Author's Notes:

Hello everypony. Sorry for getting this up so late. I had a power outage that lasted all day and wasn't able to get this up on time. Hopefully this doesn't happen again. That being said, this is the first episode centering around the Elements of Harmony. Also, on Facebook I held a contest asking where Pinkie Pie ran away to fifteen years ago, and what she's been doing since. The winner of the contest is...DENNIS MATTISON! Congratulations Dennis. Your entry will be used later on in the story, and I will work with you to design an oc based off of you that will be a mane character in season 02. So without further ado, here is season one, episode seven, The Element of Faith.

A meteoric eruption of cheers violently rings throughout the great Pegasus city of Cloudsdale. The inhabiting pegasi of the city, as well as the specially invited Earth ponies and Unicorns, begin to fill into the giant Cumulonimbus Stadium, quickly getting their concessions and heading off to find their seats, all of which are constructed in the weather factory from special clouds called Regalis Cumulous, which hold their shape in a more firm way than most clouds, allowing ponies of all races to sit upon them. The stadium is sat upon a giant cloud, also made of Regalis Cumulous, and has replaced the old Cloud Arena once used for all of the city's events. Princess Aurora is the one responsible for this, having given the order fourteen years ago to construct the stadium in order to better unite the ponies of Equestria. It wasn't long after the horrible events that plagued the country, and everyone needed to band together like never before. It took eight long years to build, but the stadium was finally finished and has been Cloudsdale's elite sporting arena ever since. Two years back it even held the Equestria Games, marking the first time in history that the city has hosted them.
In the bright blue sky, far above everypony sitting there, the luminous mid-day sun shines brilliantly, basking all of those below it in a gentle light and warmth. Chirping birds flutter cheerfully around, greeting the ponies. They spend a good deal of time singing their happy little tunes to a kind yellow pony, who hums back at them with a smile, before flying off to spread their cheer to others. The crowd continues to chat amongst themselves, excited for the big event about to take place, when suddenly, a mature-looking pegasus flies up to a cloud that's been set high above the arena. He wears dark sunglasses and a brilliant black suit, and is excited as he looks around at the loud fans. A headset rests over his ears, with mic pointed towards his mouth. As he begins to speak to the crowd gathered there, his voice is amplified all around the arena through the headset.
"Welcome fillies and gentlecolts to the 45th annual Cloudsdale Best Young Flyer Competition! I am your eye in the sky, Breen Oaterlund, here and today we have a most impressive set of competitors! Dare I say, the most impressive in the history of this competition! Now please rise and join me in welcoming our very own Princess Aurora!"
A sudden silence enshrouds the entirety of the stadium, sweeping over everypony like a dense fog. Then, in the midst of the quiet, a gleaming starbow appears and joined by captain of the elite royal guard, Everglade, the princess flies overhead, and everypony explodes into ear-shattering approbation. Humbled by the praise, the princess lands in the royalty box quietly and softly, smiling kindly as she waves to everyone. Breen then speaks up again, adding, "And now, welcome our special guest judges, led by Captain Scootaloo, The Wonderbolts!"
At the exact second that the last syllable leaves his lips, a sonic boom explodes, sending the crowd into a wild frenzy. Flying in, keeping in perfect formation, the five ponies pass quickly over the stadium with trails of smoke billowing out behind them. The bright blue and yellow flight suits are unmistakable, these are the best fliers in all of Equestria. At the front of the team is an orange-coated mare. Her dark purple hair flies behind her and she performs the most amazing aerial acrobatics with a wide grin spread across her face. Leading the other four pegasi down to the judges box, she lands as an echoing cheers erupts all around them, and as Captain Scootaloo removes her rainbow-colored goggles, she waves around at the screaming fans, as well as the princess, who's she known since before her rise to power.
Not far away from the two boxes there are five young ponies seated in the center of the third row; five heroes destined to save the world from the threat that is now plaguing it. It's a menace that everypony has forgotten about in this time of togetherness and equality, for as they join together to watch this amazing annual competition, their focus on the bad slips away, even if just for this moment. One of the destined six is missing however, for Agelian Wingblade is one of the pegasi participating in the competition this year, although at this moment he's seated in the waiting room behind a large red curtain as he prepares his act.
A silent chill sweeps through the stone-encased room, leaving all the competitors waiting there to wonder when they will be called out to begin their performances. Each of them, twenty in all, don vests that showcase their number in the competition, made many years ago by the famous Coco Pommel herself. Prior to the building of the Cumulonimbus Stadium, the Best Young Flyer Competition would write numbers on white flags that would then be attached to the flanks of the competitors. When Princess Aurora demanded that the new stadium be built, the BYFC Council decided that they'd make full upgrades to everything, including these. They contacted Coco in Manehattan and she agreed to help.
The council believed that the vests would be more durable than the flags, able to remain attached to the ponies easier when they performed their exciting stunts. Many a pegasus was known to lose their number when they performed, and having to get another cost the council money in making extras for everypony. These vests are one-size fit most, so that anypony can wear them to compete and they don't have to worry about constantly having more made. So the vests have been utilized in the Best Young Flyer Competition since the new stadium was opened. The twenty pegasi seated there in the back each have their own vest on, and are joined by their respective managers. Each of the pegasai was allowed one to two managers to join and help coach them for the competition. Agelian, sitting directly in the center of the room, has taken advantage of this, bringing in two for himself.
Atop his blue coat sits the brown leather vest, the number one stitched onto the sides of it. A smirk shows on his face as he sits there, ready to take on this challenge. Unlike most of the other competitors, he's void of nervousness. Agelian knows all too well that he can take this competition with ease, and will finally be able to accomplish his goal. Ever since he was a young colt, he's looked up to the Wonderbolts, seeing them as heroes, especially back during the short time that the amazing Rainbow Dash was in charge of them. His dream has been to meet them one day, so that he could show them what a great flier he truly is, and maybe even join them.
Heh, Fluttershy has told him that Rainbow had the same dream herself, and that she accomplished it through hard work and continuing faith in herself and her friends. He knows this, for he's read the stories. Everything that she did is legendary. Even her faults are praised, for when she did fall, she would get right back up. He's been inspired by her so much, and only wishes to do her memory proud today. Afterall, it was this very competition that was the launching pad for Rainbow's dreams coming true. Maybe it can be his as well.
"Ok everypony!" he suddenly hears the announcer yell out through the arena. It's finally time to kick things off, and he's the one going first. Some would see this as a burden, for you really have to impress with everypony else going after you and being able to show you up. However, he sees it as a blessing. He gets to set this show off with a bang, and believes that no one will be able to match what he has planned. "Without any further ado, let us begin the 45th Annual Cloudsdale Best Young Flyer Competition! Introducing our first competitor, joined here today by two managers as well as all his fans and friends in the audience, 'The Thunderpony' Agelian Wingblade!"
As his name is called out, the pegasus laughs and pulls his goggles down over his eyes, galloping right out through the large red curtain and into the stadium. The bright sun meets his eyes, and the raucous screaming of the ponies in attendance enters into his ears. It's as if a shockwave of support envelops him, and any semblance of anxiety that he might have had is wiped off the face of the Earth. He can see his friends right there, not far off at all, cheering loudly for him and chanting his name. Star is applauding him, and Bri is on her back legs, screaming with a foam hoof on. Chupa has a flag with Agelian's face on it, and is waving it rambunctiously around. Even Fluttershy and Spike are there, the former of which is screaming out louder than any of the others while jumping up and down.
He soon spots the judges box and the Wonderbolts seated within it, looking down at him with watchful eyes. His gaze quickly finds that of Scootaloo, and he swallows hard. Just like that his nervousness has returned, for this is the moment of truth. This is his time to finally prove himself to them; to his friends and his idols. He must show them all that the training, exercise, and all the races he's competed in were not in vain. He needs to show them exactly what he can do. That's when he sees somepony else sitting there in the crowd; a grey pony with a wild brown mane. He hadn't expected this at all. He hasn't even seen his father, the former Wonderbolts trainer Soundspeed, in a long time. Not since their falling out. Why is he here now?
The whistle blows suddenly, and knowing he doesn't have any more time to think about this, Agelian seems to explode into flight, shooting straight up into the air. As he flies vertically, he heads straight for a large cloud. As he reaches it, he blows right through, then loops right around and plows into the side. The cloud, now with a hole in the center like a ring, is sent flying through the air, landing with precision over one of the stadium’s decorative pillars. It floats softly down over it without the inner sides of the cloud touching it at all. The crowd explodes into cheers, but they haven't seen anything yet. Continuing his performance, Agelian releases one of the smoke capsules that his managers had attached to his vest, creating a huge billowing spiral of red smog trailing behind him as he twists through the air. The spiral of smoke remains there, hovering in place for a moment, allowing Agelian to fly right through the center.
The spiral explodes outward in all directions, forming into a star-shaped burst of crimson. As he reaches the end of one of the points, he throws a specially crafted ignition capsule into the star burst. The audience gasps in awe as the smoke is engulfed in blue flames, lighting it up. The twister of fire dissipates quickly though, but Agelian's act is only part-way through at this point. Next he rides up high into the air, spreading his wings apart as he stops dead center at the very top of the stadium. He looks over and sees his father staring back at him, and knows that this is his chance to finally make him proud.
Pure silence seems to encapsulate the stadium for a second, just as it had prior to the arrival of Princess Aurora minutes back. At that moment, he bolts straight down to the hole in the center of the bottom of the stadium. Everypony watches in anticipation and excitement, wondering what he's possibly going to do now. Soundspeed and the Wonderbolts all look on in awe as Agelian then pulls off the unthinkable, leaving them sitting there with mouths hanging wide open and eyes bulging out of their sockets.
Scootaloo leans forward in the box, and the other Wonderbolts have near the same reactions as she and the stallion’s father did, one of them even choking on his drink. Not far off, Fluttershy's cheers have escalated to an unexpected high, leaving Spike covering his ears as he too yells out his own. The rest of Agelian's friends watch in amazement as the pegasus continues to gain speed, reaching sonic levels in no time. Then, right at the moment that he hits the sonic boom, he unleashes his most important capsule yet. Joining the explosive sound of the sonic boom, a rumble of thunder is heard and lightning flash off in a huge strike upwards, seeming to shoot right off of Agelian himself. This is the coup de grace, the Sonic Thunderboom! As he glances towards his father, he no longer has a doubt in the world. The smile on Soundspeed's face tells him all he needs to know. If he could accomplish that, he's just won the competition.
As he returns to the starting platform and sticks the landing, he salutes the Wonderbolts and waves excitedly to his fans, passing once more through the curtain and returning to the back. In the stadium, Scootaloo calls the other Wonderbolts into a huddle and begins to discuss the performance, but backstage, Agelian is in elation as he's greeted by his two managers. The first of them is a gorgeous young mare with a gleaming blonde mane. Her coat is a faded purple color, almost to the point of being gray, and she has a cutie mark depicting three shining twinkles. Laughing in pure ecstasy, the unicorn runs up to the accomplished flier and tackles him into a massive rolling embrace.
"You did it! You did it, Agi! You're so amazing!"
"Heh," the stallion replies as he blushes while the mare kisses him all over his face, "it was nothing, really. And I couldn't have even done it without you and your freaky magic tricks."
"It's not magic, it's science," she tells him with a smirk, smacking him gently upside his head as she laughs. After that, the two of them meet lips and share a passionate kiss, embracing each other with love. Unfortunately for them, they're soon broken apart as the second of Agelian's managers trots up. He has a wild black mane, branching off in every direction as if it has never once seen a comb, and a thick graying beard that hangs down. For some odd reason, he has a rubber band hanging from his ear, and is wearing a yellow tropical print shirt. He certainly seems eccentric in appearance, and quickly gathers the attention of the other pegasi as he approaches. Agelian smiles as he gets Dinky to relinquish him, and gives Lou a respectful salute. "The Captain" Lou Haybano is one of the greatest pegasus managers there is after all.
"Kid, you've done me proud! Never have I seen such a fantastic performance, well, at least not since I managed The Hammer! You're one of a kind, something truly special!"
The other competitors in the competition are called out one by one, each heading into the arena to give their performances as he waits in the back. He knows that it's just a matter of time until they're all called out to the stage again, this time together, for the announcement of the winner. So in the meantime, he decides to just sit back and enjoy himself. He hangs there in the back, cuddling together with Dinky as they read the story about the Best Young Flyer Competition that Rainbow Dash won all those years ago. Lou stands beside the curtain, watching the other competitors very closely in order to possibly scope out some new talent to manage. A smile appears on Agelian's face as his very special somepony reads aloud from the book, gently rubbing against her mane and kissing her softly upon the cheek.
He can't help but wonder how his friends would react if they saw this softer, more loving side of him. Since they met a couple months ago, they've only known him to be this rough and tumble guy, acting strong and confident all the time, even to the point of being a little insensitive. This has always been a farce however, as he's never truly been like that. Outside of his confidence in himself, Agelian has always been kind and gentle. He fears though that if he shows ponies that side of him, they'll try to take advantage of him like they did to his mother. He misses her so much, and has always been told that if she weren't such a doormat, she wouldn't have died. So he hides this side of him, and acts tough. Nopony really even knows that he's been dating Dinky Hooves, mainly his friends and those he spends the most time around. He's done his best to keep it a secret, though he guesses that'll be impossible now.
He remembers that day well; the day he finally got the nerve to do what he had been nervously planning to do for months. One summer night he took Dinky to Canterlot for dinner, where they ate and basked in Luna's light. He still remembers the look of pure shock on her face when she found the ring in her champagne. How she looked up at him, mouth hanging wide open, and then back down to the diamond sitting there in her hoof. He remembers that moment when he got out of his seat and dropped down to his knees, asking her, "Will you make me the happiest stallion in Equestria and become Mrs. Dinky Wingblade?"
Her reaction to that was even more priceless; she nearly fainted! Of course, she hadn't been expecting it, and was surprised as heck. However, in the end, she answered yes and ever since, the two of them have been planning their wedding. But that's where the problem lies, for he proposed to her well before he even met these new friends of his, and not once has he ever mentioned Dinky to them. But with their engagement and approaching wedding, he just can't keep it a secret any longer. His friends need to know this, especially since he wants Star as his best mare. And he needs to tell his father as well. Although they don't get along, he wants him to be there on his special day.
Agelian's concentration is suddenly broken as he hears the announcer call out for all twenty competitors to come back out to the stage for the big announcement of the winner. So with both his fiance and "The Captain" wishing him the best of luck, he follows the other ponies out through the curtain, assuring them with confidence that he doesn't need luck. So as he enters back into the arena, he joins the line in his given place and awaits Breen Oaterlund to continue, nodding slightly over at his friends, who only continue to madly cheer for him.
"And now," Oaterlund begins as everypony in the stadium starts to quiet down, "the Wonderbolts will come forth to announce their decision! I have been told that this year’s competitors were a tough group to judge, but that there was one who shone out above the rest! So please put your hooves together for the Captain of the Wonderbolts, Scootaloo!"
Once again the crowd goes absolutely nuts, but subsides in only a moment. Flying up from her seat in the judges box, Captain Scootaloo quickly approaches the cloud on which Breen is standing, and with a smile, dismisses him. She too now wears a headset, and holds in her hoof a slip of paper on which the name of the winner is written. The twenty ponies standing in line watch in heated anticipation as she unfolds the paper, looking at it with a smile as she glances around the stadium at everypony who awaits her decision. Beads of cold sweat slowly drip down Agelian's face as he hears Dinky cheering him on behind the curtain. This is it, the moment of truth has finally arrived. Everything he's ever done has been leading up to this point, and all he's wished for is finally in reach. He watches as Captain Scootaloo slowly opens her mouth to speak, not coming quickly enough.
"The winner of the 45th Annual Cloudsdale Best Young Flyer Competition, earning one million bits and the chance to spend a day with myself and the Wonderbolts..." She pauses for dramatic effect, increasing the anxiety Agelian has been feeling from it already being drawn on. However, a moment later the crowd begins to chant a certain name. He looks around in shock, mouth hanging as if on a hinge. Agelian is what they all yell out into the air, and Captain Scootaloo quickly confirms, "The Thunderpony, Agelian Wingblade!"
Time seems to stand still, even coming to a complete stop. He doesn't cheer. He doesn't laugh, or even smile. He just stands there as the crowd goes wild with cheers. His friends excitedly jump up and down for joy, screaming out in exuberance. He doesn't move a muscle at first, even as Dinky rushes out from behind the curtain, forcing him into another of her hugs. That's when it seems to hit him all at once, and he slowly drops to his knees. Tears begin to well up in his eyes. He just can't believe it; he actually did it, he won. His marefriend gives him a passionate kiss to congratulate him, not even caring at this point that his friends and father can all see him. He then gives the kiss back to her ten fold. This is a moment of celebration. One he shall remember forever.
Scootaloo then leaps from the cloud, flying on over to the stage where she approaches the winner. Agelian notices she's wearing a saddlebag, and out of it she pulls a golden crown that has wings on each side of the head, as well as a lightning bolt on the forehead. It's the Best Young Flyer trophy, and nearly fainting as Scootaloo places it on his head, Agelian cries out in excitement. At this point he would've expected somepony as important and busy as her to fly off, however, she remains in place as the rest of the Wonderbolts in attendance join her side. The overwhelming emotion going through him right now is, well, overwhelming. Tears stream down his cheeks as he looks at the smiling faces of his idols. It's just so much to take in at one time. Suddenly, Scootaloo holds out her hoof, grabbing a hold of his, and raises it into the air. At this point, Agelian completely loses his composure, turning full fanboy over her.
"Calm down there," the Wonderbolt captain tells him, chuckling, "we wanted to congratulate you on your victory. You really showed us something amazing out there today. The ability to release those capsules while performing your stunts and maneuvers is top-level skill. You definitely earned this win today, and I guess that means that you get to spend some time with us. How about you come to our next practice session? Heck, you can even join in. We'll show you some of our best tricks. So how about it, Mr. Thunderpony?"
"Well, I'll have to think about it for a moment...OF COURSE! I'd love to go to Wonderbolts practice! But, um, one question. Is it ok if I bring my fiancée, Dinky, along with me?"
Scootaloo looks past Agelian at Dinky, who smiles and waves at her. She sighs and nods at him with a smile of her own. Agelian cheers out in delight as he turns on the spot, rushing into his mare’s open hooves and kissing her once again. As the two release, Scootaloo trots up and gives him a note that tells him exactly when and where to go to meet up with them for the training session. She then raises a salute to him, which the other Wonderbolts copy, and flies off, leaving him standing there with Dinky, both grinning widely as they watch Agelian's heroes disappear from sight. His friends soon arrive, having been allowed into the back to congratulate their friend. He narrowly avoids being tackled by them, afraid that with their numbers, it'd probably be even worse than Dinky's. However, it's not only his friends who have come to praise his excellent performance, for standing there with them is Princess Aurora. She has a smile on her face and walks slowly forward, telling Agelian that today is his day to celebrate, and that in this moment, he is an icon of Equestria. The problems that they've been facing indeed do seem quite unimportant at this moment. He knows that in the end, stopping Oblivion will come before all else, but for now, he just wants to enjoy this day.
Looking to his friends, smiling as he cries tears of joy, Agelian tells them, "Thank you all. I couldn't have done any of this without your support. And...and I'm sorry for not introducing you sooner, but this is Dinky, my fiancée. We became engaged shortly before I met all of you, and I was afraid you'd look at me differently if I told you all this."
He looks around at them, worried that none of them will accept her; that they wouldn't understand how such a tough, fearless pony could be in love with a beautiful mare like this, who they saw him cuddle with and kiss multiple times now. However, to his elation, they instantly take to her. Greeting the mare with kindness and welcoming her with open hooves, they begin to talk to her and ask her about herself. He can't believe it. This is truly the best day he's ever had. He's won the competition that once began the career of Rainbow Dash, his friends have accepted Dinky into the group, and he gets to hang out with the Wonderbolts and even train with them. His future is looking bright, and all his dreams seem to be coming true.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the sun rises in Ponyville the next morning, and the roosters begin to crow, awakening the ponies for a new day, Star Rider is walking through town. Already fully awake, she is joyfully singing a tune as she happily wonders what good will come of today. However, thoughts of her mission keep sneaking back into her head. Oblivion is probably getting stronger; biding his time while he prepares for his big attack. Yet they are no closer to finding the Elements of Harmony than when they first began. Since they returned from Canterlot after their visit with the family of the long-lost Princess Twilight Sparkle, she's been trying to find everything she could. Even "Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide" doesn't give any clues as to what might have happened to them or where they could be.

Her first thought was that they might be in the Tree of Harmony, where the Elements were originally taken from. She remembers hearing a story of when Princess Twilight and her five friends from fifteen years ago returned them to the tree, but when she visited the tree a few days back, they weren't there. She can only assume that at some point they had retrieved the Elements for whatever reason. Now she and her friends have to figure some other way in order to find them, but what can they do? No, she mustn't think about that now. She wants to wish her friend good luck as he prepares to head out to train with the Wonderbolts. It's his day to just enjoy himself, and she doesn't want to ruin it with thoughts of these troubles.

As she walks forth, she finds herself entering South Ponyville and soon passes by the Ponyville Pet Center. Just ahead is a small blue house, quaint and simple. She can tell by the lights coming through the windows that he's still home, and she smiles, thankful that she didn't miss him. Leaving this early in the morning isn't that surprising considering where he's going though. The Wonderbolts have always held early morning training sessions. So Star trots up to the door, knocking a couple of times. She hears him yell out to come in, and as she does, she finds the place to be a disaster-level mess. Things are strewn all around, and she quickly finds her friend running around, throwing stuff on the floor while attempting to find something.

Dinky is packing the things he throws to her, and smiles at Star as she slowly walks forward. Looking around in shock and confusion, she turns to Agelian's marefriend and gives her a questioning expression, to which the faded purple pony tells her, "He's looking for his Wonderbolts photo so that he can get it signed. You'd think he'd keep track of important things like that. He's already packed his entire set of racing suits, unsure of which one he should wear during the practice, as well as all the capsules I made for him."

"Don't you think this is a bit much?" Star asks her, watching as Agelian shuffles through a drawer, chucking papers and books out as he looks.

"Yeah, but these are his heroes remember. I mean, think about it. Captain Scootaloo started off her life being unable to fly for the longest time. She overcame all the odds and became not only the apprentice of Rainbow Dash, but eventually became so strong of a flyer, she took over as Captain of the Wonderbolts. With Agelian's past, well, he just looks up to her. He's trying to overcome his own weaknesses so that he too can reach the heights she has."

"Oh, you mean about his father right? He told me about that once."

She remembers that day, when Agelian was so distraught by memories of what he had gone through. Following his mother's death, his father pushes him hard, wanting him to become a Wonderbolt-level flyer right away. Whenever he failed, Soundspeed would berate and yell at him. And although it never progressed into physical abuse, the emotional harm Agelian felt was so great that it caused him depression for a long time. When he became old enough to move out on his own, he had a fight with his father and it went too far. He threatened his own father's life, and in instant realization, ran away. He never went back for his things, and he hasn't seen his father since. Well, until yesterday when Soundspeed visited the stadium to watch the competition.

"His faith in himself had been shattered long ago," Dinky quietly says. Suddenly, both her and Star notice that Agelian has stopped looking for the picture. He stands there by a bookshelf, looking down at the ground. They notice a tear drop to the floor and rush to him. They didn't mean for him to hear, and they didn't want to bring back such painful memories for him. The two run up and embrace him in a hug, whispering into his ear that everything is going to be ok, and that he had to have made his father proud yesterday. However, the stallion doesn't seem as sure as them, pushing them back and going to where his saddlebag sits.

"It's alright," he tells them quietly, "I don't need his acceptance. I gave up on that long ago. The Wonderbolts are my heroes now, and they give me the strength to go on. I was never the best flyer, and his influence only made it worse. When I discovered Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, I began to truly understand what it meant to have faith in somepony. My love for them has strengthened me and helped me get to this point. It was because of their influences on me that I won yesterday."

Using the strength of his wings, Agelian lifts up the saddlebag and places it onto his back. He seems to have given up on the portrait at this point, and just wants to leave. She can understand, as he just wants to enjoy the rest of this day and get his mind off of these memories. So she decides to let him be, agreeing to stay behind and get the house cleaned up. Dinky, however, naturally follows her fiancé out, waving goodbye to her new friend as they pass through the doorway.

Trotting down the road, his lover behind him, Agelian grumbles to himself. He can't believe they brought that back up, especially at a time like this. When he's at the top of his game, about to go out and live his dream, they bring up those horrible times from his colthood. He understands that they weren't doing it out of bad intentions, but it still hurts to remember those times. His father hurt him so badly, and now he just suddenly shows up at the Young Flyer Competition? He had to have known that he was going to be in it. The advertisements have mentioned him leading up to it, as he was one of the first to be accepted into it. Why would he go there?

As he begins to contemplate these thoughts, the two of them reach the street that Sugarcube Corner is on. He still has some time before the practice begins, and so he decides that he just needs something to calm his nerves. They soon reach the large bakery and enter the doors. Dinky doesn't bother to ask him why, because she knows how he tends to eat when he's upset. Walking in, they approach the counter to find Pound and Pumpkin Cake walking around behind it, preparing another order. The latter of them looks over and smiles, telling Pound to take care of things. So as she takes over his task as well, utilizing her magic, Pound trots up to the counter.
"Good morning Agelian. I heard about your big win yesterday, congratulations."

"Thanks," he solemnly replies, looking down at the counter top, "can I get a muffin? Lemon surprise?"

"Uh, sure," Pound replies, taking the order while looking at the sad stallion in pity. He wonders what could be wrong as he takes the bits, but figures it better to just let it be. Walking over to the muffin rack, he grabs a lemon surprise and places it into a bag for Agelian, sealing it and passing it over the counter. Without another word, the two leave the shop to continue on their way.

Normally, the Wonderbolts practice in Canterlot. However, they've agreed to meet in the west fields of Ponyville today instead, to not inconvenience their special guest as much. So Agelian and Dinky head to the west at this point, ready to get there as soon as possible. The thoughts of his past still lurk in his mind, but he chooses instead to focus on the highlights of yesterday. How he wowed the crowd with the flaming spiral, and that Sonic Thunderboom he pulled off went perfectly. The timing wasn't even a millisecond off, and he reeked of confidence the entire time. But even so, something just seemed to grab a hold of him, and his faith in himself dwindled. NO!

He can't let these thoughts overcome him! He is his mother's son! He can overcome anything!
Suddenly overcome by his excitement to get there, he grabs Dinky's hoof and pushes off the ground hard. They instantly fly off into the sky, though the mare isn't as excited as Agelian. She tells him to let him go, and as he reluctantly does, she begins to use her magic to make herself levitate and fly beside him. He almost forgot she could do that, and smiles over at her as they speed across Ponyville, headed to the west side.

As they do, they reach the Ponyville Schoolhouse, and are interrupted by a familiar voice calling out to them. Miss Cheerilee stands there below them, waving for the two to come down. A sigh escapes the stallion, for he knows that this is time he won't be able to get back. But at the same time, he remembers being in her class long ago, and how great of a teacher she was. He can't just ignore her. So the two land beside the school yard, and trot over to the teacher, who smiles gently at them.

"I heard what was going on, and wanted to congratulate you on your big win. It isn't every day that one of my former students makes it big."

"What are you talking about?" Agelian replies, genuinely laughing, "What about Captain Scootaloo? Or Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, even Silver Spoon! They've all made it big!"

The three of them share a laugh and begin to reminisce of the old days. She reminds him of that one class project they did when he was still waiting for his cutie mark to appear. He explained what he believed his cutie mark should be and why, going into great detail and explanation. She reminds him that he even brought up his family history going back five generations to explain his choice. Dinky asks if he was correct about it, and laughing, Cheerilee tells her that he thought his cutie mark would be a bit.

"I was young, and barely knew how cutie marks worked. You hadn't gone over that yet," Agelian defends, blushing and slinking down to the ground, "I didn't know at that point that they had to do with my special talent."

"Listen Agelian," Cheerilee tells him, wiping the tears of joy from her eyes as her laughter dies down, "as somepony who knew Scootaloo as a child, let me give you some advice. She's very adventurous and wild, and responds very well to praise. However, she's also always been very self-conscious, and believes that you should never try to be someone you're not. Just be yourself around her, and she'll respect that greatly. You're a wonderful pony, Agelian. Always remember that. Now, get going before you and I are both late. I have to open up the classroom."

Agelian thanks her for the encouragement and advice before flying off with Dinky in tow. Continuing on towards the field, they can nearly see it right ahead of them. The sounds of the Wonderbolts speeding around and breaking the sound barrier echo towards them, but once more they're stopped as a voice calls out to them from below. This time, as Agelian slows himself, looking below, he sees a gray-blue coated pony with silver hair tied into a ponytail. It has a braid going down the center. Wearing a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, pearls around her neck, she smiles up at them and just as Cheerilee had, signals for them to come on down.

"Good morning Silver Spoon," Agelian says, irritation in his voice as he lands with a thud. He just wants to get there already, and while Miss Cheerilee's advice was certainly useful, what could this pony have to tell him right now? She sells the tableware that she herself crafts, and wasn't even a friend of Scootaloo when growing up. In fact, if the stories he remembers hearing are correct, she was actually friends with that Diamond Tiara mare, and picked on Scootaloo and her friends when they were all just fillies.

"I heard you won the Young Flyer Competition," she cheerfully tells him, but before she can go on any further, Agelian blurts out his inner thoughts, telling her exactly what he had just gone over in his head. She looks a little downtrodden, but nods as she replies, "Yes, I did do those things. Back when I was young, I had no friends. Diamond Tiara was kind to me, but she changed so much. She became a bully, and I followed suit because I didn't want to lose her as a friend. However, when we were getting ready to graduate, we went to prom, and she decided to pull something just horrible. I couldn't back her up any longer."

"What did she do?" Dinky asks, curiosity getting the better of her at this point. Even Agelian takes a seat where he is, interested in hearing where this goes. He had never heard much about Silver Spoon's past, nor Diamond Tiara's, apart from the many mentions of how they bullied the cutie mark crusaders. He knows he has to get to the field, but something inside of him says to just stop and listen.

"She secretly hated Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom. I was never sure why, but for some reason she just couldn't stand them. So on prom night, she rigged the votes for prom king and queen, making sure that Sweetie Belle, the one she hated the most, would be on stage. That's when she did the unthinkable. She had set up a bucket above the stage, and when Sweetie was in place, she tipped it over, releasing gallons of joke blood from the Ponyville Joke Shop. It covered Sweetie, everypony laughed at her, and she ran away crying. It was the biggest humiliation she's ever faced. After that, I left her. I couldn't be her friend anymore. I asked the crusaders for forgiveness for everything I had done to them, and though understandably reluctant at first, they agreed to give me one chance. They heard the desperation and sorrow in my voice, and even though I didn't deserve it, they had faith that there was some good in me. We've been friends ever since. Agelian, never lose the faith you have in your friends. But more importantly, never lose the faith in yourself. You can do anything that you set your mind to, and nopony can stop that."

Sobbing, he looks up and thanks her, not knowing what else to say. She had been horrible to them, and had done so many bad things. But she finally figured out that what Diamond Tiara and her were doing was wrong, and rebelled against it. She was shown compassion and faith by those same ponies she had bullied, and became a better pony because of it. Faith can move mountains, and he now sees exactly why that little voice in his head had told him to wait and listen to her story. It's something he needed to hear.

Ever since he was a young colt, his faith in himself and others dwindled because of the things he had been put through by his father. He had lost that which truly made him strong, and through this experience, he has come to a realization that yes, he will face hardships. Things won't always go the way he wants, and won't always make sense. Every week has a Monday, and he will have to struggle through it. Pain and misery are a part of life, but it's how you respond to it that determines who you are. If you let the sorrows control you, then you will be nothing more than a puppet on a lonely string. But if you control your sorrows, then you can move past them and see the light at the end of the tunnel. There's always a silver lining, and he thinks he knows what it is now.

Driven by his dreams, he can move away from his past and confront his demons. The future holds so many things for him. He's been so worried about what people thought of him, and if they'd accept him for who he truly is. He put on a tough act, trying to masque the sorrow and pain he's been feeling; the kind pony he's always been. He never truly had faith in who he really is, and it's only brought him down. Now he can finally go to the field, no longer worried about trying to make a good impression for Scootaloo. As Miss Cheerilee told him, he just needs to be himself. And as Silver Spoon advised, he must have faith. It's faith that will drive him far in this world, and that will make everything alright again.

Suddenly, he hears his name called out from a bit away. This time he doesn't even bother to sigh or complain. Maybe somepony else has something to tell him, and from now on, he wants to listen to the advice he gets from those who care about him. So turning around, he looks down the road to see two ponies trotting up. The first is one he had never seen before; a brown-coated Earth pony with a determined look on his face. But it's the second pony he focuses on. His father is coming towards him, also looking determined. However, he seems confused by the presence of the other stallion, and so it can be easily assumed that the two are not together, despite the fact that they both seem to be headed towards the same pony.

Tears in his eyes, Soundspeed flies forward and holds out his hooves. Agelian looks on and begins to cry as well. He knows what's going on, and so he too holds out his hooves and catches his father in a long-wanted hug. The Earth pony stops and just sits there, waiting respectively so that the two can have their moment. Pulling apart, Soundspeed looks at his son and says five words that Agelian's always been wanting to hear, "I'm proud of you son." The two hug again and the father begins to explain the past, telling his son why he acted the way he did.

"When I met your mother, it was love at first sight. I knew she was the one for me," he says. Looking down, Agelian understands, as it's how he felt when he saw Dinky for the first time, "and when I lost her, it was the saddest day of my life. The reason I began to push you so hard after that is because of the pain I was feeling. I had always wanted great things from you, and my sorrow pushed me to try and force it on you. You were all I had left, and I just didn't want any more disappointment in my life. It's been years since I last saw you, and when I heard you were going to be participating in this year’s Young Flyer Competition, I had to go and see how you would do. To be honest, I went for selfish reasons; to see how my pushing influenced you. But when I saw you do that amazing performance, I realized that I had been wrong to treat you like I did. I would have met you backstage, but when I approached I became too ashamed of myself and my actions, and ran away. Now I have faith that you will be great, even without my help. Can you ever accept this old pony's apologies?"

Looking down, Agelian remembers all that he had just been taught, and how Silver Spoon was given a second chance despite not deserving it. Scootaloo and her friends had faith that she could change her ways, and she proved them right. If he is to truly embrace this new outlook on life, he has to begin here. He must have faith in his father that he can change, and that though the memories will still remain, it can all get better. So with a tearful smile, he hugs his father and accepts his father's apology. They agree to talk to each other more often, and never stay apart again. And with a kiss to his son's forehead, Soundspeed heads off, having to go to work for the day. Right away, not even giving the stallion time to take all of this in, the Earth pony steps forward and introduces himself.

"Guten tag, I am Babe Chenko. So sorry to interrupt you, but I have a letter for a freund of yours," he tells the stallion in a thick Germaney accent that almost reminds Agelian of Bri's Trottingham one. And speaking of Bri, to his knowledge, she is the only one of his friends that has ever been to Germaney. She must be the "freund" he's referring to.

Sighing, Babe explains that he would've given the letter to Bri herself, but he wasn't able to find her anywhere, and he has to get back home. Thinking about it, Agelian doesn't believe she went anywhere. She would've told him and their other friends if she was going on another trip. With a smile, he accepts the note and thanks Babe for delivering to him. He wonders what it could be about though? Is this a friend Bri made during her trip? There are so many questions flying around his mind right now.

Babe nods and then begins to trot off back out of town, disappearing as mysteriously as he had come without saying another word. So with one more look at the envelope, Agelian shrugs and put it into his saddlebag, hoping he'll remember to deliver it to Bri the next time he sees her. Sighing, he asks Dinky if she's ready to continue on and finally get to the training, to which she nods. They're quite late by this point, but he's sure that Captain Scootaloo will understand when he tells her exactly what happened. He has faith that she will, and that all will go well. Today is the first day of the rest of his life, and he will seize it. “Carpe diem” is what they call that; seize the day. So the two of them walk away towards where the field is. That's when he sees it shining in the sunlight on the ground not too far away.

It's right where Babe was sitting while he was waiting for Agelian to finish speaking to his father. He wonders if the pony dropped it, but also wonders as he picks it up, what would an Earth pony be doing with flight goggles? They're gold in color, and have a shining purple gem in between the two eye pieces. It seems to emanate a strange aura that captures his focus. Nothing else matters anymore, not even meeting with Scootaloo. This can't possibly be what he thinks it is, can it? Can he truly have found one?

Frantic now, he turns and asks Dinky if she remembered to pack the Elements of Harmony reference guide like he had asked her to. His plan was to ask Scootaloo about the Elements so that he could see if she might know anything. She did know and hang out with one of the Elements’ former owners after all. And this purple gem, he knows he's seen it before, and he believes he knows exactly where. So as Dinky pulls the book out of his saddlebag, giving to him, he flips through the pages and looks for the illustration he remembers seeing.

It doesn't take him long to find the right page, and when he sees it he begins to tear up. Looking up, he laughs and turns to Dinky, kissing her passionately before telling her, "I've done it! By Aurora I've done it! She looks curiously at him and questions what he's so excited and happy about. So with a laugh as he puts the book back in the bag, he replies, "we're finally one step closer to saving the world! Star will be so excited when she sees this! Thank you Dinky, thank you for never giving up on me! And thank you Dad, Silver Spoon, and Miss Cheerilee! You gave me the faith I needed, and now I've finally found one; this is an Element of Harmony!"

Preview for Episode 08
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It's been so long since I've been here. So long since they died. But I can't help it, I need their help. I've unleashed something truly horrible this time, and my smoke and mirrors can't stop them all. I guess it's just like what Twilight told me once. Nopony is great and powerful by themselves. They need friends.