*Ding-Dong*
The door opened and Rumble looked out to see nopony was there. Just as he was about to close it, thinking it was a prank, a letter floated down to his hooves and he picked it up, seeing it was for his big brother.
“Thunderlane, you got some mail!”
He took it into the house and left it on the coffee table before heading back to his room, while Thunderlane came in and found the letter. Opening it, he read,
“’Wonderbolt Reserve Thunderlane,
You have been selected, along with several others, to participate in an advanced training session for the chance to prove yourself skilled enough to join a new elite flying squad. If you are interested, fly to the location listed at the bottom of this letter and arrive no later than noon tomorrow. The training shall test you not only your skills in flying but also your character and if you have what it takes to earn this chance to be a part of history in the making.
We hope to see you tomorrow and wish you the best of luck,
The Wonderbolts Administration Office’”
Thunderlane read the located listed and saw it was quite a distance away from Ponyville. It was weird, he knew the Wonderbolts were scheduled to make an aerial performance at a Royal Garden Party in Canterlot tomorrow night. To his irritation, he hadn’t been invited as a backup flyer but Rainbow Dash had. The smarmy look on her face was still fresh in Thunderlane’s mind.
Hmm, maybe I didn’t get invited because the Wonderbolts want me to try this training thing out, Thunderlane wondered, and the more he thought about it the more his mind was made up.
Somewhere in an out-of-the-way place, atop a vast mesa, Midnight Blaze stood alongside his good friend, Soarin, as they waited patiently.
“I still can’t believe we’re doing this,” Soarin commented but couldn’t deny the excitement, “But I gotta admit, it’s kind of awesome!”
“Don’t soar the skies before you flap your wings, my friend,” Midnight replied with a slight smirk, “we’re still not sure just how many will answer the invites.”
“You also mentioend you invited a... special guest to help oversee the training?” Soarin brought up curiously.
“He’ll be along shortly,” Midnight nodded sagely, “and he’ll make sure this training goes right.”
“You know, Rainbow Dash is gonna have quite the opinion where she hears about this group,” Soarin pointed out.
“And that’s exactly why I didn’t send her an invite,” Midnight retorted, “Rainbow Dash is a great flier, but she’s so used to being a solo act that if and when she gets into the Wonderbolts, I have a feeling she’ll have to adjust a lot of things, including that ego of hers.”
“Heh, I can’t argue with that,” Soarin said, sounding almost offended about that kind of talk regarding his mare, before sighing, “Rainbow Dash does have a sky-high opinion of herself, but hopefully she’ll learn a thing or two about being humble before she makes it into the `Bolts. By the by, I looked at the roster sheet of all the fliers you sent an invite to, and a certain name caught my eye.”
“Lightning Dust...” Midnight answered, having had a feeling Soarin would bring this up, “She has the skills, and despite being expelled from the Wonderbolts Academy Thunderlane had good things to say about her after Lightning made that plan to save Cloudsdale from the Thunderbird. I’d say that gives her a second chance.”
“I hope you’re right,” Soarin responded when they heard a whoosh and looked up to see Thunderlane arrive.
The dark gray pegasus was surprised to see his friends as he asked, “Guys? You got invites to this new group of fliers too?”
“No, Thunder, we’re not invited, we’re the inviters,” Midnight clarified, “but you’ll have to wait for the full explanation. We’re about to have more company.”
No sooner did Midnight finish speaking, a large form landed to Thunderlane’s left with a heavy thud, and Midnight smiled in satisfaction to see his old friend, Doran, now a prince of Griffonstone, had taken up his invitation too. Along with him were two other griffons, one male, the other female. As the minutes dragged on, several pegasi arrived, mares and stallions, along with a few lunar pegasi, one of whom looked a little young. not quite a stallion but no longer a colt.
As the hour dragged on, it became apparent that no one else was coming, so Midnight finally stepped forward.
“Welcome!”
He spoke loudly, the newcomers all cutting the chitchat and looking to him, “Welcome. Fliers from near and far, we welcome you. Starting today, you shall begin your training to prove your worthiness in order to join a new squad of elite fliers.”
Those words seemed to take them all by surprise as they murmured amongst themselves, but Thunderlane raised a hoof.
“Wait, hold on! I thought this was a training session sponsored by the Wonderbolts!”
“It is, and at the same time it isn’t,” Midnight responded as he began to pace along the line of his potential recruits, “this group is going to be something you would call old and new. We will be rivals to the Wonderbolts, but we will also be allies and friends, not only to them but to all who are in need, whether they come from Equestria, from the Griffon Kingdom, the Shetland Isles, or wherever else the worthy and tenacious spread their wings to take flight.
“Each and every one of you was selected or recommended to me because someone saw something in you. During your stay here, you’re going to show just what that something is and whether it’s enough to earn you a spot in this group. There are about...” - Midnight paused and took a quick count - “twenty-five of you. But know this!”
He gave them all a sharp look as he spoke with a deep undertone, “This group will be comprised of three squads, all under my command. Each squad will have no less than five fliers. In other words? Out of the twenty-five of you here, at least ten of you will go be going home once the training is over.”
The tension spread quickly as everypony and everybirdy (not so) subtly looked around at all the other fliers present. In the future, some of these fliers would be their colleagues and teammates, but for the moment? Competition.
“And now that we have the particulars out of the way, allow me to introduce to you all who will be overseeing your training,” Midnight spoke up again, although his announcement took some of them by surprise.
Midnight wasn’t going to be their trainer?
“He’s an old friend who kicked my big blue butt six ways from Sunday for three months straight and taught me everything I know about advanced flying techniques,” Midnight said proudly with a disturbingly evil look in his eyes.
“Some of you may have heard of him, because he’s trained all the best Wonderbolts for the past twenty years or so. He was once a member of the Wonderbolt A-Squad during the time of Captain Hellfire. Truth be told, I’m taking a risk asking this guy to oversee your training. Because before he’s done with you he just might make the lot of you fly home crying to your mommies!”
“GET ON WITH IT, YOU BLUEBALLED BLOWHARD!!”
Midnight flinched, one eye peering up and everyone followed his gaze towards a cloud right above them. Shrugging, Midnight said, “here to kick your ass into gear... or into the curb, whatever comes first... I present Wonderbolt Commander and Drill Sergeant, Silver Lining!”
Several of the newcomers stomped and even cheered although they were apprehensive, as Silver Lining, a pegasus stallion whose silver gray coat had begun to lose its luster, flew down, his white mane voluminous like a cloud, his blue eyes were piercing and narrowed as he gazed upon the row of fresh meat he’d been asked to work with as a favor to his old student, and he snorted.
“So... you’re the sorry bunch of excuses for good fliers that His “Majesty” Midnight Blaze requested me to train,” Silver’s tone was edged like a dagger as he began to pace along the row.
“He thinks you might have what it takes to join this new squad of fliers he’s putting together. Well tell me this, rookies!”
He gave them a whiplash of a look, that they all stiffened up and looked forward, “What do you think?”
...
...
...
“Nothing? No one has anything to say?” Silver’s tone was inviting but the undertone was a warning. “Nopony or nobirdy here wants to mouth off of how good a flier they are? Well it seems to me that Midnight’s gathered a bunch of PUSSIES!!”
“Not me, sir,” responded a familiar voice that Thunderlane looked down the row out of the corner of his eyes. He knew only one pony who had the nerve to talk like that to a high-ranking Wonderbolt.
Quicker than anyone could see, Silver zoomed up to the pony who’d dared to speak in that tone, and he recognized her, “Lightning Dust... The oh so full of her reckless self cadet that got her sorry ass kicked out of the Academy for endangering bystanders... Why Blaze invited you here I can’t fathom.”
“I... also helped save Cloudsdale from a Thunderbird, sir,” Lightning Dust reminded.
“Oh yeah, I know,” Silver said, plainly not caring, “Even the mayor was grateful, from what I heard. But if you think saving the Pegasus Capitol balances out the shit you pulled in the academy, THINK AGAIN!!”
Lightning Dust cringed from the force of Silver Lining’s yelling as stallion carried on, “But regardless of my opinion where you’re concerned, Dunce, I am here as a personal favor to my old student to whip you and the rest of you pansies into a respectable squad of fliers. Why did he ask me? Because it’s my job to make great fliers greater.”
Then he gave them all a sweeping sneer, “Only problem is... I don’t SEE great fliers here! You’re all doormats beneath my hooves! You don’t wanna be a doormat? Then listen up cuz’ I don’t waste time in repeating myself! Before I’m through with each and every one of you in the course of your training, you’re gonna hate my guts to the point where I’m gonna need Prince Midnight to place his best security spells on my door! But by the Pale One’s cold and shriveled testicles I’ll have it said that the Prince’s personal squad of elite fliers were made elite because I MADE YOU SO!!
“So let’s go over some ground rules... RULE NUMBER ONE! Why the fuck are you looking at me?!” Silver gave them such an angry look, “When I am present you stand at attention! FACE FORWARD!!”
As though they’d done it countless times, Thunderlane and the rest of the recruits stood at attention and faced forward, rigid in posture, “You will not meet my gaze unless I address you directly! If you so much as peer out the corner of your eyes I will RIP OFF your feathers and use them to stuff my pillow!!”
Thunderlane could hear a few stifled whimpers, but held his gaze forward.
“Moving on, RULE NUMBER TWO,” Silver paced along the row, “when I speak to you, whether directly or altogether as a group, the first and last words that come out of your damn pie-holes had better be ‘SIR’! Am I understood?!”
“Sir, yes sir,” the recruits responded albeit in sloppy unison.
“What the hell was that...?” Silver glared, “When I wanna hear you speak, you had better speak clearly and distinctly, IS THAT CLEAR!?!?”
“SIR, YES SIR!!” responded the recruits, sounding more in synch.
"I suppose that’s better,” Silver fumed, “On a side-note, I find too many greenhorns lacking in the ‘proper respect for authority’ department nowadays, so listen up! Before I’m done with you, you’ll be kissing our asses unless we say otherwise! Now let’s have a proper look at what Midnight has for me to work with...”
Silver Lining began slowly walking along the row, giving each and every recruit a scrutinizing look, when he stopped at a tall lunar pegasus stallion, whose coat was metallic gray while his mane and tail were jet black. His wings were cobalt blue and his eyes were the usual piercing yellow with slit pupils, and he had the tufts on the tips of his ears that every lunar pony had. His cutie-mark was a blue shield with various weapons poking out from behind it, such as a sword, a smithing hammer, a scythe, and a spear.
The stallion was looking forward, but Silver couldn’t help but notice the hardened look of this one, along with a stony look from his furrowed brows.
“Now here’s quite a detailed statue if I ever saw one!” Silver planted himself right in front of this stallion, who stood just a little taller that Silver ever so slightly had to look up.
“They really captured your stonefaced profile, recruit! Your name!”
“Sir! Steel Edge, sir,” the lunar stallion responded with a deep baritone that sounded like a slight growl of annoyance.
“Oh-ho-ho! I’m getting the impression you don’t like me, that’s a record!” Silver snapped, “I haven’t even gotten started on making your life hell! Do you always finish before you start, recruit? My condolences to your bedmate.”
Steel Edge didn’t answer, but he couldn’t help rolling his eyes, which turned out to be a mistake, as Silver butted heads with him, their eyes only inches part.
“Don’t you roll your eyes at me in that tone of voice, recruit! If you think you can intimidate me, think again, slapdick! If anything, I find you as vicious as a kitten choking on its own hairball! Since you seem to be at a loss of words, I’ll just go with ‘yes’!”
He whipped around and continued on, looking at more recruits when...
*Frrrrrt/whimper*
Silver stopped abruptly and made a loud and obvious sniff, bring an undesirable odor to his nostrils.
“Who... the fuck... has the nerve to fart in my presence?” Silver’s tone was low and calm, but his undertone was dangerous. When no one answered, he added, “Either you step forward before I count to three, or you all get to fly a thousand laps around this plateau!”
A chorus of groans responded that stifled when Silver began, “One...
“Two...!!”
A stallion stepped forward, moaning a little, but keeping his gaze upwards. Silver looked to him, seeing another tall stallion, hefty in build, but had strong wings. This one had a pale orange coat and messy dark brown mane and tail with faint reddish highlights, nervous baby blue eyes, and his cutie-mark was a winged cloud. He was just barely keeping it together as Silver approached him and glared him up and down.
“And what’re you called, gassy?”
“Uh- Sir! Wind Breaker, sir!” the stallion responded, and he shifted nervously as a guttural sound came from his gut.
“Of course it is...” Silver snorted with derision.
“S-Sir! Apologies, sir!” Wind Breaker said, trying to sound focused but groaned from an uncomfortable bubbling in his belly. “I... my stomach acts up when I get nervous, sir!”
Silver reached up and yanked on Wind’s ear, the stallion eep’ing just a little, but thankfully kept it in, as the older stallion glared into Wind’s eyes and said, “No guts... no glory, recruit! I don’t care if you swell up and pop, rip on your own time!”
He let Wind Breaker go, and continued down the line (Wind Breaker phew’ing in relief as he stepped back) when Silver’s eyes fell upon two lunar pegasi, one a mare, the other a teenaged colt. The mare had a pale yellow coat and a mane and tail silver like moonlight, deep violet eyes, her wings were burgundy red, and her cutie-mark was a hazel flower drifting in the wind. The teenaged colt beside her was ashy gray with pale silver mane and tail, storm-gray wings, he had deep blue eyes, but his flank was blank.
Passing the mare, Silver stopped in front of the colt and said, “You look lost, colt! I don’t see a playground anywhere here, do you?”
“Sir! No, sir!” The colt stood at attention, his voice cracking a little but if he was annoyed or discouraged by Silver’s words he didn’t show it. “I am here to train and be the best I can be, sir!”
“Well, well, sounds like we have a hotshot here!” Silver glowered down, not sounding impressed, “What’s your name, hotshot?”
“Sir, Night Mist, sir!” the teenager answered, “I was recommended to Prince Midnight by Princess Luna, sir!”
“You think that makes you special, kid? Huh?!” Silver put his face right in front of Night Mist’s, “If so, you damn well better prove it!”
“Sir, yes sir!” Night Mist gave off that feel of young determination, and although Silver would never say or show it, he respected that as long as such young ponies followed through on it.
“I think that’s enough friendly sharing for now,” Silver stepped back and then turned to look at all the candidates, “I’m not here to shoot the breeze with you, I’m not here to bake you cupcakes, cupcakes, and I certainly ain’t here to waste my time turning a gaggle of lazy-”
Silver suddenly bucked backwards, hitting a pegasus stallion who’d been standing behind him, mirroring the Wonderbolt’s movements, and sent the joker for a loop. Everyone gasped, and watched as Silver looked down on this upstart, who was on his back with a dazed and stupid look on his face, and comically appeared to be missing teeth. He had a bright gray coat, silver and sky blue mane, his rolling eyes were piercing blue, and his cutie-mark was two feathers being twirled about in a tornado.
“The hell is this?” Silver leered down, “I’ve seen recruits do a lot of stupidass things in my time, but you take the cake!”
The zonked stallion just groaned stupidly, and Midnight chuckled, “You’ll never get a straight answer out of him, Sir. That’s Whirly Gig. Drove me damn near to the brink of wanting to violate him with a bolt of lightning when we first met, but I would go as far as to say he’s been blessed by Stormbreaker himself how well he flies.”
“Don’t care,” Silver responded before grabbing Whirly Gig and pulling him up to his face and saying with al ow and dangerous voice, “Ever try that shit with me again, I’ll do what my old student didn’t, only I’ll do it into BOTH ENDS!! NOW GET BACK IN LINE!!”
Silver heaved and threw Whirly Gig towards the candidates, some of whom ducked as the KO’d pony sailed over them in a painful crash.
“Thanks to your new pal, Swirly Gag or whatever the hell his doped out mother called him the day he was born, you can all get started with five hundred laps around the plateau!”
The candidates all groaned again, only for Silver to rise up above them, casting a horrifying look as he thundered, “NOW!!!”
The twenty-five-ish candidates were about to spread their wings when Midnight’s horn lit up, blinding them all for a split-second, and they gasped to see the flat of the plateau had gained several buildings, such as a mess hall, dormitories, a warehouse, an obstacle course, a runway, and many other commodities perfect for training. They would’ve paused to ask where it had all come from but Silver had scared the horseapples out of them to move their tails and flap.
Watching them leave, Midnight and Soarin walked up to Silver as the older stallion alighted onto the ground, and asked, “So, where’d all this come from? You had me thinking I’d have to train these amateurs old school.”
“This, is my world,” Midnight explained, “Specifically, this is my own personal pocket dimension. Every alicorn has one and they can do practically anything they want in it.”
“This place is better equipped than the Wonderbolts Academy!” Soarin looked around in awe.
“In here, you’ll have everything you need to train the candidates and they’ll have everything they need to get by,” Midnight explained, “The Mess Hall will always be serving and the food won’t ever go bad. The Obstacle Course will instantly arrange itself to your liking, Silver, and the dormitories are furnished and comfortable for them. Your place will be that office-type building over there.
“Also, you’ll be training them for a month in here, but in the outside world, only a week will pass. Oh, and I have some assistants for you.”
Midnight willed two pegasus stallions wearing similar outfits that Spitfire’s assistants at the academy wore.
“These two will assist you to your liking, but they have no names because they’re not real.”
“Hmm,” Silver didn’t look at all impressed, simply taking it all in stride.
“Also, if you want it to,” Midnight brought up, “you can increase the gravity in here somewhat, make it a little more challenging for them. This training ground will exist for exactly eight days in the outside world, but to you and the class it will seem like a month, only they won’t really notice the passage of time like you will. And also, if anyone injures themselves they’ll just need an overnight rest and be fit as a fiddle the next morning, with barely a memory of the injury at all.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever,” Silver waved it off, “Come back in... a week or month, whichever, I’ll have your ‘elite flying squad’ ready by then.”
“Thanks, Silver,” Midnight held out his hoof, “It means a lot to me that you’ve agreed to this.”
“Well, at least you have the brains to ask somepony who actually knows how to train good fliers,” Silver scowled but smirked in a goodnatured way as he shook his old student’s hoof.
“See you when you get back.”
“C’mon, Soar, let’s fly,” Midnight took flight, Soarin flabbergasted as he quickly followed.
Once they were far enough away from the plateau, Soarin had to ask, “Hey Midnight, I don’t think you ever told me what this new squad is gonna be called.”
“Let’s save that for a week from now,” Midnight promised, “I wanna make the big reveal when the time is right.”