Havoc's Hourglass

by Croswynd

Chapter 1: Whisper

Chapter 1: Whisper

Wind rustled past Whisper’s ears as she fell. Her wings immediately began to stabilize her descent. Blood pounded in her ears like ancient drums. Humid air came to her in gasps. Eyes wide, she scanned the night sky.

That was when the screech of a harpy pierced the quiet. A dark form flitted across the starscape, almost too fast to follow.

Almost.

Whisper braced herself just before the shape slammed into her. They fell. Poisoned talons raked her armored sides. Fetid breath brushed across her neck like a foul gust. The snap of fangs clacked, as if eager to be plunged into her vulnerable skin. Eyes glittering with murderous desire were inches from hers.

Behind those eyes, the world swirled madly. The sliver of the moon tumbled into a twist of jungle and back again. Clouds and earth. Stars and canopy. Life and death.

They were seconds from impact when Whisper lashed out with a hoof. It connected with the harpy’s gaping maw and shot a lance of pain up her foreleg. Teeth gnashed together violently, and its claws detached enough for her to wiggle from its grasp.

Stunned, the harpy fell away from her, carried by the wind. Its scream grew faint as it plummeted toward the ground, out of sight. The sound abruptly cut off with a crash of crackling branches.

Snapping her wings out before she joined it, Whisper executed a swift somersault. The wind beckoned to her call and slowed her descent as if it were catching her in a massive hoof.

Clear for the moment, Whisper took a shuddering breath. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. Little, involuntary whines slipped out with each exhalation. Her neck thudded in an adrenaline-fueled frenzy.

I’m okay. I’m okay. Calm down, Whisp’. Take stock.

Pain flared in response from her left wing. The appendage throbbed, oozing a yellow ichor. She grimaced. Harpy poison would cling just under the skin for hours, painfully working its way through her wing and leaving large bruises in its wake.

Another piercing screech from above caught the breath in her throat.

High above, the airship she’d called home for the last few weeks thundered through the skies on its huge twin turbines. The blades cut through the air with an audible hum, even magically dampened though they were. One side of the airship was covered in a grey film, like half a soap bubble that still hadn’t popped. Casted fire and explosions of lightning popped around the undefended side.

Harpies swarmed the balloon that held her home aloft like gnats around a dying animal.

Larger forms of pegasi zoomed around the smaller harpies in defensive formations. They cut small swaths through the disorganized swarm in an effort to keep the monsters at bay—the crew weren't about to leave their ship to the monsters flapping madcap through the sky. As she watched, one of the harpies ceased its unsteady flap and careened toward earth.

That’s it. Whisper smiled fiercely at the crew’s precision. Just like I taught you.

Before she could congratulate herself further, something latched onto her tail and pulled, hard. Yelling in both shock and pain, Whisper whipped her head down. A flash of fangs was all she saw before she was pulled into the canopy.

Wood crashed against her as the monster pulled her further into the jungle’s boughs. Leaves filled her mouth with a sour taste before she closed it. Vines tugged at her hair and snapped with every tug. She could barely hear over the disorienting screech of the harpy.

She was in their territory now, down in the darkness under the canopy.

Fear slashed through her resolve as memories of others pulled away similarly whipped through her mind. It happened to others, not her. She was the best, the fastest, the smartest, the toughest.

It couldn’t happen to her.

Now anger swept through her, at the harpy, at herself. Lashing out, she grabbed for a branch. The next tug came and she slipped.

“No!” The ragged cry tore from her throat as she beat her wings.

Wind slashed through the canopy. Leaves tumbled around her and the grip on her tail loosened. She didn’t waste the chance; she beat her wings again, grabbing for a nearby trunk.

The harpy tugged harder at her tail. Frustrated, shrill cries came from what seemed to be every direction.

Whisper closed her eyes and flattened her ears against the assault of sound. Another tug came, but she was ready for it. This time, she pulled back.

Once again, wind exploded in every direction. A stream of moonlight struck through the darkness and fell over the monster’s vicious features beneath her. The harpy shrieked and hid its ghastly face with a leathery wing as if burned by just being seen.

Biting her lip and shrugging off the growing pain her wing, Whisper flapped. Wind pushed her up like a giant springboard and she screamed a battle cry, rising through the canopy and dragging the harpy in her wake. Now it was the monster’s turn to slam into branches and be pelted by vines.

A talon dug into her left hind leg, nearly causing her to slam into a gnarled trunk. She veered at the last second, straight into a net of vines. The foliage pressed in against her, holding her fast. It gave momentarily, just enough to tangle her wings and body even further.

Another screech came from below, this one seeming to be tinged with relief. The talon dug deeper into her hind leg with excruciating slowness as the harpy pulled itself up to her.

Whisper shook violently against the vines. She only managed to wedge herself deeper into their grasp.

The harpy removed its talon and hooked another into the vines next to her. Its dark shape hung beneath her like a fiendish shadow. Leathery skin and scales rubbed against her fur, sandpaper against skin.

I’m going to die.

The thought hit her like a hammer blow.

I'm going to die alone, in the dark. I'll never see the sky again, I'll never fly. Just one, simple mistake and I've already failed Novell, failed Quills and the Professor, Pensive and Scrolls... failed myself.

An explosion of grey energy stopped her thoughts in their tracks. She turned away from the sudden illumination and vaguely heard the harpy scream in pain.

“Oh, there you are!”

“Professor?” Whisper yelled, disbelieving, as she blinked away the glare.

A chuckle sounded back. “Of course, my dear! I’m here to rescue you! Teleportation was never my strong suit, but I can manage just fine, it seems!”

Spectacles glistened just ahead of her in the light of a horn. As her vision cleared, she recognized the bushy mustache and distinctive swirl of grey hair. A smile was plastered across the Professor's face.

He was also tangled in the same vines she was.

Whisper stared at him wordlessly.

He stared back, then looked down. “...huh.”

Before the Professor could utter another word, the maddened harpy slammed into him. Fangs sunk deep into the unicorn’s neck, and he whinnied in agony. A spark of magic speared upward like a firework from his horn.

“Professor!” Whisper roared, squirming against her prison. She was so close to him, yet she could do nothing.

Something snapped above, and the vines gave. It wasn’t enough to free her entirely, but it was enough to move her wings. Immediately, she directed the wind as a conductor would a melody.

Wind rushed across her feathers as she took control of the thin stream of wind rustling through the canopy. She flapped and sent a wall of air streaking toward the harpy.

The wind ripped the monster from the Professor’s limp body and slammed the harpy into a trunk. It flattened against the wood, eyes bulging outward, unable to screech its defiance or fear.

Whisper gritted her teeth, blinded with fury. Wind continued in a line from her wings. It pressed and pressed and pressed.

“Whisper… enough…” Professor Search croaked, head lolled to the side.

Her wings snapped closed.

The harpy fell into the underbrush with a crackle of broken branches. She didn’t care if it was dead or unconscious, but it wouldn’t be bothering them anytime soon, either way.

Worry and guilt clawed at her throat and she moved to tend to the Professor. After a moment of deft wind-cutting, she freed herself and her would-be rescuer from the vines. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the two gashes on the unicorn’s neck. They were oozing a yellow fluid, just like her own wound. Her wing throbbed in response.

“You’ll be okay,” Whisper said more to herself than the unconscious Professor. She cut the unicorn free and grunted when his weight settled on her. Luckily, she was tougher than most pegasi. "Carrying you won’t be a sweat, even with a wounded wing."

A moment later, she was in the sky again. Wind crisscrossed her wings from every direction like it was welcoming her back. Her wings twinged in response, but there was no time for an extended homecoming.

She rose and spotted the Southern Belle in the distance. The half-eggshell of the shield was still up and there seemed to be less harpy silhouettes. Unfortunately, there were less pegasi ones, too.

It took longer than she liked to fly back with the Professor slung beneath her. Despite her earlier determination, her breath came in heavy gasps, and she almost doubted she could reach the ship. One final stretch lay before her, swarming with harpies.

Gritting her teeth, she dashed into the fray.

High pitched screeches battered her from all sides as she joined in the aerial ballet. Whistles and booms of exploding spellcasts and Thunderkegs filled the air. None of them were close to hitting her, thankfully.

A pair of harpies glanced in her direction. Their screams pierced the air, and they immediately began flapping toward her on wings the color of night.

“Ponyfeathers,” Whisper cursed under her breath and got a better grip on the Professor. “Quills! If you see me, now would be the time to help out!”

When no help was forthcoming, Whisper growled and tried to figure out a way to fight with her burden. She was flying right at them. They’d be on her in seconds.

“Okay, let’s see how you like this!” she yelled at them.

A burst of wind blew toward the two. One of the harpies dodged it, but the other was caught full-on. The unfortunate monster stopped as if it had slammed into a wall and fell, stunned. The other continued toward her with a screech of victory.

Before it could sink its claws into her, a flash of red shot from the Southern Belle's deck and burst across the harpy’s side. Flame exploded across the monster’s leathery skin, catching like a brushfire. In seconds, the harpy was burning and screaming, a meteor heading toward the earth.

Whisper almost wished fire killed them, but harpies were nearly impossible to just defeat.

The deck of the airship rose before her and she slowed herself. Breaking to a halt, she set the Professor on the wooden floor and looked up as two familiar figures came up to her.

“Whisper! You’re all right!” Quills Parchment squeezed her into a hug. Her teal-colored hair was disheveled, but her coat was protected by her acid-gouged armor. “When we saw you get pulled down—”

“We weren’t even worried,” Skycrasher interrupted, a smirk on her face. The eyepatch she switched from eye to eye was sitting across her left this time, and her white mane was tucked under her flight cap. “Glad to have you back. The boys’ve kept it up while you were gone.”

Quills glanced down at the Professor and immediately began issuing orders. “Starshimmer, bring me some bandages and some poultices! Flameblaze, bring him below to the sickbay! What happened?”

The last was to Whisper, who took in another shuddering breath and nodded. “Prof’ got attacked… down in the forest… trying to save me. Got its fangs in his neck.”

The young mare’s lips set in a thin line. “Always an idiot. When he gets up later, I’m going to shave off his mustache.”

“You can save him?” Whisper asked, guilt squirming in her gut.

Doubt shimmered in Quills’ eyes before hardening into a steady resolve. “Of course. You focus on getting us through this.”

“‘Atta girl,” Skycrasher murmured. She glanced down and rustled her own mangled wing. “You out of commission, Flight Leader?”

Whisper shook her head. “Not yet.”

Skycrasher’s smirk was almost taunting. “Then get up there and save my ship and crew.”

Bouncing back into the air was as simple as breathing to her. So was slamming into stuff at high speeds, as she immediately proved by rushing another harpy near the engines. Mindful of its rough, leathery skin and scales, she turned at the last moment and hit it with an armored shoulder.

The harpy hacked up a smoky fluid as her shoulder connected with its chest. A sizzle hissed in her ear, the liquid thankfully falling on the armor instead of her coat.

Stunned, the harpy fell out of the sky. It seemed almost disbelieving as it dropped, like it never expected to be thrown from the air.

"Good hit!" Quills yelled from the deck of the airship, nearly inaudible over the wind.

Whisper barely gave the young mare a glance. Quills was wearing her armor and that was enough.

A yell from the other side of the ship drew her attention. Two pegasi were pinned against the balloon, harpy talons gripping their forelegs. More of the monsters were coming around to spit their acid at the hapless ponies.

She couldn't help them both. Not alone, anyway.

"Rigs, Clank! Port side!" Whisper yelled at the two unicorns standing on deck.

The duo, one comically skinny and the other comically large, shifted their efforts to the direction she pointed. The massive shield they maintained moved toward the helpless pegasi.

Just before the attacking wing of harpies spat their acid, the shield moved over the trapped crewmembers. The monsters holding them pinned against the side of the balloon screeched and squawked when the shield touched them, flapping away. Acid splatted against the magical bulwark and dribbled off to the jungle below.

Mystical lightning crackled as the harpies flung themselves headlong into the shield, unaware or uncaring that it shocked them senseless. The shield wouldn’t be enough to keep them down forever, but it was enough to grant a breather for the pegasi. Too soon, though, the harpies seemed to figure out the trick and swiftly moved to attack the unshielded side.

One of the pegasi who’d been freed, however, wasn’t flapping away. Whisper rushed forward.

The pegasus disappeared below the edge of the deck and she followed it without a thought. She twisted the wind into a blast of air behind her and rocketed down toward the panicking pegasus.

"I can't fly!" The pegasus' words were almost lost in the wind. "I can't flap my wings!"

Some of the crewmember's feathers were eaten away. Holes littered both wings, a grisly sight.

The one place we can’t armor, Whisper thought with a touch of fear.

Wind sapped the saliva from her mouth as she gasped against the exertion. A few beats more and she managed to grab the pegasus. Dread drummed through her heart at ending up like him. The feathers would grow back... but not for months.

She couldn't be out for months. Time was already running low as it was.

"I can't fly!" Tears thickened the pony's voice. "I can't fly, I can't fly anymore!”

Gritting her teeth, she concentrated on slowing them down and comforting him at the same time. "You'll be fine. They'll grow back. Just calm down. I'm here."

A faraway expression came over the pegasus' face, as if he were looking through time. "No, I can feel it. I'll never fly again. I have to... I need—."

"You'll be fine," Whisper cooed, a touch of wistfulness coloring the words.

They slowed to a stop. The only sounds were the wind and Whisper's flapping wings. Land and trees stretched out beneath them, untouched and still beneath the moon's light. Peace stretched and lounged through the night like nothing had disturbed its slumber.

If only it were always like this…

More screeches came from above.

“They’re coming back for us!” the pegasus in her forelegs cried out and shielded his wings.

When she looked up, flapping figures dove toward her, silhouetted against the moon resting high in the sky. The harpies cackled in victory. Leather wings beat with maddened intensity. Fangs snapped and talons scraped against one another in an eager rhythm.

Despite the threat, Whisper closed her eyes.

“What are you doing! Move! We need to go!” the pegasus screamed, shaking violently.

Ignoring him, she drew in a deep breath. In her mind’s eye, she saw all three of the harpies above her, drawing closer, manic light dancing in their glares. When they drew close enough…

Whisper tilted her left wing on the upswipe just so. Air flowed through her feathers and up toward her foes. She did the same with her right a second later.

Snapping her eyes open, Whisper shot straight up. The wind gathered around her with one more flap, this time held like a rubber band stretched beneath her. Pressure gathered at the tips of her wings.

All it took was a simple release.

Whisper twisted mid-flap and dropped the pegasus. As she moved, the two harpies on the right and left were battered off course. The third continued straight at her, confusion in its pockmarked face.

When she kicked out, it was like the sky exploded. A crack of misplaced air thundered through her bones when her back hooves impacted the harpy, directly in the chest. Wind swung upward like a sledgehammer.

The harpy’s chest flattened like a piece of hot steel beneath the blow, its spongy skeleton and insides stretched near to breaking point. Acid sprayed across her hind legs and tail. Wherever the acid touched hissed menacingly. Pain ate at her hide like bits of scampering embers.

Without skipping a beat, Whisper dove again. Her body strained against the speed, agony spreading like wildfire at the base of her wings where the armor didn’t protect.

The pegasus she’d dropped was screaming below her. He awkwardly attempted to flap wings that wouldn’t function. The top of the jungle’s trees reached out with leafy branches as if to catch him… or impale him.

Whistling through the air like a missile, Whisper caught the pegasus under his forelegs. Seconds from impact, she heaved upward with every muscle in her body. She felt like she was inhaling fire, a stitch like a burning lance in her side. Tendons popped like firecrackers in her wings. Clenching her teeth against the strain, Whisper leveled off just above the canopy.

Wind caressed her brow, as if congratulating her for the catch.

“Thanks,” Whisper muttered, then looked down. “You okay?”

The pegasus’ eyes were closed and his breath came in short, terrified gasps. Tears streaked the fur under his eyes. “No.”

She coughed out a laugh. “Yeah… I don’t blame you.”

When no answer was forthcoming, Whisper tiredly stared up at the star-streaked sky. Only the Southern Belle’s airframe shone underneath the moonlight. A cool wind sent the leaves below into a forlorn rustle, counterpoint to the muted thrumming of the airship’s engines.

“Looks like we fought them off.”

“Good.” Bitterness dripped from the crewpony's words, sorrow not far hidden underneath. “Thank you.”

Grimacing, she flapped back up toward the airship. “Don’t mention it.”

*****

The stench of sweat seeped off of her coat as Whisper removed her armor. She didn’t bother examining it, but she knew it had to be covered in pockmarks like the ones she had on her hide. With a thunk, the heavy armor fell to the floor.

Exhaustion flooded through her, sudden and powerful.

Quills tapped the bottom of Whisper’s chin. “No, don’t fall asleep. Stay awake.”

“How’s the Professor?” she replied, eyes still closed. How she wanted to fall asleep right on the makeshift clinic’s floorboards. Groans from other injured ponies caused her to regretfully open her eyes again. “And where’s Swirley?”

All around the crew quarters, clouds held the pegasi crew. Nearly all of the ponies had poultices on various body parts. Others were sleeping before their next shift.

The sight reminded her that she wasn’t the only one too tired to stand. She focused back on Quills as the young mare started speaking.

“Asleep now. Mother and I removed most of what we could, but he’s not looking well,” Quills said in return. “He needs medicine I can’t provide to fully heal him. As for your snail, he’s with my mother.”

Behind them, Skycrasher cleared her throat. “Amber’s a great medic, truth be told, but you’re right. Fortunately, we’ll make it to Dromadary’s capital in two days. Maybe one if we don’t run into any more harpies.”

“Not likely.” Whisper winced when Quills dabbed her wing with an antiseptic. “Ow.”

“Stop moving,” the young mare admonished. “I need to clean this.”

Clenching her teeth, Whisper attempted to remain still. “We’ve run into too many nests for this to be a coincidence. Havoc’s behind the attacks.”

“It’s true I’ve never come across this many on this route before,” Skycrasher said with a brow raised over her eyepatch. “Maybe we’ll get lucky. Maybe we won’t. Two days, maximum. Can the Professor hold out that long?”

Finished with Whisper, Quills stepped back and rummaged around the medicine bag laying on top of a barrel. “I don’t know, to be honest.”

“Hard to imagine, coming from you,” Whisper cracked, to a disapproving frown.

“I don’t know because it depends on the constitution of each individual pony,” Quills elaborated. “The Professor is tougher than most ponies, but he’s also older than most. I’ve done all I can to increase his chances, but it’s up to him to pull through. If he wakes up in the next few hours, we’ll know he can hold on.”

Skycrasher sighed. “We have been lucky, you know. None of my boys and girls have been lost. Making you Flight Leader was the best decision I made this month.”

“Not being able to fly might as well be dead.” Whisper stared at a sleeping pegasus nearby through dead eyes. “Isn’t there anything to do?”

“Not being able to fly isn’t the end of the world,” Skycrasher snapped back, staring angrily. “I should know.”

Whisper winced and resisted the urge to stare down at the mare’s useless wing. Losing her ability to fly hadn’t stopped Skycrasher from captaining her own airship instead.

“Sorry.”

Skycrasher waved it away. “Doesn’t matter. Let’s focus on what we can fix. Like the ship. We’ve taken a lot of damage from the successive attacks. There’s materials in the hold to fix her up enough to get us through the journey, but we should set down sooner rather than later. She might hold through, but...”

“Where can we set down where we won’t be attacked by harpies?” Whisper flexed her wings and felt only a slight burn as the medicine worked its way through her system. "We've been attacked nearly every night."

“Glad you asked.” Skycrasher pulled a map from under her flight cap and spread it across a nearby barrel. She pointed with a hoof. “Right around here is a good place. Harpies aren’t known to circulate around here on account of there being nothing to hunt and eat. But if you think we can make it, Flight Leader, we’ll head straight through.”

Whisper’s eyes fell across the wounded pegasi all around her and she sighed, nearly crushed with defeat.

Why am I making the decisions, Captain? There were no answers in Skycrasher’s eyes—only a hint of challenge lay there.

Fine, she thought tiredly. How did Novell handle leading just the five of us through so many terrible situations?

Just thinking of Novell ate at her. The few moments they'd been able to be with each other had been worth the adventure she'd butt in on. Now he was gone, somewhere. Stupid brown hair and stupid grin, she thought.

He was a good leader despite everything, but she had to be better—for his sake and her own. Just finding him was going to take everything she had. The only clue she had was the last two missing pieces of Havoc's powers... if Novell was alive, she'd find him chasing one of them.

Maybe that’s why Skycrasher’s making me choose… She squared her shoulders and let out a calming breath. Well, if Novell can do it, so can I.

Whisper looked up at the two ponies waiting for her orders. The map beckoned to her, the place Skycrasher had marked seeming to be their only option. Fly through to the capital of Dromadary or risk setting down to repair? What would Novell do?

A flash of irritation bloomed in her mind. He’d probably ask one of us for options and go with the best idea. Trusting in his friends, huh?

“Let’s set her down there, then,” she ordered, hoping it was the right choice.

It had to be.

Comments

[paul]

At last!!! Squeee!

[djthomp]

Ahh, it's so nice to be reading about these characters again.

Yikes, harpies are nasty.

A faraway expression came over the pegasus' face, as if he were looking through time. "No, I can feel it. I'll never fly again. I have to... I need—."

I'll just file that under 'mildly suspicious' given the story title.

[Starlight Nova]

Congrats on making it in. I can't wait to read this baby!

[ShortCircuit908]

After having absolutely LOVED the previous installment, I simply cannot wait for this one. If it's anywhere near as good as the last, it's going to be simply stellar.

[Ficta_Scriptor]

So I finally got around to reading this. And what can I say? Coming back to these characters is like meeting up with old friend and your writing is every bit as good as I'd remembered. Those battle scenes were exciting (Whisper is a badass) and I can't wait to see where this all leads. What else could I have expected from my favourite fanfic author on the site?

I do have one big problem though. This story needs more views! But please don't let this deter you. Your work has continued to inspire me, and many others I'm sure. I await the next chapter with baited breath.