Give and Take

by Little Floof

Chapter one

I ran as fast as my hooves could take me. The thump, thump, as they hit the earth is rivaled only by my pounding heart. They can't find us now, not after so long.
Turning a corner I had to stop myself from skidding along a sheet of black ice. Stopping in the shadows of the large filthy building by me I sat, the ebony coat I still took pride in keeping me hidden from pursuers. Closing my eyes I hunched to the ground to hide the mark on my flank. Using the hood I'd been working on repairing I dropped to the ground.

If you didn't look too closely I looked like a pile of trash. And if somepony did look closer I was hoping they'd think I was a homeless creature.

I suppose in a way I was.

Hoofsteps came up to me and paused. In that half a second I felt the beginnings of a sob coming up in my throat. The saddlebags on my back, laden with food and other necessities rested even heavier. They would be wasted. I'd be taken back and what would happen to-
Then the steps moved onward. I remained still even though I knew there would be no trap. They weren't smart enough for that. Still I waited. When I was completely sure they'd gone I stood once again. The strength of my panic seemed to have taken the energy right out of me. Feeling the weight of the saddlebags I dropped my head, keeping my eyes on the dirt below my hooves.
When I traced the way back to my temporary home. Lifting the hood from my black mane I ducked under the broken frame.

“Angel?” my ash broken voice called into the darkness, straining to see any hint of movement.

“Ethos are you back?” the tiny voice yawned, a pair of sweet blue violet eyes opened, landing on my distorted figure. “You’re back,” she jumped up and a pair of ebony wings flew her to me, landing by my hoof. The pale pink coat over her whole body blended perfectly into the ebony feathers that formed her wings. They were a bit larger than most filly’s her age, giving evidence she would hit a growth spurt soon. Her tiny head had curly dark pink hair framing her warm pink cheeks and large eyes. The beautiful sweet face had one swirling black horn atop her head. Small sparks flew about with her emotion, pale pink and silver sparks intermingled, giving the impression of tiny fireworks.

Kissing her gently on the top of her head I let the sweet smell of flowers fill my nose. It had been so long since I’d smelled a real flower. But I still had the most precious one by my side.

“Did you bring food Ethos?” her gaze was so hungry that even if I hadn’t succeeded I would’ve lied.

“Of course I did Angel Meadows.” Lifting the saddle bags from my aching back I set it on the wooden boards, which creaked under its weight. Nosing it her darling baby pink face lit with joy.

“Apples!” she grabbed one and ate it down to the core within minutes. “Oh Ethos,” juice dripped down her chin, “how did you get apples?”

“It’s a secret,” I lowered myself to the floor carefully, letting myself breathe through the expected jab of pain between my ribs.

“Are you tired?” she asked that question every time I returned from ‘shopping’ and my answers had become so gloomy I’d recently taken to lying through my teeth just so not to hurt her.

“Just a little bit little one,” I set my head on my folded hooves. “I had to go far to get you apples. I knew they would make you happy.”

“I do, I love them,” the small wings carried her over the bags where she nuzzled into my side. Her body, no matter how under grown and thin despite my best efforts, was warm and more of a comfort than I could ever really say.

“I’m glad,” I smiled at her.

“How is your back?” her small face flooded with concern.

“I got new bandages in town,” I lied. “It feels much better than yesterday.”

“It’s not bleeding anymore?”

“I think it is now.”

“Ethos?” she nuzzled closer to me, curling under my worn cloak.

“Yes little one?”

“You said we were going to go somewhere warm next. Can we go there tomorrow? I don’t want to be cold anymore.”

If you can withstand the pleading of a small child’s fondest wish I applaud you. I am not that strong.

“Of course we can Angel. You get sleep tonight and we'll go tomorrow.”
She smiled at me and curled up on the floor, her tiny black wings over her pale pink body, and fell asleep.

I got up before she had woken and before the sun had peaked over the horizon. Scooping the sleeping child up into my saddle bags along with all the food I could manage to bring. There were some things I knew we’d have to leave behind but there was nothing to be done. I simply wasn’t strong enough to carry these things.

With the cloak over my body I knew that I’d be warm enough.
My mind wandered as my steps did. With no clear destination I let my thoughts escape me. I didn’t mind the unclear train of wonderings. It was nice and distracting to me.
After what seemed many hours, the sun finally began fighting the clouds hiding its rays to the earth. No matter how far the world went on, or how much it fell into poverty I had a feeling that the stubborn pegasus would continue to spread the seasons. I wish they’d let the sunshine through. It had been so long since I’d felt warm I felt I’d nearly forgotten it.

A movement in the saddle bags around noon woke me from my daze.

“Ethos?” a tiny bump of a head popped from my back, tired and questioning. “Why is it so dark?”

“Because,” I smiled at her. “You’re under my cloak.”

“Oh,” the small child began to wave her hooves, trying to remove herself from under the thick fabric, a funny sight indeed. “I want out.”

“Use your magic Angel.” I spoke gently.

“Oh,” she said again. “Right.”

A silver haze covered the edge of the cloak before it lifted itself gently from my flank and wrapped around the filly’s head like a scarf. She pulled it tightly around her body, looking like a head attached to my back. I chuckled at her innocently curious face as she looked around. “Where are we?”

“Almost there.” I gave my usual answer.

Angel sighed lightly, ducking into my saddle bags for food. “Where are the apples?” Her big blue eyes peered over the edge of the bag.

“On the other side.” I scanned the area, seeing a small lump in the distance. It may have been a town, or perhaps my eyes were playing tricks on me.

A sudden jab in my side made me jump. The nudge of Angel’s horn came again and I relaxed, worried for a moment I had burst one of my clumsily made stitches.

“Where?” her tiny voice was muffled under the combined efforts of both cloak and bag.

“I’ll get them when we stop,” I told her.

“But I’m hungry.”

“We’ll stop soon,” I told her. And I spoke honestly . My hooves ached and my head was pounding. Exhaustion was catching up to me and after a long walk I was feeling it even worse.
Angel Meadows peaked out again, watching the blank path silently. As time passed and the sun began to sink before me only one particularly interesting thing happened.
About halfway through the day, my young charge’s head still keeping a look her young sharp eyes caught sight of something that my blurring sight had missed.

“Ethos?” she called, concern in her voice. It was the concern that caught my attention and made me listen to her next words. “What’s that?”

Squinting and blinking I scanned the world in front of me and I caught sight of a large carriage trundling down the dusty road. It was pulled by grand strong unicorns with broad chests covered in silver armor. Swearing under my breath I pushed Angel down into my saddle bags, the movement digging knives of pain into my ribs.

“What’s that?” she whispered, a wet tremble to her tone. “Who is it?”

“I don’t know,” I spoke as clearly as I could between grit teeth. “Just keep very quiet, I’ll protect you Angel.”

“I know,” she curled up tightly and the only proof I had that she lived were her shallow terrified breaths.
Keeping my head low I listened closely as the carriage quickly approached, I prayed that it would pass by.
Would I have been so lucky.

After a moment I heard the carriage come to a stop and a sharp voice called to me. “Pesant!” a harsh female voice cracked upon my ears like shattering glass.

“Yes ma’am?”I kept my gaze on the ground.

“Ma’am?” what I had deemed to be a respectful term she spat back at me like an insult. “I am a princess!”

I lowered myself into a clumsy bow, one I had once been able to do elegantly and without a second thought. “I’m sorry your highness,” my voice lowered.

“Who are you boy?” she demanded.

“Soul Stone,” I gave her the unassuming name I’d come up with for cover. “I come from Macintosh Mountains.”

No other explanation need be given at that point. Everyone knew what had happened there. The badlands, with their horrible darkness had gone across the mountain range. It had passed over the northern ponyville and canterlot, with other surrounding areas.

No one was sure what the darkness hald. All that was clear was that once the blackness fell there was no getting it away. The impenetrable All knew the efforts of the princesses and guards to keep at least that small part safe.

Most who had survived the mountains headed to Appleloosa only to find it in an even worse state than their previous home. There they split into different groups. Some went to the desert, some to Hayseed swaps. All the pegasus escaped to Cloudsdale or Los Pegasus. No one knew what happened to them, though even though they continued to bring the weather and seasons no one had been able to communicate with any of them. No one could tell them that the true fight was over. Equestria was safe.
The far islands, Carriagebean Islands, Griffinstone and many others had been conquered by the darkness, the darkness which called itself the Equum Sanguinis.

Chills ran down my spine, icy sweat trickling down my legs. Just the thought made my heart stutter. The blood red eyes, the wide grin, the black opaque magic swirling in front of my eyes, sealing my fate.

“Boy!” the sharp female voice cut through my thoughts. “I gave you an order.”

“I'm sorry,” I shrunk down, pretending humility though given my choice i would have liked to hit her with something. If she spoke another word my ears would most definetly have started bleeding, or so I thought.

“Look at me,” she purred with a gentle fury.

Swallowing hard I did as I was told, lifting my pale white gaze to her small window.
The mare there was so unbelievably beautiful I froze even more completely. With a coat of palest purple and a piercing sapphire gaze she watched me. The grand glittering cloak around her shoulders was well cared for and looked brand new. Upon blonde curls sat a silver crown, eyelashes hitting her perfectly blushed cheeks with every blink this goddess of beauty radiated power and control. Her horn was long, indicating she was older than her lush young face implied.

I was dumbstruck for a minute until I realized she was examining me just as closely. That’s when a most unfamiliar feeling snuck into my stomach. Embarrassment.
I was dirty, my black mane caked with brown, my pale eyes dulled and tired, the white star on my forehead could not have been visible. Even my clashing ragged brown cloak was in need of washing. Despite the rain that had pounded down on me only a few days ago there was blood splatters, mud stains and a few other marks I’d rather not specify. I filed my role as a refugee very well. I was as unremarkable as any stone you could pick up in the road.

“Where are you going?” she turned up her nose which ruined the beauty just a little. “I have no destination other than to find somewhere for the night.”

“I see,” she gestured to the stallions pulling her carriage to continue and with grunts they began to move again.

“Celestia bless you on your journey,” I lifted a cracked hoof to wave her away.

“Celestia?” she snorted. “Do not wish for her blessing. Only mine. Princess Sapphire.”
I nodded and continued forward, anxious to get from under her gaze. After a minute or so, with the sounds of the hooves fading behind me I heard a small noise that made me leap nearly sky high.

“Ethos?” a trembling whisper came from my saddle bags. I’d almost forgotten about Angel Meadows.

“It’s alright Angel,” I looked back both to see her and to see the distance of the princess. She and her entourage were almost a mile away now. “You can come out now.”
Her small, fluffy pink head peaked out from the edge of the bag. She looked nervous and the darkness gathering overhead cast deep shadows on her young face. “That was scary.”

“I’m sorry.” I wished I could comfort her further but I knew I had to keep going, to get further away from that scary woman, despite my shaking legs.

“I don’t want her to be a princess. She lots like the Equum Sanguinis.”
Even hearing her say the name was enough to increase my shaking, which did nothing for a the growing headache. It was like the princess had been trying to tear my brain out, making my whole skull ache in me. Horrible memories of the scarlet eyes waking me in the dark of the night, taking everything from me, all with a cruel smile. As if responding to my mood the sky above began to blacken, and not with the nighttime which should have been hours away still. It was the clouds above me, thick and heavy with rain. We’d most likely need to find shelter. I trusted my cloak to keep her dry and warm but I’d have to give into exhaustion sometime soon.

Angel took her position in my saddle bag again, head leaning against the opening and dozing happily.
Watching her sleepy face brought up a small smile onto mine, despite the pain, the aches and the soreness in my hooves all the way up to my shoulders and flank. It began to drizzle and I pulled the cloak further over her head to keep her dry.

Paths led away on either side of me. I knew they would take me to small farms or camps. Only pride and distrust of my fellow beings kept me going. If I could find an abandoned barn or town I’d stop. Rain began to fall harder and I felt a warm wet stain start on my side. Surely my rain couldn’t have a rip.
Angel moved and for a moment I’d wondered if she’d wet herself. We had stopped when she needed to go and she could have said something to me.

Then she spoke, “Ethos…” she pushed the cloak edge to the top of her head. There was a dark red stain on the side of her face and neck. I felt dread clench my insides more thoroughly than ever before. She was hurt. I’d hurt her.

What had happened?

“Angel!” I stopped dead in my tracks.”What’s wrong? You’re bleeding!”
Rain thundered down now, making my need to shout even more, straining my ears to hear her.

“No.” Water dripped down her cheeks, making clean rivers through the blood stains in her coat. “You are. You said you were better.” Her betrayed tone tore at my heart more completely than if I’d been shot with a crossbow. “You lied to me. And you’re bleeding again.”

“I’m alright,” I lied again. But now that I knew what was happening I could not help but come to terms with the pain falling over me in waves. Angel jumped out of the saddlebags and into the mud. The rain hit her head, flattening the curls on top so her black horn stuck out from her skull.

“Angel,” I was frustrated that my voice had cracked with strain, making me sound weaker. “Get back in the saddlebags. We have to get going.”

“No,” she argued stubbornly. She never argued. “You are going to get help.”

“You little…”I tried to summon anger but all I could bring up was a resolved tiredness.

“You will get help now,” she put her hoof down, glaring up at me.

“The next doctor’s office we’ll stop.” I gave in.

“No.”

“What?”

She pointed a slender hoof to a lit house in a farm set on top of a hill. Around it were trees with leaves all around the bases. It was an apple farm.

“You know we can’t trust other ponies,”I argued. It was a weak argument and I knew it.
Now I don’t know much about other filly’s but when Angel sets her mind to something she can’t be turned away from it for even a second. What made it even more frustrating was the fact that I knew she was right. I fought it nevertheless, going slowly in a feeble attempt to get her to change her mind.
But my hesitation only made her more stubborn.

Above me the sky cried down more rain than I’d seen in months, let alone at one time. The dirt below me became slick and my hooves couldn't find the proper grip. Passing the bare trees i stared up at them, the brown and white branches looking more and more like claws as my eyes began to glaze over. Only pain made it through to my brain. Every step in the squelching earth brought a new complaint from my body. Soon I felt the hot liquid seeping from under the bandages, dripping down my legs. I shook, but now had nothing to do with icy water sending bullets of cold down onto my body.
How I had thought I could have made it another step was now inconceivable. I just wanted to lie down and rest. At that point even the mud seemed like a comfortable bed.
Finally my knees gave in and I dropped like a stone, my eyes fighting to stay open. I was so tired. I just wanted sleep, to never wake up.

“Ethos!” a small tinny voice shrieked through my haze. “Get up!” a tiny cold nose pushed at my head, trying to lift me up. “Ethos Vision you get up right now!”

I wanted to obey, I wanted to make her stop crying but my body wouldn’t follow orders. I couldn't get up. Looking up at the house, only a few yards away the distance felt like miles, days or years away.

“Go on,” I pushed at her still insistent nudges. “I can’t get up. You go inside… I’ll just stay here.”
I was almost surprised to hear her retreating steps, happy she had listened to me but too tired to take it in.
The warm glow of light fell into the night like a search light. Angel Meadows’ small figure was lined in the doorway and she was welcomed inside by an older mare.

Good... I thought. She’s safe. I stopped fighting and my eyes shut.

I’m still not quite sure what happened. It’s all so fuzzy. A strong somepony pulled me up, another on my other side. They forced me to my feet and made me walk forward into the house. It was warm but I didn’t want it. I wanted to sit down, to let my aching hooves rest. After what felt like years but could only have been a few minutes I was laid down on an extremely comfortable couch, a blanket set over me.

Author's Note:

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