> Brighter Horizons: A Trial of Shadows
>  by Destiny Chaser
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Bad Bargains
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sleek airship cut silently through the low hanging clouds, the fading rays of the setting sun casting a dull sheen off of the craft’s black envelope containing the gas bags which kept the ship like hull of the flying machine in the air. The only sounds it made being the occasional creak from the rigging accompanied by the slow, metronomic beat of the large twin propellors at the aft of the dark ship aptly named the Nightingale.

Secret Threshold checked his vest watch for what must had been the fifth time that hour, the sapphire lens of the luxury mechanical timepiece reflecting back to him the disappointment clearly visible on his scarred visage, a reminder to the steel grey pegasus not only that they were behind schedule, but also, of the cost of being careless in his line of work. Even though it had been almost ten years, he could steel feel the phantom twinges of pain in the remnants of his right wing caused by the spiked mace that an irate diamond dog had raked across his body, marring his hide and crippling his wing in an old deal gone wrong.

That Secret Threshold had been a young, foalish stallion; overconfident in his abilities and lacking foresight. Now he was far more shrewd, more experienced, and more cautious than ever, a quality that was growing increasingly necessary in the vast underworld of creatures simply trying to make a dishonest bit in the world. It was absurd really, the Royal Guard had almost overnight become inexplicably more aggressive, more capable, and seemingly more confident than it had ever been in recent memory. They had always been a problem, but a manageable one, easy enough to predict and deal with. But now, they were completely unpredictable, and relentless in their behavior, acting more like a pack of timberwolves than a herd of ponies.

The results of this sudden change in tactics spoke for themselves. He had lost more colleagues and work associates in the past three months than he had in the last three years. It wasn’t all bad, many of his competitors in the smuggling trades had been conveniently taken off the table for him, opening up more streams of illicit revenue for him. But at the same time, that meant there were fewer fish in an ever shrinking pond to hide among, making it more than likely, sooner rather than later, that his own number would be up, and it would be his turn to sample the Equestrian penal system, or worse. And it was all thanks to that wretched creature from another world that the Princesses employed, that human.

Human… Secret grit his teeth in revulsion. One could hardly speak its name among the denizens of the underworld without evoking a cadre of reactions, ranging from vitriol and hatred to an almost superstitious kind of fear. Like he was some kind of monster who would leap out of the dark and gobble them up like frightened foals if even mentioned carelessly in conversation. That impression wasn’t helped at all by the rumors that swirled around the human like flies around carrion. He had heard them all, things such as that it drank blood, enslaved monsters, courted a changeling, and even wielded a piece of Celestia’s very sun as a weapon. He of course had scoffed at most of them, but the one rumor he didn’t dismiss, was the rumor that the human enjoyed the special protection and very affections of the Night herself, the one who could haunt a pony’s very dreams, Princess Luna. Threshold took that rumor deadly serious.

It was one of the primary reasons why somepony hadn’t gone and done everypony the favor of eliminating Celestia’s favorite pet monster. That wouldn’t do, not when cold vengeance could suddenly find you anywhere and at anytime, even in one’s sleep. And in a world where criminals were already a superstitious lot, no pony wanted to deal with a nightmare like that; a danger from which there was no protection. The other reason being the apparent monster of a mare that followed him practically everywhere like some grim, meat-eating shadow.

A hired assassin that somepony apparently had the stones to send attempted to eliminate the human a few months prior; but before he could even pull his weapon, the fanged beauty had tackled the poor fool to the ground, horribly mauling him almost to death before the human could call her off. After that, any remaining contracts, few that they were, vanished. The human was a monster, protected by other monsters, and no pony wanted to deal with that, no matter the offered bounty. After all, what good was money if you weren't around to spend it?

"Sir, I talked to the engineer, he should be able to shave some time off of our arrival by tweaking the engines."

Secret Threshold nodded to the white coated, blue maned pegasus that was his second in command,

"Very good Cold Front, and see to it that everyone is ready for the rendezvous. The last thing I want is for some surprise intervention from the Guard to catch us unawares." He said, his Trottingham accent crisp on his tongue.

Cold Front grunted in response before turning and heading back below decks. Secret Threshold watched him go before tucking his watch back into the black vest he was wearing. He had made sure to hire extra hooves for this job. The client they were meeting was a mysterious figure from outside of Equestria who had been making a name for himself in the last few months. He was very secretive, and rumored to be quite dangerous; but he paid well, and that was all that mattered to ponies like Threshold. But just to be certain of always having the upper hoof, he had hired a large squad for this run.

After all, one can't be too careful. He assured himself again, flexing his bad wing as a reminder. He felt the deck vibrate slightly under his hooves as the power increased, the ship surging forward towards their destination. Night was approaching, and with it, both the protection and uncertainty it offered.



The Nightingale hung low, only about twenty feet above the abandoned quarry on the edge of Western Equestria. The area was once very profitable and popular for both rock farmers and diamond dogs alike. But the gradual migration towards the towns and cities over the past generations and the general loss of interest in the old trade had seen this mine, like so many others, gradually abandoned over the years. Making it a perfect location to meet for less than legal activities but also, for ambushes.

Secret Threshold had ordered the floodlights to be lit as they made their final approach, lighting up the grey and red stone of the empty quarry with a mishmash of sharp angles and ghastly shadows. And there, standing in the middle of the quarry with a few ponies of his own, stood the hooded and cloaked figure of the centaur known only as Vangar.

"Well met, Secret Threshold," came the creature's gravely voice, his breath visible in the cold night air, but not else could be seen of his face from within his shadowy black hood save the gleam of eyes which shone with a blue glow in the impenetrable darkness, only adding to his already ominous appearance. He stood more than six feet tall, towering over most creatures Secret had ever met; his head and upper torso were covered by his tattered black cloak, but his lower four limbs were visible, an almost charcoal-like black in color.

"I trust you were not followed?" Vangar hissed while steepling his black gauntleted fingers before him, "The Guard has been quite the nuisance these days."

Secret Threshold wasn't a pony who could be accused of being easily intimidated, but there was something about meeting a centaur that just set his skin to crawling. He felt slightly bolstered by the over dozen mercenaries at his back armed with various weapons, which stood in stark contrast to the mere two bodyguards Vangar had brought with him: a hulking white earth pony with a black mane and sporting an eye patch, and a black pegasus with a red mane armed with both a crossbow and wingblades. But Secret wasn't fooled. He knew that the fact Vangar had only brought two associates with him meant that this centaur must feel overwhelmingly confident in his own strength, which was likely very great indeed, and mysterious, given the extreme rarity of Equestrian encounters with centaurs and their strange magicks. 

Secret cleared his throat, "Ahem, well met Vangar, and you needn't worry, I was not foaled yesterday. I have taken extreme precautions to ensure that our encounter will not be rudely interrupted. I was very eager to finally meet one such as yourself; and if we can come to terms, I believe that a very lucrative future awaits us both."

The centaur's eyes momentarily flashed, a pregnant pause passing before Vangar responded, "Indeed. Now, show me, friend, what do you have to offer? I was told that you carry only the best."

Secret frowned slightly, trying to hide his unease, "Come now, you should know that a wise pony never shows his hoof without some guarantee." 

Vangar remained silent, the eerie glow of his eyes unmoved. Secret knew it was a gamble to push his luck with a new client, especially one as mysterious as a centaur, but by Celestia, he wanted to establish some level of control in this deal! For too long he had been feeling hounded by events that seemed beyond his control, it was time for some semblance of normalcy.

After a few more heart pounding moments, with the sound of some of Secret's ponies beginning to shift nervously on their hooves, the centaur finally moved. Slowly raising a hand and with a sharp snap of his fingers, a decent sized chest appeared in the air in a flash of yellow magic, the aura holding it in place before slowly setting it onto the ground. Another glimmer of magic threw the lid open, revealing a stunning amount of sparkling gold.

"Guarantee enough for you, pony?" Vangar said, bemusement in his voice. Secret smiled, allowing the faux pas now that he had seen that Vangar was good for the gold he was rumored for.

"Quite," Secret replied, motioning with his head. At his direction, a pair of earth ponies brought forward a wooden crate that they quickly set down and wrenched open with a pry bar. Secret reached in and pulled out one of the black, gleaming crossbows within.

"The latest in Germane tech," he said while hefting the weapon, "Strengthening enchantments, warded against interference, and the new assist mechanism allows for rapid reloading with the new detachable box magazine. In short, you have five times the firing capacity of anything that even the Guard is presently using these days. Not easy to obtain, but exactly what any aspiring warlord or arms merchant would be willing to pay through the muzzle to have."

Secret was not normally in the realm of trafficking weapons, but the dramatic changes brought about in the smuggling routes in recent weeks meant a change of tactics if one was to stay relevant and profitable in today's market. He was about to hoof the weapon off to one of his assistants so that they might demonstrate the item's capabilities to their potential customer, when he was distracted by the clatter of hooves of somepony racing down the gangplank, clearly in a hurry.

Secret turned the ire of his glare on the small orange unicorn pushing his way through the assembled mercenaries that was the ship's wireless operator, furious at being interrupted in the midst of his presentation; he would be sure to have severe words with the upstart later, and maybe teach him a good lesson about the perils of interrupting key business moments in the future with an impromptu flying lesson once they were back at altitude.

"Pardon me my good sir, but it seems that a matter requires my urgent attention," He said to Vangar.

"Take your time," the centaur grunted in reply, clearly annoyed.

"What?" Secret hissed under his breath at his underling. The young, wirey colt named Short Wave winced under the verbal lance, but trembling, gathered his nerve, holding up a folded paper in his quivering light green magic.

"Ur-urgent tel-telegram on the wireless, s-sir, just came in!"

Secret angrily snatched the missive, causing the small unicorn to practically yelp, and quickly unfolded it:


VANGAR WITH THE GUARD *STOP* GUARD REINFORCEMENTS 20 MINUTES OUT *STOP* BE CAREFUL *STOP* 
-A FRIEND


Secret Threshold remained completely calm, betraying not a single emotion, slowly reading the message through three times. He wasn't sure if he believed what he was reading. After all, it could be a trick, a competitor trying to foul up his business. But then again, thanks to the Guard, he didn't have many competitors left now did he? But no, it began to make more sense. A mysterious centaur who had been taking the underworld by storm? The sudden fall of so many prosperous ponies? It was all too convenient. This was a setup. Besides, there was the cardinal rule that Secret always followed, one that was carved into his character like the very scars on hide: Caution. It was the main reason besides his wits that had made him last as long as he had in this dangerous enterprise, and he wasn't about to throw that cardinal rule out now for the mere temptation of some gold, gold that could be as good as his anyways after eliminating this arrogant threat. Pulling out a pen from his vest, Secret hastily scribbled down a note on the paper, as if he were simply signing off on some form before shoving it back into Short Wave's chest.

"Fine! I'll deal with this later. Now get back to your post, and don't you dare ever interrupt me at a time like this again, do I make myself clear?!"

Short Wave glanced down at the paper at the hastily scribbled ink which read: 'Tell the helm to prepare the ship for immediate departure!' Looking back up at his boss, the unicorn quickly bowed his head,

"M-my apologies sir, I'll get back to my post right away!" He said before turning and scampering off. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Secret couldn't help but smile slightly in admiration at how well the young colt had taken the hint and played along.

Good lad, I'll have to see to rewarding him later if we get out of this. He thought before turning back to face his 'customer.'

"Trouble?" Vangar asked. Secret smiled, subtely tapping his rear hoof twice on the ground, the pre-established signal to his mercs of a deal gone bad.

"None that can't be swiftly dealt with, I assure you," He cooly replied, hefting the lightweight weapon in his right hoof, settling the stock against his shoulder. "Oh, pardon me, I had nearly forgotten. I was about to give you a demonstration of the product." Swiftly raising the weapon right at the centaur's head, he squeezed the trigger, and fired.



Secret Threshold stared in disbelief at the seemingly impossible before him, his iron-clad sense of manner and decorum, grilled into him by years of drill and practice being the only thing keeping him from openly gawking, and barely at that. The centaur had not been but ten feet in front of him, the metallic twang of the crossbow's immensely powerful drawstring still ringing in his ears; he had aimed right at the creature's face, a dead shot, impossible to miss. And yet, Vangar was not dead; the enchanted, magic-piercing bolt cast at the center of the creature's face faster than the eye could blink, rather than punching a hole straight through his head in an expected spray of blood and brain matter was instead somehow inexplicably, frustratingly, caught in the monster's hand, the quivering barb of the tip not an inch from his unseen nose. 

For the span of about three heart beats, both groups stared at each other.

"Well," Vangar sighed, his voice no longer gravely, but clear and strong, "Buck it."



Secret Threshold quickly overcame his shock and immediately racked the crossbow for another shot with the auto-assist, only for the weapon to be blasted out of his hooves in a bright burst of blue magic caused by a mana-charged arrow fired from long distance by an unseen archer.

At the same time, the top half of the centaur's body suddenly detached from its lower four legs, the torso leaping clear to land on two long legs that emerged from the bottom of its heavy cloak; the hood was thrown back to reveal none other than Celestia's pet monster, the human known as Flash Skies.

"Evenin'," he quipped, a mischievous grin on his face. He was instantly joined by his three companions, who took fighting positions: the large white earth pony, the black pegasus, and a particularly deranged looking white unicorn that the human had apparently been sitting on whose lower half appeared to have been painted black. "On behalf of their Majesties Princesses Celestia and Luna, I graciously accept your surrender, Secret Threshold."

Two more arrows streaked out of the distant darkness in quick succession, trailing beams of light, immediately wounding two of Threshold's ponies, the only other ones who had also been holding crossbows, just as they had begun to raise them; the two equines fell to the ground with cries of pain, arrows sticking out of their shoulders. The remaining mercenaries quickly leapt into action, spreading out rapidly as they raised various weapons with cries of alarm.

"KILL THEM!" Secret Threshold screamed while falling back into the crowd as his mercenaries surged forward.

"Guess we'll add resisting arrest to the charges?" Flash sighed while whipping off his cloak. He spun in a half circle, flinging the garment at a charging griffon with yellow feathers and wielding an axe with both claws, but not before giving the garment a powerful charge of static electricity so that it clung to its hapless victim like flypaper, the unfortunate fellow falling to the ground in a tangle of muffled screams and frustration.

Flash leapt back to gain space between him and the charging mercs, his disguised teammates following suit as he drew out the spear Shadowbane from behind his back, expanding the haft to its full size with an impulse of his will before igniting the enchanted spearhead in a blaze of white light brighter than the noonday sun.

Two more of the attacking group fell to the ground, a pegasus and an earth pony, covering their eyes in cries of pain, while the nine remaining, much to Flash's surprise, seemed to only flinch but kept charging. 

Well, that's certainly new, they're learning! Flash thought before shouting a warning to the others, "They got wards, spread out!" He quickly extinguished Shadowbane, realizing that it would be a pointless waste of energy at this point and instead blocked a slash from another griffon's talons with the spear's haft.

"Lumen! I need you to-"

"GAAAHHHHH!!!!"

Lumen Dawn screamed with manic fervor, charging wildly like a rabid badger at a pair of poor unicorns who immediately balked at the sight of the apparent mad pony coming at them with murder in his eyes, throwing up barriers in a desperate attempt to shield themselves from the veritable torrent of spells being launched at them by the demented battle mage.

"Shine! 死ね! SHINE!!! 死ね!!! SHINE!!!!! 死ね!!!!!" 

Flash never knew that his executive officer could speak Japonese, but he made a mental note to perform a welfare check on him later...much later. 

"Was this part of the plan, boss?!" Slipstream shouted as he took to the air, the pegasus loosing a bolt from his own crossbow at the other pegasus flying up to attack him; it dodged the shot and slashed with hoof blades, knocking the weapon from Slipstream's hooves. He extended his wing blades in response while moving to avoid a brown griffon with black head-feathers that was circling around to flank him.

"Plans change!" Flash shouted as he twisted away from another strike from the griffon's fast talons, "Goal's the same! Subdue these guys, catch Threshold before he gets away!"

Flash knew that was going to be easier said than done, reinforcements were still minutes out. Meanwhile, Sugar was tangling with another earth pony and a club-wielding diamond dog; and while Lumen seemed to be more than a match for his two unfortunate opponents currently scrambling to stay out his way, he was still held up. At the same time, his own opponent, a large red griffon with burnt orange plummage, wasn't exactly a pushover. He hit hard and was fast enough to keep up with him; Flash wouldn't bet on winning in a contest of pure strength with the lion bird. That, and the fact that his black talons were tipped with steel made the human suddenly feel very self-conscious of the fact that he was only wearing a light hauberk of black mail instead of his full armor which his previous disguise had not allowed.

Another long range arrow from Sharp Shot buzzed overhead and struck down one of the earth ponies he had blinded earlier as the poor sap began to stagger back to his hooves. This arrow had a blunted tip, but was charged with a stun-spell; Flash prided himself that his team was able to avoid bloodshed when possible; he hated having to hurt ponies. But at this point, bloodshed was becoming increasingly more likely if they wanted to catch Threshold before he escaped. The infamous pegasus had already reached the gang plank and was clambering to get aboard his ship as quickly as possible.

Flash hissed as one of the griffon's strikes glanced wide off of his weapon and clipped his shoulder, the harsh tug on his hauberk and the slight burning in his shoulder telling him that he'd been lightly wounded.

"Ha!" The griffon boasted, his voice holding a rough, coastal accent, "Is this the legendary human I've heard so much about? The terror of Equestria?! You're not so toug-ACK!"

Flash had feinted to his right as if stumbling, and when his opponent tried to capitalize on what he perceived to be an error, Flash had spun left with the force of a tornado, smashing Shadowbane's indestructible haft upside the bird's head and knocking him senseless. An immediate followup with a leaping knee to the underside of his chin put his opponent down for the count.

An avian shriek and the sound of tearing cloth told Flash that his earlier victim and finally freed himself from his blankety prison. Flash didn't even have to turn as the stunned squawk that followed a second later told him that another one of Sharp Shot's arrows had found its mark.

The sound of the airship's engines sputtering to life drew Flash's attention; he crouched down, preparing to sprint for it. "I'm going for the ship! Somepony go-OOOH!!!!"

His words were lost as a bright yellow envelope of magic suddenly surrounded him and yanked him backwards, right into the path of an oncoming bolt of green magic fired by one of the unicorns engaging Lumen Dawn. The glowing outline of Sunset Shimmer's cutie mark instantly flared to life on the human's forehead as the permanent protection charm placed on him by her when he was a child activated, causing the deadly bolt to deflect harmlessly off of a barrier of red magic that flickered momentarily visible at the point of impact.

"Lumen?! What the hay do you think you are doINNNG?!" Flash tried to ask before being flung back and forth as Lumen deflected more incoming bolts of magic, using the human's protected body as a shield while simultaneously firing back at his opponents. The normally prim and proper noble who would almost never so much as even break a smile out of place now cackled madly with the glee of an escaped lunatic who had been handed the keys to the asylum, 

"Ah! HA! REJOICE human! I have finally discovered a USE for you!!!"

"Lumen! Put me down! I am not your personal buckler! You can't just-"

"ThehumiliationsIhavesuffered!Havingtobesomepony'sflankforoveramonth!I'llmakeyouregretthefirsttimeyoueverevensomuchasjaywalked!SHIIINEEE!!!!

Trying not to feel sick from being jerked around like a marionette, Flash looked up to see Secret Threshold's airship slowly but steadily rising away from them; it was already 60 feet off the ground and climbing. At the same time, he saw Slipstream dart through the air between him and the ship, being tailed quickly by his pair of opponents, and was struck with inspiration, one that he hoped he wouldn't regret.

"LUMEN! THE AIRSHIP! THROW ME!"

Lumen Dawn cut down one of his opponents, causing the other to lose his nerve and run only to be violently struck in the back of the head with a particularly intense stun spell. He looked up at Flash, the crazed look on his face flickering with a second of genuine surprise before being replaced with a savage, bloodthirsty grin; the yellow magic enveloping his horn flared with shocking intensity,

I may not live to regret this... Was Flash's final thought before Lumen spun on his hooves a full 360 degrees, winding the human up like he was a hammer throw at the Equestria Games.

"SHINEEEEE!!!!!!!!"

Shine?! Flash's mind questioned before he was launched with explosive force face first towards the ascending airship at an absolutely eye-watering speed, his face rippling and his limbs trailing like ribbons; he was pretty sure a mach cone was forming in front of him.

Fortunately, it seemed that his crazed battle mage was still able to quickly read his intention, aiming him right at the other pegasus chasing Slipstream; a two for one. The pony didn't even have time to be surprised as Flash tucked and flipped, smashing into the side of his head with both feet and spring-boarding off of him, launching him up towards the ever ascending airship.

Sorry cousin, Flash relented with slight remorse while rocketing up towards the starboard edge of the ship. He condensed Shadowbane down to its reduced form, reaching out with an over handed grip and stabbing the spearhead into the side of the wooden hull right as he lost his upward momentum.

"Gah!" Flash gasped as he swung back and forth, nearly losing his hold on the spear. Gritting his teeth, he pulled himself up along the hull of the ship, reaching up with his left hand and managing to grab on to the edge of the deck. He barley had time to look up before somepony stabbed a vicious looking grey trident at his face, forcing him to fling up his left arm and catch it on his vambrace in a shower of sparks.

"Well I have to admit, you're just as tenacious as your famed reputation suggests human, but don't you know when it's time to call it quits?!" Secret Threshold laughed while thrusting forward with the weapon, almost pushing the human overboard. Flash grabbed the neck of the trident and yanked it towards himself, trying to pull it out of the crippled pony's grip; Threshold growled in surprise but held firm.

"Sorry, not part of the job description!" Flash yelled over the blowing wind. He grimaced as a white pegasus with a blue mane and tail charged at him with a wicked halberd. Thinking quickly, Flash managed to uncurl his forefinger from the trident and released a small burst of lightning at the other pony, the arcing energy knocking him off of his hooves. Secret Threshold responded by thrusting the weapon forward, knocking the human over the side so that he was hanging only by his right hand which clung desperately to the collapsed haft of his magical spear still embedded in the hull.

Flash hung on for dear life, the twisting air currents preventing him from reaching back up again. Secret Threshold appeared above him, a malevolent grin on his face,

"You know my strange friend, you and I both have something in common!" The pegasus shouted over the wind, raising the trident over his head. "We both come from the same tribe, and yet neither of us can fly!"

Thrusting at his face, Flash was forced to let go of his weapon, falling backwards through the air. Reaching out with his hand, he attempted to pull himself back up towards the hilt of his weapon by using the magnetic field that he had built up within it over time, only for it to yank lose from the hull and fly instead into his hand with a smack.

"Cheerio! Happy landings!" Secret Threshold shouted after him.

Flash twisted over as he plummeted towards the hard ground roughly 200ft below, too high for him to land without serious injury. Thinking quickly, he expanded Shadowbane's haft back to its full size with a movement of his will. With only 50ft left, he focused on the air around him; reaching out with his weather and flight magic, he channeled the power through the enchanted spear and with a mighty swing towards the ground, created a blast of wind that cushioned his fall so that he landed hard, but safely.

Slipstream landed next to him, a concerned look on his face. "Flash! Are you alright?" He asked.

Flash glowered up at the escaping airship, "I will be as soon as we bring down that ship!" Slipstream looked doubtfully up at the departing craft, 

"That's a long shot boss, even for you." 

Flash glanced at Shadowbane, knowing that the magnifying effects that the weapon afforded would easily allow him to hit the craft with a lightning bolt, but it would likely be too much. He needed to disable the ship, not obliterate it, and that called for range more than power. Mind racing, he grinned as an idea came to mind. Looking at his friend, he said, "Alright Slips, let's try the ol' 'alley-oop.'"

Slipstream sighed, "Alright, but remember what happened last time? I don't want the backlash to fry my feathers again."

Flash waved him off, "Ah don't worry, I've gotten better control since then!" Slipstream rolled his eyes but trotted casually into position behind his friend.

"So," Flash said, planting his spear in the ground and rolling his shoulders in preparation, "Did you take Natarra to that griffon restaurant I told you about? The one with all the meat selections? I figured it would be right up her ally."

"Yeah, not yet. She seems pretty shy about going out in public when she's away from the island." 

Flash locked both his hands together, pointing his fore and middle fingers up towards the airship as it sailed away, "Maybe you should take Rose with you? I mean, she seems to get along well with her, might make your marefriend feel a bit more relaxed?" Slipstream frowned,

"You really think Rose wants to casually hang out while she's grounded? Kind of an awkward situation to be in. How long are you going to leave her like that anyways?"

"I'm thinking about it," Flash said quietly after a few beats of silence. "I have to know I can trust her." Slipstream frowned at that, but let it go. The air hummed with power as the human drew deep upon his reserves, drawing the lightning his body naturally produced into one massive charge that he focused into the tips of his fingers.

Slipstream turned about, "Ready?"

"Ready!" Flash replied, "And...Now!"

Slipstream gave a gentle yet firm buck with his rear hooves into the middle of the human's back, the pegasus channeling his own weather magic through his hooves and into his friend as if he were kicking a charged thundercloud.

Flash felt the surge of power from his friend's hooves go through him, letting it hit the power he had built up in his fingertips like a billiard ball on a pool table, amplifying its current. With a brilliant flash and a crackling boom of thunder, an enormous lightning bolt erupted from his fingertips, arcing through the sky in an instant and striking the stern of the Nightingale with tremendous force. There was another burst of light as the energy blasted the ship, destroying both engines and slicing a large gash through its envelope, damaging several gas bags. The ship shuddered and lurched as it began to rapidly descend back towards the ground, trailing smoke and falling debris. 

"Hah! Bullseye!" Flash shouted with a swing of his fist, "Told you I'd get it!"

"Nice shot," Slipstream agreed, "Guess I get to keep my feathers after all."

"Hey, that was one time!"

"Comin' from the guy without wings to worry about, ya dodo." Slipstream muttered under his breath.

"I heard that!" Flash said, but he couldn't help but grin. After months of work and weeks of planning, they had finally bagged one of the most infamous and long running illegal smugglers in Equestria. It had been close; taken time, effort, and lots of bodies, but a major threat to civil stability who had been active for far too long was about to face Equestrian justice.



"What do you MEAN he's not here?!" Flash shouted at Sugar Rush, his hardened staff sergeant actually wincing slightly under the verbal onslaught. The temporary glamor charm that had changed the large earth pony's mane and coat black and  white had been removed, leaving him in his much more familiar brown and blue appearance. Sugar's ears splayed slightly, his dark red eyes glancing to one side,

"I'm sorry Kapitan, I will have the guard perform another sweep of the surrounding area." He said before saluting and stepping away at a brisk pace, shouting orders to some of the Royal Guard reinforcements that had arrived shortly after the Nightingale had been brought down. The ship was intact, though the hull had been badly cracked and its superstructure damaged by the impact of a relatively hard landing. Half a company's worth of ponies were now crawling all over it, searching its holds and securing any crew they discovered for questioning.

"Boss, you're bleeding!" Slipstream exclaimed, pointing to the trickle of blood dripping from under his right sleeve, but Flash ignored him, too upset to care about a scratch while months of work were crumbling before his eyes.

Flash clenched his fists in growing frustration, it didn't make any sense. "He couldn't have just vanished into thin air!" He grumbled out loud.

"Actually, he probably did," Lumen Dawn said trotting up behind him, his horn glowing with a low light, "I discovered trace  elements of a teleportation spell in and around the ship's bridge." Flash turned to the white unicorn, a glimmer of hope in his eyes,

"Can you trace it?" He hurriedly asked. Lumen frowned, appearing as if he swallowed something unpleasant.

"Unfortunately...No, sir. Whoever cast it knew what they were doing, and managed to thoroughly cover their tracks." He paused, tapping a hoof to his chin in thought, "That would take some doing," he murmured in thought before glaring up at Flash, "Not just any pony can conceal their spell prints from me."

Flash knew the proud pony only said that partly to assuage his own wounded pride, but he had to agree. Lumen, for all of his more insufferable flaws, was truly a superb mage. If he was actually admitting that he couldn't trace the spell, then whoever cast it was darn good, and careful.

Flash turned about in anger, the good mood he had earlier on what had seemed a total success now completely gone. He noticed the pegasus known as Cold Front sitting on an overturned crate and being tended to by two medics. It immediately struck him as odd that a pegasus, one who would have had plenty of time to escape a slowly crashing airship, was somehow captured still on board. He stomped over towards the pony, his temper fuming.

"You!" He accused at the pony who snapped his gaze to the approaching human, his blue mane held up by the bandages wrapped around his forehead. The two medics sprang aside as Flash grabbed onto the collar of the torn vest that the white pegasus was wearing, nearly yanking him up off the crate.

"Where is your master?! WHERE IS HE?!"

The pony whimpered in reply, tucking his forelimbs to his chest, "I...I don't know! I, I can't re-remember!" Flash gave the pony a rough shake,

"Cut the bullspit!" Flash snarled, "Don't give me that amnesia act, you were up there with him! You almost carved my face off up there, don't think I don't remember you!"

The pony seemed to be on the verge of tears, his mouth gaping open and closed like a fish out of water; something wasn't right. The confused, fearful look in the pony's ice-blue eyes were not the cold hard eyes of a hardened professional that Flash recalled seeing not twenty minutes earlier when this same pony was trying his utmost to put a halberd though his head. He seemed genuinely traumatized by something. Flash noticed the bloodstain on the pony's head dressing,

"Please sir! We're not done yet, he took a pretty serious knock to the head!" Said one of the medics, a light green mare with pleading brown eyes.

Why didn't he just fly away?! Flash thought angrily as he relented to the mare with an apologetic nod, the thought adding to his immediate frustration.

"Sir, we found the ship's wireless operator, he had this on him!"

Flash spun around as a pair of guards in gray steel armor approached him, a quivering young orange unicorn held between them. One of the guards held out a slip of paper which Flash immediately recognized to be a wireless printout. The technology was relatively new in Equestria, and by relatively new, bleeding edge. Only the wealthiest of ponies could afford this latest luxury of instant communication that didn't rely on magic, instead, transmitting messages by horse code using invisible electromagnetic waves. Operators for this technology were rare, and those with the knowledge to maintain such a set at peak performance, even rarer. Which meant this little unicorn who looked barely old enough to be out of primary school was probably not a hardened criminal, but an enthusiast who had likely just received his first big break in a field where few were hiring his types.

Flash's eyes widened as he saw the contents of the message, a cold pit forming in his gut. He glared at the unicorn who flinched under his gaze, "Where did you get this?! Who sent it to you?!" He demanded. The pony's lower lip trembled and for a second, Flash thought he would answer until he noticed the defiant glint mixed in with the fear clearly visible in the pony's light green eyes.

Dang, that's some loyalty little guy, Flash thought with begrudging admiration, About to wet himself in fear of the scary hooman, and yet won't sell out his boss. Threshold must have given the kid his first real job in something he loved, he mused, noticing the colt's yellow lightning bolt cutie mark. Despite his great alarm at the message's disturbing content and the mounting pressure of his growing frustration with the entire situation, Flash forced himself to smile,

"What's your name, my little pony?" He sighed while rubbing the bridge of his nose, trying to sound more gentle. The pony swallowed nervously,

"Sh-Short Wave, sir," he stuttered. Flash gave friendly smirk,

"Nice to meet you Short Wave, my name's Flash Skies. You must be a pretty smart colt to know how to operate a wireless set at such a young age."

The pony gave a small, bashful nod and seemed to stop shaking as much. Flash waved the slip of paper,

"Personally, I don't know a whole lot about this fancy new tech, but tell me, in your professional opinion, is it even possible to know where a transmission originates from?"

Short Wave was silent for a moment his eyes flicking back and for in indecision before looking up and meeting Flash's eyes. "M-maybe, with the right equipment, yeah. I actually had a theory on how to do it that I've been working on, but I haven't been able to test it because no pony was really interested in helping with it."

Flash smiled as the watched the pony become a little more bold when speaking about his passion, "Dang, you really are a smart one if you're thinking up stuff like that on your own!" He said, actually getting a small smile from Short Wave in response. "Well," Flash began, standing up straight and waving the telegram at the two guards, "These big tough guards will probably just want to throw you in a cold cell with the rest of those scary looking mercs we just bagged." The color drained from Short Wave's face.

"But personally, I think that'd just be a waste of some great talent. You see, I have all this new fancy tech back at my headquarters that we're trying to get up and running for the longest time, best that money can buy! But we just can't seem to get it to work right all the time. In fact, I've been searching all over for somepony who might just be smart and skilled enough to help us with that, I think you might just be that pony. Whaddya say, can you help us out?"

Short Wave's mouth hung open, clearly shocked at his sudden turn of fortune. It was obvious that he found the idea of having a job where he could work to his heart's content on all of his dreams far more appealing than going to prison. He hung his head in shame,

"I, I never wanted to be a bad pony, mister. I, I just wanted to be able to work, that's all. But nopony would ever hire me, except Mr. Threshold that is. I didn't realize what he did until it was too late to say no. I'm, I'm sorry..."

Flash noticed his team mate Sharp Shot come up next to him out of the corner of his eye, the little tan unicorn's blue eyes scrutinizing the scene before him. Flash nodded to the two guards who took a step back, giving the Short Wave some space; he then reached down to playfully ruffle the little pony's brown mane, "I don't think you're a bad pony Short Wave, and sometimes we can get caught up with the wrong crowd." He said while getting down on one knee. Short Wave looked up at him, a mix of fear and gratitude in his shimmering eyes. Flash held up the telegram, "But please, these are bad ponies, and if we don't stop them, they're going to hurt a lot of good folk. Please, can you help me to stop that from happening?"

Short Wave glanced at the message and shook his head, "I don't know where Mister Threshold went, and I don't who sent that message sir, honest I don't! It came in as soon as we landed on a broadband frequency, meaning any pony listening would have gotten it too."

So we're back to square one, Flash groaned internally.

"But, if you give me time, and if I can bring back some of my equipment from the ship, then, then I might be able to help figure out where the transmission originated from!" Flash raised an eyebrow,

"How close, can you give me a number?" He asked, praying that it would at least be a general direction of some sort. Short Wave frowned in thought, clearly running through some mental calculations that Flash knew he could never understand,

"I dunno, maybe the building it originated from? Sorry, I wish I could do better, but all I would have for now is the wave length to work with. It would be a lot easier if I could get access to the serial number records at the Hall of Inventions, all the new wireless sets produced have to have them, and there aren't that many. Then I could probably find not only the machine, but who it was that even sent it!"

Flash had to make a serious effort to not bear hug the little guy in gratitude right then and there. "Sharps?" He asked, the unicorn snapping his gaze up to him, "Take our new friend here back to headquarters and show him the ropes, make sure he has everything he needs to do his work. And keep him safe, he's a good pony."

Sharp Shot saluted sharply before looking at Short Wave, the mute pony tapping a quick, 'Let's go,' in horse code on his black breast plate with his hoof. Short Wave looked practically in awe at the revelation that he had just happened to meet another pony who actually spoke his language. He hurriedly followed after Sharps, almost prancing with joy, his previous fear gone; jabbering energetically to Sharp Shot about how excited he was to meet him and all the ideas he had, but not before casting a look of deep gratitude over his shoulder at Flash as they walked away. Flash smiled back and gave him nod,

I think Sharps just made a new friend, he smirked to himself; few ever really felt comfortable around the enigmatic little specialist save him and his teammates. He sighed with some relief, Well, thank God this whole night won't be a-

"Total loss? Is that what I'm hearing Captain Skies?" Came the haughty, billowing tone of the one pony he had been hoping not to see tonight. Flash sighed inwardly,

"General Iron Shod," He said while turning and rendering a salute to the beechwood colored earth pony with a proud salt and pepper handlebar moustache. The old general was sporting a long, dark green greatcoat and field cap, a corncob pipe was clenched between his teeth. The pony returned his salute, a disappointed look in his grey eyes.

"You told me this was going to be a breakthrough operation my young friend," he said looking dismissively as his soldiers escorted away Secret Threshold's hired thugs, "If I merely wanted to incarcerate a group of no-good scraggly mercenaries, I could have raided Kludgetown again." He said, taking a draw on his pipe, puffing a small cloud of sweet smelling smoke. "I backed this operation as a favor to the Princesses, one last investment of political capital spent on my peers before retiring. I expected something better than," he paused, taking another disappointed look at the wrecked airship, smirking, "Whatever this was." He said with a waving gesture of his pipe. "Maybe if you'd attended a few more of my lectures while in the academy and spent less time haunting Carillion Lance's salle, you'd have had more appreciation for the finer points of a properly executed encirclement? Care to explain why you jumped the fence early and didn't wait for my reinforcements?"

Flash grit his teeth, biting back the retort he wanted to snap back at the pompous pony. True, he was technically not under Iron Shod's chain of command, answering only to the Princesses themselves and could right properly tell the old general to stick it where Celestia's sun didn't shine if he wanted to. But at the same time, he knew that it would reflect poorly on himself and his teammates. After all, Celestia was trying to get him to play nice with others, even if old schoolers like Iron Shod were so set in their ways that a petrified tree seemed more modern. Ponies in the officer corps like Iron Shod had long been opposed to Flash's team of specialists from the very start and never wasted an opportunity to loudly voice that disapproval and in some cases, even go so far as to thwart his efforts within the rest of the Royal Guard.

By taking Celestia's suggestion to incorporate some of the more traditional elements of the Guard into the final phase of this particular mission, he had hoped that they would see the merits of working together for future operations; and perhaps even salve some of the bruised egos that had resulted from the meteoric rise in fame and success that Flash's team had until now enjoyed.

Flash cleared his throat, "Respectfully, sir, I didn't go early in an attempt to cut you or your brave ponies out of the operation. Our cover was somehow blown right when we made contact with the target," he said, allowing the general to see the telegram in his hand.

"Hmph," Iron Shod scoffed after looking at the message. "Well then, it seems the answer is obvious. You have a leak in your house, Captain Skies."

Flash felt his temper spike again, a vein throbbing on his temple. Lumen Dawn and Slipstream, who had moments ago stepped up next to Flash as he and the general spoke, also bristled at the insinuation. Flash nearly threw the accusation right back at the smug officer, but held back because in reality, that same dreaded suspicion had been steadily growing in the back of his mind ever since he first saw the telegram.

Absolutely no pony outside of his own teammates and the Princesses themselves knew about the nature of this mission, so vital was the secrecy of his false persona; the only exception being Iron Shod himself. Even his own mother didn't know and they were able to read each other's minds! And as much as Flash disliked the old steam engine and his prehistoric methods, he knew that Iron Shod was unquestionably loyal to Equestria and would never compromise a mission or the safety of good soldiers just to make the human look bad. This pony would bleed to keep the sun rising in the morning. Flash knew it, and so did Iron Shod. So who could it be?

Flash knew Lumen Dawn personally hated him, but he would never compromise the team, even if only for the sake of his own code of honor as a noble as well as his own personal success. Slipstream was one of his oldest friends, and Sharp Shot and Sugar Rush were some of the most trustworthy ponies he had ever met. That left only one pony who could have possibly leaked the info. The one, very unhappy bat whom he had grounded and left riding a desk back at headquarters. And she was the only one who had, in fact, already deceived him once.

Rose Dust, Flash thought with a grimace. He didn't want to suspect the thestral, but logic and prudence demanded that he list her as a prime suspect for the time being until they figured out what actually happened.

Iron Shod removed the pipe from his mouth, "Perhaps you and your team of 'specialists' should withdraw for now, Captain Skies; leave it to me. I'll assume command of the continuing investigation into Secret Threshold's whereabouts through the more, traditional channels of operations. It seems your unconventional methods have proved inadequate for now, I suggest you return to base to regroup and reassess your strategy. I'll be sure to send you updates on our progress."

An audible crack was heard as Flash clenched his fist. He took a deep breath and slowly released it, remembering the techniques Princess Cadance had taught him for controlling his temper ever since he was a foal. "That's a generous offer, sir. But this is still my operation, my mission, not yours, and I will continue to run it as I see fit."

Iron Shod let out a disappointed sigh, but instead of getting indignant as Flash expected him to, he simply smiled as only an officer watching a rival's command blow an inspection could. "You're absolutely right son, this isn't my operation. This isn't my command, this isn't my mission, and this most certainly isn't my leak. 

"I am here, by request of the princesses, to offer my experience in an advisory position as a senior officer. I have done so, and as it seems, am firmly rebuffed. Therefore by your own insistence this is entirely your engagement, your mission, and your very great honor to present the results to the Princesses and Attorney General Ivory Scales. He really was looking forward to meeting Mr. Threshold..."

Flash wasn't sure which was worse, the fact that he was being made to feel like a scolded school-colt, or, as much as he hated to admit it, that he knew, deep down, that the General was right. This was his mess, whether it was his fault or not. For now, maybe the best thing to do was to return to headquarters, lick their wounds, and figure out what in Tartarus was going on. Swallowing his pride, he met the General's eyes,

"Perhaps you're right, sir. I'm going to return to Canterlot for now, please inform me of any new developments," he said while rendering a salute; his shoulder twinged.

A twinkle of delight seemed to go through Iron Shod's eyes, "There's a good lad," he said while returning his salute. "I'll be sure to do my best to see that not all of your hard work goes to waste, son. And see to that shoulder Captain! I'd hate to see one of our best and brightest sidelined by youthful stubbornness."

Flash nodded and turned, forcing himself not to scowl at the impressive amount of criticism and backhoofed praise that the old stallion had managed to cram into one sentence. Lumen Dawn and Slipstream followed him.

"Boss, you don't really think Rose, I mean, she would never..."

"I don't know Slips," Flash darkly admitted, "But I'm sure as hell going to find out." He idly wondered how a word from earth had randomly slipped into his lexicon, but pushed the thought aside as he focused on the much more important and unpleasant business ahead of him. The night was deepening, and the way forward, dark.
> More Questions than Answers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

One Month Earlier.

The piercing shriek of the monstrous Tatzlwurm echoed off the canyon walls, its enraged thrashing causing enormous boulders and pieces of shale to break off the sides of the cliffs and crash into the gorge below. Flash leapt clear of one crashing rock with a burst of speed, jumping with light feet from rock to rock as he continued to draw the creature's attention to him and away from the village.

"Hey! Ugly! Over here! What's the matter, lose your appetite?!"

The beast roared in reply, surging it's enormous snake-like body forward, it's gruesome, petal like jaws yawning open to reveal the dark pit of insatiable hunger that was its gaping throat from which lashing tentacles reached forth, searching and grasping like writhing snakes as it attempted to pursue it's nimble quarry through the narrow canyon. Flash had hoped that the confining space of the gorge would help them to trap the monster, allowing him to finish it off with Shadowbane. But much to his surprise, not even the Alicorn forged spear could fully pierce its magic-proof scales, leaving only a few shallow marks at best. From then on, he continued to lead it away from the pony village while he and his team devised a way to destroy it.

A surge of momentary panic raced through Flash's chest as he felt one of the creature's mouth-tentacles wrap around his calf like a whip. Not losing a second, he turned to slice off the appendage with a swing of his spear, only to be beaten to the punch by Rose Dust, the whitish gray thestral shooting by in a blur of wings and black armor. The monster screamed in renewed pain and anger.

"Hey, I had it!" Flash shouted to her, "But thanks!" Leaping away a good fifty feet through the air backwards, he pointed the tip of Shadowbane at the great beast and focusing hard, unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning, the enchanted spear amplifying his power multiple times over. The blast caught the worm under its head, violently knocking it back with a shriek as if struck by a gigantic club. It fell to the ground with a rock splitting crash and began to rise again only for it to be driven back down under a cascade of rocks and boulders kicked loose by Sugar Rush, the powerful earth pony looking down at Flash from above; he looked worried.

"That won't hold him for long!" Slipstream shouted to his friend as he landed next to him on the small platform of rock where the human had paused to rest. "Got any more bright ideas boss?"

Flash panted, leaning on his spear, "I don't know how many more of those I got left!" He said, referring to his lightning, but smirked when he realized the double meaning he unintentionally created. He had hit the monster several times with lightning blasts in the course of the last twenty minutes, leaving scorch marks on its building-sized body, but nothing more. 'Only two shots left at best...' He thought inwardly, mind racing.

A bright burst of yellow magic deposited Lumen Dawn at the human's side, "We can't stop this thing Flash! We've hit it with everything we've got!" the unicorn angrily shouted, casting a frustrated look at the pile of rocks that was already beginning to shift and move, the worm roaring with increasing rage. Rose Dust landed a second later,

"Well, we've certainly made it mad, maybe it would just stop and go away if we said we were sorry?" She sheepishly suggested; Flash couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

"To Tartarus with that!" Flash angrily shouted, "That thing's killed five ponies in the past two months, it's a dead worm!"

"And how would you like to do that?" Lumen practically spat. Flash's mind raced for a moment, he looked at his spear and was suddenly struck with inspiration. He took a breath,

"SHARPS! I NEED YOU TO MAKE IT MAD AT ME!" He screamed, his voice echoing down the canyon walls. A blue flicker of light appeared about a hundred feet above and behind him on a ledge, the small unicorn nodded to him, notching an arrow at the ready in his ethereal bow of blue mana.

"Wait, what do you mean make it mad?!" Slipstream shouted over the sounds of crashing rocks as the worm continued to free itself, "That thing's already peeved to Tartarus and back!"

"Just what are you planning, sir?" Rose Dust added in alarm.

"I'm gonna get it to charge me," Flash replied. "Look, we can't kill it from without, so I'm going to let it come right at me, and when it opens its idiot mouth to get me, I'm gonna lob Shadowbane right down it's throat as hard as I can! If I hit just behind the roof of its throat, it'll pierce its puny brain and finish it!"

"That's insane sir! If you miss you'll be worm food!" Rose Dust shouted.

"I won't miss," Flash said, his eyes narrowing, confident in Celestia's words that if the weapon was cast with just intent, it would be difficult to miss his intended target. Rose Dust sprang in front of him, crouched low with her wings spread,

"I won't allow that!" Flash looked at her with surprise,

"Excuse you?" He asked before feeling his jaw drop as she stood up and pulled something out from behind her breastplate. There dangling from a thin metal chain in the thestral's hoof hung a silver lunar crest. It was a medal of power that he and the others instantly recognized as a symbol of supreme authority given only to ponies of the night guard when tasked with personal missions of the upmost importance; in short, she was speaking with the authority of Princess Luna herself.

"Captain Flash Skies, I order you and the rest of the team to fall back! You will not go through with this reckless plan!" Flash could see a combination of fear, sadness, and anxiety in her pink eyes, but all wreathed in an aura of unwavering determination. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, the rest of the team uttering audible gasps at the revelation showing that they shared his surprise.

"Rose, I, when did you, WHAT are yo-Get out of my way!"

"I can't do that sir!"

"Hey, get off me!"

"Just fall back for now, I'll explain everything later!"

"You're jeopardizing the mission Rose!"

"You are my mission sir!"

"LOOK OUT!" Slipstream suddenly screamed as the tatzlwurm burst free in an explosive shower of rocks and debris, most of which came shooting towards them. Lumen immediately sent out a powerful shockwave of yellow magic, diverting the worst of it away from the group, the unicorn staggering at the enormous cost of the sudden spell. 

The beast roared, turning the ire of its gaze on the tiny team, only for a speeding arrow to embed itself in one of the beady black eyes that sat atop its towering head. Pony ears folded flat to their owners' heads as the subsequent shriek of agony uttered by the behemoth split the very rocks asunder.

The enraged worm struck like a snake, its gaping maw blotting out the entire sky from Flash's vision.

"MOVE!" He screamed, shoving Rose Dust into Lumen Dawn, knocking them both clear while Slipstream instinctively shot straight up and out of the way of the rampaging monster's attack.

There was a deafening crash, and Rose Dust found herself tumbling through the air, feeling the sting from dozens of small sharp pieces of flying shale as they struck her wings. She saw the tatzlwurm rear up out of the explosion of rock and dust, its head thrashing from side to side as it wailed in agony. It slammed itself into one side of the canyon, headbutting the cliff face several times with crazed energy. It lifted its head up with a final howl towards the evening sky before collapsing to one side like a felled tree, crushing the very ground beneath it in its ruin. It twitched once, and all was still.

Rose Dust sprang to her hooves, coughing all the while on the cloud of dust kicked up by the impact. Other than the odd noise of a few stones still falling to rest, everything was still; a stark contrast to the noise and chaos that had punctuated the air only moments ago. She took to the air, her eyes frantically searching the area around the fallen tatzlwurm.

"Flash! Flash! Where are you! Can anypony see him?!" She heard angry muttering as Lumen Dawn shoved aside a huge bolder that had nearly flattened him. Slipstream flew up next to her, and all three ponies' eyes met for a second before they turned as one and raced for the tatzlwurm's head. Sugar Rush slid down the side of the canyon and galloped to join them while Sharp Shot appeared in a burst of blue magic at the spot they were all heading to.

Rose Dust gasped as they rounded the bend of the creature's neck, sliding to a stop and pointing to the spear tip that was sprouting from the top of the worm's head, a pool of blood forming on the ground beneath it.

"Look, there!" She shouted.

"Flash?!" Slipstream called.

"Kapitan!"

"Stop gawping and get its stinking mouth open you morons!" Lumen Dawn shouted angrily. As one, the five ponies pulled open the three massive jaws of the slain beast, ignoring the stench as they desperately searched for any sign of their leader, of which they found none. Rose Dust felt her heart sink into her stomach,

"Where, where is he?" She quietly gasped, feeling like she couldn't breathe.

"You don't think he-" Slipstream gulped nervously, unable to finish his sentence. Sharp Shot snorted in irritation, lighting his horn and stepping up towards the massive throat as if to jump in,

"Ah! Hold on malen'kiy!" Sugar Rush exclaimed, grabbing hold of the small unicorn with a massive hoof, "We don't even know if-"

A sudden commotion of noise caught the ponies' attention. They looked at each other before racing down the length of the tatzlwurm's body, skidding to a halt at what they saw. There on his hands and knees, covered in a slimy mixture of blood, bile, and Celestia only knew what else, sat their leader. The side of the monster had been sliced open from the inside, its scales parting like some gruesome zipper which had allowed the contents of its guts to spill out. A bone-white dagger shaped from an elder dragon's fang that he had received as a gift from Queen Diomedia, was desperately clutched in one of the human's trembling hands.

Rose Dust felt her heart soar with relief at the unpleasant sight, "Flash! Sir! Are you alright?! Are you-" Her words caught in her throat at the look of pure rage the human gave her as he lifted his head, breathing hard through clenched teeth. He slowly rose to his feet.

"Corporal Rose Marie Dust," he calmly said, wiping his face with his free hand and spitting to one side. Rose Dust's ears slowly wilted as every pony took a slow step back from the pair,

"I believe you have some explaining to do..."



Flash stumbled slightly as the elevator jolted to a halt, the doors parting with a chime allowing him and Slipstream to step off into their subterranean headquarters beneath Canterhorn Castle. Construction on the new base of operations for the Black Guard had finally been finished only weeks earlier, and the smell of fresh paint, drywall and wood still clung to the air, mixing with the cool earthy smell of the underground tunnels into which a the bustling network of rooms, offices, and other facilities had been built.

It was still relatively early in the morning, and various staff ponies were still arriving for the day, some of then pausing to greet the pair of soldiers as they made their way down the hall. Flash nodded and smiled at them curtly, even though he felt utterly exhausted. The train ride back to Canterlot had taken all night, and during the trip he had only managed to catch a few winks of very restless sleep. He had dismissed the rest of the team to go get some rest, with plans to reconvene later that afternoon for a full debrief and assessment of the situation. Slipstream had chosen to remain at his side for the moment, the pegasus casting a worried look to his longtime friend.

"You feeling alright Flash? You look terrible, I mean, more so than you usually do," He lightheartedly joked.

Flash smirked in appreciation at the attempt to lift his spirits, but truth be told, he felt terrible, and not just emotionally. His shoulder was burning something fierce, their portable medkit being fresh out of any healing crystals of which they had been unable to resupply before setting out. It seemed that even a special department with the favor of the Crown itself was not immune from the joys of dealing with the Military Supply Office and their tedious bureaucracy; he had had to settle for a standard field dressing and ointment, of which he was fairly sure he'd done a poor job with. He knew he could have asked Lumen for a tertiary healing spell, but wanted to leave the poor unicorn be for now; the pony looked completely drained after they boarded the train, though he did a good job of hiding it.

"Yeah Slips, I'll be alright. Just not looking forward to what comes next is all."

"I hear ya boss, you want me to stand by? You know, emotional support?" He shyly suggested.

Flash gave him a tired smile, "No, I want you to go get some rest. We got a long day yet."

"Yeah? What about you? When do you get some rest? Or do big scary humans not need as much sleep as us little ponies?"

"Hey, I'm half pony."

"Clearly your better half."

"Yeah, love you too bud."

Slipstream chuckled and paused walking to look up at his friend, "All I'm saying is  to take care of yourself, yeah? You're not invincible, and we only got one of ya." Flash stopped walking as well, sighing,

"Yeah I know, I got it. Thanks Slips." He said with genuine gratitude. Slipstream gave him a sad smile,

"Just go easy on her, yeah? We don't know what's going on yet, and I'd bet my left wing that she'd never betray us." He said with a yawn, covering his mouth with a wing. "Alright boss, go earn your boss pay. Imma go catch a few winks, see ya this afternoon."

Flash watched him go while pondering the message he could sense behind his friend's words, it was the same message that Celestia, Ella, his mother, and all others who cared about him had been gently reminding him of for some time. He knew they were right, but he still didn't know how to accept it.



Rose Dust looked up from the paperwork on her desk at the noise at her door, gasping softly as she caught sight of Flash. Her heart ached at his somewhat haggard appearance, but not so much as the ache she still felt from deceiving him. He motioned with his head towards his office further down the hall and kept walking. Pushing back from her desk with a sigh, she resigned herself to whatever new questions he had for her, or worse, that he might finally dismiss her after all. As much as it hurt to be sidelined from the team she loved, she held a glimmer of hope when Flash had not fired her outright after learning of her true mission. A hope that he might soon come to an understanding of why she did what she did and put all of this behind them.

Flash was already sitting behind his desk, fiddling with a new medkit when Rose stepped into the room, closed the door, and stood at attention, waiting for him to acknowledge her. Flash looked up for a moment to consider her, the cluttered mix of emotions in his heart he felt towards her: anger, sadness, sympathy, frustration, and the lingering affection he still held for her was making it difficult for him to even know how to begin. He took stock of her appearance; she was wearing their unique black uniform, her indigo mane was tied back in a tight, military regulation bun, and her whitish-grey coat was immaculately groomed and glossy. But he also noticed the dark circles that had begun to form under her glittering pink eyes, a rarity among thestrals, showing that she had still not fully committed to the option he had given her to work nights or days in consideration of her nocturnal nature. In the end, he decided to go casual, in acknowledgement of happier times with her.

"At ease, soldier," he said, still fumbling with the wax seal on the fresh kit. "I'm guessing without me saying that it's pretty easy for you to tell how this operation went?" Rose Dust smiled sadly,

"Well, seeing as I didn't hear Slipstream's usual victory chant when you two came in, I'm guessing, not good, sir."

Flash shook his head, "No, not good at all." He looked up at her, looking hard at her eyes while subtly reaching out his magnetic field; feeling, searching. "Do you know why that is Rose?" Her heartbeat was steady, and her eyes never wavered. She shook her head,

"Tell me." 

Without answering, Flash reached into the breast pocket of his now tattered black uniform blouse, pulling out the slightly worn telegram and sliding it across the desk to her. Curious, she opened the telegram, her eyes widening in horrified comprehension at the message's obvious implication, one that said: 'Who else knew, but her?'

"Sir, I know how this must look,"

"And how does it look?"

"Terrible, I know, but, you've got to believe me when I tell you that I had nothing to do with this!"

Flash frowned, "You want me to believe you now? Sort of like how I believed you before?"

"Don't go there, sir, please, I was just doing my job." She huffed, her voice breaking slightly. Flash felt his jaw clench at her pain, but kept pushing, he needed to know.

"And I'm doing mine. Be logical Rose, what choice do I have? What would you do if you were in my position and I in yours? This isn't personal."

She slammed both hooves down on his desk, "Do you really believe that I would betray you and the boys?!" She shouted, before recoiling in shock at her outburst and backing down, "I'm, I'm sorry, sir."

Flash looked at her hard for another moment before relenting with a sigh, "No, Rose. Despite my personal disappointment with you, no. I never thought you would actually betray us, especially not to some scum like Threshold." He said, noticing her visibly relax, but the hurt was still present in her eyes. "But understand how this looks. I'm not the only one who noticed, I'm sure internal affairs will be looking into this soon, and I can't guarantee that I will be able protect you completely. All I'm saying is to be ready for whatever comes."

She nodded sadly, "I understand, sir." She said, staring down at the floor in silence.

Flash leaned forward, resting his forehead on one hand. He hated seeing her this way, but hated even more the fact that he couldn't completely trust her. Why would you do this to me Luna? He thought for the millionth time before wiping his eyes, "That's all I wanted to say to you Rose, you're dismissed."

She nodded and turned to leave but stopped mid-step. She turned to look at him, her nostrils flaring, "Your blood smells wrong sir, mind if I take a look?" Flash sighed and gave a weary gesture, telling her to approach. He leaned back in his chair, looking away as she swiped the medkit from him and reared up on her hind legs, propping herself up on his shoulder.

"Looks like you did a typical job sir, you were never good at patching yourself up," she said, setting the kit to one side with her mouth.

"Details," he muttered. She paused for a moment, her muzzle scrunched in thought.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Have you ever needed that in the past, Rose?" He said with a tired chuckle. She smirked at that,

"It wasn't all a lie, Flash. I really did enjoy working under you, I believed in what you were trying to do, and still do. I can't think of anypony better qualified, you really are gifted."

Flash smiled at her, "Gee thanks, but now I'm waiting for the other hoof to drop." She leveled a bemused glare at him, a hint of annoyance and mischief in her eyes. She suddenly gripped the short sleeve of his dress blouse,

"But you're also hot-headed," she roughly tore his sleeve.

"Hey!"

"And impulsive," she tied a fast knot behind his shoulder with the two halves.

"What are you...that was my favorite blouse!"

"Think you're invincible," she said while tearing off the old dressing with her teeth.

"OW!" He shouted, involuntarily moving to stand only to be shoved back down into his seat by the strong bat pony.

"And can't seem to accept when others genuinely worry about you," she finished, drawing his gaze with her eyes to the front of his shoulder where the griffon's iron-tipped claws had ripped through his mail, leaving a short, but nasty looking tear in his flesh. The area around the wound was now inflamed, and the blood appeared unnaturally dark, a clear indication of poisoning of some kind.

"Ah horsefeathers," Flash groaned, "I thought that griffon might have-OW!" He shouted as Rose Dust suddenly sank her  sharp fangs into his shoulder.

"WHOA! SONNOFA-" She growled at him when he attempted to move, tightening her grip around his neck and shoulder, so he held still. "Rose! What do you think you're...oh...ahh..." He relaxed in her embrace as a cooling numbness spread through his shoulder, bringing with it blessed relief. After a few more moments, she detached from him and spat a mouthful of blackened blood into the metal wastebasket at the side of his desk.

"Bleh, 'cursed nightshade,'" she said while shaking her head in distaste. "Nasty stuff, that guy must have really wanted you dead. You're lucky to be still breathing after having it in you for so long, guess you can thank Sunset for that." Rose remarked with a frown.

Flash felt as if a heavy weight had suddenly been lifted off of his shoulders, realizing that the fatigue that had been feeling for the last several hours was not simply due to a lack of sleep, but from Sunset Shimmer's protection charm actively pulling hard on his energy, keeping the cursed poison isolated to his shoulder and thus, keeping him alive. The inflammation around his shoulder had disappeared, and the flesh appeared pink and healthy once more.

Rose Dust finished by pulling a healing crystal from the now opened med kit and applying it to the wound, the glowing violet gem flaring brightly as the prearranged spell worked its magic, the flesh knitting together until it was whole once more, though a dull scar remained, adding to the tapestry of scars that already covered his body. Flash moved his arm experimentally, it felt as good as new, though still a bit sore. Rose Dust tossed the used gem into the kit and threw the old bandages into the can before looking up at him with an expectant look.

"Alright, alright, I hear you Rose, thank you for your honest assessment." He grumbled.

"And?"

"And for patching me up."

"And?"

"And, don't push it, okay?!" He said in annoyance, scowling at her which she returned, though a small smirk curled one side of her mouth. After a tense moment, he gave her a small nod, telling her, if begrudgingly, that he could see her point. She gave a small, satisfied smile,

"Good," she said with a nod. "Will that be all, sir?"

"Yes Rose, thanks again."

She turned and opened the door to leave but paused a moment, "One last thing, sir."

"Mmm?" She looked back at him,

"I can understand if you think you need to punish me, but please, don't punish her, not any more. She's lived with punishment enough." And without waiting for his response, she exited his office, closing the door behind her.

Flash sat quietly for several minutes, pondering what she said, weighing the valid points she made against his own thoughts on the matter, but still unable to overcome the feelings of hurt and betrayal, even if they came from good intentions. With no one else around, he reached out to the one person he knew he could always talk to, one he sensed had been quietly observing everything that just happened as well as all other recent events.

Are you there, mom? He thought, and felt her instantly broadening their connection, her presence feeling like a warm hug after coming in from the cold.

For you my love, always. Bright Skies replied. Flash could feel her own concerns fluttering about in the background, but she purposely kept them there out of a desire to see to his first.

Did you get all that? He asked. She was silent for a few moments as he allowed her to examine everything in his mind and heart at the speed of thought, grateful for the unique gift of having someone who could instantly know his true thoughts and feelings with no chance of being misrepresented or taken out of context.

What do you think, could I have handled that better? He could feel her face scrunch slightly as she mulled everything over before responding.

I think...that you're doing the best you can my dear.

He chuckled mentally, A typical 'mom' answer, but you didn't answer my question. There was a flicker of amusement and affection,

There are many ways you could have gone with her Flash, but in the end, I think you were fair. But I must say, she did make some valid points. You are still very reluctant to let others care at times, my love. Flash frowned,

I know, I know! But, caring still doesn't justify going behind somepony's back! I'm tired of being treated like I'm still a foal! He flared mentally, driving to the point that had been dividing his heart for the last month. She flinched slightly at his pain, but came back in a wave of soothing sympathy.

I know Flash. I think it was a mistake for Luna to go behind your back like that with something as close to you as your team, but friends sometimes make mistakes, and when they do, we should forgive them.

She's not exactly sorry for what she did, Flash harrumphed, crossing his arms, Seemed to make it very clear to me that she would do it again in a heartbeat.

She loves you lots.

Yeah, I know. I love her too. He frowned, Why do mares always have to be so clingy?" He felt her mind light up with laughter,

Well, maybe because we think you're just so irresistibly cute, she quipped; he could sense her sticking her tongue out at him.

Ew, gross mom. She giggled,

But maybe it's because you are somewhat special, Flash. You've made a huge impact on Equestria and on a lot of ponies who just happen to be very important. Just try to understand how Luna, how all of us feel about you.

Flash nodded, pausing for a beat before summoning the courage to ask, Speaking of said princess, how is she?

Miserable, but otherwise fine. She really misses you, you know?

Yeah...but she seems to like you a lot. How's the whole dream thing going? He sensed her looking at the lunar locket hanging around her neck, the artifact that allowed her the same power as the Princess, to enter another pony's dreams.

It's actually quite thrilling. Princess Luna told me that she thinks I'm one of the best dream walkers she's ever trained, even though it's been, you know, over a thousand years. Though I must say, the nocturnal schedule took some getting used to.

Great grandpa Night Wing would be proud, Flash grinned, referring to the thestral in their family tree.

Mmm, speaking of family, Ella wonders if your'e coming home tonight, she misses you.

Flash lit up at the mention of his wife, Yes! Please tell her I'll be home as soon as I can. You know, right after I figure out who's trying to kill us and destroy all of Equestria? No biggie. He felt his mother embrace him mentally, a phantom kiss tickling his cheek.

I'll tell her, just don't take too long. I'm very proud of you, Flash. Remember that.

Thanks mom, I love you too. He replied, embracing her back. With that, he felt their connection narrow as she left him alone in his own mind once again; the feeling of her departing always left him feeling a little cold and empty.

Flash shuddered, glancing up at the clock on his wall, it was just past eight in the morning. He looked at the mountain of reports in his inbox and groaned. Gritting his teeth he reached over to the intercom on his desk and flicked the switch,

"Rose, tell the rest of the team that we're meeting in the conference room at 1300 hours. We're going to figure out who the stinking rat is who's trying to sink us, and we're going to bury the lousy bum under the jail we throw him in!"

"You got it boss," Her voice crackled through a moment later; he could hear the feral grin on her face.

"And would you be a saint and bring me some coffee? I'm dying here."

"I'll send the whole cafe."

Flash smiled, flicking off the speaker. I just hope Ella is having a better day than I am, he mused before getting back to work.



Ella replaced the quill she had been writing with in its stand, leaning back in her chair and stretching both hands together high above her head. A glance out of her office window on the first floor of Ponyville General told her, based on the position of the sun, that it was nearly noon. A pile of medical records still remained to be sorted, the latest batch evalutations from the many young children still actively applying to attend the new School of Friendship that Twilight and her friends were opening next fall. It still struck her as an almost silly idea, that an entire school could be devoted to the concept of friendship. But in a world where there existed multiple species of magical creatures and where friendship was more than just a relationship, but an actual force of the very nature of reality, she guessed it made total sense.

She caught sight of her reflection in the picture frame on her desk which held a picture of her and Flash on their wedding day surrounded by her new friends. The glass reflected her old, pre-transformed reflection back at her thanks to the red-framed rectangular glasses she was wearing that Twilight had worked a glamor charm on for her. So long as she wore them, they would conceal her slitted eyes and small fangs, making her look just like she did when she was back on earth, which was a handy thing to have whenever she would occasionally make a return trip there. She had taken to wearing them lately so as not to frighten all the new out of town creatures visiting Ponyville who were not so accustomed to seeing her.

Ella pulled out the hairband that had been holding her hair back and gently shook her head, allowing her wavy golden locks to tumble free. "I'm still me," she murmured, studying her reflection a for a few more seconds, before looking down at her belly with a smile as she felt the twins stir, eager to be fed. She was just over seven months along now, and everything was going smoothly. Even Redheart complimented how well her pregnancy was going, despite its completely unique nature.

I'm a nurse in a hospital for magical ponies with a belly full of magic babies, how did I get here again, God? Ella chuckled to herself, reflecting on her present life never failing to amuse her. She suddenly felt a hunger pain which immediately caused her extrasensory senses to involuntarily expand, the predatory instincts of her changeling nature loudly reminding her that there was food wandering obliviously about in the hall just outside her door in the form of the many ponies present there. She clenched her teeth, quickly reining them in, something that was becoming increasingly more difficult as of late as her pregnancy reached its advanced stages and the hunger spikes came more frequently.

She had withdrawn her senses, but not before she detected the unique aura of one very peculiar little pony. "Oh, look who's coming for a visit..." Ella sighed to herself with some exasperation. She reached into the stack of files and drew out one in particular, opening it to review it for the hundredth time; her sharpened hearing could already hear the little filly chatting away with someone with a tone of amiability so convincingly sweet that it made Ella feel almost sick whenever she saw that nothing of the sort existed in her heart; the little demon child being like a hole in reality, a paradox of existence.

Height: 0.52 Meters

"Thanks mister, I think I'm supposed to go right over here!"

Weight: 13 Kg, Eye Color: Auburn

"Golly, that sounds like a whole lotta work. I hope it'll be alright."

Age: 12, Intellectual Aptitude Test Score: Exceptional. Subject displays cognitive ability far above those of her age group. Highest possible recommendation.

Ella heard a knock at her door before it opened; she didn't even bother to look up from her reading, knowing full well who it already was.

"Thanks again mister, I hope to see you again soon!"

Name: Cozy Glow

The door closed, and Ella looked up from her file to see her tiny guest. The little filly's salmon pink coat was practically glowing, and her sky blue mane and tail were arranged in perfect curls with their trademark light-yellow ribbons. Her adorable little face wore a picture perfect smile for a second longer, before immediately fading into an ugly scowl.

"Ugh," she groaned with a hoof against her face, "I swear...Every. Pony. Else...Is an IDIOT!" She exclaimed, her little wings snapping open as she did.

"Mmm?" Ella asked noncommittally while looking back down at Cozy's file. The pegasus took to the air, buzzing back and forth like an agitated hornet.

"You wouldn't believe it Ella, here I am, taking the precaution to build a completely believable background story that I'm here with my uncle's permission, months spent on false documentation, making sure my alias was airtight, and nopony even bothers to look at it?!" Cozy landed hard on the top of Ella's desk, scattering papers with her downdraft, pacing back and forth before sitting with a snarl, "Seriously, why is everypony in this town so completely stupid?! Hey, are you even listening to me you big alien weirdo?!"

Ella slowly looked up, trying to suppress the grin she was hiding at the sight of something so adorable being so angry. "I'm sorry, are you lost little girl? Do you know where your parents are?"

One of Cozy Glow's eyes twitched, and the sheer level of malice she exuded caused her aura to immediately flow blood red; it smelled and tasted like burning hair and copper.

Ella almost coughed at the sensation, "Okay! Okay! I was kiddin', geez." She said with a playful laugh, causing Cozy's emotions to simmer down to a more neutral open hostility, though a flicker of annoyance remained.

"So," Ella began, closing the file and slowly removing her glasses, her eyes snapped open, revealing her slitted pupils, "Where are you coming from today, Cozy Glow?"

Cozy rolled her eyes, "Oh, you know, from roaming and patrolling Ponyville, looking for useful idiots, plotting my inevitable dominion of Equestria, an average Monday. You?"

"Oh just gettin' through another day, working on medical files, trying to resist the urge to go drain somepony's soul, nothin' big."

Cozy grinned wickedly, "If you're looking for somepony to eat, I'd be happy to suggest a few. I'll even help you hide the body."

"Mmm, tempting, but what about you? You're already here after all," Ella said with a smile that showed just the tips of her small fangs, a flicker of green light passing through her eyes. Cozy smirked at the display, completely unintimidated.

"Please, we both know that I'm inedible for a changeling."

"True, but we could change that, don't you have any room in that cold little heart of yours for any kind of love?" Ella asked, allowing a hint of her serious concern for the little pony to enter their semi-playful banter.

Cozy shot her a vicious scowl, "Not on your life," she growled before stepping off the desk and flopping down in Ella's lap with a sigh, "And you'll keep that to yourself if you know what's good for you."

"As I told you on the day we met Cozy, I won't tell anyone. I'm just holding out hope for you, that's all."

"Shut up and scratch my ears." 

Ella relented with a sigh, drawing her close with one arm, gently scratching one of the pegasus filly's velvety soft ears with one hand while slowly stroking her soft fur with the other. She could feel how tense Cozy was in her grip, her little muscles tied up in tight bundles. But after a few minutes under Ella's ministrations, she slowly relaxed, snuggling into the human's grip. Ella reached out with her senses, trying for the umpteenth time to make sense of the myriad of colors and emotions that made up the little pony's dark spirit, but gave up after a moment, unable to see anything past the cold purple wall of constant calculations that remained the dominant force of her being. Cozy stirred slightly, bumping into Ella's swollen belly,

"Mmmmnnn...You need to hurry up and have these," she sleepily complained, "They're taking up my favorite spot."

Ella smiled, "Well, then you'd just have to compete with them for lap space while they're on the outside."

"Yeah, but just think of how much me cuddling with your foals will add to my cuteness factor?" She asked while propping up her face on her hooves and elbows, squeezing her cheeks so that her dimples were ridiculously pronounced, her eyes glittering.

Ella could only laugh at that and shake her head, "You never miss an opportunity, do you?"

"Nope," Cozy replied, letting her head drop. Ella continued to pet her for a few minutes before asking,

"So, still planning my murder?"

"Oh yes, dreadful, horrible murder, you'll never see it coming."

"I'm tremblin' in fear. Will I at least be granted the time to finish scratching your ears?"

"....Sure, might as well. I really should kill you and cover my tracks, but eh, I can probably do that tomorrow."

"Tomorrow then," Ella said with a smile. Cozy had been telling her that for three weeks now, the filly truly was a gifted procrastinator.
> No Rest for the Weary
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Isn't it obvious?" Lumen Dawn asked, the white unicorn looking at each member of the team around the conference table. "Rose clearly wasn't the leaker, no pony in this room is. Therefore, that leaves only one possibility."

"You couldn't possibly mean the princesses?!" Slipstream asked with an edge of outrage in his voice.

"Of course not you foal," Lumen replied, his voice remaining calm and level. "However, the princesses do not live in a bubble. And our fearless leader spends no small amount of time with both of them, for reasons both official and personal. Am I wrong Flash?"

The human peered over his folded hands, his gaze locked on Lumen's golden eyes. "No." He said with a shake of his head.

"The Captain would never discuss classified plans in front of civilians." Sugar Rush protested.

"Yeah, and their personal areas are warded against eavesdropping!" Rose Dust added, "Shouldn't that be enough?"

"Enough for most, but not for a clever pony, especially one determined to gain access to information that could harm us." Lumen replied, holding the human's gaze without blinking.

"For now, I suggest we perform a sweep of the castle, looking for any suspicious items that might be overlooked in a normal security check. Next, we take a look at all the background files of Castle staff, especially all new hires within the last three months."

"That'll take forever!" Slipstream moaned, covering his face with his hooves. Sharp Shot gave him a small cuff on his shoulder that said, 'Stop whining.'

"Finally," Lumen continued, "We also take a look at the guest list for the castle for the last three months, especially those who were there on any business other than meeting with the princesses. We start from there and narrow it down. Any objections?"

Everypony looked at each other before all eyes settled on Flash. His eyes flicked to Lumen Dawn's cutie mark, a scroll and a sword crossing each other and encircled by a golden crown. He nodded to the unicorn,

"Well, what's everypony waiting for? You heard your XO, so let's get to it. Dismissed!"



You really are the pony to lead the team if something should happen to me, Lumen Dawn. Flash mused to himself, once more impressed at how a pony like Lumen could put aside his intense personal hatred for him in order to be a true asset and reliable teammate.

He stifled a yawn as he made his way up the front steps to his and Ella's house. It was a handsome, two-story affair on the edge of Ponyville that Flash had purchased right before their marriage; right now, it looked like a slice of heaven. After more than a week away on the road, dodging mayhem and murder, he wanted nothing more than some peace, quiet, and the company of his wife. He knew she was probably very hungry, even with the help of their friends. And though exhausted himself, he was resolved to give her whatever of his energy she needed through his love. His hand touched the door handle,

"I'm hom-OOOAAAFFFF!!!!"

No sooner had the door cracked open than Flash found himself tackled around the middle by a pony-shaped cannon ball of tiger-orange fur and teeth, hitting him so hard that that he was launched clear off of the front porch and nearly fifty feet into his front yard, banging and rolling until finally coming to a rest face first in the dirt. A certain carnivorous pony sat on his back, gleefully announcing for all the world to hear,

"Master's home!!!!" A muffled groan was the only reply Flash could manage. Ferra hopped off his back, energetically trotting all around him while rattling off questions in her usual energetic manner,

"Did you see me master? Did you see me waiting for you? How come you didn't dodge? Did I finally slip past your 'field sense' thing? Oh, I'm so happy you're home! Can I please come with you next time? I get so worried whenever you leave and I can't watch you!"

Flash slowly rolled over onto his back out of the indent his body had made in the ground, spitting out a few blades of grass. "Hi Ferra, missed you too." He managed to wheeze as he waited for air to return to his collapsed lungs. She suddenly pounced back on him, sniffing him all over and giving his face a few playful licks with her rough, cat-like tongue before seizing his shirt collar in her sharp teeth and pulling him into a sitting position. Her muzzle pressed against his left shoulder,

"Hey, you got hurt! Who hurt you?! And, I smell Rose, she, she bit you? Wha-You let Rose bite you?!" She said with a gasp, "Hey no fair! Can I have a bite too?! Just a little one? Please???" She begged with a sharp-toothed grin, hope glittering in her slitted yellow eyes.

Ferra yelped as Flash suddenly grabbed her in a surprise headlock, aggressively scratching behind one of her ears as she squirmed, growled, and playfully bit at his arm and hand in the play fighting that Flash had learned was so much a part of her tribe's means of showing affection.

"Tackle me like that again furball, and I swear, one of these days, I'm gonna sell you to the circus!" She managed to finally wriggle free from him, leaping away with an innocent giggle as Flash rolled to his feet. "That, or make a rug out of you, you sneaky tiger of a pony!"

"You'd have to catch me first!" She challenged, crouching low as if to pounce again and baring her fangs with a playful snarl. Flash shook his head with a small laugh, ruffling her jet black mane as he walked past her; Ferra shook her head and nipped at his fingers as she fell into step beside him, following him back towards the house.

Ella stood there waiting for him, leaning against the doorframe, wearing a black sweater and a dark violet skirt, her face illuminating with joy as their eyes met.

"Hey ponyboy, I'm looking for something for dinner, think you can help a girl out?" Flash grinned,

"Hey vampire bug lady person, I think I can." He said as he whipped her off her feet in his strong embrace. Ella giggled, curling her feet up behind her as he spun her around before setting her back down, the two of them holding each other tight.

"Missed you Flash," Ella whispered, wrapping her arms around him and keeping her face buried in his neck.

"I missed you too Ella," Flash replied, his heart overflowing with love for her. He stood there for several moments, allowing her to feed, letting her take as much from him as she needed. It didn't take long before he felt the need to stifle another yawn as a warm fatigue swept over him, it felt almost pleasant, except that he needed to lock his knees in order to avoid swaying over. Ella leaned back, holding a hand to her mouth and clearing her throat,

"Mmm, sorry, I didn't mean to go overboard there."

Flash shook his head, placing his forehead against hers, "Nah, I always have plenty for you," he placed a hand on her belly, "All three of you." Ella's smile faded into a small frown as she glanced down at his left shoulder, placing a hand on it.

"It's just a scratch," Flash assured her, trying to play it off.

"And another scar," Ella lamented, her eyes flickering with green light as she caught sight of the displacement of color in the aura surrounding his shoulder. She met his eyes, "If you keep picking up nicks and scratches at this rate, there's not going to be much of you left, Flash."

"Comes with the territory I'm afraid," Flash sighed, "But don't worry, we got the new armor coming up soon, strong enough to stop a train. When that's ready, I'll feel sorry for the bad guys." He said confidently, trying to assuage her worry.

Ella didn't answer, reaching up instead to lightly trace the scar over his right eye with her thumb. Flash took her hand, kissed and gently squeezed it,

"Hey, it'll be alright," he said reassuringly, "I'm not going to be taking any stupid risks." Flash looked to his left and noticed Ferra sitting on her haunches next to them, looking up at the couple while her glossy black tail slowly flicked back and forth. He reached down and affectionally scratched one of her cheeks, eliciting a pleased purr from her.

"And if it'll make you worry less, I've decided that I'm going to be letting Ferra come along with me on any future missions where I don't have to be undercover. I'll be much safer with her watching my back."

Ferra gave a joyful gasp, "Really?"

Flash smiled at her, "Yes, really. And that means watch my back Ferra, not pounce on it."

Ella giggled as Ferra reared up on her hind legs, wrapping a forelimb around both her and Flash, giving them each a lick on the cheek and nuzzling them both.

"Don't worry Ella, I'll always bring Flash home safe, even if I have to carry him!" Ella laughed, giving her a grateful smile, and a scratch behind one ear,

"Well, just so long as you're not carrying him in your belly," she teased, well aware of the running joke Ferra had with Flash of always wanting to eat him. At least, she hoped it was a joke.

"Aww, no fair," She said with a pout, causing them all to laugh together.

Flash let the two ladies enter the house before him but paused as he felt the slightest tingle in his forehead, so slight that he wondered if he only imagined it. He slowly turned, eyeing his front yard, the road, and the edge of the forest roughly 200 meters away. His hawklike gaze narrowed and he stretched out his magnetic field, sensing the bioelectric field of every living thing within a three-hundred meter radius. But other than birds, critters, and about a billion bugs, nothing stood out to him. He kept his eyes fixed on the forest for a few moments longer, as if daring whatever might be there to even think of trying something.

"Hey Flash, something wrong?" He heard Ella call from inside.

"No, nothing wrong." He replied before stepping inside, closing the door behind him. "Nothing at all."



Cold Trail spasmed wildly, his world spinning around him as the strong earth pony tried desperately to reach the snare wrapped around his hind leg that held him suspended over the forest floor. His grey steel helmet slipped off his head, falling with a clang to the ground below.

It had been going so well, even though this had been the most fiendishly difficult quarry he had ever tracked, he and his four pony team had finally caught up to the suspect that Celestia herself had tasked him apprehended. King Thorax of the new and reformed Changeling Hive had even sent them one of his own hunters, a changeling named Refract to assist them in the hunt, so serious did he take the threat of this Chrysalis loyalist who had so brazenly marched into their home months earlier, announcing his intention to return the former Queen to the throne.

But suddenly, almost all at once, everything went wrong. Refract had suddenly vanished along the trail, and before anypony could figure out what was going on, the cleverly laid trap had been sprung, each member of the team taken down by magic, or by a trap such as the one Cold Trail currently found himself in. Mercifully, it seemed that everypony was only stunned or disabled, as nonlethal means seemed to be deliberately employed.

But why? Why spare them? It was plainly obvious that they knew who he was, why would a Chrysalis loyalist not kill them outright? Cold Trail gasped with shock as a set of four, glossy black legs entered his inverted field of vision. In a panic, he drew his combat knife, preparing to slash at his attacker, only for the blade to be knocked out of his hoof by a burst of golden magic.

He hissed in pain, holding his stinging hoof as he suddenly stopped spinning, another hoof arresting his momentum. Cold Trail breathed hard through his nostrils as a face slowly lowered into his field of view, the changeling's fearsome golden eyes casting a slight glow.

"This is your final warning, pony." Telson said, "Stop following me."



Flash slowly opened his eyes, staring up at the bedroom ceiling. The sun had risen not too long ago, its warming rays already peaking through the curtains, though he felt no desire to move, supremely comfortable as he was on his cloud mattress. Ella did not seem to be awake yet, her breathing remained slow and steady. He glanced at her for a moment, smiling at how peaceful she looked, her beautiful blond hair shimmering in the stream of morning sunlight that had fallen upon it.

Luna had not visited during the night. It was his fear that she would confront him in his dreams to guilt trip him by her very presence, but she had stayed away; either because she wanted that confrontation to be in person or because she knew he needed rest, as little as he had been getting lately. His mind immediately set to racing, wondering how he should approach this new day. A big part of him just wanted to stay home. After all, he had already been gone for a week, no pony would blame him for taking 24 hours for some r&r, and spending the day with Ella sounded immensely appealing. But he immediately dismissed it. Threshold was still out there, and somepony was spying on his organization. He needed to find answers before the trail ran cold, or before whoever was trying to harm him and his team succeeded in their goals. He needed to stay focused. The sooner he tied up these loose ends, the sooner he could truly relax.

Flash slowly looked to his right, and right into the large pair of yellow orbs peering hungrily at him from over the edge of his bed.

"Good morning master!"

"GAH!!!"

Flash looked down from the ceiling he was now sticking to via a powerful static charge through his back, hands, and feet, his beating heart trying to hammer its way out of his bare chest.

"Whatcha doing up there master?" Ferra asked with a tilt of her head, "You look silly!" She said with a playful laugh.

"HaA! HEee! HoOOoO!"

Ferra hopped up onto the bed with a friendly snarl, nuzzling Ella's shoulder. The woman hummed sleepily, reaching over to blindly scratch at one of the pony's ears without opening her eyes.

"Good morning Ferra, good morning Flash, did you sleep well babe?" She sleepily asked.

"Sleep?! Yes! Got sleep! I don't think I'll ever sleep again..." Flash mumbled in reply.

Ferra rolled over onto her back to look up at him with a toothy grin, tucking her forelimbs to her chest, "By the way master, I think you got a letter from your special lantern thing!"

Flash blinked, immediately serious as he swung his legs out and dropped from the ceiling, landing on light feet; he was grateful that he hadn't jumped out of his pajama bottoms, let alone his skin.

Running into the small office adjacent to his bedroom, Flash saw that a sealed scroll had appeared before the small enchanted brass oil lantern on his desk that Celestia had given him as a means of staying in quick contact with her and Luna. A small arrow could be turned on it to an engraved symbol of either the sun or moon, and any paper burned in its flame would be instantly transported to the indicated recipient. 

Flash snatched up the scroll and broke open its seal, reading the contents:

My dearest Flash,

I'm so sorry to disturb you so soon after arriving home, but I need you to please come to the castle this morning, there are some urgent matters we need to discuss. Give my kindest regards to Ella and Princess Ferra.

With Love,

Princess Celestia

Ella came up behind Flash as he starred at the letter, tying her nightgown before kissing him on the cheek, placing her hands on his shoulders and resting her chin on his shoulder, peering over to see.

"What do ya think she wants, Flash?"

Flash shook his head, knowing that with all that had happened, it could be anything. He reached up and brushed the side of Ella's cheek, "Not sure love, but I'm betting it ain't good."



Ella smiled as she watched Flash blur around the kitchen, cleaning up after breakfast, accomplishing what would take five normal people 10 minutes in as many seconds. She was lounging back on the living room sofa at his insistance, her feet resting on the low wooden coffee table before her. Ferra lay on the floor just beside her, eagerly gnawing at the remnants of a ham bone from the full leg she had devoured for breakfast. Ella and Flash had tried time and again to convince her that she was welcomed to eat at the table with them like any other pony, but she rarely did, choosing instead to take her meals lying down.

You can take the pony out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the pony I guess, Ella thought with an amused smirk.

"Second drawer to the right," She called out without looking when she heard Flash trying to remember where to put the whisk away.

"I left your coffee mug on the table," Flash zoomed to the table, blowing a frosty breath on its hot contents before downing it in one go. Ella rose to her feet, brushing a few pieces of lint off of the black beret she was holding that had Flash's rank insignia on its upturned lip.

"Hey Cap'n, don't forget your cover!" She said, tossing it to him like a frisbee. Flash spun around from where he had been looking for it and snatched it out of the air, affixing it to his head in one quick motion. He quickly checked his black uniform fatigues over, making sure it was in order.

Ella stepped forward, adjusting his collar for him. He was shaven, sharp, glorious; and most importantly, hers.

"Thanks Ella," Flash sighed, "What would I do without you?" She wrapped her arms around his neck,

"Hmm, dunno. Let your ma' dress you?" She teased, giving him a peck on the lips.

Flash laughed, touching his forehead to hers, "Nah, she's done her time. Ready to go, Ferra?"

Ferra glanced up from her place, the thick ham bone gripped between her fangs. With a loud crunch, she bit the bone in two like it was a pretzel, chewing and swallowing the pieces as if they were nothing more than shelled peanuts. She quickly groomed one of her fetlocks with a few licks before leaping to his side with an eager grin, "Ready!" 

Flash stared at her for a second, his jaw slack, "Uhh..."

Ella laughed and wrapped him in a hug, "Have fun with your pet land-shark," she whispered in his ear, kissing him on the cheek.

"Right," Flash murmured, turning about and heading for the front door. "Alright, see you soon Ella!" He called behind him while opening the door, and right into an explosion of confetti and party horns.

"SURPRISE!!!"

"GAAAH!" 

Flash screamed as he stumbled backwards, almost falling over until Ella effortlessly caught him with her incredible strength, steadying him on his feet. Standing at the door in all her pink glory with a huge grin on her face was Pinkie Pie, her party cart next to her. Ella's eyes widened with some alarm as she saw Cozy Glow standing on top of the cart, looking right at her with a smug smirk.

"Pinkie!" Flash gasped while holding his chest with one hand, trying to stave off the ill effects of two major cardiac events in a single morning. "What are you-Why are you?!"

Pinkie giggled, "Why, it's the one year anniversary of Ella coming to Equestria, silly! Aaaannnd I just happened to meet Cozy Glow while on the way here and remembered that she never got a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party and thought that we could combine her party with Ella's anniversary party, double party power!" She joyfully shouted, flinging her forelimbs over her head with another shower of confetti and burst of horns from her cart.

Ferra tackled Pinkie off the porch with a happy shout, the two mares tumbling and rolling into the front yard in a bundle of laughter.

"Hi Pinkie!"

"Hi Ferra!"

"Missed you!"

"Missed you too!"

"I love parties!"

"Hey, me too! But you know what's even better than parties?"

"SURPRISES!" Both mares shouted together before descending into a gaggle of giggles.

Flash stepped up and hauled Ferra off of Pinkie, "Alright, c'mon Ferra, we got to go before we miss our train, and before you and Pinkie cause a quantum event..." He said, muttering that last part under his breath. He looked and noticed Cozy Glow had approached him, hovering in the air at eye level.

"Hi there, uh, Cozy Glow, right?" Flash asked, extending his hand in greeting. He had seen the filly before a few times in passing recently, usually chatting with Ella in town. In fact, now that he thought of it, he had meant to ask Ella who she was and why he had always seen the two of them together. Cozy Glow smiled sweetly at him, taking the offered hand and shaking it,

"That's right! Golly Mister Flash, I'm so glad to finally meet you, Ella's told me all about you! She's been super helpful in getting me all ready for Princess Twilight's new school! She's really nice."

"Ah," Flash said, suddenly making sense of things. He glanced at Ella and she smiled at him, though he thought he noticed a hint of worry in her eyes that quickly passed. "Well Cozy," he said looking back at her, releasing her hoof, "I'm sorry that I can't stay, but it was really nice meeting you, I hope I get to see you again soon!"

Cozy smiled back, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly, "I'm sure we will, have a great day mister!"

Flash suddenly noticed with alarm Ferra creeping up slowly behind Cozy Glow in the same way a cat might stalk a canary, her head low, ears splayed, and eyes locked on the little filly's back,

"Ferra!" He said sternly, snapping her out of her almost trance like demeanor, "We uh, we need to go now." He turned and looked at Ella who was now chatting with Pinkie, feeling a hint of sadness that he couldn't stay, and for not remembering such a significant date.

Has it really been a year already? He wondered. Ella immediately noticed how he felt, and gave him a reassuring smile from where she stood.

"Hey, don't worry about it Flash, get goin'!" She shouted.

"Thanks," he said, flushing with gratitude. "Take care, give my best to Twilight and the girls, love you all!"

"We'll save you some cake!" Pinkie shouted after him as he turned and hurried down the road towards town. Ferra immediately fell into step next to him, keeping up with a brisk trot. 

"What the heck was that all about, Ferra?!" He sharply hissed once he was sure they were out of ear shot, "Were you stalking that filly?!" 

Ferra frowned, looking a little ashamed but also, confused, "Sorry master, I, I don't know. She felt...strange."

"Strange? What do you mean, dangerous? She's a sweet little pony! She's about as dangerous as a snowflake! You sure you weren't just seeing her as a prey item? I told you before, you need to control your instincts! This isn't the jungle!"

Ferra shook her head, "No, it wasn't that. I don't know, something about her just felt, off. And I kinda got lost in thought. Sorry master, it won't happen again, I promise."

Flash softened at that, feeling that he may have been a little too harsh on her, "Hey, it's alright Ferra. You just worried me there for a second, that's all. I didn't mean to upset you." He gently said, which seemed to hearten her as she gave him a small, if sad smile.

"Hey, what have I always told you to do if you see a threat to Ella?" She gave him a feral grin,

"To eat it."

"That's my girl."

They walked along in amiable silence for a few more moments, but Flash had a feeling of what was coming next.

"So, if you and Ella get into a fight, does that make you a threat, master?" Ferra asked with a sly grin, raising an eyebrow at him.

Flash laughed, shaking his head, "Nice try, but you're not going to get me that way, homicidal psycho jungle mare." She giggled, pushing her head under his hand for a scratch.

Together, the two of them made it to Ponyville, catching the train just in time.
> Difficult Discoveries
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bright streets of Canterlot bustled with activity, with ponies of every color and tribe going about their day without a worry or care in the world. Even so, ponies did take notice and give a wide berth to the strange pair walking together towards the castle gates as they passed by, exchanging concerned whispers.

Flash took notice how the ponies seemed to be keeping their distance a bit more, and even those who waved at him did so with what appeared to be a hint of nervousness. It didn't surprise him too much though, seeing that he and Ferra were both technically predators in a crowd of mostly herbivores. Though he suspected that it was Ferra's presence which was the most unnerving for them as he was a relatively familiar face. It was then he noticed Ferra was wearing a disapproving scowl on her face as her eyes slowly scanned the crowds, a far departure from her normally endless cheer and energy.

"Speak your mind Ferra, what's bothering you?" Flash asked, keeping his gaze forward as they walked. Ferra glanced at him, and then back to the streets,

"It's these ponies master, they are far too careless, and they allow their fear to show too easily. They wouldn't last a minute in the jungle."

Flash smiled, "But we're not in the jungle, Ferra. This is their home, and it has none of the dangers that you've had to dodge since the moment you were foaled." He noticed her lip quiver as she fought to suppress a snarl,

"Even so, they shouldn't be so helpless. Maybe if they learned to look after themselves, even a little, you wouldn't have to place yourself in danger for them all of the time!"

"I love you too."

Ferra's frown faltered for a moment, but she continued, "My point is, one should meet danger with danger, but all I smell from them is fear...It's pathetic! They're so soft, I could destroy ten of them before they even realized I was among them!" She hissed, saying the last part with an irritated clack of her fangs. She fumed for a few more seconds before deflating slightly, appearing sad. "I just, I just wish they would take their lives more seriously, master, that's all." She finished with a sigh.

Flash considered her words for a quiet moment. He had to admit, it stung a bit to hear such a brutally honest assessment from a perspective outside of Equestria, one that was even more harsh than his own. At the same time, it was rare for Ferra to adopt such a critical demeanor, and when she did, he had learned that it would be foalish not to pay attention to her. This had obviously been bothering her for a while, which gave him an even deeper appreciation of just how profound her devotion to him and his loved ones was. Still, it wouldn't do well for her to brood on such things, she needed some assurance that her worries were not being ignored.

"Hey, don't be like that, where'd my happy-go-lucky killer go?" Flash said running a hand briefly through her silky mane; she turned her face away, before looking up at him with a faint smile. Flash smiled back,

"Yeah, I get it Ferra. Almost a thousand years of peace has made ponies around here pretty soft, and we could stand to toughen up a little, believe me. But don't begrudge them too much, they're starting to learn; and I've seen just a handful of them turn back world ending events more than a few times. Though I'm thankful to have strong ponies like you here who see things as they are, you are a great aid in helping us to grow." 

Ferra blushed slightly at his praise, "Thank you, Flash." She said quietly before immediately perking up, her spark of joy reigniting with a small bounce in her step. As they continued towards the castle, Flash heard in the distance the sound of somepony yelling through a megaphone, their echoing voice becoming clearer as they passed the next street.

"...And I say this, Equestria needs to be for ponies! Run by ponies! And protected by ponies! Not outsourced to some alien creature who might turn on us at any time!" 

"Master, who is that?" Ferra asked, looking towards the direction of the noise.

"Tell me, how can we trust some creature to protect us when they aren't even from our world?! There's no guarantee of true loyalty from such a one, it only guards us because of what it gains from us! Who's to say it won't turn on us the moment our enemies make him a better offer?!"

Flash sighed, "Eh, just my fan club, that's all." He jested, now recognizing the voice of Town Caller, the head of the small but very vocal 'Equestria for Ponies League'. They had first cropped up seven years ago, when he had joined the Junior Academy and started being a much more regular presence in Canterlot. They of course, protested the welcoming of any creatures other than ponies, from griffons and dragons to changelings as of late; but Flash always knew that he was their real reason for existing. He had never paid them much mind, and their disdain for him had never gained much traction as ponies for the most part had always been kind and welcoming to him.

As the next street came into view, Flash had expected to see Town Caller with his usual two or three demonstrators, but was shocked to see instead that a crowd of more than a hundred ponies had gathered round the pale green unicorn. He was standing on an elevated platform, surrounded by more than a dozen well-organized looking presenters. He was surprised to see even a few of the Canterlot nobility among them. While it was no secret that he had enemies among the elite, they had never before associated with riffraff like Town Caller, obviously considering his kind of community organizing beneath them.

"Looks like somepony got a boost in funding," Flash remarked as he stopped walking to take a look. Ferra stood stock still, one of her tufted ears twitching. Town Caller raised his megaphone to continue talking when he caught sight of Flash staring,

"Ah ha! Look there my fellow ponies! Here he is now, trying to intimidate us while we are merely practicing our right to freely demonstrate!" He shouted, causing most of the crowd to turn around, many of them beginning to murmur nervously to each other. "Do not be intimidated my friends, such tactics are powerless against the courage of ponies who stand together!"

Flash gave the friendliest smile he could, "Hey there Town Caller, good to see you again! Nice to see that you've managed to keep my fan club together after all these years, I appreciate your dedication!"

Town Caller's smug grin faltered for a second, and more than a few ponies in the crowd chuckled at the quip which seemed to break the tension as many in the crowd began to visibly relax. He scowled for a second, before regaining a proud look, his eye falling on Ferra,

"Don't be fooled by his niceties my fellow ponies, after all, how can you trust a creature who so frivolously associates with dangerous monsters who are proven to viciously attack other ponies! Look there! That is the same ferocious beast who put a pony in the hospital not two months ago!"

Nevermind that he was an assassin. Flash growled inwardly, resisting the temptation to openly glower. Many of the ponies gasped in alarm as they took notice of Ferra, some even backing away slowly. Ferra for her part remained completely impassive, maintaining a neutral expression on her face despite the callous insult that had been directed towards her. Flash was grateful for her patience, though he noticed her unwavering yellow eyes were locked on Town Caller with the sort of calculating look that he was by now very familiar with; he placed a comforting hand gently on her withers. He wanted to respond, to angrily demand that the upstart publicly apologize to the princess he had just calumniated, but he knew a bait when he saw one. Such an outburst would only play in to Town Caller's hooves, and Flash didn't plan on giving him any additional fuel for his fire.

"C'mon Ferra, let's leave silly ponies to their games," he said, turning to walk away, not even bothering to listen as Town Caller crowed to the audience about witnessing the power of ponies standing together. He waited until they were far enough away to be out of anypony's ear shot before speaking. 

"I'm so sorry you had to hear that Ferra, I have half a mind to go back there feed him his own megaphone for saying that to you."

Ferra shook her head, "It's alright, master. He's just a small-minded pony who wants to be something bigger, it's kind of sad actually."

Flash smiled at that, once more enjoying the rare occasion where she would show that wise, regal side of herself; revealing that deep down, she really was her mother's daughter, she truly was a princess. Though at the same time,

"Tell me the truth though, you were thinking about biting him, weren't you?" He said, grinning. She looked away, tossing her head in mock indignation,

"Master, how could you say such a thing? No, I was actually trying to decide whether or not I could reach the stage in a single leap, that's all!" She humphed, before quietly adding. "And then I would bite him."

"You're a good pony, Ferra."



"Rise my little one, thank you for coming on such short notice." Celestia said, her warm greeting doing a good deal to ease the apprehension Flash felt from her letter earlier that morning. He stood and accepted her embrace, the sun princess brushing his cheek with her soft muzzle before parting. As per her usual summons, Celestia had asked him to meet with her in her study. Flash had asked Ferra to wait outside, sensing that Celestia wished to see him in private, and now waited with baited breath to see why she had called him.

"It's what I'm here for. What can I do for Equestria, your highness?" He asked, standing at ease with his hands behind his back. The alicorn looked at him with a look that seemed both sympathetic and sad.

"I heard what happened with your ill-fated raid the night before last, it seems that your hard work was undone by an enemy from within, I'm sorry. How are you holding up?"

Flash smiled, "A minor setback your highness, and the way I see it, an opportunity to root out a previously unknown threat. My team is already working on narrowing down a list of suspects."

"I was told that you were injured though, poisoned even. Are you sure that you are alright, my little one?"

Flash shook his head, "More than alright Princess, I'm as fit as ever; but I must say, I owe Sunset Shimmer for that. Her spell once more saved me from what could have been a very close call, you really taught her well." A wistful look flickered across Celestia's face, and she appeared at once both weary and grateful at the same time, as if a burden was suddenly lightened, though not entirely dismissed.

"She was always a skilled pony," Celestia agreed before stepping past him and standing at the large bay window, staring out at the city square. She remained silent for a good while, and when she finally did speak, her voice was soft, but held a serious edge.

"Flash,"

"Yes princess?"

"What do you consider to be the greatest threat to Equestria?"

Flash thought hard for a moment, there were many things he wanted to say: complacency, disharmony, a lack of trust between friends, but instead, he stated the one that he truly felt covered the most ground.

"The unknown, your highness. What we can't predict because we do not see it coming." Celestia turned and smiled at him.

"You truly are more Sunset's pupil than mine, Flash Skies. She once told me the same thing. Yes, the unknown. And what, or rather, who, do you consider to be the greatest unknown factor at the present moment?"

Flash did not even need time to think to answer that question, "Chrysalis." He said without hesitation. Celestia nodded,

"I'm glad we are in agreement, Flash. For I must ask something of you, something that you might find very distasteful."

"And what is that, my princess?"

"I know this will be difficult for you to hear, and I hate to ask this of you, but I need to find and to capture the changeling known as Telson."

Flash remained silent at first, and Celestia seemed a bit surprised by his lack of a reaction.

"Why so, your highness?" Flash finally said, though he already knew why she was asking him.

Celestia sighed, glancing off to one side, "Several months ago, shortly after you and Ella were wed, Telson walked right into the newly reformed changeling hive, bold as brass. And there, he announced his intention to place Chrysalis back on the throne. I'm sure you can imagine the concern and consternation this has caused Equestria's newest ally. At first, I thought I could bring him in without having to involve you, to question him about his intentions; but he has proved far too clever for even the most skilled of my ranger teams."

Celestia looked back at him, "I know you consider him to be a friend Flash, and that he has become something of a father figure to Ella. But it is precisely because of your friendship with him, the fact that he trusts you, that it is my hope that he may listen to you if you ask him to turn himself in willingly." 

Flash shook his head, "Trust me your highness, Telson won't let something like our friendship come between him and the sense of duty he has towards Chrysalis."

"Perhaps you could subdue him then? Is there a way you could defeat him without bringing him to harm?"

"Even if I did defeat him, and I'm not so certain that I could," Flash said with a wary glance to one side, "All that would cause is a worse situation, because Telson would never trust me again after that, and such an act just might actually turn him into our enemy, and a dangerous one at that. But allow me to allay your fears, my princess. I can assure you, Telson is no threat to Equestria, and he has no intention of bringing Chrysalis back like she was before. He won't bring her back to the hive until he can convince her to reform."

Celestia's eyes widened with genuine surprise, "How can you know this?"

"I know, because he told me" Celestia's jaw dropped,

"What? When?!"

And here comes the hurricane, Flash swallowed nervously, "About a month before my marriage."

The air was still, so still that Flash swore he could hear her heartbeat. She stared at him in utter shock, with a bewildered expression that he had never seen on her before. It was as if she were seeing him for the very first time, an alien in her world, like she could not believe nor comprehend what was presently before her. And all of the sudden, he found himself feeling extremely vulnerable in her presence, like a moth before an inferno. The temperature in the room rose noticeably, 

"...What?" Celestia said, her word carrying more like an accusation than a question.

Flash tightened his grip on the beret in his hand, coming to attention as he prepared to tell what he had been keeping a secret for more than half a year.



Laughter rang across the room as Rainbow Dash blushed furiously, the latest victim to an impromptu round of 'Love or Shot', a game that Rarity had come up with months earlier where she and the other girls would name certain suitable stallions that they each knew to see who had a crush, with Ella's eyes being the ultimate truth detector; fibbers had to take a shot of sour cider. Ella sat on a cushion on the living room floor, sitting in a circle with Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie had vanished somewhere earlier, no doubt attending to other guests as several children from Ponyville had turned up as well.

"No! I just think Soarin's kinda, ya know, a great flier, that's all! It's not like I'm planning to marry the guy!" Rainbow Dash protested, downing a shot and shaking her head. "Dang, that stuff's tart!"

Rarity laughed, "Come now Dashie, the eyes never lie!" She said, grinning from over Ella's shoulder from where she had been braiding the woman's hair, "You might as well fess up!"

"I think ah' can see it even without a changeling's eyes, no offense Ella," Applejack quipped with a smug grin, eliciting another session of laughter from the gathered ponies.

"None taken," Ella chuckled with a slow shake of her head. She glanced across the living room to the kitchen, trying to see where Cozy Glow had gone. Last she saw her, she had been talking to another group of foals next to the music player Pinkie had brought along. It set her scalp to itching whenever she lost sight of that filly.

"Um, can we play a different game for now? I mean, if that's alright with all of you," Fluttershy said, a nervous look in her eyes.

"Oh come on, you want to quit now? Right after I get roasted?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Well, we shouldn't force somepony to participate if they don't want to," Twilight said in Futtershy's defense.

"Oh, gettin' nervous Twi?" Rainbow teased, "Afraid we'll find out if you love something more than books?"

"Hey!" Twilight said, a touch of red coming to her cheeks, "I have more interests than just books!" She insisted over another round of laughter.

"Yeah, you're right," Rainbow said, looking up and tapping her chin in thought. "Who was that one guy you met in Sunset's world? Those other kind of humans?" Rainbow Dash grinned devilishly as she seemed to remember, "Oh yeah, wasn't it Flash Sentry?"

Ella honestly couldn't tell if the pink she was seeing was coming from Twilight's spirit or her face as the mortified young alicorn ducked her face behind her wings with an adorable squeak while Rainbow Dash and Applejack rolled on the floor in a fit of laughter at her reaction.

"Speaking of Flash," Rainbow eventually asked, wiping an eye after they had finally calmed down, "Where's our Flash at, Ella?"

"Indeed, it seems to have been ages since we last saw him at a social event," Rarity added.

"Did Celestia send him on another mission?" Fluttershy asked.

Ella suddenly felt a surge of emotions, not sure if it was caused by worry, hormones, or the lingering anxiety caused by the thought of the little sociopath lurking somewhere in her house, but it caused her voice to catch in her throat for a moment. She coughed, trying to regain her composure.

"Uh, sorry girls," Ella laughed wiping a random tear from her eye, "Crazy pregnant changeling feels again, that's all." Every pony around her immediately appeared concerned, leaning forward and asking if she were alright; the collective force of their concern and empathy nearly bowling her over so that she had to narrow her senses.

"Are you alright darling?"

"Are the babies okay?"

"Do ya need anything sugar?"

Ella raised a placating hands, "Girls, girls! I'm fine, no need ta panic, seriously." She said, which seemed to calm them, though some anxiety remained in their eyes.

"No, Flash is fine. Celestia called him to the Castle early this morning, but he's good, just real busy, that's all. And yeah, I kind of miss him too," she admitted.

"Honestly," Rarity said, "One would think that Celestia would give him a bit more time with you, especially given your current condition!" Twilight appeared to be about to say something in Celestia's defense, but Ella beat her to it,

"Trust me Rares, Celestia isn't just usin' him as an errand boy for every little thing. She's well aware of how I feel, and I know she wouldn't call him unless it were absolutely necessary. Besides, as much as I'd like to have him here, having all of you here with me more than makes up for his absence." She said, smiling at them all.

"Wow, we really mean that much to you Ella?" Fluttershy asked, speaking for the group. Ella smirked,

"You kiddin' Flutters? A year ago I was homeless and on the run from a bunch of sickos in a nightmare that wouldn't end. Now I'm somehow married to a magic man in a fairy tale land of magic talkin' ponies who make everyday like another dream come true. So yeah, trust me when I say that you girls make all the difference."

Fluttershy and a few of the others blushed at the praise, with Applejack even pulling her stetson low over her face to hide it. Before any of them could respond, Pinkie suddenly leapt into the middle of the circle, a pointed party hat on her fluffy head.

"Time for cake!" She exclaimed with a huge grin, throwing her forelimbs up over her head.

Ella laughed, "Oh man, Pinkie. I don't think I could eat another bite of cake, I'm already stuffed!" Pinkie giggled sweetly,

"Not that kind of cake, silly," she said, spinning about, "A changeling cake!" She shouted with glee. Ella blinked as she saw an incredible amount of love radiating brightly off of Pinkie's form, practically filling the room. At the same time, she noticed that the lovable mare was wearing a frosted cookie around her neck on a red string; and written in decorative cursive red icing like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland, stood the words 'Eat me.' For a second, Ella was caught between wanting to burst out laughing and almost crying. Instead, she just held her arms out to Pinkie,

"Oh, c'mere ya sweetheart. I'm gonna eat ya!" She said, shaking her head with a small laugh.

Pinkie Pie immediately flew into her arms, tucking her soft, velvety muzzle up underneath the young woman's neck and snuggling close. Ella wrapped her arms around the beautiful creature, soaking up the sweet comfort and love that flowed from her like an endless flood, filling her with warmth and light.

"Ya really know how to make a girl happy, Pinkie," Ella said while burying her face deep into the mare's soft curly mane; it smelled like cotton candy.

"It's what I live for, Ella," Pinkie softly whispered back, only loud enough for the girl holding her to hear. Ella didn't bother to look up as she suddenly felt the other five girls surround her, holding her in a warm embrace. Their collective love, each distinct in its own unique flavor and sensation, like so many layers of a luxurious cake, smothered her in a taste so otherworldly and wonderful that it made physical food seem like dust and ashes in comparison. She wished this moment would never end, and for just a second, was able to completely let go of all her worries. Dangers, magic, the little psycho in her home planning to take over the world? Posh. What worries could possibly compete when there was love like this?

Ella cracked an eye open, and caught Cozy Glow staring at her from across the room, a pensive look on the small filly's face. It was hard to tell, she couldn't be sure, but for just fraction of a second, Ella thought she saw a hint of envy shimmer like an emerald ripple through the little pony's aura.



The proud and noble walls of Canterlot Castle were one of the most well-designed pieces of architecture in all of Equestria, constructed with great skill and at great expense using the finest of masonry and material, and layered with ward upon ward against damage and decay. And at that moment, Flash Skies felt certain that all of that was being put to the ultimate stress test as Princess Celestia laid into him with a level of outrage that would cower a full-grown dragon. He prayed that the sound insulation wards surrounding her study were holding up.

"DON'T YOU REALIZE HOW PERTINENT THIS INFORMATION COULD HAVE BEEN IN MY DECISIONS WITH OUR ALLIES?! HOW MANY FEARS MIGHT HAVE BEEN ALLAYED IF YOU HAD BEEN MORE FORTHRIGHT IN TELLING ME THIS?! HOW COULD YOU BE SO FOALISH FLASH?!!" 

She had raised her voice at him a few times in his life, like that time he had lost his temper and attacked a fellow cadet who had taunted him by insulting Princess Luna to his face in the dark days following Tirek's attack on Equestria. He had been in a bad place at the time, and Celestia was sympathetic, but she had to make it abundantly clear to him that such behavior would not be tolerated and that it could never happen ever again if he wished to remain a candidate for the Royal Guard; it was the first time in his life that he had actually felt afraid of her. But this was different. It wasn't just the rare sight of her being upset with him, or the fact that she had been perhaps just one decibel away from the Royal Canterlot Voice for the last twenty minutes, but the detectable tone of hurt that came through in her voice and was visible in her features. That alone made it more painful than anything. He'd rather receive actual lashes.

"I told you, your highness, I gave Chelicerae and Telson my word. I wasn't at liberty to tell you until you asked me about it. If I broke my promise, I would have lost all the trust that I have built up with them, and at a great cost too." He said while absentmindedly rubbing the scar over his eye. The heat in the room was making him itch and sweat.

"They're my friends, Princess, I trust them, and they trust me. I was trying to build a bridge between them and Equestria. Haven't you always taught me that friends keep each other's secrets?"

Celestia twisted about from her pacing, facing him directly, her eyes sharp and ethereal mane billowing like the flames of a wildfire, "Your personal promises to them do not outweigh your larger responsibilities to both me and to Equestria, Captain." She said with particular emphasis on the last word, making her words cut even deeper despite the fact that she had finally lowered her voice to a more tolerable level. "It was unwise, Flash. You should have considered your greater obligations before making such a promise. You may trust their goodwill to try and reform Chrysalis, and perhaps I do as well, but what if they can't? How do you know if they will resist her ill-wishes and not follow her in their clearly evident iron-clad sense of duty towards her regardless of their own personal feelings on the matter?"

Flash wilted slightly at that, now seeing her point; he hadn't considered at the time that there could be a hierarchy to loyalty and promises. And did he really know how far Telson and Chelicerae would go for their queen? Celestia seemed to notice his inner realization of his blunder as her face immediately softened and the temperature in the room began to lower back to a more comfortable temperature.

"I, I just wanted them to trust us, your highness, that's all, to trust you. I'm sorry." Flash said, looking down, unable to meet her eyes. A smaller, angrier part of him wanted to challenge her about how she and Luna had kept secrets from him regarding Rose Dust, as Celestia had known about what her sister was up to and didn't tell him. It still made him feel angry that they still treated him like a foal in some ways; but now, he realized that accusing her of hypocrisy to satisfy his own personal angst would be both petty and immature. After all, she and Luna had millennia of wisdom on him, what was he compared to them and the responsibilities that they bore? Nothing.

Maybe I really am just a foal who needs to be watched. He thought despondently, seeing now that his decision to not tell Celestia about Chelicerae and Telson's plans may have been short-sighted sentimentalism on his part after all.

Celestia sighed, and to Flash's surprise, sat on her haunches instead of maintaining a more regal bearing. She bowed her head, closing her eyes in thought, "Oh Flash, my little one, whatever am I going to do with you?" She said shaking her head, the weariness of her centuries weighing on her voice.

Flash grimaced, "Whatever you want to, my princess." He replied in a soft voice. Celestia looked up at him, her face at once both affectionate though still slightly aggrieved.

You're lucky you're cute, Flash. Celestia thought to herself before rising to her hooves once more. "Get out of my sight, Flash. I can't look at you right now. I need some time to think, to think and reconsider if sending you after Telson is still a good idea."

Flash just managed to resist wincing a the harshness of her words, maintaining his military bearing as he snapped briefly to attention and saluted her.

"Your highness," he said before bowing, turning and walking out of the study, closing the door behind him.



The room was silent as Celestia stared at the door, lost in thought about all she had been told, her heart aching from having to have disciplined Flash so harshly, especially with the knowledge of all that he had already done and sacrificed for Equestria, and at such a young age.

"What do you think my sister, was I too harsh on him?"

Luna stepped into the room from a shadow she had warped out of, sympathy coloring her features.

"Perhaps a little, but it was understandable considering the shocking nature of his revelations to you. I too am surprised that he kept such a secret."

Luna stepped forward and embraced her sister. Celestia immediately felt grateful for the solace her presence provided. Having her there with her made it feel as if a centuries worth of worries had just dissolved in an instance.

Luna brushed Celestia's cheek with one hoof as they separated, "Do not doubt his loyalty dear sister, this was simply a case of youthful indiscretion. I believe his impressive ability and maturity for one of his tender age often makes us forget at times that he is still but a child of 18, only just a man by his own species standards. He still has much to learn."

Celestia gave a tired laugh, "Yes, I know. There are times where I'm not sure if I want to snuggle him under my wing or strangle him."

"A skilled mare could do both at once," Luna quipped, a sly look on her face. They both shared a laugh at that, briefly touching horns together.

"What do you think sister," Celestia asked, "Should I still send him to apprehend Telson?"

Luna glanced to one side, tapping her chin in thought for a moment, "I have an alternative sister," she said before looking back up. "Perhaps I might have better luck in this endeavor. I struck up a good acquaintance with Telson at Flash and Ella's wedding, he may yet be persuaded to discuss his intentions with me if I approach him in a respectful manner."

Celestia smiled, "And if he isn't?"

Luna smiled back, "Then I shall persuade him further, sister."

Celestia laughed softly, "Of course you will. Yes Luna, I think this is wise. Go with my blessing, but be cautious. We do not know for certain if he has already found Chrysalis yet and received new instructions from her."

"Of course," Luna replied, giving her a quick embrace.

"Have I ever told you how glad I am that you're my sister?" Celestia called to her as she turned to leave. Luna looked back and smiled warmly,

"Yes, but I welcome hearing it more often."



"Come Ferra," Flash said as he stormed out of the room, making for the nearest exit. The orange pony immediately jumped to her hooves from where she had been dozing, stretching quickly before falling into step beside him. She said nothing, as she could tell both by sight and by his scent that things had not gone well.

Flash kept a brisk pace, eager to put as much distance between himself and Celestia as possible. His mind raced, examining and reexamining all of his choices regarding Telson and Chelicerae for the last several months. And the more he thought of it, the more he felt ashamed of himself.

Of course Celestia is right, how could I have been such a naive foal?! Trust the magic of friendship Flash! It'll all be alright Flash! Don't worry that they are still loyal to a homicidal egomaniac Flash!

He slammed his fist down on the stone guardrail of the outdoor walkway he had paused on. It was one of the many connecting walkways of the Castle, and this one was thankfully in the shadow of one of the towers which presently blocked out the sun, allowing him a moment for him to feel like he was out of Celestia's sight. Nopony else was around, so he stayed, taking a few slow breaths to calm his thoughts. But as much as he tried, he couldn't stop the singular realization that he could no longer excuse, he'd royally bucked up.

A gentle lick to one of his hands caused Flash to open his eyes and glance down at Ferra who had seated herself next to him, looking up at him in earnest, her faced etched with concern. Flash gave a humorless smirk,

"Heh, you can go ahead and eat me now Ferra, it's about all I'd be good for at this point." A glimmer of excitement seemed to pass through her yellow eyes for just a second, but she shook her head.

"Nah, your stress would make you all tough and gamey right now, master. Let me know when you're calm and happy, then you'll be tender and perfect."

Flash gave a tired chuckle at that as he turned around and slid down into a seated position, his back against the guardrail. Ferra sidled up next to him, resting her head against his shoulder and lending him her comfort. Flash put an arm around her withers, slowly scratched one of her shoulders with his hand. For a while he just stared off at the beautiful green countryside, allowing the sound of Ferra's soft purring to calm him.

"I messed up, Ferra. Real badly." He finally said after a few minutes. 

Ferra sighed, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder, "It happens, master. Even to the best hunters."

"Yeah, but I'm supposed to be better than this. How can I be trusted to do my job well when I don't even see what is so obvious to everypony else?" 

Ferra didn't respond at first, but eventually, began to speak in a quiet voice, "When I was a filly master, one of our greatest and strongest warriors was chosen to lead a pack of novices on a hunt, to teach them the basics. Everypony looked up to him, he was so skilled and confident that even the most timid of foals felt braver whenever he was around. Yet when the hunt started, he forgot to check if they were downwind, something that even the most inexperienced amateur would remember to do. He ended up losing a forelimb to boar, and had to be rescued by the very novices he was trying to teach, it was a great embarrassment for us all."

Flash winced in sympathy, "Ouch. So what happened after that? Did he have to give up hunting?"

Ferra shook her head against him, "No. In fact, he went on to become an even greater hunter than he ever was before, even with his hooficap, and brought great honor to his family. He would even proudly show off his injury when teaching new hunters, as a visible reminder to stay humble, stay focused, and to always, always learn from your mistakes. The hunter who accepts that he is not perfect and has the humility to learn from his mistakes gains far greater wisdom and ability than the hunter who never knows failure."

Flash slowly traced small circles on her shoulder with his thumb as he once more found himself in awe of this extraordinary pony who was pleased to call him of all people, 'master.' Her wisdom reminded him of a lesson he had heard from the Scriptures the last time he had been able to go to Church with Ella back on earth, Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.

Flash took a deep breath and slowly let it out, allowing his stress to dissipate, "Heh, I guess moping about messing up doesn't really do much good for anypony, huh Ferra?" He felt her smile against his shoulder,

"Nope! If you know you're not perfect, why should you be surprised when you're not? Just accept it and do better!"

This mare... He roughly grabbed the side of her head and placed a quick kiss on top of her fuzzy head.

"Thanks Ferra, that actually helps a lot. You really are a princess, aren't you?"

She giggled and gave him a playful headbutt that bonked the side of his head, "Yup! And you really are delicious! So, can I eat you now?"

"Ow," Flash said, squinting and rubbing the side of his head, "No. Maybe later."

"Aww, shucks. You're no fun." She whined. As the two of them rose to their feet, Flash caught site of a lone courier pegasus scanning the area from the air. Spotting Flash, he quickly flew down and landed in front of him, rendering a hasty salute. Flash recognized the patch on the yellow pony's green fatigues of a boulder being cracked underneath a stamping hoof as belonging to that of the 2nd Division Guard Expeditionary Unit, affectionately known as the 'Ground Pounders', one of General Iron Shod's ponies.

Flash saluted him back, "At ease private, what's the word?" The pony reached into his satchel and handed Flash a small sealed scroll.

"Urgent missive from the general, sir. He's asked if you can meet him at Building One Headquarters right away!"

Flash opened the scroll and read the message: 

"Good afternoon Capt. Skies, 

Please report to my office at Building One at your earliest convenience, I have made a startling discovery that I think requires your, unique attention.

Respectfully,

Maj Gen. Iron Shod
CO 2nd Div, GEU"

Flash looked up, "Yes, tell the General I will be right over, thank you private." The pony nodded, saluted, and took off, winging his way back towards the the northwest corner of Canterlot.

Flash stretched his arms over his head and started walking towards the castle gates, "C'mon Ferra, lets go bother the general."

Ferra gasped excitedly, "I'll get to come into headquarters? Is that allowed?" 

Flash grinned, "Allowed? It'd be amusing to see anypony try and stop you." 



"Take your time Ella, you almost got it." 

Twilight Sparkle watched as the young woman's brow furrowed in concentration, her eyes fixed on the apple sitting on the small coffee table in front of her. The other girls and most of the partygoers had left a while ago, but Twilight had chosen to stay behind, taking the opportunity to continue the magic tutoring lessons that she had been giving off and on to Ella. They had become less frequent in the last few months as both of them had growing responsibilities, but Twilight was still certain that Ella had barely scratched the surface of her potential abilities and wanted to make sure that she could still make progress with them.

The alicorn held her breath with anticipation, watching as a green glow slowly began to envelop the small piece of fruit. The magic began to flicker and fade before with a snarl of effort on Ella's part, the signature buzzing hum of changeling magic filled the air, and the apple shot up into the air, floating in a green aura of magic in front of her face.

Twilight clapped her hooves together, "Congratulations Ella! You managed to close the loop!"

Ella let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, breathing hard as she stared with a mixture of frustration and wonder at the apple she could now feel clearly linked to her mind and will. She looked down at her right hand which was also enveloped in the same green glow of magic, pulsing with greater intensity around the large diamond of her engagement ring which she had chosen to use for her focal point.

"Argh, now why was that so dang difficult?!" Ella glowered as she waved her hand back and forth, causing the apple to do the same. She cut the flow of magic, causing the apple to drop before immediately catching it again in a telekinetic grip as easily as she could do it with her hands. "It feels as easy as blinking now that I know what it actually feels like!"

Twilight gave a playful laugh, "Don't be so hard on yourself Ella, you've lived most of your life without magic, and you don't even have a horn to focus yours with! Somepony with those liabilities attempting to grasp and harness the simple basic principles of creating a Gryt loop is like a blind pony trying to learn about color! I'm actually impressed that you've come this far with only three weeks of training."

Ella flushed slightly at the praise. "Heh, I guess you're right." She agreed, her sense of frustration quickly being replaced by a kind of giddiness of being able to do something that most people could only fantasize about. "Wow, look at me! I'm a friggin' Jedi!" She exclaimed with a laugh as she caused the apple to flick through the air at her whim.

"Jedi?" Twilight inquired, tilting her head to one side.

Ella laughed, "Oh man Twi, you and I just gotta watch some movies together from my world!" 

Curious about how far she could take this, Ella squinted in concentration, picturing in her mind what she wanted to do. Her magic responded to her input, and the apple split into two perfect halves, one of which she floated over to Twilight and the other to herself which she took into her hand.

Twilight smiled and took a bite of the offered snack, "Mmm, not bad Ella! You're a real natural! Most unicorns take weeks after their first experience with telekinesis to gain finer control like that! Ooh, I can't wait to see how far we can take your abilities!"

Ella sighed and leaned back in the sofa she was sitting on as she released the magic, feeling a little tired from so much concentration. "Yeah, me too. I really appreciate you continuin' lessons with me with everything else you got going on, Twi."

Twilight shook her head, "Oh, it's no trouble at all Ella, I'll always have time for a friend. And this is a lot of fun for me as well!" 

"So, friends make time for each other?" Said a curious voice. Ella and Twilight both looked up to see Cozy Glow hovering in the air, her hooves clasped innocently under her chin, her scarlet eyes glittering with interest.

"That's right, uh, Cozy Glow is it? Yes, friends will always try to make time to help one another, it's part of a healthy relationship." Twilight replied.

Cozy Glow's eyes widened with what Ella could easily see was feigned wonder, "Wow, golly Miss Twilight, there's sure a lot to learn about friendship. I sure hope that I'll be able remember it all when your new school starts!"

Ella squinted suspiciously, Alright Cozy, just what are you up to?

Twilight smiled and nodded, "Yes, friendship does take a lot of effort Cozy, but don't worry. When the school opens, you'll have lots of opportunities to learn and many good ponies who just can't wait to teach you all about growing good and healthy friendships!"

Cozy Glow looked at Ella and gave what appeared to be a sweet smile, but to Ella, it appeared downright sinister thanks to the thick cloak of violet duplicity she could see practically dripping from her spirit; it smelled like engine grease.

"Well, it seems then that I already have a very good friend in Ella, because she has been making lots of time for me!"

"She has?" Twilight asked, looking appreciatively at Ella, who fought to not appear nervous.

"Uh, yeah, it's no big deal, just tryin' to help all the kids get ready for school haha," she said, forcing a smile. Where are you going with this Cozy?! She thought with alarm, sensing that something was already moving past the point that she could control.

"Yup, she's been teaching me all about what it means to be a good friend. In fact, Ella has even agreed to let me stay with her here in Ponyville to help me get ready for the school year! She's so nice."

Ella felt like the air was pulled from her lungs as she struggled to not to let the outrage presently exploding within her to break her decorum. Why you audacious, little, MONSTER! 

Twilight looked at Ella in amazement, "Ella, that's so generous of you! You're already dealing with so much, and yet you're still trying to do more to help everypony!"

Cozy made a mocking face at Twilight while her back was turned, pushing her hooves into her cheeks and wagging her tongue back and forth while looking directly at Ella; the young woman actually wondered for a second if magic could make literal daggers fly out of her eyes.

"Oh, it's nothing, really!" Ella said through clenched teeth, barely maintaining a forced smile. "It's just that Cozy looks like she might need more help than all the others, and I simply can't stand to see such a slow learner fall behind, that's all."

Cozy's smug grin immediately morphed into an angry scowl, one of her eyes twitching as she silently mouthed murderous threats at Ella while making violent gestures, drawing a hoof across her throat in a slashing motion.

Twilight smiled, "Wow, that's very considerate of you Ella. If you didn't already have a job, I'd ask you to be a teacher at the school!" She said while turning to Cozy Glow who instantaneously switched to the very image of sweet innocence, holding her hooves shyly behind her back. 

"Well Cozy, I hope you can fully appreciate what Ella is doing for you. This really is a rare opportunity for you to learn about friendship from someone who is truly special! Make sure you make the most of it while you can before the semester." Twilight said.

A smile slowly creeped across Cozy's face, "Oh, you can count on it Miss Twilight!" She said, shifting her devious gaze to Ella, "I promise, that I won't waste a single second of it." Ella for her part, held her gaze, doing her best to not glare, but said nothing.

Shortly after that, Twilight said her goodbyes, assuring Ella that she would be back again soon to pick up where they had left off. Ella and Cozy watched together from the front door as Twilight walked out into the front yard, turning to wave before disappearing in a violet burst of magic.

Cozy kept smiling and waving until she was sure the Princess was gone before fluttering back inside and slamming the door shut. "Ugh, I thought she'd never leave! Can you believe just how gullib-"

She never managed to finish her sentence as a green glow suddenly enveloped her small form with an angry sounding buzz, yanking her down with a startled yelp towards Ella who snatched her by the scruff of her neck, holding her like a kitten at arm's length before her face.

Ella was beyond furious, and it wasn't simply because of the little stunt Cozy had just pulled with her and Twilight. No, it was for what she had done before when she was talking to Flash earlier that morning. She had seen it, as clear as the day, the full-blown murderous intent glowing red behind her sweet words to him; she knew a deliberate threat when she saw one. Ella suspected her blue eyes were probably glowing with their signature green light as she bared her fangs at the little pony and for just a second, saw a flicker of genuine fear pass through Cozy's spirit. Good. She wanted her to be afraid.

Cozy Glow gave her a shy smile, "I see you've mastered telekinesis." She softly observed. 

"Let's get one thing straight you little devil," Ella hissed while giving her a rough shake, "I don't care if you mess with me, but if you ever threaten my husband like that again, then so help me, I'll-"

"You'll what?" Cozy quietly interjected, "Kill me?" 

Ella's jaw dropped slightly, the words caught in her throat. To be honest, she wasn't sure how she was going to finish that sentence. But the revulsion she now felt at the realization that she was presently threatening a child rattled her to very her core. A smile slowly spread across Cozy Glow's face as Ella saw her momentary fear being replaced by the golden glow of growing satisfaction and even a little pride now radiating brightly through the pony's spirit. It smelled tempting, like a savory broth. And then it hit her.

She, she did that on purpose! She threatened Flash, on purpose! She knew that I would see it and, and...

"There you go, there she is," Cozy said, her eyes sparkling with morbid delight as she watched the horrified realization of what she did dawn on the human's face. Ella let go of her, stumbling back and almost falling over, catching herself on the back of a chair. Cozy Glow held herself aloft in the air with soft beats of her wings at the same level Ella had been holding her, continuing to smile proudly at Ella who stared fearfully back at the little pony who had so easily manipulated her, breathing hard.

"I always knew you were smart, Ella. It's why I like you, you're not like all the other insufferable little nitwits I've been surrounded by since the day I was foaled. You saw through me the day we met, and it wasn't because of your powers, but because you can spot a fake a mile away. I like that, you're the first to ever do so. I just had to know if you were real, to know if you had limits like anypony else. And now, I know!"

Cozy floated over to her and Ella flinched as the filly gently took the sides of her face in her tiny hooves. The pony smiled at her, and for once, and to her immense surprise, Ella could see that her smile was genuine, and not at all like the fake saccharine grins that she always gave to everyone else. There was even a small glint of affection and appreciation in her spirit. And though the motivations behind those kind emotions were utterly twisted and depraved, they were shockingly genuine. 

Cozy Glow slowly shook her head while maintaining eye contact, "Don't hate me Ella, you know what I am." She whispered before placing a small, sweet kiss on the woman's forehead.

Ella shivered, collapsing back into the chair that she had been holding onto for support, her swirling emotions making her feel lightheaded while her heart continued to pound away in her chest. She was vaguely aware of a warm sensation settling into her lap as Cozy gently set down and snuggled close to her. Without thinking, she placed a hand on Cozy's back and began to scratch her soft fur. Oddly, in spite of every horrible thing that had just happened, she found the act very soothing, allowing her to begin gathering her thoughts.

God, what am I doing? She asked Him. She still felt sick with remorse that she had actually threatened Cozy. Even if she was a little monster, she was still a child, and the thought of almost losing her temper like that, even if it was the result of deliberate manipulation on the part of the little beastie, made her feel ashamed. 

Ella began to consider for a moment that she was in over her head, that perhaps she should tell Flash and the others of the danger present in their midst, a wolf in filly's clothing, but she immediately dismissed it. She remembered how she had promised herself, when she had first gained Cozy's trust by not exposing her, that she would do whatever she could to help this poor, sick child. She knew that deep down, somewhere in that cold little Machiavellian heart of hers, was a poor little girl just looking for love, even if that little girl didn't know it herself. 

Ella knew it, she had seen it in her envy earlier. No, exposing her now would just ensure that that part of her would never see the light of day. She would learn from this mistake. After all, there was still time. Time enough to love this little pony, as difficult as she was, and help her to see that what she really wanted was already right in front of her.

Ella took a slow breath and let it out, giving a small smirk at the sight of the little pony curled up in her lap, enjoying her scritching like she hadn't a care in the world.

"You're a real piece of work Cozy, ya know that?" Cozy Glow rolled over onto her back and smirked back,

"Flattery will get you nowhere, but it's nice of you to notice."

Ella reached down and gently cupped one of her soft cheeks with her hand, "Sorry." She whispered to her to which Cozy simply gave a small smile, nodding in acknowledgment.

"So," she began, sitting up and resting her chin on top of Ella's protruding belly, hugging it with her forelimbs and looking up at her with doe eyes, "How are you going to explain our new little arrangement to your precious handsome hubby?" She asked, giving Ella a small squeeze.

Ella rolled her eyes with a humorless laugh, "I suppose I'll just tell him the truth," she paused, looking down at Cozy slyly, "That I'm taking the time to help a slow learner get ready for school." She said with a wink.

Cozy scowled, "Witch."

"Devil."