Legacy: The New Adventure

by nx9100


Ch X: The Paths We Choose

...BOOTING SOFTWARE
...ACCESSING DATATRACKS
...EXISTING FILE FOUND
...DO YOU WISH TO OPEN?    Y_
...LOADING
...READY...BEGIN RECORDING...

        Guess what?  The Pegasus ponies are still alive!  They’ve been living in the Crystal Mountains for years, hiding from the lizards, I mean the Vectin.  Pizza Pie had them bring me and Sparky to their hide out after we fixed the harvester for her.  I guess she and the Pegasus leader are old friends, and help each other out when they can.

        Flying through the sky was AMAZING!  I’ve never felt so alive!  The Pegasus pony that carried me was nice and gentle, and gave me what she called “a smooth ride”.  Equestria looks so pretty from up there, it makes me wish I had wings of my own!

        Oh, and Star Gaze made it out of the city!  And he rescued the pony scientist too!  But he’s hurt, and their doctor’s been trying to ‘patch him up’, at least, that’s what Sparky tells me.  I hope I can see him soon!

...END RECORD_
...SAVE FILE_
...SAVE COMPLETED
...POWERING OFF...

        “Let me try understand,” Kessish said, sitting back on his crystal throne.  “The Questrin you hunted came here, get past all guards,” he cast a scowl at the Guard Leader standing in the corner, “got into Growing Center, defeat you in combat, and escape with valuable prisoner.  Is that not correct?”
 
       Thrakish winced under the scorn in the Sphere Leader’s voice.  Denials and excuses wandered through his mind, but his honor and pride finally won out.  There was no point to deny it.  “Correct,” he replied, ignoring the stares of the other guards present in the chamber, as their Hunt Leader admitted to be defeated by his own prey.
 
       For his own part, Kessish remained silent for several minutes, letting the significance of the admission sink in.  The Hunt Leader was now doubly disgraced.  First, by being pulled off his hunt due to lack of results, and now, by being defeated by the same prey which had eluded him.  True, the guard’s incompetence had lead to the escape, but Kessish was fully prepared for the Hunter to take all the blame.

        Finally, the bloated Sphere Leader broke the silence.  “I want you leave here this cycle,” he said, “straight back to home-sphere.  Your record of performance go as well.”  He grinned, showing off the teeth along his snout.  Thrakish’s eyes burned of fury.  Such a record would mean his status as a Hunt Leader would be stripped from him upon returning, the ultimate mark of disgrace for a Vectin born from a high-ranked nest.  

        With a wave, Kessish summoned two guards, who stepped up to either side of the hunter.  “Take him to landing area,” he ordered.  “I want him gone from this sphere!”  The guards prodded him with their staffs, and Thrakish turned to leave.  Half way to the door, he turned his head to glare at the Sphere Leader.  “This not over, Kessish,” he growled, “I regain lost honor, I swear!”  And with that, he continued out of the throne room, leaving the still grinning Sphere Leader sitting on his crystal throne.

-----------------------------

        “star gaze, star gaze…”

        The voice kept repeating over and over in his mind, sounding distant and faint.  Almost like a dream, he thought.

        “star gaze… can you hear me…  Star Gaze!”

        It was closer now and getting louder.  Suddenly, he realized it wasn’t a dream at all, but somepony calling to him, almost like yelling
right into his ear…

        His eyes slowly opened, wincing under the bright light above him.  He glanced around, trying to get his bearings.  “Where….am I?” he managed to force out.

        A familiar yellow face came into view.  “Hey y’all!  He’s waking up!”

        “Sparky?” he asked, trying to rise off the bed he just noticed was beneath him.  But she used her front legs to hold him back, gently pressing him back down onto the mattress.

        “Hey, easy there,” she said, “ya just woke up after being out for a while.”

        “What happened?” he asked, trying to clear the fog from his memory.  

        “You passed out while being carried away from the Crystal City,” said a soft voice from his right.  Slowly turning his head, he saw Botanica standing off to one side, watching a small monitor.  A pair of cables hung out from one side of it, snaking their way up and behind his head.  He couldn’t see what the monitor was showing, but assumed it must be medical data.  “A gash on your left hind-leg was bleeding out, and you lost consciousness,” she continued, “but the doctor here and I were able to patch you up and stabilize you.”

        “Gash?” he asked, and looked down at his leg, noticing for the first time the bandages wrapping around it.  “I don’t remember getting that.”

        “It was probably during your fight again the Vectin Hunter,” she answered, adjusting the small square glasses sitting on her nose.  “But don’t worry, you are recovering nicely, and should be up and moving any time now.”

        Star lay back on the bed, trying to remember when he might have injured himself.  Maybe when we fell onto those pots, he thought, or maybe when…

        A cry of excitement broke into his thoughts, as Sweet Melody and Davie Pie came running into the room, or small cave he realized, finally noticing the rocky makeup of the walls.  Their hoofs clattered against the stone floor as the pair nearly collided with the edge of his bed.  

        “Star!  I’m so glad you’re alright!” Sweet Melody cried, rearing up to lean her head against him.  “I was so worried about you!  When they brought you here, and you weren’t awake, and I thought you…” she broke off, eyes watering over.

        With a warm smile, he brushed her tears away.  “It’s ok, Mel,” he assured her, “I’m fine, see?”  Waving Sparky off, he slowly pushed himself up and leaned over to give his sister a hug.  “Everything’s ok now.”

        “Of course it is!” Davie Pie shouted, causing the girls to jump, “you rescued Botanica from the city!  And you fought off a Vectin Hunter!  Nopony has EVER been able to do that before and trot away from it!”  The light-blue colt was bouncing up and down at the foot of Star’s bed, his light-green curly mane bobbing along with him.  “Mother is very happy, you know!  She’s very grateful!”

        “Yes, I’m sure she is,” Star replied, breaking his hug with Melody to give Davie a stern look.  “Just where is she, anyway?”

         “Why?” Sparky replied, eyes questioning Star.  “Something up?”

        “I need to talk to her,” he replied, climbing out of the bed.  He tried to stand up, but his legs were a bit shaky, and he lost his balance.

        “Whoa there,” Sparky and Melody reached out to catch the stallion before he collapsed on the ground.  “And just where do ya think yu’re going?”

        “To get some answers,” he said, “come on, help me walk.”  As he reached over her back, his hoof encountered a leather belt.  “Huh?  What’s this?” he asked, eyes following the belt that hung around her torso.  It featured various tools, along with a pair of small pouches.

        Sparky’s eyes also fell to her new adornment.  “Oh this.  The ponies out in the fields let me keep it after I fixed that harvester for them.”  She grinned.  “Never know when some extra tools might come in handy!”

        “Star Gaze,” said a soft voice from behind him.  With Sparky’s help, he managed to turn around to face Botanica’s worried look.  “While I am grateful for the rescue, I must insist that you remain here.  You lost a lot of blood and need more rest and time to recover.”  Her eyes, one green and one yellow, both stared right at him, almost driving him back into the bed themselves.

        Almost.

        “I’ve gotten enough rest,” he said, and gestured for Sparky to turn him back around.  “Now I need to clear some things up.  Davie, let’s go.”

        Davie glanced at Botanica, and then bounced back towards the cave entrance.  “Okie dokie!” Still hanging onto Sparky with his right foreleg, and with Sweet Melody pressed against his left, Star followed Davie out of his little cave…

        …into an even larger one.

        It took a moment for his mind to sort out the sight, but once complete, he found himself speechless.  The cavern was massive, shaped like a stretched oval, with almost twice the space of the Crystal Stadium where he found Botanica.  A series of glowstrips were running the length of the ceiling and lighting the space up almost as bright as day.  The walls were dotted with dozens of smaller caves like the one he was woke up in, some at ground level while others were higher up.  Without any stairs or ladders, it was clear the only way to reach those higher cave-rooms was by flight.  As he watched, dozens of Pegasus ponies flew in and out of those higher-level caves, almost like bees buzzing around a hive.  Others were flying back and fourth down the length of the cavern, keeping in perfect lines as if trying to fly in formation.  Star looked on, as a race appeared to be forming at the head of the flock where a single, smaller teal colored pony was quickly passing the others.

        “Aw, come on!” he called out, “this isn’t even a challenge!”

        “Shut up Lightning!  We’re not racing!” shouted another.  “These are supposed to just be exercise laps!  Try to stay in line for once, would you!”

        The teal Pegasus, Lighting he assumed, didn’t slow down.  In mid-flight, he reared up, and launched himself forward, blazed past the other flyers in the blink of an eye, a trail of purple-maroon color following in his wake.  In a matter of seconds, he zoomed around the cavern, lapping the group once…  twice…  before streaking down to a sliding stop on the rocky floor.

        “Totally awesome!” he shouted to nopony in particular, while visibly trying not to pant.   He looked around, spotted Star’s little group, and trotted over to join them.  “Davie Pie!  What brings you up here today?”  He reached up to share a brohoof bump with the light-blue colt.

        “I came with some new friends!” Davie exclaimed, waving a hoof towards the others.  “Let me introduce you.”  Then, one by one, he popped up next to each of them in turn.  “This is Sparky Hooves.  You already met Botanica.  The little one here is Sweet Melody.  And this is her older brother, Star Gaze.”  Lastly, he jumped over to wrap a foreleg over Lightning’s back.  “Everypony, this is Lighting Dash, the bestest flyer in all of Equestria!”

        Star stepped forward to offer a hoof to the young Pegasus.  “Nice little show you put on there,” he commented, “do you always try to win while ‘exercising’?”

        “I try to win at EVERYTHING!” Lighting replied.  “Gotta keep in practice, don’t wanna get soft, ya know!”

        “Are you really the best flyer in Equestria?” Sweet Melody asked as her young face filled with amazement.  Sparky rolled her eyes.

        Lighting simply held up his chin and struck a pose.  “You betcha!  I’m the best there is!”

        Sparky raised a hoof to her forehead while the young filly laughed.  Star smiled, but suddenly remembered why he came out here.  He turned to Davie.  “Where is your mother?  I still need to talk to her.”

        “Oh, I forgot!  She already left to go back home,” Davie replied with a shake of his head.  “She knew you’d be mad, and wanted me tell you she’s sorry for deceiving you.  She did, umm…” he broke off, thinking… “Oh yeah!  She did what she thought was best, and thanks you for saving Botanica.”

        “Fine,” Star sighed.  Pizza Pie clearly didn’t want to deal with him, now that she got what she wanted.  And at least she kept her word, and got Sweet Melody and Sparky past the city.  “Well, now that we’re here, I guess there’s just one more detail to work out.”

        “What’s that sugar?” asked Sparky, as the other four also looked at Star quizzically.  

        He smiled at the group of ponies around him.  “Simple,” he answered with a shrug, “What do we do now?”

        “Oh, I know that!” Davie shouted, once again startling Botanica, “let’s go talk to Heartsong!  She’ll know what to do!”

        “And who is Heartsong?” Star asked.

        “She’s our leader,” Lighting replied, “and my aunt.  Come on!  I’ll take you to see her!”

---------------------------

        “So you believe these ‘visions’ are telling you to go deeper into the Crystal Mountains?” asked the adult mare in front of him.  Star Gaze simply nodded, trying not to look away from the light yellow mare’s skeptical eyes.  He could tell she didn’t take his story about his visions seriously.

        She looked over the rest of his little group.  “And what about your friends?  Do they also believe in something only you have seen?”

        “Of course we do!” Sparky stepped forward to stand beside Star.  “Why else would we have followed him this far?”

        Heartsong’s gaze turned to Sweet Melody, who trembled, but also moved forward to join her brother.  The older mare sighed.  “I see now.  Your friend and sibling follow you out of loyalty.  And your quest is a noble one.  Still,” her eyes narrowed, “I do not know what you intend to accomplish.  I’ve never heard of any ‘Star Princess’ living in the mountains.  The only Princesses were Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight.”

        “I’m aware of that,” Star Gaze replied.  “But something is out there, and I’m convinced Twilight wanted me to find it.”

        Heartsong held his gaze, and he could feel her eyes prying into him.  “Very well,” she finally conceded, “If you wish to go, I will not stop you.  It is a dangerous trip through the mountains, and I insist you remain here for a few days to rest first.”

        Star was about to object, but then remembered the bandage around his leg.  “Sure, sounds good,” he agreed.  

        “Excellent.  Lightning,” Heartsong looked to the younger Pegasus, “since you’ve already befriended these ponies, why don’t you help them get settled in?”

        “No problem!  Come on guys!”  Taking the lead, the others followed him out of Heartsong’s chambers.  Star glanced back at the mare.  

        “We will speak more later,” she said with a nod, “go rest now.”

        Nodding in turn, Star continued after the others.  While he was anxious to continue on, a few days bed rest was sounding better by the minute.  He slowly walked down the tunnel after his friends, and wondered about his next move.  We made it to the mountains, he thought, but now what?  Twilight!  What do I do now?  Where do I go…….

----------------------------

        Thrakish was still fuming as the Attack Flyer soared above the ground, on its way to the primary landing facility.  Located along the coast, it was built over the remains of a Questrin city, called Manahettin, or some such.  Destroyed during the Vectin invasion, his people grew a large landing pad out of bio-mass, stretching it over the remains of the buildings.  The pad was so vast that it cast a permanent shadow over the ruins below.  It surface area allowed up to six massive Cargo Flyers to land and load up on bio-pod shipments for transport to other Vectin controlled spheres.   But to him, the landing pad held a special purpose: it would be that last part of this sphere that Thrakish would ever see.

        He looked out the viewport, watching the rolling hills below them pass underneath the Flyer.  There nothing for me now, he thought, wondering about his future back home.  I will be disgraced, perhaps even cast out of home-nest.  At least his nest’s status would grant him the option to become a common solider, instead of forced laborer or a nest-less beggar.  But it was little comfort to the Hunter, who’d built his life on success.  
 
       He frowned, his head looking away from the viewport to stare at the floor.  He’d worked so hard to keep away from his nest-father’s own shame.  The older Vectin had achieved the rank of War Leader, and was in command of a fleet that attempted to invade a Terran colony nearly twenty solar cycles ago.  He sighed, as the stories of the engagement flooded his thoughts.  The battle was a disaster, as the Terrans had somehow anticipated the Vectin’s attack, and had their own forces waiting to ambush the invasion fleet.  Only three Vectin craft managed to escape, out of a force of fifty.  One of them managed to pick up the War Leader’s life pod, and brought him back to face judgment for the failure.  This is where the family trend of dishonor began.
 
       No, Thrakish thought to himself, leaning against the side of the flyer, dishonor began when he fail to die in battle!  There was no greater dishonor for a warrior of a Leader’s status than to be brought home in disgrace, except for being captured by the enemy alive.  But to his knowledge, that had never happened to any of his people.  Instead, his nest-father was stripped of his rank and title, and forbidden from ever commanding Vectin forces again.  Only his status as a nest-father prevented him from being forced into servitude.  In the end, he was simply allowed to remain home and wait for death to claim him.  

        Lifting his head, Thrakish swore to himself that he would do whatever was necessary to avoid the same fate.  Only one thing can restore honor, he realized.  I must finish hunt, return to Kessish with body of prey, and claim title back!  But that path had its own dangers, and two of them were standing to either side of him in the Flyer.  He eyed the two guards, and contemplated his next actions.  There be no going back once I take this path.  I will have victory, or will have death.  Slowly, he stood tall, and tensed his muscles.  Neither guard reacted, possibly just assuming he was tense with anger.  Forgive me, brothers, he silently told them, before suddenly jamming his left elbow in the guard’s throat.
 
       The body dropped like a stone, but before it completely collapsed on the deck, Thrakish brought his right knee up into the gut of the other guard, who had instantly turned to face him.  He also went down, dazed, but still conscious.  Not wasting time with the pilot, Thrakish grabbed an anti-gravity rod from where it hung on the wall, and kicked the hatch release.  The rush of air was nearly an explosive force, and he allowed it to blow him outside the craft and into the open sky.
 
       Free fall wasn’t something he had experienced since his original combat training a dozen solar cycles ago.  But he remembered his lessons, and swept his limbs against his body to present a streamlined shape, trying to gather speed and put distance between him and the flyer.  The air rushed past his face, making it difficult to both breathe and see.  After zooming towards the ground for a few more minutes, he held the meter-long rod above his head, and pressed the two activators on either end.  Instantly, a thin but surprisingly strong membrane was released from inside the rod, unfolding above him, and catching the wind.  The sudden jolt nearly tore the rod from his grip, but Thrakish held on, knowing he was seconds from possible death.  But the membrane held, and he twisted the rod above his head to control his path of decent.
  
      It was an impressive sight, even he had to admit.  The hills below him stretched out all the way to the mountains in the far distance, to his North if he recalled correctly.  Looking right, he could almost make out the faint shape of the city ruins and the landing platform off in the distance.  Perhaps it still be final sight of this sphere, he thought, but not today.  Turning the rod, he managed to guide himself towards one of the hills below.  As the Hunter prepared to make a rough landing, he loosened his legs, making them ready to absorb the impact.  The ground came rushing up to meet him, and suddenly, IMPACT!  The moment his feet hit the ground he tucked down into a roll, coming to a stop a near the crest of the hill.  Having no further use for the membrane, he released the rod and watched as the wind carried it away.  He was on his own now, with no advanced bio-technology to aid him.  Getting back to his feet, Thrakish looked around the hills.  Yes, no technology, only his hunter’s instincts and survival training to keep him alive.  For the first time since stepping into the throne room, Thrakish smiled.  The hunt was back on, and this time, it would be glorious….

-----------------------

        “Want some more pie?” Lightning asked, as the others gobbled down the fresh desert that was placed in front of them.  Sparky wiped her leg across her mouth.

        “Can’t take another bite,” she said, “that was delicious!  Almost like what we used to have back home.”
  
     Star Gaze nodded.  “I didn’t think apples grown by lamp light would taste this good.”

        “They weren’t,” Lighting said, setting the half eaten pie on the table.  Davie reached out for it.  “A few ponies started a small farm topside,” Lightning continued.  “They said the same thing about the food grown in the caves, and wanted something more natural.”  Davie was face-deep in the pie, sending a round of laughter around the table.  Even shy Botanica cracked a smile.  

        “Star,” Sweet Melody looked to her brother, “how long do you want to stay here?”

        The silence, as they say, was deafening.  They all looked to the grey pony, waiting for his response.  Davie slowed his chewing, bits of pie covering his face.

        “I don’t know,” Star sighed.  “A few days, at least, so my leg can heal.  But after that…” he trailed off.

        They just sat quietly for a few minutes, each waiting for the others to say something.  “Well, maybe you’ll get another of those ‘vision’ things,” Sparkly finally said.  “I mean, we could just put our hoofs up here for a bit, and just wait it out.”

        “Yeah!” Melody chimed in.  “And after that you’ll lead us wherever we need to go!”

        Star smiled, grateful for the confidence his friend and sister had in him.  “They I guess I better get some rest.  This leg won’t be much good in climbing rocks until after it heals.”

        Lightning and Davie Pie exchanged looks.  “Well, if you’re all going deeper into the mountains,” Lighting began, jumping onto the table dramatically, “then I’m going with you!”  He grinned at Star.  “After all, you’ll need a guide, somepony whose flown all over this place and knows his way around.”

        “And somepony to back you up in a fight!” Davie shouted, jumping up to stand next to Lightning with his slingshot out and ready.  “I’m in!”

        “That’s kind of you both, but…” his voice faltered, as both Sparky and Sweet Melody climbed up to join the colts.  “What are you two…”

        “Let’s face it, sugar,” Sparky said, “you’re just too good of a leader.  We’re all going, whether you like it or not!”

        “You cannot do this alone…” whispered a soft voice.  Turning, Star looked on as Davie helped Botanica up onto the table.  Melody pushed her way over to give the mare a hug.  “The journey will be dangerous, and you will need all the help you can get.”

        Looking over his friends nearly brought a tear to Star’s eye.  “Alright, you win,” he mumbled, stepping up to join them on the now crowded table.  “We’ll all go together.”

        “ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL!!!” shouted Davie, which of course startled Botanica, who ended up stepping in the last piece of pie.  As the laughter filled up the room, Star Gaze couldn’t help but wonder what was happening.  Did you lead me here? he asked his thoughts, did you bring us all together?  He shook the question away so he could enjoy the moment with his friends….