The Incredibly Loyal Heart Of A Winning Pony

Chapters

Chapter One: Duty
Chapter Two: Trustworthiness
Chapter Four: Commitment
Chapter Five: Allegiance
Chapter Six: Faithfulness
Alternate Ending - Honor - Part One
Alternate Ending - Honor- Part Two
Chapter Three: Dedication

Chapter One: Duty

I’ll say this for Rainbow Dash: She has the biggest ego in Ponyville, and the fact that she can break up clouds faster than anyone else certainly doesn't hurt her ego. But the rest of us aren't as lucky. I flew down to a low-hanging cloud over Ponyville and stretch out on my back for a quick break. Whew.

Of course, since her biggest dream is to be one of the Wonderbolts, she spends a lot of her time practicing various aerial stunts so she can impress them enough to be offered a spot on the team. And, of course, her practicing tends to result in a variety of crashes. And, of course, from what I heard her latest attempt at what was described to me as "some sort of corkscrewing dive-bombing somersaulting thing" had the result of crashing into an innocent bystander, injuring her wing badly enough that there's no way she'll be busting clouds for the time being. And, of course, the innocent bystander was Raindrops, another pegasus on the weather team, who is also out of action as a result of the crash. So we're short two pegasi on the day before the Summer Sun Celebration, when Princess Celestia herself will be attending to raise the sun from Ponyville, and is sending her own personal student to oversee the preparations. Of course.

I do hope Rainbow's going to be okay. When I heard the news last night, I heard she also got a concussion from the crash, and with our history, a big blow to the head is the last thing she should be getting. And as much as she loves to fly and as much as she wants to be a Wonderbolt, a permanent injury to her wing would be the absolute worst. But I know not to worry: Rainbow Dash may be lots of things, like lazy, rash, and egotistical, but she's also resilient and determined. She'll bounce back from this crash and be doing something else foolish soon enough.

In the meantime, the work still needs to get done. While she's never made it official, I'm pretty much her second in command on the weather team. So, in Rainbow Dash's place, I know I need to help make sure the work's done. Making the boss look good makes me, and the team, look good. Since we needed clear skies for the Celebration, Rainbow's plan was to take care of Ponyville while the rest of us covered the outskirts of the town like Sweet Apple Acres, who still needed rain in the middle of summer. So I decided that instead of Rainbow covering Ponyville, Blossomforth and I would work to get the skies clear in town while the rest of the team would work to cover the outskirts of town. It would take longer, but it should get done in time.

But I'd been bucking clouds for hours and even cut lunch short to keep at it, and we still had hours more to go. The weather coming from the Everfree had been worse than normal, and the skies were still pretty thick with clouds. But I needed a break, and I stretched out on my little cloud and appreciated the pale blue sky of summer.

Until I heard a young male voice below me saying, "Hmm, there's supposed to be a pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds." followed by a female voice replying, "Well, she's not doing a very good job, is she?" I flipped over on my cloud to take a peek over the edge, and saw the speakers: A young unicorn mare that I didn't know, and... huh. That looked like a baby dragon. Now that's not something you see every day. I glided down to the ground, waving to them as I landed nearby and trotted over. I didn't want to crash into them, after all.

The unicorn smiled awkwardly as I approached and I got a good look at her. Purple coat, indigo mane with purple and pink streaks, and bright violet eyes. Cute, and judging from the smile, not very familiar with the whole social interaction thing. The baby dragon was also purple, with green spines and belly scales. They were obviously here together, but I'd definitely not seen them around town before.

The unicorn spoke first, a bit too formally, "Good afternoon. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I have been sent by Princess Celestia to help oversee the Summer Sun Celebration preparations. I was told that a pegasus named Rainbow Dash was in charge of clearing the sky, have you seen her?"

I smiled politely to the unicorn, who had to be Princess Celestia's personal student that we'd been told to expect, and said, "I'm Cloud Kicker, and it's very nice to meet you, Miss Sparkle. I'm afraid you won't see Rainbow Dash around today, she's in the hospital with a busted wing."

The unicorn's eyes widened at the news, while the little dragon piped up with, "Whoa. What happened to her?"

Twilight looked down at her companion and gently rebuked him, "Spike! You shouldn't pry into other ponies business!" like an older sister scolding her younger brother. Then, her eyes looked back up and she shyly asked, "So... what did happen to her?"

Staring at Twilight disbelievingly, Spike deadpanned "Oh. Don't pry into other ponies business, huh?" while I laughed at the quick wit of the little dragon and the embarrassed look on Twilight's face. She's definitely cute, especially when she's flustered.

After I’d stopped chuckling, I replied, "No no, it's nothing too scandalous, especially if you know the boss. She just had a bit of a crash is all. Trying what was described as "some sort of corkscrewing dive-bombing somersaulting thing" to me and she didn't pull up in time."

Twilight tilted her head to the side, obviously trying to process what she heard in a logical and sensible manner, and Celestia help me, she'd gone from cute to absolutely adorkable. I'm not even sure that's a word, but I'm using it! After several moments, she sputtered out "But... why would somepony do something that reckless?"

Ah, a question for the ages. I shrug with an easy smile and said "You'd have to know Rainbow to know that, trust me. She's got a good heart, but sometimes she gets an idea to try something and doesn't think it all the way through." Which is an understatement of all understatements, but it's good to not talk bad about the boss.

Spike snorts at that, and muttered "Gets an idea in her head and doesn't think it through. Who else do I know like that?" looking at his companion while she grins sheepishly again. I may have to see if she's interested in a little fun after our work is done, she's too cute to not even try. I get the feeling that she doesn't get around much, though, which complicates things. I'd hate to give her wrong impressions, especially since she's from out of town.

After a few moments, Twilight said, "So what about the skies? If Rainbow Dash isn't here, who's in charge of the weather teams for today?"

The talk of the skies got me back on track. "That'd be me, I suppose. The boss never got around to picking a weather team leader, but I'm pretty much the pony in charge until someone gets officially named." I said. That's one of the things I do wish Rainbow had done: Put a chain of command in place. She's always assumed that she'll always be there to run things since she likes to do things firsthoof, but this proves why you have the chain: In case you aren't.

Twilight nodded and replied, "So the skies are still pretty cloudy. Do you have a plan for getting the weather ready?"

I nodded back at her and explained, "Definitely. With Rainbow Dash and a couple other ponies out of action, we've kind of had to scramble to catch up. Even though we're short-staffed today, we've got the weather teams working hard to get the skies clear. It's going to take us a bit longer than we'd like, but the skies should get done in time, I promise."

Twilight smiled at the news, and said "Great, that's good to hear! Spike and I should get out of your hooves so you can get back to work. It was a pleasure to meet you, Cloud Kicker."

I smile back and nod, and replied “It was nice to meet you too, Miss Sparkle. I’m sure I’ll see you around town later!”

She started to turn to walk away, but she stopped and asked "Wait. Cloud Kicker. As in the Canterlot Kicker clan?" I nodded again, and she continued, "Wow, I’ve met a bunch of your relatives in the Guard! I don't know if I've ever met a Kicker that wasn't in the Guard."

Ouch. That hits one of the old sore spots for me, and I think she realized that she put her hoof in her mouth a bit, as she hastily added, "I'm sorry, that was rude of me! I'm sure you have your reasons why you're not in the Guard!" then even more hastily blurted out, "I'm sorry, that was rude too!"

I smiled and chuckled a bit, to help calm her down and because she's just too adorkable not to. Oh, what the heck, let's test the waters. "No no, that's okay Twilight. I do have my reasons. How about we meet up for dinner after I'm done clearing the skies, about 8 o'clock, and I'd be happy to let you get to know me, and even happier to get to know you better too." I winked, pouring on the Cloud Kicker irresistible charm.

The offer seemed to take her aback a bit, and she stammered "Oh, meet you for dinner, um... well..." before she's interrupted by a loud voice behind me.

"CLOUD KICKER! Figures I'd catch you slacking off! Hit on mares on your own time, we've got too many clouds to break up for you to be spending time thinking about seducing ponies!" I turned, and saw a particular pegasus with a pink and green mane glaring at me with her blue eyes from the cloud I had taken my brief siesta on. Oh Blossomforth, you have to pick the absolute worst times to flankblock me.

Twilight blinked a couple times, hearing the words hit on mares and blushed bright red before she blurted out "ImsorryIneedtobegoingnow!" and dashed off towards Town Hall, where the fashion pony Rarity was working on the decorations. Spike gaped at her rapid retreat for a moment, but quickly recovered and said, "Nice to meet you!" before he jogged after her, hollering at her to wait for him.

I sighed, and flapped my wings to bring myself alongside her cloud. "Blossom, that was Princess Celestia's personal student, and I was talking to her about the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. I know you're jealous when I hit on other mares and not you, but like I keep telling you, all you have to do is ask, and I'll be happy to add you to the list of bangable ponies." She's right, we've got a lot of work to do yet, but it should be one of my rules that there's always time for teasing Blossom.

The teasing got the desired effect: Blossom blushed almost enough to match Twilight Sparkle, and muttered something under her breath that I chose to believe was "Stupid Sexy Cloud Kicker" before she broke the cloud she was standing on with a quick stomp of her hoof and flew to the next cloud in line.

I laughed easily, and got back to work myself.

Author's Note

*looks at the chapter name* Rainbow Dash: "Heh heh heh doody."

In all seriousness, this is my first fanfiction I've ever written for MLP, but when AU month was announced, this idea was put forward, took root in my head and wouldn't leave, so I decided that I needed to write it. It's been a slightly terrifying process so far, but very fun.

All the thanks in the world go out to my prereaders 621Chopsuey, Cillerenda, and devas. You're all very classy fellows.

Next time: Cloud Kicker in an awkward position in Twilight Sparkle's bedroom!

Chapter Two: Trustworthiness

As I flew in for a landing near the center of town, I sighed in relief. A long day of breaking up clouds was finally done. Thankfully, once the rest of the weather team had cleared out their sections, they helped us finish up the town proper, and we were finally done as the sun was setting.

Blossomforth landed next to me, and gratefully sighed, "Thank Celestia that's over with." She looked as ragged as I felt. "If I had to fly any longer, my wings would have fallen off."

My tired wings fluttered weakly at the thought, but my stomach let out a loud grumbling sound that derailed that train of thought. "I think I'm going home to get cleaned up a little, and get a bite to eat. You want to come with?"

Unexpectedly, Blossom perked up and said, "Hey, I almost forgot! Thunderlane told me earlier he heard Pinkie was throwing a welcome surprise party at the library for that student of Celestia's that's visiting from Canterlot! I think they've probably already started, I saw Twilight heading that way with Fluttershy in tow a while ago. Wanna go to that?”

Huh. Pinkie usually puts on a good party, especially when it's a welcome party. But I had to ask, "At the library, though?"

Blossom nodded and said "Yeah, she's apparently a super big book-reader, so the Princess arranged that she’d be staying there while she’s in town. Anyway, you gonna go?"

I nodded and said, "I think I'm going to go home and shower first, though. Been a long long day and I don't want to smell like it."

Blossom narrowed her eyes at me then and said, "You aren't still going to try and convince Princess Celestia's own student to... you know," she finished lamely, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

I smiled knowingly, amused that she still couldn't bring herself to say simple words like... "Bang? Maybe. Maybe not. Does that bother you, Blossom?"

Blossom renewed her glare at me. "Yes, Cloud Kicker! I mean, she's the student of the Princess! You can't just seduce her like she's anyone else! Think of the scandal there could be and how it could make Ponyville look!"

I shook my head. "Blossom, I keep telling you that there is nothing scandalous about two ponies having fun. For all you know, she might be into it, but I'll never know if I don't ask. Besides," as I winked conspiratorially, "I'll be discreet."

And with that, I trotted in the direction of home, calling over my shoulder "See you there!" before Blossom said something snide about me being discreet. Blossomforth’s my best friend, but sometimes she's almost as easy to predict as Rainbow Dash.

***

After a wash and dry, making sure I looked okay, I trotted over to the Golden Oaks Library, and long before I got there, I heard the sounds of ponies having fun. Music to my ears!

I opened the door and headed in, and saw far more of Ponyville's population in the library than probably ever before. Libraries aren't really designed for large groups, but there's just enough space to move around comfortably and without rubbing flanks on other ponies as you walk. Which I don’t MIND as much, but other ponies might.

I only made it a few steps in before a particularly personable pink party pony popped up parallel to me. "Hiya Cloud Kicker! I was worried you weren't going to make it!"

I smiled at Pinkie, "Not at all! Getting the skies clear just took a bit longer than we'd expected, since Rainbow's in the hospital."

Pinkie's smile immediately drooped as she said in a sad voice, "I heard about that! It's so sad that Rainbow hurt herself so bad and will miss the celebration! I tried to bring her a big platter of sweet treats, but the nurses wouldn't let me give them to her!"

I chuckled and patted her on the back, "Don't worry, Pinkie. Once she's out of the hospital, then you can shower her with candy and treats." Of course, this perked Pinkie right up and she bounced away giggling to herself. Y'know, I'd swear Pinkie had the hots for the boss. Though, who can guess with Pinkie Pie?

I spent some time socializing with ponies in the crowd, chatting and having fun, but later on, I looked over the crowd and didn't see the purple unicorn of the day. But, I did see a certain earth pony that I knew pretty well, so I wandered over to her. "Evening, Applejack! Your crops coming in okay?" Word of advice: when talking to a farmer, a good way to open the conversation is asking how their crops are doing (as long as you know the answer is good). Since the weather team handles the rainfall, it's easy for us to see that Sweet Apple Acres would be having a windfall harvest.

The apple farmer turned to face me with a wide smile on her face as she said, "Howdy, Cloud Kicker! Yep, the apple harvest is lookin' mighty big this year, maybe even be the biggest Ah've ever seen! Ah heard you were responsible for corralling the weather ponies today since Rainbow's hurt, and making sure our trees got enough water."

Applejack then looked a little sheepish as she continued, "Ah know we don’t always see eye-to-eye," there’s an understatement, she gives me the evil eye any time she sees me talking to her brother Big Mac for more than a moment, “but Ah just want to say that the Apple family appreciates yer taking charge and making sure the job got done." She punctuated her appreciation with a tip of her hat. It’s a shame she doesn’t like my loose attitude about banging, she really is very attractive, in a far different way than, say, Rarity.

I smiled gratefully and replied, "I'll be sure to let everyone on the team know it. It's always a team effort." which got a nod of understanding from the farm pony. I looked around and continued, "Have you seen Twilight Sparkle anywhere? Strange to have a welcome party without the pony being welcomed around."

Applejack nodded and said "Yeah, poor girl accidentally drank a cup full of hot sauce, and is probably feelin' awful sick. Last Ah saw her she was headin' for the back of the library." Ouch. That'd ruin anyone's day, all right. Applejack continued, "But even before, she seemed as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of a rocking chairs. She said somethin' to her baby dragon Spike when they came in, but I couldn't make out what. Anyway, she seems like she's stressed out big time over something."

I nodded and thanked her, and slipped through the crowd to the back on the library. From what I'd heard, the last librarian had a bedroom back there, so odds were she was back there. I took a look around, and nobody seemed to be paying attention to me, so I slipped through the door.

My eyes had to adjust to the darkened room, but after a moment, I spotted her up on the bed on the second floor in the back of the room. I took a step forward and opened my mouth to call up to Twilight, but I stopped short. Twilight had her pillow doubled over her head and obviously was trying to sleep, but with the raucous crowd behind me, that obviously wasn't happening. I decided that there would be a better time to try and get to know the cute Canterlot unicorn than when she was trying to sleep.

Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me saying, "Hang on, I'll ask her!" Uh-oh. That was Spike talking, which means the "her"... oh horseapples. Time for a hiding spot! I looked around wildly, saw a closet and flew in, landing in an awkward heap with my wings complaining at the further stress, just as the door opened and Spike walked through with a lampshade on his head. Whew, that was too close. I could see them, but hopefully they couldn't see me in the dark closet. Last thing I needed is to have to explain to an angry unicorn mare why I was in her bedroom. I learned from the first time that happened to me that objects thrown with telekinesis hurt.

Spike called up to Twilight, "Hey Twilight! Pinkie Pie's starting 'pin the tail on the pony'! Wanna play?"

Twilight snapped back at him, "No! All the ponies in this town are crazy! Do you know what time it is?!" Hey now, crazy is a pretty strong word. Well, maybe not for Pinkie.

Spike replied, "It's the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration. Everypony has to stay up, or they'll miss the Princess raise the sun!" He paused a moment, then continued in a hurt tone, "You really should lighten up, Twilight. It's a party!" and walked back to the party as Twilight mimicked his last words in a mocking tone, then fell back on the bed.

Seemingly to herself, Twilight said "Ugh, here I thought I'd have time to learn about the Elements of Harmony but, silly me, all this ridiculous friend-making has kept me from it!" She then turned to the window and continued, obviously reciting something from memory, "Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about everlasting night. I hope the Princess was right... I hope it really is just an old pony tale..." but by then, the meaning of her words caught up to me and I stopped cold. Oh Tartarus.

One of the things that's very important about being a Kicker is our history, which I knew very well. A few weeks ago, as the town was starting to get ready for the Summer Sun Celebration, I''d noticed that if the old stories had their years straight, this would be exactly one thousand years since Nightmare Moon was banished by Princess Celestia. But the words "Thousandth year", "escape", and "bring about everlasting night" meant that Twilight Sparkle thought that Nightmare Moon was going to escape. Tonight.

My first instinct was to dismiss it as "an old pony tale" like she said, but Twilight Sparkle seemed like she believed it was going to happen. And I don't know what made me think this, but I believed her, and I trusted her. Twilight seemed like she had tried to convince her mentor that the story might be true, and maybe Celestia didn't believe her. But if it was true, this could be the start of a new Lunar Rebellion right here and right now.

So, I made myself a promise right then and there. While I've had my problems with following through on my commitments in the past, this will put us all in danger, from Ponyville to Canterlot to Manehattan and all of Equestria. So if it is true, it's my duty as a Kicker to do what I can to help.

And this time, I'm not running away.

Author's Note

I struggled for a long while on the start of this chapter, because I knew I wanted CK to arrive late at the Pinkie Party to set up the chain of events, but in the canon episode, CK is one of the ponies that shouts "Surprise!" at Twilight. (Yes, really. Check the center background when everypony says Surprise. That there is a Cloud Kicker) I actually struggled for a long while trying to figure out how to wrangle that detail, until I remembered that this is an AU fic, and changes like that are okay. Then I felt a little silly for not realizing that sooner.

Also, spellcheck HATES Applejack. Writing in Applejack's accent isn't widely done, but I like the way it looks. But as a result, spellcheck HATES Applejack.

So this was another short chapter, but the third chapter is finished, and it's about twice as long as the previous chapters have been. Once the pre-readers have a chance to look at it, it'll get posted. But we're starting to get into the adventure, and things start happening!

Thanks go out to my excellent pre-reading friends 621Chopsuey, Cillerenda, Devas, and Kamunari. They're all amazingly cool froods who know where their towel is.

Next time: Cloud Kicker's behavior leaves Twilight Sparkle speechless!

Chapter Four: Commitment

We wasted little time before we headed towards the Everfree Forest. Though I could tell that the other five ponies were scared, they were putting on a brave face. Not that I could have blamed them, since I was putting on a brave face of my own. Going into the untamed depths of the Everfree to fight the mad alicorn of the night with the student of Princess Celestia, a dressmaker, an animal caretaker, an apple farmer, and a baker/party planner isn't how I expected to spend my early morning, but when duty calls, the Kickers answer. (Most of the time, at least.) And me keeping calm will help all the other ponies here do the same.

Well, except Fluttershy. When I said that everypony was putting on a brave face, that might have been an exaggeration in her case. Or you could have said that it was total horseapples. Fluttershy was at the back of the line, and looking over my shoulder at her, I could easily see that she was terrified. Eepysqueak lived on the edge of the Everfree after all, and she knew how dangerous it could be inside there, but she was coming along anyway.

She was separated enough from the rest of the group that I thought that I could talk to her without embarrassing her further. If she's this scared now, how bad would it get once we were actually in danger? So I slowed my pace to let her catch up to me, and quietly said "Hey Fluttershy, how are you doing?"

Fluttershy eep'd and turned towards me, obviously not realized I'd walked up next to her until I'd spoken. "Oh, Cloud Kicker! I didn't see you there. I'm - I'm okay. A bit tired, but it's late. And I'm shivering because it's a little cold. I'm not scared at all!" she stammered out in one long breath, then immediately eep'd again and turned her eyes to the ground. Yeah. Not scared at all. Got it.

I sighed and replied, "Listen, Eepysqueak, we all know this is gonna be dangerous and we've got a lot of ponies going already. Nopony would blame you not wanting to come-"

Which is as far as I got before Fluttershy, still looking down, actually interrupted me by quietly but very firmly saying, "No."

I blinked in astonishment. "Wait, what?"

Fluttershy looked at me, and Shadow as my witness, there was almost a literal fire in her eyes. It almost felt like my mother glaring me down when she caught me sneaking a hooffull of cookies. She said, "I'm not running away. Nightmare Moon might be selfish in wanting eternal night, but that's going to cause more harm than just keeping things dark. Plants need the sunlight to grow, and the plant-eaters need the plants, and the meat-eaters need the plant-eaters. We all need to do our part to make things right again for ponies and all the other animals. I know it's going to be dangerous, but just because I'm not a tough pony like Applejack, or went to West Hoof like you, or learned magic under Princess Celestia like Twilight, doesn't mean that I can't help. I can help, and I want to help. I want to help make sure everyone will see another sunrise." Fluttershy nodded confidently.

With a warm smile, and no small amount of shock, I replied, "Wow Fluttershy, I'm really impressed-"

Fluttershy then blurted out, "Oh no! I interrupted you! I'm sorry! And then I interrupted you again! I'm sorry again! Eep!" and shrank back, blushing terribly. Oh Eepysqueak. Two steps forward, one step back.

I chuckled, and said "It's all right, Fluttershy. I won't worry about you, it seems like you've made your mind up. Just remember that I've got your back too, y'know?" Fluttershy gave me a small smile at that. "Though, you should watch out. Use some mane and coat dye and you'd be the new Rainbow Dash!" I winked at her and made my way back up the line of ponies. Behind me, I heard her gasp in shock, then giggle. It made me really happy to hear Eepy laughing. Things were still weird between us, and they probably would be afterwards, but the sound of her laughing gave me hope that maybe they wouldn't always be.

The other four ponies in the procession apparently weren't listening to our conversation, though I could see Rarity quietly talking to Twilight Sparkle, though Twilight didn't seem to be paying much attention. After a moment, Applejack looked back at me, and slowed her own pace to let me catch up to her, saying "Hey, Cloud Kicker. Ah need ta ask you a question."

I nodded my agreement, and she continued, "Ah know why Twilight's going to get the Elements, and Ah know why Ah'm goin’ too: She's mah friend, but the farm is mah family's livelihood. Even if she wasn't goin', Ah would be because mah trees need the sun to grow. But why are you goin'?" She looked at me with suspicion. "It's not just to brag later to try and seduce ponies like you said back at the library, is it? Cause if that's the case, Ah don't think you should be coming. This is serious business to some of us, not just fer foolin' around like you do."

Well. She doesn't have a problem with the "brutal" kind of honesty, that's for sure. I tried to rein in my anger, because I knew from her perspective and her upbringing, my attitude on banging and the way I ran away from my family's expectations was anathema to her. I replied, "I know where you're coming from, Applejack, and I'm taking this as seriously as you are. You know I went to West Hoof, right?" After Applejack nodded, I continued, "Duty and responsibility are both big things at West Hoof, and for my family in particular. I can't stand by the sidelines and watch other ponies go into danger. If you all went into the Everfree without me, and got hurt or worse when I could have prevented it, I'd never forgive myself. Like I said back at the library, if the Elements are the best hope to stop Nightmare Moon, then it's my duty as a Kicker to help find them."

Applejack looked unconvinced, but I continued, "I know we don't get along a lot, but being on the weather team, we do interact a lot, and I'd still like to call you a friend. Sure, maybe not one I'm likely to hit the bars with, but still, I'm just as worried about your farm as you are. I know your apple orchards mean the world to you and your family, and I'd hate to see your family in trouble. So if I can help, then why wouldn't I?"

As I talked, Applejack was scrutinizing my face for signs that I was lying, and after I finished, she cautiously asked, "You mean that? About worrying about mah kin and our farm, and about not wanting to see ponies get hurt?"

I nodded, and said, "Yeah, of course. A big part of being in the Guard, or training to be in the Guard, is helping ponies. And we all have to work together, like the weather team and you on the farm. I'd much rather be friends with decent ponies like you than be at each others throats all the time. And I'd much rather be in the Everfree with friends than five random ponies."

Applejack seemed to consider that for a moment, then nodded, seemingly satisfied. I held up a hoof, awkward as that was while walking. "What do you say, Applejack? Friends?"

After a moment, she met my hoofbump. "All right, Cloud Kicker. Friends. But yer still not allowed to try and have yer way with anypony in mah family!"

I made a show of letting my ears droop and dejectedly saying, "Darn, you thwarted my plan. Oh well, I guess I can live with that." and winked at her.

Applejack narrowed her eyes at me again, and then surprised me by laughing easily, the sound carrying through the dark morning, and after she stopped laughing, she said "Yer all right, sugarcube. But yer still gonna have to stay away from mah brother. We aint got time for yer kind of shenanigans on the farm."

I laughed and nodded my agreement but couldn't resist calling out over my shoulder as I trotted away, "Just make sure Big Mac knows that, too. Not my fault if he comes to me!" Applejack sputtered a moment, then shook her head, chuckling to herself. Wow, two for two on getting along with ponies better. For being about to go into terrifying danger and quite possible certain doom, my day's really looking up.

I walked by Pinkie Pie bouncing along with her eyes closed. Without opening her eyes, turning her head, or changing stride, she cheerfully chirped, "Of course we're friends, Cloud Kicker! I'm friends with everypony!" and in one bounce, she bounded back to hop next to Applejack and Fluttershy, who both looked at the overenthusiastic pony with a bit of skepticism. Oookay then. Pinkie being Pinkie, I guess.

I kept walking forward, and at the front of the pack was Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. Even the inveterate gossip of Ponyville seemed to be having trouble engaging Twilight Sparkle in any kind of meaningful conversation. I could have cut the awkward silence with a knife. This called for Irresistible Charm.

"So, ladies, I vote we postpone the trip into the Everfree, catch the first train to Las Pegasus, hit the nightclubs, get absolutely feathered up on cheap alcohol, and party hard. Now who's with me?!" As ice-breakers go, this was like dropping a large boulder into a thinly frozen pond. Twilight Sparkle gaped at me in abject horror, her right eyelid twitching, and Rarity shook her head and sighed. I grinned innocently and asked, "So, that's a no, then?"

Twilight finally recovered long enough to blurt out, "That's crazy! You're crazy! Stop being crazy!"

Rarity tutted disapprovingly and replied in her dramatic Canterlot accent, "Now Twilight, "crazy" is such a strong word. Cloud Kicker is just a tad, oh, what's the word... eccentric, perhaps? After all, I don't think she was actually serious. Right, Cloud Kicker?" She narrowed her eyes at me. The way Rarity said eccentric made me think that she had heard plenty of gossip about me. Not to mention my implication that she was one to get "feathered up on cheap alcohol".

I wistfully sighed and admitted, "No, not really. But it was a happy thought for the moment."

Twilight also sighed in response, only in exasperation. "Well, it's good you're taking the escape of Nightmare Moon and eternal night seriously!"

Rarity then turned back to Twilight Sparkle and gently retorted, "Now, that's not fair either, Twilight. Cloud Kicker is as dependable a pony as you'll find!" Wow, she and I never really hung out any before tonight, but she's still defending me and talking nice about me anyway. That's pretty nice of Rarity.

"After all, even with her past, I think duty must run in her blood." Okay Rarity, there's being generous and then there's giving away the farm.

"Well, of course it does, being of the Kicker clan. Though, our Cloud Kicker is certainly different than most of the rest of the Kicker clan, in profession and other ways." Oh Celestia, I have made some mistakes in life, but not bad enough to deserve this. I know it was wrong to wish for a mud puddle or mudslide or something for her to fall into, but c'mon.

Thankfully, Rarity seemed content to leave it at that, though that knowing smile made me think that she got exactly what she wanted to say said. Twilight regarded me cautiously, finally asking me, "Okay, Cloud Kicker. What's she talking about?"

Even more thankfully, we were coming up to the entrance to the Everfree, so I replied, "It's a long story, Twilight. Once this is all over with, if you still want to know, I'll be happy to tell you." Twilight nodded in agreement, and our merry band came to a halt behind us, looking up at the foreboding forest.

I usually saw the Everfree from the skies while working to clear up the rogue weather that came from that way, and it's depressing enough looking down at it, but looking up at the forest from the ground is far worse. I almost wanted to take to the skies and fly to the castle, dodge the forest entirely, and bring the Elements back for the girls. But unfortunately, there was a lot of reasons that wouldn't work, like not really knowing where the castle was and probably not being able to carry all the Elements on my own since I didn't know what they even looked like, but most of all that I'd have to leave all the others behind, even Eepysqueak given how she flies, and on a night like tonight, there's no way that I could do that.

After a long moment, Applejack cleared her throat and said "All right everypony. No sense puttin' it off any longer." We then entered the forest.

***

What followed was a few of the most challenging hours of my life.

It started not long after we entered the Everfree. We were talking about how the Everfree was strange and different compared to the rest of Equestria, when the ground underneath our hooves simply collapsed, sending everypony but me and Eepysqueak sliding down a steep slope, with a deep ravine waiting at the end of the slope. Eepy and I were able to help make sure everypony made it down to the bottom of the ravine without the sudden stop at the end, but it took some quick flying (which my tired wings didn't appreciate at all) and some calming words from Applejack to Twilight Sparkle. Applejack actually let go of the root that stopped her from going over the edge, and slid down the edge to grab Twilight's hooves and keep her from falling long enough for me and Eepy to get into place to catch her. That took guts from the farm pony, I had to say.

Though, I did take the opportunity, when Twilight Sparkle said that she appreciated the save, to reply "Oh, I can think of some ways that you could thank me." with a knowing wink, to the sound of a quiet groan from Rarity, and an uncomprehending stare from Twilight Sparkle.

Not long after that, we were continuing on the path, but a raging honest-to-Celestia manticore came out of nowhere to block our path. I knew it was a possibility, but it was still a daunting thing to face without wingblades and armor. At the same time, I was probably the only pony in the group that had actual martial training, so I was the first one into the fray to defend the rest of the group, admittedly not very effectively. I had the thought: "Wait, why didn't I get my armor from my parent's place in town? Stupidstupidstupid-" right before the manticore smacked me clear across the clearing. Of all ponies, Fluttershy ended the fight. Well, she had a hunch, and the manticore's rage was from a giant thorn stuck in its paw. Once she pulled it out, the big beast was as gentle as a kitten to her. At least nopony was hurt, I was happy to say.

After that, things got a little weird. After we walked for a while, we came to an even thicker portion of the forest, to the point where we could barely see a hooflength in front of our faces. Then, we could see all too well: the trees around us all had horrifying monstrous faces on them. All of the others were freaking out, and even I was getting spooked, up until Pinkie Pie started laughing. Of course she would laugh! And with a song and dance, Pinkie explained that you couldn't hide or run from your fears, but you could laugh them away. And by Shadow, it worked. Goes to show that Pinkie Pie's got more in her head than parties and cake recipes.

We then reached a river where the water was so choppy, swimming through would be impossible. Another dweller of the Everfree turned out to be responsible: a large sea serpent, never mind that we're nowhere near the sea, of course. The sea serpent was rampaging the same as the manticore had been, though for a bit less impressive of a reason: A purple cloud flew by and cut off half of his giant moustache. Seriously. He was almost as overdramatic as Rarity. And I think she took that as a challenge: After sympathizing with the serpent's plight, Rarity dramatically declared that she wouldn't tolerate such an injustice, ripped out one of the serpent's scales, cut off her own tail, and used her magic to attach the tail to restore his moustache. That calmed the giant creature down, and he actually helped us cross the river afterward.

I had a funny feeling that, despite being beset by danger at every turn, everything would be okay, because I was with the others. We continued into the deepest part of the forest.

Author's Note

The reports of my, and this story's, deaths are greatly exaggerated! Happy New Year!

Wow, been almost a full year since my last update, but as I alluded to in the comments lately, 2014 was extremely unkind to me in Real Life. Posting this on New Years Day is my way of defenestrating that almost-a-year of almost-no-writing by getting back to it and finishing the story I started. (I do so love that word.)

And the good news there is that the story IS finished! So the remaining chapters should be coming soon.

I want to thank everyone that's liked this story, favorited it, commented on it, or some/all of the above. I really appreciate it, and you guys and girls are the ones that got me back into action on this.

I also, as always, want to thank the pre-readers that were able to take a look at this chapter through the end of holiday season: 621Chopsuey and Devas.

Next time: Cloud Kicker confesses her feelings for Twilight Sparkle!

Chapter Five: Allegiance

After a bit longer, we left the thickest part of the forest behind us, and finally found what we were looking for: the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters.

Twilight exclaimed, "There it is, the ruin that holds the Elements of Harmony. We made it!" and began running for it.

The rest of us followed her example after a moment, with Applejack calling ahead, "Twilight, wait for us!"

Twilight called back over her shoulder, "We're almost there!" But Twilight wasn't watching where she was going, and as I opened my mouth to warn her, she nearly ran over the edge of the gorge ahead of her, front hooves scrabbling on the cliffside to try and push herself up. I raced forward and dragged Twilight back onto solid land.

"Watch your step, Twilight, I won't always be there to catch you." I teased in maybe a little of the sultry Cloud Kicker Charm voice. Twilight tilted her head slightly to the side and gave me an odd look, but didn't comment further. I have to admit, after walking, running, working up a sweat, dealing with life-threatening and possibly apocalyptic dangers, all of it with Twilight leading our group, I could conclude Twilight Sparkle did have a very nice flank for a bookish student type of mare.

Okay libido, settle down. Time for that later.

We all looked down at the gorge separating us from the castle. At some point in the last thousand years, the bridge separating the two sides had broken and rested on our side. Pinkie Pie was the first to speak up with, "Now what?"

I dryly answered her, "Gee, it's a shame that none of us can fly." as I poked her in the ribs with a wingtip.

Pinkie giggled and said "Oh yeah!" as I swooped down to get the end of the bridge and flew back up to the other side of the gorge to reattach it.

I'd just connected one of the ropes when I heard a seductive voice purr, "I have been waiting for you, Cloud Kicker."

I spun on my hooves to see, striding out of a dense purple mist, the one mare I was hoping not to see this closely: Nightmare Moon, looking down at me with those freaky slit-pupiled eyes with disdain.

Oh buck.

I heard the five ponies behind me gasp in fear, and Twilight Sparkle cry out, "Cloud Kicker! Don't worry, we-" but looking behind me, I saw Nightmare Moon's purple mist sweeping through the chasm, cutting me off from the others.

This could be bad.

Suddenly, from just outside my field of vision, Nightmare Moon whispered in my ear, "Should you be taking your eyes off of your enemy?" On instinct, I threw myself to the side, my head whipping back around to face her as my wings flared open reflexively. Nightmare Moon laughed mockingly as she continued, "Oh, so paranoid and untrusting! What would your dear Princess think?"

Whatever response I would give to a question like that died on my lips, as I noticed something strange about the alicorn. "Weren't you taller before?" While it was hard to say from when I saw her at Town Hall, Nightmare Moon definitely looked shorter than she did before. Still taller than me, but no longer towering over me like she should have been.

Nightmare Moon snorted arrogantly and replied, "I am not truly here in body, only in spirit. If you must, think of this form as a sort of projection so that we can have a chat, just you and me. Your-", and she spit the next word like it was an obscenity, "friends are unharmed for the moment. But they won't be interfering, despite Twilight Sparkle's feeble attempts to break my barrier."

So they're still out there, and trying to get in. I tilted my head a bit, and asked, "Wait, you know who she is?" then I remembered that she used my name earlier too, and continued, "And who I am?"

Nightmare Moon laughed cruelly, the sound echoing through the dark space. "Of course I do. I have been watching you six since before you entered the forest, back at that foalish library-"

So that means she knows we're here to stop her with the Elements. Fantastic.

"-and throughout your journey in this forest. I have been trying to drive your little merry band off with subtle manipulation and deception, but you are all proving more... persistent than I expected. And your little minds are open like a book to my eyes. I know all about all of you."

"Applejack. She wears her dependence on her little apple farm on her coat, as obvious as her cutie mark. Her heart is in those trees, and when they die in my eternal night, I wonder if she will as well."

I stared at her in horror as she very casually spoke, but I could tell she wasn't trying for shock value. It was more like she was describing the weather.

She continued, "Pinkamena Pie. So happy, so joyous, working so hard to bring smiles to everypony else. She laughs at all the world, but when the world grows cold, will she keep laughing? Would it be worse if she didn't... or if she did?"

Her voice was dispassionate, but the imagery was still powerful, and shaking me to my heart. "Okay, you made your point, you can stop."

"Rarity. So giving to others to make them prettier, make them happier, make them better. So many dreams of making beautiful things for all to “ooh and aah” over. But all the beautiful things in the world will not make the sun shine. She can sacrifice all of herself, yet it will not make a difference. Not. At. All."

I shook my head, her words falling like hammer blows. Matter-of-fact. Indifferent. Cold. Like the night itself. I glared up at her and hissed, "Okay! I get it! Bad things! You don't need to rub it in!"

"Twilight Sparkle. So desperate to please her beloved Princess Celestia, so proud of all the books she's read, of all the magic she's learned. But her Princess is gone, and nothing she has learned will save her."

I was powerless to stop her, I knew that, but I also knew who was next in her list, and I knew she knew to save Eepy for last and why. But nonetheless, I lunged at her in a desperate effort to stop her. Nightmare Moon didn't even acknowledge the attack, she just sidestepped effortlessly. I yelled at her, "Please!", but she kept talking anyway, smirking all the while.

"Fluttershy. So meek, so innocent, so gentle. So weak. In the night, so many beasts grow hungry, and eventually they'll come for her, even as she tries to help them. She'll die screaming for you, Cloud Kicker, but she'll perish, alone, long before any help arrives. I doubt they'll even find her bones."

I could feel terror welling up in my heart at the thought of Eepy dying like that, I couldn't help it. But I knew she was twisting the blade intentionally to elicit a reaction, maybe even using her magic to influence my emotions, so after collecting myself, I glared back at her. "So what about me, then?"

She tossed her head imperiously, and continued, "Cloud Kicker. So eager to follow the family tradition and serve in my sister's Guard. But when the time came to commit to that path, you ran away. And you keep running. You seek solace and love and fill your bed with so many different ponies to fill that hole-"

I snapped, "All right! Get to the point! You wanted to chat, but all you're doing is rant! So what do you want from me?" At this point, I was hoping that the others could break into the barrier, or that they'd find a way around and get to the Elements while I distracted her. I might not be able to get away from Nightmare Moon, but I could keep her eyes focused on me.

Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes, but didn't seem to take further offense at my outburst, saying "Very well. You must know that if I am here, then the Elements of Harmony are also within my reach. And even if you could get to the Elements, there is no way for you to use them. I cannot be stopped by you, by Celestia, or by anypony else. So I offer you an alternative to a pointless sacrifice." She raised her horn, and a feeling like a bucket of warm water washed over me. I suddenly felt a suit of armor materialize over my body, and when I looked down at my forelegs, I saw my coat was as black as hers.

I gaped for a moment, then stammered, "W-what is this?"

Nightmare Moon smirked, and with a flourish of her horn, a mirror appeared in front of me, large enough to see what she had done: I was wearing a suit of armor, similar to the one the Captain of Celestia’s Guard wears, but cast in black and purple metals, and with a more curving design. I realized that the change in coat color was probably her version of a uniform enchantment. Not only was my coat color now black, the bit of my mane under the helmet I could see was now a vibrant blue, like hers. My wings now more resembled those of a bat, and my ears were a different shape too, laid flat against my head at the moment. Finally, my eyes had the same slit pupils that hers did. With a proud tone to her voice, Nightmare Moon declared, "I will need to assemble a new Shadow Guard as I gather my power base, and I want you as my Captain. And your first duty will be stopping your friends from entering my castle."

I flexed my wings for a moment, seeing my reflection do the same with her bat wings, then shook my head and quietly replied, "You must be even crazier than I thought if you think I'll join you."

She scoffed, and replied, "Oh, don't dismiss the option too quickly, my Captain. I don't expect you to kill them. They are only misguided, not villains. After all, you do have such delicious feelings for 'Eepysqueak'. And there's more to consider, too."

She started walking in circles around me, her voice sickly sweet as she spoke, "You have so many friends in Ponyville: Blossomforth. Rainbow Dash. Ditzy Doo and her daughters. Lyra Heartstrings. And the others outside, of course. You could guarantee their safety and help protect them. After all, my Captain, your word is law in this new Equestria. Help keep the peace, and they'll live long and happy lives with you by their side."

"Not to mention your family, my Captain. So many family members serve in Celestia's Guard: Cousins. Aunts. Uncles. Parents. In fact..." Nightmare Moon flourished her horn again, and a section of the barrier shimmered and began showing images of several wings of pegasi guards flying in full battle gear. I recognized a few of them, but the image zoomed in on my parents at the head of the formation. Nightmare Moon continued, "Celestia's Guard had to scramble when the sun did not rise, and they heard no word from Ponyville. Your father was the first officer on hand to travel to Ponyville with a group of pegasi to investigate, and your mother refused to be left behind when they heard a rumor that six ponies, including one matching your description, went into the Everfree to stop Nightmare Moon. That was my doing, of course. They'll be here within the next couple hours, and when they get here, they'll try to stop me and perish in the attempt. But you can stop their needless slaughter, my Captain."

Whispering now in my ear, she continued, "You disappointed all of them, you know. You had such a bright future ahead of you, but you ran away. In front of all of them, at graduation, no less. In front of all their peers, embarrassing them so very much. Thanks to you, I know that Clan Kicker was one of the only pegasi clans to support Celestia during the Lunar Rebellion. If your clan challenges me, if they support Celestia's side again, I'll have no choice but to destroy them all, even the youngest colts and fillies. Even if some of them survive, Clan Kicker will be no more. Dissolved, written out of the history books. But you can save them all. Lead my Shadow Guard. You can convince them to join us, and once again they'll support the winning side of this conflict. And they will only be the first ones, but they will be richly rewarded for it. They will be the foundation for the peaceful future of Equestria under my reign. And you'll be the hero leading them into that glorious future. The First Captain of the Shadow Guard, Cloud Kicker! The hero that saved the Kicker clan when they teetered on the edge of destruction! The hero that helped to usher in a new age in Equestria! They will speak of you the same way that they speak of Shadow Kicker herself!"

She stood in front of me now, kindly smiling at me. "I offer you not only glory and honor, and riches beyond your dreams, but the chance to help save them all. Your mother, Nimbus Gust. Your father, Tornado Kicker. Your little sister, Alula. And all the rest of your family and friends. Only you can save them all, here and now, and you don't want to let them down again, do you? Just think how devastated your parents will be when they arrive to find that you had a chance to save yourself and them... and you refused? And when your little sister finds out that in one night, she's become an orphan because you chose to doom your parents? Will you let them down again, my Captain? Will you run away from your duty to your family?"

I stood, head down, for a long moment. When I finally spoke, I was as quiet as Eepysqueak. "I..."

Nightmare Moon leaned in, a triumphant smile on her face, her head less than a foot away from mine. "Yes, my Captain?"

My hoof lashed out, swinging in a wide arc, catching Nightmare Moon full in the side of the face. I was very glad that the armor I was wearing was actually real and not an illusion, because the heavy boot at the end of my hoof made a very satisfying clang when it met her helmet as I decked her as hard as I feathering could.

Nightmare Moon staggered back, trying to keep her hooves under her, and I could actually see her eyes unfocus for a moment before her blazing gaze could turn back to me. "You dare...?"

That was all she had the chance to get out, because I was already in the air and diving fast towards her, whipping my hoof around in another punch at her head. This wasn't Krav Pega, just a wild haymaker with all the strength my upper body could muster. She tried to dodge this one, but my hoof still connected with another solid thwack, and the alicorn recoiled and fell in a heap.

I took to the air again, even as my wings complained still, flying in as wide of a circle as I could manage within the barrier, working hard to gain speed. Nightmare Moon staggered back to her feet, and I could see that she was pissed. She fired a purple beam of energy from her horn, but I was able to dodge it, and as she turned to keep a bead on my position, I dove and turned in a sharp arc. Her eyes widened for a moment, but couldn't get out of the way before my front hooves slammed into her side with all the force gravity and I could muster.

I felt the impact shoot through my front hooves all the way to my spine, but Nightmare Moon's body became a ragdoll as I could feel something in that body snap under the impact. Her form tumbled end over end for a moment, before disappearing into a cloud of purple mist. I picked myself up off the ground and felt the armor disappear into the same purple smoke. A quick glance showed that my coat and mane were back to normal, to my relief.

After a moment, the part of the barrier nearest the castle flexed, and the mist formed into a giant version of Nightmare Moon's head, roaring at near deafening volume"You DARE to strike a goddess?!"

I glared up at her and yelled up at her, "I dare?! You dare to try to use my stupid mistakes, my family, against me?" I took a deep breath and continued, full of fury, "Sure, I'm not perfect. But through it all, I've always tried to do what's right. And standing up to you is right. You're a monster, Nightmare Moon. Not just because you want to bring around eternal night, or overthrow Princess Celestia. But because you just don't understand us ponies, and you will never understand me!

We're going to stop you, Nightmare Moon, and you can threaten me with my friends and family's safety all you want, but I'd never betray Equestria. I'd never betray my family and my clan. And I'd never betray my friends! You can think that we're too weak to stand up to you, and individually, maybe we are. But I believe in that stubborn and steadfast apple farmer. I believe in that peculiar pink party pony. I believe in that little miss beautiful fancy pants fashion designer."

The way that Nightmare Moon twisted the knife with her words about Eepy earlier fueled my defiant anger at the alicorn as I shouted at the top of my lungs, "I will always believe in Fluttershy!"

I took a deep breath and finished, "And that cute little unicorn mare from Canterlot that came into town and brought us together to stand against you? I believe in Twilight Sparkle! So feathering do your worst, you nag!"

Nightmare Moon's image glowered at me for another long moment, before finally ominously uttering, "So be it." and disappearing, along with the purple smoke. I let loose the long breath I hadn’t realized I'd been holding.

That actually went better than I expected it to.

I turned around and reattached the other rope of the bridge, and watched as the other five ponies swiftly crossed the gorge. As they crossed I realized that without the adrenaline of standing up to an avatar of an insane immortal demigod alicorn, by Shadow, I was tired. But we had to keep going.

Then I realized all five of the ponies were looking at me oddly. Applejack was looking at me with what I thought was admiration, Rarity was blushing and looking at me coyly, Pinkie was grinning even more than usual, Fluttershy was hiding behind her hair, but I think she was blushing and smiling too, and Twilight Sparkle was giving me that same odd questioning look, but was smiling and blushing a little too. And none of them were asking me if I was okay or what happened.

Oh. Oh horseapples. I asked, "Uh, did you all hear any of that?"

Four of the five ponies made a show of clearing their throats and finding some other direction to look other than at me. But you can always trust Pinkie Pie to not pay any attention to social niceties. "Yeppers!"

I swallowed and asked, pretty sure of the answer. "Pinkie? Help a friend out, what parts did you hear?"

"Oh, the part starting with how she said 'Blargh I am evil you shouldn't take your eyes off of me!' to the part where she said 'Blargh I am evil so be it!' Does that help?"

I blinked and asked, "So, you heard all of it, then." Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "Oh. Super. Thanks, Pinkie." I'm sure I was blushing as red as Big Mac.

But suddenly, running up from the back of the group, Eepysqueak wrapped her forelegs around my neck in a gentle, but firm hug. I relaxed and hugged her back, and standing there, the world seemed like a much happier place.

After a moment, Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat and said, "Well, c'mon! We're almost there!" and we started walking towards the castle itself.

As we walked, Applejack said, "You did good, sugarcube. Ah never doubted you for a moment."

Rarity quietly added, "And you made us all so very proud. You should have seen Fluttershy tear up, it was so touching."

I looked back at her walking behind me, and smiled a little.

Author's Note

Well! THERE'S a difference between Rainbow and Cloud! Rainbow will say "thanks but no thanks", Cloud Kicker will deck somepony. :rainbowlaugh:

We're almost there! There is one more chapter in the main story, and a bonus chapter after that. That said, the last chapter and the bonus chapter are gonna be posted together (over ten thousand words!), so it may take a while before it's ready for posting. Not 11-months-while, to be sure. :twilightblush:

As always, major major thanks go to my pre-readers 621Chopsuey and Devas. They are the best. Seriously, I had a grammar error that got found that made me wonder if I was even fluent in English. :facehoof:

Next time: Twilight Sparkle confesses her feelings for Cloud Kicker!

Chapter Six: Faithfulness

We stepped into the castle itself, and in the central hall, we saw what we had been looking for.

Applejack said to Twilight, "Come on, Twilight. Isn't this what you've been waitin' for?"

Twilight came to the front of the pack, and said in wonder, "The Elements of Harmony, we've found them!" Sure enough, a pedestal, similar to what was described in Twilight's book, with a set of stone spheres resting on them, each with a different shape imprinted on the surface.

Fluttershy and I flew up and brought the Elements down to the ground one at a time, Twilight asking us to be careful as we did so. Pinkie was helpful enough to count the Elements as we brought them down: "One, two three, four... there's only five!"

I asked, "So we have five of them, which I assume are the five that we knew about: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, and Loyalty. But what about the sixth one?"

Twilight replied, "The book said: When the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed."

Applejack asked, "What in the hay is that supposed to mean?"

Twilight answered, "I'm not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back. I don't know what will happen."

Applejack nodded and said to the rest of us, "Come on now, y'all. She needs to concentrate."

We walked outside as a group, but a minute later, we heard Twilight cry out in shock. We all rushed back inside to see a purple tornado swirling in front of Twilight, the five orbs swirling inside it. Twilight leapt into the tornado herself an instant before it disappeared to our collective shock. We started running around looking for any clue of where she’d gone to, but Rarity was the one to see a tower through one of the windows where light was shining brightly.

We ran as fast as we could towards that tower, and as we approached it, we could hear that distinctive evil laugh of Nightmare Moon, and we all called out to Twilight that we were on our way.

When we arrived, Nightmare Moon stood at the end of the room with shards of what looked like broken stone at her hooves (which I didn't like the sight of), and Twilight between us and her. Twi had a look in her eyes like she finally understood something critically important, and as she turned back to Nightmare Moon, she said triumphantly, "You think you can destroy The Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here!"

The shards at Nightmare Moon's feet suddenly began to float around her, as Twilight explained, "Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of... Honesty!" Suddenly, a group of the shards flew over and began circling around Applejack.

"Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of... Kindness!"

"Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... Laughter!"

"Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of... Generosity!"

"And Cloud Kicker, who stood true to her friends and family even when offered fame and glory, represents the spirit of... Loyalty!" As Twilight continued to speak, crystals began to fly around each of us in turn. Twilight continued, "The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!"

Nightmare Moon, for the first time, didn't sound smugly confident; she sounded almost desperate."You still don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work!"

Twilight replied, "But it did! A different kind of spark." Twilight turned back to address the rest of us, saying, "I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you." She even began to tear up a little, before she turned back to face the alicorn. "The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all... are my friends!"

A flash of light appeared over us, and a sixth stone sphere appeared, floating down near Twilight, as she finished, "You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the... the spark, that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of... magic!"

A blinding flash of light filled the room-

-barely a year old, seeing my mom in uniform about to leave the house, I tug on her leg to get her attention, and I give her my first salute. She smiles softly and salutes me back-

-at Flight Camp, after Eepy and I became fillyfriends, banging for the first time. We're clumsy the way virgins always are, but I like her so much-

-my friend Rainbow Dash attacking me, and I hit her in the eye. I buck her under the tail as hard as I can, and she goes down screaming-

-walking through the front door at West Hoof for the first time, following in the family tradition, knowing that my parents are so proud of me-

-banging three different mares in as many days-

-running away at graduation. I know my parents are there watching and they have to be so embarrassed, but I just can't go through with it-

-running away all the way to Ponyville and Rainbow Dash helping me get a job on the weather team-

-me, Eepy, and Dash after Derpy's first sonogram telling the pregnant Derpy that we'll always be there for her-

-breathing heavily, just after finishing a threesome with Harpflank and Bon-Bon, the three of us cuddled together-

-fighting off a roc with Raindrops from the weather team to save Silverspeed-

-"I'd never betray Equestria. I'd never betray my family and my clan. And I'd never betray my friends!"-

-and this next part is a little hard to describe, since my eyes were closed, but so was everypony else's, and I know that despite my eyes being closed. Magic is weird.

The six of us were lifted up in the air by the purest form of magic. That magic filled us all, and it was one of the most beautiful things, the power of the six of us united as friends. The Honesty of Applejack. The Kindness of Fluttershy. The Laughter of Pinkie. The Generosity of Rarity. My Loyalty. And Twilight Sparkle's Magic. It rose up in a rainbow colored beam and descended on Nightmare Moon, and she disappeared under the onslaught.

That doesn't really do it justice, but it's the best I can do.

We were all out of it for a bit, but we slowly started to come to, and dragged ourselves to our hooves. Celestia, it felt almost like being hung over. Apparently channeling the power of an incredibly powerful set of artifacts is a harrowing experience. Applejack woozily asked, "Everypony okay?"

In answer, Rarity squealed happily, and said "Thank goodness!" Looking over, I saw that her tail was back to it's usual length. And it wasn't just her tail, the wiped-out feeling after using the Elements was disappearing quickly, and almost all of the aches and pains and exhaustion I'd accumulated over this long day and night seemed to wash away with it. Even my aching wings felt much better.

Fluttershy smiled and said, "Why Rarity, it's so lovely."

"I know, I'll never part with it again!" Rarity cooed, looking at her tail with an almost sickening amount of adoration.

Fluttershy replied, "No. Your necklace. It looks just like your cutie mark." I took a look again, and sure enough, Rarity was wearing a golden necklace with a purple gem in it, shaped like the diamonds on her cutie mark.

After a moment looking at the new jewellery, Rarity then pointed out "Ooh, so does yours!" And she was right, Eepy now had a necklace with a butterfly-shaped pink gem. And looking around, most of us had a necklace with a gem shaped like our cutie marks, including my own, with a red gem shaped like my cloud. The only exception was Twilight, who had a tiara instead, with her starburst cutie mark.

After a moment of everyone looking at each other's new accessories, Applejack said "Gee, Twilight, Ah thought you were just spoutin' a lot of hooey, but Ah reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship."

Then a beam of sunlight filled the room, as a familiar voice said "Indeed you do." The sun was finally coming up, and with it, a sphere of white light descended and filled the room. When it disappeared, Princess Celestia stood before us all. Twilight Sparkle cantered over to nuzzle her mentor affectionately, while the rest of us bowed reverently. The Princess smiled and said, "Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. I knew you could do it."

Twilight stepped back, and looked unsure for a moment. "But... you told me it was all an old pony’s tale."

"I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart. Now if only another will as well."

The Princess looked to the side, and I saw what she was looking at: Where Nightmare Moon had been before the Elements of Harmony were unleashed on her, a much smaller blue alicorn now lay. Princess Celestia gave the mare a name: "Princess Luna."

Luna gasped, and tried to scramble to her feet, terror in her eyes. Advancing towards Luna steadily, Princess Celestia continued, "It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this." The white alicorn kneeled down next to the smaller one. "Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister." Princess Celestia finished by saying, "Will you accept my friendship?"

After a long moment of anticipation from the rest of us, Princess Luna tearfully said, "I'm so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister!" and nuzzled her sister lovingly.

Princess Celestia nuzzled her little sister, and said "I've missed you, too."

It was a truly beautiful moment until Pinkie Pie blew her nose with all the subtlety of a foghorn.

So Pinkie's answer to all this was to throw a party, of course. All the ponies in town that had been hiding in their homes during the extra few hours of night came and celebrated the return of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

I met up with Blossomforth and Derpy, who looked elated to see me alive and in one piece. Blossomforth ran up and nearly took me off my hooves with a tackling hug. "Cloud! I'm so glad you're okay!"

Derpy hugged me too, and whispered, "Thank you for worrying about me and my girls. They were scared, but Blossom helped, I think. She turned it from being scary into a sleepover at Miss Kicker's house." I hugged them both back, happy that neither of them got hurt while the sun was gone.

I then heard a voice I hadn't heard all day pipe up. "Hey guys. Got any room in there for an awesome pony?" We turned and saw Rainbow Dash, with bandages on her wing and head, limping towards us.

"Always, boss." We went over and hugged her too, being sure to mind her wing.

As we took a seat near the edge of the party, Blossom asked Rainbow, "How are you feeling?"

Rainbow looked a bit sheepish as she answered, "Eh, more or less okay. I'm going to be out of action for another week or so, though. But I'm tired of being cooped up in that lame hospital room. When we got the news about Nightmare Moon showing up when the sun didn't rise, I wanted to rush out and help, but Nurse Redheart wouldn't let me leave. They actually used cheating magic to knock me out."

Rainbow looked positively grumpy about missing the action. "But now that everything's okay, and hearing that my friend Cloud Kicker helped save the day... yeah, they couldn't stop me." Rainbow gave me a big goofy grin and poked the Element of Loyalty. "So is that the magical artifact you used to save the day, and is it yours to keep?"

"Yes to the first, no to the second. The Princess said that while I'm able to wield the Element, it's too dangerous to let them sit unguarded, so she's going to take custody of it until the day comes where we need it again. Her words."

Rainbow smirked and said, "That's good, I suppose. Otherwise you'd totally use that to pick up ponies for your weird stuff." Can't say the thought didn't occur to me, but nah. Something like this is too important to use for just a banging aid.

We sat and watched the party for a bit, until looking up at the sky, Rainbow unexpectedly said, "Hey, Cloudy? You did good."

I snorted and said "What, with the weather? Hate to admit it, but Blossomforth deserves a lot of that credit too, as does the rest of the team."

Rainbow shook her head. "Not just that, the rest of it. Sure, you wrangled the weather without the most awesome flyer in Equestria, but then you stepped up when Equestria needed you, you didn't back down or run away, and that's really cool. I wish I could have been there with you. Especially that big speech you gave to Nightmare Moon. That was really awesome."

What.

To my shock, Blossom and Derpy nodded as well, with Derpy saying, "Yeah, I can't believe you stood face to face with that big monster Nightmare Moon, kicked her flank, then told her off like that about how you'd always stand up for your friends."

What.

I almost asked how they knew about all that, then it clicked for me. "You all heard this from Pinkie, didn't you." To which they all nodded.

I blushed and mumbled something under my breath, but Blossom poked me in the side and said "Seriously, though. She offered you a lot to turn on the others, to keep your family safe and make you her right-hoof mare, threatened their lives and ours as well, and you smacked her and called her a nag. That takes a lot of bravery, Cloud Kicker. That said?" Suddenly, I felt a wing whap me upside the head. "I told you not to do anything crazy! What were you thinking?!"

I winced and hastily said, "Hey, she said a lot of really hateful stuff, y'know! Trying to convince me that turning traitor was the only thing to save my friends and family. And she had me trapped; at the time I figured if I could keep her attention on me, the others might have been able to get the Elements and stop her after she was done with me. It was a sound strategy..."

It suddenly occurred to me that might have been the wrong thing to say with the way Blossom was glaring at me. Derpy facehooved, and Rainbow snorted and said, "Seriously? You're a hero and all that, Cloudy, and I know you went to West Hoof and everything, but that whole sacrifice yourself for the sake of the mission thing? That's really kind of dumb."

I sighed and said, "Yeah, it was. But it all worked out. Princess Celestia is free, Princess Luna is free, and there were no casualties in the process. I call that a good night's work."

I then heard my dad's voice behind me say, "I'd have to agree, Cloud." Scrambling up and turning around, I saw my parents walking up in full armor. Overhead, the group of pegasi my dad was commanding flew overhead and landed near the party, presumably to report in to Princess Celestia.

I swallowed my trepidation, stood to attention and snapped off a salute, then confidently said, "Mom. Dad. Sorry you flew all this way for nothing, but I saved the day already."

Dad snorted once in suppressed laughter, while Mom only raised a single eyebrow, though she was still smiling softly, which was rare enough. My dad poked the necklace still hanging around my neck. "So it would seem. Is that the Element of Loyalty we heard about?"

I nodded, but then stopped and asked, "Wait, how'd you hear about it? Did Pinkie tell you the story immediately after you landed?" Yeah, Pinkie's quick, but...

Mom nodded. "At least, I assume that pink pony with a necklace like yours is the 'Pinkie' you're talking about. She was certainly a hyperactive one."

Wha- you know what, no, that's fine. I'm going to stop getting surprised when Pinkie Pie does Pinkie Pie things.

"Yeah, Pinkie's one of a kind. So what are you two and the soldiers going to do now that the crisis is over?"

Dad said "Well, I sent my second in command to report in to the Princess, but since all is well, I expect we'll accompany the Princess, or Princesses now I suppose, and Princess Celestia's student back to Canterlot when they're ready to depart." That sent a stab through my heart. It hadn't occurred to me that Twilight would be heading back to Canterlot. It's not like I couldn't go visit her, but still, I wouldn't see her as often as I liked.

Mom was taking a hard appraising look at me, and finally said "Well, you seem to have come through this unscathed. But I have to ask: Why didn't you get your armor from our cloud home and take your wingblades? I know we raised you better than that." Oh ponyfeathers. I'll take Nightmare Moon any day over my mother's displeasure.

Blossomforth then spoke up, "Well, she left her wingblades with us to protect us, and Derpy's daughters, in case something happened while the sun was down. Granted, we didn't need them, but she was worried about us!" Derpy nodded fiercely to agree, but Blossom, sweetie, you're not doing me any favors here!

Mom's gaze shifted to Blossom and Derpy for a moment, then back to me, and I could tell she wasn't satisfied. "Leaving your weapons behind for sentimental reasons, no less? I suppose your armor had to stay behind because that blue pegasus needed it more?" I could hear Rainbow bristle and flare her working wing behind me, but I was far more worried about Mom’s impending wrath than Rainbow's ego.

Finally, Mom just sighed, trotted forward and wrapped a wing around me. "Oh, to hay with all of that. I'm just relieved you're all right. When the sun didn't come up, and there was no word from Ponyville... we feared the worst. And then we heard a rumor that you were trying to fight Nightmare Moon. When Tor was assigned to lead the quick response team, I had to come with him, because the thought of you in trouble..."

I stood in shock for a moment as the words just tumbled out of Mom's lips. My mom was never a nurturing sappy type, and this was so bizarre from her that I couldn't even think of a response. Finally, I just nuzzled her silently.

Dad walked up to my other side, placed a wing over me too, and quietly said, "Where other ponies might not have, you stepped forward, into a great deal of danger and peril, to help make things right. And from what that pink pony said, Nightmare Moon tried to twist the knife in your past mistakes, and convince you to join her side in order to protect your friends and the clan. Where some ponies might have taken the easy way out, you stood your ground for your friends, for clan and country. No matter what happened in the past, we've always known you would do the right thing when you needed to. You didn't walk the path in life that we expected, but I think Shadow herself would be very proud of you today. Celestia knows we are. We love you, Cloud, and we've always been proud to call you our daughter."

I couldn't speak for several seconds, but I finally just said, "I love you both." I didn't need to say anything more than that. I heard one of my friends sniffle happily at the three of us standing together like that. It probably wasn't Rainbow.

After a few moments, I heard somepony clearing her throat, and we all turned to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna walking up to us, a gentle smile on Princess Celestia's face. Princess Luna seemed happy at first glance, but after she met my gaze for only a moment, she looked away, hiding her face behind her mane just like Eepysqueak would. Blossom, Derpy, and Rainbow all bowed, as my parents snapped to attention with a salute. After a moment of indecision, I also saluted Princess Celestia, who smiled with what I thought was amusement.

Dad stiffly said, "I apologize for not reporting to you first, Your Highness. But-"

Princess Celestia shook her head, still smiling. "No, Tornado, no apology is necessary. The crisis is over, and spending time with your daughter is understandable, given what she's been through, and what she and her friends helped accomplish. But I'm afraid my sister and I need to borrow your daughter for a few minutes." My parents nodded, and along with my friends, walked to join the rest of the party. Princess Celestia gestured with one of her wings, and we began walking along the edge of town.

Princess Celestia spoke first, after magicking up an open chest that already contained the other five Elements. "As I said before, we do need to keep the Elements of Harmony protected, in case they are ever needed again." I nodded, and she used her telekinesis to unclasp the necklace and place it in the chest, which then closed and disappeared. "There. I've sent them to a vault in the castle that only I can open, so there shouldn't be any way for them to be taken." I nodded again, and we walked in silence for a couple minutes, enjoying the morning sunrise.

Out of the blue, I heard Princess Luna softly say, "Milady Kicker?" I turned to look at Luna, who still didn't seem to want to look at me. "M-Milady Kicker, we must beg thee for thy pardon."

I blinked in response. "Bwuh?"

Luna shuffled her hooves, clearly uncomfortable. "We...cannot remember all that occurred when we were the Nightmare, but we remember enough. Verily, we owe a tremendous debt to thee and all thy friends, but there were none in thy group we wronged greater than thee." Feather, the Old Equestrian words take a bit to decipher.

Princess Celestia's expression turned concerned, and she placed a hoof on Luna's shoulder. "Luna, you don't-"

Luna's small form shrugged the hoof off, clearly upset. "Prithee, sister, hear our words. We assaulted Lady Kicker's person with words most foul, words whose purpose was solely to cause her pain, and wound her they did, it was plain to see. After that, we whispered slanders to twist her heartstrings and lead her to an ill end in service to a madmare."

Luna finally looked me in the eyes. "Milady Kicker, we are truly grateful thee were able to free us from the Nightmare, for everypony's sake. But even more so for thy own sake, for thy defiance to the Nightmare..." she broke her eye contact, looking down, and I could see moisture in her eyes.

As gently as I could, I said "Your Highness, it's okay-"

Luna cut me off, shaking her head and sending tears scattering. "Neigh, it is not okay! If the Elements had not worked, had not freed me... I shudder to imagine what could have happened-" The fact that she stopped using the royal "we" was not lost on me.

Without thinking further, I rushed forward and hugged Luna, cutting her words short. I whispered, "Princess, you are forgiven. You didn't even have to ask, of course you're forgiven. It wasn't you, it was Nightmare Moon."

Obviously flustered from her tone, Luna interrupted, "But Milady Kicker, we were-"

I interrupted her back, "It doesn't matter to me. You're sorry, and that's all that matters. I've made some mistakes in my life, same as anypony, and at the end of the day, my loved ones forgive me when I screw up. Princess Luna, as far as I'm concerned, you are forgiven."

I heard a tiny sniffle from her head in my shoulder, and in a trembling voice, said "Thank thee, Milady Kicker."

It was about then that I realized Oh feather, I am hugging a Princess of Equestria, I should not be doing that and let her go, smiling gently at her. "Please, Princess, it's just Cloud." and bowed down to her.

Luna sniffled again and said, "Please rise. And again, thank thee." and began walking down the path again.

At that point, I remembered Princess Celestia was there, and I saw that she was smiling softly. Just quietly enough so her sister wouldn't hear, she whispered, "Thank you."

I nodded and just as quietly said, "I have a little sister too, Princess."

Once we caught up to Luna, after a moment, Princess Celestia, still smiling at me, said, "Cloud Kicker, you certainly have walked a very unique path in life, and certainly not one that anypony could have predicted."

I shrugged, and replied, "I think it's more about the ponies I share that path with, who I have with me."

Princess Celestia nodded, but we both knew that wasn't the answer to the question she was really asking. The Princess asked the question far more directly next: "Do you think you made a mistake when you chose to not join my Guard?" Princess Luna cocked her head, obviously curious to my answer.

I slowly answered, "I don't know, Your Highness. I made the choice then, and I've been trying to live with it. But my life would probably have been more fulfilling and less complicated if I’d joined the Guard. I like working on the weather team, but the Guard is the family business and all, and Kickers have always been proud to serve."

Princess Celestia nodded again and said "You speak as if you abandoned your destiny, that you were supposed to join my Guard, and didn't, and that choice has caused terrible consequences." I nodded a little at her explanation. The Princess pursed her lips, then simply said, "If that is true, consider the events of the past day."

After thinking about it for a moment, it dawned on me. I looked up at the Princess and said, "If I'd joined the Guard, I probably wouldn't have been here today. I'd have been in Canterlot, or away on the Long Patrol, or wherever else I would have been posted. Even if I was posted to Ponyville, I wouldn't have been handling the weather, which is when I met Twilight. So if it was my destiny to join the Guard, that would have doomed Equestria. Is that right?"

Before Princess Celestia could answer, I continued, "Come to think of it, Rainbow Dash busting her wing is what made me meet Twilight. If she hadn't been hurt, she would have been covering Ponyville, not me." I became aware that I was babbling, and closed my mouth with a audible snap.

Though, I could easily see Rainbow Dash being the Bearer of Loyalty. Her ego and all that aside, she really will never leave her friends hanging.

Princess Celestia spent a long moment looking at me bemused, and I swear I could hear her say, "Twilight's rubbed off on her." under her breath. Then, to my disbelief, she shrugged and said, "I am not an expert on your, or any other's, destiny, my little pony. But I can tell you that no matter what some ponies say on what you were "supposed" to do, what you did was exactly what you needed to do, and where you were is exactly where you needed to be.”

“If you had not been there, maybe things would have turned out as well as they did, perhaps not. We will never know. All we can do is make the best decision we can in any moment." She let that sink in for a moment, then continued, "That being said, there are consequences to some actions, and they eventually must be faced."

I swallowed nervously. I had a feeling I knew what consequences she was talking about. Princess Luna then asked, "Wait, what actions and what consequences?"

I didn't want to let the Princess try to explain my crimes away, so I spoke up instead, "I attended the military academy at West Hoof, but on graduation day, I... well, I just couldn't take the pressure, the expectations, or the impending feeling that the rest of my life would be set in stone. So I flew away. Which, even though I'm in the reserve, probably makes me a deserter."

Princess Luna blinked in confusion, then her expression darkened. She turned to her sister and asked, "Sister, thou dost not mean to punish one of my saviors? Neigh, I will not have it. If you do not set this right, then I certainly will!" Wait, what?

Princess Celestia shook her head and said, "Do not worry, little sister." then turned to address me. "While you could be called a deserter, you have done a tremendous service to Equestria, and to me personally." The Princess sighed, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth as she looked at Luna. "Cloud Kicker, you helped give my sister back to me after a thousand years. As important as family is to you, you can imagine how much that means to me." After I nodded solemnly, she continued, "And I suspect you will continue to do great deeds for Equestria in the future. So the least I can do is put an end to your awkward status within the Guard."

A scroll materialized out of thin air and floated into my hoof. I opened and read it. Then I read it again. Finally, I looked at the Princess, and read the scroll's header aloud, "'General discharge - Convenience of the Crown? Excused from military service due to the recipient performing alternative duties for the Crown?' Your Highness, what is this?"

Princess Celestia smiled reassuringly and explained, "Because of the bonds of friendship between you and the other Bearers, it would be cruel to put you in a position where you would either have to serve in the Guard, leaving the other Bearers behind, or potentially face a court-martial and possible imprisonment." The Princess didn't need to say it, but I knew what she also meant: that separating us like that would cause the Elements to no longer work.

"I know your father helped to protect you from punishment, but the story of you and your friends is going to spread, and spread quickly. And, there may be an unscrupulous news reporter or an officer that will want to make a story, or an example, out of you being a deserter for their own benefit. That being said, since you're serving Equestria in a far different role than in my Guard, I do not believe it is fair to hold you to that obligation anymore. So a general discharge seems the appropriate measure to resolve this problem."

I took a long moment to think about this, and finally said, "Thank you, Your Highness, but I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this. I had a lot of years where I wasn't serving and could, or should, have been. And I'd always thought that if things changed, or if I was needed badly enough, I could maybe accept my commission..." and trailed off there, unsure of how to continue.

The Princess stopped, and placed a hoof on my shoulder. "Please understand, my little pony, that I am not dismissing you for any shortcoming. And take heart, Cloud Kicker. Just because I cannot accept you as my Guard now does not mean that will always be the case. One can never predict the course life will take, after all."

Luna piped up with, "And if our sister wouldn't, we certainly would!"

I looked at the Princesses, and nodded. I could be content with that.

The party went on for a few hours, but eventually ponies had to get back to their jobs. Life marches on.

Rainbow insisted that since that I was one of the heroes of the day and I did almost as awesome of a job as she would have, I got the day off, and Blossom said she'd make sure the weather was handled.

The other Bearers didn't have Rainbow as a boss, though. Applejack had her farm, Fluttershy had her pets, Pinkie Pie had baking to do at Sugarcube Corner, and Rarity had dresses to sew at Carousel Boutique.

So I wandered town for a while, had lunch, window shopped at the growers market. It was weird, though. Everypony knew who I was before, and a lot of ponies had their opinions about me. But now I'm one of the big heroes that saved the day, literally, and a lot of ponies, including some that wouldn't give me the time of day before, were looking at me with some weird mix of admiration and respect. I wasn't sure that I liked it that much.

Funny, growing up, I'd dreamed of becoming a big hero Guardpony that saved Equestria. Now I had helped save Equestria, and lots of ponies were looking at me like I was some big kind of hero, and I didn't feel like one. If anyone was a hero, it was Twilight Sparkle. She's the one who knew what was happening, that brought us all together. I just did my part, nothing more.

Finally, my wandering brought me to the library, where a certain purple unicorn was levitating boxes off of a cart, and I smiled happily. Thankfully, Princess Celestia had allowed Twilight to stay in Ponyville and continue her studies here, learning about friendship and living in the library with Spike.

Twilight saw my approach and waved, setting down a box twice her size with a very solid *thunk*. "Cloud Kicker! What are you doing here? I'd thought you'd be busy working on the weather again, with Rainbow Dash still injured."

I shook my head. "Nope, Rainbow's still the boss, and she gave me the day off. Just been kind of wandering around town since everypony else is back at work."

Twilight nodded and said, "In that case, mind giving me a hoof here with these?" Her magic opened the box, and revealed the contents: Books. Lots and lots and lots of books. This box must've weighed as much as a pony or two does. And she was levitating this?

I whistled, then said "Wow, are these your books? Seems like a lot."

Twilight Sparkle giggled and said "Nope! Those are just some new books the Princess arranged for the library to help my studies. The boxes still on the cart are my personal collection!" I looked back at the cart and saw four more boxes, each twice the size as the first. I gave Twilight a flat look, and she laughed nervously, but then I couldn't help but start laughing after a moment, and we spent a good minute laughing together while passing ponies gave us an odd look. It felt good to just laugh for no reason.

I spent a good hour helping Twilight and Spike shelve the books in the library, flying up to the top shelves for her. I suppose that living in the library made her the librarian by default, but it was a job she seemed to be throwing herself into with gusto.

After we finished, my stomach rumbled loudly, and Spike whistled in admiration. "Wow, that was almost as loud as one of mine!"

I chuckled awkwardly, and said "Hey Twilight, what say we go grab lunch. As I'm sure you’ve heard, I'm hungry!"

Twilight nodded energetically and Spike chimed in, "Let's go to Sugarcube Corner! Pinkie Pie said she'd try to get an emerald from Rarity and bake it into a muffin for me!" Uh-oh. Hopefully Derpy didn't end up getting THAT muffin.

Twilight smiled at Spike and said, "Sure! It'll be my treat, Cloud Kicker, since you helped me with the restocking!"

I chuckled and replied, "Ooh, being taken out to lunch by a cute mare. My day's sure looking up!"

Twilight gave me that same odd look she's been giving me over the last day, and after a long moment, turned to Spike and said, "Spike, can you do me a favor and pick us up something?. I need to talk to Cloud Kicker for a bit."

Spike furrowed his brow for a moment, but nodded and waddled out the door with our orders, Twilight's magic shutting it behind him. Twilight then turned to me, and asked bluntly, "You keep saying that I'm cute and a bunch of weird stuff in that weird voice. Why?"

A long silent moment passed before I very slowly said with a warm smile, "Because, well, you're cute? And flirting is a good way to express the opinion that a mare is cute?"

Twilight's left eye started twitching. Huh. Don't usually get that reaction when I tell a mare she's cute, except from Blossom... oh. Ohhh.

I gently asked, "Twilight, you've been hit on by ponies before, right? Like, at Celestia's academy?" Twilight shook her head, and I sighed. Okay, time to shelve the irresistible charm for a bit.

I couldn't help myself, though: I grinned a little and said, "Well, when two ponies love each other very much-"

That snapped Twilight out of her shock, and she snapped, "I know about stallions and mares! But we just met, and you're telling me about how cute I am and all that?! It can't be that simple, and you couldn't possibly mean it!"

I nodded my head vigorously and emphatically, saying "Yes, it can be that simple, and I do mean it. I wouldn't ever lie about something like that. Not to you, or anypony else." Twilight's mouth worked silently for a couple moments, before she finally sat down, blushing a bit. I considered this for a moment, then sat down in front of her and said "Y'know, Sugarcube Corner can wait. I told you before that I'd tell you about me 'later'. Well, it's now 'later', if you want." Twilight hesitantly nodded.

So we talked, for a big part of the day, over tea. About her and me, our lives, our families, and some of our stories. Spike came back with lunch and was then given the rest of the day to keep exploring their new home, as she told me about hatching him, being the student of the Princess, and I told her about my clan, West Hoof, running away. About coming to Ponyville, and Rainbow Dash getting me in with the weather team. And finally, I explained a lot about how I loved banging. About my rules, and that it was, if done the right way, harmless fun and a great way to express love that you feel to a pony that you're close to. Twilight seemed to struggle with a lot of it, objected a bit to some of the more squishy specifics, but we talked it out, and in the end she seemed to accept it all. Which I suspect became a friendship lesson and letter to the Princess. Which come to think of it, it might be a bit weird to have a letter detailing your sex life sent to the Princess. For all parties involved.

Ultimately, I finished with, "So yes, it's really this simple: you're absolutely adorable, brilliant, incredibly brave, and already my friend. I'd love a chance to get to know you better than I already do, and see where it takes us. But only if that's okay with you too."

Twilight, blushing more than a little, shook her head and said, "Your definition of love is… well, a lot different than mine, Cloud Kicker. I'm honestly a little uncomfortable with that whole dating or sex thing personally, and I'd really rather not get involved with anypony, stallion or mare, because of some personal reasons that I really don't want to get into right now. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings, but that's just how I feel."

I nodded and said, "I understand, Twilight, and that's completely okay. I won't hit on you if you're not comfortable with it, and I'll let my other friends in town know the same if they ask me about it."

Twilight blinked and said, "Wait, really? Just like that?"

I smiled. "Just like that. You're a wonderful mare that'll make some stallion or mare very happy someday, I'm sure, but if you're not ready for relationships and everything deeper that goes with that, that's your choice, and I'll always respect it. And if you ever need to talk about it, my door is always open to you, Twilight." I then sheepishly grinned as I continued, "You, uh, just may want to knock first and make sure I don't have company over already."

Twilight smiled and gave me a hug that I returned. "Thanks, Cloud. You're a good friend. Why don't we go to Sugarcube Corner for a treat?” When I nodded my agreement, she continued, “Go on ahead, I need to grab something real quick."

I smiled and nodded. As I headed in that direction, I realized that ever since I and the five other Bearers had left the library this morning, my life had become far different and far more complicated that it was yesterday. And with Twilight Sparkle in it, I got the feeling that things were going to be getting far more interesting around the little town of Ponyville. But with the six of us, I knew that everything was going to be just fine.

Twilight Sparkle watched that strange but loyal pegasus leave the library, and once the door closed, she let out the long breath that she was holding in, and slumped a bit on her hooves.

Looking back, Twilight realized that yes, stallions and even a few mares had been hitting on her at Celestia's school, and she'd just been too absorbed in her books and studies to really notice, until Cloud Kicker had started explaining herself.

Which was for the best, honestly. She didn't really have a lot of time to get involved with ponies romantically because of her position and her studies. But as she picked up a bag of bits, she couldn't help but remember what Cloud Kicker said about her, and blush a little again, thinking to herself "Cloud Kicker was really very nice to say those things. And to take my rejection without even batting an eye was really considerate of her."

And though she wouldn't admit it, her blush deepened a little as Twilight thought "And she's kind of cute too..."

THE END...?

Author's Note

And that's a wrap! G'night everybody!... okay, not really. We're not done here yet.

Rainbow Dash, by virtue of the accident that got her out of the way for Cloud Kicker, couldn't be part of my story, but I knew before I started even writing, that I had to include her in the party at the end. Just because Cloud Kicker is the Element of Loyalty doesn't mean that Rainbow's getting Put On A Bus. Cloud Kicker can't just replace Rainbow Dash: Rainbow's still the manager of the weather team, she'll still be a big part of Ponyville's day-to-day life, and she's still the only pony able to pull off a Sonic Rainboom. She'll still be fillyfriends with Pinkie. She's just not one of the heroes that saved Equestria.

This entire story has been kind of a love letter to the Winningverse, and Cloud Kicker. There's lots of ways that events in the Winningverse get changed by virtue of CK becoming the Bearer of Loyalty, and a lot of those are positive. It isn't a magic "get-better" button though, I still imagine a lot of the events of Life and Times will still happen. But now CK will have renewed friendships with Fluttershy and new friendships with Rarity, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle, to help. (or make things worse with super-meek, terribly overdramatic, overhonest, and completely inexperienced advice)

The flashback references scenes from What's in a Name by Comma-Kazie, The Incredibly Grumpy Life of a Weather Pony by Ponibius, and of course, The Life and Times of a Winning Pony by Chengar Qordath. All excellent stories by excellent authors. If you haven't read them, I highly recommend them.

I want to be clear: I am *not* saying that Cloud Kicker and Twilight Sparkle are totally going to bang in this alternate universe. Maybe they will, sure. But it's not likely. The big reasons why were explored in the excellent Study of a Winning Pony by Ponibus. Seriously, go read that if you haven't.

But in the original Winningverse, I imagine that Twilight Sparkle and Cloud Kicker probably met under less friendship-inspiring circumstances, probably with Rainbow Dash warning Twilight about how Cloud Kicker is. But in the Incredibly Loyal Heart universe, Cloud and Twilight met with no pretenses, and Twilight's gotten to see Cloud Kicker "at her best", so to speak. She's not just "Rainbow Dash's weird friend that really likes to bang", she's an incredibly loyal and brave mare that's far more than just "likes to bang": She's Twilight's Friend.

Like I said: we're not done here yet. I've got something a little different in store for the last chapter, but you're not getting a spoiler for that.

Alternate Ending - Honor - Part One

"...and Cloud Kicker, who stood true to her friends and family even when offered fame and glory, represents the spirit of... Loyalty!" As Twilight continued to speak, crystals began to fly around each of us in turn. Twilight continued, "The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!"

Nightmare Moon, for the first time, didn't sound smugly confident, but almost desperate as she said, "You still don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work!"

Twilight replied, "But it did! A different kind of spark." Twilight turned back to address us, saying, "I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you." She even began to tear up a little, before she turned back to face the alicorn. "The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all... are my friends!"

A flash of light appeared over us, and a sixth stone sphere appeared, floating as she finished, "You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the... the spark, that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of... magic!"

A blinding flash of light filled the room-

-barely a year old, seeing my mom in uniform about to leave the house, I tug on her leg to get her attention, and I give her my first salute. She smiles softly and salutes me back-

-at Flight Camp, after Eepy and I became fillyfriends, banging for the first time. We're clumsy the way virgins always are, but I like her so much-

-my friend Rainbow Dash attacking me, and I hit her in the eye. I buck her under the tail as hard as I can, and she goes down screaming-

-walking through the front door at West Hoof for the first time, following in the family tradition, knowing that my parents are so proud of me-

-banging three different mares in as many days-

-running away at graduation. I know my parents are there watching and they have to be so embarrassed, but I just can't go through with it-

...

-running away at graduation. I know my parents are there watching and they have to be so embarrassed, but I just can't go through with it-

...

-running away at graduation-

...

-running away-

-and after a long moment, the light faded away. I opened my eyes, expecting to see Nightmare Moon dusted, or turned to stone, or otherwise dealt with by the Elements.

But I didn't.

The Elements were back into their stone spheres, sitting on the floor totally inert. Nightmare Moon loomed in front of us, and for a single moment, she looked as confused as we all did.

That didn't last long, though. With rising volume, Nightmare Moon began chuckling, then laughing, then cackling insanely. "Oh, this is precious! After all that speechmaking, you still aren't capable of using the Elements!"

Twilight looked like she was about to cry as she said, "But I was sure that the Elements would work now! Everything made sense!"

Twilight might have continued talking, except Nightmare Moon teleporting directly in front of us cut her off, as the alicorn hissed, "But. They. Didn't. Your trump card has failed, Twilight Sparkle. And now there is nothing to stop me. This night will last forever!"

Twilight slumped on her hooves, and I could tell there was no more fight in her. To be honest, I felt the same. I couldn't match Nightmare Moon on my own, none of us could.

Applejack must have come to the same conclusion, because she hissed out "Girls, Ah think we oughta' be hightailin' it!" That was enough to spur all six of us to action, and we ran for the door, and for our lives.

But we didn't even get close to it before it slammed shut, a dark purple field surrounding it. An instant later, Nightmare Moon teleported in front of us again, crying out, "You won't be escaping from me, my little ponies!"A moment later, all six of us began floating away from the ground, Eepysqueak crying out in shock.

Rarity shrieked as Nightmare Moon's magic pulled her by her hair. "Not the mane!"

Applejack strained and twisted, her hat falling at Nightmare Moon's hooves. With a disdainful snort from the alicorn, it began floating in the alicorn’s magic for an instant before her magic twisted and the hat shredded itself, to Applejack's cry of horror.

I flapped my wings furiously, but to no avail; I just floated like a leaf on a pond.

Twilight Sparkle, though she still looked gutted, wasn't going out without a fight: Sparks were shooting out of her horn, and she was probably casting spell after spell. But all her efforts weren't getting her any more free than mine were.

Pinkie and Fluttershy, though, weren't trying to fight free at all. Pinkie... well, didn't look like Pinkie. Her normally poofy mane was hanging completely straight and down. Pinkie looked at me, and for the first time since I've known her, looked sad. "Cloudy... it wasn't supposed to be like this. This isn't how it was supposed to turn out. We were supposed to win..." and then she started to cry softly.

Eepysqueak was crying too, the sound muffled a little behind her mane. I swallowed and said "Fluttershy, don't worry. It's going to be okay."

Suddenly, I realized that I had Nightmare Moon’s full attention as she stepped towards me, eyes narrowing as the echoes of her steps resounded through the room. "Oh? It's going to be okay? Are you sure?" and then the temperature in the room plunged as she darkly continued, "My Captain?"

With a snarl, Nightmare Moon swung her metal-clad hoof into my stomach, all the air rushing out of my lungs and the other five mares gasping in response. The magic holding me up vanished, and I collapsed on the stone, coughing roughly as I tried to catch my breath. I started to rise, looking up just in time to catch Nightmare Moon's backhoof across my face as I recoiled and collapsed again in a heap. As I tried to get my bearings back, my left eye began stinging from blood leaking from a cut over it. This was getting very bad very quickly.

I stood shakily, as the alicorn tossed her mane imperiously. "Come now, Cloud Kicker. You were so eager to fight against my projection. Now you face the genuine article, and you fail to impress!"

I panted for breath, wiping with my foreleg to clear the blood from my eye, but a sharp pain from something heavy striking me in the shoulder nearly knocked me off my hooves again. With my vision cleared for the moment, I could see that Nightmare Moon was levitating a few large pieces of rock in her magic, and that one of those was what had just hit me. She hissed at me, “I warned you once to not take your eyes off of me, foal. Now you pay the price for your defiance!” before hurling another rock at me.

I lunged forward, diving under the rock that would have caved in my skull, then flapped my wings and pushed off from the ground, aiming a straight punch at Nightmare Moon's throat, but her magic seized my foreleg, bringing my hoof to a halt seemingly without any effort whatsoever on her part.

"Pathetic." Suddenly she yanked hard, and I went flying end over end, slamming into a wall and falling in a heap. I felt a flare of pain in my side, and it started hurting to breathe. A detached part of my mind thought that it was most likely a fractured or broken rib.

I struggled to rise again, but Nightmare Moon planted her hoof on my head and pressed down hard. I scrabbled at the ground and her hoof, but couldn't budge myself or her. I then felt the hoof lift for a moment before it came crashing back down in a thunderous crack, blurring my vision with pain. A long moment passed, and all I could hear beyond my thundering heartbeat was the heavy hoofsteps of the alicorn as she walked around my prone form. Almost casually, she lashed out in a kick to my barrel, and this time I knew the rib was broken as I screamed in agony.

I couldn't see the others, but I could hear Fluttershy whimpering and crying, Applejack telling me to hang on as she fought against Nightmare Moon’s levitation, Twilight whispering over and over that she was sorry, and finally Rarity cried out, "Enough, please! Let her go, I beg you!"

Nightmare Moon laughed again, then said, "Neigh. For refusing my generous offer, and daring to lay her hooves upon my person, this one will perish by my hoof. And she will not be the last. You will all watch, and should think hard about ways for you to avoid the same fate."I then felt her magic lift me up by the throat and slam meagainst the wall. I gasped for air, my limbs flailing around the magic field tightly gripping my neck, but to no avail; I couldn't grasp the magic any more than I could empty air. I tried to think desperately of any way out of this, but I couldn't think of anything.

Nightmare Moon leaned closer, the force around my throat loosening for a moment as she tauntingly said, "Any last words?"

In a moment of clarity, I realized I was about to die. And I knew, in that moment, if I’m going to die, I’m going to die a Kicker. I took a deep breath and, locking gaze with the alicorn in a last defiant glare, yelled out the ancient words of my clan at the top of my lungs: "Death waits in the shadows!"

Then I spat in her face.

Nightmare Moon's magic crushed my windpipe, making me choke and gasp for air that wouldn't come as she snorted and said, "Adorable. Now die!"

I could hear the girls all crying out, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. As my vision began to darken, my thoughts went to my friends and family. Blossomforth. Derpy. Harpflank. Rainbow. Alula. Dad. Mom. As my limbs fell limp, I could still make out my killer, and the other five ponies in the room, looking horrified at the casual murder of one of their friends. Applejack. Pinkie. Rarity. Twilight. Fluttershy.

As my eyes slipped closed, my last thought was:

I'm sorry.

...

Alternate Ending - Honor- Part Two

...

A voice, maternal and authoritative, very loud, and very pissed off: "Neigh, sister!"

The magic around my throat released, and I fell to the ground, gasping for air and coughing with my eyes closed. After a moment, I felt a pair of limbs wrap around me, and I heard Fluttershy whisper over and over, "It's okay, it's okay, just breathe, Cloud."

After a moment, I felt bright light on my eyelids, and opened an eye to see what was happening. The girls had been released at the same time I had, and they all were circling me, but looking towards the far end of the room. There, Princess Celestia was there, shining like the Sun she commanded.

Nightmare Moon faced her down, black energy swirling around her ominously. "So, my precious sister, you finally come out to face me."

Princess Celestia shook her head, "I did not want to do this, sister. But I cannot allow you to harm even one more of my little ponies."

Nightmare Moon laughed darkly, "Oh, and can you really stop me? Do you have it in you to fight me?"

The princess, in answer, just loudly called out, "Twilight."

Twilight started, "Princess?"

The Princess fixed Nightmare Moon with a steely gaze. "Use your brother’s favorite spell."

Twilight blinked in confusion, but then her eyes widened in recognition and a purple dome shimmered into existence around the six of us. Rarity caught on quickly, and a blue glow appeared on the edge of the dome, adding what she could to the shield. After a moment, a golden hexagonal grid appeared overlapping the shield, as Princess Celestia ignited her horn and added a surge of power to the barrier.

Nightmare Moon laughed again, "So many precautions, my sister! Last time we fought, you were powerless before my might! What makes you think that shield will ever stop me?"

Princess Celestia sighed, but as she spoke, she began to glow brighter. "Nightmare Moon, did you ever stop to think that I never wanted to hurt my sister?" She scoffed, and began to speak, but Princess Celestia just spoke over her, "The shield isn't to protect them from you. It's to protect them from me."

Nightmare Moon's eyes widened in realization, "But you still won't hurt your sister, will you? This battle is won already!"

Almost impossible to see behind the shining white light, Princess Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, then opened her eyelids to show a pure white glow obscuring her eyes, quietly saying, "I didn't want to. But my hoof is forced this time."

Nightmare Moon screamed a wordless cry of defiance, and pointed her horn at the Princess, a surge of dark power roaring towards Princess Celestia. But the blinding white form pointed her horn in response, and simply said:

"I'm sorry."

A blinding light filled the room, extinguishing the shadows that surrounded Nightmare Moon, and a deafening roar filled the room an instant before a massive wave of fire slammed into the barrier. Twilight and Rarity recoiled as if they were physically struck, but the barrier held, even as the temperature skyrocketed past the hottest summer day. All the rest of us could do was huddle under the shield and wait for it to be over.

It went on for what seemed like forever, though it must have only been seconds. Finally, the raging fire stopped, and the barrier disappeared. Twilight and Rarity looked utterly exhausted, but our circle was the only part of the room not utterly destroyed. Anything that had been in the room that wasn't stone was just gone, burned to ash and the ash burned to dust and the dust burned out of existence. The Elements were intact, but even the stone floor looked like it had been melted and was uncomfortably hot to the touch. Through a hole in the wall, the sun rose over the sky.

Princess Celestia looked completely pristine, like the fire hadn't even touched her. However, at her feet, on stone still glowing orange, lay the unmoving form of Nightmare Moon, but there... well, there wasn't much left. Even her silver armor was melted, blackened and warped into near-unrecognizability. But that wasn't even the most shocking part.

Princess Celestia was openly weeping.

As Fluttershy and Applejack helped me to my hooves, Twilight was the first to approach the Princess, tentatively asking, "Princess?"

Princess Celestia looked at us and smiled gently, though tears still flowed as she asked, "Are you all okay, my little ponies?"

We all nodded, though we were all a bit shaken, as Applejack slowly asked, "Princess, what in Equestria happened?"

The Princess looked down, tears sizzling on the stones beneath her hooves as she said, "I control the sun, and for a moment, the sun was here, in this room."

The six of us were stricken silent by the implications for a long few moments. Then Rarity, stunned, said, "But... Princess Celestia. You said she-"

"-was my sister, yes. Princess Luna."

Princess Celestia finished, a sad look on her face. "The Nightmare had seized her one thousand years ago, and I had hoped that the Elements of Harmony would cleanse her of it completely this time. But when you weren't able to harness their power, and I realized that Nightmare Moon was about to start killing you all... I could not wait to act any longer, and I could not stop her without resorting to this amount of force."

For a while, we shared in the Princess’s tears, as all of us wept for her loss. After a moment, I coughed, my voice still raw from the near-death experience, and said "Princess... I'm- we're sorry. Having to choose us over your sister... I wish that we'd been able to save her."

Princess Celestia nodded, and quietly said, "So do I, my little ponies."

"Your Highness!"

A new voice rang out from the hole in the wall. Turning to look, we saw a squadron of pegasi in Guard armor, some carrying a chariot with unicorn soldiers aboard, fly through the hole and land, headed by my parents. My mother took one look at me, bloody and beat to Tartarus, and snapped over her shoulder, "Medic!" A pair of unicorns snapped to attention and came over to treat me and check the others for injuries.

My dad snapped to a salute before the Princess. "Lieutenant Commander Kicker reporting, Your Highness. When the sun didn't come up, we heard reports that Nightmare Moon had returned, and the Captain decided to scramble to investigate and assist."

Princess Celestia nodded at Dad and said, "The situation is resolved, Tornado, though not without casualties." She took a long sad look at the remains at her hooves, then said, "Please secure my sister's remains for transport back to the palace. Once we are returned to Canterlot, we will begin preparations for a royal funeral service. Princess Luna died a hero to Equestria, a victim of dark magic, and she will be remembered that way."

My dad nodded, and said as gently as I've ever heard him speak as a soldier, "As you say, Your Highness. We'll take care of her. Meanwhile, we will prepare chariots to return the civilians to Ponyville, and for when you would like to return to Canterlot with your student." The Princess nodded, and Dad turned to begin issuing orders to the ponies under his command.

The Princess turned to Twilight. "When you are ready, my student, we should depart."

Twilight looked up at the Princess, tears rolling down her own cheeks, and in a tiny voice said, “Princess? I’m sorry that we- that I failed when you needed me.” as fresh sobs tore themselves from her throat.

The Princess shook her head and placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “No, my faithful student. You learned the lesson of friendship that I wanted you to learn. You met ponies, and formed bonds with them, which is what I wanted you to learn. That even though you are strong by yourself, we are always stronger together. You have learned an important lesson today, but there are ever more, equally important, lessons yet still ahead of you. However, you can always keep in touch with your new friends by mail, and Ponyville isn’t too far to visit.”

Twilight hesitated a moment, but nodded, and turned to the rest of us, smiling softly, though all of us could tell by her red eyes that she was just putting on a brave face. "Thank you all for coming with me. We tried, and at least we can walk away with that. I won't forget any of you, though. I promise."

Applejack, looking strange without her hat, nodded and said "Yer always welcome at Sweet Apple Acres, friend." We all hugged her and said our goodbyes, and the Princess walked out of the room, Twilight in tow.

Applejack then took a look outside at the sun, and gasped. "Lands sakes alive, is that how late it is? The day's gotten away from me! Girls, ah'll see ya 'round town!" and she curtseyed awkwardly to the Princess and galloped over to the waiting chariot.

Rarity sighed dramatically and said, "All that work, and nothing but tragedy to show for it. Not a tale to tell to my grandfoals someday." as she made her farewells and trotted away too.

Pinkie didn't say anything to me, she just walked out, head down. What was concerning though was that her mane was still hanging straight down, not poofy at all. I resolved that I needed to talk to her later.

Eepy didn't say anything to any of us, she just walked away with her head down, which hurt much more than I thought it would.

Meanwhile, I undoubtedly had weather to get back to... but I didn't feel like going. For once in my life, I knew what my duty was, and I wasn't scared of doing it... I just didn't feel like it.

My parents finished giving orders, and trotted over as one of the medics was finishing up with me. "Take it easy for a couple weeks, and you should be fine, okay?" I nodded dully, and the medic followed after the rest of the soldiers, leaving me alone with my parents.

My dad was the first to break the silence. "Cloud, you look like a soldier fresh from a three day march getting sent on a ten day march."

I nodded tiredly. "Yeah, let's just go home. I'll tell you all about it there."

So that's how we ended up back at my place, me and my parents. Along the way, I heard that rumors had begun to spread throughout town about what had happened, which explains that when I got to my house, there were two other ponies already waiting for me: Blossomforth and Rainbow Dash, who may or may not have broken out of the hospital despite the bum wing.

So after everyone had settled in my living room, I recounted the entire tale, from start to finish. My parents seated in front of me, Rainbow and Blossom sitting on either side of me, the latter hugging me tightly.

"...so because the Elements wouldn't work for us, Princess Celestia had to intervene to save my life, and kill her sister in the process to stop Nightmare Moon." I finished with a sour expression.

Blossom frowned and said "Well, I'm glad she acted before you died and not after." All the ponies in the room nodded their agreement, except me. "Oh come on Cloud, I’m sorry that the Princess’ sister didn’t make it too, but don't act like you're not happy to be alive!"

When I didn't immediately say anything, my head hanging low, my mother laid a hoof on my shoulder and quietly said, "Cloud?"

I looked up at her miserably, and said what had been on my mind ever since we tried to use the Elements: "It's my fault the Elements didn't work."

Needless to say, that bombshell went over great. I felt a pair of wings hit me upside the head from both Blossom and Rainbow.

My mother coughed discreetly and said, "Maybe you should explain what you mean, Cloud."

I sighed and said "Look, Rainbow, Blossom, you know Applejack. She's honest, almost to a fault, right?" When they nodded, I continued, "Rarity's generous, Pinkie laughs, and Fluttershy's kind, right?" They nodded hesitantly, seeing where I was going with this and not liking it. "Well, I can definitely tell you after experiencing it up close, Twilight has magic, and lots of it. That leaves one of the six, and you're talking to her."

Blossom fumbled for words for a moment, before saying, "You don't know that for sure, Cloud-"

I interrupted her bitterly, "No, I know it for sure. I've been known for my issues with loyalty, haven't I."

Rainbow flared her working wing, obviously angry that I was beating myself up over this. "Oh come on. When it counts, you've always been there for us when we needed it. Yeah, you're not perfect, but nopony is!"

I sighed again, and said "I don't think it's all about being perfect, but it still matters. Personally and professionally, I've never been loyal to just one pony or thing. Heck Rainbow, when it comes to loyalty, you're far better than I am.”

Rainbow paused for a moment, thinking obviously about how "awesome" it would be to be one of the big heroes, before shaking her head and saying, "Yeah, but if we start comparing to me, a lot of ponies are gonna come up short!" with a grin.

I smiled a little before retorting, "Says the pony with a busted wing." The smile left my face as I continued, "Honestly, it almost felt like the Element knew about me running away from graduation and the Guard. Maybe the others know that the Element of Loyalty rejected me, maybe they don't. But I know, and that's enough."

Dad, silent through the story and now, finally spoke up. "If that's true, and nopony knows if it is, the question is, what can you do about it?"

Blossom, hugging me tightly, replied, "Right, it's not like you can change the past and magically make yourself more loyal. But you can take on some more responsibilities with the weather team maybe, and try to do better going forward?"

The word responsibilities resonated in my head for a moment, before I nodded, a decision made. "You're right, Blossom. Hey Rainbow?"

Rainbow blinked. "What's up, Cloud?"

I simply said, "I quit."

Four pairs of eyes in the room blinked once. And then, pandemonium.

After a few long moments of Blossom yelling about that’s not what she meant and how could I leave the team in the lurch when they’re already down too many ponies, and Rainbow ranting at me using a colorful variety of rude conversations, Mom stamped a single hoof on my table, the solid thwack of the metal on wood silencing both of them. She then asked, "Cloud, your overloud friends do have a point, what are you thinking?"

I answered, "I'm thinking it's time I finally accepted my responsibilities."

Dad quietly asked, "You want to join the Guard, after all this time?"

I nodded, to the shock of the ponies I was sharing a couch with.

Mom frowned. "Cloud, it's been a long time since you were supposed to graduate and join the Guard. I don't think you should be making a decision like this on a whim, especially when you're as tired and as under stress as you are."

I retorted, "This isn't a whim, Mom. This is me making a decision to accept my responsibilities to Equestria. I ignored that once, and my cowardice and arrogance got Princess Luna killed."

Dad sighed. "If your Aunt Wind was here, I know what she would say: 'Survivor’s guilt'. You're feeling guilty because you think that because of your choices, you got Princess Luna killed."

I shook my head and said, "It's not that, Dad. It's recognizing that I've ignored my obligations too long. And it's about making things right. It took the Element, and this tragedy, to show me how I've been wrong all this time, and maybe I wasn't ready before, but I am ready now. I'm ready to do my part for Equestria."

Dad pondered for a moment, and Mom looked at him aghast. "You're not seriously considering it, Tor?"

Dad was silent another moment, then shrugged and looked back at Mom. "She says she's ready. Is there anything else that matters?" He then fixed me with a steely gaze. "But you're still going to sit down with Wind and make sure your head is screwed on right before this conversation becomes anything official." I nodded hastily, since I'd have to get a psych eval, among many other tests, not to mention the sizable gap of years between graduating and reporting for anything besides the reserves, before serving.

Mom was silent another long moment, before sighing and throwing her hooves up. "Fine, fine. I can tell when I'm outnumbered. But I'm going to put you through your paces on your wingblades before I let you out of the house. No daughter of mine is going to embarrass me with sloppy wingwork."

Blossom looked hurt. "But what about your friends in Ponyville? Your responsibilities to the weather team?"

I hugged her tightly. "I'll always have my friends in my heart, Blossom. And I'll be able to visit on leave, unless I get assigned to Ponyville, unlikely though that is. And the weather team will be able to survive without me. Heck, without me around, you're a shoe-in for assistant manager, right Rainbow?"

Rainbow looked positively grumpy. "Yeah yeah, obviously. Losing one of my best people, and best friends, is always a positive thing."

I reached over and gave Rainbow a noogie. "You're not losing me, you goof. We'll always be friends. It'll be just like when I was in West Hoof, sending letters back and forth." Rainbow looked unconvinced, but she eventually nodded.

Dad looked at me again, before saying, "You know that you don't have anything to prove to us, right? We've always been proud of you, despite you following a different path than we expected."

I nodded, and said "It's not about proving anything to you. It's about proving something to myself." When both of my parents nodded approvingly, I smiled.

It wasn't just that, either. While I had no way of knowing if this was true or not, I thought that I did have some affinity for the Element of Loyalty, I just wasn't worthy yet. But just because the immediate threat had passed, didn't mean that there wouldn't be another threat later on. So I would do better, and hopefully the next time I was needed, I would be able to help save some ponies.

The days, weeks, and months ahead were going to be tough, but I looked forward to the challenge, and the opportunity to help make things right.

I had the feeling that everything was going to be just fine.

THE END...?

Author's Note

So this is the alternate ending. When I started writing this, this obviously wasn't the ending I originally thought of, but this outcome came to me in the process of writing the first chapter, and I formed the outline for this on the spot. It made me smile watching the back-and-forth argument between people in the comments about whether or not Cloud Kicker would be able to successfully use the Element of Loyalty.

Which ending is my favorite? Impossible to say. I think the Honor ending is more interesting and takes far more of a hammer to canon, which I kinda like. But the Faithful ending writes funnier stories as Cloud takes Rainbow's place in things like the poison joke and cutie mark swapping incidents.

But yeah, we're done for now! Two and a half years to finish a story started for a one-month event. That is timely delivery at its finest. I am good at this!

This was obviously my first story, but won't be my last. I just hope it doesn't take me as much in delays in the future!

Thank you to my editors who spun my written straw into gold. And thank you to everyone who read this, who liked this story, who favorited this story, who commented and sent me messages which I didn't respond to nearly as quickly as you all deserved to get.

Chapter Three: Dedication

I tried not to think about the possibility of Nightmare Moon returning as I followed the crowd of ponies moving from the library towards Town Hall. But the possibility of a horrible evil monster getting free had an unpleasant habit of sticking to a pony's mind.

I saw Lyra in the crowd, and I waved a wing at her, but then had to suppress a wince at a fresh spike of pain. Horseapples. It was obvious by now that I had really overexerted my wings today. But it wasn’t the first time it had happened, so as long as I took it easy, I’d be right as rain in a day or two. As Lyra trotted over, I greeted her, "Hey there Harpflank! Did you have fun at the Pinkie Party?"

Lyra nodded and said, "Yeah, definitely! Bon Bon couldn't make it, she had a big order she needed to finish up, but she’s gonna try and make it out for the sunrise. Hey, after the sunrise, do you want to split and maybe hang out at our place?" The twinkle in her eye couldn't be mistaken for anything: I was being invited to a threesome. I could see it now...

...Twilight Sparkle's voice saying, "Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about everlasting night."

Horseapples. Again. Not even the thought of a threesome could get this off of my mind. A new promise: If it turned out the whole Nightmare Moon thing was a hoax, Rainbow or Blossom must never find out that I had worried more about that than banging. It would bring about everlasting teasing. They would literally never let me hear the end of it.

In the meantime, I shook my head at Lyra and said, "I'd love to, but I've had a rough day and I really should get some rest. And as much fun as fooling around with you two would be, restful it wouldn't be. Raincheck?"

Lyra smiled and nodded, and went to go chat with one of her other friends. I exhaled, just in time to get nudged in the ribs on my other side as Blossomforth asked, "What did Lyra want?" I turned to my friend and smiled knowingly at her. Blossomforth immediately blanched and whispered, "Oh come on, Cloud Kicker! Am I the only pony you don't regularly seduce?!"

I pretend to think about it for a moment, then nod my head affirmatively. "Only because you always say no." I whispered back at her in a teasing tone. Blossom rolled her eyes, but I continued, "And for your information, she approached me, and I said no. Really, I'm too tired from our long day for banging, I think."

Blossom blinked at my admission, looked around for eavesdroppers, then leaned in and whispered, "So does that mean you struck out with Twilight, too? She never left her room the whole time I was at the party, I'd worried that maybe you'd convinced her to..." and trailed off there, but since it's Blossomforth, I knew how she meant that sentence to end.

I patted her on the back with a wing and replied, "No, I never even asked her. She was trying to sleep."

Blossomforth visibly relaxed and said "Whew, the town reputation is safe another day." We walked for a minute before she continued, "I'm surprised she was that tired, though, given that she really didn't have any major work to do like everypony else in town. She sampled some of the food at Sweet Apple Acres, checked on us clearing up the weather, took a look at Rarity's decorations for Town Hall, and probably startled poor Fluttershy and her birds. I'm honestly not entirely sure why the Princess sent her down to us so late, it's not like we needed management or anything, especially on the last day of the preparations."

Oh ponyfeathers. That's a really good point. Why send your student all the way from Canterlot to Ponyville to check on the preparations on the day before the Summer Sun Celebration? If we didn't have things almost ready by now, it'd be too late, there's no way Twilight could have done anything about it before the raising of the Sun. If you really wanted to send someone to oversee the work being done, you send them down weeks before so they can coordinate everyone's efforts. It didn’t make sense, and it added to the pile of concerns on my mind.

I could tell that Blossom noticed my dour expression, and her face showed her concern. "Cloud Kicker? Are you okay? You're not coming down with something, are you?" she asked, holding up a wing to my forehead to check my temperature.

I shook my head to knock away the wing and said "No, I'm fine. Just..." and in that moment, I decided that if something bad was going to happen tonight, I could take care of myself. But I also needed to make sure my friends would be okay too. I leaned in, well past Blossom's personal space, and continued very quietly before she could start objecting, "...do me a favor: when we get to Town Hall, find Derpy. She'll probably have her kids with her. If something bad happens at the raising of the Sun, take them to my house. You'll all be safest there."

Blossom blinked and said, "Oh come on Cloud Kicker, stop joking around–"

I cut her off before she could continue, "I'm serious, Blossom. Take Derpy, Dinky, and Sparkler to my house, lock the door, and don't answer it unless you hear me or someone you know at the door. If you really need to, you can get food or whatever from Derpy's house, but stay at my place. My house is smaller than Derpy's, so it's easier to overlook, it's not a cloud house like yours, and I have a pair of wingblades in my closet. They're very sharp, so be careful with them, but if you need to, you and Derpy can defend yourselves with them." Of course, completely untrained pegasi with wingblades is a recipe for disaster and against everything I learned at West Hoof, but we're so far off of the list of things West Hoof teaches that I'd need a map and compass to find my way back. But I needed to make sure my friends would be safe if things turned ugly.

Blossom's mouth had dropped open during my instructions, but now that I'd stopped talking, her jaw worked soundlessly for a few moments before she finally said, "You're scaring me, Cloud Kicker. Are you really being serious? This isn't some kind of prank or stunt to try and bang?" When I nodded, her face paled, and she hissed at me, "Holy ponyfeathers, Cloud Kicker, are you insane? What do you think is going to happen at the Summer Sun Celebration of all things?!"

I shook my head and whispered back, "I don't know, Blossom, and I'm sorry for scaring you, I just have a really bad feeling and want to make sure all my friends are safe if something bad happens. Rainbow Dash is at the hospital, Fluttershy's got a house full of wild animals, including a bear, Lyra and Bon Bon have each other, but Derpy's a single mom with two fillies that will be very very scared. Just promise me you'll all get to my house. Please."

Blossom looked at me a long moment, clearly spooked, then nodded and whispered, "Okay, Cloud Kicker. I promise: If something happens, I'll take them to your house. But what are you going to do?" Concern was showing on her face, despite how much she complained that she didn't like me, she was really worried now. I hated making her worry like this, but this is too important to spare her feelings.

I exhaled the breath I'd been holding in waiting for her answer, then answered, "I'm going to find some way to help. If I can't do that, then I'll come to my house and hole up with you, Derpy, and the kids."

Blossom wrapped a wing over my shoulders and said, "You don't need to throw yourself into danger, Cloud Kicker. You're not a guardpony, and I know that Ditzy Doo's kids would feel safer with you there. Wouldn't you do more good with us than trying to find a way to help?"

I shook my head and responded, "I'm in the reserves, so I do have a responsibility to report for duty in case of an emergency. I can do more good out there helping ponies in danger than sitting in my house. But I need to be sure my friends are safe, including you, and I know I can trust you to help keep Derpy and her fillies safe."

I could see that answer both made Blossom happy that I trusted her that much as a friend, and unhappy that I was going to put myself in danger, but we were getting too close to Town Hall to keep this a private conversation: Ponies were crowding around us and backing up in the process of getting into Town Hall. So instead of objecting further, Blossom nodded and said, "Okay, Cloud Kicker, I'll look for Ditzy and her kids. Just... stay safe and don't do anything crazy, okay?" I nodded in agreement, and she headed off to find Derpy and the kids.

Okay, friends were taken care of, so now I needed to stay close to Twilight Sparkle. I finally picked her out of the crowd with Spike on her back standing next to Pinkie Pie, who was very excitedly talking about how very excited she was (in other words, being typical Pinkie Pie) so I placed myself nearby them so I could keep an eye on Twilight. After a few moments, the last of the ponies filed in and a loud fanfare rang out, accompanied by Eepysqueak's birds, heralding the start of Mayor Mare's speech. I tried to settle down and just enjoy the show. At least, that's what I tried to tell the butterflies bouncing off the walls of my stomach.

The Mayor began talking once the fanfare ended, "Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!" The crowd cheered excitedly for a few moments, and once the cheer died down, she continued, "In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria–" insert nice dramatic pause here (Gotta admit, Mayor Mare can give a speech.) "–Princess Celestia!"

Rarity pulled on the rope to open the curtain to the sounds of another fanfare, and in that moment, I thought to myself that I was being silly, and scaring Blossomforth for no reason. Everything was going to be fine, Nightmare Moon couldn't possibly return. It had to be an old pony’s tale, right?

And then the curtain opened to show absolutely nothing behind it.

Oh horseapples.

The crowd started getting restless, and I could hear Twilight Sparkle worriedly say “this can't be good.” The mayor called for everypony to stay calm, but then Rarity exclaimed that the Princess was gone, and the crowd began murmuring to each other anew.

But then a cloud of sparkling purple mist began forming on the balcony, and the bottom dropped out of my stomach as, out from the mist, a black alicorn appeared, the same black alicorn I knew from all the old stories of the time before the Lunar Rebellion. I could just barely hear Twilight Sparkle whisper out her name: "Nightmare Moon!"

My thoughts at the moment were a little more simple than that: Oh buck. And then Nightmare Moon began to speak and I pushed the panic away, and began to listen. Panic never helped a soldier, and right now, I needed to be a soldier. Lives may depend on what happens in the next few minutes.

Nightmare Moon began her speech with, "Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious, little sun-loving faces." Nobody in the crowd seemed willing to be the first to challenge the alicorn, so Nightmare Moon continued, "What's this? None are eager to welcome me in place of your Princess Celestia? Am I not royal enough for you? Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?"

As she spoke, she loomed over Fluttershy, and I tensed, ready to take flight. Things might still be weird between me and Eepy, but I absolutely would fight to defend her if Nightmare Moon decided to start hurting ponies. Thankfully, the alicorn backed off after a moment, and instead got in Rarity's face, continuing, "Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?"

And to my surprise, Twilight Sparkle stepped forward, and in a loud, steady, and determined voice, called out "I did. And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon – Nightmare Moon!" to a chorus of gasps from the ponies in the crowd. Wow, really didn't see that coming from the bookish mare. I'm impressed.

Nightmare Moon also seemed impressed, but I couldn't tell if she was being genuine or not as she purred, "Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here."

Twilight seemed to lose a bit of her nerve at this point, stammering, "You're here to... to..."

Nightmare Moon chuckled at this point, cutting in by loudly proclaiming, "Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!" and began cackling as lightning flashed within her magical aura, the sound of thunder crackling throughout Town Hall.

Finally, Mayor Mare seemed to come to her senses, and yelled out "Seize her! Only she knows where the Princess is!"

The three pegasi Guardponies in the room flew towards Nightmare Moon, who imperiously shouted, "Stand back, you foals!" and with another crack of thunder, the three Guardponies were flung away to slam against the floor in the back on the room, as she disappeared back into thick purple mist and floated through the room and out the door, the crowd diving out of the way of the cloud. I got knocked over by a couple ponies in the chaos, and by the time I got to my hooves and to the door, most of the crowd was in the process of fleeing, and I couldn't see any of the mist. But then I took a look at one of the guardponies that Nightmare Moon had sent flying, recognized him as one of my cousins, and my gut tightened. Thankfully, he only looked stunned, not injured or worse, and one of the nurses from Ponyville’s hospital was tending to the guards.

However, I did see something that raised my spirits a little: Blossomforth with Derpy, Dinky, and Sparkler, and it looked like they were headed in the direction of my house. I muttered, "Thank you, Blossom." and started to make my way through town. I needed to report as a member of the reserves and get into the chain of command. Once the Royal Guard in Canterlot found out about this, they'd be descending on Ponyville to start searching for Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon.

However, something made me stop and think. Twilight Sparkle saw this coming. Nopony else did but her. So maybe she didn't just see this coming, maybe she knew what to do next. So I changed course to go to the library.

As I ran to the library, a curious thing occurred to me. I had listened to Princess Celestia deliver a speech or two in my life, and anyone that listens to the Princess for any length of time learns to love that voice unless you somehow manage to make its owner angry. Princess Celestia's voice was maternal, supportive, loving even. She truly cared about all of her ponies. Nightmare Moon's voice was similar, and yet so very different. Her voice had the same maternal and loving tone, but behind it was a taunting, malicious edge. A voice that could promise you your heart's desire if only you'd do what she wanted.

Suddenly, I had context on how Nightmare Moon could be so dangerous beyond even the endless night. It’s always been true that some ponies could be bought, with bits or with blackmail. But Nightmare Moon could sway ponies by strength of her seductive personality. Convince ponies to join her side, even if they know it’s wrong, just because they couldn't stand to refuse her. And that’s not even considering that some ponies probably wouldn't wait for her to twist their leg. With the lasting night and no Princess Celestia, some ponies, like some of the noble families of Canterlot, might see Nightmare Moon as the conqueror of Equestria and decide to throw their support behind her. Even if we could find the Princess, those families might still support her. Which would be the new Lunar Rebellion I was worried about before, only with a madmare alicorn at the forefront. I doubled my pace to the library.

I arrived at the library to find it a mess. Twilight was throwing books everywhere, muttering to herself, "Elements... Elements... Elements... Ugh! How can I stop Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony?" I cleared my throat awkwardly, and she looked over at me, and I could tell she was confused as to why I was here, but quickly said, "I'm sorry, Cloud Kicker, but I don't have time to chat right now–"

I cut her off and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I know, Twilight. You said something about stopping Nightmare Moon, which is why I'm here: I'm here to help." Twilight’s mouth worked for a moment in shock.

I then heard a very familiar farmer's voice behind me continue, "An' so are we. You know what's going on, don't you, Twilight?" I turned to see ponies entering the library: Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and... Fluttershy, trying very hard not to look at me. Oh Tartarus, I don't think Eepy understands just how dangerous this is going to be. But I couldn't say anything to her now with everypony else here, not without embarrassing her.

After a moment of looking at the five of us, Twilight Sparkle sighed and said, "I read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon. Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her, but I don't know what they are, where to find them; I don't even know what they do!"

At that moment, Pinkie Pie piped up from a bookshelf on the far side of the library, "The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide." What.

Twilight literally knocked Pinkie out of the way in her rush to get at the book, and asked in a dumbfounded voice, "How did you find that?!"

Pinkie Pie, in a carefree, sing-song voice replied, "It was under E!" What.

After a few minutes of reviewing the ancient book, Twilight began reading aloud, "There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now–" and swallowed nervously before continuing, "–The Everfree Forest."

Ponyfeathers. The Everfree Forest was literally full of unpleasant creatures like cockatrices and timberwolves, to the point where nopony ever went in there if at all possible. Even the weather coming from the Everfree was unpleasant and difficult to wrangle, and made being a weather pony in Ponyville anything but routine. But if these Elements of Harmony were in the Everfree, then somepony would have to go in. And from the looks of the other ponies that lived in Ponyville they were thinking the same thing. Well, I assume Pinkie was thinking the same thing, but there's no way of telling with that pony.

Applejack nodded and said "Well then. What are we waitin' for? Let's get to the Everfree Forest and find those Elements!"

Twilight shook her head and said "Not so fast. Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'd really rather do this on my own."

Applejack shook her head right back at Twilight and retorted, "No can do, sugarcube. We sure ain't lettin' any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone. We're stickin' to you like caramel on a candy apple."

Pinkie interjected, "Especially if there's candy apples in there." When the rest of us looked at her dumbfounded, she continued, "What? Those things are good." And bounced in place with her constant smile on her face.

Rarity nodded primly and said "What kind of friends would we be if we didn't help you out when you needed it most? Even if there's bound to be... mud." Oh Celestia, Rarity in the Everfree? Now I just had to go.

Fluttershy leaned forward a little bit and whispered, "I couldn't stand it if you got hurt in there. I don't know if I can help, but I'll certainly try. After all, you're my friend too." and then shrunk back again.

Twilight looked at these ponies saying that they were her friends with an expression that seemed to combine mild horror with exacerbation. She then turned to me, "What about you, Cloud Kicker? Why would you take a risk like this on a pony you've only met today?"

Without any hesitation, I put on my best cocky grin and replied, "Well, I could say that it's my duty as a Kicker to help fight against Nightmare Moon, and it'd be true. But, the real reason? Mares dig heroes. What other reason would I ever need?"

Author's Note

This chapter is twice as long as each of the prior two chapters, not entirely by design. Cloud Kicker telling Blossomforth to help keep Derpy and her kids safe is something that I hadn't planned on, but just seemed to make perfect sense to me as I'm writing, and just kind of wrote itself into the story. It's also something that could really change the dynamic of how Derpy and Blossom interact in the future in a positive way.

And yeah, there's a little bit of a sequence break at the end where the conversation that happens at the Everfree Forest more-or-less happens at the library instead, which is something I didn't originally plan on either. It makes far more sense that they'd have the conversation BEFORE walking all the way to the Everfree Forest. But I understand that visually, the way the show did it originally makes for an very nice transition.

I also have to apologize for how long it took to get this chapter out. I had planned for the whole story to be done before January ended for the Winningverse group's AU month. Unfortunately, a bit of writers of block accompanied with Real Life Drama was a one-two combination that threw me out of writing for a good week and a half. But I'm keeping at it. The next chapter is about half-done, and it's going to be a long one too.

Thanks as always go out to my pre-readers!

Next time: Twilight Sparkle lets herself go into Cloud Kicker's arms!