Welp… this was it…
…
Raven was going to be leaving the castle… out into public.
Yep...
The real question was why she was so nervous? Little did she know that Celestia had done a press conference several weeks prior, two days after Raven was taken to the hospital. For as long as she could remember, the princess always hated standing in front of those blood sucking leeches. Information is easy to alter, and that’s exactly what happened!
That was probably the first time that anyone had ever seen Celestia so pissed off... ever! She chewed out *cough cough* The Canterlot Gazette *cough* publicly, so badly that the famed newspaper (famed for it lies) took such a hard hit that they nearly went under.
That’s what happens when you insult a child by calling them ‘a vicious monster that eats ponies’ and is 'running wild inside the castle grounds says informants'. Not one of their finer moments. Celestia often let things slide, freedom of speech and all that, but when it spreads fear, that’s when her hoof hit the floor…
And cracked it halfway up the wall…
From that point on the repair pony knew to never make the princess mad after that! So Raven was common knowledge by this point in life. The maids all seemed to love her, the guards respected her, the cadets feared her, and her personal aid, doctor, and mother cared for her deeply. If anything, she was sick of the fact of how vulnerable she felt. Without a Warframe, she was a four-foot nothing 12-year-old with a tiny squishy body…
Wow! Pony language was rubbing off on her something fierce!
Uhh... guns, swords, blood, punching Valera in the gut!
She barely finished the thought when a twinge of pain shot through her head. “Gah!” she screamed, grabbing her head with both hands. “MAKE IT STOP!” Little know to the girl, her eye shot open in a flash of light, her scars glowing a sickly red.
***
Her legs hurt and her lungs burned as Raven ran side by side with two other children her age. The white walls of the Zariman seemed to go on forever! “This was a mistake!” one of the children screamed, his voice told her he was male.
“Just run!” Raven shouted. Feeling bold, she turned her head to look over her shoulder. “Ahh!” she screeched loudly in fear. They were right behind her! They were not what they claimed to be! Vicious animals warped by the void.
The third of the group, another young man, spun on his heels. “Go!” he ordered, lifting a handgun and pointing it at the animals. Raven and the second boy rounded a random corner. Gunfire erupted and echoed through the halls of the ship. Okay, this was a bad way to go!
Bodies of the dead and torn open containers littered the hallway. As they ran, Raven slid under a stack of debris while the young boy next to her leapt over it like a vaulter. Behind her, the gunfire stopped and the sounds of rushing air indicated that the third was back in the group.
“Come and play young ones~” one of the animals spoke playfully. Manically
“We promise to be nice~” a second sang. The sound of containers and crates being pushed over and crashing loudly against the floor.
“Fuck you!” the male teen with the gun shouted. Without looking, he held the weapon behind him and blindly opened fire. The pursuing beasts reacted accordingly, ducking and weaving to dodge the rounds that ultimately bounced harmlessly off the walls of the ship and down the hallway.
“Head for the Shack!” the young man ordered in their secret code before reloading his now empty pistol. They needed to alter their course in order to make it to the safe zone, the fastest route now was through the abandoned cafeteria.
“Here!” Raven ordered with a point of her hand. The trio turned right at the nearest intersection.
“We head for the-oof!” the second started before he was tackled to the ground. “AHH! GET OFF! GET OFF GET OFF!” he panicked, flailing from his pinned position.
Both Raven and the second teen came to a sliding stop, the young man leveling his gun. “Gah!” he grunted, the shot going high into the ceiling. Not far behind, Raven was tackled from behind, the breath from her lungs knocked from her form.
The first young man continued to scream out as the figure sat on his chest, a knife in its hand. Tears welled up in his eyes as he attempted to pull free. “Oh, how I love this!” the assailant cheered manically. They raised the weapon over their head and plunged it deep into the young man’s chest.
“Gah! Get off of me, you freak!” the second teen yelled in defiance. Pinned, he held up his left hand and grabbed onto the right wrist of his attacker, the one that held the blade. Raising His right hand, which still held the handgun, and attempted to fire. Both rounds missed when attacker grabbed his right wrist.
As the pair of them struggled over weapons, Raven for her part was sobbing. “Help!” she screamed. A hand grabbed her by the shoulder and flipped her onto her back. Through her sobs, Raven could see the broken blade of a Dax Guard's weapon pointed right for her head. Out of instinct, both of her hands shot up and grabbed the hands that held the handle. With all her strength, she pushed back with everything she had!
But it was all for naught, the blade was getting closer!
She could see the broken and jagged edge with her right eye… there was a bright red flash and all that followed was agony!
***
Celestia was in a panicked sprint, fear coursing through her veins! She was running so fast her wings were even flapping behind her. Not too far behind, Captain Bronze and a squad of his finest were in full gear, their armor clacking with every step, just behind them, Doctor Cross panted to keep up.
All Celestia had heard was that Raven had collapsed and was not responding. The entire group rounded the last corner to where the child laid. That last little bit was the worst for Celestia. “Raven! Sweetie!?” she shouted at the top of her lunges. The mare came to a sliding halt when she rounded the corner.
Nearby, Raven sat propped up against the wall, three female guards kneeled around her, one offering a glass of water. Celestia was gone with a single flap of her wings, knocking her fully armored guards to the floor in a massive dog pile of metal and grunting. The solar princess threw everything she was ever known for right out the window as she shoved two of the helping guards to the side and pulled Raven into a bone crushing hug.
“Mmph!” Raven, for her part, flailed around like a helpless puppy as she was crushed by her mother's bosom. Celestia sobbed into her daughter's hair while Raven continued to suffocate like a dying fish. “Mmm! Mmph!” It took several seconds before she was able to adjust herself and take in a massive gasp of air.
“Are you okay!?” Celestia asked in a very panicked tone as she grabbed Raven’s cheeks with both hands and looked her over. “You’re not hurt, are you?” she continued to panic as she turned Raven’s head to search for any damage.
Cross was there not a second after that, calm as could be. She swapped hands with Celestia and started a small examination. “She doesn’t appear to have hit her head,” she examined, running a hand through Raven’s messy red hair. “Her eye isn’t dilated,” she noted. Cross released the child and placed her arm on her bent knee. “I don’t see anything,” she said, turning to face Celestia.
“What could have caused it!?” Celestia damn near pleaded.
Cross shrugged. “It could be a number of things! Anything from seizures to simple muscle spasms.” the mare sighed. “When it comes to certain issues like this with little to no context, I cannot say what it is for certain. But if it happens again…” she slowly turned her head to look down at the filly. “We will have to run some more tests.”
Raven winced at that.
Nearby, Bronze and his squad had risen to their hooves. The stallion watched the trio before something caught his eye. Covering the floor were several small stones. He found that very odd considering the maids clear the place from roof to floor. Confused, the stallion furrowed his brow, as if searching for the answer, he looked to the ceiling for it.
A flash of light caught his attention. Stepping forward he walked forward and looked to the ceiling. The further he walked, the more his jaw dropped and eyes widened with every step. “Holy mother of the queen's tits…” he cursed. The stallion continued to stare to the ceiling as he stood, dumbfounded.
Cross, leaned to the side to look at the slack jawed stallion that stood not too far away. “Bronze? What's wrong?” she asked. The stallion answered by slowly lifting his right hand and pointing to the ceiling. Both Cross and Celestia followed the finger.
“That… is a really... big hole!”
Both mare’s jaws dropped. A hole, about five feet by five feet… tore through the ceiling of the entryway of the castle, leaving nothing but a large, gaping burnt hole, allowing the early spring sunlight to pour through. Both mare’s heads slowly turned to stare at the child.
A magical surge… all three staring ponies thought in unison.
But little known to them that is exactly not what it appeared to be. Well, Raven had a rough grasp as to what it was, but she had little know how on how to harness this power within her. Focus… that was all she knew. One word would that she would have to learn the true meaning of. One word, that lead an army.
One word…
What did it mean?
***
Raven sighed as she sat at the table of Donut Joe’s donut shop, a simple sugar donut sitting on her plate. Across from her sat Celestia, who just watched her daughter with a saddened look, her two guards stood not too far away, attentive as always. Since the incident, Cross recommended that Raven start school with her magic as soon as possible to prevent another surge from happening.
Except… that wasn’t the issue…
What did all these visions mean? A ship, experiments, voices that seemed so familiar? What did it all mean? Her thoughts drifted back to the vision. She ran a hand across the metal cover over her ruined eye. Was… was that how she lost it? Attacked with what she assumed to be friends and she somehow survived? She had been trying so hard to remember but it was all a haze.
“Sweetie?” Raven was knocked from her thoughts at the mention of her nickname. Lifting her head, she locked eyes with her mother. Celestia sat with her brow furrowed, a concerned look donning her features. “What's up?”
“Uhh…” Graceful as always! Raven shook her head quickly. “Uhm…” unsure of the wording, she pointed at her patch. “Uh… mare. Night.” She shook her hand but continued to point, unsure of the proper word. “Terror?”
“A nightmare?” Celestia questioned. Raven snapped her fingers together in thought before giving up and moving to her little pocket book of translations. She flipped through it quickly before finding the word mentioned.
“Yes!”
Not it was time for Celestia to sigh. Both for the sadness of her child and for her late sister … She quickly scooted out of her seat and swapped sides to sit next to Raven, wrapping an arm and a wing around her. “You had a nightmare?” Raven nodded. “Is that what caused you to pass out?”
Another nod.
Celestia didn’t want to push it, but she needed answers. “Of what?”
Raven's shoulders slumped, not out of sadness, but thought. Why couldn’t everyone just speak Orokin!? “V...vision. Memory,” defeated she moved to her little translation book. “Attacked? And… and…” she flipped through it and pointed to her eye. “Knife, broken.”
Pomp!
Raven lifted her head, but immediately regretted it and started to sink into her seat. Ohhh…. She’s pissed! Celestia was red with rage. Her once great flowing mane was bright orange and alight with magical fire, her beautiful magenta eyes were burning with the fire of a thousand suns. The feathers on her fully extended wings, had seemed to take on a more sinister, sharper, look.
Oh… she was infuriated!
How… could somepony-no! Some demon be so cruel to a child!? She all but screeched in her head. Her loving and caring tone was dripping with blood and hatred. There were a few things that she didn’t tolerate in life. One was when ponies took from her secret stash of secrets (cake), another was insulting her weight, and the last was that you never messed with foals!!!
Her breathing had become a furious panting. Her rage was building and there was only one way she was going to vent it. “Sergeant!” she bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice. The stallion’s eyes widened and he took a fearful step backwards, away for the threat that was his boss. “I want an APB out to all the guard!” she ordered, her rage filled gaze turned to the soldier who was in the process of pissing himself. “Find whoever did this and BRING THEM TO ME!”
The stallion, who did not want to even test the boiling waters nodded as fast as his neck would allow and bolted out of the little coffee shop, leaving the other stallion to just sweat and try to find a slip of paper to write his will on. Celestia was almost shaking with anger when her attention moved down to Raven.
She gasped...
Raven was halfway under the table with a look that was one, not of fear, but a ‘fuck that shit I’m out’! She had friend that when he got angry, he broke shit and no one was going to stop him. Didn’t help he was a Rhino with a Fragor and an attitude. Dude tore a Tusk drop ship in half once. It was impressive and slightly terrifying at the same time when she saw the video.
But for Celestia…
Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes and she immediately looked away out of shame. The fire in her eyes and her mane immediately puffed out and died. Twice… twice has her daughter seen the actions and anger of her supposed alter ego, Daybreaker. She had the ‘personality’ as it were, under control, but when certain things came to the light, she couldn’t help herself. “I… I’m sorry!” she blurted, covering her face in shame with both hands.
As the mare sobbed loudly into hands, Raven sat there awkwardly. I have no idea what to do… her eyes searched the area for some sort of answer. She even leaned forward to see if the remaining guard had something, he just gave her a look of ‘keep me the fuck out’! Unsure of what to do, Raven sat up and slowly but awkwardly, leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Celestia’s mid-section.
The mare tensed and did nothing for several seconds when nothing more came, before she removed her left hand. With one eye, she watched Raven smile up at her with this loving, caring, and forgiving smile. “Gone,” Raven said, pointing at her bad eye briefly. “Gone. Dead. No come back!” she lowered her arm and leaned up to rub her cheek against her mother's. “Gone…” she repeated softly.
Celestia’s soured mood was replaced with one of joy as she laughed at the action. “Thank you… sweetie…” She meant it too! It was nice knowing that at least somepony cared, not as a ruler, guards, or noble, but as family!
A pair of ears and a horn poked out from around a doorway behind the counter for a moment before a pair of light blue eyes poke out to see if it was safe. “Oh good! No one is dead!” a cheery, light hearted voice spoke happily. The eyes, ears, and horn disappeared quickly, only to be replaced by a light pink mare with a blonde mane in a pair of jeans, blue sweater and an apron. The mare approached the table where the two girls were still hugging. “Are you two alright? I heard yelling!”
Celestia released Raven and wiped her wet eyes with her wrist. “We’re fine, Sugar. Just some issues with a previous problem,” Celestia vaguely admitted. Once her eyes were clear, she smiled at the smaller mare.
Sugar let out a sigh of relief. “Oh good.” Perking up, she held her hands together and did a little hop. “Is there anything I can get you Tia? Maybe Raven or your guard friend?” she blinked when she saw the one. “Where did the other go?” she asked innocently while searching the diner for him.
Celestia laughed sheepishly at that. “He… needed to deliver something...” The mare coughed quickly and donned her familiar, regal look. “I’ll take six sugar donuts and Raven will…” The mare trailed off when she turned to look at Raven, who was staring down at the donut in her hand, a single bite taken from it. “S-Sweetie?”
Raven slowly lifted her head. By the Void she had never had anything that good! She quickly placed the donut in her mouth and held up all 10 fingers and continued to point at the donut and hold up both hands at the same time. Celestia snorted at the desperate display. “We might as well make it an even dozen.”
Sugar rolled her eyes and giggled. “I’ll make it eleven, ” she said slyly while spinning on her heels and walking away. “You don’t need any more Tia, Notepad’s orders if I remember correctly!” The solar mare groaned at that.
“I do not need a diet!” she protested.
“And your weight was what again the last time you were in here!?” she received in return from the back room. Celestia just groaned again and mumbled something about 'diets' and 'useless'. A few minutes later, Raven had licked her fingers clean and Sugar returned with a bright pink box. In just a few minutes, Celestia paid her tab and left through the door, Raven not to far behind. The guard was right behind them when Sugar stopped him.
“Here,” she said, handing him a donut and a little brown bag. “For your service!” The stallion stared down at the donut and the bag, shocked.
“How much?” he asked.
“On the house for our local Guard,” Sugar replied with a wave when he took the bag and doughy treat. “The other is for your friend and just so you know, all military personnel, whether active or not, get a free cup of coffee and a donut when they come in!” she said happily.
The stallion smiled, thankful for what he does. “Thank you, ma’am!” he said quickly before leaning forward and pecking Sugar on the cheek and bolting out the door. The mare for her part, just giggled and waved as the stallion moved to catch his charge.
Sugar sighed wistfully, “He was nice,” she said before turning to clean some tables, eager to get back to work. Well, at least she was able to keep most of the supply this time. That mare sold them out for a week! "Oh well... at least she's a repeating customer though!"
Outside, Raven had some thinking to do. She needed to put this vision to some use. The sounds she heard in there and the action she performed outside. She had already performed a very simple action of grabbing a glass of water and had done that act few more times afterwards, but that was the extent of her current power. She needed to harness her Void Beam and see what other abilities she seems to hold.
Well… she had plenty of time to perfect it…