A Stranger Among Them
Chapter 7: Double Team

Well, hello everypony! How's life been? Welcome to the official opening of Act II.

The music for this chapter, and remember to get extended versions pl0x.

A. The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword "Ghirahim's Theme"

B. Pokemon Black and White "Elite 4 Battle"

On with the opener to Act II!


I stormed into my room, pissed beyond reason. This Grand Galloping Gala is really starting to irritate me. I never cared much for parties on Earth, but I doubt they were all composed of the rich, influential, snobbish, and generally infuriatingly full-of-themselves bluebloods.

Including a certain Prince.

Yeah, I've met Prince Blueblood. I ran into him when on my way to one of Squall's sessions (literally) and he tried to have me thrown out. It took the combined efforts of Tia, Luna, Squall, and Princess Cadance to mollify him. I hadn't met him before, seeing as how he had been doing some time in the spice mines (of Kessel) to teach him some humility, according to Celestia, because he had attempted to shut down some radio station just because the hostesses made fun of him on the air.

In the meantime, I also met Princess Cadance for the first time. Luna and Tia spoke highly of her and her husband, and I found out that she was now Twilight Sparkle's sister-in-law. Seeing as how this society seems to be based on the medieval monarchy with a massive amount of the egalitarianism philosophy, that would make Twilight a duchess, essentially a princess-consort.

Which means she's royalty.

Which means she can boss me around and I can't say anything about it.

Note to self, conveniently forget to mention anything about that to Twilight.

All in all, I liked Cadance. She, unlike her eldest relative, was not used to being completely regal 24/7. She also, unlike her next-eldest relative, did not constantly troll me whenever she wanted a laugh. And she, unlike her next-eldest relative's most trusted guard, did not attack ponies they had never met before.

Back to the current situation, I stomped over to my bed, leapt into it, and stared angrily at the top of my four-poster. The Upper Class had insisted on having a say in the décor for their little gathering. And every attempt I have made to live up to their desires, they would start griping in their snooty voices about how I was going to ruin it, about how I was nothing more than a commoner, about why the hell am I in this castle when I am nothing more than a jobless peasant, and about how their attempts to get in Princess Celestia's good books were going to be spoiled by me, and about how they were glad that this year the common peasantry wouldn't be permitted to attend.

There were a couple of the rich that I liked well enough, but of them, only one of them had attempted to befriend me, and he even stood up for me while the others were griping. His name was Fancy Pants, and upon finding out that I was friends with Rarity and her friends, he and his wife just had to get to know me, and they even let me pick the restaurant. Cue disapproval for my carnivorous nature, but they didn't let that get in the way. I suppose what really astounded them was when Luna showed up to the restaurant and ate with us, and she unabashedly told them I was her coltfriend. It wasn't one of those bad surprises either. It was one of those where they actually consider the possibility that a street rat could have a chance with a princess. Seems they may have seen Aladdin.

No, not the Popeye version from 1939. The Disney one. The one with Robin Williams, which takes place at least 10,000 years in the distant future. That Aladdin.

And speaking of Luna, she cantered into my room several seconds later, giving me a very disapproving look. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be afraid of that look, but considering how much she hated the nobles, which was almost as much as I did, and also considering that she was beyond her usual irritation to the point where she didn't even give me the Luna Stare (TM) or the Luna Blink (also TM), I could tell she was just a little more than something as mundane as being irritated. She, quite frankly, was pissed.

"The nobles have been complaining to me ever since you stormed off," she immediately growled in a soft, cold voice. "They would complain to Tia or Cadance, but Cadance has work to do, and Tia is going about her business as the monarch, and thus petty concerns are not hers to listen to until she is off-duty. That said, I have had to listen to complaint after complaint about how you are going to ruin it, about how you are nothing more than a commoner, about why the Tartarus are you in this castle when you are nothing more than a jobless peasant, and about how their feeble attempts to get in Tia's good books were going to be spoiled by you, and about how they were glad that this year the common peasantry won't be permitted to attend."

I rolled my eyes when she listed their complaints, but I did it in a way that shows I was annoyed with them, not her. Still, her mood did not improve.

"For Lux's sake, Flare! I know you feel this is second in priorities after Tenebrae, but we have an outlook that as long as there is an Equestria for Tia and I to raise the sun and moon to, we will continue our lives as usual. We need to keep the citizens unaware of this situation, because if we don't, we have mass panic. Our society is not one of open warfare, though the way things are going, it might have to convert to one soon enough, if not actually raise a military outside of the Royal Guards to adequately defend our realm from those outside looking to harm this land."

She still didn't get it.

"Luna, what you fail to realize is that if Tenebrae wins, there's no Equestria to raise the sun and moon for. He wins, he destroys everything Lux worked so hard to make and defend. And quite frankly, don't you find it odd that he hasn't shown himself here in months? Not since he rampaged around Ponyville? Something's up with him, and I have to be on guard for when he does decide to show up and attack again. Something tells me he's not going to hold back this time."

There came the sound of a throat being cleared. I looked past Luna and found myself looking at Frigoris, who had his usual blank expression on his face, though he did seem concerned about something.

"I overheard the conversation," he started immediately, "and as much as I hate to acknowledge that he is actually right about something-"

"Buck you, Frigoris!"

"-I agree with Flare Dancer. I find we are not adequately prepared for his next appearance. He has yet to show us his true power and glory, and that little bit he used in Ponyville two months ago took the entirety of the Nightmares, Solar Guard, many of the normal ranks of Pegasus and Unicorn Guards, two of three alicorn princesses, a goddess, and Captain Squall. Perhaps, if I may make a suggestion that would compromise between your outlooks?" he half-asked, raising his eyebrow at Luna.

Luna nodded, and Frigoris continued.

"Rather than cancel the Grand Galloping Gala, seeing as how it is one of the oldest and most traditional celebrations we have, we have a certain amount of guards physically at the party, even more stationed in the city, a magical shield around Canterlot, and several party guests actually be Royal Guardsponies in disguise. It must be more than last time, seeing as how we have to account for the absence of a goddess, but considering what little military power we currently have, we need Captain Squall by Princess Celestia's side all night."

You needn't fear that I would not show up to aid you in a time of need such as that, but the Nightmare speaks sense and truth. Tenebrae will return with more power than he had last time, and as such, you will need to have more manpower- excuse me, horsepower- if you want to stand a chance against him.

Why Lux, did you just make a joke?

It's called a pun. Yes, in fact I did, Flare Dancer. Just because I am a deity does not mean that I cannot have a wit or a sense of humor at the same time.

Fair enough, I suppose. However, I still felt this Grand Galloping Gala was just bait for Tenebrae. He's such a drama queen; I bet he wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity to be fashionably late. Knowing him, he'd probably open the front doors with a loud bang, and he would stride in, complete with his own evil theme music. Golbez's Theme from Final Fantasy IV does seem to fit him.

Luna's anger seemed to completely drain, replaced instead by exhaustion. She climbed onto my mattress and drooped her head onto it, and it was here that I noticed her eyes were bloodshot and they seemed unfocused. Her eyelids seemed to involuntarily start to close, stopping at her pupils.

"Are you alright, Luna?" I asked. I swear, Frigoris' eye twitched, but I wasn't in the mood to troll him at the moment. Not while the mare I'm in love with looks like total horse apples.

Luna gave a feeble head-shake. At least she was honest about it.

"I'm just exhausted. I'm tired of this Gala, and I'll be more than happy when it's completely over, and I haven't been able to catch up on sleep because of it. I'm not even able to slow time down for some reason like I usually do."

Frigoris cantered up, his already-unusual amount of concern starting to break through his usually-blank mask of an expression.

"You must take a day off, Princess. You are in no condition to continue your work when you are in this shape."

She made a grunt of protest, but as much as I hate to acknowledge that he is right about something (because he is right about stuff, I just hate to admit it), I agree with Nightmare Frigoris. She really needs to take a break. I think I can go without Pegasus magic lessons for a few days. I mean, ever since I learned how to make lightning, I've been able to cause everything from sprinkling to thunderstorms, and to perfect them with relative ease. Now we are working on winter weather, and when Captain Squall showed me the basics of using ice magic, I discovered that, while I can easily cause Ice magic to happen, I can't use ice magic as well as I can use lightning, and thus, my winter weather suffers as a side-effect.

Which sucks, because I really like winter weather. I did live in Boston, after all, where it's cold for half of the year and mild at best the other half.

Luna lay there for several moments before acknowledging. She shook her head, then reached up and started rubbing her temples.

"There's so much work to be done. I can't take a day off now! The Gala's only a week away! I still have to-"

I placed a hoof on her lips, but she kept rambling as if it wasn't there. I honestly think she was so exhausted she either didn't notice or didn't care. However, my mood was lightening because this was making me struggle to keep a straight face. She kinda sounded like the Pyro in Team Fortress 2 when she did that, and given Valve's release of Meet the Pyro a few months ago, while I was still an amnesiac... Frigoris, on the other hand, kept switching between watching me and her with his completely blank expression while this transpired. Remind me never to challenge him to a game of poker.

"Mmphfmmphmm-" Luna was saying, and then I removed my hoof, "-and I have to-" and then I replaced it, "mrphrmphmmph."

I looked over at Frigoris, giving him a cheeky little grin. He retaliated with a death glare, and we spent the next few seconds exchanging elevating degrees of angry faces until he reverted to a blank stare that seemed a lot more… intense… than his earlier one. Okay, I give up. He wins. Now it's time for me to put on my big colt pants and defuse Luna.

I leaned down to her ear and started to mutter into it softly.

"Luna? Tia can handle it. She's had to handle it for the past thousand years. I think she can handle it another year."

I saw Frigoris turn his head, then promptly lower it out of the corner of my eye, and I turned to see. Celestia herself was walking in, her usual Solar Guard entourage notably absent.

"Sister, what is going on with preparations for the Gala?" she asked in a slightly alarmed voice as she cantered on in, concern for her younger sibling etched all over her face. "I have heard tell from the servants that it does not go well. Do you need me to step in and finish it?"

Luna's eyes unfocused even more than they were for a moment, and that was all of an answer Celestia needed.

"I suppose giving you the entire event to coordinate was a little too much for your first year," she said, her voice lowering to a gentler, kinder tone. "However, you have done fantastic. More than half of it is ready, and we can take it easy for the next week."

I rolled my eyes. One more week before I had to put up with all the hoity toity rich assholes. Excepting, of course, Fancypants and Fleur de Lis. Under normal circumstances, I would not attend, but according to Luna, it was tradition that guests of the Royal Family to attend events with the Royal Family during their stay, unless business should coincide. And Luna also told me that my being present would brighten the proceedings for her considerably. Celestia had invited Twilight Sparkle some two years previously, and she had brought her friends, but let's just say the Gala didn't go as planned that year. According to Luna, she hadn't attended back then because she had been overseeing the relocation of the remaining Nightmares from Midnight Castle, her castle on the moon, to Canterlot Castle. Apparently, they all shared a laugh when they saw the havoc wreaked.

Celestia noticed my eyeroll.

"Flare, I understand your dislike of the Gala, given how you have been treated most recently, but the Gala has its purpose. Shall I explain the history and purpose of the Gala?" she asked. A history lesson? Well, it couldn't hurt, I suppose. I nodded.

Celestia dipped her head, acknowledging my nod.

"Well, it starts a thousand years ago. I am sure you may have wondered why the capital of Equestria was moved between the banishing of Nightmare Moon and now, and this is deeply rooted in that. See, back then, there were essentially only two categories of citizens. Royalty, like me and the nobles, and Peasantry, everyone else. Nobles were typically placed in charge of cities as little more than an overseer back then, so everyone stayed mostly the same."

She gave a slight cough.

"After Luna was banished," Luna stiffened slightly, "I couldn't bring myself to inhabit a castle built for both of us, so I decided to abandon the Old Castle. I needed somewhere to build a new castle, and the city of Unicornia, quite frankly, placed a bid as it were. Negotiations began among the other towns and cities for where I should settle and raise a new capital."

I have never been a fan of history, as it were. I always preferred science and numbers. However, despite that fact, I actually found this history lesson very interesting.

"It was a long process, but eventually Unicornia did win out, but as part of stipulations before I could move there, after all it is important for a monarch to keep her subjects happy, Unicornia would change its name to something more balanced among the races of Equestria. Then name 'Canterlot' was chosen. However, there were several stipulations I had to follow as well. One of which was the establishment of a celebration where I would associate with the common peasantry, that being the Summer Sun Celebration, and against my will, they decided to have it take place every year on the day I defeated Nightmare Moon."

Luna grew tense again. Mental note, ask why she takes this event so hard. From what I understand, she seemed rather forward about it on Nightmare Night a few months ago.

"When the Upper Class heard of this stipulation, they came forward saying that, in the interest of fairness, I should also have an event where I would socialize with them exclusively, as I did with the peasantry. Of course, the peasantry did not take this lightly, but they took it with better grace than I had anticipated. Eventually, a compromise was worked out that, since the Upper Class had the means to travel, but the Peasantry did not, the Summer Sun Celebration would change location every year, but the Grand Galloping Gala would have one fixed location, that being Canterlot, though for a few years half a century ago we tried holding it in Manehattan. Long story short, it didn't go as well. In any case, the rest, as they say, is history."

Well, at least now I know why we have to go to this damn thing, and that, if I'm still here, I'll have to go through this every year, so long as I am Luna's coltfriend and/or a guest of the Royal Family.

That sound you just heard was me having a total hit-my-head-on-the-post-of-my-four-poster-bed moment from the realization that not only is this the first of many times I have to go to this "Swimming In Bits Competition," I have to attend to the "Suck Up To Celestia Festival" as long as Luna and I are together, and that's not even counting the time I have to spend preparing the "Kiss The Princesses' Collective Asses Party."

Luna eyed me from under her messed-up mane and giggled when she saw me head-post. I think she could tell what I was thinking. She's like my mom was on a much more personal scale. My mom used to know what I was doing even when she wasn't looking. Luna knows what I'm thinking, and I don't even have to say anything.

And that saves me from my sticking my hoof into my mouth most of the time, which, as I'm sure you know, is a lot.

Frigoris eyed my alarm radio, which was showing it was half past noon.

"Well, Imbrium and Crisium are going to spar in a few minutes. As much as I would love to stay and make sure she's alright, and as much as I hate to admit it, she's in good hooves."

He cantered off. Celestia gave a small nod of her head that told me to go ahead and follow. I raised an eyebrow.

"I want to chat with my sister alone, if that's okay with you. It's just something only we can discuss because it's something only we understand."

WARNING: CAPTAIN OBVIOUS MOMENT! It may or may not have something to do with the fact that they're the only beings alive who can remember well the times a thousand years ago.

Well, I started to follow Nightmare Frigoris to the sparring hall, though I didn't go and catch up with him. I wanted time to calm down from the earlier remarks. I was still a bit angry.

It was while I was passing the kitchens that it happened.

There was a sound like a rushing wind and a bright flash of light, and suddenly my vision went black. I looked around wildly, but I was trapped in an inky blackness in all directions. A solid surface, however, did seem to be under my hooves.

Of all the sounds to hear in this realm, the one I least expected to ring out could be heard. However, given who has a penchant for dramatic flair, I probably should have expected to hear Tenebrae laughing in a mocking tone.

"Hello Flare Dancer," he said, as the blackness gave way to reveal him, sitting in his usual invisible-hammock pose.

[A]

Rather than give the usual and cliché response to shout the villain's name as though you needed a reminder of what his name is, I simply gave him a flat stare.

"You seem displeased to see me," he commented dryly.

"Yeah, no shit," I countered. I normally reserved my profanity for times of stress. And the earlier Grand Galloping Gala annoyances, coupled with this most recent interruption fit the bill.

"Well, welcome to the realm in which my not-so-humble abode stands," he said, gesturing at the landscape. I decided to go ahead and get a proper look at it.

The sky was a dark mixture of pink and purple streaks, not unlike some sunsets. Black clouds were arrayed here and there around the sky, and the source of light was a ball of whiteness about the size and brightness of the sun that shone high overhead.

The ground seemed to be made of rock, and it was definitely floating in the air, as were several small islands of this same substance. Underneath them, however, was a darkness that I couldn't see through.

"If you are wondering, it is bottomless," Tenebrae said, following my gaze.

I looked back up, and saw a sort of castle behind him. Unlike Canterlot Castle, its spires were far from straight and bright. They were twisted and convoluted. The castle as a whole seemed to be made of onyx stone, and it looked like what you might expect the last level in a Final Fantasy game to look like.

A hint about the last place I have to go to in this story I seem to be stuck in? Possibly.

"Can you send me back? I was kinda on my way to watch something a lot more pleasant than listening to your spew about world domination."

Tenebrae rolled his eyes.

"You were going to watch two of the Nightmares spar. Remember, I've been watching you. Interesting how you paid a visit to your old home a few months ago. And all that just for an iPod. Is it really worth that much to you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shook my head.

"Just a way to kill time."

He shook his head, causing his spikes to fly around for a few moments.

"Well, I can tell you've been preparing for the Grand Galloping Gala. Funny, considering how I'm indirectly responsible for its existence. If you would be so kind as to tell the princesses I have the intent of attending. With or without an invitation."

Figures.

I stared blankly at him again.

"How about no? You crazy, Dutch bastard," I said, doing my best Doctor Evil impersonation. Yeah, I'm an Austin Powers fan at the same time as being a James Bond fan. So send me to the moon.

Remind me not to say that around Luna.

Tenebrae caught the reference. He gave a slight chuckle. I must say, it makes him seem like a lot less of a plothole when he laughs at something not having to do with violence. I'm rather surprised he did, too. I thought he considered himself above such things as learning Earth culture.

"I give you credit for using that one, but it was a rather childish and immature response."

The retort is too good to pass up. I do, after all, resemble that remark.

"That's not what your mother said, last night," I remarked, with a slight grin.

Tenebrae rolled his eyes again, although he still had a slight smile. He had to have seen that one coming.

"I suppose you're wondering why I brought you here," he said. "Well, truthfully, I've finally shaken up the barriers around Equestria to the point where I have the power to yank one of you and your pony folk out of your world and put him or her into another one. Sound familiar?"

If he's referring to how I got here, how does he only just now have that power, if he put me here in the first place?

"And now you're probably wondering how I could put you here if the previous statement is true, if I know you well enough. Well, all I did was slip you in through a sliver of an opening in Lux's protection. That sliver was large enough for me to slip my hand through it, but I couldn't yank anyone out at the time. Compare it to one of those traps where you put a ball in a box, and when the monkey tries to grab the ball, it can't pull its hand out."

Did Tenebrae just call himself a monkey? I started to struggle not to laugh.

"What are you laughing at now?" he asked, starting to look annoyed.

"You just called yourself a monkey," I said, starting to let out little chuckles. This was just too funny. Well, actually it's not, but how often does your sworn enemy walk right into a trap like that?

Tenebrae let out an exasperated groan and started to rub his temples.

"Why oh WHY did I have to pick such an immature brat for this job?"

I opened my mouth to retort again, but he was too quick to say, "Don't even think about it."

I let out a small hmph. I was going to say that it wasn't a job if I wasn't getting paid for it, but no. He had to spoil it.

"So, exactly why did you bring me here? It's not like you to schedule visits like this for idle chatter and me insinuating that I've known your nonexistent mother."

Tenebrae shook his head again, his spikes dancing wildly, as if to shake himself out of a trance.

"Well, partly to gloat that I can do that now, but also, I seem to have missed my earlier appointment with you, and I am here to rectify that situation. Put up your dukes, because you're here for your at-my-discretion beating."

I gave Tenebrae a flat stare. If he had been watching me as he says he has, wouldn't he know that now I can regularly land hits on Captain Squall? Which is something thus far only Nightmares Crisium, Imbrium, Insularum, and Frigoris have been able to attain. Naturally, they surpass me in combat by varying degrees, but it's comforting to know that now my fighting prowess can match the average Nightmare. I guess that's what Captain Squall does to you.

/[A]\

Suddenly, the sky darkened significantly. It went from pink-and-purple sunrise-y colors to a setting more befitting of a demigod of darkness. And it got considerably colder.

Almost as if Tenebrae had used the "Hail" ability from Pokemon, only without-

-without the hail…

Pokemon…

What was it the Captain had said? The greatest weapon of a Pegasus was his ingenuity?

Of course! I know how I can beat him now!

Tenebrae blended into the darkness well, but his pale skin, his red eyes, and the silver streaks in his hair and on his cloak gave him away. I suppose the same could be said of me. My red mane and tail give me away, as do my blue eyes. But what if…?

"Are you ready Flare Dancer? I'll give you a chance to show me just how much you've improved. I have no doubt you've gotten better, but I also have no doubt I'll be able to wipe the floor with you as easily as I had back on Equestria. Even with this limitation that I currently have on me from dragging you out of that world."

Heh, be careful what you wish for, Tenebrae.

[B]

First things first, diversions.

Using the techniques I learned from Captain Amazing, I felt the presence of the water in the air around me, and with little more than a thought, the droplets started to coalesce into clouds, which began to take the shapes I had in mind. The process was similar to Unicorn magic: simply will something to happen and it will, but Pegasi are limited to such substances as water and weather-related stuffs. But that doesn't mean we can mess with how light passes through the prisms that are water droplets.

In short order, I had six cloud versions of me standing by me. Now for some other tricks…

Tenebrae scowled.

"You insult me, Flare Dancer. You think I would believe those copies of yours are solid, and thus would be able to hit me? Pathetic. How do you think those can compare?"

I smirked. I had already worked the magic. Sure, Winter Weather magic's not really my thing, but even in my disability, I can still do some of the basics. Like freeze an ice block into a particular shape.

"Are you sure they're not solid?" I asked rather tantalizingly.

Tenebrae's scowl faltered, replaced by a flash of uncertainty. Gotcha right where I want ya.

Within a moment, his scowl had turned into a smirk. How typical! He must have thought he was truly invincible at that moment.

"Even if you were able to make them solid, it'd be incredibly difficult to control an ice sculpture of you, much less six. And then, they'd move around all clumsy like, and that's not to mention your complete incompetence at ice magic. You seem to have overestimated your own abilities, but I'll give you a few seconds to watch your pathetic attempt fail."

I didn't stop smirking. He had completely missed what I had done. Now all that's left is to beat him up.

With the mental direction, the six cloud-beings charged directly at Tenebrae, who started laughing. He definitely thought they were just cloud copies now, no ice magic involved.

But the moment one of my doppelgangers' hooves connected most solidly to his lower-left jaw, he was sent staggering backwards. He probably staggered more out of shock than out of the power of the hit. He clearly wasn't expecting a physical blow.

"Wha-!" was all he managed to get out before one of the copies, the only one that had run around behind him, nailed him on the back of the head and sent him forward, right back to the group.

He was better prepared this time, and he made a practiced swing at my copies' heads. However, what he did not expect was for his fist to go right through the copy's head, unbalancing him and spinning him around from the momentum of the punch. The look of utter shock was unmistakable. He had clearly been expecting some kind of curveball from me in terms of combat, but I threw a knuckleball instead.

That, and his overconfidence which had given me the opportunity to prepare. And now he was reaping what he had sown.

Every time he managed to get back to his feet and take a wild swing at one of my copies, it went right through them. But he couldn't just ignore them and come after me, which would have been the way to make them stop what they were doing. If he did, he would have been beaten to a bloody pulp by the copies.

He was smart enough to realize the hooves were solid, however, and in a flash of purple light, he had summoned his bat-wing-sword and swung it at one of the hooves of the cloud versions of me. Unfortunately, all it took was another little mental direction to make the part of the hoof he was swinging at intangible, and of course, he swung right through it, spinning himself around wildly once again. Letting go of that second command, the hoof became solid again and it connected just under his chin.

I don't know what was more satisfying: watching Tenebrae react in as positive of disbelief as it is possible to be in when you're reacting from a punch, or the fact that my loyal minions (mwahahahaha!) are dishing out the pain like Cordon Bleu dishes out the food to Celestia at the Royal Dinner Time.

Tenebrae started thinking rather cleverly here. Sure, he was in a half-panic at all of his attacks going right through my small task force. In a blast of energy, a shockwave of purple magic exploded outward from him, ending about ten yards away from me. I had backed up to watch the action from a safe distance.

However, as best I can tell, he didn't quite think it through well enough. The blast of magic went right through the intangible masses of cloud, and the hoof-shaped ice blocks that I had in the hooves melted down. But they were rather easy to reform, even from a distance. And as if nothing had happened, the attacks resumed.

Suddenly, Tenebrae reared back and threw his little sword directly at me. I dodged to the side, but the slight waver in concentration caused me to drop my minions.

They vanished in a slight splash of water, and Tenebrae was on me. He dove right at me, but before he could pin me, I myself reared back and threw my first lightning punch at an actual enemy.

And I hit him in the face.

Unfortunately, pure energy connecting with magical energy is apparently not a good idea. An explosion occurred where the hit happened, blasting me full-force. I was thrown backward, and I fell off of the floating island of rock I had been standing on.

I fell through the air for several meters in total panic, flailing and spinning wildly, and my wings wouldn't open. I was hurtling through the darkness, and I was certain that this was it. I had the briefest glimpse of something slightly blue-ish rushing at my face before-

BAM!

And suddenly, everything was gone.

/[B]\

-X-

I lay there for several moments, not totally sure whether I was dead or alive. I had fallen unconscious, and I'm not totally sure just how long I had been out. My entire face ached, and I'm pretty sure my snout absolutely ignited in flames when I touched it.

I couldn't help myself, and I let out a loud cry of pain. I knew it hurt, but I had to probe a little more to get some scope of the damage.

The more I felt, the more relieved I felt that I was still alive. My nose felt broken, and blood was still pouring out of it, running down over my mouth and dripping onto the ground. And speaking of broken bones and my mouth, I felt four places that hurt more than other places did on my jawline, and I'm sure I may have broken a few bones there, as well.

One of my eyes was absolutely swollen shut, and the other one could barely see. I looked around to see where I was, and I saw the island I had fallen from floating above me, though without depth perception, it's really hard to tell how far away. I had landed on another floating rocky island face first (seriously? You've made it a running gag that I have to faceplant on a rock in every single encounter!? What the hell, author? I thought you treated your OCs better than that!), and if I had been falling a little more to the left or right, I would have likely fallen until I found out exactly what was at the bottom of this realm, or until I stopped panicking long enough to start flying again.

Speaking of flying, my wings were battered and bruised, but otherwise they were unharmed. For that, I am most thankful. I started to fly up to the original island, feeling the nerves in my back, the ones that sensed my wings, protest with aches and pains. I groaned, but I persisted.

Finally, I managed to make it to the island above my landing zone.

The stone from where the explosion had occurred had been absolutely flattened by the force of it, as opposed to the grooves, ridges, and notches in the rocks around the location. I could only see a few meters past the far end of the blast zone, and there was no sign of Tenebrae.

I started moving forward cautiously, in case he decided to attack from the darkness still surrounding me. I know his streaks give him away and all, but I'm missing over 50% of my vision right now.

Eventually, I saw him, lying on the ground, unconscious just like I was. Unlike earlier encounters, where he seemed to not have a scratch on him, despite what had been thrown his way, he looked an absolute mess.

His cloak was absolutely drenched in blood (if he even bleeds actual blood. The gods in Greek mythology bled a substance called ichor) and ripped & tattered in several places, his face was torn up, and his entire self looked like an absolute train wreck.

Even as I watched, he stirred, let out a groan, opened his eyes, and started to sit up. His red eyes looked very bleary, but neither one was swollen shut.

He caught sight of me, and he started to giggle. I honestly thought he had gone insane there, but he hadn't.

"You look like shit," he bluntly said, grinning malevolently. He stood up with some difficulty while he said it, stumbling a bit from the poor coordination.

"You're one to talk," I retorted, gesturing for him to look at himself.

His grin vanished, and he conjured up a small mirror to examine himself. His look of surprise turned to one of outrage.

"You… You'll pay for this!" he thundered. He really couldn't handle anything that tarnished his looks, could he?

I shifted back into a fighting stance, preparing to throw another lightning punch if I had to. I was much further in this time, and based on how far he flew, I'd end up right back in the blast zone if I did it again, which meant I would be in worse shape, but it's better than being dead.

Tenebrae scoffed when he saw me, and he raised an arm. However, rather than the usual aura of purple magic that would appear, a small purple spark winked into existence, and then promptly vanished,

Tenebrae looked at his hand with absolute disbelief on his face.

"Wow. I've never expended that much energy in a fight before. I guess that's why I'm beat up like this. I ran out of energy to use on magic and to keep me healed up. Congratulations, Flare Dancer. You're the first person to actually leave real marks on me who isn't a deity."

He let out a small cough before continuing, "but you know, you could be doing so much better than that. Your favorite captain isn't teaching you what you have the potential to know. He's been holding out on you this entire time he's been teaching you Pegasi magic techniques."

"Lies," I spat (quite literally, given the rushing blood).

"No, not lies. He lied when he told you there were no advanced techniques Pegasi can use in combat. Haven't you ever wondered if you could possibly contain the lightning before you punched it? Absorbed its energy? Or better yet, use it to make you faster and more powerful?"

I froze. I have wondered if that were possible, but I never actually asked the Captain about them. Could he really be…?

Tenebrae looked down, smirking.

"Heh, do you want to know why he lies? It's quite simple really. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out."

"If you want to tell me, then shut the buck up and tell me already!" I shouted at him.

"Ooh, I seem to have touched a nerve. Very well then, I'll tell you. And I'll enjoy it while I do so. You see, do you remember back when you first arrived in Equestria, after we first got acquainted? Do you remember what Princess Celestia said, about you staying in Canterlot?"

I do. She wanted me to teach Luna about making friends, and she'd teach me back about Pegasi magic.

"Didn't she say she'd put a spell on you so she could monitor you? Didn't she say that she didn't want you to feel like a prisoner?"

She did say that. I remember! But why does that matter to him?

"But did she ever actually put the spell in question on you?"

No… No, she never did…

"No she did not. She never put it on you. And you went thus to Canterlot. And you were told you would be allowed to roam freely as long as you took part in your lessons, correct?"

Something like that…

"Don't you find it rather fishy that you were never actually permitted to go anywhere on your own, and yet, when you tried, did you not find some official of the Royal Family watching you the entire time, or even going so far as to prevent you from going?"

The time I went to lunch my second day, after lessons! Celestia herself met me while I was going out! But what about later that day when I stayed in the library- duh. Twilight Sparkle used to stay there almost all the time. The librarian would have been really friendly with the Princess. And that time before the Harvest Festival, where I asked if I could visit Vanhoover or San Franciscolt on a day off! Celestia wouldn't let me go, even though Luna vouched for me, but when I tried to go anyway, Captain Squall had to send the Pegasi guards to stop me. And then the night after my fight with Frigoris… he even admitted Luna put him up to it.

"You see, Flare Dancer? Despite their insistences that you are a guest and not a prisoner, they have been keeping you as one this entire time.

"They have been lying to you since you first entered Equestria. They're quite afraid of the potential danger a human with that kind of power could bring to Eques-"

"ENOUGH!" I finally shouted, sick of hearing this.

With a mental direction, six cloud copies of me appeared and charged, all about to simultaneously punch Tenebrae. Tenebrae reacted just as fast. He said something I couldn't hear and pointed at me. When the hooves of the cloud copies were only inches away, there was a streak of purple light that hit me in the chest, and suddenly, everything went completely black.

-X-

Tenebrae stared after the spot where he had vanished, then let out a heavy sigh and wiped the water from his face. The sky had already started to brighten again, and he wanted to see just how that whelp had managed to do that much damage to him.

He was now standing in a puddle, where the cloud water had all converged when it was released from his control. As he looked around for the source of how he had made them solid, yet intangible, he saw several small rocks lying in the puddles, and they were coated in ice in the shape of the end of a hoof, which was melting rapidly.

He stared at the ice-covered rocks, then started laughing. He had fallen for a stupid little trick. That explained everything. The clouds were actually intangible, and they matched his color with refracted light. When he had tried to cut the solid part with his sword, Flare Dancer had just moved that shape further up the hoof, out of his reach.

Tenebrae stayed staring at them for several seconds, but he finally retreated to his castle to care for his wounds.

Direct contact with Flare Dancer was starting to get too risky, he thought. Perhaps next time, he would need to try a more alternative means of forcing him to stay out of his way than just mindlessly beating him up.

Nevertheless, today's encounter was too close, and you can count on the fact that he will never let it come this close again.

-X-

Color returned to my vision, and I found myself in the Entry Hall of Canterlot Castle. I swayed for a bit, but I soon lost the strength to stand, and I collapsed onto the ground, vaguely aware of the nobles and Upper Class, who were still preparing for the Gala, beginning to panic and starting to summon the princesses.

Everything sort of devolved into a blur for a while after that. I could hear ponies asking me questions and I could see their faces, but I couldn't really comprehend either of the two, be it who was asking the questions, or what they were asking.

I saw a familiar blurry patch of navy blue in a cylinder-shape, and I felt myself be lifted into the air as everything in my vision turned blue as well. I was aware that I and this mysterious being were moving, but to where I had no idea.

I suddenly felt something warm and soft on my back, and I started to relax as the blue vanished in my vision.

I was looking up, and a navy-blue pony with a flowing deep blue mane was looking down at me with absolute terror. Another pony, a sort of crème-colored one with red hair was levitating a spoon full of some liquid in front of my face. She said something, but I didn't understand.

She said it again, a little more frantically, as did the blue pony.

SMACK!

Everything returned to clarity as my cheek erupted into sharp pain.

"OW! What the bucking Tartarus!?" I shouted as I recoiled from the attack. The smack had ignited the pain in my snout, and I shut my eyes, feeling tears well up in them.

"Sorry," I heard Luna's apologetic voice say, "but you weren't responding."

"Drink this. It'll help you return to clarity better than that slap did, and it'll also help numb the pain," said a rather brisk and dull female voice said. I opened my eyes and turned back to them. The nurse pony still had the spoon full of liquid in front of my face.

I had serious trouble gulping it down. A broken jaw really sucks. Also the medicine tasted like that grape flavor of cough medicine that doesn't actually taste like grapes.

"Wh- where am I?" I asked, looking around blearily. I was in the Hospital Wing of the Castle; of that I was certain, despite only having come here twice before (both after sessions with Captain Squall), but I had never been in this room before, nor seen this nurse before. I looked to the foot of the bed I was sleeping in.

The nurse was already going off to get gauze and bandages to wipe up my face, but- oh, Luna…

Luna looked like she was on the verge of breaking down in tears, though whether from relief or fear I have no idea. She looked like she was mixed between the two, and I could tell she was struggling not to break down in front of me.

"How long was I gone?" I asked softly.

"S-s-several hours. You walked out of the r-room, right behind Frigoris. We stayed in there for a while, talking, a-and when we were done, we went to try to find you. But we couldn't find you anywhere, and nopony had seen you anywhere around Canterlot over the last few hours. Frigoris said you hadn't even shown up to watch that fight, even though you had expressed interest in going t-to see it. Wh-"

She hiccupped.

"Where were you? What happened?"

I took a deep breath and started to explain where I had been. However, before I had gotten more than a few sentences in, Princess Celestia, followed closely by Captain Squall burst into the room, scaring the nurse and causing her to knock over several boxes of bandages and gauze that were on her counter.

"Luna! What is happening? Nightmare Humorum said they found Flare-" started Tia, but she was quickly interrupted by Captain Squall.

"We can talk to him later, your highness! Right now, the safety of Canterlot and the populace is our number one concern! Get the damn force field up before something happens that we'll regret!"

They started trying to shout over each other, in an attempt to make their point heard. Unfortunately, it had to happen. Luna gave me an apologetic look as a warning, and I clapped my hooves over my ears, wincing at the slight pain.

"BE SILENT, BOTH OF YOU!" she thundered, loud enough and forceful enough that both Celestia and Captain Squall immediately shut up.

"Thank-you," I commented dryly to Luna.

She gave me a soppy smile, but turned back to Tia and Squall and said, "There are better places for this discussion than right in front of my coltfriend, who quite frankly needs some bed rest. Let us take this outside."

Celestia said nothing. She clearly resented being commanded, or perhaps she was just not used to it. In any case, she gave Luna a hard, flat stare before turning around and cantering out. Captain Squall hurried after her, and they both were followed by Luna, who, before she was out of the entryway, turned and said, "I'm sorry about this. I'll be back as soon as possible."

I nodded rather weakly and she exited, shutting the door.

The nurse, who had been picking up after the mess (and promptly made it worse when the Royal Canterlot Voice was introduced to the conversation), came back to me, carrying another bottle of medicine, and a spoonful of it.

"Drink this. It'll help you get some sleep."

Sleep? Was it that late?

I turned to look out the window at the far end of the room. It was the first time I had managed to get a good look at the room properly, and I saw that there were several empty beds in two lines against the marble walls. A large window was at the end of the room, and a glorious sunset shone through it.

Eight hours. I had been gone eight hours. I know because it was just before noon when I stormed off from the Entry Hall.

Soon, I felt drowsiness overtake me, and I let myself drift into the warm, comfortable embrace of sleep.

-X-

"Tia, be reasonable! He was just attacked!"

"Princess Celestia, I must agree with your sister! Flare Dancer is in no condition to be interroga-"

"If it threatens the safety of my society, then I have no choice, Captain and Luna! I have to know who it was that did this! I know we all have the same suspicion, but we also need to know exactly how it happened! If we don't know what we're up against, we can't possibly work up a defense against him when he does deign us with a reappearance, and we know he will!"

"But that doesn't explain why you have to go and wake him up! Nurse Joy already told us she put him out an hour and a half ago!"

Lux damn it, you three. I was having a good dream, too. I opened my eyes and found myself staring at the window. The sky was now almost completely dark, with a few lighter shades of blue at the horizon.

I sat up in my bed, noticing that my snout was covered in bandages, although I could still communicate, and that the rest of my body was feeling rather numb.

Looks like that anesthetic did work, after all. I gingerly probed my snout. There was a dull pain there, but not as much as before.

The door banged open again, and Luna, Celestia, and Captain Squall all hurried into the room. Luna looked very resentful, Tia looked determined (if a mess), and the Captain maintained a rather calm demeanor.

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.

"Before you ask, can you please refrain from yelling? I think I've had enough of it today."

My voice came out muffled from the bandages. I'm sorry Luna. Now I know what it's like to sound like the Team Fortress 2 Pyro.

Celestia stood there for a moment, with her mouth wide open, but closed it a moment later, and nodded.

"Of course. I apologize for the earlier shouting match. It's just some of us," and here she gave Luna a look, "are a bit more concerned with a rather selfish desire rather than the good of the many-"

"Wanting us to not disturb somepony who is in a terrible state is a selfish desire now, is it!?"

"If you consider the good of one over the good of many, then yes, Luna! Yes it is!"

Luna opened her mouth to retort, but Captain Squall held out a hoof and whispered something to her that appeared to mollify her for the time being.

Celestia took a moment to calm down, and then turned back to me.

"Simply put, we need to know what happened. We need to know what we have to do to protect both you and the ponies of Equestria from Tenebrae."

Her countenance softened considerably.

"I'm really sorry about interrogating you like this. But we must know. So, if you could please start from when you left your room, please explain exactly what happened."

I looked at all three of them (and I felt a little more shaky than usual, especially when I looked at Luna), took a rather weary breath, and I started where I had attempted to with Luna an hour and a half ago.

I told them everything I remember about the encounter, even the parts where Tenebrae and I exchanged banter before the battle. When I started to describe the fight, I left no detail out. I told them how I took the idea for the fighting from the Double Team and Ice Punch attacks on Pokemon, and how effective they were. I paid the most attention to Captain Squall during this point in time. When I described the fight in detail, I saw he looked more than a bit impressed. He caught me looking, and he gave me a nod, and he commented, "Well-done. An impressive combination that was undoubtedly effective."

Then I described Tenebrae's panicked throwing of his blade, and the events thereafter. When I got to the part about my lightning punch hitting him and causing an explosion, I stopped my flashback.

"Why did that happen? Do you have any idea?" I asked, more to the Princesses than Squall, but it was Squall who responded.

"Well, all magic is, at its core, manipulated energy. Tenebrae must be so powerful that he gives off his own energy. Now, I trust you understand the workings of a magnet? Like charges repel. You'll find that lightning, which is composed of a rather unbalanced energy but energy nonetheless, contains a very great force of energy, and when your energy and his collided, the energy repelled itself as fast as it could. Hence an explosion."

I nodded, and continued on to what had happened after.

And then I arrived at the part where Tenebrae started his spew. I stopped talking, and I started to scowl.

"Princess, you remember how you said you were going to put a spell on me to monitor me while I was here?"

Luna and Squall both instantly snapped their attention to Celestia, who drew back slightly.

"Yes, I did say that, but befo-"

"You never put that spell on me! You said I would be free to roam, but every time I try to go somewhere, I find you or someone else there to watch or stop me! You lied to me! You've been keeping me as a prisoner this entire time!"

Celestia looked very askance at me shouting, especially considering I had been so averse to it earlier. Captain Squall, however, couldn't idly sit by any longer.

"You go too far, boy!"

I rounded on him.

"And you! You've been lying as well! You told me there's no such thing as an advanced technique, and that only my mind could provide those! You haven't been teaching me everything I need to know if I want to protect my marefriend over there!"

Squall drew back, surprise on his face. He clearly had not expected me to retort, considering I usually took his words to heart immediately.

Squall's face darkened, and he whirled about and exited the room.

"Where's he going? Luna asked.

Celestia's voice was bitter, and she clearly hated the words she spoke.

"He's going to tell Prince Shining Armor to put up a force field, something he's been telling me to do since Flare returned-"

Force field. It's not for protection. It's to keep me trapped in Canterlot.

And that, ladies, gentlemen, mares, and gentlecolts, is the last straw.

In a matter of seconds, my bandages had been torn off and I was flying at top speed at the window.

"Wha- Flare! No!" I heard Luna shout after me, but I was in no mood to listen this time.

With a crash, I had broken out, and I was flying as fast as I could. I didn't care which direction. Just away.

I heard a small humming and I paused to turn and look. I saw a beam of magenta magical energy shoot upward from a tower and start to form the force field, and I immediately shot off, seeking to get out before it closed.

The force field developed fast, but I managed to slip under it just before it closed Canterlot off from the rest of Equestria. I watched it shut behind me, and I sped off as fast as I could. Where, I don't know. All that mattered is being free.

-X-

I stared after Flare for several seconds before rounding on Tia.

"That was handled well," I said, doing my best to restrain my fury, but I was failing spectacularly. I felt like the sun paled in comparison to my burning anger.

Tia gave me a look of sincere regret.

"I have actually put that spell on him. I just did it while he was under a magical sleep. I put him on it right after the two of you met. It's not a comfortable spell to receive, but I know exactly where he is at, so long as it is within a few hundred miles."

"You still could have cut him off with, if nothing else, the Royal Canterlot Voice! Now look what you've done! I'm going to have a word with Captain Squall before he retires tonight!"

Tia gave me another long look.

"Will you be handling the duties of the night? Or are you mentally compromised at the moment?" she asked, sounding very concerned. It wasn't insulting because she knew I was an expert judge of my own emotional capacity.

I shook my head.

"Take them. I'll find him and talk to him in the morning. You both have some explaining to do to him when I bring him back. And even when you tell him the truth, he will probably not trust you for a long time."

Tia nodded, as if to say, "I understand."

"Good. I will be in my bedchamber. And you should know, until I bring him back, and he is completely recuperated, we will not be discussing this. At all. In fact, until he is brought back, I will not be speaking with either of you, seeing as how this little incident is going to affect our relationship, which only we should decide. Am I clear, sister?"

She gave a deep sigh, letting her head droop, and said, "Yes." I was surprised. Normally, she doesn't follow suggestions like that, even if they are in the harshest of tones. Either she trusts that I'm doing the right thing, or she feels responsible and is trying to make it up.

Or C, all of the above, or D, some other option I haven't thought of yet.

In any case, I drew myself up to my fullest height and said, "Good. Enjoy the night, sister."

And I left, head held high, not waiting for a response.


Well, I had to open with a bang, and considering last chapter was serious, I had to make this one almost 100% comical.

Wait.

Strike that, reverse it, thank-you. (If you recognize the reference, you officially get five really enticing and very aromatic chocolate chip muffins, which could potentially be smelled in other universes. If Derpy steals them, I am in no way responsible.)

Also, my note above about how Aladdin takes place 10k years in the future? True story. Since the genie can only come out every 10k years, and he has an awareness of the celebs of today and even does impersonations, he had to have come out in today's times. Meaning Aladdin takes place in post-apocalyptic Earth. Yeah, say goodbye to your childhood 90s kids.

I was at Brony Fan Fair this past weekend, and I cosplayed as The Doctor (David Tennant). I got to meet General Zoi (maker of that pony generator that YOU ALL HAVE USED AND YOU KNOW IT), Rina-Chan ( 's Twilight Sparkle), Celestia Radio, Paleo, and Pony Kart.

And I also got to play Fighting is Magic, but that's not important.

Well, thank you for reading this chapter and all previous ones. Now back to your regularly scheduled previews.

Preview for Chapter 8: Rest And Recuperation

"Flare, I'm pregnant. And you're the father."
"Wh-WHAT!?"

"Wha-? Where am I?"
"Flare, you're in Los Pegasus. And I'm pretty sure you're drunk."
"WHAT AM I DOING IN LOS PEGASUS!?"

"Lux damn it Flare! Get back here!"

"Flare, I'm pregnant, and Captain Squall's the father."
"Seriously? You already made that joke."

"Flare, why are you putting a jalapeno into Rainbow Dash's mailbox?"
"Dashies love pepper. They hate cinnamon."

"So, are we reconciled?"
"Yes, sister. We are."

"Flare, I'm pregnant, and Frigoris-"
"DO NOT EVEN GO THERE!"

See you all next chappie!