Piercing the Heavens

by Calm Wind

Chapter 146: Treason and Tribulation

MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind

Chapter 146: Treason and Tribulation

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“Careful… careful…” Surprise grimaced as she and Blaze slowly slipped around the pillar, taking it one crumbled step at a time. They were making their way down the broken stairs that wrapped around the central propeller pillar in hopes of reaching the lobby.

“This fucking blows without wings…” Blaze huffed as she carefully moved her hooves from broken edge to broken step, she and Surprise leaning together as they helped each other down the stairwell of the now stationary Nimbus.

The moment Lucky turned them around and landed, the two mares wasted no time in trying to get down and figure out what happened. Blaze was groggy and Surprise was badly beaten up, but when they finally came around and realized that the top elites had all vanished from the bridge they needed to know what happened. Fleetfoot and Air Mach were still there, but where had everypony else gone? What had happened to Nightshade?

“FFFFFF-SHIT!” Blaze suddenly cursed as her hoof slipped. She and Surprise yelped as the two suddenly skidded down the last flight, the two of them hitting the floor of the lobby, but somehow remaining upright as their hooves awkwardly slammed to the tiles, a wing pressed to the other’s body and one arm locked, saving each other from a nasty stumble and spill.

The moment the two stopped twitching from the impact, they looked up and took in the horrible state of the lobby, as well as the view of what Nightshade left in her wake. Wonderbolts were strewn about, moaning groaning, propped up or helping one another out. Thankfully, none of them were dead, at least as far as they could see, but they were all high tier, low tier, and recruits… where were the rest? It was only about half of the force, but none of the missing top tiers were there.

“Holy shit…” Blaze blinked as her jaw dropped. She looked back and forth around the lobby and took it all in. “What the fuck happened in here? Did Nightshade do all of this?!” She slowly shook her head as Surprise’s ears drooped down and her hair deflated slightly.

“Ooooooooh…” She shivered as she lifted an arm across her body and grabbed her shoulders. “I hope everypony is okay…” she thought out loud as she frantically looked back and forth for any sign of the top tier elites, especially her own squad.

Then her ears stood up as several of the lobby doors at the front suddenly opened. She and Blaze both stared towards the entrance… as Renegades and thestrals began shuffling in.

They were not a pretty sight. The Renegades were leaning on one another, several unicorns from Bliss’ staff making haste towards the doors to assist as they poured in from the east hallway with medical kits and a few stretchers.

The thestrals looked even worse, their armor badly bent, broken, or dented. They hissed at any unicorns that tried to assist them, quickly removing themselves from around anypony aside from their own as they started gathering off to the side.

Both Blaze and Surprise remained perfectly still, supporting one another as they prayed that soon their friends would follow behind, all the while also wondering what had caused such brutal wounds and bruises to both of the allied groups. Did the Shadowbolts do this to them? That didn't seem likely after how hard the thestrals rained down on them. There were too many questions and no answers coming at them, and it was driving them both nuts.

But then much to their relief, Wonderbolts began shuffling in among them, high and low tiers alike.

“AH!” Surprise suddenly squeaked, moving forward and ripping her wing free from Blaze. Blaze immediately teetered and fell over, not expecting the rug to be pulled right out from beneath her hooves.

Fire Streak, Lightning Streak, and Misty Fly had just appeared among the injured, all three of them clumped together to help each other stand. Both of the Streak twins wore blank, distraught expressions as Misty Fly kept looking between them both. She seemed more worried about the two of them than herself.

“GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!” Surprise yelled out desperately. Every step she took was wobbly as she pushed her way toward them. The twins looked up as she approached, prompting Misty to look as well. They gasped as Surprise lost her hooves, tripped and fell flat on her face right in front of them. But before any of them could reach down and help her, she sprang right up and launched herself at Misty, hugging her tightly around the neck. Misty immediately used one of her arms to return the embrace, but it only lasted a moment as Surprise let go and frantically shifted back and forth, first looking Fire up and down then moving over to Lightning and doing the same.

The twins both sat down as Surprise examined them, both tired, and a little nauseous from the amount of shock that had just been forced through them over the past hour. Their faces telling half the story as they held mostly blank expressions devoid of energy. Misty seemed to be faring better than them, refusing to sit down as she continued to keep tabs on them, but it didn’t matter, Surprise sat in front of Lightning and looked back and forth at all three of them with her eyes incredibly wide and an enormous sad pout on her face.

“Oh… thank Celestia you’re all okay…” she managed to say, but her voice was very shaky and squeaky. She looked like she was about to cry.

As the three looked upon her, Lightning tipped his head from side to side slightly, noticing that SHE looked pretty beat up herself. She looked worse than they did, having taking a severe beating from Nightshade up in the bridge.

“Babe, are you okay…?” he asked as he nearly wobbled and tipped over, his voice completely devoid of its usual laxness and filled with fatigue instead.

“No…” Surprise instantly answered as her eyes seemed to grow wider and the pout more intense. “I couldn’t keep up with you guys.”

“Surprise,” Fire spoke up as he placed a hoof on her head. “Believe me… you were probably better off in here,” he explained vaguely. In reality, he wasn’t sure if he could really explain to her what happened, or if he was ready to. He just stared down into Surprise’s absurdly sad expression, perking up slightly as he felt something soft brush against him. He glanced to his left to see Misty sit down and lean into him, releasing a long, tired sigh as she finally took a load off.

“Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…” Surprise hummed in a wobbling tone, her head tipping down. She reached out, grabbed Lightning’s arm, and pulled herself into it, pressing her face into his shoulder as she started making muffled mumbling noises.

Lightning took a deep breath and exhaled, just repeating the gesture of his brother by placing a hoof gently on her head. Fire and Lightning both turned their heads and locked eyes for a moment, the two stallions still trying to grasp if everything that just happened… really just happened. What were they supposed to do… or even think? While there were mysteries and questions around every corner, one thing had been consistent.

It was them against an enemy, Wonderbolts and their allies against the Shadowbolts.

And now there was suddenly something jammed right in the middle of it.

“ALRIGHT ASSHOLES!!!!!” Blaze suddenly yelled from nearby as she growled and pulled herself towards them one labored step at a time. “What actually happened out there?! And where the hell is—”

Blaze instantly cut herself off as High Winds suddenly shuffled around Lightning Streak, reaching a hoof out and touching him for balance as she blinked and tried to remain upright.

“WINDY!!!!!!!” Blaze somehow found the strength to leap, hurling herself right at High Winds, but she got light headed halfway and ended up crashing into her instead of grabbing onto her. The two fell into a heap on the ground, but Blaze instantly clamped to her. “WHY THE FUCK DID YOU LEAVE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!” she yelled, nearly screeching as her voice cracked several times.

“Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazey…” High Winds whined as she visibly twitched. "My body already hurts enooooooooough…” she groaned as Blaze refused to stop squeezing her.

Fire sighed heavily to himself as he turned to look at Misty, but she was already moving from his side. She turned and faced him, positioning herself directly in front of him. She placed her hooves gingerly on one of his arms and moved it up and down. She brought her head in close to examine his injuries and took care not to touch anything that looked bad. Fire sat still, just watching her as she slowly slid her hooves from his arm, to his chest and did the same there. Eventually she was examining his other arm before suddenly standing up on her back hooves and leaning forward, placing her front hooves on his chest as she looked over his shoulder to examine his wings and back.

He didn’t move a muscle at let her do as she pleased, knowing she was going to worry about him either way. She eventually let herself down, sat right in front of him, and gave him a sad look that nearly crushed his soul. As if it wasn’t bad enough that they were trying to contemplate the current situation, Misty was making his heart sink even more. Though at the same time, it comforted him to see her prioritizing him despite the massive distraction currently looming overhead.

He quickly reached for her and gently pulled her into his chest. She pushed her hooves on his chest and stopped him briefly, making sure she wasn’t going to apply pressure to any of his injuries before letting him complete the motion. He wrapped his arms around her as she pressed her cheek into his chest and brought his wings around to fold them over her as well.

Again, Fire looked to his brother and Lightning looked back at him. It was a relief to have their squad together once more, but that's where the relief ended. They only hoped they’d get some guidance soon… because as things currently stood, they were completely lost.

Fire blinked as Lightning suddenly turned and looked elsewhere, back towards the doors. Fire followed suit, turning to look over his shoulder as he gently rubbed a hoof up and down Misty’s back. His eyes landed on Matteo pushing his way through the doors, Squall and Storm at his sides propping him up as he carried Rainbow Dash in on his back. Little Star was sitting on his back behind Dash, keeping her little hooves pressed to Dash to hold her steady. Rainbow Dash still looked devoid of energy. She was clearly alive and breathing, but she looked spent, her body just barely a step from limp. She looked pale, her blue color appearing slightly lighter as she breathed steadily with a hoof pressed over her heart. The rest of them were in a similar beat up state that graced the bodies of just about everypony else slumped around the lobby. Little Star was the one exception, one of few lucky to escape with little to no injuries at all.

They were quickly engulfed into the crowd as they entered, but they slowly made their way into the center of the lobby, Matteo’s head sticking up over the top of the rest as they weaved through.

Fire turned back just in time to see Calm Wind approaching from the direction of the stairs. He took slow, heavy steps as he moved towards them, carrying both Shine Struck and Fleetfoot on his back with Air Mach and Macho Savage limping by his side.

Shine’s ears stood up as she looked towards the east hallway and saw Playbitz and Swift Justice emerge, helping the medical staff roll in a few stretchers. She quickly shimmied off Calm’s back, falling and accidentally landing right on Air Mach. He collapsed into a heap on the floor as she bounced off and hobbled over to the rest of her squad, leaving Air Mach behind to groan on the floor. Macho Savage stopped with him, reaching up a hoof and flagging down Lead Runner and Point Dex as they appeared from the west hall, emerging from the lower levels to see what was going on.

Fire’s eyes were quickly drawn back to Calm as he suddenly groaned, his legs buckled, and he slowly lowered himself to the floor. He lied flat, resting his chin on the floor, and sprawling his legs out as he released a long, fatigued breath.

Fleetfoot squeaked in surprise as Calm hit the floor gently. Her eyes had been fixed on squad two and three, but she immediately looked at him once he finally stopped. She cringed as she pushed herself off his back and yelped quietly as her hooves touched down and the pressure of holding herself up sent shocks through her sore body. She hobbled up in front of Calm and looked him over with concern, but the moment he saw her doing so, he lifted up a hoof and nonchalantly waved it back and forth, signaling he was fine. He was just tired… and likely sucking it up. He knew what she wanted to do and didn’t want her to worry about him.

Convinced he was alright, Fleetfoot immediately turned to the top elites gathered together and started dragging herself towards them, one step at a time with her hooves barely ever leaving the ground. Every movement looked labored, every muscle in her body twitching painfully, but she kept on regardless. She whimpered and her lips quivered continuously as she forced herself along.

Fire couldn’t stand watching it, so he quickly tapped Misty on the shoulder, removing his wings and arms from around her in the process. Misty lifted her cheek slightly from Fire’s chest to look up at him as he pointed over her shoulder. She followed his hoof, quickly seeing Fleetfoot as she struggled to reach them. No signals were needed. She knew what Fire wanted her to do, but…

Misty looked back up at him briefly with concern as her eyes darted up and down from his legs to his chest. Fire caught on quickly. Her continued consideration of his wellbeing made him smile weakly, but he reached a wing to his chest, placed the end of one feather in the center, and spread the rest of his feathers out, the sign for ‘I’m fine’.

Of course, he really wasn’t fine. None of them were, but he wasn’t the one struggling to simply move at the moment. Without a dash of protest, Misty slowly pulled away from him, her hooves lingering on his chest until she was beyond arm’s-length before she limped over to Fleetfoot.

Misty got to her just in time, Fleetfoot nearly collapsing into her as Misty turned and offered her side to help Fleetfoot stand. Misty reached a hoof down to help prop her up as she slowly guided her along. Fire and Lightning both watched as Misty eventually brought Fleetfoot before them. Her head was down the whole way over, but she slowly tipped her chin up. Her face scrunched in pain and her eyelids were only half open as she looked up and glanced back and forth at the twins, taking notice of Surprise as well as Blaze and High Winds sitting up on the floor beside them.

She tapped Misty’s side, slowly letting go as she took control again, sharp heavy breaths hissing through her teeth as she dragged her hooves and moved up to the Streak twins. She stopped a pace or two away from them as she continued to look around, to their left and right and between them. She stopped and perked up, drawing the twin’s eyes to follow and look behind them.

Spitfire had just come through the door, stopping right after she entered to scan her surroundings and everypony else. Fleetfoot’s eyes remained locked on her captain, but she was looking for somepony else… that didn’t follow Spitfire in.

“Wh… where…? Fleetfoot barely managed to say as her voice squeaked. The Streak twins both looked back to her as Surprise pulled herself off Lightning’s arm to look at Fleetfoot as well.

Fleetfoot began looking around quicker, more frantically. She caught a glimpse of Matteo as he emerged from the crowd with Storm and the rest of Foxtrot. Her eyes widened as she saw Dash lying limply on Matteo’s back.

Her pupils began to shake slightly as she leaned forward and glanced to and fro with a look of dread creeping onto her face.

“Where…? WHERE IS…?! AH!” she suddenly lost her balance and fell forward. Fire, Lightning, and Surprise quickly reached out and caught her before she could collapse, propping her up. She gritted her teeth and slammed her eyes shut as her body shuddered. “Where…?”

“Miss Fleetfoot?” Fire spoke quietly, part of him already sure what she was trying to ask.

“Where is… he…?” Fleetfoot managed to elaborate as they got her fully upright and she opened her eyes and focused on Fire.

The twins both flinched, Fire averting his eyes.

“Where…?!” she demanded, turning to Lightning.

But he did the same as his brother, avoiding eye contact.

“WHERE IS SOARIN?!” she blurted, her voice choking as she looked between the Streak twins desperately.

Fleetfoot’s demands prompted Surprise and Blaze to perk up as well. Blaze quickly turned to High Winds… to see a sad look in her eyes too.

Surprise quickly took note of the expressions the twins wore. She spun around and saw Misty looking away from them as well, seeming to understand what was being asked.

“Wh… what…? Surprise stuttered, her hair deflating further as she began putting it together.

“Wait, wait…” Blaze pushed herself up and placed a hoof on High Winds’ shoulder. “Hold the fuck up… Where is Soarin?!” she asked, getting no response from High Winds. She turned and looked at the Streak twins, her eyes narrowing into a glare as she growled and bared her teeth. She looked around the lobby, seeing Spitfire slowly moving towards them, but failing to find the one particular member of their force. “HEY!” she yelled as she reached up and grabbed Lightning Streak’s shoulder, drawing the attention of several others nearby. Lightning glanced towards her, but didn’t change his expression. “WHERE THE FUCK IS SOARIN?!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.

“He’s not here.”

Blaze froze for a moment, before sharply turning her head and locking her eyes on Spitfire standing behind her.

“What?! What do you mean?!” Blaze demanded as she released Lightning and wobbled while planting her front hooves back on the ground. Spitfire held a serious, hardened look on her face as she looked down at her sister.

“The horn broke.”

Spitfire said nothing more. She simply looked left and right at Surprise and Fleetfoot as their eyes stuck open and their jaws both dropped, a weak gasp escaping Surprise’s throat while Fleetfoot couldn’t even muster the breath for one.

Everypony else who had been out there and already knew remained quiet. There was nothing they could add to the explanation. That’s what happened, and they all knew what it meant already.

“He… What…?” Fleetfoot finally sputtered, her lips quivering and her eyes watering as it sunk in, visibly reacting as Blaze and Surprise both remained still in shock. “No… nononoNO!” Fleetfoot suddenly leaned forward, nearly falling over herself as she reached for Spitfire. Spitfire lifted a hoof and grabbed her arm to support her. “NO! Where is he?!” she asked in disbelief and denial as she grabbed Spitfire’s arm and clutched it tightly. “WHERE IS SOARIN?!”

“Fleet,” Spitfire reached her other arm around and rested it gently on the back of her head. “Calm down." She suggested as Fleetfoot sniffled and tears began leaking down her face.

“Ah!” Surprise suddenly yelped drawing Spitfire’s attention over to Blaze as she pushed past Surprise, her eyes battling between a glare and a look of horror as she grabbed Spitfire’s arm.

“FUCK CALMING DOWN!” Blaze yelled loudly, causing Fleetfoot to scrunch up and shudder. “ANSWER HER DAMN QUESTION!!!!!!!” she demanded, her voice starting to sound choked up and raspy as she belted.

But before she could demand any further, she found herself completely frozen. Spitfire was glaring at her, but it wasn’t an intense or intimidating glare. It was a calm, incredibly sharp glare that silently asserted her over Blaze like she was telling her to calm down or she would make her calm down.

“Thank you,” Spitfire spoke up as Blaze went quiet, confirming Spitfire’s intentions with the look. It was strange to those who were out there.

Fire Streak in particular noticed that Spitfire seemed unaffected by everything they just saw. He absolutely doubted that she wasn’t affected at all by what happened to Soarin, but if she was, she was hiding it or holding it back.

“I don’t know how it happened,” Spitfire began, all ears and eyes turned to her as she continued to cradle Fleetfoot gently with one arm. “But the horn broke… and he was possessed by his magic, or… if I’m to believe what I heard from Discord, by an entity that Celestia actually put inside of him that was the source of the magic…” she trailed off for a moment and flattened her brow. “Who… if I’m also to believe Discord… actually happens to be the soul of the Sombra the Mad King.”

She paused to let that much sink in. Fleetfoot, Blaze, and Surprise all just stared as if the information came right out of left field and smacked them upside the head. Spitfire was expecting it and shook her head slightly.

“Yes, the Mad King Sombra. The one from ancient history that we learned about in textbooks in history classes, the one from the legends, fairytales, bedtime stories, etcetera,” she continued on with a snort. “Don’t ask, because I don’t have a single damn detail right now. All I know is that that’s who Discord said he was… and that Soarin’s body is now completely under his control. We engaged him, but I’m sure you can tell how that went,” she said as she motioned to everypony around them, the Renegades and thestrals included. “No, this wasn’t done by Nightshade, it was all by Soarin. It was the most one-sided scenario I have ever been a part of in my life and he took off right after.” She shook her head again. “I don’t know where he is, where he is going, or what to do about this yet, but…” she looked over towards Squad Foxtrot as Storm Front helped them slide Dash off of Matteo’s back and place her gently on the floor sitting up. “I know Soarin is still alive. Dash would be dead if he wasn’t.”

She frowned briefly, something none of them noticed as she thought about how her attempt to reach Soarin completely failed, yet Dash simply touching him nearly brought him down. She knew why… but it still bothered her.

“But…” Fleetfoot spoke up, sniffling and shivering against Spitfire’s arm. “But…”

She was cut off and her body settled down as Spitfire lightly placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Fleet, I want to tell you not to worry, but that’s not gonna make this any better.” She slid her hoof down to Fleetfoot’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “But I’m not going to sit down and give up. I fully intend to get to the bottom of this and figure out what we can do.”

She paused and looked towards the doors. Starry Skies and Lightning Dust had just made their way in, the two of them both supporting Descent as he teetered, hacked and coughed. He was holding his stomach with one hoof, the other placed over Starry’s shoulders for balance. Everypony around Spitfire followed her eyes, all looking just in time to see Luna slide through the doors while helping Captain P.L., several thestrals helping support him with a few carrying in broken pieces of his tattered armor.

Blaze, Surprise, and Fleetfoot barely had time to register the broken state of Captain P.L. before a door near the edge of the entryway suddenly pushed open…

And Discord dragged himself through. He did not look at or talk to anypony. He simply pulled himself along the wall until he was not near anypony and slumped down with his back against the wall, looking straight down with a blank look on his face.

“Once everypony has gotten aboard and has had a chance to catch their breath…” Spitfire began again as she slowly narrowed her eyes, her pupils shifting back and forth between Luna and Discord. “I intend to interrogate Discord and Luna,” she said with her voice growing harsh. Everypony looked back at her, hearing her tone loud and clear.

They particularly took note of a word that seemed specifically chosen… ‘Interrogate’.

“And they better tell me EVERYTHING… or else I intend to tear both of them a pair of new divine assholes.” Her lips parted as she finished, revealing her teeth grinding together and a snarling hiss escaping through her nose and from deep in her throat.

The Wonderbolts didn’t say anything. Some swallowed, others shifted, and some of them backed away slightly.

Spitfire was ANGRY.

But it was a different kind of anger. They had seen her mad in the past, but this was different. It was never this sharply focused, nor did it have such a foreboding air.

Soarin had been compromised… and once again, it looked like there were certain things that the gods had kept from them. It was more of the same even though Spitfire had recently made it perfectly clear to them she wouldn’t take that from them anymore.

But this time, she wasn’t going to let them talk themselves out of it. No more, even if it meant she had to hit them back in some way. They earned it after all.

“Fire,” Spitfire spoke up again, causing Fire to flinch, but quickly compose himself.

“Yes, ma’am?” he sat upright and nodded.

“Can you do me a favor and grab somepony to take a headcount of the Wonderbolts?” she asked, still not looking at him as she slowly released her soft hold on Fleetfoot. “I want a full casualty report.”

“Yes—” Fire only got halfway through a weak salute before Spitfire turned and started making her way towards Descent. “Ma’am…”

“Dude…” Lightning Streak slowly shook his head. “She is downright pissed.”

“I can’t say I blame her,” Fire sighed heavily as the two watched her move, everypony in her way quickly moving aside as she walked with strength and determination through the crowd.

Spitfire approached Descent, never taking her eyes off of him despite her thoughts being focused on the two gods that were both nearby. She moved with a purpose, fighting back any pain from her injuries as she strode right up to him while projecting her presence.

Descent was sitting on the floor, one arm around his gut as he hunched over and took long, heavy breaths. His goggles and bandana were both off and on the floor before him. Lightning Dust sat on one side of him, her hooves pressed to Descent’s arm to help support him as he heaved and heaved to get air into his lungs. Starry Skies was on the other, facing him with a hoof hovering up in front of her. She was inconspicuously hesitating to reach out and touch him like Dust was. She clearly wanted to express worry, but per usual, she was afraid to show it.

Starry was the first to notice Spitfire approaching and quickly took note of her demeanor. Instinctively, Starry got up and stepped in front of Descent, placing herself right in Spitfire’s path and glaring.

“Buzz off, he can’t talk right now,” Starry demanded as Spitfire kept moving forward, not stopping or taking a single step to the left or right. Starry held her ground, her head tilting to look up at Spitfire as she slowly loomed over her, but she never once looked at her. Spitfire casually reached up, placed a hoof on Starry’s shoulder, and roughly pushed her aside. “HEY!” Starry yelled as she grabbed Spitfire’s hoof and resisted, but she was already out of the way. Spitfire kept her attention completely focused on Descent as she opened a wing and sandwiched Starry between it and her arm, holding her at bay beside her.

“Descent,” she said his name. But aside from a brief glance and a scowl, he said nothing, looking back down as he continued to gently press his hoof to his stomach. “Fine, don’t talk to me,” Spitfire went on quickly and very firmly as she kept her arm and wing outstretched, Starry growling and trying to pull herself free to no avail. “But once you get a nice hold of your head, pull it out of your ass and get somepony to do a headcount of all the Renegades. I want to know any and all casualties.”

Descent snorted at her blunt words, but still said nothing.

“Spitfire,” Blazetail’s voice came from behind them. He hobbled up beside Lightning Dust after catching the exchange. “I’ll get somepony to do it,” he said with a nod.

“Thanks,” Spitfire replied simply as she let go of Starry, almost causing her to fall forward, but thanks to Starry’s lack of injuries she had no problem catching herself. Spitfire was already turned and on her way elsewhere before she could retaliate though, leading Starry to grumble and return her attention back to Descent instead.

Blazetail kept his eyes on her as she left though, taking note of Spitfire’s demeanor and the way she was carrying herself. From one lead captain to another, he could tell she meant business. It was a good thing too. As much as he wouldn’t want to admit it, he had no clue what their next course of action would be. This was even beyond anything he had handled during the last Griffon-Drake war, perhaps not in scope… but definitely in complexity.

Spitfire continued on her course, now bringing her towards the thestrals. They had detached themselves from the rest of the group, more or less claiming a good portion of the west side of the lobby to sit down and catch their breath. The moment Spitfire crossed into their territory, several of them began glaring and hissing in her direction.

She shrugged off every pair of glowing, glaring yellow eyes directed at her and paid zero attention to their attempts to intimidate her. She didn’t have time for their typical behavior. She wanted to have a word with their captain and the goddess they served.

She made her way through, none of them making any aggressive moves towards her despite their actions, but they did not break their focus, not while she was in proximity of Luna and carrying an assertive air with every step she took.

She stopped right in front of Luna and P.L. the two of them hidden in the back of the group as Luna quietly fretted over P.L.

Spitfire focused on P.L. first. She wanted to prompt him to headcount his soldiers, but as she took in his demeanor and his injured state, she decided not to ask him. His posture resembled Descent, only his pain looked to be all over, hunched over as he sat. His front hooves were planted on the floor and wobbling as he gritted his teeth and cringed endlessly. His eyes and face were wrought with a mixture of anger and shame, glaring at the ground as his injuries forced him to think about the beating he just received. The pain reminding him constantly that he just utterly failed in his duty. It didn’t matter that no harm came to Luna, he failed to stand and protect her. With his armor in shambles and several pieces sitting on the floor around him, he was the clearest possible image of a broken knight.

But Spitfire still needed somepony to do roll call for the thestrals.

“Luna,” Spitfire spoke up in a harsh tone that made Luna flinch and slowly look at her. The hissing of the surrounding thestrals grew louder for a moment, prompting Spitfire to flatten her brow and shift her eyes back and forth for a moment, but she ultimately ignored them. She instead, got a good look at Luna’s face, noticing that it looked incredibly defeated and devoid of any motivation… about on par with many of them right now.

But to hell with it.

Spitfire didn’t care how Luna was feeling and she certainly had no sympathy for her right now. Not after just what happened, confirming that once again… there were things that she had been kept in the dark about. She had made it clear that the last time this kind of thing was pulled on her that it was the last straw and they were doing things her way. Yet here they were once again.

She had effectively lost all trust in anything Luna said, but she wanted some answers so she was going to at least give her a chance to explain herself, while strangling her if need be. That went doubly for Discord… but she’d get to him in a moment.

“Get one of your guards to do a roll call for me. I want a full report on casualties.” Spitfire demanded, offering no ‘please’ or respectful addressing. It wasn’t a request, it was a demand. The harshness of her words infuriated the surrounding thestrals, and several of them started approaching her while hissing and snarling loudly.

Spitfire furrowed her brow and stomped a hoof on the floor loudly and suddenly.

“CUT. THAT. OUT.” She forced each word through her throat harshly, emphasizing each one greatly with a brief pause in between them. The thestrals all stopped in place, their snarls and hissing fading slightly, but their glares remaining as Spitfire turned her back to Luna, not giving her any time to reply, not that she was expecting her to. “And Luna,” Spitfire spoke again with her back turned. “When you’re done getting that taken care of, I’m going to meet with the top elites, and all senior leadership over by the central pillar in ten minutes. That means you too.” she glanced over her shoulder just far enough for Luna to see one of her eyes glaring harshly. “I have some questions for you.”

Luna remained quiet, not saying a word from start to finish all through the brief encounter.

Good. Spitfire was glad she didn’t have to spell out just how furious she was right now.

But she had one last individual to address…

And she was probably angrier at him than anypony or anything else…

Discord.

Just thinking about him at this very moment made her right eyelid twitch as her closed lips concealed how hard the thought made her teeth grind. Princess Luna had kept things from her, sure, but Discord had been more secretive than her… far more secretive. And unlike Luna, Discord was constantly slipping in and out, never giving her a chance to really get in his grill and beat the whole truth out of him.

But for some reason he had slithered his way back to the Nimbus with them. She assumed he would just vanish without a word, leaving them in the dark like he always did, but he didn’t this time. There had to be a reason for that, and it probably wasn’t good thing. But it was good enough for her and she wasn’t going waste the chance.

She finally made her way out from the crowd of thestrals, her eyes immediately scanning for and finding Discord on the other side of the lobby, in a space all by himself with nopony going near him.

Even before she got closer she noticed his demeanor. He was slumped against the wall with his eyes staring blankly at the floor in front of him, his pupils shifting back and forth continuously.

It wasn’t quite the same as a majority of the looks around the lobby. There was an additional vibe from it. He had the look of someone who just really screwed something up, which might explain why he decided to come back with them and not go gallivanting off per usual.

But honestly, Spitfire didn’t give a damn. In fact, she gave even less of a damn about how he was feeling than how Luna was feeling… if that were even possible. If Discord came back just to mope about a grave mistake, fine. He could mope all he wanted, but since he was here, she was going to grill his ass.

“YOU.” Spitfire spoke towards him harshly as she stopped right in front of him, standing over him with a looming presence that flipped the script on their usual interactions. Discord glanced up at her, stared for roughly three seconds, shorted quietly and looked back down while shaking his head. “Look at me!” Spitfire yelled the moment he broke eye contact.

Surprisingly, he obeyed, looking up again as she leaned forward and got down in his face.

She said nothing at first, holding a harsh glare as she hovered her face an inch from his. Discord gave no similar look in reply, but she wanted to make it very clear that she was not pleased. She didn’t expect him to be intimidated or to care, but she wanted to do it anyway. In her opinion, she deserved to stand over him and be larger than him for once. If not for the secrets, but also as a little bit of payback for the crap he put her through with the Wave Chill earlier on. She wanted him to get a good look at her and understand that the time for his crap was over, whether or not he agreed.

“Ten minutes,” she spoke up harshly. “We’re meeting over by the pillar with senior leadership and you’re going to be there too.” She paused, reached a hoof forward and poked it hard against his chest. “And I expect some answers… so you better have one HELL of a good explanation for all of this by then. Understand?”

Discord didn’t answer.

And she went no further.

She simply held her position for almost a full minute.

Then she turned her back to him and walked, leaving him behind to think.

---

To say that the Shadowbolt Fortress was a mess was an understatement. Aside from having been sandwiched between the Nimbus and the ground beneath it, it had also been dragged through the dirt, leaving a massive dug out trench and several mechanical bits and pieces in its wake. The crystals that had splintered and broken off shattered and turned to dust the moment they hit the ground. Any Falcons that returned from the confrontation with the Wonderbolts were parked outside, all of the entrances to the hangers either crushed or inoperable.

It was a wonder that the place was still somewhat in one piece. It was tipping slightly on its side, several propellers bent and mangled, the large crystal formations were cut down to size and several fires had broken out all over. The Shadowbolts that had been stationed within were rushing every which way trying to put them out. Sparks and pops flashed from electrical boxes, wires hung from the walls and ceilings, numerous windows had been broken and some areas had caved in. Every time the Shadowbolts tried to fix something, it seemed like something else would fall or break. Some of them were beginning to wonder if the fortress could be fixed at all, arguments breaking out between those trying and those admitting defeat.

And it didn’t help that only a third of the Shadowbolts were capable of working as the place slowly fell apart more and more.

The wide majority of the force had just returned from fighting, and they had taken a severe beating from the combined attack of the Renegades and the thestrals. They were bruised and battered, slumped, slouched, and sprawled out on the floor in the main lobby of the fortress. Barely any of them were moving, most of them were just lying still as they groaned and gasped, their single crystals hovering close to them and gently shining their light over their wounds.

As if their injuries weren’t bad enough, they were confused too. For starters, they got the crap kicked out of them. Then… they struggle to get home, only to find their fortress completely wrecked and crashed. They stumble in regardless to find all commanding officers and Nightshade are gone.

And then only three of the commanders returned…

Blade, Angel, and Void.

They were huddled together and whispering to one another in a corner. Anypony that approached them and demanded answers was yelled at or forced back. One of them was even given a black eye by Void for refusing to step away.

Everything was just wrong and the bulk of the Shadowbolt force was feeling it, the sting of uncertainty as painful as the wounds they were trying to treat.

And the whole time… Ruin was perched high above in the rafters, slowly sliding his body along his spot until he was lying with one hoof dangling down like a cat up on a wall or window sill. His smile grew wider by the second as he examined the state of the Shadowbolts below, failing to hold in a few quiet giggles as he shivered and took it all in.

Then a sudden THUMP came from the entryway.

Ears perked up as the Shadowbolts sitting around all looked towards the doors… to see the center double doors open and close… but nothing came through them.

“Right on schedule,” Ruin mused to himself as he turned and got comfortable, keeping his eyes on a particular spot a few yards from the doors.

But nopony could see anything, leaving them all to wonder why the doors had just swung open. Even Blade, Void, and Angel broke their huddle to look, but they too saw nothing.

That was at least until a few gentle pink flashes of light started appearing near the doors.

The flashed became more rapid, eventually revealing the outlines of three ponies, forming into silhouettes that slowly filled in… until a loud POP echoed out and revealed Moon, Shadow, and Sin.

“GRHG!” Moon grunted as his magic ceased, his crystals falling and bouncing off the floor in front of him before they quickly picked right back up and shifted to his side. Using only two crystals to perform his magic had proven to be quite difficult and taxing, but they had finally made it back. He and Shadow were both struggling, small crystals constantly appearing and shattering all over their arms and bodies. Sin was still by far in the worst shape, but all the crystals that had formed on him were not spreading, held back by the spare magic from Shadow and Moon. The two carefully lay Sin down on the floor, before Moon turned and sat down, exhaling loudly as Shadow immediately focused her attention on Sin not giving a single thought to her own state.

The reaction among the observing Shadowbolts was mixed. In fact, it was roughly split right down the middle. Half of them, upon registering who it was, went right back to paying attention to themselves or slumped back down to rest, appearing not to care. The other half forced themselves up and started moving towards the three arrivals, showing a mixture of surprise, relief, and concern.

Some of them hesitated, quickly remembering how they were treated when approaching Blade, Angel, and Void. But most of them moved forward without a thought, knowing well that at least Moon and Sin weren’t ones to randomly lash out.

“I’m fine!”

Shadow on the other hoof…

“I SAID I’M FINE!” Shadow barked, pushing away the first stallion to reach her and offer to help. “I’m… “ she turned and slumped down, quickly propping herself up and pulling herself back up to Sin, placing a hoof on his back as he wheezed on the floor. “I’m going to be fine, if you’re going to help anypony, help HIM!” she demanded snarling at anypony coming towards her while pointing at Sin. “Make yourselves useful! Go find us a third crystal for him or something!” she demanded in an odd tone that sounded half angry and half pleading as if she couldn’t pick one.

But her demand was a bit of a stretch, the Shadowbolts near her looking back and forth at one another while hesitating.

Go get a crystal? Only one pony was allowed to give out the crystals and they knew how strict she was about it. There was no way any of them would ever dare raid Nightshade’s room.

“Go to my quarters,” Moon suddenly spoke up, sitting nearby but not looking at anypony in particular. “I have an emergency stash in there. They’re in a box under my bathroom sink in the corner. The one labeled ‘soap’.” He kept explaining as if it was all normal. But everypony within earshot was staring at him with shock, including Shadow. Moon glanced around at them and shook his head calmly. “Don’t worry about Nightshade. She’s having problems of her own right now. Go grab us three, and ONLY three,” Moon instructed strictly. “If I go back later and some of them are missing, we’re going to have a problem.” He added, making his voice as harsh as possible within his usual tone.

After a moment of inaction, a few Shadowbolts broke away from them and started hobbling towards the hallways to do as he asked.

Moon turned slowly towards Shadow, but did not get up. He sat still as he looked upon both her and Sin, taking slow steady breaths as his two crystals continued to fight back the crystal affliction. But Shadow was staring directly at him, one hoof still on Sin’s shoulder.

“What?” Moon asked casually.

“You’ve been hoarding crystals?” she asked with a clear incredulous tone.

“If by hoarding you mean the six I’ve hidden in case of emergencies, then yes,” Moon answered sarcastically without changing his tone. But Shadow kept looking at him with an expression that screamed more questions.

“But…” she scrunched her eyelids slightly as if she was trying to wrap her head around something. “But haven’t you been tempted to… you know… increase your power?”

“No.” Moon answered her immediately. She just stared blankly, blinking several times.

“How the hell have you resisted the urge? I don’t think I’d be able to go a few seconds without caving!” she asked in disbelief, breaking eye contact with Moon briefly and putting her other hoof on Sin’s back as he groaned in pain. Moon simply shook his head.

“I have more important things to worry about than getting high on fake power,” Moon explained himself as he glanced towards Blade, Angel, and Void, his eyes landing specifically on Angel. “I have a choice between getting drunk on the crystal power and being killed for doing so… or doing what I must to achieve what’s ultimately most important to me. That’s an easy choice for me to make, I don’t have anything else.”

Shadow slowly looked back towards Moon, looking him up and down carefully as he slowly reached up and removed his goggles and placed them around his neck, shaking his mane out before returning his focus to her.

“And I know you aren’t blind either,” he suddenly said, causing Shadow to perk up in surprise.

“What?” she tipped her head slightly and her ears twitched.

“You know what I’m talking about,” Moon said with a quiet huff. “The Shadowbolts are not all on the same page…” he trailed off momentarily as he saw Blade, Angel, and Void approaching them. Blade looked furious, but Moon wasn’t even looking at him, he was glaring at Angel. “You’d be wise to start considering your personal survival,” Moon finished, prompting Shadow to also turn and see the three approaching commanders, her teeth gritting subtly as they grew closer.

But right before the three reached them, Moon blinked and his eyes widened slightly. He glanced over his shoulder briefly and sighed.

“Great timing…” he said to himself with slight frustration.

The three commanders froze in place, several pairs of eyes all moving to the front doors as they once again opened… and revealed nothing, swinging shut as if something had just come through them.

Just as they had with Moon’s entrance, all the Shadowbolts stared at the door, this time assuming something would appear. And something did.

In the exact same manner that Moon appeared to them all with Shadow and Sin in tow, another collection of soft, pink flashes began shining near the door. The flashes grew brighter and more rapid as outlines of two more ponies appeared until it eventually revealed… Rapidfire with Nightshade limply leaning against his shoulder, a dejected, empty look on her face.

The Shadowbolts near Shadow, Moon, and Sin all jumped in surprise, some gasping, others retreating, and some even hiding, peeking out from behind pillars or other Shadowbolts. Even those who had outright ignored Moon’s entrance found themselves staring towards Nightshade, her presence looming large despite her current demeanor.

But none of them were given the opportunity to react or say anything before Blade’s anger spilled over.

“What the hell?!” Blade blurted out as he continued towards them, leaving Angel and Void behind briefly as they continued to take in the sight. Blade kept glancing continuously between Moon, Rapidfire, and Nightshade, a low growl escaping his throat as he proceeded. “MOON!” he yelled, stomping right up to Moon while failing to hide the limp in his steps. Blade’s eyes did a quick take of Moon’s whole body, quickly noticing that his uniform was spotless and there wasn’t a single injury on him, save for the self-inflicted crystal reactions.

Moon did nothing as Blade approached, partly because he was fatigued and weakened from only having two crystals, but also because he did not fear him. He concentrated on breathing in and out as his body and two crystals fought against the minor crystal affliction. Blade stopped right in front of him, tipping his head down slightly in a blatant attempt to assert himself physically despite not being that much taller than Moon. He said nothing at first, as if assuming Moon would acknowledge him, but Moon’s silence just made him angrier.

Blade reached up and grabbed a wad of Moon’s suit by the neck and yanked at it, but Moon held his ground, Blade’s strength clearly taxed and unable to force him.

“You saved them?!” he growled at him while glancing at Shadow and Sin, following up by pointing angrily at Nightshade. “AND HER?!”

“Yes,” Moon answered while holding his calm demeanor.

“WHY?!” Blade stomped his free hoof on the floor. “Nightshade is a broken mess, Sin was dying, and Shadow was being insubordinate! We don’t have time to deal with those who destroy themselves! Why did you bother?!”

“Because I felt like it,” Moon again replied calmly, keeping his eyes locked on Blade’s and showing no sign of being intimidated and it was clearly annoying Blade.

“You felt like saving two morons and our increasingly ineffective so-called leader?!” he yelled out despite Nightshade standing only a few paces away. Several Shadowbolts surrounding them reacted to the clear questioning of Nightshade, but Blade seemed to know he’d get away with it. If Nightshade’s current look was any indication, not even standing on her own, much less paying attention to anything, she wasn’t even listening. She was broken and staring into space as if the world had just ended.

“HEY!” Shadow yelled, forcing herself off of Sin and taking an angry, wobbly step towards Blade. But she was halted in place as Blade’s crystals clamped to his free hoof, the sword extending until the tip stopped half an inch from her neck. Shadow stumbled backwards and fell on her plot, barely remaining upright as she leaned forward and panted.

“What are you trying to pull?!” Blade grilled Moon further as he retracted his sword, edging his face closer as he glared as hard as he could.

But Moon lifted one eyebrow and tipped his head subtly.

“Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing,” he said without breaking eye contact. Blade opened his mouth to yell, but did so pre-emptively before he processed Moon’s words. His eyes widened a little and only a small exhale released from his throat. “What, thought I wouldn’t put two and two together? You haven’t been subtle about it, you know.”

“What are you getting at?” Blade lowered his tone as his eyes quickly darted around at those standing nearby and around. Moon released a long sigh through his nose, the breath hissing as he shook his head slightly.

“Why always so eager to leave behind those who don’t see things the way you do? Why so quick to abandon our leader when she is still clearly the strongest among us?” Moon questioned, turning the tables on Blade a little.

“I don’t need to give a damn about them!” Blade shot back, dancing around the questions. “The Shadowbolt code is clear about those who dig their own graves!”

“The code?” Moon almost released a scoff. “Don’t start acting like you care about our code or actually believe they are rules. The code is a set of base guidelines, they give us a general direction to walk in, nothing more… besides…” Moon narrowed his eyes a little. “If you really cared about the code, you’d respect and follow the authority of the leader… Several times, you’ve tried to abandon fellow commanders. This time you tried it with Nightshade herself. How about right now? Trying to leave behind Nightshade and two others who might be able to challenge you? I’m sorry, but that’s blatantly convenient.”

Blade had been silenced. He was still angrily glaring and growling, but he did not give any words of retort.

“It wouldn’t happen to be…” Moon continued. “Because you desire to become our leader, would it?”

A harsh silence shoved its way into the room and nestled itself between Moon and Blade. Everypony else was already keeping their lips sealed and dared not speak as the two commanders faced off eye to eye.

“Again… if you cared about the code and felt you could do better, you’d challenge her to a duel to the death. Trying to slip around that? Afraid to face Nightshade head on?” Moon pressed on as Blade’s teeth ground together so hard Moon could hear them clattering.

Moon’s words did not fall on deaf ears. A good number of the Shadowbolts slowly looked to Blade as Moon’s questions sunk in. Eventually, Blade lost the stare down, breaking eye contact and looking back and forth while catching the eyes of several Shadowbolts looking towards him. The eyes ranged from shocked, to confused, to alarm, to… approval? Perhaps to the thought of a leadership change? It spoke volumes to how branched apart the mindset of the Shadowbolts as a whole was.

Blade turned his head the other way and looked upon Nightshade. She had not moved from her spot since she arrived with Rapidfire. She was sitting on the floor, hugging herself and twitching as her face held a blank stare devoid of any emotion. Her crystals were clumped together and nestled between her wings on her back. Rapidfire was still holding his hooves against her, keeping her upright as even her basic motor skills seemed to take a back seat to whatever had her perpetually spooked.

“You call that…” Blade pointed sharply at Nightshade, dodging Moon’s question of his willingness to challenge Nightshade while turning his eyes back to Moon. “A leader? You know nothing!” he yelled as he suddenly pulled a hoof free and started walking away from him slowly. The sudden movement was odd and unnatural, suggesting that Moon’s words were getting to him and he was trying to save face.

“I know that if you were to become our leader, it wouldn’t change a thing,” Moon went on, despite Blade’s retreat. Blade froze in place, but did not look back. “After all, you’d just be taking her place as Kayn Ost’s lapdog.”

That did the trick.

Blade spun back around so fast that he almost lost his balance on his wobbling legs. He tossed yet another harsh glare towards Moon as the surrounding Shadowbolts began backing away slightly… just in case. But they did not do so without trying absorbing everything they were seeing and hearing.

Blade kept up the glare, his mouth scrunching up, but he kept his teeth concealed. Moon simply shrugged it off, keeping his demeanor straight and cool per usual.

“Am I wrong?” Moon added for good measure, causing Blade’s lips to part slightly and release a snarl, but he didn’t advance towards Moon.

“If you believe that to be the only role our leader serves now… If you believe that’s the direction she’s taking us in… Then why don’t you challenge her? Why did you think it was worth it to bring her back?!” he angrily pointed at Nightshade. “WHY DID YOU SAVE HER?!” he yelled out, startling everypony… except for Moon.

“I already told you, I felt like it,” Moon repeated calmly.

Blade released a loud snort and a low angry nicker from the back of his throat. He kept his glare fixed on Moon as he tried time and time again to break through him, but it wasn’t working.

Then Angel suddenly stepped up beside Blade, slinking out from behind him and sauntering up while hiding any indication of pain in his steps. Moon’s eyes immediately shifted to Angel and widened slightly, his lips curling downward at the edges as Angel scoffed confidently and smiled.

“Oh spare us, you simpleton,” he tipped his head his long mane swaying slightly over his face as he put on a condescending smirk. Moon’s eyes twitched and instantly narrowed into a harsh glare. “Don’t let him twist your words on you, Blade,” Angel tapped Blade’s shoulder lightly as he slowly moved forward. “Moon likes to believe he knows what’s best, but his story has always been the same.”

Moon was suddenly struggling to keep himself composed at all. His body was almost visibly shaking and he nearly bared his teeth as Angel grew closer.

“He is simply… soft,” Angel stopped right in front of him and looked down, standing over him in a condescending manner that matched the smirk and he smoothly stared down at him. “When you look behind that blank stare, you can see right through him. He clings to naïve hopes, he lets his feelings and emotions drive him away from power…” he paused, slowly lowering his face in front of Moon’s as if daring Moon to try something. Moon’s lips and eyelids twitched slightly, the edges of his mouth scrunching and parting slightly as he fought to hold it together. “If I had to venture a guess…” Angel continued as his smirk grew wider. “He saw what was happening to Sin, Shadow, and Nightshade… and decided to help them out of sentimental sympathy, nothing more. I even bet he’s wondering why he saved them… after all, he always has… ‘better things to worry about.’” Angel imitated Moon’s voice to the best of his ability, adding a pathetic tone to it that seemed to strike every nerve as Moon continued to just barely hold himself back. Angel could see Moon was about to snap, so he leaned in again and got as close as possible. “Am I right… Moon?”

“YOU SON OF A—” Moon forced himself up on all four hooves and readied to leap at Angel.

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOHOO!”

But then Ruin popped up right in between them.

“HAHAHA!” he turned and laughed directly into Moon’s face. “HOHOHO!” he turned and laughed directly into Angel’s face. “HEHEHE!” Then he put both hooves over his chest while gasping and panting. “HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

And fell over onto his back, his legs sticking up into the air with his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he continued to gasp for air.

Moon was still glaring at Angel when Ruin dropped between them, but the moment Ruin intervened, he calmed down, pulled back, and looked away. He quickly composed himself, forcing his body to stop shaking as he fought back the anger.

Angel just stared flatly at Ruin on the floor, miffed that he was interrupted.

“And what are you laughing at, clown?” Angel asked harshly as he glared down at Ruin, leaning his head down towards him to the point where his long silver hair touched the floor.

“Oh, nothing!” Ruin said as he tipped his head up and grinned from ear to ear. He suddenly shifted over and rolled his head into the ends of Angel’s mane, wrapping it all the way around his face until he was wearing it like a bonnet. Angel did not retaliate. He just flattened his brow as Ruin made an outfit out of his mane. “I was having fun just watching the reality show, but when you and Moony Moon got so hilariously dramatic I simply couldn't hold in my laughter any longer! OOOOH HOHOHO!”

Angel grabbed his mane in his hoof and yanked it away from Ruin. Ruin spun on the floor three times before rolling in between him and Moon again. He popped up between them glancing back and forth while snickering before catching Blade glaring at him.

“I love you too, honey,” he winked at Blade before cracking up and falling over on his back again.

“Enough of your idiocy…” Blade grunted as he moved towards him and readied to slam his hoof down over Ruin as he spun on the floor, but the moment he reached him, Ruin sprang up and draped a hoof over his shoulder.

“Alright, alright, let’s not be more violent than usual, shall we?” he said as he continued to snicker, Blade scowling to the limits that his face allowed. “But honestly… REALLY…!!!” Ruin waved his free hoof around as he let go of Blade and sat down in between the three of them, placing his hooves on his waist and spun in a circle on his plot. “What am I even listening to here?” He stopped abruptly and grabbed the ends of his ears with his hooves, pulling on them as he leaned down and slowly swayed his body about to look at Blade, then Moon, then Angel. “Humor me… you ALL just saw what happened out there… right?!” he sneered. “And what’s the first thing you do when you get back? You bicker like one giant polygamous marriage!” He suddenly slid up to Blade again, earning a glare and a growl. “Hate to break it to you, but you’re a few sizes too small to wear the pants in this relationship.”

Ruin tipped backwards and fell over laughing as Blade tried to swipe at him with a hoof.

“This is all too rich, I LOVE it! The things you guys focus on, it’s hilarious! You’re all living in a little bubble!” Ruin guffawed as he continued to roll end over end even though his body was straightened.

“IF YOU HAVE A POINT, GET TO IT!” Blade roared after him, Ruin halting on his head and balancing on it upside down.

“If you say so!” Ruin spun on his head before bouncing on it all the way over to Nightshade and Rapidfire. He turned upright and stood up as he reached them, Rapidfire quickly stepping in front of Nightshade and growling at him. “Oh, that’s cute,” Ruin cooed as one of his crystals instantly generated one of his wild spheres and whipped it around, slamming into Rapidfire’s side.

“GAH!” Rapidfire grunted as the sphere exploded on him, knocking him aside, stumbling. Rapidfire quickly regained his balance and turned sharply back to Nightshade, but stopped when he saw Ruin simply leaning against her as if casually resting against a wall. Nightshade gave no visible reaction to Ruin.

Unsure that any aggressive approach would end well for him, Rapidfire held his place, but glared at Ruin along with the rest.

“Let’s review, shall we?” Ruin began as he motioned his opposite hoof towards Nightshade. “There’s only one topic: Nightshade’s little oopsie!” he said with his smile growing wider and wider. “Our dear leader here… lost control of herself and engaged the Wonderbolts all on her lonesome… leading to a head on confrontation with our main objective… Soarin!” He slowly waved his hoof outward away from his body, bringing it in a full circle and back around towards his head. “And because neither she… nor Soarin… had any real control over themselves… oh boy, did it get nasty! And… in the heat of the moment…” His hoof tapped to his forehead. “She broke the false horn on his head… and unleashed a force unlike anything we’ve ever seen! The very force we were told not to let loose before capturing him!”

He suddenly removed himself from Nightshade, nearly causing her to fall over as he slid across the floor on his hooves all the way up to Blade and Angel.

“AND NONE OF YOU…” He turned and looked at Moon as well. “Seem to be the least bit concerned about that!” He pressed his hooves to his cheeks so hard that his lips puckered and smushed outward as he slowly tipped over backwards and made the noise a balloon deflating. “That’s the sound my brain makes when it’s trying to comprehend your priorities!”

Ruin sat right back up, but paused and blinked. He glanced around the fortress lobby as the rest of the Shadowbolts showed several frightened reactions to what he just said.

“Wait, you didn’t even TELL the rest about that yet?” He looked Blade in the eye and started shaking as he giggled. “AND YOOOOOOOU WANT TO BE OUR LEADER?! WAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHOHO!!!!!!!!!”

“RRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!” Blade suddenly growled loudly as his crystals shot to his hoof and he brandished his sword. He roared with anger as he brought the sword up over his head and swung it down over the top of Ruin.

But Ruin vanished into thin air the moment the sword touched him, the blade smashing to the floor and instantly shattering. Blade’s crystals flew from his hoof and clattered to the ground as he gasped and fell forward, barely propping himself up with his hooves as he wheezed on the floor.

“Our mission has become quite a bit tougher now, hasn’t it?” Ruin’s voice came from behind him as he suddenly sat down and leaned his back against Blade’s while he struggled.

“AND YOU… JUST SAT BACK… AND WATCHED?!” Blade growled at him.

“And get my suit dirty? Please, I only have so many of these lovely outfits,” Ruin said with an overly dramatic tone that couldn’t shake the mischievous charm. Blade grunted furiously, but Ruin just kept applying just enough pressure to keep his fatigued body pinned in place. “I guess I could have done something… but looking at you now, I don’t think it would have mattered. Quite the monster has been unleashed, eh? But what is a good story without twists, turns, and challenges to overcome?” He turned over and rested his stomach on Blade’s back, keeping the light pressure on him. “I wonder…” He patted the top of Blade’s head. “How will we EVER overcome THIS one?! HOOOOHOHOHO!”

“DAMMIT, GET OFF OF ME!” Blade yelled out as he shook himself hard enough to move Ruin. Ruin didn’t even flinch as he casually slid of Blade’s back and stepped right onto his hooves, sauntering around in front of Blade as he forced himself up. He smiled as he glanced back and forth between Blade and Angel, both glaring at him. He tipped his head up to see Void scowling at him from further back as well. “OKAY THEN, SMART ONE!” Blade belted at him with mounting frustration in his voice, drawing Ruin’s eyes back to him. “If you’re so happy about how this is all going… then what should we do?!”

“Sorry,” Ruin winked and stuck his tongue out. “I’m not the leader around here!” he snickered while motioning a hoof towards Nightshade. “I’d hate for anypony to think that I’m… Oh, I dunno…” he slid right up to Blade and got right in his face. “TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE SHADOWBOLTS!”

Blade said nothing as Ruin proceeded to laugh in his face with his eyes stuck open wide, saliva splattering on his face.

Ruin laughed and laughed with no end in sight, he didn’t even stop to take breaths as every other Shadowbolt around shivered at his endless, maniacal cackling.

“Oh?” Ruin suddenly stopped abruptly as he stood up on his hind legs, placing a hoof above his eyes as he peered over the top of Blade and Angel. Void perked up as he saw Ruin look towards and past him, causing him to turn around and look as well.

The Shadowbolts that Moon had sent to grab the three additional crystals returned and they were carrying the three crystals within an aura, taking care not to touch them. It was a show of loyalty by some of them, a show of fear of punishment by others.

The moment Void eyed the crystals though, he snorted and stepped out, blocking their path with a hard stomp.

“NO!” he yelled as they skidded to a halt and froze in front of him, their eyes darting between his face as he loomed over them and his three shining crystals. “These fools do not deserve to be helped! GIVE ME THOSE CRYSTALS NOW!” Void barked at them.

But he flinched and tipped down suddenly as Ruin landed hard on his back and scuttled up his back until he was resting his chin on the top of Void’s head while wearing his same old smile.

“Says the big bumbling fool who follows Blade like a little puppy!” he teased, sparking immediate growling from Void. Ruin stayed quiet for a moment, letting his words sink right into Void to the point where his teeth were grinding together and his face was turning bright red with anger. “C’mon!” Ruin scoffed as he reached a hoof out, his crystals coming to life and snatching the three spare crystals right from the other Shadowbolts. “Let’s let the kiddies have their candy!” he said cheerfully while softly rubbing a hoof into Void’s mane… like he was a dog. Void did not retaliate at all, showcasing how fatigued he was as well. He simply stood there and pushed the limits of how angry a pony could look.

Ruin slid down Void’s back and landed on the floor, trotting over to Moon, Shadow, and Sin as he floated the additional crystals along with him. He stopped in front of Moon and held a smarmy smile as he moved the crystals out in front of him towards Moon.

Moon had not moved nor spoken since Ruin had shown up. He was holding himself back completely, not pleased with his reaction towards Angel. He looked through the crystals and the aura holding them up, locking his eyes with Ruin and simply staring, trying to figure him out.

“Well, Moony?” Ruin snickered as he bounced his eyebrows. “Go ooooooooooon! You stuck your neck out for them…” His neck suddenly extended, unnaturally growing longer for a moment so he could see over the crystals and look down at Moon. “Better finish the job!” he giggled quietly to himself as his neck snapped back down to normal size.

Moon moved his eyes from Ruin to the crystals, and then glanced over his shoulder at Shadow and Sin. She had her hooves resting on Sin’s back as she stared towards Moon and Ruin. She had several other Shadowbolts gathered around, also looking towards Moon as if waiting for him to help.

“Hmph…” Moon grunted as he reached forward and grabbed one of the crystals for himself first. He closed his eyes, concentrating as the crystal’s light ran up his arm and eventually surrounded him. “Haaaaa…” he exhaled, his fur standing on end as the power of the crystal joined his other two and sent shivers through him. With a sudden twitch the light around him flashed and the small, subtle crystals creeping over his body all broke and sprinkled to the ground. He opened his eyes, a pink glow shining from them briefly as he regained his full power. He looked past the two remaining crystals, staring at Ruin again for a moment before he took control of the aura holding the other two.

“Hmmm? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm?” Ruin motioned his hooves towards Sin and Shadow. “As much as I enjoy watching Shadow prove she’s more than a constant stone block of anger, I think Sin has been through enough. Let’s relieve him, hm?” he said with a wink.

Moon scrunched the right side of his mouth briefly before shaking his head.

“What?” Ruin broke into chuckles while sneering. “WHAAAAAAAT?” he pressed while holding a hoof to his stomach, but Moon had already turned, quickly making his way over to Shadow and Sin.

Ruin lifted himself into the air with his magic and reclined sideways, resting his cheek on his hoof as he watched Shadow spring up and hobble towards Moon.

A sudden quiet grumbling caught Ruin’s ears and made them twitch. He subtly glanced over his shoulder to see Blade storming off while swearing under his breath, heading for the halls.

Angel watched Blade for a moment, glancing back at Moon, Ruin, and everypony else before scoffing and turning to follow.

Void watched both of them leave, his face still bright red as he seethed.

“I’m…” he grumbled. “Not a puppy…” he said to himself quietly as he turned and stomped after Blade and Angel, almost falling over himself as his he failed to address his own fatigue through his anger.

Ruin slowly spun himself in midair, looking around at the mixed reactions of the Shadowbolts all around him. Just as before, it was nearly split evenly. Some of them followed Blade and or left in a similar manner. The rest stuck around, either watching Moon and Shadow, worrying about Sin, or just remaining near because they wanted to see what happened.

“Ah… a little chaos goes a long way…” Ruin sighed and shivered as he snickered and slowly rose up into the air to get a better view of Moon, Shadow, and Sin.

Moon moved the crystal out to give them to Shadow, but she only grabbed one, frantically turning back towards Sin. Leaving Moon behind with one extra crystal, Shadow slid to a halt at Sin’s side, the nearby Shadowbolts backing away as she lowered herself to the floor and pressed the crystal to his body.

The crystal’s light oozed onto Sin, joining the two spare crystals already working on him. A bright pink light surrounded him entirely… and his pain began to subside. His heaving breaths stopped, replaced by steady, gentle breaths. His groans quieted, and he stopped shaking.

Shadow did not react. She just stared directly at the large crystal formations that were still attached to Sin’s body. She grinded her teeth together and didn’t move a muscle.

Then crackling noises came from the formations. It was slow and steady, but the large crystals began to chip away. It looked like it was going to take a while… but it was working.

Sin was going to be okay.

When Shadow realized that they weren’t going to lose Sin, she released a long, tired sigh of relief as she slumped down and draped her body over the top of his.

Sin’s eyes squeaked open, revealing intense look of fatigue on par with the look of not sleeping in days or months. He glanced around slowly and weakly, taking note of Shadow’s arms and head to his left within his field of view, but he did not speak or try to move as the crystals worked on him. He could feel his pain subsiding little by little, and aside from seeing Shadow, he had little clue what else was going on around him.

But then his eyes twitched and he looked the other way to see Moon moving towards them with four crystals. Moon looked down at Sin, their eyes locking momentarily before Moon moved the additional crystal over to Shadow and pressed it to her back, starting her re-energizing process for her since she seemed more concerned about Sin than herself.

Despite the crystal power refilling within her, Shadow did not move. She twitched and groaned slightly as the small crystals dissolved from her body. She shivered as her crystal power filled her, bringing her back to normal, but otherwise she didn’t seem to care. She just remained on Sin’s back breathing in and out slowly as if she was still trying to recover from the unending worry of losing another comrade.

With Shadow taken care of, and the small lingering crystals on her body ceasing entirely, Moon looked back down at Sin, his eyes still trained on him.

Moon said no words. He simply gave Sin a nod of acknowledgement.

“Heh…” Sin raspily managed to chuckle. “Th… thhhh…” he tried to speak, but sputtered and coughed. “Th…anks…” he said to Moon, but Moon shook his head.

“Thank Shadow, not me,” Moon said, turning away from him. “I only finished what she started.”

Sin briefly glanced at Shadow’s face to his left as she held her eyes shut and breathed in and out. But before he could turn back and attempt any sort of reply, Moon was already walking, moving towards Nightshade and Rapidfire.

Surprisingly, there were some Shadowbolts among those present who were brave enough to approach Nightshade. None of them were close enough to touch her, but they showed great concern for her. Her current state was ghostly. She had not moved, nor spoken as if her body was lifeless. The only Shadowbolts who dared get close enough was Rapidfire. He sat beside her, facing her, and had a hoof lingering in the air as if he wanted to help but didn’t know what to do.

When the Shadowbolts around Nightshade saw Moon coming, they backed off slightly, but Moon lifted a hoof and shook his head, signaling to them to relax.

These were Nightshade loyalists and he knew each and every one of them by name, including Rapidfire. And while Moon was walking his own path, he knew they were technically on his side as opposed to those who leaned towards agreeing with Blade.

He moved towards Nightshade, but stopped when Rapidfire turned to him and met him halfway.

“So what do we do now?” Rapidfire asked him with an eager tone that made Moon raise an eyebrow.

“Why are you asking me?” Moon asked while flattening his brow. Rapidfire scrunched his face and folded his ears back.

“Oh, now you’re not giving me orders?” Rapidfire asked with a snort of frustration.

“I requested your assistance, that’s all. You’re not suddenly my underling.” Moon shook his head. “You can do whatever you want.”

“Okay fine,” Rapidfire snapped at him. “If you’re going turn around on me like that, then tell me what you're going to do. Then I can ‘do whatever I want’!”

Moon looked Rapidfire over carefully, but held his expression firmly.

“I’m going to bide my time,” Moon answered truthfully, but Rapidfire quickly retorted.

“Bide your time?!” He stomped a hoof. “For what?! This is getting ridiculous!” he yelled in Moon’s face. “We can’t carry on like this!” He pointed at Nightshade. “Nothing is right!” he pointed at Shadow and Sin. “Backstabbing and deserting is happening constantly and nopony seems to care about it!” he stepped forward and bumped his chest against Moon’s, getting right in his face. “Blade is clearly planning a coup! He’s going to pit us against one another eventually and—”

“Rapidfire,” Moon cut him off with a harsh tone. Rapidfire froze mid-sentence and his voice nearly cracked. “If you want to go take on Blade, then be my guest.”

Rapidfire blinked, leaning back from Moon and hesitating.

“But…” he stuttered. “But I…”

“Look around you,” Moon took over as he motioned a hoof slowly outward. “Do you really think you’re the only one who feels this way? That something is wrong?”

Rapidfire followed Moon’s motion, slowly turning around and looking at the Shadowbolts still present. They looked tired, weak, defeated, but most of all, they seemed confused and uncertain. The optics had changed drastically within Rapidfire’s memory. When he joined the Shadowbolts, while there was some stable foundation, it was a wild and untamed environment of ponies always bickering or fighting, dominance and factions, assertion and brutality.

Yet here he was watching as Shadowbolts struggled. They struggled to the point where they were coming together, some were helping others. Some were simply sitting in nooks and crannies while clutching their crystal. It was a swamp of desperation and weakness, the Shadowbolts wading through and pleading for help, some clinging to others as they tried to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

At least that’s how it looked among this crowd. Rapidfire had seen the other side of it just as Moon had, the side that looked to Blade, Angel, and Void. They disregarded the state of the others, and looked to those three as the path forward… leaving their fellow Shadowbolts behind.

There was no more strength or energy. It was a choice between weakness and blindness, an ugly pair of choices.

“If we had the means and the will to fight back, perhaps I’d consider it among my options,” Moon continued as Rapidfire slowly turned back to him. “But we don’t, and worse, Blade isn’t even the main problem. You’d be a fool to think these Shadowbolts here have the will to fight, much less face the tyranny that has us trapped on a corrupted lifeline.” He added as he slowly lifted one of his crystals in front of his face and peered into it.

“But…” Rapidfire hesitated, drawing Moon’s attention back to him. “You’re not even going to try? Forget the others, what about you? You have power.” he asked. Moon exhaled through his nose as he shook his head.

“Blade, Angel, and Void are all superior to me in power, skill, and ability,” Moon quickly answered as if he was expecting the question. “I don’t fight battles I can’t win.”

“Well, yeah not by yourself!” Rapidfire grunted while throwing a hoof out to the side. “But what about organizing us? You’re a commander! What about Shadow and Sin? What about Nightshade? They don’t seem on board either! If we work together we can—”

“Rapidfire, you’re doing it again,” Moon cut him off. Rapidfire froze as Moon narrowed his eyes at him. “You keep acting like we’re the Wonderbolts.”

Rapidfire instantly leaned backwards, biting his lower lip and folding his ears back as he caved beneath Moon’s gaze.

“Shadow and Sin are just as lost as the rest…” Moon pressed further. “And I doubt Nightshade even cares,” he added while stealing a very brief glance in her direction. “We are mercenaries and warriors. Not Soldiers. The only bond that has ever held us together in anyway was a silent sense of brotherhood, that we’re all on the same page regardless of how we feel about one another. That bond is currently in tatters. It’s split down the middle, those filled with doubt are looking for answers, and those who are blind believe they are following the only rule we have: That the strongest lead. That is our basic code. It’s what we live by.”

“I… I know that,” Rapidfire answered in a snapping manner that was filled with weakness. Moon shook his head.

“Then why do you keep ignoring it?” Moon shot right back while lifting an eyebrow. “We stand on the side of those who are lost and broken. No amount of motivating speeches or gung-ho cheering will fill them with the will to stand against the others.”

Rapidfire just looked down, gritting his teeth as Moon laid the truth thickly over his head.

“If you can’t accept the reality you stand in, perhaps you should go back to the Wonderbolts. Here, your ideology has no weight,” Moon snorted quietly as he put the final touches to snap any rash ideas out of Rapidfire’s head. “I’m going to bide my time, and you’d best do the same,” Moon repeated. “It’s pointless for any of us to take substantial risks unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Oh COME ON, Moony moon!” Ruin suddenly dropped down from above. Slamming his hooves to the floor beside Rapidfire and putting him in a headlock, rubbing his hoof into Rapidfire’s mane.

“ARGH! HEY!” Rapidfire grunted as Ruin nearly rubbed static into his head.

“Why so sheepish? Why so gloomy?” Ruin pouted towards Moon as he continued to noogie Rapidfire. “I think I like this kid’s idea!” He suddenly let go of Rapidfire.

“Ah!” Rapidfire yelped as he fell flat to the floor, Ruin sliding along the ground over to Moon and turning his head sideways as he got right in his face with one eye.

“GO FOR IT! Take a pot shot at Angel! Sucker punch Blade! Kick Void in the balls! It doesn’t matter, just strike the flint stone! It only takes one spark to start a fire that grows into one hell of an inferno!” He narrowed his eyes and let his sneer grow all the way across his face. “It’ll be so much fun to watch.” His sneer remained as the top of his head suddenly caught fire with a quiet POOF.

Moon remained stone-faced all throughout, and furrowed his brow just a little bit as Ruin licked his hoof and ran it through his mane, dowsing the flame in the process. Moon released a quiet, annoyed nicker from the back of his throat.

“Didn’t you just belittle us for losing focus of our mission?” he asked, his eyes widening slightly as Ruin suddenly reached a wing towards him, extended a feather and pressed it against his nose.

“You’re paying attention! Good job, have a gold star!” Ruin turned and tapped a hoof to Moon’s chest, placing a gold star sticker on it. Moon didn’t move, or look at the star as Ruin leaned in and rubbed his chin while mimicking the face Moon was making, but with the mouth flipped to be a smile instead. “You’re right, I did…” he went on. “But you don’t give a damn about the mission, riiiiiiiight?”

Moon’s composure finally showed a crack. His mouth and face remained still, but his eyes narrowed into a glare. Ruin snickered, unable to hold his altered replica of Moon’s face.

“Oh yes, YESSSSSSS! HOHO!” Ruin pulled back as he guffawed. “I love when you give me that look! Go on, GO ON!” He hovered up and tilted forward, hanging vertically in the air, upside-down as he pressed his forehead to Moon’s. “DO IT! TELL ME I’M RIGHT!” he pleaded while slowly lowering back down and placing all four hooves on the floor. “You know it makes my legs tingle!” he said with a subtle slur in his voice.

Moon’s right eye visibly twitched hard and he tilted his head uncomfortably as Ruin stared at him nearly point blank and shook his plot back and forth jokingly. Ruin nearly lost it when he saw Moon’s reaction, but he held it down to subtle snickering as Moon turned his head to the left and snorted.

“That’s just… inappropriate…” he said with an angry grunt as he turned and pushed Ruin away from him with his wing. “You’re disgusting.”

“Ha!” Ruin fell backwards, but his magic caught him and lifted him into the air as he pulled out a sheet of paper that unrolled and fell to the floor. One of his arms retracted into his suit sleeve and came back out with a ridiculously large feather quill. “Disgusting! Adding that to the list of wonderful and charming things you have called me!” He dropped the paper and quill on the floor, both of them vanishing in a dim pink flash of light the moment they touched. ”Ahhhhhh… he floated backwards, reclined on his back in the air. He passed right in front of Moon, who simply moved his eyes as he watched him go by. “This just keeps getting more fun by the hour…” He stopped and sneered at Moon. “By the minute, even!” He lowered himself down beside Moon. Moon released a long, frustrated sigh through his nostrils and leaned away as Ruin inched into him. “And something tells me…” He looked towards Shadow as she remained by Sin’s side as he slowly recovered, her chin rested on his back while holding a look of relief, yet confusion on her face. “We might have a few more pieces on the board soon!”

Ruin removed himself from Moon’s side, hovered right past Rapidfire, and set his hooves on the floor right beside Nightshade. Any and all nearby Shadowbolts immediately backed away as Ruin approached.

“But remember, the queen must remain upright!” He motioned to her, stopped, blinked, and tapped his chin. “Oh, wait, that’s the king actually… OH WHATEVER! We can make an exception here!” He reached a hoof towards Nightshade…

But the moment his hoof came near her, she finally moved. Her head snapped towards his arm, her eyes fixing on his hoof as her pupils shrunk several sizes.

“AUUUUGH!” Nightshade suddenly wailed in an almost deranged tone as she swiped her hoof out and slapped Ruin’s hoof away from her.

All eyes present instantly went to Nightshade as she stood up abruptly and took two very shaky steps away from Ruin, lifting a hoof in the air and crossing it over her body defensively as she stared at him. Everypony froze in place as their fractured leader suddenly sprang up and moved, those near her not daring to move a muscle or even blink. Further back, some were slowly sliding backwards, some were diving for hiding places.

“Oooooo…?” Ruin cooed as he stepped back and tipped his head, unfazed by Nightshade’s sudden spasm. She had definitely surprised Moon, but he remained still himself. Sin was too weak to look, but Shadow had perked up and had turned her head towards her, yet she remained at Sin’s side.

Only one other pony dared move.

“Nightshade?!” Rapidfire called her name, quickly moving past Ruin, who watched Rapidfire and slowly smirked. “Are you alright?!” Rapidfire asked as he tried to reach for her. Her eyes shifted from Ruin to him, her pupils shaking almost as much as her injured limbs and body.

She didn’t respond, or make any other noise. The moment Rapidfire reached for her, she whipped herself around, her tail swatting Rapidfire in the face before she broke into a gallop, if it could be called that. With uneven, painful, heavy steps, she rushed through the lobby and turned down the hall that lead to her personal quarters.

She was already gone by the time Rapidfire had shaken his head out and recovered from the unexpected whip across the face. He just stared, his ears drooping as he kept his eyes fixed on the hallway in the back to the left.

“My, my, my…” Ruin’s voice came from over Rapidfire’s shoulder as he slowly slinked his way up beside him and draped his chin over Rapidfire’s shoulder. “I wonder what could possibly be going through her head right now! HO HOOOOOOOO!” he guffawed, rising up into the air and leaving Rapidfire to himself as he sat down and looked straight at the ground.

Moon also had his eyes on the back hallways, and kept them there for several moments before breaking away and looking forward at nothing in particular… as he began to think.

He thought about everything he just saw, both out in the field and right now in the broken down fortress.

He thought about what happened to Soarin, and how he would have to rethink a lot of things going forward, taking this new development into account..

He thought about his grilling of Blade, and how it displayed to everypony present a split down the middle of all the Shadowbolts, not just the commanders.

He thought about his small confrontation with Angel, how he lost his temper AGAIN… and he knew exactly why. He had to keep control of himself.

He thought about Ruin. Did Ruin drop in… not to grandstand, but to stop him from fighting Angel? Why? Likely to keep his ‘entertainment’ going. Ruin was right about him not being interested in Kayn Ost’s ‘job’ for them, but Ruin didn’t care either, he wasn’t fooling Moon.

He shook his head out before scanning around him, catching a glimpse of Ruin as he hovered around Rapidfire. He looked over towards Nightshade’s exit, but his eyes stopped when they landed on Shadow and Sin.

Specifically on Sin.

Honestly, he was surprised that letting go of a single crystal led to only minor consequences that were easily fixed. After seeing what happened to Trance, Witch, and Devil, Moon was reluctant to test any sort of ‘detachment’ of any of their crystals in fear of the potentially dangerous consequences. Shadow’s desperate sacrifice of one of her crystals for Sin and her only slightly ailed state thereafter was a discovery for sure… one he would keep in mind. Not to mention they were able to halt Sin’s demise and keep him alive long enough using their two spare crystals. The more he could put together about the crystals the better. The knowledge would keep him alive.

As for the Wonderbolts…

Moon’s thoughts stalled right there for several moments. He looked up to the ceiling, then down to the floor, and quickly made up his mind. He took a deep, slow breath… and slowly backed away from everypony else for a few steps before casually walking towards the doors, placing his goggles over his eyes as he reached for one of the doors.

He grabbed the handle, taking one last look over his shoulder before opening it.

He froze in place the moment the door was open.

Ruin was standing right in the doorway he just opened, leaning against the doorframe with one hoof crossed over the other.

“And where are you going, Moony-Moon?” he asked in a sly tone.

Moon didn’t break his composure. He just stared down at Ruin and huffed.

“It doesn’t matter,” he replied flatly. Ruin snickered and tilted his head until it was sideways, keeping his eyes on Moon as his smirk grew wide.

“Of course it doesn’t!” He giggled as Moon let go of the door and it swung shut right in Ruin’s face. Moon stepped two doors down and opened another door, revealing Ruin in the exact same position he was in the first. “But when have I ever tried to stop you? C’mon, ol’ pal, you can tell me! What’ll it hurt?”

“Don’t you already know?” Moon put flatly as his brow flattened to match his tone. “It doesn’t matter what I say, you’re going to follow me anyway.”

“Actually, I’m not,” Ruin bounced his eyebrows at him as he suddenly backed out and stepped aside. Moon blinked, his eyes opening a little in surprise as Ruin extended his arm outward like a chauffeur. “I just wanted to hear you say that is all. I already know where you’re going… AND... what you’re going to tell them. You’ve already got it all figured out, why should I intervene?”

Moon remained still, his eyes twitching beneath his goggles as he looked Ruin square in the face and did everything in his power to see if he could read a bluff.

But then he remembered who he was looking at and talking to.

“Well, go ooooooooooooon!” Ruin beckoned him with his outstretched hoof, whisking it into the air outside the door.

Moon took one step into the doorway, but Ruin suddenly shifted right into his face incredibly quickly. Moon flinched and halted as Ruin’s squeaking laughter hissed into his ears. Ruin’s eyes opened wide, turned completely black, and his pupils became small white dots.

“DON’T LET ME GET IN YOUR WAY!”

And the next instant… Ruin was gone, vanished without a trace, the warped, demonic voice ringing in Moon’s ears as he remained still. All he could hear was the sound of Ruin’s laughter echoing outside the fortress.

Moon didn’t dwell on it long. He had to just get moving. It didn’t matter where he went or how long he waited.

Ruin had a bead on him. And he wasn’t getting out of it.

Moon stepped outside and spread his wings, his crystals lighting up and surrounding him with a pink glow as he took off. His magic slowly cloaked him and he disappeared into thin air.

---To Be Continued---

Author's Note:

Things have gone to hell... but it looks like it's gone to hell on BOTH sides this time. What's happened to Soarin seems to be one giant failure for both the Wonderbolts and the Shadowbolts... which makes you wonder where things are going from here.

It's clear the situation within the Shadowbolts is beyond FUBAR. Nopony seems to know whats going on in there... well, maybe except for ONE...

But once the devastating shock fades among the Wonderbolts... what will go down with them? All this time they had been fighting together with a destination and goal in mind... but that goal has been 200% compromised. What sort of effect is this going to have on them? (Hint: Oh patience is being lost FAST )

So originally this was only half of my chapter outline, but i split it for obvious reasons, the next half is already underway (started it after sending the proofed chapter to Kestrel). Once again, i'm sorry for the long wait, life got in the way of both Kestrel and I this chapter.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!

(Art in this chapter by Penumbra)

Comments

[Lumica]

[Stellar_]

Hey Calm, found something you would like a few days ago:

Anyway, should read the chapter now...

[Zoljen]

Blade and Void, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I *gets stabbed by Blade, falls over*

[Jim Hoxworth]

New chapter drop in on me like:
68.media.tumblr.com/554653428bb49a07bda90ab850d6ff25/tumblr_inline_olwfh7qKMO1uq31kt_500.gif
ANYHOW
My two big reactions to the chapter overall are as follows.
To those who say that Shadow only saved Sin out of the sense of "brotherhood" that holds the Shadowbolts together:
i.imgur.com/Zkq11wI.png
To everything else:
secure.static.tumblr.com/52353ecfcda27f4331704085586e4e02/3yihozo/vi3oidb5s/tumblr_static_tumblr_static__640.jpg

Yeah, shit is seriously fucked now. O_o

[CowgirlVK]

Moon is going to help the Shadowbolts at the WB HQ...

[0PinkamenaDianePie0]

HEEEEEEHHHH I LOVE YOUR SHADOWBOLTS

why do I feel like moons gonna go help the renegade for some reason

[Those Kids In The Corner]

Kayn Ost is gonna be hella pissed.

[Animak]

i'm loving rapidfire here, despite losing his head over lost ambition he's still a wonderbolt to the core, and nightshade is his waifu ^^

i'm also digging the sort of subtle surprise and lightening shipping

sweetness

[Stellar_]

Hmmm...
Shit has really hit the fan now, and I like it. :3
I just wish they would get to the Crystal Empire already, it's been like...
Years.

[Sorril]

Cool

[TexasDragon1995]

Fine job on the chapter. It's a nice change of pace from all the crazy ass shit that's happened in the previous two

But DAMN! I REALLY wanted to hear Dash's take on all this. Wonder what she'll do next? (crying spree or going ape shit) (or worse the incapability to feel anything)

PS: If there's ANYONE who deserves to die in this never ending story it's Ruin. Seriously, I'd rather go fuck a cactus than hear LAUGHY BOY ejaculate every time someone even remotely raises their blood pressure! I mean, is he like SEMI SATAN or something? Jesus

Regardless, keep up the good work my good man

[Gargon94]

Ok, well this is interesting. We see the aftermath of last chapter on both the Wonderbolts and the Shadowbolts. There is one line that made me think about what the Wondercast members said in their last episode.

The line that I am talking about is this one:

“Ah… a little chaos goes a long way…” Ruin sighed and shivered as he snickered and slowly rose up into the air to get a better view of Moon, Shadow, and Sin.

This makes me think that Ruin might have been a part of Discord at one point that he cased away that and later became it's own entity.
8320529
You sure sound happy there

[Sonic rainbow]

Excited for the next chapter

[Sweet_Harmony]

...

I can't. I ju-- I ca-- I-- ju-- wha-- *insert deflating balloon noise here* I can't.

After listening to the most recent podcast over the weekend, then reading this, and now remembering what went down during the last recording, good LORD, my BRAIN . The gears are turning, more puzzle pieces were thrown in and taken away, and good grief, what is it with you and making more questions instead of answers, goshDAMMIT, CALM!!!

Nonetheless, another AMAZING read, as it always is for me . It's nice to see more of the Shadowbolts, 'cause sometimes you can forget that they, too, have priorities and motives due to everything that's been going on for the past 30+ chapters... *pointedly stares at Calm Wind* I mean-- *ahem*

Really looking forward to that meeting at the Wonderbolts, and low-key expecting Moon to show up, come on, let's be honest here Hope to see the next chapter sooooonnnn!!!!!

(P.S. I'm totally not going to have a field day with this during the next podcast... Nope... Not at all... )

[Sweet_Harmony]

8320783
le gasp Someone who actually listens to our insanity!

Yes, one of, if not THE biggest theory Jim has come up with is the whole Discord-Twister-Ruin connection. I've been rereading the first two arcs to look for certain details for something I'm planning to put into the EW and every time I came across Twister the first thing I'd think of was Jim's theory. This chapter here has probably given Jim more fuel to put into his tank, because... Ruin.

[anunenka]

Every time I read Ruin calling Moon "Moonie-Moon", all I can hear mentally is "Damn it Moon Moon!"

[Midday Giggle]

“Where…? WHERE IS…?! AH!” she suddenly lost her balance and fell forward. Fire, Lightning, and Surprise quickly reached out and caught her before she could collapse, propping her up. She gritted her teeth and slammed her eyes shut as her body shuddered. “Where…?”

“Miss Fleetfoot?” Fire spoke quietly, part of him already sure what she was trying to ask.

“Where is… he…?” Fleetfoot managed to elaborate as they got her fully upright and she opened her eyes and focused on Fire.

The twins both flinched, Fire averting his eyes.

“Where…?!” she demanded, turning to Lightning.

But he did the same as his brother, avoiding eye contact.

“WHERE IS SOARIN?!” she blurted, her voice choking as she looked between the Streak twins desperately.

Can you hear that Calm? That's my heart breaking.

“Wait, wait…” Blaze pushed herself up and placed a hoof on High Winds’ shoulder. “Hold the fuck up… Where is Soarin?!” she asked, getting no response from High Winds. She turned and looked at the Streak twins, her eyes narrowing into a glare as she growled and bared her teeth. She looked around the lobby, seeing Spitfire slowly moving towards them, but failing to find the one particular member of their force. “HEY!” she yelled as she reached up and grabbed Lightning Streak’s shoulder, drawing the attention of several others nearby. Lightning glanced towards her, but didn’t change his expression. “WHERE THE FUCK IS SOARIN?!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.

“He’s not here.”

Blaze froze for a moment, before sharply turning her head and locking her eyes on Spitfire standing behind her.

“What?! What do you mean?!” Blaze demanded as she released Lightning and wobbled while planting her front hooves back on the ground. Spitfire held a serious, hardened look on her face as she looked down at her sister.

“The horn broke.”

The freaking strap-on broke. I still can't get over that. It's been two chapters and I'm still in denial.

“He… What…?” Fleetfoot finally sputtered, her lips quivering and her eyes watering as it sunk in, visibly reacting as Blaze and Surprise both remained still in shock. “No… nononoNO!” Fleetfoot suddenly leaned forward, nearly falling over herself as she reached for Spitfire. Spitfire lifted a hoof and grabbed her arm to support her. “NO! Where is he?!” she asked in disbelief and denial as she grabbed Spitfire’s arm and clutched it tightly. “WHERE IS SOARIN?!”

“Fleet,” Spitfire reached her other arm around and rested it gently on the back of her head. “Calm down. She suggested as Fleetfoot sniffled and tears began leaking down her face.

“Ah!” Surprise suddenly yelped drawing Spitfire’s attention over to Blaze as she pushed past Surprise, her eyes battling between a glare and a look of horror as she grabbed Spitfire’s arm.

“FUCK CALMING DOWN!” Blaze yelled loudly, causing Fleetfoot to scrunch up and shudder. “ANSWER HER DAMN QUESTION!!!!!!!” she demanded, her voice starting to sound choked up and raspy as she belted.

“Don’t ask, because I don’t have a single damn detail right now. All I know is that that’s who Discord said he was… and that Soarin’s body is now completely under his control. We engaged him, but I’m sure you can tell how that went,” she said as she motioned to everypony around them, the Renegades and thestrals included. “No, this wasn’t done by Nightshade, it was all by Soarin. It was the most one-sided scenario I have ever been a part of in my life and he took off right after.” She shook her head again. “I don’t know where he is, where he is going, or what to do about this yet, but…” she looked over towards Squad Foxtrot as Storm Front helped them slide Dash off of Matteo’s back and place her gently on the floor sitting up. “I know Soarin is still alive. Dash would be dead if he wasn’t.”

Each word felt like a stab in the heart. Really.

“Luna,” Spitfire spoke up in a harsh tone that made Luna flinch and slowly look at her. The hissing of the surrounding thestrals grew louder for a moment, prompting Spitfire to flatten her brow and shift her eyes back and forth for a moment, but she ultimately ignored them. She instead, got a good look at Luna’s face, noticing that it looked incredibly defeated and devoid of any motivation… about on par with many of them right now.

But to hell with it.

Spitfire didn’t care how Luna was feeling and she certainly had no sympathy for her right now. Not after just what happened, confirming that once again… there were things that she had been kept in the dark about. She had made it clear that the last time this kind of thing was pulled on her that it was the last straw and they were doing things her way. Yet here they were once again.

I agree with Spitfire in here. Fuck it Luna. That was too much.

“I SAID I’M FINE!” Shadow barked, pushing away the first stallion to reach her and offer to help. “I’m… “ she turned and slumped down, quickly propping herself up and pulling herself back up to Sin, placing a hoof on his back as he wheezed on the floor. “I’m going to be fine, if you’re going to help anypony, help HIM!” she demanded snarling at anypony coming towards her while pointing at Sin. “Make yourselves useful! Go find us a third crystal for him or something!” she demanded in an odd tone that sounded half angry and half pleading as if she couldn’t pick one.

Such devotion! I ship it!

“Go to my quarters,” Moon suddenly spoke up, sitting nearby but not looking at anypony in particular. “I have an emergency stash in there. They’re in a box under my bathroom sink in the corner. The one labeled ‘soap’.” He kept explaining as if it was all normal. But everypony within earshot was staring at him with shock, including Shadow. Moon glanced around at them and shook his head calmly. “Don’t worry about Nightshade. She’s having problems of her own right now. Go grab us three, and ONLY three,” Moon instructed strictly. “If I go back later and some of them are missing, we’re going to have a problem.” He added, making his voice as harsh as possible within his usual tone.

The hell Moon. Where do you even got those?!

“NO!” he yelled as they skidded to a halt and froze in front of him, their eyes darting between his face as he loomed over them and his three shining crystals. “These fools do not deserve to be helped! GIVE ME THOSE CRYSTALS NOW!” Void barked at them.

Yeah sure... YOU JUST WANT THEM FOR YOURSELF!!

Again... You effectively broke my heart... Great job Calm...

I had a theory that Dash would faint or something like that... I don't know if I like this better or not.

I was already thinking of how they would arrive safe and sound to the Crystal Empire. Squall would turn to crystal and Little Star would never let it go. Cadence and Shining would say something like: "Rainbow Dash! So good to see you in one piece! What would Equestria do without the Element of Loyalty! We were so worried and Twilight told us she will come in a few days to see you and your Wonderbolt friends", and the Wonderbolts would be like "The fuck? She's the bearer of Loyalty?!" And Surprise woul freak out and Fire would translate to Misty and she would demand answers. And then Cadence would make an announcement to the whole Empire and then the Crystal Heart would do it's thing and everypony would be crystal Wonderbolts and Soarin would tease Dash and Dash would say he looks handsome with the crystal fur or whatever it is.

AND THEN you throw the HUGE plot twist and everything went to FUCK.

*deep breath* I'm alright... Been a long month... Can someone bring me a slice of cake?

[Soaring Soarin]

Well seems we might have a divine roasting and a shadow bolt civil war on the horizon

Great chapter calm see you in the next one

8320529
*shipping intensifies*

8320783
tipping my hat off to Jim for that one

[Phoenix Flight]

Oh Goddddd the podcast is gonna be great...

Jim be like: THE BREADCRUMBSSSSSSSSSSS

And oh god the penumbra fangasm...

and is that shipping I see between Rapidfire and Nightshade?
totally not squee-ing into next week.

Totally not...

AHHHH SCREW IT I SHIP IT SO FREAKING HARD

Also:

“Fleet,” Spitfire reached her other arm around and rested it gently on the back of her head. “Calm down. She suggested as Fleetfoot sniffled and tears began leaking down her face.

"Calm down,"

...

...

Firefly.

Shadowbolts.

Ruingasm

Shipping

BREADCRUMBS

THEORIES.

...Dammit Calm. This is completely justified .

[Gargon94]

8320940

8321111
Yes, I have been watching the Wondercast episodes. I find Jim's theory about Discord, Ruin, and Twister really interesting. I can't wait to hear how Jim will take the new information about Ruin in this chapter.

[LunarSolari]

Good chapter, just found some little errors.

“Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazey…” High Winds whined as she visibly twitched. My body already hurts enooooooooough…” she groaned as Blaze refused to stop squeezing her.

Missing quotation mark before My body

“Fleet,” Spitfire reached her other arm around and rested it gently on the back of her head. “Calm down. She suggested as Fleetfoot sniffled and tears began leaking down her face.

Missing quotation mark after Calm down

The Eyes ranged from shocked, to confused, to alarm, to… approval?

Not sure if the E is supposed to be capitalised or not, just thought I'd point it out.

[Brawny Steed]

I can see some logic at least in Moon's actions to help those who were beaten: They need as many powerful ponies as they can get if they're going to get their hooves on Soambra. I'm calling it now, Imma call him Soambra.

I don't care if it sounds awful, it's the best name they could have for this fusion right now.

[Dusk_Writer]

I wonder what it was about Ruin that made Nightshade react that way…or maybe I'm just overthinking that part.

I ship Sinadow…Shin?

I'm actually stumped on how Ruin is…well, him! My only guess would be he's another immortal entity…but I have no clue.

I don't know why…but I'm imagining at the end of PTH, Rapidfire becoming a leader of the Shadowbolts, reformed and all. I just got that vibe from his 'chat' with Moon.

I have a hunch Moon is gonna go help the Shadowbolt captives…

[blastguard]

Shadow and Sin?Hohoho calm you just gave us the materials for more shipping madness!
8320529 *falls back into a fit of maniacal laughter* HEEEEEEEEEEEEHEEEEEEEHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ruin is that you?!

[jnzsblzs]

Pros: This chapter made me care more about the shadowbolt captains! Yay characterisation!

Cons: I really don't want to care about the shadowbolts captains other than Moon. In my opinion this fic is overwritten as is so the last thing it needs is more subplots... No scratch that, the last thing it needs is more 20k word long fight scenes. So more subplots is like the penultimate thing it needs I guess? (I'm positive I just butchered the word penultimate here. In my defence, it works well in my native tongue.) However even in such critically acclaimed titles such as "The song of ice and fire" people bound to have a lot of plotlines they dislike, so it's bound to happen in this significantly inferior book as well given that it is quite comperable in length.

[Laveria Dreams]

I....do NOT envy Luna and Discord....Spitfire be pissed and demanding the FULL truth, man...

That's gonna get messy...

[Hazelreed]

fwelkjfwklj fc lawnehcrl kweh

iihihi

shipping, shipping everywhere.

how much more u can make me love squad three? I mean aaaaaaaaaaaaaaww surprise and lightning so cutee

rapidfire is also cute

and shadow-sin is cute

and starry is cute when she's trying not to support decent

i just found cute things from chapter like this

CUTENESS ATTACK

[Veyron]

Mooooon! I am really starting to like him, also angry fire horse is not good for anyone she is angry at.

[Calm Wind]

8320494

[Calm Wind]

8320529

*Places the dome-of-fangirl-containment over you*

[Calm Wind]

8320580

Oh gawd now you too

[Calm Wind]

8320598

"I did it because fuck you, that's why! B...baka..."

~Shadow

[Calm Wind]

8320625

is heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

[Calm Wind]

8320633

Glad you like them!

Moon is gonna do something... he's always doing SOMETHING...

[Calm Wind]

8320646

Nightshade gonna get a spankin

[Calm Wind]

8320651

Indeed. Rapidfire is a maverick. Always has been, always will be, but you can tell his ambitions in becoming a Wonderbolt left their mark. Perhaps the he is regretting joining the Shadowbolts? But who knows, it seems as though he has some loyalties with them as well (Nightshade). What an interesting situation he's in.

[Calm Wind]

8320677

Sure feels that way But it looks like SPitfire is on a warpath... perhaps we'll know soon.

[Calm Wind]

8320729

You may find out soon

[Calm Wind]

8320765

[Calm Wind]

8320777

Feels good to slow down huh?n i feel ya

I know it seems kind of weird to not have a focus on Dash in this chapter, but thats going to be the first scene in the next. This was initially going to be longer, at least 3-4 more scenes, but that would have been way too long.

If you feel that way about Ruin's antics... good His character is meant to stir up emotions, weather it be crazed, worry, or anger. His presence is literally the straw that has the potential to break every camels back, and whenever he's around, there's potential for disaster or epiphany.

He's a literal wild card, and i LOVE writing for him

[Calm Wind]

8320783

I was very impressed by Jim's sleuth work here too I am not going to confirm or deny anything that he said, but his elaborate attempts to try and piece together the puzzle i've scattered about is nothing short of impressive

[Calm Wind]

8320840

Me too because the good stuff all happens after where i cut this one off.

[Calm Wind]

8320925

You know me... always dangling the carrots just out of reach While littering the floor with mousetraps, potato chips, and legos.

The next chapter is going to be interesting for sure... (I mean, come on, where else is Moon going? )

[Calm Wind]

8321025

i.imgur.com/A0TXiuZ.jpg

[Calm Wind]

8321046

decorcentral.com/images/D/CKS03-L-01.jpg

[Calm Wind]

8321111

Godly buns will be sizzling

[Calm Wind]

8321277

SHIP TEASING EVERYWHERE

I'm such a horrible enabler

[Calm Wind]

8321522

Ah, thanks for pointing those out

[Calm Wind]

8321554

I've heard that, as well as Soarmbra and Soarbra.

Fuck it, let's just call him Sorbet