//------------------------------// // Chapter 13. Tempest in the Desert // Story: The Epsilon Pegasus // by Sparky Brony //------------------------------// “I need to stay with my ship! I order you to take me to the bridge!” Blue Lagoon weakly shouts with all the strength she can muster, squirming on her stretcher as it is carried by two enlisted sailors. Doctor Schorche Gundlach chuckles, shaking his head at his captain. “You are ordering the one person on this ship who can legally give you orders, Captain. And the answer is no. Your XO can handle the situation until the Enterprise shows up. You trust Admiral Morris, right?” She grumbles for a few moments, giving Schorche a glare full of venom. “You are full of yourself, aren’t you, Doctor?” He rubs her cheek for a moment as he walks next to the stretcher. “Yes, when I have to be.” Blue sighs, closing her eyes and composing herself, then leans over and looks at me. “Loopy, thank you.” I frown, ears folding back. “What did I do?” “By guaranteeing the protection of the science team, and getting the ponies on the island to consent to actual talks with those contesting it, you have helped defuse the situation.” She leans back on the stretcher. “With luck, they’ll either be admitted to one of the nations as citizens, or they’ll sign a treaty and ponies will have their own little part of Equestria on Earth.” “You mean other than the portal complex.” Dust chimes in. Blue nods as the sailors bring her onto a C-2, then take a moment to secure the stretcher. Moon Shadow and Dust find seats and get comfortable. Blue gestures to me, asking, “So… which way do you think they will go?” I shake my head. “I’m not certain. Japan had just deported them, they know the Thais want them only for the island, and China… who knows what they’re thinking.” She nods again. “You have a pretty good grasp on things, Loopy.” She looks at Dust with a soft smile. “Better watch out for this one. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.” I look at Dust, who is nodding, and back at Blue, who’s smiling at me. “I didn’t do anything.” I whine. Kendra comes up and hugs me with a smile of her own. “You did awesome, Loopy.” I find a seat and look around. The Greyhound is slowly lifted up to the flight deck and I watch through the windows as it is taxied over to the catapult. The engines spin up as everyone holds their breath for just a moment before the catapult launches us into the air. I watch Dust as we get airborne, who relaxes into her seat as the wings take over. Dust catches me looking at her, and she turns her head curiously. “Dust, you need to go flying more often.” I say. She flares out a wing, then she shakes her head. “You mean in your plane?” I nod. “That might be fun. We’ve done it a couple of times.” I nod again. “I know, but watching you… you are most comfortable in the air.” *** “Daddy, I really don’t like this.” Dizzy moans. He puts an arm around the little unicorn. “Sweetie, it’s the fastest way to get to Hawaii, and we are flying with the 912th airlift wing. They fly ponies all the time! You don’t need to worry.” “Yes, she needs to worry! This is all wrong!” Zap Apple moans. She and Berry both have their wings extended a bit. “It feels so wrong! We need to go with the air currents, not bull through them!” Admiral Peter Morgan (retired) reaches over and ruffles Zap Apple’s mane. “Don’t worry, little one. The Air Force has been flying ponies around for years.” He leans back and closes his eyes. “They have an excellent safety record.” Dizzy hoofs at her ears, both of them twitching madly. “It’s like an insect has crawled into my brain and is buzzing around inside my skull.” She mutters. *** “You are an animal.” Lightning Storm pants. “I’m not the one on four legs, you know!” Steven replies, his body covered in sweat. She leans over and kisses him, then she pulls away with a soft smile. “You know what I mean.” He wraps his arms around her and brings her closer. She lays her head on his chest, enjoying the rapid pace of his heartbeat. After a long time, he speaks up. “So, what are we going to do?” She lifts her head and looks at him. “This isn’t some government funded thing. We don’t have a lot of government restrictions here. We can have a relationship… nobody will care. We don’t have to fill out any forms. We don’t have to follow any rules imposed by our bosses.” He sighs. “It’s so different from university work… or government projects. I remember having to fill out so many forms to get anything done. It’s kind of refreshing.” She giggles with a gentle smile. “I’ve never done any government jobs, but I was hired on not just because of my magic, but because I had ideas to take things in new directions.” His arm tenses as he hugs her tighter. “And you have. We are so close to actually getting flying with the new engines.” “The proving tests with pegasus-controlled engines are in four days. The test ship is in orbit now.” She looks down for a moment, then hesitantly asks, “Want to come up to the ship with me? You can stay on the station during the test flight.” Steven looks unsure for a moment, then wistful. “You mean I’ll be able to ride the sky hook?” She nods. “Yes. It’s been in operation for three years now. They took the pieces of the test ship up on it. They’re the older engine design, so about a dozen pegasi will have to be on board. We are going to go to the moon, set down at the base there, spend four days offloading supplies, then head home. It’s just a cargo run.” He snorts, looking away from Lightning. “A cargo run for the most capable space ship humanity and ponydom have been able to produce.” She hoofs him in a sensitive place. “The chemical rockets used to set up the base took three times as long—and cost a hundred times as much—as this trip is.” “What did you mean, opening the stars?” She looks at him, confused. “After the test of the new prototype engines, you said all we need to do is open up the stars?” She looks thoughtful for a moment, then smiles. “To visit the nearest star system, even with the prototype engines working perfectly, would take decades, if not centuries. And that’s not counting time dilation! We need to go faster than that.” He furrows his brow. “Faster than light drive?” She nods excitedly. “You’ve looked at the math. Scientists have been speculating that it should be possible to exceed the speed of light, because we would be manipulating space itself. The math says it’s possible… we need to work towards that!” “I agree the math says it’s possible, but do you actually think there is a way for us to do it?” She nods and hugs him tighter. “We need to explore. We need to open up the stars.” *** “Momeeeeeeeee!” Dizzy calls as she launches herself forward, her aura enveloping her small frame as she lifts off the floor and streaks to Blue Lagoon. Blue catches her daughter and nuzzles her warmly, unable to stop a huge smile from breaking out across her muzzle. “Oh Dizzy, I’m so glad you’re here!” She looks at the human with her foals, her eyes turning gentle. “Hi, honey.” She smiles weakly. “You’ve been a little rough with my ship, I hear!” he says with mock bluster as he plants a kiss next to her horn. She huffs, her eyes sliding away from his for a brief moment. “The Reagan is my ship now.” He raises his hands. “I know, I know… but apparently not for long. I’ve been talking to some friends at the Pentagon. You did the impossible, and while the Reagan is damaged, you prevented a total loss, with no casualties on your ship. Though some guys got banged around a bit.” She nods. “I know.” Her ears fall. “I had to. You know that, right?” He nods as he gently smooths her mane with his hand. “From what I’ve heard, I wouldn’t be surprised if you got a medal or two out of it. And a promotion.” Her eyes shrink to pinpricks. “Take me away from the ocean?” He laughs. “I think they’ll station you at Pearl. Don’t worry, love. They won’t take you away from what makes you special.” She breathes a big sigh and tightens her hold on Dizzy, enjoying the feel of her foal. After a few moments, she looks up. “What about the rest of the herd?” “They’re here, but we wanted to see how you were before everypony came in. Are you ready?” She nods. “Always, for my family.” *** The tires of the Gulfstream squeal as the plane sets down, waking me from what little sleep I’ve been able to garner during this flight. I pop my head up as the plane slows, and before long we are at the general aviation terminal. Dust heaves herself out of her seat and slowly walks to the door. She gets off the stairs before a silver light trail impacts with her. I look over, seeing that Mischief has her mother pinned and is hugging her tightly, with tears in her eyes. “Oh Mom!” she moans, “I was so worried about you.” I smile at Mischief when a voice pipes up next to me, “They didn’t tell us much. Just that the ship was involved in some kind of incident. Do you know what happened?” I look at the pony next to me, remembering what we were told on the flight back, “I’m sorry, Zeddicus, but I can’t tell much. They pushed the rules pretty hard there.” His ears fall and he looks over at Mischief, who is busily nuzzling and hugging her mother. He smiles wistfully. “Momma Irony wanted to go, but Momma Dust only was allowed a couple of guests.” He taps me gently on the withers. “Though I’m glad you and Kendra got to go.” I nuzzle the large stallion, telling him, “Thank you for thinking of me.” which elicits a blush from him. *** It’s a lovely, bright summer day in my plane, though after a couple of hours in the air, it’s time to land. I line up, visualizing my glide slope. As the shoreline of Lake Luna passes underneath me, I quickly feel the plane gently touch onto the water, then pull back on the throttles and let the water claim my speed. I push the button to deploy my trolling motor, shut down the engines, and let the trolling motor take over. I push the left rudder pedal to turn left. I did like the original design for controlling the rudder and the tail wheel, but I think it works better with the rudder pedals for control. I turn next to the dock and reverse slowly into my spot, sparing a glance at my fuel gauges along the way and seeing that I’ll need a fill up soon. Dust came through on her promise about the fuel tank for my plane, and it’s right next to the one she has installed for her boat. As I climb out of the cockpit, I briefly consider filling up, but I wonder if Dust would want to do some flying with me, so I trot down the dock and walk through the back door. When I get to her office door, I see that it’s closed. It’s very rarely closed—usually only when Dust has visitors—so I raise my hoof to knock. “No, No, No. The danger is too much.” I hear Dust’s voice, causing me to pause. Another voice responds quietly and, feeling curious, I shift closer and put my ear to the door. I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but I need to know what’s going on. “Little one, you haven’t been able to walk the sky for twenty years. It’s time.” “I can hang glide!” comes the savage retort. “I can fly in an airplane! In fact, one of the newest ponies to change… she’s modified her airplane for ponies to fly it. She said she’ll take me up anytime I want.” That gets a smile from me. The voice gets even quieter. “That’s no substitute for your own wings.” I hear a bang, and guess that Dust slammed a hoof onto her desk. “I am not going to be manipulated by you, old man.” A moment of silence passes, then she continues, “I know what you have done for many ponies, even ponies that have nearly been lost, and I thank you for it.” More silence. When her voice resumes, it sounds like she’s holding back tears. “But I will not ask you to sacrifice your own life. Not for me; not for anypony.” Once again, silence falls over the other side of the door. After what feels like minutes, I bring my hoof up to knock before hearing the voice say, “Think, Lightning Dust.” I silently put my hoof back down. “In a very short time, I will be gone, and nothing can change that. I can die peacefully in my sleep, or I can die helping you. My choice is to help you. Either way, I will be dead. One way, you will fly again; the other, you will not.” Dust’s voice is very quiet. “There is no guarantee it will work. What if you do that? You sacrifice yourself for me… and yet, I’m still unable to fly?” The other voice speaks up. “At least I will have tried; I will have done my best. I count it worth the cost.” A long sigh. “Is it okay if I think about it?” “Yes, please think about it. Talk to your family. Talk to those that the magic has touched… but think quickly. I return home tonight, and I would like to have the spirit fire tomorrow night. I have the preparations done. All you have to do is show up.” Another sigh, and I hear movement before Dust’s words turn a bit muffled. “Thank you, Grandfather.” I knock on the door, which opens at my first tap—it must not have been securely latched. I see Dust up on her hind legs, with her forelegs and wings around a very old man. His long white hair and dark skin jump out at me, and I smile. “Uhh… hi?” Dust clears her throat, but doesn’t move. “Hi, Loopy. How long have you been there?” The old man speaks, “Long enough to hear what we were talking about.” He looks at me with a slightly impish smirk, not a trace of anger on his face. “What do you think, young one?” I feel myself blush, though I try to look innocent. “I think you should make the best decision for yourself, Dust. If he’s willing to help, perhaps you should accept his offer.” The older mare drops onto all fours and the old man comes over to me, kneeling down and peering into my eyes. After a long time looking into my soul, it feels like, he speaks. “This one loves you… reveres you. You are very special to this one, Lightning Dust. She must be there.” I wilt, my ears flatting as I look at Lightning Dust, but she smiles fondly. “Loopy here was a student just before Discord took us. She is very special, and I told her she was.” The old man looks at me, his eyes squinting ever so slightly. “Would you risk yourself for her?” My eyes go wide. I look at Dust, then back at him. “Of course.” I find myself saying, “I’d do anything for her.” He smiles as he stands up. “We fly out tonight. Blaze has gotten a chariot for us to fly home. We can have the spirit fire tomorrow night.” Dust’s ears fall flat. “Hold on, Grandfather. I haven’t made a decision yet.” He steps over to her, running a finger along her left ear and getting it to twitch. “Yes, you have, Dust. You just have to make your peace with it.” He walks slowly out the door and down the hall. I watch him leave then turn and look at Dust, whose ear keeps twitching in the silence. The reason I was coming to see her is forgotten, so I ask, “How does he do that?” Dust smirks at me as she moves over to her desk. She hops up in the chair, and tells me with a shrug, “He’s Grandfather.” I sit up in the other chair, eyes wide. “He’s going to give you your flight back?” She flinches, her ears twitching wildly. “He says he can with the help of many pegasi. He’s convinced that it can be done.” I look down. “Do you believe him?” She shrugs her wings. “He’s done things that I think are flat out impossible before, so…” She looks at the empty doorway for a long time. “Yeah, I think he can.” I look at her, holding an even gaze. “Then you should, Dust.” She turns and looks out the window. “The last time he did his magic, it very nearly killed him. He called on the magic of harmony… maybe not the elements themselves, but you never know. His spirit fires open to Equestria, but it was very hard for him. He will likely die in the attempt.” I think furiously. “He said that he was dying anyway.” “He’s nearly a hundred, Loopy.” “If his dying wish is to help you, Dust, you should let him.” “What if it doesn’t work? What if he gives his life for nothing?” She folds her wings around herself. “I don’t think I could live with that guilt.” I cock my head to the side, still holding my gaze at her. “He said the attempt is worth it.” I furrow my brow. “I think he is happier with the attempt than he would be if he didn’t try.” Dust looks thoughtful, and I add, “Dust, he wants to help. You should let him.” She looks across the desk at me at me, her ears down and her eyes huge. I nod in response to her unasked question. A knock interrupts. Dust shakes her head for a moment, then looks up at the door. “Come in.” I watch her face brighten as the door opens, then I turn to look at the new arrival, only to be tackled before I see anypony. After flipping over, I end up on my back with a pony on top of me. I look at the brilliant white face with its halo of silver mane. “Hiya, Loopy! What you doing here?” Mischief calls out happily. I look into her gold eyes, then up at Dust. She shakes her head slightly, so I smile back at Mischief. “I actually came over here to invite Dust to go flying with me.” “Oh, that sounds awesome. For mom that is.” She smiles, then spreads her wings. “I’d rather fly with my own wings.” I shake my head. “Most of the time, I agree with that, but that plane is fun to fly. Even as a pegasus, I love flying it.” Mischief sighs and pokes at my wings. “Are you sure you’re a pegasus, Loopy?” I swipe her hoof away and shift out from underneath her. “Yes, Mischief, I’ve got the wings and everything.” She takes to the air and swipes at my ear. “But I’ve never heard of a pegasus that actually likes being inside a tin can.” I flick my ears a few times, then stick my tongue out at her. “Only if I’m flying it.” Mischief settles into a seat and looks at Dust. “Fair enough.” She looks at the other ponies, who have filtered in behind her. They are all of the foals of the herd, at least the first wave: Mischief, Rinoa, Rydia, Zeddicus, Dot, and Cloud Burst. A human steps in as well. I look at him, trying to remember his name. “I guess you are wondering why I called you all here.” Dust says, eliciting a chorus of groans as she leans back in her chair and clops her forehooves together like a movie villain. “Seriously, Dad? That old joke?” the human says. Dust giggles at him, dropping the awkward pose. “It works, Dylan, but where’s Hannah?” Dylan shrugs. “She said she might not be able to get here. She’s got a class going on. She said go ahead.” Dust grumbles a bit in response. “I wanted all of you to hear this at the same time.” I hop off the chair. “This is family business. I’ll go.” “Stop, Loopy.” Dust says, her eyes boring into me, “You need to hear this too.” The look on her face brooks no argument, so I hop back into the chair and sit, watching her. She sits there for a long time then puts both hooves on her desk. “When Discord hit us, I was twenty-two years old.” She looks around at all of us. “Then I spent thirty-five years as a human, and now, another twenty-five years as a pony once again.” Her ears fall. “The last twenty or so, I’ve been unable to fly.” She goes silent for a long time, then sighs and continues, “I’m old, and I’m tired.” Her children all look at one another, then at her before Zed speaks up. “Mom, you aren’t all that old. You’ve got a lot of years left.” She smiles sardonically. “Well, that may be true, but I feel old.” I see a few tears drop from the corners of her eyes. “I’m so damned tired.” Dylan looks around, worry in his eyes. “So, what are you going to do? Go to a nursing home?” Dust stares back at Dylan, and it looks as though she’s about to get angry, then she notices the smile on his face. “Oh, you scamp.” She chuckles, then looks at all of us. “I’ve been talking to the rest of the herd. We are going back to Equestria, and you all have a choice: come with me, or stay behind and take up the burdens of what I’ve been doing for the last twenty-five years.” Mischief speaks up. “The burden?” Dust smiles. “As you know, I’ve had to set up a holding company to keep track of all the companies that I’ve started over the years. I am hoofing the reins of that company over to you all.” Mischief’s ears fall. She looks at Rinoa and Rydia, then over to Zed, then back at her mom. “But I’ve got my own pots boiling… sixty hour weeks are a norm for me. I fly all over the world, and I certainly don’t want to have to handle everything you do as well.” Rinoa, Rydia, and Zed all nod, with Zed adding, “We are busy already, Mom.” Dust narrows her eyes. “You are aware that I’m hoofing over an empire to you worth literally billions of dollars?” Mischief growls. “And that much responsibility! I know that for years you’ve been the one to answer the call when you are needed. I’ve helped with that… we all have! But for Celestia’s sake, Mom, I don’t want that to be my life full time. I’ve got enough going on.” Cloud Burst speaks up. “I was wondering why Momma Mindy went through the portal yesterday.” He looks at his sister. “Dot and I are going through the portal with you. We’ve wanted to visit Equestria for a long time.” Dust looks at all the ponies and humans. “Dylan?” Dylan smiles, gently shaking his head. “Gold and I aren’t doing as well as you have been, but we are more than comfortable. I’ve got enough going on that I don’t want any more responsibility, especially without consulting Gold and Strawberry.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Dad.” I look around at all the ponies there, then I look at Dust. She looks at a loss for words, just sitting there shaking her head. Finally she says, “I’m not going to leave this in the hooves of a stranger, but I am going. Nothing is stopping that.” “Let Loopy do it.” I look around. Who said that? Eight pairs of eyes focus on me, causing me to wilt. “What? Me?” Dust smiles, casting her gaze on me. “You know, that just might be a good idea, there.” “Huh?” I gasp, “Me?” Dust looks around at all of the ponies, then focuses on me. “How about this: you will all be on the board, and you will all debate the big decisions that I’ve been doing for the last twenty-five years, but Loopy here will make the tactical decisions. She’ll make all the day to day decisions that you don’t want.” She smiles. “So my company will stay in the family, but we will have somepony that is trustworthy to take up for me.” Mischief launches off her seat and does a loop in the air above us all. I hear her hooves clatter on the ceiling at the apex of her stunt. “That’s brilliant, Mom! Absolutely brilliant!” I look at Mischief, then at Dust. “But…” Zeddicus hops off the chair and comes up and hugs me. “Oh, Loopy. You’ll do great.” *pomf* I look back at my wings, then at Zed, who is blushing furiously. “Oh… sorry.” He murmurs, then looks at me seriously. “You really are perfect for this, Loopy. Mom took on the role because she didn’t see anypony else stepping up. She did it because she was the best one to do that job.” He smiles. “Just like you are perfect for this.” “But…” I’m able to whisper. Zed nuzzles me. “Loopy, you can do it. And we will be here when you need help.” I look at Dust, who is smiling at me, and ask her, “Are you sure, Dust?” She nods. *** The chariot lands with members of Dust’s herd, followed promptly by the flock of pegasi joining in the attempt who have flown over from New Beginnings and elsewhere. I trot around, swiveling my head all over. There are a lot of pegasi here! Then I see one who I never thought I would ever see again. I flash forward, bowling her over in my excitement. “Ohmygosh! Rainbow Dash! How did you get here?” The cyan pegasus looks at me blankly. “Do I…” she starts. “Loop De Loop, from Junior Speedsters Camp! Just before Discord!” I shout happily, tail thrashing back and forth behind me. She looks befuddled, then her eyes brighten. “Loopy? Discord got you too?” My ears fall and I nod. “Yes, on June first of 2020.” She looks confused. “But we went through the portal…” Then her ears fall. “It was you! You distracted him.” I cock my head to the side. “Huh?” She puts a hoof to my chest cueing me to get off of her. She stands up onto her hooves, then hugs me tightly. “I’ve always wondered… he was so powerful. I never understood how he didn’t immediately start in on us when we went through the portal! Now I know why!” She pulls away, only to put both forehooves on my cheeks. “It was because of you, Loopy! You distracted him! You kept him busy so we could get through the portal and be ready for him!” She again pulls me tightly into a hug. “Oh my gosh, thank you, Loopy! Without you, we would never had succeeded in taking back Equestria!” I find myself being whirled about in Rainbow Dash’s hooves. All I can do is grin. “Rainbow, who is that you’re twirling about?” comes a deep masculine voice. I’m rushed down to the ground and all I see is a huge red stallion. “Oh, Big Mac, this is Loop De Loop. She distracted Discord when we went through the portal the first time. She was cursed like we were.” The earth pony looks thoughtful then holds out a hoof. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Loop.” I tentatively shake the proffered hoof, telling him, “Loopy is fine.” and get a smile in return. My ears fall. “But I thought you were all in Equestria.” Rainbow supplies the answer, telling me, “When we got the message that we could help Lightning Dust get her flight back, I wrote back, saying I was so in. And then Twilight did her magic on the portal and it opened…” She smiles. “Then she put a magic field around all of us as we went through so we wouldn’t change. Then we dashed over here! I had to help my old wing pony.” I turn around, seeing the assembled crowd of ponies that had come up behind us as we spoke. “Oh, all of you are here!” Twilight Sparkle is there, along with Fluttershy, Rarity, Shining Armor, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. Even the young drake, Spike, is standing there, his eyes wide as he looks at all of the assembled ponies. I was a casual watcher of the show and I know who they are, though I can’t believe I’m sitting there with all of them. Rainbow Dash flits around, telling them of what I had apparently done, and soon I’ve got them all around me, smiling at me, giving me hugs, and thanking me for what I had done. Finally, they move away. I can see a fire has been built, and drummers are getting ready for whatever magic that Grandfather will be making happen soon. I turn away from the fire, seeing that the sun still well above the horizon, so I know that I’ve got a little bit of time. I move around, looking at all the ponies here… and it hits me. They are all here for Dust. That is amazing. I move up to one pegasus and introduce myself with, “Hi! I’m Loop De Loop!” The pegasus looks at me, then cocks his head at my enthusiasm and offers a hoof. “Twilight Bolt.” “How do you know Lightning Dust?” He chuckles. “Mom and Dad. That’s Twilight Velvet and Rainbow Blaze. Dust has been a friend of the family since before I was born and Dad’s going to be helping in the ceremony. My sister would love to help, too, but she’s a unicorn, so she can’t.” He smiles at that. I must look dumbfounded, but he continues, “I’ve been talking to a lot of the ponies going.” He points to one. “That’s Strawberry Sunrise. She was saved by mom, and ended up going to New Beginnings before the city was even founded. In fact, she’s herding with Dust’s human son, Dylan.” He shifts his stance, pointing to another pony. “That’s Ginger Crisp. She met Dust in the early days after the ponies changed, and helped her set up the New Pony Express. That mare is a millionaire because of Lightning Dust.” He gestures at another pegasus, some yards away. “And that’s Feather Pinch. She was raised by Twilight Velvet after she was put here as a small foal by Discord. She feels about Dust the exact same way I do. She’s a member of our family, almost.” “I’ve met her.” I say quietly, getting a smile from him. Twilight Bolt nods. “Every pegasus here has had their lives changed, for the better, by Lightning Dust. When we found out she needed help, we answered the call.” I look around, seeing that pegasi everywhere are moving up to Dust, though she looks extremely uncomfortable with all the ponies there. I move closer and see that she’s talking to a white pegasus, with two other pegasi crowded up with the white one. Dust is smiling. “White Lightning! I’m always glad to see you! And you as well, Jet Streams!” She smiles, then waves at the other pegasus. “Hi, Drizzle!” She gets a wave back. The pegasus who Dust had called White Lightning flicks her tail, then pokes Dust on the snout gently. “Dust, when we were contacted, telling us the possibility for us to help you fly again, you know we jumped at it.” Dust hugs herself with her wings. “You really didn’t have to.” White Lightning waves a hoof dismissively. “That is utter nonsense, Lightning Dust. Look around—a lot of ponies came here for you. Hell, even Surprise showed up. All the ponies that know you have come. We have to help you, and you know it!” I move up next to Dust, putting a wing over her. She’s wilting under White Lightning’s words. “It’s dangerous to you. I shouldn’t have come.” Dust moans. I nuzzle her. “Dust, these ponies have some knowledge of what you are going through. You lost something very special, something nopony here could really, truly understand deep in their bones. You need this. You are a creature of the air. I saw your face as we took off from Lake Luna. I saw how you were helping me relearn to fly with my own wings… you lost a big part of yourself. We are willing to do what is necessary to help you get it back.” I look over at the three pegasi, who all are nodding at my words. I smile at them. “I’m Loopy.” Drizzle moves forward, addressing me. “That was a very nice thing you said, Loopy.” She looks significantly at Dust. “And you should take her words to heart. We are here for you.” I get a nuzzle from Dust. “Thanks, Loopy.” Star Shine comes up and puts a wing over both of us. “They are getting ready. They need you, Dust.” Dust gets up, kissing Star Shine briefly, yet intensely. “Then I will get going.” Star Shine sits down, his wings fighting to stay at his sides. We watch Dust amble slowly away. He leans over to me, saying, “She tried to hide it, you know.” I frown in confusion. He smiles. “At first, she said she had magical exhaustion, but after about a week, I asked her to go flying with me, and she said, ‘Maybe another time.’ It took us about a month to figure out that she hadn’t gotten off the ground once. Add in that Star Crossed showed up a couple of times but didn’t talk to us much. Then, we noticed that she wasn’t in the air at all, even travelling someplace. Before she died, she usually flew herself, but when she was brought back? She was always on the chariot with us. She had stopped flitting around.” He laughs. “You should have seen her reaction when Irony asked if she could fly.” “She blew up?” He chuckles again, shaking his head. “Oh, yes. Tears… shouting… sobbing. She was trying to get healed, before she had to accept that it couldn’t be done. She had to fully accept it herself before she could admit it to us.” That gets a giggle out of me. I’ve only known Dust for a couple of months in this world, but her personality—her drive, the pony she is—has sucked me in. It helps, too, that the kids of her herd have become good friends so far. I look around, finally telling him. “There are a lot of ponies here.” Star nods. “Dust has been a very busy mare. She’s helped a lot of ponies, many times risking herself in the process.” I find myself leaning against the older stallion, and getting a wing over me, I snuggle closer. “Thank you, Star.” He leans his cheek on the top of my head, and says with a small chuckle, “No problem, Loopy. We are always here for our little ponies.” “Oy, there’s a lot of pegasi here.” Comes a familiar voice, quickly followed by a feathery hug assault. “Heya, Loopy!” I look over at the brilliant white face. “Mischief!” She smiles. “When I found out about this, I talked to mum. She expressly forbade me from coming.” Star Shine glowers at her. “She was right, Mischief. This is dangerous. The ponies here know the risk, and came anyway…” Mischief interrupts him. “All the more reason for me to be here, Dad. I don’t really remember any time where mum was able to fly. I was too young when she lost her flight.” Her normally ever-present smile is replaced by a serious look. “I am… at home in the air. So are you, and so is every pegasus here. Mum hasn’t been able to fly in about twenty years. She needs this, and if I can help? I will. So it’s dangerous. It’s worth it if it helps her.” Star looks at her a long time, then he shifts a bit to look where Dust was taken, then back at Mischief. “You have a good point, but I guarantee you that your mom isn’t going to be happy about this.” Mischief snorts. “I’m helping my mum, and nopony is going to stop me.” She fixes him with a steely glare. Star sighs. “I know, Mischief. I’m just letting you know.” She smiles brightly, suddenly back to her usual, smiley self. Some yards away at the ceremonial circle, a drum starts to be beaten. Star stands up, folding his wings at his side, and motions toward the group with his head. “They are starting. Time to get in position.” All the pegasi move slowly to surround the fire as just a single drum is being beaten. I can see the drum: it’s enormous, and more men are moving into position to beat it as well. We all end up in a loose circle around the fire. The other drummers start, pounding out a slow beat—the other humans have smaller hand drums they start to work. They are making the rhythm, the harmony, that will drive the ceremony. The heartbeat of the ritual, powerful and true, gives the magic the energy that it needs to live. As more humans join the drummers, the tempo starts to level out and grow in intensity. I find myself shifting a bit in time with the drum. Its energy is affecting me, and seems to be affecting everypony else around, too. A few hooves are starting to beat to the drum. Finally, Lightning Dust is brought out, looking very different than I saw her last. On her face is a painted mask, making the turquoise fur of her face brilliant white. Other colors—red and blue—are painted in circles on her withers. One big circle is around her cutie mark, with marks touching where her wings attach to her body. She sits down next to the fire, roughly in the center of the circle. She looks around, her eyes wide at all the ponies and the humans gathered together. I watch her sniff; her eyes are bright with tears. The chanting begins. It’s an ancient song to the great spirits: a song of hope and rebirth, and a song of sacrifice both personal and epic. Its words are in the ancient language, and I can’t understand them, but at the same time, I can feel them… I recognize them on a primal level. I swivel my head, looking at the humans singing. Each of the singers knows the words, calling them out as they call for the spirits to aid them. The Hopi dancers come out, dressed in the ancient costumes. Representations of the spirits of air, of the great animals. They parade around the group, their feet slamming into the ground in time with the drum beats. Many of these dancers have done the same dance for decades, handed down for generations and kept alive in the face of ever-growing technology. As the beat grows, I find myself starting to respond to the music, and a quick look around tells me I’m not the only one. My hooves are moving of their own volition—more than simply shifting with the rhythm, my hooves are now drumming in time with this ethereal beat. My ears flick as I hear more sets of hooves drum in time as well. We are all pounding out the beat on the ground with our forelegs. A charge of energy begins to fill the air, and my feathers puff out in response. I can see Rainbow Dash, one of the strongest pegasi here, magically. Her wings snap out, but she doesn’t seem aware of it. I can feel my wings slowly extend, too, and soon all of the pegasi are stomping, their wings held wide. I can feel my magic—the aether crackles between my feathers—and wide eyes from all of the pegasi around tell me they are experiencing the same things I am. Our magic is resonating with that of the ritual. Grandfather slowly moves over to Dust, next to the fire. He taps his rattle and throws some herbs into the fire, causing it to roar to life to life. The flames carry images of the Everfree Forest… of Cloudsdale and the pegasi… of Baltimare, and other great pony cities. Then, out of the flames, an image forms: a pegasus, dark blue with a yellow mane. She spreads her one wing and looks at Dust, her head held high in pride. I can hear Dust gasp as she sees the figure. “Mom.” I hear her murmur. Closing his eyes, Grandfather throws another handful of herbs into the fire. The image of a great stag spirit takes form in the flames. Head high, the image looks around at all gathered as a wind builds up, pulling air towards the fire. As the wind feeds them, giving them more strength, the flames grow higher and I feel a slight prick as a single feather is pulled from me. The plum colored feather joins other feathers, one pulled from each pegasus present: a single feather with a small charge of energy from each pegasus here. The feathers swirl and dance into the fire. This gets gasps from all assembled, I can feel why. A connection has been made: we are all connected now, magically. I can feel Dust in the middle, and feel tears fall down my face. I knew she was in pain, but the magnitude—the utter, grinding enormity of it—stuns me. Dust looks around at all of us in wonder. I think she knows we can feel her, feel each other. As she looks around, I see a green flow of energy travel towards the rattle in grandfather’s hands and envelope the old man. The heart seed inside the rattle is calling to the energy, gathering and channeling it before releasing it back out. The area is filled with light. An explosion of rainbow energy flows from the zap apple seeds and from the heart seed inside the rattle. The rainbow fills the air with aether as it flies to Lighting Dust, wrapping around her like her own mother’s wings and lifting her off the ground, dancing within her feathers. As we all stare in wonder, we see each and every feather in Dust’s wings glow with lights of their own. I have to gasp… the connection is being used, and I feel my magic being pulled from me, through the rattle, and into Dust. I watch intently as the magic courses through her. Her color shifts, from the faded turquoise that I’ve always seen known her coat to be to a brilliant hue. Something snaps in my head, and I realize… this is how she was back in Equestria. This is how she was meant to be. The pressure builds, grows, and becomes almost painful. With one last powerful blast of light, the energy begins to fade, slowly setting Lighting Dust back down onto the ground. I blink a few times, then I hear Dust gasp. Grandfather lay motionless on the ground on the other side of the fire. Dust flashes forward with unreal speed to his body, tears running down her face as she tries to sit him up into her forelegs. The image of a pure white stag stands over them. Powerful and strong, the stag glows with silver and white light. In the distance, the screech of an owl fills the air as the fire dances with images of deer, elk, and caribou. With one nod to Lighting Dust, the stag turns and bows his head to Rainbow Blaze. No words are said… none need to be. The stag turns, walks into the fire, and is gone, leaving only embers behind. I fall to the ground as the hold on me is let go. After a long moment, I look around. Everypony is down, panting. I struggle to my hooves and move over to Lightning Dust. Her sobs tear at my heart, and I say the only thing I can. “It was what he wanted, Dust.” “I know.” she moans as she hugs the body tighter. She kisses his forehead. “Thank you, my friend.” Mischief comes forward out of the circle, hesitantly stepping forward before frowning and tightly hugging Dust. As more of the pegasi recover, they step closer as if to join in the hug, but hang back, giving space to Grandfather’s sacrifice. I find myself moving away from the crowd. I take flight and end up on the ridgepole of the two story house. I sit there for a long time, watching the ponies come forward hesitantly to congratulate Dust. She’s laughing and crying at the same time, and I shift a bit as I watch a couple of the elders pick up Grandfather’s body. They fend off Dust’s attempts to help as they bring his body into the house. One of them picks up that rattle and takes it inside as well. Dust takes a deep breath, hugging Mischief tightly and composing herself ever so slightly before looking back at the crowd and meeting Rainbow Dash’s eyes. I smile as Dust is suddenly rushed by the mass of pegasi swooping forward to hug her with cries of joy. Finally, I close my eyes, feeling the air currents around me. I had thought that after this, I would be too tired to fly, but I’m not. I streak into the sky, doing a tight loop, and take off to the north, leaving the reservation behind me. I break the sound barrier and power my way back towards my home.