Knight in Shining Armor

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Prologue

Chapter 1 Author's Note

This is my first attempt at writing a full story so bear with me. Any advice or criticism is accepted as long as it's constructive. Thank you to all who've helped me do this, you know who you are. I have references at the bottom of the chapter for all new, non canon characters because why not, everyone loves pictures. Credit to the creators of the bases. I would draw them myself but I can't do the arts.

Chapter 1

In the peaceful town of Ponyville, a casual day ensued for many ponies, including a white mare, who was wearing a blue hoodie that covered the majority of her light blue hair, though her horn was still visible. She wondered around the streets of Ponyville, somewhat lost. As she looked around for anything that looked familiar to her, she saw an apple stand at the end of the road with a yellow mare behind it, serving a customer. She walked up to the stand, getting a better view of the yellow mare. She noticed that the mare looked a few years older than her, about mid twenties to early thirties. She wore a light brown stetson hat, covering the top of her braided, red hair. The mare handed an apple to the customer with a smile.

“Have a nice day, sir!” The yellow mare called with her sweet, southern accent as the stallion walked away. She then turned to see the hooded mare standing in front of the stand. “Hi there, how can I help you, m’am?”

“Oh, uh, hi. I was wondering if you could point me to the stadium that the wonderbolt event is being held. I’m supposed to be meeting my Auntie there, but I’m kinda new to town.” The white mare responded with an awkward smile.

“Well, worry not! You’re not too far away,” The yellow mare turned around and pointed her hoof down the street before continuing, “Go down this street right here, take a left at the post there. Then you’ll wanna take the third right, where the carousel boutique is, and continue on that street for a while, and you’ll kinda just run into it. You can’t miss it,” She directed.

“Thanks a lot, uh, sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” The white mare awkwardly thanked.

“Applebloom, names Applebloom. May I ask what yours is?” Applebloom asked.

“Oh, my name is Amo-” She cut herself off before continuing, “Crystal, just call me Crystal. My full name can be a mouthful.” She replied with a small giggle. Applebloom squinted suspiciously at Crystal, making her nervous.

“Hm… that sounds familiar to me. Have we met somewhere before?” Applebloom asked. Crystal started to sweat. She was hoping this wasn’t one of the ponies that actually knew who she was.

“Um, no, I don’t think so.” She replied quickly, trying to hide her nervousness by scrunching her nose. Sweat rolled down her muzzle. Applebloom became concerned for Crystal, she was starting to act strange to her.

“You alright? You seem tense.” She asked with concern.

“I-I’m fine, just a little… warm.” Crystal anxiously replied.

“Maybe it’s the fact that it’s like, a bajillion degrees outside and you’re wearing that thick hoodie. How are you able to wear that in this heat?” Applebloom questioned. Crystal tried to find an excuse quickly before Applebloom became suspicious.

“Well, I, uh-” She was cut off by something colliding with her side. It felt as if a 200 pound football player had tackled her from her blind side at full speed. She fell to the ground hard, causing her hood to fall off her head. She rolled about a yard before coming to a halt. Applebloom covered her mouth with her hoof as she gasped in shock.

“Are you two ok?” She gasped. Crystal could only groan as she tried to get back on her hooves. Everything was a blur to her, she couldn’t see straight. She was so dizzy she couldn’t stand up. She began to feel better when she felt a hoof on hers and a wing around her to help her up.

“I’m so so so sorry! I didn’t mean it!” she heard a slight, raspy, stallion voice next to her. Her vision started to come back to her. As the image became less blurry, she could make out the figure of the blue pegasus stallion. She shook her head and looked at the stallion again, this time, the image was clear. He was a light blue pegasus with a dark blue mane with a yellow stripe that branched off in the middle of his mane. Suddenly, she felt like she should already know this pony for some reason. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but his aura gave off some familiarity to her. Her thoughts were cut off by the apple seller calling out the pony in front of her.

“Really, Sky? You really need to watch where you’re going with your speed.” Applebloom called to the Stallion.

“I know! I’m just in a huge hurry right now. Crap, I’m gonna be late! I gotta go!” He started off in the opposite direction of Crystal’s path. Applebloom let out a sigh and walked over to Crystal’s side as they watched the stallion run off in the distance.

“You alright? That looked like a hard hit.” She asked the white mare. Crystal almost didn’t hear her question because she was distracted. She was trying to figure out why she felt like she should know him.

“Y-yea, I’m fine. Hey, who was that pony anyways? It seemed like you knew each other.” Crystal questioned the apple seller.

“Oh, that was Sky Knight. He’s a family friend. His mom and my sis are close friends.” Applebloom answered. Crystal kept looking at the fading stallion. I wonder if I’ll see him again, I really want to know why i feel like I know him, she thought. Applebloom interrupted Crystals thought by continuing, “Well, I’m glad you’re alright, but if you’re going to that wonderbolt event, you should get going. Isn’t it supposed to start in like, fifteen minutes or something?” Crystal nodded her head.

“You’re right. Thanks for the help, Applebloom” She said as she started to walk in the direction Applebloom showed her.

“Any time, oh, and before you go,” Applebloom put two apples in a bag and handed it to Crystal, “Have these, one for you and one for your aunt.”

“Oh, thanks, but I don’t have any bits on me.” Crystal responded, trying to give the apples back with her magic.

“Don’t worry, it’s on the house. Consider it a welcome to Ponyville gift. You’ll love it here, and I promise we don’t just tackle each other here like Sky did,” Applebloom teased.

Crystal giggled in response. “I hope not. Thanks again.” She thanked as she walked toward the stadium, leaving Applebloom to her apples again.

Meanwhile, in the opposite direction, Sky Knight was rushing down the street, galloping as fast as he could. Crap, crap,crap, crap, crap! Why did I forget to pick these up?! He thought as he burst into Sugarcube Corner. He glanced around the bakery for anypony working the shop.

“Wow, that was a very unnecessarily loud entrance.” A raspy mare voice came from behind the counter. Sky looked over to see the orange-yellow unicorn mare cleaning off the counter. Her orange mane was put up in a ponytail with a blue bow to keep it out of her face.

“Sorry, Pumpkin Cake, I completely forgot to pick up my order earlier. Now I’m gonna be very late!” Sky Knight began to panic. He rushed to the counter, nearly crashing into it.

“Heh, I was wondering when you were gonna pick these up.” She teased as she picked up a box with her magic and lifted it up to the counter. Sky opened the box to see a couple dozen cupcakes, each cupcake with a single letter on them, so they all read ‘Wonderbolts Alumni Race’. Sky looked them over and noticed three of the cupcakes had the Wonderbolts logo on them. He didn’t remember asking for that design on them. He thought for a second before facehooving.

“Did I really miscount the letters?” He grumbled.

“Yes, yes you did. Lucky for you, instead of leaving three of them blank, I was nice enough to put on the extra design, free of charge,” Pumpkin Cake assured.

“Thanks so much, Pumpkin Cake.” Sky placed the bits on the counter to pay. “And here’s the cash. Tell your parents and brother I said hi.”

“I will, and try not to tackle anymore mares on your way, either. You’ll never get a girlfriend that way.” Pumpkin Cake teased.

“Wait, you saw that?” Sky Knight said as he lightly blushed with embarrassment.

“Yup! It was pretty funny, too. Well, I guess not for that unicorn you slammed to the ground.” Pumpkin Cake continued to hassle Sky, “maybe next time you run into a mare, metaphorically, or literally, whichever you prefer, you should slow down for once and talk to them. Then maybe you’ll land a date.”

Sky Knight sighed, “Why is everypony trying to set me up with mares! First Blue, then Thunder and now you? I’m not looking for anypony!” Sky snapped, causing Pumpkin Cake to step back. He shook his head and sighed, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap like that. They’re just kinda getting on my nerves with that.”

“Eh, you’re fine, I’ve had to deal with worse customers before,” Pumpkin Cake assured. Sky let out a sigh of relief. He thought he went overboard for a second. Pumpkin Cake broke the momentary silence, “Um, weren’t you in a hurry to go somewhere just before?” The panic he felt before returned.

“Crap! I am in a rush! Thanks again Pumpkin! I’ll see you later!” Sky scrambled to the door and ran off with the cupcakes under his wing. Pumpkin Cake waved to him as he left. She let out a soft sigh.

“And he’s gonna be one of the ponies protecting Equestria? Celestia save us all.” She teased as she went back to cleaning the empty bakery.

At the stadium, Crystal walked past two guards to enter the hallway leading to the luxury seats. As she walked by casually, one of the guards stopped in front of her.

“Oh, uh, excuse me.” She tried to get through, but the guard didn’t move.

“Sorry, miss. These seats are reserved for royalty.” The guard informed.

Crystal looked at him with confusion, “What? But I am,” She stopped mid sentence, figuring out why he’s stopping her. She continued, “Oh, I forgot I was wearing this thing.” She looked down at the hoodie she was wearing. Her horn began to glow with a light blue aura. The aura surrounded the hoodie and Crystal pulled the blue hoodie over her head. She folded the hoodie and levitated it next to her. Then she looked back to the guard and opened her now revealed wings. She grinned, “May I proceed now?” The guard’s face glowed red with embarrassment. He struggled to find his voice.

“W-wait, so you’re,” The guard was cut off by a familiar mare's voice behind him, “Yes, that is my niece, Amor Crystallum.” The guard turned to see a purple alicorn princess wearing her star shaped tiara in her graying, purple, striped hair. Crystal smiled ear to ear at the sight of the princess.

She ran to her and called out, “Auntie Twilight!” She hugged the purple alicorn closely. Twilight embraced her, “It’s good to see you, Amor Crystallum.” Crystal giggled and looked up at her aunt, “You know it’s just Crystal.” Twilight joined in the giggling, “I’m just teasing you. You and your mother get annoyed when I call you by your full names.”

The guards bowed to the two alicorns, “My deepest apologies, Princess Twilight, I was unaware that she was the relative you were expecting.” He said with a low, raspy, nervous voice.

“It’s quite alright, I should’ve told you she was coming in with a jacket on. As you were.” the guards nodded at her order and walked back to their posts. Twilight nudged Crystal, “This way, the race is going to start soon.” Crystal nodded and followed Twilight through the halls. Their hooves clicked on the ground, echoing through the halls.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I can’t wait until I get some new guards from the new recruits. Those guards are kinda dull, they never address me informally and never have friendly conversations.” Twilight mumble to her niece to break the silence.

Crystal looked up at her aunt, “I’m sorry I was late,” Twilight looked back at her with soothing eyes, “It’s alright, Crystal, you’re not completely late. They’ve only done introductions of the alumni so far. The race doesn’t start for another couple minutes.” Crystal let out a sigh of relief. They continued through the hall until they reached an opening on the left of the hall. They walked through the arched doorway into a booth. The sun shined bright with only a few clouds in the sky. The glare of Celestia’s sun blinded Crystal for a moment. She held up her hoof to shade her eyes so she could regain her vision. As her vision came back, she looked down at the light blue track, outlined by fluffy, white clouds. She looked around the stadium and was stunned by how many ponies were in the stands. She had no idea there were even this many ponies in Ponyville. She stared in awe, jaw hanging from her muzzle.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Twilight snapped Crystal back into reality. She nodded in response, making Twilight smile. Twilight looked back out into the stadium, “When you were just a small filly, this stadium wasn’t even here. There wasn’t even plans to build it yet, but one of my closest friends talked about how she never had any races in Ponyville because there was no place here for a Wonderbolts race. So I took a survey around Ponyville and it seemed almost everypony would enjoy a sports stadium here. It took so long to make, but we wanted it to be perfect.” Twilight's story intrigued Crystal.

“So is that why they are having an alumni race? So the wonderbolts that retired could have a race here?” Crystal asked.

Twilight shook her head, “No, there is an alumni race every year, however, it’s usually in Cloudsdale’s huge stadium. Rainbow Dash did everything in her power to get the race to be here. I’m so glad they decided to have the race here, it means so much to her. She worked so hard for this stadium and the Wonderbolts.” She answered with marvel. They both continued to gaze upon the size and beauty of the stadium.Twilight giggled to Crystal’s surprise, “Sorry, I just find it funny how Rainbow Dash was the one worried that they might not be able to fill the stadium, yet, I think everypony in Ponyville is here, and then some.”

Crystal nodded, “Yeah, I had a hard time asking ponies for directions because I couldn’t even find anypony,” They both shared a laugh before Twilight continued, “Did you end up finding anypony, or did you somehow find your way here on your own?” Twilight asked curiously.

“I ended up finding somepony selling apples.” Crystal answered, as Twilight let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank Celestia. I know it may seem weird, but I was hoping you wouldn’t find your way here on your own.” Twilight declared. Crystal tilted her head in curiosity. Twilight put her hoof on Crystal’s shoulder in reassurance, “Trust me, I wanted you to find your way here, I look forward to our time together. I just wanted you to maybe make a friend or two along the way.” Crystal still looked at her aunt with confusion.

“Why did you want me to make friends?” Crystal asked.

“Well, you only have one friend outside your family, and as the princess of friendship, that makes me sad. Plus, while you’re here to spend more time with me, we won’t be together every single day. I want you to enjoy everyday here, even when I’m not around.” Twilight explained, hoping Crystal would understand.

Crystal thought for a moment before responding, “I guess you’re right, the pony I met seemed nice.”

Her response made Twilight smile in glee. “That’s great! Do you remember who it was?” Twilight questioned her niece.

“I believe her name was Applebloom, she was yellow with a red mane and,” Crystal was cut off by her aunt, “Ooo, you met Applebloom? That’s wonderful! She’s the younger sister of one of my best friends, Applejack. So you’ll be seeing her sometimes with me.” Twilight realized that she just interrupted her niece rudely when Crystal looked a bit taken back by her inclusion in the discussion. Twilight grew an awkward, apologetic smile, “Sorry, I got carried away there.”

Crystal looked more relaxed as she reassured, “It’s ok, Auntie. I was going to ask if you knew her anyways. She seemed to almost recognize me.” Her reassurance made Twilight let out a sigh of relief. She gathered herself to continue, “I’m glad you met somepony, but did you meet anypony your age? Applebloom is sweet, but she’s a bit older than you.”

Crystal thought for a second before responding, “Well, there was one pony I do believe was about my age,” She recalled. Twilight urged her niece to continue, “Did you catch their name when you met?” She asked.

“Well, I wouldn’t say we had a ‘formal’ meeting.” Crystal started, getting a confused look from Twilight, “What do you mean?” She asked. Crystal continued, “Well, I was speaking to Applebloom when he kinda ran into me, literally.” she explained. Twilight let out a gasp, “Oh my, are you alright?” Twilight worried. Crystal put up her hoof and smiled, “Yes, I’m alright. I was just dazed afterwards. According to Applebloom, he was sprinting really fast, but luckily, I came out with only this bruise,” Crystal explained pointing to a purple spot in her white coat by her ribs. Twilight relaxed again knowing Crystal wasn’t severely hurt. Crystal continued, “After I got out of my daze, he helped me up and asked if I was alright. I barely answered before he took off again. He yelled something about being late to something.”

“Did you have time to see who it was?” Twilight questioned.

“Somewhat, he was a blue pegasus with a blue mane. I think I saw a yellow stripe down his mane, but I could be wrong. Applebloom told me his name, but I can’t remember it too well. I think it was.. Sky… Sky…” Crystal pondered his name, but Twilight stepped in, “Are you trying to think of Sky Knight?” She suggested.

Crystal nodded, “Yeah! That was his name, Sky Knight,” She proclaimed. Crystal saw her aunt look back down at the track.

“Then I know why he was in a rush.” Twilight claimed.

“You know who Sky Knight is?” Crystal asked.

Twilight nodded, “I’ve known him since he was a little colt. I was actually at the hospital when he was born.” She started, Crystal listened intently, “He’s the son of Rainbow Dash, so I know him very well, and it’s very impressive if he slammed into you at full speed and you didn’t split in half.” Crystal gasped, Is that why I felt like I should’ve known him? Maybe we met before we could talk or something, She thought to herself.

“So he was in a rush to get here, then? But, he was going the opposite direction.” Crystal explained, still unsure of Sky Knight’s intentions.

“Well, Rainbow mentioned that after the race, there’s gonna be a reunion party, and she was in charge of getting the main dessert. So Rainbow Dash, being her lazy self, had her son get it for her.” Twilight explained.

Crystal began to understand, “Oh, so he must have been late picking up the dessert and was rushing to be on time. That makes sense.”

Twilight nodded, “Yes, and from where you met Applebloom at the apple stand, Sugarcube Corner would be in the direction you say he was heading,” She explained. Crystal perked her head up as she remembered something.

“Wait, that reminds me, Applebloom gave me a couple apples for.. Oh” She picked up her folded up hoodie with her magic. The light surrounding the hoodie began to unfold it, revealing a moist spot in the pocket of the hoodie. A yellow tinted liquid dripped from the spot.Crystal put her hoof up to her face in disbelief as she pulled out a soaked bag from her pocket.

“Oh my Celestia, I forgot I had those in my pocket. I must’ve crushed them when I folded my hoodie.” Crystal whinned in disbelief. Twilight smirked a bit, trying not to laugh. Crystal sighed, “Now my hoodie is soaked. I’m sorry Auntie Twilight, I should have been more careful.” Crystal Apologized groaning in disappointment.

Twilight giggled, “Crystal, it’s ok, it was a simple mistake. It’s not as if you cast a spell that switched around your friends cutie marks.” Twilight assured, hoping she could lift Crystal’s spirits.

Crystal perked her head up, “Wait, what?” Crystal had no idea what Twilight meant by that. She was about to ask what Twilight meant by that, but Twilight continued, “It’s a long story for another time. The race is going to start soon, let’s watch.” They both turned their eyes to the track, where the racers were starting to line up at the start line.

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the stadium, Sky fumbled for his ticket that his mother gave him. Almost dropping it multiple times, he showed it to the usher. The usher nodded and opened the gate. Immediately, Sky rushed through the entrance and wrapped around the inside of the stadium, looking for the section he was assigned to. His trotting hoofsteps echoed through the empty halls of the stadium. He heard the crowd start to cheer loudly, along with the announcer coming onto the intercom. Sky couldn’t make out what she was saying, but he figured that she was announcing the start of the race. Crap! I hope I’m not too late. As he ran around the curve of the stadium, a white unicorn came into view. Sky was able to identify him just by the unicorns thick, pointy blue mane.

“Yo, Blue!” Sky called out the the white unicorn.

“There you are, Sky! You missed the introduction of the alumni!” The white unicorn informed.

“Crap! Well, let’s get in there so we don’t miss the actual race,” Sky suggested. Blue nodded, and they both sprinted for the stairs leading up to their seats. They trotted up two levels before spotting the rest of their friends. At this point, everypony was standing on their hooves and cheering for the racers. The duo ran up to their friends, when a purple unicorn with a blue, striped mane spotted them.

“There you are! We were worried you’d be late.” The purple unicorn called out. Sky Knight and Blue Wrench started to walk through the group to their seats.

“Yea, I was, too. But I promised my mom I’d get these.” He defended as he squeezed by a green pegasus with a yellow, spiked back mane with a darker yellow bolt down the middle.

“See, Violet, I’m not the only one who forgets things.” The green pegasus said to the purple unicorn.

“Yes, but you forget things way more often, Volt,” Violet Strike pointed out.

“Yea, and I asked you to remind me to get these, yet it was Puzzle that reminded me. You forgot along with me.” Sky declared, making Volt Speed grumble. Blue Wrench sat next to the green pegasus and Sky sat in between Blue and a yellow pegasus with a blue mane, who sat next to a light gray pegasus who had a dark violet mane with pink highlights. The yellow pegasus looked over at the box Sky was holding curiously.

“What’s with the cupcakes anyways? Can we have some?” The yellow pony asked, almost drooling in anticipation.

Sky let out a sigh, “No you can’t, Prime, they’re for the wonderbolt alumni. They’re having a post race reunion party.” He explained, getting puppy eyes from Prime. “Pweeze? Just one?” Sky moved the box to his wing that was away from her. “No, sorry, but these are for the alumni, not us.” Prime dropped her ears and looked down in disappointment. Sky rolled his eyes and was about to look down at the track when he felt the lid of the box open. He looked down at the box to see one of the cupcakes starting to levitate with a blue aura of magic surrounding it. He quickly shut the lid with his hoof before the cupcake got out of the box.

He jerked his head up and narrowed his eyes at his friend, “No, bad Blue! No cupcakes, especially for you.” He scolded the unicorn.

Blue Wrench stomped the ground, “Dang it, so close.” He mumbled to himself. Sky let out a sigh of agitation before hearing a soft voice come from the other side of Primary Shades.

“Guys, stop bickering, the race is starting.” The gray pegasus informed the group of friends.

“Thank you, Puzzle,” Violet thanked. The group all looked down at the track where 10 pegasi in blue and yellow, tight uniforms were in a ready stance at the start line. Sky scanned the line for his parents until he found a light blue mare with a rainbow mane next to a darker blue pony with a navy blue mane. The buzzer went off and the ponies quickly jumped off the line and started flying around the track. Sky jumped at the sound and lost track of his parents. The stadium erupted in cheers for the race. Sky regained his focus and scanned the pack of flier for his parents. Flying around the first corner, Rainbow Dash trailed a yellow pony with an orange, flowed back mane. They were neck and neck going into the second straight away, The fans cheering even louder. As the racers approached the next turn, the blue stallion flew around the the outside of the two mares as they fought for first. They flew around the corner and came up to the start line. Lap one of ten was finished and the excitement around the stadium grew tenfold. The three leaders were only separated by a hair and Sky couldn’t tell if he was excited or nervous. It might have been both.

Sky jumped up and flapped his wings, “Let’s go Mom! Let’s go Dad!” he cheered as loud as he could, almost making Prime jump next to him. All of his friends decided to get into the cheering spirit as well.

“Yea! Go Sky’s parents!” Violet cheered, shining her horn in excitement.

“You two can do it!” Prime and Puzzle cheered simultaneously.

“Kick some plot you two!” Blue Wrench yelled, pumping his hoof in the air, making Violet roll her eyes.

“Go Sky’s Mom, go!” Volt yelled, getting a glare from Sky.

“Why just my mom? We want my dad to do well, too.” Sky questioned his friend.

“Well, I’m cheering for your mom because she’s pretty hot in my opinion, and if I cheered for your pops, that’d kinda be gay.” Volt responded confidently. Prime rolled her eyes at Volt while Puzzle facehooved. Sky looked at Volt with an unamused stare.

Sky looked over at Violet, “I can’t reach him, if you could,” he started.

“My pleasure,” Violet responded as she lifted her hoof. She swung it to backhoof Volt in the side of his head. His head jerked to the side, the pain prompting him to hold his hoof to the point of contact.

“Ow! What was that for?” Volt asked as he rubbed a growing bump on his head.

“You know exactly what it was for, dolt!” Violet asserted. Prime giggled Violets insult while Sky rolled his eyes and looked back at the race, where it was now lap three and Rainbow Dash, Spitfire and Soarin were still only hairs apart.

Meanwhile, in the luxury seats above the start/finish line, Twilight watched intimately while Crystal casually sat back in her chair, casually watching. She began to space out and thought back to the moment she met Sky, It was brief, but she felt like she needed to see him again. He felt so familiar to her, but she couldn’t put her hoof on why. She stayed deep in her thought until her focus was snapped.

She felt a tapping on her shoulder, “Crystal, aren’t you watching?” She came out of her deep thoughts and looked to see her Aunt looking back at her with concern.

“Oh, y-yea. I was just… thinking about some things,” Crystal responded with an awkward giggle.

“Well, the race is already almost halfway over, so help me cheer on Rainbow Dash.” Twilight encouraged. Crystal sat up next to her Aunt and looked down at the track. She tried to watch, but her eyes were having trouble keeping up with the racers.

She tapped Twilight on the shoulder, “So, um, which one is Rainbow Dash?” She asked with an awkward smile. She hadn’t seen Rainbow Dash since she was a little filly, so she couldn’t remember what she looked like.

Twilight kept her eyes on the race, “Just pay attention to the race, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Twilight responded with tutoring manner. Crystal followed her advice and looked at the pack. They finished turning around the last corner and flew right underneath the alicorns seats. Crystal noticed a rainbow trail that stood out from all the rest. Her eyes followed the trail to the pony creating said trail, finding a pony with a rainbow mane in the front of the pack. Crystal had a lightbulb go off in her head as she let out a gasp of realization, letting Twilight know her niece knew who to cheer for.

Three more laps had gone by, the three Wonderbolts continued to challenge each other as they broke further away from the rest of the pack. Spitfire had the slightest lead on Rainbow Dash, who in turn had a slight advantage on Soarin. They rounded the final turn and sped up to full speed on the straightaway. As they crossed the start/finish line, on the scoreboard above the stands across from Sky Knight and his friends appeared a message filling the entire screen saying, ‘Final Lap’ in large text with a white flag waving behind the font. The three leaders flew around the first turn at high speed, still neck and neck and neck.

“Holy cow, this race is very close. Who do you think will win?” Puzzle asked, looking over at the rest of the group. Everypony took a moment to think, watching as the leaders went into turn two.

Violet scratched her head, “I have no idea, it’s so close. What do you think, Sky?” She asked, looking at the blue pegasus. He had been sitting there with a grin since Puzzle asked who would win.

“My mom first, Spitfire second, and Dad third. That’s how it’s gonna end.” He confidently replied. Everyone looked at Sky in awe.

“Well that was abrupt.” Volt put in.

“Yeah, what makes you so confident in that scenario?” Prime asked the blue pegasus, glancing back at the race.

“Just watch, you’ll see.” Sky kept his eyes on the race the entire time, watching as Spitfire came to the third turn just barely ahead of Rainbow Dash and Soarin. Rainbow started to gain some ground on Spitfire coming around the turn as Soarin started to lag behind the mares. They finished off the final turn and burst into full speed coming to the finish line. Soarin fell further behind the two leaders while Spitfire remained just ahead of Rainbow Dash. The finish line was just mere seconds away, Rainbow was still behind by a split second, first place was just in sight. Sky remembered how determined his mom was to beat the alumni record. It would give her the record for most records as well as best alumni time. Sky watched as Rainbow Dash suddenly became even with the former captain and with a burst of speed, crossed the finish line just a nose ahead of Spitfire. The scoreboard lit up with a checkered flag animation. Everyone in the crowd seemed to jump up in sync, erupting in cheers as Rainbow Dash’s picture came up in front of the checkered flag with the word, ‘Winner’, written underneath her portrait. Sky and his friends joined in the cheering as the three leaders came to a halt ahead of the finish line, veering off to the center of the track. Rainbow and Spitfire landed next to each other, taking their goggles and masks at the same time. Spitfire hugged Rainbow Dash in congradulations. She returned the hug as the rest of the racers crossed the finish line. They held a small conversation in the hug, talking about the record, Sky assumed. Soarin floated over to the mares, causing them to end their hug. Soarin said something to get them to look at the scoreboard, which now said that the times were being processed. The announcer came onto the intercom once again.

“The official times are in! In third place, with a time of 12:19.97, Soarin!” The crowd cheered loudly as Soarin’s picture came up on the scoreboard with his time below his name. He stepped over to the podium in the center of the track, climbing to the third place platform. He stood tall and waved to the crowd with a smile.

“Second place, with a time of 12:04.03, Spitfire!” The crowd cheered louder for the former captain as she climbed up to the second place platform on the podium. She waved to the crowd, smiling modestly as ponies chanted her name, including Rainbow Dash, who stood next to the former captain, waiting for her name to be called.

“And first place, Rainbow Dash!” Everypony cheered even louder as she climbed to the top of the podium. The announcer continued, “With a time of..” She paused for a moment, causing the stadium to be almost completely silent in anticipation, eager to see if she broke the record. Up in the luxury seats, Crystal could feel the tension coming from the crowd. She didn’t understand sports much, but she could tell this was a very important moment just from the way Twilight was biting her hoof. Everypony looked at the scoreboard, waiting for the time to be announced below Rainbow Dash’s name. Sky Knight felt his stomach turning over and over, he was so nervous. Spitfire’s time was close, but his mom barely beat her. Thee announcer continued, “12:03…” she paused again for dramatic effect. Sky Knight held his breath along with his mom and the rest of the stadium, “.83! Beating the previous record of 12:03.86!” The crowd erupted in cheer, louder than they had the entire afternoon. Sky Knight jumped out of his seat and hovered above his friends at the same time his mother jumped up and hovered above the podium. They simultaneously did backflips and punched their hoof in the air. Sky Knight looked back down at his mom and put his front hooves around his mouth as he continued to hover.

“WAY TO GO MOM!” He yelled at the top of his lungs. Rainbow Dash looked up to the stands and scanned the crowd for a moment before spotting the hovering Sky Knight. She smiled triumphantly and pointed her hoof at her son as if she were asking for a hoof bump. Sky pointed back at her in reply, smiling proudly. They stayed locked in their staring for a few moments before Rainbow Dash broke the lock and fell back down to the podium and waved to the rest of the crowd. Sky Knight floated back down to his seat and continued to cheer along with the rest of the stadium.

A guard walked out onto the track with a pillow holding three medals, a bronze, a silver, and a gold. He crossed the track and started toward the podium. Then, Twilight stood up and opened her wings. She looked at her niece, whom looked back at her with curiosity.

“Alright, I’m up. I’ll be back in a moment.” Twilight said right before jumping off the ledge and started flying down to the center of the stadium. Crystal stuck her hoof out about to call her aunt back. She resisted and slumped back into her seat, not wanting to be alone again. As Twilight flew down, the announcer came back onto the intercom to announce her presence.

“And here is Princess Twilight Sparkle to present the medals to the top three finishers.” She landed gracefully next to the podium as cheers erupted again for her. She did her princess wave as she walked over to the guard carrying the medals. They walked side by side to the podium, stopping in front of Soarin first. Twilight used her magic to levitate the bronze medal. Soarin bowed his head to let Twilight put the medal around his neck. The cloth of the necklace brushed along his mane, making it look like his mane had a wave like the ocean. The magical aura around the medal disappeared and the medals full weight dropped onto Soarin's neck. As it dangled back and forth, Soarin lifted his head back up, looked at Twilight and nodded in thanks. Twilight nodded back and congratulated the blue pegasus. She continued past Rainbow Dash and stopped in front of the yellow-orange pegasus. Twilight levitated the silver medal with her purple, magical aura. Spitfire imitated the actions Soarin took just before and let the friendship princess lift the silver medal above her head and onto her neck. The princess released her magical grasp on the medal and let it dangle from the neck of the former captain. They exchanged nods, Twilight congratulated the runner up and continued on. Finally, she stopped in front of her long time friend and smiled with glee. She lifted the gold, first place medal from the pillow. Rainbow bowed her head to allow Twilight to hover the ribbon over her rainbow mane and around her neck. Twilight released her levitation and the aura around the gold medal dissipated, letting the gold medal dangle off of Rainbow Dash’s neck. The winner lifted her head back up and looked at Twilight with a huge smile. Twilight could do nothing but smile back. Both were so thrilled with the result, they barely held back squeals of joy to maintain professionalism. Twilight professionally congratulated her friend on her accomplishment. Rainbow nodded in reply, letting Twilight turn around and walk up to a microphone that had just been brought out. She tapped the microphone to make sure it was on before speaking.

“I present to you, the winners of the Wonderbolts alumni race!” She announced as she lifted her hoof to point to the ponies on the podium. The crowd responded with another round of cheering. The top three finishers continued waving to the crowd. Twilight waited a moment to let the wonderbolts shower in the chants of their names.

She then continued, “I’m very excited that you are all here to witness the first ever wonderbolts event in our brand new stadium here in Ponyville.” She paused after cheers slightly picked up again, “This is a huge milestone for the town, and it means a lot to me and all of those ponies involved in getting this stadium built,” Twilight glanced back at her rainbow maned friend, who let a light blush pop up. Twilight smiled and continued, “I hope you all enjoyed that race as much as I did, and I hope you’re even more excited for the main event, the current Wonderbolts will take the track in a few moments. So get ready for even more fun!” Twilight stepped away from the microphone and let the announcer take over.

“Once again, a big round of applause for Princess Twilight Sparkle!” The stadium followed the announcers request and cheered for the purple princess. Twilight waved to the crowd for a second, then proceeded to the tunnel past the track along with the guard that carried the medals. As they walked away, Rainbow Dash, Spitfire and Soarin began climbing off the podium as the announcer continued, “We will now take a short, 15 minute intermission to set up for the main event. We appreciate your patience.” The cheers died down and turned to normal conversation as the stadium crew began to set up the track for the next race. Sky Knight looked around to see ponies start to file into the isles and go into the halls to either go get something from the concession stand or go to the bathroom.

“Crap, I should get these down to the party before the halls get too crowded.” Sky said as he grabbed the cupcakes with urgency. He flew above his friends and landed on the stairs.

“I’ll come with, just in case you need someone to clear a path for you.” Volt Speed called out as he jumped into the aisle next to Sky. Violet then stepped out into the aisle in front of Volt, “Then I guess I’ll go too, just to make sure Volt doesn’t ‘clear a path’ by shoving a kid over or something.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t do that!” Volt said, half heartedly offended by her statement. Violet rolled her eyes at Volt.

Sky Knight sighed, “Anypony else want to make this group larger than it needs to be.” Sky looked over the rest of his friends, who all shook their heads.

“I’ll send Vi a message if they start anything before you guys get back.” Blue informed, getting a nod from Sky.

“Alright, let’s go.” He said before heading down the stairs with pace, Volt and Violet following close behind.

Up in the luxury seats, Crystal watched as her aunt disappeared from her sight as she walked into the tunnel. Crystal sighed and began watching as ponies either talked with their neighbors or walked into the halls. I hope she gets back soon, she thought as she stayed slumped in her seat, starting to go deep into thought.

“Miss me?” Crystal let out a small shriek as she almost fell out of her seat. She gathered herself and turned to see her purple aunt standing behind the chair, smiling. Twilight walked over to help her niece collect herself, “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you like that.”

“How did you get up here so quickly?” Crystal asked.

“Teleportation, what else would I use to get here this quickly?” Twilight responded, making Crystal both curious and amazed.

“You teleported up here from all the way down there? I didn’t think teleportation had that much range.” Crystal said with amazement.

Twilight first responded with a slight giggle of pride, then continued, “For most unicorns, that’s true, but remember, alicorns contain more magical power than a normal unicorn.” Crystal was acknowledged that she understood that part with a nod, “After a lot of training over the years, I’ve increased my range so that it is only bested by the royal sisters.” Crystal looked at her aunt in amazement.

“That’s really cool! Do you think you could help me get better at teleporting? I’m only as good as normal unicorns at the moment.” Crystal requested, admiring her aunts talents.

“Will it interfere with how your mother is mentoring you?” Twilight wanted to be sure she wasn’t doing something that her sister in-law didn’t want to happen.

Crystal shook her head, “No, My mom has just been teaching me crystal magic and other magic needed as a future princess. If I keep practicing that as well, I should be fine.” Crystal assured, hoping her aunt was willing to teach her.

“Well then, of course I’ll help you with teleportation! I think that’ll be a really fun way to spend time together.” Twilight confirmed her willingness to help her niece. Crystal smiled with glee and hugged Twilight.

“Thank you so much, Auntie! I won’t let you down!” Crystal said.

Twilight hugged her niece back, “I don’t doubt it. I know you’ll do great.” They separated from each other and Twilight turned to the exit. “Alright, come with me. We’re going to go see Rainbow Dash at the alumni’s party. She’ll be thrilled to see you.” Crystal nodded and followed her aunt out of the luxury seats with a hop in her step. She was even more excited for her stay with Twilight over the summer than she was when she arrived in Ponyville. This is going to be so much fun! I hope this trip continues to be this eventful! Crystal thought as the two alicorns continued down the hall side by side.

Chapter 2

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Chapter 3

Sky sprinted after his friends up the stairs of the stadium. The two other ponies that went with him to drop off the cupcakes were just a few steps ahead. They could hear the chatter of a restless crowd coming from the end of the tunnel. Violet was panting from all the sprinting the trio had just done, going back and forth around the large stadium. Once they finally reached the end of the first flight of stairs, They could see the track where Wonderbolts were warming up. The trio of friends weren’t late for the announcements, causing Sky to flood with relief. They took a one eighty turn and sprinted up the aisle of the stands. As they ran to their seats, Sky turned his head to look at the course to see what was happening. The trio finally made it to the row their other friends were sitting in and started to file into their respective seats.

“Finally, I thought you were gonna miss Flit’s announcement, too.” Blue Wrench mocked, looking at Sky as he squeezed by the white unicorn.

“Yeah, I’m not missing another introduction today.” Sky replied as he sat next to the white unicorn and tan pegasus.

“So what took you guys so long? All you had to do was drop off some cupcakes.” Prime asked the trio of ponies that had just sat down.

“We got distracted by a shiny object.” Volt replied in a sarcastic tone, looking at the pegasus, getting an eye roll from her, Sky and Violet.

“Twilight had to let us in because I never got my pass. We got in a conversation with her and some others and lost track of time.” Sky half explained. Violet was about to say something, however, Volt Speed beat her to it.

“Wait, why didn’t you mention C-”

Sky cut off the green pegasus, “You know why, besides, the announcements are starting any moment now. I’ll explain later.” The other three ponies didn’t question why Sky was hiding a part of the events that unfolded while he was away for two reasons. One, they knew he always had a reason to do it. Two, even if they wanted to, Sky was correct. The announcements began just seconds after he cut himself off.

The sound of the loud, amplified voice of the announcer echoed across the stadium, “Ladies and gentlecolts, Please help us welcome the Wonderbolts!” The stadium erupted in cheers for the fast flyers. Whistles and chants almost drowned out the announcer, but the sounds of the crowd died down enough for the announcer so her voice could still be heard. “Starting in the outside lane, we have Nighthawk,”

A very dark blue wonderbolt standing in front of the start line, nearest to the wall, waved to the crowd, getting many cheers from around the stadium, including screams of admiration from mares and fillies, including a certain purple unicorn. Violet squealed as she jumped up and down like a little filly.

“Do the hair flip!” She screamed, causing Volt Speed to cover his ears and cringe at her.

“Dear Celestia, what is with you chicks. How does he get all the ladies but sexy ole Volt here can’t get ‘em?” He was ignored by the squealing unicorn whom was too busy staring at the pegasus. Blue Wrench shrugged in reply, and Sky rolled his eyes at Violet, and not Volt for once.

“I don’t see the appeal, but you’ll see why in a bit.” The blue pegasus informed his curious friends.

Violet stopped her jumping and squealing when the announcer continued, “Next, we have Phantom Wing,” The pony standing next to Nighthawk was a light gray pegasus with a blue mane. She waved to the crowed just as Nighthawk previously did and received just as many cheers from fans in the stands, without the ear piercing screeching of fangirls. Sky and his friends politely cheered along with the crowd out of respect. Their moment of uncontrolled cheers was soon to come. When the crowd became quiet enough, the announcer continued, “Then we have Orville Flight, next to his twin brother, Wilbur Flight.” Two white pegasi with black, well groomed, matching simultaneously stepped forward and waved to the crowd. No pony could tell the two apart if not for one of them, Orville, having a mustache. The twins stepped back as the announcer continued announcing the rest of the lineup. “Next we have a newcomer to the wonderbolts.”

In the luxury seats, Twilight and Crystal had appeared just before the announcements started. They, like Sky and his friends, had been politely clapping for the Wonderbolts as they were announced. When the mare on the intercom said she was announcing the newcomer, Twilight became a little more excited. She tapped her niece’s shoulder. “Ooo, here’s Sky’s friend,” She said with delight. Crystal looked closely at the pegasus that was standing next to the twins. She was gray with a navy blue, combed back mane that was a dimmer blue on top. Something seemed off to Crystal. The pegasus she was looking at seemed to stand out from the rest of the group. She inspected the pony, and couldn’t figure it out until she took a closer look at her wings. Crystal’s jaw dropped, Sky Knight’s friend stood out from the other pegusi because she wasn’t a pegasus at all.

“Please give a warm welcome to Flitter Rose, the Wonderbolts first ever bat pony!” The stadium erupted with ear piercing cheers and chants. It seemed she was receiving the most recognition out of the previously announced Wonderbolts as she stepped forward and waved to the crowd, slightly blushing, humbled by the support from the crowd. Adding to the cheers were Sky and his friends. They cheered even more than they did for Rainbow Dash when she raced. Their excitement and enthusiasm was clear as they chanted their friend’s name. Despite how loud the rest of the stadium was, if somepony was sitting within two sections of them, you could pick them all out individually they were so loud. Flitter Rose stepped back, however, that didn’t stop the roar of the crowd. It barely died down, slightly due to the fact that her friends didn’t quiet down at all. Their noise stayed consistently loud for as long as they could. The announcer could barely be heard as she tried to calm the stadium down enough to continue saying the names of the rest of the Wonderbolts. “As great as it is that we have a clear fan favorite for today's race, there are still other ponies that must be announced.” The words of the mare on the intercom seemed to only put a dent in the noise level of the stadium. After a few more seconds, the stadium became quiet enough for her to be clearly heard. However, Sky’s friends continued their chants of their friends name. Sky Knight, however, stopped chanting when he heard that the rest f the Wonderbolts had to be announced. He had a lot of respect for the two Wonderbolts left. His respect outweighed his pride for his friend so he extended his wings in an attempt to quiet his friends down.

“Guys, let them announce the others.” Sky scolded his friends with a serious look on his face. They all followed his order, despite a few frowns of protest.

“Thank you,” The announcer continued, her voice echoing around the packed stands, “Next we have Lieutenant Rarejolt!” A red pegasus with a gray mane stepped forward, waving to the crowd. He didn’t receive as much noise as Flitter Rose did, but it was greater than the others before them. He didn’t wave for too long. He stepped back sooner than the others. It was due to a mix of him being humble and not liking the spotlight on him for too long and from respect for the last pony to be announced. Despite Rarejolt’s shortened introduction, the announcer mare did not miss a beat as she continued, “And last, but certainly not least, the leader of the Wonderbolts, Captain Hap Star!” The cheers exceeded the noise levels of Rarejolt’s introduction, however it was still no match for the ear piercing volume of the cheers for Flitter Rose. While Sky Knight was clapping out of respect for the captain, he was holding in the excitement of his friend being the clear fan favorite to win, which is difficult to do with the line up the Wonderbolts had. The Dark blue pony with a darker blue, but slightly graying mane stepped forward and did the standard wave. Sky Knight stood up and continued clapping for the ageing Wonderbolt. After a moment, more ponies in the crowd stood up, giving the captain a standing ovation. He stepped back into the starting line and nodded his head in response to the large amount of respect coming from the crowd. The standing ponies began to sit back down, Sky being the last to take his seat again. He glanced over his friends with an apologetic expression on his face.

“Sorry I snapped at you guys. It’s just, Captain Hap Star is a good friend of my mom’s, and he’s retiring in a few weeks. This is his second last race.” Most of his friends understood and forgave Sky, while Volt claimed Flitter was still cooler. Violet had to try very hard not to smack the arrogant, green pegasus. Sky ignored the comment and watched as the Wonderbolts did their final preparations for the race.

Up in the luxury seats, Twilight was giving a similar explanation to her niece, whom was curious as to why he was getting a standing ovation and not anypony else. “He joined the Wonderbolts shortly after Rainbow did. I, along with Rainbow were surprised he’s managed to keep going all this time. We’re just a little older than him after all.” Her explanation bringing light to Crystal. She didn’t want to say it out loud, but her aunt was getting a little older, and the fact that he was almost to her age and still raced with the current Wonderbolts amazed the white alicorn. The two relatives watched as the racers got into their ready stances on the start line. The twins hoof bumped and faced forward, Nighthawk shook his black mane, the small, glittery spots on his mane looking like shooting stars when they moved. Crystal was amazed by what the blue pegasus’ mane was doing. No wonder mares were screaming for him. Speaking of screams, many mares did that as his mane went from side to side. Nearly becoming mesmerized by the beautiful mane, she shook her head to try to rid herself of the distraction. She noticed Phantom Wing was already in her ready stance, as if she had no more preparations to do. The Flight brothers shook hooves in gentlecolt fashion and walked up to the line simultaneously, getting into their starting stances, and to nopony’s surprise, they were the same. The wonderbolts captain took a deep breath before he stepped up to the start line. Flitter Rose hesitated to step up to the start line. She lifted her hoof to move, but couldn't take the step, nerves were getting to her. Crystal became immobile as her gaze could not move from the nervous bat pony. If there was one thing Crystal hated, it was to see ponies hesitate out of nervousness. It was a pet peeve picked up from a mother who used to help ponies fall in love. She watched as Flitter Rose continued to stand there, frozen in place. Like an answer to Crystals prayers, a hoof fell onto Flitter Rose’s shoulder. She looked over to the lieutenant who gave her a comforting gaze. Crystal couldn’t make out what he said, but it seemed to help Flitter regain her composure. Her and Rarejolt stepped up to the line simultaneously, both getting into their ready positions. Crystal sat back and relaxed, relieved Flitter Rose settled down.

Down in the regular seats, unbenounced to Crystal, Sky was doing the same thing, worrying about Flit’s hesitation and relaxing when Rarejolt calmed her down. After the two settled into their ready positions, everyone was ready to race. The crowd sat at the edge of their seats with anticipation, waiting for the buzzer to start the race. Sky and his friends were not excluded from this phenomenon. Prime and Puzzle covered their ears, as the buzzer from the previous race scared them nearly to death. Violet, Volt and Sky stared at the pegusi in their tight, blue and yellow uniforms, Sky and Volt focusing on Flitter Rose while Violet Strike switched her focus back and forth from her friend and the handsome, dark blue wonderbolt. She was waiting for the race to start so she could see the sparkling cloud trail he left.

Blue Wrench looked over at the blue pony to his left with a scowling expression on his face. “You’re not going to try and coach her like you did with every other race, are you?”

Sky twitched his ear, “What?” He replied, rolling his eyes away from the white unicorn, “Of course not, why would you think that?” Sky asked with an uneasy laugh.

Blue Wrench raised his eyebrows and lowered his eyelid, “Because It was obvious how hard you were trying not to last race.” Everyone nodded in agreement while Sky sighed in defeat.

“Yea, dude. I could see a vein popping in your neck! It was hilarious!” Volt taunted, bursting out in laughter. He leaned his back into Violet during his fit of laughter. She lifted her hoof and clenched it like she was crushing a rock.

“And I will pop your veins if you don’t get off.” She growled. Volt immediately stopped laughing and sat up in his chair. He stared at her with annoyance.

“You know, you sh-” He was cut off by the ear piercing sound of the buzzer. As it echoed through the stadium and Volt jumped out of his seat and fell on his face, the Wonderbolts disappeared from the starting line. The pack stayed tightly together as they neared the first corner within a few seconds. As Volt tried to recover from his fall, face red from embarrassment, Violet could not hide her smirk as it turned into a wide smile of amusement. Volt grumbled as he got back into his seat and began watching the race. Sky watched intimately, keeping his eyes on his friend. She was in the middle of the pack, barely getting any room to move. Sky knew what she had to do coming out of the second turn. He opened his mouth to yell like a coach on the sidelines, but he bit his tongue, hard. He glanced over at the white unicorn next to him, who was fixated on the race.

“I can’t make any promises with this race.” Sky admitted. He turned back to the race when Blue’s face flushed with unamusement.

“Of course not,” Blue sighed. The first lap of the race had finished with Rarejolt crossing first, followed by Phantom Wing, then the captain closely behind. If he were just a few years younger, he’d be in front of the pack, but his age was holding him back, and it was obvious. Behind Hap, the flight brothers were neck and neck crossing the line. Flitter Rose was right behind them, unable to fly by as they took up the two inner lanes. If she tried going on the outside, Nighthawk would easily overtake her and she'd be dead last, and Sky and Flitter knew it. They entered the second turn of the lap, Hap had overtaken Phantom Wing and she took the outside lane. This allowed the Flight brothers to both squeeze through to overtake her. As they flew by, Phantom had to swerve out a little more so they didn’t clip wings. This was Flitter Rose’s opportunity to pass the light gray pegasus. She had to do it before the turn was over though, and she wasn’t advancing.

Sky bit his tongue as hard as he could, not wanting to be that guy, but he couldn’t resist being that guy enough, “Flit, do it now!” He screamed at the top of his lungs. Blue Wrench groaned in disappointment. He gave Sky a nasty look, however, Sky just ignored him. He kept his eyes on the race.

Flitter Rose hesitated for too long. She tried to pass Phantom Wing, but it was too late. They entered the straightaway and Phantom went to the inside in front of Flitter Rose. Sky stomped his hoof in annoyance and silently cursed. Because she was hesitant to speed up on the turn, Nighthawk had gained ground on the bat pony and was almost side by side with Flitter Rose. He crept closer and closer until they were neck and neck. He was able to speed up due to nopony being directly in front of him, but Flitter Rose had Phantom right in front of her, allowing Nighthawk to make the pass. As they neared turn three, Nighthawk was closer to passing Phantom Wing than Flitter was to passing Nighthawk. However, if she could keep him in the outside lane, she could retake sixth place and hold it.

“Get as close as you can to Phantom! C’mon!” Sky yelled, half encouraging her, half coaching her. He knew she couldn’t hear him, but he yelled anyways. Sky slumped in his seat as his friend held back and allowed Nighthawk to drop inside. Flitter Rose was in last place beginning the third lap. Sky became very nervous for his friend. There are only five laps left, and she had a whole lot of catching up to do.

After two laps of chasing the pack, an opportunity arose for the bat pony. One that she finally took. Orville Flight had dropped back to sixth and was directly in front of Flitter Rose. He must have been going too fast and nearly collided with Phantom Wing in front of him. He swerved to the outside lane to avoid causing an accident. This was Flit’s moment. Before Sky could even yell anything, she advanced into the lane Orville created and kept him on the outside going into the third turn. Sky and his friends cheered as she held off the Flight brother and retook sixth. Sky’s confidence in Flitter Rose shot up again. If she can just keep flying like she is right now, she’ll get at least third. Sky thought as he watched his friend try to move in on Phantom Wing.

After moments of intense racing, Flitter Rose passed Wilbur Flight to claim the fourth position as they exited the last turn. When Rarejolt crossed the line first, the jumbo screen lit up with text reading ‘Final Lap’, with a white flag making up the background. Just behind the leader was the captain, Hap Star. When they started into the first turn, Sky realized something amazing.

“Oh my Celestia,” Sky muttered as his jaw fell to the floor. Puzzle Key looked over at Sky with a curious look.

“What is it, Sky?” She questioned, getting everyone to glance at Sky Knight, who had to close his jaw.

“I just remembered, Captain Hap Star has never finished below a podium spot in his career, even when he raced with my mother.” Sky’s answer didn’t build anyone’s confidence in their friends chances. Sky could tell by their body language that his friends had started to settle for their friend finishing in fourth. He would not sit down with them.

Sky jumped up and pumped his hoof in the air, “Keep pushing, Flit! Don’t settle!” Sky shouted words of encouragement, hoping the bat pony wouldn’t just settle for fourth. That’s not what his mother taught them. He remembered back to when Rainbow Dash would train them together.

“Nice going, Sky! Two minutes and thirty seconds.” The little, blue pegasus panted as he walked over to his mother. He turned around and stood next to her as a gray bat pony landed where Sky Knight had just landed a few seconds earlier. She came to a screeching halt and was breathing heavily, wings drooping to the ground. Rainbow Dash looked at the stop watch, “Two minutes and forty three seconds. Good job, Flit.” The bat pony was able to crack a smile through her panting. Her legs began to wobble from exhaustion. She took one step toward the mother and son, but collapsed before she could plant her hoof. Lucky for her, Sky noticed her spaghetti legs and rushed over to hold her up.

“Huff.. thanks, Sky.” She said as she put her wing around him to gain some extra support.

“No problem. You did awesome back there.” Sky replied, walking her over to Rainbow Dash.

“I guess, but I still can’t beat you.” They reached Rainbow Dash who was holding two water bottles with her wings. She handed them to the kids who nearly chugged the entire bottle in seconds. Rainbow Dash looked over to the bat pony and smiled with confidence.

“You did awesome, Flitter Rose. Your time has improved a lot over the past few months. You even beat your time last week by five whole seconds!” Rainbow complimented. Flitter Rose’s face lit up with pride. She smiled widely and energy flooded back into her eyes. The cyan blue pony then looked at her son, but not with the same confidence as she did with his friend. She seemed more concerned for him than prideful. Rainbow continued, “Is your wing bothering you or something? You should tell me if it is.” Sky became confused by her question. He looked down at his wing and stretched it out.

“No, my wings are fine, why?” He questioned, not understanding why his mother would ask such a question.

“Then why hasn’t your time improved much the past few weeks? You only improved one second in the past three weeks. So what’s up?” Sky thought for a moment, trying to find the right words to explain.

“Well, I guess since I know I’m not going to be a Wonderbolt now, I haven’t tried to improve my speed much lately.” Sky could tell this wasn’t the answer his mother was hoping for. She frowned and looked sternly at her son.

“So, you’ve settled for your current speed, right?” She asked in disappointment.

Sky looked at the ground and answered, “Well, when you put it that way,” Sky didn’t bother finishing his sentence. He new his mother's response would be the same either way.

Rainbow Dash sighed in frustration, “Sky, you never settle, no matter what it is. Always try to improve.” Sky opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, Rainbow continued, “You want to become an elite guard, right?”

Sky nodded, “and hopefully captain of the royal guard someday, too.”

“Then that makes this even more important,” Rainbow Dash continued, “You’ll never make it past cadet, let alone captain of the royal guard with that attitude. Once you settle for one thing, it will rub off on everything else and before you know it, you’ll get left behind by everypony. Do you think Pipsqueak would’ve become captain if he’d settled when he barely got into the guard?” Sky shook his head, dejected by his mother's lecture. He held back tears and kicked the ground softly. Rainbow Dash put her hoof on his chin and lifted his head so they made eye contact. She looked at him with more soothing eyes, “Sky, I’m not trying to get you down. I want you to become an elite guard, I want you to become the captain. That’s why I’m pushing you so hard. C’mere you.” She wrapped her hoof around the colt and pulled him in for a hug. She nuzzled her muzzle against him as he embraced her. After a moment, she looked down at him, “Just keep trying your best and improve in everything you do, and you’ll become captain in no time.” Sky smiled at his mom with satisfaction and nodded. Rainbow smiled back then looked over at Flitter Rose, who had been watching quietly the whole time. She smiled slyly, “Same goes for you kiddo, if you don’t just settle and improve like you’ve been doing, then you’ll be a Wonderbolt in no time.” Flitter Rose smiled with glee.

“I won’t let you down, mom, I promise.” Sky promised with a dead serious look on his face. This made Rainbow more proud of her son in her life. She had all of the confidence in Equestria he’d go far.

She replied with a smile, “I know you won’t.” She then pushed him away and opened her wings, “So you two ready to go again?” Her speech had given them both the energy they had lost in their previous workout. They jumped up and opened their wings with determination all over their faces.

“Yes ma'am!” The two flyers chanted together.

“Alright, let’s go!” At Rainbow’s command, the three flew up and began racing around the sky.

That memory played clearly in Sky’s head. The way his mother always pushed him and Flitter Rose to do their best got them where they are today. Flitter Rose must have been remembering that day, too. She inched closer to the captain, getting ready to try to make a move on him. Sky’s face lit up with hope. He believed in Flitter Rose. She could beat Hap Star.

Flitter Rose moved to the outside when they entered the straightaway in an attempt to get by the captain. Unfortunately for Flitter Rose, Hap’s experience is a huge bonus to have. He knew she’d try to pass on the outside, so he tilted his body slightly to the outside. The bat pony had to slow suddenly in order not to make contact. She could go further outside, but at this point she didn’t have enough track space to make that move before the turn.

Sky Knight gritted his teeth. He knew what she needed to do, but she wasn’t doing it, and he didn’t yell it out because he noticed every time he did, Flitter Rose didn’t do it. She stayed on Hap’s outside where he couldn’t go anywhere nearly until the turn. If she stayed there on the turn, not only would she not pass the captain, she could get passed herself.

It was as if Sky’s tongue was a colander, he bit his tongue so much it was becoming riddled with holes. Though all the biting in the world couldn’t control his urge to coach from the stands. He jumped up and waved his forehooves toward him signaling to come closer, “Inside, move inside!” He yelled. Before anyone could tell Sky to shut up and sit down, like Blue Wrench was about to, shock flooded everyone’s face. As soon as Sky yelled the command, Flitter Rose actually tilted her body to the inside of the track and swerved to the side of Hap Star. Even the captain looked surprised by the stunning move.

This made Sky have a tingly feeling run down his spine, but it felt unnatural to Sky. Not like any other chill he’d get when he’d get goosebumps or the chills. He shrugged it off and continued cheering for his friend.

The bat pony was now level with the captain going into the third turn, keeping him on the outside. The crowd roared when they came around the turn and sprinted for the finish line. Rarejolt finished first followed by Nighthawk. While Flitter had the advantage coming out of the turn, holding off the veteran was still going to be difficult. His finishing speed was his greatest asset. Hap inched closer and closer to Flit as she struggled to find her top speed. They were neck and neck as they crossed the finish line. So close, the scoreboard didn’t show who got third for a moment.

After the rest of the pack crossed the finish line, the announcer came on the intercom. “So we have a photo finish for third! We will announce third when we read off the results.” That announcement made Sky and his friends very anxious. However, they weren’t the only ones. Flitter Rose looked just as anxious as her friends as she walked with the captain over to the podium. When they got there, Rarejolt and Nighthawk were already in their spots, waiting for their medals. Captain Hap Star and Flitter Rose stood next to the third place spot on the podium, waiting to hear who got third. Flitter remained anxious, her legs began to shake and she wobbled in place. She stopped when one of Hap’s wings patted her on the back. She looked at her leader who was giving he a sympathetic look. Sky couldn’t read his lips, but from how his mom described the Wonderbolts captain, it was something reassuring.

“We have a few special guests handing out the medals for todays race.” The announcer came back on, getting the attention of the stadium directed at the tunnel. She continued, “Please welcome back to the track, former wonderbolt captains, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire!” Sky wasn’t expecting this, he looked down to see his mom and her friend walk out of the tunnel with a treasure box looking case. They walked over to the podium as the stadium cheered for the alumni. Rainbow waved to the crowd like her confident self while Spitfire focused on the ponies on the podium. They stopped in front of the empty third place podium and looked over at the two ponies standing next to it.

“Alright, time for some results!,” The announcer continued, “In third place, with a time of six minutes, forty nine seconds and sixteen milliseconds is,” She paused for a moment, and in that moment, Sky probably lost half of his hoof he was biting it so much out of nervousness. That ending was even closer than his mother’s finish. He wasn’t the only one nervous. Violet bit the bottom of her lip and pranced in place while Prime and Puzzle Key hugged while shaking. Volt and Blue sat at the edge of their seats in anticipation. Flitter Rose stood tall and confidently, but Sky could tell she was internally screaming with anticipation just from her face. The entire stadium fell silent. Sky could never recall any other race where there was so much anticipation nerves for third place.

“...Flitter Rose!” As soon as the announcer said ‘Flitter’, the stadium erupted once again. Sky Knight’s face lit up as he jumped out of his seat cheering for his friend. His friends followed in his hoofsteps and jumped up to cheer for Flitter Rose.

By the podium on the track, Flitter Rose erected the biggest smile possible, her eyes glowed. I took a moment, but she finally released her excitement and hopped up to the third place spot on the podium like Pinkie Pie hopping around when she’s in a good mood. She stood tall with pride in front of her former mentor. Said mentor had a face full of pride as she lifted the bronze medal and placed it around the bat pony’s neck. It dangled for a moment before Flitter Rose grabbed it with her hoof and got a good look at it. Her reflection showed Flitter her own joy, which only made her smile ever wider. Rainbow Dash had a small chuckle and said something to the bat pony. Sky couldn’t make out the first part, but the second part of what she said, he read her lips perfectly.

“You did awesome, Flitter Rose.” Those were the words Rainbow would always say to Flitter Rose after a race or workout. Those words must have hit her hard, because she started to tear up with tears of joy and appreciation.

With a nod of gratefulness from Flitter Rose, Rainbow nodded back along with Spitfire and walked over to the second place where Nighthawk stood.

“Second place, with a time of six minutes, forty five seconds and twenty milliseconds, Nighthawk!” The crowd erupted in cheer yet again, along with the squeals from fangirls around the stadium, including one particular purple unicorn, who was supposed to be cheering for her friend. Rainbow Dash lifted the silver medal and put it around the dark pony’s neck. He nodded with gratitude and ended up in a moment of awkward eye contact. For a moment, Nighthawk was confused and a bit creeped out by Rainbow’s sly look. Then realization set in and the amusement drained from his face. Rainbow Dash smirked, Nighthawk knew what she wanted, Sky knew what she wanted, the whole stadium more than likely knew what she wanted.

Sky didn’t even bother trying to read his mom's lips. He could already hear his mom saying, “C’mon, do the hair thing.” He could see that Nighthawk grumbled something, but seemed to agree. He flipped his mane back and forth, creating the meteor shower like specs in his hair to become animated. In that moment, anypony outside of the stadium could swear that the place was full of little fillies. He stopped to see Rainbow and Spitfire sharing a giggle. They both nodded with huge smiles on their muzzles and moved onto the first place spot.

“Ah, doesn’t the medal go great with his mane?” Violet said affectionately, stars glowing in her eyes as she looked at the stallion.

Volt rolled his eyes, “Yea, you and hundreds of other girls think alike. At least you’re being ambitious.” Violet did not skip a beat and smacked the green pegasus without even taking her dreamy eyes off the handsome stallion. Volt grumbled as he rubbed his head where she hit him. Sky watched with amusement. He had a small chuckle as he turned toward the center of the track where his mother was about to hand Rarejolt his gold medal.

“And first place, with a time of six minutes, forty two seconds and sixteen milliseconds, the one, the only, Rarejolt!” Cheers rained down from the ponies of Ponyville for the lieutenant. He bowed his head to accept the medal from the rainbow maned pony. Rainbow Dash grabbed the gold medal from her counterpart, Spitfire, and put it around his neck. She let go, letting the medal dangle from the lieutenants neck. He looked up and thanked Sky’s mother. She nodded in return along with Spitfire.

Rainbow Dash turned away from the podium and looked to the audience. The rainbow maned pony tapped the microphone, then pointed her hoof at the ponies on the podium and talked into the microphone.

“I present to you, the first ever podium at the brand spankin new, Ponyville Arena!” The ponies in the stands roared with cheers and chants as soon as she finished. Some ponies cheered for the Wonderbolts, chanting their names. Some cheered for the stadiums grand opening in excitement for the new addition to their small town. Others cheered for the Rainbow maned alumni, half for her accomplishments on the track, like breaking records and winning. However some celebrated her getting the new stadium built. To them, and to Rainbow Dash, this stadium didn’t just mean they could watch races in style from now on, it meant new opportunities for the small town.

Sky had mixed reasons to cheer. His excitement was for all of these amazing thing wrapped together. His mother just achieved so much in one day, let alone the past few years. His town became more exciting with the new stadium, and lastly, his friend just made her debut and finished on the podium above her captain. Sky would have to check his facts again, but if he was correct, the last pony to get on the podium and beat their captain was Spitfire. Not even Rainbow Dash was able to do that on her racing debut.

The cyan blue pony continued, “Thank you all for joining us in this huge event. None of this would have been possible without you. I am completely amazed by how much support we’ve received, thank you all.” She stepped aside and let Spitfire come up to the mic.

“I am also blown away by your support for the Wonderbolts and the new stadium. I’m sure there will be many great times here, and Rainbow Dash and I can’t wait to experience them with you. Thank you for all of your support.” The duo waved to the crowd humbly as the fans cheered for them.

“Thank you all for coming, and have a safe trip home.” Music came onto the intercom after the announcer finished dismissing the audience. Ponies began to leave their seats and head for the exits. The group of friends followed their example and began filing into the isles. Volt turned his head to look at Sky Knight.

“So why can’t we have our party tonight? It seems anticlimactic to have it tomorrow.” He asked the blue pegasus.

“The Wonderbolts have their own get together after the race, so she wouldn’t make it. And how can we have a party for Flit if there’s no Flit there?” Sky only got a groan of protest in reply. Sky paused for a moment before continuing, “Oh, and when you and Vi left, I invited Crystal to the party, too. Hope you guys don’t mind.”

“Oooo, who’s Crystal?” Prime asked with enthusiastic interest, leaning her head over Sky’s shoulder. He comedically put his hoof on her nose and pushed her back. Before Sky could answer, Volt began to speak.

“Oh, she’s a hot lookin’ mare we met down at the alumni party. She’s Twilight’s-” Volt was cut off by Sky opening his wing and wrapping it around Volt’s muzzle. The green pegasus tried to protest with some, questionable language, but his friends could only hear muffled sounds through the thick, blue wing covering his mouth.

“She’s the niece of a friend of my mother's,” Sky began to speak for himself, “She’s visiting town for the summer, and I thought it would be nice to get to know her. Volt was going to say something else, but I’ll explain at the party, tomorrow.” He then leaned his head next to Volt’s and whispered in his ear, “Because we don’t want to create a fuss about her status.” He let go of his friends muzzle as he jerked his head away from the blue pegasus. Volt grumbled as they walked down the stairs toward the exit.

As the group walked happily to the exit, the atmosphere in the luxury seats was a bit different. Instead of excitement and happiness surrounding the two alicorns, there was worry and confusion. Crystal continued to go back and forth from staring at Flitter Rose to the spot near turn three where she made the miraculous move to beat the captain. In the buildup to the last lap, her and Twilight were watching with excitement, well, Twilight more than Crystal. Twilight cheered loudly for the racers and Crystal watched with some interest. However, the luxury seat section fell silent. Crystal felt a surge of magical energy radiate from the track, specifically from the bat pony. She had no idea what it was, where it came from or why, like when she met Sky, it felt so familiar to her. It’s almost as if she should know exactly the pony who was responsible for the sudden wave of magical energy. While her shock remained, her concentration was broken by her Auntie looking over at he baffled, white alicorn.

“You felt it, too, didn’t you?” Twilight asked in a monotone, worrisome voice. Crystal could only nod in response. She was completely speechless. She gulped at the thought she had just after the purple alicorn spoke.

What is going on? What are these feelings I keep getting? Is something going to happen to Ponyville? To Equestria? To us?

Author's Note

I apologize to the few of you (if any at all) who actually read this and enjoy it and want more for the lack of updates. College hit and hit hard. Being an engineering student along with the ROTC takes up a lot of time. I'll try to update more often from now on. But again, I'm new to writing and any advice, critique, or feedback is much appreciated. (Also I promised I'd post pictures of any new Original Characters in any chapters, but those aren't done but I want to post the chapter asap, so those pictures will come soon)

Chapter 4

Sky Knight got home just as Luna’s moon was starting to replace Celestia’s sun in the sky. The large, cloud home was empty besides the blue pegasus as his parents were not due to be home until much later. He sat in his room reflecting on the day. Being his anxious self, he could not get his mind off the times he screwed up. He groaned at the memory of getting to the stadium gate and remembering he had forgotten about the cupcakes. That gut twisting, cringe worthy ‘oh crap’ moment is the kind that haunted Sky.

The blue pegasus got up and walked to the kitchen. Besides the fact that he was now hungry from thinking of cupcakes, he felt horrible for almost embarrassing his mother by being late with the cupcakes. Knowing the party that the Wonderbolts were having and how his mother is, she was going to come home a bit tipsy. Applejack saved some of her cider just for Rainbow Dash and the party per the cyan pony’s request. While Sky Knight has never gotten drunk, his mother has before, so he knew just the remedy to help the tipsy mare get sober. He grabbed a few cups from the cupboard and filled two of them with water. The next logical thing to give a tipsy pony would be coffee to help reduce the hangover that they’d have the next morning, however, he did not make coffee. Sky Knight grabbed apple juice from the fridge and poured it into the last cup. Whenever Sky had friends over when she was drunk, he’d always be asked why that helps. Sky would just shrug. Nopony, not even Soarin nor Rainbow Dash herself knew why that helped her, but it did. He then looked at the time, trying to decide whether to set up the bed or couch for his mother. The clock read quarter till Ten, couch it was.

Sky flapped his wings and floated over to the living room carrying one cup in each forehoof while balancing the apple juice on his muzzle. Once he entered the dark, unlighted room, he placed the filled cups on the small table next to the couch. He then lit a lantern to bring light to the room. He moved his head back and forth, scanning the light blue room for a pillow and blanket. Once he spotted his mother's favorite sky blue, turtle head covered blanket and pillow, he reopened his wings and looked at the clock on the wall next to the doorway he had just come from. The seconds hoof clicked, then clicked, then clicked. Sky didn’t blink, didn’t move, didn’t keep his eyes off the clock. Two more clicks, then the seconds hoof hit twelve to make the time ten thirty two. Just as it did, with a burst of speed, Sky dashed to the blanket that was across the room. If a pony was watching the pegasus, he’d be a blur to them. Avoiding the table and a few other obstacles such as a sleeping turtle in the middle of the floor, he grabbed the blanket and pillow then darted back to the couch. He placed the pillow on the armrest of the couch and blanket flat across the seat of the couch. The blue pegasus skid to a halt before the blanket even landed on the cushion. Sky Knight looked back up at the clock once he stopped. As he did, the seconds hoof just moved from the twelve onto the next tick.

One second flat. Sweet. Sky Knight fluffed the pillow and flattened the blanket so it all looked as neat as possible. His hoof moved across the soft, comfortable silk and made Sky Knight crave that feeling across his entire body. Once the cyan blanket was rid of any wrinkles, Sky yawned and turned towards the stairs.

“Good night, Tank,” He yawned as he passed the sleeping turtle. Sky sleepily trotted up the stairs, looking at all of the pictures on the wall. There were a lot of Rainbow and Soarin in their Wonderbolt uniforms or getting awards. Those always made Sky smile because they made him think about how lucky he was to have such a nice life to come into. However, out of all the pictures on the wall, only Rainbow Dash’s favorite could be above the others at the top of the stairs. Though Sky wasn’t very fond of it, his mother will never take it down. The picture showed Sky Knight when he was much younger, with his messy, longer hair. The reason Sky despised it so much was because he had just face planted seconds before the picture was taken. Though at the moment, he didn’t know he was getting his picture taken, he was too excited about getting his cutie mark. Sky still had no idea how his mother whipped the camera out so quickly. He chuckled a bit as he passed the picture, always thinking about how embarrassed he was right after the cyan pegasus snapped the picture.

Once Sky made it to his room, he jumped onto his bed and crawled under his grey, camouflage blanket. He snuggled as far into the bed as he could and laid his head on the pillow. With another yawn, he began to doze off. His eyelids became as heavy as Tom the boulder. His blinks slowed down until they didn’t open again and he fell into a deep sleep.

Sky Knight’s eyes fluttered open as the usual lighting greeted him from his slumber. As he stirred, he noticed that the air felt strange, almost synthetical. He propped himself up and looked around. His room, still dimly lit from the lights being turned off, seemed in order. His Wonderbolt and Royal Guard posters still hanged on his wall, his room still a mess from him neglecting to clean it. Nothing seemed out of place. He shrugged the feeling off and hopped out of bed. As he walked out of his room and started down the stairs, he noticed the clock read ten thirty two. Holy crap, I slept for twelve hours? He rubbed his eyes and looked down at the living room. To his surprise, the couch was the same as he left it the previous evening. The blanket laid flat and the pillow was at full fluff.

“What? That’s where she always crashes.” Sky muttered to himself in disbelief. There’s no way he could have been wrong about his mother. He turned and went back up the stairs and trotted passed the doorway to his room and stopped in front of a closed door leading to his parents room. He cracked the door open, being careful not to wake any sleeping pony inside. He peeked inside and was taken aback by what he saw. Well, actually what he didn’t see. Nopony was in the room. The bed was still clean from when his parents made the bed the previous morning. He backed away and collected himself. His parents never stayed out past midnight. He began to think Spitfire insisted they were too drunk to walk home and they stayed at the former captain’s house.

No, that can’t be it. The only thing Dad would only get drunk if pies were alcoholic. When Sky finished his thought, he became really worried about the whereabouts of his parents. He quickly ran back down the stairs and into the living room. Once he took his first step off the stairs, he noticed something different, something so small that only a member of the family would notice. Tank was gone.

Tank sleeps for more than 16 hours a day, and when he sleeps, he’s unmovable. The last time anyone tried to move him, they ended up pulling a muscle from the strain of pulling him too hard. So the turtle should have been asleep in the same spot he was when Sky wished him good night.

At this point, Sky Knight was confused as to where everyone had gone. The blue pegasus rattled his brain, thinking about all the possibilities. He thought so much that it gave him a headache. Sky Knight shook his head to try to clear his mind and ran out of the living room. He needed some fresh air, so he ran to the front door and swung it open only to find that he wasn’t going to get his fresh air. He couldn’t tell if there was any. Instead of being greeted by the bright rays of Celestia’s shining sun and the peaceful chirps of the birds in the sky, he was greeted by blackness. Just black for as far as he could see. He could feel the emptiness from where he was standing. Pure nothingness was in front of him. Sky Knight lost his breath, his chest tightened and he felt cold. He wanted to scream but nothing would come out. He stood frozen in place for a few moments before he gathered enough strength to close the door. He didn’t just close it, he slammed it shut. He gasped for air as he stared at the cloud white door.

What… what in tartarus is going on? Sky’s head dropped and his ears were drooped. He tried thinking of different scenario’s. Maybe… maybe Discord is in town and is just screwing with me? No… he’s in Canterlot with Fluttershy. Is it- Sky’s thoughts were cut off by a hissing sound coming from inside his house. The petrified pegasus turned quickly only to find nothing. Literally nothing. The blackness that he witnessed outside took over his home. From what Sky could tell, he was standing on a small cloud platform with a door frame.

The terrified pegasus’ eyes widened with fear. He didn’t know what to do. He was stranded. Sky Knight tried calling out for somepony, but the results were very predictable. The utter blackness around the platform was starting to get to Sky. A decision had to be made quickly. With a gulp, Sky lifted his shaky hoof and lowered it toward the blackness off of the platform. He eased slowly downward, cautious with every move. After a few tense moments, his hoof was halted by what seemed to be a floor. This feeling shot a brief rush of relief through the pegasus. He hopped off the platform, landing on what looked like nothing. He turned his head toward where he had just jumped from, and like he predicted, only darkness. The platform had disappeared like the rest of the world.

Everything around him was now pitch black. He could see nothing, or there was nothing that could be seen. Sky Knight couldn’t tell because it was just pure black as he walked along into the nothingness. He trotted very slowly, taking caution with every step, not knowing if there is an end to whatever he was standing on. He occasionally called out for help, with very little hope that someone would be out there with him. That little hope shrank with every call with no response. In place of that hope came dread and loneliness. His breathing slowed as it became harder to swallow the air around him because of the nagging feeling inside of him that something was completely wrong.

After what seemed like an eternity in the dark, rotten nothingness, Sky Knight had almost given up any hope of finding his way home. If that still even existed. Then he heard more hissing coming from the depths of nothingness. Sky Knight jerked his head back and forth trying to pinpoint the direction the hissing was coming from. Though he couldn’t tell if he wanted to run towards the hissing, or run away from it. As the hissing grew louder, Sky Knight started to shake, not knowing who, or what was coming towards him. He jerked his head one more time to his rear. His face lit up with pure joy and relief. A pony was sitting down about 100 meters away from the confused pegasus. Sky did not think about anything other than, Thank Celestia, I’m not alone!

“Hey! Over here! Can you hear me?” Sky called out to the white unicorn, who seemed to be wearing some sort of armor. It seemed to be mainly purple with a gold trim outlining the armor. Sky knight shook off the fact that the pony hadn’t moved since Sky called out to him and walked closer to the sitting unicorn. As he drew closer, he noticed how messed up the pony’s blue mane was, as if he had gone through hell and back. With closer inspection, the pony had a helmet on, well, half of a helmet. It seemed as if the pony was hit in the head so hard that his head piece shattered in half.

“A-are you alright? My name’s Sky Knight. I’m not going to hurt-” Sky Knight was cut off by an inaudible mumbling that seemed to be coming from the pony. However, this wasn’t a normal mumbling. It seemed to be a cluster of mumbles playing over each other, as if the pony was possessed by a demon. Sky took a step back in horror, thinking the pony would snap back and attack him. The mumbling became quieter over time, bringing a brief moment of relief to Sky, however, that relief faded just as the pony in front of him began to do. From the hoof up, the unicorn that sat in front of Sky was fading away. Sky tried to call out for him to stay, but couldn’t find enough breath to utter even a mutter.

When all that was left was the pony’s head, Sky was finally able to speak, “Wait, wait!” He lunged forward into what was now just a cloud of dust. As soon as he regained his stability from the lunge, an ear piercing hiss came from directly in front of the pegasus. Sky was given no time to react as not even two seconds after the hissing began again, a black and green figure jumped out at Sky from the nothingness. Sky’s heart dropped like a rock and his ears drooped. Sky was about to let out a shriek of terror as he thought he was about to die.

He ended up screaming, but not where he thought. He was sitting up in his bed, in his room, where everything was intact. His breath was heavy, sweat poured down from his dampened mane. He glanced around his room, making sure everything was in place. Everything seemed normal enough to Sky. He looked at his clock on the wall, which told the time of three thirty three. He jumped out of bed and with extreme caution, hoping there were ponies in the house that could be woken. He exited his room and walked to the top of the stairs. Sky Knight let out a sigh of relief when he saw Tank in his normal sleeping spot and his parents cuddling on the couch with three empty cups on the table next to said couch. Everything was normal. He turned toward his room, deciding that he still wanted the next few hours of sleep. As he snuck back to his room, he began to think about what he saw.

Thank Luna it was just a dream. That was very weird though, usually Luna helps ponies get out of a nightmare. Why did mine continue? Maybe she just missed it? She does have to go through the dreams of all of Equestria… Sky shook his head, trying to convince himself that he was overthinking this whole thing. However, one thing still stuck with the blue pegasus. Who was that pony I saw, and why do I feel like I should know who he is?

That thought stayed in his mind the whole way back to his bed. Sky Knight laid down and threw the blanket over himself, all the while thinking about that pony he saw in his nightmare. His blinking slowed until they didn’t open again for the night, where he fell back into a deep sleep.

As the light of Celestia’s bright, morning sun shone through Sky’s window and into his eyes, his slumber was interrupted. However, instead of slowly waking up, Sky Knight’s eyes opened quickly, worry filling them as he jumped out of bed and rushed to the stairs outside of his room. With a skidding stop, he looked down the stairs hoping his parents were still on the couch asleep. However, his parents were nowhere in sight. His worry only rose as he couldn’t find Tank either. In his state of panic, Sky didn’t run down the stairs, he opened his wings and flew through the house looking for his family. He flew from the living room to the kitchen, where to his relief, he saw his father cooking over the stove and his mother, in her turtle robe, baggy eyed, sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of apple juice. Tank was on the table petting the obviously hung over Rainbow Dash. Sky Knight must have sighed pretty loudly to get the attention of his father across the room.

He turned his head and smiled, “Mornin’ Sky. Good timing, pancakes are almost done!” That made Sky Knight smile for the first time since last night. His father’s pancakes were amazing, and usually a good remedy for his mother’s not so nice hangovers. The now happy pegasus walked over to his rainbow maned mother and kissed her head.

“Good mornin’ mom.” Sky Knight only got a grumble in response. He looked over at his mother’s long time turtle companion who gave Sky a look saying don’t worry about it.

“That apple juice she’s drinking is the same one you prepared last night,” Soarin looked away from his pancakes towards the confused Sky. He continued, “When we got home, she drank the two waters, but her drunken self decided to not drink any apple liquid unless it was alcoholic. A decision which she is really regretting at the moment.” Soarin tilted his head and smiled at his wife as she gave him an annoyed look. Sky rolled his eyes with a small chuckle. The time he was spending with his family was starting to get the pony in his dreams out of his mind.

The small family spent the morning eating the pancakes that Soarin had made and talking about the events from the night before. Because Sky didn’t see his parents much after the Wonderbolt race, they had a lot to talk about. When Rainbow Dash started talking about herself, her hangover seemed to disappear. It seemed like the perfect remedy for the not so modest pegasus. It would be, if it didn’t come back every time the subject strayed away from how awesome she was, which kind of entertained Soarin and Sky.

After a couple of hours of spending time together, Sky checked the time, “Oh shoot, I should get going. I told Crystal I’d pick her up at noon.” Sky got up and went to go grab his wallet.

“How long will you be out?” Soarin asked his son.

“That is undetermined. I don’t think I’ll be out after midnight.” Sky replied.

Soarin nodded, “As long as you’re not drinking or anything, unless you want to look like your mother during your trial in a few days.” Soarin smirked slyly at his wife who seemed amused by the joke.

The son rolled his eyes, “You know I don’t drink. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“I know, I know. Heh, you two are so much fun to mess with.” Soarin chuckled as he waved to his son, “Have fun while you leave me alone with your mess of a mother.” Sky Knight chuckled as his mother smacked the all blue Wonderbolt alumni in the back of the head.

“Alright, I’ll see you three later.” Sky said as he gave his mom a hug from behind. Besides the moments she was talking about herself, this was the first time that morning she smiled genuinely. Sky then hugged Soarin and nuzzled his nose with Tank like his mother always does when she thinks no one's looking. He grabbed his wallet and ran outside and started for Twilight’s castle.

Chapter 5

Knocking on the front door of the castle felt weird to Sky. He had been so used to just walking in with his mother that he nearly ran into the door thinking it would open itself like it usually did. The oddity sparked the blue pegasus’ curiosity. Twilight usually kept the front doors unlocked and open to anypony. Just as he began to think of different possibilities, a small slot opened in the middle of the door and a pair of grass green eyes peered through the peep hole.

“Who goes there?” A low, powerful voice came from the other side of the door, startling Sky Knight.

“Um.. My name’s Sky Knight, I’m here for..” Sky stopped mid sentence as he realized how familiar that voice sounded to him, “Wait, Dying Light? Is that you?” He didn’t get the response he was looking for.

“That is none of your concern. State your business.” The pony behind the door boomed. Sky was very unamused by the act.

He sighed, “ I am here to pick up Twilight's niece, Crystal.”

“Who is that?” The pony replied, making Sky even more frustrated.

“Really? She is living here for the summer! Twilight’s niece?!”

“Ah, you mean Amor Crystallum?” The pony’s response irritated Sky further as his frustration showed.

“Yes, her, can you just let me in?!” Sky growled.

“Are you getting hostile with me?” the pony said with a threatening voice.

“No, I-” Sky Knight was cut off by the sound of snickering coming from behind the door. The snickering became outright laughter as the eyes disappeared from the peep hole in the door. Sky Knight, both baffled and confused took a step back from the door. After a brief moment of just laughter coming from inside the castle, Sky walked up to knock again. However, before he did, the door swung open and an all white, pegasus royal guard stood in front of Rainbow Dash’s son.

The guard, tears in his eyes from laughing so hard continued chuckling. “Dude, you should’ve seen your face! Haha!”

Sky Knight wasn’t very amused, “For Celestia’s sake, Dying Light, why didn’t you just let me in?”

“Hehe, because, it was funny. I haven’t had a laugh like this since being stationed here.” Dying Light wiped a tear away and became a bit more serious. He continued, “Plus I’m under command to not let anyone in without special permission until further notice. An up in security for some reason.”

“Do you know the reason?” The aspiring guard asked.

“Well, from what I’ve been told, it has something to do with that mare, Crystal. I have more details, but it’s classified at the moment. And as far as I know, you’re not a guard yet, so you don’t have clearance yet.” Dying Light got a sad nod from the blue pegasus.

“Yes, I’m not a guard yet. I wish my trial was sooner, but it’s not until next week.” Sky explained with a sigh, “Nerves are setting in and I just want to get it over with.”

“Bro, you’ve got this. Hell, you’re the one who helped me with my trial. If I can make it through, so can you.” The white guard reassured Sky.
“Thanks, man. Anyways, can I go get Crystal?” Sky Knight asked, getting a sigh from his guard friend.

“Unfortunately not, I’m under order not to let anyone in except the elements and royalty until further notice. Even if they’re kin of the elements.”

Sky Knight grumbled at Dying Light’s response, “That is so stupid..”

“I agree, and I think Twilight agrees as well, that’s why she’s holding a meeting with my commander. Anyways, I’ll be back with your date.” Dying Light sped off before Sky Knight could reply. Though Sky Knight was not going to just reply with words. Clinching his hooves, Sky Knight sat at the door of the castle, waiting for Crystal.

Meanwhile, up four levels in a large, crystal blue bedroom, Crystal sat in front of the mirror with her blue hoodie on. Streaks of her mane laid across her face, visible to anypony. She tried to hide it all and became frustrated when it kept falling into the same spots. She let out a groan and slammed her head into the desk in front of the mirror. She then heard a small giggle come from the door across the room.

“Don't get frustrated, a little mane showing.” Twilight said, leaning against the frame of the door.

“But, my mother clearly stated no ma-” Crystal was cut off by her aunt.

“Well Cadence isn’t here now, is she? No pony will realize you’re an alicorn, let alone recognize you.” Twilight walked over to Crystal and patted the white alicorns shoulder in an attempt to relax her.

“B-but mother will be furious if she found out.” Crystal looked back to the mirror in worry.

Twilight sighed, “I wish she would go back to her exciting self like she was before…” She muttered under her breath. Crystal looked back at her aunt and tilted her head.

“Did you say something, auntie?” She said, not hearing what the princess of friendship muttered.

“Nothing kiddo, just try to relax. I want to teach you how to have fun and make friends, and covering your mane won’t do that.”

“Is that why you let Sky and his friends see me?” Crystal questioned, remembering how she was hiding her anxiety when they first met with the three ponies in the lounge.

“Kinda, I believe they are good candidates for your friends. They always seem to have a great time together. However, that’s not the reason I let them see your wings.” Twilight’s niece became more confused, prompting Twilight to continue, “Sky Knight is going to be a royal guard soon, and from what I’ve seen, he’s going to be a high ranking one at that. Plus I’ve heard the other two ponies and a few more of his friends are going to the trials as well, so I decided it wasn’t worth hiding your true self from them when they will gain security clearance in the coming weeks.”

“I guess that makes sense.. I honestly thought you had broken your promise to mother on our first day.” Crystal awkwardly giggled.

“Oh no, I would never break a pinkie promise. I’ve seen first hoof what happens when somepony breaks one of those.” Twilight explained, thinking back to the fire in Pinkie Pie’s eyes when they found Applejack in Dodge Junction. Twilight did not want to be Applejack at that moment.

Feeling a bit nervous, Crystal asked, “W-what happens?”

Twilight thought for a moment before responding, “Just.. make sure Pinkie doesn’t find out. Anyways, I should get going, Commander Swiftstar is probably waiting for me. Have fun with your new friends.” The purple alicorn walked out of the room and out of sight. Crystal nodded and attempted to put her mane under her hood again, to no avail. She sighed in defeat and looked down.

“I’ll try auntie, I’ll try.” She mumbled, wishing she could just spend time with her favorite aunt. Maybe I can figure out why I feel like I know that pony, Sky Knight. She started to go into deep thought when a loud knocking came from her door. She bit back a yelp of surprise and turned to see an all white, pegasus guard standing at the frame of the door.

“My apologies, ma’am. I didn't mean to startle you.” The guard apologized in a monotone voice.

“I-It’s fine, I was just zoning out is all. Do you need me for something, Dying Light? Also, you know what auntie said.” Crystal curiously asked.

“Sorry, but Sky Knight is waiting for you at the entrance.” Dying Light’s answer surprised the white alicorn. It can’t be noon already. She looked at the clock on the wall where the small hoof pointed just before the 12 and the large hoof pointed at the 54th dash. I guess he likes being early. Fair enough.

She looked back at the waiting guard, “Alright, lead the way, soldier.”

Dying Light nodded and turned around and started walking down the hall in the opposite direction that Twilight went, towards the stairs.

Meanwhile at the entrance, Sky Knight was explaining to a filly that she could not go into the castle.

“But Twilight always lets me see her!” the little filly complained.

“I’m sorry, but the castle is not open to the public for a little while. Plus Twilight is in a meeting right now, she’s busy.” Sky tried to explain, but to no avail.

“I wanna see Twili-” the brown little filly was cut off by a warm, soothing voice.

“Don’t worry, little one. You can see the princess soon.” Sky turned to see the white alicorn he came for in her blue hoodie looking at the filly. She walked up to the filly, “and she’s working on letting you in.”

“Really?!” The filly said with a bright smile on her face.

“Of course, just wait a little bit longer, young one.”

“Thank you miss!” The filly smiled and turned to Sky Knight, sticking her tongue out before running off. Sky was initially irritated by the young filly’s behavior, but let it go.

“I see you’re good with kids, I envy you.” Sky turned to the hooded alicorn.

“It comes naturally, I guess. My mother always told me to be kind and gentle to the young ones.” Crystal sighed after mentioning her mother. Sky read the room and turned away from the castle.

“Well, shall we get going? Knowing Vi, she’s already there reserving a table for all of us.”

“Sure, let us go.” Crystal walked with Sky away from the castle, leaving the white pegasus alone to guard the door.

“Have fun on your date you two!” Light said with a small snicker.

“Date?!” Crystal stopped in her tracks blushing at the thought of dating somepony.

Shy Knight turned around to face the guard and give him the middle feather. “No a date you scrub!”

“Yeah, uh-huh, have fun.” Dying Light went back to his post and closed the door of the castle.

Sky Knight rolled his eyes and sighed, “Just ignore him, he likes making jokes about me getting a date.. Like everyone else..” He turned to the still blushing alicorn. Sky motioned his head forward, “C’mon, let’s head out.” She nodded shyly and the two continued on through town.

After a few silent moments of walking, the duo reached the entrance to Sugar Cube Corner. She looked up at the desert looking bakery in awe. Her counterpart smiled and looked up with her.

“Like it? This has been our hangout spot for Celestia knows how long. Some very good memories here.” Sky explained, reminiscing in the memories him and his friends have had in the bakery. Crystal nodded in agreement.

“Yes, my Auntie has told me of many stories her and her friends have had here. I have been wanting to go with her at some point.” She said with a hesitant voice, though she tried to cover up her upset mood. Despite her efforts, Sky could tell she had something on her mind.

“You wanted Twilight to come with you, didn’t you?”

Crystal sighed, “Yes.. though it’s not possible. If I am seen with Twilight too often, ponies might become suspicious of my true identity. My mother made it very clear that my existence be a secret until the time comes..” Sky Knight was baffled at Cadence’s decision to do that. The way his mom always described her, the princess of the Crystal Empire would’ve held her child up high and been proud to do so.

“That doesn’t make any sense to me. Why would she do that?” Sky wondered.

“She said it is because she wants me to focus on becoming a great princess and leader. Though I think it has something to do with..” She stopped her sentence at the thought of finishing it. Bad memories crept into her mind and she became nervous again. Sky Knight saw Crystal begin to shiver and acted quick.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to bring up something you didn’t want to talk about. Why don’t we head inside to see if everyone's there already. Maybe that’ll cheer you up.” he suggested, however, before Crystal could respond, a cheerfully bombastic voice came from behind them.

“Yeah, why are you two just standing there? The party is in there!” The two jumped in surprise and turned to see a pink pony standing behind them with a huge smile on her face. Crystal was baffled by the puffiness of her darker pink and graying mane. Crystal thought that the pony looked familiar to her, however, she couldn’t put her hoof on the identity of the mystery pony. Before she could figure it out, she got her answer from a shocked Sky Knight.

“Pinkie Pie! You scared us out of our hooves!” Sky told her, however, Pinkie Pie did not change her expression.

“Well, you two were just standing at the entrance, I thought you were nervous to go inside!” She explained, looking at Crystal. The white alicorn looked at the earth pony in awe. So this is the pony Auntie Twilight had many crazy stories about. She stuck out her hoof and introduced herself.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Pie. My name is-”

“Amor ‘Crystal’ Crystallum, daughter of Princess Cadence and secretly an alicorn on a visit to Twilight!” Pinkie Pie interrupted with a huge smile, “Also, it’s Mrs. Pie.” Crystal was frozen with shock that the bombastic pony recognized her so quickly.

“H-how…”

“Well, Twilight told me you were coming to Ponyville and told me you were hiding your wings, so when I saw Sky Knight with a mysterious mare, I had assumed it was you because he can’t get a date.” Pinkie explained, getting an annoyed look from the blue pegasus. “Anyways, your party is waiting inside, you might want to go inside and say hi!”

“T-thank you, Mrs. Pie.” Crystal thanked.

“Just call me Pinkie.” The pink pony tilted her head and kept her ear to ear smile.

The two ponies turned around and started towards the door.

“I have never been able to figure that pony out.” Sky muttered to Crystal as the opened the door for her.

“She seems nice, though.” Crystal responded.

“Oh yeah, one of the nicest ponies around. She’s just kinda.. Weird.” Sky Knight followed the alicorn in and started looking around, “Now where are-”

“They’re over here!” Crystal was shocked to see the pink pony they left outside waiting on the group of ponies near the left wall of the bakery. She stood frozen in place as Sky Knight smiled and started towards the group waving.

“H-How did she..” Crystal stuttered, completely speechless from surprise and shock.

Sky shrugged, “It’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it. You’ll just become more confused.” Crystal was about to object, but she decided against it and proceeded to follow the blue pegasus. As they approached the table, a familiar purple unicorn stood up and greeted the two ponies.

“Hey, Sky. Crystal, it’s good to see you again.” Violet bowed her head slightly.

Crystal raised her hoof, “Oh, no, y-you don’t have to-”

“Don’t worry, she does that with everypony.” Sky interrupted with a whisper. Crystal let out a soft ‘oh’ as she relaxed as much as she could at the moment. Before she could return the courteous unicorn’s greeting, a just as familiar green pegasus jumped up and stood face to face with the alicorn in hiding.

“Why hello there, we meet again.” Volt said with a seductive tone. Crystal became very uncomfortable with how close the green pegasus was, which became clear to Sky. The blue pegasus backed the other pegasus away with his wing.

“Personal space, heard of it?” Sky said as he pushed Volt Speed back in his seat.

“Not with pretty mares.” Volt’s comment made Crystal blush slightly, but more of an uncomfortable blush then embarrassed blush. She started to back away when a voice came from the table that she had not heard before.

“Don’t worry about dolt over there, he’s harmless when we’re around.” Crystal turned to see a yellow pegasus mare sitting next to a saturated purple pegasus mare. The yellow mare that spoke waved to the undercover princess to be, “Name’s Primary Shades, but just call me Prime. Nice to meet ya!” Prime said with a smile. As she tilted her head and smiled, she stuck an elbow into the side of the purple mare beside her. That mare then sat up and looked a bit surprised.

“Oh, uh, hi. My name’s Puzzle Key.” She then looked back down at her cupcake and covered her face with her long, purple and pink tipped mane. Primary Shades rolled her eyes and smiled in reassurance at Crystal.

“Don’t worry, she tends to be.. Reclusive around new ponies, but once you get to know her she’ll be more outgoing.” Prime reassured, getting a nod of agreement from Sky Knight.

“Sometimes just as bombastic as you, Prime.” A grey bat pony sat next to the yellow pegasus. She looked familiar to Crystal, and for a moment, Crystal couldn’t remember where she had seen the bat pony, then a light bulb went off in her head.

“You must be Flitter Rose.” Crystal stated looking at the bat pony. She got a nod in response.

“Yes, it is nice to meet you, princess.” Rose’s greeting struck fear and anxiety into Crystal. She wasn’t supposed to know who she was. She began shaking in place, enough so that Sky noticed and patted her back in comfort. Sky leaned in and whispered in her ear.

“She doesn’t know who you are. She calls all unicorns princess when she doesn’t know them yet.” Sky’s reassurance helped Crystal relax and take a sigh of relief.

“Crystal, my name is Crystal.” Flitter Rose looked at her for a moment and shrugged.

“Nah, you look like a princess to me. So Princess will do.” Sky rolled his eyes and hinted at the chair he was pulling out, offering it to Crystal. She nodded in thanks and sat in the chair next to the empty chair Sky was going to take and Violet Strike. As Sky took his seat, Violet began to talk to Crystal.

“It’s nice to see you again. How’d you like the race?” The purple unicorn asked curiously.

“Oh, it was.. Intense. You were really good out there, Ms. Flitter Rose.” Crystal complimented.

“I guess, I honestly don’t know how I did so well.” The bat pony claimed, getting a scoff from the blue pegasus next to Crystal.

“As if, you did amazing, don’t be so modest. You did exactly what you needed to do to stay in the race.” Sky said, getting a head shake from Rose.

“That’s the thing, I didn’t. I wasn’t thinking I needed to move to the inside. My body just.. Moved. Like I wasn’t controlling it.” The wonderbolts statement sent a shiver down Crystal’s spine. It made her think back to the moment her and Twilight felt that surge of magical energy. That was the exact moment that Flitter Rose was talking about. The hiding alicorn looked at the pegasus next to her who looked as if he was searching for an explanation.

“Must’ve been muscle memory. All of those long training days with my mom must have payed off.” Sky explained as Flitter Rose shrugged.

“Oh well, next time I’ll know to do that on my own.” the bat pony stated as she tossed the last bite of a cupcake in her mouth. Crystal kept looking at Sky Knight with suspicion. She couldn’t shake this weird feeling she had about him. Why do I feel like he’s hiding something? She thought, taking into account the situation with the magic and the feeling that she should know him. What Volt Speed said next confirmed it for Crystal.

“I find it funny how she did it as soon as you yelled down to the track.. Like you said you wouldn’t do!”

“Hey, when you’re raised like i was, it’s hard not to!” Sky defended himself while Crystal thought about who Sky Knight really was, or what he is. She decided that she needed to talk to Twilight about the situation. Crystal must have been too obvious with her thinking as the quiet Puzzle Key showed some concern for the alicorn.

“Are you alright, Crystal?” The grey pegasus asked quietly, surprising Crystal to the point that she jumped up a bit at the sound of her soft voice. This raised the attention of the entire group, making Sky Knight look most concerned. She awkwardly smiled at Puzzle and nodded.

“Oh, yes, I am fine. Don’t worry about me.” She reassured, “Just.. thinking about some things. No need to worry.” Crystal thought quickly, wanting to change the subject. Just then, a shiny object caught her eye. Around Key’s neck was a glimmering, green pearl with a musical note in it. The white ‘unicorn’ stared at it for a moment before opening her mouth to speak, “Where did you get that?” She pointed at the necklace, making Puzzle blush with embarrassment. Puzzle Key tried to hide her blush with her long mane, however it was very obvious. Crystal waited for a response, however one never came from the shying pegasus. Instead, Primary Shades spoke for her.

“That’s from her booooyfriend.” She said with a sly smile, causing Puzzle to blush even more. Crystal tilted her head in curiosity.

“Oh, so you have a boyfriend? Might I ask his name?” Crystal asked, getting no response yet again from the grey pegasus. Crystal felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Violet getting ready to respond.

“She won’t say. Not even we know.” Violet explained further, “He’s a pin pal boyfriend whom she hasn't met personally yet.” Crystal became very curious. Her mother never told her that those types of relationships existed. She wanted to ask more questions, but she decided not to because it was obvious Key didn’t want to answer. Crystal sat back in her seat as Flitter Rose made a statement.

“Not a real relationship if ya ask me.” In response, se received a glare from Violet and Prime. The bat pony looked a bit offended by the looks she was given, “Hey, what’s with those angry eyes? She hasn’t met the guy. For all we know, he could be a 40 year old virgin living in his mother's basement.”

“It is a real relationship, Flit, and you know it.” Violet spat, defending the shying Puzzle Key.

“Have you met the guy? Didn’t think so, all I’m saying is that if no one has met him, not even Key herself, it’s not a real relationship.” The bat pony responded.

“Like you’d know a real relationship, you don’t have a guy wanting any of your flank!” Violet retorted.

“Hey guys, let’s settle down. There’s no need to argue like this.” Sky interrupted.

“Yea, Vi,” Volt started, “You know, you should lighten up, and maybe you'll be able to get a stallion to actually like you.” Volt spat. Everyone’s eyes widened and moved to Violet, whom was staring at the track, her eyes looked as cold as ice. Sky sat up, ready to intervene if necessary. For a moment, the group laid silent, the pressure between the two ponies was too great for anyone to breathe, let alone speak. Volt’s eyes widened when he finally realized what he said. They became filled with fear, he backed away from her slowly as much as he could.

“Uh, V-Vi? Y-you-” He was cut off by the purple unicorn jumping across the table preparing to attack the cocky, green pegasus, whom was scurrying for cover. Sky Knight leaped onto the table and opened his wings, creating a barrier between the quarrelling ponies. Violets angry eyes turned to shocked eyes as she looked up at Sky Knight and realized what she was doing.

“Alright, that’s enough you three. You’re scaring Puzzle Key.” Everyone looked over at the gray pegasus who was nearly crying into the side of Primary Shades. Violet slumped back into her seat and sighed.

“Sorry, emotions got to me.” She said looking down at her hooves.

Sky nodded and looked down at the cowering Volt Speed, “Get up, Volt. You wanna be a guard, right? So don’t cower like that at the sign of danger.”

The green pegasus cracked a small, unconvincing smile and sat back up in his seat, “I-I wasn’t cowering! I was… getting to a defensive position! Yeah, I was doing that.” He said with an awkward laugh. Sky rolled his eyes and folded his wings again. Crystal looked up at the towering pegasus in awe. His power seemed to be radiating from his body and the respect that the group had for him was uncanny. His aura seemed to be that of someone very strong and powerful. Someone who could lead an entire army into battle. She looked in awe for another moment when it struck her. This power.. It’s so familiar to me.. Like the feeling I had when I first met Sky. Why am I getting these feelings?It’s as if I’ve known him all my life. She pondered for a moment, not realizing that the mood at the table changed as quickly as it got bad. Volt Speed and Sky were laughing about something and Puzzle Key was sitting back up normally. Crystal became confused as to how they could all forgive each other so quickly. She then felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked over to see Violet with a concerned look facing the white alicorn.

“Is something the matter, Crystal? You seemed to space off for a moment there.” The purple unicorn asked. Crystal searched for the most believable white lie she could tell.

“O-oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just.. thinking about things,” She started, “But.. how did you all forgive each other so quickly? Your were about to tear each other's throats out and now you are all laughing again.” To Crystal’s surprise, Violet giggled and put a hoof on the hooded alicorns shoulder.

“Wow, your mom must not let you go out much,” Violet joked, “It’s simple. We’re friends, friends forgive each other no matter what.”

“Exactly,” Crystal turned around to face a smiling Sky Knight, “Yes we quarrel, but we will never stop being friends.” Everyone at the table nodded in agreement with Sky Knight. This prompted Crystal to crack a smile that she had not felt in a long time. A genuine, friendly smile. Sky chuckled, “I guess that’s one less lesson your aunt has to teach.” He said quietly enough so only Crystal could hear. She giggled as she felt joy radiate from the group once again. Her chest warmed up to her surprise. She hadn’t felt this feeling since her times as a child with her one friend she was allowed having. She enjoyed every second of it.

The hours flew by as the group shared different stories and played games, which may have lead to Blue Wrench getting a cupcake to the face. They had also left Sugar Cube Corner to have some fun and show Crystal around town. She had fun at every place they stopped, but none took her breath away like the view of the stadium from the top of town hall. Something about the wonderfully detailed architecture blending with the orange and yellow of the beautiful sunset made Crystal feel comfortable. She was having so much fun that she nearly forgot about the suspicion she had for Sky. As the orange turned to gray, signaling the start of Luna’s beautiful night, the party began dissolving as ponies went home. It dissolved until there was only Sky Knight and Crystal left.

“Would you like me to walk you home, Crystal?” The blue pegasus offered. She nodded and the two began to trot together to the castle. As they neared the castle, the alicorn in hiding began to feel sorrow now that the fun day was coming to a close. This was the most fun she has had since she was a filly and she didn’t want it to end, but it had to. They stood at the front doorway and faced each other.

“Welp, guess this is goodnight then. Hope you had fun.” Sky happily said, making Crystal grin.

“Yes, I hope we can do this again sometime.” She replied, turning to the doorway.

“Oh wait, we never really got to know you, did we?” Sky stopped her in her tracks.

“N-no, we didn’t, but it’s fine.” She said.

“No, it’s part of friendship to get to know each other.”

“I guess..”

“I'm sorry we didn't take the time to get to know you. Maybe we can change that. Goodnight." Sky Knight finally said.

“Good night.” Crystal said as she walked through the door. As the door closed, something dawned on her. That last phrase Sky Knight said to her, it sounded familiar to her. Almost like someone close had spoken it before. Then the suspicion of Sky came flooding back as she rushed to Twilight’s room to tell her what had happened.

Author's Note

Wow, almost 4 months... Sorry to anyone who actually wanted to continue reading this. I hope to post more in the future. The school year is nearly over so hopefully I'll have more time soon.

Prologue

Hooves hitting the cold, rocky ground echoed through the tunnels of a cave. The panic in the pony’s hoof steps was clear as day. The white unicorn, who donned a special looking set of royal guard armor. His armor was more aerodynamic and more skin tight tan normal armor. On his right shoulder, the armor bore a crest in the shape of a shield with an image representing all of the pony races separating the shield into three parts with a blue heart in the middle of the shield. The guard sprinted as fast as he could, unable to see what was in front of him, but he just continued running. His breath was so heavy it could hold down a full grown dragon. He looked back to see if anyone was following him. No one was in sight, but he didn't want to risk it, he kept his pace.

“Gotta…. warn… Everyone!” He muttered as he continued. His hopes lifted as he saw a glimmer of light up ahead. He felt his heart pounding harder than ever before. That heart beat nearly stopped as his heart sank down into his stomach. The light he saw turned green and split into three different green lights as they hovered at about the height of a pony’s head. He stopped in his tracks about 10 meters from the lights.

“H-how?!” He stuttered, his breath still as heavy as Canterlot. He turned around and planted his back hooves ready to run, but he stopped mid gallop as he saw two more green lights about 5 meters behind him. They slowly drew closer, causing the guard to back up. He turned to run only to see the three lights ahead were directly in his face. He shivered in fear, his lips shook like an earthquake was occurring in his mouth. Then, a pair of eyes opened just below the center light. The eyes glowed green and had a purple, smokey aura formed around them.

“I'm sorry, but we don't think that Equestria should know we're here yet. It's not ready for us, yet.” A low, raspy voice came from where the eyes were floating. The guard's eyes widened in horror as two more pairs of eyes opened underneath the green lights on the outside of the center eyes. The eyes shared the same features as the center pair of eyes. The lights above the eyes all glowed brightly. The pony gasped in horror and let out a shriek of pain as the lights converged on him. That shriek echoed through the tunnels of the cave. The shriek was abruptly cut off, blood splattered all over the cave walls where the pony was. The shriek was replaced by a maniacal laughter. The eyes all closed and the lights slowly faded as the laughter died down to an eerie silence that would make anypony shake in their place.

Author's Note

This is my first attempt at writing any kind of story, so bear in mind the writing probably isn't the best quality. Any criticism is welcome as long as it's constructive. Thank you to all who are helping me with this.