Chapter 63: Comrades, Brothers, Sisters, Family
MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 63:
“Hmmm…” Silver pondered as he walked back and forth amongst the lined up recruits. They all wore a set of padded training armor and all stood completely still along the middle line of the battle dome.
Dash kept her eyes forward as Silver paced before them, wondering if she was going to get chosen.
The second day of the cycle had been an interesting one so far… their morning element training session was cut short because Blaze set the whole room on fire by accident. Luckily, Wave was there to fight the inferno until the fire department showed up, keeping the damage to a minimum and isolated to the gym they were using.
Blaze got quite an earful from both Silver and Spitfire, but they were soon all back to business as usual… just down one gymnasium. The day went on… leading to the recruits usual second day combat training session in the afternoon. At the end he lined them up to select two lucky recruits to engage in a practice sparring match, just as Silver had the past few combat sessions. Dash had yet to be picked.
“Squall,” Silver gave a head motion towards the left side of the inner circle.
Squall took a deep breath and stepped out, the usual hardened expression on his face. Dash watched as Squall walked out to his spot, turned around, and suddenly locked his eyes directly on her.
Dash blinked in surprised as their eyes met. She was staring forward as ordered, but for some reason he was giving her a harsh glare. Honestly, Dash didn’t think he had a real reason, for all she knew he was just trying to look tough and direct it at her.
Squall had been better… much better than when they first got acquainted. Dash felt like she was slowly beginning to understand him, but there was still so much mystery surrounding him. At least it now felt like he had a genuine respect for her and her friends, something which was clearly hard earned.
As Silver walked back and forth in front of the recruits again, he paused and glanced at Squall. He noticed immediately that Squall had his eyes harshly fixed on something. Silver stepped back and closer to Squall. He traced Squall’s vision… until his eyes landed on Dash. Silver slowly glanced between Dash and Squall a few times before lifting an eyebrow and smirking ever so slightly.
“Rainbow Dash,” Silver called her out as he motioned his head to the right side of the circle. “The rest of you step out!” Silver ordered, causing the rest of the recruits to start backing away.
“Good luck!” Little Star whispered to Dash before following Matteo and Thunderlane. Dash gulped and stepped into place, Squall’s eyes remaining on her throughout her movement. She stopped in the right starting position and faced Squall, doing her best to return his gaze from twenty yards away. She wasn’t afraid or intimidated, but it was a difficult glare to answer.
“Alright you two… come on in for a moment.” Silver stepped into the middle and beckoned them to come towards him.
Dash and Squall kept their eyes locked as they approached the center. They had a mutual respect going… sure… but if Dash remembered correctly, Squall was more than just a little bitter about not being the top recruit. If the encounter with Storm Front a couple of weeks back was any indication, Squall was EXTREMELY bitter about it.
One thing that stood out about the recruit training as Dash had gone through the past few weeks, was that everything they did had either an individual challenge, or a team challenge to overcome. There was literally no competition amongst the recruits, at least nothing that was meant to be competition. Recruits could compare their performances… but they were never placed in something head to head.
That was, until a week ago when Silver started pitting one recruit against another… only one match… at the end of each combat session. So for a while, any grudges or any unfinished business from the tryouts went unsatisfied.
Dash had a feeling that underneath that scowl and glare… Squall was shivering at the opportunity to finally compete against her in something.
As soon as the two made it to the center, Silver suddenly grabbed the two of them by the neck straps of their armor and yanked them both slightly down and towards each other. They both yelped in surprise as he lowered his head down towards theirs, making sure to remain slightly higher, and looked down at them.
“Now, let’s get one thing crystal clear right now you two…” he began with an extra sharp tone. “I know how you both are. Don’t act like I don’t, because I’ve watched your sorry asses for almost a full month now.” He turned to Squall. “You are both stubborn,” he turned sharply to Dash. “And you both never take a hint. Now at times this is a good thing, but right now,” he exhaled through his nose and shook his head. “I’m letting you two beat on each other for five minutes… and when I say stop, YOU BETTER STOP… Or so help me I will tie you both to a chair and ask Surprise and Savage to explain the mysteries of the universe to you!”
Dash and Squall both flinched and stared up at Silver with wide eyes and ears flopped down. Silver took in their looks of fear and nodded.
“I’m glad we have an understanding…” he chuckled while lightly hitting their foreheads together and letting them go. They stumbled back slightly before standing upright and facing each other again. Silver extended his wings out. “Get in place,” he ordered before refolding his wings and stepping back.
Off to the side in the bleachers surrounding the battle dome’s infield, Soarin and Spitfire sat side by side. It was a relatively quiet day for the elite squads. Not only did the squads that had just returned have the day off, but a good number of other elite squads had taken the day to rest as well.
Soarin and Spitfire had taken the opportunity to view the training of the new recruits. They had very few chances to do so in the past, getting most of the feedback from Silver’s reports. After Soarin relayed Dash’s amazing performance in Silver’s obstacle course to Spitfire, she decided to come see it for herself. The mishap with Blaze nearly setting the whole compound on fire was a minor setback in their day off, but Spitfire was visibly excited and already impressed with what she had seen.
Silver was handling the combat training alone today with the help of pop up punch-dummies that bounced right back up after being knocked over. He gave each recruit a chance to take a few shots at him as well, but obviously none connected. Dash was the only recruit that forced Silver to take a step back as she threw a few attacks at him.
Soarin thought about bringing up Silver’s personal training of Dash… but he figured if there was any reason Silver would do it in private, it would be to keep it from Spitfire to surprise her later… so Soarin kept his mouth shut.
But now… Soarin was sitting on the edge of his seat.
“Lean any further forward and you’re gonna topple over the edge,” Spitfire chuckled as Soarin tipped back away from the railing atop the edge wall of the infield.
“Hey, my mare is about to fight!” Soarin turned and pouted.
“Know anything about how this guy fights?” Spitfire asked, ignoring Soarin’s pouty face. Soarin looked towards Squall and recalled what he had seen in the past.
“This was the guy that used martial arts to blow past the Blast Walls,” he pointed out. Spitfire blinked.
“Oh! Right, I remember him…”
“My guess is he will use the same in combat,” Soarin continued as he leaned slightly forward again.
He had the utmost confidence in Dash… especially since she had been getting private training directly from Combat Master Silver Lining himself. However, he recalled Squall’s movements… and the amount of skill he showed in his martial arts. He was well practiced for one of his age, and combat was clearly not a new concept to him. Dash had copied his movements once, but it was on a whim in desperation. Could she copy a full style of fighting that looked to be refined from years of practice? He was about to find out—
“Whoa!” Soarin yelped as Spitfire lightly pushed a hoof against his back, making him slip off his seat and fall forward. He caught himself on the railing before pushing up, turning and staring flatly at her.
“Sorry, it was too tempting…” she shrugged with a content smile.
Spitfire seemed to be doing better. Soarin was certain she wasn’t out of the frying pan yet with her… heat problems, but she was definitely keeping them under control with him around, which he appreciated. Wave Chill had been showing signs of finally trying to fix things… he wondered if Spitfire had thought about the same.
But that could wait… his Dashie was about to be a badass and required his undivided attention.
Dash took her place and turned, locking her eyes on Squall as he continued his harsh glare. She took a deep breath and exhaled, freeing her mind and focusing on the pony that would be her target in mere seconds.
She hadn’t fought another pony beside Silver in a long time… at first glance she thought this would be an easy fight. Squall was nothing compared to Silver. But then again, it wasn’t like she could do anything against Silver, so for the first time in a while, she was fighting an opponent who was on her level. She wouldn’t know until they started.
She set her hooves and tensed her body for a moment, before relaxing while visualizing how the fight would begin. Again, it was fruitless, she had never fought Squall, but she was more than certain he would charge… and his martial arts… could she counter them? She knew a bit of martial arts herself… but Squall’s was of a style she had never seen, and it was clearly perfected.
She felt… excited? Maybe after how much she tried and failed to land a single clean hit on Silver… she was itching to wallop somepony across the jaw.
“Wonderbolts set?” Silver asked as he reached a safe distance. Dash and Squall didn’t look at him, but both gave a subtle nod. Silver glanced between them one more time before pushing backward into the air. “BEGIN!”
As expected, Squall leapt right at Dash, he pumped his wings twice before spinning in the air and aiming a roundhouse kick right for her head.
Even though it was expected, Dash was caught off-guard by something else. Squall attacked fast. He had closed the distance so quickly that Dash had very little time to make a choice. Silver never approached this quickly… he probably could… but she had to remind herself that this wasn’t a training session… this was a real combat simulation. Squall’s aggressive approach had her at a brief loss… step back to avoid or meet his attack?
Rule number one… Never be afraid of your opponent. It doesn’t matter how big, strong, or fast they are… if you fear them, you lose the battle before it even begins.
Afraid of Squall? Like HELL she was!
Dash jammed her back hooves firmly to the ground and reached up with her hooves, catching his leg and softening its impact against her cheek-guard.
“Huh?!” Squall reacted as Dash clamped down on his leg and turned her body, pulling him around and flinging him around her, tossing him behind her with a slight downward angle. He tumbled through the air, eventually hitting the ground and bouncing once. Before slamming his hooves to the floor and propelling himself upward.
Taking the initiative, Dash sprung up after him.
Upon seeing her approach, Squall stopped mid-ascent, and put up his hooves as if eagerly awaiting Dash to reach him. Dash rushed upward, hoof pulled back and ready to strike. There was a large opening in Squall’s guard. Right in front of his face. Dash didn’t think, she just went right for it, punching forward right towards Squall’s exposed face.
But it was a trap.
Squall simply turned and edged his right elbow up, the small movement tapped against Dash’s arm and caused her attack to bounce up and sail right over his head.
Before Dash could do anything, Squall delivered three rapid jabs into Dash’s chest guard.
“Oo!” Dash grunted as she was forced backwards. She tried to put up a guard, but Squall had already moved up and punched rapidly, hitting her three times in the stomach, the chest, and the chin. Dash was pushed back further, but again, Squall advanced and continued his barrage. “Dammit!” Dash tried to push away from him, but he rushed with her movement and grinded his teeth.
“Hyaah!” he yelled as he delivered an incredibly fast one-two punch to her chest that propelled Dash tumbling backward.
For a brief moment, Dash couldn’t breathe. She forced her lungs to exhale before drawing in a deep breath and panting for a moment as her eyes shot up in time to catch Squall on another aggressive approach.
Squall meant business! He wasn’t holding back at all. How hard he pressed offense was almost terrifying. Dash couldn’t find a single opportunity to attack. He also knew how and where to hit her. The rapid blows against her chest threw off her breathing for a moment, not to mention it sent a shock through her body that she couldn’t absorb. The armor almost didn’t matter against an attack like that.
Squall was truly a fearsome fighter! She fought him once before when he raged after Thunderlane ran into him… but he was like an animal there. Here, Squall was focused, and directing every ounce of his combat prowess right at her. Could she beat him like this?
Squall had a confident grin on his face… he was already in control of the fight and he knew it… Dash panicked as he drew near. She wasn’t ready for another attack.
Doubt?
Squall… better than her?
Rule number two… Intimidation will always win. It doesn’t matter if the intimidation is in the form of your opponent… or taking and returning the threat right back at them. Force your will onto your opponent and let them know you will fight.
Dash glared and locked her eyes on his arms. He repeated the one-two jab motions. Dash quickly crossed her hooves over her body and threw them out while moving them upward. They struck Squall’s hooves as he went in for the attack, forcing him out of his own movements. His eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly tried to throw his hooves back down. Dash reached up and the two locked their front hooves together, pushing against each other with the strength of their arms and wings.
Dash hardened her gaze and pushed against him before he could.
“Grrr!” Squall growled as he was forced to react. He was pushed back a few feet before he managed to match Dash’s push. He snarled into her face as he started to push her back, but he found it difficult to. Dash kept her glare strong as she forced all of her strength into resisting. He was stronger than her, but he would have to work hard if he wanted to move her. She was silently letting him know that she was no push over, and was not afraid to take him head on.
However, she was also smart enough not continue a contest of strength when she was clearly not winning. She got her point across. She suddenly let go and tipped backwards. Squall lost control and fell forward. Dash kicked her back legs into his stomach, sending her towards the ground as he gasped and clutched his stomach.
Feeling a little confident herself now, Dash caught his eyes as she fell. She winked at him and stuck her tongue out before she turned and floated gently to the ground.
Squall’s face turned red with anger as he snorted and dove after her. Dash kept her eyes on him, standing completely still as he approached. She waited patiently, slowly unfolding her wings.
Right before Squall was upon her, she picked up her front hooves and set them one slightly higher than the other. She rapped them hard against the padded floor, executing Storm Front’s Surface Tap, propelling her instantly from the spot and out of Squall’s way, but she didn’t stop there. The instant after she used Storm’s move, she forced her body into a spin, copying Twister’s Spiral Turn, and using the extra force generated by it to recreate Matteo’s Air Burst as she pumped her wings down. The blast of air that followed behind her bounced off the ground and crashed against Squall as he came down. It knocked him out of control and he landed roughly against the floor, face first.
“Argh!” he grunted as he rolled over and got up. Dash was standing a few yards away and waiting for him to attack again.
She had devised a strategy. She had to use Squall’s aggressiveness against him. If he was going to press the attacks, she let him come, using wit and clever defensive and evasive strategies to turn his ruthless offense against him.
As Squall approached, Dash reared back, fluttering her wings to keep her upright as she put up her hooves. It was time to put her skills to use. If she could figure out his fighting style, she could literally turn his offense against him. She focused on him, taking a defensive position as he readied to attack again… and broke down his technique.
Shoulders square…
Upper arms out to the sides…
Elbows bent…
Hooves tucked in close to his chest…
“HYAAAH!” Squall yelled out as he jabbed at her. Dash had seen this attack multiple times now… the one-two punch. She shifted to the side and brought her hooves down to knock his attack away from her.
Quick, rapid punches…
Emphasis on speed over power…
Rarely only lands one hit per attack…
“Rgh!” Squall slammed his front hooves to the floor as he fell, kicking his back hooves up…Dash’s eyes widened in surprise as his legs bent and thrust rapidly at her.
Squall was using the same techniques with his back legs as well? She quickly crossed her hooves in front of her face, bracing herself as his hooves clashed with her arm guards. She was whiplashed backward and started falling back. She didn’t need to look up, she knew Squall would press the attack…
Rule number three… Never go to the ground if you can avoid it. A wall that’s knocked down no longer stands in the way of those it was halting… if you go to the ground, you are giving your opponent a perfect opportunity to knock you out, severely injure you, or worse.
Dash grunted, twisted her body around, and pressed her wings to the ground as soon as she landed stomach first. She pushed herself up, wing-up style, just enough to plant her legs on the ground.
Front hooves, back hooves, front jump, back jump…
“HYAAAH!!!” Squall’s battle cry came from behind her.
FORCE WINGS!
Dash executed the movements… but the slight flinch that came upon hearing Squall’s shout caused her Sonic Blastoff to be shaky. She propelled from the spot, but was struck down by the air cone and instantly tumbled to the ground ten feet away.
“OOF! AH!” Dash grunted as she bounced. It was ugly… but she did it in a pinch and it got her to safety. She found her balance and flattened her wings, riding her broken momentum into a slight liftoff before straightening out and slowing herself down. She hovered up into the air and faced Squall as he matched her height.
“I still can’t get enough of seeing her copy moves… First Shine, now Dash… I don’t feel like I’m— Soarin?” Spitfire glanced at Soarin. He was nearly pressing himself into the railing with his eyes fixed up towards Dash.
“Huh?” he blinked and looked back at her. “Sorry, kind of occupied…” he said with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. Spitfire rolled her eyes and smiled.
“I’m praising your lady over here,” she said. “This Squall guy is pretty fierce and clearly a well-practiced martial artist, but she’s using her strengths to create an advantage for herself… not to mention she’s doing it by using multiple other signature techniques. I’m curious to see how far she can take her mirroring ability.”
“She’s quite something…” Soarin replied with a smile as he looked back up. He blinked a few times and smiled even wider. “No way…”
“Hm?” Spitfire caught on Soarin’s sudden awe and looked towards Dash.
“Look!” he pointed. “She’s…”
Dash had shifted her body as she hovered… placing herself in a stance identical to Squall’s. Every part of her body was positioned to match how he held his: square shoulders, upper arms out to the sides, elbows bend, and hooves tucked in.
“You can’t be serious…” Spitfire blinked. “I mean… it’s just a stance, but if she starts throwing all his moves right back at him… roughly a minute after being hit by them…”
“She’s told me herself on several occasions,” Soarin chuckled as he glanced back at Spitfire. “She’s kind of a big deal.”
Squall paused in his advance for a moment and blinked as he looked Dash up and down.
Dash smirked as she saw him recognize his own stance. She had never seen his style of fighting before… but with her basic knowledge of martial arts and analyzing his movements, she felt like she had an idea of how his martial arts worked. It was time to see if she could turn his own moves against him.
“See something familiar?” she taunted. Squall’s eyes shot up to hers. He glared, but didn’t growl, snarl or grunt. He looked… peeved… as if being mocked. Dash could read it in his eyes. He thought she was bluffing. She was to an extent… she had never used his moves before, but she had watched him carefully and was confident she could.
Squall tipped back and fired towards her again. Dash… not wanting to be caught on the defensive again, did the same. Squall reared back his left hoof and fired it forward. Dash ducked right… and unloaded three rapid blows to Squall’s side.
“Ah!” he grunted as he was forced back a little. He snapped back towards her and threw three quick jabs, Dash knocked one down, but the other two caught her in the chest. She exhaled as she edged backward.
A weakness. She found a weakness in Squall’s stance. With her hooves tucked in… it was hard to defend against quick attacks. Normally, she’d have her hooves out in front at the ready, but in Squall’s stance she needed to move further to intercept incoming blows.
That was Squall’s weakness… he was all offense and no defense. She looked up to see Squall moving through the air towards her once more, pressing the offense mercilessly. He turned slightly, readying his one-two combo. Dash locked her eyes on his arms… and mimicked his movements.
“HYAAH!” Squall AND Dash yelled out at the same time, their hooves clashing with a rapid CLACK CLACK as Dash countered his attack with identical strikes. The unexpected shock that traveled through their arms forced the two of them apart. While Squall floated back to shake out his hooves, Dash ignored the shock and charged at him.
Squall didn’t have time to react as Dash began peppering him with his own martial arts techniques. She delivered quick rapid blows, bringing her hooves back into her chest and springing them back out again and again, not allowing him to counter. He tried again and again to block and fight back, but he never had an open opportunity. After about half a minute of punishment from his own moves… Squall was losing his temper. The wildly thrust his hooves forward, shoving Dash away from him before growling and charging recklessly at Dash. Dash remained focused and calm, retaking Squall’s stance as he approached.
Rule number four… Never fight angry. Controlling your emotions is essential to survival. Despite my opponent’s superiority to me, my level head gave me the means to victory.
“RGGH!!!” Squall grunted as he threw an angry punch right towards Dash’s face. The wind up was slow, and the delivery sloppy. Dash simply ducked and…
“HYAAAH!!!” she mimicked his battle cry and delivered the same rapid one-two blow to Squall’s chest… but it wasn’t like his… she changed it slightly so that the one-two blow was rapid in a succession similar to Storm’s Surface Tap… effectively combining Squall’s technique with Storm’s.
Because of the added force from the Surface Tap, Squall was propelled backward by the hits. He lost control of his flight and tumbled down, crashing back-first against the ground and bouncing to a stop.
Keeping true to Squall’s style of fighting, Dash pursued and was on the ground in front of him as soon as he was back on his hooves. Dash turned and drove forward with a rapid elbow and hoof attack… but Squall ducked and twisted his body, turning while slamming his front hooves to the ground. Dash’s eyes widened as his back hooves left the ground.
Rule number five… learn from defeat. You don’t experience defeat the first time you lose to a specific opponent. You are defeated if you lose to them again. You must analyze and adapt to your enemies.
Dash’s eyes locked on Squall’s back hooves as they launched towards her face again.
Victory is not guaranteed through strength, speed, and skill… Awareness and discipline will always be stronger than any punch or kick you can throw.
Dash thrust her wings up, giving her just enough speed to dodge the point blank attack, Squall’s hooves skimmed the top of her faceguard and she felt his legs whisk through her mane. As she dropped, her brain replayed the image of Squall executing the kicking attack. She scrunched her face in determination as she twisted her body, slammed her front hooves to the ground while turning.
If you can master those… even opponents who outclass you physically…
Dash kicked her back hooves out in an uneven one-two motion, again adding the force and speed of the Surface Tap to them.
Can be brought down.
Squall took the kicks directly to the face. Dash’s hooves struck the cheek-guards of Squall’s armor and ripped the whole headpiece clean off as he whipped backward, and flew up into the air, arcing back down and crashing to the ground again.
Dash bounced right up and followed, breaking from Squall’s stance and rearing back a hoof to strike.
Squall rolled over on the ground and frantically propped himself up. Dash was already upon him. He had no time to dodge. He simply threw his arm up over his face, ready to receive the blow…
But it never connected.
Dash stopped herself right before throwing the punch.
Squall was down, disoriented, and unable to fight back in his current position. Squall slowly peeked over his arm and looked up incredulously at Dash.
Dash placed all four hooves on the ground and smile… before reaching out and offering her hoof to him. Squall blinked… frozen in surprise for a few moments. Dash waved her hoof slightly to assure him she wasn’t playing any tricks.
Squall simply stared for another moment or two… before sighing, looking away, and reaching up. He hooked his hoof with Dash’s and she hoisted him up from the ground. The two stood face to face briefly, before Dash gave him a nod and stepped back, retaking Squall’s stance. Squall stepped back and did the same… not quite certain how he felt about what just happened.
The two were set and ready to jump at one another again, but right before they could…
“No, no, no… that’s enough,” Silver stepped between them and stretched out his wingspan. “A head-guard has been knocked off and you only had about fifteen more seconds anyway, so I’m calling it here… pretty impressive fighting though, you two might actually be worth my trouble after all!” Silver joked to himself as Dash and Squall both relaxed. “Alright, everypony lose the armor, we’ve got dinner in an hour, so shower up!” Silver yelled as he turned and walked back towards the recruits.
Dash and Squall remained in place, looking at each other as Silver moved away. Dash reached up and removed her head-guard before stepping towards him… and smiled.
“Nice fight,” she complimented while once again extending a hoof. Squall looked at her carefully, moving his eyes between her hoof and her face.
“How did…” he began quietly, but stopped himself, swallowed and exhaled.
“Hm?” Dash tipped her head slightly. Squall shook his head.
“Nothing…” he reached out and shook hooves with her. “Good fight.” He quickly pulled his hoof back before turning and walking past her. Dash smirked as he walked by before following right behind.
“Damn, I’m hungry!” she remarked casually as the two made their way in the directions of the locker rooms.
“Wow… just… wow…” Spitfire nodded in extreme satisfaction as she and Soarin stood up from the bleachers.
“I know right?!” Soarin bounced up and down. “I can’t believe how much she’s improved!” Soarin sounded like a giddy colt. Spitfire chuckled and reached a hoof over his head, stopping him from bouncing.
“She has, but… I have no words to describe what I just saw,” Spitfire spoke as they walked through the bleachers towards the exit. “Copying single moves is one thing… but Dash just mimicked a whole style of martial arts on the fly… her recreation isn’t as refined, but the turnaround rate from when she sees to when she mirrors a technique is incredibly fast!”
“And even though it’s not refined or perfect…” Soarin took over as they reached the doors and he held it open for Spitfire. “She compensates by adding other techniques she’s copied to them! Did you notice how much stronger her version of the double punch was? She used Storm Front’s Surface Tap in there! I barely saw it!” Soarin smiled wide.
“She’s gonna be special Soarin… I can tell already,” Spitfire nodded as she stepped through the door and they made their way into the hallway. “Is it dinner time yet?” she asked as she looked around for a clock, but the closest one had been taken off the wall recently to be fixed.
“I think we’ve got a little bit of time still,” Soarin clarified, vaguely remembering Silver yelling to the recruits.
“Oh…” Spitfire replied both quietly and weakly, staring off down the hall towards the lobby and not moving. Soarin blinked as he looked her over. She looked like she had something on her mind. Scratch that, she totally had something on her mind. Soarin knew that look of hers well.
In Spitfire’s position, she rarely showed signs of weakness. Even in times where things troubled her, she tried her hardest to look like she was in complete control of herself and the situation around her. There were few ponies she ever showed uncertainty to… and one of them was Soarin.
“Spitfire… what’s on your mind?” Soarin asked as the two began a slow walk down the hallway. Spitfire quickly shook her head.
“Nothing,” she quickly answered. “I’m fine, it’s something personal… I don’t want you to think I wasn’t paying attention to Dash just now, this can wait…” she tried to deflect, but Soarin had none of it.
“I know you’re excited about Dash, you radiate it…” Soarin chuckled before turning serious. “But you’re also making that face you do whenever you want to talk to me about personal things.
“Face?” Spitfire scrunched her brow and looked at him. Soarin snickered.
“Yeah, this one!” he reached over his head and pulled up his nose while puckering his lips. Spitfire snorted and shook her head.
“Alright, dumbass, fine… you’re right… I do have a lot on my mind…” she sighed as they continued to walk slowly.
“Do I even have to ask if it’s about him?” Soarin asked. Spitfire shook her head.
“Am I that transparent?” she sighed again. Soarin shrugged.
“You’re good about hiding lots of your problems Spit… but not him. You might as well shine a light in our face whenever you’re worried or thinking of Chiller. So what happened this time?” Soarin was ready to give her the old verbal slap across the face and point her towards him… but something WAS different this time.
“I’ve noticed he’s been… a bit more forward lately…” she began. “I think he’s trying to fix things… but, I don’t know what to do,” she looked up at Soarin briefly. “I keep avoiding him… before it felt fine because we were both in an awkward rut… but now I feel like I might be hurting him.”
Soarin was caught off guard. Spitfire was talking seriously about how she felt for Wave Chill? What happened to her strict discipline bullshit?
“Spitfire, you absolutely cannot avoid him anymore… especially if he’s trying. Why run? He wants to mend things and stop the awkwardness!” Soarin explained.
“Look Soarin… I’m still…” she blushed and paused mid stride to tap one of her back hooves on the floor. “Dealing with the heat… We’re still in a workplace and we’re still professionals… I don’t want to lose control and do something I’d regret.”
There it was, Soarin knew it was too good to be true. Spitfire shivered slightly.
“Fleetfoot was right… having him here has made the experience much worse… I have a hard enough time controlling myself around all the stallions in the compound… when he's nearby I have to strain myself to not throw myself at him! I don’t trust myself to be in control around him. And now that he’s trying to advance it’s gotten worse… Fleet was right… I don’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell…” she released a sigh that was so long it almost sounded like a deflating balloon. “God, I’m pathetic…” she suddenly said.
Soarin’s ears perked up and he stopped walking. He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder, forcing her to look at him.
“That was out of left field…” Soarin looked her square in the eyes, but she turned hers away. “Spitfire?”
“Ngh…” she groaned and tried to get away, but Soarin held firm to her shoulder.
“I don’t think so, missy… what was that all about?” he pressed. Was there more on her mind than Wave Chill? This was very unlike Spitfire. Spitfire: the confident, serious, and dutiful captain of the Wonderbolts… who earned her status through more hard work, willpower, and determination than any other pegasus in Wonderbolt history… calling herself pathetic?
“I don’t know…” she suddenly sat down and sighed. “Soarin… I feel like everything is out of my control,” her voice was higher pitched than normal and somewhat squeaky. She sounded like she was about to cry, but true to her nature, she forced the tears back. “I’m throwing together projects and being unsure of them as I go… I have the higher powers keeping things from me… I’ve got paperwork piled up every night… I constantly hear mixed messages about how I’ve changed things around here… I’m in heat… I can’t bring myself to say anything to Wave Chill… I’ve had my own body functions turned against me… we’ve got what we think are Shadowbolts somewhere… my best friend is being plagued by magic that was forced into him and I can do nothing to help him…”
Soarin blinked and watched her struggle to hold back the tears. He had no idea just how much pressure had been on her shoulders… well he did… but it was more than he imagined. Soarin thought she was just having problems with Wave again… but apparently a lot had been on her mind, and talking about Wave made the dam break. All her problems on her mind came forward. And… as usual, she hadn’t shared any of them with him or Fleetfoot. Always keeping herself bottled up… she had to stop doing that.
“I’m being pushed from all sides and I can’t push back… or I won’t push back… I don’t know. I just feel like I’m being crushed… I’m pathetic Soarin… and I’m dragging the Wonderbolts down with me. I’m slowly ruining what they are and what they stand for!”
“Hey!” Soarin placed his other hoof on her other shoulder and got right in her face. “NONE OF THAT!” he said sternly as she continued to look down. “Spitfire, why do you do this to your—”
“COMING THROUGH!!!!!!!!!!”
Soarin and Spitfire looked up just in time.
“Whoa!” Soarin yelped as he jumped aside and pulled Spitfire with him.
Lightning Streak and Air Mach zoomed past them…
On small, red tricycles…
Soarin and Spitfire both blinked, looked at each other in complete bewilderment, and looked back as the two riders made it to the end of the hall, struggled to get the little tricycles to turn, and began zooming back down the hall. They zoomed right past Soarin and Spitfire again.
Soarin couldn’t hold back the sudden amused smile and the confused chuckles as he watched the two ponies who were both way too big for the three wheeled bikes, their legs jutting out to the side, struggling to keep control as they went. Spitfire had her hooves on her head, and her mouth hanging open.
“WHAT. THE. HELL?!” Spitfire freaked out, her serious demeanor instantly returning as if the absurd scenario of two elite Wonderbolts racing on tricycles through the halls completely shocked the depressing thoughts out of her.
Art by: Noble Savage (Deviant art: thatdamntenpin)
“Uh…” Soarin shrugged as he chuckled.
Suddenly the sound of hooting and hollering came from the lobby as the two idiots pedaled into it.
“Wait a second…” Spitfire furrowed her brow and broke into a trot towards the lobby with Soarin following close behind.
They emerged in the lobby and were met with quite a sight. There was a whole crowd of Wonderbolts in the lobby, laughing, shouting, and cheering as Air Mach and Lightning Streak raced in circles around the lobby. Most of the Wonderbolts present were elites. Fleetfoot, Blaze, High Winds, Macho Savage, Wave Chill… even Misty Fly and Fire Streak. All were having a hard time standing because they were guffawing so hard. Fire was shaking his head with a look of disapproval, but it looked forced as if he was trying really hard to keep from laughing.
As the two riders made their circles around the lobby, Macho Savage pulled out and dumped a bag of dodge balls he snuck out of one of the equipment rooms and dumped them out on the floor. Several male members of the Wonderbolts made their way over to grab them and started chucking them at Air Mach and Lightning as they rode. They took a few glancing blows, but no direct hits before taking off down the west hallway for another long straightaway.
“Okay, this is stopping RIGHT now!” Spitfire growled, but she yelped as Soarin grabbed her tail in his teeth and yanked her back. “OW!” she turned and glared at Soarin as he spat her tail out and shook his head.
“Spitfire, when was the last time this many squads had a day off of training?” he asked. Spitfire narrowed her glare further.
“That doesn’t matter! This is inexcusable and—” she was cut off as Soaring put a hoof over her mouth.
“Let them have fun…” Soarin said to her sternly. “Just watch,” he said as he pointed back towards the action. Spitfire pouted, bit her bottom lip and turned back around.
“Fine… it’s their own damn fault if they get hurt…” she grumbled. Soarin rolled his eyes and smiled as he too looked back at the hilarity.
“The great Animak will emerge victorious!” Air Mach yelled before they even got back to the lobby.
“I heard you the first twelve times, bro!” Lightning yelled back as they re-emerged in the lobby.
“C’mon! Five more laps around the lobby!” Blaze encouraged while swinging her arms.
Dodgeballs came flying at them again as they circled around and around. On their third pass, Macho Savage finally got his hooves on one of the dodgeballs and took aim. He fired it absurdly hard towards the two, but missed completely. The ball seared over the mail counter towards the open door to the back mail room. The orange pony walked out, yelped, and ducked just in time as the ball shot over his head and into the mail room. After a loud PAFF, a cloud of paper and envelopes spewed out of the mail room.
“I JUST GOT DONE ORGANIZING THOSE!!!!!” The orange pony whined as he groaned in annoyance.
Air Mach and Lightning were on their fifth and final lap around the lobby and we coming around to the mock finish line marked by Blaze and High Winds near the doors to the recruit barracks. As they approached, Misty Fly suddenly grabbed a loose dodgeball off the floor, took careful aim and lightly lofted the ball towards them.
All eyes left the racers and landed on the ball floating gently through the air in a high arc.
“Oooooooooooooohhhhhhhh….” The crowd started up as the ball looked to be on a perfect path to intercept the riders.
The ball hit the top of its arc and fell towards the ground…
“Augh!” and bopped right off Lightning’s head.
“OOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!!!” The Wonderbolts all cheered and burst out laughing as Lightning’s tricycle slowly tipped and he fell right into Air Mach. The two tumbled off the tricycles and gently rolled to a stop as the crowd continued to laugh heartily.
The laughter intensified as Lightning and Air Mach got up and both dove and laid out towards the finish line. Air Mach grabbed Lightning by the mane as he fell, propelling him slightly faster, and clearly crossing the finish line first. The two crashed to the ground again as the Wonderbolts started clapping and cheering, hooting, and laughing.
“HA!” Air Mach leapt up and floated up into the air. “The great Animak never loses!” he proclaimed as he began floating around the room. Lightning Streak put his hooves up to his mouth and called up to Air Mach.
“YOU THINK YOU’RE A LEAD SQUAD WONDERBOLT! BUT YOU’RE NOT!” Lightning ducked down and shuffled towards the west hallway as soon as he finished.
“OH, COME HERE YOU!” Air Mach went after him at a nonchalant pace. The Wonderbolts gathered up and followed as Air Mach entered the west hall.
Despite her protesting, Soarin grabbed Spitfire and dragged her along to join the crowd. When they reached the group, they pushed through and emerged near the front to see Lightning and Air Mach lazily grappling each other.
“Do you question my stallionness?” said Air Mach as he casually pushed Lightning and they lazily bumped into the wall opposite of the classrooms.
“I only call it as I see it, bro!” Lightning replied, not making much of an effort to fight back. With how small of an effort the two were putting into their grapple, they looked like they were dancing.
They bounced off the wall and fell over each other, right through one of the classroom doors as the group of Wonderbolts continued to laugh hysterically. Multiple ponies broke off from the group as clattering and crashing noises started coming from the classroom. Every pony that walked over immediately burst out laughing and fell over, clutching their sides. Fleetfoot, Blaze, and High Winds were among the first to look in, and the three fell together, creating a pile of laughing mares. Soarin and Spitfire stepped out as Fire and Misty Fly stepped up to take a look. Misty immediately started shaking while smiling incredibly wide and fell into Fire to hold herself up.
Fire just looked into the room with an incredibly confused look as Spitfire and Soarin peeked in as well. Lightning and Air Mach were on the floor… hugging each other… and rolling around on the floor among a bunch of knocked over chairs and tables.
“I love you, bro…”
“No brother, I love you!” they said back and forth as they continued to run into, and knock over the furniture.
Fire shook his head and pointed his hooves into the room.
“What are you two DOING?!” he rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration as Soarin burst out laughing. Spitfire just blinked, narrowed her eyes, and slowly shook her head as she watched the two harmlessly wrestle each other around the room while overturning everything in the room and constantly proclaiming bro love.
“Still think you’re ruining the Wonderbolts?” Soarin suddenly asked her. Spitfire turned to him and tipped her head in confusion.
“What?” she had no idea what brought Soarin back to that topic. He chuckled and shook his head.
“Spitfire… one of the most important values we hold as Wonderbolts… is being part of a team. You know… being part of something bigger… having a sense of camaraderie… Enjoying those that you work with. Look at this,” Soarin motioned to the comical, carefree scene. To all the silly things happening, to how much fun everypony was having.
Spitfire blinked and carefully looked over everything before looking back to Soarin. Soarin nodded and continued.
“Look at how happy everypony is. One day we’re all practicing and training our hardest… the next we’re enjoying some silly times together. We all share a bond where we can compete one moment…” he pointed again. “And laugh together the next…”
Spitfire followed Soarin’s hoof. Her eyes landed on Blaze and Fleetfoot. The two were laughing hysterically and leaning on each other for support as they watched Lightning emerge from the classroom, holding Air Mach over his head and parading him around like he had just returned from a successful hunt. Fleetfoot and Blaze toppled and the two continued to laugh on the ground with Fleetfoot’s head resting on Blaze’s stomach and both kicking their hooves in the air.
“Bonds like these are much stronger than any contract we sign,” Soarin began again. “You’re having a rough time right now, but you can’t keep it to yourself… we’re all here for you, we all care about you, and we’re all proud to have you as our leader. Before you became captain, the Wonderbolts were just soldiers… now we’re brothers and sisters. I’d say you’re doing a fine job… and don’t you ever forget it,” he tapped his hoof against Spitfire’s chest.
A grin slowly grew on Soarin’s lips as he saw the look in Spitfire’s eyes change. She looked out upon her brothers and sisters… took a deep breath, and smiled weakly as she watched them all have fun.
Soarin was pleased. Talk about good timing. The moment she claimed she was ruining the Wonderbolts, he had never wanted to tell her more that she was wrong. He didn’t even have to, because the Wonderbolts themselves were already busy showing her.
What she had established was the best thing that could happen to the Wonderbolts, at least in Soarin’s opinion. It had changed them, but it made the experience more memorable… and he was glad that soon… Rainbow Dash could experience it as well.
---To be continued---
Every little part of that tricycle race based completely on something i witnessed myself during highschool football. To large guys riding little tricycles through the halls of my school as we cheered on and threw things at them, the tipping over, the diving for the finish line, and the lazy wrestling and knocking everything over in a classroom... it all happened xD And i was the one who said Fire's line: What are you two DOING?! before i fell over laughing as well. Fun times... i miss those idiots...
Also WHOA! Dash is resourceful! And curiously... Squall acknowledged defeat? WHAT IS THIS?!
Spitfire doesnt realize just how much she has done for the Wonderbolts... it sounds like somepony spends way too much time in her office.
Now part 2 has either 2 or 3 chapters left... i say 2 or 3 because i don't know if chapter 65 will be too long or not yet. i want a long part finale again, but if 65 becomes too long, i'm going to break it in two.
I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! 
Stats
Page generated in 0.037 seconds
Total duration
665 users online
1,051,921 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I almost feel sorry for Spitfire at times.
Gotta say, that dialogue between Spitfire and Soarin sounded a lot like something you'd see in a Fire Emblem support conversation.
*Reached Rank A Support*
5399085 never played that
5399146
Great game series, you should if given the chance
5399167 Pokémon, right?
5399174
Fire Emblem XD but yes, Pokemon is also amazing
5399179 I think I might've seen this game before, or one like it.
And with Pokémon, me and one of my friends thinks it needs to just die right now.
5399191
Well, that's a shame.
Nice chapter. It was so funny to see the wonderbolts wrestle. Great job. Also the fight scene was awesome. Go Dash. That was an awesome fight.
Can I put Spitty and Wave in a room and lock the door?! THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME FOR WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THEM
Oh Sir Calm, no chapter is to long. At least, not for me. I LOVE long chapters!
5399260
Note to self: Don't go near any doors that could be locked from the outside.
ok you better have a SpitfirexWavechill and a second SoarinDash ''horizontal no pants dance'' for us sometime soon. cuz all this back and forth sexual banter thought all these chapters is getting........insane
But...B-b-but
i41.tinypic.com/nyybb.gif
5399448 Also, all of this.
Amazing chapter bro! You gave me 2 more fanart ideas!
probably wont be able to start them until the weekend (you can blame my work for dumping everything on me to complete by Saturday)
5399448 She does make a valid point
Hey hey, Can anyone tell me how i should send pictures to calm??
Much Thanks and Fluff if you can help
*Clap**Clap**Clap* Wonderful! Actiony and funny all in one and OMG the last scene!!! I was dying!
Dash sure has a special ability... Though I'm sure she will be using some of silver's moves again soon enough... Which will be exciting...
As for the little race at the end... That would have been fantastic to see... Nothing that exciting ever happened for me... But... Just...
once, before
If those three are what Silver told Dash, then they need to be in italics.
me about personal things."
Somepony isn't getting their mail for some time! Hell, I'm gonna burn it!
Well, all I can say for the WaveFire (And MistyFire or that) situation is...
iambrony.dget.cc/mlp/gif/1329054948876.gif
Hmm, is Squall finally opening up, or just realising that there are better ponies than him out there?
5399965 PM's are probably your best bet.
5399965 pm him
this is rather relatable to me and it made me cry
fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/051/5/0/cry_liquid_pride_by_potatoevomit-d5vorzg.jpg
This chapter is officially my favorite!
I think i'm gonna die laughing!!!
But seriously good job and keep it up!
I can't believe that tricycle race actually happened when you were in high school.
I think we're leading up to the moment when Rainbow Dash combines all of her copying, mimicking, and on the fly improvisational skills to best Silver Lining himself. That would be a good "action climax" to this chapter.
As for another kind of "action"... I have to agree that it is probably overdue.
Soarin's argument that Spitfire has built up a strong feeling of camaraderie during her tenure as captain of the Wonderbolts has an obvious counterpoint in Silver Lining's complaint that things have gotten too slack. Spitfire acknowledged that Silver might have a point when she assigned him to supervise the training of this promising batch of recruits. So, the recruits are getting the best of both worlds... the discipline and the sense of ponyship ( what else would you call it?). In any future battle with a bunch of mercenaries, I think that that blend will stand the Wonderbolts in good stead.
5399085
WOO 68+ CRITICAL HIT RATING!
5399230
Thank you!
5399260
Oh it won't be long till we find out
5399286
We'll have to see
, i'm gonna try to at least keep it below 25,000 words (like i failed to last time 
)
I'm trying to figure out what i want to do though... the way i'm looking at it, it will most likely by three more chapters.
5399085 we even have the inteuppt, cause it's time to play the game again, and the sequel conversation.
I'll have to admit Calm, Ive never liked your combat. In fact I stopped reading your other stories at the height of your climax because I got bored with your writing. This actually kept me gripped the whole time. Then again you've always done one on one fights a lot better. But still, congrats for doing such a great job finally.
5399388
She carries a lot on her shoulders and keeps her stress to herself. It's bound to eventually overwhelm her... but she has so many ponies to lean on (even if its hard for her to admit) so she'll be alright
5399448
5399850
5399531
Oh i've got a pretty long... part 2 finale chapter approaching...
I wonder what's going to be filling up all those 25,000ish words i plan on using in it? 
I wonder indeed... 
5399848
Hey man i'm never gonna complain
You're work is always worth the wait 
And thanks!
5400130
As i said in my Author note, that's based on something i actually witnessed
You can bet i was laughing my face off the whole time 
and thanks!
5400143
Dash is certainly becoming quite the versatile phenomenon
When you've got the lead captain impressed, you must be doing something right!
And haha yeah it was one of the funniest things i ever saw
My high school football team was a bunch of awesome guys, i miss them 
5400252
GAH i already went back once to fix the italics... i completely forgot i split the last one up >_<
Thanks brother, all fixed
Hahaha at least Wave is starting to show he wants to fix it... and Spitfire is acknowledging it and wants it all fixed herself...
This can only mean... GASP! I'M GONNA DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT REAL SOON?!
(Yes in fact i am 
)
And Squall showing respect? Maybe that fight helped him realize why Dash was put above him on the cadet rankings after the tryouts
Of course he doesn't like it... but hey, competition breeds success 
5400447
Spitfire has been shouldering enough burden to break five average ponies... but even the strong, proud captain of the Wonderbolts will eventually break under so much pressure... that's why she's lucky to have Soarin... as well as all the other Wonderbolts who support and respect her.
5400555
Thank you!
And yeah haha it was one of the funniest things i ever saw, i was laughing so hard i thought my lungs were going to explode
5400607
The apprentice is far from topping the master... but her incredible abilities will keep him on his toes...er... edges of his hooves
There's a lot of conclusive moments approaching since the halfway mark in the story will mark a huge shift in events and what's going on.
And you would be right... but you also may have noticed that despite Silver's complaints... there have been moments where Silver has let slip hints that he is enjoying himself and how things are beneath Spitfire. Silver is stern when it comes to upholding the old values of the Wonderbolts... but without Spitfire's implimentation of the "free days" he wouldn't be able to personally train Dash
5400671 quickmeme.com/img/c4/c47e3bd34039b3716da2af5488f6c7bc4ee565730695f46a19e3c358de5486f9.jpg
ehem.. I mean yeah I wonder.....
5400707
That reminds me of a time my friend Jay and Jona were doing a rap battle. Oh you should have heard those lyrics!!! Bwahahahahaha!
5400671
25000ish words....that will be the best 3 hours of reading. 
5400964
It's closing in!
just one or two more chapters and then i'm dropping the big part 2 finale 
Oh my this is good! But... it ended too soon! I love the trike scene! Reminds me of when I was younger. We used to have team trike races. We piled onto our teams trike and raced.
Great chapter.
5401009
Thanks! Haha yeah, thats why why it was so rediculous when it happened to me, the two guys riding the tiny trikes were at least 6'4" and 250 pounds each
Dash The Badass!
Soarin the Friendly Ones!
Spitfire the describer!
Storm The Soldier
Blaze and high The lesbians
Fleetfoot the thingy
This chapter is pretty good though cause soo much action and after a few lines about love and then Happiness..
Always get excited when there's a new chapter though
5401030 Good Greief! I don't think the entire team weight that much! I only weight 40 some odd LB when I did it! I was one of the scooters. (People on the back pushing) Good times.
5401036
Haha i'm glad you're enjoying it!
Thanks for reading!
5401058
Yeah they were the two biggest guys on our team, i was only 175 pounds at the time (I'm also 6'0") so these guys were HUGE compared to me
it was so comical, especially when they fell and then dove across the finish line, not to mention them wrestling lazily 
OH MY GOSH!!! I just got back online and i'm so glad i came here first. THIS STORY JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!!!!
5400725
I would expect nothing less.
Yes, I think he's enough of a realist to recognize the changing times. And Spitfire, in turn, was enough of a realist to recognize that this particular group of recruits needed to be handled with Silver's version of "tough love."