//------------------------------//
// Guest Tale: The Ugly Truth by Trinary 
// Story: Tales From the Phoenix Empire 
// by Chengar Qordath 
//------------------------------//

“I did it! I did the Sonic Rainboom!” I flew around and around the house, happier than I’d ever been in my entire life! This was easily the Best Day Ever!
 
My dad smiled, and I zoomed over to hug him. He had come straight from work to pick me up from camp. I told him everything and showed him my cutie mark! He was so happy and impressed—especially by all the ponies with cameras and stuff—that he took me home to celebrate.
 
I was just so happy I—I thought I might explode! Maybe even twice! “Yes you did, Rainbow.” He held me so tight I almost squeaked. But I didn’t cuz that wouldn’t be cool. And I’m way past cool. “I’m so proud of you!”
 
“You should’ve been there!” I grinned. “I saved Fluttershy from some jerks and then I won the race and blew those jerks out of the sky and I got my cutie mark while doing the Sonic Rainboom! It was so awesome!”
 
“That’s my Dashie.” Dad nuzzled me. “That’s my baby girl…”
 
“’M not a baby!” I protested. “I have my cutie mark and everything!” Sometimes Dad could be so slow.
 
“Of course, you’re not,” Dad said. I nodded, happy that he got it … but why was he smiling as he said it? Maybe he thought of something funny.
 
Then I got back to what was important. “Yeah! I’m a big pony now! I’m getting my pictures in the newspaper and everything!” I hopped down and opened the curtains . A whole lot of bright flashes started up from ponies with cameras, all taking pictures of me!
 
Then Dad closed the curtains and picked me up again. “Of course,” he said again. “So, how else would you like to spend your big day?”

I thought really super hard, for like, ten whole seconds. “I want a party! With cake and ice cream and cookies! And we can invite Fluttershy and Cloud Solaris and Derpy—um, I mean Ditzy Doo—from camp to come and I can show them all my cool tricks and then I can fly back to camp to show those dumb colts one more time!”
 
Dad did that thing where his eyes rolled around. Kind of like Derpy, but not quite. “Let’s get started on the treats. We’ll invite your friends over when things … calm down a little.” He looked outside and made a face.
 
I nudged him. “If all the cameras are hurting your eyes, I can go outside and make them stop.” Being in the newspapers was cool, but nopony hurts my Daddy. “Or I could get you some sunglasses! Then they could take all the pictures they wanted of me and you and your eyes wouldn’t get all flashy and crossy like Derpy’s!”
 
He chuckled. “It’s fine, Dashie. Now let’s dig into some snacks and celebrate!”
 
“YEAH!”
 
Me and Dad started having an awesome party. We pigged out on cookies and cake and ice cream. We hadn’t had this many snacks since that party he threw to cheer me up after Cloudsdale didn’t get to host the Equestria Games. But this was much cooler, because we were celebrating something awesome! Could this day get any better?
 
That was when somepony knocked at the door.
 
Dad was in what he called a food coma, whatever that is, so I went to the door. “I’m coming!” I flew up and opened the door and outside was—“WHOA!”
 
There were three ponies, all mares wearing blue and gold flightsuits. The one in front was bigger than the other two and maybe a bit older than the other two. I didn’t really care about that because... “Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh! You’re the Wonderbolts!” 
 
“Looks that way,” the one in front nodded with a smile. “And you must be the little pony who’s been kicking up such a storm.”
 
“Yeah! I’m Rainbow Dash!” I flew up so I could show them how good I was. “Wanna race?”
 
Dad shook himself awake and walked over. “Dashie…” He did that thing where he groaned but was smiling anyway. Dunno what was up with that. The two younger Wonderbolts also found something funny about me wanting to race them.
 
The big Wonderbolt looked at them. “You have something you want to say, rookies?” They stopped laughing and stood straight up. “No, Fleetfoot? How about you, Spitfire? Nothing?”
 
“No, Commander Jetstream!” Fleetfoot and Spitfire said together.
 
Jetstream snorted. “Thought so.” She looked back to me. “Maybe someday soon, kid … we’re here to talk to you about something important. How’d you like to be a Wonderbo—”
 
“YES!” I zoomed around her. “Yesyesyesyeyes! I wanna be a Wonderbolt! I’m gonna fly super fast and win every race and do bajillion tricks and—” a wing opened up and caught me as I was flying “—oof!”
 
Jetstream put me down on the floor. “Okay, geez, I admire your energy, but becoming a Wonderbolt isn’t easy. You’ll have to work hard, fly steady and do everything we tell you. Understand?”
 
I nodded. Yeah yeah, blah blah blah, who cares? “I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt!” I looked over at Dad. He was staring at the Wonderbolts and me, smiling and … crying? “Daddy?” I flew back over and hugged him. “Why’re you crying? S’good stuff! I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt!”
 
“I know … I always knew you would be.” Dad hugged me close. “Just…don’t grow up too fast okay? Have fun while you’re still a kid.”
 
What was he talking about? Of course I was gonna have fun. As a Wonderbolt!
 
Jetstream talked to my dad a bit about how they’d start training me after school. Blech, I wished I could skip school and just train instead, but they said I had t’get a ‘good education.’ (Whatever that meant.) She said the days would be really long—but that wasn’t a problem since I could just take extra naps at school!
 
She talked a bit more to Dad about boring legal stuff, so I went over to Fleetfoot and Spitfire.
 
“Hey kid.” Fleetfoot looked down. “So you’re gonna be the next big thing, huh?”
 
“I am a big thing!” I announced. “My Dad says I’m the biggest thing to ever happened to him and I did a super big thing by doing the Sonic Rainboom, so I must be, like, the biggest thing ever.”
 
“Pretty sure that’d be her ego.” Spitfire whispered to Fleetfoot, but I still heard her.
 
Fleetfoot just nudged her. “Come on, she’s just a kid who did something amazing. I think she’s allowed to be proud.” Then she looked down at me and smiled. “Jetstream said that I’m going to be your trainer.”
 
“Wow! COOL!”
 
Totally the BEST. DAY. EVER!
 


 
 
Looking back, that might have been the last major decision I ever made.
 
Don’t get me wrong, I love the ‘Bolts just as much now as I did way back when, but I was a little kid who didn’t quite understand everything that came with the job. And what didn’t come with it—like spare time.
 
Training started every day after school. It was exhausting. I would barely get home before falling asleep. I don’t think I saw my Dad for more than an hour each day, and my friends from flight camp just sort of got edged out of my life. Once I got done with school, things only got more intense from there. I went to special training camps away from home. I barely ever saw my friends, especially after Cloud Solaris and Ditzy Doo joined the Guard.
 
That stung. I felt like I was the one leaving them hanging, even though we all had different goals and places to go in life. In fact, that was the other big thing. You know how in school they always say stuff like ‘You can be whatever you want to be?’ Well, after I started training with the Wonderbolts, nopony ever said that to me anymore. When teachers talked to other kids about what they wanted to do, they’d say something like, “Well, Cloud Solaris is going to be a guard pony and Rainbow Dash is going to be a Wonderbolt.” Like it was written in stone or something. 

That just bugged me for some reason. Like they took my lifelong dream and just constantly crammed it down my throat like it was a job tattooed on my flank instead of a cutie mark. It sucked a lot of the fun out of it. It was like being forced to read a book for school that you might have liked if you had read it on your own, but being made to do it as an assignment made it a chore. Well, more so than reading in general was.
 
But, hay—those were minor complaints. If that was the worst thing about being a Wonderbolt in training, then I really didn’t have anything to complain about.

Only it wasn’t.

Don’t get me wrong; despite that, I wouldn’t have traded being a Wonderbolt for anything. Then came my first performance. I wouldn’t headline since I was still a trainee, but Soarin’ sprained a wing and I got selected to fill in for him. You wouldn’t believe how excited I was.

I went with the ‘Bolts on tour. It was one of the better perks of being with the Wonderbolts: all the places we got to visit. Westmarch, Vanhoover, Seaddle, Trottingham, Manehattan ... you name it, I’ve flown there.
 
The last stop of our tour was a celebratory show in Appleloosa, the one place I’ll never, ever, ever forget thanks to one really overeager pony… Anyway, that stop marked the anniversary of the signing of the treaty between the buffalo tribes and the Empire. After the show, I took a nighttime flight. I saw a young buffalo mare (or whatever it is they call females) doing some pretty cool tricks: running really fast across the plains, doing some twirls and spins as she leapt over gorges and racing through canyons.
 
I was about to fly down and offer to race her when she stopped in the middle of nowhere, sat down and started to cry.

After feeling really awkward, I came down and asked what was wrong. That’s when she dropped a bombshell on me. Little Strongheart—that was her name—came out running because this would be the last chance she ever got to run over the buffalo’s ancestral stampeding grounds. The Empire was going to build a dam that would completely flood the place. She said that the buffalo protested, but the Empire just waved the treaty in their face, saying it gave them permission to do that. The buffalo would have to be relocated somewhere else, away from their ancestral stomping grounds. 

And oh yeah, that treaty? It was signed by Little Strongheart’s grandfather when he was old and senile. Plus, it turns out buffalo don’t read Equestrian. So I just took part in a celebration of the screwing over of an entire race of beings.
 
Kinda put a damper on things.
 
I loved the idea of performing as much as the next pony (the next three ponies if you believe that smartflank Soarin’), and I admit, seeing all the ponies looking up at the sky, rapt and awe-struck and seeing me and the other ‘Bolts do things they hadn’t ever even dreamed of … it was pretty amazing.

But now I felt like I had just helped celebrate something bad and that somehow made me partly responsible for what was happening. I was awesome and amazing and that made everypony feel awesome and amazing and that made them think that what was going on was awesome and amazing. And it wasn’t. I didn’t think I wanted to be the awesome, cool front for some celebration of how great the Empire was because it put down a caribou rebellion or had conquered some new province. It made me feel like somehow I was now responsible for what the Empire did, especially since recruiters for the Imperial Guard tended to have booths at a lot of our shows.

This wasn’t the first time I heard complaints about the Empire. Not by a long shot. My family? We trace our lineage through the Cumuli back to the Charger Clan. One of the last Ephors, Bright Charger, was my great, great, great-something grandmother. She was a total badflank according to my family. It was pretty cool being related to her, despite what happened to her later in the war, but it wasn’t that big a deal to me. I’d rather be recognized for my own awesomeness, not the awesomeness of somepony who’d been dead for almost a thousand years. I mean, it sucked that the Clans were dissolved and that my family was just me and my parents. Would’ve been nice to have a nice big family the way Cloud Solaris did, but I managed. 

But yeah, pegasi still remembered what Cloudsdale and the pegasi used to be and grumbled about what they had lost. Of the three types of pony, pegasi had always been the least popular in the Empire. They remembered Pegasopolis and the time of the Clans. Back before she’d become the Empress, Sunbeam had apparently done quite a job of making herself thoroughly unlikeable. So much so that even nine-hundred years later, she was still remembered as a nag. I remember there being some whispers that the reason Cloudsdale didn’t get to host the Equestria Games when I was a filly was because the Empress still held a grudge against Cloudsdale, one that was returned in full.

But it was one thing hearing nine-hundred year old complaints from older pegasi and egghead historians who looked back on the Clans—and even, ironically, the Old Queen Celestia. It was another thing to come face to face with somepo—someone—who was losing their home, their culture and their history all in one go.
 
I had a gryphon friend when I was younger. Gilda and I used to get into all sorts of trouble because we just wanted to have some fun. There were a million-billion rules about everything. You’re not allowed to race through the streets. Not allowed to play with clouds to scare folks or make loud noises—so boooring! But we didn’t care. We didn’t talk about history or politics or anything eggheaded, but just the stuff she’d mention casually about how gryphons lived… it reminded me that not everything was hunky-dory in the Empire, especially if you weren’t a pony. And hay, gryphons were citizens. They had rights, even though most of the laws were written by ponies and so were most of the bigwigs. The buffalo didn’t even have that.

It was a real eye opener for me. I won’t say that it made me want to quit or not perform for crowds anymore. But now whenever a show was announced, I had this feeling of dread that we’d be celebrating something else that was … wrong. Remember when I said that being ‘encouraged’ to be a Wonderbolt and turning it into a chore sucked a lot of the fun out of it? Well, having your chore turn out to be making ponies happy about something bad was even worse. It was like taking something magical and wonderful and turning it into its opposite. That’s what the Empire did, not just to the Wonderbolts, but to all of Equestria.

And for better or worse, I was a part of that Empire. All I wanted to do was fly and be awesome. Why was that so complicated?




 
My back and wings ached. I needed a massage and a preening something bad. Spitfire had always been one for tough training sessions—I guess the idea was that it made the actual shows easier, but there were days that mare could just about make a pony’s wings fall off.
 
But in the meantime, a hot shower was the next best thing to paradise after a show. I may have let myself doze off a bit in there, because when I stepped out of the shower and dried myself off, I saw that everypony else was gone. 

Well, almost everypony. When I headed over to the lockers I found Fleetfoot, my training supervisor, rooting around in her locker. She was awesome—the only Wonderbolt who even had a chance of keeping up with me when I went all out. We went way back.
 
So way back that I felt a little payback for all the extra laps she had me do today was in order. I snuck up behind her, licked one of my pinions and ran it up along her spine. Fleet’s fur and wings stood on end as she let out a startled shriek. “Gyah! RAINBOW!”
 
Perfect. I grinned. That’s when I noticed her fumbling with a cardboard box as she spun to face me. She must’ve been getting it from her locker when I unleashed my awesome prank. “Hey, Fleet. What’s up?”
 
“Oh the usual!” Fleet answered a touch quickly. And loudly. She shoved the box behind her back. “Training hard?”
 
“Of course!” I tilted my head, trying to get a better look. “Whatcha got there?”
 
Fleet shifted around, trying to keep the box away from me. “S'nothing important.”
 
Why did anypony ever say that? That just confirmed that whatever was in the box was important. “Yeah? So why not let me take a look?” I grinned. “Checking out the newest issue of PlayMare? Seeing if you made the newest photospread in the swimsuit edition?” I could ride her about this for weeks! “Come on, Fleet … you can tell me!” Then something else popped into my head. “Is it the new listings?! Am I in?!”
 
“It’s nothing, Rainbow!” Fleet insisted, taking a step back. The box she was trying to hide knocked against the open locker door and slipped out of her hooves.
 
With my awesome reflexes and timing, I swooped in and grabbed the mystery box of mystery before it hit the ground. “And Rainbow Dash makes the save!” I grinned at Fleetfoot, awaiting her thanks.
 
“Can I have that back, please?” Fleet asked testily. Some ponies have no appreciation for awesomeness.
 
I shook the box, feeling like a filly on Hearth’s Warming morning. “What’s in here? New uniforms? Exercise gear?” I shook it again, listening carefully. Something rattled around in there. Maybe something glass? “Are we doing a gift exchange again? Is it for me?!”
 
“It's nothing, Rainbow. Just give it back.” I looked over and ... whoa, Fleet was looking really tense. Her wings were twitching, and she was looking this way and that. Suddenly, I felt like a heel.
 
“Okay, okay,” I reached out to give it back to Fleetfoot. She sighed with relief as her hooves grasped the sides of the box—just as the bottom of the box gave way. “Whoa!”

My hooves whipped out and grabbed the pair of items that fell out. I was about to comment on just how fast even my hooves were when I noticed just what I had saved: a hypodermic needle and a glass bottle labeled ‘tetrahydrogestrinone.’ No athlete wouldn’t recognize that name. It was the main ingredient used to make Rampage, a drug. The illegal kind. The illegal, performance-enhancing, career-ending kind.
 
No … oh feathers, no—I looked at Fleetfoot. “Fleet…” My mouth opened and closed but the words couldn’t come.
 
“Dammit.” Fleetfoot rubbed her face, giving this world-weary sigh. She’d never sounded so tired.
 
I cleared my throat. “Fleet...” I hope she missed the waver in my voice. “Tell me you confiscated this from some dumb sleethead at the gym or something. Tell me this isn’t yours.”
 
“Yeah, sure, let's go with that.” Fleetfoot shifted from hoof to hoof.
 
“Is it the truth?” I asked hesitantly.
 
“Yeah.” Woah, way to convince me, Fleet. She pressed me. “Look, let's just keep this between you and me, alright?”
 
I couldn’t be hearing this. “Fleet ... why? You—you're my trainer! You made me work until my feathers were sore … you told me that Wonderbolts worked hard and had to train to be the best, and that there were no easy ways out.” I was practically shouting now and didn’t care. “Why are you taking these?!”
 
She sagged, her wings drooping. “Wonderbolts have to be the best, Rainbow. Training's great, but it only gets you so far. You start getting older and slower, and all those little training injuries start adding up. A few years ago I was winning races by an easy margin. Then a comfortable margin. Now it’s practically by a hair. You know how much of a hardflank Spitfire is—if I can’t make the cut, then I’m off the team.” She trembled and slumped against the locker. “I’m like you, Rainbow. Trained to be a Wonderbolt since I was old enough to fly. If I can’t be a Wonderbolt ... I got nothing. They’re my life!” Her eyes glistened. “I—I can’t not be a ‘Bolt!”
  
“So your answer is to take drugs?!” I whispered in disgust. “That's so … so … wrong! It's dishonest and lame and … wrong! Spitfire’s a year older than you, and she’s still the best flier on the team!
 
“I had to keep up somehow,” Fleet sighed. “Look, just keep this quiet, okay? You're right, I need to stop taking the stuff—and I will. Just don't tell anypony.”
 
“I wanna believe you, Fleet, I really do. But ... I think you need to come clean and get help.”
 
That made her eyes widen in fear. “Um ... look, tell you what. Keep this quiet and I'll make sure you make the team. That's fair, right?”
 
I idly felt my jaw drop. This was just one shock after the next. She couldn’t seriously be trying to do this.
 
I guess she took my silence as a sign to keep going. “Hay, you're practically a shoe-in already. Just do me this one favor here and I'll pay you back.”
 
Fleetfoot just offered me my lifelong dream, gift-wrapped and tied with a bow, in exchange for keeping her dirty little secret. I never thought I could hate somepony this much, but in that instant? Yeah, I hated her for that. Hated that she thought she could bribe me after all we’ve been through. Hated that she would dangle my dreams in front of me like a dog treat, hated that she could take something as awesome and amazing as being a Wonderbolt and turn it into a backroom deal.
 
But…
 
It was still so tempting. To wear the full uniform, to be a full-fledged Wonderbolt. I’d be able to march home to my dad and show him that yes, all the time apart and sacrifice had paid off. And he’d be able to see me perform at every show, not just every couple of shows. I could go find my old friends and show them my uniform with pride—and all it’d cost was a single, solitary lie. Not even a lie, all I had to do was not tell anypony the truth—to not open my big mouth.

I thought about Fleetfoot and what she had said. About getting older, getting slower. I felt a chill run down my spine that made my feathers twitch. Is this going to be me twenty years from now? Doping and threatening 'cause I can't imagine life outside the Wonderbolts?
 
That really made me wonder just how much of a good thing it was for the Wonderbolts to recruit me right after I did the Sonic Rainboom. I’d just been a filly. I had my whole life laid out for me. I could’ve been anything I wanted to be. But once I got nudged onto the path of being a Wonderbolt, nopony even suggested that I could be anything else. How many other ponies had been ‘encouraged’ to do this or that? How many of them had a real choice in the matter? How many wished they could’ve gone back and been something else? Did they just convince themselves that it would’ve been impossible to be anything other than what they were?

Well, I had a choice, right here and now. And so did Fleetfoot. And nopony, not even the Empress, was going to make it for me. Yeah, I’ll get old. But I'm gonna stay on top of my game as long as I can and more importantly, I'll play it straight. Because that's what I do. That’s who I am.
 
I’m Rainbow feathering Dash, and that’s the truth.

“No.”
 
“What?” Fleetfoot looked at me, confused.
 
“I said no,” I repeated. “When I talk about how awesome the Wonderbolts are and ponies ask me how I got in, what am I supposed to say? ‘No, it wasn't hard work or training or being amazing, it was making a deal in a locker room to lie and help cover up somepony's drug problem.’” I stared at her. “I couldn’t face my dad, my friends, or any of the other ‘Bolts if that’s how I earned my spot. Being a Wonderbolt means everything to me. I don't want to cheapen that by getting in like this.”
 
I saw Fleetfoot’s face fall, looking desperate and panicked. I hated seeing her like this. I could see that everything was falling apart for her. “I—I’m your trainer! You owe me!” She pleaded. “Please Rainbow—I—I can’t!”
 
“Fleetfoot, you owe it to yourself to not be the mare you’re turning into.” I reached out a hoof. “I want to help you and I will. But not like this.”
 
Swallowing nervously, Fleet backed up against her locker. She shut her eyes for a minute, and when she opened them again they shone with a hard glint. “If being a Wonderbolt means that much to you, you better keep your mouth shut. If you report me, you'll never make the team.”
 
“You'd really do that?” You’d think the threat of seeing all my dreams crushed would make me angrier than I was before. But for some reason, all I felt was … sad? 

Fleetfoot’s ruffled her wings, her eyes downcast. “I'd rather not, but if you force me to...”

After realizing just how ponies were molded into their jobs, I could understand why Fleet thought something like that would scare the feathers off of me: it certainly had scared her.

But she isn’t me, and I’m not her. I’m Rainbow Dash. 
 
“Is it worth it?” I challenged her. “To lie and cheat and do drugs, just to stay a 'Bolt? You’re Fleetfoot. You're awesome! You were one of my heroes growing up.” She winced. Good to know that her conscience was still there. “And you’re still my hero, my teammate, my trainer—and most importantly, my friend.” I reached out and put my hoof on her shoulder. “When you're old and can't fly anymore, what're you gonna tell the next generation of future Wonderbolts? That hard work and honesty isn't enough, and they're not gonna get anywhere without cheating and blackmail?”
 
Fleet slumped down until she was sitting on the floor, hugging herself. I’d never seen her like this. She’d always been strong, independent. The kind of mare I wanted to be ever since I met her. I sat down next to her and wrapped my wing across her back. “I can't do it, Fleet. I just … I can't. If you wanna get me bounced from the 'Bolts, go ahead. I can't stop you. Spitfire and the others will probably even believe you over me. But what happens when you get caught again? Sooner or later they’re going to have a random drug test, and your name is gonna come up. Or if those drugs do something to hurt you? What's that gonna do to the 'Bolts? Hay, what’s it gonna do to you?”
 
“I…” Fleet tried to say something more, but she just went quiet.
 
When she didn’t say anything else, I decided to keep going. I really wasn’t good at this heart-to-heart stuff. Cloud and Ditzy always told me I was too blunt. And Dad. And Fluttershy, in her own way. And Spitfire and Soarin’ and my third-grade teacher, and my guidance counselor and … hay, just about everypony. Maybe they’re right. I just call it like I see it. So that’s what I decided to do here.
 
“You can't keep this a secret forever. There's always some snoopy reporter or stalker fan, or clumsy teammate—” I gave her a small grin “—who'll stumble over it. That's assuming some doc doesn't find out during a physical or whatever.” I bit my lip as I let that sink in. “If this comes out, the 'Bolts will be disgraced. Everything we’ve done, everything we will do, will be questioned and doubted. And in the end, you’ll still get bounced.”
 
Fleet hugged her hindlegs to her chest. “I just needed a little edge, you know? I was slowing down, making mistakes. Not to the point of messing up any routines, but it was getting close. You know what a hardflank Spitfire can be: one public screw-up and…” She made a cutting gesture across her neck with her wing.
 
“Then I can work with you, help you stay on top!” I urged. “If Spitfire is going too far then I'll tell her to back off myself. I promise, if you come clean with Spitfire, I will go down there with you and be with you every step of the way. I’ll fight to keep you flying in the blue.”
 
“I'd probably have to go to rehab or something,” Fleetfoot sighed. “I dunno if they’ll ever even let me headlight again…”
 
“It beats a hospital. Or the unemployment line.” I sighed. “M’sorry, Fleet. I can't lie about this or cover it up. I'm going to have to tell Spitfire about this. I want you to come with, ‘cause it'd be better if she hears it from you.” I leaned in close, even though there was nopony else there. “And it'd help me see you as the totally awesome pony that I know you still are.”
 
“...Okay.” Fleetfoot nodded. “Yeah, alright.”
 
I mentally cheered, until I realized that this was just the beginning for Fleetfoot. “All right … let's go talk to Spits.”
 



 
I was, of course, drenched with sweat and had the world’s worst wedgie when I got it: an imperial summons.
 
Joy and rapture.
 
It had been about two months after Fleetfoot and I had talked to Spitfire. She’d spit her bit when Fleet confessed—no surprise there—but I talked Spitfire down. She just wanted to toss Fleetfoot on her tail and have that be the end of it. No revelations, no public scrutiny, no explanation.
 
Nothing doing. I told Spitfire that if Fleetfoot was out, then I was out too. We argu—okay, we yelled at each other for a bit. She said that what Fleet did was damaging to the ‘Bolts and it’d hurt their reputation, which is what I had said to Fleetfoot. I argued that getting Fleetfoot help was more important than a reputation. Plus, not throwing her out would encourage anypony else who might have been taking drugs to come forward without fear of losing their position.
 
I think what sold Spitfire was Fleetfoot’s promise to help the guard bust up the drug ring and turn in her dealer and whatever. Fleet was suspended for two months. All the trainees got turns filling in for her while she was out and today was my turn. Actually, it hadn’t originally been my turn, but for some reason Spitfire swapped out Lightning Dust and put me in instead. Lightning had been spitting thunderbolts. She really wanted to show her stuff since the Empress was going to be attending. 

It was a big celebration and send-off for Mi Amore Cadenza, Aedile of Canterlot and newly appointed Imperial Governor of Northmarch. I guess either Cadance had messed up or had gotten too popular, because she was getting dumped in the frozen north to keep the caribou in line after their last rebellion. Frankly, this wasn’t something I really wanted to celebrate. I was half-tempted to back out and let Lightning Dust show off for the grand poobahs, but that wasn’t my style.

I didn’t even have time to shower or even get out of my uniform before I was directed up to the Imperial Box Seat.

Being in a hot, tight flightsuit didn’t help. Plus, I stank. Really bad. You work hard, you sweat hard, y’know? So the first thing you wanted to do after a show was to strip down and shower off. Word to the wise? Wonderbolt outfits are amazing, but they cling. But remembering that show in Appleloosa and the look on Little Strongheart’s face, I guess there were worse things than having your uniform riding up your butt.
  
The guards checked my summons then let me in. I swear, statues have more expression than those guys. I hoped my old friend Cloud still had some semblance of a personality left. Inside and behind them was Empress Sunbeam. “You wanted to see me?” I was tired, smelly and not really thinking clearly. I finally remembered to add a few extra words. “Uh, your Empressness?”
 
Empress Sunbeam smiled gently. Somehow that just made her even creepier. “Yes I did, my child.” My wings twitched. I wasn’t a child, and I certainly wasn’t her child. “My apologies for not giving you the chance to rest after your performance, but the demands on my time are considerable, and I needed to meet with you. Might I offer you a drink? Perhaps some Zebrican Spiced Apple Cider?” She smirked enigmatically as a bottle hovered in the grip of her magic.

I know I should be disturbed that she knows that I like apple cider—thanks to that same excitable Appleloosan pony—but I was too hot and parched too care right then. “Thank you!” She poured a glass for both of us. Mine was half empty before she took her first sip. It was good cider. Say what you want about her, but the Empress had good taste. She was still wearing that mysterious smirk. It was, well, pretty creepy. I cleared my throat, “So did you enjoy the show?”
 
“It was an impressive exhibition of skill.” What did I say about her having good taste? “Though I still look forward to the day when you become a full member.”
 
“You and me both.” That came out without even thinking about it. I should really stop doing that. “But why did you summon me?”
 
“Ah, straight to business then.” She nodded. “Very well. The Empire has need of you. Will you answer the call?”
 
I blinked. “Is that all you’re going to tell me?”
 
“Well, I suppose you should get the details,” the Empress mused, sounding nonplussed that I didn’t immediately say yes.  “Not all of it is something I can discuss openly, mind you. This is a rather sensitive and developing situation. Suffice to say there is a growing threat to the Empire, and I have need of ponies with a very specific set of skills and assets to combat it.”
 
“And you want me to join?” I knew I was awesome but—why come to me in secret and not tell all of the ‘Bolts? “Okay, that makes sense. I can do that, but who else is involved? The Imperial Guards? The Wonderbolts?”
 
To my surprise, she shook her head. “This isn't the kind of threat that they are equipped to deal with. You'll be working with several other exceptional individuals, though for security purposes I cannot reveal their identities as of yet.”
 
As awesome as super-secret missions sounded, I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be involved with anything like the buffalo situation or putting down a rebellion by some species that wanted to be free. “What will I have to do?”
 
“You will be facing one of the largest threats to the lives and safety of the Empire in centuries.” Her smirk vanished, replaced by a grim, heavy-lidded look. “I won't lie to you, the risks will be considerable.”
 
Wow, vague much? “What happens if whatever it is gets loose?”
 
“The worst case scenario?” Sunbeam shrugged. “Everypony dies.”
 
Oookay then. “I’m in.”
 
“Very good then.” The Empress smiled. Why was this a good thing? You should not be allowed to smile less than a minute after saying ‘everypony dies.’ She magicked a contract and quill out of … somewhere … and floated it in front of me.
 
“Do I need a lawyer or something?” I was suddenly afraid that I might accidentally sign over my life, my soul or even my non-existent marriage in the fine print.
 
She shook her head. “No, it's very simple. In summary, you will aid the Empire in this matter and not divulge any of the secrets you learn. In exchange ... well, let's just say you won't have to work for a living if you don't want to.”
 
Seriously? I looked down at my uniform. “Will I not be a Wonderbolt anymore?”
 
“You will still be a Wonderbolt and be able continue your training and performances,” she assured me. “However, when I have need of you, that takes priority over everything else. If necessary, I shall provide some explanation to your superiors. It goes without saying that you are not to mention that you will be engaged in a secret operation.”

Okay, this all sounded pretty heavy. But then again, she was still being as clear as a storm cloud over what I would actually have to do. “Will I have to show up at fancy parades or hobnob with a bunch of elite snobs?” She looked at me expectantly, and I added, “Your Highness?”
 
“Your Imperial Majesty,” she corrected firmly, like a particularly overbearing school teacher. It was the tone of her voice that set my wings bristling. “And no, this isn't exactly a high-publicity role. That would rather defeat the point of a secrecy contract.”
 
I rubbed my face.  After meeting Little Strongheart and finding out about the buffalo, all the fun had gotten sucked out of the Imperial celebrations the Wonderbolts performed. Give me a good old race or a simple stadium full of fans over box seats full of military brass and Imperial bureaucrats any day. That must’ve been weighing on my mind a bit more than I had thought. As much as I loved being a Wonderbolt—and the idea of being some secret hero wasn’t exactly horrible either—I didn’t want to be putting my personal, public stamp of approval on the Empire.

“Fine. If it helps the ponies—and zebras and gryphons and caribou—of Equestria, I'll do it.”
 
“So you are prejudiced against buffalo and donkeys, then? Unfortunate.” I could swear she was practically smirking at me.
 
“No, I’m not!” I blurted out. Okay, that got me riled up. I mean, who was she to talk? She was the one who went out conquering every other species around. It wasn’t until I saw the frown on her face that I realized I’d said that last bit out loud. I clasped my hoof over my mouth. Too late though, it was always too late...
 
Her frown somehow made her look even more cold. “Ah. You disapprove of the Empire's expansion, then?”
 
I grumbled something under my breath that wasn’t really meant to be an answer. “You mean taking over everyone else…”
 
“The Empire has been good for them,” the Empress answered. “They enjoy a level of peace, prosperity and stability that they never had under their own rulers. The Empire's resources have also allowed us to engage and remove threats that Equestria never could have ended.”
 
“Whether they want it or not, huh?” I grumbled. But hay, if it’s for their ‘own good’ … my ear twitched as I thought about that last bit. “Doesn’t seem like all the resources of the Empire are enough to help you stop whatever's so bad that you need me for, is it?”
 
I guess I was starting to get on her nerves, because Empress Sunbeam’s wings twitched. “Different threats require different responses,” she replied coolly. “You are my best option, but far from my only one. If you would prefer to let all of Equestria burn because of some petty grudge about events that happened centuries before your birth, then you lack the needed qualities to perform the task I require.”
 
Ah, and there it was. Bringing up the War. Because that had to be the reason why a pegasus didn’t think the Empire was the greatest thing since competitive racing. Because pegasi had a beef with her 900 years ago, clearly that must be why I didn’t like stepping all over ponies and other races. Seriously, what an ego.

I guess I was finally learning to not automatically blurt out everything I thought, because I didn’t say that. Instead I shot back, “I never said that! I would never let anything bad happen to everypony and everyone!”
 
“I know.” She surprised me by putting her hoof on my shoulder. “I don't ask you to like the Empire. I do not even ask you to like me, personally. But the Empire, the world, needs your help.”
 
Like I would just walk away after hearing all this. “I won't do it for you or the Empire. But I'll do it for Equestria and everypony—and every creature—that lives in it.”
 
“So long as it is done,” Sunbeam dipped her head. “Thank you, my child.”
 
“I’m still not your child,” I grumbled as I signed the contract. I guess not saying everything I thought was going to be a work in progress. 
 
“Definitely Bright Charger’s descendent,” Sunbeam murmured, so low that I’m not sure if I was meant to hear that or not. The Empress turned away and looked out over the stadium as it emptied out. “You are all my children. The ponies. The gryphons, the zebras, the caribou and every other race in the Empire. They are all my children.”
 
With a mother like her, I’d prefer being an orphan. “Most parents don't try to run their kids' lives forever.”

“But they do guide their children along the proper path,” she countered.

“But kids eventually get to grow up and make their own decisions. You’ll always be around and you’ll always be older.” I looked up at her. “We’ll always seem like kids to you. You won’t ever let us get the chance to grow up and make our own choices.” I frowned, my ear flicking as I thought of something else that always rubbed me the wrong way. “Parents send kids to their room. Not to the Ministry of Heart.”

“Most parents don't have to deal with anarchists or cultists of mad gods,” Sunbeam noted casually.

I grunted. “Wouldn’t know it by hearing my parents talk.”

She paused, raising an eyebrow at me before grinning. “You were quite the rambunctious youth.”

I couldn’t exactly deny that. “Yeah, I—how'd you know?” 

“An Empress has her sources.” Ugh, again with the being all cryptic and mysterious. She stood in thought for a minute before resuming. “Your honesty does you credit, Rainbow Dash. It is something I find rather lacking in far too many ponies.”

I didn’t quite know what to say to that. “Uh, thanks?”

She half-turned away. “You will be contacted by my agents when the time comes. For now, continue to live as you had before.” I caught a faint-grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. “I look forward to seeing your first performance as a full Wonderbolt.”

As much as I didn’t like her, it was hard for me to resist a challenge. "Everypony—er, everyone—that's coming is coming for a show. I'll sure as hay give 'em one to remember!" I gave her a challenging smirk. “It'll knock even your socks off!”

And that’s the truth.





After leaving the Imperial Box, I made my way down the corridor to the locker room. Finally I'd get a chance to shower and change. So naturally, it was then a large pony seemed to step out of the shadows and directly into my path.

“Rainbow Dash, can you spare a minute?” Stepping into the light was a pink mare with cream, pink and purple colored hair.

“Gyah!" I totally wasn't scared, just ... surprised, is all. "Who are—" That's when I spotted the horn and wings. Seeing as I just got done speaking with Empress Sunbeam, that left only one other pony this could be. "Aedile Cadenza?"

Cadenza nodded with a wry smile. “Indeed. It's a pleasure to finally meet you properly. Spitfire said quite a bit about you at the last Grand Galloping Gala.”

Okay, Spitfire was talking to the Aedile of the city about me? This was too awesome! "What did she say?" I leaned forward eagerly. Then I started thinking about just what she might have told her. "Because if this is about that incident with the Guards, I swear I had nothing to do with putting itching powder in their helmets!" I cast a glance from side to side and scrunched my muzzle, trying to look my most innocent.

It never seemed to work. Cadenza raised her eyebrow at me skeptically. “Is that so? And so soon after the Empress praised your honesty…”

I felt my face grow hot. Gyah! Why was I such a lousy liar? "Look, it was on a bet and—wait a second, how do you know what I was talking to the Empress about?" I demanded.

“I have my sources.” She shrugged as if she was merely commenting on the weather.

Okay, what? "Huh? What're you—what's going on?"

“There's something I would like to talk to you about, Rainbow Dash. A secret society called the Circle. Have you heard of it?

Great. More politics and more secrets. And she didn't even give me any cider first. I rubbed my muzzle. "Look, it's been a long day, and I haven't even had the chance to change out of my uniform. Can we talk about this in the locker room? It should be cleared out by now." I cast a look around. "Or do you want to talk about your secret society in the corridors as the cleaning crew is about to come out?"

“Oh, they're going to be a bit delayed,” Cadenza assured me. “But the locker room is fine.”

Finally! "Thanks." I trotted down to the locker room. Sure enough, it was empty. "You mind if I take a shower while we talk?" Personally, I didn't really care if she did mind at this point. My uniform felt like it was starting to merge with my coat, and I smelled like dirty gym socks.

“That's fine.” A faint smile graced her face. “And I'm engaged, so you don't need to worry about your honor.”

I blushed and tried to shrug it off by rolling my eyes. Alicorns. I shucked off my uniform and trotted into the shower stall. The cold water felt positively amazing on my coat. I could've just stood under the showerhead for the rest of the day and was pretty darn tempted to do just that. But I doubted she'd leave without talking about—whatever it was—so that was out. "Okay, so what did you want to talk about again? The Circle?" I shook out my mane, washing away the sweat. "That's not that role playing game that Soarin's into, is it?"

The alicorn sighed, sounding weary. “No. It's a secret society founded by Old Queen Celestia to serve as a check against Sunbeam.”

I poked my head out of the shower and wriggled a hoof in my ear to make sure I didn't have any water in it. "Say again?"

“We keep Sunbeam honest.”

"Wow, that must be a full-time job." Dammit, when was I going to learn to keep my mouth shut? This could all be some plot by Sunbeam to make sure I was loyal or whatever. There could be Ministry of Heart agents waiting outside to drag me away!

But nopony burst down the locker room doors—good thing too, I wasn’t done showering—and Cadenza merely shrugged. “It's more like a hobby, really.”

Well, since I had already went and stepped my hoof in it, I figured I might as well keep going. "Okay, so what exactly does your Circle do? Doesn't seem like it's done all that much for the buffalo or the caribou." I couldn’t keep a bit of scorn out of my voice with the last bit.

“Our resources are rather limited, especially when it comes to the short term,” she admitted with a sigh. “I will be working on the caribou situation, of course. Hopefully we can get them to finally accept citizenship. That's how we helped the gryphons and zebras.”

“Even if they don’t want it.” I came off more snarky than I intended and shook my head, letting the cold water cool me off. "What do you want with me anyhow?"

“That's simple. We don't have somepony inside Sunbeam's special group yet. We'd like you to be our inside mare.”

Yeah, because that was totally simple—wait. I popped my head over the top of the stall. "You want me to be a spy?" I always knew I had what it takes to be a totally awesome super-secret spy! Misty Fly owes me ten bits.

“In a manner of speaking,” Cadenza confirmed. “Just as importantly, I want sompony in that group who cares more about doing what’s right than she cares about making Sunbeam happy.”

Weird. The Empress said almost the same thing … "Do you know what this group is for? What it's going to do? Who else is in it? Sunbeam wasn't exactly big on the details."

Her expression turned even more serious. “I do. How much do you know about Nightmare Moon?”

"The old ponies' tale?" I snorted and started to scrub my sides. "The pony who would gobble me up if I didn't give her half my candy on Nightmare Night? S'just a cheap way for parents to steal their kids' candy."

Cadenza nodded. “Yes, but like many legends, there's an element of truth to it.” She closed her eyes and when she spoke again, it was like she was repeating something she had memorized. “On the longest day of the thousandth year after her exile, the stars will aid the escape of Nightmare Moon, and she will unleash eternal night upon Equestria once more.” She paused, stepping closer to the stall so she could look me in the eye. “In a month, it will be nine hundred ninety nine years since Nightmare Moon's exile.”

I dropped the soap in surprise. "I take it she's not returning to give me back my candy then." This was getting surreal. "How do we stop her?"

“Sunbeam has a plan, involving you and five other ponies with certain ... unique qualities. The qualities needed to unlock the Elements of Harmony, which defeated Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago.” The alicorn bit her lip. “Though I fear what she could do with the Elements at her disposal.”

"Wait, so you're saying that me and five other ponies are gonna somehow use some magic weapon to stop an ancient legendary evil?" This. Was. Awesome! It was like something out of a comic book! Then the rest of what Cadenza had said hit me. If we beat Nightmare Moon, then these Elements would just end up under Sunbeam's control. "Oh horseapples."

“You beginning to see the problem?” Cadenza asked dryly.

Great, so either the world gets cast into Eternal Darkness or Empress Conquers-A-Lot gets control of a magic weapon capable of defeating an evil alicorn. I'd be lying if I said Sunbeam wasn't clearly the lesser evil here, but I still didn't want to be responsible for turning something that powerful over to her. "You could say that."

“And thus, you understand why I want somepony to regulate the use of the Elements.” She sighed softly. “Twilight is ... too loyal to Sunbeam. And Sunset is her creature through and through.”

I vaguely knew those names. They were the Empress' students or something. Probably thugs to carry out her dirty work to boot. I let the water just wash over me for a minute. This all sounded a bit convenient. I got recruited by the Empress after having a fight with her, and Cadance just so happens to show up inviting me into some conveniently ancient and unheard-of anti-Sunbeam conspiracy? "Okay. But how do I know I can trust you?" I stepped out of the shower to confront Cadance. "You're an alicorn and one of the most powerful ponies in the Empire. How do I know you aren't just looking to get rid of the competition? Hay, how do I know this isn't some trick by Sunbeam to test me?"

Despite everything, she looked utterly calm and composed. “I suppose you'll just have to trust me,” she replied evenly.

Seriously? "...You aren't gonna give me a little more to work with?" I urged.

Cadenza shut her eyes for a moment. Then she sighed. “Alright. Can you slip away for a few days? There's somepony ... well ... something I'd like you to meet.”

That sounded mysterious, which by this point in the day, was pretty par for the course. “Who?” 

“The leader of the Circle.”

I rocked back on my hooves a bit. Despite not knowing everything about what was going on, I could tell when a big deal was going on. And hay, that sure was something. "Deal."

Cadenza nodded. “Good. I’ll contact you once I’ve made the arrangements.” She paused, then smirked. “I think you may want to grab a towel before you leave, though.”

Huh? I looked down at myself, still wet and dripping. Oh, right. I hurried back behind the stall, banging my head gently against the wall. I just—in front of the second most powerful pony in Equestria? Stupid, stupid...