//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Echoes of the Past // Story: All Things Shall Pass // by Harold_Genhi //------------------------------// The heat of the fire still burned at Rael’s lungs as he rose to his feet, keeping his eyes on the burning building. A creeping fear filled his shoulders as he shook his head, clenching his eyes and turning away from the inferno. He shakily rose to his hooves and slowly made his way over to the unconscious pony being cared for by the nearby nurses. The Night Guardsman cleared his throat, tasting the course taste of ash and cinders as if the fire was in his throat causing them to look up at him. “How is she?” Rael questioned the nurses, his voice raspy from the smoke, but still articulate. The front nurse spoke up with a sign of relief and confusion on her face. “She’s safe with only a few minor burns, but,” she paused as if waiting for any signs of movement from the pony in question. “She isn’t waking up.” A cold creeping sensation began crawling up Rael’s legs as he stared down at the comatose pony lying on the street. A steadying breath broke his lips as his horn glowed with magic, weaving intricate white loops before sending them toward the pony’s horn. It soaked into it, the light vanishing from view for a moment before a few sparks arched across the tip of it. Fire materialized in the air, yet generated no heat. Rael shook his head in disbelief. “She started the fire, but the magic used is not something a simple unicorn could cast.” His eyes flashed briefly at the potential realization of the pony waking up. “Everypony, step away from her, somepony contact the Unicorn Academy of Magic and Manipulation and get a unicorn who can dispel a high level fire spell.” His voice had returned to his forceful and powerful guard voice. “He turned back to the pony on the ground. He once again began weaving his magic into shackles, which snapped around the pony’s hooves, and a cap that slid over her horn. “Officer, what are you doing with my child? What has she done?” The golden-eyed mother appeared who had asked him to save her filly, but the young one he saved was not with her. Instead, she was staring intently at the mint colored pony on the ground. “Everything is going to be okay Lyra, mother is here.” The pony advanced toward her daughter. “I’m sorry ma’am, but she is under investigation for the start of this fire.” Rael spoke, making sure his magical bounds were holding, though with a pony that could perform such magic, his simple barriers would be like butter to her. The mother mare turned to the fire and back at her daughter. “You can’t do this. She is innocent.” “She also cast the spell that started this fire.” His eyes locked onto the mother. “Tell me, has your daughter shown any signs of suicide or severe depression?” Her eyes narrowed before the right side of her mouth curled up into a grin despite the situation. Her body relaxed and she closed her eyes and breathed carefully before turning her attention back to her daughter. “You keep her safe and make sure she wakes up.” “I promise we will get her life back on track, though I have more questions, if I may.” Rael continued, bowing his head respectfully. “If you need time, I can come to your house tomorrow.” “No, it’s fine. Ask what you need.” She nodded, watching as the nurses placed her daughter on a stretcher and placing her in the back of the ambulance cart. “Where is your daughter studying magic?” Rael shot off the first question. “I’m teaching her and I am sure she picks stuff up from her friends and wife.” “Wife?” “Yes, I was actually unaware of this courtship and marriage until recently. She speaks of her spouse with much love and reverence. I thought she was confused at first, but the shimmer in her eyes spoke volumes of her love to the mare in question. Bonbon was her name; I do believe I heard her say, she owns a small candy shop in Ponyville.” She explained. “I see, and your name, ma’am?” Rael looked around the vicinity, making mental notes of the surroundings and the crowd. “Quorra Darkhoof.” She answered flatly, staring at Rael as if to catch a reaction. “Sounds foreign, am I correct to make that assumption?” Rael questioned. “You would be correct.” She nodded. “It hasn’t been long since I arrived here. It feels almost like yesterday actually.” “And where are you staying so that I can have a follow up interview in case new information is discovered.” “I’ll be staying mostly at the hospital with my daughter, but you can find me at the Spotted Mare Inn.” “Noted. You are free to go Miss Darkhoof.” Rael turned toward the closest route to the train station. “And if I were to try to find you?” Quorra asked. “Night Captain Rael Ize.” “Sounds foreign.” Quorra noted. “You keep my daughter safe and figure this out, Night Captain Rael Ize.” “I can’t make such promises, but this whole situation is rubbing me the wrong way. G’day, ma’am.” Rael trotted from the scene, feeling the tiredness creeping up on him, but pushed himself to do this one thing before the word of the event travelled. Boarding the train, Rael chose a seat close to the back window. A few of the passengers turned their heads as he passed. It wasn’t everyday that a fully armored night guard rode in the passenger cart in full dress. He pulled the blind of the window opened and observed the greenery and the sunlight areas around across the land from the mountain viewpoint. In the corner of the scenery laid the small town of Ponyville. It had been ages since he had walked along the streets of the closest thing he called home though the memories were fuzzy and often clouded because of his troubled past. It was as if the smoke of the barn fire had filled that point in his memories. The minutes passed before the train squealed up to the Ponyville train station. Exiting the train brought forth the clean country air, which he would expect from a small town as this. The mares and Stallions, the colts and fillies talked happily with each other, a few breaking their conversation to toss him a look before going back to their conversation. Walking passed the brochure holder; his magic hooked up a map of the city and browsed the town’s layout. Sugarcube Corner was the first building that caught his eye, but browsing through the rest of the shops he caught sight of the Bonbon Bundle. He folded the paper and made his way through the crowds toward the shop in question. Rael expected to see the shopkeeper happy and oblivious to the events, happily selling her candies while he had to break the news to her. To be the bearer of bad news always hurt him the most, though he would not wish any of his subordinates to have to feel the burden. Fatal accidents, or in this case unexplained, were rare with the latter being the rarest of them all. Each reaction to the news was unique in their own way so he knew he would have to tackle the emotions of Bonbon’s breakdown from the news. Instead, he arrived to a closed store, a hanging placard reading closed hung on the door. Rael poked his head toward the windows in hope of seeing if anypony was home though no such clues were hinted at. He composed himself once more and knocked his hoof solidly against the door to find it slide open at the touch of his hoof. It revealed a dark house and storefront area. In better lighting, it would have been inviting and homely, but it stood as an eerie calm before a potential storm. Something was coldly amiss as the air hung heavy in the house. “Mrs. Bonbon? This is Rael Ize, Captain of the Canterlot Night Watch, are you okay?” Movement upstairs caught his ears. He heard the familiar sound of slow hooves moving on the ground, as a figure appeared, making its way down the stairs. A pony with blue and pink hair emerged from the darkness, her eyes red from crying. When she looked up and saw the uniformed officer, her face collapsed and her eyes threatened more tears. “Did you find her?” She spoke, her words breaking with sadness. “If you are talking about your wife, yes.” Rael spoke almost happily knowing that in relation to what Bonbon had assumed, he was bearing good news. Bonbon’s eyes lifted slightly at the words as she leaped upon them. “Where is she? Is she okay? Please tell me she is okay.” Her eyes pleaded to Rael. “She was saved from a burning building in Canterlot. As for her condition,” Rael trailed off as he tried to grasp at the right words. “She is in a coma or something. She was taken to the hospital to try and treat her.” “I have to go the hospital immediately.” Bonbon spoke, quickly looking back into her house. “How much do I have to bring? Should I tell someone?” “Ma’am, telling you about your wife’s condition was only part of why I am here. She is suspected to have created the fire in the house. It was a magical fire that only upper level unicorns could have conjured. She has been placed under arrest until we can determine the cause for this.” Rael explained. “You arrested my wife who is in a coma?” Bonbon’s sadness snapped quickly into disgust and anger. “You think she’d run away? Are you that daft? Lyra wouldn’t hurt a fly and let alone she had trouble using her magic to mop the floors of the store let alone do the magic you claim she did. And why was she in Canterlot? She said she was going to grab something she had dropped in the Everfree, the complete opposite direction you said she was found.” Her words bit at Rael though the information enthralled him. “You said she was going into the Everfree?” Rael asked, lost to the care he would have shown to the rest of her complaint. The curiosity began to swell inside of him as everything about the case rubbed him the wrong way. “What? Yes, that is what I said. She said she just remembered where she dropped something important which I thought was a good thing and it wouldn’t have been the first time she went into the forest. Most of the time it is just a few feet into the initial trees and then she comes back out. But are you really going to ignore me?” Bonbon growled. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Your wife is at Canterlot General. You, as a spouse, are entitled to see her though the stationed guards will remain until she wakes and she can be questioned or if the investigation discovered anything.” Rael spoke as if on loop from his training seminars. “I wish you the best.” Rael’s eyes snapped to the side of Bonbon’s shop at the Everfree that sat in a great expanse behind her shop. “That was a month ago.” Bonbon spoke to him at a loss. Rael only took the words as a larger attraction to investigate the situation further. He left without another word, leaving Bonbon staring at her empty door, heart racing and her mind running around at what she was to do. She turned quickly, taking a bag from the shelf and shoving a few essential items and left her shop, shutting the door and noticing the lock was detached. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the detail before she slid the lock back into place, watched it a few seconds as if to make sure it didn’t move before turning toward the train station and galloping to catch the next train. Meanwhile, Rael stared at the expanse of trees in front of him and guessed Lyra’s path, trying to make it as straight as possible though strange sensations began to move around his skin as he neared the border between the trees and the meadow. It was as if something was pulling him in the right direction and as he neared the Everfree, the pulling gained in strength. You shouldn’t be so curious. Rael’s mind spoke to him as he felt a creeping sensation of fear beginning to fill him. “Something is wrong here.” Rael whispered to himself as his steps slowed. His nose was nearly on the border between the Everfree and the meadows of Ponyville. “It is as if I can feel a barrier here.” He whispered. Fear can be paralyzing. For a split second Rael felt he was staring into a strange mirror. The barrier almost felt like him standing on the border of a mirror or the crystal clear waters of a lake. All it was missing was a reflection. The scene of the woods reminded him of a rhyme that his mother always told him before bed. “Where the brambles are the thickest, there you will find, a pond beyond the most twisted of vines.” A cool breeze blew through the trees in almost an understanding sigh. Rael felt fear creep up his hooves. “And into his own reflection he stared, yearning for one whose reflection he shared, and-“ The wind stopped suddenly drawing an eerie calm. Rael took a heavy gulp before finishing the rhyme, hoping to give him some strength. “Solemnly sweared not to be scared, at the prospect of being doubly paired.” Rael blinked, the figure of a pony flashing on the back of his eyelids, but as his eyes opened, no such pony stared into his eyes. The cold stare sent a shiver down his spine. “Too many secrets are in you and all I know of you is that one rhyme.” Rael spoke to the tree line. “You will not best me.” Rael stepped forward into the thick of the overgrown plants on the outskirt and vanished behind the thicket of brambles and thorns. The idea of tackling the case by himself shook his nerves and the desire to send a record to Shining Armor fell flat in his mind. There was nothing of apparent danger and going only a few hooves into the forest would still allow him to escape easily. The assessment only worked to partially calm his nerves still leaving a bit of apprehension to the overall contrast between the meadows and the forest. A clearing in the trees caught his eye. Breaking through another thick section of bushes, he came across a large hole that the forest was slowly recapturing. The hole wasn’t created by an explosion or collapse, but instead the ground was cut in a perfect half circle as if the entire ground had been teleported away. Given the time frame received, the evidence of if Lyra had been there would have vanished though the sign of upper level magic left a troubled tingle in his hooves. The sudden crash of wing flaps filled the air as the surrounding birds shot into the sky. “We meet again.” A raspy voice growled behind him. Rael turned quickly toward the source of the voice only to feel a solid object hit his entire side sending him into a nearby tree and another solid force hitting his head. As his consciousness faded something heavy and metal clanked beside his head before a hiss of steam filled the air. The scene faded to black and his head hit the grass as his conscious vanished.