//------------------------------//
// Chapter Twenty - The Journey of a Soul 
// Story: Fairlight - To the Edge of Midnight 
// by Bluespectre 
//------------------------------//


CHAPTER TWENTY

THE JOURNEY OF A SOUL


The rain had passed, dissipating almost as soon as the portal had winked out of existence and leaving me alone in this city of silent statues. Water had filled the water stands and fountains where the still forms of the residents stood or sat, some merrily filling jugs and buckets that hadn’t seen a drop in over a thousand years. Maybe two thousand? I wasn’t sure. I also wasn’t sure if it was safe to drink, especially considering it was laced with magic if the distillation process Lyrin had used was anything to go by. Fortunately I still had some water of my own, and I’d even found a half full canteen left behind by the wendigo in their haste to pack up and go. One of them had also set a fire in the hearth, using wood that was surprisingly in good condition for its age. Thankfully I was able to coax some life back into the embers and set my cloak out to dry along with its rather soggy owner. And speaking of which, things weren’t looking too bloody rosy now where they?! Goddesses, what a mess… 

I flopped into a chair and groaned loudly, “I wonder…” 

I plucked the pendant from inside my barding and held it out in front of me. It was still glowing alright, but not in the direction of the portal this time. Hardly a surprise really, that way out of this nightmarish prison was completely buggered now, and what remained of it was still smoking from the lightning strike. Not that the damned thing would have worked for me anyway. I’d never even considered the possibility that the portal might not let me through, and of course now it was far too late. Had it been ignorance on my behalf perhaps? Or just dumb thick headed foolishness? Maybe a touch of both. Wishful thinking didn’t tend to yield positive result too often in my experience. Gods above, I know I’ve never exactly been the brightest pony in the world, but I didn’t consider myself to be stupid. After today’s performance however I was beginning to wonder about that. Take Lyrin for example. That guy was light years ahead of me in intelligence, his knowledge of history and skill in magic craft making me look more like the hired muscle than the ‘Lord of the wendigo’. Oh sure, I’d been a senior watchstallion in Equestria, but how much brain power did it take to wallop some pissed up numb-nut over the noggin on a Friday night and drag him to the drunk tank? Ha! Maybe I should have stuck to being a grunt on the beat. As miserable as it could be at times I’d never realised how good I’d had it until it was gone. Now that it was, I did miss my old job. At least to some degree. And then there was Vela of course. Cunning, deceit, and the willingness to do whatever it took to put his tribe first, were all hallmarks he wore proudly. Pleasant enough he may have been to me since I’d dropped through the portal, but I was under no illusions about the guy. He’d played me for a fool, and for how long… I had no idea. And let’s not forget good old Star Swirl. The less said about him the better. I suppose I was jealous of them all to some degree. I hated being manipulated and used with a passion, especially when it came to having my family involved in the machinations of others. Unfortunately by the time I found out I was having my strings pulled it was quite often far too late to do much about it. In some respects I can understand it though. As negative as it sounds, loved ones are a weakness, and one that can be exploited by unscrupulous individuals who would have no qualms about using them as a lever to force others to do their bidding. But truthfully, was I all that different? I’d done some terrible things over the years, using my new found wendigo magic to obtain what I wanted in life. I could justify it to myself of course, wrapping it all up neatly in a veneer of reason and logic, just like Vela in a way, claiming that everything I did was for the good of the tribe and for my family. And yet… wasn’t it really for myself? The tribe had seemed quite content as they were, living in quiet isolation in their village on the edge of the forest. Or at least they had been before I came along. With me came the spectre of misfortune that had haunted me ever since my investigation into the importation of drugs into Equestria had taken on a life of its own, drawing with it the attention of those who preferred to live in the shadows. That was when the killing began. Some of the villagers, ponies, minotaurs, griffins… they would have been alive today if I had never arrived in Smiling Borders on that fateful day. They see me as their lord, their hope for better future for all of them. Sometimes I wonder about that.

I don’t know… It’s a strange, strange world.   

I leaned back in my chair, warming my hooves and took out my grooming kit. It was a fairly basic affair but had all the essentials necessary for the stallion on the move. Laying them out I set to work filing the edges of my hooves and picking out the stones that had found their way in there. My old friend the barber had done a damned good job, but it didn’t hurt to keep up with maintenance. Besides it was also a damned good way of taking my mind off this place, and, more importantly, what in the seven hells I was going to do next. I just wish it wasn’t so quiet here! I really missed my old radio, the songs around the campfire, birdsong, in fact anything that could cut through this chilling silence. The fire though, was a godsend. The merry crackling of the logs and the sweet scent of woodsmoke was a musical accompaniment all of its own, and I was also very grateful of the lack of statues in here too. As if it wasn’t creepy enough having those empty eyes staring at you, they were absolutely everywhere you went. Getting into the bath, cooking some food, shopping… bloody hell, I was glad I hadn’t been up in one of the bedrooms yet! Still, it appeared to have been during the daytime when the spell had hit so hopefully the bedrooms wouldn’t be occupied. More specifically, the beds themselves. Ha! Not that I’d be getting much sleep here anyway. I gave myself a shake before putting my kit back in my pack. Right then! Since I was going to be stuck here for a while, why not have a look around to kill the time? My cloak, packs and barding were going to take a while to dry, and now that my hooves were done, my mane combed and my coat brushed too, I quite fancied having a nose around the old place.

The room I was in was quite large. By the looks of it, it had been intended for use as a meeting area or conference suite, conveniently placed right next door to the portal. The once numerous chairs and small desks had been piled up in a corner by the more recent occupants and several transformed into firewood. And very serviceable it was too, even if it did seem sacrilegious to destroy what would in all likelihood be priceless antiques back in Equestria. Numerous pictures hung on the walls alongside various tapestries of quite pleasant and unassuming scenes. Ponies wearing uniforms or smart clothes gazed down from enormous portraits that had probably meant something to somepony once, but now were long forgotten in the mists of time. Wall sconce with the more familiar oil lamps similarly lined the walls and several larger ones from the ceiling. Lighting them had been simple enough, and there was a good supply of oil in their tanks to at least last the night. Here and there documents in that weird writing of the empire appeared, declaring whatever it had been deemed necessary to declare for the reader to understand. For an ignoramus like me, it may as well have been written in Yakistani. Perhaps if I changed into my wendigo form? Mmm, no. No, I don’t think so. The nullification field was gone, vanishing into the aether when the portal was destroyed, but I didn’t fancy taking a chance all the same. That magic I’d encountered had homed in on me with frightening accuracy, and as much I’d removed the source of it you could bet your plump rump it wasn’t the only lingering menace out there. Somepony, Celestia in all likelihood, hadn’t left this place undefended against intruders. And personally, I liked my ‘plump rump’ right where the gods had intended it.

A large crystal double staircase with a deep blue carpet, swept up to a central landing at one end of the room with another painting overlooking the proceedings below. Munching on a dry biscuit I decided to trot up and have a closer look. Funny how I did things automatically, like making sure I didn’t drop crumbs on the carpet. Meadow’s influence maybe? Females were noted for changing a fellow and putting their own stamp on you when you were in a relationship with them. A bit like a mental branding iron in some respects. One mare I’d met had told me she’d been able to tell I was married from a mile off, but exactly how she’d known that she hadn’t said, preferring instead to leave me hanging, like mares seemed to do all the bloody time. Oh, how they liked that little game! Huh! I was beginning to dislike mares. Not all of them of course, but… oh, I don’t know! A pain in the arse is what they are, and as much as a warm cuddle and a fool about in front of the fire was attractive, it was what they brought with them that I didn’t like: control. Meadow did it, mum had done it, Tingles and Shadow not so much, but it was still there nonetheless. You could bet your sweet rump it was! It didn’t mean that I didn’t miss them of course. It was worth putting up with a bit of hen pecking for a hug and to be told that you meant something to somepony. I let out a sigh. Yeah… being alone wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

“Nice cloak,” I muttered aloud looking up at the painting. 

There was a name underneath it, but only the gods knew what it said. Still, other than the fancy clothes he was a fairly normal looking unicorn by and large. I’m not sure what I expected to be honest: extra heads, two horns, sparkly ears? I chuckled under my breath and munched down the last of my biscuit. The stallion had a coat colour very similar to mine, and a black mane to boot. But that’s where the similarities ended. This fellow reeked of power. From his crown of silver with its central emerald, his deep green eyes, his deep purple cloak with white fur trim, all the way down to his silver shoes, there was no mistaking the fact that this guy, was the boss. Unless crowns were the ‘in thing’ here in the empire I’m guessing this portrait was of the monster that the many myths and legends about him had sent fillies and colts to bed with nightmares for generations to come. King Sombra: monarch, warrior, leader, killer. If you believed all that legendary guff of course. Personally I lived by the mantra that history was written by the victor. Why? Because it was bloody well true, that’s why. Nopony wants to hear that their ‘side’ did bad things, especially when it came to the eternal white goddess of the ponies. And so all we’d been left with were the sparse pickings in the meagre libraries of our world that barely gave the poor sod so much as a passing mention. Besides, over a thousand years later, who cared? Sombra was a monster from long, long ago. Mind you, if he was anything like his painting suggested, he’d been a damned good looking fellow. I particularly like his coat colour too. Spot on that. Spot on.

A lot of the doors beyond the landing lead to smaller, more private conference areas, with a smattering of offices, reading rooms, several bathrooms, all of which lead to what I was hoping I’d find: a nice big bedroom. It was right at the very end of the corridor and flanked by long beautifully carved columns applied with gold leaf. A little pressure and the large oak door swung inward on smoothly oiled doors. 

“Room service!” 

I grinned to myself as I entered the silent and beautifully appointed room... and gasped in awe at what I saw. Bloody hell, talk about how the other half live! The carpet was so thick a pile that I all but sank into it up to my fetlocks, and the rest of the luxuriant décor was just as opulent if not more so. The crystal walls I’d become familiar with had been replaced by dark wooden panels with intricately crafted golden lamps spaced just so. Large arched windows let in enough light to illuminate the room beautifully during the day, but at night it must have been equally magnificent. Two fireplaces with carved mantles in the form of intertwined dragons sat one at each end. The curtains were thick, lush, and warm to the touch below dragons head curtain poles. Even the bed, a four poster as expected, was carved with scenes of battle, the ever present dragons, and a mattress and pillows you could die for. How the hell had everything survived for this long and not gone to ashes? By rights it should have all rotted, decaying into nothing. The plant life certainly hadn’t survived, but… who knew? And more to the point, who cared? I had a bed for the night! And boy, what a bed!

With a whoop of joy I launched myself onto the mattress and rolled around like a foal in a toyshop. Gods, it was sooo soft! And yet firm too? Oh, perfect. So, so, perfect! I must have been grinning like an idiot, rolling back and forth, back and forth, until I spied the half open door. The bathroom! Oh, hell yeah! Quick as a flash I was off the bed and exploring more of this incredible place, or more specifically the crystal, marble, and gold fantasy realm that was to prove to be the biggest bathroom I’d seen outside of the royal guard bath house. Bloody hell, how much had this cost to build?! Gold taps, gold plugs, even a gold toilet roll holder! Out of interest I pulled the chain on the toilet, and… it flushed. It actually flushed! Right then there was only one thing to do now. I climbed up, settled myself down, and did what came naturally to any pony. No newspaper to read, but never mind, you couldn’t have everything. Next up it was time for a bath. I turned the tap, expecting nothing, and at first there wasn’t. What there was was a hiss, a distant banging sound, and then a faint shudder just before water, hot water, began to trickle and then pour into the bath amid a plume of white steam. I stood aghast, watching as the bath began to fill. How? How the hell was this happening?! And why the hell was I questioning it?! Quickly I grabbed what was obviously a bottle of bath salts, a sponge, some soap, and in a few minutes I was floating away to heaven. Gods… the crystal empire was my kind of place.

Soon I was beginning to nod off, soaking there in my spicily scented dream world, but by Celestia’s hairy bum it was felt so good I didn’t care. Anyway, my short sword and dagger were near to hoof in case I needed them, but what the hell was going to attack me here? Ghosts? Damn it all, I didn’t give a toss about any of that now. Bring them on I say. Bring them on! I leaned back and let my mane soak in the warm water, feeling the tingle on my skin and the sheer joy of a moment of peace in the madness of the world outside. Lyrin didn’t know what he was missing! But something was missing, wasn’t it? Ah, yes… I cleared my throat and tested the acoustics:   

He-is an Equestriannn!

Fooor he himself has said it,
And it's greatly to his credit,
That he is an Equestrian,
That he is an Equestrian!

For he might have been Llamalian,
From Trottingham or Yakistan,
Or perhaps Germani-an,
Or perhaps Germani-an!

But in spite of all temptations,
To belong to other nations,
He remains an Equestrian,
He remains an Equestrian!

For in spite of all temptations,
To belong to other nations,
He remains an Equestrian,
He remaiiins an Equestri-annn!

Ah, bliss. Bliss, bliss, bloody bliss! Life just didn’t get any better than this, did it? Still, I couldn’t stay in here all day as much I’d like to. And so, a quick towel off with one of the deliciously rough towels hanging on the rack later, a well groomed, warm and happy stallion trotted out of the bathroom and flopped onto the bed. A flask of balta hit the spot next, along with a slightly dog-eared sandwich left over from my visit to Rush’s home. Before I knew it I was slipping off into a restful, and it has to be said, extraordinarily comfortable sleep. Tomorrow, and all its worries, could wait. 

I don’t know how long I was asleep for. With all the excitement I’d forgotten to wind my pocket watch, which when you consider how impossible it was to tell the time from the never changing sky here, it probably would have been a good idea. But oh, gods, I felt so good! Stretching out my legs I moaned softly and rolled over to pick up my watch. Better late than never I suppose.

“Sleep well?”

“Mmm, very.” I rolled my shoulders and smiled dreamily. Suddenly I froze, “Am I dreaming?”

“I don’t know,” the grey stallion said with an exaggerated pout, “maybe. Do you think you’re dreaming?”

“I’m staring at a guy from a painting who died thousands of years ago, so what do you think?” I wound my watch and popped it back into my tunic pocket.

“I’m dead?” The grey stallion sitting on the chair in the corner of the room looked shocked, “I thought I’d been a touch under the weather lately. Do you think I should go and speak to the surgeon?”

“Better an undertaker,” I smiled waving a hoof. “Or a medium.”

The stallion chuckled, “I heard your singing. I have to say I’m not familiar with that song. Is it from a stage play?”

I raised an eyebrow, swinging my legs round so I was sitting up and facing him, “Well, either I’ve finally cracked, or I’m talking to a ghost. Or...” I closed my eyes and groaned, “It was that bloody water wasn’t it.”

“The water?” The stallion clopped his hooves together suddenly, “Oh! You mean it may have been tainted with magic?” He nodded sagely, “I think you may be onto something there my friend.”

Oh… shit! Shit, shit, SHIT! Gods, what had I done? I didn’t drink it, but I’d had bloody bath in it, hadn’t I?! What an absolute cock! Now I was hallucinating and having a friendly conversation with a ghost of all things. And not just any ghost, oh no! It was the one from the painting! I took a deep breath and shook my head. No, it was better to think of him as an illusion, and not as a ghost. Definitely not a ghost! “So,” I said casually, “what now? Are we going to have a conversation about the afterlife, play chess for our souls, or what?”

“Buggered if I know,” the stallion sniffed. “You’re the one upsetting the balance here. I thought you’d know.”

“Upsetting-?” I jumped down off the bed and picked up my gear. “Upsetting what ‘balance’ exactly?”

“You mean you don’t know?” The stallion sighed, “Thousands of years and ponies are still clueless. I’m talking,” he said sarcastically, “about poking that thing of yours into the sky. I’m talking about stealing the staff from the laboratory and arsing about with the heart of the empire. Does any of that ring any bells with you, my friend?”

“My name’s Fairlight,” I replied levelly. “And you are?”

I should have guessed. “Sombra,” the stallion said with a bob of his head. “And I suppose I should officially welcome you to my home, Master Fairlight, but I’m a little to the ball it seems. You appear to have made yourself quite at home already without any help from me. Oh, and thank you for blowing up my portal by the way. Do you have any idea how much that’s going to cost to repair? The director of works is going to go absolutely spare!”

“King Sombra...” I nodded to myself with a smile, “Well, if I’m seeing things, it’s always better to go big.”

“Go big or go home,” Sombra smirked. “I always did like that phrase.”

“Mmm!” I checked my equipment and headed for the door, “Coming? Or do you have foals to terrorise somewhere?”

I trotted out and along the corridor.

“Oh, and don’t worry about the bed,” Sombra called out behind me. “The maids will clean it up for you. I’d hate for you to waste any more of your doubtless valuable time, say, making the bed?”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring him as I descended into the hall, passing the main desk and the stone stallion who… who seemed to be a lot more ‘colourful’ than I recalled. Sombra caught up with me, watching me with a disturbingly knowing smile as I walked up to the fire to collect my now dry cloak and barding.

“You’re not going to wear that, are you?” Sombra smirked widely. “It stinks!”

“It may smell, oh great and wise ruler, but you may have noticed that I have something of a limited wardrobe choice right now.” I checked the barding; it was little patchy in places and did whiff a little, but it would do the job.

“You obviously didn’t ransack the room hard enough,” the king replied snarkily. “There was plenty there for you to steal. Perhaps if you go back you may find something more to your taste?”

“Oh… shut up! Gods, for a hallucination you’re really starting to piss me off!” I huffed.

“Well pardon me!” Sombra snorted loudly, and flicked at his mane. “You’re the one who was sleeping in my bed, friend, so naturally I assumed you would be quite comfortable with rifling through my clothing as well.”

I didn’t answer him. Instead I strapped myself into my barding, checked my equipment, packs and gear, and turned to face him, “ You still here?”

“You’re asking me?” Sombra looked shocked. “And here I was thinking I was just a hallucination! Hang around a lot in your world do they, Fairlight? It was Fairlight, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” I sighed and checked the sword on my hip, “All day long.”

“Jolly good.” Sombra reached out and pulled my cloak out from where it had got stuck around my pack, “There you go. Can’t stand to see a fellow improperly dressed. Not that… ‘this’ is properly dressed, but you work with what you’ve got I suppose.” He huffed, “Well then, I expect you’d better be off. I’d love to come along, but I’m afraid I have go and terrorise some foals. You know how it is.”

As I reached for the door, I paused. A shiver ran through me, but not of cold this time. There was something else at play here. Something that made my mane itch horribly. “You’re real… aren’t you,” I breathed.

“I’m not sure,” Sombra replied. “I’d like to think so.”

Gods, he was so infuriating! I rubbed my eyes and gritted my teeth, “The magic in the water’s poisoned me and I’m seeing things. I’m having a conversation with a stallion who can’t possibly be here, and yet I can physically interact with you. How?”

“You’d have to ask your princess about that,” the king smiled. “We don’t, um… ‘get along’ as well as we once did.”

“You ‘don’t get along’?!” My eyes went wide, “She locked you and your whole empire away in a dimensional bubble for all eternity!”

“The city,” Sombra corrected. “She locked the city away. The crystal empire is a lot, well, was, a lot more than just the capital. That’s why it’s called an empire, you see. I suspect the nearest you’ve come to an empire is the bloody theatre.”

I ignored the jibe. “So what, you’re a projection of some kind?” I asked. “A memory?”

“How should I know?!” Sombra made an exaggerated show of sighing, “You’re the one who began messing about with everything, so it stands to reason that I should be the one asking you that question!”

“I didn’t mess about with anything!” I snapped, “I just… That is, I...”

“Go on,” Sombra cut in. “We’re waiting.”

“Okay,” I said flicking my hoof. “So let’s say hypothetically I did do something that upset the magic here, I sure as hell didn’t fart around with that magical heart thing you mentioned. And I sure as hell didn’t blow up the portal either – your crazy weather did that without any help from me.” I tapped my hoof against my chest, “I’m stuck here. And believe me, I’d rather bloody well not be!”

“Well somepony has been doing things they shouldn’t have been doing, haven’t they?” Sombra rubbed his eyes and rolled his shoulders, “There I was, fast asleep, and then everything started… changing. I don’t know how else to put it, but you or you friends started something here.”

“Started… something?” I swallowed. I didn’t like the way this was going at all.

Sombra’s smile gave me goosebumps. “Can’t you feel it, Fairlight?” he asked quietly. “The city… the empire… its waking up. You pulled the cork from the bottle, and the djinn is out.”

“What?!” My hackles were going up like anyponies business, “It can’t be! That’s… that’s impossible!”

“Oh, but it is, my Equestrian friend.” Sombra fiddled with his mane, casually leaning against one of the tables as he watched me like a cat watching a mouse, “And there’s nothing you, nor I, can do to stop it.” 

I stood and stared in shocked amazement, and then... I began to laugh. I held my hoof out, pointing to him and smiled, “Oh, very good! Very, very good! You had me going there, you really did. Looks like that magic stuff really buggered about with my head. All I’m waiting for now is the troupe of dancing marshmallows to bounce in and we’ll be set.”

“Well let me know when they do, I think I’d like to see that.” Sombra sat down on his haunches and looked at me askance, “I suppose I should ask: what are you planning on doing now?”

“I…” I swallowed, “I don’t know.” I instinctively touched my chest and the pendant beneath.

“Well you could stay here with us,” the king said with a smile. “I like you, Fairlight. You may not be one of our people, but you seem to be a fun sort to have around.”

“And stay in this dreamworld forever?” I shook my head, “I don’t think so.”

“Ah, yes. You still think this is a dream, don’t you. A ‘hallucination’.” Sombra’s eyebrows drew down over his green eyes and he smiled, showing just the faintest glint of teeth, “Everypony wakes up from the dream eventually, Lord Fairlight of the Four Winds: You, me, even the crystal empire. All it needs… is somepony to ring the bell. And you, or your friends, have done just that. What you do now though, is up to you.”

“Celestia will-”

“Celestia?!” Sombra barked out a laugh, “That old crone hasn’t a fraction of the power she once had. I can feel it from here! The magic keeping us locked in this dimension is as thin as a soap bubble about to burst. And when it does, then you will need to decide who your friends truly are… my dear wendigo.”

“You...” I closed me eyes, “You know what history said about you,” I said. “You waged war against Equestria. You went mad with power and became a monster.”

“A monster!” Sombra laughed. He shrugged dismissively, “Monster to some perhaps, an angel to others. We’re all monsters to our enemies, Fairlight. Me, You, Celestia, Luna, even the gods and goddesses. All of us. To a foal their parent chastising them is a monster. To a fallen enemy, their foe standing over them amidst the burning ruin of their home is a monster. It is our motivations that define who we are, not our actions as some would have you believe. And I would caution you to listen to your heart as well as your mind, and not the honeyed words of those who would use you as a tool.” Sombra chuckled, “There is only one tool a stallion needs, my friend, and that is the one between his legs.”

I had to laugh, and in fact I did. Gods, this whole situation was out of any semblance of control! The empire was waking up? What the hell did that mean? What, it was going to suddenly pop back up in Equestria like it had never been away and we’d all be friends again? And what about me? If the city appeared there in the mortal realm, how would I survive? I was a soul. I was dead. Would I be trapped there with nopony able to see me? Or worse, would I be hunted down by the former colleagues in the soul hunters and forcibly forged? It was entirely likely, after all I was a wanted stallion there now. Oh, Celestia… I thought I was going to barf…

“If I may make a suggestion?”

I looked up into those green eyes.

Sombra smiled, “Head to the docks. There is a ship there who has the magic to send you on your way. Her name is the Albacore. Give her my regards when you see her, won’t you?”

“She can send me home?” I asked in surprise. “Why don’t you use her to escape yourself?”

“Me?” Sombra began to laugh, “The Albacore may have many talents, my wendigo friend, but carry a whole empire in her hold? I don’t think so. You see, Fairlight, I am the empire, and the empire is me.” He gave me a knowing look, “Would you abandon your people to save yourself?”

“No,” I said levelly. “No I wouldn’t.”

“Capital! Then we understand one another perfectly.” Gently, Sombra shepherded me to the door, “A final word of advice, Lord Fairlight. When next we meet, I may be… a little ‘different’ from what you see now. My, what you may think of as ‘dallying’, with spirit magic did not turn out quite as well as I had hoped, and… well…. What happened to the empire was in part due to that. It is a burden I must carry all my days.”

“Spirit magic?” Suddenly the old songs and fragmented stories began to make more sense. “You wanted to become a wendigo?”

“Oh nothing quite so trite, my friend,” Sombra smiled. “No offence, you understand. No, I needed power to overcome our enemies. A lot of power. And so I did what any leader would do, and took whatever actions I could, by fair means or foul, to save my people. Our favourite princess however, did not agree with what I had done and...” he held up his hoof indicating the city around us, “the results speak for themselves.”

I stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.

“Anyway, enough of this.” Sombra ushered me to the door and patted me firmly on the shoulder, “Good luck, my dear fellow. I hope when next we meet it will be in more, shall we say, salubrious surroundings?” 

“Yes,” I managed. “Yes, I hope so.”

Abruptly Sombra paused. “Oh, I nearly forgot. Here...” With a deft flick of his hoof, the grey stallion tossed a small cube towards me which I quickly caught in my magic. It was the box Vela had taken from my pack. “You’ll be needing that,” the king said simply. “One of your ‘friends’ left it behind, and if there’s one thing I hate, it’s loose ends.”

The last image I saw of Sombra was a cheeky wink of those green eyes before the door closed with a loud click. Hmm! Well… that was interesting. I hoisted my packs into a more comfortable position and stared up at the sky. Did it seem a little brighter than it had earlier? Most of the puddles had dried up now and it felt quite pleasant out. I was about to head off when from across the courtyard something moved, catching my eye. A trick of the light? Or had that mare with the flowers moved slightly? She seemed, like the desk clerk, a little more… ‘colourful’ than she had before. Suddenly the ground shook, the scenery shifting, lurching, and then snapping back into focus and making my stomach move with it. A shiver ran through my spine. The mare was looking at me. She was... looking… right… at… me. My heart leaped into my throat, my eyes as wide as dinner plates. Any cognizant thought evaporated in that moment and I did the only sensible thing I could do in a situation like that: I dug my heels in and ran as fast as I could.

I knew they weren’t ghosts. Of course they weren’t. They were ponies, like me, just frozen by a spell cast thousands of years ago by Celestia. But oh, gods, how I ran. From down inside the hidden depths of my soul my magic shrieked for release, howling at me to let it free and loose to burn away my fear. But it was no use. That self same fear, that cold, stark, primordial terror, screamed in my mind far louder than anything even my magic could muster. I was plunging into a world of insanity, riding that knife edge between keeping my mind and losing it completely to my fears. Rational, irrational, madness, sanity; all of it blended and flowed, and along its course I ran like all the demons of hell were chasing after me. Roads flew by in a blistering whirlwind of hooves, streaming mane, tail and steaming hide. I couldn’t keep up this pace for long, not with all the barding, weapons and equipment. I’d have to slow down, rest myself, but where? And how? If I stopped now I might… they could… oh, gods, my chest was on fire! Rocketing around a corner I fought to regain control of my own body, convincing myself I would be safe soon, and that all I needed to do was check the pendant and then I could- Was that a mast up ahead? What had Sombra said? Head to the docks? I lifted my pendant; it was pointing right at it! Oh thank you, Celestia! Thank you, thank you! I dropped the pendant back inside my tunic and felt for the first time that morning the taste of hope. And it tasted good. Damned good. Suddenly the world lurched again. Stronger this time, with the world heaving back and forth before righting itself. Somewhere in the background I could hear… things. Water? Seagulls? I looked up and saw something white fly over head, while along the dock road I saw a stallion put down a plank of wood and look around in surprise. Colours, bright and vibrant, began to slowly leach back into the buildings, showing the various striations and rainbow pinpricks of light. Sombra was right, the empire was waking up. Waking at a frightening rate. If I didn’t get the hell out of here I would probably be going along for the ride too, and I can’t say I was exactly enamoured with the prospect of finding out the hard way what would happen to me. And so, taking a deep breath, I unleashed the magic that had been straining so hard to be free, and launched into the air.

Now a lot of ponies, pegasus of course, would tell you that ‘launching’ up into the sky was a thing of graceful beauty, and in some cases, an eye watering display of speed. Unfortunately they’d never seen a wendigo taking off. Dragon-like wings, similar to a thestral’s, were ungainly things at the best of times and didn’t so much lift you into the air as batter it into submission. ‘Lumbering’ was a good word to describe it, especially during the first few flaps of my wings. But the main thing was that it worked, even if I did clip a few roofs on the way up, it was still worth it. From up here, soaring over the city, I felt safe, and I could finally appreciate the sheer scale of the empire’s capital.

The view across the city was just as I had dreamt all those years ago as a school child, and more. Much more. Like millions of sparkling gems, sprinkled around a spider’s web of long straight roads, everything converged on the single greatest gem of all: the palace of the king. Speaking of whom, how come he had a room in the compound? Not that it mattered of course, the guy was king and could have a room wherever he wanted after all. But it did seem a bit weird that he was hanging around the compound near the portal. Perhaps I was over analysing things, like for example why was I thinking about kipping in Sombra’s bed when I should be trying to find my way out of this mad house before all hell broke loose. There was also a part of me that felt horribly guilty too. Not so much because I had been instrumental in the return of the empire, but because I didn’t feel particularly concerned about it. In fact, as terrible as it may sound, I felt… exhilarated. To have the lands of my people returned was beyond words, but to have the empire come back too filled me with an intense feeling of anticipation, and hope. The past it seemed, was not necessarily lost forever. It was possible to rebuild, to take from the ashes of the old and build anew, yet still retain our history and keep our heritage alive for a new generation to take forward. And perhaps, even now, I could do just that.

I flew up over the buildings, clearing the spires, the towers and steeples, until I saw her. By the gods she was… extraordinary. With powerful stroke of my wings I banked up and round, circling the ship riding at anchor on the dockside while the sea bubbled and churned, disappearing into the peculiar swirling cloud where it would once have joined the rest of the waters of the mortal realm. It was a sight I wish I could have captured forever. The ship herself was surprisingly equestrian in design: long and sleek with three tall masts, her black and gold painted sides giving her the illusion of swift movement even whilst stationary. She was clearly built for speed, yet with her decks lined with heavy catapulta and ballista there was no mistaking what her true purpose was. The racks of weapons sitting oiled, greased, and ready for action were out of place on such a graceful vessel, yet quite deadly nonetheless. I swooped down and swept between the fore and middle mast, listening to the sound of the sea against her hull as the song of the waves called to her. Calling to me. She was undeniably magnificent, and bore a beauty far beyond the power of mere words to give justice to her description. She was The Albacore. Her voice slipped through the air, dancing around her sails and rigging. And I answered. Without effort, without thought, my magic flowed around me, merging with her music, with the joy of life and memory, of dancing and love.

Are you my Captain?   

I hovered above her quarterdeck, keeping station as carefully as I could and taking in her gentle voice like the very finest wine. “Your song is so beautiful,” I answered softly, “my lady of the sea.”

Good sir, may I ask what you seek?

I closed my eyes and smiled, “I wish only to go home, my lady. His majesty gave me leave to call upon you to seek your aid in my quest.”

Indeed? Then may I invite you come to me, sir, and we shall talk, you and I. 

Carefully, I descended. I had to be gentle with her. I had to be... respectful. She was a ship of such unimaginable grace, yet still a vessel of war. Who knew what she had seen or where she had been, and the countless memories that lay within her. Without pause I alighted upon her deck before the wheel. My hooves itched desperately to take her helm, to lay them up that dark wooden wheel and lead her away from this terrible place. To freedom. Caution meant nothing to me now. Now, the magic had me, and by the gods I let it have its way with me. I was happy, for the first time in as long as I could remember. She was with me, and I with her, and it felt good. It felt… right. 

“My, you are an interesting one, my good sir. I don’t believe I have ever laid eyes upon a stallion such as you. May I be so bold as to ask your name?”

Like the ship around us, the mare was simply breathtaking in her beauty. Her coat was as blue as the deepest ocean and as dark as the northern midnight sky, while her mane and tail were a fall of purest snowy white. She wore a dress of black and silver, trimmed in red hints that showed only the barest amount of hoof beneath splashes of elegant white lace. On her head she wore a small black hat at a dainty angle, pinned to her mane within a nest of delicate black netting. Beneath it, bright scarlet eyes watched me with a hidden intensity that called to the lonely corners of my heart.

I bowed, “My lady, my name is Fairlight, a traveller seeking his way home.”

“A traveller!” The mare smiled demurely behind her hoof, “And such a handsome one, too!” I could feel my cheeks blush as those scarlet eyes observed me. “They call me Albacore, Master Fairlight.” 

“They call you?” I smiled politely. “What name do you prefer, my lady?”

The mare paused a moment in thought, “Scylla,” she said quietly. “You may call Scylla, if you wish.”

“If it pleases you, my lady Scylla.” I bowed again, “Forgive me, I seem to be a little confused. Is this ship not the Albacore? I thought-”

“Shhh...” The mare lay a hoof on my shoulder and I felt a shiver of magic ring through my body as clear as a bell. “No need to worry yourself about such things, master… no, Lord Fairlight? Yes?”

“I… Yes,” I said quietly. “Some call me that.”

“Then perhaps we have some things in common, yes?” Scylla smiled faintly and held up her hoof, “A fine wind is coming, Lord Fairlight, and with it, a most pleasant tide.” She slowly traced my jawline with a gentle hoof, sending a tingle of electricity through my spine, “And a lady must leave with the tide, must she not?”

“I… I’m not sure,” I breathed. “I…”

Scylla brushed past me, leaving a scent of meadowsweet tantalising my nostrils. My muscles twitched in response, eliciting a faint girlish giggle from the mare. “I’m sure,” she whispered close to my ear. “I’m always sure.” I felt something run up my foreleg, guiding me, drawing me onward. “Come, Lord Fairlight. To find the way home you must bring me the key. Together we can navigate the stars themselves to the shores of heaven and beyond.”

“The key...” I murmured. I blinked in surprise, “What key?”

“Why, the key you have in pack, silly.” Scylla flicked her tail and began to walk towards the stairs down to the main deck, “Come along now, my wendigo stallion. Your lady has need of your… services.”

My services? I had to hurry, I couldn’t keep her waiting! Quickly I caught up with her and remained a respectful distance behind her as she reached the doors that lead deeper into the ship. “Follow,” she whispered over her shoulder, “What you seek lies deep within me.”

I shivered involuntarily. Magic seethed through my veins, through my mind and my soul, overriding my consciousness in a blissful sea of happiness. This mare, this beautiful creature, had me completely in her thrall… and I let her have her way. By all the gods, I let her. Nothing else mattered now, only my time with her and my willingness to fulfil her every possible desire. It felt so right to be near her, so natural, that I followed her in a near dream like state. Around us the magical lanterns of the Albacore flickered on as we passed by, one after another lighting the way into the bowels of the ancient vessel. The smell of wood and perfume was an enthralling mix of rich and sweet, with the background of the saltiness of the sea adding its own notes to the symphony of sensation. Dreamily I followed her, deeper and ever deeper, until finally... she stopped.

Carefully, Scylla ran her hoof over the small wooden door. “Here,” she whispered, “Here is my heart. Few gentlecolts have touched me, Lord Fairlight, and even fewer have seen me as I truly am.” She looked at me, her scarlet eyes catching the lamplight, “Would you… like to touch me?”

“Yes,” I breathed. “Yes, I would.” 

I think my heart was hammering so loud she must have heard it, for she smiled and reached for me, slipping her hooves around my neck, “You must use the key to open my heart, my lord.” Her breath tickled my ear and I quivered helplessly. “Come… touch me, my wendigo. Breath your magic into me.”

Scylla’s lips brushed mine, gentle and soft, and then a little more, until I gave in to her. Her tongue danced across my own, exploring my teeth and mouth, tasting the magic within. And I gave it to her. Drop by drop I let her take what she wanted, drawing from me and filling herself until she was sated. It was ecstasy. The purest bliss. But then, as always, it ended. Scylla broke the kiss with a gasp, her eyes wide and staring, a tiny trickle of silver dribbling down her muzzle which she brushed away and licked sensuously. “That,” she moaned, “was… amazing!” She suddenly grabbed me, and much to my surprise and delight, nipped me hard on the ear, “Mmm! Delectable! Now,” she smiled from beneath her brows, “Now, you may use the key.”

I wasn’t sure what she meant, but as she opened the door I saw the black box edged in silver, glowing within. Beneath it a space sat for something else. Something that sat inside my pack. Carefully, I reached back and took it out.

“The key,” Scylla said breathily. “With it I can take you home.”

“Home?” I wasn’t sure. I… I was home, wasn’t I? Here, with her. I looked at her in confusion.

Scylla chuckled, “Oh, my lord, I understand. I truly do. This must all be so confusing to you, and I forget what it is like for a captain who boards me for the very first time. And one so overflowing with such promise too.” She took my hoof, guiding me to her. “One lies beneath the other,” she whispered, “One bears my soul, safe and secure and away from naughty eyes. The one you hold in you hoof is the key that will show me the way to your deepest desire. We are all seekers of experience, my lord, be it adventure, excitement, or perhaps the more simple of pleasures.” Steadily, carefully, she helped me forward, slipping the box into the alcove - beneath the soul of the ship herself.

“Oh...” Scylla closed her eyes and shivered, “Oh… my! I… I haven’t felt anything like this for so long! So, so, long!” The mare stumbled against the wooden wall, breathing heavily and I noticed her hind legs trembling as a blush rushed to her cheeks. Abruptly she grabbed the door and slammed it shut. “Now! You come with me, my beautiful wendigo. Come! Come, come, come!” Suddenly she let out a nicker and took off along the corridor. What was happening? Why was…? Oh, gods, I didn’t want to be left here on my own. I had to follow her. I had to move! 

I neighed, and with a turn of speed that surprised even myself, I set off after her. The lamps lit the way; pools of yellow light dotting the path to the stairs, and then the next corridor, the stairs, and the next corridor, and the… the light! I burst up onto the deck and turned, throwing myself through the doors of the captain’s cabin, steaming and breathing hard. Before me the mare stood, her back to me. Slowly, deliberately, she turned to me. Rich scarlet eyes as red as blood stared straight into my soul. 

Her words, so delicate, so sensual and inviting, arrowed into my heart, “What’s your pleasure, sir?”

Any self control I had left vanished in that moment. It was need. Desperate, raw burning need consumed me utterly and I threw myself at her: pawing, kissing… urgent. Packs, equipment, clothing; all it lay where it fell, kicked and trampled in a storm of burning desire. The maps and cartography equipment, sitting peacefully for over a thousand years, were swept from the table as I lifted her onto the ancient wood, our lips locked together and tongues searching one another. She drew from me as I drew from her, sharing her magic as she revelled in mine. Fog flowed around my crystal hooves, my wings shaking with the naked excitement that had taken me completely in its embrace. And there, together, we shared each other beneath the sky of the crystal empire.  

********************

Dreams. Some good, some bad. I used to dread what sleep would bring despite my body crying out for nothing more than a peaceful rest to recover from the day and prepare me for the one ahead. But peace is a fleeting thing - on many levels. Memories of the cabin, of Gates and Melon Patch, the fire, the brutality, the pain… Even death did nothing to sooth my tortured soul. All the therapy, all the magic and the very finest quackery that the herd had to offer did nothing to help me. It was only when I regained my magic, my true magic, that I began to heal inside. It was there, deep in the darkest corners and crevices of my soul that the scars of my life had tainted the very essence of who I was. And it was there that the magic of the wendigo brought its chill light of winter. I had often ruminated on how something so cold, something so utterly devoid of emotion, could bring so much warmth. Without it I felt empty, lost, and alone. When it was asleep it was like a lovers embrace in the darkest of nights. And when it was aroused… then I knew what true power was. It was a spirit of such raw strength and drive that it took all I had to bend it to my will. And in the end I had succeeded. But not because of a force of will, but rather understanding, and acceptance. I had become the spirit and it had become a part of me: joining, blending and melding with my own self until there was only one. What I had become would never be the same again. 

Tonight, flying through the sea of stars, the ship sang to me. She was alive, full of joy and dreams once more. Awakened from her slumber by the tolling of the bell, the song of the empire had come to the world of life once again. Scylla sat with my head in her lap, stroking my mane as gently as a mother with her foal. And I was happy. So, so happy.

“Are you asleep?” she cooed.

I smiled, “I’m dreaming.”

“Then it is a good dream.” Scylla leaned down and kissed me on the muzzle, “Soon it will be time to awake, my lord. Soon.”

“Will you be there when I do?” I asked.

Scylla smiled, looking up at the distant blanket of stars around us. “I will be with you in your heart, my lord,” she breathed, “but I believe we shall meet again. Fate has a way of bringing wayward souls together.”

“Is that what I am?” I snuggled into her fur and felt her warmth against my face. “Am I a wayward soul?”

“Wilful, unpredictable...” She chuckled, “Exciting.” Scylla let out a long sensuous moan, “I think so. Don’t you?”

“Mmm...” I felt so comfortable here. So warm and safe. “You took some of my magic,” I said quietly. “You could have taken more if you’d wanted. I would have given you everything.”

“I know,” she replied softly, “and that was why I wouldn’t let you.” Scylla gave me a gentle squeeze, “You gave me far more than I needed, my lord. I saw your soul, and I saw your heart. You are wicked, and yet you are kind. You have such love to give and yet are burdened by grief and pain which weighs down your soul.”

I kissed her leg, resisting the building urge to do more. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Scylla’s laugh was so feminine, so full of lightness of heart, that it made my own sing out to her. “No!” she chuckled, “You didn’t hurt me. You shared yourself with me, and I with you.” She took my ear in her mouth and gave it a nibble, “I have never slept with a wendigo before, and I have to say, it was everything I thought it would be.”

“And now?” I asked, peering down at my grey body.

“Another dimension,” she replied happily. “And what fun we could have, my lord.”

“I… I’m not sure I want to-”

“Shhh...” Scylla placed her hoof on my lips, “No more of that now. I know what you’re thinking, and I know what lies inside your heart remember? But what you seek is not mine to give. There is another who waits for you, even now. When you awake, you shall see.”

“I don’t want to wake,” I said selfishly. “I want to stay and dream with you forever.”

“And that is why you must sleep,” Scylla whispered in my ear. “Before the magic awakes, and the dream comes to an end.” She kissed me on the muzzle with her soft lips, “Sleep now, my stallion. Sleep...”

I closed my eyes and let the night pass by as silently as the stars above. Beneath me the Albacore sailed on, her full sails taken by the wind of the universe and taking us to whatever end that awaited us. Scylla… Ah, Scylla. She was so perfect, so magnificent, that right then I would have been happy to stay in her embrace until the end of time. To sleep there with her beneath the beauty of the cosmos was an experience beyond comprehension. In fact to me, this was heaven. Not the herd, not the fields of green and gold where the rivers run with water as pure as the first melt of snow. No. It was this, here, right here on the deck of this wondrous ship amidst the sea of stars as we sailed on into eternity. I didn’t need anything more. I didn’t want anything more. I was so tired of everything and just wanted to rest, dozing happily in the embrace of a mare who wanted nothing more than to be with me. It wasn’t much to ask, was it? To stay here in this world of dreams.

But it was not to be. 

It never was.

When I awoke all I could feel was cold. Icy, bone chilling cold. There was no air, nothing but a dull, faint white light all around me. Figures, indistinct and shadowy, moved around me, their voices muted and faint. And then I was alone again, lying in that cocoon, that tomb of solid ice. And death. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want any of this! I tried to move but my body was stuck solid. I tried to breath, but there was no air. I couldn’t breath! I couldn’t get out! Panic flooded my mind and body, sending surges of strength and energy out to every nerve ending, every muscle, tendon and joint. Where was Scylla? Where was the ship? Oh gods... no, NO! I had to get out of this somehow. I had to get free! I reached for the magic, I tried so hard, and yet every it- YES! In a burst of unleashed fury, Fire and magic surged up from within me, howling for release, burning with the urgent desperation to live. TO LIVE! In a scream that cracked the heavens the world turned a brilliant blue as the ice detonated outwards in an explosion of shrapnel that flew in every direction. Shards ricocheted off the walls, clattering and clinking off every surface as it fell, bouncing down to earth. Like some demon of the old tales I rose up, my wings shaking off the rapidly melting ice that had cocooned me, my voice croaking at first and then howling out to the moon and stars. Good gods, I… I was alive… I was alive! My burning blue gaze took in the room, the table, the upended chairs, the pile of furs, the burning fire in the hearth and the creature staring at me from the open doorway with eyes as blue as my own. 

Our eyes met.

“Mother?” The small things eyes went wider than ever, its mouth opening in a yell that matched my own. “MOTHER!” And again, louder, “MOTHER!”

I lifted a hoof but the thing darted away, leaving me to extricate my legs and hooves from the shattered block of ice. Goddesses, I felt absolutely terrible, and I was so thin! I gazed down at my legs, or what I presumed were mine, they looked like they belonged to some doddery ninety year old. I felt it too: gangly, weak, and horribly tired all at the same time. Shaken and disorientated I stumbled free of my frozen tomb, collapsing into heap on the large worn rug. It took a few seconds to orientate myself, but what was really focussing my mind was the driving need for food. And the pot of stew simmering over the fire. My nose twitched. Meat. Dear gods, the smell of meat! Under normal circumstances shoving my muzzle into a pot of red hot stew probably wouldn’t have been my first choice regardless of how hungry I was. But right then and there I just didn’t care. Concentrating, I let the right amount of magic flow out to cool the pot while I gorged myself senseless. Mouthful after mouthful, scorchingly hot at first, but then better, more flavoursome, and so mouthwateringly good. Oh, it was so good! My slobbering, slurping and belching noises from inside the pot echoed in the small room, making me sound like some kind of foul monster from the swamps ripping apart its prey. But did I care? Gods, no! All too soon I’d reach the bottom and pulled my muzzle out. I smacked my lips. Drink. I was thirsty. What was that in that jug? Quick as a flash I was on it, sniffing at the contents. Ginger? Good. Oh, very good! I upended it and all but sluiced the whole lot into my mouth and down my throat. It didn’t matter about etiquette, all I wanted was to fill the hollowness in my body, to fill my deflated hide and taste food once more. It felt like an eternity since I had last eaten, and to find this next to me when I awoke! Incredible! I let out a rip roaring belch that my old mates in watch would have been proud of. Come to think of it, I would have given Heather and the gang a run for their money. And by Luna’s rosy arse cheeks, could they belch!

Something moved in the doorway. Again. I put down the jug and turned slowly, my burning blue eyes focussing on… not the child, but…

“Fairlight?” The black creature with the oil black mane and eyes like burning fires stared at me in amazement, “Fairlight, is that you?” Her eyes slipped from me to the fragments of rapidly melting ice and then back again, fixing on me with a fierce intensity.

My ears stood up straight, my mane bristling. It couldn’t be, could it? But… but it was. Dear goddesses, what was she doing here? What was I doing here?! Was I dreaming? Oh gods, I was wasn’t I? The whole thing: the ship, the crystal empire, Tartarus, all of it. I’d been in a coma or a deep sleep or… or something, all this time. I tried to speak, but there were no words. My mind was a blank, my mouth suddenly dry despite my sated thirst. It was all too much, and far too soon. I sank to my haunches, still staring at her.

I as much mouthed her name as said it aloud, “Shadow?”

She took a step forward, slowly, and carefully. Her flame red eyes were full of wariness, but also fascination. She hadn’t expected this, that much was obvious, but was I so strange to her eyes? Ah… of course. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting the magic go. The familiar flush of ice cold ran through my veins as I became my old self, my pony self, once more.

“Better?” I asked quietly.

Shadow closed her eyes and turned her head away, but then, warily, she looked back once more. “Fairlight.” Her bottom lip trembled, her shining black hooves shifting uncertainly, and then, in a burst of movement that was as shocking as it was heart warming, she threw herself at me. 

I was ready, letting her come to me with forelegs outstretched and a whoop of joy that echoed around the room as much as her own. My happiness in that moment, in that room, was a thing that could have been sung about in legend. But right then I’d be happy to keep it just for us. Why share ourselves with the world when the world had done nothing but cause us pain and suffering? Why let anypony know? And yet… and yet I wanted to. I wanted to scream and shout and bellow and neigh and… and… “SHADOW!” I swept her off her hooves and squeezed her for all I was worth, “Oh, goddesses I’ve missed you so much. I- Mmf!” Her lips locked with mine, and with a heavy beat of her wings carried me to the floor atop the old bare rug. She was like a huge black leather barnacle, stuck to me and crushing my sides in response to my own hugs. Her tongue, teeth and lips ravaged me, and I let her. I let her have her way with me and it felt so right, so wonderful, that I could have melted away and slipped through the cracks in the floor and off into infinity. Eventually though even this insatiable creature had to come up for air, and thank the gods she did. Any longer and I would have blacked out!

“You are alive,” Shadow huffed, rubbing her hooves over me. “Alive. You. Are. Alive.” She began to laugh, “You are alive!”

“Yup!” I lay back and stroked her forelegs with my hooves, “I’m back.” Suddenly a thought popped into my head: the memory of an explosion. Fire. I felt down my sides, my legs, and… “I’m in one piece?” I asked uncertainly.

Shadow nodded, tossing her head to move some stray mane hairs, “You were asleep.” She motioned over to where a now large puddle of water had appeared where the ice that had encased me had been mere moments ago.

“You’ve been here with me all this time?” I asked. “You stayed with me?”

Shadow nodded again, huffing a small wisp of smoke from her nostrils, “I stayed. Now, we stay.”

“We?” I wasn’t sure what she meant, but decided to put that line of thought aside for now. “Where are we, love? The fortress?” I already knew the answer. The weren’t too many structures in Equestria that were made of translucent blue-white stone that held its own light the way this did. From memory I wasn’t familiar with this room, but the only intact ones were well inside the fortress where the damage was less severe. “How in Equestria did you get in here?”

“The door,” Shadow replied simply.

Well if there’s a way in, there’s a way out, I reasoned. But what had she been eating and drinking while she’d been here? How come… Hang on… The pot of stew. The jug of ginger beer! Oh gods, I’d scoffed the lot! “Shadow, I’ve… um… I’ve eaten all your dinner.” I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting a whack to come in at any moment. “I’m sorry!” But no thump came. Instead, only the softest brush of her lips against mine.

“I always make more,” she whispered. “In case you woke.”

“Well, I did,” I said lasciviously, “and I’m still a little hungry.”

“Hungry?”

“Mmm...” I reached up and licked her muzzle ever so slightly, “Very hungry.”

Shadow giggled the way only Shadow could, shivering deliciously beneath my touch. Slowly, she reached down, searching, looking for her prize. I closed my eyes, taking in every movement, every little-

“Mummy?”

“Mmm… Sha-” My eyes flicked open, “Mummy?”

“What are you doing to my mummy?” Shadow and I both turned to stare at the small thing glaring at me with bright blue eyes. “Are you that monster? Get away from my mummy!” Suddenly the tiny beast launched itself at me in a flurry of whirring wings and surprisingly hard hooves.

“Gah! Shadow, what the hell is this- OW! Blood hell fire, my head! OUCH!” What felt like a very heavy book smashed into my forehead, making stars appear in my now blurry vision, “Get it off me for Luna’s sake!” Trapped beneath Shadow and under assault from some small dragon-like thing wielding books, it was all I could do to fend off the near constant attacks. Unfortunately several still got through and my poor muzzle took a good old fashioned thumping. Thank the gods Shadow was able to snap her wing out to protect me.

“Horizon, stop!” Shadow’s voice brooked no nonsense, and both the small thing and I froze. “Do not hit your father. This is wrong.”

“Thanks!” I exclaimed gratefully, “That little beggar packs quite a punch.” Bloody hell, she did too! Shadow slid off me and I was able to get to my hooves so I could escape the diminutive aggressor. I was half way to the ginger ale jug to see if there was anything left when reality finally started knocking on my thick skull. “Shadow?” I closed my eyes and tried to keep my voice steady, “Who did you say the foal is again?”

“Horizon’s Dawn,” came the reply.

“And you’re her mother?”

Shadow nodded emphatically, “Yes.”

“Oh.” I cleared my throat, “And… um...” I glanced down at the creature, from her to Shadow, and then to my reflection in the mirror on the wall. I looked like what I was – a pony. The blue eyes were back though, and… yes, the funny white lightning flash for a cutie mark too. I felt a bit deflated now. Shadow was still the thestral I remembered, but this thing, this ‘Horizon’s Dawn’, was… I wasn’t sure. I’d never seen one so small before. She was pony shaped alright, but those vertical pupils, the bat like wings, the sharp teeth, the little tufts on her ears… I swallowed, “She’s a bat pony.”

“She is a daughter of the goddess,” Shadow smiled happily. “She is ours.”

“Ours,” I echoed, “Well she can’t be ours, as in you and me, right? I mean, she’s not our biological foal, is she. She’s what, about four years old or so? So what did you do, adopt her?” Suddenly I felt like my stomach had fallen out of my backside, “Oh gods, Shadow, you didn’t find her did you? I know you were probably lonely, but if you wanted a pet you could have taken Tarragon with you, or-” 

Shadow’s face darkened, which is quite the sight on a thestral. “She is not a pet. She is our daughter.”

“You just said she’s a daughter of the goddess,” I said trying to make sense of it all. “Which unless you’re being metaphorical means she’s a bat pony. And bat ponies are… that is to say they’re born from...” Suddenly my hind legs gave out and I flopped onto the floor. Reality could be a real bitch at times, and to make things just that little bit worse, the blue-grey thing stood there in absolute silence watching me from behind her mother. “Oh gods,” I whispered, “This isn’t happening. It can’t be. I’m-”

“A father?” Star Swirl the bearded sashayed into the room, an open book floating before him in his magic. “I expect congratulations are in order? A little late, granted, but they’re there nonetheless.” 

My body reacted on its own, sitting bolt upright. “What the hell are you doing here?!” I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. That damned grey coated bastard was here too?! Quick as a flash I released my grip on the magic and felt the power surging through me once more, “Haven’t you done enough damage to my life, you filthy rat?” I roared. “Get out of here before I tear you to pieces!”

“Not in front of the child, eh, Lord Fairlight.” The unicorn clucked his tongue at me as though chastising a naughty school colt. “Now, if you’re quite done with the amateur dramatics we have some work to attend to?”

“Oh, no.” I dropped into a defensive stance, the fog starting to build around my hooves, “Oh, no, no ,no, Wizard. You stole my wife, you stole my-”

“MUMMY!” The filly’s shriek cut through me like a knife as she leaped into her mother’s forelegs, “Mummy, I’m scared!”

To my shame I rounded on Shadow, my eyes blazing blue in the building magical field, “Get her out of here, Shadow. NOW!”

“No!” Shadow stood her ground, defiance radiating from her as her eyes blazed like branding irons pressed into my soul.

I don’t what madness gripped me in that moment, maybe it was the culmination of everything that I’d endured these last few days, but whatever it was, all I could feel right then was a flaring anger that threatened to sweep away any reason I had left. I took a breath and smiled, shaking my head. “So, you’ve even turned Shadow against me now have you, Wizard.” I looked up at him from under my brows, “Meadow. Shadow. Have you been ploughing Tingles too?”

“Were you always so infuriatingly obtuse?” Star Swirl sniffed. “Or is it a side effect of being a wendigo? I can’t remember.”

“But I can remember!” I bared my teeth, letting the pure magical essence drip between them onto the floor, “I should have killed you long ago.”

“Hmm? Maybe. But then, where would you be now if you had?” Star Swirl pulled up a chair and sat down as if it were his own study in his own bloody house! “Been chatting with our new friends have we?” he asked casually. “Busy filling your head with all sorts of mystical nonsense and fantasy no doubt. What, planning on aiding and abetting the enemies of Equestria now are we?” Star Swirl barked out a laugh, “Well if you are you’re damned fool. Even the most ignorant dullard can see you can’t trust Vela, Fairlight, and if there’s any modicum of sense left in that dimwitted skull of yours, you already know that yourself without me telling you.” He pointed a hoof at me, “You can’t trust him.”

I stood my ground and gave him one of my more sardonic sneers, “But I can trust you, can I, Wizard? I can believe every single honeyed word that spills from your mouth?”

“No.” Star Swirl waved a hoof at Shadow and she left the room with Horizon like a good little puppet. “I use ponies, Fairlight.” The old wizard’s voice was calm, and full of the ageless knowledge of the world. “I use them, I lie to them when I have to, but everything I do I do for the good of Equestria and the Eternal Herd. I am myself an instrument of the gods, and my life is theirs to do with as they will.”

“As mine is to do with as you will apparently,” I replied levelly. “And you have been very busy indeed haven’t you?”

“No more than you, I fear.” The grey unicorn took off his hat and scrubbed his mane, “I try to be honest with you, my boy.” He held up a hoof, “And you may take that as you will, but know this: I am not the only one who plays the game, hidden behind the curtain of life and death. There are others too. And those others I can assure you are far, far worse than I.” He took out a pipe and filled it, passing it to me while he filled his own. “You have met one already. And, I suspect, one of the greatest players of them all.”

My head was spinning with it all and I let go of the magic, giving my body the rest it so desperately needed. “I don’t know who you mean,” I said, watching him warily.

“Oh, I think you do.” Star Swirl leaned forward to accept a light, “You see,” he said casually leaning back in his chair, “there are ponies around even today whose interest in history has lead them into places that no mortal pony was ever meant to venture. I dare say that there are those too who yearn for that very same history to, quite literally, repeat itself. With a different outcome of course, but then we always look back on our history with the proverbial rose tinted glasses do we not?”

“What’s your point, Star Swirl?” I asked irritably.

The wizard nodded to himself, no doubt pleased as punch that had my full attention. “My point, my boy, is that your meddling has set events in motion that we are not prepared for. Oh, they would have happened eventually of course, but prophesy is a fickle thing and rarely gives dates and times that one could accurately predict.” The grey wizard took a pull on his pipe, “I had predicted that your encounter with Vela would have been a little more, mmm, less than amicable?” He huffed, “It would appear however, that he has outplayed me.”

“You mean you thought I would kill him, right?” I shook my head in amazement, “And what would you have done then, wizard? Left me there to die in that damned place? Become a statue, lost in time forever?” 

Star Swirl took a long draw on his pipe, letting the smoke trickle up towards the ceiling, “Better that than thousands dead. A simple trade: one life for countless.”

I stomped a hoof as anger gripped my heart, “You could have told me!”

“And what would you have said, hmm?” Star Swirl huffed. “Would you have left your wife, your herd and your tribe, to sacrifice yourself based on nothing more than my word?” He snorted, “When I know the answer, I don’t need to ask the question.”

“You’re always so sure of yourself, aren’t you, Star Swirl.” I took a pull on my own pipe and let the remnants of my magic slip away like rain through a grate. “You always were.”

“I have to be,” he replied quietly. “Without order there is only chaos. Without light there is only darkness. Somepony needs to guide the gentle folk of Equestria, Fairlight. And I, as much as you may hate me for it, do what must be done to guide all of us.”

“And who guides you, wizard?” I stretched out and leaned my back against the wall, “The gods you say? Or are they really no more than the manifestations of your own desires? Can you even be sure of the difference any more?”

“Hah! Maybe not, my boy. Maybe not.” Star Swirl lifted up his pack and floated out a small cube that… My eyes went wide. That shape, that slick black oily finish with the gold and silver filigree. There was no doubting what that was. “I see you know what this is,” the wizard said from under his bushy brows. “Another surprise from our wendigo friends?”

“I don’t know how you got that,” I said quietly, “but it’s the only reason we’re having this discussion.”

“The ‘reason’ we’re having this discussion, Fairlight,” Star Swirl corrected, “is that you have undone something that took the combined magics of the daughters of the gods to create!”

I let out a loud neigh. “You think that imprisoning thousands of ponies in another dimension, frozen in time neither alive nor dead is something to be proud of?!” I roared, “I think you need to reassess who your friends are, wizard. A mare who would lock her own sister away for a thousand years and sentence countless innocents to a nightmarish hell for even longer still, is a mare whom I think even you would question regarding her sanity!”

“Celestia not insane, boy.” Star Swirl jabbed his pipe at me, “I can assure you of that.”

“Can you?” I threw my hooves in the air in exasperation, “When just one genocide isn’t enough eh? So what is it now? Is she going to pop up in the empire and finish the job, or is she going to send in some poor bastard like me to mow them down?” I shook my head, “Well, she’ll have a job now. The pendants gone, my weapons have gone, and I’m just one guy. You have an army, remember? Those guys are paid to do things like this. It’ll give them something practical to do instead of pissing about polishing their sodding armour all day while the ponce around the palace”

Instead of the expected angry retort, Star Swirl smiled absently as he tamped down his tobacco before taking another puff, “You want something. Don’t you?” He swirled his pipe round in the air through the blue smoke. “Your people returned? The ones living up in the northern wastes, yes?” I kept quiet and let him continue, “What if I told you there was something already in your possession that could, metaphorically, turn back time and bring back the world your ancestors knew so well. Would that gel with your moral compass?”

My gaze never left him, “Celestia would never agree to it.”

“Celestia will do what she is told,” Star Swirl replied levelly. “Her parents can be most persuasive.”

“Ah, yes,” I grinned. “She’s a chip off the old block, isn’t she. You know what they did to the thestrals, don’t you? You also know about the ‘gifts’, am I right?”

“What I ‘know’, is not something I can necessarily do anything about.” Star Swirl raised an eyebrow, “There was a king once, Fairlight. A king who believed he could challenge the stars themselves to do battle for control of the heavens. He raged and screamed at them all night long, night after night for months, furious that they denied him his goddess given right to yield to his perceived royal divinity.” 

“And the moral is?”

“Always check behind you.” Star Swirl peered into his pipe and clucked his tongue, “An assassin put a dagger in his back, thus bringing his reign to a very abrupt end. Some may say he paid the price for alienating his own people.”

“Or that he was as mad as a fish and somepony had had enough of him,” I reasoned.

“True,” Star Swirl conceded, “but can’t both be true at the same time?”

“Of course,” I agreed. “So you’re saying Celestia will tow the line?”

“I think she may be persuaded to be more agreeable.” He tapped his pipe out on his hoof and threw the blackened remains into the fireplace, “Provided, naturally, that she can rely on somepony to help her in her country’s time of need.”

“Naturally.” I shook my head and sighed, feeling the initiative, if I’d ever had it in the first place, inexorably slipping back to the usual culprit, “So, what’s next then oh wise wizard?”

“Ah, well that’s simple,” Star Swirl replied. “The empire will return.”

I froze. Surely he didn’t mean what I thought he meant, right? “What do you mean, ‘it will return’?” I asked. “You mean literally, as in the whole city just popping up out of nowhere? Sure, I thought the magic would fail and the people would wake up, potentially leading to them trying to come to Equestria, but an entire city?” I shook my head in disbelief, “It doesn’t seem possible.”

“I can assure you it is,” Star Swirl said in his matter-of-fact manner. “The princesses plucked the whole city up and locked it into a dimensional pocket. The land though… Ah, the land...” He smiled as he waved his hoof knowingly, “The land remembers.”

“But you’re talking about a possible invasion force,” I murmured. “The whole of the empire was at war at the time, and they’ll doubtless have troops there in the city. If they suddenly pop up out of nowhere in the middle of Equestria I don’t know what’ll happen, but it won’t be good, that’s for damned sure.”

“I imagine they could be a little vexed,” Star Swirl said with nod.

“‘Vexed...’” I shifted my legs and groaned. “I met him, you know. The king.”

“Sombra?” Star Swirl leaned forward, his eyes suddenly keen. “How did he appear to you?”

“Just like any other pony I’ve ever met,” I said quietly, “but one that seemed to genuinely care for his people. I know the old stories about him, Star Swirl, but what I saw was a stallion who had real love in his heart for his homeland. I didn’t see any sign of the monstrous beast that history makes him out to be.”

Star Swirl closed his eyes and smiled sadly, “Sombra was a pony, much like you once. A great ruler, and a stallion who did indeed love his country and his people very much. But fear, desperation, or a broken heart, can lead even the strongest of us to do things that we would never normally consider even in our wildest imaginings.” He closed his eyes, “Bad things. Terrible, terrible things. Fairlight, I have done things in my life that I’m not proud of, as I’m certain you have too, but I would like to think that in every case it was my head, and not my heart, that had made the decision. Are there things I would do differently if I could turn back time?” He shrugged, “Yes. Yes, there are. Of course there are. There always will be.”

“And here we are about to deal with something from a time long passed.” I tapped my pipe on the hearth, “It’s the damnedest thing...” “So what happened to him?” I asked. “What did he do that forced the princesses to rip out an entire city like that?”

“A story for another day,” Star Swirl said quietly. “It’s not something to be told when young ones could overhear.” Slowly, the wizard rose from his chair and faced the doorway, “Be gentle on the girl, Fairlight. She has lived here in isolation ever since you were injured in the explosion. Out of all the rest, only she believed you were still alive. And it was here she bore your daughter.”

“Horizon’s Dawn,” I said quietly. “I still can’t believe it.”

“Bat ponies are a curious and secretive lot,” Star Swirl said taking out his book and leafing through the pages. “I’ve never seen one of foal age before, and it was fascinating to be here for the birth.”

“You were here when she was born?!” I gasped.

Star Swirl shrugged expansively,“Why, of course. With you away I couldn’t exactly pop you over here with a spell and make everything happen by magic now, could I? Besides, the fortress still has a myriad of spells surrounding it that prevent teleportation and the like.” He chuckled into his hoof, “And in case you’re wondering, there’s a grove here where we could be with her during that time.” I opened my mouth to speak but he was already ushering me back to the chair, “Now come along, you stay here and I’ll send her in. Both of them. I’ll be in the library while you get acquainted. Re-acquainted I suppose. Bah! You know what I mean!”

And with that little gem of wisdom the wizard left, leaving me once again in a world of confusion and generalised befuddlement. My pipe was empty, but at least my stomach was full. Star Swirl… Gods damn it all, that old swine, wandering around the fortress as if he owned the place! Well he certainly did not! In fact, if it wasn’t for the grove he… Wait, how the hell was he wandering around outside the grove?!

“Fairlight?” Shadow stood in the doorway watching me warily, “Can we come in?”

“Can you come in?” I shook my head in amazement, “How can you ask that? This is your home as much as it is mine, Love. Come… come and sit with this old fool as he begs your forgiveness for his childish behaviour.”

The thestral mare walked in, and following close behind her, the smaller one. My daughter. “I still can’t believe it,” I said quietly. “I have a daughter. Our daughter.”

A small muzzle poked out from behind the tall thestral, “You’re scary.”

“I try not to be,” I chuckled. “But you know what?”

“What?”

“You scared me when I saw you too, you know,” I said gently.

“Me?” Horizon blinked in surprise, “I’m not scary!”

“No,” I whispered. “You’re really cool. I mean, super cool!” I gave her a wink, “You’ve got wings, you’ve got awesome eyes, and your teeth look fan-tastic!”

“I like my wings!” Suddenly animated, Horizon trotted towards me, turned, and then fluttered her wings comically, “I can fly too!”

“You can fly?” I glanced at Shadow who pulled a face. Somehow I got the impression this wasn’t quite as exciting news as the little one obviously thought it was. 

“Mummy said I can’t do it in the house.” The little face dropped slightly, “I bump into things.”

“She broke a vase,” Shadow said plainly. “A very nice vase.”

“I said I was sorry!” Horizon stomped her tiny hoof. It was so funny I nearly burst out laughing.

I climbed down off the chair and sat on the carpet by the fire. “Tell you what,” I told her secretly, “You and me can go outside later and you can show me what you can do, okay?”

The little one nodded so hard I thought her head was going to fly off, “Okay!”

“Fairlight!” Shadow snorted and shot me a look that gave me pause, “She can not go outside.”

“Why not?” I asked genuinely confused. “The forest belongs to the tribe, as do the mountains, the village and even-”

“She is a child of the moon goddess!” Shadow huffed as if explaining why water was wet. “She can not go outside during the daylight.”

“What a load of absolute bollocks!” I snarked. “I’ve seen bat ponies in the daylight at the palace.”

“I told her that,” a voice from the corridor called. “She won’t listen.”

Gods almighty, the bloody ears on that guy must be like a flaming elephant’s! “Look, Shadow,” I reasoned, “don’t be so overprotective with her, she’ll be fine.”

“There are wolves in the forest!” Shadow snapped. “It is not safe!” 

“A thestral warrior for a mother who can breath lightning, a wendigo father who can blast enemies to matchwood, and you think my daughter can’t fly safely outside our own home!” My mane bristled, my back shivering as the magic began to react to my emotions. “I am the lord of this fortress, Shadow, and if I say my daughter can fly then she can damned well fly! Nothing will challenge me nor my family again as long as I live.” I stretched my wings and looked down at the wide eyes of my filly, “My beautiful daughter, will you fly with your father and your mother? Will you sing with us beneath the light of the moon and take your place as a daughter of the tribe?”

“She does not underst-” Shadow began, but her daughter had her own thoughts on the subject.

“Mummy said you’re my daddy.” Horizon looked up at me with her blue eyes full of curiosity, “Are you really my daddy?”

“I am love,” I smiled. “And you are a daughter of the tribe of the four winds.” I turned to Shadow, “There is no need to hide any more. No need for fear. It is time to make our home a home once more.” 

“Can I fly?” Horizon asked. “Really?” She looked at her mother, “Can I Mummy?”

Shadow sank to her haunches, deflated, but with a curious smile across her face, “Yes.”

“Good!” I laughed, and clopped my hooves together. “Now then, can somepony tell me how in the goddess’s name we get to the forest from here? I haven’t got a bloody clue where we are.”