//------------------------------// // Part 3 - Amulets and Alicorns // Story: Before the Storm: The Rise of Firefly // by Firesight //------------------------------// Disappointments were many in my life. I felt them growing up whenever I lost a fight to another pegasus pony, though ’twas oft my own fault given I did seem to have a habit of challenging ones that were bigger and stronger than me. Much as I’d later done with Windshear. I lacked patience and constantly strove to prove myself for reasons even I wasn’t fully clear on, except for a unquenchable drive and desire to be the best—the best flyer, the best fighter… and in time, the best warrior. I was humbled more than once, though never as badly as in that duel; ’twas the one real time I was forced to step back and look at myself, question everything I was doing and my motivations behind them. Being such a proud pony, my friends were few, but those I did make tended to be very close ones, bonds forged in fight and flight, including the unlikeliest friend of all… the filly that would one day become not just my friend, but my very sister... A mare that would one day save me when I was at my lowest point, and not for the only time. Needful Things I spent the next two days at my friend’s home doing little more but eat and sleep, my body craving the rest and good food that it had for too long been denied. Wind Whistler spent as much time with me as she could, always there with a comforting shoulder or ear when I needed it. But she could only stay away from her work at her windchimes shop for so long, and by the third day, when I was finally able to remove my wing splint, I decided ’twas time to get out even if I could still not fly. Far better to be out walking and clear my head than stay inside and despair, I thought. Though I initially sought the solitude of the woods, half-hoping the Diamond Dogs would make a return appearance just so I could take out my frustrations on them—with two months of intense Guardspony training under my still-healing wings, I had gotten as strong as any earth pony and would have relished the chance to show it—but I soon found myself wandering towards the town market instead. My stomach was growling, true enough, but that wasn’t what seemed to be tugging me there. No, something else was calling to me, a half-real, half-imagined whisper in my ear that promised all my wishes could yet be fulfilled. Uncertain who or what it could be, I followed its siren song… and soon found myself in front of a strange storefront, one that promised ‘The Most POTENT of Magical Artifacts!’ that could do anything from improve sleep to enhance one’s… Well. I had little interest in such things and was prepared to leave immediately, knowing such stores typically offered overpriced, underpowered magical trinkets to gullible ponies. Yet somehow… I could not. The strange pull on my mind was stronger than ever, and the voice seemed to be calling to me, personally. Sensing I wasn’t going to get any peace unless I determined what the source was, I entered through the bead curtain door and looked around. “Welcome!” a stallion’s voice called to me, followed by the figure of a pony rounding the back counter. He was a rather garishly dressed unicorn, one I took an instant disliking to as he wore the garb of a group of nomadic ponies who seemed to survive mostly on duplicity. “Do not be fooled by my manner of dress, my young friend.” He seemed to be reading my thoughts. “I assure you I am a respectable businesspony who only wishes to help others. And there is much here that might interest you.” As he spoke, I swore his pale blue eyes gleamed red for a moment… or was it just my imagination? “’Tis doubtful,” I replied evenly, though I found myself looking to and fro, searching for something I sensed was there even if I didn’t know what it was… and that was the most aggravating thing of all. “Come now. What is your heart’s desire?” he implored. “I assure you that no matter what it may be, there is something in this shop that will help you. If your need is great enough, I will even give it to you for free!” That made me instantly suspicious. “And why wouldst you do that?” Alarm bells were starting to ring in my head. I knew something wasn’t right, and yet… I couldn’t leave. Not yet. Not until… “You seek something,” he said instead of answering me, stepping forward fractionally. ’Twas a statement, not a question. “Yes…” I admitted somewhat warily. “But ’tis something that can neither be bought, nor earned,” he went on, the strange red glint in his eyes growing. I couldn’t help but slump my shoulders at his statement, looking away in pain. “Yes…” I said again. “’Tis a dream you believe you have lost…” he said next; his tone would have been gentle were it not for the note of eagerness. “You now seek its return. And vengeance on the one who took it from you.” My lip began to quiver, knowing that no matter how badly I might want to, I had no chance of ever defeating Windshear. “It is lost…” I told him, the events of the duel running through my head again, “and no magic can bring it back.” “I see…” He rubbed his chin with a hoof; his pale blue eyes probing mine as if he could see into my very soul. It should have been off-putting yet somehow, I could not look away. “You are powerful and ambitious, but those ambitions have been thwarted… and now you seek to regain what you have lost. Avenge yourself on the one who wounded and humiliated you,” he pronounced with surety. “Yes… I understand now why you have come. And I have just the thing for you.” With that, he disappeared in a flash of light, only to re-emerge from the store back through a second bead curtain a few moments later. Carried in his magical aura was a small lockbox with an odd insignia on the front, and as he brought it closer, I felt my heart start to race. My magical awareness told me there was something very powerful inside, and I somehow knew ’twas meant for me. “Open this, my young friend… and realize your heart’s greatest desire,” he told me, presenting me with a key. “Open this, and vengeance can yet be yours.” As if in a trance, I took it and inserted it into the lock, somehow knowing beyond any shadow of a doubt that he was telling the truth—that the entire reason I had come, the voice that had been calling to me was inside. I turned the key and the top opened with a simple click to reveal… a somewhat large and oddly shaped pendent on a chain. It had a dark silver triangular base inset with a blood-red ruby, with what appeared to be an onyx-carved Alicorn looking over the top of it, done in a black-and-red motif. It didn’t actually look much different than the Equestrian Aerial Corps’ Wing Warrior badge except in terms of color, and yet… “You should feel quite blessed. For it has chosen you, my young friend,” he told me with a smile that was equal parts envious and eager. “Now put it on…” he told me silkily. “Yes…” I agreed as its form filled my eyes. I could see and sense its massive power—power ’twas now willing to give me! And even without his instruction and urging, I found myself picking up the chain in both hooves and then raising it over my head. Through it all the storekeeper watched raptly but I was barely aware of his presence now, knowing only my soon-to-be-reclaimed dreams and desires… As the amulet settled over my chest, I felt an enormous energy surging through me, invigorating me. My wing and body were instantly and fully healed, their already-great strength and speed enhanced enormously. My shorn mane grew out and even the remains of my grey fur dye instantly disappeared as if blown away like so much dust, fully revealing my coat and cutie mark, the dual bolts of which felt almost hot for a moment. “Very good.” he beamed with glee as he saw the devilish, delighted look on my face. “Now go forth and test your new power. Methinks you want to. And when you are finished…” his eyes gleamed red again, in direct reflection of my own. “And when you are finished, you may take what is rightfully yours.” The thought brought a smile I could only describe as wicked to my face. “How much?” I asked him, retaining just enough scraps of my honor and being to offer payment. He looked surprised for a moment, but then grinned. “No charge,” he told me easily. “For long years have taught me that everypony loves something for nothing… even if it costs them everything.” I didn’t know what he meant by that, but was beyond caring as I stepped outside and then shot away into the air, the buildings and trees shaking with my passage. In Thrall I reveled in the feeling of freedom that flight brings. Three days ground-bound had been three days too many. But now! Now I was flying faster than ever before! I grinned as I envisioned swooping right into the training base, breaking right through the magical shield on the base perimeter and immediately slamming the Sergeant Major’s nose into the dirt. Wait until that weakling Windshear sees me NOW! I thought, imagining the look on his face as he beheld me and realized he was now nothing to me. Taunt me… humiliate me… destroy my dreams… I’ll make you SUFFER for this! I silently swore with my thoughts, already imagining all the ways I would wreak vengeance upon him. I’ll repay you for everything you did to me… I will take back what is rightfully MINE! “Firefly?” A voice broke into my thoughts. I stopped instantly, which for most pegasi would overstrain their muscles, but I was not most pegasi. I spun to look at the speaker, finding Wind Whistler there, gaping at me—apparently she’d gone looking for me when her shop had closed, only to find I was not at home or at any of our usual haunts. “How did your mane and tail grow back out so suddenly? And how are you flying? Were you not under orders to refrain from doing so for a few more days?” “Ha!” I laughed. “That was whilst I was still but a pegasus. Now… now I am something far more, thanks to this!” I tapped the amulet around my neck as I landed in front of her, puffing my chest out to present it. To my slight surprise, she looked less pleased than concerned. “Firefly… that pendant… I believe I’ve seen it before, in a book on dark magic.” She stepped in for a closer look. “Are you… certain you’re perfectly fine?” I waved off her concern. “Methinks myself far better than merely ‘fine’, my friend!” I replied, taking flight again to give a few dizzying midair spins whilst revolving around her. “I am in a condition no pegasus could hope to match! Not even that lout of a trainer, Windshear!” I imagined again everything I was about to do to him, and came up with a few new ones as well. Abruptly, Wind Whistler gasped and took an involuntary step back. “Firefly! Your… your eyes!” she pointed at my head with a shaky hoof. I blinked—as far as I could tell, there was nothing different about them except even their acuity had been enhanced along with the rest of my body. “My eyes? What about them?” “They’re… they’re glowing red! Or… they were, just a moment ago,” she said, biting her lip, her tail swishing in agitation. I shrugged. “’Tis nothing. A trick of the light, perchance,” I mused, going on to fly above the treetops. “No matter. For there’s little need to concern myself with appearances when I’m about to set the standard for such things!” I proclaimed in gleeful anticipation, setting my sights on the nearby base. She stared at me, increasingly uneasy. “’Set the standard’? What in Equestria are you on about?” I looked back and gave a toothy, even predatory grin. “With this amulet, I need not fear any retribution from Windshear, or any of the Guard, for that matter. With this, I need fear nopony! I can do as I wish, and nopony can do a thing to stop me!” I emphasized my statement by immediately spinning up a twister that shredded an abandoned old house we had used for play and training, punctuating my words further by kicking a nearby cloud and causing a massive storm of lightning to erupt, shattering a stand of trees. Alarmed, Wind Whistler took several steps back, her eyes wide, her mane whipping in the sudden gale. “Wh… what are you doing? Are you listening to yourself?” my friend called to me… or did I even need such a thing any more? “This isn’t you, Firefly! It’s that amulet! You have to take it off!” she came out of cover long enough to beg me over the sound of roaring wind and crackling thunder. “Please! It’s poisoning you!” “Poisoning?” I laughed derisively. “Hardly, Whistler. It’s set me free! Made me realize all the things I can be! Defeat Windshear and become a Guardspony? HA! Why stop there?” I wondered aloud, seeing for the first time all I could have and be as I effortlessly sheared off a line of treetops just with the passage of my bare wing, the branches crashing loudly to the ground below me. “I could be captain! No, I could be the greatest pegasus warrior ever! “Or better yet, I could be ruler of all Equestria!” I all but cackled, suddenly imagining I was challenging Celestia herself and castigating her for her weakness in the face of Equestria’s enemies—once I was in charge, neither the gryphons nor harpies, dragons nor diamond dogs would EVER question our strength or raid our towns again! Far from reveling along with me, Wind Whistler was aghast. “You… you’re not Firefly!” there were tears in her eyes as she spoke. “What have you done with her? Give me back my friend!” she cried out as she flew up and yanked hard at the amulet around my chest. It did not budge and I immediately slapped her away… so hard she hit a tree with a sickening crack, collapsing in a broken heap at its roots. That sound served to jar some sense back into me. I stared, in growing horror, at what I’d just done. I’d struck my oldest and dearest friend, hard enough to perhaps render her unconscious. Or, if the blood starting to pool around her was any indication… “No… No!” I cried, flying down to her. “Whistler, I-I didn’t mean to, I, I didn’t want—” I began babbling incoherently as I stepped forward, intent on flying her to the nearest healer. Abruptly, I stopped. Why should I? the thought entered my mind, unbidden. She tried to take my newfound power from me! ’Twas exactly what she DESERVED! I was stunned at my own thoughts. “No!” I said aloud, not caring that I was somehow arguing with myself. “That does not excuse this! She’s my friend, and I never turn my back on my friends!” I proclaimed, starting to approach her again. But IS she my friend? the treacherous thought came anew, halting me in my tracks. She didn’t seem all that happy to see me flying again. Perchance she hoped my injury would keep me grounded permanently, so she could continue to dote on me? Keep me weak? Keep me from my very DESTINY? My face contorted into a snarl. “What… no!” I shook my head violently, recoiling at the very thought. “Wind Whistler would never do that! She knows how much flying means to me! She would never wish such ill upon me!” I sat back and clutched my head, only to give a derisive snort. And how do YOU know that? the thought came, yet again, all the more aggravating for the fact ’twas somehow me, yet not. You can’t see inside her head, can you? “No, of course not…” I said reflexively, then paused. The part of myself I had been arguing with seemed different, now. As though… I looked down at the amulet resting against my chest, and suddenly Wind Whistler’s warning about dark magic took on a new light. “You!” I seethed, rage building in me at what this thing had done to my mind. ‘Twas a great guilt I felt as well, for not having noticed until after wounding my friend, who was continuing to bleed out in front of me. “You caused me to do this!” She was holding you back, the voice, no longer sounding like my own thoughts, said. If anything, it now sounded like a particularly malevolent stallion speaking. She, Windshear, the Captain of the Guard, even your weak and worthless Princess… all of them are chains that will weigh you down and prevent you from rising to your rightful place! “My ‘rightful place’?!” I snarled, not noticing my eyes changing colors between red and my regular purple with each shift of my thoughts. “My place is in the Guard! My place is beside Wind Whistler! You had no right to try and take her from me!” I clutched at my head, trying to ward off the voice and evil thoughts it fed me. You have a greater destiny than being a mere guard! the voice replied, starting to sound angry. You are a pegasus unlike any before you! You could defeat not just your Sergeant but your very Princess! You could rule Equestria ITSELF! It told me, and I knew its words were true. “But only with your aid,” I spat as I looked at the broken form of Wind Whistler. “Which would cost me hers. Her love and friendship is what got me this far in the first place! I shalt not sacrifice her friendship for my gain… or yours!” So you wouldst give up your dreams for one pony’s ‘friendship’? it mocked. Such things are abstract and unreliable. Fleeting and foalish. Your power is REAL! “Again, only with your aid,” I growled as I lifted my forehooves. “And if this is the price of it, ’tis wanted no longer!” I reached for the clasp behind my back. As I reached, though, my forelegs froze. NO! the voice raged, my limbs suddenly freezing in place, any attempt to move them producing a sharp, even crippling stab of pain through my limbs. I have waited centuries for a suitable host and I will NOT be denied! Not by A MERE FLYER! “’A mere flyer’?” Of all the words whatever abomination that inhabited the amulet might have said, that was the one thing guaranteed to enrage me more. “Methinks I’ll show you what this ‘mere flyer’ is capable of!” I swore as I overrode the pain and willed my hooves to move to the clasp, ignoring the imparted agony the action brought me. They did so, albeit slowly, as though the air had turned into molasses. “So much for being able to rule Equestria,” I managed to chuckle despite my pain, laughing through a weak yet triumphant smile. Sensing itself losing ground, the voice’s tone changed. No! STOP! If you keep me, I can help her right here, right now! it pleaded. I’ll heal her! ’Tis an easy feat! And you needn’t worry about hurting her again! “I would never have worried about it in the first place, had I never placed you around my neck!” I hissed out through my pain, as my hooves finally found the clasp. Undoing it, I began lifting the amulet away, feeling it cling desperately to my fur and flesh. “A dark artifact such as you should never have seen the light of day! Begone!” I cried as I broke free of its invisible shackles and, the pain gone, hurled it with all my might. It struck a tree some forty hooves away, and fell to the dirt. Exhausted from the battle of wills and bereft of the power boost the amulet had given me, I now fought to remain standing. Weakly, I pulled out an emergency medical flare all recruits were given (for even in ‘safe’ field exercises, accidents can and do happen), and lit it. It shot off into the air, and I watched it explode with a bright flash and boom far over the treeline. My task done, I collapsed to my knees next to my dear friend, strength spent. Unable to stand, I crawled over and pulled her limp form into an embrace, trying to staunch the bleeding wound with pressure from my hoof. “I’m here, Whistler,” I whispered, as even the last dregs of my strength drained away. “It’ll be okay…” I fought to keep myself awake for what seemed like hours, but was in reality no more than a few minutes. Who should come swooping in on an pegasus-pulled ambulance chariot but Sergeant Bone Deep, with an entire medical team from the training base in tow. He stopped short on seeing me. “Recruit, what—?” he started. I motioned weakly to Whistler. “Treat her first,” I croaked, my voice raw. Then I pointed a shaky hoof at the amulet. “Dark artifact. D-Dangerous… don’t touch… keep… secure…” The last vestiges of my strength evaporated as I spoke, and the world went dark around me. An Unexpected Arrival ‘Twas well after sunset when I left the Royal trappings of Canterlot behind and arrived at the town of Spur. Perchance I could have teleported there, but there were times I enjoyed the freedom of flight and the feeling of the wind against my wings; others when I simply wished to be alone with my thoughts. Upon arriving, my magic easily defeated the anti-intrusion enchantments that guarded the perimeter, and an invisibility spell allowed me to glide in unseen. I had in fact been to Fort Spur many times before, but this time, my interest was far more personal. I knew the base well enough from the numerous tours and graduation ceremonies I had attended, and made my way immediately for the infirmary. Perchance the head healer, Sergeant Bone Deep, initially thought he was hearing things when he heard hoofsteps outside his office late that night, only to open his door and find nopony there. But he had not made Guardspony or Sergeant because he was weak or stupid; he sensed spellcasting in the air and knew instantly he wasn’t alone. Nopony except patients were supposed to be there at that hour, least of all me. “Who are you? Show yourself!” he ordered imperiously, his magical aura plucking two short blades from his day uniform pouches and spinning them menacingly before him. “As you wish.” I daresay the good Sergeant thought his career was at an end when I dispelled my invisibility shroud to reveal… myself, Princess Celestia, asking to see the ‘former amulet bearer’, now in his care. Trying to steady his shaking legs despite my reassurance, the Sergeant led me down the hallway of the infirmary to a private room where two mares now lay, one pink and one blue. Both were sleeping soundly though one was heavily bandaged; I couldn’t help but smile as I saw they were holding hooves between their cots. “This is her?” I asked Bone Deep quietly, looking down at the pink mare lying before me. “Yes, My Princess,” the still-stunned Sergeant confirmed with a low bow. “I see…” I replied, my expression troubled. Holding afternoon court, I had felt the surge of dark magic from afar and instantly recognized its source; an evil artifact I had thought destroyed centuries earlier—an oversight for which I was still berating myself, recognizing now that not one but two young mares had suffered for my foalish assumptions and carelessness. Still, I took some solace knowing that with the Alicorn Amulet now imprisoned within a magic-proof arcanocite lockbox and stored in the most secure of my private vaults, it could no longer ensnare new victims for its own ends. It chose its host carefully, yet poorly this time. ’Tis a great relief. For the destruction this young flyer could have wrought with its power… I shook my head, glad I had not been forced to intervene. For any battle between me and an amulet-possessed pony as strong as the pegasus mare sleeping before me would have caused great destruction, and likely ended in the host mare’s death. “Her name?” I asked Bone Deep. “F-Firefly, My Princess.” He bowed his head low as he answered, his tone nervous. “Perchance you have already heard of her—the first mare to attempt entry into the Armored Guard?” “Indeed?” The barest of smiles touched my face as I asked the Sergeant to detail all that had happened to the young pegasus. Somewhat reluctantly, Bone Deep did so, describing her initial demand for entry into the elite guard, her determination and fire, her battle of wills with one of my most decorated soldiers… and the duel she demanded with him that had nearly broken her body and spirit. “Except it did not,” I noted in some amazement, my expression turning to one of sympathy. “That she is here now and not under the amulet’s thrall is evidence enough of that.” “Perchance you are right, my princess…” Bone Deep spoke cautiously, clearly not wanting to contradict his regent, “but for all she has been through, I fear that no matter how much she may wish otherwise, she cannot continue her training,” he offered almost hopefully. “You are wrong, Sergeant. She can,” I stated with surety, causing the Guardspony healer and recruiter to cringe. “For the amulet would not have chosen her unless she had great power it could bend to its will. And yet, nor could she have thrown off its influence unless she possessed an even greater will… and love for her friend,” I further noted, nodding down at their held hooves. “If she could defeat such potent dark magic, ’tis certain she can overcome the harsh training of the Armored Guard. Please keep me apprised of her status and progress, Sergeant. And methinks it best you not tell her or anypony else I was here,” I finished, though my tone made clear it was less a request than an order. For if she is truly to become the first Armored Guardsmare, she must not be seen as favored in any way… I kept the thought to myself. Though somewhat startled by the instruction, the Guardspony recruiting Sergeant and healer bowed his head obediently. “Of course, my princess. I will speak of this to nopony.” Satisfied, I nodded and departed, reengaging my invisibility spell as soon as I stepped outside, but not before casting one lingering look back at the young mare now sleeping soundly in her cot. Well, young Firefly... you may have lost your duel, but methinks there is clearly something quite special about you for the battle you DID win! I knew even then as I spread my wings and took flight into the starry night under the light of my sister’s moon, a smile on my lips. Truly, you bear watching, my young friend. I shall follow your career… with great interest!