//------------------------------// // Contemplations // Story: My Little Refugi // by Future Wonderbolt //------------------------------// Everents steps up to Sylae's door cautiously. "Sylae?" He knocks a hoof against the door. "Are you in here?" No answer. Something is going on with her and I need to find out. The door latch glows with his magic as he telekinetically opens it. Stepping inside, he finds the room empty of a certain green pony. The only sign of her presence is the pack sitting on the bed, its contents no longer piled on the floor as they were earlier but packed away neatly. He sighs, Of course she wouldn't be here. I shouldve talked to her right away rather than wait for her to calm down. He sighs and casts a Finding spell. His horn snaps up, pointing into the ceiling. On the roof, his mind tells him. Five minutes later his head pops out of a hatchway, opening up to the sloped roof. He pulls himself out of the hatchway, stepping gingerly onto the roof tiles. A light rain is falling, making the glazed tiles slippery. Several hooves away Sylae sits, her mane soaked, water running down her face unnoticed. She turns her head and stares at him. "You shouldn't be up here. You could slip and slide off," she says, a strange tone in her voice. "So could you," he replies, gesturing to the bandages around her wings as he sits next to her. "It'd sure save this Expedition the effort," she says, snorting. "Sylae...I would've told you about Stonewing...but I didn't know about Skyvale's war until today." he says soothingly, wishing he had spent more time learning about foreign politics. "No, not that. That wasn't..." Everents raises an eyebrow at her. "Well, not just that," she corrects herself, staring out into the distance. "I..." she sighs. "Hey, I get it," he says. "Everents, why are you here? On the Expedition, I mean?" "Well...there's what Arbu told you, I guess. And I guess I just want to discover what's out there." She snorts again. There is silence for a time as she stares out into the clouds. Suddenly she asks, "You know why I was sent?" "Because you are th--" "Because they wanted to get rid of me," she says over him. A tone of bleakness enters her voice as she continues. "You're here to learn. You want to see the past. All...all I can see is my death." "Syl--" "I don't want to be here, Everents. I want to be back in Skyvale fixing the cloud-lifts and dealing with the morons. Not getting blown out of the sky and going insane," she says over him. "Sylae--" "They sent me here to die. Don't you get that?" she nearly screams at him. "Sylae!" Everents finally gets his voice in. "Knock it off! You're not here to die. You're here for the Expedition." "I almost died getting here, in case you forgot!" she yells back, pointing at her wings. "So you got it out of the way. Now you don't have to worry about almost dying." "...that's the stupidest fucking thing I have ever heard." but it shuts her up long enough for him to continue. "Sylae. However you got here, whatever the reason, you're here. And I need you. Equestria had ridiculously advanced technology, and none of us can work with it. Without you with us none of us will make it." She sighs, staring at him, obviously conflicted. Finally, she states, "You and your damn Expedition are going to kill me, you know that?" "Not my Expedition. Our Expedition," he says, standing and holding out his hoof for her. "Now let's get off this roof. Those of us without wings still aren't comfortable being a slippery tile away from becoming a splat on the courtyard." "Now," Sylae says after they come down from the roof and are walking down the wider upstairs hallways. "That griffon. Stonewing, was it?" "Yes, why?" Everents replies? "I owe him an apology," she states simply. "Um...are you sure that's a good idea, after...?" "No, but it's something I have to do," she states in a determined tone. "Allright." Everents takes them down several stairways and halls, eventually stopping at a simple doorway. Far larger than those in other parts of the fortress. "Here it is," he says, nodding toward the door. "Okay," she says nervously, stepping up to the door and gingerly knocking a hoof against it. It opens, and out Stonewing steps, a section of his stomach bruised. Everents contains his wince as Sylae's legs immediately start shaking. Then again, if I'd spent years living at war with them, I'd probably have a similar reaction. The griffon is clearly surprised to see her, his eyes widening as he takes a step back. Everents wants to applaud as she steps forward bravely and looks up at him. "Stonewing...I'm...I'm Sylae. I just...wanted to say I'm sorry about earlier." "I...er, don't worry about it. My fault, really," The griffon replies. He pauses, then adds, "Would you like to come in? They brought up a bushel of apples, and I'm certainly not going to eat them all." "Um...I uh..." Sylae clearly tries to find a way to say no politely but fails. "Oh...well that's okay, I get it," Stonewing says, his shoulders dropping a little. Sylae looks up at him, mixed emotions filling her face. Everents just stares, wondering what was going through her mind. Suddenly she says overly loudly, "No. I'd love to come in, thank you." she nearly clops a hoof over her mouth after saying it. "Really? Cool!" he says, a smile forming on his face. Everents steps back. "Well, I'll just leave you two--" he stops as Sylae turns and gives him a look that screams DO NOT LEAVE ME ALONE WITH HIM. "On second thought, I'm not a pony to say no to fresh apples." he follows Sylae into the room as the griffon steps back. The quarters are much the same as they were the last time Everents had visited him, to discuss the Expedition. For about the hundredth time, He wonders why the griffon had been put in the late Heartfelt ambassador's quarters. Everything was oversized, scaled to griffon bodies rather than ponies. A red-and-gold carpet covers the floor, adding comfort and color. Several matching wall hangings add color as well. Even though they are aged and fading, they're almost vivid after the greyness of the rest of the fortress. As Stonewing gestures to the ornate table upon which a basket full of apples rests, Everents says to Sylae, "You and Stonewing are the only two flyers in the city. We don't get many griffons or Pegasi, especially not in recent years." "Yes," Stonewing pipes in as the three sit at the table. "I heard there was another Pegasi in the lower section of the town somewhere, but I couldn't find a trace of them. It's been quite lonely being the only flyer here." As Stonewing is talking, Everents takes an apple and tosses another to Sylae, smiling reassuringly and taking a bite. Her return smile is weak, but gives him hope. "What about you, Sylae? How are you finding the city?" Sylae swallows her bite of apple before replying. "I can't say for sure. I haven't been anywhere but the fortress. It's certainly a lot different than Skyvale City, though." "How so?" Everents pipes in, hoping to hear more about the city he hasn't seen. "Oh, well...The entire city is in a rift in the clouds. Like all Pegasus structures, everything is built on clouds. Before I...came here, I was in charge of keeping all the machinery in the city running. Things like condensers and cloudlifts." "Cloudlifts?" Everents asks. "Large, flat clouds with lifter mechanisms that move stuff throughout the city," she replies. Interesting, the Pegasi have built commonplace technology that can replace telekinesis, Everents thinks to himself. Sylae continues, "Only problem is, the propellant tubes like to jam and muck up the whole system. Have to take the entire lift assembly apart to get at it." "That seems silly," he says, "Why wouldn't they put it where it's accessible?" Sylae snorts. "Because it would cost more to build it the right way. Not that I'm complaining, every time one broke it meant I had something to do, I guess." "Something to do?" Stonewing says incredulously. "Surely in a city like Skyvale there's plenty to do. Were your friends all too busy to do anything with you?" Sylae looks down at the table, staring at a know intensely. "I never had any friends," she says quietly, not looking up. "Well what about your clan? Surely they would make time, right?" Everents winces internally. Sometimes Stonewing didn't know when to shut up. "Clan?" Sylae asks, looking up slightly. "Yeah...wait, Pegasi don't have those, do they? A clan is a group of griffons who share the same heritage, like a...a...Everents, help me out here?" "Like a family, but larger." Everents says reluctantly, his fears confirmed as Sylae abruptly renews interest in the table's knot. The griffon starts up again, "Are they--" "Stonewing," Everents finally cuts in. Sylae raises a hoof, "No, Everents. It's okay. Not like it makes a difference now, does it?" She laughs, "Stonewing, I don't have a 'clan'. Or if I do, I've never met them, and they don't seem to care. And that's fine with me. I don't think I'd be exactly rosy with the ponies who left me in the care of the Skyvale orphanage." "I'm sorry, Sylae." Everents reaches over and pats her on the back gently. "Don't be," she replies. "Unless it's your fault, that is," she adds laughingly. "Like I said, it's fine, just a little...awkward, I guess. It's not something you would talk about in Skyvale. I've been plenty fine without them. Anywho," she reaches to the apple basket, continuing. "Besides this fortress, what is there in the city?" "Well, there's the markets, where the farmers come in and sell to the town. And you have shops and, um...there's lots of houses." Everents says. "Come to think of it, there's really not that much besides the fortress. Nothing here besides war," he snorts. Yet another reason for the Expedition... "Always going to be war," Sylae sighs. "Ponies will be ponies." "Not always," Everents states. "There will be a time when we won't have war, just like before the Fall." Sylae snorts and shakes her head. "Four hundred years say otherwise, Everents." "And the thousand years before that agree with me." She sighs, "Too bad the past isn't the future. You really think everypony is just going to throw down their arms and agree to peace?" "No but...it's a process...it'll take time, but it is possible." "Sylae, I think you're being a little pessimistic about this," Stonewing says. Everents nods in agreement, And half the reason there's still so much war is because nopony realizes there's no alternative. "It's not pessimism if it's the way the world is!" She exclaims, a hint of anger entering her voice. "Sylae...I think you just have a bit of, um, a biased view. It's a bit crazy to think there's no chance for peace," Everents says softly, trying to calm her down. He winces internally as the pegasus scowls and opens her mouth to give a retort. Suddenly, deep within the fortress, a bell begins ringing frantically. "That's...that's the militia alarm!" Everents yells, and the three run to the nearest window, Stonewing tearing open the shutters. The rain has stopped, but the clouds remain, casting the scene below in a dreary grey. "Well, who's crazy now," Sylae states flatly.