Broken Sky

by Fyn16

Friendship and Research

Friendship and Research

“They’ve done it again!”

Nimbus looked up from a particularly challenging math problem, his concentration now completely broken.

“Storm Runner, somepony better have died, because this assignment is due tomorrow.”

Storm Runner stared blankly at Nimbus. “That… is not funny at all.”

Nimbus almost choked “er… wrong phrase, wrong time? Darn, I’m sorry. What’s going on?”

Storm Runner trotted up to Nimbus and placed the day’s newspaper down on top of his homework. One glance, and it wasn’t hard for Nimbus to tell exactly what his friend was talking about. He read the headline aloud.

“Second Awakening bombing in Starswirl Plaza,” Nimbus felt his blood run cold. Manehattan’s Starswirl Plaza was a hub for vendors and family businesses. The pictures shown on the paper displayed nothing but scorched ground and blackened, twisted stands.

“There’s more,” Storm Runner said, “read the article.”

Nimbus skimmed over the article quickly, reading key points aloud. “Okay, let’s see… this morning, one culprit, used a magically-activated explosive device, destroyed the plaza, nine dead, fifty-two wounded, suspect dead… hang on.” Nimbus squinted, focusing on part of the article. “The culprit was positively I.D’ed?”

“Yeah,” Storm Runner said, “and get this- the culprit was a vendor. The ponies who knew him said he never killed so much as a butterfly, and yet for some reason, he decides to go blow up a plaza full of civilians. When the city guards went through his stuff, they found tons of gear and correspondence related to the Awakening.”

“You mean that group that wants Celestia to step down?”

“Exactly,” Storm Runner nodded. “This guy was one of them, living a normal life, hiding in plain sight. You know what this means?”

“What?” Nimbus said, confused.

“It means that any one of us could be one of these “Awakening” ponies. Hay, for all I know, you could be one! Just think about how many ponies are at this college. If just one is sympathetic to that… twisted cause-”

“Hang on there,” Nimbus said, holding up a hoof, “I don’t think there’s any reason to be paranoid about this.”

“I’m not being paranoid,” Storm Runner said, defending himself, “I’m simply being cautious. Listen, Nimbus, I’m telling you- whatever’s going down now, this is just the beginning.” He squinted his eyes at Nimbus’s homework. “I was going to suggest we go to the library and see if we can’t dig up some information on why these crazies are doing what they’re doing, but it seems you’re occupied.”

“Sure am,” Nimbus said, scratching out some more figures with his pencil.

“Well, I finished that four hours ago,” Storm Runner said, pushing up a chair, “let me see if I can help you with it.”

“In other words, you want me to get this done so we can start off on some crazy crusade against the Awakening?” Nimbus said as Storm Runner seated himself. His friend grinned.

“You know me so well.”

Nimbus sighed. “Fine, I guess it’s worth getting some extra instruction on this work, anyway.”

…

Four hours of book-delving in the school library later, Nimbus and Storm Runner were struggling to keep their eyes open. Nimbus’s face, in fact, had been hovering less than an inch off of the pages of a copy of Myths and Legends of Equestria for the past half an hour. Only the sound of approaching hoofsteps managed to shake him from his near-slumber.

“Cadet Nimbus? Cadet Storm Runner?”

Nimbus turned his head and fixed his bleary eyes on the pony approaching. It was Crescent Star, the school’s Unicorn librarian, pulling a cart of books.

“What are you two doing up here? I mean I understand that schoolwork comes first, but-“ Crescent glanced at a wall clock, “it’s just past midnight!”

“We had some important research we were working on,” Storm Runner said.

“Hmm…” Crescent Star said, frowning, “I don’t recall hearing about any upcoming research projects.”

“Well, it’s more like research done on our own time,” Nimbus said, hoping he was making at least a shred of sense. Crescent Star’s eyes practically lit up at the response.

“Really?! Two students seeking out knowledge on their own, without the incentive of grades? Such a thing is completely unheard of, but-“ she paused, catching her breath, “I am overjoyed! Please let me know if there is any way I can assist you two!”

Nimbus hadn’t been expecting this response, and evidently Storm Runner hadn’t either. The blue Pegasus looked like he’d just seen a ghost.

“Well, ma’am,” Nimbus said slowly, “we’re actually trying to find out whatever we can about the group calling themselves the Awakening.”

“I see,” Crescent Star said, her voice becoming solemn, losing all traces of the bubbling excitement she’d shown only a few moments ago, “those poor souls at Starswirl Plaza… what could drive a pony to commit such unspeakable acts?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out, ma’am,” Storm Runner said, “is there any way for us to find out more about this group?”

“I’m afraid not,” Crescent said, “or at least not from any books I have here. You’re not the first, either. One of your fellow cadets was in here looking for the same information. Sun Blaze, I believe.”

Storm Runner’s jaw dropped. “Really?”

“Oh yes, but unfortunately I had no help to offer her. You see we don’t have any books on the subject.”

“I guess not,” Nimbus said, “I mean the group’s only been around for a few months.”

“Well, I wouldn’t bet on that,” Crescent Star said, placing a few of the books in her cart on nearby shelves, “something like this- something with a cause tied to such an old legend like the Mare in the Moon… I have a feeling it goes farther back than you think. Call it a hunch, but that’s my opinion.”

“But if the Awakening is that old, surely there must be some information on it somewhere,” Nimbus pressed. Crescent Star shook her head.

“No, if it was in one of these books, I would’ve seen it by now. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.” Crescent turned to leave, then stopped. “Actually, colts, there might be a resource after all…”

“What is it?” Nimbus asked.

“Not what,” Crescent Star said with a smile, “who.”

…

“Thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty!”

Nimbus raised himself out of the wing-up position, and Storm Runner did the same. Polaris eyed the two with interest.

“You two were slower today than usual. Long night?”

“You might say that,” Nimbus said, yawning. Storm Runner, promoted by now to Nimbus’s secondary coach, nodded.

“Actually, we were looking for some information in the library.”

“Ah,” Polaris said, setting off on the group’s routine morning gallop, “and I trust you found what you were looking for?”

“Actually, no,” Nimbus said, catching up to Polaris, “we were trying to find information on the Awakening.”

Polaris visibly shuddered at the mention of the group. “You won’t find any books on them. They were supposed to be a forgotten, dark secret of Equestria’s past.”

“Well that’s nothing if not cryptic,” Storm Runner pointed out. Polaris chuckled, but his face was dead serious.

“I know a thing or two,” he admitted, “mostly just information I picked up over the years. Nothing necessarily reliable, of course; it’s all “I heard it from so and so who heard it from someone else” information.”

Polaris paused to jump the safety fence blocking the takeoff hill. Once the Pegasi were airborne, he continued.

“From what I understand, the Awakening were extremely loyal subjects to Nightmare Moon.”

“Nightmare Moon?” Nimbus interrupted, “who’s that?”

“Ah yes,” Polaris said, banking and altering his course to fly over the campus, “I sometimes forget that her true name is known to only a few. Centuries of legends will do that, I suppose. You’d know her as the Mare in the Moon.”

Nimbus rolled level, flying in smooth formation next to Storm Runner. “The Mare in the Moon? Then she’s not a myth?”

“I don’t know,” Polaris said, “the Awakening believe she exists, but the events surrounding Nightmare Moon are shrouded in mystery. Nopony can really know for sure who she was, with the exception of Celestia.”

“Right,” Nimbus said, swooping low over the main hall, “because she was the one who banished her.”

“Do you think she’s really coming back?” Storm Runner cut in.

The Pegasi landed in the courtyard, forming up into a circle to begin stretching. As Polaris stretched his wings, he spoke.

“It’s hard to say. The Nightmare Moon myth is almost entirely based in true historical events. For example, we know that Celestia banished a pony from Equestria right around the time her sister went missing. We also know that the pony she banished led some sort of uprising against her. Can she come back? All banishments end eventually, but the Mare in the Moon would have to be immortal or at least have magically-slowed aging to survive for one thousand years. One thing is certain- if she comes back, she’d need help. Breaking a spell like Celestia’s would require an immense amount of magic.”

Nimbus sighed as he stretched his back legs, “well, that makes me feel better,” he admitted, “so she can’t come back on her own?”

“It’s very unlikely,” Polaris said. “By the way- why all the interest in this subject now?”

Storm Runner was flexing and “stretching,” striking a few heroic poses as a group of mares passed by on their way to breakfast. When Polaris posed his question, Storm Runner turned back to him. “We’re trying to figure out just what the hay is going on with the Awakening right now. Did you hear about the attack yesterday?”

Polaris nodded, “Starswirl Plaza, and this one was more violent than the first.”

“We just want to find out what their goal is,” Nimbus said, standing and shaking his mane, “for all we know, we could be dealing with them when we graduate.”

“I commend that,” Polaris said, “although I hope you won’t have to.”

Nimbus turned and headed for the dining hall after bidding Polaris a good morning. As he entered the building, he could see the sun coming up again. Princess Celestia was hard at work as usual, and he could almost forget that anything could possibly be wrong with the world. The breakfast line was serving baked apples, and Nimbus’s mouth started watering as soon as he found out. Grabbing a plate of the delicious treats, he took a seat at a bench in the corner of the hall. Storm Runner sat down beside him.

“These apples are delicious,” Nimbus said, devouring the warm, cinnamon-sprinkled fruit, “perfectly in season.”

“Agreed,” Storm Runner said, digging into the apples voraciously. The two were so occupied by their breakfasts that they didn’t even notice when a mare paused behind them- the last pony they’d expected to see here.

“Stuffing your faces, colts? You two seem to be positively radiating with professionalism.”

Nimbus froze at the sound of the familiar, sarcastic bite in the mare’s tone. He turned around slowly, hoping he was wrong about who he was about to see. He had no such luck. The silver-coated, orange-maned form of Sun Blaze was staring smugly down at him.

“May I ask what you want?” Nimbus said through clenched teeth, his mane bristling. Sun Blaze smirked, driving his blood pressure up even more.

“I get around,” she said, “and it seems you two had the same idea I did. You want to know more about the Awakening, and so do I. As much as I hate to admit it, we have a common cause. I can help you two out.”

Nimbus’s jaw almost hit the floor, and Storm Runner was equally startled. “Okay,” the blue Pegasus said, “give me one good reason why I should believe you’re not about to flip our table.”

“Oh believe me- we are anything but friends. I still would like nothing better than to floor both of you brainless know-it-alls-“

“Umm… know-it-alls generally aren’t brainless,” Nimbus pointed out.

“Shut up,” Sun Blaze snapped, “don’t make this harder for me. I still hate both of you with every fiber of my being, but there’s strength in numbers, especially when something as serious as the Awakening could be affecting this very campus…”

Nimbus raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“Depends,” Sun Blaze sniffed, “do I get to join your little team or not?”

Nimbus looked to Storm Runner, who shrugged, then looked back to Sun Blaze. “Give us a moment,” he said finally. Sun Blaze retreated, and Nimbus and Storm Runner spoke in whispers.

“This seem fishy at all to you?” Storm Runner asked.

“No, surprisingly,” Nimbus answered, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but she actually seemed genuine.”

“I was afraid you’d say that. I still feel uneasy about this.”

“Look,” Nimbus reasoned, “maybe she’s a great pony. Perhaps all she needs is some friends. We could help her out!”

“Right,” Storm Runner said, “and if that doesn’t work, we at least drive her up the wall. Okay, I’m in.”

Nimbus lifted his head and nodded to Sun Blaze. The silver mare approached, with an annoying grin spread across her face. “So how was your little secret conversation, then?” she asked, mocking them with a childish voice.

“It went well,” Nimbus replied evenly, “in fact, you can join us in our little quest.”

“Good,” Sun Blaze said, down to seriousness now, “then you two need to meet me in the library after classes are done. This is much bigger than either of you realize.”

…

“I still think this is crazy,” Storm Runner said as he and Nimbus trotted to the library, “I mean seriously- odds are we’re both about to be the butt of some huge and embarrassing prank.”

“Hey,” Nimbus pointed out, “you agreed, did you not? Prank or not, we have to trust her.”

Storm Runner groaned. “Celestia, now I really think I’ve lost you, Nimbus. A week ago, you’d never even have considered this.”

“Well, I’m hooked on this whole Awakening thing now,” Nimbus said, “and we’re seeing it through to the end.”

Arriving at the library, the two Pegasi stepped inside, scanning the room. Sun Blaze, as Storm Runner had expected, was nowhere in sight.

“Told you,” Storm Runner scoffed, “brace yourself because we’re probably about to have a bucket of ice water dropped on-“

“So you two came after all.”

Sun Blaze trotted out from between a row of book shelves, regarding Nimbus and Storm Runner coolly. “I have to say,” she confided, “I didn’t really think you two would show.”

“Oh believe me, we’d just as soon not be here,” Storm Runner growled.

“Yeah, heard it before,” Sun Blaze countered, sitting down at a nearby table and beckoning for the stallions to join her, “I don’t exactly like dealing with you two morons either, but we’re apparently on the same track here.”

“And that is?” Nimbus said pulling up a chair and staring Sun Blaze in the face.

“You must be joking,” Sun Blaze deadpanned, “how much idiot milk did you have with your stupid flakes this morning? The Awakening, brainless. I thought that might have been obvious from our little chat earlier, but apparently not.”

Nimbus felt a hoof collide swiftly with his leg under the table. Storm Runner was shooting him a “well done, genius,” look. Nimbus cleared his throat and turned back to Sun Blaze.

“Okay,” he said, “earlier you said this whole situation was much bigger than we thought. What makes you say that?”

Sun Blaze placed her saddlebag on the table and pulled out an old, cracked, black book. Emblazoned on the cover was a solid silver crescent moon. Nimbus hadn’t seen anything like it- the book looked ancient.

“Bet you didn’t find this in the library the other night,” Sun Blaze said, opening the book carefully. The binding almost seemed to squeak like a rusty door hinge. “This book is over a thousand years old, and to my knowledge, it is the only copy that exists to this day. Our dear ruler, Princess Celestia, had all the others burned.” Noting Nimbus’s and Storm Runner’s raised eyebrows, she continued. “Oh, you didn’t know Her Highness has her own little secrets? Well let me be the first to tell you- she isn’t exactly clean herself. This book was the doctrine of the Awakening. A copy was given to every single family involved; its contents were to be passed from generation to generation. When Celestia found out they’d been created, she ordered them destroyed. There’s dark stuff in here.”

“So… how did you figure that out?” Storm Runner scoffed, “you just went up to the first Awakening member and asked him? That it?”

“Actually, the first member was a mare,” Sun Blaze corrected him, sliding the book in his direction, “and no, I did not ask her. It’s called page one.”

Storm Runner scrutinized the book, skimming through the contents of the first page. With each successive sweep of his eyes, his jaw dropped a little farther. Finally, he pushed the book back to Sun Blaze. “So,” he said, “this is really the real deal, then. The original families of the Awakening passed membership down, presumably until the present day.”

“Correct,” Sun Blaze said.

“Which means members could be anypony, anywhere,” Nimbus added.

“Two points to Captain Obvious,” Sun Blaze answered, “and it just so happens that we may have our own little subgroup here at this school.”

Nimbus’s ears perked up. A subgroup at the Royal Equestrian Air College could be disastrous. The Academy housed several high-ranking members of the Equestrian military, and with close proximity to Canterlot, an advantageous position for somepony wishing to do Celestia harm.

“A subgroup?” he asked, “and you’re sure about that?”

“Not entirely, but I’ve been tailing them for a while now. Two are in the Aviator program like us.”

“Well don’t leave us in suspense,” Storm Runner said, “who are they?”

Sun Blaze flicked her mane casually. “I’m not ready to put my full trust in you two yet. We’ve only just met. For now, go about your normal lives, but be cautious. Remember what we’ve discussed, and look for any indications about who might be involved with the Awakening.”

“What kind of indications are we looking for?” Nimbus asked. Sun Blaze dropped the book unceremoniously in his lap, forcing the poor Pegasus to gasp as the wind was knocked out of him.

“You will find those indications in this book,” Sun Blaze answered, “and by the way- I’d be careful with that if I were you. It’s technically illegal to possess one. Good day.”

Without another word, Sun Blaze dismissed herself and exited the library; Nimbus hastily grabbed the book and stuffed it into his backpack, knocking over a stack of books next to him.

“Yeah, that’s not conspicuous at all,” Storm Runner said, commenting on his friend’s attempt at sneakiness.

“What the hay was that all about?” Nimbus said, ignoring his friend’s comment, “she shows up for five minutes, spills her guts about all of this Awakening mumbo jumbo, leaves us with a really old, really illegal book, not bothering to tell us where she got it, and just walks away.”

“Well, I propose we make the most of this,” Storm Runner said. “She’s on our side, that much is certain, and now we have a book that’ll tell us exactly how to find out who among us is an incognito terrorist, so I say we read up, hone our pony ninja skills, and go prank these suckers.”

Nimbus could barely speak. He simply stared at Storm Runner. “Pony ninja skills?” he said finally, “Storm Runner, are you okay?”

“Yep,” Storm Runner said, a bit too hastily, “totally cool here. I am just okey-dokey.”

“Okay then,” Nimbus said, hesitantly, as he stood up, “because you’re talking the way you do when you think you’ve got a crush on somepony.”

“Are you suggesting I- oh Celestia, Nimbus, no. Not her! Uh-uh. Nope. If I had it my way, I’d tie that pompous little weasel up and throw her off the mountain. Satisfied?”

Nimbus shot his friend a crooked smile. “Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

The two ponies left the library abuzz with chatter, but despite the lighthearted mood, Nimbus couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding. He was carrying a dark book- something so evil Celestia herself had ordered others like it to be destroyed; things had suddenly become serious. Only a day ago, he’d been a spectator to the frightening events that were unfolding throughout Equestria. Now, for better or worse, he’d become a part of them.

Comments

[someone else]

Great story so far, MOAR!

[Fyn16]

2877503

GASP! A comment! You are awesome! Holy cow! Okay, no joke- you are the first person (other than Itchy, who I know personally) to comment on any of my stories. I salute you a thousand times over!

Okay, maybe that was a tad melodramatic, but you may be able to tell by now that I don't get comments often. At any rate, thank you very much for the feedback! I should have the next chapter up within the coming week!

[Itchy]

Not bad. Enjoying the set up for the [censored] and the [censored] of the [censored]. Furthermore, the [censored] that should be [censored] about [censored] are clear to be [censored], but not obvious. My question is will they be noticed? And if they are, will people [censored] about them?

P.S.- All [censored]s are in place so as not to spoil the story for others, furthermore they aren't set in stone yet. YAY BEING A SOUNDING BOARD!

[Fyn16]

Hmm... quite intuitive. Care to send me an un[censored] message? Because I think I filled all those [censored]s with rubber ducks and lollipops