The pegasus’ awakening was met with anger. She scratched her head, attempting to fully wake to the day she was going to have to live through. She looked through a window to the fluffy clouds in the sky. They were taunting her fears and envies, and she both hated and loved them for it. Before she could continue with her waking method, a gentle voice called to her.
“You look quite ruffled when you awake, Red Crow.”
The mare bounced in fear and scanned her immediate surroundings, her weapon in hoof.
“It’s funny,” the voice started. “You have NO idea how many I’ve killed be--”
The Red Crow threw her weapon at a cloaked figure hiding along the wooden beams of the roof, throwing him off and causing him to fall down.
“I stand corrected. You can see in three dimensions. As expected of such a renown assassin.”
Crimson jumped up and pulled her weapon out of the wooden beams. “Who are you and what do you want?”
The stallion pulled off his cloak to display his large hat covering the top of his head with a large ‘disc’. His iris were black and was the rest of his well maintained fur. The only thing of possible color that stood out was his storm cloud cutie mark expelling a few lightning bolts.
“I am Black Cloud, and I am hoping that you are indeed the Red Crow who caused turmoil in two countries with some…’selective’ pickings.”
The Red Crow clicked her tongue and loosened up. “Why are you in my house? I was supposed to get you at the train station.”
“I came early and you weren’t there.”
Crimson looked to her clock next to the bed. “It’s only five in the morning.”
Black Cloud shrugged. “Is it not just for us to be very early and punctual?”
The mare grumbled. “So where exactly are you going to stay while here?”
The stallion pointed downwards and grinned mischievously. It took a few seconds for Crimson to register what he meant, but her face turned redder than it already was.
“NO! You’re NOT staying here!”
“But you don’t want to share the bed? We can’t hug and cuddle?” the stallion teased with a delicate and ‘fragile’ voice.
“NO!”
He shrugged. “Well, those were the orders. To limit costs.”
“Then you’ll get to save money by sleeping downstairs,” the mare mocked.
The stallion huffed, indignant. “Fine. Be that way.” He turned his back to the mare. “But I was sent here anyways to help you with a certain...mmm…’problem’.”
The Red Crow raised an eyebrow with suspicion. “What problem?” she gritted behind clenched teeth.
“You know very well which one.” He passed a hoof through his mane. “Le Couvent du Crépuscule can’t deal with a pegasus who can’t fly for long, unlike me.” He smiled and bounced his eyebrows. “I, on the other hoof, can fully fly.”
Crimson frowned but conceded under the stallion’s smug grin. “Fine.”
“Good!” he cheered. “Now then, I do believe we must befriend a certain ‘Twilight Sparkle’, correct?” he inquired.
“Yes.”
“Then we need a proper disguise.” He paced back and forth, thinking up multiple potential directions for his idea. “I was thinking about two--”
“Before you even THINK it-” Crimson interjected. “I’ll cut your tongue if you mention any form of ‘romantic’ situation.”
Cloud’s proud and sturdy composure took a hit when he backed away from the mare’s clear intentions.
“T-true,” he stuttered. “There are clearly better mares out there,” he taunted. Crimson scoffed at the would-be trap, flustering the stallion. “Fine,” he grumbled. “Two friends living together until I can get my own abode.”
“That’s a better plan,” the crow agreed.
“Then let’s start enacting upon it.”
Twilight had been struggling to cope with what she had done under the trust of her mentor, and the help provided by Pinkie and Fluttershy weren’t useful at all. After Applejack came to Twilight’s home with a bandaged face, the unicorn knew that she needed to find a quick solution to deal with Psycho, or at least slow him down. But where could she start?
“Why not have a party?” Pinkie asked. “It would help calm your nerves!” She blew a party whistle, causing confetti to fly everywhere.
Twilight wiped the colorful paper off of her book. "I don't have time for parties, Pinkie Pie! I have to find a way to stop that crazy pony!" She leaned towards another book on her wooden table and put her hoof to her mouth. “Who knows what he’s doing right now.”
Pinkie Bounced around the library while Fluttershy managed to force herself to speak up. “Well, if you don’t relax, you might fly over something important in your books.”
Twilight was about to rebut, but what stopped herself. Fluttershy was right.
“Y-you’re right, Fluttershy. I need a moment to myself,” she sighed.
“Great!” Spike cheered. “All you’ve been doing lately is moping around then going crazy with the books.”
“Spike!” Twilight scolded.
The little dragon shrugged. “What? It’s true.”
The potential argument was interrupted by a few knocks on the door of the library.
“Who is that?” Twilight wondered aloud.
Spike rushed to the door yelling ‘I got it! I got it!’ before Twilight could even move forward. He was hoping that it was Rarity, but his hopes were crushed. Instead, he felt terror when his eyes met with two blood colored ones reminiscent of Nightmare Moon’s.
“Uhh...h-hello?” Spike stammered. He gulped loudly.
“Yes. Is Twilight Sparkle here?” the red pegasus asked with a sinister and threatening tone.
Spike couldn’t bring himself to say anything, forcing the stallion to intervene.
“Please excuse my friend,” he started. “She doesn’t know the specifics of ‘social interaction,’ he whispered to Spike.
The dragon chuckled, his stress slowly dissipating. “I noticed.”
Crimson Gaze was glaring at the stallion who was ignoring the lasers boring a hole through is skull. How DARE he interrupt her?!
“May we come in?” he asked.
“Uhh…” Spike put a claw to his chin. “Hold on. Twilight” he called out.
“Who is it, Spike?” the mare asked.
“I don’t know,” the dragon responded after stuttering a few times.
Crow pushed herself over the stallion’s shoulder. “Isn’t this a public library?” she asked.
The little dragon stared into the void for a few seconds before smacking his forehead.
“That’s true! I keep forgetting.” He opened the door and stepped to the side, leaving the two a great deal of room to go through.”I keep forgetting because nopony comes here.” He looked down in thought. “That, and Twilight and I live here, so…”
“It’s understandable, little dragon,” Black Cloud tapped the dragon’s shoulder.
Once Crimson passed the door, Pinkie Pie bounced around in joy, and the red pegasus’ ears dropped down in horror.
“Oh no…” she groaned.
Black Cloud laughed wholeheartedly upon witnessing the scene of the fearful ‘Red Crow’ trembling in place with rage while Pinkie Pie bounced around her new ‘friend’ and gave her many hugs.
“Who would you be?” Twilight asked.
“Oh! Excuse my manners. Allow me to remove my ‘hat’,” he joked.
He did just that, revealing his sinister, physical impressions. His mane had been folded back by invisible gel. His black eyes screamed audacity and demands of fear, and yet they also brought about a semblance of pity and joy.
“I am Tempest.” He bowed then pointed to the Red Crow. “And my friend over there is Crimson Gaze.”
“Oh. So you’re living with her in the new house?” Twilight asked. Cloud nodded in response. There was a moment of silence whilst Twilight stared the stallion in the eyes, and then her face started turning red. “I know this is prying; but are you two…?”
“NO!” Crimson bellowed.
Cloud chuckled. “We’re just friends living together. I’m living with her until I can get my own home, and I figured I would help her socialize more by having her come out and say hello to her neighbors.” The stallion narrowed his eyes to get a better look at a yellow ball hiding away. “By the way, who is your friend there, cowering in the corner?”
"Oh. That's just Fluttershy. She’s quite..."
“Shy? NONSENSE!” the stallion bellow with a stomp to the ground.
He rushed to the mare shielding her face with both her mane and wings. Fluttershy felt herself get picked up by a pair of soft wings and held close to the stallion. Cloud was making the yellow mare dance with him, much to the displeasure of Crimson.
“Somepony like you shan’t be shy any longer!” Tempest chanted. “Your radiance is such that it renders all others in a state of babbling and disbelief,” he said poetically.
“Oh my.” Fluttershy giggled quietly.
“Your voice is like the soothing caress of a stream. Let all that stress and shyness flow away, revealing the proud mare you are!” He leaned forward with Fluttershy. “It might not happen right away, but you’ll eventually feel yourself become more and more confident, until eventually you meet…” He gazed longly into her eyes. “The right somepony?” he hinted.
“Stop that!” Twilight laughed. “You really should go. I think your ‘friend’ is growing jealous.
Cloud turned around to see that Crimson was a deeper shade of scarlet red and shook his head in disappointment. “Indeed she is.” He dropped Fluttershy back onto her hooves and walked to the red pony. “I believe that this was a good exchange, and I hope to see you in the future.”
“So do I,” Twilight answered.
The two left the library, with Crimson stomping angrily behind the stallion.
“Well...they were something,’ Twilight laughed.
“Yeah. Tempest looks AWESOME!” Spike shouted joyfully. He put his arm in front of his face, acting like he had a cape. “You think Rarity knows how to make me look like him?”
Pinkie Pie laughed. “No. You’d look super silly!” she teased.
Spike pouted in response, causing the pink pony to start tickling him to make his frowny face go away.
“What did you think, Fluttershy…Fluttershy?”
Twilight looked around, trying to find Fluttershy. The yellow mare was sitting where she was left after the dance. She seemed lost in a daydream, although it wasn’t a mystery of what the subject was.
Pinkie and Spike had stopped playing for a moment to see that their friend was blushing and had a silly look on her face.
While this transpired, a rainbow-colored bolt flew above Ponyville. It was soaring above the thick clouds pumped out by Cloudsdale. Rainbow Dash was training herself to go even faster, but was upset it wasn’t working yet. Her frustration made way to curiosity when she witnessed a pink blob bouncing on the clouds further away.
"Pinkie Pie?" she wondered to herself.
In Disirva, the contact of the Red Crow was waiting in his office upon his black chair with a tall back. His oak desk, shelves, office supplies, and trash can had all been shoves to the side, letting the pony place a triangle of stones in the center of the room. Finally, the stones all illuminated, revealing a set of pony heads which all bowed to him.
“We have a problem,” he started. “The target has escaped and is currently free in Equestria,” he sighed. The pony scratched his forehead the leaned against his forearm. “The Red Crow has failed to apprehend him so far, so I sent the Black Cloud to aid her.
The heads nodded to each other, then an elderly mare spoke.
“The Black Cloud. An excellent choice,” she said. “His expertise in traps and psychological manipulation should pair well with the Red Crow.” She gave pause. “We need that crazed pony for our plan.”
“Agreed,” Crimson’s contact said. “We have plans beyond simply overthrowing the princesses, but that is the first step!”
“Such nonsense,” a stallion berated. “You all know as well as I that he will do no harm to the princesses, let alone think of them badly,” he continued. “I hear that he has found solace with a potential friend from Ponyville, however,” he spoke in a hushed tone. “That could be our way to his power.”
The heads were mumbling between each other, discussing the details of the new information, but the summoner was growing irritated with the constant mumbling.
“SILENCE!” he shouted. The contact looked to the source. “What do you mean?” he asked. “I need further details. The two agents I mentioned are currently installed in Ponyville at this very instance.” He smashed his hoof onto a leg rest. “How could we have not learned of this sooner?”
“I am sorry, Chief, but the stallion is very discreet. It’s rare that he appears anywhere physically,” the stallion explained.
Well, if the sources are correct, then it’s this pony. The stallion’s face made way for the projection of a lavender unicorn with several books stacked on her back being meticulously held up by a baby dragon on her back.
“Impossible! The librarian?!” the chief shouted. “Such coincidences…And it’s the one who tried to make him ‘normal’.” The stallion chuckled. “Friends in high places.” He grinned widely.