//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Flying Friends // Story: The Coming of Tam O' Canter and Heather Bloom O' Red Hoof to Ponyville // by De Writer //------------------------------// It was a small Pinkie Pie Party. The Mane Six, Heather Bloom, Tam, Daph, and whichever ponies happened by, only about a dozen or so, were gathered in Sugar Cube Corner and making merry. Besides the usual cake, apple treats, muffins and cupcakes galore, Heather Bloom had introduced honey and nut barley bars. Pinkie happily demanded, “I have to know how you made these, Heather Bloom!” She paused long enough to chew and swallow another barley bar. “We need to add these to the Sugar Cube Corner menu! They are great!” Heather Bloom replied, “It is guide ye through it that I shall do, Pinkie. Tis easier o the learning if ye are guided so. These are a favorite Starvation's Night treat.” Daphne was trying to reconcile the happy, song leading, game playing near changeling unicorn in front of her with the mysterious and famous Lady Heather Bloom, Duchess Red Hoof of the Canterlot Court. She asked, “Lady . . Um . . I mean, Heather Bloom? How did you ever get so much money?” Seeing that Heather Bloom was not irritated or angry but was regarding her carefully, Daph forged ahead, “I thought that Mayor Mare's eyes were going to fall out of her head when she registered your Letter of Credit.” Heather Bloom smiled, nodded and with a near instant move, lunged her horn into the apple bobbing tub, spearing a fruit. She extended her horn, apple and all, saying, “Here ye are, Daph. I ha' gained my wealth from full many a venture and thing made. "I ha' learned the finest o metal and gem work and the winnin' o them from ore and rough stone by the Shet in their deep mine homes. I ha' learned the best o husbandry o farm and orchard from many an Earth pony. It is scoutin', mappin, and weather control that I ha' from our Pegassi in their aeries. In the use o unicorn magic I ha' few equals and besides these things, I am both an Honor Keeper and a Heart Keeper. “In all o these things there is honest bits to be earned, Daph. I ha been granted a great span o time fer the practice o all these things. Besides that, my needs be modest and so what I need not, I loan to those who may make a fair use o it and pay me back a greater sum than they borrow and thus my wealth do grow.” Rainbow Dash looked up in interest. “Did you say that you have lived with Pegassi? How could you stay up on a cloud?” Heather Bloom grinned again and replied, “Fer the most part, I did no such thing. I stayed in their aeries. O course I can change to a winged form and fly with them. To keep the Oath o the Heart Keepers, I must remain true to my kind. Thus, though I may fly, I cannot sit on a cloud as you do.” Tam was listening quietly to everything and making solid inroads on the cake, sweet hay, cupcakes and barley bars. Fluttershy quietly tugged at his leg to get his attention and asked, “Um . . . Pardon me, uh . . . Tam? I keep hearing you and your mare speak of a failing. It almost sounds like you mean some sort of fight. What does it mean?” Tam paused, offered Fluttershy a barley treat and scratched behind an ear with his right front hoof. Finally he replied, “Tis a failing because it is honorable peace which ha failed and conflict come o it. It may be small, like the incident with that fool Curmbway or it may be that lairds disagree on some policy or other between clans to so great a degree that it must be settled by the force o arms between their clans. If it come to blows for any reason, great or small, tis a failing.” Several of the others were watching and listening. They were surprised that Fluttershy did not even show any sign of distress at the casual mention of battle. If they were surprised by Fluttershy's lack of distress, her mild frown of concentration and the question that followed almost floored them. “Then, Tam, when you have one of those big clan to clan failings, you mean that you have a battle, with maybe ponies injured or killed? Do I understand that correctly?” Tam sat hard and began to weep as he replied, “Yer understanding is perfect. Good ponies that should graze happily fer many a year to come may die or be grievously injured o a failing.” Almost like magic, Heather Bloom made her way through the small throng and stood beside Tam, laying her horn comfortingly across his. She stood still for a moment and Twilight, trained in the magic of unicorns and having seen the magic of Changelings, sensed something new. It was like a Changeling taking love from a victim but the love was being given freely. Twilight could actually see it flowing. Instead of taking, Heather Bloom was giving her love to Tam, assisting him in his grief. Mildly, with no rebuke at all in her voice, Heather Bloom explained to Fluttershy, “Tam did lose his beloved Annie in the last failing that was fought o laird Hibotom. The produce o Simer Dale wa' given to O' Canter fer twenty year as weregeld fer an unjust death by Clan Karran. Hibotom, Laird O' Canter, wa' but a newborn foal at the time. He grow and assume O' Canter on the passing o his father. “When the twenty year wa' past, Clan Karran justly required the dale returned to them. Hibotom refuse, as Simer Dale wa' O' Canter all his life. He reject the law writing and the good counsel o all the Honor Keepers and took it to a failing. “Some o justice there wa, fer Clan Karran win the failing and regain what wa justly theirs. In the course o battle, a war ax wa swung that would have taken Tam's life. His Annie, fighting beside him saw in time the deadly stroke and it wa her neck that took it to save him. “As an Honor Keeper, I wa watching the failing to prevent any unfair tactic or foul action. I saw her fall. I raise wing and flew to her side as fast as could be. I carried her out to the safety o the Honor Keeper's place and tried to save her. “I could not. Even thousands o years o healing experience cannot prevent some things and her wound wa mortal. All that I could do wa stanch the bleeding and Sustain her life a while. When the failing was done, I had Tam brought to her that they might have what little time I could give them. “As ye do see, he wa broken o the heart by it. His Annie wa wise enough to know it and, as I wa free o Heart Keeping obligation then, bound me to Keep his Heart fer her. I could nay refuse, nor would I ha wanted to. It is thus that we are here now, seeking a place as far from Hibotom, Laird O' Canter, as may be and in the same deed do a healing for me too by raising Red Hoof upon its hill once more and that done in peace with ye fine ponies.” Fluttershy drew a deep breath before saying, “I thought that it might be something like that. I am sorry for bringing up old pains like this.” Tam had regained his hooves and said, “Dinnae be sorry, dear pony. Ye have strength, courage and wisdom under yer shy nature. What ye done be good fer me in the end. My Annie is gone but this I know, she does not want me to join her until it be my good time. She did say it so to me before she passed from us. Daphne had been watching quietly from the sidelines. Now she asked what several who heard Heather Bloom's tale wanted to know. “Lady, um, sorry about that . . Heather Bloom? You said that you raised wing to go to Annie? You look like a unicorn. Where are your wings?” Heather Bloom smiled and replied, “Bound by the Heart Keeper's Oath, I do hold to my true nature nor may I deny it. So long as the form I take openly reveal what I be, I may use the Gift o Change. That I can do swiftly if the need be. I do have a winged form that fly as well as any pegasus, though perhaps not as swift as some.” She was looking directly at Rainbow Dash as she said that last. To the surprise of all the ponies at the party, Rainbow Dash said cheerfully, “That would be awesome! Could we see it?” Heather Bloom looked around Sugar Cube Corner and all of the ponies there were at least looking interested. Daphne excitedly said, “Oh! Please do!” Heather Bloom nodded thoughtfully and replied, “An none say it nay, then I shall change fer ye. Be in no wise afraid o what I shall be fer a pegasus it is not at all. I will make the change slowly so that all can see it happen.” Her head, mane and horn stayed the same, except that the green glow of her magic enveloped her entire body. At first she almost melted like wax left too long near to something hot. The shape within the magic glow stopped flowing and began to reform, moving into half seen structures, partially hidden by the glow. When the glow of Heather Bloom's magic faded and she stood proud before them all. She was still her original blackish green color but that and her head were all that even resembled a pony. The creature before the amazed watchers had no visible forelegs. In their place, huge webbed wings grew from the shoulders of a powerful chest. The creature had long and lean hind legs that ended in almost hawk-like talons. She was sitting on a longish tail webbed to the insides of her thighs. Smiling at the effect, Heather Bloom partly spread her wings. There was not room enough to spread them completely inside Sugar Cube Corner. Her wings folded back along what would have been the forearms of another animal and she leaned forward until hoof-like parts covering the outside of her wing joints touched the floor. Lifting her hindquarters, Heather Bloom stood on all fours, her folded wings reaching up along the foreleg line and going on up, almost to the ceiling. Her foreleg/wings down to the hoof-like joints were actually longer than the hind legs, causing her back to slope somewhat down toward her rump. As Heather Bloom looked back over a shoulder at Rainbow Dash, she grinned and offered, “Shall it be that we show these ponies what some real flyin' be like?” Rainbow Dash got to the door first. She opened it with a mock bow, saying, “It would be my pleasure. After you, Your Ladyship?” Smiling happily, Heather Bloom replied as she strode past, “Dashie, I think that we are going to get on just fine.” Outside, the whole party gathered to watch. The few pegasi in the crowd were openly wondering, “How can any pony that big possibly get airborne? She's bigger than an alicorn.” They were answered almost immediately by Heather Bloom's skyward launch. She stood full height on her hind legs and lunged forward, stabbing the ground with those odd fore hooves, her wings still folded. Vaulting between the planted hooves, her body and hind legs curled tight, Heather Bloom swung forward. As her coiled hind feet hit the ground, she straightened into a lunge upward, reaching for the sky with those huge wings. The powerful downstroke that came as she was reaching the top of her jump carried her up into the air over ten feet. The air thrust back from it was felt by all the watchers. A few more power flaps had Heather Bloom gliding serenely at about fifty feet up. The astonished Rainbow Dash was looking up at Heather Bloom, gliding in lazy circles, gaining altitude with each pass. A cheerful call from up above, brought her to her senses. “Come on up! The air is fine!” Rainbow Dash took off in a powerful flutter of wings. It only took her a few moments to catch up to the gliding Heather Bloom. She flew close under Heather Bloom's huge right wing, by itself longer than Rainbow Dash's full wingspread. Holding her position easily, she said admiringly, “I never saw anything like that takeoff of yours! You can fly really well.” “Coming from ye, Rainbow Dash, I take that as a high compliment. Shall we stoop upon them down there like hawks upon a mouse?” Rainbow Dash didn't even hesitate. “That sounds like fun!” “Right then, get you above me, if you please, for I do not wish to dodge ye while I pull out of the dive.” Rainbow Dash eased back and climbed above the gliding Heather Bloom. As soon as she was safely in position, Heather Bloom's mighty wings folded in snugly to her body, only the tips extended a little for control. She dropped like a guided stone, falling straight at the watchers far below. Rainbow Dash was following and staying well clear until she saw how Heather Bloom would need to maneuver during the pull up. When Heather Bloom's huge wings snapped wide, they caught the air with an audible thump. She swooped past, only about twenty feet above the watching crowd. Using the speed built up in the dive, she climbed up and fell back in a big loop, followed by a smaller one inside the first. Rainbow Dash had sorted out the maneuver as soon as she saw Heather Bloom rolling over the top of the loop and sped through the center of it and swept around in time to center the second loop as well. The watchers on the ground heard Rainbow Dash's happy laughter mixed with the deeper voice of Heather Bloom laughing in joy with her. The two of them settled together to the ground. This time, Heather Bloom's change was swift as she resumed her unicorn-like form. As they all trooped back into the party in Sugar Cube corner, Heather Bloom sealed a solid friendship with Rainbow Dash by asking, “That wa fun like I have not seen in many a year. When the hall is raised again, would ye do me the favor o coming to Red Hoof that we may play in the skies again?”