The Winning Pony and the Templar

Swiftblade sat silently watching over her charges, ice cold gaze offering no indication of the warm fuzzies she felt watching Alula laugh and play with the other young ones. Feeling no need to intervene over a disagreement between the zebra and whatever the name of the orange Pegasus was, the mare yawned widely.

“Long night?”

Ears flicking towards the voice, Swiftblade closed her mouth again, and closing her eyes, took a breath.

“Hello Cloudkicker.”

Smiling softly, the blonde maned pony jumped up onto the bench, and nuzzled her companion. Feeling her stiffen under her affection, Cloudkicker pulled away.

“Whats wrong?”

“I’m…. I’m sorry. Personal space.”

Ears flattening slightly to her skull, the lavender merely nodded, the looked at the minor kerfuffle being played out in the grass.  Chuckling at the verbal fencing, Cloudkicker asked, “Shouldn’t you stop them?”

Feature still stoic, Swiftblade gave a noncommittal shrug.

“Only if it degrades into kicking and mane pulling.”

After a few moments, and with apologies and hoofbumps a-plenty, the foals returned to their game. Nodding sagely, Swiftblade said ,”See?”

Cloudkicker smiled fondly as she watched her sister bound across the grass, her numerous friend running hell bent for leather behind her.

“She looks good.”

Swiftblade nodded silently, not taking her gaze away from her assignment.

“She getting enough to eat? Sleeping enough?”

At this, the grey mare lips quirk up for a moment in what may have very well have been a smile, and in a slightly less chilled tone, she replied, “When she’s not sneaking out to try to break into the library, or hiding in the closet so I wont disturb her studies.”

“Studies huh?”

“She wants to help pony’s. Be an ambassador, or a doctor.”

At the words, the lavender mare right brow quirked slightly.

“Quite a far cry from her families calling.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Cloudkicker saw Swiftblade turn to her. Looking at her fully, and seeing the soft sad smile on the mares muzzle, she said, “What?”

“Is that such a bad thing?”

Looking forward again, Cloudkicker gave a slight shrug of her wings.

“I…. I don’t know. You really want her to play politician in some boardroom? Her smarts, she could easily make officer status by the time she’s twenty one or so. Hay, she might even make elder by thirty.”

Looking forward again, Swiftblade said “Your much too young to be sounding like Nimbus Cloudkicker.”

The lavender mare winced as though she was slapped.

“Low blow Swifty.”

For a moment, the two sat in silence, then looking to the side again, Cloudkicker mused, “So… you and mom huh?”

Swiftblades muzzle slid into the standard guard face, and in a polite tone she said “Yes?”

“She… I mean…” puckering her muzzle as though she’d bitten into rotten fruit, she shook her head.

“I just can’t see her like that.”

Swiftblade’s eyes shifted downwards a moment, and she replied in a dead tone, “She wasn’t… not really.”

“What?”

Speaking in the same monotone, the mare elaborated, “She enjoyed herself, but… she didn’t feel the same way I did. She loved the sex, but… at the end of the day, it was just an angle she was playing.”

Cloudkicker tilted her head.

“Huh?”

“The sex, dinners, sparring, spending time with me, making me her wing mare…. Right from the word go, she made it clear that most of that was for moral. She didn’t love me, and never would. But… at night, when she held me to her, nuzzling my neck…”

Seeing the uncomfortable look on the opposite mares face, Swiftblade cleared her throat.

“Well, in any case… though she certainly have too, she warmed my bed many a cold night, and I’ll be grateful for that.”

“She used you.”

“No, she didn’t. I was always aware of her intentions, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that beautiful mare.”

“But… if you loved her so much, why didn’t you…?”

“Go through with the raid?” Swiftblade looked down. “As I watched her… it was enchanting. Watching as she ordered our comrades, her steel gaze monitoring the operation. And in that instant, I know I could never be her. My heart was too soft.”

For a moment, Swiftblades jaw worked, then she said, “She dismissed me that night. The next evening, the nightmares started, and I shut down. I remember you visiting.” Shaking her head, the gray mare made a snort of anger.

“I was pathetic.”

Swiftblade stiffened at the sudden pressure on her neck, her wings flexing against her side at Cloudkickers sudden nuzzling of her neck. Turning her head, teeth bared, the mare hissed, “Hey I thought I…” her words stilled and her glare softened at the look on Cloudkickers face.

“Swifty… you could never be pathetic to me.”

For a moment, the scarred pony only gazed at one of her last true friends in all the world, and with a smile, returned the nuzzle.

“Thank you Cloud.”

Turning back to their post, both mares gaped. The sun had begun to sink, and Alula was waving bye to her friends. Turning around, she began cantering back to the adults. Still smiling, Swiftblade nudged her friend in the side with a wing.

“Go. Take Alula out for ice cream. Be with your sister.”

As Cloudkicker hopped off the bench, she turned her head back to give a smile.

“Hey Swifty… mom did love you. Maybe not as much as you did her, but I promise you… her actions towards you were because she wanted too.”

And with that last thought, the lavender mare cantered up to her blood, and nuzzled the foals head.

“Hey Lu.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Cloudkicker glanced down at the filly next to her. Despite her offering of anything her sister could want, the foal merely asked for a small vanilla. For the next half hour, the elder talked and joked, only getting half hearted smiles, if any reaction at all. Outside, Cloudkicker deemed it a lovely night for maybe a play, or bowling. Alula merely shook her head.

Cloudkicker gently nuzzled her sister at the front lawn of her aunt and uncles, and gave a half hearted smile.

“We’re here.”

Alula nodded, and began walking down the path. Grimacing, the mare reached out, and stopped the walk with a hoof.

“What’s wrong Lu?”

Slowly, she turned back to her sister, and said softly, “I know.”

“About?”

The little fillies eyes flashed as she whispered, “About mom and her friends and that village.”

Cloudkicker felt a sick sense of dread settle in her stomach, and gave a slight grin, reaching out again to pat her sister on the head.

“What are you talking about, you sil…” Cloudkicker winced in shock as her  hoof was pushed away, and Alula looked up at her sister, breathing hard.

“Don’t patronize me damn it! I know about it all! Mommy went to that village…. And …. And she hurt people!”

Cloudkicker held the slapped hoof against her chest, as though ready to bolt, but could only manage a slight whimper.

“Lu… I… come on…”

Stamping her hoof, Alula shook her head.

“No! Don’t you dare try to defend that sow Cloud!”

Cloudkicker’s jaw dropped, then in a flash, snapped back into place. Stamping her hoof, she shouted “Now, see here little lady…!”

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Alula’s wings flared out in emotion as she cried, “Admit it! She was no better then that thing that got her!”

Cloudkickers hoof blurred to back slap her distraught sister, sending the foal slamming down into the ground. Eyes glittering dangerously in the light, wings flared out to their fullest, the mare snarled, “That’s enough, you ungrateful little….” Suddenly, something clicked. Cloudkicker gasped, covering her muzzle with the offending hoof, then walked forward to her now whimpering sister.

“Oh no… Lu… here, let me…” Cloudkicker jumped slightly as the filly screeched, “N o!”

“Lu! Stop this, I have too…”

Wriggling from the mares grip, Alula belted down the dirt path, screaming, “Shut up! I hate you Cloudkicker! All you do is hurt me, or dad, or your friends! I don’t want you as my sister no more!”

Tears streaked out as daggers of her sisters venom pierced her heart and twisted.

“Alula, wait, I….” the lavender mare winced as the door slammed. Cloudkicker shook her head.

“Goddess… Alula… what have I done?”

Turning sharply, the mare galloped off into the night to her home.