30 years after the war

It was a warm evening as the two ponies trotted along the sidewalk side by side, as streetlights illuminate their path toward a yellow building it seemed to be shining while it both reflected the streetlights and the light of the moon, it looked like a gold bar upon a hill top. “So what is celebration for really” the fox asked his companion

“what are you talking about fox it's just a celebration to show our appreciation to the Wonderbolts” teased Florentine “to be honest, I don't really know, I assume that it's to catch you or at the very least capture agents of Hanz that are also gunning for Rainbow in case you fail. It's going to be troublesome, whether or not we are successful.”

“How much trouble could a few unicorns cause anyway” questioned the Fox

“Well it depends on how powerful their magic is, but a few very skilled unicorns could possibly kill everypony in the building” Florentine answered with a very serious expression “it wouldn't happen though, Hanz is trying to keep a low profile so a massacre would be the worst case scenario for him.”

“You seem to have great information gathering skills” complimented the Fox “How do you do it?”

Florentine seemed less enthused than she was previously when she decided to answer his question, “it's as I told you before my father was a rebel I wanted to help, but I was too young for combat so I trained to be an infiltrator instead, his death pushed me to continue. My first mission was to steal info on weapons that were being mass produced in Cloudsdale, I don't want to talk anymore about the war for a while okay Fox.” Fox nodded in understanding

“Florentine... Thank you for your help even if it turns into a fiasco, I want you to know that I appreciate it, you didn't need to help me, I wont forget your kindness.” The two ponies had reached their destination the building seemed to shimmer due to the lights in front of it, a very muscular black furred stallion with an indigo mane and a blue shield for a cutie mark, stood beside a pink mare with a honeycomb mane wearing a purple dress with silhouetted lilies stitched on. “Hello, Hello you twoooooooooooo welcome to the bronze bronco club a place for the most elite and sophisticated ponies in Equestria, though today for a few hours ponies of all births may join together to celebrate and pay tribute to the Wonderbolts, at least” she paused eye's closed with one hoof in the air “those with an invitation” she smiled pointing a hoof in the couple's direction. Florentine turned to the fox who was holding her bag and opened it, she pulled the letter of invitation out and gave it to the mare “so this stallion is your date then Florentine?” Questioned the mare
“no” replied Florentine “he's my partner for the celebration.” The couple then trotted inside the building to find it empty the fox was confused,
“Are we early or what” the flabbergasted fox asked, Florentine chuckled “no fox we are actually a little late just wait” as they waited more ponies appeared than the ground rumbled the air began to crackle and pop then a blinding light engulfed the room.

“Hmm so we teleported, that's smart” comments the Fox under his breath observing the huge room he along with the assemblage of ponies were transported to, above he could see golden chandeliers, a great painting that show a battle between ponies of all races on different sides, from the angle he was looking at the painting on the right showed a white pony twice as large as a regular pony with Pegasus wings and unicorn horns, Fox didn't know if the painting was created by a brush or some kind of magic he couldn't help but to admire the artists use of vivid colors that draw emphasis on the faces of the ponies and the energy radiating from their bodies they looked strained and focused it seemed like the ponies sweat would come down on the crowd like gentle rain on a bed of roses. As for the white unicorn with Pegasus wings she seemed very intense wearing golden armor that radiated sunlight on the far left was a dark blue Pegasus with a unicorn horn her cutie mark was that of a crescent moon her armor was a dark purple she seemed more sad and understanding then the white one, it was beautiful. Fox deduced that the artist must have been neutral during the civil war they must have also respected the values of both parties due to neither side being highly demonized, he could not help but notice the lack of foxes, he assumed the artist must have painted this before the rebels started to lose their momentum or it is just a depiction of how they felt during the war. Florentine looked over at Fox “Tinker are you okay, you seemed kind of dazed” Tinker, Fox's pony name, was too fixated on the ceiling painting to answer. That was until a light pink mare wearing an orange dress trotted up to him she was followed by a black furred stallion with an indigo mane and a green shield for a cutie mark “It's nice to see somepony enjoy my work” Fox, surprised looked at the two ponies
“You painted this” he asked surprised as well as interested
“It took several months to get the ponies faces right” she sighs “But art is a mysterious thing, like a writer I try to create stories with my art, unlike a writer who uses word structure to paint a picture of creatures in the mind I use a brush to create the creature and leave it up the you to fill in the blanks.” As Fox looked at the mare he realize she was at least two times as tall as he was she had both a horn and wings. As this realization occurred to him fox then felt all the hairs on his body stand up, waves of energy crashed into his body like the ocean's tide crashing into rock slowly eroding it after each collision. Florentine looked at the mare in front of her “Ah Madam it is an honor to finally meet you”
“You need not be formal Florentine” the mare said, giggling “I was wondering if I may steal your” she paused observing her surroundings, the black stallion looked at the Madam who then gave him a nod the stallion moved his eye's slightly to the left. “That should suffice shield thank you” she turned to Florentine “I'm sorry for the long pause, may I steal your associate for a minute”
Fox clear his throat “I apologize Madam, but I must help Florentine with her work” at that moment Florentine took Tinker aside “ Okay I must explain to you who the Madam is, she is one of the most powerful mares aside from Celestia and Luna she is respected by all ponies especially the unicorns, there are rumors that she may be the princess's mother or at least their mentor. She is very mysterious and private as well as selective you would do well to talk to her” Tinker looked at Florentine with a very uncomfortable and impatient expression,”right now I'm on a mission I cannot be distracted” Fox stated in a low whisper “besides you haven't even set up a place for interviews” Florentine realizing that Fox was was right brought a hoof to her chin. She glanced around the ballroom for a place that would suffice she saw a hallway with blue walls and baby blue doors “perhaps somewhere over there” asked the Madam starring in the same direction, Florentine and company managed to find a room for the interviews fox placed the bag down and sighed, he wondered what the Madam wanted he assumed her will would at the very least be far less atrocious than whatever devious design Hanz had for both him and Rainbow Dash. The room was rather small but not uncomfortable nor claustrophobic there was a square table around three feet in length and width it looked like it was made of oak, there was a square window which showed him a dark forest that filled him with dreadful and foreboding feeling.

Tinker understood his job which was to just take pictures of the Wonderbolts they seemed very lively though, as Fox closely observed them, they seemed tense as they were surrounded by admiring fans, old friends, and family along with the media begging for interviews. After a while Florentine brought a Wonderbolt into the interview room meanwhile Tinker continued to take pictures, as the crowd began to calm and scatter Tinker observed the ponies he decided against conversing with them for fear of not revealing his true form but of the black muscular stallion that has been standing next to him for the last hour. Tinker didn't fear the stallions size, he was more afraid of the stallions held back potential Tinker had an odd realization the black stallion had augmented abilities bubbling deep inside of him, he knew that if commanded this guy could break his body as easily as a child could eat oats. Eventually the madam appeared beckoning for him to follow her; outside Tinker felt more relaxed trotting along a bricked path, eventually they stopped at a bench alongside it was a telescope, “It really is beautiful the moon and the sun their dance to us is a cycle, a cycle which never ends as soon as one falls another rises; which now brings us here how will this cycle end?” The Madam put a hoof on the telescope and looked through it, she then adjusted it with magic “I want you to see something” she then moved to the side and motioned Tinker to observe through the telescope; what Fox saw was the moon but it wasn't yellow it was red with yellowed outlined shapes and symbols upon seeing this he let out a gasp. Chuckling the Madam continued with her lecture “ It would seem Luna is worried about how this night will turn out, but that is not why I called you out here what I showed you was just an after thought, first off I can see through your disguise, on another note, you are here on a mission from Hanz, to do what I do not know, but I can see you do not seem to have a high opinion of him, now unlike Celestia who would no doubt would capture you on the spot I would like an explanation as to why you decided to join us.” Fox considered coming clean to the alicorn perhaps she could help him or at least not get in his way, after sighing he started to speak “Hanz wants me to bring him Rainbow Dash or he will kill another pony named Fluttershy I don't want anypony to die so I have to do this, time's running out.” Tinker put his head down in depression waiting for a response from the mare, there was a short silence before the Madam spoke “So Hans has you doing his dirty work can no stallion do their tasks on their own? He must be weak of will indeed if he had to resort to threats to get what he wanted or perhaps he was being smart” she starts to trot towards Tinker “have you considered that you may just be a distraction, a slight of hand in the grand scheme of things think about Hanz has an entire army of unicorns some who have been in the military for years. Yet he sends you alone to perform a task that borders on impossible do you really think this party was for the Wonderbolts?” Tinker put a hoof up then spoke “It would seem we have the same idea then, I know or well it has come to my attention that I may be a scapegoat or a distraction for the Wonderbolts as well as understand that this party is indeed a trap for those who intend to snatch Rainbow away, but Hanz has miscalculated or is banking on me revealing my true form which will not happen at least not tonight, if we are right and Hanz decides to pull a move then I'll help push them back they're not getting Rainbow I'll make sure of it.”

“Tinker you're the most unusual creature I've met in a long time, even after all that has happened to the foxes by their hooves, my hooves you'll still help a pony in need no matter what. Keep Florentine close soon they will make their move” the Madam said on the way back to the ballroom; Shield who was guarding the doorway to the garden gave Tinker an odd stare the Madam went back to join the party while Tinker stayed around the doorway. Shield still staring at Tinker raised a hoof “It was nice to meet you... Tinker” Tinker put his hoof on Shield's “It was nice to meet you as well Shield” Shield then started to speak in a very chipper tone that seemed to not match his stature at all, “the Madam she seems to... like you, it's highly irregular to see her approach you in front of all these ponies... I'm sure we will be meeting again in the future until then” the stallion starting trotting towards the Madam who upon seeing him starts to leave by heading towards a square with a unicorn on each corner; the area around the square started to fluctuate then flash! Madam and Shield transported to somewhere in Equestria it was at this time that Florentine trotted up to Tinker with a smug expression, “It's time Tinker we finally got Rainbow Dash” Fox sighed
“Well lets do this” as the two ponies trotted towards the interview room more ponies teleported in rather late to the party.