by Chant, Zoe
“Hector, what you need to do is rest,” she said, but Hector just shook his head.
“If I don’t call in, we’ll still be here when Cecelia comes around. And then we’ll really have a prob–”
Hector’s words were cut off by a sudden flash of brilliant white light. Myrtle gasped, throwing her hands up to protect her eyes.
Oh for the love of God, what now?!
Fear flashed through her at the thought that this was something to do with Cecelia – that somehow she’d woken in a flash of light, and this time, she was pissed.
Myrtle’s hands shook, and she prepared to clutch Ruby to her chest and run, her adrenal gland kicking into gear – but in the next moment, any thought of Cecelia was wiped utterly from her mind.
Because there, hovering in mid-air above the wrecked stairwell doorway, were two pegasi.
Myrtle stared at them, open-mouthed. There were pure white, just like Ruby, their manes and tails long and silvery. Their wings flapped gently as they guided themselves down to the roof, silver hooves tapping softly on the concrete. They seemed somehow to be wreathed in an unearthly halo of light.
They were the most beautiful things that Myrtle had ever seen.
Their legs were long, slender, and perfectly proportioned, their necks arching elegantly. Their wings – whiter than the wings of doves – folded neatly by their sides, as they turned their heads, looking around them.
It was then that Myrtle noticed them: the slender golden horns both the pegasi had growing from the middle of their foreheads.
Just like the one Ruby has now, Myrtle thought. But I’m sure pegasi don’t have horns – that’s unicorns. What the hell is it that has both wings and a horn?
She realized this was all a little beside the point, but she was too exhausted, too utterly wrung out by fear to even wonder why they had appeared, or what they might want. Beside her, she felt Hector tense.
Fear flashed through Myrtle.
“Who –” she started to ask, before she was cut off.
“Mee-eeeh!”
Ruby let out a sudden whinny, flapping her wings and rising out of Myrtle’s arms into the air. Myrtle wanted to hold her back, fear still making her act on reflex, but Ruby was gone in an instant, zooming her way over to where the two were waiting for her.
Almost as if they know her, Myrtle thought, realization suddenly bolting through her brain.
As she watched, Ruby approached them, whinnying joyfully. She landed before them, prancing about their hooves, gazing up into their faces. Myrtle watched as the slightly smaller of the two pegasi lowered its head, nuzzling Ruby softly in a gesture of infinite tenderness.
Are they… her parents?
Myrtle gaped, her mind blank in shock, as the two pegasi suddenly began to change, their bodies moving gently from their winged horse forms to something more human.
Something more human was as close as Myrtle could get right now, because the two people in front of her were far more beautiful than any other human she’d seen before in her life. The woman’s long blonde hair fell past her shoulders, while the man’s skimmed his jawline, and they were both perfectly graceful in the way they moved and held themselves.
Is that what Ruby will look like, when she takes her human form? Myrtle wondered vaguely as she stared at them.
“Who are you?” Hector’s voice was suspicious, now that he seemed to have collected himself enough to speak.
The two newcomers stared at him without answering for a long moment, almost as if they were sizing him up before deciding whether to speak. Beside them, Ruby let out a small whinny, and they cocked their heads as if assessing what she’d just said.
“Our names are Tassos and Aleta,” the man said finally. “We’ve come to collect the child.”
“The –” Hector said, before apparently realizing who they meant. “Ruby?”
“Is that the name you have given her?” It was Aleta who spoke this time. “Very well. It is not what we would have chosen, but once we alicorns have received our names, we cannot change them.”
Oh, like an RPG, Myrtle thought, though she realized what a completely inane thought it was.
“Are you her parents?” Myrtle asked in a shaking voice, watching as Ruby lifted herself on her wings to fly in circles around Aleta’s hand, clearly dizzy with joy.
“Yes,” Aleta replied, “in the sense that every adult alicorn is the parent of every child. It has always been this way, but in any case, there are too few of us left now to make any distinctions.”
An alicorn.
Aleta had called them alicorns twice now.
That must be what they are. Winged unicorns.
That would explain the tiny horn that had suddenly grown on Ruby’s forehead. Perhaps it also explained the powers she’d displayed that Hector had said he’d never heard of pegasi having. She’d been an alicorn all along, and clearly, they had quite different abilities.
“Few?” Hector’s voice was low and surprised. “I thought there were none of you left – pegasi, alicorns, unicorns – you haven’t existed in centuries.”
Tassos shook his head. “That’s not quite true. We’ve simply decided to keep ourselves as secret as possible from the world. For centuries, humans and shifters alike have tried to use our powers for their own gain – and we decided we had had enough. Our existence is a secret to all but a few. It’s easier this way. For us, and for them.”
Tassos’s voice was soft and didn’t contain any anger, but Myrtle felt an indignant lump rising in her throat anyway. But Tassos was clearly telling the truth – Hector had seemed completely convinced that pegasi no longer existed in the world.
What must have happened to convince them that hiding themselves from everyone is the only way they can live? Myrtle wondered, even as she realized that perhaps, they were right.
Cecelia and her men had been trying to do exactly what Tassos said – using Ruby for her powers. They had wanted to raise her to do their bidding, without any free will of her own.
If Ruby doesn’t hide herself, will she have to deal with the same thing all her life? Will she ever be safe?
“But – but why was Ruby on her own, then?” Myrtle blurted out. “If pega– I mean, if alicorns decided they needed to hide in order to be safe, then how come she was left by herself?”
Tassos and Aleta were silent for a moment, before Aleta began to speak. “Our ancestors tried to find all of the unhatched eggs when they decided that they should hide themselves. But some – like Ruby’s egg – had powerful magic protecting them. We’ve always known there might be more of us out there, but we only sensed her presence now because she had hatched and was in enough danger to use powers she shouldn’t have developed yet.”
Myrtle shifted her gaze to where Ruby stood by Aleta’s side – at the tiny golden horn on her head.
“That she shouldn’t have used yet?” she asked.
Tassos nodded. “An alicorn’s magic is strong, and it can be dangerous. Alicorns need to train before they can successfully wield it. But Ruby here…”
Myrtle sensed Hector tense. “Has she hurt herself?”
Alarm spread through her chest. Ruby didn’t seem to be in any distress, but oh God, what if, in saving them, she had hurt herself somehow?
“Ruby –” she started to say, her voice catching, as Aleta leaned down, and Ruby fluttered into her hands.
“Let’s look at you, little one,” Aleta said, her long, slender, elegant fingers holding Ruby carefully. She closed her eyes briefly, a look of concentration passing over her face.
Myrtle glanced at Hector, and found her own tense thoughts reflected on his face.
Aleta’s eyes opened, and she frowned.
“Is Ruby all right?”
Hector’s voice was rough, and Myrtle could hear the concern he was trying to keep at bay in it.
“She is… not hurt,” Aleta said. “But I fear that by using her magic now before she really knew how, she may have… changed herself.”<
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“All right, but what does that mean?” Hector demanded, his fists clenched by his sides. Myrtle could see the pain in his eyes – feel how responsible he felt for whatever Aleta thought had happened to Ruby. Myrtle reached up, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Calm down, she tried to tell him. Let them explain.
“As we said, alicorn magic is powerful,” Tassos broke in. “It’s true we have healing powers, but the magic we sensed here… it was beyond anything we’d normally have the ability to create.”
Myrtle blinked. “Are you saying that Ruby… did something you thought was impossible?”
She stared at the little alicorn. Was her will to heal Hector so strong that she created a more powerful magic than Tassos and Aleta have seen before?
“Not impossible,” Tassos said. “But… rare, and dangerous. By using it so early and without knowing what she was doing, Ruby may have prevented herself from developing her full powers later in life.”
Aleta nodded. “I don’t sense much magic in her anymore. In using such powerful magic too soon, she may have permanently lost her abilities.”
Myrtle swallowed, feeling something in her stomach curdle. But at the same time, she realized there had been no other choice: without Ruby’s intervention, Hector would be dead right now, and she and Ruby would be prisoners.
Don’t blame yourself, she thought, looking at Hector. She hoped he wouldn’t, but she was pretty sure he would anyway – though she was certain that Ruby would never blame him for what had happened.
“We thank you for keeping her safe before we found her,” Aleta said, turning her eyes to Cecelia’s massive, unconscious form, her lip twitching. “As you can see, the life of an alicorn can be dangerous. We need to keep ourselves hidden.”
“Was this… person hoping to use Ruby’s powers for herself?” Tassos asked, a note of scorn in his voice as he looked at Cecelia.
Hector nodded. “That’s what she wanted – she and her organization. They were trying to get Ruby’s powers to control governments, and make laws to suit themselves.”
Aleta’s eyes flashed angrily. “Then this woman knows about us. That can’t be allowed to stand.”
She nodded to Tassos, who returned her nod. Walking over to where Cecelia lay, he reached out a hand.
“Wait – what’re you doing?” Hector asked.
Tassos looked up. “This woman’s memory of us must be erased. The world believes we’re extinct. We cannot have anyone who wishes to harm us knowing otherwise.”
Myrtle’s breath caught. Can they really do that? Just reach into someone’s mind and erase their memories?
Despite the fact that Tassos and Aleta had done nothing threatening, Myrtle felt a small thrill of fear run down her spine. Clearly, there were more powerful beings in the world than she had ever known about. She couldn’t imagine what might happen if an alicorn ever did decide to use their powers for evil.
“Wait a minute,” Hector called out, raising a hand. “Erase her memory? You can’t do that.”
“I assure you we can,” Tassos said smoothly. “It won’t take a moment.”
“No, I mean, I don’t want you to,” Hector said. “That woman’s a suspect in a major crime – I need the information she has about the organization she works for, what their plans are. What’s in her head is evidence –”
Aleta held up a hand. “I understand, but we do this for Ruby’s sake.” Her eyes were hard. “If this woman has knowledge of her and was willing to go to such lengths to try to take her, then can you be sure she will ever stop trying to find her – to find us?”
Myrtle glanced at Hector. She didn’t necessarily like to agree with Aleta against him, but she did have a point.
Hector frowned. “Can you just erase her memories of Ruby, and leave everything else?”
“It’s possible,” Tassos said. “Maybe. Altering memories isn’t an exact science. They are all connected – they run like threads through our minds, and to pull at one can damage others. I will do my best to leave the rest of her mind unaltered. But I can make no promises as to how much she will remember.”
Myrtle bit her lip as Hector hesitated, and then nodded. She supposed, in the end, that Tassos and Aleta were right, and this was something that needed to be done to help keep Ruby safe. But still, she couldn’t help but feel afraid of the massive power Tassos clearly had at his command as he lowered his hands, pressing them against the side of Cecelia’s massive snake’s head.
Perhaps she was expecting a flash of light or some other dramatic effect, but there was nothing of the kind – instead, after a moment Tassos simply removed his hands, before turning and nodding to Aleta.
“Done.”
“Good.” Aleta turned to them, a small smile playing on her lips. Ruby still sat cradled in her arms quietly. “Thank you for what you have done for Ruby, and for us. You have taken good care of her – if you need to take a moment to say your goodbyes –”
“Mee-eeh!”
Ruby began struggling in Aleta’s arms, her wings fluttering as she took off into the air, zipping away from her.
In the sudden rush of activity, it took Myrtle’s brain a moment or two to catch up with what Aleta had been saying before Ruby had escaped her.
Wait a minute – say our goodbyes?
Ruby shot through the air, barreling into Hector’s chest and climbing up onto his shoulder. She steadied herself, her hooves slipping a little, before winding herself around Hector’s neck and peering defiantly at Tassos and Aleta.
“Say goodbye?” Hector asked, his voice low. “What do you mean?”
Aleta looked ruffled, her beautiful face set in a frown. “You must know – Ruby cannot stay here with you. She’s an alicorn. She needs to be with her own people – people who can teach her how to use her powers, and see that she understands what she is, and how to keep her powers hidden from people who might abuse them.”
“But – but didn’t you just say she may not even have her powers anymore?” Myrtle asked, feeling cold dread settle in the pit of her stomach. “Will she really be in danger without them?”
“We can’t be certain of that,” Tassos said. “And besides, we alicorns need secrecy in order to continue to live peacefully. With us, Ruby will be safe, living amongst her own kind. Protected.”
“We can protect her too,” Myrtle insisted. But even as she said it, she knew there was at least a grain of truth in what Tassos was saying. Would they really be able to provide what Ruby needed as she grew up? She was clearly a frighteningly powerful creature. Could she and Hector really raise her?
“Meeeeh!”
Ruby’s defiant whinny rang out, and she leapt down from Hector’s shoulders, throwing herself at Myrtle. Myrtle only just raised her arms to catch her in time, and Ruby burrowed against her chest, tail swishing.
“Don’t be silly, Ruby.” Aleta’s voice was stern. “This is what’s best for you – for all of us. You’ll realize that once you’re older. Come on, now.”
Ruby didn’t move. She curled herself up, her head pushed into Myrtle’s armpit.
No. No no no no!
Myrtle heard the words clearly in her head, loud and insistent. She bit her lip. Ruby’s desires in the matter were clear, but Myrtle had to wonder if she really did know what was best. Despite how quickly she was growing, she was still only a baby, really. Could she really know how dangerous the world could be?
“Ruby.” Hector’s voice was low, and Myrtle could hear the pain in it. He turned to her, ducking his head to address the squirming creature in her arms. “Ruby, don’t you think –”
Why?! You are mine! Mine!
Myrtle sucked in a quick breath at the same time Hector did, their eyes meeting.
Mine. You are mine.
She knew they’d both heard it.
I will not. I belong here. With you. Mine.
Myrtle swallowed. Hector’s eyes on hers didn’t waver.
All the times Myrtle had unconsciously begun thin
king of them as a family suddenly flooded her mind. The time when she’d called Hector Ruby’s dad, and the time he had called them this family. When she’d thought of herself as Ruby’s mother.
She didn’t know if the memories had come on their own or if Ruby was telepathically reminding her of them, but she didn’t think it mattered. The memories still meant the same thing: they were a family.
That was how Ruby thought of them. Myrtle had wondered if she might have bonded a little with Ruby, but it was clear that Ruby had bonded with them, and she obviously knew what she wanted. Alicorn or not, she knew where she belonged.
Here. With us.
“Hector –” she started to say, but she already saw his resolve in his eyes.
He nodded, before turning back to Aleta and Tassos.
“She doesn’t want to go. She wants to stay with us.”
A frown crossed Tassos’s face. “She can’t –”
“What we mean is, it will be very difficult for her,” Aleta interrupted him, raising a placating hand. “Without understanding what she is, she cannot live amongst you. An alicorn’s powers don’t come without a price, and the price is total secrecy.”
“How about a compromise, then,” Hector said, his voice low and level. “I agree, Ruby needs to learn how to control her powers, if she still has them, and Myrtle and I can’t teach her that. You can visit her – teach her what she needs to know, make sure she understands what it means to be an alicorn. But we raise her. She lives with us.” He paused, glancing over to where Ruby was still burrowing against Myrtle’s chest. “It’s obvious that that’s what she wants. And that’s all that matters to me.”
Aleta and Tassos hesitated, clearly far from convinced. They glanced at each other, their beautiful faces clouded with dubious expressions.
“It’s clear how Ruby feels about it,” Myrtle spoke up. She licked her lips, hoping she could stop her voice from shaking. “We can’t stop you if you decide to take her with you. But I don’t think you’d force her to go when she so obviously doesn’t want to.”
She looked down at where Ruby was still curled into her chest, flicking her silvery tail over her eyes as if trying to hide herself from Tassos and Aleta. She let out a low, soft sound, and Myrtle found herself hugging her tighter to her chest.