Author's Notes:

Twilight is Magic read order
This story takes place eight years after TiM: What Defines Us

We began again. Join Twilight and family as they deal with six foals going through teenage angst.

This time around I'll label any sexy chapters with a (C) after them. Although I can't promise there will not be anything important said in them /shurg

Right now I'm looking at this story to be about 150k words long.
I hope you enjoy, TiM: Cost of Defeat

“C’mon slowpoke, you keep that up and I’ll just leave your flank behind!” Nighttide yelled.

Taz looked up at the pegasus, in the light of his mom’s sun she stood out in the worst possible way. Her dark blue body was almost a match for his. She was a dark dot in the sky.

He did not care about her coloring, or anything else his other friend had said about her for that matter. Apart from his family, Nighttide was the only friend he had near his age. While it was true that they had gotten off to somewhat of a rocky start, she quickly made up for it. The two had become inseparable over the years. Together, they had sleepovers, went to movies, and he even invited her along on family outings.

In the eight years that he had known her, Taz could honestly say he never had more fun with anyone else. Some of his family even started making jokes about them eventually getting married. He wrote that off, Nighttide was a friend.

He only felt that way about one pony, and she was not the one.

“Slow down!” Taz yelled out as the pegasus flew overhead. He knew it was pointless; her favorite game was to tease him with her speed.

“Nope! You speed up!” Nighttide said in a singsong voice.

Taz smiled, it was always the same with her. He grinned as he ran through the streets of Ponyville. This time… this time he had a small trick up his sleeve. He had been training with his mom for a while now, and it was time to put all that training to use.

Concentrating, Taz looked inward. He found the one thing that was uniquely his, his special ability. Twilight told him that before he was even born he had canceled out the majority of her power. That alone made it special. When he was five, he was able to use it in a concentrated area.

He had improved since then. He focused this power in a narrow beam and released just the smallest bit. Before, when he cancelled a pony’s magic, it would take a while for it to come back. Now… now he could control it.

The invisible beam hit Nighttide square in the chest. It did not cause her any harm per se, but it did cause her to fall several hooves in the air before she could catch herself.

“Ahh!” Nighttide shouted at the sudden loss of control of her flight. She quickly caught herself and glared down at the grinning stallion. It was obvious that she had not been expecting that.

Taz’s grin became even larger at that realization. Nighttide landed next to him and knocked him over onto the dirt. “You jerk! You didn’t tell me you could do that.”

Taz laughed as he pulled her over him. The two rolled down a hill, each toppling end over end. When they made it to the bottom, Nighttide landed on top him, their muzzles inches away from each other.

Taz playfully rolled her to his side when Nighttide tried to close that gap. “What, you expect me to tell you all my secrets?” he said between giggles.

“I tell you all of mine,” Nighttide replied. Her voice carried a dejected tone from his casual dismissal of her advances, advances that only he seemed not to notice. She rolled over and looked at him. “What else are you hiding in that skull of yours?”

Taz stopped smiling. “Nothing,” he lied.

Nighttide’s face became a frown. “Taz, I thought we were friends?”

“We are!”

“Then why are you keeping secrets from me?”

“I’m….” He tried to deny it again; one look at her face told the young stallion that she had him dead to rights. “It’s complicated. I don’t want to discuss it anymore,” Taz said as he got up, his head downcast. “We should get going; we don’t want to be late, do we?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Nighttide said as she followed him up the hill. When she looked at him, there was a tightening in her chest that she did not understand.

The two walked in silence from that point on. This should have been a happy day, a day of days for him. Neither of them really felt like smiling.

Today was the day he would finally get his cutie mark.

Nighttide already had hers. Four years ago, the mare bowled him over one day in excitement of her new mark: A blue lightning bolt with matching fire coming off it.

Reproach quickly replaced her excitement. As a memory returned to both of them. “You’ll get yours,” she had told him. “I’ve been trying for two years longer than you and I just got mine.”

He had smiled then.

That was four years ago.

Over the past few months, Taz had become even more of a pest to his family. Taking up Rainbow’s age-old advice to try as many things as he possibly could as quickly as he could.

Rainbow had paid for that comment, they all had.

After the third time Twilight had to rebuild an entire wing of Celestia's Palace, she threw her hooves up in defeat and made him an appointment with the Crusading King.

The Crusading King, the title given to Astelan. Astelan was the son of Shining Grove, who had grown up as the daughter of two of the original Cutie Mark Crusaders: Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell. He hated that title. However, just like all such names, once he had it there was no way to get rid of it. He got the nickname because it fit him.

In an ironic turn of events, the Crusading King killed the Cutie Mark Crusaders. There was no need for them anymore, not with him around. Astelan’s special talent was finding the special talent of others. What need was there for foals to run around causing property damage (and personal damage to themselves) when one visit from the Crusading King would ensure that they had their cutie mark?

Needless to say, his schedule was booked solid. Even Princess Twilight had to pull strings in order to get him to see Taz on such short notice. Normally he would work with ponies much younger. However, Taz had wanted to do it himself.

Taz tried, Luna knows he tried, and he had the scars to prove it.

When Nighttide looked at him, she saw those scars all too well. The stallion kept his light blue and purple mane long, but it did little to hide the large gash down his side, a result of his second experiment with explosives. His face had more than its fair share of cuts, each and every one a memory, a fun memory at that.

“Thank you, thank you for coming with me,” Taz looked back at her, a frown on his face as they approached the Crusading King’s door.

Nighttide just smiled a small grin as the two went inside.

In truth, she felt honored that he invited her over all the others. Astelan had one rule, when you see him you have to bring your best friend with you. There was a very specific reason for this rule, as it worked ninety-five percent of the time.

Taz had a close relationship with both Blaze and Flash, the twin sons of Firestar and Radiant Star. Ana, one of the two daughters of Ataxia and Shimmering Night, found every reason she could to be around the stallion. Nighttide actually found herself jealous about that. However she knew that Taz had no interest in his niece, not like that anyway. She shook it off; Taz and Ana’s relationship was more akin to that of an older brother and younger sister. Nothing she felt threatened by.

Although she knew he was hiding something, something he had not told anyone. Not even her. That part hurt.

Nighttide paused as that realization hit her. ‘It really does hurt me that he doesn’t feel like he can trust me.’

“You coming?” Taz turned and asked her.

She looked around, realizing that she had stopped in the entranceway. “Yeah,” Nighttide put on a faux smile and followed him into the room. Right to the Crusading King.

Astelan was a tall stallion, one that almost matched the height of the alicorn princesses. He kept his light-brown mane short. His green eyes matched the carpet in the room.

“Prince Taz, I take it?” The stallion looked at the young colt that entered the room.

“Just Taz though,” Taz corrected. He hated it when someone called him prince.

“And your friend?” Astelan looked over Taz’s shoulder to the pegasus that stood behind him.

“Nighttide.”

Astelan bowed to them both. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, both of you. Nighttide, how long have you known your friend here?”

“Eight years!” She said proudly.

“Very good.”

“Mom... mom says you can help me get my cutie mark?”

Astelan just smiled. “It’s what I’m known for. Although, normally I work with ponies much younger than yourself. Tell me, what caused Princess Twilight to schedule you an appointment with me?”

“Well… I….” Taz looked at the ground, sheepishly.

“There was a minor incident involving high explosives and a wing of the palace in Canterlot,” Nighttide covered the question for him, “three times.”

Astelan just laughed at that. “Don’t feel too down, most ponies do manage to find their own special talent, my clients are normally the ones that take it a little too far for their parents liking.”

“Isn’t this like cheating though?” Taz looked at him. “Shouldn’t ponies find that out for themselves?”

Again Astelan laughed. “Let me tell you a secret, there’s no difference. A cutie mark is a cutie mark. I’ve helped so many ponies find their special talent that I couldn’t hope to track them all. Yet, not one of them is any different than any other pony out there.”

“How do you do it though?” Nighttide asked.

“With but a question,” The Crusading King said with a small grin on his face.

“Ask away,” Taz said. He knew this would not work, there was no question this pony could ask him that would help him realize his special talent.

“Oh, the question isn’t for you, it’s for your friend. Nighttide, what would you say is Taz’s one true talent. What can he do better than any other pony out there?”

Taz was taken aback by that. He looked at Nighttide with a shocked expression on his face. Not once did he consider asking her.

Nighttide thought about it. “I guess it’s his special ability to nullify magic.”

The stallion looked at her; he had helped thousands of foals all over Equestria. Astelan had never heard of such a talent, especially from an earth pony. “Come again dear?”

“He can nullify magic,” Nighttide restated.

Taz just nodded.

“I’ve… I’ve… I’ve….” Astelan was at a loss for words.

“I’ll show you,” Taz said with a smile on his face. He turned a predatory grin back to Nighttide.

Nighttide just sighed as she started to hover in the air. With light flaps from her wings, she was able to harness the pegasus magic that came natural to all such ponies. However, she kept herself close to the ground, knowing full well what would happen.

Taz closed his eyes and looked inward. Just like earlier, he found that part of him he needed, the very part that his mom had taught him to lock away and was now teaching him to use. It was as a force inside of him, one he could control now that he had the training.

He used it now, with just a little bit of effort, Taz directed it at the pegasus hovering a few hooves away. The effect was the same as it was earlier. Nighttide fell to her hooves even though her wings were still flapping.

Taz looked back at the other pony in the room. A smile on his face as he said; “See, told you.”

“That’s amazing young stallion. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” Astelan shook his head in an effort to clean out the cobwebs. “I think we now know what your special talent is.”

“No, that’s just… that’s just… that’s my special talent?” Astelan smiled as he saw the look on Taz’s face. That was a look he had come to know all too well. It was so common for ponies to underestimate what they could do. To look at their special talent as nothing more than a common thing that any old pony was good at.

“Wait, then where’s his cutie mark?” Nighttide gestured a hoof at his flank.

It was still blank.

Taz spun around as he tried to look for it. For something that was not there. When he stopped, they both looked at him, inquisitive expressions on their faces.

In truth, Astelan was at a loss for words. He had no doubt that they had found Taz’s one true talent, the thing that should have been his cutie mark. As soon as Taz realized his special talent, it should have appeared.

It did not.

‘Odd,’ he thought. ‘Time for plan B.’

…………………………………

Ana rolled her eyes again at her grandma's lesson. She did not want to be here, she wanted to be with Taz. He chose her though. ‘Bring your best friend’, and he brought Nighttide.

Nighttide was his best friend. The one pony that he thought knew him best over any other. That hurt, and that hurt made it hard to care what Twilight was saying at this time. She buried her head in her hooves. Her long, beautiful purple mane fell over her face. Taz and she had always been close, yet the more time he spent with Nighttide the less he spent with her.

“Ana, are you paying attention?” Twilight paused her lesson to ask the obvious question.

“No,” Ana said aloud.

“Why not?” Twilight was taken aback by that, she knew that Ana was not paying attention; she just had not expected Ana to be so honest about it.

“‘Cause I don't care right now!” Ana shouted the words as she teleported away.

“Should I go after her?” Starlight asked their mentor.

Twilight shook her head at the blue unicorn. Starlight had her name from her eyes. Dark blue eyes with white specks that resembled starlight. Even Twilight found that if she starred in those eyes for too long, she would forget just what she was thinking. She looked away before saying, “You know what the problem is, she just needs time,” Twilight smiled. “Besides, I’m sure her mom will distract her from it.

Starlight nodded at that. They both knew that Ana had just teleported to Ataxia’s side. It was one of the first spells she had ever learned. That young mare seemed to have a teleport beacon on Ataxia at all times. Once she made it to her mother, there was no getting her back. After all, Ataxia would never send her daughter away.

……

Ataxia yawned loudly, an over-exaggerated maneuver that was designed to let everyone know that she was sick of this conversation more so than to display that she was tired.

In reality she was both, however, the first one was the more pressing matter at this time.

“Tired babe?” Shimmering night leaned over and placed her hoof on Ataxia’s shoulder, she lightly begun massaging a cramp that appeared there. Ataxia smiled at her, grateful to have someone who understood, well… somewhat understood. In truth, she just hated this, all of this.

Being a princess sucked, having responsibility sucked, having to listen to this drivel day in day out from every pony that though their problems somehow mattered to her sucked. In a word, everything sucked.

Well, almost everything. She had one thing that made everything else worthwhile. The one thing that made this bearable, that made it worth the effort. Her wife.

Ataxia stared into Shimmering Night’s eyes. She could get lost in the purple irises of her wife's eyes. She managed to shake her head clear. “Can we go yet?”

“Not yet,” Night said with a smile. Ataxia’s faux yawn proved infectious, Night found herself yawning as well. “We gotta deal with the water supply to Manehatten before we go to bed.”

“We can’t pawn it off on your mom?” Ataxia asked with a smile.

“No, I promised that we would get this done before we called it a day.”

Ataxia groaned loudly. The dignitaries across the table simply cleared their throats.

“Shut up,” Ataxia said as she glared at them. Earning a light smack across her ass from her wife.

“Be nice,” Night brought Ataxia’s head down into her lap and kissed her lightly on her horn. “And I’ll make it up to you before we call it a day.”

Ataxia smiled, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Just then a filly teleported right next to the two of them. The action earned a slight jump from the dignitaries across the table and a smile from her parents. “Done already?” Ataxia asked her daughter.

Ana just looked at the two of them. “No,” she admitted. “I just couldn’t take it anymore,” the dejection in her tone told them both that her mood had nothing to do with her morning lessons.

“Take care of her, I’ll finish up here,” Night whispered to Ataxia.

“I still get my reward, right?” Ataxia asked hopefully.

“Only if she’s happy,” Night said with a smile.

Ataxia gulped at that, she knew what Ana’s problem was. It would be quite the challenge to put a smile on her daughter’s face.

It was a challenge that she was more than willing to meet. She had a few ideas of how to cheer up her daughter. Of course, these might take a little longer and delay her ‘date’ with Night. For her, for Ana, it was worth it.

“Let’s go do something fun,” Ataxia said to her daughter, the upset unicorn just nodded. She knew her mom would provide a distraction from her thoughts, from the hurt. It was just a question of whether or not it would be enough of a distraction.

………………………………….

Plan B was largely more of the same. The hard part was done; Astelan knew what Taz’s special talent was. It was obvious to the stallion, he knew it in the same way he knew that his coat was black, or that the princesses lowered and raised the moon and sun.

It was just a matter of getting it out of this stallion, this stallion with an oh so unique talent. One he had never heard of before. One he had never seen before.

For three hours he tried everything he could think of. He put Taz through his paces, having him use it more and more until he was sure it would appear.

It did not.

A thought began forming in his head, an awful thought he could not believe he was even considering. As time went on and the three of them encountered failure after failure. Astelan had no choice but to acknowledge the impossible in a young stallion's impossible talent.

Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

“Taz.”

Both Taz and Nighttide turned to him, each of them was dripping in sweat from the day’s exertions.

“I know why your cutie mark is not coming out,” The Crusading King looked down at that, he had never failed, not once, until today.

“Why?” Nighttide asked.

“It’s your special talent.”

“I know the cutie mark represents my special talent, why isn’t it coming out though?” Taz looked him in the eye as he asked the question.

“No, you misunderstand; your special talent is to nullify magic. Cutie marks are magic,” Astelan said the words, knowing that he was about to deliver heartbreaking news to the stallion. However, he also knew it was the truth. “Cutie marks are magic.”

“What are you saying?” Nighttide asked. Her mind already put the pieces together in her head, but she wanted to deny it. It was too cruel to be true.

Sadly, it was always a possibility that it would, eventually, one day, happen. Regardless how horrible it might be.

There was no easy way to break the news, and he would not try to sugar coat it. The young stallion deserved to hear the truth, regardless if it will break his heart. “You will never have a cutie mark; your special talent will not allow it. I’m sorry, but what makes you special will not let you have one,” Astelan looked him dead in the eye. He watched as Taz’s heart broke in his eyes.

Taz sat back on his flank. He ran those words over and over in his head. He was trying to make sense of them, trying to make them real. Tears started falling from his eyes.

He did not even notice when Nighttide wrapped a wing around him. “I’m so sorry,” her voice came out a soothing purr in his ears, as she tried her best to comfort her friend.

It did not work.

Anger began radiating in Taz. “You’re lying,” he spoke through the tears, through the heartbreak. “Everypony has a cutie mark, I’ll get mine, you’ll see.”

Astelan shook his head. “Taz, my special talent is finding the special talent in others. What I told you, it’s what my cutie mark is telling me. I’m sorry, you won't.”

“It doesn’t matter Taz,” Nighttide hugged him tighter. “I don't care if you….”

Taz shrugged her off him. “If I’m what!?” A blank flank! Forever!” His anger turned to her. It was misplaced, but right now his young mind did not care. He wanted… no, needed something to vent his rage at. To release his frustration and anger. “You don’t care if I get my cutie mark because you already have yours! Just one more thing you can hold over me, like your wings!”

“Taz, no, I…”

“Leave me alone!” Taz yelled as he ran out the room. Nighttide and Astelan tried to follow him, but as soon as they turned the corner he was gone, vanished from sight.

It was not the first time Nighttide had seen him do this, or the last. She knew from experience that there was no point in looking for him. This was his ‘other’ ability, his other talent.

Astelan wrapped a hoof around her. “He just needs time to process this. He doesn't blame you for this.”

She looked up at the tall stallion, “I know.” Tears fell from her eyes as she said the words.

………

Taz ran as fast as his legs could take him. All around him he saw the ponies of Ponyville going about their daily lives. Each of them looked like they did not have a care in the world.

‘Why would they? They all have their cutie marks.’ The thought was like venom in his mind. Each and every pony’s cutie mark was taunting him with what he would never have, with the one thing he wanted, but would never get.

The more he saw, the faster he ran, the faster he ran, the more he saw. It quickly became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In his mind’s eye he saw each and every cutie mark staring at him, taunting him, laughing at him. He had to go, he had to get away, get to some place without cutie marks.

No such place existed.

He changed tactics; he went to a place where he would not be surrounded by cutie marks. He went to Sunshine’s.

Over the years their relationship had grown, whenever Taz needed to be away, whenever he needed someone to talk to, someone that would not treat him like a foal, he would go to Sunshine’s place. The yellow unicorn that never talked down to him, he never dismissed his problems as irrelevant or immaterial. He was always honest, always open, and he was always there for Taz.

Sure, he had a cutie mark. A large wheel and axle, but that was largely irrelevant. Taz could deal with one cutie mark; it was the hundreds that surrounded him that he could not deal with right now.

He got to Sunshine’s tree without incident. It was easy for him to go unnoticed. Just a matter of not wanting to be seen by others and his curse… talent would take care of the rest.

Other’s called it his special talent, others said he should be proud of it, learn to control it. Despite everything they said, he only thought of it as a curse, and it had just struck again.

For the rest of his life, he would be a blank flank. He would be the only pony that did not have his cutie mark. Tears were falling freely now. He did not want Nighttide to see him like this, he did not want anyone to see him like this, save for Sunshine.

He barged right into the tree. The familiarity the two were used to long since evolved beyond the need for knocking. “Hey Taz, you want something to eat?” Sunshine did not even turn around. The yellow stallion was busy at the stove, cooking something that smelled sweet.

“How did you know it was me?” Taz asked, his tears temporarily abated.

“Other than the fact that I’ve never gotten another visitor?” Sunshine laughed.

“Fair enough,” he managed through sobs.

That got Sunshine's attention. He continued stirring the soup with his magic and turned around. He looked at Taz, really looked. The young stallion looked worse for wear. By most standards, he would be considered handsome, however those did not include days he had just ran two miles.

His long hair hung over his eyes, doing his absolute best to hide the tears falling from his face. His light blue and purple mane did little to hide the redness in his face.

It took Sunshine ten whole seconds to deduce the problem. He knew what today was, what Taz had planned for the day. Yet he was here, he was still a blank flank. Astelan had failed; Taz did not have a cutie mark.

Sunshine knew what Taz’s special ability was, nullification. If Taz did not have his cutie mark, it meant that his power was working against him. It meant he could not have a cutie mark.

“I’m so sorry,” it broke Sunshine’s heart to see Taz like that.

Taz lost it, the worst fear of every filly and colt was to be a blank flank for the rest of their lives. He was living that now. He broke down and cried, letting out everything that had been built up during the run over here.

He felt safe here; he knew that Sunshine would not judge him for this. He knew that Sunshine was his friend. He just wanted what was best for Taz.

In many ways, he felt lucky to have someone like that, someone that would always be there for him. He knew this all, but he could only feel sorrow over what he would never have.

Sunshine walked over to the young stallion and placed a hoof on his back. Sitting down on his flank he scooted the stallion's head into his lap. Letting Taz cry out into his coat as he did so.

Five minutes passed before Taz ran out of tears to cry. He looked up into Sunshine's blue eyes. “Thank you.”

“No thanks are necessary,” Sunshine said back with a smile. “Tell me what happened.”

“Can I… can I get something to drink first?”

“Sure.” Sunshine reached out with his magic and fetched two glasses from the cabinet. He filled them both up and passed one over to Taz. The young stallion got up and took a drink out of his.

“I… I went to see Astelan like I was told….”

Taz recanted the day from the beginning to end, going over the small details of what Astelan was like and what he had him try. Near the end, he found that having someone to talk to about it, having a voice to listen too. It made it that much easier to bear.

“And then Nighttide…”

“Wait, you went with Nighttide?” Sunshine interrupted.

‘Buck me, I meant to leave her out.’ Taz thought. The two of them had this fight almost every time he came by. He told Sunshine that he would stop hanging out with her last time he came for a visit.

He had just ratted himself out.

“Taz, you promised me,” Sunshine had a very serious look in his eye.

“Only because you won't drop it. Why do you think I don't come by that much anymore?” He felt his anger rising again.

“Taz, she’s not your friend, she’s not someone you want to be around.”

“She’s the only friend I’ve made!”

“What about your family? Your cousins?”

“They’re family, not friends.”

Sunshine just shook his head. “Am I not your friend?”

“Yes, but that’s different.”

“How so?”

“You’re a lot older than me for starters. I need friends my own age.”

Sunshine started pacing around. He needed to find some way to get this through the young stallion’s thick skull. He paused, a thought occurred to him, a very bad thought. “Taz, answer this next question truthfully.”

Taz just nodded.

“Do you love her?”

“Luna-dammit! Why does everyone think I’m in love with her?! She’s just a friend, nothing more!”

Sunshine sighed in relief. That was at least something.

“Although, I think she loves me,” Taz added.

Sunshine looked at him. “What do I have to say to get you to leave her alone?” He was starting to get angry.

Taz backed up. “There’s nothing you can say, she’s my friend and I’m not going to stop hanging out with her.”

“Taz-”

“No, I’m done. If you think you can tell me who I can hang out with and who I can’t… well, maybe I was wrong to call you a friend at all!” Taz took off out the door, no longer wanting to look at his friend… ex-friend.

“TAZ!” Sunshine shouted as he followed the earth pony out the door. It did not surprise him when Taz was just gone. There was no point in trying to find him with magic. Sunshine knew from experience that when Taz got like this he was untraceable.

“You dummy,” Dayspring said to the wind.

Dayspring mentally berated himself about being so lax in watching him these past few months. He vowed then that he would keep a much closer eye on his little brother.