The Adventures of Kaela Fie and Caelus Storm

by Caelus Storm

Part 6: Taken

The Adventures of Kaela Fie and Caelus Storm

Part 6: Taken

"All right my little ponies, that's all for today," Mrs. Diamond Sky said when the final bell rang. As the students started to pack up and leave she said, "And be sure to enjoy yourselves at the Fall Harvest Festival."

Kaela waited for Dinky outside the classroom. They walked out of school together, smiling and chatting excitedly.

"Can you believe that the Fall Harvest Festival is finally here?" Dinky said.

"I know, it's so exciting," Kaela replied. "Are you going to the fair this weekend?"

"Of course," Dinky said, "my mommy is coming to town to celebrate. Are you going?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Fie answered. "I bet Wisty is going too."

"Cool, then we c-could all hang out," Dinky said. In her excitement, her slight stutter surfaced.

"Should we meet up tomorrow?" Kaela asked.

"Yeah," Dinky said, "oh look, there's your dad and...Mommy!" Dinky galloped towards the gray pegasus mare, Fie a step behind her.

* * *

Caelus landed outside Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. He was a few minutes early. Looking around, he saw a familiar pegasus. The gray mare with the blonde mane stumbled a bit as she landed.

"Hello Ditzy," Caelus said to the mare.

The mare turned to Storm, one of her golden eyes focusing on him while the other seemed to stare off in a random direction. "Oh, hello Caelus," Ditzy said, greeting him with a smile.

Ditzy was a mailmare in Ponyville. though she was a bit clumsy, she was a warm-hearted pony. Caelus had known her for some time, having once worked as a delivery stallion when he was just out of school.

"How are Amethyst and Time Turner?" Caelus asked the mailmare.

"Turner is coming up tomorrow, after he's finished his work," Ditzy said. "And I'm going to see if Amethyst Star can be coaxed away from her studies long enough to enjoy a weekend with her family after I pick up Dinky. How about you? Are you well? How is Windy?"

"Windy is doing well. She's very excited about this weekend."

"And you?" Ditzy repeated. "I heard you nearly finished training for the Royal Guard."

"Yeah. The Canterlot Weather Team wanted me to go through Royal Guard Basic before they hired me. It's been...intense to say the least," Caelus answered.

Before Ditzy could say more, she was interrupted by a voice crying out "Mommy!" The mailmare found herself being hugged by a purple-gray filly. Ditzy smiled.

"Good to see you, my little muffin," she said, returning her daughter's embrace.

Caelus nuzzled Fie as she hugged him. "How was your day, Windy?"

"Good. Thanks for asking," she replied. "And yours? Did you win all your sparring matches today?"

"Haha, I wish," Caelus said, "But I did beat Crimson Bolt."

"Yay. Wait, he's the one who's a meanie-pants right?"

"Yes."

"Then yay for you," Kaela said.

Dinky suddenly cheered. "We get to see Sparkler AND Daddy's coming?"

"Yes," Ditzy said. To which Dinky grinned.

"Can we go now?" Dinky said.

"Of course, muffin," Ditzy replied.

"Yay," Dinky shouted. "Bye Storm. Bye Windy. Come on, Mommy, let's go."

"I'm coming," Ditzy chuckled. "Good day, Caelus. Windy."

Caelus and Kaela trotted down the streets of Canterlot, stopping at a local donut shop for a quick treat. After their snack, they went and bought Kaela a new notebook for school, some groceries for the weekend, and to the florist, where Caelus picked up a centerpiece for the table; a simple cornucopia. From there, they stopped at their apartment to drop off the groceries, then they went out to eat.

"Are you excited for the Fall Harvest Festival?" Caelus asked Fie as they left the restaurant after dinner.

"Uh-huh," Fie said with a smile. "We learned about it in history class."

"Oh? Do share," Caelus said.

"After the first Hearth's Warming Eve and the founding of Equestria, the three tribes had to work hard to make a new home. but they still didn't have a lot of food. However, in the fall, they had the most bountiful harvest ever. The tribes threw a big celebration. Ever since then, we have the Fall Harvest Festival to celebrate the last harvest of the year," Kaela explained.

"That's right, Fie," Caelus said, beaming with pride. He nuzzled the filly, causing her to jump.

"Storm," she said with a slight blush, "you startled me."

Caelus chuckled and held the door open for Kaela, following her once she was inside.

* * *

She was dreaming of the mare again. They were sitting under an ancient weeping willow. The mare was running a brush through Kaela's mane, singing softly. Fie didn't understand the language, but she knew is was supposed to be a soothing song.

The mare finished brushing Kaela's mane, and started straightening the feather's on Fie's wings. Celestia had told her that pegasi usually preened their own wings, due to their sensitivity. Pegasi only let ponies they completely trusted help in the preening process. And yet, Kaela didn't mind. She trusted this mare.

"How is that, my little cloud?" the mare asked when she was done.

Kaela turned and nuzzled the mare. "Thank you," she said.

The mare lay down, curling around Fie. Fie herself curled up, resting against the mare. The grass beneath them was as soft as any bed.

"Wake now, my child," the mare whispered.

Fie's eyes widened. "Mommy."

Kaela opened her eyes. She was wrapped snugly in a blanket in her bed. She tried to dismiss the dream, but it clung to her mind like an early morning dew. "Mommy," she whispered into the darkness.

After a few minutes of trying to fall back asleep, Kaela climbed out of bed. She shivered. The air was much colder than her bed.

Fie levitated the cup from her bedside table and headed to the kitchen to get a drink. She moved as quietly as she could, but her hooves seemed unnecessarily loud on the kitchen tile. Filling her cup, Fie took several sips of water, thinking about her dream. This was the first time she had thought about her mother. The mental image of the mare was already fading from her mind, but the feeling was still there.

Fie returned to her room, leaving the half full cup on the bedside table. She pulled her blankets tightly around her, but sleep didn't come to her for over an hour. When she awoke in the morning, the dream had been forgotten.

* * *

Caelus woke earlier than he normally did. Which was quite early as he was still on his Weather Team sleep schedule. So he showered, brushed his teeth, combed his mane, and did his usual morning stretches. Kaela wouldn't be up for another forty-five minutes or so. Caelus picked up the mystery novel he kept meaning to finish.

Half an hour later, Caelus started breakfast. Pancakes, a bowl of fruit, and a bowl of whipped cream. The last he had been lucky to get. The treat was made in Cloudsdale and was usually expensive. But during the Fall Harvest Festival, they made more, and the price dropped. Usually what was produced sold fast, but Caelus had managed to to get one of the last containers.

Fie walked into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. "Morning, Storm," she said with a yawn.

"Good morning, Fie," Caelus said. As the filly sat down at the table, Caelus set a plate stacked high with pancakes in front of her.

Kaela poked the bowl of whipped cream. "What's this?" she asked.

"It's called whipped cream," Caelus answered, "It's a kind of topping that pegasi make. Ponies like to put it on ice cream and pie and stuff like that. But I always liked to put a little on my pancakes."

Fie took a small spoonful of whipped cream. She giggled. "It's so light and fluffy." she took a large spoonful of whipped cream and dumped it on her pancakes.

"Leave some for me, Fie," Caelus chuckled.

"Okay," Fie said. She added strawberries and blackberries to the top of her pancakes before she dug in.

Caelus helped himself to some fruit for his own pancakes. The two ponies enjoyed a nice breakfast.

* * *

The Fall Harvest Festival was set up in the main park in Canterlot. There were all sorts of booths; some of them games, but most of them were selling food. The air was filled with a bouquet of aromas with everything from apples to pies.

Kaela inhaled deeply, taking in the variety of smells. Her mouth watered. she looked around, trying to take in everything at once.

Storm chuckled, then fixed his scarf. The air was chilly today. Kaela spun in a slow circle, laughing.

"Wow this is so cool," she said. "What should we do first, Storm?"

"What do you want to do first?" Storm replied.

"Windy!"

A purple unicorn and a light brown pegasus galloped over. followed by their respective families.

"Dinky! Wisty! Hi!," Fie said, running over to meet her friends.

* * *

As the fillies trotted ahead of the adults, the parents talked amongst themselves. Caelus joined in the conversation here and there, but mostly kept an eye on the foals.

"What about you, Caelus?" Summer Breeze said.

"Huh?"

"Have you started preparing for Hearth's Warming Eve?" Summer Breeze repeated.

"Oh, no. Not yet," Caelus admitted. "I try to tackle my holidays one at a time." He refrained from pointing out that he celebrated Hearth's Warming with his parents and his sister.

Summer Breeze smiled. "As long as you don't let it sneak up on you."

Caelus returned the smile. "I'll try not to," he said.

"Come on Windy, Wisty, let's go ride the ferris wheel next," Dinky said, leading the trio over to stand in line.

Caelus tried not to smile and failed. He was happy that Fie was happy.

* * *

A gray unicorn stallion watched the blue pegasus. He was one of the two Royal Guards tasked by Princess Celestia herself to keep an eye on the blue pegasus and, more importantly, his filly. The guard, along with his pegasus partner and two of the Night Guard were the select few than knew the filly's true identity.

A white pegasus trotted up to him. "Sir, everything is secure."

The unicorn smiled. "Relax, Scout. This is just surveillance," he said. Quick Scout was one of the newest members of the Royal Sisters' Elite Guard, and he was still adjusting.

"Yes, sir," Scout said.

The gray stallion turned to watch the pegasus and filly in the group getting a treat.

"You work hard, sir," Scout said.

Something in the pegasus' tone made the unicorn turn around. There was a flash of green, and the unicorn blacked out.

* * *

"Mmm...this funnel cake is really really yummy," Fie said.

"I know, right?" Wisty said, sharing a funnel cake sundae with her mother.

"Dinky nodded in agreement, using her plastic fork to try and out maneuver her sister, Amethyst Star, for the last bite of funnel cake. She didn't quite succeed, and Amethyst parried Dinky's fork and quickly grabbed the funnel cake. Dinky pouted and Amethyst smiled.

"Storm, aren't you going to have some?" Kaela asked.

"Maybe I'll have one bite," he said picking up his own fork. He liked funnel cake well enough, but he was more of an ice cream stallion.

Later, when they were all walking past several game booths, and the fillies were still chatting merrily.

"Wow, Windy, I can't believe you ate that whole funnel cake," Dinky said.

Kaela shrugged. "I was hungry. And Storm had a few bites."

"But still, how can you--Windy?" Wisty said.

Kaela had stopped walking and was standing in front of a game booth, staring up at a plushie whale toy.

"Well hey there, little filly, would you like to play?" the mare working the booth asked.

Fie nodded shyly, suddenly timid.

"Well, all you have to do is knock over those three bottle with a ball," the mare said, "the only rules are no wings and no magic. Think you can do it??

Fie nodded again. The mare gave her a ball. "You get three tries," she said.

Kaela held the ball in her hoof, then tossed it. The throw fell short.

"Aww, try again Windy," Wisty called out.

Fie took the ball from the mare, but this time, her throw was wide to the right.

"One more try," the mare said.

Fie readied the ball again. She squinted, aiming carefully.

"You can do it, Windy," Dinky encouraged, supported by Wisty and, surprisingly, Amethyst Star.

Kaela took a deep breath and threw the ball as hard as she could. With a clatter, two of the bottles fell off the platform. Everypony held their breath, watching the third bottle teeter precariously on the edge of the platform. Finally the bottle fell off the table.

Fie, Dinky, and, Wisty cheered. All three high-hoofed, and the mare gave Kaela the whale plushie. Kaela squeed and ran over to Caelus, levitating the whale next to her.

Caelus agreed with her that it was indeed cute, smiling at Kaela's beaming face. She trotted around with her head held high, the whale perched on her back.

* * *

Kaela sat at the table while Storm cooked dinner. Her whale plushie, which she named Blue, was sitting on the table next to her. "Storm, is the food ready yet?" she asked, growing impatient.

The oven dinged. "That's it now," Storm said, pulling the hot pan out of the oven.

Two minutes later, the table was set with several different dishes, including a vegetable casserole that Storm said his mom usually made.

Caelus sat down across from Fie. He bowed his head and put his hooves together. "We thank the earth that gives us the food, the sky that gives us the rain, and the magic of friendship for bringing us together," he said in a traditional Fall Festival prayer. Fie repeated his actions and words.

The food was some of the best she had ever eaten. Storm had put a lot of work into the meal and it showed. "Wow, Storm, the food's good," Fie said.

"Why thank you, Fie," Caelus replied. "Can you pass the cranberry sauce?"

"Sure, here you go."

"Thank you."
"You're welcome," Kaela said with a smile.

* * *

"When do we move?" The changeling asked, buzzing it's wings impatiently.

"Soon," said the other, disguised as a Night Guard.

"How soon?"

"Stop whining like a newly hatched pupa," the Night Guard hissed. "The Queen said soon. so we will move soon."

"Buck it, I hate waiting."

The Night Guard raised an eyebrow at the changeling. "'Buck it'? You have been living among the ponies too long."

"Shut up," the changeling snapped.

Both of the, returned to silently watching the pegasus and the alicorn foal eating dinner, the two ponies completely unaware of what was going on just across the street.

* * *

The next evening, as the sun was starting to set, Caelus and Kaela were walking home from another day at the fair. Kaela had Blue, the whale plushie, perched on her back. Dinky and Wisty had spent the day with their families, so it had been just the two of them today.

"What was your favorite thing today, Fie?" Caelus asked.

"Oh! Oh! Definitely the spinny ride," Kaela said, "No wait, cotton candy! No wait...there were too many things I can't decide."

Caelus chuckled as they turned down the street towards home.

"Excuse me, are you Caelus Storm?"

Caelus turned around to see two Night Guards. He saluted.

"Can I help you, sirs?" he asked.

The Night Guard stepped forward. "Yes, actually."

Caelus took a step back. "And that is...?"

"You have something we want," the Night Guard said, baring his fangs.

Caelus tensed. Before he could do anything though, he was tackled from the side.

"Storm!" Fie shouted.

Caelus kicked his assailant. The figure hissed, showing fangs much larger than a Night Guard's, and blue glowing eyes.

"Storm, help!" Fie cried. "Let go of me!"

"Fie!" Caelus shouted. He slammed his hoof into the changeling's face. He saw the two Night Guards also turn into changelings and grab Fie.

As they started to fly away, Caelus threw off his attacker and crouched in preparation to take flight. Before he could take off, the changeling tackled him again.

"STORM!" Fie screamed.

There was a flash of green, a burning sensation on the side of his head, and Caelus started to lose consciousness. FIE! he thought before he blacked out.

* * *

Luna looked down at the blue pegasus. Celestia was pacing outside the hospital room. On the bedside was a whale plushie that had been found near him on the street.

The pegasus stirred.

"You are awake, good," Luna said. "How do you feel, Caelus Storm?"

"Fie..." he moaned, opening his gray-purple eyes.

"Just take a moment," Luna said, "a stun spell to the head hurts."

Caelus shook his head. "No, gotta go...save her."

"First tell us what happened."

Luna looked over her shoulder at Celestia, who had entered the room. Many saw Celestia as a matriarch, gently guiding her little ponies. This wasn't that Celestia. This was the Celestia that came out when her subjects were in danger. This Celestia wielded righteous anger.

"Fie, she was taken," Caelus said, sitting up. "Fie was taken by changelings."

Author's Note:

Well. This took awhile to get done. I have no real excuses that you haven't all heard before. Work. School. Life things.

But it's done now. I'll get started working on the next part soon. I need a bit of a break though. Or maybe that's the fact that it was 4 am when I finished typing this.

As always comments and stuff are appreciated.

-C.Storm