//------------------------------// // Peace Be Returned // Story: The Lost Children // by RuinQueenofOblivion //------------------------------// "Those that survive Connect with all alive Peace will be returned, We need to praise you, Peace will first be revenged." -Serj Tankian, Peace Be Revenged. I yawned a little as I got up the next morning, Alicia was still fast asleep next to me and I looked out the window at the city of Nightingale. It was strange, it was like I was back home almost but at the same time it felt too different, I didn't really know what to feel about all of this. I looked over at Alicia who was curled up and sleeping, it felt weird to think of this new world as being home, but I was getting more and more used to it by the day. My body didn't feel nearly as weird as it had before, I just couldn't seem to fly, but maybe that was normal like Daegra said. Still, it was weird being a pony instead of a human, I just wished that I knew where my mom was, or my family really. I sighed and sat back down on the bed. "Hey Katie, is everything okay?" Alicia asked with a yawn as she woke up a few minutes later, shaking her long mane out of her face. "I normally get up before you do." "Yeah, I'm fine," I said with a shrug as I looked at her and gave her a smile. "I was just thinking is all, about everything that's been going on." "Yeah, I know what you mean," Alicia said and gave me a hug. "You're still thinking about your mom aren't you?" "Yeah, and the rest of my family really," I said with a shake of my head. "Its weird really, maybe its because we reached something of civilization but I'm just now really thinking about it. My grandparents might be out there somewhere too, and I don't even know what they're thinking about all of this." "Well, where did they live?" Alicia asked curiously. "Mississippi so I doubt they came back anywhere around here," I said with a shrug. "I guess we don't really know, maybe something to learn about later." "Yeah," Alicia said as she sniffed the air. "Hey, do you smell that?" I paused a moment and sniffer too, there was something I hadn't smelled since before I re-appeared as a pony, and I wasn't exactly sure what to make of it. It was a nice smell though, not like anything bad we've smelled since arriving in the new world, this was good. "Pancakes!" I said excitedly and we headed downstairs for breakfast. 00000 "Hey girls, looks like someponies are hungry," Jennifer said as we took our seats next to the twins who were already eating. "Serenity had to go to work, but she said to say hello and that she'll see you later." "Okay, sounds good," I said as Jennifer levitated two plates of pancakes down in front of us and we started eating. "So, umm, what are we doing today?" "Well, first of all we need to get you both checked out by a doctor like we said last night," Jennifer said which made me frown a little. "Don't worry, its mostly painless, the RAA's doctors know what they're doing and will be able to make it go by as fast as possible." "Well that's good," Alicia said as she took a bite of pancakes. "What else?" "We're also going to have to get you enrolled in school," Jennifer said, my ears fell a little at that. "Sorry, I know you were probably hoping to get out of that but its the rule for all refugees." "Even grown ups?" Alicia asked. "Yeah, even grown ups, its to get them used to the new world and caught up on everything that's been happening," Jennifer said with a smile. "Haven has one of the best education systems in this part of the world. We make sure that all our citizens are well educated and informed of everything that's been going on since the Event happened." "There's something I've been wondering about actually," I said as I swallowed a bite of pancake. "Everyone, err, everypony has been talking about the Event, but how long has it actually been since it happened?" "Well, right now we're in about, 314 AE," Jennifer said which made me pause, did I just hear that right, 314 AE? Did AE mean after the event? "So, 314 years since the Event yes. Haven has been around for only around 100 years though." "Wow... I didn't realize it had been that long..." I said, I was still a bit surprised over this particular reveal, had it really been that long since I had gone to sleep? "I feel like I'm in that... what's the story, the one about the guy who sleeps for 20 years." "Rip Van Winkle?" Jennifer asked with a chuckle. "Yes that is a common response, you were in essence asleep for the past 314 years. I suppose it could've been worse though, you could've woken up to a nuclear wasteland or something." I wasn't sure what she meant by that but somehow I didn't feel like I wanted to know. "Don't worry, school is fine, you might have the same teacher we did when we first appeared," Rose said with a smile as she looked up at me. We just ate in silence awhile longer, it was actually pretty nice to have what felt like a normal breakfast instead of having to eat fruits and vegetables out of a can or whatever supplies the Zebras managed to put together. There was still something I wondered about though, and I had to admit I was more curious about this than anything else. "So, I was wondering about something," I said and Jennifer looked over at me. "Names, I've heard and read some strange names like Serenity or Clear Water, but there's also been some normal human names, what's up with that?" "Oh, that's simple, some people upon returning like to change their names to more pony-like names for some reason, the Zebras do the same only they go with ones that sound more Roman," Jennifer said with a shrug. "Though interestingly enough that seems to be more limited to our area of America, at least the Zebra thing." Well, that was certainly interesting, maybe it meant something, maybe it was just a strange thing that they did. I found it interesting to be honest, maybe I should consider taking a pony name at some point, but I didn't really know what I'd pick if I did. "More often than not pony names are tied with their cutie marks," Jennifer continued as she nodded at the symbol on her flank. "That's all about your talent and what you're good at." "Oh, well, hmm..." I said, honestly I wasn't really sure what to think about that, I still didn't have one so I didn't really know what mine might be, go figure. "You're wondering what yours would be huh?" Jennifer asked with a light chuckle as I nodded. "Don't worry, everypony figures their talent out eventually, its just a matter of waiting until the right moment." "Yeah, okay," I said with a shrug, she was right I guess, I didn't really know anything about that so I had to assume that she knew what she was talking about. "What about Zebras?" Alicia asked. "Well in your case they're called Glyphmarks, I'm honestly not sure how they work but I think they work on a similar premise," Jennifer said. "Sorry, most Zebras in Georgia live with the Tribelands and the ones that live here already have their's so I don't really know a lot about them." "Something to ask Daegra later I guess," I said with a shrug as we finished eating, it was about time to get going for the day so we got up and started out. "Oh, and we're going to need to get you two some clothes," Jennifer added. "Wait, ponies wear clothes?" I asked, I was a bit surprised by that and I really wasn't sure what to think, mostly because we hadn't seen very many ponies wearing clothes yet. "Oh sure, mostly during the colder months," Jennifer said as we left the house with the twins. "Don't worry, it won't take long." I felt like we still had a lot to learn about the pony world. 00000 When we reached the doctor's office we were put in two different rooms, Jennifer said that they had a special doctor for Zebras so she'd be checking on Alicia. I sat on the table a little nervously as I looked around, there were poster with what looked like pony body parts around as well as a few other species. I noticed something weird, there was one poster that had what looked like, I don't know, some sort of large dog creature that didn't look anything like something from Earth or a book that I had ever read. It was weird, maybe it was something from Equestria? That would at least explain why I didn't know what it was. "Hello there, you must be Katie Sinclair," a mare's voice said and a Unicorn pony with light pink fur and a short blue mane entered with a smile on her face. "Are you feeling okay, have you had any problems since you first arrived?" "No, not really," I said with a shrug. "I mean I haven't been able to fly but that's about it, I don't know if that's normal or anything." "Don't worry about it, most Pegasi are unable to fly when they first appear, its very rare that we get one that can figure it out so its probably nothing, I'll still have to check your wings to be sure though," the doctor said with a smile. "I'm Doctor Lightbringer by the way, how long have you been back?" "Oh, umm, just a little under a week now," I said as I shrugged a little, I hadn't really thought that much about it, had it really been that long? It felt longer. "So, I might be able to fly?" "After some time sure, its just a matter of getting your muscles strong enough," Lightbringer said as her horn glowed a light pink and I felt a tingle. "Don't worry, this is a standard procedure, I'm just checking to make sure you're healthy in terms of magic." I nodded, it didn't hurt or anything so I didn't really think that much of it. The feeling seemed to cover my entire body before it spread into my wings. "Hmm..." The Doctor said as she moved in closer and examined my wings curiously. "What's wrong?" "You have an unusually low amount of magic for a refugee," she said with a frown. "Its not something we normally see in refugees, sometimes in natural born ponies, but its almost unheard of in refugees." "What does it mean?" "I honestly don't know, normally it means the pony can't use the normal magic their species can use, like flight for Pegasi," she said with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry Katie, but I honestly don't know if you're ever going to get to fly if these readings are right." My ears drooped again, never be able to fly? Was she being serious? I couldn't believe it, it was weird to think about it because I had only had these wings for a few days but they may never work? "Is there any way to fix it? What about that place, umm, Equestria, do they know anything?" "Not in any of the records we have," the doctor said with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry Katie, I hate being the bearer of bad news, especially to fillies. You might still get to fly, but I don't want you to get your hopes up." I frowned a little, it was weird even though I had never been able to fly before this obviously it almost felt disappointing to be told this. I couldn't explain it, but it felt almost like I was supposed to be able to fly but now I knew I might never do it, it was weird and kind of sad. "Well, the good news is that you seem otherwise to be a healthy 11 year old Pegasus filly," Lightbringer said with a smile as she finished her examination. "So, this doesn't normally happen with refugees?" I asked as I looked at the doctor as she finished. "No, honestly this is the first I've actually heard of it at least in Georgia, sorry I can't really explain it," she said with a shake of her head. "Anyway, you're all set to go, I'll tell Mrs. Wright that everything checks out and you're good to go," the doctor said with a smile and I headed out. "Hey Katie, is everything okay?" Alicia asked as she left her own room and looked at me curiously. "Looks like you're down about something." "I'm fine, I just got some news from the doctor I'm not so sure about," I said with a shake of my head and told Alicia what the Doctor had told me. "How'd your examination go?" "Oh fine, there weren't any problems," Alicia said as we headed out to meet with Jennifer. "Are you going to be okay?" "Yeah I'll be fine, hey its not like I ever could fly before anyway, right?" I said with a light chuckle. "Don't worry about me, I can live with not having working wings, its not that big a deal." "Yeah, of course, well I wouldn't worry about it," Alicia said as we reached Jennifer who was talking with Doctor Lightbringer and a Zebra mare who gave us a nod. "Besides, I think its interesting, makes you more unique if what you said is true." "Heh, yeah, well still, it would've been cool to fly," I said with a shrug as we headed out of the office. 00000 "This feels weird," I commented as we tried on some clothes, I had to wear a special shirt that allowed my wings to poke out through two holes and the pants felt kinda weird. "Do ponies really dress like this?" "Yeah, I know it takes a little getting used to, probably why most ponies prefer to go naked," Jennifer said with a chuckle as we went to pay for the clothes. "Hey, at least you didn't have to wear a dress," Alicia pointed out, she was dressed in an outfit similar to mine with her tail poking out of the rear. "Yeah, I hate dresses," I said with a shake of my head which just made Alicia laugh as we headed out of the store and down the road. "So what now?" "Well, for now we don't have a lot to do, I need to check in at the school, but you don't have to be there for that," Jennifer said as we neared a park where I saw a familiar Zebra sitting. "Daegra!" I said with a smile as I rushed over to the blind storyteller and gave her a hug. "Oh hey there little filly," Daegra said with a smile as she hugged me back. "How was your first night in Nightingale?" "It was nice, it felt so... ordinary, almost like I was back home," I said with a shrug as I looked up at the Zebra. "How about you, how are things going here?" "Oh they're going fine, we're just getting everything ready before we have to leave tomorrow," Daegra said as she nodded to the gathering of tents that made up the Zencori camp. "Do you mind watching them a little while then Daegra?" Jennifer said as she approached with Alicia. "I just need to get these two ready for school is all." "Of course not, I'd love to watch these two wonderful fillies," Daegra said with a smile and Jennifer headed off to get everything done. "So, you two are getting settled in here pretty well? Are the twins giving you any trouble?" "Nah, everypony is fine really," I said with a shake of my head and moved my wings a little. "Well, everything with them at least..." "Oh, I'm sorry Katie," Daegra said as she looked at me and gave me a hug. "Just don't forget what I told you before, okay?" "That I don't need to let it define me?" I asked and she nodded. "I know, but its weird, I don't know why since I never really could fly before but it feels almost... sad." "Well that's the nature of Pegasi, you belong in the sky so when you can't get that it may feel weird even if you've never experienced it," Daegra said with a shake of her head. "Don't worry, you are still who you are and can still make great contributions to the world." "And we'll be right there with you," Alicia said with a smile and offered me a hoof. "Best friends forever?" I smiled and took her hoof, I never really had that much of a best friend before, sure I had some friends but none of them I considered a best friend. Maybe it was because of what we were facing together, but I had come to think of Alicia as my best friend. "Best friends forever," I said with a smile and pulled Alicia into a hug. "I wouldn't have it any other way."