//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Unmarked // by Croswynd //------------------------------// Epilogue Claws reached for her as she ran through the forest, ripping at her wings and slicing through her skin. A cruel laugh echoed from behind. It was playing with her, weakening her with every passing minute. Still she ran. The rain clung to her fur, a cold she couldn’t feel making her shiver. Vines clutched at her hair, twigs snapped at her face, roots reached for her hooves. It was as if the forest was against her, helping that twisted presence chasing her. She closed her eyes, fighting the nausea welling up from the fatigue her wounds caused her. Her muscles trembled with exhaustion, each hoof beat more unsteady than the last. Breathing was becoming more difficult, her lungs unable to keep up with the demands her body made. But she had to keep running. For him. Behind her, the claws descended and she knew no more. ***** Light blinded her as she awoke. It was warm, cascading down on her like a summer shower. It soothed her. Memories of Hoofington ambled through her mind and she closed her eyes. It would almost be time to get up for the day and work the clouds. Time to fly, free and high. To see him, though he annoyed her so much. Smiling, Whisper snuggled against her cloud-pillow, luxuriating in the glow of the sun. It would be a long day of cloud-kicking and weather management, but that was still minutes away. She would enjoy the peace while she could... “We still don’t know what happened,” somepony said nearby. Not opening her eyes, Whisper felt her smile fade away. Her ear twitched to hear better. What had happened? Had one of the nimbus clouds gone missing again? A soft, measured voice replied, “But we do know it didn’t work. At least not entirely.” Both of the voices were familiar. Now Whisper did open her eyes, rubbing the blurriness from them with a hoof. She froze a moment later when she realized she wasn’t in her room back in Hoofington. Wood paneling surrounded her, and a subdued hum she hadn’t noticed before rumbled methodically. Other cloud hammocks littered the room, a few pegasi also sleeping in them. A pillar blocked the rest of the room from her sight, but when she looked around it, all she saw was more of the same; that is, except for the two more ponies sitting on the other side of the room, close together. Ignoring them for the moment, she moved to stand beside her cloud hammock. When her hooves touched the wooden floor, the pain nearly caused her to fall over. As it was, she barely managed to reach out and catch herself on the nearby pillar. Where am I? she thought, glancing back toward where the sun had shone down upon her. A circular window was set in the side of the wall, and when she looked into it, she saw clouds. “An airship,” she mumbled, wincing with the effort of standing up. To her left, the whispers started again. “What do we tell her when she wakes up?” the female replied. “We tell her the truth.” Whisper wandered over to where the voices were coming from, circling the pillar. The two ponies she had seen earlier became distinct the closer she came. The smaller of the two was slowly stroking the shell of a familiar snail. They looked up at her approach, their faces instantly changing from sadness to surprise.         Quills was the first to recover. “You’re up!”         Professor Search stood in a rush, reaching out a hoof to steady her. “My dear! You shouldn’t be walking about—.”         Whisper grimaced at the pity and gently pushed the Professor’s hoof away. “I’m fine. What’s going on? Where are we?”         “We’re on the Southern Belle,” Quills replied, looking away. “As for what’s going on...”         “I heard you talking. Something about telling me the truth?” Whisper looked imploringly at them, wondering why her friends were considering lying to her. She was momentarily distracted by Swirley sliding up her leg, and she pulled him up to her cheek to cuddle him.         After a moment of silence cuddling, she looked back up at the two. Both of them wore guilty expressions. Whisper narrowed her eyes suspiciously and stuck Swirley on her mane.         “Well?”         Professor Search cleared his throat. “It’s a bit of a story, my dear.” Suddenly, Whisper noticed there were three other ponies missing. She glanced around. “Where’s Novell?”         “The same place my brother is,” Quills replied bitterly with a look to the side.         Whisper stared at her, finally noticing the younger pony’s eyes were red at the edges. Almost like she’s been crying...         A chill of fear ran down her spine and she knew her face had paled.         The Professor was quick to interject. “They’re not dead, do not worry.”         Quills glared up at the unicorn. “As far as we know, they could be.”         “They’re not,” he replied firmly, staring at Quills pointedly. “As far as we know.”         “If they’re not dead, where are they?” Whisper asked severely, irritatedly stomping her hoof. “What happened when I was out?”         Concern etched over the Professor’s face. “Do you remember what happened to you, dear?”         Painful memories assaulted her, nearly making her faint. She pushed back against the dark thoughts, grimacing internally with the effort. They wouldn’t make her weak. It was done, over with.         Outwardly, she only blinked. “Yes. I was chased through the forest by the Griffons with Rez. But I escaped.” A thought occurred to her. “Rell was—!”         “Fine now,” the Professor said, forestalling her panic with a hoof. “Released and doing well for herself as the new Matriarch.”         “What?” That didn’t make sense. “How?”         “We stopped the war.” Quills sighed. “Halfway through it, anyway. Havoc’s gone... somewhere.” “The Hippogryphs retreated once we stopped Havoc,” Professor Search continued the tale, pushing his glasses further up his nose. “They scattered through the forest, leaving the Griffons confused and lost. Havoc’s influence on them left and they realized they were being controlled right after.” A twinkle of amusement sparkled in his eye. “Without an enemy to fight, they stopped, their bloodlust cooled. Some questioned the hatred they felt. So the old Matriarch returned the army to the aeries, freeing her daughter and resigning as Matriarch. Rell took over after that.” “But Havoc isn’t finished,” Whisper guessed. Judging by their reactions, she wasn’t far off the mark. “We don’t know, to be honest,” Professor Search clarified. “He was sent away and his spell over both the Hippogryphs and Griffons was broken. But as far as the spell working as intended... I can only guess he has been sent... elsewhere.” Quills’ face darkened at that. “So, what?” Whisper replied sarcastically to lighten the mood, “Novell went charging off with your brother and Pensive?” “No.” Quills shook her head and looked away. “They got caught in the same spell Havoc did.” Whisper didn’t know how to respond to that. She felt herself fall down backwards until she was sitting on the floor, dizziness overcoming her. Holding a hoof to her head, she closed her eyes tightly against the headache already forming there. Novell was gone, maybe dead, along with Pensive and Scrolls. So what now? she asked herself. Novell had always been the one to point them in the right direction, the one leading them from one area to another. It had been his quest that she had willingly joined. What now? An answer came to her, simple and direct. It was an answer that suited her personality, one that she could do without any help, just like always. When she opened her eyes, she noticed the Professor and Quills looking at her silently, depression weighing in on them. Swirley’s eyestalks were hanging just above her, as well, that half-lidded stare full of more emotion than anypony else ever saw. But you don’t have to do this by yourself. You’ve got friends now, Swirley’s eyes seemed to say, even though she didn’t know these two as well as she did Novell. Besides, they need cheering up as much as you do. Standing up against her pain, she nodded and cleared her throat. The other two stared up at her. She offered a smile. “Well... let’s go find ‘em.”