//------------------------------// // Friends // Story: A Tale of Arcing Breeze // by Arcing Breeze //------------------------------// The moon was high in the sky, the light cast by it almost blinding in its strength. I used a wing to block the glare as I looked around me in wonder. The town was in ruin, buildings uprooted from the ground they lived in and floating in the air. I gaped in wonder though as beautiful flowers blossomed before wilting and regrowing again. It was like the world was in a loop. “You wear my stone!” The sudden voice startled me into backing up a step but before I could move more my flank bumped into something. I turned and saw a stone figure standing behind me like a barrier. “Rainbow?” She was raised on her rear hooves wings held wide with ragged feathers splayed. Her face was locked in a look of horror, her eyes wide and mouth open in a silent scream. “No, this isn’t right.” I muttered backing up. I whirled as I hit something again and heard a soft thump. I looked down seeing the small Apple Bloom lying on her side with the most fearful expression on her face that I had ever seen. Not far from where she lay were Applejack, and Big McIntosh, Granny Smith, and the rest of the ponies that I had met today. “No, nonono!” “Yes!” The voice screeched sounding from all around me. The shadows stretched reaching towards me with grasping claws. I whipped my wings out flapping and leaving the ground. A claw lunged at me latching onto my right hind hoof and holding me in place. “You wear my stone! You hide your true self! And for what? A little love? Some friends?” “No,” I whimpered struggling to pull away as tears trickled down my cheek. “We don’t need friends! We don’t need love! Love is for the weak! The powerless!” The voice cackled and suddenly I was pulled to the ground. I cried out as the hard ground hit my side and all the air rushed from my already spent lungs. “We are gods! We COMMAND love!” “I am… Am not a…A god!” I gasped getting to my hooves. “Oh?” A figure formed before me its body waving and fluctuating in its shadows. A shaded hoof reached forward touching the stone that hung from my neck. A rush of cold washed through my body and I shivered trying to slink backwards but I wasn’t able to. I couldn’t move, my body was frozen. “Then why do you carry this stone, one of binding, of jail? Its only use to lock away power,” The shadowed hoof moved and the chip that broke the otherwise smooth pictured stone was shown like the sun at night. “Oh what’s this? A chip? But that means that the binding is already broken, my you must feel POWERFUL, feel the magic flowing in you?” I gritted my teeth and willed my body to move. My wings twitched, my ears flicked and my hooves inched just slightly but otherwise I was still frozen solid. “Oh how I envy you young StormFront, how I wish to share that feeling with you.” The beings head dipped with a sigh before suddenly red eyes locked with my own and I flinched back in fear. “And soon I will be free brother. Soon we can rule.” I opened my mouth to reply but before I could another voice cut in. “Breeze! Come on Breezey relax!” “Rainbow?” “Wake up!” I gasped my head flying up only for pain to blossom on my forehead. “OW hey what was that for?!” I groaned rolling over onto my stomach to cradle my head in my hooves. I peeked out when the throbbing slowed to a small beat and looked to see Rainbow Dash cradling her own forehead. Guess that explains why my head hurts. “What happened?” Rainbow Dash groaned again before leveling a small glare at me. “You woke me up that’s what! You were screaming about some stone and power,” She sighed and lowered her hooves shaking her head to bounce some of the multicolored streaks of hair from her eyes. “You looked like you were scared for your life.” I could see the sky through the window behind her, the slightest hint of pink and orange showing that it was early dawn. “I-I think I need to go for a flight, just calm down,” I was at the window, my hooves pressed to the cloud made sill before I turned back to the mare and cracked a small weary smile. “Thank you Rainbow Dash, for waking me.” Before she could reply I was out the window, my wings cutting the early morning air easily as I slowly circled higher and higher and just let the wind carry me. Up this high there was very little direction to the wind, the currents shifting and switching as was their want. I relaxed my wings; let my feathers spread just slightly to make gliding easier. So many thoughts were in my head most prominent of which was; Why now? Years had passed since I had heard that voice, since it had been dealt with and I had made a new life for myself. I thought I had gotten rid of it for good, had been freed from it when I was young, but it appears I was wrong. I looked down at the moon stone against my chest reaching up to touch it gently. The picture glowed, the lines lighting up with a soft blue at my touch. A hiss sounded and I winced when I pulled back my hoof to see a small burn mark. Stupid magic, stupid rules! “Well howdy there Arcing!” I blinked down at the orange mare on the road, some time when I was distracted with my thoughts I must have slowly floated down to a lower height. Applejack was harnessed to a wagon just somewhat smaller than the one that her large brother Big McIntosh was hauling yesterday before supper. While beside her trotting glumly with a saddlebag nearly bulging with school supplies was the small Apple Bloom. I sighed and angled down slapping a small false smile on my face before I got to close. “Hey Applejack, Apple Bloom!” I touched down ruffling my feathers to settle my wings comfortably over my back. “Little early to be up don’t you think?” I asked nodding my head towards the east where the edges of the sun was starting to show over the horizon. “Not fer my family it’s not,” Applejack replied the gentle creak of her cart lessening any awkward silence that might have come. “Were farmer ponies after all, ain’t that right Apple Bloom?” “Sure is sis!” Apple Bloom chirped sounding more cheerful than she looked. I raised an eyebrow at her but shook my head. Fillies. “’Nough bout the questions on us there Arcing, what ‘bout you, it is offly early fer most ponies to be up an’ ‘bout.” I couldn’t hide the sigh this time but I was grateful when all they did was cast a small questioning glance at me. “Never was one for sleeping. Got a bit of insomnia I think.” “Inso-what?” Applebloom asked cocking her head to the side. “Insomnia, means he can’t sleep to good, if’n he gets to sleep at all.” Applejack explained. “Oh,” I nodded and looked forward as we passed into the town; houses started lining the roads on either side of us. As we got closer to the town square I started to notice a few stallions and mares setting up stalls with wares set on their tops. “What is this?” “Hmm,” Applejack hummed wheeling over to an empty stall with a smaller version of the wooden sign that hung over the entrance to her farm on it. “Oh this is the Ponyville Market, great place ta buy anythin’ that suits yer fancy.” She turned back to setting up her stall and I took the chance to cast my gaze around the small gathering of wares that had gathered by the other ponies. There were pots and pans, pies, cakes, and even whistles. Quite literally I bet I could ask anypony for any odd trinket and they’d point me to a pony that sold it. “Wow,” “Ah know right!” Apple Bloom gushed jumping in place. “There’s so many ponies ‘ere, it’s like the whole towns ‘ere. Ah remember one time Ah had ta go get a gear fer a clock or somethin’ like that an’ guess what? There’s a pony tha’ sells it, his names Gear Grinder. Hey there he is!” I followed her pointing hoof to spot a grey colored earth pony stallion dumping a box of gears onto a stall. On his flank was a cutie mark depicting two gears, one smaller than the other with sparks flying from between them. “Shouldn’ yah be gettin’ ta school Apple Bloom?” “Do Ah have ta?” The small filly asked pulling the pouty eyes at her older sister. Applejack met the gaze without a flinch though her ears did flick back into her blonde mane. I did my best to avert my eyes from the begging look but I was caught. Her bottom lip quivered and her eyes grew wider and wider. I felt my heart ache in my chest, what felt like a vice wrapped around my middle and I found it hard to breath. Finally what I was sure was a very powerful spell cast by a skilled Unicorn was broken with three simple words. “Yes yah do, now get, yer gonna be late if yah dally any longer.” Sighing Apple Bloom dipped her head, ears drooping under her pink bow as she nodded. “Arcing Breeze can yah do me a favor?” I raised an eyebrow but nodded for her to continue. “Make sure Apple Bloom here actually goes tah school.” “Uh,” I looked at the small filly to see her looking just as shocked. “Sure?” “Thank yah.” I suppressed a sigh before smiling down at the small filly. “Come on Apple Bloom its best I get you to school,” I nudged her forward with a hoof and slowly followed her, my longer legs allowing me to easily keep pace with her shorter strides. Finally when we were far enough away I bent my neck down so my mouth was by her ears. “You know I have no idea where we’re going right?” “Don’ worry Mister Breeze,” She grinned up at me and motioned to down the street. “It’s that big red buildin’ there with the bell on top.” I squinted and saw the building but I grinned and shook my head. “Nope can’t see a thing,” She looked at me her mouth open to say something but I cut her off before she could get a sound out. “Maybe if we were in the air you could point the building out to me?” “Wait what?!” She exclaimed jumping in front of me. “Me…Us in the air? Can Ah oh please?!” “Hmm,” I hummed in thought sitting down and tapping my chin with a hoof in thought. “Well I guess.” I told her shrugging and standing up straight moving my right wing for her to jump on my back. She did so without a second thought and quickly settled down on her stomach clutching my mane in her front hooves. I grunted at her weight surprised by how much it actually was but it wasn’t tough for me to carry her, she was still lighter than some of the things that I’ve carried. Raising my wings high on either side of her I ruffled my feathers settling them for a proper flight. “Ready?” Her answer was given almost the second my question left my mouth and laced with so much enthusiasm that I couldn’t help the small short bark of laughter that escaped me. “Ready!” “Hang on!” My wings shot down in a powerful gust of air and twin clouds of dust was kicked up from the dirt road under my hooves as I shot into the air. A scream was ripped from the small filles throat and I could imagine her eyes screwed shut. Angling I purposefully shifted so I was flying away from the school house. I swore somewhere under the rushing wind and the ringing in my ears that I heard a cry of shock from a very familiar voice, I choose to ignore it if the cry was actually real. I settled just under the cloud line were a few fat lazy ones floated and leisurely flapped my wings, relying on the thermals that drifted towards me from the ground below to keep me steady. Craning my neck around I let a grin stretch my muzzle at the sight on my back. Apple Bloom indeed had her eyes screwed shut but her face was stuffed between my shoulder blades just under my mane. Her hooves to clutched the red and green streaks of hair and her ears were pressed flat to her head her rose colored mane tussled and loose from the pink bow that tamed it. “Yesh I know I’m a good flyer but I didn’t think I’d put a filly to sleep.” “A-Ah ain’t sleeping,” She declared only the slightest of stutters lacing her words. I couldn’t help but feel proud of this small filly. She was so trustworthy, so brave. Here she was on the back of a stallion nearly a stranger to her. Not just that but she was also hundreds of feet in the air with nothing but that strange stallion keeping her safe. “A-ah’m just resting my eyes is all.” “Well rest is up,” I told her shifting slightly as I felt he faintest hint of a wind change in my sensitive feathers. “Now where is that school of yours?” I felt her shift on my back and a hoof nudged my left side with a feather like touch. I shivered as I suppressed a laugh, it wouldn’t be good to get ticklish when I was up in the air with a pony on my back. “Wow, everything’s so small down there.” I couldn’t help it. I laughed, hard. I clutched my ribs as I was forced to set down on a nearby cloud or else fall. I just laughed and laughed until I could feel tears drip from my eyes. Finally recovering to the lightest of chuckles I swiped the tears away and looked at the now confused filly. “I didn’t expect that sorry.” She cocked her head but a let a smile cross her face and a small giggle escape her mouth as she settled back down to lie on my back. “That’s fine Mister Breeze,” She nodded slightly to herself before pointing a surprisingly steady hoof towards the school house below. “That’s my school there.” I nodded and stepped off the cloud spreading my wings again and entering a shallow dive. I took my time slowly circling the area and letting Apple Bloom look around. It really is beautiful up here. All the colors of the plants molded together as if one being and created a nice tie-die landscape. Towns were mere marks on the ground with ponies barely visible and it was like one was surrounded by a sea above that was calm and gentle. Finally all too soon my hooves touched solid ground again and I trotted a short distance to the gate set in the fence that surrounded the school house. She jumped down off my back and I sighed as I settled my wings more comfortably along my sides. “Well there’s your school.” Apple Bloom bit her lip slightly nudging the dirt with a hoof before suddenly lunging forward and wrapping her forehooves around my left leg. “Thank you Mister Breeze.” I smiled and an urge pushed me to bend my neck down and nuzzle her side gently. I blinked but gently nudged her towards the school. “Go to school Apple Bloom,” As she turned away and walked through the gate I called out one more time. “Oh and Apple Bloom!” “Yes Mister Breeze?” She asked turning to look at me over her shoulder. “My friends call me Arcing.”