Twilight Sparkle followed the cadre of ponies escorting Princess Luna towards her rebellious goal, seeing guard after confused guard standing in the hallway, not sure what it was they had just seen walking past them. However, it was clear none of them had heard the news yet, and none had appeared to have tried to stop Luna or her honor guard. That duty, as Princess Celestia had said, fell to Twilight Sparkle.
Yet, though she passed the numerous guards, even asking one of them for directions when she reached a crossroads in the majestic halls, she couldn't actually bring herself to command them to follow her. She knew, in that logical head of hers, that she should be telling them precisely what Celestia had ordered until she had a group far larger than Luna's and she could detain the errant Princess... or worse, if necessary. But that was the thing, wasn't it? None of this seemed necessary, least of all her friends turning against their own country like this! No, what this situation needed, she decided as she ran down a spiral staircase, was a moment of clear thought and explanation.
Twilight saw the group turning the corner of the next hall as she exited the stairs, and with a flash of her horn, she appeared in front of them, suddenly feeling the eyes of not just Luna's guard, but the castle guards upon her. While her sudden appearances weren't uncommon in the castle, the scene of the four black-clad ponies and a guard captain leading their Princess out had them on edge, and she was just the one to offer an explanation. Unfortunately, that was precisely what she was here for as well. “Princess Luna, please, think about what you are doing before you-”
“I know the consequences of my course of action perfectly well, Princess Twilight, as do the ponies supporting me. We are fully prepared to do whatever is necessary to defend Our nation.” Luna's gaze was not uncaring, but her face was set. There was no power that she would stop for.
Even when faced with the one pony who probably could. “Are you aware of what I have been asked to do by Celestia? I do not wish to issue the order.”
“Then do not, Twilight.” Luna's fury from the throne room had returned, her eyes nearly glowing as she held a strong temper in check. “If my sister cannot give one command to harm me, yet will gladly doom her nation with her edicts, then she only proves Our purpose with her actions. Until this madness ends, Equestria is not safe, and her citizens should not abide it.” She stomped her hooves, orating to everypony in the hall, not just Twilight before her. “A Princess is nothing more than a pony given power by her people. She is no untouchable entity, no all-powerful ruler, and she should know that her power can be taken just as easily as it was granted!”
Twilight could see the unease in the guards as easily as she could feel the situation spiraling out of her control. However, what astonished her was how readily her friends nodded in agreement... The logic was sound, but this couldn't be the same Rainbow Dash she knew, could it? “Rainbow... Don't you realize what you're doing? How can you turn your back on your Princess? On Equestria? You turned down the Shadowbolts for your friends! You swore an oath to protect the nation as a Wonderbolt, and you proudly said that you would never betray the Princess! Ho-”
Rainbow looked her friend in the eye, that very dilemma Twilight was describing clearly having long been put to rest. “I am not betraying the Princess or Equestria.”
“You're starting a revolution! That's the definition of turning against your country!”
Rainbow stomped, flaring her wings to make her point heard. “Of turning against the government! Not the country.” She glared Twilight down for daring to argue this point with her. “I am doing this because I have seen what her decisions have caused. I was in Manehattan, told to capture and jail a bunch of ponies who just wanted water! I had to fly over them and not only say help wasn't coming, but beat them into line when they got mad about it. I was at the Weather Factory, I know the horrors of what happened there... What is happening now may not be as severe, but it's just as bad, and I won't let that happen again.”
Twilight turned from Rainbow Dash to Scootaloo, hoping she could talk some sense into the younger pony... even if that 'younger pony' now looked even older than she. “Scootaloo, you swore you would defend the Princess with your life. You rose through the ranks on that dedication, making captain in record time. How can you turn on that now?”
Scootaloo shook her head. “I swore to protect Equestria and the ponies in it, first and foremost, with Canterlot, the castle, and every princess coming second. Yet I've been stationed here my entire time, protecting the most well guarded pile of bricks within our borders like it's going to be attacked. I have helped almost nopony, done little more than train more ponies to stand around holding spears.” She spat out those words, causing the guards in the hall to nervously try to hide the spears in their hooves as they avoided eye contact. “This isn't what I joined for! No matter how many years it's been like this, even if it was right then, it's not right now. Maybe a guard shouldn't be thinking of right or wrong. Maybe a guard should just be thinking about their orders, but then I didn't get to where I am by not thinking,”
She looked down at her armor and shield, then to the Princess standing tall behind her. “As for protecting the princesses, well, one of them ordered me to think, demanded I really look at what was going on, and then offered me a choice. I made it without hesitation.” She moved her shield into a defensive posture. “I will do my duty, whichever side of the shield you're on, Princess. For the ponies of Equestria.”
Twilight shook her head, refusing to believe this couldn't be talked down as she reached out for her final friendly face. “Pinkie, why are you here? Why would you-”
Pinkie Pie popped up behind Twilight, grabbing onto her shoulders playfully. “Ooh! Let me guess. Is it... 'join these rebellious traitors'? Or 'hold yourself accomplice to these acts of treason'? No! Wait! It's 'fall in line behind the wrong leader,' right? Tell me I'm right!”
Twilight looked confused. “Maybe? You've always been about making ponies smile! If you divide the country, won't that-”
“Twilight, it's very simple.” Pinkie bounced over her friend. “Dividing the country, normally, is like dividing a cake. Nopony wants to have a smaller piece, and nopony is really happy not to just have the whole cake, but it must be done to make as many ponies as happy as they can be. Except, this time, the cake is half chocolate sweet yummy goodness, and half salted rotten baked bads, and the cut just keeps the good half from getting all sick and nasty.” Pinkie drew a cake in the air in front of her, with layers and frosting and all looking very complicated and delicious in her mind's eye, before pulling out an imaginary knife and holding it happily. “Who better to make the slice than an expert on cakes?” She slammed the false knife through the air cake, smiling brightly as she did.
Twilight stood, puzzled by all of Pinkie's explanation, but more confused by a common theme between them all. “You talk like the nation is corrupted... It's the same as it has always been! Nothing has changed since you all vowed yourselves to it.”
Pinkie raised an eyebrow, looking like she had a secret she wasn't going to tell. “Are you sure? Would you like to take a closer look?”
Luna, however, nodded solemnly. “You're right, Twilight, it hasn't changed. One ruler with ultimate power, as it has been for over a thousand years... Nopony was ever meant to rule alone.”
“But she hasn't been ruling alone! Ever since your return, you have held just as high a place as-”
Luna snorted. “Were you not the one to come to us, not so long ago, complaining that your office was not as high as ours? Haven't you noticed your place in the recent proceedings? Or has your position at her right hoof been too high an honor for her faithful student?”
Pinkie tapped Twilight on the horn. “The answer's never there if you don't look for it! But if you know where it's hiding...” Pinkie then moved to a tapestry next to the group, reaching behind it and pulling out a small, purple rubber ball, which she tossed at Twilight. “... the difference is like day and night!”
Twilight caught the ball in her magic, looking at the group with confused annoyance. “You're not going to convince me to go against Princess Celestia. I am still loyal to my country, my princess, and my teacher.”
Luna nodded knowingly. “She taught you to think, she trusted you completely, you were her closest confidante for years...” Then, in the midnight blue glow of her horn, her and her five escorts disappeared, winking back into existence just beyond Twilight at the entrance to the Grand Entryway. “Know where your loyalties lie, not just who they lie with.” With that said, the group once more began to move, entering the final room before they would exit the castle.
Twilight knew what she had been told to do. She was surrounded by guards who had witnessed that entire conversation, looking at her in confusion, awaiting orders, and she was out of time to hesitate. Once they crossed the entryway they would be in the gardens, and from there their escape was practically assured with the time it would take to alert the guards outside. The weight of her command was on her tongue, the very thought dragging her down, and yet Princess Celestia had asked it specifically of her...
One of the guards stepped forward, seeing her uncertainty. “Princess? Do you have orders?”
Twilight could hear the hoofsteps on the marble floor, heading towards the door, and she knew what she had to do. “If Luna and her followers attempt to leave, you must capture them, but do not harm them unless they attack you first. Spread the word to every guard on duty. She is not to leave the castle grounds”
The guards around her all bowed. “Yes, Princess,” they said in unison, then they moved after Luna's group as the great doors swung open.
Twilight walked the other direction as she heard the shouting, the commotion, and the clanging of armored hooves running through the castle halls as the alarm went up. She walked slowly past guardsmares charging the other way, seemingly indifferent to whether Luna would escape or not. In truth, she was, since she already knew what the outcome would be. But one question still hung in the air, one that required data, study, testing... But would the teacher pass? Only time would tell.
Homeward Bound led Steam Cloud and Wind Key over a surprising amount of terrain over the course of one night, even considering their play time had slowed the expedition down. However, by the time the moon dipped low and the first hints of Celestia's sun were peeking at the horizon, the two mares were on their last legs. Wind could barely keep herself gliding in a straight line for how much her wings ached, and only the fear of falling from the sky kept Steam's legs pounding at the air raggedly, the Ready Wings floundering and dipping awkwardly with her strained movements.
Seeing the state of his wards, Homeward brought them circling down gently to the ground, landing all three of them in front of a small cave that would be their bed for the day. It wouldn't be comfortable, and a cool winter breeze blew through the open mouth, piercing through the mares' fur, but it would keep them safe from prying eyes, and that was all they could truly ask for. As soon as they landed, the older stallion took watch, walking to the mouth of the cave and keeping a sharp eye out, his tattered cloak serving to blend him just as well with the rocks as it had with the trees before.
It took quite a bit of fumbling to get the Ready Wings unhitched from Steam's back, and even though the focus required to move it in her magic brought her a momentary headache, it was completely overwhelmed by the relief of removing the weight from her frame. She might not have been on hoof all night, but the harness pulling on her chest wasn't pleasant, and the second her weary muscles had touched ground she'd wobbled like a toddling foal on legs not ready and barely able to carry weight again. Wind had giggled a little at her unsteadiness, but Steam couldn't blame the seasoned flyer laughing at the newbie. She'd have probably done the same if the tables were turned.
Steam lowered herself to her side on the cold stone floor, immediately curling up as tightly as she could to keep in heat. The night of their escape had been brutal, but there had at least been grass and a fire to help. As she shivered in the chill, she wished for nothing more than her own bed, with the cheap, lumpy mattress directly on the hard floor and the blankets she'd meticulously made every morning despite their horrible thread count. Even the drafty walls of her apartment when she'd first moved in, before she'd finally spackled them up would have been a toasty treat tonight...
It was as she tried to will that warmth around her that she heard a nervous cough over the chattering of her teeth. “Um, Steam?” She looked up, seeing Wind's silhouette standing over her in the dark, barely visible against the growing light outside. At the sign of movement, Wind continued. “Well, I saw you shivering, and I was wondering if you'd like to sleep together today?”
Steam blinked, mind going blank for a second. “What?”
Wind kicked a rock across the cave floor. “You know, sleep together. Like, with each other.”
Silence echoed through the darkness. Then, after a long while, the response. “You do realize that Homeward is just outside, right?”
Wind's silhouette's head tilted, a puzzled feel coming off of her until, a second later, her wings flared out and her flustered voice sounded. “WHAT?! Nononono that wasn't what I meant at all! I meant we could sleep next to each other and share body heat! I'm a pegasus, we're built for the cold of high altitudes, so I'd be sort of like a space heater...” Even in the darkness, the blush on Wind's face practically glowing all on its own.
A matching one appeared on Steam's face, though she was very glad it wouldn't be seen. “Oh! Okay, that's, yeah! That makes a lot more sense. I... think I'd like that a lot.” She had momentarily thought about saying no, especially thanks to the awkwardness of the whole situation now, but even the heat on her cheeks hadn't stopped her teeth from clattering together, and she was far too tired to want to deal with the cold now.
“Are you sure? Because if it would be weird, I'll just go over there again and-”
Steam shook her head, shivering visibly on the ground. “N-no. It's fine. Let's just forget the whole misunderstanding, okay?”
Wind nodded. “Okay.” Slowly she got onto the ground next to Steam, then scooted over until they were right in front of each other, a tangle of legs just waiting to happen if they got any closer. Wind stopped there, frowning. “Do you feel any warmer yet?” Steam shook her head, and Wind seemed to hesitate for a moment. “A-alright. Well, I don't really know if I could get closer like this, but if you turn over...” Steam nodded nervously, turning over and looking at the rough cave wall. Behind her, she heard Wind shuffling against the floor, then felt a hoof bump into her back. “Oh, sorry.”
Steam shook her head. “It's fine.” Wind scooted a little more, until she was laying behind Steam, her legs pressed a little into the unicorn's back. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but there was a little more warmth, Steam had to admit. “Is there any way you could lay that doesn't put your hooves in my back?”
“Sure. Sit up for a moment.” Steam pushed herself up, not really able to see what was going on in the dark, but a moment later she was given the okay to lay back down. As she did, she found something soft beneath her, and her neck came to rest on very well placed cushion. It wasn't until the other one wrapped over her that she realized it was a leg, and that the softness beneath her was a wing, with the feathers acting like a bedding. “I-is that any better?”
Steam froze, suddenly surrounded in a hug with Wind. And, sure, they'd hugged before, but now it was all so much more... intimate. The warmth was amazing, and the softness of the wings was heaven compared to the floor, but Wind was so close she could even feel the breath hitting the back of her mane, and with her wing wrapped around her...
Steam had picked up a lot of pegasus body language in her years alone in Timbucktu. Most of it was the same, but there was a plethora of expressions unique to pegasi and their wings. For a while, she wondered why they seemed to so carefully keep their wings folded to their side when they walked, or why they never offered her the use of one as an umbrella when rain showed up, even when they'd cover themselves with them. She only really understood it when she started working at the 5 Wings, on the few late night shifts when the really sketchy ponies were out. Suddenly, pegasi would try to pull her to the table or follow her from work, and always, always, it was the wings they were using. It wasn't until she saw a few couples on the street that she confirmed her guess, but she finally found out that it was an meaningful sign. If a pegasus took you under their wing, either they thought of you as a very good friend, or they were hitting on you.
With that in mind, Steam looked at her situation again. She already knew that Wind thought of her as a really good friend, but she'd never done the wing thing before... except she had. On the first night they'd met, she'd been sheltered beneath Wind's wing from the rain. Had she really considered Steam such a friend, even then? Or had there been other advances beneath it? Internally, Steam shook her head. Wind would have shown more hints since then, right? It had been months, and that whole time had been all business, play, and smiles. Nothing untoward, nothing even suggesting a hidden purpose.
So... why had Steam jumped to that conclusion earlier? Steam's blush deepened as she thought about that exchange that had just happened. How could she be so cavalier? Why was her first response to say where Homeward was? Her eyes shrunk to pinpricks and she began to shake, her embarrassment getting the better of her willpower.
She was stopped in her freakout as the wing and hoof pulled away, Wind's voice coming from behind her. “Am I not helping? Should I just back up?”
“No!” The word came automatically, even before Steam could shake her head. “No. It's... it's fine.” She reached up a hoof, grabbing Wind's and pulling it around her again, glad the darkness hid her blushing face. “You're a great space heater, I just hadn't heated up fast enough.”
Wind nodded, her voice becoming a little less worried as her wing slowly closed over Steam again. “Oh. Well, thank you. I try.” She giggled a little at what must have been a personal joke, then seemed to settle into place. “Goodnight, Steam.”
Steam settled as well, pressing her back slightly into the warm chest of the pegasus that surrounded her. She smiled at the warmth, really feeling comfortable, even in the chill of the cave. A few of her thoughts worried her, but now wasn't the time for that. She was tired, and there was only one thing she had to do before she went to sleep. With a deep yawn, she closed her eyes and settled in to rest. “Goodnight, Wind.”
Wind was amazed by how little sleep helped her aching wings when she groggily awoke alone in the dark cave. There was a hint of disappointment hanging in her mind to find that Steam had moved without her, but it was completely hidden beneath the layers of curiosity into what was going on. She still wasn't used to the sleep schedule, or waking up in new places each day, and being alone in the dark cave was at the bottom of her lists of places she desired to be with no information.
She pushed herself up, noticing as she did that the feeling of something slipping off of her. Feeling around for whatever it was, she found some rough fabric, and looking at it carefully in the darkness showed it to be a traveling cloak, much like the one that Homeward wore. Come to think of it, she had yet to see him without it on, or even with it lowered. Apart from his wings, his hooves, and his tail, she still had no idea what he looked like. But, if she had his cloak here...
With a mischievous smirk on her muzzle she got up quietly, bundling the cloak up on her back before treading lightly towards the cave entrance in hopes of sneaking up on their unmasked guide. Tiphoofing around loose stones and little pebbles, she got within sight of the cave entrance, the rich amber glow of afternoon seeping into the rocks. She knew he tended to stay near the edge of wherever they were, and as she scanned the entrance, she could see his form outlined by the bright sun outside.
Wind dropped low to the ground, creeping steadily towards the front of the cave, holding her breath to keep from making any sound. Once or twice the shadow turned, and she threw herself flat or darted to a stalagmite in response, her heart pounding in her ears. But, each time, the figure carried on with whatever it was doing and she crept ever closer.
Eventually, just as she reached the edge of the light, her eyes still adjusting to the slowly lowering sun outside, Wind saw her prey turn towards a pile of sticks before it, lowering its head to focus on its work. Seizing her moment, Wind pounced from the rock she hid behind, yelling as she soared through the air at the uncloaked pegasus.
What she ran into was an uncloaked unicorn, screaming in an even higher pitch than her as they both tumbled into the dirt. Seeing the sky blue unicorn looking at her with wide eyes and magic flared, Wind immediately flapped her wings to hover above the damage, frowning in disappointment. “You're not Homeward!”
Steam Cloud's magic faded slowly, the mare looking rather mad as she got up at patted at the dirt clinging to her fur. “Oh, really? I never would have guessed.”
Wind giggled a little, helping to get some of the dirt out of Steam's curly mane, ignoring the dust that clung to her mane and bandanna. “Oh, come off it, Steam. I'm sorry. It was an accident.” After that, she looked around the area, not spotting anything but the two of them. “Have you seen him?”
Steam huffed, but seemed to forgive Wind as she went over to the wood she'd been setting up. “No, I haven't. When I got up there was a note on a pile of sticks, asking that we make a fire and wait for him to get back from scavenging.” She poked a few branches into place with her hoof, lining them up carefully before she looked satisfied. “Why?”
Wind unbundled the fabric on her back, holding it up for Steam to see. “Because I seem to have his cloak.”
Steam continued to fidget with the kindling, not doing more than glancing at the fabric Wind held up with such pride. “Where did you get that?”
Wind shrugged. “I woke up with it on. Didn't you notice it when you got up?”
Steam shook her head, her explanation coming hurriedly. “I couldn't see in the dark, and I was focusing on not disturbing you.” She pointed her horn at the bundle of sticks, concentrating for a moment before a white hot point appeared, like it had when she had been welding the Ready Wings, instantly setting the twigs on fire.
The smoke curled up readily, but slowly, a thin streak that was lost before it even reached the top of the cave. Wind watched it go with passing interest. “How long have you been up?”
Steam sat down in front of the fire. “Maybe ten minutes? My legs are killing me...”
Wind slowly walked over, sitting next to Steam, whose attention had moved from the fire to a patch of trees off in the distance. They sat in silence for a long while before, with a frown, Wind broke it. “Did I do something wrong?”
Steam sat up straight, her head tilting. “What?”
Wind frowned at the fire. “Well, it's just that you're avoiding looking at me at all. Did I make you mad or something?”
Steam faced away still, her voice flat. Looking sidelong at her, Wind thought she could see a tinge of pink on her cheeks. “Well, you did tackle me to the ground just now...”
Wind slumped a little. “I said I was sorry. I was trying to get a jump on Homeward.”
“And why would you want to do that?” The voice came from behind the pair, causing them both to start and turn to see the pegasus in question standing on a ledge above the cave, his form cloaked as it always was.
Wind immediately jumped up, her wings flaring out behind her. “How do you still have that on? I have your cloak right here!” She pointed at the offending article of clothing, as though it were a smoking gun.
Homeward hopped down from the ledge, flapping his wings to land gently a little ways from the fire. “I gave you my extra, since you two looked cold. I would have offered it before bed, but I must admit I do not often travel with others and it slipped my mind.”
Steam had a series of questions line up to be asked, but they were cut off by Wind, who snorted angrily. “Who the hay keeps a spare cloak on them? What are you trying to hide under there?”
Homeward, seemingly unfazed by the tantrum before him, walked over to the discarded cloth on the ground, picking it up and tucking it into his bag beneath his cloak. “A stallion who is well prepared and nothing impressive to look at. You never know when you need a clean cover to keep you warm.” With a smirk on his muzzle, he turned to them both. “Speaking of, the worst element while traveling, despite what you two and your aching muscles might think, is hunger, and we've definitely reached that point. Am I right?”
As if on cue, Steam's stomach rumbled, and Wind realized they hadn't eaten since well before they fled the apartment, her anger taking a back seat at this revelation. Homeward simply nodded. “That's what I thought. Now, I know it's not much, but this was the best I could do.” He reached a hoof beneath his cloak, coming out with a small bag of nuts, berries, flowers, and some fairly rich grass shoots, which he offered to Wind. “I know it's not much, especially split between three ponies, but it should be enough to get us into the air and...” Homeward trailed off as he watched Wind grab the bag, about to dump it straight into her mouth. She stopped when she felt his eyes on her.
After a moment, she raised an eyebrow. “You're not telling me that this bag is for all three of us, are you?” Homeward quietly nodded. “This wouldn't feed a foal!”
Homeward looked taken aback by the statement. “No, that tends to be a parent's job.” Before Wind could respond to his horrible joke, he walked over to the fire, laying down and stretching out his wings. “Quickly you two, eat up and get yourselves ready. We're leaving at nightfall.” At the end of the stretch, he reached for the bag of food, scooping out a little bit with his wing, which he tossed in his mouth before warming himself up near the fire.
Wind looked at the tiny bag in her hoof, barely a mouthful of food in it, then very sadly offered it to Steam. “Sorry about the tackling.”
“Don't worry about it.” Steam placed her hoof under the food, tipping the bag and spilling out just enough to fill her hoof before pushing the bag gently back. “Bon Appétit.” She hadn't been expecting the high life, but when the food was gone one motion and a few quick seconds of chewing later, she still managed to be disappointed.
Wind shrugged, then emptied the bag into her mouth, not even quite filling it. As the food hit her stomach, only seeming to shape the hunger instead of soften it, she sighed heavily. This was going to be a long night...
Flying that night was a deadening experience, with tired, aching bodies crying out with every single movement for something more than the meager fare they'd been given. Wind and Steam bemoaned their condition, finding the pain easier to carry if they shared it with each other. Even an attempt at a game of tag had gone sour when Steam pushed herself too hard chasing, momentarily becoming lightheaded and plummeting from the sky. Luckily for her, Wind and Homeward both had quick reactions and, though not the strongest or fastest ponies in the world, were able to catch her and take her safely to the ground before any real disaster happened.
When Steam was able to fly again, the trio took to the air, but there was soon a sight that brought them to the ground once more. Lights had appeared beneath them, just the flickering glow of lanterns in late evening, but that single symbol of society illuminated their new plans. Homeward had been planning a path across the country that took them almost exclusively through uninhabited lands for fear that they would be seen or followed. However, thanks to their food situation and the remaining distance to, and then past, the border, it was simply a risk they would have to take.
Homeward Bound found a small cave behind a hill, and though the moon hung high in the sky, he instructed the others to get some rest. With grumbling stomachs and tense tempers, the two mares went to bed, separately, with Steam covered in his spare cloak, not a smile to be seen among any of the trio's faces.
In the morning, the two mares were up, tiredness not an issue compared to the hunger clawing at them from within. Luckily, Homeward had already planned for this. “Stay here and just wait a few hours, I'll be back with some food in no time.”
“Let us come with you.” Wind looked at him expectantly after her demand, sure it wouldn't be that easy.
She was right. “No. It's enough of a risk to get in and out on my own.”
Wind rolled her eyes. “Oh come on!”
However, before she could continue, Steam cut her off. “Homeward, believe me, I understand the need for secrecy, but it's been nothing but caves and empty sky for days. A few hours among civilization, getting a meal, a hot bath... Just the feel of a city would do wonders for us.”
The cloak hid any reaction he had, keeping his appearance stoic and unmoved. “I'm sorry girls, but it is simply too dangerous to take you both into town. Your wings would draw too much attention if we flew, and even if the news of your escape hasn't gotten this far, a unicorn blatantly walking in to town would bring nothing but trouble on this side of the border.”
Steam's determination didn't falter. “Then at least bring Wind along.” Wind looked at her with a raised eyebrow, making her smile. “What? Nothing weird about a pegasus around here, right?”
Homeward looked between the two of them. “Are you sure you want to stay here alone? If something happens, you'll be all on your own.”
Steam nodded “I can take care of myself. There are spells for this sort of thing, if somepony gets curious. Just don't forget about me out there.”
Homeward looked at her for a little while longer, then shrugged. “If you really think so.” He then walked to the cave entrance. “Wind, put on the cloak, we're heading out.” Steam and a hesitating Wind watched him go.
Wind quickly leaned in to Steam, whispering heatedly. “Are you sure you'll be okay here by yourself? I can stay here if you'd prefer.”
Steam shook her head. “Don't worry about me. I locked you in my apartment all day that one time, this is just paying my dues.” She levitated the cloak over to Wind, offering it.
The pegasus frowned as she looked at it. “I at least had something to do. You'll be in here with nothing!”
“I'm leaving in one minute, with or without you!” Homeward's voice echoed throughout the cave, causing Wind's hooves to dance anxiously as she wrestled with herself on abandoning her friend.
Steam just smiled, pushing the cloak into her hoof. “I'll make do. Go on, have fun.” Wind took the cloak in her hooves, looking slightly torn still, but eventually galloping to the front of the cave, swinging the heavy fabric around her as she ran. Soon, the sounds of two pairs of wings taking off left Steam alone in the cave.
She went over to her Ready Wings, giving them a quick check up, which was mostly pointless since she had no tools. But at least the spells seemed to be holding together and the machine was in good repair despite all the use. A few moments later, boredom struck as, instantly, she ran out of things to do. At least Wind had been stuck in a room full of tools...
Steam walked to the entrance of the cave, looking for any sign of her friends, but it was foolish. There was no way their trip could have been over so quickly. Still, since she was out front, she took the time to set up a few alarm spells, just to make sure she wouldn't be snuck up on. Off in the distance a few clouds gathered, but around the cave the sky was bright, cool, and clear, so she went back inside, idly kicking rocks as she thought about what to do.
A chill breeze pierced her fur as she sat in the dark cave, causing her to shiver. Somehow with all the work involved and her mind lost in the experience of flight, the cold of high altitude was hardly noticeable. Down here, with nothing to do and nothing to warm herself with, it cut through her like a knife through butter, so she curled up behind a rock, trapping in the heat and hiding from the draft.
It was behind this stone that her hoof bumped against something she wasn't expecting: a few papers and a pen, delicately placed beneath a loose stone paperweight. While she didn't know where it would have come from, her first guess was that it was hidden somewhere in Homeward's pack, and she smiled at the thoughtful gift. She wasn't much of a writer or drawer apart from blueprints, and the only one she'd be able to draw in her bored and hungry state would be the design of a perfect, warm hayburger, but that didn't stop her. She just let her mind wander until, with a slight tinge of pink appearing at her cheeks, she placed pen to paper, finding the perfect thing to pass the time.
Wind Key flew low over the ground, practically skimming the tall grass of the hill as she followed Homeward's every motion. In the few moments it took to leave the cave, he explained both the importance of the cloak and making a surreptitious entrance, though they had passed in one ear and out the other. If if it was really important he'd probably explain it again, right?
As they crested the next hill, Homeward made a running stop, ending gently at the very peak. The move was subtle, and by the time Wind had caught it, she had missed her chance to copy it gracefully, nearly tumbling all the way down the other side. Instead, she caught at the top by a quick hoof, which grabbed the back of her cloak and left her teetering on her hind legs. “You're going to have to be a little more cautious than that, Wind. The Roost is not a place to draw attention to yourself.”
“The Roost?” Wind was eased down to standing, letting her turn to look Homeward in the face. Or, rather, the cloak shade.
“The Roost is the safe resting place on this side of the border, the first place to sleep at ease once you leave the Solar Empire, and the last if you hope to enter it. It is where nearly every refugee to enter this country comes through... As you must have, if I am not mistaken. Surely you have heard of it?”
Wind shook her head. “Nope, I didn't come through this way. I was found by some guards near the border, and they took me all the way to Manehattan...” She looked over at the settlement below: a sea of tents and quickly made wooden buildings, with small tin shacks and tarps sticking off of them until a semblance of a town had formed. The entire edge of the place was ringed by a wall of thrown together bits of wood and metal, the different paint colors and materials obvious in the bright light. Even from here, as early as it was, the cramped bustle of the streets of the refugee camp was visible, as were the guards stationed at the paths in and out.
Homeward sighed to himself. “Then you will not be improved by what you are about to experience. Now, fold your wings under your cloak.” Wind looked like she would question the command, so he explained. “I don't know what they may be looking for with you and Steam, or even if they are. I say we keep ourselves as low key as possible. Two earth pony traders looking for exotic deals at the border, nothing more. Got it?” Wind nodded. “Good.”
Wind folded her wings in under her cloak and, after a few minor adjustments, some coaching on how to carry herself, and a liberal application of dirt to the outside of the cloak, she was ready to enter The Roost.
The short walk down the hill to the edge of the encampment felt like an eternity under the watchful gaze of the guards at the gate, and though Wind kept her head low and tried to make herself as small as possible, it did little to soften the impact of the weapons leveled at them just before the town entrance. “Halt! State your business.”
Homeward looked at both of the guards on the ground, as though he hadn't even seen them on his way there. He sighed heavily, his voice sounding old and tired. “There was once a time when a merchant could travel across all of Equestria without fear. Now he can't even enter a town without a weapon in his face...”
The guard did not seem moved. “Do you have proof of your intent?”
“Proof he says? As though my bits would not be accepted here!” He complained to the sky as much as anything else, but this too brought forth little reaction. With a tired grunt he reached a hoof into his cloak, retrieving a small brown leather wallet, which he flipped open. “Fine, you want proof? A trading license for me and the girl. You happy?” He held it up before them, moving it when they looked too close and pulling it away any time they seemed to reach for it.
After a few moments of scrutiny, he leaned down and looked at Wind, studying her face for a long, long while. If the worry on her face wasn't visible, it was only thanks to the shade of the cloak, as even without looking at him directly, she could feel his eyes boring into her, examining for anything they could use against her. Finally, after an eternity of Wind keeping herself from shaking, the guard backed off and nodded, his and his fellow's weapons raising. “You may pass.”
Homeward grumbled his entire way past the guards, walking at a calm, measured pace until he was out of earshot and into the bustle of the town, where he took on his normal gait, the act dropping immediately. “Wind, stay close at all times. I don't want to lose you on these streets.”
Wind followed close by his heels, looking back at the guard post until it was obscured by the ponies around her. “How did you have a license for them to look at? There's no way you could have made one in advance, or known you were going to put on that act.”
Homeward smirked. “It was a magic not taught in any school in Canterlot.”
Wind had a moment of worry, remembering how paranoid the ponies back in Timbucktu were. “Do you think they'd have some way to detect magic?”
Her guide shrugged as he followed the main street, weaving through the surprisingly dense crowds. “Possibly, but if they did, we probably wouldn't be within the gates right now.” He stopped for a moment, looking around to get his bearings before following a new street. “Anyway, we won't need to worry about the guards again until we leave, and in the meantime...” He stopped, letting Wind catch up and take in the sight before them. “We have a market to search for supplies.”
Even in the relatively early morning hours, the central part of the Roost was thronging with masses of ponies jostling for space on the ground, while the air was thrown about by the poundings of hundreds of pegasi wings. For something that was supposed to be a refugee camp on the edge of the nation, the sheer number of stalls and shouting voices calling for bits and buyers was staggering, and the sounds and the smells of the ponies and the products in the crowded, cacophonous marketplace would be enough to stun anypony to silence.
It did so with Wind, which would have been fine had her disguise not been of a seasoned marketeer. As it was, she nearly fell over when nudged by Homeward, and was a half-dozen stalls in before she regained her senses enough to remember their mission. “So, what are we going to do? Scope out the place, find a properly distracted vendor, and sneak off with some fruit?”
Homeward flinched, looking back at her as he made his steady path through the crowd. “What? No. We are going to pay for them. A few day's trail rations and at least one day's hot meal.”
Wind frowned at Homeward. “How? I've got no money, and even if Steam thought to grab some in her escape, she's all the way at the cave.”
“And you think I don't have any bits on me? Is my appearance really that bad?”
Wind looked to the well trod dirt packed beneath her hooves, unwilling to say she had jumped to that conclusion. “I didn't think you'd spot us for food. You've already done so much, I don't know if we could really accept charity too...”
Homeward smiled to himself, navigating through a particularly disruptive argument between two ponies. “It isn't charity, I'm feeding myself as well as you two.” He turned between two stalls, heading for the middle of the bazaar. “Besides, we don't want any trouble trying to sneak food here.” He nodded towards a large noticeboard, set up right in the center of the marketplace, with paper plastered all over it. “They keep an eye out for criminals. Even a small crime can get the attention of the big players in Manehattan, and if they start digging, almost all of these ponies would be out of the country in seconds. They aren't willing to risk it, and, since we're wanted here, I don't think getting thrown into a jail cell would do well towards that end, don't you agree?” He turned to look at Wind, only to find her not following him, but far back, looking with rapt horror at the wall of wanted posters.
Among the dozens of faces, some happy, some sad, some terrifying, all marked with last known locations and rewards for their finding, their capture, or, in one instance, their death, two stood out. Not outliers in the throng by looks, as every type, age, and build of pony seemed to be represented somewhere, but more noticeable thanks to a familiarity one could never miss.
At the bottom, jammed in as the most recent additions to the constant stream, Wind looked at a poster of herself, a poster of Steam beside her, looking out from the page for all the world to see. The pictures must have been taken some time ago, as Wind was smiling happily in hers, a wrench gripped between her teeth while she worked on a project. Steam's picture, on the other hoof, was stern, something snapped on the day she left had been fired, her face contorted in anger as she yelled at a pony just out of sight. Beneath them their crimes were listed.
“Wanted: Wind Key, for harboring and aiding an Equestrian spy, evading arrest, and grand larceny. Reward: 2000 bits upon capture.”
“Wanted: Steam Cloud, for treason, spying for the enemy, evading arrest, arson, disturbing the peace, and acts of terrorism. Reward: 10000 bits upon capture.”
Wind stared at the two posters, heart ice cold as the realization hit her. Homeward's worries, the paranoia, the feelings that they were being chased... it had all been true. Being chased from the city had been real enough, but surely they wouldn't have gone after her, right? Deep in her heart, this had just been a trip home, now that her old one was gone... only now, here, was the danger real. Immediately she noticed how many ponies were around her. Hundreds of them, trotting past this wall every day. At any moment they could recognize her… at any second, one of them could stumble upon Steam...
She started to move, her wings flaring to pick up speed, but both her motions and her wings were clamped down on by Homeward's arm over her back, forcing her sternly to stay where she was. She looked at him wildly, but he remained calm, his voice low. “Breaking your cover will only cause the very problem you are worried about. Keep calm, keep quiet, and follow my lead.” In one swift motion he let her go, grabbing Wind's poster and ripping it off before tucking it under his cloak and turning to leave. Nopony gave him a second glance, the taking of wanted posters for bounties a common practice out on the outskirts of the country. Wind did as he had, looking at her companion's angry face before ripping it from the wall and following behind Homeward.
He led her into an alley, then through a maze of streets and alleys until she hardly knew how far she had gone for all the bodies she had squeezed between. Eventually, though, they were in the shade of a sturdy wooden structure, the bustle of the streets seemingly gone in this little alcove. Here, Homeward stopped, turning to Wind. “Lower your hood.”
Wind looked around the alley, seeing that the streets weren't visible where they stood, but only moving once she was sure nopony could see her, her hoof visibly shaking as she did. She put down the cloak's hood. Meanwhile, Homeward held up the poster of her, looking between her and the picture. “Hmm... This could have been much worse. Remove your bandanna.”
Wind blinked, the request hitting something deep inside as she reached a hoof for the oil stained fabric over her mane. Just as her hoof touched it, she shook her head, bringing it down. “It's a gift from my mother... Why do I have to take it off?”
Homeward's voice was quiet. “So that you can see her again. You always wear this bandanna. It makes you too noticeable. If you take it off, just for the time when you're in town, maybe you'll be able to pass off as somepony else for just long enough to get out safely.”
As much as she hated the fear in her gut, she still wasn't ashamed that she had questioned him. Her bandanna was, in some ways, like a security blanket from when her mother had tied it to her head and opened her eyes, or at least kept her mane out of them. She had taken with her when she ran away from home, kept it on constantly and worn it all the way across the country. It was, and had always been, one of the few things she had, and it meant the world to her.
But getting home meant much more. With slow but steady hooves, Wind untied the rose red bandanna, placing the oil stained treasure in Homeward's hoof. Homeward smiled warmly, treating the fabric with care. “Close your eyes for a moment. I wouldn't want to get your mane in your eyes while I do this.” Wind did as he said, soon feeling a hoof moving her mane, straightening the wild hair and bringing it into shape. It didn't take very long, but soon her long black hair was hanging over her eyes, shielding her from the outside world through an inky black veil. However, that wasn't the final touch.
Just before she opened her eyes, Wind felt hooves reaching around her neck, and only the trust she had already put in Homeward's hooves kept her from jumping away in fright. Moments later, he pulled away, a smile in his voice. “Open your eyes.” She did so, the right half of her world staying in darkness thanks to the mane over it. The other half was filled with a view of herself. She looked into the mirror Homeward had procured from somewhere, seeing a mare completely unlike the one in the picture. It was amazing what a hairstyle could do. But then she noticed the final touch, her bandanna hanging around her neck.
She looked down at it with a frown on her face. “Geez, I look like my sister...”
Homeward's smile remained, though slightly weakened. “Is that a bad thing?”
After a moment's thought, she shook her head.“No... Not really. It just feels weird. Like it doesn't belong.”
Homeward shrugged, giving her the wanted posters to keep safe in her cloak. “It doesn't. This look is very much not you, but it doesn't have to stay long. Now come on, we need to hurry on before anypony has a chance to get suspicious.”
Wind put on her hood, following Homeward out of the alleyway and entering the street, nothing more than a pair of cloaks in a sea of ponies just trying to survive.
It was early in the afternoon when Wind and Homeward returned from their trip, with Wind carrying a small cloth bundle on her back. Their search for supplies had gone fairly well, as they were able to find enough food for a good two weeks of travel, should the worst come to pass. Homeward had assured Wind that they'd only be on the move for five days more, should all go well, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.
The arrival of supplies was not met with the happiness Wind had expected. As they landed at the cave, they were met with a dangerously glowing horn as Steam cautiously crept out to meet them. At seeing her friends, she breathed a huge sigh of relief, the golden glow around her horn winking out. “Ah, you're back! How was the market?” Steam asked as she gave Wind a quick hug.
“It went alright,” said Wind, taking off the cloak and setting it down, glad to have the weight off her shoulders. As soon as it was off, she noticed Steam looking at her, barely hiding some confusion. “What?”
“What's with the new hairstyle?”
Wind blinked once, then realized what Steam was talking about, shaking her head quickly to get her mane back to its natural messy state before tying her bandanna over her mane, where it belonged. A few bangs stuck out, like they always did, and once more she was back to the tinkerer that had left the cave earlier that day. “Thank you for reminding me. This is much better.” She then smiled, pulling the package from where it had been wrapped up in the coat. “Remember how you said not to forget about you when we came back?” Steam nodded. “Well, I didn't!”
She reached into the bundle on her back, pulling out a small gift wrapped in paper. Immediately the smell of a warm hayburger wafted through the cave, setting Steam's mouth watering. Wind smiled, tossing the burger to her friend. “Thought I'd return the favor, since I know how much I appreciated it.”
Steam unwrapped the precious burger before her, wiping away the drool its presence had created.. After her wait, she was starving, but even so, she wasn't going to just devour it thanklessly. She could wait a few more moments. “Thank you. But, I have to ask, what's in the rest of that?” She pointed to the cloth bundle, which was too small for supplies, but obviously had something in it.
Wind smiled mischievously, tapping the cloth lightly with her hoof. “That is a surprise for later.”
Homeward chimed in then, speaking much more warmly than he had that morning, proper food doing wonders for everyone's mood. “Before you two get too much further, I'm just going to make the plan clear. We're leaving at sundown and flying all night, so get what rest you can.” With that he went near the front of the cave, laying down and keeping watch for any signs of trouble outside.
Steam ate quietly, quickly, and surprisingly carefully. She had always had a knack for eating quickly, partly because her work had always given her very short breaks, but mostly because having food around caused undue mess, increasing the chance that something would be spilled, something would be placed in it, or it would get on something. She, much like Wind, tended to eat as quickly as possible, because time spent eating could often be better spent doing something else. Even if, right now, the 'something else' was simply waiting for time to pass.
As she got a few bites into her burger and had just taken in another mouthful, Wind chimed in, with all the timing it had taken Steam years to hone as a waitress. “So! How's it taste?” Steam just nodded and 'mmmm'd her approval. “Good!” She waited a few more moments, her wings twitching impatiently as she quickly got bored. “So... what'd you do while we were gone? Anything interesting?”
Steam nearly choked on the bite in her mouth, but she managed to catch herself at the last moment with only a bit of awkward coughing. “Not too much... Wing maintenance, waiting... thinking.”
Wind's curious ivy eyes looked straight into Steam's. “About anything in particular?”
Steam shook her head, looking over towards the Ready Wings where they lay in wait. “Not really...” Luckily, she couldn't see the piece of paper she had tucked into the straps, a letter she'd been writing in her solitude. She'd thought about giving it to Wind when she'd gotten back at one point, but now the very idea was embarrassing enough to make her blush internally. She looked away from them, catching a glimpse of movement at the front of the cave as Homeward picked up the pen and paper, placing it back into his bag. She looked back at Wind, who was disappointed from her answer. “Just... the escape. It's all been so strange... if it weren't for the cold, hard ground and my aching legs, I'd be wondering if it weren't all some sick dream.”
Wind sighed. “How I wish it was...” This caught Steam's attention, not used to seeing Wind so out of sorts, but within moments that troubled look was gone, the pegasus's happy attitude returning. “I do have something to make it better, though! Quick, what's the one thing you miss most about the house you left?”
Steam finished the last bite of her burger, crumpling the wrapper in her magic as she thought. “Umm... The warmth and security?”
“Nooooooooooo?” Wind looked at her expectantly, pulling for a specific answer.
The ball of paper was weighed in the magic, then a second guess made. “My nice, luxurious bedsheets I had splurged on a few months ago? Or the fact that I had finally blocked the last draft the night before you moved in?”
“No?” The expectant tone was lost for a hurt one, a little worry entering Wind's mind about the parcel next to her.
The paper ball was tossed from hoof to hoof, the absent move helping the thinking machine in Steam's head. “Hmm... The fact that I was in my home city, surrounded by-”
“Ugh, no!” Wind pouted and unwrapped her package, revealing a small, well known machine. “You were supposed to say the gem grinder! You complained about it so much on the way here...”
Steam was too in shock to argue about her answers, carefully levitating the gift closer and inspecting it. It was in surprisingly good condition, and just the weight of it in her magic reminded her of those glorious days so recently gone by. “You... you got me another one? How did you even find one all the way out here?”
Wind's disappointment disappeared, the elation on Steam's face enough to get passed a ruined setup to the presentation. “In the marketplace. You would be amazed the things you could find, and Homeward was even able to help me haggle it down to a good price.” She smirked to herself. “If that thing doesn't explode the first time you turn it on, it'll be worth every bit.”
Immediately the same thought went through both their minds, and the golden glow of Steam's magic took the grinder a safe distance away before flicking the power switch. It didn't explode, but neither did it make that droning, industrial whine that sang to them as beautifully as any instrument.
Each mare let out the breath she'd been holding, a look of disappointment on their faces, though Steam was the one to voice it. “No power... Shame. Guess we'll have to get some batteries or find a place to charge it.” An idea struck then, causing her to look hopefully at Wind. “Do you think you could look around in town?”
Wind averted her eyes, tapping a hoof on the floor. “Yeah... about that. I don't think that going back would be such a good idea...”
“Aww... But you got in the first time with no problem, and it would just be to see if this worked.”
Wind continued to look at the ground. “The only reason we got in once was because Homeward is scarily good at lying through his teeth and convinced the guards that we were traveling merchants. I don't think they'll buy that twice. Plus... I don't really want to draw attention to myself with anything that may sound threatening.”
Steam dropped the previous issue, a look of worry on her face. “Did something happen in town?”
Wind shook her head. “No! No, not at all... But... something did happen before we got there.” Wind reached into the bundled up cloak, pulling out two folded up pieces of paper, which she slid in front of Steam. “As much as I didn't want to ruin your good mood, I think you ought to see this.”
Nervous about what they could possibly show her, Steam folded the paper open slowly. But even bracing herself did little to stop the shock of seeing herself on a wanted poster. “Ten thousand bits... for me? Because I ran away from a lynching?!” Immediately she flushed with anger, fuming at the paper. “And I'm assuming the arson was me burning down my own apartment with me in it, right? I didn't get to defend myself then, and I bet I won't get to now!”
Wind blew out a breath of air, calmly watching her friend rant at the paper. “Huh... I would have thought you'd have been less angry and more scared.”
Steam's left eye twitched as she looked Wind right in the eye. “I am absolutely terrified.” Her voice shook, and the anger in her eyes barely masked the fear behind them. “It was one thing when I was just a unicorn a city didn't like... even when I was on the run from vigilante justice. But having the nation printing posters?” She put her head in her hooves. “I'm a publicly wanted pony... Anywhere I go, I will have to wonder if everypony around me doesn't just want to kill me, but want to drag my body somewhere for a reward!” She shuddered at the thought. “I just... I just want to live, and now I've put us both in danger.”
Wind scooted closer on the floor, placing her wing over Steam's back and hugging her close. “Hey! Stop that right now. Both of us made bad decisions that got us in this mess, so I'm not pinning my involvement on you so long as you don't pin yours on me. Just like the Wings we created, that was a joint effort.” Steam gave her a flat look, and Wind matched it with a kind one, grabbing hold of Steam's hoof tightly. “But, much more important than that, you can't act like this is the end of the world. We're going to Equestria, and they won't care about some law made on this side of the border.”
Steam scowled. “But we're wanted! Even if they won't pay the bounty, somepony will, and we'll be hunted for it!”
“And we won't be found, Steam.” Wind patted her hoof, smiling brightly. “Just because a pony's looked for doesn't mean they're found. Heck, just look at my dad. I've been searching for him for years.”
Steam snorted. “Yeah, one pony looking for some deadbeat dad, compared to a whole nation of bounty hunters coming after two wanted criminals.”
Wind frowned, disappointed that her words weren't getting through. “Steam, believe me. If my dad can go this long as Equestrian Public Enemy Number One and still not get caught, I don't think we'll even have to worry.”
This only brought confusion to Steam, who had heard a lot of Wind's search for her father, but... now that she thought about it, had never heard who she was searching for. “And who is your dad?”
“I never told you? My dad is Ink Well.”
Steam Cloud went silent, staring at the mare in front of her in a completely different light. “Your dad... is Ink Well? The Ink Well? Hero of the New Lunar Republic and first pony to attack Princess Celestia Ink Well?”
“No!” Wind jumped up, suddenly tense, her wings flared aggressively. Near the cave, Homeward's head turned towards them, his search for danger seeming more necessary inside than out. “My dad didn't attack her! He was trying to talk to her, to get her to stop this whole stupid thing, and she scared him off, accused him of everything!” She glared at the cool stone floor. “Princess Celestia blamed everything on my father, and when she couldn't get him, she killed my brother instead... They say he was 'an unfortunate casualty of war,' but whatever they called it, I couldn't stay there after that.”
And yet you're going back for me... Steam could feel the pain behind the words... Rarely was Wind ever angry, as in truly angry... this was deep and seething, and yet, if you looked at it, even this wasn't real anger, just sadness given time to ferment. Still, if she thought of her father like this... “Everypony talks of him like a great stallion. He is the idol of our nation for what he did for Princess Luna. Is that all misrepresented to?”
Wind shook her head, a little of the tension leaving her. “No. Not at all. He was friends with her, used to write her letters all the time and even acted as an ambassador for her a few times, including once when I was really little. Even when she was thinking about splitting off from her sister, Luna wrote to my dad asking his advice, and he was the only pony wise enough and smart enough to give it. He even predicted that it would all end in war, suggesting that she try something different, but... well, we all know how that ended up.” She sat down, her eyes shining as she looked off into space. “My dad might not be strong or fancy like a lot of other ponies' were, but he is the best stallion in the world, and if anypony can figure out a solution to this whole mess, it's him...” Her eyes dimmed as she tapped the ground sadly. “If only I had been able to find him.”
“Sounds to me like we've got a bad case of hero worship.” Homeward's voice chimed in right behind the two mares, causing them both to look at his cloaked form. “I haven't heard it this bad from a pony since little pegasi were idolizing Rainbow Dash for her sonic rainboom. Now the only thing they got to go off of is her fighting skill, and who knows how many of them were forced from their homes with their hero's help.”
Wind Key stood up, standing up to the larger pegasus as though she was the one towering over him. “So what? What is it you're trying to say?”
“I'm saying hero worship is unhealthy. It can only lead to disappointment and disaster. Doubly so if you want to worship a pony fool enough to abandon their family with nothing to show for it.” He could see Wind puffing up to start arguing and cut her off before she could. “I have been all over Equestria, both the Solar and Lunar sides, and seen a lot of things. Families pulled apart by draft, or race, or ideals. Ponies left cold and alone, with nopony to guide them, with nopony to love them, forced to steal or even fight just to have enough to survive. I have seen ponies rip away that which made their friends unique because it didn't fit in with their nation’s ideals, and ponies swinging in the wind just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time...” He shook his head and turned away. “Anypony who would leave his family... leave a little filly like you were in a world like that? He's a bigger fool than any I can imagine.”
Wind stood fuming silently, trying to catch onto an argument with the wind blown from her sails, while Steam could do nothing to help her. As much as the unicorn wished to keep her friend's view of her father alive... She had lived through too much of what Homeward had described to disagree.
After the silence rang through the cave, Homeward spoke again. “However, no matter how foolish he is, if he is the one to bring us peace and get us working together again... I might just be willing to forgive him. The return of friendship... It would be a thing of beauty.” On those words, he returned to his place at the front of the cave, once more looking out for danger while he let the two mares think on his words.
As Wind watched him go, all of the fight left her, and where moments before there had been a fiery young mare with a dream in her mind and the conviction to argue it into reality, all that was left was a slumped young filly with ears pinned back and a face that would never smile again. She stared at a spot on the floor, dumbstruck, as though her entire world had just collapsed on itself, until Steam walked over, placing a hoof on her back. “Are you okay, Wind?”
She didn't hardly react, not for a long while, until, slowly, she turned her head, revealing eyes brimming with tears. “Dad... He didn't really abandon me, right?”
Steam faltered, her heart in as much pain as it was when she'd had to apologize those few days before. It was something she couldn't answer, something she'd even asked herself for years, sitting alone in a crumbling apartment with nothing but herself... But, if she knew her own father, and if Ink Well was even a tenth of the stallion Wind made him out to be, she knew the answer. “No. Your father may have been forced away, but, for a mare like you, he's doing everything in his power to get back. He's never forgotten about you, just like you've never forgotten about him.”
Wind sniffed, wiping away the only tear that actually threatened to fall as Steam's words brought a smile to her face. “Thank you.” Emotionally exhausted from her day, Wind lay down, ready to get some rest for the night ahead of them. However, just as she started getting 'comfortable' on the hard floor, she looked to Steam. “Look... if you decide, when all this is over, that you blame me for it, I completely understand, and you won't have to-”
“Ah! None of that!” Steam lay down next to Wind, bumping her playfully with her side. “You might have led Clockwork right to where I worked, but there's more than enough to pin on me for this whole debacle. And, sure, maybe it's ruined my life...” Wind started to look sad again, drooping to the floor, when Steam caught her chin with a hoof. “But, before you fell into my life, it barely counted as living. Comparatively, I've hardly lost a thing.” She put on a big grin after that, trying to keep her friend from whatever dark corner she was trying to hide in in her mind. “Not even my gem grinder!”
That was enough to put her over the edge, causing Wind to chuckle weakly, which brought out a giggle from Steam, which soon had both of them laughing on the ground. Neither of them were even fully sure what they were laughing about, since the joke wasn't very funny, but at the end of it, they both felt much, much better. They leaned against each other, and though the sun was still high in the sky, they dozed off, a smile on both of their faces.