• Published 3rd Jun 2014
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Piercing the Heavens - Calm Wind



Sequel to Flying Sky-High. A lot has happened, but now Rainbow Dash finally has a chance to fulfill her dream and become a Wonderbolt. As the process begins, will her relationship with Soarin be a blessing? Or will it be a curse?

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Chapter 124: Ready For Takeoff?

MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind

Chapter 124: Ready for Takeoff?


“Thanks, I’ll let Spitfire know,” Soarin said while looking over his shoulder. He spread his wings and hovered into the air as he began lowering himself down from the third floor, gliding in a slow, spiral descent around the main propeller pillar as he made his way back down to the lobby. There was a soft rattling noise coming from the pillar itself as Rivet and his team below ran their final checks on the engine systems before finally attaching the only piece missing that connected the engines below to the propellers themselves.

A week had gone by since the operation to save Wave Chill. After several days of rest, the Wonderbolts were up and moving again, preparing for yet another leap of faith… something they’d been making a living off of as of late. Today was the day that they were going to finally see if they could get their compound… or the ‘Nimbus’ as it was once called, up into the air and on a path to the Crystal Empire. Soarin had spent the whole morning helping Spitfire check in with everypony to make sure everything was ready for the takeoff attempt.

The final details on what to do about the Shadowbolts being aware of their destination were still being ironed out, but Soarin knew Spitfire, Descent, and Luna had something in the works. No matter what the plan ended up being, though… It was going to be one hell of a spectacle.

Soarin landed on the lobby floor amidst several ponies trotting, galloping, and gliding by. He folded his wings and moved the joints near the shoulders about to see how they felt. His bruises had faded, and his cuts had almost fully healed, but he was still a little bit stiff. Overall, he felt much better, despite maybe only being at eighty to ninety percent in terms of confidence in his body to perform at its best. He definitely couldn’t say the same for Silver… that was, if Silver were still allowed to fly out and fight with them.

Silver was still being kept in the infirmary, his wounds healing, but much more slowly for obvious reasons. He had also shut himself out for the past week, asking to be left alone. Bliss, upon Silver’s request, had turned away Dash, Blaze, High Winds, and several others, including Silver’s former comrades. But nopony argued with her. They knew why Silver wanted to have some time to himself.

Soarin shook himself out after rotating his wings a little before looking about the busy lobby, using his height to his advantage to find Spitfire. He spotted her in the center of the lobby, speaking to Fire Streak before he gave her a salute and turned away to carry out his orders. Soarin trotted towards her, making sure to dodge the bustling commotion as he approached.

“Reporting in,” he spoke up with an official tone as she glanced over her shoulder before turning to face him.

“Go ahead,” she replied, looking up at him as he sat down before her.

“All the third floor dormitories are secure,” Soarin began. “I checked with each squad captain, personal belongings are safe and they’re ready for further orders.”

“Good,” Spitfire nodded again, looking away for a moment before focusing on Soarin and staring at him. Soarin blinked and tipped his head curiously.

“What?” he asked as she continued to look him up and down.

“How are you feeling?” she asked without hesitation.

“Why do you ask?” Soarin questioned as he flattened his brow. More often than not, questions like this from Spitfire ended with an argument of some sort.

“Just answer the damn question,” Spitfire pushed while narrowing her eyes, putting her hoof down.

“Yikes, alright,” Soarin rolled his eyes. “I’m still a little stiff and sore, but you know me, I’ve dealt with worse. I’m ready and able to perform my duties.”

“The jury is still out on that one, Soarin,” Spitfire shook her head, but before he could retort, she aimed her eyes just above his and tapped her forehead. “What about the horn? Any problems?”

Soarin held in his protest of her ‘decision’ on what he should be allowed to do as he glanced up, examining the cracked headpiece and thinking about how his little head predicament had played out over the past few days.

“Aside from the thing being damaged, I haven’t had too many issues or—”

“‘Too many issues?’” Spitfire abruptly cut him off while raising an eyebrow.

“No! No…” Soarin threw his hooves out to the side while growling. “Sheesh, let me finish. I’ve had a headache or two, but none of it has been bad, it’s probably just some pains caused by the minor cracks. A quick run to Rainbow Dash was all I needed each time to make it go away immediately.”

Fleetfoot suddenly scooted in beside Spitfire while bouncing her eyebrows.

“A quicky with Dashie helps with headaches?” She giggled. “Thanks for the advice!”

“Wait, WHAT?!” Soarin blinked, taking a moment to realize what Fleetfoot said, but before he could react, she kicked off the floor, landing behind Soarin.

“HA-CHA!” she yelled out as she bumped her plot against his, bouncing into the air and gliding away while giggling.

Soarin grunted and snorted as he watched Fleetfoot escape before he could fire back, but Spitfire was still focused on him as if Fleetfoot’s little interruption had never happened.

“We’ll talk more before takeoff,” she said suddenly, causing Soarin’s eyes to widen and look back at her.

“I don’t think there’s anything else to ta—”

“And when I do…” she cut him off again while taking a step forward and pointed her hoof towards his face, nearly jamming it against his nose. “I expect your cooperation, understand?”

Soarin looked past her hoof down into her stern eyes, scrunching his face as he wondered where this sudden tone she was pushing had come from.

“What does that mean?” he asked defiantly.

“Soarin, don’t make me repeat myself,” she quickly shot back. Soarin narrowed his eyes and pouted.

“Fine, I understand.”

“Good,” Spitfire withdrew her hoof from his face, turned, and left quickly, looking around before heading off to address something else. All the while, Soarin just stared towards her with confusion… and a little frustration.

Something told him that her little ‘talk’ with him later was going to be about something he didn’t want to hear. Her tone right now was probably a forewarning. Soarin sighed as he began looking around the lobby with no current objective to fulfill.

He knew Spitfire was his captain, and with her authority over him, he had to comply more often than not. She was usually more laid back with him, them being friends and all, but all that did was strengthen her authority. Because the few times when she got stern or serious with him, he knew he had little choice in the matter… at least initially. He had… ‘bent’ her orders more than once in the past and was usually good about covering his tracks. There had been a few times where it had ended very poorly though.

With nothing to do, and knowing full well he wouldn’t get a word out of Spitfire until later, his thoughts backtracked to Fleetfoot’s little teasing interruption… which in turn made his brain shift to something on his mind twenty-four seven in some shape or form.

He glanced about, once again using his height as he scanned the bustling lobby for a specific mane of several vibrant colors. However, after a few moments of nothing catching his eyes, he slumped down and sighed.

“Hmmm… I wonder what Dash is up to right now?” he said to himself as he looked around again casually. “Oh?” He blinked as he looked over his shoulder, his eyes landing on the entrance to the recruit barracks as Princess Luna and Descent entered the lobby from the doors.

Luna kept walking into the lobby, but Descent sat down right outside the doors, glancing over his shoulder at them.

Assuming that Descent had just been to check up on the ill Shadowbolt captives, Soarin got up and started walking towards him. He and Descent hadn’t spoken in a while, and he was curious how the Shadowbolts were doing.

Descent perked up when he turned back around and saw Soarin approaching, but didn’t keep his eyes on him for long. Soarin lifted an eyebrow as he closed in, wondering if Descent was ignoring him.

“Checking on the captives?” Soarin asked, skipping pleasantries knowing that Descent wasn’t one for them.

“Hm,” Descent simply hummed in response as he continued to look elsewhere. Soarin stopped about a yard from Descent, sat down, and looked slightly up at him, something he rarely had to do. Soarin had enjoyed being the largest pony in the compound for a while, but he found himself falling short of that title recently with Calm Wind, Descent, and Bomber being around. He didn’t count Matteo since griffons tended to be larger than ponies in general. He also just barely had Valkyrie beaten by half an inch. It wasn’t such a large margin with Descent though. Descent was only about an inch taller than him, not quite so freakish in size like Calm or more so Bomber.

“They are… stable, thanks to Princess Luna,” Descent explained flatly as he finally looked slightly down at Soarin, his eyes stopping on the cracked horn for a moment before he made eye contact with him.

“You don’t sound very confident,” Soarin picked out the tone in Descent’s voice. Descent exhaled and shook his head.

“I’m not,” he admitted straight-out. “They are becoming less responsive and the crystals on their bodies continue to slowly spread. It’s as if the crystals are sapping their life away. The further they spread, the weaker the host gets.” He kept a solid air about him despite speaking of such a horrific, potentially tragic subject. “I’m afraid if we don’t find a way to help them soon… they will perish just as the commanders have.”

“Well…” Soarin looked over his shoulder as he took note of Descent’s negative outlook. “That’s why we’re hoping to take off soon and make it to the Crystal Empire. We’ll find them help.” He tried to offer reassurance, but it had little effect.

“I wish I shared your positive attitude,” Descent said as he also scanned the busy lobby. “Based on Moon’s information, I doubt our path to the Empire will be smooth or unchallenged.” He paused and snorted. “And assuming that we even make it there, there’s no guarantee they will have a solution.”

“But would you prefer we did nothing?” Soarin asked an obvious question. Descent blinked and glared harshly at Soarin.

“Of course not!” he raised his voice and growled. Soarin leaned away and put up a hoof.

“Whoa, hey, take it easy,” Soarin shook his head while furrowing his brow. “It wasn’t a suggestion.”

Descent turned his head away and blew a loud, hard breath through his nostrils.

“I apologize. I’ve been… a bit on edge as of late,” he started explaining as he glanced back at the barracks doors. “I really want to save these Shadowbolts we have here. It pains me greatly knowing that I will likely not be able to save Blade or the remaining commanders. The ones we have here may be of lower rank and be less likely to give an advantage if added to our numbers… but it would be a personal victory for me if we’re able to rid them of this ailment.” Descent turned back and looked down. “I just want to know it’s possible. I just want to know we can help them. My number one goal from the start has been ridding the Shadowbolts of the crystal influence so I can rebuild them, and recent events have suggested that I will be completely denied that goal. If only I had acted quicker or persuaded more of them to turn away… are those who are left all doomed?”

Soarin examined Descent’s face carefully as he spoke and looked away upon finishing. Every time Soarin interacted with Descent, a part of him laughed internally. Why? Because of how ironic it was to hold any sort of conversation with somepony that was responsible for so much of his pain. It was a testament to just how strange the whole situation was.

But while strange, getting to know Descent had been an adventure all of its own, seeing and learning about the pony behind the warrior. Soarin definitely wasn’t the only one on this adventure, if the encounter with Starry Skies and Storm a week ago was any indication.

“I understand how you feel,” Soarin got up and moved to a position at Descent’s side and turning to face the same way he was. Descent gave him an odd look as he made the move and sat down. “I mean figuratively,” Soarin clarified. “If we had Wonderbolts, or anypony I’m close to in the hooves of the Shadowbolts back there… I’d do anything to help them, even if I was uncertain of the result.” He glanced over at Descent. “You really would do anything for them, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes,” Descent quickly replied with a nod. “You may call it or label it whatever you wish. My one desire is to see the group that gave my life a purpose restored. We all had our reasons for being Shadowbolts, but one thing that generally stood out was the desire to belong to something.” He turned to Soarin. “I refuse to rest easy until the Shadowbolts, and those who made it special to me, are once again the group offered me that chance as it had many others.”

Soarin turned and made eye contact with Descent as he finished.

The desire to belong to something…

Rapidfire immediately came to mind. Soarin recalled Rapidfire’s reasons for defecting, one of them being that he felt like he didn’t belong in the Wonderbolts. His experience in the Shadowbolts had not been pleasant… but perhaps part of the Shadowbolts that Descent cherished still existed at the time of Rapidfire’s defection.

It was hard for Soarin to imagine the environment that Descent described based on his own experiences with the Shadowbolts and within their fortress, not to mention the rather rough, tough, and violent nature of the Shadowbolt command system that had been described to him. But was there a time, even under Nightshade, that the Shadowbolts offered a welcome sense of belonging to disaffected pegasi? The more Soarin discovered about the Shadowbolts and what lay beneath the surface of their image and actions, the more he felt sympathetic for them and the fate that befell them. Of course he withheld his opinions on their mercenary work and the whole ‘kill the leader to become the leader thing’ in an effort to understand them on a broader scale.

But he grinned as he thought back to Starry and Storm’s conversation. Descent’s words right here and now, along with what he was expressing was falling right in line with it. Descent lifted and eyebrow as he saw Soarin smiling.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked as he flattened his brow.

“Oh, nothing,” Soarin chuckled. “Just thinking about a conversation I had recently with—”

“Starry Skies?” Descent cut him off along with a frustrated grunt. Soarin blinked in surprise. “My son already told me about it.”

“Oh,” Soarin tipped his head and nodded. “How is she? Has she said anything to you about it?”

“She’s back on her hooves again, but she hasn’t said a word to me since. In fact, she’s been avoiding me,” Descent explained as he narrowed his eyes further and further every few words, causing Soarin to lift his brow and lean away slightly. “I would have preferred if you two hadn’t bothered her.”

“Did Storm tell you what she was saying?” Soarin asked as he sat back upright.

“Yes.”

“And you don’t mind that she’s confused about you?”

“No I don’t.” Descent shook his head. “You don’t know Starry like I do.”

“Funny, she said the same thing about you,” Soarin looked away for a moment before looking back to see Descent glaring at him again. “What? She did.”

“Starry works best when she’s allowed to face and deal with things on her own. It’s how she’s always been. Emotional stimulation tends to… confuse her.”

“You don’t say?” Soarin scoffed quietly.

“Your sarcasm is noted,” Descent continued without retort. “But it’s true. Starry is the pure definition of an ice queen. She doesn’t give a damn about feelings, including those of others and even her own. To her, it’s all about combat, fighting for everything she believes in. She doesn’t make connections like most of us do. She only trusts those who she’s fought beside and has risked everything beside… and by that I mean for at least twenty or so years,” Descent sighed while tipping his head a little. “I can’t even begin to tell you how long it took for her to fully trust even me and Nightshade. I think the first time she ever opened up to us, if you could even call it that, was about… four years ago? And it wasn’t much of anything, she just finally expressed that she trusted us.”

“She sounds like she needs a hug,” Soarin said with an awkward chuckle, Descent joining in with his own chuckle.

“I guarantee that would end poorly for any who try,” Descent admitted without hesitation.

“Yeah, I know,” Soarin nodded. “She’s very picky about her personal space…”

“Something that your fellow lead squad commander likes to constantly violate,” Descent added, referring to Fleetfoot’s countless intrusions upon Starry’s personal bubble. “If not for her rank and skill, I’d wager she’d have been killed slowly and painfully by now.”

“Yeeeeeeeeah,” Soarin cringed as he rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry about Fleetfoot, she does that…”

“No need to apologize,” Descent snorted. “I’ve seen enough to know it’s pointless to try and stop her. I will admit…” He trailed off.

“Admit what?” Soarin blinked and glanced at him.

“Nothing,” Descent quickly denied.

“Whoa, wait, come on,” Soarin smirked as he saw Descent trying to hide the curl of a smile on the edge of his lips. “Admit what?”

“Caught red hoofed,” Descent shook his head as he chuckled. “It has been… a little amusing to me to watch Starry try to deal with Fleetfoot.”

“Hmmmmm?” Soarin lifted an eyebrow as he kept smiling. “So you wanted us to leave her alone, but you’re okay with Fleet harassing her?”

“There’s a difference. You and my son went to her and dropped the subject about me on her. Fleetfoot is just not giving a damn,” Descent explained. “Starry ends most confrontations like that with a punch to the face or worse. She’s finally met somepony she can't punch away… and it’s amusing to me to watch her be at an absolute loss on how to get away. I stand by how I feel she works best, but this isn’t a part of when she’s on the job.”

“The pony who hates being touched meets the pony who can’t keep her hooves off others, eh?” Soarin chuckled.

“It’s an explosive combination,” Descent chuckled again. Soarin got his laughs in, but remembered Descent mentioned Starry was back up and about. The last time he had seen Starry, she was still curled up and clutching a pillow in the infirmary.

“So… How is Starry holding up by the way? I mean in terms of shaking the crystal effects,” Soarin asked, leading to Descent showing the signs of a frown but stopping just short of looking sad.

“She’s fine… I guess.”

“You guess?” Soarin tipped his head.

“There always comes a point where she starts sucking it up and not telling me if anything is wrong,” he said with a sigh. Soarin held back the urge to relate Descent to Spitfire in the moment. After all, that was more or less a worry Spitfire always had about him as well.

“You sound worried,” Soarin said to dodge the thought.

“I am worried,” Descent immediately clarified. “Starry is important to me.”

A brief silence extended between them as Soarin simply stared. Descent noticed and lifted an eyebrow.

“Does that surprise you?” Descent asked.

“Not really. I’ll believe anything after I saw you hug Storm while crying,” Soarin replied, recalling the full reunion of father and son.

“Hmph, yeah, that…” Descent rolled his eyes, but Soarin knew he was just trying to look tough. “But you’ve heard me talk about this already… how I speak of the Shadowbolts as my family.” He paused and turned to look at Soarin. “Well, that became my family once I was there… it really all started with Nightshade and Starry Skies saving me from certain death when I was a colt. I’d be dead if they didn’t stumble upon me in back alley slums of Canterlot. With my parents abandoning me before I could even remember their names or what they looked like, Nightshade and Starry were the only two who had ever… cared for me. That’s why I stayed with them after the fact. I felt indebted, obligated… I felt a connection with them, they were ponies I wanted to be with.” He paused and looked down. “Starry is all I have left of that first feeling of belonging somewhere, of having others looking out for me. The other part… Nightshade… who knows where she is or if she’s even still alive. I never found answers to that.”

Soarin listened carefully, taking in everything Descent was saying and thinking it all over. His heartfelt explanation was interesting, but his focus was quickly drawn away when he brought up Nightshade, realization hitting him.

“Oh…” Soarin blinked. “We could have asked Moon.”

“I know,” Descent grunted in frustration. “It was the perfect opportunity, but I was lost in the shock of the moment.”

“What about the Shadowbolt Renegades? Didn’t you run a campaign to draw them away from the Shadowbolts? Did any of them know?” Soarin pressed.

“Believe me,” Descent quickly replied. “I asked everypony we brought back. The Shadowbolts were still in heavy disarray at the time, long before any of the developments, the formation of the commanders, or anything in the recent months. None of them knew anything related to Nightshade.”

Soarin could hear the regret in his voice, not even Descent’s gruff, serious undertone could hide it. Descent was always a very serious pony… that is, very serious about a lot of things, not just in nature. When he believed in something, he followed it. He didn’t let doubt get in the way… at least ninety-nine percent of the time, not counting one or two recent events. Nightshade and Starry Skies, as he said, were very important to him. Soarin could see it clear as day. It was almost like how Spitfire and Fleetfoot were to him. He could only imagine how he’d feel if suddenly Spitfire was removed from the picture for reasons beyond his control. It would devastate him.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Soarin finally came out with it. Descent blinked and looked towards Soarin curiously.

“For what?” he asked.

“For Nightshade,” Soarin clarified.

“Hmph… There’s nothing to be sorry about. If Nightshade is gone, then her demise was her own doing. I accepted that a long time ago. But…”

“But…?”

“That’s why I worry about Starry,” Descent admitted. Soarin just stared towards Descent as he looked back forward, his ears lowering, but not quite flopping down. “I’ve already lost one pony who had been there from the start. I don’t want to lose the other. Connections like that cannot be replaced. Seeing Starry suffer from using a crystal again… after what happened to Nightshade… it…” He paused, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. “It was hard.” He released a sharp breath from his nose and shook his head out, looking away. “Listen to me ramble on and on…”

“No, it’s fine,” Soarin quickly interjected, looking forward as Descent glanced towards him. “I understand what you’re saying. The situations are different, but—” he turned his head to meet Descent’s eyes— “In the end, we’re both ponies who are a part of something that’s important to us… and we both have certain individuals that have been there for us for most of our lives, who have helped shape them. I immediately thought about it as you described how important Nightshade and Starry Skies have been to you. Spitfire and Fleetfoot are the exact same for me. We didn’t have to fight for survival on the streets or anything like that, but it’s the connection that’s so similar to me. I don’t know who or what I’d be without them… certainly not what you’re looking at right now. I’m sure you feel the same way.”

“Heh,” Descent cracked a small grin as he looked back forward. “That I do. I guess we’re not as different as we think.”

“Except you’re old and have a son,” Soarin added with a smirk.

“And there goes the moment…” Descent quickly shot back with a snort.

“Princess Luna!” Spitfire’s voice came from nearby. Both Soarin and Descent turned towards her voice, spotting Spitfire very close by, approaching Luna. Soarin and Descent shot each other a brief glance before Descent made a head motion towards the two. Soarin nodded as the two stood up and made their way over.

Spitfire noticed both of them approaching, but paid little attention to them as she focused on Luna.

“Are the captives secure? Spitfire asked, earning a brief nod from Luna.

“We have done all we can to ease their pain… and they have been secured to their beds.”

“Good,” Spitfire approved as she briefly glanced at Descent, but only for a moment before again focusing on Luna. “So that leaves one last detail we need to discuss. We obviously can’t follow a straight line from here to the Crystal Empire if we know the Shadowbolts know what we’re doing. We also will need an edge to fight through them if need be, so along with the ‘bent’ path I described earlier, how can we fit the Lunar Guard into all of this?”

“A good question,” Luna immediately answered. “One we have already pondered.”

“How will this work exactly?”

“We have a rare… difficult magical technique that we can use. Telepathy,” Luna explained.

“Telepathy…” Spitfire blinked, her jaw slowly opening for a moment. “Uh… correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s not… magic, is it? At least last time I heard anything about it.”

“You would be right,” Luna nodded. “Technically telepathy is not magic, falling more in line with what one might call a psychic ability, one of enhanced mind power that is technically impossible. However… there is a something of a similar nature through magic that we know of.”

“I’m listening… and wondering why, if you could do something like this, you haven’t already used it,” Spitfire pressured for an explanation.

“There is a reason, allow us to explain,” Luna shrugged off the skepticism. “There is a very unique spell that, if done correctly, can send a message in the form of an energy wave to anypony we wish. However, it’s not so easy to pull off. It requires tremendous mental focus and since we cannot actually pass a thought from one pony to another, we have to force the thought into our magic and press it through the horn.”

“Okay, that’s… incredibly weird, but you’re telling me this actually works? And I’m assuming your reluctance to use it already means that there’s a heavy downside?” Spitfire asked as she crossed a hoof over the other and tapped it against the floor.

“Yes,” Luna cringed. “We have only had to use it twice in our long life, and would rather not use it. It is not of conventional magic, falling within the arts that we never teach other ponies due to it being beyond the comprehension of a mortal unicorn or even a mortal alicorn. The intense mental focus and the act of compressing pure thought can backfire considerably if held too long or mishandled. Not only that, but we are personally not very good at it, it is likely to give us a massive, painful migraine for several minutes.” Luna pouted and huffed. “Our sister perfected it… she used to play tricks on us all the time with no issues or problems, but we never got the hang of it.”

“Oh,” Spitfire blinked. “So that’s why…” she rotated a hoof.

“Why we sent a letter with the Renegades to Canterlot, instead of using the technique. It’s always been something we’ve kept knowledge of just in case. Since right now we have no time to waste, and the situation calls for quick and coordinated communication, we are prepared to use it now.”

“But you won’t, say… blow your head up while doing it? You sure?” Spitfire expressed her concern.

“No,” Luna shook her head. “It will only take us all of three to five seconds to perform. Captain P.L. is VERY disciplined and extremely loyal to us. All we have to say is the location and ‘move out’ and you can expect him to be there with the full force of the Lunar Guard behind him.”

“And you’ll be fine?” Spitfire continued showing concern. Luna chuckled and smiled.

“Your worry warms our heart, but fear not. It will hit us pretty hard, but we’ll be fine. We are willing to face the drawbacks for the sake of the plan coming together,” she explained to ease Spitfire’s worry.

“Well, alright,” Spitfire nodded contently. “Then I won’t ask you to do it more than once.”

“We appreciate that,” Luna quickly agreed.

“We’ll time it right as we get into the air…” Spitfire looked up and around, glancing back at the large pillar sticking through the now repaired floor that extended the bridge and controls up to the top floor back when they first took off. “Assuming this all works…”

As she trailed off, both Spitfire and Luna just happened to glance towards Soarin and Descent at the same time. It took less than a second for both of them to shift their eyes specifically towards Soarin. Soarin lifted an eyebrow as the two pairs of authoritative eyes landed on him, Spitfire’s expression remaining constant, but Luna’s eyes widening upon seeing him.

“Ahem…” Spitfire quietly cleared her throat while looking back up at Luna, but she failed to get her attention. “AH…HEM,” Spitfire repeated, heavily exaggerating it to make it much louder. Luna flinched and looked back towards her. “Luna, come here for a moment…” Spitfire beckoned her to follow as she stole another quick glance at Soarin. The two moved a few yards away before they both sat down with their backs turned. Luna bent her neck down as Spitfire whispered into her ear. They both glanced over their shoulders at Soarin before turning back and whispering some more.

Soarin flattened his brow and snorted at how ridiculously conspicuous and unsubtle the two of them were being. It was almost insulting.

“I think they’re talking about you,” Descent spoke up in a tone that was so typical of his voice that Soarin couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

“Ya think?” Soarin sighed while rolling his eyes. As if it was bad enough he felt he was being left out of crucial discussions… possibly about him again, the fact they were doing it right in front of him now was even worse.

Ignoring the secretive slap to the face, Soarin looked back around the lobby, searching for somepony that tended to make him feel better no matter what the situation… but again, his eyes failed to pick up any sign of that unique, multi-colored mane.

Where was Rainbow Dash, anyway?


As a matter of fact, Soarin was much closer to Dash than he realized.

Rainbow Dash, along with the rest of her squad and Storm Front, were right in the Foxtrot barracks, both examining their new fixed pieces of furniture bolted to the ground as well as safely stowing their personal belongings. Storm hadn’t been given any specific orders from Point Dex, who was currently down below with Lead Runner helping Rivet, so he had tagged along. He much preferred that than being stuck alone with Macho Savage.

Matteo was busy stuffing sheets into his floor locker in attempt to keep his family wood-carved figurines snug in the drawer. It was a tactic that Dash decided to copy after getting a look, despite her only really having to worry about the picture frame of her and Soarin, she wasn’t so worried about her Daring Do book or the… sexy beach Soarin poster.

Storm was simply hanging around Dash and chatting as she checked around, mainly avoiding the shenanigans going on elsewhere in the barracks.

Twister was being… well, himself, specifically finding every single possible way to get Little Star to accidentally bump into Squall. He kept stealing one or two items from her locker, causing her to scold him while giving chase, doing her best with one of her wings still wrapped up and healing from the hit she took against Devil. But despite her best efforts, every attempt ended with her eventually being tossed onto Squall’s back, running into his plot, tripping into his legs, etc. You name it, Twister found a way to make it happen.

Squall continuously ignored everything that happened, even when Star touched him. He was scrunching his face angrily, but never reacted.

Twister got away scot-free every time… up until he snatched both Squall’s blanket and Star’s teddy bear. He didn’t last two seconds. Star and Squall both turned and tackled him, taking him right to the ground. They both grunted as Twister spun around and threw… ten pillows into the air that seemed to appear out of thin air. Star and Squall both shielded themselves, but Star got a hold of one of the pillows and began vigorously beating Twister over the face with it, his face changing every time she hit it while making squeaky toy noises. Squall blinked and backed away as Star unloaded on Twister, but noticed his blanket on the floor. He reached down to snatch it up and get out of there, but Twister grabbed his arm as he leaned, and pulled him in, putting his face in the way and absorbing three pillow strikes.

When Star realized she was hitting Squall she gasped and froze right before swinging a fourth time, but the hesitation was her downfall. Twister reached his other hoof out and grabbed her, pulling her in. She and Squall immediately began resisting, but their forceful motions caused all three to start rolling around on the floor. They crashed into the pile of pillows that Twister dropped and effectively disappeared into a cluster of cursing, squeaking, and maniacal laughter.

Storm watched them blankly as Dash and Matteo went about their business as if nothing was happening. Storm looked back at Dash, lifted a hoof and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped and closed his mouth, looking back at the cacophony. The pillows suddenly all collapsed to the floor… and revealed a set up with a small table, covered with a white cloth cross stitched with orange lines. A white wax candle fixed in a green bottle sat on the tables edge next to a small jar filled with bread sticks. In the center of the table was a large plate of spaghetti. Little Star and Squall blinked as they stared blankly at the setup, sitting side by side with one long string of spaghetti in their mouths, one end in Squall’s the other in Star’s. Sitting across from them was Star’s teddy bear with Squall’s blanket fixed to it like a cape.

Twister suddenly popped up behind them with a blue, pointy moustache under his nose, wearing a pink shirt and a green vest, a white sheet wrapped around his midsection as he stood on his hind legs, and swaying back and forth behind them while playing an accordion.

Fanart by: -_Rainbow_Dash-_

Squall spat out the spaghetti as Twister leaned down in between them. Star simply looked away and blushed subtly as Squall grabbed Twister by the back of the head and slammed it down into the spaghetti.

Storm again looked towards Dash and Matteo as the two continued to pay no notice. Storm shrugged before stepping up to Dash.

“So… uh…” he began as he looked back to see Squall pull Twister’s head back up, the entirety of the spaghetti somehow wrapped around his neck. Storm shook his head and completely focused on Dash. “How has Silver been? Is he feeling better?”

Dash sighed as she closed her locker, snapped the latches shut, and turned around while sitting her plot down on top of it.

“I don’t know,” she said with a mixture of frustration and worry. “He still won’t see anypony.”

“Still?” Storm furrowed his brow and blinked.

”Still,” Dash repeated with a slight whip of her tail behind her.

“Why not? If anypony, you’d think he’d at least let you…” Storm thought aloud, trailing off. Dash shook her head.

“He wants to be left alone, I respect that,” Dash said as she stood up and moved over to sit down on her bed. Storm watched her shuffle by, not picking up her hooves at all.

“But you’re still his student…” Storm said, hesitating mid-sentence. He watched Dash turn and sit down on her bed while releasing a sigh. “I don’t know,” Storm diverted. “Maybe I’m just being a little biased here… I think he should see you.”

“I get where you’re coming from, with your dad and all…” Dash nodded as she tipped over and plopped down on her stomach. “With Silver though… this is a different. I want to see him, but even if he let me, I don’t know what I’d say or do.”

“We have a saying in the Griffon Kingdom…” Matteo suddenly spoke up from the opposite side of his bed. Both Dash and Storm looked over to him as he continued to obsessively rearrange to figures in his locker to make them as snug and safe as possible. “There are two ways for a true warrior to die. The first is in the heat of combat, the other… is if they live to see the day they can no longer fight,” he explained, still looking at his locker instead of them. Dash furrowed her brow and exhaled loudly through her nose as she stared at Matteo’s back.

“Matty, you’re not helping,” she said bluntly.

“I merely wish to convey that I understand his choice to be alone,” Matteo explained as he lifted up his wooden figure of Gilda, holding it in front of his face gently in between two of his talons. “My time is far from up, but should I live long enough for my body to give in before my spirit… I have no doubt I’ll feel just as he does.”

Storm tipped his head and lifted his brow.

“I think there’s more to it with Silver though,” Storm pointed out. Matteo let the figure of Gilda drop into the base of his shanks as he curled them around the figure and gripped it lightly.

“Probably.” He finally turned around and faced them, still holding the figurine of Gilda. “Something I have learned from being around ponies, is that they find many places to draw strength from. Kindness, laughter, generosity, honesty, loyalty…” he looked down at the Gilda figure. “Friends, family, love…” he looked back up. “These are not things that are foreign to me, but with the exception of loyalty and honesty… they are not valued or taught on the same scale in the Griffon Kingdom that they are in Equestria. They are all held much higher here, on a different level. I’ve found myself discovering new sources of strength I’ve never considered in the past…” he looked up from the figure, back towards them. “While it’s new to me, it is something you have all had around you for most of your lives in some shape or form.”

“That sounds about right,” Dash spoke up while releasing a strong breath of air upward that blew her mane out of her eyes. “And I agree one hundred percent with Storm. I know there’s a lot more at stake here for Silver. It wasn’t just the combat… it was the other ponies he flew into combat with. He cared about the Wonderbolts like they were a second family… they were his life and passion on such a deep, connected level.”

As Dash finished, Matteo reached his opposite talons up and caught Twister as he flew towards him, curled up into a ball. The moment he was stopped, Twister unrolled himself and held a pepper grinder out to Matteo.

“Fresh ground pepper?!” he asked enthusiastically. Matteo set the figure of Gilda down, before reaching up and yanking the pepper out of Twister’s hooves. He jammed the open end in Twister’s mouth and began turning the crank as fast as he could. Twister began flailing as his mouth filled up with pepper, eventually sneezing and flying away from them with a cloud of pepper dust flying up into the air in his wake.

“I’m sure he’ll come around,” Matteo nodded to Dash as he reached back town to retrieve the wooden Gilda and place it back in his locker. Dash just sighed and let her nose plop down onto the mattress.

“I know that, but I still don’t know what I’ll say to him…” she admitted as she groaned. Storm exhaled as he leaned back against Dash’s bedframe.

“Boy, do I know that feeling,” he sympathized with her. Matteo slowly closed the door of his floor-locker and gently snapped the latches down.

“A good teacher knows they can confide in the student as much as the student confides in them,” he hit them with another saying as he turned around and faced them. “I’ve no doubt he will come to you when the time is right.”

“Hello?” a new voice entered the room as the door opened. All eyes turned and all shenanigans ceased as everypony in the room, except for Twister, who had drawn two eyes on his plot and mooned the door, turned to look. It was Siren Bliss. “Oh, you’re all—” she paused, looking at Twister only once before continuing. “You’re all here. Perfect. Silver wants to see you,” she explained without specifying anypony.

Dash blinked, tipping her head as Storm, Star, Squall, Matteo, and Twister’s butt all looked towards her.

“Just me?” Dash asked while pointing to herself. Bliss shook her head.

“No, he wants to see all of you,” she clarified. “You too, Storm.”

They all stared silently for a moment before looking around at one another. Twister began moving his left plot-cheek towards Squall, but Star slammed herself down over his head, causing all him to smack down against the floor as he uttered a noise that sounded like an angry rooster.

“I guess…” Storm shrugged. “He wants to see all of us, actually.”

“Let’s not keep him waiting then,” Dash nodded as she quickly got to her hooves.


“SILVER!”

Dash flinched as Bliss yelled out the moment they all stepped into the infirmary. Dash blinked and watched as Bliss broke into a gallop down the aisle.

“What the…?” Dash leaned over along with the rest behind her, taking in the mostly empty infirmary. Wave was still isolated in the ‘urgent care’ room off to the side behind Bliss’ desk. The only other pony present was Silver…

But he wasn’t in his bed.

The reason Bliss broke into a gallop towards him, was because he was on the floor… trying to do wing-ups.

“Silver, stop it!” Bliss commanded as she skidded to a halt and used her magic to support him after he managed to squeeze out three.

Dash immediately held in laughter, her cheeks puffing out as she looked back at her friends. Star shrugged while smiling.

“Color me not surprised?” she said with a giggle.

“Come on,” Dash said with a chuckle and a head motion, the group of six making their way down the aisle towards Bliss and Silver.

“Relax, I’m fine,” Silver huffed, showing disapproval of Bliss stopping him.

“No, you are not,” Bliss scolded him. “You—” she stopped… and sighed. “You know what, forget it, I know you’re not going to listen to me.”

“It’s about time,” Silver snorted as Bliss released her magic, removing the support from beneath him and putting him back on his hooves under his own power. Bliss completely ignored his comment as she glanced behind her at Dash and the others approaching.

“Well, I brought them like you asked, have fun,” she said sarcastically as she turned and trotted right in between Dash and Storm. The rest of Foxtrot moved aside, allowing Bliss to go unhindered on the off chance Silver’s continuous rebellious behaviors had pushed more buttons than she showed.

As soon as Bliss had gone by and Dash turned back to Silver, he was already down on his wings, struggling to do another wing-up. Dash’s eyes widened as Silver got stuck halfway back up, gasped, and fell flat onto his stomach. Dash, Storm, and Star all instinctively rushed forward to help him, Dash reaching him first. She held out her hooves to grab his arm, but the moment she touched him…

“RGH!!!” Silver threw his arm out, knocking her hooves away and making her stumble right back into Storm and Star. Dash’s eyes widened, but she didn’t react or get angry. She immediately realized something. Storm and Star were already shifting past her, but Dash extended both of her wings outward and blocked them. Star just squeaked as her face ran into Dash’s feathers, her little nose popping out between them. Storm turned to protest, but Dash gave him a really stern look and shook her head. Storm stopped pushing and tipped his head curiously as Dash looked back towards Silver.

She let him do it himself.

Silver slowly positioned himself, using both of his wings and all four hooves to slowly and shakily push himself back up all on his own power. It took him almost half a minute, but he eventually was standing up straight, panting and sweating.

He looked up, his eyes scanning all six of them for a moment before he turned and grunted as he took very slow, wobbly steps towards his bed, several painful cracks and pops sounding from his joints as he made the motions. He reached up and placed his front hooves on his bed before forcing them down, trying to pick himself up onto the mattress.

“Hgggnnnn…. Grh…” he tried, but failed. “Hrrrrrrrgh…. Gah…” he tried again, but still couldn’t lift himself. He flattened his brow and blew a loud puff of air through his nostrils. He slowly looked over to Dash. “A little help here?”

The instant he asked, Dash closed her wings, unbarring Star and Storm as she started moving towards Silver. Star and Storm followed right behind, Matteo stepping up as well to lend some assistance as Squall and Twister came around to the other side of the bed.

Working together, but with Dash, Storm, and Star mostly just keeping Silver steady as Matteo lifted him up, the four of them managed to get Silver back up and lying comfortably on his stomach on the bed. As they placed him down, Twister was waving two blinking batons in the air in front.

Silver didn’t even look at Twister. He simply punched him right in the face the moment the others let go of him. Twister fell right to the floor with a loud THUD.

Silver took a deep breath and exhaled, shaking his head and mane out before looking around at the five rookie Wonderbolts, soon joined by the sixth after he peeled himself off the floor.

“Thanks…” Silver said as he continued to pant, sweat rolling down his brow.

“How are you feeling?” Dash asked as she stood right in front and placed a hoof up on the mattress.

“I’m fine,” Silver quickly claimed just as he had to Bliss moments before. He looked Dash in the eye and watched as she slowly narrowed them into a stern, flat gaze. “I’m… better,” he corrected himself with a snort.

“That’s good to hear,” Dash lightened her expression and nodded as Silver was truthful with her. “You probably shouldn’t be doing… that,” Dash pouted as she made a head motion towards the floor. Silver snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Just because Spitfire’s not letting me fly into combat… doesn’t mean I’m not going to be ready if I have to defend myself,” he stated firmly.

It went silent. Just as Dash was afraid would happen, she didn’t quite know what to say or do and neither did the rest of them. Silver quickly noticed that they were all hesitating and fidgeting.

“Oh, loosen up… all of you,” he broke the silence, causing all of them to flinch. “I’m done moping,” he clarified for them as they all glanced at one another.

“Uh…” Dash gritted her teeth and looked away. “Well, I didn’t… we didn’t want to…”

“Look,” Silver cut in, silencing Dash, but looking at her with an expression she knew well. It wasn’t his usual grumpy look, nor was it his stern glare… it was the way he looked at her when he wanted her to listen carefully and well. While it wasn’t something her friends were used to like she was it had a similar effect on them. “Sure, it hit me hard. I think that was pretty clear when I started bawling my eyes out like a little colt.” Silver shook his head. “Getting some alone time helped me pick my ass up and deal with it. I’m not happy about it, but I knew it was coming.”

He paused for a moment, not a single one of the rookie Wonderbolts uttering a sound as they waited for him to continue. The only sound was that of Witching and Mahogany’s hooves clip-clopping by behind them as they walked behind them all.

“You can’t cheat age,” Silver continued. “Everything ends eventually. I was never going to believe I’d be able to do this forever. You can’t approach things that way. Life isn’t all fairy dust and unicorn farts.”

Dash and the rest suddenly flinched and looked to the side as the sound of hooves sliding to a halt echoed around them. They looked to their left to see both Witching and Mahogany looking over their shoulders and lifting their brows with surprised looks. Dash rubbed the back of her head awkwardly before trying to shift the focus back to Silver.

So… uh…” she spoke up as the others all looked back as well. “Bliss told us you wanted to see all of us.”

“You’ve got that right,” Silver nodded.

“But…” Storm stepped up beside Dash. “Why all of us?”

Silver shifted his eyes from Dash to Storm for a moment before looking around at each one of them. He let his eyes rest on Squall… Little Star… Matteo… and Twister.

“Because you six… are the next generation of Wonderbolt elites,” he explained.

Another brief silence spread, but unlike the last, this was one of slight shock. That was a pretty high vote of confidence from a veteran Wonderbolt… but why them?

“Why us?” Star asked the question on everypony’s mind. “What about the rest of the recruit squads?”

“Heh,” Silver shook his head. “They weren’t part of your recruit class, nor were they trained by me,” he explained, showing an extreme confidence in his own training techniques. Dash had to hold in a sudden snicker. Silver may have been broken, physically and a little emotionally, but his confidence in himself burned stronger than ever. “Believe me… none of them would have made the cut if they were in your class. It wasn’t even close with you five…” he trailed off for a moment as he focused on Storm. “And Spitfire was confident enough in your abilities to put you on a high tier, elite squad. I trust Spitfire’s judgment. She heard no arguments from me.”

Dash felt a swell of passion flare in her heart. It didn’t matter how many times Silver complimented her ability or told her how high of expectations he had of her, it got her every time. She looked back at her friends who had made it this far with her to see each of them looking just as honored. Squall, in particular, was looking towards Silver with a look of wonder, as if he’d never felt so moved by a vote of confidence before. Also, the fact that Twister was behaving himself was plenty of evidence towards Silver’s control over their attention at the moment.

Silver’s expression suddenly hardened.

“I want all of you to listen to me very carefully,” he instructed them. Dash leaned forward, putting her other hoof up on the mattress, as the rest gathered in a little more, lending Silver their ears.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he began. “I can’t predict the future, but no matter what direction the Wonderbolts go… I want you all to promise me something.” He sighed, looking down for a moment but never losing the strength in his expression as he looked back up at them again. “Don’t… EVER… let anypony tell you that you can’t do something. Don’t… EVER… let anypony convince you that you’re losing your edge. Don’t… EVER… accept limits. And most importantly… don’t ever call it quits if you still have plenty fight left in you.”

He paused, releasing a very long sigh.

“I get the feeling that Spitfire is finally going to fight the archaic, so called ‘rules’ that the Wonderbolts have been following in terms of forcing old flyers out. If anything, I can be glad that I may have had a hoof in her doing so, but even if she doesn’t, remember exactly what I just said. If you ever feel like the odds are tipping against you, or your body is slowing down…fight it. Fight it with all of your might and every last inch of effort you can squeeze out. Don’t let them talk you down from duty, don’t accept any ‘honorary’ titles. Don’t let them take that flight suit away from you, because as long as you wear it… you can make a difference. The moment you give up and step out of that Wonderbolt suit for good… it doesn’t matter anymore.” Silver shook his head. “Nothing can replace it… and you certainly can’t replace it with black and purple. Ask any of the Wonderbolt Renegades if that suit they’re wearing is important to them and they’ll say no. They will always be Wonderbolts in spirit, but without that suit, without being in our ranks, they will never feel the same. To retire… is to expire.”

He looked them all over again briefly before fixing his eyes on Dash again. While he was speaking to all of them, Dash couldn’t help but feel what he was about to say was meant more for her than anything else.

“I’ve had a long, fulfilling career. I may have gone almost literally to my body’s last gasp, but I don’t regret it. I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. It’s been filled with more lessons, good times, friends, and memories than I can count and it gave me a purpose and drive. It was something I refused to give up until my body was in pieces and my wings detached…” he trailed off, but his eyes remained fixed completely on Dash.

“I implore you…” he paused and looked at each of them again. “All of you… to push your limits and keep going as long as you possibly can… I can tell you from experience, that you will have no regrets,” he shook his head, sharpening his eyes as he locked them with Dash’s. “Never listen to your body… Listen to your heart.”

All six of them just stared in awe as Silver’s words sunk in.

“You’d probably be better off if you had listened to your heart,” Bliss suddenly spoke up as she walked behind them.

“And don’t… EVER…” Silver suddenly continued. “Listen to our trainers.”

“That’s enough out of you,” Bliss nudged her way past Matteo, pointed at Silver, and tossed him an angry pout.

Dash lost it, exploding into a fit of laughter along with Storm, Twister, and Star as Matteo chuckled and Squall tried to hide that he was amused. Silver had somehow managed to seamlessly segue from one of the most motivational speeches Dash ever heard to cracking a joke on Bliss.

Only Silver…


Soarin came to a halt and nearly bumped into Fleetfoot’s plot as she stopped right after stepping into the infirmary.

“Huh? What’s going on over there?” she asked as Soarin stepped past her with Spitfire following right behind him. Bliss sighed and shook her head as she approached the three lead squad members.

“Silver is being a good and bad influence,” she explained sarcastically.

“So… the usual?” Soarin asked with a chuckle.

“Yes,” Bliss nodded as she walked towards her desk. “The usual.”

“Bliss,” Spitfire spoke up as she stepped around Soarin, stopping her before she could make it to her desk.

Soarin watched Spitfire carefully as she walked by him. He had been keeping an eye on her for several minutes now, because despite being around her and following her and Fleetfoot to the infirmary, she had yet to make good on her decision to ‘talk later’ with him. He had expected it several times as he remained in the lobby after the little whispering conversation with Luna, but she still hadn’t brought it up again.

“We’re making our final round of checks,” Spitfire explained as Bliss turned to face her. “Is the infirmary secure?”

“Yes,” Bliss quickly replied. “Rivet’s crewponies have effectively bolted everything down and all the cabinets have been fitted with new locks. Anything fragile has been rearranged to ensure nothing breaks and…” she flattened her brow and glanced over at Silver and the rookies. “I’m prepared to strap down any misbehaving ponies that won’t stay in bed.”

Both Soarin and Fleetfoot descended into a fits of giggles and chuckles. Soarin kept his eyes fixed on the group down the aisle, specifically on Dash. It had been a busy morning and he really wanted to check in with her.

“Good,” Spitfire was unaffected by Bliss’ comments. “Also… how is Wave?” she asked as her tone suddenly hushed and grew worried.

Soarin turned his head back as he heard the shift in Spitfire’s tone. It caught his attention not so much because of the tone shift, more because it shifted while asking about Wave? Why did she sound so worried? Soarin’s curiosity only grew as Bliss shook her head.

“I’m afraid nothing has changed,” Bliss explained. Spitfire’s ears flopped down and she lowered her head.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…” Fleetfoot shifted over and stood beside Bliss and Spitfire while looking back and forth between them. “Hold on, what’s going on with Chilly?” she asked. Bliss took a long, gentle breath.

“His wounds are not healing.”

“What?” Soarin’s eyes widened and he blinked as he stepped forward as well. Spitfire shook her head as she looked back up.

“I’ve been visiting him every day since we brought him back, but the marks left by his torture have not faded at all. Not even a little, they are still as clear as they were when we first brought him here,” Spitfire explained solemnly.

“It’s only been a week,” Bliss took over while reaching up and placing a hoof on Spitfire’s shoulder. “But the wounds have shown no signs of healing… and I have no idea why,” she admitted.

“That’s… troubling,” Soarin gritted his teeth as he winced. “Have you spoken to Wave much? How is he, emotionally speaking?”

“He’s been happy,” Spitfire quickly answered. “Mostly conserving his strength and resting, but I’m still worried. If the wounds weren’t bad enough, he keeps talking about the pain not going away.”

Soarin thought it over for a moment before looking over at Rainbow Dash again.

“The infiltration team mentioned that Wave was tortured with crystal magic… right?” he asked as he looked back over at Fleetfoot, Bliss, and Spitfire. “Do you think that has anything to do with it?”

There was a brief pause as Spitfire’s ears stood up straight.

“I… certainly hope not…” she said with the tone of worry strengthening in her voice. She quickly looked towards Bliss. “Bliss, I’d like to see him, is he awake right now?”

“He’s been sleeping most of the morning, but he might be awake now, let me go look.” Bliss gave Spitfire a soft tap on the shoulder before turning and making her way around her desk and towards the door in the back.

“Spitty…” Fleetfoot turned and pouted at Spitfire. “You weren’t keeping this from us, were you?”

“No,” Spitfire quickly denied. "This was only something that we noticed a day or two ago,” she explained as Fleetfoot shifted beside her and leaned against her for comfort.

“I hope he’s okay…” Fleetfoot added as she looked Spitfire over with concern.

Then suddenly, a loud gasp came from the door, followed by a BANG as it swung inward and hit the wall beside it. All three of them looked up to see the door swing shut with Bliss gone.

“Uh…” Soarin tipped his head. “What just…”

Before he could say anything further, Bliss suddenly burst back through the door, her eyes wide with shock.

“CAPTAIN!” she yelled towards Spitfire.

Spitfire’s eyes widened considerably and her jaw dropped. She was up and on her hooves in an instant, effectively tossing Fleetfoot off of her and throwing her against the wall by accident.

“EEEP!” Fleetfoot squeaked as she bounced off the wall and hit the floor. Spitfire broke into a hard gallop towards the back door, Soarin thundering right behind her. Spitfire got into the room first, and released the sharpest gasp that Soarin had ever heard in his life. Soarin angled himself and put on the brakes, skidding to a halt beside Spitfire as he passed through the door.

“Oh my god…” Soarin barely managed to utter as the air left his lungs.

“Spit… Fire…”

Wave was on the floor… the sheet fixed around his plot as if he had struggled to roll out of bed. He was reaching towards them, his face wrought with extreme pain…

Crystal formations were jutting from his wounds.

HELPME…!”

---To Be Continued---

Author's Note:

Ooo... that's not good... :rainbowderp:

(Art in this chapter by: Foxenawolf)

Well with that shock out of the way, looks like we had some insight to Descent's feelings here, as well as Matteo going all Griffon culture on us again and a very motivational speech from our favorite old stallion...

of course I'm sure the *cough* sudden little thing at the end will be what's remembered most (along with several incoming comments about how i'm evil with cliffhangers wahaha :pinkiecrazy:)

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! :eeyup:

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