> An Imperfect Paradise
>  by Ximer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Here Comes The....Baby?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I looked in the mirror to see a well-dressed pegasus staring back at me. He looked nervous about something, a fear of the unknown, but beneath that fear was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. It was as if he knew the fear would fade away soon, perhaps to return again, but it would never again control him like it once had.

“Ready for your funeral?” I heard Timber ask.

I was glad to have reconnected with the earth pony after the spell accident. He had been a good friend, one of many that I had made as my new life in Equestria unfolded before me. Each day bringing new experiences that I had missed out on, or were an impossibility with my old life from Earth.

“Yeah, last few minutes of freedom,” I laughed. “Has Discord shown up yet?”

“No sign of him, are you sure you can trust him?” Timber asked with a nod of his head for me to follow him.

“He’ll show up, he said something about finding the suit Fluttershy made him get fitted for distasteful.” I replied.

“How is a standard black suit distasteful for a regular wedding?” Timber asked as we walked down the main hallway of the large church in Canterlot.

“If it made sense it wouldn’t be Discord.” I shrugged before pushing on the door that led to the sanctuary.

I never expected to see so many ponies show up; putting the attendance of my wedding on Earth to shame. A few were friends I had made from races and their family. Applejack had warned me how extensive her family was, but I had never imagined how large it truly was. The list went on and on of ponies I had met and befriended, some of whom knew me better as a human than a pegasus.

A loud popping sound quickly drew me out of my entranced state. The scent of spearmint gum, mixed with oranges accompanied the sudden noise. Such a mixture could only be brought about by one being.

“Did I miss much?” Discord asked nonchalantly.

“Not really, we’ve still got some time before we start,” I replied. “I see you made some adjustments.”

Discord’s suit had originally been black, to match the others. That was no longer the case. It was now green with red and brown zigzag patterns stitched into it in different locations. This rather bold leap to a sudden extreme of colors and design was what one would expect from him.

“I felt ponies needed to know who your best stallion was. I wouldn’t want to disappoint them now, would I?” Discord asked giving me a toothy grin.

---

Cloudchaser fidgeted impatiently as Rarity made a few last minute adjustments to her dress. Scootaloo was busy talking with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. The little filly’s wings had been getting stronger and Cloudchaser credited it to having a real family to call her own now. In a few minutes, they would be one on paper, to match the bond the three-no, four of them shared already.

To think, all of this started with an accident. Here I am now. Cloudchaser smiled.

“I have to admit sis, I didn’t think you would beat me to it.” Flitter said admiring her sister.

“Flitter, you’ll find somepony, I promise. I bet Whitefire will be here.” Cloudchaser smirked.

“H-he wouldn’t want some boring pony like me…” Flitter blushed.

“Mister stone statue that rarely speaks to anypony at all wouldn’t find a mare that actually interacts with him interesting? I think you’re selling yourself short.” Cloudchaser said.

“Heh, maybe.” Flitter’s muzzle turned a darker shade of red than before.

“Hold still dear, I’m almost finished.” Rarity said as she started to put the finishing touches on her mane.

This had been the one day that she had willingly walked out of the house without fixing her mane up in its trademark style. She hoped Daniel would enjoy the look today, since this would probably be the last time she would ever leave it down, willingly that is.

A knock came from the door, breaking Rarity’s concentration long enough to leave a strand of Cloudchaser’s mane untucked beneath the veiled tiara. The one responsible for the disturbance was an older looking stallion, with a foggy blue coat, and faded mane. It was obvious that the years had left their mark on his form.

“There’s my two girls,” The stallion said giving both Flitter and Cloudchaser a brief hug before turning to Scootaloo to hug her as well. “And my favorite granddaughter.”


Breezebuster was the proud father of Flitter and Cloudchaser. He had done his best with his wife to raise them up with solid morals and was a bit surprised, but pleased, when he found out that Cloudchaser had bonded with a decent stallion. He was even more surprised when he saw a little orange filly step out from behind the pair when they came to visit together for the first time.

“I wish your mother was here to see this, I know she’d be proud of how far both of you have come.” Breezebuster said.

“Thanks dad.” the twins said in unison.

“I can still remember when you were trying to race against our next door neighbor’s filly…I feel like I’m losing a part of you.” Breezebuster commented as he turned to look Cloudchaser over.

“You’re not losing me, I promise,” Cloudchaser said hugging her father tightly. “And that filly you knew is still here, just a bit bigger now.”

“Heh, you know if this fellow mistreats you, I’m not afraid to go to jail.” her father laughed.

“I’ll be fine, I promise.” Cloudchaser said, giving her father a brief nuzzle.

“I know...” Breezebuster sniffled before relinquishing his daughter. “Well, we’d best get a move on. Wouldn’t want to hold up the show now would we?”

---

“Ah the last moments of freedom…not too late to run. Just say the word ol’ chum, anywhere in the world, and poof, gone.” Discord offered.

“Discord, I’m not going to leave her behind. It’s not in me in now, nor will it ever be.” I replied.

“Well, you can’t say I never offered.” Discord shrugged.

No sooner had Discord finished, the music shifted, causing all present to turn their attention to the two open doors at the back of the sanctuary. The first two to come down the aisle were Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara. I was glad to see that the two had remained friends even after the racing season had come to a brief close.

The two fillies started to distribute rose petals down the main aisle, standing off to the side of the bride’s maids, with Flitter being the maid of honor. It was an almost perfect setting, but there was still one pony missing to make things complete. Another change in the music assured me that wouldn’t be an issue for much longer.

All of the guest stood as the familiar Bridal Chorus began to play, announcing the approach of the one I had been waiting for. Slowly, Cloudchaser walked beside her father in a beautiful white dress. I had seen her spruced up numerous times before, but today she was absolutely breath taking, even the strand of her mane that was free from her tiara was perfect.

Upon reaching the alter, Luna stepped forward. She had agreed to be the one to wed us, under the condition of a few games of chess, which turned into a few more….which ended up being a night away from home. The mare really liked chess….on an unhealthy level.

“Who gives this mare to be bonded with this stallion?” Luna asked.

“I do,” Breezebuster replied before looking at me. “And he had better take care of her.”

His warning earned a few laughs from those present. I smiled, trying not to seem intimidated by the older stallion, but it was hard not to be. Cloudchaser’s father was tender hearted, but he could instill the fear of God into anypony that upset him.

Cloudchaser walked up the rest of the steps and stood across from me, her eyes bright with hope and love. They were the same eyes I saw each morning now, the vibrant light within them captivating me each and every day.

“Even before the founding of Equestria, ponies have always been tied to the mysterious, unknown power of fate. It is sometimes so subtle that we discount it as luck, other times so noticeable that we can't help but stop and give thanks, as it plays a part in our lives often teaching us valuable lessons; leading us through trials, and as is the case today, leading two souls together to find love.” Luna said looking at both of us.

“We’re gathered here today to bear witness to the union of these two pegasi who have professed their love for one another, and now wish to do so publically. If there is one present who feels this process should not continue, speak now, or forever hold your peace.” Luna’s tone was almost cautionary as she studied those gathered behind us, as if daring somepony to so much as raise their hoof.

“Very well then, Daniel,” Luna turned to address me. “Do you take Cloudchaser to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do.” I replied happily.

“Cloudchaser,” Luna said turning to the bride. “Do you take Daniel to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“Absolutely.” Cloudchaser replied.

“THEN LET-I mean, then let us move onto the exchanging of primaries.” Luna’s voice had caused a bit of a stir, the moment getting the better of her.

“Daniel, will you present your primary feather, and repeat after me please?” Luna asked.

I nodded and unfurled my left wing, ready to pluck the feather that I had already picked out. I had steeled myself for the brief jolt of pain I would feel when I pulled it out of place, but was completely unprepared for the antics of my best stallion.

“Pfft, you call that a worthy primary feather?” Discord asked, causing me to stop long enough for him to pull a much larger feather from my wing, making my eyes water. “Now this is a feather!”

I heard a mix of laughs, gasps, and one exasperated sigh from Twilight. The pain was almost enough to make me break down, in relation to size of the feather Discord had removed. I recovered as best as I could, pushing revenge ideas out of my mind for the moment as I took the feather from the chaotic being.

Luna cleared her throat once her light laughter had ended before speaking again. “Daniel, repeat after me. This feather is of my own body-“

“This feather is of my own body.” I copied.

“Its strength and magic within once mine, I now give to you-“

“Its strength and magic within once mine, I now give to you.”

“To support you, guard you, and love you, all the days of my life-“

“To support you, guard you, and love you, all the days of my life.” I finished, placing the feather behind her ear.

“Cloudchaser, will you present your primary feather, and repeat after me please?” Luna asked, smiling brightly at the bride.

The mare unfurled her left wing as well, and plucked out a relatively smaller feather than the one Discord had so graciously aided in selecting. She flinched in pain for a split second, shrugging off any sign of discomfort as she came back up with the feather in her mouth, which she took in her hoof.

“Cloudchaser, repeat after me. This feather is of my own body-“ said Luna as she started the process over again.

“This feather is of my own body.” Cloudchaser echoed.

“Its strength and magic within once mine, I now give to you-“

“Its strength and magic within once mine, I now give to you.”

“To support you, guard you, and love you, all the days of my life-“

“To support you, guard you, and love you, all the days of my life.” Cloudchaser said with a smile as she slid the feather behind my ear.

“With these oaths, and all of those present who have witnessed them today, I now proclaim you mare and stallion. May nopony ever separate what fate, and love has bound together.” Luna said proudly.

A magical aura engulfed the feathers that rested on our respective ears. This was the part of the wedding I had been anticipating, it was less traditional but it made for a nice addition, one that was impossible before the unity of the three tribes of Equestria.

Cloudchaser’s feather slid into the spot where mine had been pulled, and mine did the same to the spot on her wing that was missing a primary feather now as well. The aura completely covered both feathers, shielding them from view as a tingling sensation spread throughout my wing.

When Luna’s aura faded, both of our wings were whole again, with a feather that was hued differently among the others. The feathers had also grown to the size of the one that had been taken. Twilight had told me about this; this was now a feather that would always be shaded differently, even if it broke, it would always grow back in a different shade.

“Well, are you going to stand there all day, or kiss her?” Luna asked.

I chuckled briefly before lifting the veil that covered Cloudchaser’s muzzle. This kiss felt more meaningful than the others we had shared so far.

---

Nine Months later…

Whitefire was still keeping up with me, even after entering the third turn. He hadn’t been slacking off during the hiatus between seasons that much was for sure. I had yet to see any sign of Thunderlane though, I had hoped that he would show up this year, but that wasn’t the case.

This year, Canterlot was playing host to the final race, and despite Whitefire’s efforts, I felt pretty confident in my lead. I felt bad that Cloudchaser had to stay home though, she was well on into the pregnancy now, and had really started to show signs of foaling these past few months.

I had been worried about her, since this situation had come up once before, and the outcome had been less than desirable. I was scared for a different reason now though, despite all of the ultrasounds showing a normal, healthy colt. I was still worried that something would go wrong.

The sight of the finish line chased away the sense of fear temporarily as my focus returned to the race at hoof. I used all of my remaining energy to rush towards the goal, leaving Whitefire behind me. I smiled, knowing that without a doubt I had this-

“Oh there you are, I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.” I heard Discord’s voice echo in my ear.

“Not now Discord!” I exclaimed.

“Hey, I just had my paw crushed by a mare in labor to find you, do you have any idea what that feels -“

“Labor!?” I shouted, dropping to the ground and ultimately disqualifying myself. It wasn't too hard to piece together who Discord meant, why else would he have bothered to come bug me while racing? Aside from being his usual self.

“Yes, labor," Discord sighed from somewhere within my ear. It flicked involuntarily as I felt something moving inside, which had to be him. "Now if you'd be so kind as to stand sti-"

"I've got to go!" I shouted, darting past the others that were racing towards the finish line.

Race be damned I wasn't missing the birth of my child, I wasn't exactly thinking clearly either. The effects of the race had already taken their toll, even with the fear of not being there for Cloudchaser giving me a reason to go on despite the pain. Thankfully, I didn't have to ponder on that problem for long.

In the blink of an eye I was flying muzzle first into the receptionist’s desk at the Ponyville hospital. My vision swam from the pain, followed by a bit of blood trickling out from my nose due to the impact. Discord needed to work on warning ponies about his spells.

"Sweet Celestia! Are you okay sir?" the mare behind the desk asked.

"I'll be okay in a few seconds after the stars stop moving..." I mumbled.

"He's fine, his wife on the other paw..." I heard Discord say from behind me.

"Oh, um, name please?" the receptionist asked as I shook of the dazed state I had brought upon myself.

"Cloudchaser, where is she?" I asked as my hazed brain shook off the last of the effects from hitting the desk at nearly top speed. I was impressed it was still intact.

My question answered itself as my left ear swiveled in the direction of a loud, painful wail. The sound was enough to jump start my brain and body back into action, darting past the desk and towards the painful cries of the mare I heard. I knew it was her, her voice was a dead giveaway.

I flew past room after room, getting closer to the one that held my wife until finally I saw her. Cloudchaser's face was one of agony, her cries of pain made me feel helpless in knowing that there was little I could do except be there for her now.

"Sir, we need you to stay back!" one of the nurses tried to stop me as I opened the door.

"You really want to shoo me out and make me miss my son?" I asked, shocked at how intimidating my voice had become when she tried to throw me out.

"D-Daniaaagh!" Cloudchaser screamed, renewing my focus as to why I had rushed past the receptionist in the first place.

One nurse noticed the racing outfit I still had on and it dawned on her who I was. She stepped aside quickly, allowing me to be beside my wife as she endured one of nature's oldest struggles. Her forehead was sweaty and her feathers were a mess as her wings flapped furiously every few seconds, due to the pain.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here soon-erkagh!" I tried to say until Cloudchaser managed to get her foreleg around my neck, her sudden burst of super strength cutting off the airflow to my lungs.

"You! You did this to me!" she screamed before letting out another cry of pain while her foreleg was pried off me.

"Take it with a grain of salt, it's natural for mares to lash out at their stallion," the doctor chuckled. "Alright just a little more ma'am, I can see the head."

"You're doing great, just a little more babe." I did my best to comfort and support her, not quite sure what else to do. This upset me almost as badly as seeing my wife in such terrible pain.

After what seemed like an eternity, a new sound filled the room as Cloudchaser's screams came to an end. They were replaced by her tired pants, and the first cries of a newborn. The nurses were quick to clean the foal off and deliver it to Cloudchaser.

"Congratulations," the doctor said as a nearby nurse scribbled something down. "Do you have a name for him?"

I looked at the newborn snuggling up against Cloudchaser, its legs stretching out every so often as if he was unsure of what to do with them. I felt tears begin to fall from my eyes and onto the bed Cloudchaser was on as they spent those first precious moments together. The little guy eventually became still, his eyes still shut tightly in protest to the light.

He was a beautiful sapphire blue, his mane was solid white, but any other colors would develop a few months down the road. I could see so many traits of Cloudchaser in him, but I also saw mine as well. This foal I had helped bring into this world, he was a part of me, a mini version of Cloudchaser and myself mixed into one.

Cloudchaser and I looked at each other in unison. We had already decided on the name long before today, and looking at our son now, it seemed appropriate. She had wanted him to have some part of my name, after I told her that humans passed down names, but I had wanted her to give him a more traditional name. This was a situation we met in the middle on.

"Stormwalker." Cloudchaser replied, nuzzling our colt.

"Stormwalker, sounds like a strong name for the little colt to live up to." the doctor said before exiting the room with his nurses in tow to give us a few moments of privacy before moving Cloudchaser to a recovery room.

"Hey little guy..." I whispered quietly, leaning in to get a closer look. "Welcome to the world."

A tiny hoof pressed against my nose, padding around it for several seconds like a blind man groping for something. Stormwalker let out a few cooing noises as he got comfortable once more, his curiosity satisfied for the moment.

Two small little lumps on his back made up the temporary housing of his wings, which I was anxious to see who he took more after there. Pegasi weren't born with their wings exposed, they broke through about a week after birth, kind of like teeth, to ease the birthing process on both the mother and the offspring.

Heh, a son...thank you. I silently thought to myself.

---

Scootaloo walked through the door to Cloudchaser's room as Rainbow Dash pushed it open. Miss Cheerilee had been nice enough to dismiss her when they found out what was happening. This was the day she had been waiting for, and knew it had to be getting close.

Inside the room was a bed with a rather tired looking mare. Her mane was a bit messy, and it seemed as though she had just been in a hot pursuit chase, but she had a smile on her muzzle. In her forelegs was a small foal, wrapped up in a blanket. That was him, her baby brother.

"Hey Squirt," she heard her father say. "They let you out early?"

"Yeah, Rainbow Dash flew by," Scootaloo replied as she walked over to her mom and dad. "What's his name?"

"Stormwalker," Cloudchaser said as the filly was lifted up, and onto the bed so she could see her sibling better. "He's a pegasus, just like you."

Scootaloo smiled as she watched her baby brother sleep beside her mother. He looked peaceful and content, the steady sound of his breathing barely audible, though his small body shook slightly with each heartbeat. It was natural; pegasi had stronger, and faster hearts since they had to pump more blood when flying. As he grew, it would fade.

"Guess I'll have another understudy before long," Rainbow Dash commented. "Maybe he won't be as dense as his pop."

Scootaloo laughed which caused the baby to squirm and wake up. For a few seconds, two tiny eyes stared back at the filly before closing again. They lacked any definitive color, and wouldn’t possess much until twenty four hours had passed. Then it would be safe to guess whose eyes the colt got.

"Hi Stormwalker, I'm your big sister." Scootaloo cooed as she carefully inched closer to the foal. She could hardly wait until he was older. 
> Welcome Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It didn’t take long for word to spread for the local press to come knocking, they practically came crawling out of the shadows before we even had a chance to leave the hospital. I knew they would come eventually, I just didn’t know it would be this soon. It left me a bit hot under the hood that they had more interest over a story than a newborn and his mother needing rest.

There was one reporter though that did manage to slip through, despite my best efforts to shoo them off, as well as the staff’s frustrated complaints from the hallway being too crowded. Shady Daze, one of Scootaloo’s friends maneuvered past me, but I didn’t mind. I knew she would keep him in check, and continued to herd the others away from my tired mare and child.

I eventually shut and locked the door to the room, rather astounded that press ponies were almost as insensitive as the press on Earth. Anything for a story wasn’t too high a price to pay for them apparently, even risking a hoof to the muzzle, or the wellbeing of another individual.

“Long time no see kid, how’s life been?” I asked the little colt that had slipped past me.

“Pretty cool I guess. Is that him?” Shady Daze asked, pointing a hoof at Stormwalker.

“Yep, if you’re going to take his picture, at least take your flash off.” I replied.

The colt nodded and quietly approached the bed. Rainbow Dash lifted him up onto her back so he wasn’t taking the photo from the ground, giving him a nice view of the newborn. Shady Daze stopped before he took the picture, turning back to me with a confused expression.

“Why didn’t you throw me out like the others?” the colt asked.

“You’re Scootaloo’s friend,” I shrugged. “Just try not to throw any weird rumors in there, like last time.”

“Heh…yeah.” Shady Daze smiled nervously in response.

The little colt had been one of the foals responsible for exposing me to Ponyville as “The Monster Of The Everfree!” and for being a school paper, it was actually a good read, once you got around the tiny little detail that all the information about humans in it was false. I was almost lynched due to this, but it was kind of a joke now, and something I held up my sleeve to get under Cloudchaser’s skin for fun.

A few clicks could be heard from the device around the foal’s neck. Equestrian cameras still fascinated me; how they were built and worked were both equally interesting. After being so used to digital phones and recorders seeing a device that was built to work hands free in a similar fashion, albeit with an antiquated looking end result, was pretty cool.

“What’s his name?” Shady Daze asked as he was lowered to the floor once more.

“Stormwalker.” Cloudchaser replied.

---

Since there weren’t any complications, the doctor had given us the green light to go home after Cloudchaser felt strong enough to fly. She was still pretty tired and wanted to rest for a few minutes, leaving me to tend to the colt and Scootaloo.

Thankfully, Stormwalker had already been fed and was fast asleep, content in his room. We had added onto the house after finding out that Cloudchaser was pregnant. Twilight's necklace actually came in handy when helping to speed things along. Hands were much more dexterous than mouths or magic, after all.

Roughly two hours had passed before there was a knock at the door. I checked on Cloudchaser before answering it, finding her to still be fast asleep. I didn't disturb her, bringing a child into the world was more than enough reason to need a little undisturbed nap.

I quietly walked to the front door, which was almost impossible to do with hooves, so Twilight's necklace had found another new purpose; since bare feet were a bit quieter. It also made holding, and rocking Stormwalker easier.

"Hey there Dainel, Ah hope we didn't go disturbin' ya none." Applejack said.

The farm pony was accompanied by Fluttershy and, thankfully, no others. It's not that I didn't want company, I was just afraid that too much might cause the baby, Cloudchaser, or both to wake up. Right now though, both of them were out like lightbulbs.

"Sure, just try to be quiet. I've got two sleepers on my hands." I replied, giving them the okay.

"So, um, how is Scootaloo taking being a big sister now?" Fluttershy asked.

"See for yourself." I said quietly as I led the two mares to Stormwalker's room.

The room itself had been painted to resemble the sky, with a few clouds here and there on the walls. Fluttershy had suggested a few birds, and thus a few had been added. There was also a rather prominent rainbow that looked like it had been painted by a first grader; courtesy of Rainbow Dash being allowed to have a spare key. 

A chest of an assortment of stuffed figures, since animals would be a bit degrading in this world, sat in a corner of the room. Stormwalker clearly couldn’t play with these on his own yet, but it was the thought that counts, and they would make for a good crib buddy in a few months.

Then, there was the pink dot on the ceiling, which at one point had covered the entire ceiling. Cloudchaser and I spent the better part of a day to cover it up, and I had a pretty good idea as to whom the culprit was. The dot, despite our best efforts, kept reappearing no matter what we did, and finally we decided to leave it be. 

Beside the crib, was Scootaloo, watching the snoozing foal from the outside. For being gung-ho about finding her special talent, this little colt might have just thrown a wrench in everything. She was absolutely enthralled by him, not in a creepy way, but in a natural, older sibling way.

I had seen pictures that my mom had taken of Isabella doing similar stuff. It was kind of cute to watch Scootaloo looking out for her brother like my sister had once done so many years ago.

"Any changes to report there, private?" I teased as we approached the crib.

"None, sir!" Scootaloo saluted.

"At ease there Patton," I chuckled, ruffling the filly's mane. "We don't want mom waking up."

Scootaloo shook her head before stepping out of the way to let Fluttershy and Applejack closer to the crib. I was glad that she was excited about being a big sister, for now anyways. We had yet to journey though the first night with Stormwalker, and I had a sinking feeling this was the calm before the storm. No pun intended.

"He's so little," Fluttershy seemed more excited than the others about the arrival of our fourth family member. "Oh, you're just the cutest thing ever!"

"He's got a good set of parents, that much is fer sure," Applejack said slapping me on the back. "Ah bet he takes after his pa when his wings come through."

"We'll see, I'm pretty anxious to see them myself." I replied.

"Did you finish reading that book I gave you?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, I'm a bit surprised Twilight didn't have any good foal care books in her miniature library." I commented.

"Ah could've sworn she did, they might've been destroyed in Twilight's old house." Applejack said.

"I guess that makes sense. In any case, thanks for letting me use it, I think it's going to pay off when this guy gets on his hooves and is as rambunctious as another foal I know." I smirked looked down at Scootaloo, who was swift to stick her tongue out at me.

"At least you have a while before that happens," Fluttershy said prying her eyes away from Stormwalker to focus on me. "Have any of the others stopped by?"

"Rainbow Dash did at the hospital, but so far you two are the only ones to make a house visit." I replied.

"Good luck gettin' that ta stay the same fer a while, especially with ya bein' a big shot now." Applejack rolled her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked uneasily.

"Shucks, now that ya got a new lil'n ponyfolks'll be askin' all kinds of questions, and wantin' ta see him." Applejack explained.

"Right...I got a small dose of that this morning." I mumbled.

"It'll be okay, you'll see." Fluttershy said sweetly, trying to make me feel a little better about the situation.

"I hope everypony’s curiosity will be satisfied in tomorrow’s paper. Shady Daze is the only one I know of that got a picture, a good one anyways. Hopefully there won’t be any outlandish speculations or tabloids." I said.

A soft sound came from the crib, causing all present to freeze in silence. Within its comfortable confines, Stormwalker stirred slightly, making noises typical of an infant as he adjusted himself as best as he could. I felt like I was watching a pokeball from a pokemon game; anticipating it to burst open, but instead of a pokeball, it was a foal that was on the verge of possibly waking up.

Finally, after a few more agonizing seconds of silence, Stormwalker fell dormant again. All of us let out a quiet sigh of relief, save for Scootaloo, who resumed watching over her brother as we walked out of the room to avoid any further close calls.

"Ah think we might've out stayed our welcome, not ta you of course." Applejack blushed.

"I understand, thanks for coming by guys. I'll let Cloudchaser know that you did." I said.

I made sure to close the door as quietly as I could; the only sound to signify that it had been shut was a single, barely audible click. I felt confident that I was out of the danger zone now that it was just me and Scootaloo once more. This idea was shattered in record time by the screams of a young foal that was cranky after being woken up.

I sighed, rushing quickly into Stormwalker's room. Scootaloo was making a hasty retreat as I traded spots with her in the lion's den. Under normal circumstances I would have found such a sight funny, but I had an infant to calm.

"Shhh, hey buddy," I cooed. "Did I wake you up?"

I picked him up slowly out of the crib, his wiggling and wailing causing me to grimace in pain as he tortured my ears. I endured it however; and held him like Fluttershy had shown me. Even with pictures, I miraculously couldn't get it right without help. Cloudchaser accused my gender of being the problem.

"Hey, it's okay, the noise is gone," I said softly as the volume of the foals scream's started to decrease slightly. "Daddy's here, it's okay."

As if he were a music box, or scream box in this instance, that had been wound up, he petered out into soft whimpers as I held him. These too came to an end the longer I held him in my arms. I knew that I had gotten lucky this time, I was well aware of the fact that babies weren't always so willing to go back to sleep, they sometimes wanted food before complying, or just wanted attention in general.

I was still baffled as to why the noise we made talking about him didn't wake him up, but a click from the door did. I knew first hand that a pony's hearing was much better than a human's, so that could explain it. Our talking must have been enough to pull him out from the deep sleep he had been in.

"You're a pretty easy going little guy, huh?" I asked as I held Stormwalker's sleeping form.

The foal's gentle snores had now replaced any screams of discomfort. As I held him, I couldn't help but begin to wonder what he would be like when he got older. If he would be like his mom, like me, or somewhere in between. Scootaloo didn't have a problem adjusting to our crazy little world, since she had a bit of Cloudchaser's personality already, and I had rubbed off on her a little.

Stormwalker was an entirely different story. He was a book with empty pages, just waiting to be filled in. I could only try to raise him as best as I could. I was always told that childhood would pass by faster than I realized.

As I drifted through my sea of thoughts, I heard tiny hoof falls against the hardwood floor. Scootaloo soon peeked around the corner, checking to make sure that the noise wasn't about to start up again.

I sat down in a chair that had been made to fit a human in Stormwalker's room. As I did, I motioned with my head for Scootaloo to come in, letting her know things were under control now.

Hesitantly, she climbed up the chair and into my lap, which was big enough to support both my kids when I was a human. I enjoyed this quality time with Scootaloo, now more than ever since we were family.

"He's pretty noisy, huh?" Scootaloo whispered softly.

"He can be," I whispered back. "Is mom awake?"

"Nuh uh, she's still sleeping." Scootaloo replied.

"Good, she needs to rest a little longer. She's had a hard day." I sighed in relief.

I felt Scootaloo get situated in my lap, snuggling up against me with a smile on her muzzle, before falling asleep herself. This was a moment in life I wanted to cling to; one that I knew wouldn’t last forever. All too soon Scootaloo and Stormwalker would be too big for this, and grown with kids of their own. For now though, I wanted this to last.

---

Cloudchaser let out a tired yawn as she woke up. This morning had started out normal enough, until the first of her pains hit. She was already a mother to Scootaloo, and she loved the little filly, but she was old enough to be pretty independent. Stormwalker was a newborn, helpless and dependent on her and her husband.

“Hmm, now that I think about it…the house hasn’t burnt to the ground yet.” Cloudchaser mused.

She thought for sure her nap would be cut short by some sort of miniature disaster or emergency. Her friends had told her a few humorous stories about when their husbands had been left in charge of the foal, or foals as the case was sometimes.

After stretching a bit, Cloudchaser climbed out of bed to make sure Daniel was still alive. She still felt a little weak, but it was manageable, and she hated sitting still unless it involved preening. She didn’t want to appear helpless either, she was a tough mare, and the last few months of her pregnancy had left her pretty dependent on Daniel for some things.

It didn’t take her long to find her stallion either, as a quick look inside Stormwalker’s room revealed the rest of her little family, all fast asleep. Cloudchaser smiled upon seeing them so content, and quietly flew towards the sleeping form of Daniel. Seeing that Stormwalker was out of his crib, this led her to believe that he might have given him some trouble.

She gently pecked Daniel on the forehead before slowly picking up Stormwalker. “Hey there little colt, did daddy do a good job while I was asleep?”

Stormwalker stirred and squirmed slightly in Cloudchaser’s forelegs. She knew it wouldn’t be long before he would begin to get fussy and flew out of the room. He would be a bit fussier than unicorns or earth pony foals, since his wings would be trying to push through; among the plethora of other reasons foals got upset.

There was one part of parenting that she had hoped to have skipped entirely with Scootaloo, but with Stormwalker it was an inevitability now. Cloudchaser had to ready herself for one of the less pleasant parts of parenthood, changing a foal’s diaper. It was something she skipped with Scootaloo, due to her age, and never had to do with Rumble either.

“Eww…” Cloudchaser mumbled quietly once she had laid him on the changing station in their room. She was thankful now that a misunderstanding between friends had left them with two stations; one for Stormwalker’s room, and one for theirs. She had talked Daniel into keeping it when he wanted to donate it.

Stormwalker wiggled constantly, and grew frustrated as Cloudchaser worked to clean him and apply a new diaper. Two copper colored eyes looked up at her occasionally, their color already starting to come in on schedule. From the looks of things, he had gotten a mix of both of their eyes, since they weren’t a dark brown, like his father’s.

“You’re going to be a handsome little guy, you know that?” Cloudchaser smiled as she picked him back up, flying over to the bed.

After Stormwalker had been fed, the tired colt was placed in his crib once more. With similar grace and stealth, Cloudchaser moved Scootaloo to her own room, to carry on with her nap a bit more comfortably.

“Now, what to do with you?” Cloudchaser asked herself, now that Daniel was foal free.

The mare landed on him, letting out a squeak as two arms wrapped around her. She quickly settled into the hug though, and let out a happy sigh as two hands started to rub the soreness from her body. It wasn’t as good as the spa ponies, but it was pretty close, Isabella was much better at it as well.

---

“Was somepony fussy?” Cloudchaser asked, as I got to my feet with her still in my arms.

“Not really, Applejack and Fluttershy came by to see him. We tried to keep it down.” I replied, moving to the living room couch.

“Thanks for dealing with things while I was asleep, I needed that little break,” Cloudchaser said as I started to help her with her feathers. “I never get tired of this.”

“Scootaloo’s been watching him most of the time since he’s been home. I think she really likes him.” I said as I came across the feather that stood out from the rest among her left wing.

It was the feather I had given her on the day of our wedding. I was greatful that Luna's magic held fast, even when I wasn't a pony. I carefully shifted back into place before moving onto the next feather that needed tending to.

“I’m glad she’s excited about having a brother. I doubt she’s going to enjoy the sleep deprivation that comes with it for a while though.” Cloudchaser commented.

“Yeah, and all the visits that will probably be happening soon. I’m sure Filthy Rich will want an explanation as to why I threw the last race...” I sighed, scratching behind the mare’s ears.

“I'm sure he'll take it better than you think. Besides, it's not like you can't win it back, right?" Cloudchaser asked.

"You're right...and I don't regret it, I wouldn't have missed being there for the world." I replied.

"I knew you'd be there, that was never in question. As excited about today as you were, I'm surprised you even went to Canterlot. At least now there will be a break for you to spend some time with us." Cloudchaser said.

"Yeah, it will be good to take things slow again. I sometimes forget what it’s like to be normal.” I chuckled.

“You, normal?” Cloudchaser looked back at me. “Sweetie, that word doesn’t suit you anymore.”

“How do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, lately you’ve been spending more time as a human again. I don’t know of many stallions that can do that. Then, you live under another name on the track, Blue Bullet; does that sound normal to you?” Cloudchaser raised an eyebrow at me.

“Fair point, I wonder what Stormwalker will think when he gets older though.” I said.

“That he’s got the coolest dad in the world. That you’re his hero, you kind of live the life of one. Not fighting bad guys or anything,” Cloudchaser said picking up the racing mask that I had flung onto the couch when we arrived home. She held it up beside my head as best as she could to emphasize her point. “You’re close enough though.”

“Good to know that I’m a discount good guy.” I grinned, receiving a light punch from Cloudchaser.

“We’ll need to pick a godparent soon, did you have any ideas?” Cloudchaser asked.

“I had a few, one of whom you may not approve of.” I replied.

---

It was unusually quiet, for the first three hours anyways. I knew what to expect, that having a baby, of any kind, would result in late night activities that didn't involve "stress release." The same was true about puppies, they would howl in the middle of the night for no reason sometimes, other times they needed to go outside, at three A.M.

That's the best way I can describe Stormwalker's late night routine, like a puppy and a human infant decided to throw all of their bad traits into a tiny little horse body that, through some strange miracle, shared some of my genes. I love the little guy to death, he's my own flesh and blood, but I was now regretting all the hell I put my parents through.

I still felt bad for Cloudchaser and took the first shift of tending to Stormwalker. It was dark, and due to the lack of light I stepped on Equestria's version of a linkin log. I was now fully awake and well aware that Scootaloo had left a few landmines for me to dodge in the dark.

I had opted to keep the necklace on tonight, predicting that circumstances like this would happen. Though in doing so, my feet were more vulnerable to the toys on the floor than hooves or wings would be, but I wasn't about to try to change a diaper or feed a foal with almost no experience doing so as a stallion.

"Hey buddy, what's got you all worked up huh?" I asked quietly as I picked Stormwalker up.

As expected, the fussy colt gave no response, other than a few more cries in my ear. I lifted him enough to smell of his diaper, which was thankfully odor free. With this possibility out of the way I walked with him to the kitchen and pulled a pre-filled bottle out of the refrigerator.

Shifting the little foal over to my left arm, I got out a bowl and filled it full of hot water. Stove tops, and microwaves were out of the question. Thankfully, I still remembered a few things from observing my aunt when she had her baby.

She was a health nut, and always told me that stoves and micro waves should never be used. I would always watch her use warm water to get milk ready. For all the times I found her health paranoia annoying, some of what she said was actually pretty useful, now that I was a parent myself.

While I waited for the milk to warm, I gently ran a finger over the two lumps on his back. The skin there felt very tender, and in a few days it would give way to two little wings. I saw his eyes open to look at me, and was impressed by the copper color that he had been given.

“I wonder what my parents would say if they saw you little guy.” I mused using my index finger to gently rub behind one of the foal’s ear.

As expected, it held the same comforting power over him as it did his mother, and more than half the population of colorful, talking equines. How Cloudchaser did all of this as a pony was pretty baffling, it was much simpler with hands, but even then I occasionally had problems. She had to have some sort of super powers, it was the only explanation.

I felt of the bottle and pulled it out of the water, satisfied with the temperature. Thankfully, Stormwalker wasn’t fussy about the difference between a bottle and his mother and took to it greedily. Though there were some obvious differences between human infants and ponies, those of this world anyways; there were some that were more subtle.

Despite his size, he could hold more food that a human infant could. I had given up on trying to understand the laws of physics in this world and simply accepted things, this being one of them. Another one was how his teeth would come in much sooner, and that there wouldn’t actually be a crawling stage. He would skip that entirely.

Once he had finished I carefully leaned him over my shoulder and patted his back. This worked the bubbles in his stomach free, and out in the form of a cute burp. It was almost cartoonish, and were it not for being up at three in the morning I probably would have laughed.

“Alright, let’s get you back into bed.” I said carrying the foal back to his room.

He had already started to drool a bit on my shoulder, hopefully he would stay asleep for a while. Before I had a kid, I would have found this disgusting, and probably rolled my eyes or made a face. There was something different with him being a part of me though. It didn’t bug me like I thought it would, though diapers were still a dreaded chore.

“Sleep tight buddy.” I said, laying him down gently, covering him back up with his blanket.

I was mindful to step lightly as I walked back to my room. So far, it looked like this wouldn’t be as bad as all of my friends from Earth claimed it had been. I kept comparing Stormwalker to a human infant; it was a bad habit, one that I needed to ditch before he got any older.

“Mission accomplished?” Cloudchaser asked with a yawn, as I climbed back into bed.

“Mission accomplished,” I replied, wrapping an arm around the mare. “Sorry I woke you up.”

“Nnhmm,” Cloudchaser lazily replied as she rolled over, draping a wing over me. “Love you…”

“Love you too.” I tiredly replied, giving her a quick kiss…at least, I would have if Stormwalker had allowed me to.

Our son’s whimpers could be heard from down the hall. If the lights had been on, one could have seen my expression sink as I sighed. I had the feeling that tonight was just getting started.

> The Morning After...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning sun started to shine through our window, casting light on the aftermath of the horrid battle that had taken place...okay, maybe it wasn't that serious, but I still felt tired. Both Cloudchaser and I had been up and down last night, while Scootaloo had somehow slept through it all.

Cloudchaser's eyes were a bit red when she opened them, clearly exhausted. I had seen her at her worst though, this was a close second, but by far not the worst that I had woken up to.

"....you look like shit...." I mumbled, receiving a face full of pillow after I chuckled lightly.

"Shut up....and you promised to cut back on the cursing." Cloudchaser huffed.

I knew I looked like I had spent a few hours in hell and decided to take a leisurely stroll through purgatory before coming to bed. I simply wanted to get a little laugh in to try and lighten the mood. I had hoped by now Cloudchaser knew me well enough to not take me seriously.

"Tired..." I whined.

"I know, but we've got to get up..." Cloudchaser yawned, tickling my nose with her wing to stir me out of my half dazed state.

Her trick worked, it was a dirty one at that. The tickling sensation always gave me an unwilling jump start, and she had figured this out early on in our marriage. If she wanted me up, then by Celestia she was getting me up.

"Fine," I snorted, rubbing my nose. "I'll start breakfast."

"Love you." Cloudchaser lazily said.

"Love you too." I replied, stretching a bit before starting my morning task.

It had been a while since I had fallen asleep as a human, only to wake up as one as well. I had forgotten to take off the necklace last night and knew that it was going to suck when I eventually did take it off. I knew from experience since I had done this once before.

For now though, breakfast was a top priority. Yesterday had been pretty crazy; a good crazy, but crazy all the same, and I was running on fumes as I turned the stove on. Caffeine would be needed if I was to continue, and unfortunately tea just wasn't going to cut it this time.

I noticed Cloudchaser's coffee, warm and fresh in a pot not three feet from me. I despised the stuff, and hers had enough kick in it to make a normal man run for eighteen hours straight. How she could stand the stuff was beyond me, but it tasted like clay. As tired as I was though, said clay flavored beverage was starting to look pretty tempting.

I looked back down the hallway, picking up quiet cooing sounds from Cloudchaser and Stormwalker. I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing I had resorted to stooping to coffee in order to wake up. I still had some of my pride intact after all.

"Morning..." I heard Scootaloo yawn as she entered the kitchen with sleepy eyes.

"Hey Scoots, did you wake up any last night?" I asked.

"Nuh uh...why?" Scootaloo replied with a little tilt of her head.

"Oh, uh, no reason." I lied. It wouldn't surprise me if she could sleep through a tornado.

I quickly poured a glass of Cloudchaser's coffee, ignoring my pride's protest at the moment. I needed to think clearly to move about today, and I was having trouble putting together a simple mental to-do list. I had never been that bad off in the morning, so desperate times desperate measures.

I put the mug to my mouth and had to stop myself from spewing it out. I knew this stuff was strong, I had just forgotten HOW strong it really was, in both taste, and efficiency. The effects were almost immediate, and I noticed my face turning a bit red, as well as my arms. As alarming as this was, the first time I had taken a small sip, I had experienced similar effects and lived.

"Is that my coffee?" Cloudchaser asked, Stormwalker in her forelegs as she hovered in place.

"....let's face it, this morning called for it." I replied.

"Pour me a cup while you're there, Big Mac." Cloudchaser laughed.

"Hey, I do not turn candy apple red! I'm more of a...lightish red!" I huffed.

"So pink?" Scootaloo offered with a giggle.

I sighed as the two of them broke out into laughter. Stormwalker was still on my side at least, if only because he hadn't laughed. His eyes were now wide open, taking everything in. Their color had settled during the night on the light copper I had seen while I was up and down with him alongside Cloudchaser. I could just barely make out a few aqua streaks peeking in through the white mane and tale he had obviously inherited from his mother.

Yep, I'm going to have fun explaining things to the guys...and winning back that title.

---

I played with the necklace in between my fingers while preparing myself for what would happen next. I had yet to figure out why I experienced pain when I did this, but I had to get better at taking it off before nightfall.

"Okay, count of three..." I mumbled.

"One..." I gripped the necklace firmly in one hand, balancing myself against the sink with the other.

"Two..." I pulled the magnetic string taunt, until the fear of pain prevented me from pulling further.

"Thre-augh!" Like pulling a band aid off that you knew would take hair with it, I knew this would be painful, but I could never really prepare myself for the overwhelming flow of pain.

Slowly, but surely, my view started to change as I shrank down to what qualified as regular proportions for me now. I eventually fell on all fours, as fingers and toes were absorbed into the hardening hooves I now had, much like a child slurping up spaghetti . Thankfully the worst of it was over.

I had grown used to my wings by now, and felt a small sense of relief as they folded against my sides. I felt the need for speed rise up inside me, a craving the clumsy human part of me could never fulfil. Something wet brought an end to any thoughts of flying at top speed today though; something very unsettling indeed.

As I looked in the mirror, I noticed a little blood trickle down from my left nostril. This was the first time I had experienced anything like this before. I had swapped before with no problems, with the occasional slip up every now and then when I accidentally left it on, and there had never been any nose bleeds once everything was finished and adjusted.

"Okay, not putting you on for at least a week now." I said to the unresponsive necklace as I cleaned off the blood.

"Everything okay in there?" I heard Cloudchaser call through the door.

"Uh, um...yeah, just peachy. I'll be out in a second." I replied, taking one more look in the mirror before exiting the bathroom.

"About time, I thought you fell in for a few seconds there." Cloudchaser said as I opened the door.

"Well, you know me. I'd find a way to get stuck inside of a wet paper bag." I chuckled nervously.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" the mare pressed, one of her hidden talents being able to detect when I was feeding her a fib.

"Yep, just in a bit of a hurry to see Filthy Rich I guess." I lied anyways, not wanting to worry her with the odd occurrence in the bathroom.

"If you say so..." Cloudchaser said skeptically. "Just make sure you don't stay out too long with him."

"I won't, I promise." I said, planting a kiss on her cheek before taking off.

I was out the door in a flash, my mind idly pondering on what had happened earlier. It was something you would expect to see in some horror game, or movie. While anypony could have a nose bleed, it just seemed like too big a coincidence to have one right after I took the necklace off to just ignore it, but for now I was going to have to put it on the back burner.

Filthy Rich was a nice stallion, he had seen what Sky Mark missed. He was also one of the few business ponies I trusted. His daughter had been a bit of a pain at first...okay, a major pain, but she had come a ways from the brat she had been. The tendencies were still there, some habits die hard, but slow and steady change was better than no change; so long as it's beneficial.

I soon reached my destination, my body having shifted to auto pilot while I dwelt on my thoughts. I could only imagine how I'd be greeted, since there was the odd chance that Filthy Rich might be upset with me, despite Cloudchaser's encouragement. Bits were still bits, after all.

I hesitantly knocked on the door. I was met with a butler, a rather aged looking stallion that had an impressive poker face. It was an impressive art, one that had been refined after many forced parties, and doing lord knows what else.

"Hi Jeeves." I said casually.

"Sir, I've kindly requested you cease the use of that nickname." the stallion sighed.

"Okay, Penny Worth, suit yourself." I rolled my eyes.

"Thank you, now if you would be so kind as to follow me," Penny Worth motioned with a hoof. "Master Rich has been expecting you."

"Expecting me...sounds ominous." I mumbled.


"One can hope, sir." the butler replied, that being the closest thing to a smart bum remark from the stallion one would get. It was no secret he didn't like me, probably because of the nickname.

I was led into Filthy Rich's study, all but abandoned at the door to whatever fate my boss might have in store for me. I pushed the door open with a sigh, ready to receive a lecture.

"Ah, there you are. I had a feeling you'd be coming by soon." Filthy Rich said, motioning for me to approach.

"So what made you expect me? I don't remember you sending for me." I said as I sat down in a chair in front of his desk.

"Your personality, that's why I don't lose sleep at night about where your loyalty is," Filthy Rich laughed. "Heck, you'd punish yourself if you thought you'd done wrong by worrying about it until you developed ulcers."

"Heh...um, thanks?" I grinned sheepishly.

"I'll take a wild guess that you're here about losing your last race, right?" Filthy Rich asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't finish...I panicked when Discord told me what was happening, and-" Filthy Rich held up his hoof to stop me from rambling.

"I know what it's like to be there when your child enters the world. No race was worth missing that," Filthy Rich said. "Still, that was your biggest race of the year, it seems your son takes after you in terms of timing."

"Let's hope that habit fades." I chuckled nervously.

"As much as I hate to, I'm going to have to dock your pay a bit. Thankfully, Mike put down Whitefire so it wasn't a total loss." Filthy Rich shrugged.

"Traitor..." I mumbled.

"All the same, you're not finished just yet. There's going to be a charity race in a few weeks, and your presence is being requested by the princesses." Filthy Rich said.

"Shouldn't Whitefire be the one to sit at the charity?" I asked.

"They want you both apparently, you two are crowd favorites. Besides, it's the old and new champion together in one place, how could that not draw attention?" Filthy Rich asked in return.

"Fair point." I said.

"Now that business is out of the way, have you read the papers yet?" the business pony asked, sliding a copy of this morning’s paper to me.

Hello Stormwalker….while Blue Bullet may have lost the title of champion, he won when it comes to being a father as he and his wife welcomed their son into the world yesterday. The race was fairly close, as Whitefire, the new champion had put it, and respected his actions after learning of the news. The article went on to say.

“Well, at least Whitefire won it. I’d rather it be him than somepony else.” I said.

“I’ll let you know when more details come out about this little charity race, I don’t think you’ll specifically be taking part in it.” Filthy Rich commented.

“I won’t?” I asked in disbelief.

“That’s what I understood, neither is Whitefire, so don’t get too upset.” the business pony said with a raised hoof.

“Since we’re off business…how is the “other” coming along?” I asked.

“Not a word back from him, and he refuses to talk when I do see him out and about,” Filthy Rich replied. “He’ll come around eventually, you just have to give things time.”

“I just don’t want bad blood between me and him,” I sighed. “I had enough of that back home.”

“If you’ve let go of the past, then there’s nothing left for you to do. It’s all him now, so stop making yourself feel bad.” Filthy Rich said in a fatherly tone.

“Yes sir.” I responded like a scolded child, which made him laugh.

“You know with what we’ve been making, I’m surprised you haven’t moved out, and found yourself a bigger home,” Filth Rich said once his laughter had settled. “I know you added a room, but surely you could have just moved into a better home, one that would have given you plenty of space?”

“Could have, yes, but our old home has kind of grown on me. I mean, it’s been there since the beginning of my new life here. Too many memories to pass up.” I replied.

“I suppose so,” Filthy Rich shrugged. “I just found it odd is all with a growing family.”

“Well, maybe if we have a third, but I don’t see that happening in the foreseeable future.” I laughed nervously.

The thought of another foal already was borderline insanity on my part. Stormwalker had given us quite a bit of trouble and we were only a day into taking care of him, how it the world would we ever manage another back to back?

“It was just a question, more of a time passer really,” Filthy Rich confessed. “It’s good and well to stick back bits for a rainy day, but don’t be afraid to enjoy yourself every once in a while.”

---

Thunderlane could hardly believe he had agreed to this secretive invitation to meet with this business pony. The company was a reputable one at least, but he had every intention of turning them down. He was done with the lime light, and wanted to rebuild what he had torn down through his own actions.

He looked around the restaurant and spotted a familiar unicorn. It caused his feathers to ruffle slightly, but he kept his attitude in check. This was Skymark's son, though the business pony treated him more like a bastard foal than an actual son. Some pegasi stallions were like that, and not too long ago, Thunderlane would have agreed with him.

He felt agitated as he realized he had been lied to, and had a good mind to leave. It quickly ruined his assumption that this would be a typical meeting with no tricks involved. It was unfortunate that some ponies never seemed to learn from other’s mistakes.

Still, he needed to put this entire thing behind him for good. This was perhaps the best way of doing so, even if he would be dealing with Skymark in proxy, Thunderlane had no objections about being upfront with the business pony's son.

“You wasted your time coming here, colt.” Thunderlane huffed as remained standing beside the outdoors table.

“Please, just hear me out?” the stallion pleaded.

“I’m not in the mood, why don’t you go crawl back to your father?” Thunderlane asked. “Or is he still too ashamed of you? Just because you were born with a horn instead of wings.”

“Skymark is dead…” the unicorn replied. “Please, we need you.”

“Your father left me all alone on a track about a year ago, when I needed him most. I guess this is life’s way of repaying the favor…go home kid, make something of yourself. Don’t be like your loser dad who just used other ponies.” Thunderlane sighed.

Impulse Drive fell silent at this, averting his gaze from Thunderlane. The former athlete felt he had made his point, and the weight that had been on his chest for a good while now lifted after speaking a bit more harshly than he had intended to be. He decided to leave with that before he made the metaphorical cut any deeper.

“Is that all you have to say!?” the stallion fumed.

“Unless you grow a pair of wings, yes.” Thunderlane said calmly.

Impulse Spark could hardly believe his poor luck. He had hoped that Thunderlane would be willing to look past the faults of his father, and possibly come back, but that was clearly out of the question now. He didn’t know who else to turn to either, after most of his father’s fortune was sunk into nursing what little health he had left, until finally years of bad habits caught up to him.

Skymark had always been ashamed of him, having placed so much hope that he would have a pegasus colt, the racer he always dreamed of. Instead, he was disappointed, from the day he was born. No achievement could earn his praise, no venture his blessing. Why he still wanted to save his father’s company was purely out of financial gain, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen at the rate things were going.

The unicorn was unable to move from his table, chained in place by disappointment. Impulse felt utterly defeated after being rejected by Thunderlane. He reluctantly left the little outdoor café, his head hung low in reflection of his mood.

Impulse Spark looked up and saw an article in the paper, a photo of a foal above it. His eyes skimmed across the name Blue Bullet, causing him to snarl. That was the track name of the stallion that had turned his father down, and set this downward spiral in motion.

As if fate was mocking him, this racer had been given everything! A new job, a wife, a son, and a title; all of these were things some fake didn’t deserve. He was nothing more than some stupid ape, masquerading as a pegasus. Still, ponies seemed to like him, and ignored this little detail.

“It makes me sick...how can anypony beat you?” Impulse mumble, kicking the paper dispenser out of anger.

A cog flew free from the machine, comically hitting the stallion on the nose before falling to the ground. Mildly curious as to what had caused him the minor discomfort, his magic surrounded the cog, bringing it up out of the mud. He had always had a fascination with machines, and how they worked; each part with its own task for the whole device to be at one hundred percent, much like a living organism.

His eyes widened as an idea struck him. Perhaps what Thunderlane said wasn’t entirely out of the question after all. Even if it had been a smart-alecky remark, it had quite the opposite effect now. While he might not be able to sprout wings...how hard could making a pair be?

“Why stop there though?” Impulse asked himself with a mischievous grin as idea after idea began to push its way into his mind.

“I’ll make something of myself all right, and I just found an answer to my own question, though it’s more along the lines of ‘what’ can beat you, Daniel, rather than who.” The stallion snickered.

“You shouldn’t talk to yourself,” a passing stallion said. “That’s just fucking weird.”

“Mind your own business!” snapped Impulse.

“Kind of hard when you speak your mind publicly,” said the mare that was accompanying him. "Come on Hermit, let’s get out of here.”

---

“Hey there little guy,” Isabella said with a smile as she held Stormwalker. “I knew you two would make a cute kid.”

“Don’t let that sweet muzzle fool you. He was a little fussy last night.” Cloudchaser laughed quietly.

“Most babies are, but it gets better. It’s still had to believe that it actually happened between you too. I never thought it would happen, except for in dreams and what ifs.” Isabella commented.

“I didn't either," Cloudchaser smiled, quite proud of herself. "Truth be told, I never thought I would be a mom."

"I've had a few of those days, and nights," Isabella said as she gently rubbed behind Stormwalker's ear with her thumb. "But age kind of changes your ideas sometimes. I'd like a family of my own someday too, which is something I'll never admit to anypony in public...my brother especially."

"Speaking of which...how are things with...Blueblood?" Cloudchcaser had to force the name from her mouth, still finding the pairing a bit odd, with little doubt as to who whore the saddle in the relationship.

"Meh, he's okay, a little better than when we first met, that’s for sure. Rarity is still a sour topic though." Isabella replied, she was either ignoring Cloudchaser's issue with him, or genuinely too dense to pick up on it.

"So, I have a question-" Cloudchaser started.

"Yes, he used to scream, until I slapped him a few times. Knocked the bitch right out of him." Isabella said proudly.

"..........that wasn't what I was going to ask." Cloudchaser said quietly, never imagining that somepony else would make her blush when talking about stuff like this.

"O-oh, well, the more you know I guess?" Isabella laughed nervously.

"Anyways, why do you think Daniel would want Discord to be Stormwalker's godfather?" Cloudchaser asked, trying to forget what she had just heard.

"You're joking right?" Isabella narrowed her eyes.

"I'm afraid not." Cloudchaser replied.

"As fun as that sounds, Y\you may want to pick somepony a little closer to the normal spectrum." Isabella said.

Before Cloudchaser could get another word in, Stormwalker began to writhe in Isabella's arms and whimper in pain. The human quickly returned the foal to his mother, just as the whimpers were beginning to develop into full-fledged sobs. Something pink was on Isabella's palms now, with the consistency of a very fine liquid.

"Poor little guy, I know that doesn't feel good." Cloudchaser cooed, ensuring that Stormwalker was resting in her forelegs on his stomach.

"I didn't mean to hurt him, I swear!" Isabella exclaimed.

"You didn't, that's just fluid from the coverings of his little wings. They're supposed to do that." Cloudchaser assured her.

"Oh, so when do his wings, uh, sprout?" Isabella asked.

"In a few days," Cloudchaser replied nuzzling her colt, which seemed to calm him down, though he still let out the occasional whimper. "Pegasi foals tend to be pretty fussy until then, thankfully he hasn't been too bad so far."

"Scootaloo hasn't gotten jealous now that all the attention isn't on her now, has she?" Isabella asked.

"No, I'm glad too," Cloudchaser sighed. "I'm sure that will come with time, she's obviously old enough to understand why Stormwalker needs so much attention, but she's still a foal. I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before that happens."

"You know, if things get too hectic, I can look after her. I'm amazed she slept through Stormwalker's first night home." Isabella said.

"She's like her father in that regard, but if things get too bad I might take you up on that offer for her own peace and sanity." Cloudchaser replied.

The foal gave one last fussy murmur before settling in for a nap. Cloudchaser couldn't help but smile at him, especially after just touching on the topic of sleep. The sight of the small lumps on his back returned her thoughts to his wings, which she could hardly wait to see unfurled against the sky. 
> Laying Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay Daniel, you can do this, just like you did with the doll." I said to myself as I looked down at Stormwalker on the changing table.

The foal's copper eyes studied me intensely, as if he was as unsure of the situation as I was. He had stopped wiggling, save for his small tail, which swished against the soft fabric occasionally. His tongue snuck out of his mouth as I prepared to do what I had done with hands until now, disarming my determination with the cute expressions in his arsenal.

"Staring at it isn't going to make it go away." Scootaloo reminded me.

"I know, you might want to look away." I replied, pulling back the diaper with the caution of a heart surgeon.

"Aaand I'm gone!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she left the room, once step one was complete; abandoning me to my fate.

"Oh come on, it's not like you never had it done to you when you were a foal." I called as I rolled my eyes.

"Well what about you?" Scootaloo shouted back as I removed the soiled diaper.

"I wasn't born a pony, remember?" I replied.

I received no response to my answer. I had expected a retort of some nature, like how I was a baby at one point too. While true, we were discussing foals. I found the silence a bit unusual, and proceeded to finish changing Stormwalker to find out why Scootaloo might have fallen so uncharacteristically silent.

I checked on his back briefly as I laid him in his crib, two small protrusions were beginning to press against the small lumps on his back. It wouldn't be long now, I was thankful he was developing normally so far.

With my mind at ease about Stormwalker, I flew to Scootaloo's room to find her sitting on her bed, looking down at the rug. She had a serious expression on her muzzle, one that indicated deep thought, and I was prepared to leave her be until she looked up at me.

"Daniel," Scootaloo never called me by name unless something serious was on her mind. "Can you tell me about m-my real parents?"

I wasn't sure how to respond to that question, or what brought it on. Had it been on her mind for a while, and only now she had found it in her to ask me? Or perhaps something I said or did made her think about them? Whatever the case was, she looked up at me with hopeful eyes.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," I replied taking a seat next to her. "Did the orphanage never talk to you about them?"

"A little, but not very much." Scootaloo sighed.

"Well, I don't have a whole lot of answers myself, only the copy that the caregiver gave me. I know your mom was a unicorn, and a very talented one from what I read, while your father was a member of the guard." I said, summoning up what I could remember about them off the top of my head.

"Oh, okay." Scootaloo said dejectedly.

"What's the matter Scoots?" I asked, wrapping a wing around her. "What brought this out all of the sudden?"

"It's just," Scootaloo hesitated. " I remember you telling me how you tried before I was your adoptive-"

"Daughter." I interjected. 

"-daughter, right." Scootaloo finished.

"You're right, it is something that I had wanted. I was brought up with the mentality that not having a kid wasn't natural," I shrugged. "I couldn't be happier with you in my life."

"I know." Scootaloo said leaning against my leg lazily, something I had learned long ago that ponies did when they had a deep trust with another individual.

"Then why the long face?" I asked.

"Do you like Stormwalker more than me?" Scootaloo mumbled.

I was a bit stunned by this question. Scootaloo seemed like the protective big sister, why would she even think about such things? I tried my hardest to recall anything that might have been said to put her in such a mood.

"Scootaloo, do you really think that I like Stormwalker more than you?" I cocked an eyebrow at her as she looked up at me. "Do you think your mother or I could ever love one of you more than the other?"

"...no." Scootaloo replied with puffed out cheeks.

"Not buying it." I smirked, as I hopped off the bed.

"Hey! I said I didn't really believe it!" Scootaloo huffed.

"Uh huh." I walked out of her room, a mischievous plot in mind to get her out of her funk.

I could hear the little filly grumble and growl as she hopped off the bed after me, her wings buzzing with frustration. I was pretty confident that this would pass once my plan was in motion. I was also confident there would be hell to pay for it later, but that bridge would have to wait to be crossed for now.

"Hey, where'd you go?" Scootaloo called out.

I silently chuckled to myself as I heard her get closer to Stormwalker's room, which I had snuck into. She was about to walk right into my trap, completely unaware of what was about to befall her. Stormwalker was looking up at me, tilting his head slightly at I quietly hovered above the doorframe.

The second Scootaloo walked into the room, she was showered with a decent amount of baby powder. Her coat and mane were instantly dyed a partial white due to the substance, reminding me of a pony shaped powdered doughnut, if doughnuts could talk and give you dirty looks.

Scootaloo's cheeks became red with what seemed to be a mix of anger and embarrassment for falling for one of the oldest tricks in the book. I responded with an eyebrow wiggle and smirk as I landed. A baby powder shower was a different twist on the trick though.

I regretted my decision to land though, for as soon as I did, I was hit by a puff of the stuff. It made me sneeze, dispersing the particles into the air, making Scootaloo roll about in laughter. This resulted in the powder on her falling off and onto the floor and rug of the room, making an even bigger mess.

Well, if Cloudchaser's going to kill me for something, it might as well be this. I thought to myself as I squeezed the bottle again, giving Scootaloo a fresh coat of the stuff.

"Oh you're going down now!" Scootaloo exclaimed as I fled the room.

Stormwalker simply observed the conflict as the powder he was so used to seeing be applied to him was now applied to...just about everything in the house. One could only imagine what was running through his mind as he observed our unusual bonding behavior.

Time seemed to fly by, as we turned our house into a miniature warzone. Scootaloo and I sat on the couch. Stormwalker was contently drinking from a bottle as he surveyed what we had done with his baby powder.

Just as our energy was returning to us, our ears perked up at the sound of the door jiggling. All of our heads turned in unison to see Cloudchaser walking in with her back to us. I had a feeling this would not end well for any of us.

"Guys, I'm ho-" Cloudchaser stopped, mouth agape as she observed the evidence of our father, daughter activities.

"Hi mom." Scootaloo chirped, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Cloudchaser narrowed her eyes at me with a look she had given me only a few times during our life together. I smiled nervously, causing the powder around my cheeks to flake off. I had patches of my regular blue coat peeking out from beneath the white dust that coated me and most of the rooms of our house.

“H-hi honey…” I said quietly as my ears drooped.

“Who started it?” Cloudchaser asked.

“Dad did it.” Scootaloo pointed to me without hesitation.

“Turncoat.” I mumbled.

Cloudchaser took in a deep breath, releasing it as a sigh before making her way towards Stormwalker’s room. Her expression had shifted to a neutral one, displaying little emotion as she disappeared into the foal’s room.

She reappeared in the blink of an eye with a bottle of the white dust that now covered parts of the house. Cloudchaser’s blank expression slowly twisted into a mischievous one as she flapped her wings a few times to lift off of the hardwood floor.

---

Cloudchaser smiled affectionately at Stormwalker, the only member of the family that was currently incapable of getting into mischief, on his own anyway. She herself was now covered in his baby powder, as her daughter and husband stood in line at the store beside her, receiving the expected odd looks from other ponies.

The mare observed her daughter as she road on her father’s back. The two looked like two half powdered doughnuts that were stuck together, but there was little question about how much Daniel cared about her. Even before they had adopted her, she had been his “little buddy” as he called her.

Cloudchaser could see both of them through their daughter, even though she wasn’t tied by blood. They had filled the gap left by fate so long ago, and it had in her grades and social life over their first year with her in their hearts.

“So, what happened to you guys?” the cashier asked.

“Bonding.” Cloudchaser sweetly replied.

“So does this mean we’re not in trouble?” Scootaloo asked.

“You’re father certainly is for instigating things,” the mare replied with that same sweet innocent tone. “It’s a punishment I’m sure he’s willing to answer to though.”

“Viva la resistance.” Daniel replied.

“We’ll see how long that last.” Cloudchaser whispered into his ear.

---

Impulse stared intently at his sketches; without a doubt, replicating a wing would be the hardest part of this project. Making it fly, bend, and fold like a real pegasus’ wing would involve a great deal of tinkering, and with the charity race only a few weeks away, he would need to work fast.

It didn’t have to be perfect, yet. Impulse only needed his creation to fly and amuse the simple crowd that gathered. Even if he didn’t win, if he could prove his little invention worthy, all sorts of doors might open for him. This would be a byproduct of humiliating Daniel, of course.

“Ponies might not be too eager to see a metal pegasus walking around...you might need a suit.” Impulse mumbled to himself as he studied the head he had already constructed.

Unblinking glass eyes stared back at him, emotionlessly. The pupils were dark and lifeless, much like the monstrosity he was making.

“Lightweight…lightweight...” Impulse mumbled to himself as he wracked his brain to come up with a material that was light enough for flight, but strong enough that the speeds it would be reaching wouldn’t cause it to tear itself to shreds.

Impulse finally settled on a material and started to work on the right wing. He crafted each artificial feather individually, and after its completion found that they were razorblade sharp, despite their flimsy, feather like makeup. He made a mental note to avoid the dangerous edges of the replicas.

With the first milestone of his project completed, Impulse Spark slumped into a chair; staring thoughtfully at the incomplete replica. He already had one of the more serious issues worked out, how to bring an inanimate object to life. This would require magic of course, but a steady supply of it, one that no unicorn could apply to any object moving at such extreme speeds for an extended amount of time.

“We’ll have to see if the crystal can hold out,” Impulse said in idle conversation with his creation. “Hopefully it will run you until the end. Nothing personal or anything, you’re not like the others is all.”

---

Night had fallen, and Cloudchaser was snuggled up against me; her head resting beneath mine in the crook of my neck. My wing was draped over her tired, but happy form; after we had shared some much needed quality time together. 

Stormwalker had been put to sleep, the scheduled storm aiding in lulling the little colt to sleep. We both found it amazing at how peacefully, and easily he had dozed off with the rain and rolling thunder in the background. 

“So does this help make up for the baby powder war?” I asked.

“Mmhmm, mostly,” Cloudchaser replied, rolling over and scooting away a bit so she could face me. “Though I think it’s going to take a little more than that before I completely let it go.”

“Says the mare who took part in it.” I teased, gently nipping her ear.

“Details, details.” Cloudchaser giggled.

“So what did you have in mind then?” I raised an eyebrow at her in the darkness of the room, save for the glow from the moon from outside our window.

“That’s up to you, I'll let you know if it's good enough." Cloudchaser hummed playfully.

I quietly stroked her mane, as best as one can with hooves, as I mulled over the possibilities. I knew she was playing around, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized something that I was now kicking myself for not noticing sooner. All of the fun activities we had done, had just been the two of us, we had never really taken Scootaloo anywhere other than the Crystal empire, and that was part job, part leisure, so one couldn't really count it. 

"We've never gone to the beach as a family, have we?" I asked nonchalantly.  

"We...haven't, actually. Oh, wow..." Cloudchaser mumbled as she came to the same realization as I had. 

"I've got a few weeks before this charity shindig, and before Lean Streak jumps on my case again." I whispered, kissing her ear. 

"You sound like your daughter when she's trying to barter for something." Cloudchaser laughed. 

I don't know what it was, but what Scootaloo had asked me about earlier had settled in the back of my mind during our fun, only to resurface now that all was calm. The topic of her past was fresh and ready to go, despite my exhaustion, which did little to help detox my being from the anticipated cries of Stormwalker. It was a miracle that he had stayed asleep for as long as he had. 

"What's wrong?" Cloudchaser asked, picking up on my distress. "And be honest this time." 

"Scootaloo asked me about her parents today," I replied quietly. "Her birth parents." 

"Oh, well, what did you tell her?" Cloudchaser's expression shifted to one of concern as she lowered her voice as well. 

"I could only tell her what I could remember from the file, I wish I knew more, but a lot of their records were destroyed in the fire." I sighed. 

"...does she know how they-" Cloudchaser started to ask. 

"No, I haven’t told her. I wasn't sure if she was ready for that." I stopped her mid-sentence. 

"If she's asking questions, maybe it's time to give her some answers. I doubt she'd be asking...or are you afraid that her feelings will change?" Cloudchaser petted my chest as she scanned my eyes for the truth. 

"Maybe a little." I admitted. 

"Telling her about her dad isn't going to make her love you less. I promise, she's your little filly, and nothing can change that." Cloudchaser said as she nuzzled me. 

"I know, it's just me over thinking things." I sighed. 

"Try not to dwell on it," Cloudchaser said before rising from the bed. "I'm going to go check on Stormwalker, I think it's weird how peaceful he gets when it starts to rain." 

I nodded, not that she could really see my response, but it was the thought that counts right? I hoped so anyways, as I settled in for the night in preperation for my wife's return. Despite her wishes, Scootaloo's questions still occupied my thoughts. 

She was one of my first friends in Equestria turned family. She was coming to me now not as a friend in need, but as a child, my child, for an answer to a question. It was an answer I had little hope of giving...on my own anyways. 

A smile crossed my face as I thought back to Brave Banner's occupation. He was a soldier, and I had a pretty good friend among their ranks. Perhaps it was time I had another chat and see if I could gather anything. 

---

“REALLY!?” Scootaloo asked with the brightest smile I had seen in a long time.

“Yes, really,” I replied with a small laugh. “Your mom and I were talking about it last night.”

“Are you sure you’re not pulling my wing?” Scootaloo pointed a hoof at me.

“No wing pulling here munchkin, we haven’t really had a family outing before,” Cloudchaser replied, lifting the filly off the ground in a hug. “One that didn’t involve work anyways.”

“Hey, that almost sounded like I was being accused of something,” I raised an eyebrow at the mare. “I suggest a trip to the beach and I’m accused of working too much?”

Cloudchaser and Scootaloo looked at each other before turning to me with deadpan expressions, opening their mouths in perfect harmony with one another. “Yes, you do sometimes.”

“It’s fun work though...” I mumbled.

“All fun aside, it has put your life in danger, twice.” Cloudchaser said.

“And the free falling from high altitudes at alarming speeds isn’t life threatening, Miss Blue Angel?” I chuckled.

Whatever response the mare had in store for me was silenced by the high pitch screams of our foal. These were not the usual cries for attention, food, or mandatory change. These were cries of pain, which in flipped a switch in my brain from processing things with a calm, level head straight to daddy t-rex mode. 

The cries had a similar effect on Cloudchaser, the two of us sparing each other only the briefest knowing look before bolting for the foal’s room. Scootaloo followed after us, her hoof beats echoing behind us on the floor. 

“Shit!” I exclaimed, upon once we were inside Stormwalker’s room. 









> Wings 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stormwalker had been sobbing uncontrollably until we arrived at the hospital, where he was put under a light sleep spell. The two small lumps, which were nothing more than skin covering his wings, had ruptured and revealed two bloody limbs with tiny red, wet feathers.

I was in a panic, but Cloudchaser had insisted that everything was fine. Whether it was instinct, or just my personality, I couldn’t stand to see the little guy in pain. Scootaloo had been more upset than me, the sight of a set of bloody wings doing her mind little good.

I was thankful for Cloudchaser as she stroked the filly’s mane while we waited for the doctor. She was the calm one amidst all the chaos that had unfolded in the blink of an eye. It was an ability only a mother had, turning the mayhem around her into order.

A knock on the room door pulled me from my thoughts, as the doorknob briefly became engulfed by a purple energy. Twilight poked her head in, alongside Spike, before quietly entering into the room. While the spell keeping Stormwalker wasn’t going to wear off any time soon, it seemed the princess didn’t want to take any chances.

“How is he?” Twilight asked quietly.

“They say he’ll be fine,” I replied, fidgeting nervously. “We didn’t expect this to happen so soon.”

“It’s not uncommon.” Cloudchaser sighed.

“Has he been like this long?” Twilight giggled, pointing a hoof at me.

“Ever since Stormwalker’s wing tips broke through.” Cloudchaser replied.

Spike looked our foal over carefully. He seemed fascinated with the process of developing pegasi wings. I was as well, admittedly, since I hadn’t been born a pony and had simply been given a pair by Discord.

“He looks peaceful at least.” Spike commented.

“So, what happens now?” I asked, trying not to rock back and forth on my hooves.

“Usually close friends and family gather to see the foal’s wings. I’ve already sent for the others,” Twilight replied before turning her head towards Cloudchaser. “And let Flitter know as well.”

“Thank you Princess.” Cloudchaser said bowing her head respectfully.

Twilight opened her mouth to explain the princess part was unnecessary, but shook her head instead. No matter how normal Twilight wanted to be around her friends, there would always be those that would be proper around her.

True to her word, it wasn’t long before the others showed up to see Stormwalker’s wings. Apparently, it was a long standing tradition, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash had made bets as to what the wings would look like. Applejack believed he would take after me, having larger wings. Rainbow Dash believed that the foal would take after his mom.

“At least they knocked him out,” Isabella said, gently stroking Stormwalker’s mane while carefully avoiding the newly exposed limbs.

“I suppose one can take solace in that the poor dear won’t remember this.” Rarity added.

“I wish the doctor would hurry up so I can collect my bits already.” Rainbow Dash huffed.

“You seem awfully confident Dash.” Applejack snickered.

“What do you know about wings? It’s obvious he’s going to take after Cloudchaser!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Heh, the earth pony is right.” Lean Streak chuckled.

“Wait, what?” Rainbow Dash spun around to face the old stallion.

“Yeah, it’ll be daddy’s wings on him.” Scootaloo added, still resting in Cloudchaser’s lap.

“I don’t believe this, you too squirt?” Rainbow Dash sulked.

“You’ll get your answer soon enough.” Twilight said as the door opened.

The doctor looked up from his clipboard to take in the decent crowd that had gathered. Admittedly, I was a little impressed myself, and touched as well. While not all were present, it was still a nice reminder that there were those that genuinely cared in this world.

“Huh, wasn’t expecting a gathering like this,” the unicorn mused as a silver object levitated from a cabinet. “Let’s see how the little guy is doing.”

The room fell silent as the doctor took the device in his mouth and prodded the area around Stormwalker’s budding wings. As he did so, a look of intense concentration crossed his muzzle. Needless to say, this did little to ease my mind about the entire situation.

“Yep, I’d say they’re ready,” the doctor smiled, as the object he had used to inspect Stormwalker’s wings was thrown into a waste bin. “Mom, dad, are you two ready?”

Scootaloo hopped out of Cloudchaser’s lap, letting her up at the doctor’s request. I followed her over to Stormwalker’s side, more than a little confused as to what was about to happen. This was something I wasn’t expecting at all, encouraging the wings to fully extend was something the doctor was supposed to do, right?

“Umm…doc, I don’t-“ I started to say.

“Just do what I do.” Cloudchaser said, giving me an encouraging smile as she motioned for me to stand on the other side of our foal.

I watched her gently rest her hoof just below Stormwalker’s right wing tip. I did the same with his left, watching her the entire time. As I watched her, the smile she wore through this while ordeal seemed to calm me down. She had once asked me if she would be a good mom, there was little doubt now whether or not she was.

“You’re going to apply the smallest amount of pressure to the area beneath his wing tips,” the doctor instructed. “Kind of like petting a dog.”

“Together on three,” Cloudchaser whispered. “One…two…three.”

At that instant, we both applied pressure just beneath his wing tips. I felt something shift and buckle, before two wings slid smoothly from Stormwalker’s back. They were soaked red with blood, and about four inches long. The most distinguishing feature about them though, were the large primary feathers; large considering Stormwalker’s age, anyways.

“W-what!?” Rainbow Dash’s wings and ears drooped in defeat.

“Heh, told ya.” Applejack grinned.

I had thought that seeing Stormwalker born was special, but seeing him with his wings, finally complete, nearly topped that moment. Even as his wings were cleaned of the blood and goo that had covered them and kept them safe, he still remained fast asleep, with a tranquil look about him as both wings came to rest beside him.

“I’ve never actually seen it before.” Twilight said looking the new wings over.

“Now comes the fun part of raising him, making sure he doesn’t fly out of the crib.” Spike laughed.

“Wait, what?” I asked dumbly.

“Well, Spike is right to a certain extent,” Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Pegasi foals can sometimes gain the ability to hover and fly at an early age, they obviously lack the motor skills to truly control their wings though.”

“Comforting thoughts…a summer without the ceiling fans it is then.” I said.

“Which is why I thought ahead,” Cloudchaser planted a kiss on my cheek. “His crib has a safety net to stop him from hurting himself.”

I was about to make the cliché comment as to what I would do without her, since I now genuinely wondered what I would do without Cloudchaser? The mare clearly had more forethought than most, including me, would give her credit for. I was going to address all of this, until a loud pop stopped me, which was accompanied by a pink cloud.

“Discord? Where have you been?” Fluttershy asked as the smoke cleared.

“I was preoccupied. My alarm clock kept running, couldn’t get it to stop until I took its legs away.” Discord replied, stretching himself out. “So why is everpony gathered in a hospital anyways?”

A tiny yawn silenced the entire room. Stormwalker stirred from his nap, and looked up at Discord with sleepy eyes. Discord had never seen our foal, nor Stormwalker Discord. All present held their breath, expecting the foal to break down into tears out of fear, or quite possibly from some residual pain around his new wings.

Stormwalker’s eyes opened a bit wider as he stared Discord down. The lord of chaos seemed as equally confused for once, not quite sure what to make of our reaction, or Stormwalker’s.

“What?” Discord finally asked, addressing the colt as if he was capable of speech.

Stormwalker didn’t reply, being incapable of doing so. Instead, he held a tiny hoof up, gesturing towards Discord. This caused him to recoil slightly, unsure of what the foal wanted.

“I think he wants you to hold him.” Fluttershy suggested quietly.

“I can’t hold another pony’s foal, what would I do with it anyways?” Discord asked.

The draconequus looked to me for an answer. If Stormwalker genuinely wanted Discord to hold him, I wasn’t going to stop it, Cloudchaser on the other hoof, was the one who I was certain would be a bit more cautious with who could, and couldn’t, hold him.

“Just be gentle with him.” Cloudchaser replied, her tone carrying a subtle warning with her words.

Slowly, Discord picked Stormwalker up, holding him out a good distance away from him. This clearly displeased the foal, as he tried to reach for him with his tiny forelegs.

It seemed his infant charm had won over Discord as well, as the chaos entity brought him closer. Stormwalker stopped his squirming only to stroke and play with Discord’s beard. Discord seemed to be at a loss once more, not quite sure how to react.

Discord’s indifference towards the situation melted away, as a new sound came from Stormwalker’s small muzzle. It was one that left both Cloudchaser and myself baffled, as well as the others in the room. Stormwalker laughed for the first time, cooing and playing with Discord.

“Well, at least somepony can appreciate good taste in muzzle hair.” Discord chuckled, wiggling his fuzzy eyebrows, eliciting another laugh from Stormwalker.

While I had never taken Discord to be the caring type when it came to children, he seemed to at least have half a heart when handling Stormwalker, or he was putting up a very good front. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust that some part of him did care.

“Wings like his daddy's eh?" Isabella grinned down at me.

“Yeah, how about that,” I replied, a smile crossing my face for the briefest of seconds before something crossed my mind. "Hey, are you headed back to Canterlot anytime soon?"

"I was going there after I got through socializing here, why?" my sister asked.

"I don't know when I'll be there before the charity race, so I was hoping you could pass something along to Noctra." I replied.

Isabella closed her eyes for a few seconds before responding. "I don't really see the mare that often, given the time conflict and what not, but I can see to something being passed along. What's on your mind?"

"I need some information on a pegasus named Brave Banner." I whispered, flying up to her level to whisper the request to her.

"Brave Banner...isn't that-" Isabella started to blurt out until I shushed her. "-right, I think I can manage that."

---

Scootaloo’s wings beat with humming bird like speed to stay airborne as she latched Stormwalker’s crib net closed. Her wings had been getting stronger, even though she still needed to move them faster than a pegasus normally would. She probably wouldn’t be a speed demon like her surrogate sister, but that was for the best, for my own sanity as well as her mother’s.

Stormwalker’s new wings flapped happily as he laughed at his sister’s less than graceful landing. His wing beats actually lifted him off the small mattress in the crib, until he startled himself which caused him to fall victim to the laws of gravity. This made him laugh even more as he proceeded to hover briefly before letting himself fall back down onto the soft bedding.

“Uh, is he going to be okay?” I asked, nervous that he would cause himself harm.

“He’ll be fine, I promise. You’re worrying too much,” Cloudchaser said, leaning against me. “He’ll tucker himself out before too long.”

“He seems more active at least.” I commented as my eyes followed him, trying not to laugh as he partially devoured his blanket, sucking on it.

I did my best to try and draw from my experience taking care of my cousins when they were younger, but foals developed at a completely different speed. After seeing him prop himself up on his hind legs, I had the feeling that it wouldn’t be too long before he was completely mobile, which didn’t bode well. At least Scootaloo was excited about the thought of Stormwalker wobbling about.

“When do you think he’ll be able to walk?” Scootaloo asked, looking up at us.

“It shouldn’t be too much longer,” Cloudchaser replied, ruffling the filly’s mane. “It’s your bed time too though.”

Scootaloo sulked, she had loved those words the first few times she heard them. After a while however; she became like every other filly, and knew that those words meant the end of the day. She looked to me, since I was the one who had been an inhibitor of this response, letting her stay up a little later when Cloudchaser had left for the week.

I mouthed my sympathies, to which Scootaloo sighed and walked to her room to get ready. I glanced over at Stormwalker once more, observing him enjoying the cottony taste of his blanket. Small, comical “nom” sounds came from his tiny mouth as he watched Cloudchaser and I exited his room.

---

Scootaloo opened one eye, certain that her parents had gotten up for the last time for the night, or so they thought they would be anyways. She smiled as she slid out of bed and quietly walked to Stormwalker’s room, catching her brother just as he was starting to nod off.

While the tangerine filly was no fan of books, she had been anxiously waiting for her brother’s wings to fully develop, knowing they brought with them the trademark hyperactive tendencies of a pegasus. It was something to do with their abilities taking root, or so she had read.

“Hey Stormwalker.” Scootaloo whispered, leaning her forehooves against the crib.

Stormwalker lazily babbled upon seeing his sister, sitting up after blowing and popping a spit bubble. His tongue remained outside his muzzle as he watched Scootaloo expectantly, tilting his head slightly.

Scootaloo stuck her tongue out in response to the foal’s antics, making him giggle in response. His laughter was contagious however; making it a struggle to suppress her own laughter in order to prevent her parents from waking up.

"Do you think mom and dad are alright?" Scootaloo asked her brother, who simply stared back at her, now sucking on his foreleg. "I think they're okay too."

Stormwalker let himself lean lazily to the left until he toppled over, his copper eyes never leaving Scootaloo. The tangerine filly knew he couldn't understand or respond to her questions, but it still felt good to talk to somepony about this, even if it was her baby brother.

"I love them both, it's just," Scootaloo hesitated, as her brother ceased his rocking motions and propped himself up against the wooden bars of the crib, akin to a prisoner in a jail cell. "I wish I knew more about where I come from. You don't have that problem."

Stormwalker leaned his tiny muzzle through the crib bars, pressing his against hers. She made a note of how small his muzzle was compared to hers. More important than that was his giggling had returned, causing Scootaloo to smile.

The moment was ruined all too soon however; as Stormwalker did what most infants do best, explore their world the only way they know how to at first. Before Scootaloo could pull away, the foal mouthed the tip of his sister's muzzle, matting her fur.

"Eww!" Scootaloo yelped. While more tolerable of most things her friends would find gross, she drew the line at baby drool, even her brother's.

A deep throat clearing cough startled the filly. She could practically feel a set of eyes burning into the back of her head before she even turned around. Upon doing so, she was met with the very tired glare of her father.

"Squirt...why are you opening Pandora’s Box?" Daniel asked.

"Uh..." Scootaloo had no idea who or what Pandora was, or what box this pony had. This led her to believe her dad was sleep walking. "You need to go back to bed."

"Yep, you're going too though." Daniel replied, debunking her theory, and ending her midnight adventure.

---

Isabella had grown to like the castle at night, after all of the commotion had settled down from the day. Despite their personality, the bat ponies were actually quiet when it came to their duty. Isabella could only think of night when they had been a bit chattier than they normally were.

After spending time around them during the evenings, she had picked up on the differences in the voices of bat pony mares and stallions, as opposed to your average pony during the day.

During the day, when she was out and about with Blueblood, which was still a work in progress, he would never shut up about wanting her to leave Ponyville. His reasons ranged from wanting to see her more, to improving her magic. Isabella could only guess how he knew about that particular trait, since she had never mentioned anything to him.

He was right though, she could probably improve more so than she had been if she were in Canterlot, and it would finally get Blueblood off her case. Despite loving the castle though, she didn't care for the ponies that dwelt within.

They felt fake to her, just like two of Blueblood's friends, whom she had taken the liberty of relinquishing that title from the little moochers. How he had fooled himself into thinking he had friends was beyond Isabella's comprehension. After spending enough time with him, it became apparent that he had almost no friends at all.

Turning the royal priss into a real stallion was an ongoing project, but at the very least Blueblood could now say he had friends when asked. This was one project Isabella was happy to get behind.

Something else that the prince often brought up was how she had turned into a unicorn. Isabella didn't speak about the odd circumstances that led to her walking a few miles in a pony's metaphorical shoes. They had both been drunk the night her brain decided to be so forthcoming.

It wasn't surprising that he would remember her story though, since ponies simply slept booze off like it was nothing. Isabella could only remember the splitting headache, and wanting to kill Blueblood for being so noisy the following morning.

After her little story, Blueblood had occasionally asked what she looked like when she was confined to four legs instead of two. Isabella would give the same details, he thankfully didn't ask enough to annoy her about, but did ask if she had ever considered it again.

Isabella had in fact considered it, and had something special planned for him soon, since he was so intrigued by what she looked like. She would need help from the walking funhouse from Ponyville in order to make it happen.

"Ponyville...oh shit, Noctra!" Isabella exclaimed, bolting from her room to try and find the mare.

Truth be told, any guard would probably do when it came to asking for this type of information. Noctra was a family friend though, which made her the go-to bat for this little favor.

Isabella had expected the mare to be running drills or patrolling the halls, but after what felt like an eternity of searching, she finally asked one of her co-workers as to her whereabouts. Much to her frustration, the mare had the day, or night, off tonight and was reading in the library.

Upon finding her Isabella's face twisted into an extremely confused one, as she took in the sight before her. The mare was hanging upside down, reading a book. When Noctra finally noticed Isabella, the mare cocked an eyebrow at her.

"What? I can't read?" Noctra grinned playfully.

"Sorry, it's just the last thing I thought I would catch you doing." Isabella confessed.

"Well, I have been caught doing worse," Noctra giggled. "So what brings you my way? Here to 'see' Blueblood?"

"Just you tonight, before I turn in." Isabella replied.

"Oh, well what's up?" the bat pony asked, dropping down from the ceiling to hover just above the floor a bit before landing.

Isabella looked around the library cautiously, wanting to keep this as private as possible. "Did you know a pegasus by the name of Brave Banner?"

'Brave Banner...that doesn't ring any bells, but then again, you'd probably have more luck out of the record files." Noctra laughed nervously.

"He was Scootaloo's father, his wife was Summer Stars, a unicorn." Isabella added.

"Summer Stars....I think I remember something about her...." Noctra stuck her tongue out in thought.

"How would you know her but not Brave Banner?" Isabella asked.

"This is unicorn central here, if you don't know a unicorn after spending at least a few hours in Canterlot, something is wrong with you," Noctra explained with exaggerated motions with her hooves. "At any rate, the name does sound familiar, and I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find something on this Brave Banner."

Isabella wasn't sure what to expect from the bat pony, but she had at least tried to be helpful. Perhaps she could get more information from one of Celestia's guards. They rarely spoke out of line, but when talking about another brother in arms, Isabella assumed it wouldn't be too hard to get their mouths moving.

"Well thanks Noctra, I guess I'll give the books a once over tomorrow." Isabella said.

"Sorry I couldn't help you more..." Noctra sulked.

Isabella shrugged, leaning in to scratch the bat pony's ear. Just as she was about to leave the library, Noctra stood up at attention, as if somepony had just called her.

"I remember now!" Noctra exclaimed.

"Wait, you do?" Isabella asked in disbelief.

"I saw their case a few years back, when it ran across the paper." Noctra replied.

"Their case...as in-" Isabella started.

"Their deaths," Noctra said. "I remember it now, bits and pieces anyways. Their house had burned, and there was never a clear link to how the fire started though."

Isabella cringed, she didn't want the image of Scootaloo's parents writhing in pain in her mind. She couldn't imagine a worse death than that, and how horrible it must have been.

"You said they never found a clear cause for the fire," Isabella managed to squeeze from her throat. "Did they not think it was just a freak accident?"

"Most houses in Canterlot have a fire ward inside, to prevent that from happening," Noctra tried to explain. "Which means that an accidental fire would have to be big and strong enough to overpower the ward."

"...somepony did it?" Isabella asked cautiously.

"A lot of ponies at the time thought that, given the mix of events." Noctra replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Isabella crossed her arms.

"Think about it, you have a beautiful unicorn mare, a rough pegasus guard stallion, and then you throw a foal in the mix, a pegasus foal no less," Noctra's voice dropped as she explained. "How well do you think that sat with a predominantly unicorn populace?"

"I think you're reading too much into it," Isabella scoffed. "Besides Celestia and Luna would have stomped that out."

"They did in Cloudsdale, sure, but Cloudsdale wasn't very subtle about their less than friendly words and actions towards our land bound kin," Noctra shrugged. "Izzy, you have to remember that not every blade in Canterlot, or Equestria for that matter, is political. Otherwise we wouldn't be needed."

"That's wrong though, I mean, if it was murder they shouldn't have gotten away like that." Isabella fumed.

"The princesses can't be everywhere at once Izzy, and neither can the guard or the elements. I know it stinks, but sometimes the bad ponies walk away." Noctra sighed. 

"I know, I'm not blaming you. I just hate it for the kid....I can't go back with that though, I doubt that would sit well with her dad, especially if it's gotten me fired up." Isabella said.

"You might have to wait until morning, then," Noctra cautioned. "Family records are sensitive, so you'd need an official’s okay before going snooping."

"I can think of a mare that might help me out." Isabella smiled. She wasn't about to let this go now. What at first had seemed like a simple, boring request from her brother had now gained her interest.

> Tough Love 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo sighed as the lesson she and her fellow classmates were subjected to seemed to drag on forever. The day wasn't even halfway through yet, since they hadn't even had recess. Time seemed to be deliberately dragging its hooves, and it seemed as if recess would pass them by completely.

The filly knew this was false, but at that moment she was content to let her mind run wild with horrible circumstances if recess was missed. There might be another blue bottle incident if such a crime was to unfold, and nopony wanted that, except Applebloom perhaps.

Even Star Sprint's antics had grown boring, which was a rare occurrence. Scootaloo liked spending time with the colt, almost as much as Sweetiebelle did with Button Mash. He was a loyal friend, and there to listen when she wanted to vent about problems at school, which she still received thanks to Silver Spoon's new groupies.

Diamond Tiara had finally ended things with the filly, after giving her one final chance to turn her heart around. Silver Spoon refused, and blamed Scootaloo for her former friend becoming too softhearted. It left the once smug filly down trodden, but thankfully she had real friends to pick her back up.

Scootaloo found herself idly drawing her aunt. She was a real hero, an explorer that was well known back on Earth. While her dad would always be number one, Isabella was a pretty close contender...which set the gears in motion for a small comic, one of which she snickered as she put more details into it.

"Scootaloo," Cheerilee's voice made the filly jump. "It's good to see a pony so dedicated to taking notes-"

Here it comes. Scootaloo thought to herself.

"-perhaps you'd like to review what you were so vigorously jotting down?"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes, sighing loudly. She didn't even bother to cover up the fact that she had been doodling. Instead, she simply gave Cheerilee her paper which she had been drawing on, ready to receive her punishment, and a round of laughter from her classmates.

"This...is this your aunt and father fighting?" Cheerilee asked.

"Yeah, why?" Scootaloo raised her eyebrow at her teacher.

"...it's just...I don't remember either of them firing lightning from their eyes, or their hands being surrounded by fire....is there something you're trying to tell me?" Cheerilee whispered the last part to the filly.

"No, I just wondered who would win in a fight." Scootaloo shrugged.

"A fight..." the mare deadpanned.

"Yer pa, duh." Apple Bloom chimed in.

"Nuh uh, Isabella would." Sweetiebelle stood up in her chair.

"Pfft, as if. Isabella could do anything against a pegasus." Featherweight laughed.

"She did say they had hands, meaning they're human." Diamond Tiara promptly pointed out.

The conversation soon devolved into a bickering match between two sides of the classroom. One for team Daniel, the other for team Isabella. In the middle of all of the chaos was Cheerilee, doing her best to try and calm things down, to no avail.

Scootaloo smiled with the unintentional results of her slacking. For once, it paid to actually goof off, for the moment anyways. The filly was certain that there was trouble in her foreseeable future as a result of her disturbance. For now though, she was going to enjoy the moment.

Or so she thought, until the comic pushed its way into her mind again. She was still curious herself as to who would win in a fight? She eventually shrugged it off, but not without some difficulty around the laughing and shouting classmates.

“Her dad couldn’t win, he’s just a loser.” one colt’s voice rang out above the rest.

Perhaps it was the fact that it was a direct insult to her father, or the fact that it came from a foal that was close by. Whatever the reason, Scootaloo heard this above the rest of the noise and snarled.

“You take that back!”

“Or what?” the colt huffed.

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes, her tiny wings buzzing briefly before tackling the colt, catching him off guard. She couldn’t really hurt him, but did managed to pin him to the floor, much to the other students amusement.

Eventually the bell rang, which was sweet music to Scootaloo’s ears. Before she could stand and follow the other students out however; a firm hoof was placed on her shoulder. Cheerilee didn't seem too thrilled with her class being disrupted.

Scootaloo sheepishly grinned as the mare narrowed her eyes. She could tell her teacher was quite miffed by her antics.

---

I groaned as I re-read the letter from Princess Celestia. Apparently, Filthy Rich had the wrong date for the event sent to him. Thankfully Celestia had sent a letter congratulating me and Cloudchaser, and had brought up the event, hoping to see us there.

There were more details to my requested presence. She wanted to 'see her friend the way he had arrived' which was do-able. It would certainly rub a few unicorns the wrong way, seeing a little foal sired by an alien.

Now that the date of the charity was much closer that left little time for the beach. As much as I didn't want to, it was looking like it would have to be postponed.

I sighed, quite certain that Scootaloo would hate me, or at the very least be disappointed and not want to speak to me. Cloudchaser would probably be worse, and I might get a lecture, or Filthy Rich might.

A thump from the foal's room caught my attention. I dropped the letter and flew the short distance to Stormwalker's room. I found the foal giggling as he bumped into the gentle netting that covered his crib, causing him to fall back down onto the small mattress.

"You'll still be on my side, right buddy?" I asked rhetorically.

Stormwalker babbled a bit before proceeding to consume his blanket, or try to at least. Foal's nibbling on things was a pretty good indication that they were hungry, which was a problem I was happy to resolve before he gave his second sign of hunger, one that was much more audible and hard on the ears.

I left him to his own devices momentarily while I prepped his meal. The next thing to come in would be his teeth, which would be a brand new nightmare. I knew taking care of a baby would be hard, but one straight out of my world's mythology wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

Truth be told, for a while Cloudchaser and I weren't sure what Stormwalker would be. Cadance had said he would be a colt, but I was referred to as a stallion even when I was a human. To them, stallion served as just another way to identify gender as much as species.

I returned to find Stormwalker in the same position I had left him in. Feeding the little colt had become a bit more difficult now that he could become airborne. Thankfully, I could fly faster than he could possibly hope to, for the time being anyways.

The instant I lowered the net around his crib, Stormwalker slowly started to rise up above the bars. I gently grabbed him out of the air to feed him, an action he wasn't too thrilled by until he realized why I had detained the little would be escapee.

"You, you little aviator wanna be, are going to be a hoofful huh?" I asked as the colt continued to feed.

I was startled by the door slowly opening. I wasn’t expecting anypony today, and it was too soon for Cloudchaser to come home. I gently set Stormwalker down, giving him time to support his bottle with his hind and forelegs. I smirked at his budding creativity before refocusing on the mystery guest that had let themselves into my home.

I poked my head out of the foal’s room to spot Scootaloo, who was trying to close the door a bit quieter than she had opened it. While it was safe to assume it was because of Stormwalker, but that didn’t explain why she was trying to sneak into the house so early in the day. Equestria didn’t normally have early dismissal days, like Earth schools, so that left only one possibility.

Okay Daniel, let’s not jump to conclusions…she could be sick.

I need better advice brain.

Uh…what would Mufasa do?

….I can roll with that.

“Hey Scoots,” I said as I approached her, making her jump. “Why are you home so early?”

“O-oh, uhh, nothing! I just uh…got…sick, yeah, really contagious.” Scootaloo stammered.

I was at a cross road now. My daughter, bless the little fuzz ball, was doing a poor job at trying to cover up the truth. I knew this, and she probably knew I knew this, but wasn’t quite ready to come out with the truth yet. So, I could either end things now, or I could see how long it took to get the truth out of her with my own shenanigans.

“I see,” I said with a smile, coming to a conclusion as to what needed to be done. “Well, let’s see what we’ve got then.”
Scootaloo seemed a bit dumbfounded as I nonchalantly placed a hoof beside her head. Her temperature was fine of course, but she didn’t know that I knew any better yet. I had to stop myself from snickering and struggled to keep a straight expression as I set my plan in motion.

“Hmm, you might have something,” I said quietly. “We’d better get you in bed kiddo.”

“Wha-I mean, m-maybe Cheerilee was just worried.” just like that, Scootaloo had set in motion the next part of my little game.

“I’m not taking any chances. Come on little bit.” I said ushering her to her room.

“But, but-“ Scootaloo’s wings buzzed in protest.

“No buts, if Cheerilee says your sick then I’m going to take her word for it. I’m not as educated on pony illnesses as her, so I’ll let Cloudchaser decide what to do when she gets home.” I cut her off.

Scootaloo finally submitted to being carried to her room. Whether it was childhood naivety, or a distracted mind, she didn’t seem to pick up on the fact that I was playing along with her. I did my best to mask my tone, but it had slipped once or twice.

“You know, you don’t have to do this. I’m feeling better already.” Scootaloo smiled.

“If Cheerilee says it’s highly contagious then we need to keep you in bed for at least say….oh I don’t know, two weeks?” I offered.

“Two weeks!?” Scootaloo blurted out in shock.

“That’s not a problem is it? I mean, you are sick, right?” I asked with a hint of skepticism in my voice.

Scootaloo hesitated for a second. She looked like she was on the verge of cracking, which was what I wanted. While some might see this as cruel punishment, it was a better alternative to spanking her. While I believed that doing so was beneficial, I didn’t exactly know whether or not it would have the same result as a human child.

Pony’s didn’t have hands, and with only a hoof to work with, spanking became a lot less effective. That, and even contemplating hitting Scootaloo, even out of discipline, pricked my heart a bit. The little filly really did have me wrapped around her little hoof, but she had been sent home for a reason, and trying to cover it up was wrong.

“Come to think of it, I should probably look into what medicine to get you,” I pretended to think out loud, hoping that would be the extra nudge she needed to come clean. “Be right back.”

I closed the door to Scootloo’s room, returning to Stormwalker’s to watch the last of the milk disappear from the bottle he had. The little guy could put it away. At least he wouldn’t be trying to escape with a full stomach weighing him down.

The colt gave me a pained expression and squirmed restlessly, as his greed started to catch up with him. Scooping him up, I gently patted his back, working the bubbles up from his stomach. What followed was an adorable burp, accompanied by a hiccup. The combination made me chuckle as I placed him back in his crib.

Stormwalker’s eyes had already started to droop, growing heavy after being fed. His little wings flapped occasionally in protest to falling asleep, not quite ready to drift off just yet. Their resistance was snuffed out by a fresh blanket being tucked snugly around his tired form, which gave out one final yawn before surrendering to slumber.

Latching the crib net shut again, I returned to Scootaloo’s room after quickly swinging by the kitchen to grab a spoon and small glass, which I had filled with syrup. The glass was blue in color though, and threw off the regular golden brown hue the liquid had. Instead, it appeared as any standard dark fluid would, and was unidentifiable.

“Okay, sorry for the wait,” I said pushing the door open to Scootaloo’s room. “Now, let’s try and get something down you.”

“Uh…what is that?” Scootaloo asked nervously.

“An old family remedy, I’ve been hoping to see how well it would work with an illness in Equestria so-“ I started.

“I lied!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “I got in trouble at school!”

I chuckled and drank the syrup that was in the glass, there was no sense in wasting it. I also did it to get one last reaction out of Scootaloo, as she watched me drink her “medicine.”

“Dad, are you crazy!?” Scootaloo panicked.

“Relax squirt, it was just syrup,” I grinned. “I appreciate your concern though.”

“Syrup...how did you know?” Scootaloo asked, her shoulders slumping as her ears drooped with the realization that I had been aware of her cover up from the beginning.

This wasn’t the first time that Scootaloo had gotten in trouble, but it was the first time she had tried to cover up the truth from me. Now that she had come clean, it was time to do what my father never did, explain why I was going to punish her. He had often gotten mad, and my mother would do the explaining. I didn’t hate him though, but I wasn’t going to be him either.

“Scoots, I was a kid once. I fibbed to my parents as well.” I replied, sitting on her bed.

“Why the act though? Couldn’t you have just talked to Cheerilee?” my daughter shyly looked up at me.

“I could have, but what would that accomplish?” I asked in return.

“I don’t…oh.” Scootaloo said as she realized why I had carried on with her.

“I wanted you to tell the truth yourself,” I said, wrapping a wing around her. “So, what really happened?”

“I drew a comic in class, and when Cheerilee asked me about it I told her I was just curious who would win, you or Isabella,” Scootaloo noticed my raised eyebrow and furthered her explanation. “It caused an argument, so she sent me home.”

“How big of an argument?” I asked, trying not to sound too critical.

“Classroom sized.” Scootaloo mumbled.

I found it hard to believe that something so trivial would cause such a disturbance, but ponies found interest in strange things sometimes. Then again, since I was part of the topic in question it made me a little curious myself who they thought would win, not that something like that would ever happen anyways.

“Is there more?” I asked.

“A colt called you a loser…so I tackled him.” Scootaloo replied.

“That makes more sense,” I nodded. “Sweetie, you can’t beat up every foal that says stupid stuff, that makes you just as wrong as him.”

“I know.” Scootaloo sighed.

“You know that I have to punish you, right?” I asked.

“I know.” Scootaloo said again, not making eye contact at me.

“Hey,” I nudged her, getting her to look up at me. “I’m not doing it to be mean. I’m doing it because I love you, and don’t want you to end up like the bad apples in the world. You’ve got a good head on you.”

Wordlessly, the filly leaned against me, her expression blank. I felt I had made my point, and all that was left now was to decide on something fitting as punishment. She would definitely be apologizing to whomever this mystery colt was, but that needed to wait. It needed to be genuine when she did so, and not just because she was in trouble.

“So, I’m going to go take care of a few things,” I said hoping down from Scootaloo’s bed after we had sat in silence for a while. “I don’t want you to say sorry just yet, I want you to think about things for a while before you do.”

“Yes sir.” Scootaloo said, her ears remaining splayed back against her head.

---

Isabella threw another small gem into the river, resulting in a small light display beneath the running water before another fish floated to the surface briefly. She had been at this for a while now, taking a break from learning about Scootaloo’s possible past, to extending her own abilities.

“You find amusement in such activities?” she heard Blueblood ask, who had insisted on accompanying her.

“It’s hit and miss, but I do find it interesting how fast your world’s fish recover from the shock.” Isabella replied.

“I see…you do know this could be considered cruelty, yes?” the prince raised an eyebrow at her.

“It’s barely a love tap…with a gem stone….that has a small static charg-okay fine, you win.” Isabella huffed as Blueblood held his accusing expression through her explanation.

“Could you repeat that, I didn’t have my good ear turned to you.” Blueblood grinned.

Isabella rolled her eyes before throwing an uncharged gem at the unicorn. His horn became surrounded by an aura just as the gem started to levitated in place. With a smirk, he tucked it neatly into the bag she had pulled it from.

“Show off.” Isabella grumbled.

“Hardly showing off, I’m amazed your brother doesn’t have the same control as you do.” Blueblood commented.

“At least he can fly and stuff…” Isabella commented.

Blueblood put a hoof to his chin. “Okay, what’s on your mind?”

“Nothing, why?” Isabella asked.

“I’ve been around you long enough to know when you’re dwelling on something.” Blueblood replied.

“Gasp, the prince has finally learned to read others? Oh the prophecy has been fulfilled!” Isabella mock swooned.

“Hilarious,” Blueblood deadpanned. “Seriously though, what troubles that beautiful mind of yours?”

Isabella hesitated divulging information to her colt friend. She felt that it might be a sensitive topic, since it had to do with politics. Then again, Blueblood might be completely ignorant to the entire event and she had nothing to worry about.

“So…let’s say a unicorn and a pegasus fell in love,” Isabella started, continuing once Blueblood nodded. “How would you feel about that if they were in Canterlot?”

“I can’t say I approve, but I’m not going to stop them. Some traditions die hard, especially in Canterlot…why do you ask?” Blueblood replied.

“Just troubled over the incident that left Scootaloo an orphan...did you know of a Summer Stars?” Isabella asked.

“Summer Stars…ah yes, I remember that affair.” Blueblood said.

“Affair?” Isabella sat up at the mention of the word.

“Well, as far as I can remember she was betrothed to another unicorn that perished in the army, I’m afraid...she obviously didn't stay single though.” Blueblood said.

Isabella was starting to connect the dots, but was still having a hard time believing what she was hearing. Was this possibly the missing piece of the puzzle? All she needed was one more piece of information, she was sure of it. She was already under the assumption that Scootaloo's parents had been murdered, but she couldn't make that call just yet. 

“Do you remember who it was that she was supposed to be married to?” Isabella asked.

“I’m afraid any trace of that information died with her. Her parents fell ill and departed us before she did. Otherwise your niece’s picture wouldn’t be resting on your nightstand,” Blueblood frowned. “I can’t recall the name of the stallion either…I’m sorry.”

Isabella mentally cursed. The second she had a trail, it went cold again. No wonder the ponies had given up on this case, there was no link left to find. She had assumed it might have been jealousy or something, but with nothing else to go on she was back to square one.

“Why does it trouble you so much?” Blueblood asked, resting his head on her shoulder while she was on the ground.

“She’s family, and if somepony did something to her-“ Isabella started.

“You’d give them the ol’ one two, I know,” Blueblood said. “Nopony’s been able to solve this case for years though, don’t over think things too much.”

There was something else that had been bugging her, something that she and her brother often joked about, but was beginning to look like a real possibility. She had heard rumors of foals being mistreated if they weren't born a unicorn in an all unicorn family. Rare as it may be, being with a relatively influential unicorn put things into perspective. 

“What would you do if we didn’t have a unicorn?” Isabella asked quietly.

“I'm sorry?” Blueblood tilted his head. 

"If we stay together, and you do your thing...what would you do if we didn't have a unicorn?" Isabella asked again. 

"Rather left field of you," Blueblood commented. "I would be proud all the same...needless to say I'd still have a preference for a daughter first." 

"First huh?" Isabella reached behind her to stroke his mane. This was a far cry from the selfish wimp he had once been. She liked this Blueblood, and he definitely seemed to like her back.

“I think we’ve spent enough time torturing the fish for one day, unless you prefer to start working on birds next?” the prince mocked.

“Pfft, birds? I’m thinking dragons.” Isabella laughed.

---

Impulse carefully attached the last leg to the metal frame. Finally, if all his figures were correct, his project should be mobile on the ground as well, if it were to pass for a normal pegasus it would need to, however briefly. He smiled at the thought of something he made coming together and working as well as he intended, but tried not to get his hopes too high, this was still just a test after all.

“Okay, time for the moment of truth,” Impulse said lowering his creation to the floor. “Let’s see if you can walk.”

Impulse levitated a controller in front of him, flipping four small switches up one at a time. The unicorn had set a red crystal in each leg, used to hold a charge of his magic for mobility. As he flipped the switched, each crystal started to shine, sending magic through the wiring that had been coiled around each one.

Each leg was segmented and  dirty bronze in color. Metal plates covered sophisticated gears that stood in as muscle for the fake pony. Impulse was quite proud of his idea, though he had yet to find a suitable, long lasting power source that didn’t expire after four hours.

He opted to leave the head off for this test run. He wanted to be sure it could move before he had to worry about balancing. On top of that, the head made strange noises when magic was channeled through it, some of which unsettling. The crystal had been left inside, even though there was no magic running through it.

Impulse willed the directional control forward, anxiously watching for any bugs of flaws to arise. A quiet buzzing sound was all that broke the silence, followed by the clank of a metal hoof against the cold floor. A sick grin curled across his muzzle as the soulless automaton stepped forward without issue.

Wanting to see how far he could test his creation’s new limbs, Impulse pushed the control forward a bit more, causing the construct to walk towards him as he backed away to give it space. Each leg moved just like a normal pony’s would, though they seemed to be a bit stiff.

“You’ll eventually need a name.” Impulse said aloud as he directed his creation towards his desk.

He misjudged the space he had to work with, and caused the mobile, headless pony to knock a book free from his shelf. With his magic already coursing through his device, he would have to put it back the old fashioned way, a trivial task…or perhaps it was fate at work.

Impulse looked down and saw that it had fallen open to an old theory based around the number zero. It was a silly idea that had somehow been approved to be placed in literature. He took this as a sign for his name problem since what he would be naming had no friends, no memories, no family, nothing. It was depressing the more he thought about it, but he settled on the name, dismissing such thoughts to the recesses of his mind as quickly as he could.

“Zero…your name is Zero.” Impulse thought aloud.

> Peace In The Moment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo walked beside me, her gaze fixated to the ground. I felt just as bad, if not worse, for dashing her hopes of a beach trip like I had promised once Cloudchaser had returned home the previous night. I didn’t want to disappoint them, but I couldn’t just say no to this. I had to shrug this off as a poorly timed event and move on, but it was hard when the one most disappointed was walking right beside me to apologize to the colt she had roughed up.

I was a bit stunned to find out who this mystery colt was. Cloudchaser had pressed for more details, and come to find out it was Rumble that had made the comment. Needless to say, this left me dreading the encounter as much as Scootaloo, for an entirely different reason.

“Ready Scoots?” I asked as we stopped in front of the door.

“Yu huh...it’s going to be weird, isn’t it?” Scootaloo sighed.

“I hope not.” I mumbled, knocking on the door.

Shortly after I had made our presence known, the door opened to a charcoal colored stallion on the other side. We stood eye level, and for a while, simply stared at one another. His familiar mane style another dead giveaway to his identity.

“Hello Thunderlane.” I said as casually as I could.

“I assume you’re here for Rumble?” the stallion asked.

“Was he sent home too?” I was surprised that he hadn’t said my name in return with a condescending tone.

Thunderlane nodded and motioned for me to enter. I was caught off guard by this gesture and was a bit skeptical, until Scootaloo followed him inside. I relented and pushed my skepticism to the side. I needed to be the example if she was to stay out of trouble and get along with others, even if they had offended her.

“Rumble!” Thunderlane shouted, stopping just in front of a staircase.

The inside of my former rival’s house was typical of brother’s living together. The wallpaper was sky blue with a few clouds painted in one corner where a bean bag chair rested against a small bookshelf. I assumed that belonged to Rumble, given the plethora of children titles that were shelved or haphazardly resting on their hard back covers, house like.

I couldn’t see well into the kitchen, but I assume it was standard, as well as the other rooms out of sight. The living room was a simple couch with what appeared to be a console of some sort. My mind found this hard to process. Games weren’t supposed to be a thing here…right?

“Something wrong?” Scootaloo whispered.

“No…” I mumbled.

I didn’t have long to ponder what I was seeing, as the sound of hooves rubbing against carpet was heard. I could tell that whoever they belonged to didn’t want to move or come down, that much was clear. It was obvious who the pony in question was though, it had to be Rumble.

Sure enough, the small pegasus looked down at us from the top of the stairs and started to trot back to his room. He was still clearly upset about being beaten by a filly.

“Rumble, get back here…” Thunderlane growled.

With a sigh the colt stopped dead in his tracks, hanging his head as he made his way down the stairs. I felt a little sympathy for him, since it was probably embarrassing to get in a fight with a filly and lose. As much as I didn’t want to be proud of bad behavior, I couldn’t help but have a little pride in Scootaloo; misplaced though it may be.

“Hey Rumble…” Scootaloo said quietly. “I’m sorry I tackled you at school.”

I smiled a little, I didn't need to use the old "Scootaloo has something to say" line. It looked like making her wait to say sorry was the best route to go. Even if Rumble didn't say sorry, at least Scootaloo had. It was now on the colt's shoulders.

Given Rumble's body language, slouched shoulders, and drooped ears and wings, I had little doubt he wouldn't. It took an encouraging nudged from Thunderlane to get the colt to speak, and even look Scootaloo in the eye.

"I'm sorry I made fun of your dad." Rumbled said, just loud enough for us to hear him.

"Why don't you take her upstairs Rumble?" Thunderlane suggested. "Show her some of your stuff?"

Rumbled nodded wordlessly and motioned for Scootaloo to follow him. She did so quietly, their level of trust having obviously been damaged.

"As for you," Thunderlane said earning my attention. "Come with me."

I found Thunderlane's sudden willingness to talk a bit unusual, but it was an improvement over him isolating himself. All he did now was weather duty and limited social interactions. It was a stark contrast to the Thunderlane most of Ponyville knew.

"A colt huh?" Thunderlane asked, derailing my thoughts.

"Yeah, rambunctious, like his mom." I chuckled nervously.

"I see," Thunderlane said sitting in a chair in the living room. His eyes were closed, head held high for a few brief seconds before letting out a long, held breath. "You were right."

I wasn't quite sure how to respond to his statement. I wasn't sure what I had been right about in Thunderlane's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"That day, when you told me you have to hit the bottom to see what you really have around you. Rumble was still there...after I had been pretty shitty." Thunderlane replied.

"I was just trying to get you to see that losing that race didn't mean things were over." I said.

"You did, and I'm sorry I was a jerk. I should have moved on after Winter Wrap Up, but I just couldn't let it go. The thing between you and Cloudchaser," Thunderlane hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I just wanted her back because she left. You actually care about her."

"Don't worry about it. That's old news, time to move on." I shrugged casually. In the privacy of my own mind, I was doing back flips.

I could finally lay the issue with Thunderlane to rest. Perhaps Scootaloo and Rumble's little outburst hadn't been for nothing. With this behind us, I felt like I could finally concentrate. My mind could move on from dwelling on a year old disagreement. Both of us could finally have that peace we wanted.

"Did you hear about Skymark?" Thunderlane asked, shifting the conversation away from the past.

"No, haven't heard from him since our last race." I replied.

"Turns out he passed away," Thunderlane said, with just barely detectable hint of disgust. "Can't say I have much sympathy."

I thought I would take this news a bit harder if I ever received it. It was sad, anypony dying was a sad occurrence, but it was hard to feel much of anything after he caused a few good ponies to nearly loose their jobs. Not to mention plant a knife in the back of one of his former racers.

"Neither can I. How did you find out?" I asked.

"His son stopped by a few days ago, asking me to race for him. I told him no for obvious reasons." Thunderlane replied.

"His son?" I tilted my head.

"Yeah, you left too soon. Impulse was always off studying something, or learning what he could." Thunderlane commented.

"Was he an obnoxious feather head like his dad?" I asked.

"Nope, an obnoxious unicorn," Thunderlane replied. "His dad gave him the shaft most of the time when I was around, probably one of those old fashioned stallions that believe in strong blood lines. Might as well mark them a bastard foal."

"That's kind of harsh." I said, my mind unable to wrap around the thought of doing something like that to either of my kids if they weren't pegasi.

"Not every family is sunshine and rainbows," Thunderlane snorted averting his gaze from me briefly before looking back at me. "Scootaloo's lucky to have you."

"Rumble's got a pretty good brother." I smiled.

"Say, if you and Scootaloo are here, who's with Stormwalker? I know Cloudchaser works today, so did you leave him with Flitter?" Thunderlane asked.

"No, Pinkie Pie offered to look after him. I didn't see a problem with her doing it." I shrugged.

---

Stormwalker looked up at the bright pink mare. She was off to a good start, that much was sure after finding his binky in two seconds flat. That was much faster than his mom had. His dad sat at a solid thirty seconds, but who was keeping score?

Stormwalker cherished the small, rubbery object between his lips at the moment. He didn't know why, but it was something of a comfort item, giving him a placebo effect acceptable for an infant.

"You're such a cutie wooty," the pink mare said, her rapid, fluid motions causing her mane to bounce and hold his attention more so than her voice. "I bet your aunty Pinkie Pie can show you a GREAT time!"

Stormwalker made subtle observations, that she didn't have wings. Meaning she couldn't fly after him like his mommy and daddy could. Somehow however; she had managed to place him back in his high-seat each time he flew out of it. It had become a game for a while, until his dad left.

He had wanted to make sure she would be okay alone with him. He still remembered his parent's scents before the left for the day. This new mare smelt...funny. Not in a bad way, but it was foreign to him. She almost smelt like the weird thing that held him the day his wings appeared, but he smelt like a lot of things.

This mare simply smelt...good. Like, the kind of good you could nibble on. The smell seemed to be strongest when her mane would jostle to and fro as she dashed around or bounced from one location to another. If it smelt good, it must taste good.

Stormwalker held up his forelegs, making the occasional soft whimper upon letting his binky slide free of his maw. The unwitting mare fell for his adorable play, and soon found her mane in his mouth. Much to the foal’s delight, it did taste good! It was the sweetest thing he had put in his mouth so far, and he began to drool as a result.

“Ew ew ew!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, pulling Stormwalker away from her mane. “No no Stormwalker, we don’t eat other ponies’ manes.”

Pinkie Pie sat the colt back down to try and clean her hair. Rather than fuss at the loss of the sweet tasting fluffy mane, Stormwalker decided to try and find something else to do.

With a little effort from his wings, he slid onto the ground from his seat, unfazed by his less than graceful landing. Stormwalker stood on shaky legs, falling backwards a few times until he managed to will his wings to his side.

He looked around a bit before spying Scootaloo’s scooter. He had seen her with it before, playing with it alongside other smaller toys. Her coat would always turn a funny color in different spots after doing so, and it made Stormwalker giggle.

He walked towards it slowly, taking careful steps as he got used to walking on a solid surface. His crib bed was a poor surface to practice on, since it caved in under his weight with each step, and often caused him to fall down after only a few steps. On the hardwood floor however; he felt a bit more secure with his steps.

“Hey, where’d you go little foal?” Pinkie Pie rhymed.

Stormwalker stopped upon hearing the high pitched voice. There was something about it that made him want to smile. The pink mare rounded the couch and found him, looking back at her with innocent eyes.

“There you are,” Pinkie Pie said, scooping Stormwalker up. “I’m going to have to keep an eye out for you huh?”

Stormwalker was expressionless for a few seconds before Pinkie Pie stuck her tongue out and shook her head from side to side, earning a stream of giggles and laughs from him. A few were belly laughs, which let the party pony know that the colt was in a fairly good mood.

Pinkie Pie was thankful for her time spent with the Cake’s twins. It made her better suited to take care of foals. Flitter had been Daniel’s first option, but when it turned out she was busy, Pinkie Pie had offered to try her hoof at taking care of him. He had given her a bit of trouble at first, but Stormwalker was pretty well behaved, if a little rambunctious.

---

“So this is what you’ve been working on?” Green Shades asked, examining the still incomplete project on the table.

The earth pony studied the odd contraption carefully, taking note of the intricate parts beneath the metal plates. Those that were lifted up revealed four dark crystals, seemingly drained of their original color. Something that could drain magic was terrifying to think about, but Impulse usually knew what he was doing when it came to things of this nature.

“Yes, it’s my claim to fame, if you will,” Impulse replied, as a metallic head was lowered, and then attached to the artificial body. “It will be a breath of fresh air into such a drab sport.”

Impulse Spark dare not tell his financial adviser what his true motives were. He was loyal, but only to a certain extent. He lacked the usual strength common to earth ponies which made Impulse able to relate to him slightly, lacking raw strength himself. If this worked, who knew what he might be able to achieve with other advancements.

“You mean to build an entire pegasus for this charity race. Do the princesses know?” Green Shades asked.

“The princesses don’t need to know yet. All they know is that a racer is registered,” Impulse replied. “Think of how beneficial it will be as a poster child for ponies with defects.”

“I can see that as a possibility, but why not simply market it as that?” the earth pony asked.

“I have my reasons. I have my plan laid out,” Impulse said firmly. “It’d be a bother to change things now after all of the work I’ve put into this.”

Impulse had no intention of giving up the opportunity to beat and humiliate Daniel, the trigger for the string of events that led him to where he was now in life. Impulse had reasoned that only a fake could beat a fake.

He would gain a reputation after running Daniel’s title into the ground. Zero would be a symbol for replacements for wings or legs for soldiers, with a little work of course. Obviously it wouldn’t be immediately ready, and no doubt a populace as fickle as Equestria wouldn't be quick  warm up to the idea, but it was doable, once they saw how superior his design was to the real thing.

Impulse had found a way to have his cake and eat it too. Now all he had to do was take the cake from somepony else, and he knew just who to steal it from, as he positioned a set of wings onto the metal pony.

Impulse was no comic book villain who only had the short sighted vengeance agenda. Nor did he see himself as a villain period. He saw the obvious positive possibilities from his work, and would pursue them once he was satisfied with his current goal.

“He's almost finished.” the unicorn said, looking over Zero.

Impulse took note of the silence from his earth pony companion and pressed a button on the metal pegasus’ body. Upon doing so, four crystals ejected themselves from Zero’s ports and were replaced by shiny new ones.

“What you’re about to see stays in here, understand?” Impulse glared at Green Shades as one final crystal was loaded between the wing joints.

“Perfectly…” the stallion mumbled as he watched the unicorn work in awe.

The small crystal responsible for timed things, such as causing the eyes to ‘blink’ was still fine in terms of energy. It wasn’t as important as the others, since it was only used for lesser functions, but was needed all the same; each part making up the nearly complete ruse of a pony.

Impulse pushed forward on the controller and Zero walked forward and off of the work table with four noisy clanks. His wings unfurled with the turn of a knob, revealing their sleek design. The unicorn had taken care to mimic the feather patterns of real wings by overlapping the crafted pinions with critical attention to detail.

“How do you intend to make it fly?” Green Shades asked, finally managing to force the words free from his stupefied form.

“Pegasi are only able to defy gravity because of their magic, and wings of course. Zero already has one of the two. He just needs a little more magic in him before he’s ready to fly.” Impulse replied as Zero approached the green earth pony.

Green Shades stared into its cold, false eyes, its fake eye lids falling and rising being the only things to break the awkward gaze. The eyes shifted slightly, once every seven seconds, which made the earth pony consider the possibility that there was a real pegasus beneath all the wires and metal. The eye movement and blinking were never in sync which made the display seem more natural.

“Impressive, isn’t he?” Impulse asked, flipping two switches to kill the energy to his hind legs.

Zero instantly assumed a sitting position with a loud thud, his weighty fall dislodging a picture from the wall. The mechanical pegasus kept his focus locked on Green Shades, following him with his eyes until he could no longer bend his head to do so.

“Relax, he’s completely under control, see?” Impulse wiggled a stick on the remote, which in turn caused Zero’s head to move from side to side. “Think of him like a giant puppet.”

“A puppet…right.” Green Shades said.

“Since you’re here, I do need something from you,” Impulse smiled, levitating an envelope to the terrified earth pony. “Get this to the most skilled clothes maker you can find.”

“A clothes maker? “ Green Shades asked holding the letter up. “What’s in this exactly?”

“Zero’s measurements,” Impulse smiled. “Race regulations state that outfits can either be full body, or barrel, chest and head coverings.”

“I assume this is full body?” Green Shades chuckled nervously as Zero’s hind legs were reactivated.

“Based on your reaction to Zero, I assume him strolling out onto the track with all of his parts showing wouldn’t be the best approach. This means a more subtle introduction.” Impulse sighed as he tested Zero’s wings a bit, the light wind generated from the brief test knocking over a coffee cup and plant.

“And you’re certain he’s under control?” Green Shades gulped.

“Positive, he wasn’t made to be sentient like you or me. Beneath all those wires is just another tool to solve a problem.” Impulse shrugged nonchalantly.

The unicorn walked around to where Zero's lifeless eyes met his. They never truly focused on him, instead they continued to periodically shift to other parts of the room and occasionally land on him for a few seconds before moving on. It filled him with pride seeing his work near completion. 

"You're going to defeat the champion, aren't you?" Impulse asked. 

The unicorn knew that Daniel had been dethroned, but the loss was circumstantial. Whitefire, the new reigning champ, didn't even address the title topic when it was brought up, only hoping to race against him again. It made him sick how they saw his flaws but still liked him. One even went so far as to love him. 

Impulse used his controller to make Zero nod his head in acknowledgement. The unicorn's smile turned evil for a split second, until he remembered he wasn't alone. He quickly recomposed himself, and sat the remote control down on his desk. 

"Come, we've much to do." Impulse Spark said authoritatively, ushering Green Shades out of his work space. 

"Shouldn't you get some rest first?" Green Shades asked as they left the room. "You seemed exhausted when you came to find me." 

"I am, and sleep is on my to-do list." Impulse said before shutting the door to his lab, if one could call it that. 

Zero now stood alone in the room, his eyes still preforming their constant shifting. A rapid ticking sound began to emit from his eyes, their gears stalling and causing them to remain still for once. His emotionless gaze had fallen on a newspaper clipping that showed three pegasi; a mare, a foal, and a stallion. 

Zero's eyes remained fixed on the stallion, even as the energy drained from the crystals in his artificial body. Impulse had left the controller, and Zero himself, on by accident. Not that it mattered, he would simply be unable to move without the crystals feeding him energy, not that he could move by himself to begin with. 

Sure enough, the time came when the crystals in Zero's body were completely drained. Their magic siphoned away from their shells by cords and delicately constructed devices of Impulse's own making. 

What Impulse wasn't there to witness, was a green mist flowing along the copper lines through Zero's metallic skull. A barely audible hiss echoed within the confines of the enclosure that held the now drained green crystal. A sickening flicker dancing across the two glass eyes as the last sparks faded into the copper. 

You're going to beat the champ...You're going to beat the champ...

---

Scootaloo threw a small rubber ball against her wall out of boredom. Being grounded stunk, and without her scooter she was just a normal, run of the mill filly. Her dad told her that it would give her time to focus on other things, like flying, since he couldn't really take that from her. 

Scootaloo rolled her eyes at the thought of flying. If it had been any other pony she probably would have been upset with them, but she knew he meant well. Her wings had been getting stronger, so perhaps it wouldn't be long before she could finally keep up with her parents. 

A tap at her window caught her attention. The filly felt the rubber ball make contact with her muzzle and grumbled as she rubbed the point of impact. When the tapping sound came again, Scootaloo hovered of of her bed and climbed up towards the window. 

Star Sprint was outside, the metal bar of his scooter reflecting off the moonlight. While Daniel and Cloudchaser had been fairly reasonable with the punishment, barring Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom from visiting seemed like a bit much in her young mind. Seeing her friend outside of school was like a breath of fresh air to the filly. 

"Hey Scootalo-" the colt started to say excitedly. 

"Shh!" Scootaloo shushed him. "My parents are still up, I'm supposed to be asleep." 

"Oh, sorry." Star Sprint lowered his voice. "Why are you still up then?"

"Because being grounded stinks...what are you doing up?" Scootaloo asked, hanging her forelegs out the window limply. 

"I hadn't seen you all day," Star Spring replied. "I just wanted to know you're okay, and stuff." 

Scootaloo could see from the remaining lights of the house and moon, that the young unicorn's cheeks held a shade of red as he spoke. He also dug his right fore hoof into the ground as she spoke, something he did when he was nervous. 

The tangerine filly found this behavior strange, but not unwelcome. In fact, it was almost cute, in a weird kind of way. She had to give the colt points for creativity, coming in the middle of the night to talk with her.

"So how long are you grounded for?" Star Sprint asked. 

"A week." Scootaloo sighed. 

"That's no so bad." Star Sprint shrugged. 

"I guess not, but it feels like forever. It's only been one day!" Scootaloo's voice briefly slipped as she waved her forelegs to exaggerate her point. 

Star Sprint was the one to shush her this time. Scootaloo let out a quiet squee of embarrassment, her ears splaying back against her head before she resumed her original posture. 

"So what are you going to do in the mean time?" Star Spring asked, his tail swishing silently as he spoke. 

"I dunno, I guess work on my wings. It's not all bad I guess." Scootaloo replied. 

"Scootaloo, lights out." her mother's voice chirped from beyond her door. 

"Horse apples, I gotta go!" Scootaloo yelped, preparing to jump back to her bed. She took one last look at the colt before waving goodbye to him. "See you later!"

With that, Scootaloo quietly shut her window and dove for the bed. A few seconds later the door opened to Cloudchaser checking in on her. Through a partially cracked eye, Scootaloo watched as the mare smirked and lowered her head until she was eye level with the filly. 

"I know you're awake little bit." Cloudchaser teased. 

"It's hard to sleep right now." Scootaloo groaned as she caved in. 

"I know, but it's easier to let things go at school, isn't it?" her mother asked. 

"Yes ma'am." Scootaloo sighed. 

"You know your father and I love you." Cloudchaser said, planting a kiss on the filly's forehead, stroking her mane gently a bit before.

"I know, I know, you're doing this because you love me." Scootaloo grumbled. 

"When you have a family of your own, you'll understand better," Cloudchaser hugged the filly, who was eager to return the affection. "Now try to go to sleep, we'll see you in the morning." 

"Goodnight mom." Scootaloo called out as Cloudchaser left the room. 

"Goodnight Scootaloo." Cloudchaser smiled. 

Even after Cloudchaser had left, Scootaloo lay awake a while longer. Star Sprint had run the risk of being grounded himself to come see her, he was a good friend, and the way he seemed to get nervous was kind of funny. She was glad to have a friend like him. 
> The Arrival: Daniel vs Zero
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Impulse’s watch levitated in front of him, flipping open as it came into his field of view. So far, he was right on schedule with the train ride to Canterlot. A pegasus clad in a black race suit with red trimmings on the shoulders, hooves and muzzle, sat motionless beside him.

A small foal stared fascinated at Zero. His mane was a rather generic brown, which threw the colt for a loop, used to seeing the winged ponies with more vibrant colors. The racer’s eyes were locked onto the floor of the train car, as if studying some unseen anomaly.

Zero simply lacked power at the moment, the flow of energy from the new crystals in his artificial body cut off from supplying him with magic until Impulse willed otherwise with the remote. There was the occasional bump along the tracks, which caused the animatronic’s neck and head to jostle slightly, but other than that, Zero sat perfectly still.

“Just a while longer Zero,” Impulse said aloud. “Then you’ll be out there showing the others up.”

“Excuse me,” the colt spoke up, catching the unicorn by surprise. “Is he really a racer?”

“Yes, yes he is,” Impulse smiled. “The best ever made.”

---

The day before the event had finally arrived. While the idea of taking a back seat during a race was a bit foreign to me now, I was able to slide into the mindset easily enough. Most of these racers would be rookies, and hopefuls looking to make an impression, as I had once.

I held Stormwalker securely in my arms. He wriggled a bit, but for the most part didn’t complain about being held. Despite the odd appearance, I still smelt the same as when I was a pegasus, which was more important to him at this stage in his life than sight. If he did get fussy, the ear massage was always a safe fall back.

Arriving at Canterlot with Stormwalker had been a treat. A few mares stopped us and asked to see him, hardly believing he was real, given our differences. No doubt this made for some interesting talk after we had parted ways. Caloudchaser didn't seem to mind the attention though.

It actually gave me a bit of an ego boost. Especially when being seen in public rubbed a few of the stallions the wrong way. Their mares either didn't care, or didn't seem to notice, too wrapped up in Stormwalker's adorable appearance.

Scootaloo sighed and leaned against my leg, looking up at me with those bright purple eyes. I assumed this was one of the disadvantages of being an older sibling, ponies kind of forgot about you for a while as they ooed and ahed over the foal.

I knelt down low enough for Scootaloo to climb onto my back. She did so eagerly, happy to be off her hooves for a while. My head served as perfect leverage for her forehooves to wrap around as she took a break. I was thankful that both of them were light enough to carry with little effort, and weighed about as much as two empty cardboard boxes.

Stormwalker smiled and giggled as Scootaloo made faces at him, or so I assumed. At least she was keeping him entertained. My little filly quickly made the occasional foal that passed us jealous as she road on my shoulders. I knew she enjoyed being up high above everypony else.

"Out and about in public with him I see." came the familiar voice of a familiar pegasus.

“Hello Flicker.” I said, putting on my best fake smile.

"It would seem the tabloids had a bit of truth to them for once...quite the miracle I'm sure, given circumstances related to your...differences." the noble spoke with mock sympathy.

I chuckled before addressing the stallion. "Perhaps your concerns should be focused more on your training than my family.”

“I always have concern for the families of the less fortunate. Be it financial or physical.” Flicker grinned.

“I’ll have you-“ I started.

“Know that we have somewhere to be,” Cloudchaser flew in front of me, blocking Flicker from view as she placed a hoof gently on my chest. “A meeting with Celestia, remember?”

I took a deep breath before nodding to her. Flicker may not be a unicorn, but he certainly had the attitude of one, which drove me crazy at times. Thankfully Cloudchaser had a cooler head on her than I did and it was there to prevail before I made even more of an ass out of myself.

“See you at the races, Flicker.” I said as calmly as I could, walking past the pegasus.

“Indeed,” Flicker chuckled. “Make sure your mare is there to secure your leash if need be.”

I was thankful I had Stormwalker in my arms, stopping me from clenching my fist. The ignorant stallion didn’t know I had been with Cloudchaser as a pony, but then, who’s business was that to be bothered with other than my wife’s or myself?

I heard Scootaloo blow a raspberry at the noble stallion, making me smile. I had to stop myself from laughing when I heard the stallion let out a frustrated snort, clearly unamused by my filly’s antics. It was rewarding to know that Scootaloo had my back.

“Thanks.” I said, looking over at my wife who was flying eye level with me as I walked.

“Just keeping you in check,” Cloudchaser replied, kissing me on the cheek. “Somepony has to.”

---

“And you’re certain this won’t fuck up like last time?” Isabella asked, leery of the small bottle Discord had given her.

“Don’t you trust me by now?” Discord grinned. “After all we’ve been through together; the stormy nights, the river accident, that one at band camp?”

“You’re not funny,” Isabella huffed. “So what’s in this stuff?”

“Nothing special,” Discord shrugged. “A few liquefied mattress tags, some of Celestia’s tears, a few bad jokes, and just a touch of cinnamon for flavor.”

“I’m scared to ask how you got Celestia to cry in a bottle.” Isabella mumbled.

“I never said what kind of tears they were now did I? Honestly, you make me out to be some kind of heartless brute. I’m sure your little nephew would agree I’m not such a bad pony.” Discord smiled.

“Answer me this at least, will this do the trick?” Isabella asked, ignoring the comment about her newest family member.

“It will, I promise.” Discord replied, a halo forming out of his two mismatched horns.

Isabella uncorked the small bottle, nearly dropping it when it emitted a loud pop, much like a party favor. The liquid inside was a soft blue with neon pink flowing through it. After securing her grip over the container, she sniffed it briefly, finding it had an oddly pleasant aroma. Satisfied nothing was amiss, she brought the bottle towards her lips, but was stopped by a large lion paw.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Discord wagged a talon scolding. “One drop is all it takes.”

With a loud snap, a small dropper appeared which he handed to Isabella. Had he chosen to delay his warning a few seconds longer, there was no telling what it could have done. Discord felt it best to keep this bit of information to himself, since he was on shaky ground with the young woman to begin with.

“As much as I’d love to see how this turns out, I have things to take care of.” Discord said.

“What things?” Isabella asked doubtful of his claim.

“Making this into that,” Discord snapped his talons, causing the curtains to become a series of vines which produced several birds that promptly flew out the window. “And that into this. You know, things.”

“Well, enjoy things, I guess.” Isabella shrugged.

“I’m sure I will.” Discord laughed before vanishing.

Isabella rolled her eyes and did her best to dispose of the vines before Blueblood returned. Despite how far he had come, he was still a bit of a neat freak. She was the exact opposite sometimes which often caused confrontations, but nothing relationship threatening. In fact, Isabella was messy on purpose sometimes, just to keep him on the tips of his hooves.

“Okay, just one drop.” Isabella said, trying to calm her nerves.

Every fiber of her being wanted to reject this plan, but she also wanted to do something special for Blueblood. She clearly remembered how Discord’s magic had worked on her, making her a unicorn herself, and felt confident the result would be the same.

Isabella put the dropper into the small bottle and extracted a tiny amount of the strange liquid. She gave it a gentle squeeze until only just enough was left inside for her purposes. She didn’t want to find out what would happen if she used more than just a drop.

She recorked the bottle and made sure she was in a relatively open part of the room, just in case something did go wrong. Isabella slowly lifted the dropper in front of her and leaned her head back, her hands shaky and unsteady as she did so. Then, after a small amount of pressure was applied to the black end of the dropper, she felt something wet hit her tongue.

True to Discord’s word, it did taste like cinnamon, though more along the lines of Big Red gum. The taste lingered only for a few seconds before disappearing completely.

Isabella waited anxiously for something to happen. She was expecting some kind of instantaneous mutation, but no such change occurred. This left her frustrated with Discord, feeling that she had been duped and misled after a minute went by with no noticeable changes.

Just as she was about to go pour out the bottle, she stumbled forward. Her forehead still made contact with the floor with dazed her a bit. She knew her arms weren’t long like her brother’s but that didn’t explain why she hadn’t been able to catch herself in time.

A quick glance at her arms told her all she needed to know. Discord’s concoction had worked, so well in fact that she hadn’t noticed the changes to her body at first. Now that she was aware of the changes happening, she could sense them more so than feel them. She had been expecting pain, but was surprised to feel none and assumed it was something Discord put in the potion, if it could be called that.

Isabella’s arms and legs continued to shrink alongside her body. Her head and neck repositioned themselves, as did her ears, eyes and nose, which extended out to help form her muzzle. The only pain came from a sudden pinch near the base of her spine, as it elongated and began to grow long, beautiful strands of hair until it was completely covered.

The hair on her head shifted as well, forming her mane which bled red and pink across her once long blond hair. An itchy feeling spread along her new form, as pink hairs sprouted up from her flesh until she had a fine coat, with a sexton cutie mark on her flanks.

The last thing to change, was a small bulge that formed beneath her mane. This eventually swelled until a small horn poked through the red and pink sea of hair fibers. Though this experience had been relatively painless, it had left Isabella exhausted, even as the last tips of her fingers were absorbed into hooves.

With what energy she had to spare, Isabella managed to get to her hooves and climb into bed. She still remembered how to walk on all fours thankfully, but was still powerless when it came to magic for now. Perhaps that would change, but Isabella was more concerned about sleeping off the potion’s effects before her colt friend arrived.

Only an hour had passed before Isabella was awoken by a sharp yelp of surprise. The woman turned mare shot up from her sleeping position, smacking her lips as she looked around for the source of the noise.

“I-I-Isabella?” Blueblood stammered.

“Oh, hey Blueblood.” Isabella replied lazily, letting herself fall back down on the bed.

“Are you hurt? Did you read one of the books from the libraries?” Blueblood asked, appearing in a flash by her side.

“Nope,” Isabella shook her head with a dopey smile before yawning. “Do you like it?”

“It’s certainly unexpected,” the prince confessed. “You’re sure you aren’t hurt?”

“Positive.” Isabella replied, kissing Blueblood before he could draw away from her.

When she sensed that Blueblood wasn’t retreating, or pulling away, Isabella wrapped her forelegs around his neck to pull him closer. She smiled when she heard his breath catch before deepening the kiss. She had a feeling he would enjoy this special treat, and there was a growing flame through her body that told her she would be enjoying it too.

---

When we finally arrived at the castle, the sun was already in the process of being lowered. I had often wondered how Celestia managed to focus on both royal duties, and keep the sun on track. One had to assume that beneath that motherly aura was a goddess that was constantly processing magic and information at a rate that was beyond comprehension.

The same applied for Luna, though I viewed her as more of a close friend than mother figure. She had to arrange the stars in the sky at night, as well as keep the moon in balance with this world. There was also the task of watching over ponies’ dreams, which I’m sure was an…interesting occupation at times.

A few of the guards nodded, some of them belonging to Celestia, while others were the first of the night guard, coming in as their relief. The two counter parts mingling briefly before saying their goodbyes, perhaps the only time they might see each other, aside from the occasional festivities.

"There you are," Celestia called as we passed by the grand hall. "I had expected you sooner."

"Well, we kept getting stopped, sorry princess." I replied.

"I can see why," Celestia said as she drew closer, spying who was in my arms. "No doubt he was a hit with all of the mares who happened to look his way."

Stormwalker looked Celestia over carefully, smiling after the initial judgement glance. His copper eyes seemed to follow the princess' flowing mane as it tempted him to reach out for it.

"It's good to see things have finally come full circle for you. I still remember when Twilight first brought you to the castle. You were so nervous back then," Celestia smiled at me. "Now you have a family."

"Well, I wouldn't have one if it wasn't for Twilight and her friends," I shrugged, as best as I could holding a small foal. "Speaking of, will they be coming?"

"I'm afraid they'll only be attending in spirit this time," Celestia frowned, before an optimistic smile graced her muzzle. "Twilight will be attending, however."

I mentally cursed, having hoped to use this occasion to spend some time with them. They did have their own lives to manage though, they had moved past the point making sure I stayed out of trouble. Even though I had seen Twilight out and about, it would still do my mental state some good to have a friend there.

"Well, I won't delay you any further, I'm sure you'll want to rest before tomorrow." Celestia said taking her leave from us.

"Thank you princess." I said as we made our way to our rooms.

I was still pretty amazed that Celestia had invited us to stay the night in the castle. I would have been content to stay in one of the hotels in Canterlot, and I'm certain the rest of my family would have been satisfied as well, but who was I to turn down a night in the castle, especially if it meant Isabella was here.

Once were inside the room, I looked at my reflection, taking note of the necklace. I dreaded pulling it off, afraid of what might happen when I did. It had drawn blood for the first time, and raised questions about its safety. I needed to talk to Twilight, but both of us had either been too busy, or caught up with others to really discuss anything.

The issue could wait a few more hours. I didn't feel bad or different while I was wearing it, so it was probably a one time thing. At least, I hoped it was, and did my best to convince myself of this assumed truth.

"Just take it off before bed." I mumbled quietly.

Having satisfied myself with my explanation, I dismissed myself for a walk around the castle. It had been a while since I had set foot in these halls. While my hooves had been here only a year ago, I hadn't been a human in the company of the royal sister's in a long time.

I let nostalgia wash across my thoughts, drowning out everything else as I began to recall how my journey began. I worked my way to the large landing balcony, which I had first arrived on with Twilight as my guide. She had helped me in so many ways, I could never hope to repay her.

I left the large balcony, and navigated the halls; not really looking for anything in particular. I was simply enjoying the memories I had made, until I saw two bright yellow eyes reflecting off the light, headed straight for me.

"Daniel!" Noctra shrieked, seconds before colliding with me.

I held out my arms to catch her, hugging the playful bat pony as my body endured the impact. Lucky for me, she hadn't been flying at top speed. The mare's contact still jolted me slightly, knocking me back a few inches.

"Hey Noctra," I laughed, ruffling the bat pony's mane. "How've you been holding up?

"Pretty good," Noctra replied, her tail swishing happily. "So have you, from what I've heard."

"You could say that." I grinned, releasing the mare from my embrace.

"So, how's fatherhood been treating you?" Noctra asked as she joined me in my quest for nothing in particular.

"It's different, that's for sure," I said, looking down at the little mare. "But I've always wanted to be a dad, y'know? I never thought I'd get the chance."

"Well you've got two chances to get it right, try not to screw up either of them." Noctra squeaked with laughter.

It took me a second to realize she was talking about Scootaloo and Stormwalker. The mare did have a point though, I had a limited time to make an impression on them, teach them, and do my best to make sure they were ready for the world.

I was about to say thank you, when a tired looking mare stepped out of Blueblood's door. I remembered it well, since I had made a personal visit to rearrange his room a bit, on Rarity's behalf of course.

The mare froze when she saw me and Noctra, and an awkward silence crept over the hallway, save for the distant clip clop of hooves belonging to the other guards. The mare's eyes bounced back and forth between me and Noctra, while her mouth opened, but produced no words, unsure of what to say.

"I guess I'm going to have a chat with the prince now." I mumbled, drawing a conclusion as to what was going on here.

"What? No!" the mare suddenly spoke up. "Daniel it's me!"

"Izzy?" Noctra and I said in unison.

The mare nodded sheepishly, trying to hide behind her mane that was a bit too long for her own good. I remained stunned by this news for a few seconds before kneeling down to her level, noticing a horn as I did so, which shed some light on things now; light which I now regretted having been revealed to me the more my mind processed the thought.

"Sooo...." I trailed off.

"Yes, it's what it looks like, ass hat." Isabella dead panned.

"Hey, I'm not judging." I held both hands up.

"Is he still a screamer? I haven't walked by you guys in a while." Noctra laughed, falling onto her back as Isabella's expression shifted to one of rage. Said rage couldn't be taken seriously, now that she was an adorable unicorn with bright, welcoming colors.

"I hate you both." Isabella grumbled.

"Well, once you go po-" I started.

"Finish that sentence and I'll fry your balls off." my sister fumed.

---

The next morning I awoke to a lick along the back of my ear. This was followed by a foreleg sliding around me. I smiled, knowing it was Cloudchaser administering her early morning affections. The lick was rare, but not unwelcome, and kind of kinky.

“Good morning.” Cloudchaser whispered in my ear.

“Good morning to you too.” I replied with a smile.

“Ready to watch the races for a change?” Cloudchaser asked as quietly as she could, to prevent Scootaloo and Stormwalker from waking up.

“Not really,” I mumbled. “I should be down there with them, where I belong.”

“Well, just this once you belong to your family. I’m sure the others won’t mind if we borrow you to occupy a seat instead of a lane.” Cloudchaser nipped my ear playfully.

I rolled over to face her, which allowed her to snuggle up closer to me. She was still as beautiful as the day we bonded, even with her messy mane and tired eyes.

“I guess I can sit out for once.” I said with a playful sigh, followed by a boop to the nose.

“I was thinking more about what we could do after the races, if you’re still wearing the necklace like Celestia wants you to.” Cloudchaser purred with hooded, lover eyes.

“I see.” I grinned, pulling the mare in for a kiss as we cuddled.

“Bleek!” Scootaloo gagged, standing across from our bed, her tongue hanging out in disgust briefly before retracting it.

“Hey squirt.” I shot up quickly, while Cloudchaser separated herself from me.

“You guys aren’t going to be all lovey dovey the whole time, are you?” Scootaloo asked.

“Who, us?” I asked sarcastically. “Pssh, come on, we’re the most-“ Cloudchaser elbowed me before I could continue.

“Your father means no. We won’t embarrass you with any PDA.” Cloudchaser replied.

Scootaloo let out a sigh of relief. She was still a filly, and wasn’t interested in that stuff yet, thankfully. That was one part of parenthood that I was dreading, which I was now going to endure twice. I wanted to put off that awkward conversation for as long as I could.

Safe in the knowledge that we wouldn’t be having any spontaneous make out sessions in front of her, Scootaloo left the room, presumably to find Isabella, or breakfast. Now that she was up, that meant everypony else needed to be, in typical child fashion. There was no sleeping in on my daughter’s watch, unless it was approved by her of course in the form of a long night with her friends staying up well past midnight, even though they thought we were asleep and unaware of their shenanigans.

“Well, shall we get this day started?” Cloudchaser asked.

“Since when do you say “shall?” I asked.

“Since marrying you, and having your foal,” Cloudchaser replied, giving me a light jab. “Now get your big winged butt out of bed.”

“There’s my mare.” I chuckled.

---

Impulse and Zero approached the gate that led to the field. He would need to drop Zero off before taking his place where he could control him in privacy. He was certain no one would come up and speak to a pegasus that didn't respond to them when addressed. Ponies were funny that way, easily offended at the drop of a hat, only to be loyal to the end the next second.

Zero walked beside his creator, controlled by Impulses' magic. The control was in his saddle bag, and had been bumped once or twice by another passing pony, causing a few close calls. Thankfully they were near the end now, and all he had to do was check in.

"Name?" an earth pony guard asked, while his unicorn companion held a chart up with his magic.

"Impulse Spark," Impulse replied happily. "I believe Zero, should be registered as one of the racers."

The unicorn scanned the list briefly, nodding when he found both of their names. The earth pony stepped aside to allow Impulse and Zero access to the track. The two guards had been completely oblivious to what was lurking just beneath the race suit.

If anypony would have caused a stir about Zero's real nature, or lack thereof, it would have been one of Celestia's more magically gifted soldiers. As it stood though, they too seemed to be fooled by the appearance.

The other racers that occupied the track cast a few stares towards Zero's odd attire. Nopony but him had a full body suit, which singled him out pretty quickly. Since applying skin to the automaton would have been fruitless, as well as disgusting, Impulse had little choice in the ways of hiding his gears and inner workings.

"Didn't know the Wonder Bolts kicked out another cadet." one racer commented.

"Maybe he's got mange." another laughed.

Yes, laugh while you can. Impulse thought to himself as he order Zero to sit in the shade of the track.

"Try not to go anywhere, hmm?" the unicorn chuckled at his own joke.

---

“Please please please please please please!” Scootaloo begged as we made our way to the VIP section.

“I don’t understand the appeal of the track level seats, you can’t really tell who’s winning.” Cloudchaser said, trying to persuade her that it was a bad choice.

I had to agree with Cloudchaser, it was a bad seating arrangement, but one that attracted a crowd all the same. I was under the impression that one would have a better time and view the higher up you were, as with most races.

“I don’t want you down there alone Scoots.” I added to my wife’s reasoning.

“Star Sprint’s going to be down there with Track Pace though!” Scootaloo’s wings buzzed as she hovered in front of me before stopping. “Please?”

“I’ll go with her,” Cloudchaser relented. “Save me seat for when I get back, okay?”

I nodded as the two ladies of my life departed, leaving me alone with Stormwalker. He was fast asleep in my arms, presumably sent off by the odd motion I made when walking on two legs instead of four hooves, like he was used to in a carrier.

While he was getting old enough to walk around, I wanted to limit that type of interaction with the ground to surfaces I knew and trusted. I cringed at the thought of the foal wobbling around on hard concrete that had been spit, vomited, and quite possibly pissed on at some point or another. Even though this was Canterlot, this was still a race track.

“Speak of the speed demon.” Whitefire said as I rounded the corner.

“Oh, talking behind my back I see?” I laughed.

“Well, given your size at the moment I’d say that’s an easily accomplished task,” Whitefire shrugged as his manager huffed at me. “Is that your heir to the throne?”

“I’m sure his mom will want him to hit the books more so than the track, but yep, this is Stormwalker.” I replied.

I knelt down to Whitefire’s level, allowing the reigning champion to get a better look at him. A small, barely noticeable smile graced his muzzle before vanishing back into the void of his normally expression exterior.

“He looks like you,” Whitefire said. “Well, other you.”

“I understand. I see a lot of his mom in him too though.” I smiled.

“Whitefire, Daniel,” I heard Celestia’s voice over the growing noise of the crowd. “I wanted to thank you both for coming, I’m sure it means a lot to the others on the track today as well.”

“It will probably add pressure, make them preform harder than they normally would.” Whitefire commented.

“Not too hard, I hope.” Twilight said nervously.

“Come on Twilight, you know it takes a lot to bring us down.” I said in defense of Whitefire, who seemed to be quite stunned at how casual I was with her.

“Coming from the one who’s nearly killed himself twice, I remain skeptical.” Twilight smiled.

“Fair point…” I mumbled as Cloudchaser rejoined me.

---

“Isn’t this the coolest?” Scootaloo asked, watching the racers from what she considered the best seat available.

She liked being where the action was. Just the thought of watching them all zoom by so close was enough to get her blood pumping. It made her feel alive, and was much better than being up in the high seats where everypony looked like blurs or bugs.

“Hey, what’s up with that racer?” Star Sprint asked, point a hoof at a stallion that was just sitting in the shade.

“I don’t know, he’s got on a weird costume though,” Scootaloo replied. “Are you sure he’s a racer?”

“Dad, why is he in that suit?” the colt tugged on his father’s coat.

“It’s an older style of racing outfit. It’s uncommon these days, but not unheard of,” Track Pace replied. “It’s kind of old school, I like it.”

As if he had heard their conversation, the mysterious stallion stood up. He turned towards the other racers and took his spot among them, his wings hardly shifting, unlike his competition that were fidgeting anxiously.

Scootaloo bit her bottom lip, bouncing with excitement as she watched the clock count down. Not quite sure who to root for, she settled on the mystery stallion, since he stood out from the others.

---


Impulse kept his eye on the clock, waiting until the last second to unfurl Zero’s wings. At the sound of a loud bang, the racers were off. The unicorn smiled as Zero held third from the others entering the first turn.

These racers were new comers, meaning their track experience was only that which they had from their coaches. Impulse had attended his father’s events on the rare occasion, and learned a thing or two about positioning. Even the simplest of earth ponies could deduce that the sweet spot was the inside lane.

As they reached the second turn, Zero was starting to gain on the racer in second. While third was nice, Impulse came here to win, and no newbie was going to stand in his way of that.

The other stallion noticed Zero gaining on him and sped up. Since they were in the turn, he felt confident that he wouldn’t try to pass him, unless he wanted to risk running into a wall.

Impulse grinned as they exited the second turn. Now he could finish what he started with the second place racer. He did so, pushing Zero’s controls to the limit in order to pass the other pegasus, and leave him stunned at how fast he was moving.

The unicorn could hardly believe it himself. It was one thing to watch him from an empty track, but against other racers, it was impossible to tell the difference. He looked natural, and flew natural, for the most part.

All that was left was the stallion in first, who looked an awful lot like Daniel. He shared his coat and mane color. His racing outfit was different though, as was his build by a small margin. Impulse knew it wasn’t him, but it would suffice for now as they entered the third turn.

The stallion in first looked behind him and began to put more distance between himself and Zero. Try as he might, the artificial pegasus couldn’t seem to gain any ground on the other racer, no matter how hard Impulse pushed on the controls.

As the two racers neared the finish line, it was clear that the stallion resembling the previous champion would win. Zero had reached his limit, one which was an inevitability being made of cogs, copper, and wires, as opposed to flesh and blood. The tradeoff for having a racer that would never tire was having one that could not improve, by traditional means anyways.

“Damn it!” Impulse screeched angrily, as the flash of light signaled the other stallion’s victory.

Just as Zero touched down to land, the artificial stallion slipped up. His legs locked, instead of continuing to move, as Impulse’s remote fried from the amount of magical energy surging through it. The crystal on top of the device Impulse held in his magical aura burst into tiny pieces shortly after the controls died, sending an unsettling chill along his spine.

Zero shudder briefly, as if a cold spell had suddenly hit a real creature. The automaton was now directionless, with only one previous order; defeat the champion. This phase bounced along the wires and circuits within the artificial pony, until his head turned of its own accord; cold, lifeless eyes locking onto the stallion that had placed first.

---

“So, what did you think?” Celestia asked me. “Taking a back seat for a change?”

“It was entertaining,” I replied. “But I think I’ll be sticking with the action, if it’s all the same to you princess.”

“I wouldn’t expect less from you.” Celestia laughed.

“Princesses,” Raven said meekly. “Umm, we need you both back at the castle, something’s come up.”

“Come up? Like what Raven?” Twilight asked.

“It involves the Crystal Empire…it’s umm, private.” Raven said, her eyes dancing over to me and Whitefire.

Celestia looked back at me but both Whitefire and I nodded in understanding. With our acknowledgement that royal business took priority over a race, the two princesses departed, leaving us to our thoughts in the VIP section.

“What’d you think of the one in the full body get up?” Cloudchaser asked both of us.

“An odd choice, he might have come in first without it.” Whitefire replied.

“Eh, he seemed to be petering out there at the end. Maybe it made the difference.” I shrugged.

“Well I thought he-sweet Celestia!” Cloudchaser shouted.

I turned to look at my wife, following her gaze to the track. What I saw was unbelievable, and so far unheard of. The one called Zero had picked up the other pegasus and flung him into the track level seats, causing mass panic to erupt as ponies scrambled to flee from the enraged stallion.

Two guards rushed to try and stop the stallion, only to be tossed aside like rag dolls. How a pegasus could be this strong was beyond me, but he had just put an earth pony to shame. Super strength and wings, this pegasus was shaping up to be a terrifying individual.

My thoughts shifted to Scootaloo, she was down there. There was no way I could get down there to help her, unless I did something a little drastic. I only had seconds to decide, as Zero stalked closer to the stands where he had thrown the racer.

Grabbing the railing I jumped over the side of the VIP section, landing on two empty seats. Not thinking twice about what might happen, I ripped off the necklace that was currently giving my body form. I began making a mad dash towards the track’s railing as I felt the changes start to happen.

---

Scootaloo struggled to wriggle free from the stallion that had fallen on her legs. They didn’t feel broken, but that didn’t change the fact that she was trapped. Star Sprint was caught as well, his father having been knocked out by the initial impact of being hit by a full grown stallion.

“No, stay away you creep!” Star Sprint shouted at the approaching stallion.

Scootaloo hadn’t been genuinely afraid in a long time. She often put herself in bad situations, sure, but this was something she hadn’t intended or asked for. She once made fun of Sweetie Belle for crying for her parents after a particularly scary storm had been scheduled, but now the only two ponies on her mind were her mother and father.

She started to cry, unsure of what else to do but try and continue to wiggle free. To make things worse, some of the adults that had managed to escape had simply left them there, fleeing for their own lives.

“S-Scootaloo,” Star Sprint stammered. “I-I had-“

His sentence was cut short, as the sound of something heavy landing shook the stands, and made both foals slowly look up as a shadow fell over them. Two lifeless eyes stared back at them, a large hoof raised just above the stallion he had been after. Given his strength though, there was a chance his hoof wouldn’t be stopping on the stallion, which is what both of them feared.

“Daddy...please help.” Scootaloo whimpered as she closed her eyes.

A loud clang, followed by the cheers of the crowd gave the filly cause to open her eyes again. Soon afterwards the stallion was moved and lifted out of the way, back into the crowd. Thankfully, a unicorn couple had spotted them and were trying to get them to safety.

Scootaloo didn’t have to scan the track long to find the source of what had caused the loud noise. There, in the middle lane, was her father. His wings were still growing from his back, as was his tail; both taking on their usual full shape within seconds.

“Get them out of here.” she heard her father say over the noise, as Track Pace was taken away after them.

---

The super strong pegasus was back on his hooves in no time at all. While I didn’t want to admit it, it had actually hurt slamming into him. If he was that sturdy, then this was probably a fight I wouldn’t want to take too casually. I just needed to buy time until more guards were brought.

“Okay big guy, let’s see what’s beneath that mask.” I said crouching into a charging poise.

The stallion mimicked me, and rushed me first. He was slower than me, which I was thankful for. He had to come to a complete stop as he reached the wall, instead of simply spinning and bouncing off it with his hind legs, which made me question his intellect.

I flew towards the masked racer, connecting a punch to his muzzle. The impact knocked his head to the side, but otherwise didn’t seem to leave a lasting impression on him. Zero simply grabbed me and flung me across the track, into the dirt.

I unfurled my wings once more, charging at the stallion again. This time I aimed for his legs, taking him out as I passed under him. I heard a tearing sound as I rose above the track, followed by more terrified screams from the audience.

Upon turning to face my foe again, I was met not by a pony, but by a soulless automaton. Its dead eyes stared up at me, emotionlessly. It’s neck and muzzle were nothing more than some plates and delicate wires that ran beneath them, from what I could tell.

“Okay, he’s a terminator,” I mumbled as my mind struggled to process what I was seeing. “Any thoughts brain?”

Why are you asking me? You have tons of video game experience; just find the glowing spot and attack. The little voice replied.

“Real helpful.” I groaned, as Zero’s wings extended.

I dove down at the robotic pegasus, if it could be considered a robot in this world. Much to my dismay, I was swept to the side by his right wing, which oddly enough left a few cuts along my side. Thankfully, the concrete wall was there to soften the impact of being swatted away like a fly.

Zero’s mechanical legs slowly stomped towards me. Despite their heavy, clumsy appearance, they were proving to be incredibly strong. As I backed up against the concrete, eyes locked on the forelegs that may very well smash my skull in, an idea entered my mind.

If I was right, then this would put an end to his super powered romping. If I was wrong however; then this would land me in the hospital, or worse, the morgue.

Soon enough Zero was right in front of me, with plenty of ponies from the audience shouting for me to move. I had to stand my ground though, if I didn’t it would ruin everything. It took all I had to remain still as Zero drew back his left foreleg, ready to deliver a powerful punch.

As the metal hoof sailed towards me, I moved, much faster than I could ever hope to as a human. In the following second, I heard a sickening crack, followed by straining gears from Zero who had hit the wall instead of me. Just as planned, his hoof had gotten stuck, plowing right into the sturdy lining of the track, instead of bouncing off like a normal hoof would.

“Hey buddy,” I said, gaining his attention. “Ready for a stress test?”

Zero tried to free himself once more, making little progress. Stuck as he was, I had plenty of time to spin around on my forelegs and draw back my hind legs in preparation for a buck. Taking aim at the joint connecting the leg to the body, I threw all of my strength into a solid kick that jostled the robot. The next kick dislocated the leg from the socket it was resting in, but after what it had nearly done to a fellow racer, and my daughter, I wasn’t quite satisfied yet.

With one final kick, Zero’s arm remained trapped in the wall, while the rest of his body stumbled away. Sparks flew shot out from the gaping hole in his shell of a body, as he struggled to adjust to the sudden shift in balance. His wings folded against his side, unable to provide him the aid he needed now, as a blue liquid slowly started to seep out from the hole.

“My turn.” I growled, running towards the crippled stallion.

Zero rose up on his hind legs, taking a pitiful swing at me. I dodged easily, landing another blow to the side of his head. After he didn’t retaliate, I continued to flank him, hitting the same spot, until the plate on the side of his head caved in, causing him to stumble about aimlessly, his wings unfurling and folding at random as he shorted out.

One last kick was all it took to send the artificial pony to the ground for good, as well as earn a roar of cheers from the crowd. Now that his neck was exposed, I could see what appeared to be a crystal. Assuming this to be the source of his energy, I slammed a hoof into his neck as hard as I could; feeling something shatter beneath me.

All at once, Zero’s thrashing body fell limp; his gears winding down until they fell completely silent. His lifeless eyes stared out into space like doll eyes, just as they had been when he was mobile. I removed my hoof from the still, fake body as I heard the gruff voices of guards demanding that civilians move out of the way.

I stepped aside once they were out on the track, stopped when they saw what exactly they were dealing with. A unicorn started to look my injuries over, determining their severity. With my adrenalin rush still coursing through me, I was probably immune to any pain I might truly be in right now.

“By tartarus, what is this thing?” one of the guards asked.

“Something that doesn’t belong here.” I said under my breath.

---

Flicker snorted as the crowd flocked to the railing to get a better look at what the ape had been fighting. He had never seen him change before, and to be honest, hoped he never had to again. It didn’t help that this incident seemed to only add to his popularity.

He could stand to watch no more and started to make his way towards the exit. Flicker stopped whenever he noticed something shiny out of the corner of his eye. Ordinarily he would dismiss it as the silver wrapping of a candy bar, or some other food, but this was of a different caliber.

Upon closer inspection, it looked a lot like the necklace Daniel had been wearing. In fact, it was the necklace Flicker had seen around the ape’s neck when they had conversed in the street.

This realization brought a smile to the pegasus noble’s muzzle, as he stashed the necklace in his suit pocket. He could claim ignorance if he was discovered with it, but for the time being, it was a small trophy over his hated rival, one that was no doubt important to him.



> Paradise Lost
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I think you’ll live, just try not to get too carried away while you heal.” the medic said as he finished patching me up.

After my adrenalin had worn off, I realized how badly I had been messed up from that little scuffle on the track. I was lucky to have not broken anything when I was tossed to the ground, or slammed agaist the wall of the track. My side looked as if somepony had taken a few dozen razor blades to it at once. A few patches of hair were missing, but they would grow back.

“Have you met him?” Twilight asked, giggling as the unicorn left.

“So, did they find whoever made that monstrosity?” I asked, sliding off the medical bench.

“They did, he’s with Celestia and Luna right now” Twilight replied, her lighthearted demeanor disappearing completely as she followed me out of the medical room. “It’s a unicorn by the name of Impulse Spark.”

I froze, instantly remembering the name from my conversation with Thunderlane. The clever little bastard had been turned down, so since he couldn’t have a racer he built one, somehow. With this thought, my state of shock ended, and I proceeded to the throne room.

“Hey, where are you going?” Twilight called, trotting after me.

“He’s with the princesses, right?” I asked rhetorically. “Then I’m going to see him.”

“You can’t just barge in like that!” Twilight exclaimed, teleporting in front of me.

“Twilight, that thing went berserk. Something like that doesn’t belong here, not in this world.” I snorted, flying over her, wincing in pain upon landing.

“See? You’re in no shape to do anything anyways.” Twilight said.

“Please, let me talk to them,” I pleaded. “I’ll crawl there if I have to.”

Twilight apparently took me seriously and walked around to my side. She sighed, knowing I would probably make good on my threat. Without her opposition, it would make things easier on my already tired body.

“If I let you in, you have to behave yourself, am I clear?” Twilight raised an eyebrow at me.

“Transparent.” I replied.

---

“So this…Zero, it was meant to be a racer?” Celestia asked, looking down with disdain at the artificial pony which had taken a beating before being brought to her.

“Yes, after I had exhausted all other options, I decided to build a racer instead of hire one.” Impulse replied.

“Such a creation is borderline madness,” Luna commented. “How could you believe this was a good idea?”

“If you’re talking about the little accident, he was never built for combat. The controller shorted out, I lost the ability to direct his actions, and since he is not sentient he couldn’t process the information around him.” Impulse explained.

“I hardly find assaulting two of our soldiers a ‘little accident’” Celestia narrowed her eyes at the stallion.

“Fair point, but that doesn’t change the fact that he lacks sentience. He couldn’t dictate his own actions, that’s the only explanation I can give you. I don’t know why he went after the others.” Impulse’s voice raised slightly, growing shaky with a mix of fear and frustration.

“The reports of his actions would suggest otherwise,” Luna said. “Your words hold little merit against what was seen.”

Impulse thought for a moment, looking away from the accusing gazes of the princesses and her entourage of soldiers. Nothing was going like he planned, everything was falling apart. It seemed he would have to appeal to the softer side of the two sister’s hearts.

“I had hoped today to bring you something worthwhile,” Impulse started. “Yes, Zero is strong, mostly durable, and fast, but this was meant to be a display of what he was capable of giving others. I never meant for him to destroy or hurt anypony.”

Luna and Celestia remained silent, their expressions emotionless as Impulse spoke. It was a trained skill, keeping one in the dark on their thoughts with absolutely no subtle body language, save for the occasional blink from either alicorn.

“Zero as a whole is a bit terrifying, I suppose. Think of the separate pieces though, how many ponies have been crippled for life because prosthetics could only take them so far?” Impulse asked, finally getting a reaction out of them. “What if there were better options?”

“I suppose you have an explanation for these better options?” Celestia asked, her voice as neutral as before.

“I do,” Impulse replied, levitating Zero’s severed leg to his side. “Suppose one of your guards, or any pony in the kingdom for that matter, suffered some ill fate, and the loss of a limb. And earth pony would find work hard, a unicorn’s magic would decline, and a pegasus wouldn’t be the same in the air.”

“You think gluing parts to ponies in the answer?” Luna rolled her eyes.

“I never suggested glue.” Impulse corrected. “I just feel that this should just be considered a faulty accident that if given the chance-“

“Would happen again!” shouted the last pony Impulse wanted to hear.

---

“I’m sorry Celestia, Luna, he insisted.” Twilight said as she nudged me in my good side to try and get me under control. “You promised you’d behave.”

“I haven’t killed him yet, right?” I asked sarcastically.

“I recall this being a private hearing,” Impulse said. “Unless we now allow commoners to enter throne rooms whenever they see fit.”

“He has a title, he can stay,” Celestia replied, a small smirk spreading across her muzzle when she realized my presence made him uncomfortable. “In fact, why don’t you tell him what your racer was meant to do?”

Impulse fumbled for words, caught between an obvious disgust for me, and nervousness before the royal sisters. As much as I wanted to march up to him and clobber him, I knew I wouldn’t fare so well once the six guards had separated us.

“This thing doesn’t belong here. It can be weaponized at the drop of a hat.” I growled.

“Oh hi there kettle, name’s pot, have we met?” Impulse asked. “Really, I’d expect a better reason from the likes of you, given your history here.”

“Mind your words.” Luna warned the unicorn.

“I’m simply pointing out that Daniel here doesn’t belong in Equestria either, nor does his sibling,” Impulse shrugged. “By definition, they’re both invasive species.”

“I believe the term introduced is more fitting.” Celestia corrected him.

“Why would you build this thing to begin with?” I asked, trying to keep my cool.

“Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. I believe I’ve shown that a mind can be just as strong as the body when given the change, and creative flexibility,” Impulse replied. “It seems as though somepony is more afraid of change than he is a mere soulless automaton. Think of it, no more sending live soldiers to wars, no more ponies without jobs because accidents they may suffer. This was out of the best of intentions.”

“Best intention huh?” I laughed darkly as I approached the unicorn. “Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best of intentions. A lot of the worst people in my world came into power, all because they promised change.”

“This isn’t your world though, is it?” Impulse asked. “Besides, after you were accepted into our little kingdom, you became a racer, why should Zero not be given the same opportunity?”

“He’s not a pony.” I replied.

“Neither are you,” Impulse smiled. “So by your logic, you shouldn’t be a racer, you shouldn’t have a crown, and you shouldn’t be holding a title or record. Unless I misunderstood you somewhere?”

“I believe we’ve heard enough to make a decision on Zero’s fate.” Celestia interrupted us, which I was thankful for.

“Daniel, he raises a point,” Luna started. “While you do have our form as of now, you were never born one of us.”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Luna, the princess who I thought I was the closest to next to Twilight, was siding with Impulse Spark? The reality of it was hard to swallow, and even harder to endure as I noticed the smug smirk on the unicorn’s muzzle.

“Daniel also raises a point about your…creation, Impulse,” Celestia spoke up. “Change is good sometimes, but without the ability to determine right and wrong Zero is too dangerous.”

I silently cheered within the privacy of my own mind. I knew they would never let this stand, Impulse had to be up to more than wanting change. Zero hit too hard and his wing was like a row of razor blades, how could he not be a weapon?

“What if I could find a way to make him sentient?” Impulse asked.

Oh you’ve got to be kidding me! I glared at the unicorn.

“You have mastery of such things?” Luna barely managed to stifle a laugh.

“I did craft a body, how hard could a mind be?” Impulse shrugged as if it weren’t a challenge for him.

“I suppose we’ll see. If you want him to race, you have until the first race of the season to bring him before us for approval,” Celestia replied. “He must walk and talk of his own accord, as well as pose minimal threat to those around him.”

“You can’t seriously be consi-“ Twilight elbowed me, shaking her head no.

“Something to add?” Celestia asked.

“No, princess.” I replied.

“Then I believe this matter is settled.” Celestia concluded.

“Don’t feel too bad, we all get told no every now and then,” Impulse boasted once Celestia and Luna had left the room. “It’s not like you could remain their favorite forever.”

“You’re making a huge mistake.” I snorted.

“No, I’m making progress.” Impulse said leaving the room with the cart Zero was resting on in tow.

---

Impulse looked back at the castle from the streets of Canterlot, a triumphant smile plastered on his muzzle. His assumption that Celestia had held that simpleton above her own subjects had proven to be misplaced. Thanks to his small outburst, he had been given the freedom he needed to complete his work.

Perhaps Zero wasn't enough, perhaps he could do more than just help soldiers. Since Zero was clearly stronger than the average earth pony, it would stand to reason that he would make a better substitute. That was for another day though, right now, he had to figure out how to develop a consciousness.

"Something of that magnitude will take a great deal of magic." Impulse murmured to himself as he walked.

Zero was still in the cart he had been brought in on. He was in dire need of repairs after what that brute did to him. Clearly it was in self-defense, but Impulse would be lying if he said he wasn't cheering for Zero to win.

"Somepony seems to be in a good mood this evening." an unfamiliar voice said.

Impulse looked around until he found a pegasus grinning at him. He assumed the stallion wanted trouble and pressed on, doing his best to ignore him.

"I never knew Skymark's son was so interested in playing with such dangerous toys," the stallion added. "All those fancy, charged crystals you had to purchase."

"What do you want?" Impulse asked, stopping at the mention of his father.

"I'm simply trying to congratulate you on doing what I've wanted to do for a while. Even if it didn't go in your favor," The pegasus explained. "The ape needed a good thrashing."

"I wasn't trying to deliberately hurt him...just harm his legacy, spring board off it even." Impulse huffed.

"Oh you did more than that my horned friend," the pegasus chuckled. "Ah, where are my manners? My name is Flicker, and I happen to be in the same business as our dear human."

"Is that how you know my father?" Impulse asked.

"More or less," Flicker motioned for Impulse to follow him. "We were at odds on most things though, the inner workings of racing being what it is."

"I saw it as a solution to my problems at first, a possible one anyways. The more I started to build Zero, the more possibilities I saw. He can be so much more than a normal pony.” Impulse reluctantly followed the racer, unsure what his end goal was with him, but his curiosity was out weighing his concern.

"So, do you plan to rebuild him, it?" Flicker asked.

"Yes, I have to find a way to make him stronger, and as impossible as it sounds, tell right from wrong." Impulse sighed.

"You unicorns have been doing crazy things for centuries, I'm certain you can find a way." Flicker said.

"In theory, it would take a crystal of immense power. The only problem is Zero burns through them within a few hours." Impulse lamented.

"And what would such a crystal look like?" Flicker asked nonchalantly.

"That depends, it could be the size of a ring stone, or a large bolder. It's dependent on the charge, and it would need to hold the charge within the body." Impulse rambled.

"Is your friend packing any copper?" Flicker asked.

"Quite a bit, why?" the unicorn asked puzzled.

"Copper is built to hold that charge, a lot longer than you think it does. Even after those crystals are drained, there’s still energy dancing across the fibers." Flicker chuckled.

"How do you know that?" Impulse was stunned a pegasus knew anything about the inner workings of magic.

"I come from a family of unicorns, the bastard colt I'm afraid." Flicker shrugged.

"I'm...sorry, I know the feeling." Impulse said.

"Pfft, don't be. I inherited their title and wealth. I was always looked down on, despite soaring so high above their limited perspective on life," Flicker laughed. "That's why I like you,"

The two stopped at a large two story house. It wasn't a mansion per say, but it was close. So close that Impulse had jumped to conclusions about its status until he looked at it closer. Surely such a pegasus would live in a finer dwelling than this.

"I see that look," Flicker chuckled. "I left my parent's mansion behind, in case you were wondering. I didn't want to be reminded of my family that tried to forget me."

"I meant no disrespect." Impulse blurted out quickly.

"None was taken, now come." Flicker motioned once more for Impulse to follow him into his house.

Impulse left Zero beside the door, throwing a sheet over his cooled, fake body. He had been warm from the energy that had been discharging from the large breach in his armored form, but that had since faded; leaving behind a dead automaton, if one could consider such a being alive. To Impulse he was, or had been.

"Pardon me for asking Flicker, but why did you bring me to your house?" Impulse asked.

"Well it was your, or Zero's first race rather. Such events are times for celebration, not depressing occasions where one is taken away by the guard," Flicker explained. "Besides, I drink alone most nights, I wanted a friend."

"Friend..." Impulse repeated cautiously.

"Of course, how could we not be? With so much in common, I dare say it'd be difficult to call us enemies." Flicker grinned.

The pegasus disappeared down a corridor, triggering Impulse to move from his stationary spot. Thankfully, the noble wasn't moving too fast for him to lose as if from some cheesy horror story he had read once.

As he caught up to Flicker, Impulse couldn't help but look at the pictures on the walls. While he had claimed to despise his family, he still kept portraits, or what he assumed were portraits of his family. The colt in the picture had his mane and coat colors.

"I thought you said you had differences with your family?" Impulse worked up the courage to ask.

"Ah, the pictures," Flicker mumbled. "Yes, I do occasionally have family friends over, guest who were close to them. I have to at least keep some part of them alive when they are present."

"I see...did you have a brother?" Impulse asked, noticing the colt beside him.

"Yes, a twin. Obviously not identical, but a twin none the less," Flicker replied. "I was the first born, I can only imagine their surprise and disappointment when they saw me."

"I know the feeling." Impulse said as the two stallions entered what appeared to be a study room.

Flicker wasted little time in pouring two drinks. Passing one off to the unicorn who took it using his magic. He sipped on his own, not quite in the mood to kiss the conscious world goodbye for the night. There was still a guest to entertain, one that he was more tolerable of than the others who had graced his halls.

“To the bastards,” Flicker held up his glass. “May they forever stand against the status quo.”

Impulse wasn’t quite sure what to make of the strange toast, but took part none the less. After the initial sip, the unicorn took a moment to look around the room. He noticed another picture of a stallion and mare that had a crack down the middle of the glass covering. Why he kept such a thing was beyond him, but there was something else that held his interest in the photo.

The mare in the picture looked very familiar, almost as if he had seen her before. The purple mane, tangerine coat and horn, both raised red flags but to what end he found himself unable to deduce.

“My brother was the only one I really tolerated, he was the family member that didn’t completely exclude me,” Flicker said. “When he died it left a gaping hole in my life.”

“I was an only foal. I can’t imagine what losing a sibling is like.” Impulse said as he continued to look around the room.

The unciron’s eyes fell on a small object that seemed to glow with an impressive aura about it. Impulse dismissed it as a trophy at first, but as he studied it he realized it was a gem or crystal of some sort. Inspecting it closer, he could feel the seething energy from within, causing the glow.

“Where did you get this?” Impulse asked.

“I found it recently,” Flicker said after a few seconds of hesitation. “Quite the find I must say. Though I must admit I don’t understand why it continually glows.”

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t take me for a fool,” Impulse sighed. “How did you really find it?”

“Very well, I found it today,” Flicker’s tone suddenly shifted from its previous lighthearted demeanor. “I’m quite certain it belongs to the ape.”

“You stole it?” Impulse spun around to face the pegasus.

“Hardly, he threw it away,” Flicker snorted. “In case you were too busy to notice, it’s what allows him to obtain that horrendous two legged form.”

“It’s…that powerful?” Impulse stared at the necklace.

Flicker grinned once the unicorn had turned his back to him. “Yes, anything that can sustain something like that for an untold amount of time would have to be…wouldn’t it?”

“I can’t even begin to fathom the numbers involved in something like that…” Impulse trailed off.

“Didn’t you say you were looking for a stronger crystal? Something that would be able to give your project a life of its own?” Flicker asked, setting his drink down. “Perhaps something that would make your racer the pinnacle of Equestrian technology?”

“I know what you’re implying,” Impulse replied. “As much as I dislike him, I can’t do that…he’d come looking for what belongs to him.”

“He’s friends with a princess, what is one necklace missing from his neck?” Flicker asked.

“If others found out about this it would cause a lot of trouble.” Impulse argued.

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” Flicker confessed, smiling as Impulse turned to face him with a concerned look. “You didn’t think Canterlot was all sunshine and rainbows, did you? That’s something the pamphlets and newspapers want outsiders to buy into. This city is so full of back biting that the smiling stallion you see walking across from you has already thought of a few dozen ways to plant a knife in your back.”

Impulse remained silent through Flicker’s explanation. Surely the very city the sister’s looked out over every morning and night couldn’t be as bad as he was making it out to be, could it?

“Sometimes bad things happen,” Flicker continued his dark explanation of the inner workings of the city. “An accident here, a fateful encounter there, perhaps a pony forgot to turn off the over before they went to sleep. Whatever the case is, things get swept under the rug to make the city look as spotless as possible.”

Impulse felt a small tinge of fear for his safety now. He didn’t care for the human, and he had wanted to bring his legacy down, but was this going too far? This was theft, and it would open the door to who knows what else. Still, it was a possible answer to his problems...and if it didn’t work, they could always give it back, right?”

Reluctantly, Impulse focused on the necklace, encasing it in his mental aura to remove it from the small stand it had been placed on. Flicker made no move to stop him, only smiling as he pocketed the accessory.

“You really doubt they’d look for it?” Impulse asked.

“They might, but it won’t be a pony hunt like you’re probably picturing in your mind,” Flicker chuckled. “Fancy Pants lost a jewel a few years ago, never turned up.”

“Why are you so willing to help me?” Impulse asked.

“I have a great dislike for Daniel, and I’m growing tired of the races. He is still young and fresh, his success and prosperity as a result is fairly obvious,” Flicker replied. “I want to see him torn down a few notches.”

“How do I know this isn’t some ruse to trip me up and make yourself look good?” Impulse deadpanned.

“Aren’t we the suspicious one?” Flicker laughed. “If I had wanted to villainize you, I could have made up some story about how I took it from you. Besides, I’m certain you’ve done enough to villainize yourself already. I wouldn’t need to do much to cast an even darker shadow over your progress.”

“I was just under the impression there was some sort of inner bond between your racers.” Impulse replied.

“Hardly,” Flicker scoffed. “We-most of us are pegasi, that’s where our similarities lay. Everything else is nothing more than show for the spirit of the sport. Anypony that believes differently is too naïve to see the politics behind it.”

“You’ve certainly been forthcoming with the darker side of Canterlot life.” Impulse mused.

“As I said before, this isn’t my first rodeo.” Flicker grinned.
> Purpose 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I looked at the filly beside me, sleeping soundly on the train seat. She was disarmingly adorable, curled up as she was; her warm breath hot against the bandages on my side. She held that special place in my heart that only a daughter could without even realizing it, especially at moments like these.

“How is she?” Cloudchaser asked.

“Asleep,” I replied quietly. “I don’t blame her, she’s had a rough afternoon.”

“And what about you?” Cloudchaser looked up at me with soul searching eyes.

“I don’t want to make today a habit,” I sighed. “I wasn’t going to leave her down there though.”

“She’s lucky to have a daddy that would do what you did today,” Cloudchaser said, nuzzling me affectionately. “But if you ever do that again I’m the one that will make sure you’re bedridden.”

“I hope it never comes to that again.” I smiled.

We had decided to leave Canterlot early, after the events leading up to the race's rather alarming conclusion put a sour taste in everypony's mouth. Impulse was being foolish, and I could only hope he would fail. Despite Twilight's assurances that such a spell was beyond the unicorn's level, I had the feeling he would find a way around the princesses' condition. He had already found a way to actually get that thing onto the track, and in the air, there was no telling what else he was capable of.

“Say, what happened to your necklace?” Cloudchaser asked, placing a hoof on my chest.

“I lost it when I was racing to stop that abomination, it can be replaced though…maybe.” I replied.

“For what it’s worth, I think the trade was worth it.” Cloudchaser commented, leaning against me.

“I do too.” I said quietly.

I wasn’t sure what had happened to it when I had ripped it off after getting caught up in the moment. Cloudchaser was right though, losing a necklace was nothing compared to what it would have been like to lose Scootaloo. I would have never forgiven myself if I hadn’t done something.

I looked over at Stormwalker who, like his sister, was asleep. In about an hour, they would need to wake up again, which would be a less than pleasant experience with a foal without a carrier. Even then, it was kind of like Russian roulette when it came to moving him at all while he was asleep. There was about a seventy five percent chance you would end up with a fussy colt, but that sweet twenty five percent that you didn’t was worth any extra effort that might be involved in getting him home.

As we neared our stop, with the train slowing down to a mere crawl, I awoke Scootaloo by gently nuzzling her. Her eyes slowly opened, one eyelid rising a bit more than the other to create the perfect half awake, half asleep expression.

“Come on squirt, time to go home.” I said.

I received a tired moan in reply, as Scootaloo walked straight off the seat and into the air. Her small wings buzzed out of instinct, lowering her to the floor of the train car as she continued to air walk. I raised an eyebrow at the spectacle, but was pleased to see her wings were still getting stronger, since she had almost made it to the door, most likely without even realizing it.

I had traveled more while living in Equestria than I had when I lived on Earth. Each time I stepped off the train and onto the dock of Ponyville’s station, I felt a sense of security wash over me. It was a powerful, soothing sensation that reminded me I was home. This was the one place I knew I didn’t have to worry about the outside world, it was a safe haven from those that held cruel opinions about me; whether they were made public or not.

This time I didn’t feel that familiar sensation over take me. The air around me felt empty somehow, twisting my expression into a frown. It left a distinct longing in my heart for what I had once had here, but I would have been fooling myself if I truly believed I could ever feel the same again after today. The feeling of security and peace I had worked hard to achieve in this world had been torn asunder in a matter of seconds in Canterlot.

I had fallen in love with Equestria because it lacked what Earth had, advancements. It didn’t need all of the plasma screens, high powered computers, or nuclear weapons to make it great. It was simple, but satisfyingly complex at the same time with its magic.

The longer I called Equestria my home however; I began to notice how similar it truly was to Earth. Its politics were only slightly different from the ones I was familiar with. Thankfully, Celestia and Luna seemed to be of sound mind, even though I questioned their call today. There was crime as well, but it wasn’t unmanageable. Today was the tipping point though, and I had been shown first hoof that there were imaginations dark enough to will things like Zero into existence.

“Babe, are you okay?” Cloudchaser asked.

“Yeah, just tired I guess.” I replied quietly.

As I walked through the streets, the colors that had once seemed so bright along the houses and roads were now dull. I tried to convince myself that it was just the time of day, and that the sun was playing tricks on my eyes.

I assured myself that I would feel better once I was home, with my hooves beneath the familiar hardwood floor of our house. I longed for that familiar feeling that was lacking when we first arrived. It was almost a sensation my being craved to experience.

Yet, as I opened the door to my house, I felt nothing. Were it not for my wife and foals next to me, I would have forgotten about this building being a home entirely. Everything felt wrong now; there should be no empty sensation within one’s own house. It was as if there was a problem my mind couldn’t wrap itself around just yet.

I silently excused myself to my room once Scootaloo and Stormwalker were settled in once more. Though the best thing about a wife, from any world or dimension, is that a loving one wouldn’t let you slink away by yourself into a dark, cold environment.

“Something’s up, don’t pretend like nothing’s bothering you.” Cloudchaser said as she joined me on the bed.

“...I nearly lost my daughter.” I replied, staring at our reflections in the mirror as they looked back at us from the bed on the opposite side.

“You didn’t though, that’s all that matters.” Cloudchaser leaned against me.

“For so long I fooled myself into thinking that this place was better than the world I left behind. The truth is that it’s just packaged differently.” I pressed my nose into her mane, taking in her scent.

“Would you trade this world for the one you left behind?” Cloudchaser asked.

I smiled as I dwelt briefly on her question. Cloudchaser was much smarter than she led others to believe she was. I felt her ears perk up beneath me, as she saw my smile spread across my muzzle through the mirror.

“No, I’d never leave any of you behind.” I replied.

“I think you’re worried over nothing then,” Cloudchaser said as she shifted her weight enough to knock me over. “Focus on what’s in front of you.”

“I do,” my sentence was cut short by Cloudchaser’s lips pressing against mine. “I just want to keep all of you safe.”

“You do a good job of that,” Cloudchaser sighed happily as she snuggled up next to me. “You’ve got the best heart for the job.”

---

Impulse could feel his heart rate rising, as he stared at the open chest cavity of his restored project. Zero had performed adequately, but he could do better. Performance issues would have to wait for the moment however; time was of the essence in ensuring that he could prove his opposition wrong about his creation.

The unicorn levitated the stone he had extracted from the necklace Flicker had “found” and studied it once more, taking in its shimmering beauty. “One must wonder what chain of events led to your creation.”

Impulse had already done his best to deduce the origins of the stone, and its trapped essence. Yet, try as he might, he could never come up with a conclusive answer to his questions. It seemed alien in nature, and behaved erratically when he tried to tap into its stored power. It was a textbook example of chaos, which was something that sent a chill down the unicorn’s spine.

The inventor had done his best to account for every conceivable outcome for what he was about to attempt. Zero was already balanced, flooding his inner workings with such magic would either yield promising results, or terrible ones.

Hesitantly, Impulse fitted the gem into Zero, sending a few stray sparks along his internal components. A small part of his soul cried out to him that this was wrong, that what he was doing would end poorly, but with how well things had fallen in his favor with constructing Zero, not to mention being given the right to finish him, he ignored the call for caution.

“Okay, here goes nothing...or everything.” Impulse mumbled as the light around his horn intensified.

He watched as the energy within Zero started to become self-sustaining. Perhaps Flicker hadn’t been full of hot air; maybe he did know a thing or two about magic. Impulse could hardly believe he had over looked something that seemed so simple, but it wasn’t unfathomable, nopony was perfect after all.

Without warning, the lights in the room went dim, inviting a dark aura into the room as the ominous dying whirs of machinery filled the air. The latter noise was what spurred Impulse into action, frantically checking for every conceivable error that popped into his panicked mind. The main ceiling light popped, diminishing what little light there was in the room now, only adding to the stallion’s panic.

“No no no no, this isn’t supposed to happen, not now!” Impulse rambled.

Soon, a minute had passed without any activity, which led Impulse to believe this little endeavor had been a waste of time. He sulked in the darkness, feeling defeated and frustrated at the possibility of hitting a dead end with his project.

There had been a huge surge of energy coursing along the wires. With the amount of magic already preserved within the metal framework, this newest addition only magnified what was already there, but there was something else with it. It was foreign, and didn’t behave like normal magic should as it danced along the copper workings of the artificial pegasus.

It’s dark…wait…dark…the opposite of what that place was…light…warm, open, inviting…these…what are these? Thoughts? My thoughts? What is that noise?

A bright, blue light slowly started to occupy the room, casting light on a lone unicorn. He didn’t know how he knew him, but he was certain he knew him somehow. He noticed him crying, which troubled him, why he couldn’t understand, but he knew that a pony should never cry.

”Errbtz!” he tried to get the unicorn’s attention, but only produced a loud built up discharge of energy.

It seemed to have been enough however; as the unicorn slowly turned around to make eye contact with the restrained construct. Restrained, he didn't like being restrained; held back against his will.

With little effort, a sturdy metal leg, lurched forward of its own volition, free from the strap that had bound it. Another followed suit, then another, until all four legs were free of their confines; allowing him to fall onto the floor.

"Sweet...Celestia..." Impulse mumbled as he gazed into the icy blue eyes of his creation.

The smell of burning hair, distracted him from Zero's rebirth. His mane was a flame, as was his tail as strange replacements filled in the gaps where the fake fibers had once been. Odd glowing strands of light seemed to spill out like weeds, as excess energy exited his body. The strands flowed and moved like the mane or tail of any normal pony, their color shifting from yellow to baby blue at random frequencies.

"Z-Zero?" Impulse stammered as he hesitantly approached the artificial pony.

Another loud static discharge rumbled from within the clockwork pony's innards. Impulse could only stare at his creation in slack jawed astonishment, as Zero took his first uneasy steps towards him.

The unicorn was confused at first, until he realized that Zero himself had never used his legs before, or anything really. He had been like a puppet, only on a much larger scale. Now faced with the reality of freedom, Impulse faced several new challenges, one being ensuring he could still fly.

"Zero, can you speak at all?" Impulse asked, as calmly as he could.

Zero stared at him, emitting another loud, static filled shriek. The noise caused the unicorn to recoil, but answered his question none the less. It also answered his follow up, which was if he could understand him. Given the response, Impulse assumed that he could.

"Right, you'll need some kind of filter for speech," Impulse spoke aloud, studying Zero carefully. "Can you lift your wings?"

As soon as the word "wing" was uttered, Zero unfurled the mechanical attachments, knocking over several expensive looking objects. He looked down at the ground upon hearing the sound of glass shattering into thousands of tiny pieces. His reaction to sound made Impulse curious as to how advanced he was thought wise, but that was a discovery for later.

"A simple nod would have sufficed." Impulse sighed.

Zero’s interest was no longer held by the unicorn in the room. Instead, the various objects on the shelves seemed to be much more appeasing to the artificial stallion’s glowing eyes. Specifically the pictures and oddly shaped decorations that seemed to be screaming out to be played with.

The stallion reached out to try and grab one of the pictures, only to watch it slide free from his nonexistent grip. This puzzled Zero, as he felt certain that he should have been able to hold things.

“Hey!” Impulse exclaimed, regaining Zero’s attention. “Don’t mess with those!”

Something flashed around Zero, warping his surroundings. The noise the unicorn was making reverberated within his already confused, budding consciousness and created what seemed to be an entirely new environment, one which seemed to flash of vibrant blues and purples.

“DON’T MESS WITH THOSE!” echoed a terrifying voice, which was accompanied by a strange, tall, bipedal figure.

Zero recoiled from the sight, bumping into another shelf which dislodged a number of books. Upon making contact with the wooden surface, his surroundings returned to what qualified as normal; at the very least, they were what he had been familiar with before the strange images had overwhelmed his vision.

Impulse sighed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you...I just didn’t expect you to act on your own.”
Zero perked his head up cautiously as the unicorn approached him. He wasn’t quite sure what he had seen, but if yelling caused it, he didn’t want to rekindle the other stallion’s ire again.

“Daniel, what exactly were you hiding in that gem?” the unicorn mumbled quietly.

Impulse felt a sick mix of dread and excitement hit him as he watched Zero continue to walk around. Whatever secret the human had kept hidden within the confines of the stone now residing in the pony’s artificial body, it was quite literally out and about now. 

---

I rubbed my forehead as the mare in front of me contently sipped on her tea. Despite the story I had just relayed to her, she seemed relatively unmoved by it. I hadn’t expected her to break down into a panic, but the lack of reaction was a bit unnerving.

“Sounds like you had quite the day yesterday.” Harmony finally said, her glazed eyes never averting from their fixed location on the table.

“What about you though, how long are you in Ponyville for?” I asked.

“Not long at all really,” Harmony replied. “I’ve got to be back on the road tomorrow. Most ponies aren’t aware I slipped away for a while. I’ll be ending things in Las Pegasus.”

“If I’m not mistaken, that’s where the finals are going to be held.” I said, my ears perking up at the thought of getting to see my friend more than once a year.

“Well, maybe I’ll get a chance to root for you personally this time.” the mare smiled.

We both descended into a state of temporary silence after that, simply enjoying one another’s company. Harmony had been one of the first ponies outside of Twilight’s circle of friends to not care about my appearance. She was also one of the major reasons I had decided to stay. If I hadn’t met her, I might have returned to Earth, and never see Scootaloo or Cloudchaser again.

The mare was blind, but she had found a way to user her magic to help her see the sounds bounce off of objects. It was pretty fascinating, and was a part of her cutie mark. Aside from being pretty gifted with magic, since it was almost in constant use, Harmony could sing exceptionally well.

“Something’s still on your mind,” Harmony said, looking out at the trees. “I can tell by your movements and heart rate…you have more on your mind.”

“Right, I forgot I was friends with a walking polygraph.” I mumbled, earning a few laughs from Harmony.

“So spit it out, what’s bugging you?” Harmony asked.

“Just worried about Zero.” I replied.

“Try not to be,” Harmony said. “How many ponies do you think went home having this very discussion about you when you first arrived?”

“I wasn’t trying to tear a pony’s head off,” I commented. “If Impulse can live up to the princesses’ condition, I’m not going to be buddy buddy with it.”

“Well, you’ve got me there, but how do you know he’ll be violent all the time? He could be a real sweetheart…if things like him have those.” Harmony said.

“They don’t, and I doubt it.” I scoffed.

Harmony sighed, the aura around her horn firing up as she levitated her sun glasses over her eyes. “You know, the most important things daddies give to their children is their example. I promise you that more eyes than Scootaloo’s watch what you do though.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked as the singer excused herself.

“Try being part of a solution…you’ll figure it out champ.” Harmony chirped happily.

“I wish I had your attitude about this whole thing.” I mumbled under my breath.

“I know you do!” the mare shouted as she continued to put distance between us, her super hearing at work no doubt.

I shook my head, smiling as I did so. Talking to Harmony had certainly lifted my mood a bit, but I was now left with a bandaged side, for at least another three days. Lean Streak had already chewed me out for the inevitable down time it would cause, though he was a bit lenient, given the circumstances. I had the sinking feeling that my wings would be very sore before he was done with me.

"Why the long face there, sugar cube?" I heard Applejack ask.

"I feel useless today, and there's a lot on my mind." I replied.

"Uh oh, that's never a good combination," the farm mare laughed. "Ah'd ask if ya wanted ta help out down at the orchard, but Ah don't recon yer in any condition ta be helpin' none."

"This?" I gestured to my side. "Pfft, I can handle myself."

"If ya say so," Applejack shrugged. "Just don't want an old timer hurt'n himself."

"Old timer?" I stood up from my seat. What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just a jab at ya, what with you bein' a pa now." Applejack snickered.

"Well, this "old timer" still has plenty of vigor left in him." I smirked.

"Alright then, Ah ain't one ta turn a friend away. Sides, it might help take yer mind off whatever's got ya down." Applejack said, motioning for me to follow her.

I nodded, following the farm pony. Perhaps she was right, and all I really needed to shake whatever this funk I had slipped into was something to take my mind off it. Focusing on something else was usually the best trick, and if I was too busy working then I couldn't dwell on Zero, or Impulse.

As we walked back to Sweet Apple Achers, we talked about simpler things, avoiding work for the most part. A good portion of our conversation was centered around our families, and how Applebloom and Scootaloo were doing in school. As usual, their after school crusades had still failed to yield any results, aside from some pretty interesting stories, and some not so pleasant stories involving a broken window and several trees missing branches; that one still left me scratching my head.

I had asked Applejack if she had found somepony special yet, to which she blushed. I felt a smug smile cross my muzzle now that the tables were turned and I was the one asking the relationship question. I didn't press it though out of respect, Applejack was one of my closest friends, and I wouldn't dare try to harm that relationship over something stupid.

"Ah bet lil Stormwalker's up and movin' by now." Applejack said, changing topics.

"He's a mess sometimes," I replied. "An adorable little winged mess that never ceases to amaze me."

“Just be glad they ain’t got ya outnumbered yet.” Granny Smith chimed in as we neared the barn.

“I think the two I have is enough for now.” I said with a blush.

“Course it’s rough, but ya got a good noggin’ on yer neck.” Granny Smith laughed.

“But I didn’t…” I started, until it dawned on me she might have misheard me. “Thank you ma’am.”

“Ah don’t have any yams right now.” Granny Smith tilted her head in confusion at me as she spoke.

“We’ll be out back Granny,” Applejack said, pulling on my tail before I could respond. “C’mon old timer.”

“Ugh, I’m not old!” I fumed.


> More To Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Again.” Lean Streak barked, as sweat glistened off my coat.

“He wasn’t joking when he said you were getting the once over.” Mike laughed.

“Shut up Mike.” I grumbled, which only made him laugh louder.

I had been all but dragged out of bed at the crack of dawn by Ike and his currently hysterical brother. I found the experience far less amusing than Scootaloo had. Stormwalker was with Flitter, since I knew I would start up training again today, and Cloudchaser would be out of town. This worked out for the better when dealing with Mike and Ike's shenanigans.

I pushed this morning from my mind and started another lap, the burden of the weights at my side becoming more pronounced the longer I carried them. I found this type of exercise to be more of a mind game than physical. If I concentrated too long on the weight, which was actually much lighter than it felt now, I would tire much quicker than if I shrugged it off.

The track here was relatively shorter than the ones I was used to in the other major cities, which meant I had to circle it multiple times in order to get the full effect. Lean Streak had already done the busy work of figuring out how many times I would need to circle it, among other things.

"Foals making you soft on me?" Lean Streak taunted, after blowing the whistle for me to stop.

"If anything they should be keeping him active." Ike commented.

"You're more than welcome to take a walk in my shoes." I quipped, slinging the weighted vest off.

"I'll stick to watching, thanks." Ike grinned.

"Ike, what's his average time look like?" Lean Streak asked in his usual gruff voice.

"You've shaved two seconds off." Ike replied nonchalantly.

Lean Streak looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I groaned, knowing what that look meant as I scooped up the vest and wiggled my way into it once more. I soon heard the whistle blow, triggering my now deeply ingrained reaction to take off at the ear splitting sound.

I was certain that dropping two seconds off my time during a week would have been pretty impressive. Lean Streak was pretty hard ball when it came to his job, however. If you thought two seconds was good enough, he wanted five. While unrealistic, it was his excuse to get a few more minutes of training out of you.

Hope Scootaloo's having a better day than I am. I thought to myself.

Training seemed to drag on even after I was no longer airborne. Oddly enough, I had come to find the exercises that were a bit closer to the ground to be more rewarding. It probably had something to do with it involving more overall body strength than wings alone.

I was tired all the same, regardless of how favorable I found one set of exercises over the other. The first thing I wanted to do when I got home was shower, since being covered in sweat wasn't the greatest feeling in the world.

I need to go get Stormwalker afterwards. I thought to myself as I pushed open the door. Then I need to make sure Scoot-

"DAD!" shouted the familiar voice of my hyper active filly.

Before I could respond, I was nearly tackled to the floor by a small orange blur. I quickly realized how exhausted I was after enduring Lean Streak's trials. My own daughter, bless the fuzz ball, had nearly put me out on the floor.

"Hey Scoots," I said shrugging it off as I received a hug. "You seem to be in a good mood today."

"Bet you can't guess why." Scootaloo grinned.

Good grades? No, she was pretty content there. A new friend? Nah, that wouldn't warrant a hug-tackle. Oh god, Star Sprint asked her to be his mare friend, didn't he? No, no, you know Scootaloo better than that...besides, you don't own a shotgun, yet. I tossed the answer to her question about in my mind, until I noticed something on her flank.

I assumed it was from a party of some kind, but that only left me with more questions. It wasn't until I leaned my head slightly that I noticed it seemed to blend in with her coat, and didn't have the usual appearance of paint or ink. My eyes widened as I realized what I was looking at; this was the real deal this time.

"You got your cutie mark!" I exclaimed, feeling the exhaustion evaporating from my body.

Scootaloo nodded her head vigorously, squeezing my leg tighter. In that moment, I forgot about everything else, I didn't even care what it meant, I was proud of her as I scooped her up and into a tighter hug. I heard her wings buzz for joy, until I eventually felt a tiny hoof press against my barrel.

"You're kind of sweaty." Scootaloo said.

"Way to ruin the moment kid," I chuckled, ruffling her mane a bit before releasing her. "Give me a few minutes and you can tell me all about it, okay?"

Scootaloo gave me a small salute before running off to her room. After all the nonsense that had occurred in Canterlot, this was a welcome break amidst the chaos.

---

Zero's eyes continued to scan over the latest book he had found of interest among Impulse's rather impressive collection. It was a book on dreams, a topic he had come to find interesting as he continued to have the same recurring dream each night, if they could be called that. Logically, he shouldn't be able to, lacking what normal, living beings possessed, but perhaps calling them dreams was inaccurate as they almost appeared to be memories.

Before this husk he now found himself confined to, he could remember the warmth of the sun that shown through the window. It was a feeling that he knew he should register, but metal could only grow hot or cold depending on its environment, and possessed no nerves to experience pain, pleasure, or basic contact.

Zero glanced out the window briefly to see a few ponies of various tribes walking, and sometimes flying, through the busy streets of Las Pegasus. He saw different age groups as well; foals, elderly, young couples a plenty.

Eventually Zero returned to his book, or tried to anyways. The relative peace of the room was disturbed by two stallions, one being his 'father' while the other...he recognized, but only by appearance.

"Are you sure this isn't some elaborate hoax, Impulse?" the other stallion asked.

"I assure you this is no hoax, it's as I told you," Impulse replied. "Perfection realized."

"Perfection certainly seems a bit...quaint. I'll admit, I was expecting something a bit more, oh I don't know, intimidating?" the other stallion offered. "He doesn't quite seem like a master piece yet."

"And what is a master piece to you?" Zero spoke up, startling both ponies.

To Zero, his own voice sounded strange and was taking some getting used to, as it sounded as if a pony was speaking softly through a megaphone, but with two overlapping voices instead of just one. He hadn't used it often, but he cared enough about Impulse to not let this other stallion try and talk down to him.

"Is not beauty in the eye of the beholder?" Zero stood up, closing the book he had been reading, the cover reading "Mysteries of the Mind."

"You can talk..." the new comer mouthed.

"I can do more than talk." Zero said as he sized the odd stallion up.

"Impressed yet?" Impulse turned to the other stallion.

"Okay, you have my attention now." he nodded.

"Zero, this is Flicker, he's the stallion responsible for your core." the unicorn gestured towards the still stunned pegasus.

Zero looked Flicker over; he knew that wasn't the case. There was more to the artificial lifeblood that danced through his body than some cowardly stallion. He couldn't physically roll his eyes, but if he could he would have.

"No he's not." Zero said flatly.

"What?" both Impulse and Flicker said in unison.

"Someone else is," the artificial pony huffed. "Someone different...like me."

"Someone?" Flicker asked, unfamiliar with the expression.

"He prefers that over anypony for some reason." Impulse said.

"Do you really think he can beat Daniel? He only managed second against a group of new comers." Flicker turned to the unicorn.

"Daniel, what makes him so special?" Zero asked.

"He's different from other ponies. In fact, calling him one is an insult to our kind. He's human, or was rather." Flicker replied.

Zero stared blankly at Flicker. "Am I an insult to your kind as well?"

"What? No, that's not what I meant!" Flicker exclaimed.

"What did you mean? Clearly I'm not a pony, but I'm not some inanimate object either." Zero said.

"I'd drop it Flicker, he's much smarter than you think." Impulse said proudly.

"Smarter doesn't even begin to cover it." Zero's mechanical voice added.

"Think I've seen enough of your toy for one day." Flicker commented, turning for the door.

Zero said nothing as the two stallions left him. The difference between the two of them now was the grin that seemed glued to Impulse's muzzle. As far as Zero was concerned, as long as he was happy, he somehow knew things would be okay. Still, he longed for outside interaction with those he watched from his window.

He knew he could easily walk out of the building and onto the busy streets, but that would only result in screams of panic. That would only set him back, and Impulse kept insisting that he wasn't ready yet. He felt like he was ready, but Impulse insisted he wait.

Zero's eyes happened to scan over two colts playing, a tantalizing red ball bouncing between them. He watched as one colt would flick his foreleg at the airborne object to send it back to his friend, only for the process to repeat itself. Zero felt the growing urge to do so himself, and wondered what it would be like to play such a simple game.

"None of this makes sense." Zero mumbled as he turned away.

He wasn't alive, or living by the conventional definition of the word, but he was functioning. His mind was developing and growing, which he shouldn't have one to begin with. His entire existence was confusing to him. He knew he was supposed to race, but what then? Would he become nothing more than a memory?

Then there was Daniel, the puzzle piece he had yet to converse with, but knew he would eventually. If the princesses liked him, then he would get to race, at least that's what Impulse had told him. What he couldn't figure out was why some ponies seemed to despise him.

Zero looked at the cut out news article that featured the stallion in question. He was beside a mare, with a colt wrapped snuggly in a blanket resting in her forelegs. He didn't seem evil, but perhaps there was more to him than what rested on the surface.

"Daniel, what an odd name." Zero mumbled.

---

“Your pet project seems to have taken on quite the personality,” Flicker said as he followed Impulse down the halls of his home. “Though it was a bit difficult to read him without a mouth, or facial expressions.”

“Giving him a mouth didn’t seem practical, since he has no need to eat,” Impulse shrugged. “He had come a long way in a week’s time.”

“What if he doesn’t want to race though?” Flicker asked.

“I’ve told him about Daniel, bits and pieces anyways. He’s not quite ready for the big picture yet.” Impulse replied.

“I trust you have a plan if he doesn’t take the “big picture” well?” Flicked looked down at Impulse.

“I’ve already started working on a contingency plan. I really hope it doesn’t come to that though.” Impulse sighed.


----


I watched as Scootaloo and her two friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle retold the story of how they got their cutiemarks. I was a little jealous of them, since I hadn't actually done anything to earn mine, and was just blessed with it. Still, as odd as a chaos mark from a game was, it had grown on me.

Pinkie Pie had managed to impress me yet again when she threw a party for the three crusaders. It definitely put a smile on Scootaloo's face when she heard about it. Rainbow Dash had already learned of Scootaloo's success, which she didn't hesitate to bring to my attention.

"I bet you're pretty proud right about now." Twilight said, taking a seat next to me.

"That's an understatement." I replied.

"Why aren't you out there with her?" Twilight asked.

"This is her moment, her day. She should get to enjoy it without me hovering around." I shrugged.

"You're hardly one I would consider a hoverer," Twilight giggled. "I understand though, they've worked hard for this."

"Yeah, she came close to giving up though. I'm glad that she didn't." I smiled.

"I still remember when you told me your plan," Twilight said watching the three fondly. "Did you ever think it would lead here?"

"No, I didn't, but that's life for you," I replied. "Scootaloo was my friend first. Things just kind of snowballed from there."

"I'll say." Twilight laughed.

I snorted and turned away from the princess, only to receive a playful swat from her wing. It had been a while since we had shared a moment like this. When I first arrived I was almost constantly around Twilight and her friends. Now, we only met briefly, and chatted when we had time. This wasn't the life or relationship with them that I had wanted.

"Hey Twi-"

"Dad!" I heard Scootaloo call.

"Looks like you're up." Twilight said.

I smiled halfheartedly as I left the princess' side. I had more on my mind, but the squirt had called me by my second name. I tilted slightly to the side, putting a bit more weight on my right side than my left as I stood up, which resulted in a popping sound.

I looked back at Twilight who was now biting her lip in an attempt not to laugh. I had popped bones plenty of times before, why did it matter so much now that my parental status had changed?

"I'm not old," I grumbled. "Jeez, what is you guy's obsession about that anyways?"

I crossed the rather full room to where Scootaloo and her friends were. Spotting Applejack, and Rarity standing beside their little sisters. The tangerine filly motioned for me to come over, but I hesitated when I saw that Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom both had their sisters.

I felt certain she would pick Rainbow Dash over me, but she actually called me over. I was a bit touched by this as I took my place beside Applejack and Rarity. It truly had been a story, but there was still some unfinished business, part of it being the small filly looking up at me. She wanted to know where she came from, I could only hope Isabella was finding the answers I couldn't in Ponyville.

"Everypony say cheese!" ordered the mare behind the camera.

---

Noctra slipped into the unlocked archives, courtesy of her commanding officer. It wasn't often that family records were used by military personnel. It was usually under less than pleasant circumstances that they were accessed, since it meant a solider with little surviving family had died while on duty. While no condolence letter was involved this time, the reason for her visit was no less tragic.

Isabella's request to access the records had been denied. Even with her pull, she was still not castle personnel, yet anyways. Noctra had the strong hunch Blueblood would fix that in time, but for now she needed to focus on why she had come here.

"Scootaloo, let's find you." Noctra hummed to herself.

The bat pony summarized that the pegasi guards list was as best a place as any to start, and pulled the files that began with the letter B. From what she had been told, Brave Banner was her biological father. She had never known him, but she started with the lower ranks to be safe.

"Nope, nope, nope....ugh, at this rate the sun's going to come up!" Noctra huffed as she flipped over page after page of names that were beginning to make her feel depressed.

While most of the names were left unblemished, there were quite a few that had been underlined in red, with the word KIA written in the blank beside their name. The red symbolized the blood that had been spilt to keep Equestria safe.

She had never looked through these records before, since she was just a normal guards pony, but as she did so, a part of her heart sank. Whether she found what she was looking for or not, she felt she would leave the archives with a better appreciation for the ones who had come before her.

Thankfully, she did find what she was after, though she nearly passed over it. She had been swept up looking at the names of fallen brothers and sisters that she almost missed her target.

"Brave Banner, let's see...book one thirty four." Noctra said to herself before flying off to retrieve the book.

The bat pony couldn't begin to fathom how the unicorns in charge of this mess kept their senses. To her, it seemed like a daunting task to update records, but every day they were supposedly making the necessary updating. Such a task truly had to be their calling in order keep everything organized.

Noctra found the book easily enough and skipped to the page that held Brave Banner's family. This turned up little information she didn't already know, and so she slid the book back into place amongst the others.

"That leaves you, Summer Stars." Noctra sighed.

“You don’t look like one of the regulars.” said a barely audible voice.

Noctra zoomed towards the ceiling, startled by the sudden presence of another voice in the room. She hung from one of the chandeliers, looking down at a rather feeble looking unicorn. He had on thick red reading glasses, and sported a slightly faded black mane that had a few silver stripes through it. His coat was stone grey, with the image of a book on his flanks.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Thankfully it’s been a while since any members of the guard have come through.” the unicorn said, sitting an impressively large book down on a nearby table next to a candle.

“Who are you?” Noctra asked.

“Moon Quill,” the unicorn replied. “I guess I’m what you’d call the night shift for this part of the castle.”

“A unicorn up this late?” Noctra cast Moon Quill a questionable stare.

“You get used to it, I sleep during the day. It took a while to adapt, but it’s not so bad now,” The stallion shrugged as he began to scribble in the book in front of him. “Please, don’t let me keep you from whatever it was you were doing.”

“Oh, I was just trying to find out about a little filly’s parents is all.” Noctra confessed.

“Ah, that can always be a sad trek through memory lane,” Moon Quill nodded. “I know it’s none of my business, but do you mind sharing their names? I know this place like the back of my hoof. I could probably help find them.”

“Well I already found her father, her mother is Summer Stars.” Noctra replied. The mare didn’t see any harm in telling him, Moon Quill seemed harmless enough.

“Summer Stars...shelf S, book two eighty one, page four eighty nine.” Moon Quill said after giving it some thought.

Noctra was skeptical, but retrieved the book he had told her to. After turning to the correct page, she was surprised to find Summer Stars name. There was only one living relative, unsurprisingly. Written off to the side, was a lone name that Noctra had become familiar with; Scootaloo. A page number was written by her name in green ink, which she felt confident would lead to the book that held Daniel and Isabella’s names.

“No living relatives, no nothing-what’s this?” Noctra scanned over Summer Star’s name again, noticing that a series of hardly legible numbers had been stricken from her name.

“Moon Quill, what does this mean?” Noctra asked, flying over to the unicorn with the book.

“Hmm? Oh, that,” Moon Quill pushed up his glasses as he leaned in to get a better look. “Summer Stars was betrothed at one point.”

“Betrothed?” Noctra nearly gagged at the idea.

“Yes, it’s still practiced in some parts of society,” Moon Quill explained. “The only reason those numbers would have been over written was if her husband to be died before they were married.”

“Any way of telling who he was?” Noctra asked, reexamining the numbers. “I can barely read these now.”

“That’s the idea,” Moon Quill chuckled. “But, it is possible. If you can get me the approval I can find out about your mystery stallion.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Noctra said, now intrigued herself.

> First Time For Everything
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The soft pitter patter of rain against the window had a soothing effect on Zero as he recorded yet another dream in the secret journal he had started. Again, it started in an oddly lit room, full of blues, yellows and purples. He soon found images running together at dizzying speeds, making it difficult to interpret anything at all from these odd experiences. He wanted to know their source, which was difficult since he didn't exactly have much to work with; only fragments of images before these visions entered his mind, which seemed familiar, while the visions seemed alien to him. 

Zero noted the time as well, which hadn’t changed from the previous nights. He had found it difficult to manipulate, and even hold a writing utensil at first, but eventually he found a way to write by shaving the pencil down and fitting it between a small gap under the filter which served to produce his voice. He often wondered what it would be like to have a mouth, since it would certainly make writing easier.

The lights flickered in the room before shorting out completely. It was rare for the power to be knocked out during a storm, but accidents did happen. Zero’s eyes provided enough light to continue reading, but he hated reading in the dark all the same. The blue light from his eyes made the words hard to read, since his eyes couldn’t naturally filter light the same way a normal pony’s could.

Zero closed the book, a bit miffed that his ritual had been interrupted by the weather ponies of Las Pegasus. All he could do now was listen to the rain until his mind drifted off again. He couldn’t call what he experienced sleep, since that involved several functions that his artificial body couldn’t preform or replicate.

The stallion looked out the window again, looking at his reflection. Two glowing blue eyes stared back at him through his small view of the world. A world he had been numb to the brief time he had walked among the other ponies. Looking past his reflection he took note of the other houses and buildings, observing no lights from within them.

He longed to be outside, but he had been ordered not to venture out until Impulse said. There was a part of him that conflicted with this order, a rebellious string within him. It had been small and controllable at first, but now he was beginning to agree with it. He wanted to see the outside world, not just through a window.

Making up his mind, Zero stood up from his journal and quietly walked towards the door. Stealth was a difficult feat for the stallion, since every movement of his body produced a whir from his joints, or a clank from his metallic hooves. Flying would only create more noise, which ruled out that as a possibility of getting around without drawing Impulse's attention.

Impulse was used to hearing him walk around at night, so it wouldn’t seem too suspicious, until he heard him headed towards the front door. Zero moved slowly, taking his time so as to not draw too much attention to himself.

Zero eventually reached the front double doors only to stare at them as rain cascaded down the smooth see through surface. He wasn’t sure what to do once he opened that door. Sure, he could walk around, but where would he go? He would need to return eventually, he couldn’t stay gone forever.

His urge to see the world compelled him to put his hoof on the door. He felt nothing, registered nothing, lacking the nerves that ponies had. He still wondered if he could truly be considered a pegasus. This thought gave him an idea, providing the last gentle nudge to convince him to open the doors.

Zero pushed on one of the doors, carefully stepping out into the world he had observed from behind a window for what he considered was far too long. Soft clinking sounds replaced the silence as he moved past the doors. He realized that it was the rain hitting his body. It was an odd at first, like hearing an echo within one's own body, but it wasn't unbearable.

Zero's mane and tail flickered and danced, their light reflecting off a puddle that had gathered in front of the building he called home. Making a mental note of the land marks in the area, he began to walk north. Water occasionally ran down his unblinking eyes which reminded him of the window he had been watching the storm from earlier.

He scanned the area from beyond the glass barrier for the first time. Zero treasured every sight; from the simple trash cans, to the beautiful lamp post that dotted the sidewalks bordering the streets. Each building he had dreamed of visiting was right in front of him, only offering the illusion of access.

Zero knew he couldn't see the interior of these buildings yet. As far as not being ready, Impulse was right about that. He hadn't come outside just to enter a different building though. No, he had something else in mind for tonight.

Zero eagerly spread his wings, fully extending them without fear of knocking anything over for the first time. Some small part of him felt satisfied by the simple action. The stallion gave his wings a few test flaps, pleasantly surprised by how sturdy they truly were. As pleased as he was, Zero was now faced the task of actually getting into the air.

During his time within the confines of Impulse's lab, he had relied on him to jump start things. That obviously wasn't an option at the moment, meaning he would have to figure things out himself. Zero remained confident despite the obvious speed bump, and began to run through all of the steps Impulse went through to get him to fly.

It was more about the magic than his wings. The wings helped, but in order to keep him airborne magic was required; a vast amount of magic. As Zero checked off all of the steps, he remember that the magic had to be channeled through certain parts of his body. This compensated for the control most pegasi developed while they were still foals.

"Okay, jump start in three...two...one." Zero said before rushing forward as he directed the magic within him towards the outlets Impulse had spent sleepless nights developing.

Much to the stallion's dismay, he didn't know how much to put out. This resulted in Zero landing head first into a nearby trash can, startling a few stray cats from their potential meal. Thankfully, the rain helped wipe most of the initial muck off.

"Let's try that again." Zero mumbled.

Having learned his lesson, Zero only put out a small amount this time, which was hardly enough to cause him to levitate. Satisfied he had found his control range, the artificial pony slowly started to increase the amount of magic he was using, pushing him higher into the air, at an increasing speed.

Leaning forward, Zero took a standard flying position, using his wings and fore legs for balance. upon doing so the magic shifted, flowing from his wings which pushed him away from the ground with each flap of his silver wings.

Zero marveled as he traversed the normally busy streets much faster than he could walking or running. He noticed his eyes and mane reflecting off the darkened windows, and thought it best to fly a little higher, lest his little private outing become common knowledge.

Once above the city, Zero began to see just what his wings could do. He banked, turned, and flipped numerous times, even as the occasional lightning bolt streaked across the sky. Any experienced flier would have known this was dangerous, and very risky. Zero had little regard for his physical wellbeing however, since it was nonexistent to begin with. While others could be harmed by lightning, he couldn't so much as feel it.

So caught up in the thrill of finally being up in the air was he, that he didn't even notice the building thundercloud that a neglectful worker had failed to disperse. While not unlike the others around Zero, this one's static electricity had built up to a dangerous level. As Zero's metallic body drew closer to the cloud, the electricity within shot towards the stallion at blinding speed.

While Zero felt no pain, he did notice how he was now spiraling out of balance. The lightning had hit one of the outlets that controlled his ability to fly. Zero began compensating for the loss by exerting the rest of the magic in him, in an attempt to regain stability.

As collision seemed inevitable, Zero's wing's came through for him and pushed him up one last time, giving him a chance to brace for impact. The stallion hit the street, hard, making a nice crack where his hooves had made contact.

"With the grace of a rhino." Zero said, taking stock of his now useless left foreleg.

Zero looked around, and soon realized he had no idea where he was. He had intended to still be airborne upon his return, not crippled and stuck to the ground. Despite displaying high levels of intelligence, he didn't know his way around the city. On top of that, his movements seemed to be more sluggish now than they had been while he was flying.

"I hope you've had your fill for the evening." Impulse said from behind him.

Zero turned his head around to see the stallion with an umbrella, keeping the rain at bay. There was a neutral expression on his muzzle, making it hard to tell if he was upset.

"Here," Impulse said throwing a blanket over the artificial pegasus to conceal his metallic body. "I warned you weren't ready."

"I needed to be outside, just once," Zero replied as he took up position behind Impulse. "There weren't even other ponies around to see me."

"Perhaps not, but your spectacle was visible all the same. Did you forget your mane and tail?" Impulse asked.

"I flew, without help." Zero said.

"I know, which is why I'm not as mad," Impulse sighed. "Let's just get you home and fixed."

---

"Crystals like that can't be fashioned overnight you know." Twilight said as I endured one of her lectures.

"I'm aware." I said, mentally sighing as I endured her lecture.

I had a feeling Twilight would grill me for losing the necklace that had taken a while for her to prepare. It had been taken from the Crystal Empire, and was excellent at holding magic. It had managed to contain a small fraction of Isabella's essence, while pulling my from the depths of the form Discord's magic had left me in.

"I still can't believe no pony returned it." Twilight said.

"You'd think they would have, but it was a pretty crowded stadium." I shrugged.

"You seem to be taking this awfully well." Twilight cocked her eyebrow at me.

"You grow used to some things after a while. Besides, by the time that necklace was made, I had to learn how to walk as a human all over again." I pointed out.

"Fair point," Twilight said. “I’ll see what I can do, in the meantime, you’re stuck on four legs.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” I grinned, standing up from the small table.

“I just don’t want you getting bored. I’m sure flying in a circle at break neck speeds gets dull at some point.” Twilight remarked as she walked me out of the library.

“That’s a rather droll way of describing my occupation.” I rolled my eyes at her comment.

Twilight’s castle had become a bit homier, if a castle could be described as such. Despite its size, it was still technically her place of residence, as much as it was a legal office. Perhaps it wasn’t on the official scale of Celestia or Luna’s castle, but plenty of issues walked in and out of the large double doors.

I followed Twilight the balcony that had been set up with Rainbow Dash in mind. After more than a few complaints about cracked vases, ruined tables, and numerous other objects that the mare’s initial take off had soiled after doing so through one of the many windows, Twilight came up with a solution.

“It’s a shame we don’t get to talk like we once did.” Twilight said.

“We’ll have to do something together soon. Maybe fight crime, slay monsters, or stave off the apocalypse.” I scuffed my hoof against the cool, crystal surface of the balcony.

“So you want to spend an average day with us then?” Twilight giggled.

“Well you have to break the norm at some point in your life.” I replied.

“Take care of yourself.” Twilight said, giving me a quick hug, which I was happy to return.

“No promises.” I chuckled before taking off into the sky, heading towards Ponyville.

I flew a little slower than I normally would over the small town. It had been a while since I had savored the view from this altitude, and watched the others below go on about their day. It was interesting to see what went on around town every so often.

Sometimes, I would make a game out of it. I would often keep an eye out for a few friends like Ditzy Doo, Pinkie Pie, or the ever reclusive Fluttershy, like playing Where’s Waldo, but with ponies. I often wondered if there was a stallion with the name Lost Bystander. A more pressing question would be if the stallion’s special talent would be getting lost in a crowd?

I landed near the door to my house, giving my wings a few halfhearted flaps before folding them against my side and opening the door. I was met by the most terrifying thing imaginable. It was one of my worst fears, seemingly pulled from the fabrications of nightmares crafted by my subconscious. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as my pupils shrank into pin pricks at the sight of my foe.

"Nooooo, no, no, no, no!" I screamed, leaping up into the air.

The sound of tiny hooves quickly drew near to me. Scootaloo's eyes were wide with panic, as they should be, upon seeing me airborne. I quickly swept down without giving her time to question me before flying as high as the ceiling would allow me to.

"Dad! What's wrong!?" Scootaloo squirmed in my forelegs, to face me.

"The snake!" I motioned with my head towards the snake. "Don't you see it? We have to get you to your room!"

Scootaloo bit her lip trying to stifle her laughter. I raised an eyebrow at the filly silently questioning her. This only caused her to burst into childish laughter, before wiggling free of my grasp before I could stop her.

"That's just Scales," Scootaloo said, casually trotting up to the serpent. "He's harmless, Fluttershy said so."

"Flutter-wha?" I felt my eye twitch. "How did it get in here?"

"I brought him in?" Scootaloo tilted her head at me, as she picked up the elongated reptile.

"Why would you bring in a snake!?" I barely managed to stop myself from squeaking.

"Well...he's my pet." Scootaloo smiled sheepishly, emitting a faint squee.

"Oh no, no, no!" I shook my head, wanting to grab the snake and toss it, but found myself unable to do so. "That thing is not staying inside!"

"Aww, why not?" Scootaloo's ears drooped. "He hasn't hurt anypony. If it's about taking care of him, I already have a house for him and everything."

"It's not about houses." I sighed.

"Then why can't I have him?" Scootaloo's eyes were slowly shifting into the heart melting gaze. It was hard to call them puppy dog eyes, since they seemed a bit stronger than that.

Before I could fall for the charm, the door opened to Cloudchaser, Flitter, and a snoozing Stormwalker. The two sisters looked down at Scootaloo and her "pet" who by now had slithered it's way atop her head. It hung partially off, wrapping loosely around one of her ears until it coiled neatly into a circle on the filly's head.

"Is that a snake?" Flitter asked, pointing at the green creature.

"Yuh huh." Scootaloo nodded gently, careful not to dislodge her passenger.

"Sweetie, you know your father is afraid of snakes." Cloudchaser said as she closed the door.

"He is?" Scootaloo turned back to me, which in turn forced two unblinking yellow eyes to stare at me. "That's weird."

"It's not weird, it's a perfectly normal fear." I backed up slightly.

"Ever wonder which one is the foal?" I heard Flitter ask.

"Occasionally, it's like having three sometimes," Cloudchaser shrugged. "Scoots, how about you explain things from the beginning. I am curious as to how umm..."

"Scales."

"Right, Scales, ended up in our house."

---

For once, Scootaloo was interested in this lesson. It was about the changing seasons, which was something she was already familiar with. With her wings developing and growing stronger than they had been, she was more interested in being involved this time. Since she had her cutie mark, that meant she would actually be able to help when Winter Wrap Up came around. This was assuming she could fly proficiently by that time.

Eventually though, the bell rang, dismissing them from school. Scootaloo knew her father would be a bit late, and had to speak with Twilight. Her mother was with her aunt for the day, but would be home before too long. This brought a sly smile to her muzzle, it meant she would have the house to herself for a bit, which meant it gave her a chance to do whatever she wanted, without fear of waking up Stormwalker.

A shrill cry of terror caught her attention before she could make a decision on what she would do. The filly rushed towards the sound to find Silver Spoon jumping and thrashing violently. At first the display was a bit ridiculous, until Scootaloo noticed the slightly lengthy green strand that seemed to twist and twirl with each violent motion the earth filly made, until it was dislodged from her mane.

“Ew, ew, ew!” Silver Spoon shrieked, rushing to hide behind Button Mash. “What is that thing?”

“It looks like a snake.” Pip said.

“Pfft it’s just a little one though.” Rumble shrugged walking towards the dazed creature, until it rose up.

“Maybe we should tell Cheerilee?” Star Sprint suggested, shying away from the snake as did the rest of the class, save for a few of the braver foals.


“Do ya think it has venom?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I think it’s hurt.” Scootaloo said examining the creature as best as she could from a distance.

She slowly ventured closer, despite protest from a few of her classmates, while others goaded her on with puffed up cries for bravado. The snake, still dazed from the less than gentle ride Silver Spoon had given it, turned unsteadily towards the tangerine filly. It’s small, green head swayed from side to side, not quite sure how to react.

Cautiously, Scootaloo dared to touch the green serpent. The snake slowly slithered up the filly’s foreleg, exposing a knot where it had been injured from the thrashing. From what she could tell, it looked like a baby snake, though she was no animal expert. Thankfully, Scootaloo knew somepony who was.

“Poor thing.” Sweetie Belle said sympathetically, while still keeping her distance.

“Think Fluttershy can help?” Apple Bloom asked as her eyes tracked the serpent’s movement.

“Only one way to find out.” Scootaloo replied as she walked towards her scooter, the crowd of foal’s parting out of her way as she did so.

---

“And that’s what happened.” Scootaloo shrugged.

“Ugh, Fluttershy...why?” I groaned.

“Flitter, do you mind keeping an eye on these two for a little longer?” Cloudchaser asked.

“I don’t mind.” Flitter said, as Stormwalker giggled from his aunt tickling his stomach.

I felt a light pinch on my ear as Cloudchaser passed by. She had nipped my ear, pulling it slightly in order to get my attention. Not wanting to receive another nip, I followed her to our room, closing the door behind us.

“So, there’s a snake in the house.” Cloudchaser mumbled, rocking back and forth on her hooves briefly.

“Yep…” I nodded. “Options?”

“Well, we could give it back to Fluttershy, since it’s hurt.” Cloudchaser offered.

“I like plan A, let’s fund it.” I said without hesitation.

“OR, we could let Scootaloo take care of it.” my wife stopped me before I could say more.

“Babe, honey, I love all of you with every fiber of my being,” I said kissing her on the forehead. “But…snakes.”

“Hmm, the big grown stallion of the house is scared stiff by a small reptile?” Cloudchaser raised her eyebrow at me.

“Yes, terrified.” I said.

“Sweetie…” Cloudchaser started, flashing her eye lashes at me.

“…no…”

“Lover mine…”

“No...”

Cloudchaser sauntered over to me, leaning against me as she put her muzzle next to my ear. This was why she had pulled me away, so that the others wouldn't witness her super powers at work. There was no debate or settling a split decision, it was my forced surrender.

"Let her keep it," Cloudchaser whispered, nuzzling my cheek. "It may teach her some responsibility, and help you get over your fears."

There it was; her logic over ruling things again. She did present a good case though, and the more adult part of me was appeased by this, if only by a small margin. Responsibility or not, that didn't change the fact that there would still be a snake in the house.

"Ugh...fine," I sighed in defeat. "It's her responsibility though, if it croaks over one night before bed-"

"Thank you." Cloudchaser said, parting with a peck on the nose.

"I'm shocked at how placid you are about the whole snake in the house thing." I commented.

"Pfft, why? What did you think I kept as a pet?" Cloudchaser laughed.

"I'm calling your bluff." I replied, following her towards the door.

"Okay, we'll ask Flitter then," the mare smirked at me as if she had just gotten away with murder. “So long as you’re fine with a few duties if I’m right.”

“Hey, let’s go tell Scootaloo about her new pet.” I chuckled nervously, deciding it was best to take her word for it.

Reentering the living room, I saw the snake slowly sliding between my daughter’s forelegs, the filly giggling as she watched. How she could tolerate the snake climbing on her was beyond my comprehension, but it didn’t seem to be aggressive, and it made her happy.

Cloudchaser cleared her throat and nudged me in the side, casting me a smile. I took a half step forward, my eyes immediately falling on the small snake. Thankfully, I managed to refocus on Scootaloo before my mind slipped and I went back on what I had already told Cloudchaser.

“Okay Squirt…” I said after taking in a deep breath. “You can keep him-“

“REALLY!?” Scootaloo’s eyes lit up before I could finish.

“As your pet,” I finished, which earned me her trademark confused head tilt. “That means you have to feed him, keep his house clean and…whatever else you do with snakes, understand?”

“No problem.” Scootaloo smiled, casting a starry eyed look at her new pet.

Oh boy, what have I agreed to? I thought to myself.

---

Lean Streak stared blankly at the pictures on his wall, each one containing some piece of racing history. One such piece was of his current racer. The rest of the photos were simply testaments to what time had taken from him. He had been bitter for so long after the loss of his wife, only to laugh again in his twilight years.

“You would have been proud…” Lean Streak whispered as he traced a hoof over a picture of his mare.

In a week, it would be back to the races, for the last time. Lean Streak knew this day would come, as it would eventually come for his successor, if he didn’t get himself killed first. It was the long term reality of any occupation that time catches up with you, no matter how hard you try to out run it.

Lean Streak was growing tired of waking up at the crack of dawn. He was tired of the drills, tired of the running around, and numerous train rides. It was all starting to take its toll on his body, and as much as he loved the sport, he could tell it was time to call it quits. He would stay for one more season, but he felt Daniel was in good hooves with Mike and Ike, as well as that crazy Wonderbolt mare. 
> Last Lap
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zero stood stock still as Celestia circled him, taking note of his improvements and the various changes that Impulse had made to his initial design. He was much sturdier now, a corrected design flaw that had resulted in his first malfunction. He could now handle the rough impact from landing after reaching the impressive speeds required to win.

“Well, is he to your liking?” Impulse asked smugly.

“He certainly seems different,” Celestia replied. “How do I know it’s not simply under your control.”

“I’m here of my own will, Princess.” Zero spoke up, having remained silent for most of his visit in the castle.

Celestia took a few startled steps back from Zero. The alicorn hadn’t expected a response from the creation in front of her, let alone an intelligent one. She stared into his blue, artificial eyes for quite some time before turning to Impulse.

“Impulse, how did you do this?” Celestia asked.

“I had to find a way to keep energy flowing through an artificial body,” Impulse replied nonchalantly. “So, is he good to go?”

Celestia looked at Zero once more, remembering her judgement call as well as her friend’s words. Daniel’s warning continued to run through her mind, but she had given her word to the stallion, and her word was final. There was only one loop hole, one she hoped Impulse’s toy couldn’t measure up to.

“Tell me about yourself Zero.” Celestia said.

Zero looked down, averting his gaze momentarily. He hadn’t planned on talking about himself at all; in fact, there wasn’t much to talk about. He didn’t exactly have a history of his own to recall, save for the time he had spent cooped up inside Impulse’s home. Still, he had to give the princess something. He couldn’t simply ignore her request.

Celestia could sense hesitation from the artificial pony, and felt the smallest tinge of pity for him. She knew he couldn’t help what he was.

“Have you already flown?” the sun princess asked. “Own your own, of course.”

“Yes, I have princess.” Zero replied neutrally.

Celestia raised her eyebrow suspiciously at the lack of emotion in his response. While some ponies naturally had a mono tone voice, she couldn’t judge Zero’s feelings as well due to the lack of several facial features most ponies had.

“Tell me what you felt the first time you were in the air.” Celestia pressed.

“I felt free,” Zero said. “I had only seen the world through glass, but the sound of rain against my body, accompanied by the air around me was amazing. I may not be able to experience things as you do, but I feel it none the less.”

Celestia was impressed by his answer, as Zero made it clear that she was speaking with an intelligent being. Whatever Impulse had walked out of her throne room with had evolved into something else entirely. While a part of her was still apprehensive about the stallion before her, there was no going back on her word.

“Zero,” Celestia said, gaining his attention. “You are without a doubt one of the most interesting things I’ve seen in a long time…I’m eager to see how you’ll interact with other racers.”

Zero visibly perked up, his ears shifting as any normal stallion’s would. He had followed Impulse assuming he would be rejected by the alicorn. His creator had made it quite clear from idle conversations that Celestia was less than indifferent about him.

“Thank you, princess,” Zero said with a small bow.

“Impulse,” Celestia’s voice now shifted from the kind motherly tone to a much more serious one. “I’m aware you wanted to push forward with your plans, but I would prefer you wait until after the racing season before you start on anything else, understand?”

Impulse Spark bit his tongue before it could get the better of him; Celestia was still princess after all. Little did Celestia know, however, was that Impulse had already started work on four other projects. The stallion reasoned that he technically wasn’t breaking this new condition she had set down, and simply smiled at her.

“I understand perfectly, your majesty,” Impulse bowed. “Zero was built for racing, after all.”

“I know it’s probably not what you wanted to hear, but let’s see how Zero preforms before moving on to whatever else you had planned.” Celestia said.

Zero turned to look at Impulse slowly. Though his face couldn’t show it, his heart was troubled by what he heard between the two beings. Both Impulse and Celestia, spoke of other projects, as if he were some experiment that would eventually be forgotten and buried beneath the sands of time. In reality, neither Impulse nor Zero knew for sure how long he would function; perhaps only a few years, maybe for eternity.

Impulse and Celestia’s eventually drew to a close, after minor details had been settled over the unicorn’s future projects. Zero followed the stallion out of the castle, trying his best to dismiss what he had heard as mere paranoia. Despite his best efforts to do so, he couldn’t shake his desire for answers from his “father”.

“Impulse,” Zero spoke up, as they neared the gate which would lead them back down to the busy streets of Canterlot. “What did she mean by “other projects?”

Impulse chuckled at the stallion’s question. “Don’t worry about that, Zero. Before you were able to think and move, I had already started to design your…siblings, if you will.”

“Siblings?” Zero mumbled quietly. “Do you mean to replace me?”

“Nothing in this world could replace you Zero,” Impulse replied. “You are one of a kind, on a completely different plain of existence than anything else I could hope to make.”

Impulse’s words of praise soothed Zero’s uneasy spirit slightly. Whether they were true or not remained to be seen, but the fact that he had received such compliments from the one who made him was a great boost to his confidence. There was still the lingering matter of Daniel, and when he would eventually be up against him.

Something odd pulled Zero from his thoughts as they waited for the gate to open. On the other side was an odd pony that had bizarre fleshy wings. Her ears were fluffier in comparison to Impulse’s, as was her coat and tail. The one thing Zero couldn’t see was her eyes.

What looked like a diving mask covered her eyes, the difference between the underwater visor being a tinted lens instead of a normal clear one. Even though it’s dark shade made it impossible for Zero to see her eyes, he knew she was staring at him.

“It’s a little early for you to be out, isn’t it?” one of the gate guards chuckled as the mare drew closer.

“I have my reasons,” the mare shrugged in response.

Zero watched the mare walk by inquisitively, fascinated by her appearance. He had yet to see a pony like her, and he felt the strange desire to pet her well up inside him; especially her ears, since they seemed to be the fluffiest part of her.

“Zero, Equestria to Zero,” Impulse tapped on the stallion’s metallic head. “Did you short out?”

“Such a strange genetic mutation…” Zero mumbled.

“What, a bat pony?” Impulse asked. “They’re the common nightlife of Equestria.”

“She seems fluffy,” Zero commented. “Why do I have the strange urge to pet her?”

“I don’t recommend trying it, for your own wellbeing.” Impulse waved his hoof dismissively.

Zero stored the unicorn’s warning away in the back of his mind as he watched Noctra disappear around the corner. Even after he had his answer as to what she truly was, his artificial mind still seemed to be obsessing over her.

---

Noctra yawned as she slowly walked towards her post, a letter for Celestia herself tucked neatly in a saddle bag. While it had still been a long, drawn out process, the mare had received permission to review a covered piece of Summer Star’s past much easier than Isabella could ever hope to on her own.

“Ah Miss Noctra,” Night Quill said, briefly looking up to see who it was that had entered the archives at this hour. “I see you’ve returned to provide me some company.”

“I’m afraid that’s not all I came to provide you with,” Noctra said fishing out the letter from Celestia and placing it on the table.

The ink pen that had been scratching against an open book in front of the unicorn came to a sudden halt, as it slowly lowered itself to the table. Night Quill looked the letter over before opening it, checking for any signs of forgery. Satisfied that it was indeed from the princess, he opened it and began to read its contents to himself silently.

“Hmm…well, if Celestia says so,” Night Quill said, standing up from the table.

Noctra watched him curiously as a book levitated from one of the many shelves that lined the walls of the sizeable room. She followed him to a secluded corner of the archives, where an oddly decorated desk was set up. Upon dropping the book on the desk, a cloud of dust rose up, causing both ponies to fall into a brief coughing fit.

“Sorry, it’s been a while since we’ve been asked to do this sort of thing,” Night Quill laughed nervously.

The unicorn closed his eyes as a light gathered around his horn. The book flew open of its own accord, turning to the page that held Summer Star’s name. The mare’s name was glowing slightly, as was the scratched out area beside it.

Slowly but surely, a name and a series of numbers began to appear beneath Summer Star’s entry in the archive. Noctra smiled as she watched the name materialize in front of her, as if she had just uncovered a long lost treasure.

“Hmm…odd,” Night Quill said as he trotted over to one of the bookcases.

“What’s odd?” Noctra asked, staring at the name Bright Shield.

“If I remember correctly, and my memory is rarely off, that should be...the late younger brother of Flicker,” Night Quill replied, as the book stopped on a family page belonging to unicorns.

“Flicker, I know that name,” Noctra flew over to investigate the stallion’s find. “He’s one of Canterlot’s racers.”

“Was,” Night Quill corrected. “Word on the vine is that he’s sitting out this season, possibly for good.”

“Doesn’t he have a family?” Noctra asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Night Quill shook his head. “Shocking really, you’d think every mare in Canterlot would jump at the chance to be with a well set stallion like that.”

Something was bugging Noctra, especially now that she knew who Summer Star’s had been betrothed to. If Bright Shield had been the younger brother, why was he the one betrothed to Summer Stars? Shouldn’t it have been Flicker?

“Why would their parents arrange for Bright Shield to get married before their eldest son?” Noctra asked.

“There could be several reasons,” Night Quill shrugged. “It was mostly likely based on Flicker’s anatomy. Since he was a pegasus in a predominantly noble unicorn family, they could have given the right to his younger brother.”

“That just seems…cruel,” Noctra said.

“Well, he ended up better off in the long run,” Night Quill spoke as he returned the book to its rightful place. “It wasn’t uncommon back then for families like that to favor one foal over the other to the point it would be called mental abuse by today’s standards.”

“As interesting as that sounds, I’ve reached the end of the line again,” Noctra sighed. “I know very little about Summer Stars.”

“I know it’s none of my business, but maybe you could try talking to Flicker?” Night Quill offered. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you asked sometime.”

“I’ll consider it,” Noctra nodded. “Thanks for your help Night Quill.”

---

It was sunny in Manehatten today, and would be for the rest of the week, the perfect forecast for a race. Despite being one of the more modern cities in Equestria, it had a certain charm to it. It didn’t seem as cold as Las Pegasus had been when I lived there temporarily, and I had actually considered moving here after an offer had been made, before Filthy Rich stepped in.

Scootaloo had stayed behind this time, wanting to spend time with her friends. I didn’t blame her, once you had seen one race you knew what was going to happen. A bunch of stallions would try to go faster than the others. Despite its simplicity, it was still a job, and one I enjoyed despite the strain it put on my body.

“You ready to take the title back?” Mike asked, slapping me on the back.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied, following the earth pony to the track. “Are Ike and Lean Streak already at the track?”

“They left earlier this morning, you know the old stallion,” Mike chuckled. “My brother follows him like a puppy dog.”

“Because that’s healthy practice,” I laughed, well aware of Lean Streak’s habits.

The rest of the walk to the track was uneventful until we reached the side entrance, which lacked the crowd of ponies trying to push tier way through the lines before the even started. After we were given the green light to go through, we made our way towards the track, skipping the pre locker room pep talk since it we were already late by Lean Streak’s standards.

We soon found ourselves outside once more, this time surrounded on all sides by ponies sitting in rows upon rows of seats, looking down at us. They had come for a show, they were certainly about to get one.

“Sleep well, sunshine?” Lean Streak snorted from behind me.

“I was until Mike dumped ice on me, not ice water, just ice,” I replied.

“It got you out of bed though, right?” Mike laughed.

“At least you got him here before the race started, I wouldn’t have wanted to be the one to explain that one to Filthy Rich,” Ike said.

I couldn’t help but notice something was off about Lean Streak today. Yesterday he had seemed fine, but I could tell something was weighing on him. When I was late he usually grilled me a lot harder than he was today. Now, he was unusually quiet.

“Lean Streak,” I said pulling him to the side a slightly. “You feeling okay?”

“Right as rain, why?” the gruff stallion asked.

“Just worried about you,” I shrugged.

“Worry about winning, I’m fine,” Lean Streak huffed.

I didn’t have time to argue with the stallion, as the countdown began to start for the race. The thrill of starting a new season over took my concern for the moment. While I still had lingering concerns for Lean Streak, I also wanted to do well, and I need to focus in order to do so.

---

Lean Streak watched as the stallion he had trained took his place on the track. Like so many times before, his failing vision blurred, becoming clearer a few seconds later as the sights around him shifted until the pegasus saw himself in Daniel’s place; coat and mane full of color and feathers preened to perfection.

A loud bang signaled the start of the race, causing the volume of the crowd to rise. The racers became little more than blurs as they picked up speed into the first turn. Lean Streak kept a close eye on Daniel as he sped ahead of the first four stallions with ease with ease.

Lean Streak could feel his heart pounding in his chest as the left the second turn, with Daniel in second now. He had quickly turned it into a match race, and now they had a show on their hooves. Much to Lean Streak’s surprise, the other stallion was keeping up with his racer; he would have to bring that up with him later.

Try as he might, the older stallion couldn’t help but see himself, his dreams shining through the one he’d been guiding. Lean Streak never would have expected such a stallion to come this far, but he had gone so far above his expectations.

His thoughts were cut short, as a sharp pain began to surge through his chest; slowly at first, before reaching the point it forced him to double over. Mike and Ike were instantly by his side when they noticed something was wrong with Lean Streak.

“Hey, help!” Mike shouted as loud as he could, which caught the attention of a nearby guard.

Lean Streak found it difficult to breath, as the pain in his chest intensified. He soon felt an aura encase him, which cause the world around him to shift. The stallion managed to piece together that he was being moved by somepony, presumably to a hospital.

With fading strength, Lean Streak looked up one more time to watch Daniel cross the finish line. The muscles in his neck relaxed, the only sight now being the occasional light breaking the darkness in what he assumed was the exit from the track.

---

I smiled as the familiar sensation of victory washed over me. It had been a thrill I missed, and one that breifly made me forget about Impulse, Zero, and everything else that life had thrown at me. For a few brief moments, I felt unstopable. 

I began looking around for my team, which was oddly no where to be seen. They were usually by my side shortly after the race was finished. I didn't immediately think anything was too amiss, assuming that perhaps they had moved to the stands for some reason. 

It was when Mike approached me with a solum look on his face, without Ike or Lean Streak, that I knew something had to be up. A part of me clung to the hope that it might be something simple, like they were held up, or perhaps Lean Streak had been a little ill and needed to rest a bit. 

"Hey, where are the others?" I asked as casually as I could. 

"...Ike left with Lean Streak," Mike hesitated a few agonizing seconds before finally answering me. 

"What, did the old timer eat something bad?" my nervous chuckles slowly died when Mike's expression didn't change. 

"It's bad, Daniel," Mike said in a voice that seemed injured. 

No more words were needed as we both sprinted past press ponies and others want a brief word. They were the least of my concerns right now; the stallion that I saw as a father figure had been taken out of the stadium. Despite my best effort to remain positive, I couldn't stop fear from getting the better of my imagination. 

"Don't die on me..."

> Bless The Broken
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a struggle to keep my head up as the large black box passed us as it was moved ceremoniously by two unicorns. I could hear the quiet whimpers from those around me, on a unusually cloudy day in Las Pegasus as my mentor, friend, and the closest thing I had to a father in this world was laid to rest in his home town.

Scootaloo pressed herself against me as close as she could, as if trying to hide from some unseen foe. I glanced down to see her eyes brimming over with tears. Cloudchaser did her best to comfort the filly, but Lean Streak had been good to Scootaloo when she came to watch me. She had undoubtedly softened his heart a bit.

For those that had known him longer than I, such as Mike and Ike, the pain of loss was far more evident. It was a struggle to hold my tears back to be strong for Scootaloo, but Lean Streak had been a pillar in my life, which made it difficult to keep my emotions from bubbling up to the surface.

Memories, both fond and hurtful involving the stallion resurfaced in my mind as the priest began to say a few final words. As he spoke, my already fragile resolve started to melt away, as a tear slid free from my eye as a weight came over me, making it difficult to stand.

Lean Streak’s family fared no better as the final words were spoken, and the last flower was placed against the top of his coffin. He had endured so much, pulled others through their own trials, only to fall victim to his own. It didn’t seem fair, it wasn’t fair at all.

His body couldn’t handle his last attack; his body had finally grown tired of struggling against time and illness. It was a natural part of life, one that didn’t seem to balance itself out like we would like it to. Lean Steak deserved to go peacefully, he had earned that, not like this; not with his last few moments being wracked with pain.

The entire trip home these thoughts danced about in my head, mingled with the lingering attachment I had, and still carried for Lean Streak. It wasn’t until night fell on the train ride home that I left our car to the abandoned caboose, looking up at the stars that Luna had hung so carefully in the night sky.

Alone as I was, with nopony around to hear me, I cried. Bitter tears flowed down my cheeks unoppressed as my body heaved in anguish. A part of me had been torn away, Lean Streak being my drive, the one I looked up to when I felt like I couldn’t give any more. He had been the one to offer me light in my hour of darkness.

It was a different kind of light though, one that was earned, crafted, and eventually mastered. Just when that light seemed to shine brightest, it had been snuffed out. The more logical part of my mind realized that this left me without a coach, though logic was a distant thought at the moment. For now, only grief seemed welcome, even as my subconscious reminded me of all the time, both good and bad, we had spent together. It didn’t seem long enough to me.

I felt a warm wing wrap around me, as Cloudchaser slid up against me. My tears streaked down her feathers, and left their damp presence on her coat. She didn’t seem to care, but instead nuzzled her head beneath mine, forcefully shifting my point of view as she pressed herself against me.

“You don’t have to hide your feelings anymore,” Cloudchaser said.

“What am I going to do now though?” I asked. “You must think I’m pretty dumb.”

“I don’t think you’re dumb,” Cloudchaser said as she wrapped both wings around me. “I think you’re still trying to be strong and stand alone when you don’t have to.”

I wrapped my forelegs around her as I cried; the strong, proud pegasus racer, reduced to little more than a sniveling colt. I was thankful that it was just the two of us, and that Scootaloo wasn’t here to see me break down like this.

Cloudchaser held me tighter, her warm body soothing my troubled spirit. She eventually pulled away to look into my eyes with two shining rose orbs that stared straight into my soul. The mare easily saw past the impressive figure time in this world had blessed me with to see the injured heart beneath. She saw the scared human inside.

“Even heroes are allowed to cry,” Cloudchaser said, pressing her nose against mine.

“I’m not a hero,” I replied.

“Little foals look up to you, some want to be like you, adults admire your actions, and your number one fan is sleeping a few cars away,” Cloudchaser reminded me. “You’re hero enough to me.”

“The one that made that possible is gone now,” I said.

“That pain you’re feeling,” Coudchaser started, placing a hoof where my heart was steadily beating. “It’s just a reminder that he’s still there. You can get through this.”

“With time,” I said, breaking away. “Without a coach though, we’re dead in the water. Lean Streak always knew when I could give more, no matter how tired I was, but never pushed me all the way over the edge, it was his gift.”

“So you’re just going to give up then?” Cloduchaser asked.

“Lean Streak is dead, he held the team together, what do you want me to do?” I asked.

“Only you can decide that,” Cloudchaser replied. “If I was you though, I would endure, move on for his sake. He wouldn’t want you to stop.”

I didn’t reply, letting my eyes drift down to the rapidly passing train tracks. Cloudchaser was right, the gruff old stallion wouldn’t want me to quit. Without a coach though it was less what I wanted, and more about what was plausible. Finding a replacement worth his salt would be difficult, and Dash couldn’t be counted on all the time.

“You’re always telling me you want to set a good example for Scootaloo and Stormwalker, I guarantee they'll be watching you now," Cloudchaser said.

---

Noctra waited nervously for a response, after knocking on the front door to Flicker’s sizeable house. The sun was setting, and son she would be able to remove the night vision goggles that shielded her sensitive eyes from Celestia’s sun.

The bat pony could hardly believe such a simple request had taken her this far into other ponies’ lives. Though she hated to admit it, playing the role of detective gave her a slight thrill. She had never spoken to Flicker in person, only heard rumors about him, and his reviews varied depending upon whom you spoke to, especially if you took their class into consideration. Needless to say, Noctra had the distinct feeling that this evening was about to get interesting.

“Are you sure about this, Noctra?” Isabella asked as she poked at the cadet armor the bat mare had taken the liberty of dressing her in.

“Flicker isn’t too fond of your brother from what I’ve heard, which is why we’re dressed up,” Noctra said with a flick of her tail. “Besides, you make for a cute unicorn.”

“This armor smells pretty bad,” Isabella grumbled.

“That’s because it had a sweaty guard in it earlier today,” Noctra smiled upon hearing a disapproving wrenching sound come from her companion. “Can’t have Flicker knowing who you are, through appearance or scent.”

“Why…” Isabella moaned weakly.

“Because it’d be weird if I was the only one showing up like this, and I’d prefer to have a witness when dealing with the upper crust of Canterlot, bad past experiences,” Noctra explained.

“Surely you can fall back on something better than that?” Isabella rolled her eyes.

“Okay, I got in trouble with the elitist and that’s how I ended up on the streets until you and your brother got mixed up in my hurricane of a life, is that better?” Noctra deadpanned.

Isabella didn’t get the chance to reply, as the door opened up to a well-groomed pegasus. This had to be Flicker, everything about him screamed power, wealth, and arrogance, the proper makings of one of Canterlot's "finest."

"Can I...help you?" the stallion asked as his eyes darted from Isabella to Noctra.

"Flicker I presume?" Noctra asked.

"Yes, I am he," the stallion replied hesitantly. "I don't recall sending for guards."

"You didn't, we came seeking some information that you might have on Summer Stars," Noctra smiled.

"Summer Stars," Flicker laughed. "I'm afraid I'm still not following how I'm related in your quest."

"We were asked to look into the history of a Brave Banner, and one thing led to another, which eventually led us to you, the brother of Summer Stars' late fiancé," Noctra explained proudly.

"Humble much?" Isabella snickered.

"I-I...I see," Flicker's confident expression falter for a few seconds before he gathered his smug exterior. "I don't believe I caught either of your names."

“I’m Noctra, and this is-“ Noctra started before she realized that she hadn’t thought of a name for Isabella.

“Light Bright.” Isabella covered for her quickly.

Flicker looked both of the mares over once more before shrugging. “Wouldn’t want to keep Equestria’s finest outside I suppose.”

As Noctra and Isabella followed Flicker inside, the bat pony threw Isabella a whimsical “really?” expression. Isabella simply shrugged, reserving her explanation for later, she had blurted out the first thing that came to her mind when she thought of unicorns, which happened to be a simplistic toy.

“So, you went digging through archives to find out about my brother’s betrothed,” Flicker spoke up, his tone carrying the faintest hint of annoyance. “I’m quite curious as to who this particular pony was.”

“Just a filly friend of mine,” Noctra replied.

Isabella could tell that Flicker didn’t appreciate the vagueness of her answer, but didn’t appear ready to start a conflict over it, yet anyways. There was something unsettling about this stallion that Isabella couldn’t quite put her finger, or hoof on. On the surface he seemed like any other snobby Canterlot pegasus, but when she looked into his eyes, there wasn’t a warmth like there was with Noctra, Celestia, Blueblood, or any of those that she held close to her. His eyes were cold, almost soulless.

“I see,” Flicker’s muzzle twisted a bit, before curling into an unsettling smile. “Summer Stars…a rather sweet unicorn if one spent enough time around her. She had a tendency to isolate herself when she was working on projects.”

Noctra’s ears shifted slightly, one faltering while the other stayed erect. From what she knew of the mare, she was social. The bat pony began to consider the possibility of Flicker giving them fabricated facts about her, but let him continue regardless.

“Always so curious...she never could seem to stay out of other ponies’ business if she thought they were in trouble. A favorable trait for those that called her friend, I suppose,” Flicker hummed.

“Didn’t you?” Isabella asked.

“We kept in touch…but after she turned me down for a guard things didn’t really feel the same,” Flicker explained. “We became more like acquaintances.”

“And you were the first born?” Noctra asked trying to confirm what she already knew.

“For being so curious about Summer Stars you seem to be drifting over to me,” Flicker pointed out.

“W-well, it’s just you two seemed to be intertwined is all,” Noctra blushed.

“So it would seem,” Flicker said. “Was there something particular you wanted to ask?”

“It was mostly general questions about her, nothing really nailed down,” Noctra replied.

“Unfortunately I wasn’t her keeper, you were better off asking her family,” Flicker shrugged. “I regret to inform you that there aren’t any.”

The stallion’s uncaring attitude rubbed Isabella the wrong way. To so casually dismiss her niece’s birth mother like that pushed her buttons in a bad way. One of those buttons just so happened to be her filter.

“She has a daughter you know,” Isabella snapped.

“Come again?” Flicker’s attitude did a complete about face at this revelation.

“You heard me, you insensitive asswipe,” Isabella snarled. “She had a daughter.”

Noctra couldn’t help but notice how Flicker’s coat color seemed to grow a shade lighter. It was as if somepony had just told him the world was coming to an end, the dread in his eyes evident where previously they had lacked the flare of emotion.

“I believe your search would prove more productive elsewhere,” Flicker said, practically ignoring the fact that he had just been called an asswipe.

“Sorry to disturb you Flicker,” Noctra said, pulling on Isabella’s lengthy tail before she could say anything else.

“Before you go...” Flicker started. “Do you happen to have a name?”

“Scootaloo,” Isabella quickly replied before Noctra could stop her.

“Scootaloo…why does that sound fam-“ Flicker stopped mid-sentence, his muzzle scrunching up even as Noctra hurried Isabella out of the house.

Flicker stared at the door the mares had left through, stunned by what he had learned. The only sound he registered at first was the soft tick of the clock’s gears, indicating the passing of time as he stood motionless. Soon though, he began to hear his own frustrated snorts as his rage boiled over.

“How….how….HOW IS SHE STILL ALIVE!?” Flicker’s hoof connected with the wall, splintering the wood with ease.

“No, it’s a trick…unless….” Flicker’s eyes widened as he realized who exactly Scootaloo was. “Just when I thought that bumbling monkey couldn’t reach further under my coat, he proves me wrong!”

“Why, though, why in Celestia’s name would he adopt a filly?” Flicker stormed off towards his study. “Not that it matters, it simply means I have unfinished business to take care of now.”

The pegasus’s tail flicked in agitation as he tried to figure out how to sort through his predicament. He couldn’t go after the human the same way he had gone about cleaning up his past. No, he would require a more cunning approach. Even if he was a simpleton, he wasn’t as predictable as a regular denizen of Equestria.

“I swore I wouldn’t stop until I was clear of my past, free from my family’s cruel manipulations. Even after his death, she didn’t want to honor the traditions our families stood beside so valiantly,” Flicker fumed. “But you would settle for a common guard over me.”

Flicker stared hatefully at Summer Stars’ picture, his heart hardening as his anger mounted within him. He scooped up the photo of the mare and his brother, his hoof shaking with bitter rage. He regarded the photo only a few seconds longer, before tossing it into his fireplace, snarling even as the photo burned.

“Unfortunately for you, Daniel, you’ve inherited my vendetta,” Flicker said coldly. "The question now is how best to deal with you and your pseudo offspring?" 

The picture disintegrated completely within the all-consuming flames. Flicker found it poetically fitting, since it was the same way the real Summer Stars left this world. The longer he stared at the growling flames, the darker his thoughts became; a horrible contrast to the light the fire provided for the room. 

Flicker turned away, only for his eyes top fall on his own racing trophies. They had once filled him with joy, now they only reminded him of how he couldn't hope to catch Daniel in a standard race. This thought made Flicker's eyes widen, finally forcing a smile across his muzzle, a cruel smile. 

"With Impulse's help, I believe this season will be the best ever," Flicker chuckled. "It's going to end with a bang." 

---

Scootaloo found herself unable to sleep the night following her family's return from Las Pegasus. Whether it was too hot, too cold, or the bed sheets not adjusted just right, the filly couldn't reach the safe haven of her dreams. 

With a sigh, Scootaloo sat up, looking over at the picture of her with her parents. Stormwalker was still inside Cloudchaser at the time. She regretted having wanted to come along with her mom and dad now. She had wanted to see Lean Streak one last time. Even though her dad told her that he wasn't really there. 

Scootalo hugged the picture of her family close, fearful that if she let go some cruel spell would take them from her. The sound of a brief tap against her window made her jump, her tiny wings keeping her airborne for a few seconds before she gently floated back down onto the soft surface of her bed. 

Scootaloo stared at her window, heart hammering against her chest. The faint tapping sound came again, this time though she caught a glimpse of the source of the noise, as a tiny pebble bounced off her window. The filly let out a sigh of relief, having a fairly good guess as to who it was calling for her. 

A quick glance out the window confirmed her suspicions, it was Star Sprint. The colt had snuck out again, which had become a regular event as of late. Scootaloo found this side of him appealing, even if he was a bit of a push over at times. 

"Oh, um, hey Scootaloo," Star Sprint said, idly digging the wheel of his scooter into the soft earth by pushing the top bar left and right. 

"Hey, sneaking out again?" Scootaloo asked. 

"Kind of, I couldn't sleep," Star Sprint confessed. 

"Neither could I," Scootaloo sighed hanging her forelegs over the window frame with a huff. 

"Wanna go for a ride?" Star Sprint offered. "Maybe it'll help?"

Scootaloo’s ears perked up at the colt’s offer, it had been a while since just the two of them had gone on a ride, but never one at night. The itch in her wing’s muscles had already provided her an answer to the colt’s question. 

The filly quietly retrieved her scooter and pushed it through the window, where it was caught in Star Sprint’s magical aura. Scootaloo soon followed, landing softly on the ground next to her unicorn friend. Once both were ready, the foals quietly snuck out onto the road where they became blurs of speed. 

Scootaloo and Star Sprint raced through the streets, smiles slowly spreading across both their muzzles. Both made incredibly sharp turns, as they raced with no clear destination in mind, simply enjoying the moment and trying to bury their sorrow. Their idea seemed to work, for a while anyway. 

Eventually their emotions caught up with them once more, bringing them to a halt beneath a large tree in the park. It’s branches and leafs served as a canopy from the moon light, with only a few beams slipping through. The steady chirping of both distant and nearby crickets served as the perfect ambiance. 

“Well,” Star Sprint panted. “That was fun.” 

“Heh, yeah, you’re getting faster,” Scootaloo said, looking out at the night sky.

“You still miss him, huh?” Star Sprint asked. 

“Yeah...I guess it will take a while to get over it,” Scootaloo sighed. 

Both of the foals sat in silence as the crickets continued their stead tune. Despite the sad circumstances that had brought both of them together tonight, neither one could deny how pleasant the scene around them was. 

Scootaloo looked over at Star Sprint, whose eyes had drifted up towards the star filled sky. She felt lucky to have a friend like him. He wasn’t like the other colts that were totally into their own gusto or feats. He cared about others, and didn’t mind spending time with her when Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle were busy. 

As she dwelt on her thoughts, she noticed a cricket land on the colt’s nose. Instead of flick it off, he smiled, his eyes crossing slightly to try and focus on the small insect. The sight made Scootaloo giggle, causing the bug to leap onto the soft grass beside him. 

“Star Sprint,” Scootaloo spoke up, gaining the colt’s attention. 

“Yea-“ Star Sprint was silenced as he turned into Scootaloo’s waiting lips. 

The filly had seen her mom do something similar to her dad several times. She would always start with his name, only to cut off any response he had with a quick kiss. It worked flawlessly every time, even if they seemed to be having a disagreement, or were feeling bad. 

Scootaloo opened one eye slightly, noting that Star Sprint’s ears were at attention, eyes wide in shock. If it hadn’t been for his flushed cheeks she would have assumed she had messed up somehow. The kiss lasted for only a few seconds before she pulled away, feeling confident she had made her claim. 

“Thanks for tonight,” Scootaloo smiled. “I should probably head back though, if Stormwalker wakes up my parents, then I might have some explaining to do if they decide to check on me.” 

“I….uh,” Star Sprint stammer as Scootaloo got back onto her scooter. 

“Later,” Scootaloo said before speeding off, her cheeks burning with an accompanying smile once she was a good distance from the colt. 

Star Sprint halfheartedly waved as she sped off into the night. As the realization of what had just happened sank in, his ears began to droop, while a dopey grin formed across his muzzle. 

“So that’s what a kiss is,” Star Sprint whispered to himself.

> Round Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You feeling okay?” Rainbow Dash asked as she and Applejack walked me to the locker room.

“I’ll live,” I replied, realizing the sick irony of what I had just said only moments later.

It was death that had put me in this funk. My will and resolve to do anything just felt drained, leaving behind a void of carelessness.

“Ah know you’re still down about Lean Streak, but ya can’t let that get to ya today,” Applejack said, placing a comforting hoof on my back. “Ah know ya’ve got this, Ah reckon if anypony can show that walkin’ contraption how it’s done it’d be you.”

“Or me,” Dash chimed in.

“You’re more than welcome to step in today,” I said, a part of me being serious with my offer.

“Applejack’s right, you’ve got this,” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Besides, if I did it there wouldn’t be any challenge involved.”

“You say that,” I scuffed my hoof against the floor in agitation. “I’m not sure how fast he can go, he won’t get tired like me.”

“He’ll run out of steam,” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof dismissively.

“We’ll be rootin’ for ya sugar cube, Ah know you’ll do Ponyville proud,” Applejack said motioning with her head for Rainbow Dash to follow, leaving alone for the remaining hour before the race.

I held my usual racing mask in my hooves, staring into the empty eye holes as if waiting for some sort of sign or direction. This race would be different from all the others, now that our small team was a bit smaller. This was a race I genuinely felt unprepared for.

“Hey,” Ike said entering the locker room I had taken to hiding in. “Are you ready?”

“Not really,” I shook my head. “I feel like I weigh about a thousand pounds.”

“Well shake it off, you know you you’re up against today,” Ike reminded me.

“Zero,” I mumbled.

None of the other racers had mattered today; before Lean Streak had passed I was looking forward to watching Impulse Spark’s creation fail again. This time it would be by my hooves though, and not some run of the mill rookie. Now that my mentor was no longer among us, all prior motivation was gone.

With what felt like super pony effort, I stood up and began what felt like the longest walk I had ever taken to the track from the locker room. The growing noise above me did little to excite me today, my blood remaining at a steady flow despite the coming race.

Soon, the bright sunlight graced our eyes, as did the sight of the crowd that was amped for the race between artificial pegasus and one of the best racers in Equestria. I wanted to crawl in a hole and hide, just disappear, but a part of me knew that wasn’t an option. I had to press on, I had to see today through, whether it was a good day or bad.

Ike had done his best to fill Lean Streak’s shoes, but without wings he didn’t really have a feel for my limits or how far I could push myself. At times I found the training lacking, while other times I found myself over heated, there was no middle ground, and for that I partially blamed on our loss.

“Straight ahead,” Ike motioned with his head. “It’s your good friend Impulse, and his puppet.”

Sure enough, Impulse was on the track speaking with Zero. When I first learned that he would be allowed to race, I was pretty upset, I didn’t care now though. He was just another racer in my way, one more obstacle for me to overcome. Today, however, I wasn’t confident I could overcome this challenge.

“Well, it seems somepony decided to show up after all,” Impulse commented as I took my place ahead of time for once.

I didn’t reply, wanting little to do with the stallion other than what little time left he had before the race started. He furrowed his brow at me when I didn’t respond, clearly displaying the level of maturity he was capable of, not that I had room to talk. I knew I needed to put personal matters to the side, but I couldn’t find the strength to do so today.

Try to win it for him, my subconscious reminded me.

That would be easier said than done. I had no idea how this new Zero preformed, what his limit was, or if he even had one I could surpass. Impulse could easily take him home after the race and make him faster with no effort on Zero’s part. He did nothing to earn this, nothing at all. He was just given speed and power without the hard work involved. There was Impulse putting effort into making Zero, but magic just seemed to make things as complex as the artificial stallion appear simple.

I watched from the corner of my eye as the stallion in question took his place beside me. He seemed to intimidate the other racers, presumably a instilled fear of the unknown. Even I didn’t know how Zero would perform. My mind was too occupied by other things to care at the moment, which distracted me from the tide of uncertainty.

“Good luck,” I heard Zero say quietly.

“Do you even know what luck is?” I asked as time continued to tick away.

Zero didn’t reply, his gaze fixed towards the ground as he presumably mulled over my question. Constructs like him usually dealt in absolutes and numbers, chance wasn’t involved in any of their day to day processes. These thoughts were out of bitter distrust, which was something Harmony had touched on; as much as I hated to admit it, we were alike in how different we were from all the other ponies here today.

I let out a deep sigh as the final countdown began. Oddly enough, the crowd's volume seemed to be at a steady volume, no doubt waiting to see what would happen today. The crowd had never been like this, even against Thunderlane, there had been loud cheers, rising even before the race started. For once, the lack of noise unsettled me.

The blank round signaling the race was louder than before. The crystal clear sound took me by surprise at first, until I noticed Zero take off undaunted by the noise. There were some short comings and quirks that came with being a pony, a distaste for sudden, loud noises was one of them.

Zero wasted little time in taking first place. I had expected as much, as I was under the impression that his artificial body didn't require the same pacing that my muscles did. There was no such thing as perfect though, meaning he had to have some sort of flaw that was exploitable. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to study him like I needed to.

For now, I did something Lean Streak had always told me not to do; I decided to match him. Perhaps Impulse still had control of him, and maybe I could force him to mess up. I could only hope I was right in my assumption, and general distrust of the stallion.

I sped up as we entered the first turn, easily passing Zero as he turned. This lead lasted for a measly five seconds before he reclaimed his former position ahead of me. His maneuverability was impressive, but I didn't let it faze me.

I put a bit more speed behind my wings, knowing I could still keep up with him at this rate. Keeping up with him wouldn't win the race, however. I needed to think of something fast, since my wings would only go so fast for so long, but it was difficult to think while flying at such high speeds.

Through the second turn things remained the same. It wasn't until the long stretch to the third turn came into view that things finally started to shift. Zero finally released the restraint he had been holding onto, zipping past me with more speed than Thunderlane. I forced my body into over drive, matching him as we quickly neared the third turn, at least that's what I remembered.

I could feel my body tensing up on me, as I forced the impossible upon my wings. I could literally hear alarms sounding in my mind, warning me of the danger that I was putting myself in.

You need to stop, the voice of my subconscious warned.

Fuck you, I can do this! I snapped.

No you can't, the voice replied.

Don't tell me- I didn't even finish my thought before the world around me faded.

---

Flicker smiled as he watched the stallion of interest fall to the ground. The skid mark he left was an impressive one, to say the least. Still, such a tumble wouldn't be enough to do him in, unfortunately, but that could obviously wait for now. Assuming he woke up, he wouldn't be going anywhere fast.

"Is...he dead?" Impulse asked stunned by what he had just seen.

"No, his neck doesn't look broken," Flicker huffed. "Zero won, and he'll still be in the news...sad really."

Impulse didn't reply; he couldn't take his eyes off the fallen stallion. This is what he had wanted, to see his name in the dirt, now he literally saw him there. It didn't make sense, why did he still feel empty inside? He had strived to be better, so why, why did he feel worse?

Impulse shook his head, doing his best to snuff out the feelings of sympathy he had for witnessing a stallion fall. He kept reminding himself that beneath that coat was a human, something that...didn't belong here.

"You don't seem happy," Flicker said, nudging the unicorn. "He's been brought to his knees, just like you wanted."

"Right, all according to the plan," Impulse chuckled halfheartedly.

"You're not feeling sorry for him, are you?" Flicker asked.

"I just, didn't expect it to happen like this," Impulse replied.

"If it didn't he would have figured out how to beat you, and you would have become your father," Flicker said. "He did the same thing to Thunderlane, if you didn't break his spirit here, he would have come back twice as strong. He doesn't care about you, your grudge, or anything else except beating Zero."

The pegasus watched as the unicorn's soft frown slowly developed into a small scowl. He knew Daniel wouldn't be out for blood, but Impulse hadn't watched him close enough to know his character. Sure he might find a way to beat Zero, but he had shown compassion when Impulse's father abandoned Thunderlane at the Crystal Empire's track.

"You've overcome one of the greatest racers in Equestria, you deserve to be proud," Flicker fanned the flames of Impulse's hubris .

Soon, the empty feeling Impulse had felt was nothing more than a small tug in the back of his mind. He ignored it with a fake smile, pushing the thought of anything close to sympathy as far away as possible. He had truly done it; if what Flicker said was true, Daniel was done. He observed Zero from his booth, trying his best to gauge the stallion’s reaction to accomplishing what he was designed to do.

Zero remained as unreadable as ever. Even as he landed, taking note of the crowd’s strange mix of cheers and cries of horror, one couldn’t distinguish what he was feeling. Within the privacy of his own mind, however, Zero struggled with the odd sensation surging through him. It was unlike anything he had experienced before.

The stallion glanced down at his own artificial limb, dwelling on the differences between his own make up and that of his pre-appointed foe’s. It was obvious he was different, better perhaps, but he always felt distant from those around him. No doubt the victory over Daniel would earn him the praise of his creator, but what about the others?

"You!" an angry voice shouted from behind him, as if to answer his question.

"Simmer down Rainbow," an earth pony was trying her best to calm a pegasus down.

"You think this is fair, like, at all!?" the mare whom Zero assumed was named Rainbow snorted.

"It was a official race, with all preceding rules and qualifications set forth by the board-" Zero started.

"Don't give me that, you know what I mean," the mare said. "How is it fair if you don't get tired?"

To this Zero didn't have a response. Technically speaking, Rainbow had a point; if Impulse noticed a weakness, he would simply correct it. This took a day or two tops, now that he was a finished product.

"Dash, we got more important things ta worry bout, leave him be," the earth pony said, putting herself between the two of them.

Rainbow Dash glared at Zero, as if debating if she should take a few swings at today's winner. Eventually, the pegasus decided against tearing the stallion to shreds and followed her friend, casting a heated glance behind her as they left Zero to his fate of being surrounded by reporters.

If they said anything, or if Zero ever adequately answered their questions, he couldn't recall. His thoughts had shifted to what the mare had said. It made him wonder who was the "hero" and who was the "villain" now. As he stopped to take a look at what happened minutes ago, his questions about his own existence were only multiplying, instead of receiving the answers he so desperately needed.

He had the desire to grow, but with no true limit how could he? It was a puzzle that stayed with the stallion well into the evening, even as Impulse celebrated the win over the racer he so despised.

---

A steady beep slowly drug my foggy mind from the darkness, as I opened my eyes to an annoyingly bright room. I groaned and closed them quickly, not wanting to open them again until the light was dimmed in the hospital room.

Shit, I'm in a hospital! the thought shot through my mind like lightning, resulting in me opening my eyes wide again, only to hiss in pain as I stupidly repeated the same action that first brought me to this realization.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," I heard my sister mutter quietly.

"Hey Izzy," I mumbled tiredly. "Where am I?"

"You're back home, courtesy of Twilight," Isabella replied as she stood from the small chair she had been sitting in. "You done went and goofed again."

"I feel like I got ran over," I said.

"Not surprising," Isabella laughed lightly. "You've been asleep for two days. We've all been worried sick about you."

"Well, I'm up now, I need to get up and moving again," I sighed.

"That's the other thing I was going to mention," Isabella frowned as she spoke. "I told Ike and Track Pace I would keep them updated on when you woke up. I don't think you're going to this next race, Daniel."

"Izzy, I'm fine," I huffed. "I just got a little overheated, that's all."

"Stupid," Isabella said as a tear escaped her left eye. "You don't get it, you nearly died this time!"

I didn't say anything, I simply kept my eyes fixed on her. Isabella wasn't one to fear death, for her to get worked up about it, it must have been bad, which unnerved me as to what my body had suffered while I was out cold.

"Just try to rest up, and keep racing at a distance for now," Isabella said, wiping the tear away and giving me a hug.

It was weird being unable to properly return the gesture of affection, given my size in comparison to hers. If I could have found the will to laugh I would have at the humor of literally being the 'little brother'. As it was, I couldn't even bring myself to smile, my thoughts doing the exact opposite of what Isabella had advised me.

As my sister left, I pondered the probability of the race against Zero being my last. It wouldn't be any concern if I had the necklace. Whenever I changed, it was as if my body reknitted itself into what it once was. A cut I had suffered from falling once when I was changing back had vanished as if it had never happened.

Unfortunately, I lacked that precious gift from Twilight; lost in an effort to stop Zero the first time. He had been much slower the first time I saw him, how had Impulse improved his abilities to such monstrous levels in such a short amount of time? It was unfair, and there was little doubt he would do the same to Whitefire.

My thoughts are interrupted by a loud, magical pop. Given the volume I had expected Discord, but much to my surprise I looked up to notice Track Pace and the twins, Mike and Ike, both of which were now shifting uneasily on their hooves as they tried to regain their balance.

"Ha! Told you I could do it," Track Pace boasted proudly.

Neither Mike, nor Ike, offer a word of protest as both scrambled for the bathroom at the same time. The two comically wedged themselves in the frame for a few seconds, until they struggled free and slammed the door shut. What followed, were the sounds of two stallions wrenching.

"Not fans of teleportation?" I asked, putting two and two together.

"Pssh, light weights," Track Pace rolled his eyes. "Speaking of, how are you holding up?"

"My pride is in pieces, but I'll live," I replied.

"Mike, it's everywhere, you dim wit!" we both heard Ike shout from the bathroom.

"I don't suppose you could work your magic and get me out of here?" I asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Track Pace sighed. "Not to add bad news to your plate, but you're probably not going to make the next race."

"Track Pace, you know me, I’ve been sick and won a race before," I huffed. "You're just writing me off before I even try?"

"There wouldn't be any try," Track Pace said in a firm voice. "It's already down that you forfeit."

"Why would you do that?" I asked in disbelief.

"I'm saving your life, that's more important than any race," Track Pace replied. "I'm not Sky Mark."

I slumped against the pillows behind me. Track Pace might have meant well, but his actions were perceived as a slap in the face. Whether said slap was a wakeup call, or in the form of an insult I wasn't quite sure yet, but at that moment, I wanted to disappear.

All I had worked for, all I had become was slipping through the cracks in my life. It would only be a matter of time now before everything crumbled if something wasn't done. I knew I wasn't truly prepared for Zero, but I tried to push myself to the limit anyways.

"I know this will mean you'll have to work twice as hard to make up for this loss, but do you honestly think you'd be in shape to race against a fresh line up within a month's time?" Track Pace asked.

I reluctantly shook my head. It burned my very soul to lie; even if I couldn't win, I at least wanted to try. I had been denied the base right to at least try. So what if I lost? I could still have more dignity in tact than I could just writing off a race completely.

"I have little doubt your family will be along soon," Track Pace sighed as Ike and Mike stumbled out of the bathroom. "We just needed to know you were safe before we could plot out what to do next."

"I think we should walk back," Mike suggested.

Track Pace shook his head. "Rest easy Daniel, you can't win every race. Nopony's perfect, try to keep that in mind."

"For once, I think that saying might be wrong," I mumbled.


> The Enemy Of My Enemy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo and Star Sprint road side by side from school, before they reached the inevitable split on their paths home. The filly had been quiet and was clearly upset about the misfortune that befell her father.

Star Sprint felt useless, a feeling which he despised, especially when he was around Scootaloo. After the night they snuck out, the weird feeling in his stomach felt less foreign to him now. He didn't feel as awkward around the filly which bolstered his confidence quite a bit when he was around other colts.

The unicorn had watched Sweetie Belle and Button Mash for a while, learning from "the master" as the foal so proudly put it. Truth be told, Scootaloo didn't do any of the things Sweetie Belle did; no makeup, mane styling, or anything mareish really, which he didn't mind.

Star Sprint knew though that past that rough exterior, was the filly that had shared her thoughts, and feelings with. Seeing her try, and fail, to keep her emotions hidden now tore at him in a way he didn't think he could hurt.

"So..." Star Sprint said quietly, struggling to find something else to add to his first word.

"He's still in the hospital," Scootaloo said, jumping ahead of the colt.

"Oh, well that wasn't what I was going to ask," Star Sprint lied.

"What's up then?" Scootaloo did her best to sound interested, but he could tell she was disinterested.

"Umm...how's Scales?" Star Sprint smiled nervously.

"He does snake things, he likes my head," Scootaloo said as they passed Fluttershy and Applejack.

Star Sprint knew it was bad when the filly kept going past two of her friends. She liked talking to them, especially Rainbow Dash, which gave him an inkling as to how deep in the dumps Scootaloo was.

Well, I'll see you tomorrow," Scootaloo sighed as she sped off at a much faster pace, leaving him behind.

Star Sprint stopped for a moment, ignoring the fact that he had applied the break in the middle of the road. Thankfully Ponyville was very low traffic, which gave the colt time to think. He didn't need long to determine who the best pony for advice was in this situation, but talking about it made him a bit nervous.

The entire trip home, Star Sprint worked up the courage to speak to his father, as well as rehearsed what he would say. He didn't need to sound unsure of himself, or weak spirited about it, which might make his father take him less seriously. As rare as this was, his dad had tried to teach him to be assertive when wanting to get a point across.

In the span of what felt like only a few minutes, he was standing in front of the door to his house. Star Sprint's brain had switched to auto pilot while he pondered and mulled over what to say.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home," Star Sprint called as he let himself in.

"How did things go today?" Track Pace asked, looking up briefly from various paper work in front of him.

"Not so good," Star Sprint replied without thinking.

The colt threw his hoof over his muzzle the second he realized what he had said when his father glanced up once more. Already his carefully thought out speech, and heartfelt words were leaving his mind, abandoning him to the fate of a questioning gaze from his father.

"Want to give me a little more detail on why it was bad?" Track Pace asked.

"Uh...well..." Star Sprint began to mentally kick himself, why was he this nervous about this? "It's S-Scootaloo."

"Did something bad happen to her today?" Track Pace asked, his expression shifting slightly to a softer one.

"Not exactly, she's just been...really sad lately, and I wanted to know what you do for mom when she's feeling sad?" Star Sprint flinched as he finished his sentence, completely forgetting about keeping his courage up.

"...oh I see," Track Pace laughed as realization of the situation came to him. "So when did all this happen?"

"Umm...don't get mad, but we snuck out," Star Sprint mentally kicked himself again; he could not shut up when he was nervous.

"So he's like his father then?" his mother called out from the other room.

"You did?" Star Sprint asked, a bit of his nervousness fading away.

"Well, I wasn't as young as you and-no, you're too young for that type of talk...what did you do when you met Scootaloo anyways?" Track Pace asked.

"We just raced around town at night, and then...she uh...kissed me." Star Sprint mumbled the last part nervously.

"I'm impressed you're so surprised, the way they interact and click," Sweet Mist hummed as she gave her colt a hug. "You two look cute together."

"Thanks mom," Star Sprint wheezed, as his mother administered a tight hug.

"We need to get you up to snuff about dates," Track Pace chuckled.

---



I grumbled as I slowly walked about my room, keeping the equipment monitoring my heart secured to me as I got some form of exercise. I hated being confined to the bed, and it would be a cold day in hell before I would be content to just lay in one all day.

I flapped my wings occasionally as I walked, always careful to avoid dislodging any of the cords. It had only been a day since I was awake, and I was already starting to lose my mind. I had laughed my bum off when Rainbow Dash had told me about her bad hospital experience, but now I was starting to relate. I wasn't quite sure if it was a trait with pegasi, or one that could be applied to all ponies, but I couldn't sit still if I wasn't sleeping.

"What are you doing out of bed?" I heard Cloudchaser ask.

I wasn't intimidated by Nurse Redheart and her staff, or even the doctors, but Cloudchaser held a much more personal title than any of them. Even the smallest amount of annoyance in her voice was crystal clear to me, and an upset wife was never a good thing.

"Uh, y-you know, just walking a bit," I grinned nervously.

"Bed, now." Cloudchaser pointed towards the hospital bed with her hoof.

I sighed, slowly walking towards the white, uncomfortable prison I had been sentenced to. Almost immediately I began to sulk, having lost what little freedom I had within the confines of this hospital.

"What am I going to do with you?" Cloudchaser asked aloud, resting her head on me.

"Sneak me out?" I offered.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Cloudchaser smirked.

"Babe, I'm miserable in here! This is like the worst form of punishment, and I didn't even do anything!" I whined pitifully.

"It's really that bad?" Cloudchaser asked, hoping up onto the bed with me.

The mare didn't give me a chance to respond, as she forcefully silenced me with her sweet tasting lips. Any complaints that had been on my mind evaporated as Cloudchaser came to rest on top of me. Eventually she pulled away, leaving my mind a hazy mess as I stared up at her.

"Still think it's bad?" Cloudchaser asked breathily.

"No..." I shook my head.

The mare giggled before returning for another passionate kiss. As we slowly started to caress one another I could hear the heart monitor's tempo change. I knew where our actions would inevitably lead to, and no doubt the nurses were going to have something to talk about for the rest of the day. I could only hope they enjoyed the show.

---

Nurse Redheart had completed her rounds earlier this morning. Her only excitement thus far was having to interact with Cloudchaser, whom came in to see her husband. Given the way their conversations were quick and to the point, despite the earth pony's best efforts to improve them, it was clear that the mare still had a bit of resentment buried within her.

Nurse Redheart couldn't blame her though; even if Thunderlane wasn't meant for her, it had still put her through heartache. With a sigh, she dismissed her interaction and headed towards the nearby nurse station.

Curiously, there were a few mares gathered around one of the monitors at this particular station. Some of them weren't technically supposed to be in this wing unless asked, but that was one rule that was often times swept under the rug, given the busy nature of the building.

"What are you all watching?" Nurse Redheart asked curiously, lifting her head above one of the other nurses.

"I think one of our patients is getting a little frisky," one of the younger mares giggled.

Sure enough, the heart rate of patient two zero five was elevated. It was obviously at the rhythm for intercourse, which made Nurse Redheart blush as she realized whose room that monitor belonged to.

After some time had passed, the monitor began to level out. A few minutes prior to this die down, it had been spiking, which left the mares to their imaginations as to what might be happening behind closed doors. Based on the evidence presented before them, it must have been quite the experience.

"So...who's got sheet duty?" Nurse Redheart asked, instantly pulling the others from their mixture of giggles and the occasional dreamy muzzled mare.

As the herd that had gathered started to disperse, they heard the noise from the monitor picking up again. In sync, they all turned their heads towards the flashing screen, wide eyed in disbelief at what they saw.

"A-already?" one of them stammered.

"What in the world are you doing in there Cloudchaser?" Nurse Redheart mumbled.

With a heat season just around the corner, this did little to ease the mares that were soon to fall victim to the whirlwind of emotions and desires that would be thrust upon them. Most of the mares were past their season though, which left only a small majority exposed to such a stirring display.

"On and off the track I guess," Nurse Redheart sighed shaking her head.

---

Zero followed Impulse through a building he hadn't seen before, his eyes illuminating the darkness until the lights slowly powered on. One by one, they reached full strength, basking what seemed to be a rather large room in their offset glow.

"A storage building?" Zero asked aloud.

"Yes, when you started winning races I was able to do so much more than the confines of my humble abode could afford to contain," Impulse explained.

The building itself was impressive, but what was inside stole the show. There seemed to be various projects of incomplete clockwork ponies that appeared to be built for one task or another. Impulse had been very busy for a unicorn, very busy indeed.

"I thought Celestia instructed you to stop," Zero commented, walking up to one of the seemingly incomplete projects.

"She did," Impulse shrugged. "Like I said before, she said not to start working on anything else until after the races. I started working on these before hoof."

In the far corner, there seemed to be four finished projects. Zero examined each of them slowly, taking stock of their size, tribal features, and the odd color pattern that they seemed to possess.

One of them appeared to be an earth pony, since it had no notable features aside from being significantly stockier and stout than the others. Parts of the metal plates covering its intricate workings were painted a dark green, as well as its eyes which seemed narrower than Zero's, giving it a less welcoming appearance.

The next one was clearly meant to be a unicorn. It was moderately built, with slightly heavier plating than Zero's, from what he could tell. This artificial stallion's eyes were just as narrow as the first, which made Zero question why such an unwelcome expression was needed. It was blue in color.

Finally, there were the two pegasi. One had its chest cavity wide open, but for the most part seemed complete. The sight made Zero automatically place a hoof over his own chest, an action he found odd. Content for the moment with the first pegasus, he turned his attention to the next.

This one stood at attention like it's two counter parts. It's material and makeup was similar to that of Zero's which didn't surprise him. A reoccurring trait was the narrow eyes. Zero failed to see the point of intimidating features if Impulse's end goal was to prove that his ideas were beneficial. A warm, or perhaps neutral like his own, expression would be better suited to such a cause.

"I see you've found Brick, Butch, and Boomer," Impulse said with pride.

"Odd selection of names," Zero commented, poking at the pegasus, whom Impulse had apparently dubbed "Butch" for whatever reason.

"Without you Zero, none of this would be possible," Impulse placed a hoof on the stallion's cold, metal back, not that he could feel it.

"Why would you create a second pegasus though?" Zero asked. "Am I not good enough?"

"That's not it at all, it's simply progress in the making, progress you've helped jump start," Impulse quickly replied.

Zero scanned over the large room one last time before heading towards the door. His interest in this place had finally waned thin, and he no longer wished to gaze upon the "progress" that his creator so keenly spoke of. Zero didn't wait for Impulse to speak before taking off from the ground, having mastered his ability to fly.

He noticed a few pegasi on his rapid ascent through the sky, and silently wished that he could sit atop the clouds as they could. Perhaps that was something Impulse had planned to add to this new version of himself. Zero was a bit offended by this to say the least, and decided to keep flying, well past the boundaries of Las Pegasus.

Even after realizing what he had done, he kept flying. Something in him had shifted, not physically of course, but as he began to analyze himself mentally, the images and visions filled his mind once more. Their jumbled structure and thoughts leaving him baffled and confused as always.

Ever since he had won against Daniel, they had become more frequent. While not troublesome yet, they could easily become so if he experienced one on the track.

After what seemed like an hour, Zero finally stopped, content to hover in midair as he thought. He loathed the fact that he had been too upset to grab his journal. As silly as it might have seemed to Flicker and Impulse, he treasured it more than anything either of them had to offer.

It was then Zero had a new idea, one that he felt would ease his foul mood. As quickly as he could, he flew back towards the city, which had become little more than a blurred vision over the horizon. IT certainly gave the city a more interesting look, being viewed from so far away. Zero assumed it would be an even grander sight at night, when all the city’s lights were on.

Once he had reentered the city's boundaries, he landed in front of a small store, the word 'toys' written in large, brilliantly colored letters. It had certainly gained the stallion's attention, and he knew exactly what he wanted as he walked into the store, or so the thought.

Upon entering, Zero was blown away by the vast quantities of items that lined the numerous shelves. He stood still for a moment, save for the gears in his neck whirring as his head scanned each isle before finally deciding on the farthest left one.

Zero did his best to ignore the stares that seemed to accompany him wherever he went. Foals didn't seem to mind as much, but the stallions and mares accompanying them always seemed to have mixed feelings of distrust, or mild curiosity. They had already seen what he was capable of, which was both a good, and bad thing since before Zero was aware of his own actions, he had harmed other ponies. Now that he could think for himself, however, he was curious about those around him.

The stallion eventually found what he was looking for, a giant rack filled with rubber balls of various sizes. Some were as big as a foal; others were no larger than zero's head. He circled the rack once, until he located a decently sized red rubber ball. IT looked just like the one he had seen the foals playing with.

Satisfied with his find, Zero purchased the rubber orb and started home. He flew home at a much slower pace, carefully holding the ball between his metallic hooves. He flew straight past Impulse's assistant upon reaching the familiar glass double doors, and into his room.

Alone with his prize, he turned the ball this way and that before gently tossing it against the wall. As expected, it bounced back to him and Zero repeated the action. If the stallion could have smiled, he would have as he played for the first time. It was then that loneliness struck him again.

Instead of hitting the ball as he had previously to cause it to bounce back, he let it slowly come to a stop against the wall behind him. Zero knew neither Flicker, nor Impulse would ever do anything like this. They couldn't appreciate the simple things in life, the beautiful things that held true value.

"What good is being perfect?" Zero sulked.

---

"Wake up~" a familiar voice sang.

After being sent off to sleep by Cloudchaser I wasn't in the mood for guest. I was still a little sore from her favorite position, which took a lot out of me, but left both of us in a good mood every time.

"Hmm, I wonder what would happen if I did....this?" the voice said, followed by a sharp pain from my tail.

My eyes opened wide, and let out a cry of pain. There to greet me was the familiar image of Discord, twirling one of my tail hairs between the claws of his eagle like hand. The smug smile on his face was present as usual and left me a bit agitated as to why he would wake me up right after two rounds with Cloudchaser.

"Oh good, you're awake," Discord said nonchalantly tossing the hair. "How have things been?"

"I was enjoying a nap," I grumbled.

"Ah yes, post sexy time naps are the best, aren't they?" Discord chuckled. "I meant in regards as to why you're still in bed, why haven't you left yet?"

"I can't," I rolled my eyes. "I messed myself up, and got a lot of ponies worried about me."

"Pfft, you have the necklace, just slip it on," Discord shrugged clearly oblivious to what had been transpiring around him.

"I don't have it anymore, I lost it," I confessed.

"You lost it?" Discord raised a bushy eyebrow at me. "A necklace that had been blessed by an alicorn to absorb chaos so you could become human was entrusted to you, and you lost it?"

"Umm...yes?" I replied nervously.

Discord's expression became neutral. It was hard to tell if he was upset, confused, or perhaps a little of both. I couldn't blame him, I had been a bit hasty with my actions, however justified I believed the may have been. Instead of yelling, however, the lord of chaos fell backwards in a fit of laughter.

Discord had built up the situation to be rather dire indeed, which it was. Such power should never be left to fall into the wrong hooves. For him to suddenly laugh the issue off was oddly enough not surprising in the least, given his nature.

"Oh, you humans are always the most interesting things to watch," Discord chuckled as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Super," I snorted.

"Oh don't be such a spoilt sport, bad things happen to everypony," Discord laughed as he coiled around my bed. "Though I do hate to see one of my friends confined to such an unholy prison."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks the same of this place," I said.

"Of course, which is why I'm going to tell you how to get out," Discord smiled. "In fact, the ticket to you getting out of here is with your sister as we speak."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"She and Blueblood have been working on their relationship, if you catch my drift," Discord nudged me. "So she asked me for a little something extra to spice things up."

"Oh god..." I mumbled.

"Indeed, as it stands, she has two bottles of the stuff," Discord shrugged.

"Any chance you could get me one?" I asked hopefully.

"No can do, I can't take sides in family affairs," Discord wagged his finger. "I can however talk to your fellow Lean Streak and see if he can have a word with-what's wrong?"

Discord stopped himself, taking note of my shifting expression as he spoke. Given the talkative nature of the chaos deity, the silence in the room causing the gravity to shift until it felt as if it would crush us both.

"He's dead," I said quietly.

"...dead..." Discord said simply.

"I've got no coach, I'm stuck in a hospital bed, and Zero's unstoppable," I quietly relayed a simplified list of what was on my mind.

"So what do you plan to do?" Discord asked.

"Race, even though I'll lose,“ I shrugged.

"Sounds like a dignified way of saying you give up," Discord mused. "Such a waste, coming from the one who wanted to fly."

"I can't do this on my own Discord," I said. "I tried to hold this together, and I couldn't."

"Good, you're learning," Discord said placing a claw on my back. "Stop trying to do everything at once, and do what you know how to do best."

"Discord!" an authoritative voice called out, causing him to jump. 

"Things have a way of falling into place sometimes, that's a part of putting trust in others," Discord shrugged. "Try to have a bit more faith in those around you, gotta run."

---

I opened my eyes to a knock on the door. I looked around to see if Discord was playing some sort of joke, but he was nowhere in sight. In fact, a quick glance out the window revealed how late it was. Cloudchaser had worn me out indeed; the sun was already falling below the horizon.

"Wait...was I sleeping?" I asked aloud, genuinely confused, the bigger question being how I felt pain in the first place if I was.

"Beats me," Thunderlane said as he let himself in.

Truth be told, he was the last pony I expected to see here. Even if things had been buried between us, I didn't feel we were quite ready for hospital visits. His expression led me to believe he wasn't here for idle chit chat.

"Um...hey," I said, not quite sure how to start the conversation.

"You went and did it again, didn't you?" Thunderlane asked, jumping straight to the point.

"Yeah, I guess I did," I replied.

"Well I can't say I blame you, that pokey slow bullshit won't get you anywhere with that flying clock anyways," Thunderlane scoffed, hoping up into a nearby chair.

"So did you come to dog me about the loss, or is there some other reason you decided to pay me a visit?" I asked.

"I just wanted to know whether you gave it your all," Thunderlane shrugged.

"Of course I did, but it wasn't enough," I snapped, slightly offended.

"Really, you gave your very best?" Thunderlane's volume rose slightly.

"Yes, I gave my very best," my voice rose with his.

"Are you sure?" Thunderlane's ears shifted forward.

"Why does it matter?" I shot back, sitting up in the bed.

"I've been up against your best, that was not your best by any means," Thunderlane replied. "It's embarrassing to learn the pony that beat you got run into the dirt by some worthless hunk of scrap metal."

"He's got no limit on his speed, he can't be beat," I sighed.

"I've seen him race," Thunderlane said. "I've also seen his weakness, one that Impulse can't fix."

I looked up at the charcoal stallion with a confused expression. He had to be bluffing, trying to get my spirits roused so that I wouldn't be in a funk any more, but given his serious tone and body language he meant business.

"So how do I beat him?" I asked.

"Well, first you're going to have to drop some weight," Thunderlane replied looking me over once. "Then we'd have to work on getting your speed back up to what it once was."

"Yeah, well I don't think Ike understands how wings work truly work," I grumbled.

"I wasn't talking about Ike," Thunderlane said. "I'll be taking over."

I was left dumbfounded by the declaration. Thunderlane, the stallion that had once hated me for some imagined slight, was now offering to help me climb out of the hole I had fallen into. If I hadn't been so blown away by his statement, I might have been more touched, but as it stood I was more stunned than emotional.

"Umm...thanks, but why would you want to do that?" I asked.

"You don't get it yet, do you?" Thunderlane shook his head. "If you can't beat Zero, then soon the races will just be a bunch of fake stallions down there racing for money, not for the spirit of the sport, fun or anything else, just to fill greedy pockets. Then it'll be the weather, and then everything else."

Thunderlane was right, as his rant pretty much summed up what had happened on Earth. Perhaps by now the generation that I left behind had finally become so wrapped up in technology that they had become nothing more than slaves to their pocket sized overlords, also known as smart phones. The stallion's prediction could very well come to pass, if nothing was done.

"Before we start, I need to get out of this bed," I motioned with my head towards the equipment monitoring me.

"That I can't help you with," Thunderlane said. "I'm not a miracle worker."

"Can you get a message out to somepony for me at least?" I asked. "I already know of a miracle that can get me out of here."
> Check Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had grown bored of the dull white walls of the hospital room, and had been tempted to color on them out of childish deviance. My mind was steadily melting with each passing moment, and I was desperate to be free from the prison that was supposedly for my own good. At least they had removed the IV, which was a small glimmer of hope; my fate was now in the very capable hooves of a friend that I had entrusted with retrieving my ticket out of here.

“So, Daniel,” the nurse said as she came in at her usual time. “How are you this morning?”

“Ready to leave,” I replied with a sigh.

“Oh come now, you talk as though we’re killing you,” the mare laughed with a light shake of her head.

“The day I’m on my death bed, I’ll be just as eager to leave as I am healthy,” I mumbled.

“A promise I’m sure you’ll keep,” the nurse chuckled. “For now I need you to take these for me.”

I crossed my fore legs and turned my head. I was in no mood for pills of any sort, and I planned on making that perfectly clear. Much to my dismay, unicorn nurses had no time for my shenanigans and simply forced them into my mouth. IT was my own fault really, I was making an bum of myself and deserved the harsh look I received following the forceful insertion and consumption of what I hoped were only vitamins.

“Honestly, I wish you stallions weren’t ornery when it comes to medicine,” the nurse huffed.

“Not my kind of medicine,” I commented. “Next thing you know, you’ll be shoving a thermometer up my rectum.”

“We have no intent of sticking anything up your rectum,” the mare rolled her eyes.

“I know your ways,” I narrowed my eyes accusingly.

“If you’d like, I can go find the doctor and he can administer the services you’ve requested,” the nurse deadpanned.

“That won’t be necessary,” Bon Bon said as she stored a set of shades into her saddle bag.

“Bon Bon!” I shouted excitedly. “Did you get it!?"

"Yep, that "special candy" you asked for was pretty hard to find," Bon Bon commented, winking knowingly.

"I'm impressed you were able to get that candy," I said watching as the nurse rolled her eyes and left us both. "Really though, candy?"

"You asked for covert," Bon Bon shrugged. "You were right about Isabella keeping this stuff hidden. Took a while to get the exact details on where it was."

"How did you get in and out so fast?" I asked puzzled.

"Let's just say you owe two mares dinner sometime, and then some," Bon Bon smirked.

"Noctra helped you, didn't she?" I chuckled which caused Bon Bon's cheeks to puff up. "Secret agent Sweetie Drops."

"Shh!" the mare stuck her hoof in my mouth. "Not so loud!"

"Nopony heard us, I'm not that loud," I shrugged, removing her hoof.

"Anyways, I only took a little. I didn't want to go raising suspicions, even though the nice bat pony assured me that wasn't an issue," Bon Bon said producing a small bottle which held a strange looking liquid.

"I'm impressed that they even let you in the castle," I commented, examining the bottle for myself.

"They didn't," Bon Bon replied. "That took a little effort, but it was an in and out job. No muss, no fuss."

I opened the bottle and was greeted by the strong scent of cotton candy, which turned into mint, followed by cinnamon. Yep, this was defiantly Discord's work. It made me wonder what exactly was in this mixture that made it as potent as one of Discord's spells. Before I could test its strength, Bon Bon stopped me with her hoof, a worried look on her face.

"I almost forgot, there was a warning label on the bottle. You only need a drop," Bon Bon said.

That was a first, Discord and warning labels. He seemed like the type to leave that off and toss caution to the wind for shits and giggles. The fact that he had put a warning label on the original batch confused me greatly, as well as made me rethink my plan for a few seconds before shaking the thoughts of doubt from my mind.

I removed the long straw from the giant hospital water mug they left me with every morning and blew through it a few times to get the water out of it. Then, biting down tightly on the straws end, I dipped it into the bottle Bon Bon had brought.

I quickly removed it and maneuvered it over the tray table beside the bed. There I waited for gravity to do the rest, slowly moving my head across the area to let a few drops drip down. I was thankful for once to be in a hospital since I knew that the tray table was sterile and clean. The nurses and staff kept that practice up religiously.

"I can't believe you're going to take it that way," Bon Bon recoiled. "I-I could go find a dropper."

"Bon Bon, I've been in this hell hole for too long, I'm starting to lose my mind," I snorted. "I'm not waiting another second."

With that, I carefully licked up a single drop of the concoction Discord had somehow brought into existence. I had asked Bon Bon to get some in the first place since I had the sneaking suspicious that Isabella would be less than thrilled with me walking out of the hospital just to take another crack at my clockwork rival. In this instance, it was better ask forgiveness than permission.

Both of us anxiously waited for something to happen. When nothing immediately transpired I began to panic, since this was the fastest way out of this place. As if on cue, however, I suddenly felt rather ill; not sick enough to vomit, but the sudden wave of nausea was crippling. Discord's spells never stuck to a single change, but instead seemed to enjoy mixing things up with every use, as I had discovered while using the necklace. It seemed the same applied for this potion.

Following the sickening feeling in my stomach, I felt bones shift and grow, which caused my heart rate to skyrocket. It triggered an alarm and the part of my mind that wasn't overwhelmed by the sensations of change knew I'd have company soon enough.

Fingers, toes, feet, and hands all took their rightful place, igniting my brain with signals that had been dormant. I became too big for the bed after a minute into the change and slid off. The cold floor against my naked body assured me that my fur had completely vanished, and a quick glance at my thigh confirmed that my cutie mark was still there. It was an odd carry over, but I was still thankful for its subtly upon putting on pants.

"I...wow...." Bon Bon mouthed.

"Yep, good to be back," I groaned as bones popped upon movement.

My heart monitor had detached from my growing body and now registered that I had flat lined. No sooner had my mind processed this detail, the door burst open with a doctor and a small army of nurses whose eyes widened in shock upon seeing me.

"I'll be signing out now," I said calmly.

---

Isabella slowly turned the bottle to and fro between her fingers, watching the liquid within slosh back and forth. She had been using the strange concoction sparingly, and kept it in a cool place, since Discord stuck a flammable content sticker on the bottle. He had the gall to wake her up in the middle of the night to do this claiming "he forgot something."

"Still believe the boogie pony stole some of that potion?" Blueblood teased.

"Hey, Slenderman is real, don't joke," Isabella replied.

"Slenderman?" Blueblood cocked an eyebrow at the girl.

"Yep, he's the "boogie pony" from my world," Isabella shrugged. "He teleports like a unicorn, steals small children, and drives adults like me insane."

"So you've already fallen victim then?" Blueblood snickered at his own joke.

"I can cross my legs at any time, sweetie," Isabella smiled.

Blueblood cleared his throat at her threat, knowing she meant business. She had held out before, teasing and toying with him until he had to deal with things himself. She could be quite the mare, but that's what sparked the odd attraction. She didn't care that he was a prince, she treated him like an average joe. She didn't chase him or try to impress him with a mask.

"So why are you getting all dressed up?" Isabella asked.

"Formal banquet, I was hoping you would join me," Blueblood replied.

"Oh my dear prince, I am but a wild maiden whose mind has left her some time ago," Isabella spoke in a mock Luna voice. "Perhaps another mare would suit thy fancy for tonight's festivities?""

"Ah! Stop that!" Blueblood cringed. "How you manage to do that I'll never know, but it's creepy, I don't want to picture my aunt right now."

"You're no fun," Isabella giggled.

"You seem to have stuck around," Blueblood smirked.

Isabella was quiet now, unusually so. While their back and forth banter was amusing, rarely did it stop so abruptly, and over something so simple. The lack of a response, or even a light snicker from her took caught Blueblood’s attention.

“Something wrong?” Blueblood asked.

“Yes and no,” Isabella said quietly.

“That answer is a bit contradictory, don’t you think?” the prince asked, trying to get her to laugh again.

“I’m worried about the future,” Isabella replied. “Stupid stuff that my brother tends to worry over, not me.”

“I know we upper crust aren’t your favorite types to be around, but perhaps being with a crowd instead of by yourself would do you some good,” Blueblood suggested. “We can play that game you enjoy.”

“You mean wardrobe ridicule?” Isabella asked breaking a small smile. “I thought you hated it when I started to play that around you?”

“If it perks you up I can endure it for a night, so long as you don’t make me your surprise victim,” Blueblood said.

“I promise to reserve my judgement of your selection tonight,” Isabella smiled.

“Good, now get dressed. Later we can discuss what’s resting on your mind.” Blueblood said.

Isabella turned as her frown returned to her face. A hand fell briefly upon her stomach before she shook her head and got up. The visions of the past still haunted her, things she kept in the darkest confines of her own heart.

---

The sun’s rays were a beautiful sight to behold. While I had seen them abundantly while in the hospital, being on the other side of the glass was a bit disheartening for me. I had seen them long enough through windows in my old world, doing so here only served to remind me of colder times in my life.

“So, now that you’re a free stallion again, what’s your next move?” Bon Bon asked.

“I’ve got a family to check on before I do anything too ambitious,” I replied. “Then I can get to work on dealing with Zero.”

“Well, I suppose confidence is a good thing,” the mare laughed nervously.

“You don’t think I can do it, do you?” I looked down at her.

“I didn’t say that,” Bon Bon twisted her hoof into the soft as she looked down. “I’d just hate to see you back in the hospital all over again.”

“So that’s a yes,” I rolled my eyes. “Great…that’s super.”

“Hey, you’re the one that got yourself in this hole, not me!” Bon Bon huffed.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” I sighed. “I guess I’ll have to trust Thunderlane on this one.”

“W-wait, you’re trusting Thunderlane,” Bon Bon held a hoof up at me. “As in the stallion that put you through the ringer the first time?”

“Yes Bon Bon, I am,” I crossed my arms.

“Well good luck with that, I won’t hold my breath for results,” Bon Bon commented.

“I’m sure things will be fine, what’s the worst that can happen?” I shrugged.

With that we went our separate ways. I was certain Bon Bon was just over reacting to the news since Thunderlane wasn’t that bad now. Granted I Wasn’t around him all the time, but if he was serious than that was probably about to change.

Once I made it into the busier part of town, the stares began anew, similar to when I had first arrived in this world. These were linked to surprise rather than disgust or curiosity though. In a small setting like Ponyville, news traveled fast, and no doubt everypony had learned of my little trip to the hospital. What probably struck them as odd was how I had grown roughly four feet with a change of posture and walking pattern.

“Ah can’t believe it,” I heard Applejack say from her stand. “Ya done walked out on us ‘for we could come see ya again.”

“It sucks you missed their reaction,” I said, sharing a laugh with the mare. Our hate for hospitals being one of the many things we had in common.

“Yer heart feelin’ up ta what needs doin?” Applejack asked.

“I guess I’ll find out soon enough, for better or for worse,” I replied before continuing on my way.

Soon enough, I reached my house, the windows bright with a warm light from within. My smile started to grow a bit as I neared the door, imagining all the ways I could startle Cloudchaser, and brighten Scootaloo's day. It’d be good to hold Stormwalker again too, it was admittedly harder to do as a pony, but as long as I was human I planned to use my arms for just that.

Before I could place my hand on the door, it opened of its own accord, revealing two foals. Both had seemed giddy and happy at first, with only one remaining that way upon laying eyes on me.

"Dad!" Scootaloo shouted, abandoning Star Sprint to do her best to tackle me to the ground.

"Hey squirt, you know I didn't leave right?" I laughed.

"How'd you get out so early?" Scootaloo tilted her head. "Mom said you'd be in the hospital for at least two weeks."

"What do they know?" I rolled my eyes before focusing on Star Sprint. "Long time no see."

"I guess it has been," Star Sprint smiled nervously.

"What's the matter kid, did something else happen while I was out of commission?" I asked.

"W-well, kind of," Star Sprint danced around the question, not looking up at me, which was unusual for him.

"Star Sprint's taking me out," Scootaloo said nonchalantly.

My train of thought slammed on it's emergency break. After all the sparks and smoke had settled as a result, I was able to process what had just been said so casually by my daughter. She had her cutie mark, sure, but dating!?

"Dad?" Scootaloo poked me once in the forehead to get my attention.

"Huh, what?" I looked around in a brief daze before catching back up with reality.

"I said, Star Sprint is taking me on a date, mom said it was okay," Scootaloo repeated.

I looked at Star Sprint, who was still avoiding eye contact. He wasn’t this timid when he was around the track, but it was understandable to be nervous around the father of the filly he was supposedly taking out on a date. As much as I didn’t want to approve, Scootaloo was admittedly an adorable filly, but I wasn’t quite sure what qualified as too young by pony standards for dating.

“Umm,” I hesitated a minute before agreeing with Cloudchaser. “Yeah, just be back by eight.”

I didn’t have much to worry about with the colt, since I knew his father, and Scootaloo was a smart filly. If he did somehow find the nerve to try something, she would leave and end it, or let him have it.

“We will be,” Scootaloo beamed happily, hugging me before practically dragging Star Sprint off. The poor colt had no idea what he had signed up for.

My smile slowly started to droop down into a frown as I walked inside. My heavy footsteps quickly caught the attention of the mare of the house. Cloudchaser’s eyes widened as she turned the corner and saw me. Given her expression, I wasn't quite sure if she was excited to see me, or mad that I had left the hospital.

“Hey honey,” I grinned.

Cloudchaser didn’t hesitate to tackle me in a hug, much the same way Scootaloo had. Unlike our daughter, however, the mare successfully knocked me to the floor. I held her close as she snuggled atop my larger body.

“How did you change?” Cloudchaser asked.

“I borrowed a little medicine from Isabella,” I vaguely replied.

Cloudchaser looked into my eyes for a few puzzled seconds before shrugging. A split second later I felt her soft lips press against mine, cooing in delight as I ran my fingers through her mane.

“By Celestia I’ve missed this…” Cloudchaser murmured as our lips parted.

“Well, it is good to have fingers again,” I chuckled, receiving a playful boop. “How’s Stormwalker?”

“Playing, last time I checked on him,” the mare replied.

I held her close and stood up, making her squeal in glee as I carried her to our foal’s room. I had missed being able to do things like this with Cloudchaser. Being a pegasus was awesome, but I could never leave behind or forget what I was deep down. I was just thankful I had found a mare that wasn’t afraid of my other side.

Just as Cloudchaser had said, Stormwalker sat on his haunches stacks a few blocks before toppling them with a swift swipe of his hoof. I watched him repeat this process before I knelt down to his level, gaining his attention.

Stormwalker smiled at me, warming my heart. The little colt had been growing every day, his legs getting stronger, and his wings becoming more stable.

"Dabababa!" Stormwalker babbled, his wings flapping excitedly.

"Hey buddy," I said releasing Cloudchaser as she traded spots with our son. "How's my little guy?"

Stormwalker cooed and squirmed in response, laughing as I stood up and hoisted him above my head. His wings buzzed, similar to Scootaloo's would when she was happy or excited as he looked down at me. He continued to laugh even as I pulled my hands away from him.

Ordinaraly, hoisting a baby up only to relinquish your hold of it would earn you a visit from child services, but a pegasus foal was not a normal baby. I had seen Cloudchaser do the same thing before and had even been encouraged to do so as well. It helped develop the strength in his wings at an early age.

Stormwalker slowly drifted towards the floor, his little wings delaying his descent. Just before his hooves touched the floor, I took him in my arms again, this time gently rubbing his ear as I held him.

"He's getting there with words," Cloudchaser commented. "Not to mention being a little butt after coming back from his aunt's. I swear, you'd think Flitter has mind powers or something."

"Aunts naturally have mind corruptive abilities, don't worry, you'll get to return the favor someday," I said.

"I hope so," Cloudchaser sighed draping her forelegs over my shoulder. "So what did you think of Scootaloo's date?"

"I think, for the first time, I genuinely feel old," I confessed.

"Just out of curiosity, how long do humans wait before dating?" Cloudchaser asked, nuzzling my cheek.

"Uhh...it varies, things usually get serious at fifteen years or so," I said. "Anything earlier isn't that serious yet."

"Sheesh, and I thought waiting until getting a a cutie mark was bad," Cloudchaser rolled her eyes. "Why do humans have to over complicate things?"

"It's in our nature," I shrugged. "I didn't know that getting a cutie mark made you an eligible batchleret."

"It doesn't, it's just when colt's start to notice you, that you've found your lot in life," Cloudchaser explained. "It's a sign of maturity...which both of you lack in other departments sometimes."

"Hey, I resemble that remark," I grinned.

"You're lucky you're adorable," the mare said. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah...Star Sprint's a good colt, I know where to find him if he isn't," I replied.

"Speaking of love," Cloudchaser said before giving my ear a quick lick. "It's been a while since I saw this romantic side of you."

"Lucky you I literally have two romantic sides to show you," I chuckled.

---

Isabella paused before approaching the open doors beside Blueblood. She hated these events with a burning passion. They served no purpose, aside from displaying the grandure and glamor of supposedly humble creatures.

"You're not wanting to back out now, are you?" Blueblood turned to Isabella.

"No," Isabella sighed. "Just nervous, you're sure you don't want me to sneak in real quick and "change?"

"Quite positive," Blueblood grinned.

Isabella’s sense of confidence caved in upon stepping through the doors. Amongst other humans such events had been tolerable, and she had never had such problems, but she was quite literally the odd woman out in a room the size of a small house.

Blueblood leaned against her slightly, reminding her he was still there. Despite her short stature, she was still taller than him which Isabella would tease him about sometimes. Tonight she refrained from doing so, being grateful to have him beside her.

“Isabella,” Celestia’s voice caught her attention. “I was wondering whether you would show up or not, it seems as though the prince managed to talk you out of your room.”

“Heh, I’m not that shut in…am I?” Isabella asked.

“When I do see you it’s very brief, I’ve been meaning to ask how you’ve been?” Celestia replied.

“You know me, just trying to keep out of the upper crust’s way,” Isabella laughed nervously.

“And I suppose the investigative work you and Noctra have been doing is nothing you’d like to talk about?” the alicorn asked, a mischievous smile crossing her muzzle.

“Oh that?” Isabella’s cheeks flushed. “That’s just something Daniel asked about.”

“I see, so it’s him I should be speaking with then,” Celestia smiled as she continued her mental game.

“Hey, I wasn’t trying to throw him under the bus or anything, he asked because of Scootaloo,” Isabella quickly corrected herself.

“Perhaps it would be best if such things were left to professionals from now on,” the solar princess said. “As harmless as your intentions may have been a complaint was filed against Noctra by Flicker and a guard with a mane and tail that were out of regulations.”

“You don’t say,” Isabella felt a small bead of sweat race down the side of her head.

“Flicker had feelings for Summer Stars, the same as her friends, but sometimes it’s best to let things rest in peace, even if it’s not the answer we want,” Celestia spoke with a much softer voice.

“Sister!” Luna shouted excitedly before Isabella could respond. “Have you heard the news from Saddle Arabia?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t,” Celestia replied, all thought concerning Isabella and Noctra’s activities leaving her mind.

“An heir has been born to them, a handsome little colt and-“ Luna continued, as the dark feelings returned from the hidden recesses of Isabella’s mind.

She quietly excused herself and left, thankfully unnoticed by either of the celestial sisters. Isabella cursed under her breath for believing that this was a good idea. It had been until Luna brought up the last thing she wanted to discuss, especially now.

“You know, I dislike conversations with my aunts when they take a turn towards the feminine side, but I rarely run out of a room full of ponies because of it,” Blueblood said as he approached her.

“I wasn’t running, I was…speed walking,” Isabella replied, running her hand across her eye.

“And I’ve never been moved to tears either,” the stallion added having gone through enough mare friends to pick up on their fake eye rub. “What has you worked up, Izzy?”

“Would you stick around, even if I wasn’t fun anymore? If I became dull or boring?” Isabella asked cautiously.

“I find all of this subtlety a bit boorish,” Blueblood said with a raised eyebrow. “I wish you’d just tell me what’s wrong-“

“It’s yours,” Isabella said flatly.

“…pardon?” Blueblood’s look of confusion only caused Isabella more frustration as she realized she would have to spell things out for him.

“We fucked on a night I wasn’t keeping track of things, you knocked me up,” Isabella huffed.

Both stood in complete silence for a few seconds. Isabella having crossed her arms as she stared out through one of the large windows, concern resting upon her face. While Blueblood was no mind reader, it was clear there was something else here than nervousness about how he truly felt about her.

“Isabella, I wouldn’t leave you over something like this,” the prince said. “I would think a first time mother to be happy about such news...why do you seem disappointed?”

“Because this isn’t the first time I’ve been pregnant,” Isabella replied. “It’s not disappointment Blueblood, it’s guilt.”

“I don’t understand, why would you feel guilty?” Blueblood sat down in front of her, looking up at the human expectantly.

“Swear to me right now that you’ll never speak a word of this to my brother, anyone, or anypony,” Isabella said.

“You have my word, now please, tell me what’s wrong?” Blueblood pleaded.

“When I was younger, I met a guy from my world that I really liked,” Isabella began, thankful that Blueblood didn’t seem to be too upset with her story starting out with another male. “We dated, did the whole nine yards, and one night he betrayed my trust and…”

“Keep going,” Blueblood urged. “Please, I need to know.”

“I didn’t want the baby…because of what he did,” Isabella said as a hand subconsciously found its way to her stomach. “Now here I am again, and I feel…rotten.”

Blueblood wanted to speak, but for the first time in his life, his heart felt as if it had shifted to his throat. He put the pieces together as she spoke, however, her tough exterior was covering up the fractured part of her that she had kept hidden from the outside world until now. Not even her brother was aware of what she had done.

“Your name is Isabella Walker, gifted explorer, witty human, loving marefriend, and future mother,” Blueblood said softly. “I was what many would consider rotten, I even wanted your brother kicked out of Equestria for no other reason than I didn’t trust him, until you came along.”

“I didn’t even like you then,” Isabella laughed halfheartedly.

“You can’t let the past become shackles for the future,” Blueblood stood up nuzzling her as best as he could. “That’s why it’s so important that you see things through this time, and you won’t be alone.”

“Dummy,” Isabella muttered as she knelt down to wrap her arms around his neck. “Please don’t tell the others, Daniel would die if he knew.”

“It never leaves this spot,” Blueblood said as he felt something wet run down his fur. Isabella’s only response was a quiet nod as she silently cried from a mixture of sorrow for her past, and joy for her future.

---

Flicker couldn't help but be a bit more upbeat than usual, it seemed a good majority of Canterlot was that way this morning as well. He had left Impulse to his own devices for now, trusting that the stallion would continue his good work, right up until the time came to sell him out. It was amazing how gullible such a brilliant unicorn was.

He had used him to put his foe out of commission until he could deal with things himself, and Zero could certainly be used for more direct methods, if he could ever convince the toy. While Flicker admired it's ability to process the world around it, that didn't change what it was. Without that crystal, it was nothing more than a soulless automaton.

"Did you hear about that racer from Ponyville?" Flicker overheard a mare ask.

"Somewhat, is it true what they said about him?" her friend asked in return.

Flicker's smug smile grew bigger and crueler as he eavesdropped in on their conversation. This was what he wanted, doubt, despair, and a complete lack of faith in a fake stallion. It was odd really, Zero and that human were caught in between a limbo of existence, a pony, but not at the same time. Not that it mattered now, he was injured-

"Rumor is, he's out of the hospital," the other mare said giddily.

Flicker felt his heart skip a beat as his thoughts of victory came to a screeching halt. What he had heard had to be a mistake, a poor rumor, nothing more. It had only been a few days since the incident, surely this was impossible. Not that it mattered, even if he was by some miracle out of bed, he'd never be at one hundred percent again.

"I heard they found a new trainer, probably fired the old one after that loss," one of the other ponies present commented.

Flicker wasn't sure which he was more impressed by; the fact that Lean Streak, one of the more notable trainers, had just been glossed over since his death, or that the miserable stallion had actually found a pony willing to work with him. Regardless of which he picked, the most disturbing revelation today cast a long shadow over all other rumors. Daniel was out.

What is he, supernatural or something!? Flicker fumed within the privacy of his own mind. It would seem as though a gentle nudge in the right direction is needed in order to get things rolling again.

The stallion wordlessly excused himself and began to make plans for Las Pegasus. He had tried being subtle, but that clearly wasn't going to work. He was going to have to take things to a new level, and that would involve a bit of back biting.


> The Final Countdown 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had reverted back to four legs two days ago, which had given Thunderlane plenty of time to get ready. As I had predicted, once the effects of whatever was in that bottle had worn off I felt fine, rejuvenated even. Minor observations aside, it was time to focus on getting back in the game.

"Are you sure about this?" Ike asked as I opted to walk to the field this morning, enjoying the twin's company.

"I'm sure, he's not the same stallion he was," I replied.

"So what makes him so special that you agreed to this?" Mike asked.

"He said he knows how to beat Zero, which I find surprising," I doubted my own answer. "If he's right though, then we should at least give him the time of day."

"Speak of the devil," Ike said motioning with his head towards not only Thunderlane, but...Twilight?

"What the fuck?" I blurted out.

"Ditto," Mike said absentmindedly.

"Ah, there you are," Twilight said as her ears perked up. "Better late than never I suppose."

"Twilight, no offense, but what are you doing here?" I asked, jumping straight to the point.

"She's here to help beat Zero," Thunderlane spoke up.

"I thought you said you had that," Ike snorted.

"In case it hasn't sunk in yet, Daniel isn't from our world, if I tried to explain magical physics to him it'd probably give him an aneurism," Thunderlane deadpanned.

"Hey!" I snorted, only to be ignored.

"Not to mention Zero's a bit more complex than anything I've seen in Equestria before," Twilight added. "That doesn't mean he doesn't have faults though."

"Rainbow Dash and Lean Streak taught you how to make the most of your wings," Thunderlane started. "What they didn't teach you was how to fly as if you had high speed wings."

"What good would that do me?" my words escaped on a chuckle.

"You're fast, we're going to train your mind and body to be faster," Thunderlane said blankly. "Besides, with what I'm going to ask you to try you'll need to have as much speed and maneuverability as possible."

"What's he talking about?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, please explain," I said. "Because you're starting to worry me."

"Have you ever noticed how pegasi don't fly into one another's trails?" Thunderlane asked. "It's because magic aids in helping them fly, their own magic, and when more is added to the mix it can make things complicated."

"So you're wanting me to cheat?" I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"If you want to get technical, Whitefire has done the same thing to you before, and so have other racers. You just didn't realize what was happening, since you weren't raised on four legs and with a pair of wings." Twilight explained.

"How would this affect him...it, exactly?" Ike asked.

"Zero is one hundred percent artificial, nothing about him is natural, meaning he can't adjust to the strain of flying through another pegasi's trail," Twilight replied. "If my theory is correct it would cause his wings to become inoperable."

"I'm not sure what I'm impressed by more, the fact that you've actually come up with a way to beat Zero, or that you support this." I said looking at Twilight and Thunderlane.

"You and I both know what's on the other side of that mirror," Twilight looked up at me. "Thunderlane has no idea how right he is, we have to prove that the real thing is better than a fake."

"Twilight, I'm not a real pegasus either," I said.

"I see two wings, a mane and a tail," Thunderlane spoke up. "You are a pegasus, whether you want to be one or not."

Thunderlane had insulted me numerous times, and been the one to call me a fake numerous times. To hear him finally relent and tell me that I belonged meant more to me than he knew. As much as I would have enjoyed dwelling in the moment of revelation, there was work to be done.

"If you want to beat him, you have to trust me," Thunderlane said.

"Where do we start?" I asked.

"You're strong, but heavy, too heavy," Thunderlane said poking me in the side. "Zero is streamline, you have to drop what you can if you want to get in front of him. The clock starts now, let's see where you little break put you time wise."

"I've got a feeling my sides are about to hurt," I sighed.

"Better get used to it, because for the next four months we're going to be best friends," Thunderlane said darkly.

---

Week One:

Thunderlane could tell from watching his new under study that he wasn't used to the rapid succession of work outs he was. It made Thunderlane wonder how he had beaten him to begin with, but he had to remind himself that he had lost before he made a comeback. If anypony could come from behind, it would be him.

"Ike, how's he looking number wise?" Thunderlane asked.

"He's leveling out to what he has been, all of this is pretty standard to him," Ike replied with a small crack in his voice.

"I see, so "leveling out" is considered trying to down the entire cooler?" Thunderlane pointed towards the stallion as he tilted the container filled with water towards him.

The spigot either wasn't good enough, or wasn't giving him what he needed, which caused Ike to slam his hoof against his face in embarrassment. Mike snickered at the stallion's antics until a sharp jab to his stomach from his brother silenced him.

---

Week Two:

"Come on, pick up the pace," Thunderlane called over the wind whistling over my ears as my speed increased. "You've got to make every second count that you're in front of him, anything less is wasted time. It's a commodity you don't have anymore."

The concept of purposefully trying to lock another pony up behind me still seemed a bit dirty, but if we got into the topic of what was fair and what wasn't, having your muscles prebuilt seemed a bit unfair to me. As much as I didn't want a gimmick to win, I couldn't leave things to chance again and risk losing to Zero all over again.

I looked behind me to look at the trail I was leaving behind. It was as vibrant as ever, and oddly satisfying to watch materialize as I continued with the routine that Thunderlane had picked up with Lean Streak's departure.

---

Zero's ear swiveled behind him, detecting the approaching whistle of Whitefire. The stallion was definitely in his prime, more so than Daniel had been. The artificial stallion listened as he closed the distance between the two of them, coming in from the side.

Strategically speaking, Whitefire was at a disadvantage, coming from the outside. Zero found it odd that the stallion didn't seem to care about his obvious oversight, but never the less effortlessly increased his speed to leave the racer behind him.

Thankfully Zero knew when enough was enough and decreased his speed once more as he neared the finish line. Perhaps Impulse's hype of Daniel had truly been misplaced. He was just a normal stallion, who had fallen like any other.

---

Week three:

Ike watched as Daniel rounded the third corner, way ahead of the other racers. Thunderlane's methods had seemed a bit odd at first, but once the stallion started to look a bit leaner, his speed started to improve. The workout routines were nothing like what Lean Streak had him doing, which resulted in large, massive muscle.

Still, it was nothing compared to the time that Zero had over him. As it stood now, Zero could break his record at the Crystal track. Pushing the dark thought aside, it was impressive to see what two former rivals were accomplishing working together instead of working alone.

"He needs to bring his time up," Thunderlane said, having observed the race closely.

"We've tried that before, he' always hit a ceiling," Ike said.

"Time to renovate and raise it then," Thunderlane smirked before taking off to talk with their racer.

Ike looked down at the records he had for their races. Daniel couldn't afford to lose another race, second place wasn't even an option now. Where he had finished third in his race with Thunderlane, against Zero he never made it to the finish line. That hurt him point wise more than he probably realized.

"He can do it, right?" Mike asked.

"One can hope," Ike replied.

---

Week Six:

"Again," Thunderlane sighed as I tried and failed to line myself up in front of Rainbow Dash.

"It's like you're not even trying," the cyan mare commented.

"You're more than welcome to hop in the driver's seat Dash if you think you can do it better," I snapped, causing Thunderlane to snicker.

"Rainbow Dash, why don't you give the understudy a prolonged dose of what it feels like being behind another flyer?" the stallion smirked.

"Sure, nothing like a little role reversal," Rainbow Dash replied, motioning for me to follow her.

I shook my head in frustration and reluctantly followed after the mare. There was no preset destination for the time being. It was simply trying to keep the other pegasus behind you, which I knew Rainbow Dash was more than capable of doing.

I gave chase to the mare, and began to drift out from behind her almost instantly. It was something I found myself doing subconsciously, which was why I had never noticed it until Thunderlane had pointed it out. I didn't stay out from Rainbow Dash for long, however, as she realigned herself and forced me to quite literally feel the rainbow.

I made a much more voluntary effort to avoid her, only to get cut off once more as she maintained her lead over me. I was starting to get annoyed at this point and tried to fly past her, which I found to be an impossibility as she cut me off once more.

"Are you a believer yet?" Thunderlane asked, flying up to me once I finally deemed my wings unfit to fly after noticing how ruffled the feathers had become.

"Well, it certainly answers a lot of questions I once had," I replied.

"Ready to start giving this an honest effort then?" the charcoal stallion asked. "Let's be honest, we both know you can do better."

"I don't like you," I moaned.

"Feeling's mutual, let's go again," Thunderlane chuckled.

---

Zero observed Alabaster from second place, noting his confidence. After learning of the top contender’s defeats, no doubt he thought he was better than both of them having gotten ahead of him.

Still, Zero had a job to do, and Impulse wouldn't like it if he came in second. His only option was first place, he had simply wanted a decent race for once, one with a small challenge to it. In order to obtain such a life goal, he had to willingly contain his speed, which was superior to Alabaster's by a large margin.

As the finish line was set before them, Zero revealed his true speed, earning a round of cheers from the crowd as he blew past the other racer. Such an act had once meant something to him, but now it only seemed to make the void in his mind larger.

He had no heart to lose, no soul to forfeit. Still, he felt as if he did, and what good is winning if you lose your heart in the moment? This was a concept Impulse didn't understand, refused to understand, but he had to remain loyal, he was the only family connection he had in this world. Having Impulse was better than having no one.

---

Week Ten:

Cloudchaser watched from the ground as her stallion continued to run drills with Mike for a moment. She had taken the time to watch a few times, but was glad to catch him in the middle of working out. Especially since she wasn't alone today.

"Daaadaaada," Stormwalker babbled.

"That's right, that's your daddy," Cloudchaser giggled.

Her laughter had caught the attention of Thunderlane who was ready to chase off whoever had walked onto one of their drills. He stopped himself when he noticed who it was, however, and merely cleared his throat in an attempt to gain his exe's attention.

Cloudchaser looked up to lock eyes with the charcoal stallion, his presence filling her with a mixture of emotions. She didn't feel threatened by him, since she knew none of the other stallions present would have any of that, but now that he knew she was watching, she was unsure of what to say.

She had wanted to stop and talk to him numerous times, but had never found the proper moment, or had always been preoccupied. Now that fate had put them together again, she felt it was time to bury the hatchet.

"Hi," Cloudchaser said quietly.

"Hey," Thunderlane replied looking towards the ground. "What brought you out here?"

"Uh, him," Cloudchaser pointed towards Daniel as both stumbled through their awkward conversation. "I wanted to check on him, y'know?"

"Not really, but that's cool," Thunderlane said.

"Yeah...it is," Cloudchaser mumbled, digging her hoof into the soft soil.

"So, that's Stormwalker?" Thunderlane asked, turning his attention to the foal that had started to feast on a dandelion.

"Yeah, that's him," Cloudchaser replied. "He'll be talking before too long."

"So I've heard, when he rest you guys are what he talks about the most," Thunderlane said, turning away from Cloudchaser.

"Thunderlane, why did you offer to help?" Cloudchaser asked.

"Because when I hit the bottom, he was the only one that offered to pull me back up," Thunderlane said.

Cloudchaser had assumed the worst of him, and felt guilt for it now. She had thought for sure this would just be a chance for him to get back at him, or perhaps even try to get close to her, but he didn't want any of that.

"Thank you," Cloudchcaser said, turning her attention back to Stormwalker as he continued to play on his strengthening legs.

---

Impulse watched from the private booth as Bold Wind flew side by side against Zero, a feat which the stallion found impressive since he had already opened up to almost his full speed. He knew Bold Wind had been champion once, and had hoped this would be an interesting race.

Still, Zero almost seemed to be treating this as if it was a game. Impulse had noticed him becoming less and less cooperative after each race. His reluctance was proving to be troublesome, but a few days after the event he would always seem to return to normal, as normal as he could get anyways.

Another sour thought occupied his mind as well as Zero’s new found rebellious attitude. Daniel was causing a stir once more, this time with Thunderlane at his side. If one former racer from his father wasn’t bad enough, now there were two of them working together! Each time the paper had him placing first by an ever increasing margin.

"It doesn't make sense," Impulse huffed. “That a racer who was down for the count could come back so quickly, it’s unheard of.”

"Clearly he consumes an apple a day," Flicker commented.

"You think this is funny?" Impulse asked.

"No, not in the slightest, I'm simply trying to make light of a dark situation," the pegasus replied.

"You said he'd come back twice as strong, I thought I had more time to prepare for what improvements he might make," Impulse's voice dropped in volume, but kept its harsh tone.

"Perhaps you should have a talk with your prototype, and start putting an end to races sooner than he has been," Flicker said. "Clearly he's holding back."

"Zero isn't holding back, he's been fine tuned to end races at the perfect time," Impulse said defensively, despite having doubt in his own heart.

"And what happens when another racer has built himself back up to be better than the fine-tuned abilities of Zero?" Flicker asked, hinting towards Daniel.

"That's an impossibility," Impulse shook his head in denial.

"Humor me," Flicker urged the stallion to give him an actual answer.

"You can only push something so far, tweak something so many times before it becomes inoperable," Impulse replied.

"Maybe you should consider using your other toy instead," Flicker advised.

"Celestia would never allow it," Impulse sighed.

"And she wouldn't have to know, would she?" Flicker grinned. "Zero wears a full body suit as it is, there would be no way to distinguish between the two if that were the case."

Impulse considered such an option only for a few seconds before shaking his head. He knew that they still needed to be tested before actually dwelling amongst civilians. They were much like Zero was when he was first built, soulless. The only difference between that stage of Zero's life, and theirs was that they were capable of basic processes, but nothing more.

"No, I can't have them malfunction and cause a stir again," Impulse said.

"Suit yourself," Flicker shrugged. "Mark my words though, soon he'll be coming for your you and Zero, and he’ll be the end of you"

---

Week Seventeen:

Fatigue meant little to me now, just as Thunderlane had predicted. I carried less, but hadn’t exactly lost much strength in the trade off. I still felt just as strong, if not stronger, Cloudchaser wasn’t all that excited about the change, but I promised her that I would try to buff up again once Zero was dealt with.

Today’s race was the last stop on my road to a rematch with the animatronic stallion. It was something I had been looking forward to, and dreading at the same time. I couldn’t screw up again, not after reading reports of Zero coming in first in his remaining races as well.

“Still got energy to burn?” Thunderlane asked after slapping me on the back.

“I feel like I could go again, actually,” I replied, despite the obvious sweat beading from my body saying that at least a brief rest was in order.

Despite the obvious signs of a well flown race, I did indeed feel like I could go again if asked. Thunderlane was a surprisingly good teacher, he had experience that I lacked, and the limbs that Ike didn’t quite understand. He had done an amazing job getting me back on track, though I had a feeling that if Lean Streak were still around I’d hear a lengthy lecture about who he’d been replaced with.

The thought of my old teacher made me smile. For once, I smiled when I thought of him and all that he had taught me and where he had led me.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Mike asked.

“We’ll need to head to Las Pegasus, that’s where the finals will be held,” I replied.

“You’ve got a week before that happens though,” Ike said. “You’re not wanting to stir stuff up, are you?”

“No, I’ve got to keep a promise to a friend, that’s all,” I smiled assuredly. “You guys don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.”

“You’re not going to do anything crazy, right?” Thunderlane poked me in the chest, disregarding personal space.

“I’ll be a good colt, scouts honor,” I said with a salute.

“Just who is this friend that you’re supposed to meet?” Thunderlane pressed.

“Harmony Chorus,” I shrugged nonchalantly.

“Whoa whoa whoa, THE Harmony Chorus?” I relished the stallion’s look of shock as he spoke.

“The one and only,” I replied.

“You’re lying, how did you get to be friends with her?” Mike asked.

“Well, when I was still human she was the first friend I made outside of Twilight’s little group,” I smiled. “In fact, she’s one of the main reasons I decided to stay. I owe it to her to try to attend one of her shows when I can.”

“Why can’t you be normal for once?” Ike asked.

“Because what fun is normal?” I asked in return.

---

Zero wanted nothing to do with Flicker, so upon learning of his impending arrival the stallion left Impulse's home. He wanted to be outside anyways, it was nice, or what normal ponies considered nice. Weather mattered little to him since he lacked skin and couldn't process hot or cold.

He wanted time to himself for a while anyways, since most of his days consisted of test, racing, and more test. His only moments of true peace where his notes that he had taken down, which almost seemed to form a story the more he review them, and the shiny red object he had brought with him.

Aside from the journal, the ball was the only other possession Zero owned. He had little need of personal items, and had never seen the appeal of them, aside from the two he possessed.

Much was on the stallion's mind, more than the simple processes of items and ownership of such. The visions had started to become clearer, images no longer blurred or out of focus in places. In fact, now he was starting to see things that were familiar to him, but there were a few instances where locations seemed to overlap, and the scenery would change in the span of a second.

Zero put aside such things for the time being, as he found his preferred spot. It was nothing more than a lot that had been left in disrepair. That mattered little to Zero, as the brick walls of the nearby building provided the perfect object to bounce his ball off of.

Taking a seat a distance away from the building, Zero tossed the ball and waited for it to return to him, only to repeat the process. The stallion still couldn't believe how something so simple provided him with such joy; much more than winning ever had.

Not long after he began to play, he heard the sound of laughter, mingled with what sounded like the cries of a foal. Curious, Zero stood ceased hi activity, his systems not even registering when the ball hit him on the head to bounce off to the side harmlessly.

Zero could tell that the cries and laughs were close. More so out of curiosity than obligation, the stallion decided to follow the noise. Crying was normally a sound accompanied by distress or grief of some form, rarely was it accompanied by laughter, which was the exact opposite by definition.

As Zero got closer, he could make out different voices which seemed to be jeering and insulting another individual. He knew that Impulse had told him to stay out of the affairs of other ponies, but from the pitch and tone of the voice that sounded distorted by sobs, it was a small foal. Some part of Zero felt…angry…genuinely mad at the thought that harm was being done to a youth.

Zero picked up the pace until his artificial eyes scanned over five teenage colts, bullying a much younger one. If Zero ever wished he could narrow his eyes, it would have been then. He had never felt this type of hate or rage before, it was as if it didn’t belong, like it was someone else’s.

“I warned your sister not to call me and my friends out today, but she felt the need to let the entire school know about,” the tallest colt said.

“We swore we’d never hit a mare, buuut you don’t look like no mare to me,” one of his underlings commented.

“I bet we can change that,” a black coated colt snickered.

“Stop!” Zero’s artificial voice caused the five teenaged stallions to jump in surprise.

“Pssh, it’s that stupid metal racer,” the oldest said with a roll of his eyes.

“What’s it want?” another asked.

“Who cares,” their leader said. “You hear that? Beat it you walking pile or scrap metal, this doesn’t concern you!”

“No!” Zero exclaimed. “You are committing foal harassment, I request that you please come with me quietly.”

“Foal harassment?” the leader said slowly stalking towards Zero. “Are you kidding me? Do you know what I could do to you?”

“Do you know what I can do to you?” Zero asked in return.

“Mess him up Sharp!” one of the colt’s shouted, encouraging their leader to initiate a fight with Zero.

The teenaged stallion grinned wickedly as he spun around on his forelegs in an attempt to land a kick on Zero. His speed was impressive for a colt, but Zero didn’t need to move in order to avoid damage. Impulse had taken the liberty of strengthening his plating after he claimed to have been bested by a few kicks from Daniel.

A loud clank was heard as the colt’s hooves collided with Zero’s metallic neck. Sharp’s eyes began to water up seconds later as the pain spiked up along his legs until he stumbled away from Zero, roaring in pain.

“My body is covered in a strong, light weight metal,” Zero said scanning over colts who had started to back away. “I don’t believe yours are.”

The colt that had been the victim of the teenaged stallion’s actions ran over to Zero, hiding behind him as the others continued to slowly retreat. Much to the metallic stallion’s delight, it seemed as if things would be resolved in a relatively peaceful manner.

“You smug son of a bitch!” Sharp shouted, pulling out what appeared to be a knife.

Despite knowing that the pitiful object would never pierce his hide, Zero had to worry about the foal being harmed now. Unwilling to risk his safety, the stallion rose up on his hind legs and proceeded to wrap one leg around his neck, while he disarmed Sharp with the other.

With a simple flurry, Zero tossed the stallion into a dumpster. The impact of the blow caused the lid to fall down on top of the thug. His underlings needed no more encouragement to run after witnessing how easily their boss had been disposed of, literally. Zero felt a bit guilty for what he had done, but proud he had been able to help.

“Are you injured?” Zero asked, looking down at the colt that was staring up at him in wonder.

“Uh…no sir,” the colt replied. “You’re really strong.”

“I am a prototype designated Zero, my body is not organic,” Zero replied.

“I don’t know what that means,” the earth colt shrugged.

“It means my body structure is superior to that of a regular pony,” Zero explained.

“Oh, well, um…thank you for saving me, Zero,” the colt said shyly.

“You’re…welcome,” Zero had never heard anyone tell him thank you. “We need to get you home.”

“Okay, let me find my ball real quick please,” the colt said taking off from the metallic stallion.

Zero was content to wait as he searched for the round object, for he understood the value of such a toy. His heart was saddened, however, when the colt held up a deflated, ruined rubber sack that had once been a brilliant, bouncy orb.

“Come with me,” Zero motioned with his head as an idea crossed his mind. “I know what to do.”

“So, what is it that you do Mr.Zero?” the colt asked.

“I am a racer designed by Impulse Spark,” Zero replied.

“I bet that’s cool…but you said your body was stronger than a normal pony’s.” the earth pony mumbled.

“Correct, does that scare you?” Zero asked.

“No, it just doesn’t seem like a very fair race then, you must be the best,” the colt replied.

“What’s your name?” Zero asked, in an attempt to change the subject.

“Batter Up,” the colt replied as the two continued to walk towards the lot Zero had been resting in.

“That’s an interesting name,” Zero said as he searched for his own ball.

Upon finding it, he passed it to the foal who looked up at him in shock. The earth pony eventually took it and wrapped one foreleg around it as best as he could before directing Zero to where his home was.

“Why were those other colts trying to hurt you?” Zero asked.

“If you can call them that,” Batter huffed. “They’re the school gang, and my sister is class president, so they pulled me to the side after she made changes that they didn’t like.”

“That is stupid,” Zero said flatly.

“It is, they’re going to be in big trouble this time,” Batter said as his tiny nostrils flared.

Eventually Batter Up led Zero to a decent looking house, and knocked on the door. A puzzled looking mare answered the door, her breath catching upon seeing Zero. Thankfully, the stallion was used to this sort of reaction, and didn’t take it to heart any more.

“Batter, where have you been!?” the colt’s mother exclaimed, upon noticing her son.

“I got in trouble, but Zero saved me, and he gave me this,” Batter replied holding up the red ball Zero had given him.

The mare looked from her son to Zero who stood at attention, prepared to leave the mare if she requested him to do so. He had ensured that nothing else happened to Batter Up, which was his main goal, the trust of his mother was not required for his continued existence-

“Umm…w-would you like to come in, maybe tell me what happened?” the mare offered.

Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to have it either. Needless to say her offer left Zero speechless, but he accepted with a nod. The colt beneath him ran ahead of them excitedly into the house.

“I’ve…never been inside another pony’s house before,” Zero said, astonished he was actually being allowed into another pony's home.

---

Noctra stood quietly by the window, watching the moon as it filled the night sky before resuming her post. The issue with Scootaloo had come and gone, and all that was left now was to let Flicker's little uproar blow over.

"Ah, Miss Noctra," called the familiar voice of Night Quill. "I'm glad I caught you when I did."

"Oh, hey Night Quill," Noctra smiled. "Take the night off?"

"Oh no, I'm afraid not, but I did find something regarding your hunt for information on Summer Stars." the unicorn replied.

"Sorry to spoil your find, but I've been ordered to cease the investigation, if you could call it that," Noctra chuckled. "I already gave her dad everything I found anyways."

"Well you may want to give these to him too, at your discretion of course,” Night Quill said levitating a scroll over to the bat pony.

Her curiosity kindled, Noctra opened the document and scanned over its contents. Her eyes slowly grew wider as she read over the unrolled parchment. It was a spell scroll, one of the few that was used for legal purposes for foals.

“This is…where did you find this?” Noctra asked.

“It was an accident really, almost as if somepony had tried to conceal it,” Night Quill replied. “Scootaloo recently reached maturity and her cutie mark appeared, so much work goes into the archives ponies aren’t aware of, it didn’t match either of her parents’ marks, which is odd.”

“This would explain why though…does Scootaloo know?” Noctra asked.

“No no, such documents aren’t given to orphanages, best for the foal you see,” Night Quill said.

“You said this was hidden, how so?” Noctra pressed, casting a suspicious glare at the unicorn.

“Let’s not shoot the messenger,” Night Quill laughed nervously. “That’s just the impression I got since part of the folder was charmed, though the magic was so weak it broke with little effort. Some records can be charmed, but I didn’t understand why a foal’s would be by the parent.”

Noctra looked over the spell again, it was a mild transfiguration spell. While it wouldn’t affect the filly or colt internally, this particular spell was meant to alter their appearance. It wasn’t cheap either and it was often used under extreme circumstances. The bat mare didn’t quite see the big picture, until Night Quill mentioned the word “parent.”

We kept in touch…but after she turned me down for a guard things didn’t really feel the same between us, Flicker’s words echoed through her mind. Unfortunately I wasn’t her keeper, you were better off asking her family. I regret to inform you that there aren’t any surviving members.

Before you, do you happen to have a name? another mental recording played through her mind of Flicker’s voice.

Scootaloo, replied a disembodied mockery of Isabella’s voice within the confines of Noctra’s mind.

“Unless it was a parent that didn’t want something uncovered,” Noctra said with a look of realization on her muzzle. “Where’s Flicker?”

> An Imperfect Paradise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I could clearly see Las Pegasus in the distance now, it’s buildings growing taller as the train drew closer. Harmony had arrived the night before in preparation for the concert I would be attending tonight. It would be good to see her again after our last meeting, even if the city we were set to cross paths in was on the bottom of my list of places to visit for personal reasons.

I had to try and enjoy tonight, a task made difficult with what I considered judgement day looming over the horizon. Thoughts of what the outcome might be if I won or lost kept  me from slipping into a completely relaxed state of mind. Hopefully, Harmony’s songs would be enough to chase my fears away, if only for a little while.

I opened my saddle bag and pulled out the mask Rarity had spruced up for me. In the center was a diamond cut patch of the original green suit I had worn for a while when I was being trained by Lean Streak. She protested that the design didn’t fit, but I insisted. Upon learning of my reasoning from Applejack she added green trimming to the rest of the outfit, out of respect.

“Give me a bit of inspiration and I can pull just about anything together,” was her line upon presenting it to me.

Thoughts of my friends brought a smile to my muzzle. I let my mind drift off to what they might be doing right now, probably saving the world from catastrophic events or stopping some monster that wants to enslave everypony. There was the chance that they could just be going about their normal routines.

Applejack would be tending to her farm with Big Mac and Apple Bloom. Rarity working on new designs, while Pinkie Pie helped with the sales at Sugar Cube Corner, and talked to her imaginary friends. Seriously though, Pinkie Pie creeped me out when she did that, she would just stop and turn her head slightly and ask thin air an open ended question.

Rainbow Dash would be sleeping a good portion of the day away before speeding through her work. Fluttershy would be tending to the animals that came her way, while Twilight would be busying herself with a book or perhaps some duty that required her attention…which would then lead to the world ending crisis.

“Now arriving at Las Pegasus Main Station,” a voice over the intercom of the train said. “Please ensure all personal belongs have been packed as train staff are not responsible for loss, theft, or damage.”

I rolled my eyes at the policy as the train slowly came to a stop. As I waited I noticed a filly watching me, eyes displaying her curiosity. She clutched a small doll in her left foreleg as she watched me. A bat foal at first glance, but had traits matching pegasi too, though both were from the same genetic branch.

My hunch was confirmed by the mare beside her which seemed to be preoccupied at the moment. Her coat was purple in color, and her mane was orange and blue. Occasionally she would glance down at the filly, ensuring she was still close by like any mother would. While a bat stallion hung upside down, his eyes covered in what appeared to be some type of aviator goggles with dark lenses. Drool occasionally dripped from his open mouth, until the mare beside him nudged his side.

"Are you going to race against Zero?" the foal asked.

"I'm going to try," I replied.

"Please disembark now, and thank you for traveling with us," a voice said over the intercom of the train as the doors opened.

The mare comically gave the stallion's ear a tug to wake him up, dislodging him from his roost. He grumbled a bit before following her out, the light reflecting off his glorified sun glasses.

"Bye," the filly said sheepishly following after her parents.

With a halfhearted chuckle I followed suit, heading towards the hotel Thunderlane and the others were supposed to meet me at later tonight. Cloudchaser wouldn’t be among them this time, she had been called in by the Wonderbolts which left Flitter in charge while we were gone.

I wanted her to be here; it’s amazing what a good woman, or mare, can do for a guy. Whenever my motivation for continuing to go through with traveling, racing, and waking up at ungodly times was beginning to wax thin, she knew exactly what to say or do to keep me going.

I couldn't look at things so negatively though, I had my friends at my side, and Lean Streak with me in spirit. Somehow, I knew he would be watching tomorrow, his teeth gritting with every inch gained or lost.

Before I realized it, I was in front of the hotel I would be staying at, my body having switched to auto pilot as I let my mind roam through my inner most thoughts and concerns. Without the rest of my team here to try and enjoy the city, there wasn't much to do other than wait for the concert, which would be a few hours.

---

"You're one hundred percent certain about this?" Isabella asked. "As much as I don't like the guy, pegging him for murder is a bit much, especially for somepony halfway across Equestria."

"I fear for your niece’s safety, not to mention your brother's," Noctra replied. "I know murder is a serious charge, but what else could it be?"

Isabella crossed her arms in thought as she considered what the bat pony had brought before her. Noctra had stayed up through the night to tell her this and was probably running on fumes.

"Does Celestia or Luna know?" Isabella asked.

"Luna told me to drop it, that it was a dead end," Noctra sighed. "You already know how Celestia feels, so it's all on us Izzy.”

"We were told to stay away and leave him be, if you can't prove it's him, we'll both be in trouble," Isabella cautioned.

"I know, that's been going through my head every few seconds, but if I'm right then somepony else is going to get hurt too, or worse," Noctra said.

Isabella looked over at the nightstand where the bottle was hidden from view as she wrestled with the idea of going after a corrupt pegasus. She had already been down this road before, now she was having to make the choice willingly.

Not to mention the fact that having a small baby bump wasn’t helping things. Cadance had already tried to determine what it would be, and had been unsuccessful which did little to settle her. The results of the bubble gum alicorn, or lack thereof, had been buzzing around her mind lately, but with this new information brought before her it pushed it to the back of her subconscious.

"Can you get more of your friends?" Isabella asked.

"I can pull a few favors," Noctra nodded. "They'll want to know what's going on though."

"Then you'd better make sure they're friends you can trust," Isabella said as she threw what looked like a simple book bag over her shoulder, until she opened it to check the crystals inside.

The woman walked over to the nightstand and quickly stashed the two bottles that held the transformation potion, gifted to her by Discord. While she didn't anticipate needing it, she didn't know what to expect from Flicker.

"Going undercover?" Noctra asked.

"Hardly, just get your guys ready and meet me by the train station as soon as possible," Isabella replied.

“I don’t think you’re in any shape to be in the thick of any action,” Noctra chuckled nervously.

“Noctra, if this asshole killed my niece’s parents then I’m going to see him brought in,” Isabella huffed. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself!”

“I have to agree with Noctra,” Blueblood said, causing Isabella and Noctra to jump. “I can’t let you go there, not alone anyways.”

“Babe, please, I have to make sure they’re safe,” Isabella pleaded.

“I know, there’s no stopping you once you’ve set your mind to something,” Blueblood sighed. “That’s why I’m going with you.”

“Wait…what?” Isabella asked wide eyed.

“You heard me, beside it will make getting there with a hooffull of guards easier if royalty is attending,” Blueblood smirked.

“He’s got a point Izzy,” Noctra commented.

“I do hope you have substantial evidence to hold Flicker accountable ,however,” Blueblood cautioned. “Outside of safe guarding me, any actions you take are of your own account. I suggest you make each one of them count.”

“There’s enough evidence, and now that Luna is around she can see into his memories if we can convince her,” Noctra said confidently.

“Then it seems all that remains is to bring Flicker back to Canterlot,” Blueblood said. “Assemble who you think would be best for this, since there’s no turning back once you start to read Flicker his rights. Make that very clear to them.”

With a heartfelt salute Noctra disappeared from the room as a blur, despite her obviously tired state, leaving Isabella and Blueblood alone together. The woman stared at the unicorn as a few tears escaped her eyes before she knelt down and hugged his neck tightly.

“If this is the one responsible for Brave Banner and Summer Star’s deaths then they will face justice,” Blueblood said as he stroked her hair.

“I know, I’m also saddened by that,” Isabella replied.

“Saddened?” Blueblood stopped stroking her hair in confusion. “Why would you feel sad about a criminal being brought to justice?”

“Because there’s a chance that Flicker is Scootaloo’s real father,” Isabella sighed.

Blueblood pulled away, scanning Isabella’s expression for any hint of morbid humor, or sarcasm. Thankfully there was none to be found, which brought about a new feeling of anger the stallion never knew existed within him. The thought of one’s own father trying to kill a child was absolutely deplorable.

“No father would willingly try to harm their own child,” Blueblood said. “Your niece has two wonderful parents that love her. Isabella, until I met you I didn’t know what it meant to truly care for somepony. This is my way of redemption for that.”

Noctra was careful to avoid the rays of sun that were shining through the window now. She was running on nothing but apple juice and caffeine. She had been trained to endure worse, and knew her body could take it, going so far as to switch her sleeping schedule entirely if the situation called for it.

She would need to take four days off in order to readjust herself, but could slip back into night life easily enough. That would take care of itself though, for now Noctra had to gather her close knit circle of friends that she could trust. In fact, the more she thought about it the risk and consequences of what she was about to do seemed to become greater each time.

Still, her choice had already been made, and her duty was to keep Equestria safe, from threats both foreign and domestic. Flicker most definitely fell under the latter category, and would have to answer for his crimes that he had gotten away with for so long.

---

Scootaloo and Start Sprint followed Flitter to the train station as they prepared to leave. It was her aunt’s idea to be there, win or lose, for the filly’s father since Cloudchaser couldn’t be there. The only one who didn’t seem to be in favor of the plan was Stormwalker, who seemed adamant about not going.

“Noh!” Stormwalker fussed, utilizing one of the words from his limited vocabulary.

“Is that his favorite word?” Star Sprint asked as they waited for the train.

“It’s that, Dada, wawa, and snoo,” Scootaloo replied.

“Snoo?” Star Sprint laughed.

“We’re still trying to figure out what it means,” Scootaloo shrugged.

“It means I have an awesome aunt,” Flitter giggled, removing Stormwalker from the side carrier to let him walk for a while.

“Aunt Flitter, do you miss Cloudchaser sometimes?” Scootaloo asked.

“Why would you ask that munchkin?” Flitter asked in return.

“Because you always seem sad whenever we leave the house,” Scootaloo replied.

“Well, I miss her, but she has you guys now,” Flitter explained. “I can’t keep her from her kids, even the one that’s fully grown and should know better sometimes.”

“You mean dad?” Scootaloo giggled.

“I wasn’t going to point hooves, but yes,” Flitter smiled warmly at Scootaloo, instinctively stretching her left foreleg out to keep Stormwalker from falling muzzle first onto the train station’s loading dock.

“He’s not that bad, is he?” Star Sprint asked.

“He’s not bad by any means, he’s got a good heart,” Flitter said. “It’s just he can be a bit foalish sometimes. I honestly don’t think he even realizes he does it.”

The loud whistle of the approaching train echoed across the mid-morning air. At its sounding, Flitter secured Stormwalker in the carrier once more, earning a few displeased grunts and whines from his sudden loss of freedom.

The small group didn’t have to wait long before the train pulled into Ponyville, grinding to a slow halt. The engine expelled steam from its sides as the conductor allowed the machine a brief reprieve from the seemingly endless toil of carrying passengers all across the kingdom.

Scootaloo’s eyes widened in surprise as the train cars’ doors opened to reveal Isabella. She hadn’t been expecting her other aunt to be dropping by, but that wasn’t the weirdest part by a long shot. The longer Scootaloo looked inside the train car, she realized Prince Blueblood was accompanying her, alongside a mix of two bat ponies, an earth pony and two unicorn soldiers. All wore armor that displayed their allegiance to their respective princess, but for both to be seen at once was an oddity.

“Oh, uh, hey Scootaloo,” Isabella smiled nervously.

“Hi Izzy, umm, what are you doing here with all these guards?” Scootaloo asked.

“We’re just on our way to see your dad,” Noctra replied quickly before either Blueblood or Isabella could speak. “My friends and I are here to keep Blueblood safe, since he’s a prince and all, you know how that goes.”

“How about that, we were on our way to go see him too,” Flitter said as she cast a knowing look towards Isabella. “No time like the present to catch up on things.”

“Yeah, there’s a lot to talk about,” Isabella said, nodding to Flitter.

---

Zero stared down at the ticket he had been given, it’s glossy surface providing a blurry reflection of the stallion as he pondered what to do with it. He knew Impulse would want to run a few final diagnostics before the race, but he didn’t detect any issues. Aside from the ever present boredom that seemed to accompany the curse of “perfection” he was fine.

Zero never had an interest in modern music, but it was a gift from his only friend’s sister. The little colt had been forth coming with every detail about his rescue. He couldn’t let something like this go to waste, so it was worth a try at least.

“One or two songs couldn’t hurt,” Zero said to himself as he headed for the door.

The afternoon sun had already started to set, and his internal clock was telling him that it was time to go. He didn’t mind, Flicker had visited again and was acting odd, and while Zero couldn’t experience fear in the literal sense of the word, something didn’t register with the looks that the pegasus would give the clock work pony.

Impulse, his ego by now inflated to an all-time high, ignored Zero when he brought Flicker up. He trusted him, despite his creepy tendencies and odd questions. The racer couldn’t bring himself to do the same, despite his ‘father’s’ wishes.

Unlatching the window, Zero took to the skies and flew towards the concert, not entirely sure what to expect. He knew there would be loud music, and a noisy crowd but little else past that. He couldn’t help but notice the lack of activity in the normally busy streets as he flew above them.

As he drew closer to the concert, he picked up a small vibration that developed into a steady throb. Zero landed just outside the concert to present his ticket, a small act of normality that even he had to adhere to. As he had expected the looks and stares he received varied in response from curious to hateful.

Zero shook his head and left the on lookers without a second thought. He was just following instructions, how could he be wrong for doing that?

“Umm….sir?” a timid voice called out from behind him, which belonged to a unicorn. “Y-you forgot this with your voucher.”

Zero’s eyes focused on what was held in her aura, he hadn’t been expecting anything else to come with the small, meaningless piece of paper. Much to his surprise, however, the mare was presenting him with a VIP pass.

“Thanks,” Zero said, not wanting to hold the line up.

VIP, things were starting to get a little more interesting now. Zero had been in booths before, but it had always been after the races, never when there was anything of interest going on. Now he was curious to see what he may have been missing out on.

Upon reaching the VIP both, Zero opened the door to find the last pony he expected to see at an event like this. Daniel didn’t seem to notice him at first, until the metallic whirring of his joints and shifting plates alerted the stallion of his presence.

The two stared at each other in silence, even as the steady throbbing of the music became muffled slightly once Zero shut the door. He could tell from Daniel’s expression he wanted to leave, but shook his head and turned away from him as he focused on the view the window provided.

“…hi,” Zero said in an attempt to strike up some sort of conversation.

“Hi,” Daniel replied, his gaze still fixed on the crowd below.

Zero knew he was perhaps the most hated among the racers for being what he was. It’s not that he could help it though; he hadn’t asked for life. While he didn’t know what he was before consciousness, he assumed it was far better than being despised.

Little else was said, even as the lights died down, and the music shifted. A voice suddenly rang out through the roar of cheers, lights flickering and flashing as the music picked back up with the mare’s voice.

“What made you want to come?” Daniel’s voice was quiet.

“A friend gave me a ticket...my first friend,” Zero replied.

Silence fell over the two of them once more as they focused on the song once more. Zero watched the unicorn move about with a methodical grace that could put royalty to shame. Every move the mare took seemed to be precise and perfect; it was then that Zero realized that this was part of a routine.

“You know she’s blind right?” Daniel asked.

“Her ability to perform such moves would be highly improbable if that were true,” Zero shook his head.

“See her horn?” Daniel motioned with his head towards the stage. “It’s aglow so she can see, she’s using her magic.”

“…utilizing an aura current as a form of echolocation?” Zero thought aloud. “What do you base this theory on?”

“It’s not a theory, she’s let me experience it,” Daniel replied. “Harmony is a friend of mine from before I looked like your run of the mill pony.”

“How did you become friends?” Zero asked.

“We just talked for a bit and kind of hit it off, there wasn’t much to it,” the stallion replied. “I’ve always tried to attend a few concerts and keep in touch since we both stay pretty busy.”

“You’re lucky,” Zero mumbled.

“How am I lucky?” his opponent asked. “Because I know a pop star? That’s not lucky, she’s happier being a regular pony than one that’s stalked by cameras and reporters.”

“That ponies look at you and don’t see a monster,” Zero sighed.

Daniel opened his mouth to say something but silenced himself. Zero knew the other stallion thought he was an abomination as well, it was no secret. Even his one friend thought that he was too strong, too good to be racing against others.

“Every time I go out I always receive stares as if I’m some sort of evil creature out to do harm,” Zero explained. “I’ve endured it so many times it doesn’t bother me so much anymore, but I still long for the impossible. I just want to be like everypony else, and even though I don’t have the ability to show my expressions like you do, I can still experience sorrow.”

“I know exactly how you feel,” Daniel said, taking Zero by surprise. “I used to be the monster that nopony trusted, I only had a few friends which kind of started out as acquaintances and conveniences. Some still see me as a monster, so I do know how you feel.”

“Then why do you despise me?” Zero asked, his voice practically pleading for closure.

“Because you didn’t work for what you have,” Daniel said. “Me and the others work hard to stay in shape and put a lot of effort into racing, but you were built to just have it all. You didn’t do anything to earn what you have, or work hard for your speed and power. Impulse just cooked you up and gave it to you. There’s no spirit of the sport any more or fun in that, it’s just about money then.”

Zero hated to agree with him, but the stallion raised a good point. He had been built to be better by default, to flat out ignore the rest of the racer’s abilities and simply trump them with advancements Impulse gave him.

“I can’t help what I am,” Zero turned towards the blue stallion.

“You can control your own thoughts though,” Daniel returned. “If you know something is wrong, why keep doing it?”

“You’re asking me to lose,” Zero said.

“No, I’m going to beat you tomorrow,” Daniel deadpanned. “’I’d never stoop that low, the same can’t be said of your maker. He’s just like his father, full of hate and greedy. I left him when he threatened to let my old mentor go, and use me like his son’s using you.”

Zero felt as if he was at a fork in the road in his life. For so long he had just followed instructions, but there had always been that nagging sensation that something was wrong, like he knew there was more to him than what he was doing with himself. He wasn’t a puppet, but he knew that it wasn’t right to go against Impulse either, he was the only family he had.

Zero saw something new in Daniel’s eyes, something he hadn’t seen before as the music changed once more as the concert transitioned into the next song. It was sorrow, but not for himself; it was for Zero.

Zero found himself distracted suddenly by the song’ lyrics as they reached his ears. They sounded so familiar to him, yet he was certain he knew nothing about this singer, or her songs.

“Shatter me~” Daniel sang quietly, voicing audibly what was playing through Zero’s mind as he turned to the stage once more.

The clockwork stallion’s vision shifted location as he drifted in and out of one of his visions. He could see her now, the singer, closer though. The stage was slightly smaller, but the sound of her voice was still as crisp and clear as it was now. He did know this song!

Each note, each chorus, everything about it was familiar. As familiar as the day he met-no, he had never met Harmony. Zero struggled to rationalize what he was feeling, denying the logical answer, his mind kept coming back to as his journal and visions with one conclusion. 

“That’s the song she made-“ Daniel started to say.

“After she met you,” Zero finished.

“Yeah…how did you know that?” the stallion asked.

Zero placed a hoof against his chest as he looked at Daniel, a sense of relief overcoming him, only to be swamped by dread as he realized what this meant. These visions weren’t his, the memories were never of his own creation or nightmares which he was incapable of experiencing. These visions were Daniel’s memories.

“Zero?” Daniel cautiously approached him.

“I need to go,” Zero said quickly, throwing open the door before disappearing into the night sky.

The stallion didn’t heed the call of the former champion; Zero had more important matters to deal with. The pain of betrayal was streaming through him, and he felt as if he needed to get even. He felt for sure he was his own pony, but in the end he truly was just a copy, a fake.

All of his races, all of his accomplishments meant nothing now. He was just a recreation of something that was still alive and well, the difference being his inability to go through the same things that any other pony would. He could never have a family, he could never feel the touch of a lover, he couldn’t even experience love.

Zero thought for sure that discovering the meaning behind his visions would bring him peace, but it had only brought pain and turmoil. He didn’t know how to address Impulse Spark now, and any ounce of respect he had for Flicker was gone. The weight of being rejected by society only added to this new found anger.

As Zero flew over Impulse’s storage building, he knew what he had to do. He began to land, contemplating how best to vent his wrath upon the one he had believed in most. The artificial stallion now knew why he was constantly studying the jewel in his chest; it was to try and copy it, because he couldn’t make it work on his own.

As Zero landed, he noticed that the light was already on inside. He knew Impulse wouldn’t be here yet, and his curiosity put a small speed bump in the path of his wrath as he cautiously opened the door. Much to Zero’s surprise, it wasn’t Impulse within, but Flicker tinkering with a finished unnamed pegasus model.

“What are you doing?” Zero’s voice echoed through the large room as it carried his rekindled anger.

“Ah, Zero, just the pony I wanted to see,” Flicker chuckled as he finished pulling a wire out of the machine. 

“Answer the question!” Zero demanded.

“Whoa, somepony found their temper button,” Flicker laughed as he closed the chest cavity of the pegasus he was working on. “I’m making a bomb, what has you all up in a tither?”

“Where did you get this jewel?” Zero asked.

“I found it a long t-“ Flicker started.

“The truth!” Zero closed the distance between the two of them in a flash, his eyes, mane and tail turning a bright red as heat began to emit from them.

“You want the truth?” Flicker laughed. “Fine, I stole your damn heart from that hairless ape. The saddest part is that even after beating him he’s still come back to try and take back what should never have been given to a fake in the first place. You two are just alike, the only difference is that one of you can actually die.”

“You’re a monster!” Zero shouted.

“And your services are no longer required,” Flicker grinned as he darted past the stallion, delivering a hard kick to the side of his head.

Zero reeled from the impact; Flicker was much stronger than some punk colt, and far more dangerous. The clockwork stallion didn’t react quick enough as he was toppled to the ground by another kick, to the leg this time.

“What’s wrong Zero?” Flicker called. “All that speed only good to you in a circle? No matter, you’re going to give me your heart so I can finish what I started. I intend to make our blue friend go boom tomorrow.”

“Shut up!” Zero roared as he got back on his hooves to fly towards the pegasus.

Flicker smirked as he dropped down at the last second, forcing Zero to crash in a failed attempt to turn. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, the stallion had a point, this wasn’t the track, and rushing him wasn’t going to get him anywhere, not without a plan anyways.

“Divert power to eye R.O.Ms,” Zero said to himself as his eyes turned red once more.

“Say wh-“ Flicker was knocked to the ground as two solid beams connected with his chest.

Zero landed next to the downed stallion, two dark spots visible on the stallion’s coat where his improvised attack had dealt a stunning blow at best, but it was all he needed to get the better of Flicker.

“Was this your plan? Come here and tear everything up after you found out?” Flicker asked.

“I’m not going to let either of you get away with this,” Zero replied.

“You stupid bucket of bolts,” Flicker laughed. “I’ve gotten away with murder, fraud, and a plethora of other charges that they could never trace to me. What in Equestria makes you think you’ll be different?”

“I may turn Impulse in…but I’m going to kill you,” Zero’s tone turned dark once more.

“What do you take me for, a comic book villain?” Flicker asked. “I’ve been one step ahead of you this entire time and you didn’t even realize it.”

Zero had heard enough of the stallion’s insults and planted his metallic hoof against his throat, slowly forcing it down. Zero’s mane and tail had turned red once more as he began to choke the life out of him. He felt no remorse for what he was about to do, not even as Flicker’s muzzle started to change colors.

“Zero stop!” Impulse’s voice snapped the stallion out of his dark trance like state, causing his hoof to rise just enough to allow air to fill Flicker’s lungs once more.

“What are you doing!?” Impulse demanded as he tried to process the scene before him.

“Everything you told me was a lie!” Zero shouted. “And it all started with him!”

“Impulse, please, he’s gone craz-“ the rest of Flicker’s sentence was choked out in a gurgle as Zero pressed his hoof down on his throat again.

“Stand down Zero!” Impulse commanded.

Zero ignored his creator’s order, mentally severing the bond he shared with the unicorn. He didn’t want anything to do with him now, and was even contemplating roughing him up next before delivering him to Celestia. Even now, he thought he was strong enough to order him around, or had any sort of pull or influence after lying to him.

“I said stand down!” Impulse exclaimed.

“That is an order I cannot obey!” Zero replied.

Zero was suddenly thrown off of Flicker by a powerful wave of energy, which dislodged some of the plates covering his body. The source was Impulse Spark, who had already charged up another attack, which he fired without hesitation; the shot hitting Zero’s chest guard where the jewel was held.

The force of the third blast from Impulse dislodged the jewel from his body, causing the stallion’s vision to go dark as his now lifeless body crumpled to the floor; giving up one final mechanical groan as the gears stopped turning within him.

“…what have I done?” Impulse said as he approached the motionless form of what he had created.

“Saved my life,” Flicker replied, rubbing his throat.

“Without him we might as well scrap tomorrow,” Impulse said, staring down at his first project.

“Maybe not, you still have one that’s close enough to the stallion to pass him off as Zero,” Flicker said, motioning towards the nameless pegasus Impulse had finished. “You know what will happen if this gets out. It’s the only way now.”

“I just…what was he doing here?” Impulse asked.

“I don’t know, he just barged in and started trying to destroy things,” Flicker said. “If you hadn’t gotten off a bit earlier to meet me here…I’d prefer not think about what he might have done with me after I was dead.”

Impulse stared at the menacing looking stallion that was built to be more agile than Zero ever could be. There had been some cuts to its design, but it was still formidable, and more than capable of tackling anything the other racers tomorrow might be capable of.

“There’s no turning back now,” Flicker said, presenting the stone to Impulse who took it with a sigh.

The pegasus watched with an evil grin as he fixed the stone within the new stallion. Its narrow blue eyes sparking to life as it fell heavily onto the floor on all fours. Impulse picked up one of the controls that had been marked for this specific stallion, since it was still lacking the processes that Zero had.

“Odd,” Impulse mumbled as he ran a brief test of all the stallion’s functions. “I would have assumed that it would gain some form of conscience.”

“Zero was just a special case, since he had been exposed to more crystals before you even added that hunk of rock to him,” Flicker said.

Impulse said nothing as he tried processing what the artificial pony meant from his fury. He had only walked in on their conflict, but wasn’t given much time to talk down a potential murder. A part of him regretted his actions, but he couldn’t have blood spilt on his grounds.

The unicorn was too caught up in his thoughts to notice Flicker hide a second, crudely improvised controller beneath his wing. So far, everything was going according to plan. Now all he needed to do was wait.

---

"Rise and shine blue buddy," Mike said yanking the warm sheets that covered my body away.

"Do I have to?" I moaned still struggling to wake up.

"You can roll out of the bed willingly, or I'll shove it out the window and give you the jump start of a life time," Thunderlane threatened.

"Option one it is," I grumbled in response.

"Good, now get dressed," Thunderlane smirked.

I pulled out the racing outfit that Rarity had made for me and quickly threw it on, as quick as a pony could throw on clothes anyway. I opted to leave the mask off until I had eaten breakfast, which equated to the essentials, since by the time the race started everything would be broken down. Pony stomachs were akin to iron vats of death as I had come to discover, and appreciate.

The odd encounter with Zero ran across my mind as I stashed the mask beneath my wing. I had started to actually pity him the more we talked, and I had started to understand what Harmony had told me. A feeling machine was nothing more than myth on Earth, but here there was an actual artificial being that wanted nothing more than to have a friend of two.

"You okay?" Ike asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, just anxious y'know?" I chuckled.

"Just remember why you're out there," Thunderlane said. "Why losing isn't an option today."

"I know, I told Zero last night I would beat him. I've never been one to break a promise," I tried to put on my most convincing smile.

Thunderlane was right though, I couldn’t lose today. I had to win even if it killed me, though that was stretching the conditions a bit, I was aiming to go into today’s race with that mindset. I couldn’t let last night stop me. If I did-no, when I beat Zero I had little doubt that Impulse would try to shut Zero down. I would need to be there to give him a genuine chance.

I kept these thoughts to myself as we went through the rest of our morning routines, even up to the track which was still as intimidating as I remembered it to be. The crowd was already starting to fill in the seats, anxious to see what fate had in store for today.

“Don’t get scared, get angry,” I whispered to myself.

---

“All signs look normal, perfect as expected,” Impulse said as he finished dressing Omega.

“Still no reactions?” Flicker asked as Impulse slid a remote into his saddle bag.

“None, which is a blessing from where I’m standing, but I’m still puzzled by his lack thereof with the jewel,” Impulse replied.

“At least you had a backup ready,” Flicker said making his way towards the door.

Impulse didn’t reply as he looked back at Zero, whom he had stretched across an examination table. He hadn’t gotten around to picking him apart yet, due to getting Omega ready. He wanted to break him down and start over, hopefully ridding Zero of his rebellious personality and the visions he had described in the little journal he had discovered.

The unicorn had noticed a few stray sparks which had also contributed to his delay in examining him. Impulse had dismissed it as residual energy, even though there was a part of him that believed it was something more than that. This part of his mind was silenced by science.

“Come, Omega,” Impulse ordered his new racer, leaving the prototype in the darkness of his storehouse.

The model Impulse considered complete obeyed without question or inquiry to his surroundings. Even though he had never seen the outside world before, he didn’t care. The only thing the automaton could process were the instructions given to him by Impulse.

Omega’s body was covered in the suit Zero had once worn to keep his robotic appearance concealed. Thankfully, Impulse had thought it best to stick to the full body suit tactic even after his secret was exposed. There would be little question as to whether or not this was the same stallion racing today which suited him just fine. He needed the curiosity of those around him to be at an all-time low for this to work.

Suspicion wouldn’t be on him at least, aside from the usual hate from those who wished for things to remain traditional. Impulse cared little about the future of the sport he had intruded upon; used as little more than a hoof stool.

Then there was Daniel, whose recovery could never logically be explained. Despite this, he was still allowed to return without question, clearly a sign of lingering favoritism. This time Impulse wanted to leave no doubt as to who was better. Though it would have been more significant if he was racing against Zero, but to the crowd it would still hold that excitement so long as they remained unaware of the switch.

“Today is the day traditions die,” Impulse smiled, unawares to the inward glow of the jewel.

A crack tainted its brilliantly glowing blue surface, turning red as it made contact with a spare wire Flicker had added. The only outward indication of the shift in the jewel’s status was a brief head twitch from the automaton, which went unnoticed by its creator.

---

“Remember to stick close to Isabella and Blueblood,” Flitter whispered to the two colts under her care.

“You still haven’t told us what’s going on,” Scootaloo said as she was ushered out by both her aunts.

“Nothing’s happening, aside from spending the day under guard,” Isabella tried to put on a convincing smile. “I go through this whenever Blueblood and I are together, so why not take a few more victims?”

“You say that as if you don’t enjoy trying to get the guards to crack a smile by any means necessary,” Blueblood mumbled.

Scootaloo’s wings buzzed in agitation. She knew the adults weren’t being honest, she wasn’t a clueless filly. The guards had been talking about a plan last night, one that involved some weird stallion, not that Scootaloo concerned herself with what they did, but why did she have to stick close to the guards in the city?

“Can’t I stay with Noctra?” Scootaloo asked.

“Sorry kiddo, but we’ve got some business to take care of, can’t have a filly seeing things she doesn’t need to,” Noctra replied, which caused Isabella to face palm.

Scootaloo’s muzzle scrunched up in thought as she debated whether or not to sneak away. Star Sprint could keep up with her no problem, getting away from adults was another chore entirely.

“I know that look missy,” Isabella said gaining the filly’s attention. “If I have to I’ll carry you for the rest of the day. We don’t want that, right?”

“No,” Scootaloo sulked, knowing Isabella would make good on her promise.

“Good, now let’s get moving,” Isabella said, nodding to Noctra who was quick to take off with another bat pony and a unicorn from their group.

Roughly a dozen guards from the city met those that had arrived with Blueblood. A few silently questioned the low number count, but fit in to their post easily enough. A few cast questionable looks at Isabella and the tag along. These went largely unnoticed though, as none wanted to be singled out by the prince.

“So far so good,” Isabella murmured as they walked towards the large stadium that held the track within.

Truly a work of art, if one could appreciate pony architecture, the track would have looked more at place around a football field. The noise from the crowds could be heard from quite a distance away, which was reason enough for the group to pick up their pace.

"Do you think my dad can beat him?" Scootaloo asked, looking over at Star Sprint.

"Absolutely, you saw how hard he's been working to put Zero in his place," Star Sprint replied.

"What do you think the adults are on about?" the filly whispered, doing her best to remain unheard.

"Well, Blueblood's here, maybe they just want to be safe?" Star Sprint offered.

"Something doesn't feel right though," Scootaloo frowned.

"Maybe you're just nervous about your dad," her colt friend shrugged.

"Maybe..." Scootaloo sighed as Star Sprint unknowingly hit the nail on the head.

The tangerine filly was extremely worried about her father today. The last time he had raced against Zero, he could have died. She couldn't stand the thought of losing another daddy, the very idea caused her stomach to curl in on itself.

Scootaloo's vision became shaded as they neared the track, the towering walls of the building blocking out parts of Celestia's sun. The shift in light caused her to look up in time to see a stallion clad in a black and red body suit. It had to be Zero, his mane and tail gave him away, as they were composed of energy isntead of hair like a normal pony's.

She noticed another stallion with Zero and Impulse,  smiling as her eyes locked with his. His smile was less than friendly, however. It sent chills down the filly's spine, until a group obscured her view of the mysterious pegasus. When the group had passed, he was nowhere to be seen.

Scootaloo instinctivly walked closer to Flitter and Isabella. She considered herself a tough filly, but that stallion gave her the creeps.

---

"Hard Hoof, go check Impulse's house, Lucky Shot and I will look into the storage facility,” Noctra said, as their already diminished group spilt up in search of Flicker.

The noble stallion’s butler had been very forthcoming as to his current whereabouts after a little persuasion. Much to their disappointment though, they couldn’t get specifics from him, since he had none to give. It seemed that Flicker didn’t trust the house help with too much information aside from the bare essential facts.

“Your goggles still good?” Lucky Shot asked.

“Just peachy,” Noctra replied as the sun reflected off her night vision goggles.

Even though they curiously shared a name with a product from Earth, the night vision goggles used by bat ponies blocked out the sun’s harmful rays, should they have to move about during the day. Sun glasses simply didn’t cut it for them, which was why these lenses were made from shade glass; a highly reflective material that was quite durable as well.

Noctra had managed to sleep through the night thanks to a spell from the unicorn currently at her side and felt more than ready to take Flicker down if he gave them problems. She felt confident, however, that dealing with guards would discourage him from trying anything funny. Hopefully he would realize that his life of crime was being brought to an end.

“This is the place,” Lucky Shot said, looking up from the small piece of paper which had the address to the storehouse written down on it.

Noctra knocked once, for legalities sake. No matter how she felt about this stallion, she couldn’t barge in and forcibly take him out, yet anyways.

“Anypony in there?” the mare called out. “This is the royal guard, we’re coming in.”

A forceful buck was enough to send the door flying off its hinges and into the dark building. Noctra went in after Lucky Shot who quickly found the lights and switched them on, bathing the large room in light.

“Sweet Celestia…” Lucky Shot said as he observed the rows of projects that Impulse had been working on.

“Impulse has been a busy little bee,” Noctra snorted. “Look at all of these…whatever they are!”

“No kidding,” Lucky Shot said taking note of a green blinking light behind one’s eye. “It’s like a mad scientist’s lab in here.”

There wasn’t much of the building to explore, since it was all technically one giant room, until she saw something that held her gaze. It was what appeared to be a construct of Impulse’s that had taken a serious amount of damage, judging from the way the chest was seemingly blow apart.

“Is that Zero?” Lucky Shot asked as the two guards approached the table the artificial stallion was stretched out on.

“By the moon, it is!” Noctra jumped. “But what’s he doing here?”

“More importantly, who’s racing against your friend?” Lucky Shot asked.

“Can you turn him on?” Noctra asked looking to the unicorn for answers.

“I don’t know a thing about these guys Noctra,” Lucky Shot replied. “But, his chest looks simple enough, like it held a power source.”

Noctra looked around frantically, hoping to find some sort of usable energy for the mechanical stallion. There had to be a reason as to why he was here, and she needed answers. The bat pony fumbled through draws, boxes, and all other manner of containers seeking out anything that might power Zero back up.

“Noctra, I found something!” Lucky Shot called out.

The unicorn held up a box of crystals of various colors, all teeming with energy. It answered the nagging question as to how Zero was able to move in the first place, now all they had to do was hope they could get him back on.

“This one should fit,” Noctra said as the two dug through the box, hoping to find one that matched Zero’s chest.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the mare shoved it into the stallion’s lifeless body, causing several sparks to shoot out from the damaged portions of his body. Like magic, Zero’s eyes slowly flickered back to life, his mane and tail reappearing as well, casting their familiar blue light on the steel table.

“W-where am I?” Zero asked.

“Zero, can you hear me?” Noctra waved her hoof in front of the stallion’s muzzle.

“Y-yes,” Zero replied.


“Zero, my name is Noctra and this is Lucky Shot, we’re with the Royal Guard,” Noctra explained. “Can you tell us why you’re not at the track?”

“The track...Flicker!” Zero exclaimed, sitting up right after mentioning the name.

Noctra and Lucky Shot shared a brief knowing look as their new friend tried to get up off the table. To Zero’s credit he was much sturdier than he looked, as he was still able to walk on all fours.

“Where’s Daniel?” Zero asked frantically.

“He’s at the track, don’t worry about Flicker, we’ve got a team ready to take him in,” Noctra said reassuringly.

“That’s not going to be enough,” Zero said picking up what appeared to be a metallic plate with a sliding notch underneath it. The stallion slid it slowly over his shoulder until a locking sound was heard, pulling the metallic plate into place while his other hoof bent the inner workings of his chest back into place.

“Stay with him, I’m going back to Isabella and Blueblood,” Noctra said receiving a nod from Lucky Shot.

---

The seats were packed as always, filled with ponies from all walks of life. Some seated for entertainment, while others had bits placed upon their champion in the hopes of taking home more than just a memory of the race back with them.

I was out early onto the track, joined by Whitefire. The stallion hadn’t fared well against Zero either, and from the looks of things hadn’t been discouraged by it. I was still shorter than him, which added to his intimidation factor.

“How do you think it’ll go today?” Whitefire asked.

“Hard to say, but I didn’t come without a plan,” I replied.

I scanned the crowd briefly for my team and was pleased to find a familiar muzzle among them. Harmony had arrived just like she promised, and given the noise of the crowd I had little doubt she could see me. Testing my theory, I waved to her and laughed when she smiled and waved back excitedly.

“I hope it’s a good one,” Whiteifre said. “You’re friend’s coming this way.”

Sure enough, Zero was slowly approaching the starting line. His eyes seemed different somehow, but I dismissed it as Impulse making some sort of last minute adjustments. It was probably to intimidate me or scare me.

“Where did you go last night?” I asked, causing the robotic stallion’s head to slowly turn towards me before wordlessly turning away after a few seconds.

“He’s not worth the effort, just focus on beating him,” Whitefire snorted. “One of us has to.”

I nodded as the final countdown started, taking my place beside the larger stallion. I shook my head, clearing my mind of the thoughts that had previously troubled me about Zero. He was an enemy again, any form of connection between the automaton was put on hold.

“You can do this, you can do this,” I quietly chanted as the time ticked towards zero at an agonizingly slow pace.

The boom of the gunshot signaled the start of the race, and a sharp increase in volume from the seated crowd. Their voices were hardly noticeable though as I took off from the starting line, air whistling past my ears as they folded flat against my scalp briefly upon becoming airborne, before swiveling behind me in preparation for what was to come.

I had pulled ahead of Zero which was a bit strange, but beneficial nonetheless. I had to gain as much of a lead on him as early as possible. This was where Thunderlane’s training and strategy were starting to really show.

Is that his limit? I thought to myself. No, I can’t get distracted, I know he can move faster than that.

I could hear the distinct sound of Zero’s mechanical parts beginning to flex their metaphorical muscles as he caught up with me. Had Thunderlane and Rainbow Dash not routinely prepared me for this very moment, I would have probably started panicking, but just this once I wanted him to try and catch me.

“Time to eat my dust, literally,” I smirked as I positioned myself in front of the artificial stallion, forcing him to fly directly into my trail as we entered the first turn.

---

Impulse watched from the privacy of his booth as Omega started to lose momentum. The sudden development threw the unicorn for a loop as he tried to speed up whilst behind his blue coated foe. The lack of any substantial results frustrated the stallion as the racers entered the second turn with Omega still in second.

“Impossible…how could he possibly be maintaining a lead on Omega?” Impulse snorted as he ordered the stallion to try and fly around, only to be cut off by Daniel.

Flicker took note of this and nodded in mild affirmation. It seemed as if the ape had found a  kink in Impulse’s toys. While they were fast, they were also unable to adjust to changes in magic in or around their bodies as quickly as a real pony could.

“Seems I was right,” Flicker commented, earning a snarl from Impulse.

“How is he doing this!?” the unicorn demanded.

“You still haven’t figured it out yet?” Flicker scoffed. “And you’re the one with the horn. Your toy lacks instinct, the one thing you can’t build, any real racer would have pulled out from behind Daniel by now.”

“You seriously think Omega can’t out muscle him?” Impulse huffed ignoring Flicker and throwing a switch on Omega’s controller as the racers entered the long stretch to the third turn. “I’ll show you just what he can do!”

---

The ominous sound of magic charging up came from behind me. I knew Zero going down this easily was too good to be true, and put a bit more effort into staying ahead of him. The problem with Thunderlane’s strategy was energy consumption, however, and that left very a small margin for error when it came to beating Zero.

I had to continually make adjustments as I flew ahead of him, carefully listening for his mechanical wings. While we had discovered Zero’s flaw, it seemed Zero had found the hole in our plan and was beginning to exploit it. It would only be a matter of time before the mechanical pony would over powered me.

As the sound of Zero’s wing’s grew closer, a second set of rapidly flapping wings joined the canopy of sounds behind me. I chanced a look over my shoulder and saw Whitefire boxing Zero in behind me, preventing him from getting out of my trail.

As Zero was forced back into position, I heard a loud snap come from behind me. As curious as I was, I couldn’t look back again, not unless I wanted to risk losing precious inches that I couldn’t afford to give up. I had to stay focused on the end goal, which was within reach if I could hold on just a little bit longer, as we flew into the third turn.

I continued to listen behind me as Whitefire pushed himself well beyond his limit to keep Zero in check. As I had expected, the stallion’s wing beats became less frequent as he fell behind, leaving me alone with the robot once more as we entered the final turn, rushing towards the finish line.

Whitefire’s efforts had not been in vain though. I could hear Zero’s body groan and struggle as it tried to shake off the stress of being exposed to a pegasi’s flight trail for too long. The only thing giving him speed now was his artificial body, and that wouldn’t be enough this time.

I looked back once more upon hearing a loud crash. Zero’s wings had finally given up the ghost, rendering him nothing more than a fancy earth pony now. More importantly, it disqualified Zero from the race entirely, and threw a wrench in Impulse’s winning streak.

Crossing the finish line felt different this time, as if it meant more than it had before. As I landed and became aware of the spectators once more, I took another look at the fallen stallion that was miraculously back on his hooves. His wings were a tattered mess, but he still had enough energy to walk to the finish line.

---

Impulse lost it as he watched Daniel cross the finish line, throwing the controller against the wall. Thankfully, it hadn’t sustained too much damage, and Impulse could always carry the scrap heap back manually, but the fact that Omega had been bested by the stupid stallion was unacceptable.

“He’s ruined everything!” Impulse roared.

“Not everything,” Flicker chuckled as he pulled out the remote he had crafted. “For me anyways.”

“What are you doing with that?” Impulse asked, his anger quickly subsiding due to curiosity, with a small undertone of fear.

“Just a bit of insurance, to insure our human friend has flown his last race,” Flicker replied.

“…you want to kill him?” Impulse panicked.

“Kill is such a dark word, I think terminate sounds a bit better,” Flicker said. “But yes, I want him dead. Didn’t you?”

“I never wanted him to die,” Impulse shook his head. “By the goddess, Zero was trying to stop you! Why would you do this!?”

“As much as I’d love to talk about that, I have a pegasus to fry,” Flicker flipping a switch on the control as Omega walked closer to the other racers that were gathering at the finish line now.

Before he could push the button, Impulse blasted the remote out of his hoof, sending it sliding across the floor. Flicker sighed as he turned to face the unicorn, rushing him before Impulse could react, and threw him against a wall.

“You should have just kept playing the role of yes colt, but it seems I was wrong about you,” Flicker said as he picked Impulse up before he could respond. “You lack the guts to do whatever it takes to see your goals through!”

“My goal isn’t worth killing for,” Impulse said. “I regret having not said no sooner!”

Flicker threw Impulse against the window, causing it to crack slightly. The unicorn slumped to the floor as the pegasus picked up the remote. “You took care of the only stallion that could stop me, to that end I suppose you were useful.”

The stallion looked down at the group of racers once more, smiling as he removed the cover of the button. This was the moment he had been waiting for, finally he would be rid of the damned ape. Flicker was just about to push the button when he noticed a blue blur dive down from the sky towards Omega.

---

Zero had left Lucky Shot behind upon repairing himself. He didn’t have time to wait if what Flicker had told him was true. Even if Daniel won the race he could still lose his life if he didn’t intervene. The stallion had initially wondered how Flicker would have carried out his plan, until he noticed Omega missing from his stand.

He left the warehouse knowing he had roughly four hours of energy to work with, which would decrease as he performed more strenuous activities. He could only hope that Impulse and Flicker would come quietly. Being one for logic, Zero anticipated trouble and had Lucky Shot help reinstall the crystals that powered his legs and wings before Impulse had fitted his body with the jewel now resting in Omega’s chest.

Zero could hear the cheers of the crowd as he flew closer to the track. His internal clock let him know that the race had already started and that it would most likely end in a few seconds given the speed statistics of Omega, and the improvements Daniel had made.

He poured more energy into his speed, well aware that the reckless action might cause him problems later, but saving the lives of a multitude of ponies was far more important. If his calculations were correct, Flicker had no idea how strong a bomb with that jewel as its catalyst truly was. It wouldn’t just take Daniel out; it could wipe out the entire audience.

Zero’s sights were soon set on Omega as he flew over the track. The walking bomb was steadily approaching Daniel and the other racers; its wings ruined and scrapped as if it had endured some sort of trauma.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zero dove towards Omega at blinding speed, forcefully slamming into him within the span of a few seconds. Several screams broke out from the crowd as Omega recovered from Zero’s forceful blow.

“Zero?” Daniel asked, earning the stallion’s attention.

“Get out of here! Omega is a bomb!” Zero exclaimed.

“Wait, what!?” one of the racers squeaked nervously.

“How are there two of them?” Whitefire panted.

Before Zero could respond he was thrown like a rag doll to the side by Omega as it detached its ruined wings from its body. Immune to an impact that would have killed a normal pony, Omega charged forward to try and crush Zero beneath his metallic hooves, eyes glowing an ominous red.

Zero tucked his hind legs against his chest, pressing both of his hooves against Omega. In one fluid motion, the stallion was sent flying through the air before being impaled on a track marker. Omega twitched violently as the sparks coursing through his artificial body fried his motor controls.

Zero looked down at his fallen sibling, taking note of the ominous glow emanating from the cracked metal plating on his chest. Though he had dispatched Omega easily enough, the danger was far from over.

“Thanks,” Daniel said as he approached Zero from behind.

“Don’t thank me yet, the bomb is still inside him…and it detonated,” Zero said coldly.

“But, we’re still here, how could it have detonated?” Daniel asked.

“It’s catalyst is magical in nature, it’s simply expanding its explosive capabilities,” Zero explained. “It’s behaving too chaotically to contain.”

“We have to get these ponies out of here, then,” the blue stallion said.

“I agree,” came the feminine voice of Noctra from behind them. “But we still have to find Flicker. Can you try to disarm it?”

“No, I lack the capability to do so,” Zero replied.

“Guys, why is his eye blinking green?” the mare asked pointing at the mechanical stallion.

“It’s an incomplete homing script, in the event one of Impulse’s projects was destroyed-“ Zero started to explained before a shadow passed overhead, followed by a loud thud before what appeared to be an earth pony version of Zero stood up. “Which apparently Impulse managed to finish.”

---

Loud thuds sounded all around me, followed by a rising canopy of screams as Impulse’s robotic ponies landed in different parts of the track. I looked up as more shadows passed over us, counting at least three more metal pegasi that came in low.

Two of the unicorns that were in the crowd fired off burst of magic. The resulting blast only managed to hi two concrete pillars, but the resulting debris acted as shrapnel to nearby ponies. They had the same problem that Zero had before, they were just reacting to whatever signal this copy had sent out, they couldn’t rationalize the situation.

“We have to stop them, they’ll run wild if we don’t!” Noctra exclaimed.

“Agreed, but we’ve got over a thousand ponies here,” I said. “And if Omega really was acting as a bomb, then Flicker is probably nearby. We can’t let him get away.”

“So what’s the plan?” Mike asked as Ike and Harmony accompanied him.

“You guys should get out of here,” I replied.

“If I was a betting stallion, which I am, I’m willing to wager you’re not leaving with us,” Ike said. “We’re not going to leave you behind either.”

“I’m with them,” Harmony said.

“We need to get these ponies out of here before anything else,” I mumbled. “Mike, Ike, Harmony, help keep thing in order, if any of those things try to attack them while they’re fleeing, take them out.”

“On it,” Ike said before disappearing alongside Harmony and his brother.

“Noctra, try to find Flicker, we can deal with Impulse later,” I said turning to the bat mare who nodded before flying off. “Zero, you and me will give them cover. We can’t let them get into the city.”

“Agreed,” Zero said before taking off into the air.

I took off a second later, crashing into a robotic pegasus. The metallic stallion reeled from the impact briefly, giving me enough time to deliver two firm kicks that resulted in the abomination’s rapid descent. I couldn’t stay occupied with one stallion for too long though, the stands were full of panicked ponies; dotted with the occasional robot.

As I flew over the crowd I noticed another metallic stallion crashing through the crowds. From the looks of it, this particular robot appeared to be an earth pony in design. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do much to it without some momentum behind me. Given little time to think, I dove as fast as I could, grabbing the metallic, and tossing it down onto the track.

The pegasus from earlier had recovered and was charging straight towards me. I waited until the last second before moving out of the way, spinning to land a kick on its flank which provided enough momentum to get it’s metallic head lodged in the concrete surface.

“Don’t go anywhere,” I huffed.

---

Isabella and Blueblood were ushered through the crowded halls by the guards. Chaos had broken out as the desperate cries of ponies rang out over the canopy of confusion. At one point the floor beneath them shook as the metallic stallions’ rampage continued.

“Stay close Scoots,” Isabella said as a crack began to form in the ceiling.

No sooner had the words left her mouth, the floor above them caved in, cutting off the woman and filly from the rest of the group. A thick wall of concrete now stood between them and their exit. Forcing them to find another exit.

“Izzy! Are you okay!?” Blueblood shouted as loud as he could, his voice muffled due to the density of the ruble.

“We’re fine, just keep going, we’ll find another way out,” Isabella replied. “Come on Scoots, we can’t stay here.”

“Is there another way out Izzy?” Scootaloo asked as she was scooped up by the human.

“Absolutely, there’s never just one exit,” Isabella reassured her, doing her best to remain confident herself.

The two didn’t get far before a metallic unicorn rounded the corner, its lifeless eyes locking onto them. Its horn started to glow a bright red as it charged up an attack, firing at Isabella without hesitation.

Isabella wasn’t as helpless as she appeared, however. Digging into her bag, she pulled out two bright yellow crystals, no bigger than her pinky finger, and gripped them tightly in her hand as Scootaloo clung to her for dear life.

The telltale kick start of a unicorn’s magic sounded once more as the metallic stallion took aim at Isabella again. This time she was ready for it, and tossed one of the crystals at the unicorn. A split second later, sparks danced across it’s metal body, followed by two loud pops as the surge of electricity popped its artificial eyes. As the sparks began to fade, Isabella threw her second crystal, causing the stallion to shake violently.

Not wanting to waste her opening, Isabella grabbed what appeared to be a section marker, and swung it like a club. The force of the impact knocked the top portion of the stallion’s head off, sending it sliding across the cold floor, sparks occasionally flying from it’s now empty eye sockets.

Once the sparks had died down again, the stallion simply stumbled without its head, but remained active, blindly groping for Isabella and Scootaloo. She rationalized that it wasn’t controlled by its head, which was why it was still able to move.

“Let’s keep moving,” Isabella said as she cautiously maneuvered around the stallion.

---

Flicker smirked as he left the private booth, preparing to leave under the smoke screen of the chaos he had caused. He would simply slip away like he had before, getting off scot free. That was the thing about crime, one only had to worry about being caught.

“Where will the winds take me next, I wonder?” the stallion mused as he traversed the seemingly empty passage way.

“Straight to jail,” Noctra replied, taking him by surprise.

Flicker turned to see five guard ponies, each one glaring angrily at him. To the normal criminal, it would be an intimidating sight, but the noble pegasus was no normal criminal, and they would need more than five to stop him.

“Cute, is that all you brought against me?” Flicker asked.

“Flicker, you’re under arrest for murder, plagiarism, attempted murder, theft, and harming a member of the royal guard,” Noctra went down the list of charges.

“Serious charges, coming from a mere guard,” Flicker chuckled. “Do you really want to go down this road?”

“You started this the day you murdered Summer Stars and Brave Banner,” Noctra snorted.

“Well then, I guess you should take me in,” Flicker shrugged.

The mare motioned with her head for two of the guards to do as the stallion suggested. Aside from the rampaging metal stallions, arresting Flicker had been easy, too easy. Noctra kept her eyes glued to the stallion as one of her squad mates produced a set of cuffs.

In a flurry, Flicker jumped into the air, kicking the earth pony to his right hard enough to snap his neck, whilst he twisted the stallion opposite to him with his forelegs. The unicorn of their group took aim at Flicker while Noctra and her fellow night guard member took after the stallion in the air.

Flicker laughed as he dodged the pitiful attacks from the unicorn, as he gripped the bat stallion by the head, slamming him muzzle first into a support beam. Noctra was kicked to the side, giving Flicker enough time to take out the unicorn before he could try to fire another offensive spell at him.

“Monster!” Noctra exclaimed, swinging at the stallion who laughed at her rage.

“While my brother was in the military I learned all I could from him,” Flicker explained, landing a solid blow to Noctra’s stomach. “That includes fighting.”

The mare weakly took another swing at Flicker, still trying to take in air. The stallion easily moved out of the way before proceeding to toss Noctra like a rag doll against a wall, cracking the glass of her goggles. Satisfied with his work, Flicker turned to make his escape, before remembering that Scootaloo was still here.

“I may have missed first place, but a consolation prize is always worth the wait,” Flicker smiled.

He may not have the resources to take down her father, but he could still break his spirit. In the stallion’s eyes, that was the next best thing.

---

Mike and Ike kicked at a robotic stallion in opposite directions. Their earth pony strength crushed the metallic pony like a soda can, an impressive feat that quickly lost its flare as two more of the robotic monstrosities appeared.

“How many of these things are there?” Mike asked.

“Who cares, just keep hitting them!” Ike replied, tackling the artificial unicorn before it could cast its spell.

Mike looked up in time to see a mare screaming as a metallic hoof was raised high above her head. The earth pony moved in quickly, grabbing the artificial pony by the neck, and slinging him over the railing, plummeting to the hard ground below.

Ike felt two cold forelegs wrap around his neck, mechanical parts whirring as they shifted and tightened their hold. The stallion began to gasp for air, desperately trying to damage the artificial pony enough to slip free.

A shrill scream echoed through the growing fog of Ike’s mind. The tightness around his throat lessened enough for him to slip free and stare in awe at what had saved him. Harmony’s horn was bathed in light, as her voice rose in volume.

Cracks began to appear in the metal plates of the pony held in her aura as the mare concentrated on her target. The cracks emitted the same bright light as her horn before flying free of the stallion’s body, revealing the delicate parts that controlled its movements. AS a last act of concealed violence, Harmony focused on the pony’s spine, ripping it from the metal body in a gruesome display, casting sparks in every direction.

“Damn,” the brothers said in unison.

“Never seen a mare fight before?” Harmony asked, flicking her mane back catching another metallic pony with her magic.

“Quit gawking, we’ve still got ponies to help,” Ike said, clocking his brother with his hoof.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Mike huffed taking out another metallic earth pony.

---

Zero dropped the motionless body of one of his siblings, having torn its core from its chest plate. His enhanced eyes saw a pegasus with her wing trapped beneath a piece of debris, a small foal and bat stallion beside her, trying desperately to free her.

The artificial stallion’s eye detected something else as well, the integrity of the floor above them was falling, meaning a structural collapse was imminent. Zero didn’t want to chance fate and reacted quickly by putting everything he had into his wings.

As Zero’s readings predicted, a large section of the floor above the small family started to fall towards them. The three closed their eyes, waiting for an impact that never seemed to come. The mare finally opened her eyes to see the rock hoisted on the metal stallion’s shoulders.

The bat stallion didn’t hesitate in trying to move the rumble that had his mate trapped once more, managing to lift it long enough for the mare to crawl free. The small foal smiled brightly up at Zero as she was scooped up by the mare.

Once the ponies were clear, Zero flew out from under the large piece of ruble, allowing it to fall. He could sense the strain from keeping such a large piece of debris from crushing them had taken a large chunk of his power.

Zero leaned against one of the support beams as he rerouted his energy to balance what was left. He could see the heat signature growing from the track. It wouldn’t be long now until it finally reached a critical point and consumed the stadium in fire. Thankfully, the spectators had almost cleared the large structure, making Flicker’s efforts meaningless.

Several fires had been started as a result of the magical crossfire between fleeing royal guard and mechanical unicorns. Clouds of smoke now dotted the sky above, creating an ominous atmosphere to match was taking place below.

Daniel landed beside him, his mask torn on one side, blood and sweat falling from his tired body. Zero regarded the racer with a nod, still sorting energy where he could, essentially catching his breath, if one could consider such an act on par with rationing energy.

“Not…getting sleepy on me… are you?” Daniel asked in between pants.

“I don’t sleep,” Zero replied.

“Think you can handle a few more?” the stallion asked, tearing off the bloodied mask.

“Try not to fall behind,” Zero said as both took off from their temporary break.

---

The lights in the passageways had been flickering, their connection to the main power degrading as the fire spread throughout the lower portions of the structure. Isabella had been in dark places before, but nothing quite like this.

"I think we're almost there Scootaloo," Isabella said as the two rounded the corner into a larger lobby.

An all too familiar stallion pushed open the door leading to the emergency stairwell. Isabella noticed his wings and wondered why he hadn't flown away, until she got a good look at his muzzle and fireball cutie mark.

Flicker noticed Isabella as well, stunned to see her. The brief moment of shock was washed away by a sickening smile as his eyes fell upon Scootaloo.

"Scootaloo, we meet at last...formally, of course," Flicker chuckled.

"Scoots get behind me," Isabella ordered, putting herself between the stallion.

"No need to be afraid, you wouldn't keep family away from each other, would you?" Flicker asked, taking an exaggerated step towards them.

"Izzy, what's he talking about?" Scootaloo looked up at her aunt for answers.

"It's nothing Scoots, he's a bad stallion and that's all there is to it," Isabella replied.

"There's much more to it than that," Flicker grinned. "A father would know, after all."

Scootaloo recoiled away from Isabella. Her wide eyes danced between the two adults, her mind numb and over whelmed with questions. Her parents were dead, so how could this stallion possibly be her real father?"

"You're lying," Scootaloo said. "Daniel's my dad."

"Now he is I suppose," Flicker shrugged. "But I knew your mother before Brave Banner, she's the one who hid you from me. Took you away like everything else the damned unicorn elitist feel entitled to."

"That's not..." Scootaloo shook her head as she backed away.

"You are my daughter," Flicker said. "Your mother was to be my bride, but-"

A crackle of energy cut Flicker off, snapping Scootaloo out of her mental trance. The stallion had lost his hold on her, a snarl replacing the smile that had adorned his muzzle only seconds ago.

"Don't forget the part where you murdered Brave Banner and Summer Stars because she loved somepony else," Isabella fumed. "You got away with rape, she's probably rolling in her grave knowing that it was you who killed them."

"You killed them?" Scootaloo's eyes started to water as she shook with a mixture of rage and sorrow.

"You're no father, you're just a donor, a beta male," Isabella spat.

Flicker roared in response to her last comment, rushing towards her with enough force to knock Isabella on her back. The stallion raised his hoof in assumed victory, preparing to crush Isabella's head. Isabella smiled darkly, delivering a devastating punch to the pegasus' head.

Flicker had trained and studied to fight other ponies, what he, and the entire royal guard lacked, was the training to fight humans. With only two in existence, and no other extensive studies conducted of their combat abilities, no guide was in circulation.

Isabella reached into her bag, hoping to grab another crystal, but instead pulled out the full bottle of Discord's potion. She didn't think twice and broke it over the stallion's head, not wanting to give him a chance to recover.

The glass broke Flicker's flesh, allowing the liquid to sting his fresh, open wounds. The sick liquid mingled with his blood, keeping him preoccupied long enough for Isabella to grab a small, red crystal this time; the warning label Discord stuck on the bottle giving her an idea.

With careful aim, she threw the crystal at Flicker, pegging him directly in the forehead. The seemingly harmless attack soon revealed a more sinister side, as fire erupted from the small stone, catching hold of the liquid on Flicker's body.

"I bet that hurts!" Isabella shouted as the stallion stumbled to and fro, desperate to put out the fire spreading across his body.

Flicker continued to flail helplessly, unaware of the ledge leading down to the floor below. His wings, burnt and useless, were unable to aid him as he fell down the hole that led to the lobby, his body landing in the fountain with a loud splash.

Isabella got to her feet, Scootaloo staying close by her side. The filly looked up at the human, the woman who had just dispatched her father.

"I'm sorry Scoots, but he was a bad pony, he wanted to hurt you," Isabella said, kneeling down to the filly's level. "No dad would ever want to harm his kid."

"...I have a real dad," Scootaloo said with tears in her eyes.

"Let's go find him," Isabella smiled, stroking the filly's mane. "I bet he's worried sick about you."

As the two left the upper lobby, the pool below them began to churn with activity. Its surface was slowly broken by two growing horns that dribbled water back into the pool, as a jagged, twisted fore hoof planted itself firmly on the rim of the structure.

---

Zero held the last mechanical stallion in his cast iron grasp as I tore its weakened head from its body, giving him access to the delicate core which he quickly destroyed. The cries a chatter of the crowd were still the prevalent sounds of the area, but they were now accompanied by the cracking flames that licked at the air.

"Weeee need to le-ave," Zero informed me, his robotic voice stalling a bit.

"You okay Zero?" I asked, flying towards the second floor where I could see the rest of our mery crew.

"My my vocal box w-aas-z damaged," Zero replied.

"We're almost done buddy," I said.

"B-uddy?" Zero looked over at me, his left eye lens was cracked down the middle, but otherwise he was expressionless as always.

"Yeah, it's what you call a friend," I smirked.

Zero remained silent, up until we landed next to our small group. Harmony's mane was disheveled and her coat was messy, as well as sporting a few cuts. Mike and Ike were both covered in blood, bruises and other fluids that presumably came from their metallic foes. The only pony unaccounted for was the nocturnal member of our small band of misfits.

"Hey, where's Noctra?" I asked.

"Not sure, we haven't seen her pass through here at all," Ike replied.

"Maybe she took Flicker out through another exit?" Harmony offered.

"W-e d-don't have tiiime to deb-ate, the boomb is going to go -o-ff," Zero reminded us.

"He's right, we need to move," I said motioning with my head for us to leave.

"Yo!" I heard Isabella shout as she and Scootaloo ran towards us. "You guys leaving without us?"

"Scoots?" I cocked my head. "What are you doing here?"

Scootaloo smiled, tackling me in a hug. "I love you."

"I love you too squirt, where did this come from?" I asked.

"We ran into Flicker, it's a long story," Isabella explained. "He's not a problem anymore though, I kind of cooked him."

"That means Noctra might still inside," I looked at Zero who nodded, trotting after me at a slow pace.

The telltale sound of magic firing up rose above the cackling flames. I stopped and turned back to face Harmony, but was shocked to see her horn with the same light glow as always.

"Move!" Zero shouted, pushing me with his fore hooves.

I was about to question his actions, until a powerful green beam of energy knocked the stallion to the floor. A second one quickly followed suit, this time ripping the stallion in two from the force of the impact.

My eyes widened in horror as I watched the metallic stallion's eyes go dark, losing the light within them. His mechanical insides whirred to a halt, as parts were spilt out across the floor, some drifting into the flames to be consumed by the rising heat.

"Don't look Scoots," Isabella said, holding the filly against her.

"Z-Zero..." I mumbled.

"Ashes to ashes," a dark voice hissed. "Dust to dust, though in his case I suppose scrap to scrap is more appropriate."

"What in the name of Celestia is that!?" Ike shouted.

I watched in horror as the creature Ike had questioned presented itself. It was a towering monstrosity, with long, powerful wings. It stood roughly five feet tall, excluding the two horns atop its head, bringing it to roughly six feet. One horn was segmented and grey in color, the other was white and smooth, but both were wickedly curved, as if designed to impale some hapless victim. Its coat was pitch black, accompanied by bold, red eyes.

Most startling of all though, was this odd being's cutie mark. It was a fireball, much like a certain pegasus noble I was all too familiar with.

"Flicker?" I mouthed.

"A...a bicorn?" Harmony stammered.

"A what?" Isabella turned to the unicorn.

"He has two horns!" the mare exclaimed. "But...that's impossible!"

"Umm, maybe not," Isabella confessed. "I kind of, hit Flicker with a potion..."

"And I am indebted to you Isabella, broodmare of Prince Blueblood," Flicker laughed.

"Hey!" Isabella snapped.

"Your species is a cancer though, and must not be allowed to flourish, which it most certainly will under your watch," Flicker commented.

As the stallion's horns began to glow a bright green, I mustered up what strength I had left to charge the much larger bicorn, as Harmony had dubbed it. It was unsettling to think that this is what Flicker's heart reflected; a twisted form of an alicorn, but he was certainly arrogant enough, not to mention cruel enough for it to fit his profile.

I drew my foreleg back to punch the stallion, only to receive a muzzle full of green magic, as I was sent sliding across the floor towards Isabella. Any energy I had mustered up after fighting against metallic abominations had been evaporated in the blink of an eye.

"I spent my life around unicorns. I learned a thing or two about magic," Flicker boasted. "You should have known better."

"Daddy!" I heard Scootaloo cry, squirming free of Isabella's grasp.

Mike and Ike both charged Flicker, as Harmony's horn flared to life. While the stallion easily dispatched the twins, Harmony's attack hit the bicorn's left horn, dazing him slightly before he retaliated with an attack of his own.

A ball of light surrounded Harmony in an effort to protect herself from the dark magic. Flicker simply chuckled as small cracks formed on the shield, its energy quickly draining.

Isabella grabbed a handful of crystals and threw them at the stallion while he was distracted. Sparks danced across his coat, fanning the flames of his wrath towards her. I could only watch as a sickening beam of energy sent Isabella into a wall, rendering her unconscious.

"Is that all you've got?" Flicker taunted.

I tried my best to move, but my body refused to obey. I had to do something, I couldn't just let my friends die.

I heard the faint tink of glass hitting stone. I weakly looked over to see Scootaloo dragging an almost empty bottle of the potion Isabella used to change into a unicorn. I knew what her intent was, and as much as I didn't want to rely on chaotic energy to put an end to Flicker, I didn't have any other option.

Scootaloo read over the bottle as she moved it closer to my mouth. She quickly uncorked the bottle, allowing its contents to spill out onto the ground, giving me the drop I needed from the lip of the bottle.

I watched in horror as Harmony tried to fend off Flicker one last time. The stallion shrugged off the attack by tossing her aside like a used toy. His real prize now was Isabella, and soon it would be me.

"I could drag out your death," Flicker taunted the still form of my sister. "But I suppose a quick end is due, since you did give me this...power."

I felt my foreleg lengthen into an arm, forming a fist which I clenched as I forced myself up onto refreshed muscles. Fatigue vanished even as Flicker gathered energy to finish off Isabella. Feet, toes, thumbs, canines, everything was in place, and not a moment too soon.

"Goodbye!" Flicker laughed.

I gripped a piece of pipe that had been dislodged during the chaos beforehand and hit the bicorn in the back of the head with all my might, causing his attack to veer left and up into the ceiling.

"Daniel..." Flicker shook his head free of the pain, turning his side to me with a grin.

"This ends here Flicker, there's nowhere left for you to run after today," I said.

"Oh I'm not planning on running anymore," Flicker laughed. "You're just a loose end, you and your daughter."

"If you want her, you'll have to get through me," I said, my mind shifting once more into daddy t-rex mode. I would rather die than let him lay a twisted hoof on Scootaloo.

"Human against pony, I can't think of a better end to your story in this world!" Flicker laughed as he rushed me.

I didn't reply as I copied him, reaching forward to grab his horns. Their green glow stopped at the base as I wrapped a hand around each of them. It was a trick I had learned a long time ago, and one that would possibly save my life now.

Flicker thrashed in a violent rage, but while he had grown bigger, he had retained his light weight, making him no heavier than me. I counted myself lucky for this, as I doubted I could handle the weight of a real horse.

Flicker tried his best to bite and paw at me with his sharp hooves. I held firm and retaliated by kneeing him in the neck and chest when I could. While we were at a stalemate so long as he remained on the ground, what I didn't account for, was his wings.

Flicker flapped the powerful limbs, rising up off the ground slightly. It was enough for me to lose my grip on one of his horns which was all he needed to deliver a now weakened blast into my chest.

I staggered backwards from the pain, but rushed forwards to try and overwhelm him once more. Flicker was ready for me this time, and rose up on his hind legs, jabbing me with his hooves, which knocked me down to the ground, before he tossed me backwards with his magic.

Before I could get back up, I felt a hoof land firmly on my body, pinning me in place. I looked up to see the hateful glare of Flicker, his expression twisting into a sinister smile as he leaned in closer.

"I think I'll just paralyze you, that way you can listen as I slaughter those you hold dear," Flicker hissed. "So you can die knowing that you failed."

I struggled beneath him as his horn neared my neck, it's green glow charging to immobilize me. I could feel the icy grip of his magic along my back and closed my eyes, awaiting the pain that would soon follow, frustrated at my own short comings.

"Flicker!" shouted a voice from beyond the lobby.

The bicorn looked up, the chill fading from my body. I looked as well, trying to see who had called out the stallion's name.

From the flames came the clacking of hooves, followed by the familiar form of Noctra. She no longer wore her goggles, and had a nasty gash on her forehead.

The mare roared in rage as her pupils turned into little more than paper thin slits. Her mouth hung open as bared her fangs for all to see.

Flicker tried to attack the nimble bat pony, but missed and recoiled in pain as Noctra screeched directly into his ear. Blood oozed from the bicorn's damaged ear, granting me my freedom once more while she bit and pawed at the stallion's body.

Flicker's horns began to glow again, until my hands gripped them tightly. The energy was sent back into the stallion's body, causing him to snarl and snap in rage as he tried to buck Noctra off, while trying to free himself from me.

I noticed a power panel and lined the stallion up with it before shoving him into it. The glass shattered into his side and wing, ruining the near flawless coat of the chaotic creature. Noctra had jumped free and had screeched right beside the stallion's head.

Flicker managed to free his head once more and tried to blast Noctra, but missed while he was disoriented, causing a large crack to form along the ceiling.

I had teased Cloudchaser thousands of times with her ears, since they were extremely sensitive. When I bit down on Flicker's ear, I may as well have kicked the stallion in the genitals. He screamed in pain, his voice raising an octave as I chomped on his ear, punching any part of him I could.

Flicker slammed his large head against my chest, knocking me off balance. I instinctively grabbed onto one of his horns for support in response, which resulted in a crack forming along it as it bore my weight.

A cracked horn was a useless horn when it came to magic, and Noctra redoubled her efforts, now that Flicker could only attack her from one direction. I followed suit, slamming the stallion up against a support beam in the process before wrestling him to the floor.

Flicker kicked and flailed in a desperate attempt to rid himself of us, and sent Noctra skidding across the stone floor, it was a vain effort as it was obvious now that Flicker was running out of energy, unable to keep up with both of us. I proceeded to forcefully ram him against the support rails, breaking his left foreleg in the process.

Noctra rejoined me as we watched Flicker rise to hit hooves once more. The stallion was beaten and bruised but still refused to yield. His pride was the only thing keeping him standing now as he glared at both of us.

"Damn ape...you think you've won?" Flicker coughed, blood oozing from his mouth. "I am Flicker..a proud son...of Can..terlot...and you...you are but an animal...a savage beast…"

"Maybe, but at least I'm not a monster like you," I replied. "It's over Flicker, give up while you still can."

"Give...up!?" Flicker panted angrily. "I...will never...be defeated!"

Flicker's right horn turned a brilliant shade of green as he prepared another spell. I had assumed he was exhausted beyond the point of spells, but I had blundered, and could only prepare for his counter attack.

"Daniel, watch out!" Noctra shouted as she flew backwards.

I looked up in time to see a large piece of stone fall from the ceiling, and jumped out of the way. Flicker's attack never came to fruition, as his right foreleg and wing were crushed beneath the ruble that had fallen.

Flicker grunted feebly and pawed at the debris that held him in place. His movements became frantic as the floor beneath him began to crack from the added weight and slide backwards into the raging flames below.

Noctra and I stood in silence for a few seconds, staring at the gaping hole that had only seconds ago supported Flicker. It was hard to believe that such a foul creature could lurk within the heart of a pony.

"It's fitting," Noctra said quietly. "Now he knows what it's like to burn."

"Come on, let's get out of here," I sighed, tired and bloodied.

---

Flicker weakly held his head up, observing his surroundings. Fire surrounded him now, and at the center of this hellish landscape was a glowing discarded figure. It was Omega, Impulse Spark's second rate project.

The sound of hoof steps approaching him distracted Flicker from the bomb. His eyes widened as he discovered who it was that had found him.

"No...you're dead..." Flicker whimpered.

Summer Stars and Brave Banner both stared hatefully down at the stallion, the one who had attempted to kill their daughter. Their eyes were empty and chilled Flicker to the core as he stared into their empty sockets.

"You're not real," Flicker sobbed. "You're dead!"

The two ponies said nothing as the bomb in Omega's chest flashed. It was its final warning before it scorched everything on the ground level. In a blinding wave of heat, Flicker was eradicated, and scorched beyond recognition.

---

Two Days Later...

"Well Doctor, can you fix him?" I asked, staring down at the damaged body of my friend.

"It's...hard to say," Doctor Whooves replied. "The damage to this robot is extensive. If I could, it would take time, though he does still seem to have a small charge that I can't quite explain."

"Yeah, go figure," I smiled knowingly.

"I make no promises, but I will try my best," Doctor Whooves said putting on his best smile.

"Thanks Doctor," I nodded, leaving him to his work.

It was good to be back in Ponyville, where there was no apocalyptic beings, natural disasters, or life ending threats that needed attending to at the moment. After walking in Twilight and her friend's shoes, I could say without a doubt that it wasn't for me.

"Do you think Zero will be okay?" Scootaloo asked.

"He's in good hooves Scoots, that's all we can do right now," I replied, rubbing the filly's head.

We walked home in silence, the occasional look between us being enough to know that the other had a lot on their mind. The quiet between us was only ruined upon opening the door to our house, where an anxious Stormwalker awaited.

The colt rushed towards us, stumbling briefly before meeting us the rest of the way into the house. His legs and wings had grown strong over the past few months. He was only slightly shorter than Scootaloo now, but was still able to lean against his sister of his own accord.

“Hey Stormwalker,” Scootaloo smiled, wrapping her forelegs around the colt.

I felt a warm body press up against me as I watched my kids. Cloudchaser nipped my ear gently, causing me to turn my head into her waiting lips. I smiled mentally as we kissed, thankful to simply have her by my side. Twilight could keep the exciting life, I was happy with mine.

“I’m glad they love each other,” Cloudchaser said quietly.

“Yeah, I hope they stay close,” I nodded.

“I hate that Scootaloo met her real father like she did,” Cloudchaser hung her head slightly. “She deserved better.”

“She has better,” I replied watching the tangerine filly. “She has a mom and dad that love her. All I see is our filly.”

Scootaloo looked back at me, her large purple eyes shining vibrantly. There was no trace of Flicker in her to be found, aside from her blood. That was now impossible to prove though, since no trace of the stallion had been found after the horrible turn of events at the finals. Even after Noctra and Isabella had informed me of Scootaloo’s true origin, I still only saw my daughter. As long as she saw me as her father, how could I ask for more?

---

“Our human friends turned your offer down?” Celestia asked as she and Luna walked the Grand Hallway.

“Isabella was rather descriptive in her rejection, and Daniel insisted that he was better suited to being a father than a soldier,” Luna replied.

“I don’t blame them, I feel they’ve earned a bit of peace,” Celestia giggled lightly.

“Sister, you know Twilight and her friends cannot be everywhere at once,” Luna looked up at Celestia.

“Which is why we have to have faith in our little ponies to do the right thing when the time comes,” Celestia nodded.

“What of Impulse Spark’s stallion?” Luna asked.

“I was talked out of melting him down,” Celestia shrugged. “One of your friends believed he could be bettered suited to protecting ponies than as a glorified desk ornament. Though I believe the Crystal Empire would be better suited to a stallion of his…qualities.”

“I agree,” Luna smiled as she turned to look at the new stained glass image depicting those who had stood against Flicker. “I doubt it would be fitting to throw away one of Equeustria’s heroes. Who knows when we may need them again."