Sunlight trickled in through mostly drawn curtains into a room full of, what could be politely called, organized chaos. Countless books on stones and minerals covered the floor in sloppy and disorganized piles, most of which seemed ready to fall over at any moment. A desk in the right corner of the room was far from safe from the same fate as the floor, as in addition to books, it also housed a vast assortment of chisels and hammers. It was also host to a small bundle of incomplete stone sculptures of varying shapes and sizes, all waiting for their mistress to give them form. At the heart of the room stood a bed that said mistress occupied, a small tuft of dark-blue mane served as the only damning evidence.
A door creaked open and a red Unicorn with a dark-pink mane and tail let herself in, her face its usual stoic expression.
"Sapphire," she monotoned as she approached the lumpy bed. "Time to get up."
An irritated grumble was the only response she got as her sister shifted around under the covers.
Ruby sighed then started to shake the bed.
"Come on Sapphire," she groaned. "If you don't get up now, you won't get any breakfast."
"I'm not hungry," Sapphire snapped, her tone muffled by her fortress of blankets.
Ruby's eyes widened slightly at that. The only thing stronger than her sister's temper was her appetite. One time, she watched her sister devour an entire extra-large pizza on her own just because she was dared to by Quartz. To hear that the blue Earth Pony wasn't hungry was likely the first of many signs that the world was ending. That, or she was ill with some sort of horrible disease.
"Are you okay?" she asked as she looked for some sort of gap in Sapphire's defenses.
"No. My life is over," Sapphire groaned. "Opal probably thinks I'm a total freak or something!"
Ruby let out a sigh that was a mix of relief and exasperation.
So that's what this is all about, she thought as she moved to where she heard her sister's voice on the left side of the bed.
"I highly doubt Opal thinks that," Ruby sighed as she tried to pull Sapphire's blanket off of her with her mouth.
"Whatever!" she snapped as she fought against her sister's attempts. "I'm not going to school! BUCK OFF!"
Ruby froze before she let the blanket slip out of her grip. With a frown, she stepped away from the bed and walked over to the open door. Once she made it to the threshold, she turned towards the bed and with a hard glare, tapped into her magic.
"Sapphire."
"What?!"
"Language."
A second later, Sapphire found herself and the surrounding covers enveloped in a red aura.
"Ruby?" she growled cautiously. "Don't you da-"
Before Sapphire could finish, both pony and blanket flew into the air before being violently separated.
"You are so dead," she glared as she hovered above her bed.
"After breakfast," Ruby sighed as she turned and left the room, her cross-armed sister hovering not far behind.
Sapphire glared at her sister throughout the journey to the kitchen, a fact that dragged another sigh from the irritated Unicorn.
"Why are you still sulking about it? It was three days ago."
Sapphire pouted angrily as she avoided eye-contact.
"Like somepony like you would get it."
This stopped Ruby in her tracks as she telekinetically moved her sister in front of her.
"What do you mean?"
"Are you really that clueless?" Sapphire snapped, pointing at Ruby. "You've been practically dating Quartz for a year now while I've only talked to Opal for less than a week! And I made a complete MULE of myself!"
"Is that why you've been avoiding him?"
Sapphire's face was a cross between shock and righteous fury before it shifted to shame as she looked away. Ruby sighed then let a small smile slip pass her stoic mask.
"How about we make a bet?"
This got a raised brow out of the blue Earth Pony as she shifted her attention back to the red Unicorn.
"You talk to Opal today, and if he hates you, I'll dye my mane black. But if he doesn't, you have to wear a dress for a day. Deal?"
Sapphire gave her sister a harsh glare as she weighed the odds in her mind. On one hoof, she risked making a total fool of herself, but on the other she could have a good distraction for a few days after the fact. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? It's not like she could make Opal hate her more than he already did.
"Fine," she frowned, as she pointed her hoof out at Ruby.
Ruby smiled as she tapped her own forehoof into her sister's and set her back down onto the ground before dispelling her magic. In silence, the two continued their journey to the kitchen, one frowning while the other had a triumphant smile on her muzzle. As they stepped into the kitchen they were greeted by their parents. Lapis Helm, a dark-blue Crystal Pegasus stood by the stove making a plate of pancakes while her husband, Agate Lance, sat at the table sipping his coffee. As the two young mares joined the red Crystal Pegasus at the table, Lapis turned and balanced two plates of pancakes on each wing as she approached the table. With lightning fast reflexes, she slid each plate in front of each pony before setting her own and taking her place at the table.
"Ten seconds," Agate smiled as he stared at his wife. "Top form as always honey."
"Thanks, dear," she smirked as she gave him a gentle peck on the nose.
Sapphire cringed at the display.
"Could you to be any less cool?" she groaned as she dug into her breakfast.
"Well," Agate grinned. "We could show your baby pictures to everypony the two of you bring home from now on."
Sapphire choked on her food and after a quick gulp of orange juice managed a strained "What!?"
Lapis let out a soft chuckle.
"Don't worry my little Sapphy. I'll make sure he doesn't do that," she winked.
"Mom!" she whined, face turning a brilliant red. "I keep telling you not to call me that!"
"Correction," Ruby said as she used a knife held in her magic to cut up her pancakes. "You told her not to say it in public."
"You know what I mean!" she growled as she took a savage bite out of her food. "Or maybe you'd like it if I started calling you Ru Ru again."
"Actually," Ruby smirked. "I would. That way I can go back to the good old days when you were cute and wanted to be the princess of a candy kingdom.
For a moment, it looked as though Ruby had a red Earth Pony for a sibling as both anger and embarrassment fought for dominance in Sapphire. It was then that the blue teenager tapped into her ace in the hole for this verbal sparring match.
"Maybe Quartz Mark would like it if I called you that."
This got a pause, but not out of the red Unicorn like Sapphire was hoping for.
"Quartz Mark?" Agate asked, brow raised and lips in a firm line. "You wouldn't happen to mean Fine Print's foal, would you?"
Before Sapphire could answer, Ruby nodded.
"The very same. We have an assignment together tomorrow and Sapphire thinks that means we're dating."
A look of shock broke through Agate's blank mask.
"You mean you two aren't going out?"
Again, Ruby nodded.
With that, Agate slapped his left hoof across his knee and grimaced.
"Great, now I owe Fine twenty bits."
Lapis burst-out laughing at her husband's antics.
"Maybe," she added, once she regained enough of her composure to speak. "You shouldn't make bets against the head of Crystal Academy's Statistics Department, dear. The odds are never in your favor."
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered as he took another sip of coffee. "I was so sure I'd win this time."
Lapis just sighed.
"You may be a good judge when it comes to battle, but you fail miserably when it comes to romance."
"I don't know about that," he smirked as he turned to face his wife. "Miss Blue Comet."
The twins watched the display with one expressing disapproval while the other showed disinterest. Until Sapphire's frown turned into a malicious smile.
"Speaking of bets, Ru Ru's gonna be walking around with a black mane for a while. Just a heads up."
That got the two grown pony's attention.
***
Quartz Mark stared with listless eyes at the front of the class. All the while, the teacher droned on and on about things that barely held onto his attention by the thinest of threads. At times like this, he wished he lived in Ponyville like his cousin Question Mark. If what he wrote to him was true, then a monster attack would happen right about now and he would have a reason to get out of class early.
Then again, he thought as he took a few notes. Miss Sardonyx would probably drag the monster into class and give it a two hour lecture about how much damage it did.
A grin grew on his face as he imagined his magenta Crystal Unicorn teacher mouthing off to a giant dragonoid with tentacles in a classroom. This shifted to a concerned frown when he noticed a dim multicolored glow come out of his left sattle bag.
Huh, what's got Opal so worked up? he thought as he watched Miss Sardonyx. The second she turned her back to the class to write something on the board, Quartz reached into his bag and pulled out a brown, faintly glowing, notebook. Once he opened it, he got his answer. Quartz rolled his eyes after he read what was written on the page.
"Are you sure?"
With a barely suppressed groan, he wrote "Yes" beneath the question. A moment later, a response appeared and this time, not only did he fail to hold back an annoyed groan, but his hoof became familiar with his face.
"Then why is she avoiding me?"
"I don't know Opal," he wrote. "Maybe its some mare thing or something."
"I suppose. Do you think Miss Ruby will be able to figure this out?"
He shrugged then wrote, "Maybe. They are sisters after all."
There was a long pause, but Quartz swore he could hear a sigh in the classroom just before more print appeared on the page in front of him.
"That would be a massive weight off of my shoulders. I just hope I didn't do anything to make her hate me."
He stifled a small laugh as she wrote, "Dude, trust me. If she hated you, you'd know."
"What do you mean?"
"In Junior High, this one guy couldn't take a hint and when he tried to make a move on her, she bucked him through a wall."
A muffled choking noise could be heard in the back of the classroom moments before a new message appeared.
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah," he sighed as he wrote, "That's what happens when you mess with a mare that chisels rocks with her bare hooves.
Another long pause in the "conversation" came to pass. It was in this moment of calm that Quartz wondered why he gave his friend one of the two enchanted journals he made. Granted, it was when they were a lot younger, but that still made him wonder from time to time. Originally, the journals where meant to help the two of them keep in touch when Opal went on his family's monthly trips to Canterlot. Now, they were used so the two could pass notes to each other in class every so often. Except for the occasional dirty joke, Quartz tended to leave his journal alone during class, even though the class in question was about as interesting as watching ice melt half of the time. He mostly did this so that his studious friend could focus. The only time he broke this rule was when Opal started the "conversation" himself. This didn't mean that Quartz was looking forward to the covert messages though. Opal only pulled out his journal when he was so distracted by something that he couldn't focus on the teacher and absolutely had to get it off his barrel.
This time, the young Pegasus had to help his Unicorn friend get through the most difficult thing ever known to ponykind: understanding mares.
May the Princesses have mercy on my soul, he thought with a sigh.
It was then that Opal sent his response.
"Okay. So. She doesn't hate me at least. That's good. Do you think you could give me some advice?"
"Shoot," he wrote with a shrug.
"How do you date a filly?"
Quartz's mind stopped for a moment after he read his friend's message.
"How the hay should I know? I'm not dating anypony."
Another brief moment of inactivity, then another message appeared on the pages.
"Really? I must be really bad at this. Because the way you and Miss Ruby act around each other, I would've thought the two of you were together."
Quartz's face turned bright red as he hastily scrawled his response.
"We're just really good friends! That's all."
"If you say so."
He could practically see the rarely shown cheeky smile on his friend's muzzle as he wrote that.
"Do you want my help or not, Heart Hooves?"
"Sorry, sorry," he wrote, penmanship slightly shaky. "I'll be good."
With a sigh, Quartz responded with, "Okay, I'll check and see how things are from Ruby at lunch. Once I know what's going on, we can take things from there. Sound good to you?"
"Yes," Opal wrote, a relieved sigh heard in the background. "Thanks Quartz Mark."
"No prob. Now let's get back to listening to the teacher before she starts to suspect something."
***
The gentle crackling of flames from a fireplace was the only sound that could be heard in the jade living room. Countless bookshelves covered the walls , all of their contents painstakingly organized by size and title to make them easier for the home's residents to find what they needed at a moments notice. Closer to the heart of the room were some of the standard furniture one would find in such a room; a couch and coffee table. Both were made of polished dark-oak with plush green cushions and pillows decorating the couch while a fresh cup of tea decorated the table. Taking full advantage of the couch's comfort was the rooms sole occupant, a light purple Unicorn mare with a dark-violet mane and tail with light-blue streaks running through them. Held in her magic grip was a book that happened to grab her attention at the moment as she let herself relax after a long days work. The moment of peace was broken when the front door to the house opened, announcing the its only other resident's return from work.
"Welcome back," Starlight Glimmer smirked, eyes still glued to her book as Sunburst stepped into the living room.
"Thanks," he sighed as she flopped next to her into the couch.
The weary sigh that slipped pass his muzzle didn't go unnoticed as Starlight looked away from her book to take in her coltfriend's condition.
"Did you try to teach Flurry how to teleport again?" she asked, worriedly taking in his drained profile. "You know you don't have the magic reserves for that!"
Though it was true that Sunburst was a brilliant mage, his skills were more on the theoretical side. This was mostly due to a defect in his body's mana network. According to Princess Twilight, the condition was called Mana Rot and while it sounded bad it was manageable as well as curable if the Unicorn in question got proper treatment. If not, anything beyond basic levitation would be a long-shot at best. If they tried, the fatigue would negatively effect their health in many unpleasant ways. There were cases of Unicorns with the condition that tried teleportation only to slip into comas or suffer a heart-attack from the strain. While the condition made things difficult for him, Sunburst was receiving treatment and it didn't prevent him from taking advantage of his brilliant photographic mind. Though it didn't change the fact that when the poor stallion occasionally forgot his limits, he looked like he ran a marathon with lead weights tied to his legs.
Sunburst laughed as he nuzzled his marefriend's cheek.
"No, I've learned that Princess Twilight is the better teacher in that particular department," he smiled. "Though I suppose we could say she took after her more than Prince Armor."
"What do you mean," Starlight asked, brow raised.
"All day today, Flurry wanted to know everything she could about Windagos."
"By everything do you mean-"
"Everything. Their hight, weight, lifespans, favorite food, even if they could have foals like ponies do or if they made them using magic. She even asked me if they had fangs and scales instead of fur, if you can believe that. I don't even know where she got that idea, but I digress."
Starlight giggled then responded with, "I guess she has the Sparkle Gene after all. I remember how Twilight would spend hours studying the ins and outs of anything new she stumbled across when I was living in the Castle of Friendship."
Sunburst hummed in understanding then let out a winded sigh before he continued.
"Of course, when she asked about scales I mentioned Sirens and she changed her research topic to that. Fortunately, the Crystal Empire Archives have more detailed information on them then they do on Windagos."
"Well, that's good," she smiled, snuggling into his side affectionately. " If she's anything like Twilight, that should keep her busy for a while."
"Hopefully," he sighed.
He loved his Goddaughter. She was the closest thing he had to a daughter (at the moment), but even he could admit to her being quite the hoofful at times. Still, it did fill him with some joy to see his only pupil take an interest in something enough to properly research it.
"Though I suppose that wasn't the weirdest thing she had me teach."
"Oh really?" Starlight asked. "What could top that?"
"She wanted me to teach her how to teach somepony to read."
A long pause filled the room before Starlight broke it with a confused "Huh?"
***
"A. B. C.... D?"
"That's right," Flurry cheered, gently nudging the colt sitting next to her.
"Good," Alto faintly smiled as he looked at his new friend/teacher.
For the last couple of days, Flurry had been teaching her new friend how to read. While the first couple hours of the first day were slow going, she was shocked by how fast he was able to grasp the material once he became able to identify the letters. Now she was helping him memorize the order and while it was taking him a while to get it, he was making steady progress. She knew that it was only a matter of time before he mastered this too.
"I would hate it if all your hard work was wasted because I couldn't understand all this."
Flurry frowned at that.
"Could you please stop talking like that? Hanging out with you is not a waste of time, studies or not."
"Sorry," Alto cringed before he returned his attention to the alphabet book in front of him. "I'm still not use to being taught like this. Mom was always more, aggressive with her lessons."
From the moment she started teaching him, Alto seemed to have this almost militaristic attitude to the lessons. While she could understand why he had that approach, considering his circumstances, she wasn't happy about it.This was a problem Flurry was determined to fix no matter what. It was like her Aunt said, "The pursuit of knowledge is an adventure, not a path to a destination".
"It's fine," she sighed. "Just don't treat this like it's life or death. I'm trying to teach you how to read, not fight a Cave Beast."
They both chuckled a bit at that before they looked back at the book. As Alto continued to list off the letters of the alphabet, Flurry's mind drifted to his last comment. While the records were pretty sparse on information, what she was able to dig up seemed to clash with what she was witnessing. In the records, it said that Windagos were fiercely protective of their foals. Some of them said it was to the point that if a dog barked at them, the mother would flash freeze it. It was also written that the only times a Windago was ever seen acting kind was when they were with their foals. Yet, everything Alto said about his mom made her out to be rather harsh or borderline cruel. Strict magic training, physical performance drills, even sparing matches against her that lasted until he was able to land a blow on her or he came close to passing out all amounted to pure torture from her perspective. It was because of this that she avoided asking him questions about her directly, but after all this time, one question sat at the forefront of her mind and refused to leave until it was asked.
"Hey, Alto?"
"Yes?" he asked as he shifted his attention from the book to her.
"Why are you all alone? I mean, where's the rest of your family?"
A flicker of pain crossed his face as he looked away from her, eyes hidden by the bangs of his mane.
"A pony from the shining place killed her."
Flurry's heart sank into her stomach.
"Oh....I-I'm so sorry."
"I-it's fine," he sighed, a painfully fake smile on his face as he looked at her again. "Like I said, it was a long time ago."
For a long moment, the two were locked in a silent stare down, one set of eyes fighting to hold back tears that the barely living green ones refused to shed. Eventually, the fight proved too difficult for the young Alicorn to win and a small stream of tears fell from her eyes. Startled, Alto tried to think of a way to comfort his friend, but no such method came to mind. Instead, he acted on impulse and did what his mother did when he cried and wrapped his forelegs around her. The hug was awkward, as he had never given one before, but after a while, Flurry's tears stopped and she returned the kind gesture.
"Thanks," she sniffled, their embrace continuing.
"No problem. Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?"
"No," she smiled.
"Then why were you crying?" he asked, letting go of her.
"Because," she sighed. "You wouldn't do it yourself."
He blinked at her in shock before he again hid his eyes behind the shadow of his bangs.
"You are such a strange pony."
Another awkward silence. And like the last one, it was broken by the Alicorn's cautious curiosity.
"Do you want to talk about her? Your mom I mean."
"Why?" he asked.
"I want to know about her. And maybe talking about her will make you feel better."
"Feel better? But I'm not sick."
"But you're not happy either."
He wilted at that, before saying, "I don't need to be happy to survive."
"I guess," she smiled. "But it helps."
He stared at her in stunned silence, then with a defeated sigh gave her a hard glare.
"Fine, but this story is going to take a long time to tell so we may as well put all the books away first."
"Got it," she smirked as she grabbed all of their supplies with her magic and placed them back in her sattle bags.
Once all the necessary materials were safely stored she got herself comfortable as she waited for Alto to begin his story. The story of his mother's inevitable death at the hooves of a pony.
***
A dense haze filled the cave air as its soul inhabitants stared each other down. One was a snow white five-year-old colt with scales in place of a coat and a light-blue mane and tail. HIs opponent was towering full grown Windago mare, easily the same hight as Princess Celestia herself. Her glowing blue eyes beheld the colt with a fierce glare that Alto's own emerald ones mirrored.
"Again," she demanded.
With a growl, Alto channeled his magic into his hooves. With a hard stomp, it pored into the ground and rose out towards her in the form of five-foot long spikes. With a casual flick of a foreleg, she shattered the magic blades. A disappointed frown crossed her muzzle as she looked at Alto.
"Too frail. Do you wish to tickle your enemy? You will not get a second chance in battle. Your first strike must also be your last if you are to have any hope of survival in this land. Now, come at me as if you intend to kill me!"
"B-But mom," Alto panted. "I don't want to hurt you."
An understanding smile crossed her lips as she beheld her son.
"I know Alto, but you need to learn this. You are not strong enough to spar against the native beasts and I have already taught you everything I can in the arts of evasion and defense. Your Haze is almost as powerful as mine, but that won't be enough to protect you against the beasts here. And then there are the Ponies."
A shiver ran down Alto's spine at the mention of the beings that ruled the land. His mother told him countless stories of of the cruelty of the Pony race. How they attacked her family when she was just a filly and took her sister from her.
"The Ice Fang is one of the most lethal spells a Windago can wield. If used properly, it can end a battle before it can truly begin. After all, no enemy can stand without their head or heart."
"R-Right," he said with a nod. "But mom..."
A sad chuckle slipped past her lips as she approached her troubled foal and nuzzled his cheek.
"I know my son. Perhaps we've practiced enough for today. Let's-"
She paused, a sound further down the cave network drawing her attention towards one of the tunnel connecting their cave to the rest of the network.
"Mom?"
She shushed him, slowly moving towards the tunnel. She stopped two feet away from it, ears straining for the sound she hoped was just her imagination. To her horror it wasn't as she heard it again; the unmistakeable clink of chainmail. She slowly packed up, eyes never leaving the tunnel entrance.
"Alto," she whispered tone urgent. "No matter what happens, I want you to stay hidden."
"O-Okay mom," he whispered, taking cover behind some stalagmites in the farthest corner of the chamber.
For five minutes, all they could hear was the clinking of metal growing steadily louder. Soon, the last thing the two cave dwellers wanted to see stepped into the chamber; a Unicorn pony dressed in heavy silver armor. For a moment, they just stared at each other, Windago slowly crouching into a defensive stance while the pony stared in shock before doing the same. Neither moved, neither seemed to breath as the tension began to build between them. Then, in the blink of an eye, they struck! The Windago conjured a maw of ice spikes at the pony's hooves that he countered with a barrier before firing a bolt of magic at her. She dodged before she filled the chamber with a thick cloud of freezing fog. Acting quickly, the pony countered with a bubble barrier to cut himself off from the air around himself and protect himself from the Haze spell. Next, he drew his sword and after coating it in his magic, let it faze through the barrier. The Windago dodged the blade before she conjured one of her own out of ice. The two blades clashed, both held in the air by their master's magic as they tried to end their opponent. As the blades struck, the Windago conjured another maw of ice blades beneath the pony which he dodged at the last second. The two continued to trade blows, neither able to land a critical hit though coming dangerously close to one several times. It was like a dance, both moving with grace and purpose as they tried to kill each other with ice and blade and magic beam. Then, it finally happened. Both combatants once again found themselves staring each other down, both riddled with minor wounds and slightly winded. The pony held his sword unsteadily with his magic while the Windago had six spikes of ice floating at her sides. Both knew that they had enough energy for one last strike and one way or another, it would be their last. In a flash, they struck. Blood covered the pure white snow as the two fighters fell, time seeming to flow in slow motion for the lone spectator as Alto watched his mother fall, a blade plunged deep into her chest while the pony was reduced to a perforated frozen husk.
He cried out to her as he ran to his mother's side, tears running down his eyes.
"D-Damn it all to the storm," she coughed, a trickle of blood running down the corner of her muzzle. "Why did this have to happen now."
"M-M-Mother," Alto trembled, tears mixing with the blood that pooled beneath them both.
"Hu-Hush my son," she whispered, a weak smile gracing her muzzle as she beheld him. "Th-This was what all of your training was for. You know what you must to survive. Do what I couldn't and survive. Survive...and know that I...will...watch over you....always."
As she said that, her own tears joined her son's in the pool of her own blood and the light from her eyes faded away. Just like that, the windago died, a solid ice statue in her place. Alto stared at her body, and with tears in his eyes, he let out a howl of pure pain to the heavens. It echoed through the caves like the roar of a dragon, letting everypony unfortunate enough to hear it feel the colt's pain. The pain of loss.
***
Flurry stared at Alto, tears poring down her face as he finished his tale. The colt stared back, confused and concerned for his companion's well being. Then, before he could ask if she was alright, she threw her hoofs around him in yet another tight embrace. Still not use to such contact after so many years, he flinched, then closed his eyes and reveled in his new friend's warmth.
"You don't need to cry for me anymore," he sighed. "I've moved past it. I just need to survive."
Flurry pulled herself away from him, wiping her tears away. When her foreleg left her face, Alto reeled back at what he saw. A gentle smile. Sad sapphire blue eyes. It was not a look of pity, but something that he had long forgotten until that exact moment; understanding.
"I'll cry for you as long as it takes," she sniffled. "Until you figure out how to do it again."
"Another lesson?" he smiled.
"Yeah," she said with a smile of her own. "One that you can't rush through."
"I guess you're right," he sighed. "In the meantime, can we get back to reading? I want to learn at least that quickly."
"Nope," she pouted. "You can't rush through that either. Learning is an adventure, not a destination."
"It is?" he asked, brow raised. "Who says?"
"My Aunt," Flurry said with a smug grin.
"She's just as strange as you are," Alto replied flatly.
"Thanks," she giggled, then levitated a book out of her bag. "Now let's get started."
"Yes please," he said with a nod.