Ashen struggled to keep his wings open. For what seemed like hours, he had been enduring one gust of wind after another, and with each one he managed to recover from, he felt a little more strength leave his body. He wished he had done what his father suggested now and taken more breaks, but until he got caught up in this blasted storm, everything was going without a hitch.

This far from everything though, close to the very edge of Equestria and without the influence of pegasi weather factories, the weather was completely unpredictable. What had been a calm sky a few moments ago quickly turned into a furious storm which now threatened to turn into a full-fledged hurricane. With Ashen right in the middle of it... Far worse was that the wind had pushed far below the clouds.

He tried once more, as he had been taught to climb to higher altitudes, towards the thinner air, and out of the rain, but the wind was too strong, and all he managed to do was exhaust himself further. Ashen Wing knew he had to do something, though. He was tired and soaked from the tips of his ears down to his hooves in ice-cold water. In this shape, he wouldn't last much longer.

'Can't go up, can't stay here… the only way to go is down!' Ashen thought to himself and gradually allowed himself to lose some altitude. The problem was that it was a one-way trip. If he couldn't find a place to land, he knew he would not be able to gather enough strength to climb back up. For a tired pegasus, low altitude, unpredictable winds, and sharp rocks everyone he looked - a recipe for disaster. As if to remind him of this, a particularly strong gust of wind blew him off course, jerking him headfirst down and then right back up again. It took all of his remaining strength to steady himself and regain control over his flight path.

He was lower now than he had been before. Dangerously low in fact, but there was not much he could do about it now. He squinted his eyes hard against the heavy raindrops and tried to find a slab of land large and flat enough that he could land on it safely. Just as he was about to take his chances with a small patch of uneven rocks, all hell broke loose.

To him, it felt like an insect hitting a brick wall made of pure wind. In an instant, he was tumbling through the air, not knowing which way was up or down. He tried to curl into a ball to soften the inevitable fall, but when that wasn't coming, he tried instead to keep his wings spread to at least stop the spinning. Then, as quickly as it all came, it stopped, and to his great surprise, he was once again smoothly sailing through the air.

Ashen looked down just in time to see the hole his flying body made in the gray clouds below, sealing itself up. He let out a tired laugh.

"Thermal," he mumbled under his breath, completely exhausted. It seemed he stumbled straight in the middle of a hot rising stream of air that was just strong enough to practically catapult him above the storm. His wings were still screaming with pain from all the abuse he'd put them through, but above the storm in the mostly calm air, he could at least keep them still enough to sail.

Then he saw it. Far in the distance, like a black upside-down ice cream cone, and towering above the continuous gray mass of the storm clouds was a mountain. And it was not just any mountain; one look was enough for him to recognize it as his journey's end. Mount Krakatoa, and somewhere at the foot of it, if he could get there, was an entrance to his new home, the Tartarus Prison.

Now, above the clouds, he could finally allow himself some rest. Carefully but without much grace, he got just above a nice-sized cloud and collapsed onto it. The moment he felt the moist cloud mass hug his body, he let his wings go limp, and he just… lay there. After a long while, when his heart was not pounding like mad anymore, he turned around on the cloud and stood up. A quick search through his soaked saddlebags procured a pear and a few small apples that he gulped down with the speed of a high-powered vacuum cleaner.

Ashen Wing could feel every single muscle in his wings, but after a few more minutes of rest and a couple of test flaps, he concluded he was fit to fly again.

"You calling me a chicken, Aurora?"

"No, not at all… All I am saying is that I know how much they pay you. So five bits is probably too much."

The earth pony snickered and playfully nudged his unicorn companion. "Five bits it is. But only if he shows up before sundown."

The two ponies were standing guard together at the main gate of Tartarus. Together, they stood guard if any unexpected (or in today's case) expected visitors decided to show up. The job itself was simple, so it wasn't often that the commander ordered two guards there, but today seemed to be an exception. Neither of them complained though; the company was always welcome in a dreadful place like this, and chatting made the time spent standing here pass faster.

"How do you know it is him, Oakstride? She could be a guardmare, you know…"

The earth pony snickered again. "Could be her, could be him… But I am not betting on that; that's too random."

"Too random?"

"Yeah, too random. It's like fifty, fifty chance. Whereas this," he gestured in the general direction of the raging storm. "Nopony would be coo-coo enough to go through that. Earth pony or unicorn wouldn't trudge through the rain, and a pegasus wouldn't get through the wind even if they wanted. No chance!"

"No chance?" Aurora teased, already smiling ear to ear.

"No. Chance." Oakstride said, but very quickly noticed the cocky smile. "By Celestia, don't tell me that…"

Oakstride followed Aurora's gaze and stopped mid-sentence. In the air right in front of them, framed by the raging storm, was a gray pegasus rapidly descending from the clouds straight towards them.

"That'd be five bits."

"We didn't shake on it," Oakstride muttered grumpily. "Plus, he still has to land."

That much was true. The duo watched with increasing worry as the approaching pegasus was violently blown off course time and time again by the raging storm. To his credit, he managed to maintain his approach for the most part and was still heading at them.

"He's going too fast," Oakstride noted dryly, his eyes glued on the approaching pegasus.

"Yeah…"

The pegasus was almost on top of them but still descending at a mad speed. At the last second, his wings shot open, and the pegasus began to slow down his fall.

"Still too fast, won't make it," Oakstride shouted, the worry now evident in his tone.

It was obvious to both of them the pony was using up the last of his strength fighting the wind, but it was just as clear that he was now losing the battle. Then, just as it looked the pegasus' crash was inevitable Aurora's horn lit up. In an instant, the pegasus was enveloped by an orange haze, and all his struggles stopped.

"Show off…"

"Shush it, I need to focus!" Aurora snapped at him as she strained to keep up the spell.

Slowly, Aurora levitated the pegasus below the rocky roof. When he was mere hooves away from her, she just held him there. Then, with a teasing smile, she gently nudged him with the tip of her hoof, making the poor, air-suspended pony slowly spin around in circles.

"Well, as far as flying goes, that is easy ten out of ten, but you still need to work on those landings buddy."

"Duly noted. Can you please set me down now?" Ashen pleaded, exhaustion obvious in his voice.

The pony guard let him float toward the floor and then canceled the spell. It took Ashen a few seconds to recover and shakily get back on his hooves. Without a warning, he shook himself off like a dog, sending water droplets flying in every direction. When he was done, in a very bird-like motion, he proceeded to do the same with his wings.

"Real nasty weather out there…," Ashen said dryly, furrowing his brow when his wings refused to tuck in. He tried one more time but with the same result. He gave up with an exasperated sigh and just let them droop past his sides.

"It's like that every other day. You'll get used to it," Oakstride said simply as he observed the newcomer. "I get it that you are our new reinforcement?"

"Yes. I am Ashen Wing. Seems like I will be spending the next year here with you guys."

"Glad to have you onboard. Respect for making it here in one piece. I am Aurora, and he is Oakstride."

"As she said, welcome, Ashen," the stallion nodded at the gray pegasus.

"Good, so we got the greetings part out of the way. I suppose you'd like to come in and get some rest."

"Yes, please."

Aurora smiled at him and motioned for him to follow her. Oakstride also started to move but was promptly stopped by a hoof Aurora placed on his chest. "Ah-ah-ah, I think there are still some three hours left until the next shift. Can't leave the entrance unguarded, sorry."

Before the stallion could protest, Aurora was already a few steps away, with Ashen quick to follow. Oakstride only murmured something under his nose and turned his attention back to the rainy scenery outside.

Ashen and Aurora walked side by side deeper into the hallways carved into Mount Krakatoa. The mare seemed cheerful enough despite their gloomy surroundings and would occasionally stop to point out various side passages to Ashen.

"That way to the canteen…"

"… and there is a small courtyard is there just around the corner..."

"Dormitories are over there…"

Ashen quickly lost track. He was already completely certain that he would get lost here quite a few times until he learned what was where. Without the mare's help, he had no doubts that he would already be perfectly lost. All the hallways looked the same to him. Crooked and dark, windows were rare to see, and when they were there, they were small and barely wide enough to let a bit of sunlight in. For the most part though, the only illumination sources were enchanted torches hanging on the walls.

As they walked gradually the halls and passages widened, and it wasn't long before a sizeable cavern-like space opened up before them. Ashen took a moment to examine the sight in front of him. The cavern was circular in shape and fairly tall, certainly tall enough that he could comfortably fly inside of it if he needed to. At least thirty small round hatches were set into walls on the ground level and many more above. Each hatch was the same size - roughly as large as a manhole cover. All in all, there were at least a hundred of them scattered all around.

"As you can see, filly crime is becoming a serious problem. We've had to expand the number of our filly holding cells by fifty percent recently," Aurora noted casually, earning herself a horrified look from Ashen. It was only for a split second that the mare managed to keep a straight face before erupting in a laugh.

"Relax, rookie! Geesh, you should see your face."

Ashen laughed awkwardly at Aurora's banter. "So... what are these for then?" he asked his companion, approaching one of the locked hatches. It appeared heavy and thick, its frame bolted into the black rock with massive steel rods. On closer inspection, he noticed a small peephole just at his eye level. The pegasus leaned it to take a closer look.

BANG!

Aurora's steel-tipped hoof made a terrible noise as it landed on the thick metal, startling Ashen and making him jump back in shock. The unfaltering smile on the mare's muzzle quickly let him know that his reaction was exactly what the mare was hoping for.

"We call this the artifact room. Whenever ponies don't want to deal with something, they send it off here. Tartarus has been here for hundreds of years, and in that time, it has accumulated quite a collection of rare and dangerous magical trinkets."

"Isn't it a bit…"

"Coocoo to store Equestria's most dangerous artifacts so close to its most dangerous prisoners?"

"Well, yes."

The mare just laughed again and shrugged. "Like I said, it seems like when ponies don't like it around, it eventually ends up here. But the commander says that there are innumerable magical protections in these walls, and since nothing has even gone missing from here, I am guessing they work."

Ashen nodded and once more tried to sneak a peak at the other side of the door. However, in the dim light of magical torches, he could only make out a vague bag-like shape on the other end of the hatch.

"C'mon now, let's get going. I am sure the commander will want to see you."

The two ponies again plunged into the hallways of Tartarus, but it wasn't long until Aurora stopped in front of a massive wooden door. She gave Ashen a small encouraging nod before knocking on the hardwood.

"Come in," a muffled voice from the inside stated almost instantly, and Aurora pushed the door open. With Ashen right at her flank.

"Commander Ironhoof, I am pleased to report that our new arrival made it here in one piece and on time," Aurora chirped happily.

Ironhoof quickly turned his attention to the other pony in his office. The pegasus looked like was barely standing on his hooves, but under Ironhoof's gaze, it seemed he straightened himself as if unsure whether he should stand at attention or not. He was young, for sure a fresh addition to the guard, but right at first glance he reminded Ironhoof of somepony he once knew.

"Thank you, Aurora. Return to your duties, I will have a chat with our rookie."

A small salute and the unicorn mare were on her way out of the office, but not before winking at Ashen and mounting a silent 'No worries'. Ashen was already starting to like the friendly mare.

"Step up, rookie! Let me take a good look at you."

The command was strict but not harsh. Ashen quickly obliged and crossed the small office until he was right next to the commander's desk. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the various letters and spreadsheets scattered across the desk.

"Just some paperwork, rookie," Ironhoof exclaimed as if reading Ashen's mind. "Glad you showed up now, I have to say. Any more of that, and I'd be ready to jump off a cliff."

The two ponies shared a small laugh. "Glad I could be of service commander."

"Yeah, and I hope you'll continue to be. There's a lot of work around here and far too few ponies. But we are skipping a few steps here, so let me back up a little. I hope you have your letter of assignment with you."

"Of course, sir. One second!" Ashen quickly loosened the straps of his saddle bag and slid the wet mess of pockets on the ground. The moment it was off, the tension in his back was gone, replaced with pure bliss of relief. After carrying the blasted thing for so long, he forgot how heavy it was. After a bit of rummaging, Ashen pulled out the familiar scroll that got him here in the first place.

Ironhoof quickly examined the broken seal and the document's contents. Seemingly pleased, he tossed the soaked parchment on the table.

"No name in there. So they really started doing that random assignment thing?"

Ashen nodded: "Yes, sir."

"I suppose you were thrilled to learn you'll be stationed here?"

"Eh… well,…"

"No need to answer that one, don't worry. So what's your name?"

"Ashen Wing, sir!"

The stallion's eyes shot up in surprise as the sudden realization hit him. Hearing the name, he instantly knew who the pegasus reminded him of. Just to make sure though, the guard leaned over and quickly shot a glance at the cadet's flank. While the pegasus' coat was all sorts of shaggy, he had no trouble recognizing the two crossed feathers with a little pair of ram horns above them.

"Well, by Celestia… With that on you, I think there's hardly any need to ask, but you wouldn't happen to know a certain Nimbus Wing, would you?"

"That would be my father, sir."

Ironhoof let out a hearty laugh. "Well, what a small world. I know your day, you know. Or at least I used to know him. We were stationed together for three years at the border crossing with Saddle Arabia. Ah... great memories. Did he ever tell you about some of the things that happened to us there?"

Ashen nervously shook his head. "Afraid not, sir, I only know he was there for some time. I don't think he's ever mentioned you either…" The stallion's smile faltered a little, but then he just shrugged.

"Well, he was always a bit… eh, let's just drop it. Maybe I'll write him one of these days. But back to you, Ashen Wing. You must be famished; we can talk more on the way to the canteen." Not waiting for a reply, the stallion got up from his chair, and before Ashen could react, the earth pony effortlessly hoisted his wet saddle bags on his back. Ashen's protests were quickly rebuffed, so in the end he just surrendered and followed his new commander through the underground labyrinth.

"After we get you something to eat, I think that will be it for you today. Every morning at six sharp, we have a short meeting with the rest of the guards to align on assignments for the day. You already know Aurora at least, so I'll tell her to take you there. It will probably be some time before you can make your way around here on your own."

"Understood, sir. What will be my duties here?"

"Nothing too complicated, and unless something goes wrong, nothing too dangerous. We lost one guard today, so you'll likely take over his old duties, but I will figure it out until tomorrow." Ironhoof looked at Ashen and, noticing his worried look, promptly added with a playful look in his eyes: "And by lost a guard, I mean he was promoted and left for his new station. You know it's not all doom and gloom here, Ashen."

Ashen smiled a little. He was starting to believe that the commander was right. This station might not be so bad after all.

Ironhoof had a good feeling about his new subordinate. Not just because of his relation to his old friend. The ash-colored pegasus seemed like a decent pony; he had no doubts that the rest of the squad would accept him. He still needed to figure out what duties he would assign to him. Ironhoof didn't want to dump all his predecessor's responsibilities on him all at once. Especially since Bouncing Hooves also had some especially nasty ponies in his care… Might be too much for a rookie guard.

An iron key rattled in a worn lock.

'Lower security ward, maybe. Padhoof could show him around there. A guard service at the entry gate - easy and would allow him some rest. Canteen service…'

His key rattled in another locked door. This one Ironhoof had to kick a little after unlocking it to get it to open.

'All that is fine for the start, but it was pretty boring stuff. Maybe I should also throw in some duties in the courtyard. Bouncing Hooves also had solitary confinement to take care of, which was a pretty easy job. We rarely even have more than three or four prisoners at a time. The only catch was that one of those would be Cozy Glow.'

Ironhoof remembered far too well the souvenir she gave Bouncing Hooves. That filly was not to be trifled with.

'Mare, she is a mare now!' He reminded himself harshly. It wasn't often that he got to see her, and it was easy to forget quickly the time passed here.

The earth pony knew there was no reason to be worried about Cozy hurting Ashen – at least physically. There was hardly anything she could do to him from within the cage in that regard, but she knew how cunning the salmon-colored mare could be. Even after spending only a brief time with Ashen, he could already tell that the young stallion didn't inherit his father's cold-blooded rationality. He might just be kindhearted enough to fall for one of Cozy's lies.

Speaking of Cozy…

Ironhoof took a deep breath and opened the final door. In front of him opened a well-known row of cells, all empty just like they always were, except the very last one, of course. Slowly, he made his way toward the back of the room. Even though he was practically dragging his hooves, it didn't take him long to reach her cell.

She was there, of course, still sitting behind the desk and furiously scribbling something down.

'Just like I left her...'

It seemed that she hadn't moved at all. The only sign of change was that the large pile of papers that decorated the top of the desk and the floor next to it had grown even further. She didn't react to Ironhoof's presence in any way. With displeasure, Ironhoof noted that the lunch he brought last time he came was exactly as he had left it.

Without saying a word, he took the untouched meal and left her dinner meal in its place. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her now. Three skipped meals in a row wouldn't kill her, but if she kept it up, he would have to resort to more drastic means. What those could be, he wasn't sure though. The mere thought of forcing her to eat Ironhoof found repulsive, although he knew if he needed to it was an option.

Somehow Ironhoof thought dealing with her would be easier. After all those years, he thought he had managed to get over the past, but yesterday, when he saw Cozy again, his old grievances resurfaced, and his anger got the better of him. Something about that mare, just the way she looked at him, was always enough to make him angry. And now he condemned himself to having to see her every day. A self-imposed punishment that wasn't having a good effect on Cozy Glow either.

It was only when his room's door closed behind him that he allowed himself to let out a heavy sigh. He would have to figure out what to do eventually. But he didn't think he could do it today.

That night, his sleep was restless, and he awoke in the morning with faint memories of half-forgotten nightmares. Ironhoof's whole body protested as he climbed out of bed. He was an early bird, most of the time at least, but today, he wished for at least a few more minutes of sleep. The mechanical clock he kept at his nightstand was however as unrelenting as always. He was the one who was supposed to set an example and tired or not, he absolutely refused to be late.

In a few practiced movements, he donned his gray and blue armor and was pleased that the helmet at least partially masked his tired expression. His gut twisted when he realized that after the morning briefing, he would again have to go and see the salmon pegasus mare. A part of him hoped that he would not again find her in the same position as yesterday. The rational part of him strongly suspected that he would…

Author's Note

I have two more chapters of this thing that are mostly ready. I'll have to see when I get the time to edit them into a publishable shape.