Prologue

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"Come on, come on! I don't wanna waste anymore time on this stupid stage. It's simple! Two chairs, two end tables! Easy! Why does the department hire you ponies anyway?!"

A mare comes trotting out of her make-up room and looks at a poorly set up interview, shaking her head at a few of the standing by stallions setting it up. She rolls her eyes and groans in annoyance, trotting away from the set and through a stage curtain. Somepony off stage was opening the curtain slowly, to show a grand auditorium, half packed with ponies trotting around and conversing with each other as they worked. She trots past a few camera crews setting up close to stage, and find herself face to face with a stallion sitting in a director's chair. The stallion gets up and trots towards her.

"Midnight, what in the hay is taking so long on that set? You call yourself a director and pull off this?" she comments abruptly, her hoof flipping her sky blue mane out of her face so she could stare down the stallion with her bright orange eyes.

The stallion groaned in stress and set his clipboard down on his chair, putting a hoof over his black face and covering his eyes. He rubs them a bit before letting it fall back on the ground, looking at her with his deep black eyes - bloodshot from all of the hours he has been putting in.

"Listen Starlight, I understand you are wanting to make sure that the set is the only thing in order, but you aren't the one who has to deal with all of these ponies." he commented, looking back at his clipboard and looking at the sorted papers on it, flipping through a few pages. "I still have to make sure the cameras are in place, the orchestra is warmed up and out here on time, and worry about ponies like you coming up to me and giving me poor comments about how I do my job. He hired you to do one thing, and that is to shut up and look pretty." he continued, letting the papers he was holding up fall back down onto the clipboard. He looked at her and smiled in a cocky way, letting her know that he was the boss.

Starlight frowned and shot him a dirty look before turning her back to him and mumbling ignorant comments under her breath. She flipped her mane so it smacked him across the muzzle and trotted back to her make up tent, letting her long flowing tail hit him on the muzzle as well.

Midnight recoiled as the mare dispersed from his site and he shook his head, telling himself that he will deal with her later. He looked back at his clipboard, sitting down at his chair, relaxing a bit. He looked around the auditorium and saw that it was decorated in festive colors. Several feet of sparkling red, gold, and silver fabric lined the walls of the theater, stretching from the upper balcony to the ends of the stage. Each aisle was lit up on the sides, making them more visible for the ponies who will soon enter see where the line of seating began. The grand polished brass chandelier was shining, diamonds dangling from it sparkling brightly, giving the whole theater a sense of luxury. The giant lights on the arched ceiling were dimmed a bit to give a preview of what it would look like when their event started. Gold scrollwork lined the many concentric arches that made up the ceiling. The entire auditorium was painted a soft plaster white that enhanced the glow of the lights without causing glare. It harkened back to the style of early 20th century theaters. He looked back at the stage and made sure there were two chairs on the stage, both were opposite of each other and angled out towards the audience. Two oaken end tables settled next to them, a glass sitting on both of them for the two commentators. Next to them were clip on mics, the wireless connectors to them were under the end tables, avoiding any harm that was to come to them. Midnight nodded and smiled at how much progress was getting done.

A walkie-talkie then spoke next to him. "Midnight, we arranged the seats as followed on your sheet."

He picked up his talkie and pressed down on the speaker button. "Mind reading them off?" he asked, wanting to double check.

"We got the stallion’s relatives sitting in the front center row. Sitting to the right them are the elements of harmony, and sitting to the left of the family member are, as in order, Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and her husband Shining Armor. Standing by their row of seats will be a royal guard."

"Ten-Four. Glad to hear that. Good work." he said putting the talkie down. Before he could set it on the ground, another voice came in over it.

"Uhh... Sir... Where is priority one?"

Midnight's eyes shot open and he froze for a bit. He slowly brought up the talkie and pressed down on the button. "What do you mean, 'Where is he?' " he asked in a tone sounding like he was about to explode.

Starlight came back out of her make-up room and looked all dolled up. He hair was straightened out with sparkles in it, and her eyelashes showed their complexion. She smiled and trotted off back stage and down into the tunnels under the stage, skipping down a few steps and humming to herself. She soon approached a wooden door with a big gold star in the center of it. She knocked with her hoof and waited a moment.

"Hey big boy. You ready for your big moment?" she says, awaiting an answer.

Nopony responds. She knocks again. "Come on now, don't be giving me the cold shoulder now. Tonight is your night." Still no words. She soon becomes a bit frustrated and opens the door. "Ok! You know what!? I think you need to-" she blurts out before falling silent. She around the empty makeup room and sees no pony.

She gasps a bit in worry as the star of the show was nowhere in the room. She turned around and galloped out of the room, going to warn her director of his disappearance.

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"Don't worry sir. I'll find him as soon as I can." a young teenage unicorn responded on his walkie, his aura holding it beside him. He was down deeper in the basement, a barely lit set of concrete tunnels that seemed to stretch underneath the theater. These tunnels had names of great actors and actresses that ever lived in Equestria. Some ranged from during the beginning days of Equestria, when it was nothing but a small state, while most ranged to the present day. The unicorn observed the many names on the walls, reminiscing of many of the known legends of his day.

"Damn it! You are one of the most responsible colts I know, Blizzard. I made you stage manager for a reason. Don't make me look like a fool! Get it done! This event is about to take place, and he needs to be out here in a few minutes when he is called!" Midnight came through, sounding very calm, yet enraged tone. He beeped out, and Blizzard moved his talkie on his retractable belt that was around his waist and secured it. He then continued to proceed through the halls, still looking at the many engraved names that changed the world of the arts. Nearly all of the names were at equal size, showing no pony was more important than the other. He lit his horn a bit to get a better view in front of him, eventually starting to see a pony start to come into view at the end of the tunnel. He galloped towards the pony and indeed was the one he was looking for.

"Mr. B. I'm sorry to disturb you, but we are about to start the ceremony." he said in a relieved tone, getting the task he was assigned accomplished. He stopped a few feet behind the stallion and awaited him to be escorted out of the tunnel. The white pegasus didn't move at all. He was stuck staring at the lone wall in front of him, not even giving the unicorn any acknowledgement of his presence. "S-Sir?" he asked, worried about his condition.

"Your are going to have to give him a moment, son." came a slightly deep voice from behind the unicorn.

It was another pegasus, but this one was a slightly taller one whose coat was brown, having a black mane and tail, iron-edged wings, glasses, and a white collared shirt. He stood next to the unicorn, looking over at the pegasus across from them. "The star of the show needs to think about his entire life before he goes out on that stage." he remarked, a bit of disappointment towards the stallion standing alone at the wall.

The white pegasus was zoned out, not hearing the two ponies behind him converse but he was well aware of their presence. He opened his eyes and looked at his hoof on the wall in front of him, covering a single name. He slid his hoof down it, revealing a more detailed name in big bold text, it being much bigger than any of the other names on the walls surrounding it. The name read a name that made his stomach turn in guilt and, at the same time, pride.

Blitz

He stared at the name and he bit his bottom lip and leaned his head against the wall, wanting to hide his emotions from the two ponies behind him. He closed his eyes tightly for a moment and thought back. Way back to the earliest time in his life that he could remember. He exhaled calmly as he felt it all coming back to him. Back to where his story began.

Seperation

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It was quiet now. Only the sound of a light breeze was heard as the stallion woke up, seeing the world from its side. He lifted his head and rubbed his eyes with his forehoof, gazing around the room a bit. He seen It was a bedroom, and a familiar one at that. He saw that the walls were nothing but wooden planks, looking to be in very poor condition. On the walls were three posters of The Wonderbolts, one for each of the individual leaders of the team. There was a single window, also looking to be in old age, giving what little moonlight was allowed in the small room. He looked down at the black blanket that covered him. Although it was the only nice looking belonging in his room, it lacked a slight bit in the job it was suppose to do. He turned towards his wrinkled pillow and patted it a bit with his hoof, fluffing it up so it would be a bit more comfortable for his head. He shifted and slid to get more comfortable and laid back. His eyes slowly drew themselves shut as he fell back to sleep. Upon the brink of entering a dream, he heard a long, loud beep from outside his room, which shocked him back to waking.

"You Have... Three Missed Letters," came a robotic-sounding mare's voice. The colt groaned and he slid out of his bed, hitting the floor with his hind legs. He still felt drowsy as he took his blanket (which, in part, was wrapped around his leg), making his way to a short hallway, and stretching his tiny wings in the process.

"First Letter Message," the mare's voice continued. "Yeah, hey Lone Ace. It's Atom." A different voice came in, one deeper, even comparable to a stallion. "Listen, me and Ferris are thinking about getting together for another game down at the Saddle. Come on man, its gonna be fun. Write back." The voice was cut off with the same beep from earlier.

The colt made his way into the living room, finally realizing that his blanket was wrapped around his hind leg. He groaned slightly and shook it off to grab it and put it over his back. He observed the living room for a bit as he cloaked himself. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned for some time. A few stains coated a sky blue love seat, it also losing its its vibrant color from being uncared for. Across from it was a wooden nightstand. It looked to have been beaten up for quite some time, needing to be replaced. On top of it was a small TV. It was an old classical TV, still having antennas on the top of it, twisted and bent making the TV only receive static. A glass coffee table sat in the middle of the couch and entertainment center. It was sitting on a dull looking circular rug, matching the rest of the rooms appeal. The glass on the top of the table was cracked badly, looking like it would give in to the many unusual knick knacks putting pressure on top of it any time soon. He made sure his blanket was secure before proceeding to the kitchen, leaving the view of the living room with a sigh.

"Second Letter Message."

"Hello, Mr. Lone Ace." another mare's voice came, this one more softer than the other mare's. "This is Mrs. Sales from the Department for Values and Mortgage. We still have not received your payment of three hundred fifty thousand bits that you owe on your second mortgage that you have taken out this past year. If this payment is not received by the end of this month, your house will be foreclosed and will be put back on the market. Thank you and have a good day."

The colt was finally in the kitchen and trotted to the other side of the countertop. There he found an older looking pegasus, almost looking exactly like the young colt but with a different coat. While the little one had a pure white coat, the older stallion had a dark brown coat. On his chin, a few patches of hair were overgrown, making it look scruffy and middle aged. His black mane was short but still had a messy style to it. He was an average build, sitting on his hind legs in a chair. His black eyes were looking over at a small letter telling machine, repeating letters it has received over the past week. He pressed a button on the machine and stared at it, the machine responding in its long beep.

"Last Letter Message."

"Ace! You snake!" came a stallions voice, sounding furious. "I know you hustled your chips the other night at the casino for your own good! This is the final straw you worthless piece of trash! You are going to get reported to the authorities about this! This time, you can't buy your way out with them! I have tape and proof of you! I'm going to make you suffer you son of-"
The voice was cut off with a long beep. The stallion's hoof was on the button.

"End Of Letter Messages."

The stallion sighed and took his hoof off of the button, dragging it along the counter and grabbing a glass filled with bourbon. He brought it up and took a sip, putting it down and staring at his glass.

"Daddy?" came the small colt, sitting on the floor next to him. The stallion jumped a bit and looked down at him, clearing his throat.

"H-Hey there Blitz." his voice answered, it sounding raspy and worn out. He forced a smile on his face. "What are you doing up? I thought you were tired."

Blitz shook his head softly. "I-I couldn't sleep." he answered quietly, standing on his hind legs and putting his forehooves out in front of him, wanting to be picked up. His father responds by turning towards and lifting him up, setting him on the countertop top. Blitz smiles and gives his dad a peck on his forehead. He smiles and strokes Blitz's coat.

"Having the nightmares again?" Ace asked, frowning a bit.

The colt nods.

"Don't worry son. It happened to me too when I was five. It will pass."

Blitz nodded with a smile and he looked over at the letter telling machine. "What was that about?" he asked looking back at his dad.

He rolls his eyes and chuckles a bit. He shakes his head slowly, looking at it with a humorous smile. "It nothing really. Don't worry about it. You let me deal with that, OK?" he answers, taking another sip out of his glass.

Blitz nodded and watch his father drink. It wasn't the first time he seen his dad at the same counter, in the same chair, drinking out of the same glass. He grew on it ever since he was born. He didn't mind when his dad drank his juice. He always would walk funny and crack silly jokes every time he would. Blitz found it humorous. He wasn't harmful to him at all. He was a funny dad to have.

Ace sets his glass down and snaps his gums a bit. "I think I need to get better juice, kid." he said looking at him with a smile. "This old drink is a few weeks old. Its tasting like water."

Blitz chuckles softly. "May I have a drink daddy?" he asks, moving his hoof towards the glass. It was immediately vaulted by his fathers hoof. He pinned it to the counter softly, the colt's own hoof stuck underneath the much bigger one. He father shook his head.

"Ah-Ah-Ahhh. Not now. Maybe when your older. This juice isn't like the juice you drink." he commented, sliding his hoof back towards Blitz.

Blitz nodded, not wanting to question his dad. He didn't understand why he couldn't. The drink seemed to turn others into pretty enjoyable ponies. It made them funnier, likeable, and more likely to talk about anything. There really seemed to be no problem with it.

"Daddy?" he asks, wanting to get his attention again. He takes a quick sip and looks at the colt. "Why are you scared?" he asked.

His father recoiled slightly as he found it weird that a five year old colt could tell how a grown pegasus was feeling on the inside. He sighs and looks at his hoof on his glass.
"Let me tell you a story, son. I always get told it whenever I take my trip into downtown Las Pegasus."

Blitz smiled and scooted closer to the edge, getting comfortable before he started his story. Lone Ace looked at him to make sure he was ready. Blitz nods, signaling he was listening.

"I didn't wanna tell you this until you were older, but I now might not get that chance until you are already out on your own." he says snapping his gums again.

"Tell me what?" the colt asked.

"There is a big house on the edge of Las Pegasus that many call, 'The Burning Sun'. It's been classified as being a ruin for many ponies of all races. The reason why it has its name, is because ponies looked for fame, fortune, and a place in history. Those that found their fortune... their fame... They became hungry."

"Did they have hay sandwiches?" the colt asked.

His father chuckled. "No. They weren't technically hungry for food, son." he said as he ruffled his the little one's brown mane. He sighed in a bit of bliss as he stared at the young colt. "You have your mothers comedy. She really was quite the joker. Best tailor in all of Las Pegasus at the time. She even sewed your blanket here." he said wrapping the colt in the blanket more, picking him up and wrapping it more around his child's body.

"Mommy made my blanket?" he asked, never knowing that fact. He adjusted slightly so the blanket world wrap around him more quickly. He nodded and smiled softly.

"Its too bad your father is a gambling stallion. The only place fit enough for me is Las Pegasus." he said with another chuckle. Blitz chuckled as well, loving the sound of his father laugh. He eventually had Blitz's body, neck to hind hooves, wrapped in the black blanket. He rocked him back and forth ever so slightly with one foreleg.

"I miss her." Blitz says in a weak tone, reminiscing a bit about her. Blitz leaned his head up to look across the kitchen. He seen a family photo of the three lovely ponies. Blitz was sitting in the middle of a park bench with his father to the right of him, and his mother opposite. Her beautiful smile made her eyes sparkle their brown color and made her white coat glow. Her mane flowed down her neck and flowed with the wind. Blitz was lucky enough to inherit all of his mothers features, other than his gender and body.

"Yeah..." Lone Ace added, looking at the picture as well. "At least she is in her long sleep now, and not living like this. Wouldn't satisfy her a bit." he added looking back at his drink, it being almost depleted of his bourbon. Blitz looked back at his dad.

"Aren't you happy daddy?"

"Happy?" he responds, huffing a bit as he grabbed his drink and inched it towards his muzzle. "I'm only happy when I'm with you. That will always make me happy. I'm just never satisfied." he answers, drinking the rest of his alcohol.

Blitz smiled at the fact that he makes his dad happy, but he then frowned slightly at his response after his statement about him. "Why?" he asks snuggling the blanket.

Ace puts his drink down and looks at the colt cuddled in his blanket. "After your mother passed in her sleep, I would never be how I was back then son. Now the only thing a gambler needs to be satisfied, is this." he said as he taps his to of on the bottle of bourbon sitting next to his glass. "As long as I get drunk and have you around, I'm the happiest stallion alive." he said nuzzling the colts muzzle. Blitz closes his eyes and smiles, nuzzling him back.

Lone Ace soon stops his nuzzling and opens his eyes to stare at his son, who continued to nuzzle his father back. He closes his eyes and bites his bottom lip hiding emotion. Blitz stopped and seen his father's face. "W-What's wrong?" he asked.

Lone Ace just leaned back up and wiped his eyes. "That house I was talking about, Blitz. It's also a place where the ponies go when their fame gets blown out of proportion. Many want more fame and fortune, while others live their lives controlling it, but sacrificing their friends and families for their own well-being. Those few live in happiness for a short while. Until, that is, they become the past and get shipped to the house." he stated, looking back at their family photo. "Celestia knows... I'm one of those few..." he then stated.

Blitz leaned up out of his blanket and looked at his father in confusion. "W-What do you mean daddy?" he asks.

Lone Ace then moves Blitz back on the counter, unwrapping him in the process. He holds back a few tears as he weakly peels the blanket layer by layer.

"Blitz. I-I'm going back to Las Pegasus to stay in that big house." he finally spills.
Blitz stood still in confusion, then slowly slipped into denial. "N-No daddy. You a-aren't a bad pony."

Lone Ace closed his eyes to avoid any eye contact with his son, not wanting to start weeping in front of him. He finally unwraps Blitz from his blanket and he slides the blanket towards the side. "Blitz, please. You have to listen to me. I know you are only five, but it is crucial that you listen to me now." he consoles, putting a hoof underneath his chin and raising it up a bit so Blitz would be paying more attention. "This may sound scary and impossible for you to handle, but you must go. Some stallions are going to come here any minute now and bad things are going to happen. If they find you here, they will put you through something that you never want to experience in your life. Therefore," he says, pausing a bit to let his emotions settle back down. "you need to get out of this house and make your way to Ponyville. You don't stop for no pony, you just follow the dirt road until you come to a cottage just outside of the Everfree Forest. There is no other pony that will do a better job in taking care of you than the mare in that cottage. You take these and whatever else you need and go, but make it quick." he finished turning around and sliding his family photo over with his black blanket, both of the items resting at Blitz's hooves.

"W-Why daddy?" Blitz asked though his shaky voice, his emotions on both the brink of worry and great sadness. His father didn't answer. He quickly got up out of his seat with a flap of his wings and picked his boy up, setting him on the ground gently.

He hoofed over his blanket and photo and trotted towards the front door, putting a ear up to it. Blitz did as his dad had requested, again securing the blanket around his body to make sure it was well secured, soon after grabbing the family photo with his mouth and trotting towards his father. He heard a few hoof steps from outside as he sat in front of his dad. Lone Ace quickly locked the door and turned his back towards it, quickly nudged Blitz into the bedroom hallway, making them come to a dead end.

There was a single window at the end of the hall, halfway opened to let in a chilling breeze. He picked his son up and put him on the window sill and rested his forehooves on the sill, getting one last look at his boy before they departed, never to be seen again. Blitz turned around, still heartbroken that his was going to be leaving his father behind. His eyes filled with tears

"D-Daddy. Y-you can come w-with me. You d-d-don't have to d-do this." he wept, staring at the stallion who raised him ever since he was born. His father shook his head slowly.

"No son. I can't. I've been running for too long. I can't let you live like this, running all the time and never being able to do what you want to do. You'll never get anywhere with me Blitz. You are better off without me than having me hold you back. Just remember this Blitz..." his stated, tears of his own sliding down his face. The door made a huge bang.

Blitz jumped a bit, weeping softly and scared out of the little colts mind. He father put a hoof on his back and held back his sorrow.

"When you grow up, never get yourself in any bad crowds. Don't put yourself in situations that get you in trouble and have you on the run like me. If you do, you'll be spending your life in nothing but sin and misery." he was able to say before the door made another loud bang, this time a few chips of the door was heard hitting the ground as it certainly wasn't going to hold them back any longer. Blitz looked deeply in his fathers eyes, never wanting to forget their beautiful detail.

"Finally, never go to 'The Burning Sun', Blitz. You avoid that place no matter what you do. You avoid that place! Do you hear me?!" he asked, looking back at him. Blitz nodded softly and closed his eyes, leaning in onto his fathers chin. He wrapped his hoof around his neck and nuzzled it softly, his tears getting smeared in his brown coat. Lone Ace comforts him, giving him a quick kiss on his head as the door finally gave in and flew off the hinges.

"Make me proud, son." he regretfully ended, pushing Blitz through the window and letting him land outside the small shack.

Blitz grabbed his family photo with his mouth and quickly started to gallop away, listening to his father's orders. He looked back and seen two different stallion take his father down with force. The sight hurt the colt so deeply, he lost his breath in a matter of seconds, panting and weeping as he now trotted down the dirt road. He didn't wanna look back. All he did was close his eyes and pressed on.
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The night sky was peaceful. Crickets sing their musical tone. The dirt road in the middle of nowhere was quiet at this time of the night. No pony was out trotting around and that was the way Blitz wanted it to be. He soon overlooked the small town of Ponyville, still amazed by how far he traveled in the same night. His face was full grimy from all the tears and dirt that littered his face and hooves. He still pressed on nonetheless. As he finally made it to the streets of the town, he thought about what his father said. He never understood why his father had to go to prison. To him, his father was just a stallion who loved to play cards for bits. Nothing could never go wrong with that. As he thought about it more and more, he began to weep in his own confusion again. The feeling of being alone for the first time really scared the colt. All he wanted to do was go to this place his father spoke of. 'Hopefully,' he thought, 'the mare has some answers for me.'

He soon arrived to the cottage. It was exactly where his father said it would be.

Blitz trotted slowly over the small bridge and up the small hill to arrive at the door. He knocked on the door and awaited for his new caretaker to answer. A few moments later, the door was answered by a pegasus. She looked down at the colt with her turquoise eyes, lighting up as she seen the condition the young one was in. She gasped and put her hoof to her muzzle.

"O-Oh dear! What happened little one?" she asks in a soft tone, but sounding more shocked than anything.

Blitz just approached the mares foreleg and wrapped his forelegs around it, weeping into her leg as he releasing all of his sorrow.

She didn't mind if he got her yellow fur messy. She figured the little one had a long night. She leaned down and surrounded the colt with her long pink mane, trying her best to comfort him.

"Shhh... Its OK. You'll be fine." she says in a soothing tone. She lifts the colt up and she repositions him into a cradle, flapping her wings so that she could include her other foreleg. She turns around and uses her long pink tail to close her door, making her way up to her bedroom quietly. Many of the critters in her house watched as they all gazed in sorrow, all feeling sorry for the young colt. She soon reaches her bedroom and lays him down, unwrapping his black and muddy blanket from around him and taking his picture out of his mouth. She sets it aside on her nearest end table and looked closely at the picture. "O-Oh my... This is about your father, isn't it?" she asked softly, putting a hoof near his tummy.

Blitz nodded softly and still wept quietly. "I-I'm B-Blitz." he finally spoke, introducing himself.

The mare smiled back and stroked his mane softly. "I'm Fluttershy. You'll be fine now, Blitz. I'll take care of you."
She leaned down and did her best to comfort him, eventually making the colt fall to sleep.