A Bit(e) of Hope (Private)

she seemed disgruntled at the insulation of her state, but she approached him none the less, turning her head away, and leaned up against the stallion, with one hoof using him as a support. "..thanks" she said in a somewhat annoyed tone.

Sugary didn't hesitate to be that leverage for Menacy, simply smiling at making the offer and having it accepted. "You're a guest. Your comfort is my business even without Lightning being here. Now then, let's get you nice and settled up on the bridge..."

What that meant out of him eventually amounted to a bedsheet being bundled and laid out like a cushiony mat for her to lay on if she needed it, as he piloted proper again and accelerated with caution. He steadily made notes and checked readings where he could on how the airship operated within such a field, and what he could see with his own eyes and sharp senses. "... How strange indeed. This kind of thing almost resembles the mythical manifestations of grudges that led to the coming of Wendigos and harsh Winters."

sky stood out on the deck looking over the bow, she was still, and with his keen eyes he could tell she was not smiling. and with the mirror setup he could see why. the lad was barren, scarred, gullies carved by explosives, wreckage strewn across the land. occasional huts and collapsed building making up the space between. around some of the wreckages flowers grow in the plenty, an island of life surrounded by empty death., this continuing on beyond the horizon.

An unsettling sensation grew stronger once he saw what was going down below, and with it an impending realization that he had missed something important up till that point. How had he not noticed? It was smack dab in front of him all along as that shifting sensation and brief flash in the air came about... he was stark naked at the wheel, and somehow Menacy either didn't seem to mind or perhaps the subtle sense of death had been too distracting even for him to put on some clothes as his fingers fidgeted on the helm. "How...? Why did I...? Ugh... I didn't think I was that terribly distracted. I'm starting to think Lightning's onto discovering something severely important, because I've not been myself lately. And that landscape outside... What happened here?" For now, he tried to pretend everything was fine, even if he knew now something wasn't right as he could swear he thought Menacy didn't have clothes on earlier. Should he be worried about his perspective being like this? Was anyone else noticing something was a tad off?

"magic is an exotic beast, and we have been pressed by a lot of it." Menacy said, sat cross legged on the floor. "try not to think about it, more pressing is where we are, what ever happened here, it is not good, and i am without a clue as to where we are. but sky seems to be caught up in the sight perhaps she has more context?" she suggested unsure, as the imposing vampire continued to stare over the bow.

Having decided that the sensations in the air were just barely making sense even to him, he opted to slow the airship's cruise to a gentle hover once more, trying to wonder if anyone was noticing he was really naked or if his senses were lopsided that maybe he was wearing something and he couldn't see it or feel it. "I'll go ask her. This has to be investigated somehow. I'll be back shortly if you need something." He went down and out to the deck, his walking feeling a little off but stable as he got some fresh air... As fresh as could be in such a place, but it helped a little. "What's got your attention, Sky?"

"9 years,," she said, her tone mournful as the air lightly tussled her hair, her eyes golden and fixed on the sight below, and the sight below was something, plant life scares, as far as the horizon, as its made up a canvas of dark dull brown, ruins of old homes and settlements dotted about. sky then pointed more specifically to a large trench with a bulbous crater at the end, in fact, the whole area was littered with craters and trenches. "i was here, with lightning, only young, 9 or 10, i forget, we had been hiding in this nice village, secretly, its was the headquarters of of the defence coalition against the Syjinian war machine, this little village was keeping the world held together, but good things don't last. A reunion, that led to evil,, evil magic,, and lightning let go,, I knew she was more powerful than she let on, but i had no idea the extent. a child turned an army to ash, and the one who wronged her, she used that, recorded it, and showed the home nation as well and neutral parties the destructive terrifying things the coalition would use." she paused for a moment. "The destruction you see, was only partly Lightning, but she holds herself accountable, as with us no longer there, with the reinvigorated Syjinian war machine more powerful than ever they did this, for harbouring us they were all killed, or at least, most, bombarded with weapons more cruel than anything I've ever seen. this land saw death on a scale rarely paralleled twice and it was only the beginning for there righteous crusade."

The way Sky spoke felt almost as distant and different as he felt himself going from the helm to the deck with her to listen in. He had to assume something in the Ether in this particular place had a way to stir memories and perceptions differently. He only hoped the passage of time wasn't among those perceptions, a part of him feeling as though he had taken another form at some point and couldn't quite recall why; Being stuck in a fated timeloop did not sit well with him as a theory.

Even so, the landscape was as striking as the story being told, and it tugged at his heart to hear what had caused it. "... Maybe that's why she had me leave her room so quickly today. She probably didn't want me around to see her feel what this place means to you all. No wonder she's obsessed with matters abroad like this... Guess I better steel myself to face threats of this scale if we continue down this path." He looked up, the sun clouded by the bad Ether, but still visible enough for him to reminisce over Lightning managing the near impossible, and moving the sun and moon. "... What dreadful power engineered her life like that?"

"both i and lightning lost something that day, as well as the first time she pushed my trust in her, it was out of anger and frustration, i see that, and i have forgiven her, but that doesn't stop it from having been done." she pondered a moment and looked around, as Menacy uneasily approached "So this is what left you two in such a state, that day, i had no idea t'was something of such magnitude." menacy spoke finally understanding an almost decade old memory, also pondering. "so the,," sky started "why are we back here,," they both questioned

"I can only guess she's either looking for something here to help her settle her old grudges and doubts... or purposely recall and relieve her experiences here and see if it jogs her memory in some way. Even I couldn't help but revisit my Master's grave... where he died... where he had been... all in the hopes of finding inspiration and answers to move on and honor his legacy."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUcdlCPkAPA

He sighed a bit, looking at the gals with a solemn smile. "That'd be my guess anyway. She had me leave her room rather quickly earlier and all... Probably wanted a little comfort out of me before she committed to whatever it is we're doing later and had me leave before she got all heavyhearted for what we might be about to do. Whatever it is though? Well, I'm on board. I'll make sure she stays out of trouble for you two if you need it." He gave them a friendly wink, trying to keep lighthearted past the sour winds.

"the dark and tainted magic that cover the lands below are the same that i fight within myself, and yet, despite being at the epicentre, I was not contaminated here. this land is my ultimate test, a land not just devoid of life but hostile to it, if i can rejuvenate this land, i stand to learn both a cure and a means to replenish life in lands such as these.". Lightning explained from the bridge, walking out and making her way to the deck.
"this place a lot of bad memories for me, and you Sky, and even more for Vic and,, but that's why we must push forward, if we let our regret, and sorrow weigh us down we will never truly move on." She finished with determination, sparking a determined grin from Sky.
however in her silence Menacy didn't emanate confidence, before finally speaking up. "what you are saying rings true, but are you ready, because there may not be any going back from here." she was not forceful but clear in that there were risks involved.

Sugary perked up more earnestly than simply showing admirable resolve and constitution against the miasma around them, as he looked over to Lightning joining them. "Lightning...! Rested well, I hope. Yes, Sky and Menacy have been bringing me a little up to speed on what happened here some time ago... Dear? I'm ready as can be to help you three shake off a sore past. Believe me, I'm familiar with unsettled business well enough. Mine took no small effort to settle... and even then it was barely worth it... But it WAS worth it." He smiled at her, and then the others, maintaining his vigor as he walked over, placed an arm around her, and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek. "Come on, ladies. We're already here. Might as well see this day through."

a sweet scene, that could be said for sure and on surface he'd believe it if not for how close him and his partner had grown, her face was hopeful, but in her eyes something else was spelt out, regret, a knowing that what she had said would not come to pass, a knowing that something was to happen very soon. she held him tight, allowing herself to be vulnerable for just a moment as she breathed a deep sigh, before letting go and slipping away as she was so good at, she looked at him, a sorry smile in the corner of her mouth, knowing he saw through her, "take care of those 2 while we get into position" she said, her tone still confident, but he could tell what she meant, 'stand clear and keep them other there,,'

Sugary kept up his demeanor, but it still sunk in what Lightning was getting at. It seemed what she intended to face was going to be a fair bit rougher on her than the rest of them. Before fully pulling away though, before their fingers let go after such a warm embrace, he leaned forward suddenly, fully, entwining fingers with her, and giving the thestral a short but tender kiss, speaking softly. "Remember, I've got magic to spare. If there's a gap I can cover without messing with your curse, you give me the signal right away. You're not alone out here."

He leaned in, one more kiss, a little longer, even more affectionate, something to motivate the young mother that her hearty lover was there to back her up. He then moved away at last, letting go, and urging the others to brace themselves for what may come, letting them know Lightning was about to do something big again...

lightning gave a weak smile before heading towards the back of the deck, just out of view. Menacy had a sense of uneasiness about this but accepted that if lightning had a plan there was little to be done. a few moments passed, sky looking over the bow, the stagnant yet flowing air brushing through her two toned hair it had been calm but this couldn't last forever, a wave of unpleasant magic, on a similar scale to Menacy aura when she awoke, but also similar to that of the taint that infected lightning. Menacy immediately seemed worried as she tried to get her bearings, but market, found, or rather felt the origin of it, on the ground below, moving too fast to be anything but teleporting was an all too dark presence seemingly following the craft. unnerving as that was not much could be even said before the second thing to break the peace came, a loud bang followed by the ship shuddering, the captain knew what this was though this time, they had been hit by a boarding harpoon, a large anchor of sorts connected to a strong chain, not only as a way for beings to get onboard but to keep vessels close for flying crew. there was shouting coming from the back, beings were boarding.

"That was fast...! We're dealing with hostiles, ladies! Look alive and cover for Lightning, Sky! To arms!" The stallion wasted no time for his magic to flare up, and for his arm to soon brandish what first looked like a plain machete before the handle morphed to give it more of a cutlass shape and guard out of it. The unicorn cared not for the details, he could tell danger from the malevolent energy in the air well enough; He had gone over such scenarios many times, and now while leaving Lightning to her spell he had to maintain the safety of the Black Mambo and the crew at all costs as he hurried to the back and see who was boarding and harming his airship.

As he approached a wave of unpleasant, almost stagnant, magic hit him as the malevolent entity appeared in his way, but not blocking line of sight. Behind the dark stag like being, tall and corrupted, 3 members of the crew from the other craft began to board. they wore masks and hoods along with long sturdy black leather coats, not dissimilar to the styles of aviation garb from decades past. On second glance their ship matched this, old as it was, it wasn't of a commercial variety, being a very aggressive looking and sturdy warship. The crew were similarly equipped with fitting weaponry, outdated but still fire arms.

Sky leaped into action, getting a better view on the threats at hand, but her momentum slowed rapidly as she saw the ship, the crew, and finally, she saw what Surgary saw. Lightning had all but surrendered, she clearly saw this coming, and in fact, this was probably what she had separated herself for. The armed beings walked her off at gun point, and as sky tried to get back to her senses, lightning shot them both a look, guilt, sorrow, and defeat, but most importantly, it was one to say, 'don't step in'.

"Get back!" Menacy finally said from the same spot she had been stood in. A look of fear, confusion and panic clearly painted on her face, the proud and beyond confident wolf was little more that a puppy at the sight of the being in front of the stallion, "you feel it don't you, the magic coming from him," it was all she needed to say as it came very clear, his magic, was the same sort that lightning was tainted with.

Sugary was just about to launch his first spell, instead confused, upset, and then sad what Lightning's plan had been all along. She wasn't summoning this unknown force to fight, but to surrender. "Lightning... what are you planning to get out of this...?" He said more to himself than answering anyone, even Menacy. But as far as Menacy's caution went, he did not let up on his flow of magic readily as he then adamantly and defiantly stared at the figure, seemingly empowered, or cursed, with much the same that Lightning held in her soul.

Between him and the figure, their auras clashed and sparked and fizzled lightly in the air; The tension between them as visible as the very airship itself. He did eventually step back to let them pass, but there was a hint of hostile intent in his heart. "Lightning's not giving us much choice here, is she? But heads _will_ roll if this surrender doesn't get treated peacefully." It wasn't a threat, it was a promise; He did not take kindly to the intruders at all right now.

They payed him little mind as they boarded the ship and detached from The black mambo. immediately the entity vanished, its sheer pressure and magical presence disappearing and leaving a physical vacuum in its wake, and as the enormous craft peeled away, it showed its true speed as the armoured vessel over took the mambo.

As they left, his balance came off and he nearly fell forward, feeling frustrated at how empty it all felt around him now that his aura was no longer pushing against the other, intent to challenge at the drop of a hat. "... Lightning... Whatever you're planning, this better be a means to cure you..." He scrambled to get back up, looking at the air as though something was meant to be there. "What a wretched existence that was... Is that what awaits Lightning in the worst case? No wonder she wasn't comfortable keeping me close for long... Dammit, I'm stumped. What now, do we follow? That vessel is annoyingly fast, but it's not invisible."

"if a being like you, or her mother were to be infected, it would kill them, but a being like me, like lightning, or thorn there, the results could be horrifying." Menacy said, using what magic she had going spare to push away what could remain of his essence. she approached Sugary with a stern look on her face, "we must stop them, but equally, they likely outnumber us, and a sky battle will result in out deaths, if you wish to save her, we follow from a distance, not that we have much choice, and go for the headquarters, i have a way to stop them, sort of, but," Menacy looked hesitant, uncertain if this was the right time, "you have to make this call, what lightning is, she could cure herself and has the power to get herself to safety, but id need to get to her, it could also result in her loosing herself, thats supposing we get close enough to do this and don't die when we get there" sky spoke up second, "actually, i have a beacon, if you really think making history repeat itself is a good call, if you take it into there base, summon some friends they would be able to, well it wont deal with all of them but it would turn a suicide mission into, well, a 'probably still going to die' mission" the ludicrously tall lady said, retrieving a disk from her pouch. "but im with menacy, if someone is to make that call, its you."

"I think we all know not helping her is out of the question. To the bridge, double time. We're going after them, and you can explain your plans there. There's too much that doesn't make sense, but whatever beef they got with her, I can't let slide. The risk is not an issue with me. We knock heads and assure her safety, whether its on her doing or ours." He hurried to the bridge, and steeling his resolve, and putting some pants on at last, he puts the airship back into full throttle to chase desperately and not lose track of them...

"Right!" They both nodded in unison as they hurried to the bridge with Sugary. "I don't know why they singled her out specifically," started Menacy, "but if nothing else, its safe to assume it has something to do with the taint in her soul, and if they know what she is, they could be planning something big-" "that was an imperial cruiser," interrupted sky, "the sort of one we faced as kids, but i don't think they are imperial holdouts, that gear is ancient, not even what they used back then, which means they are probably survivors, and if they knew this much, about her, is it because the taint or that they blame, her and wish to get there own back on her. Cap'in, what were you saying about her feeling off this morning?" she asked as Menacy stood by in deep thought.

There was a light blush on his cheeks before he answered, but he couldn't stall as the airship got moving, their options and ideas limited from this point on. "Er... Normally since she's been asking of me to... join her in bed, she would insist I stay. Make sure I'm there as she eases into her rest or just to keep her calm... To be honest, we thought there might be something to worry over, as my seed is a little magical. She instead absorbs it." He glanced to the mares, trying to sound serious.

"I mean quite literally swell her body up, in a way that's amusing but not typical. Today was the one time she practically shooed me away right after, even though she dressed specifically to seduce me. I'm... not sure if it had something to do with my seed only or she felt their presence at the time, but something about that just struck me so odd. As though there would be more to our intimacy going on that she's not been telling me... Any of that sound familiar or odd to either of you, or was it just bad timing and I'm thinking too hard on it?"

The two mares were a little surprised by the details left in but got the picture, Menacy spoke up first "so, then that leads me to ask this, and I know its much the same as asking if the ocean is wet, but has she seemed more, illusive? lately to you? how long has she been expecting this if at all" the Sky stepped forward "and more pressingly what is our assault plan, i don't expect we are just going to park up outside and wonder in to where ever they are hold up, id say approach on ground but youd need to get close, we could fly over and blink down but someone needs to be on the ship and, well cap, you need to be down there saving your girl, and Menacy apparently she has a way to get her out, as much as i want to crack some heads i think ill need to stay up here again,,"