The Legend of Hyracles

by BlueColton

Don't Kill the Messenger

Don't Kill the Messenger

Alcemare shivered by the fire. The midnight blue-colored pegasus mare pulled the hood of her cloak tight about her wings, adding what little wood remained into the dying embers of the fireplace. Outside her simple mud-brick home, the wind howled perpetually. She was reminded of the stories her great-grandmother used to tell her about the dreaded windigos who once forced ponies from their original homeland. They had been enough to keep her awake at night when she was a filly, fearing that a windigo would sneak into her room and eat her.

Alcemare missed her granna. She missed her family. The founding of Equestria was supposed to be a new beginning for ponykind, a chance at a better and more comfortable life. Alcemare stared at the table, her empty table, and wondered just what about this life was supposed to bebetter. Most of her family was either dead or gone. Thinking back, her granna was the only one to have died a peaceful death, of old age and surrounded by loved ones, the last of the “Old Guard.” Her generation was almost gone, the first ponies who came to Equestria during the Great Migration.

According to her granna’s stories, their family had once been what could be considered pegasus nobility. While not monarchal like the unicorns, the pegasi had once lived under a strict caste system and her family had belonged to the warrior caste. This meant that they were responsible for protecting the Herd from all threats and were highly regarded. When the pony tribes began intermingling, however, one of her ancestors had married an earth pony, marking the family as impure, and they were banished from the Herd.

Alcemare’s family never fully recovered from the shame. Her mother died giving birth to her youngest sister, leaving Aclemare and her siblings in the care of their aunt, an earth pony who was anything but loving. When she died during a diamond dog raid, Alcemare had to look after her sisters and brother all by herself. She had done her best, but raising three kids hadn’t been easy, especially when she was just a filly herself.

Her brother joined a mercenary group when he had been old enough, promising to make a fortune and send bits back to the family. Alcemare hadn’t heard back from him in years. Her youngest sister had perished from a fever. The despair had become so great that Alcemare’s second sister ran away with some traveling troupe, possibly never to return. If it hadn’t been for Amphitroton, her husband, Alcemare would no longer be here.

Amphitroton, a former soldier and veteran of countless battles, had been looking for a place to retire. He was a handsome pegasus, rugged face, chiseled features, the kind the mares would swoon over, and swoon they did. Every available mare in the village practically threw themselves at the stallion’s hooves, but he only had eyes for one lady, Alcemare.

After their courtship, they marred and spent several blissful years together. But when the village had come under attack by more diamond dog raiders, Amphitroton had left to join the defenders. Winter had settled then. No pony had seen or heard from the warriors in weeks and Alcemare began to fear the worse. Then, on a peculiarly warm night, her husband returned to her. Amphitroton explained that the ponies were about to undertake a major engagement against the diamond dogs and that he needed to see his wife for fear that he’d never get a second chance. That night had been the most amazing of her adult life.

The next morning, Amphitroton was gone. A few days later, Alcemare learned that she was pregnant. When the village defenders finally returned, all they had left of Amphitroton was his shield and sword.

A sudden stirring in the next room caught Alcemare’s attention. She begrudgingly removed herself from the fireplace and walked across her modest house to a hanging curtain. Pulling it open, she found the source of the commotion wailing in the makeshift crib she’d fashioned herself.

“There’s my little one.” Alcemare reached in to pull out the crying foal. She made sure to wrap the baby in her blanket to keep away the cold. “Hush now, little one. Momma’s here.” She sat down on her rump and began to rock back and forth while holding the baby. The foal continued to mutter and fit for a while longer. Alcemare began to hum a hymn her granna used to sing to her when she was a filly. The magic still worked and soon enough the foal was fast asleep.

Sighing contently, Alcemare placed the sleeping foal back into the crib and closed the curtain on her way out. She rubbed her trembling shoulders and decided it was time to collect more firewood. She wrapped a scarf tightly around her neck before stepping out, taking one last look at the curtain, for Alcemare needed constant reminder of why she put up with so much hardship. She blew a kiss and stepped outside.

The night was cold. The wind bit hard at her exposed face and Alcemare forced herself to acclimate, her breath fogging before her. The village was quiet, its high walls patrolled by the militia who kept an eye out for signs of attack by raiders or monsters. Alcemare walked to the small shack beside her home where she kept the firewood. Located in a fertile valley, the village wanted very little in terms of firewood, which came in especially handy when winter came about. The weather in this new land was unpredictable. Even the pegasi, once masters of the skies, had difficulty controlling it. It had become so difficult that many of them had abandoned their traditional cloud homes in favor of more “reliable” lodgings on the surface.

A pegasus militia pony flew overhead. He offered Aclemare a wave as he passed by and she returned the gesture. The village was made up of mostly pegasi and earth ponies, with but a sprinkling of unicorns. The horned ones seemed to prefer the mountains which offered better protection than the open fields and plains favored by their earth pony, and now pegasus, cousins. Of course there were dangers in those mountains as well; balroggs and frost giants, and gods know what else! One would think this entire country had it out for ponies and wouldn’t stop until they were wiped off the face of the earth.

Alcemare rummaged through her stockpile, which was meager at best. She was just stacking them together when she heard a shrill cry in the night. A foal was wailing…no, screaming! Alcemare knew at once it was her own baby and dropped the wood she had been gathering. She ran faster than she ever thought a pegasus could manage on the ground, bursting through the door so hard she almost broke it.

“Little one!” She looked at the curtain where she saw shadows, long serpentine shadows, surrounding her baby’s crib. “No!” Alcemare charged for the curtain, her heart sinking at the thought of what she’d find. This couldn’t be happening. The gods couldn’t be this cruel. They can’t take away the last thing she cared about on this world!

Alcemare threw the curtain aside, her breath caught in her throat.

Two massive serpents, each longer than the span of Alcemare’s wings, lay dead at the foot of the crib, their heads crushed and their forked tongues lagging out. There was blood everywhere. Barely breathing, Alcemare slowly approached the crib, her hoof steps slow and weak. “L-Little one?”

The foal was sitting up, her face and body covered in serpent’s blood. She seemed unharmed and even smiled at her mother as she approached the crib. Crying out, Alcemare grabbed her baby and pulled her into a tight hug. She didn’t know what happened, couldn’t fathom it…all she cared about was that her child, her precious, precious child, was safe.

“Thank the gods!” Her baby snuggled her tiny face into her mother’s neck, giggling as if it had all been a game. Alcemare kissed her baby on the head. “Thank the gods!”

A warmth entered the tiny room. Like an invisible fire, mother and child were covered in a glowing light that seemed to originate from everywhere at once. Alcemare watched, wide-eyed, as a pegasus pony materialized right in front of her. Glowing like some bright ember, the pegasus had a gray coat of fur and blonde hair. Her wings barely flapped as she hovered over the crib, a winged slipper cutie mark over her flank. She carried a saddlebag that seemed to be made out of stardust, bits of it sprinkling over the crib and making it glow. Atop her head was a strange-looking helmet that reminded Alcemare of an overturned pot with a red plume on top.

“Behold! I am Horsies!” The glowing pegasus said.

Alcemare cleared her throat. “Um…excuse me?”

Realizing she had been facing the wrong way when she spoke, the pegasus, Horsies, quickly turned around to face Alcemare. It was then that Aclemare noticed the strange shape of her eyes, which were yellow, but one forever turned in the opposite direction of the other.

“Oops…my bad!” Horsies cleared her throat again. “I am Horsies and I…wait.” She leered curiously at Alcemare. “Are you Alcemare?”

Alcemare nodded slowly. “Y-Yes?”

Horsies wiped her head as if she’d been sweating. “Whew! I finally got the right pony this time. All these houses look alike.” She puffed out her chest, sticking one arm behind her back and one over her chest. “I am Horsies, messenger pony of the gods!” She proclaimed.

“The gods?” Aclemare gasped. “Horsies?”

“Uh-huh. That’s me!” Horsies threw up her hooves and kicked out her legs. “I deliver messages all over the place. From Mt. Equus to Tartarus. You name it, I’ve been there.” Horsies noticed the pony cradled in Alcemare’s arms. “Awww. Is that the future savior of Equestria?” She hovered closer, her wings hardly moving. “How cute!”

Alcemare instinctively pulled back. “Future savior? What are you talking about?”

“Oops. Silly me. I’ve got a message for you.” Reaching into her saddlebag, Horsies pulled out a parchment which she then unfurled. Clearing her throat, the strange pegasus said, “Dear, Alcemare. Congratulations on giving birth to the hero of Equestria! You must be very proud and we here at Mt. Equus are pleased to announce that you are now eligible for the Maternal Savior Retirement Plan, which is immediately activated upon your imminent demise. Benefits of this package include a timeshare in Elysium, eternal life, dental coverage, and free pruning. Please note that all free pruning opportunities are only available in afterlives endorsed by Mt. Equus. For questions about the location nearest you, please contact our customer service branch upon death. Additional services,”

“I’m sorry, what?” Alcemare stared dumbfounded at the messenger pony. “Can you please go back to the part where my baby is the savior of Equestria?”

Horsies lowered the parchment she was reading. “I already explained that.”

“No you didn’t. You just appeared out of nowhere right after my child was…” Alcemare gasped. She glanced at the dead serpents. “Those snakes tried to kill my baby! How is she still alive?” She looked up at Horsies. “Did you…did you intervene?”

“Me? Nah.” Horsies blushed. “I’m just an immortal messenger pony.”

“But what happened? Where did these snakes come from and why did they try to eat my baby?”

“Well they are snakes, Miss. Alcemare. Eating ponies is kind of what they do. As for the ‘where did they come from’ part, we’re still working on that.” Horsies looked at the dead serpents and gagged. “It’s a good think she has super strength. I sure wouldn’t want to fly into these things in a dark alley.”

“Super strength?” Alcemare looked at her pony. The little foal’s blue face beamed at her. “Her?”

“Well doy! She is a half-god after all.”

Alcemare flared angrily. “What are you talking about? She’s not a god!”

“Half god,” the deity corrected.

Alcemere narrowed her eyes. “Explanation. Now!”

“Okey-dokey.” Horsies put the parchment away. “You see the boss, that’s Divine Thunder, king of Equus, lord of ponies, the big guy on the cloud,”

“I…know…who…he…is,” Alcemare spoke through gritted teeth. Not one minute of conversation and already she was infuriated by this whimsical deity.

“Oh good. Anywhoo, he was flying around one day, scoping the scene, when all of a sudden he saw a beautiful mare.” Horsies smiled suggestively, “Guess who that mare was.”

“Me?” Alcemare asked, sheepishly.

“Bingo!”

The foal in Alcemare’s arms giggled at that.

“He liked you a lot, but saw how sad you were when your hubby went away to fight those diamond dogs. So he decided to kill two birds with one stone. He changed himself so that he looked like your hubby-wubby and visited you that one night. The next day, he snuck out of bed like he usually does and headed back to Mt. Equus. You got to see your stallion for one more night and Bid Daddy Thunder got rid of his itch. Two birds. One stone. Get it?”

Alcemare stared at Horsies in horror. She began to back away. “You mean…that wasn’t Amphitroton that night? It was Divine Thunder?”

“Yup! Boy howdy, did he have a lot to say about you when he got home. Said you were the best he’d ever had. That didn’t make Queen Jealoustia happy, I’ll tell you what.”

But Alcemare didn’t hear any of it. She was so distraught she she fell to her rump, clutching her baby. “Amphitroton. He…he never came home.”

Seeing the look on her face, Horsies flew over and patted Alcemare on the back. “Oh. I’m so sorry, Miss Alcemare. But Amphitroton died a long time ago. He died before Divine Thunder came to visit you.”

Alcemare began to cry. “No.” Her voice was strained, as if of thirst.

Looking over at the far wall, Horsies spotted a sword and shield. “Those are his?”

Alcemare didn’t respond. She just kept crying. Horsies said, “If it’s any consolation, he died a hero’s death. Many ponies in your village owe their lives to him. You should be happy.”

“Happy?” Alcemare yelled. She got up, glaring daggers at the diety. Horsies backed away, intimidated despite being immortal. In her arms, the baby began to wriggle uncomfortably. “My husband is dead, I was rapped by a god, and you say I should feel happy?”

“You weren’t raped.”

“I didn’t know it was Divine Thunder. I never would have slept with him otherwise. How dare he take the face of my beloved? Who does he think he is? Who…”

Outside, thunder boomed. The entire house trembled. Dogs began to bark and there were several shouts of surprise. Both Alcemare and Horsies cringed and huddled on the floor, their heads bowed. The baby began to cry.

“You shouldn’t talk that way about the boss,” Horsies said. “He’s the one who sent me to tell you the good news.” The messenger pony took flight again. “Look, I’m just the messenger. I know this may not be what you want to hear, Miss Alcemare, but it’s the truth. Your foal,” she pointed to the crying baby whom Alcemare held defensively, “Is the child of the king of the gods. She killed those snakes with her bare hooves because she’s so strong. She’s going to grow up to become a champion, the greatest Equestria has ever seen.”

Alcemare tried to comfort her baby, whispering soft things in her ears. She felt a warm hoof on her shoulder and looked up to see Horsies smiling at her. “I don’t understand everything the boss does. But I do know this: your kid is going to do a lot of good in this world. Things are getting worse out there. Equestria needs a hero.” She looked at the foal. “Your baby is that hero.”

“But why?” Alcemare asked through tear-filled eyes. “Why my baby?”

Horsies shrugged. “Don’t know. Things just worked out that way, I guess.” She cleared her throat. “Listen, you don’t have to worry. Part of the reason I came here was to tell you that whoever tried to kill your foal will be found and punished. I’m also here to tell you that from now on, that foal is under the protection of Divine Thunder. No creature may harm her until she is of age and able to look after herself. Look.”

Alcemare did. Atop her baby’s forehead was a glowing mark of a golden thunderbolt. The mark of Mt. Equus. The mark of Divine Thunder. It disappeared soon after. “No monster or demon can hurt her. But she’s still mortal and that means she’s still able to feel pain and fear. She can get sick, hurt, or even die. This means you must look after her as you would any normal child.”

Alcemare glared at Horsies. “She is a normal child. She’s my child!”

“Don’t kill the messenger.” Horsies fluttered about. “I’m just here to tell you you’re not alone anymore. Amphitroton was a hero and your filly’s going to be an even greater one. She’ll keep getting stronger. Pretty soon you won’t have to worry about her anymore.”

This time when Alcemare looked at her, Horsies saw not anger, but pain. “What is it?”

“She is all I have left in this world,” she said in a voice that was barely a whisper. “She is and always will be my child. To have her put her life in danger to save a country that’s done nothing but take from me Is not right.” She looked at her baby, her big fushia-colored eyes wide and happy. Alcemare smiled despite her sorrow. “Please, choose somepony else.”

“It’s not up to me, Miss Alcemare. If it was, I’d leave you two alone.” A sound of thunder ripped through the sky. Horsies covered her mouth. “Oops! Sorry, boss.” Her next words were meant to console the aggrieved mare. “She’s going to be amazing, Miss Alcemere. Look at that. She killed two snakes all by herself and she’s just a foal! Imagine what she can do when she grows up. She’s going to change the world. She’s going to make Equestria a better place. Just watch.” She leaned toward Alcemare’s ear and whispered, “And know I’ll be watching over her too.”

Alcemare looked up at Horsies. The deity smiled, glowed, and disappeared, leaving a bunch of dust that glittered all over the place.

Alcemare held up her baby, the future hero of Equestria. She giggled and kicked her tiny legs as if the news had excited her. Alcemere just stared at her. “So the king of the gods has claimed you as his own, has he?” She looked up at the ceiling, knowing Divine Thunder was staring back at her. “You take the face of my beloved, enter my bed, father my child…and the best you can offer me is the promise of glory for my only child? Well hear me, king of Equus!” She held up her baby. “This child will always be mine, for though our shared blood runs through her veins, it is I who will name her.”

She thought back to her granna’s stories, about the myths and legends of ancient pegasi. Names were highly respected among their kind, so much so that there was a time when a pegasus child had to earn his or her name in battle. There was story that always fascinated her, about the first pegasus hero to fly the sky, the one who all pegasi warriors used to call out to before they went into battle. “The glory of our people! I name this child, Hyracles!”

Thunder boomed again, though whether in acceptance of or disagreement of the name, Alcemare did not care. She had at least taken that much away from Divine Thunder for in naming the child she had in affect claimed her forever.

“Hyracles,” Alcemare said, looking at the amazing bundle in her hooves. “My daughter.”

Hyracles only giggled.

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[Revan]

Let's do this!!!

[TodayIWriteFanfics]

Derpy the goddess. Yes.