//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: The Golden Falcon // by Blueelectric //------------------------------// 17 years ago A cry of a young filly filled the air one spring night. The filly was a beautiful golden and white pegasus. Each of her feathers have golden and white markings on them. And she was lost. She was walking in the middle of an empty field, surrounded by large mountains. "Mommy! Daddy! Where are you!" She called. She shivered as a wisp of cold air rushed by her. She stopped as she heard something screech. Frightened, she rushed under a large bush. She curled up, still crying. She shouted in fright as a feathery head popped under the bush. It was a falcon. The young filly perked up. "A birdy!" She hopped towards it. The falcon step back a few inches, unsure what to think of her. The filly tilt her head at it. The bird tilt back. "You're so big." She said in awe as she circle it. She sat down and stared up at it. "Have you seen my parents?" The falcon just blinked at her. "You must have. You see, my parents were going to take me to see a show yesterday, but then this huge storm come out of nowhere! I was riding on my dad's back, when the wind blew me off. I fall down and landed on a bush. I look around but my parents are not there." Tears fell from her clear blue eyes. "Please, Mr.Bird. I want my parents. I'm cold and I'm hungry." The falcon screech and flew off. Hope lit up in the little pony's eyes. "Thanks, Mr. Bird!" She yawned. She laid down on the soft grass. "I'm gonna take a nap. Then when I wake up, Mom and Dad will be here." She told herself. She curled up and tucked her wings in as she slowly fell asleep. She woke up as she felt a rush of wind. She opened her eyes to find she was way to high in the sky. She look up and spotted the falcon who was carrying her in his talons. He was holding her very gently as to not hurt her with his sharp claws. She smiled at him. "Your taking me to my parents?" He shriek gently back in return. She noticed he was taking her to a large mountain. "Are they up there? Mom! Dad!" she yelled, filling with hope. The falcon slowed as he was flying near a large nest on the ledge. There was another falcon tucked in it. She raised up and revealed a newborn chick. The filly was dropped gently in it. The filly looked around confused. "Um, Mr.Bird, you got a nice family. But my parents aren't here." The mother bird tucked herself over the small filly. She suddenly felt warm. Something else was dropped in the nest. It was red juicy apple. The filly sniffed at it hungrily, mouth watering. She glanced up at the father bird gratefully. "Thank you. I'm starving!" She picked it up and tucked in. The baby falcon watched her curiously. Soon, she finished leaving the core. The father falcon leaned in and picked up the apple core with his beak. He then dropped it off the ledge. "Thanks for the apple, but I want to find my parents now. Please!" She pleaded with large eyes. He shook his head. "Please! I want my mom and dad!" The mother nudge her further under her. The falcon look at her sadly. She caught on. "You can't find them?" He shook his head again. Her eyes start to water. "Mom! Dad!" She started to wail in anguish. She rushed towards the edge of the nest trying to get out. The mother caught her tail with her beak and pulled her back. "No! I don't want to stay you, I want to go home!" She scrambled with her hooves, trying to free herself. She wailed again. "Let me go!" She struggled for a few seconds, but couldn't free herself. She collapsed to her side, sobbing as she was pulled back underneath the mother. "I wanna go home! Please take me home." She cried. The golden and white filly laid there, as she continued crying her little eyes out. The crying slowed into a whimpering. She cried so much, that she started to hiccup. "I...hic...want...hic...to go home."She whimpered over and over again. She gazed up at the father with teary eyes as he slowly bent down. He touched her nose with his beak. She stared in his eyes as something flashed from it. She shivered as something rushed through her body. Her eyes started to droop as she suddenly start to become very sleepy. She tried to fight it, but the feeling is too much. She slowly laid her head down. As she closed her eyes, she thought she heard a voice. "Rest now, little one." She shivered as she slowly open her eyes. She rubbed them awake. "Mommy, I had a strange dream last night." She look around and notice she was in a nest. Her heart sank as she finally realized what happened. Her parents are gone and she was with a family of large birds. "Good morning!" She turned to the source of the voice. The falconet was staring at her with a friendly look in his eyes. "My name is Stormy. What's yours?" The filly blinked her eyes. The voice was coming from him. She slowly backed away. "How did you speak?" She asked. "Father must of used his magic on you. Take a look over the ledge." He explained as she walked up and looked over the ledge. Her eyes widened. She can see miles away, even farther than she can before. Every bush, every mountain, every blades of grass. She spotted movement and notice a rabbit hopping by. It stopped and nibbled on some clover. She looked up to the sky and spotted an eagle as it circle a distant lake. She watched as it dives into the lake and caught a fat trout. She turn and look back at Stormy. The downy white chick smiled at her. "So," he asked again. "What's your name?" She paused for a few minutes. "My name is Falcon Heart." The chick ignored the irony. "Cool!" She looked around the nest. "Where's your parents?" "Hunting." She stared at him. "Both of them?" He nodded. "There's an extra mouth to feed now and one with a very different diet than us." He looked ahead. "And look they're coming back now!" She followed his gaze as the pair of adult falcons flying back each carrying something. The father dropped a dead bird in front of Stormy. "Breakfast!" He cheered as he dig in. Falcon look away in disgust. "Look who's finally awake." The father spoke in a surprisingly low voice. The mother landed beside him and dropped an apple. She smiled. "You're awake!" She took a bite out of the apple. She looked up at them. "What's your names?" The mother spoke. "I'm Swoop and this is my mate, Cliff. I see you already met Stormy." She smiled at her son as he finished his dead bird. "Well, I'm Falcon Heart." She looked at Cliff. "So, you can't find my parents at all?" Both falcons shared a glance. Cliff sighed sadly. "No, I can't. I'm sorry." Falcon looked down at her hooves. "It's okay. I just hope they don't forget about me." She gazed back at him. "How can I see things far away? And how can I understand you? What happened last night?" He glanced at her. "I gave you special abilities. You can see things far away, even farther than an average pony. And when your old enough, you will fly fast. Faster than any of your kind." He explained. "We're not your average falcons. We're peregrine falcons, the fastest animal in Equestria. You'll have our speed and agility." "And about me giving you powers; there's a thousand year old legend. About a thousand years ago, there was a pegesus just like you. I don't know the whole details, just heard it from my folks. I thought it was all a myth until now." 6 years later... Falcon Heart was in the air, flapping her wings as she gazed at the apple, Cliff was holding. She narrowed her blue eyes in determination. "Just remember, fold back your wings when you do a dive. Then slowly open them as you get close to your target." Cliff demonstrate. "Come on, Fal! You can do it!" Cheered a fully grown Stormy said behind her. Cliff dropped the apple and time seems to slow down. She can feel her heart pounding in her chest. Falcon folded her wings and dived. She slowly opened her wings as she was neared the apple...and caught it in her mouth. She looked around feeling shock as the whole world rushed past before her. Her pale golden mane and tail was streaming behind her. She did a loop de loop in the air and head straight back to her falcon family. She slowed down as she neared her mountain. She landed on the ledge, feeling proud of herself. Both male falcons landed beside her. "You did it!" Exclaimed Stormy as he hopped on her back. "And did you always have that tattoo on your butt?" The filly dropped her apple and gazed at her flank. On it was a black symbol of a falcon taking a dive. "No, I don't. How did it get there?" Cliff walked up to her. "I guess you got it when you took that dive. I've seen ponies with symbols like these all the time. They called them cutie marks." He shrugged. "I don't know how they work, though." "Who cares how they work. It looks cool!" Stormy said, matter of factually. He glanced at the now setting sun. "I have to go back go my nest. I'll see you guys tomorrow." He flew off as Falcon waved farewell at him. She walked over to her nest beside the old one. They build her a bigger nest three years ago as she was starting to grow bigger than them. She even put extra downy feathers in it. She settled down in it with a happy sigh. She preened her feathers as Swoop come back. Her mother figure had brought something different back. She looked at it curiously. It was long, curvy and yellow. "What is that?" She dropped it in front of her. "You guys won't believe what happened!" "I was on a branch, minding my own business, when this yellow pegasus filly fell out of nowhere. Luckily a swarm a butterflies caught her one time. Then she was singing about how great everything is on the ground." Falcon looked at her in shock. "Then what happened?" "A rainbow exploded and scared off a lot of the animals. Then the yellow filly calmed them down and coaxed them out of hiding. Then a butterfly symbol appeared on her flank." Swoop gazed at Falcons flank. Her eyes widened. "Sort of like that one! Then she gave me this fruit, she calls it a "banana"." Cliff gazed at his mate thoughtfully. "You know, I heard an explosion, but I didn't see the rainbow." Swoop pointed with her wing in the direction she came from. They both followed her gaze. Falcon saw what she was looking at. It was the largest rainbow she had ever seen. She glance back at her parental figures. This had to be the second weirdest thing she had ever witnessed.