A strange pony is attacking and destroying jails across Equestria calling for revolution against Princess Starlight. Meanwhile, a desperate Rainbow Dash searches for her missing son in an Equestria falling apart with social unrest.
Note: You don't have to read the other stories in this series to understand this one.
Eighty years after the discovery of the Elements of Harmony and Celestia being dethroned, Equestria has transformed, penitentiaries and jails dot the landscape.
As the recently ascended Starlight tries to manage a country falling into racial and gender based strife, a pony calling himself "Harmony's Clown" is destroying her jails, declaring her and her entire government in gross violation of pony rights. She would ignore this small time terrorist but a rebellion is forming around him... Oh and joy of all joys, one of the old matriarchs, Rainbow Dash, just lost her little colt- grown stallion more like it, dumb sentimental mare, but the conservatives will have Starlight's head if she doesn't find him.
All she has to do is catch this weirdo, find a missing pony, keep the country from falling apart, keep herself from going to a tribunal... when it rains it pours... well, she did say she could bring equality and do it all better than that racist, sexist, biggoted dinosaur Twilight, you can do it girl! Remember, you're the good gal, you're the good gal.
Ponyville County Jail, 90 AHD (After Harmony’s Discovery).
Thunder Fall leaned against the metal wall, his billy club tapping his side as he did. This job was so boring most of the time, he wanted to flip down his hat and just sleep. No one was getting out of their cells-heck, there were days when he welcomed the idea of a prison break. Really this was mostly a peaceful lot though. A few federal prisoners were here, but only for a small stay before their trip to Canterlot Pen, as this wasn’t a place for them. Even Light Angel was here, the leader of the Eagles, the most feared Pegasi supremacy group in all of Equestria. He was here for- embezzlement. Yea, even if something sounded like things might get interesting-nope.
Not exactly what Thunder thought he would be doing when he trained to be a prison guard, watching a bunch of blue collars and petty thieves. All the movies made it look like he would be fighting for his life every day… yea no. He smiled, getting ready for one more pass, making sure everyone was still in bed, no funny business. He stretched his wings and set out. Too bad he didn’t get to use his wings often these days.
Foosh! Down a hole, that he was pretty sure wasn’t supposed to be there, he went. It was only a single floor drop, so landing on his side, pinching his hip against his billy club, hurt alright, and he gave a yelp, but hardly too dangerous. He jumped to his hooves and scanned around himself. He looked up… there was no hole, he could see that, so how did he fall? The Pegasus shot into the air and flew in the middle of the cell area, the cells of his charges all around him in a large circle. He looked at the ground and scanned the railing he had been on.
In casually strolled a black unicorn wearing body armor and a multicolored mask. “Sup?” he shouted over to Thunder.
“The hell are you doing in here? Who are you? Identify yourself immediately!” Finally something interesting-don’t mess it up Thunder!
“Well, I’m a guy in a mask so, pretty safe to say I don’t belong here right? So… we gonna do this fight thing or you just gonna fly there?” asked the unicorn. “I mean if you’d prefer that, it’s fine. Imma just let everyone stretch their legs a bit outside, you good?”
He flashed his light at the unicorn, “Stay right where you are!”
“You… I mean… I’m here in body armor and a mask and you’re going through the hole routi- okay fine- no.” He nodded side to side. “What now?”
Thunder pulled up his radio, “I have a suspicious individual in cell circle 5, send back up, looks like a trouble maker…”
The unicorn looked at himself. “Suspicious… think that’s a bit of an understatement don’t you?” The unicorn then looked at Thunder, who flew there, fumbling with his uniform, trying to look tough by bringing himself up to his full size. “New at this?”
Thunder pulled up his cross bow from his tunic, dropping in a round, “Hold it right there!”
“You could put someone’s eye out with- na, too easy. Anyway,” the unicorn turned and moved to one of the cells.
“I’m warning you!”
“Well I would warn you too, but I’ve done this song and dance a few times precious.” he banged on the cell, the prisoner getting up. “Just pull the trigger, it’ll be fine,” he opened the door to the cell. The prisoners all around started to get up and run to the cell doors. The stallion in the cell moved towards the strange unicorn.
“You stay in there Fade,” Thunder shouted. “Not another fu***** step!”
“Language!” the unicorn said. “I’m doing a jail break, no need for cussing, that’s just rude!” He looked at Thunder, the lifeless mask giving the guard the heebee jebees. “Oh right… step…” the unicorn took another step. The Pegasus jumped in the air and his cross bow activated, the bolt flying forward. A black plate like object formed in front of the unicorn’s face, the bolt flying into it and out a second plate like object near the Pegasus, the arrow suddenly shooting back out and taking Thunder’s hat as it traveled up and smashed against the ceiling. The unicorn smiled, Thunder seeing it under the open lips of the mask. “Good practice right?” He got up on his hind legs and held out his forelegs, “Let’s do this then. Come at me bro!”
“FREEZE!” “HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!” Several shouts filled the room as a team of ponies in body armor swarmed into the room, unicorns with their magic warmed up moved around the room, earth ponies with drawn cross bows occupied the door and pegasi zipped around the room to take different angles for attack.
The stallion in the mask lowered his head, “Oh… fun times…” he slammed his hooves into the grating “C’mon!” Several arrows were set lose, screaming towards the bravado pony as hundreds of black tendrils surrounded him creating a wall. The arrows pierced through, but stuck like trapped in a mess of flesh, black gew flying all around. “You have any idea how hard this stuff is to wash out? Especially body armor… what do you think this stuff is machine wash-“ several unicorns set off their spells as he teleported mid sentence. The railing where he been erupted into metal shards as the stallion reappeared on the ground level with the guards.
One of the pegasi swooped down and slammed his jaw with her back hoof. The masked pony flew back, tables smashing under him, as nonetheless, black tendrils surrounded him and protected him from the impact. He sighed as he got up, fixing his jaw. “Okay… I can see you all mean bus-“ he teleported to the railing to the right “ness, and this is-“ another teleport and he was in a cell with a very surprised stallion. Tendrils shot out around him and ripped opened the bars, “really getting annoying.” He walked out of the cells, a pegasus landing in front of him as he disappeared and reappeared in another cell. “Magic inhibitors in the cells make it akward too-“ a black portal appeared under him and he fell through, falling out a portal three feet from the other guards. “Thing is, I need you guys in here.”
Many unicorns turned to him their horns glowing. “You see I don’t understand-“ he disappeared and reappeared to the left “something. Am I honestly-“ he teleported again, this time appearing on the opposite side of the room, this time the unicorns fired their spells as he reappeared, but a large black portal appeared in front of him, another appearing to the left the magic flying out and ripping apart the left wall, making an opening to the outside. “Ooooh! Got clever with it that time. But none of you guys thought to just put like a sock or something on your horn so folks can’t-“ several pegasi flew towards him as he disappeared again, appearing once again on the railing, “tell when you’re charging a spell? Mine's nylon!”
An earth pony walked forward into the room. “Keep playing, you can’t actually fight us, we’re too many. May as well surrender now.” The masked unicorn kept teleporting around the room. “We’ve done enough damage and I have an offer that you would be smart to take… or maybe you’re as much an idiot as you sound.”
“Oh I am so much more of an idiot than I sound, but do tell!” said the masked unicorn appearing next to him. He vanished again.
The earth pony raised his hoof and the unicorns discharged their horns, the earth ponies lowered their bows and the pegasi landed all around. “Give up now,” the masked unicorn stopped teleporting, now across the room. “In fact, there’s the door,” the leader pointed at the exploded wall, “Just walk. I don’t know what the hell you’re up to, but I don’t want my stallions or prisoners hurt.” The unicorn just stood. “Well, what is your answer?”
“Well… let me explain something. Masks hide a lot of things, for instance, if you’re concentrating on a spell- DEMONIC MYST!” As the other ponies resumed their attack positions as the room became dark, the large earth pony looking around in fear. All around the leader, hundreds of large eyes appeared, like they were floating in the room. The ponies in the doorway pointed their weapons at random eyes as they started to leak what looked like black blood. Several of the pegasi slammed into the floating eyes, most by accident, as they appeared so suddenly. Many pegasi found themselves caught in a sticky substance, several shouting for help or just screaming in terror.
“WHAT ARE YOU?!!” shouted the earth pony.
“Good question,” said the masked unicorn. Several eyes ripped open, black blood flying out as black bipedal creatures fell out of them. The black creatures stood up, like apes, each with one large eye on their faces and- no faces at all, just their one eye each. The lead pony quickly bucked one of the creatures, it splattering blood everywhere.
“Fight them, they’re not invincible!” the leader shouted. Black blood splattered all over, many of the ponies becoming drenched. The room, as suddenly as it darkened, brightened up, the monsters all destroyed, the eyes just vanishing. Black blood covered the floor and tables on ground level. One last demonic creature stood, it’s head turning to look at one unicorn in particular, a white mare with a pink mane wearing blue body armor. It started walking towards her. She started to sweat as it walked towards her, it’s head moving erratically. Two bolts flew at it, but instead of falling down like the others, it just kept going forward with one bolt in its chest and the other in its head. She warmed up her horn but it didn’t seem to respect the warning. Finally she unleashed her spell, incinerating the monster and- catching the whole room on fire!
Many of the pegasi and the lead pony, covered in black blood, for some reason, did not catch fire. The ponies started looking around in a panic, the prisoners shouted in fear and anger. “You see everyone, I needed you here for one simple reason. You care about your prisoners, and so, if you don’t want them to burn, you’ll have to perpetrate your own jail break. I’m bringing this place down… give us liberty, or give us death.” The masked unicorn vanished from the room.
The guards ran to the cells, keys out as their prisoners shouted for them to hurry. Outside loud explosions provided extra “motivation”. The unicorn mare who set the room on fire grabbed an extinguisher from the wall with her magic. The leader grabbed her with his foreleg, “Seriously, you’re gonna do what, put it out?” She dropped the extinguisher and teleported to one of the cells. The leader ran out of the flames and too the rails. “None of those monsters were on the rails…” he said pausing. “So the prisoners wouldn’t burn before we got to them… what is this guy doing?”
Minutes flew by as the pegasi flew prisoners and injured guards out. Thunder landed by the leader near the opening on the outside. The earth pony looked at him. “You can explain later guard, he got all of us, can’t fault you, I need you flying ponies out pronto.”
Thunder felt nervousness like always when he addressed his commander, but the fire was motivating him to swallow it. In emergencies he was one of the communications officers. “Sir, that’s not what I’m reporting on. Three more cell circles are reporting massive fires, all on the roof, apparently this guy spread gasoline and black powder up there before he entered. There’s a lot of damage, but this was pretty well planned… well, if he wanted us to get everyone out…”
“Something he didn’t plan for then it seems. This is a stone facility. Sure we have to evacuate, but fire can’t burn stone unless it’s REALLY hot, so it can’t spread. This fire won’t destroy the facility, just make it useless for a while.” The leader didn’t want to pause, but he did, he had to know, “Which circle hasn’t he attacked?”
“Number two, maximum security.”
“Any reports from them?”
“Short conflict, but we’ve lost communication sir.” Thunder swallowed. “I can relay ponies to investigate…”
“I… we can’t. We have three hundred prisoners to evacuate before they burn or suffocate… let’s hope they can wait…”
(***)
Cell circle 2
The blue bodied yellow maned pegasus, Light Angel watched out his cell, hearing the explosions occur all around him. He remained calm, his war time training making this feel… almost like home. He watched as several mare and stallion guards were tossed aside by black tentacles from the shadows. In short order they were all unconscious. Then he watched as a black unicorn in a mask started walking around the small cell circle, holding a small clip board. He looked at a red stallion in the first cell he came to. “Fire Scream… four counts of assault and one murder in second degree-doubt even half the staff knew you were here- so you won’t be missed,” Angel couldn’t see, but he could easily guess what happened as he saw black tendrils shoot from around the unicorn and the pony inside the cell screamed.
The next cell, “Forward Star, eighteen counts of rape against your own daughter- don’t care if they miss you.” more screams, then a sudden stop to them.
“Night Dawn, bank robbery, two counts of destruction of property, and assault forcing a mare to let you shave her head… let’s make a deal, I let you go, you shave your own mane and tattoo “I’m a freak” on your head. Can I count on you doing that?...” he looked at the tendrils coming out of smoking mist around him. “Not like I’m not considering alternatives.”
“Buck yes, please just let me go…” the door was ripped open and the green unicorn ran fast as he could out of the circle to the main area.
“Sun Day,” the fourth cell. “Fifty thousand bits stolen and five counts of stealing medicine for your sick grandmother… seriously?” the cell was ripped open, “Hope she’s okay. Get out of here.”
Finally he came to Light’s cell. Light smiled at him. “Hello.” Light said.
The unicorn looked at him. The unicorn had on a mask with six colors on it, arranged in radiating triangles. Purple, cyan, pink, yellow, white and orange. Tendrils raised up all around the black unicorn as his mask looked into the cell. Light had a hard time determining what was going on behind the mask. “Light Angel, leader of the hate group, the Eagles. Five counts of embezzlement.”
Light shook his head. “That was for a business affiliated with my group, which you may not like my group, but I still have freedom of speech do I not?”
The unicorn growled. “I want to end you so badly… so many lives ruined.”
“I have attacked no one, just spoken my mind. I see what you’re doing. Eye for an eye, hmm? You kill me, you know it, you’re no better than the first guy.”
“This isn’t about whose better, it’s about setting things right… doing what’s right… I… I have… no choice,” the door to Light’s cell was ripped open.
Light walked out calmly. “I won’t soon forget this unicorn.” Electricity surrounded the pegasus as he passed the door. “You have gained a powerful yet unlikely friend.” He smiled. “I will be keeping my eye on you.” Electricity shot off Light’s body and into the roof of the cell circle, ripping it apart. “Fear not, I pay my debts.” He flew out.
The unicorn sighed. “Matriarchs... moms... tell me I did this right...”
(***)
The jail was smoking hours later, but still standing, the fuel for the fire had finally been burned through. Pegasi were flying overhead, watching the fire die down. The fire ponies were starting to move on as one watched. He stopped, watching as he flew in place. Up the fire continued to go.
“What was this guy after?” the green pegasi asked himself. “We’re just gonna-“ explosions rocked the facility, fires reigniting, windows erupting and portions of the jail collapsing including all of the entrances.
The pegasi pulled out a radio. “Sir… I have no idea what he had in mind, but this had to be planned… we’re dealing with a character all right.” He looked at the wreckage. The building hadn’t been vaporized, but no way was it reopening for several weeks if not months. “What do you want?” he asked, as if the perp were right there with him.
It was one of those days again. Rainbow Dash didn’t age, but time still moved for her, and she still had a heart that longed for what was. Time stood still for her, but not her family. She walked through her mansion.
Seventy years of actually saving her money instead of spending it… really she had never gone beyond being a weather manager, but it turns out, with a 1% savings plan, working hard, a few raises and lots and LOTS of time, you can get a lot of money. Well that, and about a half of the country seeing you as a key piece of history and you becoming a celebrity. Rainbow couldn’t deny, she had a great life, one that probably wouldn’t end soon, if it EVER did. However, there was a feeling that it was all hollow sometimes.
She flew up the stairs and into her memory room. In her cloud mansion, she had a trophy room, but that had long ago been demolished when she adopted a disable pegasus filly. Her foal came first. Now… she had lost track of almost every trophy she ever won and this room was filled with memories far more precious.
She flew in. In front of her was a small bed, the bed she got for her first adopted daughter. Scootaloo out grew it in a few years, Rainbow never knew why she kept it… until the foal left on her own, no longer a foal, but a very strong, independent and beautiful mare. The bed had stayed in her small home for several years, until, what Rainbow knew had to happen, finally happened. Scootaloo was long into her eighties when she finally died. Rainbow wiped away her tears, swearing she saw the body of a small pony in the bed, but it wasn’t so.
On a small stand next to the bed was Rainbow’s wedding ring, next to a picture of her on the day that was one of the happiest of her life. Her heart had found one that belonged with it. Her big strong stallion, Silent Storm, one who commanded the wind itself, who was faithful to her, even when they learned she was immortal and couldn’t have children. Even with that news, he longed so much for her. It had been so hard to watch him age. But no one else was good enough for her, only his heart, only his body. In a few decades, the strength he took pride in was gone, he could barely fly and he had to walk with a cane. In his old age he had become sentimental… why did he have to do it? The memory played in her head. The young stallion grabbed a bag of bits from an old mare, Silent used his powers to move in front of him and stop him. Rainbow had seen the knife, she moved with all the speed of an athlete superior to all wonderbolts- but it found it’s home anyway and took her home away. The ambulance only arrived in time to tell her what she already knew, he was gone.
She then smiled, looking at three more beds in the room. She adopted them as a trio, part of a buddy system set up to keep orphans from being isolated while in the system.
The first was of her new youngest, Faded Light. She got the excitable little colt when he was four, and he ran, played and flew his way straight into her heart. It was a good thing she never found the mother who left him to die in the trash when he was a baby, they never would have found that mare’s body… He was nineteen now, she just watched him leave her home for his own just last year, she had to force herself not to beg him to stay. He was her last baby! There was a picture of him when she first adopted him as an orphan on a stand behind the bed, along with one from every year since. She chuckled looking at him and his developing freckles, him with his first crush- they were still together- she better know how to treat her son!
Next to that was her second daughter, First Dawn. A girl who, for a little while, had loved to cuddle, and fell in love with just about any soft toy or animal she could get her hooves on. Then she discovered soccer. Rainbow could relate a lot better at that stage. Then she discovered math… she was in business college now and anything she talked about with school, flew right over her mother’s head. Who knew where she got it all from, her biological parents had died a while ago, so Rainbow couldn’t meet them or anything. She had talked to First’s grandparents a few times… seems sports might have been a mom thing and math a dad thing, but it was hard to tell.
Finally, the largest bed, Dark Sky. Her first interracial adoption. Ten years old and she knew where he got things from. His anger he got from his father, his cynicism, from his mother, who laughed while he was hit. She met the mare, not the stallion, Twilight forbidding her to meet him. When she talked to the mare, the girl had kept saying she never raised a hoof to him- Rainbow broke her jaw for not raising a hoof to help. She paid a fine for that- well worth it.
Time for Dark had been troubled. He loved his siblings with all his heart, but his new mother was a monster he was just waiting to have to fight. Rainbow had never been passionately cussed out by a ten year old before, looking at him through a black eye… she had slipped while rough housing with Faded and stepped on his wing, making the colt scream in pain and-WHAM! Dark stood there, staring her down, hiding his brother behind his hind legs, head down, horn flashing like with a magical warning. She had had to fight him over and over after that. He was fast and strong and… so scared. Rainbow never knew what to do, she tried so hard not to hurt the colt, but she couldn’t let him hurt her so… Pinkie had been the only adult he trusted at first.
Rainbow however remembered that one magic day, what had caused it she didn’t know. He was thirteen. First Dawn’s puppy had died after an incident with a carriage. Dark had been so gentle and so caring for her, just as Rainbow expected, but suddenly, crying himself, he turned around and ran to his mother for the first time, hugged her, and buried his face in her fur. Rainbow’s breath had been taken away, all her patience was finally paying off, he was finally coming to her! How she had earned his trust, she would never know, but as the years continued, she was so happy.
Dark was never a touchy feely pony, and never became one, that was fine. He loved jokes and martial arts. He also loved magic defense and took to learning it like a fish to water. Twilight taught him, but often he did frustrate her, as he had almost no interest in magic theory, just application.
Last Rainbow heard from her oldest, he had been applying to teach at a dojo. That was…
Rainbow shook her head. Had it really been that long? Nearly one and a half years. She sighed. It must have been a guy thing. She had a much easier time keeping up with First Dawn than either of her brothers. Why couldn’t Silent have told her anything useful about boys before he passed away?
Rainbow left the room and spread her wings. “Lets go see my boy girls” yes, in her old age, she often referred to her wings as “the girls”. It was a thing… she didn’t know why, it just was. She flew over the banister, out her door and kicked into high gear, shooting across the sky. Hey, maybe she and Dark could have some fun when she arrived. He was a grown stallion now, but Rainbow bet that maybe, with all the time and skill she had, she could probably take him.
He lived in a small apartment on the outskirts of Ponyville… to think Ponyville actually had outskirts these days. After how famous Rainbow and her friends had become, this city became a tourist town and a center of industry soon after. She flew past the four growing skyscrapers, zipping around them for fun… a thing that had pretty much recently been invented, marvels of magic and technology. They were buildings that actually went past the clouds and looked like they could rival mountains. The largest was seventy stories… largest here anyway, the largest in all Equestria was eighty.
Rainbow passed the church her son frequented, thinking to check it quickly. As she looked down, she saw the two pony statues in front of it, Lighting Strike, the great mother and Dusk, the comforter… yea… things can get strange over eighty years.
The cyan mare landed, tucking in her wings, shivering, out this far, winter was starting to commence with much more fury than the suburbs. She smiled up at the statues. “Hey there kids,” she said. “Well, you weren’t kids at this point were you?” she asked. She looked at the statues, made so accurate. Lightning’s messy front mane and back mane arrange like a cutie mark lightning bolt, even her freckles on only one side of her face, it was all dead on to what she looked like at about twenty six. And then her brother, by this point, bigger than her, still had that unflattering belly fat… well he was a janitor, what would you expect? They were so close, even when one became a cop and the other just a service employee.
She chuckled, putting her hoof on the statue, “Religious icons… never saw this coming… wish you guys were still here.” She read the inscription of the words of… frankly her passed away friends.
Words of wisdom they were purported to be. Lightning Strike: “Be awesome to each other- or Imma kick your butt!” Oh yea, that was Lightning. Dusk: “I know you’re strong, stronger than you know, and when you’re not, I’ll be strong for you.” Yea… that was him, he was quiet, but as he got older, the earth pony was worth listening to when he actually spoke.
“Many of us do,” said a stallion in pastoral robes. The brown pegasus with a light blue mane walked over to her in a way only a religious pony can do, like he was walking softly, but with a purpose at the same time. He looked up at the statue, “But why they were taken from us, the cosmos has yet to reveal.”
Rainbow sighed. “Because Dusk was hit by a carriage and Lightning committed sui-“
The stallion cut the air to cut her off. “That was an illusion from the dark one,”
“You mean Captain Gray? The guy we killed decades before either of them died?” Rainbow asked. He shook his head. She rolled her eyes. “Religions.”
He smiled. “Rainbow Dash, yes?” She nodded. “My name is Snow... you probably know that from your kid. So you were alive and conscious when they were still with us. Tell me, how inaccurate are we? Would you not describe this “Captain Gray” as a devil?” Rainbow looked down, remembering the blue eyed pony… well maybe his eyes were blue, before he made them glow along with his teeth… before he tortured an innocent filly and almost killed her brother in front of her eyes. “Not too far hmm?” she couldn’t respond. “And Lightning, we call her a great mother and protector, you would say she had no children, she never even had sex that you know of yes? But did she not protect those she loved, and eventually, protect many, much like a mother?” Rainbow bit her lip. She still remembered Lightning many times risking her life for her and her daughter Scootaloo. Then later, as an officer, the mare would often risk her life to try to stop criminals without killing them.
“She wasn’t the mother of impulses,” Rainbow said. “Captain Gray-“ she shook her head as he was about to object, “Fine- the dark one- used a mixture of science and magic to change a pegasus filly with abnormal psychic abilities into the first of a new kind of weapon. He made her able to control electricity on a whim.”
“Strange that psychic power of hers hmm? Ever remember her using it?”
“No… it probably just transformed into her electric powers.”
“How many ponies born impulses have other abilities transform into their powers? Even the Dark One, wasn’t he just a normal pegasus at first?” he asked back. “Don’t answer. From what you know, that’s just not how it works right?” She nodded. “So, where did her powers go?”
“That’s not proof of anything.”
“An entirely new race of ponies exists, and she was the first of our kind.” He closed his eyes, the snow around him moving suddenly and in an instant, a snow pony that looked exactly like him was standing next to him. “A race, each able to control one element each. Mine is snow. My grandfather’s was self duplication and his son, metal.”
“Then Gray is your mother, he made the impulse race.”
“Did he now? Gray didn’t know how to make impulses without months of exposing ponies to an element, dulling them to the pain of being hurt by it, basically torture. But then, the ponies he made had children, and they had powers, powers the same in nature, but over different elements from their parents. Explain that to me. How would that happen?”
“Questions you can’t answer aren’t evidence that the spirit of a mare is choosing and watching impulses…” Rainbow shook her head. “Look, she was the first of an entire race, it’s not a shock to me she’s a big deal to someone. I’m not here to tick off your religion okay? Do what you want, it’s fine. I’m looking for my son, Dark Sky.”
The pastor shook his head. “I haven’t seen him in months.”
“Why does he come here? He’s not an impulse.”
“Well the other welcomes all, but I’ve told you before, I think he is.”
Rainbow shook her head, “And I’ve told you before, snow boy, I mean no disrespect to your faith, but a mother knows her son. If he had powers, I would have seen them in ten years of raising him. Sides, he’s a unicorn, ninety percent of impulses are pegasi. Safe bet he’s not one of the other ten percent.”
“I am connected to the mother, through my worship. And I can sense her moving in him.”
Rainbow had to struggle not to laugh. “Lightning Strike moved a lot alright. I think she had ADHD or something. Buddy, if you really sense her spirit, you would have a constant craving for donuts and flying twenty-four seven-“ he pulled a donut out of his robes and started to munch. “Moving on! Look, think what you want, but has he contacted you recently?” The stallion shook his head.
“Like I said, not in months.”
“More than a year for me.”
The stallion shrugged. “Well, he’s still a stallion, we’re not good at staying connected.”
“How bad is that?” Rainbow asked. “I mean is it like, a physical thing, does it have to be… I’ve ever had colts before. Never been one either ya know?”
“That in particular? Varies. Not like stallions are all cut from the same mold. If you’re wondering, no, you can’t track him through gender differences.” He laughed. Rainbow sighed. He raised an eyebrow.
“It was a stab in the dark okay? A year and a half is a long time.”
“Well, you know his home isn’t far. Service is already over, want some company checking it out?”
“Don’t think I’m being overly sentimental?” Rainbow asked back.
“That long would concern me too, no. I doubt he’s in trouble, but if nothing else, I can support you chewing him out for making you worry.” He said. She smiled and nodded.
(***)
As the two entered the apartment where Dark lived, it looked very neat. Rainbow smiled walking in, her eyes wide. “Well, he keeps himself organized, better than when he was a kid.”
The pastor walked into the small one bedroom place behind her. He cringed. His tail swiped the floor a few times. “Lots of dust for someone cleaning a lot. I hesitate to bring it up, but most guys aren’t very neat on their own Rainbow… and there’s dust everywhere, don’t you see it?”
“Don’t you know denial when you hear it?” Rainbow asked, her face showing panic.
“Um stallion um… we’re also dense.”
Rainbow shouted, “Where is he?!”
“It’s not like I have him in my robes,” Rainbow’s eyes shot around the room as she turned several times.
“WHERE IS MY COLT?!” she demanded.
“Calm down okay-“
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Rainbow shouted. “Don’t think I don’t know what the Stemist say, this isn’t toxic femininity, I care about my kid… I have watched my ENTIRE first family die okay…” Rainbow started breathing hard.
“Toxic- yea everyone knows that’s crap they just say it for ratings. I’m not a stemist okay? All the same, you do need to calm down. Who can we talk too? Who all was close to Dark?”
“All six of us element bearers, but other than that he was always a solitary kid, few friends, never a filly friend… he wasn’t anti social… well maybe a little- okay maybe a little is a lot… oh my goodness… where’s my colt?... Am I panicking too much cause I’m a mare-no that’s stupid, my kid, I want my kid-he’s missing- he-”
“Enough. Anyone would be scared okay? Buy if something is going wrong, you panicking won’t help. Now just breathe okay?” She forced a few breaths in and out of her nose. “Now you have five friends, one has royal connections, all of them are connected at least a little, and all of them are… frankly over a hundred years old. I’m going to call the police… considering how famous you are, for the moment, stay away from camera okay? Last thing we want is someone to sensationalize this.”
Tears started to come to her eyes, “Make it black and white for me… this is bad isn’t it?”
He put a wing over her back. “Let’s wait okay? We have steps to take, something’s going on, but… let’s just wait okay?” he bit his lip looking at her wide eyes. “I’ll pray too okay?”
Rainbow swallowed a few times. “Yea, do that.”
(***)
President Starlight Glimmer lay on the royal couch watching the royal TV… with piles of royal paperwork. Most of it was just allocating tax payer money here or there, nothing that particularly required her undivided attention.
Most of the news was about the latest scandals with the stars- who honestly ever cares about that stuff? Starlight barely even paid attention, just having background noise as she filled out numbers. Finally a story caught her eye.
Five jail breaks, four in Baltimare and one in Ponyville, but they had strong connections. Starlight turned up the volume-then turned it back down as apparently that was just bait for the commercial break- searching her papers to see if anything about this had been pushed her way and she hadn’t gotten to it or glossed over it.
She found a report just as the commercial break came to a close. “Reports are coming in today about the fifth jail bombing in two weeks.” started the anchor. “Fifteen inmates have been found dead, but despite what one might expect, the evidence says all of them were murdered personally. A masked individual of some kind, in each instance, drove the inmates and police out of the prison before any bombs went off. Five officers have been seriously wounded and one died of shock. At each prison, hundreds of prisoners escaped in the chaos. ”
A mare co-host followed him up. “Though, to be fair, the officer who died was suffering from a heart condition before this. It seems a number of earth pony activist groups are weighing in with mixed feelings. As is well documented, earth ponies are over represented in prison, but many of these ponies, during their brief escapes, were able to make contact with their families. There have only been a few reports of criminals attempting to reactivate as of yet. A list of criminals the police have yet to bring back into custody has begun to circulate. Protests are already under way due to the sheer number of earth ponies on the list. It would seem groups that have a history of bad relations with the law, particularly the Earth Pony Equality movement, would have every reason to love this new pony or group of ponies. Some have started to sing his praises… or did, until a series of disturbing hate messages were found outside of each jail.”
Photos were shown, Starlight scribbling down notes as she watched. “The first message was accepted by minority communities,” a photo of street graffiti like writing outside a bombing appeared. It read “Eagles, more like Vultures”. “This message is believed to be against the Pegasi supremacy group which in recent years has grown in following. However, other messages have appeared outside of a much more troubling nature,”
Four more images from obvious different locations, but still devastated prisons were in the background. They were disquieting to Starlight, but not exactly offensive. Each had prominent graffiti. “Stemist-more like supremicists.” Stemists, stallion total equality activists, were a group Starlight knew well and one she even considered herself a member of. For hundreds of years stallions had experienced oppression under Celestia before there was an actual revolt, the same that force Celestia to abdicate the throne. This had caused wide spread anti male sexism, and Stemist were mostly just trying to set things right. To call them supremacists, someone would have to be pretty misandric. “Earth Pony Equality- Equal in misery!”. Earth ponies were the least powerful race, they just wanted other races to be equal with them. “Rape is not a stallion issue-pony issue!”. Probably one of those dumb MRAs got ahold of this asshole. Looks like these jail breaks doubled- or maybe tripled- as a means of getting attention. At least he did set stallions free from the prisons where they were being raped. “Child abuse is a mares issue too”. Most of the abused were colts- whatever! Mares of course needed to be concerned, but that wasn’t the same thing as having a “mares issue”.
Whoever this pony was, clearly wasn’t a friend of minority groups. “In spite of any sentiments anyone may have about those who this pony set free, the police are encouraging citizens to come forward with any information. Cash rewards are being offered.”
Starlight looked at her reports. Was this a hate group? But if it was, most of those who escaped were stallions… though none of the victims were mares, so maybe? Or what about the large number of earth ponies also set free? True, everyone would probably be put back in prison eventually but, if these were the actions of a hate group, what was the point?
Starlight sighed, she was a princess not a detective. Best leave this to real police. Still, she set the papers aside on a coffee table.
In walked Trance, one of her advisors. The brown griffon collected a few papers she had finally finished. “Good morning Ma’am.” She nodded. “Ah- here,” he pulled a paper out of a certain stack. “The Mares Rights Activists are petitioning to speak-“
“Whatever,” she said, waving it off. “Put it in the special bin,” he dropped it in the trash. She flipped up the report on the jail breaks. “So what’s your take on this guy?”
“What makes you think it’s one guy?” the griffin asked back.
“Hmm… consistency.”
“Would have to be someone pretty powerful. An impulse?”
“Maybe… so, you think he’s a hater or just nuts?” she followed up.
“You think he just wants attention?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. Just heard about it really… if he’s a nut, to knock over five prisons, he’s a scary one. But if this is for hate… he could have massacred those earth ponies, instead he just let them walk. But he killed others… gotta wait for details I suppose.” She stood up. “So, how are the kids?”
“Cesal is well, but Full Bright just got chicken pox.”
“Ohhh,” she cooed. “Poor colt.”
“Still saying how he wants to be prince someday. He’s funny the way he’ll play like a leader addressing an invisible crowd,” Starlight sat listening. “He moves his hooves like he thinks he’s calming a cheering crowd.” Trance shook his head. “Hate it when he’s just lying there. He should be up and playing ya know?”
She nodded. “He’s lucky to have you for a father.”
“Lucky to have a father at all… still wants to know if you can locate his old sibling,” Trance replied.
Starlight shook her head. “I abolished the buddy system so more ponies would get adopted. It’s not healthy for him to keep looking for her, she wasn’t really his sister, just a girl kept with him for a few years to help him put down roots in another person. When Lightning Strike pushed for that system to be set up… probably was trying to do something good, but… well pegasi often think they have the solutions to everything. Back then, race wasn’t thought to be very important. She thought her solution would help all orphans. She had a friend Dusk in foster care and it helped her, so I guess she assumed it would help others. But really, earth ponies, for instance, shouldn’t be subject to pegasi solutions. Thinking you have the solutions for other races- the pinnacle of supremacy I think… your son will understand in time. He’s an earth pony himself, and the filly was a unicorn. Requiring orphanages to keep small groups of children together even when they moved around, was a silly idea.”
The griffin walked over to the coffee table taking a bottle of wine that Starlight had placed out. “What year?” he asked.
“Hmm? Oh, ten AHD.” Starlight sighed. “These pegasi, such… the other races have moderate support for it, but my bill for a privilege tax, they just don’t support.”
“You do say they are the most privileged. So the tax would hit them hardest.”
“Well they are the most privileged. I guess privilege is hard to give up,” the griffin poured two glasses and gave one to Starlight.”
“I’m sure it would be, but myself, I’m an immigrant, so of course I don’t have any. You seem to target pegasi a lot though…”
“I do,” she replied. “More than a thousand years ago their armies nearly conquered all pony kind. They converted their military into an industrial complex with millions of steady jobs, jobs other races often have a hard time accessing. They have been benefiting from a system set up to benefit them for a very long time, even if they’re not aware of it. The other races take jobs anyone can take, but pegasi are exclusive. I even had to force them to ground Cloudsdale. They kept saying they needed a floating city…” she rolled her eyes, “Only a few hundred ponies died in the natural disasters that followed, and only because they were so poorly prepared, but we all figured out how to cope. Their insistence that the city wasn’t about racism… of course it was, why else would you literally elevate your own race in its own city?”
“The weather in Equestria used to be famous for how calm it was… think I would have preferred to be here in those days.”
“Other countries didn’t enjoy the benefits of that, another example of elitism.” Starlight drank her wine slowly, savoring it. She pulled it back down. “Hmm… well, it’s only a matter of time. The pegasi and mares have been on top for too long, the time is coming to reorganize. Mark my words, so many ponies believed in me, my ascension was not in vane, there will be equality in Equestria.”
“He used to spend a lot of time with you, you have an idea where he might have gone?” Asked Mr. Snow.
Twilight let her friend and the pastor into the castle. “Not in particular,” Twilight admitted.
“Think someone could have… kidnapped him or something?” Rainbow asked.
Twilight almost laughed out loud. “Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to be insensitive. Seriously though Rainbow, I would be FAR more concerned about any idiot trying to kidnap Dark than Dark himself if that were the case.”
“How powerful is Dark exactly?” asked Mr. Snow.
“Not exactly a matter of power…” Twilight said.
(***)
Upon Rainbow’s request, because Dark was so interested in it, and as a way of showing trust, Twilight had a while ago taken on Dark as an apprentice of sorts, teaching him magic defense. She thought back on one of her early lessons with him.
She walked towards a large empty palace room with the then thirteen-year-old. “So then,” she walked in ahead of him and over to a small chalk board she had set up. She took a ruler and pointed it a crude drawing of a unicorn. “There are three major stages of magic prowess. First is what most unicorns achieve, magical awareness. This would be the stage my dear friend Rarity is at. She knows she has magic power, and she can even use it on a regular basic, but she hasn’t even the slightest comprehension of what she is capable of with it… eee- considering her mood swings that’s probably a good thing. Awakening is the second stage,” The colt sat down, tapping his hoof on the ground as he listened, obviously impatient to start DOING something.
Twilight picked up a ruler with her magic and tapped her chalk board. Dark shook himself awake. She pointed at a second image, this one of a crude unicorn levitating along with a few other un-identifiable objects. “As I was saying, and you’ll want to pay attention to this, awakening is the second stage. Awakening occurs after a unicorn discovers just how much magic power is in them, and has an experience with it’s raw manifestation that causes them to… I guess understand what they might be able to do. My raw manifestation experience happened about when I got my cutie mark actually. You wouldn’t believe the stuff I made happen. I tapped my inner well spring of magic… not sure how. For some unicorns, magic awakenings just happen, but there is a way to sort of… force them I guess.” She thought for a moment. “It can be dangerous though, as there’s no telling what you’ll do- but hey, ALICORN,” she said flapping her wings. She turned around, grinning at Dark, who gave his lip a small bite, not sure what to make of that look. “This is REALLY ill advised I’ve been told, unless you have enough unicorns to stop someone’s magic from going out of control but I am an eighty-year-old alicorn, pretty sure whatever you can do, I can handle.”
“I can’t really do much without warming my horn for like twenty seconds… really I’m more a hoof to hoof guy,” Dark said.
Twilight got up, staggering her legs. “Oh you’d be surprised, but I won’t be. Always wanted to study an awakening up front- ready? I am…” Twilight wasn’t kidding, she would be one of the very few able to witness an awakening, it was a chance to study something ponies knew very little about. Time for- science!
Dark stood up nervously. “What should I do?”
“Sit down again.” He obeyed. “Close your eyes, empty your mind of distractions, just listen to my voice.” Dark closed his eyes. Twilight started getting excited, this was going to be it! “Now, we’re searching for the source of your magic. It will look like a flame… it may not be red… actually, tell me, what color is it? Try to visualize a magic flame.”
“Um… it’s um… pink… what does that mean?”
“Colors can mean things… as angry as you get I was expecting straight red really… relax, look at the flame.” He breath slowly, eyes still closed.
“I see something else… something with the flame.”
“Put everything else out of your mind.”
“It’s not going away… it’s like a plate of some kind.. a swirling black and gray mass of… something… what is it?”
“Mmm-I-don-know,” Twilight said with a shrug. “Block it out,”
“It won’t go away.”
“Then ignore it- look the next step is you’re supposed to reach into that flame…” Twilight warmed up her horn. “Try to grab it…” the young unicorn’s eyes flipped open, turning white.
The purple alicorn, the teenager, the black board and Twilight’s ruler all started levitating independently as Dark’s horn glowed white. A beam suddenly shot out of his horn and fired straight at Twilight, a shield going up around her, blocking it. She smiled, all too easy.
The teenager disappeared. Twilight quickly turned to see him behind her and a beam coming right at her. She sent her shield up again quickly. “Weird, that was almost strategic, this is just-“ the unicorn disappear again and appeared above Twilight, falling on her, the black board shattering as he did. She fell to the ground and quickly rolled out from under the teenager, who started floating again, his horn continuing to glow. “This should have stopped in a few seconds… what the hell?!” The ruler came flying at her as she ducked and a beam of light shot at her. Twilight barely got her shield back up in time, the beam sending a constant stream at her.
The unicorn dropped to the ground, his eyes still white. “Dark, WAKE UP!” she shouted. The beam kept coming at her. Twilight felt strain on her own magic, Dark was no where near powerful enough to break her shield with force, but the force he was delivering just wasn’t stopping. “Dark, I don’t want to hurt you… I’ll have to respond… do you want to hurt me?” Suddenly, as Twilight looked on, two huge eyes appeared behind the unicorn and opened, the floor starting to rumble. “DARK!” she shouted loud as she could. “I… I’m sorry Dark-“ she closed her eyes and teleported, appearing to Dark’s left, slamming her shoulder into his right ear and causing the teenager to fall down, rolling on the ground.
The unicorn got up, shaking his head. He blinked and looked at Twilight. She gave a nervous smile and held her head down. “Dark?” she asked. “Kay, that was a screw up… sorry.”
“You hit me…” Dark Sky replied.
“I had to… sorry, I shouldn’t have tried this… what was that?”
“YOU HIT ME!” Dark shouted.
“I had no choice-“ his full body slammed into her and she found herself flipped on her back in an instant, suddenly remembering Rainbow had also signed this kid up for judo lessons. She rolled quickly as a hoof slammed into the ground where her head had been.
“You all think you can push me around, like him!” she found herself suddenly trapped in his magic and thrown across the room. “I-that was way easier than usual…” he paused.
Twilight cautiously stood back up. “Dark… I don’t want to hurt you… please don’t hurt me?” she held her head down in a kind of submission. Twilight could easily have decimated this kid, but well, thrashing the kid of one of her best friends wasn’t a goal of hers. “Listen, something happened that wasn’t supposed to… what did you see by your flame exactly?”
“It was like a plate,” He said closing his eyes. “Maybe like, dark swirling energy shaped like a place… I think there was some kind of energy coming out of it… maybe I can get it back up-“
“NO!” Twilight shouted. He jumped back a little. “Kid, I don’t know what that was but you just tried to kill me… awakening achieved, but we are NOT trying that again. There was something… bad in that. I don’t know what it was, but I’m not risking calling it up again. Awakenings are like removing a cork on a bottle anyway, your power is out, we don’t have to remove the cork again. Now, if you don’t still want to kill me, let’s get to the third stage; trained.”
(***)
Twilight shook her head. “Oh yea, your kid can handle himself.”
“Well he’s missing, so that says it all doesn’t it?” Rainbow asked. The three entered Twilight’s throne room. The other four element bearers were present.
Apple Jack looked on with concern, while Pinkie nervously bit her lip and tapped her hooves. Rarity sat in her chair, looking at the map, levitating two rulers over it, like she was measuring something. Finally Fluttershy sat feeding nuts to a large hawk.
Rainbow flew over and sat down in her chair, Twilight doing the same. Twilight looked at the chair Spike used to use. He had since moved on and was living in the dragon lands these days, training to fight the outer demons with the rest of his kind.
Twilight spoke up. “Let me start by saying, Rainbow, we WILL find him. Rarity will be working with the police on tracking him if he’s in the city. Fluttersy and the Apples will work together to search the everfree and Pinkie will see if anyone around has seen or heard anything. I’ll try to keep the media at bay… though yea, the public will probably have some idea of what’s going on pretty soon.”
“And me?” Rainbow asked. “What should I do?” Mr. Snow, realizing his usefulness had probably come to an end, turned to leave when she put a hoof on his back. “No- I don’t know why… you’re the first person who realized with me something was wrong… can you stick around?” He nodded and sat on the floor next to her throne. Rainbow bit her lip. “Ya know… you’re not the first stallion to sit there… kinda remind me of him.”
“Rainbow, please don’t look at me in that way, I’m a married stallion,”
“No, nothing like that, I just… this is scary… okay? I’ve seen enough ponies go missing, die… just… I’ve seen enough. But this is too soon, he’s still in his twenties- Twilight what do you want me to do?! Something, I’m gonna go nuts-“
“Calm down,” Twilight said. “You’re panicking and it’s understandable why. You’re too close, it’s just a fact, you can’t be objective. We’ll take care of things for you, you just be available if you have to answer questions.”
“He’s MY son!” Rainbow shouted.
“We respect that,” Twilight replied. “We’ve all had a hoof in raising him, remember?”
(***)
Rarity:
“Oh come now dear, I’ve waited a long time to get you in here, I know there is a fine gentlestallion under there somewhere,” Rarity said as Dark glared at the ground. She rolled her eyes.
“Clothes don’t make you.”
“Don’t they?” Rarity asked continuing to work on fitting him with a suit. “Look at you, with your mane scattered, you rarely wear any clothes and the scars from the fights you always get into are prominently displayed. You’re just thirteen, but adult ponies see you coming and they’re scared.”
“I don’t get bullied- none of my friends do either.” Dark replied.
“Just how many friends do you even have, two?” Rarity shot back. He growled. “Oh dear, I’m so frightened.”
“I can kick your butt!” he shouted standing up.
The white unicorn turned around and looked him in the eyes. “Try it.” Even at his age, he stood eye to eye with her, her only a few inches smaller. Still, Rarity did not flinch. Her eyes however changed to show pity. “I can see it in your eyes. The only stallion you ever had to look up to was your father. You have ponies you care about, your siblings, your few friends… your mother?” he looked down again. “You’re not fighting me are you?” No response. “You’re fighting yourself. You’re afraid you’ll become what he was. And why wouldn’t you be? That’s all you’ve seen. Good stallions are out there, but you’ve only had contact with good mares… please sit down. I don’t want to hurt you, just make you look respectable. That’s something you want yes? Respect.” He sat down. She went around him and brushed his hair into a simple comb over fashion. She then put a few clothes on him. “The fact is, you won’t become a mare, and you know it, so when you look at me and my friends, it doesn’t give you so much hope, does it? You won’t be a mare, but still,” she moved a mirror to reflect him. There he sat, dressed in a white suit, mane combed down, and a red bow tie. “Look, don’t you see? You don’t have to become your father. Look at yourself, you can become better. You can be good.” He blinked at the reflection. Tears were welling up in his eyes.
“He… he dressed like this… it was the only time I knew he was safe…”
“Do you want me to-“
“I like it.”
She sighed. “I’ll choose to take that positively. I’m not a religious pony myself, but I’m going to recommend Rainbow take you to a local church. You don’t have to adopt their beliefs, but when ponies have a higher purpose, sometimes it influences them into better persons. I think there, maybe you’ll find a good stallion to look up to, someone you can hope to change into. I’ll do what I can Dark, you’ll see, you’ll see the good you can become, not just the bad.” She looked at one of her racks. “Now, let’s keep going. Black is an amazing color to work with.”
(***)
Pinkie Pie
“Yea, she said my magic’s color was pink, what do you think that means?”
Pinkie shrugged. “How should I know, magic’s not my thing kiddo.”
“Yea but, I figure, you… you’ve been alive for so long, maybe you have different knowledge… you know things everyone else doesn’t and all maybe?” Dark replied. “You can’t have been alive like a century and all you do is cook and tell jokes.”
“HEY!” Pinkie shouted at him. “Not polite to talk about a mare’s age,” she smacked his shoulder. He smiled rubbing his shoulder. “But you think jokes and cooking are silly huh? But you see I’ve discovered something.”
“What?”
“Well hang on… hold this for a minute,” she pulled a live octopus out of her mane and plopped it on him.
“The crap!” he fought with the creature for a few minutes until Pinkie took it back.
“You get back in there Herbert,” she put the creature back, Dark chuckling. “I think I got moves no one else does… had them for a while kiddo,” she said.
“How do you do that?! Is it an earth pony thing?”
“No, it’s a humor thing. This is Equestria, emotion has power. Because of all the laughter and sweets, so much positive emotion is around me, I can do pretty much anything. Few others can do the stuff I can.”
The colt got back up and sat by her. “Do you think I could?"
Pinkie twisted her lips at him. “Your cutie mark is a kazoo and a shield… kinda doubt you’re gonna reach my level if your talent is divided. Still, whatever you have to do in life, remember, keep a smile. You’d be surprised at the power of just a good attitude.”
“Found plenty of power in a bad one…”
Pinky scrunched her eyebrows at him. “You think so? But here’s the problem, a good attitude gives you power, and bad one… controls you.”
“What’s the difference?” he asked. “Kids back down from me when I look mean enough.”
“They rally around you if you can relate to them instead- course you can’t always rely on that. But the question is, who do you want to be in the end? You can’t live an angry life and not still be able to live in peace. You’ll drive everyone away eventually. That’s just how it goes. You’ll have friends I suppose… really just ponies afraid to cross you or ones who want your muscle until you lose it.”
“I… I think my anger will always be there. No matter what I try, I always feel it.”
“I find, that fighting a bad nature doesn’t work, just create a new one and the old will fade with time.” He sighed to that, “I know you’re not sure, but you’ll see, you can change, I know it. I believe in you.” She gave him a side hug.
(***)
Apple Jack:
“Grounded, grounded!” the other foals chanted as seven year old Faded Light tried to run away, his wing in a cast. Two of the pegasi flew ahead of him and started shouted straight in his face, the colt crying and hunching down. “So pathetic!” one shouted. “Poor baby!” said another.
In an instant the two pegasi were slammed into each other, their heads smacking into each other and them dropping to the ground, slowly recovering. The other four unicorns and pegasi took off running, seeing the black unicorn running in with a huge glare on his face. “You wanna pick on MY brother?!” he shouted. “C’mere!”
The two slowly tried to get away, but their heads throbbed too much. Magic slammed the green one into the ground while he stood over a blue one. “Please… sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… please” the blue colt started pleaded.
“He hit a tree, you think it’s funny?” asked Dark. He looked to the left seeing a series of large trees nearby. “Let’s see how funny you think it is!” he levitated the colt into the air.
“NO! Stop, please!” the blue colt struggled, as Faded Light cried on the ground, covering his eyes. “Look, I’m sorry, I’m sorry-PLEASE!” SLAM!
Dark was thrown to the side, his side in pain as he scrambled to the ground, his horn warming up as a rope quickly snapped onto it and his head and pulled into the ground and a back hoof slammed into his shoulder and he was tossed back again.
Dark rolled and ran forward a few feet and spun on his back hooves, horn warming up again as he turned and glared at the earth pony now facing him. “Distance bitch!” he yelled. The rope went around his head again as the earth pony used her mouth to pull left and her foreleg to pull right, Dark being yanked off his hooves just as he fired off a beam, the mare moving her head long before his shot fired.
The colt moved to roll back up again when a hoof slammed into the ground inches from his face, he moved to go the other way but a second hoof was on his other side. “Apple Jack!?” he shouted. “You really think you can beat me? I’m a unicorn, I’ll win in the end!”
“If’n yer dumb enough to think it works that way, even after ah just laid ya out, theys shoulda been laughin’ at you,” she said glaring down at him. She picked him up and tossed him right. “But go ahead, try again ya moron,” He took off running several meters away as AJ just stood there watching. When he thought he was good distance out, he warmed his horn and sent out his magic to capture AJ to levitate her. He succeeded in grabbing her as a rope snatched around his neck again and he was yanked into the air. His levitation stopped and they both dropped to the ground. The rope quickly pulled him to the ground as AJ moved so fast with it, it was like she a magic all her own. He shakily recovered, trying to think what he had done wrong. “That’s the problem with ya’ll. Yer arrogant, angry and yer really stupid enough to think all yer bull honkey will actually work! Well listen ta me, there’s always a bigger pony out there, yer never the best, never the strongest, never the nastiest, and the more you put yerself out there like this, eventually you’ll meet em’- and ifn’ that guy r’ gal ain’t nice like me, you won’t survive.”
Dark fired a beam at the rope, snapping it in two. “I’m not just arrogant!” he shouted, his horn warming again as he turned to Apple Jack, but in a blink her hoof slammed into his face tossing him back.
Dark wobbled to his hooves, staggering as his head started to throb. AJ glared at him as a cyan body slammed down between them. “ENOUGH!” Rainbow Dash glared at he orange mare. “AJ I will end you!”
“Yer son is becoming a monster, if ah have to fight both of you to stop him, ah will!” Both mares locked eyes. Faded Light ran to his mother’s side. “Ifn’ he just stops on his own, we’ll just talk, but ah ain’t playin’ games with him. Ya’ll shoulda seen what he was tryin’ ta do fore ah came along.”
Dark stumbled to his mother’s side, expecting her to give him a gentle wing hug, but she glared back at him. “I can imagine, can’t I Dark?” she demanded. He looked down, tears welling up in his eyes. She did bite her lip, but pushed herself up. “You can change but… I don’t… what-“
“Let me alone with em’- even he’s not stupid enough to try again after the thrasin’ ah just gave em’.”
“You just hurt my son!” Rainbow shouted.
“Ya got a point, ah assume, but ah fail to see it. Ya wanna fight bout’ it, ya’ll can try too.”
Rainbow sighed. “Fine, you had to fight him- he better recover or you’re not going to…” Rainbow grabbed her other colt and flew away.
Dark sat down as AJ walked boldly towards him. He hung his head. “This really surprised you?” she asked. He looked away. “Maybe cause, much as you hate him, yer dad used violence, it worked, and you saw that. Now ya’ll think it’ll work fer you.”
“Oh please, talk about violence, you thrashed me without even a warning,” he said back. “Talk like you know my dad, you’re no better!” he said, loud as he could with his pounding head ace.
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Really? Oh ow, that hurt so much, ya compared me ta someone ya just said yerself ah don’t know. Ah suppose that was supposed ta be somethin’ sides the black hole of stupidity it was, but how bout we pretend ya didn’t say it an just proceed?” No response. “Ah’m not tryin’ ta say whose better, whose worse, not even sure what meanin’ there’d be in sayin’. Ah will fight fer what ah believe in an ah see the desire to do the same in you, but the difference is, ya’ll don’t know what the hell ya want so ya just do whatever. The way yer headed you won’t accomplish a damn thing.”
“They were bullying my brother,” he finally said.
“So bully them back. Stand up, insult them worse than they insulted him, can’t see why ya wouldn’t, but you were about ta take things to the next level.”
“And why not?” he snapped, his head recovering so he could talk faster.
“Because when you have no rules like that, you become the monster. What was yer father like? Ya lied, he broke bones right? Did ya learn anything from that, become a better pony, or did ya just- well end up like ya are?” She looked at the ground. “Suppose I wanted that ant there to move in a different direction?” Dark looked at the ant. “Ah could hit it, but it would end up Luna knows where. Ah could smash it, but then it would just be dead. I could put down bread, but ah don’t have any, so how about this?” she moved the dirt around the insect, it slowly changing direction. “Ah use action the situation calls for, ah have a goal and that determines those actions. Ah have rules. When you just do whatever, you don’t know where yer gonna end up.” She then smacked the ant into the nearby grass. “Go ahead, try to find it. Like find the direction of yer life right now.”
“I can’t stand by when someone attacks my family.”
“Ah can’t blame ya. Ah won’t tell ya not to defend em’, ah sure as heck do. Ah won’t tell ya not ta be violent, ah sure as hell am. But have a goal.”
“You fought me, you only stopped cause you’re afraid of my mom,” he said back.
“Ah respect yer mom. Ah’ve never actually lost a fight to her though after eighty three years.” On that note, Dark bit his lip, looking away. “Now, let’s get you bandaged up. Ah’ll call up yer ma and say yer stayin’ at ma place fer the night. Ah think maybe ya need ta spend some time round someone who just won’t take yer crap. C’mon.” He hesitated for a moment, then followed Apple Jack.
(***)
Fluttershy:
Faded ran fast as he could, the bear fast on him. Dark ran after them, horn glowing, eyes starting to fill with tears. He had shot the animal several times, but it just wouldn’t stop. He charged his horn again, feeling something inside himself, like something else was about to come out… something that wanted to kill that bear even more than he did… he was about to let it out without regret.
A shadow flew over him. A yellow pegasi dropped from the sky and slammed her back hoof on top of the bear’s nose, the whole animals stopping as Faded Light scrambled behind a tree.
Dark stood in a staggered stance, his horn glowing, the dirt and dust around him starting to float as the excess magic flowed through the area. He was going to kill- soon as his mother’s friend got clear.
The bear roared at the mare, claws out, the size comparison between them beyond obvious, like she was an ant standing against a lion. She slammed both front hooves into his snout and the bear jumped back. The bear roared again at her and she shot forward, smacking his nose from two angles, the bear jumping back again. It growled and she glared at it, wings spread. Then- the bear turned and ran off.
Dark’s horn discharged into the air, firing off meaninglessly. “He should have torn you apart… what?”
Fluttershy smiled at him. “Bears can be mean, but really that one was just playing.”
“He could have killed my brother!” Dark shouted.
“Animal play can be deadly, that’s why you have to respect them, and make them respect you.”
“You make this place dangerous for Faded to play,” he stomped the ground. Fluttershy smiled at him, then took a small candy bar out of her saddle bags, flying over to Faded Light. She gave the candy to the colt, Faded coming out from behind the tree. “There you are, don’t worry, I’ve got ya,” she gently put a wing over the small pegasus, shading him as he ate. Dark hesitantly came over to them. “You have to understand bears to work with them. Sometimes, it’s about understanding what someone really wants… like why I didn’t bother offering you any, not what you want.” Dark sat down. She gave Faded a quick tickled, the colt giggling and returning to his food. Dark smiled. “With the bear, you have to play by a bear’s rules. Try to meet it force with force, you’ll never win without killing it, and good luck with that. But smack it on the nose and you can establish dominance… I don’t recommend trying it yourself, but if you have to, it’s really the only thing that will work.”
“But chasing my brother was wrong!” he demanded.
“Maybe, but the bear didn’t understand right or wrong. I’ll say you’re right, but not everyone thinks the same way, so you can’t reason with them all the same way. I see it all the time, making others think like you just doesn’t work. Require they think the same, everything falls apart pretty quick.”
“Well… guess its pretty easy to use your brain like that if you’re so old- sorry, didn’t mean to insult you.”
“I may be old, but it hasn’t affected my body, so I’ve long since stopped worrying about mentioning the number. But you really think you can’t learn?” she pulled a small carrot out of her pack. “Some animals respond better to a gentle demeanor than a dominant one, like this rabbit here,” she looked at a rabbit that had come close, but was hesitantly staying away. She slowly swept in her tail and hunched down, placing the carrot a few inches from herself. The rabbit slowly came forward, hesitantly, like it would sprint away at any second. Fluttershy just laid there quietly, waiting for it to come.
The rabbit came and bit in, still watching her. She gently and slowly reached out a hoof. The rabbit danced back a bit, then forward, but she still moved steadily and slowly. Eventually she was able to pet the animal.
Faded Light got excited and ran over, the rabbit zipping away in fear. Faded looked disappointed. “Oh… it’s okay Faded, you’ll learn some day,” she said, gently petting the colt.
“Easy for him, he’s already gentle.” Dark said.
“So hard for you?” Fluttershy asked.
Dark pointed at a few of his scars. “Do I LOOK like a gentle colt?” Almost as if on cue, Faded offered Dark a bite of what was left of his candy bar.
“Looks like someone thinks so,” Fluttershy said.
He messed up the colt’s mane, “You can have it buddy, I’ll eat later.” Faded happily returned to munching.
“You can be so much more than a monster, you’ll see. I’ll show you.”
(***)
Mr. Snow
Rainbow and her son walked out of the church. “Well… seemed a little goofy, but they follow Lightning like she was a great teacher, what do you expect?” She smiled.
“”Be good or Imma kick your butt!”” he said chuckling.
“She had a simple mind,” Rainbow said, laughing back.
“I don’t know what you think is gonna happen here for me. I’m not even an impulse.”
“Just call it a desperate attempt… maybe it’s silly. But I’m trying. I don’t know where to find a good stallion for you to look up to… kinda just stumbled into Silent Storm years ago. I’ve gone to singles bars looking for another husband… it’s always a bunch of over boozed losers. Couple other places too, but I don’t know where to look.”
“Where do you look for good mares?” he asked back. Rainbow was about to respond, but she stopped.
“I… I don’t know that either. Something has changed over the years. There used to be a lot of places for good ponies to hang out together… but now… I don’t know. Stallions have become so… so much more than they were- which is good I guess- but mares like myself, no one expects anything of us anymore. They expect the least. I want to blame Stemists, making stallions so confused about what to be, and making mares so hesitant to try to stand out because someone will accuse us of trying to manipulate… I don’t know.” She looked around. “Look, here come some kids, why don’t you just go hang out for a bit?” Dark hesitated, but she smiled and smacked his back to let him know it was okay. He ran off. Rainbow watched him. “Can’t be the only mare to ever ask this… what world am I putting you in little buddy?”
He ran after the four children, one small filly and three colts. He slowly started to realize they were running off alone, but he had been by himself before, so he didn’t mind. Finally, he realized the filly was crying. She backed into a corner between two buildings. “Please… just leave me alone…” the two pegasi and one unicorn laughed at the small earth pony.
“Please,” mocked the unicorn. “What are you gonna do if we don’t?”
Dark came to a stop. He stood up straight. “She doesn’t have to do anything.” He said. The colts looked back. He realized they were all teenagers like himself, her looking around ten. “Cowards, all of you, c’mon, fight someone your-“ a solid hoof to the face and he was tossed back into the street.
“Someone our own size?” asked the unicorn. “I ain’t got objections to that. She didn’t know where she belonged,”
“I just wanted to see-“ she begged.
“The buck you doing in a pegasi church?!” shouted one of the pegasi. “Earth eater!” The speaking pegasi slammed her against a wall. “C’mon, you think you can fly with us?”
“NO!” he shot into the air with her. “NO! HELP!” she started screaming. Dark pushed up to his full size, the other teens coming around him.
“Stop… stop…” anger shot through him, he glared at the two ponies now to his left right. Finally he screamed in anger- black energy floated up around him. He closed his eyes. He floated into the air, a large disembodied eye appearing behind him. “Put. Her. Down.” The pegasus landed, putting the filly down. “You idiots ran off to do your evil in secret…” his eyes opened, a red gleam showing in them. “But we always see what you do, and we love it, but come, let us all now play in secret!” The three ponies started to tremble looking at him, as tentacles rose up around him.
A wall of white pushed around the group, slamming into Dark and driving him into the ground. The three teenage colts were tossed away like dolls. A brown pegasus with a light blue mane walked up, the air around turning cold. The three teenagers took off running.
Dark looked down, hundreds of tentacles appearing all around him. They fired towards the pegasus, a huge wall of snow surrounding him and stopping the tentacles. Dark’s eyes were still giving off a red gleam, staring at the ball of snow now in front of him. A blast of snow shot at him and sent him back as the pegasus fired out after him.
The pegasus threw a hoof at Dark, a tentacle blocking the hit, but not the snow that passed around and knocked the teenager over anyway. Dark rolled and got up, shaking his head. The tentacles disappeared as quickly as they appeared.
Dark looked around. “What… where am I? What just happened?”
“You know what happens when an impulse doesn’t use their powers… has them repressed somehow?”
“Um… no.”
“You just had an awakening. You’re an impulse.” The colt backed up, looking around himself in fear. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
“My mom… what… I have a bad feeling about what my power is…”
“So do I… we’ll keep it under wraps, but you come back to church alright? I’ll train you to control this, but we’ll keep it on the down low till we figure out what it is.” Dark nodded.
(***)
Twilight reassured Rainbow again, best she could. “We all feel like his parents, we will find him.”
Rainbow looked back at Snow. He nodded. “I see him as my son in a religious way, but he is one of my sheep. If he has gone astray, I will help find him. Trust me.” Her eyes widened and he could tell she did trust him. She trust him… perhaps a little more than someone who was hiding a damn lot from her.
