Ascension: The Elements of Distortion

A Pony’s Wish

12 years later…

A white, golden-armored pegasus stood in front of the staircase leading up to the Princess of Equestria’s chamber, blocking the entrance.  He remained still, standing alone in a long hallway with a red carpet lined up to the exit.  Before him, large double doors opened up slowly, revealing four guards donning the same attire as him.  The doors brushed against the walls and stopped.  He opened his mouth, watching the squad trot to him in a circular formation.

“What is this?” the lone stallion yelled out loud.

“We have one of our usual guests.  She would like to speak to the Princess.”

“She’s back again?”

“Apparently.”  The stallions halted in front of him and spread out until the pony they were hiding was alone in its spot.  It was a white-furred mare whose face pointed down.  A long, straight pink mane reached to the ground, and she gradually rose her head up, her eyes meeting his.  The stallion smirked, looking into the pony’s immobile pink pupils.

“I see you’re back already.  Weren’t you here just two days ago?”

“Yes, I was,” the mare answered in a soft voice.  “I’m here because this time, I have proof for Princess Velvet that I’m ready.”

“To become one of us?”

The mare nodded.  The stallion looked at her for a moment before breaking out into laughter as his voice rang throughout the hallway.  The other guards giggled quietly in the background.  They had known beforehand why she asked them to bring her to the castle.  They stifled the rest of their chuckles, and the mare looked from side to side at each of the stallions.  The lead guard composed himself, watching her with a smile.

“The Princess has made you, and even your sister, her pride and glory.  Only few other ponies are so gifted as to receive such care.  She values you more than anything.  Why, I’d say she sees you as her daughter.  What makes you think any new tricks you may have learned will change her mind about placing you among us?”

“Can I please just talk to her?  I can show you guys everything there.”

“As you did the last time…”

The mare narrowed her eyes.

“That was a mistake,” she cried.  “It’s not my fault he chose to jump in front of me while I was casting a spell!”

“You’re supposed to be ready for anything.  And that goofball is still assigned to be around here by the Princess.  I don’t know what Velvet sees in him, but he will probably be there today if you enter.”

“Yeah, well…”

The mare glared away from the guard, scrunching her face and her mane covering half of it.  She pounded the carpet with her hoof, and the guard eyed her with a smug expression.  She growled under her breath, saying nothing.

“Besides, what could you have possibly learned in two days?” the stallion pushed again.  Her face darted up again with eyes like daggers.

“A lot!  I just need another chance in there,” she yelled.  Her voice echoed down the hallway, forcing the rest of them to take a step back.  “I need to!  Just so I can…so I can…”

Her tone drifted off, and her face fell again.  The guards shook their heads to recover from her yelling.  The stallion in front dropped his jaw at her outburst, but seeing her composure drop, his own came back.  He approached her and glared down, observing the white horn protruding from her mane.

“I’ve never heard of somepony learning so quickly,” he pointed out.  The mare scowled.  “But if that outburst is anything to go by, there’s no deterring you, is there?  The one who holds the final Element…”

She gave a slight tremble, and a small drop of water formed in her eye.  The stallion grunted before sighing.

“Ugh, you’re a pain.  I would wish to force you to leave after that.  The Princess deserves the best manners in Equestria!  Not what you have just shown.  But alas, you’re her treasure.  If a hoof is laid on you, I’m sure I will never hear the end of it.  And you seem to have invented all the reasoning in your head to allow me to let you in again.”

He paused his monologue, and she watched with eyes that fought to keep her tears back.  He returned her stare and shook his head.

“Oh, what is the point of all this drivel?” he interjected, looking at the rest of his troupe.  “Guards!  I’ll step aside.  Take Celestia to her majesty’s room if she so pleases.  Perhaps then she will learn by making another example of herself.”

The lone guard walked around Celestia, who watched him narrowly avoid pushing her aside.  She scowled at him, and he returned it before giving his final words:  “I suppose, then, that I’ll hear about the first girl joining our ranks soon.  And it will be the daughter of Sol and Cielo, nonetheless.  Just do not hurt my son again in the process.”

Her eyes briefly opened as wide as they could as images of her previous encounter floated around in her mind.  She swung her head, pushing the thoughts aside as he continued walking along, and she looked ahead again.  She was done talking with him.  There was business to attend to.

The guards glanced at each other confusedly as they watched their leader stand behind further down the carpet, eying the mare grimly as she entered the staircase.  He nodded for each of them to follow her, and they looked at each other again before running behind her and forming two straight lines.  They disappeared into the dark room, where their hoofsteps resounded throughout the entire staircase.

“‘Celestia,’ huh?” the lone guard muttered to himself.  “What a symbolic name she’s been given.  If only she can live up to it one day...”

The Princess’s chamber was silent, except for the sound of the hovering quill coated in a pink aura.  It floated in front of a middle-aged mare’s pink face, scribbling against the piece of paper levitating in front of her and dotting the end of its last sentence.  Her green eyes scanned each word written, staring down her pink snout as her long blue hair flowed alongside her face.  Whispering each word she wrote, her eyebrows contorted.

Dear Sun swhirl,

I would like to thank you for your patience with Celestia and Luna.  I realize the former is a tough and determined young mare who is coming into her own.  She visits me from time-to-time, and I was thinking that, given the progress she has shown, she may soon be ready to join our ranks.  She has been nagging me on for years, and I am hopeful she has the most mature intentions and motivations in mind.  We both know where she is coming from, so we must be understanding.  However-

A creaking resounded through the room.  The letter and quill lowered beneath her face, and Velvet stared down the red carpet that extended to the large crystalline double doors.  They opened slowly, two golden-armored pegasi pushing them while the other two stood next to each other, staring at the princess without moving.

“Your Highness,” one of them called out.  Both of them stepped aside to reveal the mare they were escorting.  “Celestia would like to speak with you today.”

Velvet’s face dropped.  The quill and letter hit her throne’s armrest.

“Would she now?” she asked, staring at the pink maned-pony that was trudging beyond the troupe down the carpet.  Its face rose, her purple eyes looking at Velvet’s.  She stood silent as they faced each other down, until she stopped in front of the throne’s first step.

“Yes, I would,” Celestia responded.  “I can prove it to you today.  I am ready to join them.”  Velvet rolled her eyes.

“It’s been two days, Celestia.”

“But I’ve been practicing hard.  Even Sunswhirl said I’ve improved!”

“I do not want another fiasco like what you caused with-”

“I won’t make any mistakes, Princess.”

“Celestia, no one gets better over night.”

“It’s been two nights, though!  And you know me!  You know I wouldn’t come back here unless I had something to show you.

”

“You’ve shown me enough for the time being.  As much as I love you and enjoy seeing you, I can’t afford to have you you abuse your privilege of coming here as often as you do.  It’s becoming a distraction.”

“I know, but now I can do something!  I’ve been reading my books day-in and day-out.” Celestia stomped her hoof on the step.  Her purple eyes narrowed, and she flipped her hair out of her face.  “You’ve told me to do this for years, and now I feel I can make something out of it!  I just want to finally be able to do something with my life.  Something meaningful…”

Velvet sighed.  There was no pleasing this pony.  She stood up on her throne and looked down at Celestia.  Her feathered wings extended outward, and she rose in the air, flapping them and hovering down to the carpet.  She landed beside the white mare, staring at the guards on the other side before waving a hoof for them to leave.  Each of them nodded and trotted backwards, closing the doors as they left.

“Meaningful?” Velvet asked, continuing the conversation.  “The last pony to try to show how meaningful she could be…well…”

The alicorn trudged beyond Celestia, staring down at the ground as she opened and closed her eyes.  Celestia looked behind herself as Velvet left her.  The alicorn stopped once she was halfway to the door.

“She was just as close to me as you are.  We were friends, and not long after I granted her a higher standing among us…”

Celestia spun around and watched motionlessly as the alicorn turned to face her again.  Velvet’s eyes stared at the ground with scorn, and her mouth hung open.

“Let’s just say I have never allowed anypony to see her again.”

“But I’m better than that,” Celestia reassured, walking over towards her side.  “I’ve done everything I can for you for years.”

“And so did she.  Celestia…”

Velvet raised her head to meet the young mare’s eyes.  Her gaze commanded Celestia to stop in her tracks, the smaller mare looking in sudden shock.  She leaned before stepping backwards.

“…I owe something to your parents.”  Celestia’s head and expression dropped.  “They did as much as they could for me, and I never got the chance to pay them back.  I want you to live a life where you can steer clear of the dangers they faced and the mistakes I’ve made.  If I fail to do that…then I’ve failed your mother and father.”

The air was silent for several seconds.  Celestia’s snout drooped, and her mane fell back to her face.  She scratched the ground with her foreleg while Velvet breathed hard in response.  A sniffle escaped from Celestia’s nose, and Velvet watched on with scorn.

Celestia stuck to her life story.  She lived by it.  It led her to the actions that made others think she was stubborn.  Those who were close to her came to know her for it, and it was the first thing Velvet recalled every time a pony would approach her.  They came to her to report on Celestia.

“But there’s a reason why I do this,” Celestia mumbled, sniffling.  “There’s a reason why I’m here, and you know it.  You know what it really is.  Not just to show you how much I’ve grown.”

The mare shifted her hair to the side and shot a glare up at Velvet.

“Ever since that day I lost them…  You don’t know what it’s like to lose your parents in front of you…”

The somber mare trudged up to the silent princess, who glanced away.

“You don’t know what it’s like to lose family in front of you!  You don’t know what it’s like listening to others talk about their parents while you can only imagine what yours were like!  That’s why I do this.  That’s why I always want to show you what I’ve learned.  To show Mom and Dad…wherever they are…that their daughter did something!  That their daughter MEANT something, that she was important!  Just like they were!  Just like they could do anything for you!  Just so I can…  So I can…”

More water gathered in her eyes as she looked up at the Princess, a stream falling from one side.  Her next sentence was muffled, and her teeth gritted, scratching around in her mouth.

“Just so I can show them…by doing what I do…that I love them.  I know I was a bad filly, but I…loved them.  I still do, during every single night after I hear about somepony else’s parents, when me and my sister always talk about them. ‘Oh, remember how we went here and there with Mom and Dad?  Remember how they used to tell us this?’  That’s all we can do!  That’s all we can do…  That’s all we ever do…”

No more words followed.  Velvet’s forehooves shook, and she growled under her breath.  What was she supposed to tell Celestia?  That she was unjust in what she did?

“You’re right,” she responded hesitantly.  “I can’t say I relate…  However, I can tell you this:  it’s not safe for you to be out there.  The best you can do is be sent with a group on small errands to take care of bandits outside the city walls that-”

Celestia dashed over to the princess, standing up on her hind legs and pushing with her forehooves against Velvet’s chest.  The Princess huffed, cringing at the sight of the eager pony.

“Oh please, please, please then!  Let me do something!”

Velvet growled louder and shoved Celestia off her, causing the mare to yelp and back up.

“That’s the best you can do,” Velvet emphasized, “not the worst.  I am still caught up with work, and I will be for a while.  You’d have to put together a group yourself.”

“Then I will!”

“Ugh.”

The two of them brushed themselves off before Velvet walked by her, trotting towards the throne.

“You’re becoming more like your parents each passing day.  I don’t know if that’s good or bad yet.  But if you truly think you’re able to take on the world, then…take this particular pony with you.”

The princess spun her head to point her eyes at the white column to her left.  They narrowed the longer she looked as she saw the figure a horse peeking out from the other side.  The figure jumped when it noticed the attention and instantly turned back around its cover.

“You can come out now, Paine.  She won’t hurt you like she did before.”

A moment passed.  Then a sigh.  It slowly turned the corner, stepping into the light where its white fur and golden armor shone.

It was a male pegasus with a smaller body.  His face was blank, his legs trembling.  His clean fur caused Celestia to raise an eyebrow.

“Yes…ma’am,” he stuttered, his voice rigid and adolescent.  “I am sorry, ma’am.”

“And whereas Celestia takes after her parents, you don’t take after anyone.”  Velvet smiled.  “It’s ‘princess’ or ‘your highness,’ not ‘ma’am.’”

“Yes ma’am.  I understand…ma’am.”

Velvet shook her head, chuckling as she flew over to her throne.  She planted herself on her haunches, Paine creeping out further into her view.  She saw him and Celestia under the light, motioning with her head for Paine to stand next to Celestia.

The guard dashed towards her without complaint.  He stood parallel to her, while Celestia watched him with caution and ran her eyes up and down his body.  Who was this pony?  Why did he come back?

Paine ignored her by looking at the princess.

From up close, the mare could see burn marks in his fur.  The last time she saw him, she struck him with two lightning bolts that scarred both of his sides.  The wounds had healed to leave two black spots.

“You just don’t learn, do you?” Velvet added, shaking her head.

“I…kind of do.”

“Tsk, ‘kind of’…”

Velvet straightened her face and looked sharply at him.

“And just how long were you hiding?”

“Ummm…ever since you told the others to leave?”

“And you thought I wouldn’t notice?”

“Well…no.  Then again…yes!”

“You’re just a hard one, aren’t you?  Even for a rookie, who was so eager to meet this young mare again.”

Paine gulped, his body’s trembling more evident as he looked from side to side.  He caught both Velvet’s and Celestia’s eyes, with sweat pouring down his fur.

“You’re gonna be a tough one to train,” Velvet commented.  “You’re fortunate to share your father’s bloodline, otherwise, you might not be among us.”

“But I’ve been training hard…your majesty.”

“At least you learn a little.  And you share the same compassion for what you do with Celestia here.  You’re just…rougher around the edges.”

Paine and Celestia stared at each other, the former’s teeth chattering while the latter wiped her remaining tears with her hoof off her face.  Their eyes locked-on, with Paine’s body gradually stiffening up as his pupils dilated.

As he stared further into her eyes, he began to feel better.  The anxiety disappeared.  The rest of the room was gone to him as the reason he left the other guards came to him.  It was his own secret ever since two days ago.  He wanted nopony to know about it.  He kept looking into her, while she craned her neck back and tilted her head.

“Ummm,” muttered Celestia.  She shifted her gaze several times from Velvet to Paine.  The princess chuckled again as their interactions continued.

“But nonetheless,” Velvet continued, “you two could possibly head towards an inn and take a look at the errands board.  I’ll give you both the papers to certify you for this.  Hopefully, after you’ve taken care of a few strays, you’ll both see the improvements and experience you’re after.  You’ll do all the justice for others you wish.  Now, take these.”

Her horn shone a pink aura as two papers, coated in pink, materialized in front of the ponies.  Paine snapped out of his gaze, and both of them jumped back in surprise.  The aura around the papers disappeared, and each piece drifted to the floor.

Celestia and Paine stared at them for a few seconds before leaning down and grabbing them with their teeth, reading the text on them.  ‘Certificate of Guardians’ it read, with a signature at the bottom spelling ‘Velvet.’  Their eyes widened, and Celestia looked back up at the princess and down at her paper.  Her mouth curved into a smile, and she let out a gleeful whinny.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she exclaimed.  The paper fell out of her mouth, and she reached down to retrieve it.  She looked at the princess again, and Velvet smiled back.

“Read more into it and you’ll see that I do have certain limitations.  You two would have to be your group’s leaders, and you can’t travel any further than a mile from the city.  You both still have a lot of training to do, so the very best I can give is a small taste of what you would face as you grow older.  Paine, you can tell your father about this, and I will give him further details.  I’ll be seeing him again later today.  Celestia, the same goes for you and Sun Swirl.  He will be receiving a letter soon enough.  You may also allow Luna to accompany you if you wish, since I understand both of you are very close.”

“Pffft, Luna,” grunted Celestia, tossing her head to the side.  “She’s scared of getting her feet wet.”

“Anypony can change their mind,” Velvet added.  “In the meantime, if you two wish to get started, there should be an inn around the corner from the castle gate’s exit.  I don’t know if either of you have been there, but you’ve more than likely seen it.”

“I’ve seen it all the time and been in there.”

“Then neither of you should have any problems.  Now…”

The quill and paper beside her levitated in a pink aura in front of her again, blocking the view of her face.

“I have work to attend to.  Both of you have disrupted me for enough time.  Hopefully you’re happy you can now start your own lives the ways you wish to.”

Celestia nodded multiple times while Paine only did so once.  She stepped back and turned around to run towards the double doors.  He looked to his side -- and saw no-pony there.

“What the...?”

His head darted from side to side before he looked behind himself and watched the mare gallop away.  His jaw dropped.  He stumbled as he spun around, digging his teeth into his paper, and sprinted after her, stopping by her side before looking up at the double doors.

The doors opened, revealing the same guards from before.  The two of them walked out of Velvet’s hall and stood amongst them as they shut the doors behind them.

Celestia was smiling, gazing up at the windows.  She was finally going to be able to help the princess with her magic.  She was finally going to start on the path that would show her parents the love she felt for them.

At the same time, Paine was receiving scowls.  He received glances from all around, sweating and laughing as he heard each of the groans.  Why had he been in there while the princess was having a private conversation?  What was the paper in-between his mouth?  Why was it the same one the princess’s ‘daughter’ held onto?  And why was he leaving with her?

Meanwhile, Velvet heard the doors shut completely and brought the quill to her paper to continue from where she left off.  The quill stroked against it.

However, I will only put her into a limited position.  Based on what happened twelve years ago and during the years before that, it is safe to say what is probably still out there.  It isn’t safe for her to go out on her own yet.  That is why you will hear from her about a small group she is forming to go on bandit hunts.  I have given her permission and the certificate to do so, and Luna may end up getting involved as well.  It is for the best they start training seriously now.  You and I both fear what may happen again, and if she can’t be prepared to handle a real-life criminal encounter…then she may not be so lucky again.

Signed,

Velvet

The letter rolled up into a bundle as a leather strap wrapped itself around and tied into a knot.  The aura on Velvet’s horn glowed, and the paper disappeared.  She was alone again, sighing as she looked down at her hooves tapping on the throne.

“I hope I’ve made the right decision,” she muttered.  “You’re as strong as your parents, Celestia, no matter what I say.  Just…know your boundaries.”

The city’s walkways were littered with ponies selling their merchandise and food to customers.  Many of them set up stands outside their houses, constantly calling out names and yelling “Get your discounted apples from us!  Three apples for two bits!”  It was the oldest city in Equestria, with wooden and stone architectures shining under the sunlight.  Many of the buildings reached up to the castle’s height.  The clocktower was the tallest, standing in the distance and casting a shadow over the houses.  Its hands ticked with each passing second, a louder sound resounding when the hour passed.  It was the city’s historic landmark, keeping track of time for all the merchants and townsponies.  It controlled life within Canterlot, the capital city of Equestria.

The townsponies were mingling along the sidewalks, discussing the day’s events and their plans.  They laughed amongst each other, but many of them stopped as soon as one of them gasped and turned his face away from his group.  He whispered to several of his friends, and the word spread around.  Many ponies were quietly watching as a white-furred mare trotted down beside them with one of the younger guards.  Chatter started up behind the two ponies’ backs, who returned each spectator’s glare.  Celestia stayed silent, while Paine’s head was jolting from side-to-side.  He noticed each face, and stared confusedly when a pony would make a comment about Celestia until they saw him.  Their expressions would instantly turn from a scowl into a smile, and they stepped back from the duo.

Celestia dropped the paper from her mouth and used her horn’s magic to catch it, coating it in a golden aura.  It shrank, retreating towards the tip of her horn and gathering into a small yellow ball that faded away.  It was a storage spell she could only cast on small objects.  Paine watched as the citizens continued to stand back from him, tucking his own paper between his armor and fur.

“So why are you so weird?” Celestia asked, looking ahead while occasionally glancing at others.  “I mean…I’ve never met you before.  You shake a lot, and you stared at me awkwardly.”

“Ummm…well…”

His hooves carved into the pavement as he slowed, lowering his head.  Celestia traveled to the apple stand ahead of him until she glanced to her side and scrunched her face at there being nopony beside her.  She stood still in her place next to a carrot stand and looked back to see if Paine catching up -- he was trudging up to her.  Celestia puckered her lips.

“Are you even okay?  You look really…down about something.”

“Huh?  Down?”  His body, face, and wings stiffened up.  He stopped scanning the area, lifted his head, and centered his eyes on the stands ahead.  “I’m feeling fine!  I’m not scared of anything!”

Celestia raised an eyebrow at him, looking over his entire body as he came up by her side.  His wings folded back against his golden armor.  His expression was stern, intimidating several of the townsponies as they backed away.  He stood silent, then glanced at Celestia who looked back with the same expression.  A drop of sweat poured down his face, and he stared ahead again.  Then back at her.  Then ahead again.  Then back.  Celestia rolled her eyes and walked on ahead of him, snickering quietly.

“I never said you looked scared.”  Paine gasped when he noticed her ahead of him and dashed to her side.  He bumped into a few ponies who were in his path, several of which grunted and cursed at him.

“Sorry,” he muttered.  Celestia laughed even louder.

“You’re funny, though!  I think we’ll make a great team.”

“Yeah…  I think so, too.”  The young stallion was beside her again, staying calm as he looked only where she looked.  “Oh, and my name is Paine.  Paine Whinnial.”

“Paine?  Gee, what do you do to others to get that name?”

“Nothing yet.”

“You think with our group, you’ll find you deserve it?”

“Maybe.  We won’t be going too crazy, will we?”

“We just might.”

“But I think Princess Velvet wants-”

“Oh don’t be such a bore!  Hey!  There’s the inn!”

Celestia grinned, pausing in her steps as Paine momentarily went ahead of her.  He looked behind himself and stopped to wait, but seconds later, she took off.  Paine sidestepped in shock as she brushed by, crunching his eyes to watch her shove through the surrounding citizens.  He sighed and rolled his eyes.  Yup, they were going to go crazy.

He reared himself up and ran after her, chasing an image that disappeared and reappeared.  He rubbed against several different ponies, all of which looked back at him the same way the others did.  Several cursed, others groaned.  He looked straight ahead, running until he spotted her standing still in front of a tall stone building with a wooden overhang sign that read ‘Pony Days Inn.’

The stallion jumped and pushed his hooves out in front of him, coming to a screeching halt that forced the surrounding ponies back.  His maneuver made some of them stumble, stopping inches away from Celestia.  She looked at the building as he looked at her with tired eyes.

“Can you warn me about that?” Paine asked.  “Geez.”

She didn’t say anything.  Paine grumbled, and looked at where she was staring.

“Errands are closed for business this week.  All bandit sightings have been taken care of,” Celestia read.  She read it a second time, moaning after finishing.  “Darn it.  I thought we could get started now!”

“We’ll just come back in a few days, won’t we?”

“Yeah, but…” Celestia spun away, hair covering the side of her face and trotting down the sidewalk.  “Nevermind.  I’m just being stubborn.”

A loud cheering resounded from the distance down the streets they came from.  Celestia’s ears perked up, and she looked behind herself.  Paine did the same as the shrieks grew louder.  The two of them edged to the curb to look down further, and a squadron of guards were calling for the citizens to create a path.  They were patrolling down the city, not stopping for questions from anypony.  At the front of the troupe was a pegasus Celestia squinted her eyes at.  She had seen him before.  Beside her, Paine’s jaw dropped.

“It’s my dad,” he exclaimed.  His eyes followed every movement the larger pegasus made.  Every facial expression and every gesture he made.  He knew it all, and the lead pegasus’s eyes met his.  Paine moved closer to Celestia.  “And he sees me!”

“I think he sees me too,” she said, taking slow steps backwards.  “We can’t run though, or else we’ll look sketchy.  He already doesn’t like me.”

“And he never liked me!”

“He’s that bad?”

“You don’t even-”

Paine cut himself off as soon as he saw the citizens around them also stepping back and his father stopping in the middle of the street.  The rest of the troupe stopped with him, the witnesses gazing at their armor.  Their leader never lost sight of his son, and their hazel eyes never strayed.

“You know you are supposed to be on-duty with us later today,” his father harshly reminded.  Paine grinned sheepishly and wordlessly stared at him.  “You might as well join us now, especially after what Velvet has told me.  Because you are my son, I have my own concerns.”

“But Dad, if I wanna get started with her-”

“Get started?”

The father raised an eyebrow as he looked at Celestia, and then at the inn.  He thought back to Velvet had told him and strained his focus on the errands board.  He read the words to himself before staring sharply back at his son.

“As if,” he snorted.  “You’re so eager to get to work with her.  Why is that?  She nearly killed you the last time the two of you met.”

Paine and his father looked at one another for a moment.  The younger pegasus fell back on his haunches, working up a bigger grin as his father’s pupils dilated.  Sweat poured down Paine’s face again and he remained silent.  The townsponies surrounded them, and Celestia walked up, flipping her hair out of her face.  All eyes were on the three of them.  No sound other than the surrounding chattering was heard, until the captain of the guards spread his wings.  They reached out to the pegasi beside him, and he lifted up into the air.  He eyeballed his son, who stared up back at him.

“Nevermind then if you won’t respond.  You have no interest in working with us now.  Just make sure to come home before nightfall and we’ll talk.  Specifically, your mother may want to have a few words.”

The rest of the troupe outstretched their wings and hovered beside their leader.  The townsponies gasped in awe and delight.  Most of them were Earth ponies, never knowing what wings felt like.  Many of the children cheered for the guards and ran towards the front.  Their parents would grab them before they could get any closer and yanked them to the back of the crowd.  Everypony was excited as they witnessed the golden sets of armor that glistened in the air under the sunlight.

“Yes, Dad,” Paine said as his words were muffled by the ponies around him.  Celestia looked on with an open mouth.

“Good,” his father responded.  The lead pegasus looked ahead and ordered, “Make way!  We have an important task ahead of us.”

The townsponies cleared a pathway that opened up down the rest of the street.  Many of them rubbed up against the walls of the buildings as the guards continued pushing through.  More cheers resounded from the crowd, and children made dashes towards their new idols.  They screamed and yelled out for the guards to look at them, even to give them an autograph.  These were the entities they all wished to be.

And the entities that Paine wished to run away from.

Paine moved back towards the inn to give them space.  He called for Celestia, and she trotted slowly towards him, watching the guards fly away.  It was rare to watch them spread their wings.  They always kept them folded when escorting her, leading her to question what was happening.  Is there something serious she can jump into?  To prove right now she can fight?

“I want a pair of those one day,” she claimed as the troupe traveled down the streets.  The crowd’s noises lingered on.  “They look like they would be so cool!”

As her head followed them, Paine watched her with unmoving, squinting eyes.  She was tough to figure out.  How could he amaze her?  He looked down along his armor to his own wings.  They were smaller, but they were wings.  He grumbled, thinking about what he should do.  The wings gradually stretched out, reaching far enough to touch Celestia’s back, while the mare continued to watch the guards.  She ignored everything else.

“But you know what?” Celestia added, looking on sullenly.  “If I had wings, Velvet would quiz me about how I got them.  She’d think I did something insane, and then never trust me.  Oh, what to do, what to do…”

She backed up into Paine’s wing, groaning confusedly at the sensation on her back.  She twisted her head to face it.  Her eyes went wide, and she squeaked, jumping to her side and looking at Paine.  The pegasus stared back at her with a soft smile, making a “squee” as it widened.

“Sorry, but you scared me for a second with…”  Celestia breathed a sigh of relief, wiping her face with her hoof.  She silently giggled.  This pegasus was a funny one, for sure.  She rubbed her eye before glancing at him, his teeth still barred, and looked at the rest of his body.  Her eyes found his outstretched wing, and her movements stopped.  Her hoof fell to the ground.  “…your wing.  Oh cool!”

Paine blushed and stretched out it out further.  Celestia watched with a smile.

“I almost forgot!  You’re a Canterlot guard!  Which means you’re a pegasus, and you have wings!”

“Yup,” he responded with an absence of nervousness.  “I don’t get to use them often, though.  My dad shows his off more.”

“But it’s still so awesome!  Then again, I have to admit…”

Paine dropped his wing and closed his lips, tilting his head.  “Hm?”

She eyed him with a stern expression.  No words again, until the right ones came to her mind.

“…yours are a lot smaller.  Not quite as awesome as your dad’s.”

His wing hit the ground, and his jaw fell.  The blood in his cheeks flushed away, and he stared with a defeated face as she looked towards the stands on the other side of the street.

“But at least you have them, and they’ll get bigger as you grow older.  You’re so lucky!  I’m stuck without any.”

Celestia watched as the rest of the townsponies continued their business after the commotion from the guards died down.  There was nothing more she wanted other than a change in her life.  Velvet gave her the means for it, and now it was up to her.  She looked up at the sky with determination, her pink mane blowing in the soft breeze.  A loud tick-tocking resounded throughout the city.

“Huh?” Celestia muttered as she looked towards the clocktower.  Its numbers were Roman numerals, with one small hand on the twelve while the larger one was on the seven.  Her jaw also dropped.  “Darn it!”

She spun back around to face Paine, whose expression was still the same.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go.  My own…‘father’ wants me back by seven, and now I’m late.  He lectures me if I don’t come back on-time, and it’s worse if I take longer.  So I guess I’ll…see you tomorrow?  Because we gotta get this started!  I’ll even introduce you to my sister if I can get her to join us!”

Paine continued to stare motionlessly until his brain processed her words.  He grunted and shook his head, standing back up on all-fours.  Celestia smiled gleefully at him.

“Oh yeah,” he responded, regaining himself.  “Sure.  That’d be awesome, actually.”

“Great!  Then do we wanna meet at the inn again?  Tomorrow’s Sunday, so it’s a new week.  The Errands board might be open again.”

“Yeah, it might.  Actually, it should be.  It’s usually only weekly like this.”

“Yup.”

Celestia began to walk further down the sidewalk, still watching him.  She drifted further and further away, not saying anything as she noticed Paine was silent.  He stood still, returning her gaze with his own.  She was searching for the words to part ways with him.  He did seem to be a bit depressed the entire time, after all.

“So I guess this is…goodbye for now,” Celestia said once other ponies started walking in between them.  She watched as Paine reached out a hoof towards her, and she slowed herself when his mouth opened.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he yelled back.  He retracted his hoof and lowered it to the ground.  He watched Celestia nod to him, and she faced forward, galloping away until she disappeared from his sight.  Paine fell back on his haunches and watched her run.  He let out a deep breath, releasing the pent up anxiety.

She was the type of mare he had always wished for.  They didn’t speak much because of his nervousness, and she never picked up on his interest.  He suffered from shyness, yet she was as nice as anypony had ever been to him.  She fostered the feelings she instilled in him the first time he laid eyes on her.  The first time she struck him.  The injury from her spells never bothered him.  They came from a pony as passionate and eccentric as her.  She was every bit the mare of his dreams.

‘But nopony is perfect,’ he said to himself while he could still see her.  ‘I wonder if she has any strange qualities.’

He scanned her body to answer his own question, and his eyes widened.  He leaned his head in to try to get a better look at her flank.  He continued leaning further, and as he focused his eyesight, he could see something was missing.

‘…And she does.  I think she’s my age, but…she doesn’t have her cutie mark.’

From atop the inn stood two male pegasi, gazing at the streets below them.  The larger one held his head over the edge, while his partner placed forehooves over.  He was slender with a white coat and a blonde mane.  A single lightning bolt symbol traveled down from above his eyebrow to the side of his mouth.  His eyes were closed, opening them to reveal his blue pupils as his mouth opened.

“We’ve been in this city for hours, and we still haven’t found her,” he complained.  “Are you sure Malice’s description was accurate, Speedway?”

“She wouldn’t lie to us.”  His companion snarled.  Speedway was a blue pegasus with a rainbow-shaded mane that reached down to his chest and hazel eyes.  “Sinner, what’s in it for her to send us into this city with a fake letter of access for no reason?”

“We are talking about Malice here, the pony who was evicted from Canterlot under grounds of supposed theft of government property.”  He gazed along the entire street below them, watching as a squadron of golden armored pegasi began patrolling down from the farthest end.  Townsponies were dashing up to them, pushing their way through.  “The pony that made it so guards must always waltz through this city.”

“Relax, we’ll find her.” Speedway scanned each of the ponies below.  “How hard can it be to find a white mare with a pink mane?”

“Have we found one yet?”

“Be an optimist.”

The duo continued looking over the building, watching each movement taking place.  Sinner’s eyes scanned along their left side towards the castle, while Speedway looked towards the city’s gates.  They next moments were quiet, listening to and analyzing each citizen.

Their routine continued until Sinner hummed to himself.  He spotted a guard who was separate from the troupe.  Townsponies were stepping away from him, and Sinner watched everything that happened around it.  He narrowed his eyes and grunted, and Speedway’s ears perked up.  He twisted to see his companion, and pushed himself to his side.

“You find her?”

“I’ve spotted something out of the ordinary.”

“Really now?”

Speedway swung his mane out of his face and followed Sinner’s eyes to the guard.  Near him, a white pony with pink hair was running towards their inn.  Sinner and Speedway looked at each other and grinned.

“How much you wanna bet that’s her?” Speedway asked, leaning up against his companion.

“There could be many ponies of those colors in this city.”

“Oh for Pete’s sake.”  Speedway rolled his eyes and slapped Sinner’s side.  “And what are we gonna do?  Just let this one slide and spend a month searching for another one, only to find out it was the same pony?!  Give me a break.  Let’s just report to Malice on what we’ve found.  This city is too busy nowadays for us to capture her and take her back.”

“And what are we going to tell her other than Celestia is alive?”

“Isn’t that what she said she wanted to know?  And that we’d only receive a bonus if we brought her back?  Come on, Sinner, I’m sure you’re as tired of this as I am.  Let’s go.  Otherwise, the fastest flyer you’ll ever know will leave you behind!”

Speedway stepped backwards and spread his wings.  He hopped, flapping them and hovering as a soft gust blew against him.  He looked down and waited for Sinner, the pony who wouldn’t move.  Sinner remained in his spot, his eyes tracking Celestia as she ran closer to the inn’s entrance.

“I’m coming,” Sinner acknowledged, backing up to alongside Speedway.  “But it’s unnerving to know she may be close to the Canterlot Royal Guard.  We and Malice alone can’t combat her if she has them at her disposal.”

“And we don’t need to.  Malice, being a mad sorcerer, will figure something out.  Just shutup and come on!”

Sinner grumbled again.  He was the calmer of the two, yet understood Speedway’s impatience.  Nonetheless, he held onto his own ideals.  He snorted, extending his wings before kneeling down and thrusting himself into the air.  Speedway smirked.

“Sometimes, I wish you would just stick to your senses and not your intuition.  I can’t remember the last time all your thoughts and crap didn’t slow us down.  Now…”

The eager pegasus twisted himself to face the horizon in the distance.  His pupils zoned in on the mountains in the distance, and he beat his wings.

“…come after me, bro!”

He took off, leaving a rainbow trail hue behind him as he flew as far as Sinner’s eyes could see.  Sinner watched him disappear and shook his head, knowing that his partner was laughing to himself.  It was the cocky mannerism Speedway lived by.

“One of these days, I’ll be right,” Sinner uttered, flapping his wings faster and turning to fly towards the sun.  The horizon enlightened his fur as he flew beyond the gates and traveled into the clouds.