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// I.// Story: Career Change// by Cosmonaut//------------------------------//

“REJECTED!?"
	The rolled-up parchment fell from Cloudchaser's hoof and drifted to the floor, ending up halfway underneath the refrigerator as if the offending article was attempting to escape from the furious pegasus. 
	“C’mon sis, forget those guys,” said Flitter, extending a wing around her sister’s shoulder. “It’s not like you can’t go ahead and try again next year!”
	“NO!” shouted Cloudchaser, standing up from her seat. “This was supposed to be my big break! I was going to get out of Ponyville, and make lots of money and really make a name for myself!”
	Flitter withdrew her wing. It was no secret to her just how important this goal was for her sister. Day in and day out it was all Cloudchaser talked about, thought about, fantasized about. Occasionally Flitter would catch Cloudchaser languishing by the window with her nose in a fashion magazine, her eyes obviously peeled to the mailbox. Flitter was genuinely happy for her sister, but, despite herself, a pang of disapointment hit her whenever she lingered on her own failure.
	“I know…” sighed Flitter. “I wish I could have gotten a shot too.”
	The comment caught Cloudchaser off guard. She occasionally forgot that they had both signed up and that Flitter had been dismissed outright for her less than impressive wingpower. It wasn't something she often brought up either, having moved on to a promising career as a model for Photo Finish in Manehatten. The ache in Cloudchaser’s heart grew; her sister was achieving her dream already… and she was still at the starting gate.
	Cloudchaser cleared her throat, and unsteadily got off the chair.
	“I’m sorry Flit… but I wanted to do this so badly. It’s been my dream… our dream,” said Cloudchaser, her voice softening.
	“Not anymore. I’m over it. Really.” Flitter smiled, her voice honest and clear. “It’s just a job. Finding another shouldn’t be too difficult! I can help! We can power through this together! Come on sis...”
	For a moment Flitter’s words rung true. Cloudchaser walked over to the window, her thoughts drifting as she watched the yellow sun setting in the distance. 
	This wasn’t the end of the world. There were other things out there to do. Just because she wasn't Wonderbolt material didn’t mean it was over. She just wasn’t as good as the ones who passed. She was athletic, did yoga, stretches, ate healthy, worked hard for her looks and yet her best was just not good enough.  Rainbow Dash passed, but that pegasus always had it easy. Thunderlane had even passed, getting his letter just yesterday. The partying and celebrations held were fresh in her memory, coupled with the comments of her surefire success re-ignited the feelings of self pity and disparaging inner comments. Not good enough. Not up to par.
	Nothing special.
	“Cloudchaser… are you crying?” gasped Flitter, her voice filled with sympathy.
	“I’m staring at the sun, Flitter. Of course my eyes are crying,” Cloudchaser said flatly, but she could barely hide the tremble in her voice, and the tightness in her chest was only getting worse. “I need to fly for a bit. I’ll see you later.”
	Before anything could be said further of the situation, Cloudchaser spread her wings and flew out the window.
	
	***

	Cloudchaser's eyes were squeezed tight, tears streaming down her cheeks. Although she was still flying at her top speed, it wasn’t like she had much to worry about running into at this altitude. The cool night air burned her lungs as she pumped her wings hard as possible. Even though Flitter had tried to console her, she still felt the sting of failure with every wingflap.
	Opening the letter had closed the door on her future prospects of being a famous flier. Riches and Respect? Gone. This failure consumed her thoughts. All she was doing was running from them. Unable to escape the crushing finality of an oppurtunity lost. 
	A strong gust of wing blew her off her trajectory and into a raincloud; packed with moisture but not enough to drop its watery payload. Condensation chilled her to the core as she blasted through. It was like she just came out of an icy shower. At that moment she found clarity.
	This wasn’t the end. Flitter was right.
	It did kind of feel like the end of the world. But it wouldn’t for long. Things could still change. 
	She could change. Somehow.
	Eventually the adrenaline coursing through her veins wore out and with her energy depleted, Cloudchaser collapsed on a comfy cumulus cloud coasting close by. Sweat mixed with the water droplets ran down her coat and pattered on the soft fluff supporting her tired body. The sky was painted a deep violet, the sun slipping below the horizon. Sleep began to overtake her. Cloudchaser yawned, her tired eyes searching for the moon rise. 
	A dark figure shot across the full moon and her eyes snapped open. That didn’t sound like a pegasus. Those wingflaps were identifiable from miles away. These ones sounded… different. 
	Two more dark figures creased the sky and Cloudchaser's interest was sufficiently piqued, spurring the pegasus upright and in pursuit. It made her heart pound like a jackhammer. In all honesty she wasn’t sure why she was interested. What was the point? How come she didn’t just brush it off and fly back home? All these questions were moved to the backburner as she quickly caught pace with the three dark figures flapping ahead of her. Even with her naturally excellent eyesight she could barely make them out in the dark of the night.
	Apparantly the trio ahead noticed they were being tailed and kicked their speed up a notch. Cloudchaser grinned, easily matching the new pace.
	The ponies she was pursuing seemed to realize this, beggining to swerve and sway, before resorting to loops and quick changes in direction. Even this new tactic couldn’t dissuade Cloudchaser. Despite the changes she adapted and continued tailing them right up until the three ponies split, the middle one diving into a particularly shadowy grove of maple trees. Excitement surged through Cloudchaser's as she landed on the ground a few yards away from her target.  Enough time had passed for her eyes to begin adjusting to the dark, letting her catch sight of the pony she’d been pursuing. It was a mare, dark coat, darker, spikier hair, big leathery wings tipped with a claw at each end and slitted eyes staring straght at her. 
	A batpony.
	“Okay, why are you chasing us?” the voice belonging to the mare was sharp, spiky, and insistent.
	“I… I don’t know. I just wanted to see who you were. Ponies don’t often fly at night.” Cloudchaser took a step back in guilt.
	“Oh sure. It’s typical for pegasus ponies to not fly at night,” the batmare snorted, trotting towards Cloudchaser at a brisk pace. “We’re a different breed.”
	Out of nowhere the batmare was joined by her other two compatriots, another mare and stallion, flanking her on both sides. The trio marched right up to Cloudchaser until they were only a few feet away. A feeling of dread seeped into the cold night air. Cloudchaser suddenly felt cornered and very uncomfortable.
	“So… I ask again, why are you chasing us? Give us a better answer than ‘I don’t know’ this time,” repeated the mare, her tone of voice less than pleased.
	Cloudchaser looked the trio up and down. Their leader with the light grey coat had a two tone style of hair, dark blue with a lighter stripe running through the top, and dark, piercing amber eyes. On the left was another mare with similar colorings, except her eyes were a brilliant gold and her hair and mane were a solid subdued grey. The lone stallion was more a less a stallion example of the other two, a white stripe in his hair and built solidly, with dull golden eyes. Each of them were clad in ornate armor. Just their leader wore without. 
	The question ringing through her head and their collective stares still boring down on her, Cloudchaser finished eyeing the trio and suddenly, in an abrupt moment of clarity, had an answer for them. She wasn't sure it was the right answer, both as a reason for herself and them, but all at once she decided in her head that it was the best one, and it would suit her problems and issues all at once.
	“I’m following you because… I wanted to ask if I could join your ranks,” said Cloudchaser, with the utmost sincerity she could muster.
	It was an answer she herself didn't expect to leave her lips. It certainly had quite the effect on the three batponies given their silent reaction. Bracing herself for another outright rejection at her silly response, Cloudchaser held her breath, and…
	They burst into laughter.
	“Is she kidding?”
	“What a joke!’
	“You overtired, little pony? The sun’s down, maybe you need to take a nap.”
	Typical. Teasing and jeering.  She should have expected this response. Cloudchaser growled and felt her ears pin back.
	“I want to join your ranks.” Cloudchaser narrowed her eyes.
	The armored mare snorted. “Why should we care what you want?”
	Spurred on by his compatriots continued berating, the stallion cantered towards Cloudchaser. “You look like a crying little wreck! Some loser pegasus you are. I’ll give you a minute to collect yourself before you fly home to fix your mascara, or maybe you’ll just-”
	*THWACK*
	Before another word could escape his lips, Cloudchaser struck him in the muzzle with her hoof. The stallion whinnied and stumbled backwards, landing on his ass with a resounding thud. One hoof supporting his body, and the other rubbing his cheek, he stared up at Cloudchaser with a bewildered look on his face.
	The other two mares were rendered speechless. They stared dumbfounded at each other, their wounded companion, and back to Cloudchaser, who still had her hoof raised.
	“Weren’t you saying something?” Cloudchaser said icily, “or were you finished?” she punctuated the last word with a stomp, and stepped toward the stallion.
	“One moment,” said the leader, and the three backed away, lifting their dark leather wings around their heads in a circle and whispering urgently. Cloudchaser allowed herself to exhale. They were considering it? Discussing it?! She couldn’t believe her luck! Or perhaps they were going over the various ways to kill her and hide the body. No matter. Keeping her composure was something she’d gotten good at over the years and kept her face straight. As the three batponies finished their private talk the butterflies in Cloudchaser's stomach threatened to fly out her mouth.
	“You truly wish to join the ranks and become a member of Luna’s royal guard?” asked the armored mare, her voice unwavering and official.
	“Yes,” Cloudchaser replied with all honesty.
	The unarmored mare stared hard at Cloudchaser, as if looking for a glimmer of doubt or jest on her face, and seeing no signs of deceit, nodded her head and dismissed her two compatriots. Even though the stallion was nursing a bruise, he looked back at her for a moment with an expression on his face that Cloudchaser couldn't make out. 
	Then two armor-clad batponies took off into the night, the mare looking over her shoulder.
	“I’ll see you in an hour, Echo. We’ll rendezvous by the old castle.” she barked after them.
	“Duly noted. See you in an hour, Midnight.”
	So that’s what her name was!
	“Alright, tell my why I shouldn't just dismiss you right now and finish my rounds,” Echo’s response style didn't deviate from her earlier ones, but the tone of voice did, switching from militaristic to a sort of languid curiosity.
	“I try my very best, I have a strong will, with plenty of heart, and a relentless attitude for self improvement, and-”
        “Enough with the horseshit,” interrupted Echo.
        Cloudchaser scrunched up her nose. “I’m sorry what?”
        “I’m not repeating myself. Why are you really asking to join our ranks? You’ve got a beef with sunbutt or something else? What were you crying about earlier? Why’d you slug Morsemere?” Echo assaulted the pegasus with every question possible.
        “Uhhh, that’s not- I mean-” Cloudchaser stammered, her wings drooping in shame from her appearance. Echo wasn’t having any of it, and pressed her nose right up against Cloudchaser's own, those amber eyes boring into her shrinking violets.
	“Tell. Me.” she seethed, baring her fangs.
	The proximity sent a chill up her spine. Cloudchaser made a mental note that Echo was slightly taller than her. Swallowing hard, Cloudchaser fessed up. “I-I screwed everything for myself. Got rejected from the Wonderbolts. My life's goal is dead and I don’t want to spend years trying to work up to a place that might not let me back in. I just got the letter this morning.”
        Satisfied with the explanation, Echo pulled away and folded her leathery wings.
	“At least you’re honest. Want to guess how many ponies approach us because they want to look cool? As if serving under Luna was just a boring side thing tacked on.?
	“I uh… I dunno,” admitted Cloudchaser, shaking her head.
	Echo sighed, “It’s a lot less than the ones who approach us as a joke, or are too pussy-whipped to even take thirty seconds of rejection. A lot of them fold pretty quick,” she smirked, shooting Cloudchaser a toothy grin, “but wow, you really blew us away. Especially poor Morsemere.”
	“Oh?”
	“Yeah you saw his face, right?” 
	“Kind of,” Cloudchaser winced, “it’s hard to see right now. Is he okay? Or did I hurt him bad?”
	Echo broke into a cute, airy little laugh, “You hurt his feelings more than his face. He’ll shrug off the smack, and, odds are with that swing he did feel some pain. Morsey is really sweet... unless we’re hazing the likes of you. Plus, he never liked doing it anyway. We make him because he’s intimidating.”
	“Really?” Cloudchaser was aghast, filled with regret at her action.
	“He’s probably crying over it right now,” added Echo with a light giggle.
	“Oh my gosh I’m so-”
	“Don’t be,” interrupted Echo again, turning around and strutting away. “By all rights it was the best thing you did. That impressed Midnight enough to give you a run through with me. My boss digs attitude like that.”
	“Midnight’s your-? I thought you were in charge!”
	“Why? Because I forgot my uniform?” Echo turned and snickered, “They were actually stationing me out somewhere as punishment for not remembering to suit up. Probably with that lame old gargoyle in White Tail Woods. Thanks for rescuing some of my evening. You’re a lifesaver!”
	Cloudchaser blinked. “You’re welcome?”
	Echo grinned, and began circling Cloudchaser like a shark, occasionally slowing her trot to study some feature of the pegasus’ body. Cloudchaser felt as though she were back in Wonderbolts Academy; Spitfire had made her feel like a weak-kneed little filly, but Echo didn’t put her down to check her attitude. This physical inspection lasted about three minutes. Cloudchaser coughed, unnerved by the silence.
	“Alright, now because I had to memorize all this crap, I get to recite you the fun stuff, then we can move on to initiation rites. Sound good?” asked Echo, finishing her inspection.
	“Yes?”
	“It’s not,” was Echo’s flat reply. “But you need an earful before we begin initiation. So sit tight, pay attention, and remember key facts so if Midnight asks you stuff then you can give right answers and prove that I did it.”
	Cloudchaser nodded, and Echo began her speech. It began all the way with the abolishment of Discord, the recruitment of Celestia’s Guard, the magical alteration of four hundred Pegasi to be the first members of Luna’s Guard, her subsequent banishment, where the batponies stayed for the duration of her imprisonment. This certainly was a glut of information. Cloudchaser hoped her eventual quizzing on it wouldn’t be filled with too many specificities. Not that the information wasn’t kind of interesting. Right as Cloudchaser began to zone out, Echo cleared her throat and lashed her tail at the air with a loud crack.
	“And that’s it. Got it?” smirked Echo, unfurling her dark wings.
	“Think so, yeah.”
	“Good, now it’s time to join us. Are you ready?” The batpony walked right up to Cloudchaser with a predatory look in her eyes.
	“Yes.” Cloudchaser flashed Echo a winning smile. “I am totally ready.”
	“Awesome,” Echo said with a sly smile, leaning very close to the pegasus mare.
	“Eheh, uhhh,” Cloudchaser leaned away, tilting her head backwards, “so, Echo, how’s this work?”
	“You stay like that and let me do the work,” Echo said, with a curious softness to her voice. “Try to enjoy it.”
	Before Cloudchaser had a chance to respond, she felt Echo latch onto her throat, sinking her fangs into her coat.
	“AAH!” 
	It hurt! There was pain in her neck, and Cloudchaser's wings flared out in preparation for her escape. Then, Echo’s large, leathery wings wrapped around her back and neck. The two clawed appendages hooked into her skin. Cloudchaser was sweating, panicked, and she could feel the peculiar sensation of blood draining from her neck as Echo drank deeply. It happened so fast. So suddenly. Cloudchaser opened up her mouth to scream and-
	Didn’t.
	The gulp of fresh air seemed to sharpen her senses momentarily. Or she was suddenly lightheaded from the blood loss. Either way, a scream didn’t leave her throat, and when Echo pulled another gulp of her blood, a quiet moan escaped her lips. With the immediate pain dulled it did feel rather nice being enveloped like this. Cloudchaser sighed, and without consciously thinking, lifted her hoof up and began to absentmindedly stroke the back of Echo’s neck. All she could think was that it felt very relaxing now. Some strange serenity overtook her senses; she didn’t even notice when the fangs parted from her neck. The cool air kissed her fur and nearly brought her back to lucidity, but before that could happen those fangs were at her neck again, and Cloudchaser moaned once more, her eyes screwing up, as she felt the sensation of warmth flowing back into her body.
	All these overwhelming sensations compounded; a true sensory overload as the warm feeling in her neck spread its way through her entire body, seeping into her very core. Cloudchaser crouched on the ground, gasping at the wet grass on her coat. When did she get released from Echo’s grasp? Cloudchaser's stomach lurched, her brain thinking there was an imminent departure exiting the throat, but all she did was pant even faster, practically hyperventilating.
	Then everything stopped. It was over.
	Cloudchaser blinked, shook her head, and blinked again. Her eyes were watery. The grass she was staring at was covered in dew. Everything felt unfocused. Fish probably had better eyesight than she did now.
	“Damn, you’ve got nerve, Cloudchaser,” said Echo’s voice from somewhere close by. “Usually a pony faints from all that. Wow.”
	“Did… did it work?” Cloudchaser finally found her voice.
	“Sure did.” Echo’s lips widened into a grin.
	“What happens now?” asked Cloudchaser.
	“Stand straight.”
     Cloudchaser did so, feeling her hind legs buckle slightly. There was Echo, right in front of her, looking prouder than Rainbow Dash on an average day.
	“Congratulations. You did it,” said Echo, nuzzling Cloudchaser affectionately. It felt nice. One of the more welcome sensations in the past twenty or however minutes. “Your body needs rest. Go home, eat a BIG meal, and get some sleep.”
	“That’s it? Eat and sleep?” Cloudchaser’s voice carried an air of incredulousity.
	“Your body needs fuel for your transformation and it also needs to rest to make up for energy spent up to this point. I heard it takes a full day to fully transform if you aren’t a pegasus,” Echo caressed her neck with a hoof, “so you’ll probably take half a day. C’mon gorgeous, I’ll fly you back home. Just in case you faint on the way or something.”
	Echo spread her wings and took off, leaving a blushing, pale violet pegasus shivering in the darkness. 
	“Hey! Wait up!”