//------------------------------//
// Chapter 16-24 
// Story: Shadowbolts: Origins 
// by NightArrow 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 16
As Night Arrow flew back towards Everfree forest, away from the castle, he took a small detour over the residential area of Canterlot. He didn’t know why he did it. After spending all this time avoiding that area, it’s like his wings had a mind of their own, but he definitely wasn’t resisting. 
He’d spent many nights sitting atop the large metal water tower in Cloudsdale. Just staring at the rainbow factory where Skylight had her accident.
That night, his entire life changed.
He had it pretty good before all that. His dad was the coach for the Wonderbolts, and still spent any free time he had, personally training him to one day be the best Wonderbolt the organization ever had. He was flying at a 10th grade level before he even started his first official year of flight school.
Skylight was on her way too. Her brainiac twin sister and older brother were always pretty close, but being the only pegasus in a family of unicorns had to be hard. Arrow and his family were the only real family of pegasus ponies in a city of unicorns, and that was already hard enough. He couldn’t even imagine how alone Skylight felt.
That’s probably why they were such good friends. While Arrow’s little sister never left his mom’s side, Arrow and Skylight were always determined to be the best flyers in Equestria! Then again, what pegasus wasn’t? They had always been close through school, and were always racing from one arbitrary place to some other random destination. In a world of magic, they were the only one’s tearing up the sky.
And to think, here he was feeling bad for himself when just as Skylight already felt like some kind of outcast under her own roof, this happens. An accident that turns her coat a neon green, her eyes a murky yellow, and her mane bright pink! Not to mention those shocking orange and blue irises. He’ll never forget her little filly face when she first saw her reflection in the lake that night. “I’m a monster...” she said.
No, Night Arrow. You did what you needed to do. He reassured himself. 
His hooves hit the pavement. “Huh--?” He snapped out of it.
There he was, standing across the street from his old house. He remembered the off-white paint job on the walls. 
And that orange door. 
Ha, an orange door. He smiled. 
“Morning Arrow, why did you paint the door orange? Our house looks ridiculous.” 
He could still hear his mom asking his dad. “We’re the only house in Canterlot with a bright orange door!”
“And what’s wrong with that?”  His dad would reply, “It’s unique! It sets us apart from all these other boring doors.” 
“I don’t think we’ve ever had a problem setting ourselves apart, Morn.” His mother would say, flexing her wings.
“Well, if I’m being perfectly honest...” His dad would smile, placing his wing over his mom’s shoulder. “I look forward to seeing this bright orange door every day when I come home from a long day at work. It reminds me of the first time I’d ever laid eyes on the most beautiful pegasus mare in all of Equestria,” his mom would blush. “with the most beautiful orange coat I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“Heh,” Arrow smiled, “My dad the romantic.”
He looked around the street for a moment, seeing all the busy Canterlot ponies wearing their fancy hats and coats, while all he had on was his brand new pair of purple goggles across his forehead. “Always the outcast,” He mumbled to himself, “just like the good old days.”
He walked carefully across the street, up to the faded old orange door. 
“Well, here goes nothing...” He knocked lightly.

Chapter 17
“So, CC!” Skylight said excitedly, flying backwards. “Looks like you and I are gonna be on the same team!”
“Yep, looks like it.” CC said.
“I can’t believe we’re starting our own racing team!! This is so exciting!”
“I just hope this works. I’ve been trying to get into the Wonderbolts for years! I’d hate to blow it on something stupid like a failed racing team.” CC said, with disdain in her voice.
“Oh don’t worry, CC! Racing is all about fun! And I’m sure we’ll be super close friends in no time! And what’s more fun than racing with your super close friends?”
CC thought about that for a moment. Then, she immediately felt guilty. Since the moment she met Skylight, she didn’t take her for much. She was hyper, talkative, and had the vocabulary of somepony who stopped going to school at a pretty early age. But her view of the world was that of somepony more mature than even CC herself. She had fallen into a huge cliche; she had judged a book by it’s cover.
The real world was a cold, unforgiving place, and somehow Skylight wasn’t affected by all that. Somehow, she escaped the hustle and bustle of life, and just focused on the good, positive things.
CC spent all her time studying to be the smartest in her class, and trained to be the fastest in her class.	
...and Skylight had proven in less than a few hours, that she was both faster, and more insightful.
CC had a lot to learn, and being negative wasn’t going to get her anywhere.
“You’re right, Skylight.” she smiled. “I think we’re going to be very good friends.”
Skylight smiled back and started doing small tricks in the sky like loops and barrel rolls.
Laughing, CC joined in and the two mares laughed all the way to Canterlot Flight School.


Chapter 18
Night Arrow waited anxiously for somepony to answer the door; his stomach was in knots. 
After a few seconds, “Ugh, what am I doing?” he sat on the steps leading up to the house. “What in Equestria was I expecting? A welcome-home party?” He sighed and let his head fall forward. “Stupid, Arrow...”
Just then, behind him, he heard the doorknob turn.
Arrow’s pupils shrank; his eyes widened. His mane stood on edge, and as if instinctively, Arrow jumped to his hooves and blasted into the sky.
His heart, beating hard in his chest, he didn’t dare look back to see just who had opened the door. It took all his willpower to not turn back around. 
He pictured his dad looking up at the sky and seeing Arrow’s distinctive flight trail,  would he jump up after him? Or would he just say it was his eyes playing tricks on him?
Or maybe it was his sister? Or his baby sister? Was she old enough to open doors yet?
Either way, he wasn’t sure if he was being followed. His sister couldn’t catch him, not at this speed. His dad, on the other hoof would have already caught up.
This was stupid too. Taking off without seeing who answered? Even more stupid than knocking on the stupid orange door in the first place.
He landed on the old familiar water tower with a thud.
He’d never felt so... so stupid.
Arrow wiped tears from his eyes. “Yeah, *sniff* that’s what I get for *sniff* flying at that speed without goggles...” he lied to himself.
He sighed heavily again and remained on his back, wings pulsing with his heart, catching his breath between holding back sobbing.
He snapped his goggles over his eyes; 
“Never doing that again. . .” he said.


Chapter 19
“Okay, let me do the talking.” CC said as the two mares stood at the front entrance to the school. CC was about to knock when--
“Uh, We should use code names!” Skylight whispered, interrupting CC’s knock.
“What?? Why?” CC said.
“Code names! Like, I’ll be... um, Green Machine, and you can be Blue...berry... uh, Blast...?”
CC looked at Skylight like that was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard in her life.
“What??” CC asked incredulously. “No! Besides, that’d be weird... I have a cousin named Blueberry.” She was about to knock again.
“Wait!!” Skylight whispered, loudly.
“Skylight why do you--”
“It’s Green Machine!!”
“I’m not calling you Green Machine!!”
“Fine!” Skylight’s eyes scanned the patio. “Um, just call me... uh, Shmylight.”
CC didn’t want to upset this newfound friendship. She was a smart mare, and she didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. As weird as it was, she complied.
“Alright fine, . . . Shmylight.” CC said, skeptically.
CC knocked on the door. A tall burgundy pegasus stallion with dark brown mane and white freckles answered the door. “Can I help you ladies?” he asked in an incredibly deep voice.
“Hello! Yes, I think you can!” CC smiled. “We are looking for a stallion by the name of Darkstreak?”
The stallion looked skeptically at the two mares. “And who are you two?”
“My name is Cloud Crash, and this is my friend...” CC sighed, her smile sliding off her face; she reluctantly continued, “this is my friend... Shmylight...” Skylight waved and smiled.
The stallion didn’t even crack a smile. “Give me one second.” He slammed the door in their faces.
“Well, that was rude.” Skylight said.
“If you didn’t have the world’s worst code name, he might have taken us more seriously...”
“I told you we should have went with Green Machine!”
“That’s worse!” CC yelled, “That sounds like an energy drink!”
The stallion opened the door again. “He says he’s never heard of you. Get the hay outta here.” He then proceeded to slam the door in their faces once again.
The two mares stood silently for a moment. Skylight then trotted away from the door, “Oh well! We tried!”
“Never heard of me?” CC said, “I graduated last year! ... top of my class!!” Skylight began stretching her wings for the fly back to Canterlot. “Hold on, Shmylight!” CC said, angrily. Skylight stopped and turned around. “One way or another, we’re getting in that office, and we are talking with Darkstreak!”



Chapter 20
Night Arrow zoomed around the track wearing his Wonderbolts flight suit.
“Let’s go, Night!” He heard the familiar voice of his Dad from the sidelines. This made him push harder, and get a decent lead on the other faceless Wonderbolts.	
On the big screen, was the face of his mother, also shouting “You can do it, Nightaniel! I love you!”
Arrow smiled, and just as he turned onto the straight-way of the track, Princess Luna elegantly glided down blocking his path.
“Wha--??” He skidded across the clouds, tripping over his own hooves and stumbling into a roll as the other Wonderbolts passed him right up.
“Princess Luna!? What the buck!? I’m gonna lose! My parents are watching!”
Suddenly the entire Canterlot stadium began to evaporate into thin air.
The faceless Wonderbolts dissipated upward into the sky.
Arrow panicked, and turned to the side of the track where his father had been cheering just moments ago. “Dad!!” He screamed, as his father transformed into smoke.
He then saw the giant screen looming over them begin to fall forward. The image of his mother’s face still looking longingly on it. “Mom!!” He yelled as the screen began to fill his vision as it fell closer and closer to him.
He crouched down, and covered his head as the screen passed right through him... and finally disappeared into a puff of smoke.
It was now just Arrow and Luna. Standing on nothing.
“Night Arrow.” She said, kneeling down.
“...they were right there!” He said, his head still in his hooves. “They were cheering me on...”
“Night Arrow, this is a dream.” Luna said.
“*sniff*... what?”
“This wasn’t real, Night Arrow.”
Arrow sat up, and removed his goggles. He looked down and noticed he was no longer wearing his Wonderbolts flight suit, and the goggles he removed were the purple ones he had received earlier that day.
“Night Arrow, that coach on the sidelines. That wasn’t Bright Speed.”
“Of course it wasn’t.” He snapped back at her. “That was Morning Arrow! He’s the very best coach the Wonderbolts ever had!”
“No, he isn’t just that...” Luna stood back up, and made an image of Morning Arrow appear out of nothing. “This Morning Arrow... he is your father, isn’t he?”
Night Arrow stared at the image. “Are you really here, Luna?”
“I am.” She said. “As Princess of the Night, it is my duty to check on ponies’ dreams, and save them from potential nightmares.”
“Well I think it’s kinda rude.” Arrow crossed his arms. “I just met you today, and now you’re intruding in my dreams?” 
“Arrow, you were trying to fish out information about the Wonderbolts at the meeting earlier today. What happened with your family?”
“I don’t know, Princess... you’re already in my dreams! Why don’t you look around my head a little more and find out for yourself?” He stood up and walked away from Luna, towards nothing.
“I can’t access memories, Arrow. I’m not a mind reader. I can just visit dreams. It’s up to your subconscious to choose what exactly these dreams consist of.”
“Just stay out of my head altogether, Princess.” He said. “I’ll race for you on your team; just stay out of my personal life.”
Princess Luna nodded. “Alright, Arrow. I understand.”
She began to walk away, “Oh, and Arrow?” He turned around. “Don’t fall asleep on a hot metal surface in the middle of the day...” Arrow looked at her, skeptically. “...it may cause sunburns.”

*  *
“--*gasp*!” Arrow jumped up, startled. He looked around the metal water tower, and that’s when the pain began to set in. “Ow ow ow, aaAAAH!! Buck!!” He jumped to his hooves and removed the goggles from his eyes, and snapped them onto his forehead. “!!!--YeeeeaaaAAAAOOOOWWW!!” He yelled as the soft rubber slapped against his raw sunburnt skin, which gave his dark teal coat a reddish hue.
“Lunadamnit!!” He yelled to nopony. “Well, that’s the third stupid thing I’ve done today...” he mumbled to himself. 
He sighed. “I should get back to the Stadium...” he said aloud, stretching out his wings. “Stupid Luna...” he said, leaping off the water tower. “I hope you can still hear me!!” He yelled, then mumbled to himself, “stupid princess of the night, it’s the middle of the day... can’t go into dreams in the middle of the day . . .” He glided downwards toward Everfree Stadium.

Chapter 21
“I don’t like this, CC.” Skylight whispered, as the blue pegasus crept across the ground, along the outside wall of the school’s office. “It feels like we’re breaking and entering.”
“Well we’re not.” CC said. “I literally just graduated, and I’m just visiting an old teacher,” She began to open the side air vent as if she’d done this a million times before. “whether he likes it or not.”
“Why didn’t we just show the stallion at the entrance the letter from the princess?” Skylight asked.
“Because he slammed the door in our face, Skylight. I doubt he was willing to listen to reason.” The outside cover was removed, and they continued into the vents. 
“What’s so important about this Darkstreak anyway? He’s just some old stallion flight teacher right? If he doesn’t wanna talk to ponies, then why are we trying so hard to talk to him?”
“Because, Skylight. I really want him to be on this team with me.” CC said.
“But why?” Skylight asked. The two mares opened the other end of the vent and ended up in a janitorial closet.
CC sighed. She wasn’t the best at talking about herself. She usually kept pretty private, and nopony was ever very interested in what she had to say anyway. But if she was going to let somepony become her friend, she had to start somewhere.
“Because he’s not just a teacher to me, he’s kind of the only friend I’ve really had through school.”
“Your teacher was your only friend?”
	“Yes. I was... kind of a loser back in flight school.”
Skylight raised an eyebrow. “No way! With as smart and as fast as you are? How could ponies resist making friends with somepony like you?” she smiled.
CC smiled back because she could tell Skylight meant it genuinely. “Trust me, it’s not as easy to make friends for some ponies as it is for you.”
“Well don’t worry, CC.” Skylight said. “From now on, I’ll be your very best pony friend forever!” Skylight reached out and hugged CC tightly. This caught CC off guard for a moment, but she quickly returned the embrace.
Just then, the door to the closet opened up, and a stallion’s raspy voice filled the small room. “You know, trespassin’ on school grounds is against the law.”

Chapter 22
“Darkstreak, wait! It’s me!!” CC jumped up.
There in the doorway was a huge, charcoal-gray stallion. His mane was a choppy, thinning silver, and his wings look as if they’ve seen better days. A small chunk of his ear was missing, and his eyes were a mean, tired blue.
“It’s me! CC!”
“CC? What are you doing here?” Darkstreak stepped back for a moment. “And why are you sneakin’ around air vents?”
“I have important news! And we couldn’t get in through the front.” CC said.
“Oh yeah, I told the new guy not to let anyone in my office today. I’m busy setting up for my last semester here.” Darkstreak let the two mares out of the closet, and into the hallway. “Well come on then, let’s head to my office so you can give me this big news or whatever.”
“So that guy didn’t even check with you? He said you had never heard of me!” CC said, appalled. 
“Ha! Yeah, like I said I just told him I to tell everypony I’m unavailable today, but it’s good to see you again, kid.” Darkstreak said. “And who’s the neon green one you were huggin’?”
“Oh, this is Sky--”
“Hi! They call me Green Machine!” Skylight interrupted.
Darkstreak stopped for a moment. “Uh-huh. Alright, well I’m not callin’ you that. So either pick a better fake name, or wait for CC outside.”
Skylight lowered her head.
“Told you.” CC said as they continued following Darkstreak to his office.
“So, CC. What is this important news?” Darkstreak said, getting into his chair. The other two pegasus ponies took a seat in front of him. 
“Here,” CC pulled out the dark blue envelope. “this is from Princess Luna.”
Darkstreak looked skeptically at the letter. He opened it up and began to mumble it’s content aloud.
Skylight was thinking hard on how to sabotage this meeting for Arrow. She still didn’t quite remember why, or what Arrow’s family had to do with anything, but he was like a brother to her, and if he asked her to do something, she didn’t want to let him down.
“A racing team, eh?” Darkstreak put the letter down. “So what, Princess Luna comes back from a thousand years up on the moon just to invest in Equestrian professional racing?” 
“Sounds shady to me!” Skylight said. “And who knows! If Celestia found out, she might banish us to the moon!”
CC elbowed Skylight in her side. “I know it sounds crazy, Darkstreak,” CC said, “and trust me, I’m skeptical too. But it could really turn into something! We can be the next Wonderbolts!”
“There is no ‘next Wonderbolts’ kid. Those guys are it. I don’t think there’ll ever be a team of racers that good. . . or cocky.”
“Well if it’s a cocky contest, wait till you meet Arrow!” Skylight blurted out.
“Ha. I used to know an Arrow back in the day too. And his kid was a pretty cocky colt too. Hmm, maybe it’s a name thing.”
“Darkstreak,” CC wanted to get the conversation back on track. “what if you had these fast racers at your disposal? You can run things the way you want to. No red tape like the Wonderbolts have. You can be coach and captain! Be on the sidelines, and on the track! Just show up tomorrow at 8am, Canterlot Castle, and talk with Luna. What have you got to lose?”
“Hmm.” Darkstreak put his hooves together in thought. “I ‘aint sayin’ yes,”
Skylight smiled.
“but I’ll be there tomorrow. We can talk it out there.”
“Princess Luna was looking for more of an immediate answer.” Skylight said. “If you can’t commit, then we may have to look for someone else...”
“Is that right...?” Darkstreak leaned back. “Well if that’s the case girls, you’re wasting everyone’s time.”
CC looked angrily at Skylight. “No! That’s not at all what she said!”
“That’s what I heard.” Skylight said smugly.
Darkstreak’s eyes scanned between the two mares.
“Please, excuse us for a moment, Coach.” CC forced a smile, and grabbed onto one of Skylight’s wings with her teeth, pulling her into the hallway.

Chapter 23
“What are you doing!?” CC yelled.
“What do you mean? Luna was going on and on about loyalty and--”
“Yeah! For us! Because she met with us personally!! Darkstreak hasn’t even seen  the Princess! He’s not going to commit to something when he’s still skeptical that this team even exists!” CC scolded.
“Why do you even care?” Skylight said. “You didn’t even want to be a part of this team in the first place!”
CC looked blankly at her for a moment. “What are you talking about!? I already said I was in!”
“I don’t know!!” Skylight yelled back. “I’m really bad at this! I’m a terrible liar!”
“Liar?”
“Yeah... liar.” Skylight sat down. “Arrow told me it was important to sabotage this meeting. He doesn’t want Darkstreak on the team.” Skylight said.
“What?? Why? Does Arrow even know Darkstreak?” CC said trying to process this information.
“I don’t know! I think he said he does. Darkstreak was his old coach or something. I don’t know! I can’t remember anything before we lived in the forest... but Arrow seems pretty serious about not letting anypony know about....” Skylight just realized what she blurted out. “....about what I just said. Lunadamnit! I’m a bad liar, and an even worst secret keeper!!”
“His old coach?” CC said... “Why would Arrow have a coach in Canterlot?”
“I think I’m gonna go back to the stadium, CC.” Skylight said. “I obviously can’t keep my mouth shut, and whenever I try to think back to before Everfree, I get a serious headache.” She held her head.
“Wait!” CC stopped her. “Skylight, wait.” CC’s voice was much less mad, and more sympathetic. “You said we were best pony friends forever, right?”
Skylight nodded.
“Then if you want me to trust you, you’re going to have to trust me.” CC placed her hoof on Skylight’s shoulder. “We’re team mates now, and trust me when I say, having Darkstreak on this team is probably the best thing we can do right now.”
Skylight forced a smile. “Okay.”
“Now go ahead and head back to Everfree. I’ll see you both tomorrow at 8.”
Skylight hugged CC again, and headed towards the front entrance of the school. 

Chapter 24
“Sorry about that, Darkstreak.” CC walked back into his office.
“You guys talk really loud.” He said.
“You heard all that?” CC asked.
“Yup.”
“I hope you’re still coming tomorrow.”
“That green mare, her name’s Skylight?”
“Yeah.”
“Skylight -what?”
“I don’t know, I just know her as Skylight.”
“What about Arrow? Is that a first or last name?”
“Last name.”
Darkstreak thought for a moment. “Arrow and Skylight.” He laughed.
“You know them, don’t you?” CC said.
“If this Arrow is who I think he is, then yeah. I know them alright.”
CC sighed.
“And I’m in. I’ll captain and coach The Shadowbolts.”