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// 13 - Facing the Flak Cannon 
// Story: Bullets of Fire 
// by BlackWater 
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Celestia made a rare miscalculation in exactly how long it would take to get the two mares training with the cannon. She would have guessed right if it was only Spitfire or if Surprise was more rambunctious in her physical exercises. In the end it was Surprise that was holding them back from advancing. The white alicorn did not hold it against her and certainly the Wonderbolt captain paid no mind to it. Suffice it to say, it was well past three weeks until Surprise was physically on par with the captain. Thus it was three long and crazy weeks that the two mares juggled their training in Canterlot and the Wonderbolt performances abroad.
Spitfire felt that she deserved a gold medal for managing to pull it off in the first place. Of course, she would not admit it but the scheduling posed such a problem that she was often pushed past her limits and was forced to find clever ways of balancing Celestia's training, her management of the 'Bolts, and actual performances where she and Surprise would show. She certainly was not the only one being stretched beyond duty.
Surprise was more or less in the same boat. She may not have had the stress of her leader's responsibilities but the physical advancements were practically insane. Her whole body ached and she felt as if that had always been the case. Celestia had pushed her every day to improve her muscles and reaction speeds. The immortal knew the exact limits of the pegasus body and only gave Surprise the few breaks necessary to prevent physical harm.
All of this lead to the present situation. All three mares were in the hidden area once again - the place occupied by the odd-looking cannon. With only light remarks, neither of the 'Bolts ever ventured to ask why Celestia had the cannon in the first place. Such things tended to be either self-explanatory or beyond the comfort of inquiry.
"190!" Surprise boasted as she pumped her wings to show their shear power. Spitfire only gave an acknowledging smile. That number was what both mares could currently get to in the wing-up exercises. It was much closer to their target of 500 but certainly still a distance off.
Spitfire was finishing her stretching and was thus still in an awkward position. Her back legs were far more flexible now, as were Surprise's. Both her back hooves were pointed high towards the clouds as her wings stretched flatly into the grass below. Spitfire wound up with this particular time slot since it was the only one viable for the three mares. It was quite normal for the alicorn that raised the sun each day but the 'Bolts had to get used to the blinding light and early breeze of dawn. Maddening as it was to get into the habit, both of them began to enjoy the early hours. As if to emphasize the point, some nearby birds were having a contest at singing the morning tunes.
"Fire. Prize," Celestia addressed them both. The mares came to attention, expecting some sort of new instruction. They were dedicated through and through with the training the ruler was giving them. "I had not expected it would take quite this long until we would get to use this," she patted the cannon's left barrel, "but I suppose it was best. You are both quite able to handle this exercise now. Though I guarantee it will still make you shaky at first..."
Neither mare was intimidated by it as they first were, so they simply let Celestia continue. "I've already set the various light and sound barriers to prevent us from being found out. This thing is very loud so you can probably guess what it's for. Prize?"
The off-white pegasus had lifted her hoof to answer. Dropping it back down with a muted clop, she replied, "It will fire harmless smoke-shells to simulate the sound and poor visibility associated with the Bullet maneuver."
"Quite practiced, my little pony," Celestia giggled at the mare's stoic attempt. "You're right, though. The smoke is only an issue if you fly back across a path you've already flown. Otherwise, you always keep ahead of it. I assume that trick fliers such as the 'Mighty' Wonderbolts would invent their own complicated maneuvers. So you'll need to know how to move back through that smoke."
"We regularly use smoke trails for our shows-" Spitfire tried to remind her trainer.
"I know, Fire. But that is a very different kind of smoke. The kind you use is a prepared solution - a solid that produces gas when agitated by wind movement. The Bullet produces fire smoke, which smells and acts differently. This is very important because it will cause a sting when you fly through it."
It was one of those moments when the captain remembered how knowledgeable the princess was. Or perhaps this was something she had discussed prior with her pupil - the purple unicorn she often spoke of.
"So," Celestia resumed. "Both of you get some altitude. We're going to make the first run."
"Aren't there...um...additional instructions?" Spitfire asked with a quizzical expression.
The Sun Princess only laughed. "Don't die?"
The captain facehoofed and donned her uniform and goggles along with her wingmare. Finished, she lead Surprise up into the morning sky. It couldn't be all that bad, she thought to herself. She and her team had endured quite a bit of light, noise, and smoke throughout their show lives. Perhaps it was this small confidence that left her totally unprepared for the-
BOOM!
Something exploded not three hooves from her face. She felt heat wash over her and smoke raced past her eyes, bringing tears out like a river. Celestia had wasted no time and fired early to give the mares a realistic sensation of fright. Well, it worked to some degree. The Sun Raiser watched the two mares begin to bolt together. Very good, she thought. The two mares were racing away in tandem. At least they reacted fast and kept formation, she continued thinking as she held the trigger on the cannon. She began using the gun's rotation gear to track them across the sky. The cannon's mechanical whir and the primitive blasts from the twin barrels were left mostly unheard to the alicorn due to the headphones she slipped on behind the backs of the mares.
Surprise was feeling a rush of adrenaline unlike what she had felt in regular performances. She usually got the easier stunts anyways due to the gap between her and the top members. That was certainly not the case anymore and she had said goodbye to the easy work after becoming Spitfire's wingmare. She now flew at breakneck speed, matching pace, alongside Spitfire. The explosions were mostly behind them now, but a shot would occasionally explode beside one of them or just diagonally off of their path. Neither mare could see the round except when it exploded in a tiny burst of flame and mushroomed out a cloud of black smoke.
Their path seemed mostly straight but curved sideways to keep them in the princess' protective barriers. All of Canterlot would be in arms if they witnessed the horizon drenched in cannon fire. At the very least, Celestia would be framed the most eccentric mare in all of Equestria - not that she wasn't truly but rather that she wasn't supposed to be known as such. Still pushing their limits, both mares could feel the wind pull at them with a fury unknown at lower speeds.
Spitfire's wing flaps could almost be heard over the thunder of the ammunition. Each beat gave a throaty FUM in sync with her wingmare's. Though faster than ever, they each felt something lacking, as if the were on the threshold of something yet didn't know what it was. Aside from such simple thoughts, neither mare wondered about anything else. It took full concentration to keep flying. Team sync was second-nature but became more of a challenge with such pressing distractions. The heat, noise, and blasted sting of the smoke touching their nostrils was enough to drive them mad. Thus they always were a tad annoyed after every session with the "bee" as they sometimes called the cannon at later points of training. At first, its fire would seem loud and very much like a cannon but, after a few dozen rounds, the BOOM would seem to be a BUZZ. Again, it was enough to drive them mad.
Around they went, circling the designated area. It became harder when they finished a full circle and had to fly through the smoke laden sky from where they started. Celestia never seemed to run out of ammunition and both mares wondered if she really needed it or simply fed the thing magic rounds. It would not be the first time she had messed with them.
The Princess of the Sun was, of course, very much enjoying herself. There was little else to tell of the two mares racing in the sky from fiery retribution. Celestia nearly felt like bringing a lawn chair so that she wouldn't have to stand at the trigger. Perhaps even a glass of lemonade. It was so very enjoyable shooting away at the poor pegasus. They were in no danger, of course. Even if one of the relatively harmless smoke rounds actually hit them, she had cast a protective spell around their bodies. It was a very special cast and she never let them know of it for fear that they would lose the seriousness of the exercise. 
"1000," Celestia counted to herself. That was how many rounds she had put through the gun and it was when she released the trigger. Her hoof was almost sore and she promised herself to pad the trigger for next time.
The two mares flew for a bit more. First, they had to soar to reduce their speed. It was not easy to brake at such velocity. Second, the explosions were ringing in their ears so much that they had not yet noticed that they had, in fact, ceased. The stale smoke around them did not help matters.
With a few innocent coughs, both mares finally landed on solid ground again. There they collapsed in front of Celestia, exhausted and filthy from the smoke. What had been their patterned blue uniforms were now each a midnight color. 
"I think that will do for the day," the alicorn remarked as she began dissipating the smoke with her magic. With it cleared, she could drop the magic barriers. The cannon had already been put through a cooling spell and she used a quick medical spell to ensure the smoke was not causing the mares trouble. She thought nothing of doing so many things at once. It was natural for her position and she certainly enjoyed juggling these tasks more than the menial diplomatic ones up in the courtroom. To use the term throneroom instead seemed too much to indicate that her time was valuable. With the number of court messengers, anypony might conclude that her time was rather cheap.
Neither 'Bolt had any breath for complaint or even for a cheer for the relief from training. Spitfire could only think that the exercise had to be worth it. Surprise turned over to face her companion in the grass. She made gestures to indicate an explosion then lifted a hoof to one of her ears. Spitfire tried to laugh but ended up coughing instead. Her wingmare had joked about Equestria blowing up and them not being able to hear it. Indeed neither mare was completely rid of the ringing yet.
Thus ended their first serious training exercise - if none of the muscle-building ones counted. After they rested enough to get up, stretched the tensions out, and long after Celestia had left to attend matters at the palace, the two female pegasus made a gentle and somewhat sluggish flight to their quarters in northern Canterlot.
As expected, most of the 'Bolts were there. They had a performance coming up so they had to make preparations and practice (yes even professionals practice - even more so than beginners). As Spitfire had compensated their schedules, both herself and her close wingmare had little physical activity laid before them. This time, their part was mostly for show and what a show it was going to be. The Wonderbolts were housing once again in Canterlot for an aerial acrobatics show. It was much less important to have speed in such things than it was to have flexibility and grandeur. In that vein, both of the lead mares were going to use their increased physical prowess to boost the others. That was why the Wonderbolts were a team and not some hodgepodge of showboaters. 
The morning had gone on since their race against the cannon, but much of the day still laid before them. Spitfire caught Surprise's chin as her head began to droop down. The white mare shook off the drowsiness and gave her captain a reassuring look. "I still have enough energy," she voiced.
Spitfire gave an obligatory but wane smile in return, "So do I."