"Sir, please, I really don't want to do this..."
"Soarin', I understand that this is a very difficult time for you, but the Equestrian Congress needs answers. The Cloudsdale civil government needs answers. The permit for the Wonderbolts Academy is up for renewal in a few weeks, and rumor is the government will revoke it without answers. I'm sorry, Soarin', orders are orders. And the orders are from Princess Celestia herself."
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The Lead Wingpony of the Wonderbolts blows out a sigh as he looks back at his interviewer - Royal Guard Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor - with pleading eyes, and after a few moments of pregnant silence finally speaks again: "If it was any other Equestrian I was looking at, one that wasn't so committed to telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, I would still be resisting. I lost my grandparents on my dad's side in that 'harvest' after Operation Whirlwind, I just want all this pain to stop..."
"Then answer the questions. Please." Shining Armor says again, his 'soft' expression indicating he hated doing this as much as Soarin' did.
Soarin' gives a heavy sigh again, then straightens up his slouched posture and does his best to do the same to his Wonderbolt officer uniform, which seemed so lackluster compared to the gleaming decorations on Shining Armor's own Lieutenant Captain dress uniform, then says three words: "Go ahead... sir."
Shining Armor clears his throat a bit and levitates up three different items with magenta-colored magic, one a pre-printed list of the questions Princess Celestia wanted him to ask Soarin', the second a notepad of yellow lined paper and the third a charcoal pencil he would use to scribble down the answers Soarin' gave to the asked questions. He promptly gets to the first question: "One of the tabloid rumors is that Spitfire intends to resign as Captain after the Grand Galloping Gala, which would've marked the end of the season had Celestia not cut it short by decree. Is that true or not?"
"No, sir, Spitfire intends to remain Captain for the indefinite future." Soarin' answers. "I think the rumor is because she and I have been cycling back and forth in operational authority as the reforms have been implemented. That's part of the reason why I'm here instead of her - I honestly think she won't be able to look you in the eye for a long time after how badly she misjudged the entire situation before..."
"Speaking of the reforms, that's my second question. Celestia wants a report on the progress of implementation." Shining Armor comments, the charcoal pencil furiously scribbling on the yellow pad as he speaks.
"You probably already know, sir, that our ranks in the E.U.P. chain of command were stripped from us, and we've destroyed all property that represented any formal connection to that organization. Any connection is historical only now, although Spitfire and I agreed we would retain the previous training and fitness standards as much as possible." Soarin' answers.
"The Canterlot offices?" Shining Armor asks, referring to the building that was destroyed by an attack as part of "Operation Whirlwind".
"Everything of value that was salvageable we've long since taken to the Academy in Cloudsdale. We don't intend to rebuild in Canterlot, just rent office space as we need it."
"I see." Shining Armor comments again, a brief pause only filled by scribbling noises as he tries to get caught up in his note-taking. Only when this is accomplished does Shining proceed to the next question: "The reform of the Wonderbolt squad organization itself?"
"Princess Celestia recommended an internal split into two squads with each squad leader alternating the Second Lead Wingpony position, and we don't have a better idea as an alternative, so we've implemented it." Soarin' answers again. "There's now a Senior and a Junior Squad, and each squad has a leader and second. The Senior Leader is Fleetfoot with her second being Surprise, while the Junior Leader is Misty Fly with her second being Lightning Streak. The Senior Squad and Junior Squad leaders alternate holding the responsibilities once held by the Second Lead Wingpony role, with the Senior Squad leader doing it on odd-numbered shows and the Junior Squad leader doing it on even-numbered shows."
"But the division is more than just a reflection of experience or previous loyalty, or lack of it as the case may be?" Shining Armor dryly asks, an eyebrow raise making it clear he was not going to take a joke answer for the question.
"Absolutely not, sir. Only a Senior Squad member can become Acting Captain or Acting Lead Wingpony in an emergency, and a Junior Squad member can only be promoted to the Senior Squad by unanimous consent of current Senior Squad members. Demoting a Senior Squad member to the Junior Squad could be implemented as a form of punishment." Soarin quickly answers, seemingly eager to make the distinction between the squads clear even though as far as Shining was concerned the Wonderbolts would still be seen as performing as one team.
Shining just nods at first, scribbling details on the pad. It's only after a few moments that he speaks again: "The system isn't perfect, but it ought to eliminate the power jockeying that's caused so much trouble in the past. And it'll also allow a promising young member to rise faster than seniority alone would allow."
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The last statement slashes through Soarin' like a cleaving knife. He knew the only hope for the future was in the Loyalty Bearer - no one else would be able to fully restore the soiled reputation of the Wonderbolts and bring back the young foals the previous failures had driven away. Without Loyalty, there would be no future for the organization.
"We need HER in the organization, definitely. But even then, I fear it may not be enough, that there may not be enough time to save the Wonderbolts..." Soarin' trails off as Shining Armor continues scribbling on the notepad.
"What do you mean, Soarin'?" Shining asks, the writing on the notepad temporarily stopped.
"It's something to do with Spitfire herself. I just hope she can hold out for the abbreviated end of the season, until the off-season lets them process..." Soarin' trails off again, awkwardly looking away and flushing a bit as he does so.
"Process what? Is there something wrong with Spitfire herself?" Shining presses, a couple worrying possibilities beginning to circulate in his head.
Soarin' blows out another sigh, now muttering at a level Shining can barely hear: "Why did I even bring it up? She'll be mad at me, the others will be mad at me, Spitfire told me to keep quiet about it..."
"Soarin', I need nothing less than total honesty out of you. Now I am asking you as a fellow stallion and member of service to the Equestrian population, what is wrong with Captain Spitfire?" Shining Armor all but pleads, becoming increasingly concerned as he sees the composure of Soarin' slipping away in front of him.
Another long silence follows, before Soarin' gives a little sniffle and looks back at Shining Armor as if a naughty recruit looking up at a drill sergeant. Finally, the Wonderbolt second drops his bombshell: "Captain Spitfire is pregnant... sir."
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The shock of the statement is enough to cause Shining's eyes to go wide, nearly dropping the items he was holding with his magenta-colored magic. When he finds his tongue again, his speech is broken concern: "You're sure about this? 100% certain?"
"She tested positive last week. That monster Aten didn't just stain her cloud, his seed is growing inside her! And there's nothing, nothing I..." Soarin' answers, beginning to break down in tears as he speaks.
The implications Shining picked up were immediate and stunning. If Spitfire kept the foal, then it would mean the end of her Wonderbolt career. And there were other options available to her, but none of them would avoid permanent damage to her public image and reputation. This was a battle with no real chance of victory, just to do the best to contain the damage - and she had put herself into the situation with her impulsiveness and short-sighted attempts to protect her own reputation.
Shining could sense from Soarin' now openly crying, though, that there was something else that Aten's previous "violation" of Spitfire had caused to be lost, and his next gentle question was focused on figuring out what that was: "There's something else, though. Something else that got lost?"
Soarin' shouts through his tears in answer that makes Shining recoil back briefly: "I BEGGED AND I PLEADED WITH HER NOT TO TRY TO FIGHT HIM! NOW IT CAN'T EVER HAPPEN, IT'S BEEN RUINED FOREVER..."
"Because you two were in a serious relationship? That you two did plan to get married one day?"
"Yes, but that was conditional on both clouds staying pure, and I hope to all that is good in Equestria you understand what I just said!" Soarin' answers, at a slightly lower volume that before, but the sobbing continuing onward after he finishes.
Shining slowly nods, having heard the phrasing from some pegasus comrades in the Royal Guard. In a society where the worst stallion marauders, like Aten had proven to be, could inflict terrible damage on relationships and the very bodies of mares, "clean cloud" vows between a stallion and a mare that intended to one day become mates were held in very high regard, with a broken vow being enough to revoke previous approval of a marriage. Shining realized it was quite logical Spitfire and Soarin' had once taken such a vow once their relationship reached a strong enough point, and now Spitfire's moral failings had ruined any chance of a marriage or even anything beyond a platonic friendship.
The unicorn Lieutenant Captain had already been deep enough in a relationship with Princess Cadance that he couldn't imagine not ever being married to her at some point, so he kept his silence as Soarin' wept openly opposite him, crying over what could now never be, crying over what he had tried with all his heart to prevent from happening, crying over the fact he hadn't been able alone to stop the catastrophes that engulfed the Wonderbolts and even now still posed a threat to the organization's continued existence.
When Soarin' is finally able to speak, the statement again is a surprise to Shining Armor: "Loyalty is about the same age as us. Spitfire recognizes it, the Loyalty Bearer is a much better mare than she will ever be."
Shining Armor gives a small nod - for all the faults he had heard from his sister about Rainbow Dash, the rescue proved beyond doubt that the rainbow-maned pegasus was the last best hope for the future of the damaged organization. And, just maybe, that Spitfire accepted the fact that she had to put aside her personal feelings toward Soarin' for the sake of everypony else around her.
"Oh my goodness, we need a good show this week..." Soarin' mutters out again, blowing out yet another sigh.
"The return to Canterlot, the first show Celestia's let you try since she put the probation in place." Shining Armor comments, and Soarin' nods to indicate Shining had gotten what he was talking about.
The sobbing continues from the Wonderbolt second-in-command, however, and Shining looks away in somber reflection to let Soarin' compose himself again. It reminded Shining Armor why evil needed to be fought every day, and in every way possible, and why to all that was good and wholesome in Equestria he couldn't afford to let the Canterlot show go wrong. It wouldn't just be on his professional head if it did, it could very well spell the end of the Wonderbolts if they were attacked again...