Chapter 107: Wave of Dread
MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 107: Wave of Dread
“Still nothing?” Soarin asked Fleetfoot.
“Nothing… I even checked again twice this morning,” she replied as the two sat in the battledome beside Princess Luna. “No problems, nothing out of the ordinary. I think you had a misfire there,” she suggested as she glanced up at Soarin’s horn. She smirked, ready to make a snarky comment, but stopped herself when she saw the serious look on Soarin’s face.
“That can’t be right…” Soarin grunted as he furrowed his brow. “Something is wrong. Something happened… I know it. I felt it. I wish I could explain. I just know we have a problem. I just wish I knew where.”
“Hmmm…” Fleetfoot hummed as she glanced at Luna, then back at Soarin. “Keep looking then?”
“Yes,” Soarin quickly nodded. “After this meeting we should gather up a few groups and make an organized effort to sweep the whole compound. I’m not letting this go until we have clear evidence that there is nothing wrong… unless we’ve already missed it,” Soarin trailed off as Fire Streak, Misty Fly, and Silver Lining all approached and greeted Princess Luna.
Fleetfoot looked around the battledome for Spitfire, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Say, Princess. You sure this was when Spitfire said to meet?” she asked. Luna looked about as well before tipping her head slightly in confusion.
“This was the time we were told,” she spoke as she perked up and looked towards the doors. Descent, Starry Skies, Blazetail, and Flashwind all entered and walked towards them. “And here come the rest.”
“Then where is she?” Fleetfoot asked again while looking around and scratching her head. “It’s not like her to be late to a meeting she called.”
“Forget the captain,” Silver spoke up, drawing their attention as he sat down. “Where the hell is Wave? He hasn’t been late since the first day he was assigned to my squad… don’t think I have to tell you why.”
“Wait…” Fleetfoot suddenly smirked. “If they’re both late… I think that narrows it down! Hehe!” she giggled as Silver furrowed his brow.
“I expect that from Lightning Streak, not Wave,” Silver grunted as Fleetfoot zipped up to him and leaned into his side.
“Oh shush, Gramps. Wave may be a stiff-ass like you, but he’s still a stallion in his prime! Don’t act like you would’ve passed up the chance to boink a mare you liked when you were his age!” Fleetfoot giggled as Silver rolled his eyes.
“Not when I had a meeting to go to,” Silver replied flatly.
“That’s not a ‘no!’” Fleetfoot laughed as she pulled away from Silver. Silver’s eyes widened for a moment, realizing his misstep, but he just sighed and shook his head. Fleetfoot shifted back up to Soarin. “Guess we gotta wait till Wave’s done slapping cheeks with her, eh?” she joked.
However, Soarin gave no visible reaction to her antics, not even a smile. Fleetfoot blinked several times with the mischievous look still on her face before it slowly melted into a frown.
“Sheesh, you really are worried something’s wrong, huh?” she asked.
“Huh?” Soarin perked up and looked towards her before furrowing his brow again. “Sorry… Yeah, I am. I just can’t shake the feeling that what I saw was a warning, and that something awful has happened or is about to happen.”
“Hey! Sorry we’re late!” Spitfire’s voice suddenly came from the doors. Soarin, Fleetfoot, and the rest all looked up to see Spitfire and Wave Chill enter the battledome.
“Well it’s about time!” Fleetfoot huffed as the two made their way towards them.
Soarin focused on Spitfire as they approached, examining her curiously. She was walking upright with very strong posture. Her strides were confident and full of energy. She had a subtle curl of a smile on her face. Everything about her looked strong, physically and mentally. It was the complete opposite of how she looked the night before. It looked like some rest and time with Wave was exactly what she needed. He wasn’t going to ask what they did, but whatever it was, it worked. It was nice to see Spitfire in top form.
But then his eyes shifted to Wave Chill walking behind her. Soarin kept his eyes on him for roughly twice as long as Spitfire, even after the two had stopped in front of the rest and sat down.
“Mind telling us where you two were?” Fleetfoot asked as she shifted over and prodded Wave in the shoulder. Wave chuckled and smirked.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he replied smarmily. Fleetfoot pulled her neck back and her eyes went wide.
“Wow,” Fleetfoot chuckled as she looked Wave up and down. “Must’ve been some great sex to get you talking like that!”
“Alright…” Spitfire reached over and nudged Fleetfoot away while blushing a little, but not losing her composure. “No need to get into the personal details. Let’s get this meeting started,” she said as she shot Wave a grin.
“Yikes, I would’ve liked to be a fly on that wall…” Fleetfoot said to herself as she shook her head and backed up to sit beside Soarin again.
Soarin narrowed his eyes curiously as he continued to examine Wave.
What was this?
Why did it feel… off?
Sure, Wave looked a little different, holding a composure they didn’t see often from him, but nothing looked out of the ordinary.
Maybe it was just his imagination. Soarin wouldn’t deny that he was feeling a little paranoid at the moment because of his little magic premonition the night before. Wave was probably just feeling good from having a rather intimate experience with Spitfire. Maybe they took it farther, like their current behavior suggested. It was unlike Wave to not quickly regain his dutiful composure, but Soarin wasn’t going to claim he’d regain himself in full so soon after some ‘fun’ with Rainbow Dash.
Nevertheless, when he looked at Wave right now, there was a tight feeling in his stomach that he just couldn’t ignore, paranoid or not.
His eyes widened subtly as Wave glanced towards him and lifted an eyebrow as Spitfire readied to speak.
“What’s up?” Wave asked with a confident tone. Soarin just stared for a moment before shaking his head and looking towards Spitfire.
“Nothing, sorry,” he lied. Wave didn’t address him as ‘Commander’ just now, something else that Wave would never forget to do, but again, Soarin felt like he was overthinking it. Spitfire’s demeanor had shifted as well, so maybe they were both on an endorphin high or something.
He decided to just pay attention to the meeting, but not without keeping an occasional eye on Wave, just in case this strange, unsettling feeling wasn’t just paranoid speculation on his part.
“So…” Spitfire began as all attention turned to her. “With our little recuperation period over, the Wonderbolts on their way to learning magic deflection, and the confidence that Rivet will, indeed, get this thing back up and flying, we should consider what our next move should be.”
Even her speech was stronger. Soarin couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Spitfire so energized.
“It’s clear that no matter what we do, we’ll have the Shadowbolts right behind us. It is also clear that we are their primary target, seeing as how they are relentlessly pursuing us and not attacking the rest of Equestria. However, this means it will be difficult to make any moves. If we’re going to go anywhere, we better go where we can find help because we may not have the luxury of changing directions once we’re on the run. I’ve already ruled out Canterlot. The royal guard most likely already has its hooves full restoring calm and protecting Canterlot castle. I don’t want to put any more weight on their shoulders. We should consider other cities… or even nations that have a strong military presence. Unfortunately, that narrows our options very thin. Thoughts?”
Spitfire’s command of her surroundings was impressive. She had Blazetail, Flashwind, Descent, and even Luna at full attention.
“Military presence…” Blazetail pondered out loud as Spitfire opened the floor. “The Sky Wings of the Griffon Kingdom and the Scale Guard of the Drake Empire are easily the strongest in that regard, but…” he trailed off as he glanced at Descent. Descent quickly shook his head.
“Not only are those nations incredibly far away, but there are a few complications with them,” Descent took over. “Griffons don’t forget their enemies, and let’s not forget I felled the previous Master of the Sky in combat. As for the Drakes… good luck getting them to agree on anything.”
“Those are both definitely out of the question,” Spitfire spoke up again. “The Sky Wings and the Wonderbolts are on good terms, but because of your previous history with them… I doubt they’d just let bygones be bygones.”
“Hmph…” Silver huffed. “Believe me… the drakes won’t even stand still long enough for us to ask.”
“What about the Crystal Empire?” Flashwind suggested. “They have the second largest military force in Equestria behind Canterlot. It’s still a bit far, but it’s closer than the griffons or the drakes.”
“Oh! Wait a second!” Fleetfoot suddenly popped up into the air and hovered. “The Crystal Empire! That’s it!”
“That’s what?” Spitfire asked, lifting an eyebrow as Fleetfoot landed right in front of her and put a hoof on her shoulder.
“We should go there! For help sure, but think about the Shadowbolts! The ones we have in the barracks! Nopony knows about crystals more than Princess Cadance! Maybe she will know how to cure them!”
“Pardon?” Descent stepped right up to them as Fleetfoot spoke.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Spitfire smiled as he turned from Fleetfoot to Descent. “Honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t consider this, good thinking Fleet,” Spitfire complimented her before focusing on Descent. “The princess of the Crystal Empire has very broad knowledge about crystal magic… she may know of a way to help your comrades.”
“Then that’s where we’re going,” Descent stated firmly. Spitfire lifted an eyebrow at him.
“Hold up there, Descent, we still have to plan this out.” She turned back to the rest. “So we have a destination in mind, I don’t think we really have any other options in terms of acquiring more might against the Shadowbolts. The Crystal Guard has the numbers and the training to give us a much needed boost… the problem is getting there. The Shadowbolts will be on our tail, but whether or not we can outrun them or fend them off long enough has yet to be determined.
“We may have a solution for that,” Luna finally spoke up after remaining silent for the whole meeting.
“I’m all ears, Princess,” Spitfire said as she turned to her. Luna nodded and glanced between all of them.
“The Royal Guard, no doubt, must stay in Canterlot to protect the castle, however… we can summon the Night Guard to meet us halfway,” she suggested. A brief silence passed between the others as they glanced at one another.
“The bat ponies?” Fire Streak asked out of curiosity as he broke away from relaying everything being said to Misty for a brief moment.
“Indeed,” Luna nodded. “To be frank, both the Royal Guard and the Crystal Guard are trained and specialize in defensive military tactics. While they would be a great deal of help, I do not believe either of them alone will be sufficient to aid us in full. However… our Night Guard is different.”
“How so?” Spitfire asked, clearly interested.
“While they are a little less disciplined than the Royal Guard, they are much more aggressive and warrior-like. We believe their style of combat would be much more useful against the nature of our enemies. Once we are clear of the blizzard and on our path to the Crystal Empire, we can give them a long range signal that they are trained to respond to.” Luna smiled.
“Hmm…” Spitfire furrowed her brow. “No offense Luna, but my experiences with your guards have been mixed. They tend to come off as overaggressive and reckless.”
“We know,” Luna winked. “We trained them that way on purpose. It pays to have more than one type of soldier to look to. Worry not. They will follow our orders without question.”
“I’ll take your word for it, Princess,” Spitfire nodded. “Because it’s the best chance we have. If we can combine our current force with the sheer number of the Night Guard, make it to the Crystal Empire and add the defensive capabilities of the Crystal Guard to our forces… I think we’ll have everything we need to take the fight to the Shadowbolts.” Spitfire smiled, feeling content they had a solid plan. “Any objections?”
“As long as none of the bat guards bite me again…” Fleetfoot mumbled in the background.
“Good,” Spitfire nodded. “And…” she paused and glanced at Soarin. Soarin was looking directly at Wave Chill, who upon seeing Spitfire look, turned to catch Soarin’s eyes.
“Everything okay Soarin?” Spitfire asked as Soarin looked between her and Wave Chill. Wave chuckled.
“I hate to break it to you Soarin, but I’m taken,” Wave joked.
Soarin narrowed his eyes at Wave, still not quite sure why he felt so… strange about the way Wave was acting. Spitfire had loosened up and taken charge… and Wave apparently had loosened up as well.
He was just being paranoid. Soarin shook his head and looked towards Spitfire.
“Sorry, I just have something on my mind,” he said, hoping to address his little magic premonition with Spitfire once the meeting was over.
Spitfire looked Soarin up and down once before returning her focus to the group as a whole.
“So… anything else we should talk about while we have all the leaders here?”
Only a few yards away from the meeting of leaders, Rainbow Dash sat with an ear turned towards the group as she sat facing her squad.
“You know…” Little Star spoke up as Matteo and Squall eagerly waited to hear what was going on. “One of these days we’re going to actually get in trouble for always eavesdropping,” she commented as Dash continued to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation. Matteo shook his head as he kept his eyes on Dash.
“I feel better knowing what’s going on,” he expressed while glancing down at Star. “I prefer to be kept in the loop. You are not curious?”
“Well, yeah, I am, but they’ll tell us later anyway,” Star huffed, her ears flopping down.
“Hmmm…” Dash hummed as her ear turned back forward.
“Well, what’s going on?” Squall asked, showing equal curiosity, just not being so vocal about it. Dash shook her head.
“I didn’t get all of it, but they were talking about where to go once we fix the compound,” Dash explained. “Something about getting help from other nations or military powers.”
“Oh?” Matteo lifted his brow. Dash looked at him and quickly shook her head again.
“Hate to break it to you, Matty, but the Griffon Kingdom did come up and they decided against it,” she relayed. Matteo narrowed his eyes in disapproval.
“What? Surely there is no better military force we could make use of,” he growled. Dash sighed and folded her ears back.
“Having experience with griffons, I’m not going to fight you on that, Matty…” Dash tipped her head to the side. “But… let’s not forget we’re allied with… the pony that killed your dad.”
Matteo’s eyes widened for a moment before looking down and snorting.
“Hmph…” he grunted as he looked away from them. “Indeed, that would be problematic… Killing the Master of the Sky in combat brands the killer an enemy for life. I heavily doubt the griffons would be willing to align with the Renegades as a result.”
“You’ll be happy to know they ruled out the Drake Empire as well,” Dash added, causing Matteo’s head to snap back towards her.
“How did they even consider that?!” he remarked as his talons extended and dug into the floor, making a loud scratching noise. Little Star quickly lifted up and hovered up to his face, clamping her little hooves over his beak and gave him a stern look.
“By all means, just let them know we’re listening in while you’re at it!” she scolded him sarcastically as Matteo exhaled through his nostrils and rolled his eyes. Star squeaked as Matteo began shaking his head back and forth to try and loosen her grip on his beak.
“So where did they decide?” Squall asked Dash, ignoring the struggling pair of completely opposite sizes.
“I heard something about us meeting up with some help, in between, but it looks like we’re going to be heading to the Crystal Empire,” Dash explained, and then blinked as Squall visibly reacted with a hilariously harsh change of expressions. His normal, calm face turned into a look of pure dread as his eyes widened, his pupils shrunk, and his ears nearly slapped the sides of his head by how hard they flopped down. Dash had to hold in a snicker because it was totally unexpected. “What…?” she asked as she continued to stare at Squall… until realization hit her. “Oh… ohhhhhhh… that’s right,” she nodded. “You’re from the Crystal Empire.”
“Rgggghhhhhhhhhnnnnghhhhhh…” Squall released a long, exasperated sigh as he lowered himself all the way to the floor and bopped his head lightly against it. “Really…? Of all the places… we HAVE to go there?”
“The Crystal Empire?” Matteo spoke up. Dash glanced over to see his beak free from Little Star. He had an arm extended outward with his Little Star in his grip, trying to get free as she pouted.
“Never been there?” Dash asked as she looked between Squall and Matteo.
“Of course not, I’ve had never been to Equestria before joining the Wonderbolts,” Matteo reminded her.
“It’s a pretty awesome place,” Dash said as she described it. “Not as Big as Manehattan or Canterlot, but definitely close. The cool thing about it is that it’s, as its name suggests, built entirely out of crystal structures, it’s quite a sight.”
“Hmph… so we’re going someplace ‘pretty’ for help?” Matteo grunted, clearly still a little miffed the griffons were not an option.
“It has the second strongest defense force in Equestria,” Dash quickly assured him. “Second only to Canterlot’s. But I’d almost suggest they are better than the Royal Guard. Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire was formerly captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard, and actually a friend of mine. Trust me, he’s no pushover, and wouldn’t allow his own guard to be either.”
“Wait!” Little Star finally wiggled her way out of Matteo’s grip and zipped up to Dash. “You’re on a first name basis with—” she cut herself off and stepped back, shaking her head. “You know what… I forgot that you’re an Element of Harmony… and best friends with Princess Twilight Sparkle…” Star reminded herself out loud that Dash had lots of connections that they only recently learned about. Dash smirked and chuckled.
“Prince Shining Armor is Princess Twilight’s older brother,” she added with a wink.
“That’s it, I’m done,” Star turned around and floated away. “You know too many important ponies. I’m not worthy…” She stopped after hovering a few inches, freezing completely, including her wings. She plopped down on her hooves and sharply turned towards Squall, who was still lying on the floor, moping. “Wait!” her eyes widened. “If we’re going to the Crystal Empire… that means…” she hovered down to Squall and bounced up and down in front of his face. “We get to see you crystalize! That’s going to be so cool!”
“Joy…” Squall groaned as he reached forward and draped a hoof over his nose to hide his face.
Dash looked away to hide a smile as Star reminded them of Squall’s ancestry. Indeed, they were going to see him crystalize. In fact, she was curious to learn who else among the Wonderbolts had some crystal pony blood in their lineage. However, that all depended on if they got there first. There was a long road ahead of them and it wasn’t going to be an easy road to walk.
Dash looked back at her squad as Star continued to express excitement towards seeing Squall crystalize and Matteo tried to figure out exactly what they were talking about…
But a piece of the group was still missing… and had been missing since he disappeared the day before.
Dash scrunched her face and let out an annoyed grunt, causing the other three to turn and look towards her.
“Okay… Where the hell is Twister?” Dash asked as she stood up and tipped onto the edges of her hooves as she looked around the battledome. “Seriously, he disappears a lot, but he’s never been gone this long,” she said with clear displeasure in her voice. She was responsible for her squad, and she’d be damned if she’d let Twister go unchecked. Who knew what sort of shenanigans he was up to? All she knew was she’d get berated if he did anything stupid.
“Wow… uh…” Star scratched the back of her head. “Come to think of it, you’re right. He’s been gone a lot longer than usual.”
“I sure as hell haven’t missed him,” Matteo snorted as Squall gave no comment, still hiding his face.
“I’m going to go look for him,” Dash said as she stood up. “He’s been gone too long. Knowing him, he’s doing something he shouldn’t be.”
“You really think you’re gonna find him anywhere?” Star asked, forging a good point. Trying to physically find Twister was not something that seemed like an easy task under any circumstances.
“I’m just going to check room to room,” Dash explained as she stretched out her arms, legs, and wings. “It’s not like he can leave the compound.”
Star looked between her and the other two before turning and walking up beside Dash.
“I guess I’ll come too then, not like we have anything better to do,” she offered. Dash accepted her with a nod before Star turned and looked back at Squall and Matteo again. “You guys wanna come along?”
Squall peeked over his hoof to see Dash and Star preparing to leave. He glanced up at Matteo for a moment before grunting and standing up.
“Hmph… fine. Better than sitting around with Feathers…” he said, as he started walking. Matteo blinked as he replayed what Squall had just said.
“Pardon?” he asked while narrowing his eyes at Squall.
“Just come on you guys,” Dash chuckled as she beckoned for them to follow. “It’ll be easier with four of us anyway. You know how slippery Twister is.”
Matteo shrugged, standing up and following behind as the four made their way towards the exit. Dash glanced around as they moved, eventually finding Storm. However, Storm was clearly occupied with Macho Savage and Air Mach. They had Storm in a double headlock as they explained, for the umpteenth time, what it meant to be a true stallion. There was no way they were getting Storm out of that one, so Foxtrot was on their own.
Now they just had to find Twister… a task that could be simple… or incredibly complicated.
Soarin was listening as Spitfire and Descent continued to converse, but he wasn’t really paying attention. He looked up as he saw Rainbow Dash and her squad walking towards the doors, but not even that distracted him from what was on his mind.
Despite the upbeat demeanor Spitfire was displaying and the refreshing confidence she was expressing towards their actions going forwards, he couldn’t tear his mind away from the night before when the yellow magic gave him another vision. Just like the other visions, they were blurry and left him with less of an idea of what happened right after and more of a feeling that something bad was about to happen.
Only nothing had happened… and that was exactly what had him worried. He had come to learn the trends of his mysterious magical powers over time. And while Luna claiming only Celestia could have premonitions like he was having was interesting and definitely something they would address later, he refused to focus on that until he figured out what he missed.
He had expressed to Fleetfoot that he wouldn’t let it go until they were sure nothing was wrong, but he knew something was wrong. The yellow magic wouldn’t have reacted otherwise.
He looked towards Wave again, and furrowed his brow.
Okay… he had to stop it. Wave looked confident and satisfied. Sure that was away from the norm, but Spitfire was showing a confidence boost as well. He wasn’t about to jump to conclusions. The last thing he wanted to do was accuse a fellow top elite Wonderbolt of something he had little knowledge of out of pure paranoia. He was worried, but he didn’t want to look desperate or not mentally sound. Once this meeting was over, he’d gather up some top tier elites to help him make a full sweep of the compound.
But why… why couldn’t he shake the feeling… that there was something up with Wave? Every bit of his common sense told him there was nothing wrong and he shouldn’t draw conclusions quickly, but something in his head kept pulling him back… as if he didn’t have control of one part of his mind.
He quickly looked away as Wave glanced up at him again, this time, thankfully averting his eyes before Wave could catch him. Soarin subtly shifted his eyes, seeing that Wave was again looking at Spitfire.
Soarin exhaled roughly as he turned and looked at Fleetfoot, who was not paying attention at all and not being subtle about it either as she stared off elsewhere into the battledome. Despite how much he was coaching himself to let it drop, Soarin ended up asking her anyway.
“Fleet,” he spoke up quietly while giving her a nudge. Fleetfoot flinched lightly before turning to look at Soarin.
“Hmmmmmmm?” she hummed in response, sounding bored.
“Can you level with me for a moment?” he asked.
“Are you coming onto me?” she asked with a smirk that quickly faded as Soarin glared at her. “Okay, okay… what is it?”
Soarin glanced over at Wave for a brief moment before looking back at her.
“Does anything about Wave seem… off to you?” Soarin asked. Fleetfoot leaned forward to look past Soarin. She examined Wave from afar for a moment, taking in his more confident posture and the smirk that wouldn’t fade.
“Well, he did just get laid,” said Fleetfoot as she leaned back. Soarin groaned and rubbed his face with a hoof. “Hey, I was being serious,” Fleetfoot pouted as Soarin didn’t take her answer seriously.
“He’s acting differently. It doesn’t seem right,” Soarin relayed his thoughts that he couldn’t seem to get rid of.
“Like I just said, he just got laid.”
“Fleet!” Soarin growled, expressing his discontent in her answers but keeping the volume down.
“What?” She shrugged. “I’m not kidding. I bet you were smiling like that after the first time you tube-slid Dashie too.”
Soarin released a long sigh as he looked down and shook his head.
“I don’t even know why I asked…”
“You wanted my opinion, I gave it,” Fleetfoot replied with a slightly annoyed tone. “Yeah he’s acting a little different, I noticed that too, but we both know exactly why, so what’s the big deal?”
“Okay, look,” Soarin pointed his hooves at her. “I get it. He and Spitfire had some fun overnight, but… I don’t know… something just feels off and I don’t know why. I wanted reassurance that I wasn’t going crazy and you’re not helping.”
“Wait, wait, wait…” Fleetfoot looked at Wave briefly again before focusing on Soarin. “This is about the magic premonition isn’t it?” she suddenly asked.
Soarin wasn’t sure how to proceed. He wanted to say yes, but he also was determined to avoid seeming paranoid… but she just read him back to front and it was going to seem that way anyway.
“Soarin…” Fleetfoot sighed and shook her head. “I know you’re worried about something being wrong, but don’t start getting loopy and accusing your friends just because something is slightly different. We’ll make another full sweep after the meeting. Hell, I guess we can feel lucky if we find nothing… You know, considering what happened the last time you had a little vision.”
“Alright…” Soarin backed away from Fleetfoot and sat down, looking back forward. Fleetfoot examined him for a moment before shrugging and glancing off into the battledome again.
Soarin, however, did not take her word for it.
He looked right back at Wave Chill, taking care not to get caught staring.
He didn’t quite know how to describe what his mind was doing. Every part of Soarin said stop… but a little voice in the back of his head, behind every voice of reason, kept nagging him to not overlook it.
And honestly? He couldn’t take it anymore.
“Wave,” Soarin stood up and walked towards him. Spitfire and Descent stopped conversing, both looking towards Soarin as he trudged over to Wave Chill. The rest all looked up as well as Fleetfoot suddenly stood up with him
“Soarin!” Fleetfoot groaned as she quickly followed and reached out to him. Soarin’s wing flared out and batted Fleetfoot’s hoof away as he stopped directly in front of Wave and glared at him.
“What’s going on?” Soarin asked sternly as he pressed a hoof to Wave’s chest. Wave quickly rose up and took a step back while giving Soarin a strange look, but not losing the confidence in his expression.
“Whoa! Hey!” Wave put a hoof up. “Take it easy there…”
“Soarin!” Spitfire quickly broke away from Descent and placed herself in between Soarin and Wave. She looked back and forth between them. “What’s gotten into you?!” she asked as she examined Soarin with concerned eyes.
“I could ask you the same thing!” Soarin fired back as he pointed at Wave. “I don’t know what’s going on, but something’s not right here!”
Spitfire put both hooves on Soarin’s chest and pushed him away from Wave across the floor. She glared at him sternly, ignoring his little innuendo as she tried to control the situation.
“What are you trying to suggest here? What the hell has Wave done?” Spitfire pressed, clearly angry that Soarin was suddenly accusing Wave of anything.
“Whoa ho ho hoooooo there…” Fleetfoot pushed herself in between Soarin and Spitfire, forcing Spitfire off of Soarin in an attempt to diffuse the situation. “Look, Spitty, something happened while you and Wave were busy and I think it’s made Soarin a little jumpy… let’s just finish up this meeting and—”
“The hell it’s made me jumpy!” Soarin cut her off as he looked past them both at Wave, who was looking at him with an expression that Soarin found taunting. It was as if Wave was dismissing his sudden pressure and thought Soarin had a few screws loose.
“I think you need to calm down…” Wave said from behind Spitfire. Soarin gritted his teeth and pushed Spitfire and Fleetfoot aside, his horn and his eyes glowing a faint blue as he approached Wave.
“I’m only going to say this once Wave, what the hell is—”
Soarin never got to finish. All of the attention, including his, was drawn away as a scream came from the direction of the battledome doors.
Soarin looked past Wave, his eyes locking on Rainbow Dash and her squad as she, Little Star, Squall, and Matteo all threw themselves backwards from the doors. The doors slowly closed as they landed and faced the doors in battle ready stances.
Rainbow Dash quickly turned around, facing all of the Wonderbolts.
“GUYS!” she yelled out in a shocked, frantic tone. “SHADOWBO—”
She was cut off as a bright flash of pink light shined from behind the doors followed by an explosion and shockwave that blew the doors right off their hinges. Matteo quickly grabbed Little Star, Dash, and Squall, bringing them together and turning his back to shield them as two of the doors slammed right into his back.
“WHAT?!” Descent yelled out as he and the rest all faced the doors. Starry shook her head as she fitted her goggles over her eyes.
“How?!” she added her disbelief as every Wonderbolt in the battledome was up and on their hooves.
But as they focused on the doors, nothing came through. Instead, several flashes of pink light began to shine all over the battledome.
“What the…?!” Soarin blinked and his eyes darted about as yelps and grunts of surprise passed around all the Wonderbolts. The pink flashes grew brighter and brighter, pulsating until they grew in size.
“Look out!” Spitfire yelled as Shadowbolts began shooting out from within the flashes of light. The Wonderbolts scrambled, all getting to their hooves, spreading their wings, and taking to the air within the dome.
“WONDERBOLTS! GO! GO! GO!” Spitfire yelled, giving the universal order to take action.
Soarin, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot lifted off the ground and were in formation with Air Mach bringing up the rear immediately. Soarin glanced back and forth as the Shadowbolts started swarming around within the dome. They flew in circles and in erratic patterns overhead as if simply trying to spook the Wonderbolts into flight. He didn’t recognize any of the commanders among them, but there were a lot of them… seemingly out of nowhere…
Was this what his horn was warning him about?
“They aren’t attacking!” Fleetfoot called out, “What gives?!”
“WHO CARES?!” Starry Skies yelled as she and Descent pulled up beside them. “CATCH THEM AND BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF THEM!” she added as they all neared the center of the dome.
“Bring them down!” Spitfire ordered. “GO!”
Something still didn’t feel right to Soarin as he broke off and locked his eyes on the closest Shadowbolt he could find.
This was… TOO sudden… and seemed a little too convenient timed with his suspicions towards Wave.
The Shadowbolts… after weeks of being flawlessly kept at bay by the Renegades… had suddenly pierced through the defense measures just like that?
“RGH!” Soarin grunted as he twisted, avoiding Fire Streak as he shot by in pursuit of another Shadowbolt.
And what the heck were they doing? Not a single Shadowbolt had turned to attack any of them… they were just flying… and avoiding them.
Soarin shifted his eyes as he kept up behind his target. All the Wonderbolts present in the dome were up and flying… including Dash and her squad. They were still missing their fifth, but they made do with what they had. Storm was up with Macho Savage, down two members with Lead Runner and Point Dex below with Rivet. Several squads were broken up, but they all took action. Starry, Descent, Blazetail, and Flashwind were all in hot pursuit of targets… but just like the rest, they couldn’t catch these Shadowbolts… and as Fleetfoot pointed out, the Shadowbolts weren’t fighting, just running. Princess Luna was firing thin, powerful blasts of Alicorn magic that the Shadowbolts were swiftly dodging. The blasts were exploding against the ceiling as if they were shot at air. If she pumped any more power into the magic she would easily start ripping the place apart.
It was sudden, pure confusion and disarray… and the Shadowbolts were acting strange… he couldn’t be the only one feeling this way, could he?
This couldn’t possibly be what his horn was showing him… what about the orange, yellow, and blue colors?
“HEY!” a voice nearby caught Soarin’s attention. He turned towards the doors. He saw Lightning Streak step in. “BROS! WE GOT A SITUATION OUT HERE AND… oh man…” He gritted his teeth as he saw the Shadowbolts swarming around the dome.
“More?!” Spitfire growled as she broke away from her target and aimed towards the doors. “Soarin! Fleetfoot! WITH ME!” she yelled, the two of them being nearby with Air Mach all the way across the dome.
Soarin pulled up and turned towards Spitfire, meeting up with her and Fleetfoot as they shot towards the doors. He glanced down to see Silver, Wave, and Descent also turn to follow as they picked up on what was happening.
Based on Lighting’s entrance… were there Shadowbolts all over the compound?! And where were their crystals by the way? Soarin hadn’t seen any yet despite the Shadowbolts appearing from within the magic portals. The first thing that came to mind was that they were magic clones, but they were not acting like the clones they fought before, nor did they look like any of the commanders, they were all unique.
What the hell was this?
“Delta! Disperse!” Dash yelled as Matteo, Squall, and Star all broke away from her to chase nearby Shadowbolts.
They were just about to go find Twister, and suddenly Shadowbolts? How the hell did they get in? How did they get past the Renegades? What was going on?
There were too many questions in Dash’s head, and no time to think about them. Enemies had somehow appeared and it was her duty as a Wonderbolt to react, not hesitate. She locked onto her target and pumped her wings as hard as she could to catch up… but the distance wasn’t closing?
No matter how fast she went, the Shadowbolt stayed the exact same distance ahead of her… exactly five pony-lengths. She glanced back and forth at the cacophony around her, and she realized that everypony was in the same situation, chasing a Shadowbolt they couldn’t catch.
Speaking of the Shadowbolts… all of Dash’s history against them suggested they weren’t the types to just run… in fact there was NO fighting going on right now, only chasing.
Something wasn’t right.
“Huh?” Dash looked towards the doors, catching a glimpse of Soarin, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot as they broke away and charged towards the doors. She shifted her eyes to see Silver, Wave Chill, and Descent following behind them.
If they were heading out… did that mean they had seen something? From what she had observed, what was going on around her seemed more like a distraction than an attack. Her impulses got the better of her, and she turned, shooting towards the doors to follow behind them without a word to the rest of her squad.
“Dash?!” Little Star’s surprised voice met her ears, but Dash was already fixed on the doors, hoping to follow behind Soarin and figure out what the heck was going on.
She glided towards the doors, twisting sideways to shoot through them and immediately pitch right.
“WHOA!” she yelped as she blasted through… and nearly ran directly into Silver’s plot as she tried to turn. She angled herself just in time to pull up and slam down onto her hooves roughly, barely avoiding running face first into the opposite wall of the east hallway. She skidded to a stop and looked up at the group that had halted right outside the doors. All six of them were staring with their mouths agape… and Dash found herself doing the same as soon as she got a good look.
There were Shadowbolts EVERYWHERE. Wonderbolts and any Renegades that were within the compound were chasing them about as more and more Shadowbolts poured into the compound through flashes of pink light.
“What the hell is this!?” Descent growled. “How did they get past our defenses!? We left no holes whatsoever!”
“Worry about that later!” Spitfire yelled back to him. “We have to—”
Spitfire ducked as a Shadowbolt stallion flew over her… and rammed himself directly into Wave Chill.
“ARGH!” Wave grunted as the others jumped aside. Wave grappled with the Shadowbolt briefly before grabbing him by the arm and skillfully throwing him over his shoulder, right through one of the few windows that hadn’t been broken. The others all shielded themselves as the shattered glass was blown inwards by the raging gusts of the blizzard outside.
“Wave! Are you…” Spitfire spoke up with concern for Wave as she looked up, but… “WAVE?!”
Spitfire called his name, but Wave had already leapt out the window to pursue the Shadowbolt. Silver shifted towards the window, squinting as the cold gusts blasted him in the face.
“What the hell is he doing?!” Silver yelled out as he shielded his eyes and tried to keep an eye on Wave as he slowly began to disappear into the blizzard.
Before anypony else could do anything… Spitfire took to the air and followed right after Wave.
“WAVE! WAIT!” she yelled as she recklessly followed him outside.
“What the hell is SHE doing?!” Fleetfoot cried out. “Has she lost her mind?!” she looked back, her nose almost planting itself right into Soarin’s chest as he approached quickly.
“It doesn’t matter!” Soarin yelled. “We have to get them both back here NOW!” he ordered as he looked back at Descent. Descent didn’t question him, he agreed the moment Soarin said it. He stepped up to the window and pushed his goggles down.
“I’ll navigate! Stay with me!” he yelled as he spread his wings and dove through the window.
Soarin, Fleetfoot, and Silver all followed right behind. Dash quickly scampered to the window, wincing as the cold air hit her face.
This didn’t feel right… she felt like they were being led out, and she wasn’t about to let Soarin fall into a possible trap. He was obviously acting out of concern for Wave and Spitfire, but he was one of the primary targets of the Shadowbolts! Not to mention her mentor and two close friends had also followed.
“Rainbow Dash!” Storm Front’s voice came from behind her, but she ignored it. She leapt up and through the window, pumping her wings against the force of the winds and following after Soarin. “Dash!” Storm repeated as he moved right up to the window, but was forced to shut his eyes and turn away as a strong gust forced him away from the window. When he looked up, he had lost all sight of Dash and the other Wonderbolts outside. Squall, Matteo, and Little Star all ran up behind him. Star’s eyes widened.
“Please tell me Dash didn’t just…” she trailed off as Storm slowly nodded.
“She did… the lead squad and Silver too…” Storm answered as he turned. Dash had carelessly left the compound, but they also had to worry about the Shadowbolts currently flying around the compound.
But then…
“What?” Matteo was the only one to speak as one by one… all of the Shadowbolts around them… flickered?
One of the Shadowbolts moved towards them, but they all stood still. The Shadowbolt continued to flicker, passing directly through Squall before fizzling out and disappearing.
“They aren’t real?” Squall spoke up as their eyes darted about. The Shadowbolts all slowly disappeared as if they were never there.
They all looked back towards the battle dome doors as Fire Streak and Misty Fly suddenly burst out and glanced all around. Fire Streak growled and slammed his hooves to the floor.
“Can somepony please explain to me what is going on?” he yelled, clearly frustrated as his eyes landed on Foxtrot and Storm. “Were those just illusions? What could they possibly hope to gain from that? Where’s Captain Spitfire? Commander Soarin and Fleetfoot?”
Storm’s eyes widened as Fire stared at him. Storm slowly turned and looked towards the broken window.
Fire Streak blinked several times, his ears folding back and his jaw dropping as realization hit.
“Oh my god…” he turned and took a deep breath. “WE HAVE A SITUATION HERE!”
“Rgh!” Soarin grunted as he followed directly behind Descent with Fleetfoot and Silver right on his six. All three of them were having a bit of difficulty keeping up. Unlike Descent, the three of them were without their flight suits and goggles. The challenge posed by not having eye protection was obvious with all the snow and icy winds stinging their eyes, but the lack of flight suits also made them a little less streamlined.
Nevertheless, they kept pace. Even Silver managed to keep up, despite the clear grunts of discomfort that kept coming from his direction. Descent was obviously adjusting his speed to make sure he didn’t lose his followers, but that didn’t pose a challenge in keeping up with Spitfire, because she too was without the essential flight gear.
“I can’t see her!” Fleetfoot called forward with concern.
“Don’t worry! I still have a mark on her!” Descent called back as they pushed through the blizzard. They were being battered from all sides by the strong winds and the chunks of snow whipping about. Soarin, Fleetfoot, and Silver were completely relying on Descent to keep them going because they couldn’t see a thing aside from what was right in front of them.
“LOOKOUT!” Silver called out. “ABOVE US!”
“EVADE RIGHT!” Descent ordered, all four of them pitching hard to the right as several Shadowbolts suddenly shot by with Steady Wing, Cannon Ball, and Comet all in hot pursuit.
“They’re out here too?!” Soarin remarked as he glanced back, making sure Silver and Fleetfoot were still with him.
The Shadowbolts were even engaged with the Renegades outside. How had their protection dissolved so quickly? Were the Shadowbolts simply waiting for a moment to attack? If so, why did they wait until after they were all rested?
“We’re gaining on her!” Descent yelled as they shifted left to avoid another Shadowbolt-Renegade chase.
“Can you see Wave?!” Silver barked forward.
“Negative!” Descent called back. “But Spitfire is definitely still chasing something!”
“Keep going!” Soarin yelled. With how difficult the flight had been and how many twists and turns they had taken, he had no idea how far they had strayed from the compound. They had to stop Spitfire and Wave soon. “We have to—ARGH!”
Soarin yelled out as he suddenly felt an incredibly strong shockwave smash against him. And not just him, but Descent, Silver, and Fleetfoot were all for forced to a dead stop as well as if they had run directly into an invisible wall. The four of them tumbled towards the ground, but only for a few moments as they skillfully leveled out and regained their flight… but…
“What happened?!” Descent exclaimed as he looked all around, the three Wonderbolts sharing his awe as they examined their surroundings.
The blizzard around them had completely dissipated, the extent of the shockwave still visible as they looked behind them to see the blizzard literally being pushed away from them… however, the sudden phenomenon aside, they were more focused on what was now directly before them in broad daylight.
“Spitfire!” Soarin yelled as his eyes locked on her. With the blizzard no longer battering against them, the four flew up to join her side. As they approached, they observed that she was looking directly at Wave’s back as he floated a few yards in front of her, staring down the Shadowbolt stallion he had chased after. Spitfire ignored Soarin, keeping all of her attention directly on Wave.
“WAVE!”” Spitfire yelled with concern. “Stand down and form ranks! Don’t take him on alone!”
Wave Chill said absolutely nothing, his eyes remaining on the Shadowbolt hovering before him.
“Wave!” Silver spoke up as the four joined Spitfire’s side. “Back off! That’s an order, dammit!” he tried, but again, Wave didn’t even flinch under Silver’s stern voice.
“Hmph… so not only did you pull them both out here…” a voice came from them. “But you also managed two other high ranking officers and our favorite traitor…”
“That voice…” Descent growled, narrowing his eyes as they all of them except for Spitfire looked up. “Blade…”
Soarin’s eyes widened as two Shadowbolt commanders, Blade and Ruin… hovered down from above and halted right in front of Wave, beside the lone Shadowbolt.
“Behind us!” Fleetfoot exclaimed. Soarin looked over his shoulder to see they had been completely flanked. Three more Shadowbolt commanders were behind them, Moon, Trance, and Witch. All of the commanders had their three crystals floating about them.
“I told you I’d do it…” Wave suddenly spoke… only it wasn’t his voice. Soarin’s eyes widened as the voice quickly registered in his brain. “Want to tell me I’m useless now?”
The Shadowbolt that Wave had been chasing flickered and disappeared, a single, pink crystal floating out in front of Wave and glowing brightly.
Spitfire gasped loudly, throwing her hooves up over her mouth as her eyes widened and she edged backwards, nearly running into Soarin. Soarin’s eyes narrowed into an incredibly harsh glare as Wave started to turn around.
As he moved, a pink glow appeared at the tip of his ears and began to run down them to his head and then over his body… a form of the pink magic they had already seen once before… revealing somepony they knew all too well.
“Yellow…” Soarin spoke quietly to himself as he glanced at Spitfire. “Blue…” He glanced towards the disappearing colors of Wave Chill. “And Orange…” He finished while gritting his teeth as he focused on the pony being revealed.
“I brought the whole gang and a few extras,” Rapidfire snorted as he hovered between Blade and Ruin. “Checkmate.”
---To Be Continued---
Art in this chapter by Foxenawolf
Oh golly this isn't good 
QUICK REVIEW! 
The Shadowbolt commanders involved here are as follows:
Blade:
Cool, level headed. Former good friend of Descent. Crystal power: Magic swords that extend from his front hooves.
Moon:
Very stoic. Seems like a reasonable pony, but never questions orders. Crystal Power: very strong telekinesis.
Ruin:
Wild, crazy, unpredictable. Disliked even amongst his own comrades but couldn't care less. Has an incredible amount of screws loose, and very dangerous for many different reasons. Crystal power: Small magic spheres that dance around him wildly and erratically.
Witch:
Stuck up and haughty. Feels above everypony else, but doesn't handle up close confrontation well. Crystal power: barrages of tiny pin like magic bolts.
Trance:
Happy go lucky, not a care in the world and never takes anything seriously. Acts like everything is just a game. Crystal Power: similar to Ruin, only his spheres stay in neat formations and move in synchronized patterns.
Pony creator was all i could settle for for some of these xD
Sorry for the extra wait, wasn't much i could do about it, but sometimes things happen. 
The good news is that im already well into chapter 108, (about 8k words already written, roughly the size of this chapter as is and im about halfway through it. shouldn't be too long of a wait depending on how much longer it ends up being of course 
I wonder how they're going to get out of this one.... and what happened to Wave?! 
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! 
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You know, I think we all knew Rapidfire was behind this. But I certainly didn't expect the Shadowbolts to come back so soon. I mean, I knew they'd eventually return, but this was definitely a twist.
Speaking of which, where did Twister go? (I know how you're going to answer, by the way.)
....I knew this was gonna be bad...
Oh, lordy lordy, we are in deep here...
Also, in regards to Rapid being Wave...
EDIT: Quick clarification, this chapter is fantastic as a climax, but I had a really bad feeling about this for our main characters here...
Oh what lovely chaos. Discord would be so proud!
Rapidfire! that sleezy-*colourful harsh words here*-with a turle!...good chapter! well worth staying up late
I'm more concerned about when exactly Rapidfire switched out with Wave.
6593981
I'm not, all I'm seeing and reading is another High School drama and I'm already seeing more than enough of that garbage everywhere. The "Wonderverse" is starting to look more like the "Shadowverse" than anything else! Distasteful Calm I'd thought you had more originality than the international "Bully with guns triumphs all" theme. If anyone wants to see that they can go watch the videos that ISIS puts up of executing unarmed people or the destruction of priceless national treasures.
Somehow I think the Shadowbolts are filled with evil ponies. Sure there's few good ones but I think close too 95% are pure evil. Even before the main villain took over since their code makes it sound like they choose only heartless monsters that don't care about anyone.
wow just wow this is super intense.
Harts Fire
exultant work Calm Wind.
Personally, I think that Wave is conked out in the locker room...still.
As for Twister, I can't shake the feeling that he has some type of connection to the Shadowbolts, either as a member or as Kayn Ost, idk.
Well, at least the next chapter's not too far behind.
Called it. I would have asked a question, not just launch accusations.
Yikes. Well, looks like it's fighting time again.
Rapidfire seems to have a penchant for flashy distractions, it seems - that's twice he's pulled off a similar tactic. Depending on the outcome of the next fight, it's probably time Luna looked into a way of detecting / disrupting his powers. Or discord, if they could pin him down somehow.
I wonder how long it'll take for the rest of the 'bolts to get organised again.
Oh, and Blade becomes 'blase' right at the end there.
Damn it Rapidfire! Will you ever get a life!?
This is going to utterly crush Spitfire's spirits.
6594662 I know...
That's the worst part.
Woah... So suspenseful... So mysterious...
This is AWESOME!!
6594680
um... what?
6594680
Could you please word your criticism a little more understandably? And for some reason, I think the similes to ISIS are a little bit off the deep end to whatever you were thinking.
dang it rapidfire, why?
DAMMIT CALM I NEED NEXT CHAPTER YESTERDAY!!!
I don't know how to feel... Congratulations... You've broken the Empath... All this... "Where's Wave since he wasn't with Spitfire", "Where TF is Twister? He'd better show up again soon or I'm just taking it as more proof for my theories!", "OMG SPITFIRE NYUUUUUUUUU!!! **wraps Lead Captain in a blanket and snuggles**", and "Dashie... you really need to stop chasing the elites... You have your own squad to worry about! **facepalm**"...
CALM!!! TELL ME HOW TO FEEL!!! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL WITHOUT MOAR CHAPTER!!!
Oh dear I feel really bad for Spitfire right now
and where's Twister? I'm starting to think he may be a spy......... btw I'm kind of confused where's Dash? Wasn't she chasing after them?
6594662 would it be wrong to give up on rapidfire or would doing so be wrong?
6595046
Right there with you Calm, I don't quite understand that comment at all...
6595078
What I mean is that I'm getting sick and tired of seeing these one-sided battles and all these all-powerful, all-knowing gods with their blatant refusal to devulge vital information in order to keep their precious secrets and a clear unwillingness to devulge anyform of aide or even being no shows when their help (such as Discord's reality warping powers) could actually be of some use; only to reappear after the Wonderbolts have either been, beaten, or (in Midnight's case) killed.
The only time Discord's offered any aide or advice that isn't a threat to him was the alert about those detoxifying Shadowbolt captives as well as the fake chaos magic in those crystals. And like Silver said Discord knows the truth but is more than content to just sit back and watch the Wonderbolts get anhilated just so that he can takeover Equestria and turn it into his personal playground again.
6595181 Agreed, on that note. No redemption may remain for him. I say we smash the crystal and leave him to waste away.
6595200
*Removes hat at the mention of Midnight*
So, you are basically saying that you want Calm to pull a Dues Ex Machina out of his hat and have Discord/Luna/Celestia or what have you give some support for the Wonderbolts?
I feel this would be potentially damaging to the story, really. Its all about the uphill battle with these sort of stories, because you learn more about the characters you are reading about, and about the Wonderbolts/Shadowbolts/Renegades as a whole, when you see them embedded in a conflict that they might not live to see the end of. You learn so much from how they react to it, how they deal with it, and how they face those overwhelming odds.
Yes, Discord -could- snap his fingers, and give the Wonderbolts the advantage. He could whisk them all away from danger, and he could solve this conflict without a second thought. But, why would he? Especially because it sounds like he has been asked by perhaps Celestia to stay out of it so he can deal with some other, more overwhelming and dangerous threat.
There is a lot that is hidden, a lot that Calm isn't telling us, that is going on in the background with Discord and I feel with the Shadowbolts as a whole. There is some more powerful force that Discord is stalling to give the Wonderbolts and Renegades more time to prepare. What that is, and why it is occupying all the attention of the God of Chaos, is beyond me at this point. But what I do know, is that Discord is serious about it, just as serious as he is with the two inside Soarin's head.
So, I don't see highschool drama, I see plots within plots, within wheels, within schemes.
And I cannot wait to see what happens when it all comes to light.
6595200
You realize that nothing you mentioned in here has anything to do with what happened in this chapter? There was no battle, and no gods keeping secrets.
Holy crap
No. Just no. ALL OF THE UNHOLY NO GODS WILL SMITE THEE
6595390
In the words of a Champion of Chaos from Warhammer 40k.
"Your gods cannot hear your prayers, only I can. I shall not answer them."
Wow, when the shit hits the fan, it really hits hard. I hate to say it, but this may be the thing that breaks Spitfire. Plus, where did Dash end up? Did she get separated in the blizzard? Erg, need the next chapter soon!
6595259
But you could also be saying that the Shadowbolts have been given an due ex machina as when we first met them in HitC they and the Wonderbolts were equals in terms of intelligence and strength; now the the Shadowbolts have been given all this power to literally do what they please while what do the Wonderbolts and Renagades have?
A run down piece of junk of an HQ that doesn't even have some means of defense, a bunch of crack pot fighters who've never been in war or even taken a life, a snot-nosed brat of a traitor that keeps slipping in under their noses without notice, to spy and wreak chaos and confusion among them. I'm just saying it would be nice for the odds be a little less one-sided otherwise just wipe out the Wonderbolts and be done with the entire series already.
6595419
I am honestly afraid you are right. Spitfire is a strong character, she has to be to fill the role of Lead Captain. But she is also quite vulnerable in the fact that she has bared her heart to somepony. She let her guard down and did something so personal, so intimate with a pony she -thought- was Wave. Now she finds out it was Rapidfire, and believe you me, after something like this I... I can see it breaking her. I can see it eroding all the good feeling she has built up, and I can see it being something that truly rocks her to her core.
But, I also see her coming back from it, and using the fury she will doubtlessly feel at being violated to rally herself. I feel she'll lead the Wonderbolts forward. I just hope it doesn't come with the sacrifice of her relationship.
I KNEW IT!!!!!!! MY PREDICTION WAS RIGHT. PARTY!!!!!!!!!!
6595476
You could look at it like that. The Shadowbolts were given a quite powerful weapon, as their crystals do allow for them to do things way beyond the scope of a normal pony. However, by definition, it's not a dues ex machina, as to properly be called thus would mean that Calm would not have explained what it is, what it does, or how it does it. There also wouldn't be drawbacks, as when using the "Machine of the Gods" rule in fiction, it is by and large handing out something amazing and wondrous to a character of a group of characters that then allows them to do something, or saving them from destruction at the last possible second through some god given miracle. The Shadowbolts haven't been given that. If anything, Soarin's horn is closer to that not-so-often touched fiction rule.
As for their HQ, yeah it's ancient, but we don't know that it doesn't have any weapons aboard. There are a lot of things we don't know about the Wonderbolts' compound that at this point we can only speculate. I mean, remember the Shadowbolt's compound is an EXACT copy of theirs. While I won't put it past them to strap guns onto the thing post dry-dock, I don't doubt that there are some things we've not seen inside the Wonderbolts' own flying fortress.
And, just because they're not blooded, does not mean that they are inadequate soldiers. And for that matter, we do not know who in the Wonderbolts' ranks are blooded warriors with the exception of Silver and Misty Fly, as they are both old enough to have been in conflict and seen action. I would not, however, put it past the Elite Tier squads to be blooded, and for that matter I would not put it past a few of the lower ranking squads, with the exception of the Recruit Squads, to be blooded. And even then I know at least Dash and Matty are blooded warriors.
So, take it from someone who is trained to kill, and is not a blooded warrior, do not put it past those who have trained to be able to do what needs to be done in the moment it is required. The Wonderbolts might be blooded, they might be disheartened, hell they might even be staring at their own deaths in the near future, but that only makes the story better.
When faced with impossible odds, you see the true heart of a person (or pony) come to light, and what you see will often be beyond your wildest, or your darkest, dreams.
Another chapter and a whole more bunch of questions with a side of oh shit
Also holy crap poor spitfire shes not gonna be the same after this
6595552
No, she won't. The only question is: Will she go the route of righteous fury? Or will she break?
Time shall tell.
6595562 i'm guessing a bit of both surprised things haven't gone 1984ish with all the sneaking in to the compound
6595624
Big Brother is watching
I mean, honestly, Soaring, we've always been at war with the Griffin Kingdom... to think otherwise would be to go against the Princesses!
*Cough*
Truthfully, I didn't like that book, it is one of my least favorites, but I see your point. Let us see where things go from here, and hope for the best.
Also, seriously, why does the spike mustasche go SO well with the Big Brother comment...
Words cannot express how much I hate Rapidfire.
so I will express my self with this song here.
6595533
But unlike the Shadowbolts' own fortress the Nimbus underwent many renovations that turned it into another grounded office building in the decades since it was last flown. It might've had weapons or some type of shield generator in past that might've been removed because they weren't needed as to keep Equestrians believing that illusion of a peaceful paradise Celestia has continually woven.
Also as a wise old owl put it
even if you eventually wind up maimed for life like he did. And going by that series of books the supposedly "superior" fighters known as the Guardians of Ga'Hoole had no qualms about stooping to the level of infiltration, spying, sabotage, or outright trickery to gain an advantage over their enemies, such as the Pure Ones, who were armed with those potent flecks just like the Shadowbolts with their crystals.
The Shadowbolts also seem to make the Wonderbolts look like incompetent idiots who can't think outside the box or whatever currently has their full attention.
6594680
Wow, what just happened, well I have a new theory: ruin is Twister
I have no actual evidence, but they are very similar and twister is already gone since all of this begun so, I don't know.
6595714
And interesting theory, and next to all the other ones that are floating around it makes just as much sense.
So, let us see where this goes... though knowing Twister (Which... admittedly is about as much as you all) he is in the locker room putting makeup on the K.O'd Wave...
6595714 every time time twister disappears i imagine him in some sort of control room controlling the events going on
kinda like this
6594622 No! Discord shunned this kind of mafic. He would kill to rid of its existence.
6595701 Well isn't that the point of keeping sliver and the shadowbolts around the current wonderbolts never experienced any war or conflict on this scale or intense silver and descent however they've see seen some shit and know a pretty good amount of it as well