Nightglimmer had a dream, a wish upon a star that she could fly with the best. But how many hoops would she have to jump through to get it?
Nightglimmer thought she was like any other ordinary pegasusi, she wanted to fly with the best and the bold. The Wonderbolts But one problem stood in the way...the past, and the nightmares that lurked within it.
Editing by: Brickbrock24 Art by: Nightglimmer22 (me)
Nightglimmer slowly opened her eyes. A radiant sunbeam shone through her window and illuminated her turquoise-painted room. Her eyes eventually settled on the alarm clock that had shattered the silence of the early morning. It rested on a night table beside Glimmer’s bed along with a half empty glass of water. She turned her body to face the it. Seven o'clock, it read.
She reached out and slammed the button on top of the clock. She had at least an hour before she had to catch her train. Nightglimmer began to remember the night before when her father was trying to persuade her to become a worker of the skies. Glimmer knew that she would have to take on the responsibility for her father's favored work.
"Your mother would be so proud if she knew what you were to become!" he told her. Thunder Skies had said it in tone that would hopefully encourage Glimmer to be curious about his work and become his successor.
"Yeah... I know." The remembrance of her mother saddened Glimmer, for long ago CloudDancer had died. Nightglimmer couldn't bare to meet eye contact with her father.
"Hmm," He grunted, taking notice that the mention of CloudDancer made his daughter feel blue. He then asked, "Did I ever tell you the story of how I met CloudDancer?"
"No," Glimmer told him, “Can you tell me?” Glimmer always wanted to know and now was her big chance to find out.
"Well, I was a young colt training to become a weather pony," he began, "Back then, I had lived in a small town called Dodge City. I knew much about the weather team and Cloudsdale. As you may know, not all pegasi lived in Cloudsdale. It was a big step for me when your grandfather, Easyglider, arranged a trip to Cloudsdale." Thunder Skies stopped for a moment to remember the next part of the story, "Weeks later, I was on a trip to Cloudsdale. I sent letters to Easyglider every night tell him about my discoveries. I had gotten a job opportunity as a Cloud Keeper. Eventually, I became a leader of the weather team."
"Uh... What does this have to you meeting Mom?" Glimmer asked when once again her father stopped. To be frank, she really didn’t care about the jibber-jabber spluttering out ThunderSkies’ mouth.
"Oh, right, I was just getting to that," he said as he cleared his throat, "I was leading a team back to the other squads when we were ambushed by a group of pegasi wearing dark colored flight suits. He held them at bay until my team couldn't endure any longer. Let me tell you, Glimmer, that battle really did a number to my body. I had never felt so much pain before. It looked like the end for us, but then we saw them coming."
"Who?" Glimmer asked enthusiastically. The story had become a lot more interesting.
"A group of amazing fighters wearing light colored flight suits. They fought off the dark suited bandits and helped my team get to safety at the weather factory. After that, I never saw them again. Weeks after the incident, I met the most beautiful mare while walking on the streets. Her name was CloudDancer. When I first laid eyes on her, I felt like had seen her somewhere before. But I knew that wasn't the case. We started dating and found that we had much in common. Then, two years later, we moved to Manehatten. Of course, I never quit the weather team. But now that I have retired, it’s your turn, Nightglimmer!"
Wow, cool... Glimmer was in deep thought, thinking about the story of when her father and mother first met.
"I bet you’ll have tons of fun there. I sure did. That's where I met most of my friends, such as Rainbow Blaze." Thunder Skies said, trying to change the subject after seeing his daughter's facial expression, "He's now the manager of the Weather factory, I hope you’ll get meet him.”
"Yeah, alright," Nightglimmer saw the expression on her father's face. He wanted her to be happy, but it would mean so much him if she followed in his hoof-steps. She couldn't fake her love and excitement for the factory for much longer.
After a long and boring conversation about the subject and persistent persuading from her father, NightGlimmer finally gave in. Thunder Skies signed a form for NightGlimmer to attend the next semester in Cloudsdale.
Nightglimmer peeked around the corner of her father's study room later that night and saw her father sitting at his desk writing a letter. Thunder Skies was writing so fast that Glimmer was worried that he might accidentally set the paper on fire. Glimmer assumed he was probably writing to tell the manager of the factory about the “wonderful” news that his daughter “eagerly wanted” to attend.
What was his name? thought NightGlimmer, Rainbow Blizzard? Nah. Rainbow Strike? No, that's not it. Rainbow Crunchies? No, no! That’s the name of a breakfast cereal! Nightglimmer racked her brain trying to remember the manager's name. It would be important to remember his name, after all.
"Hmmm..." She wondered aloud, then tightly closing her mouth realizing that she didn't want her father to find out that she was spying on him.
Rainbow Blaze! She suddenly remembered.
Thunder Skies continued to scribble at a thousand miles an hour. Eventually, Nightglimmer saw her father roll up the scroll and throw it into the fire that was next to the desk. Nightglimmer had seen her father send scrolls a million times. He even let her send a few when her mother was on business trips. The scroll turned into a cloud of green vapor and floated out the open window in the study.
Thunder Skies turned around to sat back in his chair. He was deep in thought for a moment when a cloud of green vapor suddenly flew in front of him. Seconds later, it turned into a scroll. Thunder Skies opened the scroll and read it, then took a little piece of paper from it. Glimmer realized that it was the permission slip that she had to sign in order to go to the weather factory. There was no way around it. She had to, it would break her father’s heart if she didn’t.
Nightglimmer's biggest dream was to become a Wonderbolt. She wasn’t the only one with this dream, just about every pegasus she knew also dreamed about flying with the best of the best. She always knew that she was a good flier. Her father, Thunder Skies, thought that as well. That's why he wanted Nightglimmer to become a part of the Weather Team in CloudsDale. But, of course, they had their differences. The young pegasus wanted to be a well known flier of the Wonderbolts; while her father just wanted her to, well, make clouds.
Nightglimmer woke up to somepony shaking her. she could feel that whoever was shaking her was pretty excited.
"Wake up! You’re going to miss the train, Glimmer!" Thunder Skies shouted. He was not going to to let his daughter be tardy.
Glimmer realized that she dozed off after she had turned her alarm clock off. This time, it read: seven-fifty
"Breakfast is on the table, you’d better pick up the pace!" With that being said, he trotted out of the room.
Glimmer got out of bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She had already packed the day before, so all she had to do was get ready for the train ride. Minutes later, Glimmer went to the kitchen and saw a breakfast of eggs and juice. The permission slip that she had signed the night before was on the table next to her breakfast. She picked it up and put it in her saddle bag, which was hanging on the chair beside her. She wolfed down the eggs in about thirty seconds and washed it down with the juice. Glimmer flew out the door with her father, saddle bag and other luggage to the train station just in time.
"So, I guess there's no time for a race?" ThunderSkies asked with a bit of laughter in his voice.
"Heh heh, there's always time," Glimmer answered, spreading her wings.
Zooming past all of the ponies like two living bullets, Glimmer and her father raced until they got to very edge of the city. When Glimmer was a little filly, she and her father loved to race whenever they went somewhere. It was like their fun little game. Stopping at the train station, the two pegasi said their farewells.
"Good luck, Glimmer, I'll miss you!" said Thunderskies.
"Thanks, Daddy! I'll see you for the holidays!" said Glimmer. She tried to hide the sadness from her face with a fake smile as she boarded the train to Cloudsdale.
The sound of the trains whistle brought NightGlimmer back from her daydream. When the train stopped, Glimmer gathered her belongings and trotted onto the platform. She walked down the steps of the station, which were were made of soft puffy clouds. She had forgotten what it was like to walk on clouds since she had lived in buildings and walked streets for so long. The cloud houses lined the streets and the streets themselves were buzzing with pegasi. The Weather Factory was just a few miles ahead. Glimmer started to fly toward it. As she did, her heart began to race with apprehension. What if there's a test and she failed it? What would she tell her father when she was sent home with her tail between her legs? Glimmer kept thinking these pessimistic questions. She wasn’t paying attention and bumped into one of the pegasi flying around.
"Oh, sorry!" Glimmer said, looking up to see startled purple eyes staring back at her. The pony was staring back at her like something was wrong with her. She wasn't much bigger than Glimmer and probably not much older. her mane was combed down down past her face and the color of the sea with bits of light blue dye around the tips of her hair bangs. Her pelt was a light turquoise color. Glimmer took a quick peek at the mare's cutie mark to saw that it was a dark blue horse-shoe that was halfway surrounded by a curved lightning bolt.
A few seconds passed before the mare shook her head to snap herself back to reality,
"Oh, uh...no worries," she said with a smile, "I’ve never seen your face before Are you new here?
"Yeah,” said Glimmer, “My name is Nightglimmer. I came here from Manehatten."
"My name is Sunshower," The pony responded.
After a good long conversation with Sunshower, Glimmer realized that they shared a lot in common. They both wanted to become Wonderbolts. The two pegasi smiled at each other and began to fly toward the factory building, They opened the big doors to see the center of the big opening where a Pegasus was calling for attention to the group of new workers.
"Greetings, everypony! My name is Rainbow Blaze and I am the manager of the Weather Factory," The rainbow-maned Pegasus announced to the crowd. Glimmer suddenly remembered that her father was a friend of this pony, "I bet you have many questions about our wonderful facility! I mean, who wouldn’t? Don't worry, Openskies and Blueberry Punch can give you a hoof. Please follow Openskies if you are new today! Old workers who are coming back for the new season should follow Blueberry Punch!" Glimmer looked to where the Pegasus is pointing. She looked around and realized that Sunshower had disappeared. Glimmer shrugged and went to join the group following the pegasus named Openskies, a dark turquoise stallion with a dark blue mane.
"Hello, everypony! My name is Openskies and I am going to be your trainer and tour guide.” he addressed to his group. “I will show you the basic places of the weather factory. Keep in mind, everypony, that tomorrow you will be tested with three different flying tasks. These tasks determine which assignment will be best for you."
Oh, that's not so bad. It’s just a few little tests, Glimmer thought as she followed a group of new workers who were being guided by Openskies.
Glimmer then realized that her new friend wasn't in the group. Glimmer walked up to Openskies and asked,
"Hey, do you where a mare named Sunshower is?"
"I'm afraid not, recruit. As far as I’m aware, there is no Sunshower. Now, please, hold all questions until the end of the tour, okay?"
Glimmer nodded and backed away slowly.
That's weird, she thought, I figured everypony would know everypony around here.
Glimmer watched Openskies as he talked. After a some time, the tour started walking down a long hall that had lights hanging from the cloud ceiling. They passed a big door that had a wind symbol on it. Openskies stopped and starting talking again,
"This is the wind room. This is where we create the wind that will travel all across Equestria. This wind helps Canterlot make energy for factories."
Glimmer looked around hoping she wasn't the only pony there who was amazed by this. It turned out that, yeah, she pretty much was. They continued to walk through the hall. The next door had a cloud symbol on it. But this time the group didn't stop.
"That room is where we make the clouds. Some of you pegasi might become Cloud Keeper," Openskies told them, "Once the clouds are created, we fill them with snow or rain and bring them to the different towns."
During the next few minutes, the tour guide showed his group the last rooms at the end of the hall, which included the Thunder and Lighting Room, the Snowflake Room, and the Rainbow Room. The group eventually looped back to the center room where they first started. The room was now full of chairs and a podium where some pegasi were talking. The group separated and started to fill up the seats. Once everypony was sitting, the pegasus at the podium began to speak,
"Tomorrow your abilities will be tested with three tasks. I hope Openskies already told you about this. If he didn’t, well, now you know! Please find Openskies again. He will now show you to your rooms."
After Glimmer found Openskies again, the group of new workers went down another hall, opposite of the hall they had walked down earlier. But before they went to the dorms, the group stopped at the cafeteria for dinner. The large group walked in and saw many big tables lined up next to each other. Far in the back of the room was a buffet table with dishes of food on it. The group scrambled over to the line.
Glimmer waited in line as the smell of spaghetti and meatballs teased her stomach and made it growl like a savage animal. It had been a long day and now it was time for Glimmer to pay up.
Once Glimmer got her food, she noticed a big table that had a sign that said "New workers" on it. Glimmer grabbed a seat and began to scarf down her meal. She didn’t really try to have a conversation with the other new workers sitting at the table.
After about a half an hour, Openskies came into the cafeteria and ushered the group to their beds.
"This is where you will be sleeping tonight. Don’t stay up too late! You’ll need all of your energy tomorrow!" Openskies said as the group started to pass rows of doors that all lined up next to each other. There were at least one hundred or so new workers, so Openskies split the large group into smaller ones. Thankfully, Openskies put Cloudkicker, a pony she had met while she was taking a tour and had became friends with, in the same dorm that Glimmer was assigned. Together, they walked inside the dorm room. Bunk beds covered most of the space. It was big enough for at least ten ponies. All of the pegasi suddenly scattered to grab a bunk. Glimmer trotted over to a bunk with Cloudkicker.
"Top or bottom?" she asked instantly.
"Um..." Glimmer thought aloud.
"Top! I call top! Dibs on the top!" Cloudkicker called out before Glimmer could answer. The next thing Glimmer knew, he friend had made herself comfortable on the top bunk.
Glimmer didn't care. She was exhausted from her long day and really wanted some shut eye. Glimmer looked around and saw that some of the other ponies were buzzing with excitement about tomorrow. She jumped onto the bottom bunk and fell asleep.
Fleetfoot swiftly landed on the Wonderbolts compound. The sun painted the sky a beautiful array of colors as it set behind her. Her wings ached from flying for so long and her hooves weren't much better. She swung her head back to try to stretch her neck; but not before she remembered that she had a longer and different colored mane then she had the day before. She was wearing a wig to disguise herself so Nightglimmer wouldn't recognize her. She reached up to find something to grab onto. She pulled the blue wig off of her head and into her hoof, revealing the swiftly pulled back silver mane she always had. Fleetfoot looked up, still holding the blue wig as she saw two moving silhouettes. She was then greeted by Spitfire and Mistyfly. Spitfire's bright golden pelt and fiery mane was hard to miss. However, Mistyfly's pelt was a soft yellow with a light blue mane that was difficult to see in the current lighting of the sky. Their concerned facial expressions gave Fleet the message that something was wrong. Mistyfly shifted her body from one side to the other while Spitfire's tail swished back and forth just as it normally did when she was anxious.
Spitfire then opened her mouth to speak. Fleetfoot could barely understand her, all she could interpret was,
"Did you find her?... We have to hurry... Tell the princesses!…”
"Spitty, slow down! I can barely understand you when you talk that way,” said Fleetfoot, motioning with his hoof for the pegasus to calm down, “Don’t worry, I did everything that you asked me to do. You'll be relieved to know that I have found the pegasus we are looking for. Her name is Nightglimmer, just like the prophecy had foretold."
Mistyfly spoke up, stepping forward as she recited a line from the prophecy,
"The night that glimmers, will hold the key, to fight the shadows born from evil’s deed."
"We must tell the princesses what we have found! Time is short!" Spitfire said, her eyes brimming with fear under her dark sunglasses.
The three ponies flew as fast as they could to Spitfire's office, where they would contact Princess Twilight Sparkle. As the three pegasi flew through the halls of the compound, ponies began looking up at the pegasi zooming past them. They were going so fast that they would probably go right through a steel wall if they crashed into one. Spitfire knew that if they could contact Princess Twilight, she would be able to pass the message along to Princess Luna. Spitfire opened the top drawers from her desk and took out a scroll and quill.
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
I have some important news to discuss with you and Princess Luna. The Shadowbolt are on tails end thinking of a plan of attack. We must do the same! Fleetfoot has found the pegasus we have been trying to find for months. Her name is Nightglimmer, the same name as the savior in the prophecy. We need your help as well as Princess Luna’s. Could you please do me a solid and contact her for me?
Sincerely yours,
Spitfire
Mistyfly was tending a fire while Spitfire was adding the finishing touches to the letter. Fleetfoot turned to hear Spitfire say under her breath,
"I pray to Celestia that Princess Twilight gets this." Spitfire dropped the scroll into the fire. The three ponies watched at the scroll burn up and transform into a cloud of green vapor. They watched it fly out the open window of the office seeking out Princess Twilight.
The sun was shining bright through the dorm windows. Nightglimmer opened her eyes, trying to remember what had happened the day before. She had woken up to the sound of snoring every now and then.
SNRKKKKKKKK!
Glimmer put a pillow over her head and frowned. How was she going to sleep if somepony was snoring as loud as a leaf blower? She shifted in her bed and yawned. Glimmer almost hit her head on the top bunk when she tried to sit up.
GRHHHHH!
Glimmer looked around and realized the noise that time came from her own stomach. She was starving. Luckily, all of the other pegasi in the dorm room were still sound asleep, so Glimmer took off the sheets from over her and got out of bed.
Nightglimmer thought she might as well look around and maybe find a clock. Judging by the position of the sun when Glimmer looked out the window, she estimated it was probably around 7:30. She had at least an hour before Openskies would come and escort the new workers to the cafeteria for breakfast and then to the training field where they would be tested.
Glimmer quietly opened the door and peered down the hall. No pony was in sight. She walked out of the room, quietly trotting so there was only a soft clip-clop sound echoing on the marble floor. She walked down the hall and passed a big brown door. Glimmer remembered the doors from last night when they went into the cafeteria for dinner. The smells of breakfast found their way into her nose. She had forgotten how hungry she was.
GRHHHHHHH!
Her stomach, once again, roared its yearn for food. She turned around, she could hear the soft tick of a clock. It was 8:25. Glimmer pushed the thought of breakfast out of her mind as she remembered that she had to be back in the dorm before 8:30. Glimmer swiftly bolted down the hall to her dorm.
She got back to the dorm room and saw that all of her bunk mates were up and full of energy. She trotted over to her bunk. Many were talking to each other, speculating about what the tests might be. She just got back in time to see Openskies walk through the same door.
"Well, I hope everypony slept well last night because today is going to be a busy day," said Openskies, "Today, we are going to the training field to begin the tasks."
At that, everypony followed Openskies through the same hallway that Glimmer had just went down a few minutes ago. The group stopped when they came in front of the large brown doors.
"I'm, like, so hungry!" Glimmer heard a white bodied Pegasus mare say in a snarky tone.
"Yeah, I was, like, too excited to eat yesterday!" Glimmer heard another Pegasus mare say in response.
There was already a long line of ponies waiting to be served the breakfast of the day. Glimmer grabbed a spot at the end of the line. Her savage stomach made the wait feel like it went on for an eternity. The food available was sorted into different trays; eggs, pancakes, toast and juice.
Once she had gotten her eggs and pancakes, Glimmer trotted over to the table that had a "New workers" sign on it, Glimmer remembered the sign from last night. After sitting down and making herself comfortable, Glimmer opened her mouth and took a large bite of the eggs. She instantly regretted that decision because she found herself gagging the instant the eggs hit her tongue. Glimmer spit out the eggs. They weren't even chewed yet and they already tasted horrible. They tasted like cardboard that had been chewed up, sprayed by a skunk, covered in mud, and dropped in a very dirty toilet. Nopony else seemed to enjoy the food, either.
I really hope these pancakes don’t make me wretch, too, Glimmer thought apprehensively as she took a smaller bite of the pancakes from her plate. Not that bad, but nothing spectacular, she thought. Glimmer looked around and watched the ponies sitting next her spit their the food out, too. They quickly reached for their juice glasses to wash out their mouths as if their life depended on it. Ten minutes later, the group all heard a loud bell ring as Openskies came back to pick up his group.
The cafeteria emptied out fast, with the only group remaining being the "New Worker" group. Glimmer trotted over to the trashcan to throw out the plate with the atrocious excuse for eggs on it.
"Didn't like the food either, I presume?" a mare’s voice said next to her. Glimmer turned to see a light purple mare with a yellow and cream colored mane
"Yeah, that was horrible. I don’t even think I could call it ‘food’," said Glimmer, laughing as she notice that the purple mare was throwing her food out as well.
"My name is Stone breeze. I'm new here as well."
"My name is Nightglimmer," responded Glimmer. The two mares followed the group out to the training field to began the three tasks.
The sound of everyponies excited hooves knocking the marble floor was loud enough to wake Ursa minor. The large group walked down a long hall to get to the lobby. They stopped in front of a set of big brown doors as they all entered through, everyponies wings lifted up as they continued to follow Openskies flying through the training field. They flew passed a racing track, Glimmer watched some of the competitors jumping over obstacles. Glimmer could only see a blur of the different colored pelts flashed by.
There was a big field up ahead. The sky above the field was crowed with hoops and rings that pegasusi probably had to fly though for the flexibility test.
"Rainbow Blaze will be with you in a bit." Openskies said as he walked away to the pony with a rainbow mane.
"Woah."
"This so cool."
"I can't wait to take the tests."
Glimmer heard some ponies say in awe. She was excited herself, She couldn't wait.
"I can't wait!" Stony Breeze said excitedly
Glimmer nodded back with the same enthusiasm
everyone seemed to quiet down when the rainbow maned Pegasus walked forward.
"I hope all of you ponies are ready." he said "Remember this is what you are going to be tested on to show us what you can do. I hope you do your best."
Rainbowblaze then spit the large group into three smaller groups.
"Each group will start at a different task at the forty minute bell you will all rotate to the next task." He said as the three different groups separated.
Glimmer turned following her other group mates, Sadly Stony Breeze or Cloud kicker wasn't in her group but hopefully she would be able to meet new ponies.
The sky was full with clouds, when everypony looked up as they all gathered in a circle around a light brown colored stallion.
The stallion began to speak.
"Ok everypony I am going to split you into pairs, each pair will work together on making of clouds disappear, when I blow the whistle I want to see how fast each pair can make as many clouds as they can disappear." The pony started to pair us. Glimmer saw the pony point to her then point to another a few hoofsteps away. Glimmer trotted over to the pony. She didn't look very happy.
"Hey, my name is Nightglimmer." Glimmer once again introduced herself said smiling.
A white mare came into view. She swept her light cerulean blue mane over her ear, she was wearing light blue eye shadow over her dark blue eyes and hot pink lip gloss. Glimmer came nearer when the white pelted mare rolled her eyes.
"Whatever, lets just get this over with." She said in a prissy voice. As she checked her hoof nails
"Um, Ok." Glimmer said slightly startled by the sudden dislike.
The whistle sounded as everypony took off, Glimmer spread her winds while looking behind her shoulder, the white mare was slowly flying behind.
Glimmer began to kick and flap at the clouds nearest to her, while her "partner" was no where to be seen.
At each wing beat Glimmer felt like a tornado sweeping through the clouds as they all disappeared in a puff of smoke. Glimmer soon took a moment to look around, the light brown stallion was as a dash board calculating how many clouds each team made disappear. Glimmer turned more to see her "partner" was sitting out complaining about breaking a nail.
"ugh." Glimmer grunted, she lifted wings to gain speed again, as she spun faster and faster until she had made a tiny tornado sweeping up the last bits of cloud aground her.
THWEEEEEEETTTTTT!
The whistle sounded as everyone gathered around the dash board pony.
"Twilight."
"Twilight."
"Twilight."
"Twilight."
"Look you've got mail!" A pink pelted mare with frizzy pink mane and tail said over excitedly, her hoofs barely touching the ground as she hopped all the way from the door of the big crystal castle to a purple pelted mare with a purple mane who was sitting in the big chairs that had each of the six ponies cutie mark on it.
"Hey, but that's my job." a purple baby dragon came into view behind the pink pelted mare.
"Here you go." The pink frizzy maned friend said as she widen as her mouth could go as she handed the letter to the princess.
"Thanks Pinkie Pie, I wonder what it says." Twilight said pondering as she carefully opened the letter, her horn glowed light purple as it surrounded a letter opener with an aurora.
"Oh, oh I know, Thewonderboltsareaskingforourhelpbecausetheyhavefoundthepegasiwhowillhelpdefeattheshadowbolts."
Pinkie said as fast as she could before Twilight opened the letter. "Just a hunch." she said with a wide smile.
"Ah." Twilight looked dumb founded. "Ok well I'm just going to read it...again?."
"Okey, Dokey, Lokey." Pinkie said as she hopped away to sit in her chair with a sparkling balloon cutie mark at the top.
Seconds later four ponies trotted in.
Two pegasi came flying in one with a yellow pelt and long pink mane and tail and the other with a blue pelt and rainbow mane and tail.
Trotting under them came a white mare with a cured purple mane and tail, the other with an orange pelt and yellow mane and tied up as they hung by her side. A light brown hat lay on her head.
Twilight looked up her eyes full with worry, her mind was spinning in all kinds of directions it was hard to keep track of her own thoughts.
"Hey, sugar you ok, You look like you've just seen a ghost." A orange pelted pony said in a country accent that was full with alarm.
"GHOST!, WHERE!" Pinkie pie screamed at the top of her lungs, it made everything in the room jump.
"Its ok Applejack" Twilight answered to the orange pelted mare's worry expression.
"I just got a letter from Spitfire, remember they kept notifying me that the shadow bolts were going to attack?"
The five ponies nodded
"Well spitfire said that there is a prophecy and no pony can top them except one pony who can stop them."
Glimmer finally got to the board as the other ponies began to leave, some muttering with happiness that they got in others shaking their heads with despair.
The board had a list of all of the ponies with numbers one to one thousand. Glimmer began to look for her name when some pony started to speak
"This board with show us who made the cut there are many of you but only one thousand can stay. "
The group began to murmur as one by one each pony looked for their name.
Ponies began to cut in front of Glimmer to try and be first in line. Glimmer waited patiently as it finally was her turn. Her eyes
scanned the board, they stopped at the number 10.
The whistle sounded again and Glimmer and her group was escorted to another part of the field, it was a bit father away from the other test that Glimmer had just been on.
The group retched the next task, there were hoofs and obstacles lining the sky as the group stopped in front of a light green pelted pony with a broken mane and tail.
"Welcome, this is the test were you will prove to me you flexibility" The pony said out into to crowd " My name is coach Lightingsoar
"I want you to show me not just your flexibility but your speed and accuracy, this will help you when you are delivering the clouds through out equestria."
Ponies began to nod and murmur at what the pony was saying
"At that being said please form a straight line here at the start of the course."
Ponies began to line up as the first pegasus started the course.
Glimmer watched at the light red pelted pegasus beat her wings and lift up so she was a level with the course.
The light green pony blew his whistle and the light red pony flapped her wings as she gained speed. Glimmer watched at the pegasus zipped through the hoops, she stared at awe as the pegasus slowed down as she ended the course.
"Perfect scores Flowerdust." coach Lightingsoar said as he looked at a clipboard and checked off her name "Next please."
The next pegasus flew up to the course and began to fly as the coach blew the whistle.
Glimmer watched each pegasus preform until it was her turn.
"Next." the coach called out. Glimmer's heart launched, she wiped the sweat off her face as the flew up to the course.
"Ready?" and at that the coach blew the whistle
For a second Glimmer didn't know what to do until automatically her wings lifted her into the air and she began to gain speed.
She flew faster and faster until she saw the first hoof come into focus, she tucked in her wings as she glided through it. flying faster she saw big sticks standing straight up as she curved her body to do in and out through the sticks that lay in her path. Glimmer rounded a bend and flew through a couple more hoops until she willed herself to stop at the finish and start line. The coach was waiting for her as he jotted some notes down on his clipboard.
Coach Lightingsoar followed Glimmer as she made her way to the group of pegasi who had already finished the course. Glimmer could hear the coach telling the next pony to the course.
Glimmer was realizing that the tasks were getting harder as each one went by, thinking to herself I hope I passed
"Today has been a long day for everypony so I suggest you all get some sleep," said Openskies. Everypony clambered up to the building. Openskies called out, "Don't forget to stop at the cafeteria for dinner!"
Glimmer heard ponies mumbling,
"What happened to the third test?"
"Are we going to take it tomorrow?"
“I’m starved! What’s to eat?”
Glimmer thought anxiously about the third test, too, but she put it aside as she trotted through the lobby and down the left hall to the cafeteria. Glimmer walked though she could smell fresh spaghetti and meatballs, the same meal that was served the night before. Glimmer was a bit bummed out that dinner was a rerun from yesterday; but, then again, she remembered this wasn’t exactly a four-star Canterlot café. After waiting on the line and getting her meal, Glimmer brought her food to the "New Worker" table. Glimmer heard some more ponies talking about the previous test,
"I hope I did well on the first two tests," a purple stallion said to a pink mare. Glimmer tried not to think about it as she ate her dinner. Glimmer decided to get back to her bunk early to she could have some quiet time before the others came in. She put her tray in one of the piles next to the garbage after she dumped her plate into it. She trotted out the door and down the next hall to Bunk
"Ms. Nightglimmer?"
Glimmer turned around to see a pegasus dresses in a worker outfit, A white lab coat. she nodded at the sight of him.
"You are needed at Mr. Rainbow Blaze's office."
"Um, okay..." Glimmer said. She felt a bit anxious about suddenly getting called in to Rainbow Blaze’s office. It was as if she were being called to the principal’s office in school.
The pegasus began to walk away, motioning for Glimmer to follow him. They walked past her bunk and turned left, which led to a maze of confusing doors that all looked the same to Glimmer. One door popped out more than the others. It was rainbow-colored and had a sign with the words “Rainbow Blaze” on it. The pegasus knocked on the door and then waited for a response,
"Come in," said a deep voice from behind the door. The pegasus nodded to Glimmer as he pushed the door open for her to go inside. He quickly closed the door once she was in. Glimmer's heart thumped as she looked at the stallion behind a desk. He was wearing an expressionless face and sat like a crime boss from Manehattan. There were many pictures on his desk, probably of his family. A mare with a light blue pelt and the same rainbow mane was next to a stallion with a dark blue mane and cream blue pelt. The mare was probably his daughter, but she didn't recognize the stallion.
Glimmer also noticed the Wonderbolt posters on the wall, multiple pictures of the cream blue stallion with two other pegasi, one with a fiery mane and orange pelt and the other had a frost white mane with turquoise pelt. Glimmer realized that the rainbow-maned stallion's daughter was a Wonderbolt and so was the stallion from the previous picture! Her eyes lit up when the rainbow-maned stallion said,
"Ahhhh, Nightglimmer! The beautiful daughter of Thunderskies! My name is Rainbow Blaze, if you haven't heard of me already."
Glimmer saw stallion’s expression begin to shift to a calm, yet happy face. She nodded not knowing what else to do. Glimmer wondered if she had done something wrong.
"Please, get those butterflies out of your stomach, Ms. Glimmer. The reason I called you in today is not because you did something wrong," Rainbow Blaze said as if he had read her thoughts like some sort of psychic. Glimmer nodded again in response as she relaxed her body.
"I bet you’re wondering what happen to the third test today? Am I right?" he said, “Of course I’m right. I see the curiosity in your eyes, my friend! Anyway, the reason I have summoned you is because we’re going to take the third test right now!” Rainbow Blaze motioned Glimmer to sit down in one of the seats in front of the desk. Cautiously, Glimmer trotted to the chairs and sat down. Glimmer's heart began to thump again when she heard those words. She tried to maintain a poker face as Rainbow Blaze continued to speak.
"I saw your scores from the previous tests and you passed both of them with amazing scores," said Rainbow Blaze, lightly clapping his hooves.
"Um, thanks..." Glimmer said nervously. This was it, Glimmer would finally get to know what her job was at the Weather Factory.
"It has been days since we sent the letter to Princess Twilight," Fleetfoot groaned. Spitfire and Fleetfoot where both in Spitfire's office, hoping to hear something from the princess. Spitfire was sitting in the chair behind a wide desk looking at Wonderbolt Academy forms while Fleetfoot paced restlessly around the room.
"Be patient," Spitfire said calmly to her. As soon as she finished her sentence, a green vapor appeared and became a scroll; which popped out and landed in Spitfire’s open hooves. Spitfire made an expression to Fleet as if to say “I told you so!”
Fleet rolled her eyes and smiled as Spitfire opened the letter. It had the seal of the princess, which was Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark.
Spitfire, I have received your letter and I would be happy to help. I’m sorry it took so long to send a letter back to you. I spoke to Luna hoping to get some information about the prophecy. I think you would be happy to hear that I did manage to dig up some important information. Tomorrow evening, Luna and I will discuss this with you.
Twilight Sparkle
The night before Twilight went to see princess Luna about the Shadowbolts, She knew that when Luna was Nightmare Moon, she had risen them to trick Rainbow Dash into being disloyal to her new friends.
Now that Nightmare Moon is no more, the Shadowbolts have become whole. They now possessed their own thoughts and feelings: feelings of hatred and thoughts of malice. They became known as terrorizing the citizens of Equestria. They were essentially the shadows of the famous Wonderbolts, who were for fighting against evil and protecting Equestria. The Shadowbolts and the Wonderbolts have been enemies ever since.
As night fell, Twilight began to think of things to say as she walked up to the palace steps. Two guards stood at the front door and greeted the fourth princess. Their horns lit up with blue and yellow auroras, which then surrounded each side of the big doors and swung them open. Twilight walked down the hall. She knew that Luna always did some night reading in the castle library, so that’s where she headed.
"Princess Luna?" Twilight asked as she knocked on the door. She slowly pushed it open and peered into the room. Twilight was Luna was sitting by a fireplace that was lit up with dancing flames. Luna was completely immersed into the book she was reading and didn’t seem to notice the
"Princess Luna?" Twilight asked again a little more loudly.
"Huh? What?" The princess of the night said in confusion as she snapped back to reality and looked at Twilight.
"Can I talk to you for a bit?" asked Twilight. Luna nodded as she put her book off to the side,
"What can I help thou with?" she asked. Luna had been back in Equestria for more than three moons, but the princess never gave up her traditional Canterlot voice. Twilight trotted over to Luna and sat down and front of her. "Well, I got a letter from Spitfire about some prophecy to stop the Shadowbolts once and for all." Twilight didn't wait for a response, "We need information about the Shadowbolts, do they have any sort of weakness?"
"The Shadowbolts use a powerful, dark magic found deep in the heart of Equestria. This magic gives the Shadowbolts the power to control anyone or anything that stands in their way." Luna began, her expression stern.
"Pure Equestrian magic!" Twilight said as she gasped at the thought, "I read about that in one of my history books."
"Correct," said Princess Luna, "As thou know, this magic is the strongest magic there is, nopony, not even myself or my sister, is sure how to stop it."
Twilight nodded.
"The leader of the Shadowbolts is a sinister pony named Nightshade. She found the magic, which she used to make the Shadowbolts strong. They follow Nightshade's every command and serve her without question," Luna continued, "The magic is stored in purple crystals. This is said to help whomever uses the crystals to have more control."
The only way to stop them is to take away the crystals or destroy them, Twilight thought as she began to piece together a plan in her head. Luna interrupted her thoughts before she could finish,
"There is only one problem, only the mare whom the prophecy calls for can stop them," Luna stood up and walked over to the bookshelf. Using her magic, she pulled out a book of prophecies. "This book has every prophecy known up to this date and every prophecy has a back story." Luna dropped the book into Twilight’s hooves, "Here, this might help."
"Thank you, Princess Luna!"
Luna nodded and resumed reading her book. Twilight stood up and, with a thankful expression on her face, left the princess in the library.
Glimmer waited anxiously for the rainbow-maned pegasus's answer. Rainbow Blaze finally said,
"You will work with the weather team, taking the snow or rain over Equestria."
Glimmer could breath again.
"I hope you enjoy it here and wish you the best of luck with your new job," Rainbow Blaze said as he waved Glimmer out of the office.
"Thank you," said Glimmer as she closed the door behind her.
The two alicorns dropped down from the light blue colored sky and landed next to the Wonderbolt Academy. The cold air ruffled though their feathers, they could feel that winter was approaching. They trotted together side by side, their hoof steps in unison with each other as they got near to the front door of the academy. Two guards in Wonderbolt uniforms stood in front of the big doors, they bowed their heads in greeting to the two princesses as they entered through. One shivered from the cold air and was happy to be inside. The temperature changed once they trotted into the lobby of the academy that was buzzing with ponies, many pegasi wearing Wonderbolt uniforms were flying this way and that way trying to get to where they needed to go.
The lobby had a big dome like ceiling made of glass and the walls were covered by famous Wonderbolts from moons ago.
The princesses stopped and their ears perked up when somepony yelled. "Look the princesses!" through the sea of ponies.
Everpony stopped and stared, they each had their own blank expressions. Some then bowed their heads processing what to do when they saw royalty, more followed at the act. Some muttered under their breath.
"What are they doing here?" one pony asked
The two princesses blushed and waved. They continued walking through the crowd which began returning to the normal activity. They were soon greeted by a fire manned mare. She had an orange mane and an orange pelted coat, she was wearing a Wonderbolt captan flight suit and a gold badge that had the Wonderbolt insignia on it.
The fire manned mare spoke up over the talk of the crowd. "Princesses, follow me, we must discuss this in my office."
The princess smiled gratefully and followed. The three ponies walked down a hall on the left of the lobby. They then walked through another door with the sign Spitfire on it and into a large office with a desk to the back of the room that was facing the door. A window lay above the desk showing nothing but darkness, and a fireplace burned bright to the left of the room making the atmosphere cozy. A turquoise pelted mare with a frosted mane was sitting in a small beige couch that lay in front of the fireplace. She turned around to face the three ponies that had just walked in, she smiled and waved.
"Its good to see you two, Princess Twilight and Princess Luna."
"Yes you too Fleetfoot." Twilight said.
To the right of the office lay another beige couch but bigger faced toward the center of the room.
Spitfire took her seat at her desk and the princesses side stepped to stand closer to the fire place to get warm, the office door opened and in came Swiftly, a cream yellow pelted mare with a light blue mane.
"So sorry I'm late Spitfire, a few of the new recruits needed some directions." She trotted in to stand next to spitfire, then bowed her head at the two princesses, they nodded in return.
"Make yourselves comfortable then we must talk." Spitfire said.
A purple aroura settled over the purple alicorn's horn as it wrapped itself around the big coach to the right, she then lifted it up and brought it to the center of the office. The two princesses sat on it as the turquoise pelted mare brought the small coach over and the cream yellow pelted mare went over to sit with her. All four ponies were now in a circle as the fifth one joined in with a chair.
Twilight began to speak. She explained the conversation that she had with Luna two nights before and their plan.
"The Shadowbolts wanted to be admired by all but when they didn't get what they wanted they used fear and suffering. Defeating the Shadowbolt's tyranny made the Wonderbolts even more loved then before which made the Shadowbolts blind with envy and hate."
She finished
Spitfire nodded.
A blue alicorn with a flowing blue mane spoke up "Every prophecy has a background and can be uncovered. Many moons back a former Wonderbolt had gone missing, does thou remember?"
"Ohhhh..." Fleetfoot said "Yes her name was Cloud Skipper I believe."
"Clouddancer." Spitfire said so softly no pony could hardly hear her. Her eyes were filled with pain.
Luna nodded
"She changed her name when she decided to become evil, but no pony knows why.
"I heard some theories like that from the new recruits a while back, but I never thought it would be true." Mistyfly said.
"Now she is the most feared pegasus in all of Equestria." Luna continued "NightShade."
It was getting late when Glimmer trotted back to her bunk. She remembered the talk she just had a few minutes ago with Rainbow Blaze the Weather Factory manger. Her heart still thumped from the conversation even though they seemed well acquainted.
Glimmer racked her brain to remember the way back for it was a long a twisted path through halls. Glimmer came to a stop, two hall ways stood in front of her so she decided to take the lefts side. Glimmer realized she had went the wrong way when the doors read employees only signs on them. Glimmer trotted a bit father down the hall when she heard voices coming through one of the doors that stood a jar.
"You fool, I told you specific instructions!" A muffled mare's voice yelled.
Glimmer trotted closer trying to hear more. She knew not to spy but her curiosity got the best of her.
"I-I'm sorry mistress, I know where she is I'll keep an eye on her."Glimmer heard a stallions voice stammer.
Glimmer got closer, soon she could a make out a figure standing near the door. A mare with a blue mane, She was wearing a and black and purple flight suit which had yellow lighting bolts around the legs and chest. She had purple googles that lay on the top of her head. Glimmer had gotten a good side view of the mare but not so much of the stallion.
"As you should." The mare said sternly. "When I took you from the weather team I knew you would be good for the job. DON'T fail me."
"Yes mistress." His voice trailed off.
"Give me any news about the mare the next time I visit." Glimmer watched as the mare wearing the dark flight suit spread her wings and jumped out the window that she had just open. Then she was gone.
The stallion stood there a bit longer thinking. Glimmer decided she better get back to her bunk before she got in trouble.
When Glimmer finally got back from her adventure, her dorm was already crowded with her bunk mates.
So much for having some alone time. She thought
"I heard that the third test is talking to Rainbow Blaze himself." Glimmer heard Morningflower say, a light pink pelted mare with a brown mane.
"Yeah, I had to go there before dinner." said Rainingtwist.
"Hey Glimmer where have you been?" Cloud Kicker asked everypony turned their attention to Glimmer.
"Rainbow Blaze's office." she said "It wasn't that bad."
One of the mares sighed in relief.
"I didn't take the test yet, I hope he's nice."
Glimmer nodded, she trotted to her bunk already the noise of the dorm was calming down and the lights began to turn off.
Glimmer stayed awake a bit longer, she heard shifting in some beds and whispers which made it hard for to close her eyes and drift off to sleep.
Glimmer began to think about the conversation she had just heard, she wondered who the mare was in that dark flight suit. She also wondered who the stallion was... Glimmer stopped thinking, her heart began to beat faster, she recognized the voice. This time instead of it being loud and firm it was low and quivery.
The air was dead with silence. No conversation stirred between the five ponies as they each stood transfixed at one another. Finally, the continuous lull ended with Fleetfoot saying,
"Uh... well, that was unexpected." Her eyes wandered around the circle of ponies and eventually landed on Spitfire. Spitfire had her eyes closed and her head down. She shook it from side to side trying to understand what she had just heard.
"I can't believe it," Mistfly said.
All Spitfire could do was nod. It was as if Mistfly took the thought right out of her head.
"But why?" Spitfire asked quietly.
"We are sorry, Spitfire, we do not know the answer to that," Luna said. A feeling of empathy filled Princess Luna’s mind.
"Well then, that’s what we have to uncover," Twilight said encouragingly.
"We also have to get in touch with Nightglimmer, whom you said was training at the weather factory," said Spitfire as she turned her head toward FleetFoot.
"Yes, that’s right," Fleet answered.
"I can get in touch will Rainbow Blaze through Rainbow Dash. Maybe then I can get to talk to Nightglimmer,” said Spitfire.
"We can travel into her dreams and attempt to speak with her," Luna chimed in.
"Then we have a plan!" Twilight said as her horn began to glow with a purple light. A scroll and quill appeared in front of her. She then began to create a list with the new found objects.
Glimmer was plagued with insomnia. She tossed and turned in her bed all night. All she could think about were the events that have transpired.
Questions kept nagging at her like a bothersome parent; questions that Glimmer wished she knew the answers to.
What was going on? Why was Openskies there and talking to that mare? Why did he seem so nervous?
Glimmer closed her eyes hoping the darkness would help her count sheep tonight. Darkness filled her vision with a dream. Within Glimmer’s dream was the mare wearing the dark flight suit. Glimmer couldn't see her face as it was veiled by darkness. The dream soon became darker and had an ominous vibe, making Glimmer feel uneasy. The mare was facing her, her wide wings spread out menacingly. Purple goggles with dark tinted lenses prevented Glimmer from seeing her eyes.
“Who are you?” Glimmer asked. She wasn’t sure what else to do in this situation.
Suddenly, the scene became nothing but swirling silvery blue clouds. Glimmer looked around in bewilderment, not understanding what was happening. Princess Luna suddenly landed in front of her, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Luna's horn lit up and a blue beam shot from it, striking the dark mare whom exploded into dust.
Princess Luna approached Glimmer, who was utterly dumbfounded in the heat of the moment. She just stood there staring at Princess Luna with her jaw dropped.
"P-Princess Luna?" Glimmer stammered, bowing her head in greeting. This was the second time she had seen the princess. The first time was during the Summer Sun Celebration.
"Hello, Nightglimmer," Luna said calmly, not wanting to put the already flabbergasted pony into shock. Luna turned around and motioned for Glimmer to follow, “Come, we have much to discuss.”
Glimmer followed the princess of the night. Soon the scene shifted to Canterlot, inside of the library. A fire from the fireplace faintly lit up the room. In front of the fireplace stood a small table with two elegant chairs. Luna gestured to Glimmer to sit in one of the seats while she took the other.
"Now," Luna said as she settled down. Her horn glowed light blue as two cups and a tea pot popped out from the air. She filled each cup with tea and floated one over to Glimmer. Glimmer kindly took the tea and took a sip. Surprisingly, she could taste in the dream world.
"Spitfire needs thou to come to the Wonderbolt Academy-"
"What?!" shouted Glimmer, her face was lit up with surprise and joy.
"Yes, we all need thy help to stop the Shadowbolts."
"You need my help?" Glimmer's excitement was short-lived, "What can I do to stop the Shadowbolts?"
"We think thou have the power, although we are not sure how," said Princess Luna.
"Yes, I can help," Glimmer said, ecstatic to be able to finally go to the Wonderbolt Academy, "How will I get there? I’m already registered on the Weather team."
"Spitfire is talking to Rainbow Blaze about transferring thou."
Glimmer nodded. She thought about what she was going to tell her father.
"We will see thou soon. Spitfire will come and escort thou to the Wonderbolt Academy."
"Thank you! Thank you! Oh, yes, sweet Celestia, THANK YOU!!" Glimmer shouted, overwhelmed with joy. She didn’t care that she was in front of royalty; Glimmer got up from the chair and started doing her happy dance. When Glimmer was done, the dream began to ebb away as Luna nodded and spread her wings in preparation to fly.
Glimmer woke up with a start. The sun had already risen. Glimmer looked around and realized she was the only one left in the dorm room. Glimmer hurried out of bed and out of the dorms to the shower area. She burst through the swinging door and trotted to the nearest stall available. Glimmer turned the knob to a warm temperature and sighed with relief as the water hit her back and mane. Reality struck her as she began to remember her dream and excitement began to pump through her. After lathering, rinsing, and repeating, Glimmer got out of the shower, took a towel from a nearby towel rack, and started drying herself off.
"Ms. Nightglimmer?" called a voice. Glimmer peeked her head out of the showering area and saw Rainbow Blaze trotting down the hall at a brisk pace. Alongside him was an orange mare with an orange and yellow mane. She was wearing a Wonderbolts uniform.
"Yes?" Glimmer answered, unsure how to feel at the moment.
"Spitfire has just talked to me and wants you to come to the Wonderbolt academy,” said Rainbow Blaze as he grinded to a screeching halt in front of Glimmer, “It appears she had seen you flying and was impressed with your abilities. Now, please go pack your bags and meet us in the lobby."
Glimmer nodded, she dashed away down the halls to her dorm. She didn't want to keep them waiting. Glimmer thought of the dream last night. Luna had told her that they needed her help to stop the Shadowbolts, so why did Spitfire say that she was going because of her abilities? Glimmer quickly gathered her things and headed out go the room.
"Hey, Glimmer! Where are you going?" A light pink mare said as Glimmer bolted past her.
Glimmer turned her head and shouted, "To the Wonderbolt Academy!"
"Whoa! How in Equestria did you get admitted there?! Best of luck to you!"
"Thanks!" Glimmer smiled as she trotted to the lobby. I'll need it, for what’s in store for me, she thought. Soon, the haunting questions had returned to Glimmer’s mind. But this time, they brought reinforcements. Anxiety began to fill Glimmer’s mind as she wondered what kinds of strings were attached to this opportunity of a lifetime.
Glimmer looked back at the weather factory, which grew smaller as she flew further away from it. Excitement coursed through her veins; her dream to finally able to attend the Wonderbolts Academy had come true. Her achievement was bittersweet, though, because she felt a bit saddened about leaving her new friends behind. A little while ago, she had said goodbye to Rainbow Blaze, who was very disheartened by his friend’s departure. It just went to show Glimmer that she couldn’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs.
What's going to happen now? Glimmer thought as the Wonderbolt Academy came closer into view.
She knew that she wouldn't be treated like the recruit she always wanted to be. She couldn't tell anypony the real reason she was there. It was a strict rule given by Princess Luna. If the news spread that the Shadowbolts were coming, everypony would be thrown into a panic.
Glimmer was so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed the big platform floating perfectly still in the sky. Glimmer peered down below, noticing many buildings encircled around the platform and a big rainbow waterfall falling from the side. In awe, Glimmer followed Spitfire, who was now leading the way toward one of the bigger buildings. Its frost colored walls were like candy to Glimmer’s eyes.
Once inside, the building had a dome-like ceiling. Two hallways stood across from each other in the lobby. The hall to the right was filled with pictures of previous Wonderbolt captions and recruits. The one on the left had rows of spaced out doors that each bared a captain's name. Spitfire led Glimmer to the first door on the left. She pushed passed the door and trotted inside. Glimmer eagerly followed, her eyes wandered around and examined the room. It was a cozy-looking office. It had a fireplace to one side, a desk in the middle, and two velvet couches facing each other. Two new faces smiled at Glimmer, each sitting on the couches. Spitfire sat down next to the cream yellow mare while she indicated to Glimmer to sit down.
Glimmer nodded as she slowly trotted to an empty seat next to the turquoise mare. Her heart beat faster. It was becoming increasingly difficult for Glimmer to contain her excitement.
"As you may already know, we have called you here for a very important task." Spitfire said slowly. "Do you know anything of the mare, Cloud Dancer?"
At once, Glimmer's ears perked up. She knew that name, it was embedded in her memory. Her whole life revolved around it. Glimmer remembered the stories her father told when she was a filly. A flashback occurred, bringing Glimmer's mind to when her mother was holding her in her hooves. The smiling and laughing mare that she knew only for a short time.
"Glimmer?" A turquoise hoof waved in front of her expressionless face, "Are you alright?"
"What? Oh! Um, yeah, I’m fine, thanks." Glimmer shook her head slightly to snap hers.
"Cloud Dancer had told me she had a child,” Spitfire continued, “She’s told me so many stories about you. I must say, her description on what you look like turned out to be crushingly accurate! She would be like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow to a police sketch artist!”
"You knew my mother?" Glimmer asked. Any new information about her mother intrigued her.
"Yes, I was very well acquainted with her. She was a Wonderbolt and my co-captain."
Glimmer's eyes bulged out, keeping a steady shocked expression. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
"I am surprised that she had never told you."
Glimmer nodded in dismay. She would have wanted her mother to tell her that she was a Wonderbolt co-captain.
"However, we have recently uncovered a dark secret of hers," Spitfire lowered her voice, "Your mother, Cloud Dancer, is a Shadowbolt..."
"Are you ready, my little filly?" A mare's voice rung out. Her blue coat sparkled in the sunlight. She was flying a few inches off the ground in her backyard and looking down at an aqua-colored pegasus filly. A small house stood about twenty feet from where the filly was standing. A big tree stood in a fenced area in the yard; its leaves were flying off and being scattered by the wind.
"Yes, Mommy! I wanna fly with you!" The filly squealed excitedly. The little filly stood next to the big tree, looking up at the mare. She looked like she could take on the whole world. The filly stretched out her a little wings, slowly and ever so carefully flapping them.
"Yeah, that’s the idea! Just a little bit more," the mare said encouragingly. She held out her hooves, just in case she needed to catch the little bundle of aqua fur and feathers if she fell like a stone.
The filly squeezed her blue eyes shut, concentrating as hard as she possibly could. She flapped her wings harder as her little legs pushed her body off the ground. For a few seconds, the filly stayed in that one spot, hovering about a foot off the ground. Slowly, she opened her eyes and giant smile grew on her face.
"You did it, my little filly! I knew you could! Go on, fly around! Embrace the gift of flight!"
Following the mare’s words, the filly flapped her wings harder to get herself moving. Although she was flying at a snail’s pace, the filly was so ecstatic about being able to fly at all that she could care less about how fast she was able to go.
Just like that, a cutie mark made its way to the blank flank. A lighting bolt with wings on one side carried by a crescent moon and a star in the center.
The mare took notice of this and a wide grin spread across her face, "I think you might have another thing to be happy about."
"What would that be?" The filly asked as she turned to face her mother.
"I’ll give you a hint," she chuckled, “What’s on my flank that’s now on yours?” The little filly took a minute to ponder the mare’s riddle. Then, a sense of realization hit her and she glanced at her flank to discover her new cutie mark,
"This is the best day ever!" The filly cried out. Her happiness had practically quadrupled!
"I think your father would like to hear the special news," said the mare.
With that being said, the two pegasi landed back on the ground and trotted to the door of the house. Well, to be more accurate, the mare trotted while the filly literally galloped at top speed.
Glimmer opened her eyes. The bright sun shone through the ivory colored blinds. She tossed and turned in the stone hard bed. A big white curtain encircled her bed, which seemed to separate her from the rest of the world. A small blue night stand stood next to the bed baring a glass filled with a green liquid. Glimmer looked at the liquid. It looked nasty, but her dry mouth told her otherwise. Glimmer reached over to take a sip of the green concoction. Glimmer gagged, the green substance had filled her mouth with a disgusting bitter taste that rivaled itself with the vomit-inducing taste of the Weather Factory cafeteria’s eggs. Glimmer tried to sit up, but her mind felt fuzzy and she was weak to the bone. Her muscles felt like machine parts in desperate need of an oiling. Glimmer strained through the pain to find out what was happening while she struggled not to let the green liquid’s sleep-inducing effect consume her. Her ears perked up at the sound of two mares talking. Their barely audible voices echoed through the halls.
"Will she be okay?" Glimmer heard Spitfire ask a mare, her voice becoming more clear as she came closer
"That I do not know, Spitfire. She seems to be in some sort of dream coma and is not responsive. She’s been out for about two days now."
Glimmer’s breath became shallow. Two days? How could this be?! It felt like just a few of minutes to her. The clip-clop sounds were now right outside her curtain. A light pink aura bunched up a section of the curtain to let a light fuchsia mare in.
"Well, I'm glad you’re finally awake, Glimmer!" The mare said, smiling the moment she laid eyes on Glimmer, "How are you feeling? Tired? Dizzy?" A clipboard and quill popped into the air as the mare grabbed hold of it with her magic.
Glimmer put a hoof to her throbbing head, "I-I don't know…” she said. Her voice was hoarse from weakness, “My head feels really weird."
"Yeah, the medicine that we put in your drink may have that effect on you."
“Well, yeah, I guess it wou-” Glimmer stopped and realized what the mare just said to her, “Wait, what?!”
“Oh, um, right… I guess we didn’t tell you about that!” said the mare, scratching her head with her hoof as if she had made an embarrassing mistake, “We would’ve told you about, but Spitfire told me to keep the cat in the bag!”
“You mean to tell me that the reason I’ve been out for the past two days is because you secretly drugged me?!” Glimmer shouted, her voice was beginning to raise. She would’ve gotten right up to the mare’s face if she weren’t in her weakened condition, “Just who the heck do you think you are?!”
“Glimmer, calm down!” said the mare, signalling the now angry pegasus to quiet down by putting her hoof over mouth, “”Drugged” is kind of a strong word. I can explain everything to you, but you’ve got to calm down! Take some deep breaths…”
Glimmer did as she was told. After the mare saw the anger leave Glimmer’s eyes, she continued,
"Alright, let me properly introduce myself," the mare said as she closed the curtain tightly behind her, "I am Nurse Golden Wave. I understand that you have a few questions that you want answered.”
“Uh, yeah! I have a lot of questions!” shouted Glimmer, “First off, what in Equestria happened to me?!”
“You were in a dream coma,” answered Golden Wave, “either of a distant past or the future."
The image began to fade from Glimmer's mind the moment Golden Wave had said that. In the memory of the mare and her filly, Glimmer noticed that the filly looked a lot like her, but she didn’t think anything of it until now.
"Do you remember what it was about?"
"S-sort of," Glimmer stammered, she wasn't so sure she wanted to say it out loud. The thought of herself being in a dream coma and having the dream about her mother brought tears to her eyes. She blinked them away quickly so Golden Wave wouldn’t see them.
"Would you like to tell me? I can try and help." Golden Wave said encouragingly.
"Um… Okay. Well, uh, there were two ponies: one was a filly and the other was a mare," Glimmer said as she tried to piece the image back together in her head like a jigsaw puzzle, "The filly looked just like me. In fact, I think it actually was me, but when I was younger." Glimmer clutched her head with her hoof. She was getting the worst out of her headache trying to remember what the mare looked like, "The mare, she had a dark blue mane and light blue pelt." Glimmer’s head felt like it was on fire after trying to remember what was in her dream. A painful throbbing sensation in Glimmer’s head only added to the already existing state of pain her whole body was in.
"I'll send Spitfire in to talk to you," said Golden Wave. Glimmer could barely nod her head without it hurting. Golden Wave left the room, and after a moment Spitfire walked in. She wasn't wearing her Wonderbolt uniform.
"How are you feeling, Nightglimmer?" she asked. Glimmer tried saying something, but she was too weak even utter a sentence. She didn’t really need to say anything, though, because Starfire could see the pain in her eyes.
"Do you want some ice or something?" Spitfire asked, grimacing at how much pain Glimmer was in. She felt sorry that Glimmer had to be in this agonizing condition. Glimmer tried nodding, but ending up pushing a shock wave of dizziness and pain through her body.
Worst migraine ever! Glimmer thought to herself. Spitfire left and was back in a flash with a freezing cold ice pack in her hoof. She gently laid the cold bag of ice on the aqua mare's head. After about a minute, the chill of the ice pack melted away the pain from her headache. But when Spitfire took the ice pack off Glimmer’s head, the pain of her headache began its torment all over again. Glimmer would’ve protested about keeping the ice pack if she weren’t in such a miserable state.
"How about you rest and I'll check on you in the morning,” said Spitfire, “Then, if you’re up for it, we can talk business." With that being said, Spitfire patted Nightglimmer on the shoulder and trotted out through the curtain.
Nice going, headache! The one time you start hurting is when the lead captain of the Wonderbolts is speaking to me! Glimmer thought as she grumbled to herself.
After three long and painful hours, Glimmer was finally able to fall asleep. She thought it would be impossible to even close her eyes with her headache constantly torturing her. Just an hour ago, she was feed dinner that was brought by Golden Wave straight from the Wonderbolt café. The food was miles better than the sorry excuses for food at the Weather Factory, which caught Glimmer a bit off-guard. However, good tasting food wouldn’t be enough to make Glimmer feel better. She was beyond disappointed that on her first day at the Wonderbolt Academy, she was in the medical center being fed by somepony else rather than being outside learning extravagant flight moves from the best of the best.
What did I get myself into? she thought miserably to herself.
When the light of morning lit up the room, Glimmer woke up. She felt completely revitalized, like a freshly recharged battery, and felt like she could take on all of Equestria. The long night of fruitless attempts to make herself comfortable in the stone hard bed and her unbearable headaches made the night feel like it would never end. Glimmer yawned, then got up to stretch. She flexed her wings, making sure to get the blood pumping through them so she’d be ready for any other unpleasant surprises fate might throw at her. They had fallen asleep a few hours ago because of the way she had been positioned in her brick of a bed. Because Glimmer couldn’t move into a more suitable due to her agonizing headache, her wings became numb and felt like they had died.
Nurse Golden Wave came in with a light blue tray hovering above her in a light pink aura. A big silver food cover, much like the ones butlers use, hid the contents of the tray.
"How are you feeling today?" she asked.
"Much better!" said Glimmer, relieved that the horrible pain was finally gone.
"I brought you some breakfast. Spitfire will come in and talk to you in a little bit. Until then, please, by all means, get some food in your belly!" said Golden Wave. Glimmer nodded and stared at the light blue tray. She watched as Golden Wave set it down on the retractable table to her right. Golden Wave picked up the food cover with her magic, presenting eggs, a stack of fluffy pancakes doused in syrup, bacon, and a tall glass of genuine orange juice.
Glimmer's mouth watered at the sight of food, her stomach growled fiercely with impatience, craving the breakfast that teased her with its luscious aromas. Golden Wave pushed the retractable table closer to Glimmer so the tray was in front of her. Glimmer quickly dug her fork into the steaming hot food. One bite later, she and her taste buds were in flavor heaven. Her stomach was beyond satisfied with the scrumptious meal. Golden Wave smiled at Glimmer's satisfaction and left her to finish her food in peace. The tray was empty in a matter of seconds. Glimmer licked her lips then pushed the tray out of her way so she could get out of bed.
Glimmer peeked out through the curtains once she had moved her body as she landed all four hooves on the ground. The room was quite big and was white like snow. On the right, more white curtains were in a row across from her, and more continued on the side that she was on. Many of them were empty with the curtains drawn. On the left side, three medical tables stood next to each other to the middle of the room, with a pillow propped up. Two other nurses worked, cleaning or getting pills ready on a tray. Both mares were unicorns and wore white hats with a pattern of red crosses in the middle and dotting the sides. The clip-clop sound grew louder and louder as a yellow mare opened the door of the medical room. Glimmer quickly half-jumped-half-flew to her bed, not wanting to get caught snooping.
"Glimmer?" Spitfire's ask, her muzzle peeked through the curtains.
"Yeah?" said Glimmer, trying hard not to sound nervous. Spitfire came through the curtain more so it wasn't just her muzzle showing.
"Are you ready to talk business? If so, then I'll will show you to my office." Glimmer nodded eagerly and hopped off the bed. She followed Spitfire as they both exited the medical room about to turn left. Golden Wave was just coming back, holding grocery bags.
"Good to see that you are up and walking," she said looking at Glimmer. She then glanced at Spitfire, who smiled and nodded her thanks.
"Yes, thank you for everything," Glimmer said politely. Golden Wave smiled and walked into the medial room. Glimmer turned to see Spitfire start to walk again. Glimmer galloped after the orange the mare. They turned the corner, bringing them to the lobby of the Wonderbolt Academy. Another hallway was on the opposite side from where they stood.
Spitfire trotted into the office and sat in the chair behind a desk. Glimmer trotted in behind her and looked around. two couches lay opposite of each other. On the left side of the room was a hearth with a little fire flickering inside, which making the room warm and soothing. A desk stood in the back of the room, where Spitfire sat.
A turquoise mare sat on the couch in front of the fire, then her ears perked up as Glimmer trotted into the room and closed the door behind her. Spitfire motioned for her to sit down. Glimmer nodded and sat down on the couch next to the turquoise mare. Staring at the mare gave Glimmer a sense of déjà vu.
"Hello, Glimmer, we meet again!" she said. Glimmer's mind clicked into place the moment the mare said that, she had been the mare she bumped into on her first day going to the Weather Factory.
"Sunshower! Or should I call you 'Fleetfoot?’" Glimmer said with a chuckle.
"It's nice to finally meet you as myself and not as some made-up character!" she said with a smile.
Spitfire spoke up, "Well, it's great to finally be able talk business with you we have much to talk ab-"
"So sorry we are late! We had to take care of some royal business,” Princess Luna said as she came bursting through the office door, "We hope we haven't missed anything important!"
"No, you’re good, Princess," Spitfire said as Luna sat down on the couch opposite of Glimmer and Fleetfoot. Her horn glowed blue, which then wrapped around the door and closed it. She blushed as the three ponies stared at her after her little outburst.
"Now where should we start first?" Spitfire said once everypony got settled. Spitfire pondered for a minute, then looked at Glimmer and said in a low voice, "I suppose you must know the truth first, I am not sure how I should break this to you, Glimmer. This news won’t be pleasant no matter how I try to word it. Did you ever know your mother?"
"Hardly, why do you ask?" said Glimmer.
"Well, I have some news about her that you’re not going to like," said Spitfire, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Your mother is alive, Glimmer looked confused, how was this bad news? Spitfire seemed to understand what Glimmer was thinking and continued, "She no longer answers to the name “Cloud Dancer.” She is now called Nightshade. She has betrayed Equestria, and is now the leader of the Shadowbolts…”
Glimmer said nothing. She sat silently with an aghast expression on her face. She looked like she was about to cry at the ugly truth. The truth that her mother was a traitor.
The air in the room was dead with silence. The only sound that could be heard were the light sniffles coming from Glimmer as she tried to repress her tears.
"I understand how the truth is making you feel, Glimmer,” said Spitfire, trying to look Glimmer in the eyes. She felt like she had just told Glimmer that her father, or some other family member, had pushed up daisies. Glimmer blinked away tears. She made a gesture with her hoof, signalling Spitfire to continue. Spitfire got the message, cleared her throat, and spoke,
"Well, we don't really have a plan as to exactly how we’re going to get you into the Shadowbolt fortress; but we do know what you need to do when you actually manage to infiltrate the place."
“And that is?” asked Glimmer.
"You must locate where Nightshade is keeping the magic and deactivate it..." Spitfire stopped to ponder for a moment, then said, "You are going require much intelligence about how your mother thinks if we’re ever going to stop her, which is why we have brought in a certain somepony who knew her better than anypony else to speak with you,” As if right on cue Thunder Skies trotted into the room, escorted by a Wonderbolt guard.
"D-Dad?" Glimmer said in astonishment.
"We will leave you two be," Spitfire said as she stood up and motioned for Princess Luna and Fleetfoot to follow her. Once they were gone, Glimmer trotted up to her father and gave him a big hug.
"I missed you..." she whispered to him.
"So have I," he said, hugging her back. Glimmer was taken aback slightly that her father wasn’t scolding her for leaving the Weather Factory.
"Aren't you mad at me for not being at the Weather factory?"
"No, of course not!” said Thunder Skies, “I'm glad you were able to come here and help the Wonderbolts out. It was your dream wasn't it?"
"So does that mean you know everything about Mom?" asked Glimmer.
"Yes..." He said slowly. His mood became more somber as he stared at the floor, “Cloud Dancer… H-how could she…”
"How did you find me?" Glimmer asked. It really wasn’t a necessary question, but she didn't want her visit with her father to be grim and quiet.
"Spitfire sent me a scroll telling me to meet her here at the academy. She’s told me everything that’s happened when I arrived. I think you were at the medical room at the time."
"Oh...yeah," said Glimmer, nodding her head. Spitfire was always two steps ahead of everything.
"Dad?"
"yes?"
"I'm scared. I'm scared of what she had become, I don't want to face her and if I do I don't want to kill her."
"I know, I know, I understand how you feel. When she came back from that mission she seemed different. She no longer had that soothing voice or kindness. It was as if her mind completely reset to only register power and hate." Thunder Skies looked up at his daughter as she asked.
"What did you do?"
"I tried to reason with her; telling her that this isn't right." Thunder Skies continued . "Then she asked me to come with her, to start a new in search of power. but I declined, I told her that I had a life here with you and a job."
"Then what happened?"
"Her eyes glowed dark purple and her expression changed to anger she told me she would never see me again because she didn't trust me."
"You stayed behind her for me?" Glimmer asked, she was filled with happiness.
"Yes, I didn't want to abandon Equestria or you. After the fight she left and I never say or heard from her again." Thunder Skies sighed.
"Thank you, for everything." Glimmer said and hugged him again.
"You will be great, no matter what you have to do!" Thunder Skies said and kissed Glimmer on the top of the forehead. A knock hit the door then Spitfire's voice rang.
"May I come in?"
"Yes." Glimmer and Thunder Skies said in sync. They looked at each other and chuckled.
Spitfire nodded.
"Thank you."
Thunderskies nodded back and left the room escorted by two guards.
“Lady Nightshade! Lady Nightshade! We’ve just received some startling news!”
“Ah, Commander Darkflight!” said Nightshade from her throne, “Startling news, you say? Enlighten me. I assume it’s about those lowly Wonderbolts?”
“Indeed, my liege!” said Darkflight, “It seems that some of our scouts have seen your daughter entering the Wonderbolt Academy.”
“My, my! So, my little filly has finally fulfilled her dream to be admitted into the Wonderbolt Academy,” laughed Nightshade. She quickly stopped her snickering and shifted to a more serious mood. She got up from her throne and walked up to Commander Darkflight, “This is no doubt Spitfire’s doing. That meddlesome pest just doesn’t know when to quit!”
“May I ask how this is a monkey on our backs?” asked Darkflight, not exactly on the ball with the situation.
“Why? I’ll tell you why!” answered Nightshade, “Spitfire and her allies are going to tell Nightglimmer of the so-called prophecy that claims she is the one destined to defeat me. If she figures out how to nullify our dark magic, we’re toast! I will not stand to be thwarted when our dream of the destruction of the Wonderbolts is a hop, skip, and a jump away!”
“I understand, Your Highness,” said Darkflight, “How do you wish to deal with the current circumstance?” Nightshade brainstormed for a moment, then responded,
“Send more scouts down to keep an eye on the Wonderbolt Academy. Watch for my daughter. Any movements that the Wonderbolts make must be reported to base immediately!”
“What should we do if they find our scouts?” asked Darkflight.
“If you must engage the enemy in battle, then so be it. However, if it’s with Glimmer, then you are to bring her back to me alive. If anypony deserves to finish off my daughter, it’s me and me alone! You can destroy any friends that may be accompanying her for all I care!”
“You want the pleasure of slaying your own flesh and blood? That’s pretty ruthless, even for you, Lady Nightshade!” said Commander Darkflight, a bit flabbergasted that his master would suggest such a thing.
“Why should I care?” said Nightshade in a condescending tone, “Cloud Dancer was Nightglimmer’s mother, and that name is no more! Now I am Nightshade, ruler of the Shadowbolts and soon to be the slayer of the those blasted Wonderbolts. I am the founder of the pure Equestrian magic that gave us our power! It is our blood! Our souls! With it, we are unstoppable!” Nightshade pointed towards the throne room door with her hoof, “Go forth, Darkflight! Send out those scouts and start organizing our regiments! I will stay here in the fortress and ramp up our magic and soldier production tenfold!”
“As you wish, Your Majesty!” said Darkflight, bowing to his master before turning around to take his leave. When he left the throne room, Nightshade thought to herself,
Oh Glimmer, my beautiful daughter, you’re in for a whole new world of pain!
Glimmer closed her eyes and fell asleep. She found herself in another dream, but this one felt much more ominous. Glimmer found herself standing in the streets of Manehattan. The once grand buildings of the city were toppled and in ruin. Many of them were still on fire. The air was filled with ash and smoke, which wasn’t good for Glimmer’s lungs. Glimmer nervously strolled down the streets, which were dead with silence due to the lack of ponies.
Glimmer’s heart then began to pound violently in her chest as she heard the sound of sinister laughter. Out of the blue, Nightshade swooped down from the sky and landed in front of her with a thunderous thud. Her eyes appeared to be hollow and were filled with purple flames.
“You should have stayed at the Weather Factory, you Wonderbolt-wannabe!” she bellowed, “You’re biting off more than you can chew if you think you can possibly defeat me!”
“N-No…” stammered Glimmer, the sight of her corrupted mother sent shivers up her spine. She looked around the decimated city, “I-I will stop you! I c-can’t let you do this to Equestria!”
“You are beneath me, child!” laughed Nightshade, “I am power incarnate! My new arcane powers will rip through anypony who stands in my way! I have hundreds, no, thousands of Shadowbolts at my disposal! When we win this little war, I will take the throne of Equestria and create an empire… of death!” As Nightshade spoke, hundreds upon hundreds of Shadowbolt soldiers began to descend from the sky and landed around Glimmer. Glimmer tried to move, but she found herself frozen in place. It was as if her hooves were cemented to the ground. She looked nervously at the blood-thirsty Shadowbolts. With their wings spread out, Glimmer saw that there were little blades attached to the ends of them.
“M-Mom…” muttered Glimmer, “Please, don't do this. I know there is still good inside of you!"
“No your wrong, come with me we can rule Equestria together. Mother and daughter." shouted Nightshade. A malicious smile grew on her face.
"Y-you’re insane!” Glimmer shouted back glaring up at the mare.
“Let’s play a game, my daughter. It’s been a long time since we have, has it not?” She made a gesture with her hoof, and a group of Shadowbolts led two bound prisoners forward between Glimmer and Nightshade. They had small potato sacks over their heads. “It’s quiz time, Glimmer! Do you recognize these ponies?”
Glimmer gasped in terror when she recognized the identities of the prisoners as Nightshade’s soldiers removed the sacks from their heads. To the left was Thunder Skies, and to the right was Easyglider, next to him was Spitfire and Fleetfoot. Glimmer felt herself gag when she saw that their wings had been torn off their bodies.
“I see the look on your face, these four are very close to you!” laughed Nightshade, “I suppose you wouldn’t mind it if I impaled them with these magic swords?” Using her new magic, Nightshade summoned four deadly looking broadswords made entirely of dark magic and hovered them over Thunder Skies,Easyglider, Spitfire and Fleetfoot.
“N-no… Please…” stammered Glimmer, tears were beginning to well up in her eyes.
“I hope you like going to funerals, Glimmer!” said Nightshade, “Because they’re going to become a regular part of your schedule when I’m through with this realm!” Nightshade slammed her hooves on the ground, and the four magic swords fell at top speed toward their victims.
“NOOOOOO!!!” Glimmer screamed as she woke up from the terrifying nightmare. She was sweating bullets and hyperventilating like a dog on a hot day.
"It was just a dream." Glimmer whispered to herself. "Breathe in, breathe out! Calm down!" Glimmer told herself this repetitively until she could think straight.
It was still dark outside. Glimmer couldn't help thinking about the day before, after seeing her father and talking to Spitfire. Spitfire had then led her to one of the empty guest rooms near the captain's quarters. She had never felt more tired in her life after the long day, but her body urged her to keep going. After the talk with her father, it motivated her to stand up to her mother when the time came.
"My Lady, what is our next course of action?" a dark navy blue stallion asked as he trotted into the room. He stopped in front of Nightshade and bowed to her.
"You know, Darkflight,” Nightshade said irritably as she sat up in her throne, “There was a time when ponies used to knock before entering places!”
"My sincerest apologies. May I have the privilege of speech?" Darkflight asked.
"Yes, speak," said Nightshade, gesturing him to continue.
"Do we have a plan to strike yet? Our troops are ready for battle and eager for carnage, but some are still training.”
"Give me time, Darkflight," Nightshade said as she put her hoof to her head, "We must be patient." She decided to change the subject, “Any news from the scouts watching the Wonderbolt Academy?”
“Um, well…” said Darkflight with a hint of nervousness in his voice. He twiddled his hooves as he continued, “There is one thing we learned that might be of interest to you.” Nightshade noticed the change in her commander’s tone and began to see red,
“This had better be good…” she said through gritted teeth.
“You know that cowardly pegasus that you say betrayed you? I believe his name was Thunder Skies or something.”
“You are never to say that name in my presence, you lowly whelp!” snapped Nightshade, her sudden outburst of anger made Darkflight jump in shock, “Anyway, what of him?”
“He was recently spotted heading into the Wonderbolt Academy by our scouts. It seems that your ex-husband is getting involved in their hopeless little crusade to stop us, Your Majesty” Darkflight expected another burst of rage from his master, but instead she stood as still as a statue. Nightshade then began to snicker, which then progressed into malicious laughter.
“Oh, this is too good to be true!” she cackled, “Now I get to destroy Glimmer, the Wonderbolts, and that spineless excuse for a stallion! Hehehe, I’m going to enjoy ripping off his wings after the way he betrayed me all those years ago! How could he choose keeping a job as a pathetic laborer at the weather factory over me, his own wife?!”
“Um, Equestria to Nightshade?” said Darkflight when he saw that his master was muttering to herself like a weirdo.
“I got sidetracked for a bit there,” said Nightshade, snapping back into reality, “My apologies. Anyway, what’s the progress of the troops in training?”
“Most are about eighty-five percent through,” said Commander Darkflight, “In a few days, you will have thousands more Shadowbolts ready for combat!”
“Very good,” said Nightshade, “I must have some time alone to think of our final plan. In the meantime, speed up the training process anyway you can. I want our new recruits to be sweating a monsoon and to have fire in the muscles when they are done at the end of the day!”
"As you wish, Your Majesty," said Darkflight. He stood up, turned around, and trotted out of the room.
"I must think of a plan, quick!" Nightshade told herself once Commander Darkflight left the room. She got up from her throne and began to pace back and forth. “If those blasted Wonderbolts have time to prepare for my siege of Equestria, then it’ll make my goals unnecessarily arduous!” She racked her brain for ideas, but she turned up blank. She threw down her hoof in anger and decided to go for a walk. If she was going to think of her master plan, she was going to need some inspiration.
Nightshade’s horn glowed purple as she opened the doors of the fortress. She was greeted by a gust of warm wind that made her mane whip around like a flag on a tall flag pole. As she strolled down the stone path in the garden, she looked around and admired the assortment of flowers and other decorations. It had been awhile since she had came to the garden. The tranquil atmosphere that surrounded the garden had allowed Nightshade to think of many of her nefarious schemes in the past.
What is this new bravery inside you, Thunder Skies? thought Nightshade as she stared at group of forget-me-nots, I don’t understand stallions. You refuse to take my hoof and join me on a quest for power like a yellow-bellied coward. Then, out of nowhere, you have the guts to get involved with this conflict between the Wonderbolts and the Shadowbolts.
Nightshade felt a drop of something bounce on her nose. She looked up and saw that it was beginning to drizzle from the the thick blanket of dark clouds that covered the sky above the fortress. The weather made her think of Thunder Skies, which made her furious.
Thunder Skies, I will never forgive you! Nightshade thought angrily to herself, We could have ruled Equestria as husband and wife, and yet you’d rather be a worthless nopony with a mediocre occupation!Better yet, I can try to get Glimmer to rule with me! Maybe that will cause Thunder Skies to join us, we can rule Equestria as a family! No I can not think such weak things, It’s Glimmer’s fault! She was the main reason Thunder Skies decided to stay at the Weather Factory! Suddenly, a light-bulb went on in her head.
“Weather Factory…” she whispered to herself as she stared at the sky. A wicked smile shone on Nightshade’s face as a plan of action began to piece together in her mind. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of this before?!”
“Wow, that was fast, Lady Nightshade!” said Commander Darkflight after Nightshade summoned him to her throne room and explained her plan to him, “Your plan is brilliant, My Liege. As pegasi warriors, I always felt we were missing something from our arsenal!”
“I’m glad you approve, Darkflight!” said Nightshade, flattered that her genius as a villain was being acknowledged, “Whoever controls the Weather Factory controls whatever rains down on Equestria. So if we, the Shadowbolts, were to take over the factory, we would be create all sorts of decimating weather! Lightning! Tornados! Hurricanes! Hail the size of watermelons!”
“Remind me of how we’re going to deal with the Wonderbolts when they eventually arrive.” said Darkflight. He did his best to say it in a way that didn’t sound like he doubted his master, “Need I remind you that a majority of our forces are not yet ready for combat? Ergo, we don’t have as many troops as we would like for an attack like this.”
“There are many pages to this chapter, Darkflight, let me finish,” said Nightshade, “I will lead the force that takes the factory. Meanwhile, you will take your share of soldiers and set up several ambushes around the Wonderbolt Academy. You are to use hit-and-run attacks to cripple our enemy’s forces so that we have less to deal with when they eventually arrive at the scene to try to drive us out. When your soldiers have done their job, they are to meet me back at the battle scene.”
“Shall I begin the preparations?” asked Commander Darkflight, brimming with excitement. Nightshade nodded,
“At once, Commander. Our attack forces are to be armed and ready by nightfall tomorrow. Remember, Glimmer and Thunder Skies are to be captured and brought to me alive. Also, riches and rank advancements go to any Shadowbolt who brings me a pair of Wonderbolt wings!”
As Commander Darkflight left the throne room to do her bidding, Nightshade thought to herself,
Thunder Skies, do you remember the last thing I told you before I left you to live your pathetic life? I certainly do! I said: “You will regret this!”
Glimmer opened her eyes and looked around the room, startled by where she was. She sat up and shook her head to get the sleep out of her mind. She looked out the window and saw that the sun had risen. Glimmer trotted out of the guest room to into the mare shower rooms. It had been a while since Glimmer had taken a shower due to all of the excitement, and the rancid odor coming off her body wasn’t doing her nostrils any good. The warm water felt great on her back as Glimmer hopped into the shower. As she scrubbed shampoo into her hair, she thought about her dream from last night. If anypony would be able to figure what the meaning was behind the nightmare, it would be Spitfire. After she toweled off, Glimmer trotted out of the shower room and towards Spitfire’s office.
Glimmer trotted to Spitfire's office and knocked on the door. "Who is it?" a mare’s voice sounded from behind the door. "Nightglimmer," Glimmer called. "Oh, come in!" said the mare’s voice. Glimmer trotted in while thanking Spitfire for her generosity of letting her stay in the guest room. "I should be the one thanking you, Glimmer. You are the one who has decided fulfil the prophecy to help the Wonderbolts fight the Shadowbolts. I understand how it might be hard for you to stand up to your mother." Glimmer wasn’t sure how to respond to this remark, so she simply nodded. "I had a dream last night, about my mother,” You, my dad, and my grandfather were in the dream too." Glimmer said in an attempt to avoid answering Spitfire's previous statement. Thankfully Spitfire understood and asked, "If you don’t mind me asking, who is your grandfather?" "Easy Glider,” answered Glimmer, “I know there is was an Easy Glider here as a Wonderbolt, but I wasn't sure if it was really him. The colorings are different." "Ah, Commander Easy Glider. Indeed, that is the same stallion. There was a time that all of the Wonderbolt recruits had to participate in a training drill. This training was to see how they would react against the Shadowbolts," said Spitfire, chuckling as she recollected her memories, "I remember when we had to dress up as different ponies so we wouldn't be seen by the "Shadowbolts," and Easy Glider had the best costume. He had his name shortened, and the tips of his wings were frosted to a darker color of his blue fur. We made sure that his new look stayed with the Wonderbolts even after he died." "Oh, that makes a lot more sense," Glimmer said, giggling as well, "So you knew him pretty well?" "You could say that. He was, in fact, my mentor." "Really?" Glimmer said astounded, "There are a lot of things that I am just learning now. It feels like I just woke up from a dream and was placed here." "Yes, indeed he was! A great one, in fact. I suppose everypony has been through that. Now, back to your dream. I might know somepony who knows a thing or two about them," Spitfire said as she opened a drawer from the desk and pulled out a scroll and quill. "Glimmer, would you be a dear and light a candle so I can send this scroll?" "Yeah, sure," said Gimmer as she looked around for a candle and some matches. Two minutes later, she found what she had been seeking and had a flame burning on the wick of a small candle. "Perfect!" Spitfire said as she light to scroll on fire, the scroll then turned into green vapor and traveled out of the open office window that Spitfire opened prior. “Any minute now and we should be getting a visitor." Spitfire said smiling. Glimmer pondered who the visitor might be. She would have asked Spitfire, but she didn't want to interrupt her as she had begun to do some paperwork after the message was sent. Glimmer sat herself down on one of the couches and waited for the visitor.
A blue aura suddenly surrounded the doorknob. The twisted and the office door swung open, letting a blue alicorn enter the office. "Thou hast called for me?" the mare asked as she walked in. "Princess Luna, so glad of you to join us. Glimmer has told me about a dream she has had and we were wondering what it means." Spitfire said as she trotted over to the couch next to Glimmer. “Thou hast my undivided attention, Nightglimmer,” said Princess Luna as she sat herself down on the couch opposite of Spitfire and Glimmer, “Please, tell me about this dream thou had.” "Princess," Glimmer got up from the couch and bowed before the princess of the night, "I had a dream about my mother. She talked to me about ruling Equestria with her. If I didn't, all of my loved ones would die. What does this mean?"
"Lady Nightshade?" The dark navy colored stallion said as he trotted into the throne room, then bowed before his master, "We have received some more news from our scouts. Spitfire is planning something! I believe that they know what we are up to!" "How can they know what we’re up to? I literally just came up with our plan last night!” said Nightshade, “I’m just a mare trying to enjoy some hors d'oeuvres, and I can’t go five minutes without being alerted about that rat Spitfire!” "Well, you told us to report any news about the Wonderbolts to you, My Liege,” said Darkflight, “Anyway, that’s not all. I fear the Wonderbolts may be planning an attack of their own!” Nightshade took a minute to soak in what her subject just told her. She thought about it as she popped a chocolate-covered truffle in her mouth and chewed it vigorously. “Looks like we’re going to have to make some changes to our plan,” she finally said, “We’re still going to raid the Weather Factory as scheduled, but I agree that the possibility of a Wonderbolt attack cannot be ignored.” “So, what are you going to do, Lady Nightshade?” asked Commander Darkflight. “I am going to the Wonderbolt Academy to see if I can get any last minute information about my daughter. If I’m not back by the time we are scheduled to attack, then you are to lead our troops in my absence until I return. I am also trusting you to come up with a backup plan in case of any “complications” we might encounter.” "It shall be done, My Lady," said Darkflight, bowing to her once more. "Don't disappoint me, Darkflight. I assure you that I will not tolerate failure.” "No, of course not, My Lady. You can count on me. I wish you luck on your infiltration mission," said Darkflight as he turned and left the room. I don’t need luck! I’m the very definition of power! thought Nightshade as she trotted out of the throne room and into the lobby of the fortress. Two Shadowbolt guards were stationed at the exit. When they saw their mistress trotting closer, they stepped aside, stood at attention, and allowed her to pass. Once Nightshade was outside, she lifted her wide wings and began to flap them. The sun was just beginning to set as she took off towards to the Wonderbolt Academy. Nightshade dropped down onto the Wonderbolt Academy platform and trotted towards the door. With a quick glow of her eyes, Nightshade used her magic to change to color of her coat from its normal blue hue to a warm yellow color. Her mane turned to a shamrock green color with pink highlights. The full grown mare turned into a young adult. "Who goes there?" a stallion guard asked as the mare trotted up to them. "I am here for Wonderbolt training, which I’m pretty sure will be starting in a few moments," lied Nightshade. "What's your name, youngling?" Youngling?! thought Nightshade, anger beginning to grow in her body. It took a great deal of willpower for her to hold her tongue, I should rip off your wings for calling me that! "Lightbeam," Nightshade said in her friendliest tone. She had made up this name back at the fortress for occasions such as this. "I'm sorry, but your name isn't on the list for today’s training," the stallion said as he looked over the list he was holding in his hoof, “I’m afraid you’ll have to come back later.” "Hey, I think I see somepony hiding in those clouds over there!" Nightshade suddenly uttered as she pointed her hoof towards a random cloud to her left. “What? Where?!” said the guard as he turned his head where Nightshade was pointing. Nightshade smiled as the guard fell for her little diversion. Seizing the opportunity, she used her magic to quickly summon a quill and scribbled her fake name on the clipboard. “Um, I didn’t see anything,” said the guard with a grimace on his face, “Are you just pulling my leg?” “No, I’m pretty sure I saw somepony there,” lied Nightshade, “Anyway, are you sure my name’s not on that list?” “Do I really have to repeat myself?” said the guard in a slightly irked tone, “I already told you, your name isn’t-” he stopped his sentence short when he saw that the name ‘Lightbeam’ was on the list. He stared at the list with a dumbfounded look on his face. He then looked up at Nightshade and send in embarrassment, “Oh... It, um, looks like your name is on the list after all. Um, my bad…” "So, are you going to let me in or not?” asked Nightshade. “Oh, why yes,” said the guard, “You may pass.” “Thank you,” said Nightshade as she walked past the guards. When she got out of hearing range, she murmured under her breath, “Suckers!”
"Glimmer, thine mother just wants to be with thou, but thou and her think different thoughts," explained Princess Luna. "I'll say," said Glimmer, rolling her eyes. Glimmer began to feel faint. She clutched her head with her hooves as more memories of the past flooded into her mind. Glimmer then collapsed onto the office floor and slipped into an unconscious state.
"Alright, time for bed, my little filly," A mare cooed as she placed down a bundle of aqua blue fur and feathers into the bed. "Mommy!" The filly squealed and lifted her hooves to indicate she wanted to be picked up and cradled. "No, sweetheart, not tonight. It’s late and you must get some sleep," the mare said as she turned off the side table lamp and turned on a nightlight next the the bed. "Good night," the mare said quietly as she closed the door, letting only a crack of the hallway light to shine through. The filly stared at the ceiling above her. She twisted and turned, trying to get comfortable in her little bed. The filly was just about to drift off when she heard the yelling of two ponies. Quietly, the filly hopped out of bed and crept closer to the door to listen to the conversation. "I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Cloud Dancer,” she heard a stallion’s voice utter, “These twisted ideas, it isn't you! Stop this craziness! I beg of you!" The filly recognized the voice as her father’s. "I assure you I’m not having an identity crisis, Thunderskies!” yelled the other voice, “How could you say no to such a brilliant offer? I’ve never felt more alive! With this new power within my veins, we can overthrow those pampered alicorns and claim the throne of Equestria in our family’s name!” "This isn't right," Thunderskies said pleadingly, “What happened to the gracious, caring mare that I met and fell in love with?” "You know what isn't right? This! Our so called 'love!’ If you really loved me, you wouldn’t be such a coward! Please, my dear, join me on my hunt for power! We can rule this realm as a family!" "I love you, Cloud Dancer, but I can’t do this. I am loyal to Equestria. I have a job and a child to take care of. Please, think of our little filly. Is this really the kind of example you want to set for our daughter?" “It’s better than what you want to do with her, Thunderskies!” snapped Cloud Dancer, “I will not stand by and watch you turn Glimmer into a lowly pawn at the Weather Factory! I could make her into a princess, Thunderskies! I will ask you one more time, will you take my hoof and join me on my quest?” “I will not drag myself and Glimmer into your crazy dream for power,” responded Thunderskies in solemn, firm tone. "Fine! I see there’s no changing your mind, you cowardly mule! I never want to see you again!” the mare screamed. A purple light reflected off the walls of the hall, the filly inched closer to see what was going on. but only to see her mother wrapped in a purple aura. Her eyes were like two searing purple flames that illuminated with mesmerizing brightness. Her expression was dark and full of spite. She glanced at Thunderskies and said, “Mark my words, Thunderskies, you will regret this night!” She looked away from her husband and flew out the door, vanishing into the night.
Nightshade found Openskies sitting at the cafeteria biting into a sandwich. "Openskies!" Nightshade hissed. "Huh?" Openskies looked up from his sandwich, "Oh, uh, may I help you?" "Yes you can, get over here!" Nightshade said as she pulled him out of his seat and rushed him out of the cafeteria. "Um, Do I know you?" he asked, a bit frightened that some random mare was putting him in this uncomfortable situation, “I’ve never seen your face before. Are you new?” "Oh, I'm pretty sure you know who I am!" Nightshade changed her voice from a high pitched mare’s voice to a lower, older, more ominous voice as she said, “Let’s see if this voice jogs your memory!” "N-Nightshade!" Openskies eyes widened. "Oh, don't look at me like I'm crazy!" Nightshade scolded, "You’re going to spill everything you know about what the Wonderbolts are up to, you lowly insect! What’s Nightglimmer plotting with Spitfire and her father?!" "I-I d-don't know anything, I swear!" Openskies stammered, terrified of the pony interrogating him. He felt like he was standing face-to-face with Death himself. "Lying will only make this worse for you!" yelled Nightshade, “Unless you want to go home in a box, I suggest you start talking!” "I'm just a trainer and tour guide, I don't know anything about that!" Openskies said as he put his hoofs up in the air in a "please have mercy" type of manner. "Then let me show you what happens to pawns that are worthless to me!" Nightshade's eyes grew purple again. Openskies backed away slowly, but it didn't do him much good for he had backed into a wall. "I’m going to send you to the depths of Everfree Forest, where you will be imprisoned for an eternity!" “N-no, please! Have mercy, Nightshade!” begged Openskies as a magic orb began to materialize around him. “Be gone from my sight, you whelp!” Nightshade yelled as she teleported Openskies to the Everfree forest. Nightshade turned to see if anypony had witnessed what she did. Sure enough, a light violet mare with an amber mane stood in utter shock with her mouth ajar. "What are you looking at?” said Nightshade bitterly, “I simply gave him a vacation! Didn’t your parents tell you that it’s rude to stare at others like that!" The mare stood aghast, not daring to utter a word. Overwhelmed by the potent sense of shock, she collapsed like a ragdoll and fainted. “Oh great, another fainter,” Nightshade sighed. She walked over to the unconscious body and gave it a light kick to confirm that the mare was out cold. “I can’t have you telling anypony about this when you wake up, now can I?” "Just to make sure you don't spread rumors." Nightshade's eyes turned purple, which caused a purple magic aura to appear. It wrapped around the mare and, within a few minutes, all of her memories of the past few minutes erupted from her head. “Hehehe… Another batch of memories for my collection!” chuckled Nightshade as she teleported the memories to a vault in the Shadowbolt Fortress, “Have a nice nap!” Nightshade stepped over the mare’s limp body and headed for the exit.
Ugh, wh-where am I? thought Glimmer as she woke up from her dream and looked around. She was alone in her guest room, tucked in her bed. The air was quiet, save for the the faint whistle of the breeze that slipped in through the slightly ajar window. It was around dusk when she woke up. Before she could try to think about what the meaning of her recent dream was, her attention focused to the two mares entering the room. One of the mares was a yellow coat and eyes like mud. Her mane was an eggplant purple color tied back in a ponytail. The other had an azure coat with jade-like eyes. Her mane looked like a raging fire being pushed back by a strong gust of wind. Both of the mares were wearing nurse outfits. “Why, hello there, Glimmer!” said the yellow mare in a bright sing-song voice as she approached the bed, “How are you feeling? Good? Bad? Slightly in the middle?” “Um, I’m alright, I guess…” murmured Glimmer, rubbing her head as she continued to suffer from a slight migraine. Glimmer noticed that the azure mare had closed the door behind her partner and locked it. “Where’s Nurse Golden Wave?” The two nurses exchanged a look with each other, smiled, and looked back at Glimmer. Despite the fact that Glimmer was as snug as a bug in her toasty, comfortable bed, she couldn’t help but feel a sudden coldness that enveloped her. What could it be? She looked at the open window. It was a bit nippy that evening, but Glimmer doubted that the coldness from there would be able to penetrate the three layers of sheets that covered her. “Don’t worry about. Golden Wave’s on break right now,” said the yellow mare as she turned her head back to face Glimmer, “But don’t worry, we’ll take care of you tonight!” “What are your names?” asked Glimmer. “That’s not important,” quickly responded the azure mare standing by the door, “After all, what’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet! What matters is that we’re here to help you get through this difficult moment!” That’s odd, why wouldn’t you two want to tell me your names? thought Glimmer, unsure how to respond to what was happening, Don’t doctors and nurses do that for reassurance or something? “Anyway, Glimmer, before we give you some medicine, I believe we should let you know that you have two appointments in the future.” “Appointments? What appointments?” said Glimmer. “Well, tomorrow, you’ve got to meet with Spitfire and Luna and discuss your dreams or visions or whatever the heck you want to call them,” said the yellow mare, “But the other appointment we can actually push to right now!” “Really, what is it?” asked Glimmer. “Oh, it involves you meeting a very special mare that is just dying to see you!” said the yellow mare. Glimmer couldn’t help but notice that this nurse had a slight foxy smile on her face, “She’s beautiful, wise, and a glorious leader!” “She also looks great wearing a crown,” contributed the azure nurse. “Princess Celestia?” said Glimmer, taking a guess at who this ‘special mare’ could be. “Not quite!” “Is it Princess Luna?” “Nope!” “Alright, I give up.” said Glimmer, shrugging her shoulders. Her head was already pounding from her migraine, and she didn’t want to overload it with possible answers to the nurse’s riddle, “Who is it?” The two nurses looked at each other again and smiled. But these smiles filled the room with an ominous air. They began to snicker, which then progressed to sinister laughter. Glimmer noticed that their voices were no longer the sweet nurse voices that she heard a few minutes ago. Their voices were now deeper, and they sent a chill up Glimmer’s spine. “You’re gonna have an audience with Lady Nightshade!” laughed the yellow mare. To Glimmer’s horror, the two nurses pulled off the realistic, rubbery masks they were wearing on their faces, revealing their dark navy blue coats. They tore themselves out of the rubber, yet lifelike, suits they wore over their real bodies. Glimmer immediately recognized the dark flight suits the two pretenders were wearing. They were just like the ones that her father described to her when he told her the story of how he met Cloud Dancer. “Shadowbolts!” Glimmer gasped. She tried to get herself out of bed, but the Shadowbolt agent retracted his wings and pointed the blades attached to them at Glimmer, within mere inches of her face. “I would stay quite still if I were you, little girl!” said the Shadowbolt agent maliciously, “Lady Nightshade might need you alive, but she doesn’t necessarily need you unspoiled!” “How awesome has our day become!” said the other agent with excitement, “First, they serve tater tots in the mess hall for lunch, and now we get to bag ourselves a prize that will promote us to the top ranks! Pinch me, I’ve gotta be dreaming!” “I still can’t believe the one destined to stop us is this little Wonderbolt-wannabe!” laughed the Shadowbolt holding his blades to Glimmer’s neck. He looked down at his victim and said, “She’s pretty, I’ll give her that.” “It’s only logical,” said the agent by the door, “She’s the mistress’s flesh and blood. It makes perfect sense that she has her beauty.” “Alright, Glimmer, time for us to depart! We mustn't keep the master waiting!” laughed the other Shadowbolt agent, “Get outta the bed and walk slowly towards my partner over there. One wrong move, and I’m gonna introduce you to new forms of pain!” Glimmer got out of the bed and slowly walked towards the agent that was once dressed like the azure nurse. She saw him reaching into the toolbelt on his flight suit and pulling out numerous bundles of rope. She was terrified what was happening to her. Would her mother really organize a kidnapping like this? Glimmer didn’t want to think too hard about it, she had to figure out how she was going to get out of this predicament. As she got closer to the agent with the ropes, she looked at the other agent prodding her. She was standing awfully close to her, a little too close for comfort. “Alright, hold out your hooves, little chosen-one!” said the Shadowbolt by the door, “I’m gonna bind ‘em nice and tight.” Suddenly, a thunderous siren sound blasted through the building and the rest of the academy. “Oh cheese and crackers! Did we set off the alarm?!” shouted the Shadowbolt agent by the door. “No, it couldn’t have been us!” said the other agent. He looked away from Glimmer for a moment and stared out the window, “I bet some dummy out there blew his cover!” Glimmer saw the agent get distracted and quickly seized the opportunity to escape. With a both of her back hooves, she quickly turned and kicked the Shadowbolt agent as hard as she could. She then punched the agent with the ropes square in the nose and made a mad dash for the open window. Thank goodness for those emergency drills! thought Glimmer as she spread her wings and prepared to take off. “Oooooow! My nose! I think she broke my nose!” squealed the Shadowbolt agent, who was on her knees and clutching her busted nose with her hooves. “Never mind your nose, you idiot!” yelled the other agent, looking at Glimmer, who had just flown out the window, “Our catch is getting away!” Glimmer flew faster than she had had ever flown before. She was flapping her wings so fast that she was worried that they might catch on fire. The Wonderbolt Academy was no longer safe. She had to flee. As she flew away from the academy, she looked back and saw the Shadowbolt agents were chasing her. “I’m gonna split you in half, you little brat!” screamed the first one. “I can’t keep up with this pegasus!” panted the second Shadowbolt, whose nose Glimmer had broken, “Lady Nightshade didn’t tell us that she was this fast!” “Quit your whining and stay on target!” scolded the first agent. Glimmer was way ahead of them. She needed a way to shake them off her tail. Without even thinking, Glimmer decided to quickly dive down through the thick layer of clouds below her. The Shadowbolts, not expecting this course of action, went through the cloud layer as well. But by the time they got through the clouds, Glimmer was nowhere to be found. “Are you freaking kidding me right now!” growled the Shadowbolt agent in absolute fury. He frantically scanned the Equestria landscape below him with the hopes that his eyes might spot Glimmer, but to no avail, “How the heck did we screw this up?! Now I’m not gonna be taking a bath in pool of gold coins when we get back to the fortress!” “What do you mean ‘we?!’” said his partner, “You’re the one who looked out the window and allowed her to pull a stunt like that!” “Let’s not dwell on this blunder too much! Nightglimmer is down on the surface somewhere. We must report this to Lady Nightshade! “Agreed! Hey, maybe we can make up for this by doing a good job at the Weather Factory raid tonight!” “Yeah! I’m super excited! I’ve always wanted to take control of a supercell storm cloud!”
Quick puffs of air came heavily out of Glimmer's mouth. Her heart was pumping at a rate of one hundred per minute. The thickening clouds limited her vision to see only a few inches in front of her. Glimmer raised her ear to listen to the Shadowbolts she had managed to elude. She could only make out a few words from their mumblings, but it was enough to get the basic gist of what they were talking about.
"...Freaking kidding...right now!” one of the stallions growled, “How the heck did we screw this up?! ...Pool of gold coins when we get back to the fortress!”
"...Mean ‘we?!’” said his partner, “You’re the one who looked out the window..."
"...Nightglimmer is down on the surface somewhere. We must report this to Lady..."
“...Agreed!"
“...Yeah! I’m super excited!"
After a few minutes, silence filled the clouds, Glimmer popped her head out to insure that the minions had fled.
I can't stay here, not after what just happened. She wants me, but why? Glimmer thought anxiously. She had flown farther away from the Academy than planned and decided that the best course of action would be to continue on her journey of safety. I must find my father. I know he can help me! Glimmer nodded at her impromptu plan of action and zoomed out of the clouds. She headed towards Manehattan, her home.
After the many hours of flight, Glimmer tried stopping for rest. In her mind, she thought the distance from Cloudsdale to Manehattan was a hop, skip, and a jump away. But in reality, Glimmer realized she was biting off more than she could chew trying to fly such a long journey. Her wings grew tired after the hours of flying non-stop. As every flap gradually became harder to control, Glimmer slowly began to lose altitude. Eventually, her wings just couldn’t take anymore punishment and gave way. Glimmer plummeted down to the ground like an airmail package and blacked out mere seconds after landing.
"Daddy, Daddy! Look what I found!" Filly Glimmer shouted as she ran over to her father's side. Luscious green grass tickled her hooves as she ran to the front of their house.
"What do we have here? A dream daisy?" Thunder Skies asked.
"Yeah! Isn't it pretty?" Glimmer stared longingly at the light blue flower. Its petals were so fragile they could slip away if she were to even so much as breathe on it. "Let's make a wish," she said eagerly.
"Okay, what do you want to wish for?" Thunder Skies asked his daughter. His eyes sparkled in anticipation to what the little filly’s imagination could produce.
"Um, I don't know." Glimmer stood there, brainstorming for an idea. Her wish then popped into her mind and she turned to her father and said, "I-I wish for Mom to come back." The filly opened her eyes and saw her father's expression of surprise.
"Glimmer, I told you, she's on a very, very long-” Thunder Skies hesitated for minute, trying to find the appropriate word to finish his sentence, “-...mission." Thunder Skies could feel tears beginning to well up in his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away before his daughter could spot them.
"But she has been gone for almost a month now. Where could she have gone?" Glimmer asked.
"I-I don't know." Her father broke away from the silent conversation and stared at the ground.
"Okay, then I wish that we will forever live happily ever after just like in the story books." Glimmer glanced at her father again. He smiled, and so did the filly. Glimmer breathed in a large gulp of air and blew it on the small flower. The petals instantly detached from the middle and sailed into the sky, carried by the wind. Glimmer and her father watch the petals scatter into the sky until they were all out of sight.
"Glimmer? I love you."
"I love you too."
Glimmer's past memory slowly faded away with each blink as she opened her eyes. The sun had set and now the moon was out. The moon may have been full, but Luna’s Light only barely helped Glimmer regain her bearings and assess her situation. A forest of tall trees surrounded her, shrouding the area in a cloak of eerie darkness. Glimmer got up and felt the extreme burning pain that radiated from her wings after flying for so long. She folded them up to her side and started to walk. Not a sound was present. No living creature stirred.
Glimmer's heartbeat began to hasten as she started to wander around. She was ground bound, and there was nothing she could do about it. Glimmer's ears perked up when she heard rustling in the darkness in front of her. Anxiously, Glimmer looked around and tiptoed forward. Her heart pounded in her chest like a savage creature banging the bars of a cage. Beads of sweat began to form on her head, which then trickled down her face. Her legs felt like they were made of jelly as each step she took was more like a wobble. Glimmer was sure somepony was following her. It was possible that it could have been those two goons sent by her mother earlier. The rustling sounds continued. Glimmer stared at the source of the noise, her ears twitching, waiting for any movement. There were other sounds besides the rustling.
"W-who's there?" Glimmer barely said in a whisper. In a matter of seconds, a bunny popped out from the bushes, he sniffed around then hopped back into the underbrush. Glimmer breathed a sigh of relief.
"What are you still standing outside there for? I told you to come in!” said Nightshade when she saw the two anxious looking Shadowbolt soldiers dawdling outside the throne room. “Did you two accomplish your task and retrieve my daughter from the clutches of those putrid Wonderbolts?”
"Well, we have some bad news," one of the minions said slowly, feeling like she was tickling a sleeping dragon’s tail as she spoke to her master. Nightshade's eyebrow raised then she sighed.
"Go on, tell me."
"Mistress?" The two minions said together. Both were astonished of Nightshade's calm reaction. "Uh, we were unable to capture her."
"I see," Nightshade said as she checked her hooves, "I really must be losing my touch when it comes to creating powerful warriors. Why can’t you bumbling pawns be more like Darkflight and actually accomplish the tasks I give you?”
"We apologize, Lady Nightshade. We tried to catch her, but she got away! She flies at the speed of sound!"
Always like her father, Nightshade thought. “By the way, what happened to your nose, corporal?” asked Nightshade as she took notice of the Shadowbolt’s disjointed, bruised nose.
“Oh um… I, uh, got into a tangle with a Wonderbolt on the way back here.” The two Shadowbolts were careful not to mention that Nightglimmer’s escape was partially their fault. If Lady Nightshade knew of such an act of stupidity, the two minions feared she would probably use her magic to blow them to smithereens.
"AHHHHHHH!" Nightshade suddenly shouted in pain. She threw her arms up to her head, which was pounding like crazy.
What is going on? Nightshade could barely think. When she closed her eyes, she could see brief visions of the past. Staring down at Thunder Skies after asking him to come rule Equestria with her. The terrified expression on his face surprised Nightshade. The two minions looked petrified watching their mistress scream in pain.
"Don't just stand there! Get help!" Nightshade barely got out of her mouth. Both of the Shadowbolts nodded and rushed out of the throne room.
Why is this happening now? I had my memories blocked! Nightshade knew that if she ever remembered her family again, her formidable dark powers would surely weaken. After minutes of enduring the intense pain, Nightshade couldn't bare it any longer and blacked out.
"Come with me! Let's start a new life. One with a purpose! We can be a family together."
"Cloud Dancer, I'm sorry, but I can't. I have a job and a daughter to take care of if you will not take the responsibility of protecting her." Cloud Dancer turned grim, her expression saddened. Nothing could fill a hole of betrayal faster than hate. A rush of adrenaline coursed through her. She could feel it taking control of her emotions. If the love of her life didn't want to go with her, then she would just have to continue the journey on her own.
"I never want to see you again! You betrayed me!" Cloud Dancer shouted "I thought you would love me enough to stay with me forever, but I was a wrong!" In a matter of seconds tears flooded endlessly down her cheeks. Cloud Dancer turned and flew out of the house, never to return to her old life again.
The mare flew like she had never flown before. Each flap of her wings carried her further away from the place she once called home. The setting sun painted the sky a vivid array of soothing colors as Cloud Dancer flew across it, unclear of where she was headed. The adrenaline of hate fueled her wings and gave her the energy to fly non-stop. She was never as fast as Thunder Skies. She probably never would be. Tears streamed down her face as she gazed down at the endless landscape of hills and trees that covered the ground. Every town Cloud Dancer passed kept reminding her of the home she had left and the family that could have been.
The night soon turned to morning. She was at the brink of exhaustion, but Cloud Dancer didn't stop. She couldn't stop knowing that her journey had a purpose. In view, Cloud Dancer saw an old abandoned factory hovering off the ground on a fluffy white cloud. Cloud Dancer figured that the building could serve as a refuge where she could rest. Cloud Dancer's ambition was clear in her mind, and she didn't want any distractions that would cause her to change paths. Back on the Wonderbolts' mission, she had found the source of the power to control. A crystal the size of a pebble that glowed bright blue, pulsing every few seconds. It was buried in the side of a canal that the group flew through and Cloud Dancer had spotted its glow. Curiously, she ventured out to take a closer look. What had changed her ambition was a mystery. Back when she was a filly, all Cloud Dancer wanted to do was serve with the Wonderbolts. It filled her with great pleasure and honor when she had made it into becoming a recruit. The years of training finally paid off, but it had now changed. The accomplishment of becoming a Wonderbolt had been replaced with the goal of gaining power. Cloud Dancer wanted to have the kind of absolute power that would make others tremble as they bowed to her. Cloud Dancer had never felt so alive. For so many years, she had thought she had gained it all. A wonderful job, a loving husband, and a beautiful daughter. But that meant nothing now. The musty building creaked and echoed as Cloud Dancer landed and peaked inside. Fortunately, nopony was there so Cloud Dancer could have a peaceful nap. She saw a neatly made bed of hay to the left of the entrance, buried in a corner. Cloud Dancer trotted over to the bed. It was perfect for her. She stepped onto the bed and smoothed it out to get comfortable. In no time, Cloud Dancer instantly closed her eyes and lay her head on the soft hay.
The day quickly turned to night when Cloud Dancer woke up again. Her stomach rumbled, demanding to be fed. For a few moments, Cloud Dancer was confused on where she was, she looked around at the dark room. Dust covered everything, and the darkness that shrouded the room gave it a slightly unsettling ambience. A baby blue colored mare trotted into the abandoned factory. She saw Cloud Dancer sleeping in the corner and trotted over to her. "Hey, who the heck are you?" The mare said with a sneer as she approached Cloud Dancer. "Who are you?" Cloud Dancer retorted. "I asked you first, now answer my question." The mare said as she came closer. Cloud Dancer sat up and started back at the mare. "This is my home, do you know that?" "Um, no, I'm sorry. I just needed a place to stay and gain my bearings," Cloud Dancer said defensively. "You should be sorry. You know, I could report you to the authorities for breaking and entering!" The mare said as she paced in front of Cloud Dancer. "Well, actually, the door was open, and I didn't break anything. You have a very lovely home, by the way." Cloud Dancer said looking around the empty room, Dust covered every nook and cranny, and spider webs covered the walls. The corner that Cloud Dancer had slept in had a berth of hay. "Thanks," The mare said sarcastically, "Now, who are you?" "Um, my name is-" Cloud Dancer stopped for a moment. She realized this was a chance to start over. This was a chance to begin a new phase in her life and leave the life she despised behind. She looked the mare in the eyes and told her, “-Nightshade.” "Well nice to meet you, my name is Star Blitz." The quick change in tone of the mare surprised Nightshade. "I'm sorry I intruded into your home. I just didn't think anypony lived here. I'll leave right now," Nightshade said as she got up and began to walk towards the exit. "Wait!" The mare called out to her, "You can stay a little while longer if you want." "What?' Nightshade stopped and turned around, the mare was staring at her then said. "I haven't had any company in a while. If you want, you can stay." "Oh, thank you," Nightshade said with a smile. "So where are you coming from anyways?" Star Blitz asked. "Someplace far away," Nightshade said.
Glimmer crept around the dark forest. She wasn't quite sure for how long she had been wandering. Twenty minutes? An hour? Maybe two? Glimmer felt like she had been wandering in circles, for everything looked the same and she could have sworn that she was seeing familiar landmarks over and over. Glimmer peered up at the blackened night sky, the small light from the moon and stars barely let Glimmer to stretch out her wings to see if she could retch the top of the trees. She scanned around her but nothing looked familiar. Deep inside, nervous emotions lurked within her. Glimmer had never felt so afraid in such a long time, she had no idea where home was or where she was. Glimmer stopped panicking and took a breath.
Maybe it would be better if I waited until morning to gain my bearings, it will be easier to find out where I am.
Glimmer thought to herself. Once she got that idea into her head, Glimmer felt herself calming down. She lowered herself to the ground and began to roam on a little farther through the woods. The chilly night air made Glimmer shiver. She was about to lose hope when she found a small cave. She perked up and trotted toward it. The sharp rocky walls of the cave nerved Glimmer but as soon as she surveyed the area, she sat down. All four of her limbs instantly felt like lead as they collapsed onto the floor. She was so relieved to be able to sleep for once and strip her body from the fear that crawled inside it like an unwanted parasite. She spread her wings to act as a blanket. At once her eyes became heavy and her vision was blurred with obscurity.
Glimmer felt a push at her side, she woke up with a start but she couldn't see much through her blurred vision. She slowly began to sit up and rub the sleep from her eyes, in the corner of her eyes she saw a dark figure. Glimmer's heart skipped a beat as she scooted half hopped away from the figure, she was still disoriented.
"Do not be afraid child. We must hurry, for these woods are dangerous and wild," The figure said.
"What's going on? Who are you and how did you find me?" The figure helped Glimmer to her hooves and ushered her out of the cave, Glimmer squinted her eyes at the setting sun.
"I went out to find ingredients for my brew. Some herbs and a little nut, the perfect taste for stew," the figure explained.
Now in the light, Glimmer could see more of what the figure looked like. A light gray mare with fascinating markings all around her body stood before her. The mare also had a short gray and white mane and tail, within seconds it had occurred to Glimmer that she was a zebra. Zebras were very rare in most parts of Equestria, how did Glimmer get so lucky to meet one up close.
"You’re a zebra," Glimmer breathed out in amazement.
"Indeed, child, I am Zecora; and who are you my dear? These woods are far too dangerous, I fear," Zecora replied. The two continued walking farther from the cave. Glimmer was stunned at how different the forest looked in the light, it's almost looked beautiful. Glimmer soon saw a small hut made of the base of a large tree. Smoke blew from the open windows of it.
"My name is Nightglimmer. I was trying to find my father, who lives Manehattan, but I must have gotten lost. Do you think you can help me?"
"Of course! But stay here and have something to eat before you get back on your feet," Zecora said with a smile.
"Thank you!" Glimmer followed Zecora into her home. It was warm due to the big pot of broth boiling in the middle of the room. Glimmer looked around the small shelter, she noticed multiple masks hung from the walls, with shelves of potions and herbs beneath them. "These masks are really cool, where did you get them?"
"I never stay in one spot. Those masks represent the many places that I have sought," Zecora explained as she stirred in the herbs she gathered in the woods. The enticing aromas made Glimmer's stomach grumble and her mouth watered. How long had she gone without eating? Glimmer had found a nice place to sit down, Zecora trotted over and handed Glimmer a wooden bowl filled to the brim of thick rich broth. The color reminded Glimmer of pumpkin pie, something her father would bring home on special occasions.
"Eat up, then rest. Then we can set out for tomorrow's quest." Glimmer thanked Zecora for her hospitality and began to inhale the food in front of her. After a few more bowls, Glimmer was stuffed to content. Zecora had made a small bed for her to sleep on and soon enough, sleep took over.
Glimmer slowly woke up, feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. She scanned the room in search for Zecora, who was already up packing.
"Good morning! I will take you to the Ponyville train station; for I am in need of a quick vacation." Zecora handed Glimmer a small loaf of bread. Glimmer devoured it quickly and, together with Zecora, they both left the hut and entered into the forest. "This is forest Everfree. Although it looks scary, it has its beauty." Zecora explained. They continued to trek through the forest, they continued to walk on a path, flowers grew on the sides. until Glimmer spotted a small light at the end of the path. The opening grew bigger and brighter until there was no forest left. In the distance, Glimmer saw a village.
Excitement stirred within Glimmer, she had heard such wonderful stories about Ponyville and the princess that lived there. During the long trot to the village, Glimmer couldn't help but admire the scenery she wasn't used to. Due to being raised in Manehattan, Glimmer didn’t really see many big fields and meadows. The luscious green grass and the numerous varieties of colorful flowers were almost hypnotizing to her. They had reached the middle of the town when a pony came up from behind.
"Zecora, what a nice surprise!" The two turned to see a purple pelted alicorn walk toward them. Glimmer gasped and bowed before the princess of friendship.
"It’s an honor to meet you, Princess Twilight," said Glimmer.
"Hello, it’s nice to meet you, too. What is your name?"
"Nightglimmer," Glimmer said as she stood back up to a normal position.
"Nightglimmer? Shouldn't you be with Spitfire?"
"Well, it's sort of a long story. But right now I need to find my father who lives in Manehattan. I need to talk to him, I'm sure that he's the only pony I know who can help me."
"Are you sure?" said Twilight, her voice sounding slightly unconvinced. "Well, I guess we can give it a shot. I will go with you to help find your father."
"Thank you, princess." Glimmer turned to the zebra. "Thank you for everything, Zecora."
"Good luck." The zebra replied.
Glimmer followed the princess to the train station, the unfamiliar setting of the small town compared to the large city interested Glimmer, she was curious about the ponies life style.
Nightshade sat on a tall chair in which she called her 'throne', the long room separated her from the door. She stared at a small milky white orb that she had stollen from a powerful wizard many moons ago, this orb could tell the future and was very helpful to her. "Darkflight!" Nightshade called as she say a stallion passing the door from the hall. "I have visitors coming and I need to meet them, stay here and regulate the patrols while I am done?"
The stallion trotted down the long room as he retched her. "Yes mistress, how long do you think you will be gone?"
"What does it matter?" Nightshade said in a harsh tone.
"Your right, I apologize." Darkflight responded as he bowed and exited the room.
Nightshade once again stared at the orb hopping to see more of the vision but it forbade it.
"Ugh, useless thing!." Nightshade set the orb down on a small table next to her throne and stepped off of it. She trotted down the room and into the hall to find her room. The labyrinth would have made anypony lost but it was forever in her memory. All of the secret passages and hallways to get to different room. Nightshade stopped at the familiar door at the end of a hallway. She stepped into the room and made her way to the table toward her left. A queen size bed lay against the middle of the wall as she walked into the room, the light baby blue sheets mixed well with the white walls. Nightshade stared down at the table and at a two sided picture frame. On the left side was a picture of an old friend, Star Blitz. The baby blue pelted mare with the scarlet red mane had her hoof wrapped around Nightshade's neck, laughing. Nightshade had a giant grin on her face as she stared back at the pony taking the picture. Nightshade smiled as if she were in the moment, right before the picture was taken.
"Soon Star Blitz, Soon I promise." Nightshade though, this soon brought tears to her eyes as she blinked them away, she began to remember the tragic day when her friend's life had ended after a battle against the Wonderbolts. She knew then, Both Star Blitz's dream snd hers was to take over Equestria. Nightshade's head spun, quickly she trotted over to her bed and laid down hopping that it would go away soon but instead she was sucked into a familiar dream.
"Hey, Nightshade, tell me about yourself." said Star Blitz as the two pegasi flew across the sky together. The sun shone brightly from behind them as they continued east, not knowing where they were heading.
"Well, what do you want to know?" Nightshade responded, worried of where the conversation might end up.
"Well, you never really told where you came from. So, let’s start there."
Nightshade was hesitant to answer. She had hoped to keep personal matters like that confidential. She stared at the pleading look of her friend. Nightshade felt that she could trust this new friend of hers and possibly understand her struggle.
"Well... I come from Manehattan. I also have a family. Well, had one."
"What? Then why did you leave?"
"It’s a long story and kind of complicated."
"I've got time," Star Blitz said with a bit of curiosity in her voice. Nightshade took a deep breath and answered her friend.
"I had this idea of creating my own colony; which would soon be big enough to take over Equestria. I pitched this to my husband, but he refused.” Nightshade's expression grew dark as she recalled that night. “He could have had everything he ever wanted and my daughter could have been living the life of a princess.” Nightshade began to feel a medley of sorrow and rage seep into her words as she continued to speak. “We could have ruled this wonderful realm together and finally stopped licking the hooves of those pampered alicorns! Yet, he refused and took custody of my little filly! He’s probably going to waste my daughter’s talents by making her work at the weather factory! I swear, my husband cares more about his pathetic job than he does me.”
The two were silent for a bit, Nightshade peeked a glance at Star Blitz. She wasn’t making eye contact with her. She looked like she was still soaking in the story Nightshade told her like a sponge.
"You’re probably thinking what an awful idea that is," Nightshade said quietly.
"No, Nightshade, I don't. I think that it’s a great idea. True, it does sound like a crazy idea; but maybe we could start that colony together, just how you imagined it, and raise an army powerful enough to take over Equestria!" Star Blitz said as she turned her head toward Nightshade, whose eyes were wide with amazement. “What should we call our new clan?” Star Blitz asked enthusiastically.
"The Shadowbolts!" Nightshade said proudly.
Within an hour, the train was already stopping to meet the platform of Manehatten.
"This way! I know where to go from here," Glimmer said as she spread her wings to fly. Twilight was right behind her. Glimmer was caught off guard by the sudden ache that hit her-homesickness. A homesickness she'd been too busy to recognize until that moment. Everything looked familiar now. It was a beautiful, tranquil day. The shone brightly with no clouds in the sky to mask its radiant beams of light. Glimmer flew down a street and found her house. There it was, exactly as Glimmer remembered it. Glimmer landed and Twilight followed suit. Together, they both arrived at the house and knocked on the front door. Nopony answered. The house was as quiet as a tomb.
"Dad? Are you home?" Glimmer called out after nopony answered the door. Glimmer turned the knob and found that the door was unlocked. When Glimmer and Twilight gasped at the scene they found. The inside of the house looked as if a tornado had hit the place.
No! Glimmer thought. She raced up stairs checking every room until she came to her dad's office. The door was open and inside the room stood a tall mare. Her pelt was a Her eyes glowed an eerie purple color and she wore a sneer on her face. She spread out her wings to show their full size, which blocked sunlight from entering the room.
"What a pleasant surprise," The mare said with an evil chuckle. Twilight trotted up from behind her and gasp. They both thought the same thing: Nightshade.
