//------------------------------// // Chapter thirty two, The Grand Dissolution: The shadows of Tempest! // Story: Airship Mauled // by Darkonshadows //------------------------------// -Kuril- The day after the remaining two Vibrant Vikings left, I would be waiting for Fizzle to tell me she was going to leave next. I could feel it coming, since it just had to happen. I dreaded hearing that my little filly would go out into the world knowing what I do about where she’ll end up. Getting out of bed, I quickly bathed myself and put on my robes while thinking about the future. When I eventually went to pick up the hat, I faltered and stared at it. It was a pointy hat, made for a witch and the last birthday present from my kitten. I wanted to be a friendly and good witch, but after I turned Bracing into a frog… I didn’t feel too great about living the dream right now. If things happened like Jaded said they would, Fluttershy and Pinkie would become elements of harmony while defeating Nightmare Moon within the next two years. For that to happen, Nightmare Moon would have to be released from her prison. This would only happen if Blade succeeded in becoming part of the stars that aided in her escape, either that or someone else succeeded in aiding in Princess Luna’s escape from the moon where she is sealed. Princess Luna, the alicorn of the moon who used to usher in the night. Blade hoped that she would bring some light back into the world once she was purified of the nightmare that currently controlled her. I didn’t know whether I wanted Blade to succeed or not, couldn’t someone else do it? Did she really have to leave me with a regret of not noticing her feelings sooner? She stayed with us and by my side loyally ever since we became good friends. I honestly didn’t know how Blade felt about me until that kiss, it made my heart flutter and remember my other lover. I dreamed a short lived dream of moving on and being open to a tender form of love like that again, that was quickly dashed by the fact that Blade was doing something that might end her life. The kiss also made me feel like I had failed the one that had given me Jade and that they were turning in their grave, that returning Blade’s affection was a slap in the face to them. I knew they would have wanted me to be happy, but happiness was currently being rationed as much as it could be. “At least once my little Fizzlepop leaves… I’ll be able to watch over them all.” Knowing she had to leave eventually still didn’t make my heart ache any less. I sat down on my bed and stared at the floor. I heard a chittering and something putting itself under my resting right paw. Sugar, my wonderful killer rabbit familiar, she was always so sweet to me and I couldn’t see her as dangerous. Despite having seen the full range of her capabilities, she would always just be a little magical bunny to me. The bond between Sugar and me let me know that she was trying her best to comfort me. I was silently letting her know that it was helping a little, but it couldn’t fill the void left by those who were gone from my life. “Please, I know you can understand me Sugar, so I must ask something of you.” It was strange that I could have her full attention with only a few words. Sugar’s eyes looked at me attentively and she waited to adhere to any request, no matter what I asked of her. “No matter how bad I get, I want you to try and always care for Snickers in my stead if I ever stop doing so personally. I want you to try to keep her together, that’s all I’m asking.” Sugar sat up and chittered as she placed a paw on my arm, through our bond I could feel she wasn’t just going to try. She likely took it as an order to prop up both me and Snickers up to the best of her abilities, to become an emotional rock for us as the flood waters of time surrounded us on all sides and threatened to wash us away. At least that’s the impression I was getting by her sudden look of determination to do just that. I sighed and patted her on the head, she made some cute noises and laid across my lap while exposing her neck and belly to me. A small smile graced my lips as I started to rub her belly affectionately. Even then, with the happy Al-mi’raj under my fingers, I thought about the tough choice I had to make. Could I really let Fizzle go, knowing what I do? If she stayed here, Fizzle might never lose herself to become Tempest Shadow. I could stop her, she’d be loved and cared for here. She could become happy with just staying here with Maries… but that would be horribly selfish of me and the world might change for the worse. The big problem is, she would go on to do some things that only she would be in a position for. She’d actually be in a position to save lives while appearing to completely ruin them. She’d earn the hatred of many, but I would know the truth of her actions at least. I trusted my daughter to not outright kill the alicorn princesses, I didn’t trust anyone else not to do the same. A member of GODLESS could even end up with Fizzle’s eventual position… that was something that would end much worse if I kept Fizzle here. If I let her go now… then she would eventually become angry and bitter at the world. Even then, she’d still have a strong moral compass buried underneath all her grief and she would still be my little filly even after she becomes a villainous mess of emotions. I closed my eyes and made a decision. No matter how much it hurts me to do it, Fizzle had to leave and I had to see her off. I couldn’t try to protect her from the world at large as I didn’t want to coddle her. She needed to become strong by herself, learn to stand on her four legs away from me. Jacky was already out doing that and I hoped that she lived with her luck long enough to give me grand kittens. It was all for the best possible outcome, one that only led to the death of an idiot king while my filly was in charge of his army. For only an idiot would shatter the Misfortune Malachite without a method to send all the negative energies involved elsewhere. I believed that misfortune, and not my little filly, would swiftly strike the Storm King down at a moment when it was most pertinent. Though my filly would be the one to eventually deliver the Misfortune Malachite into his very hands ultimately sealing his fate, his future definitely wasn’t going to change after he destroyed the Misfortune Malachite. It was only a matter of time from that point forward. Wouldn’t it be just the worst possible luck imaginable if you were on top of the world and just became all powerful from a long drawn out campaign of terror, only to quickly lose absolutely everything in a matter of minutes? After so many years of hard work being an absolute tyrant, he gets taken out at his finest hour… how misfortunate. I would absolutely be in Canterlot to watch it happen, I had an ‘in’ with The Squirrels thanks to Ratatoskr. They’d help smuggle me into Canterlot while it was on lockdown so I could get a front row seat to the end of it all. In fact… I could stay in touch with all of them using the messenger god, though Rata was a bit expensive to use in that particular fashion. -Fizzle- Maries let me get out of bed and I set about to start looking for the things I’d need. They knew what I was going to do and I had already asked them to stay with mom. Maries would be commuting between here and Canterlot frequently, they had jobs as lawyers and would likely work many cases in the future. They didn’t want to fall out of practice as being a lawyer gave them good leadership skills and they actually liked being a licensed practitioner of the law, at least Marie the snake seemed really into it. I only needed a few items, a canteen filled with water, a cloak that wasn’t the one that still had Jade’s particular scent on it and finally a picture of better times. I gave a short laugh at the smiles Maries and Jade had when we were at the convention. I would be leaving the electrum locket behind with mom, I had hardly ever let it out of my sight and only now would I let go of it. Silently, I thanked Jade, Sekhet and Maries for putting me through survival training. I was going to be leaving with a light load and very little to my name. Upon going downstairs for breakfast, mom was already waiting for me and already had my plate filled with food. As I ate I could feel her staring at me, as if she were expecting me to eventually ask what I was going to. She had to know, because there was no other reason for her to be staring at me specifically like that. Upon finishing my meal, I placed the locket on the table and pushed it towards her. I met her eyes and opened my mouth. “Okay.” She just said it so simply, it shocked me that she said it before I could even ask. “You’re not leaving here without a few pounds of fish jerky though my little filly.” “I…” Wanting to explain myself, I tried to get the words out. They wouldn’t come. Mom got up, walked around the table and then sat down next to me to bring me into a tight hug. I felt a bit of wetness strike my face and my eyes saw tears spilling from mom’s face. “Whatever happens to you my little filly, I promise that you will always be my daughter.” She ran her digits through my hair and I leaned into the feeling. “Never doubt that you’re a La Perm, the adoption papers certainly has your full name on them.” I couldn’t say anything, but I still stood up and made my way towards the exit with a full stomach. Eventually I got up my nerve to finally say something. “Mom, I’m going to find a way to restore my horn or get enough magical power together so that I can bring her back if the others can’t.” I waited for Maries to come up to me and they all got a kiss from me, some tongue included from each of them. After I finished walking around with mom, Maries and eventually Grace, Wary, Potassium and Mango, looking around at what was built here… I eventually picked a direction to start walking. I guess it was time to say it now. “Goodbye, mother… everyone.” It was hard to leave Airship Mauled, but it was just as hard to stay here. My eyes became filled with tears as I started to walk away into the light of day, casting a shadow behind me as I left. “Farewell, my beautiful growing mare.” It felt like an icy dagger, made to exact specifications by Velvet, rammed itself into my chest when mom said that. I noted that mom was wearing the locket, which was a good thing. I was going to have trouble sleeping tonight without Maries there to comfort me. I was the last of those who would be leaving. -Kuril- All of them were brave in walking away from their home, I had better make sure they had a home to return to. All of them would find Airship Mauled still here if I had anything to say about it. That was hard… I don’t think I had a heart in my chest anymore. Fizzle kind of carved the last bit of it out. I went to my private room, what used to be the captain’s cabin on the crashed airship. I sat down and unrolled a map of the world onto the desk, I pulled out a corked vial with a glowing fluid inside of it. Gripping the cork with my teeth I pulled it free of the vial and then carefully pulled out the loose hair I got from Fizzle’s hairbrush and dropped it into the vial. I added a bit of basil afterwards and forced the cork back in, I put my all into shaking the vial violently until the colors inside changed. I smiled faintly… it was actually going to work! I knew I could delay the full magical reaction using monkshood, it was a rather interesting use for wolfs bane really. I once again tugged the cork free and looked at the map of the world and tilted the vial over it. The liquid poured from the vial and hit the parchment and started to puddle, after a moment it started to spread and become a thin film that slowly absorbed into the map. I stared at it for a moment… nothing happened. I sighed, maybe I wasn’t currently cut out to currently be doing… Several small marble sized spheres of lights faded into existence above the map. Two dots heading west from Appleoosa, two dots over the ocean, two heading in the direction of yak territories, one sitting still a few miles away, one somewhere close to Canterlot and the last lonely dot was slowly leaving the spot Airship Mauled was marked on the map. Never mind… it had worked. If something happened to them, I would at least know about it. I guess I still had a bit of my heart left in me to still do some alchemy, I had even made my first enchanted item… a map of the world that shows where everyone was. I looked to Jacky’s appendix, one of Gene’s feathers, Blade’s hair, some of Velvet and Arizona’s loose fur from their constant fighting, Sekhet’s nail clippings, a jar of Fortitude’s stench so easily collected, a shed scale from Flamberge and finally the hairbrush that Fizzle used this morning. Seeing these lights would put me at ease or make me worry more. -Jacky- “We’re heading toward Turtle Toga, the place I grew up at.” I chose to believe things would work out. -Arizona- “I’m sure that we’ll eventually find someone that lives out here to give us directions fluff butt.” I enjoyed the feeling of dirt under my hooves. -Blade- The moon priests looked wary, the request that I had would make them even more so. -Flamberge- “Soon we will find the 'Mists of Travel On', endless adventure awaits us brother!” We were going to find a tomb full of deadly Draugr protecting our sought after mode of transportation. -Tempest- Rain fell around me in buckets as I trotted, it felt like the darkness of the world was swallowing me up. I eventually took shelter under a tree in the storm, I dreamed of a place where I was happy with Jade and Maries. Jerking awake, I found myself aboard an Airship. It took a moment to remember that I had captured the Princess of Friendship.