Quest For Harmony

by destinedjagold

Chapter 70 - Wing Beat

“I failed...”

Rainbow's voice echoed from the darkness... I looked around, I really did, but I couldn't feel myself at all... All I could see was the darkness and nothing else. I shouted, but nothing happened. I looked at myself. I tried to, but I saw nothing. I tried touching my hoof with the other, but I touched nothing... I felt nothing... I am...nothing...?

I wanted to panic, but I couldn't...

Wait... There's light up ahead...cutting through the darkness horizontally... Whoa! Too bright! Ack!

I felt a hoof rubbing my eyes. I blinked a few times, and my vision returned to normal, and I was staring at the giant full moon. I breathed, and I really felt the cold air running down to my lungs. I shivered and giggled as I exhaled. I sighed as I glided quietly in the evening sky.

Sigh... If only things were as peaceful as this. I sighed again as I quicken my descent back to...Ponyville.

I hovered and glided above the rooftops of the wooden houses of the town. Aside from the majestic silver light of the moon washing over the sleeping town, there were a few torches on the earthy pathways to provide light. Not that the ponies needed them for anything. The pegasi and the unicorns are currently on a cease fire while their Princess Cele-whatever-her-name-was are trying to find a ‘diplomatic solution’ to ‘unite’ the ponies in the land.

Pfft, yeah right. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they're trying to find a peaceful way to rule over the land. And that ain't happening as long as I'm around.

Huh, orange rays? I hovered in the air and turned around. Oh, so it's sunrise already? I shrugged. Aw well. I didn't need the sleep anyway.

I flapped my wings and started gliding down towards a small wooden house near the edge of town. I landed in front of the old wooden door, and pushed it open as quietly as I could.

I quietly went inside and quietly closed the door. Ugh... All of this ‘quietly’ is annoying but... I turned and saw my little home. It's not really something a pony could call home but, meh, I rarely sleep in here anyway. The only furniture I have right here are a wooden table, a wooden chair, and a wooden bed.

I trotted quietly towards the bed, eyeing the rising and falling of the pony underneath the dark-blue blanket. I stopped on the side of the bed, and smiled at the peacefully-sleeping form of Scootaloo. Sigh... Foals do need a lot of rest, so I guess it's okay if she wakes up late. Heh, like me when I was a young little foal.

She steered, mumbled something, and became quiet again. Heh.

I went to the table and quietly dropped my saddlebag on top, and pulled out a few apples. I placed them on the table before resting myself on the old chair. Ah...

It's more comfortable to be sitting on the cloud, but there's something about this chair that really feels comfortable... I don't wanna trouble myself of why that is, yeah...

“Rainbow...?”

Oh, I guess the squirt's awake. I turned my head and smiled at the sleepy foal. “Hey squirt,” I stood up and walked towards the bed as she yawned. “You ready for another day of flying lessons?”

Her sleepy eyes brightened the instant I finished my question. She hopped on the bed as she excitingly buzzed her little wings. “Yes!” She screamed full of excitement.

...And I think I heard a faint groan from next door. Nah, it's their problem. I raised a hoof and rubbed the filly's messy mane. “Okay, but eat fir—” she zoomed to the table and started munching on the apples I brought. I chuckled as I sat on the bed, watching her eating.

...It has been a while since I found her crying inside that burning house of a burning village in the east. Those were the first of the attacks of the unicorns, and they have slayed a few of my dear friends there...

Thunderlane... Oh how I miss that stallion. I am still mighty clueless of what he saw from that earth-bound pony... Sigh, I guess love is something I won't be able to understand. And I'm also glad that I'm not as heartbroken as I thought I would be after the two of them invited me to their simple wedding. Oh, I remember their looks when I told them that Thunderlane's lame in bed. That was a joke that we kept teasing on him though, since back in Pegasopolis, we never seen him with a mare, or a stallion.

Sad that they're gone and couldn't see their daughter growing up...

“Why are you cryin', Rainbow?”

“Wha? Oh?” I was crying? That's crap-talk! I wiped my eyes with my hooves, just in case...and yeah...I guess I really was crying.

“It's nothing. There was a water bug that flew straight to my eyes...” I chuckled and Scoots frowned.

“I thought you said water bugs only land on one eye...”

“Yeah, well, today was special, I guess?” Yeah, I suck at lying... I got off of the bed and approached the smiling filly. “Heh, looks like you're done eating.” I flared my wings and aimed myself at the door. “Last one at the Dash Hill is a rotten egg!”

The hill we're on is four hills away from Ponyville. I don't want other foals to tease her like the first time we practiced her flying. So I always fly her here and practice in peace.

We spent our morning at the Dash Hill. It's not really the name of the hill though. I just started calling it that 'cause that's where Scoots and I usually hang out to practice her flying. Her wings are still too small to fly though, but I couldn't say that to such a cute face. I'm not that cruel.

She only managed to lift herself by a few inches, but hey, that's progress. I beamed at my little buzzing-bee.

We lied down under the shade of the only tree on the hill. Conveniently, the tree is on the top of the hill, and even more convenient is that it's an apple tree.

As we are eating some apples that I took from the tree, I heard a rustling noise from the forest down below. Huh, I shrugged. It's probably just a wild boar or something. But there was it again, and it's kinda annoying. Scoots must have heard it as well, for she stood up and walked beside me and leaned forward to stare at what I was staring at.

“Wh-what is it?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea...” I turned to her and smiled. “I'm sure it's nothing, but lemme check and see what it is.” I rubbed my hoof on her little head. “You stay here, okay?” She looked worried, but she nodded. “Hey, there's nothing to worry about. I'll be back in a sec.”

I stood up, stretched my limbs and cracked my neck before eyeing the edge of the forest down below. I flew down and landed just outside the forest. The forest was dark, and there's nothing there. I shrugged. Yep, nothing, and totally wasted my time. I turned around, flared my wings an—“Augh!”

“Rainbow!”

A mana beam struck me on my hind leg. I quickly flapped my wings, but then I felt myself being pushed to the ground. Ugh... Magical aura is around me! Two armored unicorns quickly appeared on my sides, grinning wildly at me as I glared at them.

“No! Stay away!” My eyes shrunk as I heard Scootaloo's voice. “Ah! Rainbow! Help!” I managed to turn my head enough to see Scootaloo was levitated by two more armored unicorns. What the hey!? Where did these horn-headed freaks came from!?

“Let her go!” I shouted as the unicorns above the hill were walking down, levitating the struggling filly along with them. The unicorns just laughed at our struggle. Just wait 'til I can get outta here!

“Very good,” a voice from a unicorn who just came out from the forest spoke. I turned my head and glared at the newcomer. He looked older than the unicorns that captured me and Scootaloo. “It seems that the four of you have been trained quite well.” He smiled genuinely at them, but it was an evil smile for my taste.

I struggled to break free from the magical aura that is pinning me down on the ground. Gah!

“What shall we do with them, commander?”

I brought my hooves on the ground, and started pushing myself up, but it's too darn difficult! Ugh... My own sweat is stinging my eye!

“Please let me go!” Scootaloo cried.

The higher-ranked unicorn shrugged. “Meh. What makes pegasi ponies special?”

The other four unicorns thought about it while Scootaloo was crying in fear and I was trying to free myself.

“Their wings?” One of the unicorns spoke.

The higher-ranked unicorn nodded. “You catch up fast.” He grinned. “Now here's another question. What would happen when pegasi ponies lose their wings?”

My eyes shrunk in fear of what they're about to do! I gritted my teeth harder as I forced myself back up.

“Let's remove the small one's wings first!” I quickly turned my gaze back at the higher-ranked unicorn. I saw him stare at me and shrugged as if it was nothing!

“No!” Scootaloo screamed and—

—my vision broke like shattered glass as I eyed the two unicorns running towards the edge of their burning town. A fellow lightning striker flew my way. I immediately called his attention and pointed at the two unicorns down below. He nodded, and pointed his electric-charged rod towards the stallions and—

—Scootaloo's loud and painful scream broke my breath as I yelled with all my might, breaking myself free from the magical aura. The two unicorns who were pinning me down yelped in pain, and I immediately slammed my wings on their faces. I spun around and—

—dove towards that bastard unicorn with my blade on my hooves. The air ran passed me and it whistled so deafeningly yet I did not care. In a split of a second, my blade went through his neck—

...and I suddenly feel too darn tired as I slowly opened my eyes... I was...lying down on my back, and I was staring at the sea of leaves up above. I'm in a forest?

“Rainbow...” I heard Scootaloo's trembling voice. I turned my head and saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Spike sitting near a camp fire. “...I don't know what happened. They cut my wing...and it was too painful to focus what was going on back then but, Rainbow saved me...”

I turned my head back, and simply stared at the leaves. So...I guess that dream I just had was real... I exhaled...