“Hello love, I’ve missed you, you know. Really, I…”, I flung my forelegs around her and squeezed her tight. “Oh Goddesses Meadow, you’re alive, thank Celestia, thank Luna. You’re alive !”

Meadow hugged me back then pushed away suddenly. I stood stock still, unsure as to what this meant, what was going on here ?

“Meadow” I began and took a step towards her. She held up a hoof stopping me.

“No. Fairlight, look love I’m sorry to seem cold but I don’t have much time here. The keepers are already pushing things to allow me this much.”

“I don’t understand love, please, I…”, I stammered. Meadow grabbed me and kissed me deeply on the mouth, her warm breath filling me with a heat I had not felt in an age. Breaking away she looked at me with sorrowful eyes and shook her mane. Stomping a hoof down, the trademark Meadow determination was back.

“Fairlight, you’re not meant to be here. We are, but you, you’ve not passed over fully. The herd cant take you as they say you’re, carrying….carrying….’something’.” She shook her head in exasperation, “I don’t know what it is, but look. You need to get out of here. Here, take this.” She levitated a small crystal on a tiny golden chain over my head. I looked down and saw a faint white glow emanating from it. She reached out and lifted my head so she could look straight into my eyes, “Follow the crystals light when it is strongest. It will show you the way.”

“The way to what ? Meadow, I want to be with you, I don’t want to go back !”
Meadow stomped her hoof again.

“You cant ! Its not your time, please Fairlight, they’re calling me back”.

I must have seemed pathetic to her right then, my resolve fragmenting in the flood of emotions I had thought all but dead and gone, “Oh goddesses Meadow, I cant lose you again !”.

“We’ll be together again love, all of us, one day. Just not now.”, Meadow kissed me again briefly and I nuzzled her neck. “Wait…..you said we ? All of us ?” I looked quizzically at her and she gave me a shy smile. Looking down by her side, she spoke softly, “Come on little one, come and meet you daddy”.

I didn’t know what to say, words left me and I just stood staring as a tiny head appeared from behind Meadow, peering up at me with huge round yellow eyes. The tiny grey coated pegasus foal, cautiously stepped around her and looked up at me, pressing into Meadows side for safety.

“Say hello to your daddy, Sparrow.”, Meadow said, nudging the little foal with her head towards me. She stumbled on unsure legs and looked up at me with her big shining eyes, “Daddy ?”.

Tears flowed down my cheeks, unchecked, “Daddy, are you sad ?” came the little voice.

“No, little one”, I told her, “Daddies not sad, daddies happy. Really, really happy”.

I turned to Meadow who gave me a heart melting smile, “How is this….Meadow. Were you…?”

She looked sad for a moment, tears welling in her eyes too, before nodding. “I was a few months, I hadn’t really known for certain. There weren’t many mares I felt I could trust enough to talk to about it. Since Mum died and we’d been trying for so long, I just thought it couldn’t happen and then…..”, she cleared her throat. “I’ve called her Sparrow Song. They were singing in the tree I first met you under, do you remember ?”

“Of course I do love, I couldn’t ever forget that.”

Meadow smiled when Sparrow bumped into my leg and plopped back on her haunches. “Are you coming home with Mummy and me ?” She asked.

I was barely holding myself together right now, I had to keep it together, for them. It was so much to take in, so, so much.

Meadow looked behind her and quickly faced me, fright in her eyes, “Fairlight, we’ve got to go, they’re calling us. Listen, they will be coming for you soon. They don’t like loose ends, I said I’d try to persuade you to surrender, but its not right. If they take you, they’ll strip your memories, your mind. Don’t let them.”

Meadow nudged Sparrow back behind her. “Follow the crystal my love, we’ll be together again some day. We’ll wait for you !”.

Meadows voice became increasingly distant as her image began to shimmer and fade.

“I love you Meadow, I love you too Sparrow. Daddy will see you again soon !” I called to them. The image of Meadow wavered like a heat haze. The last I saw of her were those beautiful yellow eyes looking at me with a longing that gripped my heart. She held up Sparrow who waved at me with her little forelegs, “Bye Daddy ! Come home soon !”. They winked out of existence without even a sound.

I sat down on my rump and gasped in the air, my eyes tight shut against the tears. A shudder ran through me, the tears turning to icy droplets, rolling down my face. Why Goddesses, why couldn’t I be with my family now ?

“Damn this place !” I shouted out, “Haven’t I been through enough !”.

I wished with all my heart that whoever, whatever was keeping me anchored to this place would simply pull the metaphorical plug and let me go. I had a daughter, the daughter Meadow and I had wanted so much and those scum had killed her, taking her tiny life before she had even a chance to draw a breath. The cold ball of anger welled up inside my chest.

I would find those fuckers and rip their living guts out with my bare teeth. I’d watch them squirm and bleed to death, begging me to end it for them and then, when they thought I would send them to the beyond, I would answer……”No”.

Blue mist curled up from my muzzle and snow began to fall around me. This new found power, whatever in Equestria it was, would serve me well. I lifted the tiny crystal, turning around in a circle until it shone the brightest. “I guess this is the way then.” I said to myself, shaking the snow from my mane. I looked back slightly over my shoulder, “You coming then ?”.

A rolling growl and shrill hoot answered me as the Thestral trotted up along side me nudging me with its head.

I nodded to it and headed off in the direction the light was indicating. I spoke aloud to the world in general, “Time for some payback.”