“My child is coming. Send orders to Ilanga, Noctis, Amicitia, and Clipeum; worry not for Amor, for she is where she needs to be. The Amulet will guide the Princess; be still, Mystica. My champion is more than capable.”
Allyra quickly lost track of the days within the blizzard, quietly wishing she’d brought a pocket watch. Though, that wasn’t the only thing she’d forgotten in her haste- and, she realised, had taken for granted back home.
A pillow, a spare blanket, a hairbrush, or even a toothbrush.
On the bright side, Allyra didn’t have to worry about the cold. The wind protected her from the worst of it and all the running kept her nice and active. Plus, Bronze Arrow had given her clothes that were thick, warm, and cosy, so it also wasn’t too bad to sleep in.
Hmm, I wonder how he knew I was leaving in the first place. Like, I know I was packing food when he tracked me down, but it’s pretty suspicious that he already knew. Allyra shook her head and gulped down a tiny amount of water. Whatever, it’s not like I’ll find out anytime soon.
Once again, Allyra thanked her father for teaching her about rationing. As she got older, she’d wanted to learn as much as possible about what being a guard was like since it did sound more appealing than being the queen- so, he taught her virtually everything, including how to live off the land and ration out supplies between a group.
Sighing softly, she whispered to herself, “I miss you, Dad…”
Again, she shook her head. “Stop thinking about that, Allyra. You have a mission.”
So, she pulled the necklace out from between her jacket and shirt and took a closer look at it. “Granny said you’d lead me to the gems… so where’s the nearest one, eh?”
No response. “And I’m talking to an Amulet.” Allyra groaned and slapped her face. “Good job, Allyra. You’re going crazy.” The wind rushed against her, and she huffed. “Whelp, I guess talking to myself doesn’t help my case.”
Then, she yelped as the pendant suddenly pulled her to her right, making her fall to her side and almost strangling her. “OI, WHAT GIVES?!” Ally exclaimed, pulling back at it until it was resting in her hooves again. She frowned and turned it over to open the slots. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw the artistic sun-shaped hole glowing yellow. The Amulet began tugging at her again, gently this time, and Allyra smirked. “Huh, I guess you do know what you’re doing, don’t you?”
She squawked as it suddenly leapt out of her hooves and hit her muzzle, making her growl. “All right, all right, fine! I get it! You don’t like being insulted!”
Allyra huffed and stood up, stretching her muscles to get moving again.
“Geez, you’d think it was alive or something- OW! OKAY, SORRY!”
Allyra kept up an inconsistent rhythm of running, walking, and resting throughout the next few weeks, doing what she could to keep track of time.
She managed to make her supplies last during that period but knew it wouldn’t be much longer and feared what would happen when she ran out. Especially water. It was lasting far less than the food, and she was starting to get a bit weak from the lack of adequate nutrition.
This was the first realisation that she’d had it rather good at the castle. She’d never had to worry about food, water or even her health before because there was always a consistent stock and ponies who could help if she got sick.
Allyra could tell her ability to consistently run was getting rather staggered, and she was pretty tired since her internal clock was messed up by the blizzard. What she couldn’t tell was that she was starting to get malnourished, pushing too hard for too long and not having enough rest, and because of this she was starting to get sick. It’s not like she was a doctor, though.
It wasn’t until the fourth or fifth week away that her situation both improved and got a lot worse.
Part of the bad situation is Allyra ran out of water. This panicked her and for a second she couldn’t figure out what to do- then, her Amulet started pulling her much harder than previously.
So, after walking for a few more hours, Ally spotted it through the snowy haze- a shield; bright yellow in colour, as big as the Crystal Empire. This was the good part.
The other bad part was that Allyra had no idea what she was about to be faced with.
Sighing in relief, a smile broke across Allyra’s face. This is it- one of the kingdoms. It has to be! She watched it for a second, trying to think. Granny said the other kingdoms were Solaris Spire, Moonstone, Everfree, and Canterlot. I think she said later that Canterlot was on a mountain and Everfree was in a forest so it can’t be one of them. I think this is Solaris Spire; sounds like it has to do with the sun, and the shield is yellow.
A sharp pain tore through her heart at the thought of Cadence, and if it weren’t for the cold she’d probably have started crying. Then Allyra shook her head and started forward determinedly.
No time. I need to get food and water, find the gem, and then get to the next kingdom. Easy.
It took a few hours more, and anxiety started overwhelming her as she saw the shield only get bigger as she got closer. Her original guess on its size was way off- Solaris Spire had to be at least double the size of the Crystal Empire. Allyra gulped and kept moving. She was close to the shield, now able to see a huge wall, and was about to touch it when the wind suddenly started pushing her away.
“Wha- hey! I thought you wanted me to come here?” She protested, gesturing to the amulet which was still tugging in the seemingly right direction. However, the wind made her keep moving and she growled. “Come on, at least give me an explanation!”
It blew up and she looked with it; through the hazy magic, she could see guards standing at a gate. Allyra raised an eyebrow. “They’re just guards. What’s so bad about it?”
“Trust, Princess…”
Lurante’s sudden voice made her jump, but as the wind kept pushing and she kept staring at the soldiers, she decided it must be for a good reason. “All right, then. Where’s a safe place to enter?”
It pushed her for what seemed like an entire day, and by the time it stopped, she was completely exhausted.
“This better be it, Lurante…” Allyra huffed, finally pushing through the shield.
Almost immediately, she could tell something was different. The Empire’s border was soft and easy to walk through, like misty rain. Here, it was almost like a balloon- every time she tried to walk through, it just extended and made it harder. Allyra eventually decided back up and charge, which worked and send blue and white ripples throughout.
That’s when the sounds bombarded her from all sides.
Screaming, swords clashing, a foal’s scream, ponies shouting incessantly, even roaring.
A kingdom turned to bloodshed.
Allyra shuddered as an unfamiliar voice spoke in her mind, and the urge to turn and run was almost overwhelming. After a moment, she managed to get control of herself and took a deep breath in, surveying her surroundings.
There was indeed a large wall surrounding the city, and if she looked far enough, she could see a castle’s towers in the distance. Now she saw what the wind was leading her to; hidden on the other side by some fabric, there was a hole in the stone big enough for her to crawl through. Allyra frowned. She didn’t know where that could lead, and for all she knew, it might be better to just fly over.
“IT CAME FROM THE WESTERN SECTOR!”
“GO, GO, GO!”
Allyra yelped and without thinking, ran to the hole and dove through it, leaning against the wall and breathing heavily. She could hear the voices on the other side.
“What made that happen?”
“Whatever it was, it was magic. We need to tell Lord Terra.”
There were murmurs of agreement and hoofsteps muffled by the snow. Allyra sighed in relief and sat down, frowning. She appeared to be in some kind of tent; it was covered on all sides by thick, red cloth, and the floor was simply dirt covered with a rug. There were large wooden tables that looked like a ten-year-old made them, and on them were boxes and sacks of fruits and nuts that were foreign to her.
Huh… this is weird.
Unfortunately, the sounds were even louder now, and Ally clutched her hood, hat, and earmuffs tighter over her ears, glaring at the faint strip of light coming from the entrance.
Wherever she was, all Allyra knew was that she shouldn’t be found here.
Allyra lifted one of the walls with some difficulty and glanced around to see more tents and to her left, hundreds of ponies in front of them. She frowned and pulled herself out before cautiously stepping forward. Her eyes widened at the sight before her.
“FRESH FRUITS AND NUTS! GET THEM HERE NOW, HALF PRICE TODAY ONLY!”
“NECKLACES, BRACELETS, ANYTHING FOR YOUR LOVELY WIFE!”
“HERBS AND SPICES! HERBS AND SPICES!”
It was a marketplace; but the more she saw, the more worried she got. Not a single unicorn or pegasus in sight- the place was full to the brim with earth ponies. Every stall had at least one guard watching them, and at one point she saw a particularly vicious-looking guard dragging away a screaming, kicking, stick-thin stallion. Nopony did anything to stop it; maybe shot them a glance, but quickly went on with their business. Marketers were haggling over prices, and foals who barely looked to be in their teens were rushing around at their bosses’ will, and in the centre, there was a huge prism of stone being chipped away at by ponies with ropes around their legs and necks, wearing scratches and bruises all over. Allyra’s eyes widened as a guard came up to one of them and lifted a whip. She was forced to look away as it cracked down and the stallion’s screams filled the air; then she nearly gagged as she caught sight of a small pool of blood not far from where she was standing.
Allyra backed away into the wall, breathing heavily.
What the bloody hell is this?! How could any ruler let this happen? This is crazy!
However, Allyra swallowed hard and pushed the images of what she’d just seen out of her mind.
Whatever kind of ruler they have here, I don’t wanna be found out. Let’s just find water and the gem and get the hell out of here.
Taking another breath to steady herself, she carefully made sure her wings and sword were fully covered by the cloak before picking her way behind the tents.
What she never realised was that she’d already been seen. A pony, wearing similar clothing to her, watched her every move from the walls above, frowning.
“Huh… never seen them before. Where’d that pony come from?”
Allyra sighed in relief as she spotted a fountain close to the wall, and after checking both ways, sprinted up to it and refilled her bottles in a flash before returning behind a tent.
All right, that’s the most important thing down, she thought, gratefully drinking. Now for the gem.
She frowned as she returned her bottles to her bag. The markets had ended and all that was left were streets upon streets of stone buildings; not a single one had a window or even a decent door, and stairs led to different levels that seemed to have different families living in them. All the rooves looked perfectly flat, and nopony was in sight.
Not a brilliant situation, but she could work with it.
After re-checking that her wings and sword were covered, Allyra trotted up to a building and began climbing as her father’s lessons surfaced in her memory.
Allyra was fifteen, climbing the castle walls above the balcony with her father carefully watching.
“Remember, Ally, no wall is impassable.”
“Yeah,” she grunted, “Because we have bloody wings, Dad!”
“Watch your language, young lady,” he lightly scolded, then smiled. “One of the most important things to remember is that guards don’t always have access to their strong points. Pegasi mightn’t be able to fly, a unicorn mightn’t be able to use magic, or an earth pony mightn’t be able to connect to the earth. It’s important to be ready for all situations.”
Allyra shot him an annoyed stare, trying not to smile. “Dad, do you seriously think I’ll have to climb the castle without my wings?”
He laughed. “There’s every chance! Besides, it mightn’t be a castle you have to climb. Could be something else entirely. And, in any case, it’s good for building muscle, and good if you have to hide.”
“Hide?”
“It doesn’t work all the time- especially when other pegasi are around- but ponies don’t look up very often. They’ll see what they expect to see, and most of the time, they don’t expect to see somepony climbing a wall.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“Good. Now, keep moving.”
Allyra laughed and did as he said.
Your crazy lessons came in handy, Dad.
Allyra felt her stomach tighten but kept going. Luckily for her, there were plenty of notches and jagged edges she could hold on to. When she finally reached the top, she took a deep breath and looked out over the city.
It was… huge. Easily twice as big as the Empire, maybe more so. But at least a quarter of that space was taken up by a castle, which looked like those from storybooks she read as a foal. Huge walls surrounded the actual palace, and dozens of spiring towers soared through the air, wooden bridges connecting them. Like the rest of the city, there were no windows, and Allyra frowned as she looked closer. It seemed… rickety. That was the best word she could think of. The castle was crumbling all over and the towers were barely supported. The inner section of the palace had completely caved in, except for the back, which was in better shape than the whole city combined.
Looking back at the city, Allyra’s frown deepened. It seemed overpopulated, but in between the jagged buildings were plenty of clearings with tall, colourful tents like the one she’d just escaped from, and judging by the noise she could hear from the nearest, they were markets too. When she looked to her left, Allyra saw a large section of the city that wasn’t even a city, and it was littered with dead-looking trees and crops.
The sky was no better. Even with the shield, the blizzard raged inside, though admittedly it was a lot better than out there.
It was nothing like the Crystal Empire. Even if it wasn’t her favourite place to be, it was protected and the ponies there were friendly. The markets had foals playing, entertainers, and always new and exciting things to try. The Crystal ponies at least maintained a good city, and the castle was always kept in top condition.
But, here, Allyra had the overwhelming sense that the air was filled with death.
She shuddered and grimaced. After a second, she breathed deeply and took out the Amulet once more. Opening it, she could now see the sun-shaped slot glowing faintly, and it tugged her in the direction of the ruined castle.
“Guess we’re going there, then,” she murmured, before suddenly yawning heavily, making her mind up for her. “Better find a safe place to sleep… if there even is one.”
She poked her head over the side of the building, where there was a small gap between the city walls and the second story. There were plenty of barrels and tapestries too, so she jumped down and crawled behind them before curling up and trying to make herself comfortable.
Allyra chuckled to herself. “What a princess I must look like now.”
Then, she fell into a fitful rest.
Allyra opened her eyes and immediately gasped at what she saw. She was still in Solaris Spire, but now flying above it, and there was no shield- no blizzard. Instead, the sun burned bright overhead, and she could see the ground covered in sand, rather than snow. The castle was in perfect shape, almost as if it had just been built, and the air was completely silent.
She frowned and started soaring towards the castle. Maybe the gem was there.
Touching down in a courtyard, Allyra’s frown deepened. There were ponies of all three types as glimmering orange apparitions, and not one was moving. She waved a hoof in front of a stallion’s face and got no response. Allyra reached out further to touch him and gaped as her hoof went straight through his shoulder. She quickly pulled away.
“This is… weird,” she murmured, then gasped as one of the ponies started walking; this one glowing blue rather than orange. Curious, Allyra started following the unicorn mare and eventually made it into the throne room with a large, empty seat, and more paused ponies.
The blue mare suddenly bowed and said in a voice that echoed throughout the room, “My king, Lord Murandel and Duchess Aurora have arrived. They demand an audience with you.”
“King?” Allyra said to herself, looking back at the throne. She jumped again as she saw that it now had a glowing white stallion, and her eyes widened further. He had a horn and a pair of large wings.
An alicorn.
“Send them in,” he called, the baritone voice sending shivers of apprehension down her spine.
Allyra raised an eyebrow as everypony suddenly paused; then, they glitched for a moment before the door was slammed open.
“PONIES, YAKS DEMAND THE ABUSE UPON THE YAKS’ MOUNTAIN KINGDOM BE CEASED!”
It was… something. Allyra had never seen such a creature before; more than twice her size and covered in long, shaggy hair, was what looked like a very odd sheep to her. It had giant horns above its ears that curved up, and it took a second for Allyra to realise that the creature did indeed have eyes, covered by lots of thick hair.
The alicorn merely raised an eyebrow. “Lord Murandel, my subjects have nothing to do with the blizzard your kingdom has been experiencing.” Allyra gasped. A blizzard? “Are you certain that it is not a late spring storm?”
The… yak growled and made to yell before another creature stepped forward, halting its tirade, and Allyra raised an eyebrow. It looked vaguely like a pony but was taller with thin legs and cloven hooves, a short furry tail, a big red nose that glowed through the blue light, and huge branch-like horns on either side of its head. It glared up at the king, eyes glowing.
“We know you ponies possess magic over nature,” she said, her voice surprisingly deep. “Not only this, but we are aware of the alliance your kingdom has made with Dragon Lord Aquila. The dragons, especially those of the sky, are not to be trusted; you must know this, King Eclipse.”
Dragon Lord Aquila? Sky dragons couldn’t be trusted… what did that mean? These questions and a million more whirled around Allyra’s head, and she grimaced.
Looking back at the king, she saw that his name made sense. Beneath the white glow, he had a sun-yellow coat with fire-red hooves and wings, his eyes were a deep purple, and his hair was black and edged with white.
“Papa?” Allyra looked around and saw another alicorn; a filly, likely no more than five years old. The filly had a pale pink coat- almost white-, yellow feathers and hooves and a rose-pink mane. Her eyes were a lighter version of her father’s. And, like him, Allyra could see her colours beneath the white glow. She trotted up to the king, gazing cautiously at their visitors. “What’s going on?”
“Go back to your mother, Celestia,” he said simply, still watching the yak and the other creature. Without waiting for her to leave, Eclipse said, “While my subjects and I can control certain aspects of nature, we have never- nor will we ever- had the ability to bring about a storm such as yours.” He spread his wings wide and glared down at them. “As for my alliance with Dragon Lord Aquila, that is none of your concern. I shall make my own decisions, and I refuse to be influenced by other rulers.”
The female horned creature growled at him, and he sighed. “Duchess Aurora, I cannot ask that you understand my judgement. But our kingdoms have never fought over a trivial matter such as this; please, do not allow yourself to be clouded by hatred as the Hippogriffs and Kirin were.”
Hippogriffs and Kirin? Who were they?
“We have lost too many allies already.”
Allyra frowned deeply. Lost allies… could this be when the fighting began? Were the yaks and reindeer the first to be affected by the Windigos?
“Well, king, you’ve lost another.” Allyra’s eyes widened at the female’s harsh tone. “The Yaks and Reindeer are noble creatures, and we will never be seen with the likes of Lord Aquila- nor, any of his allies.”
“Stop being mean!” Celestia suddenly exclaimed, ignoring her father’s warning. “Why can’t we just be friends?”
Duchess Aurora- she said something about reindeer, maybe she was one? - sighed and shook her head at the alicorn filly. When she opened her eyes, they were white- no pupils or irises in sight. “Your heart is pure, young one, and if the future were not set you would become a great warrior for peace.” Celestia’s eyes widened in horror, and Allyra unwittingly growled at the reindeer. “Unfortunately-”
“ENOUGH!” Eclipse roared, his voice reverberating throughout the hall. Allyra gulped and shrunk back at the fury in the alicorn’s dark eyes. “I will not tolerate my child being spoken to like this. Either you and the young lord leave by yourselves, or I shall force you to!”
The king and duchess stared each other down while Celestia cried quietly behind her father and the yak snarled, lowering his head as if he were about to charge. Then, the reindeer scoffed, and both her horns lit up before the visitors were teleported out of the hall, and likely out of the castle.
Immediately, Eclipse kneeled by his daughter and said soothingly, “Listen close, Celestia. Do not listen to them, for the future is never set in stone.” She stopped crying and looked at him with hope in her eyes. “You will grow up and become a beautiful, magnificent queen of the sun. Do you understand, my darling?”
Celestia nodded and nuzzled up against him, grinning. “Okay, papa! I understand!”
She didn’t see the sad look in his eyes, but Allyra did.
Then, a voice spoke up beside her.
“It’s terrible, isn’t it? The reindeer were honest to a fault; never stopping to consider other’s feelings.”
She jumped and looked to her right. Standing next to her was another alicorn, glowing white and sparkling in the dimming light. She had a lavender coat with midnight-blue hair striped with pink, yellow and purple. Her wing feathers and hooves were white, the wings tipped with a pretty pink. But her deep amethyst eyes were filled with the same sadness as King Eclipse’s.
“Yeah…” Allyra replied carefully, grimacing as she gazed at the now still filly. “Does she… grow up?”
The mare shook her head and sighed sadly. “She barely reached her fifteenth, but luckily, she never had to see her father die.”
Allyra’s eyes filled with tears. “Why? It’s not fair; she should’ve had the chance to grow up!”
The alicorn shook her head again and put a shimmering hoof on Allyra’s shoulder, shocking her. “But there’s nothing to be done. It’s been a millennium.” Then her eyes turned serious. “Keep fighting, Chosen One. Your first trial is about to begin.”
As soon as Allyra woke up in a cold sweat, she dug the book out of her saddlebags and began rifling through the pages.
“C’mon, yaks, reindeer, anything?” she muttered, glaring hard. The wind picked up around her and she smiled gratefully. “Hey. Do you know where stuff about yaks or reindeer is?”
The pages suddenly flipped to the last quarter of the book, and Allyra grinned. A picture of a reindeer, similar to the one in her dream, was shown. She read the inscription.
Reindeer are a species connected to magics of the mind. They have the power to read the minds, hearts, and all intentions of those around them, so lying to them is impossible to achieve. They also have a mysterious ability to fly without wings; as they are so rare, little is confirmed, but witnesses speak of them galloping through the night sky. They are also well known as being seers; they have visions of the future and are often sought after for this. They have powerful magic connected to the seasons, winter in particular.
Allyra frowned. If they had magic connected to winter, then why were they blaming the ponies?
Her heart suddenly hurt as she thought of the poor filly, Celestia. This must have been around the time the wars started, and Princess Aurora had seen Celestia’s future. She wouldn’t survive.
For perhaps the hundredth time, Allyra pushed the sad thoughts out of her head and let the wind turn a few pages before another familiar creature came into sight.
Yaks are peaceful creatures who are known amongst the kingdoms as ‘The Lords of the Mountains’ and prefer to keep to themselves. However, it’s a well-known fact that when angered, they become violent and destructive. As they are proud, extreme caution must be taken to prevent damaging their ego. The reindeer rule yaks and are rarely seen without a yak by their side. They have powerful magic connected to the earth and have the strength of ten stallions combined. Their vocabulary in Modern Equestrian is rather limited and they often speak in third ponish. This, combined with their extreme volume in all situations, makes it difficult to hold a conversation, much to my disappointment.
So, yaks and reindeer were once allied with the ponies, but after the ponies made peace with the dragons, they chose to become their enemies as Duchess Aurora didn’t trust them.
Make an alliance with one kingdom but lose another in the process.
I wonder if that roaring I heard earlier was a dragon. I mean, the book said they live in the Volcanic Wastes, but maybe some live here after becoming allies? Then a slightly concerning thought occurred to her. What if the pony kingdoms weren’t friends at all? The alicorns had to be since they made Lurante, but what about before that?
And who was that purple alicorn? She could see me; she could talk to me and touch me. And what did she mean, ‘my first trial’?
She groaned and rubbed her head. Too many questions, and not enough answers.
Then, the sound of screaming jolted her out of her reverie. Allyra flinched and put the book away, then cautiously crawled out of her hiding place. It wasn’t safe to stay in one spot for long.
Allyra spent many more hours darting through the city to get closer to the castle, and when she finally stopped for a break, the castle gates were within sight.
Watching it closely, she saw many guards posted by the gates and around the walls. For a kingdom as brutal and ruined as this, she wasn’t expecting to see so many soldiers. The amulet was pulling stronger than ever, but she stood her ground and kept watching.
“Calm down,” she hissed at one point, glaring at the pendant. “I can’t just blindly rush in. The gem is probably as guarded as the Crystal Heart is.” The Heart had often been in danger of being stolen or destroyed, so even though ponies were allowed to go near it, it was heavily guarded at all hours, and there were multiple alarm spells set. Only an alicorn could use its power, in any case. The amulet yanked at her neck again, and she growled. “Fine, then, I’ll just rush in only to get executed and have you stolen or destroyed! Do you want that on your conscience?”
It finally stopped and she sighed heavily, before facehoofing. I think I’ve been alone for too long.
After a second she shook her head and decided to watch the gates for a while. Learn the guards’ shifts and figure out where any weak points might be. Stealth would be key here.
Allyra moved in a little closer and find a decent hiding place- an alley between two buildings that lead to a dead end and had plenty of barrels to hide behind. Just as she started taking off her goggles as she rounded the corner, a sniveling noise caught her attention.
She frowned and looked around, only to hear a voice. “Mama, I’m hungry.”
Stepping to the entrance, she spotted a ragged-looking mare standing close with a colt by her side. They were thin as twigs. Allyra felt her heart hurt at the sight, especially as the mare sighed and stroked her son’s head.
“I know, but we’ll get food soon. Okay?”
She didn’t believe it. Allyra could feel her despair and her fear for her son, even while the colt smiled hopefully.
Unable to take it, Allyra quietly trotted up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. The mare jumped and the colt made to scream but Allyra quickly shoved a hoof over his mouth. Both stared at her in fright, before confusion as she reached under her cloak and pulled out a tin of dried fruit. She knew she really shouldn’t; she was low on supplies herself, but if it kept them alive for another day, then it was worth it.
“Take it and make it last. I won’t be around to help for long,” she murmured, pushing it into the mother’s hooves and walking away. She didn’t enter the alley again; couldn’t risk being seen going to a new hiding place. But, under her mask, she smiled as the mare laughed and the colt exclaimed in delight.
Then she realised she was in trouble again. She’d unknowingly walked straight into the large marketplace close to the gates, and a few guards were watching her suspiciously.
Oh, diamonds. Better get out of here and move around to the other side of the castle.
“Hey, you!”
Allyra jumped and whipped her head around to see a stallion standing over her, glaring daggers. Not a guard, but likely a shopkeeper. “You better pay for that food!”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “What are you talking about?”
She saw a flash of anger in his eyes as he exclaimed, “Pay for what you took, mare! You stole my stuff and gave it to those ponies!”
Mare?!
“Hey, that’s just rude!” she exclaimed irritably, standing up straighter and raising an eyebrow as he started in surprise. Allyra felt the eyes of everypony on her and paused for a second but took a breath. No point panicking: she’d started it, so she’d better finish it. “And that food I gave them was mine. I’m no thief.”
The stallion growled and started lifting a hoof, and Allyra instinctively lowered into a defensive position, making him pause again. “Leave. Me. Alone.”
Before he could respond a guard suddenly appeared, glaring at her. “Is this pony bothering you?”
“She stole from me, and she’s disrespecting me!” he shouted, and Allyra frowned. Disrespecting? She was telling him the truth! Stars above, he sounded like her mother.
“Apologise, mare,” the guard snarled, and Allyra glared at him.
“I’m not apologising for something I didn’t do!” She exclaimed, beginning to growl. “What the heck is wrong with you? I’m just walking!”
“YOU WILL RESPECT YOUR BETTERS, MARE!” The guard roared, grabbing her hoof, and raising his other to hit her.
Allyra barely thought. In one fluid motion, she’d pulled her sword from its scabbard, swung the flat side into the shopkeeper’s head and knocked him to the ground, and kicked the guard away, now holding the weapon to his throat.
Gasps and cries of shock and fear rang out around her, and Allyra snarled at the stallion, who was staring at her in anger and shock.
“How did you-”
“I’m really sick of ponies like you,” she growled, only vaguely aware that the tip was touching his neck. “And I swear to whomever your damn ruler is, I’ll-”
“WOAH, WOAH, WOAH!”
The sound hit Allyra’s ears and she yelped as she was suddenly yanked back, and her sword was ripped from her grasp. She snarled and made to tackle whoever took it, only to have it suddenly handed back to her when she was away from the guard.
“I’m so sorry about my sister, please accept my humblest apologies.”
Allyra looked at her… saviour? He wasn’t much taller than her and was dressed similarly; ready for the blizzard, and his hood, goggles and mask covered most of his face. Allyra spotted a few strands of brown hair sticking out under the hood, and his coat was jade green. Beneath the goggles, his eyes appeared to be a deep ocean blue. She frowned. He looked familiar…
The guard growled as he scrambled to his hooves. “Where the bloody hell did she get that sword?!”
“Took it from our father; I’m afraid she’s been rather sick lately, and we’re still working out what’s happening.”
Allyra made to protest but then the stallion looked back at her and grabbed her hoof, a warning clear in his narrowed eyes.
Play along or we’re both dead.
She paused for a second before she smiled, then started laughing maniacally, making everypony look at her in surprise. “Brother, you’ll never guess what I saw yesterday! There was this snake and a bird and-”
“Yes, yes, a wonderful dream, I’m sure!” He cut in, faking a quick laugh. He said, “Well, now, let’s get you home and safe. Mother’s getting anxious.”
The guard growled at her. “Teach her to control herself or we’ll do it for you.”
The stallion laughed and put a hoof over Allyra’s shoulder, leading her away. “Will do, captain!”
The two walked away and the stallion muttered, “I don’t know where you got that thing, but that was a real stupid move, mare.”
Allyra kept a straight face as she murmured back, “Somepony ought to teach them respect, or next time I will take his head off.”
He laughed. “I’m sure you will, sweetheart.”
She caught the sarcasm in his voice and glared at him. “Call me that again and it’ll be your stupid noggin on a spear.”
He rolled his eyes to the heavens. “Yeah, yeah. Now let’s move faster before they figure out I’m-”
“GET BACK HERE, STREET RAT!”
Galloping hooves started gaining on them and the stallion sighed heavily while Allyra jumped. “A wanted criminal.”
“Wait, what?!” Allyra exclaimed, instinctively backing away from him. He growled and grabbed her hoof, dragging her along as he started running.
“Do you wanna get caught? Hurry up!” he shouted, ducking as an arrow flew over his head.
Allyra groaned but ran faster, following the stallion. Looks like she had no choice now.
The two were suddenly cut off at the end of the street by a small battalion that send the civilians running and screaming. Allyra skidded to a stop beside him as he growled, pulling out a sword of his own. She clutched hers tighter as one of the guards called, “Blaze, under orders from Lord Terra, you are under arrest and will be executed!”
“Wow, not even a fair trial!” Blaze laughed.
“Mate, we’re surrounded. What are you expecting to do?” Allyra hissed, shooting him another glare.
He smirked at her as the guards started charging forward. “Gotta keep one jump ahead of the breadline; one swing ahead of the sword!” He grabbed Allyra’s hoof and leapt easily over the charging earth ponies, and she yelped as she landed on one’s face. Blaze continued to lead her, running on top of the shocked stallions. “I steal only what I can’t afford!” She raised an eyebrow as they landed on the ground, and he shrugged. “And that’s everything.”
“Is now really the time for a song?!”
“Absolutely.”
He laughed at her bemused face and started running again, the pair weaving between buildings. “One jump ahead of the lawmen; that’s all, and that’s no joke. These guys don’t appreciate I’m broke!”
The guards shouted behind them, “RIFF RAFF! STREET RAT! SCOUNDREL!”
Allyra yelped as they were suddenly cornered off by more guards, but Blaze shouted, “Take that!” and sliced a rope connected to a tarp and releasing many heavy sacks on top of them. “Try a different tact, guys!”
The pair jumped over them and Allyra accidentally bucked one guard in the face, unable to keep herself from snickering. “This way, mare!”
“Stop calling me that!”
Behind her, Allyra heard the guards singing, “Rip him open! Round the back, guys!”
Blaze shoved her inside a building suddenly. “Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat. Otherwise, we’d get along-”
He had run in after her, only to suddenly be surrounded by a group of mares who, in Allyra’s opinion, were dressed in rather… questionable outfits.
They sang, almost gleefully, “Who? Oh, it’s sad that Blaze has hit the bottom-” He glared at them and shoved his way through, pulling Allyra by the hoof and making his way to the window. “He’s become a one-colt rise in crime!”
Allyra yelped again as they were cut off by a large Earth mare who wielded a heavy wooden spoon.
“I’d blame parents, except he hasn’t got them!”
Blaze laughed as he ducked the mare’s attempted attack, shoving Allyra to the window. “Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat! Tell you all about it when I got the time!”
Allyra leapt from the window and onto some of the fabric canvasses in the next alley, landing with a loud thud on the ground, shocking her nerves and making her cry out in pain. Blaze, on the other hoof, easily bounced down with a few somersaults and landed in a flourish, smirking. Allyra raised an eyebrow at him.
“Was all that necessary?”
“Hey, you only live once, so why not have some fun?”
She couldn’t stop a small smile from forming on her lips and was grateful for the scarf covering her face. Blaze shoved a hoof in front of her before she could walk out and a pair of guards raced by, not even glancing in their direction. He put a hoof over her shoulders and began leading her through the crowd, keeping his head low.
“One jump ahead of the slowpokes, one skip ahead of my doom. Next time, gonna use a non-de-plume!”
Several guards had run by them and not noticed, making Blaze chuckle. “I’d like to see them try and notice us.”
“THEY’RE OVER HERE!”
Allyra shot him a deadpan stare. “You just had to open your big, fat mouth, didn’t you?”
He raised an eyebrow at her but started running again with Ally following.
“One jump ahead of the hitmen, one hit ahead of the flock! I think I’ll take a stroll around the block!”
“You call this a bloody stroll?!”
Blaze laughed and quickly shoved her left, looking behind him as the stallions started catching up.
“STOP, THIEF!”
“VANDAL!”
“COME ON!”
“SCANDAL!”
Allyra noticed him grimace as he led the way up a flight of stairs, to the top of the roof. He quickly moved for her to go first, and she watched as he gestured to a mare, who stood there in shock for a moment.
“Let’s not be too hasty!”
The mare nodded and stood in the way of the guards, making them yell at her. “Still, I think he’s rather tasty!”
“Hurry up!” Allyra called, and the pair started jumping between rooves.
“Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat! Otherwise, we’d get along-”
“WRONG!”
Allyra glared at the guards, then yelped as Blaze suddenly lost his hoofing and stumbled, one of his boots coming off. She caught sight of a plain green hoof and her eyes widened. Blaze growled at her.
“You know, mare, if you weren’t here I’d have escaped by now!” He exclaimed, shoving the boot back on and running again.
“Then why did you even bother helping me?!”
The pair glared at each other only for Allyra to see that the buildings were coming to an end, and the biggest marketing area she’d seen so far loomed in front of them. She skidded to a stop and Blaze followed, growling.
“Dammit! We need to head east, it’s the best way to lose them!”
Allyra looked back at the guards and snarled. “You go. I’ll follow,” she told him, taking out her sword.
Blaze shrugged. “Your funeral!”
Before he could run, Allyra raced up to the guards and eagerly met their swords with hers. Adrenaline rushed through her, and she laughed as she took down one guard after another, destroying their weak iron swords with her crystal one.
“HEY, BEHIND YOU!”
Blaze’s cry caught her attention, and she looked around just in time to see a stallion standing over her, sword posed to pierce her heart.
Without even thinking, Allyra leapt into the air and spread out her wings, grinning at the wind blowing through her liberated feathers. She barely registered shouts of fear and shock around her, and easily divebombed her would-be attacker, sending him off the roof, sword clattering to the ground.
She landed and grinned only for it to vanish as Blaze ran up to her and shouted, pure disbelief in his eyes, “YOU’RE A PEGASUS?!”
“Uh…”
“IT’S A PEGASUS! KILL IT, KILL IT!”
She jumped in surprise and Blaze grabbed her hoof again, dragging her along the buildings with more guards than ever following. Though she wasn’t sure why, there was a new sense of urgency in him, and fear began washing over her.
“One jump ahead of the hoofbeats; one hop ahead of the hump! One trick ahead of disaster; they’re quick, but I’m much faster!”
Blaze had led them up to the top of a building that towered over all the others and stopped to take something out from under his cloak. Allyra raised an eyebrow at the black cube now in his hoof and the anxiety in his eyes.
“Here goes! Better throw my hoof in, wish me ‘happy landing’, all I gotta do is JUMP!”
He threw the thing to the ground beneath their hooves, and it shattered, surrounding them in black smoke. Allyra screamed, feeling as though she was being dragged away. She shut her eyes tight and crouched down as shouts and screams from both guards and civilians surrounded them.
Then, somehow, everything was silent. Blaze let out a huge groan and Allyra reluctantly opened her eyes; then, they widened to the size of dinner plates when she saw where they were.
The pair appeared to be in a wrecked loft, similar to the one they just escaped from, but Allyra knew it was different right away. One wall of the building had been completely torn away and a huge blue cloth was hung over it. Multiple other blankets and tarps were strung around the place, covering almost all openings, and making the limited light multi-coloured, with one pile at the very back which she assumed was a bed. Opposite the bed was a trio of chests; one was completely shut, another was full to the brim with food and what she assumed were water skins, and another was half full of jewellry, gold, and various knickknacks.
Blaze took a deep breath to steady himself and Allyra tensed up on instinct, frowning.
“That was my last teleportation bomb, so you’d better be grateful I wasted it saving your coat as well as mine, mare.”
Allyra glared at him. “For the last time, stop calling me ‘mare’.”
He glared right back. “Then what should I call you? Pegasus?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’m a pegasus. What’s so upsetting about that?” His jaw dropped as she continued, “And I’d say we’re even. I fought off the guards so we could use your smoke-bomb thingy in the first place.”
The stallion gaped at her for a bit before he let out a bark-like laugh, making her eyebrow go even higher up her forehead.
“What’s so upsetting about being a pegasus, she asks!” He laughed, almost doubling over, but Allyra knew the sarcasm was strong in this one. “Gee, I wonder why everypony wants to kill you now!”
Allyra growled slightly and barked, “Hey! Either give me answers or I’ll-”
“Okay, mare, look. I’ll admit you have some fighting prowess, and the way you use that sword is pretty nifty.”
“But?”
“But you’ve attacked and insulted guards, you haven’t respected ‘those above you’ or however those jerks put it, you’re a stranger to these parts, and not only that but you’re a bloody pegasus in a city full of earth ponies. I’m surprised you weren’t caught while you were doing all that sneaking around yesterday.”
Allyra’s eyes widened and she took a step back. “You’ve been watching me?!”
“Well, yeah. Don’t have a lot else to do right now, and you’re quite the amateur,” he said, stretching his legs. “Plus, I wanted to see how long you’d last before you got discovered. You kinda threw all secrecy away when you gave that mare food.”
Growling, she said, trying to stay calm, “I couldn’t just leave her and her son to starve.”
“Sweetheart, over half of these regular folk are starving. You can’t save everyone.” He sighed as she bristled angrily.
“Then I suppose you’re starving, too?” She asked, gesturing to the crate of food. Then she paused at the flash of fury in his eyes… and promptly realised she’d crossed a line.
“I need to survive, and this is how I do it!” he shouted, storming right up to her, barely noticing her reaching for her sword again. “I don’t know where you’re from, mare, but this is real life! And you’re being a stupid fool by acting like you’re on top of the food chain!”
Allyra rolled her eyes. “Oh, and where exactly am I on this food chain of yours?”
Blaze sighed and sat down, taking an oblong green fruit from the chest, and tossing it to her, much to her surprise. “You’re a pegasus and a mare. That puts you at the very bottom.”
Frowning as he took a bite of his own, she asked, “What’s the deal with everypony hating pegasi? What, is the dictator here a pegasus?”
He was silent for a moment before he muttered, “My dad used to tell me stories of how pegasi in ancient times could control the weather.” She raised an eyebrow at him, now sitting down. “When the blizzards started, the superstitious creatures began blaming them. Now, being a pegasus is punishable by exile if the authorities are nice, and death if they’re not. Most of them aren’t.”
Allyra’s jaw dropped. Pegasi were blamed for the blizzard? “That’s crazy! No pegasus has the power to create something like this!”
Blaze rolled his eyes at her. “Tell that to everypony else. I’m surprised you haven’t been killed yet. I’m even more surprised that you seem to be from a place where that’s not a big deal.”
Shrugging, she said carefully, “Let’s just say I’m from a place that’s a little more like Ancient Equestria, where pegasi aren’t hated.” She then gestured to him. “You seem to be from a similar place.”
Blaze scoffed. “Really? And how do you gather that?”
“Well, for one, you didn’t try to kill me when you saw what I am. And two, you’re a pegasus like me.”