Finding Artemis

I was in such a good mood that when I got back to the palace the news that Celestia and Luna still hadn’t returned almost didn’t bother me. Almost. What could they be looking into that they were taking so long? I know it’s just been a day, but Christ, I’m not meant for politics. Not sure what exactly I’m actually meant for, but that’s a question for another time. At least tonight won’t be completely awful, considering what I have lined up for court. I just hope Trixie is a better stage magician than she is a liar.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

“Ugh, it is going to be Tartarus returning to my normal sleep schedule,” Luna grumbles as she follows Celestia down the ill used trail. “And why is it we are now relegated to the ground? Would it not be faster to fly over this mess?” This mess being a tangled, dark wood well beyond Equestria’s borders, the pair now in the form of two unicorns, reminiscent of how they used to look in their younger days. Celestia was being increasingly miserly with the sharing of information after her little bout of playing storyteller, which was beginning to irritate the younger alicorn immensely.

“Flying in this area would be extremely ill advised,” Celestia replies, using her magic to cut away a tangle of thorns and vines from their path. “This is completely wild territory, Luna, and if we wish to keep our presence as secret as possible then we walk for the time being.” This causes Luna’s frown to deepen.

“What out here could be a threat to two ponies in the air?” The younger sister asks, curious to hear the answer. How much had the world changed in her absence? A thousand years is a long time, after all.

“The mesh spiders have made a resurgence during your… absence,” Celestia replies darkly, causing Luna’s eyes to widen in shock.

“The mesh spiders?!” She couldn’t believe it. “My Night Guard had reduced them to a mere hoofful of colonies, leaving their numbers drastically reduced! How, in the name of Faust, did they manage to come back from that, Celestia?” Her heated question causes her sister to pause, having been about to clear more of the thick undergrowth from their path, shoulders slumping and a weary sigh escaping her lips.

“Because with their nests in Equestria destroyed they weren’t an immediate concern,” the elder sibling replies solemnly. “I had a country to run, alone for the first time, and I let matters outside our borders fall to the wayside as a result.” She half turns to face Luna, looking unfathomably tired. “Anything I say will sound like an excuse, I’m sure, but I at least want to try to explain myself.”

Luna frowns, weighing Celestia’s words, finally deciding to give her the chance to say whatever it is she wishes to say. “Very well, sister. I am listening.”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The afternoon wore on into evening, the sun making its gradual descent towards the horizon, until finally it suddenly dipped out of sight, only to be replaced by moonlight. I can honestly say that I’m really starting to hate the night. That cold, silver light that shines over the world… needless to say it brings nothing but bad memories to mind whenever I see it. It’s beautiful, yes, but terrible nonetheless. I gaze upon Canterlot, some lights going out, others turning on, all while the moon cast its glow upon the city in its entirety. Eventually I have to look away, banishing all thoughts of the past from my mind, for now at least, and moving to stand in front of my full length mirror. What I see isn’t very flattering, to be honest.

Dark circles under my eyes, mane in desperate need of a trim, coat needing a good brushing and… yeah, I’m a mess. I’d already had to beat away several hoofmaidens, or whatever they call them here, with a stick and almost shove them out of my room to keep them from assaulting me with mane and coat care products for my next night in court. The scheduled “magic” show aside, running court blows chunks. Big ones. So, as one might imagine, I’m not looking forward to doing this until whenever Celestia and Luna decide to come back. If they come back. What in God’s name are they even doing, anyway?

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

“You know, sister, your words seem to be ringing quite hollow at the moment,” Luna points out dryly from where she hung in a mesh spider’s web, right alongside her sister, the pair having been set upon by half a dozen of the eight legged monstrosities while they had been too busy talking to notice.

“So I gathered,” Celestia replies with an equally dry tone, glancing around to see if they were alone, only to find that they were being watched by at least three different sets of eyes. “They’re still watching us, of course.”

“I am aware of that,” Luna mutters grumpily, feeling quite fed up with the situation as a whole by this point. “Must we continue with this ludicrous charade? We could easily dispatch these monsters and be done with it!”

“We need only wait until they lower their guard,” Celestia tries to assure her. “We are supposed to be a pair of normal unicorns, remember?”

“I am not an idiot, Celestia,” Luna replied with a scowl on her face. “Once this farce of yours is over, I am gathering the Night Guard and burning this entire nest to the ground.”

“Just, please, be patient a bit longer,” Celestia urged her, frowning as one of the spiders moved above them. “Once we’re out of this forest we can fly to our destination, no more delays, I promise.”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Miss Lulamoon’s show ended with a fanfare of fireworks that only seemed to enhance the audience's awe, reflected by a show of praise through the clatter of hooves on the hard marble of the throne room floor.

I’m glad for her, since she really seemed like she was having the time of her life on stage. ‘Joy, huh? So that’s what that looks like.’ I think sardonically as I show my own sense of praise in a sedate form of applause, which some may confuse for royal restraint. I doubt many here would believe that, though. Throughout the show I caught glimpses of ponies looking back at me uneasily, clearly not liking the fact that I was lurking behind them. Fortunately Trixie’s show was entrancing enough that it soon pulled all wandering eyes off of me, and honestly I couldn’t be more thankful.

With the show over I decide to make a hasty withdrawal from the throne room without anyone seeing me. I have had enough of crowds for awhile and, with the show taking the place of night court, I doubt any will really care where I am, so I take to wandering the halls.

By now the layout is more familiar. Yeah, it’s the same decadent hallway after hallway, but when you have nowhere to be one can appreciate the simple act of aimless movement.

Coming to a door I open it to reveal a familiar balcony. It has only been a few months since I stood out on this very spot looking down at the myriad number of faces, being introduced as their new ‘prince’, my sisters hugging me close, feigning the love of a lost sibling.

The yard is all but empty now, of course. A few patrols saunter through but nothing more. The night has descended upon the land, brought about by Luna, wherever the hell she is.

The mountain breeze bites at my nostrils as I take in the view. The whole of Canterlot lays below, only a few tiers of the bordering buildings obstructing my view of the horizon. Below in the valley I can see the Everfree, forming a carpet of green all the way west. The tips of some of the taller buildings in Ponyville poke through the undergrowth, as well as the old castle. The hush of the scene bathed in twilight as the night settles in.

I do my best not to focus on two ill chosen words of reflection of that scene.

“You disappeared pretty fast.” Weeks of deprogramming hold fast as my reaction is relegated to the shifting of one wing before turning to find Cadance gently closing the door behind her. “You were the one who booked Ms. Lulamoon’s show, so I’m surprised you didn’t stick around to congratulate her.”

“Catch and release, Candy,” I reply, turning back to the horizon once more. “She’s got the momentum she needs to take her career wherever she wants to. Let’s just hope she refrains from running her mouth off to derail it again.”

She responds with a simple affirmation before allowing the silence to reclaim the balcony, for a time at least.

“It’s cool out tonight,” she eventually remarks, shuffling her wings to accommodate the open air.

“Sweltering by comparison.” I respond coolly, my eyes fixed forward.

“To what?” I motion to the orb hanging in the sky. “Oh.”

“Do you need something, Cadance?” I ask, not sure why she’d be checking up on me like this so late.

If I come off as gruff it doesn’t appear to phase her, although it seems most alicorns are immune to my “charms”. “Let’s do something tonight. You and me. Court is over, a city full of excitement is below us… what do you say?” The question causes me to stare at her like she just sprouted a second head.

“I say, ‘your rolodex needs a few new entries, ‘cause I’m the last one you’d wanna go clubbing with’.”

“Yeah, you might actually wind up ‘clubbing’ somepony.” She responds with a bit of smarm which is met with silence from me. “That was a joke.”

“Only if it wasn’t true. If anything it’s just… ironic.”

She opens her mouth to respond, only to sigh in defeat. “Fair enough.”

The moonlight fades on the balcony enough to cut through the silence. Drawing my eyes in its direction I look up, and can’t really believe what I see.

A massive expanse of clouds is slowly drifting it’s way round the castle, only this cloud bank is far more than that. Intermingled throughout the construct is the appearance of trees, houses, arches and columns from that of Roman times, formed into the very surface.

“Cloudsdale has arrived.” Cadance places her hooves on the railing and takes in the cloud city Lando wishes he had.

I had heard numerous times about the floating city of the pegasi, but, upon seeing it, it’s clear my imagination could not do justice to the spectacle that is the real thing.

There are waterfalls, actual streams of falling water, cascading throughout the superstructure. And not just water, but actual rainbows in certain cases. What purpose they serve I can’t even begin to guess at, but they certainly make for an impressive display.

Lights burn within the homes made of clouds, carved so cleanly one would swear they were hewn from the finest marble instead. This is further emphasized by the greco-roman style of many of the buildings, tall pillars and archways visible even from this distance.

Even at this hour I can make out several forms darting to and fro in the moonlit air. Pegasi, flying through the night sky on thermal updrafts generated by the city itself. My human mind can’t help but gaze in wonder at the sheer spectacle of it. This, what has to be the epitome of magic, is floating before me. There are no words.

Cadance said something, but her words were drowned out by my sense of wonder, forcing me to turn to face her. “What?”

“I said, ‘come fly with me’,” she repeats herself, opening her wings for emphasis.

My own wings had unfurled at some point, but I quickly snap them back to my sides.

“Candy, I don’t—“. My effort to decline is outright severed as the completely mental pink mare just about tackles me. What’s more, she then straight up tips us right over the edge of the railing and out into the air.

I can hear gleeful laughter in my ears as the balcony rail slips away and the wind begins rushing past. Instinct kicked in as my wings flared open along with hers as we continue to plummet, her grip on me holding firm as we twisted through the air.

After a dizzying couple of seconds she pushes off of me with her back hooves and springs herself into the air above. Righting myself, I bring myself into a tight dive, bleeding off the g-forces from a vertical angle to a horizontal coast. She could've cut the tumble off sooner as the shops and homes below are clear enough for me to distinguish individual shingles. Below me, those ponies enjoying the night air gaze up at my sudden entrance, staring as I soar overhead. Swooping through the square, my hooves find purchase on a two story complex. Pooling my earth pony strength into them, I use the rooftop to catapult myself up. The effect is immediate, the sound of rushing wind in my ears as I rise up like a cannon shot, my sights set on something pink.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

With a well practiced flick, the black ichor was expertly removed from Midnight. The blade had been Luna’s companion through countless dangers and she cared for it as she did her own wings. Anything less would be sacrilege in the eyes of her old master.

Celestia likewise cleansed her halberd, the weapon glowing white hot for a moment, boiling the disgusting fluid until it turned to ash, before it flaked away into the air. A dozen shattered and crumpled spider bodies, the size of juvenile cows, surrounded the sisters, their moment having finally come when something had drawn the attention of their would-be captors away from the royal siblings. What this distraction had been, neither could say, but then again they weren’t about to complain about it, either.

“Now, if we are finally finished with this distraction,” Luna began, tucking Midnight back inside the sub-dimensional pocket where it was normally stored, “I would like to finish this task of yours before some other foolishness befalls us.”

“I don’t suppose another apology would make any difference,” Celestia “asks” in a fashion that makes it sound like she already knows Luna’s answer.

“No, it would not.” Luna’s reply is exactly as the elder sibling had predicted. “What is done is done, sister. The mesh spiders will be dealt with, and if you wish to make amends for allowing them to flourish, then you must simply give me leave to finish what I started over a thousand years ago.” She looks at Celestia, expression unreadable as she simply dropped her disguise entirely. “For now, let us depart. I believe you said we can make it to this volcano of yours within a day?”

“Yes, I did,” Celestia confirms for her, her halberd, Dawnbreaker, being stored in a similar pocket to Midnight’s as the Solar Diarch dismissed her own disguise as well. She supposed there was no point, given the circumstances. She looked at Luna, trying to get a sense of what her sister was thinking, but the Lunar Diarch was like a blank wall, giving away nothing of what hid behind it. Was she angry, or, heavens forbid, disappointed? There was no way to know without methods they had both outlawed at the dawn of their shared reign. “Follow me, then.” And so they set off once more, Celestia dreading their return even more than what they might find at their destination.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It should of come to no surprise to me that Cadance, for all her prim and propriety, was an amazing flyer. She darted through the sky with the grace of a ballerina and the speed of an eagle.

Upon finally reaching her she simply smirked at me and banked hard downward in a corkscrew, zipping through clouds, an insufferable giggle following in her wake.

She was set, it seems, on ‘frolicking’ with me. So be it. I’ll ‘frolic’ her brains out. Not wasting a second to think how bizarre that may sound I charge up my horn.

With a flash and twist of my stomach, my world turns and is pulled away and reoriented. I am now set directly in front of her.

Cadance is startled for a moment only to speed up. I brace for impact only to once again be twisted mid air as she dives last second, grabbing my tail and spinning me around, launching herself away.

Reeling, I right myself and find she is now climbing higher up, toward the floating city.

“Ah ah ah!” She chides me. “No magic, Uncle Artemis!”

Little pink minx is toying with me now. With a determined flap I am once more shooting up through the sky.

The wake of the massive cloud metropolis filling my wings as I climb higher, moving around the base of the city in my pursuit of Cadance.

The structures become more apparent as I glide past. There are streets. Fluffy, cottony streets that form arteries to the different homes and buildings within. I also catch glimpses of ponies, going about their evenings in the moonlight. Many have stopped and seem to be watching us.

The moon hangs just above the city and Cadance has resumed a gentle glide in the peak draft above. Joining her she makes no effort to run now, rather allowing the two of us to now ride in the air current. The strong jet flows through both our wings, natural flight instinct taking over as we fall in formation with one another.

Reaching a cloud spire we bank to the right together. Following the current through the city the moon lighting up the ramparts and homes below.

I’d be a filthy liar if I said I hated this. The wind rushing over my body, tingling every hair and feather, every muscle working in tandem keeping me from plummeting to the ground below.

“Hey!” Cadance says to my side catching my attention. “Looks like we have some admirers.”

Confused, I look back to find that we are indeed not alone. A flock of pegasi have taken to the air and were now following us. Mares, stallions, some with silver in their manes and tails, one that looks like her wings could barely keep her up but a determined look in her eyes. Whether it was curiosity or herding that brought them out here was unclear, but the sight brought something out in me. A feeling I couldn’t place.

“Give them something to chase!” Cadance said before banking off herself, a stream of ponies following after her.

Looking back once more I could see that those remaining were keeping their distance, unsure of what to make of me. There was that feeling again. Like a coiled spring ready, eager, to burst out.

Flying was a matter of not fighting the wind but using it; this felt no different. With a smirk I spin midair and spiral down, pulling my wings in so I pick up speed, before slowly opening them to maintain altitude.

My flock follows, mirroring my move, some better than others, but expertly reforming on my flanks. Veering forward I find myself in a field of clouded that stand like pillars in the moonlight. No better obstacle course could be found for some tight turns. Opening my wings wide I proceed to dodge and weave through the puffy masses, raising my wings higher and higher with each change in direction, turning gravity into forward speed as the clouds begin to blur.

Still they follow, some choosing to fly over more slowly but many of them choosing the path I set.

Part of me worries that should one fall that would be the end of a seemingly fun moment. But no such disaster happens, on the contrary, if their expressions says anything they want more.

Diving low, way low, past the clouds, the shine of the river below calls to me. My wings shoot out a mere foot from the water's surface, the wind I pulled with me hitting the water with a satisfying crash as I shoot forward, leaving a crisp contrail in my wake as I continue on, skimming the surface with my hooves.

From behind I can hear enthusiastic shouts and laughter. Turning, I can see the pegasi are shooting through the jets of water I made then twisting their bodies mid air sending water sparkling droplets cascading into the moonlight.

‘Okay, that’s cool.’

The first wave has recovered and is now barreling toward me once again.

"Alright kiddies." I smile wolfishly to myself. “Let’s test your mettle.”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

While Artemis and Cadance were having their little adventure with the pegasi of Cloudsdale, a certain sextet of mares were taking the time to unwind after a long day of training. Specifically they had decided to take part in a sleepover inside the bunkhouse they shared, and, generally speaking, good times were being shared by all parties involved. As one might expect, however, shenanigans were ahoof with the girls playing a game of Truth or Dare.

“Alright, girls, settle down,” Rarity tuts, mane done up in rollers, as she looks around. “Rainbow? I do believe it is your turn to ask, darling.”

“Finally,” the speedster stammers out, teeth chattering as she huddled under a thermal blanket. Diving headfirst into Evergreen Lake in the middle of fall is no picnic, but a dare is a dare and she had proved, if nothing else, to be quite daring indeed. “I ask…” She swept her gaze over her friends, deciding on who to pick. Fluttershy is attempting to hide behind her mane, Pinkie is practically bouncing in place from excitement, while Rarity quietly files her hooves and Applejack seems to be almost daring her to choose the stetson wearing apple bucker. Twilight… a grin spread across the pegasus's face. “Okay, I choose you, Twi!”

Twilight, meanwhile, feels a twinge of nerves going through her system. She’d known her time would come eventually, but now she feels like she wishes she’d had more time to study despite this not being a test.

“Truth or Dare, sugarcube?” Applejack provides a bit of support with a nod, and the unicorn takes a moment to steady herself. So, with a calming breath, she mulled over her options. Dare was a viable choice, but between a case of hypothermia, a sprained ankle, and a stomach ache, tonight’s dares had so far proved to be perilous. Truth, though… well, that wouldn’t be so bad, right? These are the mares she’d gone into danger with, who she had bared her heart to and who had supported her on multiple occasions. So, with all that in mind, what was the harm in choosing Truth?

“Truth,” Twilight said aloud, which immediately causes Rainbow’s grin to widen, the pegasus having hoped she’d choose that option. There was a question she’d been itching to ask ever since the nerdy mare had returned from Canterlot.

“Do you think Prince Artemis is hot?” There was an echo of silence, one that seemed to quiet all of them. Immediately Twilight felt her cheeks burn, but she couldn’t understand why. Sure, Artemis was fascinating, but that was because he held knowledge of a whole other world, an alien place full of untold wonder… but that doesn’t mean he’s hot, right? Of course Rainbow Dash would ask the tricky questions.

Thinking about it, though, Artemis is an alicorn, considered widely to be the epitome of beauty and perfection since the First Ascension. Poems and songs alike had been written extolling Celestia’s grace and poise alone. Meanwhile there were many stallions, and mares who trotted that way, who would often speak about her various… attributes that appealed to them, many of which overlapped between the three tribes. Now, however, there was a stallion who could embody them, but the question remained; how did she feel about that?

“Twi?”

Well, he was tall, with a full wingspan, shorn fetlocks, and had a horn that was… well endowed. His eyes, though… his eyes just seemed to burn straight through her every time he looked at her, a sensation that made her tummy flutter just thinking of it. It was that same sort of intensity that he’d possessed even while corrupted. Only now there was a certain tenderness, as well as an unmistakable sadness, that she could feel whenever he spoke in that deep voice of his.

“Twilight?”

Those eyes had even checked her out, she was certain of it! She’d nearly missed it, and he’d been quick to look away, but that day she’d spent alone with him during her experiment he had definitely been checking out her flanks.

“Prince Artemis was checking you out?!” Rarity’s voice snapped Twilight out of her reverie, the marshmallow white mare practically gushing at this particularly juicy bit of news.

“What?! No!” Twilight immediately denies it, voice cracking with a squeal in her embarrassment, cheeks turning beat red as a result. “That didn’t…”

“You were talking out loud, sug,” Applejack points out with an embarrassed shrug for her friend.

“I guess I threw you for a loop with that one,” Rainbow remarks, sounding apologetic. “You were quiet for a minute, but then you started mumbling, which turned into talking.”

“I… I did?” Twilight’s eye twitches a bit. “When… when did I start… being comprehensible?” Much to her relief, and the disappointment of her friends, she was saved from further embarrassment by the timely arrival of Shining Armor, sleepy eyed and wearing a nightshirt.

“Alright, ladies, I gave you all a half hour past lights out and we have another round of training scheduled to start at 0500.” His eyes swept over the gathered mares briefly, wondering what they’d been up to. Given the look on his sister’s face, however, he wasn’t certain he really wanted the answer. “Let’s get ready for bed.” Then Pinkie Pie just seems to appear next to him, with only his training keeping him from jumping nearly a foot off the floor at this point.

“O Captain, My Captain?” The pink mare’s voice was as full of energy as ever, despite the training he’d been putting them through. If he could somehow synthesize whatever magic or chemistry that kept her so full of vigor, he’d be able to retire a rich stallion.

“Yes, Miss Pie?” He asks her, just a tad leery given her propensity for surprising him.

“Sorry about this, but a dare is a dare,” she replies, not sounding sorry at all, by the way. She then leans in and quickly pecks him on the lips before bouncing away like her hooves are made of rubber instead of keratin. Shining Armor’s eye, meanwhile, twitches in a familiar way before he clears his throat.

“Well… good night, Twilie, ladies.” The light goes out, with the sound of him leaving followed by silence… for a moment.

“Pinkie?” Twilight whispers in the dark. “Nopony dared you to do that.”

“You have your studmuffin, so let me have mine,” the incorrigible mare in question answers, followed by a round of barely contained giggles. As they’re about to go to sleep, however, a peal of thunder is heard in the distance, a certain cyan pegasus springing up to look out a window.

“There isn’t any thunderstorm scheduled for tonight,” she declares, sounding irritated as she attempts to spot the source. It takes her a moment, but when she does her eyes widen. “Celestia’s teats!”

“Rainbow!” Twilight immediately chastises her friend, getting up to join her with a disapproving frown on her face. “You shouldn’t use such—”

“Oh, write me up for it later,” Rainbow cuts her off dismissively, pointing out towards Canterlot. “Look!” Shooting the rainbow maned mare a sour look for the way she’d been interrupted, Twilight does so… and stares in shock.

“Sweet Celestia,” she murmurs, having not expected to see what she’s currently looking at.

“Right?!” Rainbow, unsurprisingly, sounds excited, practically prancing in place. “I dunno what’s going on up there, but wow, I can just about feel the charge of that from all the way out here!”

“What in tarnation has got you two acting like a couple of—holy sweet mother of molasses!” Applejack, having gotten up to see what all the fuss was about, is now staring along with the other two mares, stunned by the sight that had caught their attention. “Should we be, I dunno, worried bout that?”

“I don’t think so?” Rainbow doesn’t sound entirely certain, but she really couldn’t be given the circumstances. “I mean, it doesn’t look like it’s spreading much, and Cloudsdale is right there, so I’m pretty sure we’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“For goodness sake, can’t a lady get her beauty rest?” Rarity sounds mildly annoyed, though given the early morning that was in store for them one shouldn’t be surprised. “Now, what in the world is… is…” She trails off, blinking rapidly for a moment as if to try and ensure that she was really seeing this. “Oh. Well, I suppose I understand the fascination in this case.”

“Ooooo, pretty!” Trust Pinkie Pie to sum it up as simply as possible. “Shy, c’mere, you need to see this!”

“N-no, I’m okay here,” Fluttershy says from under the covers of her bed. “You can just, um, tell me about it later.” Like Rainbow she could practically feel what was happening out there, and it was kind of scary. Fluttershy doesn’t do scary, not unless the fate of the world is at stake, or her friends need her help. What has their attention? A cloud bank was forming around Cloudsdale and in the skies of Canterlot, dark and flashing with lightning, though there were no strikes that any of them could make out. It seems to be focused around a single point that was circling upwards, and not one of them had any idea what was happening to cause it.

“I just hope you’re right, Dash,” Twilight says at last, nervous as she felt… something inside herself that she couldn’t properly describe. She really didn’t like being unable to understand something, as a certain pink bundle of energy could attest, and this was definitely in that category. “I really don’t—gah!” A light shone on them, the source being a rather grumpy Captain Armor.

“Didn’t I tell you girls to go to sleep?” He turns off the light from his horn, frowning at them severely. “I get it, honestly, but the weather patrols can handle things if they get out of hoof. Now go to bed before I decide that you all have too much energy and really put you to work come morning!”

“Yes, sir,” they chorus, causing him to snort and roll his eyes. Mares.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

My heart was thundering in my ears and still I pushed further, faster! The Cloudsdale pegasi had closed the gap between us once again, trying to overtake me, no fear or social decorum holding them back. Especially this lithe little blonde number currently stuck to me like white on rice.

She reminds me of Rainbow Dash but a bit more butch, and with a bigger mouth on her, if that were possible. I had shut her down twice now, and each time seemed to do nothing but strengthen her resolve, pushing her to pass me.

‘Not bloody likely, missy.’ I can’t help the smirk that forms on my face as I push myself to stay ahead of her, a competitive streak I never knew I had blossoming inside of me as we race ahead of the thunderclouds trailing in my wake. My mind starts to race, to try and figure out what was happening to cause this, but I force it away. I don’t want to think about this. I just want to experience it! Whatever it is, of course. Questions can be asked later, but for now my persistent opponent is starting to catch up, again.

“Not getting tired, are you?” She asks me tauntingly, but I can’t help smirking at her. Tired? No pony on this planet knows the meaning of the word as far as I’m concerned. Go a week straight cutting the same tiny runes into lunar rock, centimeter by centimeter, with no rest or breaks, and then you can talk to me about being tired.

“You wish, macho-mare,” I shoot right back at her, causing her to glare at me, to which I laugh. I decide to start leveling out, figuring the ponies trailing in my wake could use a break, when I begin to feel something I can’t quite put my hoof on. It’s familiar, but where have I felt this before?

The mare uses my moment of distraction to charge forward and try and seize the lead.

“Crap.”

I am able to match her speed as we go side to side. She isn’t giving up and, despite my bravado, I don’t feel I can go any faster without fizzling out. Using unicorn magic was out of the question. If she was anything like Dash she would bellyache about me cheating, and it’s not like she didn’t have witnesses.

Nope, had to be a fair fight, but let’s make it interesting.

“How high can you go, chicken wings?”

“Higher than you, your royal Albatrossness.” Snippy little bird horse, but lately ponies are either scared of me or trying to kiss up to me, so this was at least a different tune.

A flash of pink jars us both. “You both talk too much.” Cadance is now leading the herd, curving upwards.

Buzz cut and I spare a short glance before once again booking it after Cadance.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The streets of Canterlot are abuzz with what’s happening above. Balconies of houses are filled with onlookers. Despite the autumn chill that was creeping in each day, restaurants opened their outside seating so they could take advantage of the spectacle and provide front row seats with drinks and a late night snack.

Nymphadora the unicorn was no exception. Her eyes pointed upward as she casually sipped at her glass of red wine, savoring the taste as it rolled past her tongue, warming her as it spread throughout her body.

She had hoped to conveniently “run into” the Alicorn Prince after the show, but the appearance of the faux love pony had made that impossible. Simpering little bitch didn’t know the potential she wielded and instead used it as a farcical pretense for ponies to bone one another.

Such a waste.

This is no different. Another flash spread through the sky followed by a crash that made her hooves tingle.

Such power.

She had felt his presence before when he embraced the Destroyer. Animalistic, wretched with hatred, but gleeful in its desire to annihilate.

Weeks of watching had only left glimpses of this power, so much so that she feared he had been all but castrated of his wondrous potential.

But now, he lit up the very night. Further work was needed. The seed was planted in his mind and she would see it take hold. It would take time, and more contact between the two of them to help it along, but she was certain she could make it work.

Raising her glass to the heavens in a toast she smiled, her fangs visible as the sky lit up once more and the heavens themselves trembled with untapped power.

“You will be mine, dear Prince.”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Cadance glanced over one shoulder, laughing gaily as she saw that the pegasi hadn’t given up their pursuit, and her uncle… she’d never seen him like this. It wasn’t quite happiness, not yet at least, but there was this certain air about him as he raced neck and neck with the blonde, sporty mare with a competitive streak as wide as her favorite aunt’s flanks that was close to it. Like he was… free, perhaps for the first time in many years. Celestia still hadn’t shared all the details behind what had happened on the day of the eclipse, or the dizzyingly long span of time before that, but it must have been awful.

Still, she could see glimpses of the pony he could eventually become, and right now she is seeing that pony again. Wild, passionate, with a good heart and a will as hard as iron. This is the pony she hopes to bring out through her work with him, and while there had been a few… hiccups along the way to where they are today, she is still confident that she can help him recover from his past trauma. First, however, she has a race to enjoy, and she fully intends to do just that!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

“Damn that mare,” I groan as Cadance somehow puts on a fresh burst of speed. How is she so good at this? It’s like she was born to fly or something. Still, I persevere, not intending to lose so easily as that. What is the finish line for this, anyway? I stare ever upwards, and an idea comes to me. I know the perfect way to finish this flight.

“Try and keep up, macho-mare!” I taunt the blonde spitfire that had been on my tail for some time now, having managed to pull ahead of her again, though only just barely. She’s good, no doubt about that, but damn reckless, too. She’d made a few attempts to take the lead that had nearly caused us both to spin out. Thankfully I was paying attention, not to mention that I’m sturdier than her, otherwise we might have made quite the spectacle of ourselves several times over.

“Stop calling me that!” I think I hear from behind me, a smirk curling my lips as a result. Yeah, she’s also kind of predictable. It only takes a little prodding and she’s back to pushing the limit. I can admire that in anypony, really. Too bad she seems a little too… driven to succeed. Yeah, that sounds about right. So driven, in fact, that she doesn’t seem to be able to focus on anything other than the need to win every challenge life throws her way.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t act like one,” I tease her some more, tuning out her cursing as I focus myself on the goal now. Not Cadance, no, though I’m starting to close the gap on that one. I look at the stars, appearing to be so close but so far from this place, and just fly. I hardly notice as the clouds thin out, as the ponies behind me drop off their pursuit. I barely even hear Cadance as I pass her, calling for me to stop, and then sound just stops having a means of reaching my ears.

The familiar biting chill is what hits me first, the last puff of my breath escaping as white mist, my coat gaining a layer of ice as my sweat freezes solid, but the cold can’t drive me back now. I’m floating on the edge of space, staring at the stars with the curve of Equis visible below me, and simply take a moment to experience the wonder of it all. Sadly, however, such things never seem to last, and a familiar shape fills my vision once again.

The moon; cold, stark white and utterly pitiless. It is my old prison and now it’s right before my eyes, bringing back many unwanted memories. The cold, the thirst, the helplessness, and most of all the hate that sustained me through it all. I feel something bubbling up from inside me, something I can’t describe, and my contempt for the damnable heavenly body latches onto this sensation like a lifeline. I can’t hear it, but I see it from the corner of my eye. Energy is gathering around me, beneath me, all from that wonderful world below, and I know it’s mine to guide and shape as I see fit.

It gathers around my horn, my glare fixed on the wretched place I’d been trapped on for so long, and the biggest lightning blast in the history lightning blasts erupts from it to lance out at the pale orb of rock, blasting a fresh, blackened crater into its surface.

I take a moment to appreciate my handiwork before closing my eyes, tucking in my wings, and letting myself drift back towards Equis, gravity doing most of the work as the cold is replaced with the heat of reentry. I don’t care, though.

“This was the best night ever.”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

How long had they been flying now? The tedium of the journey made it difficult for Luna to keep track, if she were to be honest. It doesn’t matter, not really, as they’d get there soon enough. At least, so long as Celestia had been completely honest with her. It’s hard to say, however, as the pair had not spoken much since the Lunar Diarch’s return. Conflicting schedules made that difficult, sadly, even in the modern day where so much had changed. Save for this.

Shaking such thoughts from her mind for the time being, Luna instead tries to focus on something else. The landscape? Lots of shrub land and wild grasses, so no luck there. Nothing interesting overhead, save perhaps for her night sky, of course. She can’t help smiling as she gazes upon her moon and the stars that surround it. She always did love bringing down the veil, guiding ponies into a time of rest and—

“Luna!” She barely hears Celestia’s shocked, fearful shout as she finds herself simply tumbling right out of the air, clutching at her barrel and grimacing in pain. It felt like she’d just been kicked in a place that no hoof should be able to reach, and several long seconds pass before she is able to right herself.

“Mother Faust preserve us,” she hisses, rubbing the area where the pain had originated from, her sister at her side within moments. Yet while her sibling checks her for injury, Luna’s gaze turns upward and focuses on her moon, eyes widening as she sees a fresh, blackened crater marring its surface. Someone had defaced her moon! The brazen impudence of it leaves her completely dumbfounded, and yet she recognizes the energy that lingers on its now damaged edifice.

“What in Tartarus were you thinking, brother?”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

He’s been up there a while. Way past the flight ceiling. ‘Buckin’ cheater.’ The mare known as Lightning Dust huffed. She had made a rep for herself as the most daring flyer in Equestria and here comes this hoity toity stallion running his mouth and showing her up. So what if he’s a prince and an Alicorn? Doesn’t mean he’s better. If anything, him being one meant he definitely couldn’t be. Yeah, that horn? Not very streamlined. Those wings? So over-sized. Not to mention the fact his size and weight should also be slowing him down.

“Buckin’ magic,” Lightning grumbles under her breath, glaring up at the stars and wondering just how long he was going to sit up there. Alicorns still have to breathe, right?

Cadence paced back and forth on her cloud, trying to hide the worry on her face. She had tried to stop Artemis from flying so high, in fact being able to go that high should be impossible, but up he went. The pegasi around her seemed rather unsure of what to think as well.

She gave a group of them a nervous smile, even while her back leg trembled. Auntie Celestia put her in charge of him and what does she do? ‘Let’s go for a flight… off the planet!’ What shall we do next, gallop with scissors? Hold up a metal rod in the middle of a lightning storm? Faust, why did she think this was a good idea? She really hopes she didn’t just help her new uncle kill himself. What happens next, however, is something nopony could have predicted.

The sound of startled, even frightened, ponies calling out brings Cadance’s attention back to Equis, her eyes widening as she watches pure energy crackling to life around every cloud in the vicinity, including the one she is currently standing on. She can feel it, every hair on her body seeming to stand on end as the prickling rush of energy seems to pass right through her, leaving her a little breathless. The pegasi around her were having similar reactions as the energy was drawn upwards in a spiral, centering on a spot above them all. The spot, she would wager, where Artemis currently is.

When the energy coalesces the light it shines is nearly blinding in its intensity, even Cadance having to shield herself from it. Then, within the blink of an eye, that light… she can’t see it clearly, but she hears it with no problems at all. Like an explosion going off right next to her head, and then all she can hear is the piercing whine that meant her eardrums had almost been blown out. What in the name of her favorite aunt had that been just now?!

Lightning Dust grit her teeth and flinched, hooves on her ears as she watches the mother of all lightning bolts blast the crap out of the moon, like the orb had somehow pissed it off or something.

“What the buck was that?!” The extremely competitive mare can hardly hear herself that blast had been so damn loud. Well, the moon has a new crater, and—holy shit, lightning! She dives to the side as another bolt of lightning, much smaller than the first, rockets down through the atmosphere and hit the clouds only a meter away from where she’d just been standing. Instead of tearing the cloud apart, however, it just… stops. Blinking at the odd sight, Lightning Dust is more than a little confused.

Cadance, having regained her ability to see properly, and most of her hearing, is also puzzled, to say the least. The lightning had just… stopped. It’s now hovering there, crackling angrily, and starts to take on a familiar shape. Legs, head, wings, and then the energy bursts apart, revealing the pony she’d been worried about this whole time. Artemis, his eyes shining with the same brilliant light he had rode down upon, stood there, the hair of his mane and tail flowing in the moonlight, their grey locks seeming to be combined with wisps of clouds.

The alicorn suddenly spreads his wings and lets out a primal, powerful bray, a sound you would never expect to hear in the modern day, as thunder crashes and lightning flashes from the gathered clouds despite them being white bundles of harmless fluff just moments before. This awe inspiring sight is soon interrupted, however, as the light goes out of Artemis’s eyes and the stallion clutches at his chest, heaving with great, wracking coughs to the point tears gather at the corners of his eyes.

“C-cold up there,” he wheezes, spitting… something out to the side. “So… I win?”

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Jesus Christ, my lungs hurt like hell. Why did I think it was a good idea to dip my proverbial toe into space, exactly? I think I just spat up dead lung tissue… ugh. So gross.

“Artemis! What was…” Cadance exclaimed before trailing off, her eyes moving to my… flanks?

Feeling self-conscious, my wings move to cover my tuckus. Creepy, Candy, I’m not that kind of uncle.

Imagine my surprise, then, when she dashes over and attempts to force my wing up.

“Cadance!” I start fighting her sudden interest in my ass. “The hell? Bad touch! BAD TOUCH!”

“Oh stop it!” She grouses, before her eyes light up, but mercifully steps away with her hooves raised to her mouth, a massive smile plastered on her face. “Oh my goodness!” What is with that look? Why is she so excited about my butt? I have so many questions! “You… you got your Cutie Mark!”

“...say what?” She can not have just said what I think she did. My eardrums must be damaged from the cold or something. “I’m sorry, did you just say I got one of those… mystical butt tattoos?”

“Oh, for goodness sake,” Cadance groans, grabbing my head with her magic and forcibly turning it to the side. To prevent neck injury, and to get this over with, I don’t fight it. “Look for yourself.” So I do.

“...yup, I’m done here,” I say in an awkward, stilted voice, then try to leave. There’s just one small problem. We now have a crowd of pegasi around us, all prostrating themselves like they are standing before the pony Dalai Lama and not some deadbeat hack struggling to make his way through their crazy, colorful world. “Candy?”

“It’s okay, Uncle,” Cadance assures me, gently rubbing shoulders with me and spreading a wing across my back, likely trying to be supportive. Honestly it makes me more uncomfortable, but I appreciate the effort. “You’ve discovered who you’re meant to be. You are a prince of Equestria, and these are your ponies.” She nodded to the pegasi for emphasis. “This is a good thing, I promise.”

“No, it’s not,” I argue quietly, ears folding back as I stare over the gathered pegasi, feeling a sense of dread building inside of me. “I’m not… they can’t trust me to—”

“I understand and it’s okay to be worried,” Cadance tries to soothe my nerves with her best “calm down the wild animal” voice. It’s not helping. “Do you think I was ready for this when I became a princess?”

“But you grew up here, you… you’re not some…” I stop myself from saying what I really want to say, instead shaking my head. “Whatever. How do I get them to stop?”

“Please, everypony, rise,” Cadance calls to them, the pegasi rising within moments of hearing her words. “My uncle and I thank you for joining us on this wonderful evening, but everypony really should be returning to their homes. It is quite late, and even we need to sleep.” She gives me a little nudge, trying to get me to add something, I guess.

“Uh… yeah, thank you for… for enjoying the night with us and… and sorry about the… the light show,” I say to them hesitantly, feeling like a lump is in my throat.

“Are you kidding?!” It’s the loud blonde one with the minty coat and serious case of attitude. “That was bucking awesome!” Yeah, definitely reminds me of Rainbow Dash.

“YEAH!” Some hugely muscular dude of a pegasus with tiny wings adds his two cents from somewhere towards the back, looking like he’ll pop if he flexes too hard. Jesus, his workout routine must be insane. A chorus of agreement follows, as well as the stomping of hooves that seems to double as applause, which causes the clouds to rumble a bit as a result.

“Okay, uh, settle down,” I urge them after a moment. “Again, thank you, but it’s late and you should all probably get some rest.” There was signs of reluctance, even a little disappointment, but they all eventually dispersed. Sort of. The blonde spitfire flies over and punches my shoulder, a frown forming on my face as I give her a questioning look.

“You ever wanna have a proper race sometime, look up Lightning Dust in Cloudsdale,” she says to me, a cocky grin on her face. “For an over-sized albatross, you’re not half bad.” She then flies off, and I’m more than a little confused.

“Wow.” I look over to see Cadance giving me an appraising look. “You work fast.”

“What?” It takes a moment for what she means to sink in, then my cheeks are on fire and I’m shooting her the nastiest glare I can muster. “That’s not funny, Candy.”

“Yes it is,” she disagrees with me, closing one eye and sticking her tongue out at me playfully. Smug little brat. “Now come on, it’s chilly out here and you should probably get some sleep after that little stunt of yours.” She then spreads her wings and takes off, leaving me to look back over my shoulder at my flanks with that same sense of dread settling in the pit of my stomach.

“I guess it’s official,” I mutter, eyeing the mark on both sides of my ass for a moment before spreading my wings as well. “I really am a pony.”

I just wish that thought didn’t make me feel so helpless.