//------------------------------//
// Bonus Chapter: Wonderbolts 
// Story: Helljumpers 
// by CommanderApplejack 
//------------------------------//





"Thanks for coming, Scoots. It means a lot." Dash told the filly flying next to her as the two pegasi were quickly rising in elevation. Scootaloo let out a laugh, "For you any time, Dash. Also, it's a good excuse to get away from everypony."

The pair shot up above the cloud cover and leveled out, Rainbow slowed down to fly at Scootaloo's top speed as the filly was weighed down by her armor and a large saddlebag, she was also wearing her own armor but that was enchanted to be lighter and less cumbersome for flight. A couple of pegasi could be seen flying with carts in the distance as the two were starting to get close to the outskirts of Cloudsdale. "You know they just want to help, right?" Dash said making Scootaloo sigh, "Yeah, I know. It's just infuriating that everypony seems to want to hold my hoof with everything I do. Scootaloo let me carry those bags, Scootaloo let me help you up the fucking stairs, Scootaloo... ARGH, I mean I've run through a warzone while under fire, I'm not so fragile that I need help everywhere!"

In her rant, Scootaloo had unknowingly sped up significantly and was soaring over the clouds at a respectable speed for all the weight she was carrying. Dash gave Scootaloo a little supportive nudge and smiled, the little pegasus sighing and slowing back down to a more manageable pace. "Where's the academy located?" Scootaloo asked as she tried to find the Wonderbolt training grounds that simultaneously functioned as the bolts' operational base. "Four clicks to the northwest, ETA three minutes." Dash replied, since she had gotten the earpiece radio from Scootaloo she had been learning the proper radio protocols and was using them willy-nilly to familiarize herself to them.

The following three minutes the two just enjoyed the wind blowing through their mane as banked towards the flat, snow-covered, mountaintop that served as the Wonderbolts' training ground. Instead of landing on the mountain itself they landed on a large cloud structure floating next to the mountain, "Spitfire's probably going to be in her office" Dash said as she trotted into the structure, Sccootaloo pulled off her helmet and followed closely as she was once again attracting weird looks from passer-byes.

Secutity is abysmal, then again it's not like anyone is under threat here.

The two trotted through bustling hallways towards to where Dash was guessing where the Wonderbolt Captain was located. Two voices could be heard as Rainbow quickly knocked three times on the door of the office. "Enter." A gruff female voice said from the other side, both pegasi standing at attention as they entered. "Nightguard Dash and Corporal Hurricane, Captain Spitfire." Dash announced. "At ease." Spitfire said.

Spitfire's office was filled with trophies records and pictures, her desk had several stacks of papers and the filing cabinet behind her gave away that it was only a small part of the total amount of administrative work she had lying about.

"Nightguard? How cute, you must be living the dream!" The second pegasus in the room mockingly said, "It must be extremely exciting having to stand around doing nothing all day!"

Dash growled as Scootaloo could see the pegasus barely containing her rage, "Lightning Dust." She spat, the lime pegasus was smiling evilly at her idol before turning her gaze to Scootaloo. "And who's this? One of your fellow nightguards, are they so desperate that they're recruiting little fillies now?"

Oh, you're definitely going on my shitlist. Scootaloo thought as Lightning Dust saw the combat knife strapped to her chest. "What's this for a butter knife?" She asked as she hopped off her seat, walked up to Scootaloo, attempted to pull the knife...

...And got headbutt which immediately caused a bloody nose.

Scootaloo surged forward and even before the larger adult had hit the ground, pinned her and held the razor-sharp combat knife to Lightning's throat. "If you want my knife you have to pry it from my Cold. Dead. Corpse." She punctuated the last three words before she resheathed her knife and pushed off the pegasus.

Lightning Dust's mocking smile had vanished as she stood back up, "This isn't finished. Little Filly." She growled before stamping out of the room, Dash frowned at Scootaloo as the door closed with a bang. "You know, I might not like her but that went too far, Squirt." Dash tried to scold the filly but she just seemed to pass it off.

"Corporal Hurricane." The calm but authoritative voice of Spitfire making the two remaining visitors snap to attention, "Would you please explain why you assaulted one of my Wonderbolts?" She slowly asked.

"Because she's an ass. Any self-respecting military would drill the living shit out of anyone behaving like that." Scootaloo answered as she met the Captain's eyes, Spitfire stayed silent as their staring contest continued for more than two minutes. "To who should I report this incident?" She finally asked as she grabbed a paper and a pen to write down Scootaloo's answer.

"Don't know, my commanding officer died on my last mission. Just send whatever reports through to Princess Celestia, she can handle it." Scootaloo answered, Spitfire looked strangely at the smaller pegasus but scribbled down what Scootaloo had said none the less.  "Now, Rainbow. What brings you two here?" She asked as she folded the paper and stuffed it away in her jacket. Rainbow pulled out a parchment which had both the Celestial and Lunar seal stamped onto it, "If you remember correctly, the Princesses made a deal that I would be allowed back in for another shot at the bolts if I found my sister."

Spitfire quickly took the scroll and read through it, looking between Dash and Scootaloo as she finished reading the scroll. "Well damn. Dash, this isn't another shot, it's a straight-up transfer." She said, putting down the scroll on her table. "Congratulations Dash, you're a Bolt now."

Dash's jaw hit the floor, she had asked the princesses a letter of recommendation but this was way more than she had expected, "Don't get too excited yet Rainbow. I'm not putting you into rotation till we've thoroughly tested your abilities." She warned before the pegasus could get excited, "We'll have to fit you with a uniform and get you other equipment, I'll have someone bring you to the depot to get that sorted."
She turned to Scootaloo, "If you would be so kind as to wait in the mess hall and not get into a scuffle with my pegasi, that would be appreciated." Scootaloo quickly raised an objection, "Ma'am would it be all right if I swung by the gym to get some exercises done instead?" Spitfire thought for a moment but nodded, "Same rules apply." The Captain motioned for someone to take the two away and after they left the office they split up. One going to get her flight- and dress suit, the other to get some exercises done.

It was a small walk to the gym, there were all sorts of weights and machines that were specifically built for pegasi to use positioned throughout the large room. Scootaloo walked up to a row of lockers and started undressing, the saddlebags came off first and were neatly placed next to a bench, the second thing that came off where all the armor plates which got placed on the bench as she undid all the clasps and buckles that kept them to her body, the final thing to come off was the undersuit which she folded up and placed next to the armor plates.
Picking an empty locker she stuffed all her gear, except a tablet, into it and closed the door, made up a cipher combination and left to get some training done.

The first thirty minutes she rotated through the various machines, music she had taken with her from UNSC space playing in the background. Some of the settings on the machines were too light for her taste which indicated she was training some muscle clusters at a level most Bolts didn't.
Eventually, she got bored of the machines and saw a row of punchbags hanging from the walls, voices coming from the locker room as more ponies came to train in the gym. A marching song came to the forefront of Scootaloo's mind, She turned off her music as she started humming the tune.

"Helljumper, Helljumper, where have you been?" She grunted as she started beating the large bag, "Feet first into hell and back again!" She wasn't shouting the lines as she would have done if it were a march but anyone in the gym would be able to hear, " When I die, please bury me deep! Place my MA5 down by my feet." 
She increased the rate at which she was pummeling the punchbag considerably before continuing, "Don't cry for me, don't shed no tear! Just pack my box with PT gear!" The punchbag groaned under the stress of the constant powerful strikes the pegasus was throwing at it, " 'Cuz one early morning 'bout zero-five, the ground will rumble, there'll be lightning in the sky! Don't worry, don't come undone! It's just my ghost on a PT RUN!" She shouted the last word as she bucked the punchbag at full power, the bag ripping of its chains and hitting the floor with a dull thud.

"Whoa, calm down there!" She heard someone say from behind her, turning around she found Fleetfoot, Soarin, and... her, standing behind her. Soarin stepped forward and held out his hoof, "Soarin, you are?" Scootaloo shook the hoof, "Corporal Scootaloo Hurricane." She answered giving him a pleasant smile, shaking Fleetfoot's hoof as well. 

"We've met." Lightning Dust simply said as she turned around and started training. "Celestia dammit! Who put this much this much weight on this thing?!" She shouted as she tried to get one of the machines to budge. Scootaloo snickered as she looked at the struggling pony, "What's so funny?" She asked while shooting an annoyed glare at the orange filly, "Why don't you try?"

Scootaloo immediately walked up to the machine and strapped in, Soarin and Fleetfoot were watching from the sidelines as Lightning Dust smirked. "Go on super-pony." She taunted while Scootaloo pretended to not be able to move the machine. "Oh well, guess I'm not strong enough." Scootaloo replied as she suddenly started doing reps. The smile that had formed on Lightning's face immediately vanished, "W-what! How!"

Scootaloo unstrapped herself from the machine and grabbed her towel to wipe away some sweat that had been accumulating, "Because I'm trained as a soldier, not a stunt-flyer, and I've seen actual combat." Scootaloo replied as she picked up her tablet and checked if Twilight had sent her any messages while she drank water from a canteen.

"Trained as a soldier?"
"Actual combat?" 

Fleetfoot and Soarin asked curiously as they were training themselves. Scootaloo sighed, not really wanting to re-tell her story after she did it a week ago for the others. "Ask Dash when you see her, I'm not in the mood." She said as she lumbered off towards the lockers where she retrieved her gear, quickly putting her armor back on. Back in the gym, she could hear the three Bolts talk to each other.

"You think she really saw any combat?" Scootaloo heard Fleetfoot ask the other two, "Seriously Lightning, where did you think that scar came from?"

She heard Lightning snort, "Some kind of accident which she's using to brag now? I don't know, doesn't mean she got it in a fight."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes, that pony was Applejack kind of stubborn. "You know I can hear you three, right?" She shouted over the lockers, the conversation on the other side immediately coming to a halt. Putting on her helmet before walking to the gym, two of the bolts looking at her in awe while the third was eyeing the knife strapped to her torso, "You want to know how I got my scar?" She said through the speakers of her helmet which slightly distorted her voice.

Scootaloo activated her energy dagger and sliced the nearest punching bags in half without much effort, one half of the thing staying attached to the ceiling while the other dropped to the floor with a loud thud. Lightning looked at Scootaloo with wide eyes, "Back in the office would you have..."

"...Killed you? Nah. You're not a sufficient threat and we're on the same side." Scootaloo answered while studying the pegasus in front of her, "Do you girls have a sparring arena in the building?" The three Bolts looked at each other and nodded, "Ok I'll admit, I went too far in the office but you were being a massive ass. Tell you what, we start over. I teach you some fighting moves and you try to work on your attitude, deal?" Scootaloo proposed while holding out her hoof.

Lightning just stood still for a moment but then slowly lifted her hoof and shook Scootaloo's, "Good, now where's that ring?" Scootaloo said as she released the hoofshake, "Follow me." Lightning told Scootaloo and walked off towards a door in the building.

"Hey, wait up!" Soarin called out from behind them, "We're coming with you!" The two other Bolts trailing them to their destination.

This is going to be more fun then I thought. Scootaloo thought with a grin.




"Thanks, ma'am!" Dash said as she flew away from the building where she had gotten her clothing towards the main building in the complex. As she entered she could see all the pegasi in the mess gathered around a single table. Curious as to why, she added herself to the group.

"And then she for some reason just shouted,'THE NIGHT SHALL LAST FOREVER!' I don't think I'll ever see Twilight that drunk ever again!" Dash grinned as she heard Scootaloo, she pushed forward to the front. Scootaloo and Soarin were sitting across to each other, a lot of empty shot glasses between them and a half-empty bottle of alcohol that definitely wasn't made in Equestria. 

Soarin shakily took a full shot glass and lifted in front of his face, the crowd went completely silent as he brought the glass to his muzzle...

...and lost his balance making him clatter to the floor, "ODST's one, Wonderbolts zero!" Scootaloo cheered as everyone chuckled and a couple of ponies were helping Soarin up, Scootaloo spotted Dash standing among the crowd. "Hey Dash, You have your uniform! Awesome!" She said with a slur in her voice as she stood up, a little wobbly on her legs. "Hey, Hurricane! How much alcohol is in that bottle!" Fleetfoot asked as she supported Soarin, the filly grinned savagely, "Seventy-five percent." She answered and collapsed herself as she couldn't support her own weight any longer.

"Sweet Celestia!" Fleetfoot said with wide eyes as the crowd let out a gasp as well and murmured among themselves, "The strongest I ever heard off was the Apple family's thirty-two percent hard cider!" Scootaloo laughed as she picked herself up and retrieved what remained of her bottle. "You Bolts are just light-weights, this isn't even the strongest thing I ever saw." 

The orange filly got picked up by Dash before she could do or say anything else. "Well, I hope you had fun but I'm taking this alcoholic back to Ponyville." She announced, light snoring coming from her back as the filly had fallen asleep. The crowd had already begun to dissolve but before she could leave Lightning Dust stopped her.

"Hey Dash, I'll see you in training in a week." She said with a genuine smile. She had a black eye, a couple of bandages covering her body, and the distinct smell of burned fur radiating from her. Dash skeptically looked at the pegasus in front of her, "What the buck happened to you?"

"Maybe one of the best things that could have happened." Lightning pointed at Scootaloo, "She did."

Dash only got more confused as she tried to figure out how, what seemed to be, being beaten into the ground would help anypony. "She's one hell of a fighter you know," Lightning continued, "I found that out the hard way, but there's a valuable lesson she taught me as well. Respect. Because if you don't, your opponent will unpleasantly surprise you."

The two looked at each other for a moment, "Anyway, if she remembers it when she wakes up you should tell her thanks. Later!" Lightning took off before Dash could say anything else to her, looking back at the blasted filly on her back.

"What in Equestria did you do today?"