Skyborn

by That Avi Nerd

The New Old World

"No."

"Please! Can't you just let us in? It's an emergency!"

"I said, 'No,'."

Rose, Buck, and Storm stood before the steadfast decision of a guard to Navis 7's foredeck. After discovering their friend, Aurora, missing from class, they went to her home and found that the bridge pass was missing as well. They're conclusion was that she had come to the foredeck, however the guard was preventing them from entering to find her.

"Our friend is missing," Storm explained yet again. "And you're going to stand here and keep us from finding her and making sure she's safe?"

"Look," the guard said, "if your friend is on this part of the ship, then I can assure you that she's safe. If she isn't supposed to be here, then she'll be escorted home. You kids have nothing to worry about."

Buck sighed, taking an aggressive step towards the guardpony. "We're going to make sure for ourselves, okay?"

The guard in turn stepped forward with his chest buffed out, forcing Buck to take a step backwards. "You are not going to be allowed on the foredeck. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait for your friend to come out."

"Is there a problem?" A stern voice spoke from behind the guard, rapidly changing the stubborn pony's expression.

He turned to face the scrutiny of Captain Aries, a pony who's pay grade was far, far above his own. The guard's ears fell back on his head as his jaw dropped. "Uh, uh-uh-uh—" he stammered

"Maybe you can explain to me why you're ignoring these children when they're trying to report to you, a Sergeant of the Guard, a missing pony that you're doing nothing about. Especially when that pony is my own daughter." Aries was practically leaning over the pony, who was now looking towards the ground with his eyes sunk low. "Consider yourself relieved of all duties, Sergeant," the Captain hissed. He took the three school foals with him through the checkpoint, turning his head to issue one final command: "I want your badge on my desk by lunch."

Captain Aries hurriedly led the ponies through the halls of the AIR Team home. "I appreciate what you did back there for us," Storm thanked him along while the others nodded in agreement.

"Keep in mind I didn't do it just for you. Did anything happen over the past few days that would have upset her in anyway?"

Rose shook her head. "Nothing that I know of. She's been completely normal."

"If not happier," Buck added.

Aries noticed Storm's hesitance, and glanced at the young stallion. He saw the pony's eyes darting back and forth as they searched his own mind. Realizing he couldn't hide his thoughts, he sighed and explained, "Last night... after you returned sir. I could sense that something was off; she completely changed. She looked worried but at the same time determined."

The captain opened the door to his office, briefly looking around before closing it. "Well usually when she gets upset she'll be waiting for me in my office. This isn't the first time she's gone missing. There's really only two other places I could think she would be at. Come on." He turned and led the students further down the hall. It wasn't far to the locker room. Inside he found the room devoid of ponies. Rose used her magic to pick up Aurora's name tape from the floor. Buck opened the missing mare's locker, showing everypony what all was missing.

"She went somewhere..." Storm said with a soft breath.

"Further towards the bridge," Aries said, "there's a spot I would occasionally find her when her days were bad. We could go check there."

Storm posed the Captain a question as they left the room. "If she isn't there sir?"

The stallion let out a long breath, bowing his head. "I'll have to file a report and have the entire ship searched... and pray she didn't get out somehow on her own..." Rose and Buck glanced at one another, the same worse-case scenario playing through their heads.

A few tense and silent minutes passed while the ponies hurriedly traversed the halls of Navis 7. Though this wasn't the first time Aurora had gone missing, they couldn't help but worry. Some more than the others. Storm hadn't gone through this before and worried at every possibility. Buck and Rose were used to their mare friend disappearing from school several times before, but all those times she at least told them and said where she was headed. Aries knew she disappeared every so often. Whether she liked it or not, he always knew; whether it was from the ponies under his command seeing her in the halls or if it was himself. His eyes darted up and down halls as they passed them, eager to find her.

From beneath their hooves the ponies felt the ship rumble as if thunder had sunk its claws into the hull itself and shook it. The ship violently shook without warning. Buck caught Rose before she was thrown into the wall, pulling her into his chest instead and positioning so his back hit it instead. Aries and Storm tried to hug the floor as best they could, but it was too much. All of Navis 7 seemed to list towards where the crash had come from. The hallway became one giant linoleum slide. Though instead of bouncy balls or a soft surface at the end, this slide led to a rather thin glass window.

Ceiling tiles above them broke open, lights and wires jerking from their housings and whipping about haphazardly. Storm rolled onto his stomach, desperately beating at the floor in an effort to grab onto something. Rose clung onto Buck, who in turn wrapped his hoof around a fallen light fixture's wire. Aries zipped past them, gravity pulling his superior weight down faster than the younger ponies. The captain slid by Storm, and as he did used his legs to kick the pony into a door that had come open so he could grab hold. The force pushed the stallion into the wall, where he was able to grapple onto a fire extinguisher that was still bolted to the wall. A filing cabinet had managed to find its way out of a room and came tumbling past the ponies, breaking past the window below. A brief gust of wind tried the suck the ponies through the gaping hole before a large metal structure blocked the newly formed opening.

It took a few seconds for the chaos to resend. The ship groaned and moaned as it righted itself, its structure crying under the stress it was never designed to handle. Aries let out the air he had held in his lungs as Navis 7 corrected herself.

"Everypony okay?" Aries shouted, shakily rising to his hooves.

"Yeah!" Buck managed to cough, helping Rose stand on her own instead of on him.

"Storm?" the captain looked over his shoulder, "you good?"

The darker pony nodded, wobbling out from the room he had been thrown into. "What the hell was that?" he yelled over the ringing in his ears.

"No idea..." Aries looked around, trying to regain his bearing. He could hear more shouting form other ponies in various parts of the corridors. "Aurora!" he called, hoping for a reply that didn't come.

Running through the hall that led to the bridge, Admiral Hawkins ran up to the group. "Captain!"

"Sir, what's going on?"

"One of the engines blew up, Alpha section's decompressed and sealed off from the rest of the ship."

"How many ponies?"

Admiral Hawkins hesitated, looked to the side.

"How many?" Aries pressed the question further.

"Several. It's hard to say... Lieutenant Quick Wing was there..." Both Storm's and Aries' eyes widened. "Captain I'm sorry... but..." The stallion was waiting on edge for what the overseer had to say. "I was talking to him myself, and the explosion happened right after I left... Aurora was there too... I'm so sorry..."

Everything went silent as Captain Aries' world collapsed around him. "Kids..." Aries looked to the three that looked back with equal shock. "You'd better go home..."

Buck and Rose nodded, slowly turning and heading back, looking over their shoulders to make sure he was okay. Storm hesitated, his head bowed. "You'll update us, right?"

"You'll be in the loop, I promise. Now go home..."

"Yes sir..."

On the edge of a jagged cliff near the top of the earthly world, a pony whose coat matched the clouds she had come from found herself in a dire situation. She he her back turned to the rocky drop off as she faced a half-circle of creatures that surrounded her. When Aurora first heard something approaching behind her she had expected it to be one of the wolves she had read about before. Certainly the possibility of it being another pony was far from her mind. Yet here she was, a young mare who had been told her whole life that she was an endangered species that only survived about their ships in the air, was staring at three more.

Slowly Aurora took in the details of those who stood before her. All three were earth ponies, with faded coats of dull earthy colors. Their manes were frayed at the ends and dried out from the long exposure to the sun. Two of the three held spears made of sharpened rocks and sticks under their armpits, wrapping their arms around it to stabilize the weapon. The pony in the middle, who seemed to be in charge of the group, wielded a bow of wood a string, and a leather quiver on her back. On top of her golden coat were even, patterned blue streaks of what looked like pain. All across her legs and arms, head, neck, and body, this was shared by the others in her group. Beads of blue hung down from a bang of her orange mane, covering part of her lavender eyes.

As she continue to examine the ponies across from her, Aurora came to the realization that they were staring at her with just as much attentiveness and curiosity as she had them. Their eyes were darting across her flight suit and the oxygen equipment on her back. The vibrancy of her coat seemed to catch their eyes the most, along with her mane. She could tell they were regarding her with curiosity, but also as a threat.

These ponies aren't from Navis... Aurora thought to herself slowly, fearful that even a quick thought would startle them into an attack. Have... have they lived down here their whole lives?

The wind swirling gently around the ponies was the only thing that moved for a few minutes.

They took a step forward, while Aurora took a step back. Her rear hooves were barely hanging off of the edge of the cliff as loose rocks began to peal off of the surface, bouncing down the side of the cliff face.

"I said, don't move," said the leading mare. Her voice was quick and firm, though Aurora thought she could hear a bit of hesitance in it as well. "Explain yourself, Skyborn."

"You first," Aurora retorted, raising her posture in an attempt to seem confident. There was a pause, the other's debating their options.

"Shut it!" the only stallion in the group barked. "You're coming with us."

Aurora felt a smile pull at the corner of her mouth. Her wings slowly lifted off from her side, flaring themselves to show off to the group in front of her. "About that... I have these." Their eyes were widening, one of the ponies' mouth began to fall open as well. "And you don't." With a great push, Aurora freed herself of the cliff, shooting several feet back. "See ya!" she called out at the last second before turning herself over to dive along the path of the rocky cliff.

The pegasus tucked her wings and legs in, turning herself into a large aerodynamic bullet as she built up energy. She pulled her goggles down so she could see through the wind beating her face. Looking back a smile showed itself while the ledge she had jumped from grew smaller. Just on the brim of it she could see the outlines of the ponies watching her fall. Aurora snapped her wings open and looked forward as she began to level out her dive. The cliff below her smoothed out into a plain of tall grass, dotted by flowers of many colors. The dance they preformed was memorizing. She felt at ease with the world seemingly to calm while drag slowed her down and the wind rocked her gently.

The warmer air reminded her of a comforting embrace. Aurora closed her eyes to focus on the new feelings. Opening them she took in the wonders around her. The world seemed flat and extended on for forever. She rolled onto her back and watched as the mountain reached for the cirrus clouds she once knew as her home.

She drifted to the right, following her own gaze. Running through the field of grass and flowers was something off colored. Instead of green, blue, red, yellow, or violet, it was gray with stems of green sticking out from between cracks. The color formed a rectangle several feet wide that Aurora traced back towards the mountain where it zig-zagged back and forth up it. Aurora landed on the color, hearing the clop of her hooves as she touched down on a stone road; a pathway made up of large rocks packed closely together and smoothed along the top. There wasn't anything like this on Navis. There everything was made of metal.

The path stretched in the opposite direction as well, reaching into the nearby forest before disappearing beneath the canopy. Curiosity got the best of the young pony as she unfurled her wings, took to a hover and leisurely glided above the path.

Slowly the forest enveloped the mare on her journey. Aurora had expected the same silence she experienced in the plain only a few minutes ago. Instead she was greeted by more than just the rustling of leaves in wind; something in of itself that was still quite new to her. At seemingly spuratic intervals, several tones of short, high pitched sounds echoed through the trees. Naturally her eyes scanned the canopy, trying to find the source. Movement at the corner of her eye gave away its origins.

Sat on a branch of a tree that extended out above her and the path, were several small objects. They were all about the same size, about as big as her hoof. Aurora could see they were creatures covered in feathers. One was primarily blue, another red, and a third a mix between brown and green. Their bodies narrowed into heads that ended in a golden beak. They're birds! Aurora realized, bringing back memories of a book that had been read to her when she was younger. Turning into a filly again Aurora's curiosity got the best of her as she moved up to them, careful to be slow and not startle them.

Their chirping had come to a stop when they noticed the pegasus approaching. They too were just as curious. The birds allowed Aurora to get within only a couple of feet from them before she stopped, not wanting to risk getting any closer. Occasionally they would puff out their wings, allowing their feathers to part and not stick together and air to get into the glands where their wings met their bodies. Aurora's eyes widened. They had wings! A creature other than a pegasus, alive, in front of her eyes! In her excitement she reached out with a hoof too quickly and scared them off. With a mixture of awe and disappointment she watched the birds zip quickly away through a gap in the tree canopy above her. Though out of sight, she could still hear their chirping, as well as the calls of others hidden away in the surrounding trees.

A smile formed beneath her mask as she set down on the stone path, choosing to walk and take in and process all the new sights and sounds. The path was winding, wrapping around beds of gravel and rock, around hills and through clearings. It was broken occasionally by rivers and ponds, where bridges had once stretched across but had since crumbled to the passing times.

One river in particular had a slow current, with clear and shallow waters. Aurora hovered over it, careful not to disturb the crystalline surface. She looked down in the hopes to see her own reflection but instead found something more. Creatures moved effortlessly through the waters. Their bodies varied in colors: golds, blues, reds, purples and greens. Some were small and short while others large and long; their bodies moving side to side to propel themselves through the river. Aurora reached through the waves and tried to touch one of the fish, only to have it turn and zip away.

She wanted to stay longer but a gust of tail wind continued her on her journey. But soon the stone tapered off into tall grass. The trees around her became more sparse, allowing room for the sun's light to shine on patches of the forest floor. The tall grass began to fade away, its height shortening until it went up to Aurora's knees. The forest ended, opening up into a circular field.

Crumbled stone made up organized patterns of squares throughout the field, with spaces between them where paths once laid. Even to Aurora's untrained eye they looked like the foundations of what were once homes. It slowly occurred to Aurora that she was standing in the remnants of what was once a town from the civilization that predated her own. In the center was a large and old tree. It had died long ago, but its bark still held its weight. Its branches no longer produced leaves to shield it from the elements.

Dug into the front of the tree's trunk was an arch shaped hole that led to a hollowed out interior. Other holes were spread throughout the trunk, however these were small and square. Aurora thought that they could have once been windows and a door. The idea intrigued her: living in a tree. At the same time it didn't seem all that strange, after all she lived in a ship in a sky. Curiosity got the best of her as she started to move towards the tree. She wondered what might be on the inside, what somepony might have used it for. What kind of history could be contained within its hallowed bark? What were the stories of the pony who lived in the town that once stood here?

Aurora was quick to stop walking. She watched as a four legged creature not much smaller than she was crawled from what used to be a window and perched itself on one of the larger branches of the old tree. It had pointed ears and a pointed nose and its fur was mostly gray with a white underside. Its eyes were an ice blue that froze Aurora to the bone when they fell on her. For a moment the two stared at one another. Aurora could feel its power and prominence over her. Its face was relaxed where hers was tense, and its eyes were steady compared to her wide ones. She had seen a picture of something that looked similar to this before, but she could quite think of its name.

The creature jumped from the branch to the grass below. It took a step towards the white pony, who intern took a step back. In a fluid motion it stood tall on all four legs and raised its head high, aiming its nose to the sun high above. The front of its mouth parted as it gave a distinctive call that left no doubt in Aurora's mind as to what it was. The call was long and drawn out; a piercing drone that froze the forest itself /-with every echo. The only thing that moved was the hairs on the back of Aurora's neck. By the end of the of the howl, several more had appeared. Some had coats of varying colors of brown and tan while others were mixes of grays and blacks. All were staring at the pony.

Wolves... Aurora remembered the name of the stoic beats with dread. She lifted a hoof to take a step back, mirrored by the lead canine as it stepped forward with its left paw. Another step, and again it was copied in reverse by the wolf. Aurora could see the other wolves forming a large, spaced out half circle around the wolf Aurora had come to dub the Alpha. By this point her retreat had become a normality. She found herself enveloped in the forest again, with the wolves cutting her off from the open field ahead. The canopy above was too thick to guarantee her being able to escape through it... I'm trapped... Aurora's ears fell back on her head.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a wolf on the far flank charge at her. Aurora jumped up with the assistance of her wings, letting the wolf pass below her. The pegasus orientated herself vertically, using a large tree branch to push herself off of and catapult away from the wolf pack that was now barreling after her, howling and barking. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking for an escape. She was flying close to the canopy to stay as far from the wolves as she could, but blowing through the branches was taking its tole on her wings. Though the deeper into the forest she flew, the thicker the foliage became, and the lower she was forced to fly; all the way until she had no choice but to run on her hooves, jumping on and over and under logs and fallen trees.

Aurora could hear the wolves behind her but dared not look. She was tunnel visioned on trying to find the best escape route that would allow her to lose the pursuing canines. A gap revealed itself to her right. It was a gamble as to if she would fit through it, but she was quickly running out of options. She dove for the small opening, getting stuck briefly by the oxygen tank attached to her back. Aurora took a step back and charged, breaking through the branches with her tank. In the process a thorn had sliced its way through her flight suit, causing her to bleed from a six inch gash along her left shoulder.

Unfortunately her brutishness had created a hole big enough for the wolves to slip through and continue chasing her. Cursing herself Aurora continued to flee from the Alpha and its pack. Though she was built for speed in the sky, the were built for speed on the ground, a trait that was showing itself well.

Aurora lose her footing on a muddy slope she didn't notice until it was too late. She toppled hoof over head several times, nearing the water-y bottom below. The pegasus was able to correct herself so that she was sliding on her hooves instead of completely uncontrollably. Nearing the bottom the slope jutted out in an upward angle that had been corroded away into a rushing creek. The pegasus unfurled her wings and jumped at the last second, skipping over the body of water. Coming to a skidding halt on the other side, Aurora looked back, watching with a smile as some wolves slipped down the slope and into the water, while the others including the Alpha remained in the forest above.

"Ha!" she cheered, jumping up and down. She turned and pranced away from the scene, her head held high and her nose pointed up. In her ego she failed to see vines on the ground in front of her that formed a circle. Aurora stepped in the center, triggering the snarl that wrapped itself around her hoof and dragged her along the ground towards a nearby tree. She thought she would hit it until the vine pulled her up towards the branches. For a moment she hung in the air, swinging back and forth upside-down in the gentle breeze.

Aurora inhaled, exhaling her breath in a long sigh with closed eyes.

Author's Note:

Let's end this year right! I hope you all enjoy it, and I hope to keep writing :) As always, feedback is greatly appreciated.

-Sam.

Comments

[bastiaan]

just spotted one this time

patterned blue streaks of what looked like pain.

*paint

any way, amazing as always. for a moment i was having deja vu, but than i remembered that i read your preview in your blog post.
the interaction with the natives is a bit brief and quickly forgotten by Aurora but who know where they might show up

happy new year!

[That Avi Nerd]

6789965 Thanks! As always, the feedback is greatly appreciated! I'm trying not to give anything away, but I ended up ending the chapter a little earlier than I had originally planned. We'll see the natives later, though :P

[Fire moon]

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