The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Gossamer awoke. The rattling of the covered wagon she rode in meant a less than peaceful awakening, but such was the price to pay for anypony traveling where railways did not go. Her supply of bits had been quite hefty, so the amount she had paid for a ride had been more than enough to encourage the merchants to provide her transport.
As she sat in the makeshift bed of bedroll and blankets she had prepared for herself, she again contemplated her journey and destination. Unease still ate away at the back of her mind, and the kindness of the caravan team left her mouth with a faintly bitter taste. She knew the reason she had been sent here, and wondered if it was truly necessary.
She was broken out of her reverie, however, when the call filtered back through the caravan that Edgewood was finally in sight. She moved carefully to the front of the wagon, mindful of the cargo she shared the space with, and peeked out and got her first glimpse of the rolling fields and town proper.
Farmers paused in their harvest work and waved amicably to the caravan. She forced a smile and waved back. Ponies always seemed so genuine, even with strangers.
She felt all the more uncertain because of it.
Sparkhorn slowly paced outside the trade hall, the largest, and possibly the tallest, structure in town. It was also one of the oldest, constructed painstakingly in log cabin style. It gave the structure a rustic, traditional feel that suited many of the intrepid ponies who conducted business within its spacious interior.
He stopped his pacing as a familiar blur of crimson materialized from the air into his best friend, who gave his wings a quick stretch before folding them closed. Skyrocket gave him a toothy grin and a hoofbump in greeting before they turned back to the main thoroughfare and spotted the approaching caravan.
“You excited to meet your cousin?” Skyrocket accompanied the question with a raised eyebrow. Sparkhorn merely shrugged.
“Hard to feel excited when I didn’t even know I had a cousin…” he mumbled back. “Dad seemed just as surprised as I was. We haven’t heard from my aunt in years, and suddenly she just sends a cousin we never knew existed our way.” He rubbed his chin with a hoof. “It’s more confusing than exciting.”
“Sparky, lighten up! I’m sure you two will hit it off just fine,” Skyrocket returned with his signature grin. Sparkhorn returned a smile of his own.
“Yeah, yeah. Ever the optimist…”
“I am the optimist!”
“Maybe I’ll just call you optimist prime.”
“You’re such a dork.”
“I am the dork.”
They both enjoyed a moment of shared laughter, the tension leaving Sparkhorn. They both finished as the caravan finally rolled in front of the hall. The earth ponies that had pulled the wagons unhitched themselves and stretched after a long and tedious haul before moving to see to their goods. A few other travelers disembarked, and the two stallions scanned the crowd for a familiar face. What they did not expect was for how familiar it turned out to be.
Gossamer looked around the town she now found herself in before searching for any of the faces she had been shown. It did not take long to spot to two stallions looking her way, and she locked eyes with each briefly as she moved to them.
‘Looking her way’ may have been a serious understatement, she realized. As she approached she felt their response to her presence, the feelings of each as varied as night and day.
Skyrocket felt his heart skip a beat and his mind blank as he looked over the young mare he had joined Sparkhorn to meet. A coat just the faintest shade paler than Sparky’s, with eyes of deep viridian and mane and tail of icy blue and green. Her horn was just as cleanly sharp as her cousin’s, and she had an almost coquettish beauty that was belied by her timid body language. He was not sure what he was feeling, but it was very new and totally exciting.
Sparkhorn however, was suffering from much more vivid recognition. His mind overlayed pictures of his mother when she was his age over this unknown mare and found too many similarities. It was like looking at his mother.
His mother.
Memories of fleeting happiness were immediately followed by ones he carefully locked away, ones he only ever contemplated in moments where he had complete control of his mental state. He was not prepared for them to well up so suddenly and aggressively. His breathing became quick, his pulse raced, and he felt twin pangs of sorrow and anger flash under the haze of confusion that consumed him. His eyes shrunk to pinpricks. He dug deep into his own reserves of will, the strong will that lent itself so wonderfully to his magic, and beat back the emotions. He called on all of the mental tools and exercises he had to overcome his past.
The ordeal lasted but a moment, but its impact left him feeling ill.
Gossamer nearly tripped as she caught the briefest glimmer of the emotional turmoil that had nearly consumed the unicorn before her. Sparkhorn, that was his name. Her appearance was too close to his mother’s. Guilt chipped away at her resolve, but she would carry on.
“Hi,” she greeted softly. “I’m Gossamer Dawn. Are you Sparkhorn?” Although he had very quickly recovered, there was still a glimmer of unease in his eyes as he replied.
“Ah... yep, that’s me! Welcome to Edgewood!” he replied with a smile. “This is my best bud Skyrocket!” Skyrocket had shaken himself from his daze and was doing his best to remain unflustered.
“Heya! You can just call me Sky. That’s what my friends do!” He extended a hoof and flashed his signature grin. She smiled warmly and complete the hoof bump.
“It’s nice to meet you. I hope I’m not interrupting your day too much…” she said, tracing a nervous pattern with her hoof. Skyrocket replied in a flash, preempting Sparkhorn.
“‘Course not! We’ll grab your stuff and help you get settled, right Sparky?” he inquired with a look to his friend. Sparkhorn nodded.
“We’ll take your bags to the guest room in my house, then we’ll show you around town.” Skyrocket smiled eagerly at that second part. “Does that sound good?”
She too smiled and nodded.
“Lead the way.”
The house was not far from the trade hall, and rightly so. Drill Bit regularly frequented it to purchase supplies and tools that were not available in Edgewood, and he regularly advertised his services and sold the carpentry and wood carving products he made between contracts. Most of the furniture in the house had been crafted by the owner, and it gave the interior of the residence a rustic, old-time charm.
Skyrocket waited in the living room while Sparkhorn showed Gossamer to the room she would be staying in and placed her bags where she wanted them. They returned, and Skyrocket finally noticed the unease that his friend was carefully concealing. He would have to ask about that later.
They gathered in the living room, and a thin veil of tension was present in the room. Skyrocket was more than willing to break it.
“So where do you want to head first? You saw the trade hall when you got here, but we could show you town hall, or the fields, or…” he trailed off as he noticed her looking at him with a slightly amused expression.
“I’ll probably be here awhile and I can go exploring later. I don’t want to impose or cut into your day.” Skryocket waved her concerns away.
“I already took care of my work this morning, so I can show you around! We’ll swing by Sparky’s shop last and bring him back with us for dinner!” He looked to his friend for agreement, and received a nod.
“That sounds like a plan. I’ll see if I can’t scrounge up something for you while I’m at it. I might have just the thing in my workshop!” He smiled, burying his anxiety to deal with later. He would have plenty of time to mull things over in the quiet of his workshop.
With that, Skyrocket took wing and pumped a hoof in the air, brushing the ceiling, before swooping the short distance down to grab Gossamer by the hoof and whisk her out the door. She managed to wave briefly to Sparkhorn before disappearing with the pegasus.
Sparkhorn sighed, retrieved his saddlebags, and headed out himself. A genuine smile finally found its way to his face as he thought about his lingering projects. He knew just what he’d work on to clear his head.
Gossamer was nearly overwhelmed by the eagerness that radiated from the pegasus guiding her around town. She was unused to receiving such positive attention so quickly, but that did not mean should could not adapt. It was just so uncommonly genuine. Most ponies took forever to properly warm up to, but this featherbrained flyer had found her interesting immediately. Maybe interesting was not quite the right word…
She was pulled from her thoughts as she was lead into the local ice cream & sweets shop and introduced to a triple layer apple fritter a la mode. It would have been overwhelmingly sweet if not for the contrasting flavor of cinnamon and the butter pecan ice cream generously piled on. She did her best to pay attention to everything her guide was telling her about the town and the exploits he had shared with Sparkhorn, if not to be polite than at least to be well informed.
It was when he mentioned their practicing and the upcoming warden trials that her focus truly manifested.
Sparkhorn once again found himself in the familiar dark of his workshop. On the bench in front of him was a rectangular box with square ends, a mechanical socket and armature extending from the midpoint of one side. The side panel was opened and a flap connected to a cone at one end was extended vertically and out of the way. Inside, a set of precision tools encased in his magic carefully calibrated the precise workings of the device. He glanced to a schematic scroll to the left of the machine, his hornwriting scrawled in the margins with dates indicating when notes were taken. Observations of performance and what adjustments likely needed to be made guided his work. The latest notes indicated that the twenty-third set of adjustments might just do the trick and allow him to consider the prototype ready.
After finishing adjustments, he closed the small hatch and moved the flap back to its stowed position before levitating the box over to one of his other workstations where a contraption that mirrored it in all aspects lay. He levitated them to his sides, the cone-tips facing forward. Then his magic reached out and grasped a harness derived from the ones the farmers used during the harvest. It essentially had two stable armatures that extended to the left and right of the user, and for the farmers it had large rings for holding bushels of produce. The one Sparkhorn had crafted had connectors designed to fit the sockets built into the boxy contraptions hovering at his side, and the armatures were articulated. He had also added a backpack compartment that would sit on his back between the boxes since he could not wear both the harness and his saddle bags.
After settling the harness on himself, he socketed the contraptions into place. With a bit of focus, he tested the modifications he had made that allowed him to manipulate the positioning of the armatures. The boxes extended out from him, rotated cone-side up, then back, before folding back to his sides. It took less and less focus to do that with twenty-three test runs behind him.
Lifting the completed harness off, he moved by the door to the storefront and summoned up a matching pair of gems, floating them into the workshop. Placing the harness aside for a moment, he focused on the crystals floating before him. A pair of emeralds, to be precise. Standing clear of the tables around the room, he charged up his magic and put his talent to use.
His horn crackled with pent up electrical energy before it arced and connected with the two emeralds. He ramped up the spell until the precious stones glowed with inner light, throttling back the flow of power until two gently shining emeralds floated lazily in his magical grip. Taking the charged power crystals over to the harness, he placed each gem at the back end of each box, a sharp clicking sounding as socket clamps secured them in place.
He let out a sigh of satisfaction as usual, and enjoyed the feeling of completion that always accompanied a finished project. Speaking of which, he thought as he turned back to his main workstation, I noticed she had a few useful grooming tools, but not one of these.
‘One of these’ manifested as various components around the workshop coalesced, in the span of half an hour, into a simple gem-powered hair dryer. He brought it out to the store front where he boxed it along with several low-end crystals. Using what remained of the gift wrap from the holiday season, he bundled it up and placed a note in flowing script quite simply stating “Welcome, Gossamer!” on it. He smiled as he tucked it away in his saddlebags behind the counter.
Next, he opened the mail sitting on a stool and read through several orders for some hardware and power crystals, humming to himself as he returned to his workshop and settled into his daily routine. Doing so allowed his mind to wander and he found himself reflecting on the gift he had just wrapped and the mare it was for. A slight frown found its way on his muzzle.
He felt like he should not have been surprised that she had looked so similar to his mother. After all, the blood relation was fairly close. But it was not that close. But none of that was what really bothered him.
No, what bothered him were the memories her appearance had evoked. He briefly flashed back to the nightmare he had awoken from nights prior. He was not looking forward to sleeping tonight, as he was fairly certain that it would make a swift and unsubtle return. He did not talk with anypony about the horrible dream. It was his burden to bear and he would not burden anypony, especially not his father, with it. He had opted to tell Skyrocket about it only once, and the pegasus had offered to lend an ear whenever it was needed, but not to pry unless he was concerned for Sparkhorn’s safety. Sky had always seemed to understand; a stallion was not weak when calling for aid, but there are also some battles he has to face himself.
Nopony could overcome his past for him.
For the first time in what felt like an age, he revisited the history he buried under the good times with Sky, Summer, his father, and neighbors. He could not stop his eyes from tearing up a bit as the image of his mother, frail and fading, lay upon his parents' bed years ago. Her eyes were shimmering slightly with unshed tears. Not of pain, but of the sadness knowing you are leaving loved ones behind. She had patted his hoof ever so gently with hers and told him she would miss them both dearly. She told him he would become a great stallion one day. So that had become his goal.
His sad state was quickly undercut by the swell of determination he had found the day after she had passed. He remembered the captain of the wardens, the town legend Flint N. Steel, coming to him to talk to him about it. He could still remember the advice he had been given in that rough voice.
“We can’t change the past, boy. We gave it our all, and we made the cretins pay. But don’t mourn her passing, she… she wouldn’t want us crying on her account.” He sniffed once before continuing. “She would want you to be proof of her life, to show that she gave something truly special to the world. I can see it in you too, Sparks. Use your talents and show them what an amazing pony she gave us.” He ruffled the teary-eyed colt’s mane.
He had never blamed the wardens for not getting to her in time. They only did their job to the best of their abilities, and had saved the others. They had dealt a stinging blow to the perpetrators. If anything, he admired them for their commitment to getting as many home safely as they could. No, he knew who he blamed.
The changelings.
He had been told stories as a child. How they could mimic anypony, and would twist the mind of the innocent to replace friends and family so they could feed on the love they provided, and once they were far enough under the creatures’ sway, they’d be taken.
They’d be nothing but cattle. Slaves to feed the hive.
It sickened him. But that was a small feeling. It made him sad to think how many had been taken, but that too was not the strongest thing he felt about them. No, he knew what he truly felt about them.
Hatred.
He buried it deep. He did not want to hate anypony, he honestly wished all the creatures of the world could get along. He knew hatred only led to pain, hurting oneself and those close. But neither could he deny the truth of his heart.
He hated the changelings. he hated how they subverted society and used other thinking, feeling beings as naught but a resource to expend. He hated how they abused the trust between friends and family, and they stole the most precious thing shared between ponies. Their love. But most importantly, he hated the creatures that had taken his mother from him.
And even his kind heart could not forgive that.
He sighed heavily, knowing where these dark thoughts would lead. He had explored those paths enough. Instead, he called upon that determination he had found that day.
He would be a warden, the best warden, and he would never let the creatures hurt anypony ever again.
Following that train of thought, he glanced back to his completed harness contraption. His orders for the day had been completed, so he placed them in their respective boxes for shipping and stored them behind the counter in the storefront before retrieving the harness and settling it on his back. He covered it with a sheet before making his way outside and heading towards the woods and his hidden proving grounds within.
It would not do for others to see his secret project before its debut.
Sparkhorn had only recently returned to his shop and stowed the harness after his first truly successful test when Skyrocket and Gossamer entered the store, the pegasus calling out for him. He promptly exited the workshop to greet them and a bemused smirk found its way onto his muzzle as he got a look at the pair.
Skyrocket was as energetic as ever, smiling broadly after an enjoyable day around town. Gossamer, however, was panting slightly and looked quite worn out from keeping up with the untiring flyer.
“Looks like you had a busy day, huh?” he greeted.
“You betcha! I showed her all the good spots around town. Oh! And she wants to watch us practice tomorrow,” he stated happily. Sparkhorn raised an eyebrow.
“Really now… I didn’t take you for the type to like anything rough,” he directed to Gossamer. She gave a little shrug.
“He told me all about the wardens and said you’d been practicing for the upcoming trials. It piqued my interest. And a lady should know how to defend herself,” she added curtly. Sparkhorn gave a brief chuckle.
“I guess that settles that,” he replied, then addressed both of them while retrieving his saddle bags. He discreetly slipped the gift for Gossamer into one pouch before saying, “It’s about time for dinner, so let’s get back home.” He received two eager nods for response.
The journey home was pleasant and uneventful. Entering into the foyer, Sparkhorn carefully set his bags down. As Gossamer and Skyrocket settled into the living room, Sparkhorn levitated out the gift and brought it with him over to Gossamer. Drill Bit entered from the kitchen as he presented the gift, a knowing smile gracing his tired features. His son had a knack for making gifts for newcomers to town.
“What’s this?” she asked, genuine surprise and confusion entering her voice. Skyrocket gave her a friendly jab, far softer than his usual, as he answered.
“A welcome present, duh! Sparky always makes something for the new pony, or ponies, in town.” This was met with a sheepish shrug from the named unicorn.
Gossamer was genuinely stunned. She had never received a gift just for the sake of it. She once more wrestled with her own feelings. She did not have to think long, fortunately, before Drill Bit interrupted her thoughts.
“I hope everypony’s hungry, I made a double batch of spinach lasagna!” This received a pair of cheers from the young stallions, which baffled the sole mare in the room. The reaction to her next question was one of utter disbelief.
“Uh, pardon me, but what is lasagna?”
Even the double batch could not survive the voracious appetite of the stallions sitting at the table, and after her first hesitant bite, Gossamer had surprised them with the gusto with which she consumed her portion. Portions, actually, would be more accurate. She accounted for nearly a third of the lasagna consumed that night, much to the amusement of her hosts.
“I had no idea that such simple dish could be so tasty. I am used to such different nourishment.” She recognized the strange phrasing and immediately correct herself, stating, “I mean, I ate quite differently in Canterlot.” She had been careful not to rush her addendum, and based on the satisfied expressions on the faces around her they were still too focused on their recently consumed meal to take much notice.
“I know right? Mr. Bit always makes the best! Should’a been a cook instead of a carpenter, I say!” Sparkhorn laughed while Drill Bit shook his head with a grin.
“While flattering, I find cooking much like construction. The right pieces put together the right way to construct wonderful flavor! And how many times do I have to tell you to drop the whole ‘Mr.’ business. You’re as much family here as Sparkhorn!” The other unicorn nodded in agreement. Gossamer hid the bit of surprise she felt at that comment. Skryocket just snorted and waved a hoof in the air.
“What do you want me to call you then, ‘dad’? That just seems kind of weird since my dad is still around. Occasionally…” Gossamer sensed the mood in the room take a dip before Drill Bit quickly interjected.
“Drill, Bit, anything you’d like, Sky. And your mom and dad should be home soon. Jet said they’re planning on taking off some days soon to spend time with you, and in the mean time…” he laughed, “you know what I’m saying.” Sky perked up a bit.
“I’m always welcome here, right?” The chuckling that followed was subdued, but genuine.
“Well, thanks for dinner mist…. er… Drill.” The older stallion smirked. Sky just rolled his eyes. “I think I’m going to head back home though. I should have gotten a new issue of Power Ponies today!” He stood and unfurled his wings as he headed towards the door. Sparkhorn moved to follow.
“Just don’t forget our plans for tomorrow.” Sparkhorn reminded as they stepped outside.
“Absolutely! Oh, and Gossamer said she wanted to tag along.” Sparkhorn blinked a couple of times as he processed that.
“Yeah, you mentioned that earlier,” he replied, scratching his chin with an idle hoof. “See you tomorrow, then.”
“You got it. Later, Sparky!” And with that, the pegasus took off. Sparkhorn turned and reentered the house. Gossamer was sitting on the couch in the living room with the present next to her while Drill Bit sat in his usual spot with the newspaper. He moved and sat next to Gossamer, gesturing at the unwrapped parcel.
“Oh, right, almost forgot.” She levitated the gift up in front of her, the aura of magic a deep emerald. The wrapping paper neatly disassembled from the gift as she neatly pulled it apart. He was surprised by how dextrous and precise her magic was. Must run in the family.
She pulled the box open and her perplexed expression indicated that she had no idea what she was looking at. He snickered a little as he flicked the activation switch. The sudden sound of the hair dryer made her jump, and she tossed it to the floor when a gust from its nozzle tousled her mane. Drill Bit joined in when Sparkhorn laughed at her flustered reaction.
“Do they not have hair dryers in Canterlot? Heh. Sorry if I surprised you,” he apologized as he retrieved it for her. She shook her head slightly and picked up the unfamiliar object again.
“I must confess I have never used one before.” She turned it in the air and observed it. “What brand is it?” she asked, noticing no manufacturing labels.
“I made it.” She looked over to him, somewhat amazed. “I have a knack for electronics.” He levitated one of the crystal batteries up for her to observe. “Making tools is my job at my workshop, and charging up crystals is a talent of mine, although..” he allowed his horn to crackle with electricity, “any kind of electrical spell comes to me pretty easily.”
She watched his horn spark with some trepidation until it fizzled out. He certainly was an impressive young stallion. With his aspirations, it was no wonder she had been sent here. She was glad she had the chance to observe his talents in action tomorrow.
“So do you like it?” he asked, pulling her back to reality. She nodded vigorously.
“It’s amazing! I’ll never have to worry about a wet mane again,” she finished with a giggle. He smiled happily.
“Good. And as wonderful as the company is, I’m going to turn in for the night. Busy day ahead tomorrow.” He stood and bid them both good night, hugging his father and then Gossamer, which she responded to with a nervous hug of her own. As soon as he made his way out of the room, Drill Bit bid her good night as well, citing a recent rush job that required his attention in the morning. He shut off all but a single lamp and made his way to bed as well.
She sat again on the couch, levitating one of the few gifts she had ever received in front of her, examining a tool crafted specifically for her by a genuine stallion who treated her as family. She did not go to her room until the moon was at its zenith.
Sleep that night was fitful at best.