//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12: One Step Behind 
// Story: Raise You Like a Phoenix 
// by Gapeagle 
//------------------------------//

"Raven! Raven!"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"How has your research been going?"

"Excellent. I contacted one of the captains in Cloudsdale and he recognized the name."

The secretary rushed over to the princess, carrying a folder on her back. She took the folder in her mouth and was about to give it to Celestia, but the princess took hold of it with her magic and lifted it. Raven was taken by surprise and held onto the folder with her mouth, which meant she too was floating in the air. The princess then gave it a good shake that knocked her off before opening it.

The folder contained some documents and a picture of a gruff blue stallion with piercing green eyes and matching green hair. It was the sort of stare that would haunt a pony. Beside the picture were some details about the stallion.

"Sergeant Wing Beat," Celestia read aloud. "8th Cloudsdale Regiment. Pegasus. Born in Cloudsdale. Hm, he served for twelve years and retired at the age of thirty-six."

"He was also a part of a Cloudsdale special forces unit in the later part of his service," Raven told her with enthusiasm. "He was deployed on several missions.

Celestia raised a brow. "There has hardly been any conflict between the nations these years, what missions would be deployed on?"

"Well, do you remember the Black Claws?"

Celestia put a hood to her chin. "That was a small group of radical griffons. They were a bit before your time, Raven. Are you suggesting he was deployed to face these griffons?"

She nervously nodded. "Yes."

"Hm, then he did a good job, because that group never took off. They were just some young griffons with a pipe dream and a victim complex."

"Well...I'm not sure his missions did go well. You see, he is the only survivor of his special forces units. The others...were killed in battle with these griffons."

"Are there documents on this?"

"Yes, one paper at the bottom has it."

Celestia shuffled through the stack to find a bunch of notes written in fine print. "It says he was captured by them and held for three months," she gasped. "Raven, are there any more pictures of this stallion, like one of him after this mission? The picture I have, he seems too young."

She reached into another folder and withdrew a small picture. It was almost identical as the previous one. The stare was the same, the angle, and the distant frown. The only difference were the large scar across his face, his now blind left eye, and his ear had most of it torn off. His thick neck also had scares on it and his mane was nothing but patches on his head. Half his muzzle was gone and almost completely deformed. If it wasn't for that stare and the colors, they would be different ponies entirely.

"I see..." Celestia nodded. 

This stallion is the one who trained Sunset to be a thief? He had to have integrity at one point to be enlisted in the Royal Guard. It seems that integrity has been lost in his older age. He went through much more than any Royal Guard I know at the moment. This mission had to have changed his life and his viewpoints. He must also be the reason Sunset has been trying to steal the Alicorn Amulet. Royal Guards are told that such artifacts exist during their training. I reasoned she had read about it in a book, but this was much more plausible. She knows what she is stealing, which means she plans to use it. Why? Well, it's obvious, she wants to be an alicorn. Why get wings when you can take a shortcut? Hm, but would she know of the effects of the amulet? Would she know that it corrupts the user the more she uses it? Perhaps. Good thing that she has only been stealing the gem and not the rest, but that may not last. I need to take the amulet and secure it myself. The vault is growing weak and the guards are useless.

"Raven, please continue digging up as much as you can on him," Celestia uttered absently.

"Right away! Do you need anything else, You Highness?"

"Yes, about ten gallons of coffee. I'll need it...








"Good day, my student," Celestia said to Sunset upon entering the study.

Sunset was sitting at her desk and nonchalantly waved at the princess. "Hey."

She seems pleasant today.  Celestia sat down in the middle of the room with a wide smile on her bright face. Sunset simply looked at her with disinterest, but neither looked away. Celestia's hoof slid along the ground in front of her and finally spoke.

"So, how has your week been? It's been six months since you first came here. I've been so proud of your progress. Wasn't it just last week you finally made a flame not hurt you?"

"Yeah," was the dry answer.

"And you've been getting better about not stealing, am I correct?" Celestia kept her bright smile.

"Heh," Sunset chuckled. "I actually took some gum from Shining Armor, does that count?"

"He chews too much of that, so no," Celestia giggled in return. "Did you know that Cadance is actually interested in him?"

"Wow, she doesn't shoot too high then," Sunset remarked.

"I know," Celestia agreed with a nod. "That reminds me, what are you shooting for?"

She's going to pause and then back off. However, Celestia's prediction was flawed, as Sunset rolled her eyes and shrugged. With a yawn, the student hopped off her chair and walked over to the railing.

"Not sure. I mean, I used to be the striving to be the best thief ever, but now, that seems lame to me. After these weeks, I'm kinda in the routine of just doing the studies and all."

Celestia, surprised, ruffled her wings a little. "Well then, you have been doing well in your studies and you still surprise me with you magical capabilities. I think it's time to move onto something else."

Sunset pumped a hoof in the air. "Yes! Oh, I've been waiting. Are we gonna go fight monsters? Go around the world? Go and-"

Celestia interrupted her. "Sorry to ruin your excitement, but I have a final test before we can do anything. It's fairly simple."

Sunset gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine....What is it?"

"Have you stolen the red gem to the Alicorn Amulet?" was the question that left the princess's lips. 

"Is...that the test?" Sunset hesitated.

Celestia gave an affirmative nod. "Yes, it is."

"Well, Celly, I know you looked in the vault and saw the empty amulet. There'd be no other reason why you'd ask me that question if you didn't already know the answer. You know that I lie to you. You expect me to saw 'no,' but I'm gonna say 'yes.' I stole the gem," she ended with a haughty boast.

"You've learned," Celestia shook her head. "I'm glad that you are done lying when evidence is against you, but I am disappointed. You had been doing so well and now, you still haven't given up this mad pursuit of the artifact. Sunset, this isn't something to sell for money. This isn't something you play with. The amulet is not going to satisfy whatever hunger is within you. I ask you kindly, please return the gem."

"You know, there's this great question out there," Sunset leaned on the railing with a hoof under her chin. "And that question is why should I? Why should I obey you? We are friends, equals like you say, right? I am not your slave, I refuse to give you the gem. Deal with it."

"This isn't like me telling you to put the cookie back in the cookie jar, this is much more serious," Celestia sounded flustered. 

"It's not here," Sunset said finally with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders.

The princess blinked in annoyance. "Then where is it?"

Sunset stifled a giggle. "Go find it."

Celestia sighed and looked at the floor. "After all this, this is how you treat me? I was actually starting to think I could help you. I don't know why you care so much about something you do not need. There's so much more in the vault that you could take, but you want to take something that will surely destroy you. I put it in there to keep it away from ponies. I wouldn't mind if you stole my gold or my jewelry, I don't need that. If you only wanted money, I could help with your greed, but it's not greed. You don't want money, do you?"

"No, not really."

"Then why do you need the Alicorn Amulet? You are highly skilled in magic already, what do you think you lack?"

"I want it because I made a promise, Celly. I've wasted so much time being under you and all that I almost forgot my promise. I want that Alicorn Amulet, I need it. Sorry, but I'll get it whether you like it or not."

Celestia snorted loudly. "Sunset, please do not threaten me."  

Sunset removed her hooves from the railing and started to walk down the small flight of steps. Her horn was glowing slightly, and her eyes were glowing with the same color. From each hoofprint rose a solemn column of smoke. Her stomps were hostile and her snarl would send a twitch down a lesser pony's spine. Celestia stood up and held her place.

"Have you ever suffered?" Sunset growled.

"Yes."

"Have you ever been hopeless?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever failed?"

Celestia kept a stern look. "Too many times to count."

A devious smile formed on the student's lips. "Am I a failure?" It was a more hopeful question than the words may suggest. It was the sort of mocking question that was solely meant to get a rise from the other pony.

"You are still young. You can stop being a failure if you tried," Celestia huffed. "Right now, I think you enjoy being a failure."

"I do, because it means you lost," Sunset giggled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"What did I do to you that makes you hate me?" Celestia gestured at herself. "I gave you a palace, I helped your magic, I gave you food and friends. What did I not give you?"

Sunset's horned glowed. "Freedom!"

Sunset launched a storm of fire from her horn. Celestia lifted a magical shield to block the flames, making them dance around her and burn up anything nearby. Gout after gout of fire was thrown at the princess. The flames were so intense that she could still feel their hotness from within the bubble shield.

The sound of the flames were deafening. Now even Sunset's ferocious roar could be heard over the raging fires. Celestia hesitated before she hardened the shield and then pushed it forward. The magical shield flew deeper into the flames, knocking the source across the floor. The fires died instantly, allowing Celestia to see the study once more. Sunset was there, already back on her hooves. Smoke rising off from her fur. Half the study was up in raging flames, books upon books being roasted and their pages ruined beyond repair. 

"Sunset! Stop this now! I beg you!" Celestia yelled.

"I'm not your puppet!" Sunset screamed before being engulfed in flames and disappearing when the flames were gone.

Where did she go? Celestia looked about. One bookshelf toppled over, making sparks fly into the smoke-filled air. The princess's eyes dashed about, seeing anywhere the thief could be. Finally, her ears picked up a disturbance behind her. She instantly turned around to see Sunset with dancing flames all around her, not harming her in the slightest. 

"You have made me more powerful, I'll give ya that," the thief said. 

"Think about what you are doing!" Celestia shouted.

"I am!" Sunset roared like the fires. "I've been thinking, I've been here way too long. You never gave me wings, so I'll get them myself! You never cared for me, no one does! To you, I am a pawn, to rest of them, I am your pawn."

Celestia took a step back. "Sunset, I apologize if I ever harmed you. I thought I could bring you up from the ashes, make you into something beautiful. You are wasted talent."

"'Wasted?'" Sunset laughed hysterically. "I don't think so. I've been doing what I've always wanted. I'm putting my talent to use. It'll be my talent that lets me beat you."

Sunset sent the dancing flames at Celestia. The princess took a deep breath stopped the flames in their tracks. Like vile snakes, the flames were between their masters who were battling for control over them. The "eyes" of the dancing flames went from side to side. Slowly, however, they started to turn towards the thief. Sunset looked shocked as Celestia slowly turned her own flames against her. 

"You are still no match for an alicorn," Celestia muttered.

The "heads" of the flames faced the previous owner. Sunset could now feel the heat of the fires against her fur. She scrambled backwards to avoid the flames, but they quickly followed her until she had her back against the wall with each dancing flame staring at her.

"Surrender," Celestia said simply. 

"Yeah, are you really going to hurt me?" Sunset mocked. "Nah, you won't! I know. You didn't go after those griffins who tore up your own stallions! Yeah, I know about that. You've probably even forgotten the names of the guards who gave their live for your fat flank! Ponies shouldn't adore you! They should hate you! By Tartarus, I'll be a better ruler than you."

"How dare you! I greatly appreciate the stallions who fight for me. They don't only fight for me, but for Equestria as well. I know about Wing Beat. He was honorable, but I can only guess he filled your head with lies so that you will despise me."

"He didn't lie! After he was tortured, you never visited him! You never rewarded his sacrifices! So yeah, I wonder why he has a grudge," she ended sarcastically.

The doors of the study flew open. A stream of Royal Guards and Princess Cadance flooded the burning study. The unicorns instantly went to work to clear out the flames and save anything they could. The rest went straight to Celestia, who still held the thief down with the flying flames.

"I'll take her to the dungeons myself," Celestia told the guards. 

"Wha...What happened?" Cadance gasped.

"I'll tell you later, right now, just...just help the guards," the princess muttered.

I wish I never had to do this. Celestia took the shackles and the anti-magic device from the guards and promptly put them on the thief. Without even giving Sunset the dignity to walk, Celestia lifted her up in her magic and carried her out of the study and to the dungeons below. Cadance and the guards stayed in the room to clean up what they could. 

Outside the study's window was the phoenix perched on a branch. Her eyes a bit droopy in despair. Embers flickered off her wings as she sat there, looking at the devastation in the room. She did not feel well and she wanted to see her friend. With a low cry, she took off and flew away into the darkening sky.