The training that began many years ago was not an easy one. Devil had to put a lot of time and energy to ensure that his mind, body and spirit stayed on a strong path. He performed many obstacle courses, dueled with Blue and Shining repeatedly, meditated in order to control his magic, and finally, to compensate for his lack of flying, he learned to do the next best thing: Jumping good. By the end of it, he was able to jump over the walls of the castle with no effort. Everypony was astounded, and with the skills that he acquired and the education he received, all he could do was help his mother around the house and wait to be called. And then, it happened.

One day, as he helped his mother with the garden, Shining Armor approached the home, still in uniform. Devil slowly stood up and looked at him. “Is it time…?” He asked, rubbing his gray and red mane. Shining nodded and smiled. “Just about.”

Star looked at his son sadly as he approached her and hugged her close. “I’m sorry I have to go, mom… But, I promise I’ll do what I have to do.”

Nodding, she held her son close. “I know… It’s going to be so lonely without you here… Promise me you’ll be safe.”

“Always mom.” With that, he slowly let go, grabbing the bag with his stuff that was tied to the end of his staff. With a final hug for her mother, he followed Shining to the castle. Many ponies watched them pass by, muttering whispers. He could tell that they thought of him as a criminal, a vagrant, or in some kind of relationship with the guardpony. He did his best not to hit them over the head, taking breaths as he focused as Blue taught him. As they arrived at the castle’s throne room, both bowed before the Princess, with the other guards leaving and sealing off the room. Celestia approached Devil, admiring the colt who was now a stallion before motioning them to rise. She acquired the chest so long ago, opening it to reveal the jade emblem. “Devil Dust. You have completed the training here in Canterlot, and with it, you are ready to begin your journey. As such, I present you with the emblem and hereby grant you the title of Avatar of the Twin Rats of Flame.”

The emblem slowly rose up, spinning around over and over before attaching itself to the neck of the stallion, creating a choker with it. As he tapped it out of curiosity, Celestia then took Devil’s staff. “And as a gift from me…” She placed her horn on the staff, causing it to be enveloped in the aura of the princess for a moment before it faded. “There. This should be a good aid.”

Nodding, he took back the staff and bowed. As he did, however, a puff of green smoke flew in before forming into a letter. As Celestia took it and read it, she nodded with a smile. “Well, it appears that Twilight finally figured out the events that will be proceeding us.”

“Twilight? Shining’s sister, Twilight?” Devil spoke up. He remembered spending time with her, but she was always buried in her books. He didn’t hate her, but he knew when he wasn’t wanted. Celestia nodded, writing down a response. “Indeed, and to start your journey to finding the other Star Ponies, I will be having you deliver this to her. From this point forward, I would like you to protect her.”

Taking the letter, Devil bowed his head slowly. “Yes, Princess. I will do as you ask.”

Celestia smiled softly, bowing back to him. Devil didn’t know how to respond to this, so he simply stood back up and walked out. Finding Twilight’s current place was a bit of a hassle. Canterlot was so big, and she could be anywhere. That was when he spotted three familiar mares, quickly approaching them. “Minuette, Lemon Heart, Twinkle Shine!” He called out with a smile, getting a smile right back along with a hug.

Minuette spoke first, clearly excited. “Oh wow, Devil! You look so good now! We haven’t seen you in a couple of years!”

“Haha, yeah. Sorry, my training took me pretty far from here.” He rubbed the back of his head, hoping that none of them asked what that training was. The snow was now his greatest enemy.

“Oh really, well we’re glad you’re back! Are you able to come to Moondancer’s party?” Lemon Heart continued with a smile.

“Oh shoot, Moondancer…” He rubbed the back of his head, trying to figure out what to do. He wanted to go and see an old friend, but he needed to quickly get to Twilight. “I want to, but I actually have to start working with Celestia on a secret project… But hang on…” He turned and reached into his bag, pulling out some scrap metal. Arranging it around, he quickly and carefully (not to mention secretly) used his fire magic to fuse the pieces into a locket on a chain. “Here. If you can, can you give this to her from me? Tell her that next time, we can do whatever she wants! Oh, before I go…” He turned around mid-packing. “Do you know where Twilight is right now?”

Giggling, Minuette nodded. “Yeah. She’s in her home right now.” She pointed down the street, to which Devil smiled and hugged them all before running off. Twinkly Shine finally spoke up, shrugging. “He’s weird but never boring.”

As Devil reached the house, he took a moment to admire it before he knocked on the door. It slowly opened, revealing a small purple dragon. “Oh hey. What are you doing back, Dust?”

“Hey, Spike. I’m here to drop off a letter that Celestia wanted me to give Twilight-”

Before he could even finish, Twilight appeared in a cloud of sparkles, snatching the letter from him before pushing him out and closing the door. “Jeez… You’re welcome…” But, rather than leaving, he waited outside for the inevitable bombshell.

“WHAT?!?”

~~~

Twilight grumbled, leaning against the edge of the chariot as they flew off to the village of Ponyville. Spike was rereading the letter to them about checking the preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration, and how she needed to make friends. Meanwhile, Devil was listening intently, making sure his stuff was secured. The last thing he wanted to do was have it fall out.

“Spike, I am her loyal student, but the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends,” Twilight said as they landed. Devil rolled his eyes as he hopped off with them, biting his lip in thought. This would be the beginning of his journey, but where exactly would the other ones be. Equestria was huge, and he didn’t have the luxury of flying. Whatever the case, he had his own job: To protect Twilight for the Summer Sun Celebration. Thinking about it, DD came to the conclusion that Celestia did know something was going to happen, but whether it was a Star Pony or Twilight’s Nightmare Moon, he couldn’t be sure. However, as he spotted a pink mare approaching, he slowly got into a defensive stance. Spike, meanwhile, looked at him and motioned him to move it down. After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded and did so.

“Come on, Twilight, just give it a chance.”

Twilight looked at the mare and awkwardly smiled. “Uhhh… Hello.”

What happened next, none of them could have predicted. With a long gasp and a leap in the air, the mare zipped off at high speeds in the opposite direction. All three stared in confusion before Twilight rolled her eyes and turned around. “Well that was interesting…”

“Yeah… Weird…” Devil said, walking with her through the town. “Do you think that she might know something?”

“I doubt it. She really didn’t seem like the scholarly type.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t know things. There’s a lot of folk wisdom and rumors around.”

“Hmmm…” She was skeptical, but she wasn’t going to get into a debate with Devil. The two didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of stuff. He was creative, free-spirited, and emotional, while she was calculating, logical, and focused on the intelligent thing to do.

Their first task was to check on the food situation for the celebration. This would lead them to a farm that seemed to focus heavily on apples. Just the sight and smell of the place were enough to make Devil’s stomach growl. “Twilight, if they have spare food, we’re staying.”

“Devil, we don’t have time to-”

“Twilight, if I don’t get a meal in, I’m going to eat an actual pony instead.”

Twilight groaned before they heard an enthusiastic “YEEEHAAAW!” Out of nowhere, an orange and blonde-maned mare in a Stetson ran to a nearby tree before turning and bucking it hard, causing apples to fall from it and land in buckets below. Devil whistled and made the first move.

“Well, I gotta say. That’s a good set of hind hooves you got to kick apples out of a tree that good.” The mare turned, surprised to see a unicorn and pegasus approaching. Smiling, she went over and took the pegasus’s hoof to give it a good proper shake, and that’s when she found he was actually quite strong himself. “Howdy you two! Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! The name’s Applejack!”

“Hello, Applejack,” Twilight said, nudging Devil to the side. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m here to inquire about the food for the Summer Sun Celebration-”

“Well, shoot! Of course!” Before Twilight could say anything, she was dragged over to a table, where Devil watched as the mare listed off what he assumed was either her family or the foods. Smirking, he approached them just as Applejack finished up listing her family.

Twilight spat out an apple that had been shoved into her mouth and quickly gave a strained smile. “Well, I see you have the food situation taken care of, so I’ll just be going-!”

She was stopped by Apple Bloom, the youngest of them all, who gave her the big puppy dog eyes as she asked, “Aren’t ya gonna stay for brunch…?”

Devil intervened, wrapping a hoof around his protectorate with a grin. “Yeah, Twi! It’s been… A time since I’ve eaten, and I’m starving!”

She gave him a glare to melt steel before she groaned and hung her head low. “Fine…”

As they cheered and prepared a feast, Applejack approached the staff-wielding stallion. “It was mighty kind of ya tah convince her to stay. I didn’t quite get yer name.”

“Ah, my bad,” Devil said as he stacked his plate. “The name’s Devil Dust, I’m Twilight’s guardian for the time being. I won’t be staying in Ponyville much after this, I have a mission from the Princess.”

“Ah, shoot. That’s a shame. But, if the Princess says ya gotta, ah suppose ya got no choice.”

“Yeah…” He sighed and looked at his plate, stacked high with food. With a crack of his neck, he dug in with the speed and vigor of a starving pony at sea who just found land with food. Applejack and the members of her family watch as he tore through the treats like a mad stallion. Even Twilight saw his consumption and didn’t realize how hungry he was before he cleaned his plate. Standing up, he bowed before the family. “Thank you for the meal!” He shouted, before looking at Twilight. “Hey, finish up. We’ve got work to do.”

Twilight’s eye twitched as he said this, stuffing her face herself. I can’t believe he had the gall to tell ME to hurry! He wanted to stay and eat, and then he scarfed it down like that?!? Ugh!!

~~~

Needless to say, her frustrations led to Twilight eating more than her fair share of the food, as she was struggling with a full gut while walking. Devil smirked and walked ahead, looking at the list. “Alright, Spike. Next thing.”

“Hmmm… We have to check the weather. Somepony named Rainbow Dash is supposed to take care of it.”

Twilight looked up and around. “Well, she’s not doing a very good-”

“TWILIGHT LOOK OUT!!”

Devil shoved the unicorn away before a loud crash was heard. Groaning, Twilight looked up to find a blue mare with a rainbow mane had crashed into the poor stallion and landed the two in a mud puddle. Gasping as a feeling of worry spread over her, Twilight ran over. “Devil, are you okay??”

“Nnngh…” The groaning stallion mumbled. “I landed on my staff…”

Spike couldn’t help but snicker along with the blue mare, who quickly flew up. “Heh, excuse me. Let me help you out there.” She quickly flew off, returning clean and carrying a rain cloud, which she bounced on to dump rain all over Devil. Sighing, Devil took deep breaths as steam slowly came off of him and his mane became frizzy and unkempt. This earned plenty of laughs out of Rainbow and even some from Spike.

Seeing nothing but nonsense get done, Twilight approached. “Let me guess. You’re Rainbow Dash.”

“Heh, the one and only!” Rainbow flew up, moving towards Twilight. “Why, ya heard of me?”

“We heard you were supposed to be keeping the sky clear!” She sighed and ran her hair through her dusty mane. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, I’m here to check on the weather for the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“Yeah yeah. It’ll be done in a jiffy,” Rainbow said as she relaxed on a cloud. “Just as soon as I finish practicing.”

“Practicing? For what?”

“The Wonderbolts! They’re gonna be performing at the Celebration tomorrow, and I’m gonna show them my stuff!”

“Ha! You??” Devil shouted. “You couldn’t even be a janitor with your lack of discipline! I mean, not able to take out some clouds??”

Rainbow immediately snapped up and looked down at the pegasus taunting her. “Oh yeah?? Why don’t you come up here and do it??”

“One, it’s not my job, two, I can't fly. Need a third?” He gripped his staff, but Rainbow was too busy laughing at him.

“What kind of fully grown pegasus can’t fly?? Ahaha-”

That was when she saw a shadow rush up high in the air, well above her cloud, and land right onto her, Devil looking her in the eyes. “I can’t fly. That doesn’t mean I can’t jump good.” He turned around. “Besides, I know what it takes to be a Wonderbolt. You familiar with Commander Blue Thunder?”

Rainbow’s eyes lit up. “Are you serious?? Of course, I know him!! He was one of the best Wonderbolts there was! He was so good, when he retired, he still trained pegasi!”

“Yeah. Like me.”

Rainbow went quiet, her eyes shrinking a bit. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope.” With a flick of the wrist, he handed Rainbow a photo of him with the commander in question. “That one’s got his signature. If you can clear the skyline before I hit the ground, it’s yours.”

“Ha! Easy!” Rainbow smirked before Devil casually threw himself off, and soon the race began. Devil waiting for the landing while Dash smashed cloud after cloud. Just as he hit the ground, Rainbow finished up. “See? Easy!”

“Hmmm… I’ll allow it.” He shrugged, getting up and stretching. “Enjoy the piece of paper with a name on it.”

As the trio left, Twilight smirked. “That was quite the use of reverse psychology there, DD.”

“Eh, what can I say? Fangirls are easy to manipulate. And she did a good job.” He smiled, looking at his frizz and her unkemptness. “Looks like we both made a mess though.”

“Yeah… I’m looking forward to getting home and resting with a bath.”

“I hear that.” The two bumped hooves as they walked onto the main building where the ceremony was going to be taking place. When they arrived, they found the place completely decorated, elegant and sophisticated. “Beautiful…” Spike muttered, but Devil’s gaze could tell he was not focusing on the decorations, but rather on the mare looking through various colored ribbons.

“Excuse me,” Twilight said, but the mare simply tilted her head.

“Just a moment, please. I’m in the zone.” The marshmallow mare picked out a sparkling ribbon and tied it to a pole with a satisfied smile. “Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Now, what can I help you-Whahahat?!?” She looked between the two ponies before her, eyes wide. “Whatever happened to your coiffures??”

“Uhhhh…” Devil looked over at Twilight. “Yo, Brains! Translate!”

“I… Think she means our manes? Wait, Brains?” She gave Devil a look before shaking her head and looking at the mare. “S-Sorry, we’re just here to check on the decorations, then we’ll be out of your hair.”

“MY hair?!? What about both of your hairs?!?”

“Honestly, frizzy hair is common with me. I have thick hair for some reason.” Devil shrugged, but was cut off when the two of them were pushed away, and Spike simply floated along.

~~~

They would arrive at a place that Dust would charitably call “beyond femininity”, and in a flash, his hair was done. Looking at his new mane that was shorter, but still had the swoop he liked, he nodded to her. “Actually, this was nice. Thank you.”

“Not a problem. However, have you ever thought of a new accessory? Jade isn’t the best look for you.”

“Uhhh, this isn’t an accessory, it’s for work.” He slowly got up and followed this mare (whose name he discovered was Rarity), over to Twilight, who was getting fitted into a new saddle.

“What kind of ghastly career requires such a look for you??” She quickly began going through various dresses and saddles.

“From Celestia. I gotta find the other ones and the ponies they’re attached to. Speaking of, I totally forgot to ask everyone else. Have you seen anyone with one of these?”

“I can’t say that I have, but if I do, I’ll let you know!” She picked out a dress and walked over to Twilight. “And I must say, a job from the Princess herself. That is quite the luxurious position! Tell me, are you both from Canterlot~?”

“Y-Yes…!” Twilight said as she struggled from the dress tightening.

Rarity quickly released her and smiled wide. “Oh, I’ve always wanted to live there! The style, the sophistication, oh to walk among the greats there… Oh my! Emeralds?? Let me get you some rubies!”

As soon as she ran off, Twilight immediately got out of the dress. “Let’s go before she tries to dye my coat a different color!!” Grabbing Spike, she ran off, Devil following close behind.

When they left, Spike was still daydreaming about Rarity while Twilight groaned and rubbed her face. “Last one… Devil, do you have the list?”

“Right here.” He held it up and looked through it. “Says that we need to check on the music. After that, you can do your research and I can get a good bath.”

Nodding, the three of them heard a beautiful song sung by birds coming from a ways away, beautiful enough to even snap Spike out of it. As soon as they heard, they snuck into the bushes and peeked, seeing a yellow mare with a pink mane conducting a chorus of birds. Devil Dust’s eyes focused on the mare in question and how she handled the birds. It was a clear sign that this mare was an introvert who struggled with ponies but was most comfortable around animals. It made sense. He muttered in a low tone. “Alright, Twilight, what we’re going to do is be very quiet and gentle when-”

“Hello!”

Devil realized that she was already out of the bush and trying to go about it like everyone else. Facehoofing in frustration, he slowly got out while leaving his staff and approached as Twilight tried to get a name out of the mumbling mare. “Twilight, just… Go help Spike. He’s stuck.”

“What-? Again??” Groaning, she walked off, leaving just the two of them. The mare looked shakily at this stallion. She didn’t know who he was or why he sat beside her or why he pulled out a small stick. However, then he began to draw in the dirt with it.

Hello. My name is Devil Dust. How are you?

He slowly looked up and handed her the stick. Nervously, she took it, sitting next to him and writing in small letters.

I’m Fluttershy.

She handed the stick back to him, and he smiled. Nice to meet you. That was a beautiful song you composed.

Thank you.

We won’t be any trouble, we just wanted to see if it’s going well.

I think so. I’m nervous, but I think it works.

I’m glad. You like animals?

I love animals! They’re so amazing, every one of them!

We have a baby dragon with us. Would you like to meet him?

Fluttershy immediately jumped up in excitement. “Really?? A real baby dragon?? Oh, I would love to meet him!”

Heheh, he thought. Cake. He motioned her over to the bush they hid in, where Spike happened to be in. What followed was Fluttershy bombarding him with question after question as Twilight and Devil walked to the library.

“Ugh, I can’t wait to rest…”

“I feel you, but honestly, I think I need to train. If what you said is right, then I do need to be in fighting shape.”

“Oh please, you’re a capable fighter. I just don’t know if it’s going to be enough to have a Celestial. That’s why I need to look for these Elements of Harmony.”

By the time they reached the treehouse, the sunset was already upon them. Twilight was using Spike like a diversion dummy once more, while Devil smiled and waved goodbye. Fluttershy blushed and waved back, but the three were quickly inside thanks to Twilight.

“Huh. Rude much?” Spike said with his hands on his hips.

“I’m with the dragon on this one. Dick move.”

“I’m sorry, you two, but you know I have to convince the Princess that Nightmare Moon is coming, and we’re running out of time! I just need some time alone to study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time!”

“You mean like the ones in our house?”

“... What?”

The lights flickered on, and suddenly, they found themselves surrounded by ponies from the town who greeted them with a big “Surprise!”, and while the other two were surprised, Devil was not.

The pink mare from their first meeting giggled as she approached them. “Hi there, I’m Pinkie Pie and I threw this party just for you two! Were you surprised? Huh? Were ya? Were ya?”

“Very!”

“Eh. Half and half.”

“Well, Devil. Last I checked, libraries were supposed to be quiet.”

“Oh, like you were with Fluttershy?” He smirked and rolled his eyes before walking opposite Twilight, Pinkie following Twilight while he looked around for his stuff. He found the bag stuffed in a corner and quickly took it to a small alcove he spotted, hanging it there. However, it wasn’t until he spotted Twilight running upstairs that he ran over to see what had happened. “Spike, is she okay? Did she get hurt?”

Spike shook his head, showing him a hot sauce bottle. “No, she just made a little mistake.”

Sighing in relief, Devil felt a tap on his shoulder as he saw the mares from before and smiled. Applejack spoke up. “Wow, yer mighty protective of her.”

Devil nodded with a sigh. “Yeah. Celestia told me to keep an eye on her and keep her safe through the Summer Sun Celebration, but so far, nothing has happened.”

“Heh, yeah. Not a lot happens around here.” Rainbow shrugged, relaxing in the air.

“Although, I must say, I wish I had a strapping stallion like yourself protecting me.”

Devil chuckled, bowing his head. “If ever the time comes, I promise to try and protect everypony.”

The mares smiled at him, Fluttershy and Rarity blushing while Applejack spoke up. “That there is a kind offer. We’ll do the same. That said, what’s the deal with that there thing on yer neck? I meant tah ask ya.”

“Oh, this? It’s my Celestial Emblem. I’m not sure what it does, but Princess Celestia said that every cycle, these are given to the Celestial Avatars, or Star Ponies if you don't want to say all of that.”

They all looked at him in confusion, making him sigh. “Okay, so you know those horoscope things that tell your future?”

“Oh, yes!” Rarity chimed in. “I simply adore them!”

“Yeah, we actually work for those forces.”

“What??” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “No way. Those aren’t real!”

“Eh, believe what you want to believe.” Devil said, shrugging. He knew his fate, and he wasn’t going to start another situation with Dash at their party. “That being said, I had to do a lot of training for it, so… Hopefully that doesn’t go belly up.”

The night was long and full of conversation. Devil got to learn a lot about each pony and just what made them tick. While as a colt he struggled socially, the events that led here helped strengthen him. However, soon enough, the time for the Summer Sun Celebration was upon them, and while the others rushed ahead, Devil waited for Twilight. She looked nervous, anxious, just overall like something was about to happen. Devil hesitated to do anything but eventually gave her a light hug to the side.

“Uhhh, what are you doing?”

“Just…” He sighed. “I believe you. I believe that it might happen, or at least something. I don’t know what, but I trust you. I’ll be on my guard and make sure you’re safe.”

Twilight looked at this pony she always called a mere acquaintance. He was such good friends with her brother that he saw him as an older brother in a sense. In a way, they were kin. She smiled lightly and hugged back. “Thank you, Devil. I believe in you.”

As they arrived, Twilight found herself next to Pinkie once more while Devil stayed close by. With the Mayor announcing the Summer Sun Celebration, he listened intently for any screams. And then, his emblem began to glow. It was dim, but it was slowly getting stronger. Quickly, he covered it up, knowing something was wrong.

“And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria… Princess Celestia!”

As the curtains opened, what they found was not the princess, but a beast, unlike anything they’d ever seen. The shape of an ox whose top had been covered in a hard shell and whose horns were replaced with crab pincers. His body was adorned with stars and at its head was an emblem, just like Devil’s. And not only this, soon a new figure appeared. A jet-black alicorn with night regalia. The rumors were true. Nightmare Moon was back.

Author's Note

Why did you all not only manage to break even but actually jump ahead and give me a positive L:D ratio? Now the joke is ruined! Fuuuuck, I might actually have to try here!

Screw you guys!