//------------------------------//
// Reality 
// Story: Where Night Meets Day 
// by _Medicshy 
//------------------------------//

	The Peace Corps survived an entire week without incident, mostly due to the fact that its base, while set up very near the conflicted border between the New Lunar Republic and the Solar Empire's Equestria, was in a modified Royal Army tent sitting on Equestrian soil. While it drew strange looks from soldiers, medical companies were known to personalize their tents, and the medical cross overlaid with a pink butterfly didn't hardly look out of place. Had they simply maintained their tent and stayed away from battle, it could have been months before the Royal Army grew suspicious enough to actually question the seven ponies stationed there.

But it was not their intent to simply exist, even if that would have contented some of the other outcasts of both nations. These ponies had a message, a belief, a cause, and they wanted it to be known. When finally a battle did erupt along the border, they were the first responders, Fluttershy rushing onto the battlefield even before the magic and the bullets had stopped flying. Her fellow former Royal Army medics were not quite so daring, but they made their way out as soon as the opposing sides had retreated, finding and aiding Royal and Republic Army soldiers alike. Once the wounded were found and the more minor injuries were taken care of on the spot, the unicorns formerly of the Republic Army levitated those in need of more extensive attention back to the tent, getting to work as soon as they arrived.

That first battle brought three soldiers into the Peace Corps' tent: two pegasi from the Republic in critical condition after what looked like a magical explosion and an earth pony from the Empire with a bullet wound passing clean through his chest, and, unfortunately, messily through his lung. Guns were a relatively new addition to the war effort, modified from gryphon hunting rifles by the clever ponies in the Republic for common use on the front lines. Sure, canons had existed in Equestria for centuries, and even guns were known to show up from time to time, but they were an exotic oddity, used most commonly for trick shooting shows or exhibitions of other cultures. The modified version easily fired by the hooves of the Republic was hitherto unknown to the world, and already it was creating a body count much higher than expected in its short, grisly career.

Luckily for the injured soldier, however, Republic medics were trained in treating gunshot wounds after far too many accidents in the firing range. The two unicorns sewed and stitched the hole in his chest with their magic, removing the shrapnel and shattered bones carefully before plugging the actual lung breach with their magic. It would take a while for the lung to heal fully, much longer that it would take for the holes in his chest and back to close, but he would pull through, as would the two Republic pegasi once their burns healed and they came out of the shock their trauma had caused. With constant care from Fluttershy and Angel and pep talks from Dented, saying that if he had survived the mess he'd gone through, they would pull through fine, neither army would lose a single wounded soldier because they hadn't responded in time.

This did not mean they didn't notice the missing soldiers, nor did they take the sightings of their mysterious helpers entering the undocumented tent for granted. Before night fell on the day of that first battle, the Peace Corps had visitors in the form of a small Royal Army squad, armored and ready for any eventuality. The last thing they expected was a friendly greeting from a heavily injured pegasus. “Hello soldiers! What brings you to our humble encampment?”

One of the soldiers stepped forward, his helmet and armor covering much of his body and making it difficult to pick him from the rest. “State your name, rank, squad, and the name of this camp. There is no records of a camp being here. Perhaps you have the wrong location?”

Dented smiled kindly, his eye going over the sharp spears and faintly glowing horns of the force in front of him. “I can assure you we are in precisely the right location. Anyway, I am Dented Angel, head of moral support, Peace Corps. We're civilian.”

The soldier's head tilted, his visor keeping most signs of confusion past the frown hidden. “Civilian? All civilians are not to be within five miles of the border, for their safety and the integrity of the demilitarized zone.”

Dented looked ready for this, his smile not fading in the least. “Ah, well then we are military. A medical team, obviously.”

The soldier's frown deepened. “Do not play games with me. Where is the commanding officer of this camp? Where is the wounded pony you pulled from today's battle?”

Dented held up a forehoof, nearly losing balance in the process. “Please wait a moment while I get Officer Fluttershy. Feel free to make your way to the tent, though I do ask that you do not enter, as the patients are recovering.”

“Patients?” the soldier asked, but Dented was already hobbling away, and if he heard the question, he didn't acknowledge it. Curious, the squad made their way over to the tent, the soldier speaking for them peeking inside for just a moment, surveying the scene. However, that was stopped when the tent flaps were thrown open, revealing a butter yellow pegasus who was startled by the pony so immediately outside. The soldier was much more calm, especially once he recognized the mare. “Field Medic Fluttershy! I didn't know you were promoted. When did this happen?” He flipped up his visor, revealing his grey coat and brown eyes.

Fluttershy pulled herself together remarkably quickly, looking into the soldier's eyes for just a moment before a big smile appeared. “Point Guard! I am glad to see you've recovered well! However, I wasn't promoted. More like the opposite, really...”

Point's confusion returned, and he tried to find some sort of evidence by looking at the exterior of the tent. “But... you've got your own tent, even personalized with your cutie mark. And that injured pony said you were the officer?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, I am in charge here. But I am no longer with the Royal Army after they let me go. The Peace Corps is an...” Fluttershy had to stop for a moment, looking to the ground as she tried to remember what Dented had told her, but a tap on the back from Angel helped bring it to her mind, and she looked at Point Guard once more, an innocent smile on her face. “an independent militia dedicated to helping the injured after battle.”

Point's eyes widened as a few thing clicked. “Independent militia? I'm afraid you aren't allowed to do something like that, Fluttershy. And you can't operate within Equestrian borders, even if you were. And... were you...” He lowered his voice, leaning away from the rest of his squad. “Were those NLR uniforms I saw in there?”

Fluttershy nodded, her smile not fading. “Yes they were. Royal Army ponies were not the only ones injured after the battle. Nor were they the only ones to join up with our cause.”

One of the other members of the squad spoke up, her voice harsh. “Fluttershy, that is treason. I am afraid we're going to have to ask you to relinquish all of your medical supplies and all ponies involved or you will be arrested and tried.”

Fluttershy's ears folded back, the sound of the consequences so quickly placed upon her enough to get her shying away from the armored group. However, she was stopped at the tent flap, Dented's voice filtering through it. “Fluttershy, you can't stop now. We've barely gotten started at stopping this war!” Angel bunny, meanwhile, was looking at the soldiers in front of her, the clever rabbit's brain going to work. A moment later, she leaned forward, whispering into Fluttershy's ear.

Immediately the pegasus looked surprised, approaching the group slowly as she looked at the soldier who had most recently spoken. “Starshine? Is that you?” She took a close through the helmet, then smiled kindly once more. “It is! How is the leg?”

The mare in the armor looked less serious, her eyes averting behind the visor. “Hello Fluttershy. Just fine, thank you.”

“Good!” Fluttershy's attention turned to the next soldier, her smile not fading. “And how about you, Cobalt? Breathing alright after the dust storm incident?” The largest stallion in the group nodded, eyes wide behind his own visor as he wondered how she had recognized him. However, Fluttershy had already turned her attention on the next two ponies. “Renegade? Perfect Arc? Are your shoulders bothering you at all? How about your jaw, Cherry Bomb? And I know I haven't cared for you, Zephyr, but I do hope your partner is doing alright without her leg. Nopony was expecting that rock slide in the middle of the fight.” Fluttershy had gone through every single pony in the squad, each of them responding with an embarrassed nicety as they were doted on by their former medic. “I know you're all worried about White Wash, but he is just fine and resting comfortably after his treatment. If you would like to take him to your own medical camp, you may do so, just as long as you promise to be gentle. The spells holding him together are very fragile.”

Starshine coughed nervously after Fluttershy spoke. “Um... we appreciate you releasing him, but that doesn't change the command. You must relinquish all ponies and equipment or you will be arrested.”

Fluttershy's face grew grim as she moved closer to the talking mare. “Starshine, I am surprised at you! I know for a fact that you joined up to defend Equestrian citizens from the terror and destruction that would be caused by a split Equestria.”

Starshine looked confused. “Uh... y-yeah?”

“You're asking me to stop helping Equestrian citizens just because we're choosing to do it on a certain side of the border! If you truly cared, you would stop all of this and just point me to the border line.”

Point stepped between Starshine and Fluttershy, though he did so meekly. “Miss Fluttershy, those aren't Equestrian citizens, those are members of the NLR, who are the enemy of Equestria. And, even if they weren't, we cannot permit the treatment of an opposing soldier on our soil, nor the presence of fugitives from our laws. Even if you cross the border, you would still be violating the demilitarized zone issues... There isn't a way for this to work. So, please, we would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't make this more difficult than it is.”

Fluttershy's stern, disapproving gaze fell on Point Guard, and he felt the shame of a thousand colts being reprimanded by their mothers. “If the Royal Army succeeds in the war, when peace comes, every one of these ponies will be an Equestrian citizen once more. In the eyes of a peaceful world, you are nothing more than bullies denying fellow injured ponies their right to treatment. Do you want to protect your citizens, or kill them because of something as silly as a border line?”

There was an awkward silence through the squad as they all struggled to find the words to say, something about the way Fluttershy spoke making an otherwise crazy concept seem surprisingly sound. Eventually, they all backed up, forming a small huddle and talking to each other, occasionally peeking over at Fluttershy as they did. Meanwhile, Dented walked out of the tent, having been listening through its wall, and while he didn't do anything to distract Fluttershy's focus from the group in front of her, he did give her an update on the patients and hoof bump Angel before returning inside.

Eventually the deliberation ceased, with Point Guard walking to the front of the group. “Fluttershy... considering who you are, and considering this is your first offense, we will go easy on you. If you relocate your operation over the border line and agree to give White Wash to us for transport to our own medical camp, we will let you off with a warning.” The rest of the group looked nervous, as though they didn't at all want to think about how they would explain it to their superior officer, but the decision had been made as a group, and they were going to stick with it.

Fluttershy smiled warmly at the words. “Oh, thank you, Point! I knew you all would do the right thing.”

It didn't take very long at all for the single tent to be broken down and moved, along with the ponies inside and the remaining injured, all the way to the border line. Currently, the border ran around a hill, the top of which was the official start of NLR territory. Once led there, the squad left, their injured compatriot carried between them, while the Peace Corps set about setting up their tent upon the hilltop.

That night, they were visited by a small group of NLR soldiers, investigating the camp that had sprouted up on their border. When they found it was a medical encampment taking care of two of their missing soldiers, they offered their thanks, then left, taking their injured for proper care at their own base.

Though that was the first time that soldiers bothered the Peace Corps, it wouldn't be the last. After every battle that raged in the hotly contested area near Fluttershy's camp, injured were left in the field. And, before either medical team had the all clear to enter, the Peace Corps were always on the scene, pulling out the injured and taking care of them back at the camp. Sometimes it would be the NLR that complained about empire soldiers on their soil, and sometimes it was the reverse as the line for the border shifted, claiming the hill for Equestria. Sometimes the issue was the breach in DMZ protocol, or simply the fact that the equipment being used was largely from one side or the other and they wanted it back. However, whether it was the kindness shown by the doctors, the fact that none of them were armed or even thinking of being threatening, or the fact that they weren't actually hurting anypony, the Peace Corps was left alone, an oddity accepted and ignored that only continued to function off of the occasional thank you gifts of supplies from those they had saved.

Yet, though the armies didn't think them an issue worth tackling, the Peace Corps kept growing. Unicorn doctors from the NLR often stopped there as they were chased out of the nation, an unofficial magic hunt being conducted the likes of which was only seen by the pegasus hunt on the other side. The doctors or others that shared Fluttershy's belief stayed, while for many others, it was just a stop on the way to freedom in the Solar Empire. Likewise, while there was no more grand exodus from the Solar Empire after the pegasi were forced out, tales of the medical team working on the border and dedicated to peace drew in like minded ponies from a surprising distance away.

Supplies came in with the ponies, as did tents and other large pieces of equipment from both sides of the war. Within a month, what had started as one tent on a hill was over a dozen, from both sides, all marked with the same red cross and butterfly as the original. Injured that had been carried or levitated previously now had stretchers to ease their trips, and there was even a proper kitchen tent and extra sleeping quarters for the six dozen proud members of the Peace Corps. The medical camp had even become such a force that, while much of the border between the two nations fluctuated on a near daily basis, the hill became a fixed point, the border line running neatly through the center of the camp.

With their growing size and new status as a force of nature, however, it was only a matter of time before the Peace Corps was going to be noticed by ponies other than the locals, and for the higher ups in Canterlot and Manehattan, they didn't like what they saw. A rogue element helping the enemy at the border between the nations, no matter how much good it did for their respective countries, was far too dangerous to allow to keep operating. Initially, small forces were dispatched to get rid of the unarmed group, as that first group had been at the Peace Corps' first appearance. Yet none of them could ever seem to carry out the order, and more than one group lost members, shrinking as the Peace Corps gained more followers.

Seeing the issue escalating, both sides decided that a larger force was necessary to deal with the issue. However, due to some measure of serendipity neither side could have foreseen, both armies decided to attack the camp from the north side. On the same day, the forces arriving within minutes of each other. And, as two large armies seeing their enemy mobilizing so close to them are wont to do, the armies attacked each other in a bloody, sudden, brutal battle, decimating both forces until they each had to retreat, the losses too great. Ironically, it was only the very group they had been trying to destroy that kept so many ponies alive, causing what had been three digits of casualties to fall to merely two dozen lost in the battle, though another fifteen never did report back to their respective armies.

The New Lunar Republic gave up on their attempts after that, accepting the Peace Corps as something there to stay and welcoming it on the border. The Solar Empire, on the other hoof, had one more trick up its sleeve. Though it was an immensely unpopular action after what happened in Cloudsdale, a plot was drawn up in secret for a long range magical bombardment of the hill, guaranteed to wipe out the Peace Corps once and for all.

The attack was launched in the dead of night, the fiery orbs sailing through the sky silently, ever closing on their target. And yet, when they arrived, they were met with the last thing they had expected: resistance. Somehow word of the attack, not even known of in much of Canterlot where it had originated, had leaked, and every single member of the Peace Corps was ready for it. The hill was protected by a magic shield, generated by the combined effort of every unicorn in the camp, including the wounded that happened to be there. Around the dome the pegasi flew, creating air currents to spread the fireballs into harmless sparks, or smash them into themselves until the magic ceased to hold and the fire, lacking fuel, winked out. And, on the ground, the earth ponies, ready with water, medical supplies, food, and encouragement for the other races, were more than capable to keep the rest in high spirits and stop anything that slipped through.

With their combined efforts, what should have been a devastating firebombing did little more than set a few trees, some grassland, and a small barracks tent on fire and give a couple of the defending ponies some relatively minor burns. Despite that, at the end of the night, the Peace Corps stood, Fluttershy and Dented congratulating and thanking each and every member of the group, injured and not, for a job well done. And, while they lived in wary fear after that night, the threat of another attack always looming over their heads, none came. The Peace Corps, finally, was allowed to do its work in peace.





“Hold still and let me look at it!” Steam Cloud said with exasperation, grabbing Wind Key's head in her magic and brushing the pegasus's mane aside with a hoof. Her face was sopping wet, though finally the red was gone from her fur. Its source, however, had not been dealt with yet. “It looks alright to me. Nothing that will scar or that would need a doctor. I think the only reason there was that much blood was because it was a head wound.”

Steam released Wind's head, the magical glow transferring to the handle of the cabinet beneath the sink and pulling it open. A small box of bandages hovered in the magical field, making its way past the soaking wet rose-red bandanna sitting in the basin, a trickle of pinkish water trailing from it into the drain. It was lucky to still be rose red, considering nearly the entire thing had been a few shades darker when Wind had entered the apartment.

The box of bandages floated over to Steam's hoof, flipping over and shaking out its contents: a single small adhesive strip. It wasn't much, but hopefully it would be enough to stem whatever bleeding would remain. Steam peeled off the protective paper and quickly stuck the bandage over Wind's cut, where it blended surprisingly well into her fur. That done, Steam looked at her friend's face, frowning. “You know, you were covered in way more than one of those the first time I saw you, and there was a lot less blood. What happened to you?”

Wind sighed in frustration, feeling just a little too woozy to be dealing with this right now. “Nothing. Can we just start working on the crystal thingy? I've been waiting all day for this.”

Steam's frown only deepened. “No way. You don't think I'm going to ask why you were hanging around the alley looking like you'd lost a fight? Most of that was dried to your fur, too... how long were you waiting?”

Wind got up, trying to keep calm, though her wings flared in annoyance as she turned away. “A couple of hours, maybe? You got home late, too, which didn't help. I thought you said you were excited to get your hooves on this gem.”

Steam's face drew taut as she tried very hard not to get annoyed at her injured friend. “I got held late at the diner, and then I had an errand to run, and with the trouble you were having at the shop, I didn't think you'd...” Her expression turned to worry as she ran around to Wind's face. “This didn't happen at the shop, did it? Please tell me...” Wind's expression said it all, and Steam's worry quickly became anger. “She hit you? What for?”

“For not telling her where to find you.” Wind looked away from Steam, not wanting the glare she was giving to accidentally target her friend. “Apparently she followed me out of the shop, recognized you, and saw the crystal change hooves. She wanted me to tell her where you lived and get all of the supplies back, and she kept calling you a monster and a spy and saying all of these horrible things and... I snapped at her, refusing to bring her any result of our work until she stopped talking about you like a beast.” Wind rubbed the bandage on her head, feeling the bruise all around it just beneath her fur. “She snapped back...”

Steam's face was blank, but the fear in her eyes spoke volumes where the rest of her body did not. “She knows where I work?” She took a few more moments to process the rest of what was said, then looked at Wind with concern. “You're not going back there, are you? I know she's your boss and you live in the shop, but-”

Wind continued to glare out the window, though the rest of her body sagged in defeat. “I'm not welcome back there. Not sure where I'll go, since I emptied my account to get that gem cutter and all of my stuff is still in her shop, but that's really not important right now. What is important is that we stop talking about me and get back to work on those wings.”

Steam walked between Wind and the window, looking into the glaring pegasus' eyes. “Wind, what happens to you is way more important than some invention.”

Wind's eyebrow rose, a venom in her voice that Steam hadn't heard once in their time working together. “Is it? Because this invention has cost me everything. My job, my house, my mentor, my comfort in my own city, nearly five years' work... All I will have to show for that is one pair of wings and the unicorn that helped me make them.” She matched Steam's gaze, pure determination shining through all of the pain and anger she was feeling. “These wings have to work. Everything else is just details to determine later.”

Steam shook her head, still hardly able to believe that the mare before her had given up so much to protect a unicorn she'd only met such a short time ago. She was a true friend, and there was only one way to repay her. “You won't have to determine anything, Wind. We'll get started on those wings, and when we finish for the day, if you don't mind the tight space, you're welcome in my apartment as long as you need it.”

Wind had a lot of misgivings about mooching off of her friend, particularly after she'd already asked so much... However, with the way the day had gone, she couldn't afford to be proud. She smiled warmly at the offer, some of the tension easing away from her at one less thing to worry about. “Thank you, Steam. You're awesome.”

Steam smiled back, glad to see her friend already in higher spirits. “Like I said at the start, we're in this until those things fly or we run out of ideas.” Her horn began to glow, opening the box in the corner of the room and levitating out the gem cutting equipment, which she brought to float between herself and Wind. Her smile brightened and spread, fueled by the excitement of finally using the new tools she'd been given. “Now let's get on making them fly, shall we?”

Maybe things had gone horribly out there for the rest of the day, but once the mares got started on their work, the rest of the world disappeared, falling before the joy of creation the two mares shared.





Wind Key woke up the next morning with a headache, laying in an unfamiliar bed, seeing morning in an admittedly familiar room for the first time. Much like her own old room, Steam Cloud's apartment was fairly dark and stuffy, with very little light filtering in and no open window to let air circulate. Unlike the shop, though, the reason for the darkness wasn't a lack of windows, but rather a lack of clear sky outside. Rain was falling heavily into the alleyway below, but a single glance out the window showed that something wasn't quite right. The rain all looked too thick, with a brownish tinge to the water that couldn't really be attributed to the red bricks in the alley behind it.

The other, and most notable, difference between Wind's room and Steam's apartment was that there was a second pony in the room. Disgusted by the look of the water outside, Wind rolled over to look Steam's way, falling right off the tangled remains of the nest of blankets Steam had made for her the night before. Steam didn't have an extra bed, and while they were close friends, sharing a bed after all of the hard work and all of the drama that had come before was a step too far out of their comfort zones. In contrast to Wind's nest, though, Steam's bed was immaculate, already neatly made, the unicorn standing at the sink with a wet towel doing what must have been her best effort at a morning wash in the sparsely furnished room.

Wind let out a grunt, pushing herself up onto her hooves and giving the various pieces of building material strewn around her bed a cursory look before kicking them gently away. Steam's apartment was much more cluttered ever since they'd started working on the wings here, though it was still pristine compared to the chaos that had been Wind's room. And yet, in just one night there were already nuts and washers and little bits of metal around Wind's 'bed'... For a moment she wondered if she was magnetic, but the thought faded when Steam spoke.

“Good morning, Wind. Your head feeling any better?” She looked at Wind in the reflection of the small mirror held in her hoof, carefully combing her damp mane over her horn with the other hoof. “I'm sorry again that I couldn't do better for a bed, but it's better than being out in this weather, right?”

Wind nodded slowly, the cut on her forehead throbbing with the motion. “Yeah, and I slept alright. Wouldn't want to make it permanent, but a couple of nights won't hurt.” In truth, her back was a little stiff, but that was the last thing on her mind this morning. “Are you heading out?”

Steam nodded, content to see her mane firmly keeping her horn hidden before she put down the mirror and turned to Wind. “I've got work, and if I wanted to take today off I should've asked for it at least a week ago, so I couldn't stay even if I tried. I'm not sure what to tell you to do all day, though. This isn't a neighborhood to leave your window unlocked in, and the landlady would explode if she knew half of what was going on in here. Before trying to explain your visits and current housing situation.” She tapped her hoof nervously on the sink. “Really, the only two options are for you to go out the window and come back after work, or for you to stay in here all day.”

Wind looked at the window, watching the torrential brown downpour outside. “Rain isn't usually that color, is it?”

“Around here it is. The smog from the factories gets in the clouds, and then we get it rained on our heads for living so close. Just another gift of the big city.” She said the last line sarcastically, a huge grin on her face that faded away the second the words left her lips. “At least it's just soot when it's this color. When it gets a bit more yellowy, the water burns when it touches your skin... those days aren't fun.”

Wind looked out at the falling water, horrified at the thought of water burning anything. Was this really what all of the industrializing was doing? Or was it just because the factories were in overdrive for the war? Either way, she didn't want to be out in it. “I think I'll stay in here for the day... Go stir crazy trying to piece together the Ready Wings without everything ready to be put in. It'll give me something to do.” She grinned after that, showing she really didn't mind.

Steam smirked at Wind's plan for the day. “Ah, well, there is no fridge or snacks, so I wish you luck. At least the room is still soundproofed, so you can be as loud as you want. Just don't break anything.”

Wind nodded. “I'll do my best.” As Steam started for the door, the pieces of her work uniform sitting in a plastic bag tied around her neck, a thought occurred. “The rain's not going to push your mane down around the horn, is it? You just put a lot of work into hiding it, and I can't think dirty water would be too good for that.”

Steam waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, there's a spell for everything if you look hard enough. It's just learning them that's the tricky part. But, just to be safe...” She pulled on the edge of the plastic bag, causing another one to wrap over the top of her head, like a makeshift poncho. “I try to go out prepared.” She smiled again, then walked to the door, though she stopped before undoing any of the locks, a look of realization hitting her. “Ooh! If you're going to be here all day, there is something you can do for the wings... Um...”

Steam ran back into the apartment, puzzling over something on her mind while looking at Wind. It only took a few moments, but it was clear that a decision was made. “Well... okay, it's going to be hard to explain, and we might only have one shot at this, but here goes... No, wait, I'll draw you a diagram. Come over here, it's... complicated.”

The following patter of words and technical jargon as Steam drew out some makeshift diagrams and calculations on a piece of scrap paper would have befuddled any lesser tinkerer, and Wind was almost no exception. There were a lot of things being said about the nature of magic and how the crystals conducted it that she was only vaguely able to pick up on thanks to how much time she had spent with Steam explaining while they worked. In fact, while Steam had ground down and shaped the chunk of crystal last night into something more manageable for the Ready Wings, she had given a full lecture on the theoretical strengths and weaknesses of the design, as well as the importance of the crystal and how much a single mistake in the cutting process could ground the project as a whole. And, since it was the first time either of them had worked the cutting tools, this caused them to leave a fairly rough chunk to hone down and polish over the next few days as their skills improved.

However, in something counter intuitive to this plan, Steam was asking Wind, who had yet to touch the equipment past buying it, to grind out a very thin crystal wire to connect the two batteries they were cutting from the one large rock. There were a few parts of this request that made no sense at all based on Wind's understanding of gems, and she said as much, but Steam insisted that this was not only possible, but would greatly increase the effectiveness of the final design if it could be pulled off.

If Wind wasn't up to that task, however, then she was also given a metalworking one: to create the insulation and stabilization for the wire in question, which needed a specific rune embedded into the metal that attached to the batteries. The reason was all very complicated and made no sense whatsoever to Wind, but boiled down to 'It's a quirk of what we are trying to do with magic as an energy source.' Steam was fully confident in Wind's abilities to work on such small details, otherwise she wouldn't have even brought it up.

When finally all of the explanations were done and the now multiple pages of schematics and notes were placed in front of Wind, Steam looked out of the window to notice the rain had gotten harder, and the tiny clock she had on the counter was contentedly ticking away the time, now well past when she should have left. Immediately she dropped her pencil, muttering “Horseapples!” under her breath as she ran to the door, undoing the locks and heading out in record time.

This left Wind alone in a room with a bunch of building materials, almost all of the tools she'd ever need to do just about anything, and nothing but free time and a whole sheaf of confusing, indecipherable notes on her hooves. There was a moment of worry as her eyes went over the room in this unfamiliar light, feeling uncomfortable to be here at this time of day instead of in her shop. But, in just a few seconds, the discomfort passed, replaced with a determined grin. She walked over to the sink, grabbing her bandanna and tying her mane back, a twinkle of inspiration lighting up her eyes.

Many a complicated device had been devastated by that exact look, but today, it was purely a sign of creation, and even Wind wasn't entirely sure what she'd come up with.





“What the hay is all of this?” Steam Cloud stopped just inside of the door, only barely having the presence of mind to close it behind her as she looked at the cavalcade of things strewn across the floor. In the center of them sat Wind Key, a pair of safety goggles on and her face glittering with the shavings from the crystal. She turned off the whirring gem grinder, grinning widely as the noise died down.

“Oh! Wonderful! You're home. Okay, I got a little confused from your notes, and they were a little vague, so I made a whole bunch of different versions of insulating frames for you to look at while I finish shaving in this design... It's something I was thinking about as I was working on that last one over there,” she said, pointing to one of the numerous small copper tubes that littered the floor. This one was wrapped in rubber, looking like a thick bit of cable. “I thought I would give it a stronger attaching point in some of the extra crystal we left around the base, but if it doesn't work, then we can just grind it off for the final design. But, basically, you said those rune things were what channeled the energy, right? Or stabilized it or contained it or whatever it is they actually do. Well, I tried carving them out of the metal on the ends of the jackets or superimposing them in the design and carving them in, but then I thought 'Since that's on the connector to the battery, why not use the rune itself to make them connect?'”

She waved Steam over, pointing at the place she was shaping on the side of the cut crystal. “See, I left this little area for the wire to plug into the battery. And I have to tell you, I didn't think that a crystal could be this flexible when it was so thin, but it's behaving just like a copper wire, and I understand the workings of that. So in that last design, I made the ending to be, basically, a plug that connects to a matching socket, which I'm making right now. That way it anchors all on its own, the power can go through the rune about as readily as it ever could, and it would be pretty hard to mess up getting it all hooked up by flipping the wire over or getting a plug wrong. Though... I almost think it would work better if the crystal wire wasn't still a part of the rest of the crystal battery. It seems like energy would leak through it or bypass the rune and short circuit the whole thing.”

Steam had to take a moment to focus herself before she was able to go through what Wind had just said, removing her baggage from work and taking in a deep breath of the smell of her apartment. While that single calming motion was enough to make her glad to be home, the acrid smell of the grinder that hung in the air helped her attune to the task at hoof. “Okay... So... let me see what you've done while I was away.”

Her horn lit up, a few of the copper tubes floating into the air at eye level. Each of them had the rune incorporated into the design, like Steam had asked, with some of them carving it away and some of them having a whole layer of metal dedicated to it. They were all shaped to slip over the crystal wire, which looked even better than she would have ever guessed, with rubber on the inside to both keep the wire safe and keep the energy insulated within it. But as she looked, she could see the problem Wind had as well. No matter how well crafted the rune was in each piece, it had a large hole in the center of it where the wire met with the battery. It was a necessary hole for the design of the batteries, but in any other form of complex magic requiring runes or channeling circles, something as small as a single smudged line could completely ruin the process. A hole that size running through the center of the control rune was more than enough for the magic to use as an escape method, and if enough of it slipped right through... Images of the backpack exploding in midair came to Steam's mind, the crystal dust coating her friend's face replaced instead with the shards and twisted metal of the aftermath.

Shuddering at the thought, she picked up the special wire jacket Wind had pointed out, turning it over and looking at it carefully. Apart from the reversal of the rubber and the copper on this one, the most notable features were the ends, which extended out past the metal disc that held the wire in place. The raised areas weren't very long at all, but they were made in the shape of a ring with the rune in the center of it. With how little Wind claimed to know about magic of any kind, her intuition on picking a circle for the exterior shape was as fitting as a true mage's, while the final design reminded Steam of an electrical plug. The one thing that ruined the illusion was the hole in the center. As she pictured the wire running through it and between the raised end design, she tried to imagine how the magic itself would want to flow. While ideally it would all travel down the wire, realistically the magic would probably try to release itself in the simplest way, which, due to the conductive material and what they were trying to make the magic do, would be an electrical spark. One of those in the wrong place and who knows what damage could be done? The metal melting and causing it all to stop working was the best case scenario there...

Steam looked at Wind's intelligent eyes, remembering the way she'd worded everything she'd just said. It had been dangerously uninformed, the product of a pony not well versed in the theories and ideas around this particular piece of magical design, and yet her intuition and simple logic had pointed out a major flaw that Steam had even overlooked in the original design. Steam remembered issues with her father's machines, how they never quite ran to capacity or had strange side effects when the energy going through them was too great... What if that all had been as simple a fix as a tiny hole left in the design?

There was only really one way to find out... it was just too bad there was no going back if they were wrong. “You know? Looking it over, I think your last design will work the best. But... You're right. That hole we left in it can only lead to disaster. I hate to say it, but could we cut the wire and completely seal it within the jacket? We might lose a little power in the transfer, but better that than the whole spell fraying apart because it wasn't being controlled correctly.”

Wind nodded in agreement, about to cut the wire when she stopped, offering the grinder to Steam. “You're the one that's been working at the body of the gem. It's only right that you get it to the place you want it before I start doing anything intricate or cutting pieces too short for the rest.”

Steam took the grinder from Wind's wing, her face forming into a frown. “You sure? You've been working at this all day, you could just keep going while I cleaned up the excess.”

Wind shook her head, taking off the goggles and giving those to Steam as well. “The grinder is yours, the apartment is yours, this whole engine idea was yours, and you're the one who knows precisely what the final product should look like. I might have the dimensions, and I can get pretty far on that, but I think this would be better done by your hooves. Or, rather, magic.” She smirked. “Leave me to the stuff that just breaks when you mess up, not explodes or threatens to tear apart the fabric of the universe.”

Steam looked at Wind incredulously. “Why thanks, that really boosts my confidence...” She pulled on the goggles, touched by the confidence Wind had in her work. Even she wasn't quite as sure, but, hearing Wind talk... she was doing to do her best not to let her down.

Just as she was about to start her work, she remembered one last thing. “Oh, I brought you something from the diner. I get a free meal for my shift, but you must be starving being in here all day. It's in my bag on the counter.”

Wind immediately dropped the tubes she had been picking up, rushing to the bag. “Oh, thank Luna, I didn't know how much longer I could go.” When she found the small white plastic container she descended on it voraciously, devouring the hayburger contained within with many happy, contented noises.

Steam just smiled, shaking her head at the pegasus's antics and turning on the gem grinder, getting to work on their dream machine once more.





The next morning woke the pair much like the day previous had. Wind pulled herself out of her nest of sheets, which had become even more surrounded by the leftover pieces from their work, to find Steam already halfway out the door. There wasn't too much work left to be done for the Ready Wings, just finishing up the carving of the battery from the remains of the crystal chunk they'd ordered and buffing and polishing them to just the right shape and shine. With the first one as a guide, Wind could easily tackle creating its twin while Steam was at work, and she said as much while wishing Steam a good morning on the job.

She was surprised, then, when the door was opened not an hour later, a very annoyed Steam Cloud walking in, her soggy mane the least of her issues as she threw her uniform at the glittering crystal dust pile. “They fired me!”

Wind immediately shut off the grinder, shocked at the news. “What?!”

“They fired me! Didn't even give me a reason or a letter or a warning or anything! Just blocked me from entering the kitchen and gave me the news.” She slumped down onto her bed, brow furrowed. “I have been nothing but a model waitress for them, what grounds did they have to fire me on?”

Wind put the gem grinder aside, going over to the bed and patting Steam on the back. “They have no idea what they're doing.”

Steam shook her head. “Oh, no, they had it fully in mind. They had a choreographed effort to keep me out of there. It's not the first place I've been thrown from, sure, but seriously! I messed something up at the other ones! I thought they were my friends... Or at least not bad ponies.”

“Whatever craziness was on their mind, it was their issue, not yours.” Wind tried her best to comfort her friend, but there was a nagging fear at the back of her mind. She'd seen firsthoof how crazy ponies got when a unicorn was mentioned, even if that experience had only been happening recently, and she'd gotten to feel that hoof crash into her forehead when she tried to defend the one she was comforting. The only explanation she could think of involved Steam's secret revealed by a vengeful pony, and Wind had only one she could think of off the top of her head.

Of course, those thoughts were paranoid, and she'd never say them to the annoyed unicorn whose room she was staying in, but that didn't make her think them any less. Hopefully she was wrong, and she focused on the silver lining of this particular smog cloud. “Though... at least you don't have to go in to work and feel annoyed and objectified. And you've got the whole day free now too! Anything you can think of to do with the time?”

Steam pouted, her brow still locked where it was. “Give me those goggles. This is an anger that can only be soothed by power tools.” The gem grinder hovered within the golden glow of her magic as Steam was given the safety goggles. She slipped them on sharply, spun the grinder once or twice to make sure it was still working, then moved over to the work area, an evil smile slowly spreading across her face. As soon as she was at the crystal she started grinding, ignoring the light blue dust shooting off in all directions as faces of irksome customers and aggravating coworkers disappeared beneath the grinder's steady pressure.

Wind watched from nearby, cleaning up a few of the furthest flung bits of debris and silently standing by in case Steam's therapy session needed her help at all. Her input wasn't needed, and within ten minutes there was already notable progress in reshaping both the stone and Steam's mood. Once she was feeling better, she was able to start enjoying the process again, starting up little bits of conversation with Wind as both of them found their focus drawn to the gem before them. Eventually they fell into silence, the loud screech of the grinder on the stone and the constant whirr of the motor keeping the blade running becoming music to the two creators' ears. Time ticked away without them hardly noticing as they watched the last piece of the puzzle slowly take shape, the excess, like all of the issues outside of the apartment, merely dust cast off until it could be properly disposed of.





The rain that had been present outside their window in the morning hung around all day, only finally clearing up in time for the first reds of early sunset to be seen in all their splendor. However, they went unnoticed within the apartment, Wind Key and Steam Cloud on the cusp of finishing the project they'd set out to do together all those weeks ago. The final piece was ready at last.

They had before them the two crystal batteries, shaped like wide, squat bicones, connected in the center by a crystal wire, wrapped in a copper and rubber jacket. This was placed within the holder they had constructed seemingly ages ago, complete with the springs, wiring, and spells needed to create a kinetic engine from two shiny, opaque sky blue gems and a lot of shaped brass.

When the entire engine was together, all in all coming to be much larger than the engine from the clockwork pegasus, they mounted it in the body of the Ready Wings, doing the final bits of necessary spot welding with the use of a lot of Steam's magic, since that was the one tool that had never been transferred to her apartment. With that done, finally, the last necessary connections were able to be made: the wings to their controls, the mainspring to the engine, and the mainspring to the main gear. With those done, Wind closed the outer shell of her invention, her hooves shaking with anticipation as she saw the finished product for the first time.

Essentially what they had created looked like a relatively simple brass backpack, buffed to a mirror shine, but lacking any fancy embellishments or decoration on the exterior. Folded up tightly to either side of the main pack was something that looked a little like a camping tent poorly put away. However, with just a few motions on the controls, that broken tent unfolded to became two long, elegant wings, ribbed with brass, a membrane of canvas both magically and mundanely treated specifically for the air making it look a little like a bat's wings.

The top panel of the Ready Wings was a sheet of treated glass held in place by screws in the brass frame. Originally it had just been another sheet of metal, but to make one concession to aesthetics and since both mares had a desire to see any possible problem before opening up the machine, it had been replaced during the wait for the battery. This meant that, through the fully clear surface, anypony could see the gears, pulleys, springs, and everything else fully engaged in every motion the wings made. And while in most scenarios having something as fragile as glass would be a horrible idea on a machine this complex, Wind knew just how bumpy flying could be and made sure the glass had been treated to be impressively durable and, should something go wrong, break in such a way that shards wouldn't go everywhere while in the air.

Near the head of the machine, two squat cones stuck out: the tops of the kinetic engine, with clear windows cut in them to see the batteries within and allow for charging from a unicorn outside, while, in an image that Wind was immensely glad she had decided on, the center of the whole pack was dominated by the mainspring and the main gear it powered, giving life to the whole machine. The wind key, instead of being a piece that detached and was stored elsewhere, actually folded down and latched into the design, settling between the two peaks of the batteries in a little heart-shaped groove. A tiny symbol of peace in a time of war, on an invention designed to bring the joy of a rare gift to as many ponies as possible, created through the combined efforts of the two 'warring' races...

If the wings didn't work, Wind didn't know what she would do. Then again, she had no clue what she'd do if they did work, either.

With a few rivets to put the harness in place, a couple of bolts to hold the outer shell together, and a little magic to charge the batteries from Steam's dwindling magical reserve, there was just one thing to do. Wind pulled up the large wind key, turning it until she both saw and felt the mainspring tighten. With a gentle, almost reverential motion, she folded the key back into place, then turned the machine over, strapping herself into the harness and attaching the control bracelets. Though her wings were now trapped uncomfortably beneath the machine, she didn't stop, nor did Steam even consider taking this moment away from Wind. It was the first test of her dream machine, and she would be the one given the honors. Even if it was just hovering in a tiny apartment, this was the moment, and it was all hers.

Wind took in a deep, calming breath, flexing her hooves and feeling the wings responding to her movements. She closed her eyes, hearing only her heartbeat in the silent room, both hers and Steam's breath held as they waited for the result of the test. Wind pushed off of the floor, leaping as high as she could and letting gravity take just enough hold to get her hanging motionless in the air. Then, in that split second before she would start her downward trip, she moved her hooves as though to trot in place in the air.

And, against every rule of gravity, she did. Opening her eyes, Wind found herself hovering a full pony's height off of the ground, her hooves trotting over nothing while her natural wings did nothing to keep her airborne. She spun around on the spot, making sure there wasn't any magic involved or any wires she hadn't seen before, but the only thing she saw was Steam Cloud, her eyes wide with wonder, a jubilant smile plastered to her face.

A smile that matched Wind's own, which only grew wider as both mares looked at each other. They let one second, then two, then ten pass in silence, not a single hitch coming during the ongoing test. When thirty seconds had passed, neither young mare could hold back any more, a squeal of delight escaping them both in unison.

Wind took a slow circle around the room, amazed at how well the wings controlled in such a tiny space, while Steam followed right behind her, astounded that she had helped create this beautiful image floating in her apartment. When the test circle was ended, Wind landed in a bouncing trot, bounding over to Steam and catching her in a huge hug, the excited squeal returning in full force, followed by giggles where words could not express their joy. It worked! They'd done it! It had taken so long, cost so much... but here it was, and it was worth every ounce of it! They danced around each other in glee, reveling in their success and the joy in sharing this moment with somepony else.

The jubilation was cut short by a knock at the door, silencing both of the mares even though they knew the room was soundproof. Nopony ever bothered them up here, not once in all of their time working together, and Steam could only think of one pony who would knock on her door. “Hide somewhere,” she said as she moved quickly to her mirror. “I'll send her off.”

Wind looked around, fumbling with the wings as she tried to make them fold up again quickly. “Where am I going to hide? Under my sheets?”

Steam made sure her mane was covering her horn, then shrugged as the knock came again. “Wherever you do, do it fast.” She walked to the door, undid the locks, put on her best 'there is nothing at all I am hiding from you' face, and slowly pulled open the door, keeping a hoof on it as she did.

In the hallway Steam indeed saw the pony she expected, the landlady looking a bit annoyed at everything, like she always did, but as the door continued to open, another pony was revealed, a dangerous grin sitting on her chestnut muzzle. “I've found you now, you dirty spy!” Clockwork lunged forward, startling both Steam and the landlady by grabbing Steam's arm before she could react. In an instant her other hoof rushed to Steam's neck, pushing her back until she was pinned against the wall and just barely lifted off the ground.

“No fighting in my building!” The landlady yelled, pulling at Clockwork's shoulders. “You get out of here before I-” her threat was cut off as Steam kicked out with her rear hoof, catching Clockwork in the stomach and sending both her and the landlady sprawling into the hallway outside. Steam landed awkwardly once she was freed, rolling forward heavily as her curly mane fell into her face. It had the volume to bounce back into position quickly, but the resulting gasp meant the damage had already been done.

“Unicorn! There's a unicorn in my building!” The landlady shrieked, pinned as she was beneath Clockwork.

The elder tinkerer laughed as she pushed herself up. “No hiding now! The secret's out.” She rushed forward, but Steam's horn glowed, slamming the door shut just as Clockwork hit it with a solid 'thud.'

Steam jumped up, redoing the locks and cursing loudly. It would have been today, wouldn't it? Just when things were really going right. Just when things were finally settling in her favor! This was what she got for being happy... She stood near the door listening, hearing Clockwork bash at it once more as the landlady galloped down the stairs. She wondered how much time she had left.

Wind Key popped out of her hiding spot in the crate looking highly confused, the Wings cradled carefully in her forehooves. “What happened? Was that Clockwork I heard?”

Steam moved into the center of the apartment, analyzing her room in a brand new light. What was there to do? What could she do? How much time could she buy? “Yes. And now the landlady knows I'm a unicorn, and she's telling everypony.”

Wind still didn't know why this was bad, but she did know that it was bad as she nervously looked at the door. “So... what should we do? Try to explain things to her?”

“We barricade the door. We've got minutes before Luna knows what happens...” She grabbed her bed in her magic, shoving the neatly made mattress against the door, then pinning it there with some of the building supplies and the crate from the corner of the room. There wasn't much in the apartment, but within seconds all of it was jammed into the small entrance way.

Wind watched the floating objects whiz by, keeping the Wings safe from the glowing projectiles’ movements. “So you're going to hide in here? What good will that do?”

Steam glared at Wind, her brain buzzing as she tried to think fast enough, but she could hear the amassing army, even if it was currently only in her mind. “It will give me a few minutes to figure something else out. You don't know what happened to the last unicorn they found out around here.”

“What happened to them?”

Steam looked at her coldly. “I don't want to know. They found what was left hanging from a lamp post two blocks over.” Wind's face paled, her eyes going wide as her imagination started to run wild. But Steam had seen the aftermath swinging morbidly in the breeze. She didn't need to imagine.

There was a hard slam from the other side of the barricade, a murmuring of angry voices growing louder out there. Both mare's heads snapped to the door, but Steam's turned back to her friend moments later. “Get out of here while you can. I'll make my own way out.”

Wind shook her head. “I'm not just going to leave you here! I'll carry you out if I have to.”

Another slam at the door, the few things piled against it shifting from the impact. Steam wrapped her magic around them, furious that so much of her magic had been spent on the Wings. She really could use it now. “You should have seen the air around the last one... Like a swarm of bees. If you think we could escape with you carrying me, you're crazy. And even that's assuming we could squeeze out the window together.”

Wind looked at the pack in her hooves, the look of worry turning into one of determination. “Then we'll fly separate. You put on the Ready Wings and we go out there together.”

“You're crazy.” Steam took one look at the determined mare, her concentration slipping for just long enough for the door to be bashed once more, the creaking of wood saying they didn't have much time left. “We've only proven they will fly in here, and only for a couple of seconds. We have no guarantee that they will work out there.”

Wind walked towards her, the look on her face never slipping. “They will work.”

Another slam, followed by splintering wood, sounded behind Steam. However, on seeing everything else piled in the door, the oppressively loud mob outside roared in outrage. Steam had to fight to ignore the impending doom. “Your last wings ripped apart in the wind, and they ran out of power after almost no flight time at all. We have no way of knowing if these are actually better, or if they'll survive the smog or the strain of making an escape.”

Wind just came closer, undoing the buckle on the pack and walking to Steam's side. “They will work.”

Steam took a quick step back, smelling smoke as she did. It was curling up from under the pile of stuff in the doorway... it was crazy to think they'd set fire to a whole building for one unicorn, but then it was crazy to think a mob would form for the same reason. Her mind was scrabbling for ideas, seeing no way to come out of this alive. “How can you say that? I could die out there! If I'm not fast enough, or if the wings falter, or if just one piece of machinery is out of place or one weld wasn't done right... If the spring unwinds, or a rivet slips, and all of that isn't even considering that I could plummet out the window to the concrete before I figure out the controls or-”

“Steam!” Wind put a firm hoof onto Steam Cloud's shoulder, the pegasus looking the unicorn directly in the eyes. “We made this together. You and I both know this machine inside and out. While you might not trust the work we've done, I do. It will work.” There was nothing but determination on her face, and her ivy eyes didn't once waver, her words backed up by sheer belief.

Steam's golden orbs searched Wind's eyes for a hint of doubt, or a single thing she could question, but there was nothing there. Only a promise and hope, offering an escape plan where before there was only death... With the sounds of a growing fire and the growing cloud of pitch black smoke forming on the roof, there was only one thing to do. Steam swallowed the lump in her throat, then nodded, her voice failing to hide the fear coursing through her veins. “Okay. Let's do this.”

Wind nodded back, her determined look joined by the slightest of smirks. “We're going to make it out of here, Steam. These wings are gonna fly.” Wind tossed the Ready Wings onto Steam's back, helping the unicorn buckle into the harness twice as fast as she could alone. Steam strapped into the control bracelets, the butterflies in her stomach completely drowned beneath what felt like an arctic ocean of fear churning within her. Each breath of air that brought the smell of smoke reminded Steam of the fire growing rapidly in her doorway, the crackling kindling beginning to overtake the sounds of the mob outside. Soon the floorboards would be burning too, and in mere moments the cool evening would be an inferno, with her trapped inside the blaze...

But Wind was there every second, seemingly unfazed by the fire growing before her. In truth, it paled in comparison to the thought that her best friend was about to risk her life entirely on the first true test of their wings, and there were no safeties. No wings of her own to keep her aloft, no safe places to land with the pursuit outside, just a unicorn and the machine on her back. Wind had placed so much faith in it, had even convinced Steam to entrust her life to this possible deathtrap, in hopes of escaping a more certain doom... But there was no going back.

Wind pulled up the wind key on the Ready Wings, giving it barely a turn before the spring fought back, but that was more than enough time to think about what she was doing. She was naive, she was crazy, and she knew it, but even more important than that, she knew, deep down, that this was going to work. She'd said it with every single iteration, she'd said it for so many failures, she'd crashed and burned and cradled injured limbs believing that with all of her heart before, but this time it would be true. There was no other choice.

She folded the key back into place, then tapped Steam on the back. “I'll be waiting for you outside. You've got this.” With that she ran to the window, pulled it open, and leaped outside, disappearing into the dark alleyway beyond.

With the fire at her heels, Steam tried to take a calming breath after watching the pegasus leave. There was a moment, just the smallest worry, that Wind would abandon her, or grab her once she left and turn her in. It would be so easy, and if their places were reversed, Steam didn't know if she wouldn't take that chance... But she also knew Wind far better than that. Wind would be out there. Steam just had to go join her.

The barest hint of stillness in the air as the barricade caved in on its own weight cued her, making her break into a full gallop towards the tiny window. Her hooves pounded the floorboards as she ran, the weight of all of her work, and her entire future, resting on her shoulders as she reached the wall. Her muscles bunched and she leaped forward with all of her might, diving through the open square and into the cool air of early night. And then she looked down.

Far, far below, the dingy, grimy alley floor awaited, no lucky trash pile or bale of hay waiting to catch her as gravity took hold. The sensation of falling hit her immediately, her stomach plummeting faster than the rest of her as her only thoughts became of that big workshop in the sky. She shot out her hooves to shield herself, the wings activating from the motion, flaring out and stalling her descent. In that moment the fog lifted, her fear slipping away as the controls came back to her mind. She began to gallop in the air, the wings flapping at full might to keep up with her work.

She was less than a storey off the ground when finally she stopped falling, the machine on her back smoothly letting her hover there, then lifting her higher and higher until, just like that, she was flying. No cloud or magic holding her up, just her own wingpower... It was thrilling, it was terrifying, it left her heart pounding in her throat, and she never felt more alive.

Before she could start to scream, shake, panic herself into a crash, or lose control while laughing maniacally at still being alive, Wind Key appeared at her side, giving her shoulder an encouraging nudge. “I told you it would fly.” Steam couldn't help but smile at that, her body feeling hyper tense as her conflicting emotions buzzed within her, the adrenaline doing nothing to help her there.

It did, however, keep her horribly focused on her task. “She's down there with those damned wings! Get after her!” Steam looked up to see Clockwork glaring from one of the windows, likely having hoped she'd been plastered to the floor in a suicidal leap. The satisfaction of making Clockwork mad, however, did little to stop her fear from returning with full force. The only problem was her mind was blank, full of fuzz after her leap, and she had no idea what to do next.

“Follow me!” Shouted Wind Key from the edge of the alley. “We've got to move, now!”

The two mares shot out of the alleyway, and while Steam was focused completely on keeping the wings under control, Wind had the misfortune of being able to see the legion of pegasi taking off from the building after them. Wind herself wasn't the strongest or the fastest flyer, even if she did enjoy the process immensely, but with Steam in tow and fighting to keep herself going forward at the right height on wings never designed for speed, she had no clue how they were going to escape. They couldn't out fly them, so she had to hope she could outsmart them as she turned towards the industrial district.

Smog clouds hung heavily between the buildings around here, to the point where even containing them was too much for the weather teams anymore. While real cloud cover was minimal and the forecast called for a clear sky, the dark haze hanging over everything meant there wasn't a single star visible, the moon shining a strange, sickly green. Wind looked around while flying through the foul air, nearly losing sight of her flying companion and hardly able to see the flying forces behind her. This was precisely the cover they would need to get away from the mob... assuming the dust and smoke didn't kill them in the process.

Wind's lungs burned as she turned towards towards the outer edge of the city, slowing as she saw a veritable wall of pegasi looming in the darkness. As much as she had hoped they'd gotten away, this was proof that that was not the case. Coughing through the smog and thinking as fast as her growing headache was letting her, she banked back towards the factories, where dark pillars grew from the chimneys to the skies above. Wind and Steam flew up high, finding a level where the smoke was being held in by a cloud, causing it to form a thick blanket with no visibility at all... The soot and fumes choked Wind just from being near them, but she took a deep breath and dove in, knowing it was the only chance of escape.

Steam followed into the darkness at once, immediately losing track of her friend as the visibility was cut to nothing. She could faintly hear the sounds of pursuit behind her as she held her breath, panic setting in at the time limit of her burning lungs and the lack of vision of her lifeline. She moved frantically, zipping back and forth in the dark blanket beneath the cloud until a hoof grabbed her by the arm, tugging her up out of the smoke and into the wetness above.

Steam immediately felt like oil was clinging to her fur, the gunk in the smoke seeping into the cloud and making the liquid burn as it came in contact with her eyes and lips. She squeezed her eyes shut, about to call out for Wind when a cloth was slapped over her muzzle, which sent off all of the warning bells. If she hadn't been holding her breath ever since she entered the smoke, she would have started now, any number of chemicals easily able to cover that cloth and bring her crashing to the ground. She opened her eyes, feeling them sting once more, but she turned anyway, unable to see anything but the dark cloud around her. Eventually her lungs began to ache, the only choices remaining breathe or fall from the sky. She chose to breathe, taking a deep, gasping breath through the cloth. When her mind cleared instead of getting fuzzier, the cloth acting as a makeshift filter, she knew the she was with a friend... now if only she could find her.

With her eyes shut, she could do little more than call out for her friend, but before she could even make a noise she was shushed, a hoof coming out to make her stay still and silent. As she stilled, immensely happy that she never took off her enchanted horseshoes and, thus, could stand within the cloud, the wings folded in, the machinery going silent and allowing a muffled noise to drift to Steam's ears. It was talking, though what was being said and who was saying it were lost to the cloud. After what seemed like a lengthy discussion, there was silence, and Steam wondered if it was safe to move.

Just as she was about to go searching, she heard the rush of heavy winds outside of the cloud surrounding her, seeming to get closer and closer with each passing second. It was then that she was sure she was drifting, the lump of cloud she was in sliding away from where it had started. As it went, the sounds slowly left, leaving her in silence and darkness once more.

Minutes passed painfully slowly, and then, without warning, her drifting became flying, the cloud feeling like it was being pulled through the sky. The thought caused her to focus on her silence even harder, her heart pounding in her chest at the thought that, maybe, she had been found out... She waited seemingly forever while the cloud was pulled along, thoughts alternating between fleeing and staying put, unsure of what was going on or if she would even be able to escape a captor if she tried.

After an eternity in the void of the oily cloud, it stopped again, complete silence surrounding her small hiding spot. She strained her ears, listening as hard as she could... She heard leaves and nothing else, and this was what finally piqued her curiosity. No matter what was outside, she was going to find out now. She pushed herself up through the cloudy membrane, eventually breaching into the cold night air, feeling a gentle breeze over her damp, oily fur. Opening her eyes, she could see the sky high above, stars twinkling coldly alongside the moon shining its silver light over the land. Far, far in the distance were the lights of Timbucktu, while those leaves she had heard came from the forest around her, where her cloud was anchored in the branches of a tall tree.

Steam climbed to the edge of the cloud, seeing a reddish glow far below, a recognizable figure sitting near the fire on the ground. Confused, lost, and drained now that the adrenaline was starting to leave her system, Steam managed to get the wings unfolded, letting her glide slowly down to the forest floor.

The moment she landed, Wind Key ran to her side, a huge smile on her soot covered face. “We did it! We got out!”

Steam Cloud stepped closer to the fire, the warmth doing wonders for her damp, chilled fur. “We did, but... how? They were all around us.”

Wind's happy grin stayed on her face. “I know! I was completely out of ideas... but then he pulled me into the cloud, and whatever his plan was, it worked!”

Steam's mind screeched to a halt, fear starting to build up already. “He?” Wind pointed past Steam's shoulder, and when the unicorn turned, initially she saw nothing. But, as time passed, she started to notice something in the flickering fire light. Looking a little harder, she saw the cloaked pony sitting against one of the trees, and immediately she took a defensive stance towards him. “Who are you? What do you want with us?”

The cloaked pony stayed where he was, his entire form hidden beneath the tattered traveling cloak apart from the tip of his beige muzzle and his wings, sticking out through holes in the cloak. Beneath it was the bulge of a bag, but it, like the rest of his body, was completely hidden. “I am nothing more than a friend, and all I wanted to do was help two young mares in need. But, if you wish to know my name, I suppose you can call me... Homeward Bound.”

“Homeward Bound, huh?” Steam was wary, unsure why Wind seemed quite so calm around this stranger.

Homeward smiled. “Yes. I was passing through town when I heard the ruckus around you, and I really didn't want to see another pony harmed if I could avoid it. And, with a little creative deconstruction of the cloud while your pursuers tried to clear the smoke, you got out and nopony got hurt.” He stood up, his cloak revealing his dark hooves, cracked and dirty from the travelling of miles. However, seeing the hesitation Steam had in trusting him, he made it a point to circle widely around the fire, looking out towards the lights of Timbucktu. “Unfortunately, if I were you, I wouldn't want to be anywhere in the Republic right now. While the guards won't be searching for you officially, far too much of the nation would love to get their hooves on a rogue unicorn.”

Steam's face dropped, searching the grass for a response to that. She hadn't actually expected to get out, but now that she had... she could never go back. A deep sadness planted root in her heart then, though even she didn't realize it. “But... but where can I go now? I’ve burned all of my bridges. Timbucktu was my life.”

Homeward's smile continued, friendly, understanding, and just a little disbelieving. “Now that is the question of the decade. But you’re young, barely a mare by legal standards. I have a hard time believing you’ve had enough time to burn all your bridges.” Seeing the despondent look on the young unicorn’s face, he frowned, trying to give a friendly prompt. “No family? No friends from fillyhood that left before the war? Is there really nopony you could turn to in the Empire?”

Steam remained silent, looking defeatedly into the fire, but Wind was able to answer the question, even if Steam could not. “Well… my mother and older sister are in Ponyville. But they must hate me after I ran away…”

Homeward shook his head. “A parent could never truly hate their child. If anything, they miss you each and every day more than you know.” Wind looked a little happier after those words, and building off of that, he looked out over the dark landscape once more. “And, lucky for you, you’ll have a guide to help you with the complicated and dangerous process that is crossing the border.”

Steam perked up again, her voice dripping with distrust. “You will help us get across the border? What’s in it for you?”

The cloaked stallion walked a little closer to the fire, the red light revealing his eyes, set within an aging face that had seen too much. “I’m going that way anyway, and I’ll get the satisfaction of helping a fellow pony out, like real ponies should.” He looked up after that, as if only now noticing the cloud hanging above them. “Now, you must both be exhausted after that ordeal. I will keep watch, you two get some rest.” With that he flew up to the cloud, dispersing it before settling into the trees where it had been, practically disappearing in the dark.

Wind Key yawned, the effort of the escape and the rollercoaster of emotions getting to her. “Sleep doesn’t sound like such a bad idea…”

Steam walked over to her, her voice a harsh whisper. “And you really think it’s a good idea to just trust this guy? Fall asleep in the middle of the woods and hope he doesn’t bring a whole mob down on our heads?”

Wind looked at her through tired eyes. “Steam, he just saved our lives, and he genuinely seems to want to help. Why wouldn’t I trust him?”

“Oh, I don’t know, because your mentor and most trusted pony in the world just threw you out on your head, then tried to burn you alive two days later? If she was capable of that, what kind of stuff could a complete stranger do?”

Wind sighed tiredly. “She could save a falling mare from certain doom at great risk to herself. She could help me realize my dream and give me the most enjoyable few weeks of my life, all the while becoming my best friend and passing even my mentor for most trusted pony. And she could be willing to sacrifice herself to make sure I escaped, when I was nothing more than a stranger a short few months before.” With a smirk, she turned over, finding a comfortable bit of grass to curl up in. “Just because you don’t know a pony doesn't mean they’re bad. It’s the ones you think you know that seem to be by far the most dangerous.”

As much as Steam understood the message, and as tired as she was after everything that happened, she couldn’t bring herself to agree with Wind as the pegasus drifted off to sleep. Trusting in the kindness of strangers had brought her nothing but trouble her entire life, and while Wind was one hay of an exception, the rule still applied. She appreciated what Homeward Bound had done for her, but that didn't give him any sort of free pass yet. especially when she hadn’t even gotten a good look at his face yet.

Warily she moved slightly away from the fire, the cool chill of night helping her focus on the task she gave herself. She didn’t even remove the Ready Wings as she leaned against a tree, eyes sharp, looking for any sign of danger. Homeward may have been the watcher, but somepony had to watch him. With a stifled yawn, she settled in, keeping guard over the last few remnants of her life, all the while inwardly cursing her new reality.