Celestia nearly shouted out in glee as Spitfire made her first successful performance of the Bullet. Luckily, her dark-coated sister was next to her to pop a hoof in her mouth and thus prevent them from being discovered. They were currently nestled behind some bushes at the edge of the meadow.
It was such a ridiculous thing. Why should the royal sisters worry about being discovered anywhere at any time? The elder of the two was simply adamant about not having to make all six of the pegasi go through the obligatory bows and "it's an honor" speeches. She just wanted to watch her part-time pupil blossom and do so with the minimum amount of fuss.
The white alicorn spoke when the darker one removed her hoof.
"So what do you think of my little project, Lulu?"
The night-ruling alicorn rolled her eyes just enough not to get caught doing so.
"Quite good considering the amount of magic you used on their physical structures. You used the least on that Spitfire, correct?"
"Exactly. And her determination got her to this level of strength quicker than I thought."
"A matter of her cutie mark no doubt," Luna added with curiosity.
"All of the Wonderbolts have a cutie mark related in some way to their physical talents - speed, agility, etc. It was only a matter of time for Spitfire to learn this technique. Even her name portrays it," Celestia commented before thinking to ask a question. "You haven't been to one of their shows yet, have you?"
Luna felt the urge to blush. Perhaps attending a Wonderbolts performance was something that everypony did at some point. Was she lacking in something once again? Her return to Equestria was no longer "recent" and yet there was still so much for her to learn and experience.
"No, I'm afraid not," she admitted. "Perhaps I can attend the next one if you relieve me from my duty hours."
Celestia tapped a hoof to her chin.
"I think that can be arranged..."
BOOM!
The Wonderbolts continued their individual practicing. Surprise was responsible for the last explosion and Celestia was certain they would all succeed. But now that Spitfire and her wingmare had taken their first flights of fire, the white princess was beginning to take interest in other matters. The matter at hoof, for example.
"Perhaps you would be interested in learning the Bullet, Lulu," the sun alicorn began with a tone of increasing mischief.
Princess Luna felt a pang of fear course through her for reasons she was only beginning to understand.
"M-me?" the moon alicorn stuttered nervously. "I'm not really that fond of fire."
Celestia raised a brow, which made the darker pony catch herself.
"Oh! I mean, I like your fire, sister. Uhh...I mean-"
"I was starting to forget how fun it is to get you embarrassed. It's just so hard to do," the white mare giggled.
Still blushing, Luna tried to frown in retaliation. Failing to pull it off well, she settled for abruptly turning her back instead. "Well...whatever."
Celestia was far from letting the opportunity pass and she certainly couldn't ignore her younger sister's use of the word "whatever."
"Still getting into the slang of modern Equestria?"
Luna refused to answer.
"Pouting?"
Still the Mare of the Night was silent.
Seeing another possible course, Celestia approached her sister and grabbed her wings. "We'll need to train these first!"
Luna finally let out an "eep" that rarely befell the ears of common ponies.
"What are you doing?"
"It doesn't have to be fire, you know. You can use your night magic to create an explosion of mist and shadow. Now that I think about it, that would be rather enjoyable to watch," the elder beamed.
"No!" the younger refused. "Not until you start treating me with a little respect."
Celestia thought she heard a "humph" and the end of the last statement but brushed it off as she let her sister's wings go only to cup the mare's cheeks in her front hooves. "But you're just so adowabuh."
That was the last straw. Luna began huffing with an uncontrolled rage that ended with a teleportation spell. She had to be somewhere else. Anywhere but with her confounded and condescending sister. As it happened, she teleported to the palace kitchens. Only a massive amount of junk food and gaming could heal her soul.
Back at the meadow, Celestia just barely avoided detection from the Wonderbolts. Her sister's exit had been rather loud, after all. Still, the white mare was smiling. Perhaps she had gone too far but then was it really possible to go too far with teasing her sister? It was infinitely enjoyable. Luna was just so adorable when she stormed off in anger. Perhaps that was why she had become Nightmare Moon all that time ago.
With a clipped self-reprimand, Princess Celestia convinced herself to attempt being easier on the Mare of the Night. In fact, she would have to apologize if she was ever going to convince her sister into trying new things. So, hearing another explosion from a Bullet ignition, Celestia started making her way back to the castle. She was going to take her time to plan her next move.
Surprise awoke the next morning acting every bit as exuberant as she felt. The Elite team was going to continue practicing for an upcoming public performance of the Bullet and the lead wingmare knew she had an important part to play. In the past she might have felt self-conscious about being in a lead position before the large Wonderbolt-crazed audiences, but she had changed a little since then. Now, she was more focused on executing all of her hard work alongside her best friend, Spitfire.
Breakfast was short but quite delicious and the special team of six pegasi were all present in the hotel lobby afterwards. Surprise was thinking, as Spitfire had yesterday, that this day was going to be a good one. And, in fact, it already had been.
"Ready to make some sparks?" Spitfire grinned as she came alongside the pale-coated pegasus. She stretched a wing over her friend in a warm way that highlighted the energy they all shared.
"Just like yesterday," Surprise pipped. "Are we going to try any turning today?"
"Sure are!" exclaimed Soarin' as he bounced up to the pair of mares. "Not going to be easy but then nothing cool ever is."
Surprise was going to make a remark in return but Spitfire spoke instead as she retracted her wing.
"Like your double tumble? Three years is a lot of training to pull of a stunt consistently," the orange mare kidded as she hit the stallion's shoulder with a forehoof.
He gave his obligatory eye roll and weak comeback. It wasn't long afterwards that the captain ordered the entire special team to make its way back to the training grounds. All the while, Spitfire made sure to keep Surprise close at hoof. Perhaps it was a move of guilt, as she still felt that she needed to talk to the mare about certain things. There was something off in the air between her and Soarin' and it was likely a result of Surprise's lack of knowledge on Spitfire's past. It had to be brought up eventually.
For now, the team made its way to the hidden meadow discreetly by hoof. Silver Lining and Misty seemed to enjoy the nice weather en route but the others were too absorbed in the fiery practice that they had lined up. Hence nopony noticed when the two pegasi began to talk about the controversy that existed in Canterlot regarding the use of ear clips by male ponies. It was just the sort of discussion that Silver Lining would get passionate with while few others would even give a feather about. Misty, on the other hoof, was beginning to wonder what her stallion would look like wearing such an accessory. It was relaxing to be lost in the petty intrigues of daily life - or so she concluded.
Soarin' was having his own conversation with Fire Streak but it was of an entirely different sort, as would be expected from the stallions. Mostly it was a one-sided exchange in which Soarin' was trying to convince, in an older brother sort of way, that Fire Streak needed to take it easy and not hyperventilate about the opportunity to bathe in flame every day.
"C'mon! We're like tiny meteors, for Celestia's sake! The best of the best!" the over-enthusiastic one continued.
Soarin sighed, "Sure, but that's even more reason to keep your head cool. You don't want to make a crater, do you?"
"Why not?!"
The blue pegasi facehoofed.
Meanwhile, the captain was contemplating all possible ways to approach her close friend about her relationship to Soarin'. There didn't seem to be any way to say it and avoid a misunderstanding. Perhaps it would be best to say that they had been like family and leave it at that.
"I know that we should perform more than once," Surprise interrupted the captain's thoughts. "But how many times exactly? It's a really dangerous move to push our luck on."
"Oh. Yeah," Spitfire changed mental tracks. "Maybe four times a year? I've been working on scheduling and I'm considering limiting the high-profile shows as the highlights."
"That's probably a good idea," the whitish mare breathed in relief. She didn't want to waste training but she didn't want to tempt fate either.
"Aaand," the captain droned, "we're here."
The other four pegasi trotted out into the green field and started warming up. Fire Streak tried to rush but Soarin' kept him in check. Silver Lining and Misty were the last to finish prep and Spitfire took the cue to order up a formation.
"Standard form," she declared with a mix of command and routine.
Surprise beat her wings and zipped up to the lead mare's side. Once everypony else was in place, she took lead into the sky. Forming point, she decided to check team positions due to Surprise's edge of earlier caution. Sure enough, Fire Streak was fooling around, much to Soarin' annoyance.
"Fire Streak," the captain barked. "Wing point. Now!"
The stallion dropped his gleeful expression and gulped as he flew somberly to Soarin's left-side flank. The captain card had been successfully played.
Spitfire glanced briefly to Surprise, who gave a nod indicating she was ready. With beat of feathers, the orange captain took off steadily forward while the others followed pace. Silver Lining and Misty were flying a tight wing, as Spitfire expected. Knowing that everypony was set up for proper maneuvers, she accelerated to higher speeds and approached ignition. By the orange mare's side, Surprise matched movement and began the Bullet in synch.
BOOM!
One after the other, each Wonderbolt ignited into flame and shot forward with new speed. The pattern of explosions was closely knit and sounded with only a slight drum. Against the remarkable rate that the world passed by below them, each of the six pegasi knew that they had to act quickly and accurately with each minute movement. Spitfire, at the farthest point forward, began the first turn. Even if it was only a mere ten degree left-side angle, it was a ten degrees that she fought for with all her strength. She might have made it to twelve degrees but knew better than to push a turn further than her Wonderbolts could manage. Over all, the team fell into the curve with her and took her cue to exit and land.
The ground tore beneath Spitfire as she screeched to a halt at Mt. Canter's summit. A second trail was dug into the ground as Surprise landed in turn. Three, four, and then the rest. The entire team succeeded in the first intra-Bullet movement practice, which caused the captain to turn to her team with a smile. No matter how simple it was, it was still a success.
"Alright!" she beamed. "Status?"
"Check!" Surprise affirmed her energy level.
"Check!" Silver Lining and Surprise called in unison.
"Double Check!" Soarin' laughed.
"Half Check," Fire Streak added tiredly.
Spitfire had suspected as much. Soarin' was overqualified and had probably pushed his wingpony past his limits. After all, Fire Streak was the least strong of the six in spite of his great enthusiasm.
"Break!" the orange mare called. There was no reason to throw out caution and cause an accident. The Wonderbolts weren't founded on recklessness.
Well...perhaps a little recklessness.
"Fire," Surprise said softly from Spitfire's side.
"Hm?" the leader raised a brow and faced the lighter-colored pony.
"We forgot to get some water here before we took off from the meadow."
The statement hit her like a stone. Or like the parched state of her tongue. It was going to be a long day of practice.
After getting the proper hydration, via Soarin's kind but totally commandeered delivery service, the Wonderbolt Elite team was ready for the second run. There was little to it, as the captain was starting to believe. And thus she flew up as point once again and got them into acceleration as before.
And, as before, they ignited with a roll of close-timed explosions. With the wind tearing at her flying goggles for the second time that day, Spitfire began the same ten degree bank to the right side of the flight path. Silver Lining and Misty banked at the appropriate time to keep the proper distance and Soarin' was leading the now-more-serious Fire Streak to follow suit. With the fast rate of movement, it didn't take long for the turn to end.
Everything was going as expected and, as it happened, nothing unexpected had happened all day. Until now.
Surprise suddenly spun off from Spitfire's wing position and narrowly missed hitting Silver Lining and his own wing as she spiraled to the right and downwards in a unbelievably fast and viscous torrent of flame. Something had gone wrong. Very wrong.
The captain didn't have time to think. She was already flying at speeds that didn't give time for reason so she broke out of instinct. And she broke out of the Bullet in a record four seconds, setting her tail aflame and scorching her back legs painfully. She hit the ground as soon as she could to roll off the fire, all the while racing to Surprise. In her mind, she was going to make it. In her heart, she knew she was too late even if she had broke out in one second rather than four.
The orange mare could only race painfully on her damaged legs as her wings had been bruised too badly in the overzealous stunt braking. When she reached Surprise, she found the mare curled at an eerie angle. The unconscious mare had become a crashed meteor at the end of a long landing groove that scorched the earth in small fires. Even the mare's wings still held tiny flames to which Spitfire quickly doused with her bare hooves. The pain that the captain felt was irrelevant. All that mattered was that the wingmare was still breathing.
She had survived.