Eyes of the Accused

Chapters

01 - Redemption
02 - Decent
03 - Firestarter
04 - Freedom
06 - Lightnings and Rainbows (Part 2)
07 - Inner Fear
08 - Finding Yourelf
09 - Scattered Trust
10 - Endgame
05 - Lightnings and Rainbows (Part 1)

01 - Redemption

“Ace! wake up! Will ya!”

Ace felt like he wanted to sleep for another week. yet, he knew that if he didn’t wake up his uncle wouldn’t be too happy.

Not that he was happy too having to wake Ace every morning unless he wanted him to sleep most of the day.

Ace got himself out of bed and made his way down the stairs, for some reason he nowadays spent his morning reading the Equestria Daily and as Ace found it on the table where it always used to be once his uncle had finished reading it.

Ace looked at the main headline

“The efforts to find the escaped pegasus has been cancelled”

Ace quickly opened the pages to read the article and soon found that it was safe for him to take it easy and stop worrying about some pony realizing who the “escaped pegasus” actually was.

Ace came thinking about what he could do now when he wasn’t hunted anymore was soon aborted when some pony knocked the door.

“i’ll get it!” Ace called to his uncle, he had to get used to not looking for an escape route all the time, and as Ace opened the door he found Twilight there.

“Hello there.” she said, Ace couldn’t hide the surprise in his eyes.

“I know your surprised to see me, but we need to talk you and me.” she continued.

They where joined by Ace’s uncle who had been eavesdropping to what Twilight said and told Ace.

“you really should go talk to her” he said while giving Ace a serious looking face. Ace nodded in agreement and walked outside much to Twilight’s surprise but she didn’t seem to find any reason to complain.

As the two started walking down the street Twilight turned her head towards Ace

“I know who you are and I also know who the escaped pegasus are, Ace it’s you isn’t it?”. The awkward silence was broken when Ace stopped and looked down into the dirt below.

“yeah. when did you figure out that it was me?”

“There is only one pegasus I know who would be smart enough to use the tricks you used, you practically told me when I thought about it.”

“I'm not a very good fugitive...” Ace started but was interrupted by his mare friend “You are! you where hard to catch up with and officially the escaped pegasus hasn’t been found and the search has been called off so in a way you did get away.”

“you found me pretty easily, didn’t you Twilight?” Ace looked up from the dirt and into her eyes.

“I knew where you would go, you had nowhere I wouldn’t find you so it wasn’t very hard for me to find you. but I want you to know that Princess Celestia is ready to forget about this if you are, stopping the search was meant as a gesture to that.”

Ace looked at the mare now asking if he was ready to forget all he had done to get away from her and her friends, he could see it in her eyes.

Twilight wasn’t mad at him. “what will happen next then?” he asked her, “now we want to rebuild our friendship with you dear” he heard Rarity saying as she was walking towards where he was standing next to Twilight.

“Really? I thought you would be mad at me for what I did earlier.” Ace looked at Rarity. ”...to Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, you think they will ever be able to forgive me?” he looked at Twilight unsure of what she would say.

“Why don’t we go meet them and you can ask them yourself” she suggested in response to the worry Ace had in his eyes.

Ace began walking with the two unicorns and soon found Rainbow Dash above a field a bit outside Ponyville.

Twilight called her name and Rainbow Dash soon landed on the field.

She looked at Ace “Whatever you do there will always a reason for me to forgive you Ace, you where scared and didn’t know what to do, so yeah, I forgive you”.

Ace looked at Rainbow Dash before noticed a cloud filled sky.

“Seems like some pony has forgotten her weather duties wouldn’t you say Twilight?” Ace looked at Twilight and then to quickly looked at Rainbow before telling her “First to kick a cloud wins!”

He jumped into the air and began racing the Rainbow pegasus and soon he was passed by the mare.

Ace knew that now he was the fast one and he used his lightning to shoot past her before turning around to buck the target cloud with his hind legs.

When Rainbow Dash got there Ace was hovering where the cloud used to be as it had already disappeared and Ace looked and the mare.

“you gotta be faster than this Rainbow, if you wanna keep up with me that is.” before making a dive towards the ground and noticing that Rainbow Dash was chasing after him trying to catch up with all attempts being in vain.

Ace landed on the ground and not long after him Rainbow Dash landed too where the rest of Twilight’s friends now had joined them on the green field outside Ponyville.

Suddenly Applejack raised her head.

“hey, where’s Pinkie Pie?” but not long after Applejack had finished her question they all turned their heads as Pinkie Pie arrived with her always cheerful attitude and Ace couldn’t help noticing that Pinkie was carrying a basket on her head.

...as Pinkie Pie arrived and dropped her basket he was surprised when she opened it and gave every pony around a cupcake, including him.

Ace couldn’t help being surprised that somehow Pinkie knew that he would be there and had made a cupcake for him too. He couldn’t understand how she did it, as if she had known that he would be there without even talking to him or him even talking Twilight or her friends until this day.

Most of the day was spend on the soft grass out on the field and Ace couldn’t help himself from doing his best not saying much but that was pretty much in vain as once he had finished his cupcake he ended up being asked by Twilight what it was like.

Being on the run afraid of what will happen if he got caught.

“I never really thought about what would happen if I got caught, my main priority was not to get caught.” with a chuckle that he hoped wouldn’t be noticed by any pony around.

Ace noticed as the sun started to descend and he thanked Pinkie for the delicious cupcake she had made.

He began his walk back to Ponyville trying to make up a good excuse for being away all day but when he opened the door his uncle greeted him

“You had a great time with Twilight and her friends out on that field, didn’t you?”

Ace tried to hide the surprise he felt and soon his uncle continued.

“If you wonder how I knew it wasn’t hard as you ended up on a field that I can see from the window and it was really easy to spot a Rainbow flying the way it did, sort of guessed she was chasing you or something”

Ace managed to overcome the surprise before looking at his uncle.

“Did I miss anything today?”

“Nope, it’s been quiet, kinda feels like something is about to happen really soon, I hate when it feels like that but I can’t help it. You be careful Ace, you promise me that. Can’t loose you like last time.” Ace felt ashamed of what he had indirectly made his uncle suffer through.

02 - Decent

The rain clouds gave a heavy rain over Ponyville that day.

It had been like that for almost a week now. Ace hated rain and when it was combined with bad sleep it was undeniably annoying and if it wasn’t because his uncle was ill he would be inside the house and doing something on his room like he usually spent rainy days.

But now his uncle was ill and surprisingly the illness came without warning and was to bad that he had to leave Ace to stay at the Ponyville hospital.

Ace wasn’t bothered by it but still he did feel lonely at times but that feeling only came into his mind when he thought about it, usually didn’t last very long as he had learned to deal with it.

Ace was on his way home with some groceries he had braved the rain to get when he spotted a mare dressed in a black suit covering everything but her mud covered hooves. and a cap to hide her face and mane.

Ace didn’t think much about her as he knew he was better off minding his own business when it came to those he didn’t know, he just gave her a quick look before getting back to his own business thinking she wouldn’t be some pony he would need to care about and seemingly she had the same idea about him.

Ace got back home and packed up the groceries and soon got himself something to eat before he would go get some sleep. He didn’t feel like going to the hospital to visit his uncle that day.

it was more than enough making his way to the market and back but he couldn’t help thinking about the mare he had noticed.

Why did she dress like that?

Was some pony was trying to hunt her down?

Didn’t look like anything he had seen before and it sure wasn’t a shadowbolt suit, he had seen one once and they didn’t look like that.

Ace kept trying to figure out the questions going back and forth.

From where that mare was from? and Why did she wear that suit?

The next morning felt like a buck in the face when Ace started reading the Equestria Daily.

“Cloudsdale taken over!”

Ace couldn’t believe what he read and directly scrolled to those pages and began reading.

“This morning Cloudsdale officially announced that those they had been taken over by a rebellion force, the attack began last evening and Cloudsdale surrendered early this morning. No comment has been received from the leader or any pony part of the rebellion.”

Ace couldn’t believe it.

“How did they do it in a single night?” he asked himself and not long after he heard a knock on the door and when he opened it he noticed Twilight and all her friends was there.

He invited them inside and closed the door after them before noticing that Twilight looked at him

“I assume you’ve heard about Cloudsdale” she commented the news paper on the table. “yeah, found out a minute ago and I can’t believe it. How they did it is what beats me.” Ace replied without thinking much and turned away from Twilight,

“have you heard anything from the Princess?” he asked her.

“not yet.” she replied.

“why would any pony do this?” He asked the group as he turned around to face them again.

He heard Rarity say “We don’t know yet darling, but I know that they will not be there for long...” Rarity was interrupted by the sound of a knock on the door and when Ace opened there was a stallion wearing a suit just like the mare he had spotted yesterday.

The unknown stallion didn’t see to be affected by the recent event in Cloudsdale.

“I have been tasked with asking every pony to be at the market as soon as possible.” before he left for the next house.

Ace closed the door and the next moment Pinkie started panicking and began repeating the same question.

“What are we going to do?” while going between the friends and repeating the same question twice.

“you are going to Twilight’s library and I will be attending whatever is going on around the market.” Ace told them after he decided that it was time to show no feelings, he heard Rainbow Dash saying “Im coming with you.”

“No, not this time Rainbow, you go with Twilight and your friends. I will be there once I know what all this bucking is about.” Ace replied and then he watched as the group left. Ace whispered to himself “what have I gotten myself into this time.”

“Rise my brothers and sisters,”

Ace could see another stallion dressed in a suit just like the ones he had seen earlier. “Rise against the solar tyrant! she wish only personal gain and all you to obey. NOW is the time for you to put your hooves down and stop her, together we will rise towards the sky and then strike down on her when she has no pony else around to lean on, I know you all have been ignored and abandoned in your times of need...”

Ace looked down into the dirt below. he never got the help he felt he needed when he was there in the hospital, surrounded by a barricade that didn’t allow any pony to get close enough to hear his cries for help.

“They speak the truth my brother.” Ace felt as if some pony was talking to him but when he looked around he realized that no pony even looked at him, every pony around was focused on the stallion.

“they abandoned you and wished you wouldn’t survive so they would have to waste time on giving you medical care for you, Twilight and her friends have been lying to you, they will never forgive you for what you did. They are just wearing masks to make you feel like you have a home and friends.”

Ace couldn’t help himself from listening to the voice inside his own head, and soon he heard the stallion saying “in a few days we will begin enlisting those who are willing to help us lower the sun from it’s pride and bring truth.”

Ace noticed as the stallion lifted his hooves in the air and received cheer in return.

Ace made his way back home, If it was true that Twilight and he friends had been lying to him, he didn’t want to see them again and he soon got back to his home and after getting inside he locked the door and not long after he was back home he heard a knock on the door.

It was Twilight again, Ace managed to see through the upper floor windows and decided not to open, the door was locked anyway so he pretended he wasn’t home and after a while Ace could hear Rainbow saying “I don’t think he’s home Twilight.” and soon the group left.

Ace heard the voice talking to him once again.

“excellent my friend, but they still wear the masks, we have to remove the masks and force them to tell the truth.” Ace felt a question rushing into his mind.

“was he turning insane?” the voice spoke again.

“you are not turning insane, i’m helping you see though their lies for I am you, but I cannot help you unless you allow me to. Please, allow me to help you see though lies that have blinded you from truth.”

Ace began listening to the voice telling him everything inside his own mind and now it all made perfect sense.

What he had done to them when he kept running away willing to use force to escape and now they suddenly forgive him and become friends.

It was a most perfect lie that he would never have seen through unless the voice helped him. He wasn’t insane or even the slightest crazy, now he knew that every pony around him had been lying to him and Ace realized that he would never be alone now.

He would never be forced to face lies now that his mind would help him see through them all.

03 - Firestarter

“wake up my brother! our uncle is coming home from the hospital.”

Ace woke up and quickly made his way down the stairs to see if it was true and if it was to meet his uncle, when he suddenly stopped and realized that Twilight was there talking to his uncle.

“They are definitely trying to turn him against you.” and soon Twilight and Ace uncle reached the door together and Ace did his best to hide and find a way out of the building, but it was too late and his uncle entered the building and looked at Ace and Ace could see Twilight walking away over his uncle.

“Hey! why aren’t you sleeping like you usually do this time of the day?” Ace uncle joked obviously being surprised but why would he complain.

“well, you where gone for a while I figured that I should wake up sooner.” Ace replied before joining his uncle downstairs.

“what did you and Twilight talk about?” he asked.

“oh nothing of big importance, she told me about Cloudsdale.” Ace felt relieved that Twilight hadn’t told his uncle yet, or she had told him and his uncle lied to him like Twilight and her friends had done.

Ace tried his best to read the face his uncle had, if he lied Ace would notice but his concentration was aborted when Ace head a knock on the door and his uncle was fast to open and there they where.

Twilight and her friend Applejack, Ace felt the stress rising he knew that if he had to escape he couldn’t hesitate and he gave Twilight a look he hoped would stress her but it seemed she wasn’t stressed at all.

Ace looked at Applejack and she quickly got a worried face as if his eyes slowly burned her from the inside with an invisible fire.

“Ace I know that something is going on. I don’t know what it is but you have to fight it back to where it came from.” Twilight said while looking at him.

Ace looked back at her with the same look he gave Applejack but he was interrupted by his uncle intervening by asking “what is going on Twilight?”

Ace couldn’t stop Twilight from explaining what had happened the day before, how they where waiting for him to get to the library but he never showed up and was nowhere to be found either.

Ace noticed his uncle looking at him, “why didn’t you go there when they where waiting for you? Ace, don’t start lying to me.”

“I needed to think alright! this has nothing to do with Twilight and her friends. it’s just that sometimes I need to go somewhere and think where no pony will find me.” Ace told them all before he looked at Applejack, “I don’t have anything against you guys but sometimes like yesterday I couldn’t think about what to tell you so I went to think about what to say.” Ace continued.

“you should have gone there anyway, instead of not going there Ace.” his uncle aborted him.

Not long after his uncle began talking about the value of friendship Ace walked away ignoring what his uncle said and soon he reached the door leading out of the house and turned around looking at his uncle, “I need to think, ill be back later” he told them.

“just don’t lie to me Ace. I don’t want another disaster to separate us.” his uncle replied as Ace left closing the door behind him. It felt like Twilight had been successful in her efforts to turn his uncle against him.

Ace wouldn’t accept this but he couldn’t just strike them down.

“why didn’t you accuse them of lying and cheap betrayal?” Ace heard the voice asking. “now is not the time to strike, but when the time is right I will deliver enough lightning to give a painful death” Ace replied to his own head as he kept flying with clouds passing by.

“don’t you think we should begin training that then? killing them painfully” the voice asked him.

Not long after his voice asked him that question Ace spotted an interesting stallion walking alone below. The doctor who had wanted to risk his life without even testing what they already had, Ace heard the voice in his head.

“Do it! strike him down, he didn’t care if you would have died.” Ace felt his hatred starting to take over. all he wanted was to hurt the doctor really bad and bring him to the point where Ace had been.

It was a sunny day with few clouds in the sky, but the road the doctor was walking on wasn’t usually travelled by any pony and if you didn’t look for it you didn’t notice it.

Ace made a dive for the doctor and the only thing he could think about was to deliver a painful strike on the unsuspecting target below.

Ace hit the stallion with full force and he could hear the stallion scream in pain as ribs where broken from the impact and as he was knocked off the dirt road and down into the ditch below which twisted his legs and caused the stallion to scream in pain and soon he found that he couldn’t get up from the ditch which had some water that had been mixed with dirt and turned into mud.

He looked up to the road he had been walking along so peacefully only to be blinded by the sun and seeing a pegasus with it’s wings extended and soon he could see who it was.

“Ace?! is that you?” he asked trying to hide his pain,

“do stay quiet you worthless risk taker.” Ace replied to him, his anger was now boiling inside of him and all he wanted to do was drown the doctor in the dirty ditch where he had landed.

Ace pushed the doctor’s head down into the mud with his hooves but his action was aborted when he heard a voice behind him.

“Let him go Ace!” Ace stopped his attempt to drown the doctor and looked around to see who was giving him orders, there she was as if she knew where he would go.

Twilight Sparkle and Ace didn’t get much time to think before Twilight told him to leave the doctor. “you are a lot but this is the only thing that you are not!” she yelled at him.

“How can you be so sure liar.” Ace told her with an aggressive voice.

“you made the perfect lie Twilight, I almost fell for it but thanks to my own head I have seen though the weak curtain you put before my eyes to hide the truth of your cheap lies.” and once he was done talking back Ace shot away like a lightning and disappeared.

leaving Twilight in great surprise after the accusation, but she knew that she had to make sure the doctor would receive treatment for the injures and wounds he got from the sudden strike before going after Ace again.

Ace knew he couldn’t fight Twilight yet, she was still to powerful if she used her magic and then he wouldn’t stand a chance against her.

Ace knew that very well but he had a plan.

If he can harm one of Twilights friends and no pony but him, Twilight and whoever joined her is around, Twilight would try to both fight him and help her friend and that would give more than enough openings for Ace to strike and as he kept flying he smiled at the thought that he now knew one of her weakness, maybe he could find more.

“Help!”

I need help here Twilight yelled as she entered the hospital and soon a nurse came running wondering what was going on and when she noticed the injured doctor she understood what was going on.

She had no idea how it had happened until Twilight told her that a pegasus intentionally crashed into him and tried to drown him in a ditch.

“who would do such thing?” she asked Twilight.

“I don’t know but I will find out later” Twilight lied as she knew how it was, soon the two mares managed to stabilize the doctor who told Twilight that they had to capture Ace before he gets time to cause anymore harm to any pony else or himself.

“Im afraid we have to catch him by force and lock him away in the hospital basement cells unless we can find a way to make him stop this. I don’t want it to end like that for him but if it has to be done and I want to be the one leading it.” Twilight told the doctor who agreed with her.

Ace has to be stopped, Twilight and her friends was the ones that knew him best so she told the doctor that she would handle it.

Ace had been sleeping on a cloud a bit outside Ponyville and in his dream the voice kept telling him that he couldn’t go back to his uncle now.

By attacking that doctor he had turned onto a path where the ground behind him fell down into eternal darkness and soon he woke up.

The voice in his head warned him that Twilight and her friends where closing in fast with a hot air ballon.

Ace looked at them and he knew what they where trying to do, they where going to capture him and he wouldn’t allow that without a fight and used his ability to grab onto the flash below him and used it to strike directly at the mare on the balloon. Applejack, she missed him with her lasso and barely managed to dodge as Ace passed by with only inches to spare.

Ace prepared for a second strike, this time he would make sure to strike the mares below the balloon or more specifically, Twilight Sparkle.

Leader of their betrayal against him, he spotted the mare and made a dive towards her but he missed as she dodged in the last second and only a second later Ace felt a lasso hit him and then he heard Rainbow who had chased after him telling him “it’s over Ace!, you lost!”.

“This isn’t over until I say it’s over!” Ace replied to her before he made a dive towards the balloon and yelled to the others.

“if im going down you are going down with me!” and he slammed though the balloon and the balloon started to descend towards the ground still holding Ace by the rope Applejack managed to throw at him.

The balloon crashed down on the ground still holding Ace stuck.

Ace soon learned that there was no way he could get away now so he decided to make sure no pony got close to him, but soon another rope caught him and not long after the second rope a third and a fourth rope caught him and soon he felt the ropes being pulled different directions by Applejack and the others.

He soon exhausted himself and fell onto the grass below but he was still awake.

Ace felt a syringe being pushed into his neck and he blacked out.

He woke up after what felt like only a few seconds and he found himself strapped to a bed which prevented him from moving at all.

He soon realized that some ring had been put around his body to stop him from extending his wings and make sure that he couldn’t use his electrical ability to cause harm to those trying to get close.

He could see Twilight at the other side.

“sorry it has to end like this. I was hoping for different but we have decided that this is the best for us all and Princess Celestia gave us her full support for this. Good bye Ace.” and then she turned her back at Ace and walked out of the room without saying anything else.

Ace could see as the iron door was being closed and all the light from the corridor behind the door had given the room disappeared leaving only very dim light and the loneliness suddenly hit him like a raindrop falling from the sky.

He realized that he was all alone, all he had left was his brother existing in his mind telling him to stay strong.

“the Equestria Daily will never let a story like this go unnoticed.” Ace knew his brother was right. “...soon we will be saved by those who took control of Cloudsdale they will never leave such a strong and powerful pegasus to something like this.” the voice seemed to know his every thought but it would make sense, the voice was as said in his head.

04 - Freedom

Ace woke up in what seemed as fast as sound as it caused the mare standing next to him got startled as his eyes had suddenly opened and given her that look of pure hatred and anger.

He could sense her fear as it became obvious. She was checking if he was awake before pulling a cart with food towards him and soon walking over to Ace and telling him that he has to eat sometime.

Ace had’t accepted any food from any pony during those days he had been in that room. “you don’t want to eat?” she said with a voice more suitable when talking to a baby, before she began eating herself and keep telling him how delicious it was and it was a shame he wouldn’t get any of it before leaving the room with the cart.

“She will regret this a thousand times” the voice told Ace from inside his own head and Ace fully agreed with the voice knowing he shouldn’t but couldn’t help it.

The next day she arrived with a new cart, but this time Ace was awake when she arrved and gave her the look of nothing but hatred but she didn’t let her fear stop her his time either.

“if you don’t start eating I have to force feed you like a little baby” she told him with a serious look, Ace still refused to eat, but today she didn’t seem like she wanted to do the same as the mare left when he once again refused to eat.

Ace could hear her asking herself “What is going on inside that head?” before she turned around to close the door.

“when I break free i’m so going to kill her” Ace told himself.

“Simply kill is not enough, we need to tear that throat open and make her suffer.” the voice told him from his head.

“Agreed, first we stun her and then we eat through that throat and kill her in the worst way possible.” Ace told himself before he fell asleep.

He didn’t really have anything else to do than sleeping.

He didn’t know if it was day or night, sunny or rainy, windy or calm. All he knew was that he had been betrayed and now trapped all alone with only a voice in his wad who they couldn’t take away.

Ace woke up by the sound a pony being slammed into the door and not long after the door was opened.

The mare was back, this time there was at least one other mare and one stallion with her, he didn’t know who the others where but soon all the unused lights in the room was lit and Ace would clearly see that the two others was wearing shadowbolt suits and soon the mare who had been teasing him was pinned down by the shadowbolt mare and the stallion made his way to Ace.

He removed the goggles and looked at Ace.

“Hello there Green Ace.” was the first words he spoke grabbing Ace attention.

“We are here to save you from being left alone and ignored by every pony.” Ace felt like this stallion knew how horrible it is being alone and no pony caring for you.

“If you promise that you won’t shock me I will free you from this and we can fight the tyrant together.” Ace heard the stallion saying.

Ace gave a quick nod to the stallion and Ace felt the ring being removed and not long after the ring the leather straps was also removed.

Ace got up from the bed and looked at the stallion, “thanks for getting me free, but before I can help you fight there is one thing I need to do.”

The stallion looked at him, “I know what you mean. go ahead, deal with her in any way you see fit”.

Ace smiled at the shadowbolt and he noticed the shadowbolt mare moving away as he closed in on the terrified mare. He spread his wings and his shadow covered the corner where the mare was.

She looked into his eyes and soon realized, there where no feelings in those eyes and Ace sent a lightning bolt through her body stunning her.

“I can see an exposed throat and I intend to eat my way into it” and Ace began eating his way into her throat.

Blood started to slowly pour from the wound Ace had caused and soon he felt the taste of blood in his mouth but it didn’t bother him.

He heard his brother asking him to go deeper in the wound and he heard his brother saying “now my brother, kill her fast and painfully.”

Ace did as his brother suggested and he felt the electricity going through his teeth and into the stunned mare and her body started twitching and Ace felt something that couldn’t be described in words.

Ace raised his head and the body stopped twitching and soon blood could be seen dripping from her open mouth.

Ace turned to the stallion, “when do we leave?” he asked.

“We are leaving now, our leader want’s to meet you, he knows about your ability.” the shadowbolt stallion replied and soon they left.

As they walked up the stairs and through corridors Ace could see terrified doctors, he didn’t care about them other than a quick look without turning his head.

As the small group walked outsdie Ace could see the bright shining sun and those perfectly white clouds.

“where are we going?” Ace asked the leading stallion.

“Cloudsdale” the mare told him and the flight didn’t take long.

Soon the pegasus group landed in Cloudsdale and began walking towards the commander building.

“Commander Hawkfeather, I wish to introduce you to Green Ace.” the shadowbolt stallion spoke as they reached the building.

Ace looked at the commander, a dark grey stallion with a purple mane and tail, he was obviously older than Ace. He had definitely seen a battle or two as his left wing had lost at least two feathers.

“My hero is here. thank you both” he said while looking at the shadowbolts standing next to Ace before he looked at Ace.

“I am Hawkfeather commander of the shadowbolts and what you can do is what I can only dream of even being close to and you know who I am so let’s cut to the chase, I want you help us fight the solar tyrant” he said without any obvious worries.

Hawkfeather didn’t get time to say anything else before Ace asked him “When do we fight them?”.

“That will have to wait, we have to defend from wonderbolt attacks often now, they are trying to find a weakness in our defense but all their attempts have failed.” the commander replied.

Suddenly the alarm sounded to warn about incoming wonderbolts, Ace could see as shadowbolts took off to fight.

“go ahead, join the fight” Ace heard the commander saying.

“you’re a saint commander.” Ace replied with an evil voice before taking off himself to join the fight.

Ace could see as at least five groups of wonderbolts where heading towards Cloudsdale and just as many shadowbolt groups where heading towards the wonderbolts to stop them.

Ace soon spotted a target to go after and made a dive towards the unknowing pegasi mare and Ace crashed into her.

He could hear her ribs crack and the mare fell into uncontrolled spin with broken ribs and a injured wing.

Ace found a new target. the wonderbolt Soarin’ who was now getting dangerously close to Cloudsdale according to what Ace considered to be close and Ace hit the wonderbolt in the back of his head and after passing by and looking back Ace realized that Soarin’ was going after him now.

Soon Soarin‘ caught up with him and they began to use their hooves and they both kept punching each others relentlessly.

Ace felt as Soarin’ pushed him back but Ace was fast enough to grab Soarin’ by the tail and pulled him down.

They both soon fell into uncontrollable spin above one of Cloudsdale’s defence towers that was still under construction and they soon crashed heavily into the tower and both ended up on the ground although Ace was faster than Soarin’ to regain consciousness he was stopped by Commander Hawkfeather as he was just about to kill Soarin’ right there on the spot.

“He is a Prisoner of war now, Ace I want to talk to you, we have another Prisoner too and I need you to make them talk. They will tell us where in Canterlot to strike.” Hawkfeather told Ace.

Ace loved the idea and looked back at the commander, “when do I begin?”.

“When the time is right, I will notify you but now you should get yourself homestead here.” Hawkfeather replied, “while you where fighting I got you a home in Cloudsdale.” he continued, “Thanks.” Ace replied.

“Don’t thank me just yet, we still have a lot of work to do. But for now let me show you to your Cloudsdale home...” Hawkfeather kept talking as they began walking to where Ace would be living when he was in Cloudsdale.

06 - Lightnings and Rainbows (Part 2)

Ace was waiting for the mail to arrive in the morning, he hadn’t been able to catch much sleep last night.

It began with a nightmare waking him up only minutes after fall asleep first time and the rest of the night wasn’t easy either, his thinking was suddenly aborted as he heard the mail being delivered.

He decided to wait a few minutes before waking outside to get it, the only things he wanted was Equestria Daily and a letter from Hawkfeather.

He found both but decided to read Equestria Daily first.

“Insane Pegasus escaped from hospital, Now a shadowbolt!” was the headline with a picture of him as he was taken inside the hospital, he could see as they was transporting him him unconscious.

Ace decided to save that news magazine and moved on to the letter he had been waiting for.

Hello Ace.

The time is right for the prisoners to talk and I have chosen you to do this. I want you to report to me in the old shut down factories. From there no pony will hear their screams and prayers.

Commander Hawkfeather

Ace knew what this meant, he would be in a closed down factory causing pain to prisoners of war and to Ace they where his enemies.

He hid the news magazine in his desk, it had a secret drawer on the side and was almost impossible to spot.

Ace placed the news paper in the drawer next to his most prized possession, a picture of Cloudmane, he told himself that she must never know about the drawer, not only would it reveal his emotional side that he wanted to hide away entirely.

But it would reveal exactly how deep feelings Ace had for her, Ace closed the drawer and reached for his shadowbolt suit and the goggles, he could feel it somehow, a feeling that told him that Rainbow Dash was the second prisoner of war as she wasn’t in Ponyville with her friends nor had they heard from her.

But he couldn’t break now, even if he was right he had to continue down the path he had chosen and as the voice had told him before abandoning him, there is no turning back now.

Ace took flight heading for the old factories and not long after he arrived to the old factories.

“Im glad you made it Ace.” Hawkfeather looked at Ace as he arrived to the old factories. “you got free hooves, just make them tell us what we want to know.” he continued.

“will do” Ace replied before watching as the commander left.

Ace entered the old factory, he needed to know who they where and there he found them, strapped to tables just like he had been in the hospital, he had a not too surprising discovery.

One of them being the wonderbolt Soarin’ he had captured, the other one being a mare with rainbow colored mane and tail, Ace knew her from earlier, the prisoners had both been blindfolded and tied still wearing their wonderbolt suits.

“Time to get to business here.” he thought to himself and walked towards Soarin’ who still sleeping. He reached the table keeping Soarin’ with a medical syringe he had taken from a table.

“wakey wakey little wonderbolt” he whispered to Soarin’ before injecting a shot of adrenaline from a syringe.

Soarin’ woke up with a terrified look when he realized that all he could se was darkness and a shadowbolt.

“I take it you had a pleasant night, everything but that is what I have been forced to take.” Ace told the wonderbolt, “now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, either way you will tell me what I want to know...” he continued.

“I will never break my word” Soarin’ talked back.

“...sounds like its the hard way then” Ace told him before walking over to the table where he had some more of the syringes before walking over to Rainbow Dash.

“wakey wakey.” he whispered before injecting them adrenaline causing the mare wake up wide eyed, but she was only wide eyed for a second until he looked around and her eyes went back to being wide open, now it was fear and not the adrenaline.

“so Soarin’, will you talk or will you make me hurt your friend Rainbow Dash here?” Ace asked while looking at the wonderbolt with a sadistic grin.

Ace noticed that Soarin’ was a lot tougher than he had expected.

“So you rather wish your friend here to get hurt than tell me what I want to know peacefully.” Ace told him before turning to Rainbow Dash.

“You hear that Rainbow? your so called friend here rather let’s you get hurt than telling me what I want to know.” Ace walked over to another table.

“So how about we cut to the chase don’t you think?” he asked and when he turned to the two wonderbolts he was holding a small knife. “this knife will cause wounds that bleed little and hurt very much.” he told them.

“But first I have some unfinished business with your friend.” and he began pushing the table that held Rainbow Dash and pushed her into a room without windows, one door and barely any light.

“You see Rainbow, your betrayal left me in a cell like this. but the bed I got was a lot more comfortable.” he told her before he walked away closing the door and leaving Rainbow in nearly total darkness.

Ace walked back to Soarin’, “now, let’s see what we can do about your stubbornness, I think we could get an agreement, either you talk willingly or I will force you to your breaking point.” Ace told the wonderbolt as he got the knife he had told them about before and began to cut a small wound on Soarin’s flank across the cutie mark, Ace watched as blood started to slowly pour from the wound but Soarin’ kept silent.

Ace couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy it yet, it wasn’t as fun as he wanted, he wanted Soarin’ to scream in pain and beg for mercy.

Ace walked over to the table and left the knife where he had taken it and turned back to Soarin’.

“so you think this is all I can do?” he asked before walking towards the wonderbolt and he placed his hoof onto the wound and began pushing it into the would he had caused on Soarin’s flank and started giving small electric shocks, enough to cause infernal pain but not enough to kill.

Ace could hear as Soarin’ screamed in pain and started begging for mercy saying that he will say everything he knows, all he asked for was for the pain to stop and when Ace pulled his hoof out from the wound giving him some bloodstains on the suit and walked over to the bucket of water he had asked for in case he had to do something that caused bloodstains on his suit.

Ace looked at his reflection, his shadowbolt suit reminded of the one his uncle’s brother used to wear, all that was missing was the blood stains from the broken wings and the torn holes. Ace didn’t care and turned back to Soarin’.

“Now my unfortunate friend, tell me, where to strike, when to strike.” Ace told the sobbing wonderbolt and Soarin’ opened his eyes, looking at Ace.

“The best time to strike is during the day when the sun is high in the sky, there won’t be as many guards at that time and a defense force will take time to assemble and they will assemble at Canterlot castle.” Ace made sure to write everything Soarin’ told him in a letter to Hawkfeather in which he also wrote his own theory about the number of guards during the day being increased after the prisoners being captured.

But it would still be the best option to strike during the day as the defense force would probably not be fully prepared anyway.

Ace finished the letter with a request that he would be given more time as he had unfinished business with the other prisoner.

Ace soon began writing a second letter, this one was addressed to Cloudmane, asking her to not come looking for him, promising he would come back for her when he was done, but he never had it sent knowing that it was a mistake sending that type of letters, not long after a group of shadowbolts arrived to take Soarin‘ back to the prison camp.

Ace looked as they left before he told himself.

“time to get to business” before he went to the door leading into the room where he had left Rainbow in almost total darkness, he knew that for Rainbow to even see her own hooves would be a challenge.

Ace opened the door. Rainbow Dash was sleeping again, probably out of boredom. “wakey wakey Rainbow,” he whispered to the sleeping mare before injecting another shot of adrenaline into her body instantly waking her up.

“what are you hoping to accomplish here? Soarin’ won’t break his word and neither will I.” she told him seemingly very confident.

“Are you really saying that you don’t recognize me? how about we change that?” Ace told her with a grin.

“let’s see how you can handle knowing who I am as you won’t see the light of day anytime soon.” he continued before illuminating the room with light, he noticed Rainbow Dash closing her eyes to avoid getting blinded by the sudden illumination.

Ace looked at her as she began opening her eyes again.

“You abandoned me to darkness and hoped I would never see the light of day again.” He told the mare before he moved his goggles to reveal his eyes.

Rainbow looked at him with a sad look, “why Ace?” she asked him.

“because of you and your friends Rainbow, you betrayed me.” he replied to the sobbing mare struggling with her sadness.

“As far as I consider it we are now even, but you have yet to suffer the loneliness I suffered the difference is that you will not see the light of day until this war is over.” he told the mare before he turned his back on her, pulling down his goggles, he turned off most of the lights.

Knowing she would probably never forgive him he closed the door and left. But once he had closed to door he couldn’t hide his shameful feelings about what he had done to her, no matter the perspective it it only ended up with him thinking his betrayal towards her was much worse than her betrayal against him.

Ace left the factory and there was only one place where he felt he could go right now, he had kill his thoughts about him causing Rainbow Dash more emotional pain than she caused him, good thing it wasn’t a long walked back to where he lived.

The walk felt like it took forever but he felt too ashamed to fly, Ace began thinking about Cloudmane, her heavenly smile and those beautiful eyes.

Ace unlocked his door and walked inside.

He couldn’t allow himself to get to sleep like this day had never happened and as he walked in his home he made his decision and removed his goggles placing them on his couch as he walked past it.

He pulled down his hood as he walked towards his desk and opened the secret drawer, he took the picture he had of Cloudmane.

He looked at it for a long time before putting it away and looking at the news magazine only reading the headline above the picture he hated more than ever, he hated it so much because it make him think like he would probably never be able to live like a normal pegasus, ever.

Not after his accident and all the mistakes he keeps making, he couldn’t hold his sorrow back and placed the photo and the news magazine back in the drawer before hiding it again. Ace felt a tear running down his cheek, sure he managed to hold back everything but the tears and he spent nearly the whole night by his desk crying before he decided to leave for the old factory again.

“better hurry to make it there before sunrise.” he thought to himself but was suddenly interrupted by some pony knocking the door and when he opened he found the only mare he felt like he could talk to who would understand him but he felt like this was nothing he could talk about.

“where did you go all day Ace?” she asked him curiously, Ace looked back at her.

“Special assignment from Hawkfeather, you know those take at least a full day to complete.” he told her, “what happened Ace, I can feel something is troubling you, I sense it when I'm talking to you.” she quickly replied.

“it’s nothing alright.” Ace told her slightly annoyed before he walked outside and locking his door. “I have some personal business to attend to for now so don’t follow me.” he continued before taking flight towards the old factory where he had been before he went back to his Cloudsdale home.

Ace arrived at the old factory but he decided not to open the door to the room where Rainbow was being kept, instead he went for the bed that Hawkfeather had placed there in case the work with getting information about Canterlot would take longer than expected. Ace was exhausted when he laid himself down on the bed, he felt like sleeping but was still thinking about whether he had earned it or not, but his thinking was aborted when he fell asleep without warning.

07 - Inner Fear

“will this pegasus be spared or will he join the punished?” a snow white mare shouted, Ace was badly hurt after the fight, his wings where broken and he had cuts all over his suit and most of them bleeding.

Ace looked through his smashed goggles and could clearly hear the crowd below shout the word in unison. “Punishment!”.

“as you ask he will be punished by my hooves.” she replied to the cheering crowd before pushing him over the cliff sending him down the gorge where all other shadowbolts who where to be punished had been pushed.

Ace could barely react as he noticed the bottom of the gorge before he hit the ground and felt as his ribs where broken in the fall.

He knew that didn’t die off the fall but he noticed that a few rocks had went through his already crushed wing, suit and coat when he landed on the side and as the shallow water below turned red he felt himself passing away.

Ace woke up in terror and found himself at the old factory where he had fallen asleep.

“just another nightmare.” he told himself quietly trying to calm his fear.

“worst one yet for sure.” he continued to himself.

Ace hadn’t gotten a good night sleep for days now and the nightmares got worse every time he tried to sleep. “four days and even if all the earlier combined this would still be the worst by far.” he told himself before getting out of bed, ever since he locked up Rainbow Dash in that room all alone but he knew that it was the best for them both.

He wasn’t sure if Rainbow would ever bare to look at him again but he knew that she wouldn’t survive much longer without food but he couldn’t just bare the pain of being the one to feed her himself.

But that problem was solved when he came up with the idea to let Hawkfeather send some mare to do it and he wrote a letter to Hawkfeather with a request for a mare to make sure Rainbow Dash got food enough to survive.

Maybe an hour or so later a light green pegasus mare arrived. “Im here as you requested, don’t you worry, I've been instructed to make sure she will get food once a day.” she told him with a gentle voice.

“Good, she hasn’t eaten in a few days to do give her a little extra food will you.” Ace told her before watching as the mare walked towards the room where he had moved Rainbow Dash to make her feel what he felt when he was all alone.

Ace watched the mare enter the room.

“you know why this has to be the way it has to be Rainbow.” Ace whispered to himself before he left, the mare had been carrying a message from Hawkfeather telling him that they need to talk.

Ace started to walk towards where the commander wanted to talk to him, the local café, didn’t take long for Ace to get there and soon he was facing Hawkfeather again.

“hello there Ace.” was the first words he spoke as Ace arrived.

“what do you need me to do?” Ace asked as a reply. “let’s take a walk you and me, this is important.” Hawkfeather told him and they began walking.

Ace didn’t get time to ask any questions before Hawkfeather looked at him.

“As you may not know they are running low on medical supplies in Ponyville and need to get more, if we want them to provide attention to those shadowbolts who get hurt we must deliver this to Ponyville, with some luck t will greatly improve our relationship with the ponies living there too. But there is one problem, we have everything we need to send however under the impression that wonderbolts will be attempting to intercept the shipment I want you to take a group of pegasi to protect the shipment.”

“Would be my pleasure commander, if Ponyville needs supplies I will make sure they get there.” Ace replied to his commander without thinking much. “good, I will notify them and the shipment will be leaving when you and your team is ready.” Ace watched as the commander took flight and left him.

Ace knew he was already prepared for the mission, he was always wearing the shadowbolt suit now a days unless he was at home or had any other reason not to wear it but he still had to find pegasi to help him.

Ace considered himself lucky as he happened to know a place in Cloudsdale where no pony in their right mind would dare to go, in that place there was only thugs all around, Ace walked towards the place ignoring a sign saying “If you wish to keep your hooves clean TURN BACK NOW!”.

Ace knew very well what kind of place he walked into but he knew that those you find there are good at stealing from shipments when no pony is looking but Ace knew very well that they aren’t stupid to even think about stealing from the shadowbolts.

He arrived at the building he was looking for, where the big boss lived, Ace took a deep breath before entering.

The building was packed with thugs and in the back he was.

the big boss wearing one of those expensive suits that even hid the cutie mark, he had at least five bodyguards around and Ace walked towards the boss, he knew what to say, he knew that they wanted.

“stop!” another pegasus whispered to his ear, Ace stopped as he knew, one mistake would get him killed faster than his nightmares could ever wake him up.

“what are your business here?” the pegasus asked, “I wish to speak to your boss, and I know he is right there.” Ace replied with a cold voice before watching as the boss got a whisper from a bodyguard before looking at Ace, “what are you business here shadowbolt?”.

“A deal that Im pretty sure you are interested in.” Ace told the boss who didn’t seem interested at all. “and why does this, deal. interest us?” he asked still uninterested, “Because it will give you information about all upcoming wonderbolt shipments for the next month.” Ace replied keeping his cold and emotionless voice.

Ace noticed as the boss was starting to get interested, “will the shadowbolts care what we do with those wonderbolt shipments?” he asked.

“Not at all and you may keep whatever goods you find in the shipment, all we want in return is that you send us a list of what you found and nothing else.” Ace replied as he knew what to say once the boss was interesting, “and may I ask what you wish in return for this?” the boss asked with a now huge interest.

“I need a group of pegasi to help me protect a shipment from Cloudsdale to Ponyville as there is a risk of wonderbolts trying to stop it, I will not guarantee that those coming with me to protect it will make it back and as soon the shipment arrives in Ponyville the need for their assistance is solved, simple as eating cupcakes.” Ace replied to the boss.

“How many pegasi do you need to protect this shipment?” the boss asked, he was obviously willing to risk pegasi for the information.

“About 4 would do.” Ace replied and soon the boss went up on some sort of podium.

“My brothers and sisters, my friend shadowbolt here needs four pegasi to help him protect a shipment from Cloudsdale to Ponyville, you help him to protect it and we will all be rewarded for our courage. who’s first?”

Not long after Ace could see as three ponies raised their wings.

“I can see six wings, where are the two last?” the boss asked the crowd, and two more wings was raised, “those who raised their wings, please come forward.” Ace heard the boss speak over the crowd.

Ace could see three mares and one stallion coming out from the crowd. they where all wearing some sort of jacket and the stallion also had a pair of goggles. “you do know that you may not return from this.” Ace told them with a cold voice.

“we know what we are getting into” the stallion spoke and the mares agreed.

Ace couldn’t help recognizing he voice but he couldn’t remember from where he heard it. “just remember who’s in charge when we are flying out there.” Ace told them before continuing, “alright, let’s go then”, and the pack left.

Ace soon noticed an approaching messenger mare.

“stay back you, it’s just a messenger.” he told the pegasi following him and not long after the messenger stopped when she reached where Ace was standing.

“Hawkfeather has some interesting information for you.” Ace could see a worried look on the messengers face.

“are these the ones you will be protecting the shipment with?” she asked obviously worried.

“yes and they can be trusted.” Ace replied to the worried messenger.

“Go tell Hawkfeather to prepare the shipment.” Ace told her before going airborne with his group of thugs and they soon reached the shipment with Hawkfeather looking at Ace as they landed.

“What? never seen a group of thugs helping out?” Ace asked his commander, “no, but I got information that wonderbolts have prepared an ambush, there will be five of them waiting.” Hawkfeather told him.

“only five? geez, I could beat them alone with tied wings” Ace replied.

“be careful I don’t want to loose my finest commando.” Hawfeather told Ace with a serious face.

“take it easy, they won’t get me.” Ace replied before he told the thugs to follow him and follow in formation and keep looking for the wonderbolts before notifying the stallions pulling the shipment that it was time to get going.

It was just about halfway though the trip to Ponyville Ace heard one of the mares yelling “Wonderbolts on the left.” Ace looked and there they came, towards a would be fiasco, “what should we do?” he heard a second mare asking.

“go get them, but keep your hooves away from the leader she has an orange mane and tail, she’s mine.” Ace recognized her.

Spitfire, he told the stallions pulling the shipment to keep going, he and the thugs would deal with the wonderbolts before he left to have some fun harassing wonderbolts and not long after he slammed into a wonderbolt, he stunned her in the blink of an eye before watching her fall into spin towards the ground.

He didn’t care for her as he soon chased after Spitfire knocking another wonderbolt down in his chase and as the wonderbolt stallion screamed in pain from getting his ribs broken by the impact Spitfire looked back and realized that Ace was pursuing her.

She obviously knew who he was as she called for immediately called for retreat before Ace told her that she was all alone and she would never get away. Ace soon crashed onto her less violently but still fast enough to break her wing and then he clung onto her and began steering them both down towards the ground and they both crashed into a river below.

Ace watched as the mare began to regain consciousness, he noticed that her goggles had been lost in the crash, he walked up to her and leaned his head before whispering to her ear. “I have no reason to kill you, but let this be a warning, stay out of my way.” and tossing her a first aid kit he had taken just incase before jumping into the sky to make sure the shipment would arrive in Ponyville safe.

“What did you do to that mare?” Ace heard the stallion ask him.

“None of your business but she won’t bother us again today.” Ace replied and the pegasus group soon arrived to Ponyville.

“you can go back to Cloudsdale, your part of the deal is done.” Ace told the ones who had been helping him.

Ace landed on the hospital roof and looked down as the shipment was unloaded and the goods was taken into the hospital and he decided that his work there was done and went towards Ponyville.

There was rumors about an uprising being planned but when he couldn’t see any signs of it, sure there wasn’t as many ponies outside anymore but considering all that was going on it wasn’t a big surprise and everything had been calm until the moment he saw her down the street in the market.

The snow white mare from that nightmare he had been woken up by last night. Ace felt the fear rising within, “strike her down, she will kill you as soon as he get’s the opportunity.” Ace heard the voice in his head tell him but he knew, it wasn’t right to just charge and kill her without any reason.

“you have a reason, she killed you in your nightmare, she must be killed.” the voice kept telling him, Ace knew he couldn’t resist the voice much longer and maybe if he ignored it too long it would take control of him by force.

He did the only thing he could have done, he jumped into the sky and used his ability to get away from Ponyville as fast as he possibly could, he headed towards Cloudsdale as he knew there he could fight back against the voice.

08 - Finding Yourelf

“why did you let her live! she will kill you later, is that what you want?!” Ace heard the voice yelling at him from inside his own head.

“You are hurting me brother, letting the likes her live to kill us.” the voice kept yelling at him. Ace could barely keep himself from yelling back at the voice but he knew that all those pegasi around Cloudsdale would probably think he was crazy if he couldn’t refrain himself.

Ace was heading towards where Hawkfeather had his command center, he had asked Ace to attend a special meeting and as Ace arrived he was greeted and it was obvious, Hawkfeather who usually was always against happiness considering it a weakness, looked at Ace overfilled with joy.

“Look, here comes my finest commando who has also gotten himself a good name in the world of thugs and criminals, I used to be mad when he told me but now I know they are willing to help us with taking down wonderbolt shipments.” Ace knew this couldn’t be good in any way.

“Today is the day when we will end the rule of the solar tyrant Celestia and YOU Ace have been chosen by me to plant the bomb in her castle, once the bomb explodes the entire castle will crumble and her empire will be scattered.” Hawkfeather kept telling him getting more and more exited by every word.

Ace knew that anything like this would be dangerous, the bomb could malfunction and explode too soon if it even exploded at all.

“Don’t you worry about the bomb, my own daughter made it so it will work perfectly, you will take it there in a pair of saddlebags, it’s simple, just place them together and then once you hear a click you know, you got forty seconds before it explodes.” Hawkfeather told him as the worry in Ace eyes was clear.

Ace knew this would be dangerous but he also knew that if this was successful the war would be over and he could have a happy relationship with Cloudmane and they could raise a filly together without any war threatening to take one of them away from the other. Ace accepted the mission and Hawkfeather seemed to get more and more happy by the second.

Ace left the meeting, he had to tell Cloudmane about what he was about to do, he knew she would be worried but he knew exactly what to tell her.

Ace knocked the door and when Cloudmane opened she cried tears of joy, “I thought you would never return for me, but here you are.” she rushed forward and hugged him. Ace whispered into her ear.

“there is something you must know.” Cloudmane backed off and invited him into her home, “there won’t be time,” he continued.

“what is it?” she asked him with a slight worry. “Hawkfeather is taking Canterlot tonight, I have been asked to bring a bomb and plant it in the castle, then I escape before it goes off.” he told her.

“why do you always take those jobs where one mistake will get you killed?” she asked him now in fear.

“I will make it back to you, I promise and then this war will be over and we will never have to worry ever again. Im doing this for you Cloudmane.”

She once again hugged him and he could feel her fear of loosing him, ”Promise me you will escape as fast as you can, don’t stay and try to become a hero by helping the others fight off wonderbolts, just plant the bomb and run.” she told him.

“I promise.” Ace replied before he left her once again.

But he couldn’t leave to take part in the invasion yet, there was still something he had to do. knowing that he would be charged with betrayal towards the shadowbolts if Hawkfeather found out, but he had to do this.

Ace took a deep breath as he entered the old factory where Rainbow Dash was being imprisoned. He walked inside the factory and found that the mare had kept her promise, stay there and make sure to get Rainbow Dash food every day.

The mare noticed him she told him that she had just finished feeding Rainbow Dash and left the room. “hello there Rainbow.” he spoke as he entered the room that Rainbow Dash was still kept in, still strapped to the bed.

She looked back at him, “I think I know what you went through in that cell now.”

“Good, and I hope you know what direction to fly,” and he began removing the straps holding her and as Rainbow Dash got up from the bad and began walking towards the exit Ace stopped her and gave her a Shadowbolt suit before looking at her.

“take this or you will be recognized” and once Rainbow had gotten herself into the suit Ace used some old paint to color her mane and tail blue much to her disagreement.

“Now they will never recognize you, don’t worry the paint isn’t made to resist water so take a bath once you get to Ponyville, Rainbow Dash I need you to go back and stay hidden until all this is over...” Ace looked at her. “...tell Twilight that I’m sorry, Hawkfeather is launching an invasion on Canterlot tonight, I have been tasked with planting a bomb in the castle.” he continued.

Rainbow thanked him for what he was doing and hoped that if he would face punishment like the other shadowbolts she could stop it.

Ace watched as she left and he could hear the mare who had been there to feed Rainbow Dash spoke to him, “you know that this is treason purified”.

“I know but whatever Hawkfeather wants me to be I am not the merciless commando he wants who doesn't feel anything when killing relentlessly.” Ace replied to the worried mare before he left to play his part in the invasion of Canterlot.

Ace landed on the cloud Hawkfeather was standing on.

“good, your here and we are just about to begin the invasion.” he told Ace, he was back to his normal cold emotionless behavior.

Ace knew more than well that Hawkfeather was nothing but a corrupt stallion wanting nothing but personal gain, Ace watched as the sky above filled with shadowbolts rushing towards Canterlot and some was even carrying bombs to bring destruction and chaos.

“Alright Ace, the battle is about to begin and the chaos will be at its top once everything begins, time for you to take the bomb.” Ace nodded to his commander and he felt as the bags where placed on his back, and he jumped off the cloud knowing what he had to do, right now he only wanted the war to end and this was far from the bast way but it was the fastest.

Ace noticed Canterlot castle as he aproached his target, to avoid crashing into the walls he used his lightning ability to strike a hole in the wall enough for him to pass in though and he was glad at his discovery.

The room was empty and he gently placed the bags on the ground before he opened them, and placed the bottom part of the bomb on the ground before he took the top part and as he held it in his hooves he felt like he shouldn’t do it.

But the voice in his head returned, “do it, after the bomb has exploded it will take at least a minute before the castle crumbles and turns into dust along with all those not worthy.”

Ace yelled at himself that enough was enough. He placed the bomb top on the floor beside the dropped bags and focused on finding where the voice came from.

“You are trying to find me but you never will, I am you.” the voice told him. Ace had located where it was and he knew it was extremely dangerous but he didn’t care, this or he will soon tie his own wings and jump of a mountain.

He sent a lightning shock into himself to kill the voice, and he could clearly hear as he got a direct hit, and soon he heard the voice again, “please, don’t kill me, all i’m trying to do is help you.”.

“SILENCE!” Ace yelled to himself before sending another shock into himself but now he couldn’t hear the voice again.

Ace looked at the bomb top knowing he had to do it to make sure Hawkfeather wouldn’t find out that he wasn’t the one Hawkfeather imagined anymore, right now he just wanted to end the war.

Ace assembled the bomb and tried to sneak out, he didn’t want to see Hawkfeather again but suddenly he saw her, Spitfire running towards him dressed in her wonderbolt suit, Ace looked at her.

“I told you to stay out of my way!” he yelled at her before he rushed towards her, “Let’s see what you learned from last time” before jumping airborne for more powerful strike but she had learned, to his surprise she dodged and Ace passed her but her plan to make him crash failed.

Ace noticed the wall and stopped before turning around but he didn’t get much more time before she crashed into him from an unexpected angle just like he had done to her and they both fell down the stairs and ended up in one of the corridors no pony visited and most of them probably didn’t know about it.

Ace was mad at her, and he used his lightning ability to throw himself towards her and the wall behind her intending to crush her between it and himself.

Seconds later they both slammed though what seemed to be a solid wall. Ace noticed that his goggles had been smashed in the crash but he also noticed that he wasn’t alone about getting the goggles smashed, but he noticed that Spitfire seemed to recognize the room as she looked down into the ground, her wing seemed to be hurt as she still had bandages around it.

But it seemed as being in the room was more painful at that time. Ace looked around and then he could see the picture above the bed, a happy and proud Hawkfeather in wonderbolt suit standing beside Celestia and next Hawkfeather he could see another familiar pegasi, Spitfire, Ace had no idea why Hawkfeather tried to destroy Canterlot castle if he had once been a proud wonderbolt, his wondering was aborted as he noticed a document on the bed,

Dear Hawkfeather.

I am hereby excluding you from the wonderbolts, you have been preforming unauthorized stunts and shown aggressive behavior towards...

Ace reading was aborted by the sound of an explosion, he knew exactly what it was.

“That wasn’t forty seconds, that wasn’t even close to forty seconds” Ace told himself before the ground started shaking making it impossible to focus on anything and Ace knew he had to get out of there before everything fell apart crushing everything below. Ace knew he could make it out and he was halfway out the room before he decided that he couldn’t leave Spitfire back there before going back and he managed to get her on his back much to her objection but Ace ignored her and told her to hold on.

He would either get them both out of there or he wouldn’t make it either. Ace felt like he tried to lift an entire shipment of stone and rubble on his back and soon he couldn’t hold them up in flight and tried to make a landing which turned into a disastrous attempt as they crashed heavy on the ground and they both rolled on the ground and ended up not much more than a meter from each others, Ace looked up and realized that they had only gotten them outside the room and halfway though the corridor, Ace closed his eyes and hoped that he would get hit by falling debris before Spitfire so he wouldn’t need to hear her scream in pain as she got crushed, he could still hear and feel the violent shaking as the castle began crumbling.

09 - Scattered Trust

Ace began waking up after the day before.

He could only think about his promise to Cloudmane but he was sure that if Hawkfeather hadn’t already assumed he didn’t survive and sent some messenger to tell her about it, it wouldn’t take long before she would be told.

Ace knew that she would probably break down into tears, “I will return to you” he whispered to himself. Ace looked at Spitfire, she wasn’t moving probably still unconscious from the crash or dead, Ace hoped that she was just unconscious but she hadn’t been hit by any falling debris and when he couldn’t feel anything he looked around to discover that he wasn’t hurt either.

Ace decided to get back into Hawkfeather’s old room, it was far less likely to cave in and Ace decided not to leave the wonderbolt behind, he told himself that he had gotten them into this death trap and he would get them both out of it. Ace got up on his hooves and walked over to Spitfire.

he could hear her breathe, knowing she was still alive Ace decided to get her back to the room, maybe he could get there there before she woke up again, He managed to get her on his back again and he soon found himself back in the room.

Ace did his best to leave Spitfire on the bed without her waking up and as she didn’t Ace considered it a success.

He found the message he had been reading before the bomb went off, he didn’t bother reading it as he told himself that Hawkfeather would pay dearly for this, the commander probably considered this an accident or something just as worthless but he made one mistake, he underrated Ace and assumed he wouldn’t survive as the castle began crumbling.

Ace looked around, most of the room was still organized, there was a few pictures that had been scattered around below the drawers and normally they wouldn’t draw any interest as they where all pictures of the wonderbolts Hawkfeather used to fly with and the pictures spoke their own language, Hawkfeather had been close friends with all those around him, even Spitfire.

Ace couldn’t believe what he could see, a picture of Spitfire and he recognized what kind of picture it was, Hawkfeather had been in love with her, Ace found it odd that he would be in love with her, she was obviosuly younger than him.

It was just like Ace was in love with Cloudmane with the difference that he and Cloudmane where equal age.

Ace thinking was aborted when he could hear as Spitfire began waking up, Ace decided to throw away his smashed goggles, they where more of a nuisance to him now.

“You alright?” Ace asked.

“Been better, but at least i’m not dead” she replied obviously tired from the fighting before. “well. as you seem to be enough awake to remember what I tell you I got good news and bad news, good news are that we are safe for now, bad news are that we are trapped under I don’t know how much rubble.” Ace told her knowing that there was no use saving it, it was the truth and Ace didn’t feel any need to lie in this situation, “Im not sure I can get us out of here or if they will ever find us, but I haven’t been able to see any light from up there.” Ace continued, he could see that Spitfire was cold, Ace wrapped the sheets that was on the bed around her to make sure she wouldn’t catch a cold and he removed her goggles, they where smashed and pretty much useless.

“Im going to see if I can find some sort of escape route.” Ace told her before he left, he didn’t stay long enough to hear if she replied and he hoped she wouldn’t, it was cold inside the room and outside the room was even worse, Ace knew that if it got much colder it wouldn’t even be safe to sleep.

As he kept searching for an escape route he soon found that there was no way out from below all the rubble. But he did find a scroll supply which was just about half empty.

“Not a bad find, this will be useful.” he thought to himself before he felt a creeping cold sneaking around.

“feels like its sometime in the morning.” he told himself and decided to take some scrolls, he had to raise the heat in the room if they would survive a little longer and with some luck some pony would find them while they still alive.

He got back into the cold room and he soon began stacking parts of the wooden furniture to make a fire and he soon placed an empty scroll in the stack and realized that they had nothing to start a fire with.

Ace decided to at least try it and placed a well aimed lightning bolt at the scroll which caught on fire immediately and began warming the room.

Ace looked into the fire trying to figure out who to punish the worst.

Hawkfeather or his bomb making daughter, he somehow felt himself forced to do it as he watched the fire.

Ace felt the heat from the fire surrounding him and everything in the room. Ace decided to light the torches on the wall for some extra heat and light and aimed carefully at each torch, he didn’t want to make the situation worse if he missed a torch but he could only find two but it was better than nothing, sure they pretty much only provided light and extremely little warmth.

He found himself a comfortable spot on the floor close to the burning fire but it didn’t take long before Spitfire asked him to join her on the bed instead telling him that they should share it as there was more than enough space on the bed for them both.

Ace come thinking of that the room wasn’t entirely safe and if this would be where he would die he could at least spend some time with the wonderbolt, he climbed the bed and carefully laid himself next to her, his mind was chaotic at that point and the only decision he could make was that whatever happens the suit wouldn’t be removed.

He didn’t want to cause his whole world to turn even more chaotic than it already was.

He fell asleep but was woken up by the sound of the corridor outside caving in limiting them both to only the room.

Ace looked around the to make sure the fire was still burning and it was, seemingly burning brighter but he knew that it wouldn’t make sense and ignored it as he noticed that it seemed to provide more heat now.

He noticed Spitfire began waking up and she looked at him.

“Please, help me get this hood off.” she asked and Ace couldn’t come up with a good excuse not to and he managed to pull it down without much trouble.

“whatever she asks for next I will keep this suit as it is now.” Ace thought to himself as he looked her into her worried eyes.

“you think we will survive this?” she asked him without warning. “well I won’t give up just like that and if we get out of here I know some pony who will get this back.” Ace replied trying to hide his anger as he began thinking of how he had been betrayed and as he kept thinking about it the more painful it became.

He and Hawkfeather had been best friends and now he suddenly tries to get him killed by asking whoever made the bomb to make it explode sooner than Ace would expect it to. Hawkfeather was probably having the time of his life recruiting more and more Shadowbolts telling them that nothing would stop his reign.

Ace closed his eyes to hide the sorrow in his eyes and he tried his best to hold his tears but he couldn’t hold them back and he got up and walked past the fire hoping it would dry them out before the became visible, but as he was on the other side of the fire he could feel a tear running down his cheek and fell to the ground.

Ace managed to hold himself from making any sound as his tears fell to the ground and was soon dried out by the heat from the fire. Ace knew that when the time had come he couldn’t show any feelings, he had to be the merciless commando Hawkfeather wanted him to be as he killed the traitor and maybe his bomb making daughter.

He tried not to think about what he would do if he made it out from that rubble prison.

Ace went back to Spitfire who looked at him with a caring look, “what was that about?” she asked him.

“Nothing.” Ace replied trying to hide his feelings from feeling all alone again, this time it felt even worse than when he had been locked away in that hospital all alone, now he had a mare to talk to but he didn’t have any idea where to start so it was best not mentioning it at all.

He knew that if it was hard for him to keep his feelings at bay he didn’t know how she would deal with it. Ace knew he needed some pony he could talk to but he didn’t want to talk to Spitfire, they had been trying to kill each others but when they got trapped under all this rubble they both knew they had work together if they wanted to have the slightest chance of surviving this.

Ace got back onto the bed and he soon came across the idea that none of them had eaten anything for a while and he felt as his hunger began making itself known to him.

Ace didn’t want to think about it and he knew that if they wanted to survive they needed to find food unless they could find a way out soon. Ace laid down on the bed and he felt Spitfire moving closer to him, he felt as she was now directly beside him and he could feel as their suits where now making contact.

He looked at her with a confused look, “I always wanted a filly but I never found the one I could trust.” she told him.

“It’s not me, so don’t try it.” Ace replied somehow knowing what she wanted but he couldn’t tell her about Cloudmane and his relationship with her. He got up and walked away, “even if we really should fight each others I can’t help it, I don’t want to kill but what Hawkfeather has done towards me I feel like I must get back there and kill him before he gets another opportunity.” Ace told her, he didn’t have much interest in feelings left, not after being betrayed again.

“I know you have some pony out there and you want to get back I understand that but what if we never get out of here.” she told him after she had made her way to where he was standing. “what about the war? what if they find out?” Ace asked her.

“If we get out of here we can stop the war, show them that your commander is causing too much damage to innocent, not to mention he left you here to die.” she replied, Ace couldn’t believe his ears. It made perfect sense, Hawkfeather didn’t care whatever happened or who died as he sent them on raids and what not.

Ace looked at her as he removed his hood, “maybe after this war is over it could work between us but now is not the time or the place for this.” he told her with a serious look after he turned away knowing that there must be a weakness somewhere.

“just remember that you care for every pony, even those you shouldn’t need to care for.” she told him obviously knowing that he wasn’t what he appeared to be at first sight,

“I know.” Ace replied to her before he found what seemed to be a window covered by bricks matching the white walls of Canterlot Castle, they where obviously weaker than the rest of the wall but they where still pretty well placed and strong. Ace pulled up his hood before narrowing his eyes while focusing on the weaker spot.

“stay back this could get dangerous, i’m not sure whats behind this wall.” he told Spitfire and then he sent a lightning bolt into the wall which fell into pieces revealing the weather outside, the night was darker that it used to be. Ace soon made his way outside, there was no pony around. “good, maybe we could get out of here unnoticed.” he told Spitfire as she made her way out as well with some assistance. Ace looked towards Cloudsdale knowing what he had to do there, he had to stop Hawkfeather even if it included them both dying but if it stopped Hawkfeather it was worth it, he looked back at Spitfire, “go to Ponyville and stay hidden, I will come looking for you once i’ve dealt with my problems.” he told her and Spitfire seemed to know what he meant.

“Just remember that if it’s possible bring him to justice rather than killing him.” she told him with a worried voice before she walked to him and gave him a kiss. Ace had no idea if he should be happy or get mad, Spitfire left him in the rubble paradise.

“Be afraid Hawkfeather, be very afraid.” Ace whispered into in the dark sky as he looked towards Cloudsdale.

10 - Endgame

Ace looked around Cloudsdale as he walked around, it was a whole new place, still the same but everywhere there was banners with the face of Hawkfeather with a text below, “We have won, those saying different must open their eyes.”

“you will never be a good liar.” Ace thought to himself as he kept walking seeing guard posts around nearly every corner.

He had been lucky that no pony saw him last night as he got back to his Cloudsdale home to get himself another pair of goggles to replace the smashed ones and later getting back to the old factory where he used some black paint to paint the parts of his body that wasn’t covered by the suit.

No pony noticed anything, he looked just like any shadowbolt but he knew more than well that he wasn’t, he would do what was considered impossible, he would bring Hawkfeather down from the sky even if he had to tear each feather from his wings to do it.

He couldn’t allow Hawkfeather to continue this, this was madness, Ace stopped and looked up, on a wall the was a notice.

“Wonderbolt prisoner execution today!” Ace was shocked, he was sure that Hawkfeather had noticed the fact that Rainbow Dash wasn’t there as he had expected, most likely the reason for the execution, he couldn’t save them but he knew he had to be there to blend in with the others and with some luck his nemesis would be there too.

Ace walked towards where the execution would be held and not long after a voice announcing that Hawkfeather arrived.

Ace looked up and there he was, the one who had to face justice for his deeds but Ace soon felt a sudden strike of fear.

The white mare from his nightmare was there beside him, standing on a wooden platform carried by two shadowbolt mares, she wasn’t a pegasi, she was nothing but an earth pony, to Ace it didn’t make any sense.

Hawkfeather hated both unicorns and earth ponies and now he had an earth pony there next to him.

Ace hadn’t seen Cloudmane yet, he was glad for that, he didn’t want her to see such horrors as executions if he could stop her, he watched as Hawkfeather stepped up on the podium.

“My dear brothers and sisters of Cloudsdale, we are here to watch the treacherous wonderbolts who has been captured in the war, but I must thank you all for making this happen, I hereby declare a new equestrian order where the solar tyrant is not almighty and powerful, now we the pegasi of equestria are in control and I will listen to you all when I have time and to here to be faced with justice of the new equestrian order here comes the first wonderbolt.” Ace watched as the chained wonderbolt was taken to a podium next to the one Hawkfeather was standing on as he spoke of his new equestrian order.

Ace watched as the wonderbolt got her hood torn off and her head was held down, Ace couldn’t watch as the gryphon raised the axe and left it fall down on the wonderbolt cutting the neck clean and the chopped off head fell down, Ace could tell by the sound as he closed his eyes.

He had never been so glad over the fact that the goggles where made with mirror glass, Ace didn’t know who they where but he couldn’t help feeling sad for what happened to them and soon the next wonderbolt was brought to execution, this one he could recognize. Soarin’ was the next and after his head and fallen too the next was brought up, the execution kept going like that until the evening fell he could hear Hawkfeather speaking again.

“Please let me have your attention, we have no more wonderbolts to execute, it know it’s sad but this has sent a strong message to the escaped solar tyrant, this is OUR equestrian order, we are in control now.” and soon Hawkfeather left.

Ace knew he had to stop him fast, and as the darkness fell across equestria Ace used it to silently follow Hawkfeather to his new fortress.

He used his ability to enhance his eye sight to stay out of what Hawkfeather could see even if he looked directly at where Ace was, the darkness was the perfect cover.

Ace watched as Hawkfeather went inside his massive fortress, guards where everywhere but they wasn’t a problem to Ace, a few lightning bolts would care for that.

Ace stopped on a cloud to make a plan on how to attack but he soon figured that whatever plan he got, it wouldn’t work anyway and decided to only plan on how to get inside and the best plan was to send a lightning strike and as guards swarmed the area he would strike a less guarded point, stunning those he had to.

Ace looked and noticed a cloud matching the size of a pegasi, he soon realized he didn’t have anything but the lightings he had inside his own body to use and began thinking, Hawkfeather definitely had some sort of hidden knife he would use.

Ace looked at his wing, maybe if he could use it somehow, shape a lightning knife around his wing in case he had to kill seemed like a good option.

He extended his wing and tried to focus and soon he could see as a weak barely visible lightning layer forming on his wing, shielding his feathers, Ace smiled as he discovered a new way to use his ability.

He knew that the layer was entirely under his control and decided to let it gain some more power and he could see as the more power he fed it the stronger it became and so did the light it emitted around. Ace tried to shape it and he watched as it began shaping like a knife and he could see as the edge became more and more sharp like a knife blade and he jumped in the air and went for the cloud, he felt no resistance as he cut the cloud in half, sure he felt that he cut it but nothing tried to push back.

“Clouds and Pegasi are different, what if the wing blade was capable of going through ponies as easy as it went through the cloud.” was the only though in his mind at the time.

Ace smiled but the smile turned into terror when he realized what he had learned.

He had learned how to make his own wing into a razor sharp knife that seemingly would be able to cut through anything.

The thought of that it could be used in such way gave him creeps and felt like of all things he was against that was the worst of them all. He began flying towards the fortress and decided to screw the plan he had came up with.

They weren’t stupid and that was cheapest of all cheap tricks and he decided to use his ability to crash directly though the wall and he soon found himself in the middle of the chaos, guards rushing in from everywhere.

Ace just let stunning lightning bolts hit them as they got close and they began backing off, most of them had never seen a fight and they where put into protecting this place expected to be capable of repelling anything coming at it.

Ace didn’t care for them, but before leaving he looked at the terrified shadowbolts.

“Care for you friends.” before charging into the fortress.

Ace soon found that there was no resistance inside, all the defense was on the first line, he soon found Hawkfeather who looked at him in question.

“Who are you assassin?” he asked without showing any emotions.

“Your death.” Ace replied as he showed no feelings.

“I don’t remember seeing any black pegasi getting recruited.” Hawkfeather continued. “because this is not the true color of my coat, you really should have cleaned the old factory, there was more than enough useful tools still there.” Ace replied.

“Good advice, ill take that into a count next time.” Hawkfeather told him with a confident voice, “you can’t beat me whoever you are.” he continued with his confident voice.

“you really should start thinking about new career as you failed with this and besides, there is no next time for you, you are going to die here tonight.” Ace told him before Ace heard as another pegasi entered the room and when he looked around he couldn’t believe who it was.

“yes she is beautiful and yet extremely dangerous, once she gets the opportunity she will crush you like an apple.” Hawkfeather told him. There she was, just like he remembered her, Cloudmane was the daughter of Hawkfeather and Ace soon remembered what Hawkfeather told him, “my daughter made the bomb.” Ace was mad at them both and he just wanted to use his lightning ability to shape his knife around his wing and cut them both headless just like those wonderbolts had been, but it wouldn’t be the right thing to do, they both had to face justice.

“just who do you think you are?!” Cloudmane yelled at Ace before she grabbed a knife and rushed towards him with the knife in her mouth, Ace dodged her and watched Hawkfeather running for the sky lounge at the top of his tower.

Ace chased after the coward but when he almost caught up with the escaping commander Cloudmane threw herself into Ace as he tried to catch Hawkfeather and they both fell out into the rain that had just begun and landed heavily on the balcony below and Ace knew the paint covering his true coat color wouldn’t hold in rain and soon he could see as his wings turned green again.

He looked at Cloudmane who was shocked from realizing who he really was.

“Im so sorry Ace, I didn’t know it was you.” she told him before Ace looked at her through his goggles and replied “You are the last one I expected to stop me.” before he jumped in the air going after Hawkfeather.

Hawkfeather had reached his lounge thinking he was safe until the moment when a lightning bolt smashed into the room.

“you have yet to learn the way I think.” Ace told him as he stormed into the room, it was beautifully decorated room, a shame it belonged to a dirtbag who didn’t care for any pony than himself and Ace cornered the stallion who where obviously scared at this point now when he know who tried to kill him, “what are you waiting for traitor?” he yelled at Ace.

“I’m not the traitor, you are Hawkfeather when you tried to kill me, and I learned that you are no less tyrant than Celestia, you are the worst tyrant Equestria has seen.” Ace replied, keeping his cold voice and as he closed in on Hawkfeather he spread his wings to cast a shadow over Hawkfeather and Ace was just about to stun the stallion when Cloudmane knocked him across the room.

“I cannot allow you to kill him Ace, he is everything I have left and if he is taken away not even you can help me.” she yelled at him, “Then you are equally guilty and must face justice as you did try to kill me.” Ace told her.

“I can’t choose between you or him Ace, one of you has to be lost and I can’t loose him Ace, It has to be you.” Ace noticed as Cloudmane began shedding tears.

“Please let him go, he won’t be a problem ever again.” she continued and the more she spoke the more tears the cried.

“to me you are equally guilty of what happened in the Canterlot raid but Hawkfeather has more lies and actions to face trial for, I am not to judge you, but to bring you in.” Ace told them.

“then you are my enemy!” she yelled at him and rushed towards him with a large knife and Ace barely managed to dodge it, but he did stun her as she passed by and she fell on the floor completely stunned.

“what did you do to me!” she yelled at him only able to move her head.

“I stunned you to make sure wouldn’t stop me.” Ace replied as he turned his back on her, “please don’t kill him, if you must kill some pony for the bomb kill me, I set it half time hoping you would be too close to the bomb to survive.” she cried as she told him, her checks looked like she had been standing in rain for a long time from all the tears. Ace aimed his stun at Hawkfeather who was like frozen from seeing what Ace had done to his daughter.

Hawkfeather fell to the floor as the stun hit him and he looked as Ace turned back to Cloudmane, “I loved you Cloudmane, and you spit back in my face and never truly loved me back.” he told her, he felt his anger beginning to boil, his blood was pure hatred towards the stunned mare, he extending his wing to full length, Cloudmane looked at him as he began shaping a knife around his wing.

“this is an interesting new trick i’ve learned, you should find it interesting.” he told her with an evil grin.

Cloudmane felt as the stun was taken away and Ace soon jumped back.

“Common get up, get up.” he encouraged her, Cloudmane got up fast and grabbed her knife preparing to fight to the end.

“First blood wins, winner gets Hawkfeather.” he told her, he could smell her fear across the room. She rushed towards him in a hope Ace wouldn’t be prepared but he was, he rushed towards her too and they passed each others, Ace looked at his suit after the pass, not a single scratch but when he turned around he could see Cloudmane on the floor.

The knife was the beside her, she had a deep cut in all the way from just behind her ear all the way to her wing base, she was scared, he could tell from her eyes, he looked at her as blood began escaping her body, Ace walked to her, “Ace, please help me, I feel cold.” she told him, Ace looked at her, “you won’t feel it much longer.” he replied to her before he backed off a bit and soon delivered the final blow on her with the electrical blade his wing had became, the hit cut directly though the skull and the brain.

“Rest in peace and may they be fair with you.” Ace whispered to her ear, he knew she would never know he said that but it felt better as he did.

He turned to Hawkfeather, “now let’s bring you to justice.” he said as he used his ability to stun Hawkfeather a little longer before he tied a rope around the body and making sure it would hold the wings if the stun wore off.

Ace used the part of the rope he extended a little bit to use for lifting Hawkfeather and left for Ponyville, as he flew past by Cloudsdale he could see a large number of royal guard and wonderbolts taking it back from the shadowbolts.

Ace didn’t care, it wasn’t his fight and besides he had to find Twilight so she could notify Celestia and hopefully he could come across Rainbow Dash who could help him find her.

Not long after he could actually spot a few ponies walking on the streets and not a single one was wearing shadowbolt suit and soon he heard Rainbow Dash talking to him.

“Ace, never thought I would see you ever again.” Ace looked at her, the paint had worn off as he expected, “Rainbow, I need you to find Twilight.” he replied.

“Twilight is at the library with Celestia, common ill come with you and help you.” Rainbow replied to him and they both began flying towards the library and soon Ace placed Hawkfeather on the ground outside and watched as Rainbow Dash walked inside, Ace hadn’t lifted the new goggles a single time but he wouldn’t now either. suddenly Twilight came rushing out the door with her friends joining her.

“You where right Rainbow, it sounded like a would never happen but here he is ready to face justice.” Twilight told her friend, Ace noticed as Princes Celestia began walking towards Hawkfeather who was still stunned, he turned around and began walking away knowing he was done there.

“going somewhere?” a familiar voice asked from behind as Ace was walking down the street. It was Spitfire and she wasn’t wearing her wonderbolt suit either.

“Not really, just don’t feel like i’m supposed to be here right now.” Ace replied as he looked at her though the goggles, he felt like he didn’t fit into any town or village society whatsoever.

“sorry about Soarin’.” he told her as he looked down into the ground.

“what do you mean?” Spitfire was getting worried, Ace could see it, “There was an execution for captured wonderbolts, I captured Soarin’ and he never escaped.” Ace replied as he looked at Spitfire, he could see her tears and he thought to himself that she would probably blame him for it.

“I don’t blame you, you didn’t know what would happen.” she whispered in his ear, he couldn’t believe it, she didn’t blame him for it.

“I need to get some time alone.” he told her before his time with her was interrupted as a messenger arrived with a letter to Ace. Ace looked down to the ground after he read it, “What was it?” Spitfire asked him.

“My mother hasn’t woken up since she went to sleep last night.” he replied and looked at her, “she was very ill and this morning she didn't wake up they found her, she didn’t breathe and when a doctor arrived he examined her.” Ace took a deep breath as he looked into the dirt below.

“She passed away during the night.”

Ace was on the brink to tears, the news about his mother was the only that he felt would be capable of breaking him down entirely, “I feel like whatever I do ponies always get hurt but I always make it out, it’s not fair, if some pony gets hurt it should be me.”

“Don’t think like that Ace.” Ace looked back up, “Maybe I should leave, maybe find another town or village where they don’t know me.”

“Im coming with you then.” he could clearly hear Spitfire telling him, he wasn't sure if it would be a disastrous mistake like most of his decisions ended up.

But how could he stop her if she really wanted to join him and abandon everything?

05 - Lightnings and Rainbows (Part 1)

It wasn’t long after his first battle to defend Cloudsdale Ace had gotten himself some furniture and made himself a nice home in Cloudsdale and he could now understand why Rainbow Dash preferred to live in a cloud home rather than on the ground in a regular house.

It was so much more comfortable waking up in the morning and walk on soft clouds, it was entirely different than the wooden floor he was used to.

Only days later she had been there, waiting for him as he was on his way to get some practice in fighting, she reminded Ace of his favorite bedtime story his mother used to tell him.

Ace couldn’t remember what it was called but he knew that it was about a mare who lived alone in the big city and meet a stallion she loved endlessly but when he suddenly disappeared she felt lonely and had to go back to her family again until the day when he shows up again and they moved away.

She looked just like the mare in the story was described.

Light gold colored coat with a white mane and tail, she wasn’t older than him either and Ace thought it was a dream but he knew he was well awake when she spoke to him. Ace couldn’t believe his ears when he heard that voice.

Ace felt as if an angel was talking to him, she invited him to have some muffins with her.

Her name was Cloudmane and not long after they meet she told him that she had seen him in Ponyville but she felt like the time wasn’t right yet and as the hours passed by at the speed of minutes she had told him how she had seen him in Ponyville bringing home groceries and some of her past.

Ace had also told her about his past.

Being the only pegasus in a village of earth ponies, the decision he had make leaving for Ponyville and what had been chasing him like a ghost.

The accident in the weather factory and he finished his stores by telling her how he had been feeling about the recent events.

Getting captured and locked away by those he had once called friends.

Cloudmane noticed a tear from Ace eye as she looked at him as he turned his head away in an attempt to hide it.

“I think you should go back to your uncle, tell him that you are feeling right now.” Ace looked back at her.

“Maybe you are right.” and he went back to his home and left everything he didn’t need. Ace walked towards his shadowbolt suit and he decided to use it,

Didn’t take long for him to put it on and he grabbed his goggles leaving for Ponyville passing Cloudmane on his way and she seemed to know where he was going but to Ace it felt like she wished him good luck.

Ace went airborne and once he was clear of any buildings he used his ability for travel as he knew that he had to do this.

Ace stopped on a cloud not far away from Ponyville to make sure the suit hadn’t been ripped during the flight. Ace felt relieved as he noticed that it was just like when he left Cloudsdale.

“seems like it won’t be a problem after all” Ace told himself with a smile before looking down at the building he was going for but couldn’t help noticing.

Shadowbolts walking on the streets and no pony seemed to have anything against them and not long after Ace noticed the fact that no pony in Ponyville cared about the shadowbolts walking around there among them in their suits and all.

Most of them wasn’t wearing the goggles but he wouldn’t remove them for any reason.

He jumped off the cloud and began his glide flight down to the street and as he landed he began walking down the street he had walked down when he first arrived.

He noticed that nothing had really changed and he could see as Twilight and her friends where at Sugarcube corner eating cupcakes but Rainbow Dash wasn’t there.

“odd, I didn’t think they would be gathering and eating cupcakes without Rainbow Dash, well not really my problem right now.”

Ace thought to himself before he heard Twilight.

“It’s a shame Rainbow Dash couldn’t join us here today” with Pinkie Pie responding by saying “I heard she joined the wonderbolts to retake Cloudsdale...” Ace stopped for a moment, he had just passed Sugarcube corner and was out of sight for Twilight and her friends unless one of them went outside. “Wonderbolts?!” he thought to himself.

”I sure hope she wasn’t captured,” Ace thought to himself for a second but soon kept thinking whether she should hope Rainbow was captured or not as he kept walking down the street and soon he reached the building.

This was it, where his uncle lived. Ace knocked the door but nothing was heard from the inside and when Ace knocked again he didn’t get any response.

“He isn’t home.” Ace heard Twilight telling him, she was standing a bit behind him,

“he left a few days ago, he said it to painful for him to stay. What would a shadowbolt want with him anyway” Ace heard Twilight continue he turned around to face her.

“Perhaps you should watch your words Unicorn.” Ace said and gave her a glare of hostility though the goggles without removing them but it wasn’t needed as Twilight took a step back.

Ace noticed that Rarity looked at him with a surprised look obviously wondering what could have triggered such hostility towards her friend.

Ace had an idea where his uncle would go and left Ponyville and he jumped in the air and began the flight towards his old home, he hadn’t been there since he needed to hide and it would be logical if that’s where his uncle went.

Ace had been flying a long while before he arrived and soon he knocked the door and soon his uncle opened the door.

“what are you business here shadowbolt?” he asked with a hostile voice.

Ace looked at his uncle, “looking for you.”

Ace lifted his goggles and his uncle looked back at him in tears, “Why Ace? WHY?”, “Because you never came to visit me” Ace replied to his uncle.

“I want to know why you never showed up” Ace continued as his uncle moved aside for Ace to enter.

“They told me you had gone insane and it was too dangerous to keep chasing you, but you seem to have became the last thing you should have became.” his uncle told him before he went and opened a closet that was always kept locked for some reason.

Now Ace knew why it was always kept closed, it had an old torn and bloodstained shadowbolt suit hanging inside, around there was pictures of the brothers.

“it was before you where born Ace, he was part of a raid against Canterlot, his objective was to assassinate Princess Celestia but when they got there the defence was too strong and he died when a member of the royal guard grabbed him and pushed him through a window and he fell, his wings where wounded in the earlier fighting so he couldn’t fly and he hit the ground, he could have been saved but was left to bleed to death.”

Ace uncle was now shedding tears from the memories, “I told myself to never let any pony I could stop from becoming a shadowbolt.”

Ace walked up to his uncle, “sorry about your brother, but they will pay for what they did to him, I will slay them for it” and soon he left asking his uncle to tell his mother.

Ace walked outside after he had made sure to pull down the goggles, but he didn’t leave, he wanted to make sure that his uncle would tell his mother, he could hear as his mother was sad after hearing what had happened but soon she raised her head and stated, “so he became a shadowbolt after all, may the sun and the moon watch over him and judge him fairly for his actions.”

Ace hated to make his family live through this but to him, hearing about his uncle’s brother but he knew, he knew that they would pay dearly for this, he would leave no survivors not after what they had caused to his family.

Ace made his way back to Cloudsdale as he had followed Cloudmane’s advice in visiting his uncle and also learned something he had really rather not known, but now he knew and he decided to make all those guards pay with their own blood, but it was nothing compared to what he would do to Princess Celestia, he would give them a quick death but he would torture the Princess, give her a painful bleed out and he wouldn’t regret any of it.

Ace arrived back to his home and he noticed, Cloudmane who had been waiting for him, “so, how did he react to seeing you?” she asked.

Ace looked into her beautiful pink eyes, “He was happy to see me and told me something I had rather not known.” Ace told her with sadness in his voice.

“What did he tell you?” she asked with a questioning voice.

“How his brother used to be a shadowbolt like me but got killed and even though they could save him they let him bleed to death.” Ace told her as he tried to hide his sorrow. “so that’s why you are this way. your family have suffered from that haven’t they?” Cloudmane aked him.

“No, it was before my birth, but when my uncle opened that closet which was always locked when I grew up I began feeling an even stronger hatred towards Celestia and her guards. They refused to save a pony they could have saved.” Ace replied and Cloudmane could feel the sorrow around him.

“You need to get some rest, your day have been heavy and I don’t think you should stay awake with all this on your mind.” she told him and joined him as he started to walk towards where he lived nowadays and once they got there Ace looked at her.

“Do get some sleep, you need it more than ever, I can tell by the feeling I got after hearing about what you’ve heard today.” Cloudmane told him before he walked inside.

Ace didn’t feel like sleeping but he still knew that the mare was right, he had to get some rest.

Ace tried to find the voice in his head but he heard nothing until the moment when he had fallen asleep and in his dream he could see his uncle’s brother in shadowbolt suit but it was the voice in his head who spoke.

“you have gotten yourself onto a path where I can’t help you, you are on your own but you should know this, I never existed in your head you have always been alone and I am nothing but an illusion in your own head.” and Ace could see the shadowbolt fade away into the never ending darkness around him.

Ace woke up in fear. It was only minutes from when he had decided to get some sleep but instead he was woken up by his own nightmare, he kept telling himself quitely,

“im not insane, im not insane, im not insane.” for nearly an hour. Ace wouldn’t allow himself to fall into madness.

Not now when he felt like he had devastated all probabilities of Twilight and her friends ever accepting him as a friend again. Ace came thinking of that he has to accept what he is, an outcast, the black sheep and his mind began trying to handle what seemed like an endless chaos of thoughts and feelings.

“Twilight and her friends captured me to lock me away because they looked at me like some pony that was a threat, If she want a threat I will gladly be that threat.” and Ace could slowly feel himself falling asleep again and he hoped he wouldn’t have more nightmares tonight.

He felt confused in this new chaos, had he been alone all the time even when the voice in his head was there, maybe it just did it’s best to make him miserable. Could he possibly trust Cloudmane?

She hadn’t told him anything about her family yet, all he knew about her was that she had lived in Cloudsdale most of her life and she was good at reading faces and reactions.