Shattered

by sunstar93

Chapter VII

The sky is pitch black, dotted with stars and illuminated by a half moon. There is a good size fire burning a few lengths away from where we are, with zebras and ponies gathered around it. And they’re…laughing?

“Did you expect barbarians?” the Unicorn asks, startling me out of my thoughts. I don’t answer and she continues, “Not all the rumors are true, you know. Not all of us are tribes that are birthed from the dark heart of the forest.”

“Then where did all these ponies come from?” I inquire.

“Some are zebras from the Marengetti, lured here with promises of glory in battle. But they were treated worse than some of the pony slaves and became refugees, forming camps with the ponies that had escaped from their slaveholders. The wildlings are not a part of this camp. They simply appear when they sense we are going to a battle and they join our ranks,” she explains as we approach another hut, this one significantly bigger than the one I was held in. She uses her magic to ignite the oil lamps- not so different from the ones in my own home- and I can see there are stacks of papers, maps and books piled on a makeshift desk. There is a small bed across the room, made of canvas crudely sewn together and stuffed with leaves. It is not much, but it is more than what some ponies have.

The mare settles in, neatly tucking her legs beneath her, an oil lamp shining by her face. I sit across from her, the hard ground noticeably uncomfortable.

“My name is Sky Feather,” she says. She tosses her head as her forelock falls into her face and the light illuminates her eyes. I can only stare; the beautiful violet irises are shrouded by a smoky blue-gray film, her pupils barely visible under the mist as they continue to dilate and adjust to the low lighting. And even though she is looking at me, I know that she cannot truly see me.

“Yes, I know, you don’t have to point it out to me,” she sighs. “I am perfectly aware of why you are staring and no, don’t try to apologize. I’ve heard it all before.”

“I’m—” But I hold back before the words can escape.

“Now, what is it you want to know? And don’t pretend it doesn’t matter anymore just because you’ve seen my face. I know you will, because you don’t want to inconvenience me, but I suppose you do have a right to know why you’re here,” she says quickly.

“That’s just it. Why am I here? Why me?”

“You are High General Macintosh’s son, nephew of the Supreme Commander herself. And I need you,” she answers.

“That doesn’t really answer my question, though. Why do you need me?” I am beginning to get flustered and impatient.

“I need you as a bargaining tool, Storm. Simply a device. But before you start rampaging, know that I do not intend to truly give you up. You can return to your House…after you’ve helped me.”

“What are you bargaining for?” I’m not quite sure how to feel, besides empty. And alone.

“Come with me,” she says, rising to her hooves and trotting outside. I follow her and she leads me closer to where the fire is burning. There are Earth ponies, Unicorns, and even a couple of Pegasi sitting with the zebras. “You see the pink Earth pony sitting next to that zebra?” she asks, pointing with her hoof. “Look at her cutie mark.”

At least, it’s where her cutie mark should have been. Instead, there is a patch of black sewn onto her hide to cover here her cutie mark has been removed. A pair of silver shackles is printed on the patch, glinting fiercely in the firelight. I don’t even want to imagine what happened to her, but Sky Feather explains anyway. “She was a slave for House Moon and Star. They treat Earth ponies and Pegasi like filth, as if they are garbage. They are not valued or respected, and most are forced to fight for the House. They have their cutie marks literally ripped off and are given a new one, branding them as a slave. It is a terrible process, painful and slow.” I look around and notice that out of the six Earth ponies, five bear identical black patches. There are three Pegasi present and only one has the same patch.

“How do you know how it’s done?”

She turns her head away from me as she says, “Because…I was once one of the ponies who had to do it.” Her voice cracks as she speaks and her body begins to tremble. “And then I just couldn’t stand it anymore! It wasn’t right- it’s not right! - and I didn’t want to be a part of it. And when I refused to perform the procedure, I was taken to the Archmagister.” I don’t speak, letting her continue. “She said that if I didn’t want to do the procedure, then I would become a test subject, to prove I was still worth keeping around. My mother tried to stop her, but the Archmagister sent her away and continued anyway. Horrible spells, ghastly results- I was subjected to so many I’ve lost count. And then she tried a new spell. One that would hopefully replicate the Sight that the Supreme Commander has.”

Applejack has the incredible ability to see through lies and dishonesty, extracting the truth one way or another. Though it cost her one of her eyes, the Sight has even saved her from an assassination attempt. No wonder the Archmagister wanted to have it for herself.

“And that’s how you lost your sight?” I guess.

“Yes. The spell went horribly wrong and it was so excruciating, I was willing to gouge my eyes out if it meant freedom from the pain. My mother helped to heal my eyes some, and they aren’t completely scarred. And while there’s no spell to return my sight to me, I can still see shapes and shadows. It’s not quite the same, though.”

“So why do you need me?”

Sky Feather turned her face to look up at me. “I’ve rescued so many ponies. But I haven’t saved the one most important to me. My brother. And I theorize that the Archmagister might consider trading you for him, since you would be more valuable than a Unicorn who can no longer perform magic.”

“And why do you think she would take me instead?”

“Because, Storm. Archmagister Twilight is your mother.”

Author's Note:

I hope you are not disappointed!!
I couldn't wait so I just had to put it up right away :)

Comments

[LightningDust]

"That's not true, that's impossible!"

[Evowizard25]

What?

(I was so riding on that it was Fluttershy...I was way off.)

It's good to see House Evergreen in a good light...Also Sky Feather....I hope the future treats her well, the poor dear.

[sunstar93]

2853146
Oh yes! It's also where the story title definitely fits as well. And yeah that's pretty much what's going through his mind at the moment! (I'm also excited to see where it leads lol)

2853166
I also imagine that that's going through Storm's mind as well!

2853178
I had considered Fluttershy,as well as Rarity and Twilight. But Black Hoof kind of convinced me that Twilight would be a good choice (considering that, as they said, earth ponies are basically slaves and all in Canterlot and he was definitely safer with the Apples). And I also wanted to shed some light on the brighter side of Everfree...so much information on the evil side that I think the good side kind of gets overlooked...and I thought it would be a nice curveball to throw in! And don't worry about Sky Feather just yet...there are still some surprises in store for her!

Thanks everyone for reading!! Even I can't wait to see what's next for Storm and Sky!

[Evowizard25]

2854124 Actually, of the sides, I always thought Fluttershy's was the best. They aren't racist and I do like what they are based around. (Though the whole 'going native' thing...Eh.)

It's good to see some 'decency' and kindness towards all races. (Which irks me about Equestria Divided. How does a society that has worked together for thousands of years, and hasn't had any major conflicts in centuries, and has only a small token army, BECOME MURDERING BIGOTS! ALL IN TEN YEARS OF THE SISTERS LEAVE! Did the ponies not take Celestia's teachings to heart? Did they ignore her and instead become exactly like what I presume they were pre-Equestria times? That's a lot to buy.) I apologize for that. This is a good story. The mythos surrounding Equestria Divided just...astounds me.

[sunstar93]

2856064
I totally agree...Everfree is definitely my favorite besides Earthborn (because I think they're really cool lol).
And no I totally agree. One of my theories is that because they had been lied to for thousands of years, it was so abrupt and tragic it warped their minds and turned them against each other...but like I said only a thought. But I also think that that's part of why I love this concept...a lot of the reasons behind their reverting "back to basics" is still in the shadows.
I also think that, now, 15 years later, the power has gone to their heads and its more about defeating the other houses and spilling blood...like they've lost sight of why they divided in the first place and now are truly invested in plain war...if that makes sense.
And you can be sure that Sky and Storm will argue about the current state of things haha

[sunstar93]

2857602
You're right, that's what's great about writing...you kinda get to change what you want how you want it! I personally love the mystery and chaos of it all (pretty much the only type of chaos I enjoy haha).

Haha sorry I didn't connect it. But yeah, it's pretty much just like that!! I can imagine twilight saying "storm, I am your mother"...in vader's voice too lol

Say tuned because I (hopefully!) will be putting out another chapter tonight!