Downfall part 2- Wonderbolts Strike out-
Excerpts from royal correspondences, in regards to the Wonder Bolts-
"Rosaline, I've heard you've been putting together your own little team of Pegasus flyers for Dream Valley, and hope to put them on par with Equestria's finest. I'm telling you Rosaline, the Wonderbolts are the best flyers in all of the world!"
-HRH, Princess Celestia, Co-ruler of the Principality of Equestria.
"You seem very confident in your Wonderbolts, Princess Celestia. Perhaps a little set of war games, to test my elite flyers against the pride of Equestria? Oh, I suggest we make it a surprise attack... after all, you claim Spitfire's team can handle every situation. Care to put your boasts to the test?"
-HRH, Queen Rosaline, monarch of the kingdom of Dream Valley
"Aunt Celestia, Shining Armor and I question your decision to put the Wonderbolts to the test like this! As always, the Crystal Empire supports your decision, but remember that every royal court's eyes in ponydom will be on the Wonderbolts and Equestria.
...After all, Equestria's reputation as the center of Ponydom will be on the line..."
-HRH, Princess Mi Amore DI Cadenza, empress of the Crystal Empire
...
The weeks passed quickly, and Lightning Dust began her task re-fashioning a bunch of Pegasus wash-outs into her elite fighting team. All through the days and nights they drilled- flying, performing loops and dangerous aerial stunts. With the aid of Wind Rider, she brought discipline and order.
"Get your flank in gear, rookie!" The stubborn stallion bellowed, at a pony who fell behind on the obstacle course. "I wanna see you double time it flying through those hoops next time!"
"Y-yes sir!" The other stallion apologized, trying to move faster.
Her second in command was ruthless, showing no mercy to the cadets. Rumors had circulated through the team, that Fire Streak had actually attacked an innocent pony on a mission, and had been drummed out of the Wonderbolts for that- but of course, there was absolutely no way to prove it.
"You know he's totally insane, don't you ma'am? He has the rest of the team's stallions through fire hoops- Thunderlane almost burned his wing feathers off!" Blossomforth told Lightning, when they were away from the rest of the Squad. "The only reason that lunatic doesn't yell at the mares, is Dream Valley's weird 'female-superiority' laws!"
"He may be a lunatic, lieutenant... but he's our lunatic!" Lightning sighed. "His obsession may just be the key to our victory!"
On the other hand, Blossomforth was the total opposite- caring and controlled, she worried constantly about the others' well being, and was always arguing for less hours training, and more rest for the trainees.
"Both of them bring something to the table... both balance the team out." Lightning realized, sitting in her office on Dream Castle's upper floor. "I need both of them, to keep me from going too far to one extreme or the other!"
As she trained and drilled with these ponies, Lightning began to realize their individual value and worth- even the 'slower' and 'weaker' ones had something to bring to the table- be it intelligence, or strategy, or unorthodox methods. It was something she overlooked when she had been in the Wonderbolts Academy- where she had been so obsessed with raw speed and power.
Looking out the window behind her desk, the mare saw Thunderlane and Blossomforth perform a triple somersault together, using each others weight to compensate for their inability to control the clouds or air pressure here in Dream Valley. Her ponies were learning to rely on their internal strength and power, to replace their now lost ability to control the weather.
"Is this what Spitfire had been trying to tell me?" The mare wondered, pulling on her leather jacket. "I was so determined to be the best, I didn't see the value of the rest of the team..."
But as the time passed, the team grew stronger. Seeing the Lightning Bolts were growing stronger, Lightning Dust knew the time was drawing near for her to honor her part of the bargain to Queen Rosaline. The Pegasus mare knew her team would need an edge, as the skills of Spitfire's team was far too superior to the Lightning Bolts. Lightning Dust needed an edge.
...
"Arabus? Arabus, are you here?"
Sneaking out past the borders of Dream Valley, (an easy feat, as she was not an exile like the others were) Lightning Dust had made her way to Canterlot. The back-alley curio shop was right where her friend's letters said it would be, though it took some finding as the Pegasus searched through the maze-like labyrinth of the lower city. Down here, below the pomp and circumstance the wealthy unicorns dwelled in near the castle, the earth pony common folk eked out an existence in their humble stores and bakeries.
Down here in the shadows and gloom, she had entered a dark store filled with dusty old books and zebra skulls. Folding her wings and trotting by the creepy candle-lit decor, the Pegasus found the figure she was searching for behind the counter.
"Arabus? It's me, Lightning Dust!" The mare told the earth stallion, who was pouring over his ancient tomes. "You remember me."
"Ahhh, Lightning Dust!" A harsh voice hissed, as the pony with the white coat and purple braided mane looked up from his books. "You and your little foal friends used to play outside the store I worked in! I have not seen you around, since you were hoof-high to a filly, all of those years ago!"
"You've been busy yourself, Mr. Arabus!" She smiled, glad to see a face from the old neighborhood. "The ponies back in Baltimare told me you had opened a shop of your own in Canterlot! I just didn't expect it to be in such a..." She looked around at the dinginess. "...Colorful setting!"
"Bah, these unicorns! I scrimped and saved up all of my money to open a shop in the better neighborhoods, but what did they do?" He snorted angrily. "Blocked my shop from opening near the castle, and isolated me in this infernal ghetto!" He smiled back at her. "But enough of that, my dear. What can I do for you?"
"I am here to make you an offer, Mr. Aarabus... a chance to make your life better, and get revenge on Equestria for your mistreatment." The mare shook her mane. "My queen's informants tell me you were doing some research on the fabled alicorn amulet!"
"Your queen? Ahhh, so the rumors circulating about Dream Valley are true!" The oriental pony smiled, narrowing his eyes. "Yes, I greatly researched the amulet's power and effects, but I eventually sold it to a unicorn mare, several years back."
"Yes, but you later wrote that you found a method to drain other ponies's energy... to steal their life force." Lightning Dust insisted. "That is a power my queen needs for her plans!"
"Don't talk about that out loud!" The stallion hissed, zipping over to bolt the door. "Yes, I've created a device that can steal a pony's shadow.... drain thier energy away to leave them helpless and weak." He picked up an odd looking satchel, and opened it to reveal built in electronics and circuits. "I based it's abilities on unicorn magics, but if I were ever discovered using it..."
"Use it in the service of Queen Rosaline, and you will be handsomely rewarded," Lightning Dust smiled a dark smile. "That... and you'll have safe haven in Dream Valley!"
"Your queen's spies do their job well... learning of both my device, and my disgust with unicorn dominated society!" Arabus snorted. "Count me in on your little plan, my dear!"
...
The wonderbolt academy was a large, windy plateau in the middle of the Equestrian mountains. It was here, that Equestria's finest flyers could train in the most intense atmospheric and weather conditions, to become members of the most elite group of Pegasus in the world.
It was nearly sunset, and Spitfire was hoof printing the last of her forms for that day. Fleetfoot was running the newest group of rookies through their paces, and Rainbow Dash, her second in command, was back home visiting her family in Ponyville. Things were quieter than usual around here, and Spitfire neither liked nor trusted the quiet.
As she put the stack of papers away, she saw Soarin flap by the window, smiling in at her. The mare snorted in disgust, scowling out at her wring pony. Soarin was a loud braggart, and made more out himself than he actually was. Oh, he was indeed very fast (Spitfire could personally attest to that!), but his flight prowess was nowhere near what he told the press.
"Hey, Spitfire! Wanna come join me for an evening flight?" The stallion giggled. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"
"The fun part is what comes after the flight!" She thought to herself, grinning coyly. "All right, hang on! I'll be out in a sec!" Putting the last of her papers away, she saluted the two guards at the door, and headed out. "At ease, boys! We're done here, let's pack it up, and call it a night!"
But as the mare flew out of her office, a KABOOM! struck the nearby runway, sending the Pegasus trainees flying in every direction. The shocked Spitfire reacted instantly leaping into the air, and barely avoiding the debris sent flying in every direction.
"Spitfire, we're under attack!" Soarin called out, zipping overhead. "Some kinda big....thing!... hit the airstrip, and took out the trainees!"
"Evasive maneuvers!" She screamed, as the Wonderbolts scrambled. "If it's the flutter ponies again, use the anti-flutter maneuvers we practiced!"
But even as the wonderbolts got into the air, the twin comets that had stuck the airstrip hit each one of the Wonderbolts at ridiculous speeds, knocking over a dozen of them out of the skies at once. The two blurs -a mare and a stallion- stopped right in front of Soarin and Spitfire, glaring at the two flyers darkly.
"Hello, old friend." The stallion snorted at Soarin.
"F-fire Steak?" The dumbfounded Wonderbolt whinnied.
"Good to see you again ma'am!" The mare growled.
"Lightning Dust?" Spitfire snorted. "What the hay-"
It was then she noticed the brown leather jackets with the Dream Valley patches on the sleeves, and saw the team of ponies attacking the trainees and wonderbolts.
"Lightning, you traitorous witch!" The mare screamed, diving straight at the other mare. "You've betrayed Equestria and the Princesses!"
"Yeah? Well, they betrayed me first!" The indignant mare dove out of the way, tackling Spitfire from behind. "I'm just returning the favor for being expelled!"
"I knew you were nuts, Wind Rider!" Soarin yelled, as he dodged a dive by the other stallion. "But attacking you're old buds like this? Not cool!"
"You're all weak! All of you!" Wind Rider snarled, tackling Soarin from behind. "Those ponies who surrendered were traitors! They deserved the fate I was going to give them!"
The two mares and stallions dove and zipped around through the air, dodging kicks and looping out of the way of the wind gusts each pony threw at their opponent. Meanwhile, the trainees were getting their flanks kicked in by the Lightning Bolts, until the Wonderbolts recovered, and joined in the attack.
"Lightning, we need help here!" Blossomforth called to her commander in a panic, "They're kicking our flanks in!"
"I discharged you, because I wanted to teach you a lesson... because I wanted to push you in the right direction!" Spitfire yelled, as she delivered multiple back kicks to Lightning's face in the air. "I wanted you to come back to the academy with a better appreciation for your fellow ponies’ lives!"
"I did learn to respect their lives, but from a source other than you!" The mare snorted defiantly, as she tumbled to the ground.
Nearby, Soarin finally landed a spinning kick to Wind Rider's jaw, knocking him out of the sky.
"Whoah, total wipeout, dude!" He chuckled, looking down at the unconscious Pegasus. "Ya should’ve stayed in Dream Valley!"
"Give it up, Lightning!" Spitfire called out, landing near the downed pony, nodding towards the battle behind her. "You're Dream Valley rejects are no match for the Wonderbolts!"
"You Wonderbolts fight with skill and finesse, Spitfire!" Lightning Dust smiled up at her. "But my team? We fight to win!"
As if on cue, a chilly wind blew across the field, and all of the Wonderbolts and trainees fell to the ground, weakened. One by one, their shadows were ripped right out from under them, leaving each of the ponies feeling drained and lethargic.
"What- what have you done?" A disbelieving Spitfire whinnied weakly, barely able to stand.
"Taken away your will to fight... left you weak and helpless." Lightning sneered, standing over the beaten mare. "Face it, Spitface.... the Lightning Bolts have won!"
All around them, the Dream Valley ponies subdued both trainee, guards, and Wonderbolts alike. Once they were all tied up, Lightning Dust turned to her troops, and congratulated them.
"Well done, my friends! You provided the perfect distraction until our little trap was sprung!" She nuzzled Blossomforth and Fire. "I am proud to serve with you all!"
"Strip every Wonderbolt of their costumes! And take every trophy, flag, banner, award, and plaque as war booty!" Blossomforth told the others. "We shall take the Wonderbolt's glory as our own!"
"After that, burn every building to the ground!" Rider snorted angrily. "Leave nothing here standing so all of Equestria knows our victory is complete!"
"We will do no such thing, Fire!" She snorted, glaring at the stallion. "Blossomforth's orders are humiliation enough!"
"As you wish, ma'am." The stallion grudgingly agreed.
"W-what about us?" Sorain asked weakly. "Y-you gonna end all of us, too?"
"No.... I'm going to spare all of you. Not a single life will be taken from our little raid here." Lightning snorted. "But you'll all spend the rest of lives as lethargic, shadow-less Pegasus. You'll never again be the flyers you once were!"
"The Wonderbolts are finished! Princess Celestia will retire your entire order in disgrace!" Wind Rider agreed. "Even if a new group were to be trained to replace you, the order's reputation is forever sullied!"
After clearing out all of the buildings, the Lightning bolts loaded all of their loot into large chests, and slowly lowered them away from the Plateau. Unseen by the Wonderbolts, the Dream Valley ponies quietly slipped Arabus away from his hiding place, where he had been hiding since the conflict started.
"Lightning... please..." Spitfire pleaded weakly, as Lightning got ready to take off. "I don't know what magic you used to pull this off... but don't leave the Wonderbolts... don't leave my team... like this!"
"Why should I help out a team, that I wasn't good enough to be a part of?" Lightning turned away from her in disgust. "Take a warning to Celestia and all of the kingdom- don't mess with Dream Valley!"
The angry mare lowered her goggles, and took to the air after the rest of her team.
...
"Your plan was a success, Lightning Dust!" Blossomforth exclaimed. "At the urging of the queen's allies at the royal Canterlot court, Celestia and Luna have dissolved the Wonderbolts, and turned defense of the kingdom over to the Royal guard!"
The two mares were standing in the Lightning Bolts's new trophy room, staring at all the trophies and ribbons swiped from the academy. Lightning was staring ahead at the Wonderbolts uniforms, now mounted in glass cases all around the room.
"Funny... I always wanted one of these suits, but never like this." She turned to face her wing pony. "And what about Arabus?"
"Took his reward, and made for the north. Turned down our offer of safe asylum." Blossomforth shrugged. "Said he had more shadows to drain, now that he knows his machine works!"
"I hope we haven't created a monster." Lightning shivered. "Well, as long as Equestria never learns he was the cause of our victory!" She looked back, and saw Blossomforth was still standing there. "Anything else you wanted to say, lieutenant?"
"Are you sure we did the right thing, ma'am?" Blossomforth asked. "I mean... if we had beaten them fair and square... but this..."
"We did what we had to do, lieutenant." Lightning Dust snorted. "The past may have belonged to the Wonderbolts... but the Future, Blossomforth, is ours for the taking!"
….
"B-but Tornado! I thought we won those trophies and outfits from the Wonderbolts in a contest of skill! And my ancestor was responsible for the Creation of the shadow-stealing demon, Arabus?
Ohhhhh, I need to sit down... suddenly I don't feel so proud of my heritage any more..."
-Captain Lofty Dust, Dream Valley Lightning Bolts