//------------------------------// // 24 Calm Before the Storm // Story: What's Really the Most Important? // by KrishnaKarnak //------------------------------// The darkness was closing in. Rainbow Dash's heart thundered like the hoof-falls of a death march. She turned on the spot, mouth very dry. She had just run across the span of a walkway over the pit below, the bottom of which she could not make out. It was a very large chamber with massive silk tapestries hung from the ceiling. As Dash watched, billowing smoke, black as death, rippled across the bridge. The opposite side was already in darkness. She ran along the railing, cursing wildly, feeling as though her limbs weighted a ton. The throne sat on the raised platform ahead, facing the void of the pit below. She tried to fly but one of her wings were broken. There was no escape as The Shadow had reached her stretch of the upper levels of the chamber. She felt the floor vanish beneath her as though blasted away. A steely blue pegasus grinned wickedly as she flashed past, his eyes glowing green in the darkness. Dash did not have a chance to make out the unicorn standing next to Wave Chill. She collided hard with the stone floor below, landing flat against it with a smack. Gingerly, she got to all fours and staggered for a moment, trying to keep her balance. She lifted her head up to stare above her, looking for Soarin's brother and the unicorn. “It's too late, Rainbow Dash!” Wave Chill's voice echoed throughout the void. “You should have realized you were doomed at the outset!” “No...” Dash cried, still looking everywhere for him as the lights above extinguished. “What have you done with them?!” “It's too late...” the voice repeated, slowly fading into reverberating silence. A chorus began to whisper in her mind. 'Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash!' She tried to block it out and focus on her present situation, but she could not manage it. “Mom?” A new voice ripped through the abyss. Dash turned around, ears perked as the strength grew in her limbs. “Who...?” Rainbow asked the darkness blankly. “Mom... Mommy, please...” The voice continued. Dash began to canter forward. “Where are you?” “Stop it...” The voice said, speaking in a painful croak. “Where are you?” Dash repeated, feeling slightly hysterical as her canter became a gallop. “I can't breathe...” The voice whimpered. “Scootaloo...?” Dash gasped as a small orange filly came into view, lying face-down on the floor. “No!” “Please...” The voice began to fade away into nothingness. “No!” Dash whimpered, pain aching through her body. She could feel warm and wet tears running down her face as her chest solidified. She could not draw breath. She fell to her knees aside the tiny pegasus, too afraid to check if her worst fears had come to life. Dash blinked to try and clear the flood of tears blurring her vision. She let out a wail of despair and clenched them shut again, collapsing forward and bringing her arms down with a crash. She could feel the dust swirling in the air as she stretched out a hoof blindly for the pegasus. Rainbow Dash grabbed a hold and her eyes flew wide open. She blinked again, watching the sunlight creeping along the wall of her bedroom. There was a faint white noise and Rainbow realized the television was still on, showing static now that the movie was over. Rainbow could feel Scootaloo's chest and abdomen expand as the filly breathed. As her head cleared and she was able to make sense of what was going on, she remembered Scoot falling asleep while cuddled into Dash's chest. Dash was clutching her tightly, every now and then feeling her child give a squirm of discomfort. She loosened her hold, not wishing to wake her up. It had been a dream, Dash told herself, biting down on her lip and swearing softly into the quiet morning air. Scootaloo was perfectly fine. As relief continued to break over her, she slowly ran her hoof through the filly's mane. Rainbow tried to recall details of the dream, but most of them had already faded into the recesses of her subconsciousness. All she could remember was a pain in her wing, Scootaloo laying on the floor, and the blurred outline of what resembled a unicorn. Wasn't there someone telling her to stop? 'Must have been Scoots... probably squeezing her too much.' Dash frowned, thinking hard. She whispered softly into the silence. “Scootaloo? Did I hurt you?” “Um... mmm.” came a soft reply, muffled by Dash's own chest fur. Scootaloo only seemed to be half awake. Dash could still feel the wetness stinging her eyes. She reached up a hoof and touched her cheeks softly. They were dry, so she had not been actually crying. Rainbow Dash never cried. Although... how she planned to maintain that stance when crying was something she actively had to prevent, she did not know. Nevertheless, she did her best to avoid spilling tears for many years now, so it was second nature by now. A few minutes passed by in silence. Judging by the renewed drooling now moistening Dash's coat, Scootaloo was again fast asleep. Dash never bothered to check the time or turn off the television, she just remained still to let the filly sleep on. “Mommy loves you, Scoots.” Dash spoke quietly as the sunlight continued to creep along the wall, slowly approaching the floor. “Whatever happens to me, I'll always be there in your heart, I promise. My mom's heart still beats beside mine, and it always will... Mom told me that my family is my greatest treasure, and you are part of my family now, Scoots. You have given Rainbow Dash her best adventure so far! I know you've always wanted a big sister, but I've been so blessed to be able to give you as much as you deserve. I'm so lucky I got the chance to meet you. You've given me a real purpose and that purpose is to make your life as great as I was lucky enough to have mine...” Dash trailed off, massaging the filly from her mane and shoulder blades to her tail with a stray hoof. Scootaloo was still sleeping silently. Very slowly and carefully, Dash rolled over to her back, keeping the orange pegasus pressed to her chest and sleeping. Scootaloo's tail twitched and Rainbow was worried she woke her up, but Scoot slept on. Reaching over to the bedside table, Dash found the remote and clicked off the TV, pausing to look over at the time on the alarm clock. It was 6:00 AM. She had a lot to do today, Dash realized. Perhaps it would be wiser to just get up now? Dash looked down at Scootaloo's tangled hair and mane, sighing. Moving her into this position was going to make it that much harder to get out of bed. 'Way to go, Rainbow Dash!' Dash thought, sighing. Rainbow slowly shuffled over to the left edge of the bed, feeling her way along with her leg. Once it was free of the bed, Dash twisted to her right to try and deposit her sleeping passenger on to the sheets. It didn't work. “Uh...” Scootaloo mumbled, rubbing her head and smacking her lips. Dash watched her beautiful dull-purple eyes appear behind her opening eyelids, half gummed together with sleep. “Rainbow Dash, it's the crack of dawn... are you nuts?” Scoot asked with a look to the window. “I'm sorry, baby!” Dash said apologetically, getting her other leg off the bed and standing up straight to stretch out her arms before falling to all four hooves. “Go back to sleep, Scoots.” Scootaloo studied the sunlight streaming through the window, rubbing her eyes and yawning. “Yeah... good luck with that, hard to go back to sleep with the s-s-sun...” she yawned again, “... practically sitting outside of your house.” Dash sighed, feeling guilty for waking her so early. She paused to look at her reflection in the mirror over her dresser. Her hair and mane weren't as messy as she would expect. As she turned to the door of her bedroom, her eyes caught the sleeve of her blue flight suit, hanging in the closet. She wondered vaguely if The Wonderbolts would need disguises in Saddle Arabia, as they had been wearing their suits when they were attacked. As Rainbow reached the bedroom door, Scootaloo pushed past her. “Gotta pee, outta my way!” Dash rolled her eyes and turned back to face the room, sighing. As she moved back to her bed to make it, she noted that it had been awhile since Scootaloo had her nightmare. 'Dry sheets... always a bonus!' Dash thought, smirking. Once the bed was satisfactory looking, she heard the rush of water from the bathroom that told her Scootaloo was finishing up. As she walked into the hallway, her thoughts drifted to her plans for that day. She would be getting together with Soarin around noon in Cloudsdale. She wanted to visit Pinkie Pie before she left Ponyville, though, and anyone else she had time to see. Dash knew the Cutie Mark Crusaders would spend the day together, so Scootaloo would be looked after. “What's your plans today, squirt?” Dash asked once the bathroom door opened. “Well, being tiiired, for starters!” Scootaloo sighed. “But we're gonna go exploring the Everfree Forest!” “You know I don't like you going in there, Scoot...” Dash frowned at her, placing a hoof on her shoulder to prevent her running down the stairs. “But I'm not scared!” Scootaloo said earnestly. “It's neato! I've gone in there with the girls before!” Dash was on the verge of mentioning Scootaloo's nightmare, but stopped herself. She didn't want to remind the filly of it. “It ain't safe... that's all. Remember you girls meeting the cockatrice?” “That was awesome! Fluttershy OUTSTARED IT!” Scoot reminisced, giggling. “That was a fun little adventure, I think!” “Listen Scoots, please!” Dash said sternly. “I've gotta go to Cloudsdale today, so I'm not going to be in Ponyville for a few hours. Can you promise me you're not going to go near there?” “I...” Scootaloo sighed. “Okay, I promise... uh, but wait! What if a grown up is with us?” Scoot asked, wings buzzing excitedly. Dash thought for a moment, noting Scootaloo's mounting excitement. She rolled her eyes. “Alright, fine. I'll ask Applejack, since she's been in there pretty often for some reason or anything. If she can't, though, you're not going in. Do I make myself clear?” “Clear as mud!” Scoot beamed, trotting down the steps. Dash sighed and entered the bathroom. She knew Scootaloo was very brave when she was with her friends, but she always feared the memories of the forest would hit her hard one day. Especially now that Dash was aware of the anxiety disorder, the idea of Scootaloo being anywhere that could even be remotely frightening to the younger pegasus was not an easy thought to process. Five minutes later, Rainbow Dash was entering the kitchen. Scootaloo had a mess of bread crumbs all over the counter as she tried to make butter herself some recently popped toast. As Scootaloo stood on the tips of her bottom hooves, keeping steady by holding on to the edge of the counter top with her front pair. Holding the butter knife in her mouth, she ran it along the bread. “Just use your hooves, Scoot!” Dash sighed, watching the bread slice across the top. “Mmmope!” Scoot mumbled, shaking her head. The filly grabbed the toast in her mouth and took off to the living room. Dash brushed the crumbs into the sink and moved to the kettle to fill it up. A cup of tea would be nice, she decided. Rainbow clicked on the radio next to the toaster and whirled the dials for a moment. “... the Minister of Agriculture said in his statement last month. In other news, Princess Celestia has been criticized for her passive stance in regards to the destruction in Gymkhana last week. Correspondents from Saddle Arabia have stated that Saddrabian Officials are, quote, 'baffled', at the lack of action from Canterlot. New Commander in Chief of the military forces, Azure Wings, has been very vocal against The Wonderbolts in particular. Precisely how a troupe of performers fits into the disaster is not presently known yet, although it is rumoured that they have some sort of contract with the Regal Sisters. Our corespondents have stated that Saddle Arabia has picked out a culprit for the incident and we expect details to surface by next week. Now, the twentieth annual Daisy Derby will be held...” 'The fact that the Wonderbolts are being blamed isn't well known, then...' Dash thought sadly, listening to the water inside the kettle on the stove begin to bubble. 'Hopefully we can fix this before the propaganda gets out...' She turned off the radio, feeling cold all of a sudden despite the warm rays of sun beaming through the window. She placed a bag of honey and lemon ginseng tea at the bottom of a mug and waited, drumming her hoof on the counter. She could hear the television in the living room as Scootaloo watched her cartoons. She could hear noises coming through the window as Ponyville gradually stirred in the early morning. Laughing foals and a few gruff voices in serious conversation about an issue with a water pipe. It hasn't really started yet, Dash realized. What would happen if they failed? Dash remained lost in her musings for a good hour and a half. By then, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had arrived and all three fillies were making an incredible racket in the living room. “C'mon, Sis!” Scootaloo muffled voice yelled out of sight. “Go ask Applejack!” Rainbow Dash walked into the living room, giving a groan at the mess. Books, toys, and couch cushions were everywhere. There was a mess on the floor and the cushions had been used to make a fort. “Wow, what a state this place is in!” Dash yelled. “Sweetie Belle, put that down!” “Uh oh, totally busted!” Sweetie Belle shrieked, dropping the curtain rod she was using as a jousting spear and slipping off of Apple Bloom's back. Scootaloo had been buried in the foot, brandishing a crayon and children's book like a sword and shield. She immediately darted out and stood next to the other two fillies, looking ashamed. Scootaloo's eyes snapped to the mess around her and then to Rainbow Dash. “I'm not mad, Scootaloo,” Dash said firmly, a little precautionary, “but if you girls want to do any Crusading today you are going to clean up this mess. I want this room EXACTLY how it was before you three decided to reenact the jousting scene from Daring Do and the Endless Colosseum!” Rainbow looked from one guilty face to another, feeling a tinge of annoyance at the smirk slowly creeping across Sweetie Belle's face. “I've just gotta read that!” the unicorn filly grinned wickedly. Dash felt the heat rise in her face as the other two began to giggle. “Sweetie, you... not even... look, I want this all cleaned up before I get back from Sweet Apple Acres!” she said as she marched from the room. Dash walked to the front door and opened it, stepping out into a truly gorgeous looking day. With a canter, Dash jumped into the air and spread her wings wide, giving a heavy flap and rocketing into the sky, heading Northwest. As she climbed, she could see the farmland over the horizon and sped towards it, a long and prismatic streak trailing her. She touched down beside the large farmhouse. A short distance away, she could see Applejack resting under an apple tree, hat partially covering her eyes to blocking the sun's rays and twisting a grain of wheat between her teeth. Rainbow Dash walked over, stretching out a wing to sweep the hat from Applejack's head. “Workin' hard, eh, AJ?” Dash grinned down at her. Applejack frowned in return, reaching over to grab her hat. “For yer information, I HAVE been workin' hard! I've been buckin' since cock's crow, missy!” Applejack waved a hoof airily to the edge of the orchard. Looking over, Dash saw numerous filled baskets of differently coloured apples. The orange earth pony slapped the hat back over her eyes. “Fair enough!” Dash laughed, sitting down next to her. She gave a sigh, beginning to speak in a more serious tone. “How's everything?” Applejack had picked up on the change in Dash's voice. “Nervous, not gonna lie to ya.” “AJ... you've always given it to me straight...” Rainbow said, rubbing her wings without really meaning to. “I've really been afraid that... that our lives are gonna be in danger out there. Do you think we're gonna make it out of this?” Applejack took her hat off, laying it down on the grass next to her. Turning to look Rainbow Dash full in the face, she plucked the wheat out of her mouth and tossed it aside. “I can't promise that nothin' will go wrong, and I can't promise that everything is goin' t' be alright, Dash. But we've always managed to succeed. Why should this be any different? We get better with every fight.” Dash smiled weakly. “I guess you're right about that...” She stared at her hooves. “I've just been scared because... because of what it would mean to Scootaloo if something happened to me.” “You've gotta be confident!” Applejack said, taping her on the arm. “Whatever happens will happen, so no use in wringin' your hooves about it. Keep Scoots in your heart, Dash, and I'm sure y'all will find the strength ya need to make it through. Try not to worry and jes' be your usual, confident self, y'know what I'm sayin'?” Dash nodded her head slowly. “You're absolutely right, AJ. I do get what you're saying... I might not be very much use if I'm nervous or worried, I've gotta grit my teeth and just do it. I'll wing it like I always do!” “That's all it takes sometimes, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack smiled, getting to her hooves and taping her hat. “Is that all ya needed, just some advice y'all should already be aware of?” “I've got a favour to ask ya! The girls wanna explore the Everfree Forest today. Can you keep an eye for Scoots?” Dash asked, getting up as well and feeling the pressure of fear and worry slowly retreating. “I suppose I can.” Applejack agreed. “I'm surprised she likes to go there with Apple Bloom, to be honest... y'know, given what... happened all those years ago...” “Tell me about it... I wanna make sure her anxiety stays down, she's been doing so well lately... but I'm torn between not letting her go, upsetting her, and letting her go alone, which upsets me! Plus she could get herself into danger, you know what the Crusaders are like...” Rainbow breathed deeply, shaking her head. “So thanks for doing this, AJ. I really appreciate it. I gotta be in Cloudsdale by lunchtime, so I'm very grateful!” “Happy to help. I'll make sure she's gon' be fine.” Applejack said, starting to walk back to the house. “I'll see y'all at the Summer Sun tomorrow!” Once Rainbow Dash got home herself, she gave the living room a quick inspection. Once it passed the test, she allowed the fillies to depart for the farm. She watched Scootaloo retrieve her red scooter from the hallway closet. Dash had bought her this one herself, as Scootaloo's usual blue one was lost during the camping trip months ago. “Be careful, okay?” Dash asked, kneeling down low as Scootaloo made to put on her purple helmet. Scoot nodded, slipping it on. “I will, Sis! Have fun with Soarin... I love you!” she said, giving Dash a swift hug before following her friends out of the door. Rainbow Dash left the house again shortly thereafter. She wanted to see her other friends, to make sure they were all coping as well as Applejack. The first stop would be Fluttershy. Within minutes, she was streaking over Ponyville once more. As she flew over one of the twisting roads, she could spot Scootaloo speeding along on her scooter, with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle sitting on the the attached wagon. To her surprise, Rainbow Dash spotted Pinkie Pie making her way up the hill to Fluttershy's bush-covered house. With a clatter of hooves, Rainbow dropped down next to her, causing Pinkie to jump with delight. “Hello one of my bestest of bestie best friends!” Pinkie giggled, bouncing. “How's it goin', Pinkie?” Dash asked, walking along to Fluttershy's door with Pinkie Pie. “I'm super duper as ever!” Pinkie replied. “You're not... worried? At all?” Dash frowned, rapping a hoof on the yellow pegasus' door. “Of course not! It might be a little scary, Rainbow Dash, but who am I going with? All of my friends! It's gonna be warm and sunny in the desert and I'll have the ponies I love to laugh with all around me! Danger is a stranger!” Dash felt a rush of affection for her pink pony friend. “Man, Pinkie! I wish I was as brave as you about all of this! I've only stopped panicking!” “Me too!” came Fluttershy's voice, standing in her open doorway. Dash had not even realized that Fluttershy had answered the door. “I've been scared too, but talking to the girls has really helped me!” Dash peered around Fluttershy's body to see both Twilight Sparkle and Rarity inside. “Welp, this shortens my trip considerably!” “Twilight and Rarity came by to see how I've been, um, doing...” Fluttershy explained, a little embarrassingly. “Well, it's comforting to know I haven't been the only mare worried...” Rainbow admitted, walking into the living room with Pinkie Pie. “I came over for the same reason, Flutters.” “I came over because I like hanging' out with ya!” Pinkie grinned. “I feel sorta guilty! I asked Applejack to go with the Crusaders into the Everfree Forest because I wanted time to see you all before I go to the Wonderbolts Academy. But, since you're all here... yeah...” “We'll all head over to Sweet Apple Acres while you're in Cloudsdale, then!” Rarity said, smiling warmly. “Don't feel bad, my dear. If there's one pony who doesn't need the opulence of our comforting words, it's her. She's an inspiration right now!” “Yeah, totally!” Dash agreed. “She's the one who talked me out of giving myself an ulcer over this. She's so relaxed... so, how have you all been keeping?” Dash had an enjoyable morning with her friends. Twilight and Rarity explained that they, too, were apprehensive about what was coming. However, they had all expressed the same confidence: as long as the six of them were together, there was nothing that could defeat them. With the Elements of Harmony in hoof, Twilight was sure that The Shadow would be no match. Twilight explained that she had mastered her deception spell and that she had a great disguise for each of them. They all pressed her to reveal them, but she wouldn't spill the beans, grinning all the while. “One more thing... Luna was able to charter us a ship for tomorrow evening!” Twilight explained, munching on a few carrot sticks that Fluttershy had laid out for her guests. “So we'll get there half a day early. We'll have it wrapped up by the next night, I'm sure of it!” “Well...” Rainbow said, looking up at the clock around 10:30 AM. “I need to dash! It was great seeing you lot, as always!” “Don't forget the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow!” Twilight reminded her. Dash waved a hoof. “Gotcha! I'll see you guys later!” She stepped back into the sunlight, breathing deeply. Her fear was diminishing with each and every passing hour. They could definitely do this, Dash reminded herself over and over. If she was worried she would meet her death, it was more likely to happen. As long as Rainbow Dash maintained her focus, she knew she had the best chance for success. Dash jumped straight into the air, wings springing open to catch herself. As she flapped them, she began to ascend into the sky. Higher and higher she climbed, Ponyville shrinking beneath her into something resembling a toy model. She stretched her body flat and surged forward, the wind whistling in her ears. Her wings beat the air with the fury of a war drum. Faster and faster she flew, the ground beneath her giving way to grassy hills and patches of dark green trees. The many stone structures and clouds of Cloudsdale came into view after a half an hour of flight. Dash soared into a cloud tunnel, emerging into the main junction and the swarm of pegasai taking an early lunch break. Weaving in and out of her fellow fliers, Dash located the tunnel leading to the Wonderbolt training grounds. As she approached the academy, her eyes fixed upon the gymnasium building, remembering all of the happy hours she had spent there with Soarin as they trained for the airshow. Dash descended to the runway alongside the long and flat Administration building, skidding to a halt on the pavement She found Soarin in his office inside. He was pouring over a handful of papers. He was wearing his officer shirt and looked tired. ”Oh! It's good to see you, Dashie!” he said upon hearing her enter. “As you can see, lots of work had piled up while most of us were waiting in Canterlot.” 'Uh huh...” Dash said absentmindedly, glancing around. She had never entered his office before. She could see the same poster up on the wall that she had in her own bedroom, minus Soarin's signature and the heart she had scribbled upon it herself. There were a few aviation instructionals on the walls as well, all detailing various wing types and flight maneuvers. He had a statue of a pegasus in mid-flight sitting on his desk, just like Spitfire had during Dash's brief tenure at the academy. Dash's heart jumped as her eyes fell upon a framed photograph hanging above a list of Soarin's credentials on an official looking piece of parchment. It was the one that had been taken after the try-outs, depicting Soarin, herself, Spitfire, and Thunderlane at the Vinyl Scratch club. She walked over to look at it happily for a few moments while Soarin finished up. “You talk to Thunderlane anymore?” she asked as Soarin placed the papers into a filing cabinet. “Eh... not really. Well, haven't really had much of a chance. So much has happened since training for the airshow. I saw him yesterday when I was on my way to visit Ms. Casandra for a patch job on one of my uniforms, but never stopped to chat...” Soarin walked over to her and closed his eyes, pressing his nose against hers. “I've just been... trying to keep it all together, Dashie...” They both stood up straight and embraced one another. “I know, Soarin! I've been worried about everything too. I really, really hope there's a damn good reason behind Wave Chill.” “Judging by how quickly Saddle Arabia is being taken over, Blaze thinks there is a chance that Chill is being manipulated. Spitfire believes he's acting of his own accord...” Soarin sighed, looking into Dash's cerise eyes and pressing his lips against hers. Dash maintained the kiss for a couple of wonderful seconds, wishing more than anything that the evils of the world would just fade away. She pulled away, her chest filling with affection for the pony standing before her. “What do you believe, Soarin?” “I don't know...” he answered, looking away from her. “He's my baby brother, whatever the reasoning is going painful to think about...” “We'll do what we can for him. The Elements of Harmony will cure him if he's being mind controlled or anything, Twilight told me.” “And... if he's acting of his own accord?” Soarin asked, dropping back to all fours and approaching his office door. “They... I don't know, Soarin. The Elements attack the darkness and evil in someone's heart, but if it's too strong, it'll kill them...” Rainbow sighed, walking to him as he opened the door. “Well...” Soarin said, holding the door open. “Like you said, we'll do what we can...” They moved out into the hallway, turning to face down toward the double doors leading to the secretary's desk and main entrance. Before Soarin's office door had closed, Spitfire's own flew open and she waltzed outside, putting on her sunglasses and adjusting the rank marking on her shoulder. “... Oh. Hello, Rainbow Dash.” Spitfire frowned, turning to look at Soarin. “Honestly? Inside the office? Be a little more professional, you blithering idiot!” she snapped. “Whatever you're implying is a total crock, Spitfire!” Dash snapped back. “He just asked me to meet up with him first.” “I'm quite sure. Anyways, Blaze should have the rest of the academy rounded up in the Conference Hall. Let's go.” Spitfire said quickly, turning to walk down the hallway. “Yes, Captain.” Soarin said formally. He gave Dash's hoof a quick squeeze and followed Spitfire. Dash, fuming, marched after them. The three of them left the Administration building and took a quick flight across a cloudy sea to a piece of land housing the Conference Hall. It was a large square building with a set of large, ornate double doors and no windows. Spitfire lead the way inside. The interior seemed to be comprised largely of one room. Dash glanced around, spotting the uniformed Wonderbolts arranged in a line at the far end of the room, facing a large number of pegasai arranged into groups. Recruits, trainees, cadets of every rank and level, security personal, and other faculty staff members were divided up. Not a single soul was speaking, and every student of the academy and Wonderbolts were standing at attention on their hind legs. The trio moved up the hall. Rainbow Dash looked ahead at the Wonderbolts themselves, all arranged in uniform shirts. It was the first time she had seen many of them without their flight suits. Soarin lead Rainbow and himself to stand to one side near the line of Wonderbolts while Spitfire walked to the centre of the hall to address the pegasai. She saluted the groups, who saluted back until she had lowered her hoof. “At ease.” Spitfire spoke in a clear voice and carrying voice, beginning to pace. There was a loud stamp as the assembled ponies, as one, changed their stance from attention to standing at ease. Each crossed their arms over their chests, legs spread shoulder width apart. The actual Wonderbolts lined up behind her remained at attention. “Now, it should be very clear to most of you that there was something of a crisis in the East. I will make no effort to mask the rumours that I know have already spread throughout this entire academy during the absence of most the chief staff. We were sent to Saddle Arabia. We were attacked there. I will not belittle you all by denying this.” Spitfire said in a clear voice, removing her sunglasses and scanning the hall with her fierce orange eyes. “A select group will be going overseas to Saddle Arabia to deal with this new threat that has arisen there. Many of you have heard of Rainbow Dash.” Spitfire gestured toward her. “She is here representing the group that will be accompanying my team. There is a real danger to life and limb for all those involved. It is possible that some of us may not return. To prepare for such an event, I will be promoting two members of the team.” “Wise...” Soarin said softly to Rainbow Dash. “I'm glad Spitfire has that insight.” “Yeah... Spitfire's a great leader, but it would be great if she didn't treat you like a pig all the time.” Dash whispered back to him. “Blaze and Silver Lining, step forward.” Spitfire commanded, whirling around to face the Wonderbolts themselves. “It doesn't bother me. Don't hate her for it, Dashie, please...” Soarin implored as with a sharp 'Ma'am!' each, Blaze and Silver Lining walked forward to stand at ease next to the Captain. “She's been through hell her entire life, I don't mind her storming at me until she's over the breakup.” “Blaze, your rank is now First Officer.” Spitfire said, reaching into her pocket and withdrawing three golden stripes. As a round of applause echoed from the rest of the room, she removed Blaze's old rank and added the the new one. Moving to stand in front of Silver Lining, she spoke again. “Silver Lining, your rank is now Flight Lieutenant.” Again applause as Spitfire placed a rank similar to Blaze's old one Silver Lining's uniform. Spitfire stood back to salute them both, starting with Blaze. Blaze saluted in return, her eyes over-bright. As Spitfire dropped her hoof, Blaze quickly snapped to attention and cried 'Ma'am!' once more, before turning to march back to the lineup. Spitfire turned to Silver Lining and saluted him. He returned the gesture, chest thrown out in his pride. She dropped her hoof and he snapped to attention, speaking 'Ma'am!' quickly, and rejoined the lineup as well. “I will be joining Rainbow Dash,” Spitfire resumed, pacing again, “along with First Officer Soarin, Lieutenant-Major Rapidfire, and Flight Officers Fire Streak, Lightning Streak, and Fleetfoot. While we are abroad, First Officer Blaze will be your C.O. If anything is to happen to myself while in combat, First Officer Soarin will be the new Captain of the Wonderbolts. If the dark forces we will battle should lay claim to us both, First Officer Blaze will advance to Captain. The rest of the chain of command will be revised as necessary by Blaze if that need should arise, just to make sure that we are not here all day. Allow me to take the moment to explain to each and every one of you how honoured I have been to work with you. I have seen the incredible effort put forth by each face here and I understand that the future of the Wonderbolts is very bright. I sincerely hope that I may return to continue to watch the growth of the recruits I see before me. If I am not to be blessed with that opportunity, then I implore you all to live with hard work and diligence and to place your trust in Princess Celestia, as the future may yet turn dark for Equestria. That is all I have to say. Continue your efforts to ensure that the Wonderbolts are the prime example of the best military and aerobatic team in the world.” Spitfire finished her speech and turned to salute the assembled groups once more. “You are dismissed.” “Ma'am!” sang the pegasai as they began to march out in procession. Rainbow Dash was looking at Spitfire with renewed respect and admiration. Although the Captain's voice was very clear when it had been speaking to the silent crowd, Dash could hear the fear and concern in it. Spitfire had faced The Shadow and had seen what it was capable of, Dash knew. Rainbow understood that she would need to keep her confidence high if Spitfire herself was this worried. Dash would need to ask her again to describe what strength The Shadow had before they faced it. Perhaps then, she would finally tell them? Dash turned to look at Soarin. His expression was blank as he watched the pegasai continue to march from the room. She saw him studying the lineup of his teammates, perhaps hurting from the absence of his brother. There was one more day after this one, Dash realized. One more day of peace before they would face down whatever was waiting for them in Saddle Arabia. What horrors would Gymkhana hold within its walls?