Chapter Four

Brief Farewells, Thoughtful plans.

I've been told throughout my life that you should always tell your loved ones what you feel since you don't know if it will be the last. I've also been told that the world was going to end in the year two thousand too, that whole Y2K incident.

"See ya later." Was my form of departing gesture. The only times I said 'good bye' was when I planned never to see, talk, or touch a person ever again. And since killing people that tick me off is against the law it's the best thing I got. Following that logic, I planned to see my family again. Between Glitterlamp's statues selling really well, with the addition of my ability to conjure up precious materials, it took no time at all to pull my family out of all their financial problems. The purchase of the cell phone went without a hitch, learning how to use the blasted thing would need an hour or two with the instruction booklet. It felt good using my powers to help people around me instead of turning the sand into weapons.

Glitterlamp's mind was stuck when it was time to say her farewells. In my mind I could feel her doubt from her own past experiences of farewells.

"S-see you all soon!" She blurted and tried to catch them all in her arms. Her delicate dream, a true loving family, and in turn all of us gathered in for a group hug, thus concluded our farewells.

"Stand back." I gently ordered as Glitterlamp held onto my arm trying to wipe away something she hasn't got used to, happy tears. I figured that speed was needed to find all these elements of Earthen Harmony, sooner the better right? The day was clear and bright so our departure would be noticed but not taken seriously. After all, when humans see something relatively impossible they often deny ever really seeing it.

That's what I'm counting on at least.

Black sand spread from my feet outward making the air ripple as my Disc forced its way into reality. The bottom this time was blue with a dozen or so fake birds to trail behind me for a disguise.

"That kinda looks painful." My bigger sister commented as I now floated above the ground.

"Not at all," I answered loving the way the power coursed through me. Glitterlamp casually went to the edge and dangled her feet off while I stood stiff as a statue directly in the center. Instead of being merely black and gold the Disc held a manufactured look to it. The center piece to which I stood upon seemed to be a living vortex of gray and black, the black took a more polished sheen of being made of fine steel with lines of gold to bolt it together. All in all? It looked sturdy, in so few of words.

"I like what you did with this thing." Glitterlamp said rubbing the metal.

"What's she called?" My dad asked. "The ship." He added when I looked at him confused. "Ships gotta have a name, it's bad luck if it doesn't."

"The Dream Catcher." I intoned after a moment. "It was the first really big thing I made from my power." I shook my head smiling. I can't believe that I forgot that he was in the navy once. Already as I soared higher and higher I realized that my heart was already crying out for their company.

"It won't be long, Dreamer," Glitterlamp said kicking her feet over the side. "With this Dream Catcher we'll round up the Harmony in no time!" The sun was bright but felt warm and the air was clear as a gentle breeze played with our hair. I willed the craft to go forward and it obeyed, I held the jar that contained Loyalty out like a compass. A faint blue ribbon stretched from the glass and pointed the way, the ribbon only stretched out a foot or so from the jar so I had to constantly change course if I got distracted while flying.

I rose our platform ever higher to crest the top of the clouds, what few there were.

"Will I hit my head?" I thought quizzically before I met a solitary cloud. Disappointment was what I felt when they parted with little effort being made of water and not held tightly together by some magic. It was still morning but I wondered how long it would take to get to the Element of Love.

"Do you regret coming here?" Vengeance blurted through my mouth. "Erm, sorry. Forget it." I quickly stated trying to disengage from whatever topic I was heading to. Glitterlamp looked at me, opened her mouth to talk but then stopped short and really thought about it.

"No, not really. I regret not having our own house, I liked our last one. Before you blew the roof off." Glitterlamp admitted. "I like your family and I really think they like me too, but it's so hard to get romantic with you when they're looking at us."

"True," I said remembering the 'kissing room' in the zoo. Then again, not a lot of kissing was happening or anything romantic was happening ever since I brought her hear.

"We may have been neglecting her." Vengeance spoke worriedly in my head.

"No! We have been tending to her as best to our ability." Pain retorted.

"Our best may not have been enough." Vengeance snarled sourly. I stood shaking in the middle of the platform.

"SHUT UP!" I yelled openly separating all of them into different parts of my mind through force of will. "Sorry, I really don't know where that came from. Forget what I asked." I said rubbing my head feeling horribly embarrassed.

"I don't mind, it was a real question. But what may not be that great is you staying so quiet. So let's talk about something, like what are we going to do when we get to this Element of Love." Glitterlamp came away from the edge and stood nest to me as to not block my sight.

"We'll collect it and see about getting the next one." I said simply shrugging.

"We'll do that no problem. I'm thinking about where we'll sleep and where to eat." Glitterlamp patted our adventure packs. "Not a lot of food in here, and sleeping outside isn't all that great."

"Oh," I was so focused on just getting the elements.

Talking about logistics and life on the road helped speed things along and keep my mind off of reviewing my possible mistakes. A horrid habit but one that I haven't been able to break. It was necessary once, but now that reason has faded from memory. Maybe Glitterlamp is right, forgetting things may not be that great of a feat. No point crying over spilled milk.

"So it really didn't bother you?" I asked unsure if I wanted to broach the subject again. "Coming to my world that is?"

"It's fine really! You're dear to me. Leaving you would have bothered me." Glitterlamp answered leaning on me. "Perhaps you should sit down, my legs are tired." Moving about the Dream Catcher made my stomach rise like I was falling but as soon as the sensation started it stopped.

"I've gotta get used to that." I said rubbing my legs only now noticing how stiff they became. "Flying with wings didn't bother me like this, resting on a cloud didn't do that."

"Maybe since you don't have your wings out, do you think you'll fall?" Glitterlamp offered. "I would be scared of falling if somepony pulled me by sky carriage."

"Maybe." I agreed feeling some dark thought tap the back of my neck. I had been repressing my energy tendril wings since I wanted to fly on a sci-fi disc. The wings came forth without hesitation almost as if saying saying 'this is natural' twisting and curling to a breeze we couldn't feel.

"How are you holding up? I remember you mentioning Merlin being a powerful wizard but I'm not so sure." Glitterlamp joked. "He turned into a bunch of leaves, sure but you can do the same thing and you turned the sky black, if there's anyone trying to get the elements too they don't have the edge you have."

"Heh," I chuckled a bit. "I hope not. People didn't need magic before to defeat foes before but I know a little more about Human battle tactics than I do about Equestrian tactics. I hope it's enough." I confessed. "Ah, Hell. What am I saying? This will be easy. Who else could possibly challenge me on Earth?" I boasted conjuring an image of a black longsword in Fearbane's style. The ax blade hilt guards were just crazy. Come to think about it I think I have some cuts and scars around my knuckles when I wasn't very careful with it. Looking at my hands I did indeed bear more than a few scares from my past adventure.

"I don't think we'll have to fight anypony at all. It should be just as simple as finding the elements. With Loyalty with us it shouldn't be hard to find the others." Glitterlamp said looking at the jar held in my hand. "Honestly, you'd think there would be a catch! Or maybe Merlin thought it was beneath him!" And with a flourish of her hand the amulet around her neck sparked a bright green and energy like imitations of her original wings, holes and all, appeared sprouting from her shoulder blades to take flight. "Even I could call myself a very powerful magician!" I began to laugh at her jokes and with every boast my bad feeling faded away.

"Yes, I see your point. I'm thrilled to see you so active." I chuckled as she zipped around my Disc. "I am still a little uneasy about being this far away from my family. I saw them but it wasn't for very long." I said rotating my stiff shoulders. I really should walk around instead of becoming so stiff.

"But you have a what was it again? That little rectangle with Dreamer magic in it?" Glitterlamp buzzed near me trying to remember. "A phone! That's it! You can call them anytime, and it's not like your going to be away forever. But," then she hesitated. She had an idea of a small filly in her mind's eye prancing about us in a house not too unlike the own in Appaloosa. It was a beautiful idea of us together with a daughter, the only word I could call it was: charming, small but charming. Then her mood went sour and filled with worry as a image of a silhouette I could only guess to be her mother clouded the charming thought. "I wondered what our family would be like."

"Ah, so that's the weird bad notion bugging me. C`mon Glitter, what's bothering you? You're mother is dead and gone." I/Vengeance tried to reason but I know it is neither simple or easy to part with such a thought. "She can't touch you here. The piece of her that is alive is the one in your memory."

"I can't just forget things as easily as you can! And it's not really about her either. It's," again she hesitated almost saying it almost felt like a prophesy. "What if I'm like her? I mean, will I be like her when I have a filly to take care of? The same possessive monster? Would I coltnap to make sure she doesn't go hungry? Like she did?!" Glitterlamp was slow to start but once she started gaining momentum she couldn't stop. The tendrils from my back now turned a dull color, sluggish if not still as I drank deep of her worries and words.

"I don't think that will happen." I tried to assure my worried friend. Tendrils from my right side stretched out to draw Glitterlamp closer to me. Glitterlamp now had the full, undivided, kinda funny since they are divided part of me, attention. "You don't even know if our children will even have the same needs that you grew up with."

"Do not torment yourself with the endless possibilities of the future, that's Vengeance's shtick. Share with me your pain, I can shoulder a considerable amount." A figure that was dressed in a cloak seemingly made from the void covered the blotchy gray bandages. The Inner Council stood around us while Glitterlamp tried to stifle her fears. It was a reality too grim for a Glitterlamp to bear alone.

"Some would call us fools to think a Changelings life could be anything but tragic. But then again, we are quiet mad here." Vengeance piped in curling lazily around the disc, like a dog on a warm mat.

"No longer are you alone, we have given much to be able to protect you." Vengeance's golden word floated about him like subtitles now. Glitterlamp looked at each one of us with her sad green eyes, moist with tears yet to arrive.

"I'm not sure if you can fight the shadows that haunt my mind." Glitterlamp sadly stated. "But I trust you to keep your word." All of us came in for a group hug and didn't let go for a long while.

"So, I'm not sure how many kids you were thinking but I was thinking of around four or five." I said softly kissing the top of Glitterlamp's head. As the words left my mouth her body tensed up.

"FIVE!?" Glitterlamp snapped her head up accidentally smacking my chin up. "Oh! Sorry, but five?! I'll be happy to see if even one can be done. And why do you want five children!? Most couples don't have any more than two!"

"Ah, well, see. I really like kids, and I kinda wanna take after my dad's example." I admitted trying to keep up with the change of moods.

"And that would be?" Glitterlamp asked not angrily but genuinely curios.

"So that I have enough friends to play games with. My dad wanted dedicated people to play board games with him, and we did, I kinda wanna do the same." I gave her a tight hug. "His plan worked, I don't see a why it can't be repeated."

"You must think my body is strong enough to have that many fillies." Glitterlamp shook her head.

"Have you tried?" I asked and immediately earned a nasty look.

"No!" Then a devilish grin spread across her lips and she leaned up to whisper in my ear. "I hope then, buddy boy, that you can handle it."

Ho Lee Schitt, Not only did the way she whispered it get me a little hot but the parade of intentions and unmasked desire for a family make me feel like being trapped in an oven.

I really wish she didn't tease me while I'm hundreds of feet in the air. Because as soon as I focused on some particularly saucy ideas the Disc decayed rapidly and I found that I lacked the strength to reform it. My wings caught the wind but it still was a sudden dropped that almost made me cough up a lung!

Glitterlamp was buzzing about me checking if I was okay but it didn't help that she was trying not to laugh at the same time.

"Oh, you are too much! Stare down Princess Celestia down and almost win a fight against her, face unspeakable monsters on a weekly basis, defy most laws of nature, and it's me in a naughty pose that makes you weak at the knees!" Glitterlamp finally bursted out.

"Don't judge me!" I snapped out trying to steady my heart beat. "I'm a sensitive soul!"

"Oh, come here!" Glitterlamp took me up in a hug and kissed me passionately. I could feel her mind go at ease and the shadow of her mother faded into the distance. A new thought was brought to the forefront of my mind 'I'll try not to tease you as much'.

Ah, well I guess it goes both ways. I chase off her demons, she chases mine. We talk about our worries, fears. Revel in each others closeness of our minds, being able to read the others heart. And making blissful love after chasing away sour moods.

Why does it remind me of an old movie? The Adams Family I think.

Author's Notes: I am so sorry to leave all of you hanging like this! I had college take up a larger portion of my time than anticipated and I just completed finals week for me. Hopefully with winter break upon me I can produce two more chapters before I return to school.

I also wish to apologize if I haven't responded back to any emails sent to my E-mail address. Hotmail is being mean to me.

I have also tried to post my story on but I can't get the damn thing to co-operate with Open office. Any tips for resolving this or a how to fimfiction for dummies would be greatly appreciated.

Yours respectfully,

SilverTopHat