“Everyone, HANG ON!!!” the Doctor cried out. His companions tried to but the violent rocking of the TARDIS made that difficult, not to mention the various explosions that happened around the machine. On top of that, the TARDIS was making mechanical wheezing sounds and other weird sound effects that was not so familiar to the gang, thus strongly indicating something was wrong.

“What's happening, Doctor?” Derpy asked, frightened, as she was flung back and forth while desperately holding onto a rail near the console. In this case, she stood on the outside of the rail, looking in.

“We're caught in some kind of energy vortex!” the Doctor announced frantically as he desperately was operating the controls in a hurry. Sometimes he had to latch onto the controls to prevent himself from being flung away violently. More than once he also had to shield himself with a leg as the control console exploded in front of him with a shower of sparks. “It's reeking havoc with the time/space regulators that control the particle density accelerator matrix. Without those flow regulators working in proper sync, I'm having a next to impossible time controlling the direction of the TARDIS!”

“Isn't there anything you can do?” Derpy asked with very small eye pupils and scrunched in mouth due to fear.

“I'm trying!” he promised frantically. He spun a monitor in front of him then widened his eyes in shock when he saw what was on the monitor. “Great sunbursts and exploding pulsars! EVERYONE, HANG ON! WE'RE GOING DOWN!”

Feather Wind did sort of the opposite. He telekinetically lifted himself and all of his companions, though it was difficult to rip Derpy and the Doctor away from that which they gripped. Feather Wind scrunched his face tightly with intense concentration. He held everypony away from the floor as he waited for the imminent impact which eventually did happen. The TARDIS rocked hard and spun in a circle several times around them. Every object in the TARDIS not secured to the ground somehow started flying all around them. At the same time, several explosions occurred that spouted huge shower of sparks. Seconds later, the entire area grew dark as the TARDIS finally settled onto something.

The interior of the TARDIS was dark except for the silver glow around each pony as Feather Wind continued to hold them suspended in mid air. Since everything seemed to settle, however, he gently let them down, then replaced the glow around their bodies with a brighter glow around his horn. Fortunately the TARDIS was still right side up. Considering how it spun about several times earlier, that seemed rather lucky. Then again, the TARDIS had its own artificial gravity unless that circuit blew which, for the moment, seemed rather likely.

The TARDIS gave some groaning sounds which clearly indicated a problem.

“Feather Wind, bring your light closer over here,” the Doctor requested. In response, Feather Wind flew off the ground using his telekinetic magic and hovered closer to the Doctor. With the silver light closer, the Doctor started inspecting some of the controls and viewed out the monitor. Since some of the controls were temporarily not operating, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and started emitting the device back and forth on several controls. When he did so, some fires on the console vanished and other sparks got reduced.

“Doctor, isn't the emergency lights supposed to turn on?” Derpy asked in concern as her eyes whirled.

“And where in the hay are we?” Stern Wing added. “Clearly we crash landed on something, but what? Knowing this machine, we could be anywhere or anywhen.”

“One thing at a time,” the Doctor encouraged.

“We don't even know if wherever we are is even habitable,” Stern Wing noted, then asked, “Is everypony alright?”

“I'm not too injured,” Derpy reported. “Just a little frightened, is all. Vision, are you alright?” she asked in concern as she looked at the young teenager.

Who didn't respond. Instead, she sat quietly on the ground and appeared to be meditating.

Stern Wing drew closer to Vision and gave a closer visual inspection. She also held a hoof in front of Vision's muzzle. Since Vision was breathing so shallowly, it was hard to tell, but eventually Stern Wing realized the little filly was still breathing.

“She's alright, and doesn't appear to be injured,” Stern Wing reported. “She might be meditating to find out what in the blazes happened to us, or where we are. I recommend we let her continue because it might lead us to some answers.” She looked at the Doctor. “How are you coming along, Doc?”

The Doctor scratched his head with a hoof as he blew out a long sigh. “This is a mess. A lot of these controls are going to have to be repaired. Wherever we are, we might be stuck here for awhile. Not only that, but I won't be joining you because I'll need to remain here and fix everything.”

Right after he said that the emergency lights finally turned on. He looked around in minor delight. “Well, thank goodness for small favors, even if it's a bit delayed.” He looked back at the control consoles in the center and pat it affectionately. “The poor old girl is injured, but she's fighting to recover.” He looked disturbed. “Whatever knocked us out of the time/space wormholes is still causing the TARDIS to be sick. I fear that, even if I repair the old girl, something might be preventing us from taking off. As long as that power source continues, we might be stuck here.”

“So . . . in other words . . . a typical day in the TARDIS,” Feather Wind commented with a dry look and tone.

“Not exactly, but I have suffered through this before,” the Doctor returned. “We'll pull through this. I just know it.”

“I'll take a peek out the door. See if I can get a layout of our situation,” Stern Wing volunteered as she trotted over to the door.

“Be careful!” the Doctor cautioned. “I do not think the shield around the TARDIS is working right now. If the outside is a poisonous gas or a vacuum, we'll not be protected as soon as you open those doors.”

Stern Wing scoffed at the Doctor over her right shoulder. “Caution? When have I ever been cautious?” Stern Wing asked sarcastically, meaning the precise opposite of her statement. “I'll just take a peek out the window. If it seems relatively clear then I'll open the door a crack. That's all. We need information, Doctor. You said something on this planet or moon or asteroid is interfering with the TARDIS. If we don't get some information, we might be stuck here till our air depletes.”

“She has a good point, Doctor,” Derpy agreed.

“Well . . . fine then. Just be careful,” the Doctor instructed. “I don't have the situation well in hand yet.”

“Hand?” Feather Wind reflected as he looked towards the Doctor. “Are you ever going to say, 'Well in hoof?'”

“Never!” the Doctor announced in dramatic defiance. “It's the principle of the thing. If I don't say such things, who will?”

Derpy giggled for that comment.

“What do you see?” Feather Wind called to his girlfriend who arrived at the door.

Peeking out through the window (and the only pony in the TARDIS tall enough to do so without standing up on her hind legs), Stern Wing paused there for awhile as she tried to assess the situation outside, then announced, “I can't tell. Wherever we are, it's dark out there. I think we're on a planet of some kind. I see vague silhouettes of rocks and trees but, beyond that, I can't tell.”

“Trees?” Derpy repeated. “That probably means there's oxygen out there. That likely means it's safe to open the doors.”

“There shouldn't be trees in a vacuum,” Feather Wind agreed.

“If they really are trees,” the Doctor partially agreed as he pulled out some wires and examined it, scratched his head in an attempt to figure out where he should start.

Feather Wind regarded Vision thoughtfully, who did indeed seem to be meditating. The young teenager was being very quiet now. Feather Wind realized she had been quiet for quite awhile too. Whatever was happening at that moment, he had the distinct impression that Vision saw this coming but chose to keep her warnings to herself for some reason. At least no pony was hurt so there didn't seem to be irrevocable damage so far. The Doctor seemed relatively confident he could repair the TARDIS as well. Whatever energy field out there that was reeking havoc with the time/space warp field was likely to be their greatest problem right now.

“Feather Wind, can I borrow your horn for a second?” Stern Wing requested politely. “I need you to shine a light out there.”

Feather Wind looked at her, then flew over to her gently. “Sure.” He waited patiently as she very slowly cracked the door open with a tight wince on her face. When she succeeded, it seemed that nothing bad happened so far, so she opened the door up further with greater confidence. Eventually she had the door opened all the way. There appeared to be nothing dangerous out there so far. There was more light inside the TARDIS than outside, so she sidestepped and allowed her boyfriend to approach and shine a light outside. Feather Wind did so. He configured his horn to emit a focused light in a cone in the forward direction, acting more like a flashlight rather than an all-around lantern. He swept that light back and forth outside while examining what was out there.

So far nothing dangerous. Like Stern Wing said, it looked like an ordinary planet with rocks, trees and a dirt ground. It was night time. The stars were out, and so was a singular, almost familiar moonlight except it was more intense than their own home planet. Feather Wind stepped outside to continue his investigations. Stern Wing followed him but, before she emerged more than halfway out the TARDIS, Vision made an unexpected announcement.

“I'll meet you two out there soon,” Vision announced aloud while holding her meditation pose and keeping her eyes shut, not that it mattered if they were open or shut in her case.

Stern Wing and Feather Wind both paused and looked back at her for a second then glanced at each other, each wondering what Vision actually knew about their situation. Eventually Stern Wing gave a casual shrug. After that they both looked outward again and resumed their cautious exploration.

“How's it looking, Doc?” Derpy asked fairly calmly as she folded both of her forelegs on the rail and leaned on it, looking inward at him and the console.

“Right now I'm still making heads or tails of the mess here. I may be punctual when I need to be but, right now, I can't even guess at that,” the Doctor answered. “I'll let you know as soon as I do. In the meantime, could you check on the rest of the TARDIS, my lovely assistant? See if anything else is out of place?”

“Sure thing, Doctor!” Derpy said cheerfully then left to do so. She gave an affectionate pat on Vision as she passed the young teenager.

Meanwhile, outside, Stern Wing gasped. “Wowie, look at the moon!”

Feather Wind did then widened his own eyes. It really was the Equestrian moon. Pretty much exactly like it except for two major differences. For one it seemed much bigger and closer, and two there was no silhouette of Princess Luna. This was either before she was imprisoned up there, or after.

“This is Equestria,” Feather Wind announced. “Judging from that moon, I'd say we are in the distant past. Very distant past. I read books and articles that theorized the moon used to be a lot closer in ancient times.”

“How long ago do you think we are?” Stern Wing asked, mystified.

“I don't know,” Feather Wind looked around, aiming his beaming light back and forth, “but it was a very long time ago.”

Both of them jumped, startled, when the door to the TARDIS suddenly shut itself. They both whipped their heads back at it as they grew horrified to hear a familiar groaning sound from the TARDIS which indicated its ignition. The TARDIS was taking off without them!

“Doctor, WAIT!” Stern Wing screeched and leapt back after the fading blue box. Too late. In fact, the TARDIS disappeared unusually fast this time. In this case, it only took four seconds. Stern Wing actually fell right through the machine as it phased out of corporeal existence. On the ground, she whined sadly, “Doctor, come back! Don't leave us here!”

Despite how stunned Feather Wind felt, he forced moisture into his throat and said, “I don't think he's doing this on purpose. Whatever is interfering with the proper operations of the TARDIS, that might be the thing driving the time machine away.”

Wiping a tear away, Stern Wing rose up to her hooves and asked back at her boyfriend, “Then what are we going to do?”

“The Doctor would definitely be aware of this problem by now,” Feather Wind said. “He has a time machine. He'll come back for us no matter how long it takes for him to fix this. You know he'd never abandon us on purpose. There is a possibility, however, that whatever drove the TARDIS away in the first place is also preventing it from returning, no matter how much he wants to.”

Feather Wind then regarded Stern Wing and said, “Stern Wing, calm down. We've been in tough scrapes before. Recall how many times we've been in dangerous situations and we thought we were going to die but we kept on pulling through over and over again. Well I'm not falling for that anymore. We'll be fine. We just have to pull through and do our part while we wait for him.”

“What if he doesn't come back? What if we're stuck here in this time?” Stern Wing asked nervously. “I'm not saying the Doctor wouldn't try to come back for us. I know him better than that a long time ago, but he might be unable to return, like you said.”

“Then it's up to us to search for what's keeping the TARDIS at bay and put a stop to it,” Feather Wind decided.

Just then he heard a noise somewhere ahead of him. He aimed the beaming light from his horn ahead of him and it fell upon an emerging white pony who looked quite familiar, but also different. It was a white pony with hints of blue on the hide and in her mane. She was also blind.

“Vision!” Stern Wing exclaimed excitedly as she happily pranced on forward for a moment until getting a closer look which made her suspicious. “Wait a second. Vision? Is that really you?”

The pony in question did look like Vision except she was much older. At that point she was far into her adult years. She even looked older than Stern Wing or Feather Wind.

“Yes. It is me,” the older version of Vision announced. “I told you I'd meet you outside in a moment.”

“But . . . what happened to you?” Stern Wing asked in bewilderment.

“You are a future version of Vision, aren't you?” Feather Wind asked with an educated guess. “What's more, the younger version of you in the TARDIS saw this coming. She had been a bit too quiet lately, like she had information she didn't trust herself to express. Also she told us, 'I'll meet you two out there soon' then, lo and behold, you show up only a minute later as if she knew we would encounter you instead of her.” He shrugged. “Sort of,” he amended.

Vision stopped in front of them and smiled fondly. “You're as sharp as I remember, Feather Wind.” Vision sat down. “Indeed, I had foreseen this coming in the past, and I knew I could not prevent it from happening.”

“I thought you told us you couldn't see into your own future,” Stern Wing reminded.

“Indeed, I could not,” Vision confirmed. “What's more, I also noticed I could not see into either of your futures either until past a certain point. That made me realize you must have interacted with a future version of myself where my visions from the past would be blind to. I knew this was coming, not because of what I saw, but because of what I couldn't see. By process of elimination, I was able to deduce what would happen to you two.”

“In that case,” Feather Wind began, “your past self would not have seen this coming in detail, but you are the future version of the pony who just left in the TARDIS. Based on your memories of what happened, is there any point in waiting for the TARDIS's return tonight?”

Stern Wing looked from her boyfriend to the older version of Vision, very concerned about the answer to that question.

“As you have surmised earlier, there is a force blocking the TARDIS from returning,” Vision informed. “According to what I recall in the past, the TARDIS will return to pick you two up but, what took us a few hours on the other side, I sensed that many years passed for the two of you. Recall the fact that I was and still am empathic . . . enough to tell that the two of you felt a lot older when my past self finally did encounter you again.”

Feather Wind and Stern Wing stood there, stunned.

“Come with me,” Vision requested as she stood up straight. Her old hoof glider ejected from her extra-dimensional saddlebags. “Feather Wind, I will require your assistance to get up to the sky using these things, just like old times. I will need you two to follow me. I will guide you to my home that I've set up during this time period.”

“Ah . . . sure,” Feather Wind said numbly.

With that the three of them took off into the sky, with Feather Wind's assistance in Vision's case.

xoxo

“This seems like a good spot,” Vision spontaneously declared while the three of them were busy flying.

“Here? But there's nothing here,” Feather Wind pointed out. “No visible home, at any rate. Is it invisible?”

“In a way, yes. Take me down,” Vision instructed.

“Um,” Feather Wind glanced at Stern Wing in uncertainty. In response to that look, Stern Wing gave an unknowing shrug. “Sure,” Feather Wind eventually finished and guided the three of them to the ground.

“Why land here? There's no home here,” Stern Wing pointed out.

“No home yet.” Vision pulled out a suitcase from one of her saddlebags and tossed it onto the ground. Upon landing, the suitcase ejected spikes to secure itself to the ground. At the same time the suitcase opened and a tent inflated itself out of it. By the time it was done, it looked like a small cone-shaped tent barely big enough for one pony. “Now then, if the two of you will be kind enough to step inside,” Vision said as she started trotting towards it.

“It's barely big enough for one pony!” Stern Wing complained.

“It's bigger on the inside, isn't it?” Feather Wind asked with a dry look and tone to his voice.

Vision stopped as she suddenly looked a bit irked, then she passed that expression back to Feather Wind's general direction. “Don't you ever get tired of your brilliance spoiling surprises?”

“This coming from an oracle who sees into the future and can read other creatures emotions?” Feather Wind asked back dryly with a casual wave to the blind pony.

“Touché,” Vision returned evenly then proceeded into the tent.

Feather Wind looked at Stern Wing and nodded towards the tent to indicate they should proceed inside before he started doing so himself. Stern Wing followed him in. As expected, the interior of the tent was much bigger on the inside, though not quite as big on the inside as expected if this was compared to the TARDIS. The interior walls of the tent looked exactly like it did on the outside except the interior space was dimensionally expanded. There wasn't any other rooms either. It was just the one area. Looking up, Feather Wind could see the tent narrowing at the tip, just like a cone. Some shelves were hung on the inside wall and there were plenty of decorations and alchemical ingredients on those shelves. Vision herself went to the back of the tent and resumed stirring the contents of a giant iron cauldron as if she had done it a few minutes ago.

“How does this stuff not fall all over the place as it tumbles around in your suitcase which was in your saddlebag?” Stern Wing asked.

Vision lifted up a spoonful of bubbling green glowing liquid from the cauldron and blew on it. After that she said, “This tent has its own personal gravity field. What goes on outside does not disturb the interior here. I probably don't have to explain to you that this is Time Lord technology at work here.”

“Actually, speaking of time travel, you can do it yourself, can't you?” Stern Wing recalled. “I remember you doing it after meditating sometimes and quaffing a potion you've concocted. Couldn't you use that to time travel back into the past and warn any of us about this crash before it happens? That way neither of us have to be stuck here.”

After blowing on the spoon for a few more seconds, Vision sipped it and smacked her lips for several seconds as she tried to carefully distinguish hidden flavors and textures of her brew. This caused her to realize something, so she resumed stirring the wooden spoon into the greenish liquid. While she did that, she asked, “Do you want to explain this to her, Feather Wind, or should I?” she asked without glancing back at either one of them.

Stern Wing regarded Feather Wind, who sighed before he said, “If she did that, how would she be able to warn herself in the past about an event she successfully prevented? That would cancel out the reason for warning herself in the first place and thereby prevent the action. Besides, she witnessed us already in the past as older versions of ourselves. This may also imply that important things happened in the interim that she may feel is important not to interrupt.”

“But . . . does this mean that we're stuck here in this time?” Stern Wing asked with rising horror.

“For now, it seems so,” Feather Wind said with a guilty and depressed expression.

“I don't actually have much to say to the two of you yet,” Vision announced. “What little I do have to say to you is pretty important, though.” She turned her head to aim somewhere between Feather Wind and Stern Wing. Since she was blind, she wasn't actually looking at either one of them. “I do have some knowledge on what will happen based on what I recall of past events as a younger filly but, for the most part, I am blind on what will happen in this time period because this is the first time I'm living through it. I can't tell you everything about what will happen in this time period, and what little I do know I'll leave you to discover. For now, I just have some advice for you two and that is this; live your lives now as you would in your own time period. The world itself may be different, but you are not. While you are here, interact with the world as you would in your own time period. It's still your lives and your destiny. Take charge of it no matter what world or time period we visit.

“Also,” Vision turned in their direction more fully but her blank eyes continued to stare off into space between them. “I know the Doctor means well but, at this point, he's kind of holding the two of you back. Don't forget, the two of you still have some destinies to fulfill back in your native time period, like taking care of Puppet Master, then King Sombra, then eventually aiding in the return of the Crystal Empire. All three of these events are a chain reaction that build off each other, and these events are so important to Equestrian history that they have become fixed moments in time. The Doctor cannot change that and even he knows that, yet he isn't doing you two any favors by delaying it too long just so he can have some company. I'm not saying his motivations are entirely selfish either. He does give something in return for what we give him. At first he really was doing you two a favor. Before you met the Doctor, you weren't prepared to face your true destiny, but now the two of you have grown to rely on him so much that you don't think for yourselves. Not in any meaningful way, and you have to. What you will accomplish is too important to risk delaying it any further. The further the delay, the older you two get and that can eventually start a chain reaction of its own. Not all of it good.”

“Is that why you didn't warn us this was coming in the past?” Feather Wind reasoned with a bit of a melancholy tone. “Towards the end you grew too quiet, and then this happened. I think you make it a regular habit of scanning for important upcoming events for the heads up but, in this case, you didn't warn any of us.”

“I indirectly saved your life many years ago, remember?” Vision reminded. “I warned Celestia about the impending attack on the Orchard farm or, rather to say, I warned my mother who, in turn, warned Celestia who, in turn, ordered the Wonderbolts to go to the farm and rescue as many ponies as they could. Six years later you answered another message from my mother, which I also sent to guide you two to my mother's temple, so that you could return the favor and rescue me.

“I've followed the trot of the two of you ever since for the most part. I gave you warnings here and there, and all of it led up to this moment. I did not have this grandmaster plan my entire life. All I had was little bits and pieces along the way but, the fact of the matter is, we are here. We caused each other's continued existence not only by saving each other's lives long ago, but many other times since.

“As I said before, I don't know everything that will happen in this time period because I am personally living through it for the first time. I do know whatever happens will be important. I know it will help shape this world and every day that follows. I know something menacing is blocking the TARDIS from returning, and that force might do much worse if left unopposed. In order to get the TARDIS to return, either this force must be neutralized or a safe zone must be constructed that is immune to this force's influence. This event is in our mutual past, mind you. If left unopposed, then none of us will have existed in the first place, or at least not as we are. Everything is happening for a reason. I feel you should trust that.”

“So I take it you're going to travel with us and help us stop this force?” Feather Wind guessed.

“Surprisingly, no.” Vision closed her eyes and bowed her head. “I've grown a lot stronger since the two of you last met me as a young filly. Indeed, too strong. The physical plane is no longer a challenge to me and, as a result, I don't have as much of a role to play in it. I'm only here to give you two a gentle push in the right direction, and I may also pop in from time to time to continue to guide you either a little or a lot, depending on your needs. Don't bother calling for me with your wind powers either. I will instead show up when I foresee that I am needed, like I'm doing right now.”

“Really? After everything we've been through, that's all you're going to do for us now?” Stern Wing asked in disbelief.

Vision cracked her eyelids open a bit. “Not to spoil things too much for the two of you, but the experiences I've been through since the time you've known me as a younger filly have evolved me. I'm much more akin to that fifth dimensional reality bender we've encountered earlier, for I can travel through time and space at will without needing to drink a potion any longer. If I traveled with you now, things will become far too easy for you, then you'd only grow to rely on me like you have with the Doctor. Instead of that, I'm giving the two of you an idea of what you need to do so that you decide your fate on your own without any hoof holding from some higher power. I love you two far to much to do anything to disrupt your own growth, and it is time for that. You two need to finally grow up and take charge of your own destiny. I won't even tell you where to go next after this, or when. Decide for yourselves. In honor of everything we've been through together, this is my way of repaying you and being your friend.”

Stern Wing looked at Feather Wind who was frowning, then looked at Vision before approaching her to hug her. “I love you too,” Stern Wing said warmly. “It pleases me to see that you've grown up to be a strong and confident mare, one who is not afraid to take charge of her own destiny. While you were growing up with us, that's all I ever really wanted for you.”

“I know. I'm empathic, remember?” Vision pointed out. “Likely that is why I turned out the way I am. As an empath, I am heavily influenced by the ponies around me. Your courage and inner strength helped me to become the pony I am today. You helped to raise me, and I have no reason to complain about the results.”

“Stern Wing, can I talk to you outside?” Feather Wind requested.

“Yeah. Be out there in a moment.”

“Okay.” Feather Wind went outside and waited for Stern Wing to arrive, which she did a few minutes later. He looked at her with a look of apology as he said, “I want to apologize to you for dragging you into this.”

“Apologize?” Stern Wing looked taken aback. “For what?”

“For dragging you into this, as I said. Really this occurred twice now. Once before I charged at the Orchard's to help save them then all across Equestria to save Vision which is also where we met the Doctor and his beyond adorable assistant. Both events transpired around me, and now you're stuck here in the very distant past of Equestria away from the rest of your friends and family. I just wanted to tell you that I regret that.”

“Why? Because I sure don't,” Stern Wing returned.

Feather Wind looked surprised.

“Well okay, maybe a little bit. I do miss my friends and family back home, but what I've gained in exchange for that is more than worth it. I have no regrets at all about saving the Orchard family other than the few weeks of medical recovery after that, but I've also discovered my cutie mark destiny on that adventure and I helped to save all of their lives. That is more than worth any inconveniences I suffered through at the time.

“As for this adventure, I got to see all kinds of fantastic places throughout all of time and space! This is an incredible adventure, and what makes it better is I got to do it with my nearest and dearest friend, whom I love.”

Stern Wing drew close and touched the Red Crystal hanging around Feather Wind's neck so she could pour her feelings into the crystal. While she did that, she said, “Please don't tell me that you regret traveling with me through all these places, because I sure don't. With every life I saved in every time and place we have ever gone through, that alone affirms the importance of my own life. My life is worth living because of every creature I helped to save, and the fact I did it over and over again just makes my life that much more worth living. I'm more than content, I'm downright happy! Sure, this situation is a bit of a downer, but I know we'll pull through together. I promised I would always protect you, remember?” Feather Wind nodded while his face drew to her chest. “I will admit, that promise has been more difficult to keep than I expected when I made that promise back then, but it's also been abundantly worth it.”

Feather Wind closed his eyes and relaxed against her broad and firm chest.

“Thank you for being there with me,” Feather Wind told her gratefully. “I promise I will do everything in my power to protect you too.”

xoxo

“Hold on!” Feather Wind flew to a stop then glowed silver as he suspended himself telekinetically. Stern Wing coasted to a stop then gave slow flaps downward to hold her place in the sky. Together they looked below at some kind of mining town. The sound of that town drifted in the winds which was what led the two of them to fly here. Upon closer examination, Feather Wind noticed something amiss. “That's not right.”

“What is it?” Stern Wing asked anxiously.

Suddenly Feather Wind looked about, then pointed at a cloud while saying, “Come with me. This way.” His cloak billowed as the winds picked up again which coasted him to the nearby clouds he indicated. Stern Wing followed him. Once they arrived, Feather Wind and Stern Wing landed on the cloud. Feather Wind got down and crawled on all fours until he peeked over the edge of the clouds. While Stern Wing still didn't know what this was all about yet, she followed suit.

Looking below, Feather Wind ignited his horn with a dim silvery aura. At that time a clear square window appeared in front of him that had several clear disks in front of that. As he concentrated, the length between the clear disks grew and some of them also spun about. While that happened, the view out the clear square window magnified, giving them both a closer visual inspection below at anything the lens of the disks were aimed at. Since this was a spell Stern Wing had observed before, she made no comment at that particular time. The last time he did it, however, she had remarked that between his visual magnification spell and wind eavesdropping, he would make a pretty good spy.

The sight they beheld beyond the magnified square window was alarming and horrifying, yet also mysterious for separate reasons. What stood out the most was this was a large mining town with carved out paths zigzagging along the side of a hill. Many holes were dug into it. The hills were mined by earth ponies in chains, and they looked miserable. The earth ponies were always linked to something or somepony else, be it a wall, a cart they pulled or to each other.

There was another species that monitored this work in the mining town. They were a canine species that stood upright, wore savage looking mismatched leather and often wielded a whip. Individually, none of them looked too bright either, but a lot of them looked somewhat brutish.

As for the ponies, besides the fact they looked obviously enslaved, there was something else unusual about them too. The more obvious differences about them was the fact that they were larger than Feather Wind or Stern Wing were accustomed to, and they had more elongated snouts.

Feather Wind's spell faded away as he gripped his head, seemingly attacked by a sudden headache. Concerned, Stern Wing asked what was wrong. After he recovered, he replied, “Vivid memories, and not my own.”

“Crystal Sage then, I take it?” Stern Wing guessed. “You've gotten occasional flashes and dreams of his life as your connection to the Red Crystal deepened.”

“That's true but, for once, I don't think this is Crystal Sage's memories this time. Close, but not quite. I'm pretty sure that, this time, it was King Sombra's and that was after his split from Crystal Sage too.”

“What?!” Stern Wing looked very disturbed. “You're getting flash memories from Sombra now? Does that mean he's getting your memories too?”

Feather Wind shook his head. “Sombra doesn't exist yet for many thousands of years. Besides, I think these memories kind of came from Crystal Sage anyway. He once told me he received occasional flash memories from his counterpart, and I think the one I just received was one of the memories that was sent to Crystal Sage first.”

Stern Wing looked down below, then shifted her eyes towards her friend. “What was the memory of anyway?”

“A large line of earth ponies locked together in a long iron chain. They drudged down below in misery as they moved in a large zigzag pattern while King Sombra stood overlooking all of this, he himself standing on a balcony with sickly, green flames lighting beside him. Sombra laughed out loud with evil triumph over this scenery.

“That's it. The memory ends there. It was just a few seconds long.”

“I can see the resemblance to this situation,” Stern Wing observed.

Feather Wind nodded in agreement then recreated the magnification window and lens beyond it. He focused onto to the scenery below him and shifted his view back and forth among those below.

“Wait a second. I saw something strange. Feather Wind, zoom up to the ponies' flanks. Any of them will do.” Feather Wind did as requested. “Ah ha! Just as I suspected. No cutie mark on that one, and he's well into his adult years.”

“This doesn't seem like an environment conducive to inner growth and self discovery necessary to awaken a cutie mark unless any of them happens to like mining or being enslaved,” Feather Wind commented. “Based on what I read about ancient history, however, I have another theory as to what's going on.”

“What is it?”

“Hold on.” Feather Wind continued to scan more and more of the earth ponies flanks. Example after example proved that they were all blank. Sometimes Feather Wind took a picture of it. When he did, the clear window flashed for a moment and a smaller copy of the image shifted to the bottom right corner. With each picture he took, another smaller copy was shifted to the bottom right on top of the last image. If Feather Wind later intended to keep a copy of those pictures, he would have to transfer it to another source such as the Red Crystal he wore on his neck. “Yeah. It's what I thought. Do you notice something else amiss about those earth ponies?”

“Um . . . besides being bigger, quite a bit more elongated at the snout and all of them not having a cutie mark, no. I don't see anything else . . . wait a second. I take that back. The fact that they are enslaved I count as amiss.” She narrowed her eyes when another theory came to her mind. “Hold on. Are there any mares among this group?”

“Yes, there are,” Feather Wind answered. “I saw a few. Hold on. Let me try to find them. Ah! Here. Oh, and over here. There's another one.”

Stern Wing shrugged. “Okay, so this group has both genders, though I think there are more stallions than mares here.” Stern Wing shifted her eyes to her friend. “Why do you ask? What else do you see amiss about them?”

“For one thing, look at their color schemes. What do you see?”

“Mostly earthy hues,” Stern Wing answered fairly casually. “Browns, whites, blacks. That sort of thing. Some of them have mixed spots of those three colors.”

“Yeah, but no pink or purple or green or lavender or blue,” Feather Wind pointed out. “Same thing with their mane. It also lacks the brighter colors.”

“Yeah. So?” Stern Wing said with a careless shrug.

Feather Wind released a long breath then said, “If my theory is correct, as well as the scrolls I've read about ancient ponies, you will not find such colors among any of them because this is the time period before the rise of magic, or rather to say it is just beginning to bud. If you go back far enough then ponies won't be any more intelligent than basic animals. That's why you are not seeing any colorful colors here, and that's why you won't find any cutie marks among any of them either. That art has not been discovered yet. Furthermore, if this is the time period before the rise of cutie marks, then there is something else you won't encounter in this era.”

“Which is?” Stern Wing pressed.

“I'll give you a strong hint.” Feather Wind looked at his friend. “The thing that's missing here is what we represent.”

“Um . . . pegasi and unicorns?” Stern Wing made a logical guess due to the example they represented and something she had not seen below so far.

“Right.” Feather Wind nodded. “It's because our species have not evolved yet at all.”

Stern Wing shot her friend a wide-eyed look. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.” Feather Wind looked below again. “Of the three breeds, the earth ponies came first. It took regular exposure to magic for the other two to eventually evolve. A lot of ancient archaeological artifacts we discovered attest to this. There are no ancient cave paintings of unicorns or pegasi because, back then, they did not exist. We are looking at a time era here where our breeds had not evolved yet.”

“That's going to make interacting with them more interesting,” Stern Wing realized.

“There's more,” Feather Wind went on. “Ponies from that far back do not speak the same language as the ponies from our era, nor did they speak Old Ponish. Instead they speak Ancient Ponish, and we hardly have any writings that lasted this long to translate that. Any records from this far back come mostly in the form of the objects they crafted lucky enough to survive about forty-thousand years as well as cave paintings.”

Stern Wing widened her eyes. “And the TARDIS is not here to help translate for us!”

“Right.” Feather Wind nodded. “Fortunately, I've come somewhat prepared for that. Ever since we traveled with the Doctor and I realized that other alien civilizations did not actually speak our language and it was the TARDIS translating for us, I realized the potential necessity to invent a spell that would help translate languages for us just in case the TARDIS stopped becoming available at some time. Communication is a very important skill, after all, and one I did not wish to risk losing in the potential case of the TARDIS's absence. Accordingly, I went into the virtual library inside this gem and did some research to invent a new spell that would help me translate foreign languages. Crystal Sage also helped me out with that a little bit.”

“Please tell me you were successful,” Stern Wing begged hopefully.

“Yes, I believe I've mastered it but, to maintain the spell, it takes concentration which means my horn will remain alight during the spell which will, in turn, tip them off as to my difference. It also makes it harder to cast any other spell that also takes concentration, such as basic telekinesis. In addition, if that concentration gets disrupted for any reason, I'll need to recast the spell and hold it in order for those benefits to resume again. If we're going to be here for a very long time, however, I recommend we actually learn their language permanently. For now the spell will do.”

Stern Wing pushed up with her forelegs into a straight sitting position as she looked at her friend sternly. “Considering this situation, you know I can't ignore this, right?”

“No. I know you can't.” Feather Wind looked at her. “Trust me, I sympathize too, so I won't stand in your way. All I ask is that we do a little more recon before we push for any drastic action. As soon as our presence is known and they also know what we are, that will be a line we can never uncross again.”

“You don't have to come with me,” Stern Wing offered.

“Yes, I do,” Feather Wind insisted as he also sat up straight. “I'm not leaving your side.” That comment made Stern Wing smile. “You'll need me to help translate their messages anyway. As for this situation,” he looked over the edge of the cloud again in a downward direction, “I'll push the cloud over the hill and lower it. We can sneak off the cloud beyond their sight. At that point I'll give you my cloak so you can use it to conceal your wings.”

Stern Wing gave her friend a quizzical look. “That cloak looks like it's made of thick clouds that's constantly leaking down mist with occasional flashes of lightning. I think it's going to stand out about as much as my wings would have. Possibly more so.”

“Not if I cover it with dirt,” Feather Wind said to her with a sly sidewards glance to her.

“Oh! I suppose that could work. Won't that get it dirty, though? Will it still help you to fly later?”

Feather Wind shrugged carelessly. “It'll be a little weighed down but I can still use it to take off. Besides, I can summon rain and winds to help wash it off later. I have other spells too that could help as well if need be.”

“What about your horn? That will stand out as well, especially if it keeps glowing while you use it to translate for us.”

“I'll create a helmet with my crystal magic. If you'll note, some of the earth ponies are wearing helms too. I won't stand out much for wearing one as well. I'll make it a dark hue color to blend in more as a kind of rock.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

xoxo

{It was a plan alright. A flawed plan that had several holes in it. Sure, there would have been more flaws if it weren't for the precautions we took, but it did not cover everything. For instance, no pony wanted to talk to either of us. It was as if they felt afraid to do so, else they might get whipped. For those who happened to glance at us usually did a double-take because there was enough difference in our facial configuration and coloration to be very noticeable, especially in my case. Also, while I would not call your mother small by any means, all of the other earth ponies around us was a little bigger than her if they were full adults. As for me, they probably mistook me for a foal, and a runt at that.

{The one species that did speak to us, however, were the dog taskmasters, and your mother did not care for what they had to say one bit.}

“Hey!” a humanoid dog cracked a whip at Feather Wind's and Stern Wing's direction as he approached. The dog successfully got the attention of them both, but not the kind of attention he hoped for or expected. “Horses work, not talk! Get precious gems. Yes, yes. Hurry, hurry. Chop-chop.”

“Make me!” Stern Wing spat with a hard narrow stare at the dog taskmaster.

“Hey! Get back to work!” He cracked the whip much closer but Stern Wing didn't even flinch. Once he stood closer, he noticed something else amiss. “Hey! Where's your collar and chain? Who broke you out?”

“It was never on me to begin with,” Stern Wing reported honestly, “and if you want to get it on me, you're going to have to work very hard for it.”

The dog creature looked upset. “Insolent horse! I hate you! Me beat you now!” Since he stood close enough to actually strike her this time, he cracked his whip at her with the intention to strike her, but she lifted her left leg and caught the whip. It wrapped around her left leg and she held it aloft.

“You're going to beat me?” Stern Wing asked defiantly. “You'll have to try a lot harder than that.”

“Hey!” the dog yipped in complaint. “Horse let go of whip so me beat you now.”

“You first!” Stern Wing growled defiantly then used her own grip on the whip to yank the dog creature stumbling forward. When he got in range, Stern Wing slugged him hard in the face. He was sent spinning back several feet, spreading dog slobber about as he spun back before tripping and falling down away from her direction. He then crawled back several more feet, stunned and fearful of her. Stern Wing used her grip on the whip to toss it down to her side. She then rose to her hind legs then stomped down her forward legs hard on the ground. “Let me get something very straight with you! Neither you nor any other creature is going to touch me or put on chains or collars on me without a fight! If you are determined enough to try, then we are throwing hooves. You understand me?”

“Bad horse! It's a very bad horse!” the dog creature cried out fearfully as he kept crawling back and, while he did that, Stern Wing matched him step for step and thus keeping their distance between each other fixed.

“Only to bullies like you!” Stern Wing promised harshly.

The dog creature howled up in the air. Stern Wing almost slugged him for that but then suddenly realized this could be a good thing, so she backed off and allowed him to summon the rest of his pack just so that she could leave a better impression to a larger audience. Sure enough, the howl was picked up by several others. They used it to home in on the initial call. It only took a few minutes for twelve more to gather. When they did, they circled around Stern Wing who looked back and forth among them sharply through a narrow eye stare.

“What trouble here?” another one of the dog creatures, a taller and darker toned one who wore a collar with spikes on it, asked aloud in a deeper, gruffer tone. Since he looked to be the largest of the gathered pack and he spoke first, one could assume he was the leader of this gathered bunch.

“She is!” the initial one in the mismatched leather called while pointing accusingly at Stern Wing. “She not work! She grab whip! She beat me!”

“She is not finished making an example of you!” Stern Wing added menacingly.

“She talk back!” the mismatched leather dog went on. “She talk at all! Horse that talks! Insolent horse! Stupid, stupid horse!”

“Well,” the tall black dog with the spike collar wrapped his whip around his other paw tightly enough to make it creak. “We best make example of stupid horse!”

“You're welcome to try,” Stern Wing said aloud without looking at any one of them. “Feather Wind . . . take your cloak back.” Stern Wing grabbed it with one of her hidden wings and thrust it upwards. In mid air a freak wind blew and caught the cloak which brought it back to Feather Wind who caught it then quickly put it on. Notably, its size fit him much better than Stern Wing anyway. After taking off the cloak, Stern Wing spread her brown wings with black tips boldly and proudly. This demonstration made the dogs about her hesitate with shock.

“Horse with wings!” the dog in mismatched leather yelped in astonishment.

“Get her!” cried the tall black dog. Upon saying that, the circle of dogs about her closed in from all sides. Stern Wing, meanwhile, bent down then leapt up into the air. A single flap of her large wings shot her into the air much faster but she did not sail off far enough to disappear. Because she was no longer between them, however, the dogs paused in their charge. Up in the air, Stern Wing curved back, looped over then dove back to the ring of humanoid dogs. Upon arrival, she snatched up the one she initially had a confrontation with and flew off with him in the air.

“Put me down! Put me down this instant!” the dog in mismatched leather yelped, startled.

“If you insist,” Stern Wing said after she flew over a quarry then deposited him high above it. That dog cried out as he fell. In the unlikely event he survived that fall, he would be very gravely injured considering the height and the hard, uneven rocky surfaces he would have landed upon.

Swinging back with a sudden wing-over maneuver, Stern Wing dove back to the ring of dogs. As she closed in on them, she flipped about to aim one hind leg at what she perceived to be the leader of the remaining ring of dogs. That leg sank into his face with sickening cracking sounds which collapsed his skull and bent his face inward, after which the kick sailed him away, twitching.

“Come and get me, boys!” Stern Wing dared after she landed. “I will target the next one who gets closest to me. When you do, you might fare as well as this one had.”

The remaining dogs glanced at each other then they all ran away. They ran so fast that they ran on all fours, abandoning their weapons in the process.

A cheer arose from all the earth ponies around them who witnessed this stunning event.

xoxo

{On that day we managed to scare off the few dog creatures that were in the area and freed the earth ponies who were also willing to be liberated, but the next day proved we had more of a fight on our hooves than one little scuffle. It turned out those dog creatures who fled the mines and the quarry only did so to summon the rest of the pack, and it was quite a bit larger than most of us were expecting. The earth ponies we rescued had some idea how many there truly were but not to this degree. Hundreds, almost a thousand of the dog creatures returned with a sizable army. I knew we could still deal with them, but we'd have to change tactics compared to yesterday. This time it was my turn to step forward and give an ultimatum.

{I used magic to project my voice into a boom in order to be heard by all of them. I warned them to back off but, as I expected, my small stature didn't prove that intimidating to them at first. Flying up into the air and summoning a storm cloud, on the other hoof, left a deeper impression. I caused the storm cloud to rain upon them which, at first, only mystified them. After that I asked them if any of them knew what happens to water when it's struck by a bolt of lightning. To prove I could carry through with that threat, I had a bolt of lightning shot down into a miniature storm cloud I had in front of my hoof. Lightning constantly crackled in that mini cloud after it was shot with a larger lightning bolt from above. While holding that lightning close to me, I dared them to approach so they could find out for themselves.

{At that point they'd had enough and started to flee again. At first I thought I heard the end of it for that day so I dissipated the cloud with lightning in it, secretly relieved that I didn't have to use this after all.

{But one hour later I heard a horn in the distance that drew my attention back west. It continued to blow for a while and, while it did, it held my attention. They were up to something. I could just feel it, but I had no idea the scope of what they were trying to summon.

{It turned out it was their true boss.}

A thunderous roar across the sky drew Feather Wind's attention skyward. His jaw slowly dropped as his eyes widened in shock when he beheld a shadow of a gigantic dragon descend from above. It was first visible only as a silhouette through the clouds above before it broke through that and dragged the clouds down with its enormous body, seeming to rip even the clouds asunder in doing so. When the dragon finally hit the ground, it was large enough to cause a localized earthquake. Facing the dragon from the front, it was actually difficult to see the tip of the tail at the other end due to the great distance.

“MEET THE BOSS, MATE!” called a large dog creature from on top of the dragon's head. He had to shout very hard to be heard from that high up. “HIS NAME IS FANG, AND HE HAS SOME WORDS FOR ALL OF YOU!”

Feather Wind swallowed his nervousness and flew up to the dragon's face to be more visible. “WHAT DO YOU WANT?” Feather Wind asked in a magically projected voice in order to be better heard. He figured he should establish dialogue to help calm things down and see what he could work with.

The dragon replied with a huge burst of flame erupting from its mouth. Feather Wind defended himself by conjuring a cyclone ball around him which whirled the fire around him but it was so powerful it went around his barrier and toasted several homes and ponies behind him. When the dragon finally stopped, the whirlwind around Feather Wind calmed down. He looked behind him and saw several earth ponies had just been killed, the very same earth ponies he swore to defend not long ago.

At first Feather Wind looked over his shoulder in horror at the earth ponies that died not far behind him, but then he slowly turned his gaze toward the dragon while his head shook slightly which lightly revealed the raging torrent he felt inwardly which was stronger than he ever felt before. He narrowed his eyes at the dragon with focused fury then, after that, he flew further up.

“Fine then!” He hissed at the dragon through tightly clenched teeth. “If that's the way you want to play it, then COME AND GET ME!” he roared then shot a focused magical beam blast right at the dragon's neck but grew momentarily startled to notice the beam had absolutely no effect due to the dragon's really thick hide. He even saw the dragon give a cocky grin since the dragon realized he was immune to such a paltry beam.

But Feather Wind recovered quickly with a plan. This time, as Feather Wind flew off past the dragon, he shot another beam at it, this time aiming at the dragon's right eye and he almost hit it but the dragon closed the eyelid at the last second and, aside from that, the aim was a little off, hitting just to the right of the right eye instead but at least he secured the attention of the dragon which he used to lure its head away from the other ponies.

Feather Wind flew back into the open valley. He stopped for a moment as his body flared with a red aura while he hovered there. He also aimed a hoof down at the earth below. A giant spike made of red jagged crystal erupted from the earth and continued to grow upwards, eventually towering fifty feet off the ground. The spike was much larger at the base than it was at the tip, looking something like a giant red stalagmite. Smaller spikes also grew off the larger spike, kind of like branches extending off a tree or a lightning bolt frozen in time. While the spike grew, both of Feather Wind's hooves trembled constantly due to the enormous strain of channeling that much magical energy through his body.

When the dragon nearly caught up to him, Feather Wind flew straight upwards but not too fast because he wanted the dragon to follow him. Curiously, the dragon entirely ignored the giant red crystal stalagmite. That was literally a fatal mistake, and also a bit surprising since Feather Wind thought dragons like to eat gems. What he just conjured was likely a bigger gem than all the combined gems it ever gained in its lifetime, and this was a very ancient dragon.

Feather Wind kept flying skywards and maintained just enough distance to keep out of what he suspected was the dragon's breath weapon range. During that time, the large dog creature on top of the dragon barely clung onto the dragon's head due to the ripping speed of of the wind caused by their rapid ascent, and he yelped tightly due to the strain of that effort. Since the wind was brushing hard against his face due to their rapid ascent, he figured that was another factor that would limit the dragon's breath weapon range. Feather Wind also eyed below him carefully to make sure the giant spike he created was directly below the dragon. If it wasn't, he course corrected himself up in the air. Since the dragon was chasing him, it corrected its flight below him as well and, in doing so, aligned its body directly above the giant spike.

“I'm sorry,” Feather Wind called down to the dragon in genuine remorse mixed with lingering fury. “I'm so, so sorry, but you leave me no choice.” He then shot above way too fast for the dragon to keep up which caused it to stop trying. Instead it paused and hovered in the air, bewildered that the pony he was chasing suddenly had the ability to accelerate faster than an arrow shot from a bow and left a cloud trail tracing a line all the way beyond sight in the atmosphere.

During that time, the dog creature collapsed on the dragon's head and panted in exhaustion.

Hovering in place, the dragon widened its eyes when it noticed the sky above gather clouds then started spinning. A tornado descended down from above far too fast to be natural. Feather Wind came down in the center of it, but not in the lead. The tornado descended ahead of him. As he descended with it, he roared at the top of his lungs, channeling all of his raw savage fury into nature around him to get it to smack the dragon down with full force.

The tip of the tornado plunged into the dragon. Not even a creature that large could resist the might of nature when its hammer came down on him in full force. Also the dog creature was flung away from the top of the dragon's head, never to be seen again from Feather Wind's perspective. The dragon ended up spinning really fast as it plunged downward straight through the crystal spike. As the dragon continued to be plunged downward, it widened the hole in its chest more and more because the spike widened out at the base. The dragon was still spinning as he plunged through the spike like a reversed drill, and the spike had many more jagged spikes on the spike as well which was torn off and circulated inside the dragon's body which tore up his innards even further. This process continued until the dragon was pushed all the way down to the ground with a hole so gigantic in its chest area it practically encompassed seventy percent of its entire torso despite its enormous size.

Feather Wind landed near the impaled giant corpse and stared at in a long moment of silence with lingering simmering fury that quickly cooled off with regret at this necessity. He then bowed his head in remorse over what he had done. While that happened, Stern Wing landed beside him.

“I can't believe you did that!” Stern Wing exclaimed to her friend in amazement. “That was an elder dragon, one who was probably thousands upon thousands of years old and you just took him out all by yourself! Feather Wind, you're amazing! After all this time, you still amaze me! That's passing up some previously very high standards too.”

“But I killed him,” Feather Wind said sadly. “I can't help but feel like the Doctor would have found a better way to hoofle this.”

“That was an elder dragon intent on retribution and slaughter. I doubt even the Doctor would have found a better solution than this and, even if he could, it might be through resources that you don't have access to. Also recall, he actually has failed to save some lives many times before, victims and villains alike. He regrets it too every time, but that doesn't mean either of you could have done better if given the chance. No matter how much experience either of you have, you don't always have the time to stop and think of the perfect solution to every problem exactly when it occurs, and when you're dealing with opponents like this, their stubborn streak may limit your options very drastically.

“I know you feel sad for the dragon, but remember all the ponies you also saved today. Not only save them, but helped to free them.”

Adding that last point reminded Feather Wind of them. He looked over his shoulder at the cheering crowd because this victory helped them to secure their freedom. That did make him feel a little better, but a little bitter too because he also knew they celebrated the death of the dragon. They celebrated the misery of another because that individual would have continued to impose misery upon them. While understandable, it also felt a little wrong to him.

{It was at that moment the reality of how savage a time period we were in more fully sank into me. In such a primitive time, maiming and killing was more quickly considered as a resort but, back when I came from, violence to this degree was rare enough to be considered extremely traumatizing if it happened. I mean, I came from a time when the Wonderbolts honestly considered a chocolate cherry cake with custard filling and buttercream frosting rosettes to be considered an actual weapon in warfare. Some of the Bolts actually had post traumatic stress disorder at the thought of wasting such delicious cake by dropping it from the sky like a bomb at a rampaging hoard of bisons versus yaks in an attempt to get them to break up the fight so they could settle this with a peaceful talk. The horror of all of that delicious cake dripping on the battlefield gave some of the Bolts nightmares for weeks.}

“'Spose we have to deal with them,” Feather Wind figured.

“Well, we did just help liberate their society. What's the next step? Also, it's no use concealing our races anymore. I think we made it pretty clear what we are at this point.”

Feather Wind sighed in misery as he hung his head down. “They probably think we're gods now.”

{It turned out I was totally right. The liberated earth ponies called me 'Storm God' ever since that day, and they called Stern Wing 'Guardian Angel'. I kind of liked their nickname for Stern Wing. On her, it was pretty appropriate and had a nice ring to it, but I felt very uncomfortable about their nickname for me, especially considering the fact that they honestly did think I was a genuine god. It was pretty hard to convince them otherwise on this point. In their world, magic did not exist yet for the earth ponies, and the closest thing the antagonists had to magic was the fire the dragon breathed. Since they could not understand the force I tapped into, it was easier for them to call it a supernatural force that was called upon by a higher dimensional being, a.k.a., a god. I could tell them they were wrong till I was blue in the face. Well, bluer at any rate. It would do nothing to change what they convinced themselves of. Since that was the only explanation they could understand, it was the only one they would accept even if I told them otherwise. At first I tried to tell them otherwise but it quickly occurred to me how futile that effort was.

{I was smart enough to foresee where this pattern was leading and why it was on that track. Because of that, I wanted out of there as soon as possible but, before leaving, I also told them to call out the name 'Feather Wind' to the wind and whisper a message for me if they ever got into trouble again. That way I'll be alerted to any potential problem of theirs without having to remain with them and continue to guard them personally.

{Of course, even as I told them that, I also figured out how their minds would translate that message. To their ears, it must have sounded something like, 'If you call out my true name, Feather Wind, to the wind and pray with all of your might and if you have enough faith in your heart, I might consider bailing you out again if I deem you lowly and pathetic mortals worthy of salvation.'

{I had uncomfortable flashbacks in that moment of Searing Wind teasing me about unicorn supremacy all over again. I hate being put on a pedestal! It's bad enough when I occasionally become the center of attention, but that kind of attention only makes me feel more isolated. I don't care if others feel if it's a compliment or an insult. I just want to be treated like everypony else.

{After leaving them, I convinced your mother to land on top of a cloud with me quite a distance from the newly liberated earth ponies, and it was there we had a heart to heart talk. One like many before or since.}

“Tell me what's wrong,” Stern Wing prompted, the first to speak between the two after they landed.

“I keep thinking about what happened with the dragon over and over again in my mind. I can't figure out a way I could have hoofled it better, but I feel really guilty for killing him.” Feather Wind looked over his right shoulder at his friend. Stern Wing, for her part, crawled forward to her friend's side and draped a wing protectively over him, also using it to pull him close to her side. “I feel especially guilty that I used the sky to do it,” he went on. “That is an element all life depends upon for continued existence. I know it's going to sound strange but, since I am one with the sky, I feel like I betrayed the dragon's trust by using the sky against it. I used something that was supposed to be shared equally with all life on the planet. Bringing the wrath of all of nature crashing down on that dragon, that was not fair.”

“But you are one with the sky, and it trusted you with this power,” Stern Wing pointed out. “I don't think you were given this power so you could not use it. By using this power, you're just being yourself.”

Feather Wind shook his head. “But it was wrong of me to use the sky against this creature, or any creature for that matter. I trusted my instincts when I leapt off a cliff and the wind told me it would catch me. Now my instincts are telling me what I've done is wrong. Maybe the reason I have this power is because I'm the least inclined to abuse it. Using the wind to assist other creatures and make their lives more comfortable is okay, but using it as a weapon . . . I vow to myself on this night I shall not use this power offensively again.”

Stern Wing was quiet for a moment as she used that time to formulate her words, then she spoke with the same kind of wise cutting power that sometimes surprises other ponies. “In that case, let me ask you this: If you had the power to travel back in time and do that encounter all over again, what would you do differently? Recall you were dealing with an angry elder dragon. He just breathed fire and killed a bunch of innocent ponies and thereby proving his intent was extremely hostile. He seems to have focused his rage on you in particular since you seem to be the primary instigator of his slaves' liberation.

“You can't control his actions, just your own. You could try blasting him with a beam of magical energy but, since I'm asking you to repeat this scenario by time traveling into the past, you already know that will do nothing more than annoy him since his scales are far too thick to be affected by such magic. If you maintain your vow not to use the sky against him, then what would you have done instead?

“If you fly away faster then he can't catch up to you. That may motivate him to turn around and continue his wrath against the other earth ponies instead. I, of course, would have done everything I could to defend them, probably to the bitter end in this case. This is an elder dragon we're talking about here. Let's not kid ourselves. I'd most likely be killed and a bunch of other earth ponies would be killed. The survivors would be enslaved again. If you continue to fight the dragon using your own magic then you might be killed and, again, he'd resume his wrath against the others until they are all killed or enslaved again. He's obviously in no mood to talk. He even ignored the giant crystal spike you erected even though it could technically be considered a beneficial food source for him. He's just mad at you beyond all reason. So, considering all the alternatives, what would you have done differently?”

Stern Wing was silent for awhile as she let her friend digest that question but, after several minutes of silence, it was clear he could not come up with a helpful alternative, so Stern Wing resumed her point.

“If you cannot think of a better alternative, then it might be wise to consider weather control as an option remaining on the table against your future enemies. Some creatures you might face in the future might be just as powerful, angry and dangerous as that dragon. If you get stuck in a corner like that again and your greatest asset is the only way to win against what is otherwise impossible odds, then you need to keep it as an option. It's okay to use it as a last resort, and it's okay to feel bad if you're forced to use it offensively, but you do have this power and need to take responsibility for it.

“I do not think you were granted this power to do nothing with it. That's just wasteful. Limiting yourself to using this power only for comfort is a considerate thought but occasionally you may face another emergency where it becomes your final and best weapon again.

“Many times throughout time every other pony who faced this same situation and did not have access to a power like yours, what they did was simply die. Unable to cope against the face of such overwhelming power and rage, they were totally defeated by it. At least you have this option. If it makes you feel uncomfortable then, by all means, limit its usage as much as you feel you need to, but don't wipe it off the table entirely. You have a great deal of other powers and training at your disposal. If any of them work instead then, by all means, do so. I just don't want you to avoid this option when all other alternate paths are closed to you. If it truly is the last resort then use it. Either that or let yourself and everypony in danger die.

“Also recall this . . . nature itself is not clean of sin. Storms sometimes happen at inconvenient times, even when it's carefully monitored by weather control ponies. On the occasion when the weather is wild and untamed, it will sometimes kill. If nature itself is willing to go that far and you are a part of it, then you should be equally willing to do whatever you must.

“In your case, you also have sentience and a conscience. Since you have it then, by all means, use it to the best of your ability, but don't let that alone limit your options. Instead, consider all the facts as life presents it then make the best decision you can in each and every possible moment. That's the best any of the rest of us can do as well.”

Feather Wind sighed. “I suppose you are right. I still feel sorry for the dragon. It wasn't fair for him to face me and get crushed by somepony who could use all the power of nature itself against it. The very same nature it always depended on to live all along. What if we were to face a power like that and I didn't have this power? Then it wouldn't be fair to us either.”

“You're right. It's not fair. It wasn't fair when the dragon's power was used against those earth ponies either. You used your power to help save them at the dragon's expense. That was your choice and you'll have to learn to live with it. When you face a situation like this again then you'll have to deal with that.

“The Doctor has faced dilemma's like this for centuries. It isn't fair for us to rely on him all the time. He didn't do anything to deserve that kind of a burden without a break. His TARDIS keeps on delivering him to places and times where he is needed, but do you know why it isn't constantly delivering him to every place at every second throughout all of time? It is because there really are other heroes like him out there who also do what is needed of them in their own place and time. If the problem has the ability to solve itself then the Doctor doesn't show up because he doesn't need to, and that is fair. Sharing the burdens and responsibilities of life is exactly what we must do instead of transferring it all to him all the time. He may be selfless enough to be willing to accept that responsibility and burden, but that still doesn't make it right when there are alternatives. If he's the only one constantly exposed to danger then eventually it really will kill him for good, and then who will pick up the torch?

“Well to that question, I ask another; why wait until it's too late? Help him out now by doing our own parts in life. By dividing the burden equally and fairly, we also divide the danger. What is left for him will therefore become more manageable. In gratitude for all that he's done for us so far and even going out of his way to skip the credit for it, it's the least we can do for him.”

“And if he was faced with darkness constantly and without a fair break, there is another way for it to defeat him,” Feather Wind realized. “Without help, it could corrupt his own hearts as well. Considering how effective he has been as a hero, imagine how much trouble we'd all be if he got corrupted into a villain. With the ability to travel all of time and space, he could defeat any of us before any of us were even born.”

“Exactly, so then you agree that it's fair for us to divide the burden for him.

“Also, consider all the mentors you've had in your life. Your father, your uncle, my cousin, the Wonderbolts, Crystal Sage, and the Doctor. Each of these amazing ponies contributed some special training in your life. Do you really think they would be proud of you if you took all that power and training and did nothing with it?

“I mean, you could. You are just as capable of choosing darkness as the light with that power. Since you do have it, it's wise to give it some forethought in what kind of life you wish to lead with it. Since you are capable of doing something most ponies could not, what will you do when others have a chance to look up to you? It's our chance to shine now, and I think we would do honor to those who helped to train us by following their heroic example.”

“You forgot one.”

“Hmm?”

“You,” Feather Wind pointed out. “You are also one of my many blessed mentors. I look up to you as well. Your bravery, kindness, and strong spirit has been inspiring to me and I'm not likely the only one who thinks so. I'm grateful for all that you've given me as well. Even now, you're trying to teach me, and it's working.” Feather Wind reached up with his face and kissed the side of Stern Wing's cheek, making her blush. After that the two of them snuggled closely together.