My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.

The Elements of Discord

Chapter 17: Not So Above It All

Although Cloudsdale floated above the black cloud encompassing most of the land below, it was hardly reveling in the sunshine itself. Mostly because their was no sun to shine down on them. The only light provided was the pale glow of the moon hanging ominously above them and whatever lights they were allowed to have in their homes. Shortly after Canterlot fell, Crimson Streak led the Shadowbolts and a platoon of brainwashed pegasi guards up to the cloud city and took it over in a surprisingly short amount of time. Because of the speed and precision of the attack, the Wonderbolts were overwhelmed and round up before they could even attempt to mount a counterattack. The guards then turned their attention to the rest of the population and those who didn't escape the initial round up had their wings bound so they had no choice but to stay under Crimson Streak's rule.

Her first official action was to declare herself Cloudsdale's Supreme Ruler and take over the mayor's house and office. From there she issued new decrees from the city that were mostly things to make her own life easier. Sort of like the surprisingly comfortable chair in the mayor's office that she was currently relaxing in. She had her forehooves folded behind her head while her back hooves were crossed on the desktop. She had her eye closed in contentment as she basked in the lifestyle she always knew deserved.

"Aaah, now this is the life!" she declared, stretching her wings a bit. "Big office. Nice chair. Subjects cowering at my hooves, causing me no problems. Yep. Just the quiet life I've always wanted."

Just the door opened and the former mayor's assistant nervously stuck her head through the crack.

"E-excuse me, Ms. Supreme Ruler?" she asked meekly.

"Now what's all this then?" Crimson Streak scowled as she sat up right.

"There's...somepony here to see you," the nervous Pegasus explained.

She sighed in annoyance and waved a hoof at her.

"Fine, fine, send 'em in," the red pony grumbled.

The assistant then nodded and quickly ducked back behind the door. A second later it opened up and Crimson Streak was surprised to see a familiar dark coated unicorn stepping into the room.

"Dark Sky!" she exclaimed in genuine surprise and annoyance. "What are you doing here?" She then stopped and thought about it for a second. "No, seriously, what are you doing here?! Like how are you here?!"

Dark Sky glared at her for a second. "One of my parents was a Pegasus, remember?" she remarked. "It lets me walk on clouds. Just...not very well. I'm just glad there are buildings here that are more stable." The unicorn then stopped herself. "Actually, how are their buildings in the clouds? I never understood that."

"Eh, it's all Pegasus magic, don't think about it too much," Crimson Streak remarked offhoovedly before she flew out of her chair and landed next to Dark Sky.

"So now the we've covered how you're here, why are you here?" she asked again, narrowing her eyes a bit.

"Just checking in to see how things are going here," the unicorn replied. "Nightmare Moon is very interested in your progress."

The crimson Pegasus let out a gasp of mock shock as she put a hoof to her chest. "What? You two don't trust me?! I'm heartbroken, Sky!"

"First, you don't get to call me that! And secondly, of course we don't trust you, you're the Element of Treachery!" Dark Sky stated bluntly.

"Pst! And here I thought honesty was part of the Harmonic Elements," Crimson Streak retorted. "But whatever, as you can see things are going fine here. Between the brainwashed guards and the Shadowbolts, we have everything under control."

"Speaking of that," she muttered as she walked over to the window and looked out it to see several purple and black glad forms flying around, "Nightmare Moon sent you here with three Shadowbolts. So how are their so many others flying around?"

"Just a little ingenious idea I had," the Pegasus beamed proudly as she joined her by the window. "See even with the guards and the original Shadowbolts, I knew there weren't be enough ponies to help keep everypony in check. So I held a little recruitment drive and had some extra Shadowbolt costumes made up for them."

"That's...actually not a bad idea," Dark Sky complimented her as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "But where did you get so many Pegasi willing to join you?"

"Turns out a lot of Pegasi get kind of...disgruntled when they're rejected from the Wonderbolts," Crimson Streak explained.

"So they're the rejects then," the unicorn remarked dismissively.

The other mare grumbled and rolled her eyes. "Technically yes, but even reject Wonderbolts are more skilled than regular pegasi."

"Hmm...I suppose you have a point," she shrugged.

"Of course I do! Here, let me introduce you to some of them and you'll see!"

With that, Crimson Streak opened the window then launched herself out of it and took to the sky. She hovered in the air just a few feet away from the window then turned around to stare impatiently at Dark Sky.

"Well come on, let's go!" she urged.

Dark Sky glared at her in annoyance before she pointed to her nonexistent wings.

"Oh. Right," the Pegasus mumbled in embarrassment before she flew back into the office. "Sorry I forgot. Sooo...guess we'll be taking the stairs then."

"Yeah," the unicorn nodded.

As they exited the office, Crimson Streak made sure to pause for a moment to address the nervous assistant sitting behind the desk just outside the office.

"Ms. Featherwrite, make sure to tell anypony who comes by that I'll be out for..." she paused and look at Dark Sky. "Oh I don't know, the rest of the day."

"Yes ma'am! I mean...Supreme Ruler!" Featherwrite said quickly and snapped a salute.

"'Supreme Ruler'?" Dark Sky repeated back to Crimson Streak.

"Oh that's just a nickname they came up with for me here. Pay no attention to it," the red Pegasus waved off with a nervous chuckle.

"Uh huh," the unicorn nodded, unconvinced.

Crimson Streak glowered at her as they walked out of the building but it quickly turned into an amused smirk when she saw how unsteadily Dark Sky walked on the cloud streets. It was strangely satisfying to see the usually confident, and bossy, mare unsure about something. In fact, it put an extra spring in her step as she walked ahead of her "leader". The frustrated grunt she heard behind her just made her all the more entertained.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Eventually, after much steady walking and mumbled cursing, the two made their way to the former Wonderbolt's facility that was now the Shadowbolt's headquarters. Again Dark Sky found herself surprised just how many she found flying around the building. While not nearly as much as the brainwash royal guards it still made an impressive support force for them.

"This many ponies were rejected from the Wonderbolts?" she mused aloud.

"Oh yeah. They are very strict about who they let in," Crimson Streak explained, with a bit of resentment in her voice. It quickly changed to amusement with her next statement. "Which is kind of funny when you consider how many times they've been easily walloped."

"Not doing much to dissuade that 'rejects' remark I made earlier," the unicorn remarked.

"Oh trust me they're still some of the most skilled fliers in all of Equestria," the Pegasus boasted.

"Which now makes me wonder why they're listening to you," Dark Sky said with a wicked smirk.

"Eh heh heh heh," Crimson Streak muttered before she flagged down one of the roaming Shadowbolts. "That would be because of her."

Dark Sky watched as a blonde maned Pegasus flew down in front of them. She lifted up her flight goggles to reveal yellow eyes that matched her mane full of confidence and a hint of arrogance. Oddly enough it reminded her a bit of Crimson Streak.

"Dark Sky, meet Lightening Dust, field commander of my Shadowbolts," Crimson Streak introduced.

"Your Shadowbolts?" the unicorn asked in an accusatory tone.

"You know what I mean!" she snapped back.

"Uhhh...right. Pleasure to meet you," Lighting Dust said to Dark Sky, cutting of the argument.

"Yeah, charmed. So what are you doing here?" Dark Sky asked bluntly.

"Excuse me?" the surprised Pegasus asked back.

"Crimson said all of you in the 'new' Shadowbolts didn't make the cut into the Wonderbolts. So what did you do to get kicked out?"

Lighting Dust's eyes went wide in indignance and she gaffed a bit. Once she composed herself she glared daggers at Dark Sky.

"Hey it's not my fault they couldn't keep up with me!" she snapped. "My stupid Wing Pony just wasn't talented enough to follow my moves then they said I put the other cadets in danger just because they kept getting in my way! Apparently being the best just isn't 'team friendly' and so they let me go. So yeah I got 'kicked out' for being too awesome for them!"

"Thankfully, we in the Shadowbolts actually appreciate such behavior and encourage all our members to be their best," Crimson Streak spoke up and wrapped a friendly wing around Lighting Dust's shoulders. "Which Dust here is showing off in spades! Hence why I made her the leader! Under me of course."

"Of course," Dark Sky repeated suspiciously then looked at Lighting Dust again. "And you're okay with this?"

"Hey, I don't mind. Streak's cool and as long as she let's me do what I need to it's no feather off my wings," she replied with a cocky smirk.

"Uh huh," the unicorn nodded. She then looked over to Crimson Streak. "Well it looks like you have a fine operation going here Crimson. But I hope you won't mind if I want to look around a little more."

"Oh, it's not problem at all Sky, just give me a second and I'll-"

"Alone," Dark Sky cut her off.

Crimson Streak glared in annoyance at having her sentence caught off but she forced a smile on her muzzle anyway.

"Of course. But it is a pretty big facility. You could get lost if you didn't know your way around and we certainly wouldn't want that now, would we?" she asked in an overly sweety tone.

"Parish the thought," Dark Sky retorted with the same forced niceness. "So I think I will take a guide. Or three. The original Shadowbolts!"

Again the red Pegasus had to keep her left eye from twitching in annoyance.

"Fine," she muttered then let out a loud whistle.

Three clouds of starry smoke then appeared in front of Dark Sky and quickly formed into the three Shadowbolts Nightmare Moon had created.

"At your service, ma'am," the lead mare said with a salute to Dark Sky, much to Crimson Streak's chagrin.

Dark Sky couldn't help but smirk a bit when she saw how much it got to the other mare. She decided to twist the dagger just a bit more by addressing the lead Shadowbolt directly.

"Would you be so kind as to show my around this lovely place?" she asked sweety.

"Of course, ma'am," the Shadowbolt replied with another salute.

"Well, then I'll be off for awhile. Crimson, I'll meet you back here in...oh...let's say about an hour, does that sound good to you?" Dark Sky asked.

"Sounds just perfect, Sky," Crimson Streak answered.

The two continued to stare the other down for just a few seconds before Dark Sky turned and walked away with the original Shadowbolts, taking most of the thick tension with her.

"Sooo..what was that about?" Lighting Dust asked Crimson Streak.

"Just...keep an eye on her. Without those three noticing you," she replied, pointing a wing towards the trio of pegasi.

"Won't be a problem, boss," she replied with a confident smirk.

Just before she was about to leave, Crimson Streak turned to her and played her hooves on either of Lighting Dust's shoulders.

"And remember Lighting. You...are my number one...mare!" she said rather cryptically as she rubbed her shoulders.

Lighting Dust cocked an eyebrow at her but then snapped a quick salute before the flew off. Crimson Streak scoffed a bit then turned her attention to more important matters.

Trying to catch me in some wrong doing, Sky? she thought with a devious grin. Well, we'll just see who catches who. She paused. Or is it "whom"? I also get those two mixed up.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Dark Sky followed the trio of Shadowbolts down one of the many long hallways for a few minutes before they ducked into an empty office to get away from any prying eyes and ears Crimson Streak might have around. Even after they closed the door, Dark Sky peered out the frosted window and checked the inside of the room just to be extra careful. When she felt sure enough there was no way they were going to be overheard, she nodded to the lead Shadowbolt. The mare nodded back before standing straight still and developing a far off look from behind her goggles. A second later her body shuddered a bit before she sat down on her haunches and focused her attention on Dark Sky.

"Well? What is a little sneaky Pegasus up to?" she asked in Nightmare Moon's voice.

"Apparently, she decided to create her own team of Shadowbolts," Dark Sky reported. "A surprisingly large force too actually."

"How...industrious of her," the controlled Shadowbolt remarked with a frown.

"Should I go put a stop to it?"

The Pegasus rubbed her chin in thought. "No. No, for now let her have her fun. We might still need her incase other unruly ponies pop up. Besides if we can turn her Shadowbolts to our side then our forces will be even greater!"

Dark Sky smirked back at her and chuckled slightly.

"Giving her enough rope to hang herself with? Sounds like a good idea to me," she remarked. "For now I better get back to her. I'll return to the castle tomorrow and give you my full report."

"Very well," the other mare nodded. "Keep an eye on her and stay safe."

"Trust me, I'll be sure to do both," Dark Sky smiled at her.

She nodded before her head suddenly hung limp. A second later she lifted it back up and she looked at Dark Sky again.

"New orders, ma'am?" she asked.

"No. For now just continue on as you were," Dark Sky told her and the other two.

The lead Shadowbolt gave a salute before she and her two teammates turn and walked towards the door. The door jiggled a bit as they unlocked it and just as they pulled it open, a blue streak disappeared in a flash of lighting down the hall from just above it. The three Shadowbolts failed to notice it but Dark Sky thought she had seen something. She narrowed her eyes and stared down at the hallway but then shrugged it off as her just being paranoid. ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

After receiving an actual tour of the facility, and taking mental notes on want to come back and check later, Dark Sky followed the three Shadowbolts back to the main entrance room where Crimson Streak and Lighting Dust stood waiting for them. As she approached them, she happened to catch them sharing a look between themselves that made her a bit suspicious. Well, more so than she already was. She decided to overlook it for now but it just made her more aware that she had to keep her defenses up around Crimson Streak.

"Well, everything seems to be in order here. As far as I can tell," she muttered the last part under her breath then looked back at Crimson Streak. "So...keep up the good work I suppose."

"Oh you can bet I'm going to do that," the red Pegasus replied with a slight smirk. She looked over at Lighting Dust. "You'll keep minding the shop here?"

"Course," she answered with a nod.

"Good," Crimson Streak nodded back before she walked over to Dark Sky. "Well then if we're all done here, let me show you around more of the city Sky."

Before she could respond, a low grumbling sound resonated from Dark Sky's stomach. She coughed uncomfortably and looked away in embarrassment as Crimson Streak chuckled a bit.

"Perhaps our next spot could be a place to eat?" the unicorn asked sheepishly.

"'A' place to eat? I know the place to eat!" the other mare exclaimed proudly. "Just follow me."

With a great deal of hesitation, Dark Sky followed Crimson Streak out of the building and down the street to the supposedly wonderful restaurant. An awkward silence hung over them like the black cloud that perpetually followed the dark blue unicorn. A cloud that was attracting quite a bit of attention from those few souls brave enough to still wonder the streets in these dark times. After a few blocks of muted stares, one stallion was brave enough to finally approach them.

"Um...e-excuse me...Supreme Ruler," he said softly. "There seems to be an errant cloud following you. I am, or was rather, a weather pony. If you want I could take care of it for you."

"Don't bother," Dark Sky spoke up with an annoyed sigh. "There's nothing you can do about it."

"Are...are you sure?" he asked. "I could just-"

"I said LEAVE IT!" she snapped, twisting her head towards him with her horn glowing dangerously.

"Pffft. Handled that real well didn't you?" Crimson Streak scoffed.

Dark Sky swung her back towards the Pegasus with glare and glow still lingering on her face and horn. Crimson Streak laughed nervously as she backed up a bit.

"Hey, calm down Sky, it was just a joke. We're friends, remember?" she said hastily.

The unicorn glared for a few seconds as she took some deep, calming breaths. Eventually, she finally let out a sigh and glow on the top of her horn dissipated.

"No. We're not friends," she clarified and turned away. "We just have to work together is all."

"Well, love you too," Crimson Streak muttered and stuck her tongue out at her behind her back.

When Dark Sky turned back to look at her she quickly pulled her tongue back into her mouth and took on an innocent expression.

"So, where are we going again?" the silver haired mare asked in annoyance.

"The Silver Lining restaurant," the Pegasus revealed. "Best food in all of Cloudsdale. And of course for us it's totally free, so get all you can!"

"Oh trust me, I intend to," Dark Sky remarked, her stomach rumbling again.

( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )

When they arrived at The Silver Lining, they were greeted by a very nervous hostess, who quickly showed them to a private dinning area usually reserved for Very Important Ponies. Which at the moment would be them. In fact, it would always be them for quite awhile. As they were led to the private room in the back, they were met by a mixture of fear and confusion by those brave enough to actually be in the restaurant. The fear was obvious, but confusion came from the sight of seeing a unicorn in Cloudsdale. Not that anypony was brave enough to point it out, or make too much of mummer for fear of catching their attention. Once they entered the room, the hostess quickly pulled their chairs out for them then stood back from the table.

"Your waiter will bring your menus to you shortly," she said hurriedly before she turned and flew out of the room as fast as her wings would carry her.

"Charming," Dark Sky muttered.

"You can't blame them for being a bit nervous. We're celebrities after all!" Crimson Streak exclaimed. "Heck, we're bigger than celebrities!"

"Yes, you are," a third, nervous, voice spoke from the doorway.

They both turned their heads to see a grey coated Pegasus with short, white hair and a tuxedo shirt standing there. He smiled uneasily as he made his way over to them.

"H-hello. I'm Quickstep and I'll be your server for tonight," he introduced himself as he handed them their menus. "Would you like to hear our specials tonight?"

"No, that's fine," Crimson Streak dismissed as she picked up her menus. "We'll just look over the menus."

"Would you care for anything to drink?" he asked.

"Just water," Dark Sky said rather curtly.

"I'll have sparkling water please," Crimson Streak told him.

"Very well. I'll be back in a bit to take your orders," he said then dashed out of the room as quickly as he had appeared.

Once they were alone again the room fell into an awkward, heavy silence as they flipped through their menus. As Crimson Streak carefully balanced hers with one hoof so she could turn the page she glanced up at Dark Sky who was effortlessly flipping back and fourth through the pages with her magic.

"You know, I've always kind of envied unicorns for being able to do that," she remarked offhandedly.

"Do what?" Dark Sky asked absently as she read through the choices.

"Levitate things and easily move stuff around. It's a lot better than dealing with hooves and mouths," she clarified.

"It does have it's advantages," the dark blue unicorn answered in the same uninterested tone.

Unfortunately, Crimson Streak did not take being brushed off lightly.

"Okay, what's your problem with me?!" she demanded, slamming her menu down on the table.

"You mean aside from being the Element of Treachery?" Dark Sky asked as she raised an eyebrow.

The red Pegasus flattered for a second. "Yeah...besides that!"

"Because you don't care about anypony, you just use them for your own ends."

"Oh please! Don't you even dare try pulling that line with me!" she spat. "You did the exact same thing when you brought us all together! You didn't really care about us, you just cared about getting your precious Nightmare Moon back!"

"But at least I did it with the goal of helping somepony in mind!" the unicorn shot back. "Have you ever done anything that wasn't motivated by your own self interests?!"

"And over throwing Celestia and blocking out the sun isn't in your own self interest?"

"THOSE PONIES HAD TO PAY!" Dark Sky screamed as she slammed both forehooves down on the table, shaking it and the silverware a bit.

Crimson Sky reeled back in surprise from the outburst. She wasn't the only one, as the sound of glass breaking caught both their attention. They look towards the door to see Quickstep standing on shaking knees with an empty serving try around his neck and two broken glasses on the floor.

"S-so sorry about that. I'll get that cleaned up and get you new glasses right away. W-would you like to put your order in now while I get them?"

"NO!" both mares screamed at him.

The frightened waiter needed no other promoting to turn tail and fly out of the room again, slamming the doors shut as he did. Once he was gone the two mares turn their glares back towards one another.

"See?! I knew this was about your petty revenge fantasy!" Crimson Streak exclaimed. "You just needed the rest of us because we happened to be the Elements of Discord."

"My revenge fantasy?!" Dark Sky cried out indignantly. "And I suppose the creation of your own personal Shadowbolts has nothing to do with you not making it onto the Wonderbolts!"

"Of course it does! But at least I'm honest with myself about it!" the Pegasus countered. "I've lied, cheated, stolen, betrayed all to make sure I would be the best!"

"And how did that work out for you anyway?" the other mare asked with a devious smirk.

Crimson Streak's green eyes widened at the jab at first but then they narrowed a bit as a devious smirk of her own crossed her lips.

"Well, I'm the ruler of Cloudsdale now, so I'd say pretty good," she replied smugly.

"You must be very proud of yourself," Dark Sky scoffed.

"Actually? I am," the red mare smirked again.

"Your parents must be too. Provided they're not locked up somewhere that is."

Any sense of bravado or arrogance faded from Crimson Streak's face. Her eyes narrowed into slits and seemed to darken as they overflowed with anger.

"DON'T YOU DARE BRING MY MOTHER INTO THIS!" she shouted as she slammed her hooves on the table this time.

And this time it was Dark Sky who nearly reeled back in surprise of the outburst. So much so she nearly fell out of her chair. For the first time in a long time she felt genuinely scared as Crimson Streak huffed angrily and glared daggers at her with her crazed looking eyes.

"I'm...sorry. I didn't know you cared for your mother that much," Dark Sky apologized in a surprisingly soft voice.

"I DON'T!" the Pegasus corrected, her eyes twitching a bit erratically. "It's because of my mother that I'm here in the first place! She's the one who pushed me to go into sports! She's the one who wanted me to be in the Best Young Fliers contest. She's the one who wanted me to be in the Wonderbolts! All so she could live vicariously through my accomplishments all because she didn't have the skills to make her own life anything worthwhile! But it was never good enough for her! I was never good enough for her! Well, I'm running all of Cloudsdale now, is that good enough for you, Mom?! Huh?! HUH?!"

She let out a few deep, ragged breaths suddenly feeling both physically and emotionally exhausted. She forced herself not to shed even a single tear in front of her companion because she wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing her that weak. After a few seconds of composing herself she finally spoke up in a much more calm tone.

"So no, I don't have her locked up somewhere. I don't know where she is and I don't care!" she spat venomously.

Another bout of overwhelming silence filled the room as Crimson Streak vented out the last of her surprisingly pent up anger while Dark Sky processed just what the heck happened. Despite her open resentment to the Pegasus there was a small part of her that could truly sympathize with the mare for what she had gone through. A part she thought she had a lost a long time ago. A part that was slowly bringing her old pains back to the surface.

"My parents effectively abandoned me," she nearly whispered.

Crimson Streak's right hear twitched at the barely audible statement and she turned her head to the other mare.

"What?" she asked.

"They were ashamed of me," Dark Sky clarified. "They thought I was cursed. It's why they named me Dark Sky. They did try to help at first but once they realized nothing could be done about it they grew more and more distant. Until eventually when I was old enough to be on my own they effectively abandoned me." She lifted her head to look Crimson Streak right in the eyes. "That is why I am so dedicated to Nightmare Moon. She, as Luna, took me in and gave me the first true bond I ever had. I may have had some hesitations at first but I soon understood quite quickly what she was trying to do. This world is for us! The outcasts. The shunned. The ones society doesn't want to acknowledge exists. Well now they have to because we're the ones in charge."

Crimson Streak blinked a few times before the edges of her mouth turned up into a bemused smile. Despite her best efforts she couldn't hold back a snicker which quickly turned into a full blown belly laugh. She leaned against the back of her chair and pounded on the table with a hoof as she rode out this bout of uncontrollable laughter.

Dark Sky, however, was not amused by her antics.

"What just what is so funny?!" she growled bitterly.

"No. No, it's nothing you said," the Pegasus clarified as she wipe away a tear. "It just hit me that we are two completely screwed up ponies!"

"I still don't see how that's funny," the unicorn replied with a quirked eyebrow.

"It's just one of those completely weird, random things you have to laugh at to keep from crying," Crimson Streak tried to explain. "We both got royally screwed up by our parents and now here we are, rulers of Equestria!"

"Still not seeing how's that funny?"

"Eh nevermind," the other mare waved off and picked up her menu again. "Okay after all of that I am starving!"

A low rumbled reminded Dark Sky why she allowed herself to come her in the first place and she levitated her menu up to her face again. After a few minutes of a peaceful silence, the sound of a door being lightly opened rang out through the room. It was the much beleaguered Quickstep returning with another tray of drinks and another server to sweep up the mess from the first two. He carefully placed the glasses down in front of the pair then took a step back as he placed a pad on the try and held a pencil in his mouth.

"Are you ready to order now?" he asked tentatively through the writing utensil.

"Yes. I'll have the hay and kale burger with extra oats on top and glazed carrots on the side," Dark Sky informed him.

"Very good ma'am," he complimented as he jotted the order down then turned to Crimson Sky. "And for you miss?"

"I'll start with some stuffed mushrooms then move onto the Portobelo steak with a mixed green salad on the side," Crimson Streak ordered.

"What kind of dressing?"

"Raspberry vinegarette."

"All right. I'll just put these in and come back to see how you're doing," he told them before he took their menus then turned and one again made a speedy exit through the door.

"So where do we stand now?" Crimson Streak asked once they were alone again.

"What do you mean?" Dark Sky asked back before she took a sip of her

"Are we still going to try to 'out do' one another, so to speak?" she remarked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the unicorn remarked, trying to sound innocent.

"Oh please! Like you weren't sent here to spy on me for Nightmare Moon," the red Pegasus scoffed. "I get it, neither of you trust me. I wouldn't. And before you say anything, yes I was planning something."

"I knew it!" Dark Sky shouted, jabbing a hoof in her direction.

"Yes, you must be so proud you figured out the obvious," Crimson Streak taunted. "But we just shared two very deep and personal secrets. I'd like to think that counts for something."

Dark Sky levitated the glass to her mouth and took a long drink of her water as she contemplated her teammate's words.

"I suppose it does," she said as she set the glass back down on the table. "So what exactly are you proposing?"

"How about this? If you and Nightmare Moon don't keep consistently looking over my shoulder, I won't take my Shadowbolts and try to overthrow you. Sound good?" Crimson Streak offered.

"Like you ever could," Dark Sky shot back smugly. "But you are the kind who would try so I'll take you up on that offer. Provided you actually keep it that is."

"I'd say 'I swear by it,' but I know you won't believe me. So instead we'll actually just have to ask as teammates and maybe trust each other."

"'Trust' is a strong word," the unicorn mused. "I'd say more...give the benefit of the doubt to."

"That's much more of a mouthful, but I guess it works better," Crimson Streak agreed. She then gave a crooked smile. "Sooo...guess we're still not friends yet, huh?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Dark Sky scolded her but despite herself smiled a bit as well. "I'll just say you're at least not my most hated of the group now."

"Well, that's some progress. Dare I ask who is now?" she asked, propping her chin on folded hooves.

"Heartless," the unicorn replied with a shudder. "Even among our unsavory group, she's just...unnerving."

"No kidding," Crimson Streak agreed with a shudder of her own. "I don't know what happened to screw that pony up and I don't want to know!"

They actually shared a laugh at that remark.

"You know who else I don't care for?" the red mare spoke again.

"Who?" Dark Sky asked before she took another sip of water.

"Stampede. I mean I know she's the Element of Anger and all but seriously girl, tone it down a bit!"

"No kidding! And just why does she have such a hatred for unicorns and pegasi?"

"I figured she was just a jerk," Crimson Streak shrugged.

Again they shared a chuckle then went on gossiping about their fellow teammates and other ponies they just happened to not like. By the time their food arrived they were having a full blown conversation about a wide variety of topics from how much the world has changed in a thousand years to the kinds of sports ponies play nowadays. It was almost as if they were becoming friends though neither of them would call it there. It was more a...mutual understanding.

Which was really the best they could do at the moment.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: So once again this chapter too me far longer than I wanted to. Heck that's been the whole theme of this fic for awhile now. Basically I've just come to accept that this thing will be updated twice a year at best. It's become quite the beast from what I originally planned and part of that is because they characters keep making decisions I didn't tell them to! Seriously that whole last scene with Dark Sky and Crimson Streak actually getting along was not what I had planned at all! It was gonna go in a vastly different direction!

But these characters continue to grow and evolve and just seem to want to do their own thing which means I need to take some detours on how I want to the fic to go. I'm still going down the right path, it's just taking a bit longer. On the plus side that means the characters are getting fleshed out more which I hope is going over well.

Eh, who am I kidding? Based on the numbers it's just me and my beta reader reading this thing at this point anyway. Which sucks because that scene up there is probably one of the best things I've written in a while. And yet no one will ever read it. Sadface.

But I'm still gonna keep plucking away at it because I WILL FINISH WHAT I START! If the writer of Death Bed: The Bed That Eats can do it then so can I!

See ya next time!