Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The weeks that followed my failed attempt of keeping the Element of Loyalty stable were monotonous at best, boring at worst. Each day was the same; I would wake up, eat, practice my swordsmanship, work, practice flying, hang out with friends, play video games all night, sleep and repeat. There were a few things that threw chaos into the order, but they gradually got boring as well. You could only stare at cute mares in bunny suits for so long before you want to rip them off and devour the filly wearing the suit like a rabid dog. Though masturbating never got boring, especially when you could fuck anyone anywhere in VR, but cleaning the mess afterward was a problem.

Thank Faust Mom hasn't walked in on me while in VR. I don't want to explain the games that I play by myself. Then again, she has walked in on me using one of my toys, and watched me finish. Multiple times. I even walked in on her using her own toys and watched her finish just as many times.

It doesn't help our fucked up relationship when we share a bath every now and again or preen each other's wings as bonding time. Well, when I think about it, Mom grew up with Imperial traditions, and in Imperious, bathing was a family thing since hot water was a luxury in the frozen north. Or it could be that we have some taboo fetishes?

I know I have some weird turn-ons, slave-play, spanking and golden showers included. What I love most was being dominated completely with absolution, but only if my partner was good at holding my leash. If not, then I'm the one giving punishment.

Strange, back when my body told me that I was male. I would have never acted this way. Back then, I was much more reserved, calm and gentle. Now ruled by hormones, I want things I would have found disgusting. Like my Mom watching me play with myself.

To be honest, I don't mind her watching. It was Imperial Tradition for a mother to groom her daughter to be the best lover for her husband. Since her parents grew up in Imperious, she was most likely raised that way; To want to teach me how it's done as intimately as possible. It probably doesn't help that I leave the door open sometimes and look her in the eye as I finish. I could easily tell from the look in her eye that she wanted to be a part of the action and in return. She leaves her door open when doing her own business.

It used to be awkward during bath-sharing time, but not anymore. I just wished she would stop watching and fuck me already! Fuck I liked to be teased but she drives me crazy!

Mommy Issues aside. When I wasn't "stroking" the kitten, I was trying to get on Rainbow Dash's good side again. The problems that I made for myself during my impromptu confession had a noticeable effect on the rainbow-maned Pegasus.

Rainbow avoids me like the plague. Whenever I saw her, she would turn around and walk away, but sometimes I would catch her staring at me with confliction: Like her entire being was in turmoil about our relationship. I mostly understood what she is going through right now, Fluttershy had to fill me in after my fuck-up. If I had known that Rainbow was bullied by a bunch of pricks most of her life because of her mane, then I would have approached her differently, however. As much as I wouldn't mind a short term relationship with her, it wouldn't last. Rainbow is cute, and I bet she is wonderful to cuddle with, but she doesn't have what I look for in a mate.

I want someone that can pick me up when I fall down, someone that can bring me back from the darkness when I forsake the light. I want someone that can and will pin me down, leash me, and drag me across town like the little exhibitionist slut that I am. I want a mare like Summer, even if the odds of finding this Equestria's version of my walking sunset was nigh impossible.

I miss her, and I bet she misses me, but I hope she moved on. I barely had time to separate our connection before the bomb went off. If she is still alive in the other Equestria, I hope that she learned to love again. The cost of Soul Bounding is heart wrenchingly horrifying, never being able to love again is the cruelest thing that I could ever imagine.

I miss you, Summer. Forever and always.

Speaking of Rainbow, I would also catch her watching me practice for Divisions. She wasn't very good at hiding, to say the least. During my flight practice, there was a stray cloud that always seemed to follow me wherever I go, and it always had a rainbow-colored tail poking out of it. Rainbow's skill in stalking was horrible. Even Derpy pointed her out, and she stares in two different directions!

Later in the week when I asked Fluttershy about Rainbows stalking habits, she told me that she only does it to size up her competition. Fluttershy also told me that Rainbow got Thunderlane to help her with Divisions. Which was good, I guess. I kinda' wanted to be the one to do that. Thankfully, Rainbow signed up for the Star Division in the league. I didn't want to take her out of the Lightning Cup before the final race. With Thunderlane flying with her in their brackets, and with Cloud and I flying in ours, Ponyville will be the town to live in for a professional racer.

With Rainbow flying in the Star Group, I wouldn't have to race her again until qualifiers and the Lightning Cup, giving her enough time to train up to race me without holding back, however. Even with Thunderlane helping her, I don't think Rainbow could beat me in the finals or qualifiers. Flitter was the only pony that knew that I only raced with my Air aspect. I'm not sure when she figured it out. I usually kept my secret of being a dual-aspect Imperial under lock and key. If I flew with my Lightning aspect, then who could beat me? No one, that's who. Then again, I pray to Lunaris she doesn't figure out my other Pegasi secret that I gained. I don't want to explain nor reveal my trump card in a fight, but the Pegasi aspects were interesting, to say the least.

In this Equestria, anyone with a Dual Aspect was considered rare as an Alicorn. The only known Dual Aspect ponies in Pegasi history were the stuff of legends. Commander Hurricane, the savior of the Pegasi during the Windigo Uprising. Legate Willow Wisp, the one who kept the demons of Tartarus at bay for three days until the gates were sealed once more. Midnight Rhapsody, the Leader of the Sirens and Captain of the Lunar Guard under Princess Luna during the Nightmare Moon rebellion. Ashen Phoenix, the stallion that defeated the King of Dragons during the Draconian War of 426 CR. These were some of the Pegasi who had Dual Aspects, and all are forever ingrained in history as some of Equestria's greatest hero's. Of course, all the other races had ponies with Dual Aspects. I could go on and on about them, but if I did. Then I would miss practice, and I can't miss practice. Mom will spank me if I do.

'Faust, saying Dual Aspect is annoying. Why can't anyone just say Dualis? It's much easier.'

Plus, everyone knows the Dualis known as Starswirl the Bearded! I can't stand it when a Unicorn spouts the usual crap about how amazing his magic was a thousand years ago! It's so boring to listen too! I would rather listen to the Tales of Zethora—The Zebra prince that united the tribes of Zebraca with nothing but a wheel of cheese, a stick, and his fifth leg!

"Alright, class! Have we been practicing hairpin turns like we promised?" I addressed the crowd of fillies and colts in front of me.

It was sunny out on a warm, autumn day. Birds chirped in the distance, the wind silent like a sleeping baby. It was days like today that I could simply nap on a cloud and enjoy the peace that was the country life, but today was Sunday. In other words; Flight Instructor Day.

"Yes, Miss Hawkfire," my army of midgets replied in a chorus of high-pitched voices.

"Good, now then. Can someone demonstrate the maneuver into a low-acceleration aileron roll?" I asked the crowd of children, earning several nervous shuffles from the more, "rowdy," of the bunch. My eyes traced the class in search for a volunteer my gaze landed on a filly looking dismissively away from the teacher bored out of her mind. The light-gray filly with a twin-tailed violet mane, already sporting a cutie mark of a rainbow-themed lily, instantly became my "volunteer."

"Amethyst Sabre?" I said with the smile all teachers used to show that they cared, but don't. The filly that stood at the front of the group perked up at the call of her name, pretended to give me her full attention.

'Alright, you little shit. You've been a pain in my ass since your family moved into town a few months ago. Time to kick your bratty attitude down a few million pegs.'

"Yes, Miss Hawkfire?" Amethyst clicked. The rest of the class went silent. Pointing to the center of the freshly cut field at the back of the school, I smiled.

"Can you show your fellow peers last week's lesson before we continue with a low-acceleration aileron roll into a subterfuge back-roll?"

'Hehe, I know you can't do that Amethyst. Your wings are too small to stay upside down for that brief second during the combo. You will fall on your back like a rock, and everyone will laugh! Mwahahaha!'

"Pfft, that's easy," Amethyst scoffed as she took the position while everyone else lined up on the field next to a few crates that I placed earlier for today's lesson. She gave her little wings a few stretches before smirking smugly to the rest of awaiting class.

"Then show the class what you can do before we begin the next lesson," I challenged with a smile of my own.

Amethyst smirked, her wings spread out wide in bravado. I watched with a knowing smirk as she kicked off the ground with a hard flap of her wings. The rest of the class watched as well in awe, but they didn't know what was about to happen.

Amethyst flew across the field with a smile on her face. She flew until she was far enough away to ensure that she would get enough speed for the maneuver that she was asked to performed. Once she was happy with the distance, she banked hard to the right and charged back to the group.

She flew low to the ground, wings flapping hard and fast. Her face filled with concentration. The children watched in anticipation as Amethyst arched upwards with her wings flat and stiff. This slowed her down just enough to turn a full one-eighty, but as she did so. She twisted her body until she was upside down, however. While she was halfway through the aileron roll, she began the final part of the maneuver, and fell, like a rock, to the ground.

"Thunk!"

The class laughed.

The reason she fell was because her wingspan was too small to glide upside down for the briefest moment that the trick required. Normally during the glide, she would have kicked her back hooves up in a half-backflip and landed safely on her hooves. This trick was called, "The Humming Bird Stop," it was usually performed as an emergency stop while low to the ground and at high speeds. The only drawback to this trick was the fact that if you flew too fast, you could easily dislocate or even break your wings like twigs.

"Hey! Stop laughing!" Amethyst whined, slightly winded, but the class didn't listen. She had to suffer the embarrassment for a few moments while she stood back up and dusted herself off. I tried my best to not laugh with the class, but it was a losing battle.

"Alright, class, please be nice," I said with a stifled chuckle. It was hard for me to watch the little runt drop like a rock with a straight face. That little bitch and her Soccer Mom was a pain in my ass. Spoiled Rich may have moved into town with our local business stallion Filthy Rich, but that doesn't make her the "Queen" of Ponyville like she thinks she was. No matter how hard she tries to make me, and anyone else that she hates, look bad. She couldn't do shit. Then again, it doesn't help that her little brat complains constantly about me and my teaching methods. Almost every single lesson ended with Spoiled Rich showing up to bitch about how I was the worst flier in the history of Equestria.

'Fucking whore cunt.'

"Amethyst? Can you explain why you failed the maneuver?" I asked the flustered filly. She gave me a frown as she rejoined the class while I returned to my position in front of the class.

"You are a crappy teacher?" she responded with a huff. I raised a brow at that comment before turning to the star of the group, Scootaloo.

"Scoots, can you explain to the class why she failed?" The dirty orange filly with a dirty purple mane perked up with a glowing smile and answered for the class.

"Her wings are not large enough to maintain an upside down glide," she explained proudly. Amethyst scowled at my prized student.

"You are correct, Scoots, but you forgot to mention that because of the lack of lift that she would have needed to perform a Humming Bird Stop won't come until she is much older."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's okay," I beamed with a light tussle of Scootaloos mane, earning a little blush from the filly Pegasus. "Now that introduction is out of the way. I want all of you to grab your partner and warm up before our next lesson!"

Rainbow Dash watched the group of fillies and colts learning how to fly from afar. She hid inside one of the clouds slowly moving over the town, giving her a perfect birds-eye view of the school field where the class was being held. Her eyes narrowed at the mare that was teaching them.

'Who does she think she is!' Rainbow grumbled as Rose began lecturing the children on how to play Air Hockey. 'Spitfire should be the one teaching them how to fly. Not her!'

She continued to watch the class do their stretches and tried to pretend that Rose was not there, stretching with the class in a very suggestive way, but try as she might. She couldn't help but peek every now and again. The way that Rose arched her back like a cat only made her firm rump look all the more pleasing to the eye. The way that Rose flexed her Griffon-like wings sent shivers down her spine. They were bigger, stronger, and softer than hers. Her long, blade-like feathers looked like they were weaved from silk. She shook her head from the thought.

'Stop thinking about Rose brain!' Rainbow growled at her own thoughts. 'I'm going out with Thunderlane now. Just because Rose kissed me, doesn't mean I liked mares!'

With confused thoughts filling her subconscious, Rainbow watched the class in her little hiding spot. She wanted to learn everything that she can about her opponent; her teaching habits, her diet, flight habits, and more. She knew that to beat her opponent was to find their weaknesses and exploit them. To bring them down where they couldn't defend themselves. At least, that's what the Sun Snow wrote about in foreign history class, but Rose was a difficult pony to crack.

Throughout her research, Rainbow has learned that Rose was... strange, to say the least. Rose would work out every single day but disappear every second day into the Everfree. Rainbow would follow her into the most dangerous forest in all of Equestria, but she wasn't crazy. That place was Tartarus on Equis, filled with monsters like Timber Wolves and the like. She wasn't scared of them, not by a long shot, however. She was concerned about the plants in the forest as she knew that some of them could kill her just by smelling one.

When she asked around town what Rose does in the forest, almost every Pony and Griffon told her to talk to Rarity, which confused her for the most part. 'Why would a fashion designer know what goes on the Everfree anyway? Wasn't she scared of getting dirty?' Of course, those were her thoughts when meeting the alabaster mare for the first time, and they were quickly snuffed out when she found Rarity at the smithy—Covered in soot, sweat, and grease—She was working on a breastplate that she saw some of the guards were wearing. It didn't help their meeting that a gruff, old and nasty looking stallion by the name of Hammer Forge swearing at her for not working hard enough. It also didn't help when Rarity swore back with just as much venom while she pounded the breastplate with the force of a cannon.

When she had the chance to talk to Rarity later that day, the sight of a perfectly clean and groomed Unicorn mare without a splotch of filth on her almost scared Rainbow. Almost. Rainbow didn't like that Rarity talked like a Canterlot Noble. She preferred the loud, rude, and rusty dialect when she spoke at the Smithy. It was less graining on her nerves.

In retrospect, Rainbow was told that Rarity was a bit of a prissy gossip, but the sight at the forge said otherwise. Outside of the forge, she understood why the town of Ponyville called her the Queen of Drama and she didn't like it.

In the end, though, Rainbow didn't learn squat about what goes on the Everfree with Rose. All she pulled out from the conversation was that Rose gathers materials, Rarity turns said materials into items such as armor, clothes, and survival gear, and nothing else. How she got them, that's what she wants to know, and a few other ponies want to know as well.

That mystery will have to wait.

Rainbows current mystery she was trying to solve was Rose's never ending preening. She was always straightening and plucking her wings every minute of every hour! It was maddening! She only preens her wings twice a day; once in the morning after a shower and again at night before bed. There are a few times when she needs to realign her feathers during practice, and that's if she crashes!

'Does Rose realize that preening is a private thing? Seriously! She does it in front of everypony! No wonder most mares call her a slut,' Rainbow groaned while she watched the fillies and colts play Air Hockey before spotting Rose on the field with her muzzle in her left wing. A little blush found its way on Rainbows cheeks at the sight. 'S-She's even doing it now!' Despite her research on her rival, Rainbow never saw Rose fly without constraint before. That was, until, a strange mare named Sierra Maverick showed her the truth on her Scroll.

It scared her.

Rainbow thought that she was the only one that could do a Sonic Rainboom, but after seeing the video that Sierra showed her. She now knew that was no longer the truth. If Rose is capable of performing the nearly impossible feat, then what else was she capable of? That's what she was trying to find out, and so far. She hasn't come close to figuring out this mare. However, with the help of those stallions and mares that recently moved into town, Rose's secrets will see the light of day.

Author's Notes:

So here is a nice short little chapter. I hope you've enjoyed it. It's a little off the beaten path, but it still holds elements for the future.

Also, Scroll. Sorta like a cell phone for ponies, and works with Hooves!

How do those work.....

Hmm....