//------------------------------//
// Istanburro 
// Story: A gem in the sand 
// by KVEverfree 
//------------------------------//

It was said, long ago, that there were horses that could fly and perform magic in this land, but they have since vanished. Only the strong survive in Saddle Arabia, and the winged and magical equines eventually died out. While the winds of change have swept away these delicate beings, those who stood firm, and wisely adapted, were allowed to stay. Today , they exist as ponies, and they are protected by the magic of their alicorn rulers. They do not often venture into the wilds beyond their magical homeland, and without the guidance of the Royal Sisters, they would soon fall to the harshness of the world. But it is the strong who hold back the chaotic and evil forces, which pursue civilization in the face of savagery. Remember to be strong and unyielding, in thought and deed, because though you may be only a foal now, you will have to carry the weight of the world on your back. You are the backbone of the kingdom, and you will carry the weight of its might into the dark corners of the earth.

Molly put down the scroll and looked at Cyrus. The young foal was listening intently, his long ears sticking straight up.  The passage came at the end of a series of tall tales, and for some reason this one caught his attention the most. 
"Will I really have to carry the whole world on my back? How is that supposed to happen?"
"Silly, it doesn’t mean actually carrying it on your back. It means that you have to have a strong heart. Anyways, its not like you’ll be alone."
"I know, I got you and Dede to help me. "
"Don’t forget about your father. He’s off helping the king as we speak."
"But he’s never here. Why cant he hold up the world at home?"
"Because there are so many places we are needed. It’s best to accept it. Even if Baba and I are not right here, we will always be with you in your heart. We all need to stand together, because no one else will."
"I don’t understand."
"Don’t worry. You will someday. Just keep reading. But for now, its time for supper."
Cyrus protested, but he knew he wasn’t getting anywhere. Molly was exhausted from the day’s work, and didn’t like to answer too many questions. He could ask Dede, but the old Jack would just go on about his stories. He probably wouldn’t want visitors at the time anyway. The whole town shut down after dark. 

Weeks passed before Lieutenant Saddlesore would return home. It made nights quite cold for Molly, but Cyrus did not seem to be affected as much. He went to school for most of the day, and while he did not often play with the others, he was getting good marks. The instructor, a stately mare, said he might even be able to pass the Canterlot Exchange Exam in a few years. But that was idle prattle. It was almost unheard of  for a non-horse to be accepted. If that fact bothered Cyrus, he did not show it. He would spend some afternoons with Dede while Molly worked. She liked to keep the market stall open as long as possible, not quitting until dinnertime. When Cyrus was with Dede, the old donkey would regale his tales of travel. He often repeated himself, but occasionally changed the details of the story. 	His favorite one was about the diplomatic mission to the Lawrence Desert. He couldn’t quite remember the details, as he had been a servant, not a diplomat. But he was fascinated by the camel tribe there. He had struck up a bond with one of the members, and they had even exchanged gifts. In return for a decorative scarf, Sandy Hills received a fez, and later bequeathed it to Cyrus. To pass on the spirit of adventure, he had said. Cyrus took a liking to this, and wore the fez constantly, as well as started reading about faraway lands.  He started fantasizing about where his travels would take him. He especially wanted to travel to Equestria, where, according to the town criers, a new princess had been declared. The town was amazed at this, particularly the expatriate Equestrians. Busy Breeze, a Pegasus filly at school, told Cyrus that the princess had been a unicorn, but could now fly. This had never happened before. 
"So now her magic is gonna be even more powerful, since she’s a princess!" Said Busy Breeze. I wish I could see it.
"Why can’t you?"
"Daddy and Mommy got a lot of bits for organizing the weather here. The Sidat even asked Daddy if he wanted to join the army for more, but Daddy said no."
"Who knows, maybe you can go back sometime."
"Not like I could see Princess Twilight. She’s probably gonna be staying in Canterlot with all those stuffy unicorns"
"From what I’ve heard, the princess is too kind for that. You could  just go up to her."
"I'ts not like that. she's probably got unicorn guards with her. You don't want to mess with magic like that."
Strangely, this mention of magic got Cyrus interested in the subject. Although donkeys don’t have magic, some magical acts like potions could be performed.  Cyrus looked up magic theory books in the local library, but did so discreetly. When he first asked the horse librarians for magic books, they gave each other a look. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was clear that he had transgressed. He quickly rectified his request, but wasn’t sure if that convinced them.  He hid the magic books under some old Youth Works. It was dead quiet in the library most of the time, at least to him. The stillness got him absorbed in the book so much that  if he were disturbed, it was like coming out of a trance. He almost forgot to come home on the day Saddlesore returned. He must not be late.

After a simple dinner of oats and hay,  Cyrus was sent to his room with a scroll ( he was finally learning to read on his own) while Molly cleaned the living room. It was strange cleaning wood floor, because until very recently, it was only dried earth. Saddlesore’s outstanding performance on the battlefield was responsible, but at the consequence of less time home. Molly had received a letter from him recently. It gave little away, and was hard to read, but it did mention that he was far away dealing with dragons near settlements in the East.  Best not to let Cyrus see it, or he would be afraid. Saddlesore knew how to handle himself in these situations, but it still left Molly with a sense of anxiety, one she didn’t want to pass on to her son.  The winter night shone with a cold clarity, the vast array of stars visible as the entire town went pitch black. There were a few homes with power gem installations, but it was a day of conservation, according to the mayor. Woe to any wary traveler who was trying to make his way through at this time.  Only the chilling beauty of the moon could help them see the way, but it was gone.

Weeks passed before Lieutenant Saddlesore would return home. It made nights quite cold for Molly, but Cyrus did not seem to be affected as much. He went to school for most of the day, and while he did not often play with the others, he was getting good marks. The instructor, a stately mare, said he might even be able to pass the Canterlot Exchange Exam in a few years. But that was idle prattle. It was almost unheard of  for a non-horse to be accepted. If that fact bothered Cyrus, he did not show it. He would spend some afternoons with Dede while Molly worked. She liked to keep the market stall open as long as possible, not quitting until dinnertime. When Cyrus was with Dede, the old donkey would regale his tales of travel. He often repeated himself, but occasionally changed the details of the story. His favorite one was about the diplomatic mission to the Lawrence Desert. He couldn’t quite remember the details, as he had been a servant, not a diplomat. But he was fascinated by the camel tribe there. He had struck up a bond with one of the members, and they had even exchanged gifts. In return for a decorative scarf, Sandy Hills received a fez, and later bequeathed it to Cyrus. To pass on the spirit of adventure, he had said. Cyrus took a liking to this, and wore the fez constantly, as well as started reading about faraway lands.  He started fantasizing about where his travels would take him. He especially wanted to travel to Equestria, where, according to the town criers, a new princess had been declared. The town was amazed at this, particularly the expatriate Equestrians. Busy Breeze, a Pegasus filly at school, told Cyrus that the princess had been a unicorn, but could now fly. This had never happened before. 
So now her magic is gonna be even more powerful, since she’s a princess! Said Busy Breeze. I wish I could see it.
Why can’t you?
Daddy and Mommy got a lot of bits for organizing the weather here. The Sidat even asked Daddy if he wanted to join the army for more, but Daddy said no.
Who knows, maybe you can go back sometime. 
Not like I could see Princess Twilight. She’s probably gonna be staying in Canterlot with all those stuffy unicorns.
From what I’ve heard, the princess is too kind for that. You could  just go up to her.
Its not like that. Even if she is nice, you don’t mess around with unicorns. Who knows what kind of magic tricks they have on their hooves?
Strangely, this mention of magic got Cyrus interested in the subject. Although donkeys don’t have magic, some magical acts like potions could be performed.  Cyrus looked up magic theory books in the local library, but did so discreetly. When he first asked the horse librarians for magic books, they gave each other a look. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was clear that he had transgressed. He quickly rectified his request, but wasn’t sure if that convinced them.  He hid the magic books under some old Youth Works. It was dead quiet in the library most of the time, at least to him. The stillness got him absorbed in the book so much that  if he were disturbed, it was like coming out of a trance. He almost forgot to come home on the day Saddlesore returned. He must not be late.

Saddle sore arrived from the rail station, in his dress uniform. He was an imposing figure, with steely eyes and a stern expression. He greeted his wife and foal with a weary slight smile, and almost immediately sat down on the sofa. After some persuasion, he finally let them know what he had been up to.  He asked if they knew how to kill a dragon. Molly exclaimed that this shouldn’t be a topic for a foal.
"Nonsense, he’s old enough. Why, if he were a colt he’d be going through the telenitiation right now."
"How do you kill a dragon, Baba?"
"Hush boy, I’ll get to it. Just cant reveal too much. The army wouldn’t like me to spill their secrets, eh?"
"Where were you? Can i at least ask that?"
"Lets say, I was out East, but I hadn’t hit the desert mountains. Somewhere near the gem fields. Don’t want folk around here getting panicky about damn dragons. Anyway. This one was huge, he was. Probably wanted to steal all the local’s stuff. No way for the Silver Tongues to speak out of fighting. We lured him to the country, using a bait force. Once there, they got in turtle formation and started jabbing at his underbelly. Then the ash balls started flying, and that was our cue. I helped grapple the creature’s tail, that was quite difficult. Could barely see or breath, but the infantry had masks. I saw a flash of light as me and the jacks were wrestling with the monster, and then the rhinos and pegasi started charging. The rhino guys got him good, but it was the Pegasus who managed to deliver the final blow."
"What was the flash of light?"
"Mages. Only recently started using them. Most of the unicorns want to fool around in the capital, 'aint fighting types. These really aren’t either, but their concealment magic sure did a lot of good. Saved a lot of horses."
"It must be exciting to wield that sort of power". This was Molly interjecting.
"Sure, but it cant beat the rush charging face first". 
"Weren’t you scared?" (Cyrus)
"No time for fear. I bucked and bit its sorry flank long ago. That’s why I’m still alive."
They continued like this for some time, and  Saddlesore mentioned that he would stay home for a while, then be stationed at the base near the capitol. The The Holy Claw Alliance had entered a tense peace, so he needed to be nearby in case of war. He glanced at Cyrus as he said this, but what it meant, Cyrus couldn’t tell.  They sent him off to Dede for the night, which was nice, but the old donkey snored very loud. 

As the years passed, so did Istanburro’s interest in Equestrian events. Sure there was a new alicorn, and some pretty spectacular things had occurred, but everyone knew that Celestia and Luna were still in charge.  Only trade mattered, as well as the guest ponies. Busy Breeze’s family moved, but there were still a small contingent of pegasi for the new permanent weather team. This was a point of pride for the residents, as only the capitol and vital areas got regular weather services. Guest ponies were few, and their services were in great demand for both civil and military needs. The Ironclaw Empire , as well as some of the Griffon city states, had been eyeing the coal and timber rich Northern Region with jealousy, and had been increasingly brazen. There was, nevertheless, a sense of hope for the town. Demand for their services, from farms to shipping and industry, was growing, and it seemed everyone, even non-horses was happier. That is, except Saddlesore. He remained unreadable.He had not been called to active duty, so he was allowed to live outside the base in his home. But he seldom talked, and spent his time alone.  No one knew why this change occurred, but to make matters worse, his father, Dede aka Sandy Hills, was in ailing health. He had been forgetful, and was becoming weaker by the day. Hashid, the Captain of the Night Watch, had reported him wandering the streets after curfew. He and a guard met the family in front of Dede’s house, where they were visiting. 
“I know this may be hard to hear Saddlesore, but the old fellow’s gone ‘round the bend. You have to put him away, for his own good. “
“Is this your opinion alone then, Captain?”
The  roan stallion made eye contact with his accompanying subordinate. The family could not hear the mind-reading conversation,  but meaning was clear.
It is for the best of the community. We are here to escort the Mr. Hills to the hospital. I just thought you should know ahead of time.
Cyrus and Molly wanted to cry out, but Saddlesore silenced them with a glare. 
“Ill bring him out Captain”
Thank you for your cooperation. Don’t be too sad, he has lived a long and useful life. The captain lowered his helmet in a moment of sadness. 
Sadlesore entered Dede’s hut alone. Molly escorted Cyrus away, so he did not see what happened. He did look back and see the two stallions holster the batons they had been holding. There was no need. 

A few days later, the hospital informed the family that Sandy Hills had passed away. Of course all the horses in town knew before everyone else. Cyrus even thought, looking back, that he had witnessed the moment his teacher knew, with her eyes briefly flashing. No one else seemed to notice. It was a beautiful  clear spring day, no a cloud in the sky thanks to the weather teams, and the world seemed to pass by on this moment. There were no words, the family just sat in silence, though Cyrus did cry a little. Surpisingly, Saddlesore was the first to speak.
“He wanted you to have this” He handed Cyrus the fez that had been so recently on top of Dede’s head. Somehow, it fit on the little donkey’s head, pushing his hair forward.  
“Thank you dad.”
“Theres little else.” The town owned his house, and he had few bits. There’s a memorial tomorrow. I expect your best attire. “
Saddlesore turned away. Molly laid a hoof on his shoulder and tried to meet his gaze. But he gave a rare look of despair and turned away. Cyrus felt helpless and retreated to his room, taking care not to knock the fez off.