Home is Where the Swords Are

by NekoAbunai

Prolouge

“... Bright…”

…

“... Bright Bounce…”

…

“Hey sis, wake up!”

A sudden push pulled me from the darkness and into the land of light. With a yelp, I sat up and was greeted by a teenage unicorn mare, smiling as she pulled back a hoof from my side. The dark blue pony grinning as she registered my look of confusion had splotches of indigo all over her body, one spot resting on the corner of her eye, crinkled in a smile. A dark red sash tied around her horn caught the wind and blew into my face, causing a little flinch and a bigger grin from the mare.

“Sash? What’s going on?” I rubbed sleep from my eyes as I yawned up at my sister, drawing a small chuckle from her. Looking around, I recognized the familiar plains surrounding the tree I sat under. A little ways off, there was a little house with a tiny garden in the front and a small wagon behind the two-story house.

“You fell asleep, silly,” Sash answered, her indigo mane shifting in the dry wind slightly as she leaned forward to kiss me on the forehead. “Now, come on, dinner’s waiting for us.”

I stood up and stretched as my sister stepped back, my wings spreading out behind me as I reached forward. Smiling as I finished getting the sleepiness expelled from my system, I trotted up next to my sister, ready to take on the afternoon, or what was left of it, based on how low the sun was in the sky.

Sash smiled down at me, her dark blue, almost black, eyes twinkling in a mixture of happy emotions. I grinned up at her before yelling, “Race ya!” and running full trot down the hill. I heard a snort behind me prior to the sound of hooves hitting the ground at a much faster pace than mine.

The wind blew against me in a familiar hug, embracing me with the scent of home and freedom. It pulled at the corners of my mouth, coaxing out my biggest smile and, eventually a laugh as I ran towards home. I heard my sister running beside me, prompting me to turn and look at Sash as she ran with me, her red ribbon billowing out behind her horn and into her tied-up ponytail. She wore a smile similar to mine, her enjoyment shining in her eyes as we raced home.

As the grass became coarser we slowed to a trot, our hooves clopping occasionally on flat rocks when we drew closer to a training dummy and a sword hung on a pieced-together weapon rack. I drew to a halt looking at the pony dummy, stitches running all over it from my sister's practice. I looked over to her, watching as she lit her horn in a blue light, a cerulean aura flowing over her sword.

My ears pricked up and I said, "Sash, can you show me your cool fighting moves?" She turned to look at me with surprise.

"Why?"

I jumped around her a bit. "Cause I wanna be like Dad when I grow up!"

Her soft eyes hardened. "Dad is not... That isn't a very safe profession, Bright. Mom couldn't handle it and our father..." She bit her lip and looked off to the side. "Our father isn't the best pony to be similar to."

I cocked my head. "But you're training to be in the Royal Guard, like him."

My sister's ears pinned to her head. "Father in not in the Royal Guard," she spat out, her eyes closing in something akin to anger.

"But you both fight and use swords," I motioned toward the training dummy. "The Army is basically the same as the Royal Guard."

Sash stamped on the ground as she whirled on me, her teeth bared and expression fierce. "The Royal Guard doesn't go out to kill things!" I fell back in surprise, her voice strained and angry.

I sat up, looking up at her in confusion. "But, the Army defends ponies! So does the Guard!"

My sister shook her head, a short bark of laugh escaping a sudden grin. "What Indigo Smite does isn't defending the nation." She straightened up, examining her blade. "He doesn't even go to protect towns... Father doesn't protect ponies; he just goes to war to kill..." Her eyes softened as something came across her eyes, a memory maybe?

I looked down, ears drooping from my sister's anger and outburst. "I'm sorry, Sash." I lifted my chin to see if she was still mad after a moment. She was sucking on her teeth, regarding her sword, her hoof running across the blade's hilt. The steel glinted in the glinting light of the sun.

Sash looked at me, her eyes softening as she took in my low ears and sad eyes. "I guess I can show you a few moves..."

My ears shot up and I hopped up to my hooves, all traces of sadness gone as I shouted, "Yesss!" I ran to the side of a traced out square of stones, marking the zone for my sister to practice.

Sash snorted from my antics before stepping in front of the dummy, her eyes narrowing as she examined it. Her blue eyes took in the bucket on its head and comical expression, her gaze sweeping over its form. She lowered her stance and floated her blade to her side, eyes trained on her opponent.

I held my breath as she stood still, the air going quiet as Sash glared at the training dummy. With a battle cry, my sister moved as a blue blur, her blade moving as a cerulean flash. She stepped to the side of the pony as her sword slashed across the dummy, cutting deep into the target. Hay flew out of the stuffed pony, the force of her swipe making the cut clean.

Sash rammed into the shoulder of the fake pony, pushing it over, stone base and all. As it fell, she brought her blade back down and cut through its neck easily, showing no mercy to the familiar opponent. She stood over her defeated dummy, watching it as its head rolled over to me.

I clapped my hooves in excitement, whooping as I praised my sister for the damage done to the stuffed pony. I jumped up and ran to my sister, hugging her as my excitement continued. She laughed and threw a hoof over me, dropping her blade as she did.

We giggled together, smiles on our faces and hearts light. Sash sighed and looked down at me, putting her hoof on my head, rustling my mane. Her hoof froze though, I looked up at her in confusion as it stopped. Her ears were up, quivering as she listened to my clapping.

I looked down at my hooves, breath catching as I realized my hooves were still and the sound of hooves hitting each other continued. Sash turned around and I peeked around her flank in curiosity.

A stallion sat on his haunches, a blade to his side and armor glinting on his chest. His mane hung around his head in unkempt locks of black, a few tied up in a ponytail and a few bits of hair curled around his horn. His fetlocked hooves collided loudly, leading up to a muscular frame and a deep blue chest piece. A black blade in front of a blue flame emblazoned his flank on an indigo coat.

He was grinning at us as he clapped, white teeth somehow looking sinister in the smile he wore. His eyes held no light, the black irises trained on Sash during his clapping.

"Hello, dear daughters of mine," he said, his deep voice sending a chill into the air. His hooves slowed and hit the ground. "I see that you were training."

I looked up at Sash's face, waiting for her to respond. She glared at the pony in front of us, a slow hoof sliding in front of me as she bared her teeth at the stranger.

"What do you want?" She growled out, horn igniting and pulling her sword from the ground and positioning it to her side, the blade not pointing at the stallion, but quivering in some emotion from my sister.

The stallion looked hurt from her tone, placing a hoof on his chest as he frowned. "Now, is that any way to speak to your father?" He closed his eyes, shaking his head as he tsked at us. "What would your mother say?"

My heart clenched painfully as my sister responded. "She's dead, you killed her, Indigo Smite."

Indigo looked at his hooves in boredom. "Did I? I don't remember such an occurrence." He looked at her, eyes twinkling innocently. "Maybe I was drunk?"

Sash stepped toward him, eyes narrowing at him. "You had nothing but water that day, you brought her out to the field when a griffin 'ambush' occurred." Her tone coldly came out as her sword rose. "I watched as you stabbed her through the back. I saw from the bushes while you laughed and cut her to look like claw marks ran over her." My sister bared her teeth as her eyes watered. "I saw you clean up and come home, call the authorities, and pretend that you had arrived too late to scare off the griffins."

Indigo looked at her, eyes coldly regarding her rage. He yawned into his hoof. "Now, why in Equestria did you have to go and say that? I've come back from a battle. Good news, I won! Don't throw such accusations during my time of celebration."

"Whose battle?" Sash bit out, a tear rolling down her narrowed eyes.

He stood up, displaying a towering height to the teenage pony in front of him. "A battle with the griffins. Those savages came to the home of a military officer and murdered his daughters!" His blade was encased in an aura of dark blue light. "I just was able to scare off the beasts! But..." Indigo came closer to Sash, his sword coming closer to his side and pointing directly at my sister. "... I was too late to save my daughters."

Indigo's sword flew at my sister with deadly speed, clanging to a halt as Sash blocked and jumped back. Indigo advanced in a slow trot, every two strikes blocked by Sash timed each step his dark blue hooves took. My sister was backing up, parrying every blow and never taking her eyes off the stallion's sword.

His advancing and never leaving any time for counter attacks from Sash's blade. His eyes were trained on the cold steel. My sister's sword swung through the air to block the swinging sword. The steel blades flashed through the air, my sister's sword barely blocking the stallion's blade.

She whipped around, eyes wide with fear. "Bounce, run!"

I turned as soon as she yelled, taking off toward the door to the house, wings flapping to speed me up. My heart beat in my chest, about to burst from my torso in fear of the maniac showing up at our house and trying to murder us.

My hooves fumbled with the doorknob, heart pounding in my ears, barely quieter than the clanging of swords meeting behind me. I finally pushed the door open, falling in and onto the welcome mat. Stumbling to my hooves, I ran into the kitchen after slamming the door shut trying to calm down to think.

"Okay, I can't run to the next town, not that I even know where it is or can outrun him," I panted, holding a hoof to my chest as I ran through my options. "Maybe, Sash can take him. Sh-she can do anything."

A scream from outside shattered my thoughts, and grabbed my heart, holding it still for a beat. I turned and grabbed the boiling pot of pasta, straining to hold it up with my teeth, but fueled by adrenaline. I rushed back outside, rounding the corner and almost fainting in fear.

Sash flew at Indigo, her sword flinging at him in a rage as she fought. Cuts lined her body, each deep and pouring copious amounts of blood onto the dry grass. Indigo parried her attacks easily, gliding back and expression annoyed as though he were dealing with a house fly. He sported a long cut on his forehoof and a few smaller on his chest.

I gulped and quietly rushed at the defending stallion, jumping and turning the pot of boiling water over and onto him. Indigo screeched in surprise and pain, whirling around and slamming a hoof into my stomach, sending me flying back and against a wall of the house. The stallion narrowed his eyes at me, true anger beginning to leak through his eyes as he slowly turned back to focus on Sash.

I weakly pushed myself up, whimpering and still holding onto the pot. I ran at him again, desperate to get him away from my sister. I swung the pot at his leg, making him lose his balance and stumble back. Taking the opening, Sash yelled incoherently and swung her sword, cutting deep into the stallion's armor and drawing a scream from the stallion as blood gushed from the wound.

Indigo's horn blazed brightly as his anger was brought to the fore. The sword whistled as it flew through the air and sliced at Sash. With a yelp, she parried the attack and grit her teeth in concentration.

"Bounce! Get out of here!"

I shook my head, despite her not being able to see me. "I can't leave you here!" I said, muffled by the pot still in my mouth. "I can't leave you with this stallion!"

She glanced back at me for a moment. "No, Bounce, you need to get out of danger! I can handle myself!"

"Yes, listen to your sister," Indigo said, his voice suddenly closer. I whirled around to stare into the stallion's chest plate, the leather armor displaying a deep gash into his chest. I looked up, stepping back as he stared down at me. Black eyes bored into mine sending my heart racing in fear of the cold, dark pits in his pupils.

I glared at him and swung at him only to drop the pot in sudden pain. I was pushed against the ground by a powerful hoof, holding me to the dirt. Squirming as I tried to get up, the dark indigo hoof pressed harder on my back, pain spiking up my spine and forcing my jaw to clench to prevent myself from yelling. My ears flipped back as I heard and felt a loud crack and my vertebrae shifting from the force above me.

"I do believe that I'm done here," he murmured, lowering his face to mine. I looked up, watching in fear as his pasta-covered horn lit with darker blue, a stream of the magic threading down to me. I flapped my wings in desperation, stopping as my head pounded in agony. I screamed my pain to the world, writhing as my father's magic mentally assaulted me, wrapping around my head and pushing into my mind.

I didn't notice his hoof remove from my back, caught up entirely by the pain of Indigo's magic burning through my thoughts like acid. I screamed until my voice became hoarse, the sadistic magic rolling through me like a plauge.

The magic suddenly withdrew, leaving me limp with the sudden recess of pain. I curled up, crying as the presence left me broken in mind. I lay there for some time, lost to the world, just withdrawn from my surroundings. I drifted off into painless darkness, not caring if I woke or not.

The darkness of unconsciousness left me, leaving my with closed eyes and weary. I opened my eyes as something wet fell on my face.

I cast my gaze up, looking into the face of my sister. She was smiling at me, but there was... Ketchup from her lips? It dripped onto my face, but it didn't feel as thick of the sauce. I sat up weakly, looking at her. Her hair was strewn about her head, most of it out of her ponytail. Her sash on her horn was cut up, but she'd never let it get damaged like that?

"Hey, Bounce," she murmured weakly. A hoof raised to my face and touched me. It had more red stuff on it, most of it had grass though. She coughed a little, bringing up more ketchup and making her lean on me.

"Yeah, Sash?" My voice was hoarse for some reason, but I just wanted to know what my sister was doing with all those hot sauce packets. She looked like she had gone rolling in the stuff.

"What is the one thing you want most?" She whispered, closing her eyes.

I rolled my eyes. "I have you, silly, what else do I need?" She winced, but I didn't think I did anything wrong.

"I won't be able to be here long," Sash grunted out. "I want to know what you want more than anything."

"What do you,-" I looked at the rest of the blue mare, breath catching as I registered the long gashes along her body and the steel firmly running through her chest. It was her blade, the well-worn handle with teeth marks from when Sash was a filly. Outspread wings made up the guard of the sword my mother passed down to my sister and the steel had the words Sash Dance engraved in the blade. It reflected a terrified face of a filly in it's blade, splotches of yellow on a blue face and yellow eyes looked back at me.

Tears welled up in the pony's eyes. "I want you!" I yelled, sobbing as I watched my sister's face pale.

Sash looked at me in desperation. "I can't promise I'll stay with you! I love you so much, Bounce, but I want to give you something, anything!" She wrapped her hooves around me, drawing me into a hug, pressing the hilt of her sword against my chest.

I cried into her shoulder. "I need you to stay and protect us! I- I need you, my big sister in her shin-n-ing new Royal Guard armour!" I gripped her tightly as I sobbed. "I love you and need you!"

Her hoof patted the back of my head, a soothing whisper trying to calm me. I heard her horn buzz with magic and I felt like my hooves were iron and my eyelids were lead.

"Sleep, sister," she murmured as consciousness drew away from me. "I love you so much..." I slumped onto her, falling into deep sleep, hearing her murmur as the buzz of her magic became louder and louder as I drifted away.

Comments

[Never Wake]

Very good, can't wait to see where this goes. :3