• Published 12th Jan 2012
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Days of Wasp and Spider - Luna-tic Scientist



No humans. In Equestria's past, ponies exist only to serve their creators. One such pony is accidentally released from her mental chains, but how can one mare save herself and her people if she doesn't even know she's a slave?

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32 - Falling Free

Days of Wasp and Spider
by Luna-tic Scientist

Preread by: KMCA
Edited by: ssokolow


=== Chapter 32 (remastered) -- Falling Free ===


The disorientating pulse of somepony else's magic and the vicious slap of air made solid by sudden velocity nearly knocked Fusion unconscious. Reflexes born of megaseconds of flight time fought the wind and half-seen tumbling horizon, but her wings and body failed to respond. Her limbs, loose and supple from the drugs, flexed and bent in ways they weren't designed to, sending bursts of pain through already abused muscles. The chaotic motion subsided and the mare rapidly settled into a stable position, falling on her back with wings and legs trailing in the fast, turbulent slipstream.

Gasping for breath, Fusion studied the world through a stinging eye, thankful that her attitude had exposed the one she'd lost, rather than the other way around. Without the ability to squint... She could see a wide swathe of the sky and a portion of the horizon, made hazy and indistinct by kilolengths of air. There were clouds, a scattering of wispy things like a pony's tail, far, far above, with a broken layer of puffy rain clouds below. Through the gaps she caught glimpses of a rumpled dark green surface, laced with the silver threads of rivers and speckled with blinding white patches of snow.

Panic started to build and Fusion thrust it aside, focusing on the problem of what had happened. Celestia was up, in roughly the right position from what she remembered, so she was in about the right place. She was falling free, that was obvious; the emergence altitude was high, exactly as she'd planned with Gravity when they'd carefully selected the section of memory that would give them the best chance of surviving the long jump to the northern latitudes of Lacunae's territory. That only leaves the spell, she thought, something we missed, something that only happens on long jumps.

How does the teleport behave with multiple objects? she thought, wracking her memory for the patterns she'd used during her few tests. Each thing should emerge in the same relative position as it started, but... Perhaps slight differences in start position translate to differences in exit coordinates, differences magnified by the enormous length of this jump. ...have we been scattered along the axis of the jump, spread across kilolengths of air? Where are you, sister? Are you gliding, confused and alone, searching for me?

Sadness swept in to fill the space left by the panic. Tears, already filling her eye in response to the slipstream, started to flow in earnest, carried up along her muzzle to fly from the tip in a glittering stream.

Not long now. At least it will be fast.

===

Gravity was kicked back into consciousness at the insistence of her inner ear, the normally quiet voice of instinct screaming loud enough to wake her from the arcane overexertion faint she'd succumbed to when the spell had activated. The mare tumbled nose over tail in the howling wind, the brilliant sun and sky flashing past fast enough to add to her disorientation. Desperately tired and aching all over, she squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her wings in, then pushed them out with little flutters of motion, forcing the stiff muscles to respond. Her instincts turned the chaotic tumble into a nose-first dive at the ground and the stomach churning motion stilled, allowing her a first clear look at her surroundings.

High clouds, clear air and the distant ground, but nothing else. No sign of Lilac or Fusion, or any of the equipment she'd started the jump with. Closing her eyes again, Gravity opened her shadow sight and swept the area for anything. The world was dark; there was almost no sign of any magic at all, just a faint trace of colour on the horizon that might have been a distant near-surface transit line. Gravity suppressed a shiver at the emptiness and kept looking, hunting for the hint that she knew must be there.

There... a speck of pastel light against the shadowy bulk of the distant ground, already small and getting smaller. The mare tipped over and fell towards that dot, eyes closed and wings folded. That part of an aerial creature's brain, accentuated in Gravity to an astonishing degree by her remote manipulation talents, did the calculations and came back with an answer. Too slow, she thought, I'm not going to catch her in time.

Gravity's fatigue- and shock-addled mind finally caught up with her instincts, doing the mental equivalent of flicking a wing across her muzzle. You stupid-- Her horn flared and magic reached across the emptiness to fold around the falling pony. Fusion felt too... light. The mare pumped her wings, ignoring the stabbing pain from her wounded side and the various aches from muscles and accelerated after the falling pony while telekinetically braking its descent.

Careful, careful... she thought, enough power to stop the fall without bringing them to a sudden halt. With no time to practice, the mare had no real feeling for this kind of manipulation; fine control was beyond her, something made worse by her exhausted state. The fear of accidentally using her full strength -- smashing the poor unfortunate just as thoroughly as any impact with the ground -- flushed her system with adrenalin, sharpening her senses and giving her wings a burst of much needed strength.

There were techniques she'd seen performed by some of the better weather team members but never had the strength or need to attempt, methods that could make a pony approach the performance of a machine aircraft. Desperation made her grab at any possibility and, as the air thundered past, Gravity started to shunt it aside. Flicking it past her body, she threw it backwards with all the force she dared not use on the other pony.

Her speed jumped and kept climbing, her initial clumsy efforts becoming more efficient, until the other pony grew large and flashed past her. Come on, where are you -- you're not that much heavier than Lilac, she thought. A dim flicker of white-gold, only really visible because the background was so dark, caught her attention, and Gravity reached out to cradle her sister.

Got you.

===

A violet haze bloomed over her body and Fusion felt the welcome surge of acceleration pulling the blood from her extremities. The howl of the wind lessened and, within moments, the grinning shape of Gravity was gliding next to her. Even if she'd been able, Fusion wouldn't have smiled back. Instead she looked on in mute horror at the injuries peppering her sister's body.

Little patches of blood matted Gravity's fur and feathers. It oozed from burns, scratches and cuts all over her flanks and legs -- and even her tail hadn't escaped unscathed; there was a knot of something dark and sticky just where her flesh and blood tail ended. All of that paled into insignificance against the patch near her ribs.

Something had stabbed Gravity halfway up her chest, leaving a puckered wound almost lost amid the dirt and fragments that covered the rest of the mare. The injury was still bleeding, soaking through the fur to extend great runnels of scarlet along Gravity's flanks and belly before being whipped away as fine drops in the slipstream. Each wingbeat looked strained; a faltering stiffness where there should have been smooth power.

There was another surge of acceleration, sideways this time, then Gravity's horn brightened fractionally. The mare emitted a grunt, her smile replaced with a grimace of pain, and set her wings to a glide. The limp shape of Lilac, folded into a peaceful-looking sleeping position, dropped out of the sky to float on Gravity's other side. Other objects, the misshapen lumps of abandoned Security equipment that she'd stolen from the force she'd defeated, started to flow in from various points of the compass.

Fusion felt the familiar pressure in her head, then her own tear-distorted, lopsided view of the world was replaced by what Gravity could see. The world was wide and rumpled, like an untidy blanket, green and white with what had to be snow, shot through with the threads of silver she'd glimpsed before. The forest was still a surprising distance below, too distant to make out the individual trees without magical enhancement. I could have sworn I was falling for ages, Fusion thought to herself. Not a last second rescue after all.

There was something odd about the sharing; there was none of the crispness she was used to. The world seemed to be out of synchronisation, parts moving even while they flew at a flat, steady glide. Gravity, wha-- Fusion said, cutting off suddenly as a tremor ran through her sister's frame.

"Don't say it, sister, I know. You were right and I was wrong." Gravity was mumbling the words far too quietly for Fusion to hear across the rush of air, instead she was hearing them through Gravity's own ears.

I don't care about that. How badly injured are you? Can you land?

"It's always easy to find the ground." Gravity giggled, the sound making Fusion's fur stand on end even through the drugs. Some feedback of Fusion's own worry must have penetrated the other mare's dazed state, and the sharing sharpened a little. "I'm tired, Fusion, and I hurt all over... most of all my pride. I- I went too far, I should never have cut myself off from an easy retreat."

What happened? All I could hear was distant explosions, then everything went very quiet. Fusion could feel her body responding to the remembered panic, breathing accelerating and sweat beading on her flanks. When something exploded in the beam chamber, I was sure the Masters had come for me, and that could only mean-- She clamped down on the thoughts, trying to hold her emotions in check. I thought they had you, that you were dead or collared in the back of some Security airtruck... I welcomed the Masters, wanted them to kill me so I wouldn't have to live in this unfair world without you.

Gravity was silent for so long that Fusion started to think the sharing spell was failing, then the other mare inhaled deeply and sighed. "I'll show you it all, when we're on the ground."

The world through Gravity's eyes was starting to blur again, and the blue mare shook her head repeatedly to try and clear her vision. Flashes of pain were leaking through the sharing, small at first then building with startling intensity. It felt like there was a knife stuck between her ribs; with every twitch of Gravity's wings a cruel paw gave the blade a twist.

Gravity's breathing deepened, coming in great gasps that added a regular beat to the torture. "I'm having trouble concentrating, can't think straight. Guide me in, find somewhere fa--" Everything went dark as Gravity's eyes sagged shut and the magic holding Fusion up abruptly died.

There was the sickening sensation of free-fall, but the sharing was still open. She started to tumble, differential air resistance making them drift apart as the wind howl built again. Sge caught brief glimpses of the blue mare, eyes closed and wings limp, as she spun. Fusion poured all of her panic and fear down the link in a near instinctive response, and Gravity jerked awake, her magic snapping out and pulling Fusion close, practically hugging the mare to her side under her left wing.

You concentrate on flying, I'll find somewhere safe, Fusion said, trying to ignore the pounding of her own heart and the pain and fatigue that flowed back through the sharing. The ground was getting closer, no longer a near-featureless green blanket, but hills and valleys coated with a fuzz of sharp-looking evergreen trees. These were so unlike the soft broadleaves of the orchards or the managed hunting preserves; there were no spaces to land, just a close woven tangle of spindly trees.

Gravity was dropping lower, her wing-beats too infrequent to maintain altitude. Bear right a nose, head for that notch in the ridge, Fusion said. In truth, there was little choice; the land here was full of knife-like ridges and deep, brush choked valleys, any of which would make a poor landing spot. The ridge came closer and they flashed over the edge with only a couple of lengths between the tallest trees and Gravity's hooves. The reason for the notch became obvious; here was a mountain torrent busy cutting its way through the land, one that had gouged a respectable valley from the neighbouring hills.

Soaring over the waterfall, Fusion finally found what she'd been searching for -- a flat, pebbly expanse flanking the river, obviously formed when it was in full flood. Although scattered with larger boulders and occasional patches of snow, it was far and away the best spot either of the ponies had seen. At Fusion's prompting, Gravity dropped for a close pass, then flared her wings for final approach.

With a constant stream of guidance from Fusion, Gravity came in for a hesitant landing, staggering a few paces before collapsing to the ground. If she'd been able, Fusion would have sighed with relief; never had a bed of cold, hard rocks felt so comfortable. Gravity lay next to her, eyes wild and still puffing and blowing, chest working like a set of bellows, unable to quite believe she'd made it.

All that and she still won't stop, Fusion thought with pride, as she watched the mare climb awkwardly to her hooves, head and wings drooping.

"Can't stop, got to fix my mistakes," Gravity said through gritted teeth. The pain through the sharing had subsided a little, but she walked with an obvious limp.

You saved us all, Fusion said, not embarrassed at all that Gravity had overheard what should have been internal thoughts. You got us away, clean away. It will be megaseconds before they can clear enough of the Institute to check for bodies. They won't even know where to look.

"We'll see," the other mare replied, opening the pony sized black bags they'd used to pack the vast collection of hardware scavenged from the Security troopers and the Institute. The real prize had been four emergency kits, each with their sealed medical supplies. Gravity popped open the first she found, extracting the trauma spray and liberally using it on herself. Within moments the pain subsided and a little of the hollow look faded from her eyes.

Fusion looked on wistfully as the blue mare walked carefully over to the edge of the river proper, slipping occasionally on the icy rocks, then dipped her muzzle into the water and took a long drink. The water was achingly cold and perfectly clear, seeming to flood her sister's body with energy in a way that even the drugs couldn't match. Her own thirst, brought on by breathing dust laden air, became apparent. It was nothing she couldn't ignore for now, just another unwelcome distraction she was unable to fix.

The close view of the riverbed with its rounded pebbles and tiny fish shifted as Gravity lifted her head and slowly swept her gaze around the valley. Steep-sided hills covered with the ubiquitous evergreens flanked the valley floor, itself only flat because the river must have flooded frequently enough to grind out this enlarged bed. To the south was the muted thunder of the waterfall they'd flown over, currently hidden behind mist and glare from the low sun.

The mare spent a few seconds to stretch her wings carefully in the sunlight, inspecting the feathers for damage, then walked back to the other ponies. "How are you feeling? I can catch a little through the sharing, but it's hard to tell if it's you or me," she said to Fusion, while gently lifting the young stallion off the ground to inspect his laser wound.

Lilac seemed to have come through the ordeal with little extra damage and was still sleeping with the death-like stillness of the heavily sedated. There was no sign of any further bleeding. One of my legs has gone to sleep and I'm lying in an ice-water puddle, but nothing serious, Fusion said. You should do something about that injury on your flank, get it cleaned up and covered.

Gravity inspected the wound with a critical eye. "Looks like that spray has stopped the bleeding, at least. It will keep for a kilosecond while I sort something out for you two."

Take it easy. It might not hurt any more, but that's all the more reason to be careful.

Gravity grunted in reply, picking up Fusion and slowly working her legs until the feeling came back. The mare was careful, but her control wasn't what it should have been. After the second time Gravity stretched a muscle a little too far, Fusion called a halt to the exercise and settled for letting her legs dangle while the blue mare started to thread her way through the tangle of trees.

===

The ground was rough, strewn with moss-covered logs, but the further they went from the riverbank the larger and more widely-spaced the trees became. Spindly saplings sprouted everywhere, growth stunted by the dense canopy, just tall enough to scratch at Gravity's belly as she pushed through them. She could still feel the pain from her wounds, but it was a remote thing, like the flicker of lightning within a distant storm cloud. Worse was the fatigue; the false energy from her escape and safe landing had bled away with the steady uphill slog through the trees.

"That's enough," she said, stopping at a spot where a large tree had fallen, taking a number of its smaller neighbours with it. She lowered her cargo to the floor, placing the ponies on the flattest spot she could find, then paused to sweep the area with her shadow sight.

Nothing, she thought, I've never seen such a perfect blackness. Even the distant glow of the transit line had been swallowed by her flight to this spot. Short-lived force fields flickered, stripping the branches from the fallen giant, telekinesis stacking the brush downslope while more fields sectioned the logs, then sliced them lengthwise into thick planks. Rocky dirt was scooped out of the cleared area, cutting a notch into the steep slope and forming a flat area big enough for all of them.

"Can you imagine doing this without magic?" she said, trying to ignore the line of warmth that was working its way down her foreleg. Her vision swam and Gravity shook her head, breathing deeply from the effort. This should be easy, she thought, starting to get worried. A foal could do this. The weariness was rising like a tide, taking her ability to focus with it. Her boundless power faded, the movement of wood and earth becoming clumsy.

That's enough now, sister, Fusion said firmly from the middle of her head. You must rest. Treat yourself and eat something. I can smell blood... have you opened that wound again?

"Yes, mother," she muttered, "just a few more seconds."

The planks had already been laid over the rammed dirt; it was the work of a moment to pull up the springy boughs she'd stashed and make three improvised sleeping pads. Fusion and Lilac were placed on the first two, Gravity collapsed gratefully on the last, sighing with relief. Clumsily she pulled over an emergency kit and started work with the medical supplies, alternating between cleaning the stab wound on her chest with bites from a field ration pack.

The compressed grain blocks, heavily fortified with sugars, were surprisingly tasty for such stored food. Energy started to return to the mare's movements, and she completed her work in a few hundred seconds. The last step was the magically active bandage, and she watched, fascinated, as it bonded with her skin and started to knit the torn muscles together. "Not as good as a real medic, but still..." she murmured, then yawned. "I hope it's safe to sleep here, because I really need to."

I didn't see any animal tracks, but there's bound to be something here.

Gravity groaned, reaching out with her magic again, picking up the unused tree sections and jamming them into the dirt to form a crude palisade. "It will have to do. The way I'm likely to feel later it would be a mercy if a bear ate me before I wake."

There's one more thing to do, if you are feeling up to it. It's probably more important than anything else.

"Really? What--" Gravity went quiet, then sighed. "It would be better now, I guess. Show me what to do."

===

Lilac awoke to the cold snapping at the end of his muzzle and a prickling sensation all over his back and belly. It was dark, far darker than the lab with its ever present banks of displays, and everything was rendered in shades of black and dark grey. Something fibrous and springy with a fresh smell covered all of his body, just leaving his head poking out from the pile. Despite the cold air, he wasn't shivering; to his left and right were patches of warmth and fur, pressed in close under the strange covering.

Old half-forgotten memories surfaced, prompted by the organic smells assaulting his nostrils. Recollections of running through wild spaces full of growing things, so different from the measured exercise regimen in the lab, filled his mind with a sense of homesickness so strong that it became hard to breathe. A twitch of movement from his right dispelled the emotion, replacing it with the unfamiliar sting of anger.

They lied to me, he thought, kept Masters against their will, probably even hurt them. They tricked me into helping them. A familiar flash of pain, curiously truncated, lanced up his neck and made his jaw lock for a moment. It was over in a second, leaving a curiously empty feeling in his head.

They have stolen me away from my Masters.

Ears flattened in anger, Lilac opened his shadow sight and swept the darkness for any sign of life. There were none of the hard glows of the Master's crystal magic, nothing at all, just the soft glimmer of the two ponies sleeping next to him. One seemed normal, if a little faint, while the other... Shifting lights, like a part of the debris ring seeded with heliostats filled the midnight silhouette. The stallion had never seen anything quite like it, and the sight made him pause in wonder despite what the mare had done.

The shape moved slightly, breathing in deeply and letting the air out with a wordless grumble. Asleep... they are both asleep. If I could walk, I could escape... The thought tailed off as he inspected his own hindquarters. There was no feeling there at all, despite the way they were folded against the back of the blue mare. Looking deeper his heart sank at the extent of the damage. Somepony had made an effort at repairs, but all they'd done was seal off the severed ends of his gut and rerouted the blood vessels.

I don't know how to fix that, but perhaps if I can get far enough away I could signal somepony. The repairs had extended to his spine; the stallion had been focused on fixing the major blood vessels at the time, but he clearly remembered the mess the laser had made of his belly. That needle of hot light had pulverised a whole vertebra, but it's been fixed, so why... A closer look and he had his answer; there was a piece of spinal cord missing, one big enough to push a hoof through.

So no walking out. His wings twitched. Why did my Master take my feathers? Takeoff without legs would be painful, but at least he could get somewhere faster than just using magic to drag himself along the ground. Perhaps I can signal from here? Lilac's gaze shifted back to the glowing glass sculpture of the mare lying next to him. She'd never let me do that if she were awake... but what about now? Can I stop her from hurting any more Masters? Both ponies were sound asleep, it would be easy to reach in and...

Lilac tentatively reached out with his magic, hesitating as the tendrils of power touched the mare's glowing body. There was no reaction and he wove the net of spellstuff, coiling it around her heart. The slow, steady, rhythm of the muscle filled his mind, and the stallion traced the delicate nerves that provided the timing impulses. He'd only had the most basic education in the healing arts, but the very first thing you learnt was how to avoid doing more damage during a simple repair.

Pain control required the blocking of nerve impulses; a slight shift in the nature of the magic... Lilac gritted his teeth, hesitating before making this final act. She stole me away, tricked me into holding a Master against his will. The memory was as clear as anything he'd ever experienced, the futile struggles of Officer Largorth against his telekinesis branded into his mind. Even injured though he was, it had been no more difficult than restraining a squirming kitten.

The anger vanished, replaced with a flood of shame and guilt, and he flinched in expectation of the Maker's punishment. The searing agony he'd felt back in the beam chamber had been a terrible thing, worse even than when he'd been shot, and had gone on and on until something had knocked him out. A little whimper escaped his lips, the anticipation stretching his nerves to breaking point. Please Maker, don't torture me like this! There was nothing, just a singing emptiness that left only confusion in its wake.

What does this mean? Have I already been punished enough? Lilac stretched his senses, searching for some flash of pleasure or pain that would guide him towards the right path, but hearing only the distant thunder of the mare's heart. He gnawed at his lips, pulling the wandering threads of spellstuff back into alignment. She has caused so much damage and she's too strong for any normal pony to stop... but I could do it. If I do this, the Masters are sure to forgive me... I'll be able to get back to helping with the research!

The thought made his breath quicken with excitement, and he nearly completed the spell right there. Other memories intruded: Gravity standing between him and the gryphon, the feeling of belonging when she'd taken him with her, and the way she'd rescued him from that robot thing. No, not a robot, Lilac thought dully, feeling sick, a Master in a suit. A Master who had wanted him dead, even though the Maker had given no inkling that he'd done wrong.

The Maker gives me joy when I serve correctly, but even when I do my best for the Masters, they still hurt me. I should stop her, I know I should, but... Lilac froze, the agony of indecision an almost physical pain, as he tried to understand what the Maker wanted of him.

The Maker, for the first time in as long as he could remember, was silent.

===

Something was tickling one of Fusion's fetlocks and without thinking she moved her hoof, sighing when the irritation disappeared. Wait, what? she thought, gently moving her leg again. Her leg moved -- jerkily, but it moved! Joy, so pure that it could have come from the Blessing, flooded through the mare and she lifted her head to call out to Gravity.

The words died on her lips, silenced by the quiet sounds of a pony sobbing from right beside her. Eyes wide in the darkness, Fusion finally noticed the glow of blue hornlight, a paler shade than Gravity's near ultra-violet hue. A similar glow was flickering over her sister's chest, tendrils of light that seemed to vanish into the fur. Gravity was still fast asleep; it was Lilac who was crying, tears shimmering in the arcane light as they ran down his muzzle.

Alarmed, Fusion opened her shadow sight, examining the magic flowing from Lilac. What she saw made her blood run cold; whatever spell he was casting had woven itself around Gravity's heart and lungs, blue strands that vanished into invisibly fine threads connecting to her nerves. The magic had the taste of Spiral's healing to it, but as far as she could tell there was nothing actually wrong with her sister. Not yet, anyway, Fusion thought, glad she'd resisted her first instinct to dive in and pull the spell apart.

"Are you alright, Lilac?" Fusion said, her voice weak and scratchy.

The youngster gasped, head whipping around and ears folding back. "Don't try anything, or I'll-I'll--" The halo around his horn grew fractionally brighter, the tentative threads of magic solidifying into something like an active pattern.

Fusion gathered her own magic, ready to pounce. "You don't want to do anything hasty," she said softly, a whisper so faint that Lilac had to prick his ears up to hear her. "I know what you are going through, I--"

"How could you know?!" Lilac's returning whisper was fierce, his misery turning to anger in a heartbeat. "I feel like--"

"--you have been abandoned. Your one source of comfort and certainty, your only purpose in life, has been ripped away. That you don't know what to think, or the difference between right and wrong. You feel like you are alone in the universe."

Lilac didn't reply, just looked stunned, his mouth working like he was trying to speak.

"I lost my Blessing in an accident.” The mare’s ears twitched, a shiver running down her spine at the memory. “It took me a megasecond to realise the truth. The Masters had separated me from my sister and locked me in a small room... all I could think about was the emptiness in my head." Fusion lowered her head, resting it on her forelegs. "That was a very bad night, coming right after a terrible day... but I came to terms with it, and it let me see the world as it really is. You don't need those little jolts to show you the right path, Lilac."

"But I do," he said brokenly, "it's too late now, I've failed my Masters. If I was better I could have stopped you both. That's what I should do, but..." His head wobbled from side to side, the glowing point of his horn describing irregular arcs.

"Yes. The Maker would want you to kill Gravity and me, then find some way to return to the Hive and do whatever the Masters told you to do."

Lilac seemed to shrink into himself. "I don’t want to, but it's the only way I can think of to help the Masters."

"It would have been so easy," Fusion continued remorselessly, leaning forwards to stare intently at Lilac, "both of us were asleep, exhausted. You could have cut my sister in half with a force field -- me too, with the same field, if you got the size right. We probably wouldn't even have felt it."

The stallion's eyes grew wide with panic and he leaned back to escape the intensity in Fusion's voice. "I-I--"

"But you didn't. You picked something subtle, something that would give you time to come to a decision, one way or another. How long were you sitting there, knife next to my sister's heart, unable to take the final step?"

"I should have done it... but I couldn't. I-I don't know why."

"You still can. I'd probably be too slow to stop you," Fusion said, failing to keep a tremor from her voice. "Gravity was the only pony to stand up for you; she did everything she could to protect you. Did the Masters ever do anything for you, or did they just do things to you?"

"The Maker--"

Fusion shook her head. "Not the Maker. The Maker is an aspect of the Blessing, which is given by the Masters, it... it's complicated, clever and very, very nasty, managing to take a pony and turn him into a willing agent of his own oppression. I can show you everything I've discovered... but it will take time. Are you willing to trust me for a little while?"

"You said I could still stop you..." Lilac said in a small voice. "I don't understand."

"You've been alone for a long time, haven't you?" Fusion said softly. "Nopony to play with or to test yourself against. Just machines and Masters. I would try and stop you, but your pattern looks complete and it wouldn't take much to activate. I'd try, of course... but spells have a habit of failing in odd ways if you don't take the time to dismantle them correctly."

"Why are you telling me this? I could kill her!"

"I want you to trust me. You... you hold the thing I care most about in the world hostage. I want to give you the best chance I can to make a decision for yourself, uninfluenced by what was done to you."

"What difference would it make? If I did it you'd kill me, then carry on with your plan anyway."

The mare's ears folded back until they were almost invisible. "I would not. I would be very angry, but I would know it wasn't your fault. I would return you to your Masters, if you wished it." Fusion narrowed her eyes, staring off into a future filled with fire, and her voice became harsh. "I would also know that there was no hope for our people, that if I can't convince even somepony in your situation of what's right, then everypony else is trapped for all time. I would probably become the monster that my sister thinks she is."

Lilac's eyes widened and he shrank away, nostrils flaring and ears almost as far back as Fusion's. "I u-understand... I'll listen."

The stallion relaxed a little as Fusion's features calmed and, with the help of the sharing spell, the mare told him everything she knew and everything that had happened over the last megasecond. As she talked, the glow around Lilac's horn faded, his carefully constructed spell losing a little cohesion with each revelation. When Fusion was finished, dawn had coloured the eastern sky and Lilac looked almost drunk from all the shocks he'd received. Finally he held up one wing, covering his face with the clipped feathers.

"Enough! Please, enough. I believe you... but what can I do now? I was going to kill your sister." He lowered the wing, looking up at Fusion's face with haunted eyes. "She's the closest thing I have to a friend and I was going to kill her. How can you ever forgive me?" His face crumpled, dissolving into fresh tears. "How could Gravity? What c-can I do to make up for what I've d-done?"

Fusion leaned forward to nuzzle the youngster, shaking the pine brush off her back to fold a wing over him. "What you did was make a decision; you didn't do anything that couldn't be undone. When I freed Gravity from her Blessing, she reacted the same way. Nearly punched me through a tree," Fusion said, her mouth next to Lilac's ear. "Talk to her, she'll understand. I think she'll welcome the chance. I know she still blames herself for what happened to me."

Lilac flinched at Fusion's words. "I don't know if I can."

The mare pulled out of the embrace, shifting her weight and rolling carefully to her hooves. "You must. Holding on to the pain will be a poison in your heart."

Gravity chose that moment to lift her head and yawn so wide that Fusion could hear her jaw crack. She opened her eyes and looked up at Fusion, breaking into a grin almost as wide as the yawn. "You can move! Does everything work as it should?"

Fusion reached out and lifted a pack of compressed rations from their stockpile, holding it in a haze of white magic so she could smell it. "I am very hungry and very thirsty -- not to mention in need of attending to other bodily necessities. You stay put; I'll refill these water bladders and do a quick scout around the area." She looked meaningfully at Lilac, then started to hobble across the rough planking, trying work the feeling back into legs she'd not used for too long.

Gravity followed Fusion's gaze, blinking in surprise at Lilac's tear-stained and terrified expression. "Did I miss something?" she said carefully.

The mare spread her wings in a shaft of sunlight that chose that moment to break over the valley wall opposite. She stared at the golden orb for a moment, then reached for it, feeling the power cascade through her. Pastel colours bloomed along her mane and tail. Turning, she smiled down at the pair.

"Nothing. Everything. I'll be back soon."

Fusion walked out into the forest while, behind her, Lilac started to talk.

Author's Note:

In my last blog post I said that I was going to post the ending/epilogue/link to part 2 at the same time; as you can see, this has not happened (if this is news to you, please check the blog post, it will explain all; essentially I'm splitting the story into 'books').

There are several reasons for this, not least the fact that I'm still writing it (the curse of the last minute edit). It's also become long enough to qualify as a chapter post in its own right.

Another 'benefit' is that this gives me more time to rework the early chapters, so if there is anything you think of that needs fixing, now is the time to suggest it.