{When I finally got back to Canterlot, I met with your mom the next day at the hospital. At that point she was recovering from surgery. The doctors told me that her injuries were not too serious. She also seemed clear of any infections but they wanted to continue to monitor her for a few days just to be sure.
{I met her parents in her room. I was a bit frightened of them at first. I thought they might blame me for what happened to her, but instead her mother embraced me into a warm hug and cried on my shoulder. She thanked me for looking after her daughter. I was a bit confused until I thought about a few times I warded her with my powers. She also said it was such a relief that I made it home safely.
{Her father noted to me that one good thing came out of this, besides the rescue of the Orchard family, was the discovery of Stern Wing's cutie mark. He asked me if I had seen it yet. I was honest and told him no. He then told me it was too late to see it now since it was all covered up by bandages, but he described it to me at least. He told me it was a shield with a pair of wings and an image of a heart in the center of that shield.}
“Aw!” Star Breeze pouted in disappointment. “That's a rather anticlimactic way to find out about your soulmate's true destiny.”
“Life isn't always a dramatic show,” Feather Wind pointed out to his daughter as he looked at her, then his eyes took on a distant glazed look as he went on to say, “Though I tried to imagine what it must have been like to gain that mark in the middle of battle. Part of me imagined that the goblins paused in their attack as your mother shone with a brilliant light. They are dim-witted creatures so they could have easily been convinced she was casting some spell. Considering the urgency of the situation, however, she had no time to pause and admire it. She was still in the middle of battle.
“She told me about that part later, how she brushed aside one of her greatest achievements in self-discovery because, if she didn't, she could die or fail to protect one of the other local earth ponies. She later told me she was actually thinking, 'I'll look into it later. I don't have time right now,' but it was something she was looking forward to seeing if she made it out of that fight. It gave her an additional incentive to survive the battle and, until then, she felt it would help her somehow.”
“And she's been a security guard ever since!” Star Breeze announced proudly. “Sometimes even a local sheriff temporarily.”
“Well . . . eventually, yeah, but your mother went through several other phases before that. As I keep telling you, discovery of one's true talent does not always lead down a straight path. There are twists and turns along the way. The most obvious path is not necessarily the right one at first. Life needs flexibility to account for many other possibilities.”
“Other phases?” Star Breeze reflected. “What do you mean? Clearly she's a security officer. Her cutie mark is all about protecting ponies.”
“Not just ponies. Really anything she cares about, but even this discovery can be more complicated than you think. Protection from what? Protection of what? What kind of threat does she face? That might determine the action she needs to take to defend against it.”
“I guess you're right,” Star Breeze figured, then shook her head. “I don't know why, but I always thought her mark was pretty straightforward and clear cut. Even if she covered her cutie mark, a lot of ponies could just guess what it looks like based on what she looks like and the way she acts. Sometimes I think she's really an earth pony stuck in a pegasus's body.”
Feather Wind chuckled for a moment before saying, “You know, you're honestly not the first to think that. I even remember comments like that back in foalhood.”
“Kind of strange, isn't it?” Star Breeze asked in bemusement. “Here you are, a unicorn that acts like a pegasus. Here Mom is, a pegasus that acts like an earth pony. Now all we need is an earth pony who acts like a unicorn and the circle will be complete.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Feather Wind said coyly.
Star Breeze widened her eyes in astonishment. “You mean you actually did encounter such an earth pony?”
“To be blunt, yes, but . . . spoilers. That part comes later. Rest assured, however, this is a very friendly union we eventually make. Just a little something to look forward to later on in the story.” Feather Wind rubbed a hoof in her mane affectionately. “Anyhoo, moving on.”
xoxo
{Due to his insistence and eye for detail, my father asked me to write down a full report of my experience with the Orchard family. I remember I had to try to convince him not to drop everything and race to those earth ponies in order to give them all the support he thought they needed, but I told my father they were not looking for hoofouts. They wanted to hoofle this challenge on their own as much as they could, and I loved them enough to respect their wishes.
{It was difficult to convince my father of that point because he felt it was important to pay his debts. They helped nurse me back to health many years ago and now it was the Orchard family that was in dire need. I could certainly understand his first instinct to see this as a golden opportunity to repay his debt to them at long last, but I eventually got him to realize that repaying one's debt required it to be accepted.
{So instead he compromised, as usual, when he encountered impasses like this. He said he'd hire somepony in secret to follow them and give regular reports on their progress to Canterlot. Maybe he could find some subtle ways to secretly help them if they get into too much trouble along the way. That way, when they secretly benefit from his help, they'd think they merely got lucky and therefore maintain their dignity. My father, meanwhile, could chip away at his debt a bit at a time.
{Since I told him their intention was to meet Princess Celestia, at first he figured he could help arrange a meeting with her when they finally did arrive in Canterlot. Again, I begged him to be more subtle than that. I didn't wish tipping our hooves by revealing they were receiving extra help all along.
{My father contemplated this, then said perhaps he could arrange an event that the Princess would be inclined to attend and arrange that event near the time of the Orchard family's arrival. That strategy wouldn't even involve the Princess directly so even she might be none the wiser.
{I thought about his proposal then eventually agreed. It sounded like a good plan on paper.
{That made me smile inwardly as well. It made me think about how one kind act they made years ago would return to them perhaps multiple times without them even realizing it. They had friends in high places now and they didn't even know it.
{Perhaps that was for the best. Even with a little bit of help here and there, they probably would face the majority of their challenges on their own, enough to say their eventual victory was well earned.
{But that was a valuable lesson for me on that day. How one act of kindness can return to you many fold, perhaps when you need it the most. That lesson made me more conscientious of the acts of kindness I gave ever since that day. Life may well repay you in ways you don't expect.
{Of course, when I perform a good deed, I usually don't do it seeking a reward. Typically I do it because it seemed like it needed to be done. When a problem is in front of me, I do what I can to fix it. I do the deed because I care about those involved with it. This lesson was more like something I kept in the back of my mind. That's all. It's kind of like one of those times when you ask yourself why you deserve something bad or good, this can serve as one of those, “Ah-ha! I think I got it,” moments.
{Of course I was pleased with the knowledge that my father's subtle help would make it more likely for the Orchard family to succeed in their goal. They so richly deserved it.
{Whether they wanted it or not, life would find a way to repay kind acts. A little something to keep in the back of your mind as well.
{As for the report, I wrote most of it down but kept the part about that evil pony from that report. That was an issue your mother wanted to contend with at a later date, which I can go ahead and skip to at this point.}
xoxo
{The next time I saw your mother, we were watching a Wonderbolt show on the side of Canterlot. You know, like the one we snuck in and saw that one time . . . except this time it was legit. We even managed to snag V.I.P. seats.
{It's nice, sometimes, to have a rich father with connections.
{Moreover, this was actually his idea. I learned he was a fan of the Bolts in his own way too. He respected their contribution to the safety and spirit of Equestria. I think he also valued the way they did it. Not only that, they saved his son's life just recently. I think that, more than anything, sparked his interest to attend their games again.
{For my part, I was developing a special interest in them as well. After being rescued by them first hoof, it made me a believer when it came to their importance and role in Equestria as true and legitimate heroes. That was more than inspiring. I wanted to be part of that.}
“Ah! So that's why you tried to join the Bolts!” Star Breeze realized.
“Actually yes, but I'll get more into that later,” Feather Wind promised.
{While it was true I was grateful to the Bolts, there was something else disturbing going through my mind during the game, and your mother was thinking it too.}
“Why didn't you tell your father about the dark pony?” Stern Wing whispered to her friend quietly beside her. “You need to tell somepony, and this seems like a seriously big secret to keep from your father. It's dishonest to keep this from him and, besides, he may be a valuable asset in helping us discover the secret to this dark wizard.
“You do realize that this dark wizard remains at large, right? Who knows how many other ponies he's spreading misery to or has done so in the past? For every second you keep this secret to yourself, you are indirectly responsible for the deaths this dark wizard causes from now on.
“Your father might have the power to stop this menace once and for all, one way or another . . . or you could tell your Uncle Ramadon. He was the one that canceled the dust storm all those years ago so he might be able to contend with and deal with this dark wizard as well.”
“Those are very good points,” Feather Wind responded quietly.
“So why haven't you told any pony yet?” Stern Wing checked.
“Instinct, I think,” Feather Wind replied.
“Instinct?” she reflected questioningly.
Feather Wind nodded. “This is the most frightening pony I have ever encountered. The danger I sensed from him is off the charts, so it leaves me uncertain how to proceed.”
“Isn't that all the more reason to tell an adult?” Stern Wing reasoned.
“You'd think that, wouldn't you? I certainly see your point and the value of it.”
“So . . .”
“I don't know, okay? I just don't know.”
Stern Wing realized something. “You're scared, aren't you? That's making you not think straight. Usually you have your head on tight but this pony has really gotten to you.”
“Of course I'm scared! That thing literally tried to kill us, Stern Wing, or at least the Orchard family. If it's willing to go that far then . . . well, let's just say I'll have to take it just as seriously. It nearly did kill me and Baby Smith. When that house collapsed down on top of us, that was no joke. I still have nightmares about that.”
“Understandable, but that thing is still at large while you sit on your hooves and wait for a decision.
“I never saw or heard from this thing, but I can tell from your reaction that we really do need to take this seriously, and I suspect this thing is way out of our league right now. We need to spread this information to a higher authority. If not your father or uncle, then who? Who will you trust more than them?
“Don't say no pony. This secret is just too important to keep to yourself.”
She looked to her side, then back at her friend. “Why is it so difficult for you to talk to them about this? Don't you trust them?”
“Of course I do,” Feather Wind quickly replied. “It's this dark wizard I don't trust. If I tell them then some part of me is convinced that this information will get them killed.”
“What?! Why?” Stern Wing looked taken aback. “How is warning them about this potential threat put them in danger?”
“Because, for now, they are not busy chasing it. There is no incentive yet for this dark pony to turn around and attack them back, nor do I think it's inclined to do so if it doesn't have to. Why disturb a pair of powerful wizards when he can instead leave them in the dark and go about his merry way?
“If I change this equation, however, by informing either my father or uncle, then they will chase after it and . . .” Feather Wind shook his head “. . . I just get this disturbing feeling that this dark wizard is so dangerous that it can actually kill either my father or uncle in a straight horn to horn battle. I don't know why I feel so confident of this, but that is how I feel.”
“But we can't just leave it unopposed!” Stern Wing objected. “Tell you what. How about telling both of them? If you're right and this monster is too tough to defeat individually then perhaps they could learn to set their differences aside for one mission by cooperating on behalf of the safety of Equestria.
“Despite their objection with each other, I think you know them well enough to realize that they both love this land enough to cooperate with each other if they have to.
“Does this suggestion sound better?”
“Better,” Feather Wind admitted a bit emptily.
“Then let's do it!”
“Wait, hold on. Maybe there's another option here,” Feather Wind encouraged.
“Like what?”
Feather Wind tapped both of his forward hooves on his chin for a moment before pointing them both forward at some pony. Stern Wing tried to follow the direction of his point but didn't succeed the first time. She looked back at him and asked, “Who?”
“Her . . . on the upper stands,” Feather Wind clarified.
“Above us? But we're in the V.I.P. lounge right now,” Stern Wing reminded.
“Yes,” Feather Wind looked at his friend meaningfully, “and who sits even further up from us?”
Stern Wing's eyes widened in realization. “Princess Celestia!”
“Exactly,” Feather Wind confirmed.
Stern Wing looked quizzical. “But how are you going to get a message to the Prince . . . oh.” An idea occurred to her.
“Correct again,” Feather Wind once again affirmed then closed his eyes as he said, “Give me a moment.”
She did.
Feather Wind lifted up the hood of his Mist Cloak to help conceal his face from any pony beside him like the other posh guests of the V.I.P. lounge, including his father (who was busy conversing with some of the other guests). Feather Wind then lifted both hooves in front of his face and whispered into an invisible globe of wind he formed between his hooves and his mouth. To that globe, he whispered the words, “Princess Celestia, I need your attention urgently. Seek me out in the V.I.P. lounge. I will be the one signaling you with lights from my horn.”
When he was done with this message, he gave a pushing motion. The globe of wind flew away from him in the direction of his intended recipient.
Feather Wind waited a few seconds. While he waited, he studied the face of the Princess intently. He knew his whispering wind spell would have a delay. The wind had to physically travel to its recipient first before it could release its message.
At first the Princess was busy smiling (as usual, actually) and probably enjoying the Wonderbolt show but, eventually, Feather Wind spotted the signs that she heard the message. She seemed a bit startled to hear a voice from out of nowhere, apparently. At first her ears perked up, then she visually scanned about, then locked one of her ears onto the direction of the globe of wind where the sound was whispering to her from. After that, she listened intently. When the message was done, she visually scanned among the V.I.P. stands.
Meanwhile Feather Wind privately considered himself lucky her flowing rainbow mane happened to be blowing on the left side of her face today because he was to her right, though he supposed she could simply brush it to the other side if she had to.
When she started to scan in the correct direction, Feather Wind pulled the hood of his Mist Cloak closer to the side of his face on his right side to hide from the others better what he was about to do. After that, he flashed his horn at her three times. Doing that allowed the Princess to zero in on that sight.
Feeling pretty confident he had the Princess's attention now, he repeated the process of the whispering wind spell. He drew his hooves close to his face and whispered, “Flash your horn twice for yes and once for no. Do you see me, and do I have your attention?”
Feather Wind blew that message globe towards her. Again he had to wait a few seconds for her to hear it. After she did, she nodded and flashed her horn twice.
Actually, she flashed her horn four times since he, in fact, asked two separate questions, and she was replying yes to both.
At that point some of the guards flanking her decided to ask her what was going on. They were already alert when she looked alarmed herself earlier but, after she flashed her horn in front of them, they finally decided to confront her about that. She looked at them and gave them a dismissive gesture with a single hoof which was also wearing an embroidered spiraling silver horseshoe around the tips of her hoof, but Feather Wind could not hear what she said to them from where he sat.
“Okay. Here comes the kicker,” Feather Wind said to himself quietly and a little nervously before he, once again, repeated his whispering wind spell. In it, he whispered the message, “I need to talk to you in private at the conclusion of this game. Will you meet with me? It's very important.”
He sent that globe forward to her. He watched her as she paused to listen to it upon arrival, then smiled at him a bit and flashed her horn with a golden glow twice.
“That means yes!” Stern Wing said excitedly to her friend quietly. “You're going to meet with the Princess then.” Then something else occurred to her. “Is this your first time? I mean, in person?”
Star Breeze privately wondered that too.
“Of course it is,” Feather Wind replied nonchalantly with a shrug. “She's quite busy most of the time.”
Stern Wing thought about this arrangement, then asked her friend, “Why the Princess and not your father or uncle? You don't trust them but you do trust her?”
“You asked for a higher authority,” Feather Wind reminded her. “Can you think of a higher one in Equestria?
“Besides, maybe she knows about this issue already. If it's true that this dark pony has been a plague in Equestria for a while, perhaps she had the resources necessary to hear of it long ago but, in that case, why isn't this issue splashed all over the news already? If she's keeping this a secret to herself, she might have a good reason for it. If so, I'd like to hear it straight from the horse's mouth.
“If it turns out she doesn't know then maybe she'll be able to figure out how best to hoofle it, and I want to give her that option before telling anypony else. After all, what if she requests me to keep this to myself?”
“Wow. That's a bold suggestion from you. You realize we are talking about the Princess, right?”
“I do,” Feather Wind assured as he looked forward nervously. “Believe me, I am nervous about meeting with her as well, but I'm far more nervous about this dark pony.”
“Amazing. I can't believe you actually thought that far ahead. You really are brilliant!” Stern Wing commended proudly. “Got a question for you, though. If you feared to tell your father or uncle because you suspect it might get them killed, why trust this information to the Princess instead? Don't you fear for her life too? If she dies then the sun and moon will never budge again. We can't afford to lose her. We simply can't!”
Feather Wind smiled at his friend fondly. “Thinking like a true guardian, as usual.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Stern Wing asked incredulously.
“Not at all. That's what I love about you,” Feather Wind said warmly to her which made her blush a bit, then he continued more seriously, “To answer your question, it's because she has more resources to work with. She's over nine-hundred years old and she has the resources of all of Equestria at her hooftips. She doesn't have to charge after this dark wizard directly if she doesn't want to. Instead, she can delegate the issue to whomever she deems worthy. That's more than I can account for accurately.
“Conversely, my father has access to the Silver Horn academy and my uncle his family and his intense connection to nature. Both colts are formidable in their own right, but they each have nowhere near the number of options that the Princess herself has access to.
“If she deems it necessary, she might inform either my uncle or my father herself, but the point is she'll have reasons for doing so that I may not have accounted for. Because she is able to see a bigger picture than I can, I can think of no better pony at this time to hoofle this problem.”
“Incredible!” Stern Wing said proudly. “Simply incredible. I can tell the future of Equestria is in good hoofs with you. All that studying sure paid off, didn't it?”
Feather Wind shrugged lightly as he said, “Which was the point of it. My father had the right of it in that regard. As soon as we got past each of our stubborn streaks, I realized he had a point. My cutie mark doesn't just point to one destiny. Not if you examine it more carefully and subjectively. Even if it does point to one thing, it doesn't mean I have to limit myself to it alone. Magic and knowledge is always useful. The trick is figuring out how best to apply it. In this case, the situation is so dangerous that I need wiser and more experienced minds devoted to the project. Ergo, the Princess.”
“Wow, Dad. Even I'm impressed,” Star Breeze said in amazed pride, “and I've known you for . . . how long?”
“You had your birthday just yesterday and you've already forgotten that?” Feather Wind asked his daughter in amusement.
“Kidding!” She waved a hoof at him. “Please, continue. This is getting interesting.”
{Well, now that I had set things in motion, all I had to do was wait till the end of the game.
{I really wanted to pay more attention to the Wonderbolts. They were doing an awesome job, as usual, but my mind kept spinning back to the dark pony and what I would inform the Princess.
{This was a meeting I planned to take very seriously so, in my head, I tried to prepare a speech for her. I scripted several drafts while I waited but, since I was working off pure memory instead of paper, the speech kept changing every single time so, in the end, I felt only partially prepared.}
After the game, one of the pegasus guards flew to the V.I.P. stands just as they were packing up and getting ready to leave. They paused in surprise when a royal guard approached their stand, curious what this was about.
Only two ponies in those stands knew exactly what this was about.
“Excuse me, are you Feather Wind?” the guard asked the young teenage pony.
Wow. The Princess knows me by name. I guess that's not too terribly surprising since I had gotten kind of famous over these years. Still, it's nice to confirm that.
Off to his side, he noticed a similar look of surprised pride in Stern Wing.
“Indeed he is,” Author Scroll announced upon arrival. “What's this about? Why are you interested in my son?”
“Begging your pardon, my Lord,” the guard said with a formal and respectful nod of his head, “but the Princess requests an audience with your son . . . with your permission, of course.”
Permission? Interesting.
True, my father does have legal authority over me, but it isn't wise to dismiss a summons from royalty.
Looking up at his father, Feather Wind realized that his father made the same conclusion except his father remained confused on every other point.
“Is he in trouble?” Author asked the guard cautiously.
“The Princess did not inform me as to the reasons for this summons,” the guard replied honestly as he lifted his head again. “It's not really my place to guess either but, in this case, I do not think so. I believe she just wants a word with your son. That's all.”
“Father, it's okay. I can hoofle this,” Feather Wind tried to assure his father.
Which immediately made Author suspicious. He started to realize that his son may have some idea what this issue was about, and he did not appreciate being kept in the dark when it came to important information.
On the other hoof, this was a royal summons.
In the end he decided to swallow his pride and allow the situation to resolve itself. The last thing he expected was for the Princess, of all ponies, to be violent with his son. On the contrary, during the meeting, his son was unlikely to be in safer hooves.
“Very well,” Author said somewhat reluctantly. “You may go with him. Inform me when you are done, if able, what this is all about at a later time. In the meantime, I trust I impressed upon you the proper etiquette when addressing her majesty directly?”
“Yes, Father,” Feather Wind assured as confidently as he could seem.
“Then go,” Author commanded. “Return to the manor when you are done. I'll see to the proper return of your friend to her own parents in the meanwhile.”
“Oh, that reminds me, thank you very much, Sir, for inviting me!” Stern Wing said gratefully to Author. “I love-love-love the Wonderbolts!”
“I am fond of them as well,” Author informed her calmly and collectively. “Your thanks is unnecessary. I am the one who should be thanking you for helping to defend my son at the Orchard family's farm, and your services to them alone must also be commended most abundantly. All things considered, especially given your injuries for doing a noble and brave thing, this is the least I can do for you.
“In fact, I'm really not done with you yet.”
“Oh!” Stern Wing looked intrigued before she looked at her friend and waved him off. “Go! Don't keep the Princess waiting.”
“This way, young lordling,” the royal white pegasus guard bade with a gesture to his left direction with both forward hooves.
xoxo
{I may have heard of the architecture of the royal Canterlot palace but rumors alone do little to prepare one for the actual experience. The stained glass windows depicting our ancient and noble history is certainly a sight to behold.
{As for the throne room . . . well . . . how should I put this? It's . . . big. Majestic. The throne itself was a spire of art.
{To be honest, though, I was far more distracted with the sight of the Princess herself. She could be in a bar full of drunken idiots for all I care and she'd still light up the room with her majestic and brilliant white wings. I even suspected her mane could glow in the dark. That thought really made me curious.
{Despite her concern and curiosity, she greeted me with a brilliant smile both on her mouth and in her eyes. She spread her wings for a moment regally as if in greeting before folding them again behind her back.
{If it weren't for the importance of the reason for the meeting, there was a chance I would have fainted. I've never been stout of heart, though gradually that was changing as I got older and more experienced. Trust me, I knew very keenly I was in the presence of royalty that stretched as close to godlike as the Equestrian race could get.
{I think that's why she smiled. She was attempting to defuse the tension in the room, something I think she had grown very accustomed to seeing from many ponies who visit her, especially if they were as young as me or younger.
{I could describe her smile in another context too, in hindsight. It felt motherly. It felt like a mother who beholds a young foal with dear fondness.
{As I was taught to do, I bowed to the Princess when I reached a certain distance. She, in turn, nodded back but I had a feeling she was looking forward to skipping beyond the formalities and get to the main issue at hoof. If she was impatient, however, she hid it very well . . . with the skills of a diplomat with centuries of practice.
{In other words, she was far better at it than you.}
Star Breeze stuck her tongue out at her father for that comment.
“Thank you for seeing me, Princess,” Feather Wind said as calmly as he could but, not only could he feel the lump in his throat, he could hear it.
He also figured that a diplomat with her kind of experience would quickly detect any kind of social flaw, no matter how slight. It was very likely she was reading him like a book at that very moment, and that made him feel exposed and therefore also nervous.
“There's no reason to feel nervous, dear young one. I shall not bite you,” Celestia assured with a warm and playful smile.
“Ah, yes. Yes, of course,” Feather Wind said nervously but he honestly tried to calm down. He tried to remind himself why he was here.
“I really have been looking forward to this meeting for a long time, my little pony,” Celestia said softly. “I have heard many wonderful stories about you and your adventures with the sky. It honestly feels nice to have a peer with me up in the sky, in a strange way. I hope you have enjoyed yourself in Canterlot and Equestria at large.”
Every word calculated. Every word carefully measured, Feather Wind thought privately in a bit of panic.
He tried to calculate himself where this was going and what the true purpose of those words were.
Eventually it occurred to him that he might be overthinking it. While it was true her words may have been organized towards a larger agenda, that didn't necessarily nullify the message of the words themselves. She probably had hoped he enjoyed himself in her lands.
She probably was also flattered that she had a flying magical peer, in a way.
Then it occurred to Feather Wind that she was the only alicorn in Equestria. That must feel very lonely, especially after this much time. The chance to identify with somepony else even remotely similar to herself was probably a relief. Likely it made her feel less alone.
No matter how much others viewed her as an idol, Feather Wind had to remind himself that she was a pony too. She had feelings as well, so those emotions likely demanded as close of a connection to her subjects as possible without being too intrusive.
Thinking of all that made Feather Wind pity the Princess for a moment. Her lonely existence must be quite painful. The only other alicorn known in existence was banished to the moon, and by Celestia's own hooves, no less.
{The odd thing was, I finally relaxed around her, as she intended, when I realized how much I suddenly understood her. Not everything, of course, but enough to realize she was in pain.
{That, of course, was not completely true. She found joy in her life as well. The establishment of the Wonderbolts was entirely for that purpose at first, so it is likely that she really enjoyed the show when she attended it even after all this time.
{When you're immortal, you do whatever you can to help pass the time.
{Upon further reflection, I realized that I felt honored and happy to give her any sense of happiness and connection, no matter how slight. For a Princess who served Equestria as selflessly for as long as she did, no pony deserved happiness more than her.
{As a matter of fact, I think I told her that back then.}
“It is a pleasure to meet you too, Princess. I'm honored that I have given you pleasure in any way, shape or form.”
“Please, call me Celestia,” Celestia requested kindly with a hoof placed on her white chest which had a chest guard on it that extended around the back of her neck. In front of that chest guard was a purple jewel.
{Her request was exactly what my father told me not to do. On the other hoof, he also told me to obey the Princess and heavily implied that was a much higher priority, so . . .}
“As you please, Celestia,” Feather Wind said while softening his own voice.
As I suspected, she is desperate to make a connection with ponies. Above all, she wants a friend.
Well, if that's what she wants, then that's what I'll give her for as long as I can.
“Thank you!” Celestia said so brightly that she closed her eyes for a second. When she opened her eyes again, she got a little more serious. “Now then, with our formalities out of the way, please share with me your troubles and concerns. I am always here to serve the needs of my subjects, so I would very much like to hear what has been bothering you lately.”
“Yes, Celestia, but . . .” Feather Wind eyed her guards nervously.
Celestia instantly detected that the young foal in front of her was not afraid of her guards directly but how they might react to the information he had on hoof, which thereby told her it might be very serious indeed. Accordingly, she gave a dismissive wave to them.
“Are you sure, Princess?” one of the guards asked cautiously. Meanwhile none of them moved yet until they heard that confirmation. This was a little unusual of a request, after all, because it meant she would be unguarded for the duration of their absence which entirely disrupted the point of their job except for their obedience to her.
“Yes. I'm quite sure,” Celestia confirmed calmly.
“As you wish, Princess,” the one that spoke with her earlier acknowledged with a bow. “When you have need of us again, you know how to summon us.”
“Of course,” she assured then waited for them to leave. After they left the room, she then nodded at what was left of her remaining audience. “Now, please . . . continue.”
“Princess . . . uh, I mean Celestia,” Feather Wind stuttered, starting to feel nervous again as he was about to address the serious issue of why he came.
“Go on,” she bade with a hint of amusement in her voice but, in her eyes, he could see her very attentive and concerned.
“Celestia,” he began again, paused again to calm himself, then resumed. “Are you aware of an attack on your subjects out on the Orchard family farm?”
Celestia's expression grew much more serious. Feather Wind could also see hints of recognition.
“Indeed I am,” Celestia confirmed. “Why do you ask? Have you more information to share about this terrible tragedy?”
“Yes Princess.
“Uh, I mean Celestia.
“I was there personally during the attack, and I helped to rescue the family in question from an assault from a bunch of goblins which, I might add, would never normally behave like this. Something or somepony drove them into a frenzy deliberately.”
“I see.” Celestia touched her two forward hooves and placed them near her mouth as if to try to hide her mouth at this point of the story, though it was clearly also a thoughtful and disturbed look on her face.
“The thing is, Celestia, I think I know who did it . . . or at least I have some idea.
“Four years ago, you see, I once visited their farm under, um . . . less pleasant circumstances, but I assure you it was not their fault! In fact, they are the ones who nursed me back to health.
“Anyway, back then, their farm was suffering from a blight which came in the form of a red dust storm that threatened to choke the life out of their produce. I informed my Uncle Ramadon at a later time of the problem and he later wrote my father a letter saying he went out to take care of it.
“Oh, and I forgot to mention, I have a special connection with the wind.”
“That seems obvious,” Celestia agreed with only a hint of amusement and a fond smile in her eyes. “Go on.”
“I don't just fly, your Majesty. What I'm really doing is lightening my body weight and controlling the winds to fly. This cloak here helps me to maneuver in the sky, else I'd spin out of control.” Feather Wind gestured back to it.
“Yes, that is an interesting invention. I've been told by your father that you made it yourself,” Celestia said in delight.
“You know my father?” Feather Wind inquired in surprise.
“Of course I do. I keep tabs on many of my subjects, especially ones like you who show unique promise.
“I've asked him to apprise me of your progress over the years through various letters and he told me once about your beautiful Mist Cloak. I would appreciate a chance to examine it up close at a later time, but for now I have only one question for you regarding it: What, in all of Equestria, inspired you to make it? I know the logistics of how it can aid you in your flight. That's not what I'm asking. What I'm asking is how you managed to weave a cloud into a solidity such as the one you have and why did you choose that particular material?”
Feather Wind reflected on that question, perhaps for the first time in his life. “I think I was inspired by the sky, Princess.” He focused back on her. “As I was about to establish to you earlier, another gift of my cutie mark is the ability to communicate with the sky and communicate through the sky. That's how I contacted you in the stands.”
“I see. How very fascinating!” Celestia marveled. “Truly my subjects ever have such a fascinating and unique collection of magical talents. It is a joy to watch them unfold with each generation.”
“The thing is, Celestia, it is the reason I was able to tell there was a problem with the Orchard's farm the first time. I've known the song of the wind my whole life but that was the only one of three different times the winds sounded sick, like there was a contagion in the wind. Uncle Braeburn Orchard . . .”
Celestia interrupted with an upraised hoof. When he paused, she asked, “Excuse me, Uncle Braeburn? I thought he wasn't related to you.”
Feather Wind grinned in embarrassment. “Oh, um, sorry Princess. I've grown rather close with the family, you see. I traveled with them for a few days as they left their farm because of the attack and on their way too . . . um . . .” he trailed off, suddenly uncertain if he should say more. Already he may have made a tactical error in mentioning that much but he got lost in the moment of explaining something else to her.
“Yes?” Celestia pressed, and for once her gaze grew a little firm.
Feather Wind sighed. Well, I guess I have no choice. I can't lie to her. She'd see through me in a second. I backed myself into a corner.
Way to go, dumb-dumb! I just hope I don't end up offending the Orchard family by mentioning this. Maybe I'll just be brief and move on from there.
“They are on their way here, your Majesty, to see you actually,” Feather Wind admitted.
“Oh. I see,” Celestia said, but she didn't look at all surprised. Feather Wind suddenly gained the feeling that he passed a secret test of hers.
Wait a second! Feather Wind realized something in astonishment. I get what's going on here now!
“You are the one who sent the Wonderbolts to the farm!” Feather Wind exclaimed in shocked realization. “But how did you know the attack would even occur there? Not even you are that omniscient, or there would have been plenty of other disasters in the past that you would have worked to prevent if you could. What makes this incident an exception?”
Celestia narrowed her eyes at Feather Wind and grew a sly smile, but she didn't say anything yet. She simply waited for the gifted mind she beheld to figure the rest on his own.
Feather Wind looked down with a rapid calculating look as he quickly started to piece things together, then looked back up at her in deeper shock four seconds later. “I get it! You actually know about this attack, and you know who did it as well. My guess is you've been monitoring the situation for a while now.”
“For quite a while, in fact,” Celestia confirmed.
“Then why hadn't you done anything about it yet? Why permit the attacks to continue?” Feather Wind asked but immediately regretted his choice of words, especially after her reaction.
“Permit the attacks?! You think I would allow these attacks to continue if I had full knowledge of it?” she asked in a bit of fury as she spread her wings for a moment. “I am Celestia! I always do whatever I can to safeguard my beloved subjects, which clearly this perpetrator has no interest or concerns with.
“No, my friend. I did not allow these attacks to continue. I'm simply unable to stop them yet.”
“Then even you are helpless!” Feather Wind realized with horror. “By Celestia, how powerful is this pony in the shadows of Equestria?”
Celestia was a bit amused by his choice of words in that second sentence, but she said instead, “I do not fully know yet. That is part of the problem. Tell me what you know of him, young one. Perhaps you can help me illuminate the situation beyond what I already know.”
“Well, I suspect he was involved with the red dust storm attack on the Orchard farm four years ago, and he was there for sure during the next attack with the goblins. The goblins carried torches and chucked it at the wheat fields and all the farm buildings, but it was later found out they also planted rot worms into the earth soil. That is way too much strategy from these creatures, and they are not normally this violent besides.
“On the other hoof, all three times I heard an evil chant on the winds. That is how I was alerted to the crisis on the farm the second time, by the way. The winds warned me of the attack, but I heard the evil chant first. I followed it to its source and discovered the attack.”
“Wait a second!” Celestia interrupted. “You heard the winds, or the evil winds, about the attack? Which is it? You told me earlier there was a difference between the two.”
“Um . . . the evil winds,” Feather Wind answered, then widened his eyes in shock as he realized something. “Wait a second. I get it now! I was lured to the farm by the evil winds. I don't have a natural connection with that, but the one who sent the wind probably did.” Feather Wind peered at Celestia in alarm. “Do you think I was lured there on purpose?”
“I'm not sure yet, but it is possible,” Celestia admitted. “If true, to what end? To test you? Perhaps this creature observed you on the farm the first time and wanted everything in place again for some kind of test. The agenda of the test remains unclear at this time but, whatever it is, it's more than mildly disturbing.
“Tell me, young one, did you actually see the creature on the farm during the second attack?”
“Uh, yes Princess. Oh, I mean,” Feather Wind shook his head, “Celestia. I finally spotted it towards the end of the attack. By then the Wonderbolts had already shown up and quickly took care of business. At first I stood there numb with shock after everything that happened until I heard the evil winds again for the third and final time . . . so far. It was blowing right at me like it was calling me. I almost get the feeling it was luring my attention on purpose, and me specifically. What I saw at the other end of those winds, it wasn't even trying to hide at first. He wanted to be spotted, at least a bit.”
{Celestia already had a feeling that I had a genuine encounter with the monster she had in mind but, just in case, she asked me to clarify what it looked like. I told her about the shadowy black head with tiny red eyes that whirled about randomly, unfixed. I told her about the insane laughter and the dark nursery rhyme.
{Oh boy, I remembered that one well, but it didn't seem like she recognized it. That, at least, was new information to her.}
“I see.” Celestia folded her hooves in front of her mouth again. “Yes. That would be the same monster.”
“If you don't mind my asking, what do you know about it, your Majesty?” Feather Wind inquired.
“I know that he is ageless. Moreover, he's very difficult to kill. He seems immune to conventional weapons. It's been suggested that the form you saw is not his true body but rather that of a puppet.
“He calls himself Puppet Master, and he's utterly insane and evil. He seems very resistant to most forms of magic as well. To say he's gifted with animation magic is an understatement. Animation of objects or even . . .” she winced, “. . . creature body parts,” she admitted with disgust.
She seemed to need a moment to calm herself down before continuing.
“He seems to attack at random, so it's very difficult to predict where he'll strike next, except, lately, I've been given a special tactical advantage from another source, which I'll get into later.
“For now, what I will say about Puppet Master is what seems to be the intent of his attacks. My spies, of the few that survived his attacks, say he draws in dark and negative energy that he causes with each attack. Rarely has he been outright deadly to the victims of his assault unless somepony confronts him directly and, if that happens, he proves to be extremely deadly but the entire point of his attacks seem to be to drain the energy of fear from the ponies he affects with some random hostile situation. My guess is he gains more energy from his victims if they are alive rather than dead, hence the reason he usually spares his victims despite his overwhelming ability to easily kill his victims.
“The odd thing about it is, he has a tendency to strike at his victims in just the right way. If an individual pony fears clowns, for example, he'll animate a doll that looks like a clown and terrorize his victim with it, all so he can gather the victim's fear energy.
“We have yet to discover what he intends to do with that energy after it is gathered. It's not even clear how he gathers that energy, although I have my theories.
“Since he has an interest in gathering fear energy, I suspect he has the ability to sense what a pony's fear is as well.
“Unfortunately, that's about all I know of him other than the areas he's attacked so far, or at least some of them. I don't have eyes and ears everywhere so it's always possible he struck an area that never got reported.”
“Since fear is his agenda . . . that's why you are about to ask me to promise you to keep this a secret,” Feather Wind surmised. “You don't want to start a panic, which you figure is exactly what he wants. If he and his methods were known more, perhaps he could gather his fear energy faster and finish whatever he's after.”
“You see well, young one,” Celestia commended, “and yes. I will extract your promise now.
“Actually,” she tilted her head and lowered her hooves from her mouth as she asked, “come to think of it, have you informed any pony else?”
“Only one, your Majesty, my friend Stern Wing who was also there on the day of the attack. The bad news is she suffered the worst injuries of them all, but the good news is she survived, recovered fully since then and even discovered her cutie mark during the attack. It's a shield with wings and a heart, in case you're curious.”
“Oh, how wonderful!” Celestia said brightly. “It's always nice to hear when another of my subjects discovers their true talent and special destiny in life.
“Hmm.” She straightened her head again as she added, “This one could not have come at a more opportune time. No doubt her presence and talent helped to minimize the damage, all things considered.
“When you see her next,” Celestia waved a hoof at Feather Wind, “tell her I pass onto her my congratulations for her wonderful achievement, and also pass on my thanks for helping me defend my subjects. I'll be looking at her future with great interest as well.”
“I will, Celestia. I promise.” Feather Wind looked off to his side, then back at the Princess. “Now, if you don't mind, will you share with me how you even knew the attack would occur at the farm? The timely arrival of the Wonderbolts was fortunate but a little too convenient to be believable. Something tells me this Puppet Master didn't invite them on purpose.”
“That is indeed unlikely, for you see I was the one who sent the Wonderbolts with word of the attack, but you are right about another thing. Not even I have insight into all things across Equestria, but I recently encountered a pony who comes awfully close.
“Do you recall my elation when you told me about your friend's recent cutie mark discovery?” She waited till he nodded, then she went on. “Well, I've encountered another who has the ability to see into the future.”
“Really?” Feather Wind's eyes widened in amazement. “That's amazing. I take it this seer warned you about the impending attack?”
“That, and several others,” Celestia confirmed. “Not just disasters set up by Puppet Master either. She can foresee any disasters such as earthquakes, floods, pestilent invasions and much, much more.
“I've been told her visions are not just limited to the future either, nor does her visions show her only disasters. It can show her good things too, but she feels it is her duty to warn me about the bad things so I can work to prevent it.
“Apparently, her visions are not of a fixed future. It can be changed if acted upon quickly enough but, that said, it would definitely happen if no pony works to prevent it.
“She calls herself Vision and, ironically, she's a blind seer who can instead see the world in a different way. She uses her unicorn magic to project an astral image of herself to my throne room or wherever I happen to be, and I've told her explicitly that she's welcome to drop by at any time, no matter what I'm doing, if it will help me prevent a disaster and save pony lives. Thanks to her assistance, I've been able to prevent a whole bunch of disasters lately.
“Speaking of which, the Wonderbolts are not the only resource I have at my disposal to answer these calls, but they do tend to be the fastest to respond and most professional upon arrival.”
Hearing that made Feather Wind recall when his friend, Stern Wing, said that the Wonderbolts have been on an unusually lucky winning streak lately when it came to responding to threats across Equestria. For four years Feather Wind privately wondered to himself how they were able to be so unusually well informed about these problems, and at last it seemed he finally gained his answer.
“I see. That is good to know,” Feather Wind said in relief. “Since you wish me to keep this a secret in order to prevent a panic and to protect your new informant, I'll also talk to Stern Wing and get her to agree to keep her silence about this threat.
“That said, is there anything you wish me to do, Princess, to help you end this threat? If you want me to hold my silence then I'm one of the few you know of who has enough knowledge on this affair to act upon it. Because of that, perhaps you should utilize my talents and services as well,” Feather Wind offered.
“Absolutely not!' Celestia said firmly, then softened. “At least, not yet. If you still feel that way when you grow up then I might reconsider my answer but, until then, all I want you to do is for you and Stern Wing to hold your silence on this issue, the oracle included, and just focus on growing up a happy pony. You only live as a foal for a few short years so enjoy it while it lasts.”
Celestia sat up very straight in her seat as she informed firmly, “I want to make one thing perfectly clear to you. The only reason I told you about what I know of Puppet Master and the oracle is to stop you from investigating this issue any further. Since you already had a few pieces of the evidence, such as meeting Puppet Master for a brief moment, or realized that the Wonderbolts arrival at the farm was a little too timely, then I can see that you are too intelligent, curious and concerned to let the issue rest at that. If I kept my silence then I realized that you would have continued investigating this on your own, possibly putting yourself at risk or other ponies who follow you, like Stern Wing did that one time.
“I'm putting a stop to all of that right now by being honest and upfront with all that I know. I'm telling you this so that you can learn to set it aside and just be yourself. All that I ask in return is for you to keep your silence about what I have said, and I also ask for one other thing.”
“Which is what, Princess?”
“I want you to promise me that the next time you hear the evil winds, do not follow it to its source. If this villain is trying to get your attention on purpose then it's probably wise to deny him at every turn.
“On the other hoof, if you do hear from these evil winds again then alert me as soon as possible. Do so with a letter, or better yet . . . send it through the wind like you did at the stands, assuming you can. Will you do this for me?”
“Yes, Princess.” Feather Wind bowed to her deeply. “You have my word.”
Celestia beamed at her guest. “Thank you!
“Now, if that is all the information you have to share with me at this time then I bid you . . .
“Ah, which reminds me, come hither. Let me take a closer look at your precious Mist Cloak. That invention has me very curious.”
“Actually, I can just take it off and fly it to you telekinetically,” Feather Wind offered.
She smiled with a tight squint as she said, “That works too!”