//------------------------------// // Epilouge // Story: Memories // by e30Brony //------------------------------// The airship, AS Voyage, cruised high above the clouds en route to it's next destination; Canterlot. "Fallen Star?" A female voice could be heard on the quiet deck, "Fallen Star, where are you? You haven't finished your chores," the owner of the voice, a red anthropomorphic vixen, named Vixen, made her way to the bridge and stopped next to the ships's captain, "Again." She finished, making the Captain chuckle, "Lost her again, Vix?" The Captain quipped, "You know Jack, you're a real tool sometimes." He laughed again, "Thought that was why you married me?" Like her, the Captain was an orangey, red, bipedal fox. He was currently looking at her with a petted lip and puppy dog eyes. Vix rolled her eyes and lightly punched him in the shoulder, "No. I married you because you were the best of a bad lot at the time" she smirked in his direction. "Try the bow of the ship. Think I seen her heading that way." "And you didn't stop her?!" Jack winced at his wife's tone, and offered a nervous laugh in return. Vix rolled her eyes again and made her way down the bridge steps with a huff. The sun was in the process of setting, giving way to the night sky. Tonight was perfect, not a cloud in the sky. "Star?" Vix said in a commanding tone as she reached the bow of the ship, where a little pink pony was looking over the railing, her red and white mane blowing in the breeze. "Hi Vix" "Don't 'hi' me, what about your chores, little filly?" The pony, Star, looked away from Vix with a sheepish expression, "Sorry," she circled with her hoof on the floor directly in front of her, "It's just, there's no clouds tonight and I wanted to watch the sunset." Star didn't dare look up, she knew she had been caught. "So you wanted to see the sunset, huh?" Star nodded, "Here" Vix bent down and lifted the small pony and shifted so Star could hold on to her shoulders, "Wow" Star exclaimed as she watched the stars forming in the sky, "When will we get to the pony city? Will it be soon?" "Hopefully tomorrow, Star" "How come I've never seen another pony, Vix?" The air caught in the Vixen's throat, she had been dreading that question, "What do you mean?" She asked, desperately trying to change the subject, "Well, It's just, you and Jack are foxes, most of the other crew are parrots, and then there's me." Vix exhaled, it was a fair question, and one that was going to be asked sooner or later. Bending down to let Star hop off of her shoulders, Vix sat next to the small pony and thought of the best way of telling her the story, "Well one day when we were on a delivery route, xxx "STORM GUARDS!" one of the crew shouted as the Storm ship sailed over their heads, "CREW! BE ON YOUR GUARD! BOARDING IS A REAL POSSIBILITY!" Jack shouted over the wheel, the heavy winds rocked the ship back and forth and because they were flying through a storm cloud, the rain was pelting them making it almost impossible to see. Minutes felt like hours as they tried to sail undetected past the fleet of enemy ships. After a while the storm cloud cleared up slightly and the drone of the engines coming from the Storm ships was beginning to dissipate, "Looks like we got through that one Vix." Vix shook her head slowly, "Too close. Especially with what we're hauling." Jack nodded in agreement, "Yeah, don't think they'll take too kindly to us weapons around." Vix nodded, the weapons were going to regions who had heard of the Storm King, but were lucky enough not to have encountered him yet. "Polly?" A lightly built green parrot turned to face her captain, "Yes Captain Jack?" "Take a fly up there and do a check for any remaining Storm ships, alright?" The parrot nodded and jumped up and the hand rail, "And Polly, be careful, okay?" She gave a confident salute with an arm before jumping off the railing and taking flight. Once the parrot was high enough, she poked her head through the cloud layer and looked around. She winced when she saw a Storm ship docked in the skies above her head. Thinking for a moment, she flew closer and climbed up the ship, out of sight of the Guards stationed onboard. "She chooses the child" a voice spoke, now that Polly was close enough to hear, "Very well" came another, followed by a pained grunt, which made Polly wince. She climbed higher and looked through a gap in the ship. She stared wide eyed at the poor stallion who had just been ran through with a blade. The other pony present was thrown to the ground by the guards holding her. "Hmm noble that one." Now that Polly could see the picture unfolding in front of her, she made out the unmistakable form of the Storm King. It took all of her being not to board the deck and kill him where he stood. The exchange continued for many tense minutes before Polly noticed the basket in the Storm King's hand. She almost screamed as he tossed the basket over the edge of the ship. She followed it with her eyes as it disappeared through the clouds. She made up her mind and launched herself through the cloud layer where the basket had gone. She was moving so fast, she was a blur to the rest of her crew as she shot past them, but she kept going and only stopped once she was holding the basket in her mouth. The adrenaline coursed through her as she made her way, panting heavily, back onto the deck of her ship. "Polly?! What in tartarus is that?" Vix shouted as she knelt beside the exhausted parrot, "Storm King *pant* basket *pant* thrown over- *pant* board" Vix turned to the basket and finally registered the crying sound, "A baby?" Vix looked into the basket, "A baby PONY?" she said shocked. The baby pony in question continued to cry. "There, there" Vix used a finger to caress the baby's face and finally got it to stop crying. "What happened up there?" Polly shook in rage, "Storm King" she recounted what she had seen to the rest of her crew. "That bast...." "Jack! Theres a baby present!" Vix reprimanded, before turning her attention back to the little pony, "Speaking of which, she needs a name, right?" Polly smiled, "How about 'Fallen Star'?" Jack and Vix smiled at each other, and then in unison said, "Perfect" xxx "So, my momma's still out there?" Star asked. Vix shrugged her shoulders, "It was years ago when you turned up," she ruffled the filly's messy mane, "So, I can't be certain." Star looked down and then back up with a cheerful expression on her face, "But there's still hope, right?" Star smiled brightly, Vix couldn't help but do the same. "Yeah. There is." Vix stood up and looked towards the night sky, "It's getting late, honey. Time for bed now, okay?" Star huffed and got to her hooves. "Okay." She began to walk away, before turning to Vix once more, "Thanks for telling me the story, Vix." Vix nodded and waved Star towards the quarters. Turning her attention back to the sky once more, Vix chuckled to herself, "What's funny?" Jack walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "I was just thinking, I used to wish on stars when I was a kid growing up in Abyssinia, never though one would fall onto my doorstep mind you." Jack smiled and kissed her lovingly on the neck, "There's plenty more up there." Vix smiled at that, after all, he wasn't wrong. This time.