//------------------------------//
// Chapter Twelve: Don't Meet Your Heroes 
// Story: Sky Dancer, the First Flying Unicorn 
// by Scroll 
//------------------------------//

    “Wow, Dad! Princess Celestia sure does sound like an amazing pony! I mean, I already knew that but not to that degree. Your story tells me more about her personality and motivations. I think you even uncovered some hidden aspects of her. She may have read you like a book, but I think you did a pretty good job of that yourself.”

    “Did I,” Feather Wind checked, “or did I only see what she chose to show me?

    “I highly doubt she was ever insincere, but everything she showed me may have had a calculated agenda. Since she was able to read me so well, she must have known that I had a brilliant mind for my age, but I highly suspect she's dealt with my kind before and knows how to hoofle us.”

    “Manipulating you like a puppet? Like Puppet Master?” she teased.

    “Likely not even close,” Feather Wind answered. “Manipulation yes, but to what end? I am convinced she just wants what's best for Equestria in her eyes. Maybe Puppet Master might see it the same way in his own twisted way. He could be so insane that he doesn't even realize he's evil. That's the thing about life. Don't be too quick to pass judgment or you risk passing the wrong one.”

    There was a short pause before Star Breeze said, “I'm curious. If even the Princess couldn't figure out a way to stop him, how did you eventually do it?” 

    “Through discoveries I made at a much later time,” Feather Wind answered, then stopped there. 

    They stared at each other for eight seconds of silence before she asked, “You're not going to tell me yet, are you?”

    “Spoilers!” Feather Wind teased back, then went on. “I won't tell you yet. That will be your reward for good behavior if you sit through and listen to my story long enough to get to that point. I'm telling you how things happened to me mostly in chronological order so you know exactly how I felt from moment to moment.”

    “Well, now that an actual oracle has entered the picture, other kinds of spoilers can enter the mix,” Star Breeze observed.

    “Good eye, but the truth is I wasn't involved in that scenario until a while later. In truth, I almost forgot about that in later years until the issue came up again. For now, I'm going to tell you more about what happened in my life next; my early experience in the Wonderbolt Academy.”

    


xoxo



    {Six years pass. I finally grew up enough to join the Wonderbolt Academy. By then my father no longer had the authority to stop me, but it turned out he didn't even try. I took my studies quite seriously over the years and he was very impressed with me. In his eyes, it was high time to show the rest of the world what I could really do. I wanted to prove that to myself too.

    {In the interim, your mother and I got very close. We shared lots of personal moments together but also spent a lot of time apart. This isn't because of relationship problems, it was just regular life problems. She pursued her own career path and I mine. It was as simple as that. We continued to see each other plenty of times over the years, enough to make us feel like we weren't missing out.}

    “Okay, since you're skipping ahead six years, I got two questions for ya about that time,” Star Breeze interjected.

    “Shoot,” Feather Wind invited.

    “Question one; did the Orchard family finally get their own land again?”

    “Yes,” Feather Wind answered. “I still visit them from time to time. They actually made an awesome discovery out on their new land. Some kind of magical apple discovered in the Everfree forest that can make the most delicious apple jam you ever tasted. If you haven't tried it then I have got to take you sometime. Unfortunately, this is a seasonal affair. I can only introduce you to the thing during that time, but they promised to reserve a jar for me for a few days every year in case I'm interested. Next season I may have to take them up on that offer. 

    “Come to think of it, I'm surprised I never introduced you to them before. They really have become good friends of mine, and they actually feel quite a bit closer than that. I still call Braeburn Uncle Braeburn. By now it was just tradition, and that family is quite serious about their traditions.” He rolled his eyes. “Really serious in some cases.” 

    Feather Wind sighed for a moment. “They did have some trouble at first. Growing a new crop takes a while, you see. They had very little on their food plate until the discovery of the Zap-Apple which I heard is an art they are still refining. Baby Smith is the one mostly pioneering that project.” 

    Feather Wind grew a fond grin as he said, “I remember when she assured her mother, just before they left their last farm, that a miracle would indeed come to help them out, and I'm glad to see that Baby Smith's faith in that belief was rewarded after all. After all the hardships they had to endure to get this far, it's nice to see this kind and warm-hearted family finally getting a well-deserved break.

    “For my part, I have more than a little hope and faith that their new home will continue to treat them very prosperously. For reasons that I will not divulge until a later time, I am certain that the fruits of their labor out there will continue to be more than just a little special. It is . . . magical and blessed out there, and some of those reasons are already apparent.”

    He gave a pleasant sigh at that thought, then looked at his daughter as he asked, “Your next question please?”

    “Um,” Star Breeze took a moment to try to recall it herself, then she said, “Oh! I remember. Mom's Puffball career. Did it take off any further?”

    “I was actually about to get to that before you interrupted me. As I told you earlier, your mother did not take her security profession seriously until later years. Before that, she still wanted to play and be herself.

    “In a way, you can say she temporarily set aside her cutie mark destiny, but it always hung there on her flank as a reminder. Unless an attack occurred in her vicinity, even social ones, she was content to do other things and she loved that game. 

    “Yeah, she did go professional for a few years at Puffball. She easily had enough talent, strength, and stamina to play the game well. I'm just surprised it took her that long to get scouted for the game in the major leagues. 

    “As for me . . . I finally hit my career with the Wonderbolts.”



xoxo



    {I told you I would get back to this later several times now, and now I'll prove to you that I'm a pony of my word.

    {To just get into the Academy itself, it took less effort than I initially expected. I used to think that only a few were chosen from a wide province and they had to pass a whole bunch of tests to even be considered for the Academy, but no. It turns out the Academy itself was the real acid test. It was at that point which would make or break a potential candidate from going any further.

    {Unless you do something really bad, you're not normally kicked out of the Academy. Instead, it's usually the candidates themselves that quit before things get too serious.

    {I heard the first few weeks have the highest turnover for recruits. On average, usually eighty percent drop out within the first two weeks, but again that's the point. The Wonderbolts don't sugar coat their expectations and they don't lower it just because a potential candidate has any disabilities. If you couldn't make it into the Bolts, they'll show you why and they'll still let you try and judge for yourself how far you can make it in the Academy. They show you their standards and expectations. You either manage to meet it or you don't. It's as simple as that. 

    {That said, they don't accept just any recruit. If it's obvious you can't fly then they'll quickly point in the direction of the exit.

    {If you are accepted then you enter a waiting list before entering the Academy itself. During that time you can exercise and strut your stuff. Moving up the ranks requires you to prove yourself on many, many levels. The greater your talent appears to be then the faster you enter the Academy, but there are other factors too.

    {If no pony else applied during a certain season, which is really rare by the way, then you are obviously shown right in when your season of training is up because there is no pony else to compete for your spot in the Academy. If there are many candidates, however, then their system is a mix between first come, first serve and demonstration of natural talent.

    {I felt excited about this but also strange. Being the only unicorn in the lineup obviously won me some attention. Some ponies who applied heard about me for years and, for others, I was a totally brand new thing. The difference between the two tended to be where they came from before applying for the Academy. If they lived in Canterlot or regularly associated with ponies who did then I was the talk of the city often enough to make relatively certain I might be known. If they came from a more distant and remote village, however, then they were shocked to see the first flying unicorn in their life. 

    {Either way, my reception, according to my peers, was a mixed bag. I was kind of used to this but not so often on a regular basis. Some liked it and some hated it.

    {From the more fascinated ponies, I tended to get a lot of questions about my talents and cutie mark. It was quite interesting to them that I had such an innate connection with the sky.

    {In hindsight, it was definitely a mistake that I mentioned I could hear conversations from a distance through the wind or send a message using the same method. That made a lot of ponies paranoid, and suddenly I found myself honestly considering to delay my application until another season. By then a fresh wave of new recruits rolled in and I could start over socially, but no. I rolled with the punches for once. If I delayed my candidacy for another season then effectively I was delaying my entire life for another season. I was devoted to this wholeheartedly.

    {I held fast to the principle ideas that initially drew me to the Academy and the Wonderbolts in particular. My life was saved by their hooves directly. That's far more than an experience you tend to admire from a distance and read about in the newspaper while gawking and saying, “Oh look. The Wonderbolts save yet another orphanage of school foals in Mustangia. Bravo! Bravo for them, I say! What a fine example of Equestria ponies they are! Jolly good show indeed.”

    {No. For me, this was much more personal. They . . . saved . . . my . . . life, and I'll never forget it. I really thought I was going to die in that house and I probably would have if they hadn't shown up.

    {This meant I also had Vision to thank for warning Celestia and Celestia to thank for sending the Bolts.

    {Still . . . the Bolts were the ones who actually did it and they did it at great risk to themselves. They are genuine heroes and I wanted in on that. I wanted my talents to mean something and I thought the Bolts were a good fit, but not because of the show.

    {No.

    {I tried to join the Bolts specifically to be a hero then, one day, I might save some other ponies life and then they, in turn, might look at the Bolts with the same kind of reverence that I once did. I was proud to salute the Wonderbolt flag during these times.

    {You know what they say, though. It is a mistake to meet your heroes.

    {I haven't always found that to be true. Some ponies I looked up to from afar turned out to be really upstanding ponies even up close as well. Princess Celestia is a good example of that. It happens sometimes, but it can also swing the other direction.

    {Having such high expectations of individual ponies, or a whole organization, colors it in such a way that it may distort your vision of reality and, when you get closer and it turns out you were wrong on some points, then the ideal vision you have in your head pops and you are left with disappointment that that pony or organization did not meet your mental standards. 

    {I remember on the first day of the Academy, when I finally got in, I got a stern talk-down by the commander of the Wonderbolts, General Flash. I think, because I was so nervous, it made the situation harder than it actually was. When you get down to it, he simply asked me if I had what it took to be in the Bolts. The way he said it with his in-your-face attitude made him seem far more aggressive than he actually was, but only later did it occur to me that his question itself was fairly innocent.

    {Also, his stern stare shook me down so much I didn't even notice that, at first, the other candidates in my lineup got the same treatment and most of them responded with a very similar reaction. 

    {You know, I've grown up with enough exposure that I should have been more aware of what the Wonderbolts really represented. I studied their history, I've talked to many fans, and I even got to speak with a few members of their organization, primarily Sky Dancer. He actually warned me a few times that the Bolts grill you hard from day one, but there was a good reason and purpose to it. The challenges they face are very difficult so a pony applying can't just be a good flier, they have to be bold as well.

    {After all, regardless of what else they became since its founding, the Wonderbolts were performance troops first and foremost. It was basically the entertainment industry, so ponies with stage fright had no business being in the Wonderbolts no matter how good of a flier they otherwise were. It wasn't enough to just fly good, they had to do it with style that could evoke genuine entertainment for an audience. 

    {While General Flash yelled at me in the lineup, my instinctual self-conscious personality quickly came up. It snapped in my head, “You know what? I don't like being the center of attention and I rarely have.” That, right there, was a big flaw in my plans with the Wonderbolts. They weren't just for heroics. There was other stuff involved too. 

    {But, just like my studies with magic, I also thought that it might be something I could work on. I may be uncomfortable at first but, slowly and surely, I could make it.

    {Besides, most of the other ponies in my lineup had similar troubles. It's like trying to make a speech in front of a crowd. Very few can do it without getting nervous. Those who do it well usually have training as well as talent to back them up. I may be struggling but the rest of my team were too. That realization made me feel a little better.

    {Actually, I take that back, at least partially. We also had a few bold and cocky members of our lineup. That was actually a pretty important requisite for the Wonderbolts. By far not the only requirement, but it dearly helped. A bold personality was a perfect fit for a performance pony as long as they had the talent to back up their confidence and they knew how to follow orders without endangering any other pony.

    {Setting aside the heroics and the performances, I also knew there was another benefit and purpose to the Wonderbolts. They were the best fliers in Equestria by far, and to do that demonstrates a passion and talent for moving through the sky. I was interested to test my limits. No other organization was more likely to help me in that regard. Even if I failed to get into the Wonderbolts, their training alone could help me in my life.

    {I wanted to know what I was capable of if I pushed myself to be my very best. How fast could I go? How maneuverable could I be? How long could I fly? 

    {The flight training had utilitarian applications as well. The best fliers in Equestria were experts in weather control, and that was an essential function in Equestria. They didn't produce the clouds themselves, or not often at least, but they were experts in how to use them. Being useful was one of my goals. 

    {I found my true talent with my cutie mark but that didn't signify my destiny in great detail. There were many directions I could go with a talent like this, so Wonderbolt training in the Academy was an experiment to see if this path was a good fit. It got off to a rocky start, but that didn't mean it would end that way. I figured I would just have to stick with it until I reach a barrier that was clearly uncrossable, or I simply don't want to cross it. 

    {After the, ah . . . “Introductions,”} (Feather Wind said this with hoof quotes) {they had us flying about the compound for five hundred laps. I recall some of the other cadets glance at each other with a “Sheesh” look as if they thought that was quite excessive, especially for the first day, but I knew that the Wonderbolts was all about pushing one's self very hard.

    {In my case, it really wasn't that difficult either. To fly, I was really just gliding and manipulating the wind cost me no energy as long as I used my cutie mark talent and not my unicorn magic. 

    {But, while I flew, I happened to catch wind of a distant conversation. As usual, the wind seemed to deliver conversations to me as soon as my name is mentioned in it somewhere.}

    “But Feather Wind is up there right now, doing his laps like everypony else,” General Flash said while regarding another pony through his reflective sunglasses which showed the image of Searing Wind, a pony Feather Wind had not seen in many years. That was the very same pony that saved his life back at the former Orchard home. “As long as he does his work, I don't see the problem here.”

    “The problem is the fact he's a unicorn,” Searing Wind argued. “He shouldn't even be allowed to fly at all, much less apply for the Wonderbolts!” 

    “You have something against unicorns?” General Flash asked as he tilted his head with suspicion. He did not think that was very likely but he decided to check anyway.

    Searing Wind softened her tone a bit as she said, “Normally, not at all. I think they are a very noble race and they serve a very important role in Equestria, but the sky is our domain!” Searing Wind stomped a hoof down on the word “our”. “If Feather Wind learned to maintain his place in society, I wouldn't have a problem with him, but seeing him here in the Wonderbolt Academy is, quite frankly, Sir, a slap in the face to all of us pegasi. This organization is supposed to represent the pinnacle of our entire race. The best of the best when it comes to fliers. Letting him fly with us is just an insult. I mean, he doesn't even have any wings, Sir!” 

    Searing Wind spread her own fiery red wings for a moment then folded them again as she resumed her point. “He's flying up there right now with a device attached to his back. I thought the Wonderbolts were supposed to achieve their greatness using purely their own talents that they were born with. If you're going to allow unicorns like him to join the Academy then you might as well accept earth ponies with a bunch of balloons attached to their backs, but if you went that far then why turn away disabled pegasi that can't fly? Those pegasi can attach a bunch of balloons to their backs just as well. 

    “Well, I'll tell you why! It's because this Academy has high standards, standards that those other ponies cannot match. It might feel mean, but we have never lowered our standards just to suit the less abled. I mean no offense to them, but such ponies are meant to do something else instead.”

    “But Feather Wind is doing it, like I said earlier,” General Flash reminded as he straightened his head. “Feather Wind actually has very good test scores in most of the pre-flight tests.

    “I talked him down a moment ago. He didn't take it well but he didn't gallop away either, and most of his peers did just as badly.

    “Of course we won't accept any pony who clearly has no ability to meet our standards, but we also don't turn away those who can match our standards and Feather Wind has done that so far. Until he proves otherwise, as long as he's willing to give us a chance, I will return the favor. He'll have to get up early and work just as hard as the rest of us. If he can do that then we have no right to turn him away just because of his race.”

    Searing Wind sighed in annoyance. “You're missing the point. You think this has only to do with race issue. Well it doesn't!” Searing Wind leaned in at General Flash during that last sentence then stood up straight again as she resumed. “How do you think he's flying up there right now, Sir? He's using his magic, of course. He's got no wings so he has no other resource to fall back upon unless the magic entirely extends from his cloak, and even then it's still relying upon magic. He's using magic, Sir, and magic can do anything.”

    “So what?” General Flash asked.

    “So he can cheat his way through the entire Academy!” Searing Wind complained. “Take cloud shaping, for example.” She strut away a few paces then pointed at a cloud. “We, here in the Bolts, are trained to shape clouds like that by flying around them really fast. That doesn't just demonstrate our awesome flying skills, it demonstrates our performance and creativity too.”

    She spun around to face the General again, then resumed. “But he doesn't need to do that. He's a unicorn. He could just float in front of the clouds and let the wind do the work for him, probably even from a distance.

    “Now is that fair to any of the rest of the cadets here? Or how about any of the cadets that came before him?

    “It's not as if we can tell him not to use magic either because, if he did, he would drop to the ground like a rock dropped from the sky. Since magic is his only means to remain in the sky then he has to use it in order to be with the rest of us, so where exactly do we draw the line when it comes to the flexibility of his abilities?”

    “It's true that this is not a magic academy, this is a flight academy,” General Flash agreed. “Magic academies have their own performance arts as well, but he joined us . . . the flight academy . . . and he did so knowing what that would imply. He joined us to learn how to become a better flier, maybe even one of the best in Equestria. It also means he will have to do that using our standards.”

    “But he doesn't have WINGS!” Searing Wind reminded sharply as she raised her own for just a moment for emphasis before folding her wings again. “He physically can't match our standards. How is he supposed to?”

    General Flash sighed as he slowly took off his reflective glasses and tucked it into a chest pocket on his dark blue shirt on the front and off to the side of his chest. Even with his sunglasses off, however, his eyes remained a bit shaded under the lip of his cap.

    He paused for a moment to figure out how he was going to phrase this, then he said as he gave her a steely stare, “As far as I am concerned, using his magic is perfectly legal as long as he only uses it to simulate what we can do. Feather Wind is going to have to learn to shape those clouds using his flying skills and nothing else. If he wanted to shape it with only magic then he can leave and go join a magic academy. Even if he's capable of otherwise, this is flight training so he's going to have to do things our way for as long as he chooses to stay here.” 

    When he saw Searing Wind about to make a rebuttal, he cut her off with a lift of a hoof. “Listen to me, Searing Wind. I heard your complaint and I've noted it. You don't have to like him, or any other pony in this entire Academy, or the Wonderbolts. Who you choose to hang out with on your own time is your business.

    “As for Feather Wind, he can remain with us for as long as he does his work. No more, and no less. Unless you have something new to add to this conversation, I don't want to repeat myself. Have I made myself clear?”

    Searing Wind sighed with anger as she lowered her head but kept her eyes on the General as she said, “Perfectly clear, Sir.” She then flashed an angry stare in Feather Wind's direction.

    “Good.” General Flash replaced his glasses on his eyes. “Now if you will excuse me, I have some cadets to whip into shape.” He trotted away after he said that.

    Searing Wind pulled out a cork of a water bottle that hung about her neck and drank a few sips. She sat down and watched the cadets circle the skies but, for the most part, she kept an angry eye on Feather Wind as dark plots circled her own mind. 



xoxo



    “I see what you mean about meeting your heroes,” Star Breeze realized aloud. “This isn't mere idol worship either. That pony actually saved your life for real at one time. I mean, you didn't just imagine it. That actually happened in real life.”

    Star Breeze sighed sadly, her face barely illuminated by the last of the daylight left in the sky. “It's too bad she felt that way. I think the two of you could have made awesome friends.”

    “That would have been nice,” Feather Wind agreed.

    “Did you ever get along with her better?” Star Breeze asked her father hopefully.

    “You'll have to wait and see,” he responded which prompted an annoyed and impatient sigh from her which ended up as a horsey snort. 

    “Probably not,” Star Breeze figured in depression. 



xoxo



    {Over the next two months I basically got my wish, at least when it came to testing my limits. Sky Dancer once helped me with my initial flight training all those years ago but, in the Academy, I learned there was so much more to it. Recovering from dizziness, recovering from spinning, locating small objects from high up in the sky, cloud shaping, precision flight in flight formations, lots of stuff.

    {I learned a lot about myself in two ways. I learned more about my abilities, which included my strengths and weaknesses, and I learned more about myself emotionally. 

    {In most respects I did very well in the tests. I could even say I performed too well in some of them, and that made other ponies jealous. Because of my abilities, talents or methods, certain things came much more easily for me.

    {For instance, I recovered very fast from dizziness, I had superb flight control and spatial orientation, and my flights were very nearly inexhaustible.

    {While watching other ponies struggle and breathe heavily, I felt like I insulted them by breathing easily. It made me tempted to pretend this was difficult for me too. Being too good at something doesn't win you many friends. It was more to the contrary. As Searing Wind once pointed out, my abilities made it feel like I'm cheating to them.

    {But I did come across some problems as well and it was quite difficult to solve. My method of fast flight had to do with controlling the winds directly. That strategy was overkill with certain things, and it certainly messed up close-quarters flight control.

    {I generate a wind column around myself to guide my flight. I even project that wind tunnel ahead of me and curve it where I plan to curve, twist and bend in the sky. This came with years of practice.

    {Picture using it for cloud shaping. My method meant I didn't have to fly as close or as fast to achieve the same results. In fact, if I did fly too close, I would actually end up breaking the clouds up instead. 

    {It's been suggested that I stop using wind control and focus more on the telekinesis but I established those problems years earlier. I still gave it a shot and I improved my performance in some regards. I had to learn to balance back and forth between wind control and telekinesis and I had to learn to shift between the two methods in the blink of an eye as my situation changed. This was very difficult for me. 

    {I actually noticed some relief from my fellow cadets when it came to anything that finally caused me to struggle. That helped them to not feel too inferior.

    {At the same time, they also acknowledged that the challenges I faced might not easily be overcome because of my methods. There were some logistical problems that I simply couldn't work around.

    {Then there were the social problems. One, in particular, came to a boil.}



xoxo



    “What'cha writing there?” Searing Wind asked as she snatched up the scroll Feather Wind had been writing in while leaning against a tree.

    “Give it back!” Feather Wind cried out as he rolled forward a bit. He snagged his scroll in a telekinetic aura but Searing Wind stubbornly held onto the scroll. 

    “Careful! You'll rip it,” Searing Wind warned. That made Feather Wind relent. “Geeze, so defensive. Is your work really that bad, I wonder?” 

    Searing Wind was flanked by two flunkies whom Feather Wind did not recognize. They also seemed a bit too young to be members of this Academy. Besides being a pegasus, they didn't look related to Searing Wind in any other way. His guess was that they were merely two fans of hers that followed her around if they were allowed to.   

    After a while of reading through the scroll, Searing Wind laughed a bit and said, “Hey you guys, check this out. Here it says, 'The sky was ignited with brilliant orange-fire. The clouds glowed with pink which seemed to have the texture of fluffy cotton candy.' Mmm. Yum. Wouldn't either of you like to have cotton candy in the sky?”

    “Yeah! Yum!” one of the flunkies said with a mocking laugh.

    “'The Wind's whispered sweet nothings in my ear.'” Searing Wind read on with a sarcastic, mocking tone. “'In emptiness, there is peace. The sound of nothing filling my ears, mouth, and lungs. Void filled me as I experienced the meaning of true space.'”

    “How can you hear the sound of nothing? That doesn't make any sense,” one of the flunkies asked with a teasing chuckle. 

    “It's poetry, boys,” Searing Wind told them with a narrow-eyed look towards them as well as a secret mocking grin on her lips. “Have a little class, why don't ya? You might learn something.

    “Anyway,” she looked back at the scroll which was held extended from her left wing, “it says here-” 

    “Give it back!” Feather Wind insisted more angrily. He glared at Searing Wind harshly. 

    “Ooo! He's angry! Better watch out! You should give the scroll back, lest you upset a member of the 'master' race,” a flunky sarcastically advised.

    “Actually, you got a good point. Here you go.” Searing Wind tossed and flapped the scroll back to Feather Wind using the same wing that originally held it. Since it was paper, it didn't steadily make it all the way over to him but he caught it with his telekinesis then dragged it back to his hooves. “We don't want to upset a member of the master race. His kind can do anything, after all. Whatever it takes for them to rub their smug little horns all over our faces!”

    With that, Searing Wind flicked Feather Wind's horn with the tip of her right wing when she said the word “horns” to put further emphasis on it. 

    Feather Wind hugged his scroll close to his chest and closed his eyes tightly as he started to cry.

    Upon seeing that, immediately one of the flunkies mocked him for that.

    “Oh look. He's starting to cry! Boo-hoo.”

    “Maybe he'll get upset with us and turn us all into frogs or something,” the other flunky playfully warned, followed by an amused snicker.

    “He might as well,” Searing Wind angrily said as she poured over and leaned towards Feather Wind from above. “He and his kind are so good with magic, what need have they of the rest of us? Maybe I'm the one who should retire from the Bolts. Maybe all of us lowly and pathetic pegasi should retire from the Bolts. All we can do is flyyyyyyyyyyyy.

    “He doesn't need us. He can just shape the entire weather if he wanted to with his mighty horn.

    “Well, if he's so high and mighty, maybe he should do everything else in Equestria . . . alone!”

    Feather Wind smashed one hoof into the ground. He built up a ball of wind pressure then had it explode him upwards. He curved away in a rapid ark. He quickly picked up speed before diving back down out of sight beyond the edge of a cliff, leaving a cloudy streak in his wake.

    “YEAH! YOU BETTER FLY AWAY!” Searing Wind screamed after his fast retreating form.



xoxo



    Star Breeze screamed out loud and smashed both hooves onto the cloud ground. “Arg! I hate ponies like that! I simply hate 'em!

    “That's it! I don't care that she saved your life anymore. If I could go back in time, I would smash her smug little muzzle inward for that. How dare she talk to my father like that!”

    “You weren't even born yet back then,” Feather Wind reminded.

    “Doesn't matter. I still hate her. From now on 'Searing Wind' is a cuss words in my book that I'll use to insult my worst enemies. If I see somepony doing something that I really don't like, I'll accuse them of being a 'Searing Wind', the worst possible insult I can think of!”

    “Now you be careful how you judge others,” Feather Wind cautioned. “Very rarely is anything that black and white, and I have never encountered another pony that is totally without any shred of redeeming qualities.”

    “Even Puppet Master?” Star Breeze asked skeptically.

    “Even Puppet Master,” Feather Wind confirmed.

    Star Breeze sat up straight as she searched her mind for another intimidating example that she could think of, then asked, “What about King Sombra? He seemed pretty bad. He dragged down an entire empire out of pure spite.”

    Feather Wind shook his head as he said, “Ponies like Puppet Master and King Sombra are special kinds of cases. No pony ever gets that purely evil without a very unusual reason. They both became that way because of a special influence, but what were they before that? Shades of redeeming qualities, and it's qualities that can come back in one form or another. Who were they before they became evil, and how and why did it occur in the first place? By understanding that, one can bring either of them back from the brink of damnation, and that same logic can apply to bullies like Searing Wind as well.

    “Yes, she was mean for a moment, but what else was she? Without knowing her full life's story, you don't know.”

    That comment made Star Breeze thoughtful.

    “Your mother thought in similar regards,” Feather Wind went on. “She was the one I spoke with next.”



xoxo



    {I told your mom about what happened to me as we sat near the lakeside I used to train at with Sky Dancer. Not only do I remember what she told me, but I also remember how she said it.}

    “Don't listen to them,” Stern Wing encouraged very emotionally which made her voice sound just a bit thinner and smaller. “Don't you listen to them, okay? They are just trying to tear you down to their level. Instead of them, you listen to me.” She put a hoof on Feather Wind's back. “You fly. You just fly high, okay? Just fly away.” 

    Feather Wind looked back at her as he heard her voice quivering with unsteady emotion. Tears were in her eyes. 

    “You are the most incredible pony I've ever met,” Stern Wing went on. “The sky's the only limit for you. Fly harder, higher, farther and faster than any other pony in Equestria because you can do it.” 

    She grabbed both of Feather Wind's cheeks and turned his head to look straight into her watery eyes. “I need you to understand this. You are incredible, and you will show us all how impossibility is just an illusion. You are a unicorn that can fly, and fly so very well.

    “I'm so, so lucky to keep up with you for as long as I did.” 

    She then pulled Feather Wind into a tight hug. “So you just fly, okay? Just fly. Follow your dreams. Soar even higher than all the rest of us can. I believe in you. I . . .” she trailed off because she was sobbing too much.

    {I was still being hugged so my gaze was over her shoulder. I felt and heard, rather than saw, her steadily calm down. What I heard next mildly disturbed me at the time.}

    “I'll have a little chat with those other ponies who teased you,” Stern Wing said tightly.

    “No! Don't!” Feather Wind pulled back from her hug to stare at her face in alarm. “Don't stir up more trouble. You can get arrested, or perhaps even get me kicked out of the Academy if they feel I set you up for this.”

    “Don't worry.” Stern Wing rubbed a hoof against Feather Wind's right cheek. “I'll be gentle.”

    


xoxo



    {I was very nervous, almost panicked, when I saw Stern Wing fly down near the Academy where Searing Wind and her flunkies rested on a bench in front of a table which was under the shade of a tree.

    {At the time I was flying laps around the area but I wasn't kidding when I flew down to the instructor and told her I wasn't feeling well and needed a few minutes break. One good look at my face indicated to her that I was telling the truth, so she told me to sit down nearby and take a ten minute break.

    {I did so, then listened through the wind to what your mother had to say to Searing Wind. I expected a brutal hoof fight to break out right away, but what happened instead pleasantly surprised me.

    {I sometimes forget how wise your mother can be and, when she does have her head on together real tight and she decides you are her opponent, watch out! Sometimes words can cut deeper than any blow of a hoof, even one as strong as hers.}

    “Hey there! Mind if I join you?” Stern Wing asked as she flew down on the other side of the table with two benches on each side of it, Searing Wind being on the opposite side. Stern Wing could see two smaller copies of herself reflected in Searing Winds sunglasses.

    “Not really, no,” Searing Wind said casually as she stretched while relaxing, her head and forehooves on the table.

    One of her flunkies, meanwhile, was rhythmically pounding on her back to help massage her back and base of her wings.

    “Just taking a break, is all,” the yellow pegasus, Searing Wind, said with a tired yawn. 

    “A break from Wonderbolts practice, I take it,” Stern Wing said very pleasantly. “Here to spy on the new recruits?”

    “Heh.” Searing Wind grinned. “Doesn't hurt to keep an eye on the newbloods every once in a while. Sometimes I see some with a lot of promise. I might be working with them someday, so I just think taking a break here gives me the heads up. Aside from that, I need a break anyway regardless, so I might as well get some extra use out of my time off.”

    “You're Searing Wind, aren't you?” Stern Wing asked cheerfully. “Oh my gosh! I'm such a huge fan of yours! I can't believe I'm really meeting you now!”

    “Heh-heh,” Searing Wind grinned wider. “Yeah, I have that effect on a lot of ponies. You're welcome.”

    “I mean it! You are such an inspiration to me,” Stern Wing said as she daintily placed a hoof on her brown chest. “I've seen so many of your shows, and you are fantastic! I love that fiery streak you make in the sky. I heard you can actually cook food that way.”

    “Fire is useful for many things,” Searing Wind agreed. “You know how I do it?” she asked with a cocky grin.

    “By being so awesome?” Stern Wing guessed.

    “Good guess,” Searing Wind said as she sat up straight and stretched. She didn't speak again until after stretching. She also lifted a water bottle near her lips but didn't drink from it as she said, “Truthfully, that's a pretty good answer, but there is a more logistical reason for it.

    “You see, speed causes friction, even in the air, and my mane has the kind of texture that creates a lot of friction in the air. I have to be careful. These bad boys here can help set fire to anything.” Searing Wind pat her fiery golden/reddish mane for a moment. Her mane, tail, and fur on her hide were a bit fluffy and rough looking. “Did you know I even managed to create a flaming tornado at one time?”

    “Really?!” Stern Wing asked in astonishment. 

    “Yep.” Searing Wind drank a few sips then spoke again as she lowered the bottle. “It was only for a few seconds of course but, during that time, it was a phenomenon that could lighten the dark.”

    “Spectacular!” Stern Wing cheered. “You are really so amazing, and so are all the rest of the Bolts.

    “You remember that time, about thirty years ago, when half of Equestria was experiencing a drought?”

    “Oh! I know what you're talking about. Yeah.” Searing Wind grinned proudly. “The Wonderbolts had Cloudsdale fly over the ocean as the Bolts spun a huge hurricane into the city. They had enough water after that to continue covering Equestria for the next ten years, and that was only in a few minutes of water delivery!” Searing Wind chuckled in a cocky way. “I heard the streets of Cloudsdale remained flooded for weeks but, fortunately, they were sort of prepared for that. They had buckets, tubs, and everything ready all over the place.”

    “What about that time the Wonderbolts helped to steer a rogue group of dragons in migration? That could have been a disaster if the Bolts hadn't stepped up,” Stern Wing informed.

    “Oh yeah! That one was good too.

    “Yeah. It turns out redirecting a flight of dragons is all about manipulating the dragon in the lead, sort of like it is for a herd of cows, but even dragons are dependent on the air when they fly and they're affected by the storms that come with it. A little winds here, a little lightning storm there, and, oh yeah . . . dragons hate snow. Doesn't exactly kill them right away but it does make them uncomfortable. This is a species that thinks taking a bath means swimming through lava, mind you, so you can imagine how they felt about a snowstorm.” Searing Wind snickered at the thought, then shrugged. “They are based on reptiles, after all, so the cold would naturally affect cold-blooded creatures more.”

    “I thought Commander Iron Hoof was quite fair with that cadet he disciplined a few years ago,” Stern Wing mentioned somewhat more seriously.

    “Huh.” Searing Wind tipped her reflective sunglasses down to the tip of her muzzle so she could more easily look at Stern Wing over the edge of the glasses. “I'm surprised you know about that one. Not many ponies have heard of that case.”

    “But I'm right, right? You think he was fair?” Stern Wing checked.

    “Oh, absolutely!” Searing Wind nodded while pushing her glasses back up her muzzle. “The Wonderbolts can only let attitude like that slide only so far. Eventually any pony would have to put their hoof down, and who better to do it than Commander Iron Hoof?”

    Stern Wing asked with a grin, “Doesn't even his name send a chill down your spine?”

    “Absolutely. I wouldn't want to cross him in a dark alley. That's for sure,” Searing Wind agreed.

    “Isn't one of your squadmates crazy about cats?” Stern Wing asked.

    “Not to my knowledge, no,” Searing Wind answered. “Since you are one of our biggest fans, however, I suspect you'll tell me.”

    “And risk spoiling the surprise?” Stern Wing asked with a sly wink. “I don't think so, but I'll give you a hint . . . she's got blue wings.”

    “Oh!” Searing Wind looked up for a moment, then looked back at Stern Wing with a triumphant grin. “I know who you're talking about now.”

    “Oh-oh!” Stern Wing patted the table three times excitedly. “Remember that time Commander Easy Glider flogged that cadet for touching one of his trophies?” Stern Wing asked brightly.

    For the first time, Searing Wind looked confused. “Flogged? Cadet? Trophy? What are you talking about?”

    Stern Wing's smile dropped in confusion. “Yeah, flogged. You don't know this one? It's a pretty famous case in Wonderbolt history. He flogged this cadet for daring to touch one of his trophies. I think it was for long-distance gliding, maybe?” Stern Wing thought back then shook her head, uncertain. “Yeah, this was a pretty famous case. I think the cadet's name was Feather . . . Wing . . . something or another. Can't remember the exact name but he was orange color, I believe.”

    “Sorry, Ma'am. I have no idea what you're talking about,” said Searing Wind.

    “Huh. You really don't know that one?” Stern Wing double-checked. Searing Wind shook her head. “Huh. Okay. How about that time Bristling Wind was begged over and over again to deliver water to this one orphanage until, finally, he had enough. Fed up with their insistent nagging, he flew about and created a hurricane from a nearby ocean in order to dump it on their heads. The whole place was flooded for weeks. As a result, the young foals had to move out until the building was done with renovations thanks to the water damage. You remember that?”

    “Eh . . . I think I recognize the name Bristling Wind but this deed you're talking about . . . never heard of it,” Searing Wind informed. “Quite frankly, it's hard to imagine any member of the Bolts being that spiteful. I think you need to get your facts straight.”

    “Really?” Stern Wing cocked her head. “I thought everypony knew that one, especially the Wonderbolts.”

    “Well, we don't keep track of every single detail that every member of the Bolts ever did in the history of the Wonderbolts. We just keep track of the important stuff and those who made permanent changes. While I highly doubt this incident occurred at all, if it did, I see no reason the rest of us would keep track of it.”

    “Strange.” Stern Wing brought her head back a bit. “Um, okay. How about this one?

    “Remember the time Thunder Bolt beat one of his peers half to death for looking at him funny? Surely you remember that part.”

    “Lady, what in the hay have you been smoking?” Searing Wind asked in astonishment. “Thunder Bolt would never do something like that.”

    “Of course he would!” Stern Wing objected. “He's a member of the Wonderbolts, isn't he?”

    “Now that fact is true, or rather it was, but this other thing you said is way off the mark.

    “Besides, what makes you think Thunder Bolt would do something like that just because he's a Wonderbolt? That's nowhere near what the Bolts represent.”

    “Yes it is! You did something just like that yesterday!” Stern Wing pointed out.

    Searing Wind froze at that point.

    Stern Wing leaned on the table with her forelegs while standing across from Searing Wind as she said emphatically, “The Wonderbolts have always been an organization of bullies that pick on the weak for being different. It's what they've always done for fun. It's an organizational pastime. There are many examples of that in your history, including you. It's a proud and noble tradition. You should feel honored.”

    The only thing that changed in Searing Wind's otherwise frozen position was her narrowing her eyes in anger below the upper edge of her sunglasses.

    “I'm picking on you right now, just like a true Wonderbolt,” Stern Wing lectured further. “I'm just trying to fit in, to prove how cool I am, just like you.”

    Both girls stared at each other for several long seconds. Throughout most of that time Stern Wing looked genuinely confused but, just at the end she, too, narrowed her eyes and dropped her act in order to reveal she was trying to make a point. 

    Feather Wind jumped, startled, when that area suddenly exploded into rough action. Searing Wind tried to leap across the table in order to strangle Stern Wing right then and there, but her two flunkies held her back. They had to struggle pretty hard to hold her back. 

    “Cool it, girl. She ain't worth it,” the flunky on Searing Wind's right discouraged.

    “Yeah! If you attack her you could get kicked out of the Bolts!” the other flunky warned.

    “It would be worth it!” Searing Wind growled harshly. “Come on, girl! Come at me! Say what you really mean to my face!”

    “Okay, I will.” Stern Wing then shut her eyes tightly and screamed, “ALL THE FOALS IN EQUESTRIA LOOK UP TO YOU!”

    That declaration stilled Searing Wind's rage a bit as she digested that.

    “I LOOKED UP TO YOU!” Stern Wing screamed further. At that point she was crying with her eyes tightly squinted, very close to a sob but she held on firmly enough to help her finish her point. 

    “Every pegasus in the world dreams about growing up one day to become one of the Wonderbolts, and you inspire them all!” Stern Wing continued as her eyes slowly cracked open. “If they learned that you behave like this, that what it means to be a Wonderbolt is to pick on others for being different from themselves, what kind of future does that spell for the Bolts?”

    Searing Wind's flunkies no longer had to struggle at all to hold Searing Wind back, but they still held on to her just in case.

    Searing Wind, meanwhile, looked too numb to act. 

    “All right, break it up you two,” General Flash said as he flew near the scene. “You, Miss, take a hike,” he demanded to Stern Wing. “I won't have you continue to cause a disruption to my Academy again.”

    “Alright, I'm going. I won't cause a fuss,” Stern Wing backed off a few steps, putting all four of her legs down on the ground, “but before I go, I just want to ask her one last question.”

    Searing Wind focused her look on Stern Wing again, though it seemed a bit of a struggle to do so. 

    “And I want you to think about this answer very carefully,” Stern Wing encouraged. “Are you . . . the kind of Wonderbolt . . . your own past self would have looked up to as a foal?” 

    Searing Wind's eyes widened in shock.

    “Or . . .” Stern Wing went on, “. . . were you just lucky . . .” Stern Wing paused on that word for quite a while before finishing her question, “. . . that no pony like you existed in the Bolts when you were a foal?”

    Searing Wind's stunned eyes slowly gazed down.

    Finally convinced she had made her point, Stern Wing turned around and flew away.

    Many ponies watched Stern Wing as she flew away, stunned, including Feather Wind.

    {Eventually I looked back at Searing Wind when Stern Wing flew down and out of sight below the edge of the cliff. Searing Wind was still wide-eyed for a while but, when it focused again, she looked angry again. She flung her flunkies back a bit with a violent backwards flap of her wings then capped her water bottle on her neck with a stabbing slam before she flew away somewhere in a huff. Based on the direction, I surmised it was back to Wonderbolt H-Q.}



xoxo



    {Two days later I was visiting your mom back at her home. She still lived with her parents at that point. Nothing really wrong with that.

    {Now, I don't remember what we talked about that day. All that I remember was that I was sitting on a bench in the backyard, she was sitting in a tire swing in the same area.

    {All of a sudden there was a knock on the front door of the property. I looked through the home to the front door casually. I didn't move to open it. One of your mother's brothers was a lot closer. He opened the door instead, spoke with the newcomer for a moment then called over his shoulder, “Sis, it's for you.”}

    “Expecting somepony?” Feather Wind asked Stern Wing.

    “No. Not really,” Stern Wing admitted then crawled off the tire swing. She trotted across the house. Curious, Feather Wind followed a little behind her. 

    Both of them were surprised to find one of Searing Wind's flunkies standing there on the other side of the door. The teenaged foal was wearing a black jacket and looked forlorn. 

    “What are you doing here?” Stern Wing asked defensively.

    “Relax. I'm not here for a fight,” the youth assured. “My name is Scissor-Rock, and I've simply come to inform you that Searing Wind has quit the Wonderbolts.”

    Both Stern Wing and Feather Wind looked taken aback. They glanced at each other to see if the other felt the same way.

    “No way!” Stern Wing's nearby younger brother exclaimed. “Wow, Sis! You sure have a way with words.”

    “Indeed.” Scissor-Rock bowed his head sadly. “On her behalf, I've also come to apologize to your friend, and you.”

    “Did she send you here?” Stern Wing asked Scissor-Rock tightly.

    “No.” Scissor-Rock shook his head. “Searing Wind has no idea that I'm here. I came of my own volition.”

    “Why?” Stern Wing asked in a thin voice.

    “Because I wanted to apologize, and I wanted you to know what happened, as well as some other things.”

    Scissor-Rock looked back at Stern Wing squarely as he said, “Searing Wind never could clear her head after you spoke to her. She said she tried to keep up with Wonderbolt practice but, on that day, she was messing up all the time. She couldn't keep her head in the game.

    “The next day she went back to Wonderbolt H-Q and quit. They demanded a reason. She told them everything. Everything she had done, including the stuff that sullied the name of the Bolts.”

    “So she felt so guilty she left the Bolts?” Stern Wing figured.

    “It appears so,” Scissor-Rock agreed. 

    “Well. I guess she had some shred of decency left in her,” Stern Wing continued to say in a thin voice.

    “Much more than a shred. This is also why I have come to you. There is something else I wanted to explain to you.” 

    “Go on,” Stern Wing invited with slightly narrowed eyes.

    “I know she had her faults, and she made mistakes, but she did other good things as well. She donated to charity very often, for example, and she saved many lives. Mine included. Searing Wind was a hero to many ponies, and I don't just mean metaphorically. Sometimes it is direct, sometimes indirect. 

    “I once heard about a nine-year-old sickly foal dying of pancreas disease. Not only did Searing Wind donate extra funds to that charity, but she also showed up personally to inspire the young fillies and colts there. She showed them lots of tricks, including aerial acrobatics.

    “Those ponies looked up to her, and the sickly one actually made it. He survived the operation, and he claimed that he did it because he was inspired to never give up because of Searing Wind's visit.”

    “Wow,” Stern Wing said in soft amazement. “That's awesome of her, but I hope you don't think that it excuses what she did to my friend. She doesn't deserve mercy for her actions just because she was kind to somepony else.”

    “I know, and I'm not saying that,” Scissor-Rock assured. “She's made mistakes. We all have. Haven't you?”

    “Ah . . . yes. Plenty of times,” Stern Wing admitted.

    “And, like you, she's not perfect. I just wanted you to know that there are many sides to this issue. There's the good, there's the bad, there's the everything in between. 

    “I worry for her now. She won't stop moping and, in the meantime, I can't help but also worry for all of the other ponies out there in the world that she won't save the life of anymore now that she's no longer a Wonderbolt. 

    “She was a hero. She was an honest to Celestia hero, but a flawed one. That's what we get for relying on imperfect beings, but the best of us try our best because that's all we can do.

    “I wouldn't be standing here right now if it weren't for her. I was lucky I grew up with a pony like that in my life, who literally saved my life, and I looked up to her too because of that.

    “So much so, in fact, that sometimes we can lose sight of their flaws, but I think it's equally important not to lose sight of their virtues too.

    “You saw her ugly side. All I want is for you to know there was another side to her too. A far more beautiful side.”

    “I wish I could have gotten to know that side of her better,” Stern Wing lamented a little sadly. “I'm sure my friend back here thinks the same.”

    “I know. I wish you could have seen it too,” Scissor-Rock agreed with regret, “but many other ponies out there have seen it. If you don't believe me, just ask around. You'll hear about it over and over again. I encourage you to do so just so you know for sure that I'm not lying to you. 

    “Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. Thanks for hearing me out, and have a nice day.” 

    Scissor-Rock spun about and trotted off slowly. Stern Wing slowly shut the door then looked back at Feather Wind for a long while in silence.