//------------------------------//
// Chapter 66: The Test 
// Story: Piercing the Heavens 
// by Calm Wind 
//------------------------------//

MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 66:






“I called it. I freaking called it,” Dash spoke to herself as she zipped up the front of her recruit flight suit and slipped her goggles over her head and around her neck.

“Called what?” Little Star’s head popped over the edge of the top bunk and looked down at Dash. She was dressed in her flight suit as well with her goggles around her forehead. Dash looked up and nodded.

“After all the ‘be prepared for the unexpected’ stuff they put us through in the tryouts, I knew this was coming,” she explained as Star hopped down and the two joined the group of recruits heading back out into the barracks hallway. “The closer we got to the end of the training, the more skeptical I got… and here it is.”

“Dunno why I didn’t think of that,” Star wondered as they found Matteo and joined him before Silver called for them to line up. Dash lost sight of Thunderlane, Squall, and Twister. Normally, she wouldn’t bat an eye at this, but given the mysterious nature of what was happening Dash had no idea at what moment they might be flung into something outrageous. If that were to happen, she’d rather be close to the ponies she was more familiar with.

“Is that everypony?!” Silver yelled out from the front of the line, four ponies in front of Dash. Wave Chill ducked into their barracks room briefly, emerging seconds later.

“Barracks are empty, sir!” he yelled as High Winds counted up the recruits.

“All twenty,” she yawned and shook her head out. “All twenty accounted for!” she finished.

“ALRIGHT!” Silver pounded his hooves against the ground. “All recruits! Single file! Follow me!” he yelled as he turned and walked at a fast, but steady pace. The recruits all quickly followed behind with Blaze and High Winds surveying the middle of the line and Wave bringing up the rear. 

There was something very organized about this. Dash wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad sign. 

However, the path Silver led them on upon exiting the barracks was one she had yet to ever tread upon. If one was viewing the lobby upon walking into the compound, the stairs leading to the upper floors were in the center of the back wall. To the left of the stairs were the entry doors to the recruit barracks. However, to the right of the stairs was another large set of doors that Dash had never used. She had seen elite Wonderbolts enter and leave through them, but she never got a good look where they led, and since they were solid doors, she could not see what was beyond them.

Dash felt a wave of curiosity and a small bit of excitement and anticipation as Silver guided them into the lobby, turned them past the stairs and guided them to this set of mystery doors. Dash had no idea what was going to happen, but they were being taken somewhere new. 

To Dash’s surprise, she stepped through the doors… and found herself outside. The recruits filed through the doors and followed Silver along a long concrete path that ran between the recruit barracks and mess hall. Wherever they were going, it was behind the compound itself. Dash knew they had some outdoor training facilities, but had yet to set hoof on any of them. She had seen a few during her few times flying in and out of Soarin’s window at night, but never got a clear view of them in the dark.

The recruits followed Silver all the way down the path and turned around the corner…

Dash’s eyes widened, she quietly gasped before slamming her hoof over her mouth to suppress an incredibly strong fan-girl squeal that jumped up into her throat. Her pupils enlarged and she gazed upon the sight before them all.

“Welcome,” Silver turned to them and motioned a hoof out towards a massive outdoor flight track that almost took up the entirety of the backyard behind the west side of the compound building. “To the personal stadium flight track of the elite Wonderbolts!” he announced before making another motion to follow and leading them towards it. Dash almost began bouncing as they moved, earning a confused look from Matteo behind her.

The large open airfield, the mile long racing oval that could be morphed into any track configuration, the rows upon rows of bleacher seats below that wrapped around the perimeter… It was really the elite flight track! Dash had no idea it was right there in the backyard of the compound! She had only ever seen it in pictures and read about it in books and read about how it was even larger than the Canterlot stadium they often performed in! Every time she saw something about it when she was younger it made her so excited! It was also track used for the world famous bi-annual Wonderbolt Squad Derby competitions!

The Wonderbolt Squad Derby was far and away the Wonderbolts’ most popular show. It was held only twice a year and whenever the dates of the Derby’s were announced, tickets sold out mere minutes after. 

The rules were simple, be the last squad standing. Maintain a certain speed while trying to knock the other squads out of the course, one member at a time if need be. However, there was a reason the competition was so popular. 

The Wonderbolt squads were scrambled before beginning. This created random squads of four that were different every time, preventing certain squads from dominating and preventing any form of preparation. After being selected, the squads were released into the tracks and had to work together on the fly to best the other squads, leading to new and interesting styles of flight and execution, most of which were impromptu. A squad wasn’t considered out until all of their members were knocked out of bounds, creating a need for the unfamiliar squad mates to cooperate and use all of their strengths to keep their squad together.

Because of this scramble rule, there was never a clear champion. The randomized teams made it so the winner could never be truly predetermined. It was a crazy event for gamblers. It was a rush for them to take a look at the random squads as they formed and place bets on who they believed would be successful, some even bet on squads they felt could pull an underdog upset. Why? That was just how unpredictable it was. 

Dash recalled hear about the last derby from Soarin. She had VIP tickets and a pass, but those were not valid for the derby, it was too popular to reserve tickets, Spitfire didn’t allow it. The last derby was won by a squad comprised of members from squads six, eight, nine, and ten because they were more or less ignored and managed to work well together once the stronger squads were weakened due to fallen members.

The whole thing had Dash giddy… but what had her even giddier was the fact that they were still moving towards it! 

Were they about to use the famous stadium? It was even already set up with padded beams, pendulums, and pistons (much less dense than Silver’s death trap course), the capture nets were hung up over the bleacher seats, and an incredibly large and fluffy crash mat was spread all the way out below on the infield. It was all set up!

Silver led them all right up to the front gate of the track and stopped them all. He turned and gave them all a stern look.

“So you all think everything’s been easy so far?! Well then! I wonder how all of you will fair in a surprise session of Wonderbolt Squad Derby!?” he yelled.

“YYYYYYYYYYES!” Dash cried out triumphantly and pumped her hoof in the air while hovering off the ground. After two seconds she froze in the air and opened her eyes wide. All the recruits, squad two and Silver were looking up at her… Silver was glaring. 

Dash quickly dropped to the ground and stood up straight.

“Eheheh…” she blushed and rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry, sir!” she swallowed and stood patiently, but still visibly bouncing. Silver shook his head before leading them in.





“You, you, you, you, and you!” Silver ended by pressing his hoof against Dash’s chest. “You’re a squad!”

Dash gulped as they all stood in the tunnel entryway nestled in between the curve of the bleacher seating on the north end of the stadium. She turned to examine the other four chosen to be in her group. Despite her excitement and her knowledge of the famous Wonderbolt Squad Derby, she failed to assume Silver would scramble the teams at random. She was so ready to match up with flyers she knew well, but that plan was quickly foiled.

She had Thunderlane, and three other recruits she was not quite as familiar with. She knew their names and that they were indeed good flyers, but she was unfamiliar with their specific strengths and weaknesses. Not only that, but she now found herself charged with taking on three other squads of five.

Silver went around the rest and formed the other three squads, isolating Matteo on one squad and Squall on another. Little Star and Twister were stuck together on the fourth squad. 

This was going to be interesting indeed. They went from competing only by chance at the end of a combat training session, to a sudden full blown aerial dogfight race with all twenty recruits involved. It was most certainly a surprise test, one that neither she nor the other recruits were expecting.

“The purpose of this test is to see who can adjust and adapt to unfamiliar circumstances! As a Wonderbolt, you never know when you’ll be called upon! We train to be organized and work in familiar squads, but there may be times when you have to improvise! Squad Derby is PERFECT for this because the teams are always randomized! I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I tried my best to put you into teams with fellow recruits that you’ve worked with the least! You don’t have time to huddle and strategize!” he explained as he began pacing. 

“I’m sure some of you know how Squad Derby works, but for those who don’t, here’s a brief rundown,” he pointed up. “This is NOT a race! It is high speed combat! You and your squad have to maintain a wing power speed of at least TWELVE while trying to knock the other squads out of the air!”

Twelve? That was fairly easy for Dash, and she was more than certain by now she and the rest of the recruits could easily generate wing power numbers much higher than that by now due to all the intense training they’d gone through. However, maintaining a wing power speed of twelve while trying to fight and avoid the spread out obstacles all at the same time? That was a different story and definitely easier said than done.

“You are considered knocked out of the match if you are knocked into one of the safety nets, sent to the field mat below, or drop below the designated wing power output! A squad is only completely eliminated once all members have been knocked out. Another way I intend to examine your ability to adjust quickly! We’ve only taught you how to work in groups of five, what will happen when you suddenly only have four? Three? Two? I guess we’ll see who’s ready for the next level!” he turned around and nodded to the rest of squad two. Wave, Blaze, and Winds all took off, spread out, and headed towards the far points of the ovular track.

“Better keep your speed up, there are multiple wing power readers spread out along the track that will be closely monitored by my squad and I. If you drop below twelve, you better bet I’m dragging your ass RIGHT off the track!” he threatened, making the speed factor completely clear. “I’m sure you’ve also noticed that we didn’t issue training armor for this event… TOO BAD! Sooner or later we had to wean you off that pussy padding! This is as REAL and LIVE as it’s going to get during our training,” Silver blinked and put a hoof to his ear. “Huh? Did you hear that? Sounds like another thing I’m taking a closer look at! Who’s ready to take a few hits and keep going! You better believe your every damn move is being watched here! We don’t have much time left before the final decisions on the new recruit squad, so you better treat every wing pump like it’s the most important one of your LIFE!” he yelled as he turned and looked out the entry tunnel. The members of squad two were all waving to him from their spots. Silver turned and stomped his hoof hard on the ground.


“When I give the go ahead, you will fly up into the track in your squads. Once you all reach a wing power of twelve, I will activate the moving obstacles. That will be your signal that the derby has begun and you are clear to beat the crap out of one another! Any questions?” Silver asked. Twister slowly raised his hoof. “Didn’t think so! You have one minute until lift off!” Silver turned and stepped out onto the field, surveying the track.

Dash flinched. Only a minute, they really had no time to discuss or plan. This was all about being able to work quickly and efficiently, with an unfamiliar squad. She knew Thunderlane’s flight skill and abilities well, but not the others. The pink mare, the dark purple mare, and the grey stallion from the barracks, she had watched them fly, but never paid quite as much attention as she did to her friends. Either way, she quickly took command of the situation and turned to them all

“Thunderlane, Sketch, Spectrum, Tenpin,” she addressed them all. They all turned and looked at her quickly, all with anxious expressions. That wouldn’t do. “We’ve only got a minute. Do any of you have a problem with me taking lead?” she looked between them, they all just blinked. “Well?!” she asked with urgency. They all quickly shook their heads. “Good, listen up. Let’s keep this simple. Follow my lead, and unless I call out a formation, stay in ARROW formation, okay?” they all nodded. “Also, if we are in a formation and get separated, when we reconvene, always come back to arrow to keep from getting confused, got it?” they all nodded again. “Okay, let’s ready up!” Dash smiled while pulling up her goggles from around her neck and moving them into place over her eyes.

From just outside the tunnel, Silver was glancing over his shoulder towards Dash. He saw her quickly take command of the situation and smirked before turning back and lifting off.

“Move out! Move out! Let’s go! Get up there!” Silver yelled while swinging his right arm in a circular motion.

“Remember! Default to arrow!” Dash reminded her squad as they ran up and took off towards the track.

Silver blinked in surprise as the randomized squads took off. It looked like each squad had developed a brief strategy all within a minute… and at the head of each was one of the major prospects he’d been keeping an eye on. Dash had taken command of hers, Matteo was the centerpiece of his squad, Squall had clearly quickly named himself the lead, and Little Star somehow managed to get Twister to cooperate. They all took command so quickly, that was something he made sure to make a mental note of. Silver himself was a bit excited. These recruits kept giving him hope for the future, so he was eager to see how they handled one of the most brutal competitions in the Wonderbolt show arsenal.


“Stick with me! Arrow! Arrow!” Dash called back as Thunderlane took the left position behind her. They rose up towards the flight track, pumping their wings in tandem as the other squads followed close behind. In a matter of seconds they were within the boundaries of the track. The track itself was twenty yards wide, marked by thick black ropes that were held up by long, padded, metal poles. The poles had flags on the top, alternating blue and yellow flags every pair of poles. 

The large oval path looked so much larger up close. Dash had always wondered how a single lap on a flight track could stretch for a whole mile, but they clearly made it possible here. As much as Dash was in awe of the official elite course she was privileged to use, she had to concentrate. She began picking up speed, glancing back to check up on her squad. Thunderlane was keeping up, but the other three were caught slightly off guard. 

Dash gritted her teeth as she realized it wasn’t going to be so easy with these other ponies. Her friends all knew her well, and all knew how to work and move with her even without being given orders, just as she did with all of them. However, these three other recruits weren’t as familiar with her. She would have to use voice commands. 

She glanced to her right to see Matteo pull up beside with his squad. They were organized in the X formation, Matteo in the center with his squad mates surrounding him. Dash couldn’t see beyond the two ponies to Matteo’s left. The ice blue pony and the black and white pony with the glasses from the silly trio. Matteo stole a quick glance at Dash before facing forward and pumping his wings harder.

“Speed up! We need more!” Matteo ordered, his squad mates following him. 

Dash thought carefully as they continued to increase their speed as well. Matteo had a very sharp mind when it came to combat. His squad was trying to put themselves very far ahead. It made her wonder what he was planning… because she knew it was something. 

“Shift to the right side of the track!” Dash suddenly ordered. “Let’s use the wide space to our advantage!” she yelled as she and her squad moved to the right side of the track, using the far edge of the counterclockwise path to extend the length of their travel and allow the other squads to pass. Matteo wanted to start in front, so she would start in back. Better that than take a chance. She was also curious to see if any of the other squads were hatching any plans right before they began.

She almost missed Squall as he suddenly zoomed past them with his squad in tow. They didn’t seem to be in any formation. In fact it looked like Squall was charging ahead after Matteo and the ponies behind him were struggling to keep up. All Dash could see before they were too far ahead was the bat mare and the dark blue pony from the silly trio. It didn’t look like there was much control in that group, but Dash wasn’t about to underestimate Squall.

Dash looked back again to find Twister and Star’s squad, but she didn’t have to look far. They were hugging the inside of the course, slowly passing by. They were flying in the plus formation. Star was in front, with Twister on the right flank… flying backwards, and the light blue, curly green-maned pony from the silly trio... also flying backwards and giggling along with Twister.

Dash was both not as worried and the most worried about that squad. They didn’t present quite as tough a physical adversary as Squall and Matteo, but she couldn’t forget about them, especially after how a weaker squad won the last official Wonderbolt Derby. But honestly, she had to keep one eye on Twister regardless of what they were doing. 

Dash was certain they had hit, or were about to hit the wing power requirement, she decided to check on her squad one more time.

But right before she could, a loud whirring and clanking noise echoed throughout the stadium and the obstacles slowly came to life. The pendulums slowly started swinging, the pistons fired, and some of the beams proved to not be stationary as some began moving up and down or side to side.

“Remember! Arrow default!” Dash yelled one more time, “Follow my lead! Shift left! We’re going after the squad at ten o’clock!” she yelled out as she set her eyes on Twister and Star’s squad. She decided taking the initiative would be the best option, not leaving any other squads the opportunity to plan anything. Dash kept her eyes peeled as she and her squad sped up. She could see Squall’s squad further ahead, but she couldn’t see beyond them or if they were engaging with Matteo’s squad or not. 

The members of Star and Twister’s squad began making glances at them as Dash navigated her squad around the loose obstacles and slowly towards them. As they began the long turn of the oval track, Star used her hover to turn around while maintaining her speed and made some hoof motions. Dash cursed to herself as she saw the other squad make moves towards them. She was hoping for a quick strike but the obstacles prevented them from closing in before Star and company could react. The two squads closed in on each other, and were on course to meet in the middle where the concentration of obstacles was the densest.

“Quick! X formation, I’ll take middle!” Dash yelled as she shifted. Thunderlane was in place immediately and the other three moved in shortly after. “On my mark, dip down, shift over and surprise them from below!” she yelled. The squads split apart to avoid an incoming pendulum, and in the shadow of the pendulum, Dash gave the signal. “GO!” 

They dipped down in the shadow of the pendulum and shifted beneath the plus formation and shot upward. 

Dash knocked the pony in the center straight up into the air and into a piston. The pony exhaled loudly, and bounced off, falling straight towards the safety mat. Thunderlane tried to ram Little Star, but she shifted up quickly before trying to slam down on his back. Thunderlane skillfully dodged, but was separated from Dash. 

The other ponies in Dash’s squad engaged, but they got locked in a shoving match with each other, eventually they were forced apart and Dash called for them to regroup.

“Pull back! Keep your speed up!” Dash yelled as Thunderlane found his way back over to her. The rest of her squad pulled away, but the instant they did, Squall suddenly plunged down from above and knocked out the pony on the left flank of Star and Twister’s formation. The bat mare shot downward as well, but Twister simply turned aside and poked her in the stomach as she passed, earning an ‘OOF’ from the mare before Twister chuckled heartily. 

Only two… where were the other three?

Dash instinctively looked up. The dark blue pony and the other two recruits from Squall’s squad were diving towards them.

Dash blinked and instantly shifted out of the way, swinging her arm around and striking one of the recruits between the shoulder blades. The recruit cried out and shot downward, falling way out of bounds and to the mat. Thunderlane and the pink mare moved out of the way. 

“Speed up and regroup!” Dash ordered. She, Thunderlane and her three other squadmates all pushed their wings to gain more speed, reforming the arrow as they finished the long curve into the straightaway. Dash felt like they got out of that one lucky. Star was down to three flyers and Squall down to four. How they managed to stay with five was beyond her since they went on a direct assault then endured a surprise attack.

But where were Matteo and his squad? Why did they go so far ahead? Unless they—

Suddenly something slammed into Dash from behind. An incredible force shot through her body as she felt something grip her and propel her forward. She turned her head just enough as she absorbed the shock to see Matteo holding her and the grey stallion being held in his talons. It took Dash a second to realize… that Matteo and his Squad had sped up considerably to the point where they had made a full lap and were attacking from behind! Matteo angled them downward and closed his grip tighter around them. Dash gasped as she felt the strength of Matteo’s large talons close down on her. This was the first time she and Matteo had been in a competition scenario. This was how strong he was? She felt like she couldn’t breathe! He pulled them both up and wound up, clearly intent on throwing her and the grey stallion towards the ground as they continued to move at high speeds through the track. If Matteo threw her while they were traveling so quickly, she was more than certain she wouldn’t be able to recover.

Dash was not about to be knocked out so soon into the test. She forced her whole body to turn, throwing her hoof across her body and striking Matteo clean on the wrist, right between his nerves. He grunted and released Dash, but flung the grey stallion downward. 





Art by: Noble Savage (Deviant art: thatdamntenpin)



The grey stallion was out and bouncing against the safety mat quickly. Dash spun out of Matteo’s grip, shifted above him and drove her elbow into his back as hard as she could.

He barely budged. And Dash pulled her arm back while holding her arm in pain. 

“AHHH!” Dash grunted as her arm jittered. Matteo was a rock solid pile of muscle! She was definitely not getting him out through conventional means. She pushed off and rejoined Thunderlane and the purple mare, but upon looking around found the pink mare engaged with the ice blue stallion. The two had grappled and both were not looking where they were flying. “LOOK OUT!” Dash yelled, but the two ran headlong into a pendulum as it swung by, effectively knocking them both out. 

“Come around! Create space!” Dash yelled to Thunderlane and Spectrum. The three reconvened and moved back. They moved far enough to see Matteo’s squad had split up and had attacked all three other squads. And now just after being lucky, Dash was stuck with a squad of only three. Matteo still had four total, Star and Twister still had the green maned mare, but Squall’s squad had taken a hit. The black and white stallion from Matteo’s squad was driving the blue mare from Squall’s down. He was saying sorry over and over again as they fell because they were both from the trio of silly ponies. All that was left was Squall and the bat pony in his squad. 

This had gotten hectic fast. Dash had hardly completed a lap and all the squads were already missing members. Matteo’s squad had the advantage with four still flying strong, so Dash decided to take a passive approach. As they ducked and weaved around incoming obstacles and completed their first lap, Dash slowed until she was in between Thunderlane and Spectrum and gave new instructions. 

“We are at a disadvantage, let’s set up in a tight triangle formation! I’ll be upfront, you two follow close behind my back hooves! Teamwork will win this for us!” she encouraged as they moved to avoid incoming pistons and beams. 

They had fallen slightly behind, but were within range to make a few moves and close in on the squads. Squall, despite him only having one squadmate left, straight up engaged Matteo’s squad. Or at least Matteo. Squall had recklessly approached and Matteo ordered his three squadmates to go after the bat mare.

They were completely ignoring Star and Twister’s squad, something Dash was determined not to do. She made hoof motions towards Spectrum and Thunderlane. 

“We can’t let them go unchecked, let’s sneak up!” she ordered, completely taking on the captain role. Neither Thunderlane, nor Spectrum argued and followed closely behind as Dash continued to navigate the obstacles of the straightaway. 

Dash kept one eye on Squall and Matteo’s squads as they closed in. Squall’s remaining partner, the bat mare, proved to be quite resourceful. She was fending off three ponies at once AND managed to knock one out, cutting Matteo’s numbers down to three! On the other side of the squad scuffle, Squall and Matteo were really going at it! The two were exchanging punches and kicks while flying side by side, maintaining their speed. Matteo wasn’t landing many attacks, but he was forcing Squall to dodge often. Squall’s attacks were all connecting to Matteo, but as Dash learned very recently, punching Matteo was like punching a brick house. It hurt. The two were caught in an endless loop of trying and failing to hinder each other.

Dash refocused on Star’s and Twister’s group. Lucky, this time they were not aware of Dash’s approach. They were busy focusing on the squad scuffle slightly ahead, trying to avoid it. 

“GO!” Dash yelled as they closed in. The three shot forward and pushed their way in between the other squad’s formation. Star yelped in surprise, but ducked down again to elude Thunderlane.

“Dammit!” Thunderlane cursed at his inability to tag the little, heavily mobile mare. Dash grabbed Twister by the shoulders and was about to throw him, but he turned around in her grip and latched onto her arms while sneering. Spectrum got a hold of the green maned pony from behind, but the pony threw her wings out in surprise.

“Spectrum! Speed!” Dash yelled as she watched her squadmate slow down considerably. There was nothing she could do. Dash fought with Twister while glancing at Spectrum. She and the other pony passed one of the wingpower gauges way too slowly. Blaze dropped down from above and grabbed them both, forcing them out of the course.

Dash shed Twister’s grip and backed off. She found and rejoined beside Thunderlane, just in time to see Squall’s wingmate, the bat mare, grab both of the remaining ponies from Matteo’s squad. It looked like she was ready to throw them down, but a piston nearby fired out and struck her in the side. She was sent tumbling out of bounds and into a safety net, while the two she had grabbed flailed out of control and passed a wing power monitor way to slowly. Silver flew in and snatched them both out of the air.

Just like that. Only one and a half laps down (two and a half for Matteo), and it came down to the six of them. 





Silver dropped off the two ponies he pulled out of the track before looking back up. He smirked and shook his head as he rose back up to observe.

“These damn kids,” he chuckled as he looked at each of them. Rainbow Dash, Matteo, Squall, Thunderlane, Little Star, and Twister. “They just never stop pushing themselves…”





“Thunderlane! Let’s switch this up! Head for Squall and Matteo!” Dash suggested as they continued to shift and weave around obstacles at high speeds.

“What?!” Thunderlane blinked as he looked towards the two locked in intense combat. “You want to get between THAT?!” Thunderlane voiced his disapproval.

“Little Star is too quick and Twister is turning all our attempts against us! I’ll engage them directly. I want you to follow, but keep an eye on Twister and Star!” Dash suggested as they broke apart briefly to avoid a pendulum. “Star won’t pass up a chance like that, when they move in to attack, let’s break off and surprise them!”

“O-okay…” Thunderlane wasn’t sure if it would work, but then again, he didn’t have any better ideas, Dash had really taken command and he wasn’t going to try and argue with her.

“Go!” Dash yelled as they began moving towards the clashing duo.

“That all you got, fatass!?” Squall yelled as he pumped his wings and made quick shifts to evade Matteo’s powerful swipes and swings. “I still owe you for that coward comment!” he barked. 

“That was weeks ago!” Matteo growled as he took a hit, but easily shrugged it off. He reached out and grabbed hold of Squall’s arm, but Squall swung around and landed a kick over the top of Matteo’s head. Squall bounced off, ripping his arm free, but Matteo once again seemed unfazed as he pounded his massive wings against the air, propelling him even faster after Squall.

“I’m surprised you can carry your own weight, tubby!” Squall snarled as he braced himself. Matteo rammed him in the side, but Squall retained control and kept going, trying to ram Matteo right back. “I’m not scared of you!” Squall yelled out as if really trying to get his point across. He turned on his side and punched both arms out at Matteo’s chest. Matteo reached up and grabbed both of Squall’s hooves. Squall had the leverage advantage, but Matteo still managed to slowly push back with his tremendous strength.

“You talk way too much!” Matteo reared his head back and headbutted Squall right in the forehead.

“RGH!” Squall yelled as the two split apart and moved into the large curve of the track.

“NOW!” Dash yelled as she propelled forward, Thunderlane following close behind. 

Before Matteo and Squall could clash again, Dash shot up in between them with her hooves, extended. She caught them both right beneath the chins. They both grunted as their heads were forced back, disoriented for the moment. Dash quickly grabbed Squall’s arm and sharply twisted to perform Twister’s Spiral Turn, swinging Squall around her body twice and launching him into Matteo, hoping it would be enough to have some effect on the giant. 

Of course it didn’t. Matteo was pushed two feet back, maybe three, before pushing Squall off and launching him towards Dash.

“What’s he made of?!” Dash growled as yet another attempt to hinder Matteo failed. She shifted to avoid Squall’s incoming body, but he was not as disoriented as he let on. He thrust his wings out as he twisted, striking Dash right in the stomach. “OOF!” Dash grunted as she tried to pull away, but Squall was moving in for another attack. 

Thunderlane charged in from behind and rammed Squall in the back.

“WHOA!” Thunderlane quickly dipped down as a pendulum swung by. “Dammit!” he cursed when he realized he just saved Squall from being blindsided. He pitched towards Dash and helped her regain flight before she could lose any speed and they made it into the next straight away. 

“Again!” Dash yelled, pulling Thunderlane with her. She had the advantage of a partner. Teamwork would be key in this because it was clear she wouldn’t be able to take down Matteo alone. Squall was proving to be quite resilient himself. 

Dash charged headlong at the two again, dipping between two beams and barrel rolling to avoid a piston, placing herself above them and diving down as Squall and Matteo exchanged blows.

“DASH! ABOVE!” Thunderlane yelled out. 

“Ah!” Dash yelped as she looked skyward. Twister was diving from above while holding Little Star in his hooves. She had her hooves extended and her body flat, waiting to be thrown. Twister did multiple flips before launching Little Star downward. Dash tipped to the side just enough for Star to cleanly pass. Star’s hooves jammed right into Squall’s back between the shoulder and wing joints on the right side. Squall’s right wing instantly retracted, causing him to spin out of control. Little Star bounced off and began fluttering to avoid multiple incoming swipes from Matteo. Dash glanced back at Squall. He was slowly moving back, his right wing clearly stunned by the attack. It seemed like it was over for him, but once again Squall proved his resilience. Before he could fall away from the group, he reached his neck out and grabbed one of Matteo’s back legs with his mouth, biting down rather hard.

“ARGH!” Matteo grunted as he began kicking his leg, but Squall had reached up and hooked his hooves around Matteo’s leg as well. Even with a hurt wing, he was able to remain at the right speed by hitching a ride. Star had flipped around and was latched to Matteo’s head, trying to yank at his neck and force his path into an obstacle, but Matteo remained in control. Dash and Thunderlane took the opportunity to try an knock Squall free, but they were met by Twister, who roped them into a bear hug and sent all three of them into Matteo’s side. Matteo reached out and wrapped his arms around all three of them as Squall held tight to his leg and Star kept yanking at his head. 

It had become one complete mess. None were really in control of what was happening. They somehow managed to keep avoiding obstacles mainly due to Matteo still being in control of his flight and all for them being attached to him in some way. 

Tempers were beginning to flare. Matteo was getting sick of Squall trying to climb on his leg. Dash was getting tired of Twister getting in her way. Squall was fed up with being dragged along. Thunderlane disliked not being in control of his flight. Little Star was pissed that nothing she tried seemed to work. Twister just smiled.

The six friends… all driven to anger as they bit and clawed at each other, desperate to gain some sort of advantage. Dash was just as angry as the rest of them, but something in her heart felt uneasy. Seeing each of them so enraged just didn’t feel right. This was a competition, but with what was on the line… would this throw barriers in between them? She wanted to win… they all clearly wanted to win, but she didn’t like how this was turning out. Weren’t the Wonderbolts about camaraderie? About working together as a team? 

She was glaring headlong into the eyes of Matteo as he and Twister had a grip on her. His eyes were sharply narrowed and he looked enraged, ready to give them all a haymaker if he could. It wasn’t like the look she saw in his eyes when fighting in training. It was almost beast-like and animalistic, the same went for Squall. He was miffed during her fight with him, but here he was growling a snarling like he’d rip their heads off if given the chance. 

Dash did not feel innocent either. She felt a huge desire to pound Twister’s face in for how annoying he was being while she was trying to focus on the others. She didn’t like thinking that way, but that’s what the competition was forcing her to think. Was it right? Was THIS right? 

None of them had a chance to find out.

“RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!”

Something… none of them knew what, but an incredibly loud, deep, ear piercing roar echoed through the air. It was so loud and strong that Dash and the rest all cringed and yelped as the noise shot through their heads. 

They were all so startled that they all let go of each other, the competition completely leaving their minds as they all slowed to a stop and looked around frantically.

“RRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!”

The roar came again. They all covered their ears as the noise was painful to take in. It almost sounded demonic. Nothing normal about it. It was alarming. 

Dash looked down to see the rest of the recruits all shielding their ears. Silver was looking up into the sky, one hoof over an ear, looking back and forth to the north. Blaze, Wave, and Winds all landed nearby him as looked towards the north with him. Blaze looked towards Silver.

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!” she asked frantically.

“I…” Silver blinked as his mouth hung slightly ajar. “I have no idea!”

“RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!!”

They all cringed again, Wave Chill looking out over the bleachers. 

“It’s coming from the north!!!!” he yelled out.

The moment Wave pointed it out, Soarin, Fleetfoot, Air Mach, Fire Streak, Misty Fly, Surprise, and Lightning Streak all appeared over the top of the bleachers, flying incredibly fast towards the compound. Fleetfoot angled down and shot towards squad two as the rest zoomed by.

Dash and her fellow recruits had to brace themselves as the epic gusts of the passing Wonderbolts nearly knocked them right out of the air. The Wonderbolts shot right towards the back entrance of the compound, save for Soarin who went for Spitfire’s office window on the second floor. Dash was beyond confused and slightly afraid of what this was all about.

“RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!!!!” 

“Ah!” Dash curled her body in slightly while covering her ears as the deafening roar pierced the air once more. What was that?! She frantically wanted some idea of what was happening and instinctively looked down towards Silver. Fleetfoot had landed and was conversing with him.

Dash couldn’t make out anything she was saying, but she was clearly explaining something with great haste. As Silver listened, the rest of squad two took interest and packed in to hear. 

Then Silver had a visible reaction that looked like a mix of surprise and alarm.

That… was not a good sign.

Fleetfoot suddenly turned and pointed up at the recruits.

“GET THE RECRUITS INSIDE!” she yelled before taking off and firing towards the compound as quickly as she could. Silver turned and took a quick, but sharp and deep breath.

“EVERYPONY GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW! THE TEST IS OVER! LINE UP! LET’S GO!” he yelled in a tone and manner that were different, a tone of intense urgency in his voice. 

None of the recruits hesitated for a second. Something was wrong, there was no time to stand still and be confused. As they flew down, Dash noticed Squall, Thunderlane, Matteo, and Little Star all shooting quick glares at each other. There was clearly something else to worry about right now, but they had all just been cut off from a competition that was becoming more than a little heated. They would have to live with it for now, because there was something clearly much more important going on. 

The moment they were all down, Silver started shouting orders to his squadmates. 

“Count them up! Make sure we have everypony!” he yelled as Wave passed by them all, nudging them to line up.

“That’s everypony, sir!” Wave confirmed. Silver gave a quick nod before turning to all of them.

“INTO THE COMPOUND! ON THE DOUBLE! MOVE! MOVE!” he barked at them as he broke into a fast canter. The recruits were caught by surprise, but all quickly followed after them.

Dash glanced behind her towards the north as they moved. She couldn’t see over the high bleachers, but what was causing the sudden alarm?

Speaking of sudden alarms, about ten feet from the back doors, loud alarm claxons began blaring from every speaker around the compound, a sound Dash hadn’t heard since the incident with Rapidfire.

They were alerting the whole compound…

What the hell was happening?!





Silver hurried them all into the lobby, where the sound of the alarm echoed loudly, bouncing off the walls and shooting throughout the hallways. Silver quickly led the recruits around the stairs and towards the doors of the recruit barracks as Dash took in the scene around her. Wonderbolt staff members were galloping to and fro, earth ponies and unicorns were pushing all the furniture in the lobby to the walls, opening up the lobby space as much as possible. Wonderbolts were pouring in from every direction, the east and west halls as well as from down the stairs. Some of them were frantically trying to finish slipping their flight suits on as they entered, and all of them had their goggles pushed up over their foreheads. 

They began lining up in the newly open space in the lobby in rows of twelve, three squads in each row. Spitfire, Soarin, Fleetfoot, and Air Mach, all in full Wonderbolt gear, were busily weaving between the squads, talking to the squad captains. It looked like they were letting each squad know what the situation was. There was nothing planned or prepared about this situation… it was a scramble. 

As the recruits gathered by the barracks, Silver gave the order for them to hold just as Spitfire glided over and landed behind him. Silver quickly turned and stood attention.

“REPORTING, MA’AM!” Silver addressed her. Spitfire barely let him finish as she pointed over his shoulder at the recruits.

“GET THEM LINED UP! SPLIT THEM INTO SQUADS!” Spitfire ordered. Silver looked at her as if she had completely lost her mind.

“The recruits?!” he said incredulously as he looked directly at her but made a hoof motion towards Dash and the others.

“You heard me Silver!” she barked back at him. “We’re going to need everypony we can spare for this!” Silver lightly shook his head back and forth.

“But—”

“THAT’S AN ORDER, SILVER!!!!!!” Spitfire shouted in his face. “I want squad two to bring up the rear of our full formation! Get the recruits into squads of five and have them each follow one member of your squad! Keep them in order and direct them as needed! WE! NEED! EVERYPONY!” she repeated before sharply turning her back on Silver and leaping back into the air to continue organizing the Wonderbolts.

Silver turned and scanned the recruits, they all looked incredibly confused, anxious, and slightly terrified. He growled and ground his teeth together as he turned to them pointed. 

“ALL OF YOU! UP AGAINST THE DOORS! RIGHT NOW!” he ordered. The recruits all flinched and quickly moved, spreading out one by one along the doors. “I’m only going to explain this ONCE and BRIEFLY! So listen up! Looks like the group of unicorns up in the northern mountains are a little more resourceful than we thought! They have found a way to release a BLACK DRAGON!” he explained. Dash eyes widened and her jaw dropped as Silver continued. “They seem to have control over it, and are on the verge of pointing it towards Canterlot! The Royal Guard is mobilizing to fortify the city’s defenses. It’s up to us to meet this threat head on and take it down or at least slow it down long enough for the Royal Guard to completely build up its counter measures!” Silver stopped and looked at them all. The looks he was receiving from them were filled with pure terror. All accept for Matteo, who’s eyes were merely slightly wider than usual. He growled and stomped.

“WIPE THOSE PUSSY LOOKS OFF YOUR FACES! YOU’RE WONDERBOLTS! YOU SIGNED UP TO BE THE BEST! WELL, IT’S TIME TO BE THE BEST!” he barked, making them all stiffen. Some of them looked like they were trying to regain their composure but it was clearly difficult. “We need squads of five again!” Silver stepped forward and split the line of recruits at every fifth recruit while shuffling down past them all. “No time to think it over, just group up every five and get lined up behind one of my squad members or me! AND MAKE IT QUICK!”

Dash was still trying to collect her thoughts. A black dragon?! A BLACK DRAGON?! Her brain was screaming at her as she lined up in the center position of her squad, standing in a flat line behind Silver. Thunderlane stood to her right, Little Star stood to her left.

Were they really about to fight a black dragon? That was impossible. Dash had heard about the black dragons from Twilight back home during one of the egghead’s several info dumps that Dash managed not to sleep through during a gathering with her friends. Black dragons were a thing of myths, not having walked in Equestria for over thousands of years. They were said to be the only mortal creatures that could rival the power of the gods and goddesses themselves. In fact, it was said that not even Celestia herself was capable of destroying them, so instead they were captured one by one and sealed away across the land, ending centuries of death and destruction at the claws and fire of the incredible beasts. These were far from typical dragons. A kick to the nose or an angry scolding didn’t seem likely to quell them.

And… ONE OF THEM WAS NOW NORTH OF CANTERLOT?! Broken from its eternal slumber with its eyes set in their direction?! Was this real?!

Even worse… Dash was well aware that Celestia was currently missing, or at least not around. What were they going to be able to do against one?!

Dash gulped as all the elite Wonderbolts and even the other recruit squads of five had all lined up perfectly in front of them and squad two. 

What was going to happen?

This was all way too sudden!

Spitfire rose up from the front and looked over the perfectly lined up rows of twelve that extended from near the entrance all the way back to the recruits. All eighty elite Wonderbolts, all the in-compound recruits, and the twenty new recruits all twitching and shivering behind squad two. Spitfire turned and gave a signal to an earth pony that had opened a panel near the corner of the lobby. The earth pony nodded, reached into the panel and forced a large lever down.

A noisy, mechanical sound of machines starting and gears turning filled the room. Dash blinked and looked up in awe as the large twelve foot tall windows above the front doors of the lobby suddenly lurched, heaved, and slowly opened, creating a large opening leading out. The open window mixed with all the furniture quickly pushed aside had rapidly transformed the lobby into a makeshift hanger and takeoff strip. Spitfire landed and turned to face the open window, taking her spot in the front along with Soarin, Fleetfoot, and Air Mach. She placed a hoof on her goggles which rested on her forehead.

“ALL SQUADS READY?!” she yelled. Every single Wonderbolt simultaneously reached up and grabbed their goggles.

“AYE!” They all replied in unison, startling Dash and the recruits as they all shifted their goggles down at the same time. Dash and the others frantically did the same, floundering behind as the routine continued.

“ALL PONIES SET?!” Spitfire continued. 

“AYE!” All the Wonderbolts replied while sharply opening their wings causing a large single FLAP to sound out. Dash gulped as she and the others also opened their wings shortly after.

“WONDERBOLTS! GO!!!!!” Spitfire yelled as she and the lead squad took off out the window.

“HOO-RAH!” The Wonderbolts all replied as they all broke into a canter, the rows of Wonderbolts talking off one by one as they reached the front, keeping their place in the full force formation as they leapt up and pumped their wings. 

Before Dash could think, she and the others were moving with the rest of them. She kept up right behind Silver, launched off her hooves right after he did, and flew out the window with the rest. 

This was really happening.





“KEEP STEADY! STAY CLOSE!” Silver barked to them as they emerged outside the compound. Dash and the recruits took heed of his words as the entire Wonderbolt force made a wide turn, curving completely around both the compound and Canterlot Castle before facing north. 

As Dash and the recruits rounded past the castle, she glanced down to see the castle completely surrounded by a large blue sphere of magic. Luna was perched on the high balcony with her horn glowing brightly. The Royal Guard was scrambling as well, pouring from both the nearby barracks and the castle, Luna opening small holes in the shield to let them through. 

The Wonderbolts rose high up in the air, passing over the guards as they moved about, setting up defenses and sending platoons out towards the northern border. Dash looked down as they reached the northern edge of Canterlot to see the guards gathering into large teams strewn about the border. 

Dash took a moment to look at all her fellow recruits. They all looked just as confused as she was, but they were all falling in smoothly, following all the orders without question. One thing she had been wondering about however was Squall. She found him in the group and noticed him grimacing with every flap of the wings. The blow Little Star dealt to him was clearly still hurting, but he kept going.

“Oh my god…” Thunderlane's voice caught Dash’s ears. Dash looked back up and towards him. He was staring straight forward with his eyes wide, his ears flopped and his jaw hanging open. Dash looked forward… and the same expression fell upon her visage. 

There it was. 

The mountains had come into view as they crossed the Canterlot city boundaries. 

Perched on the first tall mountain of the snowy range… or rather covering the entire first mountain of the range. Was an ENORMOUS black dragon. It was there… it was real. And just as Twilight’s recount said. It was of titanic proportions, literally as big, if not bigger than the mountain it was sitting on. Its large black body, long neck, and triple horned head covered in thick, black scales. Its red eyes looking south, its long tale covered with white barbs, whipping around and striking the nearby mountains as it’s four massive legs clutched the mountainside with claws that alone were as large as the Wonderbolt compound itself. 

Such an incredible behemoth truly existed… and the Wonderbolts were heading out to engage it. They were called upon to handle abnormal threats? This was about as abnormal as it got! 

“STEADY!” Spitfire yelled as the dragon looked towards the approaching Wonderbolts. “STEADY!!!!!!” She repeated. Everything was telling Dash to run. Every inch of her being told her this was suicide and she had to flee. But something about seeing all the Wonderbolts in front of her, especially Soarin diving headlong into danger to protect Canterlot had her hold strong. She couldn’t speak for the other recruits, but despite how scared she was, Dash’s body refused to flee no matter how much her brain told her to. 

“CAPTAIN!” Soarin suddenly yelled from up front. “MAGIC VOLLEYS INCOMING!” 

Dash blinked as she registered Soarin’s words. Magic volleys? 

“CONTROLLED EVASIVE ACTION!” Spitfire yelled back.

Before Dash could figure anything out. The Wonderbolts began making small shifts in their positions…

And multiple streams of magic were shooting towards them from below!

“Ah!” Dash yelped and began moving to avoid. She looked down as the thin magic beams shot, whipped, and whisked by them at such a heavy rate of fire that Dash saw no moment to retain a smooth flight path. Multiple beams hit their targets, striking the elite Wonderbolts closer to the front of the formation, small explosions bursting from any hits, but they shook them off and kept flying.  

Chaos was spreading among the recruits. They were falling way out of formation. Silver glanced back at them and growled.

“STAY IN FORMATION! AH!” Silver grunted as a blast of magic struck him in the gut and burst in a small explosion. He shook it off and kept yelling. “STAY CLOSE OR YOU WILL BE SHOT DOWN!” 

The recruits frantically obeyed, moving back in. They were in complete disarray, none knowing what to do or how to move, all they had was the comfort of Silver’s orders and squad two watching out for them. 

The Wonderbolts were being peppered by the magical attacks from below, but they were proving their reputation as abnormally strong warriors, taking the hits and shrugging them off as they closed in on their objective. Those further back were not being as heavily targeted. It was as if whoever was firing this magic at them knew where the top flyers were. 

“RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!”

The dragon suddenly roared again. Being much closer, Dash only managed to get half a yelp away before any noise sounding around her was replaced with a very high pitched ringing and everything else went silent. She felt incredibly disoriented as her hearing slowly returned and she stared towards the dragon. Its large maw was closed, but traces of flames were spewing between its teeth.

“PITCH HARD LEFT! PITCH! HARD! LEFT!” Spitfire yelled out as the Wonderbolts suddenly all lurched and the formation tipped to the left. Dash and the recruits followed just in time as the dragon opened its maw.

An incredibly large, continuous stream of blue fire expelled from the dragon’s mouth. The Wonderbolts had barely cleared away as the enormous blast fired right beside them. The blast had to be at least thirty yards wide and tall as it careened past them. 

“STAY IN FORMATION! STAY STRONG!” Spitfire yelled as the Wonderbolts completely reformed their formation after the sudden shift. 

Dash’s body felt numb. If that blast of fire had hit them, they would have all been burned to a crisp. She was still moving, her body was still following the Wonderbolts and doing was it was told, but she couldn’t believe what they were trying to fight against! 

They had drawn close to the mountain now… and Dash could finally see just how large the dragon was. It looked like it could knock the entire Wonderbolts force, all eighty elites, right out of the sky with a single sweep of its claws if it wanted to! 

“Ah!” Dash yelped as the beams of magic began shooting past them again. She looked down and finally saw where they were coming from. 

Unicorns. Unicorns dressed in all black wearing white bandanas. Was this the rebellious group that Silver spoke of before? How badly had this group been working underneath the nose of Canterlot authority to summon a beast of such incredible power?

“LOOK OUT! DISPERSE! DISPERSE!!!!!!!” Spitfire suddenly frantically yelled. Dash looked back up. The dragon had kept its eyes locked on them and was already firing a second stream of blue fire…

Only this time the Wonderbolts weren’t so lucky. Several had moved out of the way in time, but others had not.

Dash watched in extreme horror as the flames pierced right through the center of the Wonderbolt elites. Several, at least twenty Wonderbolts were engulfed by the fire. When the stream passed, the Wonderbolts caught in it fell limply towards the ground, their bodies completely charred and blackened, smoke trails rising as they plummeted. 

“OH MY GOD!” Little Star reacted beside Dash, throwing her hooves over her mouth and tears welling up in her eyes as she began to breath heavily. She wasn’t the only one freaking out. Thunderlane wore the most terrified expression that Dash had ever seen. She looked over and even saw Squall and Matteo staring in disbelief. The dragon had just taken out a good fourth of the Wonderbolt elite force with a single attack. It was mind boggling, it was terrifying. Dash found herself breathing incredibly heavily and her heart was racing a mile a minute. 

“STAY STRONG!” Silver suddenly yelled in front of them as the sixty remaining elites regrouped and reformed the formation perfectly, quickly compensating for the loss of twenty as if they knew exactly how to recover from such a devastating blow. 

Seeing the Wonderbolts remain calm in such incredibly horrifying circumstances ignited a flame in Dash’s heart, one that was just strong enough to keep her focused despite how scared she was. As she moved back into place, the rest of the recruits seemed to follow behind her, all retaking their places no matter how scared they were.

Spitfire turned the Wonderbolts as they reconvened.

“SPLIT UP! DUAL STRIKE!” she yelled out. Dash blinked as she watched the formation split perfectly down the middle. The remaining squads breaking into two large forces of thirty elites each with a few recruit squads following behind. 

“We’re staying with the captain!” Silver yelled back, directing all the new recruits to stay put as thirty of the elites plus a few recruit squads broke off. 

“We’re drawing their fire!” Spitfire yelled back to them as the magic beams began firing at them again. Dash again watched as the magic all but seemed to avoid them. The unicorns clearly knew who the elite of the elite Wonderbolts were. The lead squad and squad three at the front of their group were getting absolutely peppered with magic. Dash could see Storm Front and squad seven among those being targeted with the attacks. Very few beams were reaching back as far as the recruits. 

Dash glanced over towards the large group that had broken off and watched as they angled down and began engaging the unicorn rebels. 

“Good!” Spitfire yelled out. “While they handle the unicorns, WE’RE going after the dragon! Fall in! GO! GO! GO!” Spitfire yelled as she turned. But—

“FROM THE RIGHT!!!!!!!!” Storm Front suddenly yelled. Dash’s head snapped to the right. The dragon was swinging its tail around and it was heading right for all of them!

Dash could only watch, as the tail drove directly into the front of their formation. The lead Squad, squad three, five, and seven all got swatted right out of the squad. 

Spitfire, Fleetfoot, Soarin, Air Mach, Fire Streak, Lightning Streak, Misty Fly, Surprise, Point Dex, Autumn Rain, Macho Savage, and Storm Front, along with squad five and a few others were all bludgeoned by the massive tail as it swung around. They all went limp and fell like ragdolls, save for Soarin and Storm who seemed to move just enough to cause glancing blows. Storm flipped upright immediately, but Soarin’s wing got caught in the tail swipe.

“AHHHHHHH!!!!!” Soarin cried out in pain as his wing fell limp at his side and he began slowly falling towards the ground. 

“SOARIN!!!!!!!!” Dash yelled and dove towards him. The rest were all in disarray, even Silver seemed to be confused, not quite sure he really saw what just happened. Dash caught up to Soarin and tried to catch him. “OOF!” she grunted as she tried to hold him up, but he was bigger than her and heavy. All she could do was slow his fall.

“I’m fine!” he suddenly yelled at her. Dash looked up and blinked as he grunted and grimaced in pain, his magic began sputtering from his horn as he took harp breaths and reached a hoof up as close to his wing as he could. “Augh!” he grunted again as his hurt wing flailed about.

“Soarin!” Dash yelled his name, not sure what else to say or do. She looked back up and gasped as she saw the dragon looking towards the remaining Wonderbolts and the recruits. Silver turned and saw the dragon looking right at them, blue flames once again squeaking between its teeth. 

“Oh Celestia…” Silver said quietly to himself. “SQUAD TWO! THE RECRUITS!” he suddenly yelled. Wave, Blaze, Winds, and Silver all turned to the rest of the new recruits, opened their wings fully and pumped them down, unleashing strong gusts of wind that pounded against the recruits and knocked them downward.

“NO!” Dash yelled out.

Blaze.

High Winds.

Wave Chill.

And Silver Lining…

They were all engulfed by another powerful stream of blue fire that jettisoned from the dragons mouth.

The recruits regained their flight, but all looked up, completely frozen. The one thing that was keeping them calm and steady was Silver Lining… and now they watched as he and his squad fell to the ground, bodies charred to the point where they were unrecognizable. 

Thunderlane, Twister, Matteo, Squall, and Little Star along with the rest of the recruits all stiffened up. What do they do? Who do they follow? They were completely lost, stuck in place.

“Ah… ah…” Dash sputtered as she continued to help Soarin slowly lower to the ground.

“DASH!” Soarin reached up, grabbed her face and turned it to him. “LISTEN TO ME!” he ordered. “YOU GUYS HAVE TO STOP THE DRAGON!” he yelled. Dash blinked shook her head and gave him the most uneasy, incredulous look she had ever given.


“W-WHAT?!” she shouted in disbelief.

“I’M—AH!” Soarin cringed and tightly clutched his shoulder on the side of his hurt wing. “I’LL BE FINE! STOP! THE! DRAGON!” Dash’s eyes widened as he pushed her off and resumed falling towards the ground at a normal speed. “GO!!!!!!!” he yelled while pointed towards the dragon and passing out. 

Dash remained still for a moment.

She glanced around.

She looked down at the fallen Wonderbolts.

She looked over towards the mountain where the rest of the Wonderbolts were still desperately fighting the unicorns. 

She looked towards the dragon… which would soon be free to attack Canterlot, meeting and most likely decimating the Royal Guard. 

She squinted her eyes shut, tears welling up briefly before they shot open and she glared towards the mountain. There were still Wonderbolts fighting. They were doing everything they could. She glanced up in time to see Storm Front cry out in rage and dive towards the unicorns with no fear. 

Wonderbolts were still fighting… she was certain success was all but lost… but would she run?

I made a vow. A vow to never again run away from danger, to never again leave a fellow Wonderbolt or anypony else to a terrible fate. To protect each and every one of my brothers and sisters… until my very last breath if need be. This is the most important lesson I can teach you Dash…

Silver’s words poured through her head.

She would not run… she would not abandon her fellow Wonderbolts! She would never live with the shame, and she refused to allow any other recruits to do the same!

Dash pumped her wings and fired upward, reluctantly leaving her love, Soarin, behind in favor of what he asked her to do.

Stop the dragon.

“EVERYPONY LISTEN UP!” Dash roared as she made her way back to the frozen recruits. “What the hell are you all floating here for!? We have to fight!” she yelled. They all looked her like she was absolutely crazy. All except for Matteo and Twister. “If we run away,” she pointed to the dragon. “That THING will be given a free ride towards the city! We need to delay it as long as we can!”

“Are you nuts?!” Squall suddenly yelled at her. “That thing just took out most of the Wonderbolt elite force!!” he pointed out. Dash rushed at him, grabbed him by the neck and stuffed her face into his.

“SHUT! UP!” she made completely clear. “We may only be recruits, but we are WONDERBOLTS! We keep the ponies of Equestria safe from threats beyond the power of the Royal Guard! This is who we are training to be… and this is who we are!” she yelled. “We can’t back down! I don’t care what it is, we NEED to face it!” she finished as she looked among the recruits.

She didn’t like what she saw. Many of the recruits seemed to accept Squall’s outlook more than hers. Dash’s heart began to sink as a few recruits turned and fled. Five of them to be exact. Was she in over her head? Did they find her insane?

“I’m with you.”

Dash blinked and her ears stood up. She looked towards Matteo as he hovered up beside her.

“I am a warrior, this has been an unexpected turn of events, but if I am to die today… then it was a good day to die,” Matteo stated while pounding his chest with his balled up talons. 

Dash felt the flame in her heart ignite as Matteo hovered to her side. Even if it was a lost cause, he was willing to fight.

“What can I say?” Twister suddenly appeared beside Dash as well. “You’re absolutely insane if you think we can attack that thing and survive… LET’S DO IT,” he snickered as he tiled his head over backwards and looked at Dash upside down.

Dash felt her will grow stronger and she looked back at the recruits.

“Well? Anypony else?” she asked. 

“You’re crazy!” one of the recruits suddenly yelled. “I’m out of here! I can’t take this!” they continued as they turned and flew off, eight more recruits following. 

Dash felt a tug at her heart. Seeing so many leave the battle was a blow to her morale, but she kept strong. Only Little Star, Squall, and Thunderlane remained.

“Guys… we have to protect Canterlot!” Dash encouraged them, completely disregarding the recruits who retreated.

Little Star looked back at the recruits leaving, and then back towards Dash. She sighed and shook her head.

“You know what? Screw it…” she hovered up towards Dash, both Squall and Thunderlane looking at her in disbelief as she moved. “I’ve been trying for so long to become a Wonderbolt… it’s high time I did something worthy of their name!” Star smirked as she joined Dash, Matteo and Twister. 

Dash looked down at Thunderlane and Squall. Both seemed incredibly hesitant to join them.

“Guys…” Dash began. “Stick with me… please.” She requested. Squall suddenly scoffed.

“Why would I give a damn about you guys?” he said out of nowhere. Suddenly grunting and tipping to one side while grabbing his shoulder. His wing was clearly still in pain from the derby. “Sorry, but this isn’t what I signed up for!” he stated as he turned his back to them.

Dash glared in his direction, then smirked.

“Coward,” she said. 

As she suspected, Squall froze in place.

“What did you just say?” he slowly turned back around while gritting his teeth and struggling to stay afloat with his bad wing. 

“I’m pretty sure you heard me loud and clear, asshole!” Dash snapped back at him. “All that and you’re going to run away?!” she reached a hoof out and tapped Matteo on the shoulder. “Matty was right… you’re a pussy!” she challenged. 

The change in Squall’s expression could only be classified as ‘superbly dramatic’ as he glared at Dash so hard it looked like his face was going to capsize on itself.

“Oh yeah!?” he fired back blindly, engulfed in his usual rage and completely disregarding the circumstances. “I’ll show you! Nopony takes me seriously!” he snarled as he rushed forward and forced his way into the ranks. He shoved into Matteo’s side as he moved up.

“Hey!” Matteo growled at him.

“You wanna go, Feathers?” Squall threatened him. Star pouted and hovered up towards them.

“Hey idiots! Save it for later!” she commanded, but the three stared looking at each other with the same glares that were forming during the derby. 

“NO!” Dash forced herself in between all three of them. “Leave personal shit out of this!” she looked at all three of them. “Yeah we were at each other’s throats about twenty minutes ago… but forget about it! WE ARE WONDERBOLTS!” she snapped. “WE ARE A TEAM! WE MUST COME TOGETHER AND DO OUR DUTY!” 

Dash suddenly felt like Silver, doing her best to rally her comrades. Spending so much time with Silver had definitely rubbed off on her… and she was definitely going to make him proud. 

Squall, Matteo and Little Star all looked between each other, the animosity from earlier slowly fading. 

Twister popped up in between all of them holding a cake.

“Who wants some pound cake?” he asked with his eyes slowly moving in different directions. Dash failed to hide a smirk, which eventually turned into a smile. 

“Twister… you are a magnificent bastard,” she complimented him as she looked between her four loyal comrades.

Then she turned to Thunderlane.

“Thunderlane, let go!” she exclaimed confidently, thinking he’d come right along with her. However, to her surprise, Thunderlane edged backwards.

“N-no…” he blinked. “I… I…”

“Thunderlane?” Dash blinked as Thunderlane continued to back away.

“I…” he continued to stutter. “I can’t…” he was visibly shaking. He was afraid.

“Thunderlane!” Dash sternly called his name out.

“I CAN’T!” Thunderlane squinted his eyes shut, turned, and took off, flying as fast as he could away from them. Dash watched as he flew off, but quickly reached out to stop Matteo from pursuing.

“LET HIM GO!” she yelled out. She didn’t like it. She hated it. But it was clear to her. Thunderlane wasn’t ready to make sacrifices. “Let him go…” Dash repeated. “We… have a dragon to fight.”

The five lined up in a row, all looking towards the dragon as the battle between the unicorns and the Wonderbolts continued to rage below them and before them. 

“Well guys… here we are,” Dash spoke up. They all glanced at her. “We are training to be Wonderbolts… and this is what Wonderbolts do,” she chuckled, feeling rather insane for the choices she was making. “We meet and fight what the common soldier can’t… heh… never expected something from mythical textbooks, but whatever… this is what we signed up for,” she glanced at all of them. “Are you all with me?”

“Must I repeat myself?” Matteo grunted, ready to fight.

“It’s now or never!” Little Star winked at Dash.

“I’m NOT a coward!” Squall repeated.

“I still have half a cake here!” Twister pointed out as he stuffed his face with more pound cake.

Dash fixed her eyes on the dragon, a new wave of confidence overtaking her.

“Let’s make this dragon REMEMBER who he had to go through!” she confidently shouted. “ARROW FORMATION! ON ME! LET’S FLY!” she yelled out as she fired upward.

She didn’t even have to look. Matteo and Squall were in the left and right spots beside her. Little Star was on Matteo’s left and Twister was on Squall’s right. They all followed her into the fray as they shot upward.

Dash glanced down at the Wonderbolts fighting. They were all of the lower tier elite squads, except for Storm, who seemed to have taken command. He was shouting orders to the lower tiers, being the only high tier elite left in the air. He didn’t hesitate to fall into his role, so she wasn’t going to hesitate wither.

“Look out! Magic volleys from below!” Little Star yelled. Dash looked down to see a few of the unicorns aiming at them.

“Evade!” Dash yelled as they began shifting and weaving to avoid. They weren’t being attacked quite as heavily as they were before in the full group, so it was much easier to evade. In fact, the unicorns seemed to be lousy shots. The only reason it was so bad before was because all of them were aiming at the Wonderbolts, creating a spread of magic fire from the ground to the air.

They could do this! They could evade and give the dragon hell for as long as possible!

The dragon suddenly turned its head and looked at them. 

“The dragon’s eying us!” Matteo yelled as they continued up. Dash looked back and forth. 

“Twister! Star! Break off and distract it!” she ordered. Without a word, Twister and Little Star broke off the arrow formation and shot towards the dragon. As they drew near, the dragon’s eyes shifted from Dash to the two of them. 

“OVER HERE, UGLY!” Little Star yelled as they zipped by, flailing her hooves. Twister had a red flag in each hooves making silly signals to the dragon as they passed. 

Dash, Matteo and Squall finally reached a height high above the dragon. Dash took a deep breath and exhaled as they floated up and angled back down.

“DIVE!” she yelled. The three of them shot downward towards the dragon as it continued to look at Twister and Star. “Aim right between the eyes!” Dash yelled as she Squall and Matteo continued to pick up speed.

They had a clear path. A few beams of magic were still shooting by them, but it looked like Storm and the rest of the Wonderbolts still up had the unicorns completely engaged.

But then halfway through their dive, the dragon suddenly turned and looked up at them.

“Shit!” Squall cursed, but Dash quickly shook her head.

“KEEP GOING!” she ordered, Matteo and Squall following her without question. The dragon’s eyes narrowed as they locked upon the three of them. It bared its teeth and a blue glow began to shine between its sharp teeth. 

Without a word from Dash, Matteo suddenly shifted and placed himself behind Squall and Dash. He reached out and grabbed the two of them with his large talons.

“Ah!” Dash yelped in surprise. “Matteo?!” she wondered what he was up to. It soon became clear however as Matteo began spinning with them gripped tightly. He was going to throw them, give them a chance to strike the dragon before it attacked.

“FLY!” he yelled out as he released both Dash and Squall. The two fired towards the Dragon’s eyes at three times the speed, strengthened by Matteo’s powerful throws. 

Dash and Squall stuck their front hooves out as the added speed form Matteo propelled them through air cones and caused sonic booms behind them.

They closed in, screaming through the air, and ready to give the dragon something it would never forget.





“They attacked it… I can’t believe they attacked it.”

“Mmhmm…”

“Are they the first to ever—?”

“Mmmmhmmmm…”





“RAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Dash and Squall cried out as they connected with the dragon’s face…

And passed right through it.

“What the—?!” Dash yelped as she and Squall passed right through he dragon and out the bottom of its chin. “Ahhhh!” Dash yelped as they fired towards the ground, unable to regain control.

“Gotcha!” Storm Front suddenly appeared in front of Dash, caught her, and slowed her down.

“WHOA THERE!” Lightning Streak popped up and grabbed Squall, slowing him to a stop.

Dash blinked as she looked at Lightning Streak. She was more than certain she saw him go down!

Dash blinked and looked up at the dragon. The enormous beats suddenly began to flicker. Its roar sounded out one more time, but it was very hushed. The dragon continued to flicker and wobble until it disappeared instantly as if it were a mirage.

As if Dash wasn’t confused enough, a new sound caught her ears… the sound of hooves clapping. The clapping grew louder and louder.

Storm released Dash and Dash frantically looked around. The clapping was coming from all around her. She looked towards the mountains. The Wonderbolts and the unicorns were both looking at them and clapping. She blinked and looked towards the ground. All the Wonderbolts who had fallen stood right up off the ground and started clapping. Those who were blackened by burns stood up, their charred marks completely disappeared, and they began clapping as well. 

Dash and Squall looked at each other, completely confused. Dash glanced up at Little Star and Twister. Star was looking all around, bewildered. Even Twister looked surprised. Matteo hovered down beside Dash. The two exchanged looks, but returned to scanning around as everything around them stopped and everypony was clapping and smiling at them. Twister and Star floated down and joined them, wondering what the hell was going on.

“Bravo!” Spitfire’s voice suddenly reached their ears. Dash and the recruits stared in disbelief as Spitfire, Soarin, Fleetfoot, and Air Mach all hovered up in front of them, clapping. Silver rose up beside Spitfire as the rest of squad two and squad three shifted up behind the lead squad. Silver was smiling, something the recruits hadn’t seen too much of. He and Spitfire shifted forward.

“Congratulations!” Silver nodded. “You five… are the first Wonderbolts in our long history… to pass the test!” Silver turned and looked behind him. Several elite Wonderbolts came forwards, all holding onto a recruit who fled the battle. Dash blinked as she saw Thunderlane being guided forth by one of them. He looked completely dejected… as if he realized what he had screwed up.

The Wonderbolts brought the deserting recruits forwards and placed them behind the five victors as Silver floated before them and the rest of the Wonderbolt force watched. 

“Wonderbolt Squad Derby?” Silver chuckled. “Don’t make me laugh… that’s just a game we like to play. It’s not a test,” he began floating back and forth in front of them. “While it gave you all a nice chance to beat on each other… how does it feel to be suddenly driven into combat? Against something more or less unknown?” 

Alarms went off in Dash’s head.

It was all a set up. None of it was real. The test wasn’t the derby. The false fatal attack was the real test! They had been duped so hard she was speechless. But how the hell? The dragon? It looked so real! All the Wonderbolts being burned and beaten… it also looked so real!

“Let’s show them, eh?” Silver winked to Spitfire. Spitfire smiled and whistled sharply.

“The gig is up, fellas!” she yelled. 

Dash blinked as she saw several spots on the mountain move? Brown and grey tarps… tarps that camouflaged with the mountains were tossed aside… at least fifty of them. Revealing grey metal platforms strewn about the mountain. Each platform had three Wonderbolt staff members on it, all unicorns. On the platform was a pole that extended a few feet up, and a large clear crystal at the top.  

After being revealed, the unicorns put their magic to their horns and forced it on the crystals, images of the battle just fought began springing into the air off the crystals. Magical images… things that weren’t really there. Just like how the unicorns had duped all the cadets into thinking the battle dome was the mess hall during the tryouts. Only here these special platforms seemed to allow them to create enormous images… such as mythical black dragons!

But it wasn’t done there. The unicorns dressed in black and white, the rebels, removed their cloaks and head pieces… revealing more Wonderbolt staff members who all waved up at the recruits.

“The true test…” Silver began again. “Was to see who was truly ready to become a Wonderbolt. We can’t afford to hesitate, no matter what kind of enemy we are staring down. We fight to protect Equestria from threats outside the ordinary… and we cannot give in to fear,” he turned to them. “You all had the honor of being the first to undergo this special test in the past five years. It was discontinued because no pony had ever passed it before. No recruits ever stayed behind to fight… they all ran,” he chuckled. “Good thing I convinced Spitfire to bring it back… you five had made history today.”

“WHAT. THE. HELL?” Dash’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe just how far they had been deceived for the sake of the test. Even the rebels were made up. She did think it was a little weird that Silver suddenly revealed a threat to them. that seemed like something that would be classified.

Come to think of it… As she looked back, there were multiple things that seemed off about the whole scenario that she didn’t question at the time.

First, in the past Silver had voiced his lack of confidence in the Royal Guard. The Wonderbolts were giving the Guard time to set up? It seemed like it should be the other way around.

Second, no matter what the circumstances, bringing along brand new recruits who had yet to dip their hooves in real life and death action seemed to be a bit of a stretch.

Third, squad zero was nowhere to be found. It seemed strange that such specialty ‘super fighters’ would be left out in a situation as dire as this one.

Fourth, Soarin never used his magic. After how much he claimed he had control over it recently, it seemed weird he never thought to call upon it.

Fifth and finally… not a single recruit was hit by the magic fire or flames… not to mention every wound suffered by the elites was suddenly gone as if it were just as fake as the dragon image. 

WAS THIS WHOLE THING REHEARSED!?

Even the already existing recruit squads were in on it…

Hell, EVEN LUNA AND THE ROYAL GUARD were in on it, making it look like a crisis was occurring to sell the theme of the situation. Talk about tricky planning and precision to trick only twenty ponies!

Dash couldn’t believe what lengths the Wonderbolts would go in order to initiate and prepare their brethren. There was something very special about it. 

Silver continued to speak.

“By the way, sorry to dupe you all again… but today was the last day of training,” he paused as all the recruits gasped and reacted. “Expect the unexpected!” Silver shrugged. “What? Was the pie filled mist or the haunted mansion out of an old cartoon not enough to convince you that we throw curveballs? The unexpected is part of our job description, those of you who make it through will have to learn to live with that!” he nodded as Spitfire came forward and put her hoof on his shoulder. Silver glanced at her and nodded as they exchanged places.

“I’d like to focus on something Silver just mentioned,” she began as she looked at the five of them. “As captain of the Wonderbolts, I’m required to know our history well… and as far as I know, you five are the VERY FIRST recruits to actually pass the test,” she emphasized every word so Dash and her friends could feel the weight of the statement. “It’s a no win scenario. Purposely designed as a hopeless fight to really drive home the importance of never giving up and never buckling under pressure,” Spitfire smirked and failed to hold in a chuckle. “To be honest, I’m speechless… that after how many have failed, we’d find FIVE recruits in one class that would all succeed where everypony else failed. Congratulations recruits. Congratulations,” Spitfire pushed her goggles up and stared clapping again.

As she clapped, the rest of the surrounding Wonderbolts and their staff unicorns all joined in again.

Dash, Matteo, Squall, Twister, and Little Star all looked around as they received praise from every single Wonderbolt. 

They had been duped. They had been duped harder than ever before, but in being duped they had proven their will and mettle to the Wonderbolts, as unintentional as it was. The five looked among each other… and smiled. Even Squall. 

“Heh…” Matteo smirked.

“Haha…” Dash chuckled.

“Wow…” Little Star shook her head.

“Jerks…” Squall sighed, but was clearly amused.

“Mmm… cake…” Twister stuffed more cake into his mouth. 

Perhaps what the five of them shared… was more special than they first throught. Dash was worried after the derby. It seemed like they were all ready to kill each other, but once the situation became urgent they were able to set aside their differences… and thoroughly make their way into the Wonderbolt history books.

Dash blinked and glanced over at Soarin, who was floating besides Silver. Soarin tossed her a wink, but Dash replied with an angry pout. Soarin pulled his neck back slightly in surprise. 

Oh, right, Dash was probably angry at the way he faked being severely hurt. She did worry about him a lot.

“You were supposed to go down with the rest of them,” Silver leaned towards Soarin. Soarin chuckled as Silver called out his intentional ‘error’ in the rehearsed actions.

“Dash would have broken down had I appeared ‘dead,’” he explained. Silver grunted.

“That would have been her loss,” Silver voiced his disapproval.

“But did you see what happened because I didn’t? She rallied four other recruits and all FIVE of them made history… I doubt they would have done so without her,” Soarin pointed out. Silver nodded.

“They most certainly wouldn’t have. Dash is special, alright,” Silver approved as they continued to clap. Soarin exhaled and shook his head.

“I still can’t believe they actually attacked it…” he said with a wide smile.

“Mmhmm…” Silver replied simply. “Spitfire wanted strong fighters… and I think I just gave her five fierce warriors.”

---To be Continued---