Fairlight - The Fortress of the Four Winds

by Bluespectre

Chapter Eight - A new life

CHAPTER EIGHT
A NEW LIFE

Manehattan General Hospital. Gods above, I never thought I’d come back here again. The last time I’d been to this place had been to pick up Meadow after work. Little did I know at the time it would be the last time. Meadow never wore her uniform to or from work unless she was running late, although I have to say, it suited her very well indeed. Seeing her in that white uniform with the dinky white cap with the red cross on it was surprisingly sexy, and she knew it too. I’ll leave the details of that to your imagination. Mind you, being tended to by my wife during one of my all too frequent hospital visits was a touch on the surreal side to say the least, but I could live with it. She would berate me for getting myself into scrapes, bandage my wounds, salve burns and grazes. On more than one occasion she’d even had to help the doctor set a bone or two. However, as much as I secretly enjoyed the personal attention, if not the pain that usually came with it, ultimately the constant battering I was taking began to put a strain on our relationship. Meadow loved me, of that I have no doubt, but seeing me lying there half dead time after time was becoming too much for her. And me too if I’m honest. I was no colt any more, I was in my forties and things were beginning to slow up. I ached in places I never knew I had, my joints making strange cracking sounds every so often and my eyesight sure as hell wasn’t as good as it was when I was a youngster. I used to be a crack shot with a crossbow, now I could barely make out the damned target board. The wendigo had changed all of that, mending and repairing the wear and tear of endless years of plodding the beat when anypony sensible was in bed. For that at least, I was grateful. The wings were a definite bonus, although the were hardly what you’d call discreet.

I kept to the clouds as much as I could on my way across the Manehattan skyline, putting as much speed into my lumbering flight as possible. By comparison, pegasi could fly rings round me, but this was still a damned sight better than trying to get across the city by boat, hoof, or taxi. At least this way I could travel in a straight line. It was still dark too, the sunrise a good few hours away yet. Even so it wasn’t worth taking any chances by being reckless - that could potentially endanger both myself and by association, Tingles too, if the damned royal guard got wind of me being in the area. Fortunately I knew the layout of the city like that back of my hoof, and in no time at all was pulling up in a blast of wind, landing heavily on the gravelly flat roof of the huge Manehattan General Hospital. I let go of the magic, my emotions and mind in complete turmoil. Mitre, Bingo and several other ponies were waiting for me by their sky carriages.

“Fairlight, thank Luna you’re here lad.” Mitre clopped me on the shoulder, his neutral expression strangely calming, “Come on, we’ll talk while we walk. But first we need to do something about how you look.”

He hoofed me a thin silver collar which, when I clicked it into place around my neck, completely changed my outward appearance. I’d used one before in the watch when on surveillance duty, but right now all I could think of was reaching Tingles, and every moment wasted felt like a dagger through my heart. Passing my gear to Bingo I put on the doctors coat, clipped on the ID tag, and slipped in the eye-shields. These things reacted to light and had been a human development, but right now they covered up the magical glow from my eyes which was still noticeable despite the magical collar. I checked the ID card - ‘Doctor Yew Tree, neurological and cardiac sciences.’ The photograph didn’t look anything like me. The real me at least.

“Let me see…” Mitre looked me over before nodding his approval. “Good. Right, come on.” He headed off through an access door and down the stairs with me in close pursuit. “Your marefriend Tingles is having complications with the foal,” he explained. “She was shot whilst pregnant with it, but we thought she’d made a full recovery.”

I gritted my teeth. that sick bastard Warlock had done this to her. Goddesses I’d see him pay for that one day. If we lost our child too…

Mitre continued. “I know you two have had issues, boy, and I’m not the best at understanding relationships as you well know, but when she was feverish she called out for you. One of the nurses recognised the name and I found out about it.” Mitre cast me a glance, “You’re going to have to put any differences you have behind you for now, I don’t think we’ve got much time. If anypony can save her, it’s you.”

I was all but running down the corridors now, with Mitre leading the way. Despite his perpetually calm exterior he appeared to be just as desperate to reach Tingles as I was. Thank the gods he knew the way too. The hospital was labyrinth of corridors, wings, units and only gods knew what else. I’d usually met Tingles by the staff entrance or else been shuttle around on a hospital bed. You didn’t need a degree in medicine to work here, you need one in bloody orienteering. We rounded one more corner, passed a desk with a mare working on a pile of paperwork that must have been at least six inches thick, and finally arrived at a set of double doors. ‘Ward Fourteen. High Dependancy Unit’, the sign read over the double doors. Without pause, Mitre and I pushed our way though. The two armed agency ponies standing outside a side room turned when they saw us rushing toward them.

Mitre flashed his card. “Agent Miles,” he said abruptly. One of them nodded, then opened the door to let us in.

“Agent Miles?” I whispered, catching my breath as we stopped.

“Anything wrong with that? Agent ‘Nox’?” my old mentor said levelly. Point taken.

Inside the room, a frightening array of medical equipment hummed, hissed and beeped. Numerous tubes and wires criss-crossed the prone figure of Tingles who I could barely see under the oxygen mask and white sheet. I didn’t know what to say. The normally lively, happy-go-lucky pegasus I had fallen in love with was just… lying there.

One of the nurses carrying a tray of instruments rushed past, nearly bumping into us. “Sorry doctor,” she called over her shoulder heading out the door.

There were two doctors in the clean room already. One of them noticed us and waved us in. “Are you with the agency?” Mitre nodded in response. “And who are you?” the doctor asked my directly. “Are you an intern?”

I shook my head. “Doctor Yew Tree, neurological and cardiac sciences,” I quoted off the ID card. “What’s the status of the patient?”

My bluff seemed to be working pretty well so far, if their wide eyed expressions were anything to go by. From what Meadow had told me about hospitals they were all about the strict observance of hierarchical structures. Fancy titles and qualifications denoted your standing here more so even than the bloody military by sounds of it. If nothing else it may help avoid too many awkward questions, and since my ID badge made it sound like I knew what I was about, I would just have to wing it and hope I could pull this off.

“Frankly, we don’t know,” one of the doctors replied. “We’ve tried everything, but the patient simply isn’t responding to any of the treatments.”

The other doctor hoofed over a flip chart of unintelligible figures and graphs. “She came in with a severe water-electrolyte imbalance. The patient has also developed anaemia.” I looked down at the chart and nodded. He continued, “Normally these are treated fairly easily, however she’s not responding to anything we’ve tried so far.”

The first doctor leaned over Tingles with his stethoscope. “The foal’s heart beat is slightly raised, as is the mother’s. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that the mother’s very life force is being drawn into the foal. We’re seen this with unicorns before, where the mother’s magic can be absorved into the developing foetus resulting in fatigue, but this is something new.”

“Have you completed x-rays of the foal?” I asked, hoofing them back the clipboard.

“We don’t x-ray foals doctor,” the white coated stallion replied. “We scan them with the aether-scope.” He frowned. “Don’t you use one in your department?”

I raised an eyebrow, “We’re a little behind the times at our hospital, gentlecolts. Now, if you’ll excuse me?” I opened the folder of scans the second doctor gave me and saw, in the fuzzy grey blur, the outline of a tiny unicorn - my son… or daughter. My heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly a loud alarm sounded and the doctors rushed to the bank of monitors. “She’s going into cardiac arrest!”

“Blood pressure’s dropping.”

I leaned over Tingles’ prone form, her eyes flickering open slightly. “Fa… Fairlight… Fair-”

Gently I lifted her hoof in mine. “I’m here love,” I whispered. “It’s me, I’m here for you.”

Her eyes were unfocused, her voice weak and distant. “My foal… I… I don’t want… to lose our…”

“You won’t love.” I stroked her sodden green mane. “Listen to me, I want you to drink what I give you now, understand? You’ve done it once before when you were hurt, remember? I know it frightens you, but do this okay?”

Her voice was becoming fainter. “Fairlight…”

I turned to Mitre and nodded. The large blue stallion walked forward and grabbed the first doctor firmly. “Come on doctor, Doctor Yew Tree works better alone.” He began pushing the second doctor, “You too, now. Come on… Out!”

“What?! Hey!” the doctors protested, but under the guidance of the large blue Mitre were propelled from the room. The agency guards would prevent any further intrusion.

I took a deep breath and reached down, as deep inside myself as I ever had, feeling for the power. It flowed like quicksilver through my senses, and I willed it on, filling it with my need, my desire to save my mare - to save our foal. Fire and ice, mist and fog, it all mingled and coursed within me. My teeth itched and grew, my wings rustling down my flanks as I changed into my wendigo self. From behind me I heard an intake of breath from Mitre. Of course, he’d never seen this before had he? Probably heard about it or read it in reports of course, but in reality, it must be quite the sight. Personally I was more worried about Tingles’ reaction. She eyed me with the same fear as she had in the chamber of the fortress and moved back ever so slightly into the pillow.

“I’m so sorry, love,” I said quietly in my wendigo altered voice. “I never meant to hurt you, I would never do that willingly, but I have to do this to save you and our foal. Do you understand?”

She nodded weakly and tried to hold out a trembling hoof. I took it carefully and leaned over her, stroking her mane with my other. The tangerine mare closed her eyes as I lowered my muzzle over hers, dripping the silvery life giving fluid into her open mouth. Tingles was unsure at first, taking in a little, just a taste, a little more, and then suddenly grabbed me hungrily, drinking down great gulps of it, lapping at my teeth and tongue. I could sense the strength returning to her, bringing her back from the very brink of death. She took everything I could give her, her body taking in the strength it needed to repair itself, singing, howling with renewed vigour – and need. But now I was in trouble. Tingles was taking all I had alright, and was desperate for more. Far more than I had to give. She pulled at me, feeding from me both for herself and the foal. I gave all I could until there was simply nothing left. Yet still she tried, until eventually, exhausted, she released me and I fell to the floor barely conscious.

Mitre rushed to my side. “Here lad, drink this…”

He held a flask of silver life energy up to my lips and poured it in slowly. My mouth felt like all the moisture had been sucked from it and I snatched the flask from the big blue stallion, gulping the stuff down as fast as I could. I nearly threw up from drinking too fast, but just about managed to keep myself together somehow. I gasped in a breath; goddesses, that was an ordeal I never wanted to go through again. Aethel nearly had an unexpected arrival.

I heard a brief movement beside me and I looked up. “Tingles!” I stood up on quavering legs to look down upon the smiling face of an almost glowing tangerine mare.

“I knew you’d come back to me one day.” Her voice was still a little strained, but I could sense her returning strength, both in her words and those beautiful green eyes.

I leaned over and kissed her gently. “I’m sorry love… I’m so, so sorry…”

Tingles reached her forelegs up and hugged me. “There’s nothing to forgive. It was you, but it wasn’t you…” She smiled faintly. “It really frightened me, and when you shouted at me to go… I didn’t know what to do, so I panicked and ran.”

“I’d never hurt you love,” I said pressing my muzzle into her neck. “Luna knows I’d never do that.”

“Fairlight, listen, there’s something I need to tell you,” Tingles sounded suddenly very serious indeed. “It’s about the agency…”

“I know what happened love,” I assured her gently. “You did what you did out of loyalty to Celestia, I understand that.”

She shook her head. “There’s more to it than that. Please, Fairlight, Warlock is… is… Oh!”

“What is it?” I said suddenly, pulling away. “What’s wrong?”

“The foal!” Tingles squeezed her eyes shut and gasped. “It’s… It’s moving! Oh goddesses, it’s… ”

I stood up, panic gripping me. “Mitre!” I bellowed. “Get a nurse in here, for Luna’s sake!”

Right on queue a bubbly yellow mare bounced in, took one look at the scene and started grabbing equipment. She was like a blur - everywhere at once and, despite an outwardly chaotic manner, somehow completely in control. The nurse gave orders to Mitre and myself, gently but firmly moving Tingles into a position so she could… she could... Oh gods, she was going to give birth! Right here! Right now!

Tingles shouted for me and I rushed to her side, “Oh, Fairlight! I’m so scared!”

“It’s alright, love,” I tried to assure her, “you’ve got the best nurse in Manehattan here with you and you’re doing great. I’m right here with you every step of the way.”

She started to cry, but still listened to the instructions the little nurse gave her. Everything was happening around me like some pastiche of reality. I’d heard about these things, heard the stories from new mothers as well as more experienced ones, but nothing prepared you for the reality of it all. It sure as hell did nothing to help Tingles. She shouted, screamed, swore, and cracked me right across the muzzle at one point, but managed to give one last push and flopped exhausted onto the pillow, her mane literally soaked with sweat. I reached over with a damp flannel and wiped her face, neck and chest while she lay there panting. I didn’t dare look at what was happening at… the other end…

“You did it love,” I smiled. I gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You really are the best pony.”

Tingles gave a weak nod and looked up as the nurse brought over a tiny wet looking creature wrapped in a soft white blanket. It was a little unicorn foal, grey like it’s dad, with big yellow eyes and a black and white striped tail. For a moment we stared at each other in wonderment before Tingles, tired but happy, claimed her prize.

I had a quick peek under the blanket. “He’s a he!” I stammered. “I… I’m a dad! You… you’re a mum! Oh bloody hell fire! Mitre! I-”

“Calm down boy!” the Chief laughed, leaning against the door frame. “Good grief, let Tingles see the little one too!”

Tingles smiled as she gave the tiny scrunched up life a nuzzle. “He’s just like you - a tiny Fairlight. What should we call him?”

“How about Rock?” I grinned.

“Fairlight! For goodness sake, no!”

We both laughed, Mitre looking on confusedly as the nurse busied around us wiping down and tidying up with a buoyant grin on her face. When our new family member was safely placed in the heated basket next to mum, I walked over to Mitre and hugged him.

“Thanks old friend, without you…”

The big stallion chuckled. “I know lad, that was quite the ride.”

The nurse received a hug too, whether she wanted one or not. “Thanks, Quill, you’re a wonderful mare. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart.”

“Do I know you?” she asked in her chirpy voice.

“No, but I’ve heard all about you,” I laughed. “You’re the best in the business, right?”

“Yeah! I am aren’t I!” She bounced happily from the room. How did she do that?!

Mitre was speaking quietly on his comms device before turning to address me. “Fairlight, we need to go, there more agency ponies coming and it won’t be good if they find you here.”

Tingles gasped. “No! I need him here!”

“Tingles, if he’s caught you may never see him again. See sense girl.” Mitre placed a hoof on her shoulder and smiled. “I promise we’ll bring you to him the first chance we get, but for now, he was never here and you never saw him, understand?”

She nodded, then turned to me. “I want to be with you, Fairlight. I should never have run off like that…”

“It’s alright, love,” I smiled, kissing her on the nose. “It’s all good now. We’ll see each other soon.” I kissed her again, and gave another to the tiny foal who gave a little squeak before curling up into a ball “…and you too little one.”

Mitre and I rushed to the door, and I paused, turning back briefly. “I still like ‘Rock’.”

********************

The campfire crackled and snapped merrily, sending its radiant heat out to warm our tired bodies and sooth our minds. There was something inherently magical about a well made fire; the colours and sounds alone made you feel safe somehow. I lay back and yawned. I was full of good food, good beer, and had a good pipe of some damned fine tobacco. What more could a fellow ask for?

One of our jolly band had thoughtfully brought thick blankets for us all and we lay on them beside the fire while Banjo poked it with a stick, occasionally feeding more wood into the flames. Stretching out my legs, I closed my eyes and smiled. I still couldn’t believe it, I was a father… again! I wished that our new foal could play with Sparrow Song, but it was not to be - they lived in two different worlds now. As melancholy a thought as that may be I I took comfort in knowing that we’d all meet again one day, though not for a while yet, not until this life was done. Unless the herd decided they had other plans for me after what I’d been up to. As much as those scum deserved what they got, what made me the judge, jury and executioner? The answer was simple – justice. When your government cannot protect its people any more, then you have a right to defend yourself and your family through any and all means possible. Melon Patch and Gates lived to cause suffering to others. Putting them down wasn’t a punishment, it was a kindness you would afford a rabid dog. Not to mention the lives that had been saved by cutting that cancer out of our society. I huffed to myself and worked a crick out of my neck. Dark thoughts aside, it really was a wonderful evening - not too cold, and with barely a breeze to speak of. The sky above us was bright with stars and the moon shone down just like it always did. I wondered how Luna was, and whether she had mended her bridges with Celestia. The last thing I wanted was to be the cause of a rift between those two, family was the most important thing in a pony’s life and I knew all too well the pain of loss when that comfort was torn away from you. Right now I missed mine terribly, Tingles and my foal especially. I didn’t know when I’d see them again, and the mere thought of being away from them was like a bolt through my heart. I hadn’t even named him! Gods, I hoped she wouldn’t give him oe of the damned stupid names that were all the rage at the minute – like Joist, or Tile or some other stupid name. Didn’t I know a pony called Spatula once? Luna’s ears, I did! He went on to be a cook somewhere if I remember rightly...

I put my thoughts to one side and tried to enjoy that simple moment of calm out here under the stars. Mitre had promised he would have some news for us tonight, although it would no doubt be ‘something’ to do with work. It always was. One of these days I’d actually get paid for doing something too… not that I had that many bills these days. Could you even get a mortgage on a sewer? Hell, I couldn’t live with Tingles and our foal in a bloody sewer! Hey, maybe I could call him Pipe, or what about Flush? A whistle from one of the sentries caught everyponies attention and we all sat up like merekats while two of our number trotted off to investigate. A few minutes later a lone covered carriage rattled into the encampment. Bingo walked over to talk to the occupants. As for myself, I could tell who it was without even turning around; Mitre’s voice was like distant thunder. The lucky sod, I’d always envied him that voice, I bet he’d bagged more than a few mares over the years with those dulcet tones.

“Fairlight? Can you come with me for a moment.”

That sounded a lot more pleasant than usual? Perhaps the relaxed atmosphere had finally mellowed the old bugger. I pushed myself to my hooves, feeling my muscles protesting at the effort. We’d been travelling for days, if not weeks, keeping out of sight and generally keeping a low profile. The outdoors may be ‘healthy’, allegedly, but it had played havoc with my coat. My tail alone was a right mess. I’d have to get that washed and brushed out soon or I’d have to get it cut right back, and I didn’t fancy that one little bit. As for my mane, I dread to think how that looked now. Fortunately my overcoat and hat covered most of the ‘imperfections’ in the time honoured ‘Fairlight style’, so whatever it was Mitre wanted to see me about, he’d just have to put up with a rather tatty looking ex-captain. On the subject of my old friend, we hadn’t seen him since the birth of my son. He’d stayed behind to liaise with Princess Luna on some matters which I wasn’t privy to, although I admit I was still a little intrigued as to what was going on ‘behind the scenes’. Sometimes though, ignorance was most definitely bliss. The large frame of the chief was easy to make out in the starlight, and after being out in the wilds for so long it was oddly comforting to see him again.

“Sir?” I asked trotting over to the side of the wagon where he was waiting for me.

“Ah, Captain, good.” Mitre shook my hoof, standing back to indicate the carriage. “There’s somepony here who wants to speak to you.” He took down a saddle pack from the driver’s seat and placed it on his back. “I’ll leave you two to chat together while I grab a cuppa and have a chat with Bingo.” Mitre looked up to the back of the wagon. “Can I get you anything, ma’am?”

Whoever she was shook her head and Mitre nodded in reply, wandering off to the campfire and a welcome cup of tea. A few seconds later my mysterious visitor jumped down from the wagon and bade me follow her with a wave of a foreleg. Soon we were well into the secluded woodland, although not so far that we couldn’t see the campfire. We’d need some way to navigate our way back in this darkness after all. The pony threw her hood back and I found myself looking into the large purple eyes of a very familiar lavender coloured unicorn.

“Miss Sparkle!”

“Shhhh!” Twilight held her hoof up to her lips. “Yes, it’s me. Captain Fairlight, I promised you I would find out what I could, and I have. But please, nopony must know I’m here tonight or what I have to tell you, yes?”

I bobbed my head. “Yes, Miss Sparkle.”

She let out a louder than necessary sigh. “Good. Captain, my mentor would disown me if she knew what I’m doing tonight. Celestia is a kind ruler, and I love her like a second mother, but in this…” Twilight closed here eyes, apparently warring with some inner conflict before blurting, “I believe she is… wrong. There, I said it!” She looked around furtively as if the princess of the sun would descend on her like an avenging spirit from above at any moment.

“Please, miss, go on…” I encouraged.

Twilight started in surprise. “What?! Oh, right!” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before starting again. “Yes, well you see, Captain, I read up on Star Swirl’s adventures in his diaries and journals. Most are kept in the restricted palace library in Canterlot, but I found another copy elsewhere – locked away in the temple of the two sisters. Locked, that is, unless you happen to know the entrance to the secret passage. Hmm, now that I think about, you would imagine there would have been more deterrents or even traps. Of course that could be because of the degradation of the spell matrices combined with-”

“Twilight! That place is incredibly dangerous!” I exclaimed. “What in Equestrua were you thinking, risking yourself going there for a mere book?! It’s in the middle of the Everfree for goodness sake!”

She giggled, hiding her smile behind a hoof. “Oh, Captain! I didn’t go alone, my friends went with me. I assure you I was quite safe, but listen, I’ve found something that may interest you.” She paused for dramatic effect. “A way to enter the Wither World.”

“What?!” I nearly swallowed my own tongue. “How? Where?!”

Apparently suitably impressed by my reaction, Twilight explained. “Star Swirl had a portal he used to travel the realms. It was designed to be activated by one of the crystal beacons and would allow him to travel to the Wither World. Whether he ever managed to reach the plane of the eternal herd however was-”

“Miss Sparkle,” I interrupted, “please, where is this portal?”

She shook her mane in irritation. “That’s just it, I don’t know!”

“Oh…” My heart sank. What was the point of telling me this then?

“But I know a way to find it,” she beamed. “Here, come closer.”

I stepped up to her and the little unicorn’s horn began to glow with a deep purple light. From inside her cloak’s pocket, a golden chain with a small crystal pendant floated out and over my head to settle around my neck. My goddesses, was this what I thought it was?

“Twilight…” I breathed.

She blushed, looking away shyly. “It’s the beacon from the exhibition. I… I borrowed it.”

“You what?!”

“I didn’t steal it!” Twilight said squeakily. “I just borrowed it and replaced it with an exact copy Rarity made for me, that’s all. She thinks it’s for my research, but I… I swapped them. Nopony uses it anyway, and you need it to find your friend, and...” She tailed off with long sigh. “You see, according to Star Swirl’s diary the beacon works on the bearer’s ‘need’, that is it detects your desire and effectively sends you there like a magical compass. It’s a little more complex than that of course, magical inversion and co-fluxation extingencies etcetera etcetera, but I think you get the general idea.”

I smiled politely. “I do. Thank you, Twilight, I don’t know what to say.” I truthfully didn’t either. I had no idea what she was going on about, only that she’d risked so much for a pony she didn’t even know, and that I’d been given another chance to find Shadow.

Twilight smiled at me. “Captain, I read a lot of books. Not just for research, but for enjoyment too, and I do love a good romance!” She giggled coquettishly. “Your story, the one about your lost love… I want you to rescue her and bring her home. That’s what heroes do, right?”

I was flattered, if a little unsettled by the intensity of her belief in me. “I’m no hero, Twilight. I wish I was.”

The little unicorn shrugged. “Maybe not, but there’s a damsel in distress and you should go save her, mister! And,” she clopped me on the chest, “I want to hear all about it when you get back. If it’s safe to do so, of course.”

Safe? Oh, she meant when princess big-and-tall wasn’t around. “Of course,” I said seriously.

Yeah, ‘safe’ was somewhat subjective too. So long as Princess Celestia hadn’t got wind of what Twilight had done we’d be ‘safe’, otherwise we’d both be in peril. I wouldn’t put anything past that genocidal megalomaniac mare. Of course, Twilight would probably get off lightly compared to me. Celestia’s warning ‘on pain of death’, was most likely deadly serious. She saw wendigo as a threat to the stability of the country, and as for her student helping one? It was unthinkable.

“Give it a try!” She urged waving at the pendant excitedly.

“Huh? Oh!” I nodded, holding up the beacon in my hoof. It was so familiar, like an old friend somehow. I’d worn one in the Withers and had used it to find my way home, in a roundabout way. Ironically, if this one worked it would help me return to that very same place I had been so desperate to escape. And not that long ago either. I smiled to myself; it was a funny old world. Concentrating, I channelled a tiny stream of my magic into the crystal, picturing in my mind the land of endless black sand, the dark hills, and the changeless light. I thought of the Beyond, with its beautiful crystal forests and white grass. I remembered the tribe of the Beyond, the empty city, the great black sea… and finally, my beloved thestral, Shadow. That beautiful aquiline face was as clear as day in my mind’s eye. Her little horn like ears, her sharp teeth, those fiery red eyes and great dragon like wings made my heart race just thinking about them. I could recall her with such detail I could almost feel her long tongue tasting my muzzle, kissing me… the scent of spices rich and warm…

“Captain? Twilight to Captain Fairlight, are you receiving me?”

“Wha-? Oh!” I blinked in surprise and shook my mane. “Sorry, Miss, I kind of lost myself in my memories there for a moment.”

“Ooooh! Look at that!” Twilight chirped, ignoring me to stare wide eyed at the crystal.

I understood her foal-like fascination completely. The tiny pendant was glowing with that same faint otherworldly light which grew brighter - or dimmer dependant upon which direction I faced - as I remembered from my time in the Wither World. A flush of excitement ran through me at the possibilities this brought. I could find Shadow. Dear goddesses, I could finally bring my mate here, back to Equestria! How exactly wasn’t something I wanted to consider right then, but… here, here around my neck I had the most important thing of all. It was what I had needed all this time.

A direction.

“That… is… amazing!” Twilight gasped, clearly impressed at seeing an ancient relic come back to life before her very eyes at I was. I suppose may be a little cynical as I’d used one before, but even I couldn’t help but smile at the enthusiasm in the little mare’s eyes. She’d risked a lot to help me with this. Risked far too much really.

“Miss Sparkle… Twilight… I don’t know how to thank you, really.” I told her honestly.

“Oh, that’s easy!” she grinned. “Just come see me when all this is over. You can tell me all about your adventures! You never know, maybe the princess will have forgiven you by then and you can come back to live in Ponyville. I know we’d all love to have you there.”

I had to hide my face for a moment as a wave of nostalgia and emotion rolled through me. To go back to Ponyville, to live with ponies who accepted me? I will confess I’d thought about it, even when Meadow was still alive and my career trundling along very well indeed. A simple transfer to somewhere quiet and peaceful would have been just the thing for a middle-aged stallion. We could have found a position at the local hospital for Meadow I’m sure. I’d always got on well with the doctors there, and Nurse Redheart was one of Meadow’s old mentors during her work placement. I felt a shiver run through me my eyes began to sting. It was too late now. If only I’d done it when I’d first thought about it. Meadow wanted me to leave the watch because of toll it was taking on me, and yet… and yet I’d been so damned stubborn. If only I’d listened to myself. If only I’d listened to her! Could I really come back here now, though? What about Celestia? There was no chance of that closet dictator going back on her decree, and there was no way in hell I was going to put Twilight and her friends at risk on my behalf either. Sometimes, I suppose, even if you have the means to do so, it’s not a good idea to go back. Rose tinted spectacles or no, memories of what was often conflicted with the reality of what now is. Ponies change, places changes even more so, and perhaps the past is better left as it was best remembered – in the past. My memories of Ponyville were precious to me. I wanted to keep them that way.

“Thank you Twilight, I’ll do what I can.” I looked away and rubbed my muzzle, taking a deep breath to steady my racing heart. “Thank you.”

She reached up, standing on her hind legs and kissed me on the forehead. “You’re welcome.” Twilight blushed, looking away slightly. “Would you mind asking Mitre to come over here now, please? I think he’s keen to see me home. It’s getting quite late.”

“Of course,” I said with a respectful bob of my head. “It would be my pleasure.”

The carriage rumbled off into the night with an escort of heavily armed Equus agents escorting the brave little lavender unicorn home. I watched her leave and prayed that she would be safe, that one day all of us would be able to live in the wonderful world of sunshine and rainbows Celestia professed she wanted for all of us. ‘All of us’, eh? Yeah, right. I don’t think I factored into her grand scheme somehow, but by the goddesses I still had my honour regardless of what the princess thought of me.

“Hey, you okay?” Mitre clopped me on the shoulder making me start slightly. “Come over to the fire and warm yourself up, boy. We’ll need to be off soon, sun’ll be up in a few hours.” My old friend glanced at me as we walked. “That was some trick back there in the hospital, Captain. I have to say, it sent a chill down my spine I can tell you. What’s it like when you’re like that?”

“What’s it like?” I scratched my chin in thought. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised he’d ask, after all, walking, talking mythical monsters weren’t exactly everyday occurrences in Equestria. More like once a month actually. I hung my head and closed my eyes. Mitre was curious, he had a right to be too. Like any leader he wanted to know everything about the team under his command, especially one so… unique. Asking me this was as sensible as it was typically direct of him, even if it was merely to satisfy his curiosity. “It’s like, being me, but not me… It’s hard to explain,” I began feeling a little foolish. “You have power way beyond that of any regular old unicorn. Well, beyond my level anyway! You… know things you never knew, can do magic that you’ve never even seen let alone understand how to manipulate, and it can heal wounds – terrible wounds. You saw what happened to Tingles, right?” Mitre nodded as I continued. “Yeah, it’s very impressive alright. Yet even with all that magic at your command, it comes at a cost: anger, hatred, and a hunger that’s ever present. You’re always on a knife edge of being in control, and losing it completely.” I lifted a hoof at his wide eyed expression. “I wasn’t born to it you see, but I’m learning, and I’m a damned sight better at controlling it now than I was.” I leaned back and sighed. “You know, whether I like it or not it’s a part of my ancestry, my heritage on my mum’s side. By rights I’m not even a proper, y’know, ‘wendigo’. I’m more of a bloody mongrel than one these ‘mystical things from the mountains’ that parents tell stories about to frighten the crap out of naughty foals. I was scared to death of it at first too, and I let it control me. Now at last, I’m very much in the driver’s seat. Honestly, I’m still in two minds as to what to think about it. It’s saved my life on more than one occasion that’s for damned sure, but...” I scrubbed my mane, struggling for the right words. “It’s a bit like going for a ride with a loaded crossbow sat next to you. It’s useful to have, and yet you’re constantly aware of just how insanely dangerous such a thing could be if you were careless even for second. Good gods, Mitre, when the spirit first entered me all I could think of was how to get rid of the damned thing! It was like an infection I needed to purge, to cleanse myself of as quick as I could. Now… Now it’s a part of me the same way a fish is part of the river. We kinda… ‘go together’, if you know what I mean.” I shrugged. “Anyway, bad analogies aside, I think it’s what I actually do with my life that really defines me, not what I ‘physically’ am.” I smiled apologetically. “Sorry, Chief, I guess I’m not making much sense.”

The big blue stallion shook his head. “No… you are, boy, and I’d agree with you on that. To my mind, life’s about our actions and deeds, not what you are, be you pony, griffin, or whatever. Pop used to say ‘talk is simply that - talk’. He was right. Without acting on what we say, or on our intentions, words are meaningless. I guess that kind of ties in with this,” he waved a hoof at me, “it’s what you do that makes you… you.”

“That’s quite profound there, Chief,” I smiled.

He simply nodded. “Aye.”

We reached the fire and sat down with the others. One of the ponies who was wearing a thick overcoat had brought a concertina and began to play. She was damned good too, and I found myself moving to the cheerful sound, even if I didn’t recognise the tune. I loved music, it had remarkably soothing effect on the soul, a fact that hadn’t been lost on me even during my subterranean life in the sewers. Mitre and I talked a while longer of insubstantial things; sharing stories of past loves, ponies we’d worked with and missions we’d been on. He knew all about the ‘incident’ at the watch house of course, though merely shook his head when we touched on the subject. I was glad to hear that Shelly was safe though, she’d retired from the watch after Mitre had been ‘killed’ and moved away to start a new life. They’d planned to live in the country when he retired and they’d saved up enough to be comfortable. He’d let slip that he had one last mission to complete before he hung up his whistle and truncheon for the last time, but wouldn’t divulge any more ‘until the time was right’. Bloody typical! The ‘need to know’ line was one I was all too familiar with from my days in the watch. I guess old habits die hard. I stretched, working a crick out of my neck and checked the time. It wasn’t long before dawn and Mitre was already getting up from his place by the fire.

“Time to move, ponies,” he announced, brushing the dirt from his cloak. “Get that fire put out and the gear in the carriages. Fairlight, give us a hoof please.”

Before long all the gear was stowed away, leaving the camp as no more than a happy memory and a lingering scent of wood smoke on my clothes. No rest for the wicked, eh? Suitably strapped in, our sky carriages flew through the dark sky, heading north toward the mountains and the Everfree. I peered over the side and felt a tingle rush through me from muzzle to tail at the sight of the trees far below. Even the smell of the air here gave me a distinct, and rather unsettling sense of déjà-vu. Just where were we heading anyway? I glanced at Mitre questioningly, and as always he just gave me that mysterious half smile of his. The old bugger was up to something, and I bloody well hated surprises - I’d had far too many of those by far. One of these days some well meaning pony was going to go too far and I’d end up dropping dead from a heart attack. Huh! Maybe I’d finally get some peace if that happened. Taking a deep breath of the clean country air I sank back into the carriage’s seat, looking out at the horizon. The sky was just starting to change colour from midnight blue to a deep orange hue that stained the underside of the distant clouds. Dawn would be here soon, washing away the sea of stars in a blaze of warmth and golden light. I’d always wanted to see the sun raising ceremony in Canterlot as a foal, but had never been. I should have made more of an effort. Unfortunately I’d most likely be used for some ad-hoc target practice if I turned up there now. Even so I’d like to think young Twilight was right though, and that someday Celestia really would have a change of heart. She had with Luna I suppose, but then she’d already banished her for a thousand years and the night princess was quite obviously second fiddle nowadays - even if she was supposed to be ‘co-ruler’. Oh well, hope springs eternal.

The dark scenery below looked somewhat familiar, if only vaguely. It was, after all, variations on the theme of grass, hills and tree’s. Being this close to the Everfree there was probably a good chance that any sight seeing would land you a first class ticket to a timberwolf’s stomach; unless they actually were behaving themselves now, but I doubted that. Personally I was just glad the bloody things couldn’t fly. My ears pricked up at the sound of the drivers calling to one another. They weren’t using TED’s I’d noticed, a wise precaution in case our ‘friends in high places’ were listening for us. Moments later we began to lose height and the carriage banked into its landing pattern. The pilot was good at his job, but nowhere near the quality of my pegasus mare. Goddesses, I missed her, and the little one too…

With a relatively soft bump, we landed on the outskirts of the village. Now this place looked familiar.. Really familiar! The half dilapidated cottages, the old tavern, and the faded sign - ‘Welcome to Smiling Borders!’ Pfff, my hairy arse! Mitre trotted up to the weathered front door of the Wyvern’s Tail and knocked. A shuffling from inside, the click of a lock, and the delightful smiling face of Heather the hulking minotaur greeted us. I couldn’t help but smile, this place had a certain peculiar charm that was all its own. If ‘charm’ was the right word to use that is. ‘Mess’ might be a little more accurate. Heather snorted and waved us into the warm interior, the fireside chairs looking particularly inviting to a pony who’d been living under the stars for days. A brandy, a clean bed, and some proper food would go down a treat. We’d need to order enough for-

“Time for me to be off then, boy,” Mitre announced from out of the blue. “Either myself, Bingo, or Brandy will be in touch about that job soon. Things have been put back unexpectedly, so we’ve got ourselves a much larger breathing space than we originally planned. I intend to make the most of it too.” He raised an eyebrow. “In the meantime, I expect you to keep that TED near you at all times, okay?”

“What? Yes! I mean, Chief, what’s going on?” I said, startled. “Don’t just bugger off and leave me here without an explanation!”

He stopped and looked over his shoulder at me, a surprisingly cheeky smirk on the old stallion’s face. “You’ve got a mare to rescue haven’t you?” he beamed. “Oh! And this is yours too, don’t spend it all at once. Call it ‘thanks for services rendered’.”

He threw a large bag of bits to me and disappeared out the door. I rushed out after him but the sky carriage was already disappearing up into the early dawn. Damn it! I neighed in frustration, slammed the door shut and dropped into one of the chairs by the fire. I hated all this bloody cloak and dagger stuff. What the hell was I supposed to do now?! Curiosity prevailed however, and I opened the bag he’d given me. Now this was unexpected! I whistled through my teeth - there was a small fortune in here! What the bloody hell was I going to do with this lot?

“My lord, you’ve returned!” A familiar avian voice called from behind me. “This is wonderful news!” The exuberant griffin appeared from the stairwell, “You are in room one, as last time. And I’ve taken the liberty of preparing some of your favourite items too, by the hot spring. Should I take your coat?”

Well, it looked like somepony knew I was coming, didn’t they! Bloody hell, was I the only one who didn’t know what was going on around here? You know, I had the sinking feeling I’d hit the nail on the head. Grimble smiled expansively, no mean feat with a beak, and held out his claws in anticipation. Gratefully, I hoofed him my overcoat but kept my saddle packs. Not that I didn’t trust him of course, but the way ponies had a habit of sneaking up on me around here… Well, better to be safe and all that, right?

“Thank you, my friend,” I said wearily. I was so tired I didn’t even bother to correct on the ‘My lord’ business. Frankly, the offer of a good warm soak was all I could think of.

Thankfully there were no more ‘unexpected’ encounters at the hot spring, which was bubbling and steaming in the cool dawn air just as it had the last time I’d been to this most tranquil of places. The golden light heralding a new day was starting to broach the treeline now, glinting majestically off the distant mountains beyond the forest and making the rocks around the spring look like they’d been painted by the very gods themselves. Revelling in the early morning sunshine a flock of birds flew overhead, singing to one another in a language all their own. It felt like a lifetime ago since I’d gazed upon this beautiful scene. Had it really happened the way I remembered? Minotaurs, griffins, the timberwolves, the fortress… it all seemed so unreal somehow, like a dream that had happened to somepony else. Or a nightmare depending upon your point of view. As I sank into the blissful hot water, I closed my eyes letting the steam envelop me. Maybe it had been somepony else, maybe I was still in the Wither World and I’d wake up any moment surrounded by an expanse of nothingness, or maybe I was just a regular day to day pony with an active imagination? In a world of magic, anything was possible. Here, floating in this amazing warmth, feeling it soaking into my aching bones and muscles, nothing mattered any more - even if only for a few minutes. I probably shouldn’t have, but I could feel myself dozing off in the heat and thick white steam. Goddesses, it was sooooo good!

My hind leg bumped into something and I paddled my forelegs to pull away. I liked floating, it was… hey! What the hell? Something had my hoof! I looked up quickly, the hot water sloughing off me as I found myself staring into the eyes of… “Tingles!”

“Why, hello there, Captain Fairlight. What brings you here?”

“What…? How the- Gah!” A half gallon of hot, steaming water shot right up my nose. Damn it, I knew they were trying to kill me! And Mitre, that old bugger, this was his doing too! I leaned back, snorting the water from my nose as my mind reeled. “So that’s what all the mystery was about.” I turned to face her, trying my best to look suave. “You’re the surprise.”

“Mmhmm, and here I have you… my stallion…” She reached out and grabbed me round the neck, planting a kiss right on my lips. It took me a moment to react, but I quickly returned it hungrily. My goddesses, it had been too long. Far, far too long. The two of us splashed like foals in a paddling pool, grabbing and pawing at each other until we finally had to break apart for air. I was already starting to broil in the hot water and the temperature had most definitely just shot up another few degrees. I didn’t know whether to kiss Mitre the next time I saw him or strangle him for playing such a foalish prank on me, but the end result was more than worth it.

I nuzzled Tingles’ soaking wet neck. “I’ve missed you so much, love. Are you alright? Where’ve you been?”

The tangerine mare chuckled quietly. “I’ve missed you too,” she purred. “Mitre had me moved to a private hospital under Equus guard. I don’t think I was in any danger, but you know how protective he is.”

“You’re okay though?”

“Of course, silly.” She gave me a nudge. “You filled me with you wendigo magic, remember.” Tingles hoof traced a line down my chest as she whispered, “Filled me… right to the brim.”

I ignored the double entendre. For now. “Where’s the little one,” I asked gently. “Is he okay?”

Tingles nibbled my ear. “Sleeping. Heather’s with him in the tavern, he’s been up for hours and I needed a break to re-charge. Besides, I was expecting a delivery this morning too.” She tapped me on the muzzle playfully. “By the goddesses, Fairlight, I’ve missed you… I’ve missed you so much, I…” Tears started to well up in her eyes and I reached forward and took her in my forelegs.

“I’m sorry love, but I’m here now...” and I was. I didn’t know what the future held for us, and Celestia’s soldiers were probably looking for me too, but to hell with them. All that mattered was I was here with my tangerine pegasus, and very soon I’d be able to see my son again. My son! I actually had a son! I’d have to show him off to Meadow and Sparrow when we went to the grove next, they’d be so happy! Sparrow had a brother! Ha! I felt like bursting out laughing; though something was… Hang on... “Oh!” I squeaked, realisation dawning on me.

“What?” Tingles asked.

“Oh, no…” The last time I was here, the things I’d said! “Meadow… Luna’s mercy, what have I done?!”

“Fairlight? What about Meadow?” Tingles looked confused. “I was hoping we could go see her tomorrow and show her our little one.”

“That’s wonderful, love, really. But…”

“But?”

I face hoofed. “I think I may have said some things I shouldn’t have when I saw her last…”

Tingles moved away from me, her eyes going wide. “Oh, Fairlight! What have you done now?!”

I told Tingles the whole sordid story: the way I’d felt, the fear I saw in the eyes of both her and Meadow when they’d seen me as a wendigo, how I’d flown off and killed the vermin who’d started all of this. I didn’t go into the graphic detail of precisely ‘how’ I’d dealt with Gates and Melon Patch of course, that was something she didn’t need to hear, and a burden I alone had to bear. Unfortunately, Tingles’ incredulous expression told me all I needed to know about her opinion on stallions. Me, to be specific.

Tingles shook her head. “You-!” She bopped me on the forehead. “Agh! Fairlight, sometimes…” The tangerine mare gave my ear a hard nip.

“OW!”

“That’s for upsetting Meadow!” She clicked her tongue and climbed out of the water to a waiting towel. “Honestly, I don’t know… She’s going to be furious with you. You know that, don’t you?” I nodded resignedly as Tingles continued. “Even so, I can understand how hurt you were. I mean, I did some terrible things too, things that… really hurt you. I still can’t believe I… that I…” She swallowed, hanging her head as she mumbled, “That I shot you.”

“I deserved worse than that,” I said quietly, following her out. “What I did was unforgivable, love.”

“And what I did wasn’t?” Tingles shook her head. “Maybe it’s me who should have… gone away…”

I reached over with a towel and began to dry her mane. “Don’t ever say that again please, Miss Tingles. There’s been far too much of this ‘running away’ business to begin with, and I’ve probably been the worst culprit too.” I put on my more serious voice, making sure I had her full attention. “Let’s put this to bed right now. Can we promise each other that if we do have a fight or a misunderstanding in the future, and we probably will, we’ll talk about it like we are now?”

Tingles closed her eyes and smiled, nodding her head. “Of course, love… like we are now.” She took another towel and began to dry me off as well. Unfortunately the more ‘personal’ attention I was receiving started to make me feel particularly warm in a certain place. I tried desperately to think of something else, but it was hopeless. Tingles noticed it too, giving a coy giggle when she saw my embarrassed expression.

“Somepony’s happy…” she purred.

I covered myself with the towel and kissed her on the nose. “I’d love to, but I’m just so tired.” I sighed, giving her nuzzle. “Can we go back to our room first?”

Tingles winked at me playfully. “Of course, my dear Captain Fairlight. I’ll get my things.”

As we turned to walk back down the hillside to the tavern, I paused, a thought crossing my mind. “Tingles, do you remember much about what happened in the hospital?”

She shrugged. “Hmm, not much really, it was all very unreal and I was doped up half the time.” Tingles tapped her chin in thought. “Mind you, there was this really strange doctor there who sounded just like somepony I knew. Even smelled like him too.” She smiled at me wickedly, nuzzling me lightly before whispering in my ear, “He did things to me, you know… examined me, touched me in my secret places. He did such naughty things to me… so… very… naughty.”

With no more than her breath, she sent me over the edge. Animal instinct grabbed me and I was immediately lost in its thrall. My bellowing neigh rolled over the hillside as I grabbed Tingles and kissed her hard on the lips, taking her to the ground. She gasped and pulled me down on top of her.

“Oh goddesses, Fairlight, it’s been so long…”

The two of us rolled around the warm gravel near the hot springs, pawing at each other and grunting like the animals we were. My tiredness and fatigue vanished in the fires of a wild need to become one with this beautiful tangerine pegasus. Tingles’ wings shot out and quivered as we rutted, her gasps heavy through gritted teeth. There was no foreplay, no gentle build up… we just wanted this. Here. Now. Yelling, screaming and shouting, we probably woke half the village. To be honest, neither of us cared who heard. In a cacophony of whinnying and neighing, we collapsed on top of each other completely spent. I don’t know how I looked, but Tingles was a mess. Her eyes were unfocussed, her mane wild and chest heaving. Goddesses above… I swallowed, trying to slow my heart rate down. I could really do with that soft bed now! For now though we simply lay there catching our breath as the sun smiled down upon us. The way it shone on Tingles, sparkling on her sweat slicked fur, her breath joining with the steam from the hot spring… it was enchanting. A shiver ran through me, making me feel outrageously content. She was amazing, and I realised just how incredibly lucky I was to be her stallion.

“Fairlight…” she whispered.

“Mmm?”

“I think I need a bath.”

********************

Tingles and I lay with our tiny foal between us dozing quietly. He was so cute it was almost painful! Those big shining yellow eyes together with his grey coat and ridiculously small mane and tail made my me feel so proud I felt as if I my heart was going to pop right out of my chest. I wanted to cuddle him so much, but the little fellow looked about as fragile as a soap bubble.

His mother leaned her head on the pillow, “We can’t just keep calling him, ‘him’. Have you thought of a name you like? And NOT the one I think you’re about to come out with mister!”

I shut my mouth quickly. I really did like ‘Rock Salt’, it sounded like a film star’s name. ‘Starring Rock Salt…’ Oh yeah! “Hmmm, there was one…” I said, scratching my chin.

“What?” Tingles asked.

“My great uncles name, I always liked it and thought it sound tough too.” I nodded to myself. “A stallion needs a strong sounding name.” I wasn’t going to mention the fact I had a cousin called Flower Basket. Who’d have guessed he’d grow up to be a florist?

“I’m dreading it already…” Tingles mumbled.

I took a deep breath, held up my forehooves and said, “Lux.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Lux? That’s a bit short isn’t it?”

I nodded. “Lux... Exterior.”

“Oh, come on!” Tingles huffed. “I knew you wouldn’t take this seriously!”

“I am being serious,” I protested. “That was his name.”

Tingles gasped, “No! Good grief, Fairlight, what were his parent thinking?”

“He was named after his father.”

Tingles face hoofed. “Oh goddesses…”

“Lux Interior.”

The tangerine pegasus rolled her eyes “Now I know you’re taking the pee!”

“Sorry!” I chuckled. “I’m just in one of those moods today. I haven’t felt like this in ages…”

She smiled at me, leaning across for a quick kiss. “I know, love, but come on, in our family it’s traditional for the males to name the boys and females to name the girls.”

“What, really? Is that a pegasus thing?” I asked inquisitively.

“Not particularly,” she shrugged. “So, come on, what do think?”

“Well,” I said leaning back, “I thought that as I like the ‘light’ part of my name, it would be nice to try and incorporate that somehow. Light also makes me think of sunlight shining through the clouds and,” I said with a wink, “the ice cubes of your cutie mark. So, maybe it’s a bit cheesy as it’s old Equestrian, but… ‘Lumin’.”

Tingles looked down at our foal. “Lumin? Sounds very old to me, but… ‘Lumin’, eh?” She scratched her chin in thought, mulling it over. “Yeah… Yeah, I like that. No second name though?”

“I can’t think of one,” I said honestly. “Some ponies like them, but I find one sounds kind of mysterious, like a secret agent or something… something cool. If I’d been named ‘Lumin’, I’d think my parents were cool.” I raised an eyebrow. “And we are.”

Tingles chuckled and leaned forward to nuzzle my nose lightly. “You’re daft, Fairlight. Daft as a brush.” She looked down at our little one and smiled. “You hear that, Lumin, you daft dad’s named you now, so you’re stuck with it. When you grow up you can have a go at him about it then.”

“Hey!” I laughed, “He’ll thank me, you wait and see!”

“Ho-kay…”

Why did she sound so dubious? Nah, the name was cool and all the foals at school would be seriously jealous. I wonder what his cutie mark would be? Ho ho! I couldn’t wait! As if in answer, Lumin stirred and stretched out his tiny legs, opening his eyes to look at us with those big yellow orbs. He squeaked and smacked his lips before giving a huge yawn and snuggling back down.

“Is he meant to squeak?” I asked.

Tingles bopped me on the nose. “He’s not a mouse, silly! It’s just foal speak. He’ll be talking soon enough, you just have to be patient. Roam wasn’t built in a day, remember? Mind you, he’ll probably be hungry again before long though.” She shifted round and sighed. “I love nursing him, but he can really nip me sometimes.”

“I know somepony else who nips. You didn’t half get my ear earlier,” I complained rubbing the still sore tip.

“You big filly!” Tingles tutted. “You near knocked me into next week, before! My bum’s going to be black and blue for a month.”

“I’ll rub it better if you like…” I rumbled lustily.

“Fairlight!”

We both chuckled and snuggled in next to Lumin, the latest addition to the Fairlight herd. One day the tiny stallion would be the new lord of the four winds. Not that the title exactly meant that much in reality. I just hoped I could leave him something a bit more substantial than a frozen load of old rocks. His future had to have hope, and with the removal of some of the worst of the Equestrian underworld, the daylight definitely seemed a little brighter. Speaking of which I wondered what time it was? We’d gone straight back to the tavern after our morning activities and slept right through, only stirring to feed and change Lumin as well as to have some food brought up to the room. I wasn’t used to have lazy lie-ins, let along lazy days, although with everything that had been going on, I think it was well deserved. Still, being woken up every few hours by a hungry foal was something I wasn’t used to either. Watching him Tingles feeding him was fascinating, even if she did seem a bit embarrassed by my inquisitive observations. I’ll say this for him too – he didn’t cry. Not once. I’d come across squalling babes many times over the years, and as much of a blessing as it may have been, I did wonder a little if this was...you know… normal? I didn’t say anything to Tingles in case it worried her unnecessarily, but she never said anything about it. Besides, what the hell did I know about foals? Unfortunately, changing nappies was not something I enjoyed at all, and that quickly became my job. “I did all the hard work,’ Tingles had said. “Now it’s your turn to help out.” And it was, too. By the gods, could that guy pump it out too! Heather, thank Luna, was an absolute gem in that regard. A steady supply of cleaned nappies, buckets for the dirty ones, powder and salve for sore bottom cheeks, were delivered to the room like clockwork. She always seemed to know when she was needed too. I wrinkled my nose as I dumped the latest one into the bucket, quickly sealing the lid. She could probably smell when she was needed.

Morning came round all too early in these parts. Lumin was fast asleep while Tingles dozed peacefully next to him. I gave them both a kiss and quietly nipped downstairs for a wash and brush up in the lounge bar rest room rather than risk waking them. I’d barely slept last night, but I felt surprisingly energetic today. Very energetic! I all but bounced out of the bathroom, slipping my pannier over the back of a chair and gave myself a hard shake. Judging by the clattering in the background, our friendly resident minotaur was in the kitchen already. I popped my head round the door, nearly bumping right into her.

“Morning Heather,” I chirped.

Silence.

I see she was as chatty as always. She just... stood there… in total silence, staring at me. Whoa! Now that was creepy!

“Um, can I have two breakfasts please?” I asked. “Oh, and a couple of warm malted milks?”

For a second there was horrible pause where she stared at me with those bullish eyes before, with a simple nod of her head, she clomped off into the pantry. I bet in minotaur circles she was one hot piece of… whatever minotaurs have - horns? Bull’s head? They looked a bit ‘human-y’ to me, at least some parts did. I wonder if they’d been here in the past and mated with- Ugh! I think I’ll drop that line of thought! A shudder ran through me; I needed to be able to sleep at night, and didn’t need any more graphic imagery that I already had, thank you very much. I parked myself in front of the fireplace and stretched my stiff legs. Soon after, Grimble trotted in and patted me on the back.

“A fine hatchling you have there, my lord Salt!” he announced happily.

I grimaced. “Grimble, please, we’ve been over this. Just ‘Rock’ will be fine.” I thought it best to keep to the ruse in case somepony came around looking for me. I had the disguise thing from Mitre too, just in case, but Grimble had seen me without it so I didn’t want to cause any uncomfortable questions. I suppose I should have been a bit more trusting of the tavern keeper, but still…

He held up a claw, smiling. “Of course, of course. You found the things I left for you last night to your liking?”

“Things?” I frowned in thought. What- “Oh! I’m so sorry, Grimble, I was, er… ‘pre-occupied’ and totally forgot about them.”

“Don’t worry, it’s alright my lord,” the griffin replied with a grin. “I’ll bring them back down shortly.” He bobbed his head in the direction of the bar. “I’ve taken the liberty of making up another batch of brandy and tobacco for you, in celebration of the new life. He’ll be the new lord some day after all.”

My heart leapt and I looked him square in the eye. “New lord?” I felt my heart rate surge in my chest. “Grimble, who do you think I am? Really… be truthful with me, please.”

He seemed taken aback by my question, as if I’d just asked what colour grass was. “Why, you are the lord of the fortress, the home of the tribe of the wendigo. You’re the lord of the four winds, aren’t you? Our books told us that you’d return one day, and that your people should wait here and-”

“My people?!” I gasped. “Grimble, I… Good goddesses!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

He blinked in surprise. “I don’t understand, my lord, you have already helped us have you not? You returned to the fortress and we feel the bond with you too. Your people have done as we were commanded. We have waited patiently, waited a thousand years, and here you are!”

What the bloody hell could I say? I was the descendant after all and, so far as I knew, the last wendigo in Equestria. These creatures, these minotaurs and griffins, they were the descendants of the tribe too? How did that make sense?! Minotaur wendigo?! No… No, something wasn’t adding up, yet Grimble was being completely open with me. It was, unfortunately, time I was too.

“Grimble, forgive me,” I said, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves. “I’ve not been totally honest with you.”

He gave me a quizzical look and held out a claw in invitation to a chair.

I sighed. “My name’s not ‘Rock Salt’, it’s-”

“-‘Fairlight’. Yes, my lord, we know,” Grimble interjected.

“What?” Damn it, I should have known! Grimble was hardly deaf now, was he? “How?” I asked. “Did you over hear us?”

He shook his head. “No, not really. We have... ‘friends’ in the city, and stories of a wendigo came to us some time ago, along with a name - your name. Of course, I didn’t really know who you were at first, but when I saw those eyes and your colouring, I knew our lord had returned to us.”

I scrubbed my mane, trying to make sense of it all. “You mentioned a ‘bond’?”

“Why, yes,” he said nodding. “The bond is a part of who we are, it makes us what we are. The bond was something that helped our ancestors to serve and protect the lord of the four winds. It’s certainly weakened over the last thousand years since the calamity, yet now you are here we can all feel it. There is no doubting it.”

I felt sick. These creatures were seeing me as some long lost ‘lord’ and believed they were somehow ‘bonded’ to me? Time for a few home truths before this insanity got out of hoof. “Grimble, honestly, you’ve got the wrong stallion my friend. You’re right, my ancestors were wendigo, however that was a very, very long time ago. Tingles and I explored the fortress and there’s just bones, rubble and ice there. It’s a tomb, a place of nothing but memories of death and a time long since passed.” I scratched my ear. “Please, Grimble, I think it’s best if you forget all this ‘lord of the four winds’ stuff. For all it means now, I may as well be Mad McMad, king of the Mad ponies.”

He stared at me for a moment before slapping his hind leg in laughter, “Ha! You are amusing, my Lord Fairlight! Please, I beg you to forgive me, I expect you think I’ve been a little forward on this and... well, yes, I have. In my excitement I’ve been rude and forgotten that you may not understand all of our history, or even want to take on the mantle of the fortress’s lord at all. The choice is yours, of course. It always has been.”

Heather lumbered over with the hot drinks and porridge, helping to break the tension in the air. I asked her if she’d take Tingles’ up to her and let her know I’d be along shortly. I’m tactful like that sometimes. Returning my attention to our griffin host, I motioned for Grimble to continue. He nodded, staring into the fireplace.

“You see, we’ve been living in the shadow of the fortress for a long time, metaphorically speaking of course,” he explained. “Our ancestors hid in the caves until slowly, over generations, Equestria changed and began to forget the war. It became little more than a memory, eventually slipping into legend and myth - a story to enthral children. We had been all but forgotten when we finally ventured out of the caves and came across this village. It had been virtually deserted because of the timberwolf problem even then. Simply put, we moved in and been here to this day. The holiday destination aspect was created to help with our income and avoid unwanted attention as to our origins. Even so, we are still viewed with suspicion by other villages in the surrounding areas. Ancestral memories linger, even if the new generations cannot remember why.” He stretched his long lionesque hind legs, groaning in concert with his chair’s creaking. “You don’t owe us anything, Lord Fairlight, but we hold our oaths very dear here, and we’d happily serve you and your family as our forefathers did before us.”

I shook my mane. All of this was beyond strange and rapidly moving into the territory of the bizarre. I have to admit that as weird as all of this was, it made me feel both flattered and a little disturbed at the same time. If nothing else at least I felt my identity was safe with this griffin, and my marefriend and foal too. I just hoped that if anypony ‘official’ rolled up looking for me, we wouldn’t have a mini bloodbath on our hooves. Those minotaurs were big and brutal, if not the most intelligent warriors I’d seen. Touch low on the old grey matter if you ask me. Even so, I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of those bloody great axes they used.

“Grimble?” Tingles said, entering the room carrying Lumin in a sling held in her mouth. “We don’t consider you servants, but friends.” Despite being slightly muffled talking around the sling, her words made the griffin smile and even blush slightly. Blast it all, she’d heard every word!

“My lady Tingles, thank you for your kind words,” he replied politely.

“Oooh! I like that!” the pegasus mare giggled happily. Oh goddesses, it was going to her head now!

“Alright, ‘Lady Tingles’,” I said rolling my eyes mockingly, “don’t get carried away. We’re not exactly high up in the property market you know, resale on rocks is a bit low these days.”

There was also the problem with it being in Equestrian territory. I doubt Celestia would exactly be overjoyed to have a new resident in the fortress, nor the nearby village for that matter. If nothing else, the fortress itself was a bloody death trap anyway. Tingles sat back in the chair and placed Lumin in her lap. Personally I’d always found that position a bit funny, though Tingles liked it as her wings didn’t get cramps when she was nursing. Heather placed a freshly made breakfast on the table before us and Tingles nodded her thanks to the pinny wearing creature. I noticed the design on the front; it was rabbits today - how cute. I smiled at the little foal in Tingles’ sling, bundled up and all cosy warm. He was fast asleep. Unfortunately looking at Lumin like that was infectious, and now it was making me feel sleepy too. I gave myself a shake.

“Grimble, could you speak to the rest of the villagers here and ask them not to tell anypony we’re here? If asked, we’re mister and misses Salt, that’s all. I don’t want any fighting on our account. Personally, I’d much prefer it for us to be left alone.”

He nodded in agreement. “I understand ,my lord, we’ve hidden in Equestria for a thousand years. Have no fear that we can keep your secret safe as well.”

I felt embarrassed for asking to be honest. I should have known the villagers would be living here with one eye over their shoulder all the time, and it made me wonder if anypony else had ever wanted to move here only to be… ‘discouraged’. I decided to drop that line of thought, I was already getting images of overweight minotaurs and howling timberwolves. The rest of the day passed quietly enough though, with Tingles and I taking turns cleaning, changing, and feeding Lumin. It was endless, exhausting work, and I confess I began to wish I’d taken precautions when doing ‘things’ with the tangerine mare. I quickly kicked myself for such a selfish thought. Would I really be willing to give up my son so I could have a quieter life? No… No, of course not. This fragile life, so miniscule and precious, was one I would cherish all my days. At least, until the little bugger was old enough to trash my chariot. All that fun was yet to come… joy of joys!

Evening came upon us without much warning. We were so pre-occupied with Lumin that we didn’t noticed the sun setting and it was only the clock over the fireplace chiming that reminded me that I had somewhere to go. I stood, trying to get the crick out of my neck and stretched my legs. Tingles eyed me thoughtfully and called over to Heather.

“Would you be okay looking after Lumin for an hour or two Heather?” she asked the hulking thing. Heather nodded. “You’re a darling. Here’s his bottle and food…” She rattled off a list which the minotaur quietly nodded at until, finally satisfied, Tingles collected her overcoat and trotted to the door. “Coming?”

Oh goddesses, I really didn’t want to do this. Sure, there was the excitement of telling Meadow we had a new foal in the family, however there was no way in hell I was just going to simply stroll in there and give her the good news without her tearing a strip off me first. Although she hadn’t said anything to that effect, Tingles expected it too - she’d decided to leave Lumin in the care of Heather whilst we went and faced the music. Or more specifically, I was. Luna have mercy on my soul, I was seriously going to cop it tonight, of that I had no doubt whatsoever. I’d seen Meadow angry before, and I never ended well for me. She had a remarkable talent for taking a fellow apart without resorting to such primitive things as, say, a hoof to the jaw. Oh no, Meadow could literally destroy you with words alone, and in my world view, that was infinitely worse. Given a choice, I’d rather take the beating. Damn it all, what choice did I have? Grabbing my overcoat and hat, I followed Tingles outside, giving Grimble an eye-rolling smile. He grinned and waved us out before bolting the door securely behind us. Very untrusting these country folk. Mind you, I suppose I’d be a bit untrusting too if it meant avoiding being woken in the middle of the night with a timberwolf’s teeth around your knackers. Luna, what a thought! The cool even air caught at my mane, giving a renewed energy to my pace. It was better to get this over with sooner rather than later, and who knows, maybe Meadow wouldn’t be as upset as I expected her to be. If I kept telling myself that, I actually might start to believe it too. We walked in silence along the old worn road, our hooves rhythmically clopping along over ancient cobbles. It was quite therapeutic in a weird sort of way, placing one hoof in front of the other, letting your mind wander wherever it fancied. Normally I quite enjoyed the peace and quiet of the countryside, although it did have that horrible tendency of making my mind drift onto subjects I really wished it wouldn’t. Tonight was no exception. Without realising it I’d become so completely wrapped up in my own troubled thoughts about how I’d hurt Meadow with my childish behaviour, I hadn’t realised we were virtually at our destination until Tingles gave me a nudge. Turning off by the well, the glade up ahead glowed ominously in the light of the berry bushes and the early evening starlight.

Tingles pulled me up momentarily. “Fairlight, I’ve left Lumin because I didn’t want him to get cold out here, but also, well… I’m worried Meadow might be, I don’t know… angry?”

I’d been right on the money with that one then. “Yeah, angry with me though,” I said, my ears drooping. “I’ve been an utter bloody fool and she’s going to give me what for. I think I deserve it too.”

Tingles put her hoof on my shoulder. “I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about, you know, what I did. Fairlight, I betrayed you, you nearly died because of me.”

I waved it off. “Look, love, we’re here now and we have a beautiful foal to show for it. Meadow will be happy for us, I’m sure.” I groaned involuntarily. “Eventually…” Unsurprisingly Tingles didn’t seem too placated by that comment. Me and my big mouth…

We entered the glade and settled down to wait. Tingles lay next to me, curling her legs underneath herself to keep warm. It was quite cool out tonight, the sky above beautifully clear except for the ever present clouds over the Everfree. Thankfully they rarely ventured outside the forest’s perimeter. I remembered all too well what happened the last time we had fog and ‘things’ encroaching into the village from that dark place. Only the goddesses knew what caused it. I wasn’t a weather pony, so my knowledge of meteorological matters was pretty sketchy at best: it’s raining, it’s snowing, it’s warm - you get the idea. That said, there was definitely a different ‘feel’ to Smiling Borders since then. I noticed it more so when I arrived here with Mitre and company the other day. It was a feeling of… contentment maybe? I shrugged; perhaps I was reading too much into it. Wishful thinking didn’t do much to stop a timberwolf’s teeth closing around your knackers. I pulled my cloak around both, watching a nightjar fly across the treetops steering well clear of the glade itself. Did it know something I didn’t? I had the feeling I was about to find out too.

Meadow appeared without ceremony, nor even the slightest sound, just a brightening of the light in the glade around us. Silently, the green mare slowly walked towards us, her yellow eyes catching the light. Something was clearly wrong; her head was down and her ears flopped - a look which I can’t remember ever seeing except for that time I’d stormed out of the house like a petulant school child after a heavy drinking session. I swallowed, trying to keep my resolve.

“Hello, love,” I managed, feeling more than a little uneasy.

She stood there like a statue and said nothing. Instead she just… stared at the ground. Tingles got up and walked over to try to speak to her.

“Meadow?” Tingles began. “Are you alright?”

Meadow’s voice was barely a whisper. “‘Am I alright?’…” Oh hell! I wanted to warn Tingles, but it was too late. “Am I alright?!” The green mare snarled. “No! No, I am not all bloody right!” She turned her attention to me, tears welling in her eyes. “How, Fairlight? How could you? You… you bastard!”

My heart dropped into my stomach like a lead weight. I’d never heard her call me that before, not even when she’d been furious with me! Hell fire, what was I going to do now?! I’d obviously done a lot more damage than I’d thought with my petulant foolishness, I could see it in her eyes. What I saw there was better than any mere weather report - there was a storm coming, and one of my own making too. I took a breath, steeling myself. I fully deserved a dressing down from her, and then some. I hung my head and lowered my ears.

“Meadow… I’m so sorry…”

“No, you’re not!” she shouted back at me. Her tail lashed angrily. “You’re always doing things like this! Always! Goddesses, Fairlight, why? Why do you keep acting like this?!”

Tingles looked to me, then back to Meadow. “I don’t understand, Meadow, why are you so upset tonight? Is there something I can do?”

Yellow eyes flashed as Meadow suddenly reared, catching both Tingles and I by surprise. “Don’t you dare, don’t dare patronise me! You-” She paused, narrowing her eyes then shook her mane before continuing a little quieter, “Do you want know what he did, Tingles? Do you want to bucking well know what this damned fool did?!” If I could have buried my face in the ground I would have. Luna’s shiny arse, I wished I were a bloody ostrich right now. Meanwhile, Meadow continued, “He flew off, saying he was a ‘monster’ for Celestia’s sake. A monster! He just took off and left me standing there like I meant nothing to him! I tried to reason with him. I tried calling to him… Goddesses forgive me, I thought I’d never see him again! The look in his eyes, Tingles, he… he didn’t trust me…”

“Meadow...” I whispered, my heart burning in my throat.

“I waited here,” she continued, “for days, weeks, I don’t know… but he never came back. I had to keep leaving young Sparrow with my family and they thought I was losing my mind. Gods, maybe I did! Damn it, Fairlight, I’m so bloody angry with you right now, I… I don’t know what to think any more.” I opened my mouth to speak but my rebellious brain had shut down on me. Tingles went to put a hoof on Meadow’s shoulder only to have it roughly knocked away. “And YOU!” Meadow screamed. “I trusted you! You promised me you’d look after him and you betrayed him to those rats who wanted to hurt him - to kill him! Good goddesses, Tingles, why did I believe in you? Why did I trust you? You’re as bad as him!”

Tingles backed away nervously. “Meadow, it’s not like that! I-”

“It is!” the furious green mare cut in. “It bloody well is! I know he… he did things to you, Tingles, and the goddess knows I understand what that horror is like, yet your betrayal of him happened long before that didn’t it? All that conniving and tale telling to your mistress? You may as well have put a gun to his head yourself - or have you done that too?”

Oh gods, she had! Well, to be precise she’d actually shot me as well, but there was no way in Equestria I was going to mention that now. All I could hope for now was that the storm would blow itself out and we’d be able to-

“I’ve had enough of this!” Tingles suddenly rounded on her, “Now you bucking well listen to me, mare!” Ever wish you had ear plugs? “Do you seriously think, even for one minute, that I wanted to do what I did? Of course I bloody didn’t! And even if I did I’d hardly be stupid enough to come go to him, let alone be stood here talking to you now, would I?” Meadow stood her ground in silence as Tingles continued her tirade. “The agency told me that Fairlight was a ‘danger to our society’ and that he’d been possessed by some sort of ‘alien entity’ which could run amok at any moment putting innocent lives at risk. My orders were to befriend him, to win his trust, and keep an eye on him in case he…” She took a deep breath. “In case he needed… ‘putting down’. At the time I had no reason not to trust what they were telling me was true. After all, I didn’t know much about him other than he’d been a secret crush of mine when I’d worked in the watch. That was why they’d picked me for the job, because I had genuine feelings towards him.” Tingles tossed her mane, her confession clearly causing her as much discomfort to divulge as it was for me to hear. “It was only as I grew to know him, to see him as you see him, that I came to understand who he really is. Celestia forgive me, I’d believed everything they told me, Meadow! At least, I did at first. However, like you, I gradually got to know him and… I fell in love with him.”

“So why did you betray him then, Tingles?” Meadow said quietly. “Answer me that.”

“I didn’t,” Tingles replied with a shake of her head. “It was that thousand year old magical booby trap Celestia left in the pass which I set off. By accident, I might add, not deliberately - being buried alive doesn’t appeal to me very much, surprisingly enough.” She shook her mane. “All I’d ever done was pass on information about him, and then not much of any interest. In the end, they wanted me to contact them if he found the fortress, but I never actually thought he would! I thought it was just some silly old fairy tale, that he’d satisfy his curiosity and give up on it. When it was obvious that he wasn’t going to give up on the idea, I thought we’d go and have a look, find nothing, then that would be that. I hadn’t planned on telling the agency anything, and I sure as hell didn’t!” Tingles looked to me with a sad look in her eyes. “I… I hid some of the flasks, hoping you’d run out and turn back.” She huffed. “I nearly killed us both with that stupidity.”

“‘Stupidity’ is putting it mildly!” Meadow stomped a hoof. “But what I really can’t forgive is that you left him there, Tingles. You ran away and you left him in that dead pile of rocks in the middle of nowhere all alone. Don’t you get it? I trusted you to take care of him because I can’t be there for him any more, and you just ‘flew away’ when you should have had the guts to pull him into line. For the goddesses’ sake, he nearly died! You claim to love him, and yet you abandoned him with no way of getting home!”

“He… it… it raped me, Meadow…” Tingles squeezed her eyes shut, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “There were these… these things, these ghosts, pinning me down. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak! I’ve never been so frightened in my life! The goddesses know I tried to be strong, I really did! I just… I...”

Meadow shook her mane and gave Tingles a sad look. “I know...” she whispered. “He told me. But surely you must have realised it wasn’t really Fairlight who’d done that? You’re not a fool, Tingles. I just don’t understand… you could have gone back for him, couldn’t you?”

“It… it was Warlock. He…” Tingles took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. “I ran into him back at the agency. I’d shut myself in my room, trying to make sense of it all. I was going to go back, I really was! But he had me locked up in the interrogation wing and tried to get me to tell him everything I knew about Fairlight, the fortress - everything. I’ve never seen him like that before. The anger in his eyes... they were filled with such utter hatred! I did my best to hide what had happened from him, but he… he did things to me. He… he hurt me…” I saw how her wings shivered as she spoke. “He really hurt me, Meadow. I thought I was going to die and I’d never see Fairlight or you again.”

That bucking orange bastard, I was going to rip his stinking head off when I saw him next. I owed him now, really owed him. Shooting me was one thing, I could understand how upset he was about my brief liaison with Luna, but Tingles? No… there would be no forgiveness for what he’d done. Meadow reached out a hoof and gently stroked Tingles’ mane as she began to cry.

Wiping a foreleg across her face, Tingles’ voice trembled. “He… He wouldn’t let me out of his sight. When he found out that Fairlight had been recovered by the royal guard and was being transported for exile, he went berserk. I’ve never seen a pony so full of hate! Shouting, screaming, smashing everything in sight - he wanted him dead, and I knew that nothing was going to stop him. Warlock arranged for a hoof picked strike team of ponies loyal to him, to attack the palace guards. He took me along to ‘keep an eye on me’. Then, when I saw Fairlight… I froze. I didn’t know what to do! I thought he hated me. He’d chased me away and I’d abandoned him, but when I saw him lying there… When I saw Warlock standing over him with a gun…”

Meadow nuzzled Tingles’ neck as the tangerine mare sobbed into her mane. “He shot me, Meadow… my own brother… he shot me.”

“Your brother?!” I shouted, nearly choking in surprise.

She nodded quietly. Whatever he’d done to her she’d never said a word about it, and I hadn’t even thought to ask. I’d figured that if she’d wanted to tell me she would do so in her own time, but goddess damn it - her own family?

Meadow kissed her cheek and hugged her warmly. “I’m sorry, Tingles. I wish there were something I could do to fix things for you, truly I do.” The green mare walked up to me, her eyes glistening. “It still doesn’t make things right for you though, Fairlight. I know what you did and I know you weren’t in the right frame of mind… but still, I thought you trusted me.”

“Meadow, will you let me explain?” I said quietly, and a lot more calmly than I felt. She nodded as I began, “After what I, or rather the spirit, had done to Tingles, I lost myself completely. The look of fear on her face when she saw me in that wendigo form, when I saw you step back from me when I came to speak to you here… you both had that same look. It was fear, Meadow… Absolute fear. I couldn’t stand it, I couldn’t stand what I’d become. And so I-”

“You killed Gates and Melon Patch didn’t you,” she whispered.

There was no denying it. “I did.”

“Oh, Fairlight… why?” Meadow’s ears flopped slightly, her eyes full of compassion but also sadness for what I’d done. “You’re supposed to uphold the law, to protect ponies… even scum like them. You didn’t have to seek them out and kill them, did you?”

I stood my ground. I couldn’t give in to despair again. Not now! “Meadow, the watch Apple Pop and I joined has long gone. It’s become corrupted; tainted by manipulative politicians, money, greed, and the very scum we fought to help keep our people safe, day after day, seven days a week. There’s no real justice left in Manehattan. Those two bastards Melon Patch and Gates tortured, raped and killed ponies to line the pockets of their boss and for their own sick amusement. I couldn’t sit back and do nothing knowing they were subjecting others to what they did to you. Melon Patch was busy raping a girl when I stopped him, for Luna’s sake. She was a filly, Meadow, barely more than a foal for Celestia’s sake! Believe me, if there was some way I could have brought them to justice I...” I paused. Would I? Meadow didn’t seem to believe me.

“You would have killed them anyway, wouldn’t you?” she said quietly.

I nodded, looking her straight in the eyes. “For what they did to you, Sparrow and myself, for those mares and foals in the pens… Yes. I’m sorry, Meadow, but yes.”

She shook her head sadly. “I never wanted revenge. I never wanted you to become a killer, Fairlight. I understand why you did what you did, but it still feels... ‘wrong’ inside, despite how horrible and cruel they were.”

“How did you know they were dead?” I asked.

Meadow grimaced slightly. “Aethel told Star Swirl, and he told me.”

I was astonished. “They’re with the herd?”

Her expression said it all. “No. No, they’re not with the herd.”

A cold wash of realisation flowed through me. “Oh…”

Meadow placed a hoof on my shoulder. “Fairlight, I don’t want that to happen to you… Please, revenge is not the way. Don’t you understand that? Sparrow and I are dead, you can’t bring us back, and staining your hooves with blood is only going to taint your soul!”

“My soul’s already tainted, love,” I replied quietly. “The wendigo, the things I’ve done… You saw how frightening it is, how frightening I am. I don’t want to see that look on your face ever again…”

She shook her head defiantly, “Do you know what you look like Fairlight?”

“I-”

“Bloody terrifying!” Meadow cut in, waving her hooves in the air for emphasis. “You had me frightened witless, do you know that? You suddenly change into this huge ‘thing’ from legend and don’t expect me to nearly soil myself? How would you feel if I magically transformed into a dragon right now? Just stand there and say, ‘oh, hello, that’s a new look’?”

“Um…”

“Do it…” she whispered shyly.

I blinked in surprise. “What?”

“Do it,” Meadow insisted. “Now. Come on, I want to see it again. I want to see the... other you”

Tingles walked closer. “Meadow, I-”

“Oh shush, he’s a wendigo whether we like it or not,” Meadow snorted. “And if you want to be a part of his life you’ll need to accept all of him, Tingles, not selected bits. I will too. We can do this together, but only if you want to.”

For a second, she paused. Tingles looked unsure, looking to me, then Meadow, before nodding solemnly, “You’re right. Let’s do this.”

‘Lets do this’? Hell fire, they were being serious! The last time they’d seen me in my wendigo form it had been an unmitigated disaster - for both of them! By rights I should refuse, I should stand my ground and say ‘no’! After all, they were both reasonable mares, right? Yes! That was the answer, then. I should simply refuse and… and… I sighed in resignation; there wasn’t any real option here was there? They’d already made their minds up regardless of what I thought about it. I could see their determination as clearly as the stars in the sky. Not only that, I could sense their resolve too. Both of them were watching me with such intensity I began to understand how a mouse feels when under the scrutiny of a rather hungry cat. Dear Luna, I hoped they knew what they were doing. As for myself, I wasn’t so sure. But, as always, I did my solemn duty and reached for the power inside myself. It sprang to me surprisingly eagerly, its energy beginning to seep through my body like it was in slow motion. I could sense as well as feel the changes even without seeing them reflected in Meadow’s ever widening eyes. Suddenly I felt incredibly self conscious about the whole situation. I wanted to look away, to avoid her gaze, although… she was watching me so intently, I knew that would be a mistake. I locked eyes with her as my mane grew, changing to the now familiar deep blue hue, my tail likewise changing from its usual black and white to the colours of a true wendigo. My teeth itched while they lengthened and grew to points: long, sharp… lethal. A large pair of dragon-like wings burst from my back with that familiar shock of sharp pain which, thankfully, quickly dissipated. They spread out, catching the light of the moon and shining like they were coated in liquid silver. White mist flowed out from me as if it had a life and mind of its own. Steadily, it began to wreath my hind legs and nethers: billowing, building, spreading its otherworldly luminescence out around me. Reflected in Meadow’s ever widening eyes, I could see my own normally bright blue pair, change to flickering blue flames that tinged the edges of my vision with their otherworldly colour. My nostrils flared as the magic pulsed in my veins and my muscles stretched, bulging with the power of the wendigo. Of me, of who I was normally, only my horn remained. Yet even that, like my coat, had changed to a brilliant snowy white. I gazed into my wife’s deep yellow eyes. They still shone as brightly and as beautifully as they had the very first day I’d met her all those years ago. My heart ached with longing to hold her, to take her to my breast and wrap my wings around her, to keep her safe. All I could do now though was wait, and so I did, silently dreading her reaction. The scene of my magical transformation, as dramatic as it probably appeared, was slightly spoiled by Meadow’s mouth hanging open. Her drooping ears added to the scene, giving her an almost comical appearance. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and waited for the expected judgement.

“My… goddesses…” she breathed, finally remembering to blink. She took a tentative step forward and reached out to touch me, pulling back for a moment. “Fairlight? That is... you… right?”

“Of course it’s me!” I grumbled sourly. I let out a huff.“Can we hurry up and get this over with, please? I feel like I’m an exhibit in a bloody freak show.”

She ignored me. “You… you look… beautiful. Terrifying too, yes, but… Celestia’s grace, you are…magnificent.”

Well, that was nice at least! Not sure about the ‘terrifying’ part of her assessment though, but I could remember my own reaction when I’d first encountered Shadow for the first time, and how she’d appeared to me. To my shame I’d treated her like some sort of stray pet rather than a sentient creature with thoughts and feelings just like my own. Was this how Meadow and Tingles saw me? I don’t know. I’m not sure I wanted to know either. The image of Shadow flew to the forefront of my mind. Gods, how I wished she were here with us now, and Sparrow, and Lumin. All my beloved family should be here.Meadow waved a hoof to Tingles who cautiously approached me.

“Look at him,” Meadow breathed. “Isn’t he simply magnificent? So strong…”

Tingles nodded, her eyes downcast slightly. She was obviously having a problem with this, whereas her green counterpart was virtually drooling over me. The green mare stalked around me slowly, eyeing me up and down with an expression I could only describe as ‘predatory’. I don’t know about an exhibit in a freak show; with all this attention I was beginning to feel like a prime piece of meat on a hungry dragon’s plate - if they actually used plates of course. By the looks on my wife’s face, she’d be all too happy to dispense with crockery and gobble me down right there and then. Movement caught my eye. What was she doing now?! I watched as she reached down and swirled a forehoof in the mist around my haunches, examining both it and her leg. Next she leaned her head down and, I was horrified to see, actually tasted her hoof.

“It tingles… Tingles!” she giggled. “It’s not that cold either, a little chilly perhaps, but not dangerous I don’t think.” Meadow looked up at me, “Do you use this some other way?” I nodded, but she didn’t seem to be interested in a reply, rather she kept on walking around me, sniffing and prodding. “I love the tail!” Meadow beamed. “Look at that colour - so lustrous! The girls would go wild for a tail like that in the spa.” Tingles sniffed at the proffered tail, nodding her approval. Meanwhile Meadow walked round to my side and carefully licked my flank. “Here, Tingles, have a lick and tell me what you think.”

Dutifully, the orange Pegasus stepped up and leaned towards me. I looked back to her and she jumped away suddenly, ears flat and head down. Meadow slapped me hard on the arse making me yelp. “Keep looking to your front mister!” she instructed. “There, that’s better. Come on Tingles, you’ll be surprised!”

I felt Tingles’ tongue barely touch my fur before she smacked her lips, turning to Meadow with a surprised grin. “He… He tastes… minty?” She smiled and nodded as though confirming to herself what she’d discovered. “He does! He tastes like mints! That’s… incredible!” Tingles leaned forward and took a longer lick this time. Oh, Luna! This was having a decidedly funny effect on me and I tried desperately to think of something else. Anything else! Unfortunately the only thing I could think of was where my missing chocolates were. I wonder whatever happened to them?

“Fairlight?” Meadow asked curiously, “Can you open your wings again? I want to see them.”

On queue I opened them out for inspection, the two cooing and a clucking like a couple of hens while they continued to poke, prod and lick me.

“Look at his hooves, Meadow. They’re like diamond!”

“I know! And look at those wings! He’s like an alicorn, yet more... ‘dragon’-like. How extraordinary… Lift them up love, there’s a dear…”

More prodding and poking ensued. This time though, Meadow ran her hoof up the inside of my foreleg, nearly making me buck up in surprise. My wings ruffled and something else was… Oh, hell no! It was too late, the green mare had eyes like a hawk.

“Tingles? Come here… have a look.”

Meadow and Tingles moved closer to examine my underside. I couldn’t see them, but I could feel them alright. Hooves prodded me, stroking me here, there, and everywhere that was within reach. Nothing, apparently, was sacred at all to these two. Murmuring reached my ears along with no small amount of giggling… Hell fire, what were they up to now?

“Look, he’s blushing! How cute!” Meadow chirped trotting round to face me. She reached up and took my head in her forehooves, examining my eyes, ears, and goodness knows what else. She whispered to Tingles who came up beside me, still looking a little unsure. “Go on, he won’t bite” Emboldened, the tangerine pegasus reached up and licked the edge of my ear, sending a tiny electric shock around my body. I shivered. Meadow nodded to her and-

“Ouch! Hey! That bloody hurt!” I yelped. My poor ears where the target for menacing mares once again. Good grief, she’d really sunk her choppers into me too, the bloody lunatic! I reached up and rubbed my poor ear whilst the two mares laughed and nudged into each other playfully. Part of me felt like giving up on this silly game of theirs, especially if they were going to keep savaging my extremities the way they were, yet as always I dutifully gave in to the demands of my mares and did as I was told. Ha! I’d thought that ‘doing as you were told’ was something I’d leave behind when I left home to strike out into big wide world as a young stallion. How naive I was! Mind you, Tingles no longer seemed frightened of me which was a relief, and Meadow’s mood had changed dramatically from her earlier fury too, so I could hardly complain. I took a deep breath and gave myself a shake. Hopefully this would be over soon and I could go back to the tavern for a smoke, a brandy, and a warm cuddle. Meanwhile I’d behave myself and stand there so they could satisfy their curiosity to their hearts content. Let them have their way with me then, a few nips weren’t going to hurt, right? Still, it was a bit strange standing there while two females touched you, brushing their hooves over your fur, whispering and breathing against your muzzle. All the while I had to restrain myself, to be submissive and... Damn it all, now my blasted imagination was starting to kick in too!

“Your eyes are a little strange,” Meadow muttered, “but I kind of like them. They’re very… mysterious… mmm….” Her muzzle brushed past mine and I gave an involuntary whimper. “You like that… don’t you…” she whispered. I nodded. “Open your mouth now, that’s a good boy.” The green mare examined my teeth and tongue. “Incredible… they look sharp too. Do you bite?”

“No…” I breathed.

“I wouldn’t mind if you did you know,” she grinned seductively. “But… not too hard. Just... enough...” I saw Tingles shudder and her wings stretched out momentarily before she saw me looking and quickly folded them again, her cheeks blushing beet red. “Put your tongue out, Fairlight,” Meadow commanded firmly. “Yes… that’s the way.” She beckoned Tingles closer and whispered in her ear, “Taste it.”

Tingles blinked. “What? I-”

“Go on, just a little lick,” Meadow cooed. “He looks delicious, doesn’t he? If you don’t, I will. You need to assert your dominance over him, Tingles. He’s your stallion like he is mine. Take control…”

Whoa! Now hang on a minute…!

Tingles reached up to my muzzle. I could smell her breath, feminine and warm. Her eyes, so green and full of life, stared into mine. I wasn’t sure she’d be able to do this, and frankly I couldn’t bear to watch. I shut my eyes.

“No!” Meadow tapped me on the nose with a hoof. “Keep your eyes open, Fairlight, your mare is here and you will attend to her as a stallion should, understand?”

I nodded and did as I was ordered. The game she was playing was one I wasn’t used to, and I wasn’t entirely sure I approved of it either. It seemed more than a little kinky to me, and that was putting it mildly! However, if it helped Tingles get over her fears, I’d play along. Unfortunately so was another part of me, the bloody traitorous thing. I took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. Keeping my mind focussed on anything other than what being done to me was rapidly becoming an impossibility as Tingles moved closer, the pegasi’s tongue warm and soft upon my lips, gently probing the edges of my mouth and making my mind go blank. Against my will, my own tongue moved against hers making her jump a little, but she came back quickly and moved a little closer still. Our lips met, her tongue slowly entering my mouth and tasting me, running along my teeth inquisitively.

I couldn’t help but release a little of the silvery fluid into my mouth. I could feel it welling in there and was about to pull away, but to my surprise she reached forward and grabbed me around the neck. Tingles’ tongue lapped at the fluid, running it around her own mouth and mine, our tongues running around each others in a steady dance. Gods help me, I was running on testosterone now and I was barely managing to keep myself together. The gentle and slow teasing of these two was becoming torturous. Deliciously so. I opened my eyes when our lips parted and felt her gasping and shuddering against me. Looking down her flank, I nearly squeaked in shock to see Meadow beneath the pegasus mare doing something that I never thought I’d ever see. Luna forgive me, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Any self restraint I had left was dwindling fast, and I wasn’t the only one either. Tingles’ eyes were nearly rolling in her head and she groaned aloud before suddenly biting down on my neck, squeezing me for all she was worth. Moments later, Meadow stood back up and walked over to me.

“Now… it’s my turn,” she purred, taking my head in her hooves and pushing her tongue deep into my mouth.

The scene repeated, Meadow lapping and tasting, pulling on my tongue and lips whilst Tingles… Oh, goddesses… Let’s just say that all of us were now a lot less ‘restrained’ now than we had been earlier, Tingles especially. The little pegasus whinnied and pushed me to the ground, her chest heaving. Meadow moved closer to us, her hind legs noticeably wobbling.

“That’s it, Tingles,” she breathe. “You’re the one calling the shots here. Don’t ask… Tell him what you want.”

The tangerine mare pushed and prodded me until I was lying on my back, my hooves in the air in a ridiculous position for a pony. Not so for Tingles though, she straddled my chest and reached behind her, feeling about for what she sought. With a firm hoof, I was guided to the ultimate destination.

“Now, Fairlight,” she breathed, “I’m going to…” She gasped as she pushed down on me. “I’m going to buck you…as hard and as much as I want. As I like…”

Tingles used me to her heart’s content, taking everything she wanted, everything she needed, until with a scream that rent the night air she collapsed on top of me, breathing heavily inches from my mouth. Her eyes looked straight down into mine, her sweat soaked bottle green mane hanging limp and draping over my face.

She brushed some of her hair from her own muzzle and from mine. “Goddesses, I love you, Fairlight. I love you so much.” I opened my mouth to reply, only to have her clamp hers over mine and kiss me with a passion that surprised me. She sat back up, taking a deep breath. “Meadow, that was… That was wonderful! And he really does taste of mint.”

The rest of the evening passed in much the same way, with the three of us tangled up together once again, warm and safe in each others embrace. As with all good things though, time catches up and life has to move on. The sun would be up soon, and Meadow would have to return to the herd. She stood to leave and I kissed her.

“Love, how come you can spend so much time with us now?” I asked gently nuzzling her. “You were always in such a rush before.”

She scratched her ear in thought before giving me a quick peck on the nose. “Because there are many in this world, and the next, who love you, Fairlight - not just us. You have a surprising number of allies in the herd, in fact more than you’d think actually. More than Celestia would either for that matter.” She shrugged. “Having friends confers certain… ‘benefits’.”

“I hope so,” I said yawning. “I have to find Shadow now though, love.” I tapped the pendant around my neck. “I may be gone a while.”

She nodded. “What are you going to do about Tingles?”

“I promised I wouldn’t leave her behind again, but…” I closed my eyes and breathed out slowly. “Meadow, I… I have something to tell you.”

“You mean your foal?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Yes, I wondered when you’d get around to telling me about him. A new life is always news in the herd, and your antics aren’t exactly hard to follow you know. You’re quite the celebrity there.”

Celebrity? Now she was just being silly. “I’m sorry, love,” I said, trying to regain the conversational initiative. “I’ve not had a chance to tell you yet. We were a bit, um… busy?”
She chuckled. “I know, but you owe me one, mister. Don’t think this lets you off the the hook completely. I’ll expect you to be on you best behaviour from here on, understand?” I nodded as she continued. “But, please… don’t ever doubt me again… promise me, Fairlight.”

“I promise, Meadow,” I said honestly. “On my life, I promise.”

“On your heart will do…” She gave me a kiss on the nose. “You silly pony.”

Tingles began to stir and opened her eyes, “Meadow? Are you leaving already?”

“I have to,” Meadow smiled. “I’m sorry, I wish I could stay but the magic that allows me to visit is a very old type which is powered by the moon. Rather appropriate, wouldn’t you say?”

“I wish you could stay. You belong with us, Meadow,” I whispered into her fur as I nuzzled her.

Meadow shook her mane and gently pushed away from me. “I want to be with you too, all of you, but this is all I can do.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “One day we’ll be together again though, just as we were always meant to be. And until that day, my love will always be with you – all three of you.” She sniffed and rubbed her eyes, walking backwards as she was surrounded by an ethereal aura of otherworldly light – the light of the eternal herd. “You’re making me cry you silly stallion!” Meadow called. “I’ll get you back next time! And bring your foal too! What’s he called?”

“Lumin!” Tingles and I shouted together.

Meadow was starting to disappear in the morning sunlight, her voice growing fainter. “I think I preferred Rock…”

Comments

[Fallen Knight]

Heheh, did Meadow moonlight as a dominatrix on the side?