//------------------------------// // Chapter Nine: Perspective (I) // Story: Paradise Sundered // by q97randomguy //------------------------------// Chapter Nine: Perspective (I) Today was the day! Streamline did his best to keep his feathers from rustling, but they gave a small twitch despite his best effort. He hoped that none of the ranking officers saw, but that concern seemed insubstantial. It didn’t matter, whatever small punishment he received would be worth seeing Slipstream inducted into the newly formed Royal Guard. He’d spent years working with her, getting her ready, and when it looked like there wasn’t going to be a military organization to join she’d been heartbroken. Their mother, Airstream, had been relieved, but she’d always been a worrywart. The newly formed Royal Guard had been looking for recruits though, and his sister was more than willing to join. All of the hours they’d spent together, working towards getting her ready, culminated in this one ceremony. One by one, as they put on their barding, it grew closer to her turn. Then it was, and she wore the heavy armor almost reverently, like she was afraid that she’d somehow sully it. He gave a little inner chuckle. It would get dirty alright. Once this was over, she was getting his biggest “I’m proud of you” hug. ... Days turned into weeks, and missions and sorties were run. His sister was doing well, loving every minute of the experience. It was bound to lose some its charm eventually, but he made sure to keep all of his reservations to himself when they talked. And they talked a lot. Despite never being sent on the same missions in the Everfree, they had more time than ever to be together. During his enlistment in the Air Force of the Dominion he’d barely had time to see her. There was always a mission or combat drill to do, and there were his less than official activities that also took up his time. But now they saw each other every day. They swapped unusual stories from their patrols while waiting for lights out in the barracks and sometimes kept going till they were shushed by their comrades. Life was good. Then it changed. No, it ended. In the military, you never want to see a ranking officer try to look kind or apologetic. It can only mean something has gone horribly, terribly wrong. Seeing Biting Wind like that was not a good sign, especially because she seemed to be walking right this way. It felt wrong, but more than anything, Streamline hoped that Wind was here to talk to one of the other ponies here. He looked around. There was nopony else. Where was Sudden Gust? Hadn’t he been right there? But the barracks were empty save for Biting Wind and himself. He ran, but the bunks refused to be left behind, and the door remained forever beyond reach. The soft sounds of hooves on stone just kept getting closer and closer. And then he was being turned around and told that Slipstream was gone and it had been a cockatrice and she was flying and she fell and shattered and he was sorry, but she was gone. Time blurred and his mother was crying and yelling at him. She was right, it was all his fault. He should have never gotten Slipstream interested in soldiering, and her blood was on his hooves. Except she didn’t even have blood now, she was hunks of rock now and couldn’t even receive the proper services. The final flight was something that only the worst criminals were ever denied. The burial was almost worse than the fact that she was dead. Her soul would never be free, trapped in the ground. He bore watching it all for her sake. It was his fault that she would never see the sky, feel the wind beneath her wings. He could give her this, at least, no matter how much it hurt. And then it was over. But it would never be over, not really. No, she’d always be dead and it would always be his fault. He’d walked from the service, walked until he was sure nopony would find him. The ground here was nice and hard. It would do. He rose in what would be his final flight, keeping his eyes closed all the while. Would this be high enough? He wanted to be sure that he’d join her in the ground, the only fair thing to do. A few more half-hearted strokes made sure of it. Then he closed his wings and fell. His mind raced as he plummeted. If only I’d trained her more. Or never encouraged her in the first place. Why did it have to be you? You always drove mom crazy, but she loved you more than anything. And dad’s trying to play it cool, but underneath the stoicism he’s broken, hasn’t moved a hoof unless he has to. A small part of him wondered what his parents would think when he couldn’t be found. “Are you so selfish,” it asked, “that you would take their only other child?” Did that matter? They probably hated him. He sure did. But deep down he knew they weren’t that petty. Could he really heap that much more pain on them to relieve his own? His wings snapped out, grabbing the air and jarring him, forcing his eyes open. Oh Stars, the ground was right th—. He crashed head first into it. Stone being applied to his head had the expected effect, jolting him fully awake. Consequently, the darkness encompassing the majority of his body flew across the room, repelled from his coat like two north poles of magnets forced too close together. Instinctually his hooves shot up to his head, clutching at the pain. He bit back a yell, only letting out a pained grunt. “We got another one!” His ear flicked around to the sound, a male voice. He thought it might be Zephyr. “Thank the Sun and Moon!” A mare, but he’d have to open his eyes to be able to tell which one. “On your hooves, soldier!” His training from his time in the Glorious Dominion of the Sky’s Air Force — or the G-Dots Air Force as it was called when there weren’t any officers around — got him to his hooves despite the pain. “Yes ma’am!” Oh Stars, what was that? Slipstream... why? He hoped that they thought that his tears were from the pain. “Open your eyes, soldier! We’re under attack!” Really? That’s strange. Why aren’t there sounds of battle? His eyelids snapped open, and he winced even at the low torch light. Scanning for threats, he saw that some type of dark liquid was swallowing up the other Guards, making them all look like black mummies. What in Tartarus is that? Then another thought, what if it really is from Tartarus? That stuff just didn’t look natural, not one bit. Nothing should be that dark; there wasn’t the tiniest glint off of it like a normal fluid would have. Magic. Why did it have to be magic? I can’t fight that. Magic must defeat magic. But we have so few unicorns, the wusses. He turned to the door, apparently where the commanding officer was. “Ma'am, what do we—” It felt like a sudden stall. The world fell out beneath him. It was Biting Wind. “Listen soldier, I don’t know what you just went through and I don’t want to know.” Her voice softened. “I sure didn’t think that I could have ever imagined what I went thr— No.” She shook herself. “I’ll just tell you what I told the others, what I keep repeating to myself. It helps. I swear it on my primaries. Repeat after me: I will not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total oblivion. I will permit it to pass beneath my wings and lift me. And when the fear is gone, I will be soaring all the higher.” He supposed it had worked; at least his breathing had slowed down to a normal level. “Thanks, Sergeant,” he tried to look past, rather than at her. “What’s the situation? Why aren’t you helping them? Well, finding somepony to help them.” He flicked a wing towards the guards behind him. There was a soft moan from over his left shoulder. She glanced at Zephyr before looking back at him. “We don’t know what’s going on. I only just woke up too." She flicked her head toward Zephyr. "He's one of the lucky ones that were awake when this started. Give him the sit. rep." He complied. "Approximately half an hour ago, the palace came under attack. We have yet to ascertain the identity of the enemy, but we know that they're powerful." His voice dropped, became grave. "Worse, it seems like they have captured Princess Luna." Streamline gaped as years of discipline lost to grogginess and shock. "What? How?" Zephyr's tail flicked in agitation. "Unknown, but she's clearly in distress. Just look at the moon." He waved towards the window across the room. “We don’t know that for certain; it’s completely hearsay,” Biting said. Zephyr stared at her incredulously. “You’re kidding. You’re kidding, right? There is no way that color is natural. You think Luna did that because she’s safe?” “You will maintain proper military discipline at a time like this,” she snapped. “But — and this stays completely off the record, understood — no.” Wow, she sounds almost as shaken as I feel. He shook his head. Now that they mentioned it, the natural light did seem to blend abnormally well with the torchlight. Streamline carefully made his way between the packed cots, being sure to avoid any stray limbs. Biting Wind's voice came from across the room, making him flinch. "Buck up, stallion. They can't hurt you, just like we can’t seem to do anything to this stuff,” she waved a hoof through the darkness around a sleeping pony. He went the rest of the way at a normal pace, not entirely reassured, but following orders nonetheless. He reached the window and hesitated. Just look up, how hard is that? Apparently it was pretty hard. Looking at it would make it real. But... he had his orders. He forced his head up and saw it. The moon hung in the sky, huge, bloated, discolored. That is not good. With a sigh he turned back to Biting and Zephyr. “So, now wh—” The pegasus next to him awoke, and the cocoon of inky blackness exploded outwards. It covered the room and got in his eyes. The now volatile liquid obscured his vision, so he never had a chance to dodge the suddenly airborne pegasus, and the two of them slammed together. They went down in a screaming tangle of limbs. While the darkness hissed and spat as it evaporated, Streamline figured out that he wasn’t under attack and began to extricate himself from the other pegasus. He held out a hoof to help her up. His eyes widened. “Tempest? That you?” She shuffled back along the ground until her back was to the bunk she’d been in. Her gaze darted around the room before finally settling on Streamline who was still proffering his hoof. He kept his voice low. “Are you okay?” She sprang up and wrapped him in a crushing hug. “You’re alive! Oh thank the Stars!” She kept her death grip on his neck, whimpering half-recognizable words. “Well, I won’t be for much longer if you keep this up,” he managed to choke out. She dropped back to all fours with a sniff, then immediately went back in to nuzzle his neck. He stood there enjoying the feeling of her breath through his fur, for seconds, minutes, he wasn’t sure. Then it was over, interrupted by a not very subtle cough catching his ear. “Listen up you two. I’m really sorry to break this up, with whatever you just had to go through...” She looked down so she wouldn’t have to see them looking at her, wings interlocked, his head resting atop hers. She stomped and looked back up, “But we have a job to do, and it doesn’t involve making lovey-dovey eyes to each other. Now, Streamline” — he hastily threw a salute — “you’re one of the best scouts we have, so you’re on reconnaissance. And Tempest” — she saluted as well — “we don’t have nearly enough ponies guarding the perimeter. You need to...” Her eyes narrowed. “What the hay...? Positions!” She and Zephyr dropped into fighting stances, wings flaring. Streamline and Tempest’s training kicked in. As one, they blitzed across the room to Biting’s side, taking positions in the air on either side of her. He scanned the room, thoughts whirling. Is it an attack? Wish I had time to get armored up! The room seemed half empty. But then something caught his eye. It was difficult to be sure, but it looked like the darkness covering the remaining ponies was rippling. Then it intensified. There was definitely something going on with the wings, and maybe something at the ears too, but what? His eyes widened in shock. Oh horseapples, what’s happening? The darkness sucked back into the pony, leaving it with changed. The wings were now leathery like a bat’s and the ears were much larger. Zephyr spoke up. “Uh, guys? Does anypony know what the hay just happened?” In the dim light, Streamline saw all the ears in the room swiveled to face them. “Shut up!” Tempest whispered through clenched teeth. The ponies flopped out of their beds as if they were still mostly asleep. Those nearest the torches covered their faces, hissing. Streamline saw the glow of a unicorn horn and prepared to dodge a spell, but the only things sent flying were the torches. They sailed out the open window, plunging the room into darkness. The only illumination came from the door at their backs and the window, leaving the light level in the room woefully inadequate. He hovered in the darkness, afraid to land. Oh well, at least I’m harder to hit up here... unless they can hear me. A memory of their ears came back to him. Yeah, they can hear me. Being in the air lost its appeal, but since he couldn’t see, he could land on top of one of his temporary squad mates. He blinked slowly a few times in a vain attempt to improve his night vision. He blinked again. Across the room, rows of faintly glowing eyes stared back at him. They were slowly coming closer. Biting Wind gave out orders, quick and low. “Back to the hall. The door’ll make a chokepoint.” In pairs, one flying, one on hoof, they backed out of the room. Taking up defensive positions in the hall, they waited for an attack. Zephyr mumbled something under his breath. “Corporal, if you have something of vital tactical relevance, I suggest you spit it out, now,” Biting Wind growled. His eyes flicked between her and the door, which the glowing eyes had nearly reached. “I said ‘How do we know they’re hostile?’ ma'am! We were in there for what, ten, fifteen seconds? They had plenty of time to attack. So... why didn’t they?” Her jaw worked up and down, as it often did while she was thinking. “I... That’s... No.” Her tail gave an annoyed flick. “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. But just in case, try to incapacitate. If they escalate...” She didn’t need to explain further. Streamline forced himself to relax; tension would only slow him down. He took a deep breath as a foreleg emerged into the light. Breathing. Breathing is key. Never know when you’ll get a breather in a fight. As the pegasus came fully into the hall, he winced and shaded his eyes with a wing. He made a beeline along the wall for the nearest torch sconce and leapt for it. The torch clattered to the ground, flames guttering. The squad watched warily, dividing their attention between the door and the odd pegasus, each wondering if this was a distraction or a strange bid for obtaining a weapon. Rearing up, the pegasus brought his hooves down on the torch, extinguishing it but also splattering himself with burning pitch. He set off down the hallway with tiny flames dancing on his legs, seemingly uncaring of that fact. Zephyr glanced between the door and Biting Wind before breaking ranks and bolting after the pegasus. Biting never took her eyes off the door, but yelled after him, “Idiot! It’s a trick!” Zephyr made it to the receding pegasus and tackled him to the ground, then began beating the flames out with his hooves. The pegasus took it unflinchingly. Shouldn’t they have attacked the second he broke ranks? Waiting doesn’t make any tactical sense. They’ve had so many missed opportunities... I’ll risk it. “Ma'am, I don’t think they’re hostile.” “What?” she snapped, without taking her eyes off the door. Tempest came to his defense, “I... I think he’s right. They’ve had several golden opportunities to attack.” She gulped. “They could’ve — hay, they should’ve torn us apart in the dark. But they didn’t.” “You’d better pray that you’re right. That room is still half full, and I’m not too hopeful about facing that many with a full squad.” The rest of the room emptied out into the hall, turning the direction that the first pegasus had gone. Their gaze passed over the would-be defenders without a spark of recognition before ambling off, passing the singed pegasus and Zephyr. All three of them let out a collective sigh of relief. Tempest spoke up as the last one, the sole unicorn, walked by them. “So... if they’ve reacted that badly to lights so far... shouldn’t we try to get rid of the lights? They could get seriously hurt.” “Like me,” Zephyr called from down the hall. “Well, I’m not that bad, but seriously, I think I burnt my forehooves.” He hissed in pain. “Oh yeah, definitely burnt. Don’t mind me. I’ll just sit here, being burnt.” Biting Wind spoke up loudly. “Ok, I’m modifying your orders. Tempest, you head after them. Put out any torches they’ll encounter; I don’t want anypony else to have to play hero.” “Yes, ma'am!” “Streamline, you go the other way, do the same. When you’re done, sweep section three. I’m going to take Mister Sarcastic here to medical. Hopefully, he isn’t the only medic awake.” He balked. Did she just say section three? Like all of it, not section three, alpha to section three, delta? Zephyr piped up, “Do you have any idea how hard it is to patch yourself up? It’s nearly impossible! Especially if one of your hooves is already bandaged!” He sighed. “Anyways, what’re we going to do with this one?” Streamline finally spoke. “Maybe you should just get off of him and see what he does. And ma'am, did you mean, uh, all of sect—” “Yes I did. We’re sorely low on scouts, so we need each of them to cover a much larger area.” Well, this’ll be fun. “Yes ma'am. I’ll get right on it.” He saw Zephyr take to the air, hovering a ponylength above the floor. The pegasus got up and followed after the distant group. Tempest gasped. “Oh ponyfeathers! I’ve got to hurry; they’re almost to the next torch!” She wrapped a foreleg around Streamline’s neck and drew him closer, pressing her forehead against his. “Stay safe,” she whispered, then took off so fast she left a few feathers floating to the ground. “You... too. Dang.” He threw a quick salute, not really caring if Biting saw it or not. “I’m heading out to check all of section three.” His wings hurt just thinking about it, but he set off down the hall anyways, snuffing out torches as he went. When he made it to the end of the hall, the window at the end offered him a choice. He could either go through it and take a left, towards his mission objective, or he could go out and to the right, towards his parent’s cloud house. He didn’t even glance left as he leapt through the window. If they charge me with dereliction of duty, so be it. He passed a few towers and some cloud houses on his way to check on his sister. The unicorns had made some noise when the first pegasi had parked their homes above the castle, something about it “unbalancing the aesthetics,” but the Princess arranged an amicable compromise. Now they were spread out in a supposedly “graceful” way. He didn’t care if it looked pretty, what he did care about was that it placed their house on the other side of the castle from him and his goal. Luckily, he made it without being spotted or at least without being stopped. Unfortunately, the house faced away from the castle, so he had to fly around it to get to the front. When he came around the side though, he saw that the door was open. The door should not be open. The door was never open. His blood turned to ice-water. He landed and called out weekly, “Guys? You’re here, right?” A faint breath of wind was all the response he got. “Mom? Dad? Slipstream?!” What if they turned too? And what if... what if they fell? He dove off, racing for the ground. The lack of any sort of stain on the flagstones allayed his worst fears, but only for a moment. They’re not dead, but what if it’s permanent? He touched down, breath coming in short heaves. I should’ve never checked. Why did I have to check? He walked aimlessly back towards the center of castle, muttering under his breath. “...pass under my wings. And when the fear is go—” He recoiled when an armored pegasus landed directly in front of him. He bowed his head, ready to accept whatever punishment was headed his way. “Oh, I’m sorry! Did I startle you, Streamline?” Wait, that voice, that’s... Pansy continued, “I just saw you coming out of your parents’ house and I knew that couldn’t be your assignment but I didn’t say anything to anypony. Then you fell off and I was so worried about you! But then you landed and started walking, and I know how much you hate walking, so why are you walking?” She paused for a breath and then said in a lower voice, “Is your family... gone?” He simply nodded. She wrapped him in a hug, her barding digging into him painfully. “Oh you poor thing!” “Ow,” he said simply. She jumped back. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you, I swear! You’re in enough emotional pain as it is. It makes me feel awful to add physical pain too. And why aren’t you in your barding? Are you going to run away? Because if you are, you’re going the wrong way. You should probably try—” “Pansy, you’re doing it again.” She raised a hoof to her mouth and barely squeaked out, “Sorry.” “I’m not running away. I was actually just going to get my barding. Then I’m going to sweep section three. Then I’ll come back and report in. Then I’ll go back to my parents’ house and cry.” He smiled weakly. “See, I have a plan. Woo.” “That doesn’t sound good! I could help you get your barding or I could...” she bit her lip. “Sorry. Doing it again.” She rubbed a hoof against her other foreleg. He managed a small laugh. “Uh... Glad I could... help?” “You did, a little. That just looks so out of place when a big, hulking guard does it.” “What...? Oh! The barding. Right.” She nodded back at the castle. “Speaking of barding, you should go get yours. Just don’t walk in, that would look odd. And coming in so late is already bad enough. You should get going right away! Maybe you should make up a story about why you’re late, just in case. I can make one up for you. Let’s see... You were on the way when—” He put a hoof on her shoulder. “Pansy, you have no idea how little I care right now.” She looked at the ground and whimpered. Oh great, now I went and made her sad. When would I ever do that? “Sorry... There’s just a lot going on.” She didn’t look up and gave a little sniffle. “Yeah. I should get back to my post, I guess. Good luck getting your armor.” She turned around and slowly flew off, never looking back up. Streamline left at a slightly different heading than she had, angling himself to pass over the armory. When he arrived, the quartermaster hoofed over the barding wordlessly. He watched dispassionately as Streamline equipped it. Then Streamline left, not having said a single word and not sure if he was glad to have escaped repercussions or not. As he exited the building, he noticed a golden beam of light coming from Luna’s tower that passed out over his section of forest. Am I completely incapable of catching a break? He decided to start his search as far away from it as possible, just to be on the safe side. He started in section three, kilo and began to work his way out from the castle. Making his way down the subsection, he didn’t notice anything unusual aside from how the forest looked different by the light of the ominous moon. He started back, only just able to make out the tops of the tallest towers. This is insane! Being out this far with only — he looked to either side — only one other guard in sight. If anything happens, we are so dead. Then, he heard the low howl from behind him that was in no way like a wolf’s. He turned and saw in the distance a colossal, dark tornado. It raced along under the golden beam, and he was uncomfortably close to it. He stared, stupefied, for a few seconds, then said the one thing on his mind. “Buck!” Turning tail and fleeing, he angled downwards, trading altitude for speed. Silently cursing the aerodynamic shortcomings of the barding, he blew past the treetops. He clipped a few branches, but kept on flying, zipping over the unfinished Solar Shrine. He could feel it gaining without even looking back. A disgusting feeling spread over his body, and his wings felt like they were infested with mites. Winds grant me speed! Please, I don’t want to die! The sensation grew more and more intense, his wings itching, burning. Breath coming in ragged heaves, his vision contracted until all he could see was the forest ahead of him and the castle that was growing closer far too slowly. The feeling reached a fever pitch, then vanished. Streamline cried out in relief, but a burst of air turned it to one of shock as it slammed him down into the treetops. He was dimly aware of the barding’s enchantments pulling his wings in and covering each of them in a thin shield. He slammed against a branch and felt the barrier around his left wing crumble. Tumbling end over end the rest of the way, he crashed into the ground, right side first. The shield ran out, dumping him the last half hoof to the ground. Groaning, he staggered back to his hooves. He scanned the dark forest. “I’m alive... Well, doesn’t that beat all?” He didn’t need special training to tell him that the ground wasn’t where he wanted to be. Gotta get airborne ASAP.Now, where... is... an... exit? There! With a grunt, he leapt back into the air and flew out of the small hole he’d left in the canopy. Taking a second to orient himself, he located the castle. What he didn’t see was equally important. How come there’s no sign of that tornado... thing? Shouldn’t there be a ton of uprooted trees? “Well, if there was ever anything worth reporting, this is it.” He set off for the castle. I just hope there’s some good news, like maybe that was all of it and it’s over. That’d be the best. “... slamming me through the treetops. But I picked myself up... and came back to report right away.” Streamline gasped out. “Do you need any clarification... ma’am?” He couldn’t tell if Hurricane was looking at him with respect or amusement, but he was too tired to care. Please say that there’s time to rest. “Good job, Specialist Streamline.” She cracked a smile. “I can see your dedication thanks to all the leaves and twigs still in your barding.” Just as fast as any trace of humor had appeared, it vanished. “But seriously, we still don’t know what’s going on. There could be more of these things. That could have been the first shot. There could be more on the way! We just don’t know.” She glanced down at his side then poked his left wing. He winced. “That’s what I thought.” She tossed her head in the direction of the door. “Go get that looked at. If it’s sprained I can’t have you flying on it.” Streamline looked towards the door that Hurricane had indicated. Then he noticed the throng of civilians and guards on the periphery of the room. Whaaa...? How’d I miss that? I’m losing it. How long can I drag out a trip to medical? He turned to go but was stopped by Hurricane speaking up again. “Hey, Stream, you done good.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “You didn’t hear this from me, but there might be a promotion in your future.” She drew back. “Now get going. Time’s a wastin’.” Streamline nearly smacked himself in the face when he saluted. A quick down stroke lifted him partially into the air, but then his wing cramped and he promptly fell flat on his face. He heard the distinct sound of armored hoof hitting a face. “Ow! Don’t make me make walking an order.” He pushed himself to his hooves with a grunt. “No ma’am. I’m walking.” He went through the crowd, grateful that they were kind enough to get out of his way. He got out into the hall and was well on his way to medical when he faintly heard Hurricane yelling about four ponies apparently doing something wrong. Not my problem. As Streamline walked into the infirmary he noticed that it was nearly empty. The only others in the room were Zephyr, who was laying on a bed, facing the door with his forehooves hanging off the edge, and two ponies asleep on the beds. Zephyr looked up from his bandaged hooves. “Hey, didn’t think I’d see you again tonight. Get into a fight with a tree?” Oh no. “No, I just got back fro—” “Don’t think I’m going to leaf that alone. It looks like it was a pretty twig fight.” Streamline snorted. “I just need you to tell me if my wing’s sprained or bruised.” That won’t be enough to stop him... Uh... “What happened to those two?” He nodded at the sleeping ponies. Zephyr motioned him over, making his bandage fall off. “Blasted gauze! You know how hard it is to bandage yourself? It’s—” “Almost impossible, I know.” He sighed as he walked over. “Just check my wing.” “I never expected such treetment from you.” He chuckled a bit. “Hold out your wing.” Streamline did, wincing. “Let’s see, you’re definitely going to need to preen, but you must’ve known that. Give me pitch. Up first.” Streamline twisted his wing as if to ascend, and stars danced across his vision. “Wow, that bad huh? Really made you bark in pain.” “Zephyr.” “Yes?” “I hate you.” “... Well, that makes this next bit even more awkward.” Streamline exhaled heavily then breathed in deeply. When he finally spoke, his tone was strained. “Zephyr, if you make one more pun, just one, I swear on all of my feathers that I will break your left wing. I have no patience for this tonight.” Zephyr’s wings shot up. “Whoa! No need to get violent! I’ll stop.” He looked up. “Damn. This looks really bad.” “Why?” He waved his currently un-bandaged hoof around. “Well, you see how my hooves are all burnt and stuff? Well, I can’t really use them right now, and... with a response like that, I need to feel along your margin to see if you pulled anything. So...” He jerked his head back towards his wings. Streamline’s face scrunched up. “What’re you tryin’ to say?” Taking in a deep breath, Zephyr started out slowly, “I’m... going... to... need to... touchyourwingwithmywing.” “You need to do what with my—” His entire frame sagged. “Well doesn’t this just fit with the rest of my day perfectly?” He turned so that his left wing was facing Zephyr who shuffled around to get a better angle. “Just do what you have to.” They glanced at the other two ponies. Both of them were still asleep. “Don’t worry about them. They had a bowl of hops each.” Streamline sighed. “No, you should worry that somepony else will walk in on us,” he said as he laid his primaries on Streamline’s carpal joint. He began gingerly working his way back towards the shoulder. Almost immediately his wings started to rise unbidden. Sputtering, Streamline glanced at Zephyr, but he was intently studying the ceiling. Dammit, why does that feel good? Tonight is officially the worst night ever. First that stupid, horrible nightmare, and then smashing my head, and then my family’s gone, and then I make Pansy cry, and then, then I get chased by a buckin’ demon tornado thing, and then I crash... “And then to top it all off, I get felt up by a doctor.” Tears glinted in his eyes. “And it hurts.” His wings stood straight up, leaving his left one feeling ready to break off. Zephyr hoofed him in the side and then winced. “Ow! I don’t know what you had to go through, but I think we all lost somepony. Well, I hope they aren’t gone gone, but...” He looked down at the floor. “Anyways, it sounds like you’ve been through Tartarus and back, so I’m really sorry if I said anything wrong.” He glanced back up. “I’ve got good news, bad news, and a bit of advice. Which do you want first?” “I don’t know how much news I can take, so how about the advice?” Zephyr laughed. “Good choice. So, something that broke through the barding’s shields probably drained most, if not all of its charge. It was probably heavier after, right?” Streamline nodded. “Yep, that’s what I thought. Now, you can’t be wearing depleted barding, that’d be really risky. This is kind of uncharted territory. As far as I know, there aren’t any regulations for what to do in this situation... yet. After what you pull — completely within regs — there will be, though.” “I’m listening.” “Instead of going and picking up a new set of barding from the armory, why not just...” he gestured vaguely, “wander around the castle and look for a unicorn to recharge it?” A sly smile spread over his face. Streamline chuckled. “Maybe you aren’t so bad after all, when you’re not being insufferable.” “I try. Now—” He went to bring his hooves together, only barely stopping them from touching. “Ha! Remembered that time. Anyways, I’ll give you the bad news first, get it out of the way. You’re going to have trouble ascending for probably a few weeks. Also, it’s just a bruise, so you can, and because of the lack of reserves right now, you will, be going back out on patrol.” Streamline rubbed his temple with a hoof. “And what’s the good news?” “It’s just a bruise, so it’ll get better!” Streamline opened his mouth to reply, but he got cut off by Zephyr. “Yeah, I know that was also part of the bad news. Basically, you’re just going to have to suffer through it.” “Great, just great. Well, I think I’m going to take your advice and—” His ears swiveled to the door. “You hear that?” “Yeah, sounds like somepony’s coming. Maybe you should get going, just in case they’re looking for you.” The door slammed open and an earth pony guard thundered in. “Where is he?!” Streamline’s wings flared and he cringed. “Oh, buck me! I didn’t even do anything yet!” He paled. “I mean... umm... uh...” The guard shook his head. “No, not you. Adamant Resolve! We sent for him a few minutes ago! Where is he?” Zephyr raised an eyebrow. “That so? He’s right over there, but Streamline’s the only pony that’s come through recently.” He looked over at Streamline. “You forget to tell me something?” “No... I don’t think so...” Oh, great, I might’ve missed that. That’s it, I’m doomed. Again. The guard waved his doubts away. “No, we sent another unicorn. Can’t seem to rely on them for anything though. Like this one. Lazy bum’s asleep!” He crossed the room to Adamant’s side and was just about to shake him awake when Zephyr imposed himself between the two. He hovered, giving the guard a withering stare. “Oh no you don’t!” He pointed back at Adamant. “This stallion is in no shape to be up. I don’t know the specifics, but when he woke up he exploded his bed or something.” The guard snorted. “And? So?” “Well, aside from some minor puncture wounds from flying shrapnel, he took a pretty big piece of wood under the right shoulder.” Zephyr sagged. “Honestly, he’s lucky to be alive. If he hadn’t been in the same room as Pansy, he would’ve bled to death. Some idiot thought it was a great idea to try to pull it out.” He wiped a fetlock across his eyes. “I just can’t... Do they forget everything from basic?” “So,” the guard began, “you’re telling me that he’s definitely out of commission.” Zephyr nodded. “Well great. I can’t wait to report that. He’s the third best shield caster.” He thought for a second. “Barrier caster? Whatever they call it, he’s really good at it.” Streamline waved his right wing. “Hey, this on a need-to-know basis or...?” “No, Princess Celestia gave the order for all combat ready unicorns to cast a shield around the castle. We’re not supposed to go outside it, too dangerous or something.” “I’d say! You didn’t see what’s out there.” He shuddered, but inside he was jumping for joy. Yes! No scouting! More importantly, no more flying! He couldn’t stop himself from thinking the rest though. I’m just going to lie down on a nice, fluffy cloud and relax. The memory of Slipstream’s usual response to a hard day of training robbed him of his breath. “Hey, Streamline, you ok? Not having a breakdown, are you? You’ve got that thousand hoof stare.” “Huh?” Oh, he’s talking to me. “No. I’m...” He drew in a ragged breath. “I’ll be fine.” The earth pony cut in. “Well, you better make it quick. Get yourself cleaned up. There’re so few combat-ready troops that anypony that doesn’t at least look busy is getting chewed out really badly. The officers aren’t doing anything about it yet but I guarantee that they’re keeping track somehow.” He blinked a few times at that. “I’ve probably been gone too long already! I’ve got to go. I suggest you do too.” He nodded to each of them then galloped out the door and down the hall. They both watched him until he rounded the corner. Without turning in the air, Zephyr said, “Excitable fellow, isn't he?” Streamline’s gaze didn’t leave the hall either, but he nodded. “Yeah. Any idea who he was?” “Not a clue.” He nudged Streamline with a back hoof, mindful of his injured wing. “He’s probably right though. Go. Look busy. Use plan armor.” Streamline looked up at him. “What? When did it get a name?” “About thirty seconds ago. It’s got an acronym and everything! Awesome. Removal.” He cleared his throat and Streamline thought it sounded like he said “of.” “Myself. Off. Recon.” Zephyr groaned. “That sounded better in my head... Wait, does anypony with a higher rank than you have a name that starts with an ‘R’?” Zephyr found himself on the wrong end of a disapproving stare. “Sorry, I’ll let you go. But first, can you grab that for me?” He pointed to a bucket of water. Streamline walked over and grabbed it. “Why, you thirsty or something?” “Um, no. Well, a little, but more importantly, we need to get some ice on that bruise.” He sighed and said mostly to himself, “Sometimes I wonder if only medics have any sense.” He stared intently at the bucket. “Okay, now toss up the water— just the water, mind you. You’d be surprised how often ponies throw the bucket too.” “I’m not an idiot,” Streamline huffed as he reared and tossed the water. It passed directly in front of Zephyr. As it did, he slammed his wings together with a massive downstroke, pushing him nearly to the ceiling and dispersing the water into a very dense cloud which immediately started raining. “I’ve got this,” Zephyr said from the ceiling. He tucked in a wing and fell sideways through the air. As he passed through the cloud, Streamline could feel him pull off a quick one-and-a-half revolutions. The cloud dispersed in a wave of hot, humid air, and ice chunks of various sizes fell to the floor. Zephyr landed, balancing on his hind legs and flapped a few times to steady himself. Streamline felt his mouth hanging open and quickly closed it. Zephyr gave a mock bow. “Thank you, thank you. You’re too kind.” Slowly, a smile spread across his face, then he started laughing. He quickly got ahold of himself. “Sorry, it’s just that we medics have to do that a lot. Typically we use the roof, but I didn’t want to make you have to fly up there.” Streamline looked up at the ceiling and judged it to be a couple hundred hooves high. “Yeah, thanks for that.” He scooped up a chunk of ice and tucked it under his wing and sighed. “That’s much better. Ya know what? I take it back. You’re not so bad.” “Thanks. See ya around? Hopefully in a less professional way.” “Maybe. I’ll think about it.” He sketched a quick salute, which Zephyr returned, then left. He seems like a decent enough pony. Just overfond of puns. He trotted through the halls with no particular destination in mind. As he moved, he kept repositioning the melting ice, occasionally spreading his wing out and letting the ice rest on top, despite the pain. As time went by, however, he began to feel like he was doing something wrong. Damn conscience. Can’t even slack off when I have a good reason to. He turned down a hall that would take him to the armory. Might as well get that out of the way. The hall led into a small open-air courtyard filled with unicorns. They all looked varying degrees of exhausted; some were leaning on pillars or walls while others sat on the ground. As he walked in, one pushed herself to her hooves and fired a beam of magic into the shield overhead. Hmm, she isn’t wearing barding... and she looks almost like... no. No way. “Excuse me, miss. I couldn’t help but notice that you aren’t part of the Guard. How is it that you know shield spells?” She started to speak but got cut off by one of the guards. “I wouldn’t expect a pegasus to know a very important pony. She is Clover the Clever, student of the late Starswirl the Bearded, advisor of Princess Platinum, and one of the mares primarily responsible for Equestria’s existence. Maybe you’ve heard of her?” She glared at the guard who had interrupted her. “That’s enough, Resilient. I’m sure that he meant no disrespect. You on the other hoof...” “Sorry, Miss.” Streamline waved it off. “Don’t worry about it. It’s been a long night and I don’t want any more trouble.” Luckily, Resilience didn’t say anything else, so Streamline continued. “Anyways, I’m glad to finally meet you. Pansy’s said so much about you.” Clover laughed. “I bet she has! So, knowing Pansy and her less than enormous pool of friends, I’d guess that you are Streamline.” “Living up to your name I see.” Clover chuckled weekly at that. “You okay?” He looked around. “You all look wiped out.” Several ponies grunted in affirmation. “Don’t worry about us; we’ll be fine. But you look awful. Is your wing okay?” She looked at it intently. “Hmm. Is it a bad bruise, or is it a strain?” “Uh, it’s a bruise. I got thrown into a tree by an evil, magic tornado.” Resilience and several other guards laughed. Clover wheeled on them. Though the effect was lessened by her stumbling, it was more than made up for by the venom in her voice. “And just what are you laughing at? This stallion is hurt, and you think that’s funny? What is wrong with you? He’s clearly telling the truth. Look at this, and this, and this!” She pointed to various twigs and leaves still stuck in his barding. “You think he did this for authenticity?” She stared down each of the guards that had laughed until they apologized to Streamline. Great, that didn’t get me any points. What did I get myself into? She threw a foreleg around his neck and said, “Come on, let’s go talk about this somewhere where there aren’t so many neighsayers.” She walked him through the middle of the group of unicorns and out the other side. I wonder if she feels the daggers they’re glaring. If she does, she’s doing a remarkable job of hiding it. They entered the hall opposite where he’d come in from, and Clover let out her breath in a rush. He ducked out from under her foreleg. “You didn’t have to do that you know.” “I didn’t, but Pansy is my friend. You are Pansy’s friend. Ergo, you are my friend.” She nervously shifted back and forth, blushing. “... Well, at least I hope so.” “I don’t see why not. You should meet my marefriend, Tempest. You’d probably like her.” Her ears turned down. “Oh. Yeah. You’re probably correct. Based off the previous friend of a friend logic, it makes perfect sense. Now that you’re my friend, and she’s your friend, by extension she can be my friend. Perfectly logical. So, you were saying something about a magical tornado?” Well, that was weird. Is she always like that? “Don’t forget evil. It was definitely evil too.” “Could you describe it? I could use some data. Knowledge is power after all.” He gave her the same report he’d given to Hurricane, filling in some more obscure details she asked for while she took notes with chalk on a wall. As she looked over her notes, she said, “You mentioned that your barding’s thaumaturgical reservoir is depleted.” He nodded slowly. “I could recharge it for you. I did help design it, after all.” Streamline did a quick double take. “Wait, you helped make the enchantments? Well, I should thank you for that. I don’t know what would’ve happened without it. My wing could’ve been broken or worse. So... Thank you. And don’t worry about recharging it; I wouldn’t want to impose. You already look pushed to the limits.” He gestured down the hallway. “I was actually on my way to get a new set. Unfortunately, there’re a lot of empty sets.” Clover looked back at the courtyard. “I know what you mean. We have so few unicorns as is, but tonight... By my calculations, we won’t be able to keep this up for more than a few hours. Five would be almost impossible.” She groaned and rubbed her temple. “I just hope that Princess Celestia can stop whatever is the cause of all this, or, better yet, rescue Princess Luna.” “We can only hope.” He looked down the hall. “I should really get going through.” He shook, and some of the few remaining twigs and leaves fell to the floor. “It was nice meeting you. See you later?” “I’d like that... Well, good bye,” she added softly. “Bye.” He turned and walked off towards the armory. Well, if anypony’s going to figure out what to do about a magical tornado, it’s her. Continuing to the armory, Streamline was disquieted by the lack of guards he encountered. How come those unicorns were pretty much the only other guards I’ve run into? I know we’re short, but this is ridiculous! Was there some order I missed or something? As the armory doors came into his view, he saw the quartermaster in the middle of locking them. “Sir, why are you leaving?” He turned to face Streamline then turned back to unlock the door. “I was leaving because everypony’s been reassigned to critical areas. But based on your barding’s condition, I doubt you knew that. It’s completely depleted, right?” “Yessir.” Great. Just great. I’ve been missing orders all night, haven’t I? He banged his head against the wall a few times. Why. Can’t. Anything. Go. Right. Without turning, the quartermaster said, “Quit that, you’ll give yourself a concussion.” The lock clicked and he pushed open the door. “Let’s get you another set.” Streamline complied and followed him in. Making their way to the section with barding closest to his size, the quartermaster sized up the damage to the armor, tisking and grumbling to himself. They stopped in front of the armor rack and as Streamline took off his barding, he calmly bore the stern reprimands he received. “Soldier, do you know how much work this will be to repair? Some of these gouges go nearly through the entire plate! The dent on the left side alone will probably take me a few hours to hammer back into shape adequately. What with it being so drained of charge, I’m of half a mind to just melt it down and start over.” He facehooved. “And that’s assuming that we survive the night.” Well, that’s a grim outlook. Maybe an accurate one too. As he set the heavy barding on the floor, his gloomy thoughts were suppressed by relief, and he couldn’t help but sigh. “I’m sorry sir. I’ll try to avoid crashing at nearly lethal speeds in the future.” “Specialist—” he said through clenched teeth “— you are pushing your luck.” “My luck?” I have luck? “Luck. Ha. Ha ha. That’s actually funny, uh, Sir.” The quartermaster lifted a hoof and looked like he was considering striking Streamline when he took a single, deep breath and settled for kicking Streamline’s discarded armor with a disgusted snort. “Just get your armor and get out!” Grumbling, the quartermaster took the ruined barding away. Streamline hurried into his new barding, wincing as he was forced to contort his wing to get it through the slot. He sighed in relief as the enchantments took hold, dulling the pain and covering him in the faint tingle of the identity-obscuring illusion. Hearing the returning hoofsteps of the quartermaster, Streamline quickly left while it looked like there was time to escape any further beratement. He made his way towards the throne room, calling to mind any contingency plans that might be relevant. Distressingly, only some of the worst case scenarios seemed to be good fits for what was happening, as the casualty rate was astronomical. Well, at least the portculli are all installed. I don’t think we’d have enough troops to guard everywhere without them. He rounded a corner and nearly crashed into one. “And apparently they’re all down now. Perfect.” Down the hall, he thought he saw a tail sticking out into the far-off intersection with another corridor. “Hey,” he yelled, “think you could open this thing?” The tail disappeared and was replaced by a head. “What’re you doing out there?” she yelled. “It’s kind of a long story.” “Not interested. And I can’t do anything about it. This post isn’t going to watch itself. Just fly in.” Grumbling to himself, he evaluated the wall before him. Well, it’s not too high. And I could just walk across the roof once I get up there. He winced, anticipating pain as he unfurled his wing. There was a small twinge, but it was much less than before. Thank goodness for unicorn enchantments. He took off and rose to the height of the roof then landed gently on it, knowing that despite the reduced pain, he was still injured. Trotting across the roof, he searched for the place where he’d entered the throne room, but the tiered roof and the towers blocked his view. Okay, I think it’s over that way. He trotted off towards the center of the castle. Occasionally, he came across gaps between the building’s roofs, but he leapt up to the progressively taller ones. As he made his way closer to the center, a racket started up. Is that... cheering? Yeah, it is. After he’d landed on one of the tallest roofs, he saw the battlements of the inner castle and, more importantly, what was happening beyond them. Enormous beams of magic lanced through the sky, one a brilliant gold, the other a silver-streaked indigo. They crashed against each other, throwing pony-sized sparks through the sky. The guards on the roof were cheering for Celestia, as who else could be sustaining an onslaught like that, while flying no less? Streamline stared, awestruck, at the titanic display of power. Whoever Celestia was fighting must be immensely powerful to have held out this long, but it looked like the fight would be over soon — the darker beam was being driven back. Then it resurged. It swelled and somehow became darker than the void between stars. Barreling down on the source of the golden beam, it smashing its way towards Celestia. Cries of dismay turned to yelps of panic as the beams knocked out of alignment. The dark, larger beam ripped through the forest towards them, obliterating a wide strip of land. We are so dead. We are so dead. It thundered past, just brushing the edge of the shield, yet even such a small portion of its power was enough to instantly collapse the shield before it moved on. We’re alive? Blinking a few times in shock, Streamline sprang into the air, the pain in his wing forgotten. There might be ponies over there that needed help, and he was going to be there to give it. Quickly winging his way over to the gash, he was surprised by just how little collateral damage there was. It looked clean-cut. There’s no debris. No scorch marks. Nothing. Whatever was there is just... gone. He shuddered. If anypony was there, they’re beyond help. He turned back and saw that a good deal of other ponies staring at the chasm as he had just been. Slowly, they all seemed to come to the realization that there was nothing to be done. Hurricane’s commanding voice roused them all to action. “Everypony, back to your posts!” Her voice dropped dangerously. “This could be it.” Streamline hurried towards his best guess for where he was supposed to be. He saw a few other scouts flying off to one of the same fallback position he was and assumed that he was right. Ignoring both Hurricane’s call for a meeting with the brigade leaders and his slightly throbbing wing, he caught up with the group. Razorwind questioned him as they flew back to their positions on the throne room's roof. "Where have you been? Why didn't you report to your post when the shield went up? Were you—" "That's enough, Razor," Microburst cut in, imposing his small frame between the two other stallions. "I heard about what happened to him when I was briefed earlier. This guy's been through Tartarus and back. Had to go to Medical, probably Requisitions too, right?" Streamline mutely nodded as they touched down. "See?" "But that shou—" Microburst whipped his head around to stare Razorwind down. "Shut it. Tonight's been far too long already. You will not add to that. Is that clear?" His voice sounded tired, but dangerous, almost like he wanted an enemy that he could actually fight. Looking over the stout stallion, Streamline saw Razor gulp before responding, "Yes, sir. Absolutely, sir." “Still, Streamline.” Microburst turned back to face him. “Though you’re all beat-up, you were absent for too long. You’re probably going to be facing minor disciplinary action... assuming we survive. Which we will,” he quickly amended. “Now, fix your plumage. If you think you can pull off combat maneuvers like that, you’re wrong.” “Yes, sir.” He sighed. Turning so that he would still be able to keep watch, he began preening his bruised wing. He winced sporadically, but the pain repressing enchantments kept the exercise bearable. As he started on his less disheveled wing, a slight, but unmistakable tingle came from his armor. Along with it came the feeling of “return” and “home”. Glancing around, he could see that about half of the squad was turning to head back to the command post. Great, now what? He fell into step with the departing guards. On the way, they passed a squad of archer unicorns who wished them luck as they headed up to take their place. The way they said it sounded so... final. They continued on in silence, only broken by their hoofsteps and the occasional clearing of a throat which never amounted to anything. Before too long, they were standing at attention before Captain Hurricane. They waited while other pegasi scouts filtered in through the civilians. Streamline assumed they were from other, farther away posts. When they had all assembled, Hurricane addressed them. “Alright soldiers, I’m going to level with you. You all know we’re down in numbers and facing a powerful and unknown foe. You all saw the shield come down. You know what’s on the line.” Several guards grunted in affirmation, but Streamline saw that many of the civilians were wide-eyed. Hurricane also noticed the crowd’s unease and moved to address it. “I’m not going to sugarcoat this: the situation’s bad. But, we will do everything we can to protect you. Isn’t that right, soldiers?” “Yes, ma’am!” they thundered. “Will we let anything past us?” “No, ma’am!” they roared. Hurricane waited for the echoes to die before continuing, softer than before. “I didn’t think so.” She took a deep breath and started pacing back and forth in front of their ranks. “Each of you knows why you’re here. You all represent the best scouts of your respective divisions. Tonight, you’ve had to cover more sky than ever before, and you’ve done so admirably. We now know this isn’t an isolated attack, and I salute those of you that escorted the refugees from the surrounding towns. But one of you...” she stopped directly in front of Streamline. “One of you did more than that.” Is she... motioning me forward? Yeah, she is. Okay, remain calm. He stepped forward and Hurricane resumed her speech. “This is—” she looked up, brow furrowed “—Streamline. Tonight, he’s been through Tartarus. He’s lost his family—” I never said that! “—discovered one of the enemy’s weapons—” More like was nearly killed by it. “—and nearly had his wing broken before facing down a manticore—” What? “—to bring us back the information.” It clicked. She’s trying to make me into some sort of rallying symbol! Okay, one, that’s kind of brilliant, because we really need one, and two, how the hay does a rallying symbol act? Um, let’s see... He tried to adopt the look of easy confidence that he’d seen on his father. Hurricane gave him a slight nod as she continued. “His courage and dedication is matched by all of the Guard. With us here to protect you, you don’t need to be afraid. We will never, never let anything harm you. We will make it through the night, and we will stop whoever is behind this.” Streamline surveyed the front row of civilians, trying to catch their eye and maybe give them some confidence. Luckily, he didn’t need to; many of them were looking amongst themselves and giving each other small, confidant nods. Just before he started to fidget under so many watching eyes, he caught himself. Spotting Hurricane flicking her eyes between him and the ranks of guards, he stepped back with what he hoped was an inaudible sigh. Hurricane turned back so that she was only facing the guards once more. “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk deployment. It will be basically the same, except for those of you in squadrons three, seven, and nine. You will...” As he was in squadron five, Streamline put into practice the fine art of listening for key phrases while not paying attention. As his mind wandered, his thoughts turned to his family, something he couldn’t afford when he was expected to remain stoic. He forced himself to think of what Biting Wind had made him repeat earlier. I will not fear. Fear is the little-death that brings total oblivion... Uh, stuff... Pass over my wings and I’ll be soaring higher. Dang it! How’d it go again? “... and will be pairing off with three’s. Everypony knows” — Streamline’s ear twitched towards her — “what’s on the line. Now, get out there and find out what’s going on. It shouldn’t be too hard, considering that the attacks have been about as subtle as a supercell.” She paused before adding, “And don’t get yourselves killed; it’s not helpful at all.” That got a few, quickly stifled chuckles from among the guards before they set off. Most chose to fly over the crowd, but a few, including Streamline and Razorwind, trotted out and down the halls. Once they’d gotten down the hall, and the other pegasi had split off to go their separate ways, Razorwind took a few quick steps and planted himself in Streamline’s way. Giving a low bow, he proclaimed, “O hero of our time, had I only known of your might and power I would have never thought to be so inconsiderate to you before.” “Razor,” he huffed. “I didn’t ask for that, and I didn’t claim to have fought off a manticore. That was all Hurricane. Now, can you just let it drop?” Brushing past the still-bowing pegasus, he picked up his pace towards the nearest tower. “Hey. Hey!” Streamline heard hooves scrabbling on stone as Razorwind hurried after him. “Our deployment’s that way, featherbrain.” He pointed back at the hall they’d just passed. “I know that, Razor, but my wing really is hurt, and I’d like to avoid making it any worse than I have to.” He continued down the hall, leaving Razorwind behind. “Now, I’m going to use that tower to get as much altitude to start off with as possible. You can just be on your merry way down that hall, and we don’t have to see each other till we report back. Sound like a plan?” There was silence from behind him for a few seconds, then the sound of retreating hoofsteps. He allowed himself a sigh of relief as he made it to the tower’s door. Placing one of his golden hoofguards on the lock, both glowed briefly, and he heard a click. After locking the door behind himself — he wouldn’t be responsible for a security breach — he climbed the spiral staircase. Wow, I wish there were some torches or something; it’s pretty dark in here. Exiting the staircase, Streamline found himself looking directly out at his family’s house. He stared through the window at it for a few seconds before tearing himself away. Opening the ornate glass door to the balcony, Streamline strode out into the night. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply as he spread his wings, letting the air currents play over his feathers. He breathed out. Then, he opened his eyes and took off. Barely a minute after he’d gotten airborne, a strange feeling tugged at him. It felt like gravity was no longer pulling exactly down, but had been shifted slightly ahead of him. What the...? His eyes widened. A thin, blinding, line of pure magic speared out of the forest. He knew at once that it must be the Elements of Harmony. Their activation was not the sort of thing that could be mistaken for anything else. With that realization came another. The princesses are okay! We’re saved! Recalling how exhausted Celestia had been after using the Elements late last winter, he realized that they would likely be in a similar state now, except this time, both of them were in the Everfree forest. As he watched, the beam cut out. Focusing in on where the beam had come from, he tried to memorize its location in relation to various hills and tall trees; he’d need to be able to find it later. Nodding to himself, he doubled, then tripled his speed. Typically, he would prefer to save energy for later, but this situation required speed. If I don’t get there in time, then the only ponies that I know can help my family... No. I will get there in time. He pushed himself harder. Also, that’s a little selfish of me. He lost himself in the rhythm of flight. The minutes passed and the miles disappeared. As he passed a line of three unusually tall trees, Streamline slowed down. It was around here somewhere, but what if they moved? He scanned the ground for any sign of them and noticed a shock of white in a far-off clearing. Putting on a final burst of speed, he rushed to his princesses’ aid. As he got closer and could make out more details, it became increasingly clear that something was wrong. Celestia wasn’t moving at all, and Luna was nowhere to be seen. A pit of dread settled in his stomach.