After Summer Sirocco's expulsion from the Royal Guard Academy, a captain of the Night Guard offers her an unexpected alternative. The choice: sacrifice her relationships and abandon her identity, or walk away from a singular opportunity to escape the pony she never wanted to be. It dredges up difficult questions of how she sees herself and who she really is—and her answers won't be easy either.

Nine months was all it took for one earth pony to put Princess Celestia on the defensive. A fledgling protest movement and its wily leader have risen to challenge both her and Luna's age-old rule. And though Celestia harbors many doubts about her adversary’s true motivations, she can't shake the feeling that her own frantic strategy to restore order just might be proving the protesters’ point. As she and a devoted Royal Guardspony race to tamp down the flames from Just Cause’s torch, the princess will discover firsthoof what happens when her sister’s regrets and resentments are set free, when the loyalty of Equestria’s bravest is pushed to its limits, and when a few ponies’ genuine fears are ignored for just a moment too long. Featured on Equestria Daily!