Sunset's Last Glow

Chapters

Prologue: The Final Day's Dawning
Chapter 1: Balance of Day and Night
Chapter 2: Forced Displacement
Chapter 3: A Splash of Color
Chapter 4: Dinner and a Show
Chapter 5: Reining in the Rainbow
Chapter 6: Red Flag Warning

Prologue: The Final Day's Dawning

Chapter 1: Shadow Flight

Sunset’s Last Glow

Chapter 1: Shadow Flight

“I can hear her… that laughter,” one said to the other two, both wanting for the freedom that they hope would come soon enough with her victory as she promised only days before.

“Patience, my brothers; you shall soon taste of the freedom eternal night shall bring,” a second said, his eyes flitting about in the darkness.

In the shadowy recesses of the Old Castle, mired in the depths of the Everfree Forest, the three beings looked on from their safe shelter at the broken walls and cinder blocks casting that were casting an eerie, ethereal mood. They saw the one they swore their lives to, in her stark beauty and grace; the Dark Mare, staring down this impudent unicorn mare—barely even older than a filly. All alone—something that his brethren would consider not the brightest of strategic decisions considering what she was daring to challenge. That filly is a foal! Our Princess of the Night will eradicate her with little effort. Why is she even bothering to try? None that oppose us will stand. That is the promise we were given, and we shall believe!

“Why is she taunting her? She is alone, no chance against a mare of that might,” the third laughed, amused at this mare’s crazed defiance toward the one who called herself Nightmare Moon.

Time passed, and the three watched from the safety of their sheltered place, enclosed in a glass that was just thick enough to see through. They stood, pacing about every so often as the second ticked by without much event. Now, now there was something to be seen, and laugh about.

“What does she hope to do by her deftness? Sliding underneath just to reach an old rock? And this is the one that is supposed to be trouble? What a stupid mare!”

Suddenly things changed. What was once one pony became six, and the odds no longer favored the figure looking down at the initial unicorn. “Brothers… something is wrong. There are more of them. No, no… this wasn’t supposed to....!”

As the six mares of various color and build assembled and stared down the Dark Mare, a slow but constant crackling sound started to fill their world. Suddenly the entire room they were floating about in shifted, tumbling into an environment that was foreign to them. “What’s happening?” The crack turned into an implosion of their shelter; they all fell out of their housing, and were cast to the winds.

The spirit forms they used to be ended up taking the forms they had known all too well, from weeks and months past. All three, strapping middle-aged pegasi--talented fliers, well ambitioned, and one a former leader of the Weather Patrol. But this day... they followed one and one only--Nightmare Moon. The first, the highest leader of them all, the dark coated stallion, with the dark red and amber hair, and golden eyes. His mark was that of a shadowed moon with a hawk diving through the top of the high part of the radius. The second, a totally black maned with stripes of cobalt blue specimen, with a deep rich dark orange coat. Finally, the last of them to form was a sky blue coated pegasus with silver hair that was tagged by a slowly rising sun--that should not have been there.

Upon which they found they could fly again. “Free! Night eternal shall reign!”

“NO! Something’s wrong! Where are the rest of us?” the tallest one said, his red and golden mane being tussled by the speed at which they had been moved. “We should be her side, legions of pegasi ready to raid the Castle and seize Celestia as we were ordered, not flying about without any fixed aim as a broken cell of merely three, with nopony to give orders to! Where is she--she promised she would find us and lead us to victory!”

The doubt that filled their brains was soon met with sudden realizations—as the sun rose. Disbelief was the first emotive expression on the leader’s face, as he looked through his mask and goggles as the celestial body ascended rapidly as it had been hidden away. She… she failed. That mare did that to our Princess? Impossible!

All three stopped midflight, keeping their wings in motion to prevent them from falling. “No… the promise has been broken. There will be… no eternal night. We… we are alone, brothers.” The lead pulled back his mask, revealing his dark blue coat. “Defiance, Stealth Light… we need to presume that we are no longer going to have any backup, as our legions are not among us. I recommend we do not continue with the mission as had been planned.”

“Phoenix Ember, have you lost your mind? We were given an assignment, and we are going to see it through! Why do you waver now?” Defiance asked, predictably, his contrasting black and blue mane shining in the sunlight.

An angry gaze came from Phoenix’s golden eyes, glimmering with harsh intent. “You question my orders, Defiance? You’ve been warned. I advise you close your mouth and follow my directions.”

“Defiance is right, Phoenix Ember. We were ordered, regardless of what happens, to raid the castle and capture the Sun Princess,” the silver haired Shadowbolt said plainly.

“You as well, Stealth, will question my directions? No. We will stay here until I have decided we will move. And for now… now we will land, and wait. She told us that I would lead, that I am the head flyer and that nopony moves so much as a feather unless I say so.”

“Respectfully, sir, I disagree. We are Shadowbolts! Soon to be feared among all of Equestria, as we would enforce the night that should have been drawn and complete! Not to see the rise of another day’s sunlight!” Stealth argued, shocked by the lack of cavalier from the commanding officer.

“It is lucky she is not here right now, as she would dispatch the two of you in very unpleasant methods for your mutinous words. She gives me orders, I give you orders. I do not believe this should ever be held in question. Have I made my stance clear, gentlecolts?”

The three looked at each other for a tense couple of moments, all three exchanging pointed glances. “You… nothing better than a wretched sun lover.” Defiance said, spitting at Phoenix Ember.

“We all used to love the sun, Defiance, you foal! We all appreciated the glory of a sunrise and the sunset as Our Princess would raise the luminous moon for all to see… and mock, not revel in. Do you really understand what will come with this ‘eternal night’, hmm?”

Stealth Light almost stopped flapping his wings after Phoenix made his declaration. “I understood completely, Ember. I listened to her plans after we were given our mission… and it was to be glorious! No more sun to hurt our eyes, and the cessation of the worship of Celestia so that the true Princess of Equestria could reign. You are unfit to lead me.” He stripped off his outer uniform, and let it fall in the light of the fresh day. “I no longer acknowledge you as a friend, or a pegasus. May your life be short.”

In the Shadowbolts, betrayal was considered the highest offense possible to the organization, followed closely by dereliction of duty. It was almost physically painful for Phoenix to hear the words depart Stealth Light’s mouth. Of all of the Generals in his immediate command, he considered him the most trustworthy and loyal. “I presume you’re going to abandon me as well, aren’t you, Defiance?”

Defiance snickered for a minute, looking at Phoenix. “I may be. I’m not sure, Phoenix… were you always so easily swooned when things went wrong? No. You were the pillar, the foundation upon which the rest of us decided to follow without question. Now… now, you’re nothing. As weak as I thought you to be after the first time we met. I’m not going to waste this gift given to me by Nightmare Moon. You keep it--to remind you that you screwed up and failed us. And, Phoenix Ember… you had best pray that our paths never cross again; if they do, I will view you as my enemy, not my friend.”

Defiance stripped off his outfit, and passed it to Phoenix. “You love the sun so much, Ember--maybe you should fly to it and find your freedom that you wished for in the endless night we were promised.” Without another word, he flew off toward the east, his destination unknown.

Phoenix watched his comrades in wing fly away from him. For the first time in the millennium’s length of time that had passed but to him felt only like a few minutes, he was alone. With his wings, his uniform and the rest of the world of Equestria around him, options needed to be considered. He was still in a state of shock at the betrayal of whom he believed to be two of his most trusted friends, but it appears as if their hearts loyalty was disintegrating as rapidly as did the shell they had been enclosed in. Perhaps this was a plan if things went wrong? Maybe a more delayed tactic to lull Celestia into a false sense of security and then we strike? He then turned his eyes back toward the sun, which had finished it ascent into the sky.

I do not know this world as best I should. If I am… alone now, under the rule of Celestia’s light and the Dark Mare is no longer among us, I will surely cease to have purpose in living. Why did we get cast away from the castle? All of the facts went through Phoenix’s mind as he slowly flapped to the closest safe location he could find, in the midst of the Everfree Forest.

His landing was rough, but the location familiar. I’ve been here. We all were here. We must have been with her from Ponyville, and ended up at the Old Castle… a shadow of its former self. Something doesn’t seem right--the time seems as if it’s moved too quickly. But--no, I am a Shadowbolt… and I have a job to finish.

He didn’t even believe his own thoughts as his hooves touched the soft, giving soil of the deep wood. It felt good to be back on Equestrian ground, although definitely not in the manner and capacity he was promised by Nightmare Moon earlier on. He strode about the trees, the illumination from the sun above jetting through the thick foliage. The betrayal of his comrades—the only two left, it seemed, saw raw in his now empty stomach. Hmm. I should go and try to find something to eat.

Birds and other creatures made their morning songs as he strolled in the muddy ground, fresh from a rain the day before. Must have been a pretty good dousing… I wonder if Adept Shield is still running the weather operations. I’ll have to pay him a visit… and see if I can persuade him to shift his loyalties one more time. If not, I’ll just put a sword in his side and end it quickly for him.

His walk lasted a couple of minutes as the forest began to ebb away to a small clearing. In it, Phoenix found something he would never have thought to happen upon in the Everfree Forest—a small cottage, made from hardened mud and other materials. There were a couple of quaint windows on the side, and smoke drifting out of the chimney. Who would be so foolish as to build a house out here in the middle of this dank place? Must be some sort of isolationist or just a crazed pony that decided this was the best place to set up shop. Phoenix flapped his wings once more, drawing them in and approaching the building, figuring there being little better to do other than investigate, capture whomever might be inside, and use the weapons at his disposal to convince them that they were on the losing side.

Shadowbolts don’t knock, Phoenix. Just walk in. He pushed forward on the doorway, and it opened into a warm house, filled with trinkets, masks and bottles of potions and spices. Inside, he could hear some humming coming from another part of the house. He quickly flitted into a place where he could monitor the whole of the place without being seen. Stealth above all… observe what’s going on.

The humming drew closer, as Phoenix used his wings and back hooves to press himself against the rugged-textured ceiling of the hut. He looked down and noticed the occupant walking over to a large cauldron that was bubbling slightly, smelling of unusual fragrances that Phoenix could not quite place.

“How strange. I was sure that this door I left closed--perhaps somepony has entered my house undisclosed?” She shook her head, spat something in her native tongue, and walked over to the door, closing it and fastening the lock, thinking it had just been the breeze of the day. “Back to work, no time to shirk,” Zecora said as she turned from the door and walked back to the main part of the house.

The rhyme reached Phoenix’s ears with all the grace of hooves against smooth slate, the grating sound making him cringe as he watched the zebra mill about her home. He couldn’t quite place where she might have come from, as zebras were very uncommon…almost a myth that Luna had told them about during their classes from a couple of weeks ago to Phoenix’s recollection. He shifted a little bit, to get a closer view on what the smaller mare was working on.

“Memory of time and many fortunes sighted; I pray that this spell not be blighted.” She added some spices to the kettle, stirring it with a spoon that was sitting nearby on a desk. A moment later, she turned and began to flip through a book, browsing its contents. She seemed to get lost in the tome, and this allowed Phoenix to look at the room a little more. The greeting masks didn’t catch him off guard—in fact, most of everything inside of the house seemed welcoming. The only aspect that he didn’t care for was the house’s occupant. I hate zebras. He was getting tired of waiting, and let himself descent rapidly from the ceiling, landing with a hard thump.

Zecora spun around to see the intruder in her house, a dark blue coated pegasus, who quickly raised his wings up in an effort to put them around her mouth and neck. She had little time to react as Phoenix wrapped her up, and drew her close enough to him to apply enough pressure to make her very uncomfortable.

“Feh! Figures I would stumble upon one of the most worthless creations ever made by Celestia! I still don’t know what she was thinking when she divined you up to be so contradictory, with your off-setting stripes! Now hold still, you’re struggling too much.” Phoenix’s grip on the medicine pony was adequate, but not very stable.

And how unstable it was ended up being proven a couple of seconds later as Zecora kicked at his exposed front hooves, which ended up shifting his center of gravity. Phoenix only tightened his grip around her neck and mouth—however gravity would soon have her way as Ember’s front hooves landed roughly on the unforgiving hardened mud floor, which caused his wings to loosen their grip around Zecora, who started coughing sharply from being practically choked in the pegasus’ grasp.

Phoenix’s mouth and muzzle both hit hard as he fell, and he slowly got up, rubbing it with his hoof as he stood back up. Zecora’s coughing jag had finally let up, and she dashed over to retrieve a staff that was resting by a nearby bookshelf, which she then held in her hooves as she stood up on her two back hooves, pointing it toward Phoenix.

“How dare you! Come into my abode, steal my breath away! I don’t know who you are, but you are unwelcome to stay!” the zebra’s normally white and black face was a flushed fury of red and purple, her attempt to regain her breath not quite finished as she jabbed the staff toward Phoenix.

Phoenix wasn’t even fazed. “Oh, just be quiet, with you and your rhythmic nonsense. I really don’t care. All you need to know is this—you’re my prisoner and you’ll do as I tell you do to!”

Zecora didn’t like this particular pegasus’ attitude toward her. “On the contrary, my winged fiend—it’s your feathers that will be preened! The wrath you have risen is not settled fast—take heed, and care, lest it be your last!”

“You don’t scare me in the very least, you confused pony. So put your stupid little stick down and—“

The next sound that was heard was that of a resounding WHACK as Zecora took the staff and lowered it with all intentional force onto Phoenix’s head. He hit the floor, a tumbled mess of feathers and coat landing into a lump.

“Threatening and attacking was very unwise... in fact, it may prove to be your demise. Now that I’ve rendered you to be fell, whom should I contact and quickly tell?” Pondering the alternatives available to her given her remote and isolated location, she turned back toward her intruder and gave him another whack on the head for good measure, just to make sure he had been knocked out. She dropped the staff onto his limp body, it giving him a bruise on his chest to add to the two lumps on his head, and strode over to her bookshelf, retrieving another text, this one far more recent.

Her hooves became a flurry of activity as she plucked various jars and ointments off of the shelves, pouring them into the cauldron in carefully measured amounts. In her native, non-rhyming tongue, she spoke: “Light that is powerful and strong, I send you up to the skies to serve as a beacon for anypony to see, and understand that I need help. I have been attacked by an unknown pegasus who did not name himself, and I am frightened that I may need to do far more than I would prefer to him if he should arise again and try to capture me.”

A moment later, she stuck her hoof into the cauldron, and tapped on its side. A moment later, a ball of energy spewed forth from the kettle, and made its way to the chimney, going straight up. A couple of moments later, there was an explosion of energy and light outside—even noticeable in the middle of the sunrise.

“Rest now, you foolish pony that flies through the air… soon somepony else will be here to provide you care.”

In his relatively unconscious state, Phoenix’s body could not deliver any words. But his spirit, still vibrant and awake, had a simple plea: “I’m sorry, Princess Luna. It appears as though I have failed you in the simplest of tasks.”

Chapter 1: Balance of Day and Night

Chapter 2: Forced Displacement

Sunset’s Last Glow

Chapter 2: Forced Displacement

Phoenix had no idea how long he had been out for, but was all too aware of the nasty headache he did have as he slowly stirred from his position on the floor of Zecora’s hut. He went to sit up, only to find that he was now bound with ropes, both his front and back hooves. He sighed and grunted in pain, looking around for the zebra that had done this to him.

“Ooh... you had better known a pretty good spell to keep my hooves off of you when I get free, you lousy striped foal!” the pegasus said, searching for his attacker from his uncomfortable seat on the ground.

A “humph” was the only sound he heard, and he wasn’t able to place where it originated. “Somepony as rash as you needs a lesson taught; behave good, not badly, lest more wrath be wrought.”

“Where the feather are you? Come on, you coward! Show yourself... or is it true what is spoken about zebras, hm?” Ember was frustrated as he tried to struggle free from the ties around his hooves, but only succeeded in causing them to get tighter around the base of them.

“Silence your mouth! You will not lie there and shame who I have become. Although, my curiosity is quite piqued... where is it that you are from?”

This zebra truly is stupid. We’re all from Equestria, just different parts of it. “Canterlot. Why, what business it is if yours? I’m in the middle... of a mission... and you are in the way!” His grunting efforts to try and loosen the roped ended up being futile--all it did was exhaust him a bit more than he already was.

“How unfortunate for you, that your mission will not go through.” Zecora chuckled, staying just out of the sight of Phoenix. A moment later, there was a knock on the door, to which the medicine pony sighed with the highest level of relief believable. “Remain where you lie, flying colt; for now my door I need to unbolt. You see, I have made a call of distress, for the situation you caused me duress.”

Phoenix heard the soft temper of her footfalls as she made her way over to the door. A quick couple of wooden clacks were heard from near the doorway. It opened, and she looked out to see two pegasus stallions, in full armor, were two of Celestia’s guards. “Lady Zecora... we saw your distress signal. Have you been hurt in any way?”

“Nothing that will not quickly heal; thank you for asking how I feel. However, this pegasus I needed to strike down--he has quite a lump upon his crown.” Zecora motioned her hoof over toward Phoenix Ember, almost disgusted that she needed to even look at him.

“Thank you, Miss Zecora. We will... take care of this gentlecolt and make sure her is properly tended to.” The first of the two guards came over and proceeded to try and lift Phoenix up off of the floor. “Come on, buddy--get up. You know, you’re lucky; last pony that came in here without Zecora knowing they were here--well, let’s just say they needed to relearn a few things about how to walk.” He helped to roll Phoenix onto his hooves which, while still tied together, allowed him to stand up. “Hey, Silver Plate... come and give me a hoof here with this pegasus. Looks like she tied his hooves together.”

Silver Plate laughed as he walked toward Steady Hoof. “Zecora... you’re making our job too easy. Almost gift-wrapped him for us, didn’t you?” The zebra remained silent, returning to her cauldron as she was hoping to salvage something of her ruined day. She whispered to herself in her native tongue. “After they have left, I will need to completely clean the floor... and the ceiling where this beast was waiting for me.”

After Silver Plate meandered over, he helped to fully right Phoenix. “Can you fly, sir?”

“Don’t talk to me, you vile servant of Celestia. Your capture of me is simply the beginning of the end for your beloved Princess, as Luna will rise and cast the whole of Equestria in darkness!”

Both Steady Hoof and Silver Plate looked at each other, and laughed. Phoenix sneered at both of them, his glowing golden eyes piercing towards the guards. “She must have whacked you pretty hard on the head there! Princess Luna’s been redeemed by some ponies out of Ponyville.”

Phoenix could not believe his ears. “What did you say?!?”

“She’s been purified from the evil that was Nightmare Moon. There’s no worry about her Eternal Night as she promised to coat all the land with. What... you didn’t know yet? It happened two days ago.”

Two days? But... I just got back here a couple of hours ago, after the orb broke. What do you mean, “two days?”

The impact of the words hit him harder than the smacks from Zecora’s staff did. His mind began to spin, and within a moment, Phoenix lost his balance, and fall to the floor again. “Are you all right? Hey! Hoof! Help me with him!”

Steady Hoof was over to help Silver Plate in a flash, using their front hooves to keep Phoenix from injuring himself again unintentionally. “I wonder what’s happened to him. We’ll handle things from here, Lady Zecora. You don’t need to worry about him bothering you anymore. Come on, Silver...he’s probably going to be a pain to get back to Canterlot to be questioned. I’m not about to take him to Ponyville. With that coat, and the attitude he seems to have, I don’t think he’d be too terribly welcome.”

Phoenix didn’t really become too aware of the fact that he was being lifted up and laid between the two pegasi guards. “Oof! What did he eat last, one of the Cake’s super muffins? This colt weighs a ton! Can we even fly with him on us?”

Silver turned his head back to Steady, the thought of the long flight back to Canterlot not striking him as all that fun either. “We don’t have much of a choice here, Steady. We’ll just have to balance him as best we can until he wakes up or we can find a way to fly well with him like this. You ready?”

Steady nodded, and the two of them walked as best they could with the deadweight of Phoenix’s frame shared between the two of them. They were already dreading this flight--once more, dreading having to file this report. They had caught a glimpse of his uniform as they wobbled slightly unsteadily, unfurling their wings as best they could, and knew that it mean trouble. It reminds me of the Wonderbolts’ insignia... but it looks corrupted, warped. What is this pony’s deal? Why does he hate Princess Celestia so much... and why does he think that Princess Luna is going to be coming to his rescue?

Without another word, the two pegasi took to the sky, doing the best to keep the unconscious pegasus between the two of them as they soared off and away from the Everfree Forest, making their way back to the capital of Equestria.

The flight took almost three times as long as it normally would, Silver Plate and Steady Hoof taking turns keeping Phoenix aloft, him staying asleep the whole time. The two guardsponies breathed a huge sigh of relief when they noticed the landing pad for Canterlot come into view.

“Thank Celestia. Now we can offload this oaf onto a cart and walk. I’m going to need an extra long bath and massage after this... my back feels like it’s been pounded by rocks.” Steady Hoof huffed, mustering just enough strength to get to the safety of the solid ground. As soon as his hoof touched down, he allowed Phoenix to slide off, landing rather painfully onto the ground below.

“Ouch!” he gasped and his eyes shot open. Both Steady and Silver exchanged glances.

“You mean to tell me you were awake the whole time we were in the air?” Silver Plate practically spat, equally as spent and worn out.

Phoenix chuckled as he tried to steady himself against Steady’s hooves. “Normally I would have put up a bit more fight and tried to capture the two of you--I’m glad I didn’t waste my time. You didn’t even bother to check if I was awake or not. Apparently Celestia doesn’t really care if her guardsponies have the cognitive functions of a schoolfilly.”

Steady growled slightly, this golden eyed stallion starting to fray his nerves. “Just be quiet, you. Smart talk like that’s not going to be of any help to you now. Welcome to Canterlot.”

Phoenix looked at the city, and almost fainted. This... this is Canterlot? But it can’t be! It’s... when did all these buildings get added? That tower wasn’t there... and none of it was this color!

“This is a joke, right? You colts must have really worked yourself too hard carrying me. I just had no ambition to help out those who are deceived by Celestia’s lies.” Phoenix’s sneering voice wasn’t doing the best of jobs in hiding his confusion and bewilderment upon looking at Canterlot.

Silver Plate walked up and looked Phoenix in the eyes. “Now, you better listen to me and listen really flapping well, okay? That kind of talk will get you thrown in the dungeon and forgotten about. There hasn’t been a voice of dissent about Celestia in the past hundred years. The occasional complaint about why things don’t work out from the surrounding cities, but nothing that she hasn’t been able to handle. Besides, we were given orders to take you right from here to see Princess Celestia herself. So I highly suggest you change your tone and try and make a good impression on her.”

“Feh. Whatever you say, strong and silver-plated.” Phoenix extended his wings to help him levitate off of the ground, knowing that any attempt to walk would be foolish at best, having gotten a good enough understanding of the bindings that held him in place.

“Let’s go. Before we enter, it would be wise that you at least speak your name so that you may be properly introduced.” Steady Hoof said, now taking the patient time to let his hooves be the primary source of motion for him, his wings snapped to their sides.

“Fine. Sheesh, oafs. General Phoenix Ember, Shadowbolt Contingent. I declare my loyalty to Princess Luna’s eventual eternal nightfall, where the corrupt light of the sun shall shine no more.”

“Well... General, forgive if I don’t salute you, but there is no such thing as the Shadowbolts. Now come on.”

The walk from the landing pad to the castle was quiet, although Phoenix was conducting his best job of silent and unnoticed observations. This is a place of peace now... no longer a brooding ground for the war we were promised would arise between the Day and the Night. Ponies are frolicking, going about their business, conducting themselves as if there wasn’t a care in their worlds. This lot has become soft. Were the other two generals even here, capturing Canterlot? Why even bother? There’s nothing here worth the time to try and catch. The pathway they chose was obviously not one that would be used by those living in the city, as it seemed relatively untrodden and absent. Security corridor...probably leads right to the heart of the Palace. Wait, I remember this. It’s the secondary adjunct pathway. Royalty or guards only... or prisoners. How many brethren walked this road, captured by Celestia’s guards and military force? How many... jumped, not wishing to let any of the light that she stands for touch their hearts? Silver Plate and Steady Hoof kept a close eye on Phoenix, directing him down the walkway. They reached a set of double doors, guarded by a grey stallion, who was seated, staff in hoof.

“Ah, gentleponies... I see you’ve returned. You’re a little late, you know. You promised me that it would only take twenty minutes back and forth, and it’s been almost an hour.” The grey stallion stood up, moving to unlock the door.

“Well, we weren’t planning on this one being so heavy or stubborn, Rapidfire... next time, you’re heading out and I’ll stay here.”

“Not likely, Steady... I shouldn’t keep you here too long; the Princess is waiting and getting impatient,” Rapidfire said, noticing Phoenix’s hooves. “Why didn’t you cut off the rope?”

Silver snorted as they put their hoofprint onto a piece of paper, indicating that they had returned. “Didn’t like his attitude, and Zecora wanted him out of these as quickly as possible. Here... let me have your staff a minute.” Rapidfire hoofed over the staff to Silver Hoof, which he swung around to the blunted end, and severed the rope in the three places it was doing the most to prevent Phoenix from walking--the middle where both sets of hooves had been knotted together, and the connecting link between the knots. “There. Okay, Phoenix Ember, you should be able to stand up now. Give those tired wings of yours a rest, hmm?” Silver gave Phoenix a gentle nudge in the side.

No. You aren’t going to keep me here! You’ll be the first to fall! The thought became action, and Phoenix used his now free hooves to push Silver Plate in the side with all due deliberate force. His intention was to knock the pegasus over the side, but didn’t hit him quite right in the ribs. As the hooves made contact, Silver Plate tumbled to the ground, shocked and shaken up. The next thing he saw was Phoenix standing above him as he was ready to begin trampling the downed guard. Steady Hoof quickly jumped to the aid of his fallen comrade, shouting to Rapidfire “Get a unicorn out here, stat!” Steady used his front hooves to grab Phoenix’s back ones, resulting with the Shadowbolt being spun around. Phoenix had barely enough of a chance to realize what had happened before feeling the thudding impact of Steady’s front hoof to his jaw, which knocked him backwards.

“What the hay is your problem, you foal?!? Now we have to lock you up once you’re done seeing the Princess!” Some fast galloping was heard from in front of him, and a deep pink unicorn mare came dashing out of the door. She looked to Steady, then Silver.

“Get him secured now, please, Ruby Glitter, before he hurts anypony else. Rapidfire, escort Silver Plate to the infirmary.” Ruby didn’t really have the chance to ask any questions, the look from Steady Hoof giving the impression that she was better off not knowing at the moment. Her horn glowed a sparkly fuchsia, and Phoenix became wrapped in her magic.

“There. He a troublemaker there, boss?” Glitter asked, placing Phoenix back on the ground and binding his movements.

“That’s about the size of it, Ruby. Less chatter, more walking, please... I’ve had my fair share of this stallion.” Steady Hoof marched ahead, not wanting to waste one more second with this ill-behaving pony.

The walk into Celestia’s chambers seemed longer now, Steady’s echoing hooffalls being copied by that of Phoenix and Ruby as the three of them entered the court of the Princess and co-ruler of Equestria.

“...and please inform Princess Luna that we have postponed dinner until 8 o’clock today due to her difficulty sleeping, steward,” Celestia said from her throne, looking at a smaller pony dressed in slightly formal attire that nodded and turned to head toward another door on the side of the hallway.

Celestia’s attention focused on the three entrants to the hall, her slight smile fading quickly as she noticed Phoenix Ember enwrapped in a unicorn’s magic. “Were there difficulties with bringing him here, Steady Hoof?”

Steady Hoof bowed before speaking. “Not in returning with him here, Your Highness... it was freeing him from his bindings that ended up causing a bit of a fracas that almost got ugly. Thankfully, Ruby Glitter was nearby to help keep him subdued. He was ready to strike down Silver Plate, whom Rapidfire is escorting to the infirmary now.”

“I see. Well, I wish he had not done that, but... those actions cannot be undone, can they be....” Celestia’s voice trailed off as she looked at Phoenix Ember. She paused for a moment, and then continued. “I remember you. Who could forget one of the most outspoken supporters of my sister back in the Age of Dissonance?”

“It was not an age of dissonance, you false leader. It was the dawning of a new era, one where the sun did not take its place in the sky any longer, little more than a burning, cursed ball of flame!” Phoenix’s impassioned statement was delivered with all the necessary force to remind Celestia of why she was concerned about him when they had last seen each other.

“Phoenix Ember. I knew my sister always had her favorite guards, but I did not factor for you to ever harbor such hate for me in your heart. She was jealous of the attention that my day received and the lack thereof for her night. But, those ponies with kind hearts such as yours would be ready to attack the very foundations of Equestria to bring forth an eternal night? I think that is the biggest shame of them all. Not that I had to endure a millennia without her was not pain enough--but that, now in this day and time, there be a remnant of that hate she wrapped herself in. I wish there was some way for me to undo the damage that my sister has done to your heart. Perhaps there is. Will you allow me?” Celestia stood, although she easily could have reached out with her magic and touched Phoenix from where she was seated.

“NO! Don’t touch me! I don’t want your foul hooves on a single part of my body, Celestia! You stand for everything I stand against! Luna’s night will reign, you shall see! The Shadowbolts will rise over you, and strike you down! Just as I tried to strike down that guard who thought it was funny to laugh about my talent as a flier.”

Steady Hoof motioned to Ruby Glitter, whom tightened her magical hold on the insolent pegasus. As Celestia spoke, the visible tension in the room waned, her soft tones doing the best to appease to the snarling, angry pegasus. “No, they shall not, Phoenix Ember. The Shadowbolts do not exist anymore in this kingdom. They were dissolved when Luna was banished to the moon. A thing that I wish I could have fixed; alas, that time has gone and we have the now. And in the now, you are here. For your crimes against the Kingdom of Equestria and its subjects, you must pay the price. I hereby order that you be sent to the dungeon until we are able to come up with a way to properly deal with you. You will be treated well, and offered the full extended the courtesy that all of my guests here in the astle have. Until I have conversed with my sister, I do not know what we will do with you, Phoenix, other than welcome you back from the past.”

Phoenix’s burning eyes met Celestia’s. “The past? What do you mean, the past? It is the day we were supposed to strike while Luna refused to lower the moon for your horrible sun. You’re speaking nonsense, you monster!”

“I speak the truth, Phoenix Ember. It has been one thousand years since I saw you last. And, just as my sister, you haven’t aged a day.”

Phoenix’s world did another somersault. “One... one thousand... thousand years?” All of the color from his face drained as he dropped to his knees.

“It appears as that when I banished my sister, you were caught up in a wake of magic when it was cast. I am not sure how this happened, but it appears to be what occurred.”

Whatever trace of indignancy that resided in Phoenix’s tongue had evaporated. “You mean to tell me that all of my friends... my parents....?”

Celestia nodded slowly, her face expressing a silent sadness.

“I... I see. Well, there’s little here to discuss, then. I am ready to face my punishment, Celestia.” He spat the Princess’ name, the very thought of saying it making his stomach churn. Celestia nodded, which led Steady Hoof and Ruby Glitter, whose mouths were also slightly ajar, to escort Phoenix out of the Princess’ throne room. Celestia watched them go, her heart sinking slightly as the pegasus hung his head a little lower than it was before. Finally, the doors opened, the trio walking out, and the quiet solace of the chamber returned with the soft *thump* of Celestia’s flank to her chair, as she put her hooves to her face for a moment.

Oh, but I do remember you, Phoenix Ember. You were one of my favorites as well. I had you hoof-picked to be one of the Wonderbolts with the potential you had. I admired your duality... your coat of dark navy, representing Luna’s night... and then your eyes and your mane, showing the day that I love so much. Why? When did you start to hate me? Was it because of Luna’s jealousy, that monster Nightmare Moon that she turned into? Or was it for other reasons? The sadness in your voice when you would come into the castle, cuddling into that comfy chair in the library, quietly sobbing as you felt shame from the high standards your parents had for you?

Walls inside of her mind began to collapse, ever so slowly, allowing a small stream of memories and pain caused the normally poker-faced alicorn to become emotional, but she would not allow herself to be seen, even by her guards, shedding any tears.

“I need Princess Luna to meet me in my room as soon as is possible. Please inform her that it is urgent,” Celestia said, standing and moving toward a secret door in the side of the hallway, which opened as she focused her magic into it.

The light of the middle afternoon painted a warm reflection on the floor of the main throne room. It seemed as if it were timed to try and undo some of the hurt and pain it had just been subject to from the diametric opposites that were the alicorn of the Sun and one who would so persistently and foolishly stand against her, even when a hoof of mercy was offered. Silence fell as the room emptied out, leaving only the array of colors to give some life.

Chapter 2: Forced Displacement

Chapter 3: A Splash of Color

Sunset’s Last Glow

Chapter 3: A Splash of Color

Phoenix Ember kept his head hung down as the trio walked in through the busy corridors of the castle. Some ponies would stop from their business and gawk as the two pegasi and unicorn walked quietly past, heading with a quiet intensity through the marble laid hallways of the very busy castle. As they walked by, there was a small line of ponies that were waiting to see Princess Celestia. A guard came out to let them know that she was dealing with some royal matters and that it would be a little bit longer as she was now in a private conference. You have to feel bad for them--they get all this way to talk to her, and she makes them wait. Not very considerate if you ask me. After they exited the chamber, he needed to make sure he put on an appearance of strength, even though his world has just figuratively collapsed into tiny little pieces with Celestia’s words. He stood back up, walking with a sense of pride, as if he had just successfully captured Celestia himself.

Ruby Glitter was the first to regard Phoenix with a question. “Why are you dressed like that?” The magenta coated unicorn looked up at the taller pegasus, who seemed unfazed. Her controlled mane was curled slightly near the end tips of her neckline, with the errant strands tossed in place to keep her ears visible.

“It’s my uniform. Reminds me of who I am and who I serve.” The answer was flat, dispassionate as he kept his eyes forward, waiting for the crowds to thin out and the way to the dungeons of Canterlot Castle be made to his awareness.

“Oh. So, you’re a Wonderbolt, then? Cool! I’ve always to meet them, but I’ve just joined on helping with court and Celestia... that’s where I was before I was called for. It’s my first week in the Princess’ service, and I can’t tell you how excited I was when she picked me to be one of her helpers in her court! Oh, my parents were so--”

Phoenix nickered. “Yeah, yeah, that’s great kid; save it for somepony who cares.” The chattering from the small mare was starting to work on Phoenix’s nerves as they turned toward another corridor, this one practically empty, save for some tapestries and a couple of guardsponies near the end. This must be the dungeon wing--about time. Let’s see if they’re anything like how I remember them.

Ruby’s talking was undeterred. “But you’re a Wonderbolt! It’s supposed to be important that a unicorn like me now gets to help guard the Princess, whom you escort from place to place during specific functions, like taking her to Trottingham, Baltimare, and San Coltcisco; all of Equestria! Ohh... I envy pegasi, with their freedom and the capacity to soar in the sky, do all those tricks, loops, walking on the clouds... it’s just always been my dream to--”

“Yeah, that’s nice.” Does this mare have a place where I can turn her voice off? Because she’s really starting to irritate me. Take a hint, kid, and stop talking. I really couldn’t care less what your ambitions or desires in life are. I just want to serve my time, and then figure out a way to get Celestia alone, so I can put the tips of my front hooves into her thro--

“Ruby... I think that the General isn’t all too concerned about what it is that you do for the Princess. Although, when you get a minute, I’d like to talk to you about helping us out earlier.” Steady Hoof said, trying to just muscle through his way through this duty, as he walked to the side and slightly behind Phoenix Ember. A single guard was at the entrance to the dungeon, a rather muscular looking unicorn colt that was eyeing Phoenix through his helmet and not liking at all what he was seeing.

Steady called out. “Hey, Iron Wing. Stop daydreaming and get the door open. I have a new visitor for you.” Ruby was a little unsure as to the procedure for prisoner transfers and thought that because they were near the entrance to the dungeon, the same level of magic to hold Phoenix in place wasn’t necessary. Following on this logical course of thought, she diminished the amount of energy she was focusing on keeping the winged pony from taking off and flying away.

Phoenix noticed that the gentle twinkling field around him had let up a bit, but the fight to flee had simply left him for the moment. His hooves tapped the floor in a rhythmic cadence, one of the only things helping to keep the face he had worked so hard to maintain since leaving Celestia’s chambers. The breath from his lungs was also kept in a proper pace, so that he would not appear bothered by the complete decimation of the world as he had known it. A hidden pain began to ebb into his heart, and it was that of loneliness. Hiding it was going to take thrice the effort as they made their way through the hallways.

Iron Wing chuckled, looking at the stern, unwavering face that Phoenix was putting on. “So... what do we got here, Steady? Some pegasus gets their wings in a twist because of the lack of stuff for Cloudsdalers to do?”

Steady’s face was dead-panned, almost as emotionless at Phoenix. “No. He’s a Shadowbolt, or at least was one. I have special orders... he’s to be treated well, and given the full courtesy.”

The dark brown stallion laughed, obnoxious and loudly. “Hah! Full courtesy? So, where should we put him first? The rack, full extension wall..?”

“Iron Wing. Princess Celestia herself made those orders. I somehow feel that she wouldn’t be pleased if something bad were to happen to him. He’s a very important pony prisoner. Got it?!” The piercing sneer and a threatening hoof to the front of his midsection imparted to the smart-mouthed guard to not joke around on this one. In the hoof was a small piece of paper, which he allowed to fall to the floor. “Now, escort Mr. Ember to his cell, and ensure that he is well fed when late lunch is brought around. Ruby Glitter, I have an assignment for you. I would like for you to keep an eye on Phoenix here during mealtimes. I know you were just promoted to court service, but for now I need somepony I can trust to see that he’s treated well. For the next two days that he’s in the dungeons, you will be his food steward. Can you do that for me?”

Ruby Glitter paused for a second before slowly nodding. “Sure... I can do that. This is just temporary, right?” Her face was a small blend of worry, disdain for the job she had done for two years prior, and true concern of needing to deal with this specific pony, which didn’t seem to show the first bit of interest in her life.

“Yes, Glitter, purely temporary until Celestia decides what to do with him.” Iron Wing was taking down the specifics from the report that he needed to retrieve from the ground after Steady Hoof had dropped it, another inconvenience that the pegasus guard had created for the dungeon keeper this day. After finishing out his paperwork, he gently put a hoof on Phoenix Ember, saying “Follow me.” with as little emotion as was equinally possible.

The dungeon was remarkably clean, almost as if it had been used as a dry storage area at one point in time. What else shocked Phoenix was how well lit it was inside. Proper beds, pillows... even areas to paint! This is a jail? Obviously this is not something Luna rules over, or ever did--because this is stupid. It’s more of a reward than it is a punishment.

“Don’t let the appearances fool you, Shadowbolt. You’ll definitely pay for your crimes down here. Up here, on the right.” Steady Hoof followed behind, ready to remind the unicorn who was in charge among the hierarchy of things in case he decided to try anything smart with Phoenix.

Iron Wing’s horn glowed, opening the door on a rather large cell. This one was like the rest, almost decorated like a guest room in the castle, but having the feeling of being designated to make ponies think about their actions. There was a bright mural painted on the wall, of a time that Phoenix remembered all too well.

The sisters divided. Luna and Celestia at odds. I was by her side so many times when she would argue with her sister about the lack of appreciation her night received, the desire for the same love she received, her bitterness and anger festering as night by night passed until she simply could take no more--even with all Celestia said to her. The damage had been done; Luna was tired of simply hearing the same unanswerable promises.

“The irony is not lost on me, Steady Hoof,” was all that Phoenix said as he entered the cell, the magic from Ruby Glitter now vanishing completely as he knew there was nowhere to fly to. The door slammed shut a moment later as Iron Wing used his magic on it, grumbling as he returned to his watchpost outside. Steady and Ruby remained.

“Now... Shadowbolt. You’re going to spend a while down here to think. Ruby Glitter will tend to your mealtime needs.” Steady was curt, looking at the defiant pegasus and wanting to shake his head, but he as well did not wish to reveal any unnecessary emotion. He paused for a moment, looking at the mural himself, before turning and leaving. “Come, Ruby Glitter. Now’s not the time to dawdle. Besides, you have a meal to bring to him soon.”

“Oh, right! Sorry, Phoenix Ember! I’ll be back soon!” Ruby gave the pegasus a demure smile, and then turned to follow the royal guard.

Their hooffalls grew more distant, and the slow opening of the door was heard, with a proper closing of it a couple of moments later. Only now that Phoenix knew he was alone did he collapse fully to the floor, the whole of what had been told to him almost more than he could fully shoulder.

A thousand years... I’ve been locked away with Luna? Why don’t I remember any of it? Did it have something to do with the spell, something to do with our spirits? What in the hay happened to me? Like the shattering of glass after a hoof has been drawn through it, he recalled his two compatriots and realized that they were still not accounted for.

I can’t afford to care about what they decide to do now with their newly-found freedom. They’ve disavowed me, betrayed the Night Princess, and slandered the credo of the Shadowbolts. There is no redemption that I can give them anymore.

Princess Luna was sleeping, in the midst of the afternoon in Canterlot. Given that reason, it was quite understandable when one of Celestia’s guards knocked on her door and had the foolhardiness to open it without being invited in that she was a little upset with this particular unicorn.

The light of the afternoon seemed to pierce Luna’s eyes as the door was opened. She almost screamed, as she sat up quickly to see who was so stupid as to open the door to her personal bedchamber without asking. “What is the matter with you? Can you not tell that we were resting? It is not even nightfall yet!” the night princess snarled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and wrestling with the desire to levitate this poor pony and bring him right in front of her.

“I am sorry, Your Highness, but your sister said that it was urgent that she meet with you as soon as possible,” the guard said, now using most of the door to Luna’s quarters to keep himself safe if Luna had decided to pick up anything with her hooves and throw it in his direction.

“Ugh! Inform our sister that we will be down in approximately ten minutes. For now, leave us as we are awake.” The guard did not need to be told twice as he finished his exit from the Night Princess’ sleeping chambers, closing the door behind him. Luna tossed off the sheets from the bed and got up, flapping her wings and seeing how desperate of a need they were in preening. “Hmm. Mayhaps we should have said twenty minutes. None the matter--our sister will simply need to receive us in whatever condition we arrive in.”

After fifteen careful minutes of mane brushing, some feather preening and donning her crown, Princess Luna exited from her chambers, a very displeased look on her face. “All we can say is that whatever it is that sister wishes to speak about, it must be of the utmost importance, or we will see to it that the dessert course mysteriously disappears from dinner time--and is simply sent to our chambers, and we will not feel bad about not sharing!”

She walked the hallways, keeping her eyes slightly squinted as the glow of the daylight was still something very foreign to her perceptions, with the newness of her introduction to this world remaining a major issue. Sister should get provide a method of shielding the sun from us if she wishes for us to participate in more activities during the latter part of her day and early part of her morning, while we are still awake between the watch over our night. The walk to Celestia’s private office was a quiet one for Luna, a small littering of guards lining the corridors. As she approached the doorway, she did not even wait for the earth pony--which she found quite funny to have guarding the doorway to the Sun Princess’ chambers--to even motion to the doors, using her horn to unlatch the lock and open it herself. “Forgive us for preventing you from performing your duties. We are in... quite a hurry, considering the manner by which we were awoken in the middle of the day.”

The guard did not even really pay much attention to Luna, almost thankful she did not need to repeat the same motion that she did at least fifty times a day. As the Night Princess entered the room, the door closed behind her and she waited for Celestia to regard her. The elder sister was facing away from Luna, keeping most all of her form hidden in the back and sides of the tall chair she had in the room.

“Sister, this matter must be of the utmost importance, or we are going back to bed and we will force you to raise the moon this evening. Do you know what happened? We were awoken while sleeping. We did not appreciate this.” Luna’s tirade was not unexpected, but what happened next shocked her completely, as she saw her sister’s chair move very slowly.

The Day Princess finished her slow turn in the chair, the concerns of an era she had hoped to forget seeping into her normally calm and controlled appearance. “Phoenix Ember.”

Luna did not understand the importance of what her sister had stated immediately, as the name did not have the instantaneous revelation factor that it would have a millennia ago. She stared at Celestia for a handful of seconds, waiting to see if the elder sister would offer her more information.

“Remember? Phoenix Ember.” Celestia levitated a tissue from her desk, using it to wipe her face clear from a speck of cake or other confection that had managed to stay hooked on her upper lip.

Like the tiny ripple caused by a pebble being dropped into a glass pond of water, a tide of memories began to surface inside of Luna’s consciousness. Events, locations, smells, sounds...all of it began to shoot through her mind very quickly, to the point where she almost collapsed from the weight of the rush of information. Given her state, she needed to exercise a considerable deal of restraint to prevent herself from becoming shaken.

“....what of him, sister? We... I am sorry that I had... directed him to--” Luna offered, the whole of the sordid affair before her banishment now finding a place in the forefront of her mind.

“No apologies are necessary, Luna... we were both not perfectly ourselves back in that era. No--he has returned to our time. And I do not know what to do with him.” With a flutter of her wings, she banished the emotional distress from her body and face, smiling toward her sister. “And it seems... as if he has been abandoned, just as I had abandoned you. Look.”

A mirror on the wall in Celestia’s private study became empowered with her magic, which was providing a glimpse inside of the meditation cell that Phoenix had been placed in. He was flopped down on the bed, looking painfully comfortable, as if he didn’t wish for such good treatment. Luna followed her sister’s prompting, sitting down in the chair on the opposite side of the desk, staring into the “looking glass.”

“He looks just the same... like I had only seen him a week ago,” the Night Princess replied, watching at Phoenix stirred, making no attempt to be sleeping. He just... laid there, as if the thought of moving was possibly making him feel ill.

“He is... the truths of the time that I have revealed to him have left him broken inside. I wish I had not needed to, but to not share that information with him would have been even more damaging.” Celestia’s voice was mild, but still quiet. The fact that this pegasus had returned disturbed her, reminding her of unpleasant memories herself from a near forgotten era.

“What has he done to deserve such treatment?” Luna posed, truly uncertain why a pony in such a high position of authority had been relegated to the dungeon.

“He tried to kill a guard as they were escorting him inside. Silver Plate is down in the infirmary, with three broken ribs and a bruised stomach.”

The younger sister winced, hearing word of her previously trusted and near favorite guard had taken to such violence--as she had trained him slightly to do in the days before the failed takeover and their banishment. “I believe I will need to talk to him about the methods of proper conduct, now that our... disagreement is settled. I see that you chose to place him in the meditation cell?”

“I didn’t want for him to be burdened by the weight of what he does remember causing him to tailspin into nothingness. The thought of seeing the two of us staring away from each other, both defiantly not wishing to admit defeat to the other--a place I never hope we need to go to again, dear sister. Hopefully it will provide him the necessary calm to adjust to this world.”

Luna nodded, a little more profusely than she should have. “Indeed. There are still a few whispers from the monster that work their way into my dreams... and it seems as if I can never say that I am sorry to you enough. And not just to you, but to all of Equestria. They all are owed a debt that I cannot fully repay, for the handful of days that she tried to wreak havoc on all the land.”

Celestia knew better than to make any noted reply upon the thinly veiled mention of Nightmare Moon, merely looking into the mirror again. “I feel that you would be the better of the two of us for him to interact with. He trusts you more, and he also does not want to see you dead.”

“There will only be so much that I can do, sister. I am not fully yet recovered, and outside of your presence I would be... tongue-tied, possibly yielding more hurt than good.” Luna’s admission was not that of defeat, but of honest assessment--having only been freed from her prison in the moon less than a week.

“How about some help from somepony that does not have the burden of knowledge that we do? A fresh set of eyes,” the elder alicorn said.

Luna stood up, and put her hooves on the desk. “If you assign him Twilight Sparkle, I will not speak to you again for the remainder of the month!”

“Temper your anger, sister... I have no intention of placing him in the hooves of somepony that would not be as helpful as one of his own race. No, it must be a pegasus--and I do not believe that the Bearer of the Element of Kindness would want to agree to the rehabilitation of somepony like Phoenix Ember.”

Luna sat back down, her outburst reminding Celestia that now she had two ponies to retrain; one to finish the work that only a sister could do, and now this new charge. Both will be incredibly difficult and highly unpleasant tasks... but they are necessary, for the wellbeing of all of Equestria, and as well as for Phoenix’s mind.

“So, if not Kindness, you mean... oh, no, Celestia, you do not possibly expect the Bearer of Loyalty to take on such an assignment, do you?”

“Do you have any better ideas, dear sister?” Celestia posed, a sly grin on her face. The same grin when she would win every game of checkers, get to dessert first or eat the last cookie from the jar.

“No... we do not. Seeing as that I am now awake with little hope of going back to sleep, would you prefer me to visit Phoenix first, or retrieve Rainbow Dash?”

“Consider it your first official duty, now that you are recognized as the Princess of the Night yet again. Try not to scare her too much.” Celestia’s grin turned into a fully fledged smile now. Luna, however, frowned.

“You owe us, sister. We expect nothing less than a whole chocolate cake when we return with Rainbow Dash.” The night princess slowly retreated from the chair and desk, not taking her eyes off of her sister for even so much as a second.

“Have a good time, Luna!” Celestia said as she opened the door with her magic, allowing Luna to finish her retreat out of the private chamber. Oh, relax, sister... you’ll love Ponyville. It’s so unique and vibrant--not like here in Canterlot, where things are boring and predictable.

Luna scoffed as the doors closed behind her, stomping away angrily. Good time indeed! This is going to be just... awful!

“This is going to be awesome!” Rainbow Dash said, finishing a loop as she came down from a cloud layer to zip past a set of trees and return skyward. A surprise party for Fluttershy seemed almost impossible to pull off, given the pegasus’ shy nature and meek mannerisms, but with careful conspiring between herself and her friends, the perfect party had been planned for later that day at Twilight’s library, much to the unicorn’s chagrin.

“And the great thing is, she’ll never see it coming! I just hope she doesn’t pass out like she normally does when we surprise her with stuff; that’s so annoying. Well, time to meet up with Pinkie Pie at Sugar Cube Corner to make sure all of the party arrangements are in order!” Dash changed her course, turning back and heading toward Sugar Cube Corner.

The wind was sliced easily as she kept her wings steady, gliding and almost kicking at the air like she was swimming. She measured her descent, targeting Sugar Cube Corner and drifting down slowly. As she neared the finish of her descent, she flapped her wings for counterbalance before setting her hooves on the ground and walking into the establishment.

Sugar Cube Corner was its slightly abnormal busy place in the waning parts of the afternoon, Pinkie Pie bouncing around helping a small line of customers as the Cakes were busy toiling in the kitchen, getting the dishes from the afternoon bake cleaned. Some ponies were sitting in the main area, others in nearby booths, nibbling on fresh confections from the fresher batch out of the kitchen. Rainbow Dash looked around for a quiet place to sit down and wait for Pinkie to come out and see her.

I just hope Fluttershy hasn’t been here yet today; as much as I trust you, Pinkie Pie--when it comes to parties, you do an awful job keeping things secret! She sidled into the booth, and looked around the bakery for a little bit.

Well, let’s just run down the list--we’ve got the cake from here, candles and ribbons from Rarity’s Boutique...we picked up the present from one of AJ’s suppliers. I think we’re set. Rainbow Dash gulped hard as a thought hit her. Oh, Celestia, I’m turning into Twilight!

“Somepony talking about me again, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight Sparkle asked, having walked over from another nearby booth. “Pinkie Pie told me that I could find you here.”

“Uhh! Twilight! Fancy meeting you here....” Oh, crud, here we go; tons of questions about a simple party. Sheesh.

“So, which one of you mares decided that it was such a great idea to use my house at a place to throw Fluttershy’s birthday party?” Twilight inquired, staring Rainbow Dash down from across the table, the annoyance on her face all too visible.

“Come on, Twilight, cut me a break here! We couldn’t do it at my place, there’s not enough room--Rarity would have thrown an absolute fit if we even considered getting glitter and streamers all over her Boutique, and throwing a party at Sweet Apple Acres would have just seemed far too convenient. She won’t suspect a thing!” Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her front hooves together.

“I know... but, it’s a library, not a party hall,” the purple unicorn argued, pointing toward the surroundings.

“You didn’t seem to mind too much when we used it to welcome you to Ponyville!” the pegasus argued back, not about to change all of the work that they had done to set up the surprise.

“You didn’t give me much of a choice! I came back home after a whirlwind day and found my house taken over by a bunch of ponies I hadn’t even met yet!” There was almost a snarl in Twilight’s voice, indicating her distaste in this whole plan.

“It’ll just be for three hours, Twilight, and we’ve all promised we would clean up when we were done! Come on, Twilight... it’s too late now to change of this. The party is in two hours!”

“And I would be really upset if I didn’t manage to pull off this super duper PARTY for one of our favorite pegasi, Fluttershy!” came a bouncing voice from behind Twilight Sparkle.

Pinkie Pie was wearing a small apron as she bounded over to Twilight and Rainbow. “So, are you both ready for the party tonight? It’s going to be great, and Fluttershy will be so surprised! I’ve been thinking about even before I met you, Twilight, and you need to see one of my proper birthday parties! So much cake and candles and sprinkles and birthday hats and--”

A hoof from Twilight Sparkle caused the pink mare to stop talking. “Pinkie. I get it.” She grumbled for a second, and then removed her hoof. “Okay, Rainbow Dash... just this once, but next time I want advanced warning and an alternate location.”

“Thanks, Twilight. You are coming, right?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“That’s right! You need to be there, otherwise she’ll know and get super upset, Twilight! You don’t want to make Fluttershy cry, do you?” Pinkie’s eyes welled up for a second, the puppy-dog look that she had become a master of focusing intently toward the unicorn.

“Yes, Pinkie, I’ll be there,” Twilight replied.

“YAY! Awesome, you’re gonna have so much fun, I promise!” She banished the warbly eyes, and returned to her beaming smile.

The purple unicorn got up to leave after having talked with Rainbow Dash about the party arrangements at her house. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back there for the two of you plus Rarity and Applejack to come and get things set up. If you need me, I’ll be upstairs reading one of the Princess’ new books she’s given me.” She got out of the booth, and headed for the exit, allowing for Pinkie Pie to sit down where she had been a minute ago.

“Sheesh... I never thought Twilight would be so grumpy about opening up her house for just one night. We would all do the same right, Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie smiled.

“Yup! Definitely... although for you earth ponies and unicorns, I don’t know how well it would work--last I checked, you couldn’t walk on clouds. Besides, I always know in case the weather’s stormy I’ve got a crash pad right here.”

Pinkie Pie nodded, and continued talking to Rainbow Dash. “So, I’ve got the cake ready in the back. Mrs. Cake is decorating it now, and she said she’d have it ready in an hour. Everything else is in a box upstairs, and you can go up and grab it and take it over to Twilight’s. I’ve got another hour on my shift, so you, Rarity and Applejack will have to do most of the decorating without me.”

“What? Without you? Pinkie, this is what you live for!”

“I’m sorry, Rainbow, but I can’t just leave the store when I promised to work the extra hours... everypony’s taking picnics now, sales are crazy and we just can’t keep up with the demand! That’s why we’re doing almost three bakes a day now. We just used to do only one! Can you believe that? Anyway, don’t worry about it... you guys will do just fine without me for an hour. I’ve got to get back; it looks like we’re getting busy again! Bye, Rainbow Dash!”

Pinkie Pie jumped up and sprinted off behind the counter top again, ready to help serve the large line of customers that had just formed. Rainbow Dash sighed slightly, finding the staircase that headed upstairs just outside of the customer service area, and trotted up the two flights of stairs to reach Pinkie’s room.

The sheer pinkness of it still took her a moment to adjust to, as she blinked a couple of times. Pinkie, I know you love pink, but next time I come up here I am wearing sunglasses so my mind doesn’t short circuit. She found the box full of party supplies, and put it onto her back. Dash had her breath taken out of her for a second as she adjusted to the cargo now resting on her spine. Whoo! When Pinkie said it was full, she wasn’t kidding... this must weigh almost fifty pounds! She knew she was going to need to walk back downstairs and then head over to Twilight’s library with all of this on her back. “This... is.. .going to... take me... forever.”

She was grateful to reach the bottom stair, having adapted slightly to the uneven and shifting weight on her back as she walked as quickly as she could out the front door. As she exited Sugar Cube Corner, the weight of the box shifted unexpectedly, sending both it and Rainbow Dash into a bit of a tumble.

“Whoa! I gotcha!” came a familiar voice. Applejack was heading towards Twilight’s library, and had decided to stop by Sugar Cube Corner to meet with Pinkie too, but she had gotten caught up by a last minute errand at the farm. “Sorry ah’m late. You know how the farm can be. Need some help with that there, Rainbow Dash?”

Grunting to keep the box level, Dash looked over with semi-pleading eyes. “Definitely. Getting this stuff over to Twilight’s is kind of important, as it’s for Fluttershy’s party... and I don’t even want to think about getting anything started at Twilight’s late. I keep wondering if she’s going to crazy on us one of these days. I know we’ve just barely met her, but she’s got that potential about her--I just know it.”

Applejack laughed, easily hefting the heavy package onto her back. “Naah, Rainbow, ya gotta give her some time. She’ll warm up, ah guarantee it. Ya said this needs ta go to Twilight’s library, right? Well, lead the way, pardner... ’sides, I think ah’m supposed to help you.”

“Yeah! Come on, let’s get going! We’ve got a lot of work to do!” Rainbow Dash said, as she and Applejack headed towards Twilight’s tree, and to set up the party.

We just want to get there, find Rainbow Dash and go eat our chocolate cake in peace. Does sister have any idea how difficult it is to see at this time of the day? Luna thought, the chariot carrying her zipping past clouds as Celestia’s sun slowly waned into the evening sky.

The two of Celestia’s guard-pegasi weren’t terribly keen about taking Luna, but they knew better than to defy the order of the Princess, and merely proceeded in their job. Ponyville came into view faster than the Night Princess believed it would, as the two guards began their measured descent. Their landing was a location that they most associated with Ponyville: Twilight Sparkle’s library.

Luna stepped out of the carriage part, and walked to speak to the two pegasi. “Now, I am here to retrieve Rainbow Dash... and once we have her, we are to return to Canterlot with the greatest of haste. Is that understood, gentlecolts?”

“Yes, ma’am!” was the prompt reply given by the white stallions, their armor gleaming in the waning beams of the sun. Luna approached the Library, but felt something hold her back. No... we do not wish to be seen any more than we already have been so far. We will leave a note. Conjuring up her magic, she left a scroll with her seal sitting on the doorstep of the Library, and returns to the chariot.

As she walked back, she noticed a rainbow trail streaking away from the Library. The spectrum was not vanishing quickly, leaving a long ribbon of a path by which to track the cyan pegasus. There she is. “She is not here. We have spotted her in the sky; quickly, before she gets away from us.”

That was fast, both of the stallions thought as Luna climbed back into the chariot. She called out to them to take off to the sky, in quick chase of the trail of the spectrum that was starting to dissipate.

Down below, Twilight Sparkle had heard some noise outside and went to investigate, on the off chance that Pinkie had arrived earlier than she had said she was going to get off of her duty shift. She opened the door to her house and found a small scroll on the doormat. “Hello? What’s this?” Twilight looked at the wrapped parchment, and discovered that it had just been dropped here, as if something had caught the attention of the giver. That’s odd... normally Spike would receive a message like this, not have it hoof-delivered. Well, might as well open it and see what the Princess has for me now.

“Twilight Sparkle,

We are sorry for not having the time to meet with you directly, but the importance of the matter made that type of contact impossible. Please assure that we have the situation well in hoof, and that there is no reason for you to concern yourself with our need for Rainbow Dash. When the time is right, we will explain everything to you.

Princess Luna”

Twilight Sparkle could barely believe what it was she had just read, and had to reread it a couple of times to make sense out of it. But... what’s going on in Canterlot that Princess Celestia doesn’t want to tell me about? And why did she send Princess Luna, so quickly after having just returned from her banishment on the moon?

She walked back inside of her house/library, with Applejack looking at her, a sort of confused look on her face. “You alright, Twi? You look a little bewilder’d. Oh, Dash said she needed t’ run back to her house for somethin’, she won’t be but a coupl’ minutes.”

The purple unicorn walked over slowly, displaying the note that had been left by Princess Luna. “Here... I just found this on the doorstep. You wouldn’t believe who wrote it.” She levitated the letter in front of the farmer pony, allowing for her to read it.

Applejack’s eyes focused on the few lines of text. As she saw the signature, her eyes widened and a very concerned look formed on her face. “You... ya mean that Princess Luna’s gonna... ponynap Rainbow?”

“I don’t know what it means right now, Applejack. For now we should just focus on Fluttershy’s party... and tell Pinkie that something came up and Dash couldn’t make it.” Twilight’s expression was one more of bewilderment, confused about two things: one, why this hasn’t been sent the normal method by delivery in a spark of green flame as all the messages that she had received from Princess Celestia had been previously; but secondly, and far much more concern raising--why it was that Luna, who had just been released from a thousand-year imprisonment on the moon, was in such a hurry to have a need for one of the Elements of Harmony.

“Ah dunno, Twi... it’s gonna be kind of hard t’ pay attention to this party if’n Nightmare--I mean, Princess Luna’s headin’ off to make away with Rainbow Dash!” Applejack said, her wariness of the situation starting to eek away at her festive mood.

“I’ll write Princess Celestia now. Luna hasn’t been back long enough to completely trust that she’s free of all of the effects of Nightmare Moon. I understand your concern, Applejack, but let’s try to focus on Fluttershy and her party--and trust that Princess Luna isn’t up to something sinister without Celestia’s knowledge.”

“Alright, Twi. I’ll need to go fetch a ladder now that Dash isn’t here to help.” And likely won’t be back tonight, if’n Luna’s up to somethin’. AJ thought to herself as she walked to the door and ran out it, leaving Twilight alone.

The unicorn mare galloped up the staircase, calling for Spike and levitating some parchment and a quill.

“Dear Princess Celestia:

I received a scroll earlier this evening from your sister, Princess Luna. I am concerned as to why I was not informed about her sudden visit, as well as to the specific reason she needs to speak with Rainbow Dash. Princess, I would be a poor student if I said that I was not afraid all of the evil that Nightmare Moon was has not totally left the presence of your sister. I sincerely hope my fears are horribly misplaced, and this is a simple misunderstanding. Please write back quickly with some sort of explanation to put both my heart and mind at ease.

Your faithful student,

-Twilight Sparkle”

“Spike, please send this. It’s incredibly urgent.”

The small dragon nodded, holding the scroll out and using his magic fire to send it to Canterlot.

I can only hope, Princess, that we’re making far too much of this than is actually happening.

Rainbow Dash was rummaging around her cloud home, looking for the gift that she had misplaced. “Oh, man... this is not what I needed to have happen. I can’t believe that I totally forgot I left Fluttershy’s birthday present here! And I hate ditching out on Applejack like that. It’s so not like me. Where is it...?”

The cyan pegasus was so caught up in her search, she barely noticed the knocking on the door outside until it became intense. “Hang on a second, I’m coming!” She pushed a blanket off of a chair, revealing the previously camouflaged present, neatly wrapped with colorful paper and a decently tied bow that even Rarity would be impressed by. “Ah, there it is!” Now through with her search, Rainbow Dash walked over to the door and opened it.

On the outside of her home’s entryway was an alicorn mare, a dark blue coat with symbols of crescent moons located on her jewelry and adorning her flank. There was a very business-like appearance on her face, which shone with the brilliance of all of the stars now starting to slowly be seen in the waning moments of the daylight.

“Hello. Are you the one known as Rainbow Dash?” the mare asked with a power she had never bore witness to before.

“Depends on who wants to know. You remind me of somepony that I know... wait! I do know you, Nightmare Moon!” Loyalty’s current vessel got into a very defensive stance, wings drawn out as if she were going to force the princess away with her flying capacity if the need arose.

Luna sighed. “No. We are no longer known by that name. We are... Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash. Please, time is fleeting; we need for you to come with us immediately.” The alicorn turned to her chariot, motioning for Dash to come with her.

“I’m not going anywhere with you! I don’t trust you one little bit, Princess!” Dash’s voice was brash and defiant. Thoughts were shooting through her mind of whether or not she shouldn’t slam the door in the alicorn’s face, grab Fluttershy’s present and return to Ponyville with the highest degree of haste possible.

“Please, Rainbow Dash, it is very important. Our sister recommended you, so we are not about to debate her wisdom. Now, please, get in the chariot.” Luna’s patience seemed to be wearing a little thin, the thought of having to convince Rainbow Dash that it was in her best interest to go with her a hurdle that the Night Princess did not expect to need to jump over.

“Wait a minute... Princess Celestia sent you? If whatever this is about is so important, why didn’t she send somepony else to come and get me?” Rainbow Dash asked almost incredulously, unable to come to grips with the reality of her being needed on such short notice.

An icy stare met the pegasus’ most recent question. “Listen to us, Rainbow Dash. You must come with us now. We do not have any time for more questioning of the orders of our sister. Now, we will say again--get in the chariot, or you will be dragged into it by our guards!” The younger alicorn was quite tired of being ignored and spelled out simply what she was going to do with Rainbow Dash. We are hoping that she will not be this difficult to deal with the whole of the time she is in Canterlot!

Rainbow Dash never enjoyed being told what she was or wasn’t going to do. However, she sized up Luna one time more and came to the conclusion that fighting her or resisting more was not going to end up well for her. “Fine... I’ll come with you, Princess.” She walked out her door, closing it behind her and leaving Fluttershy’s present sitting on the chair. Darnit! Now I can’t give Fluttershy her birthday present. With the slightest degree of hesitancy, she walked inside of the modestly sized chariot, looking back toward her home.

“Is something the matter?” The softening of Luna’s tone was a little strange for Rainbow Dash, but she dismissed it and answered the question.

“It’s my friend Fluttershy’s birthday party today. I mean, we went to school together, and I wanted this party to be a really big surprise--and now it looks like I’m going to miss it. I wish I hadn’t forgotten her present here... who knows, maybe if I had paid a little more attention, I wouldn’t have run into you.” The superficial dig towards Luna fell to the wayside, as she walked up to the side of Rainbow Dash.

“Do not worry, Rainbow Dash. We will see to it that your present is delivered to Fluttershy. For now, we must depart for Canterlot.” She called out to the stallions at the front, and within a matter of moments, Ponyville and Rainbow Dash’s cloud home began to grow smaller and smaller in the distance.

Bye, Ponyville. I hope I’ll see you again.

Chapter 3: A Splash of Color

Chapter 4: Dinner and a Show

Sunset’s Last Glow

Chapter 4: Dinner and a Show

Neither Princess Luna nor Rainbow Dash spoke to each other on the way back to Canterlot, the latter spending more time looking away from the former, still quite upset that she had to miss Fluttershy’s party and that she wasn’t able to deliver the gift that she had purchased for her pegasus friend. The stillness seemed to last a good twenty minutes into the flight, before Luna finally decided to break the quiet.

“We have heard rumor about you being the fastest flier in all of Equestria. Perhaps we can arrange a demonstration for you, Rainbow Dash?”

Dash merely stood, looking at clouds flitting by and seeming to ignore the Princess. Having made her take on needing to go anywhere with Princess Luna, she resigned herself to the situation. Whatever it is appears to be very important. To not even talk to Twilight before just picking me up like that? Something strange is going on.

Luna’s mind also was contemplating various thoughts. We need to tell her something to convince her that we aren’t going to do anything harsh to her. They still see us as Nightmare Moon. We need to change this, but now is not the time. Phoenix needs help more than the ponies of Equestria do. It is easier to begin the process of changing one mind now than it will be to change the minds of hundreds, if not thousands of ponies.

The mutual silence was broken by the cyan pegasus. “Yeah… that’s right.” It was a soft but snarky tone, indicating to Luna that she still really wasn’t in a conversational mood.

“Quite excellent! Perhaps once we return to Canterlot, we might be able to introduce you to some ponies that we know?”

Dash scoffed. “Sure, whatever you have in mind, Princess. Why did you need me, anyway? Isn’t Twilight Sparkle the pony that you and your sister call when something’s going wrong in Equestria?”

Having been asked, Luna took the time to consider what version of the truth she should give to Rainbow Dash. We should be thankful that she is not the Bearer of the Element of Honesty. We would not be able to be as indirect with the true story as we have been.

“We will not dishonor you the seriousness of the situation with falsehoods. A problem has arisen that our sister and us had thought to have been taken care of many years ago. However, there has been an unexpected development. A specific set of ponies from the day of our banishment have returned, and we have only been successful in locating one of them. Our sister and us discussed what would be the best way to deal with this specific pony, and given the circumstances by which they were involved in the affairs of Canterlot at the time, neither we nor our sister feel appropriately unbiased by which to assist this individual.”

Rainbow Dash could barely believe her ears as Luna finished the truth of what the situation was. “And… how do I fit into this, Princess?”

Luna looked at Rainbow Dash for a minute, then said. “You will be helping to re-train this pony, Rainbow Dash. We felt that the Bearer of the Element of Kindness would be… ill-equipped to handle such a pony as the one that requires help.”

Before Dash could open her mouth to respond, the familiar skyline of Canterlot began to come into view. The city itself was starting to wind down, businesses finishing their days as ponies of all types returned to their houses, swept up their shop areas and watched for the rising moon to appear and replace the sun, a duty that Celestia had been tasked with for many centuries now. All of the castle was alight in the final rays of the day’s sun, which had started to slope over the horizon point, painting the walls and towers in a range of deep reds and oranges.

The cyan pegasus found that her disgruntled feelings with Princess Luna start to fade as the beauty of the capital city sparkled in the evening light. “Wow!” Rainbow Dash said in awe. She hadn’t ever been this close to the capital before, and was wishing she had spent more time admiring some of the scenes and places she all too often would go jetting past as insanely high speeds. The two stallions that had been keeping their wings flapping finally caught sight of something they had been seeking for since the moment they left Rainbow Dash’s house--the landing pads close to the castle. Sighing quietly, the pair allowed their wings to lock slightly, allowing them to cut into the air differently, controlling their speed and beginning a gentle glide as they continued their descent back to the ground below.

“We’re getting ready to land, Princess.” The pegasus on the side closest to where Luna was standing said, snapping Rainbow Dash out of her mesmerized study of the castle. Both she and Princess Luna looked forward at the various trees and flowering bushes that were just on the outskirts of the cleared stone pathway, which was dotted with oil lanterns to help guide pegasi returning between sunset and moonrise, or during a rain shower. The chariot and pegasi near the front made a gentle left turn, approaching their landing spot at the castle’s grounds.

“We would guess that you might be hungry, Rainbow Dash. Would you like to accompany us and our sister to dinner tonight?” Princess Luna posed as the ground started to get closer and closer.

As if to answer the question without words, Rainbow Dash’s stomach grumbled loudly at that exact moment, causing her to act sheepish for a second. “Whoops. Sorry. Guess I should have grabbed something at Sugar Cube Corner before I went to go help decorate.” As Dash took a breath to consider accepting the offer, the chariot touched down on the ground, jouncing both her and Luna slightly until the pegasi driving it were able to slow themselves down and bring the speed of the wheels to a more acceptable pace.

Luna had a small frown cross over her face for a second as the chariot slowed down, allowing for her and Rainbow Dash to exit it. “If you would prefer to retire to the chambers that we have prepared for your stay here, we understand. But it would be a very nice gesture to our sister to come for dinner.”

Rainbow Dash took a moment to look over the beautiful spectacle of Canterlot’s Castle as the sun continued to slowly ebb into the coming night, the moon still not yet up in the sky. “Oh… uh, yeah. Sure. I am hungry, as my stomach just let me know all too well!” She laughs lightly, her mind still focused on the lavish structure of the towers, the corridors and all of the place that she was going to be calling home for quite a while slowly setting in.

“Very well. Please follow us, Rainbow Dash… there is much to do before we can be seated for dinner.”

“Dinnertime!” came the beaming voice of Ruby Glitter as she approached the doorway to the dungeon. Iron Hoof grumbled slightly, opening the door for the smaller unicorn mare. She is too bright to be down here, he thought. Has no business doing rounds in the dungeons.

“Make it quick, kid. I’m about to go off duty, and it would be a shame if you accidentally got locked inside.” His dark brown features were etched with a look of exhaustion of merely standing there all day long.

“Well, I was under directions to make sure that Phoenix Ember is fed, or at least that he’s offered something to eat. You know that everypony needs food, and it would just be so unfair if he had to go without simply because he did something wrong, even though he felt justified when he did it.” It was obvious she was trying to be the authority figure, but her voice came out as slightly small and tinny, the new level of responsibility she had been given feeling unfamiliar and almost a little burdensome.

Iron Wing grumbled, wishing that the mare would stop her chatter. “You’ve got five minutes. Take it in to him, leave it inside the cell, and get back out here.” Ruby Glitter started to walk forward, but was stopped by the extension of Iron’s hoof against the cart. “And believe me when I told you it would be a shame if you got locked in. Steady Hoof might be compassionate and understanding; I’m not. Is that clear, little girl?”

He waited for Ruby to say anything, even so much as nod. After a very slow moment passed by, Ruby said “I understand.”

“Tend to your duties.” He pulled his hoof back, allowing Ruby Glitter to walk forward. Sheesh… what a creepy stallion! I really do believe him, that he wouldn’t think anything of locking me in here and not telling anypony that I was here. Well… time to do my job. She walked forward with the cart, the contents of freshly roasted potatoes, parsnips, and carrots being held in place by the lid. There was also a small salad, mainly mixed parts of spinach and dandelion greens, flavored with just a bit of salt and pepper. A glass of milk and three small cookies looking like they had been made from daisies finished adorning the plate.

Phoenix Ember hadn’t moved an inch, continuing to look up at the ceiling part of the mural, the contrast between two shades of blue almost beginning to blur. He would have easily fallen asleep had it not been for his very empty stomach and unsettled mind. The sound of the rolling cart caused him to become alert, his eyes cautiously looking around to locate the source of the noise.

“Ahh! You’re awake, good! Let me unlock the door for you and wheel this inside. I think you’ll love what the kitchen made tonight! Vegetables and flowers everywhere on this plate. Wish that was what I was having; servants such as myself don’t always have the honor of eating from the royal kitchens, and we need to make do with the kitchen staff are willing to spare for us--and some of the food that I’ve seen come down the line has been questionable at that. Don’t tell anypony, but one day I ended up having to snack on one of Celestia’s prized begonia bushes… I was just so hungry that if I didn’t eat something I was going to collapse right then and there, and that would have been so embarrass--”

Holding a hoof up to his mouth, Phoenix intoned “Quiet, please.” In the next moment, he accepted the cart with the tray on it from Ruby Glitter. “Thank you.” He takes a minute to look at the unicorn mare, who seems very out of place in this near empty room. Only one other occupant was present, and he was sleeping soundly, having already gotten his scraps from the jailer earlier than day.

“Oh. I’m sorry, Phoenix Ember. It’s just that I have a tendency to have a lot to say and sometimes I don’t realize that I’m carrying on for such a long time, and it’s sort of difficult to just stop when I’ve got something exciting that’s crossed my mind; I mean, you know what that’s like, right?”

Phoenix had wheeled over the tray to his bed, placing it on there with his wings and hooves gently. “Actually, I don’t know much of anything.” He wheels the cart back over to the open cell door, using his own wings to close it back up.

“I see. Well, I hope you enjoy your meal, Phoenix. Just leave the dishes near the cell’s entrance. I’ll come and get them in the morning.” She found herself quieted by the imposing presence of the pegasus, safely behind the bars. “That’s all I have for you right now. Good night!” Ruby Glitter smiled, taking the cart and heading toward the exit.

The quiet of the dungeon was only broken by the sound of the wheels of the cart moving against the floor, creaking slightly as Ruby allowed a smile to return to her face after her second encounter with Phoenix. The unicorn mare had her eyes fixed toward the large door that was shut, wanting to exit the detainment center and head back to resume the remainder of her duties for the night.

“Unicorn.” The level of discipline to not jump into his food was impressive, as he hadn’t eaten in quite some time.

Glitter froze as Phoenix’s low baritone voice rang out in the quiet dungeon. “Yes, Phoenix Ember?”

The echoey voice called out again, indicating that he hadn’t started eating his dinner yet. “What is your name?”

Ruby was a little surprised, as she had been here less than three hours ago. “It’s Ruby Glitter.”

“Thank you for bringing me dinner. Have a good night.” The sound slowly faded with the quiet hooffalls from the distance, trying to indicate he was getting ready to eat.

The magenta-coated mare found herself a little surprised by the sheer civility of the prisoner at the end of the hallway. Okay… I wasn’t expecting that, but it’s only fair that I return the good-will gesture. “Good night, Phoenix Ember.”

A loud banging on the door interrupted the quiet moment, as Iron Wing’s irate and demeaning voice commanded “Hurry up in there! I’m leaving in less than a minute, and if you’re not out when I leave, you aren’t leaving tonight!”

Ruby Glitter nodded to the door, saying “I’m done!”

The entrance door opened loudly, allowing Ruby Glitter to walk out of the dungeon with the cart. She did not stop to talk to Iron Wing, who closed the door after she was far enough away from it. She moved with the cart back into the hallway, leaving it at the end of the corridor on the right side. As she moved further and further away from the corridor that led into the cells where the pegasus was being kept locked up, she couldn’t help but think about his voice and how defeated and meditative it sounded--similar to an individual who was at the peak of his life and lost it all. It sent a slight shiver up her spine as she started to walk a bit more briskly toward the cafeteria and to get her own meal for the night.

Rainbow Dash moved throughout the echoey hallways of the castle, not straying from Luna’s side for more than a couple of seconds as the pair of them walked in tandem. Paintings and sculptures of ponies long forgotten adorned their walk to a guest room that Luna had made mention of as the pair had entered the castle a few minutes ago.

“Now, you will have free reign of the premises, with a couple of exceptions. You are not to enter the library unescorted. If you need to see either one of us during our court sessions, please let one of our guards know before simply entering, as there may be matters under discussion outside of your ability to understand. And unless it is a dire emergency, never to enter either one of our bedchambers--especially ours. Are you able to comply with these limitations, Rainbow Dash?”

Dash nodded, now focusing more on Luna than she had during most of their walk inside the castle. “Of course. Besides, I’ve never been much for reading. Hated it in school, and only read what I needed to learn about flight skills, some of the finer points on pulling off tricks, when to prank your best friend and not get caught; but most importantly, how to be cool!” The blue pegasus beamed, flashing her wings for a second as she continued to follow Luna down the hallway.

Hah. You may be the Element Bearer of Loyalty, but modesty is definitely not one of your outstanding attributes, Rainbow Dash. Hopefully this will not become a problem when you begin dealing with Phoenix Ember. Luna smiled gently, saying “Would you believe we were not too fond of studying either? Sister would insist we spend hours at a time researching spells that no longer had any practical purpose, tomes of history from centuries prior--it was infuriating. We were glad when we could start doing research on our own pace.” She turns as the corridor they are in comes to a juncture, motioning to the right with her hoof. “Right down this way, Rainbow Dash. We must hurry, however; dinner will be served in a few moments and sister will tease us thoroughly if we are late with you.”

“I hope it’s soon; I’m starving, Princess,” Rainbow Dash stated, increasing her pace a little bit but staying within a decent pace of the younger alicorn.

“In about ten minutes, if we recall correctly. We may not have time to properly show you the whole of your room. Would you be opposed to having it shown later, as it would benefit both of us to show up sooner rather than later.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to disappoint Princess Celestia. You can finish showing it to me later if we need to get down to be ready for dinner. You know what we’ll be having tonight?” Dash queried, her stomach slightly settled but still quite empty, having not eaten that day since breakfast.

“If we remember the menu, it is supposed to be a flash-steamed serving of potatoes and parsnips, as well as some carrots. There’s also a fresh salad with spinach and dandelion greens. Dessert is not a part of the meal we are especially looking forward to.”

Dash looked at Luna questioningly as they continued to walk down the hallways, heading towards the dining area. “Why, what is dessert today?”

“Apparently sister feels that we are… in need of profoundly healthier alternatives for the dessert portion of the meal. She ordered the chefs to make Daisy cookies. Now, we are not in objection to them; they are quite delectable. However, when held up to the creaminess and fine texture of a rich chocolate cake? Nothing else will suffice.” A sly smirk crossed Luna’s face, not in the eyeshot of Rainbow Dash. “And we do not share our chocolate cake.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, making a mental note to not mess with Luna if she was in the possession of said cake. “Ehh, cookies are alright, I guess. I think it’ll be nice to see Princess Celestia without getting over you trying to push us over a cliff or something.”

“Are you concerned, Rainbow Dash, that all of who we used to be is not yet gone?”

The question was so direct, it almost made Dash trip over her own four hooves. She had to stop and rewind her mind to make sure that she heard the question correctly. “Are you asking me if....?”

“If you feel that all of what was Nightmare Moon has not yet left our presence.” Luna was not going to shy away from the question--it required being asked and she wasn’t about to back down.

“Well, to be honest, Princess, we haven’t seen any part of you since we left the ruins in the Everfree Forest. And yeah; I did call you Nightmare Moon. I’m not gonna lie--when you came to get me, I thought that you had relapsed and were going to pick off the Elements one at a time. Made sense.”

Luna sighed. So, they are not convinced. We cannot blame them for what we were trying to do. “We understand, Rainbow Dash. We will hold nothing against you for feeling the way you do feel about us. Just please attempt to be more open to the possibility that we have been changed.” She did the best she could to hide the level of shock and disappointment in her face, but did not succeed well.

That went well, Dash. You might just as well have said flat-out that she scares the hay out of you because of who she was, not who she is now. She almost apologized for what had come out of her mouth, but the words hung in the air awkwardly. “Okay, Princess.”

Leading the way to an elaborately adorned door which opened with her magic, Luna led Rainbow Dash to the semi-formal dining hall, in which Celestia was already seated and sipping on some water. “Sister, we have returned with Rainbow Dash. We are sorry if we are late for dinner.”

Celestia rose and walked over to greet both her younger sibling and Rainbow Dash. “You’re not that late, Luna. And Rainbow Dash, thank you for coming with my sister on such short notice. Believe me, I wish I could have explained more at the time. For now, please have a seat and we can enjoy dinner.”

Dash was pleased to see a somewhat familiar face, although this was only her second official time of having physically seen Princess Celestia. As it was before when she first saw sight of the majesty and grandeur that Canterlot seemed to be, the dining hall also had no expense spared to decorate it in an unusual simplicity that made it sparkle. More of Celestia’s hoof in design was seen, with some traces of Luna’s influence in more subdued locales of the room. The elder alicorn motioned for them to sit down, using her hoof to guide the other two gently toward the table, which was adorned with silver candlesticks and taper candles that were lit and flickering gently.

“So, Luna, were you able to see Twilight Sparkle before you left Ponyville? I am sure she would be happy to see that you are well and of good spirits,” Celestia asked, moving back to the center of the from where her chair was left, still pulled out a little bit from her getting up to greet Dash and Luna.

Luna shook her head as she guided Rainbow Dash to sit down at a chair on the other side of the table, to the left of Celestia’s centered chair at the table’s head. Once she had seen that Rainbow Dash had been seated, she walked back around the table and took the seat to Celestia’s right hoof side. “No, unfortunately. We were required to make chase after Rainbow Dash--had we not, it is unlikely we would have been able to so easily speak with her and return in such short time.”

“Ah. Well, then I will have to let her know that there is nothing to be concerned about. Shall we eat, then, and discuss the situation with our pegasus friend?” The Sun Princess said lightly, as two stewards came out from the kitchen entrance at the rear of the hall.

“Yup! I am so starving!” Dash said exuberantly, watching as a one grey colt brought her plate over, removing the lid.

The overly fancy nature of the plate of simple carrots, parsnips and potatoes confused the active mare, wondering if what was placed in front of her was meant to be consumed or admired as a piece of artwork. Luna and Celestia had already started to begin consuming their meal, taking dainty bites as Rainbow Dash simply stared at her dish.

She raised a hoof and poked at the potatoes, which were arranged in arcs in a hexagonal sort of shape, with little specks of pepper and salt on them. They were still quite hot to the touch, causing for her to recoil her hoof after a moment or two of physically inspecting the contents. Completely forgetting any sort of manners that she might have had, she brought her muzzle down to the plate and took a hesitant nibble from the carrots that were on the plate.

The sheer temperature of the vegetable caught the daredevil off guard, as she quickly opened her mouth and almost spat out the offending item. “HOT!” she yelped, managing to barely force the delicious bite down. It was only at this moment did she notice that Luna was looking at her with a very bewildered expression on her face as she observed the pegasus’ attempt to have dinner.

“Rainbow Dash, is there any problem with the food we have had prepared for you tonight?” Luna had already proceeded to eat through a good quarter of her plate, leaving not a whit of crumb or any indication that there had ever been any food on it.

“Uhh… I’m just not used to this sort of… fancy food, Princess. Do you have anything like a sandwich or something I could eat on the fly?” Rainbow Dash again poked at her potatoes, making a face at them and now refusing to have anything to do with the carrots. The parsnips seemed to be looking at her funny, so she ignored them as well.

“We could speak to the chef and see what sort of arrangement could be made. But for now… we have business to discuss. Sister, would you like to start informing Rainbow Dash about her purpose of being here, or should we take the lead?”We were not aware that there was anything “fancy” about steamed potatoes, parsnips and carrots. You could at least try the salad. Also, who trained you to eat? You have some… unique table manners, Rainbow Dash.

“Yes… I believe I should tell Rainbow Dash more about Phoenix Ember.” She took a small sip from her chalice of water, and turned her gaze primarily toward the cyan pegasus. “A little over a thousand years ago, there were two divisions of the Wonderbolts. One for the day and one for the night--the Shadowbolts. I used the Wonderbolts as escort pegasi for when I would tour parts of Equestria, visiting the common ponies, and providing my reassurance that Luna and I were taking care of things--as did Luna for her night, using the Shadowbolts to help escort it in and try to serve as an envoy for her underappreciated night. Among both of these groups were squadron leaders; Generals, in a way.

“During the time of division between Luna and I, when there was rumors swirling of both internal and external stresses among our co-leadership, the divisions broke into two different sections--neither of them required to report to the other. As sister was intending to overthrow me, even before the appearance of Nightmare Moon, I had become extra careful and ended up developing another alternate spell for which to subdue the Shadowbolts if ever an actual takeover were to begin. It was a way to freeze them in time, so that once the situation had been taken care of, we would be able to liberate them and society. Sister… do you remember their names?” Celestia paused for a second, returning to her plate to eat some of the salad.

“Stealth Light, Defiance, and… Phoenix Ember. Those were the generals that both us and Nightmare Moon had selected with which to overthrow Celestia. It is agreeable that we did not succeed, dear sister.” Luna looked at her daisy cookies with contempt, ready to magic them to another less obvious location and avoid eating them. But to do that, Sister must be distracted, and we have been less than successful since our return in fooling her.

“And we have recovered the latter of the three. He was the lead Shadowbolt General, the best of the bunch. I tried to steal him from Luna multiple times before Nightmare Moon and the subsequent sealing of their spirits with her. I still am not sure quite how it happened, as it was only meant to capture Luna and Phoenix was nowhere near either of us at the time I conducted the sealing.”

Dash had been listening so intently she had almost forgotten to breathe. She finally responded by taking in a quick breath of air, restoring her normal heartbeat and blood flow to her body. “This is getting good… tell me more!”

“Here’s where things get very interesting, Rainbow Dash. We are not about to keep this pegasus locked away for the rest of his natural life as he has committed no crime. However, his unfamiliarity with the rules and morals of the time will be a liability if we were to release him into the mainstream population at this time. This leads to the part where we need you.”

Dash had finally noticed the slightly dressed salad, eating in a rapid and very uncouth manner. “Yewh… ah’m wistenink,” she said through a mouthful of green leaves. So… I finally get to find out what it is I’m doing here.

“You are going to be in charge of showing him how to live in the new Equestria. He will be your personal charge, and until he is adequately assimilated into the culture, you will have full responsibility for his actions.” Celestia stated.

Rainbow Dash sat still for a second. A moment later she chuckled lightly, and within 15 seconds she was laughing loudly from her chair. “You’re kidding, right? Me, train somepony? That’s really funny, Princess. I never pinned you for a practical joker!”

Celestia sighed slightly, her face the model of calm. “I’m glad to see that you have a healthy sense of humor, Rainbow Dash. However, I wasn’t joking. This is very real and he is really your responsibility.”

Dash continued to laugh, having fallen out of her chair and beginning to rock back and forth on the floor. “The last time I’ve laughed this hard is when Pinkie accidentally launched a pie into Applejack’s face. Priceless! So, wait, it is my turn to tell a funny joke?”

Luna, however, was not so quick to accept Rainbow Dash’s jovial attitude. “Rainbow Dash. We do not believe what our sister said was in any manner something from which you should derive such laughter!”

The Royal Canterlot Voice succeeded in bring Rainbow’s giggles to a halt, as she collected herself from the floor and returned to her chair. “So… now, wait a minute, I’m supposed to help this stallion? What’s in it for me, Princess? This isn’t something that fits into my job description.”

“What’s ‘in it for you’, Rainbow Dash, is a personal show from the Wonderbolts and an unbiased audition to become part of their ranks. I give my word as Princess and co-leader of Equestria that it shall be your reward for successfully rehabilitating Phoenix Ember. Please believe me, Rainbow Dash… I cannot think of anypony else that would come anywhere near as capable of doing this task as you.”

Right as Rainbow was going to respond to Celestia’s very solemn and direct promise, the sound of rapid hooffalls was heard approaching the doorway behind them. The hooffalls slowed down and turned into a paced gallop as the source of the sound came into sight. Dash looked over and her eyes caught a magenta-colored unicorn mare. “Oh, I’m sorry, Princess Celestia! I wasn’t told that you were going to be having dinner service. I was busy helping out with Phoenix Ember and making sure he was getting his food. Do you know he’s really quiet and sort of creepy? I went and brought him his meal and right as I left he asked me my name again and I told him and… oh, I’m sorry, here I go rambling on again. I got a note saying that you wanted to see me personally, Your Highness?”

Okay… when did Pinkie Pie turn into a unicorn, and when was she planning on telling me? Dash pondered, actually trying one of the petal-like potato slices. She found the taste to be quite refreshing, and soon was in the process of demolishing the whole plate full of them, wondering if she could get seconds.

“Yes, I did, Ruby Glitter. I wanted to introduce you to the pegasus you’ll be helping--”

“RAINBOW DASH!” Ruby shouted, running over to the mare’s side and almost falling flat on her face as she came to a quick stop. “Oh my Celestia, I am such a HUGE FAN of yours, even though I can’t fly! You almost made the Wonderbolts, and you have no idea how much I was cheering for you when you kept trying. I keep thinking about a temporary flight spell, but I’m just so busy with my duties here at the palace that I haven’t had the time to really work on my magic! And… I can’t believe it’s you and you’re HERE of all places. Oh! Can I get your autograph? It would be such a wonderf--”

While Ruby Glitter was busy prattling on, practically on her face the whole time and able to keep the sentence coherent and flowing, Celestia had raised her hoof to her lips as she walked over slowly behind the excited mare. Once she had managed to make her way around Rainbow Dash, who was looking slightly creeped out by this unicorn, she waited for the right moment and brought her hoof to Ruby Glitter’s mouth, gently silencing the talkative mare.

The Sun Princess chuckled lightly as she looked down toward one of her attendants. Her gaze moved upward slightly to see a relieved Rainbow Dash that was now no longer dealing with the verbal onslaught from the magenta unicorn. “Rainbow Dash, allow me to introduce Ruby Glitter. She’s going to be helping you with basically whatever it is you need during your stay here while you help to rehabilitate Phoenix Ember.”

Dash had little more that she could do but to giggle at Ruby Glitter. “Does she come in a decaf version? She’s… a smidge hyperactive for my liking, Princess.”

“She’s not usually this excitable. However, I know that in her time as one of the palace servants, she has been unusually exceptional in her level of attention to detail and willingness to meet with any reasonable request.” Celestia finally removed her hoof from the front of Ruby’s mouth, stepping back and returning to her chair.

“Sorry, Rainbow Dash… it’s just that I never expected that I would actually meet you! And now I get to help you on a daily basis? Oh, that is so awesome for me that I can’t even properly express it now.” Ruby Glitters seemed to try and compose herself a smidge more, not wanting to make Rainbow Dash uncomfortable with her fangirl state from standing so close to the would-be Wonderbolt.

“It’s okay, kid… I think you and I will get along great! Say, Princess, any chance I could get more of those potatoes?” Dash pointed to her plate expectantly, her hungry stomach being sated slightly but still wanting for more to feel fully fed.

“Of course. Ruby Glitter, could you do so? We still have much to tell Miss Dash,” Celestia mentioned as she returned to her food and continued to eat it slowly.

“Yes, right away!” She took a moment to look back toward her idol, and said “I’ll be just a minute, Rainbow Dash.” Ruby focused her magic on the plate, levitating it and walking with it into the kitchen, where she was going to get more for the cyan pegasus.

Phoenix Ember had taken his time eating as well, having not had much of anything since arriving in Ponyville earlier that day. He was grateful to receive such remarkably well tasting food. It’s not quite on par with some of the grub we would have before sorties, but it’s pretty delicious.

“So… Ruby Glitter. You strike me as a very caring and careful unicorn, young mare. Right now you’re one that I could probably use to my advantage to get inside of Celestia’s head. She seemed pretty confident in assigning you to bring me meals.” He took a moment to appreciate the quiet of the dungeon.

From the distant window, he saw the waning light of day begin to ebb into a spectrum of reds, oranges and purples as the blanket of varying shades of blue was approaching. Taking a healthy bite of parsnip, he chuckled inside of his throat as he began to admire the glory of a sunset. As much as he disliked the effects and heat of the sun, he knew that it was all part and parcel of the cycle of day and night. Even though I hate to think of it in this way, the eternal night that we were promised by Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon will be little more than just an idea. There needs to be a cycle, a rotation to the world. Just as if the roles were reversed, and Celestia’s disgusting day did not receive any love or worship, so she might have become jealous of the lack of attention.

“I still owe her my loyalty--from that, I will never bend nor stray. I swore my oath to Princess Luna, and it is a promise that I do not take lightly or dismissively.” He switched his focus from the delightful food that he was consuming toward the setting sun. “And the sun will rise tomorrow. For now… I will do the best I can to enjoy Princess Luna’s magnificent night.”

Returning to his food, he finally spied the three daisy cookies. Okay… these are very odd looking confections. Why are they smiling at me? It’s a little bit creepy. “You’re a Shadowbolt, Phoenix. Don’t be scared by a little cookie.”

Pensively, he plucked one of the far-too-cute-to-be-right baked goods, examining it closer and giving it a smell. “Well… they appear edible.” He opened his mouth and proceeded to eat it.

The flavor of the daisy was bland and uninteresting, almost to the point of being repulsive. The meager spices that had been added to the treat didn’t seem to help the mismanaged and poorly conceived cookie, making it only barely consumable. The last little hint of cinnamon that finally hit his taste buds required him to swallow the dry thing, Phoenix now wishing he hadn’t tried this item at all.

“Bleech!” Up until now, this had been a pretty decent meal… but whomever thought that those cookies were meant to be delicious must have their head stuck in the clouds. They’re… healthy! Who in Equestria would have such audacity with which to make such a vile tasting dessert look so appetizing? Phoenix merely set the other two cookies to the far side of the plate, refusing to even try another bite. He returned to the potatoes and carrots, having already finished off the parsnips and the small salad.

I’ll have to tell Ruby when I see her in the morning that I found the cookies positively… unique. Definitely an acquired taste, no doubt. Also need to speak to her--slowly, of course--about what her relationship with Celestia is.

“Well, that was a very… illuminating meal, Rainbow Dash. Now, if you will excuse us, we need to finish the diurnal cycle and usher in the night. Ruby Glitter will escort you back to your chambers. Oh, sister… before we leave, there was the conditions of the promise we made by which we would go and retrieve Rainbow Dash?”

“After you raise the moon, Luna. I have it in my office, and before you ask--yes, it’s untouched and frosted just the way you like it. Just try not to eat the whole thing in one sitting--you have a lot of work to do tonight, young filly.” Before the two Princesses totally disappeared out the side exit, Celestia regarded both Rainbow Dash and Ruby Glitter. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash. I hope you are able to sleep well, and that you make yourself comfortable here in Canterlot. I’ll see you both in the morning. Good night, my little ponies.”

Both Dash and Glitter bowed gently as Luna and Celestia exited the room. After the doors closed behind the Princesses, Rainbow Dash looked back toward Ruby Glitter and beamed a confident smile. The two then proceeded to head out the door that they had both entered from earlier that evening.

“So… biggest fan, eh? I’ve heard that come from a lot of kids, Ruby Glitter. Why don’t you tell me how big of a fan you are as you show me where I’ll be crashing when I’m here?”

“Sure! Well… I’ve followed you since your second year in Speedster’s Academy. It gave me something to be distracted from when I was busy with magic lessons. Let me tell you, there’s nothing more boring than sitting in a room and reciting and repeating the same spells a hundred times over. When the teacher wasn’t watching, I would spend time doodling down in a sketchbook that I kept with me during class. I still have it, and I’ll make sure that I bring it with me when I come to get you for breakfast tomorrow morning.”

Dash nodded, starting to feel that this mare was being very direct and straightforward with her about how long she had been following her. “Awesome. What time is breakfast, by the way? I’ve been known to spend most of my mornings sleeping in a little bit.”

“Seven-thirty in the morning, right on the button. I haven’t been late once since I started working for Celestia.”

“Whoa, whoa, back up a second--did I just hear you right, seven thirty in the morning?” Dash stopped walking alongside of Ruby Glitter, her face positioned in such a manner that indicated she wanted to make sure she had heard what she thought she had.

“Yes. And believe me, it’s worth it! Waffles, fresh fruit, cupcakes, coffee… I never miss breakfast here!” Even though it had been a long day for Ruby, she still seemed perky and attentive to every little thing that was happening in the room.

Dash’s face grew slightly ashen as she realized how early that sounded to her. I won’t be able to sleep in… this is going to be such a drag!

“Well… I should head off. Have to get to sleep myself. I’ll be here to come and get you come morning. Good night, Rainbow Dash!” Ruby smiled one more time, turned around and exited the room, leaving Dash in the spacious and well adorned guest chamber. She took a minute to look around, noticing that it had its own separate bathing chamber, a desk with which to sit down and write at, and a spacious bed.

“Heh. Well, this has been a strange day. And I don’t really feel like writing. Time to do what I do best--sleep.” Dash didn’t even bother to pull down the covers, merely flopping onto the bed which seemed to absorb her slightly as her head hit the pillows.

After setting the tray and its remaining contents of the two daisy cookies that he now refused to even lick, Phoenix Ember wiped the crumbs from his face and sat down on the bed, grogginess starting to overtake him. This first day back after a thousand years of absence from the world had been a very filled one--betrayed by those he considered closer to him than family, whacked on the head by a crazy zebra, taken into custody by two of Canterlot’s finest, tossed in a cell that reminded him more of an art museum rather than something one would normally find in a prison, and fed the first decent meal he ate in weeks.

His head finally returned to contact with the pillow, already being surprised at how soft it was. Luna would never have treated prisoners with such care and consideration. She would have made them sleep on the floor, or possibly not even have the comfort of four walls to keep out the elements that come with the night sky. I am thinking, however, that the Luna I had started to know in the last few weeks was not one that knows the kindness that I have been treated with. That Luna was a cruel and unkind mare, whom had no qualms of putting ponies under the weight of her hoof for no other reason than it felt good to her and made her feel more powerful.

There was one glaring absence from the cell--no blanket had been provided for him. However, the warmth of the castle caused him to not really be requiring of one. Turning to his side to face a wall that had been painted in dark blues, purples and hints of black, his thoughts turned to those who had abandoned him recently.

Brothers, you chose poorly. There was an order to things--one that had worked for months on end as we prepared our revolution on Celestia. And… what, within the course of a day, all of that stops mattering? You just… walk away? Nopony walks away. You become a Shadowbolt, you sign on for life.

Sleep found him soon, his thoughts becoming quiet inside of the cell as he started to snooze. It occurred to him, before he finally closed his eyes and drew his wings inward--that he finally felt comfortable with where he was.

Chapter 4: Dinner and a Show

Chapter 5: Reining in the Rainbow

Sunset’s Last GlowChapter 5: Reining in the Rainbow

Phoenix Ember woke up from his rest, doing as his training always instructed for him to do: survey the environment and prepare the proper defenses for yourself and your comrades-in-wing. This field scouting mission, however, was going to be unlike any that he had ever done before. The landscape in front of him was covered in a hazy mist, which had the smell of something very unusual in the lands of Equestria--salt.

A lot of the space lacked any sort of tangible definition, a majority of his immediate surroundings appearing foggy or just beyond his ability to fully perceive. There was a low roar in the background that seemed to cause an echo around where he stood and looked about.

Where am I? I thought I was in the cell at Canterlot Castle… how did I end up here, wherever here happens to be? He started to explore the area, a lot of the substantive locales staying just outside of his tangible senses. After a few minutes of exploring, he managed to stumble upon some sort of door that was left partially open. Traps are always left to look like it was an accident, Phoenix.

Feeling that this was the only thing that appeared real enough to him, he opened the door with his wings, pushing it to the side. He was hoping that nothing would greet him unpleasantly as the hatch made its way toward him.

The door swung open with an aged creaking sound, the wood groaning as if it had not been touched in a very long time. After the sound of the doorway finally subsided, Phoenix looked into the depths of his newest surroundings. Okay, so not trapped--yet.

The fog and lack of lucidity seemed to fully vanish now, displaying a very dark and empty hallway that did not cause the Shadowbolt pause, peering down its length. Small beams of light wisped through vine-covered windows, making the atmosphere spooky and slightly uncomfortable to the common pony.

Outside of the sound of my own hooffalls, I haven’t heard much more than that background roar since I got here. ...One of the creepier places I’ve been.

As he pressed onward, stepping on stones that seemed to purposely amplify each hooffall, his eye caught something out of its corner. For the briefest of seconds, a splash of some blurred color caught the outermost of his peripheral vision. Phoenix didn’t even react to it right away, as the second he turned to look, there was nothing to be seen aside from a shadowy growth of leaves.

Could have been a leaf...possibly some piece of debris, dust settling. Don’t let your mind lose itself here, Ember. However, he decided that whatever it was that he thought he saw merited investigation, so he headed down the hallway in slow, measured steps.

As if to hammer the point home, right as he reached the place where he thought he saw the glimmer of color a few moments earlier, down a corridor to his right he heard an incredibly loud SLAM from a door at its terminus. This sound got his attention, and he looked to see leaves being disturbed and air getting sent his way.

Contact. Somepony--or something--is here. “Hello!” he called out as he started to gallop down the hallway. Despite how fast he ran, the door never seemed to get any closer. Come on, come on... faster! Just at the moment he was about to reach it, the door in front of him vanished, giving him only a second or two to stop with his wings and push his hooves as hard as he could to slow himself down. Just as he was about to slam into the end of the hallway, he barely managed to bring himself to a stop.

As he slowed down, he heard footfalls behind him, drawing closer and closer. Wait--how did they get behind me without being seen? That doesn’t make any physical sense. He turned to see the approaching whatever-it-was, preparing to charge at it. “You’re not going to trap me! Do you know what I am?”

No sound came from the other thing, seeming to be composed of cloud, shadow and the essence of dark light. As it finally drew closer, it stopped moving in Phoenix’s general direction. It looked at him, and whispered with the hiss and temperament of a snake. “Phoenix....”

“Come on! Out of the shadows, you! Show yourself to me.” A fierce snarl formed on the pegasus’ mouth, his wings slicked into his body as he readied himself to ram whatever might try and lay a hoof on him.

“Phoenix!” The voice called out again, this time more forceful and a lot closer.

“Who are you to call out a Shadowbolt? Do you have any idea what I can do to you?!” Ember growled, his remaining patience starting to fade.

“Phoenix Ember, wake up!”

Phoenix Ember shot up from his bed, looking around. His vision was clear, and he realized where he was. I’m in the cell. So... was that a dream? It had to have been. The food tray from the previous evening’s meal had been knocked to the side, and was lying in an awkward angle on the Celestia side of the room.

“Well...you’re looking well, Shadowbolt.” Silver Plate said, his midsection wrapped up in bandages as he approached the cell, a wry smile on his face. “Remember me?”

“Yes,” replied Phoenix with a gruff snarl in the back of his throat, “I remember you--sun loving fool. I should have pushed you over the edge when I had the chance. Watched to see how long it would have taken you to have to snap your wings out and hurt yourself.”

Silver’s smile didn’t fade, “Still intent on trying to get to Celestia, aren’t you? I knew the second I got you out of Zecora’s hut that you were going to be nothing but trouble. Seems like I can still call them pretty good. I have to thank you, actually.”

Phoenix scoffed as the white-maned pegasus looked at him through the safety of the bars. “And how precisely have I managed to earn your gratitude?”

“Nopony’s tried anything that brazen on me in a long time. Even though you gave me a couple of cracked ribs, you reminded me of how badly things could have ended up if I didn’t train so much. Now it gives me more incentive to heal up faster so I can practice quick free-fall maneuvers.”

The two exchanged a tense stare for a couple of moments, before Phoenix spoke again. “Is there any other reason why you’re down here?”

“None than I can think of, other than to tell you that breakfast might be a little late this morning... with Ruby Glitter’s new assignment.” Silver continued to look at Phoenix Ember, letting very little of his emotions show.

“Hmph. What do all of you hope to achieve by being nice to me, hmm?” The dark-blue maned pony bristled a little bit, locking down the guard with his gaze.

“Honestly? I don’t care, Phoenix. I have no real feeling about it one way or the other. You’ve come into my world and are trying to change the rules so that it conforms a world that is a millenia gone. The past is dead and quite frankly save for some divine intervention on Luna’s behalf, you should be too.”

Phoenix’s eyebrow merely peaked from that comment, seeming designed to get his coat up and draw some sort of reaction. “You’re convinced I’m some sort of monster.”

“You tried to kill me, Phoenix. Explain to me why I should feel any differently.” Silver Plate’s eyes narrowed slightly, the contentious battle still continuing.

“You shouldn’t--in fact, you are right. I was a feared presence before Celestia sealed Luna away. My name uttered in anywhere in Equestria sent chills down the spines of ponies. I had command of an entire legion of pegasi, who would follow my orders without question.” He chuckled, pausing as he paced about a little more. “And it appears as that I’ve been sent here to be forgotten.”

SIlver chuckled. “No, Phoenix--as much as that would be poetic justice for what you did, you won’t be so lucky. You’ve been assigned somepony to take care and help to rehabilitate you. One of which helped to seal you, and helped to set you free. And believe me, she’s not looking forward to meeting you.”

“She? What, not going to stick me with somepony as harsh on me as I deserve?” Phoenix almost looked insulted.

“Oh... be careful, Phoenix; you may get what you wish for.” Silver had to chuckle as he continued to talk to the prisoner, whom would have what little normalcy that he had gotten to learn changed in an hour or so.

Rainbow Dash hadn’t slept well after three in the morning. She spent most of the early morning alternating between pacing about and flying in the room, doing the best she could to keep quiet. A few moments came where she would go to the exterior windows of the room and open it to peer outside and look at the stars. Although Dash never really had taken the time to fully appreciate the splendor of a night as most of them were spent sleeping, the pegasus looked up toward the sky that had been painted and placed with the utmost of care by the Princess of the Night.

After six in the morning came, she gave up on trying to even pace and decided to flop back down on the unmade bed, burying her head in the comforter. She demanded for sleep to come--and was denied each time she sought it out. The last time I got this little sleep was getting ready for Junior Speedster’s Academy the first time. It was annoying then and I’m annoyed now. Rainbow Dash finally decided to leave some of those persistent thoughts alone as she flopped and tossed on the bed a couple of times. “Gaah! Might as well do something meaningful!” She sat back up and noticed the table ,which she would have sat at last night had it not been for her exhaustion. I should let everypony back in Ponyville know what’s going on.

Pulling out a pencil, and managing to place it into her mouth in such a manner than she could write legibly, Rainbow Dash began to compose a note for her friends.

August 22, CKY 1001

Hey friends!

You’ve probably noticed--unless you’re too busy reading books, Egghead--that I’m not home, much less in Ponyville. I wish that I’d been allowed the time to explain why I’m not there, but breakfast is in a few minutes and I have a feeling my day is going to be crazy busy. I’m finding Canterlot strange--I never thought about staying here, and now it look like it’s going to become my new home. Princess Celestia and Luna are both awesome, and promised me a tryout with the Wonderbolts. Probably explains why I can’t sleep. Twilight, you’d love it here--wait, you are from Canterlot. I forgot. Anyway, I’m going to cut this pretty short. Just want to let all of you know that I’m well and being taken care of.

-Rainbow Dash

With her letter complete, Rainbow Dash retreated into the bathroom to get cleaned up. She discovered that her room was definitely one of the nicer ones in the Castle, with a full standing shower. On a small shelf near the far end was a couple bottles of mane conditioner, with fancy writing labels on them. Hmm... vanilla and almond. Other one says fresh rain. She stepped into the bathing area, using her hooves to turn on the water.

The spray of hot water surprised Rainbow Dash. It wasn’t burning hot, but it definitely shook what little remaining sleep that might have been in her out really quickly as the streams ran down her coat and mane. She lay down on the base of the shower for a second, allowing the water to soak in. Her thoughts returned to that of flying, and also contemplations of what she would do to help impress the Wonderbolts and Spitfire after her last tryout.

I don’t even want to think about that... I acted totally uncool and almost completely embarrassed myself. Not going to screw up another chance. She stood back up, grabbing the bottle of vanilla and almond conditioner from the shelf and using her wing to put it over her back and mane. Wish I had time to fully wash my wings. Guess I’ll have to preen them later on. After scrubbing the lightly scented liquid into her mane and front of her coat and basically anywhere else she could reach without much trouble, she rinsed herself clean and turned the water off.

Shaking off the remaining water from her body, Rainbow Dash stepped out of the shower and headed for the main part of the room. She basically ignored what little drips of water she couldn’t get off of her, feeling refreshed but still painfully awake after a bad night’s rest. Right as she was about to start admiring herself in the mirror again, to make sure she didn’t miss any parts of her mane, she heard a soft and gentle rapping sound come from the outside of her room. Must be--ahh, what was her name again?

“Rainbow Dash, it’s Ruby Glitter! Are you awake, it’s 7:15 and I want to be on time for breakfast. We’ve got a full day ahead of us.”

Ahh! Ruby Glitter--that’s her name. Okay... let’s do this! She walked over calmly and pushed on the door handle, allowing for the lock to release and the door to open inward. Ruby Glitter appeared fully gathered together, saddlebags strapped to her back with a large book poking out of one of them.

“Morning! Did you sleep well? I know the second my head hits the pillow I’m out like a blown-out candle until the sun rises. I got up just a little bit earlier today so that I would remember to grab my sketchbook so we could both look at it over breakfast! Then you can tell me more about the Wonderbolts and what Ponyville is like.”

Dash chuckled a little bit. Yup, just like Pinkie Pie. “Well, Ruby Glitter, I slept sorta okay. Woke up at 3 and couldn’t get back to sleep. I haven’t been that restless for a while. So, time to head off to breakfast?”

Ruby nodded, her perky hair bobbing gently as she moved her head up and down. “Yes! This’ll be the last chance to see Princess Luna until dinnertime. It’s such a shame that she can’t keep better house, but being the Princess of the Night doesn’t lend itself to being able to stay awake throughout the day. Although she’s been back for just such a short period of time, I really like being around Luna, even when I need to stay awake after bedtime--which can really throw off my schedule.”

Rainbow Dash exited her room, closing the doors behind her. She left the bed a mess and presumed that there would be some sort of housekeeping service that would come around and help pick up the small mess that she made. She started walking the same route that she and Princess Luna had taken the previous evening.

Canterlot looked a lot different in the morning’s light, after Celestia had brought the sun over the horizon point almost an hour earlier. Amber waves of light reflected against the marble and tile floors. The soft harmony of songbirds outside wafted their way through the open windows. Ruby guided her magic to reach for the sketchbook that she had spoken about earlier, and brought it out to show to Rainbow Dash. “Here! This is just a sample of what I’ve done.”

Dash slowed her walk, pausing for a second to allow Ruby to open the book containing the bundled scraps of paper. “All right, let’s see what you’ve got here....” The pegasus took a moment to cast her eyes on the page, wondering precisely what she was going to see.

Her mouth nearly fell from her jaw as she looked at the sketch. The attention to detail that Ruby had placed into the drawings stole away her ability to remember to breathe. In the finest intonations of graphite, shading, and highlighting, she saw her cutie mark drawn out. Eyes of magenta done in brilliant shades of grey looked as if they were ready to blink back at her. With each page being flipped under the control of Ruby’s magic, Dash had barely heard a word the smaller magenta unicorn mare had said to her. How did she do all of those so precisely? How long has she been making these drawings, and why didn’t I notice her sooner?

“...Rainbow Dash? You still in there?” Ruby Glitter asked after the distracted pegasus hadn’t answered her in a good minute. “Hey, dreamy head! Wake up!”

The pegasus had to shake her head and bring herself out of the mesmeric stupor she fell in after being drawn in by the incredibly accurate and lifelike drawings. “Yeah! Those were incredible. How long have you been doing those?”

Ruby was about to answer as the doorway to the dining room opened up. Celestia looked completely refreshed, while Luna was showing the signs of fatigue from a long night’s watch, her appearance of one begging for a cup of coffee. “Good morning, you two. Tell me, Rainbow Dash, did you sleep well?”

Dash waved a hoof, “Like a rock.” she said, “I also loved that mane conditioner you left in the room for me. It’ll help make me look awesome for my tryout with the Wonderbolts!”

Luna chuckled lightly. “Makes you smell very feminine, Rainbow Dash. We can see why Sister chose it for your room specifically.”

This drew a sharp look from Rainbow Dash, who growled lightly at the Night Princess. Oh, aren’t you funny, Princess Luna. A real hoot.

Celestia sensed a potential squabble, deciding to keep the morning as free-flowing and peaceful as possible. “Now, now, Luna. There’s no need to be unkind here. After all, Miss Dash is going to have a very busy day ahead of herself. Let’s all sit down--breakfast awaits!”

Ruby put her sketchbook away, walking alongside Rainbow Dash as the two of them headed to the side of the table they had been seated at the night before. Carafes of coffee, juices, and fresh flowers adorned the dining surface.

There was another pony seated on Luna’s side of the table who sized up Ruby and Rainbow as the two of them approached. The white unicorn then turned his attention, “Good morning, Princesses,” he said, standing at attention for a moment as the two alicorns sat.

“At ease, Captain.” Celestia said with a smile, “It’s important that we stay relaxed, because after we finish our meal we are going to release somepony that we do not fully understand. I don’t mean to rob anypony of their appetite; however, delaying this will not benefit any of us. Perhaps you should introduce yourself to both Ruby Glitter and Rainbow Dash.”

The princesses sat down, the sun alicorn pouring herself her second cup of coffee of the day, and Luna filling her cup with fresh apple juice. The quiet sounds of working could be heard from the service entrances behind them, chefs calling out to each other and putting the finishing touches on the breakfast about to be served. Ruby Glitter shifted about nervously in her seat, eyes shifting between Rainbow Dash and the unicorn stallion across the table.

The unicorn stallion remained standing, looking at both Ruby and Rainbow. “Yes, I believe I should.” he said after a few moments. “My name is Shining Armor, and I am Captain of the Royal Guard. Princess Celestia has told me about the prisoner Phoenix Ember, and I will be providing whatever needed assistance you will require, Rainbow Dash.” As soon as he was done with his introduction, he returned to his seat and moved in toward the table.

To support the Captain’s statement, Luna spoke up. “And need it she shall, Shining Armor. Our morning briefing after lowering the moon gave a report of Phoenix being quite unruly toward the guard he injured when he arrived. We feel that he is not going to want to be the least bit cooperative.” The night princess sighed, waiting for the kitchen servants to bring out the breakfast banquet.

As if on command, the doors that led to the kitchen parted, allowing a servant pony to exit from each one. Almost immediately, the group at seated at the table was greeted by a myriad of fragrances that wafted from the carts the stallions were walking with, releasing the sweet melody of fresh orange peel and cinnamon. Luna could detect the hints of sugary frosting and freshly-baked cake, making her mouth water slightly as the two ponies approached the table. The kitchen stewards stopped between Dash and Ruby Glitter, revealing the tray of food. Crisp and colorful waffles highlighted the center of the platter, with fresh cut honeydew, cantaloupe, orange, kiwi, and bananas. On a smaller tray behind that, there were a variety of dainty looking cupcakes that almost looked too fancy to eat. The steward asked, “What would you like, Miss Dash?”

Rainbow considered the contents of the platters to her left. I don’t normally even eat breakfast...I’m still sleeping by that time of the morning. “I’ll take a waffle and an assortment of fruit.” Dash tried to stifle a yawn, bringing her hoof to her mouth as she was served a bountiful plate full of food.

“So... before we begin eating,” Celestia began, clearing her throat, “I should let you know of how we will approach Phoenix Ember. Rainbow Dash, you will be kept protected by both Ruby Glitter and Shining Armor in the first few minutes after we remove him from his cell. I still believe that I will be the last pony he will want to see. After we have taken him out from the cell, you will have two hours to familiarize yourself with him and begin teaching him how to properly behave in this Equestria.

“I do not doubt that the task I am asking of you is going to be difficult. Phoenix has proven himself to be quite violent and possibly capable of unspeakable evils, and that it why it is so important that we train him how to properly behave himself in this new world. For now, we should enjoy our breakfast, as I have this feeling in my gut that today is going to be a highly frustrating and exhaustively long day.” Celestia finally finished speaking, bringing the cup of steaming hot coffee to her mouth and taking a long sip from the caffeinated beverage.

Ruby Glitter had assembled her plate, using her horn to bring over the pitcher of orange juice and pour herself a glass. “Captain Shining Armor, sir.” She looked over toward the Captain of the guard, having a bit of difficulty believing what she had just been told by Celestia.

The blue-maned unicorn looked up as he poured himself some coffee as well, ready to address the mare. “Yes, Ruby Glitter? Do you have any concerns or questions?”

“It’s about Phoenix Ember. Last night when I served him dinner, he didn’t seem all that concerned about hurting anypony else, much less me. If anything, he just seemed a little lost and confused.” the magenta mare finished, taking a bit of some fresh fruit from her plate.

“Good soldiers are always capable of putting on a very convincing outward appearance, Miss Glitter. Don’t be drawn in too easily. It’s the first method for them to get inside of your head: to play on your emotions.” Shining Armor took a drink from the contents of his cup.

“I see. There was also something unusual. He made sure to ask for my name, which I told him--felt it little more than common courtesy, of course. I mean, everypony was given a name and it’s important to who they are and what they’re going to become. My parents had it in mind when they named me Ruby Glitter that I was going to be brilliant and shine radiantly in whatever I put my hoof to in life. And I think I’ve done a pretty good job so far! Don’t you agree, Rainbow Dash?”

Dash was busy eating her breakfast, continuing to keep her lack of refined manners quite obvious to the rest of the diners there. She wasn’t very big on using flatware of any type, unlike the others in the room. Celestia merely chuckled under her breath when as she took a momentary glance toward Rainbow Dash, enjoying in quiet solace her breakfast. Luna was holding on to the barest minimum of alertness, treating the meal as if it were a late night snack, the waffles helping to settle her metabolism for her sleep during the day--after she finished snacking on the remainder of the chocolate cake that Celestia had provided for her as a reward.

With a mouth half full of food, Dash replied, “Kid, I don’t know ya well enough yet to say yes. But you seem alright so me, so that gets a mark on the coolness chart.” She gave Ruby a wink and continued to work at her breakfast plate. This is great food! Maybe I’m missing out on some high quality grub by sleeping in!

Ruby smiled a little bit after Dash finished her comments, returning to her food. The majority of the remainder of the meal was spent in quiet, aside from the sound of refills of beverages and comments about how tasty everything was. Luna made no attempt to hide her exhaustion as breakfast drew to a close, prompting Celestia to look in her direction.

“Sister, you appear quite sleepy. Perhaps you should return to your bedchambers for a proper rest after your exciting evening and night? I believe that Shining Armor and Ruby Glitter will be sufficient to deal with Phoenix Ember this day.”

Through bleary, sleep welcoming eyes, Luna nodded, standing from the table. “We would like to thank all of you for a delightful meal. We shall retire for the morning and awaken to raise the moon again as nightfall returns to the land.” She bowed gently and turned to the left, heading for an exit on the nearby wall. The doors to the passageway opened to allow the Night Princess through as she yawned visibly, her pace reduced to a gentle trot as she made her way for her bedroom.

As the doors closed, Celestia rose from her seat, signifying that breakfast had now come to a close. “Well, now that my sister is off to sleep, there is no point in delaying this any longer. Let us go and see a remnant of the past be brought out of his prison.” She stood ahead, a ferocity in her eyes as she made her way for the exit, which would end up leading back toward the main corridors. From there, the group of ponies slowly rose from their chairs as well to follow the Sun Alicorn.

On their walk toward the dungeons, Celestia recalled the letter that she had received, “Oh, Rainbow Dash, I had not had the chance to tell you that Twilight Sparkle had written me and inquired as to how you were doing. I haven’t had the chance to respond to her yet. Is there anything that you would like for me to tell her?”

“Actually, Princess, I had spent some of the morning writing a letter to Twilight, just lettin’ her know how I was doing. I was about to send it out before Ruby Glitter had come and got me for breakfast. Could it get sent out?”

“Certainly.” Celestia said, a bit of a smile returning to her face. “I’m sure that Shining Armor here would appreciate that.” And are you in for a bit of a surprise, Rainbow Dash. I’m surprised that Twilight didn’t tell you about her family, as she hasn’t indicated it in any of the letters that I’ve received from her so far.

The Captain of the Guard giggled a little bit, this news causing a spot of happiness in his heart. Given how the morning had lost some of its glimmer and luster, information like this helped to make it a little more bearable. “Yes, it’s good to know that Twiley is doing all right.”

“Twiley?” Rainbow Dash said, looking toward Shining Armor, wondering if that was directed toward her new unicorn friend. “Did I hear you right?”

“I’m sorry... I meant to say Twilight Sparkle. She’s my younger sister. I haven’t had the same amount of time I used to have to spend with her after she was accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and as I climbed the ranks in the Equestrian Guard. I don’t even remember the last time it was that we spoke to each other.” He was smiling brightly now as they maintained their consistent pace from hallway to hallway, which led to the passageways that would take them toward the dungeons.

Rainbow Dash’s world had just taken yet another blow: Twilight Sparkle had an older brother and hadn’t bothered to tell her? I’m not sure how much more my head can take! First, this old pegasus comes back from Nightmare Moon’s time, and now Twilight has a brother?! Sheesh, what’s gonna happen next?

“Propaganda, meaningless and foolhardy!” Silver Plate snarled, “Why would you even have ascribed to believe that nonsense, you fool? You had everything, and then you throw it away to follow Nightmare Moon?” What had been a gentlecolt’s conversation had now descended into little more than a yelling match between the two pegasi, each increasing the volume and ferocity of their verbal assault with each volley--and the most recent one from Silver Plate left nothing unclear.

Phoenix snarled, his mane now a flared mess as he flapped his wings again. “How would I ever expect a sun-lover like you to comprehend the power and praise that she was deserving? The ideal of perfection, the Queen of the Night! A ruler of divine justice and promise of the most glorious evening that had ever been seen, and the thought that it would never cease? All the more reason to usher it in! The only fool here is you!”

“You should be grateful that there is a gate between you and me right now, Phoenix Ember. You would not be happy with the results if I were allowed to break past those iron bars.”

“Just try it. You’ll find that I’m just as strong as I’ve ever been, and not about to be subdued by just a mere pegasus like you.” Golden fire filled his eyes, wings at their peak and ready to lash out.

“That is enough!” came a powerful, resounding voice from behind the two of them. Both Silver Plate and Phoenix Ember totally froze, watching as Princess Celestia strode forward with controlled fury. Her eyes buried into Silver Plate first, annoyed that she had walked into such a distasteful display.

Having been able to regain some measure of control over his body, Silver Plate bowed before Celestia in hopes of salvaging what little respect that the situation merited.

“I am highly disappointed with the both of you,” the Sun Alicorn intoned, a bristling anger being barely withheld in her throat, “but moreso you Silver Plate! This is not the type of behavior that I would expect from one of my guards. You are off duty until I can speak with you in private!”

The pegasus guard rose from his position, looking into stern and displeased eyes. Their message was clear: I don’t want your apology now. Just leave, please. Dealing with this is going to be hard enough. Without another word, Silver Plate stood back up on his hooves and moved past Celestia and the group.

Phoenix Ember managed to regain some level of composure after Silver Plate had left the four of them in the dungeon. Well, this is going to proceed wonderfully. I can already feel a lecture about how I can act this way and not expect some sort of consequence.

“And, to expect so much of you so quickly was also in error it seems, Phoenix. You still remain loyal to Nightmare Moon, do you not?” Celestia let the question hang there for a minute as Phoenix’s breath calmed down. “She is gone, Phoenix. Every ounce of that hateful and bitter shell which had wrapped up the care and concern that now inhabit my sister has been completely and adequately shattered. What you seek you will no longer find in her.”

“Why should I believe you? You obviously have no problems allowing your guards to act whichever way they please. To be honest, it wouldn’t surprise me if you had ordered him down here to exacerbate me.” Phoenix returned to a less threatening pose, knowing that even appearing to want to contest with the alicorn was not going to be a wise idea.

“No, Phoenix Ember, I did not order Silver Plate to come down here and attempt to make you aggravated in the way that he did to you--although his actions will only make what I am about to do far less simple. I have come to a decision on what should be done with you, last of the Shadowbolts. I am releasing you from this dungeon.”

Phoenix looked at Celestia practically dumbfounded. Were it not for his extensive training, he would have started to laugh at the Sun Alicorn in outright shock at what she had just done. “What’s the catch?”

“The ‘catch’ is that you are not going to leave Canterlot. As it is an impossibility to send you back to the days that you last knew, in this day and time you must learn to exist in this new world. I have decided that the best course of action is to rehabilitate you so that you can learn the way our Equestria works.”

She looked at the cell door, using her magic which allowed it to open up and present the Shadowbolt an opportunity to escape. Phoenix nudged his muzzle to the door, testing to see whether or not it was truly open. Where the bars had previously been he only sensed air.

“You’re going to try and rehabilitate me. This should prove to be interesting. I helped to train Shadowbolts, Princess. Going to be quite a challenge to see who you’re going to use.” Phoenix pensively made a couple of steps toward the doorway. A moment later, he felt the familiar presence of magical restraints being put on him. He glowed yellow as Celestia made sure he didn’t get very far. “Same old tricks, again. No better than a parlor magician, you know. I’m not impressed, Celestia.”

Shining Armor stood aside to let Rainbow Dash get a good look at the pegasus she was going to be in charge of reforming. Ruby Glitter also looked from the group that was standing a respectable distance away from the cell.

“Phoenix Ember, allow me to introduce you to my training team. First, the Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard, Shining Armor.” Celestia paused as the unicorn stallion studied Phoenix, already pegging him a troublemaker. “Secondly, we have the unicorn that helped to secure you and escort you down here to begin with, Ruby Glitter. I heard over breakfast that you two of you have become familiar with each other a little bit.” Ruby nodded gently, now staying just a little further back than she had the day before.

“Finally, the one that will be doing most of the work, and as a pegasus, I felt her the best representative to help acclimate you to the world, teach you some things that have been developed over the last few centuries, and shake out some of those rusty flying skills you have, Phoenix Ember. I present Rainbow Dash, bearer of the Element of Loyalty. She is one of the ponies that used the Elements of Harmony to free Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon’s evil merely four days ago, just as that same magic secured the dark mare a thousand years ago.

Phoenix didn’t seem to be particularly impressed by the lot of ponies in front of him, the grouping looking more like a mismatched set of colors for interior walls by a color-blind designer. He sneered slightly when Celestia introduced Shining Armor, and immediately knew that if he was going to be in any part a member of the training team, it wasn’t going to be fun for either of them. Thanks for the sympathy, Celestia... you managed to find me one pegasus mare that looks weak and concerned about her mane more than she will be at how dangerous I’m capable of being. Silver Plate was spouting nonsense when he said that--if this is the best that Celestia can muster, I’m concerned about how soft this Equestria has grown.

“Now that I’ve introduced you to the team that will be helping to tend to you, it’s time to set to work.” Celestia released all but the tiniest bit of her control on Phoenix, allowing him to walk under his own power rather than being dragged about.

I might as well just humor these idiots here. Nopony’s ever been able to remold a Shadowbolt. It is an impossible task. Even when asked to work for Celestia’s Wonderbolts, before the Age of Dissonance, all would stoutly refuse. You did not bend or break us, or make us anything more than we had been told that we were--guardians of the Night. Phoenix snickered gently as he looked over the group again, maintaining his slow pace. “Impressive group you have here, Princess. Do they speak, or have you silenced their mouths as well because their opinions might not line up with what you believe?”

Celestia chuckled a little bit as the five of them began to make their way toward the exit of the dungeons, leaving the Meditation Cell abandoned. “If I had to venture a guess, Phoenix, is it that they are trying to figure out what type of pony you are, and how to properly go about interacting with you. As for my subjects, they are all allowed to speak freely as they wish and I value their opinions, even if it doesn’t happen to make me terribly happy.”

“I speak with my smile, Phoenix!” Ruby Glitter beamed, showing said smile off to all who wished to look. “I still can’t believe that what Celestia told me about you is true. If anything, that Iron Hoof is somepony I don’t trust at all and wouldn’t feel comfortable being about for long periods of time. He really creeps me out, with his snarkiness and lack of care about what happened to me when I came to bring you food the other night. Just the thought of being stuck down here for more than two hours scares me an awful lot. I can imagine it gets cold at night. Oh! I just noticed you didn’t have a blanket in here last night when you were sleeping! You’re not feeling sick are you? I’d hate it if I didn’t think about whether or not you might end up getting ill.” Ruby Glitter rattled on, finally coming to a finish after she mentioned her concern over Phoenix’s health.

The pegasus had to groan slightly as the petite unicorn mare finally stopped talking, an indication that his previous attestation of Celestia putting the clamp down on their mouths was very inaccurate. One hoof in front of the other, Phoenix. This’ll be fun, actually. The only one that I’m the tiniest bit intimidated by is Shining Armor. The other three, especially this new mare? Please. And what a name, Rainbow Dash! What kind of idiot would try to scare me with that?

The previously guarded door swung open toward them, Steady Hoof keeping a close eye on Iron Hoof to make sure nothing unusual happened while the entourage made their way from the inside of the dungeon toward the more appealing surroundings of the castle grounds.

“So, Princess Celestia....” Rainbow Dash asked, “what exactly did you have in mind to start out with in helping this other pegasus here?” She wiped away a trace of waffle and cupcake from her mane near her mouth, keeping pace with the remainder of the group. She had taken a couple of good looks at Phoenix Ember, and had received little more than sheer and complete contempt from the midnight blue stallion.

Celestia pondered for a while, as the small gathering of ponies exited the causeway that led to the dungeons, heading for the outsides the fastest way that Celestia knew possible. She looked back to Rainbow Dash, and said “We’ll have to see how cooperative Phoenix is before I decide how we should begin. For now, however, I trust that you’re ready to get your hooves and wings a little dirty?”

Rainbow Dash smiled brightly after hearing that. “You better believe I am!”

Shining Armor had to chuckle as he listened to the determination and enthusiasm this friend of Twilight’s had. “I see my little sister has good choice in friends, Princess. It’s a shame her aspirations are to join the Wonderbolts--I might consider her for the Canterlot Guard.”

“You talking about me, Captain? Me, the fastest flier in Equestria, become part of the Royal Guard? Are you crazy? Not a chance! It’s the Wonderbolts or nothing!” Rainbow replied, walking out into the bright and slightly humid warmth of the mid-morning sun.

If this day was going to be a long one, it was at least starting out to be a very pleasant one. Ruby Glitter walked a bit closer to Phoenix Ember, wondering if she would be able to strike up some conversation with the delinquent pegasus. “Umm... Phoenix Ember, I was wondering--”

“Kid.” Phoenix whirled around to focus his angry golden eyes on the jabbering mare. “Let me make this clear. You annoy me. I’ve never had much of patience for those who prattle on endlessly over absolute nonsense, and that’s all you’ve done since I’ve met you. You managed to show me some minor interest in who I was, but... you just do not stop talking and it drives me *crazy***!” The vocal explosion from Phoenix Ember caused the entire group to come to a complete stop, Shining Armor being the first to look at the fire-maned pegasus.

There was a very uncomfortable pause as the Captain of the Guard walked toward Phoenix. “Rule One: Hate, as you may have come to know it, is an antiquated concept. You will find it has no place here and will not help you to get better acquainted with this time or make you many friends. I expect you to have a bit more chipper attitude when addressing one of Celestia’s subjects from here on out. Am I clear, Mister Ember?”

“Crystal, Captain. But let me tell you something--you are addressing the best of the best there has ever been among pegasi. I was revered and welcomed by all when I would help to watch the night with my fellow Shadowbolts. There has never been a problem before with my attitude, sir.”

Rainbow Dash went to the side of her new friend, pointing her hoof in disgust toward Phoenix. “Who gave you the right to talk to her that way? She’s just trying to be nice! And where do you get off saying ‘best of the best of pegasi’ there ever have been? That’s my title, bub!”

Celestia’s momentary lapse of peace found itself suffering some dents as she looked at the three ponies now pointing hooves and wings in aggravation with Phoenix Ember. “Everypony, stop. Please. We are getting distracted by things that are not as important as establishing some rules and consequences for them being broken.” She joined the group of ponies that had congregated around the Shadowbolt, and looked into his eyes as she had done previously. “And it is time for a consequence for your poor choice of behavior, Shadowbolt. Captain Shining Armor is correct; hate is a concept we have almost completely forgotten, and were only recently reminded of when Nightmare Moon returned from her imprisonment. Now, Phoenix Ember, I think I can make good use of your actions and turn them into an example and training regimen. The next time you yell or insult somepony, either myself, Shining Armor, or Rainbow Dash will make sure you pay physically for your unkind words. And today, we’re going to begin with some simple physical exercises to show what type of responses your unwise actions will curry. I want to see 500 wing push-ups. That shouldn’t be much of a challenge for the “best of the best there has ever been among pegasi”, now should it?” Celestia finished her edict with a simple smirk, reminding Phoenix gently who was in true control of this situation, as well as to provide incentive to start behaving the way that his “team” desired to see from him.

“No, Princess.” Phoenix’s quiet sneer didn’t faze Celestia, as he stepped back a little bit to make room for his large wingspan. He took a minute or two to stretch his wings out, and proceeded to put the bases of the dark blue wings down to the ground, preparing for what he was already dismissing as a far too easy discipline for his choice of words. It’s been quite some time since I had to do push-ups. If anything, this’ll get me in shape! Muscles in his wings at the ready, he let his front hooves slide against his chest, using only his wings and back hooves to support him. “One....”

Rainbow Dash stood back a little bit, leaning against a column, front hooves crossed. “This I’ve got to see.” Ruby Glitter was still in a bit of a state of shock, the words that Phoenix used on her still leaving her at a bit of a loss. Maybe it was true, that Phoenix is evil and unkind. He wasn’t very nice to me a couple of minutes ago, what will he be like after we’ve help get him back to “normal?”

“....seven, eight, nine, ten....” Phoenix continued to count, pushing up all of his body weight using just the two wings planted on the ground.

This wasn’t the best of disciplines. Five hundred wing push ups? It’ll be easy for him. No, I need to think of ways to get through to him. Sister will need to help me, because she knows him better than I do. She knows what he likes, his aspirations and dreams. That’s the key to getting him to change. Celestia admired the pegasus’ tenacity as he kept running off push-up after push-up.

Chapter 5: Reining in the Rainbow

Chapter 6: Red Flag Warning

Sunset’s Last Glow

Chapter 6: Red Flag Warning

Princess Celestia merely chuckled as Phoenix Ember showed no signs of slowing down his exercises. She was almost confident that he hadn’t even broken a sweat, given his consistent pace and lack of vocal complaints during the last five or ten minutes. The Shadowbolt kept mentioning number after number, perfectly keeping count and cadence. “492, 493, 494, 495....”

Rainbow Dash attempted to disguise a yawn, trying to disguise her disinterest in the little show by Phoenix Ember, now having completed wing push-up number 498. He completed the remaining two in the regimen that Celestia had assigned to him for his poor choice in behavior toward Ruby Glitter a few minutes earlier. It won’t really be effective, you know--that’s how we trained. Hurt-filled stretches of our limitations. If you said you couldn’t do it, we made you do it. There was never going to be anything given but your absolute best. If you disappointed me, I flunked you out and sent you back to your normal life--and didn’t even feel bad about it.

After finishing the last repetition, Phoenix exhaled sharply and sat down on the smooth stone below him. Aside from the pointed release of breath, there had been no increase in the rise and fall ratio of his chest, which normally would have been expected after such a strenuous workout. His wings drew inward as he rested, meeting the gazes of those who had accompanied him from the castle’s dungeons. The sun was slowly moving through the sky, beating down and providing a suitable amount of warmth in the hottest month of the Equestrian calendar year. Some songbirds that had taken the time to plant themselves on a nearby tree were also gazing in on the action, keeping their beautiful music to a quiet hush while the Shadowbolt finished his exercises.

“There you are, Princess. Five hundred wing push-ups,“ Phoenix said flatly. “So, what other diabolical methods of familiarizing me with this ‘new Equestria’ do you have up your hoof?” For the one that banished her own flesh and blood, you really have developed too much of a heart over the years.

“So, you think just because you can perform some push-ups will end up making me impressed, hot shot?” Rainbow Dash snapped. “You don’t yell at pretty young mares like that--it’s rude and shows that you don’t have any manners! Now you get to deal with me. You think you just got tested? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Get ready to fly.”

Phoenix yawned. “Oh, please... that’s original. Celestia, I’ll say it again--I am not impressed by this little group you have here.”

“Well, what do you have in mind then, Phoenix?” Celestia said, having reached the conclusion at the moment he started to perform the push-ups that any physical tests weren’t going to get very far with this specific pegasus. I will not give in to becoming violent with him. I am not going to descend to his level. I can’t--the second any of us do, he wins because we will have become what he feels we are.

“I have in mind that you let me go on my merry way and forget that we had the mutual displeasure of seeing each other again. That is, of course, after eternal night takes hold again; in which case there will be no qualms as you will either be stuck back in your infernal sun or dead.” Phoenix was flapping his wings just a little bit, getting ready to entertain Rainbow Dash’s pending challenge.

Celestia merely smiled. “That’s not a possibility and you know it. No, Phoenix... as much as I am indebted to help my sister re-learn the ways of the land we must co-rule, so do I owe the decency of giving you a second chance. Nopony ever said it was going to be without effort and some measure of pain. Now, Rainbow Dash, what were you going to propose?”

“A race! First pony to fly one mile around the castle and get back here wins. I’ve never been beaten, and I’m not going to lose today.” A loud snort came from Dash’s nose as she also prepared her wings for high-speed flight.

“Prepare to have your record tarnished.” Phoenix pushed down on the ground lazily, slowly coming back to his four hooves. After he righted himself, his eyes looked for an appropriate middle ground marking--some place to serve as a reference line for their little competition. “Here.” He pointed with his wings toward a location just a few feet away. “Right over there will be where we start. One mile around, you said?”

“That’s what she said, Phoenix. It’ll be just like running morning exercises with the members of the Guard. Need to keep them in shape, might just extend the running or flying length for two miles,” Shining Armor said, trotting over to the line that Phoenix had pointed out a moment earlier. Rainbow and Phoenix both proceeded to make their way to the line, each pegasus with one goal in mind: win.

“Now hang on a second. We need some rules, just to make sure nopony cheats. A fair flight--no pulling of wings, tails, hooves, anything. Stay in your own “lane”, or you’re disqualified. Does that sound fair, Princess?” Dash was trying to engage Phoenix in a staring contest, but he had his eyes forward and aimed on the course ahead of him.

“Perfectly so. Shining Armor, you may start the countdown.” Celestia stepped a few feet back, making sure that when Phoenix and Rainbow came in to land, nopony would be in the way. She motioned to Ruby Glitter, who was looking through her sketchbook that she had brought with her to breakfast.

“Take your marks, pegasi. On my signal.” Shining Armor checked both Phoenix and Dash’s hooves to make sure they were both square on the line before they started flying.

“Recruits, at the ready! Three, two, one... fly!” The best eight fliers from the remainder of the recruits that had managed to make it this far all shot from the starting cloud, this being the most challenging of disciplines that the Night Guard had put in place for acceptance into the prestigious organization. The instructors including the founding member, Flamerose, watched as the group of pegasi propelled themselves through the course.

Phoenix Ember was happy to have made it this far. He pushed with every ounce of his being, but still wasn’t quite able to clear what had become his chief rival since they had arrived for the chance to become part of the Shadowbolts--Blue Bolt. ‘Just because you’re from Cloudsdale doesn’t make you any better of a flier, lightning-flank. I’ll show you how we fly, Canterlot style.’ Thunder Twirl was also another pegasus that had been a source of major competition for him, as well as Noble Mist.

Phoenix knew this well in advance, having studied the course a few months earlier while he was considering joining the Shadowbolts. He spoke with his parents about it at length, and although they weren’t happy with his want for the Shadowbolts and not the Wonderbolts, they supported him in his choice.

‘I promise I won’t let you down, Mom and Dad. I will have the honor of defending Luna and become part of the Night Guard.’ He was having trouble keeping pace with Blue Bolt, which had jumped out to a decently sized lead.

“COME ON, YOU WEAKLINGS! IS THAT THE BEST YOU’VE GOT? YOU’RE GOING TO BE GUARDING A PRINCESS! 100% IS NOT ENOUGH!” Flamerose bellowed through the bullhorn, thoroughly unimpressed with the performance that these last of the batch were mustering up. They moved past the first set of obstacles set up on the southern side of the castle, and were going through the straightest and most direct part of the course. A four-mile long straightaway where if you started to lose any altitude, you were docked points or just pulled from the race altogether.

“Hey, Ember! Don’t flame out like you normally do! “ Blue said to him, chuckling in a snotty sort of way.

‘Very funny, Blue. Shouldn’t be wasting your energy on talking, and focus on flying.’ Phoenix let the insult slide--he would settle with Blue Bolt once they were back on the ground, and the last thing that he wanted to have happen was to make it through all of the ridiculous tests and trials that the instructor corps had put them through, only to fail at a flight exam.

The deep maroon leader was outright infuriated with the banter going on from the pegasi that were supposed to be focused on finishing this race, and Flamerose went out of his way to let them know it. “BLUE BOLT, SHUT UP AND FLY! I’ve seen SNAILS move faster than you worthless lumps are! We DON’T have to pick ANY of you idiots, you know! YOU WANT THIS? PROVE YOU WANT IT BAD ENOUGH!”

His degrading but motivating comments sank in--all of the sudden, the depth and importance of what they were all aspiring for seemed just a little bit more urgent. Blue Bolt turned his head back toward the front of the pack, two of the four miles long open air straightaway complete. Not an inch downward did any pegasi dare move, knowing that if they weren’t being observed earlier they certainly were now.

Half of the way into the race, Phoenix was already having the same struggle keeping pace with Rainbow Dash. He couldn’t seem to understand how such a small and loud-mouthed pegasus mare had such stamina, wingpower and focus. No... not again. I’m not going to be bested again in the straightaway! Phoenix dug in deep as he closed his eyes momentarily, then opened them with a flare and started to flap his wings with a sense of urgency.

Not again!

The third mile marker was crossed by the six remaining pegasi that Flamerose still allowed to compete, having decided that Thunder Shade and Diamond Trail were unworthy of even considering themselves to ever be Shadowbolts. The leader’s declaration of their disqualification was quite direct: “YOU TWO WORTHLESS LUMPS, GET OUT OF MY SKY! GO BACK HOME TO YOUR MOTHERS AND HAVE THEM TURN YOU INTO SOMETHING USEFUL IN YOUR MISERABLE LIVES!” One of the assistant instructors waved their assigned flags, indicating they had been dropped.

With their newfound sense of urgency behind the race they were flying, Blue Bolt, Phoenix Ember and Thunder Twirl were all surging for the lead, changing back and forth in a haphazard fashion. Noble Mist, Silver Strike and Regal Shroud were fading as they tried to keep pace with the pack that had broken away.

‘One mile left, and then we can adjust altitude a little bit. I’ve got this. I know I do! Just got to keep it up. From here on out, I could do this course blindfolded with one wing tied to my side.’ Phoenix’s thoughts kept him company under the exhaustive heat of the middle of the day. Flamerose made this as torturous of a test as he could, and it was proving to meet up to every last ounce of its billing.

As if to confirm the high difficulty of this final exercise, his voice boomed through the bullhorn again. “FILLIES, THIS IS MAKING ME ANGRY! YOU THREE IN THE BACK, GO HOME! AM I BEING A RUTHLESS FLANK ABOUT THIS? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT! I WANT THE BEST! ONLY THE BEST! YOU THREE IN THE FRONT MIGHT MAKE IT BACK IN TIME FOR DINNER IF YOU FLEW A LITTLE FASTER!”

With the command issued and their flags now being displayed, the three trailing pegasi dropped from the sky and returned back to the castle at a slow, defeated pace. Phoenix Ember, Blue Bolt and Thunder Twirl pushed themselves harder than they had a few moments earlier with the knowledge that one of the three of them was going to win.

‘And one will lose, ‘rewarded’ with last place. That pony will have the lowest chance of getting in. It is not going to be me.’ Phoenix was resolute, from the second he left the cloud to start, he would not be the last place finisher. ‘I will not lose.’ Digging further than he had before, Phoenix managed to eek out just a little bit more effort, and surged into the lead as they approached the four mile-mark, and the opportunity to descend a little bit from their high altitudes.

A younger colt was stationed at a cloud at the marker that noted the end of the straightaway.“Four miles crossed! You may now adjust your altitude, but do not drop below the height limit of 1,000 feet!” Phoenix breathed a quick sigh of relief, happy that the distance had been met, and that he was just a few lengths ahead of Blue Bolt.

Ruby Glitter was standing at about the same place she had been since the race had started, and she was cheering for her favorite pegasus happily. “Come on, Rainbow Dash! Don’t let him win! You’re the fastest thing with wings! Of course, all pegasi are speedy, and you need to be to make sure you don’t get struck by lightning when you’re busy making those storms. You’re the best!”

The two pegasi had finished their arcing turn, making their way back toward the location from which they started out. Phoenix Ember was keeping just slightly ahead of Rainbow Dash, almost confident that the mare behind him had no chance of catching up. Not a prayer. This was a stupid decision for her to even face me, a Shadowbolt! I just need to watch my pacing and--

A muscle in Phoenix’s right wing tensed up. He could feel the pain stab through the connecting tissues near his hips, and was doing the best he could to fight it. Doing what he was trained to do to compensate for such an instance, he stopped flapping as hard with the affected wing and switched the energy from that to the left one. Maintaining his flight path to stay stable ended up being slightly difficult; the different speed of wing flapping caused him to start turning the left, and getting dangerously close to crossing into Rainbow Dash’s lane.

The cyan pegasus was not happy with how Phoenix was flying. “Hey, Shadowbolt! Every hear of giving a mare some room to fly in? Get back in your lane!”

Even with the wide berth that he was given, the Shadowbolt’s flight started to become very tippy. The finish line was in sight, less than 100 feet away. Rainbow Dash was nipping at his back hooves, swaying to the left herself to avoid running headlong into Phoenix’s left back hoof. A sense of wicked desperation overcame the blue-coated stallion, and he shifted hard to the right in an attempt to center himself and get back on his marks.

The attempt backfired, and Phoenix veered off to the starboard, exiting his lane. Rainbow Dash sailed ahead, no longer having any competition to deal with, crossing the finish line two seconds later. His correction send him both to the right and down quickly. Doing the best he could to slow and brace for his descent, he brought all four of his hooves out, aiming for a patch of soft grass in the courtyard.

As Phoenix slowly crashed, sensations of failure and frustration started to overtake his mind. He had just gotten bested by a mare, something that he would never have allowed to happen--even in a training exercise.

“FILLIES! THIS YEAR WOULD BE NICE! FASTER!” Flamerose’s grating tones rang out through the course. Phoenix wondered how the instructor didn’t end up getting his laryngitis more often for how loud he was screaming at them. With only himself, Blue Bolt and Thunder Twirl still pushing themselves onward, every inch seemed to matter more now than ever.

The next set of twists and turns was the last obstacle the recruits had to encounter. It was a highly technical area, complete with sharp turns, steep angle drops and the most dangerous part of the corridor: a lightning storm overseen by another one of the many guards that helped to protect the Princesses.

Blue Bolt had made up his losses from the straightaway, and zipped past Phoenix Ember. “Still too slow, Ember! Just give up!” The yellow maned colt’s attitude problem and superiority complex was starting to wear thin on both Phoenix and Thunder Twirl.

“Hey, featherbrain! Shouldn’t you worry about winning the race first?” Thunder Twirl quipped, getting tired and contentedly frustrated with Blue Bolt’s wisecracking nature while in the middle of serious events such as this.

The rival’s taunt seemed to fall away, not leaving a mark on the second place flier. All three took note of the technical part of the course, and entered within seconds of each other. Phoenix put a smile on his face, quickly overtaking Blue Bolt again with little to no problems, turning into the hedging part of the race course.

From here, keeping an eye on the dark blue pegasus became problematic--he seemed to be using every inch of the course to his advantage, as if he had studied it multiple times before even having shown up to compete on it today. The deep blue pegasus existed out the other side of the hedging, barely a leaf anywhere on his coat. Blue Bolt was having a little less luck, his maneuverability far less skilled than was the leader’s, as he ran into the stiff leaves and branches which started to slow him down. Thunder Swirl followed behind Blue Bolt, trying to tend to the steering lines that he saw the other pegasus not fly into.

Ahead of them, Phoenix was just completing a series of high speed dives and jumps, shifting through series and patterns of cloud that had been cut out just to test the capacity and visual acuity of the fliers. He was almost ready to start giggling as he approached the thundercloud, which the guard pegasus watching it started stomping in it, causing lightning to shoot out.

This was the one aspect of the course that Phoenix knew he could not account for in any fashion. LIghtning by its very nature was relatively unpredictable; even from the storms generated by Cloudsdale and the other members of the Weather Squadron could never be perfectly harnessed for complete control over it. Phoenix did a quick glance to the pegasus’ pattern, and continued his breakneck approach speed. The threshold of the cloud encompassed his form in shadow as he flew through it.

A bolt struck merely a half-second behind where he would have been a second sooner, the heat from the discharge of oppositely-charged particles singing his tail slightly. He veered to the left, avoiding another jolt of electricity that popped up to his right. As he looked forward, the finish line came into sight, less than a quarter of a mile away. Neither Blue Bolt nor Thunder Swirl had even made any signs of catching up with him, Phoenix’s speed and consistent movements from studying the course during previous days of training time well-spent.

Twenty seconds later, he shot out from under the storm cloud--unopposed. The other two racers hadn’t been seen yet, and Phoenix wasn’t about to wait for them to show up. Only the span of one thousand feet stood between him and securing a position in the Shadowbolts. Covering the distance in the same manner of urgency he realized was going to likely be at the very least an utter expectation to join the ranks of stallions like Night Storm, Speed Shot and Double Pace.

The piece of vine that had been spread out for a finish line was snapped easily by his wings as he descended to the cloud that was extending from the completion of the exam course. Flamerose looked mildly amused as Phoenix took a moment to catch his breath. Then the leader of the Shadowbolts laughed.

It was a hearty, full belly laugh as he looked as Phoenix Ember, his close-cut mane bristling a little bit while chuckling. “You, young colt, are going to go places one of these days. Good effort! Head back to the stables and get yourself cleaned up. Oh, before you go...let’s remove your flag from the finishers line. Take that into the barracks and place it in your locker.” Flamerose gave Phoenix a good-natured hoof to the noggin before walking back to the line, searching for the other two pegasi that he was going to take the due time to scream at when they arrived.

As the colt trotted on the clouds towards the preparation area and to get a bath in the barrels after his flight, he carried his red flag, which flitted about in the gentle breezes. It was the token that almost assured him that he was going to enter into great things in the future.

Shining Armor had observed Phoenix Ember’s violation of the rules and subsequent crash into the grass that was part of the large courtyard. “The winner is Rainbow Dash.”

Phoenix didn’t make any sounds of complaining or pain, although his right wing was still cramping severely and affecting his capacity to fly well, if at all. He tumbled a couple of times before coming to a stop, Ruby Glitter and Princess Celestia running over to see how he was doing. Both of them judged by how he came down that what had done was definitely not something he was planning.

Princess Celestia was the first to come to Phoenix’s side. “Are you alright, Phoenix?” It was natural for the alicorn to care for all of her subjects. Over the many years of her singular rule while Nightmare Moon was imprisoned inside the Moon, many burdens landed on her withers and Celestia had learned to adapt well. Seeing Phoenix in his fallen state caused a compassionate expression to form on her face as she drew nearer to the huddled pegasus.

“Get away from me, Celestia!” He stood to his hooves, resting his strained wing against his side. “Everypony, just stay back!”

Rainbow Dash fluttered back down to the ground, hearing Phoenix’s reaction to Celestia’s attempt to help him from his unfortunate crash. What’s up with him? Sheesh, you would think he’d be grateful that Celestia of all ponies is tending to him!

Phoenix snorted a couple of times. “Let me remind you, once again, who I am. I am the last of the Shadowbolts, the lead General of them all. Your attempts to retrain me are a waste of time, as was this race meaningless.”

Shining Armor had heard quite enough. “No, Phoenix Ember, this is not a waste of our time. In fact I believe that you have shown me quite a deal about the best way to deal with getting your properly re-acquainted with this world.”

Celestia looked over at her Captain of the Guard with piqued curiosity. Whatever idea it was that he had just conjured up in the short flight was going to be worth hearing out. The trust level between the two had reached a point where most anything logically sounding that came from him got her approval and was put into immediate practice. “What would that idea be, Shining Armor?”

“Clearly Phoenix Ember will not respect your rules, Princess. He needs somepony a little less... flexible, and I believe that making him part of the Royal Guard will be just the wake-up call he needs to snap him back into shape. It does seem a little unorthodox and I am almost confident many of my troops will not care for his attitude, or for that manner be terribly happy with me for making the decision.” After finishing his speech, Shining Armor looked over Phoenix Ember for a couple of minutes.

Phoenix finished digging his hooves into the ground, ready to pounce out in a strike toward anypony who decided to act funny. He heard most of what the Captain had said and was now fixing his gaze right toward the cream-colored stallion. His wing started to ache again, the signs of inconsistent use making themselves more and more apparent. A couple of snorts came from his nostrils as he sized up the situation.

“Recruits, mount up!” The three remaining pegasi stood in the barracks, two of them looking considerably more exhausted when compared to Phoenix Ember. Three flags were placed in a wood and iron stand just a few feet in front of the gathered group, all of them regarding Flamerose, a firm scowl still placed on his face.

“I never thought I would get a class that has disgusted me more than you idiots have. I’m still shocked any of you managed to finish. However, you did. And by some miracle, your pathetic flanks and wings managed to prove up to the task. It is time...for the final test,” Flamerose spoke. “All of you, step forward, please--right in front of your flags.”

Phoenix’s rested state allowed him to cross the small gap with relative ease, trotting as if he were merely taking an afternoon stroll. Blue Bolt’s approach was more times, balanced--and also indicative of the exhaustion that he was going through. Thunder Swirl’s walk wasn’t the most elegant as he stumbled, sweat still coursing off of his brow.

“This flag, this emblem--you have carried it with you at every trial, test and examination we have thrown at you. It has represented you as much as your very commitment to putting up with the rigors of becoming the most elite of the elite has done. Now, here at the last...I will find who is the worthiest of you lot to become a Shadowbolt. Each of you will have one chance to speak to me of your loyalty to Princess Luna. Thunder Swirl, as you were the last to finish, you will be the first to speak.”

Phoenix froze for a moment. All in the methods of the competitions, he had forgotten what he had really been striving after this for. Was it just for the sake of making a name for himself, so that once he had reached the pinnacle of the dreams that spurred him this far--or had it become something more genuine, a pulling drive that was eluding his grasp to put into words at a time where it was the most crucial that he do?

Flamerose finished hearing Thunder’s attestation of his loyalty for Luna and the Shadowbolts. “Next, the most aggressive of this lot, Blue Bolt. I hope that your tongue is as sharp as your skills have shown themselves to be.”

Blue Bolt chuckled as he stepped to the flag and began to speak, quite fluently, of who he had been born to become. The dreams that were spoken over him since his first flight as a young colt, and how he was going to be something special--unlike anything else this world had ever seen before. Phoenix became more and more mesmerized as he spoke to Flamerose; the light yellow with cerulean tips kept his attention focused on both the words and how perfect he looked for the job.

‘Dear Luna... he keeps speaking like that? What chance will I have to impress the leader? He’s been planning for this his whole life it would seem. No, Phoenix. Now is not the time to doubt. Keep your wings on your sides and speak what you feel.’

“Quite convincing, Blue Bolt. Well, the fastest of them all. Phoenix Ember. Speak of your loyalty.”

Phoenix gulped as silence began to hang in the air. “My loyalty has the spark of the fire in my heart. It blossoms with a light that is greater than Celestia’s sun and only bested by the glow of Luna’s moon. I have placed all of my trust and confidence in the guardian of the Moon and Queen of the Blessed Night. If one is to ask to which extent I would reach to define how far I will go to prove that I am the best choice, consider where I came from: I am the son of two of the most reputable ponies in Canterlot. I have worked my flank off to reach the position I have today. The level of dedication and practice I have engaged in should surely give Princess Luna a moment of pause as she will not likely encounter it again in a millenia’s time. Many will try to surpass the marks that I will set--records that will be the golden standard for the next generation of Shadowbolts.”

“A very interesting response, Phoenix Ember. Very well. I have decided who will become the next one to join the ranks of the Shadowbolts.” Flamerose walked around to place himself in a position where he would be able to knock down any flag he wished. Thunder Swirl’s yellow flag dropped from the place where it had been holstered, a hollow thump of an old tree hitting a tabletop made of rock. “Thunder Swirl, you are dismissed to your previous position.”

The quiet sound of hooves walking away only amplified the depth of the situation that the remaining two pegasi were in. Flamerose looked between the two, taking his time before he placed his hoof to eliminate either Phoenix Ember or Blue Bolt.

Celestia’s smile widened “What a unique idea, Captain. So be it. Phoenix Ember, as of this moment you are a Shadowbolt no more--I am commuting your sentence to be supervised by Captain Shining Armor as part of the Royal Guard. You will follow his orders as well as report to him.” Not waiting for any sort of reaction from the Shadowbolt, she shifted her head to look over toward Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow Dash, I know that the circumstances of your arrival here were at the very best unexpected. I’m about to do something that will probably continue that trend. As you were able to best Phoenix Ember in the race he requested, I feel that you have the best chance of providing the necessary leverage required to aid in his recuperation.”

Rainbow Dash blinked a couple of time as Celestia finished her sentence. “What do you mean by that, Princess?”

“You will be joining him in the ranks of the Royal Guard as well, at least for the duration of his rehabilitation. I will send notification to Ponyville and your friends that you will be our guest here for just awhile longer.”

There was a stillness that hung in the air for a moment. Everypony’s eyes shifted about, each asking if they had just witnessed the same events transpire. Phoenix Ember was the first to break the silence.

“You know, Celestia... a thousand years ago we would never have had such a conversation. We may not have liked each other, but I would never have thought you would strip me down to the levels of a lowly recruit in the order of your guards. I do not understand why you are--”

Before the Shadowbolt could finish his sentence, he found his viewpoint of Princess Celestia interrupted by a mildly un-amused looking unicorn. Shining Armor cleared his throat gently before speaking anew.

“Mister Ember, I would ask that you refrain from speaking further to the Princess unless she grants you permission. Your previous titles and privileges are revoked until I decide you are worthy of them again. Now, you and Miss Dash will both report to the Barracks immediately and wait for my arrival. Understood, Private?”

Phoenix could barely believe his ears. Every neuron in his brain was struggling to accept the new information that he had been given to process. There was a fire that had been burning inside of him that was reaching a boiling point and simply needed a catalyst to help set it off.

Flamerose’s hoof was poised in the air, taking deliberate time as it waved between the red and blue flags that were left to look at. Neither Phoenix nor Blue Bolt averted their eyes from the Shadowbolts’ leader that was about to decide their immediate destiny, and precisely how it would play out. The thought of a normal life compared to that of service and recognition, providing to the needs and concerns of Princess Luna and her glorious night was hanging in the balance, and the motion of only one hoof was going to make all the difference.

Ten seconds later, the maroon hoof finally moved and the decision was made.

The last color left standing of the flags was a bright red that represented Phoenix Ember. Blue Bolt started at the piece of fabric in a certain level of disbelief. His wings fell slack at his side as the news began to settle in. The room became very quiet, as Blue Bolt began to chuckle softly.

Flamerose nodded to Phoenix as he removed his flag from its holster and set it back down on the table in front of the victorious flyer. “Phoenix Ember, congratulations. You have passed the tests--and are now officially the newest Shadowbolt. Now, as your first official duty, please report to the Throne Room to be introduced to your new brethren. Now, as for you--”

His comment was cut short by a stamp of a hoof on the straw that laid on the floor. Blue Bolt stared into Flamerose’s eyes, and began his angry statement. “No. I have done all you asked of me, Flamerose, and I deserve a second chance. I have been bred for this, spent my entire life preparing myself for this moment, sir, and you are not going to steal it from me. I demand you include me with Phoenix Ember.”

Phoenix took a look over at the other pegasus, shocked that he was making such a bold declaration. “Sir, request permission to deal with Blue Bolt?”

Flamerose paused for the briefest of moments before saying “Request denied, Phoenix Ember." As he turned to face Blue Bolt, his face became one that was practically emotionless. “Blue Bolt. You have been dismissed. If you do not comply, I will see to it that you are purposely and forcibly ejected from Canterlot. One more pegasus that falls to the wayside doesn’t make a big difference to me. You’ve got ten seconds to turn tail and get out of here, or I will help you with your exit.”

“I will do no such thing. Who do you think that you are, to dismiss a pony of my calibur?” Blue Bolt’s taunting reply finished with a snarl, incensed that this smaller and non-threatening looking stallion would have the audacity to tell him that he had no standing in the Shadowbolts, an organization that he had spent his entire life getting ready for.

Blue Bolt didn’t need to wait long for his answer. Flamerose’s movement was so rapid that it didn’t even seem to leave a blur, as all of the sudden he was standing behind the arrogant colt with the flagstem pressed against his throat. The icy whisper that proceeded in the subtleness of the yellow-coated stallion’s ear only served to reinforce the disgust that the Commander felt.

“I said you were dismissed, Blue Bolt. I would rather not need to send somepony to the infirmary today--but don’t think that I won’t. Now get out of here before somepony needs to drag you out by your hooves.”

Blue Bolt didn’t need to be told a third time. With a haughty snort, he turned on his back hooves, kicking at the stone floor, kicking up dust and pieces of straw as he headed out with a sense of dread about what his parents were going to do when he returned home.

Flamerose only nickered a little bit as he saw Blue Bolt tromp away. “If it hadn’t been for his negative attitude, I would have passed him. He didn’t seem to like you much, Phoenix. As for you, Shadowbolt, you’re dismissed. Report to the Throne Room immediately, and get to know the rest of the fliers that you’ll be with when you conduct one of the greatest tasks in Equestria--guarding the Princess of the Night.”

Phoenix nodded politely. “Yes, sir.” He smiled gently and turned toward the corridor that Blue Bolt had just exited from a few moments earlier.

“Understood, Captain.” The response still revealed a deep indignation and lack of respect to the Captain of the Royal Guard. He turned to look back at Canterlot Castle, wishing that he had never set hoof back here at all.

Ruby Glitter was unsure how precisely this would affect her service now that Rainbow Dash was going to be training with the Royal Guard. She looked to Celestia with a confused look in her eyes. “Umm, Your Highness, what do you wish for me to do now that you’ve assigned Rainbow Dash to train with the Guard? I’m not a pegasus, so I won’t be of much help in her flying routines, much less to help keep an eye on Phoenix Ember, who looks like he’s going to be a hoof-full to wrangle and keep in line.”

“Oh, Ruby Glitter, don’t worry. This transfer of place and position for either one of them is not going to affect your assignment in any detail. I still feel that you’re capable of attending to Rainbow Dash as she trains with Shining Armor and the rest of the Royal Guard.” Celestia beamed gently, no longer letting the unkind emotions from Phoenix Ember causing her any trouble.

The two pegasi headed back to the Castle, ready to begin a life that was going to challenge any preconceived notions they may have had about the difficulty of being a member of the guard. These ponies were also hoof picked and pushed to the edges of their limitations. There was no slackers in this group as Phoenix Ember and Rainbow Dash would soon discover.

Chapter 6: Red Flag Warning

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.