//------------------------------// // (B'Tween) Spreading our Wings... // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// The time had finally come, as Midnight and Soarin flew back to the mesa where they'd left the recruits to be tortured- (sorry) trained... by Silver Lining. To anypony else, the mesa's flat top was empty with nary a flyer in sight. But to those in the know... The two friends landed smack dab in the middle and shared a look as Midnight said, "Ready for the next step in making history?" "As I'll ever be," Soarin returned the look with a smirk. Nodding, Midnight concentrated and called forth his pocket dimension, applying it to the mesa, and almost entirely at once, buildings, obstacle courses, training gear, and of course the recruits surrounded the two of them. Gazing up, Midnight and Soarin saw the recruits were flying laps around the mesa, and there was Silver, watching each flyer, as vigilant as a hawk. "Commander?" Silver's ear flicked at the sound of Midnight's voice, but instead of turning to face him Silver gestured with his head for Midnight and Soarin to come stand by him. They did so and followed his gaze up at the recruits. Pegasi along with a few lunar pegasi and griffons, each one flew fast and straight and determined. Clearly Silver had disciplined them well. "You're late!" Chuckling a little sheepishly, Midnight said, "Sorry, sir, to be honest I let the time get away from me. But... it appears that things have gone swimmingly here. Any washouts, quitters?" "Hmph, no, they've all stubborn'd it out," Silver responded gruffly though you could hear just a hint of pride in his tone, "which is saying something given the hell I put them through." "We'd expect nothing less," Soarin commented, "You certainly didn't pull any punches with me, or Midnight, from what he told me. But nothing went wrong with them?" "Sure, I had some whiners but they've got the guts enough to hold out for the glory. Still..." Silver eyed certain recruits in particular, "There are a few among them that I'm afraid aren't gonna cut it." "Not doing well enough physically?" asked Soarin. "Got it in one," Silver huffed, "They've all got spirit and determination, there's no arguing that. The ones I'm talking about however just aren't measuring up, no matter how hard they try. I kept track of every single one's performance for you both to look over, but if you want my recommendation? Drop the dead weight." Midnight and Soarin shared a look before Midnight bade, "Call them down." Silver took his whistle and blew a powerful shrill, ear-piercing note that was heard all over the meas. The recruits heard it but didn't falter or get distracted. Instead, they began to fly in formation, forming a V as they came around the bend before the V turned into a line and one by one the recruits all came in for a landing, single file, in front of Silver, Midnight, and Soarin. "Decent landings, asswipes! Now stand at attention! Your sponsor and possible captain and his second are finally back to review your progress!" Silver yelled, and the recruits all got in line and faced forward. Midnight scanned them over one by one. He saw his good friend, Doran, looking resolute and in full control. It was no surprise to him, given Doran's background as a Sky Knight under his father, and now he too was a prince since Sir Godric became King of Griffonstone. Then he looked at the largest lunar pegasus in the group, a stallion by the name of Steel Edge. He was among those recommended to him by Princess Luna, and Steel's background as a Lunar Guard Corporal, along with his experience in search & rescue, certainly made him desirable. Then his eyes turned to two pegasi in particular among the group, his good friend Thunderlane and the still-infamous Lightning Dust. Both looked bold and determined, and truth be told, Midnight had high hopes for them. But I have to review every single recruit's progress before I make my decision, he thought with an inward sigh, This isn't gonna be easy... Clearing his throat, Midnight called out, "At ease." Everyone chilled, a few exhaling, and Midnight stood before them, his gaze and tone even, "Your first taste of basic training is over. I have no doubt that Silver Lining has been a harsh taskmaster, but that's his job! He takes you on, he breaks you down, and it's up to you whether you hold yourself together as he builds you back up! Or you wimp out and fall to pieces. "That said, it's now time for me to look over your progress and determine which of you will join this new squad... and which of you don't make the cut." He paused a moment, letting them share their troubled looks and murmurs amongst themselves, before continuing, "Be advised, I will be making these decisions based on a variety of factors, and I won't be making them by myself. Soarin and Silver will both give their input on all of you individually, but make no mistake that the decision is mine to make... "That said, if it turns out that you are not selected, don't take it personally. It merely means you still have areas in which to improve, and it won't be your last chance. In time, after this group has been formally organized and introduced to the world, there will be periodic tryouts to form additional squads to the organization overall. Pass the tryouts and you'll get to undergo basic training yet again and improve from there. I have no doubts that each and everyone of you here has trained hard and are now at least a little better than you were before you first arrived. But this squad needs to start off strong, comprised the best of the best here. As I told you when you first started, at least five of you will be dismissed and the rest of you will be informally accepted. Your membership won't be made official until further notice. So for now... hit the showers." Midnight turned around and made for the office building he'd given Silver before, with Silver and Soarin following him. The recruits all began to talk, some worrying they weren't gonna cut, others confident they were a shoe in to join. Thunderlane watched his two friends and his drill sergeant vanish into Silver's office. in the entire week he'd been here, which honestly felt like it'd been months (hint-hint), he'd trained hard, worked his feathers off, and he was certain he'd improved. But in that entire time, Silver had never complimented anyone's performance, certainly not his. The only thing Silver ever had to say about anyone's progress was to put it down or to work harder in some colorful choice of words. I hope I make it. But... Thunderlane wanted to get into this new squad, but he honestly hoped Midnight didn't choose him just because they're friends. The annoying shrill of Silver's whistle reached every flyer on the mesa and quickly enough, they all fell in and got in line. "Alright, you maggots! Listen up! The time has come to learn whether you're in or out. So shut up, unclench your sphincters, and pay attention!" Silver stepped back while Midnight stepped forward, a clipboard in his telekinetic grasp as he scanned the line of his hopeful recruits. "I'm not gonna waste my breathe saying who's in, so I'm just gonna cut to the chase and list who's out. In no particular order, those going home are... "Trade Winds!" A tall and brawny pegasus who was just a little portly around his barrel sighed in disappointment. "Strix!" A griffoness with an owlish face hissed bitterly. Midnight named two more who hadn't measured up, but it was the last that got a real reaction, "Lightning Dust!" "WHAT?!?!" Lightning Dust screamed, flaring her wings, and throwing such a stink eye it looked almost enough like it could kill. "What the HELL?!? I worked by ass off, I respected my instructor and my fellow recruits, I never interfered with anyone's training or attempted to show off at anyone else's expense! HOW IN FAUST'S NAME DO I NOT MAKE THE CUT?!?!" Midnight returned her look of outrage with one as unfeeling and stony as a marble statue. "Your history." "WHAT?!" Lightning Dust flabbergasted, "I know what I did in the Wonderbolts Academy, but I-" "Except that's not all, is it, Dust..?" Midnight interrupted with a hinting edge in his voice, Lightning getting nervously shifty-eyed. "I took a risk in even giving you this chance, but then I looked at your full history... how you were a bully in Junior Speedsters Flight Camp, cheated in a Best Young Flyer Competition, became a delinquent with a rap sheet comprised of trespassing, destruction of private property, shoplifting. "This group needs to start off strong, but it also needs to start off with members that don't have a questionable background like yours..." "That's- I... You can't- !!! RRRRGGGGHHH!!!!" Lightning Dust zipped up and threw such a look of fury at the alicorn before seething, "You'll be sorry....!!" And then she flew off. Everyone watched her vanish into the distant sky, some were stunned, sympathetic, others indifferent or just shrugged. Silver stepped up to his old student's side and grumbled, "Are you sure about this? I had my own problems with Dust... but she has skill, talent, and she was straight as an arrow this whole time." Midnight looked on, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach... One hour earlier... He'd just gone through each recruit's progress report, discussed them all with Silver and Soarin, and now that he finally had some time to himself, Midnight was struggling with this decision. A decision that promised great risk, a decision he was reluctant to make despite knowing the necessity of it. He'd asked Silver and Soarin to give him some time to himself in the office he'd provided Silver, but the solitude made the weight of it even harder. Did he have the right to ask this of somepony? A pony who wasn't even one of the Evening Hoods. To undertake something so dangerous, to risk so much with little guarantees of success. Or survival. But the threat was out there. They'd tipped their hoof back in Cloudsdale, risked every pegasus there, as well as the Cloudsdale Weather Factory. They were growing bold and brazen, and the clues were too much to ignore. His spies had seen them there, played some kind of instrument before the Thunderbird arrived, and then observed how they;'d been watching the Mayor of Cloudsdale honor the heroes who'd saved their city, including Lightning Dust. Midnight had been doing these covert ops for a long time. He was the Cloak and Dagger of Equestria. But he couldn't do every mission himself, save for those when assassination was the objective. He would never ask his agents to cross that line unless they were defending themselves or someone in immediate danger. But this mission demanded somepony going undercover, probably for a long time, and he couldn't afford to just vanish from the public eye for an extended period of time. Especially since his family and his friends and his Twily would miss him. There was no other option, and she was the ideal choice to take this mission. The only question was, would she? Reaching out with his mind, connecting to his pocket dimension that blended with the reality of this mesa top, he found her and spoke, "Lightning Dust. A word." When he opened his eyes, there she was, looking just a little freaked out, and upon seeing him, she gasped and wing-saluted, "Sir!" "At ease, and take a seat," Midnight offered, a comfortable chair appearing behind Lightning at Midnight's word. She sat down and looked to the alicorn curiously. "Lightning Dust, I'm just gonna come right out and say it - You're in." "...What?!" Lightning Dust whispered in awe. "You're in," Midnight repeated. "You will be a part of the second squad." "I- I don't... Sir, I don't know what to say! But..." Lightning Dust looked excited but hesitant, "Why are you telling me like this, in private?" "...Lightning Dust, tell me about what happened back in Cloudsdale," Midnight asked, "When the Thunderbird attacked." "Uh... okay, sir," Lightning Dust told the whole story of what happened that day. How she had been visiting with her little brother, Hotshot, how Rainbow Dash had confronted her, then later hearing some strange music all across Cloudsdale shortly before the Thunderbird attacked! She went on about how she managed to team up with Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane, convinced them to follow her plan, and how they'd saved Cloudsdale and the Weather Factory from being destroyed by the Thunderbird. "...To tell you the truth, sir," Lightning Dust said solemnly, "That day? As scary and harrowing as it was, how I'd helped save the City in the Clouds and all that, that felt like the truly best and sincere accomplishment I'd ever made in my entire life. Because it wasn't for me, it was for all of Cloudsdale, and I am so thankful to Thunderlane and even Rainbow Dash for giving me a chance." "That's good to hear, Lightning Dust," Midnight leaned forward as he conjured a folder, "Because I have an offer for you." "What kind of offer?" "A mission. Lightning Dust, the Thunderbird didn't just arrive in Cloudsdale on its own," Midnight explained, "It was summoned." "Summoned?!" Lightning Dust echoed in confusion, "Who could- or would summon something so dangerous and put everypony at risk?! Sir, what are you getting at?" Midnight opened the folder and showed Lightning Dust some photographs. She looked at them and was surprised to see they were of pegasi wearing flight suits somewhat similar to the uniform of the Wonderbolts. Only these were black and purple with dark yellow electric patterns and the goggles were an unfriendly shade of orange, and the pegasi wearing them looked like ponies you didn't want to meet in a dark alley. "Who are they?" Lightning Dust looked up at Midnight. "They were the ones who summoned the Thunderbird to Cloudsdale," Midnight explained, "They remind you of anypony?" The look in Lightning's eyes was answer enough so Midnight explained, "They are the Shadowbolts..." "The Shadowbolts?!" Lightning had heard the name before, except, "I thought they were just a rumor, an old pony's tale!" "If only," Midnight sighed, "They began several decades ago when a disgraced Wonderbolt was cast out of the organization. She swore revenge and vanished to parts unknown. Over the years, other pegasi who washed out, whether in training or out of the Wonderbolts themselves, some of them vanished as well. Overtime, a mysterious group of pegasi began to appear here and there in various countries, always relating to some kind of incident. Rumors spread about this group, but certain things became clear enough; they were mercenaries for hire, and often involved in crime or some national incident or scandal. At some point, Saddle Arabia made accusations that Equestria was meddling in their affairs, but Princess Celestia managed to convince the Sultan of Saddle Arabia that Equestria was not involved, and whoever these pegasi were, they were rogues. In recent years, some agents of mine came across a pegasus who had flunked the Wonderbolt Academy. "He told them that some pegasi in these same uniforms approached him, offering him membership, training, money, adventure, and a chance to get even with the Wonderbolts for turning him away. Thankfully, this guy got a bad feeling about them and turned them down. They seemed to shrug it off... until they jumped him and beat him up, broke both of his wings and threatened to kill him if he ever said one word about them. He survived, his wings healed but he became reclusive for a long while. It was sheer luck my agents met him and got all of this out of him." "But what does this have to do with me?" Lightning Dust asked but then she realized what Midnight was saying, "I was kicked out of the Wonderbolt Academy!" "And you're a top-notch flier," Midnight added, "That makes you a highly desirable candidate. My agents saw these Shadowbolts in Cloudsdale the same day you were there with your brother. We have reason to believe that somehow they brought the Thunderbird to Cloudsdale, perhaps to test you or something. They want you, Lightning Dust, which leads to my offer..." Midnight put the folder into a saddlebag and placed it on the desk, pushing it forward. "Lightning Dust, I am asking you, not ordering you, to undertake a mission, to go undercover, join the ranks of the Shadowbolts, and gather as much intel on them as you can." Lightning Dust was shocked, to say the least. She sat there, speechless, so Midnight elaborated. "I understand this is asking so much from you. But please understand. Do you recall the strange music you heard in Cloudsdale just before the Thunderbird attacked?" Dumbfounded but still listening, Lightning Dust nodded her head. "I have reason to believe that the Shadowbolts used some kind of instrument, perhaps something magical, to summon the Thunderbird to attack," Midnight explained, "This is perhaps the biggest move they've made against Equestria - that we know of - so now we can no longer dismiss them as a minor threat. They've made it clear, by threatening so many innocent lives and the Weather capitol of our nation, that they are not friends of Equestria. We can't afford to ignore them anymore. "Lightning Dust, I know what I am asking of you, and frankly I would never ask this of you if I had any other options. But you are perhaps the only real chance we have of getting eyes and ears into their organization. I would never send you in without preparation, of course, and there will be no hard feelings if you decline." "But... what about what's going on here and now? "Lightning Dust brought up, "What about this organization? You just told me that I'm in!" "You are," Midnight assured, "As i just said, I will understand if you decline. You will still be a part of this new group of fliers. But Lightning Dust... As I just said, you are the only real option I have right now. The only one with a real chance of success in infiltrating the ranks of the Shadowbolts. I can't send one of my agents to try, because none of them fit the criteria the Shadowbolts are apparently looking for. You do! "You were turned away from the Wonderbolts due to your actions, you are an uncommonly skilled flyer, and as far as the Shadowbolts know, you have no affiliations other than your Equestrian citizenship. I have no doubts the Shadowbolts are interested in you, which puts you in the best position to join their ranks as a double agent. I'm not trying to pressure you, I'm only explaining why you're best-suited for this mission. You've come a long way. Silver Lining has never said anything you, but he's impressed by you." Lightning Dust's eyes widened in response to that. "You trained hard, you've been patient, friendly and sociable to your fellow recruits, never boasted or showed off, you never complained, and you even offered pointers and encouragement to the others. You're hardly the pony you were when you went to the Wonderbolt Academy. That's why you've earned this spot on this team. And that's why I want to make the most of your skills and your capabilities. The Shadowbolts are a threat, but we don't know nearly enough about them to make a move against them. We don't know their infrastructure, their leadership, we don't even know where their base of operations is. And we have reason to believe they'd recently added somepony to their ranks, you might have heard of him." Midnight conjured another photograph and Lightning Dust gasped to see the pony on it, "Wind Rider?!" "Wind Rider, a retired member of the Wonderbolts, a decorated veteran, regarded as a living legend for his long-distance speed record in the Mustang Marathon," Midnight elaborated, "until he tried to frame Rainbow Dash for a crime she didn't commit to get her kicked out of the Wonderbolt Reserves, just to make sure she didn't beat his record. For this transgression, he was stripped of his retired Wonderbolt status by Spitfire. "A couple months ago, he was seen in the company of a Shadowbolt. A week later, he vanished completely. Now, either he went into hiding out of shame, or he's joined the Shadowbolts, who would be happy to have even a retired Wonderbolt veteran on their side. For his knowledge of the Wonderbolts, for his experience, and perhaps even to train some of their own recruits. If that is the case, then the Shadowbotls will become even more dangerous than ever." Taking a deep sigh, Midnight gave Lightning Dust a look. A look of worry, of a pony with no other options, and a look of hope. "Lighnting Dust, I have no right to ask this of you. To risk everything, including your life, to fly alongside enemies and traitors of our nation and our fellow pony. if I had any other option, I would take it. But you... you are the best hope we have of taking down the Shadowbolts from the inside. As I said before, there will be no hard feelings, and I'll look for another way, if you-" "I'll do it. "...What?" Midnight whispered in surprise. Lightning Dust furrowed her brows and gave Midnight a determined look, "These psychos threatened my hometown and my little brother. Because they were interested in me... I know how self-absorbed I used to be, and back then, before my time at the academy, I might very well have joined the Shadowbolts, just to prove myself the best flyer there is. But I'm not that pony anymore, and I am going to make these creeps regret thinking me otherwise." Midnight gave Lightning Dust a hard look. He saw she was determined, he'd heard no doubt in her words. Even so, he saw just a glimmer of hesitation in her eyes, but perhaps that was better. His old teacher, Godric, taught him that only fools claim to be fearless or were too arrogant to heed their instincts. "Very well," Midnight gestured to the saddlebags, "I've packed everything you'll need in here, including a means of communication, weapons, rations, medical supplies, and especially a means to get out in case something goes wrong. These bags will respond only to you; if the Shadowbolts look in them they'll only see empty bags. Keep in mind, you have to put on an act - Act the scorned talent, act the pony seeking payback. You'll find further instructions inside, and if you have any questions or need guidance you can use contact the pony who will be your handler. "She's an experienced undercover agent and can advise you well." "Understood, but..." Lightning Dust looked to the office door, "What about what's about to happen here and now? Everyone outside is waiting for you decision on who's getting into this new group of fliers." "To help sell your cover and backstory, I'm going to claim you didn't make the cut," Midnight explained, "You have to sell a negative reaction. Act scorned, unappreciated, and vengeful. After that, you have to fly away as fast as you can, so no one tries to talk to you. After that, you're on your own. Use the instructions in the saddlebag to point you in the right direction, and contact your handler." "I understand," Lightning Dust said solemnly before looking Midnight in the eye, "Anything else?" "Nope, well, there is one thing," Midnight reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a pair of flight goggles, levitating them to Lightning Dust. "When it's time, I look forward to seeing you fly with us wearing those goggles." Lightning Dust nodded and accepted them, along with the saddlebags, which became invisible thanks to a charm Midnight had placed on them. But just before she could leave, she heard, "And Lightning Dust?" She paused to look back and saw a deeply concerned look on Midnight's face as he then gave her a wing-salute and uttered, "Thank you." She smirked and wing-saluted back, "Just doing my duty... Captain." They gave each other a smile of respect, and just as she was opening the door, Lightning Dust perked, "Oh, and... i apologize and forgive you in advance for whatever either of us say." "Apology given and accepted," Midnight responded. Just as that turquoise and golden orange speck disappeared in the distant horizon, Midnight whispered in response, "I hope I am..." Goddess-speed, Lightning Dust...