Formally addressed to 2nd Lieutenant Lightning Dust.
By the time you receive this letter I will have left the base, therefor I will not be able to explain everything in this letter. But today this afternoon you are to leave the base and return to home. [Do not worry, this does not mean you have been replace] Some things at the academy need to be worked out and it would be best if you would not be here for any of it. I have arranged for your leave. You will be personally contacted by me at your home when we are ready to have business underway.
Head-General Luna
Luna reviewed the letter and deposited it at the Post office and returned to her office. "Good." she thought. "This should keep her from any conflict regarding her new job, however small the trouble may be. Besides I still have to find somepony else to also be on this changeling mission. After all I did say she wasn't going in alone, I can't just send her in all by herself." She looked around her office trying to think of who to partner Lightning Dust with. Nopony from the list of current members of the Wonder-Bolts seemed like a good fit and in this kind of work its more than just teamwork that will lead to a successful operation. "Oh come on!" Luna yelled to herself.
She leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling. "What if I can't get a team together? What will Celestia do? And will we bury the Stargate if everything goes wrong like last time?" All the questions ran through her head as she tried to think of her next move. Suddenly an idea came to her head. ....Like last time!" Luna sat up and grabbed her phone and dialed an old number. The tone came on the line. "Come on Flash I know you're there! Pick up the damn phone!" A click came through the ear piece. A moment of silence followed. Then a voice came on the line.
"Who is this and why are you calling from the Wonder-Bolts academy?"
"Flash I just wanna talk with you."
The voice recognized Luna's and relaxed a little. "Oh yeah?" he laughed. "What could you want to possibly want to talk about now?"
"I would actually like to meet in private, if that's all right with you."
"Is this about the Star-"
Luna cut him off. "As I said I would like to talk with you. Is there a place where you would like to meet?
The voice on the other end sighed. "Fine. But if you want to talk then you can come to my place. You know where it is." Than a click ended the conversation.
"He never did like talking with me over the phone." remarked Luna as she hung up. "How long has it been? I guess 15 years more or less. I hope I can change his mind."
Luna remembered looking at the original Stargate teams list after being asked by Princess Celestia to form teams to re-enter the program. Almost everypony from last time signed up from the last time, everypony except those from SE-1. But out of all those ponies who quickly declined the opportunity to return to the Stargate program one name didn't decline until after a week the invitation was sent. The pony's name was Flash Flyer. And although he was never an actual Wonder-Bolt many ponies at the academy gave him high recommendations, so as a result he was placed in many of SE-1's scouting missions.
However, for some reason he backed out when the changeling mission was announced. And after the operation failed many ponies believed that the failure was due to him not showing up and lending his expertise. But because Flash was not under the authority of the Wonder-Bolts no action could be held against him;besides every leader wanted the changeling mission to go underway, except General Luna and Princess Celestia who thought the mission was too big and lots of risk factors were ignored. And when the operation failed Celestia ordered the gate to be decommissioned. Then 15 years later.....
Later at the center of town in Ponyville
Luna arrived at Flash's house and tapped the front door. *Knock *Knock. She looked around. " I never did take Flash as a outgoing person, he hated loud places. Why doesn't he move from here?" The handle moved down and the door opened. It wasn't Flash who answered, but a women. She was shocked to see Luna at the door.
"Princess Luna! I didn't know you would be stopping by today!" she looked behind herself. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Oh i'm sorry, I must have the wrong house. I was looking for a pegasus by the name of Flash Flyer I was suppose-"
The lady shook her head. "No no he's here I'll go and let him know that you're here to see him." The door closed and Luna could hear her calling out for Flash.
The General wondered. "Is she?...... No," she let out half a smile. "That's impossible."
The door opened again and this time it was Flash. "I didn't think you would really show up. I was expecting an armed escort to take me to a certain unmarked location and that none of my questions would be answered. He stepped outside and closed the door. Flash looked around and grabbed a stool and offered it to Luna. She took it then Flash sat down where he was standing. Luna gave him a weird look. "What?" Flash asked as he shrugged his shoulders.
"I guess I'll break the ice," Luna started. "You know why i'm here so what is your decision?"
"I sent in my decline letter with that request to rejoin a Stargate team. I thought I made my decision clear."
The General looked out on the street viewing the public going about its business. "Yes you did send in the letter saying no thanks, but theirs one thing you didn't mention."
"What?"
"Everypony from SE-1 sent their letters within days. You on the other hoof didn't respond until well over a week."
Flash looked at the General who was still looking at the street. "So what's your point?"
"You miss it. Don't you?" Luna tried hiding the smirk on her face.
"Miss what?" Flash started to raise his voice. "Risking my life for what could be a pointless mission or dealing with the Stargate when ever it decided to act up. Or how 'bout getting paralyzed and losing permanent function of your wings!" His breathing was getting heavier and he flared his nose.
"Is that why you left Flash? Because you lost nerves in your wings?" Luna looked back at Flash who was looking over his shoulder glancing at his wings.
"I lost more than just the nerves in my wings. I lost the ability to fly, visiting my familly in Cloudsdale, or just simply taking a joy flight when I feel stressed. That damn blast took everything I ever enjoyed, but that's not why I left."
"Excuse me? Go back a second." Flash turned back to Luna. "Everything you enjoyed? Who the hell was the women at the door?"
"Shes....a....shes just somepony i'm friends with."
"A huh. Alright then," Luna stood up and opened the door and called out. "Excuse me miss?"
The lady came to the door. "Yes Princess?"
Luna pointed a hoof at Flash. "What's your connection with him?"
The pony at the looked at Flash then to Luna then back to Flash. She then spoke out. "Me and Flash are...in a relationship..." she soon became confused. "Is their something wrong?"
"No, I was just curious but thank you." The door closed and Luna put her attention back to Flash. "So what's her name?"
"What do you care?"
Luna rolled her eyes. "Because I don't have a social life."
Flash sighed. "Glad to see that your humor hasn't changed."
"Just tell me Flash."
".....Her name is Athena."
*Cough Luna held her hoof up to try and hide her laughter.
Flash grinned his teeth. "Something funny?"
*Cough *Cough! "Oh no! So where did you meet her?"
The flightless pony took his turn to look at the street. "It was the day of the changeling mission and I was furious that Equestria's council authorized the mission. I decided that if the wanting of greater technology was more important than keeping Equestria safe, then I don't want to work here anymore. So I packed up and left. On the way home I bumped into Athena and from there the rest his history."
"Well Flash I'm glad you found somepony who can put up with you. But does that mean you're going to stay here?"
"I love her but she wouldn't be the reason if I decide not to go back."
"Then what is the deciding factor?"
"It's that damn council. They absolutely have no clue as to what happens in that base. They just think they want something and if they ask us then we'll just will just ship it to them in the morning mail! And every time we said no to a mission they would just hold a meeting and make us do it, without regards to us or the safety of Equestria! If they want something for themselves we should have just sent them through the gate ourselves and see how long they would've lasted!"
Luna got off the stool and joined Flash on the ground. "Look Princess Celestia pulled the royalty card and forbid the council to make the Stargate Program perform any missions that it's teams felt that were too dangerous or unnecessary. The suits upstairs don't have power anymore."
"When did this happen?" Flash asked a little stunned by the news.
"Shortly before we shut down the program," Luna got off the ground and clapped her hooves together. "Well if there's nothing else holding you back, I guess your good to go"
"Whoa! Excuse me General but I didn't agree to anything just yet!"
"But you were going to. Weren't you?" Flash looked back at the ground and didn't respond. "I'll return when we are ready for you." And with a wave of her wings she walked away.
"General!" Luna turned around. "How much am I allowed to tell her?"
"Be as limited as possible but if you want to tell her more that will be on you." Soon Luna was out of sight.
Flash stood up and walked back inside. Part of him did miss traveling from planet to planet and being in a completely new environment. Although he didn't miss the mishaps of the Stargate. One time they connected to planet being swallowed by a black hole and the gate allowed the gravitational pull to effect everything in the base. And there was another time when the Stargate automated a self-destruct sequence. He tried balancing the pros and cons of his old job as he sat down on a couch. Athena walked out from another room.
"Flash, what is going on? Why did Princess Luna herself stop by just to talk to you?"
Flash remembered being told to be limited. "I used to work with the princess at my last job."
"You don't think I wouldn't have liked to have hear this? What did you do?" she seemed to be extremely curious as to why her boyfriend hid the fact that he worked with Princess Luna.
"I....uh...went on these um....." he tried thinking of all the right words to use. "I was....exploring the lands outside of Equestria, you know beyond the Ever-Free forest...." Athena leaned closer to Flash. "Please buy this. I mean I'm not lying after all!"
"So what did you find?" Athena was well on Flash's secret trail.
"We've explor-"
"Oh! So it's we've now is it?" Athena let out a little smile thinking that Flash would slip up.
"No, see it's because we didn't know what was outside of Equestria so an exploration team was formed. We were taking precautions that's all!"
"So is that how you paralyzed your wings? Did you slip and fall off some cliff?"
"No it was actually from a explosion. You see I was..." Flash stopped talking when he saw Athena's face. He realized he just made a big mistake.
"JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING OVER THERE!!!!!"
"Well I wasn't starting a war if that's what your getting at!" He had never heard her yell like that in all the years they knew each other."
"And you...want to go back to this.....JOB!?"
"If it makes you feel better....I still have my health." Flash let out a cheesy grin trying to calm the situation.
Athena gave him a hard shove. "For all I know you should be dead! I don't want you doing some crazy mercenary job!"
Flash thought of a way to lean the conversation in his favor. "But Princess Luna personally wants me back on the job, I can't let her down." "But if I did it wouldn't be the first time..."
Athena started to calm down. "How long will you be gone?"
"Three to four days, tops. By then I'll be back home," But Flash remembered some missions that took as long as two weeks to pull off. "But no promises..." He put his arms around Athena. "I will try and send a letter if I take too long alight?"
She nodded her head. "Alright Flash when do you leave?"
"Whenever the Princess returns," said Flash.
"So did you get lots of these...expeditions when you used to work for the princess?"
"Don't worry about that. They used to be pretty placed far apart so that should leave time for me to come back home."
"I might very well regret letting you go just like this but if Princess Luna really wants you for this job then I respect her and your decisions." Athena stared for a moment than hugged Flash as if there were no tomorrow. After all for all she knew and what she imagined, Flash might not come back if he left.