> The Silent Tale
>  by Flutterkiin
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> Prologue
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	Princess Luna was sitting behind her desk, writing, as a navy blue unicorn paced back and forth. The unicorn was showing his impatience as Luna shook her head and looked up.

“Okay, since thou art so impatient with Us, state your name.” The unicorn stopped his pacing and looked the Princess in the eyes.

“You know my name, Princess. We just had this conversation yesterday with Celestia,” the unicorn said. 

“Yes, We remember. But for the sake of the paperwork, it is required that We go through every question once again. We hope that thou wilst understand our procedures. After all, thou art applying for the Commander of the Lunar Task Force.”

“Very well, Princess Luna. My name is Silent Trail, descendant of Shadow and keeper of the legacy,” Silent said as Luna nodded and wrote something down on the parchment in front of her.

“We thankest thou, Silent. We must ask, thy second name, be it family-given or self-given?” 

“Your highness, I gave myself my second name, after I graduated from your Academy. It seemed fitting for the career that was before me. I request that I keep it, although my career may be somewhat changed now.” Silent could not help but feel a sense of relief when Luna nodded in acknowledgement of his request. Luna beckoned Silent to sit down, only speaking again when he did.

“What is thy cutie mark, pray tell? We are… not sure that We can see it. Doest thou not know thy own special talent?”

“My cutie mark is reflective of my special talent to change. I can change my cutie mark whenever I please, to whatever is needed for my task.”

“Very rare is this skill. We have only known one other pony to possess this particular cutie mark. However, We believe that to be another issue. We shall simply put ‘not applicable’ for the time being,” Luna said as she continued writing on her parchment. She gestured Silent to stand and he complied.

“Thou art applying for the Commander of the Lunar Task Force. Thy duties shall be to monitor the workings of the Intelligence Department and the Department of Homeland Security for Equestria. Art thou aware of the perils of the job, and art thou willing to do what thine princesses demand?” Luna looked straight into Silent’s eyes as he nodded with a straight face.

“I am aware of the duties of my position and I am equally aware of the dangers that I may face in the line of duty. I am sworn to obey my Princesses, even to death, be it needed.”

“Then it is Our pleasure to announce thy promotion to Commander of the Lunar Task Force. Forgive Us for not mentioning this earlier, but Our dear Sister very much desires to speak with thou. We have given Our sister command over thou, for We have deemed that her task is of great importance. Tarry not, make haste to Our sister. We will remain in contact with you with a skill that We shall bestow unto thou at a later time. Thou art dismissed, Commander.” Silent saluted and left Princess Luna’s office to go to Celestia’s Court session that was currently under way. 

When Silent arrived at the waiting room of Celestia’s Court, the guards stationed at the entry-way stepped in front of Silent’s path. 

“State your name and business,” one of the guards said as the other stared at Silent.

“Silent Trail, Commander of the Lunar Task Force. I was summoned by the Princess and must speak to her as soon as possible.” The guards looked at each other before one of them told Silent to wait as the other went into the Court. Ten seconds had passed before the guard who had gone in came back out and allowed Silent to pass. When Silent walked through the doors, he saw Celestia sitting on her throne, two unicorn guards stationed at either side. Celestia gently smiled as Silent approached her throne and bowed. 

“Greetings, Commander. I take it your promotion went smoothly?”

“Yes, your highness. I was told by Princess Luna to seek you immediately, as I am under your command for the time being?” Silent looked quizzically at the Princess who had been the one he reported to for quite some time. 

“Indeed. I have perhaps the most important long-term contract you have ever received. I need you to go to Ponyville and keep tabs on the adventures of the bearers of the Elements. Your orders,” Celestia paused as she pulled out a scroll and gave it to the navy blue unicorn, “are to make sure that no attacks are made that the Elements cannot handle. You are also to clean up any ill-fated conflicts that may occur during their adventures.”

“Understood, your highness. I accept my orders and will move to Ponyville. I assume I will need to stay under-cover?” 

“Yes, Silent, you will need to blend in among the ponies. Although, I believe that you already have dug yourself in quite a bit?” Silent nodded, remembering his last trip to Ponyville. 

“Then I believe we have nothing else to discuss. Good luck, Commander.” 

“Thank you, Princess,” Silent said as he saluted and walked out of the Court. As he left, he smiled, knowing that his life was going to get a lot more interesting.
> Chapter 1
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	It was night when the train finally made its stop in Ponyville. As Silent stepped out of the car he had been riding in, he couldn’t help but feel like he was being watched. He looked up into the nighttime sky at Luna’s beautiful moon and let out a sigh as he began to walk. He looked back down and began to think about his new life. 

I can’t believe I’m being sent back here again. I don’t even know why Celestia chose me. I mean, I’m the head of Homeland Security, but this task seems like something I would assign one of my subordinates… if I had any. Of course, that is probably what Luna will do in my absence; begin recruiting for her new Task Force.

Silent arrived at the workshop that he had been given on his last assignment and took the “Temporarily Out of Town” sign off his front door using his magic. He then proceeded to go up the stairs to his room to get some sleep.

Silent woke up to a knocking at his door. As he began to walk down the stairs, his horn began to glow blue as he enveloped himself in his magical aura. By the time he reached the front door, he had changed from a navy blue unicorn to a tan Earth Pony with three horseshoes as a cutie mark. He opened his door to a red Earth Pony with a yellow mane and a yoke around his neck.

“Howdy Caramel. Ah reckon yer here to stay fer a while?” Silent said nothing, instead smiling and gesturing his new guest into the workshop.

“That’s correct, Mac. I have been assigned to Ponyville again, this time for a good long time. What’s going on?”

“Well, Ah don’ reckon you’d know anythin’ about it, but Applebuck Season is comin’ up and our carts could use some fixin’ up again. Ah don’ know how they’re always bein’ messed up, maybe they’re jus’ gettin’ old,” Big Mac said as he looked around the shop. He turned to look at Silent who was still smiling.

“It would be my honor to help you out, Mac. Do you need me to come on over to Sweet Apple Acres to fix them?” 

“Ah reckon that’d be a good idea,” Big Mac said as he scratched his chin. Silent nodded and the two left Silent’s workshop. 

When the two stallions arrived at the doors of the barn, Silent sat down in disbelief as he saw that all the carts had been nearly destroyed. Big Mac looked at the stunned stallion out of the corner of his eye and let out a soft chuckle. When Silent turned to look at him, Big Mac started to explain. 

“Well, Silent, ya see, while back Apple Bloom was lookin’ fer somethin’ to do, so Ah showed her to an apple cart that was needin’ some care. Ah went out to work on the South Orchard, and when Ah came back, she’d made the cart worse an’ tried to touch up a couple of other carts as well. Sweet lil’ thing honestly tried to do somethin’ out of the kindness of her heart, but that didn’t stop AJ from scoldin’ her on account of ruinin’ five good carts. Ah think it was a bit harsh of AJ fer doin’ that, but Ah wasn’t in the position to tell her to back down. As soon as she had sent Apple Bloom up, she turned on me. Said Ah was dumb as a bale of hay fer lettin’ a lil’ filly work on some carts. We sorted it out, but Apple Bloom hasn’t gotten over that yet.” Silent looked back at the barely recognizable scraps and saw one cart that had seemingly been untouched. 

“What is that cart right there for? It doesn’t look like there’s anything wrong with it,” Silent said as Big Mac nodded and let out another chuckle.

“That was the work of Apple Bloom, who was so upset that she messed up, she went back out here at night an’ worked the night away at fixin’ what she broke. When Ah came out to get mah cart, I found her sleepin’ in the cart she’d fixed. Ah took her back into the house an’ came back out to inspect her work. As ya’ll can probably see, she did a great job at fixin’ it. This all happened a couple days ago, but if AJ found out that Apple Bloom fixed it, she’d get after me again. Ah reckon ya’ll can fix up these carts by the start of Applebuck Season?”

“Yeah, I can definitely get it done. It’ll probably take me all today and half of tomorrow to repair them all. It shouldn’t be too hard, and I’d say it’d normally take a day, but half today will probably be spent getting used to working without magic again.” Silent looked over at Big Mac who returned Silent’s look and nodded silently in acknowledgement. 

As Big Mac turned to leave, Silent stood up to get to work on his new project. What a way to catch up on lost time. Applebuck Season is fast approaching, and I’ve got to get all these done without using magic. Now, let’s take a closer look at this cart that Apple Bloom fixed. Silent leaned over to inspect each feature of the cart. From what he gathered, Apple Bloom had taken parts from a whole bunch of carts to actually make one from scratch. Silent smiled at her ingenuity for making things and began to sort out the different parts to begin his repairs.

The next day, Silent had just finished putting the finishing touches on the last cart when he heard the barn door open. He turned around to see Big Mac standing in the doorway.

“Well Ah’ll be. Ya’ll said you’d get this done in a day and a half, and ya’ll delivered precisely that. Ah stopped by to ask if you think you could help me with a couple dead Apple trees out in the Orchards,” Big Mac said, looking over Silent’s repair work. 

“Yeah, I think I could manage that. I’ve finished up all the carts and they’ll be good to go. I’d go as far to say they’re strong enough now to hold a full-grown pony up without so much as breaking, though I doubt that’ll ever happen. Where are these trees you’re talking about?” Big Mac gestured for Silent to follow him, and the two made their way out to the Orchards.

They had been walking for about two minutes when Silent saw a dead Apple tree just standing out among the fruit-bearing trees. Well, it’s not too big, but it’s not exactly small either. I’m not sure how much help I’ll be to Mac, but I’m sure he has his reasons for bringing me out here.

“Alright, Silent, here’s the plan. Take this saw an’ start weakening the base of the tree while I tie this rope around one of the stronger branches. Then, when ya’ll feel it’s weak enough, Ah’ll give it a tug an’ see if Ah can’t bring it down. The stumps can go ahead an’ stay ‘til after Applebuck season.”

Silent grabbed the saw from the cart that Big Mac had pulled and began working away at the base. It took him a good three minutes of sawing before he felt the tree begin to lean. He called to Big Mac who fastened the ropes onto his yoke. With a big pull, Silent heard a crack and watched in awe as the tree fell to the ground. 

“Good work, Silent. Now, we still have about four more trees to go before we’re all done. Hopefully now that you have the hang of usin’ yer mouth for handlin’ the saw, it’ll take less time to fell the trees.” Silent nodded as the two progressed on to the next tree.

The next two trees went by like a flash, and before Silent knew it, he was standing before the second-to-last tree. Well that seemed easy. I bet these next two will just be a breeze. This one doesn’t even look big at all. 

Silent began his work on the saw while Big Mac tied the rope around the largest branch he could find. No sooner had Big Mac finished; Silent heard a small crack and jumped back as the tree began to give sooner than he had anticipated. He had just started to yell at Big Mac to watch out when the tree fell. Right on top of Big Macintosh. 

“Oh, for the love of Luna… Mac, are you okay?! Talk to me, buddy!” Silent rushed over to Big Mac, who was now on the ground with a tree on top of him. Big Mac grunted and opened his eyes.

“Well, that was sure unfortunate. Silent, ya’ll wouldn't mind helpin’ me get this thing off of me, would ya?” Silent nodded in relief as he grabbed the ropes and pulled with all his strength. After a couple of seconds, the tree was off of Big Mac and he inhaled deeply before coughing. When he stood up, Silent noticed that his side was bleeding. 

“Oh, hay, we oughta get you back to the house, Mac. Your side isn’t looking very good. Can you walk okay, or do you need some help?” 

“Well, Ah reckon Ah can walk jus’ fine. Good thing, too. Ah don’t think we’d have enough time to find somepony strong enough to carry me back. Even on a cart Ah’m not that easy to carry.” Silent looked at Big Mac with hurt eyes as Big Mac looked back at Silent, giving Silent a mix between a grimace and a smirk. 

Silent waited patiently in the dining room of the Apple residence when he saw Granny Smith walk in, smiling. 

“Don’t you worry yer little head about Macintosh. He’ll be good to go in a couple weeks. He’s got a couple of broken ribs, but nothin’ too dangerous. Stuff like this happens all the time ‘round here. ‘Specially since Applejack is off sellin’ apples, leavin’ Macintosh to tend the Orchards. Though Ah reckon she’ll be left now to harvest all those apples durin’ Applebuck Season. Hopefully the poor filly will see fit to ask a couple of her friends fer help. Silent, don’t you worry ‘bout a thing. It ain’t yer fault that happened. It was just an accident.” Silent smiled at Granny’s kind words, as well as her random chatter in between.

“Thank you, Granny. I shall take my leave then. It’s getting late, and I need to be well rested to help you all out tomorrow,” Silent said as Granny nodded, showing him to the door. As Silent walked back, he couldn’t help but feel bad about the events, and hoped Applejack would be humble enough to accept the fact that she couldn’t hope to harvest the entirety of Sweet Apple Acres by herself. 

Before the sun was even up the next day, Silent was already at Sweet Apple Acres, talking to Applejack about what he was going to do to help out.

“Listen, Caramel. All you gotta do is plant the seeds for our new Orchard. Big Mac has already plowed the ground for you, now ya’ll jus’ have to spread them out. The seeds are out in the barn,” Applejack explained as Silent nodded and began to walk away. 

This will be easy. All I’ve got to do is put the seeds in the spreader and pull it around the field. It will be as easy as-

“Hi there! My name’s Pinkie Pie and I haven’t seen you around before and if I haven’t seen you around before it means you’re new and if you’re new that means you don’t have very many friends here and not having very many friends makes ponies sad and I don’t like knowing my friends are sad and you’re my new friend! What’s your name?!”

Pie. “Hello, my name’s Caramel and I am-”

“OOH! Caramel?! I LOOVE Caramel! Especially Caramel apples! They’re so good! What brings you to Ponyville, Caramel?!”

“I’m a mechanic, and right now I’m working for the Apples since Big Mac got injured. If you don’t mind me asking, why are you out here?” Silent was astounded as Pinkie actually paused for a couple of seconds before answering.

“I don’t know, actually. I just felt like my name was called out here, or that I was going to be needed. In any case, it doesn’t matter why because it happened and now I got to meet a new friend and that’s awesome!” Silent watched in awe as the pink Earth pony bounced away, humming some sort of tune. As soon as she was out of sight, he turned to walk to the barn to pick up the seeds for his task. When he got into the barn, he took out the seed bag and placed it in the seed spreading cart to take it out to the field.

After what seemed like hours of pulling and tugging, Silent finally made it to the area that Applejack had told him about. It was on a hill overlooking the river that cut through Sweet Apple Acres. Silent undid the harness around him and sat down to give himself a break. Wow… that cart is heavier than it looks. All those seeds really add up. I’ll just take a bit of a break here before I start working. Not too long of one, though, just enough to catch my breath.

While Silent was catching his breath, he observed the thousands of apple trees that had been planted over the years. He was too busy taking in all the scenery to notice that the seed cart had started to roll down the hill. By the time he turned around to begin his work, the cart was already rolling down the hill and careening toward the river. Silent ran as fast as he could down the hill, but it was useless. Silent watched helplessly as the seeds crashed into the river, forever lost.

Celestia have mercy, Applejack is going to kill me. 
> Chapter 2
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	Silent was fast asleep when suddenly a vision came to him of Princess Luna, now with a starry mane and taller than she had been when he had left Canterlot. Silent noticed that the room that he was in was not the same as what he had fallen asleep in.

Greetings, Silent Trail. We have come to you in this dream-state for your first lesson. However, We would ask that you answer a couple of questions about how you have acquired your skill in changing your form. As We have noticed, you do not follow the Illusion magic of changing in the eyes of ponies, rather, you change completely.

“Yes, Princess. I mastered my techniques from the highly esteemed teachers in Morphopolis, outside the borders of Equestria, in the land of the Changelings. I never met their queen, Chrysalis, but I learned from those that she had taught directly. I have always been able to change, however, ever since I was a young colt living in Ponyville. The one thing I could not change was my cutie mark, and whenever I would change, I would always be a blank-flank.” 

Indeed. We thought that your skills were too similar. But nonetheless, we still believe you to be loyal to Equestria. Our tests of your loyalty came back true. 

“Princess, if you don’t mind my asking, how do you know Chrysalis? You said that the skills were similar… and that you only knew of one other who possessed the cutie mark. Who is the other pony? Also why do you talk with the modern Equestrian dialogue?”

We shall answer your last question first. It is because we are in your Dream-state, and you interpret Our speaking into the language that you understand best. You still hear Us say “We and Our” because that is Our identity. Concerning our knowledge of Chrysalis, it is because she is an Alicorn, just like Celestia and just like Us. Indeed, there is an Alicorn for each division of Magic, Illusion, Alteration, Destruction, Restoration, and Conjuration. We are the Alicorn of Illusion, Chrysalis the Alicorn of Alteration, and Celestia the Alicorn of Destruction. The Alicorn of Restoration is in training to inherit the Crystal Empire once again, in order to bring it out of the chaos of anarchy. Does that answer your questions?

“Yes, however, it adds a couple of new ones. Why, if Chrysalis is an Alicorn like you and Celestia, does she not look like a normal Alicorn? Also, who is the Alicorn of Conjuration? I assume that they are not on good terms with you or Celestia because Conjuration is a banned subject in Equestria?”

Chrysalis does not look like Our Sister or Us because she chose that way long ago. She desired to be feared, not loved, so she changed her form to match her heart. Her followers, all Unicorns, decided to match their leader’s appearance to some degree and eventually, after generations of mutations of changing forms, became the “Changelings” you know today. Chrysalis then decided it was time to go from a co-ruler with the rest of the Alicorns to a supreme ruler. Her folly was soon realized when her forces were over-run. Celestia, being the elder of the Alicorns, decided it was best to split up the realm of Equis into different kingdoms. We were the youngest at the time and wished that Our kingdom be combined with Celestia’s. She agreed and so the kingdoms were set. The Crystal Empire, a land in the North, mountains  rich in minerals, to the Alicorn of Restoration. The barren lands on the Western edge to the defeated Alicorn of Alteration. Equestria in the middle to the Alicorn of Destruction and the wide plains of the South to the Alicorn of Illusion, who then gave the land into the care of her dear Sister. To the Alicorn of Conjuration was given the Mountains of the East, so that it may continue its workings in the deep caves, unseen by any of the others. 

“I know not of this Crystal Empire. All that is in the North is barren Tundra with some small towns. However, that is irrelevant for now. What is the lesson that you came to teach me?”

We have come to teach you the way of the Mist. It is not illusion, per-se, but it can be used quite often in your line of work. We believe that you have seen Us use it before, when the Nightmare had possessed Us. It is a skill of Ours, though, and not its skill. Let Us give you the knowledge.

Silent could feel his mind begin to whir as Luna showed him what was necessary to use the spell. He could feel the magic swirl around him in his own dark blue magical aura and could feel his entire body become one with the Magical Energy that all Unicorns possessed. He knew that this was just his mind becoming the Mist, yet at the same time he knew that it would feel the same way when he transformed the rest of his body.

In order to use it, one must first feel the air around them. One must feel their essence and transfer it into their magical aura. After that, one will be freed of the forces keeping them down on the ground and will be able to fly around with ease. Use it when you need to escape, when you can think of no safe place to teleport. It will serve you well, but use caution. Not all ponies will take kindly to seeing the mist, as We have used it when the Nightmare was with Us. 

“I can feel it. It’s so, freeing. How long will I be able to keep this up?”

It will last for as long as you wish. Think of it as changing forms into something else. It is exactly like that, only you will have no physical presence. 

“Thank you, Princess. I believe this will come in handy. I had another question. What is the history of the Alicorns?”

We began our existence many millennia ago, when this land was still taking shape. Before any pony had walked upon this land. We were placed here by some higher existence to watch over this realm. We are truly the sister of Celestia, however the others We consider Cousins. The Alicorn of Restoration was to care for the nourishment of the lands, restoring not only the animals, but the plants as well. To her was given not only the power of healing physical injuries, but healing emotional tears, as well. Her personality was perfect for the job she had to do. Celestia always envied that gift, although her maturity made it so she did not act upon her envy. Celestia was given control over the Sun, the most powerful non-living thing in existence. To Us was given the powers of the Night. We were tasked with raising the Moon and Celestia gave us the power to align her stars as we saw fit. To the Alicorn of Alteration no task was given, she was an agent of whatever she wanted to do.

“And what of the Alicorn of Conjuration? You seem to have skipped over them and mentioned them only in passing.”

You seem very interested in her.

“Well she is a mystery. I am only seeking for knowledge.”

Very well. The Alicorn of Conjuration is perhaps the most corrupt of the Alicorns. She was given the ability to raise anything she desires from the dead and to create new creatures. Soon after Celestia gave her the Mountains of the West, she, with her new army, comprised of Griffins and Manticores, marched on the borders of Equestria. Celestia knew that the only way to stop the army without killing was to separate the army from their commander. We called upon the Alicorn of Restoration to help us with an ancient magic so powerful it would claim the life of even the most powerful unicorn. We stopped time long enough to capture the Alicorn of Conjuration and Celestia took her to the Sun, an eternal prison of fiery torture. The time-stop spell took its toll on only the Alicorn of Restoration, and she was stuck in an everlasting time-loop, much like a phoenix. To this day, the Alicorn of Conjuration is still up on the sun, no doubt planning her revenge on Celestia. But as long as Celestia’s magic is unmatched, she will stay imprisoned.

“I didn’t know Celestia was so powerful. So out of the Five Alicorns, only Four are in the Realm of Equis. Thank you, Princess, for sharing this piece of history with me.”

You are very much welcome. We shall return to teach you more, but for now We bid you farewell. Again, beware of the perils of using the Mist.

> Chapter 4
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	Silent was walking down the streets of Ponyville, relishing in his first day off since Applebuck season had begun a month ago. Now that Applebuck season was over, he hoped that his days would become less busy in the struggle to keep up with the maintenance of the carts that had so plagued him. Silent was thinking about the history of the Alicorns when he noticed his sister sitting at a café all alone, mindlessly sipping on a drink in front of her.

“Hello, Colgate. Wonderful day out, is it not?” Colgate looked up as she saw her brother in disguise walking up to her.

“Yeah, I suppose so. Although, it’d be a lot nicer if it weren’t for the aerial display that keeps interrupting my quiet time,” Colgate said, looking up at a pair of silhouettes dancing in the sky. Silent followed her gaze upward and noticed that one silhouette was slightly larger than the other. 

“Hm… that’s interesting. Have you gotten a good look at them?” Colgate nodded.

“It’s Rainbow Dash and her old friend from Flight School, or so the rumors say. They say that she’s a griffin, which is strange, because I didn’t know that they were in this part of Equestria.” Colgate continued to drink her beverage as soon as she saw that Silent was content with her reply.

“Griffins are really dangerous, and Princess Celestia has put a lot of restrictions on their occupancy of Equestria. Let me know if something happens, okay?”

“I don’t see what a mechanic could do about it, but I suppose I could try to find you.” Colgate smiled and winked at her brother who returned the grin.

“That’s the spirit.” Silent trotted away, heading toward the library to see what he could find out more about the ancient wars. The thought of a never-before-heard-of Alicorn was sticking fast to his mind, and he was determined to find some hints in the history books. 

Just as Silent reached the doors of the Ponyville Library, he saw the door open slowly and a dejected pink Earth Pony walk out. He watched in confusion as the typically joyous Pinkie Pie walked slowly toward the park. He shrugged and turned to go into the library. 

“Hello. Is there any way I can be of assistance to you?” Silent looked to his right as he entered through the door and noticed Twilight Sparkle at a reading stand, facing him and smiling.

“Actually, yes. Where might the history books be? More specifically, ancient history. Before Princess Luna’s banishment.”

“Oh, that would be right in the next room, everything in there is history and geography, ordered chronologically. Although, you don’t seem to be the kind of pony that would be interested in history books.” Silent simply smiled at the librarian’s observation.

“I’m doing a little bit of research for relaxation. I realize that’s typically only a unicorn thing, but I hope you’ll understand.”

“I was actually talking about how you’re a mechanic, and every mechanic I’ve ever known never held much interest in ancient history.” Silent blushed slightly in embarrassment and quickly walked into the other room, thanking Twilight for her assistance. 

It wasn’t long before Silent found a book covering the ancient days of ponies, even before written language was established. Silent looked around, making sure that nopony was in the room with him, and as soon as he saw that it was clear, he made his horn reappear and touched it to the book. Using his magic, he scanned for anything detailing Alicorns. As soon as he found the page, he hid his horn and began to read. His spirits fell as it only detailed the rise of Celestia and Luna, yet he told himself to keep reading. As he read, he discovered that the history books had been altered, and that although the book detailed the War of Equestria and the formation of the realms, no other Alicorns were mentioned. 

Main Street. By the café. Come quickly.

Silent jumped at the sudden voice in his head, immediately recognizing it as his sister’s. In one quick flash, he had changed back into his original unicorn form, put the book back on the shelf, and disappeared from the library. 

Silent appeared by the café and began to look around him. Everywhere he looked, he could see ponies discussing angrily at one another. He ran up to Colgate who was standing by herself. 

“I’m impressed. You actually came in your form. You’re going to need it, though. Seems like you were right about the griffin. A few minutes ago she scared poor Fluttershy, just for walking in her way.” Colgate turned to Silent, who was scowling, no doubt thinking about what to do next. 

“Thank you, sister. I will see what I can find out about this griffin. Any idea where she went?”

“No, however, I do know that Pinkie Pie is throwing her a party later at Sugarcube Corner. Maybe you ought to go check there?”

“Will do. Thank you, Colgate. You’ve done Equestria a great service.” Silent briefly hugged his little sister before trotting off to Sugarcube Corner. 

After turning invisible and sneaking into the local bakery, he noticed a small gathering of ponies. Among them were the Elements of Harmony. He walked over to a corner and began to observe the scene, making note of every single pony in the room. He was surprised to see his sister enter with Carrot Top, wondering why she was here. Then he looked to the door and saw that the guest of honor had arrived. He noted that although she was bigger than the average pony, she was still kind of small for a Griffin.

“Great,” Silent thought to himself, “That means she’s probably hot-tempered in order to try to compensate for her lack of size.”

Silent sat in his corner and watched as the party progressed. He looked around and noticed that there were many pranks that were just waiting for somepony to stumble upon. Soon enough, the griffin fell for a prank. Silent noticed her lose her cool a little bit, but with a griffin of her psyche it was not surprising. What was surprising was what happened next. Silent could only watch as out of some invisible hoof guided the griffin to stumble upon every single prank in the room in sequence.

Silent rose quickly as the griffin began to roar in anger, prepared to do what he had to do to defend the ponies. However, he watched as the griffin simply turned to leave, calling toward Rainbow Dash. Silent watched in awe as the cyan Pegasus refused to leave with her old friend, sticking with her newer friends. He watched as the griffin stormed out of the room in anger and Silent knew that he had to act fast if he were to catch the angry griffin. 

Silent rushed outside, looking around to see which direction the griffin went, and after locating her, he began to feel his horn glow and remembered what Luna had taught him. He could feel his body surging with magic and as some of his body transformed into the pure energy, he could feel himself being lifted up into a cloud-like state. After the transformation was complete, however, he couldn’t figure out how to move. Silent floated in place for a few seconds as it occurred to him that all he needed to do was will himself to move. After his revelation, it took no time at all before he was speeding after the retreating griffin. 

When he caught up to her, Silent knew it was a matter of time before she had to land to rest, and to his surprise, it took no energy to move around in his current state. For the first time in his adult life, he felt free. Silent was no longer bound by the laws of physics, and the comfort of the magic field was almost too good to let go of. Silent quickly caught himself as he noticed that the runaway griffin had started to slow down and descend. 

It was several minutes before the griffin finally stopped in an opening in a wooded area to rest up before she continued on her journey to who knows where. Silent knew that he had to do what he came to do, and quickly. The threat must be neutralized. Silent went out of sight of the griffin and changed back into his physical form. He saw a look of fright on the griffin as he stepped out into the opening that she had landed in. 

“What are you doing here? Don’t you know not to startle a griffin? Do you have a death wish or something? Now get lost!” Silent smirked as he started to walk circles around the griffin.

“Oh, no, I’m afraid I didn’t come all this way just to walk away, Gilda. You see, I’ve been following you since your little episode in Ponyville. Must be tough losing the only friend you had left. Yet, you seemed to shrug it off like she meant nothing to you.” Silent had no idea if Rainbow was Gilda’s only friend, but he figured it was a just assumption.

“Hmph. Like that loser was my only friend. I just kept hanging out with her so she didn’t feel so lonely. I got tons of friends back home, tons of griffin friends who would love to feast on some punk like you.” Gilda stood up and started gazing between her claws and Silent. 

“Is that right? You must come from some rural part of the mountains. All the griffin cities I know of, and trust me, there’s a lot of them, are too civilized to even think about eating a pony, or anything that can talk as they do. I don’t feel threatened by you, Gilda, so any attempts at threatening will fail miserably. However, you have reason to fear me, which is why I’m offering you a deal.”

“Oh yeah? And what makes you think I’d make a deal with some smug little unicorn like you?” Silent smiled and chuckled audibly.
“I’m glad you asked that, Gilda. You see, I’m the Commander of the Lunar Task Force, including the department of Homeland Security. I was sent to protect the Elements of Harmony, the very ponies that just earlier today you had a bit of an episode with. I’m here to make sure you don’t come back to threaten them, or any of Equestria for that matter. I can let you go back home, with a warning. However, should you choose to decline my offer, or if I hear you have caused trouble in some other part of the kingdom, then I shall have no choice but to hunt you down and administer the proper punishment. And believe me, you won’t like it. So, what do you say?” Silent held his hoof out to make the gesture of an agreement. Gilda eyed his outstretched hoof for a moment before she spoke.

“I don’t believe you have any power to do such a thing, so I’m going to have to say no. In fact, now that you mention it, I think I’m going to go back to Ponyville and give those annoying dweebs a piece of my mind.” Gilda spread her wings, laughing maniacally and turned toward Ponyville.

Silent’s horn began to glow, and suddenly Gilda was grounded again. Her wings soon became tied to her body by means of a few of the vines hanging from the trees. She grunted as Silent threw her against a tree and tied her up, restraining her from moving any limb of her body.

“I’m afraid that crosses the line, Gilda. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to call in some back up. I’m afraid I won’t be able to transport you myself all the way to Canterlot.” Silent stepped back and his horn briefly shone as he sent a signal toward the direction of the mountain city.

It was about an hour before the special unit squad arrived on the scene. They looked in awe as a dark blue unicorn was sitting comfortably under a shade tree while an enraged griffin thrashed around in her makeshift restraints. The squad quickly sedated the griffin and placed her into a cage that they had brought for the occasion.

“Bout time you guys showed up,” Silent said as he walked up to the leader of the squad, “you guys take the scenic route or something?”

“No sir,” the sergeant replied, “we hurried here as soon as we could. We had to find a cage big enough for a griffin, although I don’t think you and I have met before.”

“Indeed we haven’t. What’s your name, soldier?”

“Rocky Spirit, Sergeant. Equestrian Royal Task Force, Flare Company. And you, sir?”

“Ah, Flare Company. You guys have quite the reputation. As for me, I am Silent, Commander of the Lunar Task Force.”

“It’s an honor, sir. Shall we get moving? It is nigh 3 hours until sundown, and the road is still long from here to Canterlot. Our prisoner will wake up soon, and we don’t want to be stopped when she does.” Silent nodded and the Sergeant gave the order for his men to start moving the cage. 
It was right as the sun had set that the troupe had entered the Canterlot Castle courtyard. Gilda had stopped yelling and gave up about 2 hours into the walk, but she was still fresh on everypony’s nerves. Silent felt sorry for those who had to pull the cage, as during the early stages of the trip the griffin had tried slamming into the sides to try and escape. 

The Canterlot Guard met Silent and the squad halfway up the path. After the squad handed the cage over to the guard, Silent dismissed them and they walked back to their barracks. Silent filled in the guards who were pulling the cage and instructed them to take the prisoner to the dungeons for imprisonment.

“One thing I would like to know, where is Captain Armor? I need to speak with him about the griffin.” 

“He is currently on leave, and won’t be back for a couple of days. In the meantime, you will have to speak with Bull. He’s the First Lieutenant and the interim Captain of the Guard. He’ll be in the Captain’s office until 23:00 until he retires for the night.” Silent nodded and thanked the guard for his help.

Silent arrived at the door of the Captain’s office to find it wide open. He looked inside and saw Bull sitting at the desk filling out some paperwork. Silent knocked on the door and entered when he got the go-ahead wave from the busy First Lieutenant.

“I’m very busy, soldier, so if you could hurry up and say what’s on your-” Bull stopped mid-sentence when he looked up at who he was talking to. “Sorry, sir. I didn’t realize it was you. I wasn’t expecting somebody of your stature at this time of the evening. What can I do for you?”

Silent chuckled. “I have come here to inform you of your newest prisoner. I expect them to be taken care of in traditional Equestrian hospitality, however I must warn you: the prisoner is very hostile and must be treated with maximum security. One of the Princesses will try her based on my report of her actions, but in the meantime she is your responsibility. Do not give her opportunity to escape. Is this clear?” Bull nodded. “Good. Then I will expect you to relay this to Captain Armor upon his return. Now I must leave, but remember, it’s imperative that you don’t give the griffin even the slightest of breaks. I suppose you’re named “Bull” for a reason, so I’ll just let you do what you do with unruly prisoners.” Bull saluted as Silent exited the office. 

Silent was walking down the main corridor when a night guard approached him. “Sir, Princess Luna has requested your presence in her office. I have been sent to fetch you.”

“Thank you. Lead on, then.” Silent followed the Pegasus guard to Luna’s office. When they arrived, the guard motioned for Silent to go on in while the guard stood at attention in front of the door. As Silent walked in, Luna looked up at him and greeted him with a smile.

“We were not expecting you to make such a visit to Canterlot. We are happy, however, that you decided to. We are curious as to what brought you here.”

“I come here on official business, there was a runaway from Ponyville who had threatened certain members of the Elements of Harmony and it was my duty to give chase and incarcerate her.

“We see. After we are done here, you will need to go to Our sister for a full report. Do you know why We called you here?” Silent shook his head. “We have summoned you here because We have a little surprise for you. In your new assignment, you will need to leave on a moment’s notice, like this incident has proven. However, your business cannot suffer you to be gone on random days, whenever something happens. We have been thinking upon how to fix such a problem. What We have come up with is something, radical. Thunder, you can come in now.” Luna looked toward the door. Silent turned to see the new pony to the conversation and gasped when he saw Caramel standing before him.

“What… What is this, Princess?” Silent swiftly turned to face the Princess, his face showing ultimate confusion. 

“This is Thunder Flash. He has been learning how to change forms for a few years now, following in your footsteps to some degree as part of Celestia’s Royal Guard. If you will allow him, he just needs one more thing to be able to replace you permanently as Caramel. He has volunteered for this job, knowing all the risks.”

“I… I understand. He needs my memories, doesn’t he? So that he may copy Caramel’s personality to a ‘t’?” Luna nodded. “And Thunder, you are aware that you must lose all memory of your old self until your job be done?” Thunder nodded. “Very well. Remove your memories into this,” Silent gave Thunder a large vial which had been sitting on Luna’s desk, “and I will give you Caramel’s memories.” Silent walked up to the new Earth Pony and touched Caramel’s forehead with his horn. Caramel’s eyes opened wide as years of memories rushed into his brain. As more and more information slammed its way into his mind, he began to quiver. Silent finished off the procedure, filling his mind with the last of the memories. As soon as Silent removed his horn from the Earth Pony, Caramel let out a sigh and collapsed on the floor.

Luna called to one of her guards to take Caramel to the infirmary. As he was carted away, Luna turned to Silent. 

“I have a quick question, Princess,” Luna nodded in confirmation, waving Silent to proceed, “Well, I’ve noticed that you haven’t been using the older dialect much, and I was wondering why that was.”

“Our dear Sister has set us up with shock therapy. Every time We attempt to use the older dialect, We get shocked. It has been very effective in making us speak in the common tongue.”

Silent and the Princess sat for a couple of minutes in silence, Silent reading over his report and Luna writing in a large book. Luna was the first to break the silence.

“We are sorry that you will no longer be able to become Caramel. We realize that you have a special connection to him. However, with your job come sacrifices that you must make in order to keep Equestria safe. Is there anything We can do for you?”

“Well, I could do with a bit of advice. I’ve never really had to give Princess Celestia a report like this. Anything I should avoid or include in my report?”

Luna smiled and let out a chuckle. “Now that you mention it, it wouldn’t hurt to include something about cake or bananas.”

> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	That was the worst report ever. Of all time. What was I thinking? I take that back. I wasn’t. Celestia must’ve known I’ve never done anything like that before. She thanked me and said that I did well in my actions but I don’t know if i-

“Mr. Silent, sir?” Silent opened his eyes and looked at the brown stallion walking next to him.

“Yes, what is it, Thund- Caramel?”

“I was just wondering about the relationships that both you and Caramel shared, and which ones I must carry on.”

Silent was lost in thought for a couple minutes before he finally spoke. “You will maintain public relations with the Apple family and with all of your other contracts having to do with mechanics. I will still be in contact with Big Mac and with my family.”

“Thank you, sir.” Silent rolled his eyes at his new doppelganger. 

“Another thing, don’t call me sir. I’ll be working under you at the shop, leaving when the need arises. You will simply say I went to get supplies on the off-chance that anypony asks.” Caramel nodded and looked forward to the transport that Celestia had ordered to take them back to Ponyville.

“Doesn’t that seem a bit strange? Y’know, if a mechanic comes in with a new guy on a very nice cab? Won’t ponies ask questions?”

“It would, if Ponyville were a normal place. When the Element of Magic arrived at Ponyville in Celestia’s personal chariot, nopony even looked at her. However, I won’t be accompanying you into town. You’ll be riding solo. Once we get on the outskirts, I’ll be teleporting into the machine shop.” Silent closed his eyes for some well-deserved rest.

When the cab was almost to Ponyville, Caramel nudged Silent, who woke with a start.

“So what will you be changing into?”

“Beg pardon, Caramel? What do you mean, ‘what will you be changing into?’”

“Well, sir, if you think about it, not many ponies have no cutie mark, or the cutie mark that you have. Wouldn’t it draw attention to yourself if you were a grown stallion with no visible cutie mark?”

“Didn’t think about that. You’re right, Caramel. Good thinking. Hold on one second.” Silent’s horn began to glow, wrapping himself in his magical aura. After the flash of light, Caramel’s mouth opened wide at the new form. Before him stood a light blue Unicorn with an ice-colored mane and light blue eyes. 

“I didn’t think it was possible for a pony to change that quickly. This form took me hours to perfect. You just did that in a couple of seconds.”

“Years of training, Caramel. This wasn’t even that difficult, the eyes were the most that changed.”

“Very well. It looks like we’re just about to Ponyville, so I guess I’ll see you at the shop?” Silent nodded and vanished without a flash.

When Caramel arrived, Silent was laying on the couch listening to the record play. He looked up and smiled.

“About time you got here. I was able to clean up the shop and the spare room in the time it took you to find this place. Get lost?” Caramel sighed as Silent stood up.

“Not quite. I got stopped by Applejack on the way here, asked where I had gotten off to, said people had been asking for you… well… for me. In any case, we have quite a lot of orders waiting for us tomorrow. But for now, I think I’m going to hit the hay.” Caramel started walking up the stairs to the bedrooms.

Silent waited until Caramel was up the stairs before he began to follow him. “Your bedroom is the second door on the left. I have to warn you, the window creaks a bit.” Silent smiled as Caramel let out a grunt and mumbled something under his breath. 

The next morning, Silent walked into the kitchen and saw that Caramel had made breakfast. It was pancakes and hay bacon strips with orange juice to drink. At the table, Silent noticed a small note.

“Silent, I’ve gone to talk to Applejack about the contracts that she’s acquired for me. I would tell you to handle any customers that come in today while I’m gone, but you probably already know to do that. I shouldn’t be gone more than a couple of hours.”

After breakfast, the newly appointed shop assistant stepped outside to go for a walk. By then, Caramel had returned and given Silent leave until after lunch. As Silent walked through the streets, he noticed a cloaked figure sitting at a café, looking at the ponies that passed by. Silent could tell it was a unicorn mare, but he couldn’t see anything else. He noticed that none of the other ponies seemed to notice her, which although it wasn’t entirely unusual, still seemed odd to him. As he walked closer to the café, he could feel a certain force that told him to look the other way, and just continue on with his routine. He immediately recognized it as an illusion spell meant to disguise a pony in broad daylight, one that he had used countless times before. Silent decided to play along and keep walking, but his mind kept racing with all the possibilities of why somepony would need that spell in order to watch a town.

Later that day, as Silent was putting the final screw in place on a cart that needed repair, he heard a knock on the door. When he walked over and opened it, he barely had time to jump out of the way before a young mare ran inside.

“Silent, you’ve gotta come quick. Word is there’s a very powerful unicorn and she’s here to give a little show.” Colgate gestured for Silent to follow her as she ran out the door. Silent followed Colgate to the middle of Ponyville, and sure enough, there was a strange yellow wagon with a banner that had a crescent moon and a star on a stick.

“Wait a second… I know that emblem. Colgate, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Silent looked over at his younger sister.

“Yeah, I noticed her earlier today,” Colgate said, “She was at a café wearing a hood. When I came up to her, she looked at me like in shock, probably due to the fact that I completely ignored her illusion spell to talk with her. We talked for a little bit, she said she was here scouting out her audience before she rolled in.”

“Yeah, but why is she here? There are tons of better places to set a show.” 

“Apparently, she’s been met with less than positive reactions in bigger cities like Baltimare and Las Pegasus. She started her show in Manehattan, traveling throughout all the country trying to make a name of herself.” Silent was about to reply when a mare’s voice rang throughout the audience.

“Come one, come all, come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trrrixie!” Suddenly, the wagon opened into a stage and fireworks shot off in all directions.

Well she’s certainly got a lot of pizazz, let’s see if she’s got the magic to back her claims. Last I checked, little Trixie didn’t have that much magical ability. Certainly not enough to earn the title of “great” or “powerful”.

Silent and Colgate watched as Trixie told her story about vanquishing an Ursa Major and then proceeded, after a little bit of provoking by the audience, to challenge anypony to beat Trixie in her magical ability. They watched as some of the locals gave a little show, then watched as Trixie humiliated them in front of all their friends.

“Same old Trixie. She uses her magic to humiliate other ponies, just so others think she’s more powerful than she is. Her most powerful spell seems to be the one that everypony in our family knows.” Silent looked over at Colgate, who at this point was steaming in anger. Luckily for Trixie, the show ended shortly after the magenta mare known as Twilight Sparkle ran away.

Silent went back to the shop and began work on repairing a far-beyond-fixing stand for one of the local vendors. It was late at night when Silent finally gave up on the project. All of the sudden, he heard a loud roar outside, followed by a shrill scream. Silent rushed outside in time to see an Ursa step on Trixie’s wagon. Silent’s mind immediately began racing through all of the options for taking down the threat while he ran to his parent’s house.

Silent entered his parent’s home and was greeted by his father.

“Well, well, well, looks like we have a visitor. What brings you here at this hour, Silent?”

“An Ursa has made its way into Ponyville. I’m going to go see what I can do about it, but I came here to make sure you were safe and could secure this house. I’ve gotta go now, but stay safe, father.” Colgate walked up to Silent as his mom looked in horror.

“You too, son. Take Colgate with you. She doesn’t look it, but she packs a punch when she needs to.” Silent nodded and headed for the door with Colgate.

When Colgate and Silent arrived on the scene, Silent noticed that Twilight’s horn was glowing very brightly. He could hear music playing and the Ursa was beginning to drift off. Suddenly, a giant container filled with milk came floating over the rooftop as Twilight lifted the Ursa off the ground and sent him back into the Everfree forest. Silent watched as Twilight spoke with her friends before Trixie walked up to her, boasted a little more, and then bolted.

“Silent,” Colgate said, turning to her brother, “Shouldn’t you probably go after her?”

“I was getting there! I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Silent turned and rushed into the alley. He quickly transformed into his mist form and flew after the fleeing mare. He got to a point in the road a bit ahead of her and transformed back into his physical body. 

Trixie ran around the corner that Silent had been watching and immediately stopped to look at the pony that was seemingly randomly standing in the road. She walked up to Silent, out of breath.

“Well, hello there, Silent. Trixie thought she might see you sometime soon. Your sister talked with me earlier today, and she told me you were on official business. What brings you to the talentless town of Ponyville?” Trixie smirked as she began to walk around Silent. 

“Turns out, there are some pretty important ponies in that town,” Silent said, stepping in the way of Trixie, “Ponies that the Princesses don’t want coming to any harm. Your little fanclub in Ponyville brought in an Ursa Minor for you to vanquish, causing a potential for those very important ponies to be brought to harm.”

“So, what you’re saying is I am responsible for the actions of two foolish colts and their idolatry of me?” Silent nodded. “Are you going to imprison me or something?”

“Not if you promise to stay away from Ponyville from now on. I can let you go right now if you promise me that. If not, however, I will be forced to take you to Canterlot, where your actions will be judged by courts. I can’t show favoritism just because you’re my cousin.”

“You always were a killjoy, Silent. I was supposed to be the one to carry on the family tradition, you know that, right? To learn the ways of the Shadow and be the one in the family with special abilities? Then, you came along. Your magical abilities as an infant were off the charts, no doctor in all of Canterlot had seen anything like you before. I couldn’t believe my eyes as my father fought with yours, saying that I was the rightful heir. But grandfather couldn’t be persuaded by my father and you were chosen to carry on the legacy. I was forced to attend normal schools and learn mediocre tricks. I was never allowed to be anything greater than a typical unicorn. I’ll stay away from Ponyville, sure. But I need a new wagon, as my previous show stage was destroyed.” Silent stepped aside as the angry mare walked forward.

“I think I can arrange that.” Trixie looked at him incredulously. “It’s the least I can do. Now that Luna is back, you can probably enhance your skillset without having any difficulties. You know, you might find better receptions if you wouldn’t boast as much. There’s a difference between putting on a show and putting on a “look-at-me” parade.” Trixie gave Silent a dirty look before turning and walking away.

“I don’t need your pity, nor your petty advice. The Great and Powerful Trixie will learn to use better magic than anypony ever before, and she will become the most well-known unicorn in all of Equestria!”

Silent watched as his cousin disappeared into the night. He felt some remorse for all that he’d put her through unwillingly. It wasn’t his fault he was born with his abilities. As Silent turned toward Ponyville to begin his walk back, he could see a dark object flying high in the sky. 

Good luck, Trixie. I hope you find what you’re looking for. I hope you can learn to accept friendships, too. You can’t go through life on your own.

> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Silent was hard at work on a current work-order given to him by a local pony who had crashed into her cart by accident during a crazy night on the town. He couldn't believe the damage that this one pony had done, especially considering she was relatively untouched when she came to drop it by the shop yesterday afternoon. Silent heard a knock on the door, followed by Caramel's voice calling for Silent. He walked to the front door and was given a letter by a grey pegasus who then proceeded to fly away and bump into the sign at the front of his shop, causing it to crumble. Silent groaned and walked back to his workshop to read the letter.

To Silent, Commander of the Lunar Task Force.
Greetings. It has come to Our attention that our eastern borders have been crossed by three unlikely travelers. According to the Canterlot Records, adult dragons have not been in Equestria outside of the great Dragon Migration, which is not scheduled for another year. This can only mean that they mean to sleep in their choice of caves that litter the Equestrian landscape. We have secured the locations of two of these dragons, and Celestia has seen fit to assign you to one of them. Do not worry, the other is being taken care of by “highly qualified” ponies, according to Celestia. You must report to Canterlot as soon as you get this message. We await your arrival.

Signed,
Princess Luna

Silent looked at the letter briefly before he called out to Caramel, who was in the kitchen eating lunch.

“Hey Caramel, I need to go to Canterlot for official business. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. If anypony asks, I’m in Trottingham for supplies. Don’t get too busy while I’m gone.” Silent heard a confirming mumble and rushed outside to call for a taxi.

Princess Luna was waiting for Silent outside the castle gates along with a host of guards. She gestured the guards to hold their position and nodded to Silent to follow her. Silent followed her to the statue gardens. When Luna stopped in front of a dragon sculpture, Silent looked at her quizzically. 

“A thousand and five hundred years ago, soon after We had returned from dealing with Genesis, We had found that a hostile takeover had occurred. Equestria was in chaos and We had to use the ancient magic of the Elements. After he had been defeated and encased in stone, We found a dragon’s egg that had been hidden in Our Castle in what is now Everfree. Celestia was wary about taking it, but in the end, she allowed Us to raise it. At first, the dragon seemed very tame. However, like with all dragons, once it got to its adolescent years, it became violent. The once timid creature became one of the worst dragons that We have ever seen. It started to attack the Earth Pony villages, burning all the countryside and houses. Celestia ordered that it be eliminated, but when We took the task, We underestimated the dragon’s strength. When We took our task force with us, the dragon saw Us coming and absolutely destroyed the ponies around Us. We were able to injure its eye before it flew away. He never returned to Equestria, and Celestia has told us that the dragon had gone into a slumber when he heard of my banishment. Two of the known dragons have been spotted and identified, and one of the dragons is none other than Our old friend. We do not want to lose another task force in taking this dragon out, Silent. We must admit, We are worried.”

“Princess, if I may speak freely, I would advise that you not worry. New advances by the Unicorns in flame-proof armor make us almost immune to dragon fire. Even if your old dragon is the most powerful dragon in the world, the advanced armor is tested using a super-heated volcano. Still, we have all run the simulations and know how to handle a dragon. We are different than your old task force. I believe we are capable of helping you.” Luna smiled at the reassurance and the two walked back to rejoin the guards. Silent looked back at the castle and noticed Celestia standing there, watching the company leave. She looked straight at Silent and he could feel her gaze staring into his mind. 

Do not leave her alone, Silent. She is still recuperating and is not as powerful as she was when she last faced her dragon. You must learn from her something that she may not be so willing to teach you. Ask her to teach you the spell known to scholars as the Wings of a Phoenix.

Silent nodded at Celestia and the company headed out to face the dragon. Luna revealed to the group that the dragon’s location was somewhere deep within the Southern mountain range. Silent had been there before, due to the large amounts of rogue militias. Celestia’s guard, while having jurisdiction there, had no way of keeping peace with all the rugged terrain and terrible weather from the Pegasus militia. 

The company traveled for days before they arrived at the base of the mountains. Luna ordered the troops to set up camp as she had to prepare to raise the moon for the night. Silent raised his tent and walked up to the Princess, who was standing on the perimeter, waiting for her time. Silent watched in awe as the Princess of the Night began her ritual. As Luna rose into the sky, the moon followed shortly after, radiating the side of the mountains with a bright light. As she descended, Silent walked up to her.

“Permission to speak, Princess?”

“Granted, Silent. What’s on your mind?”

“I talked with Princess Celestia before we left Canterlot. She told me to ask that you teach me the Wings of a Phoenix spell before this gets started.” Luna’s face grew to an almost angry frown as she looked at Silent.

“Did she now? We guess that We will have to speak to her. Silent, We will tell you right now that We are not happy with the idea of teaching you that particular spell in this situation.” Luna walked off, leaving Silent without any words to say. Silent returned to his tent for the night as he saw the first guard walking to their spots. 

Greetings, Silent. It is Luna again. We have spoken with Celestia, and she has convinced Us to teach you the Wings of a Phoenix spell. This spell is designed for emergency situations, when a pony needs to be evacuated from the scene. The spell will make the teleportation tunnel lock on to the safest place it can find. It was designed by Celestia during the first Great War for getting Ponies off the front lines in times of need. We know the purpose of Celestia wanting Us to teach you this spell, and although We will not need it, We will teach this to you. It is a useful spell for you to know.

Silent could feel the similar aura surrounding him. He could feel the energy flowing into him as he saw the magic required to make the spell happen. He watched as the magic tunnel formed for him and he saw his home, with his mother and father sitting by the fire. When the tunnel was connected, Silent saw a bright flash and Luna was gone.

The next morning, Silent walked out of the tent to a pair of guards running up to him. He could see that there was a worried look in one of them, while the other had the typical stoic expression.

“Sir, our patrols have spotted a militia scouting group on the other side of this mountain. They will come from the West within the hour. They seem to be members of a Pegasus group, numbering 10 total. What would you have us do?”
“Have they spotted us?” The guard shook his head. “Then we must pack up quickly and avoid them. If they are coming from the West, then we take the Eastern road. Give the order.” The guards nodded and began to run throughout the camp calling out the order to pack up. 

The company got ready quickly and began their trek along the Eastern road. Silent could quickly see why the militia had used the Western road. Before his eyes, he could see steep and narrow paths that twisted up the mountain, paired with large cliffs and jagged overhangs that seemed unstable even from their current position. He could see parts of the path that had fallen and landed at the base of the mountain. 

Their trek was long and drawn out, lasting half the day of constant climbing with no breaks. The pegasi fared fine, as they simply flew alongside the unicorn guard, but the unicorn guard would occasionally lose their footing, causing some to stumble. Over the course of the hike, nearly a quarter of the unicorns had lost their balance and needed their fellow guards to carry them to their next campsite.

As the group got to a good resting point halfway up the mountain, Silent looked behind to see their old campsite being investigated by the militia. There weren’t many of them, so Silent assumed that it was just a scout group, sent ahead and the rest of the militia would soon arrive. He could see one of the pegasi pause and begin to fly toward the mountain, leading Silent to believe that they had been spotted. Silent quickly called to the pegasi of the group to give them orders.

“Silent, sir,” the Pegasus captain said as he flew down to Silent, “you asked to see me?”

“Indeed I did, Thunder Light. It has come to my attention that the militia we had been avoiding are now aware of our presence. When the militia finds us, I would like us to be somewhat ready to fight, and the injured need rest. You must gather your pegasi and escort the Princess to our planned camp outside the dragon’s lair. If I may suggest it, use the Cloud Roost tactic for concealing the Princess from unwanted eyes. I will stay behind with the unicorn guard and defend the injured while they heal. Send a scout tomorrow evening to tell us if everything is okay, or if things go south, to confirm our body count. I trust you, Thunder Light. I know you can keep our Princess safe. Now go.” Thunder Light nodded and called to the pegasi to begin preparations for the flight. Silent looked over at the Princess of the Night, who had been watching the conversation.

“You seem to be preparing for something, Silent. Tell Us, what is on your mind?” Silent looked at the sky, the sun more than halfway through the sky and the clouds swirling high above, higher than normal. Silent thought this strange, but disregarded it to answer his Princess’s question.

“The militia that we have been trying to avoid has come across our campsite at the base of this mountain. They will probably be here by nightfall, and our unicorn guard can go no further until they get some rest. I have spoken with Thunder Light, and he has agreed to escort you to our planned campsite near the dragon’s lair. I trust Thunder Light completely, and you will be safe with the pegasi, your Highness.” Silent looked straight into Luna’s eyes, which were staring at Silent emotionlessly. “I strongly suggest that you go with my plan, and I apologize for not consulting you first.”
“Very well, Silent. We will do as you say. However, We must inform you that We are not entirely powerless. We will, however, go with Thunder Light to the campsite and await your arrival with the rest of the troupe.” Luna turned to follow Thunder Lane, who had approached while she was talking. Silent watched the pegasi and his Princess as they took off and soon disappeared. 

Silent walked past the medical tent, where the medics were hard at work mending the wounds that the unicorns had received. He could see one unicorn already trying to stand up, swearing that he was better and wanting to help. Silent shook his head as he continued to the ledge overlooking where they had come from. He could see the rest of the militia forming down at their old campsite. Silent sat down and began his watch, knowing that this would be the first night in a while that wasn’t welcomed.  

> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Many years ago-

Silent was eagerly waiting the gates to open to the Academy of the Royal Guard. His time at the Illusion Academy had gone so well that he had decided to take his talents to the Royal Guard. He could see the other ponies around him give a mix of feelings. Some were as eager as he, staring intently at the gate and then at the clock in the courtyard. Others were more reserved, standing near the back of the group. They seemed nervous for the next couple of months, as they should. Silent knew it would be a tough training regimen as well as intense classes. 

When the new recruits were finally allowed in, the guard assigned as academy staff ushered the group into the main meeting hall. As they got situated in a somewhat comfortable manner, a stallion walked onto the stage and walked over to the podium that had been put in the center. Silent recognized the stallion as the Captain of the Royal Guard. By his side were two ponies, a Unicorn and a Pegasus. The Captain cleared his throat and called the recruits to attention.

“Welcome, ponies of Equestria. You have signed up for this Academy because you wish to be a part of the Royal Guard, the Elite force guarding our beloved Princess. However, I must warn you that some of you will not make it. You will be tested to your limits and then some. Our training regimen will be extreme, lasting a month’s time. The second month of our Academy will be spent in the classroom as well as exercises designed to complement your education. Here you will learn the value of Teamwork and Trust. Each of the unicorns will be paired with a Pegasus, and each of the Pegasi will be paired with a Unicorn. Any Earth Ponies brave enough to join the Royal Guard will be paired with another Earth Pony. Should there be no Earth Pony for an Earth Pony to be paired with, you will be on your own. Do not worry, for you will not be penalized. With that, I will leave you to my two First Lieutenants, Cold Flame and Cloud Rider. Good luck to all of you.” The Captain left the stage as the Unicorn and Pegasus nodded to each other. 

Silent listened half-heartedly as they went through the long list of unicorns and who their Pegasus partner was. Each Unicorn and Pegasus was told to take the stage as their name was called. As each one went up, Silent could see how they paired the ponies. Each pony’s color matched the other in some way, be it monochromatic or complimentary. He could also see that most of the cutie marks of the ponies were in some way related to exercise. There were, on the occasion, an intellectual cutie mark, but mostly it was on the flank of a unicorn.

Finally, Silent could hear his name called followed by the name of some Pegasus. As Silent took the stage, he could hear murmuring from the crowd about his appearance, possibly from his lack of a cutie mark. Silent rolled his eyes and focused on his new partner. The Pegasus was muscular in stature and very confident with how he walked. He was grey with magenta eyes and a yellow mane. Silent couldn’t see his cutie mark from his current vantage point but he knew it was probably the stereotypical Pegasus “I can fly and do air stuff” cutie mark that was so popular among the pegasi here. Silent and the Pegasus greeted briefly and nodded to each other to leave the hall to get more acquainted.

“Name’s Thunder Light, but seeing as he announced the name, you probably already knew that. You’re Silent Trail, right?” Silent nodded. “Where are you from then, Silent?”

“I’m from a little town called Ponyville. However, I was sent here to Canterlot when I was a little colt to attend the Illusion Academy.”

“The Illusion Academy?” Silent nodded. “I didn’t know that even existed. Of course I guess that’s not very surprising. I bet you don’t even know half the schools available to Pegasi, huh?”

“Not even close. Anyway, where are you from, Thunder? Can I call you Thunder?” 

“Yeah. Thunder’s fine. I’m from a little Pegasus village a little to the North of here. It’s settled in the mountains, not very accessible unless you’re a Pegasus. My parents sent me to a boarding school in Cloudsdale as soon as I was able to fly. That’s typically how it works in Pegasus society, as soon as you can leave the nest, you do, and it’s your choice if you want to return to your home village after you’ve matured. Very few pegasi have the nurturing nature that it takes to raise a child. Never really ever got to know my parents.” Thunder looked away to the North as he stopped talking.

“I’m sorry, Thunder. I can’t imagine how that was.” Silent thought it odd that he would bring that up so easily. If he was going to be like this the entire time, Silent wasn’t sure how the rest of the time here would turn out. Thunder must have noticed the awkward silence because he soon chuckled nervously.

“Sorry about that. Since we’re gonna be spending a lot of time together, I thought I’d just get that out of the way. Tell me, Silent, do you have family?” Silent looked at the Pegasus and gestured for the two to begin walking.

“Yeah. I do. My parents live in Ponyville and my younger sister is currently here in Canterlot at Canterlot University. I don’t know what she’s studying, though. We don’t really keep in close contact.”

“Well that’s great! Hey, I’m going to finish moving into my barrack. I’ll catch you later, okay?” Silent nodded as Thunder turned to fly away. “It was great meeting you, Silent. I look forward to working with you!”

Silent

“Move, Cadets! You’ve gotta keep moving! The other team can’t afford to wait for you to lollygag!” The squad leader yelled at the four cadets, including Silent and Thunder. Silent looked back to see that Thunder had tripped on a branch and fallen to the ground. 

The Cadets were currently in the middle of a game of Extraction, where a squad of ponies acted as a team protecting the Princess lost in the forest in the Canterlot mountains, meanwhile another squad tried to rescue them from a team of ponies meant to represent the enemy. Silent and company were currently on the task of rescuing the Royal escort.

“Go on without me, guys. I’ll catch up, don’t worry!” Thunder yelled to the rest of the group from his spot on the ground. He tried to stand up, but he collapsed and looked back at his left hind leg. He groaned as he saw a big laceration that had appeared. Silent looked briefly at his Squad Leader before rushing back to his partner.

“C’mon, bud. We’re not leaving you here.” Silent searched through his pack and pulled out his bandages. He looked at the wound and concentrated his magic on cauterizing the wound. He briefly stopped as a magical bolt whisked past his head.  

“We don’t have time for this, cadet. Get a move on!” The squad leader walked back to the duo, looking back and forth for the source of the bolt.

“I’m not leaving him, Sir. It will only take a couple of minutes. Luckily he’s a Pegasus, and with your permission, I have a plan, sir.” The squad leader muttered something incoherently before turning around, putting up a shield.

“You have 2 minutes, Cadet.” Silent nodded and turned back to his partner. The wound had stopped bleeding due to the cauterization. Silent carefully but quickly wrapped the leg with the bandage. He stood up and walked over to the squad leader.

“Okay, Sir. I have a plan. Thunder, are your wings still okay?” Silent turned to Thunder, who nodded firmly. “Here’s the deal. Obviously, Thunder Light is unable to walk, much less run. However, he can fly. We don’t know exactly where the squad is located, only that it’s well guarded. Since we just had a small attack, though, I’d say we were getting closer. With your permission and Thunder’s agreement, I’d like to ask that we let Thunder do a flyover, surveying the land, searching for the package, as well as an evac point.” 

“That is a crazy idea, Cadet, but considering our current situation, it seems like we’ll have to go with crazy. Thunder, do you think you could do that?” 

“Yes, Sir. I will find the package, as well as a good evac point. As soon as I do, I will come back here to give you the intel and proceed to get reinforcements.” Thunder stood up slowly and took off through the trees.

A minute after he had left, another magical bolt flew by the squad. The other unicorn in the squad yelled that he had a shot at the mystery source. The squad leader ordered the unicorn to return fire. Silent quickly turned to the other unicorn and focused on where he was shooting. Silent snuck through the crossfire, being careful not to get hit by the spare bolts, in order to get a good look at the pony. 

Silent immediately recognized the pony as one that he had in a couple of his classes. He was tan with a black mane and blue eyes. Silent had been able to pick up on some of his mannerisms just to the side, so imitating him would be easy. Silent launched a bolt at the enemy soldier, causing him to disappear. He would appear back at the academy. Fortunately for him, they were at the point in the tactical level that the other team was not informed upon the loss of one of their soldiers. Silent stood up and walked back to his squad. 

“Sir, with your permission, I’d like to go on a scouting run. Once Thunder gets back with the intel, I want you guys to go to the clearing that he found. Hide out within the first few trees. I’ll draw them to the clearing. Then we can take them out one by one until we can safely remove them.” The squad leader looked at Silent like he was crazy, as did the other two in the squad.

“And how, cadet, do you plan on doing that? They won’t necessarily send the whole group after one unicorn. Pre-Mission intel says that they have a great shooter and will shoot on sight of a non-friendly.” 

“I understand that, sir. But don’t worry. I have a plan.” The squad leader looked at Silent in the way that an adult would look at a young foal who said that they could lift a large boulder.

“We’ll see when your partner returns, Cadet.” The squad leader dismissed Silent and went to lay against a tree in meditation. 

The sun was beginning to set when Silent noticed a silhouette descending. As it got closer, Silent could tell that it was Thunder returning from his scouting mission. He came down through the trees and hovered just above the ground, not wanting to land. The squad leader walked over to him and ordered a report. 

“I found both the group and a possible evac zone. The package is about a quarter mile due South of here. The clearing about half a mile West of the group.” The cadets looked to the squad leader for their new orders.

“Very well. Good work, Cadet. Go tell the reinforcements to watch the clearing, and to come when they see the flare.” Thunder saluted and flew off. The squad leader turned to Silent. “Cadet, I hope you understand how dangerous your plan is. However, since this is your test, I will give you permission to go. Good luck.” Silent nodded and turned to run South.

As soon as Silent had gotten out of sight of his squad, he began to concentrate on changing his form. He concentrated on turning himself into the soldier that he had seen during the attack. He was enveloped in his magic and changed with a flash of light.

Silent walked through the forest, looking for the lookouts for the enemy encampment. He was amazed at how dark the forest got at night. He had never actually run a test in these woods that had lasted after the sun set. The trees began to feel like they were closing in around him as Silent went farther south. He could swear he could hear rustling in the bushes around him.

“H-hello? Is somepony there?” Silent asked in the unicorn’s voice. 

“Hey, there you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! After you wondered off on our scouting mission, we’ve been searching the area. Glad to see you didn’t run into the other team! I was just heading back to camp, c’mon!” Silent nodded and followed the Pegasus. The two walked for about 10 minutes before Silent heard a voice call down from the trees.

“Sun,” the voice yelled softly.

“Moon,” the Pegasus replied. Silent had to keep from groaning at the code that they had chosen. Sun, Moon was so predictable that even somepony who hadn’t just spent 6 weeks in the Academy could guess. Silent heard a confirming grunt and the two walked past the voice. Suddenly, a large amount of tents and fire rings appeared before Silent’s eyes. Silent had to let out a small gasp, barely audible. The amount of magic that it would take to disguise this whole area was extreme. Silent wondered how many of the unicorns helped out. The Pegasus turned to look at Silent, grinning widely.

“I can’t believe they set this up in the time that we were gone! This whole ‘invisible bubble’ is pretty cool, too. I guess you’d have to stumble upon it accidentally, and even then we have guards posted outside that would-” Silent looked at the Pegasus, who stopped talking momentarily to catch his breath. “I guess you’re right. I’m just a bit excited. I heard about all the magical theory that you unicorns had to take, and to see it actually in action is stunning.”

“Yeah. It was a lot of work… Hey, do you happen to know which tent is the C.O.? I need to speak with him in order for me to give my report on what I found. I can only tell him, though.” The Pegasus nodded and pointed toward a large tent in the middle of the circle of tents. Silent blushed and thanked his faux-partner as he turned to walk to the C.O. When Silent arrived, he was stopped by a couple of cadets posted on the outside of the entryway.

“State your name and business.”

“Name is not important. I have returned from the patrol and bear news of enemy movement.” The two cadets looked at each other and nodded. One of them walked inside for a couple moments before gesturing Silent inside.
When Silent walked into the tent, he had to repress a gasp of shock. In front of his very eyes was his Strategic Theories and Battle Tactics professor, Shadow Knife. Silent knew that convincing him to move the encampment would be very difficult, but if he were to act anything like his Squad Leader, he would do what the cadet said to do as a test.

“Hello, Cadet. I hear you have word from one of the scouting missions?”

“Y-yes sir. When I was on the patrol, I was accidentally separated from my group when I went to investigate something that I thought I saw. I was able to remain unseen until I got into a better position. It seems that an enemy scouting squad is a mile due northwest of here. I was able to get a couple shots off, and I believe I hit one of their unicorns before I had to retreat under fire. I got away safely and made sure that I was not followed before I went to rendezvous with the rest of my team.” Silent stood still as Shadow started to pace across the room. 

“You’re sure you were not followed, then?” Silent nodded. “We can never be too sure. Are the guards posted outside still awake?” Silent nodded again. “Good. Anything else, Cadet?”

“There is one thing, Sir, if I might have permission to speak freely?” Shadow gave him the go ahead. “I have also found a clearing that might be better suited for combat, sir. With these trees, the enemy can easily sneak up on us should our invisible shield fail. However, moving to this clearing with us in the middle would give them a false sense of security. Then, when the enemy troupe passes under the guards in the trees, they can easily take out the remainder of the scouting party. I suggest that we move as quickly and stealthily as possible to the new location, sir. Even though this one is tactically sound, I feel like the other one might be a higher reward, with the higher risk.”

“Interesting theory, Cadet. And I see the merit in your argument. Have you discussed this plan with any of the others in your team?” Silent shook his head.

“No, Sir. I came straight here after the scouting mission.”

“Good. Okay, well, since this is your test as Cadets, I will allow this movement. I agree that this could potentially be a good move. However, how much stake do you want to put in your plan, cadet?”

“Sir? I guarantee my plan will work. 100% sure.” Silent said as Shadow nodded and dismissed Silent. 

Silent.

Silent was on his way to the summons that he had received by the Captain of the Royal Guard. His plan for the War Games had worked and his squad had silently eliminated the entire forces, rescuing the package. However, the moment the attack began, Silent had been found out as a mole and attacked on sight. It took all his energy to escape safely into the trees. Silent could only think of what the Captain would have to say about his maneuvers. Whatever it was, it probably was not good. Silent had put one of his fellow Cadets in danger of failing the assignment while under his name, and he felt very guilty after it was all said and done. 

Silent arrived at the office of the Captain and saw Cold Flame standing next to the desk the Captain was sitting in. The Captain was busy signing paperwork, only looking up when Cold Flame mentioned to him that the cadet was here. Silent was given permission to enter, and when he did, the door shut behind him. The Captain cleared his throat and stood up.

“Do you know why we called you in here today, Cadet?”

“Sir, I believe it has to do with my actions during yesterday’s war game, Sir. However, I do not know the exact reason that you called me in here.”

“At ease, Cadet.” Silent relaxed a little, falling out of attention. “I called you in here today because I wanted to congratulate you. Nopony has ever done the strategy that you have done, and you exploited your role as a cadet to move the enemy encampment into your squad’s ambush. I also would like to comment on your field-dressing of your partner, as well as your refusal to leave him behind. You’ve clearly got what it takes to be a guard. In fact, you no longer have to go to classes, as your Pegasus companion, Thunder Flash, has been taken to the hospital for further treatment. Don’t worry, he will graduate in a couple weeks right alongside you.”

“Sir, I’m not sure I understand, Sir. Are you saying that I have already completed the training?” The Captain nodded. “Th-Thank you, Sir!” Silent saluted the Captain and the Captain returned the salute. 

“Good luck, Silent. I have also sent in a letter of recommendation to the Princess, in order that you may find yourself advancing your training somewhere that you may have more luck.” The Captain dismissed Silent and the doors opened back up.

Silent!

Silent was in the middle of his meditative training on the Changeling’s elusive magic when he heard a commotion outside that broke his concentration. Annoyed, he walked out of his living quarters to see what all the noise was about. Before his eyes, he saw his old friend Thunder, arguing with a changeling that was imitating him perfectly. Silent’s mood quickly brightened as he walked up to greet his flustered comrade. 

“Thunder! Fancy seeing you here! Hey Cheval, I think I can take it from here… thanks for your, er, help.” The Changeling nodded and flew away laughing. Silent turned to Thunder, who Silent could swear had steam coming out of his ears. 

“Well it’s about time you showed up. I didn’t know how much longer I could continue that before things got violent. What have you been doing here, anyway? The Princess sent me to find you and said you’d be in the Changeling’s capital city. I wasn’t aware you had left Equestria. So much for keeping in contact, right?” The two stared briefly at each other before embracing. 
“Princess Celestia didn’t really want me broadcasting my location to anypony who asked. This is more of a covert operation than a study abroad. I’m currently learning the changeling’s strategies of alteration magic, as they are world renown for their skill. Also, Equestria’s relations with the Changelings aren’t exactly the best.” Thunder let out a small laugh and put his hoof on Silent’s shoulder. 

“I understand, why do you think she sent me here? I’ve been sent to pull you out of here. Hopefully you’ve learned enough to increase your skill, because intelligence has reported growing tensions in the political powers of Equestria and the Hive. However,” Thunder looked around, sensing eyes watching the two ponies, “I think we should move this conversation inside. Shall we?”

When Silent and Thunder had entered the apartment, Silent began to work on packing up his things while Thunder took a look around. Out of the corner of his eye, Silent could see a fly land on the window sill. 

“Okay Sil, buddy. I know a lot more than I shared on the street. It turns out the Hive Queen, Chrysalis, is planning on spreading her territory. I know there are two countries before our border, but it’s only a matter of time. These changelings, man, they’re vicious. I’ve heard rumors that they feed off the emotions of their enemies. Can you imagine feeling that? Having all your emotions stripped of you little by little as your enemies overpower you?” Thunder approached Silent, who quickly walked up to Thunder and put his hoof on his lips.

“We’re not safe to discuss these here, Thunder,” Silent whispered, “You see that fly over there? It’s been here for the whole time and hasn’t really moved. It doesn’t behave like a normal fly. It’s a changeling, Thunder. This one in particular has been assigned by Chrysalis to keep tabs on me. She assigns a changeling shadow to each visitor. Turn around and leave. Wait for me on the edge of the city. Come nightfall, I will meet you on the outskirts in the old tavern. I’ll find you.” 

Silent finished packing and waited until the sun was just above the horizon before he put his pack in a magical field and transformed into a changeling. He walked outside and looked around before heading down the abandoned street. Soon, he spread his wings and lifted off the ground. He flew to the outskirts of the Changeling metropolis to the tavern under the always-clear and starry sky. As he landed, Silent could hear a commotion coming from the inside. Silent could see silhouettes dancing around through the window, objects occasionally flying by. He was about to walk in when his friend Thunder came crashing through the window. 

Thunder groaned a bit, just lying on the ground until he looked up and saw Silent looking at him. He jumped up and put himself in his attack position. Silent rolled his eyes and walked up to the beaten up Pegasus. 

“You sure look like you’ve been roughed up a little, pony. What’d you do to get the regulars upset?”

“That’s none of your business, you little rat. It’s creatures like you that make me sick, you think you’re all that because you can just change at will into a Manticore or a Griffin. I may be beaten up, but I can still fight whatever you choose to throw at me.”

“I doubt it. I’ve been under the direct tutorage of the Hive Queen herself. I was one of her only students, one of the only ones that she deemed worthy enough. I have been able to transform into a dragon at certain points, and I’m feeling kinda strong tonight. Fortunately for you however, you have a mission to do.” Thunder gasped as the changeling changed into his friend before his very eyes. “Now let’s get back to Equestria. It is my understanding that the Princess will talk to the Hive Queen as far as why one of her students had been removed from her guidance.”

Silent, sir! Wake up!

Silent awoke with a jolt, looking to the entrance of his tent, where a guard was standing. Behind him, Silent could see magical bolts flying through the air and heard the occasional explosion. Silent barely had enough time to stand up and prepare himself for battle before a Pegasus came crashing through the tent’s roof. The dark unicorn bent over to inspect the pony who had fallen, determining that he had died on impact, if not before. A loud explosion rocked the supports of the structure. The two unicorns shared a brief glance before running. outside the collapsing tent. 

Silent looked around the campsite to find his second in command. He noticed a large bubble a little ways from where he was standing and instructed his guard to follow him closely. He cast a large over his head and ran for the bubble, dodging the occasional fallen pony, some being unicorns and some pegasi. As he got closer to the bubble, he could see a group of unicorns huddled around a table, conversing about who knows what. 

As he walked through the bubble, the unicorns immediately turned around, staring at the new arrival. The First Lieutenant was still staring at the contents on the table, unaware that somepony had entered his encampment. Silent walked up to the table and stood silently for a few moments before speaking. 

“Lieutenant Hoofstomp, what is the situation?” Silent watched as the Lieutenant rolled his eyes, thinking that a subordinate had just spoken up.

“I don’t know how many times I have to explain it, haysee-” the young unicorn looked up to see his commander staring at him, smirking. “Uhh, sorry, sir. I’m glad Corporal Ironshield was able to wake you. I’m sorry for starting without you, but retaliation really couldn’t wait.” Silent noticed a few of the unicorns who had been standing next to the lieutenant step aside to avoid anything that may happen.

“Just give me the sit-rep. What is going on? When did they find us and why were we caught unaware?” 

“Sir, the pegasi had disposed of our guards silently at the beginning of the shift. They then caused a cloud to fall over the moon, resulting in us losing all of our natural light. We can’t hope to fight what we can’t see, sir. None of our unicorns can change weather, we simply aren’t strong enough. All I can suggest is an emergency teleport, and finding the rest of our troops before the militia finds us.”

“I see. And where is everypony else? I didn’t notice as much magic that I thought I would see flying through the air. There are some, but only half of our forces. Where are the rest? Have they been killed?” Silent walked around the table, surveying the contents of the table. He noticed a quickly put together diagram of the campsite, as well as the surrounding areas.

“No sir, they haven’t. At least, not half of them. As soon as I saw that the wounded had healed well enough to travel, I sent the medical team and part of our guard to escort them to the next camp. It took a lot of energy to teleport them safely to the bottom of the mountain, but I’m pretty sure they were able to avoid the Pegasus militia. I also stationed many unicorns along the path, to ambush any of the militia that might have come up that way. All we’ve seen were Pegasi, so I’m assuming it worked.”

“There would have been no non-pegasi among this militia. The pegasi in these regions are at war with the unicorns, and any Earth Pony sympathizers would be left at their village to farm and as a reserve force. As for the plan, I believe you are right. Escape is now the only way, as these pegasi are very well trained to combat unicorns. This is not our main fight, and we still need a ton of strength for our upcoming battle.”

“Yes, sir. However, I have not thought of a way to escape without the pegasi following us immediately.” Silent stood still for a moment before bowing his head and closing his eyes, thinking of all the ways that he could get his troops to safety. Strategy after strategy crossed his mind before he suddenly raised his head and looked his lieutenant in the eye. 

“I need you to gather all our troops and put them into one central bubble. Get them to come to us as soon as possible. Fire the flare if you have to. In the meantime,” Silent looked to the rest of the ponies standing around the table, “I need all of you to focus on a mass teleport. Coordinate with each other where we’ll end up. I’ll take care of making the distraction, okay?” 

Everypony in the bubble nodded and went to do their task. Silent turned to look outside the bubble, where he noticed a ton of pegasi, staring in at him, each with a fire in their eyes and daggers attached to their hooves. Silent looked among the crowd hovering above their little bubble before his eyes fell upon a familiar looking face. The Pegasus was a light grey and had barely any mane, cut short enough so as to avoid it getting caught on anything. Silent noticed the large scar on the left side of his face and an eye patch with a silver insignia in the middle. Silent glanced briefly back at the rest of the ponies, who at this point had grown in number, the bubble had expanded in the opposite direction and was now elliptical in shape. 

Silent turned back to the leader of the militia, took a deep breath in, and began walking toward the edge of the bubble. His horn sparked as he crossed the threshold to face his old foe.