Part I - They Say a Picture Says a Thousand Words
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Astral Audacious; An Alicorn's Account

Part I - They Say a Picture Says a Thousand Words

Astral Audacious; An Alicorn's Account
By: The Grey Pegasus

They Say a Picture Says a Thousand Words

On a hill outside of and overlooking Trottingham is a house. Outside of this house, one would find organic architecture dominating its lines. Wooden walls, some stone brick walls, a full-wall glass window spanning a second floor hallway, all-around clean lines, and modest shrubbery.

And outside this house on this particular day was an intriguing figure. Said intriguing figure was wearing an inconspicuous coat over his back with a blue bow tie. His black coat was groomed, as was his gray and red mane. His appearance was not formal, by any means, however; quite casual-looking, in fact. He was a bit taller than the average pony, around the size of larger stallions. His horn, also a bit on the 'more than average' size also added to the image of his height.

Said figure pressed the doorbell with his magic.

"Yes, yes, coming!" a female voice echoed from indoors.

He patiently waited until hoofsteps could be heard approaching the door. A lock was unlatched, and from behind the glass storm door was a white pegasus. With his magic, he held up a piece of paper. "I'm here on business?" he inquired. "Uh, residence of Crystal Chroma? I'm Astral Audacious, and I was told to come here, by, uh, ponies in town."

Crystal gave the stallion a questioning look. "What kind of business that they sent you here?" She mumbled, "I can only think of one."

"They said you were the best chance of getting a portrait done on a weekend," Astral replied.

"Of course," the mare sighed. "This isn't exactly the greatest time to come by, so you're going to have to do some very persuasive convincing for me to take you up on your... business offer."

Astral looked around, contemplating. He then proceeded to unbutton his coat and take it off. As he slid the coat off with his magic, he stretched out the wings hidden beneath them. Notably, his otherwise black wings had black feathers tipped with red.

Immediately, Crystal gasped and unlocked the second door and held it open for the stallion. As Astral walked in, she receded and bowed. "I-I-... My apologies."

Astral held up a hoof. "No, no, it's fine—you don't even have to bow—I'm not royalty."

Surprised with what she heard, Crystal got up slowly and confused. "But—you're—an alicorn!"

"I... am not exactly an alicorn. The closest I got to being royalty was serving in the Royal Guard." He shrugged.

"Oh." She scratched her pink-and-aqua mane. "Well, nonetheless, it isn't everyday I get someone like you at my door," Crystal said, with barely noticeable hints of excitement hidden under her flat expression. "Coat rack on the right. Would you like to get started immediately?"

"Oh, oh sure." After hanging his coat up, he followed the mare down through a hallway, then through a door leading downstairs. "How long will this take?"

"A couple of hours." Crystal was still curious. "So... is your body... from a magical doing? Born with it? Or—"

"Both, actually," Astral replied as they got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Huh." Crystal quickly set up her studio, motioning for the alicorn to stand in a certain spot while she set up her canvas. "Do you have any specific requests for this? Any poses? Preferences?"

"Just a... simple portrait. Standing. I can stand." Astral looked down at his hooves and around the studio where he was going to stand for the next few hours.

The pegasus slipped on some sort of metal claw on her hoof, with which she started picking up various tools. From Astral's position, he could see her already working on the canvas. "Well then. They say a picture says a thousand words. Tells a story. So what's yours? Surely a pony like you has a story."

"My story?" Astral asked, not budging from his upright position. "Where do you want me to start?"

"We're going to be here for a while," Crystal said as she finished sketching his figure. She showed her face around the easel once more to study him with her icy blue eyes. "Start from the beginning, then. Horn and wings and just you in general—what's the story behind those?"

"Well, okay. Like I said, I was born with them, but I'd just be a normal unicorn without magic coming into the picture..."

<<+>>

I was born twenty-seven years ago. But the wings? They came before that. My mother worked in Canterlot, over in medical magic research. She told me that at the time, four months into her pregnancy, they were looking into pegasus wings, specifically for those in military service. They were looking into wounded pegasi who had lost their wings. As a pegasus yourself, you know how important wings are to a pegasus and their life.

Even after hundreds of years of research, they still haven't found a good way to solve this issue. Unicorn magic is different from pegasus magic, which makes even healing broken wings an issue—it's why they say it's better for wings to heal naturally instead of quickly using a spell; less likelihood of a problem developing. And here, my mother and her colleagues were trying to figure out wings that were gone altogether.

To make the story short, she said had made a mistake and walked in on a spell test at the wrong moment. My mother was hit with the spell, but even after extensive studying, they found no harmful side effects to her or me. And so life went on, until I was actually born.

When I was actually born, mom said that surprise would be an understatement. Worry, too. Again, I was put under intensive study. What they found was that I was really just still a unicorn. With wings. But those wings were only there physically—I had the skeletal system, nervous system, muscles—everything to make them function normally as a bodily function, but I wouldn't be able to fly.

Remember what I said about the differences in magic? Still applied. Regular ponies can only be of one type—they can't be born with two types of magic. A pony's magical make-up is set on conception. No changing it.

My parents agreed on the name 'Astral Audacious'. Black coat, black wings, dark gray mane, blue eyes. My father was an astronomer—night and sky related things come to him quickly. My mother thought that, even if I couldn't fly, it was a sign of great destiny. A sign of a future of importance.

<<+>>

"... And so, that's the story of my birth. Story of my horn and wings."

Crystal's hoof moved with every brushstroke as she painted the background with brown paints. "Well then. You can't fly?"

"Actually, I... can, now. It... happens later."

"Like I said, we've got time. So... how about you keep going? What's your history? Where do you come from? What made you? What's your background?"

Astral shrugged. "Well, alright. I guess I could talk about when I was just a colt..."

<<+>>

My mother warned me that I might get teased about not being able to fly. She told me to ignore ponies that said that—that my horn still worked and that's what was important. She said that, while it would be great if both worked, it was better for my horn to work and not my wings, rather than the other way around. I still agree with her. I was a winged unicorn by magical composition, not a horned pegasus. And being a horned pegasus might bring more insults. At least, that's what I feel.

My father taught me when I was young that it didn't matter if I could fly or not. They were just something extra. As long as I could use my unicorn magic like everyone else, I would be fine. Pay attention to my studies. Be a good colt. Everything would be alright. If other ponies were curious about my wings, tell them the story, and if they were genuinely interested, then all the better. Basically, he told me to choose my friends carefully.

Since we were a unicorn family living in Canterlot, naturally they applied for an entrance exam for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. After all, I was their special little winged unicorn colt, born to a respectable unicorn family. It was just a custom amongst unicorn families to do so.

And believe it or not, I was actually accepted in. The winged unicorn part was probably a big part of it. Not that I'm complaining.

As I grew up and went through school, I had to constantly keep in mind what my parents taught me. Mostly everyone was either on one side or the other—they either teased me for being flightless or they complemented my wings and saw a bright future. I'm willing to be even the teachers were split like that.

But I got through it. Grew in my magical practices. Started becoming a pony with a future in the academic society, just like the rest of my class. Got my cutie mark eventually. These five comets forming a star. It means I'm an inspiration to others.

<<+>>

"... Really, it's my foalhood years. I don't remember much that stuck out from that time that really mattered in retrospect," Astral said as he paced around, holding a drink with his magic. Crystal had offered to take a break in her kitchen after some time. "Other than that I couldn't fly and that whether or not I became friends with ponies was very likely dependent on their opinion of 'that one winged unicorn'."

"I'm sort of surprised you weren't just mercilessly teased," Crystal said as she sat at a table eating a biscuit. "You know, being young and all. When life boiled down to a simple competition of 'who was the best'. And their potential competition was flightless."

"Heh," Astral chuckled. "Nah, the worst was obviously yet to come. Starting when we were really growing up. When our minds started really developing."

"Oh yes, that stage."

"Yes, that point in life, when you think everything important is happening." Astral paced around idly, his thoughts drifting to what this own mare's life was like. He had been giving his life story all that time. But what about Crystal? He resorted to exploring the walls of the artist's home, to see if there was any insight to be found in the various paintings.

He came across a set of two doors. "What's in here?"

"Personal gallery," Crystal answered. "We can visit it later. Right now, we should get back to work." She got up and walked towards Astral.

Astral continued walking along the wall. Walking past the two doors, he came to a portrait that caught his eye. "Huh. There's a grin I've hardly seen on a military portrait before," Astral commented, looking at a painting of a grey pegasus. Said pegasus wore a beret, a uniform with medals, and a smile that almost broke the regality of the work.

Crystal chuckled in return. "Oh, that's Stardust. He can't help it if he's forced to look at me for the length of time it takes to paint a portrait. I swear he had me do it just so he could see what would happen if he was forced to look at me for that long."

"Hm?"

"He's my coltfriend. Have you ever had a marefriend, Astral?"

"Well... yeah. It was during that time, but it was definitely a relationship, openly romantic or not..."

<<+>>

I remember our first conversation like it was yesterday.

"Hey! Hey, wait up!"

There was the sound of a set of hooves running behind me as I walked around the school campus outdoors. I stopped and obliged and looked back behind me. There was this nice lavender unicorn who I'd seen a few times around. Incredibly smart, not too bad on the looks. She stopped herself beside me, and I continued walking with her at my side.

"So, uh, hi!" she said a bit sheepishly.

"Hello," I calmly replied.

"Can I, uh, ask you to come visit me when you're free?" I gave her a look, but she shook her hooves before I was able to say anything. "It's for purely academic purposes! I want to, uh, study your wings!"

"Riiiight..."

"No, no, really! The knowledge that could be gained just by examining it can help researchers understand more about flight and wings and..."

She rambled on for another fifteen to thirty seconds. I could tell she really was serious about it. Incredibly serious.

"So?"

I felt obligated to accept the offer. After all, it was more time to figure out things about my flightless wings. The mare was pretty enthusiastic about it. So I did. "Sure."

"Oh, thank you, thank you! Oh, I have somewhere to be!"

I was nonplussed with the encounter. "I'm Astral Audacious, thanks for stopping by?"

"Oh, right! I'm Twilight Sparkle—"

<<+>>

"Wait, wait," Crystal interrupted, stopping from her work to look at Astral directly. "Slow down. You're saying that when you were teenagers, you were in a relationship with Twilight Sparkle."

"Um, yes?" Astral said matter-of-factly. "Yes, the unicorn-turned-alicorn princess Twilight Sparkle? We went to the same school together. Increased the likelihood of knowing her."

"Right, right, okay, okay," Crystal said, still incredulous. "Carry on."

<<+>>

Twilight told me where to find her and at what times. So I went over and participated in her little study. I got into her room and she already had all sorts of devices and notepads set up.

"Mister Audacious! Thank you again for showing up! Shall we get started immediately?" Twilight said before returning to her notes.

"Uh, sure," I shrugged, giving my wings a test flap. She gave me a spot to sit and from there, she started doing her work. A few questions, a few tugs at my wings. Even on the first day, she asked if she could take a feather. I wasn't sure if I was getting much use out of those anyways so I allowed her to pluck one. A single black feather that she studied meticulously.

It got pretty dull.

"So," I started, "Where are you from?"

To be honest, I don't think she heard me.

"I'm from Canterlot. My father's an astronomer and my mother is a magical medical researcher."

Still no answer. I looked over my shoulder to find her engrossed in her work.

"By the way, I'm fine with you calling me Astral. No need with the formalities."

"Mister Audacious, can you raise your wing once more?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course..."

<<+>>

"... That's what I went through the first few times," Astral shrugged. "I mean, the sessions were only an hour long at most, but wow, she was incredibly focused on her work."

"So you spilled your life story to her?" Crystal asked.

"I guess. There were also some personal thoughts in there, and a few other stuff, really anything to keep me awake and doing something..."

<<+>>

"... Have I talked about siblings yet?" It must've been the fifth or sixth session. She may have given me short, concise answers seven or eight times total by that point. "I don't remember if I have. I don't have any brothers or sisters. Do you?"

"I, uh, yes, in fact, I do have a brother," Twilight answered. "He's older than me. In just a moment, I'm going to magically probe your wing again." I felt the sensation of magic touching my wing once more.

"What's his name?"

She didn't answer back until she had finished the test at hoof, and even then, only answered as she took a few steps towards some other notes at a table. "Shining Armor."

"Oh really? What's he do?"

"He's, uh, in the guard academy."

That session continued on like such. I got these small snips about her brother Shining Armor and how he was in the academy and their relationship as siblings. When I walked out her door that day, I considered it an improvement. Fortunately, things only got better from there.

"So what's your favorite place to eat in Canterlot?"

"I, um, hm... Let me think about it." Twilight walked around with another one of my feathers in front of her eyes. "Spike loves Donut Joe's though. It is, after all, a nice, simple place to get food."

"Good for breakfast, I hear."

Twilight chuckled. "Good for coffee in general."

I chuckled as well. "I take it you're very experienced in that field."

"Oh, definitely. Plus Spike always brings back a box of doughnuts when I send him for coffee. That doesn't hurt either."

"But what about your favorite place to eat?"

"I, uh, I'm not sure."

"Do you get out a lot?"

For what might've been the first time in the eleven sessions I've been to, Twilight actually stopped. "Of course!" she exclaimed. "Of course I get out! I have friends! I like spending some free time outside!"

I put my hooves up in defense. "Jeez. I was just asking. All I've ever seen you do was study and research. Never saw you in town."

"What, do you look for me when you're out there?" she asked, returning to her work.

"I don't have to look for ponies. I just take note of who I see. Are you sure you get out a lot?"

Twilight gave me a dull expression. "Yes, I'm definitely sure."

I pondered a thought. "Well, want to go grab a doughnut and a coffee later?"

<<+>>

"... And so we did," Astral narrated. "It was the second time she stopped in her work, when I asked that question."

"I'd imagine," Crystal said. "I'm sure that was a memorable night for you."

"Victories are always memorable. I had a mocha and a chocolate doughnut, she had an espresso and a frosted doughnut. And she managed to keep the research out of most of the conversation." Astral chuckled.

Crystal smiled. "I'm sure it was a wonderful night. How'd it develop?"

"Well, over the course of two months, I got to really know her. The studies actually slowed down in rate but our meetings not really. They might've increased in frequency in fact..."

<<+>>

She was always reading. Indoors, outdoors, under a desk lamp, under a tree. It made it easy to sneak up on her.

"Heeeeey," I grinned. As I came up to her, reading on a park bench, I brushed her along her back all the way up to her head with a wing.

She turned her head to me with a pleased smile. "Astral!"

I sat down next to her on the ground while she sat on her park bench. "How are you doing today, Twilight?" I continued playfully.

"Oh, just reading this book Princess Celestia recommended to me," Twilight replied.

And even back then, she wasn't much different. Smart, studious, cautious, observant, considerate, curvaceous—

Dear Celestia, just get on with it.

And she legitimately liked me.

"And how was your day?" Twilight asked back.

"Ugh. Star charts. Dad already taught me all of that." I chuckled.

"Well then," she smirked, bringing her head down lower towards me. "Why don't you teach me then?"

I could feel her using her magic to subtly stroke my wing. "Twi, with you around, I wouldn't even need working wings to fly." With her face that close to me, I sneaked in a kiss.

"Ooh! Such audacity," she grinned. "Kissing the Princess's personal student in public."

"But of course," I grinned back. "It's only my name."

Twilight sighed wistfully. "Have you ever thought about a day when you could actually fly with those wings?"

As you can tell, Twilight was one of those that felt for me. That saw my wings as a gift that had not yet given. Sometimes I'd joke with my friends that she liked being with my wings more than the entire me. She was already an incredibly magically talented unicorn by that time and her thoughts were likely to veer towards something academic.

"Of course," I replied. "And then I could take you all the way up and we could watch the stars. Under the watchful eyes of the Mare in the Moon."

"Planning to make her even more jealous?" Twilight smirked. "You do remember how the story went."

"And I am in the school of thought that it wasn't the ponies that were the problem, but a pony."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Equestrian Mythology sounds like an entertaining class."

"It is. You'll enjoy it next semester." I stood up. "You wanna go to town and get something to eat? I believe Princess Celestia would recommend spending time with your peers to further your knowledge of Equestrian social life."

"I am not introverted nor anti-social!" Twilight said, playfully punching me in the shoulder. "I am just a good student who believes it is better to be well-informed about her classes first, then take care of her social life. Which is pretty hard when you hog up the time reserved for that second category."

I held my hooves up in defense. "Hey, hey, I discuss magic theory and applied magical physiology and whatnot with you when you want to, crossing over into the former category."

"I just... Your condition just intrigues me so much!" Twilight exclaimed. "And I'm lucky that the object of study comes with a caring, charismatic pony."

<<+>>

"So, again, what was she with you for?" Crystal asked. "Your wings or you?"

"Again, it was just the wings at first," Astral admitted. "But, you know, we were still young, and when you spend enough time with someone, you eventually just start talking to each other about things. At that age, not even Twilight Sparkle was completely immune to socializing. She got to know me because I'd just talk, then she opened up to me, and soon enough I got to know her."

"Ah, so were it not for your non-functioning wings, you'd never be in a relationship with Twilight Sparkle," Crystal smirked.

Astral grinned back. "Like I said, even if they didn't work, they had their perks. Plus she said that she was already trained in love, since she knew Princess Cadance. How much that held true, I'm not sure, but she was a joy to be with nonetheless.

"I'm sure it was," Crystal smiled. "But what about that horn? You were in a school for gifted unicorns. I'd expect that horn has done quite important things."

"Heh, yeah." Astral chuckled, before growing serious. "Other than the obvious things a young unicorn could do with their horn, there's one that doesn't happen to many others..."

<<+>>

It was just supposed to be another night out.

"So when you graduate, what do you think you're going to do?" Twilight asked me as we walked down a Canterlot street.

I shrugged. "I'm thinking astronomy like my dad. Unicorns are coming up with some great ways to study the sky once they got past the astrology mindset."

"What about your wings?"

"You can dedicate your time to that if you want," I smirked.

"Maybe I just will," she grinned back. "I'm thinking advanced magic studies. Princess Celestia says she sees great things for my future."

"And I have no doubts about it."

As we continued down the streets, conversing, I won't forget the moment that started it all. "Hey! Hey, Audacious!"

I groaned. "Oh no..."

"Come on, Astral, let's... let's just keep going."

"Hey! You stupid alicorn, I'm talking to you!"

Unfortunately, he was running right up to us. I spun to face him. "The hay you want, Antilius?"

Antilius was this one pony I took astronomy with. A dark brown unicorn of similar stature to me. He had big ambitions, a bigger head, at least towards me, and just loved making fun of—

"Hey, useless wings! I want to introduce you to my cousin!" I looked beside him at this blue pegasus who I guessed had as much ego as his unicorn cousin. "This is Wind Gust. He's from Cloudsdale. Gust, Astral Audacious."

Believe me, I prefer not to immediately judge, but—

"So you're that unicorn with pointless wings Antilius told me about," Wind Gust teased. "What happened? Spell gone wrong?"

The only response a gave him was a bored expression. I could feel Twilight tugging at my wing with her magic signaling to leave.

Gust scoffed. "You're a disgrace to us with wings. Hay, you're a disgrace to the Princess!"

All I could muster at that time was a shrug. "Right. Okay. Well, we're going to be leaving now and finding somewhere to eat if you don't mind, so..." I turned around with Twilight and we kept going along our way.

Unfortunately, they were bent on really giving us a hard time that night. As we walked through Canterlot, a few more of Antilius's gang came up to me and just threw insults. I had a feeling that 'hard time' didn't even begin to describe it.

And then two hours later I found myself tied down a table. "Antilius! What the buck are you doing?!" I screamed in anger. I tried to get out of my binds, but they had put some restraint device on my horn.

"Relax, you fake. We're helping your future."

I heard some metal items clang on another table. Right. 'Helping' my future. "Where is Twilight."

"She's just playin' you, Audacious! Just watch! She might be able to figure out how fix those wings of yours, but when she gets famous for it, she'll leave you for some better stallion!"

"I would not!" I heard Twilight yell from another room.

"Twilight! Are you alright?!" I yelled.

"After all, what else could the Princess's student hope to do to get attention?" Antilius kept taunting. "What're you gonna do? Call in Princess Celestia to stand up for you? Buckin' bookworm!"

"Astral, I'm alright! I-I'm okay!"

"You keep your hooves off of her," I growled.

"Hey, hey, don't worry buddy," the unicorn said. "You'll be out cold by the time we do. So we'll make it quick. You hold still and we can get rid of those wings and make you normal."

"Are you drunk? Are you high? Because you are buckin' out of your mind!"

They must have been because the next thing I heard was a wall to my side being destroyed as a pony was thrown through it. "Astral!" Twilight's voice was clear this time.

"Twi! Get me out of this!"

"I need a moment, I need a moment!" I heard the sounds of some ponies getting thrown around.

A moment later one of my restraints was freed. I quickly worked on the one on my other front hoof and Twilight got the one on one of my legs and one of my wings.

I saw one unicorn rushing me with an axe. Really, I had no clue how crazy these guys were or why they were, but I didn't have time to wonder. With a flap of my wing, moving my body, and pushing with my other hooves, I got enough force to dodge the swing. The table broke and I ran straight into my assailant, knocking him down.

Another one came up behind me, and I had to roll away from him too. The piece of table still on my back hoof was a hinderance, but when you're fighting for your life, nothing else matters.

Then I was slammed straight into a wall by that pegasus Wind Gust. He punched me real hard with his hoof and he was gearing for another swing when he was thrown off of me and into some overhead cabinets.

"Astral!" Twilight exclaimed from next to me. "I'll get the horn restraint!" She focused on its lock, and a split second later there was the sound of metal being broken.

My horn was free and across from me, I saw Antilius preparing a spell with a crazed look in his eyes. "Hey, Audacious, you still think you're better than us? Think you can become an alicorn? Bet you're with the princess's personal student just you could get into royalty."

"Antilius, just stop. You don't want to go through with this. I don't think you're thinking straight."

"Oh really? Oh really?!"

He ran towards us, so I charged him like a bull.

<<+>>

"... I've been through a lot, but the screams I heard that night were some of the worst things I've heard. I felt the warmth of blood and body around my horn. I felt it streaming down." Astral sighed. "It's the worst thing I've done in my life. I should've had more restraint. But I didn't. Probably because I was young. They did an investigation later. He was affected by some dark magic. Asshole plus dark magic equals murderous craze, I guess. But that doesn't excuse my actions."

"You... really did," Crystal gasped. "You actually impaled him with your horn."

"I nearly killed him, too. But Twilight and I couldn't just leave someone to die. Especially me. Not when it was my horn that did the damage. If Twilight wasn't the Princess's student, I might've been expelled right there. Maybe even a court trial. But there was none. What I got, though, had just as much impact, I think..."

<<+>>

I told Twilight to run off and get help after we subdued the group. I was scared. I didn't know what was going to happen. I tended to Antilius's wound as best I could. I couldn't let him die. I hated him, and I wondered if the world would be better off without him, but I was afraid of what would happen if I let it happen.

I was focused so hard on keeping him alive that I didn't notice when Twilight got back. And, obviously, she wasn't alone. But 'not alone' was definitely an understatement. I bowed down.

"Astral Audacious," the princess herself addressed me. "I will need to speak with you later."

I looked up and nodded. "Yes, Princess Celestia." I looked over to Twilight, who looked like she wanted to help me and speak with her teacher, but she just couldn't. I looked at her saying that I understood.

I stood up and began leaving the room as guards and medical ponies attended to the scene. I walked out of the doorway and Twilight followed me out.

However, she remained silent. There was no expression of fear, hatred, or distress; just resignation.

I couldn't say anything back, but it was probably for the best.

The sound of subtle metal clings came to our ears and we watched as Princess Celestia exited the room. She glanced at us, looking at each of us, then gave me a simple nod.

The power of the age-old princess was incredible. The amount of years with experience as a monarch and a teacher. With small movements and expressions, she conveyed to me that she wanted to hear the story from me immediately.

The silent walk to her room was the longest and shortest walk I've ever taken. Standing in her room, I had no idea what to expect. Part of me was expecting the worst, but another part of me knew that Princess Celestia would handle this in a way I would never expect.

"Astral Audacious, you are fortunate to be with Twilight Sparkle, my personal student, whom I trust very much. Were it not for her, your sentence may be much heavier. As it is, considering what Twilight has told me, you have done little wrong. Yet what you have done is still a gravely serious action. The consequences of this will have to be ruminated over the night.

"I will commend the way you handled yourself, however. I might recommend you to the Royal Guard after you graduate. The Royal Guard needs good ponies, Astral Audacious. Perhaps, as you defended yourself and Twilight, you could be counted on to defend Equestria."

I was hesitant to answer. "Th-thank you, Princess," I managed to say, nodding.

"Lastly, I advise you to see Twilight no more after this night. Your life is one that may put her in harms way, and I take it upon myself to keep Twilight safe."

I nodded to Princess Celestia, but I don't think I spoke anymore to her that night.

The next morning, I went to find Twilight to talk to her, but she found me first. "I... I'm sorry, Astral. I don't think we should see each other anymore. It... just causes more problems. And it's a really important time in my life. I... I should focus on my studies more. Focus more on learning the curriculum. There'll be time in the future for theories and experiments... and other... life endeavors. But right now, I should focus on the things that will take me on that path."

<<+>>

"... I didn't argue with her." Astral looked down. "I just watched her walk away after that. We didn't talk anymore afterwards. We saw each other in the halls but we rarely passed by each other, and when we did, we kept going along our separate ways like we didn't know each other."

Crystal took in Astral's story in silence as she painted his chest on the canvas. "I infer that from your appearance standing here that you did not let such a harrowing experience unfetter you."

"No," he replied. "I did my best to get past it the way Twilight said she would and move on with my life."

"And what is it that you did?"

"Well, I finished my education with high marks. But I felt that I needed something else to do with my life. Instead of just going straight to working in my field. Maybe it was being cooped up in Canterlot for so long. Maybe I felt that the freedom of the starry night sky—or even just the sky—was calling me. Or taunting me. Or, as I like to think these days, my wings and the small, nearly nonexistent pegasus part of me was speaking to me. So, I guess I took the suggestion from Princess Celestia..."

<<+>>

"Welcome to the Equestrian Royal Guard Academy! Here, you will be molded into Equestria's best..."

I had joined the Royal Guard following Princess Celestia's words. The application process itself wasn't difficult, as I had passed through Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, which helped a lot. I had already graduated, which helped even more. And I had always kept myself in physical and mental shape. Even my—

"Cadet! I was told that your wings do not actually allow you to fly. Is that true?"

"Yes sir!" I answered. These guys were intimidating.

"Those wings don't make you any better than anyone here. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir." I stood straight and looked straight. In my mind, I was wondering when my next enemies would show up. They always showed up.

It took only until the first night.

"Hey, Audacious!"

"You an accident of Celestia, Audacious?!"

As I lay in my cot, I just shook my head. It was ridiculous. There were a few ways this was eventually going to end. Military discipline would keep these guys not in line, but from not stepping too far out of line. Or someone was getting hurt. Again.

But like before, I also expected new friends. That only took until breakfast the next morning.

"Hey there, good morning."

I heard the clink of a tray being set down next to me, and another clink as its other edge was set down. These were two very distinct sounds. Unicorns would set down their tray smoothly, but the other races would have the 'clink-clink' sound as they set down their tray and pulled away what was holding it. I turned to my right and found a red pegasus with a darker red mane.

He sat down. "I'm Radiant Ray Redshift." Radiant held out his hoof. "Just call me Ray. Or Red. Some ponies call me Red."

I bumped it in greeting. "Astral Audacious. Call me what you want."

Ray took a bite from some bread. "Hm. How about... Audie?"

"Audie?" I've actually never had anyone call me that before.

"Yeah! Audie. You okay with that?"

I shrugged, then smiled. "Sure."

<<+>>

"... Ray Redshift was the first friend I made at the academy. But the academy was just part of my developing life. I made friends as I made enemies." Astral shrugged as he leaned on the countertop, a drink in his magical grasp once more. "I think I made more friends though."

"That's good," Crystal said. "So how was academy life in general?"

"Didn't, uh, Stardust ever go to an academy?"

"Mm... yes." Crystal shook her hoof. "However, this is about you," she smirked. "No trying to change the topic."

The alicorn rolled his eyes. "Alright then..."

<<+>>

Academy life was pretty standard, I think. Early mornings, early training, morning classes, lunch, et cetera. For the first year, it was just a lot of basic training. Each pony race usually trained by themselves. I had my friends and my enemies. To be honest, most of my so-called enemies were really just guys that teased me. With all of our training, I think they got tired of asking me to fly or something. At some points, my wings were just plain conversation starters.

"Hey, Audacious, I heard pegasi can get themselves off at night just by rolling round their bed. That true?"

"What the hay?!" I whispered back sharply as we jogged along during morning exercise. "I don't know!"

"You've got wings. You ever try it?"

"No..."

"Are you just not admitting it?"

"No!"

"... Have you ever used your magic to stimulate your own wings?"

"Have you ever used your magic to jerk yourself off?"

"I'll take that as a yes."

"I'm not talking to you anymore."

We learned a lot. We had to learn Equestrian military history. We had to learn tradition. We had to learn chants while we marched in line. We had to learn how to use our magic in battle. We had to learn how to keep ceremonial armor we might wear sparkling and shining.

"Hey, Audacious, do you mind if I use your wing to buff my helmet?"

"Yes," I replied flatly.

"Well come on, if you can't fly during combat with those things, you might as well use them for something else."

"No."

"I mean, hey, imagine if you could be up there with the pegasi shootin' down some of the spells they teach here."

"Hasn't crossed my mind," I replied sarcastically.

A lot of us made friends with ponies of other races. Integrated training began at the end of the first year and would be prevalent in the subsequent years. But meals were always the best time to catch up with buddies that were pegasi or earth ponies.

"Hey there, Audie," Ray greeted me as he took a spot across from me. "How's your day been so far?"

"Not bad. Had a class today on night navigation using the stars. It was a breeze for me."

"You studied astronomy, right?"

"Yup. That's what I'm gonna do after my time in the Guard. How about you? You staying in or leaving to do something else?"

Ray put his fork down as he began explaining. "After I finish my time with the Royal Guard, I'd like to get into the cloud business."

"What?"

"Oh yeah. I've talked to some ponies in Cloudsdale. Cloud delivery. Cloud storage. Good business."

"Huh."

"So what about your decision of astronomy?"

"My dad was one. And you know, just be up high, look up at the stars."

"Is part of it because you can't use your wings?"

"What?"

"Oh, don't take what I'm saying the wrong way. I'm just wondering if you want to be an astronomer so you could be 'in' the sky because you can't fly. I heard that the observatories near Canterlot are so high up on the mountain peak that they're above the cloud layer. Almost like you're flying."

I considered what he said. "Maybe."

"Well, once we get back, you're free to tag along with me when I get into the business. Just floating along on an airship, day or night. Would be handy having a pegasus with you to clear the clouds. Airships have a lot of surface area up top. Set up your stuff there. Lots of stuff you could do on an airship flight."

I nodded as I thought about the idea. "Sounds good, sounds good."

Ray really was my best friend. We'd stick together during meals. We worked together during training. He'd tell me tons of stories he had, to share the joy of flight I might never get. He was just great.

I remember one time, we were on leave for Hearth's Warming. I was with my parents in Canterlot. It was a blistering cold day, and it was a great day to be in front of the fireplace. There was a knock at the door and I offered to be the one to sacrifice time in front of that fireplace.

"Audie! Happy Hearth's Warming, brother! Can I get some warmth to defrost my wings?" Ray said, slightly shivering as he took his scarf off. The door was closed behind him and he dried himself on the welcome mat.

"Red!" I exclaimed. "Why are you here?"

"Because it's Hearth's Warming!" he gleefully said.

"Astral!" I heard my mother yell. "Who is it?!"

"It's a friend from the academy, mom!"

"Well why don't you let him in! It's cold out there!"

I rolled my eyes. "Alright then. I guess you get to meet the family." I cocked my head. "Which reminds me—why are you here? Why aren't you with your family?"

"Uh..." Ray gave a blank expression for a good five seconds. "I hope you're not afraid of asking your mom about visitors."

"What."

"You see, my dad, as an airship technician and engineer, wanted to do some extreme weather testing, and so..." He motioned upwards with his head.

Fortunately, my mother was very enthusiastic about the idea, our fathers enjoyed talking to each other, and Ray's sister was pretty hot.

<<+>>

There was an audible silence as the paintbrush stopped moving.

"His family brought food too and they were wonderful all around. After hearing the stories his father told, I could see why Ray wanted to go fly an airship later on in life. His mother was a rainbow technician over at the factory. That was pretty cool."

"What about his sister?" Crystal plainly asked.

"She was definitely something. I still remember her telling me that her goal in life was to be a Wonderbolt. Being captain—definitely accomplished that."

The artist leaned to the side of the canvas, looking at Astral. "Are you serious? What, did you hook up with her too?"

"Eh... for... a couple of hours... Every now and then..."

Crystal put down her brush and scratched her head with the claw. "So then what happened?"

"Royal Guard Academy was three years long for us. When we graduated, we were put in active duty in the Royal Army. It was a little while ago. Couple years back," Astral said from his pose behind the canvas. "It was when we were having territorial issues with the griffons again. Or rather, they were having territorial issues with us."

"You were sent out to the front," Crystal said.

"We were. It was around this time that I gained my flight."

Crystal's hoof with the claw resumed moving in flowing strokes as she continued painting Astral's form. "You know, beautiful wings you have. I've rarely seen wings with a variance of color from coat color. Red streaked feathers. Where have they been? Where have they flown?"

Astral's face grew solemn. "My wings weren't always like this. I already told you that before. But there's a lot to them. I wasn't born with any red; not even in my mane. The red in the feathers and my mane? They're not dyed..."

<<+>>

On graduation, we were assigned to a unit and we were given orders to be stationed up in the northeast. Northeast was cold. Mountainous. And most importantly, it was the closest point to griffon land.

"Hey, Audie, happy Hearth's Warming," Ray chuckled as the airship bringing us to ourr camp settled down. It was just two weeks past the joyous holiday.

"Happy Hearth's Warming gift to you too, Red," I replied as we stepped down on the snow. The sky above was a calming gray.

"Hey—only fires to warm you now are stoves and campfires."

"I know, I know. Your sister isn't one of those options anymore."

He just punched me in the shoulder as he walked away laughing.

Even though we were in the north, specifically near the Northeast Passage, we were told it does get a little more green in the spring and summer. Occasionally, we were sent out to outposts to remain for a few weeks as a patrol force. Within the wooden walls of an outpost we had walls of snow where the troops would occasionally enjoy mock combat. Heh. I always made sure to pelt Ray in the face when he came back from a patrol flight.

There were about two hundred ponies at each outpost with an equal number of all three races. This was divided into four groups of fifty that would go out and actively patrol for griffons. It was quiet for a long time. We'd walk out for a few days. Come back. Rotate.

It was different up here. Training helped, but a lot of it was just sitting in the echoing silence of the northern winter. All there was to do was to talk, check our rifles, exercise, spar, walk, but never fight. There was no war. Not officially. Just griffons that seemed indecisive to push for a full one and ponies that just wanted them to stay off our lawn.

Days blurred into each other, visibility blurred with blizzards, and soon white ground blurred into brown and then blurred into green. We wondered if the griffons were ever going to come.

A lot of us regretted thinking that that one day.

It was all quiet. Like any other late-spring day. Sky was blue. Temperature was comfortably cool. And we were there, walking, or flying for some pegasi, on patrol. We were just a day's march from getting back to our outpost. And we always had to walk by this moderately sparse evergreen forest.

However, this one day, it was filled with hiding griffons. There was the crack of cannon fire and chaos breaking out in the lines. Out of my sixteen unicorns under my command, I lost seven just in that attack.

"Shields! Shields!" Honed skills made it reactionary to throw up our magic barriers. Against those slammed another volley of cannon fire.

"Dig in! Dig in!" That was the earth pony commander of our unit. We weren't getting anywhere. The only thing between us and a forest of we didn't know how many griffons were some rocks, a few scattered trees, and some dips in the ground.

As I fired off spells and a rifle shot towards the tree line from behind my rock and pine tree, I heard something heavy land next to me. "They've got rifles and cannons!" Ray yelled.

"How many of them?!"

"I couldn't see!" He caught his breath. "Maybe Storms did. She's Royal Scouts. Storms!" he called out to one of the pegasi. "How many did you see?!"

"Estimate seventy to a hundred!" a female voice yelled back. "Four cannons firing and four gatling crews! Rest are rifle soldiers!"

"Audie, how many of us are left?" Ray asked me.

"I-I lost seven, I think."

"Alright, there were eleven pegasi other than me last I saw. Thirteen earth ponies as well. And—"

He was cut off as blasts from cannon shots disoriented all of our soldiers. I felt this stinging headache and I saw Ray rubbing the back of his head, irritated. "Anti-magic shot," I said in realization. "Anti-magic field!" I yelled to everyone else.

There went the unicorns' advantage. Cannons firing anti-magic field munitions produced a field that, although it didn't completely negate the projection of magic, it severely limited the range to near useless.

"Audie, Audie! We have to retreat!" Ray pulled me by the collar to grab my attention.

What else caught my attention was a battle cry that sounded distinctly griffon. I looked over the rock I was behind and saw a charging line of griffons with bayonets. "Red, we have to warn the outpost!" I said, heaving. "Have we warned the outpost?!"

"No, no, not yet!" Ray fumbled in his coat searching for his dragonfire lighter while I rummaged through my own looking for a small card to be used in emergencies. We pulled out the respective items we were looking for. Ray flicked the lighter on and I held the card over it, which subsequently went up in magical ash.

Then some crazy griffons came over our rock with their battle cry. Ray and I parried the bayonet lunge and fought off our attackers.

The griffon was on top of me, pushing down. I'm sure he was just going to resort to ripping out my throat with his beak. They're crazy for battle like that. But they could get overconfident. What they forgot was that unicorn magic still worked up close. Although I was losing out to his brute strength, I could still find my holstered revolver with my magic.

I kept pushing against him and we both shook as he pulled his trigger. The rifle fired and it was just the moment of surprise I needed to pull out my sidearm and shoot the bastard. Once more in the head for good measure.

Next to me, Ray was in really bad shape. That is, until the griffon on top of him got a bullet through the skull. I shoved the corpse off of my friend and helped him to get up. "Come on, Red, we gotta go!"

As soon as he got up though, he fell right back down.

"Red!" I got down to his side. He looked like he was in incredible pain and incredible fear.

"Got... hit... while griffon... was trying... to eat me..."

I looked down to his wound. It was bleeding badly.

"Medic... where's your medic..."

I thought back to two minutes ago and remembered a single split second. "All over the damn place."

"Dear Celestia..."

"Don't worry, Red, I got you." We were all given some bandages and wrappings to take care of injuries. With a mix of what weak magic I could conjure up and bandages, I tended to it as best as I could.

The best I could wasn't enough, and he knew it. I knew it too, but I didn't want to know it. The bandage was soaking with his blood, and it was blending with his coat.

"Audie... take my magic."

"What?!"

"I... I don't think I'm going to be needing it much longer."

"No! No, Red, you'll be fine!"

"It's ge—getting really bad..."

"Bu-besides, how am I even supposed to do it?"

"You're smart, Audie, figure it out... I know you can..."

"Magic cancellation atmosphere! Something might go wrong!"

"I don't have anything to lose. And besides... we're right next to each other, plus it's the transfer of magic, right? You're not creating it. So it's different, right?"

"I-I don't know!" I continued trying to save him.

"... Audie... Audie... are the... are the griffons going to take this place?"

I shook my head as I slowed my movements. "No, they'll never take this... We're still... still in Equestria."

"Then... at least I know... I'm still home..."

Ray was audibly giving his final breaths, and I decided it would be best to honor his final request. I conjured up a spell, feeling it through, and to my surprise, it worked.

I felt new life in myself. I felt something new in my wings. Power.

Meanwhile, laying in front of me, was a loss of life. The loss of my best friend.

<<+>>

"... A great loss is always memorable. There's no words to describe the anger. It was just burning inside of me. All the way from the tip of my horn to the tips of my wings."

"What happened next?" Crystal asked.

"I rallied the pegasi, told them they were now under my command, took to the sky, got behind their lines, and killed two cannon crews and a gatling crew single-hoofedly with a saber, rifle, and revolver. The griffons saw an alicorn fighting them and they immediately surrendered. The griffons couldn't believe it and my own ponies couldn't believe it..."

<<+>>

"Lieutenant Audacious... What the... what the hay?!" A pegasus approached me. It was Lieutenant Storms from earlier.

Everyone looked at me.

"Astral... can you fly?" someone else asked.

I hesitated to respond. "I-I-I can. Now."

"Wha-... how?!"

I searched for the words. "Lieutenant Radiant Ray Redshift knew his duty to Equestria, and before he died, he gave his magic to me."

"... Is that why you've got red in your mane and feathers?" Storms asked.

I looked at my wings. They were tipped with red. I looked at my tail, and it was streaked with red.

<<+>>

"... No one ever called me out for being the flightless winged unicorn anymore. For all intents and purposes, I was an alicorn to them. But I'm not. I don't have their power. I also don't have earth pony magic." Astral shrugged. "But I was still an inspiration like an alicorn would be."

Crystal didn't know how to respond to the story, shocked to the point that she had stopped her work.

"You know, sometimes I wondered why it didn't also spread into coat color."

Crystal scoffed. "How did you imagine it, red stripes? Maybe if you were part zebra. But if you want my honest opinion? Be glad it didn't. That would be a visual nightmare. An eyesore." She peeked out from behind the easel. "Don't get me wrong—I admire the red highlights in your mane and feathers—a solemn and noble reminder of a friend—but there does exist such thing as 'an eyesore'. You? You're fine as is. No need for any excessiveness."

"Crystal, I'm back!" a stallion yelled from upstairs.

"I'm downstairs!" The pegasus put her utensils down. "You know what? I think it's time for a break. Let's go upstairs."

"Painting?!"

"I have a client!"

They heard him coming down the stairs. "I thought you were free today!"

"Special case."

Astral met the grey pegasus as he turned the corner. The newcomer spoke first with a smile of admiration and an accent not from Trottingham. "Astral Audacious."

The alicorn saluted back. "Sir."

The pegasus approached Astral and extended a hoof. "Stardust Rapture. Captain, if you prefer my rank. Has Crystal told you anything?"

"Only that you two are together." Astral bumped the offered hoof. "How do you know me?"

"I'm Royal Intelligence. We know the outliers of society. A winged unicorn is one to keep track of. Plus Lieutenant Rain Storms is under my command."

"He was just telling me his life story," Crystal said. "We just got past that part."

"And we were just about to get some food," Astral said.

"By all means." Stardust turned back to the stairs. "And keep going—my ears are open."

"Well, uh, I had just participated in the defense of the Northeast Passage..."

<<+>>

It was a strange time. Everyone looked at me like I was royalty. We were never attacked again. A few more months passed and our tour ended. We were headed back home.

Once home, I stayed with my family, visited Ray's family, and looked around wondering what was next for me. So... I wrote to Princess Celestia. I wrote to her about what I had done so far, what had happened, and how I wasn't sure what to do.

She wrote back saying that she was proud of what I, a former student of her school, had accomplished, and that she would do anything for me. Reassign, resign, give money.

So I asked to remain in the service but to also get a job at the Equestrian Astronomical Society. She did, and I was given free reign on what to do. I wondered what I could possibly do, but I'd also go through old memories at the same time. And I remembered something.

I went back to Ray's family, got an airship from his dad paid for by the Princess and got in the cloud business with some military connections.

And so I went along, flying around Equestria delivering clouds to various places. From small towns, to big cities, and, as per my contract, to military training camps. Every night, I'd get up with a telescope and some paper and do my other job. It might've been my wings that were flying, but, like Ray said he'd do, he was the one clearing the skies of any clouds. I got so used to this quiet lifestyle in the sky that every time I was approached being asked if I was royalty, it became shocking.

You became a recluse?

I... guess I did. For a year, that was all I did. Assigned a delivery, get into town, send a letter home, fly back to Cloudsdale, repeat. Every week, I'd go to Canterlot to check in with the EAS and my parents. I always wore something over my wings. No one ever asked me who I was. For a year, the only ponies that found out what I really was were some people I worked with in the cloud business and a few random meetings. That was a year for me.

And then, something extremely weird happened one day.

"Ugh." I got up from bed after a nap, feeling more drained than I had ever been. The airship was humming around me like it always did. I dragged myself out of bed and straightened out some feathers. "Afternoon, Red," I greeted as I worked my wings.

But it didn't feel right. And then I realized my wings were plain black again. I ran for a mirror.

All the red was gone. I couldn't fly. But that wasn't all.

I couldn't even pick things up with my magic.

That the day Tirek came and caused us trouble?

It was. But I didn't know at the time. I just took my telescope and tried searching the skies. I was just leaving Cloudsdale. My route was taking me near Canterlot. And I wanted to know what was going on, even against the logic that I might be far away from it.

I took one of my telescopes, strapped it to my back, and climbed a ladder to the top of the airship. It felt a little sketchy, not being able to fly, but the ladder was caged, at least, and there were railings at the top.

I set the telescope down and started scanning around. I took a look at Canterlot Palace and there was a gaping hole in the side. "What the hay..."

And then a pegasus slammed into my side, and judging how hard she hit me, she was high up when she lost her magic, and my telescope was knocked over the railing. I seriously wasn't thinking when I jumped after it.

"Oh buck." I hopelessly flapped my wings as the Everfree Forest grew closer and closer.

Trees hurt.

I woke up some time later. I saw my airship above.

"Hey, you alright?"

I groaned, and as I came to, I saw this dark blue pegasus.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah... Yeah... That was pretty stupid of me."

"I-I-I am so sorry about what happened," she said. "My flight was suddenly taken as I was flying along, and fortunately, your airship happened to be in my way. Else I'd probably have hit the ground too hard and... yeah."

"Oh, sure, it's fine."

"You're an alicorn?"

"Not exactly. Just a unicorn with wings. Not royalty or anything." I held out my hoof. "Astral Audacious."

She took the greeting. "Starry Skies. I'm a ship captain for the navy. Airships aren't so different, so I brought the ship back over here. Sorry about everything."

"No, no, some crazy stuff is happening. Hey—can you help me find my telescope? It might be broken, by it's probably still salvageable."

"Oh sure, sure." Skies looked around. "Uh, you have a spell to find it?"

"Do we have our magic back?" That question was answered when I felt magic flow into me.

"We do now," she said with relief. "Interesting wings and mane."

"It's a friend's. Long story." I performed a searching spell, and to my dismay, it led us down a cave.

"We can run into anything down there. But I'm up for it. I owe you my life."

"Well, it can't be worse than having a griffon trying to eat your throat. Let's go."

We talked a bit as we went down in the cave. It was nice to share some stories about our time in service. She's still a ship captain as far as I know.

Our way was lit by my horn. Somehow, the telescope made it all the way to the bottom. It was dented and broken beyond repair.

"Sorry about the telescope," Skies apologized again.

"No, no, it's..." I looked around the cave. "... fine. Where are we?"

<<+>>

"... There were runes along the walls, and uh, I found something weird." Astral and the others were back down in the basement and Crystal was still painting.

"What'd you find?" Stardust asked from behind Crystal.

"Actually, I have it with me. It's in my coat." Astral went to go get it, and he returned with a moderately sized crystal colored an ash gray. Even though the other two pegasi weren't touching it, they felt it like the air was electrified.

"Whoa, the hell is that?" Stardust asked.

"To be honest? I think back to my Equestrian Mythology class, and... I think it's an Element of Harmony."

Crystal was speechless. Stardust had an unamused look. "A seventh element. Right..."

"I am feeling some crazy magic flow through me right now."

"Well, you know what," Crystal said as she was painting Astral's hindquarters. "I think we should figure it out later. What happened next?"

<<+>>

"Thank you again for letting me stay the night, Lieutenant Audacious," Captain Starry Skies said. Her wing had been broken upon impact and she couldn't fly, so I offered to give her a ride. I had to cancel my delivery and return to Cloudsdale, then give her a ride to Baltimare Harbor where she was stationed. The flight would go into the night. I had initially offered to drop her at Canterlot or the nearby town of Ponyville, but she said she'd much rather fly on an airship. It wasn't imperative that she be in Baltimare immediately.

We sat on the top deck around a table I brought up, enjoying what she was named after. "It's no problem, Captain."

"So what do you think that crystal is?"

"If I think back to my studies, going off of what I was taught in Equestrian Mythology and History, I think it might actually be an Element of Harmony. It's got the right size and shape, it's radiating power, and..." I trailed off, shrugging.

"An Element of Harmony?!" Skies exclaimed, incredulous. "What in Celestia and Luna's name is an Element of Harmony doing there?!"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "We talked about the possibility of the existence of a seventh Element. Some said that it would give too much power to the power of Harmony, creating an improper balance when used. Maybe Celestia and Luna hid it in a separate place because it wasn't required to utilize Harmony effectively."

Skies nodded. "Too much of something is just as bad. So, who's the Element bearer?"

I took the crystal and placed it on the table. "Hold it."

Skies took it and it stopped glowing. She gave it back. Even in my magical grasp, it was already glowing, and the power it gave off increased. "I... I guess you are."

"What virtue does it represent then?"

She threw her arms up. "I think you should just take it up with Princess Celestia. Or even Princess Sparkle."

The second name caused subtle chills down my spine for some unknown reason. "Maybe. I'll consider it."

Suddenly, she changed the subject. "I love how your airship is furnished, but I didn't see a portrait of you. Some photographs, sure, but no portraits? Have you ever gotten one done?"

"A portrait? Like, a painting?"

"Yeah. I think all serviceponies should get one. Especially officers. Especially someone like you."

I considered the thought. We arrived at Baltimare just before sunrise, and we waved our goodbyes. I headed back to Cloudsdale to take up another delivery trip. And the cycle restarted.

The routine continued for a few more weeks. During this time, though, I considered what Captain Skies suggested. I don't know why, but the idea just struck me. I guess I figured that it was some sort of legacy to leave behind. After all, a lot of notable ponies have a portrait done. Why not a winged unicorn officer of the Royal Guard? After all, I had one heck of a story behind me.

It was just another delivery. But I was starting to get on edge. On my way to the destination, I succumbed to the idea. Arriving at the city, I figured that I might as well stay in town for a bit. It was a Saturday, after all. Might as well roam around, see the sights, relax a bit with other common folk.

After making my delivery and getting paperwork done, I walked around the town. I had an overcoat on, and no one knew I had wings. I was just another unicorn in the Saturday bustle. Cafes, stores, most of them were open along the streets.

"No. No one is open during Saturday. Look, if you really want it done, this address here is your best bet."

"I, uh, thank you." I nodded the pony a thanks and tried to find my way to the address given to me.

It took a while. It wasn't even in the city. But I got there. Nice place. I was feeling a bit sorry about having to disturb the pony that lived here. But I rang the doorbell anyways and hoped for the best.

"Yes, yes, coming!" A white pegasus mare showed up at the door.

"I'm here on business? Uh, residence of Crystal Chroma? I'm Astral Audacious, and I was told to come here, by, uh, ponies in town..."

<<+>>

"... And that's basically my life in a nutshell."

"Well then," Crystal began, before turning the easel over, "How's it look?"

"I like it. Thank you very much."

"Pleasure's all mine, Astral Audacious. Your picture definitely told thousands of words."

"So what's next?" Stardust asked him.

"Well, I mulled over the whole portrait thing, and I figured once I got that done, I should probably take the possible Element of Harmony up with Princess Twilight."

Both pegasi sat speechless. "You mean you haven't brought it up with any of the princesses yet?"

"I was... going through a phase."

"I hope you've vented any frustrations you've had, now," Crystal said.

"I think I have. Thank you, Crystal Chroma."

"Like I said, the pleasure is mine."

"Now that my portrait's done, I guess I've reached a critical point in my life. But now, I'm just not sure about how to go about getting an audience with Princess Twilight."

Stardust grinned. "I'm Royal Intelligence. I work for Twilight Sparkle. I think I can help."