Encounter
The tall, blue Unicorn pushed frantically through the bustling crowd of downtown Manehattan as she made her way towards the city’s center- Starswirl Plaza. It wasn’t what locals might have called a friendly night by far. Rain drizzled down onto a sea of umbrellas as ponies rushed every which way, disregarding the downpour as they made their way to work. The Unicorn nearly tripped over a family hurrying to cross the street, not even acknowledging their presence. There were more important things at stake today; her kind was dying out.
The Unicorn, who went by the name of Silky Sunset, was one of the few remaining members of the Awakening- an organization that nearly vanished after the defeat of Nightmare Moon and the return of Princess Luna. Sunset and her compatriots had tried, unsuccessfully, to return Nightmare Moon to power in the place of Princess Luna in an attempt to cast eternal darkness over Equestria. The media painted them as evil terrorists, and Sunset realized that she couldn’t exactly blame them. Certain members had carried out horrific acts, such as the bombing of Starswirl Plaza the previous year. Manehattanites were still reeling over that.
Sunset wasn’t proud of these actions, of course, and she suspected that the perpetrators of the acts weren’t aware of the Awakening’s true goal: to unite Equestria under darkness. She was certain they had pursued the Awakening’s agenda for a rush, or perhaps to satisfy some inner feelings of rebellion, when in reality her organization was supposed to benefit the country. Equestria would benefit from having a stronger hoof in charge- in fact, it could still benefit with such a thing, even with two monarchs. Silky Sunset had nothing against either princess, but like the rest of her companions, she felt they had grown soft. Equestria needed a new leader, and if such a change had to be made forcefully, then so be it.
Turning down a dark, rain-slicked alleyway, Sunset stopped. This was it- the rendezvous point. She turned around and, as she had been briefed, a Pegasus was standing behind her.
“Evening, Silky Sunset,” the Pegasus said.
Sunset nodded, “glad you could make it, Ribbon Spin.”
Sunset handed Ribbon one of her two saddlebags, which the Pegasus immediately took. “Crummy weather, isn’t it?” he remarked.
Sunset sighed. “Ribbon, this is an important mission. Our cause is dying as more and more ponies lose faith, and you want to talk about the weather?”
Ribbon winced. Silky Sunset had a way with words, or at least considerable skill in using them to guilt trip ponies. “Right,” he said, “sorry. I just…” he looked at Sunset and took a deep breath before continuing. “I just want you to remember every once and a while that there’s more to life than our little organization. Why don’t you go get a coffee or something? I’ll get this job done, don’t you worry.”
“No,” Sunset said, scowling, “our organization needs us now more than ever, and that means devoting as much of ourselves as we can. I’m not touching food or drink until you get that package up to the Seaside Broadcast Tower.”
Ribbon shook his head. “Whatever you say. I’ll just get-“ the pony froze, staring in shock at something directly behind Sunset.
“What?” Sunset said, “what is it?” Reading the expression on her companion’s face and realizing the gravity of the situation, she turned around quickly. Standing behind them, clad from head to hoof in a Royal Equestrian Air Force flight suit, was an Aviator.
“Evening, you two,” the Aviator said, voice muffled by his mask, “I really was hoping we wouldn’t have to do this the hard way. Would you care for a chat?”
…
Storm Runner circled over Manehattan, keeping an eye on the events unfolding below. As newly commissioned Aviators, he and his friend Nimbus were being put to work daily to thwart Awakening actions. So far, they’d stopped two assassinations, thirteen counts of vandalism, and five robberies. Not bad for only two months on the job. Yet despite what they’d encountered, they very rarely saw any real action. After Nightmare Moon’s defeat, it seemed most of the Awakening had become demoralized, which made capturing them almost intolerably dull. Every so often one stuck by his or her commitment and led a halfway-decent chase, but it wasn’t often enough. Storm descended five hundred feet, just above rooftop level now, to get a better view. Nimbus had cornered the two Awakening ponies they’d been following on a tip since noon.
“How’re you doing?” he radioed down, “are they armed?”
Below, the transmission shattered the tense atmosphere, and Nimbus sighed. “Negative, neither appears armed. I’m gonna try to talk this one through.”
“Whatever you say,” Storm Runner replied. Nimbus faced the ponies again, who had scarcely dared to move.
“Look,” he said finally, “I get it. You’re both convinced you’re doing the right thing. And with this helmet on, I’m probably projecting the perfect image of the faceless, soulless automaton you undoubtedly see me as. But when I take this off-“ Nimbus removed his helmet, holding it at his side, “I’m just like you. I’ve got a family, a little brother, hobbies, I like to read… Can’t we just for once talk about this from one pony to another?”
Sunset backed up, warily eyeing Nimbus. “I know your face,” she said, “you’re the one who murdered our best flier.”
Nimbus felt his heart plummet. Storm Runner was monitoring radio chatter and could hear every word that was said. He quickly shut off his receiver, knowing exactly what would come next.
“You mean Sun Blaze?” Nimbus said, drowning out Storm Runner’s requests to contact him, “I did not kill her. She killed herself. Your idol was so obsessed with killing Celestia and entombing Luna in Nightmare Moon’s power that living in a world without Eternal Night was unbearable. If you’d been there, you would have seen that instead of giving up the fight when she had the chance, she poured every last ounce of life she had into trying to destroy Celestia. Is that what your organization condones? Cold-blooded murder?”
Sunset could feel the weight of the object inside her second saddlebag- the failsafe. Plan B. Perhaps if Nimbus continued to ramble, she might have a chance to further the plan. All it would take would be a quick magical spark to the fuse…
“We do not murder, Nimbus. Those who die at our hooves deserve their fate. While I do not generally condone violence, it has its place.”
Nimbus shook his head. “I can’t believe it. Every time I meet you guys, it’s always the same. You follow a dying cause blindly, not even stopping to ask if you’re really trying to change this country for the better.”
Ribbon snorted. “You’re one to talk about blind faith, soldier. All of your orders come from the chain of command- a chain that starts at Celestia and Luna. I’ll bet you’ve never once questioned an order.”
Yeah, that’s not gonna work, Nimbus thought, recalling the night he, Storm Runner and his teacher, Polaris deliberately disobeyed an order to take shelter in order to bolster Canterlot’s defenses against the Awakening.
“I’ve heard enough,” Nimbus said, “under the Royal Equestrian Air Force’s acting authority granted by the Manehattan Police Force, I am obligated to place you both under arrest.”
Silky Sunset winced. It was now or never. Quickly, she levitated a spherical object out of her saddlebag and lit its fuse, tossing it into the air between her and Nimbus.
“I’ll die first,” she said calmly.
To Nimbus, it was one of those rare moments when time seems to break down. He could see the sparking fuse and knew it was a bomb, meant to take him and the two Awakening ponies out. He’d switched off his receiver, so Storm Runner wouldn’t know about the bomb until after the detonation. He flared his wings and shot forward, straight into Silky Sunset, shoving her back into her partner and tossing them both out into the street. Nimbus had time to spare one glance back before the bomb exploded. REAF flight suits were manufactured to protect against indirect fire, but the explosion was close, and the insulation wasn’t entirely strong enough to keep Nimbus from feeling the sharp burn that accompanied the fireball. He winced as the concussion knocked him head over hooves, but rolled upright as the shockwave died down. With his world returning to normal, Nimbus switched his communications back on.
“Storm, targets are hostile,” he spat, “engage the Pegasus, and I’ll get the Unicorn.”
Silky got to her feet and recovered, sprinting down another alley while Ribbon Spin took to the skies, pursued by Storm Runner. Nimbus shook his head and bolted into the air, flying down the alleyway Silky had taken. He spotted the Unicorn halfway down the alley, and dove towards her, but she ducked into another passageway. Nimbus tensed his wings and ripped around the ninety-degree turn. Such maneuvers were getting easier for him- with the practice he’d been receiving, it hurt much less to break the standard flight envelope. He leveled himself just in time to see a magically levitating trash can in his path. He collided with the receptacle, seeing bright stars in front of his eyes, and slammed to the ground. Through blurred eyes, he saw Sunset climbing a fire escape to the roof of an apartment building at the end of the alley. Finally, a chance to engage in the open sky.
Nimbus leaped to his hooves again, double checking his helmet targeting system. His heads-up display flickered occasionally, but it had apparently survived the blast in relatively good condition. Convinced everything was fine, he took off, accelerating up through the buildings in a sheer vertical climb. Silky was already at the edge of the apartment, leaping towards the next nearby building. Nimbus had underestimated her- the Unicorn was quite athletic. He accelerated towards her again, wings beating furiously. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Storm Runner chasing Ribbon Spin. The Pegasus was making a break for the Seaside Broadcast Tower, but Storm Runner was right on his tail, and gaining. On the roof ahead, Silky was throwing whatever she could find towards Nimbus, but the Pegasus was prepared for levitation magic this time, rolling out of the way as debris flew towards him. Silky was backpedaling, keeping her eyes focused on Nimbus as she moved, and it was then that Nimbus saw her fatal mistake. With every hoofstep she took, she came closer to the building’s edge. She was so focused on Nimbus, that he knew she’d never see it in time. No longer dodging, he simply plowed through the projectiles, heading straight for Sunset. The Unicorn, realizing that her attacks were no longer keeping her pursuer at bay, turned around and put on a burst of speed, which forced her right off the building’s edge.
“Dammit,” Nimbus swore, diving down at Silky from above. The ground was rapidly rushing up to meet both of them. Nimbus knew he’d survive the impact, though it would hurt worse than a bucket of Manticore stingers, but the more fragile body of Silky would be a different story. He had to hurry. With only a few feet left, he dove underneath Sunset and pulled up sharply. He forced air into his lungs against the g-forces, pulling level just above the pavement. On his back, Sunset immediately passed out. Unlike Nimbus, and indeed the entire Pegasus race, her body was not strengthened against high-g maneuvers, and the sudden deceleration was too much for her. Nimbus slowed down and landed, rolling Silky Sunset off his back.
“I have the Unicorn,” he said to Storm Runner. A few moments later, Storm Runner replied.
“Roger, the Pegasus is in custody now. Squawk 6800 for the authorities, they should be there shortly.”
Nimbus switched his transponder frequency over to 6800- the Manehattan police alert frequency- and almost immediately heard the sound of galloping hooves as the nearest police cart approached. Behind him, Silky stirred, regaining consciousness.
“I’m… I’m alive,” she moaned.
“You are,” Nimbus said evenly. “I’m not a murderer, and neither are my friends and comrades. Maybe you should consider that.”
Silky Sunset laughed slowly. “Maybe not now,” she said, “but you will be. When the orders come your way, you will be. As for me, I’m sure the Princesses have policies on how to handle my kind, too. Perhaps an afternoon of some slow torture for me, or solitary confinement for the rest of my life. Maybe I’ll even get death.”
“Are you that ignorant?” Nimbus hissed, “do you and your kind really think that’s how our country works? You call us the enemy without visible justification, yet I’ve seen no reason to believe the Awakening isn’t the true evil. It’s over for you. Equestria is at peace now, and it breaks my heart to see good ponies like you turning to some cause as foul as this over ideals that are over a millennia old.”
Police ponies had arrived on the scene, and several took Sunset, cuffing her front hooves together. She didn’t resist as they hauled her away, but stared at Nimbus with her piercing, blue eyes as she was set inside the police cart. Her next words chilled Nimbus to the bone.
“You switched your comms off when I mentioned Sun Blaze,” she said. “You haven’t told Storm Runner you killed her yet… have you?”
Nimbus stared, heart beating faster than it had in months. Silky Sunset smiled as the carriage pulled away.
“It’s only beginning, Nimbus,” she said, “your little secret won’t be secret for long, and as for me- we’ll return. You can count on it.”
Nimbus stood in the middle of the street as the cart sped out of sight. At the sound of hooves touching down next to him, he nearly jumped out of his skin. It was Storm Runner.
“Jumpy much?” Storm asked.
Nimbus held his chest. “Dear Celestia, Storm, you nearly scared me to death.”
“Well, we all had a bit of a scare today. I talked to the cops- looks like our perps will be downtown overnight. They’ll be doing some light questioning, but they let me take this back.” Storm Runner handed Nimbus an audio recorder. “No clue what’s on there, but I figure we should let Colonel Cloudsplitter have a listen. The Pegasus was trying to get this to the Broadcast building for some reason.”
“Yeah,” Nimbus said, “sounds good.”
“By the way,” Storm added as he adjusted his flight helmet for the trip back to Manehattan Airbase, “you had a comm failure back there a while ago. I couldn’t hear anything on your end. Everything alright?”
Nimbus nodded, “it’s fine. Darn helmets aren’t completely reliable.”
“Okay then,” Storm Runner said, raising an eyebrow, “well, let’s head back to base. I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
“You and me both,” Nimbus agreed as the two lifted off into the night sky. Even as they flew away, though, Nimbus spared a glance back at the city. Silky Sunset’s words still haunted him. What was only beginning? The Awakening was supposed to be dying, wasn’t it? Whatever the case, Nimbus flew on with a feeling of gnawing unease. If Sunset was right, something big was coming, and he could only hope it could be prevented.