//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Decisions // Story: This Bright Blazing Future // by Dynasty-Kaine //------------------------------// A Few Days Later... Spitfire sat patiently in the living room as Valkyrie and Peak Performance spoke privately inside her room. The golden mare now understood why her friend had been so drawn to this stallion as his nature would have been a comforting compliment to her own. He wasn't as tall as the grey mare, but his personality stood higher than any physical height ever could. There were a great many things she wanted to discuss with this physician before she set out to find her brother today. It was quite the wait before the stallion came out of her room, his cherry red coat gleaming as he entered the living room. Hmm, he's a physical therapist I know but that gleam seems odd. She couldn't help but notice his lilac mane seemed tussled and hastily straightened out as well. Being a mare that had once played into these situations, and even would go out looking for them, she had a strong feeling that she knew what was going on. This had been the second day since her over winding incident with Spitfire, and she felt the stallion was being a bit too attentive to his patient. As he made his way for the front door the fiery maned mare stood up, she had to have an answer out of him after the act. "Doctor, could you trouble me with a moment of your time?" Spitfire requested with conviction. "Well, I really should decline with my schedule." he replied with a level of hesitation. "Can it wait for another time?" "Cut it Peak, you and I both know where I've been in life." the golden pegasus stated flatly. "You can make the time right now. Specially if you wanna avoid repercussions of what I assume just took place." His worried green eyes widened in shock, "Wh-What are you accusing me of now?" "Just sit, and we'll talk." Spitfire returned indicating he should sit on the couch opposite her. The red stallion swallowed hard as he went over to sit on the couch, and Spitfire went to turn on the radio. Once again, the music choice had been odd old Valkyrie but it fit the atmosphere. It started off with acoustic guitar counting the song in, it was peaceful and that was what should have been playing. She went back over and sat facing the nervous Peak Performance. "So are you going to admit it or do I have to drag it out of you?" the Wonderbolt Captain challenged deftly. "She is my friend and I will do what I have to." "So I am to be interrogated by the once unstable Captain Spitfire." Peak said with a dreary sigh. "So where shall I start then?" "When did it begin, your reasons for continuing, stuff along those lines should be a good start." "Well I assume she told you about her kissing me already, but my reason for allowing her to go through with it to finish...aren't quite the same as what I've told her." the physician admitted to with a weak heart it seemed. "I allowed it because I shared her affections. Even though I am a stallion already spoken for, it is not the best of situations for myself and the wife." "Wait what do you mean by that exactly?" he had confused her with his statement. "I lied to Val when I said that my wife truly loved me back." the red stallion said with a deflated tone. "We have always just tried to manage living with what our families put us through. We went through giving our daughter to the world as a way to make the relatives get off our back at first. I fell in love with our daughter, but well she wasn't as enthralled with the child." What? Spitfire was in utter shock, how could any mare that gives birth to a child be anything but in love with the life she has given? It just didn't make sense to her, but his reaction was anything but one of a liar. "So your daughter is your only reason for going on with this facade?" the fiery maned mare concluded. "Just about the only reason we stay together is our daughter followed by how the families would react to our split." the stallion sounded like he was cornered into an utter defeat. "This thing with Val would be bad if I didn't already know my wife felt and was doing the same thing." "What?" Spitfire couldn't help but shout that out. "Quiet, don't wake her up!" Peak hushed her with a serious look returning to him. "Wow, she really does bring out your strength." the mare concluded at his changed demeanor. "Yeah, she does." he said looking over his shoulder towards her room. "It has been like this since I saw her conviction behind her dreams. It was a week after I became her physical therapist that I began to feel, odd to say the least. My actions became much more affectionate, but I felt like I couldn't stop any of them." the lilac maned stallion chuckled. "And what's more I knew that she had noticed it as well. She took her time making sure she was right before acting herself a week and a half or so later." "When she kissed you?" "Yeah when she kissed me." his green eyes lit up with warmth. "I was so shocked to for once feel my feelings be returned with equal strength. It was denial that compelled me to tell her what I did about my life." "So you couldn't handle the pressure of the situation as it dawned upon you?" Spitfire sighed. "Typical stallion reaction." "Yes, but at least I recognized it after I did it." he returned with vigor. "Every day after that was hard on me, even if I hid it from her well. I wanted to feel her passion again, but I had a wife and my own morals to keep in check with." "Even if they make you unhappy?" was her barbed response. "If your daughter is what stops you, maybe you could pose the question of your situation to her. But do it in a hypothetical sense, you won't get a more honest answer than one from a young child." The stallion blinked rapidly at her as if not able to fully grasp the simple answer that had been there all along. Spitfire smiled warmly, her words were bringing a great change in the stallion's mind. Yes it may be wrong to break a married couple up, but it wasn't her intent to do so at all. She was forcing him to look at everything before him and make the decision for himself. "That is a good idea, I may try that." he mumbled after a moment of thought. "Anyways, as you said you saw signs of things you know all too well. Would it surprise you to know that it wasn't actually sexual at all?" The golden mares eyebrows raised in surprise, "Oh really now? Then what was it?" "As I said a moment ago, I wanted to feel her passion again." the cherry red stallion answered evenly. "The passion in her kiss is unequaled to me. That is what it was, and after we came to a point that it could go farther...we both decided it was best to settle down. We cuddled till she fell asleep, which didn't take her that long actually." There was a lot to consider when it came to this situation, and Spitfire didn't want to interfere in their lives or choices. Yet, someone apparently had to say something to one of them because a choice had to be made at this point. He and his wife had drifted apart over the years, each finding one that they truly felt love for, not forced love but natural and free. Valkyrie was her friend, and because of that she had to impress upon this stallion what she felt. "Okay then Peak I've got a mouthful for you now." She began what she knew would be a long speech. "Valkyrie is one of the few friends I've got left in the wake of what I did, and I know better than most that she deserves the best. Not to always find the best already taken out of her reach forever and a day away. You strike me as the character to put an end to her streak of Sorry I'm married types she finds so often. The only problem in the way of that IS your own self." It was odd but as she paused and observed him she saw him listening attentively. He was taking her words quite seriously. Now she would have to break her momentum to remind him her part in this. "Now I know this may be taken as me trying to convince you to drop your wife for Valkyrie, but really Peak don't misunderstand me." Spitfire told him with an air of seriousness. "Anyways, your biggest problem is your own, but it has a simple solution that all revolves around a single choice. It is up to you what you choose to do in the end; stay or go. Do what you will to come to that final crossroad, but make a choice to go one way or the other. Even if that grey mare tells you she can take being that other girl, she is lying to you and herself." "Yeah, I noticed she tends to do that to herself a lot." the red stallion said bemused at the truth in front of him. "Don't allow her to be strung along, because if you do..." she paused to add emphasis on her next words, "...I will string you up and break you worse than you break her!" His eyes flashed wide in fear at her words before softening, "You know, she is lucky to have you as a friend. Even at your worst point in life you changed her life for the better, and even now your trying to make sure she is taken care of. That kind of friend is irreplaceable." The golden mare felt her cheeks heat up from embarrassment of his praise. Valkyrie would be happy for the rest of her life if Peak Performance chose to side with her, and with the praise he just gave her she knew it. He still had to make the choice though, and the radio long gone silent for some reason all of a sudden came back in. He quickly sat straight up as the song started in softly. "Peak, what is it?" the fiery maned mare asked suspiciously. "This song." He answered as if his mind was far off. "But how did she--" "Find a copy of it that still exists?" came Valkyrie's voice from over his shoulder. "It wasn't easy to find let me tell you! Oh, you had such a lovely voice when you were younger." "Wait that's him singing?" the Wonderbolt answered incredulously. "Oh Spits." she answered being brought back to reality. "Well yeah, in fact it is. He said there wouldn't be a copy anywhere left in the world, but I found one of his original discs." "So I turned on the CD player...Oops!" she replied bonking her own head with her fist lightly. Valkyrie walked over to the table where it sat and changed the song to the next one. Her long Wonderbolts jersey swaying side to side. She wore loose fitting shorts as well which made Spitfire curious but she left it be. It seemed she had a message for the stallion herself. "Ah here we go track eight." she said with a gentle smile. "Spits had a message for you from what I could hear a second ago-" "Wait you heard that?" he interrupted her. "Just that she would string you up if you lead me on, but I could make out that she left you a message from that." she chuckled lightly. "I'll head back to my rest now, but really listen to the song I leave you with okay Peak?" As she walked off to her room the golden pegasus heard the door close and the music began to play, another acoustic song. Spitfire knew this song though it wasn't the same version that she had heard. She couldn't believe the bold song that the grey mare left the stallion with, it sounded spot on with him. The strongest part of the song sounded out and she began to see a watery haze cover the stallion's green eyes. Ohhhh, Just go for it, Run toward it, Dive in head first, Live life with no regrets, Oh put your heart out there, Don't be scared you might get hurt, But it's all worth it in the end, It'll all work out in the end. As the song ended the stallion looked down, a thoughtful look painted across his face. His tears had stopped now and he was taking in everything before him now. Curious as to what was going on up there Spitfire wanted to ask him so badly, but she avoided this because of what it involved. "Well then, it's quite refreshing to know there is a mare out there willing to go to this length to show herself to one stallion alone." he spoke after a long pause. "Looks like I have a question for my daughter, and a conversation to start with my wife. It is time the two of us stopped avoiding the truth life won't let us run from." He had made his decision from the barrage of messages given to him and with everything he knew in his heart, he had chosen to follow his own path of happiness. Not only that, but to allow his own wife to do the same. Yet the deciding factor was going to be centered on their daughter, and Spitfire could only hope that the families didn't cause great deals of grief over that. The lilac maned stallion stood up from his place on the couch and straightened his attire out. He had wore black exercise pants and a loose comfortable blue t-shirt. For his and Valkyrie's presumed exercise session, now brought to actual light because of Spitfire's prior knowledge. The red stallion turned to her a smile upon his face, his personality was brimming with strength now. "Thank you for your concerns Spitfire, without them this decision would have been put off much longer." he reached a hand out to shake hers. "Nah!" she smacked his hand away. "You still gotta follow through before you deserve that hand shake." "I guess you're right." Peak said with a laugh. "Anyways I should probably get going now. I wasn't joking when I said I had other patients to see!" "Go on doctor, I'll be here until she wakes up after all." the golden mare reassured him. He nodded his appreciation to her before he headed out the front door and off to take care of his other patients. It was shortly after he left Valkyrie walked out and leaned on the doorway between the hallway and living room. Her smile was so warm and gentle Spitfire could not believe it was her friend standing there. In an instant the Wonderbolt's mind concluded something she never expected, she had just done something more significant for her friend than words could ever convey. Her task here with Valkyrie was officially done, and in the way she really wanted to do it. It was time to leave. "With that I'm done here." she declared all of a sudden standing up from the couch. "Wait what?" Valkyrie said baffled. "I've done something for you that is of great positive value." was the fiery maned mare's response. "It's time I moved onto my next target, my brother. Valk, turn on your contact phone that Nydus gave all of us. When I've gotten the team pieced back together I'll call you on that okay?" "B-But we don't know that this will turn out for the best!" the grey mare said approaching Spitfire. "Yes we do. Me more than you though." she told the blonde maned pegasus gently. "Now are you gonna do as ordered and keep that phone on? I don't get mine back till I officially come back to the team, but I'm sure you can relate the message to me if it's important." She saluted the fiery maned pegasus, "Yes mam! I will await your next contact!" They both laughed cheerfully before Valkyrie walked Spitfire outside to see her off. They walked out into midday sunlight, and the air outside felt gentle and calm despite the heat. The grey mare quickly wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace, the Wonderbolt Captain could tell her friend was more grateful than words would ever express. Their embrace broke after a few moments and she turned to leave. Now to find Rapidfire, but where to look? He was the most seclusive of all the Wonderbolts, and thus proved to be the hardest to find when he wanted to be alone--even for his sister. Even though she knew him the best that only narrowed her search down a little bit. Why couldn't he have let somepony know where he was? Spitfire lamented with a sigh. "Spits, wait!" Valkyrie called out before she could kick off. The golden mare turned back to answer her friend, "What is it Valk?" "Your brother..." she paused seeming to think as how best to put it. "...He went to the one place he always feels at home at. It is the only place he feels totally free from the world." She smiled back at her friend. That was exactly the clue she needed to find him, and he had left it with Valkyrie the only other self proclaimed loner of the Wonderbolts. Spitfire waved farewell to her friend and quickly kicked off into the skies above taking flight. The only place that Rapidfire felt totally free from the world was ironically a part of the land that made up the world, Forelorne Forest. There were a few plots of land around the giant forest that had homes resting upon them, and her brother actually owned one of the plots. He had bought it himself saying he felt oddly compelled to purchase it for his own. Her brother had never done anything without much reason before in his life, but she let it go because of the conviction in his hazel eyes at the time. If she flew fast she could make it before the sun set today, and if she was lucky she would catch him flying about outside. That way she could let him know his loving sister was back. ______________________________________________________________________________________ The sun was setting over the forest to the west of the property that Rapidfire owned lighting the tall pine trees warmly. It was actually quite beautiful Spitfire had to admit as she flew overhead. She was trying to spot her brother below but was having trouble with the spotty mist like clouds that hung above his home in the evenings. Finally though she managed to see the darker golden coat of her brother walking out of his front door. Got him! Spitfire dove as rapidly as she could toward her unsuspecting brother. This was going to be the sibling tackle of the century! When she got close enough she opened her mouth to give him her traditional warning. "SUURRPRIIISSEE AAATTAACCKK!!!" she announced. The stallion looked up at her first with a look of confusion, followed by utter shock as he realized she was aiming for him. As she came within distance of him she could hear him shouting as he turned and ran. "NO, NO, NO, NO!!!" Rapidfire shouted in vain. Within a split second she had tackled him into a crater in the ground. He let out an exasperated groan with her hugging him from behind tightly, an evil smile painted upon her face. As his disorientation cleared along with the dust she sat up, still on top of him as he laid face down in the ground. "Hi there Rapid, my lovely loner of a brother!" the light golden mare chirped happily. "How have you been?" "Get off!" he roared, though muffled by the ground his face had been plowed into. "Oh right!" she answered him with feigned innocence. She got up off of him and helped him back to his hooves just to show she meant well. He wasn't impressed by this kindness though. They both silently climbed out of the small trench they had created and headed back over to Rapidfire's front porch. He had been wearing a white stallion's tank top, and blue denim jeans. Both were ragged, dirty, and tattered, but not just from taking her tackle a moment ago. What has he been doing since he came here? His mane was a lighter shade of orange than hers, his coat was darker than hers, and his eyes were hazel brown instead of amber. They were the weirdest siblings that ever could be, but they were always going to be family. She could hear music from inside the house that sounded like the blues. No vocals at all, but it was just as powerful. She had never totally taken to his choice in music either, but sometimes even she admitted that it hit the spot for her emotionally. He sat down on the raised stone porch facing her directly, and a stern look crossed his face. It seemed like it was covering up a dirty joke filled with laughter though, but she would have to wait for him to share it. "So you finally came?" he snickered but remained serious. "Then that must mean that you took care of what you needed to with Valkyrie." "Yep, I finally did something of great meaning for her!" she said with great pride. "So Rapidfire..." her tone changed to one of regret. "...Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" "Spits, you never did me wrong during all of your spiral." the dark gold stallion said flatly. "The only real wound you left me...was that you never told me why. You never told me you nearly died! In fact, you covertly barred me from seeing you like that even though I was your brother." It was true, when she suffered her near death fall she had made Misty Fly promise her to keep Rapidfire out of it. She didn't want to burden him with the thought of possibly losing her so shortly after their mother passed away. Dad was still kicking, but that was a story for another time Spitfire realized mentally. Her brother had always been quite attached to their mother after all. "So the only thing I really want is you to just sit down and talk with me about it, and why you decided I couldn't be there for ya." her loner of a brother said calmly. It was all of a sudden when his left ear twitched, this usually meant he heard something far off that wasn't normal. She turned to her left to see a rainbow colored arc streaming across the sky, it was from a sonic rainboom! No way! Spitfire couldn't imagine what was going to happen next, but was quite surprised by the action all the same. Within mere moments she was lifted off her hooves into the air by the arms of Rainbow Dash! She had shot upwards which caused the two of them to spin in the air, and as the momentum of the spin died off they gently glided back down towards the ground. "Dash, how did you find me here?" the light gold mare questioned. "Better yet, why did you come out here to me?" She didn't answer her questions just stood there a moment blushing, as if she was trying to find the words to say. This was quite the inopportune moment for the cyan mare to show up. Yet something was definitely not quite right with the mare. She was wearing make up and her hair had been done, although the wind had just undid it, as if she was out for a special occasion. "Hello Dash, what's going on?" she repeated lightly. "Well guess I got ahead of myself tonight." the rainbow maned pegasus answered. "Looks like you only just got here a few minutes ago from that fresh trench over there." "That's all very well and good, but it doesn't answer my question." she came back stoically. "I've found my answers Spits." the rainbow maned mare said shyly. "I know what my direction is now." The fiery maned mare just looked back at her confusion etching across her face. Meanwhile her brother just looked on with an interested grin plastered on his face. Suddenly a pop sounded near the front porch, and everypony looked to see a lavender mare now standing there looking dazed. "Woah, now that has to be the farthest distance I've ever teleported!" the mare said looking like she could lose her balance at any moment. "Now who do we have here?" Rapidfire questioned. "I mean seriously, I didn't know today was bother Rapidfire day. Why do I never get these memo's?" "Bro, I'm just as lost as you are right now." Spitfire said equally lost at the situation before her. "Sorry guys, as I said I've gotten a tad ahead of myself today." the cyan mare said walking over to the bookish looking mare sheepishly. "Everybody this is my friend Twilight Sparkle. She was here to help me with something tonight but--" "But now I need a few moments to recharge after such a massive teleportation." Twilight said cutting off the young cyan pegasus. Spitfire was at wits end with things, because things just kept getting more and more chaotic. She grabbed Dash by her wrist and pulled her off towards the forest shouting orders as she went. "Dash come with me, Rapid watch Twilight." Maybe if she separated the two of them from that situation it would get the younger mare talking. She could only hope it would get her the answers she wanted. After a short walk they reached a fence near the forest that marked Rapid's property line. Dash had been complaining and trying to get the fiery maned mare to talk the whole time she ushered her along, but she had ignored her until this point. "Okay now that I've separated us from that chaos storm, will you tell me what was so important you had to find me immediately?" Spitfire asked with an exasperated breath. "Do you like me Spitfire?" she asked with direct honesty. "That's not an answer to my question Dash." she replied dissatisfied. "Just answer me, and it will lead you to your answer." Dash returned with a bold smile. "Of course I like you, and a lot more than just friends." she answered with a sigh then a smile. "But you already know that, and I thought we agreed to--" She paused as her mind started doing the math behind what Rainbow had asked her. Was the cyan mare here for what she thought she was, possibly? It made her wonder just what had happened to the mare in the past few days. "Okay then, do you want to get to know me better?" the pegasus continued her questioning. "Of course I do silly!" Spitfire returned with a shy laugh, her cheeks heating up slightly. "But what are you implying here?" "Then would you like to go out on a date with me Spitfire?" Dash asked boldly a light blush crossing her cheeks. Her eyes went wide in surprise at what the cyan flier had just asked. She felt a level of utter bliss pass over her for a moment before thinking about it. Her seeking redemption was important, but on the other hand this chance might not come again. The golden mare wanted to see Dash more than sexually for quite some time now, but faced with the prospect of it worry fell into her mind. What if you break her heart? Could you live with yourself? I have to take a chance if I'm ever going to make it anywhere in life, especially at this point in mine. I have my worries, but what pony doesn't? Spitfire had to stick with that answer as each second that passed, left Dash looking more and more nervous. "I-I would love that Dash." she answered her voice cracking slightly. "Is that why you brought Twilight, so we could teleport somewhere rapidly?" "Yeah, but I don't think either of us thought it would be this great a distance away!" the cyan pegasus said with a sheepish, but bright smile. "Well then Dashie." Spitfire started. "Let's go let her and my brother know what's up shall we?"