Rainbow Dash must learn about bat ponies in order to prove to Equestria they aren't monsters trying to usurp the Princesses.
Rainbow Dash, like many others, thought bat ponies were only a bedtime story to scare foals. After meeting the rather rude and fairly bitter Quick Silver, she wishes they had stayed that way. Tasked by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Rainbow must travel to one of the bat ponies villages in order to learn more about their culture and save them from prosecution from the Canterlot nobility. A simple mission made harder by their loyalty to Princess Luna, and their lack of guilt for their aid to Nightmare Moon so many centuries ago.
This was actually an idea I had ages ago during EQD's bat pony write off last year but never got around to writing due to overwhelming laziness. Bat ponies aren't out of style right?
Rainbow Dash groaned in annoyance for the third time in five minutes. It was the eighth time in ten minutes, and louder than any of the previous groans by far. Truth be told, it had evolved beyond being a groan, and was now a scream of frustration. Not a very loud scream mind you, but Rainbow figured pretty soon it’d be enough to wake up even her companion sitting in the seat across from her. She glared at the guard pony, completely missing the annoyed look somepony gave her as they passed the compartment she was currently losing her mind in.
It wasn't so much that the pony that was supposed to be escorting her was sleeping, Rainbow was very much accustomed to sleeping on the job. Nor was it really even the fact that Rainbow had been rather brusquely awoken from a nap herself. Although she and this pony were going to have a nice chat about flying etiquette, and that hazy field concerning whether it was okay to kick a cloud out from beneath somepony. Even if they were an escort from Princess Celestia for some important meeting in Canterlot.
No, what really ticked Rainbow off was the fact that instead of flying, the fastest and most readily accessible form of transportation, they were taking this stupid train. But not before of course, they had to wait at the train station for an hour for the next train to Canterlot. Which the guard pony slept through. Or before Pinkie Pie threw a Good-Luck-On-Your-Weirdly-Sudden-Meeting-With-The-Princesses party. Which the guard pony slept through. Or before Pinkie’s party made them miss the first train, and they had to wait another forty five minutes for the next one. In which the guard pony got up to use the restroom, before sleeping through. Rainbow’s eye twitched violently at the memory.
Rainbow assumed the reason her escort slept so much was because she was used to sleeping during the day. It made sense for a bat pony, after all.
Of course, she knew next to nothing about bat ponies. Hardly anypony did. The first time she had ever even seen one had been Nightmare Night a few months back. Heck, she’d thought they were only a rumor, or a scary story to tell foals to make sure they stayed in bed. She’d debated on telling one during the camping trip Applejack, Rarity, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and herself had gone on. No, Rainbow had thought they were only a story until she watched two pull Princess Luna’s cart into Ponyville. If she was being honest with herself, she’d actually thought those two were just pegasi in costume anyway.
Rainbow glanced at the clock again. Stewing in her frustration could only kill so much time. Standing up, she gave all her limbs a stretch, giving yet another completely unnoticed glare at the guard.
Enough is enough, she thought to herself, before nudging her escort’s foreleg in what some may describe as a “punch”.
“Hey! Rise and shine, leatherwings!”
The pony jolted awake, brandishing her spear and flaring her wings. “Where are they?! Are we under attack?!”
Rainbow flopped to the ground, partly to avoid the spear, mostly because she was laughing so hard. The bat pony’s eyes continued darting around frantically, until she finally put two and two together. “Oh ha ha, you’re a real riot. It would’ve been great if I ran you through with this, huh?” The pony waved her spear a little, narrowing her eyes at Rainbow who was still snickering every time she glanced up.
“Scaring somepony really isn’t that-” the bat pony’s voice hitched as she caught her reflection in the window. Her helmet was skewed so badly off her head it was a wonder it was still on, her barding was sagging off her body due to her shifting in her sleep, and she became very aware of a large amount of saliva on the right side of her face.
Standing as straight as she could, and with all the dignity she could muster, she began to make herself look presentable. Rainbow was still smirking at the reaction when she let out an exclamation of surprise. The moment the guard had removed her helmet, her ash grey coat had turned a navy blue, and her dual colored mane and tail became a silvery white.
“Whoa, why’d your coat and mane change colors?”
The bat pony paused in rearranging her helmet, to narrow her eyes yet again at Rainbow.
“Helmets of the Royal Guard are enchanted to change the appearance of the wearers coat. Uniformity to intimidate,” she answered curtly, before jamming her helmet back on. “You didn't think they only hired ponies that looked exactly alike to be in the Guard, did you?”
This time it was Rainbow’s turn to stand as straight as she could, and scrap together what dignity she still had.
“Well duh, I mean that’s something they teach you in like…” Rainbow paused, not quite remembering what grade that was. “In uh, school.”
The bat pony just gave her a look, and Rainbow to her credit, met her eye. Or to her discredit as the case may be. Regardless, the guard sat down while shaking her head softly, and glanced at the clock.
“We’ll be there in another 15 minutes. No use trying to go back to sleep now,” she grunted, mostly to herself.
In an effort to show off her inner egghead, Rainbow asked, “You’ve been sleeping so much because you’re nocturnal, right?” She grinned to herself. She paid attention in school sometimes, and bats slept in the day. Twilight would be proud of her.
The bat pony wasn’t impressed however, and rolled her eyes.
“You know I’m not literally part bat right?” Before Rainbow could put up a hasty defense, she continued, “You are right, but that doesn’t make you any less of an idiot. And for the record, I’ve trained myself to be diurnal anyway. I just didn’t want to have to deal with daywalkers the entire trip. That pink earth pony… ugh.”
Rainbow flared up, her face growing hot. “Watch who you call an idiot, leatherwings. I might have a little talk with Celestia about this.” She knew it was incredibly immature, to the point of it being basically tattling, but right now she just wanted to see the dumb guard squirm and beg for forgiveness. So it was much to her chagrin when all she got in reply was a shrug.
“What?! But you’re one of the Royal Guard! Celestia is your boss! Your princess!” Rainbow spluttered.
“Celestia is neither my boss, nor my princess. She just happens to be one of the princesses in a diarchy. You’ll do well to remember that.” The bat pony spoke with a certain hardness in her voice. There wasn’t malice in her words, she was merely stating a fact. A fact that was apparently very important to her. Rainbow merely harrumphed in reply and settled down in her seat, staring out the window for the remainder of the journey.
Rainbow stepped off the train, her hooves barely touching the ground before she was several feet in the air, hovering with slow but powerful flaps in an attempt to loosen up. Forcing herself to sit still for so long was a mental exercise the likes of which she hadn’t partaken in since… probably the last time she and Twilight had hung out. She rolled her neck, energy starting to rapidly flow through her as she waited impatiently for her guard to slowly meander her way onto the platform.
Rainbow blinked. It suddenly struck her that she didn’t actually know what the guard’s name was. Pinkie had forced her to spill it out before the guard had snuck away to nap, but Rainbow had been momentarily distracted by the seething rage that overcame her when she realized they missed the train. She flew a bit closer to ground, though never quite touching because of her new vendetta for all thing not of the sky, about to ask when a voice cut her off.
“Quick Silver, there you are!” An earth pony of the Royal Guard trotted over to them, relief plain on his face. “You were supposed to be here ages ago!”
Rainbow’s guard rolled her eyes. “There was a bit of a holdup. Apparently this one,” Quick Silver jerked her head towards Rainbow, “Needed the blessing of all her friends before she could leave. I guess Princess Celestia’s invitations mean nothing when you’re in her favor.”
Rainbow tensed in rage, all of her muscles clenching as she dropped to the ground, shoving her muzzle in the nonchalant bat pony’s face. “Hey! I would have been here in minutes if it wasn’t for you insisting we take the train! It’s not my fault you wouldn’t have been able to keep up with someone as awesome as me!”
Quick Silver barked out a short laugh, before glaring at Rainbow stony faced. “You wish you were half as fast as I was.”
“Is that a challenge, leatherwings?!” Rainbow exclaimed. They were beginning to attract looks from various ponies nearby, and the earth pony cleared his throat loudly, stepping pointedly between the two of them.
“All right ladies, simmer down. Miss Dash, please excuse Quick Silver’s behavior, she isn’t usually up at this hour, despite claiming to be fully diurnal. If you please follow us, we’ll take you to the castle without further delay.” He nodded to Rainbow, who merely snorted and looked away, refusing to move until the two guard ponies were several feet in front of her. She ruffled her feathers several times, in an attempt to release some of the adrenaline that was coursing through her. Her mind was racing, coincidentally with thoughts of racing. Specifically Quick Silver, and relishing the look on her face after having completely trounced her. As a result, she nearly missed the exchange the two were having ahead of her.
“-know how much trouble you could have gotten in? How much you still might? For Celestia’s sake Silver, she’s the element of Loyalty! Equestria owes her several times over!”
“I don’t care Gallant Heart. I don’t owe her anything. I did my research on her, she’s just an insufferable braggart. Why Twilight Sparkle can’t come instead-”
“Princess Twilight, Silver. And how should I know? It’s what the Princesses’ want.”
“Hmph. I’m sure it’s what one of them wants…”
Gallant Heart merely sighed and shook his head. The rest of the journey was uneventful, and it left Rainbow time to consider what she had heard. She was no egghead, but it definitely seemed like Quick Silver had a problem with Princess Celestia. Well of course she does, she told you that! Rainbow glared at the back of her currently most disliked bat pony. She would have loved nothing more than to confront her again, possibly smack some allegiance to the crown into her, but the only thing stopping her was the thought of being later than they already were. And if there was one thing Rainbow hated, it was being late. She would have raised another fuss about why she couldn’t just fly to the castle, but Gallant Heart seemed all right, and he was at least keeping Quick Silver away from her. That being said, for Equestria’s sake, it was only a few blocks away. Or it was, Rainbow mused, looking up at the tall gate that marked the entry way into the castle grounds. Being properly lost in one’s thoughts had its advantages. She only wished that could have happened on the train.
Gallant Heart nodded to the guards stationed at the gate, and one of them signaled for it raise. They passed through, and made their way up the walk and through the large double doors leading into the castle proper. Rainbow glanced around as they continued on, looking for more bat ponies. She’d been to the castle a few times and never remembered seeing one. This visit was no exception, though she did see a statue off in the distance depicting a stern looking bat pony with her helmet tucked under her wing she had never noticed before.
Before she could study it further they were already inside, and it was only few minutes more before they were standing before the doorway to the Royal Court.
“This is where we part ways, Miss Dash. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are already expecting you.” The look on his face suggested that they had been doing so for some time now, and was very glad he wouldn’t be joining them.
He inclined his head towards her, and walked off, pausing for a moment beside Quick Silver. “Behave yourself, Silver.”
She didn’t so much as look at him, merely flicking her tail in reply as he sighed softly and left. Rainbow rolled her eyes at the display, taking a few steps forward to open the doors. She stopped just before placing her hoof on the wood, heart suddenly pumping.
It occurred to her just how odd this all was. Celestia was summoning herself for some urgent matter. Rainbow hated to admit it, but wouldn’t Twilight be better for anything Celestia herself needed help with? Not to mention how they apparently couldn’t fly anywhere. Rainbow peeked at Quick Silver’s wings out of the corner of her eye. They blended in well with her barding, looking almost like an ornate extension of it. Leathery and perfectly intact. So what gives? Something just seemed off to Rainbow.
Quick Silver evidently was through with Rainbow’s contemplating and staring. “See anything you like?” She glared at Rainbow and walked right up to the doors herself, throwing them open and walking into the court, head held high.
Rainbow grit her teeth, and immediately followed after her. Now wasn’t the time for misgivings. Now it was time for Rainbow Danger Dash to prove herself worthy of whatever help the princesses needed. She smirked to herself as she caught up and matched pace with Quick Silver.
Rainbow Dash and Quick Silver walked side by side, coming to a stop in the center of the room. Contrary to it's usual state, the large room was devoid of ponies, save for the two princesses watching them enter. It was almost ominous, with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna seated above the main floor on their thrones from atop a large set of stairs. The surrounding balconies that would usually be full of nobility instead gave loud echoes to their hoofsteps, and really any noise that was above a whisper. Rainbow dearly hoped Luna didn't break out the Royal Canterlot Voice. Quick Silver saluted the duo, but Rainbow noticed she was looking at Luna. She herself dropped into a bow.
"Rainbow Dash, Quick Silver. My sister and I were beginning to wonder if something had happened on your trip here. Please, stand up." Celestia smiled as she spoke, and there was a hint of relief in her voice.
"Sorry Princess," Rainbow apologized, rising to her hooves as she spoke. "Quick Silver here was against flying for some reason, otherwise I could have gotten here in ten-"
"That's because we instructed her not to escort you through the air." Luna 's voice was hard, and she was looking at Quick Silver disapprovingly. "Still, we did not think it would take this long to gather someone from Ponyville." Quick Silver said nothing as she still stood in salute, though Rainbow noticed her jaw clench considerably. There was an awkward silence, before Luna finally sighed and spoke again.
"At ease, Mercury." Quick Silver's hoof dropped to the ground, and Rainbow blinked in confusion.
"Wait, your name is Mercury? I thought you said it was-"
Rainbow prided herself on being brave. She once kicked a dragon in the face. She's gotten into fist fights with changelings, and performed Sonic Rainbooms. For pony's sake, she had an adventure with Daring Do. When it counts, Rainbow Dash knows how to deliver.
But the look Quick Silver gave her the moment she uttered the name 'Mercury' scared her. It was a look she had seen on Sombra, and on Tirek. It was pure, unadulterated hatred. Rainbow froze, eyes wide. Desperately, she looked to the princesses for help.
Luna was angry, that much was obvious. Her jaw was set and her eyes were narrowed. Her ethereal mane swished violently, and she looked like she had something to say. Rainbow realized with a start that all of that anger was focused on herself. She took a step back, glancing at Celestia, pleading silently she would intervene. Instead, Celestia was merely frowning, and watched the scene unfold with a sad look that was not at home on her usually kind visage. But before Rainbow could fully contemplate high tailing it out of the room, Princess Luna finally said what was evidently going through her head.
"Rainbow, we know you do not know, and mean no disrespect, so you will not have shamed yourself today. But never again speak a Chiruus's true name without their permission. It is one of the highest forms of disgrace one could ever hope to bestow on them."
Rainbow looked between Quick Silver, who was still just as livid, and Luna, who at least had settled into looking incredibly stern. "I- I didn't... Look, I'm really-" Rainbow tried apologizing to the guard, but Celestia interrupted.
"Actually Rainbow, that's a perfect example of why my sister and I wanted you here. Tell me, before you met Quick Silver, have you ever met any bat ponies?" Celestia smiled at Rainbow, and she instantly felt better. It had nothing to do with Quick Silver finally breaking her hateful gaze from Rainbow Dash. Huh, Princess Celestia calls Quick Silver that name too...
"Er, no. Well, actually I saw some that Nightmare Night Princess Luna came to town. But I thought they were just pegusi in costume." She left out the part where she thought bat ponies were just a bedtime story, because Celestia knows that was probably some bat pony offense too. Not to mention it probably meant she would have been cut off for a fourth time. Rainbow did like the sound of her voice.
"Yes, bat ponies are a popular costume for pegusi. Rivaled only by the Wonderbolts, especially since Spitfire took over..." Celestia mused. "But the Chiruus, as they're properly called, do exist. Their race has a long history of serving in the guard."
"Specifically, the Night Guard," Luna said proudly as she looked over the once again impassive Quick Silver. "Which is why most ponies today think of them merely as stories to scare foals. The Night Guard was only reinstated a couple years ago after all."
Rainbow figured their boss being on what was thought to be a permanent retirement on the moon would have a bit of a damper on morale, so it was no wonder the Night Guard had been broken up. But it was back, and clearly had members if Quick Silver was anything to judge by. She still didn't see what she was needed for.
"Uh, that's real interesting and all Princesses, and totally no offense, but I'm not sure what the Night Guard has to do with me."
Celestia smiled, and asked, "Tell me Rainbow. What was the first thing that went through your head when you saw Quick Silver for the first time?"
Rainbow thought back, ignoring Quick Silver's ears perking up slightly. What was the first thing that went through her head? I saw her right after I did that awesome corkscrew to right myself after free falling when she... Rainbow's face darkened, and she responded, "I thought she was an enemy, and I wanted to rush her."
Celestia's smile faded, and Luna's eyes narrowed. Quick Silver gave a small snort of satisfaction, and Rainbow whirled on her, hovering just above the ground. "Hey! You bucked a cloud from underneath me! You're lucky I do stunts all the time and know how to straighten myself out midair!"
A musical chuckle made Rainbow land, and turn back towards the princesses. Celestia had a hoof up to her mouth, and was trying to keep in the rest of her laughter. Luna was sighing and shaking her head.
"Okay, what was the second thought that went through your head? That she was strange or unnatural?" Luna asked, while Celestia was still recuperating.
"Hm... Nope, not really. I learned not to judge anyone by their appearance after Zecora. And I used to hang with a griffon. So weird flying things you don't see every day are kinda natural to me at this point."
Celestia was under control at this point, and grinning proudly at Rainbow. "Then you are far better than many, my little pony. Because Chiruus are feared by most who meet them."
"Something they seem to propagate on their own," Luna continued with a glance at Quick Silver. For her part, Quick Silver at least had the decency to look down at the floor instead of meeting Luna's eyes. "Since my return, Equestria has been plagued by evil and villains, a fact you know all too well. The populace has been rather on edge as of late, and it is admittedly hard to blame them. Between Tirek and changelings and everything else, Equestria is not in the mood for any more old foes from the past."
Rainbow frowned. "Old foes? But I thought you said they were part of the Night Guard?"
Luna tilted her head slightly. "Do you remember what happened to them from your studies in school? My sister assured me the Guard were still mentioned in textbooks."
"I, uh..." Rainbow gulped. Where was Twilight when you needed her? "I must have been sick that day... heh."
Celestia smirked, and Quick Silver rolled her eyes. Luna merely nodded, and went on unabashed. "Ah, my apologies. Well, history books will tell you the Night Guard were simply the regular guard that happened to work at night. Then, dark magic from an unknown source corrupted them, and they rebelled in a civil war. This is inaccurate."
Rainbow nodded along, still wildly unsure of where this was all going. Her mind started to wander, and she yet again found herself wondering why she was here. The only real hint she had to go on was that ponies were afraid of the Chiruus. Rainbow couldn't exactly blame them. Especially if leatherwings over there is the first one they meet. Sheesh.
"The Night Guard were explicitly Chiruus, and they fought with me in my attempt to preserve the night forever."
"Wait, what?!" Rainbow exclaimed, looking between Quick Silver and Luna rapidly. Now Luna had her attention.
"As you can see Rainbow Dash, this would cause some tension between ponies and the Chiruus. Just before Nightmare Night last year, Princess Luna sought out the Chiruus in order to reinstate the Night Guard. They agreed, and have been training for some time in order to match the current state of the Royal Canterlot Guard. It was only a few months ago when they were deemed ready, and brought here to Canterlot for full time active duty." Celestia's voice had her usual warm tone when she spoke, but it turned somber as it went on.
"After arriving, they were met with some... opposition." Luna snorted, but Celestia went on like she hadn't heard. "Canterlot nobility is notorious for taking time to warm up to new things, especially new changes in government. Adding a long forgotten race to the ranks of the military, especially one under Luna's sole control..." Celestia trailed off.
"To put it bluntly Rainbow Dash, some ponies still expect me to grow another couple of feet and start screeching about the night lasting forever." Luna spoke matter-of-factly, and Rainbow noticed Quick Silver hissing silently under her breath. "Make no mistake, a majority have welcomed me by this point with open hooves, something I am eternally grateful for. But there are plenty who are not. Coupled with creatures straight out of scary bedtime stories, even those who trust me are wary of the Chiruus and their connection to me. It's why you couldn't fly here. The idiot nobles would have thought she was scouting for an attack or Maker knows what else if Mercury was flying around in the middle of the day." She rolled her eyes.
"Not to mention the public still isn't fully aware of their existence. We're waiting for the nobles to accept the Chiruus before we announce their presence. If any Chiruus in the public is questioned about their wings, they merely answer it's a charm on their armor to give the Night Guard an intimidating look. Even still, we try not to call attention to them, and limit their interactions outside of the castle grounds. Especially their flight. Hopefully for not much longer." Celestia gave the pegasus a meaningful look.
Rainbow felt way out of her league. It sounded like the princesses needed help with the government, and that was definitely something she had no experience with. Mayor Mare wasn't exactly the best government official.
"How did the nobles find out about what the bat ponies did?" Rainbow asked.
Princess Celestia raised her head high and answered. "Somepony asked where they came from, and why my sister wanted them exclusively for her new Night Guard. I told them. I don't like to lie to my little ponies if I can help it." She frowned. "Though I'd hoped they were more reasonable."
"Not to mention when questioned about it, the Chiruus don't deny it, nor have any regrets about what happened so long ago." Luna twisted her mouth as she looked directly at Quick Silver when speaking, the bat pony standing up straighter and sticking her chin out slightly. Rainbow saw a mix of pride and sorrow on the Luna's face.
"Why not?" Rainbow asked, looking right at Quick Silver. Quick Silver clenched her teeth and swished her tail, otherwise not responding.
"That's something we'd like you to find out, Rainbow Dash. My sister and I understand, but the nobility..." Celestia stopped for a moment, searching for the right words.
"Is too stupid?" Luna interjected.
"Is too reliable on others telling them how to think and live comfortably," Celestia tactfully said. "As Luna alluded to earlier, her word on the matter wouldn't be trusted, and some think mine would be too clouded by my desire to appease Luna to cement her of equal status to my own. So we thought, what better way to prove their loyalty to Equestria..."
"Than by the word of the Element of Loyalty herself?" Luna smirked devilishly at Rainbow.
Rainbow's mind went blank. The princesses literally just told her what they wanted her to do, yet Rainbow still had idea what that actually was.
"Wait, so you want me to... find out something you already know?" Rainbow was starting to think very hard in an attempt to understand, and nothing usually came of that except a migraine and a bad mood.
"I realize this is all very confusing and sudden Rainbow Dash, and you have my apologies. But we can't explain their reasoning to you. Some of the more... eccentric nobles found an incredibly old law from shortly after Princess Luna's banishment that deems 'any additional race to the military that are non pure equine in nature must first be accepted admittance as a whole race by a tribunal of pure equines to ensure the safety of the population of Equestria.' The ponies of old hated the Chiruus after the war, and in my grief I signed any bill that was pushed my way."
That sounded fairly complicated, but Rainbow was pretty sure she got the gist of it. But why did some old law matter? Surely the princesses could overrule it?
"But... can't you just tell them to get over it? I thought you could do anything you wanted!" Rainbow voiced her thoughts, looking questioningly at the princess of the day.
"I could Rainbow, but what message does that give our ponies?" Celestia asked. "I'm not-"
"We aren't tyrants," Luna said with a nod to her sister. "I want the Chiruus to be welcomed back, just as my sister welcomed me back. Forcing the nobility to stop discriminating them will not achieve that goal. I refuse to have a schism between the two races. We'd like you to defend the Chiruus race in the tribunal for their grand return to Equestria proper. If you, the Element of Loyalty, can learn about the Chiruus, why they do what they do and are what they are, you can make a case for their return to the Guard. Explain it to the nobility in a way they can understand. In a way you'd understood it yourself."
Rainbow admired the determination in Luna's voice. She doubted the Royal Canterlot Voice would have had more effect. Beside her, Quick Silver was looking at Princess Luna the same way Twilight looks at Princess Celestia. In that moment, Rainbow understood why they looked up to their princesses so much. She grinned wide, accepting the challenge in Luna's eyes.
"All right, I'll get those prissy ponies to stop acting like foals! You can count on me!" Rainbow boasted, puffing her chest out.
"Excellent Rainbow Dash! Then you can leave right away!" Luna exclaimed.
"Leave?" Rainbow's smile became forced.
"Of course! How else will you learn about Chiruus culture and make a case for them? The village you'll be staying at is a fair journey! A week should suffice, and if you leave within the hour I'm sure you'll be there by morning. Plus, I'm sure Mercury is anxious to see her home again."
"Quick Silver is coming?" Her chest deflated.
"Red Tape will need to be informed, Luna."
"Ah, yes! The noble's last hope against the Chiruus oppressors! Come Mercury, let's tell him ourselves. I'm in such a great mood, I may even help him pack!" Princess Luna practically skipped out of the hall, Quick Silver grinning at her princess's antics as she chased after her.
"Red... Tape?" Rainbow asked, falling onto her haunches.
"Yes, he's the pony who will be making a case against the Chiruus. He'll be joining you as you stay in Quick Silver's village, gathering information on why they shouldn't be allowed to join the Royal Canterlot Guard."
She let that sink in. She'd have to spend a week with Quick Silver. She'd have to spend a week with some noble, who for all intents and purposes was the enemy. She'd have to learn. And she'd have to do it in some Celestia forsaken place. Literally.
Rainbow curled into a ball, covered her head with her wings, and waited until she would wake back up on her cloud in Ponyville.
There's no place like home, there's no place like home...
"So is there anything I should know about this Red Tape guy?" Rainbow asked wearily as she and Celestia made their way through the castle grounds. The princess herself had decided to escort Rainbow to the carriage that would take them to the Chiruus' village. Celestia assured her that it was to prepare her for her stay, and not because of Rainbow's near mental breakdown.
"I don't believe so, Rainbow Dash. He's your typical sort of government nobility. Except..." She trailed off, smirking mischievously. Rainbow narrowed her eyes, and the alicorn's smirk grew a little bigger. "Well, he can be a little stubborn."
"And the rest aren't?" Rainbow deadpanned. The whole reason she was going on this dumb mission was because the nobility was stubborn.
"A fair point, my little pony. But most of them don't have special talents in the art of being stubborn."
"It's an art now?!" Rainbow nearly whined as she spoke, but that was impossible. The pegasus never whined, that was something prissy ponies like Rarity did. No matter how many times they had insisted it was complaining.
Princess Celestia merely winked and hummed in knowing. A minute went by in silence, but for once Rainbow didn't mind. The Princess seemed to radiate an aura of calm around her, and besides, there were plenty of statues of war heroes for the adventurous mare to daydream about.
Wow, check out the wingspan on Commander Easy Glider! "Leader of the most decorated long distance scouting squadron in the nation's history." Nevermind the stuff he did for the Wonderbolts! Lieutenant Thermal Draft, "Revolutionized Aerial to Ground Combat in the Zebrican-Equestrian War." That was like, before even Luna was banished! Captain Mercury, "Led-" Wait what?!
Rainbow came to a screeching halt. Screeching not because they were going particularly fast, but because she had actually screeched the last part of her thoughts out loud. Celestia was at the pegasus's side in an instant, relief already replacing the worry that had been etched on her face moments before.
"Ah, I see you've found-"
"Quick Silver has her own statue?!" Rainbow spat jealously. How come that obnoxious, grumpy, cloud-bucking, sleep-ruining-
"-Course not Rainbow-"
It's so not fair! I've saved Equestria! A lot! What did SHE do? I mean, sure I have that window in the castle. A few actually. And I guess there's that throne in Twilight's castle...
"Rainbow Dash, please-"
Okay yeah, Discord's statue is gone, bad example. But that shouldn't count! They totally last forever if there isn't some king of chaos living in it! Windows don't! And I don't look like a chair, so the throne doesn't- Hey!
Princess Celestia was holding Rainbow fast in her magic, one eyebrow cocked with a light smile on her face. Rainbow realized she had been completely ignoring her princess, something that no one outside of Twilight ever had the gall to do. And only because Twilight was a little crazy. She gave a sheepish grin.
"Er, what was that again Princess? I didn't catch all that. Heh."
Celestia released her magic, and spoke as though she hadn't witnessed any sort of temper tantrum moments before.
"I was only mentioning that you'd seemed to notice Quick Silver's namesake, Captain Mercury. And before you ask, I had the captain's express permission to use her true name." Rainbow closed her mouth just as quick as she'd opened it. "You get to know a pony rather well during times of war, especially when they're one of your sister's greatest weapons against you."
Rainbow's eyes were wide as dinner plates as she whipped her head to look more closely at the statue. It was actually the statue she had seen on her way into the castle. Captain Mercury did indeed look stern, almost frighteningly so, but Rainbow's sharp pegasus eyes could also pick up on the tiny frown and wrinkles under the piercing eyes. This was not a happy pony, and it didn't seem like it was just because they were strict. But otherwise, they were a rather unremarkable looking pony. Though she did look a bit like Quick Silver.
"But Princess, why do you have a statue of her then? I'm not sure I'd want a statue of my enemy in my garden." Except to keep an eye on them like Discord. Or gloat. Even Rainbow had enough tact to know not to say that out loud.
"Simple, she helped me defeat my sister."
"What?! But you said- Why would-" If Quick Silver was anything to go by, the Chiruus adored Princess Luna. Ultimately things worked out in the end, but Rainbow could almost feel the Element of Loyalty inside her twitching.
"Please allow me to explain, I was actually going to go into this somewhat on our walk anyway." Celestia turned her attention from Rainbow Dash, and gazed at the statue.
"When Luna started the civil war, very few ponies supported her cause. She had her Night Guard to be sure, but their numbers couldn't compare to the rest of the Royal Guard. They were only about a quarter of the size of the rest of the military, if memory serves. Regardless, we were certain we would squash the rebellion practically overnight, and I would talk sense into Luna."
Rainbow didn't know much history that didn't directly relate to pegasi, but even she knew the Lunar Rebellion lasted for ten years. It was one of the longest wars in Equestrian history. How could such a small army put up a fight for that long?
"Obviously, that didn't happen. I won't go very deep into it, but Captain Mercury is one of the express reasons the war lasted so long. She was... smart. Tactical or calculating doesn't do the mare justice. Typically, civil wars in nations across Equus hold the records for the highest body counts due to the nature of the war being the nation slaughtering itself. Battles that Captain Mercury oversaw hold records for being the lowest. And that goes for both sides."
Celestia sighed, and broke her gaze from the statue, once again focusing on the living pony before her. "Captain Mercury is a hero, and truth be told I might have put her statue here even if she hadn't betrayed Luna, out of sheer respect."
Rainbow waited for her to continue, but Celestia was silent.
"Er, that is really impressive and actually kinda awesome, but... Why did Captain, uh, Mercury...?" Rainbow winced and trailed off, but relaxed when Celestia smiled and nodded slowly.
"Her given name has been lost to time, it's quite alright."
Rainbow nodded in appreciation before continuing. "So, why did she betray Lu-Princess Luna? You never said."
Celestia winked, and continued walking, leaving Rainbow to fly after her. "Hm, it seems I didn't explain, did I?"
Rainbow merely groaned.
The princess of the sun chuckled in her musical way, flashing the exasperated mare an apologetic smile. "To be honest Rainbow Dash, I never asked, so I don't actually know for sure. Though I do have educated guesses."
Rainbow repressed her next groan as best she could and said, "I guess I get to find that out in the village?"
"I am curious to know if my suspicions are correct. You'd be doing me a personal favor." There was more chuckling as Rainbow grumbled under her breath. "If it helps, you can consider it one step closer to being immortalized as a statue."
Princess Celestia held in a very unprincess-like snort at the expression on Rainbow's face, instead opting to hold her head high and walk along as majestically and all-knowing as possible. In contrast to the display, the cyan pegasus floated along merrily with lopsided grin splashed across her face, daydreaming of all the awesome poses her statue could feature her in. If one looked closely, one could almost spot drool beginning to drip out of the corner of her mouth.
Finally, the duo arrived at the holding area for the royal carriages. Princess Celestia led Rainbow Dash over to a particularly large, enclosed carriage with several ponies milling around it. Rainbow recognized Luna, Quick Silver and Gallant Heart for some reason, two pegasi of the guard, and a tan unicorn in a suit jacket with a dark brown mane she could only assume was Red Tape, if the cutie mark was anything to go by. A rainbow being squeezed by red tape, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Ah, my sister and Rainbow Dash have finally arrived! Now you all can set off, post haste!" Luna hadn't seemed to have lost any of her energy, it was a wonder she wasn't bobbing in place.
"With all due respect princess, perhaps we might be graced with just a little more information on where it is exactly we'll be staying? Perhaps on how long we will be staying?" The unicorn's voice was strained, and upon closer inspection, his mane was fairly disheveled and the suitcase by his hooves had bits of articles of clothing hanging out. Apparently Luna had helped him back, and then apparently dragged him here.
"Fine, fine. As we'd already told Rainbow Dash," Red Tape's eyes flicked to examine Rainbow Dash for the briefest of instances, "You'll be staying at the Chiruus' village for a week. The village itself is built in the mountains in the north."
"Normally, a flight to the village would take half a day of hard flying, but we'd rather not exhaust the poor guards pulling the carriage. You'll arrive sometime early tomorrow morning." Celestia picked up after Luna, and dipped her head towards the pegasi guards. Quick Silver rolled her eyes behind the princesses' backs.
Tch, I better not be stuck in that thing the whole time. Stupid Red Tape and Gallant Heart, not having wings... Rainbow imagined similar thoughts going through Quick Silver's head, but managed to hold back all signs of her annoyance. She felt herself getting competitive with the bat pony again, noticing Quick Silver watching her out of the corner of her eye. In this little contest Rainbow wanted to prove how totally composed and stoic she was.
"A warning, it can be rather chilly up north. Red Tape, I trust you know a self-warming spell?" Celestia turned her attention to the brown stallion.
"Of course, it's one of the simplest spells taught at your very prestigious school, my princess." Red Tape's voice was sickly sweet, very much unlike how he addressed Luna. Rainbow couldn't help rolling her eyes this time, but mentally kicked herself when all Quick Silver did was flick an ear.
Darn, point to her.
"Excellent, that's about all that's relevant I believe. All three guards will be staying in the village with you, to take you back at the end of the week. Good luck my little ponies, and we await your presentations when you get back."
Presentations? I guess that's a nice way of saying evidence for the trial. This sucks, why me? Why can't we just ditch the non-fliers? Why is Gallant Heart even here in the first- oh. Rainbow watched almost dumbfounded as Gallant Heart took Red Tape's suitcase between his teeth, opened the carriage door, and followed the unicorn inside.
He's like that uppity jerk's servant! Rainbow's wings clenched to prevent them from flaring out. Gallant had kept a neutral expression, but anyone could see how his eyes were glazed over in the most dispassionate way possible. Rainbow might have thought she was getting ahead of herself, except evidently Quick Silver had noticed too as her tail swished violently and her nostrils flared as she entered the carriage next.
Flapping her wings once to clear her senses, Rainbow paused on the step into the carriage. The pegasi who were going to bring them were strapping themselves to the harnesses, and the princesses had backed away to give them room for takeoff. They were each wearing encouraging smiles, Celestia's graceful and hopeful, and Luna's energetic and confident. Rainbow gulped and gave her best cocky grin in return.
Stepping inside and closing the door behind her, Rainbow Dash quickly examined the interior. It was plain and wooden, about what she expected. At least the seats were cushioned. Maybe she could nap or something.
The occupants basically ignored her as she stepped further inside. Red Tape was lost in examining documents he had pulled from somewhere, and Gallant Heart was sitting beside him. He at least flashed Rainbow a quick smile before staring out a window, eyes glazed over once more. That side being occupied, that left Rainbow to sit next to, ugh, Quick Silver.
Unlike Gallant Heart, she had removed her helmet, her silvery mane in sharp contrast to the dark wood of the carriage. Like Gallant Heart however, she too was gazing out the window, except her eyes were focused. Probably staring at Luna.
Rainbow sighed, and took her seat next to Quick Silver, sitting as far away as possible. No sooner had her flank touched the cushion, the carriage lurched and they were off. Another cursory look around the carriage, and Rainbow's body slumped. Yup, this was going to suck. She resigned herself to practicing not being fidgety and getting lost in her thoughts. She had almost succeeded, if not for the Royal Canterlot Voice.
"OH YES, BE SURE TO TRY THE MOON CAKES WHEN YOU ARRIVE."
