Author's note: I apologize sincerely for the long hiatus. It won't happen again. Thank you all so much for your patience. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

The God Particle

Chapter 44: The Coming Storm

Luna looked down at the dinner the griffin guard had set in front of her. Once again, they had given her meat. And once again, wine to drink with it. She frowned, returning her attention to the guard.

“Why dost thou continue to waste this meat and wine by bringing it to me? When thou knowest perfectly well that Equestrian dietary laws and customs forbid me from eating meat or drinking alcohol?” she asked.

“You’ll eat when you get hungry enough, Princess. And you’ll drink when you get thirsty enough,” the guard responded in a mocking tone of voice, practically spitting the word ‘princess’.

Luna shook her head once. “Take it away.”

“Suit yourself,” the guard responded gruffly, pulling the tray back out from under the cell using a rope attached to it.

“Thy king is a fool,” Luna said, looking the guard square in the eyes. “How long dost thou think the griffins can survive without the sun? What dost thou think will happen when all of the plants freeze and die?”

“Do not speak of Lord Aetos that way. And besides, griffins don’t eat plants,” the guard responded simply.

“Art thou truly that ignorant? What dost thou think will happen to the plant-eating animals that thou rely on for thy food?”

The griffin fidgeted nervously for a few moments before responding. “I suppose they will probably starve to death.”

“There is no ‘probably’ about it. They will starve to death. And then what will thou eat?”

The guard looked at the floor as if he were searching for an answer in the cold, hard stone. The stone had no answers to give. “The king knows what he is doing,” he finally responded, then turned and walked away, taking the meat and wine with him.

Luna had detected the fear and uncertainty in his voice. No, he’s not certain at all that his king knows what he is doing, she thought to herself before returning to her own thoughts; although she could feel the dull, empty ache of hunger pangs in her belly and her throat was badly parched and very sore. Ever since she’d been captured four days ago, the griffins had offered her nothing to eat except meat, nothing to drink except wine. Yesterday, it was pork. Today, beef. Two days ago, they had even brought her meat from a manticore, or so they had claimed. She doubted even the griffins were bold enough to tangle with manticores when there was much easier and safer prey to be had. Each time, they had brought her choice cuts of meat: fillets from the beef, ribs from the pork. She knew they were only doing it to mock her and she hadn’t touched any of it. Being immortal, it wasn’t actually possible for her to starve to death or die from dehydration. But she could feel hunger pangs and terrible thirst, and she would become weaker if she went too long without eating or drinking. Whether the griffins knew they couldn’t starve her to death or cause her to dehydrate, she wasn’t sure. Better if they didn’t, she thought. Even the griffin king Aetos would not be bold or foolish enough to risk the wrath of Celestia if they were to let her sister starve to death or die of thirst. If they didn’t know, perhaps eventually they would bring her some food and drink she could actually consume. Once again, she felt her stomach protest at being empty. She turned her thoughts elsewhere, trying to take her mind off her hunger and thirst.

Luna had always prided herself on being the more intellectually curious of the two Royal Sisters. Where as Celestia handled most of the public affairs of Equestria, Luna preferred to spend her time in the quiet of the Royal Library, researching virtually every subject she could get her hooves on. While Celestia surrounded herself with members of the Royal Court and with the public in general, Luna spent most of her time alone, many days interacting only with her Council members. And even then, often only for an hour or so when she had dinner with them. She didn’t have very many friends. Whether that was because she wanted it that way or not, even she wasn’t sure. One thing was undeniable though: Luna was not the most socially adept of ponies. Her thousand years of exile on the moon had only made that worse. But whether by circumstance or by choice, Luna tended to be a loner. Normally, that didn’t bother her.

But now, she realized she was very lonely. She found herself hoping that James would attempt to commune with her again tonight simply because she wanted someone to talk to. But she doubted that he would. It was just too risky to attempt a communion unless he had something important to tell her. The griffins could not stop her from using her magic in the dream world, but they could prevent her from entering it if they found out she was able to do so.

Her thoughts focused on James. He was one of her few true friends she realized now. She had often thought most ponies didn’t care about her that much, given they slept through the nights she worked so hard to create. But James, she realized now, must truly care about her. Her sister had been right. Given her sometimes harsh treatment of him, nopony would have blamed him if he had run as far away from her as he could. But instead, he stuck with her, and she knew she didn’t deserve it. The more she thought about it, the more it pained her heart. Like a dull knife pushing deeper into it, twisting, turning.

The light clicking of talons against the cold stone floor outside of her cell brought her out of her thoughts. It was the same griffin that had brought her meal earlier. He stopped in front of her cell, his eyes diverted to the floor, hesitating for a moment before carefully pushing a dinner tray under the bars again. Then he spoke quietly, a hint of fear in his voice, his eyes never leaving the floor.

“I … I brought you some fruit and some water. It’s all we have that isn’t meat. We griffins don’t eat much that isn’t meat … Please don’t tell the guard captain … I’d be flogged if King Aetos were to find out I brought you anything other than meat.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and left quickly, his talons once again making light tapping noises on the floor until the sounds disappeared into the distance.

Luna looked at the dinner tray for a moment, half expecting it to disappear in front of her very eyes only to have the griffin start laughing about how he had tricked her and mocked her again. When it didn’t, she lowered her head and sniffed at it carefully. It smelled like real fruit and there was no hint of any trickery. The water smelled like pure water. Slowly, she started to eat, then increased her pace, cleaning the plate quickly. The hunger pangs were gone now, and she quickly consumed the water. Her hunger satisfied and her thirst satiated, she allowed her spirit to feel just a bit lighter now. Maybe, she had gotten through to the guard. Maybe … just maybe … she had found a friend here.

o.O.o

James watched Twilight as the flying chariot continued to press on through the night sky towards Canterlot. Once again, she had risen to the occasion and rallied the ponies of Ponyville, just as she had done with the ponies in Canterlot. But lack of sleep and stress were catching up to her. He watched her chest rise and fall slowly as she got her first real rest since he had roused her out of bed in Ponyville four days ago. He himself was not tired and still seemed to be rejuvenated from whatever Luna had done to him when he had communed with her the previous night.

He turned his head to look out the window, but the continually falling temperatures had covered it in frost. The cold night air was smooth as glass and it made him uncomfortable. It was as if they were not moving at all. Like death itself had touched everything that once moved and stilled it and he were flying through an endless black void. He would have preferred if the air were turbulent. At least that would give him some reassurance that something outside was still moving. But at least the smooth air should give Twilight around four hours of uninterrupted rest.

He thought back to the speeches and rallying cries she had given now. How she had risen to the occasion and motivated the ponies of Canterlot and then done the same thing again with the ponies of Ponyville. How proud he was of her, and how proud he was to belong to her.

But then his heart sank, as if an anchor tied around it had been tossed overboard to drown it in the sea. He wasn’t really hers, and he never could be. He was a Royal Council member. His bride was Equestria. Anything that would distract him from his sworn service to Equestria and to his Princesses was something he had to shun. The anchor tugged at his heart painfully, a firm reminder that those distractions included romantic relationships. He silently cursed himself now. If only he had kept his mouth shut and never confessed his love for Twilight. Or better yet, if only he had been willing to admit to himself earlier on that he loved her. Perhaps he never would have joined the Council in the first place. But now, he was trapped. Duty and honor bound him to the service of his Princesses and to Equestria. There was no decision for him now, he realized in despair. He had made his decision the moment he swore the oath of fealty.

Briefly, his mind toyed with the idea of running away with Twilight, even if it meant he had to spend the rest of his life in hiding and on the run from the Royal Guards and the Princesses. He knew the punishment for oath-breaking and desertion. If he were caught, he would spend the rest of his life in the castle dungeon with no possibility of ever being released. And then he would never be allowed to see Twilight again. Would he accept all of those risks even for a chance that he could be with her forever?

His heart ached as he thought better of it. The life of a fugitive was no life for Twilight. She deserved better than that. And what chance did he really have anyway? Luna could enter his dreams at night. That meant she could probably track him down easily. And if Twilight were to run off with an oathbreaker, it would bring disgrace to her and her family. Even if he could beg the Princesses’ mercy for her and she were able to stay out of the dungeon, her future as Celestia’s personal student would be over. And even if Twilight were willing to accept those risks, he was no oathbreaker. The Princesses had put their complete trust in him and appointed him to one of the highest positions in all of Equestria. And he had accepted the appointment, knowing full well the consequences of doing so. And he knew he would never betray that trust. The fact that the punishment for a Council member who violated their oath was so severe underscored just how important it was for the Princesses to have Council members they could have complete trust in.

The anchor tugged his heart deeper under the crushing waves as he realized what he must do. He had to be honest with the Princesses as soon as they returned. He had to tell them about his relationship with Twilight. They would order him to end it, and he would be honor bound to obey. Telling Twilight was the part he dreaded the most. He knew it was better if he told her sooner rather than later before the two of them became even more attached to each other than they already were. But at the same time, she needed him to support her more than ever right now. No, he couldn’t tell her. At least not right now. She had enough to worry about.

He tried to put that out of his mind for now and focus on other things. There was nothing he could think of right now to help Luna, so mostly he thought about Celestia. His mind poured over formulas, equations, and everything else he knew about high-energy particle physics. He tried to recall the exact parameters of the experiment he had run the night he was transported to this world. The moment of the earthquake flashed through his mind. Figures, flashing warnings on the screen. Anything at all he could remember that might help explain how he had been brought here. Anything that might help Eric piece together the puzzle.

He wasn’t sure how long he thought about it, but he must have lost track of time. A slight pressure change in his ears told him that the pegasus guards had begun their descent towards Canterlot. He said a silent prayer to Luna that they hadn’t encountered any dragons or griffins on the flight back, then looked at the window. For the first time since leaving Ponyville, he could see light dancing on the frost, the first sign that there was life outside of the chariot he rode in. The light comforted him, as if it were welcoming him home to Canterlot.

The ride became choppy as the descent continued, updrafts from the city’s tall buildings buffeting them like a ship riding the waves at sea. He used the warmth of his hand to melt some of the frost on the window and looked out, frowning as he saw large white snowflakes swirling like stars in the city lights. The weather pegasi were supposed to be keeping it cloudy. But they were not supposed to be making it snow. He turned his head back to see Twilight standing up, shaking out her mane and tail.

“Are we close to Canterlot yet?” she asked.

“We’re landing now,” he answered, forcing a small smile.

“We’re landing already?”

He nodded. “You’ve been asleep for almost four hours, Twilight.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You should take the rest when you can get it, Twilight. You won’t be getting much more of it anytime soon. Between the Beyond, the war with the griffins, the looming freeze, and trying to figure out how to get Their Majesties back, a lot of ponies are going to be needing to talk to you when we land.”

She frowned, but nodded once, her eyes widening as she looked out the window. “Why is it snowing?” she asked.

“That’s the first thing I intend to ask Rainbow Dash when I see her. If it’s alright, I’d like to go to the armory and pick up some equipment to run some atmosphere tests.”

She nodded. “I’ll go brief the Council and find out if they’ve learned anything new. Meet me there as soon as you’re able.”

“I will,” he assured her as the chariot touched down and came to a stop. Even in the inclement weather, the skilled pegasus guards made a landing that any airline pilot would envy.

An icy blast hit him as soon as the chariot door opened. Snowflakes battered his face like a thousand tiny frozen arrows had been launched at him. The temperature had definitely fallen even since they had left Ponyville. He stepped out and held the door for Twilight, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his robe once she had exited.

“I’ll join you in the Council meeting room shortly,” he said as she started towards the castle and he turned towards the armory, the cold wind continuing to howl fiercely. He bent his head, using the hood of his robe to shield his face from the biting snow. Hearing a sudden thump beside him, he turned his head to see Rainbow Dash folding her wings to her side and taking up a walk next to him.

“Why is it snowing, Dash?” he asked with more annoyance and displeasure in his voice than he had intended.

“I’m sorry, James … We’re doing the best we can. But we just can’t keep up. We’re … starting to lose control of the weather,” she answered with a sincere note of apology in her voice. Normally, she would have shot back at him over the tone he had used with just as much annoyance and displeasure as he had given her. But now, even the normally feisty pegasus seemed exhausted and resigned, as if she had given up the fight. She stretched her wings once with difficulty and James could hear ice crystals popping and shattering as they broke free and fell to the ground. He frowned and immediately felt bad for snapping at her.

“I’m sorry I got short with you, Dash. I know you’re doing the best you can. Go inside and warm up. And take the rest of your team with you. You could all use a break. I’m gonna try to get an atmosphere sample to find out exactly what’s going on up there. Then we can reevaluate our plan of attack.”

Dash simply nodded in response before turning and walking towards the castle. It wasn’t like the feisty pegasus to walk when she could fly. She must be exhausted, he thought as he neared the armory, pulling the door open and stepping inside. He had to fight to pull the door closed again, the wind trying to yank it away from him as if the cold were some malevolent spirit attempting to gain entry so it could cover everything.

The warm air inside the armory was inviting and tempting. He considered staying there to warm up for a bit, but there was no time for that. He quickly gathered the instruments he needed and then went back outside into the cold, walking towards the courtyard,. At least the snow was at his back now, the wind not hitting him in the face. Upon nearing the courtyard, he heard another light thump to his right and turned his head, expecting to see Rainbow Dash again. Instead, he saw a yellow pegasus in a blue flight suit that he recognized well from the airfield.

“Captain Spitfire,” he acknowledged. “It’s an honor. Under better circumstances, I’d be asking you for your autograph.”

“The pleasure is mine. I’m really sorry to hear about what happened to you. That the Princess won’t let you go home and all.” she responded sympathetically.

“You know about that?” he said, surprised.

“All of Equestria knows about that, James. I believe the tabloid headlines were ‘Princess Celestia says NO! Refuses to allow Equestria’s human to leave.’”

Equestria’s human? Is that how the tabloids were referring to him? Somepony from the castle must have overheard Twilight’s argument with Celestia.

“Well, whoever sold it to the tabloids, I hope they got paid well. What can I do for you, Captain?”

“Actually, I was wondering if there was anything I could do for you. There’s uh … not much call for airshows these days.”

He thought for several moments. He did need a pegasus to carry the weather instrument package to high altitude and get the atmosphere sample. Rainbow Dash and her team were all too exhausted to do it right now, and all of the pegasus guards were either taking their rest or patrolling the skies for griffins and dragons. He stopped and turned towards her.

“Actually, yes, there is something you can do for me. I need a high altitude weather sample,” he said, showing her the instrument package and explaining to her how to collect the sample.

“I’m on it,” she responded, turning and spreading her wings as she prepared  to leap into the sky again.

“And Captain?”

“Yes?” She paused in mid-leap and turned back to look at him.

“No heroics, okay? It’s gonna be rough up there. There’ll be severe turbulence and wind shear, and it’ll be very cold. Your wings will ice up quickly … If you don’t think you can get it, don’t kill yourself trying.”

“I got it. Don’t worry,” she responded, spreading her wings again and leaping into the sky. He turned his head skyward to watch her, the snowflakes battering his face. But within a few seconds, she had disappeared into the cloud layer.

With a wince, he tucked his hands back into the sleeves of his robe to keep them warm. He wondered now if he had made a mistake sending Spitfire up on this assignment. After all, she was the Captain of the Wonderbolts; a daredevil aerobatics team. Asking her not to do any heroics was like asking most ponies not to breathe. He hoped he hadn’t sent her to her death.

The minutes passed and he scanned the sky for any sign of her, becoming more worried every passing moment when all he saw was dense gray cloud and falling snow. She should have been back by now. He didn’t even notice the cold now, or the snowflakes stinging his face as he worried for Spitfire’s safety.

Finally, he spotted her. A dark silhouette reflecting the lights of the city. With a panic, he realized she was coming in too fast. He rushed towards her just as she hit the ground, her legs collapsing underneath her as she impacted with an audible thud.

“Spitfire!” he called out as he continued to race towards her.

For a moment, she didn’t move, and he feared the worst. Then, he saw her rise slowly and shake herself, her wings stretching out with several loud popping noises as the ice that had formed on them began to break off and fall to the ground. She took a step forward, her left foreleg nearly giving out.

“You’re hurt,” he said with a frown, stopping when he had reached her. She still had the instrument package in her mouth and he reached out his hand to take it from her.

“It’s not broken. Just a sprain. I’ll be alright,” she said with some effort, after dropping the package in his hand. “It took me a long time to get up to altitude. Buffeted by lots of downdrafts. And I picked up a lot of ice weight. But I got the sample,” she said, smiling slightly.

He nodded once. “Good work, Captain.” Then he touched her wings, wincing at how cold and brittle they felt. “Your wings are completely frozen. Lets hurry up and get you inside.”

He led her into the castle and into one of the dining areas, finding a spot near the hearth. By now, he was shivering himself from cold. The warm, blazing fire was welcome relief. He went to the kitchen and poured a mug of hot apple cider for the frozen pegasus, returning shortly and receiving a nod of thanks from her as she spread her frozen wings in front of the glowing fire. As tempting as the fire and hot cider was, he knew Twilight would be waiting for him at the Council meeting. Once again, he made sure Spitfire was going to be okay, and upon her assurance that she would be, he started for the Council meeting room, rubbing his frozen hands together to warm them as he went, the snowflakes slowly melting off his robe.

As he walked, he examined the readings on the weather instrument Spitfire had carried with her. He frowned at the results. The temperature aloft was well below freezing, the pressure low, and he presumed falling even lower. The atmosphere, highly unstable. But why were the pegasi losing control of the weather? He thought about that problem as he walked, finally reaching the Council meeting room. The Royal Guards posted outside nodded to him, but said nothing, opening the door for him. The sound of raised voices immediately assaulted his ears.

Stepping inside, he found Captain Swordstorm facing off with Captain Stardust, the Captain of the Lunar Guard, the fur on the back of the necks of both of them raised slightly and their ears swiveled backwards; both equine body language signs that James learned long ago meant aggression and anger. Twilight herself, had an exasperated look on her muzzle. Captain Swordstorm was speaking in an assertive and aggressive tone.

“As it is, I don’t have enough forces on the eastern seaboard to stop a full scale invasion of the griffin army if they were to cross the Sea of Tears!”

“Even before the attack on Ponyville, the griffins committed an act of war the moment they kidnapped Her Majesty, Princess Luna!” Captain Stardust responded angrily. “You talk of repelling an invasion when we should be the ones launching a full scale invasion of the griffin homeland!”

Captain Swordstorm responded in an equally aggressive tone. “Do you have any idea the sheer size of the force I would need to take over the Sea of Tears to invade the griffin homeland? And how unfit for battle my forces would be by the time we got there? Not to mention the inherent danger of attempting to cross the Sea of Tears in this kind of weather. And furthermore, I have precious few enough guards protecting the northern barrier as it is. If, as Counselor Moon Song says, the barrier is nearly weak enough for aislings to start entering Equestria, would you have me leave Equestria defenseless against their attack because my forces are across the Sea fighting the griffins?”

“Lets not forget, we have our great unknown,” Counselor Storm Runner added before Captain Stardust could answer “The dragons. We still don’t know if the dragons that attacked Her Majesty’s convoy were rogue, or if the Elder Dragon Council is behind the attack. Ambassador Firewing still hasn’t made contact with us.”

“So what are you suggesting, Captain Swordstorm? That we should just ignore the fact that the griffins are holding Her Majesty?” the Lunar Guard Captain responded angrily.

“That’s not what I’m suggesting at all! But even if we were to invade the griffin homeland, that’s not going to rescue Princess Luna. We don’t even know where they are holding her! You need to cool your hooves a bit, Captain Stardust!” Swordstorm responded, stomping his hoof once in anger.

“I need to cool my hooves? Let’s not forget the griffins killed more than ten of my Lunar Guards! So don’t tell me to cool my hooves!”

Captain Swordstorm was about to respond, but Twilight raised a hoof. Stopping him and looking to James. “You haven’t offered your opinion yet. What do you think?”

James didn’t have to think long to give his answer. “Well, I haven’t heard most of the conversation. But I agree with Captain Swordstorm. An invasion of the griffin homeland would be folly. The pegasi are losing control of the weather and attempting to cross the Sea of Tears in this kind of weather is simply too dangerous. We can’t afford to leave the barrier unprotected and we don’t know what the Elder Dragon Council’s intentions are. And furthermore, any invasion that does cross the sea would be cut off as the weather continues to worsen.”

Twilight nodded once. “And why are the pegasi losing control of the weather?” James could detect the frustration in her voice, as well as a hint of annoyance. But he didn’t have an answer for her.

“I don’t know, milady,” he responded simply.

“You don’t know …” she responded, the annoyance in her voice evident now.

“No, milady, I don’t,” he responded, allowing a hint of annoyance to creep into his own voice now. “Nopony, and no human for that matter has ever seen anything like this. I have nothing to compare it to either in Equestria or Earth.”

Twilight shook her head. “That’s not good enough, Counselor,” she said, rebuking him harshly. He felt the sting of her words cutting into him, but he didn’t show it. He thought for a moment before responding, checking his own tone of voice now.

“The atmosphere is growing more unstable. If I had to give you my best guess, milady … I’d say that the magic of the Princesses sustains order and stability in this world. And with both Princesses missing, and that magic gone, that order and stability is breaking down. The atmosphere will only continue to grow more unstable, and we will see wilder and wilder weather swings … At least until it gets too cold for even the weather to change anymore.”

She frowned but nodded once. “And if the pegasi are losing control, is there any point in continuing to send them up?”

“Probably not, milady. They will only become less and less effective in the face of increasing danger to themselves as the weather gets worse.”

For several moments, she said nothing, appearing to be deep in thought. Finally, she responded in a resigned tone. “Very well … Send out the order to the weather teams to suspend all weather operations. Any weather pegasi that is able should be reassigned to help Applejack with harvesting operations. We are going to have to work faster at that now that we can’t control the weather anymore and temperatures will be dropping faster.”

“As you say, milady,” James responded.

“And what of the griffin threat?” Captain Swordstorm asked. James took it upon himself to respond.

“If the griffin army is going to cross the Sea of Tears for an invasion of Equestria, they would have to do it soon. Otherwise they will be crossing by boat. Even now, I doubt they would risk flying across that much open water in this kind of weather. Even a boat crossing would be very dangerous in the dark with no moonlight to guide them.”

“King Aetos is hardly one to be concerned with the safety of his soldiers,” Captain Stardust remarked. “And the griffins historically have been willing to accept extremely high casualty rates to obtain victory.”

“It may be as you say, Captain. But with conditions the way they are now, his army might not have enough battle ready soldiers by the time they get across the sea to mount an effective invasion, And if we were able to defeat his invasion force, that would leave King Aetos in a pretty big bind.” James responded.

For at least the next two hours, the arguments continued between the various guard captains about how best to deploy their forces, respond to the threat from the griffins, what the Elder Dragon Council might be up to, and what to make of the weakening barrier and the threat from the Beyond. James listened intently. He wasn’t a military strategist by any stretch of the imagination, but one thing became painfully obvious to him. The Guard was simply spread too thin. They didn’t have the forces necessary to deal with multiple threats from multiple different parts of the world. He glanced at Twilight and could tell from the look in her eyes that she was thinking the same thing.

Finally, she raised her hooves and called a stop to the arguing, speaking loudly in a frustrated and assertive voice.

“I simply don’t have enough information to make a good decision!”

The room was quiet now, and nopony spoke. Twilight took a few moments and appeared to calm down slightly before speaking again.

“Send out the call to activate the reserve guard units. And put out the call for volunteers willing to serve. For now … I want the Royal Council to take some rest. I know you’ve all been working hard and have been up for a long time. Be back here in six hours.”

James, turned to leave, along with the other members of the Council. Twilight spoke again, once again, raising her voice.

“And find Ambassador Firewing! I want that dragon captured and brought here for questioning!” she said assertively, stomping her hoof for emphasis.

“As you say, milady,” Captain Swordstorm responded before turning to take his leave. James briefly considered staying to talk to Twilight. But, she had told him to get some rest. So instead, he filed out with the other counselors and made his way back to the Council living quarters.

As he walked, he thought about how Twilight had gotten short with him during the Council meeting. He was still a little upset about it and he wondered if she had come to the same conclusion he had on the flight: That their relationship simply wasn’t feasible given he was a Council member. It might be better if she had. That would save him from having to tell her himself. But on the other hand, he doubted that even if she had come to that conclusion, it would cause her to take that sort of stern attitude with him. Probably, it was just the amount of stress she was under, combined with not having enough information to make good decisions, he decided. He followed Storm Runner into the Council living quarters, then went down the hall towards his room.

Opening the door, he raised an eyebrow to find a small package waiting on his desk. He walked over and picked it up, It was unremarkable, wrapped in plain brown paper with no indication of the sender. Carefully, he unwrapped the paper. Inside, was a picture of the Wonderbolts in tight formation, performing a straight vertical climb into a clear, blue sky. On the bottom right, was hoof-writing:

James,

Reach for the sky, aim for the stars. And remember, things don’t always work out the way we planned. But they do always work out.

Spitfire

He looked at the photo for a bit longer, thinking back to the interview he had read so many months ago in Ponyville. How she had wanted to be a Pegasus Guard, but was rejected for not meeting the size requirements, and how it was because of that rejection that she had gone on to found the Wonderbolts. Smiling a bit now, he took off his robe, and climbed into bed.

Author's note: Thank you all again for your patience. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Here's some TGP Art I did if you are interested. Some of it is from scenes that have already happened. Others are teasers from future chapters. Hope you enjoy it!