//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Raindrops // Story: Standing Tall // by Retsamoreh //------------------------------// Chapter Two   Raindrops   "Coincidence is the word we use when we can't see the levers and pulleys."   --2--           "Edwin! Edwin!" came a shrill voice, shattering whatever dream the young man was having. He didn't open his eyes, but he was obviously awake at that point. His throat was dry. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was that his entire body felt sore for reasons he didn't understand and at that point in time was just too lazy to want to.           "Mmmmm..." he groaned, still keeping his lips shut. Another second and he had enough saliva to crack his lips open without splitting them, but still only opened them halfway. "Nunnow Fordwin, it's Saturday. Wec'n work on the map t'mrrow."           "Edwin! Look outside the window, quick!" chirped the voice again, and it sent Edwin's mind reeling. It certainly wasn't Fordwin talking. Memories from the night before revealed themselves, and his eyes opened.           "Wussit, Sunrise?" he muttered, slowly blinking away the rough dryness from around his eyelids. He could feel the filly bouncing around the desk, even if his vision was too blurry to see it properly just yet. There was another noise, too, something he didn't recognize. It faded into the background and he ignored it.           There was a sharp intake of breath from his left side, and he reached up to rub his eye. "Rain! There's rain!" Both eyes shot open, resulting in him accidentally poking one. He jerked them closed again at the sudden pain.           "Sunrise, that's not poss...." He trailed off, suddenly recognizing the pattering sound on the room. He cracked his good eye open, looking out the window. It was still dirty, but lines of water could be seen sliding down on the outside. His other eye opened slowly. He glanced down at Sunrise, still to his left and bearing a massive grin, and back to the window. "Golden feathers of the goddess," he muttered, ignoring the protests from his tired body as he stood up and walked to the window in one swift motion, his joints creaking and snapping. He looked back at Sunrise, realizing they both wore the same grin.           "Rain!" They shouted in unison.           "Hahah! Rain! Yes," he continued, stretching his arms out, “let us go tell Richard!" --2--           Richard had already known, and before long everyone in the entire town had woken up. Ponies and humans alike laughed in the rain, and the few children there were sliding into mud puddles that had grown overnight. Sunrise had joined them after asking Edwin for permission, and he had nodded, silently noting that she had asked him in the first place.          Edwin stood with Richard only several meters from the mansion door, both silently taking in the rain. Fordwin was nowhere to be found, and neither was Stephan, and Giles was no doubt attempting to save anything he had left out overnight. The two servants and guards who lived in the mansion were freed from their duties, though the guards had caught a cold from sleeping in the rain.           First the first time in over two years, Edwin thought, the air finally smelled.... He couldn't describe it, but it just felt right. It was the smell of fresh rain. It was the smell of hope. It was amazing.           "My father... he did it. He somehow managed to convince...." was all Richard managed to breath out. Edwin was looking down on the town's main road, watching the celebration. People taking each other's arms and doing impromptu dances. He looked over to Richard, who shared the same wide smile.           "Dear Richard, may I hug you in the most brotherly of manners?" Edwin inquired, barely containing a smirk.           "Yes you may, dear Edwin!" Richard replied gaudily, spreading his arms out to embrace his advisor. There was a squelching noise as they collided. It was a two second long hug, just enough to appreciate it. To share a genuine act of friendship like that was a rare thing, and Edwin realized he couldn't remember he had even hugged anyone besides Sunrise or her mother. The depressing thought was quickly pushed aside.           They drew apart, turning to face the road once again. The main path veered to the right before coming upon a hill, and Giles could be seen descending it with what could only be interpreted as a skipping jog. Even at a distance, Edwin could see the massive splashes of mud that flew up with each step splattering against the blacksmith's boots and trousers. He also couldn't mistake the look of worry etched upon the hard face.           "Maybe his roof has a leak and he's worried his work will rust over?" Richard laughed, noticing the look as well. Edwin laughed with him. Richard sighed and looked back to Edwin, “I am going to go find Fordwin and Stephan, and ask them to help organize that town meeting. You go see what Giles is so worried about, and keep the villagers in-check if need be. I'll be in the chapel if you need me, else I'll be in the study."           Edwin nodded and waited for Richard to shut the manor door behind him before starting to walk down the main road. A woman was excitedly chattering to a brown earth pony and looked up as he passed them. "Edwin! They did it, didn't they? That means Lawrence is in Kuiper!" She called. Edwin stopped to face them.           "Indeed! It's certainly quite a miracle, Clarice. You've been brave, letting your husband go off adventuring like that,” he said, taking a pause to move his soaking hair out of his eyes. He looked down at the earth pony and nodded in greeting. "Hello, Roots. I suppose you'll be staying with us? I know that you and a few others were planning on leaving us within the month."           "Yeah, we wore gonna leave..." came the hesitant reply. Edwin looked over his shoulder to keep track of Giles, who was gradually getting closer. He looked back down at Roots, who quickly flashed an innocent smile. "But'f this keeps up, now we'll just hafta stay, won't we-" The rest was lost to Edwin as Giles slipped and fell forwards, splashing face first into a puddle down the road with a painful sounding rush of air coming from his mouth. Edwin’s head jerked towards the commotion, and he bolted towards the fallen smith, leaving a surprised look ingrained on the faces of Clarice and Roots.           Edwin arrived just as Giles got to his feet, attempting to wipe a line of mud from his face, but only succeeding to smear it across one eye. Giles stared at Edwin with his good eye, his chest rapidly expanding and retracting with each pant. It was a few moments before either were able to formulate any coherent words. Edwin held back by his attempt not to laugh at Giles, his face scrunching up into a bulging mess, and Giles was busy regaining his breath having sprinted nearly half a mile in the downpour.           "Where... I- where's Richard?"           "He's in the chapel, Giles. You may want to clean yourself off first, though," Edwin deadpanned, crossing his arms and doing his best not to grin.           "Ahhh... Stephan c'n rust himself solid, I walk into his church however I please," Giles muttered, slapping a hand on Edwin's shoulder as he walked past. He winced as a bit of mud sprayed on his side. He desperately attempted not to admonish Giles for the unnecessary dirtying of his shirt, and instead attempted to focus all of his hate upon a single drop of rain that sat on his slick shirt, which promptly evaporated.           He stayed like that for a moment, listening to the joy mixing in with the rain and swirling around him in pointlessly confusing ways. He felt odd - not really odd in a bad way, but odd in an alien way. It was like a lightness in his chest that was trying to escape and couldn't, at least not without his permission. It began raining harder, and he rubbed his eyes. In the background noise, he heard his name break through. He knew the voice, and though he couldn't see where it came from, he called back. "Sunrise? That you?"           "Behind you, Edwin!" Sunrise called, and Edwin smiled, spinning around on one heel to face her. She was but two feet behind him, her soaked mane plastered against her body. It was comical, but for some reason Edwin didn't feel like laughing. If he did, he might not stop. "Eeeeeeeeeyah! Isn't this great? Everyone is so happy!" The words bounced around in his mind for a moment, and his mouth hung open in attempt to reply.           "Indeed they are. Listen, Sunrise?" He said, smiling softly like he knew a parent might. "Why don't you follow me to the chapel? It's raining harder than it was minutes ago, and I don't want you to get caught in this storm, I mean, if it gets any worse. "           Sunrise looked sunken, but nodded. "Fine. But only because I’m cold."           "Yes, and your mother would drop me off a cloud if you caught ill because I let you play in a storm. Onwards," Edwin half-joked, pointing in the direction of the large chapel building, which stood next to the manor. Its worn bell could be seen in the dim light. Off in the distance, thunder rumbled. Even though all the advisor could think about was how painful being dropped off a cloud actually would be.           Edwin and Sunrise stopped for a moment to listen to it fade away. "Huh, I'd nearly forgotten what thunder sounds like. Imagine that," Edwin whispered before continuing on. The only sounds that accompanied them on the rest of their brisk walk to the church were the squelches of mud and the sounds of the downpour. Edwin took note that Clarice and Roots were no longer standing outside their respective homes, and the main road was slowly emptying.           The two large windows cut into the wall on either side of the heavy double doors. They were simple doors and windows, no intricate carvings or designs adorning them. The windows served their purpose, to let in light. There were obscured flickers of yellow light on the other side. Stephan had lit candles to compensate for the sun being hidden.           Without bothering to knock, Edwin grabbed one of the ancient-looking metal door handles and pushed his shoulder into the door. It slid open and he was buffeted with hot dry air. He opened the door wide enough to let Sunrise trot in before turning around to close it. Voices floated around the walls, though he knew he and Sunrise were alone in this particular room.           "...Giles, just one more moment please..."           "...I know you don't appreciate my input, milord, but you really need to..."           Edwin turned to Sunrise, who was running a yellow hoof through her mane. "I'll only be a moment, Sunrise. I just want to see what Giles is up to, and, uh, then we'll be off." She nodded, clenching her teeth and attempting to wring her tail dry. Water poured down on the floor, and Edwin chucked as the hair snapped back into an uncharacteristically poofy state.           The chapel was just as it always had been. Dry, and tasteless. The town had only recently begun using it to conduct meetings, hold celebrations, conduct marriages, or simply as a place to sit and pray for guidance. Nobody did the latter anymore, not since Kuiper had been discovered to be the root of their drought problem. Even the ponies, who were far more loyal to the gods than humans were, had begun to doubt their faiths.           There were the oak pews, of course. Beside each pew was a thin and tall window, and on the arm of each pew sat a candle. Several of the candles had been lit, and Edwin leaned down to blow out a withering one as he passed it.           Beyond the pews was not a stage, but a simple desk. It looked akin to the one in Edwin's room, and he had always found that odd. On its old, dusty surface was an even older and dustier tome, an inkwell, and a yellow feathered quill donated by Sunset. In the book were the recorded decisions and happenings of the town, the last one being recorded over a month ago, when Theobald left.           Behind the desk were two doors. One was opened halfway and lead to a staircase winding upwards into darkness, and the other was shut tight. The hushed voices came from there, and he slowly wandered over to it.           "...saying that something went wrong..."           "...no other explanation for the suddenness of..."           "...at the door..."           There was the steady thump of shoes on wood and the door creaked open just wide enough to reveal a very aged-looking Stephan. When he recognized Edwin, he lowered his head, eyes dropping to the ground. "Good, Edwin. You're here." The priest turned to face someone else in the room. "Fordwin, I assume we trust Edwin? ... Alright." The door was opened farther to reveal the chapel study. The walls were lined with bookshelves, which in turn were filled with ancient leather-bound tomes. Chairs were positioned in each corner, and a square table sat in the middle.           Fordwin sat behind the table, holding his head in his hands. Richard was standing with his shoulders raised and hands behind his back, facing the window but craning his neck backwards to look at Edwin. Giles stood next to Richard, looking stone-facedly at the scholar. Stephan moved over to the side to let Edwin by, and he walked over to the table. A map was splayed out on it, and Edwin recognized the parchment. A rough sketch of the country, or at least what parts of it that had been recorded. Fordwin and Stephan had been working on it for years, and several copies had been made. This was the most up-to-date version.           Stephan shut the door and faced Edwin. "Fordwin has convinced himself that something... extreme, must of happened at Kuiper. Whatever it was, he says, must have been enough to tip the gods' view instantly in our favor.  He suspects it must have involved whatever Theobald found on his trip... and that whatever it was must have been incredibly powerful."           Edwin crossed his arms and looked at Fordwin. Stephan walked over to one side of the table, tapping one finger on a circle titled "Kuiper". His fingernail traced the outline of the circle, his bald head furrowed in thought. He looked over at Edwin, his voice grim. "I think he's wrong. I think bigger forces are the cause of this sudden change. The gods of Kuiper have never been truly susceptible to things of power, and they’ve never taken bribes before. I doubt anything Theobald came into possession of would change that."           His finger moved across the map to tap upon a vast expanse of scraggly trees etched around their village and extending to the far edge of the map. Stephan scoffed, and waved a hand at the older man. "Personally, I believe it to be a failsafe. You know how the Foreverwoods is out of range of the pegasi sphere of influence, and seemingly operates under its own magical laws? " Edwin nodded, shifting in his boots. "Well, I think what we're experiencing here is the outcome of a natural failsafe. Since our town is on the border of the pegasi sphere, which is why we only have one weather pony, we have a massive conflict of two magical forces. The buildup of the forest magic must have finally broken, giving us this wonderful storm. As for the timing? Pure coincidence."           "There are no coincidences in this world, not anymore," Fordwin muttered. He had lifted his head up and set both hands down upon the table, his fingers brushing the edge of the map. Everyone gave him the same odd look.           "Anymore?" Edwin asked in a hushed voice, speaking for everyone else in the room.           Fordwin looked at him, his faded blue eyes digging at the young advisor. "These lands ceased to have coincidences after the war with the griffons. When those higher up decided they couldn't lose control ever again. If they're still in control, and I bet my life they are, then this improbable timing is no coincidence. I think whatever Theobald has done tipped the scales in our favor. I don't believe there is some hidden magic within the Foreverwoods, because the Foreverwoods has always responded to its own laws of nature. There isn't any magic there."           "Fordwin, if I may interject here," Stephan quickly said, eyeing the elder teacher with a sly smile, "you may be a man of science, and I a man of faith, and we have always been able to cooperate in the past. I just need to point out an observation of mine. The roles seem to be oddly reversed here. It's amusing, to say the least."           A tense silence filled the room, and Stephan stared at Fordwin for a few awkward moments. Glances were shared between Edwin and Richard before Giles coughed nervously into his fist. The heavyset blacksmith slowly stood up from the seat he had taken while no one was looking. All sights set on him as he rose, and his voice broke the silence like a sledgehammer on wood.           "You going to let me talk now?" he asked, shooting a glare at Stephan, who nodded and refused to wipe the grin from his face. Giles continued speaking, still staring at Stephan. "I'm normally the first to wake in the town, y'know. So I was outside first an all. I'm gonna get straight to the point here; somethin's not right in the forest."           "I already explained that, Giles," Stephan cut in, waving his hand dismissively. "The natural magic has finally reached a point where it overflows the normal weather magic, and now we've got this-"           "Don't you interrupt me, you stupid leatherbrain. If you got your head out your books and actually bothered to look outside, you'd notice the tension tha's floating around. I was carry'n the anvil back inside when I noticed these... these flashes in the forest. A ways off in the east, close to the Whitetail border-"           "Flashes?" scoffed Richard, eyeing Giles curiously, “Giles, are you sure you haven't caught ill from the rain? It's awfully cold."           "Don't you interrupt me too, boy. I know what I saw, and them weren't friendly flashes either. It was like, a bubble of dark light 'o some sort, flashin' up an then fading off. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go and pick up my sword and find whatever's messing around out there," Giles huffed, pointing an accusing finger at Richard. Richard kept his smile wide and the finger dropped.           "Very peculiar," Fordwin said. "It could possibly be a group of rogue unicorn monks conducting a ritual, but they normally keep nearer to Kuiper and the southeastern forests, and the more scholarly unicorns are out west near Cira. But dark light...? An oxymoron like that doesn't simply happen, and I wonder if you had just seen regular light altered by the rain."           "Maybe it was dark magic," Edwin suggested, and everyone stared at him. The silence that followed was tangible. The amused looks had been wiped clean off of Richard and Stephan's faces and Giles was pursing his lips. Fordwin bit his lower lip and stared at the map for what felt like minutes. A long, old finger drifted up from the map and tapped an area to the side of their town's icon. In the distance, thunder shook above the woods.           "If it was any form of darker magic, then may the gods look down upon us with merciful eyes," Fordwin muttered, keeping his finger on the map. He looked up at Richard. "You, Giles, Edwin. I'm afraid I need to ask  that you investigate these disturbances with utmost haste. You're the only skilled fighters this town has other than the other two guards, and Edwin is a brilliant tactician. The lad could talk an army into handing over their weapons and trudging home defeated if he really put his mind to it." Edwin shifted nervously where he stood, licking his lips as his cheeks began to glow. Fordwin ignored his embarrassment and continued speaking. "Leave Odo and Gamel to defend the town if anything bad should happen. Stephan and I are capable leaders, and we'll watch over the town should things go badly."           "You mean if we all die," Edwin said glumly.           "I'm speaking realistically, son. I believe you all are perfectly capable of solving whatever mystery this is, but it cannot hurt to be prepared for the worst... should the unthinkable come to pass,” Fordwin finished, the room quickly falling back into a grim silence.           Giles grunted and began walking towards the door. He stopped halfway and waved at Richard. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Richard 'n Edwin, what weapons you want from the armory?"           "Something small, dagger," Edwin said instantly. He walked over and sat on a nearby chair, and looked expectantly up at Richard who was tapping his fingers against his side as he considered his options.           "Sword, you know which one, and make sure you bring some armor," Richard said. There was another rumble of thunder.           "That'll do." Giles muttered, turning around and leaving the room, “watch it, runt." He grunted as he passed through the doorframe. A little orange blur passed him, appearing in front of Edwin a moment later. Sunrise looked wide-eyed at Edwin, a picture of perfect horror stamped onto her face.           "Edwin, I- I don't think I like storms anymore," she said, the words coming out as a hoarse whisper, “can, um, I stay with you?" she asked, giving Edwin an innocent smile. He looked up at Fordwin for guidance. A soft smile appeared on the old scholar's lips, and he nodded. Edwin looked back down at Sunrise and grinned.           "I'll be leaving soon, Sunrise. You'll have to stay with Fordwin and Stephan. I, er, will that be okay?" Edwin asked, looking from Sunrise to Stephan. He knew that Stephan adored Sunrise due to her mother's status as the overseer of the town's weather, and would gratefully accept the duty of keeping watch over her. Fordwin, however, had never been too fond of her.           "It's perfectly fine with me, I own this building. Fordwin?" Stephan looked at Fordwin, who was staring at the map with narrowed eyes. Sunrise leapt into Edwin's lap, causing him to grunt in surprise as she sat down. Fordwin flashed a small smile and nodded, and Stephan looked back at Sunrise. "Well then, Sunrise. You're to stay here while Edwin and Richard go off adventuring. Just don't touch my books or my maps, or the furniture... the ground is fine, err, and we won't have any problems."           Sunrise craned her neck and looked at Edwin upside down. "What kind'a adventure, Edwin?" He blinked, mind racing for a proper reply.           "The dangerous kind, Sunrise, the kind I wouldn't allow you on," Edwin said quickly, not wanting to mention that the worst case scenario resulted in everyone being killed, or worse. Why is talking to her so easy and so hard? Edwin thought to himself idly as she began spouting nonsense about how she could handle herself in any situation. He turned his head to glance at Richard, who was leaning against the corner of a bookshelf with an amused look in his eyes.           "I'm afraid Edwin is right," Stephan said, taking his own seat at the table. "If his theory concerning these disturbances is correct, then it may be very dangerous indeed. He'll take care of himself though, won't you, Edwin?" He looked into Edwin's eyes and gave a solemn look that said 'If the worst happens, she is going to be the saddest child in the world. Take care of yourself.'           "I will. Someone's going to need to haul Richard's rump out of any danger he runs headfirst into." Edwin said, making the amusement drop right from Richard's face, quickly replaced by a look of feigned offense.           "You may be a tactician, but that doesn't make you a fighter of any sorts. Honestly, Fordwin, why train a tactician anyways? It doesn't take a master of swordsmanship to know how to fight off a group of wolves, and we're far away from where the remnants of the griffons fly." He chuckled, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes comically at Fordwin, who stared back.           "It's best to be prepared for anything. The ability to be flexible with your strategy is possibly the greatest tool in warfare."           "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong," Edwin muttered.           "What?" Richard asked, looking at Edwin with curious eyes. Fordwin, Stephan, and Edwin all gaped at him in surprise. Sunrise shivered in Edwin's lap as thunder rumbled once more across the valley. In his corner vision, Edwin saw Fordwin hang his head in disappointment.           "That was one of Lockewin's most famous quotes during the war, right near the end of it too. Fordwin's told us about it multiple times already. How could you forget something like that?" Edwin paused for a moment, eyes falling to the floor. "I mean, I'm not- I'm not one to judge or anything, I'm just saying because he made it out to be important. Can't always... Err. Never mind." He brought up a hand to scratch at his ear, the other wrapped around Sunrise and resting on his knee.           Lightning flashed, illuminating Richard's silhouette through the window and making Sunrise instinctively flinch. The oppressive warm smell of old books and hidden feelings crushed the room's occupants, and the only sound was breathing and the harsh slapping of water on wood. Thunder cracked.           "Mister Fordwin?" Sunrise queried, looking over at her target. He stared back, slowly laying his hand back on the table. A quick nod in her direction said she had his attention. "What makes thunder and lightning?"           "I'm glad you asked." He said instantly, as if he had been expecting the question. "You see, there are two types of thunder and lightning. There are the ones pegasi like you and your mother can produce, and the kind that happens naturally..." --2--           "We've been walking for two hours," Richard grumbled, bringing his foot down on an extra branch. The snap of wood was obscured by the harsh patter of rain. Edwin looked to his left, glaring at Richard under his hood.           "Three hours," he corrected, looking ahead just in time to duck under a branch. Richard scoffed and waved his hand dismissively.           "The rain has soaked through our hoods, Giles is far ahead of us and refuses to slow down, your humming is giving me a headache, and she has been following us and we can't afford to turn back now,” he said, jabbing a finger in the direction of a small form tailing close to Edwin's feet. It shrunk to Edwin's opposite side, staring at the ground in submission. Edwin stole another glare in Richard's direction.           "As much as I disagree with Sunrise’s actions," Edwin growled, “she is still only a child. Don't disregard her actions as mere stupidity. Stephan always said life is a learning process."           "That doesn't mean I have to like the process," Richard grumbled, kicking a rock into a tree. "Just shut it and keep walking, Edwin. Stop complaining."           Edwin opened his mouth to argue back, but quickly shut it. He looked back at the ground, rain sliding over his hood in a steady stream. The wind cut through the trees in a gale, and he reached a gloved hand down to steady his cloak. He had contemplated giving it to Sunrise, before silently reminding himself that pegasi didn't get cold as easily as humans. He was still worried about her getting sick, but those feelings collided with his disappointment. He didn't know what forces propelled her into following them all the way out here, but he'd be having a talk with Sunset Dancer when she got home.           He started humming again, only to keep himself sane and Sunrise entertained during the dreary trip. A flying leaf collided with the side of his head, quickly sliding off and continuing its journey into the unknown. Edwin found himself thinking about the leaf. How would it be like to be carried by the winds like that? Buffeted around with no power over your journey? It seemed like a grim prospect to him. The physical world faded as he fell into thought. He could hear the white noise of the rain, the crunching of leaves under foot and hoof. The song drifting through the woods, mixing with his mindless humming.           He blinked. "Guys, do you hear -"           A hand slapped on his shoulder. Without looking, Edwin could feel Giles leaning in to whisper in his ear, ragged breath hot against his cold face. "Sshhhh. Tis a siren's song. Guard your mind well. Be prepared for anything."           "What..."           "Listen carefully, young tactician. Stay your feelings and locate where the song comes from, and then tell us what you have figured out.           "I'll try, I guess."           Edwin closed his eyes, straining to listen through the shroud of rain. The words were unmistakably a lullaby, flowing over each other like wind through blowing through wheat. They were faded at first. Everyone was rooted to the ground, either frightened or curious. The song began taking shape, seeming to come from all directions at once. He picked through the sound, trying to locate the origin point.           "I cannot take your fears from you,"                                                                                                      "I cannot watch your dreams,"                                                                           "But all the stars that shine above"                                                   "Shall guard you with their gleam."           "What trickery is this?" muttered Richard, cautiously resting one hand on the hilt of his sword. "Giles? How do we combat this?" he hissed. Both he and Giles were peering through the trees, looking for signs of incoming peril. Giles was tracing his thumb around his sword's pommel, face furrowed in deliberation.           "It's pretty," Sunrise squeaked, huddled next to Edwin's boot, his cloak slightly draping over her back.           "Silence, Sunrise. Edwin is concentrating."           "I think I know where it is," Edwin said, double-checking his memory of the map Stephan had in the chapel. It had been hard, but he at least knew where it was most likely to be coming from. "A short ways ahead, there should be a clearing. That's the only place it could be coming from." He paused, making sure Giles and Richard were both looking at him. "I am having doubts about this, Richard."           "Nonsense," Richard said quickly, he looked away from Edwin and pointed at Giles. "Stay behind Edwin and I, and keep Sunrise safe if anything happens."           "He's the strongest of us, he could easily pick her up and make a quick escape,” Edwin agreed, nodding slightly as he said it. He scratched his chin for a moment, thinking hard. He looked to Richard. "Still, we have to stay flexible. Remember what Lockewin said,” He reached up and tapped the three stars adorning the clasp of his cloak. "We need to make haste. The song is fading."           They all nodded in silent agreement and continued. Edwin stood to the left of Richard, silently noting that the young lord still had his hand wrapped around his sword. Giles and Sunrise fell back a few meters. The song was lost to the howling of the wind and rain now, so the only sounds they could make out were their own ragged breathing, and the irregular crackling of discarded branches breaking under a boot. Every few minutes, there was a flash of lightning and a snap of thunder. Edwin couldn't help but reach down just to make sure the dagger was still there.           Gradually, the wind seemed to fade, and the song picked up again. It wasn't as soft as it had been, and seemed forced out in shudders, not longer flowing together like a woven fabric. It was disheartening, but they kept moving forward.                           "When you feel most alone,"                                                           "Know that the stars are wi... with you"                                                                                          "And they shall guide you home."           The song stopped and faded into the storm, replaced by yet another bout of thunder. Edwin and Richard stopped, peering into the darkened forest. "The clearing it right past those trees." Richard said, pointing towards a few large oaks. They could hear Giles stop behind them.           "Those trees are large enough to hide us," Edwin pointed out, pulling his cloak tighter around him. Richard did the same as Edwin turned to face Giles. He could see the pain of being left behind etched into his face, and spoke in harsh whispers. "I know you want to protect Richard in any way you can, but he can handle himself out here. Stay back here. If I can, I'll come back to tell you our current situation, and what we're going to do about it." Giles nodded in grim acceptance, and sank to one knee. Sunrise huddled against him, staring at Edwin with teary eyes.           "You're gonna be okay, right?" she asked in a hoarse whispery voice. Edwin glanced at the ground for a moment before silently nodding. He straightened up and spun on one heel, not wanting to look at the sad sight any longer. Richard gave him an resentful look as he passed by.           The crouched low as they got nearer to the tree line, making sure to avoid any large sticks. Extra precautions never hurt anyone. Edwin thought to himself as he stole another glance at Richard. They got to the group of oaks fairly quickly, and shoved themselves up against the sides.           "Edwin, please tell me you feel it too,” Richard muttered, giving Edwin a nervous look. He was right, something about the air seemed off, like a tingling in the back of his mind that wasn't exactly like a headache but felt like one. It grew to an oppressive itch, but not like a real itch. Like a mind itch. It put Edwin on edge, and several scenarios began buzzing in his imagination.           "I do, and I don't like it,” he said, surprised to hear his own voice come out strained, “I'm going to take a look. Get ready to save me if some sort of monster starts dragging me away."           "Of course," Richard hissed, jabbing a thumb at the tree, “just do it."           Edwin nodded, pushing his fears to the back of his mind. He took once last obligatory gulp and began edging around the trunk of the oak currently giving him a hiding spot. Slowly, the small clearing began to fill his vision as his neck arched the rest of the way around. Two dark forms sat in the middle of the grass, their details muddled by the heavy rain pouring on them. One of the shapes was lying on the ground, and the other was hunched over it. A sound reached his ears, and he resisted the urge to move forward to confirm his suspicions.           It was the sound of sobbing. Not from pain, he would have recognized sobbing from pain. It wasn't loss and it wasn't the misguided emotional outbursts of an adolescent. Whatever this was, it was not just sounding sad, it was sounding hopeless. Most likely over whatever it's standing over. He thought, urging himself not to run towards the crying being.           It stood up straighter, and he jerked back. He held his breath for a moment, lungs straining for air within seconds. It was obviously equine in shape, but other than that he couldn't seem to make out any definite details. He glanced over at Richard, who was staring at him expectantly.           "What is it?" Richard whispered, watching his comrade's face intently. He waited a moment for Edwin to silently catch his breath.           "A pony,” he said with bated breath. Richard slumped against his tree, faced shadowed by his hood and giving no expression away.           "Then you may be right, we might be dealing with some sort of rogue unicorn practicing forbidden magic... Or something." Richard tilted his head at Edwin. "I've never really heard of a unicorn doing that, what made you think of it?"           "Well," Edwin whispered, shuffling to stand in a more comfortable position. "Giles said they were 'dark' flashes of light. Have you ever seen 'dark' light, Richard? Neither have I. It seems incredibly suspicious, doesn't it?"           "Fair enough," Richard mumbled, “now keep looking."           "It nearly saw me. I'm not about to get blown to pieces." Edwin hissed. Richard glared at him from under his hood, and Edwin glared out from under his. Richard jabbed a thumb at the tree a second time, and Edwin let out a sigh and shook his head in submission. He peeked around the tree, slower than the last time.           The pony was circling around the slumped form of the second figure, who Edwin assumed was another pony. He could tell it was a unicorn, which somehow made him feel even jumpier now that his suspicions were slowly being confirmed. It was no longer crying, but he could tell by its gait that it was still very distressed.           It looked in their direction, but didn't seem to be able to make Edwin out amongst the trees. He resisted moving, knowing full well would only alert her to his presence faster than anything else he could do. It's voice drifted across the long space between them, it's sad tone once more making him feel horrible for sneaking around and being suspicious.           "Is... Is anypony there? Please.... help," it called, sounding more like a strangled cry than anything else. It was distinctly female, and sounded young. Knowing this, Edwin felt even worse about his situation. Finally, it looked away and began circling the body again, and he gladly slid back into hiding.           Noticing Richard's gaze boring into him, Edwin leaned over and whispered in a strained voice. "It almost saw me, nearly. It's a unicorn, female, and it seems to be, er, distressed. I think it's walking around a body, but I can't know for sure. It asked for help."           "Asked for help... Yea,  I think I heard that too. Why would it ask that?" Richard asked, looking uncomfortably to his left and right, as if the mysterious being would peeked around the tree at any moment and kill them both.           Edwin, from what could be seen under the hood, looked just as nervous. "At this point I'm not sure if we should help it, or... What, really. I don't have any idea of what we do next. Your call on this one."           Richard looked down, the shadow of his hood now completely hiding his face. Edwin waited anxiously for a reply, consciously stopping himself from rapping his fingers against the tree bark. Lightning struck somewhere close, and the entire area was bludgeoned with sound and light. When the haze cleared, both Edwin and Richard were standing with their shoulders straight, unknowingly mirror images of each other. They both relaxed at the same time, and Richard reached up to readjust his hood.           "Go out there and confront it somehow. Console her or talk her out of harming you if it comes to that," Richard said.           "Buh- What? Are you insane? I..." Edwin paused, clearing seeing the stern look on Richard's face, “fine, but you better be the one to pull me out of the fire.” He sighed in defeat, leaning against his tree. Richard crouched down and began moving off, making scarcely a sound as he left their patch of cover. There was another cackle of lightning and thunder.           Through the trees he could make out the silhouettes of Giles and Richard crouching next to each other, no doubt discussing their findings. He could just barely make out Sunrise Chaser huddled against Giles, seeming to look in his direction. He uttered an almost silent prayer for both his and her protection, and pulled the hood slightly farther over his face.           By either a stroke of luck, fate, or just Someone up above chuckling to Himself at His witty joke, Edwin spun around the tree at the exactly same time the lightning flashed, making it seem as if he had appeared out of thin air. It was a eerie effect, from his perspective and from the perspective of any omnipotent beings that happened to be watching. The unicorn, however, was once again slumped over the second figure. In the flash of lightning, Edwin saw the colors of the two figures. The one who had been circling around the clearing looked to be a deep bluish color, and the one slumped on the ground was white. Other than that, they were still obscured.           Slowly, anxiously, and with all contempt for Richard shoved to the back of his mind, Edwin moved forward one step at a time. He could see the cloak edge at the top of his vision, meaning everything but his face was now concealed. His arms hid under the folds of the cloth, one readily near his dagger. With each step the cold hilt of the weapon touched his palm, and then quickly fell away with the next step, only to return again.           He stopped a good seven meters away, and then quickly took one step back. Both of the figures were now in full view, the conscious one still hunched down. Not only could he make out the colors more clearly, he could also tell that he was very, very wrong in guessing their species. Without considering his next action, which Edwin later thought was very unlike himself, he screamed.           "RRIIICCCCHHAAARRRDDD!"           Alicorns. Plain and simple, and you write it with a capital "A" because alicorn was subsequently the fancy name for "god", and though everyone knew they existed, everyone also knew there was pretty much a nonexistent chance of ever getting to see one. What they did, specifically, was shrouded in many mysteries and had never been fully understood, but everyone did know that they stand as the most powerful beings in existence. Why there are so few of them was also completely unknown, and had never really been pondered upon. So, in layman's terms: Edwin was very surprised to see two alicorns. So much so, that he nearly retreated inside a corner of his mind to cry.           "Who are you?" said a voice, who he instantly recognized as the blue alicorn. In the second that had passed since he screamed, she had stood up and was now facing him with a hopeful look on her face. The itch in the back of his mind suddenly sprang back up, and he stuttered for an answer as if forced by some unseen hand.           "Ed-Edwin, uh, of... Re-"           "EDWIN?" Richard called from the forest, no doubt rushing to save the poor advisor. Through the spattering of rain, he could hear the frenzied rustling noises of the leaves and sticks being broken by heavy footfalls. His attention zoomed back towards the alicorn standing in front of him, who had a look of horror on her face now. This was one of the two things that stopped him from running away or bowing. The second was that he could tell she was going to speak again, and when she did it was in a hushed, mortified voice.           "You... You have the stars..."           "What?" Edwin asked almost automatically. A voice in the back of his head screamed a warning, and another voice offered that she may be referring to the three yellow stars attached to his cloak's clasp, which would be easily visible even in this light. However, within a second whatever he was thinking was brutally stabbed to death and forgotten by the sudden feeling of surprise, horror, and air rushing under him. There was also a strange sound, which had a very distinct magical resemblance, which he had never heard before.           Fffffwwuuuh-wup.           He hit in the ground several meters back, the air knocked out of his lungs and his vision warped by imaginary stars. Vaguely, he could hear Richard and Giles yelling for him, and on adrenaline instinct he leaned on his elbows and looked at his assailant. Even if he had never seen a unicorn fight, or an alicorn for that matter, he knew what an aggressive stance looked like. Its eyes stabbed at him with grim determination, determination filled with malice. Edwin could only feel miniscule in its presence, praying a silent prayer as its fury bore upon him.           Then Giles entered his vision, both hands gripping the hilt of his broadsword, the rest of the blade held high above his head. His cloak had been pulled back and flapped behind wildly as he ran towards the goddess. She could only glance at him, her eyes having their flames extinguished in the face of real danger, and her horn flashed. Giles was surrounded with a blue aura for an instant, and was launched sideways as if swatted by a giant hand. He disappeared into the treeline, promptly followed by a sickening crunch. Edwin involuntary flinched.           "Edwin!" Richard shouted, skidding to a stop in front of the downed advisor. He turned to face the alicorn, and used both hands to violently yank his sword from its sheath. "Stay back, you demon- Giles! Are you alright?" he yelled, warily pointing his sword in their adversary's direction. There was no answer from the woods. Richard kept his eye trained on the alicorn's face.           Something brushed up against Edwin's backside as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He yanked his hood down, feeling his hair slide back with it. He looked to his side, where a small orange shape was pressing against his side. All at once, his mind started racing. Sunrise looked up at him, a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay, Edwin?"           "Sunrise, I told you to stay back!" Richard said, now looking in horror down at the filly. “You're going to get yourself killed! Run off while you have a chance, tell Fordwin and Stephan what-"           "Richard!" Edwin shouted, pointing at the bright glow coming from the top of a certain blue alicorn's horn. It was near blinding, and the light quickly filled the clearing. The itch in Edwin's skull exploded, sending him into convulsions. For a brief second, everything smelled of brimstone.           "Oh, stars," Richard said, followed by another strange sound and the incredibly odd feeling of being in the wrong place at the wrong time twice.           Blip. --2--           Teleporting must be a very hard thing to do, Edwin had once thought while studying under Fordwin on a cold winter day. The book had been about unicorns, courtesy of a scholar Fordwin knew from Cira. Edwin had really hated the book at the time, and had no idea why one would need to learn anything about magic if nothing about that person was inherently magical in any way. Even earth ponies like Roots had some sort of hidden magical connection to the ground. Humans, however, had absolutely nothing magical about them. Lots of people knew this, and nobody really complained. That was because, of course, humans had fingers. Those were pretty magical as far as Edwin was concerned.           At this point in time, though, Edwin was wondering why an angry tree was roughly shaking his shoulders, and calling his name in a muffled voice. A tree? Ha ha. That is so silly, why would a-           "EDWIN!" Richard yelled, jerking reality back into focus. The heir to Retsamoreh was sitting on both knees, shaking Edwin by the shoulders. His hood had been pulled all the way back, sending his short blonde hair in all directions. There was also fear in his eyes, and that greatly concerned Edwin.           "Rich- Erk!" Edwin coughed, surprised that his throat was rough from dryness. Richard leaned back and fell onto his butt, holding one hand to his face and sighing in relief. The smell of fresh grass and leaves, once again a completely forgotten smell to Edwin, floated across wherever they were. He used what little strength he had to push himself to a sitting position, blinking away the disorienting feeling he got when he righted himself.           He looked at himself. His cloak was still slick with rain, so he couldn't have been out for long. Sunrise was splayed out next to him, her wet mane sticking to her face and neck, and she was obviously unconscious. Edwin was dimly aware of his dagger still attached to him through the hard sheath pressing into his thigh.           His gaze drifted upwards. They were on the crest of a low hill, and the grass seemed to be one shade of crisp green for miles around. The grass in Retsamoreh used to look like it, Edwin noted. There were no trees as far as he could see, and the only clouds were thin wispy ones that seemed to lose their shape only minutes after forming. There was a strong breeze.           Laying not too far from Edwin, and positioned directly in front of him, where the two alicorns from what seemed to him to be only minutes before. The deep blue one lay a few feet in front of the white one, both unconscious. He could see she had what looked to be a dark splotch on her flank, a white crescent moon placed atop it, and her mane was merely a lighter shade of blue than her coat. The other had a pink mane, and her own mark was that of a blazing sun.           Definitely alicorns. If there was one thing that everyone knew, it was that alicorns were powerful enough to bend the stars to their will. Unless there really was some sort of dark magic that went on, and these two are a byproduct of it, Edwin thought to himself. That could be a very, very bad thing for us. Two new alicorns? What if they tried- "-to overthrow the current ones? Or-"           "Edwin, you're muttering to yourself again,” Richard said flatly, now standing above Edwin and extending one arm. They both smiled, Edwin actually chuckling as he took the outstretched hand and use it as support as he stood up. Together, they both turned to face the two unconscious alicorns.           "Oh flames above, Edwin. What do you make of this?" Richard asked, crossing his arms and glaring at the two bodies. Edwin sighed, and crossed his arms as well.           "Honestly? I don't know. From the way things played out, I'd say the blue one was acting in self-defense."           "Preposterous. She attacked you first. I say we grab Sunrise and leave before we have to continue dealing with them. Wherever we are, we're far enough away that these two won't be our problem anymore."           "I wholeheartedly agree with you, except that I don't think she really attacked me, well I mean she did, but not on purpose. Well, of course it was on purpose but-"           "Spit it out."           "Well before it lashed out, it said something like 'You have the stars' and I think she was referring to these." He brought one hand up to tap the three stars adorning the clasp around his neck. "Which she might have mistaken for something else, with the rain making everything fuzzy and the adrenaline that must of been pumping through her. I think we should wait until one of them wakes up, and calmly explain that we aren't their enemies, and then we can leave. It sounds like a misunderstanding to me... And they're alicorns, Richard."           "I noticed," Richard whispered, looking at the ground and shaking his head in thought. When he looked back up at Edwin, his eyes clearly showed how conflicted he was. "I really don't know what to do here, so I'll just go with what you said. We'll wait here for one of them to wake up - Oh, we better take off these clasps - and then explain ourselves. I'll take care of Sunrise, you try to find out where we are." Richard walked behind Edwin, and leaned down. The young advisor watched for a moment as Richard brushed the slick hairs out of Sunrise's face before walking over to one side of the hilltop.           He could tell his clothes were drying already as his hands brushed along himself, clearing any sticks or leaves that had stuck to them. He shrugged the cloak over his shoulders, giving the deep brown fabric the appearance of a cape. He gently removed the clasp cover and placed it in a small pouch stuck to his belt, leaving the two metal hooks bare. He made sure his dagger was out of sight, but still accessible should conflict arise.           The sun was beginning its descent, but still hung high enough in the sky to cast its light on the hilltops. It was just the green grass for as far as he could see. He squinted his eyes, staring northeast. Just barely visible were the thin outlines of a mountain, and then Edwin began noticing that there really were mountains scattered across the northern and eastern horizons. All just barely visible, and probably miles upon miles away. It didn't matter, because Edwin now knew where they were. He turned on one heel and began walking back to Richard.           It had taken at least five years to properly sketch out the map Stephan had in the chapel. It was originally Fordwin's project, and they still worked on it every other Saturday, but it remained the physical property of Stephan. Fordwin had asked Stephan if he could use some friends from Cira and Solis to gain some geographical information about the country. Both Stephan and Fordwin had no answer to why the geniuses that lived in Cira didn't already have a hundred percent accurate map, so Fordwin began his own. It was painstaking work, and the old man had requisitioned Edwin for his steady writing hand. Both scholar and priest agreed that it was a learning experience for all three of them, more so for Edwin, who had come to enjoy the routine of it. A bit of normalcy in the hectic life of a dying town. But then again, what is normalcy?           "Any luck?" Richard called. He was laying Sunrise down in a more comfortable position, and had taken his own cloak off and folded it to act as a pillow for her head. Her mane was still slick, but had been pulled back from her face. Richard was standing above her, staring expectantly at Edwin.           "We're north, somewhere in the middle area of the Star Plains. Judging from the mountains? I'd say we're closer to Neighton and the Whitetail than we are Retsamoreh," Edwin answered plainly. A look of frustration crossed Richard's face, and he appeared to gag for a moment. Edwin just stared, unblinking. "So you were the first to wake up? How long was I out before you had the courtesy to violently prod me awake?"           "Maybe four minutes. Did you say... really. It would really be Neighton, wouldn't it? Of all the luck in the world..." Richard held his face in his hands for a moment, sighing into them. "We don't have any food and our closest option is Neighton? This screams irony, Edwin." Richard said, his voice slightly muffled by his hands.           "Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. Life is just weird, you know?-"           "The white one is waking up."           Edwin spun around. Sure enough, the pink and white alicorn was beginning to stir. She, and Edwin was adept enough in deciphering pony anatomy to know it was female, hadn't opened her eyes yet, but she was definitely coming to. Edwin wanted to freeze, or somehow just skip time ahead a few moments if it would stop the nervousness from forming in his chest.           A gloved hand pushed against his chest as Richard moved past Edwin, giving him a look that said 'Let me handle this'. Edwin nodded in understanding, and Richard moved to kneel next to the alicorn. Within a split second, her face was almost pressed against Richard's, both staring into each other's eyes. Richard smiled in greeting.           "Who are you?" she asked. Her voice was soft, but demanded attention and obedience. It was only as Edwin expected the alicorn to sound. Richard smiled even wider, and stood up to give her some space.           "I am Richard," he pointed a thumb at Edwin. His voice was fast-paced, as if rehearsed., “that is my advisor and friend, Edwin. We're not going to hurt you, so no worries about that, okay?" His voice lowered, changing the tone almost instantly. His smile softened, but stayed. "Now who are you, and who is your friend?"           "I..." the alicorn looked at her fallen comrade, jaw moving as if she was trying to speak and no words would come. She bit at her lower lip for a moment, looking from the blue alicorn to Richard, and moving to the sleeping Sunrise, and finally resting on Edwin. He smiled genuinely, giving a small wave with one hand. "I am Princess Celestia, and this is my sister, Princess Luna."           "Oh," was all Richard could say.