Spitfire's POV:
Four hours ago...
Descending towards Canterlot you feel relieved, not from the warm temperatures but from your successes. You managed to escape the creature that knocked you out without any injury, and you got the relic that Ace yearned for. A feat that not much ponies can handle. Overall you're feeling pretty good about yourself.
With a tired smile upon your face, you land gracefully upon the snow covered ground. The sight is quite beautiful as it looked like a thin white blanket has fallen upon Canterlot. The lights in the cobblestone streets flickered due to the flame within them, illuminating the darkens that is dawn.
You had many thoughts and questions about the past events, but one thing occupied your mind the most, and that is sleep. It has taken you almost twenty four hours to do the mission Shining Armor gave you, and throughout that time you have yet to eat nor sleep.
As you ponder these thoughts a low grumbling can be heard from your stomach, clarifying that you need to eat before you sleep. With this thought in mind you walk down the desolate streets towards a diner that you have grown fond of.
The diner is a small corner building on the edge of Canterlot. You didn't mind the size of the diner as it's open all day and all night, posing it to be one of the best places to eat. Seeing as your schedule can change quite quickly.
The exterior of the building is like any other, having a white finish on the walls with a golden trim. A combination that you have grown to admire about Canterlot. Nevertheless as the outside looks no different the inside has a rather rustic feeling to it.
Old pictures adorn the walls accompanied by some hoof painted landscapes. The floor, unlike most Canterlot places was made out of cedar wood that was polished to a fine shine. The lighting was no different than out on the streets as the candles flickered inside of their glass casings. One of each was placed on top of each wooden table.
As the nostalgic thoughts passed through your mind, you find yourself walking into the very building. Glancing around the diner you can see that it is just as you remembered it.
Per usual as you walk into the diner a pony greets you warmly. "Welcome back Spitfire! You want your usual table?" Cherry Lime asks.
Giving Cherry a warm smile in return, you nod in agreement. Cherry Lime was born in the Crystal Empire a while back, she was one of the unlucky few who was under the rule of Sombra. Cherry always gets you in a positive mood, because when you look at her you realized how much pain she went through, but here she is smiling at every pony that trots through those doors.
Cherry guides you over to your usual spot, which is in the back corner of the building. On your way over to your table you take note that not many ponies are present. Which is to be expected at this hour. "Here you are Spitfire. Would you like me to order your usual meal or do you want to brows the menu?" Cherry asks with her smile never fading.
"I think I will look at the menu this morning." You respond taking a seat on one of their comfortable pillows. As you take your seat Cherry drops the a menu in front of you.
"I will leave you to your pursuing." Cherry states, her voice dripping with happiness. One thing you will never get is how ponies can be happy all the time, especially Cherry. You can't even imagine how she could of felt during Sombra's rule.
Once Cherry is out of sight you open up your menu and look at the multiple entrees that are available. Since it's early in the morning the menu is catered more towards breakfast then dinner or lunch. The dishes that appealed the most to you is the pancakes and the waffles. It takes you a while before settling with the waffles, as they are the same price as the pancakes and come with a fresh serving of fruit on the side.
Already knowing your drink you close the menu and place it down onto the wooden table. Since the rest of the diner is practically empty Cherry arrives back at your table within no time at all. "All ready to order Miss. Spitfire?" Cherry asks.
"Yes," You state with your own positive tone. "I would like to have the waffles, and for my drink could I have one of your amazing Cherry smoothies?" You ask knowing that she can't really deny you the beverage in less they ran out of materials.
"Excellent choice!" Cherry beams her happiness, she then proceeds to pick up the menu with her mouth and walk away. As Cherry enters the kitchen you're left in the diner by yourself. With nothing really left to do you sit back and lean against the cold wall and ruminate on the past.
Was it really necessary to knock the guy out? Did I really have to commit to such violence? I mean, I could of just flew away the moment he saw me. He didn't have any weapon that I noticed. I guess I did kinda over react, but I was just being cautious for my own life.
You go on like this for another couple of minutes. You're so deep in thought that Cherry has to snap you out of it. "Miss. Spitfire? Spitfire?" Cherry states waving her light pink hoof in front of your face.
"Huh, what.." You comment stumbling forwards. It's not till you regain your senses that you realize that Cherry has brought you your meal. "Oh sorry about that," You apologies. "thanks Cherry."
"No problem." Cherry replies with her smile still present. "Is something bothering you Miss. Spitfire?" Cherry asks, giving you a calming expression. You will admit that the expression is doing wonders to your mood.
Sighing you nod. Cherry looks around the diner for a second then sits down across from you. "What's the matter?" Cherry states giving you a sympathetic look even though she doesn't know what's bothering you.
"You really want to hear it all?" You ask with a confused look. Having someone's else's opinion would be welcoming at this time, but you really don't want to bother Cherry seeing as she is the only server out.
"Lay it on me." Cherry replies. Nodding you start the story of how Shining Armor gave you a task from Celestia herself. Seconds passed then minutes as you lay out the story in as much detail as you can remember. Through it all Cherry remained silent and attentive nodding at certain spots to support you.
"So now what's bugging me is that I don't know if I should of done what I did in the Frozen North. I mean it was the first thing that came to my head and I acted upon it." You state putting your face into your hoofs.
"You're the captain of the Wonderbolts right?" Cherry states making you lift your head in surprise. You have never seen her this serious before, so in return you just nod. "Then if one of your team members were out there what would you of expected them to do?" Cherry asks.
Your eyes go wide as you suddenly realize that you would of expected them to do the exact same thing. "Wow Cherry, thanks." You say as you start to eat your now cold waffles. You really didn't expect Cherry to be this good at problem solving.
"No problem!" Cherry states standing up. "It's what I'm here for." Cherry claims as she looks around the diner. "Now I have to get back to work soon or that stallion over there is not going to tip me." Chuckling at Cherry's response you nod and get back to eating.
After your meal is done you place the bits on the table along with a hefty tip. If anypony deserves the money its Cherry. You say to yourself. Just as your about to get up off the cushion the doors to the diner snap open.
"Miss. Spitfire you're requested at the castle immediately!" A voice booms out from the door. Turning your attention towards the door you spot two stallions dressed in golden armor and caring spears. Standing up you walk over to the two stallions.
"Princess Celestia wants the debriefing I assume?" You ask the two stallions. The two look at one and another then back to you, with a confirming nod you follow them out of the diner in hopes to get this over with as fast as possible. You can feel the tempting hand of sleep reach out to you, but you force yourself to stay awake.
Exiting the diner you're greeted by a chilling breeze along with some snow. The sky is now starting to turn brighter as the sun starts to make an appearances over the horizon. The sight was calming and from Canterlot the view was breathtaking.
However your sightseeing is ended abruptly as the two royal guards push you on wards. Tearing your attention away from the sky you follow the two stallions through the streets. The streets at this time look completely different, as ponies can be found everywhere trotting about.
It doesn't take much time before you come upon the Castle gates. You rarely visit the Castle, the only time you've entered it is to give a debriefing to Celestia. And even that was rare seeing as you can always just send her a report.
That aside you and the two guards walk under the golden archway that leads into the castle. The three of you make your way through the maze of hallways, all the while glancing at the interior design. You remember your first time stepping in these halls, it was back when you were just a little filly.
Your mom and dad took you here for the castle restaurant, they said that the food they served here was the same that the princesses ate. You remember jumping up and down from the joy that followed. Your family wasn't rich so going out to eat like this was a one in a lifetime chance.
Just as you expected when the server hoofed you the menu you were overcome by the sheer number of choices available. The menu seemed to have every possible meal you could think of. It didn't matter what time of day it was they served breakfast, lunch and dinner all the time. It was at that time and that time alone where you let out a high pitched squeal.
Now everypony in Canterlot knows that you rarely show any form of extreme emotions. When you get mad you don't blow your top, when you get sad you don't stoop into depression, and lastly when you get excited you don't squeal like everypony else. But at that time you couldn't help yourself, you were literally a foal in a candy shop.
Snapping back to reality you turn your attention forward. The two guards that were leading you have now stopped in front of a set of wooden doors. "The rest of the Wonderbolts are awaiting your arrival inside Miss. Spitfire." The guard on the left states with a sturdy voice as he and his partner stand on guard on either side of the door.
Nodding your compliance the stallion on the right, lights up his horn and the doors open reviling the castle waiting room. Inside the room sat the rest of the Wonderbolts, Soarin lay sprawled across one of the plush pillows and Fleetfoot and Rapidfire sat across from him.
"Ah there you are Spits!" Rapidfire states with a smile plastered upon his face. You visibly wince when he calls you by your nickname. "Fleetfoot here has been telling me about that human that was taking care of you. Looks like he did a good job seeing as you're in one piece."
Rapidfire's statement catches your attention as you glance over to Fleetfoot for an explanation. "What exactly did you tell him?" You question Fleetfoot hoping that she could shed some light on the subject. The only thing you remember was being knocked out cold and then waking up in an Igloo.
"Didn't Anon tell you?" Fleetfoot asks tilting her head to one side. You adorn a confused expression as you don't know who she's talking about. You have never heard of anypony named Anon before.
As you stand there in the middle of the waiting room with a confused expression upon your face Fleetfoot speaks up once again. "Anon you know the human that took you to the medical tent after he knocked you out?" Fleetfoot comments but continues once she realizes that you're still trying to piece the event together.
"Anon was the creature that came out of that metal winged bird thing. After he knocked you out cold Ace told us that he's from four million years in the past. It's funny because when I first saw Anon I thought he was a mindless animal but it turns out he can speak!" Fleetfoot claims making you get a guilty feeling about what you did to him, you also get a feeling that this debriefing is not going to end well for you.
Before you have any chance to reply to Fleetfoot the doors at the other end of the room swing open, reviling the interior of the throne room. Exiting the room was the same brown coated stallion Ace. "Ah Spitfire am I glad to see you!" Ace proclaims with a sigh of relief, he looks like he has been up ever since you met him.
"Why? Did something go wrong?" You ask all the while running through the possible reason's Ace would act this relived.
"Yes as a matter of fact!" Ace bellows out with a serious expression on his face. "After leaving Anon in the medical tent with you I have yet to see him, and he was supposed to hitch a ride with me to Canterlot! I suppose it was my fault for not telling him were the train station was, but now that your here all my worries have vanished. So where is he?" Ace states bringing back that sinking feeling in your chest.
"Ace leave Spitfire be. Retrieving Anon was your job and since you're done with the excavation you may retire to your normal duties." Celestia states from within the throne room. However Ace looks like a kid that just gotten his candy taken away from him.
"But... I want to be able to research his -" Ace states back but cuts himself of when he sees the expression upon Celestia's face. "Very well, but I do wish to spend some more time with my findings." Ace comments as he leaves the throne room and exits the waiting room.
As Ace leaves the castle you and the rest of the Wonderbolts enter the throne room where not only Celestia sat but Luna as well. Walking to the center of the room the two doors behind you close sealing you in the room. Sweat starts to drip from your face as you play the possible punishments for leaving Anon out in the Frozen North. You just hope that the Princess is willing to hear you out.
"Spitfire I assume you have good news to tell us about the little expedition I sent you on." Celestia states with a warm smile, an expression you really hate changing. The room grows silent for a couple of seconds as you prod the marble floor with your hoof.
Being the leader you are, you get it over with and relay the entire story to Celestia and Luna along with your team. The further you get into the story the more Celestia's expressions drops, from her once calm and collective look to a disappointed and worried look. By the end of the story Celestia has her head dipped down while Luna looks like she's about to burst.
"Thou hath committed speciocide!" Luna shouts out in her royal Canterlot voice, her eyes turning white with rage. A quick glance back at your team shows that they too are in shock with the story you have just told.
Luna glances towards Celestia and with a knowing expression Celestia nods making your body completely freeze. However much to your liking instead of incinerating you, Luna vanishes with a bright light leaving just you the rest of the Wonderbolts and Celesta in the throne room.
"I will admit Spitfire I am very disappointed in you." Celestia states her tone cutting into you like a knife. "Luna has gone out to search for Anon while I come up with the appropriate punishment for your actions. While I can see the reasoning behind your methods of dealing with the situation I must punish you in some way or another."
You start to shake in your spot as the list of punishments scroll through your mind. This is not fare I did what I thought was right! Why should I be punished for this! You yell mentally, you dare not say it out loud for fear of making the situation worse than it already is.
"So as of now I will leave you to your duties. When I come up with the appropriate punishment I will let one of my guards inform you. For now take this as a warning." Celestia states with her horn glowing back up. The doors behind you glow the same color and shoot open. "You may now leave." Celestia claims.
You take a bow and then exit the throne room with the rest of the Wonderbolts in toe. Surprisingly when the doors to the throne room close you don't feel guilty nor sad you feel angry. You feel angry at Anon in specific, it's like a fire has been started in your chest and the only way to douse it is by blaming the human.
"Spitfire I think we need to talk." Soarin states with a calm tone. Turning around you are greeted by the rest of the Wonderbolts, each wearing disappointed expressions. "I know now's not the best time to bring this up but we rather you leave the Wonderbolts."
Soarin's statement freezes you as it seemed to come out of nowhere. You thought that the Wonderbolts loved you and that's why you were there leader, well that and you got things done when they needed to be. "Why..." Is all you can get out, you start to feel light headed and dizzy.
"Well after that meeting with Celestia we saw what you thought was 'right' and we all disagreed with it." Fleetfoot states her expression turning to a somber one. "Anon was a nice guy and you just left him there in the Frozen North to die like he was nothing. You should know that any form of life is worth saving no matter how they treat you."
"We just don't want a captain that thinks like that." Rapidfire comments, his words hurting more than Celestia's. You're on the verge of tears when he speaks up again. "Sorry but it's just how we feel as a team."
"I-if that's how you feel..." You reply trying to keep your composure. You still can't believe that they would turn on you after one mistake even though it was a big mistake. Your sorrow slowly turns into fuel for the fire in your chest as you rip of the leader badge on your uniform and hoof it towards Soarin.
As the badge leaves your hoofs Fleetfoot speaks up. "I'm sorry Spitfire." She states bringing up her hoof to comfort you. "We will still be friends though." Fleetfoot comments walking past you with the rest of the team. You watch motionlessly as they turn the next corner and leave you behind.
How could this happen to me! You state to yourself as you walk slowly out of the waiting room and towards the castle entrance. This all just a mistake... Yeah I'm sure this is all just a prank... a cruel, cruel prank... You tell yourself.
Exiting the castle you are greeted by the chilling November air. Its breeze grazing your fur and sending shivers up your spine. At times like this you realize who your true friends are, and it seems like I have none. You say to yourself as you walk into the city streets. I wish I had one right about now. You state looking down the cobblestone street.
"Hey! Spitfire wait up!" A voice yells out to you. Not only that but the voice itself makes the fire in your stomach burn. It's like everything you hate in this world just said hello to you. Turning around you take sight of Anon and your expression drops immediately.
"What do you want?!" You state bitterly as you really don't feel like talking to him right at this moment. You know what, I'm not going to let him get away with this! I'm going to tell him right here right now what HE caused! You yell to yourself as the fire burns so hot that it feels like its physically affecting you.
"Thanks to you I have been expelled from the Wonderbolts! YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO GET INTO THE WONDERBOLTS!" You snap alerting the ponies around you, but you don't care. Oh no you wanted to tell this human exactly what you were thinking the minute Soarin told you off.
"If I were you I would be considering myself lucky that I'm not a pile of mush right now!" You yell once again, the only things that come out of your mouth right now are your pure feelings. Something that you have not done in a long time. "That was my dream! And you took it away from me!" You claim as you feel water stream down your face. It really hurts when some else says it but when you say it, it just tears you apart.
You look Anon right in the eyes making sure he knows what exactly he's done. His face showing all sorts of emotions from confusion to pain and sympathy. I don't need your sympathy! You yell to yourself. "You know what?! I don't even want to know what you were going to say!" You finally say ending the conversation right then and there.
With nothing left to say you give your wings one good pump and your of in the air soaring away from that dream wrecker. The fire in your stomach dies down but it still states its presents as you soar through the sky. You can help but let out some more tears as you near the academy.
To your surprise Fleetfoot stood outside of the doors with a grim expression upon her face. Oh great what could it be now! You say to yourself as you land in front of her with a rather pissed off expression. Fleetfoot jumps back in surprise, she didn't expect you to have such a entrance.
"What is it now, you come to take away my home to!" You state staring at her, your eyes like daggers drilling their way into Fleetfoot's mind.
Fleetfoot then looks down at the floor with a depressed looking expression. "Actually that is why I am here. After we left you at the castle a few hours ago we realized that you live in the academy." Fleetfoot states. Hours? I guess I must of been roaming the streets for a while without noticing.
"According to the Wonderbolt rules, you're not allowed to live here anymore." She states her expression not changing from the one she had before. "I'm sorry but I just thought I would tell you. You know because if you don't leave I think the guards might come."
You stand there nonplussed, you hit the hammer right on the nail and to tell the truth you were half expecting this to happen, now that you're not a part of the Wonderbolts anymore. With a large sigh you push your way passed Fleetfoot and enter the academy.
The halls were empty because everypony else is either training on the runway or at home. Fleetfoot leaves you to your goodbyes and takes off into the sky heading off to her own home. Where am I going to go from here? I have the bits to stay at a hotel but I can't live there forever. Not to mention I'm out of a job.
With those thoughts in your mind you walk up to your office and start to pack everything up. If it wasn't for that dam human everything would be fine! You state in your head as you toss your belongings into a box.
Most of the items in the academy are not really yours. In fact the only thing that you had was the books, pictures, clothing and office supplies. Everything else was bought by Celestia for the team and not for one pony alone, so you end up leaving with only one box of stuff.
Exiting the academy you look back through the doorway as it closes. This may not be the last time you see this place, but it might be the last time you worked there. With a sniffle the door closes and you lock it shut, making sure to shove the key under the door afterwards.
The walk after was the hardest as it pained you inside to take each step away from your job, home, and life. Everything you once loved and cherished was tossed out of the window like a worthless lump of coal on Christmas day.
As the pain increased so did the fire in your stomach. It was as if something else was living inside of you, changing your mood and thoughts to its own will. Not that you didn't like it, it was the only other thing that knew how you felt. It only stated one thing and one thing only which was nothing more than the word revenge.
You did not know how you were going to get Anon back for ruining your life, but you would be dammed if you weren't thinking about it. Countless ideas and thoughts flowed through your mind with little effort, coming up with things that would make you and Anon even. However the more you thought about it the more you questioned your own actions.
Is this what I have become? You state to yourself. A pony bent on ruining someone else's life just to get even? You ask yourself as you start to realize that you're changing into a pony that you don't want to change into. No I have to be better than him. You state with a confident tone but the fire burns deeper.
Mustering all the strength you have left within you, you douse the fire and clear your mind. Life is not about revenge and getting even, it's about getting back up when you fall. You claim with a determined expression upon your face. All I need to do now is get a place for the night and start job hunting tomorrow
With a new plan in mind you pick up the pace and walk through the cobblestone streets in search for a place to spend the night. Much to your liking the first hotel that comes into view is a relatively nice one. It may be expensive but after a day like today you couldn't really care, all you wanted to do was rent the best room they had and chill for the rest of the night and why not you had the bits!
That in mind you head over to the entrance and pull open the door with one hoof. Stepping inside you're greeted by the luxurious interior design that almost all buildings in Canterlot possess. The ground was a pure white marble with the walls colored a relaxing beige. On the ceiling hang a crystal chandelier that illuminated most of the lobby other then the corners where modern lamps sat.
Without any time wasted you trot up to the mare at the counter. "Hello Spitfire welcome to the Horseshoe Hotel looking to stay the night?" The mare states with a warm smile.
"Yes, I would like to take one of your suites." You state bringing up a bag of bits from your little box of stuff. The mare behind the counter does not look surprised, there has been multiple times where you came here instead of sleeping at the academy.
"Of course, would you like your normal room?" The mare asks turning around and grabbing a key of the wall. Once she turns back around you place the bits on the counter and nod. The mare takes the bits and places them bellow the counter and hoofs you the keys. "May you have a wonderful night Miss. Spitfire. Would you like me to call a bellhop to carry your items?" The mare asks.
"I will and don't worry I got this." You state with a smile and grab the key with your mouth and head towards the stairs. You really wish that they would have another way of going to other levels without using the stairs. We have magic, why can't somepony think of a way to get me up a couple of levels without effort.
Sighing at the thought you open up the door and start to make your way up the stairs. One thing you will admit though is that walking up these stairs is a great work out, expressly with the amount of stuff you're holding.
Arriving at one of the top floors you open the door and enter the hallway. Just as you last saw it the hallways have a red carpet with little golden decorations on it. The walls have the same beige colors as the lobby and the ceiling instead of having a chandelier has little pot lights.
Walking down the hallway you come upon your room. Wasting no time you plug in the key and twist it rewarding you with a satisfying click that states the door is now unlocked. Turning the doorknob you enter the darkened room and flick on the light switch.
As per usual the room is clean and organized. The bed was made nicely and the carpet was scrubbed clean. Placing your box upon the bed you move over to the window of the room, sliding open the curtains you take sight upon Canterlot and all its glory.
The streets were still filled with busy ponies doing their job. Looking down at them you can only wish that you were in their place, a pony with a job and a home. Stepping away from the curtains you grab the room keys and head out into the hall closing the door behind you.
Right now time to relax! You state in your mind as you trot over to the stairs and descend to the main lobby again. However instead of leaving the hotel you walk across the lobby and into another room. As you open the door you can smell the fresh smell of chlorinated water and the sound of ponies splashing about.
Entering the pool area you walk on over to the empty hot tub. I haven't had a break from work in ages! You tell yourself as you slowly place one hoof into the hot water. I am going to relish every second of it! You state placing your other hoof in.
Finally you submerge half of your body in the water and sit down properly. Laying your head back you close your eyes and let the relaxing sensation of the water jets message your sore body. "Oh sweet Celestia this is just what I needed." You say out loud as you succumb to the darkness.
"Spitfire... SPITFIRE!" A voice yells out and you jerk your head up and look around the pool room frantically. After surveying the area and focusing your eyes you come to see one of the hotel staff members. "Spitfire you have been in there for four hours! The pool room is closing for the night." The stallion states with an expression that tells you he can't start his job till you leave the room.
Four hours? You think to yourself as you get up and out of the hot tub. As you do so you realize that your hooves have gotten all wrinkled from extended exposure to water. Heh looks like he was right. You state to yourself as you grab a nearby towel and dry yourself off.
"So what do you do here at the hotel?" You ask making small talk while you dry yourself off. You could really care less what he says but it's nice to at least act like you do.
"I clean the pools and showers." The stallion states in deadpan tone. You can tell just by the way he's standing there that he rather be doing something else. You notice that his cutie mark is one of a hotel so it looks like he's on his way up the corporate ladder. Who know maybe one day he will be the one running this place.
"Seems very interesting..." You trail off knocking some of the hot tub water out of your ear. You're not sure how it got in there but it did some time when you dozed off. "So what's your name?" You ask almost done drying your mane off.
"Midnight Feathers." He states starting to clean the pool. "My father Spring Feathers owns the Horseshoe Hotel, I'm just following in his steps." Midnight states cementing your thoughts from before. "I just wish I didn't have to go through all these stages to become the co-ceo."
"Well everyponies got to do it at some point in their lives. Just promise me that when you get up there to never let go." You state remembering the events of today. Midnight stops and turns to meet your gaze, he then nods with a smile and continues with his work.
With the pool now closed and you now dried up you place the towel around your neck and walk up to your hotel room. The stairs again were exhausting but at the top of them you could finally rest. With the thought of a nice comfy bed and a whole night to sleep thorough you open your door and jump onto your bed.
What you didn't expect was for there to be a note place upon the bed as well. Being the curious pony you are you sit up and take the letter in your hoof. One look and one look alone makes your body freeze in place.
There on the letter was the wax seal that adorn the symbol of the sun. Oh here it is the punishment for almost kill Anon. You state to yourself. You thought that the princess said she would send you a guard but it looks like she's too busy to talk in pony.
Opening the letter you crack the wax seal and read it out loud. "Dear Spitfire: I would like to inform you that Anon was retrieved from the Frozen North this morning after the debriefing. He has seemed to have made a full recovery. On the other hand I would like to share my sorrow for what the Wonderbolts have decided, however I cannot decides who joins or who get fired. I hope you know that Anon and I had no intentions of having this happen to you. Lastly I would like to inform you that your punishment for leaving Anon will arrive shortly."
"Wait?! My punishment will arrive shortly? What's that supposed to mean?!" You say out loud as the door to your hotel bursts open and standing in its place is the very man you almost killed. "Hello roomie!" Anon states with a wide smile.
Your expression drops almost immediately. "Celestia you sly motherbucker."
"The most powerful weapon is the human soul on fire."- Ferdinand Froch