Angel of Justice: Blood Moon

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Equestria,

The usually sleepy town of Unicorn Ridge was just beginning to stir. After the unnaturally long night yesterday, the increased guard presence, and the curfew, the ponies of the town were starting to get a little nervous, as many Equestrians were.

After doing their morning chores, Pint Sized and his sister Marigold scampered out their front door eagerly.

"Yay! It's daylight again!" Pint Sized, a beige and brown unicorn colt, exclaimed cheerfully.

"It's not exactly news, Pint. The sun is always up at this time." His slightly older sister Marigold stated, her straight and silky yellow hair flowing as she shifted her head. Judging from her articulate speech and cleaner-looking gray fur coat compared to her sibling, she was understandably the more mature between them.

"Nuh-uh!" Pint retorted. "It was still dark way longer than this yesterday."

"Well… it wasn't supposed to be!"

A smooth, feminine voice from the house behind them made the pair pause and listen. They turned to see an older mare with a similar beige coat to the young colt walking out toward them.

"Settle down, you two." Tender Tulip said, brushing her own lengthy violet mane out of her eyes. "You know you need to finish your chores before you can play."

"But Mo-o-o-m!" Pint Sized whined.

Marigold managed to keep her cool as she looked to her elder. "We already finished our chores, though." She stated.

Tulip merely gave the pair a motherly look. "You and I both know you need to finish tidying up the cellar after you knocked over that shelf last night."

"Aww, but Mom! That will take forever!" Marigold protested. "And besides, we're too small to move everything down there."

Pint Sized sat near his sister and joined her in putting on a pout befitting a puppy dog. He was always glad that she could convince their mother of anything with her smarts and charm.

Tulip remained steadfast for a moment before relenting and forming a smile. "Alright… you can go play for a little bit while I take care of the heavy lifting." She said, causing the pair to perk up immediately. "But, you better be down there in a little bit. We need to get this done before your father gets home."

"Yes, Mom," Marigold said sincerely before turning to her brother. "Come on, Pint! Let's go!"

With an excited giggle, the two scurried off to go play. The older mare watched with a warm smile before sighing and turning.

She walked around her home to the back, where she knew an earthen cellar was waiting for her, along with a terrible mess.

However, as she neared the cellar doors, she paused as she noticed that they were slightly ajar.

"Hmm…?" She tilted her head curiously. Perhaps a stray cat had snuck down there in the night seeking shelter from the cold? Either way, she was going to have to investigate.
.
..
…
Time slipped away faster than Marigold and her brother were expecting. After several minutes had gone by, the filly looked up and toward her house.

"We should really go help Mom now." She said flatly.

Pint Sized sighed and lowered his head in disappointment. "Ok…"

Just then, the pair looked up to spot a stallion clad in royal guard armor walking along the main path heading toward them. Immediately, their expressions brightened.

"Daddy!" They both exclaimed as they darted off toward the brown stallion.

As the two kids came running up to him, the guardsman smiled and knelt down, ignoring the fatigue he felt from a long night at work so he could catch both of them into his forelegs.

"Hey…" He chuckled warmly, boosting his son up on his shoulders and picking up his daughter into a hug. "I thought you guys would be at school by now?"

"Mommy says we didn't have to go today." Pint explained as he rested on the stallion’s back, examining himself in the reflection of the shiny helmet.

The stallion lowered his expression at that. "Oh… I see. I guess they wouldn’t want you to go right now." He muttered to himself before putting on a more lighthearted smile. "Where’s your mother?"

"She’s in the cellar cleaning up the mess from earlier," Marigold explained sheepishly, already expecting what her father was going to say.

The stallion formed a lopsided smirk. "Aren't you supposed to be helping her?"

"Yes…" They both droned.

Marigold looked up as a slight chuckle came from her father, only to see him taking off his helmet and sticking it on her comically undersized head.

"Well, let’s get going, then." He said, grunting slightly as he placed the colt back on the ground before walking toward the house.

The trio made their way around to the back of their home and up to the cellar doors, which were now open.

The brown pony walked up to the mouth of the cellar and prepared to call out to his wife before a slight noise made his ears prick.

It sounded like a distressed yelp, and it sounded familiar.

With expression falling into alarm and disciplined caution, he turned to his children and forced a calmer expression to his face. "Stay here."

"Huh?" Pint Sized tilted his head curiously.

"But… why?" Marigold asked, only to pause as she saw a hint of stern worry in her father's eyes.

"Just do as I say." The stallion said before turning to the mouth of the cellar and walking in slowly.

As he descended further into darkness, refusing to light his horn, the unicorn started to hear voices up ahead, which immediately set him on edge.

"Please, just don't hurt us." A feminine voice whimpered, which he immediately recognized as his wife. And as another, more masculine voice responded, the stallion quietly hurried up and pressed his back to the corner leading to the main room.

He subtly peered out into the lamp-lit space, only to freeze at what he saw.

Tulip was being held up against a shelf by her throat, a crimson lash of what looked to be blood wrapped loosely around her.

A brown-furred stallion with silver hair was staring at her intensely with red eyes. An alicorn. An alicorn that matched a very unsettling description that the guard had heard from higher up the chain of command.

"Worry not… this will only hurt for a moment." The alicorn said. He seemed to be out of breath, but even through the fatigue, he managed a slight smile.

Before the unicorn watching could even think to spring forward and rescue his wife, the crimson band around her neck receded into a single tendril, before suddenly striking forward and slicing her neck from side to side.

A strangled cry of pain came from the mare as a torrent of red sprayed out, staining the earthen floor.

The unicorn guard stared ahead in stunned shock. His legs threatened to give out from underneath him, and his heart was suddenly jackhammering in his chest.

"NO!" He yelled, drawing his sword and leaping out into the room.

While Tulip could only take a blurry look ahead as her life faded from her, the alicorn turned his head to the side and eyed at the brazen unicorn.

"Excellent… I was rather hoping that she didn't live alone." He smirked, revealing a set of fangs as he lifted a hoof and pointed it toward the stallion.

All at once, a bloody tendril snaked out of a wound on the alicorn’s wrist, shooting out and wrapping around the unicorn’s neck before pulling him to the wall.

"Gah!" The guard yelped and clutched at his neck as his sword clattered to the ground. He looked up, only to pale as he watched another grim display.

All of the blood that was pouring out of Tulip's neck suddenly started floating through the air, being pulled along with the blood on the floor toward the alicorn and into a slash on his neck.

While the guard watched with tears streaming down his face as the mare’s lifeless body slumped to the floor, Dusk produced a relaxed groan.

"Ahh… that is better." He said, turning to the pinned guard and smirking. "Although, there is always room for seconds."

"Damn you! The princesses are going to make you pay for this, you monster!" The unicorn barked as he struggled in the air to no avail.

Hearing this seemed to amuse the alicorn more than anything. He casually walked up to the guard, staring right into him with eyes aglow an ominous crimson. "I'll have you know… your princesses are not as dependable as you think." He chuckled before flattening his expression. "Lucky for you… I'm in a bit of a bind here, what with the sun being up. So, you're going to help me gather some things."

The guard grit his teeth against the alicorn’s icy stare. "You'll have to kill me if you want anything useful out of me, freak. I hope you choke on my blood." He spat at Dusk’s hooves.

Then, there was a slight scuffle behind the wall leading to the entrance that caused both of them to pause.

Dusk eyed to the opening beside him warily and sniffed the air for a moment. And as a smile slowly split his features, the unicorn stallion’s pupils shrank.

“Oh, I think you’ll help me,” Dusk said, shifting his gaze to the side and letting two tendrils of blood creep out of his neck. The twin streams snaked along the ground, around the corner, and out of sight.

Soon after, a pair of tiny shrieks emanated from the entryway.

“No!” The guard pleaded. “No, no, no! Please, leave them alone!”

Despite his cries, he watched as the alicorn pulled two small shapes around the corner. Marigold and Pint Sized wriggled against their crimson bonds, but they were helpless as they floated in the air against their will.

“M… M-Mommy…?” Marigold’s voice wavered as she stared ahead at the motionless form of her mother.

“Let us go!” Pint cried, grunting as he tried to push himself out of the alicorn’s bloody grip. “Daddy, help!”

Dusk brought the two foals up to his face and examined them with a toothy grin, relishing the fear in their eyes as he produced a slight feral snarl. “My, aren’t we a brave little pair. As to be expected from a guard’s children, I suppose.” He shifted his cold gaze back to the stallion. “Such a shame that they won’t get a chance to follow in your hoofsteps.”

Without even moving, Dusk let another pair of tendrils snake up out of his free wrist. These streams solidified their tips into spear-like points and hovered just in front of the two kids.

“No… please.” The guard sobbed, utterly defeated, and shook his head. “I’ll do whatever you want… just please don’t hurt them.” He begged, watching stiffly as the alicorn stared at his children for a moment.

Then, the tendrils fell away from them a short ways as Dusk produced a pleased hum.

“There we are. I knew we’d get there eventually.” He smirked as he walked over and tapped the front of the guard’s chestplate. “Listen closely, my little pony… You’re going to go out and get me some things, exactly as I instruct.” The alicorn said, his voice deceptively calm and soft. “You’re going to bring them back here, and you’re going to be perfectly pleased with doing so, because I’m going to be here, foalsitting the little tikes while you’re gone.”

The guard felt his skin crawl as the alicorn brought Marigold over and lowered her so he could pat her mane, letting his hoof lazily rest on her stiff and petrified form.

“Ok… o-ok.” The unicorn nodded. He grunted as the tendril around his neck released suddenly, allowing him to fall to the floor. Before he could even look up, he flinched as he found the alicorn’s face mere inches away from his own, glowing eyes and pointy teeth boring into his soul.

“And if you breathe a word of any of this to anyone else…” Dusk smirked, producing a slight hearty laugh before shifting his expression to an icy glare in an instant as he casually leaned in to whisper in the guard’s ear. “I will personally ensure that these two are flayed alive before anyone can reach them.”

Dusk leaned back, only to see the unicorn staring blankly ahead like he had seen a ghost. The only signs of movement on him were the beads of sweat rolling down his face and the slight tremble of his jaw.

“Now then… listen closely. I require very specific ingredients… and I have much to get done before the day is through, so do be quick about it.”

Back in Canterlot,

With uncertain expectations and a willingness to do whatever he could to help, Blue Bolt followed behind Twilight and Glitterball on their way to the training area.

After a few twists and turns through some barracks and equipment rooms, the trio found themselves stepping outside into the freshly risen sunlight. It felt good to bathe in the warmth of the golden orb once again, but there was too much at hand for them to be able to enjoy it for long.

Glitterball looked out at the flat space ringed by hedges from the nearby gardens, absentmindedly watching as her three teammates finished setting up some training dummies and practice targets for their friend while some guards sparred with wooden swords in the far distance. She then turned to see Twilight standing at the ready, clipboard and notes in hoof with an eager sense of determination in her eyes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to get some rest, Twilight? I’m sure we can take it from here.” Glitter said, offering a brief wave to Sparkplug and Sunspot as they noticed the new arrivals.

Twilight fought off a yawn and let her shoulders sink. Sleep sounded like the best thing ever after all of the stress she just went through, but as she looked back to the blue stallion, she couldn’t help but think about her human friend and how she failed to help him. “It’s fine, Glitter. This will go a lot faster with someone at least a little familiar with how slayers work. Besides… the Princess wants him ready to fight whenever Dusk makes his next move.”

“I didn’t have much trouble with that Dusk guy before,” Blue noted, perhaps wearing a bit of a proud smirk.

“Well, just think of this as a formality then,” Glitterball said. She and her fellow unicorn led their slayer-in-training over to the center of the field where Glimmer Shine and the others were finishing up.

After a quick greeting, attention quickly shifted to Blue Bolt. Everyone looked to him expectantly, and Twilight kept her quill at the ready to make observations on whatever display of power was about to happen.

“Uh…” Blue rubbed a foreleg uncomfortably as he stared at the grouping of training dummies the group left out for him. “Where do I start?”

“Just do what comes naturally.” Sunspot suggested.

Blue Bolt wrinkled his expression at the nonchalant pegasus. “I was dead yesterday, and I just beat up a vampire. Do you really think any of this is natural?”

“Sorry. Just trying to help.” Sunspot shrugged.

Seeing the understandable confusion in the stallion’s face, Twilight decided to step in. “Well… you’ve already gotten familiar with your healing light.” She nodded toward Sparkplug and Glitterball, who were now free of any lingering injuries.

“Thanks again, by the way.” Sparkplug smiled as she rubbed her previously bandaged foreleg.

“Don’t mention it.” Blue returned the gray mare’s smile.

After a moment of thought, Twilight had a look of revelation come over her. “Why don’t you start with your spirit weapons?” She ventured.

“Spirit what now?”

“Spirit weapons. You know, your…” Twilight trailed off as she noticed the stallion’s blank stare. “Right… I guess you don’t know.” She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly before clearing the air once more. “They’re a weapon that’s bound to a slayer. For Tom, it was his claws, and for you… I suppose it’s those blade things you used on Dusk.”

Blue Bolt lifted a hoof and stared at it for a moment before shifting that confused gaze back up to the others. “Uh… ok. And how do I go about using t-” He paused abruptly as a flash of fire enveloped his wrist, leaving behind the aforementioned bladed circlet. “Woah… that is seriously not ok how sudden that is!”

Twilight examined the blade, or at least did her best to examine it while Blue waggled his hoof to test how attached it was. The result seemed to be very. She scribbled down a quick note before shifting her attention back to the stallion. “According to Tom, you should already know how to use your spirit weapons. Why don’t you take a few swings at those dummies and test it out?”

“Go on, you won’t hurt it. These dummies are enchanted to take a beating.” Glimmer Shine said as he noted how hesitant the stallion seemed.

With all eyes on him, Blue Bolt chuckled nervously before nodding. He slowly made his way up to the clusters of wood and hay, looking down to his fancy new blade and then back to the others before forcing a smile to his face. “Ok, here goes… something.” He exhaled tensely before reeling his foreleg back.

A sharp wooden thunk sounded out as Blue struck the middle dummy with the edge of his blade. It barely left a scratch, but he couldn’t be sure if that was because of his strike or the apparent durability of the dummy.

“Ok.” Twilight nodded. “That’s a start.”

Not wanting to be shown up by a hunk of wood, Blue Bolt glanced down to his free hoof and concentrated briefly. In another flash of fire, a second bladed circlet appeared. He flicked his wrist, spinning the blade before clicking it into place and smirking as he turned back to the dummy.

The others watched as the stallion displayed a decently elegant flurry of strikes with his newfound weapons. He even used his wings to hover and rotate his body to put himself in a better position for certain strikes.

“There you go, Blue!” Sparkplug cheered.

Just then, as Blue Bolt was spinning around for a final blow, the blade around his left hoof started to glow intensely as his eyes flared orange.

Without even fully intending to, Blue managed to cut the head off of all three dummies as a burst of orange energy shot from his blade. The crescent-shaped shockwave created a pulse of light and noise as it surged forward, past the dummies, across the training area, and narrowly missed the two sparring guards, who ducked to the floor as the hedge behind them had a large slash opened up into it.

Blue Bolt darted his eyes between his still faintly glowing blade and the line of chaos ahead of him, his features reddening and an awkward cringe forming. “Sorry! My bad!” He waved apologetically to the guards, who were shooting him thoroughly unimpressed looks from a distance.

Meanwhile, Twilight and the others blinked and stared ahead in stunned silence at what they just witnessed. The wooden edges of the three headless dummies were smoldering slightly with a puff of steam lightly trailing off.

“That’s new…” Glimmer Shine muttered, still a bit shocked from watching the three dummies getting cut down with ease.

“That’s… one way to describe it,” Glitterball added, equally at a loss for words.

“I don’t think Tom could do that, could he?” Sunspot asked.

Twilight was still left staring at the far hedge with jaw agape. She took a moment to gather her senses again before looking down and scribbling many notes into her booklet. “No… I don’t think he could.”

Inside of the castle, Rarity and Applejack were walking toward their rooms.

It had been a long night, and to say that the two mares were tired was an understatement to end all understatements. Most of their friends had already retired for a well-earned nap, so why shouldn’t they?

“Ngh…” Applejack winced slightly as a pain in her side made itself known.

Rarity looked over, a corner of her mouth drooping as she saw her friend in discomfort. “Are you alright, darling?”

“Yeah, yeah…” Applejack sighed dismissively. “Just a little sore is all.”

“I know what you mean.” Rarity said, her own aching body making her longing for a nice comfy bed to plop into stronger. “We all took our fair share of punishment back there… Some of us even more so.”

The orange mare was surprised to look over and see her companion wearing a gloomy expression. The unicorn was staring ahead, her eyes trailed down in thought and a forlorn look about her.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Applejack asked.

Rarity looked up and forced a more casual expression to her face as she realized how abruptly quiet she had gotten. “Oh, it’s nothing… I just still can’t believe that Rainbow Dash sacrificed herself to push me out of the way like she did.” She said, a twinge of sadness in her eyes. “She almost died…”

“We all almost died.” Applejack replied.

“I know… but Rainbow got the closest of any of us.” Rarity fretted. “That ghastly blood… tentacle, was aimed for me, but she just… pushed me away without a second thought. She was even smiling… Can you believe that?” She wrinkled her mouth as tears threatened to well up. “Rainbow has always been… shall we say, sparing with her displays of affection for others. Stuff like that is so uncool, I’m sure she’d say. I know she loves us in her own way, but… I never expected her to lay her life down so suddenly for me.”

Applejack rested a hoof on the unicorn’s back as she sniffed and wiped her eyes. “If it makes ya feel any better, I’d do the same thing.”

“Really…?” Rarity looked up, a bit surprised and more than a little flattered.

“Yup. Only reason I didn’t was ‘cuz it happened so fast. I know Blue Bolt saved us by sendin’ that Dusk guy runnin’ scared, but Rainbow is the real hero. After all… if you were the one that got hit with that, it might’a killed you instantly.” Applejack suppressed an uneasy shudder at the thought.

“You’re certainly right about her being a hero… She’s my hero, at the very least.” Rarity smiled warmly. “I simply must make it up to her somehow… after we get some rest.”

A drawn-out yawn came from the orange mare, and her eyelids seemed like they grew heavier. “I hear ya there.”

Without further delay, the pair made it back to their room and quietly opened the door. As expected, they found a trio of fillies fast asleep in their shared bed.

Rarity couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the Crusaders sleeping so peacefully. Sweetie Belle in particular seemed like she needed the rest.

However, as the two mares crept over to their respective beds, the young unicorn creaked open her eyes and lifted her head up.

“Rarity…?” She spoke softly, either out of consideration for her friends or from her drowsy haze.

“Good morning, Sweetie.” Rarity whispered. She set the corner of her sheets down and quietly made her way over to her sister’s bedside.

“You’re ok.” Sweetie smiled eagerly and carefully sat up. She flinched her eyes shut as the older mare ruffled her hair with a magical aura.

“I told you I would be, now didn’t I?” Rarity lifted the corners of her mouth into a warm smile.

“Did… did anything happen?” The filly asked, a hint of unease working its way over her.

Rarity sighed a bit and nodded. “Quite a bit, actually. We fought with that ruffian that foalnapped you and the others.”

“You won, though… right?” Sweetie inferred. After all, the older mare probably wouldn’t be here right now if they lost.

“It’s a long story.” Rarity explained hesitantly, not wanting to go into the wild details just yet. “Just know that everyone is ok, and we’re safe again while the sun is up.”

Sweetie’s expression relaxed as a load of stress vanished. “That’s good.” She trailed her eyes off in thought briefly before a smile crossed her features again. “Does this mean we get to go out for ice cream?”

“Oh… darling, can it wait until later?” Rarity frowned hesitantly. “We’re all very tired, and I would wager that you could use more sleep as well.” She reached over the sleeping form of Apple Bloom to wrap a foreleg around her sibling’s back in a pseudo hug.

“Alright… I’m just glad you’re ok.” The filly said, creating a warm feeling in Rarity’s heart.

“Me too, darling… me too.” Rarity said before turning and shuffling her way back over to her bed.

Sweetie Belle watched the unicorn settling in briefly before lying back down and closing her eyes. Over to the side of the room, Applejack smirked at the heartwarming exchange from the two siblings before pulling her blanket closer and turning over to get some much-needed sleep.

-Later-

As the sun started the second half of its journey through the sky, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stepped outside of the castle walls with their newly resurrected friend in tow.

“Phew… it feels good to get out and relax after all that training.” Blue Bolt deflated a bit. He had a contented smile on his face as he looked at his two best friends.

Rainbow Dash chuckled and punched the stallion’s shoulder lightly. “Glimmer and the others must have worked you hard, huh?”

“Not so much… It was mostly Twilight.” Blue admitted.

“Really?” Fluttershy blinked with surprise.

Blue Bolt smirked tensely and rubbed his neck. With his new powers, his body seemed to restore itself to peak form rather quickly, but even now he could feel a bit of stiffness. “Yeah. She really put me through the paces to find out what I could do.”

“Just be sure to run if you ever see her come up to you wearing safety goggles.” Rainbow Dash said. “I heard that Tom had to beat her off with a stick to stop her from ‘volunteering’ him for some ‘scientific’ research.”

“Uh… noted.” Blue swallowed uneasily.

As they paused before the edge of the castle grounds, Fluttershy turned to the stallion with a bit more curiosity in her eyes. “So, did you learn anything new about your powers?”

“Well… pretty much all of this is new for me. I didn’t really learn anything other than how to use some of this stuff.” Blue explained. “Apparently I’m faster and stronger than I used to be, so there is that.”

“Is that right?” Rainbow Dash lifted a sly brow. She looked skyward, noting the fair weather and open-air around the castle, and grinned. “Why don’t we have a little race? Y’know… for old times’ sake.” She suggested eagerly.

“Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy frowned disapprovingly. “We should let him rest. He’s had a long day.”

Blue Bolt let a smirk slowly build on his face as he looked at the cyan mare. “Actually… I think that’s not a bad idea. I’m a little curious myself if I can finally beat you.” He twitched his wings in anticipation.

“Ohoho… you are so on.” Rainbow lowered her brows into a determined stare.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy watched the pair staring each other down with a bit of hesitance. “Oh dear… I hope the Princess has good insurance.”

A few minutes of formulating a race track later, and the trio were off to the skies.

Blue Bolt and Rainbow Dash stood side by side on a cloud floating near the tallest spires of the castle. Fluttershy was hovering nearby, a crudely fashioned flag in her mouth and more than a bit of anxious anticipation in her eyes, for better or worse.

Rainbow turned to look at her friend and rival with her usual amount of smug confidence. “Remember, first to three laps wins.”

“Heh… try not to go easy on me this time. I want to see who’s faster, fair and square.” Blue replied.

With her job as semi-official officiator, Fluttershy hovered closer to the small row of clouds they had amassed as a starting line and gripped her flag tightly in her mouth. “Ready?”

The pair both nodded, setting their eyes forward and unfurling their wings as they lowered their stances.

“Three…” Fluttershy counted down.

“Two…”

Rainbow Dash popped her neck and adjusted her footing as she tensed her muscles in anticipation.

“One…”

Blue Bolt fluttered his wings and shook any lingering unease from being so high up from his head. Right now, all he was focused on was the race, and nothing could distract him from that.

“Hey…” Rainbow said, turning to him at the last second with an impish smirk. “Loser takes the winner out for dinner.”

“Wait wha-”

“GO!” Fluttershy announced with a wave of her flag.

With little warning, the yellow mare and blue stallion were blown off balance by a rush of air as Rainbow Dash took off. Blue Bolt watched her for a moment before shaking his head in a flustered manner.

“Hey, wait up!” He called after her as he took off as well.

Fluttershy watched the pair as they flew off along the unmarked track around the castle. She was at least glad that they were having fun, and she couldn’t deny that she was eager to see who would win.

As the wind rushed past, blowing back her mane and whipping her fur, Rainbow Dash felt a familiar sense of adrenaline-fueled excitement building inside of her. She hadn’t raced the stallion since they first met, and they had never raced officially before. Not only that, but she was racing a slayer! She was probably the first pony in all of Equestria to do that.

Now, the thought of being the first pony in Equestria to outfly a slayer bubbled up, causing a giddy smile to form. She could do a sonic rainboom in no time and leave him in her dust.

Then again, she did kind of get an unfair start, so maybe she would hold off on going top speed for a while.

As she looked behind her, she saw the stallion slowly catching up. She smirked. After all, they weren’t totally out of each others’ class before, but he did indeed seem to have gotten faster.

Blue Bolt followed Rainbow as she whipped around a spire of the castle and under an archway. He did a corkscrew and leaned into a turn, hoping to gain the slightest edge over her. Eventually, as they looped around and completed the first lap, he was even with her at last.

“You really want to go out for dinner?” He raised his voice so she could hear him amid the rushing wind.

Rainbow trailed her eyes to the side a bit, her face a few shades redder than it normally was, though this could have been from exertion. “Yeah… I mean, why not? It’ll give us an excuse to spend some time together.”

The stallion paused and scrambled to keep his form as he nearly missed a turn. It was easy enough to coast back up to her with a few hard flaps. “You know, my wallet is a little light to be dining out here in Canterlot.”

“Well, then I guess you better win, huh?” Rainbow smirked before pulling away as they entered a dive toward the ground.

Blue Bolt steeled his expression and glanced to his once lame wing. “Come on… let’s see what these babies can do.” He muttered before pushing himself to fly faster.

It was bizarre. Normally by now, he would have been way past out of breath. He could feel his lungs burning, but he wasn't slowing down like he normally would when exhausted. It was like his body was getting energy from somewhere other than the oxygen he was sucking in.

Still, as they finished the second lap, it was clear that the cyan mare was going to give him a run for his money. Literally.

Rainbow Dash was zipping through turns, loops, and twists like a bat out of Tartarus. It wasn't often that she truly got to push herself to her limits. A few times on straightaways, she could feel a cone of air building around her that threatened to break the sound barrier, but she kept herself from fully crossing that threshold. In a way, it made her go faster through turns and curves to not spiral into an out-of-control rainboom.

Then, the final straight away came into view. It was across the length of the entire castle, but it would be over in a few seconds for them.

Blue Bolt tried his best to surpass his friend, but it was clear he reached his limit. He wasn't sure if he should be flattered and proud that Rainbow was as fast as a slayer, or embarrassed that he was this slow after his power boost.

Rainbow looked over her shoulder and smirked. “Sorry, Blue. Better luck next time.”

“Oh no you don’t.” Blue Bolt narrowed his eyes intensely. He dug deep within himself, concentrating on his newfound lifeforce and hoping to use it to push himself over the breaking point. He could recover later. Right now, all that mattered was winning.

Up ahead, Fluttershy could see two colorful blurs fast approaching. However, as she noticed a slight orange glow, she squinted and focused her eyes. “What the…?”

Blue Bolt clenched his eyes as he flapped his wings harder than he ever had in his life. Unbeknownst to him, a cascading flame-like light was washing over his wings, covering them in humming energy. And as he opened his flaring orange eyes and looked ahead, he suddenly found himself going faster.

Much faster.

Rainbow Dash looked to the side to check on her friend, only to watch as a blur of orange and blue careened by in a flash. The shockwave of air knocked her off balance, forcing her to slow herself down to prevent her from knocking into a tower.

Fluttershy squeaked in surprise as the blur of orange light zipped past her, only to reveal the form of Blue Bolt as it abruptly slowed down. She darted her eyes between the stallion and her flag before giving it a wave to bring the race to a close.

Meanwhile, Blue Bolt looked around, finding himself much further ahead than he anticipated. He looked forward, only to widen his eyes as an archway came alarmingly close.

“Woah, woah, WOAH!”

*CRASH*

Rainbow Dash stood hovering in place as she stared at the stallion further ahead, who was now draped over a stone arch. She blinked in stunned silence for a moment before shaking the blur from her head and flying over.

“Ooof…” Blue Bolt groaned as he got an excellent view of the ground below, a few guards casually looking up at him like he was an interesting break in the monotony of their day. “It hurts to be fast.”

“That… was… AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed wildly as she and Fluttershy flew up to the stallion.

“Hwha…?” Blue Bolt muttered, a bit stunned as the pair each took one of his forelegs and lifted him back into the air.

“Blue, you were so cool! I didn’t know you could do that!” Rainbow gushed, a giddy smile on her face.

“Do what?” Blue blinked before skewing a brow. “Did I miss something?”

As if in response to his confusion, Fluttershy pointed forward at him. “Look.”

Blue Bolt complied and turned his head, only to reel back in shock. His wings were glowing orange. The feathery appendages had a fiery shine that was seemingly coming from within, similar to the radiant glow he witnessed inside his hoof after using his healing light. Soon, however, the glow receded away from the tip of his wings back to the base until only his deep blue feathers remained.

“Woah…”

“Something like this happened before when you were fighting Dusk,” Fluttershy commented curiously.

“It did?” Rainbow blinked.

“Yeah. He got really mad after Dusk insulted you, and then all of a sudden he was across the garden in Dusk’s face.” Fluttershy explained.

Rainbow Dash still seemed confused, before a look of revelation and slight embarrassment came over her. “Oh yeah… I was kind of dying then, wasn't I?”

“I guess that explains why I moved so fast back then,” Blue said. “I was too ticked off at that pointy-toothed jerk to notice at first… but I didn’t think my wings were glowing.”

“Your eyes were glowing too.” Rainbow Dash said, still not quite through getting her excitement out as she looked to the stallion with a glint of wonder in her sparkling orbs. “What else can you do?”

“Uh…” Blue rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and chuckled. “I’m not sure.” He said before looking past the two mares to the scattered remains of the finish line, blown to the four winds by his brief burst of speed. “Aren’t you upset that I kind of cheated?”

Rainbow Dash thought the matter over for a moment before shrugging. “Nah… I got what I wanted. Besides, I kind of did you dirty in our first race by holding back.”

“I guess that means you win, Blue.” Fluttershy smiled.

“I guess it does.” Blue smiled as well. Then, as his thoughts drifted, he looked up at the cyan mare with a more impish look to him. “And I guess that means that you owe me dinner.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Rainbow huffed. “I’m a mare of my word. What did you have in mind?”

“Well… I guess I’m in the mood for-”

Suddenly, Blue Bolt paused as a familiar sensation flooded his mind. He clenched his eyes shut and rested a hoof to his head, a cacophony of whispers and flashing images and sensations washing over him.

“Blue?” Rainbow Dash’s expression dropped as she saw the stallion’s distress.

“Are you ok?” Fluttershy hovered close and rested a concerned hoof on his shoulder.

Blue Bolt squinted an eye open, which was glowing orange similar to before. Then, as he focused for a moment, his eyes faded back to blue and the throbbing pain ceased along with the whispers. “Y-yeah… I’m good… I’m good.” He panted briefly before regaining his composure.

Rainbow Dash didn’t seem convinced. “I hope your body gets adjusted to this soon.” She frowned.

“You and me both,” Blue stated. Then, he looked down as he noticed somepony else flying up to them. It was Sunspot, and judging from the uneasy look on her face, she was not here to congratulate him on his victory.

“What’s wrong, Sunspot?” Fluttershy asked as the orange pegasus hovered up to join them.

Sunspot glanced at the two mares briefly before turning to Blue Bolt with a serious air to her eyes. “The princesses want to see you, right now.”

“Who, me?” Blue Bolt asked, a bit surprised, before remembering how important he seemingly was now and what the threat hanging over them was. “What do they want?”

Sunspot took a moment to answer as she reflected on her thoughts silently, a pale expression on her face. “It’s Dusk… He’s been spotted.” She reported.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash’s faces immediately paled and their jaws fell open. They were dreading what the alicorn was going to do next, and actually getting himself noticed couldn’t have been a good sign.

Meanwhile, Blue Bolt adopted a serious expression as he set his mouth into a sober line. “Lead the way.” He said.

Sunspot nodded and took off toward the ground, toward the entrance to the castle.

“Blue-” Rainbow started, a hint of concern in her eyes, before the stallion flashed her a confident look. Before she could even try to stop him, he was off. Fluttershy held a hoof to hers, either for comfort or assurance.

The two mares watched their friend leaving with nervous pits in their guts. They could only imagine what was about to happen and hope that he and everyone else involved would be alright.