The Lost Spark

by SkyFlare

Chapter 7

Star Swirl led Spark to the large island of Ibis. The streets were densely packed, at least for a community that size. There were a couple dozen ponies roaming the streets as Star Swirl led the search for Mist Chaser. Most of the ponies on the island seemed to be unicorns, unlike the first island.

“I bet most of these ponies bought passage on board a ship like Hoofwind’s to come here.” Star Swirl mused.

Spark just trudged along silently, almost as though he were a zombie. His expression was blank, which, at least for Star Swirl was an improvement upon the crying that he had dealt with when crossing the bridge.

Star Swirl caught up to a stallion, “Do you happen to know where I can find a pony by the name of Mist Chaser?”

“Misty? Yeah, but a pony like you probably wants to stay as far away from somepony like her as you can.” the stallion laughed.

“I was told that she was going to the Crystal Empire, and that she might be able to help us get there.” Star Swirl argued.

“That she might. Well, if you’re as sure about this as it sounds like you are, I can take you to where she usually sets up dock.” the stallion stated as he started down a side street.

Star Swirl followed the stallion, practically dragging Spark along after him as they made their way down the narrow road. “So,” Star Swirl started, “what exactly makes Mist Chaser the kind of pony that I would avoid? You hardly know anything about me, so either that is a radical assumption, or it holds true for almost everypony.”

“Here’s the deal, she isn’t the sanest pony to ever sail the skies. Rumor is that the Constellars did something to her head back before the whole ‘kill all the earthies’ thing.” the stallion explained, stopping at a dead end in the alley. “She claims that they did things to her, most ponies think that she’s full of horse apples, but her crew believes her. So naturally, they have to be just as crazy.”

“Why’d you lead us to this dead end?” Star Swirl asked, bracing himself as he prepared for the worst.

“I know who, or more appropriately, what your friend is. Not only that, but I’ll let you in on a secret. Nine out of ten ponies here, are only here because when the Constellars came to Equus, we gave up every earthy that we knew. The other tenth were foals born to those of us who helped them. As a result, the Constellars gave us exceptional treatment.” As the unicorn said this, his horn lit up a vibrant green and he lifted Spark off of the ground.

“Spark!” Star Swirl shouted. “You have to fight back!”

“What’s the point?” Spark asked quietly as he was lifted higher into the air. “Sonnet’s gone… She was my reason for living.”

“Would this Sonnet happen to be the same pony as the earthy that the Constellars caught a couple days ago? If so, then she must have truly suffered considering what they needed her for.” the unicorn laughed.

“What about your sister Spark? Do you not care enough to live for her?” Star Swirl yelled, recapturing Spark’s attention. “Even if you’ve given up for yourself, you need to keep trying for her!”

The ground began to shake weakly, but slowly became more violent until the unicorn was thrown off of his hooves. As he fell, his grip on Spark was released, dropping the earth pony to the ground.

Before Spark could hit the ground, he was moved by a dark streak as a second streak slammed into the unicorn. The newly dazed unicorn tried to fight back against his attacker, but was quickly subdued by a third streak that joined in on the fight. Spark and Star Swirl were far enough back so that they were unable to discern what was happening in the shadows where the unicorn was trapped.

After a few seconds of the unicorn crying out for help, a mare stepped out from the shadows. “Name’s Mist Chaser, but you guys can call me Misty. I overheard that you’re looking for safe passage up north, is that true?”

Mist Chaser was hardly what Spark was expecting. She wasn’t a pegasus like the members of Hoofwind’s crew, nor was she a unicorn like most of the inhabitants of Ibis Island. She was a dark grey with bright yellow eyes. Her pupils were slender black slits as she stared into Spark’s eyes. Her ears were another anomaly; they came off into three feather-like points at each of their tips. Lastly were her wings, they hardly resembled those of a pegasus, they were more like the wings of a bat.

“What are you?” Spark asked, stumbling backward, trying to distance himself from the demonic looking pony.

“She’s a bat pony.” Star Swirl stated quietly as he stared at Misty. “Quite the rare site back home. They mostly live in the immense caverns of the southern wasteland.”

“Actually, we prefer thestral; ‘bat pony’ is more of a term for those who fear us, of which there is no need of you to do.” Misty explained as she smiled gently, revealing small fangs on either side of her smile. “Anywho, is it true about you needing a ride to the mainland?”

“Yes, we hope to intercept some Constellar Ponies who have captured my companion’s marefriend.” Star Swirl explained.

“Fighting the Cons?” Misty asked deviously, “Count me in. I’ll take the two of you as far as you need to go. I’m used to flying into Con territory; they ain’t nearly bad enough to scare me away.”

“Cons?” Star Swirl asked, as Misty led the pair out of the alley and down the main street once again.

The street had even more ponies standing on it at that point, each one glaring at Star Swirl and Spark as they made their way through the town. Spark was sure that they would have attacked if it wasn’t for the fact that four more thestrals were keeping a close eye on the group, looking out for potential threats. If what the first unicorn had said was true, then everypony in this town gave up earth ponies for safety and privilege from the Constellar Ponies.

“That’s what we call the Constellar Ponies. Just call them that, everypony knows what it means. Well, everypony but you that is.” Misty laughed. “I guess that the rumors are true. Three ponies came from the sky, foreigners to our world. Just let me say, ‘Welcome to Equus,’ where we have demons falling from the sky rather than rising from the depths of Tartarus.”

“You make it sound so charming.” mocked one of the thestrals that was watching over the group. “Best watch out, lest you scare these poor ponies away.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Misty laughed back, sticking her tongue out at the mocking thestral. “But seriously, before the Cons came here, our worst fears were of the boogeymare hiding under our beds. But to be honest, the only ones that are really in danger now are the earth ponies and those willing to help them. That means you guys need to watch out, just like we do, ‘cause the boogeymare is done hiding under the bed, and she’s out for blood.”

“We both understand the dangers of being here, and neither of us came to this world by choice, we just want to find Sonnet so that we may return home.” Star Swirl explained.

“I’m going to assume that Sonnet is the missing marefriend?” Misty asked, getting a silent nod from Spark as confirmation. “Well, tell me this, if you don’t mind. Why on Equus would the Cons take an earth pony alive if they were just going to kill her? They aren’t the type to drag along a corpse.”

“Doesn’t sound that smart to me.” laughed the thestral who had mocked Misty earlier.

“You’re right Specter; it doesn’t sound intelligent, much like most of the things that come out of your mouth.” Misty remarked.

It was clear to Spark that the thestrals in Misty’s crew were fairly candid with each other. Her crew seemed to be less of a group of coworkers, and more a family that spoke freely with one another. It was much more lighthearted than Hoofwind’s crew appeared to be. None of Hoofwind’s crew would have dared to speak with him in such a way that Specter was talking with Misty, not to mention the use of shortened names.

“You aren’t much for formalities, are you?” Star Swirl asked.

“By law, we’re criminals, by morality, we’re heroes. If I were to die standing up for what is right, then don’t want myself to be the only leader that these dopes had. I want any one of them to be able to stand up and take my place, so no, we’re not very formal.” Misty answered as they neared a set of docks.

There was only one ship and it was smaller than Hoofwind’s, but not by too much. Several ponies were already trotting about on the ship, all of whom were thestrals. As they neared the ship, Misty waved Spark and Star Swirl on ahead of her leaving them under the watch of Specter while she looked around. Spark assumed that she was looking to see if they were followed. A few seconds later she galloped after them.

“I think we’ve got a good ten minutes before they are able to get the Cons here. Spec, hoist the anchor; Rogue, unfurl the sails; I’ll take the helm!” Misty shouted as the thestrals glided around to their positions.

As the ship started sailing out from the confines of the docks, Spark made his way to the edge, looking over the gunwale that kept ponies from falling overboard. He stared down, only able to see the dark clouds that separated the islands from the surface of Equus. Something that Misty had said was sticking in his mind.

“Cons aren’t the type to drag along a corpse. If that’s true, why would they? Maybe the ponies who thought that she was dead were wrong.” Spark pondered as he looked out over the world.

Hours passed and those thoughts continued to dominate his mind. It would have been completely pointless for them to take her along if she wasn’t alive, which brought up a question. What did they want with her, if not to kill her? As he attempted to think up an answer to that question, he heard Misty start yelling.

“All right everypony, we’re about to take the first drop!” she shouted, alerting everypony onboard the ship.

“First drop?” Star Swirl asked concerned about what it could mean.

“There are three drops before we reach sea level. I’d suggest you hold onto something. This’ll be fun.” Misty said with a giant grin on her face.

Seconds after Misty spoke, the ship dropped for an extended distance. The thought that the ship had lost its ability to fly in the air crossed Spark’s mind as they plummeted downward. The sudden altitude change made Spark’s head spin as the ship pulled up suddenly and caught itself.

The water was now in sight and there land far off in the distance. The clouds were once again above the ship, of at least some of them were. A significant number lingered beneath the flying ship, but not enough to completely obscure the view of the ocean below.

“What was that?” Spark gasped out, having finally managed to get in a good enough breath to allow him to speak.

“That was the first drop. We are now cruising at an altitude of just over four and a half kilometers. After the second drop, which won’t be for another fifteen minutes or so, we’ll be at a little less than two and a half kilometers above sea level. Finally, the third and last drop will put us back on the water.” Misty explained as she flung her now wild looking mane back into order.

“I was expecting something… a little more… slow.” Star Swirl said with a weak look on his face.

“I don’t do slow. And if you’re gonna get sick, please do so on Specter.” Misty laughed as she wrapped a hoof around the unicorn.

“Screw you!” Specter called out as he brought over a bucket as a precautionary measure.

“I think that I’ll be fine… for now.” Star Swirl managed to say in a quiet voice before taking a deep breath.

“Yeah, it can be rough for first timers. There are other ways to make this trip downward, but it is much more effective to just do it this way and to be honest, it’s a bit safer.” Misty stated as she made her way toward the front of the ship and started speaking to a couple of the thestrals up there.

“What’s she mean ‘safer’?” Spark asked, walking over to Star Swirl and Specter.

“Well, normally ponies sail their ships in circles while making a steady decline through the storm. The problem with that is that they stay in the storm too long and their ship takes a decent bit of damage and usually at least one injury occurs per run. With our way, somepony may get sick, but that’s about as bad as it has ever gotten.” Specter stated as he watched Misty from the distance. “Don’t let her apparent pleasant disposition trick you guys. There’s no safer place to be than with her. She used to be a guard on the Fringe, keeping its denizens out of… civilized company.”

“The Fringe?” Spark asked, unfamiliar with that location. Even Star Swirl seemed to be uncertain as to the precise location of the Fringe.

“It’s a region just south of Equestria’s Wastelands. Once you make your way through the Hive, it should only be a matter of days on hoof before you would see the border city.” Specter explained.

“What are the denizens that you speak of?” Star Swirl asked, reaffirming Spark’s belief in his uncertainty.

“The usual mostly; changelings that have been excommunicated, dragons, and some others that are less frequently spoken of. Most ponies are afraid to mention them, but as for me, I just don’t like to talk about their king. I’ve heard that he is omniscient, and doesn’t like to be misrepresented.” Specter continued upon the inquiry.

Misty flew back over to the group and looked around at them. “All right, there’s still a bit of time left before the next drop, so you’d best prepare yourself.”

Star Swirl nodded and made his way to the ship’s interior and Specter went to his previous station. “Misty?” Spark asked once they were alone.

“Yeah?” she responded as she glanced around the ship to make sure that every job was being done.

“Specter just said that you used to be a guard near the border between Equestria and the Fringe. What was it like there?” Spark asked.

Misty stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking again. “Scary. There are creatures there that you could never imagine in your worst nightmares. The Cons won’t even go there, mostly because the Fringe’s king hates them.”

“Has he fought them?” Spark asked.

“Yes, several of them at once. He may not be able to kill them due to their immortality, but they can’t kill him either. The main difference is that he is bigger than they are.” Misty explained.

It was then clear as to why the Constellar Ponies mostly stayed up north; it was to avoid the Fringe. The reason for the lack of earth ponies fleeing to the area that was vacant of Constellar Ponies was because of the other dangerous creatures that made it their home. Whatever the king was, he was a force to be reckoned with if he was obeyed by dragons and other creatures. Spark’s mind drifted to the Star Swirl mentioning the draconequus that he called “The Lord of Chaos” and the possibility that he and the king were one and the same, that was, if there could be similar entities that exist in both worlds.

“Hold up, just about a minute to go. I’ll let everypony else know really quickly.” Misty said, turning away from Spark. “Drop number two’s coming up in about a minute!”

“How do you know when we’re to a drop?” Spark asked, noticing that she wasn’t anywhere near the front of the ship either time that she had announced a drop.

“There’s a pressure change in the air that comes just before a drop. Most ponies wouldn’t notice it, but I’ve trained myself to. It took a few trips, but after a while it became pretty easy for me.”

“What is the king of the Fringe like?” Star Swirl asked, proving that he was just as curious as Spark was.

“He’s… different. Let’s just say that it’s a good thing that you are going north, as opposed to south.” Misty stated as her expression turned direr. “The king gained his power through combat expertise and intelligence. Before him, guarding the border was fairly easy, but once he took over-” Misty paused, “Dropping!”

That was about as much heads up as they were going to get before the ship plummeted down for two kilometers. The air rushed along the ship at a deafening speed, something that Spark had been ignorant of the first time due to the shock of the fall. Once again, at the end of the fall, the ship made a miraculous landing, in that it took no structural damage.

“The next drop is a bit closer than that one was.” Misty explained. “We only have a few minutes before we hit it.”

“What were you saying before?” Star Swirl asked once he composed himself. “Was it something about the king taking over?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry about that. When the king took over, he established a capitol a few kilometers from the bridge and he set up several guard towers so that he could monitor us. From what I can tell, he has no interest in taking Equestria over, or in expanding his land. He simply wants to rule over the creatures that live within the Fringe. There were a couple of times before I left that he even sent us some changelings to help hold off a rebellious bunch that wanted to take the bridge.”

“You seem to know a decent amount about this king. What is he exactly?” Star Swirl asked before Spark could do the same.

“That’s the fun part, I don’t know. He has never shown his face except to a few of the more important creatures over there. A couple of changeling queens have seen him and a few dragons, but I think that’s it.”

“Some ponies say that he’s a lost god from faraway, others think that it’s just a ploy to get us to let our guard down.” Specter stated. “I think that he’s probably just a changeling or something stupid like that.”

“The bugs are smarter than you.” another thestral laughed.

“Rogue, you are asking for death.” Specter smirked.

“You seem to all joke about him the same way, why’s that?” Spark asked, his mood being lifted by the lighthearted air around him.

“Who, Spec? He fell for a trap once and we won’t let him live it down.” Misty laughed. “Drop in ninety seconds!”

Spark and Star Swirl braced themselves against the gunwale. In a matter of seconds they impacted and water splashed up onto the deck, however, it was significantly less water that either Spark or Star Swirl would have suspected. Earlier, the lack of damage could simply be because they were not landing on water, but air.

“That was far from a rough landing.” Star Swirl commented.

“Well, my crew isn’t just thestrals; we have a couple of unicorns down in the hold for just such an occasion as this one. They only come out when we need to find out information. Only the crew knows about them.” Misty explained.

“Then why tell us?” Spark asked. Neither he nor Star Swirl were members of the crew, and on top of that, they were both strangers from a strange land.

“I’m pretty sure that I can trust you two. It isn’t that big of a deal anyway, after all, most ponies won’t talk to outsiders anymore.” Misty explained.

With that, Misty flew off to the top of the main mast and looked out over the surroundings, leaving her two guests alone. Spark wasn’t sure of what to think about the thestral, but he felt like she was one of the safest ponies to be around. Star Swirl seemed entirely too trusting of the ponies of this world though for his taste.

There wasn’t a lot to do for the passengers aside from trying not to get in the way of the crew. As a result, Spark simply walked to the edge and leaned over the railing, his forelegs hanging limply. Without Misty creating a distraction, his mind had returned to Sonnet. He wondered if Star Swirl had been right when saying that she was alive. There really couldn’t have been a point to drag around a… dead body, could there? But then again, very little made sense since their arrival in Equus, and it only served to make him miss home even more.

Land was already in sight from the bow. A great deal of ice separated the ship from the land, but it was there. He was one step closer to finding Sonnet and bringing her home. Nothing could stop him as he felt energy course through his body. He lived by one thought, one sliver of hope.

“Sonnet is alive.”

Author's Note:

Sorry for the late upload on this one. I got help back by work last night.