"...Amber Haze…"

"Present!"

"…Icebloom…"

"Present!"

"...Rusty Rock…"

The guard, clad in shining golden armor, continued to read the names. Spread on a small pedestal in front of him was a long parchment. Each name read elicited a quick and firm 'present' from one of the ponies gathered before the guard. Ashen didn't expect anything else. All of his squad were lined up in a perfectly straight line, nopony was missing. On their first day, he was sure everypony would show up, even if they had to drag themselves in on a hospital bed.

"...Ashen Wing…"

"Present!" the gray pony quickly responded, noting with displeasure an ever-so-brief voice crack that betrayed some of his nervousness. Still, he didn't flinch one bit and continued to keep his eyes fixated on the stone wall right opposite him.

The list had a few more names on it, but soon, the last one was read, and the guard promptly rolled up the parchment. His eyes rose and slowly moved over the new guards before him. Ashen still didn't move his gaze, but out of the corner of his eye, he could feel every pony grow even stiffer under the guard's scrutinizing gaze.

The uncomfortable silence continued for what seemed like an eternity as the armor-clad guard paced back and forth in front of the group, inspecting each pony for a few seconds before moving on.

"At ease!"

Finally, the command came, and Ashen allowed himself to relax his muscles and shift his gaze to the guard. He seemed older, with wrinkles clearly showing through the opening in his helmet, but the earth pony radiated cool confidence born from the years in the service. Ashen couldn't help but wonder if this might be his new commander.

"As the first order of business today, let me congratulate you all on completing your training and getting this far. You can be rightfully proud of what you accomplished, as not many ponies manage to earn the privilege of serving in The Equestrian Guard," he let the words hang in the air for a moment. "Still... it is far from over for you; in truth, the training was nothing compared to the challenges you will face. Beginning today!"

He gestured to a second guard who had been standing behind the group so far, prompting him to come forward. Ashen quickly noted a large bag strapped to the newcomer's armor. It was filled almost to the brim with rolled-up parchments.

"You will leave here today knowing where you will be stationed for the next year. The kingdom needs guards in all of its corners and at any moment. This expectation thus also falls on all of you! That's why, for the first year, your assignments will be selected at random depending on where we see the most need for additional forces. Those of you whose assignment is not in Canterlot will have three days to report to your station. As for the rest, your commanders will be expecting you today. Any questions so far?"

There was a brief pause, but nopony spoke up. Ashen's mind was racing. He knew that new guards would often get stationed out of the city, but he didn't expect it would be up to chance to determine where he'd end up. His family, his friends... every pony he knew was in Canterlot. Still, he dared not to speak up. He could imagine that most of the others felt the same way.

"Good! Lieutenant, if you may."

The guard nodded and approached the first pony in line.

"Go ahead and pick one," Ashen heard him mutter encouragingly to a yellow mare at the beginning of the line. She reached in and, without much hesitation, pulled out a parchment with a prominent seal of the Equestrian Guard on it. Before the guard could even move away, she was already busy opening it – her eyes practically devouring its contents. One by one each pony picked their assignment. Some, it seemed, just reached in and grabbed whatever parchment happened to be on top. Others rummaged through the bag for a few seconds before pulling anything out.

By the time it was Ashen's turn, the bag was half-empty. While he tried to remain calm as he reached in with his mouth, he could hear his heart pounding all the way up in his throat. He didn't see much of a point in being picky if everything was up to chance, so with a gentle squeeze of his teeth, he just grabbed the first parchment that he came across and pulled it out.

The guard stepped away from him, and Ashen took a second to inspect his price after setting it on the floor. The seal depicted three ponies, earth, pegasus, and unicorn, standing at attention clad in full armor. Depicted above them were detailed icons representing the sun and the moon. The imprint in the wax was without a single blemish. He took a deep breath. With a gentle press of his hoof, the seal snapped in two, and the parchment unrolled before him.

His heart skipped a beat. Written at the very top of the page in a beautiful cursive script were three words:

Tartarus Prison Guard

After the initial surprise, he didn't know what to feel. He read the words again and again. For him, just like for most ponies, Tartarus was almost a mythical place. A prison carved in rock at the end of the world, where all the worst scum of Equestria was stashed away and kept under lock and key. But Tartarus existed, and if the little map imprinted on the parchment could be trusted, it was in the far northwest of Equestria. Not near by any stretch of the imagination, but certainly not at the end of the world.

Ashen quickly skimmed through the rest of what was written on the parchment. Unfortunately, besides the same three-day deadline that was already mentioned, there was pitifully little information about his upcoming responsibilities.

After everypony selected their assignments, the new guard ponies relatively quickly dispersed to their respective stations. Ashen managed to catch up with a few of his friends, and it seemed that most of them managed to get lucky with Canterlot assignments. Needless to say, they had little time to chat and quickly dispersed to their respective stations.

With nothing else to do today, Ashen Wing started his slow march home from the Canterlot barracks. As a pegasus, the trip back home could be as quick as a few minutes if he opted to fly, but he knew his family was waiting at home. No doubt ready to bombard him with questions. He chose to walk instead in order to steal a few more minutes just for himself.

The trip took him straight through the city square that was almost deserted this early in the morning. A few ponies were milling about, but they all seemed only to be doing the final cleanup after yesterday's celebration. Just a few hours ago, he was there, standing on a podium with the rest of his squad. The proud look on his father's face when he was reciting his oaths in front of Princess Twilight will forever be etched into his memory.

Ashen looked over his shoulder to make sure that the parchment he had stuffed under his wing was still there. He wondered why his father didn't tell him how the assignments were handed out. As an ex-member of the guard, he must've known.

After a while, his thoughts wandered toward more practical matters. He would have to pack and prepare for the journey. According to the map on the parchment, Tartarus was at the very edge of Equestrian territory. As a pegasus, he could fly there in something over a day if he really pushed himself. At a more reasonable pace, it'd take him at least two full days. At the latest tomorrow, he would have to get going.

'Not much time to prepare,' Ashen thought. He wondered how they could expect a unicorn or an earth pony to make it there that fast.

Ashen decided to take a small detour on his way home, which led him through some of the narrower streets of Canterlot. He would pause now and then to admire the snow-white buildings or peer into shop displays. It was enough to take his mind off of things. This early in the morning, the sun was still barely above the horizon and coated everything in a dreamy reddish haze. After tomorrow, it will probably be a long time before he again has a chance to walk these streets.

As time progressed, more and more ponies began filling the streets. The noise and rising hustle of the city were enough to break the magic, and Ashen decided he should not delay his return anymore. Soon, the narrow streets gave way to wide boulevards as he got closer to his family's house.

Although a mansion would be a more fitting description of the three-story, twelve-room building, he soon found himself standing in front of.

The main door swung open at a light touch of his hoof without any resistance, revealing a spacious vestibule with perfectly polished marble floors and an impressively wide staircase. Appearing as if out of nowhere, an older unicorn mare walked up to him with a kind smile on her wrinkled face.

"Master Ashen, at this point, we didn't expect to see you until the evening. Your father was sure you'd be at your post for the rest of the day."

Ashen returned the smile. The mare has been in their service for as long as he could remember, but no matter how many times he asked, she stubbornly refused to drop the 'master' when addressing him.

"No Glitter, not today. Seems I have a few more days before my duties start. By the way, do you know if we still have those old traveling saddlebags? You know, the soft ones? It seems I will need them." The mare's smile faltered a little.

"I think so; I will look for them. But- do I take it that you will not be stationed in Canterlot?"

"No, unfortunately not," he made a few steps toward the staircase but quickly stopped himself. "Do you know where my parents are?"

"Last I saw them, they were in your father's study room, master Ashen."

He thanked her and changed his course. The hall next to the staircase led him deeper into the mansion and past an assortment of large portraits of his ancestors that hung on the walls everywhere he looked. 'Old family, old house,' his mother would often say when walking past them, but she didn't have the heart to change the decor. She knew it meant a lot to his father.

Once he made it in front of the study's large wooden door, Ashen took one last breath before tapping on the door to announce his presence. He didn't wait for a reply from the inside, though, and just let himself in.

Inside, everything looked the same as always. Bookshelves lined up the walls with heavy tomes and piles of parchments everyone one looked. The thick carpet strongly contrasted with the marble outside, giving the room a somewhat warmer, aged feeling. As Glitter said, his parents were there, huddled together behind a massive mahogany desk with dozens of scrolls scattered over it.

"Ashen!"

His mother was the first to react and rose to her hoofs. She was a short pony, almost comically so compared to his father, but thanks to her bright green mane and fur, she never had to worry about not being noticed next to him. "How did it go, honey?"

"Well, I have my assignment," he stated with a small smile, moving his wing a bit up so she could see the parchment.

"Where are they sending you?" his father asked calmly.

His father was a large stallion. Almost half a head taller than Ashen but with the same gray mane and black-tipped wing feathers. Ponies always told him that, not counting the eyes, he gave after him. While his father's were icy blue, Ashen inherited his mother's jade eyes. Also, unlike his father, Ashen smiled at least every once in a while.

"Northwest," he replied, rolling open the parchment and carefully placing it at the top of the desk. "Far northwest…"

"Oh,…" was all his mother said after a moment of hesitation. Her smile disappeared.

His father took a few moments to inspect the scroll, but his expression did not change for a second as he did so. "You will do a good job, I am sure," he said finally and met his son's gaze. But it's a long flight there. You need to leave tomorrow, the earlier, the better. You can ask Glitter to prepare the saddlebags. I think we should still have…"

"I know, Dad. I already asked her," Ashen interrupted him. For an instant, the stallions just looked at each other without flinching. The moment didn't last long as soon Ashen's mother rather loudly cleared her throat and started showering him with questions. It would be almost an hour until he'd escape her clutches.

"Do you have everything?"

"Yes, mom."

"A toothbrush, manebrush, blankets, food? Do you have enough food?! Maybe Glitter could quickly…"

"Mom, you've already asked me a dozen times. I have everything. What I don't have, I will just do without, so don't worry."

His attempts at persuasion didn't seem enough to calm his mother, who was obsessively checking his saddlebags for what felt like a millionth time. She repeatedly tugged at each saddle strap to make sure they were secure and then repeated the process after a few seconds. Finally, he gently pushed her away and smiled at her. "It will be fine, Mom."

His father used his chance to step forward, and to Ashen's surprise, he also tugged at the saddlebag, albeit much more firmly than his mom did. He seemed satisfied.

"It is a long trip. Make sure you land every few hours, rest, and check your gear. Always stick above the line of clouds, and when you get there, listen to your commander's orders. For generations, our family has served Equestria with honor, and I know you won't be an exception."

"I won't, Dad." Ashen felt like he should say something more, but no words came to him.

Glitter used the opportunity to quickly add, "And don't forget to write home often, master Ashen."

"I won't Glitter. Although... I don't know if they have a post office in Tartarus," he added with a smile.

He was ready to leave. Before his mother got the inkling to do another saddlebag inspection, he wanted to be high up in the air. Ashen spread his wings and slowly moved them up and down a few times to make sure everything was right. One last goodbye. One last look at his family.

And he was off.

Even with the saddlebags' extra weight, he could catapult himself high up in the air with a single wing beat. Another one, and he was higher still, his family now only small specks on the ground. After a few more seconds of ascending, they were too small for him even to see. The feeling of cool air whizzing past his wings was as intoxicating as ever. He couldn't resist making a few circles above the city, taking it in one last time. The clean, sunlit streets, slender and elegant ivory-white towers of the castle, and a myriad of ponies that called the city their home. All perched at the side of a steep mountain range, resisting gravity as if out of spite.

His home.

He tore his eyes away from it all and started climbing further up and above the clouds. From there, he headed northwest. Soon, he left the city behind him. Not even an hour after that, it was completely out of sight. He flew above villages, forests, and fields, taking in as many details as he could. But no matter how long he flew, the scenery didn't seem to change much.

After a few hours, everything started blending together, and he hardly paid any attention to the countryside below him. He was not thinking about anything. He just flew, enjoying the speed and the rhythmic beating of his wings. As a pegasus, he had a natural gift for orientation, so even as his mind went blank, he was not worried about getting lost. The wind and his wings would take him where he wanted to be, just like they'd always done before.

Ashen completely lost track of time and was only reminded of its passage when the setting sun painted the clouds below him in scarlet red. He would need to land soon. All he needed was a nice cloud, and as soon as the sun came up again, he would continue the journey.

Many miles away, unbeknownst to Ashen, another pegasus was also about to end her day.

For Cozy Glow, all days seemed the same. Her cell was perpetually dim. During the day, a small rectangular opening high up in the wall let in a few rays of the sun. At night, the only source of light were the few enchanted torches that burned in the corridor behind her cell's door.

The sound of heavy, metal-clad hooves outside her cell was a clear sign that a dinner would be served. She sighed and put down the quill she was holding in her mouth, quickly inspecting the page she wrote while there was still enough light to read. She wasn't particularly proud of this one, but not all her creations could be gems.

She grabbed the piece of paper and carefully stored it under her mattress with the rest of her creations. Although 'mattress' was a bit too generous a word. How does one call a compressed bunch of hay sewn into a cloth? In any case, she slept on it, so she thought that she might as well call it a mattress.

The hoofsteps were closer now. Judging by his quick pace, the guard was in a hurry today. A little unusual. Her guard was hardly a speedy fellow. If anything, Cozy would describe the normal pace at which he did things as 'glacial'. Due to his quick pace, she didn't have to wait much longer until the guard was in her view.

"Golly, somepony is in a hurry today. Waddling forward like a lightning bolt covered in grease!" she taunted with venom in her voice and made her way towards the bars of her cell. It didn't matter much what she told him. Ever since their little incident a year or so back, he hardly ever spoke to her.

"Today is a special day though."

It took Cozy's mind a moment to catch up and realize that he actually replied. "Oh, so we are on speaking terms again?" she finally asked, albeit with a lot less spite in her tone.

The guard turned to her. He was an earth pony, and for the lack of a better word, he looked rough. This was largely due to a sizable bite-like chunk of his ear that was missing—a little souvenir courtesy of Cozy Glow.

The earth pony smiled after hearing her question: "Oh yes. But only for today because after today, we won't be seeing each other ever again." After saying that his smile widened even further.

"Let me guess, the princess of friendship finally decided to throw me to timberwolves? Or turn me into stone - again?!" Cozy asked jokingly, but a small part of her was a bit worried, especially about the latter option. But it's not like she did anything to deserve it – in the recent past, at least. It must be something else.

"Unfortunately, no. However, I finally get to leave this place. I was promoted, and with that comes a new post that is, for a change, not in the middle of nowhere!"

"Congratulations. I'd say you deserve it, but I don't want to sound disingenuous."

The pony shot her a nasty glare but otherwise didn't react. Cozy watched him pull out a small metal plate from his saddlebag and fill it with the slop that passed for food around this place. Her tonight's dinner, however, looked especially repulsive.

"Hmm, yesterday's vomit, sprinkled with a few of the chef's nose hair. My favorite," she spat out as the unappetizing portion was slipped into her cell.

"Anything for you, Cozy," the guard smiled, his voice practically overflowing with loathing. He turned to leave.

"Wait, does your leaving mean that I will get a new warden? Who?"

"I don't know. Didn't ask, don't care, and I certainly don't plan to stick around just to find out."

All of a sudden, Cozy Glow's mind was racing. It was like an engine that hadn't been run for years sprung into life at full speed. A new variable would enter the equation of her prison life, and when it happened, she had to be ready. The guard left, but she hardly paid any attention. For the first time in a long time, she wanted to be alone and think.

The last words she heard that night were: "Goodbye forever, Cozy Glow."

Still deep in thought, Cozy absentmindedly ate her dinner. While it didn't taste much better than it looked, it was still better than starving. After eating, she noticed the light of the torches slowly begin to fade. Her plan of action would have to wait. Once the torches faded, the cell would plunge into utter darkness, and she still had one more thing she wanted to do.

Cozy quickly untied the ribbon that held her hair in check. The moment it was off, her curly mane was unleashed and flew in every direction. Cozy shook her head to get it out of her eyes and ducked into a small room carved into the side of her cell. It was barely big enough for a pony to stand in, but Tartarus was no hotel, so it was hardly surprising that it lacked a proper bathroom. Instead, what she had was simply a shower head mounted directly in the stone and a half-rusted valve directly below it.

The mare gritted her teeth and nudged the valve with the tip of her hoof. It turned easily, albeit with a nasty screech. A second later, ice-cold water was splashing at her from the top. She had been in this place for so many years, and she never got used to this. It was her dream and hope that one day, hopefully soon, she would be able to draw a warm bathtub and, for the first time in forever, actually enjoy cleaning herself.

A few seconds was all she could endure before she shut the valve off. Careful not to step into the seemingly bottomless hole in the stone floor, her toilet, she grabbed a simple gray towel and dried herself as best she could. By the time she was done, her cell was almost completely dark.

Somewhat clean, she made her way over to the bed—the 'bed' that was actually just a slab of stone with her 'mattress' on top. As the light died, Cozy smiled a little. After quite some time, she was actually looking forward to a new day.

Cozy yawned and stretched, but she didn't open her eyes. She didn't want to just yet because she knew she would be welcomed by the same sight as every day. Also, somehow, today, her blanket seemed a little warmer. Or maybe it was the stone-hard bed under her that felt ever so slightly softer? She couldn't tell, but she was really comfy. The young mare shifted from one side to the other, skillfully bending her wing out of the way of the hard stone.

She also didn't get that much sleep last night thinking about her new guard.

'The new guard!'

The salmon-colored pony practically exploded out of her bed. She would get a new guard today. It was a bit scary to her how much she was looking forward to it. Finally, in a place where nothing had changed for at least a year, things were now in motion, if only a little.

'I hope it will be a stallion,' she thought to herself. She didn't know how much faith she could put in whatever mare charms she had left that Tartarus hadn't claimed, but her natural cuteness seemed to work better on stallions than on mares.

'Maybe it will even be a pegasus.'

That would be amazing. They would immediately have something in common that she could build on. Yes, pegasus stallion. That was her wish, and hooves crossed, it would be splendid if it happened. She also needed to decide how she would play it. Of course, she would have to get cleaned up as best she could before he got here, introduce herself, and, in general, be as friendly and innocent-looking as she could. After that…

Cozy spent the rest of the morning scheming and planning. Her cutie mark softly glowed the whole time. She barely remembered the last time she'd been this excited. It might, MIGHT just be her ticket out. That is if she played her cards right and was patient.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted when her belly growled. Soon the breakfast would be served. She had to get ready.

The mare quickly retrieved the ribbon she discarded yesterday before shower and started to carefully tame her mane. It was always a challenge as her curly locks were completely unruly and refused to be contained. Still, with enough effort she managed to get herself presentable. Since there was no mirror in her cell she had to hope that she was looking as cute as possible.

As if on cue, she heard the heavy metal door on the far side of the hallway spring open. Soon, it was followed by a distinct sound of hoofsteps. It wasn't the guard from yesterday that was certain. Whereas his hoofsteps were clumsy and irregular, these were slow, deliberate, and confident. But something was off.

Thud, thud, thud...

She sat down on the edge of her bed and quickly practiced a few smiles to decide which one she'd use. Still, there was this nagging feeling in the back of her head that something was not going according to the plan.

Thud, thud, thud…

The guard was now closer and Cozy realized that she had heard these hooves before. Her blood ran cold when she realized where. A few more seconds of tense waiting…. And then finally, she could see the guard in front of her. The fake smile froze on her face.

"Y-you? You are my new guard?" she let out, not even trying to hide the crushing despair.

The stallion in front of her was not a pegasus but another earth pony. His coat was a deep midnight blue with white patches covering his forelegs. The decorated helmet with blue feathers was a clear display of his rank. Ironhoof was his name, and he was the last pony Cozy Glow wanted to see here. In all the years she had been here, she'd only had the displeasure of talking to him a few times, but it was enough to know she wouldn't have a chance to get anywhere with him.

His face was unyielding, as were his steel-gray eyes, which showed nothing but absolute contempt whenever they were lain on her. Even now, he was observing here with the same look one would reserve for a spilled trashcan.

"Me," he said. With a few curt movements, he reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a few pieces of fruits, followed by a small metal plate on which he unceremoniously placed them all. Next, he procured a large metallic cup and filled it to the brim with water from a beat-up-looking water bag. When he was done, he carefully slid all of it into Cozy Glow's cell through a narrow gap in the bars at the very bottom of her cell door.

All that time, Cozy was just looking at him, unable to speak. In a single moment, all her freshly hatched plans and hopes were crushed to dust.

When he was done, Ironhoof looked at her again. She didn't want to look at him. Instead, she lowered her eyes and fixated them on a small patch of the floor just under his hooves. She didn't want him to see the tears forming in her eyes.

"Cozy Glow. Look... at… me!" the command was curt, but Ironhoof kept his voice perfectly level as he pronounced each syllable.

Resistance was futile, on its own her head rose and she was looking into those silver puddles of hate, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Tell me what I told you last time we met."

"You told me I will be here forever… That I will never leave," Cozy said mechanically, each word a whisper.

"You would do well to remember that Cozy Glow. I will never let you leave this place," with that, he turned to leave while Cozy just stood there shaking and crying as his hoofsteps got more and more distant.

'Stop crying, stop crying, stop crying…'

It's been a very long time since she had last cried. She promised herself that she would never stoop so low again, that she wouldn't let this place get to her, but today, she made a mistake. She dared to hope—hope for a way out of this solitary hell—and when it was crushed, there was nothing left but despair. Now, she couldn't stop the stream of hot tears and sobs.

Ironhoof would return hours later with lunch only to find the breakfast he brought exactly as he left it and the young pegasus mare furiously scribbling behind her small desk.