Wind Whistler scanned the edge of the forest. She took in a deep breath to take in the sweet scent of spring blooms coming from the meadow in which she was standing. It was pleasantly warm as puffy white clouds passed leisurely across a sky streaked with the glowing white rings far above. The two waxing crescent moons were a conspicuous reminder that this was not Equestria, but in a comforting and majestic way. The sky of Equestria seemed so barren now with only either the sun or the moon up at any given time.
The surface was also more pleasant today. She was glad to find somewhere other than Dream Valley that harbored life. After the industrial wasteland of Gizmas City and the just plain barren Land of Nightmares, standing among tall grass in front of a thick forest made this world feel more welcoming.
The sound of grass being pushed aside caught Wind Whistler’s attention. Auger lumbered towards her. “What do you think?” he asked.
“This will be a perfect site for a settlement,” Wind Whistler said. “This area can support a community of roughly a thousand ponies, including cropland, and it is close to blark, dell dweller, and human settlements.”
Auger turned to forest. “Of course, that means clearing much of the forests away.”
Wind Whistler looked at the tree line with a wall of underbrush marking its border. It was a shame they would be clearing much of it away. “Well, we’ll have to clear the fields completely, but we should try to preserve the mature trees where the village proper will be built. These are also prime timber trees to build structures instead of harvesting from elsewhere.”
“You seem to have an excellent plan in place,” Auger said.
“We need to have one,” Wind Whistler replied, turning to him. “Our main colony force will be arriving in less than two and half major months. They need places to build their villages.” She turned back to the forest. “As is, they will likely have to live off little more than grass and whatever supplies they bring the first year. They should at least have the first phases of settlement done for them.”
“Well, I guess I should help set up the boundaries—” Auger walked past her “—good day, Lieutenant Governor.”
“Good day, Auger,” Wind Whistler replied.
Even though she had held that title for two major months, Wind Whistler had a hard time believing it was her they were referring to. Though it was the same as when she was named controller of the weather factory back in Equestria.
She turned her attention to the sky and thought of Cloudsdale and what the pegasi were doing. Winter Wrap-up would have been completed weeks ago, and they would be well into making the springtime weather patterns. The ponies here did some things two wrap up winter, but winter became spring on its own for the most part.
“Hey, Wind Whistler,” Gusty’s shout caught Wind Whistler’s attention.
Gusty bounded across the field with Fizzy and Shady behind her.
“How’s the rest of the valley looking?” Wind Whistler asked as they stopped in front of her.
“Topsoil found a deep aquifer, so we’re good in the water department,” Gusty said. “We were actually curious about where you were last night.”
“Last night?” Wind Whistler asked nervously.
Last night she was a humanoid in the mirror world on a date with Hurricane. “I was elsewhere.”
“Come to think of it,” Gusty mused out loud as she rubbed her chin, “Firefly was asking where Hurricane was last night too.” A smirk formed on her face as she glanced towards Wind Whistler. “You two weren’t…”
Wind Whistler sighed. “He and I spent the evening together in the mirror world.”
“So you were on a date,” Shady said coyly.
“Yes, but don’t tell Heart Throb,” Wind Whistler whispered.
“Our lips are sealed.” Gusty crossed her chest with her hoof.
“What did you do?” Fizzy asked.
“Well,” Wind Whistler said as she walked towards the woods and the others followed, “we took a small amount of gold and converted it to the local currency. He then treated me to dinner, and we saw one of their science fiction comedy films, which had a poor grasp on science but was entertaining nonetheless.”
“Did he kiss you good night?” Gusty asked teasingly.
Wind Whistler turned back to Gusty and wrinkled her nose. “Really, Gusty, even someone as socially inexperienced as me knows it’s a serious faux pas to kiss and tell.”
Gusty glanced back to the others. “He kissed her.”
Wind Whistler blushed.
“Wind Whistler!” Sundance’s shriek was all too welcome to put an end to this.
Sundance burst out of the woods. The earthling mare had a white coat and a curly, pink mane a few shades darker than Wind Whistler’s, but not as dark as Truly’s. She looked around and saw them. “Wind Whistler, some of the scouting party’s been captured.”
Hurricane flew over the thick forest. Typhoon and Scud followed behind and to either side of him. Hurricane glanced back to Typhoon and then to Scud. Scud was an odd stallion who seemed to zone out easily. Despite being from the Crystal Empire which had been wherever it was for a thousand years, his manner of speaking reminded Hurricane of counterculture groups from a few decades ago. He was certainly easy to pick out of a crowd, even when he wasn’t speaking, with his bright orange coat and flat mane streaked white, yellow, orange, and red.
Scud weaved a bit. “It’s so rad to be flying over such a paradise. It’s a shame we’ll be turning it into just another village.”
“Not everyone can be one with nature like you,” Typhoon grumbled.
“You should respect nature, man,” Scud replied in his dull way of speaking. “Here, she’s her own mistress.”
Hurricane rolled his eyes and turned his attention back down to the ground below. They came to a clearing with something in it. He stopped and lowered to get a better look.
As he descended, Hurricane realized it was a group of a half dozen scruffy looking humans wearing brown and olive green clothing, with hoods covering their heads. The only clean-shaven one of the group was lanky except for his pudgy gut. There was also a net with a lot of colorful objects in it. Hurricane gasped when he realized it was ponies.
“Those humans captured some of the earthlings!” Hurricane shouted up to the other two.
“Then let’s get ‘em.” Typhoon raced past him.
Hurricane dove after Typhoon into the clearing. He landed a few meters from the men, but Typhoon landed hooves first into one of the bearded men. He toppled over and the others backed away.
“Are we glad to see you guys,” Applejack said from under the net with Cherries Jubilee, and Posey.
Typhoon flew off the man and landed a few meters from them.
The man without a beard smirked as he picked up a net. “Well, it seems we have more freaks for the sideshow.”
“Sideshow this!” Gusty shouted as she jumped out of the underbrush. As soon as her hooves hit the ground, she loosed a powerful gust of wind at the men. They tried to stand against the wind, but eventually fell backwards.
The clearing quickly filled with ponies. Auras surrounded horns and hooves scraped at the ground aggressively. Hurricane felt his body tense as he was ready for a fight.
The men got to their feet and the shaved one grinned sheepishly. “Would you believe this was all a misunderstanding?”
“No!” everyone shouted in unison.
The men backed away a couple steps before turning and running for a gap in the ponies.
“No you don’t.” Typhoon flew after them and grabbed the shaved one by the cloak. He flew up above the tree line with the man dangling from his cloak and screaming.
Seeing Typhoon carrying the terrified human to a dangerous height, Hurricane took to the air and flew after them. Unburdened, he quickly caught up to Typhoon. “What are you doing?”
“I’m making an example for those who would threaten us,” Typhoon got through his clenched teeth.
“They were running away,” Hurricane said. “We already demonstrated our might.”
“Please, this was all a misunderstanding I swear!” the man blubbered. “Just put me down.”
Typhoon looked down at the man and smirked. “You want down?” He opened his mouth and the cloak slipped from his teeth. “Here you go.”
The man fell screaming with the ground three kilometers below them.
“No!” Hurricane tucked in his limbs and went into a sharp dive. He squinted and clenched his teeth as the air ripped across him.
Hurricane reached the man. “Grab onto my neck and swing yourself over my back.”
“Is this some kind of trick?” the man shrieked.
“Just do it!” Hurricane snapped.
The man grabbed his neck and swung himself so he was on Hurricane’s back. Hurricane opened his wings and twisted his body to expose more surface area to the wind. He adjusted his wings to put them into a glide as he spiraled towards the clearing. The added weight forced him to make some adjustments, but he managed to get them into a safe descent velocity. Once he was a couple meters off the ground he flapped to slow himself and landed gently.
The man jumped off him and clambered in the direction the other men had run into the forest.
Hurricane panted and took in a deep breath. Full-grown humans, especially men with pudgy guts, were hard to keep in the air, even at a glide.
“You idiot!” Typhoon screamed from above.
Hurricane looked up at Typhoon diving at him. He leapt away as Typhoon landed hard where he was standing.
“Hey!” Hurricane snapped. “What are you trying to do?!”
“Why did you save him?!” Typhoon growled.
“Because killing him wouldn’t have solved anything!” Hurricane replied in a snarl. “They were running away!”
“Hey man,” Scud interjected, “you’re giving off some major negative vibes.”
“Shut up!” Typhoon snapped at Scud.
Spearhead stepped out of the underbrush with Rosetta. “What’s going on?”
“This soft-headed fool saved a human who had captured three ponies,” Typhoon answered.
“Which doesn’t justify murder,” Hurricane retorted. “We had already chased them off. They’ll never threaten us again.”
“I’ve had it with beating around the bush,” Typhoon growled as he turned away from Hurricane and walked towards Spearhead. “We’ve been playing your game for the past two and half months. I say we do what we came here to do.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” Spearhead said.
“What do you mean?” Wind Whistler asked.
Spearhead looked around the crowd. “I’m calling off the scouting mission for today. We’re going to have a general meeting in the courtyard within the hour. I think I need to explain our true mission statement.”
Wind Whistler looked over the railing of the balcony. All 36 ponies not on the balcony, as well as the dell dwellers and blarks living in Dream Valley, were standing in the open area paved with cobblestones. She looked back. Fizzy, Gusty, Shady, and Hurricane stood on one side, and Landslide, Rosetta, Echo, and Typhoon stood to the other. Spearhead stood at the point of the semi-circle protruding from the castle’s main building. He looked down at the crowd.
Spearhead cleared his throat. “We are on this world for a very specific mission, unknown to even Princess Celestia. The nature of this mission had been kept secret to all but my closest followers—” He glanced to his followers before facing forward again “—but I believe it’s time to reveal the truth about Equestria, and what must be done here.”
Spearhead leaned over the railing. “The era of the princesses has made ponykind weak and indolent. Their shortsighted quest to elevate friendship and harmony has come at the expense of the power of the individual. Instead of nurturing the gifted and talented among us, those not fortunate enough to have social or economic connections are thrown into boxes where they can never grow to their full potential, and are left to rot.” Spearhead’s voice was filled with a passion Wind Whistler had never before heard from him, and yet it seemed to come so natural Wind Whistler felt chills go through her, listening to him.
Spearhead backed away from the railing a step. “The social and economic elite have also calcified their positions of power to prevent any competition to their status. They uphold traditional values and methods as sacrosanct, and any suggestions of change are decried as dangerous or counter to the good of society.” He leaned over the railing again. “The truth is they’re only protecting their personal interests, and technological and social advancement has been almost nil for more than a century because of it.” He pounded his hoof on the railing to punctuate the statement.
Spearhead backed away and began pacing. “And what has our quest for harmony and upholding the status quo gotten us?” He stopped and returned to the railing. “A nation so decrepit that a bunch of lowly parasites led by a buffoon almost brought our very capital to its knees.” Spearhead again pounded the railing. “Is that the kind of nation you want to live in? Is that the kind of nation you want to raise your foals in? Equestria, for all her external beauty, is rotting out like a dead tree on the inside. Canterlot has become a tumor on the pony race and made Equestrian society so rigid it has become brittle. Equestria must change if we are to survive.
“And that’s why we’re here. Removed from the toxic social structure of Equestria, and amongst dangerous enemies, ponies will be able to live up to their full potential and pursue social and technological development that would never be permitted back home. This colony will be a crucible where we make a new society. Then we will return to Equestria to destroy all its enemies inside and out, and create a new nation not built on harmony, but on excellence.”
Wind Whistler looked down at the crowd. They were all staring up, enraptured by this tirade. She looked back at her friends who were just as dumbstruck. However, Spearhead’s followers were beaming.
“That’s not why we’re here!” Firefly shouted from the crowd.
Spearhead looked down at the crowd and disappeared in a flash. He reappeared in front of Firefly. Wind Whistler fluttered down to the courtyard.
“You may not like how things are run,” Firefly said forcefully, “but you don’t speak for all of us.”
“Neither do you,” Magic Star interjected. “Spearhead is right that our society is in desperate need of an overhaul. Most of us were kept from pursuing our potentials by stupid social norms back home.”
“Thank you, Magic Star,” Spearhead said.
“However, I don’t think we should throw the foal out with the bathwater either,” Magic Star added. “We can work towards social change peacefully.”
Spearhead glowered at Magic Star. “Do you think the princesses will concede any of their power, especially when they keep adding to their numbers?”
“If we make a valid argument,” Magic Star replied, “they will see reason. If we use violence to force our reforms on Equestria, the public will hate us instead of them.”
“We’re also not going to have any part in this,” Auger interjected. “If you want to overthrow your government, you won’t get any help from the dell dwellers.”
“We don’t need your help in that regard,” Spearhead replied.
“I say we put it to a vote,” Wind Whistler said. “There are clearly varying opinions here, and we should poll the group to determine what represents the attitude of the majority.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” Magic Star said.
“Fine,” Spearhead and Firefly snapped at once.
The ponies that had been on the balcony ran out of the main entrance and into the courtyard.
Wind Whistler stepped up onto the top of the stoop. “Since is a pony-only matter, only ponies will vote,” she shouted to the crowd. “Blarks and dell dwellers can then decide their own courses of action.”
The crowd faced her.
“The issue up for a vote is how we plan to deal with Equestria’s current state,” Wind Whistler said. “So far, the options provided are overthrowing the princesses by force, maintaining the current state of Equestrian society, and pursuing reforms through peaceful means. Are there any other options we should consider?”
The crowd was silent.
“Then if there are no additional opinions,” Wind Whistler said, “I put the issue to a vote. Indicate your vote by raising your hoof. You can only vote once, so vote for the plan that you agree with most. Any abstentions will be considered votes to maintain the status quo. If no issue holds a majority of the group, the two opinions that received the most votes will be voted on again. Are there any objections to these rules, or suggestions for additional rules?”
The crowd was again silent.
“Then those who wish to overthrow the princesses indicate your vote now,” Wind Whistler said.
Spearhead, Rosetta, Landslide, Echo, Typhoon, and Sunset Shimmer raised their hooves. Those were all expected.
“You can put your hooves down,” Wind Whistler said. “Those who wish to maintain the current state of Equestria indicate your vote now.”
Firefly, Medley, Bow-Tie, Glory, Moondancer, Posey, Surprise, and Sundance raised their hooves.
“You can put your hooves down,” Wind Whistler said. “Those who wish to pursue reforms through peaceful means raise your hooves.”
Every other pony raised their hoof. Wind Whistler raised her hoof as well. Something needed to change in Equestria, but violence was not the way to initiate it.
“You can put your hooves down,” Wind Whistler said. “The opinion of pursuing peaceful reforms of Equestria’s society wins, with thirty-three votes out of forty-seven.”
The dell dwellers huddled and whispered something to each other that Wind Whistler could not hear. They faced forward with Auger in front. “If that’s the case, you will continue to have the support of the dell dwellers.”
Most of the ponies broke into cheers. Firefly and the others who voted to keep things the way they were separated themselves from the group.
Wind Whistler looked to Spearhead. He just glared at her with rage simmering in those red eyes of his. Wind Whistler realized just how big and powerful he was. He was an older pony, but his muscle tone rivaled an earthling stallion in their prime. Even without magic, he looked like he could take on any pony or even a small group of ponies. He then turned away along with his followers and Sunset Shimmer.
Fizzy looked out from the dark crystal to the twisted, jagged mass of black crystal across the street. She looked around the deserted area and then dashed to the next crystal, as fast as her short legs could carry her, and hid behind it.
This part of the Crystal Empire was like the rest. Black crystal growing out of the ground and crystal buildings, and the sky was a sickening orange color. The wind carried the chill from the surrounding ice fields that made Fizzy shiver with every gust. Her dam would bring her to her side to comfort her, but she had disappeared with many of the other unicorns.
“Mama?” Fizzy asked timidly. “Where are you?”
The street crossed another street, and there was nopony ahead. She looked down the crossing street. There was nothing to the left, but to the right she saw a crowd.
She looked to make sure nopony was watching. She snuck from crystal to crystal. About halfway down the street, she noticed opposite the crowd was a single pony with a profile that was unmistakable. It was King Sombra with that arced horn of his.
Fizzy made herself as small as possible as she snuck the rest of the way as quietly as she could. The evil unicorn king seemed to not notice as she snuck into a mass of crystals with several holes to see out of.
Sombra was a nightmare made pony. He was gunmetal gray with a jet black mane that seemed to have a life of its own. His horn had no fluting and it curved upward. However, what were most terrifying were his red eyes with whites that glowed green and were surrounded by an ominous purple glow.
She turned her attention to the crowd. They were all unicorns and pegasi, ranging in age from young foals to the elderly, with their legs held by black crystals. They all held their heads low and looked drained of all energy. She then saw her dam, Soda Float, a white mare with her mane streaked pink, red, purple, and blue.
Fizzy tried to leap through the hole, but something caught her by the mane and pulled her back. She looked up at Galaxy standing over her.
“Galaxy,” Fizzy said.
Galaxy put her hoof to her mouth and shushed her. “You shouldn’t be out here, Fizzy. It’s dangerous for us unicorns.”
“But I found my dam,” Fizzy said. “We have to rescue her.”
“Why are you doing this, King Sombra?” Soda Float asked with no passion in her voice.
Fizzy turned back to the hole. Sombra loomed over her dam.
“Let us go,” Soda Float pleaded. “We’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Not yet,” Sombra said, his oily voice sending a chill through Fizzy. “However, you unicorns and pegasi don’t fit into my plans for this empire, and pose a threat to my new order.”
“We’ll never move against you,” Soda Float said.
“No—” Pulsing, purple magic and black lightning surrounded Sombra’s horn as the energy around his eyes increased “—you certainly won’t.”
Something blocked Fizzy’s vision, but she could hear the sickening creak of rapidly growing crystals and raspy screams with her mother’s standing out from the others. Then they all stopped suddenly and a suffocating silence enveloped Fizzy.
Fizzy woke up and bolted into a sitting position. A cold sweat covered her body. She breathed so heavily her chest heaved as she became aware of her surroundings.
She was young mare in her apartment in Dream Castle. She heaved a sigh of relief as she realized it was just a nightmare. It had happened, but it was a thousand years ago, and she had made it through okay.
However, it was the first time she had had that nightmare in years. Something brought that horrible moment to the surface again. She needed to talk about it, and she knew just the pony to talk to.
Wind Whistler woke up with a start to the sound of rapid knocking on her door. She looked up at the digital clock that read 02:07. Another round of knocks came at her door.
She worked out from under her covers and planted her hooves on the floor. She held open her curtains to look out onto the balcony. A steady rain was falling, but that did not explain the knocks. She looked down the balcony towards her door and saw Fizzy standing there under the dimmed sun crystals. She knocked on the door again.
Why is she up at this time of night? Wind Whistler wondered.
Wind Whistler undid the deadbolt lock and realized it was the first time she had used it. She opened the door to let the cold, wet air tumble in.
Fizzy had a frown like Wind Whistler had never seen on her. It was a frown of uncertainty. “Can I come in and talk?”
“Certainly, Fizzy.” Wind Whistler got out of the way and hit the switch to make the sun crystal in her ceiling lamp glow. Fizzy walked in and Wind Whistler closed the door. “Is there a particular subject you wish to discuss?”
“I had a nightmare,” Fizzy said. “It was a nightmare I had a lot as a filly, but hadn’t in years until now.”
“I’m afraid I am not a psycho analyst,” Wind Whistler said, “but if you need a sounding board, I’m happy to oblige.”
Fizzy turned to her. “There’s a reason there are so few crystal unicorns and pegasi. When Sombra took over the Crystal Empire and made himself king, he rounded up all of the unicorns and pegasi he could find—” Her lips quivered “—and executed them.”
“My word,” Wind Whistler gasped.
“My mother was one of the first,” Fizzy continued despairingly. “Galaxy was her best friend and raised me as if I was her daughter. She and a small band of unicorns and pegasi evaded Sombra’s ‘Cleansing Campaigns’ for years until Celestia and Luna came and defeated him. We were holed up in a secret bunker when the Empire disappeared, and we weren’t found until weeks after it returned.”
Tears ran from Fizzy’s eyes and the gems glistened. “I was there when he executed my mother, hiding where he couldn’t see me. Galaxy covered my eyes before he killed them, but I heard their screams.” She shuddered. “That’s what my nightmare was.”
Wind Whistler sat next to Fizzy and drew in close as the young mare sobbed. “I’m so sorry, Fizzy,” Wind Whistler said. “I can’t imagine how horrible it must have been.”
Fizzy sniffed. “It was horrible—” She looked up and managed a small smile “—but I discovered my special talent and purpose in life after it. I learned how powerful hope is and how important it is to keep it alive. Sombra destroyed hope in the Crystal Empire, and he could hold it all alone because there was no hope to stop them. That’s why I tried to keep everyone’s spirits high, because as long as you have hope, you have power.”
Wind Whistler paused to let this soak in. She knew there was more to Fizzy than met the eye. She seemed so innocent and oblivious to the seriousness of the situation at times. Wind Whistler had even caught herself thinking Fizzy was an airhead. Her demeanor made so much sense now.
Wind Whistler rubbed Fizzy’s shoulder. “You’re a much stronger pony than many of us, to look for light in that kind of darkness.”
“I don’t understand why I had the nightmare now, though,” Fizzy said.
“Perhaps because our future seems a little more uncertain now,” Wind Whistler said. “We need hope that things can be worked out for the better, and you might subconsciously expect us to look to you for that hope.”
“I guess you’re right, Wind Whistler,” Fizzy replied. “Thanks so much for listening. You’re like a big sister.”
“Big sister?” Wind Whistler asked.
“Yeah,” Fizzy said. “You’re someone to look up to, and I’ve always wanted a big sister. I know you’re not really my sister, but maybe you could be one in all the ways that count.”
Wind Whistler paused. “I suppose I can be.”
She caught a light coming out from behind the top of her curtain. She went to the curtains and held one away to look out. Several dark figures with lanterns ran across the courtyard towards the drawbridge that lowered to let them leave. Many of them had carts filled to capacity dragging behind them.
“What is it?” Fizzy asked.
“Several ponies are going out with carts,” Wind Whistler said. She furrowed her brow. “Let’s go, Fizzy.”
Fizzy walked up to the window. “Go where?”
“I think they’re deserting.” Wind Whistler opened her door and stepped onto the balcony. The drawbridge was rising, but that was no problem for her as she leapt over the railing and flew over the outer wall. The cold rain pelted her, but she ignored it.
Pink flashes brought Fizzy to outside the castle and she looked around the dark landscape. “Where did they go?”
Wind Whistler hovered and looked across the valley. She then looked towards the chamber holding the Ground Bridge. If she was going to leave, she would use it to bypass the Land of Nightmares. “To the cliff.”
Wind Whistler flew to the cliff and landed at the rock that served as the door switch. Fizzy appeared in a flash next to her. They braced themselves against the rock and pushed it away from the cliff. Their hooves slipped on the wet ground, but the rock gave slightly and the doors parted.
Wind Whistler glided through the opening into the dim tunnel and saw a pink flash out of the corner of her eye. She saw light and a soft buzzing coming from inside meaning the Ground Bridge was active. “Hurry, Fizzy!”
Wind Whistler flew around the curve of the tunnel into the main chamber. A vortex filled the tunnel as ponies ran up it. The last pony looked back: Spearhead.
“Governor, don’t!” Wind Whistler shouted.
“I no longer hold that title,” Spearhead said. “Good luck, Wind Whistler.”
He turned away and ran up the ramp. He disappeared and the vortex faded.
“No, no, no, no, no!” Wind Whistler flew at the tunnel, but it was dark by the time she reached its mouth. She fluttered down and landed at the start of the ramp. The machinery wound down to a deafening silence. Wind Whistler breathed heavily as she tried to gather thoughts.
Fizzy ran up to Wind Whistler. “Who was it? Where did they go?”
Wind Whistler shook her head. “It was Spearhead and likely his followers. As for their destination: I have no idea.” She had no idea how anything worked here now.