The Other Side
Chapter Two: Facing the Sun
Quite the bit of news to drop on me.
I do know that Spitfire looked at me as I walked past her, but I didn’t bother to look back. I felt betrayed, to be honest - despite the opportunity she was giving me, I couldn’t shake the fact that my world had just been turned around. Sure, becoming Captain of the Wonderbolts was a nice pipe dream, but I never expected it to happen so soon. I had always concerned myself with reaching goals, not creating them.
The sound of her office door closing was quieter than I thought it would be. I found myself alone in the academy hallways. It wasn’t too much longer until I pushed against some metal doorways leading outside. The evening sky greeted me, but the glare of the setting sun made me turn away for a moment.
The sun burning my eyes is what I eventually blamed for my headache later that night, but something else happened before it hit me. After a few minutes of walking down the academy roads, I realized I wasn’t alone. There at my side, mouth pulled into a comical frown, was Sky Scraper.
Looking at him forced me to stop walking. “What in the world is with that goofy face?” I asked.
He stood straighter. “I’m trying to look like you.”
“What?”
Sky held back a grin, but I caught the glimpse of one. “You’ve been walking around all serious for a while. I’m trying to see what the appeal is.”
I was the first one who laughed. I hadn’t expected to that night, and it felt good. “Heheheh. Good luck, buddy. You’re gonna need to work for a long time to look as good as me.”
Finally, he broke down and smiled, looking me as he did so. “Pfft, you should see yourself right now. What happened to hitting the mess after practice today? You’re still dressed for show!”
Oh.
“Ah, well,” I stammered, “let’s just say I had a debriefing and leave it at that. Besides, I don’t know if I’m hungry right now.”
“Mm-hmm, right. Well, I hope you decide soon. Tonight’s dinner will be tomorrow’s breakfast. And tonight’s was corn.”
“Oh, great. How do they expect us to eat old corn for breakfast?”
Sky gave a sympathetic nod. “I know, partner, I know.”
Let me explain this joker here. Sky Scraper joined the Wonderbolts about two years after I was accepted. Before then, I was working academy detail during his visits, just like some of the other Wonderbolts were working when I first came here with that troublemaker Lightning Dust. During his trials, he managed to talk me into giving away free advice, and he’s been at my side with a readied question ever since.
Don’t get me wrong; Sky is a good pony. Fun to be around, a little over-anxious when it mattered, but always good-hearted. Two years after meeting him, he was accepted into the ranks. A few months later, when it came time for annual pairings, I hoof-picked him from the line of other trainees. He and I often spent time together outside of practice and shows, sometimes just relaxing, sometimes putting our heads together to make up new stunts. While he was by no means the best flyer on the team, he had creative ideas that we often incorporated into our newer routines. I mean, sometimes I took the credit, but hey.
Of course, our constant back-and-forth had spawned recurring jokes about whether or not he and I were an item. When he caught wind of it, he told everyone that he had a girl waiting for him back home in Cloudsdale. He even pulled out photographs of her when his story was doubted. He’s proven faithful, which by no means has stopped the heckling we got from others - or from each other when the joke felt right.
“So what’s got your overworked flank so tense?” he asked. We started walking again, neither of us really choosing a destination.
Memories surged of my recent encounter with Spitfire, which both wanted me to talk and caused me to bite my tongue. What’d I tell you? He always had a question.
He picked up on it. “Not in a talking mood, huh?”
“I’ll talk,” I said defensively. “I just...can’t tell you.”
“Rainbow Dash, holding on to secrets?” He feigned a swoon, which looked very bad on a guy. “I never thought I’d see the day!”
“Oh, stuff it, crybaby. I’m under orders.”
He huffed. “Like that’s stopped you before.”
“Nuh-uh, this isn’t about a show.”
“So...?”
“No, Sky!”
He turned and looked at me properly, his smirk disappearing like sand in the wind. I had surprised myself too - had the news really affected me that much? Well, that’s a bad question. I mean, of course it affected me, but now I was biting off the head of my wingpony just for prodding. That wasn’t like me.
I turned away and swallowed my pride. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “It’s been a bit of a rough afternoon.”
Sky Scraper hesitated for a couple seconds, then nodded. His smile returned, though I noticed it was a bit more reserved the second time around. “You need to blow off some steam.”
“No, I’m fine, really.”
“Horseapples,” he spat. I couldn’t help but grin. “I know a tightened knot when I see it, and you’re still in uniform anyway. Let’s hit the track.”
I turned my head at the suggestion, looking behind me. At the other end of the walkway we were on was the aerial track, which was often purposed for obstacle courses, endurance training, or full-tilt races. Anything we needed it to be, really. I still have fond memories of the records I set within those gates, and that evening was going to join them.
The track would look like a mess of colored lines to outsiders, but each color served a purpose. Different colors followed different paths, forming their own numbered circuits for races and warmups. Simple turns began with the number one and went up from there, with the harder routes starting with five.
“Yeah, I guess I could cut some air,” I replied, turning around and starting down the road. “But what about the mess hall? Won’t it close soon?”
Sky chuckled. “Oh, finally decided on being hungry? I’ll let you have some of my girl’s cookies if you like.”
Suddenly, dinner consisting of corn seemed like the stupidest idea ever. “I like the sound of that. Beach Breeze does make some fine cookies!”
“You like ‘em, huh?” he said. “Tell you what. You beat me, and I’ll let you have first pick.”
A challenge. “Oh-ho, what, are you trying to embarrass yourself?”
“Embarrass? I’m not the one smelling like gym clothes and stress.”
A challenge it was, then. “Screw you.”
He laughed. “Shower first, then we’ll talk.”
We crossed the distance in a little over a minute. Turned out that one of the staff sergeants was holding after-hours drill for his cadets, but Sky Scraper and I were able to walk right in and find a good place to watch. It wasn’t long before the sergeant spotted me.
“Well, look at this! We’ve got ourselves a celebrity!” he called. Some of his cadets broke attention and looked over. When they realized it was me and Sky, the rest looked over too. “What brings you down, acrobats? Surely you’re not here to fawn over this group of hatchlings!”
Sky chuckled. “Sir, we’re looking to use the track to settle an argument.”
“And what argument would that be, Wonderbolt?”
I cut in before my partner could deliver the one-liner I knew was on his lips. “Whether the Airpony here-” I nudged him in the ribs, “-flies like a brick or a boulder!”
A wave of laughter rose up from the assembled cadets. Even the drill sergeant showed a smile. “Well that sounds like one hell of a decision. Cadets!” he shouted behind him. “Let’s run through this exercise one more time. If I feel like you worm-eaters have learned anything, I just might let you watch this brick fly! That sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it?”
“Sir, yes sir!” The response was rehearsed and came as a unit.
The sergeant rounded on them. “Then quit looking at them and get at attention! You birds only get to see Dash the Flash in your filly magazines, understand?”
This time, the reply was staggered as boots tried to straighten themselves out. “Sir, yes sir!”
I couldn’t control my smile, but I was able to hold back full-tilt laughter. The banter brought back memories.
Sky nudged me back. “A brick, huh?”
“Or a boulder,” I said, almost like that made things better. “You certainly crash like one.”
He and I fell into silence as we watched the drill sergeant put his company through more calisthenics. I can’t remember what exactly they were, but I do know that the sun was setting lower and the entire scene looked almost symbolic.
My mind drifted back to my meeting with Spitfire. I couldn’t help but wonder if this would become my life - gathering and training generations of guards and performers for Canterlot. It was certainly a noble calling, and I found myself wearing a stupid grin. The title appealed to me, there was no doubt there. Becoming Captain of the Wonderbolts carried the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, a full two ranks higher than what I was. After all, calling Spitfire ‘Chief’ wasn’t for nothing.
There were definitely perks I could make use of. The facilities, for one thing. I’d handle the ins-and-outs of all the prospective Wonderbolts and Royal Guard pegasi who came knocking, and having places to train them was important. I had often whipped up some wild ideas for additions to the buildings or what went on inside them. The fact that corn was on the menu had also spawned some ideas.
For another thing, there was the honor of holding such a title. I knew Spitfire well enough to know that her job wasn’t easy. Leading the best fliers in the world was a weighty responsibility. But even she had orders to uphold, most of them coming from royalty. All the same, Spitfire was able to handle it all. She was tough as nails and twice as sharp, and I had never seen her break.
...well, that’s not true. I had, but not that evening. Her big break would come a week later.
Looking at the exercises, I realized just how much appeal there was in leading the Wonderbolts. Training new generations of ponies who would have just as much heart and soul as my friends back home...
Sky tapped my wing for attention. “Now I know something’s bothering you. I’ve never seen you this quiet before.”
“Mmf,” I groaned.
“Look, I understand you’re ordered into shutting up, but aren’t there any beans you can spill? I’m worried you’ll stay out here all night at this rate.”
“What? How would that even work?”
Sky pointed toward the track. “Dunno, but the track has been cleared for all of thirty seconds and you haven’t moved.”
“Oh.” I blinked the sun out of my eyes and focused. “Well how about that. That didn’t take long.”
“Sure, but still...find your head, Dash. You’ve got a race to lose,” he goaded, leaping over me and gliding to a starting point. My pride demanded I follow him. Nearly all of the new recruits had stayed behind to watch our game, so not only did we have an audience, we had judges. A few colorful callouts came from the crowd.
“Last chance to tell me something,” Sky prompted again, lowering his head in preparation for a kickoff.
I matched his form. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Alright, then, you keep your thoughts caged, and I’ll worry about feeding you my dust.”
He was baiting me to react, but I had already focused on the race. At that point, his words become just another distraction. “Circuit?” I asked, wanting to figure out what kind of race track he wanted.
Sky waited a moment, finally giving up on getting answers. “It’s been a long day. Let’s do six-bravo.”
That was an advanced track - harsh for new recruits, but common practice for Wonderbolts. “Fifty laps?”
“What, are you sleepy? Either break a hundred or get off the field.”
At that moment, both of us fell silent. The drill sergeant came out and counted down for us, stepping right in front of the sunlight. His presence created a harsh glare that caught us off-guard, so both Sky and I had a hard time seeing the first turn once we kicked off. And just like the talk with Spitfire, the glare stuck with me for most of the evening, and long after the sun finally dipped below the horizon. After all, it’s tough to ignore something when you keep coming back to it.