//------------------------------// // Chapter Two // Story: Clipped Wings // by Desrium //------------------------------// Chapter Two And so, time marches on. Alana rummaged through the beige colored block of a fridge, gathering various vegetables and fruits that were recently bought to prepare her and Falcon's morning meal. "Where would I be today if I hadn't met these ponies?" Falcon Wing mulled it over as he sat at the kitchen table listening to his Pipeye's radio; which was an actual table rather than scrap tossed together to resemble one. It was made of sturdy wood and was given a shining golden polish to match the restored floors and hallways of what used to be the old hideaway. The house had been fully furnished after the dealings in Baltimare -another little surprise the two stallions had in store for the formerly-wingless pegasus, granted it took a bit longer to come to fruition than the cybernetic wings. This was because Steiner had exhausted himself that night, working tirelessly to bring the colt from the brink of his demise with great magical prowess in addition to installing Klaxon's hoofwork. Steiner did well to carry on despite his drained state that morning, but it became apparent how exerted he was when he could not handle the task of teleporting back to Ponyville, much less the Hope compound. The fact he was still able to teleport into the room Falcon was lying in when Alana called for him however said something about his capacity for power... The red pegasus spent that wagon ride getting reacquainted with the sky. How he had forgotten! There was a bliss to being able to leave the land at any moment he wished, looking down at the world which stretched out beneath his suspended hooves. The image of the wagon canting from side to side over worn roads was fresh and vivid in his memory, as was that strange feeling of weightlessness. He did not need to beat his wings to stay aloft though he felt himself compelled to do so from force of habit. He only needed to spread his wings and like magic -because that was exactly the cause- the red glow to match Steiner's magical field would manifest itself around them. From there, it was all a matter of thought as opposed to athletic potential. It took some getting used to for the notion was entirely counter intuitive to a pegasus. "What good is wing power if I don't need to flap?" Falcon Wing recalled asking the blue stallion over the course of the journey Nevertheless, Falcon Wing found it quite amazing that Klaxon was able to demonstrate his innate ingenuity; from a rag-tag hash-mash of scrap and radio parts to fully functioning arcane-tech wings. The two ponies could have been legendary if times were different! Steiner could have been a fabled practitioner of magic like the ancient Starswirl the Bearded while Klaxon could have outdone any pony of the Ministry of Wartime Technology had he been alive 200 years ago. Ponies whose lives had lost direction early in their youth...whose gifts were reserved for themselves up until recently... Falcon Wing hadn't become a hero in the way he intended but he was able to revive something that was dead in the two stallions. Hope for a brighter future after the darkness that passed. "Be a better pony." "Aaaand...DJ Pon3 here! With me over broadcaster is that crazy blue juggernaut himself! The pony that helped rebuild Ponyville! The Crimson Explosion as everypony's callin' him now! Steiner! How's it goin', can I call you Stinger?" "I would prefer if you did not," the stallion replied, his calm and level tone a distinct contrast to the lively DJ. "Haha! Right then. I have my reports laid out in front o' me and boy oh boy are they amazin'! Ponies from your home in Hope and ponies in Baltimare all say the same thing: that you and your partner in crime just bolted across Equestria t' help that craaaazy son of a bitch Shadow Bane!" "You can say that my partner in crime and myself have grown rather fond of our little companion," Steiner replied. Falcon rolled his eyes. "You did that on purpose didn't you?" he thought. "Well needless t' say ya got ponies talkin', Stinger! Talkin'! Everypony wants to know more about you!" said the DJ, to which Steiner replied: "Steiner. And what, exactly, do they wish to know?" "Well, what has a pony like you been doin' all this time to go unnoticed by the rest o' us common pony folk?" "You can say I've been living life in the underground of sorts. Magic had not been a priority nor a heavy asset to me until recently. Just know that I lived just like any other pony did in the before times. I did have the fortune to have Klaxon, 'partner in crime' with me, for all the good and bad it has been worth." "Magic wasn't a 'priority nor asset'? Waddaya mean!? Did you just decide one day that you were gonna help lift tons of rubble and teleport across the country!? We coulda used a hoof like yours when things were bad!" Steiner was quiet for a short moment before he responded; "There are matters of my life that I would rather leave in the keep of those who happen to know about them, with the trust that they will remain as silent about my being now as they have been for many years. With that said, I will admit that for the longest time indifference to the suffering of Equestria had been my vice, for after my own misfortunes I had no care or motive to fight for anything worthwhile. I will admit that I had become cynical and aloof, tactical and unfeeling because of my personal stance that life had wronged me and robbed ponies of similar plights of their happiness. I know now that I was foolish and unforgivably selfish for holding those beliefs." Falcon Wing was snapped out of his trance at the sound of his bowl being set down on the table. It was filled to the brim with diced apples and oranges with a bit of lettuce adding green to the red and yellow. Alana then took her seat at the other side of the table, listening to the interview intently while she ate. The red pegasus dared not touch his food until he had heard all there was to hear. This would be the first time he actually heard a full DJ Pon3 segment, and it would be the one his friend was apart of. "The pony you know as the Shadow Bane has led a difficult life just as the rest of us. Perhaps more so, but the specifics of which I am not inclined to share just as I will not share the specifics of my personal experiences. Just know that in spite of it he went off into the Wastes, ignoring every argument against in the hopes of doing good for the ponies of Equestria. He had endured so much yet still was not broken by it. It was that pony that made me realize there was still more to be done, that indifference was not the way of progress. So while I am no hero, while I cannot reclaim the time I spent standing by... I can attempt to make up for it. I can only try to be a better pony. Now, is there anything else you would like to know, DJ Pon3?" "... We're just about out of time but I guess I can ask ya one more question if it won't have you go off on another speech! Is Steiner your real name?" "As far as you are concerned, yes. It is." "There you have it, children! Steiner, the Crimson Explosion! Nice speakin' with you and good luck on your 'bein' a better pony' thing!" "Best of luck to you as well, DJ Pon3." "Thanks for listenin', chiiiildren!" Falcon Wing shut off his radio. "Well... that was... something," he said. Alana finished chewing her salad and inquired "Do you still mind when I call you mister hero?" "A little. Though with ponies calling me Shadow Bane now, what's the harm in it?" the red pony replied. "So do you know why I call you mister hero, Falcon?" she asked. "Because I saved your life?" he responded. "No, silly. Because you are an inspiration to other ponies! You and the ponies like you. Even if you don't realize it yourself." Falcon thought that over a bit, then smiled. Not everyone was a hero and not every hero was a Stable Dweller. That did not mean everyone couldn't be a hero in their own way. Same was boring, and uniqueness was the spice of life, after all... "Thanks for breakfast," Falcon said to Alana before burying his snout into the bowl, enjoying the crunch of apples, the sweet nectar of the oranges and the subdued flavor of the lettuce.