//------------------------------// // Chapter 70. Clash of the Titans // Story: Dust on the Wind // by Sparky Brony //------------------------------// Our chariots land, I hop off before they are settled. I hear Irony call out as I’m flying away, but I ignore her. I’m too angry right now. And I know she is angry as well. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I quickly leave New Beginnings proper fall behind me, and I’m over the border into North Dakota. I find myself descending, but I don’t land on the ground, but a cloud. I watch the wildlife on the ground for a long time. Everything from rabbits, to deer, to the occasional elk. I’ve done my crying over this. I feel defeated, my ears are down, I’m just ready to fly away and never return, except for the fact I would be leaving everyone I love. I sigh and curl up in a ball, looking at the passing clouds. A voice interrupts my fugue, “Well, Moon Shadow has told me you were in a foul mood, looks like she wasn’t kidding.” I turn and look at the pony, she’s riding a cloud as it merges with the cloud I’m on. She looks at me, a cocky smile on her lips, “Quite different from the pegasus that visited me on the Reagan.” I grumble, “Yeah, Blue. Aren’t you going to head back?” She trots over and lays next to me, “I took a few weeks of leave. I’m going to have to head back to my ship before long, but I was visiting Gold Dust and your delightful son, and I saw you guys land. I headed over and talked to Moon Shadow. She said the raid was successful.” I nod, and sigh, “Yeah, Cloud Kicker had tracked nearly a dozen ponies to a facility. There were eight mares, and two stallions, and they were their own version of a puppy mill. Every cycle, they were pumping out the foals. And selling them to the highest bidder. To be used however they wished.” I feel my stomach do flip flops. “They were pretty well defended, but we were able to free the ponies, and the humans as well. Some sickos aren’t going to have their little playthings anymore.” She nuzzles me, “So, why are you so upset? I saw the cloud as I came in, I’m surprised you aren’t deaf with as many lightning bolts that this cloud is generating, just from you laying on it, all pissed off.” I smile, “The animals below don’t even seem to notice.” She chuckles, “It was Irony, wasn’t it?” I nod, “That mare.” I scream in frustration, then take a deep breath, “I love her to death, but right now I’d love to pinch her head off and tell God it was an accident.” I’m nuzzled again, and she folds her neck over me in a hug, in response I put a wing over her, “So, what did she do?” I sigh, “She was trying to get herself killed, is what she was doing.” Blue’s ears flick a bit, “Why?” I growl, “On the way back, she said that she deserved the death of a warrior, in battle.” I look down, “And I just lost it.” “In battle?” I nod, “I know exactly how bad she feels, I took months recovering from my ordeal, and in some ways, for her it was worse, because what was being done to her, was being done by a pony, one she had respected, and even loved, in her own way. The betrayal she felt was very real. And she doesn’t feel herself getting better, she’s stronger, and she has healed, physically. But she barely sleeps, and she’s always on edge. She has one of the worst cases of PTSD that I’ve heard of. And I don’t know what to do.” I moan the last, tears leaking from my eyes. “So, she was trying to get herself killed, how?” I sigh, “We were up on a ridgeline, firing back and forth, and she just stands up, and starts walking down the hill. Her armor took all the bullet strikes, but she didn’t even react when the first mortar round exploded about a hundred feet from her, the second was closer. And I got to her before the third fell. Her armor is good, but not against a mortar. And she was crying, fighting against me as I pulled her back to the line. Shouting about how she needs to die, like a warrior.” I close my eyes to stop the tears leaking, it doesn’t work. Blue Lagoon pulls away a bit, “So, what are you going to do?” I sigh, “Henry is finished with his transformation by now, I hope his healing abilities will help.” She mumbles for a moment then, louder, “Dust, magic, even magical healing, isn’t a cure all, she needs your love, your acceptance.” I look at her, “I know that, Blue. But she needs some forward momentum in her healing. I don’t want her to find a different way to end her life, I really don’t want her to succeed at it.” She nods and hugs me, and for a long time we both watch life go by. Then finally I stand up, “Okay, I’m bored now.” I say with a chuckle, “I need to get home, and set that mare straight.” Blue Lagoon looks at me seriously, “Dust, you need to think before doing.” “Yeah, yeah.” I say as I take off, back west. *** I slam into the ground, a ring of dust expanding from my impact point, and stalk into the house. My wings are up, and not with any amorous thoughts. I open the door, and there is Irony, she looks shamefaced at me, I know she heard my impact with the ground. Her ears drop back, and she braces herself when she sees the look on my face. “No, I’m not calmed down, Irony.” I growl. She wilts, “I’m sorry, Dust.” I sigh, “I know you are, Irony, but damn it all, you don’t need to die. In fact, your dying would make everything worse for us.” She looks down, “I’m tired of the pain, Dust.” I slam a hoof down, hearing a snap as I’ve broken a tile in my entryway, “Pain? Are you serious? Pain? I went through whole boatloads of pain. Coming back from nearly losing myself, I didn’t want to kill myself, in fact, when I voiced that, you clamped down on that instantly. And now you are saying you want release from the pain.” I flash forward, and am hovering eye level with her, “What about the pain your death would cause us all? What about Zed?” That gets her to flinch. She whispers something, I can’t hear it but I feel rage rise in me, I think I know what she said, “Oh, don’t talk about Zed? Seriously? The one pony in the world that will be more affected than anypony else, he’s the one you don’t want to talk about.” “Shut up, Dust.” “Shut up? No, I’m not going to fucking shut up, Irony. Zed will be crushed, he’s the happiest I’ve seen him when you came back. He tottles around all the time saying mommy mommy, and he’s happy. And you want to crush him, by leaving him.” Her fist impacts on my left cheek, my wings lose coordination and I’m thrown into the wall. Drywall smashing as I impact, I stand up to see the massive earth pony running at me, I only have time to brace as she slams into me. We roll, both of us trying to find purchase to hit each other. The solid oak front door doesn’t even slow us down as we slam through it. I feel the edges of the front stairs against my back as we roll into the front yard. I get to my hooves and jump at her, my heavy hoof hitting her in the jaw. Three jabs to my barrel and I’m pushed away, landing on my back. She jumps at me, and I get all four hooves ready, and she lands on my hooves, I push her and she is in the air. I take to the air myself with a scream, hitting her with two hooves as she falls to the ground. To my amazement, she stands up faster than I would ever have believed possible, how did she know Judo? She snakes her arms around me, and has me tight, though I’m able to wiggle out of it, getting her in the midriff with a hind hoof, I turn around to slam her again, but she’s moved again. She’s got a wing in her hands, and a sharp twist dislocates my wing. My howl of pain is short, but I shrug off the pain initially and slam her in the face. She ends up down again. I’m leaping at her when I’m suspended in mid-air. A golden aura is enveloping Irony as well. “What the hell is going on here?” Sunset Shimmer’s voice resonates throughout the yard. My chest is heaving, so is Irony’s, Sunset continues, “You two, fighting like school children. Are you serious? I should bend you both over and paddle your rears so hard you won’t sit down for a month.” She screams. I look down, “I’m sorry, Sunset.” And I hear Irony copy me. I shoot a venomous look at the midnight blue earth pony, and get one in return. Sunset stalks up to me, her mane wafting in her magic, “You, Lightning Dust, you are the lead mare of our family. You don’t fight your herdmates. You don’t hurt them, especially when they are already hurting!” I look down, abashed, tears starting to come, “But she…” She stops me with a look, and then turns to Irony, “And you, I can’t believe you started a fight with our lead mare. We are supposed to look to her for direction, for purpose…” As she bawls out Irony I get a good look at her, her jaw is actually hanging at an odd angle, I think I dislocated it, but I think she’s still too amped up on adrenaline to actually feel it yet. I am too, though when the adrenaline runs out, I’m going to be in a lot of pain from my wing. Sunset finally winds down and whirls away, she stops and looks over her shoulder at us, “You two had better find some way to coexist. Because if I have to break you two up fighting again, I won’t be nearly as nice.” She stops, and looks at Henry, who is standing there, his mouth an O of shock, “Star Crossed, I want these two to wait a couple of hours before they are healed, there’s nothing life threatening, and maybe they can feel the pain of what they did to each other and maybe learn a lesson.” Henry ducks his head as she walks inside, and then walks up to us, “Less than a minute of actual fighting, and you did all that to each other, wow. I will follow Sunset’s instructions, but damn girls, when you two fight, you don’t hold anything back.” I would chuckle, but the pain is starting to come in, and boy, it’s not a little bit. I grit my teeth, “Gee, thanks Henry.” He chuckles, “Serves you two right.” *** Dr. Ray brings her horn back, Henry is focusing on Irony, and both Sunset and Moon Shadow want him to conserve his energy and not overexert himself, the change was taxing for his body, and his magic, so they both say for him to take his time. “What is it they say in Texas? Mess with the bull, and the horns will get you?” I look down, “I guess I poked the bull a little much.” I shoot a glare at Irony on the other side of the living room. Henry is fussing with her, and her jaw is back where it belongs. Finally, she was gasping a bit in pain as we finally both calm down. I’ve got tear tracks down my cheeks, having the wing dislocated, that hurts, and thank Celestia Dr. Ray is really good with the tendons, or I would be out for weeks. As it is, I’m good. I kiss Dr. Ray and let my wings take me upstairs, I need a nap. ***Irony**** I try not to let Star Crossed see the glare I shoot at Dust as she flies upstairs. That infuriating mare, ugh. Star Crossed sits down, “Okay, that was relatively simple healing, now, let’s see about the eye.” I touch the empty socket, “Really?” He nods, I look down, “I don’t know if I really want to heal that. I’ve been like this for months, and there are some drawbacks to it, but…” He cocks his head to the side, “But Irony, you need your vision.” “I can see.” “Why not, Irony?” I look down, unsure of what to say. He sighs, “So you are giving up? You are surrendering to Discord, you are letting him win?” He stands on his hind legs, putting his hooves on my chest, “Discord may be gone but his curse is still in effect. Your minds weak, your outlook bleak. That's not just some silly add on to the rhyme. That was there to stop ponies from finding their happiness, it was to stop them from being happy. Stop them from finding their way back to Equestria or finding happiness. Discord could have sent the ponies to some Utopian world where they would live in happiness and joy and never want to return to Equestria. He didn't though, he sent them here. Then to make it more of a game, he added the challenges.” He gets back on all fours and sits down,” Have you ever thought through that? This situation with the clone of Twilight Sparkle could have been your challenge? She sought you out. She targeted you. She claimed you. That isn't a coincidence to me. Her being here, her awakening, her singling you out. That sounds just like the curse to me. “Now every time a pony gives up on their lives. Decides to let the curse win, to let Discord win, it takes away from every single pony in the world. The reason is simple, because you ponies need each other. Lightning Dust knows this, otherwise she wouldn't have wanted me back in this form. I still think I'm honestly the last person that should be a pony, let alone deserves to be one.” “I still hear people chuckling and saying Pink Fluffy Unicorns. I know I'm probably going to hear that every single day of my life now. From now on. If it helps ponies recover from Discords curse though, it’s worth it. If it helps you, it’s worth it. I wasn't born a unicorn, I wasn't cursed to be one. I'm just a stupid human poser, who's racked up maybe twelve days as a pony. I'm sure there are others out there who deserve to be a pony more than me. At least that's how I feel. Every time I look in the mirror I wonder, am I just going to turn back? Do I even deserve this cutie mark on my flank?” “So trust me, I know it’s hard, but ask yourself. A one warrior to another. Do you really think Discord should win? Even after he's gone, should we just give up and let the curse have its way?” I listen to his words, every one of them a dagger to my heart. Tears spring into my eye, I grab him and hug him, “Oh, Star Crossed, I’m certain you deserve that mark, I’m certain you were meant to be the pony you are.” I sniffle, “Yes, go ahead and do whatever you can for me, please?” I finally let him go, and his horn lights, “Now, hold still, Irony. I guarantee this is going to feel weird.” His telekinesis pulls me towards him, and his horn touches my forehead. I’ve been healed too often to count. Every time it feels like a cool chill running down my body, this time feels like my head is dunked in ice water. I want to gasp, I want to scream, but all I can feel is the cold, and it focuses on my eye socket. After a few moments he backs away, and staggers to sit down, I blink a few times, and shout, “You did it!” He nods and lies down, “I think I may have done too much.” Moon Shadow is next to him nearly instantly, her horn lights and doughnuts and other sugar laden food is sitting in front of both of them, she takes an éclair in her magic and starts feeding it to him, “You ran through a lot of energy just now, Star. You need to rest for a few days before you do anything else.” He nods groggily, and looks at me, “Like the eye?” I close one, then the other, “I was just getting used to having just one eye, this is amazing!” Moon Shadow looks at me, “There is a mare up there, hurting, you need to talk to her.” I stand up, looking up at the bedroom door, then I look at Moon, “I’m sorry, I can’t help her right now.” I turn and head towards the ruined front door, “I’ll be in my forge.” ***Dust*** I wake up in my bed alone, the sun is about to set, I can see. I reach over and pull out a cigarette. Ever since Irony was lost, I’ve gone from a pack every week or two, to one to two packs a day. I know I smell like an ash tray, but I don’t care. My number one trigger when it comes to smoking is stress, and stress has been my constant companion for months now. I take a drag and blow the smoke at the ceiling. Feeling the nicotine rush into my blood stream, I feel my body relax. Ahhh, now that’s good. Pegasi feathers are nearly as nimble as fingers, I bring a wing forward to pull the smoke from my lips, I reach over and tap the ashes and put it back in my mouth. I flip myself out of bed. I rotate my ears, most everyone is downstairs, it sounds like a meal. My stomach grumbles, but I’m not in the mood to eat. I open the French doors to my new balcony/pegasus landing platform and step out. Flaring my wings, a great flap and I’m in the air. I don’t have a specific destination in mind, I find myself fluttering to the ground quickly. I look at the forge, I can hear the hammer ringing inside. I rotate both ears forward, I can hear her softly singing inside. I sit outside the forge, listening for a long time. After a long time, I once again flare my wings and take off, I can’t deal with this, with her, right now. I love that mare more than anything, but I can’t deal with this. I wing my way south, rising slowly as I break the sound barrier. Above the clouds there is a nearly full moon, it’s been about a week since the portal closed. I finally start to enjoy flying, the feel of the wind under my wings, the sensation of speed. Life as a pegasus, nothing better. I streak to the south, and soon, I’m landing near Gallup, New Mexico. After I had made another stop. I’ve been here before, but Twilight Velvet and Blaze spend a lot more time in New Beginnings than here with Grandfather. But I need his advice. I knock on the door, and after a long time, the door opens and his white maned head pokes out. He looks down at me, “Greetings, you have the look of a lost spirit. What troubles you little one?” I set down the package of herbs and tobacco that I had picked up in Denver on my way south. I nod, “Thank you, and yes, I do feel lost.” He comes outside and sits down on his rocking chair. Looking at me patiently, letting me tell my story in my own way. He doesn’t react to my tears when my emotions overcome me, he simply lets me talk. After a long time, I wind down, “Grandfather, I don’t know what to do. I’m so frustrated and angry.” “Why?” He asked gently, taking out his rattle and stroking its side. I shake my head so hard my ears flop, “Why? I just told you why!” He smiles, and mumbles a bit, I don’t know the language, finally he switches back to English, “You are so stubborn, Lightning Dust. And so is Irony. You are like 2 stags locking antlers, neither wishing to back down. You two have to find a way to make peace with yourselves, to reconnect and rebuild the harmony between you.” I growl, “I want to reconnect, but she keeps pulling away.” “And why is that?” “If I knew that, I wouldn’t be lost.” He sits back, looking at me, “That is not why you are lost, little one. You know what you need to do, Lightning Dust. Your antlers are up, you are defending yourself from getting hurt. And by doing so, you are hurting others. Not just Irony, you will charge any that approach.” I feel tears come to my eyes, “But I can’t lose her again.” I wail. He looks at me sternly, “You keep this up, Dust. You will lose her as well as the harmony you built.” I sigh, and finally bid my good bye to the old man. “One day you will need to visit the medicine circle. Sit in front of the great fire. The Spirit guides have much wisdom, if you are willing to be calm and listen.” ***Irony*** “Who’s the cutest colt?” I giggle at the form in my arms. “Me!” Zeddicus squeals with a laugh. I take him and throw him up in the air, letting him get a couple of feet of height, and I catch him easily, and bring him close in a hug. Holding my colt, I swear he’s been almost better therapy than anything else. Mischief ambles over, “Mama Inee!” She says, to get swept up by me as well. I love playing with the foals. It’s just Hannah and me in the nursery with all the foals. I’m lying on my back, with foals all over me, and enjoying every minute of it. Dust is brooding in her office, three days have passed since I’ve gotten my eyes back. Hannah is using her telekinesis, making toys float, to the amusement of Moon Shadow’s twins. A knock at the door, and it opens, a human walks in, along with a golden mare, I smile at the two, “Gold Dust, Dylan!” Dylan waits while I get up, then reaches and hugs me, “I’m so glad to have you back, Mama Irony. I apologize for not visiting sooner, Gold Dust and I have been nearly around the world for her job.” I smile, “I’m glad to see you.” I look over at Gold Dust, “So, pregnancy agreeing with you?” She nods and sits down in a huff, “It’s wearing at times, I’ve got four months to go. Dylan has been heavenly, dealing with my mood swings.” “And your short temper.” I chuckle. She looks surprised, I grin, “I went through it too. Quick to anger, and usually quick to forgive. But boy, those hormones can really throw you for a loop.” She nods, “Yeah, Dylan has had to deal with two tempermental mares.” He smiles, “I know you two love me, Gold. Even when you saying other things.” I give him another hug, “Very mature of you, Dylan.” Gold Dust looks at the foals playing around, “Actually, we are here to play with the foals for a while, Star Crossed asked for you to come downstairs, he says he’s going to work on you.” I sigh, “While I love having my full eyesight back, I don’t know if he can fully fix me.” Dylan puts a hand on my shoulder, “Mama Irony, you will get better, I have confidence in you.” I look at him, trying to suppress my tears, finally I nod and head out the door, a quick walk and I’m heading down the stairs. “Irony, make yourself comfortable.” Star Crossed says, and I settle myself on the overstuffed couch, looking at him. “This will be a little different, Irony. I’m going to be focusing on your brain, which will likely cause random firing of the neurons, so your vision will be affected, so will your hearing, your memory, your sense of touch. I won’t be doing anything at first, just feeling my way through. I want you to think of how you feel when you shift. I know it still causes you a constant headache, so I should be able to find my way there fairly easily. Are you ready?” I nod, and his horn lights, once again he touches my forehead. I find my eyes fluttering closed. The first thing is I see stars in my vision, swirling around. Then my hearing blanks out, causing me to twitch my ears. I resist the urge to shake my head. I focus inward, I feel my ever present headache, it’s there all the time, so I can usually ignore it. It’s amazing what you can ignore when it’s constant. I feel it, and it causes stress, but I have found ways to not have it affect me as much. Though when I’m tired, it comes to the forefront, and I have to lay down. I’ve spent way too much time laying down in the last month or so since I’ve been home. Suddenly the headache intensifies and my hearing comes back, I hear Star Crossed growl, “There it is. What a damned mess.” The chime of his magic intensifies. A combination of gasping pain and freezing cold wracks through my brain. “I can get this, I have to actually rewire what was damaged. Healing those neurons…” He gasps. After what feels like forever, the cold become a jagged spike of ice in my skull, I’m beyond gasping, every muscle goes tense, and finally he pulls away, “Okay, Irony, relax.” He looks at me as my eyes open, a trickle of blood from both of his nostrils, I sigh and I feel my body change, my hands become hooves, and my hips change form, my barrel changing shape as my breasts fade from my chest and reappear as teats between my hind legs. I put my forehooves down on the couch, and watch as Sunset swoops in. Henry staggers off the couch as Sunset fusses over him, she wipes the blood from his nose with a handkerchief, “Oh Star, you should have waited a few more days before doing this.” He shrugs her off, “I was turned for a purpose, Sunset, I’m going to help this mare.” “You don’t need to kill yourself doing it.” He smiles woozily, “I won’t, Sunset Shimmer.” Sugarberry comes up, “Oh, Henry.” She gives him a hug. They walk slowly upstairs, she’s staying with us while Henry is healing me. I watch them disappear upstairs, Moon Shadow comes up, and, with tears in her eyes, gives me a hug. “Thank Celestia. How do you feel?” I think for a moment, “I feel more relaxed, and my head doesn’t hurt. It actually feels weird, not being in pain.” She smiles, “That took a lot out of you, let’s get you upstairs, and take a nap together.” I look around, Moon reads my mood, “Dust is in her office at Lightning Electric.” I nod and follow her upstairs. ***Lightning Dust*** I’m sitting in my office, the shop has been expanded, adding half a dozen bays, and a larger material warehouse. The office has been expanded as well. My manager has an office, and I have a new office here as well. Though with the manager, I don’t have as much to do. I’ve met with my manager, I’m just actually spending time here to stay away from home. I don’t want to, but part of me needs to. Mindy pops in. “Dustie, you have to see this. Cipher just sent this over to me.” I sigh, “What?” Her horn lights and my computer wakes, Twilight Velvet is on the screen, the video starts playing, “So, now you have four hooves…” My jaw drops. I look at Mindy, who giggles, “Just after the change, Velvet was asked to make informational videos, to help military members with the changes. It was never widely distributed, but Cipher sent them to me, just for a giggle.” I smile, “Thank you Mindy.” “She made several of them, you should watch them, I’ve put them on your network.” And with a party horn sound, she’s gone. I chuckle and start watching. A few hours later, there is a knock at my door, Pat sticks her head in the door, “Dust, I think Discord was busy with that curse for longer than we thought.” I cock my head to the side, “What?” “There are some deer here.” My ears fall, “What?” “You heard me, Dust. Deer.” My wings power me over my desk, and I follow Pat into the reception area. Three deer are here, a stag, a doe, and a fawn. All three look exhausted, and terrified. They look a lot like earth deer, but subtle differences stand out to me, including their larger eyes, with more defined irises and pupils. The doe is wearing the leftover remnants of a safety vest, bright orange against her dusky coat. I sit down, “I’m Lightning Dust.” The doe comes forward, “I’m not sure what my name is, but we just finished changing yesterday, all four of us.” I look at them, “I count three of you.” I say in confusion. The fawn starts to cry, “Hunters got my sister. Why did they do it Dust?” I growl, “They weren’t hunters, young one, they were poachers. The lowest of the low.” The buck steps forward, “I was known as Sharp Thorn.” I’m able to smile, “All of you, I’ll take you to New Beginnings, you will be welcome there.” “Among ponies?” I nod, “And hippogrifs, and donkeys, and mules, and griffons, and bat ponies, and minotaurs and even zebras. Discord was a very busy Draconequus.” They follow me slowly from my shop.