-The Chronicles of Faint Darkness-by Faint Abril DarknessChaptersChapter 0: Author's Note, and Prologue.Chapter 1: The Actual Chapter!Chapter 2: TrainingChapter 0: Author's Note, and Prologue.Author's Message: With this, I hope to bring up my writing skills, and show you all how I've been improving, ever since my last chapter. I do want to say one quick thing: I will need an official pre-reader for this story, and an editor...Now, while I edit my own stuff (mostly) I want another person to check over my writing, as I KNOW I mess up every now and then. If you'd like to apply for either of these places, lemme know through a PM. Thanks for reading this message, and for reading my story. Please, have fun reading, and enjoy this, my newest fanfic: The Chronicles of Faint Darkness. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~ A happy stallion, and his lovely wedded wife... The stallion is standing next to his wife, who is laying on the bed, smiling at her newborn foal... The nurse, and the two other guests stand near, also smiling... An evil pony, with a mind clouded with nightmarish thoughts stands outside, horn ready to cast his spell... The fire set, as he galloped away...nopony knew who it was... The guests make it outside...the mother and nurse safely get the foul outside, and to the ground, to safety... The father is searching for something, something important... The mother runs inside to get him.... Neither make it out. Faint sat up in his cloud bed, breathing heavily. He looked around, and used a hoof to wipe some sweat form his head. He looked around, and checked himself- His wings were their normal size, and he was perfectly fine... Just then, his aunt ran in, with a terrified look on her face, and her wings practically flared out. She was a pale green pony, with a light yellow mane, and her tail matched. It was her eyes that caught most ponies' attention- They appeared to be a dull brown, but that was only a cover-up. In reality, her eyes changed, with her mood...Most don't question it, but some do, and others just find it really fascinating, yet they leave the subject alone. Her cutie mark was a large yellow sunflower, as she was very good with plants, especially Sunflowers. It was a trait that Faint had found interesting, but he loved her nonetheless. "Ah! Are you okay, sweetie?" She asked in her sing-song voice, yet it shook, and sounded completely worried. The young, six-year old Faint nodded, and gulped loudly. "Yes, Auntie Flower...I just had a nightmare, is all..." He tried to smile reassuringly at his Aunt, but she looked like she barely believed it. She watched him with a careful eye, and smiled back. "Alrighty then...Try to get back to sleep. Remember, your first day of school is tomorrow." She winked, as Faint groaned...loudly. "Nope nope nope, don't give me that. You knew that you started tomorrow." "But Auntie, we don't even live anywhere NEAR the school! Why can't I go somewhere else for school?" He pouted, and stick his lower lip out a bit, to accentuate his argument. " Faint, dearie, you know that Cloudsdale is one of the very few Flight schools in Equestria- and it's the closest one to us!" "Yeah, but we live WAAAY over here, past Canterlot! It'll take like eight ba-jillion hours just to get there!" "Faint Darkness, you are going to Cloudsdale Flight School- We'll just have to leave early. We're not arguing over this!" She smiled, not angry at all, and left Faint's room, after saying "Good-Night!" to him, with a kiss on his forehead. Faint sighed in defeat, and went back to dreamland, now only having nightmares of his second worst fear- Flight School. ~~~~~ It had been about three years since Faint's last nightmare about his parents-He tried not to think about them much anymore, yet they almost always crept up into his thoughts. He was now sitting, yet again, alone at lunch, dutifully chewing on his daisy sandwich, with only his thoughts for company. His mind wandered around his schoolwork, his studies, his aunt...and his parents. Now, during this time of thinking, he was vulnerable, to the most dangerous predator, to the prey of Flight School- Bullies. "Hey, flower-breath!" It was Dumbbell's words that snapped faint out of his trance, and brought him to the reality. He looked around, noting that Dumbbell and his two other friends were standing practically over him again, smirks on their faces. Faint didn't know why they loved to pick on him and that one pony- Rainbow Crash, they had called her, and her friend...Flutter...Flutter-something. It seems they just really hated people who either flew better then them, or didn't really liked flying...and Faint was better then them by miles. Yet again, Faint was snapped out of his thinking trance- this time, by Dumbbell's hoof. It connected with Faint's left cheek, right under the eye, and Faint could already feel it starting to swell up. He felt his blood boil, and, fueled by all his anger, he punched Dumbbell back, right on his snout. There was a scream and a crunch. The next thing Faint knew, one of Dumb's friends grabbed Faint by one of his wings, as the other punched him over and over again. While all this happened, Dumb was getting up, and a green Pegasus-pony came up to the four young colts, with a very angry and disappointed look on her face. Faint couldn't recall who she was, until she spoke. "My office, NOW!" Flight School Principle Lucky snapped at them. The two colts holding (and punching) Faint dropped him immediately, and they trotted toward her office....as Principle Lucky walked with Faint herself. He was bleeding from the nose, mouth, his grabbed wing, and some other bruises and cuts. Also, his right eye was now completely swollen and black, and his left wasn't much better- He could barely see out of it. As they marched (well, Principle Lucky marched- Faint practically stumbled around, trying not to bump into anything or trip over his own hooves.) Faint noticed the looks he got from the other colts and fillies. They were mostly looks of disgust, pity, and not-wanting-to-laugh-at-the-kid-they-all-practically-hated-for-no-reason. Everypony gave him this look...except for three fillies, and one colt. Rainbow Crash, Flutter-something, Snow Angel, and Midnight Flare. (The colt.) These four were some of the others who are/were also bullied by Dumb and his friends, so they were the only ones who understood his pain at this moment. Faint looked at them, and they actually looked back, one by one, and even though they all were in separate places, he saw looks of pity, and sorrow...The only looks he deserved. ~~~~~ Faint, now at age nineteen, and officially out of Flight Academy, Manehattan University, and School for the Royal Guard for some time now, laid in his bed, exhausted by all that went on. He looked for a job, tried to make some friends although failing horribly, and read, because that's what he did when he was bored. His search for a job had been bad at first, until he found his calling at being a Disk Jockey, commonly known as a DJ, and making music. It wasn't much, but it worked out for him. Ponies around Ponyville and Manehattan started to get to know him better, and make fun of him less and less for they saw his musical skills. He also spent time practicing new flying moves and the like, but mostly in private, besides in the Academy and Guard School. Faint's life now started to slightly look up, except for the deaths in his family. He closed his eyes, wishing his parents were still here, wishing Aunt Flower hadn't died from some stupid disease, and wishing that he was young again. Eventually, he fell asleep with pleasant dreams about his parents and Aunt for once. Little did he know, that something was about to happen that'd change his life-in the most major way possible. Author's Note -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~ Post-Writing Author's Message: Sorry, but I gotta put this in...First off, to clear some things really quick- Faint's parents are both Pegasi. (As far as he knows.) As for the two guests....don't ask, as I'm not telling. Yet. Also, I know some things aren't actually represented, or may be inaccurate, but please, go along with it...An example of this is the whole flight-school thing. Back in the episode when Dash talks about Flight School, they looked to be about 6 or 7, maybe 8. Also, we don't know how long Flight School is...I'll probably tell at what age he graduated, but later. Now, thanks for reading! I'll only continue this story, though, if I get 10 likes within the first week. I'll write another chapter either tomorrow or the day after, though, so you'll have at least 2 chapters. After that, 10 likes, or I know it's not worth continuing...and you don't even have to like. Just post a comment saying I should continue or not, or like/dislike. your choice. Now, I'm goin' to bed. I'm currently writing this at 11:08 pm, and I'm tired as hell...N'Night y'all! Chapter 1: The Actual Chapter!The one with the name Darkness, will assist the one named after sparkles, to help his destined true mare desire, the one who's named after fire. Faint stirred in his bed, troubled with nightmares of his past. He dreamt of the old alicorn prophetess Princess Faust, and how she was a family friend...and how she died. He awoke suddenly, silently, wide-eyed. “Celestia, damn these memories...Curse them all!” He shouted into the darkness of his room. He wished he could disperse these dreadful memories of friendship, pain, and loss. Faint sighed, and slid out of bed. He couldn’t take the feeling of claustrophobia of his small room, and pulled his window curtains apart. The early morning sunshine beamed directly into his pupils, temporarily blinding him. Faint backed away, and blinked a few times. When he could finally see, he looked out into the small but beautiful town of Ponyville. He found it to be surprisingly busy. Faint then turned and checked his clock. “Ah, crap. Eleven thirty, and my brain still no function right...Hehe...” He giggled at his own bad Equestrian, caused by his lack of time awake and sense of actual humor. Faint trotted over to his dresser, and grabbed his sunglasses, watch, and necklace with a full black moon charm. He put his necklace and his sunglasses around his neck, and his watch onto his right front hoof. “Damn...I look like shit,” Faint stated after noticing his image in his mirror, “I should try to fix that.” He went to go open his door, and at this time his roommate blasted open his door, sending Faint into his bed. “Good morning everypony! Time to WAKE UP!” “Celestia damn you,Shadow Breeze! You’re always up so friggen’ early, and you wake me up an-” “And you know you need it anyway, what with you staying up so late for your job. Even still, I’m helpful.” “Yeah, well...Er...Thanks, Shadow..” Faint sighed in defeat. He could never, in a million years, argue with his logical friend and roommate. Shadow was just too damn smart at times. He was also Faint’s first real friend, being his step-brother and all. “Anytime, bro. Anytime. Now, for today: What do you have planned? I’m just gonna roam, so...” “Eh, I dunno yet. I’ll just go with the flow, y’know? Throw caution to wind, and all that...” “Oh, I see. Well, I’m gonna head off- Also, you got a letter in the mail. It’s the blue envelope on the coffee table. See ya later!” “Yeah, okay, see ya later.” Faint followed Shadow out of his room, closing the door behind him. Shadow took off, and Faint went to check out the blue envelope as he plopped down on their couch in the living room. “Addressed to Faint A. Darkness, blah blah blah, from...Princess Luna, Canterlot Royal Castle? Wait a minute!” His heart began to race, as the letter went on. “I, Princess Luna, personally invite you, Faint Abril Darkness, to become a member of my Royal Guard. If you would like to accept, or if you have any questions, come to the Royal Canterlot Castle. signed, Princess Luna.” Faint’s body stopped working. His mind got cloudy, his movements slow and clumsy. He reread the letter, to check and make sure he got it right. “My Celestia...Princess Luna invited ME to join her Royal Night Guard! I can be like Shadow now! Yes!” Faint did what his name implied: He fainted on the couch. ~A few minutes Later~ "Faint? Faaaaaint? You home?" Shadow walked inside, looking around for his step brother. He found him, Passed out on their couch. "Faint, wake up!" He shook Faint, and he jumped up. "Huh? Ohey, Shadow! Check this out!" Faint held the letter practically in Shadow's face, who took it, and read it. "Woah, Congrats, dude! I guess you'll be joining me on my squad then, because one of my guys just...passed away...Even still, this is awesome." "Yeah, I know! This means I can be close to Princess Luna, and get to know her, and- I mean, I'll be able to protect...princess Luna..." "...Rrrriiiighhht. Anyway, you know you'll have to take this seriously. No dickin' around, when you're on-duty." "Sir, yes sir." Faint and shadow laughed, and Faint stood up. "Alright, well...I guess I should go tell her that I accept! I'll see you in a bit, Shadow!" "Alright, stay safe, and DO NOT be or act stupid around the princess'! I know how you are." "Yeah yeah, whatever, I got it!" Faint opened the door and started to gallop out of their apartment building. When he was outside, he took off with great haste, towards the Royal Canterlot Castle, where Princess Luna awaited his answer. He grinned wide, and pulled off a barrel roll as he exclaimed his excitement and joy. "Woo! She asked ME to join her guard! Hell yeah!" Faint pushed himself to go faster, and as he finally began to slow down to land in front of the castle, he felt his wings begin to hurt, and he quickly landed. He rubbed his wings, and folded them back up, before he began to trot towards the castle entrance. He ran of his hooves through his mane, taking deep breaths all the while, and felt the butterflies begin to stir in his stomach. He approached the two entrance guards, and they stepped in his path, stopping him momentarily. "Halt, state your name and business within the castle." Faint swallowed the saliva in his mouth, before trying to speak. "I am Faint L. Darkness, requested to be seen by princess Luna herself." he pulled out the letter from his (body?) pocket (still no idea on how they do that...) and showed it to them. They snorted in response, and let him pass. He smiled again, and power-trotted into the throne room, where Luna had said she would be. As she said, she was indeed there, on her throne. As was her sister, Celestia. Luna was the first to welcome Faint, as he looked around the giant room. "Welcome, Faint Darkness, to the Royal Canterlot Castle. Has thou-I mean, have you thought about our question, in the letter we-I sent you?" "Uh...I men, yes! Yes, I did. And my answer is that I accept your invitation to join your private Night Guard, Princess Luna." "Great! You shall start training immediately! Miss Spitfire! Would you start his training at this time?" Faint didn't even notice Spitfire, of the Wonderbolts, was even there. He jumped when he saw her, trot up and kneel beside him. Wait...She's in Luna's guard? What? "Sister," Princess Celestia began, "Did you not forget something? Our guest here, has not even moved his belongings into his quarters...Nor has he been shown to his quarters." "Oh...you are right, 'Tia. Faint Darkness, you will start your training tomorrow. for now, go collect your belongings from your home, and miss Spitfire will accompany you, and when you both return, she shall show you her quarters. Are we all clear?" "Yes ma'am." Spitfire nodded, and began to leave the room. "Oh! Yes, princess! Right away!" Faint also left the room, hurrying to catch up to Spitfire. When he did finally catch her, she was waiting outside. "Alright recruit, the princess requested that I come with you, to get your stuff and come back. Let's hurry up and get this over with." "Alright..but uh, I was wondering...You're a wonderbolt, right?" She nodded. "So then, why are you here, going to train me?" "Because, recruit, the princess asked me to personally train you. She likes your record, as do I, and she wants you to be in the best shape possible to be on her guard." "Does she do this for all the recruits?" "As far as I know, no. I've only been requested to train you, so far. Now, let's move it!" I nodded, and took off with Spitfire close behind. As we flew, so many questions began to pop into my head. If I have to go get my stuff, why didn't Shadow? Why does he still live in Ponyville, if we're supposed to stay in Canterlot somewhere? Why did Luna asked Spitfire of the WONDERBOLTS to train me in flying better? Faint sighed, knowing he'd have to wait to get some answers, but then he figured that he would ask Shadow while he was packing his stuff about some of these things. He checked behind him, and Spitfire was still there, but she looked...bored. Faint thought about it, and deduced that they were going to slow for her, so Faint started to really fly. He sped up, knowingly tiring himself out, as they flew. Spitifre noticed this, and smirked. She decided it would be time to show the recruit a thing about flying fast. She started to go her full speed, nearly instantly passing Faint, who's jaw dropped. He shook his head, and tried his darnedest to catch up, but of course, he was way too slow. Eventually, they landed in front of Faint's apartment building, with him panting and out of breath while Spitfire looked perfectly fine. "you tried recruit, but you're not fast enough to take me on yet. Trust me. Now, hurry up, so we can get out of here." Faint nodded, and went into his apartment. He heard some noises, which calmed down when he walked down his and Shadow's room hallway. He went into his room as Shadow came out of his. Faint started to pack up his stuff, taking note of how he had nearly nothing. He threw his stuff into his black saddlebags, and that's when Shadow started to talk from Faint's doorway. "Hey bro, how'd it go?" "Good...Hey, can I ask you a couple of questions?" "Sure." "Okay...How come you don't live somewhere in Canterlot, like I will be? How come you still live here?" "Well, Princess Luna only calls upon me when in dire situations...don't forget, I have been in the guard for years now. I did once live at the Guard Dorms at the castle. I also don't live there anymore because of a...different reason. I will soon be leaving the guard anyway." "What?! Why is that?!" "Well," Shadow blushed. Even though Faint couldn't see if through Shadow's black fur, he could tell he was. Shadow rubbed the back of his neck and continued. "I'm sorta...gonna get married soon, and start a family, so I wouldn't be able to be of much use anyway..." "WHAT?! You're getting married? To who! And when?!" Faint put on his saddlebags, and started to leave his room, still looking at Shadow. "Well, I'm getting married to this wonderful mare...Her name is Fluttershy. She's cute, and soft-spoken, and great, and-" "Okay, I get it!" "-And we're getting married in a week. I'll be moving out of here, and going to go live with her. " "Wow. Well then. What about the house? Gonna sell it?" "you forget that we don't own this place. It's an apartment. Somepony else'll move into here. I'll make sure to get your furniture too. I'm gonna have a friend help me, his name's Big Macintosh." "Uh-huh. Just..don't break my stuff, okay?" Faint trotted into the living room, where Spitfire waited on the couch. She stood up when she saw him, and started to leave the place. "Yeah, sure, we won't! Fluttershy lives in a cottage, near the edge of town. Make sure to visit, bro." "'Course. I'll...see you...whenever, I guess." "Right." The did a quick bro-hug, and Faint left, following Spitfire. Meanwhile, Shadow went back to his room to resume what was in motion. He opened the door, and smirked. "Get ready, baby. We ain't done yet." He slowly closed the door behind him, as the pink maned and yellow-furred pony smiled on his bed. "O-Okay." ~Meanwhile, at Canterlot Castle Entrance:~ "Alright...Let's get you to your dorm room, and then we'll start your training. Follow me, recruit!" "Yes ma'am." Faint followed Spitfire as she said, looking around the castle as he did. He saw all kinds of pony workers, from cleaners to cookers and guards. Minutes later, Faint dropped his saddlebags on his new cot in the dorms, as Spitfire explained some ground rules. "Yes, recruit, if you were wondering: The dorms are not gender-separated. that is why I'm here. Even still, there is too be no inappropriate contact with the mares in this guard. Understand, recruit?" "Yes ma'am." "Good. Another thing: when I'm done training you, I'll leave, and you're trainer for physical strength will replace me. Instead of learning how to fly better, you'll learn how to fight. After that, you have a more school-like teacher, who will help you with all the guidelines on being in this guard, as well as other important things that have to do with your brain. Understood?" "Yes ma'am." "Good! Now show some hustle, because we only have around four or five more hours of daylight. Let's get to work!" "Yes ma'am." Faint smiled, and followed her outside, where Spitfire taught him about aerodynamics, and how to fly longer without getting tired. By the end of the day, Faint could last another whole minute of flying at his top speed, and pull off tight turns and last-second evades. They re-entered the castle after the sun had barely set, and headed for the dorm room, where Faint found out he had three roommates total: There was Spitfire, surprisingly, a 'good' changeling pony who soon became one of Faint's best friends who is named Moon Aegis, and another mare pegasus who's name is 'Frosty Winds' who apparently already knew Spitfire. As the ponies all sat on their cots in the dorm room, Faint thought about something. This may be the strangest group of ponies I've ever known...This is gonna be so awesome because of that! He smiled. "G'night everypony." "Good night," they all responded back, and the lights switched off. Author's Note This took so damn long..but now it's here! Let me say, this is gonna be wild! I hope everypony likes it. I await your feedback. ~F.A.D. Chapter 2: TrainingQuick Author’s note: I am deciding to put this first-person. It feels more natural to me, as I always catch myself putting ‘I’ instead of ‘He’. I also think I’m better at first-person stories. Let me know if I should change it back though...Enough ponies saying so, and I’ll do it. Otherwise, it’ll be first-pony from here on out. ~F.A.D. “ATTEEEEENNN-SHUN! WAKE UP RECRUITS!” Spitfire was the first one to rise, unsurprisingly, and made sure that everypony else would be up. She had one month, princess Luna had said, to train these recruits into tip-top flying shape. “Ugh...Dear Celestia, I can’t...My brain...Uhnnnn...” I tried my best to get up, but as I would say, ‘My brain no work yet!’. I decided on still getting up, but just...at a slower pace, than usual. I started to (literally) slide out of my bed until hmy face plunged into the floor. The pain from the fall jolted me upright, and I looked around the dorm room at his roommates. Frosty Winds was barely up, yet still more awake than me. The changeling, Moon Aegis, slid out of bed like I did, and landed on me, causing us both to fall. “Come ON you lazy ponies! We DO NOT have time for these kinds of clumsy and slow movements!” Spitfire trotted over to me and Aegis, and lifted Aegis up and then lifted me up. “Argh...Really? I can not even see the sun yet, miss Spitfire. Therefore, I have deduced that we have been awoken too early, and-” Aegis was immediately cut off, when Spitfire shot a glare that would make a full-grown manticore defecate himself. He shut his mouth, as I yawned and started to already leave the room. “Look, guys and gals, if we don’t have time for this let’s...*yawn*...go get breakfast, and start our training, alright?” “I agree with Faint, on this one, Spitfire. Let’s get this *yawn* show on the road.” Frosty followed me, and Spitfire followed, partially impressed by their ‘Get it done’ attitudes. “Alright, recruits. Since you’re so ready to get this done, we’re gonna have a time limit. You all have one hour to get yourselves ready and prepared for today. One. Hour. See you all out on the training grounds!” With that, Spitfire took off, down the castle hallways. Frosty looked at me, I shrugged, and went towards the showers. I might need a shower as well, Frosty thought. She smelled herself, and nodded. Yeah, definitely need a shower. She followed me, thinking he knew where I was going. “Whoa, everypony just leaves the changeling behind...Racist...” Aegis laughed, and went towards the dining hall instead of the showers. After all, when his stomach rumbled, it caused a minor Equestriaquake. He smiled, feeling that the castle’s kitchen was about to be raided. Meanwhile, I stepped into the showers. The way our dorm showers were set up was such a bad idea, in my mind. They were practically a long wall of showers. That was it. There was a tiny wall in-between the showers and the locker room behind, but no actual privacy in the showers themselves. I hoped I wouldn’t encounter either of the females in here. I turned the water on, and began to wash myself, when I felt this weird feeling of being watched. Then, I looked to my right, and saw Frosty, also showering. She was looking at me, scowling. “Listen up, ‘Faint’. I do not want to catch you EVER looking at me while I’m in here. do you understand?” “Uh, I don’t think I had any intentions of doing that, but alright.” “Good! that means, we can try to be friends.” She smiled, and I shook my head. “Great, great...” I finished out my shower, with Frosty finishing right after. I shook my body like a wet dog, partially drying myself. I grinned, grabbed my towel, and began to finish the drying process when I felt a hoof poke my back. I turned, seeing a partially mad-looking Frost Winds. “You...Just shook water, that touched your dirty body, onto me...” I nodded, and pulled my goofy grin out. “Well, yeah. Just take a towel, and dry yourself off.” I used my towel to wipe a particular stream of water coming down from her hair off the side of her face. She jumped back, nearly punching me in the face as she did. “Don’t. Touch. Me.” She grabbed her towel, and dried off as she left the showers. I figured it was time to show my stupidness, and see if I could get her to either be playful, or to smile. I threw my towel into what looked like a dirty towel hamper, or something of the like, and followed Frosty. “Hey, Frosty!” I tried to keep myself from laughing, as I leaped into the air with my wings, and fell towards the confused and shocked Frosty. She had turned around, and barely looked up at me as I super-glomped her. “Y’know, for a pony named Frosty Winds, you sure are pretty warm!” I laughed, and she threw me off of her. I got up, dazed, and looked straight at her. She was practically giving me a Death Stare, as I gave her my best puppy-dog eyes impression. Then she started to laugh. “Luna damn you, Faint. You might be annoying, but I think I like you.” “Yay! Now, to breakfast!” I smiled as I flew under her, picking her up on my back as we went down to breakfast. I dropped her down as we entered the dining hall, both of us smiling. “Whoa! Next time, ask before you do something like that!” “Yeah yeah, whatever. I smell pancakes!” I trotted over, watching as Spitfire and Aegis chit-chatted about Luna knows what. I took a seat, and looked over the feast of a breakfast we had in front of us. I felt myself start to drool, and wiped my muzzle. “Heh...Aegis? Can you pass me the pancake platter, the syrup, and...” ~20 Minutes of Pigging Out in an Eating Contest~ “Aegis...You cannot defeat me...I am the black hole of food consumption...” I groaned, and patted my overstuffed belly. I looked at Aegis, who was equally stuffed. He looked at me, then we both looked to the table, where the final pancake laid. I started to reach my hoof out, at the same time as Aegis. I was about to grab it, but a certain pegasus named Frosty Winds shot past my hoof, and ate the pancake. “Ha, I win.” Aegis and I looked at her, then at each other. “This not over, changeling!” “No, I do not believe it is, pegasus!” “Alright Recruits, time to get to training!” Spitfire motions for us to follow her outside, and we did. The training grounds were different today. They were set up in an obstacle-course form. We also saw some of the other squads on the field. Each one had three members and a mentor. Some of the other flying teachers were random pegasi from cloudsdale as far as I could tell, and some of them seemed like professional trainers. Most of the other squads had also been here longer than us. There were at least 30 something groups on the field, all prepping for the course, it seemed like. “Recruits! Today, we’re having an obstacle course training session. This will show us, the mentors, how you interact with other groups, and with situations you have not actually been training for. There will be two for each subject: Flying, Marksmanship, Close Quarters Combat, Stealth, and an Intelligence-heavy subject. there will be one at the beginning and end of each subject. Each subject will take exactly one month. This is our first one.” Spitfire turned, and pointed at a bell-shaped object, miles away it seemed. It was on a very small cloud, very high up. “Your goal is to reach that bell, as a team, and ring it. All three of you must be present when the bell is rung, so work together. You cannot simply fly to the bell, either. You must complete each leg of the course. There is a part where you will have to clear a certain part of the sky, fly through the cloud building without wrecking anything, and finally, fly through a storm cloud to the end bell. We will have Pegasi monitoring the course at all times, watching who fails at certain parts. Any questions?” All three of us shook our heads, and watched as the sky darkened. We also found the gigantic cloud building she was talking about. It was like a cloud-base, probably filled with small corridors. Lastly, we looked at the gigantic, black storm cloud that was rolling into place, blocking the bell from our view. “Alright guys...We can do this, right? It’s just a bunch of other stupid pegasi, and we can easily beat them. We got this!” I found myself trying to sound like a coach giving a pep-talk, but I could tell it wasn’t working. Especially when we looked closer at the other squads. There were pegasi of all ages, sizes, and colors. There was one especially big Pegasi I was worried about. He was a very light sky blue, and looked camouflaged against the sky. His wings were gigantic, as was his mane. It was stuck in a permanent position like streaks. they were a dull blue. I was fascinated at how different he looked than most pegasi. “Faint! Get ready! We have five seconds to get ready to take off!” Frosty woke me from my daze, and I got prepared. “...Three...Two!....One!...Go!” I don’t know who announced it, but I didn’t care. As soon as the word ‘Go!’ was said, everypony was off. I flew straight for out apparently designated point in the sky that we had to clear, of which Frosty had led us to. We got started by kicking and punching the clouds, but by the time we finished, nearly everypony else had already moved on. We pushed ourselves to go faster as we entered the cloud base. On the inside, we found out, it was a maze. We also found out that Aegis is a GREAT maze navigator. By the time we got outside, and started towards the stormcloud, only two teams were ahead of us. I smirked. “We have this. We may not get first, but we have this!” My squad and I entered the cloud. It was very linear, and we had an idea of which way to go. That when I heard Frosty scream. “Frosty! Where are you!” Aegis and I stopped, and looked around. I saw Frosty falling, clutching her left wing. I dove towards her, hoping that Aegis was following. Frosty was falling at a really high speed, almost faster than I could catch up. I extended my hoof as I pushed myself to fly faster than I ever had before. The wind was screaming in my ears, nearly popping them, as my mane and tail whipped around. My eyelids struggled to stay open. I could feel my body starting to feel like it was being constricted. Next thing I knew, my ears had popped and started to bleed, but I still heard the explosion that happened behind me. This speed was faster and better than anything I had ever known before. I caught Frosty, and started to carry her to the finish line. When we landed I felt Aegis pat me on the back as he rung the bell. I smiled, and we both carried a drowsy Frosty back to the ground where we were met with a jaw-dropped Spitfire. “C-Congratulations, recruits...You may have finished second to last, but that was an amazing performance, nonetheless. F-Faint...I want to speak with you privately, after you and Aegis get Miss Frosty to the infirmary.” Aegis and I nodded, and he put Frosty on my back as we started to trot to the infirmary, wherever it was. “Dude...That was. Just. Hot damn, that was awesome! Do you even know what you pulled off back there?! That was a SONIC RAINBOOM! Without the ‘Rainboom’ part. It was just a black and grey streak, but still!” “Yeah, thanks. You did pretty awesome out there as well.” “Pfft, what I did was nothing. Don’t forget, you also saved Frosty’s life.” “Yeah, well, I can’t let friends go down, ya know?” “Yeah.” We trotted the rest of the way in silence, with Frosty occasionally stirring on my back. When we finally got her to the infirmary room, she told us what happened. “Well...I saw a flash of yellow, and suddenly my wing hurt like hell, and the next thing I know, I’m falling because I can’t fly. I also blacked out, when I was falling.” “Oh. Well, thanks to Faint here, you’re okay. He pulled off the most awesome Sonic-Rainboom explosion type thing ever!” “Ah. Well Faint, thanks. I appreciate you not letting me fall to my death.” “No problem! That’s what friends are for. Now, you gotta stay here for the night, but the doc says you’ll be fine tomorrow. Meanwhile, I have to go talk to Spitfire. See you guys later.” “Bye!” “See ya.” I left, heading for the dorm room. I figured that’s where Spitfire would be. Funny enough, when I got there, she was waiting. She wasn’t looking at me first, though. She was staring out the window, contemplating something, until I cleared my throat. “*Ahem* You wanted to talk to me, ma’am?” “Yes, recruit. Take a seat.” I sat down on my cot as she said. “What you did out there today recruit, was very rare. I’ve only seen one other pony pull off a move like that in my life. Her name is Rainbow Dash. You’ve proven yourself, so far, to be very much so like her recruit. What I’m trying to say, recruit, is that you have potential, and a lot of it. I believe in you, recruit. Princess Luna, from what I’ve heard, only takes in one squad each year, after the training has finished, and she gives them a certain assignment.” “Wow...” “Yeah, recruit. There are thirty-three squads this year in total. There are very low odds of our squad making it, but I believe that this certain squad will. Especially, not that I am officially making you the Squad Leader. Do you accept this responsibility, recruit?” “Ma’am...Yes ma’am! I accept the position of Squad Leader for our squad, squad number thirty two!” I got up and saluted Spitfire, who saluted in return, with a smile. She hoofed me a small pin, that showed a Moon, and within it, a Triangle with a bar under it horizontally. “Great job, squad leader. You and your squad will receive your uniforms tomorrow. These are the uniforms that will resemble the ones that I believe you will get when you beat all the other squads out here. Yours will be the one with the same insignia as the pin’s, on the hat and jacket. Now go get your squad, return here, and get some rest. You go get the uniforms at seven thirty am. Dismissed.” I nodded, and lowered my salute as I left the room. I put my pin on my cot as a did so as well. So far, training was that hard. I hoped it wouldn’t change much from this, as I went to gather the rest of my squad, gleefully humming the my little pony theme song all the while.
Chapter 0: Author's Note, and Prologue.Author's Message: With this, I hope to bring up my writing skills, and show you all how I've been improving, ever since my last chapter. I do want to say one quick thing: I will need an official pre-reader for this story, and an editor...Now, while I edit my own stuff (mostly) I want another person to check over my writing, as I KNOW I mess up every now and then. If you'd like to apply for either of these places, lemme know through a PM. Thanks for reading this message, and for reading my story. Please, have fun reading, and enjoy this, my newest fanfic: The Chronicles of Faint Darkness. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~~ A happy stallion, and his lovely wedded wife... The stallion is standing next to his wife, who is laying on the bed, smiling at her newborn foal... The nurse, and the two other guests stand near, also smiling... An evil pony, with a mind clouded with nightmarish thoughts stands outside, horn ready to cast his spell... The fire set, as he galloped away...nopony knew who it was... The guests make it outside...the mother and nurse safely get the foul outside, and to the ground, to safety... The father is searching for something, something important... The mother runs inside to get him.... Neither make it out. Faint sat up in his cloud bed, breathing heavily. He looked around, and used a hoof to wipe some sweat form his head. He looked around, and checked himself- His wings were their normal size, and he was perfectly fine... Just then, his aunt ran in, with a terrified look on her face, and her wings practically flared out. She was a pale green pony, with a light yellow mane, and her tail matched. It was her eyes that caught most ponies' attention- They appeared to be a dull brown, but that was only a cover-up. In reality, her eyes changed, with her mood...Most don't question it, but some do, and others just find it really fascinating, yet they leave the subject alone. Her cutie mark was a large yellow sunflower, as she was very good with plants, especially Sunflowers. It was a trait that Faint had found interesting, but he loved her nonetheless. "Ah! Are you okay, sweetie?" She asked in her sing-song voice, yet it shook, and sounded completely worried. The young, six-year old Faint nodded, and gulped loudly. "Yes, Auntie Flower...I just had a nightmare, is all..." He tried to smile reassuringly at his Aunt, but she looked like she barely believed it. She watched him with a careful eye, and smiled back. "Alrighty then...Try to get back to sleep. Remember, your first day of school is tomorrow." She winked, as Faint groaned...loudly. "Nope nope nope, don't give me that. You knew that you started tomorrow." "But Auntie, we don't even live anywhere NEAR the school! Why can't I go somewhere else for school?" He pouted, and stick his lower lip out a bit, to accentuate his argument. " Faint, dearie, you know that Cloudsdale is one of the very few Flight schools in Equestria- and it's the closest one to us!" "Yeah, but we live WAAAY over here, past Canterlot! It'll take like eight ba-jillion hours just to get there!" "Faint Darkness, you are going to Cloudsdale Flight School- We'll just have to leave early. We're not arguing over this!" She smiled, not angry at all, and left Faint's room, after saying "Good-Night!" to him, with a kiss on his forehead. Faint sighed in defeat, and went back to dreamland, now only having nightmares of his second worst fear- Flight School. ~~~~~ It had been about three years since Faint's last nightmare about his parents-He tried not to think about them much anymore, yet they almost always crept up into his thoughts. He was now sitting, yet again, alone at lunch, dutifully chewing on his daisy sandwich, with only his thoughts for company. His mind wandered around his schoolwork, his studies, his aunt...and his parents. Now, during this time of thinking, he was vulnerable, to the most dangerous predator, to the prey of Flight School- Bullies. "Hey, flower-breath!" It was Dumbbell's words that snapped faint out of his trance, and brought him to the reality. He looked around, noting that Dumbbell and his two other friends were standing practically over him again, smirks on their faces. Faint didn't know why they loved to pick on him and that one pony- Rainbow Crash, they had called her, and her friend...Flutter...Flutter-something. It seems they just really hated people who either flew better then them, or didn't really liked flying...and Faint was better then them by miles. Yet again, Faint was snapped out of his thinking trance- this time, by Dumbbell's hoof. It connected with Faint's left cheek, right under the eye, and Faint could already feel it starting to swell up. He felt his blood boil, and, fueled by all his anger, he punched Dumbbell back, right on his snout. There was a scream and a crunch. The next thing Faint knew, one of Dumb's friends grabbed Faint by one of his wings, as the other punched him over and over again. While all this happened, Dumb was getting up, and a green Pegasus-pony came up to the four young colts, with a very angry and disappointed look on her face. Faint couldn't recall who she was, until she spoke. "My office, NOW!" Flight School Principle Lucky snapped at them. The two colts holding (and punching) Faint dropped him immediately, and they trotted toward her office....as Principle Lucky walked with Faint herself. He was bleeding from the nose, mouth, his grabbed wing, and some other bruises and cuts. Also, his right eye was now completely swollen and black, and his left wasn't much better- He could barely see out of it. As they marched (well, Principle Lucky marched- Faint practically stumbled around, trying not to bump into anything or trip over his own hooves.) Faint noticed the looks he got from the other colts and fillies. They were mostly looks of disgust, pity, and not-wanting-to-laugh-at-the-kid-they-all-practically-hated-for-no-reason. Everypony gave him this look...except for three fillies, and one colt. Rainbow Crash, Flutter-something, Snow Angel, and Midnight Flare. (The colt.) These four were some of the others who are/were also bullied by Dumb and his friends, so they were the only ones who understood his pain at this moment. Faint looked at them, and they actually looked back, one by one, and even though they all were in separate places, he saw looks of pity, and sorrow...The only looks he deserved. ~~~~~ Faint, now at age nineteen, and officially out of Flight Academy, Manehattan University, and School for the Royal Guard for some time now, laid in his bed, exhausted by all that went on. He looked for a job, tried to make some friends although failing horribly, and read, because that's what he did when he was bored. His search for a job had been bad at first, until he found his calling at being a Disk Jockey, commonly known as a DJ, and making music. It wasn't much, but it worked out for him. Ponies around Ponyville and Manehattan started to get to know him better, and make fun of him less and less for they saw his musical skills. He also spent time practicing new flying moves and the like, but mostly in private, besides in the Academy and Guard School. Faint's life now started to slightly look up, except for the deaths in his family. He closed his eyes, wishing his parents were still here, wishing Aunt Flower hadn't died from some stupid disease, and wishing that he was young again. Eventually, he fell asleep with pleasant dreams about his parents and Aunt for once. Little did he know, that something was about to happen that'd change his life-in the most major way possible. Author's Note -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~-~-~-~-~-~ Post-Writing Author's Message: Sorry, but I gotta put this in...First off, to clear some things really quick- Faint's parents are both Pegasi. (As far as he knows.) As for the two guests....don't ask, as I'm not telling. Yet. Also, I know some things aren't actually represented, or may be inaccurate, but please, go along with it...An example of this is the whole flight-school thing. Back in the episode when Dash talks about Flight School, they looked to be about 6 or 7, maybe 8. Also, we don't know how long Flight School is...I'll probably tell at what age he graduated, but later. Now, thanks for reading! I'll only continue this story, though, if I get 10 likes within the first week. I'll write another chapter either tomorrow or the day after, though, so you'll have at least 2 chapters. After that, 10 likes, or I know it's not worth continuing...and you don't even have to like. Just post a comment saying I should continue or not, or like/dislike. your choice. Now, I'm goin' to bed. I'm currently writing this at 11:08 pm, and I'm tired as hell...N'Night y'all!
Chapter 1: The Actual Chapter!The one with the name Darkness, will assist the one named after sparkles, to help his destined true mare desire, the one who's named after fire. Faint stirred in his bed, troubled with nightmares of his past. He dreamt of the old alicorn prophetess Princess Faust, and how she was a family friend...and how she died. He awoke suddenly, silently, wide-eyed. “Celestia, damn these memories...Curse them all!” He shouted into the darkness of his room. He wished he could disperse these dreadful memories of friendship, pain, and loss. Faint sighed, and slid out of bed. He couldn’t take the feeling of claustrophobia of his small room, and pulled his window curtains apart. The early morning sunshine beamed directly into his pupils, temporarily blinding him. Faint backed away, and blinked a few times. When he could finally see, he looked out into the small but beautiful town of Ponyville. He found it to be surprisingly busy. Faint then turned and checked his clock. “Ah, crap. Eleven thirty, and my brain still no function right...Hehe...” He giggled at his own bad Equestrian, caused by his lack of time awake and sense of actual humor. Faint trotted over to his dresser, and grabbed his sunglasses, watch, and necklace with a full black moon charm. He put his necklace and his sunglasses around his neck, and his watch onto his right front hoof. “Damn...I look like shit,” Faint stated after noticing his image in his mirror, “I should try to fix that.” He went to go open his door, and at this time his roommate blasted open his door, sending Faint into his bed. “Good morning everypony! Time to WAKE UP!” “Celestia damn you,Shadow Breeze! You’re always up so friggen’ early, and you wake me up an-” “And you know you need it anyway, what with you staying up so late for your job. Even still, I’m helpful.” “Yeah, well...Er...Thanks, Shadow..” Faint sighed in defeat. He could never, in a million years, argue with his logical friend and roommate. Shadow was just too damn smart at times. He was also Faint’s first real friend, being his step-brother and all. “Anytime, bro. Anytime. Now, for today: What do you have planned? I’m just gonna roam, so...” “Eh, I dunno yet. I’ll just go with the flow, y’know? Throw caution to wind, and all that...” “Oh, I see. Well, I’m gonna head off- Also, you got a letter in the mail. It’s the blue envelope on the coffee table. See ya later!” “Yeah, okay, see ya later.” Faint followed Shadow out of his room, closing the door behind him. Shadow took off, and Faint went to check out the blue envelope as he plopped down on their couch in the living room. “Addressed to Faint A. Darkness, blah blah blah, from...Princess Luna, Canterlot Royal Castle? Wait a minute!” His heart began to race, as the letter went on. “I, Princess Luna, personally invite you, Faint Abril Darkness, to become a member of my Royal Guard. If you would like to accept, or if you have any questions, come to the Royal Canterlot Castle. signed, Princess Luna.” Faint’s body stopped working. His mind got cloudy, his movements slow and clumsy. He reread the letter, to check and make sure he got it right. “My Celestia...Princess Luna invited ME to join her Royal Night Guard! I can be like Shadow now! Yes!” Faint did what his name implied: He fainted on the couch. ~A few minutes Later~ "Faint? Faaaaaint? You home?" Shadow walked inside, looking around for his step brother. He found him, Passed out on their couch. "Faint, wake up!" He shook Faint, and he jumped up. "Huh? Ohey, Shadow! Check this out!" Faint held the letter practically in Shadow's face, who took it, and read it. "Woah, Congrats, dude! I guess you'll be joining me on my squad then, because one of my guys just...passed away...Even still, this is awesome." "Yeah, I know! This means I can be close to Princess Luna, and get to know her, and- I mean, I'll be able to protect...princess Luna..." "...Rrrriiiighhht. Anyway, you know you'll have to take this seriously. No dickin' around, when you're on-duty." "Sir, yes sir." Faint and shadow laughed, and Faint stood up. "Alright, well...I guess I should go tell her that I accept! I'll see you in a bit, Shadow!" "Alright, stay safe, and DO NOT be or act stupid around the princess'! I know how you are." "Yeah yeah, whatever, I got it!" Faint opened the door and started to gallop out of their apartment building. When he was outside, he took off with great haste, towards the Royal Canterlot Castle, where Princess Luna awaited his answer. He grinned wide, and pulled off a barrel roll as he exclaimed his excitement and joy. "Woo! She asked ME to join her guard! Hell yeah!" Faint pushed himself to go faster, and as he finally began to slow down to land in front of the castle, he felt his wings begin to hurt, and he quickly landed. He rubbed his wings, and folded them back up, before he began to trot towards the castle entrance. He ran of his hooves through his mane, taking deep breaths all the while, and felt the butterflies begin to stir in his stomach. He approached the two entrance guards, and they stepped in his path, stopping him momentarily. "Halt, state your name and business within the castle." Faint swallowed the saliva in his mouth, before trying to speak. "I am Faint L. Darkness, requested to be seen by princess Luna herself." he pulled out the letter from his (body?) pocket (still no idea on how they do that...) and showed it to them. They snorted in response, and let him pass. He smiled again, and power-trotted into the throne room, where Luna had said she would be. As she said, she was indeed there, on her throne. As was her sister, Celestia. Luna was the first to welcome Faint, as he looked around the giant room. "Welcome, Faint Darkness, to the Royal Canterlot Castle. Has thou-I mean, have you thought about our question, in the letter we-I sent you?" "Uh...I men, yes! Yes, I did. And my answer is that I accept your invitation to join your private Night Guard, Princess Luna." "Great! You shall start training immediately! Miss Spitfire! Would you start his training at this time?" Faint didn't even notice Spitfire, of the Wonderbolts, was even there. He jumped when he saw her, trot up and kneel beside him. Wait...She's in Luna's guard? What? "Sister," Princess Celestia began, "Did you not forget something? Our guest here, has not even moved his belongings into his quarters...Nor has he been shown to his quarters." "Oh...you are right, 'Tia. Faint Darkness, you will start your training tomorrow. for now, go collect your belongings from your home, and miss Spitfire will accompany you, and when you both return, she shall show you her quarters. Are we all clear?" "Yes ma'am." Spitfire nodded, and began to leave the room. "Oh! Yes, princess! Right away!" Faint also left the room, hurrying to catch up to Spitfire. When he did finally catch her, she was waiting outside. "Alright recruit, the princess requested that I come with you, to get your stuff and come back. Let's hurry up and get this over with." "Alright..but uh, I was wondering...You're a wonderbolt, right?" She nodded. "So then, why are you here, going to train me?" "Because, recruit, the princess asked me to personally train you. She likes your record, as do I, and she wants you to be in the best shape possible to be on her guard." "Does she do this for all the recruits?" "As far as I know, no. I've only been requested to train you, so far. Now, let's move it!" I nodded, and took off with Spitfire close behind. As we flew, so many questions began to pop into my head. If I have to go get my stuff, why didn't Shadow? Why does he still live in Ponyville, if we're supposed to stay in Canterlot somewhere? Why did Luna asked Spitfire of the WONDERBOLTS to train me in flying better? Faint sighed, knowing he'd have to wait to get some answers, but then he figured that he would ask Shadow while he was packing his stuff about some of these things. He checked behind him, and Spitfire was still there, but she looked...bored. Faint thought about it, and deduced that they were going to slow for her, so Faint started to really fly. He sped up, knowingly tiring himself out, as they flew. Spitifre noticed this, and smirked. She decided it would be time to show the recruit a thing about flying fast. She started to go her full speed, nearly instantly passing Faint, who's jaw dropped. He shook his head, and tried his darnedest to catch up, but of course, he was way too slow. Eventually, they landed in front of Faint's apartment building, with him panting and out of breath while Spitfire looked perfectly fine. "you tried recruit, but you're not fast enough to take me on yet. Trust me. Now, hurry up, so we can get out of here." Faint nodded, and went into his apartment. He heard some noises, which calmed down when he walked down his and Shadow's room hallway. He went into his room as Shadow came out of his. Faint started to pack up his stuff, taking note of how he had nearly nothing. He threw his stuff into his black saddlebags, and that's when Shadow started to talk from Faint's doorway. "Hey bro, how'd it go?" "Good...Hey, can I ask you a couple of questions?" "Sure." "Okay...How come you don't live somewhere in Canterlot, like I will be? How come you still live here?" "Well, Princess Luna only calls upon me when in dire situations...don't forget, I have been in the guard for years now. I did once live at the Guard Dorms at the castle. I also don't live there anymore because of a...different reason. I will soon be leaving the guard anyway." "What?! Why is that?!" "Well," Shadow blushed. Even though Faint couldn't see if through Shadow's black fur, he could tell he was. Shadow rubbed the back of his neck and continued. "I'm sorta...gonna get married soon, and start a family, so I wouldn't be able to be of much use anyway..." "WHAT?! You're getting married? To who! And when?!" Faint put on his saddlebags, and started to leave his room, still looking at Shadow. "Well, I'm getting married to this wonderful mare...Her name is Fluttershy. She's cute, and soft-spoken, and great, and-" "Okay, I get it!" "-And we're getting married in a week. I'll be moving out of here, and going to go live with her. " "Wow. Well then. What about the house? Gonna sell it?" "you forget that we don't own this place. It's an apartment. Somepony else'll move into here. I'll make sure to get your furniture too. I'm gonna have a friend help me, his name's Big Macintosh." "Uh-huh. Just..don't break my stuff, okay?" Faint trotted into the living room, where Spitfire waited on the couch. She stood up when she saw him, and started to leave the place. "Yeah, sure, we won't! Fluttershy lives in a cottage, near the edge of town. Make sure to visit, bro." "'Course. I'll...see you...whenever, I guess." "Right." The did a quick bro-hug, and Faint left, following Spitfire. Meanwhile, Shadow went back to his room to resume what was in motion. He opened the door, and smirked. "Get ready, baby. We ain't done yet." He slowly closed the door behind him, as the pink maned and yellow-furred pony smiled on his bed. "O-Okay." ~Meanwhile, at Canterlot Castle Entrance:~ "Alright...Let's get you to your dorm room, and then we'll start your training. Follow me, recruit!" "Yes ma'am." Faint followed Spitfire as she said, looking around the castle as he did. He saw all kinds of pony workers, from cleaners to cookers and guards. Minutes later, Faint dropped his saddlebags on his new cot in the dorms, as Spitfire explained some ground rules. "Yes, recruit, if you were wondering: The dorms are not gender-separated. that is why I'm here. Even still, there is too be no inappropriate contact with the mares in this guard. Understand, recruit?" "Yes ma'am." "Good. Another thing: when I'm done training you, I'll leave, and you're trainer for physical strength will replace me. Instead of learning how to fly better, you'll learn how to fight. After that, you have a more school-like teacher, who will help you with all the guidelines on being in this guard, as well as other important things that have to do with your brain. Understood?" "Yes ma'am." "Good! Now show some hustle, because we only have around four or five more hours of daylight. Let's get to work!" "Yes ma'am." Faint smiled, and followed her outside, where Spitfire taught him about aerodynamics, and how to fly longer without getting tired. By the end of the day, Faint could last another whole minute of flying at his top speed, and pull off tight turns and last-second evades. They re-entered the castle after the sun had barely set, and headed for the dorm room, where Faint found out he had three roommates total: There was Spitfire, surprisingly, a 'good' changeling pony who soon became one of Faint's best friends who is named Moon Aegis, and another mare pegasus who's name is 'Frosty Winds' who apparently already knew Spitfire. As the ponies all sat on their cots in the dorm room, Faint thought about something. This may be the strangest group of ponies I've ever known...This is gonna be so awesome because of that! He smiled. "G'night everypony." "Good night," they all responded back, and the lights switched off. Author's Note This took so damn long..but now it's here! Let me say, this is gonna be wild! I hope everypony likes it. I await your feedback. ~F.A.D.
Chapter 2: TrainingQuick Author’s note: I am deciding to put this first-person. It feels more natural to me, as I always catch myself putting ‘I’ instead of ‘He’. I also think I’m better at first-person stories. Let me know if I should change it back though...Enough ponies saying so, and I’ll do it. Otherwise, it’ll be first-pony from here on out. ~F.A.D. “ATTEEEEENNN-SHUN! WAKE UP RECRUITS!” Spitfire was the first one to rise, unsurprisingly, and made sure that everypony else would be up. She had one month, princess Luna had said, to train these recruits into tip-top flying shape. “Ugh...Dear Celestia, I can’t...My brain...Uhnnnn...” I tried my best to get up, but as I would say, ‘My brain no work yet!’. I decided on still getting up, but just...at a slower pace, than usual. I started to (literally) slide out of my bed until hmy face plunged into the floor. The pain from the fall jolted me upright, and I looked around the dorm room at his roommates. Frosty Winds was barely up, yet still more awake than me. The changeling, Moon Aegis, slid out of bed like I did, and landed on me, causing us both to fall. “Come ON you lazy ponies! We DO NOT have time for these kinds of clumsy and slow movements!” Spitfire trotted over to me and Aegis, and lifted Aegis up and then lifted me up. “Argh...Really? I can not even see the sun yet, miss Spitfire. Therefore, I have deduced that we have been awoken too early, and-” Aegis was immediately cut off, when Spitfire shot a glare that would make a full-grown manticore defecate himself. He shut his mouth, as I yawned and started to already leave the room. “Look, guys and gals, if we don’t have time for this let’s...*yawn*...go get breakfast, and start our training, alright?” “I agree with Faint, on this one, Spitfire. Let’s get this *yawn* show on the road.” Frosty followed me, and Spitfire followed, partially impressed by their ‘Get it done’ attitudes. “Alright, recruits. Since you’re so ready to get this done, we’re gonna have a time limit. You all have one hour to get yourselves ready and prepared for today. One. Hour. See you all out on the training grounds!” With that, Spitfire took off, down the castle hallways. Frosty looked at me, I shrugged, and went towards the showers. I might need a shower as well, Frosty thought. She smelled herself, and nodded. Yeah, definitely need a shower. She followed me, thinking he knew where I was going. “Whoa, everypony just leaves the changeling behind...Racist...” Aegis laughed, and went towards the dining hall instead of the showers. After all, when his stomach rumbled, it caused a minor Equestriaquake. He smiled, feeling that the castle’s kitchen was about to be raided. Meanwhile, I stepped into the showers. The way our dorm showers were set up was such a bad idea, in my mind. They were practically a long wall of showers. That was it. There was a tiny wall in-between the showers and the locker room behind, but no actual privacy in the showers themselves. I hoped I wouldn’t encounter either of the females in here. I turned the water on, and began to wash myself, when I felt this weird feeling of being watched. Then, I looked to my right, and saw Frosty, also showering. She was looking at me, scowling. “Listen up, ‘Faint’. I do not want to catch you EVER looking at me while I’m in here. do you understand?” “Uh, I don’t think I had any intentions of doing that, but alright.” “Good! that means, we can try to be friends.” She smiled, and I shook my head. “Great, great...” I finished out my shower, with Frosty finishing right after. I shook my body like a wet dog, partially drying myself. I grinned, grabbed my towel, and began to finish the drying process when I felt a hoof poke my back. I turned, seeing a partially mad-looking Frost Winds. “You...Just shook water, that touched your dirty body, onto me...” I nodded, and pulled my goofy grin out. “Well, yeah. Just take a towel, and dry yourself off.” I used my towel to wipe a particular stream of water coming down from her hair off the side of her face. She jumped back, nearly punching me in the face as she did. “Don’t. Touch. Me.” She grabbed her towel, and dried off as she left the showers. I figured it was time to show my stupidness, and see if I could get her to either be playful, or to smile. I threw my towel into what looked like a dirty towel hamper, or something of the like, and followed Frosty. “Hey, Frosty!” I tried to keep myself from laughing, as I leaped into the air with my wings, and fell towards the confused and shocked Frosty. She had turned around, and barely looked up at me as I super-glomped her. “Y’know, for a pony named Frosty Winds, you sure are pretty warm!” I laughed, and she threw me off of her. I got up, dazed, and looked straight at her. She was practically giving me a Death Stare, as I gave her my best puppy-dog eyes impression. Then she started to laugh. “Luna damn you, Faint. You might be annoying, but I think I like you.” “Yay! Now, to breakfast!” I smiled as I flew under her, picking her up on my back as we went down to breakfast. I dropped her down as we entered the dining hall, both of us smiling. “Whoa! Next time, ask before you do something like that!” “Yeah yeah, whatever. I smell pancakes!” I trotted over, watching as Spitfire and Aegis chit-chatted about Luna knows what. I took a seat, and looked over the feast of a breakfast we had in front of us. I felt myself start to drool, and wiped my muzzle. “Heh...Aegis? Can you pass me the pancake platter, the syrup, and...” ~20 Minutes of Pigging Out in an Eating Contest~ “Aegis...You cannot defeat me...I am the black hole of food consumption...” I groaned, and patted my overstuffed belly. I looked at Aegis, who was equally stuffed. He looked at me, then we both looked to the table, where the final pancake laid. I started to reach my hoof out, at the same time as Aegis. I was about to grab it, but a certain pegasus named Frosty Winds shot past my hoof, and ate the pancake. “Ha, I win.” Aegis and I looked at her, then at each other. “This not over, changeling!” “No, I do not believe it is, pegasus!” “Alright Recruits, time to get to training!” Spitfire motions for us to follow her outside, and we did. The training grounds were different today. They were set up in an obstacle-course form. We also saw some of the other squads on the field. Each one had three members and a mentor. Some of the other flying teachers were random pegasi from cloudsdale as far as I could tell, and some of them seemed like professional trainers. Most of the other squads had also been here longer than us. There were at least 30 something groups on the field, all prepping for the course, it seemed like. “Recruits! Today, we’re having an obstacle course training session. This will show us, the mentors, how you interact with other groups, and with situations you have not actually been training for. There will be two for each subject: Flying, Marksmanship, Close Quarters Combat, Stealth, and an Intelligence-heavy subject. there will be one at the beginning and end of each subject. Each subject will take exactly one month. This is our first one.” Spitfire turned, and pointed at a bell-shaped object, miles away it seemed. It was on a very small cloud, very high up. “Your goal is to reach that bell, as a team, and ring it. All three of you must be present when the bell is rung, so work together. You cannot simply fly to the bell, either. You must complete each leg of the course. There is a part where you will have to clear a certain part of the sky, fly through the cloud building without wrecking anything, and finally, fly through a storm cloud to the end bell. We will have Pegasi monitoring the course at all times, watching who fails at certain parts. Any questions?” All three of us shook our heads, and watched as the sky darkened. We also found the gigantic cloud building she was talking about. It was like a cloud-base, probably filled with small corridors. Lastly, we looked at the gigantic, black storm cloud that was rolling into place, blocking the bell from our view. “Alright guys...We can do this, right? It’s just a bunch of other stupid pegasi, and we can easily beat them. We got this!” I found myself trying to sound like a coach giving a pep-talk, but I could tell it wasn’t working. Especially when we looked closer at the other squads. There were pegasi of all ages, sizes, and colors. There was one especially big Pegasi I was worried about. He was a very light sky blue, and looked camouflaged against the sky. His wings were gigantic, as was his mane. It was stuck in a permanent position like streaks. they were a dull blue. I was fascinated at how different he looked than most pegasi. “Faint! Get ready! We have five seconds to get ready to take off!” Frosty woke me from my daze, and I got prepared. “...Three...Two!....One!...Go!” I don’t know who announced it, but I didn’t care. As soon as the word ‘Go!’ was said, everypony was off. I flew straight for out apparently designated point in the sky that we had to clear, of which Frosty had led us to. We got started by kicking and punching the clouds, but by the time we finished, nearly everypony else had already moved on. We pushed ourselves to go faster as we entered the cloud base. On the inside, we found out, it was a maze. We also found out that Aegis is a GREAT maze navigator. By the time we got outside, and started towards the stormcloud, only two teams were ahead of us. I smirked. “We have this. We may not get first, but we have this!” My squad and I entered the cloud. It was very linear, and we had an idea of which way to go. That when I heard Frosty scream. “Frosty! Where are you!” Aegis and I stopped, and looked around. I saw Frosty falling, clutching her left wing. I dove towards her, hoping that Aegis was following. Frosty was falling at a really high speed, almost faster than I could catch up. I extended my hoof as I pushed myself to fly faster than I ever had before. The wind was screaming in my ears, nearly popping them, as my mane and tail whipped around. My eyelids struggled to stay open. I could feel my body starting to feel like it was being constricted. Next thing I knew, my ears had popped and started to bleed, but I still heard the explosion that happened behind me. This speed was faster and better than anything I had ever known before. I caught Frosty, and started to carry her to the finish line. When we landed I felt Aegis pat me on the back as he rung the bell. I smiled, and we both carried a drowsy Frosty back to the ground where we were met with a jaw-dropped Spitfire. “C-Congratulations, recruits...You may have finished second to last, but that was an amazing performance, nonetheless. F-Faint...I want to speak with you privately, after you and Aegis get Miss Frosty to the infirmary.” Aegis and I nodded, and he put Frosty on my back as we started to trot to the infirmary, wherever it was. “Dude...That was. Just. Hot damn, that was awesome! Do you even know what you pulled off back there?! That was a SONIC RAINBOOM! Without the ‘Rainboom’ part. It was just a black and grey streak, but still!” “Yeah, thanks. You did pretty awesome out there as well.” “Pfft, what I did was nothing. Don’t forget, you also saved Frosty’s life.” “Yeah, well, I can’t let friends go down, ya know?” “Yeah.” We trotted the rest of the way in silence, with Frosty occasionally stirring on my back. When we finally got her to the infirmary room, she told us what happened. “Well...I saw a flash of yellow, and suddenly my wing hurt like hell, and the next thing I know, I’m falling because I can’t fly. I also blacked out, when I was falling.” “Oh. Well, thanks to Faint here, you’re okay. He pulled off the most awesome Sonic-Rainboom explosion type thing ever!” “Ah. Well Faint, thanks. I appreciate you not letting me fall to my death.” “No problem! That’s what friends are for. Now, you gotta stay here for the night, but the doc says you’ll be fine tomorrow. Meanwhile, I have to go talk to Spitfire. See you guys later.” “Bye!” “See ya.” I left, heading for the dorm room. I figured that’s where Spitfire would be. Funny enough, when I got there, she was waiting. She wasn’t looking at me first, though. She was staring out the window, contemplating something, until I cleared my throat. “*Ahem* You wanted to talk to me, ma’am?” “Yes, recruit. Take a seat.” I sat down on my cot as she said. “What you did out there today recruit, was very rare. I’ve only seen one other pony pull off a move like that in my life. Her name is Rainbow Dash. You’ve proven yourself, so far, to be very much so like her recruit. What I’m trying to say, recruit, is that you have potential, and a lot of it. I believe in you, recruit. Princess Luna, from what I’ve heard, only takes in one squad each year, after the training has finished, and she gives them a certain assignment.” “Wow...” “Yeah, recruit. There are thirty-three squads this year in total. There are very low odds of our squad making it, but I believe that this certain squad will. Especially, not that I am officially making you the Squad Leader. Do you accept this responsibility, recruit?” “Ma’am...Yes ma’am! I accept the position of Squad Leader for our squad, squad number thirty two!” I got up and saluted Spitfire, who saluted in return, with a smile. She hoofed me a small pin, that showed a Moon, and within it, a Triangle with a bar under it horizontally. “Great job, squad leader. You and your squad will receive your uniforms tomorrow. These are the uniforms that will resemble the ones that I believe you will get when you beat all the other squads out here. Yours will be the one with the same insignia as the pin’s, on the hat and jacket. Now go get your squad, return here, and get some rest. You go get the uniforms at seven thirty am. Dismissed.” I nodded, and lowered my salute as I left the room. I put my pin on my cot as a did so as well. So far, training was that hard. I hoped it wouldn’t change much from this, as I went to gather the rest of my squad, gleefully humming the my little pony theme song all the while.
