//------------------------------// // Potential // Story: Arc Angel // by Valorousspectre //------------------------------// There was a burst of light and I felt my blood boiling in my veins, heart racing and a blindingly powerful second flash exploded from my horn not a bare millisecond later. I heard the guard cry out and adrenaline surged through my system as whatever it was my body was doing affected him. I felt something hit me hard and I fell back. It hurt, and whatever it was, I'm sure I'm going to have a bruise from it. As I hit the ground I felt the burst of power shut off and I felt exhausted as I fell onto my back and hit my head on the ground. As I lay on the ground, I tried to get back my bearings, and tried to force down the bile rising in my throat with, and I'm glad to admit, great success. The twisting sensation as my stomach contracted, looking for something to digest, hurt like hell though and I groaned in pain. The world was spinning around me, even with my eyes closed. I waited for the sensation to leave me before opening my eyes and becoming dizzy once again as my vision spun. Blinking rapidly seemed to help, and after a minute or so it stopped and I managed to sit up, groaning painfully from the new bruise forming on the back of my head, and looked over at my attacker. He lay flat on his back, his spear knocked out of his grasp. He looked like he'd pulled out of a dive when he was moving too fast. I've read up on the effects of gravity and speed and aerodynamics and such things, and pulling out of a dive in a turn too sharp will affect your head and can potentially rip off a pair of wings. Not only that, the thin blood vessels around the eyes can rupture, causing black rings around the eyes. He looked a lot like that. There were rings around his eyes and one of his wings was at a bad angle. I wasn't sure if it was broken or dislocated though. But he was definitely out cold. And if he wasn't, he was a really damn good actor. I approached him cautiously, my stomach grumbling irritably at me, and pushed him gently over onto his stomach so I could examine his wing. All guards are taught basic field medicine, and I was no exception. Thankfully for this pegasus, his wing was only dislocated. Forcing myself to focus, I put my hooves on his torso and gripped his wing in a wreath of my magic. I took a deep breath to make sure I don't fuck this up, since that'd hurt him even more, and wrench it back into place. Even in his unconscious state, he cried out as the pain lanced through his mind. I know how much relocation hurts, I'd dislocated my fetlock once in a sparring match. Granted, it'd knocked out my opponent, but the ringmaster told me never to do that in a real battle. I'd also dislocated my left hind leg at one stage when I was racing Nightspring. She'd found it utterly hilarious at the time and had, I swear, seemed to take great pleasure in the pain it brought me when she pulled it back into place. Now that I had relocated it to it's proper position, I opened up his satchel to check it. The guard's satchel is only granted to those going outside the city or along the outskirts away from restaurants and such in order to carry vital resources. In this case, what I was looking for was a roll of bandages. I found it quite quickly. My friend here liked to keep his bag neat I suppose, and I started to wrap up the wing joint to reinforce and strengthen it. I froze as he groaned quietly in pain before finishing my job as quickly as possible. Satisfied my job was well done, I took another cursory look around the camp site. It looked as it was, disturbed now and his spear was not so far away. A thought entered my head and I trotted over to it to see if it was usable or not. They make weapons pretty tough for us, so why wouldn't it be? The broad, laurel leaf shaped blade that had made up the tip of the spear was shattered, and the haft was bent ever so slightly. I don't know what I did in that instant that he attacked me, but whatever it was, it clearly worked. A closer inspection has revealed the places where the pegasus had held the haft to be very slightly charred, like lightning had struck it, but very weak lightning. I doubt that's what knocked the poor guy out. Thinking about this reminds me. He called me a murderer. Not just attempted murder of Princess Mi Amore, but actual killer of two guards. I trotted back to him and reached into his satchel to retrieve a ration pack. He had about four or five, he'd be alright without one. Sitting by the dead fire, I opened the pack up, still thinking. Murderer. I'd been called a lot of things in life, most of them in jest from my colleagues, but murderer takes the cake. I haven't even been able to kill a killer before let alone a princess or two guards. I can only assume that he was referring to the guards that had stood outside my cell for the three days I'd been imprisoned. Although I never knew them and they weren't responsive to anything I said, I didn't want them to die. Nopony deserves to die, no exceptions. But if they were dead, how had they died? I certainly didn't kill them, they knocked me out. I don't remember anything since then until I woke up out here. There's no way I could have killed them in my sleep, let alone... The blood. The blood on my hooves. Somepony else must have murdered the pair and them smeared their blood on my hooves, make it look undeniably true. But wanted for the attempted murder of the Princess? I thought Shining had said I was just a suspect? That was all just protocol, I'm certain of it! There's no way he could actually believe anypony about something as stupid as that. Then again, perhaps it's not so stupid. it might be possible. Questionably so, but it is possible. But how did they tie my hooves to that case? I left nothing behind that could be used against me, so that's completely out of the question. I don't even own any weapons. Could he have assumed because I 'escaped' from jail that I was the culprit? No, that can't be right either. Shining is a meticulous stallion, especially in regards to investigations. Even the smallest thing could hold evidence, and Shining knew that. So there was no way he'd view my 'escape' as a testimony to my guilt... I think. At least, it lowers the chances. I mean, I stayed in there, without complaint and without attempts to escape, for three whole days. Why would the guards decide to just up and knock me out, and then get dump me out here? And how had they died, and managed to get their blood on my hooves? Ugh, just thinking about it was giving me a headache. And the taste of the cheese in this thing is freaking terrible. Bleh. I throw away what was left of the ration pack, which was just the cheese. Coincidentally, it landed on the fire by the way. In any case, I couldn't stay here. I had to move. When princess back there wakes up, he'll have a heck of a headache I reckon and his wing'll be hurting him for some time. I can't go back to Canterlot obviously. Not till I figure out a way to clear my name anyhow. I've read the stories before, trying to go back and explain everything never works. Ever. So I can't do that. And if they think I've killed two guards AND tried to kill a Princess, I won't be allowed to go free as I want, he'll send out somepony to track me down. Can't let somepony as 'dangerous' as me go around the land. I suppose the next question is where can I go? I have no bits, so I can't buy anything, I have no tent and no survival gear. Hell, I don't even have my armour. I'm in no state to merely travel randomly, but I don't see how I have a choice. With a probably melodramatic yawn, I stand up and look around. It doesn't seem to be late, I think I still have a few hours of daylight left at least. Well, with no other place to go, I pick a direction at random and start walking, trying to ignore the rumbles of my still grumbling stomach and the persistent itch of a thirst not quite quenched. ~*~ I thought I'd seen the most beautiful scenery in Equestria gazing upon the great gardens of Canterlot Castle. Never in my life did I imagine I'd be wrong. I have been walking for hours and the sun is beginning to set. Thankfully, I didn't run into anypony or anything particularly dangerous. There was a trio of Diamond Dogs that eyed me from a distance, and followed me for some time, but they didn't bother me. If I'm right, the patrol who found me wasn't sent out to find me specifically, and no doubt Shining would take a few days to fill in all the paperwork before he did send anypony out, so I'm safe for a few days. I think. Anyway. I was saying about the view before I got lost in my thoughts. It's a beautiful scene. I never just grass could be so breathtakingly beautiful on it's own like this. The soft oranges and yellows from the setting sun illuminate it, and it almost seems surreal. I can see a flower patch every so often, but they're never terribly big. They're just as beautiful, their natural reds, whites and blues tainted by the beautiful light filtering down to them from all of Celestia's hard work. I stop, if nothing but to simply stare at the beauty of the scene before me. It's a place like this that I can envision taking the mare of my dreams on a first date. Taking.... Taking Nightspring... And there it is. The topic I've been trying to avoid all day. I... I miss her. I know this is stupid and pathetic and I'm a guard and I should be stronger but... I can't help it. I miss her smile, as teasing and mischievous as it is when it shows, and I miss her eyes. I miss simply seeing her each day, and the sight of her in her armour. I blush as I remember a memory, I had walked into the common room late one night to find Spring in there, struggling to take off her armour. the buckles had tightened and she was having difficulty breathing as her chestpiece pressed on her sternum. I'd helped her loosen them the best I could with my weak magic and she'd finally been able to slip out of it all. All except the helmet. She seemed so beautiful and sleek when she slipped out of it like that, and then when she'd finally taken off her helmet and flicked her mane back how she always did she was the picture of perfection. I can imagine the ribbing I'm going to get when I get back to the core and she sees me again for the first time. She's probably going to hit me a few times, maybe push me around. There'll be a lot of insults being thrown around at me from her, there's no doubt about that. Maybe she'll still be willing to go out to dinner... even if it is only as friends as she wanted it. I have to stop thinking about her. I need to make camp. The first rule of survival is to make sure you have suitable protection from the elements. Fuck. I'm in grassland, and there's not a tree to be seen as far as the eye can see. I have no tent either, and with my weak magic and in my condition, it's unlikely I'll be able to create one like so many others would. But with no other option, I'm not sure what choice I have. So I start to concentrate. Making something from scratch is possibly one of the most difficult things a unicorn can learn to do. You have to know exactly what it is you're making, and you need to pump a lot of power into it. Since I know I can't do this, I'm going to stick to transmutation and manipulation. I'm not terribly good at either of them and I am working off of limited reserves, but dammit I have to try. I start by focusing on the grass around me and making it grow. That's easy stuff, a foal could do that. I know, I've seen a foal do it. That, of course, is nothing. Weaving strands of hardened earth around that is significantly harder. See, Earth can't be moved really due to the fact it'd just fall down without any sort of support. Instead, I had to replicate and transmute the strands of grass into earth, stone if I could manage it. I can feel sweat dripping from my forehead as I work. I'm basically making a giant basket with an open roof, so more like a cone I guess, of dirt and grass. I can feel my magic wavering and I'm trying to compensate, but it's difficult. Finally, it's done. And I've been left as a quivering mess on the floor. I guess I can't really call it floor yet. A flash of magic though and I've got the grass that was trapped in here cut and laying on the hard ground in a semblance of a floor. I'm fully surrounded by grass and hard packed earth, and I have never felt more vulnerable in my life. Magic was never my strong point, but I've never been this alone and this helpless. I can only hope that nopony finds me before sunrise tomorrow. ~*~ Celestia help me. I have never felt so ill in my life. My eyes are burning in their sockets and are clogged up by some disgusting muck, my nose is blocked up and is running. My throat has swelled up and it's difficult to breathe. That's not to mention the massive headache I have and the tightness of my chest. It feels like I'm being squeezed in a giant vice, like the castle blacksmith uses, only much bigger. I wish I had my armour. I'd feel safer encased in metal. My hooves shake as I look at them, and my knees are quaking under the strain of holding me up. I don't know how long I've been walking, and I don't know which way I've been going. There's picket fences either side of me and I know I'm walking on dirt. Dirt. I have decided I hate dirt. Dirt is... Ugh, it's just so dirty! It gets everywhere, like sand. Brown, disgusting and annoying sand. Not only that, you can't wash it off without it turning into mud. Mud! Urgh... My stomach is twisting in me, it hurts... It hurts to move, it hurts to think, it hurts to talk... Everything hurts and I can't feel my nose anymore. My head is heavy... like it's filled with dirt. Dirty dirt. Or rocks. I hate rocks. I stood on one a little while back and it hurt me too. Oh please Celestia, help me. What did I do to deserve this? I was a loyal guard, I was humble, I was dutiful. Why does all the bad stuff happen to us? The good, honest and loyal soldiers? I didn't even know your niece, why would I be interested in killing her? Let alone two guards... I raise my head to the sky with a titanic effort and yell at the sun. Celestia's the Princess of the sun right? Surely she can hear me... right? "Celestia!" I call in agony, "Please! Take me back! PLEA-HEE-HEASE!" I slump to the ground in agonizing pain, crying. I can't help it. I'm a guard and I'm crying because of a stupid little... oh fuck it, fine it's serious. But I'm a guard... "No, Y-you're a guard," I tell myself angrily before coughing a few times and wiping away the tears from my cheeks and the mucus from my nose, "You're g-gunna get up a-and keep w-walking." I tried to get up, I really did. I don't know how long I tried to get up. I don't know how many bruises and scrapes and cuts I managed to rack up doing so either. I vaguely remember cutting my nose, and splitting my lip. I tasted blood at one stage. When I finally swam back into conscious thought, I think I might have traveled a few meters in all my attempts simply to get up. I give up. Where's the point? I may as well just lay down and die here... I'm going to die... And I'll never see her again. Nightspring's cheeky little smiles, her cocky half grins, her teasing tongue pokes... She was such a flirt... such a beautiful, lovely flirt... and I never even stood a chance... My blood is boiling... I can feel adrenaline in my system and I try desperately one more time to force myself up only to fall back down. It's dark... night? I can't tell... I can barely see... I can feel magic, raw power flooding me and it hurts. I lift my head and roar my pain and frustration to the sky and there's a flash of light, a bright white flash of light and my voice cracked and failed completely, and then all I feel nothing. Darkness... swept me away.