Distant Ties

by Golden Paw

Chapter Five

The worst part was the eyes, that’s what Star recalled when he thought back to his first meeting of the colony as a whole. All those eyes staring down at him. They lined the walls, covered the ceiling and watched him from every doorway and window. A whole rainbow of slitted bat pony eyes watching him with….

“It will be fine,” Knight whispered in his ear and Star didn’t even have the spare mental energy to snap back. Things were most definitely not fine.

The High Roosts stretched out before him, a sprawling collection of homes carved from the rock of the walls and even burrowed into the ceiling’s larger stalactites. Star had never seen so many neagsi in one place. The thought should have filled him with comradery, but that wasn’t the impression he got from the hostile stares surrounding him.

“It’s not fine dear, don’t coddle him,“ Starsight countered and Star drew strength from their presence either side of him.

The negasi thronged the small city, worked out of the mountain’s core, filling the winding streets and watching him from wooden walkways that joined the buildings. The only light sources, and Star felt that wasn’t truly an appropriate term for it, were glass spheres of sparkling liquid placed periodically about the settlement. They didn’t light so much as define the shadows with their dull eminence.

“So….um what comes next?” Star finally managed to squeak.

“You will be presented to the Elders who will formally welcome you into the colony,” Knight explained, his voice tense.

“And that’s it?” Star asked, hardly daring to hope.

“It’s what would traditionally happen,” Starsight added, but the doubt in her voice gnawed at Star’s tiny flash of optimism, “Whatever happens, know we’re here to support you.”

Star put on a brave smile despite the boiling pot his own insides had become and let them lead him down the main thoroughfare of Raven’s Rest, the calculating gazes of its citizens tracking his every move.

The feelings of hostility only grew as they pressed forward. None barred their passage, nopony spoke a word and that quiet observation was strangely more unnerving than furtive whispers. The silent observation followed Star under archways of heavily decorated wood, through tunnels of smoothed stone and over bridges that spanned rushing water ways.

Star could see the work of generations that had gone into the buildings, the style and atmosphere of the colony distilled from the hooves that had worked it. A whole culture, distant from Equestria had grown here.

The architecture was sinister, every angle and carving carrying a hidden menace of its own. The angles sharp, the carvings and statues were grim. It was a world away from the happy, joyful Ponyville that Star had grown up in. Even Misty Heights seemed reception seem positively tropical compared to this.

“This is all just an act isn’t it? Just like before, they’re putting on show right? Star said hopefully, his eyes darting from one unfriendly face to another.

“Not this time I’m afraid Star,” Cloudy replied hesitantly, “This is not how a coming of age ceremony usually goes.”

Star contemplated making a dash for it, but something in the way all the crowds watched him gave the impression that was exactly the wrong action to take. He’d heard stories about predators from the region ‘Zebrica’ who would only pounce if their prey showed weakness. By the nature of their expressions Star could believe the negasi of Raven’s Rest would do just that.

Looking back to the malevolent crowd, Star quickly put any thoughts fleeing out of his head. The ponies he’d passed already had formed a wall behind them and Star tried desperately not to think of the jaws of some trap being closed. He did his best to hold his head high, to look each pony he saw right in the eyes and show them he wasn’t afraid.

Just when Star felt that they would never reach their destination the narrow road opened up onto a plaza that was easily the size of Ponyville’s town square of old. The large round cobbled area was ringed with ‘glow orbs’ and, unlike the city behind, almost empty of negasi.

There, in the centre, was a stone plinth where several ponies who could only be the town’s Elders were gathered. They surrounded a carved statue of the moon and for the first time since Star had entered the city he felt moved by the beauty before him.

Star was no expert, but he could well believe that every detail, every crater and rise had been worked into the edifice with breathtaking re-creation. It was the world’s moon, in miniature and it took star a moment to realise what was strange about the statue: It clearly depicted the moon before Luna’s return.

Marked out in a series of circular craters was the infamous symbol of ‘the Mare in the Moon’, the profile image of a unicorn’s head, coloured a shade of dark blue. It was the only difference from the moon that Star had grown up with and a terrible sense of dread filled his stomach.

“‘Oblachnyy Vecher’, you come here and bring a ‘polukrovka’? That’s bold even for you,” Star couldn’t tell which of the ponies on the raised dais had spoken, they all seemed to be cast in shadows darker than the dimness all around and their voices sounded as if they were being heard through water.

“I have brought one who is kin to us all, one whose blood shares our linage and wishes to be recognised as part of this colony,” Knight replied defiantly and Star felt his heart leap into his throat.

“He’s passed through the Shining Caves, his heart is good and the Nightmare Curse holds no sway on him,” Starsight added, her own expression defiant.

Star caught the impression of sidelong glances between the Elders and there was even some muttering from the crowds that surrounded the plaza. Nither of these actions gave him much confidence.

“No sway? None at all?” Came the sceptical question from the Elders, this time a different speaker.

“Yes, none at all,” Starsight confirmed and there was even more whispers from the negasi all around.

“In over a thousand years there has never been any negasi whose heart has been free of our ancestral curse. It is part of who we are, even if we’d wish it not to be so. I think you must be in error ‘Voice of the Caves’,” The call of a third speaker sounded out in an almost derogative manner.

Star looked to Starsight and saw her face had become hard, “There have been plenty who share our heritage who have been, as you well know. That they didn’t have both a negasi mother and father didn’t stop them being negasi.” Star could almost see the line of tension crackling between Starsight and the Elders and fought the urge to swallow nervously.

“Perhaps your family connection with this one has clouded your judgement?” The first elder suggested and both Cloudy Knight and Starsight visibly bristled with anger now.

“I have done my role faithfully and without bias, there is no reason that Star Oak cannot proceed,” To Star’s surprise his grandmare grinned. The muttering among the crowds became even more pronounced as suddenly there was a ring of mares surrounding them. The same group from the Shining Caves.

Star hadn’t seen them move. One moment he and his grandparents were alone, the next the veiled ponies from his previous encompassed them like a bodyguard. “My fellow ‘Zavualirovannyye Khraniteli’ will attest that my conclusions are correct. They have each conducted their own observation and we are all in agreement: Star Oak’s heart is clean,” Starsight assured and Star was pleased to see the Elders seemed a little taken aback.

“You ask us to believe two unheard of occurrences at once?” ‘Second’ voice asked incredulously, “All the ‘Veiled Watchers’ in agreement? Such a thing has never….”

“There are a great many things that have never happened before; tomorrow has never happened before, yet you all accept it will be so,” Knight countered before putting his hoof around Star’s shoulders. That simple act filled Star with fresh confidence and he finally managed to meet the stares from the negasi with courage.

“I will not mince words,” Starsight announced, “Most of you believe that the childbearing of a negasi with a non bat pony causes the ‘Nightmare Curse’ to spread, to afflict even more ponies with it’s corrosive touch. This simply isn’t true.”

The muttered words became angry, the stares a mixture of confusion and disbelief. Yet strangely enough Star no longer felt any fear. With his family by his side Star felt he could have taken on the world, he could face any danger or criticism. Against the threat of….. The almost feral expressions on the bat ponies nearby gave him pause, their wolf like snarls and hisses filled the air and suddenly Star felt very much afraid.

Starlight and Knight never wavered though. Knight looked to each pony in turn, “You see the evidence before you now. You have all these witnesses….”

A much angrier voice called out from the circle of Elders, “Evidence? Look at him, you see what the curse has done to this half breed! He’s no more a negasi than I’m an alicorn.”

“You can’t have it both ways,” Starsight countered, “Are you saying that the only thing that makes a true negasi is to actually have the curse within their heart? That constant pull towards darkness ‘given’ to us from a crazed demi-god?”

The angry stares faltered and several of the bat ponies surrounding them shared looks of uncertainty. Knight’s eyes blazed with passion, “We made our home here so that we could escape the legacy of our past, our ancestors chose to remain in Equestria when others fled and gave into the darkness within. We chose to be what we are, not to be defined by the mistakes made by others.”

Knight pointed a hoof towards the moon sculpture, “Yes our ancestors were cursed to be bat ponies by Nightmare Moon, but we are more than that now. More than a broken people, more than a bad mistake to be forgotten. That is not what negasi are.”

A clamouring silence descended and all Star could hear were the panting breaths of both Knight and Starsight besides him. The ponies all around them seemed to hold their collective breath and just when Star felt he couldn’t bare the tension any more a fourth elder spoke out. Their voice was measured and composed.

“Strong words with some merit,” The speaker actually stepped forward and Star saw a powerfully built midnight blue stallion bedecked in highly detailed dark armour. It was reminiscent of Shadow’s uniform and accentuated the bat like qualities of the wearer, neatly accommodating his wings and even covering them. It bore the pointed ears of a bat pony and even had a sharp fanged mask to cover his face, but his brilliant sharp fanged smile practically shone in the darkness.

The strange distortion faded and his voice became far more earthly, “We have made our own culture apart from the rest of Equestria yet we still call it home. We ‘thoroughbred bat ponies’ know what it is like to be cursed. Each and every one of us carries that burden in our hearts. I remind us all of this not to cast dispersions, but to highlight the fact that no matter how much you dress up the facts they are still fact.”

He cast his slow glance across all those present, his turquoise eyes so akin to the infamous Nightmare Moon of yesteryear, “That Star Oak has been fortunate enough to have that burden removed by sake of his mixed parentage should be praised.”

Star had a brief shining moment where he thought they’d come around, but the muttering began again among the crowds before this new comer continued, “But no matter how much we would wish it Star Oak, nor any of the other half breeds are truly like us. This is a fact, an immutable truth. They will never know the burden we bear despite their similarities in appearance.”

Star felt his heart tremble and the next words came despite him dearly wishing they wouldn’t, “As such he could never be considered part of this colony.”

Star hung his head while both Knight and Starsight bristled in turn, teeth bared and wings spread out in a threatening manner. The ‘Terror’ that Knight showed before, returned with vengeance and even though it wasn’t directed at Star he quailed back from the unfolding wrath. The darkness about him seemed to take on a life of its own, writhing and dancing like a pool of snakes.

But the speaker wasn’t cowed in the slightest, but simply watched in solemn composure, “However, that doesn’t mean that Star isn’t ‘kin’ to us here.” The silence that spread out from this proclamation was almost deafening and even Cloudy Knight was shocked into inaction by the words.

Another elder stepped forward, a mare this time and clothed the same as the first, “Not all of life is fair, nor is everypony born to the same situation. That is the way of life and to rage against it is pointless. That doesn’t however mean that we can’t do our part to make it better where able.”

Star shook with anticipation as his heart made roller coaster dives and climbs. It seemed the Elder’s weren’t as mired in superstition and backward thinking as he’d come to believe, but nor were they welcoming him with open hooves either.

“We admit that we have avoided this situation in the past, believing it to be too divisive. If we were to acknowledge that one such as Star Oak was by rights a bat pony then where does that leave all the rest of the thoroughbreds? It could foster resentfulness, persecution and blatant discrimination. Remember that the defining trait of Nightmare Moon could have been described as jealousy. We had no wish to inflame the hearts of those already burdened.”

The Elders all stared at Star Oak and he forced himself to return their gaze, “But if we were to declare him and other half breeds as non-negasi then they lose their ties to colony and family,” The first speaker explained sadly.

The whole council stepped forward and with sidelong looks to each other nodded their heads in unison, “As such, Star Oak and all those of mixed parentage, who have family at Raven’s Rest will be welcomed here as such. They may visit and stay among us for set times but cannot claim citizenship. Our city is made for those who resist the dark call in our hearts, it was not meant for others and as such could never truly be called thier home.”

Star didn’t know how to feel, it wasn’t quite a victory but nor was it a total loss either. Knight had calmed down and was watching the Elders with narrowed eyes. Starsight just stood there impassively, her wings now back at her sides and slight glint in her eyes.

“We do not want to lose our ties to the world beyond, nor Equestria which we hold dear. That is our home even if we distance ourselves from it. Maybe one day we will be able to live more peaceably with others, but for now this is our chosen solution.” The midnight blue stallion concluded and the whole city seemed to pause for breath.

Star studied the faces around him, seeing if not an end to the hostile stares at least a more tolerant aspect to many of them. As for the Elders, they turned as one and retreated back into the shows at the base of the moon sculpture.

Every pony stood there for a moment and it suddenly dawned on Star that the event was over. His heart still raced, his hooves still shook, but at least he’d made it through that ordeal with his hide intact.

The same conclusion seemed to be filtering to the crowds all around and they began to disperse. Star would have been happy to shuffle off after being the centre of so much attention, but certain members of the crowds seemed to have other plans.

Star was enveloped by a sea of negasi, some just peered curiously at him while others actually came forward to shake his hoof. There were some harsh words muttered but these were swept up in the sudden storm of welcoming nods and genuine smiles.

Through it all Cloudy Knight and Starsight stood firmly either side of Star, their ever vigilant eyes watching the crowds like hawks. Star was promptly introduced to many of the mares who’d stood by him during what he was coming to see as his ‘trial’.

They fussed over him like a gaggle of hens and Star wasn’t surprised to discover that several of them were distant aunts, great aunts or cousins. Nor did it end there, negasi young and old came forward while tiny colts and fillies were thrust into Star’s hooves as if emerging from a conveyor belt. Their relationship to him being explained in a flurry of excited tones and several pictures.

Just when he thought he’d drown in the sudden rush of family members Star was finally given time to breath, ushered away from the ring of eager faces and led from the city centre with several hangers on still in tow.

Starsight practically beamed with joy, “That went wonderfully if I do say so myself.”

“But I didn’t….” Star began as his entourage carved a path through the thronging ponies.

“Over a thousand years of established tradition and habit doesn’t change overnight Star. That the Elder’s even consented to you being presented is a massive step forward,” Knight added with a kindly smile.

“Foal steps,” A cheery voice added from somewhere behind Star before the speaker was replaced by another follower.

Star smiled to himself, despite all the differences between Raven’s Rest and Ponyville some things were most definitely the same. It seemed that negasi were just as eager to form celebratory groups. Some had even found streamers and confetti, lining the way ahead with all the enthusiasm of a pack of wolves chasing down their prey.

It was slowly dawning on Star that the worst was over, he’d faced the uncertainties of coming here, stood firm against those who would have seen him labelled as at least an embarrassment if not an abomination and was still able to come out smiling. The mood of the other ponies all around was infectious and soon Star was practically skipping along the road.

Passing beneath the very same archway as they entered by, Star saw there were many bat ponies which still gave him sour looks from above but found he was so happy that he just didn’t care. There was so much to look forward to now. He had several weeks within which to spend time with his relatives and Star planned to make the most of it!

---

“Then the Lama turns to the zebra and says, If I were you I’d hold it the other way around!” Stoic’s booming laugh shook the very walls and to Star’s immense surprise Knight laughed just as hard.

Star held his tankard in his hoof and simply soaked up the cosy atmosphere in the cramped cabin. What a crazy three weeks this had turned out to be. Daily flights with his grandparents around the mountains, cave exploring with his distant cousins and even a mining trip with Stoic and his fellows.

He couldn’t even begin to count the seemingly endless procession of dinners, meals and stories around the fire here in Misty Heights. Star’s scrap books were now brimming with pictures of the town, him having fun and he had several more saved on his camra’s data crystal too.

He thought back to the snowball fights he’d had with Mistletoe along with a few of the younger negasi who’d come down the mountain. Darting between the trees, ambushing each other in between log piles and many more memories besides.

Star held his two favourite photos in his free hoof, the one of all his relatives in Raven’s Rest when they had gathered to see him off. So many grinning faces and so many names to remember! The other was of Star wearing a grimy miner’s helmet that Stoic had insisted on giving to him as a gift.

He’d come to really love these ponies. There ways, though at first had seemed truly odd, quickly became familiar as Star grew to understand the meaning behind them. He knew seven new holidays that Ponyville didn’t have, the local words for almost every mining tool you could think of. He even knew few other words that Stoic had taught him that were only to be used in the most dire of circumstances and never in polite company. Star didn’t have the nerve to actually ask what they meant, maybe he could ask Shadow when he got back to Ponyville?

As Stoic’s roaring laughter continued to shake the house Star glanced at the far larger pile of his belongings stacked haphazardly in one corner and smiled all the wider. Not so much because of the value of all the gifts, but what they meant to him. Memories of the ponies who gave them to him.

Trinkets and rocks filled the satchels pockets while the main bags were crammed with new books including a ‘Husk’/Equestrian dictionary and several history books written in the said language. Star couldn’t wait to discover out all he could and found himself wondering why his father hadn’t taught him all these things. It was another question Star would need to ask when he got back.

“So Stoic, do you think you will ever brave the climb and come visit Otdykh Vorona proper?” Starsight asked with a grin.

Stoic paused for a moment as if deep in thought, “I could, but I prefer less lofty heights my druke, a stallion can get a bit light headed up there and I need to keep safe all the brains I have left. Don’t want to end up like your husband now do I?” There was a brief moment where both he and Knight glared at each other before everypony burst out laughing again.

“Nor I Stoic, I couldn’t handle that kind of competition,” Knight countered before both he and Stoic nearly fell off their seats because they were laughing so hard. Star smiled at Starsight who simply rolled her eyes and shared a look with Hazel who was busily attempting to clean up the spilled drinks.

“You should go Stoic, it would leave me in peace for a while and I can finally get some order in this mad house!” Hazel’s good natured jib simply caused both stallions to laugh all the harder and pound the much abused table with their hooves.

Star just watched in mute confusion. The idea of insulting each other being some kind of ‘compliment’ had never occurred to him until now nor did he think it was a good plan to try out such back home either. You needed the right place and setting obviously.

“Once they get like this you will not get any sense out of them for hours,” Mistletoe muttered by Star’s elbow quickly followed by further mumbled cursing that Star planned to look up when he had the time.

“Glum as normal huh Mistle?” Star tried his hoof and was rewarded with a black scowl that could have curdled cream.

“Don’t you start, it is bad enough they think this rowdy behaviour is acceptable,” Mistletoe snapped before taking a delicate sip from a small cup.

Star laughed softly, “You know I think there’s a famous unicorn in Ponyville who you’d get along famously with Mistletoe, you should come visit sometime.”

For a tiny shining moment her eyes lit up and a look of pure excitement flowed across her features before the perpetual scowl returned, “I’ll….think about it.”

The latest round of guffaws seemed to be dying back and a somber expression grew on Knight’s face as he looked to the clock on the wall, “Well Stoic, it has been a pleasure as always but I really must walk Star to the train.” Just like that the mood shifted. Gone were the happy smiles and Stoic even looked as if he was going to cry.

“Awww come now, the train is hours away surely?” Stoic almost pleaded but both Starsight and Hazel shook their heads when he looked to them for support.

“Sorry my dear but Knight is correct, you will have to save your stories for the next visit,” Hazel said with a look of sadness on her normally stern features.

Star saw it coming but was too slow to avoid the crushing hug that Stoic gave him and to his surprise both Hazel and Mistletoe joined in, “You keep safe my little druke, don’t be forgetting all us up here?”

“Not a chance Stoic,” Star managed to wheeze before he was finally released.

“I’ll help you with your bags,” Hazel added and after a flurry of motion Star was all loaded up and ready to go. He double checked all his things were accounted for before giving them all a small nod. Knight and Starsight reattached their goggles and with a final wave opened the door out into the blazing sunshine.

Star followed them outside, fearing that if he dawdled he would never be allowed to leave and quickly fell into step, “So will either of you be coming to Ponyville, I know we’d all be happy to see you?”

“Maybe someday Star but right now we have our hooves full here,” Starsight explained before ruffling his mane, “Somepony has to keep an eye on all these stubborn diehards.” Star’s face fell but only for a second before the second hug of the day nearly crushed the life out of him.

“But we will write as often as we can,” Knight assured and Star thought that was better than nothing as the train pulled up to the station with a blast from its whistle.

They continued to embrace, the warmth of their coats against Star’s own giving him a warm feeling that had nothing to do with temperature. It was the fuzzy feeling of being loved, one you were never too old for.

Star’s thoughts turned to home and a sudden longing to be back at Sweet Apple Acres arose inside. Star was sure Shadow and Applejack would be fine, they’re both tough, but Evening had been so sad to see him leave that Star didn’t have the heart to stay away any longer.

He gave his grandparents a final squeeze before, with some effort now, made his way back onto the awaiting train. The usual bustle greeted him: Finding a seat, storing his luggage and settling down passed in a blur. Star raced through it, eager to look back out the window to see the others one last time.

As the whistle sounded and the train sped up Star waved furiously at the shrinking forms of Cloudy Knight, Starsight, Stoic Branch, Hazel Root and even tiny Mistletoe befor felt a tear trickle down his cheek. There would always be next time.

Star laid back on his seat and was about to close his eyes when he noticed another pony had sat right next to him. Jerking back, he looked up to the elderly bat pony who smiled at him, “Well Star it looks like we’re going the same way again, mind if I join you?”

Star sat stunned for a moment before various pieces of his memory came to his aid. The raised eyebrow as he got off the train, the measured voice spoken at the city centre and that glowing smile he’d last seen glinting from under a bat like helmet…… “You were on the train when I first got off, you’re...?”

“I am ‘Midnight Hour’ we’ve met a few times before,” Midnight offered Star a hoof and he was too shocked to think of refusing it. “Being on the Elder Council has some advantages but anonymity isn’t one that I get to enjoy very often so you will excuse me that I didn’t introduce myself when we first met.”

“You just stared at me and scowled!” Star almost shouted as he recalled the cold treatment he’d gotten weeks before.

Midnight merely laughed softly, “Well I didn’t know you as I do now, I thought you’d just be another skittish polukrovka who had no idea what he was stepping into.”

“Skittish?” Star asked his surprise being replaced by annoyance.

“Yes,” Midnight almost seemed to be talking to himself rather than Star, “Most polukrovka who come to Raven’s Rest didn’t have your back bone, they were lost and had little idea about who they really were. Can’t say that I blame them of course, it’s a tough life growing up caught between two worlds.”

“You’ve been watching me haven’t you? Since I arrived at Misty Heights?” Star felt angry, like he was being used somehow.

“Oh since before then Star, Luna was very specific that I keep close tabs on you and your journey,” Midnight said without any kind of hesitation.

Star’s pupils narrowed, “You’re a spy?”

This time Midnight laughed almost as vigorously as Stoic, “That’s one way of putting it I guess. I would put it as ‘using my position of influence for the greater good’.” Star folded his hooves and simply stared at Midnight who smiled back completely unabashed, “It’s far simpler than you think. I truly am on the Elder Council, I am also the envoy to Equestria and also a friend of Luna’s. The three positions compliment each other nicely.”

Star just kept on staring despite its lack of effect, “You move in far greater circles than you give yourself credit for Star Oak. Foal of one of the Element Bearers and your father is Luna’s personal contact within Ponyville?”

Star’s eyes went wide, “Pa’s only a Sergeant, he’s not a spy too,” Star paused, “Is he?”

“Contact, not spy,” Midnight said with a grin that showed his dazzling teeth again. “Information is very important, it’s one of the ways we keep Equestria safe and Luna holds it as her responsibility to know all the important things that happen.”

“So what’s that got to do with me huh?” Star asked, his patience wearing thin.

Midnight treated him to another smile, “Oh me watching you was just a personal favour to her highness, that you ended up being a catalyst that helped improve the situation in Raven’s Rest was a great bonus. Luna has been trying for years to stabilise the whole ‘Nightmare Curse’ problem.”

Midnight looked out the window as if lost in his own thoughts, “I never would have thought Cloudy and Starsight would have dared step up to the plate like that, but you know what they say.”

Star snorted, “What do they say?”

“That heros and heroines arise when they are needed,” Midnight said in a confident manner.

Star wasn’t sure if he was happy or sad about being what felt like a ‘puppet’ in some big game and Midnight obviously recognised his discomfort, “Look at it this way Star, had you known this was all happening around you would you have acted differently?”

Star went to say of of course not and then stopped, would he have? “I...I guess not, I would have been even more anxious to tell the truth but I like to think I’d have made the same choices.”

Midnight Hour nodded, “See, Luna’s method doesn’t interfere directly, it simply lets her know what is going on so she can plan ahead. Ponies and others will do what they do and (unless it’s a matter for Equestrian security) she leaves them to it.”

Star scrunched his muzzle before looking down at the floor. That did sound kind of reasonable, “So you’re just catching the same train as me back to Ponyville then? Nothing more?”

Midnight turned to look at him, “Then on to Canterlot, you’re little visit has given me a lot of paperwork. Luna still has a soft spot for your mother, no doubt you know she’s one of the mares responsible for her safe return?” Midnight put a companionable hoof on Star’s shoulder, “I’m afraid with a famous mother and a well connected father your family will just have to learn how to cope with being noticed.”

Star smiled at that, “Yeah I know, but don’t worry I know about standing out in a crowd don’t you worry. I’m okay with it now.”

Midnight chuckled, “I have no doubt of that Star, no doubt at all.”