//------------------------------//
// Bat's the Way Home 
// Story: Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S7 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

At Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack and Mac were being helped by Rainbow and Twilight as they carried their latest crop of apples to the storage cellar. "Thanks girls," Applejack told them as they arrived at the door leading underground. "With the rain scheduled today, ah wasn't sure ah'd be able to get all this done in time."

"Eeyup," Mac added.

"No problem AJ," Rainbow continued as she put down the basket she was carrying. "Glad to help."

Twilight nodded as she carefully dropped the six baskets she was carrying in her magic. "Always happy to lend a hoof to a friend in need." She glanced around, "But I'm a little surprised Rogue isn't here helping. He's usually happy to help out whenever he's not sleeping."

"Yeah," Applejack sighed, "He does dat sometimes. Just ups and disappears for no reason every now and then."

"Where does he go?" Rainbow asked, the siblings shrugging.

"That's his business. As long as he's here when he's supposed to, I don't mind him goin' off and doin his own thing."





Meanwhile...

Rogue was now at the rocky area that concealed the entrance to his old home. There, the bat pony flew inside and travelled through the tunnels leading to the now sealed off chamber that he had once resided in. Many ponies would probably wonder why he would come back to such a dismal place, especially when he now lived in such a nice environment like Sweet Apple Acres. The fact was that despite loving his new home, Rogue sometimes got a little nostalgic for the old one, the one that he had spent years in.

So every now and then, he would come back and remember the good times...though they were few and far between, mainly due to most of them being him fighting something trying to take his tree. He was just gonna go to the entrance, stare at it for a bit before leaving for home.

But this time...something was different.

As Rogue got closer, his sensitive ears suddenly picked up on an unusual sound: Crying. This made him blink, leaning in and listened in, realizing the sound was coming from the same direction he was heading. Slowly, he trotted down the tunnel until he reached a corner.

He the poked his head out at the pile of rubble that blocked his old cave...only to see somepony in front of it. A pony with wings just like his. "No way."

He had never met another thestral before. He knew Princess Luna used a glamour charm to make the night guards at the castle look like thestrals, but he had never met a real flesh and blood bat pony before. Taking off his shades, he let his eyes pierce the darkness. He stared at the being, only to realize it was female. She mixed into the darkness well, Rogue seeing her coat was a light brown color, though she had white around her mouth and on the tips over her hooves. She had a saddlebag on her back and had a cutie mark that was a bunch of different plants.

Rogue stepped out from behind the corner at this, his body moving without his thought as he drew closer to the crying thestral. But as he did this, his hoof tapped a pebble, the sound echoing through the tunnel. The bat pony gasped and spun around, locking eyes with Rogue. They went wide and she gasped again, Rogue now seeing she was an older mare, but before he could say anything, she bolted. "Wait!" He cried as she flew away, Rogue taking flight as well.

But as he followed, the mare quickly zipped into a nearby small tunnel, Rogue soon finding he couldn't follow her completely. His large wings could not extend, unable to keep full speed as the mare's smaller wings quickly sped away.

"Wait! I just wanna talk to you!" He yelled, but the mare didn't reply and kept flying further away. And as she did this, she turned a corner...and disappeared. Rogue cut the corner, only to see it led into an area with several tunnels. He spotted no sign of her, the bat pony frowning before letting out a sonic blast.

The sound flew through all the tunnels and Rogue closed his eyes, his ears flicking as he waited for the echo location to return. But when it did...it came back with nothing. "No," he sighed, slumping to the floor, "My one chance to learn about my kind."

And as he leaned over, he went wide-eyed as he saw something on the floor: A black hairbrush.

Rogue blinked at the item and picked it up, "Did she drop this?" He stared at it for a moment, only to fly away with a long sigh. And as he left, a part of the wall fell away to reveal itself to be a large rock, which covered a hole in the wall, which the female thestral stepped out of.

She moved over to the tunnel Rogue had flown down, tears appearing her eyes, "My baby."





Back at Sweet Apple Acres..

Twilight, Applejack, Mac and Rainbow had just finished getting the last of the apples into the cellar, only for the weather ponies to get done with the rain clouds. "Well, that's the last of 'em," Applejack told the others before shutting the cellar door, only for Apple Bloom to walk up to them.

"Sis!" She called out, "Granny Smith just finished some apple crumble and wanted to know if your friends want any." Everypony that heard that licked their lips, Big Mac drooling at this.

"Ya'll want some?" She asked, getting eager nods from Twilight and Rainbow. They all quickly headed for the farmhouse, getting in as the rain began to fall. Once inside, they found four bowls of steaming hot crumble with a scoop of ice cream on top.

"Here yah go youngins'," Granny Smith chuckled as the four sat around the table and began to eat. A minute or so into their meal, the door opened and a very wet bat pony stepped inside.

"Rogue!" Applejack yelped, "What are yah doin' out in the rain?"

"I didn't know it was scheduled to rain today," the thestral replied, Granny walking up and giving him a towel. The bat pony thanked her and dried himself off as he put the brush down on a nearby drawer.

Twilight blinked at the item, raising an eyerbow as she noticed the girly flower designs etched into the wood. "What's with the brush?" She turned to him, "You got something to tell us?"

Rogue rolled his eyes as he finished mopping his mane and tail. "It's not mine." He responded, "I...got a very weird story to tell you all."

One explanation later...

"Another thestral?" Twilight asked, Rogue nodding as he pointed to the brush.

"That's probably hers'. She dropped it when she rushed off." He huffed, placing his chin on the ground. As he did, Granny placed an apple crumble in front of him, a special one she made with one of his golden apples. "I can't believe I let her get away." He picked up a spoon and started digging in. "My one chance to find out about my race and I let her get away."

"Are you sure she could tell you anything?" Apple Bloom asked, "She might be like you. A bat pony without a home...you know, until now that is."

"Maybe," Rogue sighed, "But maybe she was from the same tribe I came from...if I even have a tribe." He stared down at his dessert, using his spoon to push it around. "I just wanna know where I come from. Why I was left in that cave and why I was don't remember anything before I woke up there." Everypony frowned at this, only to see him push the crumble away. "I'm not hungry." He mumbled before getting up, "I'm gonna go take a shower and have a nap."

They all nodded as he left the room, Rainbow saying, "Poor guy." once he was out of earshot.

"It must be hard for him," Twilight nodded, "Not knowing anything about who you are and where you came from. I'm sure Flash can understand that more than anypony. I remember how hard it was for him to not know about his past."

Applejack sat back, "Ah wish there was a way ta help him find out where he came from." Twilight nodded, then turned to the hairbrush...only for a bulb to go off in her head.





Three days later...

It was another beautiful day in Ponyville, completely different from the dark cloudy skies that had been over the town for the last few days. And on the road to Twilight's castle, Applejack and Rogue were trotting along the trail. "Why are we going to the castle?" The bat pony asked, yawning as Applejack had just pulled him out of the barn as soon as he had woken up. "Don't tell me Twilight's planning on planting apple trees behind it."

"Nope," Applejack chuckled as they reached the crystal construct. "She's got a special surprise just for you." She knocked on the door and a minute later, it opened to show a smiling Flash.

"Hey there!" he waved, "You're just in time! They're about to start."

"Start what?" Rogue asked, but the ponies didn't reply. They just told him to follow as they made their way through the castle until they reached the library. Pushing the doors open, they found Twilight, Starlight and Soul standing around a table with something on top of it: The hairbrush he had found. "I wondered where that had gotten too."

"You girls ready?" Twilight asked, the pair nodding before lighting their horns. They all closed their eyes and concentrated, Rogue about to ask what they were doing until Flash held his wing to his mouth to make a shushing motion. They watched as the alicorns fired a blast of magic that struck the brush.

The cleaning instrument hovered off the ground and began spinning around and around, moving faster by the second as the alicorns kept blasting it. Then there was a bright flash of light that filled the library and blinded everypony in it. And when the light faded, they glanced back and saw the girls had stopped blasting the brush. It continued to float, but slowly lowered itself until it hovered just above the table. Twilight reached out and pushed the brush so it spun ninety degrees, but when she pulled her hoof back, the brush spun so it was pointing in the same direction as before. "It worked."

"What worked?" Rogue asked, "What did you do?"

"We managed to cast a special spell on the brush," Twilight gestured for him to come closer, "This spell is designed to allow for an object to locate its own. It acts like a compass, pointing in the direction the owner's in."

"Seriously?!" Rogue gasped, getting a nod from her. "How does that work?!"

"It's a concept similar to Springer's aura tracking. If somepony uses something a lot and only them, they form a spiritual attachment to the item. Think of it like a string connecting the two. The spell connects to that string and allows the item to point in its direction." She tapped the brush at this, "Though the spell only has a radius of a mile, but the three of us together were able to supercharge it."

"So as long as I have this, I can find that bat pony from before?" They nodded. "That's great! I can finally find them and maybe even meet more just like me!"

"That's the idea," Flash chimed in. "But you're not going alone."

Rogue raised an eyebrow as Applejack stepped up next to him. "Ah'm gonna go with yah."

"Me too," Twilight added, "This'll be a great way to learn more about bat pony culture."

Flash tapped the blade at his side, "And I'm coming just in case things get dicey."

Rogue went wide-eyed at this before saying, "Wow...thank you so much. I really appreciate this."

"No problem," Flash replied before turning to Twilight, "Though uh...do we need to hurry? I'm guessing even supercharging might not be enough if that bat pony gets too far."

"You're right, but the spell should last." Twilight replied before she gestured to Flash to get his and her's things before they teleported back to Sweet Apple Acres.

As it turned out, the other Apples had already packed their bags. Plenty of golden apples were stored in Rogue's saddlebag, the bat pony thanking them. Once ready, Twilight teleported them six miles in the direction the brush was pointing. Since it didn't change direction on the other side, they knew they hadn't overshot. And so, the four began their journey across the lands, the brush continuing to point them in the same direction, shifting only a few degrees left or right every now and then. They spent the entire day trekking through Equestria, happy that they hadn't run into any serious obstacles.

The biggest was a large lake, but the three fliers were able to carry Applejack over the body of water without issue. It wasn't long after that that the sun began to set, the four travelers setting up a temporary campsite for the night. Later, as the moon shined brightly in the sky, Rogue was haning in a nearby tree, unable to get to sleep. Applejack was snoozing below him while Flash and Twilight slept together on the other side of the fire.

The thestral's wings twitched, uncovering themselves from around him as he let out a sigh and opened his eyes. "Can't sleep?" He looked down and saw Applejack laying on her back, staring up at him.

"Yeah," he sighed, "Being up at night ain't natural for me."

"Yeah. But travellin' around in the dark ain't great either." Rogue nodded back, "This ain't just about it bein' nighttime, is it?"

Rogue glanced away at this, "I...I guess I'm just nervous." He swung himself back and forth until he swung up all the way onto the branch before starting up at the stars. "I mean...what if I find out something that I won't like? Like...what if I was left at that tree for a reason?"

Applejack got out of her sleeping bag and climbed up the tree until she was on the same branch Rogue was on, soon staring at the stars with him, "You were left at that tree because those golden apples were the only thing that could stop you from dying."

"Yeah...but why was I left there? Somepony must have took me there or...something. Why didn't they stay behind? Did I do something bad and they...you konw, banished me to that cave with no memory?"

"No way," Applejack shook her head, "Yer no criminal. Well...yah stole mah apples, but that was understandable. I know yer not a bad pony."

"Maybe now," Rogue replied, "Who knows what I was like before I lost my memory. I could have been a jerk who hurt tons of ponies or did who knows what! What if I find this mare and a lot of other thestrals and discover I'm the worst pony imaginable?!"

Applejack just closed her eyes and put a hoof on his shoulder. "If that's the truth, ya'll do whatever yah can ta make it right. What happened in yer past don't matter. It's what yah do in dah here and now that counts. And yah've shown everypony in Ponyville you can be a kind honest pony that they can rely on."

Rogue smiled at this, looking up at her. The two locked eyes and stared at one another, not looking away for a long while. Applejack then felt herself moving closer to him, her body acting on its own. But as she did this, they both heard something. A creaking sound coming from the branch they were on.

And before they could react, a loud snapping sound filled the air and the pair found themselves falling toward the ground. They cried out as they hit the dirt, the sound waking Flash and Twilight. "Whoa! What's going on?!" Flash yelped as the pair glanced around, then saw Applejack and Rogue sitting up and moaning. "You two okay?"

The two turned to one another and blushed before sliding away, "We're fine!" They said an unison, Flash and Twilight raising an eyebrow at this.





The next morning...

After everypony had gotten a good night's sleep, the four continued their quest. They followed the brush's compass-like lead through a thick forest, finding animals no bigger than a bunny living within. "How much further do you think it is?" Rogue asked, getting antsy as they kept marching through the unknown.

"Who knows," Twilight replied, "For all we know, the mare's still on the move as well. It could be a long time before we catch up with her."

Rogue sighed at this, only for the group to enter a clearing that went to a cliff going up around twenty to thirty meters, the trees forming a semicircle clearing around it. The sound of rushing water filled their ears and they turned to see a waterfall in the center of the cliff, flowing down into a large pool at the bottom. The quartet entered the clearing and moved up to the pool, happy to see it since they were starting to run low on water. They filled up their water-bottles using the waterfall while Twilight stared at the brush as it floated on the ground, then up at the top of the cliff. "Maybe...they're up there?"

"You think so?" Flash asked, Twilight shrugging.

"It's possible. This would be a really good place for a town or village. The forest isn't full of deadly animals, so getting food there wouldn't be hard, and this flowing water would be usual for a settlement."

Rogue smiled at this and shot into the air, "Then let's go!" Flash and Twilight grabbed Applejack and lifted her up, the four making their way to the top. Rogue was first, glancing around until the sight before him made his smile fade. There was nothing on top, no sign sof a town, village or a single shack.

Twilight placed a hoof on Rogue's shoulder, "I'm sorry."

"No," Rogue shook his head, "It's fine. I shouldn't have gotten so eager."

Twilight wanted to reply, only to turn to the brush...and saw it point somewhere new. It was still pointing in the same angle it had before, but this time the tip pointed straight toward the ground. "What?" She blinked, the others seeing this as well.

"Why's it doing that?" Applejack asked. "Did she somehow get under us?"

Flash tilted his head at this, "Huh? Is she underground?"

Twilight's eyes went wide as she heard those words, "Of course," she slammed her hoof into her head, "Stupid! I can't believe I didn't realize that!"

"Realize what?" Rogue asked, Twilight picking up the brush before glancing around.

"Isn't it obvious? She's a bat pony. One of the few things known about bat ponies is that they're cave dwellers. Like how pegasi live mostly in clouds, they live mostly in caves." She patted the ground beneath them, "The owner is somewhere beneath our hooves...which means this cliff must be hollow!"

"So she is underground." Flash added before looking back at the cliff. "Hmm..."

"Well, if she's under us, can't yah just magic us inside?" Applejack asked next, only for Twilight to shake her head.

"No. If I don't know what's waiting for us under there, I can't teleport us in safely. I could end up sticking one of us halfway through a wall or something." Applejack grimaced at this, only to turn and see Flash walk over to the river leading to the waterfall.

Looking over the side, he stared at the pool, "That water's blasting in, but it's not overflowing..."

"Flash?" he looked back at Twilight, "You find something?"

"Maybe." He responded, "Only one way to find out." He jumped onto his back hooves and tipped backwards, the others going wide-eyed as he fell over the edge.

"FLASH!" They yelped, rushing to the edge and looking down to see Flash fall into the pool. And before Twilight could grab him in her magic, he hit the water and disappeared beneath. They waited...and waited...and waited, but Flash didn't resurface.

After a full minute of nothing happening, Twilight went wide-eyed, "Wait...could it be that?" She turned to the others, "Come on." She dove off the edge next, Rogue and Applejack gasping as she hit the water and disappeared as well. Seeing this, they chose to put their faith in their friends and leaped over the edge as well.

Both fell towards the water, fearing they might break something when they crashed through it...only to hit the liquid and find...nothing. No bottom, as the pool was a lot deeper than they thought. They slowed to a stop near the bottom, only to see an underwater cave sucking up the water just as quickly as it was being fed by the waterfall. The current grabbed the pair, and they just had enough time to get a good hold of their bags, hat and shades before they were pulled inside.

They then were yanked into a tunnel that doubled as a water slide, the two ponies wanting to scream but fearing they would drown if they did so. They zipped left, right and down a few times, only to shoot out of a tunnel into midair. But before either of them could begin to fall, they glowed purple and stopped. They looked down and saw the water from the tunnel fell into a small river, which flowed through the cavern they were in. And when they saw the caver, they gasped.

It was almost as large as Ponyville and was around fifty meters high. Large pillars filled the cavern, which had spiraling ramps going from the floor to the roof, and holes every few meters up. But the most amazing thing of note was the stone building that made up a large town. Some were single stories, others had two or three levels, and in the center was a large building that Rogue could only assume was some kind of town hall. Every building, pillar and the roof itself were embedded with strange crystals that let out a gentle glow. One crystal wasn't bright enough to light the cavern, but thousands of crystals together were able to give the cavern enough light for Rogue to see perfectly without his shades.

And flying around this town, many bat ponies of differing shapes, sizes and colors could be seen. Flash and Twilight flew up next to them, Twilight's magic holding the two up. She let Rogue go and he started flying on his own, though he was too focused on the town to really hear on what they were saying. "This is it," he whispered. "This must be where I come from."

"Maybe," Flash chimed in, "But how did you end up getting from here to Ponyville without any memories?" But before they could speculate, they noticed a squadron of bat ponies flying up with weapons. "We got company." He flew to the front of the group as the thestrals arrived and pointed their spears at them.

"Halt!" The lead pony called out, Flash trying to make out his features in the dim light. Flash could almost mistake him for a zebra, having a black coat with peach colored stripes adorning his body. His mouth was entirely peach colored, and he had blood red eyes while also wearing purple armor that Flash would almost mistake for a royal guard's uniform. "You are trespassing on our lands! State your purpose here!"

"Please wait!" Twilight flew up, the thestrals raising an eyebrow until they noticed she was an alicorn. "We're not here to cause trouble. We've come to find somepony and return something."

The lead thestral stared at her for a moment, only to turn to Rogue and glare at the batpony, "Oh? And why is he with you?!" He hissed, making the group go wide-eyed.

"Do you know him?" Twilight asked.

"No, but he's not a part of this cloud. And any thestral from another cloud is considered an enemy."

"That's kind of dumb." Flash chimed in, "For all you know, we could have come to warn you of some kind of attack. Considering us an enemy before even knowing us isn't exactly smart." The thestrals glared at him, their eyes shifting to the sword on his back.

"Foxhelm!" One of the guards turned to the leader, "What do we do with them?" The thestral glared back at the group, Rogue flinching at the stare.

"We'll take them to my father. He'll decide what to do with them." The guards nodded and surrounded the newcomers, pointing their spears at them to get the four to follow Foxhelm as he flew off. They soon flew after the guard over the underground city, soon seeing the many bat ponies staring up at them. And whenever a young bat pony locked eyes with them, they quickly leapt behind a wall or into a house to hide.

Eventually, they reached the town-hall building and Foxhelm gestured for them to land. And as they did this, the ponies saw that the large stone building only had a curtain for a door. "Wait here." Foxhelm told them before heading inside, the four sharing glances before he returned a few minutes later. "My father will see you."

They soon walked inside, now seeing the inside was not much different from the outside. It was the same stony appearance, with very little comfort. Wooden chairs and tables filled the large hall, while a large stone stage could be seen at the back of the room. It looked more like a bar than a town hall. Foxhelm pointed them to a curtain door to the right of the stage, the group heading over there. And when they stepped past the curtain, they found themselves in a smaller room with a single stone table in the middle.

Sitting behind it was a thestral that looked like Foxhelm, though his stripes were gray instead of peach. He eyed the first three ponies with a slow stare, only to gasp when he saw Rogue. "Nightscreech!" He hissed before pointing at him, "Arrest him!" Barely a second after saying that, Foxhelm attempted to grab Rogue.

"Whoa!" The thestral leapt away and Flash jumped in front of him, pulling out his sword.

"Back off!" He yelled, Applejack putting her hoof in front of Rogue at this.

"Hold on!" Twilight called out, putting up a magic barrier around her and her friends. "Let's calm down! We didn't come to fight!"

"You brought that thing here!" The older thestral growled, pointing at Rogue. "You dare dishonor us by returning what should never have existed?!" Rogue grimaced at this, his eyes shrinking at those words, "Who do you think you are, coming in here and bringing him with you?!"

Twilight glared back at him at this, "I am Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship and a ruler of Equestria." She didn't like using her title like this, but the situation definitely called for it as she continued, "And even though this is your land, it's situated inside Equestria, which means you must obey my orders. We are here for answers, as our friend here does not know his origins, and we mean to find out."

The older thestral glared at her, the two staring at each other before he gestured to Foxhelm, the batpony nodding and stepping back. Twilight's sighed in relief before carefully dropping the shield, only to stare at the thestral leader. "Good. Now, maybe we can talk like civilized ponies?"

"There's nothing to talk about," he hissed before pointing at Rogue. "That useless bat shouldn't even be alive right now! I knew banishing you wasn't enough. Of course you'd come back!"

Rogue shrunk back at this, now feeling Applejack pat his shoulder as she glared at the thestral. As this happened, Twilight walked in front of them, "And can I ask why he was banished? Has he committed some kind of crime?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you. I deemed him worthless, and any bat pony deemed so is nothing but a plague on our cloud!" He hissed at Rogue before slamming his hoof on the table, "Mark my words. Once your friends leave, I'll deal with you the way we should have from the start!"

"Ya'll think we're gonna leave him here with you?" Applejack yelled, the thestral now glaring at her. "No way. We came here because we wanted Rogue to learn where he came from. Now ah'm starting to think he was better off without yah."

"You dare?!" He began to yell, only to turn to Twilight, "You are the princess, so I can't do anything to you." He then pointed at Rogue, "But he must leave this place and never return. He was banished, and I will not allow him to stay any longer than he should be."

Twilight glared at him, opening her mouth before-

"Fine," they turned to Rogue as he walked past Applejack, "It's clear I'm not welcome here, so I'll leave as soon as I do what I came here to do." With that, he pushed past Foxhelm and left the room.

"Rogue!" Applejack yelped as she ran after him, Flash soon following. Twilight gave the thestral leader one final glare before turning to leave as well. And as they did this, Foxhelm turned back to his father.

"Was that really necessary?"

The older bat pony leaned back in his chair. "When you take over, you'll need to learn how to make the best decisions for the cloud. What I did and what I must do, I do to protect our race. With so few of us left, we cannot allow ourselves to have any weakness. Especially with something as cursed as him."





Back outside, Rogue ran out of the hall, his eyes clenching as he fought back tears. And as he kept running, a certain pony was sprinting after him, "Rogue!" Applejack called out, Rogue slowly stopping until she reached him and put a hoof on his shoulder, "Ah...ah'm sorry about what happened."

"We all are," Twilight added as she and Flash walked up as well.

"Who does that jerk think he is?!" Flash growled, "Saying Rogue shouldn't even be alive...he should be-"

"Just forget it," Rogue interrupted, "Let's just return that brush and get out of here." He started trotting off, "It's clear I'm not welcome."

The others shared a glance before sighing, Twilight taking out the brush and using it to locate the pony Rogue had seen. They soon found themselves moving closer to the way in, the group wondering how they were supposed to leave since that current only appeared to go one way. And as they travelled through the town, the thestrals all ran away, hiding from the four. They were all different dark colors, making them perfect creatures of the night. Many were black or dark blue, but some were dark green, gray, dark red and many others.

Eventually, they arrived at a two-story house that looked almost rundown. Its walls were covered in cracks, and the curtains that made up the door and window were tattered. The brush pointed right at it, meaning the owner was inside. "Here goes nothing," Rogue sighed before taking the brush, took a deep breath, and knocked on the wall...but had no response. "Hello?" He asked, deciding to open the curtain and look inside. Doing so, his nose was assaulted by many weird smells.

He then slowly walked in, only to find it wasn't a house, but a store. It was full of shelves that had many jars full of different plants and berries, with a wooden counter at the back with another curtain leading into the back room. The others stepped inside, Rogue moving up to the counter and noticing a bell.

He rang it, only for a female voice to call out, "I'll be out in a moment." A few seconds later, somepony walked out from behind the curtain, and when she and Rogue locked eyes, they both gasped.

It was the mare Rogue had seen before, the older thestral with the brown coat. She covered her mouth with her hooves, the others turning to her as she looked Rogue up and down. "You...you're here." She looked ready to start crying as she slowly walked around the counter. "Look at you. You've grown so much." She slowly reached out to place a hoof on his cheek, but stopped halfway. "You...you shouldn't be here. But you are and..." She finally touched his cheek, "You've come back."

Rogue blinked at her, raising an eyebrow as he slowly pulled his head away from her hoof, "Should I...know you?"

This made the mare flinch and glance away, "You should...but you don't because of me." She turned back to him, "But a mother can never forget her child." Hearing those words, Rogue's heart stopped as his friends stared at the mare as if she had just grown a second head. "Oh Nightscreech."

"That's not my name," he instantly replied, "My name is Rogue."

The mare went wide-eyed at this, only to sigh, "Of course you would take another name."

"Another name? What do you mean?"

The question made the mare shake, putting a hoof to her mouth as she responded, "I...well...you see...your name was Nightscreech. You once lived here, in this store, with me. I raised you right here, with love and care."

Rogue went wide-eyed at this, only for Applejack to walk in front of Rogue with a snarl, "Oh yeah?! If ya'll loved him so much, why'd yah leave him in that cave?! Yah said it was because of you that he can't remember, so yah obviously did something ta him that made him forget. Is that somethin yah do ta those yah love around here?!"

She flinched at the mare, only to look away as Rogue continued to stare at her. She took a deep breath and whispered, "Why don't we discuss this in the back room? I can make you all some tea and we can talk properly." She didn't give them time to answer as she zipped into the back room, the others following suit and they found themselves in a little kitchen with a wooden table that was only a few inches high off the ground.

They all sat around it, there being no chairs, while the mare prepared some tea. As it turned out, her name was Echo and she apparently worked as a herbal remedist for the cloud.

"Here," she placed the cups down on the table, "I'm sure you're all tired from your long trip. This tea is made using plants that have a re-energizing effect." They stared at the green liquid, Flash taking a sip first before going wide-eyed.

"Wow," he gasped, "This is great." The others took a sip and realised he was right, all soon drinking and feeling re-energized as they did so. Echo smiled as she sipped her own tea. "So what's the deal?" Flash asked once his tea was half down, "Why did you abandon Rogue?"

"And why don't I remember anything?"

Echo's smile vanished as she sat back. "I'm sorry. I didn't have a choice." The others's eyes narrowed at this, "It's the way of the cloud. If somepony is deemed worthless, they're not welcome here. Our leader Fangpire, is judge, jury and executioner. If he decides a thestral is a strain on the cloud, he gets rid of them."

"That's horrible," Twilight whispered, "And...and illegal. I can't believe something like this is happening in Equestria and the princesses don't know about it!"

Echo shook her head, "Fangpire likes it like that. His family has led this cloud for three generations. Ever since his grandfather came to the cloud from the outside and challenged the leader of the time. He won, and his descendants have been the cloud's leading body ever since. And when they decide something, nopony can refuse."

"So...he just decided to get rid of me?" Rogue asked, Echo nodding.

"I was just a young mare when I had you. Your father..." She let out a dreamy sigh, "He was so...wonderful." She glanced away next, Rogue seeing a frown appear on her face again, "He...he died in an accident when you were just a baby." The others grimaced at this, only for her to continue, "I raised you on my own, and everything...was amazing. Especially when we discovered you had inherited my family's ability." They raised an eyebrow at this. "You have the ability to unleash a high pitched sonic blast, one so powerful it could possibly cause this entire cavern to collapse." Rogue nodded, knowing this. "That's not a trait exclusive to you. I have it. So did my father, and his father and many more."

"So it's genetic," Twilight added.

Echo nodded. "Once, there were many members of this cloud with that ability. It's what allowed us to survive for so long. Centuries ago, our cloud didn't always live in caves. In fact, we were some of the most respected creatures in Equestria. Or...at least ponies feared us enough to show respect." This caused them to raise an eyebrow again, "Our cloud once served a princess of the night. Acting as her guardians and the peacekeepers whenever the sun went down."

"You were night guards?" Flash asked, Echo nodding again. Flash had heard about thestrals once being guards under Celestia and Luna. He also knew that when Nightmare Moon was banished, the thestral guards vanished into thin air and required Celestia and Luna to use a glamour charm on the night guards to keep up the tradition.

"Yes. The story goes that after the night princess vanished, the ponies of Equestria began to turn against us. They believed that any creature that chooses to live at nighttime did not deserve respect. They forced us out and we had to run."

This made them all glance at each other, Applejack saying, "Ponies wouldn't do that."

"Maybe not now," Flash replied, "But things were a lot different a thousand years ago. The ponies lived by the sun and anything that didn't sleep at night probably wanted to eat the things that did."

Twilight grimaced at this, "If this happened right after Nightmare Moon's banishment, Celestia must have been so heartbroken taht she wasn't able to tell it was happening to the thestrals. By the time she recovered...they probably left and she had no idea where they went."

Echo nodded again. "We lived in fear for a long time, but eventually we found this place and made it our home. We used our sonic blasts to carve the cavern you see here and make it our home. But since then, we've hidden away. We leave only at night, where we search the forest for food and supplies. It wasn't easy, but we survive." She let out a sigh at this, "However, as time went on, our cloud found ourselves losing the sonic blast power. Thestrals were being born without the power. First it was one in ten being born without it. Then one in three. Now...I am one of only three bat ponies able to wield this power."

"And I'm one of them?" Rogue asked, Echo nodding.

"Fangpire was so happy when he learned you had this power...but then we discovered something was wrong with you."

"My venom."

"Yes. Ponies with the sonic blast ability don't have as powerful venom, something that developed to become more potent when they lost it, but it's still strong enough to cause serious harm. And when we discovered your venom was somehow being forced into your blood, everything went downhill."

"So...you just abandoned me?" Rogue glared, Echo shaking her head.

"No...not at first. We knew you would eventually become immune to the poison, so I started treating you with a special concoction that nullified poison. And at first, it appeared to work. But the ingredients needed to make it were hard to find, and I could barely keep up with acquiring them. And as you got older, your venom grew stronger and you needed more powerful doses. And eventually...Fangpire decided you were too much of a burden to keep around."

"That's horrible," Twilight whispered, "Because of something Rogue couldn't control, he decided to just get rid of him?!"

"It's...not as simple as that. Night...Rogue on his own wasn't so bad. But if he got older and had a family..." She frowned at her son, "This is a genetic disorder that you have. One you'll likely pass down to your children if you ever have any. Imagine if you had three children with that disorder. And even if they survived to adulthood, they could have children with the same issues. Fangpire believed that if you survived, your genetic disorder would end up...polluting the cloud's bloodline."

"So he tried to get rid of me," Rogue growled.

Echo slowly nodded. "I knew I couldn't let him do anything to you, so I came up with a plan." She got up and moved over to a nearby shelf and pulled out a book, showing it to them that it was a book of legends. "I had grown up hearing stories of the golden apple tree, located in Canterlot, its fruit having the magical power to nullify all toxins. I planned to take you there and leave you in the care of the ponies there. I hoped that the day-walkers would be willing to help...but Fangpire didn't like the idea of trusting them with the knowledge of us existing."

"Not too trusting, is he?" Flash asked with crossed hooves, Echo sighing.

"Yes. I knew he wouldn't allow anypony that knew of us to leave the cloud, so I came up with a plan." She sat back down, "I knew of a potion with the power to completely wipe the drinker's memory. It wasn't easy to make, but I knew it was the only way to save you. Once it was created, I took you out of the cloud and escaped, heading for Canterlot. You thought we were going on a vacation, but the truth was, we were searching for a new home for you."

"So...you tried to take me to Canterlot?" Rogue continued, Echo nodding.

"But Fangpire realized what I was doing and sent soldiers out after us. They caught up to us as we reached the rocky area you know well. I tried to hide from them in the caves, but they found us and I went deeper and deeper. That's when I found the tree. Imagine my surprise when I found one right there."

"What did the others do when they found you?" Applejack asked.

"They were just as amazed as I was. But they didn't forget why they were there and tried to...end your suffering." Rogue flinched at this, "But I...I managed to convince them that my plan would work. I gave you a golden apple, and when you ate it, the pain you were in at the time stopped. I realized this tree could work. I gave you the memory potion and when you blacked out, I left with the others."

"You left him?!" Applejack yelled, "Just like that?!"

"I had no choice," Echo replied, tears pouring down her eyes now, the sight making Applejack flinch, "I...I was the last member of our cloud with the sonic blast. Fangpire would never allow me to stay with him if it meant the cloud lost its greatest weapon." She turned to Rogue, "If I didn't leave you, Fangpire would have dragged me away and made sure I couldn't return to you...by taking you out of the equation." More tears streamed down her face as she said, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. Leaving you behind like that was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But I had too."

Rogue stared at her, the other three glancing between the two, not making a sound. As for the bat pony, his mind suddenly went back to when he heard about Flash's story from his parents. From the sounds of it, Echo had more reason to abandon him than Flash's parents and he had forgiven them. "I understand," he nodded before glancing away, "I...I might have a hard time accepting what you did...but I understand."

"We all can," Twilight chimed in, "I know it must have been hard for you to do what you did. I can't imagine leaving your child behind and being all alone for so long."

"Well..." Echo sighed again, "I wouldn't say I've been entirely alone."

They all blinked at this, only to hear another voice call out from the store. "Mom?" They turned to the curtain just as it was pulled aside to reveal a young thestral. His body was entirely black, but he had the same white around his mouth and on his hooves as Echo. His mane and tail were a combo of blue and red, while his cutie mark was a strange sun shape. The thestral lookd up at them and raised an eyebrow. "Mom? Who are they?"

"Banshee," Echo got up and moved over to him. "I'm glad you're home. I have somepony I need to introduce you to." She turned to Rogue, "This is your older brother." The thestrals went wide-eyed as they stared at one another, "Rogue, this is Banshee. My son." The siblings stared at one another for several long seconds, Rogue in utter bewilderment and Banshee, though shocked at first, smiled at him.

"You...had another kid?"

"Not...exactly by choice," Echo replied before hugging her younger child. "But I still love him."

Banshee stepped up to Rogue, "Hi there!" He held up a hoof, "I've always wanted to meet you."

"You...know about me?" Rogue asked, taking the hoof and shaking it.

"Yeah! Mom told me all about you." He frowned at his next words, "And what Fangpire made her do to you." He then smiled again before pulling Rogue into a hug. "I'm so glad you're actually here!" Rogue went stiff at this, barely moving before patting the pony on the head.

"It's...nice to meet you too."

Twilight turned to Echo, "What do you mean you didn't have a choice?" Echo grimaced at this, Twilight flinching at her response before she added, "Wait...were you...forced? Did Fangpire...make you do something you didn't want?"

Echo rubbed her hoof as she slowly replied, "He didn't exactly...force me. More...pressured me. As soon as I returned from leaving Rogue, he told me I needed to pass my power to a real thestral. I'm lucky he even let me pick my partner."

"Partner?" Rogue asked as Banshee stopped hugging him.

"My dad," he explained, "He and mom aren't...together, but they both treat me really good."

Echo slowly nodded as the others grimaced, "Forcing somepony to give birth because of something like this," Twilight whispered, "It's...despicable."

"It's even worse than you think," Echo added, "As a mare, I can only have one child at a time. But as a stallion...Banshee can have several children at once. Once he's old enough, I'm sure Fangpire has intentions for him to pass on his sonic blast to as much of the next generation as possible."

Their eyes went wide at this, Banshee frowning in response. Seeing this, Rogue felt something flow through him. Anger, the likes of which he had never felt before. But before he could say anything, Echo changed the subject. "Enough about us. What about you?" Rogue tilted his head at this, "I know the cave was destroyed and...I couldn't take it anymore. I had to be sure you were okay. I went to check on you, but...then I feared the worst until I saw you."

Rogue turned to Applejack, the mare nodding before he began to tell her everything that had happened since waking up in that cave. The years he spent alone, defending the tree, the drakeladon's attack and Rogue's meeting with his friends. Them helping him get the apple that they then grew into multiple trees and so much more.

"You've...lived such an amazing life," Echo smiled. "I'm so glad you found ponies to call your friends." Rogue turned to smile at the three, Echo noticing his gaze linger on Applejack.

But before anypony could say anything else, the crystals that lit the room began to grow dimmer. "What's going on?" Twilight asked, using her horn to light the place up.

"It just went eleven AM," Banshee replied before letting out a yawn. "Bedtime." The non-nocturnal ponies all blinked at this, only to realize that to bat ponies, eleven in the morning was like eleven at night.

"I'm sorry," Echo added while yawning, "I've been up since dusk. We're gonna have to pick this up tomorrow, if that's okay."

"I...I don't know," Rogue responded, "Fangpire seemed...pretty upset about me being here. If I'm not gone soon-"

"We're staying," Twilight interrupted, "I intend to have a long conversation with that pony, and you deserve to get to know your family better."

"She's right," Applejack added, "Ta heck with what he said. We're stickin' around and puttin' things the way they should be around here!"

Echo frowned at them, only to see the determined stares on their faces, "Be careful. Fangpire doesn't like when others try to go against him. He'll see you staying here as a threat against his rule."

"Good," Rogue replied before telling them to go to bed. Echo stared at him for a bit, only to go off to sleep while the ponies remained in the kitchen. A few minutes later, Rogue decided to get some air and stepped out into the darkness of the cavern. The lights were dim, but not so dim he couldn't see. He flew up and landed on the house's roof, the thestral staring out at the city. He wondered, if things were different, would he feel some kind of familiarity with this place. A sense of being home.

"I thought you said you were leaving." Rogue looked up and spotted Foxhelm, standing on the roof of a higher building.

"Things change," Rogue replied before seeing the thestral glare at him, making Rogue wave his hoof, "Relax, I don't intend to stay forever. I'll need to leave in a few days to get back home restock my apples."

"Apples?" Foxhelm asked, but then shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You are not welcome here."

"Why?"

"Because my father deemed it so, and those are the rules."

"Then some rules are meant to be broken," Rogue responded, "If the rules stated you had to be blindfolded while cooking over a hot stove, would you do it?!" Foxhelm growled at him, only for Rogue to add, "Look. I just found out I have a mom and a brother. I'm not gonna let you or anypony else stop me from getting to know them properly. So just stay out of my way and I promise I won't cause any problems. And if you do try and get in my way, I have an alicorn and a Royal Knight on my team. I know for a fact an entire squadron of bat ponies couldn't stop them."

Foxhelm glared at him, only to jump off the building and fly away. Rogue smirked at this and continued to stare out at the town, wishing he could join his thestral brethren in sleep at that moment.





Foxhelm returned to the town hall and flew inside, finding his father drinking at the bar. "Well?" He grumbled out.

"He's met with Echo and Banshee. He...intends to stay for a while and get to know them better." He would have said more, but Fangpire shattered the glass in his hoof.

"I knew I shouldn't have let him live."

"Father," Foxhelm squeak out, "We need to be careful. The alicorn-"

"To heck with the alicorn! I am the leader of this cloud, and I will not allow this farce to continue! Tomorrow, I'm dealing with that failure once and for all!"





That night...

The crystals lit up and illuminated the cavern, signaling the thestrals in the cave to awaken. This included Rogue, who had ended up falling asleep on the rooftop, while Flash, Twilight and Applejack had also ended up dozing due to the lack of light and things to do. They all let out a yawn and glanced around, only to remember where they were.

A moment later, they heard movement coming from upstairs and turned to a curtained doorway as Echo and Banshee stepped inside. "Evening everypony," Echo told them, the group about to say morning before realizing it wasn't that. "Would anypony like breakfast?" They nodded as the mare moved over to a cupboard and opened it up. Despite the place looking desolate, the food was in abundance. "Fangpire keeps us well fed," she explained when they asked, "He knows that unless we stay healthy, the scream could end up lost."

"But he doesn't chip in to get this place repaired?!" Flash replied.

"This house is all I own. It's all I have that's mine. I can't afford to buy a new one, and the only way I could get a new house is if I..."

"Marry somepony and have their kids?" Twilight asked, Echo nodding. "That's ridiculous!"

"It's not so bad," Echo sighed, "This house might not look like much, but it's gonna stay standing for a good long while. I don't need anything fancy."

"But you deserve it." They turned to the door, Rogue now walking in, "You don't deserve what they've done to you here. Making you give up your child. Forcing you to have another with somepony you didn't love," he threw Banshee an apologetic look. "All of it. It's not right."

"It's for the good of the cloud," she responded.

"Maybe. But if something needs ponies to suffer in order to survive, then it doesn't deserve to survive."

Echo glanced away at this, slowly replying, "And what would you have us do? Leave?" She waited for answer, only for Rogue to go silent, making her look back at him, "Rogue...where would we go? Thestrals aren't welcome in Equestria."

"Not at all." Twilight chimed in while shaking her head, "What happened a thousand years ago was terrible, but like I said: It was a thousand years ago. Ponies nowadays aren't as scared as they used to be of the dark. I guarantee you would be accepted now."

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "There's plenty of places you could live without issue. Heck, go to Manehatten. That city has just as many nocturnal ponies as this place."

Echo just blinked at their words, only to look down at the floor, "But...but this is the only home I've ever known."

"Can you really call it a home if you have no choices here?" Rogue asked before walking up to her, making her glance up and see a pleading look on his face. "I can keep you safe." He turned to Applejack, "We can take 'em to Sweet Apple Acres, right?"

"Heck yeah!" Applejack nodded, "Ya'll be more than welcome there."

Rogue turned back to his mother, only for her to whisper, "I...I have to think about it." She turned to walk out of the room, the breakfast she had been preparing laying half made on the counter.

The others all shared frowns, Banshee's eyes shifting around until he spoke up, "Um...I'm not sure about it either. I mean, this is all I know too. Even if there's some bad..." Rogue frowned at this, but knew he was right. If he had been given the choice, would he have chosen to live in Ponyville as opposed to his cave?

But before he could answer that mental question-

"ROGUE!" Echo's voice made them gasp before they heard her scream, all running out of the house. But as they did this, they then found themselves surrounded by almost every thestral guard in the city, all dressed in armor with weapons ready.

At the front of the group, Foxhelm and Fangpire glared at them, "Nightscreech!" Fangpire roared, "I have shown you mercy before, but you've shown you can't be trusted! Surrender yourself and your friends will not be hurt!"

The others glared at them, Flash reaching for his blade before Rogue walked in front of him. "Relax Fangpire. You'll never see me again after today. I'm leaving." He glanced back at Echo and Banshee, "And I'm taking my family with me." Every thestral's eyes went wide as Rogue turned back to them. "If you try and stop us, you'll be breaking Equestrian law. Right Twilight?"

The princess nodded. "If you attempt to hold them here for no reason, you'll be charged with kidnapping and wrongful imprisonment." She then decided to overplay her hoof, "All I need to do is send a single mental command and the entire army will be sent here. You can't possibly think you stand a chance against those kinds of odds."

"You dare?!" Fangpire growled.

"Oh, I dare," Rogue hissed, "I'm not gonna let you hurt my family anymore! They're free ponies, not your breeding stock." He glanced back at them, "Go get your things." They nodded and ran inside, only for Fangpire fly down and land in front of them.

"You can't do this! They're our future!"

"Oh, but I can. It's a free country, and if they want to leave, you have no right to stop them."

Fangpire's face became a tomato, growling as he prepared to explode...only to suddenly smile as if Hearts Warming had come early. "I'm gonna give you one last chance to retract that statement before I do something you'll regret."

"You don't scare me," Rogue replied as Echo and Banshee returned with saddlebags of their few belongings.

"Maybe not you, but there is something that'll scare them. I challenge you to...a Grand Duel!" Gasps filled the air, only Rogue and his pony friends not doing so.

"A grand what?"

"A fight," Echo gulped, "A fight to the death, with the winner being allowed to take anything they want from the loser. Including family."

"What?! That's barbaric!" Twilight yelled.

"It's an ancient tradition," Fangpire countered while grinning at the alicorn, "It was created long before we thestrals came here. Your Princess Celestia and Luna often oversaw these duels. They're perfectly legal."

Rogue shook his head, "Well, no thanks. I'd rather not-"

"Careful colt. Refusing a duel means the challenger can still take one thing from you." He looked over at Banshee, Rogue going wide-eyed as Fangpire began to reach for the bat pony. "I think I'll take our future."

"And if I win?" Rogue chimed in, making Fangpire come to a stop.

"You'll take everything from me," Fangpire sighed as he glanced back at him, "My leadership. My possession and anything else you can think of that I can get you." He looked back at Banshee, "But if you refuse-"

"Fine," he hissed as the others ran up to him.

"Rogue," Echo said as she put a hoof on his chest, "Don't do this."

"I have to." He pulled a golden apple out of his bag and bit into it. "It's the only way you all can be free. Besides," he smirked, "This guy's so old I'll probably be able to take him down with a single scream."

The others shared a glance at this, Twilight replying, "I doubt he would have just did this. He must be planning something Rogue."

"She's right." Flash added before giving him his Lightbringer, "Here. You might need more than your scream to win this." Rogue finished off his apple and took the sword, "You won't be able to use the light attacks, but it'll still work as a sword."

Rogue nodded and turned back to Fangpire, only to go wide-eyed when he saw Foxhelm step up. "What are you doing?" He asked, "I thought I was fighting Fangpire."

The leader smirked at this, "Under our laws, any contestant in a Grand Duel may be allowed to have a member of their family sub in for them. So long as the leader of the cloud deems it worthy."

Rogue glared at him, "That's not a breach of power, is it?" He turned to Foxhelm, "So how many of these Grand Duels has he had you fight for him?" Foxhelm didn't answer, but the look on Rogue's face told him it had happened at least a few times.

"The rules are the rules," Foxhelm replied, "I must fight for my father." He pointed his spear at Rogue, "Prepare yourself."

Rogue raised his sword as the thestrals form a circle around them. He then slashed at Foxhelm, only for the armored thestral to pull back before thrusting his spear back and forth. The movement of the weapon made Rogue backpedal, now feeling like the spear were multiple weapons thrusting at him. But the blue and brown bat pony was able to avoid every thrust before leaping back to a safe distance.

"You've got skills," Foxhelm commented, "You're untrained, but you've clearly got experience fighting."

"Yeah," Rogue nodded, "I've had to fight every day since I woke up in that cave without my memory. I could never truly relax because every moment, I was worried something would show up and attack me. But then I met my friends, and I learned that trusting others was the only real way to live." He pointed his sword at Foxhelm, "And you can too. You don't have to hide away down here."

"Of course we do," Foxhelm replied, "We aren't accepted in Equestria."

"I was accepted," Rogue countered, "Without even a moment's hesitation, they opened their world up for me. They've accepted loads of different creatures, all that are just as scary as you think they see us. Dragons, yaks, jakhowls, changelings and so many more." He looked around at the thestrals staring at them, "You don't need to be scared. The ponies can help you."

"He's lying to you!" Fangpire screeched, "Those ponies have tricked him! Made him think he's welcome so that he could trick you into exposing ourselves to the world, so that they can hunt us down and destroy us!" He gestured around, "We're safe here without their help."

"Oh sure," Rogue sighed, "Safe, but forced to do things you don't wanna do." He turned around and yelled at the crowd, "I bet my mother's not the only one that's been forced to give up family or do something they would rather not do!" Every time he locked eyes with somepony, the look on their face told him he was right. "It doesn't have to be this way. You just have to trust the ponies."

"The only things we trust are ourselves," Fangpire yelled, "Foxhelm, finish him!" His son charged and thrusted as Rogue, but Rogue leapt back and took a deep breath. His friends covered their ears as Rogue unleashed a sonic blast, which echoed throughout the cavern and made Foxhelm flinch.

"Augh!" He cried, Rogue then charging as and slashing at Foxhelm, who barely managed to leap to the side to avoid Lightbringer.

"You dare use our cloud's ultimate weapon against us?!" Fangpire growled.

"It's more than just a weapon," Rogue said as Foxhelm tried to hit with his spear again, "It's a part of me. A gift from my mother. A gift you want her and Banshee to just give away without any thought for their choices." He blocked Foxhelm's spear as he said his next words, "I'm not gonna let that happen because of your overblown ego!"

"You know nothing," Foxhelm countered, "Sometimes a leader has to make tough decisions for the good of their subjects."

"You're right," Rogue pushed him away. "But a good leader doesn't make one subject suffer for many others." He leapt up and tried to kick Foxhelm, but the bat pony flared his wings beofre flying away, "They find a way for all to be happy, even if it means giving something up."

"We cannot give up the scream," Foxhelm replied, "Its power is the only thing that will keep us alive."

"That's not true," Twilight chimed in as Rogue flew up and the pair started dueling in the skies. "If the scream is something you evolved to protect yourself, the only reason it would go away is because you're not using it." This made the bat ponies turn to him, raising eyebrows as she turned to Echo and Banshee. "You said you're the last thestrals with this ability. How often do you use it?"

Echo opened her mouth to reply, only to pause before saying, "Um...its been a while. I mean, I've never used it that much. I discovered it when I was a child, and my parents taught me to use it so I wouldn't accidently hurt anypony, but other than that, I hardly use it. In fact...I haven't used it in over...three months."

This statement caused the thestrals to whisper, making Fangpire's eye twitch before Twilight exclaimed, "See?! This is evolution at work! Times are changing! You've outgrown the need for such an attack!"

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "You all have been hiding for so long that the scream's pretty much useless. You're probably better at sneak attacks and other stealthy means of fighting." The others continued to whisper at this, only for Fangpire to slam his hooves in the ground.

"Enough!" Fangpire roared, "Don't let them deceive you! The scream is very important, and will return to us full after a few generations of selective breeding. But for that to happen, Foxhelm, finish that fool!" Foxhelm charged again and Rogue barely managed to avoid his spear thrust before attempting to slash at the armored pony, but missed.

He fired a sonic blast next, though Foxhelm quickly ducked under Rogue before yelling, "Raaah!" He tackled Rogue to the ground and pinned him, his spear staff pushing against his back and wings. "Surrender. I don't want to kill you."

Rogue let out a moan, "Not if it means leaving my family here to be slaves."

"It's for-"

"The good of the cloud," Rogue interrupted, "But are you really helping the cloud? You can't see the future."

"I know," Foxhelm responded, "That's why we have to make the most calculated decisions. I don't want Banshee to have to have multiple children with multiple mares, but we may need to power of the scream one day."

"And what about the rejects?" Rogue groaned before swinging his head back and headbutting Foxhelm in the face. He cried out as Rogue managed to roll off his back and jump to his hooves. "What'll happen to them, huh?" He pointed Lightbringer at Foxhelm, "You kicked me out because of something I couldn't control. You gonna do the same to the colts and fillies that don't fit your perfect view?!"

"If that's what it takes to protect the cloud," Foxhelm replied.

"Oh yeah?! Say that again when it's your family member who has to either be killed or banished with no memory just because their eyes are the wrong color. It's wrong, and if you're not gonna stop it..." He charged and pulled his sword back, "THEN I'LL HAVE TO!"

Foxhelm leapt at him and pulled his spear back, the two reaching each other as they swung their weapons. And as they clashed, both flew past each other. The next thing everypony knew, Rogue and Foxhelm stood back to back with Foxhelm holding his spear forward. Rogue was now weaponless, everypony now seeing Lightbringer suddenly shot down and dug itself into the ground in front of Flash.

Fangpire smiled at this while Rogue spun around, unleashing a sonic blast. But as the attack came, Foxhelm leapt straight up into the air and landed behind Rogue before smacking Rogue in the face with the spear. Rogue cried out as he fell, the world around him spinning. And when it stabilized, he looked up to see his opponent standing over him. He pointed the tip of his spear at Rogue's neck, his friends grimacing as Flash and Applejack prepared to run in. But as they did this, Fangpire let out a cackle. "Good my boy, good. Now...kill him." Foxhelm glanced over at his father, "Kill him now."

"No!" Twilight cried, "You've already won!"

"This is a fight to the death," Fangpire yelled, "It doesn't end until only one competitor is left breathing." He turned back to his son, "Do it."

Rogue stared up at Foxhelm, the pair locking eyes as he continued to dig the tip of his spear into his neck. "You're making a mistake. You don't have to do this." Foxhelm stared at him, his hooves shaking as his eyes flicked over to his father, to Echo, and to the ponies all around them. The thestrals watching looked terrified, while Applejack, Flash and Twilight looked ready to jump in at any moment.

"I...I..."

"DO IT!" Fangpire screamed, "it's for the good of the cloud!" Rogue closed his eyes as Foxhelm pulled the spear back, "DO IT!"

"RAAAAH!" Foxhelm roared as he thrust the spear down, Echo screaming being the last thing Rogue thought he would hear. But...he felt no pain.

He opened his eyes at this, only to see the spear now embedded in the ground besides him. "What...what are you doing?!" Fangpire screeched, Foxhelm turning to him.

"The battle was already won. I won't kill somepony that doesn't deserve it." He pulled his spear out and pointed it toward Fangpire. "Rogue is right. Your ways have no more use for us." Fangpire went wide-eyed at this, only for his son to conitnue, "I'll admit, they worked for a while, but times have changed. The cloud can no longer hide away down here." He looked around at the rest of the thestrals, "It's time we stepped out of the darkness! To show Equestria the bat ponies are back and will not be ignored anymore!" His outcry was met with applause, the rest of the thestrals cheering in agreement. Foxhelm then turned to Fangpire. "Your time as leader is through. You can either stay and accept the cloud will no longer hide, or leave and sulk away from the world be yourself."

The thestrals turned to Fangpire, all glaring at the bat pony. Fangpire's eyes darted around, now seeing no help around him. And seeing no option, he flared his wings and leapt at Foxhelm's spear and pulled it out before charging at Rogue, "I'll end you myself!" But before he could strike, Echo and Banshee appeared between them.

Both bat ponies took a deep breath, Fanpire yelping, "NO!" before they unleashed a sonic blast. The attack made everypony cover their ears as the older thestral was blasted back, his hooves trying to cover his ears, but it was too late.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" He cried as he was flung into a wall, falling over a seond later.

"That'll leave a ringing in his ears," Flash joked as the other thestrals laughed. Foxhelm ordered some guards to take his father away, the rest of the thestrals cheering as he left.

Foxhelm then turned to Rogue, offering a hoof to help him up as Rogue said, "Thank you."

"You're right," Foxhelm nodded. "We can't stay hidden forever. Especially when it forces our citizens to suffer." As he said that, Echo ran over and hugged Rogue. She looked close to tears, Banshee stepping up and doing the same thing. "From now on, nopony will have to do anything they don't want too. We'll find a way to survive, even if it means the scream will one day be lost."

Twilight stepped up to him. "Foxhelm, I promise Equestria will help you." She gestured to the place around them, "This is an amazing place. I can understand if you'd want to stay here." She turned to the rest of the cave, "But if anypony wishes to see the outside world, then we can help you find a place that'll welcome you wholeheartedly."

"Princess Luna will probably wanna meet you guys," Flash added, "If anypony wants, she'd be happy to hire you into the night guard." This statement got the thestrals murmuring, many remembering the stories they had heard of their ancestors.

Rogue smiled at how happy everypony was, the bat pony glad that his race would no longer feel the need to hide away anymore. "Rogue," he turned to Foxhelm, "My father was wrong to banish you. But...I'm glad he did." Rogue raised an eyebrow at this. "If he hadn't, you wouldn't have been able to open our eyes and help us see that we don't need to hide away anymore." He held out a hoof. "As the leader of the cloud, I hereby renounce your banishment. You can stay here as long as you like."

Rogue's heart felt like it was about to explode as he took the hoof and shook it. "Thanks." He then turned to his friends, his focus now on a particular farm pony. "But...I already have a place I call home." He looked back at his mother and brother. "Sweet Apple Acres is where I belong." The pair frowned at this, but they nodded back. "But I can come visit. And...you can come visit me."

"Of course," Echo pulled her son into a hug again. "You'll always be welcome here, no matter what." Rogue smiled and embraced back. He had set out to find where he had come from, and he had succeeded. Now, he and his kind could look ahead toward a brighter tomorrow.





Three days later...

Having spent several days learning about his roots and the place he was born, it was time for Rogue and his friends to return home. His apple supply was running low, and Twilight needed to debrief the other princesses on the thestrals' situation.

Rogue, Flash, Twilight, Applejack, Echo, Banshee and Foxhelm were all standing outside the waterfall cave, the sun just about to raise above the horizon. Echo moved up to hug her son one more time, "Be safe."

"I will," he replied before she pulled away. He then hugged Banshee and Echo hugged Applejack and whispered in her ear.

"Watch out for him."

"Promise," Applejack responded before the four began to trot back into the forest. "So?" She asked Rogue while nudging him in the shoulder, "Happy you came?"

"Heck yeah," Rogue nodded, "Even though I can't remember my life here, I know I can call it a place I want to spend time at. With only one place being more so." He turned to smile at Applejack, "Let's go home." Applejack nodded and the pair hurried ahead, Flash and Twilight bringing up the rear and smiling as they watched the two chat and laugh.

"Is that what we used to look like to everypony else?" Flash asked.

"Probably," Twilight nodded, "Though you were more oblivious." Flash rolled his eyes as she laughed, the four continuing their journey home. A journey that many back home would be very curious to hear about.