Bloodline
Chapter 2 - First Steps
The cold shiver that ran down Twilight's spine almost made her heart stop. The weeping pegasus underneath her wooden library table shot her a frantic glare.
His eyes told Twilight the story of his life. Being deserted by love and care. Being chained down and tortured. Being kept away from the chance of happiness. Twilight could read every last page of the book that was the poor pegasus, all within the fibres of his red eyes. Tears ran down the crystal white of his cheeks and met the ground.
Stunned, Twilight couldn't react other than stare at his terrified form. His chest rose and fell hastily with every breath. Spike simply sat silently by her side. The Pegasus' forceful movements and struggle for freedom kept the baby dragon from coming closer, although seeing that the prisoner was more afraid than himself let Spike’s tension ease.
Slowly, he stepped past Twilight and extended his tiny claw towards the shivering pegasus and formed it to a small scaly fist. “I'm sorry, bro.” The pegasus continued to gaze at Twilight, barely blinking at Spike’s words. “Twilight can be a little bit harsh and insensitive,” the dragon continued. “C’mon, get up and share a tub of ice cream with me!”
Light Chaser's gaze wandered down from the hapless alicorn to the little dragon. His lips were quivering, but his eyes regained some of their shine, mirroring his slowly raising confidence. “What is that ‘ice cream’ supposed to be?”
Spike stared at the white pegasus in sheer disbelief. Staring, mouth agape, he raised his claw and smacked it loudly against his forehead, pulling it down over his face moments later. “This is going to be a very long day...”
Spike turned around and scuffed in the general direction of the kitchen. The clicking sound of his hard scales caused Twilight to snap out of her stupor, and she followed his tiny steps.
She shook her head for a short moment, then put a false, but nonetheless heartwarming, smile onto her face. The lavender Alicorn sank to the ground and made herself comfortable.
Light Chaser narrowed his eyes but otherwise didn't react. He seemed to consider the distance between them as safe. His knees were still shivering a little bit but his heartbeat seemed to decrease. Maybe Twilight had taken the right turn.
Twilight observed Light Chaser's lips carefully. They were quivering less as long as Twilight kept herself from getting too near him. She made herself as small as possible, extending her wings but keeping them low, nearly touching the ground. Twilight leaned to her side and stretched her left wing as much as possible towards Light Chaser.
The white pegasus pressed himself stronger against the table leg. He watched the plush wing getting closer to his hooves. His lips began to quiver once more, fear returning to his mind. Twilight laid her head onto the floor next to her wing and tried to give him the most sympathetic smile. “You really don't have any need to be afraid of me. This is just my wing. It’s really soft and warm, just lay your hoof on it. You’ll see. There is nothing fluffier than a freshly preened wing.”
Light Chaser watched the wing in front of him. He inspected every single inch of the lavender wing closely while he narrowed his eyes until only two small slits remained. Instead of stretching his hoof towards the feathered limb, he stretched his own wing away from his body.
He laid his wing flatly on the ground and let his eyes gaze over its full length. His eyes returned to the charming mare, but his gaze wasn't filled with confidence or certainty. Instead, he wore the very same look a little foal would wear if it had to ask a very bothersome question. “Listen Alicorn, you and I look different. Explain.”
Twilight twitched slightly but tried to keep her stance. She licked her lips while she thought quickly about the most suitable explanation. “It is rather simple. You are a stallion, which means you are a male pony while I'm a mare, which means I'm a female pony. Most ponies have a differently shaded coat. Spike and I only happen to be both purple-coated. You are a crystal pony, which means that your coat has a gem-like shine...”
Her thoughts came to a halt when the gaze of the pegasus become more and more bored. “I may have been blindfolded and kept away from everything that could interact with me, but I'm not an idiot. Skip that part and explain why our wings look different.”
Twilight tried to stretch her wing even further. The startled pegasus didn’t notice her wing getting closer. “If I answer your questions, are you willing to answer mine?”
The white pegasus simply nodded weakly. “Depends on the question, but ask if you want.”
Twilight could only offer him a small, honest smile, considering what she had to tell him. “Thank you, Light Chaser. What I have to tell you now is quite difficult. I won't lie to you either. Your wings were gravely damaged when you were young. It seems like the last bone in your wing has been cut down. This will influence your upward lift. You may never be able to fly with these.”
Light Chaser seemed to become even smaller than before. He hid behind his crippled wings and pulled them close to his face. “How does it feel to fly? I heard some guards talk about it once.”
Twilight turned her head slightly away from the curious but still anxious pegasus. “I can't tell you much about flying, to be honest. These are new to me, too. I got them nearly two weeks ago, when I turned into an Alicorn.”
His ears perked up. He withdrew his wings and stared at the mare in front of him. “Become an Alicorn? Weren't you born like this?”
An uncomfortable twitch raced through her spine when she remembered her meeting with Princess Celestia in that foreign world. “After I finally understood what friendship really means, I gained these. It was a creepy feeling. So much energy was floating around and inside of me. I felt invincible in that very moment, but I don't like that feeling of unlimited power.”
The purely white pegasus rose from the ground. His eyes became harsh and dim. The red orbs scared Twilight, but she still forced herself to stand still. Light Chaser got closer to her and leaned a little bit over Twilight. The incoming light fell from above the stallion and shadowed almost his entire face. Only his red shining eyes were visible to her. The sound of his voice was familiar to her. It was only a short moment, but she heard King Sombra talk once and the sound of Light Chaser's voice right now wasn't comfortable to her. “Powerful, you say? Does that mean that anypony can obtain such unlimited power?”
Her wings withdrew and neatly clipped against her body once more. His voice included a threatening tone, something that made Twilight shiver and confident at the same time. Maybe kindness wasn't the solution to soften him but his obvious interest in power. “Technically it would be possible I think. But since they are only four Alicorns around I would consider it very hard. It is a high goal to aim for.”
Almost as she’d predicted, Light Chaser began to hiss. Before his thoughts could continue further, Twilight rashly stepped in. “I think now it's my turn to ask you a question. How familiar were you with your father?”
Light Chaser's eyes switched back to the Alicorn. Immediately he remembered in what kind of situation he was and slowly retreated underneath the table he came from before. “In which way is this of interest for you, Alicorn?”
Twilight gulped, she had forgotten about a very important fact until now. Light Chaser didn't know about the time span he had been sleeping yet. “You see... Your father had enslaved the Crystal Empire over a thousand years ago but two Princesses stopped him and banished him into the eternal northern ice. Recently he got free, so Spike and I had to stop him for a second time. Which made me curious. I wanted to know how much you knew about him.”
The white pegasus retreated further back into the absolute shadow underneath the table. It was impossible for Twilight to read his body language now. “I knew that he was a king, but I never heard something of him being a dictator. Maybe it was what made him special … bringing misery to others... But a thousand years of imprisonment gave him enough time to think.”
Twilight bit her lip, it was the faint tone of sadness that let her urge to help rose. “I didn't want to make you sad, Light Chaser. It’s just that I want to learn as much about you as possible. I just want to befriend you and show you the beauty of Equestria. Much has changed since your father got hold of the Crystal Empire.”
He slightly emerged from the shadows but still eyed Twilight suspiciously. “Why would you want to know something about me? I'm just as strange to you as you are to me. There’s absolutely no need to know something about each other.”
Twilight couldn't help but giggle at his attitude. Not so far in the past, she had seen things the same way. “This is the very concept of friendship that made me an Alicorn in the end. Friendship means to rely on others, helping them and getting helped in return. You can even be pouring your heart out to them and find salvation in their kindness. So you don't have to be alone ever again. Nopony should be alone with his problems and worries. There are so many ponies out there. I'd bet many of them would love to be friends with you.”
She let her hooves occasionally wave to the little window to her right side. The shining light hindered his gaze to see anything on the outside, but the upcoming tension in his muscles told Twilight about his curiosity. “We could make a little deal if you want to.”
Light Chaser cocked an eyebrow and waited for her to advance. Twilight cleared her throat and did as he pleased. “I promise to stay at least three whole body lengths away from you, so you can take a look through the window.”
It felt rather suspicious to him. But Twilight just lay there idly without a dark twist in her expression. She was genuinely honest. “What kind of deal is this if you don't gain anything from me in return? You are just holding yourself back in order to help me advance.”
Twilight happily nodded and chirped in a happy tune. “That is exactly what friendship means! Doing something for another pony only to make him happy.”
Light Chaser eyed Twilight carefully and slowly arose from underneath the table. He stepped back into the light. Slowly and steady he laid one hoof in front of another. Always waited for Twilight's reaction. As promised she slipped further away with every step he made. His legs still didn't supported his weight very well and quivered with every step. But his confidence grew with every passing inch. From the corner of his eyes he watched Twilight's smile grew and grew. She just sat there idly and patient, waiting for his reaction to the world outside.
His hooves rose from the ground and met the window ledge. His eyes needed a second to adjust to the blinding light of the outside world that Princess Celestia was brightening day in day out. The sight let him forget his fear. Little birds were flying around the trees, and a swarm of butterflies just crossed the window to halt on the flowers around the library he was sitting in. Ponies in different hues and forms were mingling in front of the library, carrying some bags to their homes.
Light Chaser turned his head back to Twilight. A wide smile has grew on his face. The lavender Alicorn was sitting now exactly three body-lengths away from him, waiting for his response. “Hey, Alicorn! What are these tiny creatures out there?”
Twilight bent her neck and tried to get a glimpse of the animals outside. Her smile grew even bigger when she saw a little bird land right outside the window. Light Chaser's eyes grew wide when he observed it closely. “This little friend is a bird. As you see, they can fly through the air and chirp lovely songs all day long.”
He raised his hoof back to the window and tapped carelessly against the glass. The little bird flew away and left him behind. His smile fell back to a small frown, while Twilight couldn't cover another small giggle. “You know, if you want I can introduce you to a close friend of mine. She is really really sweet and very shy. She takes care of the animals around Ponyville. Many of them are even living with her. I can imagine that she will be even more afraid of you than you would be of her.”
A faint twitch rushed over his face. He just stared at her in disbelief. It seemed like a single familiar though come over and over again to his mind. “If I give this whole friendship thing a chance, does that mean that I could become an Alicorn one day?”
Twilight's body began to shiver. These emphasis in his speech, sounded too much like the dark king. Just as she wanted to answer his question, the clacking sound of Spike's claws resounded through the library. The little dragon walked around the corner from the little kitchen with a big tub of ice cream in his right claw and a small bowl filled with ice cream with a spoon stuck inside in his left claw. “Oh I see that you got him from underneath your table.Well then, here you go.”
Spike let the bowl slide over the ground. It began to spin while it got closer to Light Chaser. He lifted his hoof before the bowl came to an halt in front of him. The oddly sweet smell of the cold mass beneath him awoke his curiosity. He lowered his head and took a deep breath. “This smells so odd. Is this the ice cream you spoke of?”
The little dragon laughed at the inexperienced stallion and demonstrated the harmlessness of the frozen liquid. He lifted the tub above his head and poured the contents down his throat. Spike licked the remaining ice cream from his lips and tossed the tub aside. “You see? It’s delicious!”
Light Chaser stuck his hoof slightly into the ice cream and licked the sticky liquid from his white hoof. He gasped at the intense taste and began to stutter. “Wh... Wha... What? This is so sweet and full of sugar! I have to get another bite!”
He grabbed the bowl and hastily shoved one spoon after another inside his mouth. The bowl emptied quickly. A cold pain raced to his head after the ninth spoonful. The bowl and spoon fell to the ground and the white pegasus followed immediately. He clapped his hooves together above his head and rubbed his forehead. “This pain! What have you done?”
Spike couldn't cover his laughter while Light Chaser struggled with his pain. “It’s a question of training. You will withstand it soon.”
Light Chaser shot him an evil glare through the gap between his hooves. His gaze wandered over to Twilight. She was still smiling at him, but her smile seemed to be more forced than before. “Please don't be angry at Spike! He just forgot to warn you about the after-effects of eating ice cream too fast! Come on, I’ll show you around the library and show you where you will sleep later.”
The white stallion shook his head and rose back to his hooves. Spike watched him rise and noticed something odd. “Is it just me or is he looking somehow more dull than before?”
Twilight looked at the struggling stallion closely. “Oh! Why haven't I noticed before? He really greyed down.”
Light Chaser cocked an eye on the chatting two in front of him. “What do you mean when you say that I greyed?”
Spike wanted to step closer to him, but Light Chaser immediately flinched back. Spike awkwardly scratched his head and coughed. “When we woke you up you were all shiny. You seemed to be a little bit more plush and even your mane didn't look so flat before.”
Light Chaser looked at the little dragon in disbelief but Twilight stepped in to help. “It is pretty easy. When a crystal pony feels unsure or uneasy, it's coat loses its shine and it’s mane flattens. You must have been happy while you peacefully slept and after we scared you, your coat lost its crystal clear shine. Any questions?”
Light Chaser looked at the lavender Alicorn blankly but Spike was hastily raising his claw. “Twi? How is it even possible that a crystal pony is a pegasus? I thought they are all like earth ponies without horn, wings and stuff.”
She scratched her chin while she let the memories of the Crystal Empire pass through her mind. “Now that you mention it, I’ve really never seen a real crystal pegasus before. Maybe there are just living outside the capital or maybe he is some kind of mutation. Light Chaser said before that some guards have spoken about flying. Maybe there were once more of them. I really should ask Cadance about it. Maybe she can give me some more info. And while I'm at it, I could ask her how magic takes effect on a crystal pony.”
Light Chaser hesitantly raised his voice towards Twilight. “Why do you have to know how magic is affecting me?”
Twilight put on the most generous and happy smile she could and chirped enthusiastically at the baffled stallion. “Since your wings are not able to fly anymore, I want to regrow them. But I don't know a spell to do this, so I will ask her.”
“Is she an Alicorn, too?”
Spike and Twilight looked at each other for a brief moment. This was enough of an answer for the stallion. Light Chaser sighed faintly and turned away from them. “I think I understand. Is there some space where I can be alone for some time?”
Twilight tried to smile again, but the stallion in front of her made it harder and harder to be positive. “At the top of the library is a stargazing room with a little balcony. If you want you could spend some time there.”
His eyes turned towards the stairs and he took slowly off. He hid his face with his wings while he walked over the wooden stair. Twilight and Spike didn't dare to follow him now. Spike shot Twilight a worried glare. “Why did he asked you about Cadence being an Alicorn?”
Twilight sighed quietly and waited for the door of the stargazing room above to close. “We talked a bit and I told him how I have become an Alicorn. It was very strange. His voice became much darker and sounded so much more like King Sombra's. He asked me if anypony could become so powerful. I think he might be dangerous in his core. We have to watch him closely.”
Spike looked upstairs and rubbed his arms. “Yeah, I think you are right.”
Above them in the stargazing room were various books ripped out of the bookshelves, most of them covered highly complex topics and theories. Every single of them was flipped open. Light Chaser let his gaze strive over thousand of foreign characters. “Alright! Everypony has to begin somewhere.”
The white stallion had comfortably laid down in front of the big balcony windows and was looking through a little multi-coloured cardboard book with various colourful pictures of animals and objects.
This book was kindly named ‘A foal’s guide to reading’.