//------------------------------// // Part IV - Chapter 2: The Wind Beneath Her Wings // Story: Alicornae: The Legend of Starlit Sky // by PortalJumper //------------------------------// Alicornae: The Legend of Starlit Sky Part IV - Chapter 2: The Wind Beneath Her Wings * * * Whatever Starlit Sky was expecting to see out in the blasted tundra of the far north, it certainly wasn't a fully functional town. Yet, after a few hours of travel with the pegasi that had apprehended Sun and herself, she found a fully functional town looming just over the next hill. "Ah, home sweet home," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Maybe for you it is," Sun groused. "True; for the two of you it's still up in the air, but we'll see what Commander Spitfire has to say about it." "Are there any particular rules we need to follow?" Starlit asked, prodding for any information she could get her hooves on. "Just two; do what I say, and don't do anything stupid," Rainbow smugly replied. "As far as I'm concerned the two of you are either bandits, outlaws, or treasure hunters. If you're the first two then you're getting thrown out on your ear, no question." "And if we're treasure hunters?" Sun asked. "Then it's up to Spitfire as to what to do with you, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Now stay quiet, I need to talk with the gatesmare." Rainbow turned her head to look at one of her fellow pegasi, her normally casual expression growing grim for the space of time it took to give an order. "You know what to do if they try anything." The hooded pegasus nodded, which Rainbow Dash reciprocated before marching forward to a crude road composed primarily of packed and hardened snow and ice. She glided effortlessly over the slippery surface until it turned to solid ground, landing with a slight skid just in front of the pony at the gates a few dozen yards away. "You're seeing this too, right?" Starlit whispered to Sun. "You mean the pegasus that treats flying as easily as walking? Yes, I am." "Quiet, you two!" one of the pegasi ordered, stamping his staff into the ground and sending another surge of dull pain through each of their horns. Starlit groaned and fought the urge to clasp her hooves over her head. "Could you please quit with that stick of yours?" Starlit asked. "We mean you no harm, we're just travelers." Another stamp of a staff and another wave of pain were all the answer Starlit needed. She quickly fell silent, letting a few choice words store up in her head for later use. Rainbow Dash half-cantered, half-flew back up the road to meet her entourage, again sliding to a halt just in front of one of her companions on the slick road. "Gate's clear for us, and Holly Hock went off to go tell Spitfire," Rainbow said. "They give you any trouble?" "The mare's a little mouthy, but nothing some applied magical dampening couldn't fix," the pegasus replied with a gesture from his staff. "Good work, keeping them in line. I'll put in a good word with Spitfire for ya." "Are we going, or are we going to break our legs patting ourselves on the back here?" Sun cut in. Rainbow Dash shot Sun a withering glare as another wave of magic shot through Starlit and Sun's skulls, this one a tad more powerful than the last." "Apparently they've both got some lip to give," Rainbow noted. "Very well, since our friend here wants to get this over with so badly, then let's oblige him." With nary another word the procession started back up, with Rainbow Dash at the head and the other pegasi forming a loose ring with Starlit and Sun at the center. Starlit slipped three times going down the road, and very nearly face planted once, but with time and careful stepping they arrived at the ramshackle gates to the town. A sign above the gate read 'The Outpost', presumably the name of the settlement. Two things in particular leapt to Starlit's attention as she was paraded through the town; firstly, there were crystals everywhere. Crystals of all shapes, sizes, and colors were being used to power everything from lighting to simple machines for carrying goods. She even spied a few children playing with a small toy dog that was being animated by a smaller yellow crystal, not entirely dissimilar to the hummingbird automaton Twilight had shown her. Secondly, and more disconcertingly, was that everypony had some part of themselves adorned or bonded with these same crystals, even the children. Unicorns had small bits of crystal poking out from their horns, earth ponies wore braces laced with them, and she could see a few pegasi overhead with crystals tucked into the feathers of their wings. "What happened to all these ponies?" Starlit thought, keeping her concern to herself lest she get another hit of magic. The building she and Sun were led to was in fairly decent condition, more so than and of the buildings in Appleoosa but worse off than most of New Selene, and it too had large chunks of crystal and ice growing up from its foundation. What parts of it weren't overgrown appeared to be hewn from solid stone, even the roof. "You two stay here, and try not to get talkative," Rainbow Dash admonished. She sauntered up to the metal door and rapped it with her hoof. "Come in," a tinny but authoritative voice called from inside. Rainbow quickly made her entrance, shutting the door with a creaking clank behind her. Starlit shot a look towards Sun, trying to get her eyes to say what her mouth couldn't, but he was far too absorbed in looking around at all the ponies. His eyes were set in the focused stare that Starlit knew came when he was trying to work something out, and she knew better than to disturb him. After an interminable five minutes Rainbow Dash came back outside, motioning towards the door with a jerk of her head. The other pegasi stood down and made a path for the two of them to enter. Their staves stopped glowing, and Starlit felt the magic recede from around her horn. Sun let out an audible sigh of relief as they both entered the building. The interior of the building was just as stark as the exterior, with only a few tables laden with documents and maps to adorn it. The yellow pegasus that Starlit assumed was Spitfire was busy adjusting her fierce orange mane in a mirror-like sheet of ice on the far side of the room. She wore a thick overcoat with a fur collar, but with holes to allow her wings to come through. "Rainbow Dash tells me you two were out in the tundra, says you were 'just traveling' by your own admission," Spitfire stated. "And that's the honest truth," Sun interjected. Spitfire flapped the wing closest to Sun up swiftly, exposing the red gems woven into the feathers as a blast of wind slid Sun across the frozen floor and knocked him into the back wall. "Did I say you could speak?" Spitfire curtly asked, still looking in her mirror. Sun didn't look upset so much as he looked awestruck by such a casual display of magical power from a pegasus of all ponies. Starlit, for her part, was equally impressed, if still fearful of what this pony had in store for them. "Let me tell you what I think," Spitfire continued, finally turning to face her captives. "I think that you were out there because you were trying to get to the Old Empire. I think you're either idiots, greedy, or some combination of both that were lured by old stories of power and treasure laying in that frozen kingdom, and I think that I need to send you back from where you came from." "So, what do you think? Am I right? Or are there a few details you'd like to fill me in on." "You have your goons kidnap me and my companion, they strip away what little magic either of us have and treat us no better than common thugs for the crime of traveling through your territory with no knowledge that your little enclave even existed, and you have the gall to ask me to confirm your ill-informed suspicions?!" Starlit replied, her words swimming in indignant venom. "Who do you think you are that you can put us on trial for nothing?!" Spitfire's smug expression quickly soured, and behind her orange eyes Starlit saw a fierce determination. "I'll tell you exactly who I am," Spitfire snapped back. "I'm the only thing that's keeping my 'little enclave' functional and happy in this blasted tundra, and the last thing I need is upstarts like you two jeopardizing that security. Now either you leave, or I'll have my 'goons' take away far more than just your magic." "I would absolutely love to see them try," Starlit replied, hiding a smirk. Without another word Spitfire raised her wings up, ready to send another gust of wind at Starlit and Sun, one far more powerful than before. The red gems glinted and glowed with power as Spitfire flapped them downward, sending a gale force wind across the room. The wind never hit either of them, as Starlit focused her magic into a wedge shaped ward that split the gust in two, slicing the blast of air neatly down the center and into the corners of the room. Papers and scrolls flew through the air, and when the room settled down Spitfire looked like she had seen a ghost. "Again, I would love to see them try," Starlit repeated. She felt her heart pounding faster than normal, but nothing from the amulet. "So you do have some magic," Spitfire started as she collected herself. "I guess Rainbow Dash was wrong to assume you didn't since you never tried to use any on her." "If we had wanted to use magic on any of you we would have before now," Starlit replied. "Like I told them, we mean you no harm; we're simply travelers on our way from one place and to another." Spitfire looked Starlit up and down from her end of the room, taking in her form like a wolf about to jump on a rabbit. Starlit didn't appreciate being made a liar, much less an exhibit, but she bore it since needless conflict wouldn't get her anywhere. "I have no doubt that you mean what you say," Spitfire said, her voice softer and more diplomatic, "but nopony comes up here for no reason. If you really want my help, or at least your freedom, you need to be honest with me." Starlit felt her hackles raise at the idea of playing nice with Spitfire, but she swallowed her pride and relented. "If you insist," Starlit replied. "But I would like a few answers from you in exchange. Given everything you and yours have done to me and mine, I'd say that that's a fair exchange." "As you wish," Spitfire answered. "It seems only fair, like you said." Starlit turned to look at Sun, who had gotten up from the floor but was keeping his distance well away from Spitfire. He nodded his head slowly, in a way that suggested he really wanted to be shaking it. "Your suspicions were partially right," Starlit began. "My friend and I are trying to find the Crystal Empire, but not to plunder it. We have business with a pony that is said to live there, and it is business that potentially has the fate of Equestria riding on it." "Then somepony has played you for a sap," Spitfire replied. "Nopony's lived in the Empire for centuries, not since the Chill set in." "Trust me, this isn't our first time doing something like this," Starlit said. "We have a very reliable source for this information." "And I'm supposed to take your word on that?" Spitfire asked incredulously. "Yes, you are, since I have absolutely no reason to lie to you and you have me and my friend surrounded and could probably kill us without losing an ounce of sleep over it." "You're right on that," Spitfire admitted. "Fine, let's assume that your mystery pony that can live in a nonstop blizzard exists; there's still no way that you're going to be able to get to them." "And why is that, exactly?" Starlit asked. "Because once you get deep enough into the Empire the winds get too strong and the temperatures too cold to go through. We've been plumbing those depths for generations, and nopony who's gone past the point of no return has come back from it." "And that leads into my next question," Starlit asked, settling into the icy floor and giving her hooves a rest. "I've noticed that you and yours have some rather intriguing additions to their anatomy. Care to elaborate?" "You mean the crystals?" Spitfire asked. "Yes, I mean the crystals," Starlit replied, repressing an eye roll. "They're natural," Spitfire answered. "We're all born with a few little crystals that slowly get more numerous as we get older. Don't ask me how or why, it's just how it happens. We occasionally see a few ponies come through that don't have any, and they all ask pretty much that same question." "And it's not for no reason," Starlit replied. "You're the only ponies I've ever seen that look like this, and the last several weeks of my life have been a very eye-opening time." "I wish I could say more than that, but that's all I know," Spitfire said. "The crystals are a part of us and they let our unicorns cast their magic, although I'm surprised you can use magic like they do." "Those crystals do a lot more than just that. Where I'm from pegasi can't fly, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the earth ponies here have prodigious strength that other earth ponies don't." "Pegasi can't… fly?" Spitfire asked incredulously. "Then what do they use their wings for?" "At best, light gliding over distances of a few feet," Starlit answered. "At worst, they waste away until they're little more than stumps with feathers." Spitfire took a step back, eyes wide and irises shrunken. Her expression was that of a pony who had just been told that up was down and black was white, except with concrete evidence to back up the claim. "The only reason I can cast magic is because of what I've been doing for nearly a month, training myself and getting tutelage from a very wise teacher," Starlit continued, stepping forward, "and said teacher is the reason why I'm up here to begin with. She needs me to get into the Empire or the already tenuous situation the world is in will only get worse, perhaps irrevocably." Spitfire considered Starlit for an achingly long few minutes, taking in every inch of the unicorn who had flipped her worldview on its ear, before finally giving a resigned sigh and shoving past her as she made for the door. "You want in so badly, fine," Spitfire said, "But the two of you can't go in alone. You'll need one of ours to guide you through." With a metallic creak Spitfire opened the door, exposing the room to the blistering cold of the outdoors. "Rainbow Dash, get in here," Spitfire ordered. "You're taking them to the Empire." * * * To say that Rainbow Dash was upset was like saying the weather conditions were a bit nippy, and she made no attempt to hide her discomfort. Sun and Starlit had to endure a solid fifteen minutes of Rainbow's complaining as they went to the living quarters they'd been assigned to before their trip tomorrow. "I hope you two realize that if it comes down to you or me, I'm picking me, right?" Rainbow groused. "Yes, and you've said that several times now," Sun replied. "We can handle ourselves, so any time you feel like leaving and saying that we both froze to death out there will be just fine by me." "I just want to establish where we stand," Rainbow said. "Spitfire may have ordered me to be your babysitter, but my first loyalty is to this town, not you." Sun didn't reply, only followed Starlit inside their quarters and leaving Rainbow Dash out in the cold. "Outlanders," Rainbow spat, snorting a hot blast of steam into the air as she stalked off. After a few feet she took to the air, letting the biting wind sweep her hood from her face and exposing her multi-hued mane to the sky. As she flew over the town she felt her anger slowly fade, replaced by the sort of peace that only the sky brought her. From so high up everypony looked so small, and the town that had been her whole world for her entire life looked so insignificant. "What are you so worried about?" Rainbow thought to herself. "At least one of them can do magic, and if they die then at least you can come home early. You'll be fine; you're the fastest flier in town, after all." Rainbow found a smile creeping onto her face as she considered the possibility, as much as she probably shouldn't have let it. They'd figure out soon enough why only the most experienced scouts braved the Empire, of which she was a select number. Rainbow Dash made a low pass over the town, gliding over icy roofs before coming to a skidding stop on top of one that she loved more than any other spot in the Outpost. Nestled in the crook where the roof met the rock wall behind it was a pile of warm blankets covered by a small section of tarp stretched taut on three poles. It was her little secluded slice away from everypony else in town, which is why she was a tad miffed to find an interloper snuggled up against the cold. "Scootaloo, we've talked about this," Rainbow Dash admonished. "You only come up here when I'm here; I don't want your aunts getting mad at me because you sneak off without asking." "Oh, they're both taking their nap, they won't notice I'm gone," the orange filly retorted. She was wearing a patchwork of warm clothes, all mismatched and with a few noticeable repair jobs, topped off with a wool knit cap the same color as her purple mane and eyes "That's no excuse for ditching them, but since you're here anyway… how's the flying coming?" Rainbow asked, a mischievous grin on her face. "Great!" Scootaloo declared as she flexed her tiny wings, smaller than normal for her age. "Check this out!" Her face screwed up in exertion, Scootaloo flapped her wings as fast as she could get them to go. They fluttered and flapped and eventually lifted her a good half-foot off of the ground before she stopped. "Wow, a whole two inches better than last week!" Rainbow Dash said, clapping her hooves. "You've been doing the exercises I recommended, haven't you?" "Every night before bed! I've really been feeling the burn, but it's the good type." "Well, in honor of your progress, I think its time for your gift," Rainbow replied, moving over to the blanket pile and rooting around. "Reward!?" Scootaloo asked, excitement radiating from her like sunshine. "Yeah, it's something I've been working on for a while, for when your wings get strong enough to make it work," Rainbow said. Shoving the blankets to the side, Rainbow pulled out a small concave circular sled made out of polished and black stained wood. There were a trio of small metal handles affixed to it, one at the front and two on the sides, and the inside of the seat had a flame pattern painted onto it. "Ta-da!" Rainbow announced, presenting the sled. "It took about three months and at least two week's pay to get all the wood and what-not, but it was worth it." The closest thing to words that Scootaloo was able to utter came out as a series of near hypersonic shrieks of pure joy. She zipped all around the sled, taking in every inch of it with religious awe. "And it's really for me?!" Scootaloo asked. "Absolutely it's for you, ya dingus," Rainbow answered, tussling Scotaloo's hat. "Who else went from no flying at all to being able to hover for ten seconds unaided? You earned it." Scootaloo quickly set the sled against the icy roof and hopped on, grabbing at the front handle and shifting her weight to get it to wobble some. "How does it work?" Scootaloo asked. "Oh, that's the beautiful part," Rainbow answered. "Flap your wings some, you'll get the picture." A steely determination set in her eyes, Scootaloo flittered her wings with all her might, and slowly but surely the sled started to pick up speed against the ice. "See, now you have an awesome new sled and a great training tool!" Rainbow continued. "Am I smart or what?" Scootaloo didn't pay Rainbow much attention, instead practicing with banking and turning in her new sled. The slick, flat roof made for the perfect test track, and soon Scootaloo was giggling and whooping with pure delight. Rainbow Dash watched on, seeing the fun that her protege was having as she nestled onto her blanket pile. The filly was a natural with the sled, even if she did have to stop a few times to catch her breath from all the wings exertion. Scootaloo's wings; the sight of them always gave Rainbow Dash a small pang of worry. It was rare that it happened, but sometimes fillies and colts would be born without their crystals and would wind up being more challenged because of it. The effect was most obvious in unicorns since it stunted their magic, but in pegasus foals it typically stunted their ability to fly until at least age six or seven. Scootaloo was about to hit her twelfth birthday and still was unable to maintain a glide, let alone flight. Rainbow had trained with her for years, showing her exercises to increase her strength and control, but she hadn't had any improvement in over six months. "Hey pipsqueak!" Rainbow Dash called. "Yeah?" Scootaloo asked back between heaving, exhausted, but ultimately happy breaths. "How about you take it easy there for a bit, give the sled some rest. I've got a new story for you that I know you're going to love." Scootaloo's eyes lit up with happiness, and she quickly hopped off of the sled. She took extra care as she half-carried, half-dragged it to Rainbow's nest, setting her gift to the side with a feather's touch. "Is it more Daring Do stories?" Scootaloo asked, nestling up against Rainbow Dash's body. "Only the best for you," Rainbow answered to Scootaloo's joy. "Have you ever heard of the Serpent's Diadem?" Scootaloo shook her head. "Well, then do I have a story for you." * * * Day shifted to evening as Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo hung out, telling stories and catching up. They played in the snow, Rainbow ran Scootaloo through some more exercises and helped her get a better handle on her sled, and when they parted ways for the day Scootaloo was happier than Rainbow had ever seen her. It was a long walk back to her assigned quarters, which were right next to the one's Spitfire had assigned to the two outsiders. It couldn't have been mere coincidence that that was the case, but at this point Rainbow was too happy to care. As she approached her front door she saw the mare she'd brought in sitting outside, looking up into the rapidly dimming sky. Rainbow attempted to ignore her, but she endeavored to sour the day Rainbow had just had by engaging her. "Oh, Rainbow Dash," the mare said as he approached, "can I talk with you for a minute?" "Do I have a choice?" Rainbow retorted. "Look, I'm sorry for putting you through this," the mare said, undaunted. "Were it up to me you wouldn't be doing this, and I'm sorry that it's shaken out like this." "Just understand that I'm only doing this because Spitfire ordered me to. I don't care about you, or your friend, or whatever your doing in the Empire. I have things I care about here, and I'm not about to put them at risk by buying into your stupid quest. Pull your weight, because I'm not going to." Without another word Rainbow entered her home, closing the door with a resounding slam and leaving the outsider in the cold. * * *