grin. “At least somepony doesn’t know who I was.” “What do you mean? Did you fight in the war?” the colt asked with a more excited look. Whirl sighed and nodded. “Yes, but King Sombra brainwashed me to serve him… I ended up on the wrong side of the war…” “Oh, I see. That explains all these mean things they are saying about him. Well, I don’t think you are that evil pony. You are nice and you tip me all the time. You don’t seem like a pony who would just switch sides suddenly unless you were forced to.” Whirl grinned. “Thanks… What is your name? I want to tell your boss that you are an amazing delivery colt.” “My name is Rumble. Nice to meet you Mr. Wind.” Rumble said as he held out a hoof for a hoofshake. Whirl shook his hoof lightly. “Sorry about the weak hoofshake… I am kind of hurting right now.” “You look hurt. What happened?” Whirl looked in the newspaper and read a paragraph out loud. “Whirl Wind returned to Ponyville more than a week ago. According to our sources he was beaten mercilessly by bystanders the moment he stepped off the train. Although we do not have an actual diagnosis from the victim we have been told he most likely has several bruises over various parts of his body and a shattered eye socket.” Whirl rubbed his eye at that part and nodded in agreement. “No attempt has been made by the victim to go to Ponyville hospital. ’If he does come here we will treat him like any other pony, we took an oath to do no harm and we will follow it.’ says the director of Ponyville hospital. Other bystanders have said differently. One even said that if he ever saw Mr. Wind anywhere in Ponyville he wouldn’t hesitate to give him a piece of his mind and a few kicks for good measure. At least that is how he felt only a few days ago. Yesterday Princess Luna of Canterlot spoke on his behalf, after that many ponies changed their opinions. She called up several witnesses to his so called ‘heroics’, one of which was a guard that Mr. Wind personally stabbed through the chest.” Whirl put the paper down and looked at Rumble who was sitting down listening with interest. “Why did you stop? It was just getting really good.” Rumble said happily. Whirl raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Doesn’t this make you hate me? Or want to beat me up? Or something along those lines?” Rumble shook his head. “I told you that I don’t think you are General Wind. Why would I be mad at the stallion who has done nothing but treated me with kindness since I started working. You and he were two different ponies in one.” he said with a smile. Whirl smiled and continued reading. “The guard known as ‘Vector’ said that he was defending Fillydelphia when General Wind fought him to the death. After he was stabbed Vector told us that he saw something in General Wind’s eye that lead him to believe that he was not in control of his actions. Later that day we talked to Zecora, a local zebra who lives in the Everfree forest, who says that Mr. Wind was in fact inhibited by the General Wind persona. Zecora went on to explain that Mr. Wind remembers all of the fine details of what General Wind did and was not able to stop him in any way. Other witnesses came to us as well vouching for Mr. Wind’s honor and his heroic traits. Almost all of them were the very guards who he fought against. Many of them spoke of how if one guards vouches for a pony, that all of them will. So now Mr. Wind is backed by Equestria’s entire military, which is no small thing. After seeing all of these glowing reviews of this pony, this reporter supports Whirl Wind and his return to Ponyville and his home. I think we all owe Whirl Wind an apology and I will be going out to his home to do so personally. I may lose my job over saying this but, if anypony had any honor left after this war, you will go down to the nearest store and buy an apology gift for Whirl Wind and encourage him to go to the hospital to tend to his wounds.” Whirl finished with a surprised look on his face. He turned to Rumble who was smiling widely, “It seems like it was a good article to me. Maybe you should go to the hospital though, you look kind of rough.” Rumble said with a concerned tone. “How about I take you?” Whirl chuckled. “Don’t you have papers to deliver first?” Rumble shook his head. “I save the best for last, these are just extras they give me in case something is wrong with another paper.” “Wait here for a moment, I want to get something for you. Then we can go to the hospital.” Whirl said as he walked back inside. Rumble waited patiently for Whirl to come back out. When he did he was wearing a saddlebag and he had a note in his mouth. He pinned it to the door and turned to Rumble. With a smile he pulled out a picture of the Wonderbolts. “Do you like the Wonderbolts Rumble? I have a copy of a picture here, signed by the old team. One of them… is my father, an earth pony.” Rumble laughed at Whirl’s statement. “Earth ponies can’t join the Wonderbolts. They can’t fly.” Whirl shook his head. “He was part of the land team. An elite team of the best earth ponies in all of Equestria. The team was disbanded years ago and few know it even existed. But here he is.” Whirl said as he turned the picture around so Rumble could see. Rumble’s jaw dropped as he saw a small group of earth ponies standing with the entirety of the Wonderbolts team. “Wow, I can have this?” he asked excitedly. Whirl nodded with a smile. “Of course, it is the least I can do for such a good delivery colt.” he said happily. Rumble held it in his hooves with a glowing expression. He looked up to Whirl for a moment before asking, “Can you sign it too? You are a hero after all.” Whirl was surprise at Rumble’s request. “Sure, do you have a pencil or a quill?” Rumble reached into his delivery bag and pulled out a pencil. Whirl took it and signed an open spot on the photo. Whirl smiled as he looked at his signature next to his fathers. He gave the pencil back to Rumble and grinned. “Wow! Thank you so much!” “Let get to the hospital.” he said as he stepped off of his patio. Rumble followed next to him eagerly. “I am glad you decided to go.” Whirl nodded. “I am glad that somepony wanted me to go. You heard how well things have been going for me since I returned, I never expected anypony to like me ever again.” Rumble shrugged. “Just goes to show you that friendship can be found even after the worst of tragedies.” Whirl chuckled. “You are very well spoken for a colt your age, did you know that?” he asked with a smirk. “I get that sometimes. I try not to sound too smart at school though so I don’t get picked on.” he admitted. Whirl nodded. “I can understand that.” Rumble raised an eyebrow at Whirl’s statement. “You mean from everypony here picking on you for what somepony else did?” Whirl shook his head. “No, well yes but… no. When I was a little colt I moved around a lot. Being the new kid ten or eleven times can make you very different than everypony else. Being super smart, wearing glasses, and actually taking time to study made me a ‘nerd’. But I learned something very special from it all though, in the end you just got to take the pain in stride, because when you become an adult you will end up being much happier. Well, in most cases.” Rumble chuckled a bit. “Are you happy?” Whirl sighed. “I was, before all of this. I was happy with my one friend, my house, my job. Coming home and sitting down to relax for a bit before calculating the next weeks weather with a cup of tea. Going to bed and then doing it again and again.” “Sounds a bit lonely.” Rumble said sadly. Whirl nodded. “It can be. But overall it was nice. Peaceful. All of it changed on Nightmare Night…” Rumble laughed. “I love Nightmare Night! Last year Princess Luna stole one of my lollipops when she caught me, but it was really fun!” Whirl chuckled at the thought of him being the one who got him caught. “Yeah, I helped her find a lot of ponies last year. I dressed up as a guard so she asked me and my friend Sonic Flare to help her find ponies. I pointed out a scarecrow.” Rumble laughed again. “How did you manage that?” “Hey, from the clouds a pony looks like a pony, so do scarecrows.” Whirl responded in a prideful tone. Rumble shook his head. “If you say so. Oh hey look, we are here.” he said happily. Whirl smiled at the sight of the hospital. “Great, now I can get some treatment for my eye. It really hurts.” Rumble and Whirl opened the door and walked into the hospital with confidence. The waiting room was empty save for the nurse behind the counter. She looked up with a smile that quickly turned to a frown. “Oh uhm, hello… I think I know what you are here for. P-please wait here.” she said nervously as she trotted through a door. Rumble and Whirl sat in the waiting room for at least an hour before a different nurse came back through the doors. “W-will you please follow me and I will g-get you into an examination room.” she said nervously before she started to walk down a hall. Whirl and Rumble followed along as she lead them to the far end of the hall. When they got in the room they each took a seat. The nurse was shaking with the clipboard in her hooves. “S-so, what seems to be the p-problem?” Whirl looked at Rumble with a frown. Rumble simple gestured for Whirl to just get it over with. With a sigh Whirl told the nurse how he felt as she wrote down notes nervously. Whirl held up his fore hoof to point at his eye and the nurse yelped and dropped the clipboard. With a blush she picked it back up. “Th-that should be enough for the doctor.” she said nervously as she quickly walked out of the room. Whirl sighed again and looked to Rumble for encouragement. Rumble simply smiled. “Well, that could have gone worse.” “How? She nearly had a heart attack.” Whirl said with a frown. Rumble shrugged. “She could have not seen you at all.” Whirl nodded with a shrug. “True, I guess I should be happy they are seeing me at all.” Rumble laughed a bit just before the doctor came inside the room. The doctor took one look at Whirl and sighed. “Well now, look at what we have here. If it isn’t the infamous Whirl Wind. Let’s see what is wrong shall we?” he said as he started to take the bandages off of Whirl. Whirl’s eye looked like a small apple was lodged in the side of his face and his various cuts looked infected. “My, my, my… You had the daisies knocked out of you. You are lucky you came, these infections look pretty bad. And that eye, eugh…” the doctor said as he wheeled himself around the room grabbing various disinfectants and bandages. From the last cabinet he pulled out a pill bottle and popped it open. He shook out two pills and hoofed them to Whirl. “Here, this is penicillin, it will help stop the infection.” Whirl nodded and took the pills and Rumble hoofed him a glass of water. The doctor started to dab a rag in the disinfectants. “Okay, this is going to hurt a lot. Just… keep as still as possible.” the doctor said before he started to scrub the cuts with the rag. Whirl winced in pain but kept relatively still. “You know, I read the paper this morning. There is a nice article in it about you.” Whirl nodded. “Yeah, I read that…” The doctor sighed. “I’m sorry…” he said as he started to scrub another wound. “For what?” Whirl asked as he winced in pain again. “For your eye… that was me… I was angry and I didn’t know…” the doctor explain. Whirl’s eyes were practically glowing. “It’s… it’s okay… I understand why you did it…” The doctor moved on to another cut. “That was no reason to do what I did. I should have known that if you were actually the one who did all those horrible things the princesses would have never let you come back.” Whirl smiled. “Thank you, for apologizing. I forgive everypony for all the bruises they gave me. Besides, you are fixing your mistake right now.” he said jokingly. The doctor smiled and his horn started to glow. A small beam hit Whirl’s bad eye and a bone snapping back into place was heard. Whirl let out a yelp of pain. The doctor looked at him with grief. “Sorry, usually the pain subsides faster if you don’t know it’s coming.” the doctor explained. Whirl nodded as the doctor grabbed more bandaging. “Just wear this over your eye for a few weeks and it will be fine.” the doctor said as he wrapped up Whirl’s eye. Rumble smiled. “Looking good Whirl. A lot better than you did before.” The doctor smiled at Rumble. “Are you Whirl’s son?” he asked curiously. Rumble laughed and shook his head. “No, I am his newpaper colt!” Whirl laughed a bit too. “Rumble here was nice enough to talk me into coming here today. I owe him big time.” The doctor nodded. “Yes you do. I would like to keep you one night for observation. We need to keep an eye of your infection and make sure it doesn’t spread.” Whirl frowned. “Ah, okay. Not that I expect anypony to come… I guess that is okay.” Rumble smiled and looked at the time. “Oh dang! I am going to be late for class!” he said as he jumped out of his chair. The doctor pulled out a piece of paper from a drawer and started to write something. “Here, a doctors note so you don’t get in trouble.” Rumble took the note and put it in his saddle bag. “Bye Whirl!” he said as he dashed out the door. Whirl chuckled and waved goodbye. He turned his attention back to the doctor. “So, will I be staying in this room or…?” he started before the doctor interrupted. “Oh no no no! We have rooms up stairs for overnight patients. I will escort you there. Don’t mind the nurses, they are a little bit afraid of you despite how much I tell them you are fine.” Whirl chuckled. “I noticed. Don’t worry, I won’t scare them on purpose.” he said as they started to walk out of the room. **** “Yes, I knew Whirl’s mother. She asked me to send her letters on how he was doing. She taught the Appleosa school with pride, I miss her…” Cheerilee said sadly. Fluttershy nodded. “I’m sorry but… Do you know if her class could come here to help Whirl move on?” Cheerilee nodded. “I am sure they wouldn’t mind helping him. I am sure they miss her just as much as he does.” Fluttershy smiled. “That’s wonderful. Thank you for the help Cheerilee. I need to go talk to Twilight to get this all planned out.” Cheerilee smiled as well. “Let me know how it goes.” “Of course, thank you again for the…” Fluttershy started before she was interrupted by a small colt coming into the room. “S-sorry I’m late Ms. Cheerilee… I was with… Whirl Wind… at the hospital…” Rumble huffed as he hoofed Cheerilee the note. “You got him to go? That is wonderful. Thank you Rumble.” Cheerilee said as she set the note down on her desk. “Everypony is outside at recess right now, you should go join them.” Rumble smiled and hung up his saddle bad before running outside. Fluttershy followed him out after waving goodbye to Cheerilee. She watched as Rumble join the others before taking off towards Twilight’s. When she arrived she knocked on the door and heard the sound of hoof steps coming towards the door. Twilight answered it and smiled. “Good, you’re here. AJ just got here too. Come on in.” she said as she stepped back from the door to let Fluttershy walk through. Applejack saw Fluttershy walk in and smiled. “So, what didja find out Fluttershy?” Fluttershy sat down across from Applejack and said, “Well, Whirl’s mother worked in Appleosa as a teacher and Cheerilee said that her students would want to help Whirl. All I have to do is go get them.” she explained. “That’s great Fluttershy! I found out that Whirl’s brothers opened a franchise in Manehatten as window washers. Surprisingly enough they weren’t pegasi! Whirl’s older brother was a unicorn and his little brother was an earth pony. They both were apparently very well-mannered and did their jobs really well. I got at say they both seemed to be really nice.” Applejack said with a slight smile. Twilight walked over to a covered piece of furniture. “I found this in Ponyville’s gallery.” she said as she pulled the curtain off. The revealed painting was spectacular, it depicted Princess Celestia on the left side raising the run and on the right was Princess Luna raising the moon. Both had a spectacular glow behind them. “It was painted by Whirl’s little sister, Brushling. She was an earth pony also. I am surprised how diverse their family was. She lived in Los Pegasus for a while then moved to Manehatten with her brothers.” “How did General Wind manage to get them all?” Fluttershy asked sadly. Twilight shook her head. “General Wind had all of Whirl’s knowledge… he must have sent agents after them… Let’s not think about that right now.” she said as she walked over to the others. “AJ, go to Manehatten and see if you can get the two brother journals, if they had any. If they didn’t, try to find something from them that would cheer Whirl up. Fluttershy, you go to Appleosa and talk to Whirl’s mother’s class. See if you can get them here by tomorrow.” They both nodded and headed out the door. Before Fluttershy closed the door she turned around for one moment. “Whirl is in the hospital right now getting fixed up… if you want to go see him…” she said before she left. Twilight looked back at the painting. “Maybe I should bring this up to Whirl… No, I should wait for those two to return…” she thought before heading out the door the visit Whirl in the hospital. **** Whirl was laying in a bed in the hospital feeling very relaxed for the first time since he got home. After hearing an apology from the doctor who was tending to him really lifted his spirits, as did Rumble talking to him. A knock on the window got Whirl’s attention and he saw a lavender pegasus mare. Whirl gestured her to come inside and she didn’t hesitate to oblige. “Hello, my name is Cloud Kicker. I just wanted to come by and say a few things to you. Oh, these are for you.” she said as she pulled out some flowers with a ‘get well soon’ card stuck inside. Whirl took the flowers with a smile. “Thank you Cloud Kicker. I already knew who you were though, you worked for the weather team as one of the leaders. I was the pony who gave you the weather orders.” he said as he tried to get her to remember. Cloud tapped a hoof on her chin in deep thought. “Huh, small world huh? Did you change your mane?” Whirl bonked his head with his hoof. “Right, I did! I guess it’s a bit more… blue now huh? What do you think?” Cloud smiled kindly. “I like it. It makes you look less like a ‘know-it-all’.” Whirl chuckled. “Thank you. I have to say I am surprised I got a visitor, let alone a former coworker.” “Well… I read the paper and I was at Princess Luna’s speech… Then I heard you were here so…” Cloud said as she rubbed the back of her neck. Whirl sniffed the flowers with a smile. “These are beautiful, did you get them from Rose?” Cloud smiled and nodded. “Yeah, she is giving discounts to everypony because a lot of us need them for… you know… sad things…” Whirl nodded. “Sad things… yeah… I got quite a few bouquets of flowers for… sad things…” “Who did you lose?” Cloud asked sadly. “Everypony in my family…” he responded quietly. Cloud clapped her hooves to her mouth. “Oh my… I’m so sorry to hear that. I guess I got lucky… Sorry that was a terrible thing to say.” “It’s okay, I am glad your family is alright. I am glad that he didn’t get to them…” Whirl responded with a shudder. “What was it like? Being him?” Cloud asked softly. “It was awful. I remember all of it but I would rather not talk about it please. It is getting a bit depressing just to think about it.” Whirl said with a sigh. “I understand, I need to get back to work anyway. One quick question… Are you going to come back to the weather team?” Whirl thought about it for a moment before answering. “I don’t know yet. I want to really badly but… I don’t know how many ponies want me to come back.” “Well, I do. See later Whirl.” she responded softly before taking off out the window. Whirl set the flowers she brought down on a small table in the room. “Somepony else beside Rainbow Dash wants me back…” he thought happily. Whirl felt a bit sleepy and rubbed his good eye with a yawn. “A small nap won’t do any harm…” he thought as he closed his eye. It didn’t take long for him to dose off. **** Whirl opened his eyes and he was sitting outside in front of five graves. He recognized the graves immediately as the graves he made for his family in his back yard. “Sorry I couldn’t give you a better funeral… Sorry I couldn’t burry your actual bodies… Sorry I got you all killed…” he said softly. “Do not fret Whirl Wind…” a soft voice said from behind. Whirl turned around to see Princess Luna standing with a smile. Whirl turned back around to the graves with a frown. “Why are you here?” he asked sadly. “I am here because I care for you… I want to help you move on…” she responded in a caring tone. “I don’t think I will ever move on. I am not sure I want to move on. I don’t know why nopony wants me to feel pain for what I did, I want to feel pain for what I did. Just look in front of me, five graves… one for each member of my family. Each one I personally hunted down and killed.” Whirl said angrily. “Each one killed by General Wind, not you. Why can you not accept that it was not you who caused this?” “Because! Because it IS my fault! I stepped out of line! I never used to do anything heroic! I never used to do things out of the ordinary! I was content with occasionally practicing for the Wonderbolts, going to work, relaxing at home! But all that changed that night… The night I met you! I wish I had never met you!” Whirl yelled in a fit of rage. Princess Luna recoiled with tears in her eyes. “You… you don’t really mean that… do you?” “Why does it matter to you anyway?! You don’t really care for me! No one can! The only reason anypony is apologizing is because you basically told them to! Nopony is actually sorry! Nopony actually cares! I don’t even care…” he yelled before he laid down in front of the graves. “Fine. I will leave you then.” Princess Luna said as her image faded away. Whirl merely buried his face in his hooves and started to sob. “Whirl? Whirl wake up…” a voice echoed in his mind. **** Twilight nudged Whirl’s shoulder and repeated herself. “Wake up Whirl Wind.” Whirl stirred with a moan. “It’s my fault…” he mumbled as his eye poured out more tears. Twilight rubbed his shoulder. “Just wake up Whirl, everything will be okay.” Whirl’s eye finally opened and he turned to Twilight. “Oh, sorry. I was just napping.” he said as he wiped away the tears. Twilight nodded. “I understand. Did you hear anypony else come in?” Whirl shook his head. “No, why?” Twilight gestured to the rest of the room. It was adorned with flowers, cards, and balloons. Whirl sighed as he looked on. “How many ponies do you think actually mean it? How many ponies do you think are just listening to what Luna said?” Twilight smiled. “I am sure they all mean it. What would they be proving otherwise?” “That they want to listen to Luna.” he said bluntly. Twilight grabbed one of the cards and read it aloud. “Mr.Wind, we would like to extend our apologies to you. We didn’t support you when you needed friends the most, despite what our own family tried to tell us about you. Sorry for not being there. Signed, the Apple Family of Manehatten.” Whirl smiled as she finished. “Okay, you’ve convinced me.” he said with a chuckle. Twilight grabbed another card and read it anyway. “Hello Whirl Wind! This is Derpy Hooves! I just wanted to let you know that I always believed in you, even when things seemed darkest! I can’t wait for you to start ordering merchandise from the Wonderbolts again so I can talk to you on the job again! Hope you get well soon!” “Awww, Derpy… She was always so nice. I never cared if she was late or anything, she was doing her best and it showed.” Whirl said happily. Twilight continued to read cards until they were all read. “…and even though things may seem bleak now, they can only get better. Signed, Princess Celestia of Equestria.” Whirl looked around for more cards. “I am surprised Luna didn’t send one… Although… I did have a bad dream where… I told her to leave me alone… You don’t think she… was actually there, do you?” “Uhhh, oh look chocolates!” Twilight said as she tried to change the topic. “That’s what I thought…” Whirl said as he looked down at the end of his bed. “Twilight, can you take a letter for me?” Twilight nodded and pulled out a quill and scroll. “Go ahead.” “Dear Princess Luna, wait no… My fairest Luna, I am sorry for what I said in my dreams. It was very personal and it was hard for me to handle. I think you would understand if it were your sister in her grave… Friends forever, Whirl Wind.” he said softly. “Oh my… sounds serious.” Twilight said as she rolled up the scroll. “What happened?” Whirl shook his head in response and didn’t say anything. Twilight put the scroll in her saddle bag. “There really are chocolates.” she said as she levitated them from the group of flowers and cards. Whirl chuckled. “Chocolates, the ultimate pick me up. I guess I could share some.” he said as he took the box. “Take your pick.” Twilight levitated one of the chocolates out of the box and took a bite. “Oh these are good!” she said happily. Whirl took one out and popped it in his mouth whole. “Mmmm… they are good. Who are they from?” Twilight looked at the card. “Pinkie Pie.” As if from some void between dimensions Pinkie Pie burst into the room from the cabinet. “Did somepony say my name?! OHHH! You found my chocolates! Do you like them? Do you, do you, do you?!” she asked excitedly. Whirl nearly had a heart attack when Pinkie made her surprise entrance. “Yes, I do Pinkie. You scared the living daylights out of me…” he said as he held a hoof to his chest. “Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, I just wanted to come by while you were awake to say hello.” she said happily. “Well then, hello.” Whirl said with a smile. “Hello! Okay, I have to go now! Bye!” Pinkie said before she dashed out the door. Whirl was so confused. “But… she just…” “It’s Pinkie Pie. That is just how she is.” Twilight said with a shrug. Whirl stared at the door for a moment. “Do you think she will forgive me?” he asked quietly. Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What would Pinkie Pie have to forgive you for?” “Not her… Luna…” Whirl said as he turned his head back to the end of his bed. Twilight nodded. “I am sure she will. She understands what you are going through even if you don’t know it.” “I… I do know it. I am sure she did some terrible things as Nightmare Moon… Things she didn’t want to do but did anyway. I am sure she still feels it too.” he said as he started to feel a bit sick. “Ugh… I feel nauseous…” he said as he started to turn a bit pale. Twilight noticed his discoloration and called for a nurse. One of them came in with a bucket. “Vomit in this.” she said as she dropped the bucket next to the bed. The nurse quickly turned around and started to walk out of the door. “Wait, isn’t there anything you can do for him?” Twilight asked before the nurse could leave. “I’ll get the doctor.” she said bluntly as she left. “That was kind of rude.” Twilight said as she sat down next to Whirl again. “I am getting kind of used to it… oh dear…” he said as he leaned over and vomited into the bucket. Twilight patted his back as he leaned over. “It’s okay, you are going to be fine.” Whirl heaved a few more times before he laid back down. “That chocolate did not taste as good the second time…” he said jokingly. The doctor came in hurriedly with a shot. “Whirl, sorry it took me so long to get here. Slight pain.” he said as he poked the needle into Whirl’s fore hoof. “Anti-bacterial agent. Should stop the vomiting soon.” “Why are the nurses acting so rude to Whirl?” Twilight asked with an irritated tone. The doctor sighed and turned to Twilight. “I am very sorry about that. Not everypony has warmed up to him yet. No need to fret though, I will continue to try and convince them to treat him better.” “No. Let them do what is right for them. I don’t want to stop them from letting it out.” Whirl said sternly. Both the doctor and Twilight turned to him with an expression of shock. “You want them to be rude to you?” Twilight asked. “No, but I can understand why they are being that way. Therefore I will not say anything about it and just let them be.” Whirl said as he shifted in his bed. “I’m itchy.” he said as he started to scratch. The doctor walked up to him and moved some fur on his pelt. A rash was starting to form around where the doctor had injected him. “Dang, you are allergic to these antibiotics.” he said as he rushed to the counter. He shoved some of Whirl’s gifts out of the way and opened a drawer just as Whirl started to gasp for air. Twilight was panicking as Whirl started to change colors because he couldn’t breath. The doctor pulled out another shot and ran back to Whirl and poked it into his fore hoof. Whirl was able to take in a deep breath. “Sorry! I am sorry! I didn’t know!” Whirl was coughing as he put a hoof on the doctors shoulder. “It’s… okay…” he said as he started to catch his breath. Whirl patted the doctors shoulder a few more times before he laid back. Twilight held Whirl’s hoof with concern. “You sure you are okay?” Twilight asked worriedly. Whirl simply nodded and continued to take deep breathes. “You should be fine now. Just keep breathing slowly. Sorry again for the whole allergic reaction.” the doctor said sadly. Whirl chuckled a bit. “Not… your… fault…” he breathed slowly. “Doctor… name?” The doctor smiled. “Doctor Ray.” he replied. “Thank… you…” Whirl breathed with a smile. “My pleasure. As a doctor I have taken an oath to do no harm and to help those in need. But, that is not the only reason I am making sure you get well. I still feel as though I owe you for shattering your eye socket.” Doctor Ray said with a chuckle. Twilight gasped. “That was you?! How could you?!” she asked angrily. “I made a mistake, it happens. Whirl has already forgiven me so please don’t get too angry, although I would understand why if you do get really angry.” Doctor Ray said with a chuckle. “Don’t get mad at him Twilight, he has more than paid for his mistake. Even though he doesn’t seem to think so.” Whirl said as he put a hoof on Twilight’s hoof. Twilight smirked. “You mean like you?” Whirl opened his mouth to speak but he was at a loss of words. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Twilight said with a giggle. “Alright, I get your point. I will try not to be so hard on myself for what I…” he started to say. “What HE did. Not you.” Twilight said as she squeezed his hoof. “What he did. He. It is like talking in the third pony.” Whirl said with a chuckle. Doctor Ray cleared his throat to get their attention. “I need to check a few things Ms. Sparkle.” he said as he moved forward a little bit. Twilight moved aside and let the doctor do his job. He moved up to Whirl’s head and pulled some of the examination tools off of the wall with his magic. A little light shone from the end of the tool and he moved in to examine various parts of Whirl’s head. First the ears, then the eyes. “Okay, everything looks alright. I am still a bit concerned about the vomiting but since I can’t give you that antibiotic that will fix it we will just have to use some more penicillin and hope that works.” “What if it doesn’t?” Whirl asked. “Then we will have to try something more drastic, but I would rather not do that.” Doctor Ray replied. Whirl nodded in response. “Drastic huh? I assume that means some kind of surgery?” Doctor Ray responded with a nod before trotting over to the sink. He pulled a small cup and two more penicillin pills out of a drawer before heading back over to Whirl. “Here you go.” he said as he floated the objects over to Whirl. “Nothing like a daily dose of mold to make you feel better huh?” Whirl said before he popped the pills in his mouth and drank them down. “Bleh, I both love and hate medicine.” Twilight giggled at Whirl’s joke as she turned to look at the time. “Well, it’s getting late. I am going to need to go back to the library now. I have fallen behind in my studies.” she said sadly. Whirl looked over to her and smiled. “It’s okay, I don’t need somepony here all the time. You take care of you before you take care of me, okay?” Twilight nodded and stood up. “I will try to balance it out.” she said with a wink. “If it’s not me here tomorrow, it will be another of my friends. I can guarantee it. Also, I will have Spike send that letter so it goes faster, so don’t worry about how fast Princess Luna will receive it. Well, see you later, get well soon.” she said happily before trotting out the door. “Bye Ms. Sparkle.” Doctor Ray said with a smile. “Bye Twilight.” Whirl said as well. After she left Whirl put his head down on his pillow and looked at his gifts. “Wow… there are just… so many.” Doctor Ray was taking Whirl’s blood pressure when Whirl spoke up. “Yeah, that is common when somepony is in the hospital with such terrible injuries.” he said with a smile. “Is it common when that pony was hated by everypony in town not but two days ago?” Whirl said bluntly. “It is when ponies start to like him again.” Doctor Ray said as he took off the blood pressure tool from Whirl’s fore hoof. “Your blood pressure is a little high, are you experiencing pain still?” Whirl nodded. “My eye hurts when I roll over or try to blink it by mistake. Hard to get used to only blinking one eye.” he said with a chuckle. “Alright, as long as that is the only pain you are experiencing I am having high hopes.” Doctor Ray said as he put on his stethoscope. “Deep breaths please.” Whirl took a few deep breaths and Doctor Ray moved it around his chest. “Sounds good. All good things so far.” Whirl smiled. “That is great. I don’t want to stay here too long, you might not have room for me in here after a while.” he said jokingly. Doctor Ray chuckled. “A sense of humor is a good sign of recovery. I need to go see other patients, but don’t hesitate to call a nurse if you need help, okay?” Whirl nodded and Doctor Ray headed out the door to do his job. “I am not sure a nurse will be the first pony I call for help.” Whirl said as he laid his head down on his good eye. He leaned up for just a moment to turn off the light before attempting to fall asleep. “I just hope that Luna isn’t mad at me…” he thought as he drifted off to sleep. Chapter SevenChapter Seven: Closure Whirl awoke the next day as the sun shone through the window. He leaned up in his bed and felt a bit numb. He yawned and stretched lazily just as Doctor Ray came into the room. “Ah, good timing. How are you feeling this morning?” “I feel a bit numb. Not really bad, it feels like I have not moved for a few days.” Whirl explained. “I think you had a restful sleep. If you aren’t feeling any pain then I think we might be able to go home after this examination.” Doctor Ray said happily. Whirl smiled then yawned again. “Oh yay…” he said sleepily. “Thank you for helping me so much.” “It’s my job, and we are also friends now so I would gladly do it again even if it wasn’t my job. I might actually come by your home for a follow up visit.” Doctor Ray said as he started to take Whirl’s blood pressure again. Whirl chuckled. “I’ll brew the tea.” he said with a smile. “That would be great, I love tea. Alright, I think you are good to go. Let me go fill out the discharge papers while you go ahead and get ready to go.” Doctor Ray said happily. Whirl got out of bed and stretched out a bit more as Doctor Ray left the room. He looked around the room at all of the gifts and wondered how he was going to be getting in all home. Whirl heard the sound of hoof steps walk through the door and he turned around saying, “That was fast Doctor… oh Derpy. What are you doing here?” Derpy blushed deeply and looked away. “Oh uh, I was just coming to visit you. You were asleep yesterday and I wasn’t sure if I should wake you up or not.” Whirl smiled and picked up the card Derpy had given him. “This is one of the best get well cards I have ever received.” Derpy blushed even more. “Oh, thanks.” She said softly. Whirl raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Are you okay?” Derpy nodded but refused to make eye contact. “Yeah I am fine.” Whirl walked over to her with a concerned look. He put a hoof on her head to check her temperature. “Well, you don’t seem to have a fever… why are you so red?” he asked before suddenly realizing what was going on. “Oh my, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” Derpy perked up and looked at Whirl. “You didn’t! I am just a bit nervous you know?” Whirl nodded. “I understand, thank you for visiting though. You caught me just in time, I was just getting discharged.” Derpy smiled. “Oh that is great news. Do you need help taking this stuff home? Because I have my saddle bag and it is pretty empty. If both of us fill our bags we should be able to take it all to your home.” She said happily. Whirl was a bit surprised that she offered to help but he wasn’t about to say no. “That would be great. Thank you Derpy.” Derpy smiled and started to fill her bags with his gifts. “It’s no big deal; it will be just like delivering your packages.” “Does that mean we get to have some tea and talk again?” Whirl asked happily. Derpy blushed again. “Sure, that was the best part about delivering to you. I always looked forward to ending my day with you…” Whirl was blushing a bit too now. “I always thought it was nice to have you by. I mean I didn’t have a lot of friends before the war, but I always thought of you as a friend.” Derpy smiled and continued to load up more gifts. “That is because we are friends. You are the only one who really talks to me at all and I really missed that while you were gone.” Whirl put on his saddle bag and started to load up gifts as well. “Well, then we should hurry up and get to my house so we can talk again. I think you know me more than Flare does. I even told you about the time I met Whim and we went to the Everfree forest. Then I ran into a poison thorn bush!” he said with a laugh. “I still think that going into the Everfree was a bad idea in the first place, all for some flowers.” Derpy said with a giggle. “They were magic flowers and they helped him with his rock farm.” Whirl said defiantly. Derpy giggled. “I’m sure. Well, I think that is it. Are you ready to go?” “He will be after he signs out.” Doctor Ray said as he walked back into the room with a clipboard. “Just sign here and you can go.” Whirl took the pen in his mouth and signed on the line. “There we go. Thank you again for everything Doctor Ray.” Doctor Ray smiled and put the pen back on the clipboard. “You are very much welcome. Make sure you keep that eye patch on for at least two weeks.” “That won’t be a problem doctor.” Whirl said as he and Derpy walked out of the room. **** Whirl and Derpy talked all the way to his house about the days before the war and how things seemed to have changed in everypony since the war ended. As Whirl opened the door he heard a clatter inside and took his hoof off the handle. “Did you hear that?” he asked Derpy quietly. Derpy nodded. “Yeah I did. Did you have somepony else over today?” she asked quietly. Whirl shook his head. “I am going to go through the back, you stay here and I will let you in when I know it is safe.” He said as he stepped off of the porch. He was cautious not to be visible from any of the windows as he snuck around to the back. Stepping lightly he walked up to the back door and opened it quietly. The kitchen was empty but it looked as though somepony used his pots and pans. He silently crept to the entrance of the next room and peeked around the corner. What he saw shocked him nearly to death; there were streamers from the ceiling and balloons everywhere. Around the room there were all of his friends hiding and looking at the front door, presumably for him to walk in. A voice caught his attention and he turned his ears towards it. “Are you sure you saw him Rainbow Dash?” the voice of Fluttershy whispered. “Yeah I am sure it was him, just wait a moment.” Rainbow replied in a whisper. Whirl thought quickly on what to do next and finally came to a decision. He moved himself as close to the ground as possible and crept along the floor silently. He grabbed a few party poppers from a nearby table without getting noticed and snuck up behind Rainbow Dash. With a single tug from all of the strings the party poppers exploded with a loud BAM! Everypony in the room jumped and Rainbow Dash found herself holding Fluttershy as they both screamed. “Who did that?!” Twilight asked as she looked over to where the noise came from. She saw Whirl Wind on the ground laughing and holding his sides. “WHIRL! How did you get in without anypony noticing?” she asked in shock. Whirl couldn’t answer, he was laughing too hard. He merely stood up and walked to the front door as everypony calmed down from the sudden scare. Whirl opened the door and let Derpy inside. “It was a surprise party Derpy! But I gave them the surprise instead!” Whirl said with a laugh. Derpy giggled and walked inside. “Hello everypony. Someone gave you away; we heard a clatter and Whirl snuck through the back instead.” She explained to Twilight as Whirl found his place back on the floor laughing. “The looks on your faces! Rainbow Dash screaming! It was all worth it!” he said in between his laughter. Applejack chuckled and walked over to him to help him up. Whirl slowly caught his breath again from all his laughing and sat down in his favorite chair. “Well Whirl, what do ya think of the party?” Applejack asked with a smile. Whirl looked around the entirety of the room and noticed the ‘Welcome Home!’ banner strung across the room. “It’s great! I can’t believe you all put this together for me. It is really nice.” “Wait until you have tried the cupcakes!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she popped up from behind his chair holding a plate of cupcakes. Whirl took one and took a big bite out of it. “Mmmm! Derpy, you have got to try one of these!” he said as he looked over at Derpy. She was taking gifts from her saddle bag and was placing them on a table. “Oh um, that’s okay. I should probably be going actually.” She said as she unloaded the last gift. After she placed it on the table she promptly trotted out the front door. “Derpy wait!” Whirl exclaimed as he ran after her. He caught her just as she took off to the skies. Taking off for the first time in a while made Whirl feel a bit old as he took off after her. When he caught up he noticed tears in her eyes. “Derpy, what’s wrong?!” he yelled over the rushing wind. Derpy finally relented and landed on a cloud and Whirl landed right next to her. “I didn’t want to embarrass you by having your friends see me with you.” She said softly. “What? Why would I be embarrassed? You are one of my friends remember?” he said as he looked at her. She didn’t turn her head to look him in the eyes again. “Well it’s not that I am mean to them or anything it’s just… we have had some history with me and my mistakes because of…” she explained but was unable to finish the last of her sentence. She closed her eyes and turned away. Whirl wrapped a wing around her and held her tightly. “What is it? You can tell me.” He said softly. Derpy sighed and turn towards him with her eyes closed. She slowly opened them to reveal one of her eye had moved out of position and was looking somewhere else entirely while her other was looking right at Whirl. “My eyes get this way and bad things happen. Other times it is just me making big mistakes that lead to disasters. Like the time I accidently destroyed town hall with that storm cloud, even more so when I accidently bumped one of the support beams and it came crashing down on top of Rainbow Dash. Then there was the time where I was working the skies with a delivery crew and their truck when a bunch of stuff fell out the back and landed on Twilight. I didn’t mean for any of it to happen but it did and I am such a fool!” she said as she started to sob. Whirl rubbed her back with his wing. “There, there. It’s okay. I am sure they forgive you for all of that. It is not your fault really. I mean you can’t help how your eye acts.” Derpy leaned over, put her head on his shoulder and hugged him. “I know, but I shouldn’t be working at all. I am a menace to those around me.” “Not to me, to me you are a great friend. That will never change.” He said as he rubbed her back some more. “I used to wait until they were better before I came and delivered to your house. So you wouldn’t think of me as a freak like everypony else does.” She said as she cried on. “I wouldn’t have cared. I used to be a freak too you know? I was the only pegasi who was always the ‘new colt’ in class. I never had money, I never hung out with anypony at all, and I certainly never talked to any mares. In fact, I made it a point to avoid everypony because they treated me differently for what I did. I know how you feel in that regard. But know this; you will never be anything less than a great friend to me. No amount of your mistakes will change that.” He said with a grin. Derpy pulled her head away from his shoulder. “Really? You mean that?” she asked with a hiccup. Whirl smiled and nodded. “Of course. You were actually my first friend here, remember? You made your first delivery the same day I moved in. Granted it was not my package but one for the previous owner. You introduced yourself to me and told me how you would be delivering all of my packages from then on. I invited you in for tea but you said no because you were too nervous. It took a while but after the fifth package you came inside and we talked well past sundown. To be honest, after that day I made it a point to order something whenever it was possible just to see you…” he said with a chuckle. “You mean a lot to me. I care about what you think of me as a pony; one of my worst fears was that you would hate me when I got back from the war. Knowing what I did and all…” Derpy smiled. “I came to the train station to welcome you home… but the others muscled passed me like I wasn’t even there…” she said softly. “You came to welcome me home? I am sorry I wasn’t more popular with the ponies who did greet me…” he said with a chuckle. “I am also for not saying any of this sooner, it seems like you could have used it.” Derpy was tearing up again. “Thank you Whirl Wind… You mean a lot to me too… I actually… I mean that is…” she started to say but paused. “Yes?” Whirl asked as he held her tight. “I think I love you Whirl…” she said in a whisper. Whirl blushed immensely. “You do? Even after the war and everything I have done?” he asked in shock. Derpy nodded and blushed as well. “I realized it after you came home. After you were attacked I felt terrible, I wanted to come up and help but I was afraid. When they finally left you alone and I saw you so hurt I started to cry. I ran home and cried for the rest of the day…” Whirl’s mouth was agape as she spoke, he didn’t know how to respond. “Well… I… I mean… I kind of… I mean I really… Oh my…” he said as he tried to find the words. Derpy giggled. “It’s okay; you don’t have to feel the same way.” She said as she separated from the embrace. Whirl let her go and watched as she prepared to take off. “Derpy wait…” he said before she took off. She turned around to face Whirl again. Whirl walked up to her with blushing cheeks. “I love you too.” He said as he twirled a hoof on the cloud. “You were my first real friend and you have also been the friend I have had the longest. I looked forward to your visits and prepared for them especially because I felt that you were more than a friend all along and I…” he started but he was interrupted by something that shocked him more than the party, a kiss. Derpy had leaned forward and put her lips to Whirl’s before he could finish speaking. They both moved closer continued to kiss for what seemed like hours. They only broke the kiss when they heard Rainbow Dash calling out for Whirl. “You should go back and party with your friends…” Derpy said softly. Whirl shook his head. “Not without you, it wouldn’t be a party without you.” Derpy smiled. “Okay, I’ll come. Only because you asked so nicely.” She said sarcastically. Whirl smiled and they both returned to the party together. When they got back everypony gathered around and started to talk and asked questions to both Whirl and Derpy. Somepony put some music on and everypony danced to the rocking tunes. Whirl and Derpy danced together and sat next to each other when they got tired. “Time to open gifts!” Rainbow Dash suddenly shouted. “Gifts?” Whirl asked in a confused tone. “Yeah, we got you a few things that we think will make you happy.” Twilight said as she floated some gifts in the air over to Whirl. Whirl took the biggest one and smiled. “This is so awesome everypony… thank you so much.” He said happily. He looked at the gift to see if he could figure out what it was. It was flat and tall. Finally unable to withhold his temptation he tore the paper covering it. When it was finally unwrapped he gaped in awe of the painting he had just revealed. It depicted Princess Celestia on the left side raising the run and on the right was Princess Luna raising the moon. Both had a spectacular glow behind them. He looked at the bottom of the painting at the signature and nearly fainted. “My… my… my… my… it’s… it’s… it’s… it’s… my… my… my… my…” he said weakly. Twilight nodded. “Yes, it was painted by your sister.” She said happily. Hearing the words from somepony finally made him lose it. He hugged the painting and fell out of his chair and onto his rump on the floor bawling. Everypony in the room had a tear in their eyes as they watched Whirl cry as he held the painting. Finally Derpy walked up to him and helped him back up onto his chair. She gently took the painting from him and set it down on the table. She then gave him a hug and he returned the favor with a sniffle. Once he felt better he broke from the embrace and looked around the room. “Sorry about that.” He said with a hiccup. “It’s okay Whirl, sorry about the suddenness of it.” Twilight said softly. “How did you find this?” he asked as he looked at the painting again. Twilight smiled. “I found it in Ponyville’s art gallery. It took some doing but I managed to find a will written by your sister that stated in the event of her death all of her art work should be given to you.” She explained. Whirl sniffled again. “It’s so beautiful. She really did make a masterpiece before she died…” he said with a hiccup. Derpy frowned. “Oh my, I am sorry to hear about your sister.” She said sadly. Whirl frowned as well. “It’s alright… I forgot you didn’t even know.” He said sadly. “Well, as long as there are no more big surprises I should be fine.” Twilight, Fluttershy and Applejack all kind of chuckled. “Well you see… there is more… Just… keep opening your gifts.” Whirl was on the verge of breaking down again. Reluctantly he picked up another present and opened it. It was two books bound together, the top one had some engraved writing on it that read ‘The Journal of Star Glimmer’ and the other one read ‘The Journal of Written Word’. Whirl started to cry again but it wasn’t as dramatic as the painting. He set the books down on the table next to the painting gently. “I can’t read those now…” he said sadly. Derpy was still frowning and had a sad look on her face. “Are those the journals of some of your friends?” she asked sadly. Whirl shook his head. “No, those are the journal of my brothers. I lost my whole family in the war and if I am right this next present will have something to do with my mother…” he said as he picked up the last gift. He opened it up and saw a picture of his mother with her class. Whirl hugged the picture and said, “Oh mother… I am so sorry I took you away from them…” Everypony in the room was silent as he held the picture. Then finally Derpy spoke up. “You didn’t take them away, King Sombra did.” She said softly. Whirl shook his head. “No… you don’t understand… I was the one who killed them… I mean… General Wind did... he killed them all… personally.” He said as he started to bawl again. Derpy clapped her hooves to her mouth. “That’s awful… I am so sorry…” she said as she hugged him. “It’s okay. I feel a bit more complete now that I have these things. I can know that in the end they were happy.” He said softly. “There is one more surprise. We want you to come with us to Appleoosa tomorrow to see your mother’s class.” Twilight said with a smile. Whirl tensed up and froze. Derpy felt him tense and got concerned. “What’s wrong Whirl? That sounds like it would be a good thing.” She said with a grin. “I can’t do it. I can’t tell them that I killed their teacher. I just can’t. They are probably still mourning for her, it would traumatize them.” He said sadly. “I won’t do it.” Twilight nodded. “It’s okay; you don’t have to if you don’t want to. But just remember that the offer will always be open.” She said softly. “Can we… can we continue this party some other time? I want to be alone for a while…” Whirl said sadly. Twilight nodded again. “Come on girls; let’s let Whirl have some time alone.” She said as she led her friends out the door. Derpy turned to leave too but Whirl put a hoof on her back to stop her. “I would like for you to stay if that is okay with you.” He said softly. Derpy smiled and nodded. “Of course.” She said with a half-smile. She sat down on the couch and looked at Whirl with a smile. “Thanks for staying Derpy. I didn’t want to be that alone.” He said softly. “I understand. I was going to come back in an hour if I would have left anyway.” She said with a grin. “Do you want to talk about it? About the war? Maybe it will help.” Whirl shook his head. “No, I have talked enough about it. I just wanted to have a regular conversation, maybe have some dinner with you or something like that.” Derpy grinned a toothy grin. “Is this a date?” she asked happily. Whirl chuckled and nodded. “I guess it is, sorry it isn’t all that romantic. The food is going to be great though.” He said as he started to grow a smile on his face. Derpy giggled. “I don’t mind the lack of romance. I am just happy to be here with you.” She said happily. Whirl smiled and stood up. “Well, what are you craving? I can whip us up almost anything.” He said with a grin. Derpy tapped a hoof on her chin. “Well, I guess I could go for some muffins.” **** Princess Celestia was walking through the remains of the castle to her former quarters. She bumped into Luna as she turned a corner and they both fell over with a thud. “Oh, I am sorry sister.” Luna said as she stood. “I am just a bit distracted.” Princess Celestia stood up and helped her sister to her hooves. “Distracted with what little sister?” she asked with a concerned tone. Princess Luna sighed and looked away. “I visited Whirl in his dreams. He told me that it was my fault that his family was dead, that it was my fault for everything that happened to him.” She said sadly. Princess Celestia frowned. “I don’t think he really meant it Luna, he is probably just hurting over the loss of his family. In fact I am sure he didn’t mean it.” She said reassuringly. “How would you know that sister?” Luna asked with a raised eyebrow. Princess Celestia got an embarrassed look on her face and magically summoned a scroll. “He may have sent you a letter of apology and I may have read it. I didn’t mean to, I thought it was from Twilight.” Princess Luna snatched the letter away with her magic and opened it up. “You read my mail?! How infuriating!” she said as she read the letter. “He is very remorseful though, I do think you are right sister.” She said as she rolled up the scroll again and bopped Celestia on the head with it. “Don’t read my mail next time.” She said as she turned around and left in a huff. Princess Celestia merely giggled and headed along her way. As she walked through the castle she occasionally saw the relief efforts at work through the holes in the side of the castle, hardworking ponies lifting stone, lumber and other crafting materials. In just a week they had already rebuilt the throne room as well as the servant’s quarters. They insisted on rebuilding the princesses quarters first but they knew that the foundation of an empire is the ponies that help to build it. Having them rested and comfortable allowed them to work as hard as they did the previous day, that and it wasn’t as if it was such a tragedy that they must sleep in a tent outside of the castle. It reminded Celestia of the old days when she had to move from her previous castle to this one after the Nightmare Moon incident. Princess Celestia finally made it to her former quarters but was stopped by sign that read ‘Structurally weak! Do not enter for any reason!’. She sighed and walked past her quarters to check up on the progress made by the construction workers. Meanwhile Princess Luna was writing a return letter to Whirl Wind. With a smile she wrote how she accepted his apology and did not think much of the words that were said. She wrote that she understood what he felt; although in a way she really did not. Princess Luna sighed as she wrote about how she knew how he felt. “I wonder what my parents were like…”she thought as she put her signature on the letter. She then rolled it up and sent it off to Ponyville with her magic. **** Whirl Wind and Derpy were laying in front of the fire at Whirl’s house after finishing their muffin dinner. Derpy rested her head on Whirl’s back and sighed with content. The only real sound in the room was the fire crackling as they laid there and relaxed. Whirl looked over to the table where his family possessions laid and frowned slightly. He turned away and put his head down on his fore hooves with a sigh. “What’s wrong Whirl?” Derpy asked without moving her head at all. “Nothing really. I was just thinking about what I am going to do now that I am home. I could get my job back as Ponyville’s weather analyst or I could try something else out.” He explained. Derpy smiled and gave a small hum before she spoke. “Going back to work is definitely the right direction, but I can see your dilemma of where to work. If you are looking to do something new maybe you could ask Applejack if she needs help on her farm. I also know that the Quills and Sofas store is looking for someone to fill up an open spot also.” She said happily. Whirl shook his head on the floor. “Applejack is the only one of those two I could even consider. A lot of ponies still hate me and won’t hire me at all so I have to look in places that have connections.” “That’s true… Hey! You know Air Mail, Sonic Flare, and I all work for the postal office! Maybe we can get you a job there!” she suggested excitedly. Whirl chuckled. “I don’t know. Delivering mail seems like it would require me going around town and delivering to all the ponies who hate me. I would come home with more bruises than a banana that got thrown off a cliff.” He said jokingly. Derpy giggled at his joke. “That is true too. Well, I guess I know where you are going tomorrow.” “Oh really? Where is that?” he asked as if he didn’t know. Derpy reached up and bonked his head gently. “To Applejack’s farm silly.” She said happily. Whirl rubbed his head jokingly as if it had hurt. “Ooowww. Okay, I will do that.” He said with a smile. Derpy snuggled up against him more. “Good. It’s getting late though…” she said sadly. “You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to. I have a guest room you can stay in if you would like.” Whirl offered with a grin. Derpy let out another hum as she thought about it. “I don’t want to impose or anything.” Whirl let out a small laugh. “Please, it is the least I can do for you. I mean you are my marefriend now. You are my marefriend right? That is what the conversation we had was saying right?” he asked nervously. “No.” Derpy said seriously. Whirl blushed a bit. “Oh, I uh… well…” Derpy let out a laugh. “I got you! Of course I will stay.” She said as she nuzzled the back of his neck. Whirl let out a sigh of relief. “Well, I should get the room all ready for you then.” He said without moving. Derpy snuggled against him even more. “Nu uh, I am too relaxed for you to move at all right now.” She said with a grin. Whirl let out another chuckle and closed his eyes. “Okay, just let me know when I should go get it ready.” He said softly. Derpy closed her eyes as well. “Okay, I will.” Whirl never did get the room ready because they both fell asleep shortly after they closed their eyes. “Alright, are you girls ready?” Twilight whispered just outside the window. “Yes Twi, we’re ready.” Applejack responded. Twilight’s horn lit up and a couple of earmuffs floated through the window and over Whirl and Derpy’s ears. “Okay, executing part two.” She said as she focused her magic again. The rug underneath Whirl and Derpy floated up in the air like a rugged board before they were teleported outside. Whirl and Derpy stirred a bit as they felt the cold air on their coats. “Part three initiated.” Rainbow Dash said as she softly lowered a warm quilt over the two. “Part four in motion.” Twilight said as she started to float the two towards the train station. Fluttershy hummed a lullaby as they headed towards the station to keep them asleep. “Fluttershy, they can’t hear you.” Rainbow Dash whispered. “I know, but maybe the vibrations will reach them.” Fluttershy replied happily. “I don’t know if it works that way Fluttershy.” Twilight whispered stifling a giggle. “Oh okay…” Fluttershy whispered so softly nopony could hear. “Oh Fluttershy, you didn’t need ta stop sugar cube.” Applejack said kindly. Fluttershy smiled and continued to hum her song. **** Whirl opened his eyes slowly and felt that Derpy was still asleep on his back. He kept his head down and closed his eyes again. Then he realized something was wrong, he felt the earmuffs on his ear, he also felt like he was in motion. He opened his eyes again and looked around. It didn’t take him long to realize he wasn’t at home and he suddenly felt sick. “Derpy, wake up. I think we have been foal napped.” He said in a worried tone. Derpy yawned and looked around. “Why are we on a train?” she asked sleepily as she took off the earmuffs. Whirl was starting to turn pale the more he thought about it. “Ohhhh… I don’t know…” he said as he wobbled to the door. He opened it up and stumbled forward and fell on his face. “Oh my gosh! Are you okay Whirl?!” Derpy asked as she ran over to him and helped him up. Whirl was ghostly white as he stood up. “I… hate… t---“ he started before he dashed to the nearest window, vomiting out of it violently. Derpy walked over to him and patted his back. “Not a train pony huh? It’s okay, I am not a taxi pony.” She said in a caring tone. Whirl lifted his head back into the train car and sat down on the bench. He leaned his head against the wall and started to breath heavily. “Why are we here?” he asked weakly. “What’s all the commotion out here?” Applejack asked sleepily. She saw Whirl and Derpy sitting next to each other and blushed. “Oh Whirl, you’re awake. Uhhh, I bet yall are wondering what you are doing on a train and such.” She said nervously. Whirl weakly nodded his head as Derpy rubbed his back some more. Applejack sighed and said, “Look sugar cube, we know yall said that yall didn’t want to see your mother’s students but they asked for yall to come. They wanted to see the living family of their former teacher, and we couldn’t say no to the youngins” Applejack explained. Whirl heaved a few times as he sat on the bench. “Why--- why a train?” he asked weakly. “Well, we didn’t know yall were sickly to em. Sorry about that, but we should almost be there.” Applejack said as she looked out the window in front of Whirl. “Yup! We are almost there!” she yelled over the rush of air. Whirl let out a loud sickly moan as he lifted his head to the window again to vomit. Derpy patted him on the back lightly again and rubbed it once he was done. “It’s going to be alright Whirl.” She said softly before helping him back onto the bench. Soon the others were in the cart as well watching as Whirl tried his best to not heave as they pulled into the station. The train rolled to a stop at Dodge Junction with a loud hiss and Whirl was the first one off. The others followed him and helped him off of the ground again. He was starting to regain a bit of his color, but not quickly. Whirl wasn’t exactly the lightest pony so it took two of them to help him walk around. They got to the end of the station platform when a yellow pony with a bronze mane rushed over to them. “Hello again yall! Welcome to APPLEOOSA!” he said excitedly. He looked at Whirl and grew a concerned look. “Did yall drug him to get him here or what?” Applejack stepped forward and bopped the pony on the nose. “No ya goof. He is not fond of train is all. Nice to see ya cuz.” The pony smiled and said, “Nice to see you too. Should we uh, get him some help or somethin?” he asked in a loud whisper. Whirl shook his head slowly. “No, I’ll be fine Mr…?” “Just call me Breaburn mister.” Breaburn said with a grin. Whirl nodded his head slowly. “Whirl Wind.” He replied as he started to move forward again. “Can yall take us to the schoolhouse Breaburn? We are here on a special occasion.” Applejack asked. Breaburn smiled widely. “Of course I can! Just follow me and we will be there in no time. Uh, here… let me help him out.” Breaburn said as he jostled himself next to Whirl to hold up his weight on his own. “Has anypony ever told you that you are big for a pegasi?” Breaburn asked jokingly. Whirl chuckled a bit. “Only everypony who has had to do this after I stepped off a train.” He replied with a smile. Breaburn and the others laughed a bit at what Whirl said and continued onward. Even though Whirl only lived here for about a month or so he still remembered some of the town, but it had changed quite a bit even still. So many things have been added and a few things removed from the town. “I see that you are all still progressing well.” Whirl commented as they passed the saloon. Breaburn smiled brightly. “Yup! We just got done planting the second apple orchard and we added a few new homes for the town’s folk. How did you know we added new stuff? Have you been here before?” Whirl nodded his head slowly. “I lived here for a month when the town was first founded. I left because there was nothing here for me really. Nothing against the town, I was just looking for home you know?” He said as he started to support himself. Breaburn’s smile grew even wider, if that were even possible. “Well I’ll be! It’s good to have you back founder! Glad you like the improvements! Do you have any other family here?” he asked happily. Whirl stopped in his tracks. It was as if his heart was being squeezed in a vice like grip. He put a hoof to his heart and sat down. Applejack kicked Breaburn in the shoulder. “He lost his family in the war Breaburn. This is a very painful time for him and you just made it worse.” She said sternly. Whirl shook his head. “He didn’t know… it’s okay, I’ll be fine in a moment.” Whirl said sadly. Breaburn walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. “Ahm sorry I mentioned it so bluntly Whirl, it was unkindly of me.” He said sullenly. A few tears dropped from Whirl’s face. “I said it’s okay, I just need a moment. Everything that is going on just hit me all at once. I am going to meet the class my mother taught every day with a smile, a smile that I will never see again, a smile they will never see again, because of me. I killed them! It was my fault I couldn’t protect them from me!” he yelled as he broke down. In his mind he could see the last look on their faces before they were dead, it was becoming too much for him to handle. Suddenly he felt a hoof strike his face and he snapped back to reality. His ears were ringing but he could hear the gasps over it. He looked up to see who hit him when he saw Derpy standing over him with an angered face. She struck him again and yelled, “It wasn’t you! You are a strong pony who I have believed in ever since I met you!” She struck him again. “You are not General Wind, you were never General Wind! King Sombra was General Wind!” She went to strike him again but he stopped her. The tension was as tight as the cables on a suspension bridge and everypony was silent as the two of them kept their hooves in contact. Whirl was bleeding from his mouth a little bit and spit a bit of it out. He had a shocked expression on his face, something was different. He felt good… really good. As he stood he pulled on Derpy’s hoof and pulled her in for a hug. She was crying and holding him tightly. “Don’t say things like that Whirl… You aren’t…” “I know. I know.” He said as he rubbed her back. “Thank you Derpy, I don’t know why but I feel a lot better. Maybe you realigned my brain back into place or something.” He said jokingly. Derpy chuckled a bit as she cried. “Sorry I hit you. I was just so angry at you for thinking you were weak when I have known differently.” She said sadly. Whirl chuckled. “It’s okay. Let’s keep going okay?” he asked as he pulled away from the hug. Derpy smiled and wiped away her tears. “Yes, let’s keep going.” She said as they continued onward side by side. Everypony else was silent during the rest of the walk, most of them were confused as to what just happened. They didn’t seem upset anymore and they had their wings wrapped around each other as they walked. They reached the schoolhouse and Breaburn stopped just outside the door. “Alright, here we are gang. Yall go ahead and do what yall need ta do.” He said before he went to go do some chores. Whirl took in a deep breath and turned to Twilight. “Do I just go in?” he asked nervously. Twilight nodded and smiled. “Yes, they are waiting just for you.” “Can Derpy sit in with me?” he asked just as nervously. Twilight nodded again. “That should be okay. We will be out here waiting for you to get done.” She said as she and her friends turned to a place where they could wait. Whirl took another deep breath and opened the door slowly. He peeked in and saw the foals were writing down something on their papers. The teacher noticed the door open and trotted over to Whirl. “Are you Raisey’s son? Are you Whirl Wind?” she asked with a grin. Whirl slowly nodded. “Yeah, and this is Derpy. She is going to be sitting in with me, is that okay?” The teacher nodded. “That will be fine. It is a pleasure to meet you both. I am Ms. Texton. Come on in and have a seat near my desk and we will get started in a few minutes.” She said softly. Whirl and Derpy both walked in and sat in the seats near Ms. Texton’s desk. “Alright class, our very special guest is here today to talk to us. He travelled here all the way from Ponyville and is probably just as sad as all of you are about your teacher. Please give a warm welcome to Mr. Whirl Wind.” She said with the best smile she could muster. Whirl stood up and looked at the class as they looked back at him. It was true, he could see the sadness in their eyes as he looked about the room. “Hello everypony. I am Mrs. Raisey’s son. I understand that you all miss her as much as I do, to tell you the truth I didn’t think that was possible but… I can see that you all do. She was a great mother and she was probably like your mother away from home in a way. How many of you noticed that she always wore a smile?” he asked as he tried to cheer them up a bit. Everypony in the room raised their hands with a slight grin. “Do you remember what she said about her smile?” Everypony in the room nodded and there were several ‘yeah’s and ‘uh uh’s in the room. “I wear this smile to make sure all of my students have one.” They all said in unison. Whirl smiled and nodded with tears welling up in his eyes. “She used to say the same thing to me and my family too. That she wore her smile so that everypony in her family would wear one too.” He said as he wiped away some of the tears. “I uh, I didn’t really have anything prepared for this today. To tell you the truth my friends put me on the train while I was sleeping. Oh you should have seen my face when I found out where I was.” “He was whiter than a ghost!” Derpy said with a giggle. The whole class chuckled a bit as well. “Yes, I was very pale. I think the white paper in this room is a darker shade than what I was.” He said as he took a piece of paper and put it in front of his face. “How do I look?” he asked jokingly. The class chuckled and laughed again. “I’ll take that as a good. Now then, I found one last note from my mother the other day. It was addressed to you students. I don’t have it with me but… I memorized it.” He lied as he thought hard to make something up. “Dear students. We have had such a good time together. I want you all to know that even though I am gone, my lessons will forever be in your hearts. I don’t want you to be sad for me because in the end I was happy with the knowledge that I got the opportunity to teach you all. I know it is going to be tough and I know you are going to miss me, but I also know that you are a strong class that will grow up to be some of the most important ponies in all of Equestria, because you are already the most important ponies to me. Love Mrs. Raisey.” He said as he got a bit choked up at the end. A couple of students were starting to tear up as well. Whirl gave a big smile to try and help them out. “I want you all to know, that if my mother said that you are strong, it is true. I can see the fire of friendship in this classroom and it will drive you to the brightest future possible. I think the best way to honor my mother’s memory is for you all to do your best in life and prove to Equestria she was right!” he said enthusiastically. The whole class uproared in cheers and laughter and Whirl turn back to Ms. Texton. “Alright foals, it’s time for recess! Go have fun!” she said with a smile. The class quickly poured out and went off to play. “That was really touching Mr. Wind. I don’t think I could have said it better myself.” Ms. Texton said as she wiped away a few tears. “I think it will be a little while before they are all ready to move on, but this definitely helped. Thank you.” She said with a smile. “You are welcome. I was really afraid to come and see them today, but I got some sense knocked into me and some nonsense knocked out of me.” He said as he turned to Derpy who gave a smile. “Well, I think we should go before they get back. I am sure that they would be a little bit too hyper if I were still here.” Ms. Texton nodded in agreement. “Thank you again for seeing them.” She said as they walked out the door. “Oh and Whirl, I am sorry for your losses.” She said sadly. “Thank you Ms. Texton.” He said happily before he walked over to his friends. Derpy rubbed up beside him. “That was amazing Whirl! They all seem so happy now!” she said excitedly. Whirl nodded with a smile. “I am just glad you were there with me. I was losing track so fast.” Derpy smiled widely. “Aww, it was no big deal. I was happy to lend a hoof though.” His friends surrounded them the moment they came over. “Did you do well?” “How did it go?” “Did you choke up at all?” “Did they throw any paper airplanes?” they asked in a barrage of questions. “Yes, well, no and no.” Whirl replied with a smile. “They all seem much happier now. I am just glad that they are able to know how much she cared for them, even if I lied about the letter, everything I said I know was what she would have said if she were still here.” Derpy nodded in agreement. “I am sure that is so. So, how are we going to get home? I am sure Whirl is not up for another train ride.” She said with a giggle. “Uhh, we didn’t think of any other way of getting home. Are you sure you wouldn’t be fine on the train Whirl?” Twilight asked with a concerned look. “The train will be fine. Now, if you will all excuse me, I have one last thing to do. Alone. Meet me at the train station at… what time does the next train leave?” he asked with a chuckle. “It doesn’t leave until later tonight, the train had a bit of a problem with a mess on one of the cars.” She said with a giggle. Whirl blushed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck. “Right, um… well then I should uh, get going.” He said as he turned around and started to trot away. Derpy went after him and stopped him for a moment. She turned his head around and gave him a kiss. Whirl was caught by surprise but he didn’t fight what was happening. He just closed his eyes and kissed her in return. He pulled away and cracked his eyes open slowly. Her eyes were locked on his only half open and she wore a smile. Whirl smiled as well and asked, “Would you like to come with me? Maybe I could use somepony’s help?” Derpy nodded. “Sure thing Whirl.” She said as she moved beside him and wrapped a wing over his back. The two turned around and started to walk away together. Once they were far enough away that nopony could hear them Whirl finally revealed where they were going. “There was a reason I wanted to go alone Derpy but I think that you should be there as well. What I am about to do is visit my family’s home. Where they lived while they were here and I don’t know what we will find. I am kind of afraid of what we will find.” He admitted with a frown. Derpy nodded in understanding. “I thought that is where we might be going. I had a feeling ever since you said you lived here.” Whirl gestured over to a medium sized home just to their left. “Here we are.” He said with a nervous gulp. Derpy walked forward and pushed him forward with her wing. “No more waiting.” She said sternly as she pushed him up to the door. Whirl put his hoof on the doorknob and pushed it down slowly. The door crept open and Whirl had a sudden flashback of when he was here before. The dark night’s sky loomed overhead and he heard screams. Suddenly his was thrust back into reality by Derpy waving a hoof in front of his face. “Whirl, are you okay? You turned all pale and your eyes turned green!” she said with a worried tone. Whirl blinked his eyes a few times and shook his head. “Sorry, I just had a flashback to the night I was here before, when he was here before.” He said as he opened the door all the way. As he stepped inside his hoof steps made the wooden floors creak. There was another flashback and he was standing in front of his panicking mother and his father holding a spear. Whirl disarmed his father and stabbed his chest with a laugh. Derpy was shaking him screaming his name loudly. Whirl blinked some more and took a deep breath. “Whirl! We need to get you out of here something is happening to you!” Derpy yelled with concern. Whirl shook his head again and continued forward. “I need to see this…” he said as he took another step forward. Another flash and he saw his mother holding his father’s head in her fore hooves as she cried. She looked up to him with her smile and said, “I know this isn’t you Whirl. I know that this is King Sombra. Don’t blame yourself for what was not your fault.” Whirl raised his spear and as it came down he found himself crying. Derpy was holding him in her fore hooves in a hug. “Whirl, what is happening to you?” she asked softly. Whirl returned her hug. “They knew it wasn’t me. They knew! They forgave me! They forgave me!” he cried out. Derpy rubbed his back. “Of course they did. They were your parents and they loved you.” Whirl sobbed for a few more minutes before he calmed down. He slowly moved himself away from Derpy. She didn’t stop him from exploring around but he didn’t get caught in any more flashbacks as he looked at everything in his parent’s home. He gestured Derpy to follow him to his parent’s room. She went down the hall and entered the room with him. “I need your help to find something. It is a photo album. I don’t want to leave here without it.” He said as he started to look around the room. Derpy nodded and started to look around the room as well. Whirl pulled open the closet and found a large book sitting on the floor. “I found it…” he said as he picked it up. He placed it down on the bed and opened it up. The first picture was the same family photo that Whirl had in his home. He closed the book again and put it in his saddle bag. “Time to go now.” He said to Derpy. “You don’t want to take anything else?” She asked curiously. Whirl shook his head. “Enough has already been taken from this house.” He said as he started to walk out the door. Derpy followed along and didn’t question Whirl on what he meant. She caught up with him outside after closing the door to the house. “Now all we have to do is ride a train.” Whirl sighed and shook his head. “I hate trains with every fiber of my being.” He said softly. Derpy giggled. “I know, but the more you prepare for it the better it will be.” “Just give me five minutes on the train and you will see that preparing for it does nothing.” He said with a chuckle. Derpy let out a small laugh. “Let’s make it a bet then. I have fifty bits on you not vomiting once.” She said with a smirk. Whirl laughed loudly. “Fifty it is!” he said as he stuck out a hoof for Derpy to shake. Derpy took his hoof and shook it vigorously. “You just lost fifty bits.” Whirl chuckled and continued walking. When they arrived at the train station Twilight spotted them and ran towards them. “Hey Whirl! Hey Derpy! Good news! I was reading some of the books I brought for travel study and I found a spell that will make this trip easier for Whirl!” she said happily. Whirl sighed and pulled out a bag of bits. “It’s fifty that I owe you right?” he said as she started to count out the bits. Derpy nodded and took the fifty bits in her bag. “Thank you.” She said as she put it bag in her saddle bag. “What was that all about?” Twilight asked. “I lost a bet to magic. Go ahead and do what you need to do.” Whirl said with a sigh. Twilight’s horn lit up and Whirl felt a bit dizzy. He soon fell to the ground and he started to snore. “He should be asleep for the whole trip. I figured since he wasn’t sick while he was awake this was the only way.” Derpy giggled. “So, you couldn’t have put him to sleep on the train, at least while he was over something a bit more soft?” Twilight blushed in embarrassment. “That might have been a good idea. Girls! We need some help getting Whirl on the train!” she called out. It took all seven of them to get him up and in the train. Twilight and Rarity used their magic to lift him onto Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s backs so they could carry him. Derpy and Fluttershy guided them forward and made sure they could get through the doors. Despite their efforts they still managed to smack Whirl’s head on every door frame. They set him down on a bench and put his head on a pillow. “Do you think he will have a headache when he wakes up?” Derpy asked with a concerned look. Twilight frowned and nodded. “Yes he definitely will. That was one of side effects of the spell, but we added to it by hitting his head on everything. He is going to need somepony to walk him home for sure.” Derpy smiled and rubbed Whirl’s head. “I can do that. I assume he is going to be a bit loopy when he wakes up?” Twilight nodded again and found her seat. “So what did you and Whirl do?” she asked with a smile. Derpy pulled out the album from Whirl’s bag and opened it up. “We went to his home to grab this. Only this though, he said something about the house having too much taken from it already.” She said as she looked at the pictures. The others came over and looked through the album with her. There was a picture of Whirl and his older brother hanging upside down from a tree by a rope with upset faces. Another picture was of Whirl lifting rocks that were more than twice his size. Every picture was in a different place in Equestria and some of them were in places none of them had even heard of. “Whirl sure did a lot in his foalhood.” Derpy said as they finished looking at the album. “I can’t believe that somepony so great had never been noticed before. I mean, look at this!” Twilight said as she turned to a picture of Whirl flying out of the water with a trail of water enveloped around him. “That is so awesome! I need to ask him how he did that so I can add it to my routine!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly. “Sometimes ponies work to be hidden away from others. I mean, he lives way outside of Ponyville and he rarely does anything else but his job. Maybe something happened in his foalhood that made him want to be alone?” Fluttershy said. “Whirl told me that I was his first friend he made. Maybe traveling around made him antisocial?” Derpy said as she looked up to Whirl. “That would make sense. I never traveled but I didn’t ever think I would need friends at all. I had my family though, I saw vary few pictures of Whirl spending time with his family. I can only guess what happened to make him so isolated.” Twilight said with a frown. “I went against my father’s wishes.” Whirl said as he yawned. Twilight gasped and her horn lit up again. “Don’t worry, I will get you back to sleep.” “Don’t bother, my brother used to use me for his spell practice. I am very resistant to magic now.” Whirl explained as he sat up and rubbed his head. “Why do I have such a headache though?” All of them chuckled nervously and none of them gave him an answer. “What do you mean you went against your father’s wishes?” Twilight asked as she tried to change the subject. “My father wanted me to be a royal guard. For a long time I worked towards that goal, hence the pictures of me lifting rocks. I changed my mind the day I visited my grandparents in Cloudsdale. They took me to see the Wonderbolts for the first time. The Wonderbolts are the most elegant fliers I have ever seen in my entire life and I wanted to join them, hence the pictures of me doing all kinds of tricks. My brothers stopped spending time with me and so did my father. I didn’t really mind though, I was working towards a dream. I don’t think I will be part of the Wonderbolts now though. I wonder why my father never told me he was part of the land team until I really needed encouragement. I wonder why he didn’t want me to follow in his hoof steps and become a Wonderbolt as well.” Whirl explained. “My father never made any sense though. He used to tell me that he invented the goggles they used for flight teams; I guess it is possible now that I know he was a Wonderbolt. It’s so frustrating that I will never get to ask him any of these things.” “I can only imagine. But think of it this way, your family has done some amazing things Whirl. You can make them all proud by continuing to do the amazing things you do already.” Derpy said with a smile. “What amazing things do I do?” Whirl asked with a frown. “You killed King Sombra, you avenged them Whirl. You have kept the weather in perfect condition since you moved to Ponyville. You have made friends with one of the princesses and the elements of harmony. You have inspired foals to do the best they can be and you helped them to move on. You lift amazingly heavy thing that most of us can only imagine to lift.” Derpy said with a smile. Whirl smiled as well and looked down at the album. “I guess you are right. I never thought that I would be here like this, with friends like all of you. We all became friends because I did what I would have done for anypony, I kept you safe. I know it wasn’t my responsibility to do it, but that wasn’t the point. When the time came I acted in the best interest of Equestria. Little did I know I would be doing a lot more than helping some ponies into Canterlot. And you Derpy, I don’t know what I did to deserve you but I am glad that I did it, because I don’t know what I would do without you.” “You were there for me every time I delivered to you. You gave me encouragement when things looked bad. And you didn’t make fun of me for my… problem. I never met a pony who wasn’t annoyed at me for doing something clumsy and I never expected somepony to not mind it at all.” Derpy replied with a large grin. Whirl looked out the window and instantly turned pale. “Oh no…” he said quietly before he put his head back down on the pillow. Twilight’s horn started to glow again and she put him to sleep. “I could see where that was going from a mile away.” Twilight said with a giggle. Everypony on the train laughed and then went to find a bed to sleep in. Chapter EightChapter Eight: Rehabilitation Whirl was carried off of the train by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. When they got onto the platform Twilight woke him up and he got off of them. He wobbled a bit and was a little more than groggy. “Whoa, I think you over did it Twilight.” Twilight smiled and nodded. “I did that on purpose, what with you magic resistance and all.” Whirl would have fallen forward had it not been for Derpy who helped him stay standing. “Applejack, before I leave I have a question. I need some work, not so much for pay, but to keep my mind off of everything for a little while. Is there anything I can do around the farm?” Applejack chuckled. “Ahm sure I can find somethin for ya to do, just stop on by whenever you feel like it and ah’ll get ya somethin for yall to do.” She said happily. “Thank you Applejack. Derpy, let’s head home.” He said groggily. Derpy giggled and started to guide him away from the station. “Do you mind if we go to my place? It is much closer and you are kind of heavy.” She said as she started to sweat a little bit. “Sure, if you don’t mind me crashing on your sofa.” He said with a chuckle. “Not at all, my home is your home.” She replied with a smile. When they arrived Derpy quickly opened the door and lead Whirl to the sofa. He flopped down on it and was nearly nodding off. “S-sorry I was little help…” Whirl said groggily. Derpy sat down in a chair and was panting heavily. “It’s okay… I have to go to work. Will you be okay here?” Whirl was asleep and snoring already. Derpy simply giggled and wrote him a note before heading off to work. **** “Ah’m tellin ya Twi, I can’t pay him! We just don’t have the money! I don’t know what to do!” Applejack said as they walked to her farm. “Well, he said he was just looking for the work and not for money. I think it will be fine if he were to just do something to help.” Twilight stated. “Ah can’t just let him work for free. That would be takin advantage of his situation for free labor.” Applejack explained. “Yall remember what happened when Spike was workin for me? Ah felt awful about it, so much so that ah had to fake a timber wolf attack just to get him to stop.” “He really seems to need this Applejack, you would be doing him a favor more than you would be taking advantage of him. Just find him some small work he can do to keep him distracted.” Twilight pleaded. “Alright, alright. But ah don’t want him ta do too much. Ah’ll just have him do some apple buckin around the orchard. Ah don’t think he will get too much done, but ah guess ah’ll find out.” Applejack said enthusiastically. **** Whirl Wind awoke with a start. He had the worst headache he could have imagined as he rubbed his head. “Augh, I feel like I went two rounds with Thunder Driver, the wrestler.” He thought with a chuckle. He spotted Derpy’s note and read it. Dear Whirl, I had to go to work, please make yourself at home while I am gone. Feel free to enjoy the strawberry punch in the fridge, it is really good. I should be back at four o’clock after work, although I think you might still be at Applejack’s farm. If you are not here when I get home I will try to find you so we can hang out. Love, Derpy “Love. Maybe this is love. Actually I am sure it is. The only other pony I have loved like this is Luna and she told me to find somepony else so… I guess Derpy is the one. Who would have thought that my friend would become my marefriend and potential wife?” He thought as he got ready to go to Applejack’s farm. He decided to leave his saddle bag here to let Derpy know he would be back. The first thing he did when he stepped outside was look at the clock tower, it was only ten o’clock. Whirl smiled and started to trot to Applejack’s farm with a bounce in his step. A few ponies stared at his eye bandaging but none of them looked at him with malice or hate, which made Whirl feel good about himself. He spotted Applejack bucking a tree as he approached. “Hey Applejack, I am ready to work!” he said excitedly. Applejack smile and walked over to him. “Alright sugar cube. Now, before we get yall started ah have ta tell you somethin. Ah can’t pay you, Ah mean ah would if we had the bits to spare but we don’t so ah can’t.” she explained nervously. Whirl let out a slight chuckle. “Applejack, you don’t need to pay me. Anything that you have will be a light load for me and not worth pay anyway. Also, I don’t need the bits at all. I could go a whole year without getting paid and still have enough to last a few more months if I needed to. Also, as painful as it is to think about, I am probably going to inherit everything my family owned, so there’s that.” “Alright, if yall insist. Ah got you quite a bit ta do and yall arrived a bit later than ah expected.” She said as she walked through the orchard. “What kind of work do you have in store for me? I can’t wait to get started.” Whirl said happily. “Ah got a whole orchard for yall to buck over the next few weeks. It will take yall that long to get the whole thing done and yall can stop at any time and let me take over if you find another job.” Applejack explained. “That sounds perfect.” Whirl said with a grin. “Well here we are, the south orchard. To goes east to west for a few acres then it becomes the east and west orchard, don’t worry about buckin the wrong trees because there are fences blocking the two orchards. What do ya think?” Applejack asked with a smile. “I will make a dent by days end.” Whirl said happily. “So I just buck them until all the apples are down in these baskets?” “Yup, come and get me if something goes wrong. There is fresh lemonade inside our house if ya need it, take as much as ya need sugar cube.” “Thanks Applejack. I’ll get started now.” He said as he bucked the first tree. All of the apples fell into the basket in one kick and he moved onto the next. “Have fun!” Applejack said with a grin. “Oh, and if Big Macintosh asks just tell him yall is tempin!” she called out as she walked back to her part of the orchard. Whirl bucked the next tree and made sure the coast was clear before he picked up the pace. “Always leave them doubting your abilities so they are more impressed when you do far better than they expected.” Whirl thought as he bucked his fifteenth tree. **** Derpy came home over an hour later than usual because she had to make up some of the work she missed the day before. She was absolutely exhausted as she tossed her mailbag down and took off her uniform. She was a bit disappointed that Whirl wasn’t there but she perked up when she saw his bag with the photo album still in it. Lying down on the sofa for a moment she stretched her legs out and groaned. “Today was rough, but seeing Whirl should give me a smile.” She thought as she got up again and headed out the door. It was getting dark as she approached Applejack’s farm. She spotted Applejack gathering up the last bit of apples for the day and walked over to her. “Hello Applejack, is Whirl here?” “Yup, he is in the south orchard and ah was just about ta head out there ta get him. Yall are welcome to join me if ya’d like.” Applejack said happily as she started to trot to the south orchard. When they arrived Applejack was truly amazed at the amount of work he had gotten done. “Whoa nelly! He done bucked half the orchard! Do ya see him anywhere?” Applejack asked. Derpy looked around for a moment but she couldn’t see him through all the trees. “I don’t, maybe if I fly up I can see him from there?” “Good idea sugar cube!” Applejack said with a smile. Derpy took to the air and looked around in the orchard for no more than a minute before spotting him. “He’s over here Applejack!” she yelled as she descended. Applejack ran over to where Derpy had pointed and found them both together. “Well ah’ll be a sloth in the jungle. You did one heck of a job here Whirl, better than I thought for sure! How long you been apple buckin?” she asked excitedly. “Well, two months total. One month in Appleoosa and one month just outside of Manehatten.” Whirl said with a smile. “Whoooee, that is some fine work for only two months of experience. Makes me feel kind of bad I can’t pay such a wonderful worker.” She said sadly. “I said you don’t need to worry about that, but I think I will need to work in more than one orchard.” He said with a chuckle. “Ah’ll be sure you get dibs on the west orchard. You can work with Big Macintosh and we will get this harvest done faster than ever before!” she said excitedly. “Well, I best be heading out with this lovely mare here. I think I owe her a date that doesn’t involve foalnapping, crying, and vomiting.” He said jokingly. Applejack and Derpy both laughed. “Alrighty then, see yall tomorrow.” Applejack said as she headed home. Whirl waved goodbye before lifting Derpy up and flying away. “So are you excited about this date?” “How can I be excited about it if I didn’t know it was going to happen?” Derpy said with a smirk. “Good point. But you are still going to love it.” He said happily. “I know I will because I am with you!” she replied just a happily. “Hey, I am supposed to be the one saying super sweet stuff!” Whirl said in an obviously fake irritated voice. “Sweet stuff doesn’t have your name on it!” she replied in the same tone Whirl had. “Alright, you got me. But you are still way too adorable to be giving me a couple of bruises. Those kicks really hurt you know?” he said with a chuckle. “Well somepony had to knock some sense into you. I don’t think your friends were ever going to do it.” Derpy said with a giggle. “How often do you have the sense knocked into you?” Whirl asked with concern. “Every time I make a mistake that involves me hitting my head on something.” Derpy said bluntly. “Well, I am sure that none of those mistakes were really your fault and even if they were I don’t think that you should look at it as a bad thing. You should look at is like—“ “A lesson.” Derpy finished his sentence. “That is the best thing I do with my mistakes.” “Exactly. I didn’t think anypony else knew that lesson. At least it doesn’t seem like it.” Whirl said with a smile. “Here we are! This is my favorite spot outside of town.” Derpy wasn’t paying attention at all to where they were flying but the place they were in now was spectacular. It was in between two of the mountains near town and it was beautiful. There was a small lake where the run off from the mountains ran into a caldera. “I call it Ice Lake! When the moon rises it looks like there is a sheet of ice over the lake. I don’t know anypony else who comes out here.” Derpy’s eyes were lit up with joy. “Oh Whirl! It is so beautiful! Are we going to go swimming?” “Oh no, you wouldn’t like that. The water is as cold as the name. You would turn into a Derpy ice cube.” He said jokingly. “Oh okay. Well what are we going to do?” Derpy asked curiously. “There is something amazing near here that we are going to do after the moon rises. You will just have to wait and see.” Whirl said as he started his descent. They landed on the shore of the lake gently and sat down next to each other. They cuddled together to stay warm as the moon started to rise between the two mountains. “Here it comes.” Whirl said as the moon reflected off of the lake. “Wow! It does look like ice!” Derpy said excitedly. “Wait, it gets better!” Whirl said with a smile. The moon was rising even higher and the lake became translucent. At the bottom there was what looked like the entrance to a cave. “Oh wow, look at that Whirl! There is a cave at the bottom of the lake! Let’s go explore it!” Derpy said excitedly as she stood up. “We can’t, the water is way too cold.” Whirl said plainly. “Oh come on! I am going to go and you can join me if you’d like.” She said as she jumped into the water. “She is crazy! Just my kind of mare!” Whirl said as he jumped in after her. The frigid water nearly made his heart stop. He dove down after her as fast as he could, using his wings to make him swim faster. He caught up to her just as they got to the entrance to the cave and he was starting to run out of breath. They entered the cave and they surfaced inside. Whirl exhaled as they resurfaced and then took in two big breaths. They made their way to the shore inside of the cave, which was already lit oddly enough, and got out of the water. “Wow, it is surprisingly warm in here, and it is lit up for some reason.” Derpy said with a smile. Whirl nodded in agreement. “It is strange. Why would this cave be lit?” “I don’t know but it would be cool to find out.” Derpy said as she started to move farther into the cave. “Wait! We can’t explore too much, otherwise you will not get sleep to work.” Whirl said in a concerned voice. “Whirl, it’s Saturday. No delivery tomorrow.” Derpy said with a grin. “Oh, well in that case let’s go all out!” he said as he trotted ahead of her. They continued forward through the cave looking for the source of the light. What they found made them both drop their jaws in shock. Princess Celestia was standing in front of what looked like a miniature sun. She turned and saw Whirl and Derpy standing there with shocked looks on their faces. “Well hello there Whirl Wind and Whirl’s friend. How did you find this place? A better question might be, how did you manage the swim?” Princess Celestia asked curiously. Derpy was down in a bow before Celestia could finish her question, Whirl however was not. “While it was a cold swim, it was not an impossible one when you have the right inspiration. I found the lake just after I moved to Ponyville, it has been my favorite place to go and relax. What is all of this?” Whirl asked as he took a few steps forward in amazement. Princess Celestia smiled. “You can stop bowing now young one.” She said to Derpy. Derpy stood back up and caught up to Whirl. “Your majesty this is wonderful.” She said in awe. “This is the celestial monitor. This is where Princess Luna and I monitor the sun, the moon, and the stars. Right now I am keeping an eye on a solar flare that is about to occur. Would you care to see it?” Celestia asked with a smile. “Yes please your majesty.” Derpy said excitedly. “This ought to be amazing.” Whirl said as he took a few more steps forward. Princess Celestia’s horn started to glow and the miniature sun turned around. A string rocketed off of the side of the sun in a half ring and spread outward. It was truly an amazing sight. “This isn’t going to hit us is it?” Whirl asked with concern. “No it won’t. It is on the side of the sun facing away from us. It is just beautiful to watch.” Celestia responded. “I agree Princess, it is amazing!” Derpy said happily. “Indeed it is, you just made our nights I think.” Whirl said with a chuckle. “I am glad I was able to make this night special. I was not expecting on having company here. It is a nice change considering this is the first time in a few thousand years since somepony found this place. I must ask you two to keep the cave a secret, it would be awful if I had to move again.” Celestia said kindly. “Of course we can keep it a secret. Whirl here hasn’t even told me how much he likes me so he is good at keeping secrets.” Derpy said with a giggle. “I was showing you how much I like you by bringing you to the lake I had never shown anypony else. But you have my word Celestia, I will not tell anypony.” Whirl said with a smile. “And I love you Derpy.” Celestia let out a giggle. “A little informal tonight Whirl?” Whirl blushed in embarrassment. “Sorry Princess Celestia, Luna got me into the habit of treating you like anypony else.” “I understand, did you get her last letter?” Celestia asked with a smile. “HER LETTER! Oh Whirl, I was going to give it to you when we got to my house! I am so sorry I forgot!” Derpy said sadly. “It’s okay, I can read it later.” Whirl said with a chuckle. “What were you two doing at the lake anyway?” Celestia suddenly asked. “We were on a date!” Derpy said happily. Whirl smiled. “Yes we were. I took Luna’s advice and started to look for love, and I found it right in front of my nose. It is the best kind of love, the kind that might lead to the perfect love.” Whirl said as he looked into Derpy’s eyes. One of them started to drift upward and Derpy covered her eye. “No, not now.” She said sadly as she looked away. Whirl took her hoof off of her eye. “Don’t hide it, it is a part of who you are and I love every bit of you.” He said lovingly. Derpy smiled and hugged Whirl. “Thank you Whirl, you make me feel so good.” “What is wrong with your eye? If you don’t mind me asking.” Princess Celestia asked just as suddenly as before. “Not at all Princess Celestia, I uh… well look.” Derpy said as she walked over to Celestia and showed Celestia her eye. “Oh dear, do you want me to… do you want me to fix it for you?” Princess Celestia asked. Derpy gasped. “You… what? Fix? I-I-I-I-I…” she stammered. Whirl walked up to Derpy and wrapped a wing around her back. She jumped at his touch. “Whirl, I don’t know. I mean you did say it is a part of me and that you loved me for it…” “I would love you no matter what. If you think it will be good for you, then I say go for it. Whatever will make you happy.” Whirl said with a smile. Derpy was almost crying. “I don’t know. It is what I have always wanted, but now that the offer is here I just don’t know.” “Derpy, if you have always wanted it then it is a good thing for you. It will make you happy and if it doesn’t I will spend the rest of my life doing whatever I can to make you happy again.” Whirl said sincerely. Derpy smiled and gave him a quick kiss. “Princess Celestia, would you please fix my eye?” she asked kindly. Princess Celestia’s horn started to glow. “This may hurt a little.” She said as she concentrated her magic. Derpy’s eye started to drift back into position as the magic continued. Then everything stood still and Derpy let out a squeak of pain. Celestia’s horn stopped glowing and Whirl held his breath. Derpy turned around slowly and Whirl saw her eyes, they were perfect. Derpy was crying and she jumped into Whirl for a hug. Whirl caught her and hugged her tightly while mouthing ‘Thank you.’ to Princess Celestia. Derpy was sobbing with pure joy as he held her in his fore hooves. “This is the happiest day of my life!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. Whirl was crying a bit too now. He had never felt so happy for another pony. “I would have to agree with you Derpy, this is the happiest day of my life too.” He said with a crying chuckle. Princess Celestia smiled. “As much as I would love to be able to stay longer, I must return to Canterlot. Unfortunately I cannot leave you here, but I can take you to where ever you want.” She said sadly. “Take us to my house, I will walk her home.” Whirl said softly. Princess Celestia’s horn started to glow again and they both felt a pulling feeling on them as they were teleported to Whirl’s house. Whirl was still holding her tightly. “Where do you think this will go?” he asked softly. “What do you mean?” Derpy asked in a slight sob. “Do you think we will ever… get married?” “I-I don’t know… I never thought of it. But if I did marry it would only be you… just give it time.” Derpy replied happily. Whirl let out a hum of approval and nuzzled Derpy as he held her. “I love you Derpy.” He said softly. “I love you too Whirl. We should go to my house now.” She said softly. “What do you say we get going then? We can make good time if we fly.” Whirl said with a smile. “I would rather take our time and walk together.” Derpy replied as she broke away from the hug. “That’s fine too.” Whirl said softly as he stood up as well. Both of them walked out the front door with their wings over each other’s backs. It was late, almost midnight when they arrived at Derpy’s house and both of them were exhausted. “Whirl, tonight was amazing, thank you for showing me such a good time. I have never been on a date before.” Derpy said happily. “Neither had I before tonight, it was really fun. What would you like to do tomorrow?” Whirl asked with a smile. “Tomorrow? We are going to do this again?” Derpy asked with a grin. “Why not? I figure you deserve the best and I definitely have the bits to do whatever you want.” Whirl said happily. “How about I figure things out and I pay for it this time?” Derpy asked as she walked up to him a booped him on the nose. “That does seem very gentlecolt like of me, but if you insist. I want you to do it only if you have the bits though.” Whirl said sincerely. “I have a few bits saved up, not many, but enough to show us a good time. Don’t you worry about a thing, I will have a whole day planned for us.” Derpy said happily. Whirl smiled widely and nodded. “I can’t wait, but we should get some sleep.” Derpy nodded and yawned. “I agree. Come on, you can sleep with me.” “Sleep… with you? In your bed?” Whirl asked awkwardly. “Of course silly! I won’t let you sleep on the sofa when there is enough room for us to share a bed.” Derpy said happily. Whirl was blushing intensely. “Oh, well I don’t want to be rude so…” he said as he followed her to her room. The bed was just big enough to fit two ponies on it, but only if they were close together. Derpy leaped onto the bed with a giggle. “Well, are you coming?” She asked as she patted the bed. Whirl got up onto the bed slowly and laid down. Derpy quickly pulled him close to her and gave him a kiss. “Comfy?” she asked with a smirk. Whirl was blushing even more now, his whole coat was practically red. “Uh huh…” he said nervously. “What’s wrong Whirl? You seem tense and nervous.” Derpy asked with a slight tone of concern. “I uh, I have never shared a bed with anypony… ever.” Whirl admitted. “Let alone a pony I love, it is just a bit… different.” He said with a chuckle. Derpy let out a giggle. “You ought to get used to it, because we will be sharing a bed a lot more.” She said as she cuddled against him. Whirl’s eyes widened. “I oh uh I heh…” he sputtered nonsensically. “You should see the look on your… face.” Derpy said with a yawn. “Just close your eyes and soon you will be asleep.” Whirl nodded and closed his eyes, feeling so relaxed as he did so. “Goodnight Derpy.” “Goodnight Whirl.” She replied. **** BANG BANG BANG! Derpy let out a moan and Whirl rolled over, unwittingly rolling off of the bed and onto the floor. “Who could that be this early in the morning?” Whirl asked as she stood up. He walked to the door and another set of loud bangs rapped against the front door. Whirl opened it up, putting on his best ‘I wasn’t asleep two seconds ago’ face. “Hello, can I help you?” he asked the strange red earth pony at the door. “Eeyup, you are working at our farm today right?” Big Macintosh asked with a smile. Whirl didn’t recognize him and he thought for a moment to see if he could figure out what the pony was talking about. “Uhhh, this is probably going to sound very stupid… but who are you?” Big Macintosh let out a small laugh. “You don’t remember me? I hauled you to the library when you got yourself cover in that black crystal stuff before the war.” Whirl suddenly perked up. “Big Macintosh! How could I forget the pony who saved my life?!” “Who is it Whirly bird?” Derpy asked sleepily. “Derpy, this is Big Macintosh! He saved my life just before the war started! Oh wait, did you ask if I was going to work today? It’s Sunday, don’t you take breaks on Sundays?” Whirl asked in a confused tone. “Nope. We can’t waste a single day if we are to get harvest in on time.” Big Macintosh explained. Whirl turned to Derpy then to Big Mac, then to Derpy over and over. “Oh no… Uh Derpy, I need some help here.” Big Macintosh look on in confusion as Derpy trotted up to Whirl. “What is it Whirl?” Derpy asked with a smile. “Okay, it seems as though Big Macintosh and his family work on Sunday and I made a promise to work on their farm and if I go we will not get to spend today together.” Whirl said sadly. “It’s okay, you made a promise. Go ahead and go to work, we can go spend a day together when you are done with the harvest.” Derpy said with a smile. “Thank you Derpy, sorry about this.” Whirl said as he grabbed his saddle bag. “I’ll leave my album here. I want to look at it with you later.” Whirl said as he took out the heavy book and set in on the small table in front of the sofa. “I will be back at the end of the day. Love you Derpy.” He gave her a quick kiss and walked out the door, following Big Macintosh to their farm. “So was that yer wife?” Big Macintosh asked with a sort of half smile. “Someday I hope she will be, she is really amazing.” Whirl said happily. “Ah know that feeling, ah was forced to experience it when my sister poisoned me and their school teacher with a love poison. It was the cutest thing ever, but after they managed to break the spell it had put over us we found a real connection with each other that we never expected to find.” Big Macintosh said happily. “Funny how that goes huh? One moment you are just living and working, the next moment you are in love and you are planning a wedding in your mind.” Whirl said in a reminiscing tone. Big Macintosh let out a laugh. “Love is definitely a kick to the head, but a good kick none the less. Ah’ve been meanin to ask ya, why are you so big? Normally you flying types are really light and nimble.” Whirl let out a loud laugh. “If I had a bit for every time I was asked about my size I would have enough to buy my own apple orchard. You see, my father was an earth pony and my mom was a pegasi with an earth pony heritage. It resulted in my family being really diverse. My older brother was a unicorn, as surprising as that may sound, but my great great grandfather was a unicorn and it skipped a few generations. My little brother and littler sister were earth ponies, both of them were quite strong as well but they never used their strength for any practical use. That just left me, the only pegasi in our family besides my mother. We have speculated that the earth pony blood is running heavily within me while I have just a hint of pegasi. And don’t you be fooled, I am quite nimble for a pony my size too.” Whirl explained. “Well, that would explain it then. And look at that, your long explanation was just what we needed to pass the time.” Big Macintosh said with a smile as they reached the farm. “You and ah will be bucking the rest of the south orchard this morning, then if you are as fast as AJ says you are, we will buck as much of the west orchard as possible.” “Sounds like a plan. Let’s get started then.” Whirl said as they started to walk towards the southern field. “Now hold up yall! I know for a fact you to didn’t eat breakfast like I told Big Macintosh to tell you. Now get your tukuses in here and grab a bite before I tell Applebloom that there is a cutie mark for wrangling ponies that skip breakfast.” Applejack said sternly as she poked her head out of their house. “There’s a cutie mark for what?!” Applebloom shouted in the distance. “Nothin Applebloom, we were just talking about somepony else’s cutie mark!” Big Macintosh called back as he and Whirl stepped into their house. Whirl chuckled and he walked in the door, he spotted a table with five plates sitting on it. He waited for everypony else to take a seat before he took one. “Alright everypony, we have company over so yall mind yer manners.” Applejack said sternly. Applejack lifted a lid off of the tray that was in the center of the table. On the tray laid the largest mountain of pancakes Whirl had not seen since he dined with his family. Applejack and Big Macintosh served up everypony at the table and Applejack announced, “Dig in!” happily. Whirl smiled and leaned back in his chair, he then plopped one of his fore hooves down on the edge of his plate sending the pancakes flying into the air. Whirl opened his mouth and caught all five in one bite and chewed them up quickly before swallowing. “Well would yall look at that! Whirl is just full of surprises!” Applejack said with excitement. “I want to try!” Applebloom suddenly shouted as she slammed a hoof down on her plate. “Applebloom no!” Whirl called out, but it was too late. The pancakes, which were covered in syrup smacked into Appleblooms face, not getting into the air at all. She just sat there for a moment thinking about why it didn’t work and the pancakes fell into her lap. “Applebloom, just because somepony else can do it, doesn’t mean you can.” Applejack said with a sigh. “Now go get yourself cleaned up and come fix yourself some more pancakes.” “Yes Applejack.” Applebloom said sadly as she pushed back away from the table. Whirl had his fore hooves over his mouth trying to hold back a laugh, he didn’t want to embarrass Applebloom. Once she was out of the room Whirl contained his laughter and let out a sigh. “Sorry about that you guys, I didn’t mean to put the idea in her head.” Whirl said with a nervous chuckle. “It’s alright youngin’. She was bound to try it eventually.” Granny Smith said as she copied Whirl’s move perfectly. “She just needs practice.” “Wow, that was amazing uh… I don’t think I caught your name Mrs…?” Whirl asked kindly. “Yall just call me Granny Smith now, I won’t have this Mrs. this and Mrs. that stuff.” Granny Smith replied with what looked like a toothless smile. “Granny Smith I didn’t know you could do that.” Applejack said in a surprised tone. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me whippersnapper. Maybe you should act out more.” Granny Smith said with a laugh. “Eeyup.” Big Macintosh said simply as he finished his last pancake. “Let’s go get to work Whirl.” “Sure thing. Granny Smith, it was nice to meet you. Applejack, the pancakes were amazing, best I have had in a long time. Thank you.” Whirl said as he excused himself from the table and followed Big Macintosh out the door. When they were outside Big Macintosh let out a loud laugh. “That in there was priceless!” he said as they continued to walk. Whirl let out a laugh of his own. “It was funny, I had to fight back the urge to laugh right when it happened. I didn’t want to embarrass her or anything. Not that she should be ashamed or anything, I did the same thing the first five times I tried that. The key is to not have syrup on the pancakes.” Whirl said loudly as he saw Applebloom out of the corner of his eye. “No syrup huh?” Applebloom said quietly before heading back inside to finish her breakfast. “APPLEBLOOM!” Applejack said as Whirl heard a clatter of dishes from inside. Whirl and Big Macintosh let out another series of laughs as they walked along. “I forgot the mention that you can only do it when you have bigger hooves.” Whirl said with a laugh. Big Macintosh gave him a pat on the back. “That was just cruel Whirl, but funny.” He said as they reached the south orchard. They soon got to where Whirl left off and started to buck the trees. “Want me to keep your pace, or do you want me to go as fast as I can.” “Take your time, there is no need to wear yourself out early.” Big Macintosh said as he bucked another tree. “No need to worry about that, I have excellent endurance thanks to my father.” Whirl said with a smile as he bucked another tree. “Is that because he was an earth pony?” Big Macintosh asked with a chuckle. “No, it’s because he made me hold rocks over my head for hours on end. He used to always say that if I dropped it I would only be hurting myself. Boy was he right!” Whirl said with a laugh. “Alright then, but if you are tuckered out half way through the day I still expect you to work.” Big Macintosh said plainly. “It’s a deal.” Whirl said as he started to pick up that pace. One tree, two trees, five trees, ten trees. Whirl was working like a machine as he bucked one tree after another. “Now how come I never heard about you before Whirl? I mean my cousin never stops talking about Appleoosa and AJ tells me that is where you used to work.” Big Macintosh explained. “I gave credit to my team, I usually tried to fly under the eye of the leaders. I didn’t want to be treated differently.” Whirl admitted. “My team was ranked number one in apple bucking while I was there.” “Mighty noble of ya ta do that. Why not take credit where credit is due though?” “What would I do with credit? I have tons of credit right now and I don’t want it. I am just an average pony with an average life and that is all I have wanted really. Even my dreams of joining the Wonderbolts was just something I wanted for a career. I didn’t want fame, I didn’t want money, I just wanted to live my life to the fullest. Then the war started and everything changed so fast. Suddenly I was hated by everypony and there wasn’t a single one of them who didn’t know my name! I went and did something I thought was noble and everypony paid the price! King Sombra stole my body and killed thousand!” CRACK! Whirl’s anger had been building as he spoke and he had unintentionally kicked a tree in half. It fell with a loud thud against the ground and Whirl just stared at in with a dumbstruck expression. Big Macintosh walked up next to him and stared at it with a neutral expression. “Nothing like letting out your anger huh?” Big Macintosh said calmly. “I’m sorry Big Ma-“ “Just answer the question Whirl, did it feel good to let out you anger?” Big Macintosh interrupted him with the same calm voice. “Yes it did. I’m sorry it was directed at your tree.” Whirl said with a guilty tone. “It’s alright, it wouldn’t be the first one that has been kicked down. I kicked one down after Applejack left home for Manehatten when she was just a filly. Granny Smith simply laughed and said, it’s good you are putting that anger into your work instead of holding it inside.” Big Macintosh said with a smile. “Wise words indeed. I could have used them when I got home. Thank you for helping me to get rid of my anger. Is that why Applejack wanted you to work with me today?” Whirl asked with a smirk. “Eeyup. She thought you could use the extra motivation.” Big Macintosh said with a chuckle. “Why don’t yall take the rest of the day off? Yall should reflect on what you were saying when you kicked down this here tree.” “Alright, I think I will. Thank you again Big Macintosh, I owe you all one.” Whirl said happily. “Taint nothing Whirl, glad to help a friend.” Big Macintosh said as he got back to work. Whirl smiled and took off to Derpy’s house. He went as fast as he could and arrived quickly. He skidded to a halt just outside her door and knocked on it excitedly. The door opened shortly after and Whirl grabbed her and swung her around. “I just had the greatest feeling ever! I’m not angry anymore!” Whirl said happily. Derpy laughed as he swung her around. “That’s great Whirl! But why are you back so early? You were only gone for two hours!” “Big Macintosh gave me the day off after I kicked down a tree!” Whirl said happily. “You did what?!” Chapter NineChapter Nine: Derpy’s New Life Wonderful, that is the word that best describes the way Derpy was feeling at that moment. Total fear, that is the word that best describes the way Whirl Wind was feeling at that moment. The rollercoaster reached the apex of its initial start, the top of the lift, and Whirl let out a loud scream. “NOOOOOOO!” he screamed as the rollercoaster started to drop. “WHOOOOOOOOOO!” Derpy yelled with joy as it went around its first bend. When the ride was finally over Whirl was pale and shaking. “That… was… crazy… scary…” he said with a shaky voice. “I don’t understand you sometimes Whirl. You fall faster from the sky than that rollercoaster and yet you are shaking like a foal. What’s with that?” Derpy asked with a laugh. “Control, there is nothing controlled about a rollercoaster. It is basically a train that drops wildly around turns and loops.” Whirl said as he started to look better. “Well at least you recover faster from this than you do a real train. What should we do next?” Derpy asked with a smile. “How about we—“ Whirl started. “OHHH! Look a hall of mirrors!” Derpy said excitedly as she ran towards the entrance. Whirl sighed and followed along. “Hall of mirrors it is.” He said as he paid the attendant. “Want to do a maze race today sir?” the attendant asked with a smile. “YES!” Derpy yelled excitedly. The attendant pressed a button and a second entrance opened up. “Now each of you take a hall and the first one out wins a prize.” Whirl and Derpy each picked a hall and got ready. “Three, two, one… GO!” the attendant shouted. Derpy and Whirl dashed into their chosen halls and Whirl instantly slammed into a mirror. “Ow!” his voice echoed along with the thud in the hall. Derpy’s responsive laugh could be heard in the maze as well. Whirl shook the blow off and started to move forward again, shortly after he walked into another mirror and Derpy laughed again. “This was your plan wasn’t it?!” Whirl called out as Derpy laughed. “No! I didn’t know you were this bad at mirror halls! I am used to seeing things all weird because of how my eyes used to be! I am so going to win!” Derpy called out as she cantered along with no effort. Whirl smiled as she spoke. “I am so glad her eyes are better, she is so much happier.” He thought as he continued again. It didn’t take him very long before he again collided with a mirror. He let out a sigh and looked around, his bandaged eye had started to bleed under the bandage. “No, not now.” He thought as he put his hoof over his eye. He started to walk forward again, being a little more cautious this time. It took him a long time to get out of the maze and Derpy was waiting for him while holding a stuffed Princess Luna plushy. “Look what I won for beating you!” She said happily as she swung it around. “Look what I won for losing to you.” Whirl said as he took his hoof away from his eye. A small trickle of blood leaked from the bandage and started dripping on the ground. “Oh my gosh! We need to get you to the hospital!” Derpy said in a panic. “It can wait until we are done with the carnival. I mean, you have work tomorrow and the carnival ends the next day.” Whirl said as he tried to wipe the blood off of his face. The blood smeared all over his face as he tried to wipe it off. Derpy looked faintish as she stood and watched. Whirl noticed her looking pale and grew a concerned look on his face. “Are you okay?” he asked worriedly. “So much blood…” she said as she looked away and wobbled. “Not a fan of blood huh? Let’s go to the restrooms so I can wipe this off.” Whirl said as he started to trot towards the rest area in the carnival. Derpy followed closely behind with her new Luna plushy on her back. “Sorry about this Derpy.” Whirl said in a guilty tone. “It’s okay, I was the one who wanted to go to into the mirror hall.” Derpy said a bit weakly as she started at Whirl’s face. “Don’t look at me, you will just get more sick.” Whirl said with a chuckle. Once they reached the restrooms Whirl quickly walked inside and got a damp paper towel on his face. As he scrubbed the blood off, more and more leaked on. “Come on, stop bleeding.” He thought as he placed a dry paper towel over his bandaging. Still more leaked out around the paper towel and Whirl had had enough. He pulled the paper towel away and then tore off the bandage. What he saw nearly made him faint, a piece of his bone from his broken eye socket was sticking out of the skin. “DAMN IT!” he screamed in frustration. He placed a paper towel gently over his face and walked out the door. “We need to go to the hospital Derpy…” he said sadly. “What’s wrong? I thought you said it was alright.” Derpy said in a worried voice. “You don’t want to know. Suffice it to say that it is bad enough for me to have to go to the hospital.” Whirl said as he started to walk out of the fair. “I think I can handle it Whirl. Please show me, I am worried.” Derpy pleaded. Whirl sighed and pulled the paper towel away. Derpy saw the bone sticking out and let out a gasp. “We need to get a cab! That is bleeding too much! Help! Somepony help! We need fast transportation to the hospital!” Derpy called out in panic. A couple of ponies pulling the hay ride wagon ran over with a load full of ponies. “What is the problem miss?” one of the ponies pulling the wagon asked. Derpy pulled Whirl’s hoof away from his eye so the pony could see. “His eye is broken! We need to get him to the hospital immediately!” Derpy said as she started to tear up. Whirl was turning a bit pale from the loss of blood and was unsteady. “Climb aboard, we can get you there in a flash.” The other pony pulling the wagon said. Whirl and Derpy joined the ponies in the back, one of them was Rumble. “Mr. Wind! Are you okay?!” he said as he scampered over to him. Whirl was breathing erratically. “Just an eye thing…” he said weakly. Derpy was holding Whirl and cuddling him. “Everything is going to be okay Whirl.” Derpy said as she held him. “Hey Rumble, leave the poor pony alone. He is hurt.” A mysterious black pegasus with a blue mohawk mane called out. The wagon started to move at a quick pace once Whirl was fully settled. “It’s okay, he my paper colt. Who might you be?” Whirl asked weakly. “Thunderlane, I am Rumble’s older brother. Rumble you didn’t tell me you delivered to Whirl Wind, that is pretty cool.” Thunder Lane said with a grin. “I was the one who convinced him to go to the hospital in the first place. What happened to you eye Whirl? I thought the doctor fixed that up.” Rumble asked as he tried to move Whirl’s hoof away. Whirl gently moved Rumble’s hoof away. “Just an eye problem…” Whirl said again. The wagon hit a bump and it caused Whirl’s hoof to lift up then slam back down into his eye, the resulting pain caused Whirl to faint and his hoof to drop. Derpy gasped and tried to cover his eye again, but she was too squeamish to touch the blood. Rumble acted without thinking, he took out a small rag from his saddle bag and held it over Whirl’s eye. “Rumble! Be careful!” Thunderlane said worriedly. “I got it brother, don’t worry.” Rumble said calmly. The wagon pulled up to the hospital and Derpy jumped off the wagon and ran inside to get a nurse. Rumble had to take the rag away when it wouldn’t hold any more blood. “What do we do now Thunderlane?” Rumble asked worriedly. “Just wait for the nurses, unless you have another rag.” Thunderlane said as he searched his bag. “I don’t have another rag, get out of my bag. You are making me unbalanced.” Rumble said as he tried to jump off the wagon. Thunderlane was trying to get Whirl to the edge of the wagon, but he couldn’t move him. “Hey, you two are much stronger than me. Help me get this stallion off your wagon.” He called out to the two ponies that were now unlatching themselves from the wagon. They moved around to the back and started to pull Whirl off of the wagon almost effortlessly. Derpy had just come out with a few nurses and the doctor pulling a gurney. They quickly moved Whirl onto the gurney and wheeled him inside. “What happened to him? Was he attacked again?” the doctor asked frantically and he started to inject him with pain reducers. “No, we were at the carnival and we were walking through a hall of mirrors and he ran into a few and it’s all my fault!” Derpy said as she started to cry. “It’s okay, but he has lost a lot of blood. He is going to need more. Does anyone know his blood type?” the doctor asked as he looked at the ponies who came in with him. “O negative, he told me while he was telling me about his family.” Derpy sobbed. “Dang, I was hoping you weren’t going to say that. We need to test everpony’s blood here for a match.” The doctor said as they wheeled Whirl into a room. “First we need to stop the bleeding, how long has the bleeding been going on anyway?” “If it started to bleed inside of the maze then it was about thirty minutes.” Derpy said as she took a seat in the room. “What? Are you sure? Because it should have stopped bleeding on its own by now if that is the case.” The doctor said worriedly. “I am positive. I saw the clock tower as we were leaving the carnival.” Derpy explained with a sob. “There must be something stopping him from halting his bleeding.” The doctor said in a panic. “Magic!” Doctor Ray said as he walked into the room. “After he was released from King Sombra’s power a magical residue latched to his blood.” He explained as he started to use his magic to hold back the bleeding. “We are going to need somepony with more magical knowledge to help us stop his bleeding; I can only hold it for so long.” “Twilight Sparkle!” Derpy said suddenly. She didn’t bother to explain as she ran out the door. She quickly took off as she left the hospital, leaving everypony there confused. Flying as fast as she could she flew towards the library. When she arrived she banged on the door frantically. “Twilight! I need your help, hurry!” she screamed as she cried. Spike answered the door and looked up to Derpy. “Oh, hey Derpy. Twilight isn’t here, she is at Sugar Cube corner with Pinkie Pie.” Without saying another words she took off leaving Spike in utter confusion. “Sugar Cube Corner is not far!” She thought as she sped through town. She skidded to a halt outside Sugar Cube Corner and ran inside. “Twilight! I need your help!” She called out. “Oh Twilight’s not here deary. She just left to go to Zecora’s home in the Everfree Forest.” Mrs. Cake said joyfully. Derpy sighed in frustration and took off again. It didn’t take her long to spot Twilight heading out of town and she flew down in front of her. “Twi…light… need… help… Whirl… trouble… hospital…” she panted. “Derpy, what’s wrong? Calm down for a second and catch your breath.” Twilight said calmly. Derpy took a deep breath before saying, “Whirl is in the hospital and the doctors need the help of a unicorn that knows a lot about magic so they can stop the magic that is causing Whirl to bleed out.” Twilight let out a gasp and her horn started to glow. With a magical poof they were transported just outside the hospital. Twilight walked inside and Derpy lead her to Whirl’s room. The sound of a heart monitor going crazy and doctors shouting was loud as they approached. When they got inside they saw Whirl convulsing on the gurney they had him on. “We need to get his heart rate down now! He is crashing! Where is that unicorn that pegasus was getting?!” Doctor Ray shouted. “I’m right here! What can I do?!” Twilight called out as she ran up to Whirl’s side. “I thought I had dispelled the magic the last time it was here, but something made it come back! It is an anti-coagulant spell that doesn’t want to go away!” Doctor Ray yelled over all the noise. “I can fix that, just give me a moment!” Twilight said as her horn started to glow. She grunted and a magical aura started to flow over Whirl. “Derpy, I need you to go down the hall three rooms. We found a donor who was just outside and they are drawing his blood now. I need you to see if it is ready.” Doctor Ray said calmly. Derpy ran out the door and ran down the hall to the appropriate room. “Is the blood read—Thunder Lane?! You are the donor?” “Yeah, who would have guessed that I was O negative.” Thunderlane said with a chuckle. “We have the first infusion ready. Take this bag to the doctor right away.” The nurse instructed Derpy as she started to fill another bag. Derpy took the bag and quickly trotted down the hall. When she got to the room Whirl was in she noticed how much calmer things had gotten. The heart monitor was still running fast though. Derpy gave the blood to the doctor who immediately hooked it up to Whirl. Twilight was still performing her spell even though the blood had stopped. “Twilight can’t speak right now, but she told me to tell you something. She needs you to go to Canterlot to get Princess Luna or Princess Celestia. Twilight can’t hold the magic back for too long and she needs help. She gives it a week before Whirl Wind can’t be saved. You need to go quickly.” Doctor Ray explained. Derpy clapped her hooves to her mouth and let out a whimper. “This is no time to panic, you need to go now.” Doctor Ray said frantically. Derpy turned around and dashed out of the room. She made a quick stop at Thunderlane’s room. “Thunderlane, I need to go to Canterlot but I can’t go alone! I will mess things up and Whirl’s life is on the line!” Derpy explained frantically. “I can’t leave, I am Whirl’s only source of blood right now.” Thunderlane explained. “We are going to need to call in your entire family if we are going to be supplying him with more blood.” The nurse explained as she trotted out of the room to call for Thunderlane’s family. “I can’t go alone! Please, somepony has to come with me!” Derpy cried. “I’ll go! I have always wanted to see Canterlot!” Rumble said suddenly. “No! You have school Rumble!” Thunderlane protested. “But big brother, if I don’t go Derpy might mess up and Whirl will die! I won’t let that happen!” Rumble said as he walked over to Derpy. “Let’s get going then!” Derpy sobbed as she ran out the door. “I’ll be back soon Thunderlane I promise!” Rumble called out as he followed her out the door. “Rumble wait! It’s too dangerous!” Thunderlane called out after them, but it was too late. **** Derpy and Rumble arrived at the train station and quickly bought tickets to Canterlot. Once they were on board they started to catch their breath. “What… are we getting… in Canterlot?” Rumble asked as he tried to catch his breath. The train started to roll out of the station as Derpy spoke. “We have to get one of the princesses to come back with us to save Whirl. They are his only hope now.” She explained. “Wow… how are we going to do that?” Rumble asked as he finally caught his breath. “Whirl Wind is a personal friend of theirs, we will just tell them what is wrong and they will come.” Derpy said with a fake smile. “You don’t look very sure.” Rumble said sadly. “Well, I tend to have a habit of messing things up. I am worried that if I mess up this time, Whirl will die…” she said as she started to cry again. “Don’t you worry, everything is going to be fine!” Rumble said confidently. “We got this!” Derpy let out a giggle. “I can see why Whirl likes you, you are a lot like him.” She said as she wiped away her tears. “I am? That is really awesome! I am like Whirl, the slayer of darkness!” Rumble said as he struck a heroic pose. “Slayer of darkness?” Derpy asked with another giggle. “It’s the title me and my brother gave him after I told him Whirl’s story.” Rumble said happily. “Is that because he killed King Sombra?” Derpy asked curiously. “No, it is because he defeated General Wind!” Rumble said as he leaped into the air and buzzed around. Derpy was a bit shocked by his response. “You know… you know that he was General Wind right?” “Well… he wasn’t really General Wind. King Sombra brain scrubbed him.” Rumble said as he landed. “You mean brain washed?” Derpy asked with a giggle. “Yeah, brain washed. If King Sombra hadn’t done that Whirl would have been the greatest general on our side, I just know it.” Rumble said with a smile. “I know it too. It’s a shame that such a good pony was treated so badly by everypony who crossed his path.” Derpy said sadly. “I think everypony has learned what Whirl is really all about. Everypony knows he is kind and caring and awesome!” Rumble said enthusiastically. “You forgot strong, he is really strong too.” Derpy said with a smile. “Yeah he is! I don’t think I have met a pegasi as strong as him. Well, except for that Snowflake pony. He seems to be way stronger than Whirl.” Rumble said with a laugh. “Snowflake is really big and strong, but his wings are so tiny.” Derpy said with a giggle. Rumble let out a loud laugh. “Yeah they are! But he definitely makes up for it in power.” Derpy nodded in agreement. “It is nice to be able to talk to somepony on the train. You should see Whirl on a train, he gets so sick.” She said with a giggle. “He does? Why? Trains are fun!” Rumble said as he started to jump on his seat. “It must be the way the train moves or it could be something from his past, a traumatic event or something.” Derpy said with a shrug. Rumble settled back down and sat on the chair. “So are you and Whirl married or something? Do you have a family like mine?” Derpy smiled kindly. “Well, no. We just started going out a few days ago.” “Is that when you two met? A few days ago?” Rumble asked with a curiously look on his face. “Well, no. We met just over a year ago and we have talked so much.” Derpy said dreamily. “You have been going out then! Why not just marry him now? You two are really nice together?” “How would you know what ‘good together’ looks like?” Derpy asked with a smirk. “Well, my parents are good together and when you and Whirl are together you remind me of them.” Rumble explained. Derpy was a bit surprised by that response. She tilted her head down and started to think. “It is true that I love him… but marriage… it seems like a big thing… Would I live with him, or would he live with me? Well I guess I would live with him because he has a bigger house. Rumble does have a point; we have technically been dating since we met. He didn’t really ask me though; he just asked if it were possible. Same thing I guess… I don’t know what—“ she thought before Rumble interrupted her. “Hey Derpy, I think we are here!” Rumble said as the train started to slow down. Derpy snapped out of it as the hiss of the train filled her ears. “Let’s get ready to get off. I want to get to the castle as soon as possible.” Derpy said as she walked to the door. When the train stopped at the station, Derpy and Rumble quickly disembarked and started to run into the city. The streets were amazingly clean and tidy even if some of the buildings weren’t. As they dodged and weaved their way through the crowd they saw ponies rebuilding homes and others were moving supplies to others. When they finally got to the castle it was barred off by guards. Derpy walked up to one of them shyly. “Um, we need to see the princesses. It’s an emergency…” Derpy said shyly but urgently. “Sorry miss, the castle is off limits to the public until the castle is fully repaired.” The guard responded. “Please, you don’t understand! Whirl Wind is in danger! He is going to die without help!” Derpy said frantically. “I’m sorry, but I cannot leave my—“ the guard started before he was interrupted. “Let her through, quickly.” Princess Celestia ordered. The guards quickly got out of the way and let them pass. Derpy quickly bowed and so did Rumble. “Princess, Whirl is in danger of losing his life!” Derpy said as she started to shake. “I know, Spike sent me a letter. We must go quickly if we are to save him. I have a carriage ready to fly, come with me.” Princess Celestia said as she trotted back to the castle. Derpy and Rumble followed along quickly. “I can’t believe I am going on a ride with the princess!” Rumble said excitedly. They quickly boarded the carriage and it took off when they were all settled. “I never got your name little one.” Princess Celestia said as she turned her head towards Rumble. Rumble smiled widely. “My name is Rumble. It’s nice to meet you Princess Celestia.” He said politely. “You are indeed brave Rumble, to leave your family to come here and get me. Your parents are furious, but I am sure I can convince them that your heart was in the right place.” Celestia said with a smile. “I was ready to accept whatever punishment they were going to give me. I would do anything to help Whirl.” Rumble said quietly. “That is very noble of you.” Derpy said happily. “Indeed it is, you are going to grow up into a fine stallion someday Rumble.” Celestia said with a smile. “Thank you both, that means a lot.” Rumble said happily. “You know… I thought that it was going to be much harder to get you to come with us princess. Let alone get us to come with you on your carriage.” Derpy admitted with a smile. “I don’t know why they sent you, Twilight knew she could have just sent a letter in the first place. I am glad to see that you are both willing to help Whirl Wind out knowing what he did in the war.” Celestia said happily. “I would do anything for Whirl Wind, I am even thinking of marrying him.” Derpy said with a blush. “Marriage, the ultimate testament of love, it is a big step indeed but it is one of the greatest steps you will make.” Celestia said as Rumble started to peek over the side of the carriage. “Wow, we are going really fast!” Rumble yelled happily. Celestia let out a small laugh. “Yes we are, I figured we shouldn’t make Whirl wait any longer than we need to.” “How long do you think it will take us to get there?” Derpy asked worriedly. “About another ten minutes dear. Don’t worry; we will get there in time to help Whirl.” Celestia said calmly. “I’m glad, you should have seen how calm he was. His bone was sticking out of his skin, it was so horrifying, but he was as calm as the breeze.” Derpy said calmly. “War can make you used to seeing such horrors, especially in Whirl’s case. He actually witnessed horrors first hoof.” Celestia explained. “It wasn’t really him, it was General Wind. But Whirl defeated him in a battle of the mind!” Rumble said excitedly. Both Celestia and Derpy giggled. “One minute until arrival your highness.” The lead guard announced. Everypony got ready to land just before the carriage touched down outside Ponyville’s hospital. They quickly disembarked and Rumble went to the front of the carriage. “Thanks for pulling us here.” He said politely before he followed Derpy and Celestia inside. The hospital was frantic with activity, everypony inside was shouting and scrambling around. Celestia stopped one of the doctors. “What is going on?” she asked calmly. The doctor gasped and bowed. “We are looking for more restraints your highness.” The doctor explained. “More restraints? Why?” Derpy asked worriedly. “Something is wrong with one of our patients, some kind of magic I have never seen before. He is going wild but we have got him restrained, well almost restrained.” The doctor explained. “Where is Whirl Wind?” Celestia asked. “Down this hall, five doors on the right.” The doctor said as he ran off to help find more restraints. “Stay here you two, Whirl could be dangerous.” Celestia ordered. Derpy and Rumble nodded and took a seat in the waiting room. Celestia walked down the hall and arrived in Whirl’s room. A loud crash came from inside and Celestia heard a scream from one of the doctors. Celestia opened the door and saw Whirl hovering in the room holding the heart monitor and the IV hanger. He was swinging it at the ponies on the ground trying to restrain him and she saw one of the doctors head was bleeding where Whirl had stuck him. Twilight was trying to use her magic to pull him down be Whirl wasn’t budging one bit. Whirl saw Celestia enter and he looked right into her eyes. Celestia saw a green glow in them and she heard the voice of Sombra. “Revenge…” it said hatefully. Whirl threw the heart monitor at Celestia then charged at Twilight with a piece of broken glass in his hoof. He grabbed Twilight and held the glass to her throat. “I will end her! Allow me to leave safely and she will be safe!” He yelled at Celestia. Twilight wasn’t struggling, she was too afraid about what he was going to do. Celestia stared at him with a glare. “General Wind I presume?” Celestia asked coldly. “Yes, and if you do not move I will kill her!” General Wind shouted angrily. “Don’t hurt him princess!” Twilight pleaded. “I may not have any choice Twilight, but I will let him pass.” Celestia said as she stepped out of the door. General Wind walked Twilight out of the room with the glass still at her throat. “If anypony tried to stop me I will kill them!” He shouted as he dragged her down the hall. “You won’t get away with this!” Celestia announced as she followed him down the hall. General Wind soon reached to waiting room where Rumble and Derpy were waiting. “Whirl, you are okay! You… what are you doing?” Rumble asked as he saw what was happening. “Whirl is not here right now, come back when you serve King Sombra!” General Wind said as he kicked Rumble aside. Rumble flew into the wall and fell unconscious. Derpy let out a gasp and ran over to Rumble to see if she could help him. “Whirl what is wrong with you?!” She screamed in horror. “It’s not Whirl! It’s General Wind!” Twilight yelled in a panic. “General Wind… I thought he was dead!” Derpy yelled worriedly. “That is what I wanted you all to think! Now then, I will be taking my leave!” General Wind said as he walked out of the door. Once outside he knocked Twilight out cold and turned his attention to the guards that were now attacking him. Whirl threw the piece of glass and it stuck in the neck of the first guard. He then kicked the other in the face before taking to the sky. Celestia busted out of the hospital and chased after his while the doctors tended to the guards. She fired bolts of magic after him as she started to gain on him. “Let’s see how you do in the forest!” Whirl yelled as he dove down into the Everfree. Celestia followed him down and kept pace as best she could, but her larger figure made it hard for her to follow. Whirl barrel rolled through a hole in the trees and Celestia could no longer follow. She landed and stomped a hoof down in anger before heading back to the hospital. When she arrived she found Twilight up and being tended to by a nurse while the doctor had managed to save the life of the guard who had recently had a large piece of glass in his throat. “Princess Celestia! You are okay!” Twilight said in relief. “Yes, but General Wind got away.” Celestia said sadly. Derpy was just walking out when Celestia gave the bad news and she heard every word. “Whirl… is gone?” she asked as she started to tear up. Celestia and Twilight turned to Derpy. “We will find him, don’t worry. Where did he go princess?” Twilight asked. “The Everfree Forest, it is a smart place to hide out.” Celestia admitted. “We can ask Zecora to keep an eye out for him.” Twilight said as she started to walk toward the Everfree. “Twilight, you stay here. Derpy and I will go to Zecora’s home to tell her, you need to rest and have that bump looked at.” Celestia ordered. “But princess…” Twilight started. “No buts Twilight, now go ahead and go back inside.” Celestia said kindly. “Yes princess.” Twilight said as she turned around and went back inside. Derpy looked at Princess Celestia with a confused expression. “You want me to come with you?” “Yes, I need your help. Let’s get going.” Celestia said as they started to walk to the Everfree. “I read the reports written up by various soldiers and leaders of our military about General Wind. He is a brilliant strategist, a violent killer, and he is very efficient. However, he has one undeniable weakness, Whirl’s love for Equestria. One report in particular lead me to this conclusion, whenever General Wind did something horrendous his eyes returned to normal and Whirl came out. That is why I need you. If he sees you he might snap back to Whirl just long enough for me to take the spell off of him.” She explained. Derpy nodded nervously. “Princess, there is something you need to know. Whirl is resistant to magic.” “What do you mean? The only way he could be resistant to magic would be if he were exposed to it over a long span of his life.” Celestia explained. “That is what I mean, his older brother used to use Whirl… for magical study. Whirl told me he had been resistant to magic ever since and I witnessed it myself not too long ago. Twilight had cast a sleeping spell on Whirl and he woke up several hours before he was supposed to and the effects wore off seconds later.” Derpy said nervously. “That may cause complications.” Celestia said sadly. “Complications? What do you mean?” Derpy asked worriedly. “I am going to have to increase the power of all of my spells if we are going to stop him, however it will put his life at risk. I don’t see us having any other choice, he is too dangerous to leave roaming the forest.” Celestia explained. “Isn’t there any other way?” Derpy asked with a frown. “I am afraid not.” Celestia said sadly. **** General Wind was flying through the forest at a great pace. “First I need to take care of that accursed Zebra that captured me last time. Then I will corrupt as many ponies as I can to rebuild King Sombra’s ranks!” he thought as he landed outside Zecora’s hut. He walked up to the door and kicked it down. “Oh Zecora! We have some unfinished business!” he shouted as he ran inside. The room was empty, or so he thought. The sound of a rope snapping taught caught his ear and he was suspended by his back hoof from the ceiling. “TRICKERY! YOU WENCH! LET ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!” Zecora walked into the room slowly. “I thought we were done with this, but I sense things are still amiss.” She said sadly. “The only thing amiss is your demise!” General Wind said as he flailed about. He managed to grab a potion off of a shelf and break it on the ground, using the broken glass to cut the rope. Zecora was on him in an instant with the same red powder she had used on him before. She threw it in his face and he went limp. “Something is wrong with you, perhaps it was my brew. Maybe it was not strong enough? Maybe General Wind is too tough?” Zecora said out loud. “Or maybe he is the product of pure evil?” Celestia said as she walked into the hut. “Zecora, it is nice to finally meet you.” “Ahh, Princess Celestia. What brings you to this part of Equestria?” Zecora asked as if nothing was wrong. She took what was left of the rope and tied General Wind up. “I was going to warn you about General Wind, but it seems you were already prepared. How did you know he was coming?” Celestia asked curiously. “I did not know what was going to transpire, I simply had that trapped rigged for ponies that burst in on a desire. Rainbow Dash in particular, she tends to break in quite a bit regular.” Zecora explained. “It seems to have worked to save your life, it is a good thing your friends are rude sometimes.” Derpy said with a giggle. “Miss Ditzy Doo! It is a pleasure to see you!” Zecora said happily. “It is nice to see you too Zecora. What do we do now Princess Celestia?” Derpy asked worriedly. “We wait for him to wake up, then we follow through with our plan.” Celestia responded as her horn lit up. The ropes around Whirl turned into chains before tightening up around him. “Just as a precaution.” She explained. Derpy walked up to General Wind and gave him a kiss on his forehead. “You give me back my Whirl Wind…” she whispered. General Wind’s eyes shot open suddenly and he started to struggle violently. “Release me witch!” He shouted. He saw the other ponies in the room and smirked. “I see you invited guests over. Good, I can kill them too.” He said with a smirk. “Go ahead Derpy.” Celestia said. Derpy walked up to General Wind nervously. She looked him right in his eyes. “Whirl, are you in there?” she asked softly. General Wind’s eyes narrowed. “What is this? What are you doing to me?” he asked as he suddenly felt weaker. “You know what they are doing! Let me out!” “Never! I slipped up before and let you go! I will never do it again!” “I am going to make you let me out!” General Wind let out a howl of pain and his eyes flickered. “Now! It’s me Whirl! Hurry!” he shouted. Celestia’s horn lit up and a magical aura wrapped around General Wind’s body. The whole hut started to shake as Celestia’s magic reached full strength. “He is resisting! I am not sure I can defeat him!” Celestia yelled over the sound of bottles falling off their shelves. “Come on Whirl! Fight him!” Derpy shouted. “I can’t destroy him without killing Whirl! Hold on! I am going to try something!” Celestia said as she focused her magic even further. The hut was shaking furiously and a blinding light emanated from Whirl’s body. Everypony in the hut shut their eyes to protect them. When they finally opened them again Derpy let out a small squeak. General Wind pushed he to the floor before swiftly kicking Celestia in the face. Celestia was dazed as General Wind ran out the door and flew off. “WHIRL!” Derpy cried out. “D-Derpy…” a voice said weakly behind her. Derpy turned around and gasped, Whirl was sitting there still chained up, his eyes were normal again. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly. “Whirl! How are you still here? General Wind just ran out the door!” “I couldn’t destroy him… so I took him out.” Celestia said softly. “General Wind is now a separate being, he is the exact same as Whirl except for the eyes.” Derpy just continued to hold Whirl tightly. “I don’t care where that monster is, I am just glad Whirl is back.” “Can I be untied now?” Whirl asked with a chuckle. Celestia’s horn started to glow and the chains vanished. Derpy helped him to his hooves and gave him a kiss. “Whirl I want to marry you! I love you so much and you have really bad luck just like me so this was always meant to be!” she explained frantically. “A wedding! What a spectacular thing!” Zecora said happily. “We need to take Whirl back to the hospital first. His mind is going to be very strained over the next few days, it will take that long for his mind to get used to being split like it is.” Celestia explained. Whirl nodded slowly. “I can feel him still, he is scared and angry.” He said sadly. “He should be scared! Princess Celestia is going to hunt him down!” Derpy said angrily. “We will track him down and bring him to justice now that we are able.” Celestia said happily. “Let us depart. Zecora, I am sorry about the mess we made.” “It is no problem! You did what you did for them!” Zecora said happily. The three soon departed after helping Zecora clean up a bit. Celestia had to help carry Whirl with her magic. “I feel so torn apart, like I am two ponies again.” Whirl said weakly. “You will feel him and he will feel you, but don’t worry. He is far away from us now.” Celestia explained. “I don’t like how he feels, in a way it is kind of sad to see him from this perspective. I pity him.” Whirl explained. “Why would you pity a monster?” Derpy asked worriedly. “Because he was forced to be this way just as I was. King Sombra tortured his mind into thinking Celestia and Luna were the evil ones. It wasn’t his fault just as it wasn’t mine.” Whirl explained weakly. “Even with his mind knowing what it does, it is what he chooses to do with that knowledge that makes the pony.” Derpy said sternly. “That is true… I just understand how he feels is all.” Whirl said as he began to stumble. Celestia caught him with her magic and helped him back up. “Not too far now.” Celestia said softly. Soon after they had reached the hospital and as they walked in a lot of ponies gasped and screamed. “Don’t worry! It is Whirl Wind! Not General Wind!” Derpy shouted. Doctor Ray came over to him and helped to support him. “Come on Whirl, I’ll get you a room.” He said as they started to walk deeper into the hospital. “Rumble, where is Rumble?” Whirl asked weakly. “Rumble is okay, I can get you the same room as him if you would like.” Doctor Ray said happily. “Yes, please…” Whirl responded. Doctor Ray took him to Rumble’s room quickly. Derpy and Celestia followed suit and entered the room. “WHIRL! Are you okay?!” Rumble asked worriedly. Thunderlane trotted up to Whirl and kicked him in the face. Doctor Ray did his best to keep Whirl standing but he lost his balance and fell to the ground as well. “You bastard! How dare you hurt my brother!” Thunderlane yelled furiously. Doctor Ray helped Whirl to his feet and Derpy pushed back Thunder Lane. “It wasn’t Whirl! It was General Wind!” “Thunder Lane stop it! I told you that if he came back he wouldn’t be General Wind anymore!” Rumble said angrily. “He has been hiding behind that excuse since he got back here!” Thunderlane said angrily. “Would it make you feel better if I told you that General Wind is not even inside of Whirl anymore? He has been pulled out and is a separate pony now.” Celestia said as she walked into the room. Everypony bowed, except for Doctor Ray who helped Whirl into the empty bed. “I’m sorry Thunder Lane, if I could have stopped him I would have. Rumble means a lot to me, he helped me out when I got back while others just kicked me in the face.” Thunderlane didn’t say anything, he just over to Rumble’s side and sat down again. Rumble reached up and light kicked Thunder Lane with his fore hoof. “Dummy.” He said jokingly. Derpy sat down next to Whirl and held his hoof. “It’s okay Whirl, just give it time for everypony to calm down.” “I must take my leave, doctor if you could take me to Twilight Sparkle please.” Celestia said as she walked out of the room. “I will be right back Whirl.” Doctor Ray said as she followed her out. “I’m sorry…” Thunderlane said quietly. “Say it louder Thunderlane.” Rumble said sternly. “I’m sorry Whirl. I shouldn’t have kicked you.” Thunderlane said so that everypony could hear. “It’s okay Thunderlane, I understand. I feel like kicking General Wind in the face too. Heck, I might get that chance someday now.” Whirl said with a weak chuckle. “So what’s wrong with you now?” Thunder Lane asked. “My mind just got split into two minds. I am stretched far between two ponies, me and him. It has made me weak.” Whirl explained. “That sounds like it feels terrible.” Rumble said worriedly. “Nah, it’s not too bad sharing a brain with a psychopathic murderer.” Whirl said jokingly. Nopony in the room laughed but Rumble let out a courtesy chuckle. “Yeah, that wasn’t as funny as I wanted it to be. Derpy, can you do me a favor?” Whirl asked with a half-smile. “What is it Whirl?” she asked with a smile. “Can you go and let Applejack know that I will not be able to work for the next few days?” Whirl asked a bit weakly. Derpy smiled and nodded. “Sure thing Whirl, I will go take care of that while the doctor sees you.” She said as she stood up and kissed his forehead. “Be right back.” She said happily as she trotted out of the room. “Whirl, I thought you defeated General Wind. How did he take over again?” Rumble asked. “I must not have defeated him like I had thought; he must have just hid away.” Whirl said as he closed his eyes. “I feel…” he trailed off as his heart monitor started to beep wildly. “Don’t think this is over Whirl Wind, we are the still pony and the evil is still within you!” “I am done with you General Wind. If you know what is good for you, you will stay in the Everfree Forest until you die.” “That is not very noble of you, especially considering how you pity me.” “Not noble of me? What is noble of you? Nothing. You are just a pathetic pony fighting for a dead leader.” “Oh you may think he is dead, but you cannot kill the shadows. I will carry on his work and ensure the enslavement of everypony in the land.” “You will try, but you will fail. I will make sure you will.” “It is you who shall fail!” “Get me a crash cart!” Doctor Ray yelled to the nurses. They wheeled in a cart with a defibrillator and the panels started to charge. “I will be your end!” “No you won’t, I am stronger than you!” “Is that why I am stopping your heart?!” “My heart beats for Equestria!” “CLEAR!” Doctor Ray shouted as he zapped Whirl. Beep beep beep beep, the monitor sounded quickly before going flat again. “AGAIN!” “Equestria will fall like you will right now. Goodbye Whirl Wind.” “It’s no use fighting the inevitable, but I can fight you!” General Wind formed in Whirl’s mind as a physical being, as did Whirl. “What is this?” General Wind asked in a hateful voice. “Let’s end this now!” Whirl said as he clapped his hooves. A spear appeared in his hoofs and he spun it around. General Wind followed suit and summon a sword. “You cannot win you know. I have been trained by King Sombra himself.” Whirl chuckled. “So was I, remember?” Whirl said as he lunged forward and made the first strike. General Wind deflected it with ease and made his first move, a slash to Whirl’s chest. A flash happened and armor appeared over the area where General Wind had swung. “WHAT IS THIS?!” “My mind! Now get out!” Whirl shouted as he clapped again and a sword and shield appeared. He swiftly grabbed them and bash General Wind in the face with his shield before slashing at General Wind’s knees. “His heart has returned to normal but he is not waking up. I am afraid he is in a coma.” Doctor Ray’s voice resounded in Whirl’s mind as an echo. “A coma sounds bad for you!” General Wind mocked. “It is by choice, I want a chance to kill you before you get away again!” Whirl shouted as he pushed General Wind back with a series of blows. General Wind was summoning shields left and right to block every blow. “Fool! This is my mind too!” “Not any more it isn’t!” Whirl concentrated and lightning shot from his sword. General Wind took the lightning right to the face and recoiled with a loud howl of pain. “This isn’t over!” He shouted before he vanished. Whirl was panting from exhaustion, but he still wasn’t awake. “Hello! Somepony help me!” he shouted out in vain. “There isn’t much we can do right now. Some coma patients have been known to awaken to familiar sounds and smells but that is just speculation.” Doctor Ray’s voice sounded out again. “I’m here! I can hear you! I can hear you!” Whirl said in his mind, then in reality. Derpy tightened her grip on Whirl’s hoof. “Whirl, can you hear me?!” she screamed out in a panicked voice. “Yes! I can…” he said confidently in his mind, but weakly in reality. “Wake up Whirl, you can do it!” Derpy cried out frantically. “I don’t think I can… he is holding me here…” he responded in a scared, weak voice. “He? You mean General Wind is in there?” Derpy asked worriedly. “No… he is away… but holding me… help…” Whirl said as he started to cry. “Has Princess Celestia left yet?” Derpy asked Doctor Ray. “I will go get her.” Doctor Ray said as he walked out of the room. “Princess Celestia is going to help you Whirl, just stay calm.” Derpy said with a soothing voice. “Sorry… I am a hassle…” Whirl said before he stopped talking. “No you aren’t, you are perfect. A perfect pegasus pony.” Derpy said encouragingly. “And I can’t wait to start my new life with you.” **** Chapter OneWhirl Wind and Sonic Flare in: This Means War Chapter one: Attack on Fillydelphia Sonic Flare awoke with a jolt. “NO!” he yelled out. A guard rushed into his room. “What is it?! What’s wrong?!” the guard asked. Flare was breathing heavily. “Nothing… sorry, it was just a nightmare.” he said as he caught his breath. The guard nodded and gave a quick salute before turning around and heading out the door. He was about to close it when Princess Luna stopped it with her magic. The guard gave a bow and let the princess pass. Princess Luna walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Flare didn’t look up to her, his eyes just looked at his blanket without blinking. “I know what you were dreaming Sonic Flare, for it has been my dream as well.” Princess Luna said as she walked up to the window. She gave a sigh and looked outside. “What you have seen is not just a dream, but an unfortunate fact. Whirl Wind… Whirl… He…” She tried to say it, but she just couldn’t. “Flare took his eyes away from his blankets and looked at Princess Luna. “He has been corrupted by King Sombra.” he said bluntly. “Yes, he has been corrupted…” she said sadly. “Is there anything we can do for him?” Flare asked. Princess Luna closed her eyes. “I don’t know. All I do know is that he is a threat now.” “How can you say that? How can you be so blunt about it?!” Flare asked as he jumped out of bed. “He is NOT a threat! He is my friend! He is your friend!” He started to stomp his hoof at the end of each sentence. Princess Luna didn’t speak. “I know… I know… but… He is no longer Whirl Wind. He is General Wind, leader of King Sombra’s army. He has been ruthless on the battle field and has already pushed us back in three engagements. He will not show us mercy, just as he will not show YOU or ME and mercy!” Flare stomped his hooves on the ground hard. “Then we need to stop him! I want to enlist, now! Give me a spear and some armor! Get me out there!” Flare said with a passion of fire that burned as brightly as his cutie mark. Princess Luna turned around. “But what about your wife and foals?” “This is WAR, if we lose then my foals will grow up in a world of shadows and hatred. I will NOT let that happen!” Flare said as he walked up to Luna. “Very well, your training will begin tomorrow. I will see to it that you get your training straight from Steel Wing himself. He is the best pegasi trainer in Equestria.” Luna said seriously. She turned back towards the window and sighed. Flare’s mood lightened when she sighed. He knew how she was feeling, Whirl was like his brother to him. He trotted up next to her and hugged her. “Listen, I promise I will bring him back. I promise you that I will bring him back alive so that we can help him.” he said as he let go. He turned around and walked to the door. He opened it and looked to the guard. “Take me to Steel Wing please.” he said to the guard. His head turned around to close the door stopping only for one moment to say, “I promise.” Princess Luna let out a sob after the door closed. She fell to her knees and started to cry. “I promise…” Whirl’s voice rang in her ear. “Whirl said the same thing… he kept his promise… then I failed him…” **** General Wind was in his tent with his squadron leaders. “I think it is time we take Ponyville.” One of the leaders said. General Wind slammed his hoof on the table. “I told you! We are NOT attacking Ponyville!” He exclaimed in anger. His eyes glowed green as he stared into the eyes of the leader who suggested the plan. One of the other leaders spoke up. “I agree with General Wind. Ponyville is a low priority target. It took us three engagements to take Los Pegasus alone, we need to fortify our new position.” General Wind nodded. “I agree, we do not have many troops protecting our new prize. Send a battalion out to guard it and send another here to strike at Fillydelphia.” The leaders all gave a salute and left the tent to send out the orders. When they all left a shadow emerged from the wall. King Sombra solidified next to General Wind. “You hesitate every time Ponyville is mentioned. It is the only way to get supplies to our newest position without flying it there.” He said darkly. General Wind turned to face King Sombra. “Your highness. Ponyville is too well fortified. Taking it would mean losing a third of our forces at minimum. I am taking the surrounding towns and cities. Once I have them all we will take Ponyville.” “And what of the Crystal Empire?” King Sombra asked angrily. “Your highness, you made me your top general and leader of all your forces for a reason didn’t you? Once I take enough of their cities, they will come here, to Canterlot. They will think our forces thin and that is what I will want them to think. I will have over ten thousand troops ready to attack when they come. Our production and training of troops has doubled since we took Los Pegasus. Our shadow refineries are in full productivity and we will have another thousand troops here in a week. They will not stand a chance.” General Wind said as he turned back to the map and moved around the flags that represented their forces. King Sombra looked at the map. “Very well. I will trust your judgment in this, but if you fail… I will see to it that you are imprisoned and tortured for the rest of your miserable life!” he said before he faded into the shadows. General Wind scoffed and looked at the map. His eyes drifted over Ponyville. “That is your home you monster! What are you doing anyway? Helping an evil king destroy what is left of the world? You are a disappointment! Dad was right about you!” “SHUT UP! You are no longer in control! I will lead King Sombra’s glorious army to defeat your friends! And I will make sure that Sonic Flare is taken alive, so that I may torture him for fun while you watch!” “Don’t you DARE touch him!” “Then I will take Princess Luna and make her watch as I kill her subjects one by one in the cruelest ways possible!” “NO!” “YES! AND WHEN IT IS ALL SAID AND DONE I WILL MAKE SURE TO END HER LIFE IN THE WAY SHE FEARS THE MOST!” “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” General Wind flinched in pain, his head felt like it was splitting in half. He regained control and force Whirl down into the depths of his mind. “Settle down now… You need your rest so you can see me destroy your friends.” he said aloud. He walked out of his tent out onto the training grounds. Ponies were being dragged in chains around the encampment doing random tasks. Some were taken to the shadow refineries to be made part of King Sombra’s army. Not all of them were alive either, King Sombra took dead and wounded ponies from the battle field to be used as drones in the front lines. The process was simple enough, they were taken into the refineries and they were either submerged in darkness for three days or they we brainwashed by the ‘specialists’. General Wind walked through the ranks of new soldiers, inspecting each one with keen eyes. If they didn’t pass they were tortured and sent back to the refinery. General Wind approached one of them that didn’t quite look right. He looked up and down the dark figure. Something about it was off, but with no visual signs of error he had to test it. “Step forward!” General Wind ordered. The figure took a step forward from the rest of the group without hesitation. General Wind pulled out his blade. “Defend yourself!” He said as he gripped the sword in his mouth. The figure did not draw his blade, he simply stood there as General Wind swung his sword. Just before impact a barrier that was skin tight stopped the sword from hitting. The figure stood still and it’s horn glowed with a black aura. General Wind sheathed his blade. “What was your name soldier?” He asked loudly. “My name was Titan sir!” He replied with a salute. “Titan huh? You look more like a fairy to me!” General Wind exclaimed. “We have met before have we not?” Titan did not move, a bead of sweat leaked down his cheek. General Wind did not notice the sweat but stood in front of the pony. Their eyes never left contact. Something was stopping him from seeing what was wrong. He moved in closer to the pony and stared right into his very soul. The ponies eyes did not move, he did not blink, and he did not speak. “STEP BACK!” General Wind finally ordered. The figure took a step back immediately and rejoined the ranks. General Wind continued his inspection before heading to the battle field with a fresh supply of troops. Their goal, take Fillydelphia. **** Flare was down on the ground doing pushups with his wings. Normally this would be no problem, but with fifty pounds of armor on it became a challenge. Not that it bothered him, he was gladly working as hard as he could. Around the fiftieth pushup his wings started to go numb. Steel Wing, a large white pegasus wearing emerald armor, stopped in front of Flare as he started to slow down in speed. “Don’t you quit on me private!” Flare shook his head and pushed his body up again. His wings felt like they were tearing at the seams. “forty-eight sir, forty-nine sir, fif… fifty sir!” He announces as he finished the set. “What Princess Luna sees in you I will never know, but if she wishes me to train you then that is what I will do. Give me five-hundred laps around the courtyard!” Steel Wing exclaimed with authority. Flare did not hesitate, he took off at a moderate pace and started his laps. Steel Wing watched for signs of weakness. Every time Flare would slow down he would hurl a rock at his head and he seldom missed. Flare took several blows to the head before he could take no more. Steel threw another rock towards Flare, it was flying straight and true. Just before it hit Flare’s head he dodged and flew onward. Steel smirked and started throwing rock after rock at Flare. Flare managed to keep his pace while dodging the onslaught of stones flying toward his head. One managed to hit him right in his ear and Flare winced in pain as it started to ring. He put a hoof to his head and felt blood leaking from it. His eyes narrowed at Steel as more rocks flew toward him. Flare had had enough, he caught one of the rocks and threw it right back at Steel hitting him squarely between his eyes. Steel recoiled in pain and looked up at Flare when he recovered. “Come down here private!” he ordered. Flare flew down in front of Steel and stood in attention. Steel walked up to him and stared him right in the eye. “That was a nice shot recruit, you think you could do it again?” Flare looked right back into Steel’s eyes. “Yes sir.” “Prove it!” Steel responded as he shoved a spear into Flare’s chest. He took a step to the side and pointed to a target at the far end of the grounds. “Hit that target private!” Flare lifted the spear awkwardly. It was hard to balance properly and it was a little more than clumsy. He took a moment to get a proper grip on it. “NOW!” Steel shouted. Flare had no more time to waste, he threw the spear as best he could. It flew straight at first, then it took a sudden nose dive. It flopped on the ground awkwardly half way to the target. “You call THAT a throw?! Again!” Steel said as he shoved another spear at Flare. Flare took it and found a new grip, this time when he threw it, it traveled three quarters of the distance and stuck into the ground before falling flat. He didn’t wait to be handed another spear before he took another. He threw it and it landed as far as the last and fell flat on the ground. When Flare reached to grab another one Steel stopped him by smacking him with the butt end of a spear. “You will never throw a spear properly without the proper grip!” Steel said as Flare recovered from the blow. Steel held the spear in his hoof and threw it. It traveled in a perfect arc up until it impaled the target dead center, splitting the target in half. “When you release, you must let go of the whole thing at once! Otherwise it will just flop on the ground! Now go reset the target and come back and try again!” Steel ordered. Flare went and reset the target with a fresh new bruise covering his eye. “Whatever he does to you, it can’t be nearly as bad as what Whirl Wind is going through.” He thought as he picked up a new target and mounted it on the base. Flare took a moment to remove the spear Steel had thrown. When he lifted it, it was significantly lighter than the spears Flare had previously thrown. In a fit of rage Flare threw the spear back towards Steel. It flew past Steels face and landed next to him. Steel didn’t even flinch as it passed him. Flare trotted back to Steel and got up into his face. “What is the big idea huh?!” he asked in an angry tone. Steel smirked and kicked Flare in the face. Flare recoiled and fell flat on his back. “Don’t address me like that ever! I am your commanding officer and you will respect me as such! As for the spears, it doesn’t matter the weight or the length of the spear! All that matters is the pony that uses it! If you truly want to master spear throwing then you must be able to throw any spear! Starting with those!” Steel said as he stood over Flare. “Now, get up and try again!” Flare rolled over and stood up. He glared at Steel before picking up another spear. When he threw it, it traveled as far as his others and stuck in the ground. **** It was late, almost midnight. Princess Luna sat and watched as Flare threw spear after spear at the target. Steel had ordered him to stay awake until he hit the target with at least three spears. Flare had not faltered once in his throwing. He had a nice collection just at the base of the target. When he threw another one it landed in the group of spears with a clang. Flare reached for another spear to find they were all gone. He kicked his hoof on the ground and trotted to the group of spears. He started to pull them out of the ground and loaded them into a carrying satchel he was wearing. As he got closer to the target he noticed something strange, drag marks. He looked at the base of the target to which the marks were leading. He circled around to the back of the target to find a rope attached to the back leg of the target. Without warning the target pulled back. Flare looked at where the rope was leading, a clock. Flare walked up to the clock and saw it was midnight. As the gears turned it pulled the target closer to the clock. Flare’s face was red with rage, well redder. He took his spears back to the other end of the field and threw them to the ground. The first one he grabbed was covered in scratch marks from the other spears scraping it as they landed. Flare threw it as hard as he could, it sailed through the air and passed the target hitting the clock behind it. Princess Luna giggled as the spear hit the clock and made a loud springing noise signaling the end of its life. She looked down at Flare with pride as he picked up another spear and threw it, hitting the clock again. He didn’t stop until all fifty spears hung from the wall where the clock had been. His task finished he started to walk to the barracks where he promptly fell asleep. Once Flare left the training field, Princess Luna walked down to see his handy work. The spears hung off the wall up and down where the clock once stood. There was not a single piece of clock uncovered by metal. Princess Luna giggled again and turned around to watch over the night again. **** Dawn, six in the morning, a trumpet blared through the air in the barracks and everypony was out of bed in a flash, even Flare. Three generals stepped in, General Shield Crest of the earth ponies, General Sparks of the unicorns, and General Steel Wing of the pegasi. Each of them walked through the barracks one at a time. As they passed the proper ponies followed out to their specific training grounds. Flare was left alone, the only pegasi in his battalion. Steel stopped in front of him. “Lets see how you did!” he said as he turned and walked out to the courtyard. Flare kept a neutral expression as they walked. Steel saw the target bare and undamaged. “Did you replace the target private?!” he asked with a voice of authority. Flare shook his head. “No sir, there was not much left of the target after I was done with it.” Flare responded and he stood in attention. “Then where are the spears?!” Steel asked as he got into Flare’s face. “Sir, in the newly acquired target sir!” Flare exclaimed. “New target?! What target would that be?!” Steel asked as he butted Flare’s head. Flare recoiled fast and stood back in attention. “THE CLOCK SIR!” he yelled in anger. “The clo-- You’re lying!” Steel said as he turned towards the target and started trotting to it. Flare stood still and waited for Steel to return. Steel trotted behind the target and beheld the horror of it all. He stood in awe of the demolished clock as it stood in shambles. “How did he…?” “PRIVATE! REPORT!” he yelled across the field. Flare galloped to the other end and stood at attention in front of the clock. He couldn’t help but smirk at his handy work. “Did you do this?” Steel asked in his voice of authority. “Yes sir!” “Did you walk up and stab it with each one?!” “No sir!” “Did you move forward and throw them from a closer distance?!” “No sir!” “Then you won’t mind doing it again, would you?!” “No sir!” Steel ripped one of the spears out of the wall. “Here is your target!” Steel exclaimed as he pulled out an apple. “Yes sir!” Flare said as he took the spear. He trotted down to the other end of the field and turned to face the target. What he saw made him sick to his stomach. Steel had balanced the apple on his head. “If you miss! You will kill me! Now throw!” Steel ordered. Flare turned pale, the thought of failure tore through his mind. The image of a dead general lying on the ground, the trial afterwards when they sentenced him to death, the thought of losing Whirl. Flare held the spear up and aimed. He took in a deep breath… “For Whirl…” he thought as he threw the spear. **** The sun had just set over the mountains overlooking Fillydelpiha, a dark overcast was approaching from the north. Most of the ponies in the city had evacuated or took shelter in the lowest parts of their home while the guards patrolled the streets in large numbers. Lightning could be seen from the edge of the city and the thunder could be heard throughout it. The guards bolstered their defenses to the north. The earth ponies took the front lines while shield breaker unicorns took refuge in the buildings. The pegasi stood watch from the tallest skyscrapers. All was dark now, the power to the city had been interrupted. Only the lamps that used flame and oil could be seen. Sprinkles of rain hit the ground in a random beat, then became more consistent. At the top of a hill outside of the city a pair of glowing orbs could be seen, then another pair, then another. Soon the whole hill top was covered with these orbs. They started to move forward and the pegasi guarding the city blew the horn of war. Everypony on the front line braced themselves, a flash of lightning revealed a wave of shadow ponies charging forward. While one pegasi stood at the top of the hill looking down at the city with a look of hatred. “VOLLEY!” he shouted. A large number of glowing horns lit up on top of the hill. Beams of glowing shadow launched from the hilltop. The glowing shadows hit the building and streets with a large force. “Cover!” one of the leaders in the city ordered. The horns in the windows started to glow and small barriers formed on the streets and some of the windows in the buildings. While other windows returned fire at the invading forces. “Second wave!” the pegasi at the top of the hill shouted. He flared his wings and took to the sky. What could be seen of the gray clouds was soon covered in pure darkness. The initial forces collided with the barriers and in some places smashed right through. Unicorns in the windows facing the streets fired spells to dispel the shields that the enemy was enchanted with while the earth ponies finished the job with a quick stab of their spears. The pegasi on the rooftops took to the sky and quickly got into formation. A group of the enemy pegasi squad split off, then another, the another. Soon the enemy pegasi squadrons were swirling around in circles creating tornados that started to tear the buildings apart. The guards pegasi team quickly reacted to counter the tornadoes. “Open flank!” the lead enemy pegasi shouted as the center soon became open. “Take the building with the unicorns down!” A squad of pegasi carrying large metal spheres flew over the streets. They released their spheres and flew up high. Large explosions shook the streets as they hit the ground. After the initial explosion the spheres started to suck in everything near the area where they hit. The buildings near the explosions were torn to pieces as it continued to suck in debris and guard ponies. “Evacuate the buildings! Get out of there!” the general of the guards yelled. It was too late, one of the buildings became unstable and fell into another causing dust to fly out in all directions. Both guards and shadow ponies were crushed beneath the buildings as they hit the ground. “Fall back to the city’s center!” the general shouted over the sounds of screams, thunder, and the sound of explosions. “Third wave!” the enemy pegasi leader yelled. A wave of shadowed earth ponies came from the east. They each flooded in different streets forming walls to put the guards in a vice. The pegasi guards had already started to grab random guards off the street and retreat in all directions. The guards leader had been slain and without orders the lines quickly crumbled. Most of the fleeing pegasi were stopped but some managed to get away. Smoke billowed from the streets and the screams of citizens could be heard throughout the city as the rain poured on and the night waned. A crew of shadow ponies were already clearing the debris from the fallen buildings and repurposing them into shadow refineries where the citizens of Fillydelphia that had not evacuated would soon end up. The enemy pegasi leader landed in the midst of the city. He removed his helmet to reveal his identity. A near by guard gasped and tried to scramble away. The pegasi leader stepped on his tail, a flash of lightning flashed behind him. The guard who had seen him looked up in horror when he saw who it was. General Wind stood over the helpless guard with a look of pure evil. “I see you managed to survive our assault with no wounds. Congratulations, now you get to fight me personally.” he said as shadow ponies formed a circle around the two. General Wind took his hoof off of the guards tail and walked to the other end of the circle. “Lets make this interesting.” he said as he took a spear from one of the shadow ponies. He dropped it in front of the guard. “Pick it up.” The guard took the spear in one hoof. He looked up into General Wind’s eyes, the green glow demoralized him a bit. Suddenly General Wind’s eyes flashed white and he saw something, like a spark. The guard threw the spear down. “I don’t need to fight you, and I don’t think you want to fight me.” General Wind blinked and his eyes turned soft. “I-- don’t want-- to fight you…” General Wind said as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again his eyes were green. “I want to kill you!” he yelled as he lunged forward taking the spear in hoof. With one swift motion the guard was take off of his hooves and onto his back. General Wind took the spear and rammed it through the guards chest. The guard let out a cry of pain and General Wind blinked again, his eyes turning normal again. The guard was bleeding from his mouth now and he didn’t have long. General Wind leaned forward and put his head next to the guards as if he were exhausted. “I’m sorry…” he whispered to the guard in a mournful tone. The guard coughed and wheezed. “I… understand…” he said as he let out his last breath. General Wind lifted his head and blinked again, his eyes returning to green. “Get this body to the refinery at once!” he ordered his troops. Without missing a beat the tore the spear from the guard and hauled him off to the pile of dead guards that was being formed near by. “Sentiment, that was always your weakness. You are just as guilty for his death as me, you aren’t strong enough to fight me therefore you are responsible for everypony I kill.” “I am not you… you are not me…” **** A wounded guard was carried through the halls of the crystal castle. It was one of the pegasi that was protecting Fillydelphia. Once he was in the medical ward the doctors began to work on healing his wounds. Princess Cadance burst into the room. “What happened?!” she exclaimed as she entered. One of the crystal guards gave a salute while the other assisted the doctors. “Princess Cadance, King Sombra has attack and take Fillydelphia!” Princess Cadance slammed her hooves on the ground. “Damn him!” she said as she turned around and left the room to find Princess Luna. Princess Luna was observing Flare and his training again. Flare was doing laps and avoiding rock with pristine precision. He even manages to deflect one or two back at Steel Wing. On his final lap he landed in front of Steel and stood in attention. “Not bad private. You may make it in this army yet.” Flare didn’t respond. He simply stood in attention. “Silent as the wind huh?” Steel asked with a neutral expression on his face. He lifted one of the spears and swung to hit Flare. Flare deflected the spear without blinking and drove it into the ground. “Good, good. Being the only pegasi assigned here makes it much easier to break you, and you sure are broken.” Steel said as he pulled the spear out of the ground. “Sir, you could never break me sir.” Flare responded. “Oh is that so? All that sounds like to me is a challenge!” Steel said as he removed his armor. When he took off his helmet it revealed a bandage that covered the top of his head. “Remember this?! You gave it to me only after the first week of training! Had you been as disciplined as you are now you would have never hit me at all! But you were weak, you are still weak! Remove your armor so we can fight hoof to hoof.” Steel said as he tore off Flare’s helmet. “Yes… sir…” Flare responded as he unclasped his armor. He threw it aside and looked Steel straight in the eye. “Battle field rules!” Steel said as he got into a combat position. Flare formed his own combat stance and got ready for anything. Steel pounded and scraped his hoof on the ground, his nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. Suddenly Steel charged and Flare leaped into the air just before Steel hit. Flare landed on Steel’s back and wrapped his forehooves around Steel’s neck. Steel quickly flipped Flare off of his back and onto the ground. Steel took his front hooves and stomped into Flare’s chest. Flare was winded by the blow but was able to dodge a second blow. He rolled over next to the spears. Steel charged him again and Flare picked up a spear and swung the butt end at Steel’s face. Steel easily deflected the spear and kicked Flare in the face. Flare recoiled and jumped into the air. He was flying up as fast as he could which was faster than what Steel could do to follow. Once Flare was above the cloud cover he vanished. “Welcome, to my playground…” Flare said in an evil tone. A cloud suddenly launched towards Steel. Steel kicked the cloud and it was busted to pieces. He expected Flare to be in the cloud and was shocked when he was wrong. Turning around as fast as he could to block any surprise attack he looked around and saw nothing. Then a blow rocketed across his face. He bundled up in defense and looked around. A second blow hit his chest, then another, and another. Steel worked out Flare’s pattern and turned to see him fly at him fast, Steel kicked at Flare’s face and hit him square in the face or so he thought. The object he hit was actually another cloud, before he could react a loud snap filled the air. Flare had used a rain cloud to make a thin lair of water to reflect his image while he was really coming from behind. Once he got up close to Steel he had bucked Steel’s wings as hard as he could. Both wings snapped like twigs and everything stood still for a moment. The expression on Steel’s face spoke a thousand words, two of those words being pride and fear. Everything started to speed up again and Steel fell from the sky. Princess Luna was looking up towards the could for a sign of either of them. What she saw horrified her, Steel Wing, plummeting to the earth. Without hesitation she leaped into action, catching him just moments before he hit the ground. Flare landed not too far away from them. He looked over to the princess with a neutral expression. He spit out some blood before turning towards the barracks and leaving the training field. Steel laughed in a cough. “He-- he was going to let me die… he is ready Princess Luna.” Princess Luna sat him down on the ground. “What do you mean? You were going to die!” Steel nodded. “Yes, I was. And he was the one who was going to kill me. Think princess, if he can kill me without remorse, think of what he could do to the enemy.” Princess Luna looked to where Flare had left. “Then… his training is finished?” Steel nodded again. “Yes, he is ready to go to war; in my place it would seem. You are left with one pegasus in your army princess, use him well, for he will serve you well.” Steel said as he started to walk to the medical ward. Princess Luna just sat there and watched as he left. Rain started to pour in the courtyard as Princess Cadance ran on the field. “Princess Luna! We have an emergency!” Princess Luna popped out of her trance and turned to Princess Cadance. “What is it? What happened?” Princess Cadance stopped in front of her. “King Sombra has taken Fillydelphia!” Princess Luna nodded and looked to the ground. “I know. Whirl Wind is dreaming of the battle right now.” she said sadly. Princess Cadance looked at her with a confused expression. “What do you mean? General Wind is leading the army as we speak, he is not sleeping.” “Not General Wind! Whirl! Whirl is dreaming!” Princess Luna exclaimed. “He is trapped in his mind in a state of unconsciousness! He is dreaming of it now!” Princess Cadance recoiled from the felling a bit. “I’m… I’m sorry.” Princess Luna turned around and faced away. “It’s okay, we must take back Fillydelphia. Where are our forces now?” “The closest battalion is in Ponyville. They are three days ride from it. The second closest is Appleosa, but they are only one hundred ponies. No where near enough to take back the city.” Princess Cadance responded. Princess Luna nodded. “What of our spy?” “He reports that there are three thousand at the most in Fillydelphia and they are setting up refineries to make more shadow ponies. We must act now if we are to take back the city.” “What about Los Pegasus?” “What? Why would you worry about that city? It holds no strategic…” “How many!?” “Two hundred, but I don’t see…” “That will do, send two thousand to Ponyville to meet with the troops there.” Princess Luna said as she trotted away from the field to the barracks. Princess Cadance was dumbstruck but obeyed. In the barracks Princess Luna saw Flare. She trotted over to him and he stood in attention. “Private Flare, as of this moment I am giving you the commission of pegasi General. You are our last remaining pegasi in service, so it goes to you.” “Thank you your highness. I will not let you down.” Flare said in a voice of authority. Princess Luna looked at him, he was not the same Sonic Flare she had met in Canterlot. “I have a mission for you. A mission of the highest importance which we will discuss in your new quarters. If you will follow me.” **** General Wind was overseeing the creation of their newest refinery. He was walking in the street surveying the progress. It was going very well, the walls were being rebuilt quickly and with precision. He turned down a dark alley way and a shadow tore from the wall and walked beside him. The shadow solidified into King Sombra. “You have done well. How many did we lose in the initial assault?” “One thousand three hundred your highness.” General Wind responded. “What?! That many?! How could this be?!” King Sombra exclaimed in a fit of rage. “Sir, with all do respect, you are sending the soulless corpses in to do your work! They tend to get caught in cross fires, battles they can not win, and at worse times the fight each other by mistake!” General Wind responded. “The spell must get weaker the longer it is in use, we must make haste if we are to take the next city. I want you to take Ponyville now!” King Sombra commanded. “Your highness! We can not take Ponyville now!” General Wind stomped a hoof down and stopped walking. “You will take it, or I will find somepony who can!” King Sombra’s horn started to glow. General Wind was caught in a aura of pure pain that took him to his knees. “As my lord commands.” he managed to say. “Glad to see you agree, now go!” King Sombra said as he faded into the shadows.
Chapter TwoChapter two: The spy, the Attack, the Mission and the Return Everypony in Ponyville was scrambling. They were all packing up and evacuating to where ever they thought was safe. Some fled to the Everfree forest while others took refuge in the mountains. The guards that were protecting Ponyville did not interfere, in fact if some had it their way they would be leaving as well. Reports from their informant had tipped them off to an attack incoming. All of them were preparing barriers, bottlenecks and other defenses but with very few pegasi they had little to no anti-air. Reinforcements would not be arriving for a whole day and the attack was said to be here in twelve hours. With Fillydelphia falling in less than two hours the whole situation seemed hopeless. A loud whistle echoed through the clambering. “Listen up!” Everypony came to a halt and observed a blue pegasi standing on top of town hall with a bullhorn. “We can not just abandon our homes! We must fight back the forces of King Sombra! We need every able bodied pony to fight in the name of the princesses! I am pregnant and I am going to battle, who is with me?!” Everypony started to murmur and look around. Then one red stallion stepped forward. “Eeyup!” he exclaimed. Then another pony stepped forward. “YEAH!” Soon pegasi from all over were falling in, the whole Ponyville weather team by the looks of it. Delivery ponies lined up as well. With a new sense of bolstered confidence they all went to the nearest guard station and put on armor. When the blue pegasi stepped down from town hall’s roof she was met by the red stallion who stepped forward first. “Mam, I don’t know who you are, but you can’t go into battle pregnant.” he said sincerely. “I know, I wasn’t really going to go to battle. I can’t risk the lives of two unborn foals. But what else could I say to get results like this.” she responded with a smile. “Well, I understand that. I sent my little sister off to Appleoosa when I heard of the war. Her and mah grandmamma are there now. I stayed behind to help keep the town together but… What is your name anyway?” “Air Mail. My husband is fighting in this war somewhere and I should be with him… but…” “No need to explain. Listen, I know that nopony here will stop you if you decide to leave. Go to Appleoosa and stay with my family. Tell them Big Macintosh says hello and hat you were sent by me. I will make it an order if I have to.” he said with a friendly smile. Air nodded and gave Big Mac a hug. “Good luck.” she said as she started to walk to the train station. **** General Wind was gathering what forces he had left from the attack on Fillydelphia. His lines were thin and his numbers were not what he would want them to be, but he had no choice. After only about threes weeks he had at least a thousand of each type of pony, which gave him plenty of room to strategize. Once he had a plan formulated he set out with his army. In twelve hours time Ponyville would be under siege and night would cover the land. He went to his tent one last time as his army marched outward. There was a letter on his map of Equestria. He picked it up and unwrapped it, a red powder shot out of the scroll and hit him in the eyes. He recoiled in pain and rubbed his eyes but it only seemed to make the pain worsen. The last thing he saw before he was knocked unconscious was a pony form that hit him. **** “WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY LEAD GENERAL IS MISSING?!” King Sombra yelled in a fit of rage. His horn began to glow and one of the messengers was crumpled into a heap. The other watched in horror as his partner was crushed like a bug. “He-he was last seen in his tent, then he just vanished your highness.” the other messenger finally said. “HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?! HOW COULD NOPONY SEE HIM GET TAKEN?! WHY WAS THERE NO EVIDENCE OF A STRUGGLE?!” At every word the entirety of Canterlot castle shook. “Do-do I order the troops to fall back your highness?” “NO! SEND THEM TO CRUSH PONYVILLE! I WILL LEAD THEM!” King Sombra exclaimed. The messenger ran out of the room without hesitation and took to the skies as fast as he could. King Sombra went to the armory to get outfitted in his armor. Without a leader the lines of King Sombra’s army were unorganized and unruly. They marched at an uneven pace that spread their lines thin and ultimately slowed them down. When King Sombra arrived he had to take time to regroup his troops before beginning to march again. He trotted next to his new advisor and asked, “How many forces are in Ponyville?” “One thousand, all land based ponies. The rest are civilians.” the pony responded. “We will crush them easily.” King Sombra said arrogantly. “Sir, reports of reinforcements have been confirmed. There are two thousand heading from the Crystal Empire as we speak.” “No matter, we will be so entrenched into Ponyville by the time they get there that they will never be able to get us out!” King Sombra said with a laugh. “As you command sir!” **** General Wind awoke several hours later. He tried to move but found himself chained by his hooves. He was blindfolded and suspended in the air spread out, vulnerable. The clopping of hooves echoed on wood as he tried to struggle. “Ah you are awake, I was not sure how long you would sleep you fake.” A voice sounded through the room. “I will destroy you!” General Wind exclaimed as he struggled in the air. He tried to flap his wing only to realize they were strapped to his sides. “Who are you?!” “I will not speak to you, but I will talk to the one trapped and out of view.” “Who do you mean? There is nopony else here but me!” General Wind yelled as he continued to struggle. The smell of something strange hit his nostrils and he recoiled. “Get back!” he yelled defiantly. Something was shoved into his mouth and it pour liquid down his throat. He gagged and coughed when it pulled out. “What was that?! What have you…!?” he started to say before his head was wracked with pain. “Now then, I wish to talk to the one within.” General Wind let out a loud yell before going limp. “Whe… where am I?” A calm voice came from his lips. The blindfold was taken off to reveal his natural eyes. His vision was blurry for a moment then things came into focus. He was inside some kind of tree and masks adorned the walls. His eyes fell onto a zebra standing in front of him holding a blindfold. “Who are you?” “My name you will know later, I think that is for the better. Are you feeling well? By the looks of it you were living in hell.” the zebra said with a tone of sorrow. Whirl nodded his head. “I… I killed… so many…” he said as the memories of what he had done flooded into his mind. His body remained limp and he started to cry as the faces of the ponies he had slain came to view. The zebra walked up to him and placed a hoof on his chin. She forced him to look her in the eye. “Another potion or two should do the trick. It will take a while before you beat this sick.” “What do you mean? I am still General Wind?” Whirl asked in fear. The zebra nodded. “I am sorry you have to endure this, but it will be over soon, and him you will not miss.” Whirl’s eyes remained coated in tears. He looked back down towards the floor. “Th-thank you…” he said after an hour of crying. The zebra was working on another batch of potion when he said it. She looked over to him and saw some green in his eyes. “You are most welcome, but now I must cover you eyes before the General you become.” she said as she covered his eyes. Soon after he was thrashing about in his chains again. “YOU CAN NOT BEAT ME WITCH! I AM THE ALL POWERFUL GENERAL WIND! I HAVE SLAIN HUNDREDS IN THE NAME OF THE SHADOW LORD AND I WILL SLAY YOU FOR HIM AS WELL!” **** The fumes were filling Sonic Flare’s lungs with each breath. It was like having thick peanut butter cling to his throat, except it tasted horrible. The shadow refineries were the worst place imaginable. Flare observed as pony after pony was either drug in or simply tossed into the churning shadows. The cries of foals rang through the air as they were taken away from their parents. But that was all about to change. Flare placed devices around the entirety of Los Pegasus, devices that would disrupt all dark magic for at least three hours. The city was at it’s knees to his will. A hoof grabbed him from behind as he walked through the refinery. “What are you doing here?” the shadow pony asked. Flare smirked and took off the helmet to his disguise. “This.” he said as he pressed a button on his watch. In an instant the entire city exploded in a ray of light. Everything that was shadow was banished as the light soaked into everything. Flare ran to the cages where ponies were being held and kicked them open swiftly. “Everypony grab somepony else and get the hell out of Los Pegasus now!” Without hesitation the ponies started to lift the unconscious ponies and started to carry them out of the refinery. Flare ran out of the refinery and onto the streets. “Everypony get out! Hurry! Head for Ponyville!” he shouted as he ran down the street. Floods of ponies started to pour out of the buildings as Flare announces the evacuation. He had one more job to do. He ran back to the refineries and started to plant explosives around the support structures that held the building together. Wiring them each meticulously and carefully he made sure they would all go off thirty seconds after the shadows returned. Panicked ponies filled the streets as Flare finished his task. He saw how slow things were getting so he flew up to the highest building and flashed the light on top of it three times. Within moments carriages hauled by guards rode in and started to fill up. This picked up the pace as other guards redirected ponies to different towns across Equestria, though a majority were heading to Ponyville. Flare quickly made one last check to make sure everything was in place before he fled the city. Three minutes to go before the shadows took over again and the city was completely deserted. Flare retreated to the rendezvous point with a group of guards hauling ponies away. They were so far away from the city that there was no way the shadow would catch them. As if someone had turned off a light switch the city behind them turned to darkness. Flare started counting down. One of the guards look at him with a confused look. “Three… two… one… boom.” Flare said with a neutral tone. As he said boom a large explosion shook the ground and a lot of ponies screamed. The guard that had been looking at Flare jumped in surprise and picked up the pace with a worried look on his face. Flare chuckled and smiled at his job well done. He turned around and saw the burning rubble of what used to be Los Pegasus. “A necessary sacrifice.” he said quietly as he continued. His mission completed after a sore three weeks of dodging patrols and planting light devices throughout Los Pegasus in places where nopony would ever search, he took to the sky and started to fly to Ponyville ahead of the evacuation. He had only one thing on his mind, find General Wind and stop him by any means necessary, even if after all his efforts he had to kill him. **** King Sombra’s forces were camped outside of Ponyville. Contrary to General Wind’s plan, King Sombra had elected to attack a dawn rather than at dusk. Confident in his power King Sombra openly mocked the forces of Ponyville. Sonic Flare had just arrived during the night and checked in with the guards leader. “Report.” “King Sombra arrived just at dusk sir. Ever since he got here he has been sending threatening and demoralizing messages. He had also fired random volleys of magic which we have blocked successfully so far.” the lead guard said. Flare chuckled. “He has been sending messages? How?” “YOUR ARMY STANDS IN THE WAY OF MY REGEME! SURRENDER NOW AND JOIN THE SHADOW!” King Sombra’s voice echoed through Ponyville. Flare laughed out loud. “Really? Is he so arrogant as to give away his position just to threaten us?” The lead guard was shocked that Flare could laugh even though the battle would happen soon. “Sir, what is so funny about all of this?” Flare turned to the leader. “Simply this.” He picked up one of the enemy flags from beside the map of Equestria and planted it near Ponyville. “Do you see it now? They are there, what is close enough to them that would make this funny?” The leader looked at the map carefully. “Sir, I am afraid I don’t see what you mean. The closest thing to them is Ponyville and the Everfree forest.” “Exactly.” Flare said as he threw down a folder. The leader picked it up and opened it. The file contained pictures of a unicorn pony named Trixie, as well as all the information on her. “What does this unicorn have to do with… oh… oh my… OH WOW! When did this happen?!” he exclaimed as he read on. “Just over a year ago. I need one of your bravest soldiers.” Flare said as he took the file back. “That would be me sir. Allow me to go.” the leader said. “If you think you can do it, be my guest. I can take lead until you get back and you will come back. Make that an order.” Flare said as he gave him a salute. The leader nodded and exited town hall. Flare looked at the map again and chuckled. Then it suddenly hit him. “Why is King Sombra leading this attack? With every engagement we have fought him in he has always lost. This is an important battle, where is General Wind?” he thought as he walked out the door. He turned to the guard outside. “Where are our scouts, I need a report from them now.” The guard gave a salute before he trotted of to signal the scouts. He returned shortly after with two pegasi. Flare recognized them immediately. “Cloud Kicker, Cloud Chaser… you are the scouts?” he asked in surprise. Cloud Kicker nodded. “Yes sir, good to see you again Sonic.” Cloud Chaser smiled. “You are leading us now huh? Ponyville lead by one of it’s citizens, that is awesome!” Flare nodded. “Report.” he said in a slight dumbstruck voice. Cloud Chaser shook her head. “I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary, I have gathered up an estimate of how many we are up against. There are about one thousand unicorns, one thousand pegasi, and one thousand earth ponies.” Cloud Kicker nodded. “That is the number I came up with too for each group. There is one thing I did notice that was out of the ordinary. General Wind is no where to be seen. I checked with the scouts from Fillydelphia and they say he has gone missing.” Flare’s expression turned to worry. He turned his head in the direction of King Sombra’s forces. “Missing? I wonder if one of our operatives…” Cloud Kicker shook her head. “Word is it was the gryphon king‘s forces. But we haven’t seen a single bit of them since this war has started and they have not chosen a side in this yet. I can tell you one thing is for sure, it was not one of ours that took him out.” Flare’s ears perked up. “How do you know he has been take out?” Cloud Kicker shrugged. “He is a monster, everypony wants him dead. It is not unreasonable to assume he is dead.” Flare turned around and headed back inside. “Dismissed…” he said as he closed the door. A loud crash could be heard inside as the two started to walk away. They decided to look in the window to see what had happened. Flare had kicked the table holding the map in two and was sitting on the floor with his hooves over his eyes. “He’s not a monster…” **** Whirl opened his eyes to a familiar sight, the zebra who had been tending to his ‘condition’ was giving him another dose of potion. Whirl smiled as the warmth of it started to flood his senses. “That truly is the best feeling in the world.” Whirl said with a smile. The zebra smiled, walked over to the wall and pulled a switch. The chains holding Whirl suspended in the air started to clink and lower him down. His hooves hit the ground and he tried to support himself, but you try being suspended in the air for days on end and stand up right afterwards. He fell to his knees and chuckled. “I assume this means I am good to go right?” “Indeed so, you are free to go.” the zebra said with a smile. Whirl tried to stand up again but he stumbled and fell again. “So, now that I am better… what is your name?” “My name is Zecora, and I make potions from all types of flora.” she said with a smile. She walked over to him and helped him onto a seat. “It will take some time for you to fully recover. It could take a day or an hour, one or the other.” Whirl chuckled. “So is… General Wind really gone?” Zecora shook her head. “Unfortunately he is not, it is not something easily forgot. General Wind will always be a part of you, he is now part of two.” Whirl frowned. “I was afraid you were going to say that… so I really was responsible for all of those deaths… all the ones I killed…” Zecora shook her head again. “No that was him not you. Always see it from that point of view.” Whirl stood up and slammed a hoof on the ground. “I have to go help my friends.” he said as he started to walk toward the door. “Which way to the nearest pony town?” Zecora didn’t try to stop him. “The nearest town is east. Be careful though, the forest is full of beasts.” Whirl nodded and opened the door. He quickly flapped his wings and took to the sky. Once he was clear of the top lair of trees he saw it was late at night, but to feel the cool night air again without feeling hatred inside was amazing. He looked up toward the moon and smiled. “I will be back soon Luna…” he thought as he saw the full moon. The lights of the town were lit and Whirl flew straight towards it. He landed just outside of town hall. This was the town he knew and loved, everypony here would recognize him. “GET HIM!” a voice yelled as Whirl was tackled. He hadn’t realized he was still wearing his generals armor. “No wait!” Whirl said before he was bound and gagged. “Take him to the general! He will decide what to do with this monster.” one of the guards said. Whirl struggled and muffled as he tried to speak. They ignored him and continued to drag him into the town hall. They stopped right in front of another pony and dropped him on the ground. “Dismissed…” the pony standing above Whirl said. Whirl tried to identify the pony but the light inside was too dim to make out any features. The two guards that had drug Whirl in walked outside. “You have a lot to answer for General Wind…” the voice said. Whirl muffled something through the gag. The pony walked up to him and removed the gag. “I am not General Wind!” Whirl said when the gag was removed. The pony above him scoffed. “You look like him, you are wearing his armor and you sound like him.” “Please, you have to understand! King Sombra put me under a spell, he was controlling my mind! But… I remember every moment of it… I remember the look on the faces of every pony I killed… I… I…” Whirl tried to explain. “I deserve to die…” The pony tossed another log on the fire that was illuminating the room making it brighter. “I don’t think you deserve to die… I believe you.” the pony said as the room brightened up substantially. He took off his helmet revealing his fiery mane. He set the helmet down on the table. “The real question is, who do you fight for now?” the pony asked as he walked up to Whirl. Whirl squinted his eyes, then widened them again when he realized who he was talking to. “I fight for my brother…” he said with a smile. The pony standing above him shook his head. “Brother… you haven’t called me that in a long time. How do I know this isn’t a trick by King Sombra?” the pony asked as he stared at Whirl. “Flare I… you can’t know… you are right… if you think it is safer to leave me ties up then leave me tied up. I am just glad to be home, with you… Who knows, maybe I will see Luna soon too…” Whirl said with a slight smile. “You will, I promise. But first I need information, you were King Sombra’s highest ranking general. Tell me everything you know about his battle plan.” Flare said as he lifted Whirl into a chair. Whirl found himself overlooking a map of Equestria. “King Sombra will have changed everything once he knew I was gone. He may be a king but he is a fool. He never came up with a battle plan and when he did they were garbage. He has three thousand strong in his leading army and reserves all over the place. Nothing more than five hundred strong. I am surprised he is not attacking already… my plan was to attack at dusk the moment we arrived. How long until the reinforcements arrive?” “You knew about the reinforcements?!” “Yes, that is why we marched so soon after we too Fillydelphia. I knew it would never work but King Sombra forced my hoof. You have more than enough troops to stop him long enough to get your reinforcements. I can tell you what King Sombra might do, but I can not give you anything solid. I’m sorry.” “It’s okay, we have a plan. A plan that will turn the tide of this war.” “What kind of plan?” “I can’t tell you if I am to release you. Listen, I love you as a brother and I can promise you that nopony will hurt you if you stay tied up. But if I let you go others will try to hurt you. They are looking for blood and I don’t want them to have yours.” “I understand… but you can’t expect me not to defend my home.” “I expect you to trust me. I am sending you to the Crystal Empire, to Princess Luna. You will be safe there.” “Flare… I…” “No arguments. This is an order. I need you to follow it exactly.” “Alright… I will. Heh, General Flare. I can’t believe it. Did you ever think we would be fighting against each other in a war?” Flare shook his head. “I always imagined us fighting side by side… Never against each other.” “One more thing before you send me away… Take off my helmet and show it to me.” Flare walked over to him and took off his helmet. He turned it around and showed it to Whirl. Whirl saw that Zecora had covered the eye that was between two horns. “Smash the top gem on the helmet so that it never becomes uncovered.” Without hesitation Flare smashed the decorative piece. “What was it?” “A spying device, don’t worry it is only for sight not sound. He didn’t hear anything and Zecora covered the eye so he could not see.” “Then it is done… you are free.” “I… I am… You… you be careful. Promise me.” “I promise. I also promise that you will not be harmed by anypony on your way to the Crystal Empire. I do not blame you for anything General Wind did, nor should anypony else.” Flare said as he untied Whirl. “Take that armor off and you will be on your way.” Whirl took off his armor as quickly as he could and threw it aside. He felt truly free now. He started to laugh and then he started to cry. His hooves covered his eyes and he sobbed uncontrollably. “I’m a monster…” Flare came over to him and wrapped a wing around him. “No you are not… You never were… King Sombra is the monster.” “I didn’t fight hard enough… if I would have fought harder maybe he could have been stopped… maybe I wouldn’t have been General Wind at all…” “There was nothing you could have done. King Sombra is powerful and pure evil. He does not care how many die to serve his cause…” Whirl continued to sob and stayed silent. “Come on, lets get you to the train station.” Flare said as he picked Whirl up. Whirl nodded and followed him out of town hall. The two guards had dumbstruck looks on their faces as Flare supported what they saw as the enemy. “General Flare what are you…?” “I need to take Whirl Wind to the train station. This is NOT General Wind.” “But sir…” “No buts, this pony is not to be harmed under any circumstances, that is an order.” The two guards gave a salute before helping to support Whirl. “Where should we direct the train sir?” “To the Crystal Empire at once. Take Whirl directly to Princess Luna with this message.” Flare walked up to one of the guards and whispered something in his ear. “At once sir.” With that the two guards took Whirl to the train station and loaded him on a train to the Crystal Empire.
Chapter ThreeChapter three: Battle for Ponyville The train started to roll away and Flare was there watching it go. His best friend was on that train to the Crystal Empire and Flare could feel nothing but joy. “He’s back… he’s back… I kept my promise…” he thought with a smile. He turned to his remaining guards with a grin. “Prepare for battle!” The guards gave a salute and ran off to prepare the troops for war. Flare had other business to attend to. He trotted through the streets to Sweet Apple Acres where he met with two of his guard ponies. “Report.” “It is all set up, just give the word and I will signal the other two to draw it to their army.” one of the guards said with a smirk. “Good, this is our best chance of winning this battle with minimal losses. Did you get our unicorns in place to lure it back?” “Yes, we followed your instructions to the letter sir.” the other guard said. Flare smiled widely. “Great, if everything go perfectly we will win this battle with little to no effort. Get into position.” The two guards gave a salute and moved out to the front lines. Flare followed them and landed in front of the lines. Dawn was rising as Flare landed. The sun was at their backs and they were almost ready. Flare started to walk up the line. “Alright listen up! Today we fight for Equestria! Some of you are here to defend your homes, others are here to defend their families, and others are just here to see King Sombra’s flank as he runs away crying!” A roar of cheer and laughter sounded from the lines. “We are ready to fight! We are ready to win! We are… AIR?!” A rumble of confusion sounded through the lines. Flare pulled Air forward. “Air what are you doing here?! You should have evacuated by now!” he whispered in her ear. “I couldn’t leave you here to fight alone!” Air responded with a slight hiss in her tone. “What about our foals?!” Flare asked worriedly. “Well… about that… I kind of already had our foals… they are in Appleosa with Big Macintosh’s family…” she explained. “You… you had our foals? Wha… wha… THAT’S WONDERFUL!” Flare shouted happily. He turned to the lines again. “I AM A FATHER!” The lines erupted with cheers as Flare hugged his wife. “TODAY I FIGHT FOR MY NEW BORN FOALS WITH MY WIFE BY MY SIDE! LET THOSE WHO HAVE SOMETHING TO FIGHT FOR GIVE A BATTLE CRY THAT WILL MAKE SOMBRA TURN AWAY RIGHT NOW!” The lines erupted louder than ever with the cries of battle. “FALSE HOPE!” echoed through out Ponyville. Over the horizon a shadow creped over the hill. “YOU WILL ALL PERISH IN THE SHADOWS!” Flare gave Air a kiss before returning to the center of the lines. “We are the light, and there are no shadows when there is this much light!” Flare shouted with vigor. The army of shadow started to move down the mountain. Flare pulled out a firework and shot it into the sky. “Hold!” he shouted as he braced himself. A loud roar echoed through the town. All that could be heard was the stomping of approaching hooves, at least at first. Soon a low rumble shook the ground, then another, then another. Soon the low rumbles became loud stomps. Suddenly, from the Everfree forest, an Ursa Minor burst from the trees with two pegasi guard ponies leading it towards King Sombra’s army. It smashed into the side of his lines as the two guards took to the sky. One of Sombra’s units stabbed the Ursa in the paw and it went into a frenzy, taking large chunks out of his army with one swipe of its paw. It let out loud roars and King Sombra’s army turned their focus to the Ursa. A roar of cheers rang from Flare’s army as they waited for the Ursa to flee or wipe out the whole army. Then something unexpected happened. A louder roar came from the Everfree and over the top of the trees an Ursa Major smashed through with little effort. “FALL BACK QUICKLY!” Flare yelled frantically. The lines started to move back in an orderly effort. “Unicorn contingency step forward!” Three hundred unicorns stepped forward with their head held high. “Change of plans, generate a force field between us and that major! Combine your powers!” The unicorns horn’s started to glow and multiple lines of magic formed into one light. A golden beam shot out of the light and a barrier started to form. The two guard ponies that flew up to the sky dove down and managed to barely make it inside in time. “Second unicorn line step forward!” Three hundred more unicorns stepped forward in a set of lines. “Make a secondary barrier so we have a backup!” The unicorns duplicated the others and formed a barrier. “Everypony else brace for that thing to break through! Because I don’t know if this barrier will work or not!” Flare said as he grabbed a spear. “Hold fast to your courage!” Everypony got ready for battle with an Ursa and braced for the impacts of it hitting the barrier. King Sombra’s army had already started to flee but King Sombra himself remained. His horn glowed in a dark aura and he shot a beam right through the Ursa Minor just as the Ursa Major burst through the forest line. King Sombra fired a second beam at the Ursa Major. The Ursa dodged the beam and swiped at Sombra. King Sombra simply turned to shadow and avoided any damage. He wrapped himself around the Ursa and started to suffocate it. The Ursa started to fall when a spear flew through the air and made contact, not with the Ursa but with Somra himself. Sombra flew back down to the hill and solidified on it. A spear stuck out of his back left leg. He pulled it out with a loud yell of agony. The Ursa Major fell unconscious and crashed into the ground. “HIT THEM WITH EVERYTHING YOU GOT!” Flare shouted as their barrier fell. His army charged over the hill and intercepted Sombra’s army as it fled. King Sombra tried to get his army in order but he couldn’t risk being captured. He fled from his army in his shadow form and let the rest fall, and fall they did. As Flare’s forces hit them from all directions they quickly tore through Sombra’s forces. “Fall back to Ponyville!” Flare shouted as they started to get too far away from the town to effectively protect it. Flare’s forces turned back towards the town and quickly got back into defensive positions. “Hold steady! Be prepared for anything! Get those barriers up!” he shouted as they started to reform their lines. Flare ran through town looking for Air, frantically searching every building. He found her in the care of a medical team as he ran by the library. His heart stopped as he saw her laying on her back with blood on her coat. He ran over to her and stood outside of the circle of ponies that were tending to her. “What is wrong?! What happened?!” he asked as he started to panic. One of the medical ponies stepped back and pulled Flare aside. “She was slashed with a spear on the left side of her chest. Don’t worry, she is stitching up nicely and is going to make a full recovery.” “Get her to the hospital immediately after you stitch her up! That is an order!” Flare said as he looked at Air again. The medical ponies placed her on a gurney and carted her off to the hospital. Flare wanted to follow more than anything else, but he was the general of this army and he had a duty to hold off a second attack. He started to move back to the front lines, along the way he saw the wounded being tended to in a massive triage. “How did we have so many casualties?!” he shouted as he made it to the front line. The highest ranking pony stepped forward. “Sir, one side was hit with a large volley of magic and spears. While the others managed to break through the lines on the left side of the battle field were hit heavily as they bottlenecked against the Everfree Forest.” Flare stomped a hoof on the ground. “Hold your lines, prepare for another attack!” **** “AN URSA! TWO URSAS! WHERE DID THEY FIND SUCH RARE CREATURES?!” King Sombra yelled in frustration. One of the soldiers stepped forward. “Sir, the Everfree…” he started. King Sombra used his magic to vaporize the soldier that stepped forward. “SILENCE! I KNOW ALL ABOUT THE FOREST! We need to send some ponies in there to find dark creatures to follow our command! You four ponies, go now!” Sombra yelled. With a quick salute the four he selected ran towards the forest. They ran in deep knowing that what awaited outside was far more terrifying than what was in the forest. They walked deep into the forest but found no creatures to bring back. What they did find was a trap net that sprung out of the ground and held them in the air. A red powder splashed into the net and knocked the ponies unconscious before they were dragged away. **** Hours after King Sombra sent the four ponies into the forest King Sombra was in a rage. “Forget taking Ponyville! We need to take a bigger target! THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE! I want the contingency from Fillidelphia to march towards the Crystal Empire now! The rest of you head south to take Manehatten!” The army acknowledged the order and marched outwards. King Sombra lead his troops around Ponyville and towards the Crystal Empire. Author's Note Admittedly, this was a hastily added chapter, but I did not want to leave it out.
Chapter FourChapter four: The Final Stand The rain poured down on the train as it pulled into the station. Two guards stepped off the train supporting a green pegasus between them. Whirl Wind looked up to the sky and saw the dark overcast cover the empire. The two guards started to walk forward and Whirl hobbled along. Nopony was on the streets today but many looked out the window at Whirl with anger in their eyes. Whirl saw them looking out the windows and stopped looking around. Finally they were under the cover of the castle as they got underneath it. The guards took Whirl inside and lead him up the stairs. Whirl felt overwhelming joy over his current weak state, he was about to see Princess Luna for the first time since Canterlot. Once they reached the top of the stairs they entered a large hall that lead to various rooms in the castle, one of which was the throne room. The doors swung open and the three entered. Whirl saw an alicorn on the throne but it was not Luna, it was Princess Cadance. “Your highness, we have been ordered to deliver this prisoner to Princess Luna.” one of the guards said. Princess Cadance’s mouth was agape at the sight of one of the most hated generals in King Sombra’s army. “I am surprised he is so… intact.” Princess Cadance said coldly. Whirl gave a nervous gulp and his expression turned to the most frightened look. “W-well…” “Silence! Your crimes do not allow you to speak!” Princess Cadance yelled. One of the guards finally spoke up. “We were told that this is not General Wind despite the fact that this pony arrived in Ponyville in his armor. We were also ordered not to harm him in any way.” “And who gave these orders?” Princess Candace asked in the same cold voice. “General Flare your highness.” Princess Cadance’s expression turned to surprise. “Take this pony to Princess Luna immediately. She is in her room.” The two guards nodded and walked out of the room with Whirl in tow. Whirl sighed in relief as they took him away from hateful eyes. “Nopony understands…” Whirl said under his breath. One of the guards scoffed. “What is there to understand? You killed thousands upon thousands of ponies.” the guard said in a voice as cold as Cadance’s. Whirl sighed sadly and kept his mouth closed. The trio finally arrived at Princess Luna’s room after a long walk of silence. One of the guards knocked on her door. “Enter…” a voice said from the other side. The guards pushed open the double doors and took Whirl inside. “Princess, we have a prisoner we were ordered to take directly to you.” Princess Luna turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of Whirl Wind being supported by the two guards. “Leave him, then leave me.” “But your highness…” “There is no need to fear, leave me with him.” “We have a message for you from General Flare.” one of the guards said as he left Whirl’s side to whisper in Luna’s ear. Whirl tried to hear what it was but he couldn’t. The other guard had let go of Whirl and he fell to his knees. Both of the guards left the room and closed the door behind them. Whirl panted on the floor and looked up at Princess Luna, he smiled widely and tried to stand in vain. He quickly fell back to the floor. Princess Luna looked at him with a neutral expression. “Princess Luna… it’s me… Whirl Wind.” Whirl said as he reached out a hoof for assistance. Princess Luna didn’t move. “How do I know it is the real you?” Whirl frowned. “Didn’t Flare tell you?” “All he told me was that he wasn’t sure if you could be trusted.” “But I…” “What can you do to make me believe you have changed? How can we ever know if it is you?” “You… you can’t.” Whirl said as his eyes started to tear. “I guess I can’t really show you anything. It was me who killed all those ponies, but it wasn’t me at the same time. I… I should be punished for what I did…” Princess Luna looked at him with her same neutral expression. “What punishment do you propose.” Whirl looked down at the ground. “Death… would be too merciful… A life sentence would be to easy… I deserve torture… the worst torture that can be mustered up by the most ruthless ponies…” “You would accept punishment even if you were not General Wind?” Whirl nodded and sobbed. “Yes… I can remember their faces… the look in their eyes as their life drained away. I remember crying out inside of my own mind, hoping that it would cast out the evil within me. One… one pony… he understood… he told me before he died… ‘I understand…’ were his last words.” Princess Luna walked up to him and sat down in front of him. “I know, I debriefed him when he returned with our spy. He told me about what he saw in you, what he saw in your eyes. What I see you your eyes now.” she said with a smile. Whirl looked up at her with a soaked face. “He… he is alive?” Princess Luna nodded. “Yes he is, he is still recovering from his wounds but he is alive.” “So you believe me?” he said as he looked back down with a sob. Princess Luna put a hoof under his chin and lift his eyes to hers. “Yes I believe you, and no, you will not be punished. It will take some time for others to understand, especially those who had family in the army. Princess Cadance blames you for what happened to Shining Armor as well, I have not yet convinced her to see what has happened to you.” she said as she stood up. She helped Whirl to his hooves and walked him over to a chair. Whirl fell into the chair with a pained sigh. “For now you will stay in here with me. I can not trust anypony else to watch over you right now.” “I want to go back…” Whirl said as Princess Luna started to walk away. “Back to where?” She asked in a confused tone. “I want to go help Flare defend Ponyville. King Sombra may have failed in his first attack but we can be sure he is regaining his strength as we speak.” Whirl said with a grin. Princess Luna looked to him in surprise. “No. No you can not go back.” “And I can’t stay here. Not while my best friend is out there risking his life. I want to have his back if things get worse.” Princess Luna shook her head. “Whirl, Flare is a great leader now. He can handle himself.” “I don’t doubt his new skills. I just want to be there for him.” “Whirl, please listen to me. You can not go back, not while this war is going on. Everpony wants you dead except for Flare and I. And… I can’t lose you again.” Princess Luna said softly. Whirl opened his mouth to speak again, but he couldn’t find the words. “Do you know what I did after Canterlot fell? I cried… I cried for hours… Flare told me he would get you back to me alive. He kept his promise, and now that you are here you are not going back…” Princess Luna said in a stern voice. Whirl looked at her with a surprised look. “What… you… cried for me?” Princess Luna nodded. “And my sister… and the rest of those I loved… but the look on your face before you were trapped in crystal… that stuck in my mind for everyday we were apart. It made me cry every time I thought of it, no matter where I was.” Whirl smiled. “Even though I was General Wind?” “I knew that King Sombra had cursed you… he did the same to countless others. They will not be held responsible for his curses. When he is gone they will be welcomed home as though they were fighting for us. The only reason you have been singled out is because you lead them as though you were a normal pony. But only those who had seen the curse in your eyes would know of it. Like that guard General Wind tried to kill. When he came back and told me what was going on I knew that you would break the curse on your own soon.” Whirl shook his head. “But… I didn’t break it on my own. Zecora… she captured me and gave me a potion. Zecora cured me…” “Zecora? The zebra? I must remember to thank her when next we meet.” “Me too, I owe her my life. She freed me so that I can see you, and Flare, and my home… for my own eyes… I am free…” Whirl said as he started to laugh before crying. “I can’t believe I am here… I can’t believe I am with you! This is the greatest thing I could have hoped for!” Princess Luna walked over to him and hugged him. “This is the greatest thing I could have hoped for too.” A knock came from the door. “Enter.” Princess Luna said happily. Princess Cadance opened the door and walked into the room. She glared at Whirl and then turned to Luna. “Have you decided what his punishment shall be?” Cadance asked coldly. Princess Luna shook her head. “This is not General Wind. This is not the one who imprisoned Shining Armor. King Sombra was the one who did all of those things.” Princess Cadance slammed a hoof on the ground. “How can you say that?! This IS General Wind! He has killed thousands of ponies and helped to imprison your sister!” “NO! He is the one who saved me from being imprisoned as well! He would have saved us all if he could have! But he couldn’t! He could only save me and King Sombra cursed him! Cursed him in the most fowl of ways! You have no idea what it is like to go to war against those you love! You don’t know what magic as dark as that can do to some ponies!” Princess Cadance recoiled. “He… he…” “HE IS NOT GENERAL WIND!” Princess Luna said in her royal Canterlot voice. Princess Cadance finally relented. “Fine… if you say he is not General Wind, then he is not General Wind. I just wish you had some more solid proof than his word.” Princess Luna’s expression loosened. “His word is all I need. If it would have been Shining Armor, you would be in my place right now.” Princess Cadance nodded. “You are probably right. I’m sorry I shouted.” “It is quite alright, but don’t let go of that anger. Just redirect it towards King Sombra, he has ruined all of our lives in one way or another.” Princess Cadance walked up to Whirl. “So… you saved Princess Luna? Why were you there when the elements were trying to stop him?” Whirl raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know?” he asked as he looked around her towards Luna. “You didn’t tell her?” Princess Luna shook her head. “I couldn’t. If I would have told her, there was a chance she would have given the order to try and capture you. While I would have given anything to have you back… I couldn’t risk the lives of anypony to rescue you… I’m sorry.” Whirl nodded. “I understand, I am actually glad you didn’t… Anypony who would have tried would have died. Anyway… Princess Cadance I was hospitalized in Canterlot’s castle infirmary… after Flare and I got the elements of harmony into Canterlot.” Princess Cadance’s expression turned to total shock, then a small flash of anger. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” she said as she turned to Luna. “It was not important at the time.” Princess Luna replied. “Not important? I tried to kill him, I sent troops out specifically to kill him. Now you are telling me I tried to kill one of the ponies who sacrificed himself to save you and the one who got the elements of harmony into Canterlot in the first place.” Princess Candace said in an angry tone. “Death would have been a release…” Whirl interjected. “Princess Luna kept all this from you so you would try to kill me, so that you would do what was right for Equestria and not what was right for me.” Princess Cadance turned back to Whirl. “You really are a pony of honor Whirl, but I would have done it even with the knowledge of who you were. You were compromised and needed to be stopped. My judgment would have been fine. But… I am new to ruling an empire, I guess I understand why you made that call Luna.” Princess Luna smiled. “I am truly sorry I did not trust you. I just did what I thought Celestia would do.” Princess Cadance smiled as well. “Well, that still doesn’t tell me why you were with Luna when the elements and Celestia were imprisoned.” Whirl nodded. “Indeed it does not. I wanted to see the elements of harmony at work, so I asked to be there in a wheel chair. They allowed me to watch and when King Sombra imprisoned the others… I didn’t hesitate to do what I could.” Princess Cadance nodded in understanding. “I am glad that you did. Luna has been a valuable asset to the war effort. Without her we would have lost some of our key battles. Not the ones against you of course, you were a brilliant strategist and you certainly stopped us at every turn. You especially did well when…” she said before she was abruptly interrupted by Luna putting a hoof on her back. In her ramblings she failed to notice Whirl put his hooves over his eyes and the stream of tears flowing down this forehooves. “Oh Whirl I…” she started before Luna shook her head. Whirl simply cried on as Princess Luna walked over to him. “We will give you some time alone. I will have dinner sent to you soon.” she said as she gave him a quick hug. Before she could react Whirl flung forward and hugged her back. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t want to do any of it! I tried to stop him! I really did! BUT HE WAS TOO STRONG! HE OVERWHELMED ME!” Whirl sobbed hysterically. Princess Luna was taken aback but expected this at some point. She patted his back lightly. “Shhhh, it’s going to be okay. You are in control now. None of that was your…” “I wasn’t strong enough! I wasn’t strong enough to stop him!” Whirl sobbed some more. Princess Cadance was convinced now more than ever that this wasn’t the same pony they were at war with just the other week. She watched the tears pour down his face and couldn’t help but shed a few of her own. All Whirl reminded her was the Shining Armor was still trapped in Canterlot. Princess Luna continued to try and console Whirl as best she could, but she knew she wasn’t making much difference. Whirl held on to Luna tightly, he never wanted to let her go. A flash of lightning flashed outside of the window. Whirl opened his eyes and looked towards the window. “Why is it so stormy outside?” he asked through his crying. Princess Luna looked to Princess Cadance. Princess Cadance shook her head. Luna’s eyes widened and Cadance grew a concerned look. “Princess Cadance, prepare for an attack.” Luna said with a concerned tone. Princess Cadance ran out of the room and raised the alarm. Princess Luna stood up and started to leave as well. Whirl tried his best to stand but he just fell out of his chair. Princess Luna looked back at him. “Stay here, we will handle this.” she said before she trotted out of the room. “LUNA!” Whirl shouted as the door closed. **** The sound of explosions blasted over the sound of thunder as King Sombra advanced into the city. “NOW IS THE TIME FOR MY REVENGE PRINCESSES!” King Sombra yelled over the commotion. Princess Luna was at her balcony firing at the attacking troops while Princess Cadance brought the crystal heart to the throne room. King Sombra’s attack was so unexpected that he had pushed his troops deep into the city. “How did his forces sneak up on us? They were last reported moving south, away from here!” Princess Cadance shouted as she came into the throne room. “I don’t know! He must have tricked our scouts some how!” Princess Luna said as she backed off of the balcony and into the throne room. “Guards to the battle field now!” she ordered the guards at the door. Princess Luna turned her attention to Princess Cadance. “What do we do now?” “We protect the crystal heart at all costs. If Sombra gets his hands on it then it is the end of this war.” “Then it stays here. We will have to protect it our last…” An explosion rocked the room and a vortex of shadow funneled in the center of the room. King Sombra appeared in the center of the vortex and the vortex finally dissipated. Princess Luna didn’t hesitate to fire a volley of magical shots towards him. He easily deflected the magic and laughed. “Foolish princess. I have more power than you could imagine.” “How is that possible?” Princess Luna asked. King Sombra stuck his hoof to his neck and pulled down his armor revealing the alicorn amulet. “Just this magical artifact that I stole. Now, I am more powerful than you and this other whelp.” Princess Cadance was about to charge forward when she was stopped up Luna. “Don’t, we can’t beat him with that amulet on. We need to trick him into taking it off.” she whispered to Cadance. “You are sad Sombra! So sad you need to use a magical artifact to beat us! Why don’t you take that off and fight us like a real stallion?!” Candance said in a taunting tone. King Sombra laughed again. “I don’t think so, I know I am not a match for you without it. Now then, prepare to be imprisoned like the rest of the fools who dared to trifle with…” “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” a shout rang out from above. A spear plunged into Sombra’s back and rammed out of his chest, smashing the alicorn amulet. Silence filled the room as the scene froze. Even the sound of thunder couldn’t penetrate the atmosphere. King Sombra fell to the ground. “How…?” he said with his final breath as his heart poured the last of his blood onto the ground. Whirl flopped over off of Sombra and rolled onto his back with a grunt. “One pissed off pegasus…” he said with a chuckle. Princess Luna ran over to Whirl and held his head up. Whirl let out a yell of pain and she put him back down. “Yeah, I think I might have broken a few things princess… might want to hold off on moving me at all…” he said with a chuckle. “How did you get in here? How did you kill Sombra?” Princess Luna asked with a shocked tone. Whirl was panting a bit when he answered. “Well, I know you told me to stay in the room but I don’t listen very well sometimes. I snuck in here while you were on the balcony with your guards and while Cadance was out getting the crystal heart. I flew up to the chandelier with all of my strength and watched as Sombra came in.” he said with a chuckle. “But Sombra is a shadow, how did your spear harm him?” she asked softly as she looked over to Sombra’s body. “On the way here I ran into one of Sombra’s soldiers. I disarmed him… actually he probably did more damage to me than the fall did. If there is one thing I learned about King Sombra while I was his general, it was how to kill him. During a training accident a drone swung his spear randomly and cut Sombra’s face. I noticed his blood drip down his cheek before he healed himself. Not wanting to end up like the new puddle formerly known as the drone, I kept my mouth shut. It was then that I realized that only shadows could harm shadows. That spear… is made out of pure shadow in the refineries…” Whirl explained with the occasional deep breath. Princess Luna looked back at Whirl with a smile. “You… smart pony…” she said as she gave him a kiss. Whirl kissed her back for as long as he could before he coughed. Princess Luna pulled away and giggled. “What now?” Whirl asked as he looked up at her with a wide smile. “Now… We pick up the pieces and fix what we can before we start over. But first, we get Sonic Flare from Ponyville and go free my sister and the elements.” she said as she stood up. “I will go fetch a medical team, Cadance, watch over him for a moment.” Cadance nodded and walked over to Whirl’s side as Luna walked out of the throne room. As she walked along the halls and out of the castle all she could see was confusion, ponies were watching as shadows started to melt off of the ponies they were fighting. Some found family while others found fallen comrades, for not all of the freed ponies were alive anymore. “I need a medical team!” Princess Luna shouted. A unicorn holding a medical kit made a final check with the pony he was with before standing up and walking to the princess. She lead him to the throne room where Whirl and King Sombra laid. “Well, if you need me to make sure they are dead…” the medic said as he glared at Whirl and Sombra. “No, I need you to help the pegasus who killed King Sombra and saved us all.” Princess Luna said sternly. The medic didn’t argue, he walked up to Whirl and started to examine him. “This is going to hurt a bit, I need to check for broken bones.” he said as he started to press into Whirl’s ribs gently. Whirl winced in pain every time the medic touched a rib. “Sorry… it appears you have four broken ribs on the left and two on the right.” he said as he opened Whirl’s mouth. “No blood at all, so no internal bleeding as far as I can tell from just looking at you. I will need to do a magical scan… but it will be very painful with your broken ribs.” Whirl nodded and braced himself for pain. Seeing that he was ready the medical began to use his magic to scan the internal organs. Whirl moaned in pain as the scan tore through his body. When it finally stopped Whirl was gasping for air. “Good news, no internal bleeding. But you have a few cracked vertebrae so it is important that you stay still while I mend them.” the medic said as he prepared his spell. Whirl braced again for more pain as the medic started to mend his bones. When all was said and done it wasn’t all that bad, at least until they had to fix his ribs. The medic started to wrap Whirl’s chest with a cast. “When I am done wrapping this I am going to need to stand you up to set and mend the bones. This is going to hurt a lot but it is the only way to fix them on the field.” the medic said as he finished. “Okay, brace yourself.” The medic lift Whirl with his magic and Whirl cried out in pain. The medic flipped him over and stood him up. The cracking of bones could be heard as they were reset. Though the resetting was painful it was nothing compared to the mending. Whirl fell to his knees after they were mended and panted heavily. “There we go… low activity for the next month. Nothing if possible.” the medic said as he packed up and started to leave the room. “Wait… am I… okay to travel?” Whirl asked as he got back to his hooves. The medic stopped for a moment before saying. “Light travel.” he said before he left to tend to more wounded. Whirl felt much better despite the recent resetting of his bones. He walked over to Luna carefully and smiled. “I am ready to go if you are. I think Princess Celestia has been standing long enough.” Princess Luna smiled down at him then looked at Princess Cadance. “We will be back with your husband soon.” she said with a smile. **** The train rode out of the station with a low rumble. It was hectic in the Crystal Empire as ponies were doing their best to recover from the battle. Nopony even noticed Whirl as he walked through town. When the train started to roll Whirl let out a sigh of relief. “I wonder how Flare is doing…” he said under his breath. Princess Luna looked over at him. “What was that?” Whirl chuckled. “I was just wondering how Flare was doing, since the war is over and everything…” Princess Luna giggled. “I bet he is doing fine. I mean, he handled himself just fine in the battle for Ponyville. Somehow he managed to protect Ponyville with only fifteen percent in casualties. Our projections were a lot less promising.” Whirl let out a small laugh. “I am willing to bet he cheated, he does that when things look like they might go bad for him. Like the time he filled our hoofball with helium because he thought it would make it go farther… it did but he still lost.” Princess Luna laughed at Whirl’s story. “I am glad I made him a general. He seems to know how to come up with a plan, weather or not it is good.” “Well, it seems like it was a good plan this time. I just can’t wait to be home. Well, I can wait just a little while. Huh, I guess it doesn’t matter, I am not going home to anything really. A house… one good friend… a job… How do I just go back to so little?” Whirl asked in a sarcastic tone. “Ponyville will need you to help get them back on track. Analyzing weather is a great job to have and it will help Ponyville get back to normal.” “Yeah, after the funerals…” Whirl said sadly. “Funerals I helped cause…” Princess Luna sighed. “It will not be easy for anypony to move on, it seems as though it will be hardest for you. You must live with the atrocities performed by another. A trial that few ever face.” “Speaking of faces… it is going to be awkward to show mine around anypony. This is going to be one interesting return.” Whirl said with a chuckle. **** Flare waited at the hospital with his wife, Air. He held her hoof and smiled at her as lovingly as he could. “How are you feeling honey?” “Feels like I took a spear to the side of my chest. But other than that, I couldn’t be happier. Our foals will be here, Frost Star actually turned out to be a unicorn! I can’t believe we beat the odds on that one! Little Solar Glider has my eyes, she is adorable. They both are. I can’t wait to see them!” Air said excitedly. “I need to be going if I am to get there in time for the train. I don’t want to be late.” Flare said as he stood up and put on his saddle bag. “You aren’t going to go in your armor?” “Nah, the war is over. They don’t need me anymore.” Flare said with a grin. “But I thought you looked sexy in your armor.” “Not as sexy as you did. I can’t believe you stayed! That was crazy! What were you thinking!?” Flare asked with a chuckle. “I was thinking that I was going to protect my home. And you, what were you thinking when you joined the guards? And how did you manage to become a general anyway?” Flare laughed. “I was the only pegasus in the Crystal Empire. So Princess Luna made me a general to represent the pegasi race.” “You were the ONLY pegasi?” “Uhh yeah, well… no. My superior officer was a pegasi buuuuut… I may have broken his wings, badly. Soooo…” “So Princess Luna made you a general in his place? Wow, way to climb that ladder. You aren’t going to break my wings to become head mail pony are you?” “I tried that already remember? That is how we met.” Flare said with a laugh. “Right, after you struck me with lightning. I remember now!” Air said as she joined in the laughter. Flare gave her one last kiss before turning to the door. He stopped only for one moment to put on his armor. “For you.” he said as he winked at Air. Air giggled as he left the room. Flare walked through town and every guard he passed gave him a salute. Giving each of them a salute in return took time and was really repetitive. When he finally arrived at the train station he stopped the guards from saluting. “If one more guard salutes me and makes me salute back I am going to go crazy.” he said as he walked passed them. A train was already unloading at the station as Flare arrived, but it wasn’t the train from Appleosa. He sighed in regret and sat down on a bench to await the train. Whirl and Princess Luna stepped off of the train to find Flare sitting there. Whirl smiled and ran over to him, tackling him into a hug. Flare was taken by surprise by the sudden tackle but was happy that Whirl was back. Whirl helped Flare onto his hooves with a smile. “How did you know we would be arriving?” Whirl asked with excitement. “I didn’t! I thought you would head straight to Canterlot!” Flare said just as excitedly as Whirl. “Not without you! You deserve to be there when we finally release the others!” Whirl said with a smile. Flare shook his head. “I can’t go with you, I am waiting for a train.” Whirl smiled and nodded. “When Air gets here she can come too!” Flare chuckled. “Air is already here. She stayed and fought with us. I am waiting for my two foals to arrive. Frost Star and Solar Glider were born, both fillies, they stayed with the Apple family in Appleosa so that Air could stay and fight. She is waiting for me to return with our little fillies in the hospital.” Whirl gasped and hugged Flare. “CONGRATULATIONS! Is Air okay though? What happened?” Flare chuckled. “Air is fine now, she was wounded in the battle.” Whirl sighed in relief when he heard Air was alright. “How did you manage to win with so few casualties?” Flare laughed. “Oh that! Okay, so you remember Trixie right?” Whirl nodded. “Who could forget?” “Well, you remember the Ursa Minor that lived in the Everfree? Well, I kind of unleashed it on Sombra’s army, but here is the catch… It’s mother, the Ursa Major showed up too! It was crazy!” Flare explained with a smile on his face. “So, who was the one who took Sombra down finally? It was Luna wasn’t it?” Princess Luna, who had been listening to the two reminisce, shook her head. “No, it was Whirl Wind. He used King Sombra’s own weapons against him in a surprise attack. It was really heroic. Whirl, if Flare is not coming then we need to leave immediately.” Whirl nodded. “Of course. Flare, we did it. We stopped Sombra and saved Equestria. Not too bad for a couple of regular pegasi huh?” he said as he bumped Flare’s shoulder. Flare chuckled. “Not so regular anymore huh?” Whirl shook his head and gave Flare another hug before he turned to Luna. “Let’s go and save your sister and the other Luna.” Princess Luna smiled. “You finally called me Luna. I was waiting for you to feel that comfortable around me.” Whirl blushed a bit. “Well… I mean… I jumped off of a chandelier for you and I would do anything else for you too. Calling you by name is a lot easier also.” he said with a chuckle. Princess Luna smiled and boarded the train again. Whirl took one last look at Flare before getting on. “I will be back soon, keep the fire burning brother!” he said as he closed the train’s door. **** The train rolled into the Canterlot station with a hiss. When the doors opened Whirl fell out the door looking absolutely awful. He may have been through a war, but trains still bothered him. Princess Luna followed him out of the train and giggled as she helped him up. “Not a train king of pony huh?” she said when he got on his hooves. Whirl shook his head slowly. “Noooo… I prefer flying whenever possible.” he responded with a chuckle. He slowly started to wobble out of the station. “Lets hurry up, we don’t want to keep them waiting.” Princess Luna giggled again at his unbalanced walk. “No, we surely do not. Would you like me to call a carriage for you?” she asked playfully. “Oh ha ha, it isn’t that…” he started to say before he clapped his hooves over his mouth and ran to the restroom. After vomiting a couple times he emerged from the restroom to find a carriage waiting for him. Princess Luna boarded and said, “There you are, we were wondering when you would be out.” Whirl blushed and boarded as well. “Yeah, uhh… sorry about that.” he said as they started to move. Princess Luna giggled and let out a sigh as they rode through town. Ponies everywhere were helping restore the city to it’s former glory. Even the nobles were assisting in the effort, which was a shock to Luna but if you love something enough you would do anything for it, even if it is just your home city. Whirl was keeping his head low so he wouldn’t get noticed. Every now and then a pony would recognize him and glare. Whirl let out a sigh and laid his head down on the floor of the carriage so his entire head was out of sight. Princess Luna looked down at him with sorrow, she felt bad that she couldn’t help him sooner. A slight bump shifted her attention forward, her eyes widened in horror as they reached what used to be Canterlot castle. Giant holes covered the castle as though something immensely powerful had hit it in random places. The place resembled cheese more than it did a castle. Princess Luna stepped out of the carriage as they rolled to a stop. “Nopony goes in there until we can guarantee that it will not fall on top of our heads. Whirl, we are here, you can come out now.” Whirl popped his head up and stepped off of the carriage. He kept his head low and followed Princess Luna towards where her sister and the others were held. As they walked next to the wreckage that was one the castle Whirl looked up at it as though he were ashamed. “Whirl, what is wrong?” Princess Luna asked. Whirl sighed. “Just… regretting the damage I did to the castle…” Princess Luna nodded. “I understand, what happened exactly?” “After Sombra freed me, he ordered me to turn this castle into something befitting his new empire. I took some unicorns and decided to start blasting holes in it.” Whirl said sadly. Princess Luna giggled. “Well, you did a good job. I did the same thing once, with our last castle. It was overtaken by the Everfree forest long ago though. We will be sure to stop that from happening here.” she said jokingly. “You… did the same thing?” Whirl asked in a confused tone. “Well, when I first became Nightmare Moon I absolutely decimated me and my sisters castle. Not much left of it now.” she said with a laugh. Whirl chuckled. “Well, we are just two peas in a pod huh?” he said as they reached their destination. The six were held up in the air by dark crystals while Princess Celestia and Shining Armor were frozen next to each other. Princess Luna stepped up and her horn started to glow as she closed her eyes. Her hooves dug into the ground as her magic began to channel. A beam shot from her horn and a bright light formed on Princess Celestia. Soon the light spread in the form of cracks along the crystal structure. Soon cracks covered the entirety of the crystal structure. A pulse shot from Luna’s horn and hit the structure with a powerful force that made Whirl have to cover his eyes. He heard a loud shattering noise and looked up in time to see everypony fall to the ground. Princess Luna was panting as she too fell to the ground. Whirl helped her back up then ran to the next pony to help them up. The six stretched and groaned with a slight pain. “Ohhh… what happened? Did the elements work?” Rainbow Dash asked as she got to her hooves. Twilight rubbed her head and stood up as well. “I think so, King Sombra isn’t here anymore.” she turned around and saw Whirl standing. “Hey, what happened to your wheel chair?” she asked as she looked around. Her eyes finally fell on the castle and she gasped. “What happened?! Did the elements do that?!” she asked in surprise. Whirl shook his head. “You don’t remember anything do you?” Princess Luna interjected. “They wouldn’t remember anything. To them it was like a long nap.” she explained. “More like a long wrestlin’ match.” Applejack said as she stood up. “What happened to us anyway?” “For the past few months… you have all been trapped in dark crystals. King Sombra used the power of the Alicorn Amulet to make the elements backfire.” Princess Luna explained. Princess Celestia was helped up by Shining Armor. “What happened to Canterlot? What happened to Equestria?” she asked as she got to her hooves. Princess Luna hugged her sister and said. “A lot sister… a lot…”
Chapter FiveChapter five: One Week Later Princess Luna’s chariot landed out side of Whirl’s home and she stepped off with a smile. It had been five days since she heard from him last and she was excited to see him again. She walked up to his door and saw a not hanging from it. To whom it may concern, I have elected to remain in my house to avoid the scolding eyes of my peers. I can never redeem what I have done in a thousand life times, though I will continue to work towards making Equestria a better place. It pains me that I will never work with my weather teams at the town hall anymore, I will miss you all dearly. I would move but… there is no where in Equestria I would be accepted as an equal. No, I will always be seen as the monster I was forced to be during the war. Since that will never change I have decided to remain here, far enough from Ponyville to not bother anypony. If this is Sonic Flare or Air Mail reading this come on in and make yourself at home. It is nice to know at least you two are still my friends. If this is Princess Luna… well… if you think you can stomach me anymore, please come inside. You will most likely find me in my basement working on something. Signed, Whirl Wind P.S. If this is somepony who is angry with General Wind, please knock on the door so that you can kick me a few more times. I love the bruises. Princess Luna opened the door slowly. “Hello?” she said as she walked inside. The place looked like it had been unattended for months. Thick dust covered everything except for a few places where Whirl had walked. She followed the path to a door and opened it. The noise of tools at work could be heard from the basement as she descended the stairs. She spotted Whirl sawing through a dowel rod as she got to the bottom. “Whirl, it’s me Luna.” she said softly. Whirl turned around and looked at Luna. His face was bruised and so were parts of his body. His left eye was swollen shut and he had a gash over his right. He smiled and put down his tools. His smiled revealed several missing teeth and Luna gasped in horror at the sight of him. “What happened to you Whirl?!” she said with concern as she started to use her magic to summon bandaging and ice packs. Whirl sighed. “What did you expect? Everypony hates me and have tried to kill me on more than one occasion. Flare has held them off as best he could but… he has two fillies to care for now. He can’t be with me all day.” he explained. “I knew I should have made an announcement about what happened to you.” Luna said sadly. “Flare made that announcement and he was the general leading these very ponies into battle. It’s okay though, I do feel I deserve some of it.” he admitted. “No you don’t. You deserve to be praised. It was your blow that ended Sombra. It was you who saved me so that I could lead Equestria.” “All of those things were mentioned. It seems that when you lose the ones you love, you feel the need to get revenge. Since Sombra is gone and I am still here…” “That doesn’t justify anything. Come on, we are going to put this straight right now!” she said as she picked him up with her magic. “But Luna I…” “No buts. I am putting an end to this.” she said as she pulled him up stairs. She took him outside and he closed his eyes from the bright sun. Once she got him on the chariot, they headed to town hall. Ponies cheered and bowed at the sight of Princess Luna riding through town, while others glared at her passenger. When they arrived at town hall everypony had followed her chariot to see if she had anything to say. She stepped out of her chariot with Whirl following closely behind as she stepped up to the podium. “Citizens of Ponyville! I am here today to correct a terrible tragedy!” she announced in her royal Canterlot voice. Everypony in the crowd cheered and a few shouted, “Hang him!” and “String him up good pricess!” Princess Luna clapped a hoof down to silence them. “Nay! This pony is a hero! His only crime being that he stood and let everypony here treat him like a villain! Whirl Wind saved my life! Whirl Wind killed King Sombra! Whirl Wind did not have control over his actions during most of the war, but when he did, he fought with us! Now that he has returned home he has been exiled by none other than himself! This is not a pony seeking blood, this is a pony seeking punishment for crimes he did not commit! Let those of you know Whirl Wind for the pony he truly is, step forward!” At first no one stirred, then two pegasi holding one newborn each flew up to the podium. Then a guard unhooked himself from Luna’s chariot and stepped forward. The crowed murmured for a moment before Luna spoke again. “These ponies pledge that Whirl Wind is a noble pony, let us see who they are! Vector, step forward!” The guard pony stepped up to the podium as Princess Luna stepped down. “At first I was with all of you ponies, hating this stallion for crimes most fowl. But after the battle for Fillydelphia he approached me and I can say that I had never been more afraid in my life. As I fought for my life I saw something flicker in his eyes, sorrow, regret, fear. As he plunged the spear through my chest he whispered on thing to me… I’m sorry. It was then I realized that he was not in control of what he was doing, nor was anypony else in Sombra’s army. We forgave them and I forgive him.” he said with a prideful tone. “Sonic Flare, also known as General Flare, step forward!” Princess Luna shouted as Vector stepped down. Sonic Flare hoofed the filly over to it’s mother before stepping up to the podium. “I am pretty sure you all remember me, so let me make this quick. Whirl Wind was a key asset to the victory we achieved here in Ponyville that fateful day. When you all stood by my side in battle you trusted me to get you through it all, well I trusted Whirl. His advice on the battle won us the day and we owe him our lives. I especially owe him mine, if it weren’t for him… I would never have seen my wife… my two beautiful fillies ever again. I owe him everything and so do you all!” Flare said as he pounded the podium with his hoof. By this time, six more ponies joined Whirl on the stage. The very six ponies each gave him a hug before they spoke, each explaining how he helped them get into Canterlot in the first place, how he was a loyal pony who saved them all. Then it was Twilight Sparkle’s turn to speak. “Whirl Wind is a lot of things to many of you in this crowd, I hope that most of you look at him for what he truly is. He risked his life and got me and my friends safely into Canterlot to save Equestria. Even though we failed, he did not. In the end it was him alone that had the tactics to finally take Sombra down. I think of him as one of the greatest friends I have ever had and I am proud to call him my hero.” she said before she stepped down. Princess Luna stepped up again. “Now then, how many of you ponies still think of him as a monster?” she asked as she looked out to the crowd. Not a single hoof was raised as she stood there. “Whirl Wind, will you please step up here.” Whirl stepped up to the podium with tears streaming from his good eye. “I remember it all… I remember everything he did during the war… how I was powerless to stop him… how he destroyed the lives of so many… I tried my hardest… I really did… I’m so sorry…” he said as he collapsed onto the podium in tears. Princess Luna rubbed his back reassuringly and he lifted his head again. “All… all I can do is ask for forgiveness… I never expected any of you to forgive me, not in a thousand years… but seeing my friends up here describe me like that gives me hope that I am redeemable in your eyes as well. And even if I am not redeemed in your eyes… I know that I have good friends looking out for me, caring for me, and loving me for who I am now and not what I was. I… I can’t talk anymore…” he said as he stepped down. Princess Luna embraced him and led him back to the chariot. As they took off, Twilight stepped up to the podium again. “I think you all have a lot to think about.” she said before stepping down and following the chariot along with the rest of the ponies who came up on stage. **** Once they were all at Whirl home they all took a seat in the dusty house, it was quite cramped but they managed. Whirl looked like a half mummy with his bandages on, but he didn’t really care. Right now all he could think of was the fact that he was surrounded by friends. “Sorry for the mess, I wasn’t really motivated to clean up when I got home…” Whirl said with a guilty tone. “Well duh, I wouldn’t be motivated to do anything if I was attacked right off the train neither.” Rainbow Dash said bluntly. Applejack nudged Rainbow with her elbow. “What Rainbow means is that we understand. Ya know we could lend you a hoof and clean this mess up for ya.” Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “I think that would be best, you don’t seem to be in very good condition right now. I mean, health wise that is. Not that it makes you look bad, just that you look bad in an unhealthy way.” “I think he gets it Fluttershy.” Twilight interrupted. “But she is right, you do need to rest and this place could use a good scrub.” Flare laughed. “If you say no to this I will just have them come over and clean my house!” Air poked Flare in the ribs. “No you won’t, that is your job.” Everypony in the room laughed at Air’s joke. “Whirl, why don’t you watch over the little ones and we will get started.” she said as she set down her two fillies. Whirl smiled and nodded. “Thanks everypony… it really means a lot to me. I can’t believe you all came up on stage for me. Especially you…” he said as he looked to Vector. Vector smiled. “I know that you would have done the same for me, it is in the nature of ponies like us. Once I saw the sorrow in your eyes I knew you weren’t in control. I am just glad that you did realize we had a spy in your ranks.” he said with a chuckle. Whirl nodded and picked up the two fillies as they walked up to him. “Actually… I did know. That is the one thing I WAS able to do while he was in control. I made him doubt himself sometimes on important things. You two are just so adorable!” he said as he nuzzled the fillies, who responded with a giggle. Everypony smiled and stood up. “Well, lets get to work.” Twilight said while she used her magic to summon a duster. Everypony else grabbed rags and other cleaning materials. Princess Luna sat down next to Whirl and wrapped a wing around him. “I am glad to see you smile again.” she said as she kissed his cheek. Whirl turned to her with his smile shining brightly on his face. “For the first time since I have returned… I feel like smiling. I wasn’t expecting a parade or anything, but I didn’t expect to be jumped two seconds off the train.” he said with a chuckle. Princess Luna frowned. “That should have never happened and I am sorry that it did.” “It’s alright, I am just glad to be home. Home with friends, home with family.” he said as he tickled one of the fillies who giggled. “Solar Glider has her mothers eyes and nose, but Flare’s sleek wings.” he said with a chuckle. “They are indeed adorable.” Princess Luna said as she regained her smile. Flare trotted over to the couch with a rag on his hoof. “Uhh… I need to clean the sofa you two are sitting on.” he said with a chuckle. Both Whirl and Luna stood up and moved to the other already cleaned sofa and sat back down. Whirl looked around and everything in the room seemed brighter somehow. He smiled as he examined the room from top to bottom. His eyes fell on Rainbow Dash who had come into the room holding General Wind’s armor. “You still have this?” she asked as she looked at it suspiciously. “Yes, I am going to melt it down and make something useful out of it. It seems to have some magical properties that I want to examine out of curiosity. If we can figure out how the magic work then we can use it for good.” he explained. “Well… where do you want it?” Rainbow asked as she turned to look at Whirl. “Just put it in the basement.” he replied. Fluttershy whispered something towards Whirl but he couldn’t hear what she said. “What did you say Fluttershy?” “Um, I found this picture. It was under a chair.” she said as she hoofed him the picture. Whirl took a look and saw his family. He frowned and handed the picture back to Fluttershy. “I… I can’t look at that right now…” he said as tears filled his eyes. “What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked. Whirl sighed. “Did you wonder why I didn’t say, ‘I wonder if my family is okay’? It’s because I already know the answer to that… they died… General Wind saw to that…” he explained as tears ran down his cheeks. “When I got home… I saw the picture and I threw it… I killed my whole family…” Princess Luna embraced him with her wing again. “No, you need to stop doing that. General Wind is a different pony, he killed your family. You did not.” Whirl sniffled. “It is hard not to blame myself. Since I remember everything that happened exactly as it happened… I can remember the feeling of the movements, what he was thinking as he killed… the bastard was enjoying it…” he said quietly. Princess Luna tightened her embrace. “But you weren’t.” she said simply. Whirl shook his head. “No, I wasn’t…” Soon after Fluttershy joined in the hug, then Applejack, then all the others. Except for Rainbow Dash who chuckled. “Group hugs aren’t really my thing.” she said simply. A purple aura formed around her and forced her into the group. “But they are our thing.” Twilight said as everypony started to laugh. Whirl felt a bit better. “I already had the funeral… I guess what I really needed was closure. Was my dad disappointed with me in the end? Did my brothers still hate me for leaving to chase my dreams? Did my sister ever make a true masterpiece of art? What are my mothers students going to do without her?” he asked as he started to cry again. Princess Luna looked over to him. “We can always visit her students.” “And your father was surly proud of you. He gave you his Wonderbolts goggles and he gave you a letter that said he was proud of you.” Rainbow Dash said. “And if I know anything about brother is that they always forgive you after a week.” Twilight said with a smile. “You can always search the art galleries for something made by your sister.” Fluttershy said happily. Whirl laughed as he cried. “You are all amazing.” Everypony in the room went back to what they were doing after they stopped the group hug. Fluttershy walked over to Twilight and whispered in her ear. “Hey Twilight… I think we should help Whirl find closure with his family. I think it will help him move on in his life.” Twilight nodded. “I was already thinking about art galleries to look at. Why don’t you talk to Cheerilee to see if she knows who Whirl’s mother was. Rainbow already helped him find closure with his father, ask AJ if she can ask around to see if anypony in her family knows who his brothers were. Maybe they kept a journal.” she explained. Fluttershy nodded. “I’ll go talk to AJ really quick, then I will make an excuse to leave.” she said as she walked over to Applejack. She quickly explained the plan and then walked up to Whirl. “Um, Whirl… I need to go take care of my animal friends at home.” Whirl looked up from the fillies and nodded. “That’s fine. Thank you so much for the help. Take care.” he said as his smile slowly returned. Fluttershy waved goodbye to her friends and left. Vector came over to Whirl with a grin. “Hey, I was wondering if you wanted me to finish that crib you were making in the basement. I am very good with my hooves.” he said with a prideful smile. Whirl nodded. “Yes, that would be great. The plans are on the table across from the workbench. Also, keep it down. Flare would never know that I am making him a crib for his fillies and it is supposed to be a surprise.” Vector nodded and whispered. “Of course.” he said as he walked down to the basement. Applejack then walked over once Vector was done talking. “Hey Whirl, I need to go back to the farm to do some work. I’m sorry I can’t help out more.” she said with a nervous grin. Whirl raised an eyebrow when he saw Applejack’s expression. “Are you okay?” “Yeah ahm fine, I just really need to be going.” she said innocently. Whirl nodded. “Alright, thank you for all your help.” he said with a smile. Applejack smiled. “’Taint nothing. I woulda done it for any of my good friends.” she said before she walked out the door. Whirl went back to paying attention to the fillies. Princess Luna smiled. “I always wondered what it would be like to have foals.” she said as she tickled one of them. Whirl blushed and said, “Yeah, me too. I am not sure how good of a father I would be though.” Princess Luna giggled. “I am sure you will be a great father someday.” Whirl nodded. “I have to ask you something Luna… What kind of relationship do we have…?” Princess Luna frowned. “Well… we are really good friends. You know that right?” Whirl nodded. “Do you… think we could ever be more than friends?” Princess Luna didn’t know what to say. She thought about it for a moment. “I do love him… but… I could never grow old with him… I don’t even know if I can have foals with him… I can’t be with him… or anypony else… ever.” she thought as she sat there. “Whirl, I think it would be better if you found yourself a wife who… isn’t going to out live you by… forever.” she said sadly. Whirl looked down at the fillies again. “Right…” “But we will always be friends… the best of friends.” she said as she regained her smile. Whirl looked up to her again. “Always.” he said as he grew a smile. The other finished their work and sat back down in the room. Air and Flare each took a filly and held them again. Flare smiled and looked towards Whirl as he sat down. “So, does it feel more like home now?” he asked happily. Whirl nodded. “Yes, thank you all for the help. This place would have never been cleaned again.” Twilight giggled. “Something tells me that office of your was never as organized as it is now.” Whirl looked over to her with surprise. “You mean… it is actually clean?! Wow! You must be amazing at organization. That was three months of weather reports, not that it really matters now. Oh… what am I going to do for work now?” Rainbow Dash laughed. “What do you mean? I will get you your job back as soon as you are better. It is the least I can do for you after you approved me to move clouds whenever I want for relaxing and such.” Whirl chuckled. “Never thought that would mean so much. But you did fill out all the paperwork amazingly well.” Rainbow Dash blushed. “Well, I may have had Twilight fill those out for me.” Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash. “You told me you were going to copy the format because you didn’t understand it!” she said a bit annoyed. Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I figured they were already filled out, it’s not that big a deal.” Whirl laughed. “That is too funny! But I have to agree with Rainbow, as long as they are filled out properly it doesn’t matter who does it.” Twilight giggled. “Well alright, if you say so. But next time you are doing it yourself Rainbow.” Rainbow Dash shrugged again and looked back to Whirl. “Anyway, I need to jet. Wonderbolts training.” Whirl nodded. “I understand, have a good time.” he said as he waved goodbye. Twilight stood up also. “I should get back to the library, Spike gets nervous when I am gone too long.” she said with a giggle. Whirl looked over to Twilight. “Alright, come again soon.” Rarity and Pinkie both stood up also, both giving a reason to leave before taking off themselves. Flare and Air had to leave also because it was the fillies bedtime. Vector came up stairs with a full crib all finished up. Whirl asked him to deliver it to Flare and Air before he too left. All that was left now was Princess Luna. “Well, I suppose you need to get going soon too. It is almost sunset.” Whirl said with a slightly sad tone. Princess Luna nodded. “Yes, unfortunately I do need to return to Canterlot. Our post services are working again so send me a letter every now and then.” she said as she stood up. Whirl walked her to the door and opened it for her. Her chariot was waiting for her outside with one less pony pulling it. Whirl looked at the other three and they looked as stoic as ever. “Be safe on your way home.” he said to Luna as he helped her onto the chariot. Princess Luna leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. “I will. You be safe at home and take that note down. I don’t think you will be needing it.” she said with a smile. Whirl simply nodded and she took to the sky. Whirl stayed and watched until he could no longer see the chariot. He walked back to his door and tore the note off, tearing it up happily before letting it go in the wind. He slowly walked back inside and lit some candles before the sun went down. As it turned to night he sat in his favorite chair and stared at the floor. A small glimmer flicked off of some glass as he looked down. He turned to see his families picture hanging from the wall. As he looked at it he saw his brothers making faces as him and his sister stood proudly. His mother and father stood in the back with smiles on their faces. Whirl took down the picture and held it in his hooves. “I’m sorry…” he thought as he sat there and stared at it all night long. ****
Chapter SixChapter six: At the Hospital The sun rose over the hilltops and Whirl saw the light through the windows. He was still holding the picture of his family in his hooves and his face was soaked with tears, as was the bandage that covered his other swollen eye. With a sigh he stood up and went to his medical kit to change his bandages. He did his best to wrap it on his own, but he was sore from the beatings he had taken and was in no shape to do much of anything on his own. The bandages ended up being loose but he didn’t really care as he walked to his front door. “I wonder if the newspaper is up and running again…” he thought as he opened the door. Sure enough when it opened a newspaper hit him in the face. “Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!” the little colt who was delivering the paper said. He ran up to Whirl and hoofed him another paper. “Here, for free. Just don’t tell my boss.” Whirl chuckled. “Don’t worry, I can’t really feel much on my face anymore.” he said with a grin. “Hey, I know you! You are in the paper with Princess Luna!” the colt said happily as he opened the newspaper he was going to give to Whirl. “Whirl Wind right? That is so cool!” Whirl opened the paper hurriedly and saw himself standing behind the podium that he spoke behind yesterday. He saw the tears that were in his eyes and the title that read, ‘General Wind or Not General Wind?’. Whirl sighed. “General Wind? What does that mean?” the colt asked with a tone of curiosity. Whirl looked down at the colt with a slight grin. “At least somepony doesn’t know who I was.” “What do you mean? Did you fight in the war?” the colt asked with a more excited look. Whirl sighed and nodded. “Yes, but King Sombra brainwashed me to serve him… I ended up on the wrong side of the war…” “Oh, I see. That explains all these mean things they are saying about him. Well, I don’t think you are that evil pony. You are nice and you tip me all the time. You don’t seem like a pony who would just switch sides suddenly unless you were forced to.” Whirl grinned. “Thanks… What is your name? I want to tell your boss that you are an amazing delivery colt.” “My name is Rumble. Nice to meet you Mr. Wind.” Rumble said as he held out a hoof for a hoofshake. Whirl shook his hoof lightly. “Sorry about the weak hoofshake… I am kind of hurting right now.” “You look hurt. What happened?” Whirl looked in the newspaper and read a paragraph out loud. “Whirl Wind returned to Ponyville more than a week ago. According to our sources he was beaten mercilessly by bystanders the moment he stepped off the train. Although we do not have an actual diagnosis from the victim we have been told he most likely has several bruises over various parts of his body and a shattered eye socket.” Whirl rubbed his eye at that part and nodded in agreement. “No attempt has been made by the victim to go to Ponyville hospital. ’If he does come here we will treat him like any other pony, we took an oath to do no harm and we will follow it.’ says the director of Ponyville hospital. Other bystanders have said differently. One even said that if he ever saw Mr. Wind anywhere in Ponyville he wouldn’t hesitate to give him a piece of his mind and a few kicks for good measure. At least that is how he felt only a few days ago. Yesterday Princess Luna of Canterlot spoke on his behalf, after that many ponies changed their opinions. She called up several witnesses to his so called ‘heroics’, one of which was a guard that Mr. Wind personally stabbed through the chest.” Whirl put the paper down and looked at Rumble who was sitting down listening with interest. “Why did you stop? It was just getting really good.” Rumble said happily. Whirl raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Doesn’t this make you hate me? Or want to beat me up? Or something along those lines?” Rumble shook his head. “I told you that I don’t think you are General Wind. Why would I be mad at the stallion who has done nothing but treated me with kindness since I started working. You and he were two different ponies in one.” he said with a smile. Whirl smiled and continued reading. “The guard known as ‘Vector’ said that he was defending Fillydelphia when General Wind fought him to the death. After he was stabbed Vector told us that he saw something in General Wind’s eye that lead him to believe that he was not in control of his actions. Later that day we talked to Zecora, a local zebra who lives in the Everfree forest, who says that Mr. Wind was in fact inhibited by the General Wind persona. Zecora went on to explain that Mr. Wind remembers all of the fine details of what General Wind did and was not able to stop him in any way. Other witnesses came to us as well vouching for Mr. Wind’s honor and his heroic traits. Almost all of them were the very guards who he fought against. Many of them spoke of how if one guards vouches for a pony, that all of them will. So now Mr. Wind is backed by Equestria’s entire military, which is no small thing. After seeing all of these glowing reviews of this pony, this reporter supports Whirl Wind and his return to Ponyville and his home. I think we all owe Whirl Wind an apology and I will be going out to his home to do so personally. I may lose my job over saying this but, if anypony had any honor left after this war, you will go down to the nearest store and buy an apology gift for Whirl Wind and encourage him to go to the hospital to tend to his wounds.” Whirl finished with a surprised look on his face. He turned to Rumble who was smiling widely, “It seems like it was a good article to me. Maybe you should go to the hospital though, you look kind of rough.” Rumble said with a concerned tone. “How about I take you?” Whirl chuckled. “Don’t you have papers to deliver first?” Rumble shook his head. “I save the best for last, these are just extras they give me in case something is wrong with another paper.” “Wait here for a moment, I want to get something for you. Then we can go to the hospital.” Whirl said as he walked back inside. Rumble waited patiently for Whirl to come back out. When he did he was wearing a saddlebag and he had a note in his mouth. He pinned it to the door and turned to Rumble. With a smile he pulled out a picture of the Wonderbolts. “Do you like the Wonderbolts Rumble? I have a copy of a picture here, signed by the old team. One of them… is my father, an earth pony.” Rumble laughed at Whirl’s statement. “Earth ponies can’t join the Wonderbolts. They can’t fly.” Whirl shook his head. “He was part of the land team. An elite team of the best earth ponies in all of Equestria. The team was disbanded years ago and few know it even existed. But here he is.” Whirl said as he turned the picture around so Rumble could see. Rumble’s jaw dropped as he saw a small group of earth ponies standing with the entirety of the Wonderbolts team. “Wow, I can have this?” he asked excitedly. Whirl nodded with a smile. “Of course, it is the least I can do for such a good delivery colt.” he said happily. Rumble held it in his hooves with a glowing expression. He looked up to Whirl for a moment before asking, “Can you sign it too? You are a hero after all.” Whirl was surprise at Rumble’s request. “Sure, do you have a pencil or a quill?” Rumble reached into his delivery bag and pulled out a pencil. Whirl took it and signed an open spot on the photo. Whirl smiled as he looked at his signature next to his fathers. He gave the pencil back to Rumble and grinned. “Wow! Thank you so much!” “Let get to the hospital.” he said as he stepped off of his patio. Rumble followed next to him eagerly. “I am glad you decided to go.” Whirl nodded. “I am glad that somepony wanted me to go. You heard how well things have been going for me since I returned, I never expected anypony to like me ever again.” Rumble shrugged. “Just goes to show you that friendship can be found even after the worst of tragedies.” Whirl chuckled. “You are very well spoken for a colt your age, did you know that?” he asked with a smirk. “I get that sometimes. I try not to sound too smart at school though so I don’t get picked on.” he admitted. Whirl nodded. “I can understand that.” Rumble raised an eyebrow at Whirl’s statement. “You mean from everypony here picking on you for what somepony else did?” Whirl shook his head. “No, well yes but… no. When I was a little colt I moved around a lot. Being the new kid ten or eleven times can make you very different than everypony else. Being super smart, wearing glasses, and actually taking time to study made me a ‘nerd’. But I learned something very special from it all though, in the end you just got to take the pain in stride, because when you become an adult you will end up being much happier. Well, in most cases.” Rumble chuckled a bit. “Are you happy?” Whirl sighed. “I was, before all of this. I was happy with my one friend, my house, my job. Coming home and sitting down to relax for a bit before calculating the next weeks weather with a cup of tea. Going to bed and then doing it again and again.” “Sounds a bit lonely.” Rumble said sadly. Whirl nodded. “It can be. But overall it was nice. Peaceful. All of it changed on Nightmare Night…” Rumble laughed. “I love Nightmare Night! Last year Princess Luna stole one of my lollipops when she caught me, but it was really fun!” Whirl chuckled at the thought of him being the one who got him caught. “Yeah, I helped her find a lot of ponies last year. I dressed up as a guard so she asked me and my friend Sonic Flare to help her find ponies. I pointed out a scarecrow.” Rumble laughed again. “How did you manage that?” “Hey, from the clouds a pony looks like a pony, so do scarecrows.” Whirl responded in a prideful tone. Rumble shook his head. “If you say so. Oh hey look, we are here.” he said happily. Whirl smiled at the sight of the hospital. “Great, now I can get some treatment for my eye. It really hurts.” Rumble and Whirl opened the door and walked into the hospital with confidence. The waiting room was empty save for the nurse behind the counter. She looked up with a smile that quickly turned to a frown. “Oh uhm, hello… I think I know what you are here for. P-please wait here.” she said nervously as she trotted through a door. Rumble and Whirl sat in the waiting room for at least an hour before a different nurse came back through the doors. “W-will you please follow me and I will g-get you into an examination room.” she said nervously before she started to walk down a hall. Whirl and Rumble followed along as she lead them to the far end of the hall. When they got in the room they each took a seat. The nurse was shaking with the clipboard in her hooves. “S-so, what seems to be the p-problem?” Whirl looked at Rumble with a frown. Rumble simple gestured for Whirl to just get it over with. With a sigh Whirl told the nurse how he felt as she wrote down notes nervously. Whirl held up his fore hoof to point at his eye and the nurse yelped and dropped the clipboard. With a blush she picked it back up. “Th-that should be enough for the doctor.” she said nervously as she quickly walked out of the room. Whirl sighed again and looked to Rumble for encouragement. Rumble simply smiled. “Well, that could have gone worse.” “How? She nearly had a heart attack.” Whirl said with a frown. Rumble shrugged. “She could have not seen you at all.” Whirl nodded with a shrug. “True, I guess I should be happy they are seeing me at all.” Rumble laughed a bit just before the doctor came inside the room. The doctor took one look at Whirl and sighed. “Well now, look at what we have here. If it isn’t the infamous Whirl Wind. Let’s see what is wrong shall we?” he said as he started to take the bandages off of Whirl. Whirl’s eye looked like a small apple was lodged in the side of his face and his various cuts looked infected. “My, my, my… You had the daisies knocked out of you. You are lucky you came, these infections look pretty bad. And that eye, eugh…” the doctor said as he wheeled himself around the room grabbing various disinfectants and bandages. From the last cabinet he pulled out a pill bottle and popped it open. He shook out two pills and hoofed them to Whirl. “Here, this is penicillin, it will help stop the infection.” Whirl nodded and took the pills and Rumble hoofed him a glass of water. The doctor started to dab a rag in the disinfectants. “Okay, this is going to hurt a lot. Just… keep as still as possible.” the doctor said before he started to scrub the cuts with the rag. Whirl winced in pain but kept relatively still. “You know, I read the paper this morning. There is a nice article in it about you.” Whirl nodded. “Yeah, I read that…” The doctor sighed. “I’m sorry…” he said as he started to scrub another wound. “For what?” Whirl asked as he winced in pain again. “For your eye… that was me… I was angry and I didn’t know…” the doctor explain. Whirl’s eyes were practically glowing. “It’s… it’s okay… I understand why you did it…” The doctor moved on to another cut. “That was no reason to do what I did. I should have known that if you were actually the one who did all those horrible things the princesses would have never let you come back.” Whirl smiled. “Thank you, for apologizing. I forgive everypony for all the bruises they gave me. Besides, you are fixing your mistake right now.” he said jokingly. The doctor smiled and his horn started to glow. A small beam hit Whirl’s bad eye and a bone snapping back into place was heard. Whirl let out a yelp of pain. The doctor looked at him with grief. “Sorry, usually the pain subsides faster if you don’t know it’s coming.” the doctor explained. Whirl nodded as the doctor grabbed more bandaging. “Just wear this over your eye for a few weeks and it will be fine.” the doctor said as he wrapped up Whirl’s eye. Rumble smiled. “Looking good Whirl. A lot better than you did before.” The doctor smiled at Rumble. “Are you Whirl’s son?” he asked curiously. Rumble laughed and shook his head. “No, I am his newpaper colt!” Whirl laughed a bit too. “Rumble here was nice enough to talk me into coming here today. I owe him big time.” The doctor nodded. “Yes you do. I would like to keep you one night for observation. We need to keep an eye of your infection and make sure it doesn’t spread.” Whirl frowned. “Ah, okay. Not that I expect anypony to come… I guess that is okay.” Rumble smiled and looked at the time. “Oh dang! I am going to be late for class!” he said as he jumped out of his chair. The doctor pulled out a piece of paper from a drawer and started to write something. “Here, a doctors note so you don’t get in trouble.” Rumble took the note and put it in his saddle bag. “Bye Whirl!” he said as he dashed out the door. Whirl chuckled and waved goodbye. He turned his attention back to the doctor. “So, will I be staying in this room or…?” he started before the doctor interrupted. “Oh no no no! We have rooms up stairs for overnight patients. I will escort you there. Don’t mind the nurses, they are a little bit afraid of you despite how much I tell them you are fine.” Whirl chuckled. “I noticed. Don’t worry, I won’t scare them on purpose.” he said as they started to walk out of the room. **** “Yes, I knew Whirl’s mother. She asked me to send her letters on how he was doing. She taught the Appleosa school with pride, I miss her…” Cheerilee said sadly. Fluttershy nodded. “I’m sorry but… Do you know if her class could come here to help Whirl move on?” Cheerilee nodded. “I am sure they wouldn’t mind helping him. I am sure they miss her just as much as he does.” Fluttershy smiled. “That’s wonderful. Thank you for the help Cheerilee. I need to go talk to Twilight to get this all planned out.” Cheerilee smiled as well. “Let me know how it goes.” “Of course, thank you again for the…” Fluttershy started before she was interrupted by a small colt coming into the room. “S-sorry I’m late Ms. Cheerilee… I was with… Whirl Wind… at the hospital…” Rumble huffed as he hoofed Cheerilee the note. “You got him to go? That is wonderful. Thank you Rumble.” Cheerilee said as she set the note down on her desk. “Everypony is outside at recess right now, you should go join them.” Rumble smiled and hung up his saddle bad before running outside. Fluttershy followed him out after waving goodbye to Cheerilee. She watched as Rumble join the others before taking off towards Twilight’s. When she arrived she knocked on the door and heard the sound of hoof steps coming towards the door. Twilight answered it and smiled. “Good, you’re here. AJ just got here too. Come on in.” she said as she stepped back from the door to let Fluttershy walk through. Applejack saw Fluttershy walk in and smiled. “So, what didja find out Fluttershy?” Fluttershy sat down across from Applejack and said, “Well, Whirl’s mother worked in Appleosa as a teacher and Cheerilee said that her students would want to help Whirl. All I have to do is go get them.” she explained. “That’s great Fluttershy! I found out that Whirl’s brothers opened a franchise in Manehatten as window washers. Surprisingly enough they weren’t pegasi! Whirl’s older brother was a unicorn and his little brother was an earth pony. They both were apparently very well-mannered and did their jobs really well. I got at say they both seemed to be really nice.” Applejack said with a slight smile. Twilight walked over to a covered piece of furniture. “I found this in Ponyville’s gallery.” she said as she pulled the curtain off. The revealed painting was spectacular, it depicted Princess Celestia on the left side raising the run and on the right was Princess Luna raising the moon. Both had a spectacular glow behind them. “It was painted by Whirl’s little sister, Brushling. She was an earth pony also. I am surprised how diverse their family was. She lived in Los Pegasus for a while then moved to Manehatten with her brothers.” “How did General Wind manage to get them all?” Fluttershy asked sadly. Twilight shook her head. “General Wind had all of Whirl’s knowledge… he must have sent agents after them… Let’s not think about that right now.” she said as she walked over to the others. “AJ, go to Manehatten and see if you can get the two brother journals, if they had any. If they didn’t, try to find something from them that would cheer Whirl up. Fluttershy, you go to Appleosa and talk to Whirl’s mother’s class. See if you can get them here by tomorrow.” They both nodded and headed out the door. Before Fluttershy closed the door she turned around for one moment. “Whirl is in the hospital right now getting fixed up… if you want to go see him…” she said before she left. Twilight looked back at the painting. “Maybe I should bring this up to Whirl… No, I should wait for those two to return…” she thought before heading out the door the visit Whirl in the hospital. **** Whirl was laying in a bed in the hospital feeling very relaxed for the first time since he got home. After hearing an apology from the doctor who was tending to him really lifted his spirits, as did Rumble talking to him. A knock on the window got Whirl’s attention and he saw a lavender pegasus mare. Whirl gestured her to come inside and she didn’t hesitate to oblige. “Hello, my name is Cloud Kicker. I just wanted to come by and say a few things to you. Oh, these are for you.” she said as she pulled out some flowers with a ‘get well soon’ card stuck inside. Whirl took the flowers with a smile. “Thank you Cloud Kicker. I already knew who you were though, you worked for the weather team as one of the leaders. I was the pony who gave you the weather orders.” he said as he tried to get her to remember. Cloud tapped a hoof on her chin in deep thought. “Huh, small world huh? Did you change your mane?” Whirl bonked his head with his hoof. “Right, I did! I guess it’s a bit more… blue now huh? What do you think?” Cloud smiled kindly. “I like it. It makes you look less like a ‘know-it-all’.” Whirl chuckled. “Thank you. I have to say I am surprised I got a visitor, let alone a former coworker.” “Well… I read the paper and I was at Princess Luna’s speech… Then I heard you were here so…” Cloud said as she rubbed the back of her neck. Whirl sniffed the flowers with a smile. “These are beautiful, did you get them from Rose?” Cloud smiled and nodded. “Yeah, she is giving discounts to everypony because a lot of us need them for… you know… sad things…” Whirl nodded. “Sad things… yeah… I got quite a few bouquets of flowers for… sad things…” “Who did you lose?” Cloud asked sadly. “Everypony in my family…” he responded quietly. Cloud clapped her hooves to her mouth. “Oh my… I’m so sorry to hear that. I guess I got lucky… Sorry that was a terrible thing to say.” “It’s okay, I am glad your family is alright. I am glad that he didn’t get to them…” Whirl responded with a shudder. “What was it like? Being him?” Cloud asked softly. “It was awful. I remember all of it but I would rather not talk about it please. It is getting a bit depressing just to think about it.” Whirl said with a sigh. “I understand, I need to get back to work anyway. One quick question… Are you going to come back to the weather team?” Whirl thought about it for a moment before answering. “I don’t know yet. I want to really badly but… I don’t know how many ponies want me to come back.” “Well, I do. See later Whirl.” she responded softly before taking off out the window. Whirl set the flowers she brought down on a small table in the room. “Somepony else beside Rainbow Dash wants me back…” he thought happily. Whirl felt a bit sleepy and rubbed his good eye with a yawn. “A small nap won’t do any harm…” he thought as he closed his eye. It didn’t take long for him to dose off. **** Whirl opened his eyes and he was sitting outside in front of five graves. He recognized the graves immediately as the graves he made for his family in his back yard. “Sorry I couldn’t give you a better funeral… Sorry I couldn’t burry your actual bodies… Sorry I got you all killed…” he said softly. “Do not fret Whirl Wind…” a soft voice said from behind. Whirl turned around to see Princess Luna standing with a smile. Whirl turned back around to the graves with a frown. “Why are you here?” he asked sadly. “I am here because I care for you… I want to help you move on…” she responded in a caring tone. “I don’t think I will ever move on. I am not sure I want to move on. I don’t know why nopony wants me to feel pain for what I did, I want to feel pain for what I did. Just look in front of me, five graves… one for each member of my family. Each one I personally hunted down and killed.” Whirl said angrily. “Each one killed by General Wind, not you. Why can you not accept that it was not you who caused this?” “Because! Because it IS my fault! I stepped out of line! I never used to do anything heroic! I never used to do things out of the ordinary! I was content with occasionally practicing for the Wonderbolts, going to work, relaxing at home! But all that changed that night… The night I met you! I wish I had never met you!” Whirl yelled in a fit of rage. Princess Luna recoiled with tears in her eyes. “You… you don’t really mean that… do you?” “Why does it matter to you anyway?! You don’t really care for me! No one can! The only reason anypony is apologizing is because you basically told them to! Nopony is actually sorry! Nopony actually cares! I don’t even care…” he yelled before he laid down in front of the graves. “Fine. I will leave you then.” Princess Luna said as her image faded away. Whirl merely buried his face in his hooves and started to sob. “Whirl? Whirl wake up…” a voice echoed in his mind. **** Twilight nudged Whirl’s shoulder and repeated herself. “Wake up Whirl Wind.” Whirl stirred with a moan. “It’s my fault…” he mumbled as his eye poured out more tears. Twilight rubbed his shoulder. “Just wake up Whirl, everything will be okay.” Whirl’s eye finally opened and he turned to Twilight. “Oh, sorry. I was just napping.” he said as he wiped away the tears. Twilight nodded. “I understand. Did you hear anypony else come in?” Whirl shook his head. “No, why?” Twilight gestured to the rest of the room. It was adorned with flowers, cards, and balloons. Whirl sighed as he looked on. “How many ponies do you think actually mean it? How many ponies do you think are just listening to what Luna said?” Twilight smiled. “I am sure they all mean it. What would they be proving otherwise?” “That they want to listen to Luna.” he said bluntly. Twilight grabbed one of the cards and read it aloud. “Mr.Wind, we would like to extend our apologies to you. We didn’t support you when you needed friends the most, despite what our own family tried to tell us about you. Sorry for not being there. Signed, the Apple Family of Manehatten.” Whirl smiled as she finished. “Okay, you’ve convinced me.” he said with a chuckle. Twilight grabbed another card and read it anyway. “Hello Whirl Wind! This is Derpy Hooves! I just wanted to let you know that I always believed in you, even when things seemed darkest! I can’t wait for you to start ordering merchandise from the Wonderbolts again so I can talk to you on the job again! Hope you get well soon!” “Awww, Derpy… She was always so nice. I never cared if she was late or anything, she was doing her best and it showed.” Whirl said happily. Twilight continued to read cards until they were all read. “…and even though things may seem bleak now, they can only get better. Signed, Princess Celestia of Equestria.” Whirl looked around for more cards. “I am surprised Luna didn’t send one… Although… I did have a bad dream where… I told her to leave me alone… You don’t think she… was actually there, do you?” “Uhhh, oh look chocolates!” Twilight said as she tried to change the topic. “That’s what I thought…” Whirl said as he looked down at the end of his bed. “Twilight, can you take a letter for me?” Twilight nodded and pulled out a quill and scroll. “Go ahead.” “Dear Princess Luna, wait no… My fairest Luna, I am sorry for what I said in my dreams. It was very personal and it was hard for me to handle. I think you would understand if it were your sister in her grave… Friends forever, Whirl Wind.” he said softly. “Oh my… sounds serious.” Twilight said as she rolled up the scroll. “What happened?” Whirl shook his head in response and didn’t say anything. Twilight put the scroll in her saddle bag. “There really are chocolates.” she said as she levitated them from the group of flowers and cards. Whirl chuckled. “Chocolates, the ultimate pick me up. I guess I could share some.” he said as he took the box. “Take your pick.” Twilight levitated one of the chocolates out of the box and took a bite. “Oh these are good!” she said happily. Whirl took one out and popped it in his mouth whole. “Mmmm… they are good. Who are they from?” Twilight looked at the card. “Pinkie Pie.” As if from some void between dimensions Pinkie Pie burst into the room from the cabinet. “Did somepony say my name?! OHHH! You found my chocolates! Do you like them? Do you, do you, do you?!” she asked excitedly. Whirl nearly had a heart attack when Pinkie made her surprise entrance. “Yes, I do Pinkie. You scared the living daylights out of me…” he said as he held a hoof to his chest. “Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, I just wanted to come by while you were awake to say hello.” she said happily. “Well then, hello.” Whirl said with a smile. “Hello! Okay, I have to go now! Bye!” Pinkie said before she dashed out the door. Whirl was so confused. “But… she just…” “It’s Pinkie Pie. That is just how she is.” Twilight said with a shrug. Whirl stared at the door for a moment. “Do you think she will forgive me?” he asked quietly. Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What would Pinkie Pie have to forgive you for?” “Not her… Luna…” Whirl said as he turned his head back to the end of his bed. Twilight nodded. “I am sure she will. She understands what you are going through even if you don’t know it.” “I… I do know it. I am sure she did some terrible things as Nightmare Moon… Things she didn’t want to do but did anyway. I am sure she still feels it too.” he said as he started to feel a bit sick. “Ugh… I feel nauseous…” he said as he started to turn a bit pale. Twilight noticed his discoloration and called for a nurse. One of them came in with a bucket. “Vomit in this.” she said as she dropped the bucket next to the bed. The nurse quickly turned around and started to walk out of the door. “Wait, isn’t there anything you can do for him?” Twilight asked before the nurse could leave. “I’ll get the doctor.” she said bluntly as she left. “That was kind of rude.” Twilight said as she sat down next to Whirl again. “I am getting kind of used to it… oh dear…” he said as he leaned over and vomited into the bucket. Twilight patted his back as he leaned over. “It’s okay, you are going to be fine.” Whirl heaved a few more times before he laid back down. “That chocolate did not taste as good the second time…” he said jokingly. The doctor came in hurriedly with a shot. “Whirl, sorry it took me so long to get here. Slight pain.” he said as he poked the needle into Whirl’s fore hoof. “Anti-bacterial agent. Should stop the vomiting soon.” “Why are the nurses acting so rude to Whirl?” Twilight asked with an irritated tone. The doctor sighed and turned to Twilight. “I am very sorry about that. Not everypony has warmed up to him yet. No need to fret though, I will continue to try and convince them to treat him better.” “No. Let them do what is right for them. I don’t want to stop them from letting it out.” Whirl said sternly. Both the doctor and Twilight turned to him with an expression of shock. “You want them to be rude to you?” Twilight asked. “No, but I can understand why they are being that way. Therefore I will not say anything about it and just let them be.” Whirl said as he shifted in his bed. “I’m itchy.” he said as he started to scratch. The doctor walked up to him and moved some fur on his pelt. A rash was starting to form around where the doctor had injected him. “Dang, you are allergic to these antibiotics.” he said as he rushed to the counter. He shoved some of Whirl’s gifts out of the way and opened a drawer just as Whirl started to gasp for air. Twilight was panicking as Whirl started to change colors because he couldn’t breath. The doctor pulled out another shot and ran back to Whirl and poked it into his fore hoof. Whirl was able to take in a deep breath. “Sorry! I am sorry! I didn’t know!” Whirl was coughing as he put a hoof on the doctors shoulder. “It’s… okay…” he said as he started to catch his breath. Whirl patted the doctors shoulder a few more times before he laid back. Twilight held Whirl’s hoof with concern. “You sure you are okay?” Twilight asked worriedly. Whirl simply nodded and continued to take deep breathes. “You should be fine now. Just keep breathing slowly. Sorry again for the whole allergic reaction.” the doctor said sadly. Whirl chuckled a bit. “Not… your… fault…” he breathed slowly. “Doctor… name?” The doctor smiled. “Doctor Ray.” he replied. “Thank… you…” Whirl breathed with a smile. “My pleasure. As a doctor I have taken an oath to do no harm and to help those in need. But, that is not the only reason I am making sure you get well. I still feel as though I owe you for shattering your eye socket.” Doctor Ray said with a chuckle. Twilight gasped. “That was you?! How could you?!” she asked angrily. “I made a mistake, it happens. Whirl has already forgiven me so please don’t get too angry, although I would understand why if you do get really angry.” Doctor Ray said with a chuckle. “Don’t get mad at him Twilight, he has more than paid for his mistake. Even though he doesn’t seem to think so.” Whirl said as he put a hoof on Twilight’s hoof. Twilight smirked. “You mean like you?” Whirl opened his mouth to speak but he was at a loss of words. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Twilight said with a giggle. “Alright, I get your point. I will try not to be so hard on myself for what I…” he started to say. “What HE did. Not you.” Twilight said as she squeezed his hoof. “What he did. He. It is like talking in the third pony.” Whirl said with a chuckle. Doctor Ray cleared his throat to get their attention. “I need to check a few things Ms. Sparkle.” he said as he moved forward a little bit. Twilight moved aside and let the doctor do his job. He moved up to Whirl’s head and pulled some of the examination tools off of the wall with his magic. A little light shone from the end of the tool and he moved in to examine various parts of Whirl’s head. First the ears, then the eyes. “Okay, everything looks alright. I am still a bit concerned about the vomiting but since I can’t give you that antibiotic that will fix it we will just have to use some more penicillin and hope that works.” “What if it doesn’t?” Whirl asked. “Then we will have to try something more drastic, but I would rather not do that.” Doctor Ray replied. Whirl nodded in response. “Drastic huh? I assume that means some kind of surgery?” Doctor Ray responded with a nod before trotting over to the sink. He pulled a small cup and two more penicillin pills out of a drawer before heading back over to Whirl. “Here you go.” he said as he floated the objects over to Whirl. “Nothing like a daily dose of mold to make you feel better huh?” Whirl said before he popped the pills in his mouth and drank them down. “Bleh, I both love and hate medicine.” Twilight giggled at Whirl’s joke as she turned to look at the time. “Well, it’s getting late. I am going to need to go back to the library now. I have fallen behind in my studies.” she said sadly. Whirl looked over to her and smiled. “It’s okay, I don’t need somepony here all the time. You take care of you before you take care of me, okay?” Twilight nodded and stood up. “I will try to balance it out.” she said with a wink. “If it’s not me here tomorrow, it will be another of my friends. I can guarantee it. Also, I will have Spike send that letter so it goes faster, so don’t worry about how fast Princess Luna will receive it. Well, see you later, get well soon.” she said happily before trotting out the door. “Bye Ms. Sparkle.” Doctor Ray said with a smile. “Bye Twilight.” Whirl said as well. After she left Whirl put his head down on his pillow and looked at his gifts. “Wow… there are just… so many.” Doctor Ray was taking Whirl’s blood pressure when Whirl spoke up. “Yeah, that is common when somepony is in the hospital with such terrible injuries.” he said with a smile. “Is it common when that pony was hated by everypony in town not but two days ago?” Whirl said bluntly. “It is when ponies start to like him again.” Doctor Ray said as he took off the blood pressure tool from Whirl’s fore hoof. “Your blood pressure is a little high, are you experiencing pain still?” Whirl nodded. “My eye hurts when I roll over or try to blink it by mistake. Hard to get used to only blinking one eye.” he said with a chuckle. “Alright, as long as that is the only pain you are experiencing I am having high hopes.” Doctor Ray said as he put on his stethoscope. “Deep breaths please.” Whirl took a few deep breaths and Doctor Ray moved it around his chest. “Sounds good. All good things so far.” Whirl smiled. “That is great. I don’t want to stay here too long, you might not have room for me in here after a while.” he said jokingly. Doctor Ray chuckled. “A sense of humor is a good sign of recovery. I need to go see other patients, but don’t hesitate to call a nurse if you need help, okay?” Whirl nodded and Doctor Ray headed out the door to do his job. “I am not sure a nurse will be the first pony I call for help.” Whirl said as he laid his head down on his good eye. He leaned up for just a moment to turn off the light before attempting to fall asleep. “I just hope that Luna isn’t mad at me…” he thought as he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter SevenChapter Seven: Closure Whirl awoke the next day as the sun shone through the window. He leaned up in his bed and felt a bit numb. He yawned and stretched lazily just as Doctor Ray came into the room. “Ah, good timing. How are you feeling this morning?” “I feel a bit numb. Not really bad, it feels like I have not moved for a few days.” Whirl explained. “I think you had a restful sleep. If you aren’t feeling any pain then I think we might be able to go home after this examination.” Doctor Ray said happily. Whirl smiled then yawned again. “Oh yay…” he said sleepily. “Thank you for helping me so much.” “It’s my job, and we are also friends now so I would gladly do it again even if it wasn’t my job. I might actually come by your home for a follow up visit.” Doctor Ray said as he started to take Whirl’s blood pressure again. Whirl chuckled. “I’ll brew the tea.” he said with a smile. “That would be great, I love tea. Alright, I think you are good to go. Let me go fill out the discharge papers while you go ahead and get ready to go.” Doctor Ray said happily. Whirl got out of bed and stretched out a bit more as Doctor Ray left the room. He looked around the room at all of the gifts and wondered how he was going to be getting in all home. Whirl heard the sound of hoof steps walk through the door and he turned around saying, “That was fast Doctor… oh Derpy. What are you doing here?” Derpy blushed deeply and looked away. “Oh uh, I was just coming to visit you. You were asleep yesterday and I wasn’t sure if I should wake you up or not.” Whirl smiled and picked up the card Derpy had given him. “This is one of the best get well cards I have ever received.” Derpy blushed even more. “Oh, thanks.” She said softly. Whirl raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Are you okay?” Derpy nodded but refused to make eye contact. “Yeah I am fine.” Whirl walked over to her with a concerned look. He put a hoof on her head to check her temperature. “Well, you don’t seem to have a fever… why are you so red?” he asked before suddenly realizing what was going on. “Oh my, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” Derpy perked up and looked at Whirl. “You didn’t! I am just a bit nervous you know?” Whirl nodded. “I understand, thank you for visiting though. You caught me just in time, I was just getting discharged.” Derpy smiled. “Oh that is great news. Do you need help taking this stuff home? Because I have my saddle bag and it is pretty empty. If both of us fill our bags we should be able to take it all to your home.” She said happily. Whirl was a bit surprised that she offered to help but he wasn’t about to say no. “That would be great. Thank you Derpy.” Derpy smiled and started to fill her bags with his gifts. “It’s no big deal; it will be just like delivering your packages.” “Does that mean we get to have some tea and talk again?” Whirl asked happily. Derpy blushed again. “Sure, that was the best part about delivering to you. I always looked forward to ending my day with you…” Whirl was blushing a bit too now. “I always thought it was nice to have you by. I mean I didn’t have a lot of friends before the war, but I always thought of you as a friend.” Derpy smiled and continued to load up more gifts. “That is because we are friends. You are the only one who really talks to me at all and I really missed that while you were gone.” Whirl put on his saddle bag and started to load up gifts as well. “Well, then we should hurry up and get to my house so we can talk again. I think you know me more than Flare does. I even told you about the time I met Whim and we went to the Everfree forest. Then I ran into a poison thorn bush!” he said with a laugh. “I still think that going into the Everfree was a bad idea in the first place, all for some flowers.” Derpy said with a giggle. “They were magic flowers and they helped him with his rock farm.” Whirl said defiantly. Derpy giggled. “I’m sure. Well, I think that is it. Are you ready to go?” “He will be after he signs out.” Doctor Ray said as he walked back into the room with a clipboard. “Just sign here and you can go.” Whirl took the pen in his mouth and signed on the line. “There we go. Thank you again for everything Doctor Ray.” Doctor Ray smiled and put the pen back on the clipboard. “You are very much welcome. Make sure you keep that eye patch on for at least two weeks.” “That won’t be a problem doctor.” Whirl said as he and Derpy walked out of the room. **** Whirl and Derpy talked all the way to his house about the days before the war and how things seemed to have changed in everypony since the war ended. As Whirl opened the door he heard a clatter inside and took his hoof off the handle. “Did you hear that?” he asked Derpy quietly. Derpy nodded. “Yeah I did. Did you have somepony else over today?” she asked quietly. Whirl shook his head. “I am going to go through the back, you stay here and I will let you in when I know it is safe.” He said as he stepped off of the porch. He was cautious not to be visible from any of the windows as he snuck around to the back. Stepping lightly he walked up to the back door and opened it quietly. The kitchen was empty but it looked as though somepony used his pots and pans. He silently crept to the entrance of the next room and peeked around the corner. What he saw shocked him nearly to death; there were streamers from the ceiling and balloons everywhere. Around the room there were all of his friends hiding and looking at the front door, presumably for him to walk in. A voice caught his attention and he turned his ears towards it. “Are you sure you saw him Rainbow Dash?” the voice of Fluttershy whispered. “Yeah I am sure it was him, just wait a moment.” Rainbow replied in a whisper. Whirl thought quickly on what to do next and finally came to a decision. He moved himself as close to the ground as possible and crept along the floor silently. He grabbed a few party poppers from a nearby table without getting noticed and snuck up behind Rainbow Dash. With a single tug from all of the strings the party poppers exploded with a loud BAM! Everypony in the room jumped and Rainbow Dash found herself holding Fluttershy as they both screamed. “Who did that?!” Twilight asked as she looked over to where the noise came from. She saw Whirl Wind on the ground laughing and holding his sides. “WHIRL! How did you get in without anypony noticing?” she asked in shock. Whirl couldn’t answer, he was laughing too hard. He merely stood up and walked to the front door as everypony calmed down from the sudden scare. Whirl opened the door and let Derpy inside. “It was a surprise party Derpy! But I gave them the surprise instead!” Whirl said with a laugh. Derpy giggled and walked inside. “Hello everypony. Someone gave you away; we heard a clatter and Whirl snuck through the back instead.” She explained to Twilight as Whirl found his place back on the floor laughing. “The looks on your faces! Rainbow Dash screaming! It was all worth it!” he said in between his laughter. Applejack chuckled and walked over to him to help him up. Whirl slowly caught his breath again from all his laughing and sat down in his favorite chair. “Well Whirl, what do ya think of the party?” Applejack asked with a smile. Whirl looked around the entirety of the room and noticed the ‘Welcome Home!’ banner strung across the room. “It’s great! I can’t believe you all put this together for me. It is really nice.” “Wait until you have tried the cupcakes!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she popped up from behind his chair holding a plate of cupcakes. Whirl took one and took a big bite out of it. “Mmmm! Derpy, you have got to try one of these!” he said as he looked over at Derpy. She was taking gifts from her saddle bag and was placing them on a table. “Oh um, that’s okay. I should probably be going actually.” She said as she unloaded the last gift. After she placed it on the table she promptly trotted out the front door. “Derpy wait!” Whirl exclaimed as he ran after her. He caught her just as she took off to the skies. Taking off for the first time in a while made Whirl feel a bit old as he took off after her. When he caught up he noticed tears in her eyes. “Derpy, what’s wrong?!” he yelled over the rushing wind. Derpy finally relented and landed on a cloud and Whirl landed right next to her. “I didn’t want to embarrass you by having your friends see me with you.” She said softly. “What? Why would I be embarrassed? You are one of my friends remember?” he said as he looked at her. She didn’t turn her head to look him in the eyes again. “Well it’s not that I am mean to them or anything it’s just… we have had some history with me and my mistakes because of…” she explained but was unable to finish the last of her sentence. She closed her eyes and turned away. Whirl wrapped a wing around her and held her tightly. “What is it? You can tell me.” He said softly. Derpy sighed and turn towards him with her eyes closed. She slowly opened them to reveal one of her eye had moved out of position and was looking somewhere else entirely while her other was looking right at Whirl. “My eyes get this way and bad things happen. Other times it is just me making big mistakes that lead to disasters. Like the time I accidently destroyed town hall with that storm cloud, even more so when I accidently bumped one of the support beams and it came crashing down on top of Rainbow Dash. Then there was the time where I was working the skies with a delivery crew and their truck when a bunch of stuff fell out the back and landed on Twilight. I didn’t mean for any of it to happen but it did and I am such a fool!” she said as she started to sob. Whirl rubbed her back with his wing. “There, there. It’s okay. I am sure they forgive you for all of that. It is not your fault really. I mean you can’t help how your eye acts.” Derpy leaned over, put her head on his shoulder and hugged him. “I know, but I shouldn’t be working at all. I am a menace to those around me.” “Not to me, to me you are a great friend. That will never change.” He said as he rubbed her back some more. “I used to wait until they were better before I came and delivered to your house. So you wouldn’t think of me as a freak like everypony else does.” She said as she cried on. “I wouldn’t have cared. I used to be a freak too you know? I was the only pegasi who was always the ‘new colt’ in class. I never had money, I never hung out with anypony at all, and I certainly never talked to any mares. In fact, I made it a point to avoid everypony because they treated me differently for what I did. I know how you feel in that regard. But know this; you will never be anything less than a great friend to me. No amount of your mistakes will change that.” He said with a grin. Derpy pulled her head away from his shoulder. “Really? You mean that?” she asked with a hiccup. Whirl smiled and nodded. “Of course. You were actually my first friend here, remember? You made your first delivery the same day I moved in. Granted it was not my package but one for the previous owner. You introduced yourself to me and told me how you would be delivering all of my packages from then on. I invited you in for tea but you said no because you were too nervous. It took a while but after the fifth package you came inside and we talked well past sundown. To be honest, after that day I made it a point to order something whenever it was possible just to see you…” he said with a chuckle. “You mean a lot to me. I care about what you think of me as a pony; one of my worst fears was that you would hate me when I got back from the war. Knowing what I did and all…” Derpy smiled. “I came to the train station to welcome you home… but the others muscled passed me like I wasn’t even there…” she said softly. “You came to welcome me home? I am sorry I wasn’t more popular with the ponies who did greet me…” he said with a chuckle. “I am also for not saying any of this sooner, it seems like you could have used it.” Derpy was tearing up again. “Thank you Whirl Wind… You mean a lot to me too… I actually… I mean that is…” she started to say but paused. “Yes?” Whirl asked as he held her tight. “I think I love you Whirl…” she said in a whisper. Whirl blushed immensely. “You do? Even after the war and everything I have done?” he asked in shock. Derpy nodded and blushed as well. “I realized it after you came home. After you were attacked I felt terrible, I wanted to come up and help but I was afraid. When they finally left you alone and I saw you so hurt I started to cry. I ran home and cried for the rest of the day…” Whirl’s mouth was agape as she spoke, he didn’t know how to respond. “Well… I… I mean… I kind of… I mean I really… Oh my…” he said as he tried to find the words. Derpy giggled. “It’s okay; you don’t have to feel the same way.” She said as she separated from the embrace. Whirl let her go and watched as she prepared to take off. “Derpy wait…” he said before she took off. She turned around to face Whirl again. Whirl walked up to her with blushing cheeks. “I love you too.” He said as he twirled a hoof on the cloud. “You were my first real friend and you have also been the friend I have had the longest. I looked forward to your visits and prepared for them especially because I felt that you were more than a friend all along and I…” he started but he was interrupted by something that shocked him more than the party, a kiss. Derpy had leaned forward and put her lips to Whirl’s before he could finish speaking. They both moved closer continued to kiss for what seemed like hours. They only broke the kiss when they heard Rainbow Dash calling out for Whirl. “You should go back and party with your friends…” Derpy said softly. Whirl shook his head. “Not without you, it wouldn’t be a party without you.” Derpy smiled. “Okay, I’ll come. Only because you asked so nicely.” She said sarcastically. Whirl smiled and they both returned to the party together. When they got back everypony gathered around and started to talk and asked questions to both Whirl and Derpy. Somepony put some music on and everypony danced to the rocking tunes. Whirl and Derpy danced together and sat next to each other when they got tired. “Time to open gifts!” Rainbow Dash suddenly shouted. “Gifts?” Whirl asked in a confused tone. “Yeah, we got you a few things that we think will make you happy.” Twilight said as she floated some gifts in the air over to Whirl. Whirl took the biggest one and smiled. “This is so awesome everypony… thank you so much.” He said happily. He looked at the gift to see if he could figure out what it was. It was flat and tall. Finally unable to withhold his temptation he tore the paper covering it. When it was finally unwrapped he gaped in awe of the painting he had just revealed. It depicted Princess Celestia on the left side raising the run and on the right was Princess Luna raising the moon. Both had a spectacular glow behind them. He looked at the bottom of the painting at the signature and nearly fainted. “My… my… my… my… it’s… it’s… it’s… it’s… my… my… my… my…” he said weakly. Twilight nodded. “Yes, it was painted by your sister.” She said happily. Hearing the words from somepony finally made him lose it. He hugged the painting and fell out of his chair and onto his rump on the floor bawling. Everypony in the room had a tear in their eyes as they watched Whirl cry as he held the painting. Finally Derpy walked up to him and helped him back up onto his chair. She gently took the painting from him and set it down on the table. She then gave him a hug and he returned the favor with a sniffle. Once he felt better he broke from the embrace and looked around the room. “Sorry about that.” He said with a hiccup. “It’s okay Whirl, sorry about the suddenness of it.” Twilight said softly. “How did you find this?” he asked as he looked at the painting again. Twilight smiled. “I found it in Ponyville’s art gallery. It took some doing but I managed to find a will written by your sister that stated in the event of her death all of her art work should be given to you.” She explained. Whirl sniffled again. “It’s so beautiful. She really did make a masterpiece before she died…” he said with a hiccup. Derpy frowned. “Oh my, I am sorry to hear about your sister.” She said sadly. Whirl frowned as well. “It’s alright… I forgot you didn’t even know.” He said sadly. “Well, as long as there are no more big surprises I should be fine.” Twilight, Fluttershy and Applejack all kind of chuckled. “Well you see… there is more… Just… keep opening your gifts.” Whirl was on the verge of breaking down again. Reluctantly he picked up another present and opened it. It was two books bound together, the top one had some engraved writing on it that read ‘The Journal of Star Glimmer’ and the other one read ‘The Journal of Written Word’. Whirl started to cry again but it wasn’t as dramatic as the painting. He set the books down on the table next to the painting gently. “I can’t read those now…” he said sadly. Derpy was still frowning and had a sad look on her face. “Are those the journals of some of your friends?” she asked sadly. Whirl shook his head. “No, those are the journal of my brothers. I lost my whole family in the war and if I am right this next present will have something to do with my mother…” he said as he picked up the last gift. He opened it up and saw a picture of his mother with her class. Whirl hugged the picture and said, “Oh mother… I am so sorry I took you away from them…” Everypony in the room was silent as he held the picture. Then finally Derpy spoke up. “You didn’t take them away, King Sombra did.” She said softly. Whirl shook his head. “No… you don’t understand… I was the one who killed them… I mean… General Wind did... he killed them all… personally.” He said as he started to bawl again. Derpy clapped her hooves to her mouth. “That’s awful… I am so sorry…” she said as she hugged him. “It’s okay. I feel a bit more complete now that I have these things. I can know that in the end they were happy.” He said softly. “There is one more surprise. We want you to come with us to Appleoosa tomorrow to see your mother’s class.” Twilight said with a smile. Whirl tensed up and froze. Derpy felt him tense and got concerned. “What’s wrong Whirl? That sounds like it would be a good thing.” She said with a grin. “I can’t do it. I can’t tell them that I killed their teacher. I just can’t. They are probably still mourning for her, it would traumatize them.” He said sadly. “I won’t do it.” Twilight nodded. “It’s okay; you don’t have to if you don’t want to. But just remember that the offer will always be open.” She said softly. “Can we… can we continue this party some other time? I want to be alone for a while…” Whirl said sadly. Twilight nodded again. “Come on girls; let’s let Whirl have some time alone.” She said as she led her friends out the door. Derpy turned to leave too but Whirl put a hoof on her back to stop her. “I would like for you to stay if that is okay with you.” He said softly. Derpy smiled and nodded. “Of course.” She said with a half-smile. She sat down on the couch and looked at Whirl with a smile. “Thanks for staying Derpy. I didn’t want to be that alone.” He said softly. “I understand. I was going to come back in an hour if I would have left anyway.” She said with a grin. “Do you want to talk about it? About the war? Maybe it will help.” Whirl shook his head. “No, I have talked enough about it. I just wanted to have a regular conversation, maybe have some dinner with you or something like that.” Derpy grinned a toothy grin. “Is this a date?” she asked happily. Whirl chuckled and nodded. “I guess it is, sorry it isn’t all that romantic. The food is going to be great though.” He said as he started to grow a smile on his face. Derpy giggled. “I don’t mind the lack of romance. I am just happy to be here with you.” She said happily. Whirl smiled and stood up. “Well, what are you craving? I can whip us up almost anything.” He said with a grin. Derpy tapped a hoof on her chin. “Well, I guess I could go for some muffins.” **** Princess Celestia was walking through the remains of the castle to her former quarters. She bumped into Luna as she turned a corner and they both fell over with a thud. “Oh, I am sorry sister.” Luna said as she stood. “I am just a bit distracted.” Princess Celestia stood up and helped her sister to her hooves. “Distracted with what little sister?” she asked with a concerned tone. Princess Luna sighed and looked away. “I visited Whirl in his dreams. He told me that it was my fault that his family was dead, that it was my fault for everything that happened to him.” She said sadly. Princess Celestia frowned. “I don’t think he really meant it Luna, he is probably just hurting over the loss of his family. In fact I am sure he didn’t mean it.” She said reassuringly. “How would you know that sister?” Luna asked with a raised eyebrow. Princess Celestia got an embarrassed look on her face and magically summoned a scroll. “He may have sent you a letter of apology and I may have read it. I didn’t mean to, I thought it was from Twilight.” Princess Luna snatched the letter away with her magic and opened it up. “You read my mail?! How infuriating!” she said as she read the letter. “He is very remorseful though, I do think you are right sister.” She said as she rolled up the scroll again and bopped Celestia on the head with it. “Don’t read my mail next time.” She said as she turned around and left in a huff. Princess Celestia merely giggled and headed along her way. As she walked through the castle she occasionally saw the relief efforts at work through the holes in the side of the castle, hardworking ponies lifting stone, lumber and other crafting materials. In just a week they had already rebuilt the throne room as well as the servant’s quarters. They insisted on rebuilding the princesses quarters first but they knew that the foundation of an empire is the ponies that help to build it. Having them rested and comfortable allowed them to work as hard as they did the previous day, that and it wasn’t as if it was such a tragedy that they must sleep in a tent outside of the castle. It reminded Celestia of the old days when she had to move from her previous castle to this one after the Nightmare Moon incident. Princess Celestia finally made it to her former quarters but was stopped by sign that read ‘Structurally weak! Do not enter for any reason!’. She sighed and walked past her quarters to check up on the progress made by the construction workers. Meanwhile Princess Luna was writing a return letter to Whirl Wind. With a smile she wrote how she accepted his apology and did not think much of the words that were said. She wrote that she understood what he felt; although in a way she really did not. Princess Luna sighed as she wrote about how she knew how he felt. “I wonder what my parents were like…”she thought as she put her signature on the letter. She then rolled it up and sent it off to Ponyville with her magic. **** Whirl Wind and Derpy were laying in front of the fire at Whirl’s house after finishing their muffin dinner. Derpy rested her head on Whirl’s back and sighed with content. The only real sound in the room was the fire crackling as they laid there and relaxed. Whirl looked over to the table where his family possessions laid and frowned slightly. He turned away and put his head down on his fore hooves with a sigh. “What’s wrong Whirl?” Derpy asked without moving her head at all. “Nothing really. I was just thinking about what I am going to do now that I am home. I could get my job back as Ponyville’s weather analyst or I could try something else out.” He explained. Derpy smiled and gave a small hum before she spoke. “Going back to work is definitely the right direction, but I can see your dilemma of where to work. If you are looking to do something new maybe you could ask Applejack if she needs help on her farm. I also know that the Quills and Sofas store is looking for someone to fill up an open spot also.” She said happily. Whirl shook his head on the floor. “Applejack is the only one of those two I could even consider. A lot of ponies still hate me and won’t hire me at all so I have to look in places that have connections.” “That’s true… Hey! You know Air Mail, Sonic Flare, and I all work for the postal office! Maybe we can get you a job there!” she suggested excitedly. Whirl chuckled. “I don’t know. Delivering mail seems like it would require me going around town and delivering to all the ponies who hate me. I would come home with more bruises than a banana that got thrown off a cliff.” He said jokingly. Derpy giggled at his joke. “That is true too. Well, I guess I know where you are going tomorrow.” “Oh really? Where is that?” he asked as if he didn’t know. Derpy reached up and bonked his head gently. “To Applejack’s farm silly.” She said happily. Whirl rubbed his head jokingly as if it had hurt. “Ooowww. Okay, I will do that.” He said with a smile. Derpy snuggled up against him more. “Good. It’s getting late though…” she said sadly. “You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to. I have a guest room you can stay in if you would like.” Whirl offered with a grin. Derpy let out another hum as she thought about it. “I don’t want to impose or anything.” Whirl let out a small laugh. “Please, it is the least I can do for you. I mean you are my marefriend now. You are my marefriend right? That is what the conversation we had was saying right?” he asked nervously. “No.” Derpy said seriously. Whirl blushed a bit. “Oh, I uh… well…” Derpy let out a laugh. “I got you! Of course I will stay.” She said as she nuzzled the back of his neck. Whirl let out a sigh of relief. “Well, I should get the room all ready for you then.” He said without moving. Derpy snuggled against him even more. “Nu uh, I am too relaxed for you to move at all right now.” She said with a grin. Whirl let out another chuckle and closed his eyes. “Okay, just let me know when I should go get it ready.” He said softly. Derpy closed her eyes as well. “Okay, I will.” Whirl never did get the room ready because they both fell asleep shortly after they closed their eyes. “Alright, are you girls ready?” Twilight whispered just outside the window. “Yes Twi, we’re ready.” Applejack responded. Twilight’s horn lit up and a couple of earmuffs floated through the window and over Whirl and Derpy’s ears. “Okay, executing part two.” She said as she focused her magic again. The rug underneath Whirl and Derpy floated up in the air like a rugged board before they were teleported outside. Whirl and Derpy stirred a bit as they felt the cold air on their coats. “Part three initiated.” Rainbow Dash said as she softly lowered a warm quilt over the two. “Part four in motion.” Twilight said as she started to float the two towards the train station. Fluttershy hummed a lullaby as they headed towards the station to keep them asleep. “Fluttershy, they can’t hear you.” Rainbow Dash whispered. “I know, but maybe the vibrations will reach them.” Fluttershy replied happily. “I don’t know if it works that way Fluttershy.” Twilight whispered stifling a giggle. “Oh okay…” Fluttershy whispered so softly nopony could hear. “Oh Fluttershy, you didn’t need ta stop sugar cube.” Applejack said kindly. Fluttershy smiled and continued to hum her song. **** Whirl opened his eyes slowly and felt that Derpy was still asleep on his back. He kept his head down and closed his eyes again. Then he realized something was wrong, he felt the earmuffs on his ear, he also felt like he was in motion. He opened his eyes again and looked around. It didn’t take him long to realize he wasn’t at home and he suddenly felt sick. “Derpy, wake up. I think we have been foal napped.” He said in a worried tone. Derpy yawned and looked around. “Why are we on a train?” she asked sleepily as she took off the earmuffs. Whirl was starting to turn pale the more he thought about it. “Ohhhh… I don’t know…” he said as he wobbled to the door. He opened it up and stumbled forward and fell on his face. “Oh my gosh! Are you okay Whirl?!” Derpy asked as she ran over to him and helped him up. Whirl was ghostly white as he stood up. “I… hate… t---“ he started before he dashed to the nearest window, vomiting out of it violently. Derpy walked over to him and patted his back. “Not a train pony huh? It’s okay, I am not a taxi pony.” She said in a caring tone. Whirl lifted his head back into the train car and sat down on the bench. He leaned his head against the wall and started to breath heavily. “Why are we here?” he asked weakly. “What’s all the commotion out here?” Applejack asked sleepily. She saw Whirl and Derpy sitting next to each other and blushed. “Oh Whirl, you’re awake. Uhhh, I bet yall are wondering what you are doing on a train and such.” She said nervously. Whirl weakly nodded his head as Derpy rubbed his back some more. Applejack sighed and said, “Look sugar cube, we know yall said that yall didn’t want to see your mother’s students but they asked for yall to come. They wanted to see the living family of their former teacher, and we couldn’t say no to the youngins” Applejack explained. Whirl heaved a few times as he sat on the bench. “Why--- why a train?” he asked weakly. “Well, we didn’t know yall were sickly to em. Sorry about that, but we should almost be there.” Applejack said as she looked out the window in front of Whirl. “Yup! We are almost there!” she yelled over the rush of air. Whirl let out a loud sickly moan as he lifted his head to the window again to vomit. Derpy patted him on the back lightly again and rubbed it once he was done. “It’s going to be alright Whirl.” She said softly before helping him back onto the bench. Soon the others were in the cart as well watching as Whirl tried his best to not heave as they pulled into the station. The train rolled to a stop at Dodge Junction with a loud hiss and Whirl was the first one off. The others followed him and helped him off of the ground again. He was starting to regain a bit of his color, but not quickly. Whirl wasn’t exactly the lightest pony so it took two of them to help him walk around. They got to the end of the station platform when a yellow pony with a bronze mane rushed over to them. “Hello again yall! Welcome to APPLEOOSA!” he said excitedly. He looked at Whirl and grew a concerned look. “Did yall drug him to get him here or what?” Applejack stepped forward and bopped the pony on the nose. “No ya goof. He is not fond of train is all. Nice to see ya cuz.” The pony smiled and said, “Nice to see you too. Should we uh, get him some help or somethin?” he asked in a loud whisper. Whirl shook his head slowly. “No, I’ll be fine Mr…?” “Just call me Breaburn mister.” Breaburn said with a grin. Whirl nodded his head slowly. “Whirl Wind.” He replied as he started to move forward again. “Can yall take us to the schoolhouse Breaburn? We are here on a special occasion.” Applejack asked. Breaburn smiled widely. “Of course I can! Just follow me and we will be there in no time. Uh, here… let me help him out.” Breaburn said as he jostled himself next to Whirl to hold up his weight on his own. “Has anypony ever told you that you are big for a pegasi?” Breaburn asked jokingly. Whirl chuckled a bit. “Only everypony who has had to do this after I stepped off a train.” He replied with a smile. Breaburn and the others laughed a bit at what Whirl said and continued onward. Even though Whirl only lived here for about a month or so he still remembered some of the town, but it had changed quite a bit even still. So many things have been added and a few things removed from the town. “I see that you are all still progressing well.” Whirl commented as they passed the saloon. Breaburn smiled brightly. “Yup! We just got done planting the second apple orchard and we added a few new homes for the town’s folk. How did you know we added new stuff? Have you been here before?” Whirl nodded his head slowly. “I lived here for a month when the town was first founded. I left because there was nothing here for me really. Nothing against the town, I was just looking for home you know?” He said as he started to support himself. Breaburn’s smile grew even wider, if that were even possible. “Well I’ll be! It’s good to have you back founder! Glad you like the improvements! Do you have any other family here?” he asked happily. Whirl stopped in his tracks. It was as if his heart was being squeezed in a vice like grip. He put a hoof to his heart and sat down. Applejack kicked Breaburn in the shoulder. “He lost his family in the war Breaburn. This is a very painful time for him and you just made it worse.” She said sternly. Whirl shook his head. “He didn’t know… it’s okay, I’ll be fine in a moment.” Whirl said sadly. Breaburn walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. “Ahm sorry I mentioned it so bluntly Whirl, it was unkindly of me.” He said sullenly. A few tears dropped from Whirl’s face. “I said it’s okay, I just need a moment. Everything that is going on just hit me all at once. I am going to meet the class my mother taught every day with a smile, a smile that I will never see again, a smile they will never see again, because of me. I killed them! It was my fault I couldn’t protect them from me!” he yelled as he broke down. In his mind he could see the last look on their faces before they were dead, it was becoming too much for him to handle. Suddenly he felt a hoof strike his face and he snapped back to reality. His ears were ringing but he could hear the gasps over it. He looked up to see who hit him when he saw Derpy standing over him with an angered face. She struck him again and yelled, “It wasn’t you! You are a strong pony who I have believed in ever since I met you!” She struck him again. “You are not General Wind, you were never General Wind! King Sombra was General Wind!” She went to strike him again but he stopped her. The tension was as tight as the cables on a suspension bridge and everypony was silent as the two of them kept their hooves in contact. Whirl was bleeding from his mouth a little bit and spit a bit of it out. He had a shocked expression on his face, something was different. He felt good… really good. As he stood he pulled on Derpy’s hoof and pulled her in for a hug. She was crying and holding him tightly. “Don’t say things like that Whirl… You aren’t…” “I know. I know.” He said as he rubbed her back. “Thank you Derpy, I don’t know why but I feel a lot better. Maybe you realigned my brain back into place or something.” He said jokingly. Derpy chuckled a bit as she cried. “Sorry I hit you. I was just so angry at you for thinking you were weak when I have known differently.” She said sadly. Whirl chuckled. “It’s okay. Let’s keep going okay?” he asked as he pulled away from the hug. Derpy smiled and wiped away her tears. “Yes, let’s keep going.” She said as they continued onward side by side. Everypony else was silent during the rest of the walk, most of them were confused as to what just happened. They didn’t seem upset anymore and they had their wings wrapped around each other as they walked. They reached the schoolhouse and Breaburn stopped just outside the door. “Alright, here we are gang. Yall go ahead and do what yall need ta do.” He said before he went to go do some chores. Whirl took in a deep breath and turned to Twilight. “Do I just go in?” he asked nervously. Twilight nodded and smiled. “Yes, they are waiting just for you.” “Can Derpy sit in with me?” he asked just as nervously. Twilight nodded again. “That should be okay. We will be out here waiting for you to get done.” She said as she and her friends turned to a place where they could wait. Whirl took another deep breath and opened the door slowly. He peeked in and saw the foals were writing down something on their papers. The teacher noticed the door open and trotted over to Whirl. “Are you Raisey’s son? Are you Whirl Wind?” she asked with a grin. Whirl slowly nodded. “Yeah, and this is Derpy. She is going to be sitting in with me, is that okay?” The teacher nodded. “That will be fine. It is a pleasure to meet you both. I am Ms. Texton. Come on in and have a seat near my desk and we will get started in a few minutes.” She said softly. Whirl and Derpy both walked in and sat in the seats near Ms. Texton’s desk. “Alright class, our very special guest is here today to talk to us. He travelled here all the way from Ponyville and is probably just as sad as all of you are about your teacher. Please give a warm welcome to Mr. Whirl Wind.” She said with the best smile she could muster. Whirl stood up and looked at the class as they looked back at him. It was true, he could see the sadness in their eyes as he looked about the room. “Hello everypony. I am Mrs. Raisey’s son. I understand that you all miss her as much as I do, to tell you the truth I didn’t think that was possible but… I can see that you all do. She was a great mother and she was probably like your mother away from home in a way. How many of you noticed that she always wore a smile?” he asked as he tried to cheer them up a bit. Everypony in the room raised their hands with a slight grin. “Do you remember what she said about her smile?” Everypony in the room nodded and there were several ‘yeah’s and ‘uh uh’s in the room. “I wear this smile to make sure all of my students have one.” They all said in unison. Whirl smiled and nodded with tears welling up in his eyes. “She used to say the same thing to me and my family too. That she wore her smile so that everypony in her family would wear one too.” He said as he wiped away some of the tears. “I uh, I didn’t really have anything prepared for this today. To tell you the truth my friends put me on the train while I was sleeping. Oh you should have seen my face when I found out where I was.” “He was whiter than a ghost!” Derpy said with a giggle. The whole class chuckled a bit as well. “Yes, I was very pale. I think the white paper in this room is a darker shade than what I was.” He said as he took a piece of paper and put it in front of his face. “How do I look?” he asked jokingly. The class chuckled and laughed again. “I’ll take that as a good. Now then, I found one last note from my mother the other day. It was addressed to you students. I don’t have it with me but… I memorized it.” He lied as he thought hard to make something up. “Dear students. We have had such a good time together. I want you all to know that even though I am gone, my lessons will forever be in your hearts. I don’t want you to be sad for me because in the end I was happy with the knowledge that I got the opportunity to teach you all. I know it is going to be tough and I know you are going to miss me, but I also know that you are a strong class that will grow up to be some of the most important ponies in all of Equestria, because you are already the most important ponies to me. Love Mrs. Raisey.” He said as he got a bit choked up at the end. A couple of students were starting to tear up as well. Whirl gave a big smile to try and help them out. “I want you all to know, that if my mother said that you are strong, it is true. I can see the fire of friendship in this classroom and it will drive you to the brightest future possible. I think the best way to honor my mother’s memory is for you all to do your best in life and prove to Equestria she was right!” he said enthusiastically. The whole class uproared in cheers and laughter and Whirl turn back to Ms. Texton. “Alright foals, it’s time for recess! Go have fun!” she said with a smile. The class quickly poured out and went off to play. “That was really touching Mr. Wind. I don’t think I could have said it better myself.” Ms. Texton said as she wiped away a few tears. “I think it will be a little while before they are all ready to move on, but this definitely helped. Thank you.” She said with a smile. “You are welcome. I was really afraid to come and see them today, but I got some sense knocked into me and some nonsense knocked out of me.” He said as he turned to Derpy who gave a smile. “Well, I think we should go before they get back. I am sure that they would be a little bit too hyper if I were still here.” Ms. Texton nodded in agreement. “Thank you again for seeing them.” She said as they walked out the door. “Oh and Whirl, I am sorry for your losses.” She said sadly. “Thank you Ms. Texton.” He said happily before he walked over to his friends. Derpy rubbed up beside him. “That was amazing Whirl! They all seem so happy now!” she said excitedly. Whirl nodded with a smile. “I am just glad you were there with me. I was losing track so fast.” Derpy smiled widely. “Aww, it was no big deal. I was happy to lend a hoof though.” His friends surrounded them the moment they came over. “Did you do well?” “How did it go?” “Did you choke up at all?” “Did they throw any paper airplanes?” they asked in a barrage of questions. “Yes, well, no and no.” Whirl replied with a smile. “They all seem much happier now. I am just glad that they are able to know how much she cared for them, even if I lied about the letter, everything I said I know was what she would have said if she were still here.” Derpy nodded in agreement. “I am sure that is so. So, how are we going to get home? I am sure Whirl is not up for another train ride.” She said with a giggle. “Uhh, we didn’t think of any other way of getting home. Are you sure you wouldn’t be fine on the train Whirl?” Twilight asked with a concerned look. “The train will be fine. Now, if you will all excuse me, I have one last thing to do. Alone. Meet me at the train station at… what time does the next train leave?” he asked with a chuckle. “It doesn’t leave until later tonight, the train had a bit of a problem with a mess on one of the cars.” She said with a giggle. Whirl blushed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck. “Right, um… well then I should uh, get going.” He said as he turned around and started to trot away. Derpy went after him and stopped him for a moment. She turned his head around and gave him a kiss. Whirl was caught by surprise but he didn’t fight what was happening. He just closed his eyes and kissed her in return. He pulled away and cracked his eyes open slowly. Her eyes were locked on his only half open and she wore a smile. Whirl smiled as well and asked, “Would you like to come with me? Maybe I could use somepony’s help?” Derpy nodded. “Sure thing Whirl.” She said as she moved beside him and wrapped a wing over his back. The two turned around and started to walk away together. Once they were far enough away that nopony could hear them Whirl finally revealed where they were going. “There was a reason I wanted to go alone Derpy but I think that you should be there as well. What I am about to do is visit my family’s home. Where they lived while they were here and I don’t know what we will find. I am kind of afraid of what we will find.” He admitted with a frown. Derpy nodded in understanding. “I thought that is where we might be going. I had a feeling ever since you said you lived here.” Whirl gestured over to a medium sized home just to their left. “Here we are.” He said with a nervous gulp. Derpy walked forward and pushed him forward with her wing. “No more waiting.” She said sternly as she pushed him up to the door. Whirl put his hoof on the doorknob and pushed it down slowly. The door crept open and Whirl had a sudden flashback of when he was here before. The dark night’s sky loomed overhead and he heard screams. Suddenly his was thrust back into reality by Derpy waving a hoof in front of his face. “Whirl, are you okay? You turned all pale and your eyes turned green!” she said with a worried tone. Whirl blinked his eyes a few times and shook his head. “Sorry, I just had a flashback to the night I was here before, when he was here before.” He said as he opened the door all the way. As he stepped inside his hoof steps made the wooden floors creak. There was another flashback and he was standing in front of his panicking mother and his father holding a spear. Whirl disarmed his father and stabbed his chest with a laugh. Derpy was shaking him screaming his name loudly. Whirl blinked some more and took a deep breath. “Whirl! We need to get you out of here something is happening to you!” Derpy yelled with concern. Whirl shook his head again and continued forward. “I need to see this…” he said as he took another step forward. Another flash and he saw his mother holding his father’s head in her fore hooves as she cried. She looked up to him with her smile and said, “I know this isn’t you Whirl. I know that this is King Sombra. Don’t blame yourself for what was not your fault.” Whirl raised his spear and as it came down he found himself crying. Derpy was holding him in her fore hooves in a hug. “Whirl, what is happening to you?” she asked softly. Whirl returned her hug. “They knew it wasn’t me. They knew! They forgave me! They forgave me!” he cried out. Derpy rubbed his back. “Of course they did. They were your parents and they loved you.” Whirl sobbed for a few more minutes before he calmed down. He slowly moved himself away from Derpy. She didn’t stop him from exploring around but he didn’t get caught in any more flashbacks as he looked at everything in his parent’s home. He gestured Derpy to follow him to his parent’s room. She went down the hall and entered the room with him. “I need your help to find something. It is a photo album. I don’t want to leave here without it.” He said as he started to look around the room. Derpy nodded and started to look around the room as well. Whirl pulled open the closet and found a large book sitting on the floor. “I found it…” he said as he picked it up. He placed it down on the bed and opened it up. The first picture was the same family photo that Whirl had in his home. He closed the book again and put it in his saddle bag. “Time to go now.” He said to Derpy. “You don’t want to take anything else?” She asked curiously. Whirl shook his head. “Enough has already been taken from this house.” He said as he started to walk out the door. Derpy followed along and didn’t question Whirl on what he meant. She caught up with him outside after closing the door to the house. “Now all we have to do is ride a train.” Whirl sighed and shook his head. “I hate trains with every fiber of my being.” He said softly. Derpy giggled. “I know, but the more you prepare for it the better it will be.” “Just give me five minutes on the train and you will see that preparing for it does nothing.” He said with a chuckle. Derpy let out a small laugh. “Let’s make it a bet then. I have fifty bits on you not vomiting once.” She said with a smirk. Whirl laughed loudly. “Fifty it is!” he said as he stuck out a hoof for Derpy to shake. Derpy took his hoof and shook it vigorously. “You just lost fifty bits.” Whirl chuckled and continued walking. When they arrived at the train station Twilight spotted them and ran towards them. “Hey Whirl! Hey Derpy! Good news! I was reading some of the books I brought for travel study and I found a spell that will make this trip easier for Whirl!” she said happily. Whirl sighed and pulled out a bag of bits. “It’s fifty that I owe you right?” he said as she started to count out the bits. Derpy nodded and took the fifty bits in her bag. “Thank you.” She said as she put it bag in her saddle bag. “What was that all about?” Twilight asked. “I lost a bet to magic. Go ahead and do what you need to do.” Whirl said with a sigh. Twilight’s horn lit up and Whirl felt a bit dizzy. He soon fell to the ground and he started to snore. “He should be asleep for the whole trip. I figured since he wasn’t sick while he was awake this was the only way.” Derpy giggled. “So, you couldn’t have put him to sleep on the train, at least while he was over something a bit more soft?” Twilight blushed in embarrassment. “That might have been a good idea. Girls! We need some help getting Whirl on the train!” she called out. It took all seven of them to get him up and in the train. Twilight and Rarity used their magic to lift him onto Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s backs so they could carry him. Derpy and Fluttershy guided them forward and made sure they could get through the doors. Despite their efforts they still managed to smack Whirl’s head on every door frame. They set him down on a bench and put his head on a pillow. “Do you think he will have a headache when he wakes up?” Derpy asked with a concerned look. Twilight frowned and nodded. “Yes he definitely will. That was one of side effects of the spell, but we added to it by hitting his head on everything. He is going to need somepony to walk him home for sure.” Derpy smiled and rubbed Whirl’s head. “I can do that. I assume he is going to be a bit loopy when he wakes up?” Twilight nodded again and found her seat. “So what did you and Whirl do?” she asked with a smile. Derpy pulled out the album from Whirl’s bag and opened it up. “We went to his home to grab this. Only this though, he said something about the house having too much taken from it already.” She said as she looked at the pictures. The others came over and looked through the album with her. There was a picture of Whirl and his older brother hanging upside down from a tree by a rope with upset faces. Another picture was of Whirl lifting rocks that were more than twice his size. Every picture was in a different place in Equestria and some of them were in places none of them had even heard of. “Whirl sure did a lot in his foalhood.” Derpy said as they finished looking at the album. “I can’t believe that somepony so great had never been noticed before. I mean, look at this!” Twilight said as she turned to a picture of Whirl flying out of the water with a trail of water enveloped around him. “That is so awesome! I need to ask him how he did that so I can add it to my routine!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly. “Sometimes ponies work to be hidden away from others. I mean, he lives way outside of Ponyville and he rarely does anything else but his job. Maybe something happened in his foalhood that made him want to be alone?” Fluttershy said. “Whirl told me that I was his first friend he made. Maybe traveling around made him antisocial?” Derpy said as she looked up to Whirl. “That would make sense. I never traveled but I didn’t ever think I would need friends at all. I had my family though, I saw vary few pictures of Whirl spending time with his family. I can only guess what happened to make him so isolated.” Twilight said with a frown. “I went against my father’s wishes.” Whirl said as he yawned. Twilight gasped and her horn lit up again. “Don’t worry, I will get you back to sleep.” “Don’t bother, my brother used to use me for his spell practice. I am very resistant to magic now.” Whirl explained as he sat up and rubbed his head. “Why do I have such a headache though?” All of them chuckled nervously and none of them gave him an answer. “What do you mean you went against your father’s wishes?” Twilight asked as she tried to change the subject. “My father wanted me to be a royal guard. For a long time I worked towards that goal, hence the pictures of me lifting rocks. I changed my mind the day I visited my grandparents in Cloudsdale. They took me to see the Wonderbolts for the first time. The Wonderbolts are the most elegant fliers I have ever seen in my entire life and I wanted to join them, hence the pictures of me doing all kinds of tricks. My brothers stopped spending time with me and so did my father. I didn’t really mind though, I was working towards a dream. I don’t think I will be part of the Wonderbolts now though. I wonder why my father never told me he was part of the land team until I really needed encouragement. I wonder why he didn’t want me to follow in his hoof steps and become a Wonderbolt as well.” Whirl explained. “My father never made any sense though. He used to tell me that he invented the goggles they used for flight teams; I guess it is possible now that I know he was a Wonderbolt. It’s so frustrating that I will never get to ask him any of these things.” “I can only imagine. But think of it this way, your family has done some amazing things Whirl. You can make them all proud by continuing to do the amazing things you do already.” Derpy said with a smile. “What amazing things do I do?” Whirl asked with a frown. “You killed King Sombra, you avenged them Whirl. You have kept the weather in perfect condition since you moved to Ponyville. You have made friends with one of the princesses and the elements of harmony. You have inspired foals to do the best they can be and you helped them to move on. You lift amazingly heavy thing that most of us can only imagine to lift.” Derpy said with a smile. Whirl smiled as well and looked down at the album. “I guess you are right. I never thought that I would be here like this, with friends like all of you. We all became friends because I did what I would have done for anypony, I kept you safe. I know it wasn’t my responsibility to do it, but that wasn’t the point. When the time came I acted in the best interest of Equestria. Little did I know I would be doing a lot more than helping some ponies into Canterlot. And you Derpy, I don’t know what I did to deserve you but I am glad that I did it, because I don’t know what I would do without you.” “You were there for me every time I delivered to you. You gave me encouragement when things looked bad. And you didn’t make fun of me for my… problem. I never met a pony who wasn’t annoyed at me for doing something clumsy and I never expected somepony to not mind it at all.” Derpy replied with a large grin. Whirl looked out the window and instantly turned pale. “Oh no…” he said quietly before he put his head back down on the pillow. Twilight’s horn started to glow again and she put him to sleep. “I could see where that was going from a mile away.” Twilight said with a giggle. Everypony on the train laughed and then went to find a bed to sleep in.
Chapter EightChapter Eight: Rehabilitation Whirl was carried off of the train by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. When they got onto the platform Twilight woke him up and he got off of them. He wobbled a bit and was a little more than groggy. “Whoa, I think you over did it Twilight.” Twilight smiled and nodded. “I did that on purpose, what with you magic resistance and all.” Whirl would have fallen forward had it not been for Derpy who helped him stay standing. “Applejack, before I leave I have a question. I need some work, not so much for pay, but to keep my mind off of everything for a little while. Is there anything I can do around the farm?” Applejack chuckled. “Ahm sure I can find somethin for ya to do, just stop on by whenever you feel like it and ah’ll get ya somethin for yall to do.” She said happily. “Thank you Applejack. Derpy, let’s head home.” He said groggily. Derpy giggled and started to guide him away from the station. “Do you mind if we go to my place? It is much closer and you are kind of heavy.” She said as she started to sweat a little bit. “Sure, if you don’t mind me crashing on your sofa.” He said with a chuckle. “Not at all, my home is your home.” She replied with a smile. When they arrived Derpy quickly opened the door and lead Whirl to the sofa. He flopped down on it and was nearly nodding off. “S-sorry I was little help…” Whirl said groggily. Derpy sat down in a chair and was panting heavily. “It’s okay… I have to go to work. Will you be okay here?” Whirl was asleep and snoring already. Derpy simply giggled and wrote him a note before heading off to work. **** “Ah’m tellin ya Twi, I can’t pay him! We just don’t have the money! I don’t know what to do!” Applejack said as they walked to her farm. “Well, he said he was just looking for the work and not for money. I think it will be fine if he were to just do something to help.” Twilight stated. “Ah can’t just let him work for free. That would be takin advantage of his situation for free labor.” Applejack explained. “Yall remember what happened when Spike was workin for me? Ah felt awful about it, so much so that ah had to fake a timber wolf attack just to get him to stop.” “He really seems to need this Applejack, you would be doing him a favor more than you would be taking advantage of him. Just find him some small work he can do to keep him distracted.” Twilight pleaded. “Alright, alright. But ah don’t want him ta do too much. Ah’ll just have him do some apple buckin around the orchard. Ah don’t think he will get too much done, but ah guess ah’ll find out.” Applejack said enthusiastically. **** Whirl Wind awoke with a start. He had the worst headache he could have imagined as he rubbed his head. “Augh, I feel like I went two rounds with Thunder Driver, the wrestler.” He thought with a chuckle. He spotted Derpy’s note and read it. Dear Whirl, I had to go to work, please make yourself at home while I am gone. Feel free to enjoy the strawberry punch in the fridge, it is really good. I should be back at four o’clock after work, although I think you might still be at Applejack’s farm. If you are not here when I get home I will try to find you so we can hang out. Love, Derpy “Love. Maybe this is love. Actually I am sure it is. The only other pony I have loved like this is Luna and she told me to find somepony else so… I guess Derpy is the one. Who would have thought that my friend would become my marefriend and potential wife?” He thought as he got ready to go to Applejack’s farm. He decided to leave his saddle bag here to let Derpy know he would be back. The first thing he did when he stepped outside was look at the clock tower, it was only ten o’clock. Whirl smiled and started to trot to Applejack’s farm with a bounce in his step. A few ponies stared at his eye bandaging but none of them looked at him with malice or hate, which made Whirl feel good about himself. He spotted Applejack bucking a tree as he approached. “Hey Applejack, I am ready to work!” he said excitedly. Applejack smile and walked over to him. “Alright sugar cube. Now, before we get yall started ah have ta tell you somethin. Ah can’t pay you, Ah mean ah would if we had the bits to spare but we don’t so ah can’t.” she explained nervously. Whirl let out a slight chuckle. “Applejack, you don’t need to pay me. Anything that you have will be a light load for me and not worth pay anyway. Also, I don’t need the bits at all. I could go a whole year without getting paid and still have enough to last a few more months if I needed to. Also, as painful as it is to think about, I am probably going to inherit everything my family owned, so there’s that.” “Alright, if yall insist. Ah got you quite a bit ta do and yall arrived a bit later than ah expected.” She said as she walked through the orchard. “What kind of work do you have in store for me? I can’t wait to get started.” Whirl said happily. “Ah got a whole orchard for yall to buck over the next few weeks. It will take yall that long to get the whole thing done and yall can stop at any time and let me take over if you find another job.” Applejack explained. “That sounds perfect.” Whirl said with a grin. “Well here we are, the south orchard. To goes east to west for a few acres then it becomes the east and west orchard, don’t worry about buckin the wrong trees because there are fences blocking the two orchards. What do ya think?” Applejack asked with a smile. “I will make a dent by days end.” Whirl said happily. “So I just buck them until all the apples are down in these baskets?” “Yup, come and get me if something goes wrong. There is fresh lemonade inside our house if ya need it, take as much as ya need sugar cube.” “Thanks Applejack. I’ll get started now.” He said as he bucked the first tree. All of the apples fell into the basket in one kick and he moved onto the next. “Have fun!” Applejack said with a grin. “Oh, and if Big Macintosh asks just tell him yall is tempin!” she called out as she walked back to her part of the orchard. Whirl bucked the next tree and made sure the coast was clear before he picked up the pace. “Always leave them doubting your abilities so they are more impressed when you do far better than they expected.” Whirl thought as he bucked his fifteenth tree. **** Derpy came home over an hour later than usual because she had to make up some of the work she missed the day before. She was absolutely exhausted as she tossed her mailbag down and took off her uniform. She was a bit disappointed that Whirl wasn’t there but she perked up when she saw his bag with the photo album still in it. Lying down on the sofa for a moment she stretched her legs out and groaned. “Today was rough, but seeing Whirl should give me a smile.” She thought as she got up again and headed out the door. It was getting dark as she approached Applejack’s farm. She spotted Applejack gathering up the last bit of apples for the day and walked over to her. “Hello Applejack, is Whirl here?” “Yup, he is in the south orchard and ah was just about ta head out there ta get him. Yall are welcome to join me if ya’d like.” Applejack said happily as she started to trot to the south orchard. When they arrived Applejack was truly amazed at the amount of work he had gotten done. “Whoa nelly! He done bucked half the orchard! Do ya see him anywhere?” Applejack asked. Derpy looked around for a moment but she couldn’t see him through all the trees. “I don’t, maybe if I fly up I can see him from there?” “Good idea sugar cube!” Applejack said with a smile. Derpy took to the air and looked around in the orchard for no more than a minute before spotting him. “He’s over here Applejack!” she yelled as she descended. Applejack ran over to where Derpy had pointed and found them both together. “Well ah’ll be a sloth in the jungle. You did one heck of a job here Whirl, better than I thought for sure! How long you been apple buckin?” she asked excitedly. “Well, two months total. One month in Appleoosa and one month just outside of Manehatten.” Whirl said with a smile. “Whoooee, that is some fine work for only two months of experience. Makes me feel kind of bad I can’t pay such a wonderful worker.” She said sadly. “I said you don’t need to worry about that, but I think I will need to work in more than one orchard.” He said with a chuckle. “Ah’ll be sure you get dibs on the west orchard. You can work with Big Macintosh and we will get this harvest done faster than ever before!” she said excitedly. “Well, I best be heading out with this lovely mare here. I think I owe her a date that doesn’t involve foalnapping, crying, and vomiting.” He said jokingly. Applejack and Derpy both laughed. “Alrighty then, see yall tomorrow.” Applejack said as she headed home. Whirl waved goodbye before lifting Derpy up and flying away. “So are you excited about this date?” “How can I be excited about it if I didn’t know it was going to happen?” Derpy said with a smirk. “Good point. But you are still going to love it.” He said happily. “I know I will because I am with you!” she replied just a happily. “Hey, I am supposed to be the one saying super sweet stuff!” Whirl said in an obviously fake irritated voice. “Sweet stuff doesn’t have your name on it!” she replied in the same tone Whirl had. “Alright, you got me. But you are still way too adorable to be giving me a couple of bruises. Those kicks really hurt you know?” he said with a chuckle. “Well somepony had to knock some sense into you. I don’t think your friends were ever going to do it.” Derpy said with a giggle. “How often do you have the sense knocked into you?” Whirl asked with concern. “Every time I make a mistake that involves me hitting my head on something.” Derpy said bluntly. “Well, I am sure that none of those mistakes were really your fault and even if they were I don’t think that you should look at it as a bad thing. You should look at is like—“ “A lesson.” Derpy finished his sentence. “That is the best thing I do with my mistakes.” “Exactly. I didn’t think anypony else knew that lesson. At least it doesn’t seem like it.” Whirl said with a smile. “Here we are! This is my favorite spot outside of town.” Derpy wasn’t paying attention at all to where they were flying but the place they were in now was spectacular. It was in between two of the mountains near town and it was beautiful. There was a small lake where the run off from the mountains ran into a caldera. “I call it Ice Lake! When the moon rises it looks like there is a sheet of ice over the lake. I don’t know anypony else who comes out here.” Derpy’s eyes were lit up with joy. “Oh Whirl! It is so beautiful! Are we going to go swimming?” “Oh no, you wouldn’t like that. The water is as cold as the name. You would turn into a Derpy ice cube.” He said jokingly. “Oh okay. Well what are we going to do?” Derpy asked curiously. “There is something amazing near here that we are going to do after the moon rises. You will just have to wait and see.” Whirl said as he started his descent. They landed on the shore of the lake gently and sat down next to each other. They cuddled together to stay warm as the moon started to rise between the two mountains. “Here it comes.” Whirl said as the moon reflected off of the lake. “Wow! It does look like ice!” Derpy said excitedly. “Wait, it gets better!” Whirl said with a smile. The moon was rising even higher and the lake became translucent. At the bottom there was what looked like the entrance to a cave. “Oh wow, look at that Whirl! There is a cave at the bottom of the lake! Let’s go explore it!” Derpy said excitedly as she stood up. “We can’t, the water is way too cold.” Whirl said plainly. “Oh come on! I am going to go and you can join me if you’d like.” She said as she jumped into the water. “She is crazy! Just my kind of mare!” Whirl said as he jumped in after her. The frigid water nearly made his heart stop. He dove down after her as fast as he could, using his wings to make him swim faster. He caught up to her just as they got to the entrance to the cave and he was starting to run out of breath. They entered the cave and they surfaced inside. Whirl exhaled as they resurfaced and then took in two big breaths. They made their way to the shore inside of the cave, which was already lit oddly enough, and got out of the water. “Wow, it is surprisingly warm in here, and it is lit up for some reason.” Derpy said with a smile. Whirl nodded in agreement. “It is strange. Why would this cave be lit?” “I don’t know but it would be cool to find out.” Derpy said as she started to move farther into the cave. “Wait! We can’t explore too much, otherwise you will not get sleep to work.” Whirl said in a concerned voice. “Whirl, it’s Saturday. No delivery tomorrow.” Derpy said with a grin. “Oh, well in that case let’s go all out!” he said as he trotted ahead of her. They continued forward through the cave looking for the source of the light. What they found made them both drop their jaws in shock. Princess Celestia was standing in front of what looked like a miniature sun. She turned and saw Whirl and Derpy standing there with shocked looks on their faces. “Well hello there Whirl Wind and Whirl’s friend. How did you find this place? A better question might be, how did you manage the swim?” Princess Celestia asked curiously. Derpy was down in a bow before Celestia could finish her question, Whirl however was not. “While it was a cold swim, it was not an impossible one when you have the right inspiration. I found the lake just after I moved to Ponyville, it has been my favorite place to go and relax. What is all of this?” Whirl asked as he took a few steps forward in amazement. Princess Celestia smiled. “You can stop bowing now young one.” She said to Derpy. Derpy stood back up and caught up to Whirl. “Your majesty this is wonderful.” She said in awe. “This is the celestial monitor. This is where Princess Luna and I monitor the sun, the moon, and the stars. Right now I am keeping an eye on a solar flare that is about to occur. Would you care to see it?” Celestia asked with a smile. “Yes please your majesty.” Derpy said excitedly. “This ought to be amazing.” Whirl said as he took a few more steps forward. Princess Celestia’s horn started to glow and the miniature sun turned around. A string rocketed off of the side of the sun in a half ring and spread outward. It was truly an amazing sight. “This isn’t going to hit us is it?” Whirl asked with concern. “No it won’t. It is on the side of the sun facing away from us. It is just beautiful to watch.” Celestia responded. “I agree Princess, it is amazing!” Derpy said happily. “Indeed it is, you just made our nights I think.” Whirl said with a chuckle. “I am glad I was able to make this night special. I was not expecting on having company here. It is a nice change considering this is the first time in a few thousand years since somepony found this place. I must ask you two to keep the cave a secret, it would be awful if I had to move again.” Celestia said kindly. “Of course we can keep it a secret. Whirl here hasn’t even told me how much he likes me so he is good at keeping secrets.” Derpy said with a giggle. “I was showing you how much I like you by bringing you to the lake I had never shown anypony else. But you have my word Celestia, I will not tell anypony.” Whirl said with a smile. “And I love you Derpy.” Celestia let out a giggle. “A little informal tonight Whirl?” Whirl blushed in embarrassment. “Sorry Princess Celestia, Luna got me into the habit of treating you like anypony else.” “I understand, did you get her last letter?” Celestia asked with a smile. “HER LETTER! Oh Whirl, I was going to give it to you when we got to my house! I am so sorry I forgot!” Derpy said sadly. “It’s okay, I can read it later.” Whirl said with a chuckle. “What were you two doing at the lake anyway?” Celestia suddenly asked. “We were on a date!” Derpy said happily. Whirl smiled. “Yes we were. I took Luna’s advice and started to look for love, and I found it right in front of my nose. It is the best kind of love, the kind that might lead to the perfect love.” Whirl said as he looked into Derpy’s eyes. One of them started to drift upward and Derpy covered her eye. “No, not now.” She said sadly as she looked away. Whirl took her hoof off of her eye. “Don’t hide it, it is a part of who you are and I love every bit of you.” He said lovingly. Derpy smiled and hugged Whirl. “Thank you Whirl, you make me feel so good.” “What is wrong with your eye? If you don’t mind me asking.” Princess Celestia asked just as suddenly as before. “Not at all Princess Celestia, I uh… well look.” Derpy said as she walked over to Celestia and showed Celestia her eye. “Oh dear, do you want me to… do you want me to fix it for you?” Princess Celestia asked. Derpy gasped. “You… what? Fix? I-I-I-I-I…” she stammered. Whirl walked up to Derpy and wrapped a wing around her back. She jumped at his touch. “Whirl, I don’t know. I mean you did say it is a part of me and that you loved me for it…” “I would love you no matter what. If you think it will be good for you, then I say go for it. Whatever will make you happy.” Whirl said with a smile. Derpy was almost crying. “I don’t know. It is what I have always wanted, but now that the offer is here I just don’t know.” “Derpy, if you have always wanted it then it is a good thing for you. It will make you happy and if it doesn’t I will spend the rest of my life doing whatever I can to make you happy again.” Whirl said sincerely. Derpy smiled and gave him a quick kiss. “Princess Celestia, would you please fix my eye?” she asked kindly. Princess Celestia’s horn started to glow. “This may hurt a little.” She said as she concentrated her magic. Derpy’s eye started to drift back into position as the magic continued. Then everything stood still and Derpy let out a squeak of pain. Celestia’s horn stopped glowing and Whirl held his breath. Derpy turned around slowly and Whirl saw her eyes, they were perfect. Derpy was crying and she jumped into Whirl for a hug. Whirl caught her and hugged her tightly while mouthing ‘Thank you.’ to Princess Celestia. Derpy was sobbing with pure joy as he held her in his fore hooves. “This is the happiest day of my life!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. Whirl was crying a bit too now. He had never felt so happy for another pony. “I would have to agree with you Derpy, this is the happiest day of my life too.” He said with a crying chuckle. Princess Celestia smiled. “As much as I would love to be able to stay longer, I must return to Canterlot. Unfortunately I cannot leave you here, but I can take you to where ever you want.” She said sadly. “Take us to my house, I will walk her home.” Whirl said softly. Princess Celestia’s horn started to glow again and they both felt a pulling feeling on them as they were teleported to Whirl’s house. Whirl was still holding her tightly. “Where do you think this will go?” he asked softly. “What do you mean?” Derpy asked in a slight sob. “Do you think we will ever… get married?” “I-I don’t know… I never thought of it. But if I did marry it would only be you… just give it time.” Derpy replied happily. Whirl let out a hum of approval and nuzzled Derpy as he held her. “I love you Derpy.” He said softly. “I love you too Whirl. We should go to my house now.” She said softly. “What do you say we get going then? We can make good time if we fly.” Whirl said with a smile. “I would rather take our time and walk together.” Derpy replied as she broke away from the hug. “That’s fine too.” Whirl said softly as he stood up as well. Both of them walked out the front door with their wings over each other’s backs. It was late, almost midnight when they arrived at Derpy’s house and both of them were exhausted. “Whirl, tonight was amazing, thank you for showing me such a good time. I have never been on a date before.” Derpy said happily. “Neither had I before tonight, it was really fun. What would you like to do tomorrow?” Whirl asked with a smile. “Tomorrow? We are going to do this again?” Derpy asked with a grin. “Why not? I figure you deserve the best and I definitely have the bits to do whatever you want.” Whirl said happily. “How about I figure things out and I pay for it this time?” Derpy asked as she walked up to him a booped him on the nose. “That does seem very gentlecolt like of me, but if you insist. I want you to do it only if you have the bits though.” Whirl said sincerely. “I have a few bits saved up, not many, but enough to show us a good time. Don’t you worry about a thing, I will have a whole day planned for us.” Derpy said happily. Whirl smiled widely and nodded. “I can’t wait, but we should get some sleep.” Derpy nodded and yawned. “I agree. Come on, you can sleep with me.” “Sleep… with you? In your bed?” Whirl asked awkwardly. “Of course silly! I won’t let you sleep on the sofa when there is enough room for us to share a bed.” Derpy said happily. Whirl was blushing intensely. “Oh, well I don’t want to be rude so…” he said as he followed her to her room. The bed was just big enough to fit two ponies on it, but only if they were close together. Derpy leaped onto the bed with a giggle. “Well, are you coming?” She asked as she patted the bed. Whirl got up onto the bed slowly and laid down. Derpy quickly pulled him close to her and gave him a kiss. “Comfy?” she asked with a smirk. Whirl was blushing even more now, his whole coat was practically red. “Uh huh…” he said nervously. “What’s wrong Whirl? You seem tense and nervous.” Derpy asked with a slight tone of concern. “I uh, I have never shared a bed with anypony… ever.” Whirl admitted. “Let alone a pony I love, it is just a bit… different.” He said with a chuckle. Derpy let out a giggle. “You ought to get used to it, because we will be sharing a bed a lot more.” She said as she cuddled against him. Whirl’s eyes widened. “I oh uh I heh…” he sputtered nonsensically. “You should see the look on your… face.” Derpy said with a yawn. “Just close your eyes and soon you will be asleep.” Whirl nodded and closed his eyes, feeling so relaxed as he did so. “Goodnight Derpy.” “Goodnight Whirl.” She replied. **** BANG BANG BANG! Derpy let out a moan and Whirl rolled over, unwittingly rolling off of the bed and onto the floor. “Who could that be this early in the morning?” Whirl asked as she stood up. He walked to the door and another set of loud bangs rapped against the front door. Whirl opened it up, putting on his best ‘I wasn’t asleep two seconds ago’ face. “Hello, can I help you?” he asked the strange red earth pony at the door. “Eeyup, you are working at our farm today right?” Big Macintosh asked with a smile. Whirl didn’t recognize him and he thought for a moment to see if he could figure out what the pony was talking about. “Uhhh, this is probably going to sound very stupid… but who are you?” Big Macintosh let out a small laugh. “You don’t remember me? I hauled you to the library when you got yourself cover in that black crystal stuff before the war.” Whirl suddenly perked up. “Big Macintosh! How could I forget the pony who saved my life?!” “Who is it Whirly bird?” Derpy asked sleepily. “Derpy, this is Big Macintosh! He saved my life just before the war started! Oh wait, did you ask if I was going to work today? It’s Sunday, don’t you take breaks on Sundays?” Whirl asked in a confused tone. “Nope. We can’t waste a single day if we are to get harvest in on time.” Big Macintosh explained. Whirl turned to Derpy then to Big Mac, then to Derpy over and over. “Oh no… Uh Derpy, I need some help here.” Big Macintosh look on in confusion as Derpy trotted up to Whirl. “What is it Whirl?” Derpy asked with a smile. “Okay, it seems as though Big Macintosh and his family work on Sunday and I made a promise to work on their farm and if I go we will not get to spend today together.” Whirl said sadly. “It’s okay, you made a promise. Go ahead and go to work, we can go spend a day together when you are done with the harvest.” Derpy said with a smile. “Thank you Derpy, sorry about this.” Whirl said as he grabbed his saddle bag. “I’ll leave my album here. I want to look at it with you later.” Whirl said as he took out the heavy book and set in on the small table in front of the sofa. “I will be back at the end of the day. Love you Derpy.” He gave her a quick kiss and walked out the door, following Big Macintosh to their farm. “So was that yer wife?” Big Macintosh asked with a sort of half smile. “Someday I hope she will be, she is really amazing.” Whirl said happily. “Ah know that feeling, ah was forced to experience it when my sister poisoned me and their school teacher with a love poison. It was the cutest thing ever, but after they managed to break the spell it had put over us we found a real connection with each other that we never expected to find.” Big Macintosh said happily. “Funny how that goes huh? One moment you are just living and working, the next moment you are in love and you are planning a wedding in your mind.” Whirl said in a reminiscing tone. Big Macintosh let out a laugh. “Love is definitely a kick to the head, but a good kick none the less. Ah’ve been meanin to ask ya, why are you so big? Normally you flying types are really light and nimble.” Whirl let out a loud laugh. “If I had a bit for every time I was asked about my size I would have enough to buy my own apple orchard. You see, my father was an earth pony and my mom was a pegasi with an earth pony heritage. It resulted in my family being really diverse. My older brother was a unicorn, as surprising as that may sound, but my great great grandfather was a unicorn and it skipped a few generations. My little brother and littler sister were earth ponies, both of them were quite strong as well but they never used their strength for any practical use. That just left me, the only pegasi in our family besides my mother. We have speculated that the earth pony blood is running heavily within me while I have just a hint of pegasi. And don’t you be fooled, I am quite nimble for a pony my size too.” Whirl explained. “Well, that would explain it then. And look at that, your long explanation was just what we needed to pass the time.” Big Macintosh said with a smile as they reached the farm. “You and ah will be bucking the rest of the south orchard this morning, then if you are as fast as AJ says you are, we will buck as much of the west orchard as possible.” “Sounds like a plan. Let’s get started then.” Whirl said as they started to walk towards the southern field. “Now hold up yall! I know for a fact you to didn’t eat breakfast like I told Big Macintosh to tell you. Now get your tukuses in here and grab a bite before I tell Applebloom that there is a cutie mark for wrangling ponies that skip breakfast.” Applejack said sternly as she poked her head out of their house. “There’s a cutie mark for what?!” Applebloom shouted in the distance. “Nothin Applebloom, we were just talking about somepony else’s cutie mark!” Big Macintosh called back as he and Whirl stepped into their house. Whirl chuckled and he walked in the door, he spotted a table with five plates sitting on it. He waited for everypony else to take a seat before he took one. “Alright everypony, we have company over so yall mind yer manners.” Applejack said sternly. Applejack lifted a lid off of the tray that was in the center of the table. On the tray laid the largest mountain of pancakes Whirl had not seen since he dined with his family. Applejack and Big Macintosh served up everypony at the table and Applejack announced, “Dig in!” happily. Whirl smiled and leaned back in his chair, he then plopped one of his fore hooves down on the edge of his plate sending the pancakes flying into the air. Whirl opened his mouth and caught all five in one bite and chewed them up quickly before swallowing. “Well would yall look at that! Whirl is just full of surprises!” Applejack said with excitement. “I want to try!” Applebloom suddenly shouted as she slammed a hoof down on her plate. “Applebloom no!” Whirl called out, but it was too late. The pancakes, which were covered in syrup smacked into Appleblooms face, not getting into the air at all. She just sat there for a moment thinking about why it didn’t work and the pancakes fell into her lap. “Applebloom, just because somepony else can do it, doesn’t mean you can.” Applejack said with a sigh. “Now go get yourself cleaned up and come fix yourself some more pancakes.” “Yes Applejack.” Applebloom said sadly as she pushed back away from the table. Whirl had his fore hooves over his mouth trying to hold back a laugh, he didn’t want to embarrass Applebloom. Once she was out of the room Whirl contained his laughter and let out a sigh. “Sorry about that you guys, I didn’t mean to put the idea in her head.” Whirl said with a nervous chuckle. “It’s alright youngin’. She was bound to try it eventually.” Granny Smith said as she copied Whirl’s move perfectly. “She just needs practice.” “Wow, that was amazing uh… I don’t think I caught your name Mrs…?” Whirl asked kindly. “Yall just call me Granny Smith now, I won’t have this Mrs. this and Mrs. that stuff.” Granny Smith replied with what looked like a toothless smile. “Granny Smith I didn’t know you could do that.” Applejack said in a surprised tone. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me whippersnapper. Maybe you should act out more.” Granny Smith said with a laugh. “Eeyup.” Big Macintosh said simply as he finished his last pancake. “Let’s go get to work Whirl.” “Sure thing. Granny Smith, it was nice to meet you. Applejack, the pancakes were amazing, best I have had in a long time. Thank you.” Whirl said as he excused himself from the table and followed Big Macintosh out the door. When they were outside Big Macintosh let out a loud laugh. “That in there was priceless!” he said as they continued to walk. Whirl let out a laugh of his own. “It was funny, I had to fight back the urge to laugh right when it happened. I didn’t want to embarrass her or anything. Not that she should be ashamed or anything, I did the same thing the first five times I tried that. The key is to not have syrup on the pancakes.” Whirl said loudly as he saw Applebloom out of the corner of his eye. “No syrup huh?” Applebloom said quietly before heading back inside to finish her breakfast. “APPLEBLOOM!” Applejack said as Whirl heard a clatter of dishes from inside. Whirl and Big Macintosh let out another series of laughs as they walked along. “I forgot the mention that you can only do it when you have bigger hooves.” Whirl said with a laugh. Big Macintosh gave him a pat on the back. “That was just cruel Whirl, but funny.” He said as they reached the south orchard. They soon got to where Whirl left off and started to buck the trees. “Want me to keep your pace, or do you want me to go as fast as I can.” “Take your time, there is no need to wear yourself out early.” Big Macintosh said as he bucked another tree. “No need to worry about that, I have excellent endurance thanks to my father.” Whirl said with a smile as he bucked another tree. “Is that because he was an earth pony?” Big Macintosh asked with a chuckle. “No, it’s because he made me hold rocks over my head for hours on end. He used to always say that if I dropped it I would only be hurting myself. Boy was he right!” Whirl said with a laugh. “Alright then, but if you are tuckered out half way through the day I still expect you to work.” Big Macintosh said plainly. “It’s a deal.” Whirl said as he started to pick up that pace. One tree, two trees, five trees, ten trees. Whirl was working like a machine as he bucked one tree after another. “Now how come I never heard about you before Whirl? I mean my cousin never stops talking about Appleoosa and AJ tells me that is where you used to work.” Big Macintosh explained. “I gave credit to my team, I usually tried to fly under the eye of the leaders. I didn’t want to be treated differently.” Whirl admitted. “My team was ranked number one in apple bucking while I was there.” “Mighty noble of ya ta do that. Why not take credit where credit is due though?” “What would I do with credit? I have tons of credit right now and I don’t want it. I am just an average pony with an average life and that is all I have wanted really. Even my dreams of joining the Wonderbolts was just something I wanted for a career. I didn’t want fame, I didn’t want money, I just wanted to live my life to the fullest. Then the war started and everything changed so fast. Suddenly I was hated by everypony and there wasn’t a single one of them who didn’t know my name! I went and did something I thought was noble and everypony paid the price! King Sombra stole my body and killed thousand!” CRACK! Whirl’s anger had been building as he spoke and he had unintentionally kicked a tree in half. It fell with a loud thud against the ground and Whirl just stared at in with a dumbstruck expression. Big Macintosh walked up next to him and stared at it with a neutral expression. “Nothing like letting out your anger huh?” Big Macintosh said calmly. “I’m sorry Big Ma-“ “Just answer the question Whirl, did it feel good to let out you anger?” Big Macintosh interrupted him with the same calm voice. “Yes it did. I’m sorry it was directed at your tree.” Whirl said with a guilty tone. “It’s alright, it wouldn’t be the first one that has been kicked down. I kicked one down after Applejack left home for Manehatten when she was just a filly. Granny Smith simply laughed and said, it’s good you are putting that anger into your work instead of holding it inside.” Big Macintosh said with a smile. “Wise words indeed. I could have used them when I got home. Thank you for helping me to get rid of my anger. Is that why Applejack wanted you to work with me today?” Whirl asked with a smirk. “Eeyup. She thought you could use the extra motivation.” Big Macintosh said with a chuckle. “Why don’t yall take the rest of the day off? Yall should reflect on what you were saying when you kicked down this here tree.” “Alright, I think I will. Thank you again Big Macintosh, I owe you all one.” Whirl said happily. “Taint nothing Whirl, glad to help a friend.” Big Macintosh said as he got back to work. Whirl smiled and took off to Derpy’s house. He went as fast as he could and arrived quickly. He skidded to a halt just outside her door and knocked on it excitedly. The door opened shortly after and Whirl grabbed her and swung her around. “I just had the greatest feeling ever! I’m not angry anymore!” Whirl said happily. Derpy laughed as he swung her around. “That’s great Whirl! But why are you back so early? You were only gone for two hours!” “Big Macintosh gave me the day off after I kicked down a tree!” Whirl said happily. “You did what?!”
Chapter NineChapter Nine: Derpy’s New Life Wonderful, that is the word that best describes the way Derpy was feeling at that moment. Total fear, that is the word that best describes the way Whirl Wind was feeling at that moment. The rollercoaster reached the apex of its initial start, the top of the lift, and Whirl let out a loud scream. “NOOOOOOO!” he screamed as the rollercoaster started to drop. “WHOOOOOOOOOO!” Derpy yelled with joy as it went around its first bend. When the ride was finally over Whirl was pale and shaking. “That… was… crazy… scary…” he said with a shaky voice. “I don’t understand you sometimes Whirl. You fall faster from the sky than that rollercoaster and yet you are shaking like a foal. What’s with that?” Derpy asked with a laugh. “Control, there is nothing controlled about a rollercoaster. It is basically a train that drops wildly around turns and loops.” Whirl said as he started to look better. “Well at least you recover faster from this than you do a real train. What should we do next?” Derpy asked with a smile. “How about we—“ Whirl started. “OHHH! Look a hall of mirrors!” Derpy said excitedly as she ran towards the entrance. Whirl sighed and followed along. “Hall of mirrors it is.” He said as he paid the attendant. “Want to do a maze race today sir?” the attendant asked with a smile. “YES!” Derpy yelled excitedly. The attendant pressed a button and a second entrance opened up. “Now each of you take a hall and the first one out wins a prize.” Whirl and Derpy each picked a hall and got ready. “Three, two, one… GO!” the attendant shouted. Derpy and Whirl dashed into their chosen halls and Whirl instantly slammed into a mirror. “Ow!” his voice echoed along with the thud in the hall. Derpy’s responsive laugh could be heard in the maze as well. Whirl shook the blow off and started to move forward again, shortly after he walked into another mirror and Derpy laughed again. “This was your plan wasn’t it?!” Whirl called out as Derpy laughed. “No! I didn’t know you were this bad at mirror halls! I am used to seeing things all weird because of how my eyes used to be! I am so going to win!” Derpy called out as she cantered along with no effort. Whirl smiled as she spoke. “I am so glad her eyes are better, she is so much happier.” He thought as he continued again. It didn’t take him very long before he again collided with a mirror. He let out a sigh and looked around, his bandaged eye had started to bleed under the bandage. “No, not now.” He thought as he put his hoof over his eye. He started to walk forward again, being a little more cautious this time. It took him a long time to get out of the maze and Derpy was waiting for him while holding a stuffed Princess Luna plushy. “Look what I won for beating you!” She said happily as she swung it around. “Look what I won for losing to you.” Whirl said as he took his hoof away from his eye. A small trickle of blood leaked from the bandage and started dripping on the ground. “Oh my gosh! We need to get you to the hospital!” Derpy said in a panic. “It can wait until we are done with the carnival. I mean, you have work tomorrow and the carnival ends the next day.” Whirl said as he tried to wipe the blood off of his face. The blood smeared all over his face as he tried to wipe it off. Derpy looked faintish as she stood and watched. Whirl noticed her looking pale and grew a concerned look on his face. “Are you okay?” he asked worriedly. “So much blood…” she said as she looked away and wobbled. “Not a fan of blood huh? Let’s go to the restrooms so I can wipe this off.” Whirl said as he started to trot towards the rest area in the carnival. Derpy followed closely behind with her new Luna plushy on her back. “Sorry about this Derpy.” Whirl said in a guilty tone. “It’s okay, I was the one who wanted to go to into the mirror hall.” Derpy said a bit weakly as she started at Whirl’s face. “Don’t look at me, you will just get more sick.” Whirl said with a chuckle. Once they reached the restrooms Whirl quickly walked inside and got a damp paper towel on his face. As he scrubbed the blood off, more and more leaked on. “Come on, stop bleeding.” He thought as he placed a dry paper towel over his bandaging. Still more leaked out around the paper towel and Whirl had had enough. He pulled the paper towel away and then tore off the bandage. What he saw nearly made him faint, a piece of his bone from his broken eye socket was sticking out of the skin. “DAMN IT!” he screamed in frustration. He placed a paper towel gently over his face and walked out the door. “We need to go to the hospital Derpy…” he said sadly. “What’s wrong? I thought you said it was alright.” Derpy said in a worried voice. “You don’t want to know. Suffice it to say that it is bad enough for me to have to go to the hospital.” Whirl said as he started to walk out of the fair. “I think I can handle it Whirl. Please show me, I am worried.” Derpy pleaded. Whirl sighed and pulled the paper towel away. Derpy saw the bone sticking out and let out a gasp. “We need to get a cab! That is bleeding too much! Help! Somepony help! We need fast transportation to the hospital!” Derpy called out in panic. A couple of ponies pulling the hay ride wagon ran over with a load full of ponies. “What is the problem miss?” one of the ponies pulling the wagon asked. Derpy pulled Whirl’s hoof away from his eye so the pony could see. “His eye is broken! We need to get him to the hospital immediately!” Derpy said as she started to tear up. Whirl was turning a bit pale from the loss of blood and was unsteady. “Climb aboard, we can get you there in a flash.” The other pony pulling the wagon said. Whirl and Derpy joined the ponies in the back, one of them was Rumble. “Mr. Wind! Are you okay?!” he said as he scampered over to him. Whirl was breathing erratically. “Just an eye thing…” he said weakly. Derpy was holding Whirl and cuddling him. “Everything is going to be okay Whirl.” Derpy said as she held him. “Hey Rumble, leave the poor pony alone. He is hurt.” A mysterious black pegasus with a blue mohawk mane called out. The wagon started to move at a quick pace once Whirl was fully settled. “It’s okay, he my paper colt. Who might you be?” Whirl asked weakly. “Thunderlane, I am Rumble’s older brother. Rumble you didn’t tell me you delivered to Whirl Wind, that is pretty cool.” Thunder Lane said with a grin. “I was the one who convinced him to go to the hospital in the first place. What happened to you eye Whirl? I thought the doctor fixed that up.” Rumble asked as he tried to move Whirl’s hoof away. Whirl gently moved Rumble’s hoof away. “Just an eye problem…” Whirl said again. The wagon hit a bump and it caused Whirl’s hoof to lift up then slam back down into his eye, the resulting pain caused Whirl to faint and his hoof to drop. Derpy gasped and tried to cover his eye again, but she was too squeamish to touch the blood. Rumble acted without thinking, he took out a small rag from his saddle bag and held it over Whirl’s eye. “Rumble! Be careful!” Thunderlane said worriedly. “I got it brother, don’t worry.” Rumble said calmly. The wagon pulled up to the hospital and Derpy jumped off the wagon and ran inside to get a nurse. Rumble had to take the rag away when it wouldn’t hold any more blood. “What do we do now Thunderlane?” Rumble asked worriedly. “Just wait for the nurses, unless you have another rag.” Thunderlane said as he searched his bag. “I don’t have another rag, get out of my bag. You are making me unbalanced.” Rumble said as he tried to jump off the wagon. Thunderlane was trying to get Whirl to the edge of the wagon, but he couldn’t move him. “Hey, you two are much stronger than me. Help me get this stallion off your wagon.” He called out to the two ponies that were now unlatching themselves from the wagon. They moved around to the back and started to pull Whirl off of the wagon almost effortlessly. Derpy had just come out with a few nurses and the doctor pulling a gurney. They quickly moved Whirl onto the gurney and wheeled him inside. “What happened to him? Was he attacked again?” the doctor asked frantically and he started to inject him with pain reducers. “No, we were at the carnival and we were walking through a hall of mirrors and he ran into a few and it’s all my fault!” Derpy said as she started to cry. “It’s okay, but he has lost a lot of blood. He is going to need more. Does anyone know his blood type?” the doctor asked as he looked at the ponies who came in with him. “O negative, he told me while he was telling me about his family.” Derpy sobbed. “Dang, I was hoping you weren’t going to say that. We need to test everpony’s blood here for a match.” The doctor said as they wheeled Whirl into a room. “First we need to stop the bleeding, how long has the bleeding been going on anyway?” “If it started to bleed inside of the maze then it was about thirty minutes.” Derpy said as she took a seat in the room. “What? Are you sure? Because it should have stopped bleeding on its own by now if that is the case.” The doctor said worriedly. “I am positive. I saw the clock tower as we were leaving the carnival.” Derpy explained with a sob. “There must be something stopping him from halting his bleeding.” The doctor said in a panic. “Magic!” Doctor Ray said as he walked into the room. “After he was released from King Sombra’s power a magical residue latched to his blood.” He explained as he started to use his magic to hold back the bleeding. “We are going to need somepony with more magical knowledge to help us stop his bleeding; I can only hold it for so long.” “Twilight Sparkle!” Derpy said suddenly. She didn’t bother to explain as she ran out the door. She quickly took off as she left the hospital, leaving everypony there confused. Flying as fast as she could she flew towards the library. When she arrived she banged on the door frantically. “Twilight! I need your help, hurry!” she screamed as she cried. Spike answered the door and looked up to Derpy. “Oh, hey Derpy. Twilight isn’t here, she is at Sugar Cube corner with Pinkie Pie.” Without saying another words she took off leaving Spike in utter confusion. “Sugar Cube Corner is not far!” She thought as she sped through town. She skidded to a halt outside Sugar Cube Corner and ran inside. “Twilight! I need your help!” She called out. “Oh Twilight’s not here deary. She just left to go to Zecora’s home in the Everfree Forest.” Mrs. Cake said joyfully. Derpy sighed in frustration and took off again. It didn’t take her long to spot Twilight heading out of town and she flew down in front of her. “Twi…light… need… help… Whirl… trouble… hospital…” she panted. “Derpy, what’s wrong? Calm down for a second and catch your breath.” Twilight said calmly. Derpy took a deep breath before saying, “Whirl is in the hospital and the doctors need the help of a unicorn that knows a lot about magic so they can stop the magic that is causing Whirl to bleed out.” Twilight let out a gasp and her horn started to glow. With a magical poof they were transported just outside the hospital. Twilight walked inside and Derpy lead her to Whirl’s room. The sound of a heart monitor going crazy and doctors shouting was loud as they approached. When they got inside they saw Whirl convulsing on the gurney they had him on. “We need to get his heart rate down now! He is crashing! Where is that unicorn that pegasus was getting?!” Doctor Ray shouted. “I’m right here! What can I do?!” Twilight called out as she ran up to Whirl’s side. “I thought I had dispelled the magic the last time it was here, but something made it come back! It is an anti-coagulant spell that doesn’t want to go away!” Doctor Ray yelled over all the noise. “I can fix that, just give me a moment!” Twilight said as her horn started to glow. She grunted and a magical aura started to flow over Whirl. “Derpy, I need you to go down the hall three rooms. We found a donor who was just outside and they are drawing his blood now. I need you to see if it is ready.” Doctor Ray said calmly. Derpy ran out the door and ran down the hall to the appropriate room. “Is the blood read—Thunder Lane?! You are the donor?” “Yeah, who would have guessed that I was O negative.” Thunderlane said with a chuckle. “We have the first infusion ready. Take this bag to the doctor right away.” The nurse instructed Derpy as she started to fill another bag. Derpy took the bag and quickly trotted down the hall. When she got to the room Whirl was in she noticed how much calmer things had gotten. The heart monitor was still running fast though. Derpy gave the blood to the doctor who immediately hooked it up to Whirl. Twilight was still performing her spell even though the blood had stopped. “Twilight can’t speak right now, but she told me to tell you something. She needs you to go to Canterlot to get Princess Luna or Princess Celestia. Twilight can’t hold the magic back for too long and she needs help. She gives it a week before Whirl Wind can’t be saved. You need to go quickly.” Doctor Ray explained. Derpy clapped her hooves to her mouth and let out a whimper. “This is no time to panic, you need to go now.” Doctor Ray said frantically. Derpy turned around and dashed out of the room. She made a quick stop at Thunderlane’s room. “Thunderlane, I need to go to Canterlot but I can’t go alone! I will mess things up and Whirl’s life is on the line!” Derpy explained frantically. “I can’t leave, I am Whirl’s only source of blood right now.” Thunderlane explained. “We are going to need to call in your entire family if we are going to be supplying him with more blood.” The nurse explained as she trotted out of the room to call for Thunderlane’s family. “I can’t go alone! Please, somepony has to come with me!” Derpy cried. “I’ll go! I have always wanted to see Canterlot!” Rumble said suddenly. “No! You have school Rumble!” Thunderlane protested. “But big brother, if I don’t go Derpy might mess up and Whirl will die! I won’t let that happen!” Rumble said as he walked over to Derpy. “Let’s get going then!” Derpy sobbed as she ran out the door. “I’ll be back soon Thunderlane I promise!” Rumble called out as he followed her out the door. “Rumble wait! It’s too dangerous!” Thunderlane called out after them, but it was too late. **** Derpy and Rumble arrived at the train station and quickly bought tickets to Canterlot. Once they were on board they started to catch their breath. “What… are we getting… in Canterlot?” Rumble asked as he tried to catch his breath. The train started to roll out of the station as Derpy spoke. “We have to get one of the princesses to come back with us to save Whirl. They are his only hope now.” She explained. “Wow… how are we going to do that?” Rumble asked as he finally caught his breath. “Whirl Wind is a personal friend of theirs, we will just tell them what is wrong and they will come.” Derpy said with a fake smile. “You don’t look very sure.” Rumble said sadly. “Well, I tend to have a habit of messing things up. I am worried that if I mess up this time, Whirl will die…” she said as she started to cry again. “Don’t you worry, everything is going to be fine!” Rumble said confidently. “We got this!” Derpy let out a giggle. “I can see why Whirl likes you, you are a lot like him.” She said as she wiped away her tears. “I am? That is really awesome! I am like Whirl, the slayer of darkness!” Rumble said as he struck a heroic pose. “Slayer of darkness?” Derpy asked with another giggle. “It’s the title me and my brother gave him after I told him Whirl’s story.” Rumble said happily. “Is that because he killed King Sombra?” Derpy asked curiously. “No, it is because he defeated General Wind!” Rumble said as he leaped into the air and buzzed around. Derpy was a bit shocked by his response. “You know… you know that he was General Wind right?” “Well… he wasn’t really General Wind. King Sombra brain scrubbed him.” Rumble said as he landed. “You mean brain washed?” Derpy asked with a giggle. “Yeah, brain washed. If King Sombra hadn’t done that Whirl would have been the greatest general on our side, I just know it.” Rumble said with a smile. “I know it too. It’s a shame that such a good pony was treated so badly by everypony who crossed his path.” Derpy said sadly. “I think everypony has learned what Whirl is really all about. Everypony knows he is kind and caring and awesome!” Rumble said enthusiastically. “You forgot strong, he is really strong too.” Derpy said with a smile. “Yeah he is! I don’t think I have met a pegasi as strong as him. Well, except for that Snowflake pony. He seems to be way stronger than Whirl.” Rumble said with a laugh. “Snowflake is really big and strong, but his wings are so tiny.” Derpy said with a giggle. Rumble let out a loud laugh. “Yeah they are! But he definitely makes up for it in power.” Derpy nodded in agreement. “It is nice to be able to talk to somepony on the train. You should see Whirl on a train, he gets so sick.” She said with a giggle. “He does? Why? Trains are fun!” Rumble said as he started to jump on his seat. “It must be the way the train moves or it could be something from his past, a traumatic event or something.” Derpy said with a shrug. Rumble settled back down and sat on the chair. “So are you and Whirl married or something? Do you have a family like mine?” Derpy smiled kindly. “Well, no. We just started going out a few days ago.” “Is that when you two met? A few days ago?” Rumble asked with a curiously look on his face. “Well, no. We met just over a year ago and we have talked so much.” Derpy said dreamily. “You have been going out then! Why not just marry him now? You two are really nice together?” “How would you know what ‘good together’ looks like?” Derpy asked with a smirk. “Well, my parents are good together and when you and Whirl are together you remind me of them.” Rumble explained. Derpy was a bit surprised by that response. She tilted her head down and started to think. “It is true that I love him… but marriage… it seems like a big thing… Would I live with him, or would he live with me? Well I guess I would live with him because he has a bigger house. Rumble does have a point; we have technically been dating since we met. He didn’t really ask me though; he just asked if it were possible. Same thing I guess… I don’t know what—“ she thought before Rumble interrupted her. “Hey Derpy, I think we are here!” Rumble said as the train started to slow down. Derpy snapped out of it as the hiss of the train filled her ears. “Let’s get ready to get off. I want to get to the castle as soon as possible.” Derpy said as she walked to the door. When the train stopped at the station, Derpy and Rumble quickly disembarked and started to run into the city. The streets were amazingly clean and tidy even if some of the buildings weren’t. As they dodged and weaved their way through the crowd they saw ponies rebuilding homes and others were moving supplies to others. When they finally got to the castle it was barred off by guards. Derpy walked up to one of them shyly. “Um, we need to see the princesses. It’s an emergency…” Derpy said shyly but urgently. “Sorry miss, the castle is off limits to the public until the castle is fully repaired.” The guard responded. “Please, you don’t understand! Whirl Wind is in danger! He is going to die without help!” Derpy said frantically. “I’m sorry, but I cannot leave my—“ the guard started before he was interrupted. “Let her through, quickly.” Princess Celestia ordered. The guards quickly got out of the way and let them pass. Derpy quickly bowed and so did Rumble. “Princess, Whirl is in danger of losing his life!” Derpy said as she started to shake. “I know, Spike sent me a letter. We must go quickly if we are to save him. I have a carriage ready to fly, come with me.” Princess Celestia said as she trotted back to the castle. Derpy and Rumble followed along quickly. “I can’t believe I am going on a ride with the princess!” Rumble said excitedly. They quickly boarded the carriage and it took off when they were all settled. “I never got your name little one.” Princess Celestia said as she turned her head towards Rumble. Rumble smiled widely. “My name is Rumble. It’s nice to meet you Princess Celestia.” He said politely. “You are indeed brave Rumble, to leave your family to come here and get me. Your parents are furious, but I am sure I can convince them that your heart was in the right place.” Celestia said with a smile. “I was ready to accept whatever punishment they were going to give me. I would do anything to help Whirl.” Rumble said quietly. “That is very noble of you.” Derpy said happily. “Indeed it is, you are going to grow up into a fine stallion someday Rumble.” Celestia said with a smile. “Thank you both, that means a lot.” Rumble said happily. “You know… I thought that it was going to be much harder to get you to come with us princess. Let alone get us to come with you on your carriage.” Derpy admitted with a smile. “I don’t know why they sent you, Twilight knew she could have just sent a letter in the first place. I am glad to see that you are both willing to help Whirl Wind out knowing what he did in the war.” Celestia said happily. “I would do anything for Whirl Wind, I am even thinking of marrying him.” Derpy said with a blush. “Marriage, the ultimate testament of love, it is a big step indeed but it is one of the greatest steps you will make.” Celestia said as Rumble started to peek over the side of the carriage. “Wow, we are going really fast!” Rumble yelled happily. Celestia let out a small laugh. “Yes we are, I figured we shouldn’t make Whirl wait any longer than we need to.” “How long do you think it will take us to get there?” Derpy asked worriedly. “About another ten minutes dear. Don’t worry; we will get there in time to help Whirl.” Celestia said calmly. “I’m glad, you should have seen how calm he was. His bone was sticking out of his skin, it was so horrifying, but he was as calm as the breeze.” Derpy said calmly. “War can make you used to seeing such horrors, especially in Whirl’s case. He actually witnessed horrors first hoof.” Celestia explained. “It wasn’t really him, it was General Wind. But Whirl defeated him in a battle of the mind!” Rumble said excitedly. Both Celestia and Derpy giggled. “One minute until arrival your highness.” The lead guard announced. Everypony got ready to land just before the carriage touched down outside Ponyville’s hospital. They quickly disembarked and Rumble went to the front of the carriage. “Thanks for pulling us here.” He said politely before he followed Derpy and Celestia inside. The hospital was frantic with activity, everypony inside was shouting and scrambling around. Celestia stopped one of the doctors. “What is going on?” she asked calmly. The doctor gasped and bowed. “We are looking for more restraints your highness.” The doctor explained. “More restraints? Why?” Derpy asked worriedly. “Something is wrong with one of our patients, some kind of magic I have never seen before. He is going wild but we have got him restrained, well almost restrained.” The doctor explained. “Where is Whirl Wind?” Celestia asked. “Down this hall, five doors on the right.” The doctor said as he ran off to help find more restraints. “Stay here you two, Whirl could be dangerous.” Celestia ordered. Derpy and Rumble nodded and took a seat in the waiting room. Celestia walked down the hall and arrived in Whirl’s room. A loud crash came from inside and Celestia heard a scream from one of the doctors. Celestia opened the door and saw Whirl hovering in the room holding the heart monitor and the IV hanger. He was swinging it at the ponies on the ground trying to restrain him and she saw one of the doctors head was bleeding where Whirl had stuck him. Twilight was trying to use her magic to pull him down be Whirl wasn’t budging one bit. Whirl saw Celestia enter and he looked right into her eyes. Celestia saw a green glow in them and she heard the voice of Sombra. “Revenge…” it said hatefully. Whirl threw the heart monitor at Celestia then charged at Twilight with a piece of broken glass in his hoof. He grabbed Twilight and held the glass to her throat. “I will end her! Allow me to leave safely and she will be safe!” He yelled at Celestia. Twilight wasn’t struggling, she was too afraid about what he was going to do. Celestia stared at him with a glare. “General Wind I presume?” Celestia asked coldly. “Yes, and if you do not move I will kill her!” General Wind shouted angrily. “Don’t hurt him princess!” Twilight pleaded. “I may not have any choice Twilight, but I will let him pass.” Celestia said as she stepped out of the door. General Wind walked Twilight out of the room with the glass still at her throat. “If anypony tried to stop me I will kill them!” He shouted as he dragged her down the hall. “You won’t get away with this!” Celestia announced as she followed him down the hall. General Wind soon reached to waiting room where Rumble and Derpy were waiting. “Whirl, you are okay! You… what are you doing?” Rumble asked as he saw what was happening. “Whirl is not here right now, come back when you serve King Sombra!” General Wind said as he kicked Rumble aside. Rumble flew into the wall and fell unconscious. Derpy let out a gasp and ran over to Rumble to see if she could help him. “Whirl what is wrong with you?!” She screamed in horror. “It’s not Whirl! It’s General Wind!” Twilight yelled in a panic. “General Wind… I thought he was dead!” Derpy yelled worriedly. “That is what I wanted you all to think! Now then, I will be taking my leave!” General Wind said as he walked out of the door. Once outside he knocked Twilight out cold and turned his attention to the guards that were now attacking him. Whirl threw the piece of glass and it stuck in the neck of the first guard. He then kicked the other in the face before taking to the sky. Celestia busted out of the hospital and chased after his while the doctors tended to the guards. She fired bolts of magic after him as she started to gain on him. “Let’s see how you do in the forest!” Whirl yelled as he dove down into the Everfree. Celestia followed him down and kept pace as best she could, but her larger figure made it hard for her to follow. Whirl barrel rolled through a hole in the trees and Celestia could no longer follow. She landed and stomped a hoof down in anger before heading back to the hospital. When she arrived she found Twilight up and being tended to by a nurse while the doctor had managed to save the life of the guard who had recently had a large piece of glass in his throat. “Princess Celestia! You are okay!” Twilight said in relief. “Yes, but General Wind got away.” Celestia said sadly. Derpy was just walking out when Celestia gave the bad news and she heard every word. “Whirl… is gone?” she asked as she started to tear up. Celestia and Twilight turned to Derpy. “We will find him, don’t worry. Where did he go princess?” Twilight asked. “The Everfree Forest, it is a smart place to hide out.” Celestia admitted. “We can ask Zecora to keep an eye out for him.” Twilight said as she started to walk toward the Everfree. “Twilight, you stay here. Derpy and I will go to Zecora’s home to tell her, you need to rest and have that bump looked at.” Celestia ordered. “But princess…” Twilight started. “No buts Twilight, now go ahead and go back inside.” Celestia said kindly. “Yes princess.” Twilight said as she turned around and went back inside. Derpy looked at Princess Celestia with a confused expression. “You want me to come with you?” “Yes, I need your help. Let’s get going.” Celestia said as they started to walk to the Everfree. “I read the reports written up by various soldiers and leaders of our military about General Wind. He is a brilliant strategist, a violent killer, and he is very efficient. However, he has one undeniable weakness, Whirl’s love for Equestria. One report in particular lead me to this conclusion, whenever General Wind did something horrendous his eyes returned to normal and Whirl came out. That is why I need you. If he sees you he might snap back to Whirl just long enough for me to take the spell off of him.” She explained. Derpy nodded nervously. “Princess, there is something you need to know. Whirl is resistant to magic.” “What do you mean? The only way he could be resistant to magic would be if he were exposed to it over a long span of his life.” Celestia explained. “That is what I mean, his older brother used to use Whirl… for magical study. Whirl told me he had been resistant to magic ever since and I witnessed it myself not too long ago. Twilight had cast a sleeping spell on Whirl and he woke up several hours before he was supposed to and the effects wore off seconds later.” Derpy said nervously. “That may cause complications.” Celestia said sadly. “Complications? What do you mean?” Derpy asked worriedly. “I am going to have to increase the power of all of my spells if we are going to stop him, however it will put his life at risk. I don’t see us having any other choice, he is too dangerous to leave roaming the forest.” Celestia explained. “Isn’t there any other way?” Derpy asked with a frown. “I am afraid not.” Celestia said sadly. **** General Wind was flying through the forest at a great pace. “First I need to take care of that accursed Zebra that captured me last time. Then I will corrupt as many ponies as I can to rebuild King Sombra’s ranks!” he thought as he landed outside Zecora’s hut. He walked up to the door and kicked it down. “Oh Zecora! We have some unfinished business!” he shouted as he ran inside. The room was empty, or so he thought. The sound of a rope snapping taught caught his ear and he was suspended by his back hoof from the ceiling. “TRICKERY! YOU WENCH! LET ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!” Zecora walked into the room slowly. “I thought we were done with this, but I sense things are still amiss.” She said sadly. “The only thing amiss is your demise!” General Wind said as he flailed about. He managed to grab a potion off of a shelf and break it on the ground, using the broken glass to cut the rope. Zecora was on him in an instant with the same red powder she had used on him before. She threw it in his face and he went limp. “Something is wrong with you, perhaps it was my brew. Maybe it was not strong enough? Maybe General Wind is too tough?” Zecora said out loud. “Or maybe he is the product of pure evil?” Celestia said as she walked into the hut. “Zecora, it is nice to finally meet you.” “Ahh, Princess Celestia. What brings you to this part of Equestria?” Zecora asked as if nothing was wrong. She took what was left of the rope and tied General Wind up. “I was going to warn you about General Wind, but it seems you were already prepared. How did you know he was coming?” Celestia asked curiously. “I did not know what was going to transpire, I simply had that trapped rigged for ponies that burst in on a desire. Rainbow Dash in particular, she tends to break in quite a bit regular.” Zecora explained. “It seems to have worked to save your life, it is a good thing your friends are rude sometimes.” Derpy said with a giggle. “Miss Ditzy Doo! It is a pleasure to see you!” Zecora said happily. “It is nice to see you too Zecora. What do we do now Princess Celestia?” Derpy asked worriedly. “We wait for him to wake up, then we follow through with our plan.” Celestia responded as her horn lit up. The ropes around Whirl turned into chains before tightening up around him. “Just as a precaution.” She explained. Derpy walked up to General Wind and gave him a kiss on his forehead. “You give me back my Whirl Wind…” she whispered. General Wind’s eyes shot open suddenly and he started to struggle violently. “Release me witch!” He shouted. He saw the other ponies in the room and smirked. “I see you invited guests over. Good, I can kill them too.” He said with a smirk. “Go ahead Derpy.” Celestia said. Derpy walked up to General Wind nervously. She looked him right in his eyes. “Whirl, are you in there?” she asked softly. General Wind’s eyes narrowed. “What is this? What are you doing to me?” he asked as he suddenly felt weaker. “You know what they are doing! Let me out!” “Never! I slipped up before and let you go! I will never do it again!” “I am going to make you let me out!” General Wind let out a howl of pain and his eyes flickered. “Now! It’s me Whirl! Hurry!” he shouted. Celestia’s horn lit up and a magical aura wrapped around General Wind’s body. The whole hut started to shake as Celestia’s magic reached full strength. “He is resisting! I am not sure I can defeat him!” Celestia yelled over the sound of bottles falling off their shelves. “Come on Whirl! Fight him!” Derpy shouted. “I can’t destroy him without killing Whirl! Hold on! I am going to try something!” Celestia said as she focused her magic even further. The hut was shaking furiously and a blinding light emanated from Whirl’s body. Everypony in the hut shut their eyes to protect them. When they finally opened them again Derpy let out a small squeak. General Wind pushed he to the floor before swiftly kicking Celestia in the face. Celestia was dazed as General Wind ran out the door and flew off. “WHIRL!” Derpy cried out. “D-Derpy…” a voice said weakly behind her. Derpy turned around and gasped, Whirl was sitting there still chained up, his eyes were normal again. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly. “Whirl! How are you still here? General Wind just ran out the door!” “I couldn’t destroy him… so I took him out.” Celestia said softly. “General Wind is now a separate being, he is the exact same as Whirl except for the eyes.” Derpy just continued to hold Whirl tightly. “I don’t care where that monster is, I am just glad Whirl is back.” “Can I be untied now?” Whirl asked with a chuckle. Celestia’s horn started to glow and the chains vanished. Derpy helped him to his hooves and gave him a kiss. “Whirl I want to marry you! I love you so much and you have really bad luck just like me so this was always meant to be!” she explained frantically. “A wedding! What a spectacular thing!” Zecora said happily. “We need to take Whirl back to the hospital first. His mind is going to be very strained over the next few days, it will take that long for his mind to get used to being split like it is.” Celestia explained. Whirl nodded slowly. “I can feel him still, he is scared and angry.” He said sadly. “He should be scared! Princess Celestia is going to hunt him down!” Derpy said angrily. “We will track him down and bring him to justice now that we are able.” Celestia said happily. “Let us depart. Zecora, I am sorry about the mess we made.” “It is no problem! You did what you did for them!” Zecora said happily. The three soon departed after helping Zecora clean up a bit. Celestia had to help carry Whirl with her magic. “I feel so torn apart, like I am two ponies again.” Whirl said weakly. “You will feel him and he will feel you, but don’t worry. He is far away from us now.” Celestia explained. “I don’t like how he feels, in a way it is kind of sad to see him from this perspective. I pity him.” Whirl explained. “Why would you pity a monster?” Derpy asked worriedly. “Because he was forced to be this way just as I was. King Sombra tortured his mind into thinking Celestia and Luna were the evil ones. It wasn’t his fault just as it wasn’t mine.” Whirl explained weakly. “Even with his mind knowing what it does, it is what he chooses to do with that knowledge that makes the pony.” Derpy said sternly. “That is true… I just understand how he feels is all.” Whirl said as he began to stumble. Celestia caught him with her magic and helped him back up. “Not too far now.” Celestia said softly. Soon after they had reached the hospital and as they walked in a lot of ponies gasped and screamed. “Don’t worry! It is Whirl Wind! Not General Wind!” Derpy shouted. Doctor Ray came over to him and helped to support him. “Come on Whirl, I’ll get you a room.” He said as they started to walk deeper into the hospital. “Rumble, where is Rumble?” Whirl asked weakly. “Rumble is okay, I can get you the same room as him if you would like.” Doctor Ray said happily. “Yes, please…” Whirl responded. Doctor Ray took him to Rumble’s room quickly. Derpy and Celestia followed suit and entered the room. “WHIRL! Are you okay?!” Rumble asked worriedly. Thunderlane trotted up to Whirl and kicked him in the face. Doctor Ray did his best to keep Whirl standing but he lost his balance and fell to the ground as well. “You bastard! How dare you hurt my brother!” Thunderlane yelled furiously. Doctor Ray helped Whirl to his feet and Derpy pushed back Thunder Lane. “It wasn’t Whirl! It was General Wind!” “Thunder Lane stop it! I told you that if he came back he wouldn’t be General Wind anymore!” Rumble said angrily. “He has been hiding behind that excuse since he got back here!” Thunderlane said angrily. “Would it make you feel better if I told you that General Wind is not even inside of Whirl anymore? He has been pulled out and is a separate pony now.” Celestia said as she walked into the room. Everypony bowed, except for Doctor Ray who helped Whirl into the empty bed. “I’m sorry Thunder Lane, if I could have stopped him I would have. Rumble means a lot to me, he helped me out when I got back while others just kicked me in the face.” Thunderlane didn’t say anything, he just over to Rumble’s side and sat down again. Rumble reached up and light kicked Thunder Lane with his fore hoof. “Dummy.” He said jokingly. Derpy sat down next to Whirl and held his hoof. “It’s okay Whirl, just give it time for everypony to calm down.” “I must take my leave, doctor if you could take me to Twilight Sparkle please.” Celestia said as she walked out of the room. “I will be right back Whirl.” Doctor Ray said as she followed her out. “I’m sorry…” Thunderlane said quietly. “Say it louder Thunderlane.” Rumble said sternly. “I’m sorry Whirl. I shouldn’t have kicked you.” Thunderlane said so that everypony could hear. “It’s okay Thunderlane, I understand. I feel like kicking General Wind in the face too. Heck, I might get that chance someday now.” Whirl said with a weak chuckle. “So what’s wrong with you now?” Thunder Lane asked. “My mind just got split into two minds. I am stretched far between two ponies, me and him. It has made me weak.” Whirl explained. “That sounds like it feels terrible.” Rumble said worriedly. “Nah, it’s not too bad sharing a brain with a psychopathic murderer.” Whirl said jokingly. Nopony in the room laughed but Rumble let out a courtesy chuckle. “Yeah, that wasn’t as funny as I wanted it to be. Derpy, can you do me a favor?” Whirl asked with a half-smile. “What is it Whirl?” she asked with a smile. “Can you go and let Applejack know that I will not be able to work for the next few days?” Whirl asked a bit weakly. Derpy smiled and nodded. “Sure thing Whirl, I will go take care of that while the doctor sees you.” She said as she stood up and kissed his forehead. “Be right back.” She said happily as she trotted out of the room. “Whirl, I thought you defeated General Wind. How did he take over again?” Rumble asked. “I must not have defeated him like I had thought; he must have just hid away.” Whirl said as he closed his eyes. “I feel…” he trailed off as his heart monitor started to beep wildly. “Don’t think this is over Whirl Wind, we are the still pony and the evil is still within you!” “I am done with you General Wind. If you know what is good for you, you will stay in the Everfree Forest until you die.” “That is not very noble of you, especially considering how you pity me.” “Not noble of me? What is noble of you? Nothing. You are just a pathetic pony fighting for a dead leader.” “Oh you may think he is dead, but you cannot kill the shadows. I will carry on his work and ensure the enslavement of everypony in the land.” “You will try, but you will fail. I will make sure you will.” “It is you who shall fail!” “Get me a crash cart!” Doctor Ray yelled to the nurses. They wheeled in a cart with a defibrillator and the panels started to charge. “I will be your end!” “No you won’t, I am stronger than you!” “Is that why I am stopping your heart?!” “My heart beats for Equestria!” “CLEAR!” Doctor Ray shouted as he zapped Whirl. Beep beep beep beep, the monitor sounded quickly before going flat again. “AGAIN!” “Equestria will fall like you will right now. Goodbye Whirl Wind.” “It’s no use fighting the inevitable, but I can fight you!” General Wind formed in Whirl’s mind as a physical being, as did Whirl. “What is this?” General Wind asked in a hateful voice. “Let’s end this now!” Whirl said as he clapped his hooves. A spear appeared in his hoofs and he spun it around. General Wind followed suit and summon a sword. “You cannot win you know. I have been trained by King Sombra himself.” Whirl chuckled. “So was I, remember?” Whirl said as he lunged forward and made the first strike. General Wind deflected it with ease and made his first move, a slash to Whirl’s chest. A flash happened and armor appeared over the area where General Wind had swung. “WHAT IS THIS?!” “My mind! Now get out!” Whirl shouted as he clapped again and a sword and shield appeared. He swiftly grabbed them and bash General Wind in the face with his shield before slashing at General Wind’s knees. “His heart has returned to normal but he is not waking up. I am afraid he is in a coma.” Doctor Ray’s voice resounded in Whirl’s mind as an echo. “A coma sounds bad for you!” General Wind mocked. “It is by choice, I want a chance to kill you before you get away again!” Whirl shouted as he pushed General Wind back with a series of blows. General Wind was summoning shields left and right to block every blow. “Fool! This is my mind too!” “Not any more it isn’t!” Whirl concentrated and lightning shot from his sword. General Wind took the lightning right to the face and recoiled with a loud howl of pain. “This isn’t over!” He shouted before he vanished. Whirl was panting from exhaustion, but he still wasn’t awake. “Hello! Somepony help me!” he shouted out in vain. “There isn’t much we can do right now. Some coma patients have been known to awaken to familiar sounds and smells but that is just speculation.” Doctor Ray’s voice sounded out again. “I’m here! I can hear you! I can hear you!” Whirl said in his mind, then in reality. Derpy tightened her grip on Whirl’s hoof. “Whirl, can you hear me?!” she screamed out in a panicked voice. “Yes! I can…” he said confidently in his mind, but weakly in reality. “Wake up Whirl, you can do it!” Derpy cried out frantically. “I don’t think I can… he is holding me here…” he responded in a scared, weak voice. “He? You mean General Wind is in there?” Derpy asked worriedly. “No… he is away… but holding me… help…” Whirl said as he started to cry. “Has Princess Celestia left yet?” Derpy asked Doctor Ray. “I will go get her.” Doctor Ray said as he walked out of the room. “Princess Celestia is going to help you Whirl, just stay calm.” Derpy said with a soothing voice. “Sorry… I am a hassle…” Whirl said before he stopped talking. “No you aren’t, you are perfect. A perfect pegasus pony.” Derpy said encouragingly. “And I can’t wait to start my new life with you.” ****
Chapter OneWhirl Wind and Sonic Flare in: This Means War Chapter one: Attack on Fillydelphia Sonic Flare awoke with a jolt. “NO!” he yelled out. A guard rushed into his room. “What is it?! What’s wrong?!” the guard asked. Flare was breathing heavily. “Nothing… sorry, it was just a nightmare.” he said as he caught his breath. The guard nodded and gave a quick salute before turning around and heading out the door. He was about to close it when Princess Luna stopped it with her magic. The guard gave a bow and let the princess pass. Princess Luna walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Flare didn’t look up to her, his eyes just looked at his blanket without blinking. “I know what you were dreaming Sonic Flare, for it has been my dream as well.” Princess Luna said as she walked up to the window. She gave a sigh and looked outside. “What you have seen is not just a dream, but an unfortunate fact. Whirl Wind… Whirl… He…” She tried to say it, but she just couldn’t. “Flare took his eyes away from his blankets and looked at Princess Luna. “He has been corrupted by King Sombra.” he said bluntly. “Yes, he has been corrupted…” she said sadly. “Is there anything we can do for him?” Flare asked. Princess Luna closed her eyes. “I don’t know. All I do know is that he is a threat now.” “How can you say that? How can you be so blunt about it?!” Flare asked as he jumped out of bed. “He is NOT a threat! He is my friend! He is your friend!” He started to stomp his hoof at the end of each sentence. Princess Luna didn’t speak. “I know… I know… but… He is no longer Whirl Wind. He is General Wind, leader of King Sombra’s army. He has been ruthless on the battle field and has already pushed us back in three engagements. He will not show us mercy, just as he will not show YOU or ME and mercy!” Flare stomped his hooves on the ground hard. “Then we need to stop him! I want to enlist, now! Give me a spear and some armor! Get me out there!” Flare said with a passion of fire that burned as brightly as his cutie mark. Princess Luna turned around. “But what about your wife and foals?” “This is WAR, if we lose then my foals will grow up in a world of shadows and hatred. I will NOT let that happen!” Flare said as he walked up to Luna. “Very well, your training will begin tomorrow. I will see to it that you get your training straight from Steel Wing himself. He is the best pegasi trainer in Equestria.” Luna said seriously. She turned back towards the window and sighed. Flare’s mood lightened when she sighed. He knew how she was feeling, Whirl was like his brother to him. He trotted up next to her and hugged her. “Listen, I promise I will bring him back. I promise you that I will bring him back alive so that we can help him.” he said as he let go. He turned around and walked to the door. He opened it and looked to the guard. “Take me to Steel Wing please.” he said to the guard. His head turned around to close the door stopping only for one moment to say, “I promise.” Princess Luna let out a sob after the door closed. She fell to her knees and started to cry. “I promise…” Whirl’s voice rang in her ear. “Whirl said the same thing… he kept his promise… then I failed him…” **** General Wind was in his tent with his squadron leaders. “I think it is time we take Ponyville.” One of the leaders said. General Wind slammed his hoof on the table. “I told you! We are NOT attacking Ponyville!” He exclaimed in anger. His eyes glowed green as he stared into the eyes of the leader who suggested the plan. One of the other leaders spoke up. “I agree with General Wind. Ponyville is a low priority target. It took us three engagements to take Los Pegasus alone, we need to fortify our new position.” General Wind nodded. “I agree, we do not have many troops protecting our new prize. Send a battalion out to guard it and send another here to strike at Fillydelphia.” The leaders all gave a salute and left the tent to send out the orders. When they all left a shadow emerged from the wall. King Sombra solidified next to General Wind. “You hesitate every time Ponyville is mentioned. It is the only way to get supplies to our newest position without flying it there.” He said darkly. General Wind turned to face King Sombra. “Your highness. Ponyville is too well fortified. Taking it would mean losing a third of our forces at minimum. I am taking the surrounding towns and cities. Once I have them all we will take Ponyville.” “And what of the Crystal Empire?” King Sombra asked angrily. “Your highness, you made me your top general and leader of all your forces for a reason didn’t you? Once I take enough of their cities, they will come here, to Canterlot. They will think our forces thin and that is what I will want them to think. I will have over ten thousand troops ready to attack when they come. Our production and training of troops has doubled since we took Los Pegasus. Our shadow refineries are in full productivity and we will have another thousand troops here in a week. They will not stand a chance.” General Wind said as he turned back to the map and moved around the flags that represented their forces. King Sombra looked at the map. “Very well. I will trust your judgment in this, but if you fail… I will see to it that you are imprisoned and tortured for the rest of your miserable life!” he said before he faded into the shadows. General Wind scoffed and looked at the map. His eyes drifted over Ponyville. “That is your home you monster! What are you doing anyway? Helping an evil king destroy what is left of the world? You are a disappointment! Dad was right about you!” “SHUT UP! You are no longer in control! I will lead King Sombra’s glorious army to defeat your friends! And I will make sure that Sonic Flare is taken alive, so that I may torture him for fun while you watch!” “Don’t you DARE touch him!” “Then I will take Princess Luna and make her watch as I kill her subjects one by one in the cruelest ways possible!” “NO!” “YES! AND WHEN IT IS ALL SAID AND DONE I WILL MAKE SURE TO END HER LIFE IN THE WAY SHE FEARS THE MOST!” “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” General Wind flinched in pain, his head felt like it was splitting in half. He regained control and force Whirl down into the depths of his mind. “Settle down now… You need your rest so you can see me destroy your friends.” he said aloud. He walked out of his tent out onto the training grounds. Ponies were being dragged in chains around the encampment doing random tasks. Some were taken to the shadow refineries to be made part of King Sombra’s army. Not all of them were alive either, King Sombra took dead and wounded ponies from the battle field to be used as drones in the front lines. The process was simple enough, they were taken into the refineries and they were either submerged in darkness for three days or they we brainwashed by the ‘specialists’. General Wind walked through the ranks of new soldiers, inspecting each one with keen eyes. If they didn’t pass they were tortured and sent back to the refinery. General Wind approached one of them that didn’t quite look right. He looked up and down the dark figure. Something about it was off, but with no visual signs of error he had to test it. “Step forward!” General Wind ordered. The figure took a step forward from the rest of the group without hesitation. General Wind pulled out his blade. “Defend yourself!” He said as he gripped the sword in his mouth. The figure did not draw his blade, he simply stood there as General Wind swung his sword. Just before impact a barrier that was skin tight stopped the sword from hitting. The figure stood still and it’s horn glowed with a black aura. General Wind sheathed his blade. “What was your name soldier?” He asked loudly. “My name was Titan sir!” He replied with a salute. “Titan huh? You look more like a fairy to me!” General Wind exclaimed. “We have met before have we not?” Titan did not move, a bead of sweat leaked down his cheek. General Wind did not notice the sweat but stood in front of the pony. Their eyes never left contact. Something was stopping him from seeing what was wrong. He moved in closer to the pony and stared right into his very soul. The ponies eyes did not move, he did not blink, and he did not speak. “STEP BACK!” General Wind finally ordered. The figure took a step back immediately and rejoined the ranks. General Wind continued his inspection before heading to the battle field with a fresh supply of troops. Their goal, take Fillydelphia. **** Flare was down on the ground doing pushups with his wings. Normally this would be no problem, but with fifty pounds of armor on it became a challenge. Not that it bothered him, he was gladly working as hard as he could. Around the fiftieth pushup his wings started to go numb. Steel Wing, a large white pegasus wearing emerald armor, stopped in front of Flare as he started to slow down in speed. “Don’t you quit on me private!” Flare shook his head and pushed his body up again. His wings felt like they were tearing at the seams. “forty-eight sir, forty-nine sir, fif… fifty sir!” He announces as he finished the set. “What Princess Luna sees in you I will never know, but if she wishes me to train you then that is what I will do. Give me five-hundred laps around the courtyard!” Steel Wing exclaimed with authority. Flare did not hesitate, he took off at a moderate pace and started his laps. Steel Wing watched for signs of weakness. Every time Flare would slow down he would hurl a rock at his head and he seldom missed. Flare took several blows to the head before he could take no more. Steel threw another rock towards Flare, it was flying straight and true. Just before it hit Flare’s head he dodged and flew onward. Steel smirked and started throwing rock after rock at Flare. Flare managed to keep his pace while dodging the onslaught of stones flying toward his head. One managed to hit him right in his ear and Flare winced in pain as it started to ring. He put a hoof to his head and felt blood leaking from it. His eyes narrowed at Steel as more rocks flew toward him. Flare had had enough, he caught one of the rocks and threw it right back at Steel hitting him squarely between his eyes. Steel recoiled in pain and looked up at Flare when he recovered. “Come down here private!” he ordered. Flare flew down in front of Steel and stood in attention. Steel walked up to him and stared him right in the eye. “That was a nice shot recruit, you think you could do it again?” Flare looked right back into Steel’s eyes. “Yes sir.” “Prove it!” Steel responded as he shoved a spear into Flare’s chest. He took a step to the side and pointed to a target at the far end of the grounds. “Hit that target private!” Flare lifted the spear awkwardly. It was hard to balance properly and it was a little more than clumsy. He took a moment to get a proper grip on it. “NOW!” Steel shouted. Flare had no more time to waste, he threw the spear as best he could. It flew straight at first, then it took a sudden nose dive. It flopped on the ground awkwardly half way to the target. “You call THAT a throw?! Again!” Steel said as he shoved another spear at Flare. Flare took it and found a new grip, this time when he threw it, it traveled three quarters of the distance and stuck into the ground before falling flat. He didn’t wait to be handed another spear before he took another. He threw it and it landed as far as the last and fell flat on the ground. When Flare reached to grab another one Steel stopped him by smacking him with the butt end of a spear. “You will never throw a spear properly without the proper grip!” Steel said as Flare recovered from the blow. Steel held the spear in his hoof and threw it. It traveled in a perfect arc up until it impaled the target dead center, splitting the target in half. “When you release, you must let go of the whole thing at once! Otherwise it will just flop on the ground! Now go reset the target and come back and try again!” Steel ordered. Flare went and reset the target with a fresh new bruise covering his eye. “Whatever he does to you, it can’t be nearly as bad as what Whirl Wind is going through.” He thought as he picked up a new target and mounted it on the base. Flare took a moment to remove the spear Steel had thrown. When he lifted it, it was significantly lighter than the spears Flare had previously thrown. In a fit of rage Flare threw the spear back towards Steel. It flew past Steels face and landed next to him. Steel didn’t even flinch as it passed him. Flare trotted back to Steel and got up into his face. “What is the big idea huh?!” he asked in an angry tone. Steel smirked and kicked Flare in the face. Flare recoiled and fell flat on his back. “Don’t address me like that ever! I am your commanding officer and you will respect me as such! As for the spears, it doesn’t matter the weight or the length of the spear! All that matters is the pony that uses it! If you truly want to master spear throwing then you must be able to throw any spear! Starting with those!” Steel said as he stood over Flare. “Now, get up and try again!” Flare rolled over and stood up. He glared at Steel before picking up another spear. When he threw it, it traveled as far as his others and stuck in the ground. **** It was late, almost midnight. Princess Luna sat and watched as Flare threw spear after spear at the target. Steel had ordered him to stay awake until he hit the target with at least three spears. Flare had not faltered once in his throwing. He had a nice collection just at the base of the target. When he threw another one it landed in the group of spears with a clang. Flare reached for another spear to find they were all gone. He kicked his hoof on the ground and trotted to the group of spears. He started to pull them out of the ground and loaded them into a carrying satchel he was wearing. As he got closer to the target he noticed something strange, drag marks. He looked at the base of the target to which the marks were leading. He circled around to the back of the target to find a rope attached to the back leg of the target. Without warning the target pulled back. Flare looked at where the rope was leading, a clock. Flare walked up to the clock and saw it was midnight. As the gears turned it pulled the target closer to the clock. Flare’s face was red with rage, well redder. He took his spears back to the other end of the field and threw them to the ground. The first one he grabbed was covered in scratch marks from the other spears scraping it as they landed. Flare threw it as hard as he could, it sailed through the air and passed the target hitting the clock behind it. Princess Luna giggled as the spear hit the clock and made a loud springing noise signaling the end of its life. She looked down at Flare with pride as he picked up another spear and threw it, hitting the clock again. He didn’t stop until all fifty spears hung from the wall where the clock had been. His task finished he started to walk to the barracks where he promptly fell asleep. Once Flare left the training field, Princess Luna walked down to see his handy work. The spears hung off the wall up and down where the clock once stood. There was not a single piece of clock uncovered by metal. Princess Luna giggled again and turned around to watch over the night again. **** Dawn, six in the morning, a trumpet blared through the air in the barracks and everypony was out of bed in a flash, even Flare. Three generals stepped in, General Shield Crest of the earth ponies, General Sparks of the unicorns, and General Steel Wing of the pegasi. Each of them walked through the barracks one at a time. As they passed the proper ponies followed out to their specific training grounds. Flare was left alone, the only pegasi in his battalion. Steel stopped in front of him. “Lets see how you did!” he said as he turned and walked out to the courtyard. Flare kept a neutral expression as they walked. Steel saw the target bare and undamaged. “Did you replace the target private?!” he asked with a voice of authority. Flare shook his head. “No sir, there was not much left of the target after I was done with it.” Flare responded and he stood in attention. “Then where are the spears?!” Steel asked as he got into Flare’s face. “Sir, in the newly acquired target sir!” Flare exclaimed. “New target?! What target would that be?!” Steel asked as he butted Flare’s head. Flare recoiled fast and stood back in attention. “THE CLOCK SIR!” he yelled in anger. “The clo-- You’re lying!” Steel said as he turned towards the target and started trotting to it. Flare stood still and waited for Steel to return. Steel trotted behind the target and beheld the horror of it all. He stood in awe of the demolished clock as it stood in shambles. “How did he…?” “PRIVATE! REPORT!” he yelled across the field. Flare galloped to the other end and stood at attention in front of the clock. He couldn’t help but smirk at his handy work. “Did you do this?” Steel asked in his voice of authority. “Yes sir!” “Did you walk up and stab it with each one?!” “No sir!” “Did you move forward and throw them from a closer distance?!” “No sir!” “Then you won’t mind doing it again, would you?!” “No sir!” Steel ripped one of the spears out of the wall. “Here is your target!” Steel exclaimed as he pulled out an apple. “Yes sir!” Flare said as he took the spear. He trotted down to the other end of the field and turned to face the target. What he saw made him sick to his stomach. Steel had balanced the apple on his head. “If you miss! You will kill me! Now throw!” Steel ordered. Flare turned pale, the thought of failure tore through his mind. The image of a dead general lying on the ground, the trial afterwards when they sentenced him to death, the thought of losing Whirl. Flare held the spear up and aimed. He took in a deep breath… “For Whirl…” he thought as he threw the spear. **** The sun had just set over the mountains overlooking Fillydelpiha, a dark overcast was approaching from the north. Most of the ponies in the city had evacuated or took shelter in the lowest parts of their home while the guards patrolled the streets in large numbers. Lightning could be seen from the edge of the city and the thunder could be heard throughout it. The guards bolstered their defenses to the north. The earth ponies took the front lines while shield breaker unicorns took refuge in the buildings. The pegasi stood watch from the tallest skyscrapers. All was dark now, the power to the city had been interrupted. Only the lamps that used flame and oil could be seen. Sprinkles of rain hit the ground in a random beat, then became more consistent. At the top of a hill outside of the city a pair of glowing orbs could be seen, then another pair, then another. Soon the whole hill top was covered with these orbs. They started to move forward and the pegasi guarding the city blew the horn of war. Everypony on the front line braced themselves, a flash of lightning revealed a wave of shadow ponies charging forward. While one pegasi stood at the top of the hill looking down at the city with a look of hatred. “VOLLEY!” he shouted. A large number of glowing horns lit up on top of the hill. Beams of glowing shadow launched from the hilltop. The glowing shadows hit the building and streets with a large force. “Cover!” one of the leaders in the city ordered. The horns in the windows started to glow and small barriers formed on the streets and some of the windows in the buildings. While other windows returned fire at the invading forces. “Second wave!” the pegasi at the top of the hill shouted. He flared his wings and took to the sky. What could be seen of the gray clouds was soon covered in pure darkness. The initial forces collided with the barriers and in some places smashed right through. Unicorns in the windows facing the streets fired spells to dispel the shields that the enemy was enchanted with while the earth ponies finished the job with a quick stab of their spears. The pegasi on the rooftops took to the sky and quickly got into formation. A group of the enemy pegasi squad split off, then another, the another. Soon the enemy pegasi squadrons were swirling around in circles creating tornados that started to tear the buildings apart. The guards pegasi team quickly reacted to counter the tornadoes. “Open flank!” the lead enemy pegasi shouted as the center soon became open. “Take the building with the unicorns down!” A squad of pegasi carrying large metal spheres flew over the streets. They released their spheres and flew up high. Large explosions shook the streets as they hit the ground. After the initial explosion the spheres started to suck in everything near the area where they hit. The buildings near the explosions were torn to pieces as it continued to suck in debris and guard ponies. “Evacuate the buildings! Get out of there!” the general of the guards yelled. It was too late, one of the buildings became unstable and fell into another causing dust to fly out in all directions. Both guards and shadow ponies were crushed beneath the buildings as they hit the ground. “Fall back to the city’s center!” the general shouted over the sounds of screams, thunder, and the sound of explosions. “Third wave!” the enemy pegasi leader yelled. A wave of shadowed earth ponies came from the east. They each flooded in different streets forming walls to put the guards in a vice. The pegasi guards had already started to grab random guards off the street and retreat in all directions. The guards leader had been slain and without orders the lines quickly crumbled. Most of the fleeing pegasi were stopped but some managed to get away. Smoke billowed from the streets and the screams of citizens could be heard throughout the city as the rain poured on and the night waned. A crew of shadow ponies were already clearing the debris from the fallen buildings and repurposing them into shadow refineries where the citizens of Fillydelphia that had not evacuated would soon end up. The enemy pegasi leader landed in the midst of the city. He removed his helmet to reveal his identity. A near by guard gasped and tried to scramble away. The pegasi leader stepped on his tail, a flash of lightning flashed behind him. The guard who had seen him looked up in horror when he saw who it was. General Wind stood over the helpless guard with a look of pure evil. “I see you managed to survive our assault with no wounds. Congratulations, now you get to fight me personally.” he said as shadow ponies formed a circle around the two. General Wind took his hoof off of the guards tail and walked to the other end of the circle. “Lets make this interesting.” he said as he took a spear from one of the shadow ponies. He dropped it in front of the guard. “Pick it up.” The guard took the spear in one hoof. He looked up into General Wind’s eyes, the green glow demoralized him a bit. Suddenly General Wind’s eyes flashed white and he saw something, like a spark. The guard threw the spear down. “I don’t need to fight you, and I don’t think you want to fight me.” General Wind blinked and his eyes turned soft. “I-- don’t want-- to fight you…” General Wind said as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again his eyes were green. “I want to kill you!” he yelled as he lunged forward taking the spear in hoof. With one swift motion the guard was take off of his hooves and onto his back. General Wind took the spear and rammed it through the guards chest. The guard let out a cry of pain and General Wind blinked again, his eyes turning normal again. The guard was bleeding from his mouth now and he didn’t have long. General Wind leaned forward and put his head next to the guards as if he were exhausted. “I’m sorry…” he whispered to the guard in a mournful tone. The guard coughed and wheezed. “I… understand…” he said as he let out his last breath. General Wind lifted his head and blinked again, his eyes returning to green. “Get this body to the refinery at once!” he ordered his troops. Without missing a beat the tore the spear from the guard and hauled him off to the pile of dead guards that was being formed near by. “Sentiment, that was always your weakness. You are just as guilty for his death as me, you aren’t strong enough to fight me therefore you are responsible for everypony I kill.” “I am not you… you are not me…” **** A wounded guard was carried through the halls of the crystal castle. It was one of the pegasi that was protecting Fillydelphia. Once he was in the medical ward the doctors began to work on healing his wounds. Princess Cadance burst into the room. “What happened?!” she exclaimed as she entered. One of the crystal guards gave a salute while the other assisted the doctors. “Princess Cadance, King Sombra has attack and take Fillydelphia!” Princess Cadance slammed her hooves on the ground. “Damn him!” she said as she turned around and left the room to find Princess Luna. Princess Luna was observing Flare and his training again. Flare was doing laps and avoiding rock with pristine precision. He even manages to deflect one or two back at Steel Wing. On his final lap he landed in front of Steel and stood in attention. “Not bad private. You may make it in this army yet.” Flare didn’t respond. He simply stood in attention. “Silent as the wind huh?” Steel asked with a neutral expression on his face. He lifted one of the spears and swung to hit Flare. Flare deflected the spear without blinking and drove it into the ground. “Good, good. Being the only pegasi assigned here makes it much easier to break you, and you sure are broken.” Steel said as he pulled the spear out of the ground. “Sir, you could never break me sir.” Flare responded. “Oh is that so? All that sounds like to me is a challenge!” Steel said as he removed his armor. When he took off his helmet it revealed a bandage that covered the top of his head. “Remember this?! You gave it to me only after the first week of training! Had you been as disciplined as you are now you would have never hit me at all! But you were weak, you are still weak! Remove your armor so we can fight hoof to hoof.” Steel said as he tore off Flare’s helmet. “Yes… sir…” Flare responded as he unclasped his armor. He threw it aside and looked Steel straight in the eye. “Battle field rules!” Steel said as he got into a combat position. Flare formed his own combat stance and got ready for anything. Steel pounded and scraped his hoof on the ground, his nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. Suddenly Steel charged and Flare leaped into the air just before Steel hit. Flare landed on Steel’s back and wrapped his forehooves around Steel’s neck. Steel quickly flipped Flare off of his back and onto the ground. Steel took his front hooves and stomped into Flare’s chest. Flare was winded by the blow but was able to dodge a second blow. He rolled over next to the spears. Steel charged him again and Flare picked up a spear and swung the butt end at Steel’s face. Steel easily deflected the spear and kicked Flare in the face. Flare recoiled and jumped into the air. He was flying up as fast as he could which was faster than what Steel could do to follow. Once Flare was above the cloud cover he vanished. “Welcome, to my playground…” Flare said in an evil tone. A cloud suddenly launched towards Steel. Steel kicked the cloud and it was busted to pieces. He expected Flare to be in the cloud and was shocked when he was wrong. Turning around as fast as he could to block any surprise attack he looked around and saw nothing. Then a blow rocketed across his face. He bundled up in defense and looked around. A second blow hit his chest, then another, and another. Steel worked out Flare’s pattern and turned to see him fly at him fast, Steel kicked at Flare’s face and hit him square in the face or so he thought. The object he hit was actually another cloud, before he could react a loud snap filled the air. Flare had used a rain cloud to make a thin lair of water to reflect his image while he was really coming from behind. Once he got up close to Steel he had bucked Steel’s wings as hard as he could. Both wings snapped like twigs and everything stood still for a moment. The expression on Steel’s face spoke a thousand words, two of those words being pride and fear. Everything started to speed up again and Steel fell from the sky. Princess Luna was looking up towards the could for a sign of either of them. What she saw horrified her, Steel Wing, plummeting to the earth. Without hesitation she leaped into action, catching him just moments before he hit the ground. Flare landed not too far away from them. He looked over to the princess with a neutral expression. He spit out some blood before turning towards the barracks and leaving the training field. Steel laughed in a cough. “He-- he was going to let me die… he is ready Princess Luna.” Princess Luna sat him down on the ground. “What do you mean? You were going to die!” Steel nodded. “Yes, I was. And he was the one who was going to kill me. Think princess, if he can kill me without remorse, think of what he could do to the enemy.” Princess Luna looked to where Flare had left. “Then… his training is finished?” Steel nodded again. “Yes, he is ready to go to war; in my place it would seem. You are left with one pegasus in your army princess, use him well, for he will serve you well.” Steel said as he started to walk to the medical ward. Princess Luna just sat there and watched as he left. Rain started to pour in the courtyard as Princess Cadance ran on the field. “Princess Luna! We have an emergency!” Princess Luna popped out of her trance and turned to Princess Cadance. “What is it? What happened?” Princess Cadance stopped in front of her. “King Sombra has taken Fillydelphia!” Princess Luna nodded and looked to the ground. “I know. Whirl Wind is dreaming of the battle right now.” she said sadly. Princess Cadance looked at her with a confused expression. “What do you mean? General Wind is leading the army as we speak, he is not sleeping.” “Not General Wind! Whirl! Whirl is dreaming!” Princess Luna exclaimed. “He is trapped in his mind in a state of unconsciousness! He is dreaming of it now!” Princess Cadance recoiled from the felling a bit. “I’m… I’m sorry.” Princess Luna turned around and faced away. “It’s okay, we must take back Fillydelphia. Where are our forces now?” “The closest battalion is in Ponyville. They are three days ride from it. The second closest is Appleosa, but they are only one hundred ponies. No where near enough to take back the city.” Princess Cadance responded. Princess Luna nodded. “What of our spy?” “He reports that there are three thousand at the most in Fillydelphia and they are setting up refineries to make more shadow ponies. We must act now if we are to take back the city.” “What about Los Pegasus?” “What? Why would you worry about that city? It holds no strategic…” “How many!?” “Two hundred, but I don’t see…” “That will do, send two thousand to Ponyville to meet with the troops there.” Princess Luna said as she trotted away from the field to the barracks. Princess Cadance was dumbstruck but obeyed. In the barracks Princess Luna saw Flare. She trotted over to him and he stood in attention. “Private Flare, as of this moment I am giving you the commission of pegasi General. You are our last remaining pegasi in service, so it goes to you.” “Thank you your highness. I will not let you down.” Flare said in a voice of authority. Princess Luna looked at him, he was not the same Sonic Flare she had met in Canterlot. “I have a mission for you. A mission of the highest importance which we will discuss in your new quarters. If you will follow me.” **** General Wind was overseeing the creation of their newest refinery. He was walking in the street surveying the progress. It was going very well, the walls were being rebuilt quickly and with precision. He turned down a dark alley way and a shadow tore from the wall and walked beside him. The shadow solidified into King Sombra. “You have done well. How many did we lose in the initial assault?” “One thousand three hundred your highness.” General Wind responded. “What?! That many?! How could this be?!” King Sombra exclaimed in a fit of rage. “Sir, with all do respect, you are sending the soulless corpses in to do your work! They tend to get caught in cross fires, battles they can not win, and at worse times the fight each other by mistake!” General Wind responded. “The spell must get weaker the longer it is in use, we must make haste if we are to take the next city. I want you to take Ponyville now!” King Sombra commanded. “Your highness! We can not take Ponyville now!” General Wind stomped a hoof down and stopped walking. “You will take it, or I will find somepony who can!” King Sombra’s horn started to glow. General Wind was caught in a aura of pure pain that took him to his knees. “As my lord commands.” he managed to say. “Glad to see you agree, now go!” King Sombra said as he faded into the shadows.
