The first matter for Spitifre to address was actually the event supervisor's weather test. She knew her 'Bolts well enough and thus she knew that Wave Chill, regardless of skill rank on the team, was capable of handling a draft of wind. It was a simple matter that most pegasus were capable of dealing with. "You said the path was tested. That's supposed to mean you sent a surveyor through the course on a windy day, not a still one. Wave Chill could have died out there you-"
Surprise winced. It was rare for the captain to cuss at another pony and this time was likely due to the double-punch of the incident. Wave Chill wasn't badly hurt, as he was actually a pretty tough stallion. Like Lightning Streak, he would be out of the hospital and ready to fly again in very short order. Spitfire's upset mood was more attributable to a failed event and a quitting Wonderbolt. Earlier at the hospital, Wave Chill told the captain his intention to leave. He no longer believed he was meant to be in the team.
Of course, Spitfire had argued against it like one would expect a captain too. Wave Chill was adamant and had obviously thought about if before because he had no hesitations. Now their orange leader was letting the event supervisor have a piece of her mind. The incident really was attributable that mare's failure, after all.
"Nice move," Misty stated as she found her way through the dark night to find Silver Lining. It wasn't sarcasm, as she was trying to approach him gently and honestly. He was sitting at a badly lit park table with his head resting upon it. Hardly the portrait of success that his usual demeanor demanded.
"Meh," was his only half-hearted reply. He didn't even turn his head to regard the mare. He felt like trash and even Misty wasn't enough to make him think of anything else other than his complete and utter failure to save Wave Chill. He felt bad enough without overhearing the stallion's remark to Fire Streak. The whole thing would soon be going down as a landmark moment for the Wonderbolts. Oh, not just a moment for the media - but the team members as well.
Misty caught his mood and sat herself on the opposite side of the table. Laying her head down to match his own, she tried again. "Nothing's your fault. It's not your job to babysit any of us."
"But we're still friends and friends help each other when they need it. Maybe I wasn't that close to Wave Chill but I was still supposed to save him," Silver Lining remarked in an almost complainant-oriented tone.
She had to give him some time to pout before she had enough bravery to speak out. "We're just pegasi no matter how much we train ourselves. We can't magically save others. It just wasn't possible to stop his fall and besides...he still would have pegged it as a screw-up and quit anyways."
She tried to say it gently but he "tsk'd" in response anyway. His eyes didn't meet hers from across the wooden surface of the table and wandered to the side instead. "That's just talk. I don't expect to get any blame but there's still going to be blame passed somewhere. That's what really ticks me off."
Misty heard something come from him but couldn't peg it as a huff or a sigh. At least she understood his frustration - even if she didn't understand why he was so depressed about it. She was tired of ponies passing blame around like it was some kind of game. It seemed especially so when it came to the captain. Spitfire got more than her fair share of blame for things she had nothing to do with. Wanting to change the subject, Misty suggested a new idea. "How about we just forget this whole thing and watch the stars."
Now that surprised the stallion. He never knew that Misty stargazed and certainly didn't expect her to suggest doing it with him. Of course, he also didn't know that High Winds had filled her in on some of his lesser known pastimes. For all he knew, she enjoyed it too. "Sure..." he answered slowly.
His stunned look combined with the fact that his eyes were actually on hers now made the mare smile thinly. "There's a spot just over there," she gestured to a clear spot in the park grass. "It's a good view."
He got up from the table and, as she followed suit, he asked the inevitable question. "You stargaze?"
"Not much really. I just look at them once in a while," she admitted. It was probably best to be upfront with him now if she wanted to be close to him later.
"Well, that's what I mean by stargazing. I don't get into all of that telescope and scientifical trash."
His sentiment seemed a bit strong so she wondered aloud, "You don't like it?"
"I like the stars but I hate it when ponies ruin it with all the complicated stuff. I don't like anypony knowing that I stargaze because they just ask what telescope I use and which constellations are my favorite. Then they give me a snide look when I tell them I don't do it that way."
Misty mentally sighed in relief. It was a good thing she didn't bring a book or equipment. He obviously had enough ponies to be upset with as it was. But it worried her as well. Silver Lining had peeves the same way all ponies did and she didn't want to trigger any that she was unaware of. Maybe she had thought he was magically different - devoid of certain emotions. It didn't say much for how well she knew him.
He found the spot in the grass with ease, as he gauged the object-unobstructed sky. She also found a place beside him and was meticulous with measuring out just the proper amount of distance between them. The plush grass felt nice and just slightly warm in the cool night breeze that swept by every now and then. If she could get both of them to forget the day's troubles then it just might turn out to be an enjoyable night.
The silence that was at first calming started to become a pressure after the first minute of stargazing. They were both looking at the stars and Misty could only guess that Silver Lining was relaxing in the process. In reality, the mare became transfixed with the starscape and could not avert her gaze for fear of being awkward with the stallion next to her. She was alone with the stallion that she liked and, with High Winds' words in mind, could no longer just think of him as a teammate. Perhaps it was that fact that was getting her nervous. To her relief, the stallion finally spoke again.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
It was just a simple thing and all she could reply was with a mumbled "yeah" that trailed off with her breath.
"So clear and bright. That goes for the night air too," he thought to add.
Misty heard it but didn't really register the statement in her mind. She was starting to feel a sweat come on. Now that she was actually in a perfect situation to talk to Silver Lining about her feelings, she was choking up. She wasn't normally a shy pony for Celestia's sake! Why was her heart clenching up?
"Misty, do have feelings for me?"
He said it so casually that she almost didn't hear it in her little self-contained panic attack. When her gaze finally wrenched away from the stars, neck hurting, she looked straight to the pony beside her. The colors of his coat and mane were darkened by the night but the moonlight gave him a surreal hue. Still he looked to the stars, not to the mare he was addressing. His face was tight and he was nervous even though Misty mistook it for anger. For that, she dropped the confession and said the one thing that she felt for having made their working relationship awkward.
"I'm sorry."
"Please don't be," he countered immediately in a shaky voice. "I feel the same way about you!"
Misty's heart would have leapt out of her mouth if the stallion's words hadn't stolen her breath. High Winds couldn't have set this all up if Silver Lining hadn't had some feelings for her in the first place. It was overwhelming and rather than leaping into a hug or giving a great sigh of relief, she just sat in the grass stunned. The weight of the moment had been too much to bear and, instead of plunging into some overdramatic kiss, she locked up into a freeze. They both liked each other. What was supposed to happen next? What was she supposed to say? She had never thought to consider what happened after a successful confession. Perhaps she had spent too much time planning her escape run when he would inevitably reject her.
She needed some other mare to tell her what to do next. There was only one other mare present, however, and her presence was hidden in some distant bushes. It was a pegasus that very much enjoyed the look of awkward distress on Silver Lining's face when Misty shut down. Most of all she enjoyed the fact that he moved himself over to his new marefriend, half embraced her, and gently asked what was wrong. That last part - the whisper of worry from his lips - was actually quite difficult to hear at the mare's distance. That was when the mare walked off. After all, the rest was just simple history to High Winds.
"Take a deep breath, Fire."
The gentle voice of her close friend was enough to make Spitfire grateful but not quite enough to cool her jets off. She had, after all, lost a teammate. Wave Chill would be on his own way within a week and the fans would notice. It was not the inevitable rumors of scandal that bothered the captain now. Rather it was the threat of additional members choosing to leave. The Wonderbolts were only the greatest team of all-around heroes so long as everypony believed that was the case. Spitfire knew that because she was the one that created the Wonderbolts in the first place. Well, perhaps that wasn't entirely true. The "Wonderbolts" had an older past but that was irrelevant now.
Lightning Streak was foremost on her mind, having just gone through something nigh identical to Wave Chill. Oh, Celestia! If he quit then Fire Streak would probably follow. That was exactly the kind of snowball break-up that Spitfire was afraid of. It was the same risk every team was always in danger of.
"Spitfire!" cried the white pegasus behind her.
The orange mare finally turned over in her hotel bed to face the pony behind her. Surprise had her upper half stretched across the sheets so that she could reach her friend with her front hooves.
"Sorry," Spitfire replied half-heartedly. She had been contemplating the difficult circumstances (not sulking) under the covers of her plush bed sheets. Thus her mane was a tad frazzled. A perfect illustration of "bed head."
"Don't apologize. And don't stress about Wave Chill. It's not like it's the end of the world," she soothed while rubbing her friend's shoulder. She was trying to be helpful and calming but Spitfire was stubborn when it came to letting some matters go.
"I practically made the Wonderbolts from scratch, Prize. Even the worst member is like gold. Months of training, not to mention natural talent, focus, and discipline. Wave Chill is not getting replaced anytime soon," the captain complained wearily. The lack of energy in her voice was testament to the recent blow to her confidence.
Surprise, ever growing in both peace and competence, knew just how to respond. "So that's even more reason not to stress about it. You can't change Wave Chill's mind and you can't get an immediate replacement. So, for now, you don't have to do anything at all. Just relax and do things like you always have."
"So I can lose more team members?" Spitfire countered.
Surprise flattened her brows and deadpanned, "So you can take care of business with a head between your shoulders."
A heavy sigh later, the captain was turning around in the bed again. "Maybe. But I just want to sleep right now."
Her friend flashed a smile that wasn't seen. "Maybe I should join you. It is almost midnight."
Spitfire may have replied with a "sure whatever" but the mumble was quite unrecognizable. Surprise was about to walk over and get into her own bed across the room but was suddenly struck by an idea. Why hadn't she thought of it before? It was so simple and she had so many opportunities to do so within the past few weeks.
The white pegasus carefully lifted the sheets on the far end of the captain's bed. The mare on the opposite side hadn't noticed since she was facing the other direction with her eyes closed. Carefully - very carefully - Surprise slid onto the bed and moved under the sheets until she was right behind Spitfire. The room had taken on a deadly silence where even a pin-drop could be heard. Then, with reckless abandon, Surprise grabbed her friend in a full embrace.
"COLD!" was the scream that echoed the halls of the hotel. Cold hooves on a warm coat. Such an old prank that very few even considered it a prank anymore. To be fair, it was mostly accidental rather than intentional. Mostly.