//------------------------------//
// The race's aftermath 
// Story: Rise of the Elements Epidode 0: Silent over Time 
// by Dream Volt 
//------------------------------//

	They were laughing like a couple of mad mares.  Then Dash suddenly stopped, giving Luna a half-hearted glare, then laughed again.  The course she described was both long and vague.  Luna had to cast several different powerful spells for me to even be within sight of them.  I considered myself a very skilled flyer, but not fast.  It was strange to move so fast, even if I could tell it was just some kind of trick and I still lagged way behind.  At one point both of them even tried to go though the same very small window in Cloudsdale.  After they seemed to come to an agreement then and the rest of the race was little more than showing off.  

This culminated in a sonic boom, but not quite a true sonic rainboom, it only leaving a small rainbow ring behind.  I had seen the real thing, Luna, Dream, Sweetsong and I high in the sky since it was always a better view than the stands, even if it was more work.  Dream complained about flying the whole time of course.  We certainly weren't disappointed.  Dash always seemed impressive, but that was the first time I really saw how Fluttershy could gush about how amazing she was and not be in love with her.  I finally caught up Luna and Dash reclining on a large cloud next to the tree that marked the start and finish of the race.  Dream was supposedly in the race as well, but lagged behind, and eventually out of sight entirely.

Sweetsong declined the invitation entirely.  I think she had spent the whole of the race simply sitting on this cloud strumming away at her mandolin.  She of course currently looked like a normal pegasus.  Her mane was fairly short and she wore a black beret whenever not in uniform.  Her tail was in a tight complex braid.  Her purple mandolin matched her cutie mark nearly exactly.  She had told me the long story of getting the custom made thing created.  She smiled gently but said nothing.  She tended to get very quiet when she played though sometimes it would go the other direction.

"So it was in truth this simple to change thou mind?"

"No, I still don’t trust…"  Then she sighed.   "Okay, yes, it was, but it's not why you think.  I can just tell."

"How?"

"You'll just laugh.  Well Twilight gave me this long lecture how it doesn't make sense but even Fluttershy thought I was being silly, no matter how long it took for her to say it."

"This was her idea actually." I added.

"Oh, well, uh, I guess she believed me anyway."  Dash shrugged.  "Whatever."

"Yes, it's been a long difficult ordeal to get her to not be terrified of me.  From the very beginning she showed nothing but kindness, but more so fear."

"And now you even got Sky to bat for you."

"Dash, I'm the captain of her personal guard.  You should know this."

Dash blinked.  "Oh yea, I remember now.  Though at the time you didn't say it was Luna's guard, but something else."

"The Moon Guard.  We who guard the moon and her princess.  I was honor bound not to mention Luna but I did know whom I had pledged my loyalty."

"I get that now.  I mean if I would have taken that deal I really would have been captain of the Shadowbolts, huh?"

Luna nodded.  "Likely.  I see no reason to recreate the team created purely out of spite to upstage mine sister's, but they did used to exist, and the armor of great power Sky often wears was made when I was Nightmare as a gift, not as Luna."

"So how did this work?" I asked  "I had little doubt Fluttershy would be proven right, but I still don't understand how."

"I'd rather not.  It's kinda dumb."

"WORRY NOT."  Luna sighed.  "We shall certainly not laugh, but we would very much like to hear thine answer.  We suspect we know what we shall hear."

"Huh?"  She shook her head.  "Nevermind.  Okay, see it's like this.  Whenever I fly with someone, I know them."

I just blinked.  But Luna got a great big smile on her face.  This was swiftly followed by a frown.  Then she seemed to simply stare at some point far away even higher up in the clouds.  Dash then waved a hoof in front of her eyes.  That finally snapped her out of it.

"Well at least you didn't laugh."

"So sorry.  Please young Dash, we are nearly certain but would like you to elaborate more upon your experience"

Dash sat there blinking for a second.  "Oh, okay, I get it now.  See, it's like, once I'm up there flying next to any other flyer, even griffins, not just pegasai…"

"You've flown next to a griffin?  I know Sunny has made strides with the kingdom but it still seems strange for you to have met one."

Dash laughed.  "Maybe to you, but I more than met one."  Then she sighed.  "In fact I've been feeling guilty lately because I realized Gilda was mean, but I forgot she was always like that.  Lashing out because she's way more fragile than she lets on."  Dash then Tilted her head a bit.  "Well she's kinda a jerk in general too, but mostly the other thing."

"What does though mean?" said Luna

"Gilda.  I swear I know that name." I said

"I know a really mean song about a Gilda, but I don't think it's about a griffin." Added Sweetsong, then laughed.  "Imagine that, a griffin and a pony together."

Dash shook her head.  "Forget about her.  The point is most of the time it's easy to ignore, but I always know.  I can get a feel for the pony, or whatever.  I know who they are deep down, even if I don't understand everything."

"But a rough idea of who they are.  So you know I am what I claim to be and I really don't want to cause any trouble and…"

"More than that you're like Celestia and want to help ponies.  That and you're sad, really sad, because you regret something.  I can guess what."

Luna smiled.  "You're right of course, though I try not to wallow.  I'm trying to move forward.  Thou, thing, is very real in fact.  Thou art reading mine aura."

"I thought that was just a unicorn thing." Said Dash

"So did I."

Sweetsong smirked.  Obviously bat ponies and changelings had the same ability as well, but neither of us could say that.  Luna shook her head.  Dash jumped off the cloud and after briefly dropping out of sight, flew back up, rainbow trail behind her.  For a brief moment Song stopped strumming, but then began again as Dash reappeared, something with a far faster pace.  Dash then stopped and came to a hover, then threw her front hooves in the air.

"Hah, I knew I wasn't crazy."

"Do you want to know how?" I asked

"Nah, I get it.  All ponies are magic, so I can read auras too, but only while flying.  I'm the only pegasus awesome enough to figure it out though."

"Thou left out that it has to be a species using air magic to fly, like other pegasai, or griffins.  Otherwise you can't detect anything, and you have to be generating your own magic at the time."

"Yea, every pegasus knows the speech about how big our wings should have to be for us to fly.  They aren't though, and we do, so what does it really matter?"

"More than you think.  The Shadowbolts of old were masters of air magic, some even able to cast on the ground outright."

"Wait, I thought you just said the Shadowbolts were…"

"A stunt team formed over a thousand years ago?" I asked

"Yes, you merely assumed that when the Wonderbolts were formed…"

Dash face hooved.  "Oh duh.  How could I forget?  I mean I know everything about the Wonderbolts, including they used to be just an elite attack squadron."

"Used to be?" I said, then smiled

"Huh?  As in they still are?  But they're not…"  Dash sighed

"Yes, they are in fact still part of the military.  It is less than clear but the Wonderbolts do serve at her royal highness princess Celestia's whim."

"Wait, but you dad said…"

"They aren't part of the Air Force due to chain of command issues.  Like the Moon guard they are a separate sub-branch that reports directly to a ruler.  Celestia in this case."

"Oh.  Well so what.  I mean it's not like I've let the princess down anyway, so who cares."

I laughed.  Dash and Luna both looked at me funny, but I wasn't going to bother to explain the joke.  Dash's casual loyalty probably isn't funny to anypony else anyway.  Dash then turned back to Luna.

"Yea, so anyway, does Celestia really not fly that much?"

"She certainly uses her wings, but for the most part she does prefer running or teleporting for travel.  She doesn't do the latter in front of others often so ponies are likely to forget she can.  It helps with pranks."

Dash laughed.  "The princess is a prankster?  Yea right."

"Oh it's very true.  In fact I'm surprised after that report on the two of you pulling all those pranks she hasn't roped you and Pinkie into something by now."

"Report?  Those things aren't that long, I've heard Twilight dictate them and…"

"You think the letters are the reports?  No, she's far more through than that.  She sends very exhaustive reports every so often.  They lag well behind the letters and current events but they're full of detail."

Dash laughed and landed at nearly the same time.  I wanted to know more about this pegasai aura reading, but it wasn't my place to bring it up.  Detecting magic like it was a shift in the air current was one thing, but this sounded different.  Though I suppose to follow orders I should bring it up eventually, but at the very least it can wait.  Dash then spent a few moments making herself comfortable on the cloud, ending with her laying her head against a rise in the cloud like a pillow.  She then laughed again, followed by a yawn.

"Oh man, that so sounds like that egg head.  It's like some college paper on friendship right?  Did she really not get that whole thing was just an excuse?"

"I asked Sunny the same thing.  She isn't sure either, but said considering how fast Twilight can type using her computer her current output is comparatively low."

"Wait, she actually has a computer down there with all the other weird junk?"

"Yes, and is quite adept with the horn attachment for typing.  I personally am so bad with it it's usually faster to use an abacus even though said machines are designed for math."

"Seriously?"  Then Dash sat up.  "Hey, wait, if you know about the pranks, how come you didn't know about Gilda?"

"Sunny reads them out loud, but not in whole.  She read the descriptions of the pranks but fell silent when she was reading whatever was said about the actual lesson."

"Oh."  She lay her had back down, and started shifting bits of cloud around.  "I'm still going be watching you ya know.  I think I can trust you, but I might be wrong.  I just figure I can let up though.  Somepony else can manage I'm sure."

Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep.  I smiled.  Dash really was fast even at falling asleep.  Then Luna blew away a bank of clouds to reveal Dream curled up in what used to be a carefully molded pocket in the cloud.  He blinked his eyes then squinted at the bright light.

"Stupid sun, being all bright and shining."

"So thou art not a morning pony?"

"Eh, I just prefer to stay inside really.  Night and day don't come into it that much."

"Sunny had you being close to me planned from the beginning, didn't she?"

"I would guess yes, but who knows."

"So you were once again asleep on duty." I said

"Oh come on.  We both know…"  He yawned.  "I sorta don't count.  Besides until the race was over nothing could move fast enough to be a threat."

I sighed.  "If you weren't a special case that would not be a good enough excuse."

Song laughed, but said nothing.

"Good thing I am.  So how much shouldn't Dash have been able to read your aura?" asked Dream  "It's impossible isn't it?"

"Far from it.  While being naturally good at it is rare, all pegasai should be able to do such a thing.  The fact it has been forgotten is troubling."

"AJ and earth magic are the same way, aren't they?" I asked

"Something is wrong with the magic?" asked Dream

"I am unsure.  Though I have the beginnings of an idea.  I must do research."

"Are we just leaving Azy again?"

"I see no reason not.  She seems to enjoy herself on the farm.  We clearly need her assistance still, but we, I, will not be doing much talking for the next day or so."

Then Luna flew off without a word.  Maybe I should get some armor from the pool and have it refit.  Dream is fine ignoring regulations, but I'm not.  Even if technically Luna tore out and ate that part of the regulations.  Currently we only need to wear armor for official place guard duty, or actual combat.  In fact there may not even be part of the regulations that requires armor in combat, but I doubt that will be an issue.  

"I guess we should follow, huh?"

I sighed.  "Of course.  It is our duty and…"

Then Dream was suddenly yanked down through the low hanging cloud.  It had been higher, but I guess it was a bit flimsy looking for five ponies.  Rarity had pulled him down with her magic once a tape measure had wrapped around him.  I was a little surprised.  It was a clever way to get around that since her talent was fashion, non fabulous things as she put it, were harder to manipulate.  Yet was the difference really so great that she could pull a full-grown stallion though clouds with her supposedly relatively meager power?

"Help me." He begged

"Let me guess, he's hiding from you despite knowing he had a second appointment with you today he neglected to mention?"

"Yes, and now this naughty boy shall be punished."

Then there was a moment of silence as that sentence sunk in.  I managed not to laugh, but couldn't help but smile.  Dream of course giggled, even though in a moment he would remember his plight.  I saw Sweetsong smile in the corner of my vision.  Then he was suddenly silenced.  I jumped off the cloud and began fluffing it to the most comfortable shape I could manage.  Sweetsong joined me after a moment, mandolin on her back.  Then we raised it just high enough that Dash shouldn't be able to hear anyone yelling up at her.  Though considering what she'd slept through already I probably could have skipped it.  I landed to see Rarity glaring intently at Dream, measuring tape binding his mouth shut.

"I see you have this well in hoof.  Though perhaps a little too well in hoof?"

Dream's laugh was heavily muffled, but still obvious.

Rarity face hoofed.  "Oh yes, of course.  I suppose innuendo just won't stay away from me today, will it?  No matter.  Let us simply take you back to my place and get this over with."

I raised an eyebrow and Rarity groaned.  "Was that really an accident?"

"I think I will simply take my leave before I say anything else embarrassing."

Rarity then led the pony away like some odd shaped glowing balloon, her cheeks bright red.  I then remembered my charge now had a good lead, and no guards at her side whatsoever.  That could not be allowed.  I took off fast as I could manage, and hoped I could catch up because Luna was distracted by whatever she was contemplating.