MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 105: Those We Aspire To Be
“Oh, come on!” Point Dex growled as he peered into the box with a flashlight. “I swear this is exactly what I saw Rivet do a moment ago…” he grumbled as he held the flashlight in his teeth and poked around the wires.
“Problem, hun?” Lead Runner poked his head in over Point Dex’s shoulder.
“Stupid wiring…” Point Dex mumbled, muffled by the flashlight in his mouth.
“No, no, no… wait…” Lead Runner reached in and tried to unhook and reattach some of the wires. “Wasn’t it this way?”
“I just had it that way!” Point Dex exclaimed, the flashlight dropping from his mouth and clattering into the box among the wires. “Grrr…” he growled again, stumped by the wiring.
“Okay, what?” Lead Runner scratched his head. “I was just looking at the other, why isn’t this—”
Rivet suddenly squeezed himself between the two of them, switched two wires and then rapped his hoof on the side of the box. A spark flew from the inside followed by a hum. Rivet pulled back out and walked over to the boiler.
Point Dex and Lead Runner pulled their heads out of the open door of the makeshift generator and stared after Rivet with their mouths agape. Rivet casually went about his business, nursing a gentle flame that burned within the firebox of the boiler.
“That’s it,” Point Dex dropped the flashlight as several lights surrounding the boiler flickered on, illuminating the area and making it easier for all of the workers to see. “I’m giving up on being a genius…” he sighed as he and Lead Runner moved towards one of the old engines to continue repairs.
It had been a week since the dreaded discovery of the horrific condition of the Shadowbolts and the news weighed heavily on everypony, not just the Renegade Shadowbolts. Learning that their enemies had such a painful affliction bred a degree of sympathy for them. Nopony would hold back against them if attacked, but learning of their warped state thwarted many hopes that the Shadowbolts could be saved… at least as long as no solution was in sight.
Bliss and Luna had worked together, combining Bliss’s therapeutic magic with Luna’s divine alicorn magic to ease the suffering of the Shadowbolts they held captive, but they still had no cure. While it seemed they had found a way to make the captives comfortable, it was clear the condition was spreading through them. In a week, the scabs had grown larger and the crystals had spread… but thankfully at a very slow rate. Bliss was unable to say how long it would be or how long it would take the crystals to kill the host… if that was indeed the end of the process, but she felt the slow spread was evidence enough to assume they had some time to figure it out… if they even could.
The Shadowbolts were their enemies. They would fight them, afflicted or no. The new development about them was disturbing and disheartening in a way… but it would not change the approach to the conflict.
Elsewhere, Rivet proved once again to have perfect timing. A day before the Wonderbolts’ rest period was set to end, he managed to construct several power generators using the materials he requested from Descent and the Renegades. Using the newly repaired boiler in the second basement, he was able to use steam power and three patched up engines to run said power generators. They weren’t enough to restore full electricity to the compound, considering the compound’s wiring was still a mess, but he was able to restore functionality to the heating system.
He also, with the help of some Renegades, managed to locate a nearby underground water reservoir, which he and his workers managed to run a temporary pipe into, restoring running water and plumbing in one locker room… but only one. They found a suitable drainage location as well, allowing all the facilities within the one locker room to be fully functional.
Indeed, there were severe limitations. The heat could only be run for an hour at a time before it had to be shut off for at least thirty minutes. The generators Rivet built, while operable, were makeshift and made quickly. Just a temporary fix, but it was a welcome one. The water flow was only useful when the heat was on, unless anypony wanted to freeze to death. Obviously, running the boiler also caused some smoke to rise from the smokestacks, so a few Renegades were assigned to divert and dissipate the smoke as it lifted in order to avoid the smoke rising above the blizzard clouds and revealing their location.
The heat wasn’t constant and having only one locker room open for both mares and stallions to use was going to be a little awkward, but considering that they had just gone a full week in the extreme cold and without any facilities whatsoever, they wouldn’t complain.
With a few fixes in place, Rivet was able to focus more on the compound itself, hoping to restore and possibly fortify the flight mechanisms as well as repairing any damage caused by the reveal of the propellers. Not to mention repairing said propellers as well as reattaching those that were blown off during their escape, found and returned by Renegades out on patrol. He had a lot to take care of, but he had a lot of help, so he was confident he’d get it all done quickly… allowing the Wonderbolts to be completely ready to fight with every possible advantage at their disposal.
Well rested, and with some essential necessities restored… the Wonderbolts were ready to get up and get back in action, starting with a special lesson in magic deflection from the Renegades all packed into the auxiliary gym.
“Alright, alright… I got this, come on… GAH!” Lightning Streak grunted as a weak blast of magic bounced off his hoof and hit him right between the eyes. “Ugh…” he stumbled and wobbled. “Bro… this is harder than it looks…”
“GRH!” Fire Streak grunted from beside him as a similar blast of magic struck his hoof, but exploded instead of deflecting. He shook his hoof out and blew on it. “Indeed…” he agreed.
“Come on…” Pixie stepped up beside Fire.
“…you two,” Fairy finished the sentence as she moved beside Lightning. Pixie shook her head.
“We know you two can do…” Pixie started.
“…better.” Fairy poked Lightning in the side.
“You two make it sound simple…” Fire shook his head. “And you two are finishing each other’s sentences again.”
“It’s not my…” Pixie started.
“Fault,” Fairy finished. Pixie trotted over to her sister and lightly smacked her upside the head. “Ow! Sis!”
“Stop,” Pixie turned back to the Streak twins. “It is simple,” she began without Fairy interrupting her. “It’s a flick of the wrist. It just has to be perfectly timed and subtle. Lightning—” she turned to him— “You have the timing down, but your flick motion is too lax, you’re just going to keep taking it in the face if you keep that up.”
“Fire,” Fairy addressed the other Streak. “Your motion is quick enough, but your timing is off. There is a precise moment before impact between the magic and a surface where the energy bends in a tight vacuum of space… which causes it to explode. If struck at this precise moment, with a very quick motion, it prevents the magic from bending and causes its motion to continue.”
“A slow motion,” Pixie spoke up again. “Will only cause the magic to bend around whatever hit it and continue on its course, as Lightning knows well. A quick, harsh motion will bend the path in a different direction.”
“Bro…” Lightning scratched his head as he scrunched his face. Fire Streak shook his head.
“This is the third time I’ve heard it and I’m still confused…” he commented.
“Yeeeeep!” Surprise yelped from nearby as a blast of magic exploded on her hoof and she tumbled backwards. The Streak twins both turned to see both Surprise and Misty struggling as well.
“At least we aren’t the only ones…” Fire took a deep breath and exhaled as he refocused. "Alright, let’s keep going…” He nodded to Pixie and Fairy as he and Lightning awaited another stream of magic from the research team unicorns the Renegades had enlisted for help.
“SON OF A BITCH!” Blaze yelled out as she fell backwards, clutching her nose. Comet trotted up to her and lifted an eyebrow.
“You completely missed the magic that time…” he commented as Blaze continued to mutter obscenities from the floor.
“Yeah! No shit!” she yelled up at him as she rubbed her nose.
“Hit her harder next time!” Silver called to the unicorn stallion assisting Comet as he readied to take on a blast of magic himself.
Silver focused on one of Bliss’ assistants, Witching Hour, as she channeled a little bit of magic into her horn and aimed it at Silver. She looked like she was trying as hard as she could to make it as weak as possible, which Silver appreciated since he was having trouble getting it down as well.
“Remember…” Blazetail spoke from behind Silver. “Point of impact, swift movement,” he reminded Silver.
Witching fired the small magic beam and Silver brought up his left hoof. He focused his attention on it as it slowly flew through the air towards him. He waited for the precise moment of impact and flipped his wrist out, but the point of impact was slightly off. A few bits of energy splintered off and shot away from him, but a majority of it exploded on his hoof.
“Argh!” Silver grunted and shook his hoof. “I don’t know how you guys do this on the fly…” Silver commented.
“Of course you do,” Blazetail chuckled. Silver looked at him for a second, Blazetail winking before realization hit Silver.
“Practice, practice, practice?” Silver recited something Blazetail always used to say. Blazetail pointed at him and smiled.
“Precisely, as soon as you get the timing down, it’s just a matter of getting used to it,” said Blazetail.
“Back to square one, eh?” Silver smirked. “Can’t remember the last time I’ve been in this position…” he sat down, making a brief wave motion with his hoof to signal to Witching that he was taking a rest. She nodded before turning and looking if she could help elsewhere.
Silver shifted his eyes slightly to the right, focusing on Mahogany beside Witching. Bliss had let her assistants go to help out with the deflection training. They needed all the unicorn help they could get with so many in need of learning. Silver, however, was less interested in Mahogany, more interested in who she was about to fire magic at. Silver had been training side by side with Dash… and…
“Here it comes!” Mahogany called to Dash. Rainbow Dash stood at the ready, focusing on Mahogany as she remembered the explanation and all of the motions that Flashwind had showed her. She purposely held back her giddiness of being taught by a legendary Wonderbolt captain in hopes of impressing not just them… but everypony else. Mimicking, and learning techniques of others, was her forte after all.
Mahogany fired the small beam of magic, which flew through the air and straight towards Dash’s face. Dash brought up her hoof, waited for the exact moment before impact, and gave her wrist a hard flick to the right, copying the same rhythm and speed that Flashwind had shown her. A large portion of the magic deflected away from her and dissipated in the air, only a small portion of it exploded on her hoof, but no more than a tiny pop came from it.
“Damn… not quite perfect!” Dash frowned as she looked at her hoof.
“But still…” Soarin spoke up from the other side of her. She turned to look at him as he held up his hoof, which had a few small singed spots on it. “You’re getting it down faster than most of us.”
“Indeed!” Flashwind spoke up from behind Dash. “It’s quite impressive how quickly you are picking this up, recruit,” she added. Dash thought her face was going to turn completely red, not from embarrassment but from her heart jumping out of her chest.
“Aw, gee… I mean… I’m just…” she goofily stumbled over her words.
“Can you do that again?” Spitfire moved around Soarin while asking Dash. “I want to see how you’re doing it.”
“Yeah, seriously!” Fleetfoot approached as well. “How are you making it work?”
“Uh…” Dash blinked. Soarin wasn’t making her so nervous, but now the rest of the lead squad wanted to know, well, aside from Air Mach who was taking multiple blasts to the face seemingly on purpose a few yards away. She just wasn’t used to this situation, all of them on equal ground, not to mention now she figured something out more than the rest of them did and they all wanted to learn what she was doing. The situation was backwards, and having her idols want to learn from her was almost more than she could handle. “I’ll uh… just do it again… Mahogany!” She waved. “Give me another!”
Silver watched as Dash demonstrated for the lead squad… and couldn’t prevent a smile crawling on his face. Dash was his student after all. He knew that picking up the abilities of others was her natural talent, but it still made him proud to watch her pick it up fast and help teach some of the best Wonderbolts. She repeated the motions, deflecting most of the magical energy as she had before.
“Yeah, just like that,” Dash nodded to the rest of them as she shook her hoof lightly. She still didn’t have it perfect, but she was definitely closer than the rest of them.
“I still don’t get it…” Fleetfoot rubbed the back of her head.
“Oh… I see what I was doing wrong…” Spitfire quickly turned and walked back towards her unicorn helper. Fleetfoot perked up and quickly followed.
“What?! Spitty! Wait! Tell me your secrets!” Fleetfoot whined as she followed behind Spitfire.
“Can you show me one more time?” Soarin asked her as he scratched his chin. Dash looked up at him and smiled, relieved that the intense attention had been lifted from her.
“Sure, look at how I’m moving my hoof…” Dash began explaining in depth to Soarin as Silver continued to watch.
Silver himself wouldn’t admit it, but he missed his training sessions with Dash. It had been a long time since they had had some private training time for obvious reasons. He was curious how she had developed her skills, if she had worked on her awareness, and most importantly… if she had conquered her fear of lightning. It was clear the coming battles with the Shadowbolts would involve magic more than elements, but the last thing Silver wanted was for Dash to lock up, should a Shadowbolt use elements instead.
“You’ve really got this down,” Soarin complimented Dash as he tried to recreate her movements in front of his face.
“Thanks, but…” Dash sighed, her ears flopping down as she peered across the gym. “It’s not perfect…”
Silver watched as Dash and Soarin looked towards another part of the gym. He followed their eyes, finding that the two were looking at Squad Zero.
Swift Justice, Shine Struck, Playbitz, and a recovered Calm Wind were all deflecting magic with ease.
“Hmm…” Silver hummed as he watched Squad Zero manage the magic deflection far better than any of them. Dash had picked it up faster than all the normal Wonderbolts. Compared to Squad Zero, she was behind. The special force’s quick mastering of the deflection was to be expected though. They were already well versed in magic deflection, just a less efficient form. They already understood the basics of it, so they would likely have it down very quickly… as they were already taking on small volleys of multiple blasts at a time. Shine Struck in particular looked like she wouldn’t need another day of practice. She had similar copying abilities to Dash along with her previous deflection training, so she was quickly mastering it.
And it seemed to frustrate Dash… which only made Silver smile again. Nothing pushed a pony more than competition. They definitely weren’t competing at anything, but Dash’s natural urge to be the best no matter what was one of the reasons he had chosen to train her. Her desire to better herself was clear, present, and almost unmatched. Silver knew there would be no ill will, Dash wasn’t angry with Shine, she was angry that she couldn’t pick it up as fast as somepony else with similar abilities. Obviously there was a difference in circumstances, but Silver wasn’t about to tell Dash she shouldn’t aim higher.
“What are you sittin’ around for?” Valkyrie’s voice caught Silver’s ears. He rolled his eyes as he stood up and turned to face her as she and Bomber walked by.
“Take pity on an old stallion,” he joked as Valkyrie stopped and lifted an eyebrow.
“You’re only four years older than me,” she commented as Silver chuckled.
“Sarcasm, Miss Muscles,” Silver said as he rolled his eyes. “One of these days you’re gonna have to relax, Val.”
“Ha! That’ll be the day…” she shook her head.
“Did Bomber have to drag you out of the gym to attend this training session?” Silver harmlessly jeered.
“Heh heh…” Bomber chuckled, earning a flat look from Valkyrie.
“I was joking, but I take it that’s a ‘yes’?” Silver smirked at Valkyrie as she puffed up her cheeks and looked away from them both. She looked ready to fire back, but was cut off as Descent walked towards them. They looked surprised to see him, not expecting him to stop by apparently.
“Valkyrie, Bomber…” he said their names sternly. “Report.”
“Some are picking up faster than others,” Valkyrie quickly replied. “Progress is slow, but it’s progress. The Wonderbolts are highly skilled, it shouldn’t be too long before they’ve all got enough of a grasp to be useful in battle.”
“Good…” Descent looked up towards Bomber for a moment, opening his mouth, but pausing. “You know what, I’m going to assume your smile means you agree.”
“Heh, heh, heh…” Bomber chuckled in reply.
“I thought so… carry on,” Descent nodded to the two of them.
Silver watched Descent carefully as he and the burly former Wonderbolt duo went about their business. Descent glanced at Silver, the two locking eyes for a moment, but exchanging no words as Descent went to speak briefly with each Renegade helping out.
Silver was intrigued by Descent. A ruthless, no nonsense mercenary… a hardened shell of a pure warrior… with a strong, yet soft heart in the center. He’d do anything for victory… but also sacrifice everything for his comrades. Silver had never met a pony in his life that was so blatantly shoved onto opposite ends of the spectrum at the same time. He’d kill without a thought, but tenderly care for his foal. He’d take on any opponent no matter what the danger, but actively seek to preserve himself for those who need him. Descent was a hard pony to figure out… but it was clear he wasn’t just a mindless killer. Underneath the battle scars and the gruff exterior, he proved to be a very smart individual who considered all angles of a situation and could make quick, intelligent decisions at moment’s notice. In a way, Descent reminded Silver of Blizzard Strike. While Descent didn’t have the pure wit and brilliance of Blizzard, his approach to situations was similar. He definitely had all the best qualities of a leader beneath his harsh glare, yet for so long he had followed orders under a simple code… bending to the will of Nightshade… who was in charge only because she was stronger.
Descent wasn’t a pony one could properly gauge without prolonged observation, and Silver was happy to have a pony with a head on his shoulders leading their allies.
Speaking of leaders, Descent had made his way past Spitfire, who stopped what she was doing to look and watch him pass, however… something else had caught her attention.
“Descent!” a voice came from behind Silver. Silver looked up to see Astral glide over his head and land behind Descent.
“Ah,” Descent turned and faced Astral. “It’s time for the scouting report? I apologize, I’ve been distracted.”
“Yeah, I had to comb this place for you, dammit…” Astral scoffed as Descent waved a hoof.
“Alright, alright, none of that,” he said sternly before nodding. “Your report?” he asked.
Silver’s eyes shifted to Spitfire as Astral spoke to Descent. She was looking directly at Astral, her eyes narrowed. Silver recognized this. This wasn’t the first time he saw Spitfire eye the semi-disabled scout curiously. Silver was honestly surprised she hadn’t said anything yet… because he knew exactly what was on Spitfire’s mind. In fact… it looked like this time she was finally going to speak up.
The moment Astral finished and made his way back out of the gym, Spitfire turned towards Descent.
“Descent,” Spitfire said his name as she approached from behind. Descent’s ears stood up as he looked over his shoulder.
“Yes?” He eyed her body language as she walked towards him, quickly seeing the purpose in her motion.
“Can I talk to you about something for a moment?” she asked as she stopped right in front of him and looked at him sternly.
“What is it?” Descent asked as he turned to face her, remaining unaffected by her gaze. She pointed towards the gym doors.
“That scout of yours…” she began, but trailed off.
“Astral Bolt?” Descent confirmed for her.
“Astral, yes.” Spitfire put her hoof down and tipped her head curiously. “The pegasus with the mangled wings and the creaky braces that barely keep them in place… that pegasus…” she spoke as if he was supposed to pick up on what he was saying, but Descent didn’t bite.
“What about him?” Descent asked, clearly realizing there was something that was bothering Spitfire, but he remained cool. Spitfire flattened her brow.
“Why exactly are you putting a pony like that in danger?” she asked straightforwardly. Descent lifted and eyebrow.
“Excuse me?” Descent asked as he narrowed his eyes slightly. Spitfire looked annoyed that he wasn’t picking up on her intentions… or was ignoring them, she couldn’t tell.
“That pony has a clear disability and relies on an external brace to fly… and you’re not even the slightest bit concerned that something… you know… could go wrong and it could get him killed?” Her voice had risen slightly. “I’ve seen him fight to get those things to cooperate with him while he’s just standing still! You’re not even considering what could happen if they lock up on him in flight or while in danger?”
Descent didn’t reply for a few moments, simply staring down at Spitfire as if she were wasting her breath. Descent scoffed and turned away from her.
“Astral’s condition is of little significance. His skills benefit us, and he always gets the job done,” Descent explained casually.
“You aren’t even the slightest bit concerned?” Spitfire threw her hooves forward in disbelief. Descent quickly turned back to her.
“Why should I be?” he answered sharply, causing Spitfire give him a look like he was some sort of monster. “The Renegade Code is similar to the Shadowbolt code. As long as you are strong, efficient, and positively contribute, you are welcome into the ranks,” he recited the slightly altered Shadowbolt code to her while pointing towards the doors. “Astral is our best scout. His wings may be distorted and he can’t even use them without wing braces, but that is not a proper judgment of his capabilities. On more than one occasion he has returned to us on hoof because his braces locked up, but he has always, and I mean ALWAYS… made it back alive after accomplishing what was asked of him. He is resourceful and useful, and for that reason he is welcome to be a Renegade.”
“But he’s—” Spitfire tried to cut in, but Descent cut her right off.
“Not a perfect, young, in-top-condition pegasus?” Descent rolled his eyes. “The Wonderbolt code is laughable, and before you try to defend it, I’ve heard all that I need to about it from all the ponies you forced to retire over your tenure as captain,” Descent berated Spitfire as he made a hoof motion towards several of the former Wonderbolt Renegades that were helping with magic training.
“I’m questioning your precautions towards the safety of an individual,” Spitfire narrowed her eyes as well to match the look she was receiving. “Not questioning your code.”
“Well, too bad, because I’m questioning yours,” Descent shot right back, causing Spitfire to grit her teeth, but Descent continued. “The Wonderbolt ‘desire’ to keep only the ponies that are in perfect condition has led to an extreme waste of skill and experience. You stick to the code and let go of valuable ponies who, in the long run, will do much more for you and your organization than all the youngsters you replace them with. You look only at physical shape and vigor… disregarding the usefulness and potential of many remarkable individuals with years of experience to back them up… need I remind you many of those individuals are in here… and are the reason the Wonderbolts are even alive right now,” Descent used every card he had in his argument.
“You’re dodging the subject,” Spitfire scrunched her face.
“Am, I?” Descent tipped his head and lifted his brow. “I’m honestly shocked to hear this from you… not that I didn’t see it coming with the way you’ve been eyeing up my top scout, but really, Spitfire. You’re being a bit hypocritical aren’t you?”
“I will not tolerate being insulted on top of it,” Spitfire growled at him, but Descent looked away over her shoulder.
“If you’re so concerned about the health and wellbeing of those who are hindered physically… then tell me,” he pointed. “Why do you still have him around?”
Spitfire blinked before looking over her shoulder… her eyes widening when she realized she had argued her way right into a wall.
Descent was pointing at Silver Lining, who was standing about fifteen yards away and watching his squad as Comet and Cannonball instructed Blaze and High Winds. She quickly turned back around, glaring at Descent, but in a manner that suggested she was uncomfortable.
“He’s…” she began but trailed off.
“A special case, right?” Descent finished for her before scoffing and looking around again. “Let me guess…” he said as he rubbed his chin. “She must be a special case too,” he said while pointing towards Misty Fly. “I mean, she’s deaf… right? That seems like something that fits into your category of disabled or hindered, hmmm?” Descent looked back at Spitfire. “Oh, but that’s right… she’s a member of a top elite squad. I guess that’s because she earned it and also gets the job done despite her disadvantage. Sound familiar? Yeah, that’s exactly what Astral does for us.”
Spitfire flattened her brow, folding her ears back as well. Silver was one case she wasn’t expecting Descent to clue in on… but she felt pretty stupid walking into this argument without considering Misty Fly. Descent grunted and turned away from her.
“Don’t go telling me I’m putting certain ponies in danger or question my code when you’re doing the same thing and bending your own rules to begin with.” Descent said no more and Spitfire didn’t make any attempts to fight back as Descent walked away to check on the rest of the Renegades.
“Dammit…” Spitfire cursed as she glanced at Silver again. She shook her head before sighing and moved back towards Fleetfoot and Soarin. She had been called out of her own charade. Was she concerned about Astral? Yes, but it wasn’t her decision to make. The same could be said for all of the old Wonderbolts among the Renegades, but who was she to argue when she was already bending her own rules to keep Silver Lining in her ranks? She was always focusing so much on Silver that she never once thought about how Misty Fly already was a bit of an exception with their rules as well. Misty fit the bill when it came to being physically fit and able to perform, but technically, under the code, her being deaf was considered a liability.
However, she had never once given thought about Misty Fly’s case, because Silver’s was much more clear and present. Descent had deduced her efforts to keep Silver active in their roster, and she was sure others may have made the connection, and while it would be difficult for her to argue any sort of concern on the matter, the Renegades were under Descent’s jurisdiction, not hers. She felt it best not to question him any further.
But she couldn’t help but think about his criticism of the Wonderbolt code. It wasn’t the first time the code had come into question, but Descent backed up his arguments with some incredibly relevant points. Astral was a perfect example of how a pony that was clearly not in top physical condition could still be useful given they found ways to be reliable and work towards the goals of the organization. Astral was in worse condition than Silver in a way, his body was broken from the start, but he made it work, and Descent trusted him as his top scout.
Hell, Silver was another shining example, but Spitfire had been so torn between keeping Silver around and following the code at the same time that she hadn’t considered how the benefits of one school of thought contradicted the other. And in the end… after how much the older Wonderbolts had helped, how great of an influence Silver had been, how Misty had worked through her disability for so long without drawing a single question towards being a liability, and seeing this scout. Astral was PARTLY-DISABLED, but praised by Descent for always getting the job done even if his half functional wings gave out mid-mission…
She began to wonder if it was time to revise the Wonderbolt code. They had to live long enough first, but if they survived, the first thing she was going to do was meet with Blazetail, Flashwind, and any other notable Wonderbolts to discuss a new code.
As Spitfire moved along… Silver glanced back towards her. She clearly didn’t realize that he was within earshot. He stared at her from a distance for several moments as he put everything he heard together.
And all he could do was chuckle.
So he had been kept around intentionally all along? All his efforts to keep things hidden were a waste of time?
Nah… of course they weren’t. If anything, the lengths to which he went in order to secure a longer career spoke to how much he cared about the Wonderbolts, not to mention the amount of pain and effort he had put himself through in front of everypony else.
The realization that Spitfire was most likely aware of his physical condition wasn’t going to change anything. Even if she wanted to let him go, she couldn’t do so in their current situation.
But nonetheless, Silver felt like a little bit of weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He wasn’t sure exactly what Spitfire’s plans were for him, but it clearly involved him being around for now and that was enough for him.
Feeling a little lighter, he glanced towards Dash as she continued to coach Soarin on magic deflection.
He was feeling pretty good… why not smack around his student a bit? For training purposes of course. He cracked his neck and advanced towards Rainbow Dash.
“Dash,” he called as he approached. Both Dash and Soarin turned and looked at him. Silver lifted an eyebrow at Soarin. “Is your name Dash?” he asked sarcastically. Soarin snickered before turning to Dash.
“I’ll be over here,” Soarin winked at Dash before moving back towards Spitfire and Fleetfoot. Dash kept her eyes on Soarin for a moment before turning back to Silver, flinching for a moment because he was suddenly right up in her face, with a slight sneer… which was not a good sign.
“Uh… yes, sir?” Dash blinked, Silver’s somewhat playful mood seeming very uncharacteristic… and a little frightening.
“After this session is over, meet me in the squad two private gym,” he said with a tone that almost sounded a little devilish. “And don’t keep me waiting.”
“Yes…” Dash paused as Silver turned away and walked back towards his squad. “Sir?” she blinked several times as she heard him chuckle to himself all the way back. “What’s up with him?” Dash pondered, admittedly both amused… and a little terrified at what was going to happen.
“Huh? Silver?” Little Star let her ears flop down as turned herself towards the lobby instead following her squad into the fitness center. Dash scratched the back of her head.
“Yeah, Silver said he wanted to meet with me,” she waved her hoof towards them. “Go on without me, I’ll catch up later.”
“Okay…” Star seemed disappointed, which Dash noticed.
“See what I mean?” Squall said gruffly as he shook his head. Star turned to him and pouted.
“Oh hush, she’s not doing it on purpose…” Star sighed. Dash furrowed her brow and walked towards them.
“Wait a sec, what’s up?” Dash asked as Squall just stared at her with his usual lack of a smile and Star looked up at her with a sad expression like a filly would look up to an older sister. Ironic, with their age difference.
“Oh nothing…” Star pouted.
“You’ve been a bit distant lately,” Matteo spoke up, causing both Squall and Star to flinch. “What? That’s it, is it not?” he asked upon seeing their reaction.
“I have?” Dash’s ear flopped down. Had she? If she had, she definitely hadn’t been paying attention to it. But then again…
Soarin.
“Oh…” Dash gritted her teeth awkwardly. “Uh…”
“You’ve been busy with your stallion,” Matteo continued to speak bluntly as Star and Squall continued to remain silent, feeling a little awkward themselves about the subject.
“Why worry about her?!” Twister suddenly popped up and landed on Squall’s back. “YOU’VE ALWAYS GOT ME!” He threw his arms up in the air and tossing confetti. Matteo quickly grabbed him from Squall’s back and thrust him to the floor, Twister making the sound of an angry cat as his face met the ground.
“This has been a troubling time,” Matteo spoke up as Twister writhed beneath his talons. “You sought out your loved one. Had Gilda been here I would have done the same thing,” he explained as he glanced at Squall and Star. “When everything is back in motion, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other than we can handle…” Matteo grunted. Star furrowed her brow at his last comment.
“What’s that supposed to—?”
“Heeyyyyyyy kid!” Twister slid on his back up to Star. She scrunched her mouth and glared at Twister before planting one of her little hooves right into his face.
“Never mind…” Star rolled her eyes at Twister before looking back to Dash. “Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong… we just miss our captain.”
“Sort of—hey!” Squall reacted as Star gave him a gentle kick to his leg. He glared down at her, but as soon as it met her stern glare, he huffed and looked away.
Yeah… everything was normal with Squad Foxtrot. Dash felt bad that the thought had crossed their minds… but Matteo was right. She naturally sought out Soarin, the one who made her most comfortable during their time of rest as the others would have if they had a loved one or somepony of that nature nearby. And Matteo was right again, it was only a matter of time before they were back in action against the Shadowbolts and she’d be at the head of her squad once more. She’d be knocking their heads together again soon.
With that worry clear from her head, Dash parted ways with her squad, heading towards the lobby and into the east hall with the squad two gym as her intended destination. It had been a long time since she and Silver had gotten to train together, but she was less focused on that and more focused on how Silver seemed… eager to train with her. Maybe the rest period was something he really needed, that or he was actually… happy to spend some time with his student? The latter seemed highly unlikely, but Silver definitely had an unexplained spring in his step.
Dash wasn’t quite sure what Silver’s good mood meant, nor if she should be worried or not. As she moved through the east hallway, she started planning ahead. She knew for a fact that Silver was going to pull an ‘awareness’ stunt on her the moment she walked in. He had gotten her so many times with it in the recent past and had done it more than once during their rest period to be a jerk… okay, maybe he wasn’t trying to be a jerk, he was trying to help her, but he was getting crafty with the timing and places he’d do it.
She had to be ready for that… if that didn’t happen, she had to be ready for a surprise attack or instant combat engagement… or whatever. She knew he was going to try something she just didn’t know what.
She blinked as she stopped outside the door of the private gym at the far end of the hallway. The walk was a lot shorter than she had hoped. She wanted a moment or two to plan ahead, but at the same time she didn’t want to keep Silver waiting… she knew that would only make things worse. So she decided to focus on the moment and what was directly in front of her. She set her hoof on the door and readied herself to counter an attempt at ‘awareness’… she’d be ready for it this time, she swore it on her rainbow mane.
She hesitated, putting her ear to the door first to see if she could hear anything on the inside, but there was nothing. Of course, even if Silver was waiting right on the other side of the door, he wouldn’t be making any noise anyway.
She was thinking too hard… just open the door and let the old fart have it. She focused and pushed her hoof against the door, stepping through carefully while making sure her eyes were peeled for anything out of the ordinary.
She took two steps in when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye to the right.
“HA!” She turned and held out her hoof. “Nice… try?” she blinked as she blocked… a stretching mat? Indeed, a mat that was set upright flopped down against her hoof.
Wait… was this… a distraction?
“WHOA!” Dash yelped as she felt her tail get yanked up. Her back hooves lifted off the floor and she found herself flipping forward. “OOF!” she grunted as she tucked and rolled, ending upright on her plot and blinking.
“Awareness,” Silver’s voice came from behind her as he walked in and passed by her. Dash stared at him for a moment as he walked into the gym before puffing her cheeks out and glaring.
“Okay… that wasn’t fair!” she complained as she stood up and brushed herself off. Silver turned and faced her with his head slightly tipped and his brow raised.
“What, you thought you were gonna get me that time?” He shook his head and chuckled as she angrily pouted at him. “Face it Dash, you’re talented, but you’ve got a long way to go before you get the drop on me.”
“That was still a cheap shot… using a distraction…” she grumbled.
“No, it was clever,” Silver praised his own trap. “You thought I was just going to keep hitting you with the same tactic? Please, I know you’re not that stupid—” he winked— “You’re starting to pick up on it… so I’m stepping it up a notch. And it was fun to stand behind you outside the gym door while you contemplated the meaning of life.”
“Har har har…” Dash grunted. “How am I supposed realize when somepony is behind me?” she sighed, dropping the complaints knowing that she’d just sound whiny if she kept it up. “That just seems impossible.”
“Remember my story about Blizzard counter-pranking Cannon Ball’s sneaking pie attack?” he reminded her.
“Yeah, but that’s Blizzard Strike…” Dash let her ears flop down. “That’s kind of a hard example to follow.”
“In this case, not as hard as you’d think,” Silver’s tone suddenly turned very serious as he approached Dash. Dash caught his tone and she focused. “Sure, Blizzard’s was incredibly well refined, but… pegasi are capable of a sixth sense.”
Dash’s eyes widened slightly as she tipped her head to the side curiously.
“Sixth sense?” She blinked before her eyes narrowed. “Wait… are you telling me that there’s been a trick to this the whole time?”
Silver walked right up to Dash, and narrowed his eyes as well. The two stood with their faces less than a yard apart, Dash not backing down from his gaze. A moment later, Silver smirked.
“Heh… I remember a time when you’d press yourself to the floor the moment I gave you this look…” he smiled and turned away from her. “And yes.”
“WHAT?!” Dash threw her hooves up in the air and groaned. “You… sneaky…” Dash pulled her hooves down over her face. The old troll had gotten her again. “I bet you’ve been having fun with this too…”
“Dash, you know by now that I don’t do things like this without a reason,” Silver brushed a hoof against the floor, turned around and sat down facing her. “In fact, I’m only giving you a clue… I’m not going to tell you.”
“But…” Dash trailed off as she walked up to him and sat down across from him.
“You’ve seen it used as a primary fighting technique,” he said with a nod.
“I have…?” Dash blinked.
“It’s something a lot of the elite Wonderbolts have trained, but there’s one who uses it better than all of us.”
“Who?” Dash asked quickly, but Silver only shook his head.
“Figure it out,” Silver quickly denied. Dash folded her ears back and sighed.
“I should have seen that coming...” she narrowed her eyes. “That or… you’re not telling me so you can mess with me longer.”
“Maybe,” Silver snorted and tried to hide a smirk. “No, really… I want you to figure it out because I know you can. There are many things I’m willing to pass onto you directly, but half of growing better and stronger is learning from observation and experience. Besides… the reason I called you here is not because I wanted to teach you something new,” Silver explained as he stood up. Dash quickly caught on that something was about to happen, so she stood up too. “It’s been a while we’ve last trained together… It’s time for a little pop quiz…”
“A pop quiz…?” Dash blinked and quickly set her hooves firmly, ready to fight. “Pop quiz…” she smirked as Silver did the same and shot her a battle glare. “Right…”
“Come at me!” Silver ordered. Dash smirked and cracked her neck.
“If you say so!” she replied as she spread her wings and broke into a gallop.
“Commander Soarin!”
Soarin stopped halfway through opening the doors to the gym as his ears stood up. He looked over his shoulder to see Storm Front galloping towards him from the direction of the auxiliary gym, from which a lot of the Wonderbolts and Renegades had started pouring out of since they concluded the magic deflection lessons for the day. They had worked through two cycles of the heat being switched on and off, and had half an hour left on the current cycle and they all wanted to make use of. It was hard to get any sort of training in while also holding a blanket to oneself.
Soarin sighed as he let go of the door and turned to Storm as he skidded to a halt in front of him.
“Storm…” Soarin chuckled.
“Yes, Commander?”
“How many times am I gonna have to tell you to drop the formality?” Soarin reminded him. Even after all they had been through, Storm still often forgot that Soarin rather he address him as a friend.
“Oh…” Storm winced. “Sorry… I keep forgetting.”
“What’s up?” Soarin asked as he stepped aside to let Air Mach and Macho Savage into the gym, giving them both hoof-bumps as they passed.
“I was wondering if we could practice the Sonic Blast-off some more. I’ve been doing some work on my own, but I want some feedback, do you mind?” Storm asked with a clear eager tone in his voice. Soarin glanced at the gym doors for a moment. He wanted to get some weight lifting in since it had been a while. Not that he or the Wonderbolts had lost any strength because of how active they had been. It took more than a week of rest to lose an edge too… But really, he just had the urge to do some heavy lifting like he used to.
But… it had been a long time since he and Storm had trained together and he wasn’t going to say no to a pony that he was more or less mentoring and was excited to mentor. Storm had expressed so much interest in learning Soarin’s techniques. Storm wasn’t the only one, but he was the second pony to not give up after the physical requirements were put into perspective. The first was Dash, but she had her mimicking talent on her side, Storm was the first with no advantages to keep on going.
“Sure,” Soarin nodded as he turned away from the gym. “Let’s go see if we can snag a private gym,” he suggested as Storm quickly followed behind.
“Alright!” he reacted enthusiastically, which earned another eyebrow raise and smirk from Soarin.
“You’re in a good mood,” Soarin commented as they walked side by side. “You’ve been like this for the past week actually, what’s got you so happy?” he asked, curious about Storm being unusually upbeat. Not that Storm wasn’t usually in a better mood than some, but he was especially giddy now.
“Oh, well…” Storm folded his ears back and looked away while blushing lightly. “It’s a little complicated, but… my dad met my marefriend…”
Soarin came to an immediate halt and blinked.
“Wait…” he turned and looked at Storm curiously. “You’re marefriend is Derpy Hooves right? The mare that beat Flashwind’s endurance record?”
“Yeah,” Storm answered as he took two steps ahead of Soarin before stopping and turning to look at him.
“She lives in Ponyville…” Soarin was actually not aware until now that Descent had decided to take letters out with the Renegades, but that wasn’t what his brain focused on. “Descent went to Ponyville…”
“Something wrong?” Storm blinked, not picking up on Soarin’s expression.
“Hmmm…?” Soarin hummed as he scrunched his face. He turned slightly away from Storm. “No… well… yeah, no. Just…” Soarin bounced his response around before sighing. “Look, everything’s cool between your father and I now, but it’s hard to forget…” Soarin paused as he looked Storm in the eyes. Storm’s eyes widened as he realized where Soarin was going.
“Oh… right, I didn’t think about that,” Storm let his ears droop down beside his head. “That’s where you and he…” he trailed off.
“Yeah,” Soarin nodded as he looked up down the hallway. “That’s where we first encountered each other… and where he beat me to the brink of death. Hell, he’s the reason I got the magic put into me and why I wear this,” Soarin recalled as he tapped a hoof to the fake horn. He looked back towards Storm, noticing that Storm looked a little uncomfortable. This was something they had yet to bring up since they discovered Descent was his father. Storm clearly didn’t look too happy about it. Soarin quickly stepped up to Storm and placed a hoof on his shoulder, giving him a smile. “Storm, don’t worry about it. I’m not Matteo.”
“Huh…?” Storm blinked and tipped his head curiously.
“Dash told me about it.”
“Oh…”
“I’m not about to hold something you had no part in against you,” Soarin continued as Storm looked up at him. “Descent and I were once enemies. We’ve crossed hooves twice in the past, both incredibly heated and brutal battles, but we survived both encounters… and things changed. Not only do I now understand where his mind and heart are set, but I also owe him my life twice over. I’m not about to ignore that,” he finished as he gave Storm another pat on the shoulder. Storm sighed and smiled.
“Thanks, Soarin, really—” he nodded— “I’ve been purposely avoiding talking about it after all the bitterness the subject of my father placed between Matteo and I.”
“I’d expect no less from a griffon,” Soarin chuckled as the two turned back down the hallway and crossed into the lobby. “You don’t have to worry about a thing. I see your father as nothing but the most valuable ally we have right now and I plan to keep it that way.”
“Thanks,” Storm thanked Soarin again.
“But back to what you were saying…” Soarin spoke up again as they crossed the lobby and moved into the east hallway. “Descent went to Ponyville and met your marefriend, huh?” Soarin smirked. “This is definitely second on the list of things I never thought Descent would do.”
“What’s the first?” Storm asked. Soarin looked directly at him while lifting an eyebrow. “Oh, right… haha…”
“I’m assuming the trip was weird for him, seeing as how Ponyville is a very interesting place, but how did it go with Derpy?” Soarin asked.
“Well… aside from him peeking on my fluffy letter to her…” Storm trailed off, waiting for Soarin to stop snorting while holding back laughter. “He liked her, gave his approval… it was unexpected, but it was really great to hear it from him. It’s the first time I’ve ever had a parental judgment on something. I guess that’s why I’m so happy…” he finished as a light blush appeared on his face, probably half from embarrassment and half from thinking of his marefriend.
“Heh…” Soarin looked forward as Storm lived in the moment. After how much Storm got down on himself and how many bad things he had dealt with in his life, Soarin definitely felt Storm deserved every positive development he was getting.
“HEY!” Fleetfoot’s voice suddenly came from behind them. They both flinched as she suddenly pushed herself between them, more or less shimmying herself up their bodies due to the lack of space between their walking lanes, and sticking her head out between their shoulders, looking at a surprised Storm first. “What’s with all the blushing over here? Am I missing out on some quality bro love?”
“Uh…” Storm’s eye twitched, definitely not ready for the ridiculous question, but Soarin was quick to react. He shifted to his right, effectively squashing Fleetfoot between him and Storm as she let out a little squeak.
“A bro-love sandwich with Fleet filling,” Soarin joked, playing along while getting her caught in her own joke. Storm’s flight response was kicking in, but he didn’t have enough space between him and the wall to get away.
“Well…” Fleetfoot giggled as she managed to pull herself forward a little. “Can’t say I’d complain,” she glanced at Storm. “One slice of bread seems a bit stiff though,” she snickered as Storm remained in ‘what is going on’ mode.
“Not all of us here are immediately used to you rubbing yourself on us at any moment’s notice,” Soarin chuckled as he shifted away to free her and get her off of Storm. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re a cat deep down inside.”
“Meow!” Fleetfoot giggled while swiping her hoof in Soarin’s direction like a claw swipe while sticking her tongue out at him.
“So now that you’re clearly back to normal, mind telling—”
“NOPE!” she sternly shook her head back and forth. “What in our history together makes you think I’d reveal any of my weaknesses?” She fluttered her eyelashes at him as Storm remained as far from her as he could on the opposite wall.
“Except for that spot on your thigh…” Soarin leaned his head comically away from Fleetfoot, bringing up a soft spot on her he was unfortunately aware of as she turned bright red.
“You jackass…” she grunted as she puffed her cheeks out.
“I didn’t need to know that,” Storm finally spoke up. He flinched as Fleetfoot suddenly zipped over to him.
“What? Ya wanna touch me there now, don’tcha?” she said while brushing her flank against his.
“Uhhhhhhhhhh…” Storm kept glancing between her and Soarin, his looks towards Soarin screaming S.O.S.
Fleetfoot hadn’t gotten within range to harass Storm in any way since the tryouts, which was lucky. But Soarin only shrugged at him. If he wanted to be a Wonderbolt in this generation, Storm would have to get used to Fleetfoot’s harassment, it was part of the job at this point.
Luckily for Storm however… a large distraction left the infirmary just before they passed by. Calm Wind had stepped out, likely after getting his back checked before heading off to train like many others were doing. Soarin saw the big lug before Fleetfoot did, since she was still jokingly rubbing her flank against Storm, but he had a feeling she’d switch targets the moment she looked up, because Calm was definitely one of her favorite flirty teasing targets. The poor guy never lasted more than a few seconds before capsizing.
“Oh?!” Fleetfoot’s ears pointed up as she started turning her head. “Light blue fur and muscles spotted in my peripheral vision! Hunk senses are tingling!”
“I know, I’m a lot to take in at once,” Soarin joked, knowing full well she wasn’t talking about him.
“Oh, you wish… humper of rainbows…” she snickered as she pushed off Storm and gave Soarin a playful, soft swat in the face with her tail. “Heeeeeyyyyyy!!!” she called as she picked up her pace and moved up behind Calm. Soarin just shook his head as he watched Calm’s ears, fur, and every strand of his mane and tail stand up as her voice caught his ears. He turned his head around for only a brief moment, his wide eyes catching Fleetfoot moving towards him before his head snapped back around and he started leaning towards the wall on the left side of the hallway as he moved.
“Hey, you… yeah, you…” Fleetfoot giggled as she quickened her steps to keep up with his longer stride. All that escaped Calm was a helpless squeak that was muffled by his mouth being scrunched shut. “Aw… c’mon…” Fleetfoot giggled as she moved in closer to him, causing him lose distance between himself and the left wall quickly. “What? Do I have to do it again to give you another hint?” she suddenly said.
Soarin lifted an eyebrow, lacking context to what she said, but once Calm’s face turned completely red and he held his breath, it was safe to assume Fleetfoot had done something recently… Possibly something Calm didn’t want to admit he liked based on how Fleetfoot was acting.
“Awww you, DID like it!” she giggled, the mischievous, sly look never leaving her face as she leaned into his shoulder… which was at the perfect height for her to rest her head against. “C’mon you big goof… you can admit it…”
“Er…” Calm finally managed something audible, but it went no further than that, his mouth closing right up as he found his body pressing to the wall, squishing his side and cheek against it as if still trying to lean away from her.
“Should we help him?” Storm suddenly asked from the other side of Soarin. Soarin quickly placed his hoof on Storm’s shoulder.
“He can take it,” Soarin said with a chuckle before pushing Storm along. “C’mon, while she’s distracted…”
“This feels wrong,” Storm held back a snicker as he and Soarin used Calm’s bad timing as a means to escape. “But if you say so…” the two continued on while trying to hold back laughter, amused at the situation. Calm was roughly twice Fleetfoot’s size, but she could break him with a wink.
“Now that we’re out of that frying pan…” Soarin turned towards the first private gym that came into view. “Let’s see what we’ve got here.” He opened the door, and peered in, blinking. “Well then…”
The gym was filled to the brim. Even though it was a smaller gym, squads three, seven, fifteen, and twenty were all packed in along with a few stragglers from other squads. Soarin had seen a lot of Wonderbolts head down from the back at the other end of the compound, but apparently a large portion of them had headed to the smaller gyms… all with similar intentions.
“What’s up?” Storm asked as he pulled open the door beside Soarin’s. “Whoa…”
“Yeah, let’s try the next gym,” Soarin chuckled as they backed out. They glanced back towards Fleetfoot and Calm to see that he had, as usual, lowered himself to the ground and covered his face with his hooves as Fleetfoot tried to make him move or at least respond… while lying on his back. “Only one way to go,” Soarin joked as he and Storm moved towards the next gym.
They quickly found that they might be out of luck for a while. The first three gyms meant for any squad use were all completely filled. Even the private gyms for squads three and one were being used. Authorization had clearly been neglected due to circumstances… squad three wasn’t even training in their own gym due to it.
The possibility of them being shut out aside… the sight of nearly every single Wonderbolt up and training again was a very refreshing and encouraging sight. And based on the bustling fitness center Soarin left behind before coming this way, it was easy to assume any that weren’t in the gyms training they were in the fitness center lifting weights. The downtime was nice, but they were definitely all itching to get back up and be active again. It was built into their brains. Gotta be strong and gotta be ready. They had battles to fight in the near future, but even without those battles looming, they’d be at it.
“Sheesh…” Storm scratched his head as they backed away from the lead squad private gym. Soarin could have easily kicked out a Wonderbolt or two since it was the gym for his squad, but with how hard all those inside were working, sparring, or practicing their fighting techniques. “Guess we’re not going to get any work in, huh?” Storm said with slight disappointment. Soarin shook his head.
“We can always hit the weights and try again later if we have to, but,” he paused and looked down towards the end of the hallway. “We aren’t out of luck yet,” he made a head motion for Storm to follow. “Let’s check out the Squad Two gym.”
“Come on!” Silver yelled at Dash as he remained locked in place, reared back on his back hooves as he blocked multiple punches and kicks from Dash. He was impressed, the strength and speed of her attacks were definitely better than the last time they had sparred, but he wanted her to give him more. “You call that an offense!? I’m just dying to hit you back!” he jeered to fuel her.
“Rgh!” Dash grunted as she rushed at him again, throwing her right hoof forward. Silver shifted, grabbing her arm and forcing it back, making her spin as she flew backwards. Dash remained upright and quickly slammed her hooves to the ground. “If you’re so eager, quit love-tapping me and let me have it!” she fired back as she leapt forward again. Silver smirked as she approached.
“If you say so!” he mocked her as he put up both hooves. Dash carelessly came at him with the exact same punch she had just tried. Silver easily read it, batting her hoof aside while swinging his other hoof directly for her face.
Dash’s eyes widened. She had not time to dodge it.
Rule number one: Never be afraid of your opponent. It doesn’t matter how big, strong, or fast they are… if you fear them, you lose the battle before it even begins.
Instead of bracing for impact, Dash focused on Silver’s incoming hoof for the brief half-second she had, leaning towards it instead of away. She shifted her head to the left, Silver’s hoof caught half of her right cheek. She grunted as she felt the force of her blow against her face, but due to her gutsy move, she avoided taking the hit head on. A punch delivered by Silver Lining, even when he didn’t do his full wind up, was still incredibly strong, proven by how much it knocked her off balance despite only half of the punch landing. She lost her balance as she continued to move forward, sliding to the side of Silver. She pushed her hooves down to remain upright, looking up in time to see Silver turning and glaring down at her, winding up another punch, she had room to move and get away this time, but…
Rule number two: Intimidation will always win. “It doesn’t matter if the intimidation is in the form of threatening your opponent… or taking and returning the threat right back at them. Force your will onto your opponent and let them know you will fight.
Like hell she was going to step back. Dash shifted her body and put up a guard as she glared right back into Silver’s eyes. A smirk crept onto Silver’s face as he delivered the blow into Dash’s forearms.
“Ah!” she grunted as the force pushed her to the right, toppling her right over towards the ground.
Rule number three: Never go to the ground if you can avoid it. A wall that’s knocked down no longer stands in the way of those it was halting… if you go to the ground, you are giving your opponent a perfect opportunity to knock you out, severely injure you, or worse.
Dash twisted her body, using her right hoof and right wing to stop her from hitting the ground and spring right back up. She gritted her teeth and growled, especially as she spotted the smirk on his face. She invited him to attack, but was he enjoying punting her around. She felt like giving him a piece of her…
Rule number four: “Never fight angry. Controlling your emotions is essential to survival.
No, she wasn’t going to let him get under her skin. If she started fighting angry, he would only use it against her. She focused, stealing Descent’s strategy by keeping her concentration on Silver’s chest as she put herself upright. Silver’s chest muscles tensed as he lifted up a hoof to slam down towards her. She read his movement and shifted backwards to avoid his attack. The moment his hoof struck the ground in front of her, she burst forward again, rearing her hoof back to strike. Silver was quick to react, squaring his body up to her before turning his shoulders. Dash recognized this. It was his full motion punch. He was going to throw his own attack right as she threw hers. The last time they traded blows head on, hers had little effect while his sent her flying backwards, not to mention she almost broke her hoof against his hard head. She had gotten stronger, but she wasn’t about to believe this time she’d deliver the harder hit.
Rule number five: Learn from defeat. You don’t experience defeat the first time you lose to a specific opponent. You are defeated if you lose to them again. You must analyze and adapt to your enemies. You have to figure out and exploit their weaknesses.
Silver was confident. He was going to meet her attack with his own, knowing full well that she couldn’t overpower him. Dash felt she had an advantage… even if it was just a small advantage…
She knew he would go through with the attack… and while his confidence wasn’t a weakness, she could count on it.
At the very last moment before their hooves struck each other’s faces, Dash made a small shift, moving her arm against his. She hooked her hoof on it, and kicked off the ground with her back hooves while spreading her wings and giving them one powerful beat. The force from her wings propelled her up as she pulled on his arm, causing her to swing around him to the right. She extended her back hooves out as her motion swung her all the way around… she had a direct line to attack into Silver’s back with a kick.
She was going to land a blow! She was—
“Nice try.”
“OOF!” Dash grunted as something struck her hard in the stomach. Silver’s wing had fired out from his side and caught her right in the gut, forcing the air out of her lungs and causing her to let go of his arm. The force of the blow combined with her momentum from the swing sent her flying away from Silver, tumbling through the air right for the gym doors… which was the ONE spot on the gym walls that wasn’t padded.
“Ah hell…” Silver winced as he saw Dash careen towards the doors. “That’s gonna hurt…”
But right before she hit the door in the middle… it opened.
“Let’s see—WHOA!”
Silver’s ears stood up as he heard the new voice, followed by them folding back as he winced. Dash collided with whoever had just opened the door. It saved her the rough impact, but… it still didn’t look like a soft landing.
Silver turned and trotted towards the door. As he grew closer, he made out who Dash had run into, and instantly lifted an eyebrow.
“Well then…” Soarin’s voice came from the hallway as Silver stuck his head out. Silver glanced to his right to see Storm staring wide eyed at the crash before focusing back forward. Talk about timing. Dash had run smack into Soarin’s chest, toppling him over onto his back as she landed on his stomach.
“Oooo… Gah…” Dash grunted and wheezed as she got her breath back. She looked up, the shape and musculature of whatever she landed on feeling awfully familiar. She looked up to see Soarin looking down at her with a half startled, half amused look on her face. “Ugh…” she groaned as she let her chin flop down on his chest. “Nice catch…”
“No problem?” Soarin chuckled as he sat up and helped her get to her hooves before looking at Silver and scrunching his face slightly. Silver scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“Don’t look at me, son… she told me to fight back.”
“I bet she’s regretting that now.” Soarin smirked as he looked down at Dash. She shook her mane out and flattened her brow.
“Hell no I don’t,” she glared towards Silver. “He was going easy on me,” she complained as she felt around her cheek where she was struck. “Do that again and I’ll kick your old ass!” she barked at Silver despite having just the opposite happen.
Granted she still had the adrenaline flowing, but Soarin and Storm were both staring at her wide-eyed as if they couldn’t believe she had just said that to Silver. Silver, however, burst out laughing.
“What the hell are you still doing out here then? Come in here and kick my ass already!” he urged as Dash took a step towards him but grunted and grabbed her stomach, still feeling the blow from Silver’s wings. Silver lifted an eyebrow before moving out towards her.
“Gimme a second… ass kicking is on the way… just… errrgghh…” Dash groaned as she stood up right and winced. Silver shook his head.
“You can try to kick my ass another time, let’s work on something else,” he suggested as he helped Dash stand upright. Silver paused and looked up at Soarin and Storm, who were now sort of just standing there and watching. “Can I help you boys?”
“Oh, right,” Soarin chuckled. “Anypony else in the gym with you? I didn’t have time to see before I was rainbow struck,” he joked. Silver shook his head.
“Just Dash and me,” he stated plainly.
“Mind if we join? The rest of the gyms are packed full,” Soarin asked as Storm stepped up beside him.
Silver lifted an eyebrow as he glanced between Soarin and Storm. As much as he liked to keep the training between him and Dash private, save for his own squad, Soarin already knew about it. And if Soarin couldn’t get into his own squad gym then his claim that the rest were packed held weight. What would it hurt?
“We’re not using the whole place, come on in,” Silver invited before dragging the grunting Dash with him back in.
Soarin smiled and nodded at Storm before the two followed in right behind.
“Wait… shoot…” Storm stopped right before following in. Soarin came to an abrupt halt before looking over his shoulder.
“What?”
“We… I didn’t want Dash to know I was trying to learn the Sonic Blast-off… remember?” he reminded Soarin. Soarin blinked, indeed recalling that Storm personally didn’t want Dash to know that he was also trying to learn Soarin’s technique, but he shook his head.
“Look, Storm…” he sighed. “I understand that you wanted to keep it to ourselves, but…” he chuckled and motioned around the hallway, specifically towards the blizzard outside the windows and the working lights. “I don’t think it’s time to be keeping secrets, at least not ones of little consequence,” he made a head motion into the gym. “Come on, believe me, she won’t care. Think more about getting better for what we have ahead of us.”
Storm sighed, flattening his brow and shaking his head.
“Oh, alright…”
“Again!” Soarin ordered as Storm turned around, setting his hooves firmly to the ground and going through the motions of the Sonic Blast-off without the wing force at the end. Storm was basically bouncing over and over, repeating only the body and leg motions. “Keep it going! Keep it going!” Soarin encouraged as he sat and watched. “Don’t lose focus! Every motion must be precise and exactly the same every time! It must be second nature for it to be effective!”
Off on the other side of the gym, Dash was cradling a small bundle of flames between her hooves, concentrating on it and skillfully keeping the fire all in one place, small beads of sweat trickling down past her nose as the heat splashed against her face. She had been holding onto the fire for at least five minutes as Silver sat across from her, observing her technique with a stern gaze.
“Good,” Silver gave her a nod of approval. “Take a breather.”
“Ahhh…” Dash exhaled as she pushed her hooves up and let the fire escape into the air before dissipating. She sat down on her plot and shook her head to whip the sweat from her mane.
“Thanks for the shower…” Silver grumbled as Dash opened her eyes, realizing she had just sprayed Silver with her sweat.
“Oh… heh… sorry,” she shrugged as Silver shook his head out and looked towards Soarin and Storm.
Dash took another deep breath as more sweat began to fall down her face. It was great to have the heating system back online, but leave it to Silver to make her feel it twice over with some fire handling training. It wasn’t so much tiring as it was hot, especially with it so close to her face for five whole minutes. She had gotten better with fire over time, never really having a problem with wind and water… but the last element…
She knew that was coming next. She felt a little more prepared for it, but it had been a while. She looked up at Silver, following his example by glancing over at the other training pair.
“Again! Again! Go! Go!” Soarin kept ordering as Storm hopped repeatedly through the motions.
So Soarin was teaching Storm the Sonic Blast-off… or at least trying to. She had no idea that Soarin had decided to do so, but it’s not like it was her business or a subject that was bound to come up in casual conversation. Knowing Storm was often down on himself for not living up to the standards of a high-tier elite, Storm probably asked Soarin himself if he could teach him.
Dash took pride in being able to execute Soarin’s signature move, even if it was with a little bit of difficulty. Her mimicking prowess allowed her to pick it up quickly. She just lacked the physical requirements to fully master it.
It wasn’t like she would feel challenged should Storm learn it as well, but from the looks of things, Storm was having a very hard time with it. He didn’t have the skill in mirroring motions like she did, as proven by how often Soarin corrected his form. She thought he’d have a little bit of it down pat already since his Surface Tap technique used similar smooth successive motions, but the delivery of said motions seemed to be giving him trouble.
Was this how Soarin mastered his technique? It came so easily to her, but that was just how her brain was wired. She never really had the means to appreciate just how difficult of a technique she had managed to copy.
“He’s never gonna get that down…” Silver suddenly said as he shook his head. Dash blinked and looked back at him quickly.
“What makes you say that?” she asked curiously, wondering why Silver would dismiss Storm so quickly. Silver shook his head again.
“Even if he figures it out… he lacks the physical strength and the ease of execution,” Silver glanced at Dash before pointing at Soarin. “Just look at the difference in their bodies. Storm is barely half as built as Soarin, not to mention Soarin is larger, has a broader, more powerful upper body, and has musculature that allows him to easily generate the motions that activate his move.”
Dash looked back at Soarin and Storm. Everything Silver said was true. Soarin was, in general, just much more of a physical specimen than Storm. Well… she was an expert on Soarin’s body to say the least, but from a technical standpoint, Silver was one hundred percent correct… however…
“That didn’t stop me from learning it,” Dash reminded Silver, assuming she had an argument in Storm’s favor, but he only shook his head again.
“You are a special case,” he began as he looked at her. “Your ability to analyze and recreate the techniques of others is a very freakish talent, Dash. You are only the third pegasus I have ever seen with such an unheard of skill…”
Only the third. This wasn’t the first time Dash had heard about others with abilities like her. In the past, the Wonderbolts had mentioned two others with mimicking abilities, but never really went into specifics. One of them was obviously Shine Struck, she knew that for a fact, but the third had never been mentioned. With the way Silver spoke she had to assume it was a former Wonderbolt. She had to ask about it sometime.
“There’s a reason you don’t see to many Wonderbolts using each other’s moves,” Silver kept going as he looked back towards Soarin and Storm. “We devise our signature techniques and train them to absolute perfection… using them to supplement our already refined combat prowess. We make them our own to the point where it fits us uniquely, to the point where our body composition and even our personal motions and movement are part of their execution. Any attempt to replicate them will never be a fraction as effective… unless a freak of nature pony like you comes around,” he chuckled, throwing Dash a smirk. “Because you can copy the technique nearly down to perfection with little effort, all you have to do is meet certain physical requirements. From what I heard, you lacked the strength to perform Soarin’s Sonic Blast-off, so you hit the weights and built up your muscles until you could. You chose to go the power route with your mimicking, allowing you to mostly conquer moves related to strength, helping you figure out my full motion punch as well, but hindering your ability to master certain speed based abilities.” He pointed towards Storm. “Storm is not so lucky to have such freedom of choice. If I were him I’d stick to perfecting and finding new uses of his own techniques. He’s welcome to try learning the Sonic Blast-off, but I just don’t see him being successful, hell, not even I know exactly how Soarin pulls off that crazy acceleration.”
Dash frowned as she looked towards Storm. Silver was wise as always, but she felt bad that under such wisdom Storm was more or less wasting his time. On the other hoof, Dash knew Storm better than Silver did, and knew that he’d try regardless of how hard or impossible it might be. If anything, Storm may learn a thing or two about how to enhance his own move, just like Silver suggested.
“Alright, break’s over.” Silver stood up and cracked his neck. “I’m sure we’ll be in here past the next heating cycle, but I want to get through something before we have to wait.”
Dash gulped as she stood up.
“Lightning?” she asked anxiously. Silver nodded as he turned away from her.
“You knew it was coming, huh?” he said seriously as he walked over and picked up the pair of flint hoof-covers that he had used to make Dash’s fire before. “Then we don’t even need to talk about it…” he made a head motion to a large trough filled with water they had hauled in from the locker room. “Get me some water,” he ordered as he put on the hoof covers and struck them together to create a spark of flames that he quickly controlled into a ball before him.
Dash did as she was told, moving towards the basin and thrusting her hooves into it, splashing the water up into the air and catching the moisture, passing it in Silver’s direction in a controlled stream. Not a perfect shot like Wave Chill, but it was good enough. Silver held the flames up into the air as the moisture approached and mixed the two together. After some quick and careful manipulating, Silver had a small cloud in between his hooves that he let float up above him. He clapped the flint gloves together three more times, each spark adding heat to the cloud until it grew darker and darker… and little volts of electricity began to run along it.
Dash gulped as she watched the electricity pulse about the mini-cloud, her skin feeling tingly beneath her fur. She took a deep breath as Silver stuck his hooves into the cloud and pulled the electricity out of it. The cloud dissipated and his hooves and forearms crackled and popped, ribbons of lightning dancing about them. Dash waited for Silver to approach as he usually did to carefully pass it to her, mentally preparing herself to show that she HAD indeed worked on it, even though it still scared her a little.
But Silver took her by surprise.
“Catch.”
Dash’s eyes widened considerably as Silver thrust his hooves forward, the lightning shooting off of them and careening towards her in undulating ribbons. Dash yelped as she put her hooves up in front of her face, the lightning crashing against them, forcing her to rear back on her hind legs and take several steps backwards. The electricity was upon her and she could feel it surging through her arms towards her chest, but she quickly opened her eyes and focused on her arms, despite being slightly terrified.
“RGH!” she grunted loudly as she gritted her teeth and forced the lightning to stay away from the center of her body and in her arms. Her eyes darted back and forth as she watched the electricity move up and down her arms as well as jump between them. There wasn’t nearly enough to cause any potential harm to her, but if she lost control of it and it shot into her… it was definitely going to sting… a lot.
“Control it! Contain it!” Silver yelled at her as he approached her.
Both Soarin and Storm had stopped and were observing from afar as well. Soarin was holding himself back from jumping in to help, knowing full well it was a training exercise despite his knowledge of Dash’s fear.
“Don’t lose focus! Keep your eyes steady, dammit!” Silver ordered as Dash slammed her eyes shut and opened them again, this time with her eyes fixed directly in the center of her arms where the lightning was passing between them.
It wasn’t hard… not even the slightest bit difficult to control the small amount of electricity Silver had tossed at her, but that wasn’t the problem. She was doing absolutely everything in her power to not simply toss the lightning aside and back away.
She didn’t like it. The memories of the traumatic shock were too vivid and too real…. But she fought it. She fought it with all of her might, pressing back the awful recollection with the desire to prove she could handle it.
Silver watched her carefully as she continued to hold on, specifically her eyes. The last time they had trained her electricity handling, she still had a scared expression written all over her face, but this time it was different. Her eyes were filled with determination… something he had seen from her often, but never once while they were working with lightning.
He felt her handling of the element was still a little shaky, but… the progress he was looking for was right in front of his face. She had control of it, and was holding on. Every other time she had lost it by now.
Silver let her continue for a few more moments before reaching forward.
“That’s enough,” he said as he put his hoof between hers and pulled all of the lightning away from her.
“Ahhh…” Dash took several steps back, falling onto her plot and panting as Silver reached his hoof over his head and let the lightning burst upward before is crackled, snapped, and disappeared. “Dammit…” Dash pounded her hoof against the floor as Silver approached her. “Dammit, dammit, dammit…” she repeated, each time smacking the floor with her hoof again.
“You did well,” Silver spoke up, ready to compliment her on her progress. He opened his mouth to speak again but Dash slammed her hoof down twice as hard and glared up at him.
“Did WELL?!” she repeated before shaking her head. “That was still bad!”
Silver blinked, surprised at her outburst considering she had just proved she had made progress. In fact, he was surprised she didn’t complain about him suddenly tossing the lightning at her, he was sure she was going to give him hell for it.
“Dash…” he tried to speak up but she slammed her hoof down again.
“I don’t care if I did ‘better,’ it was still way under par… I’m a Wonderbolt, I should have this down by now!” she complained as she looked at her own hooves. “Seriously!”
“Dash, it’s not…”
“How can you guys trust me out there in battle if I can’t handle one stupid little—?”
“RAINBOW DASH!” Silver raised his voice. She flinched, but didn’t look up. Silver silenced her, but she was clearly still mulling over it. “Look at me,” Silver ordered, getting her to look up. She scrunched her face into a half pout as she looked into his eyes.
It was indeed interesting how much their relationship had changed over time. Dash used to cave beneath Silver with little more than a single glance from him. Now, he was looking down at her with his crushing gaze, and she wasn’t giving an inch. As much as Silver pushed the ‘stern instructor’ vibe on all those he trained, due to his goals with Dash he actually preferred a more down to earth air between them. Of course he wouldn’t admit it though.
“Was it perfect?” Silver tipped his head slightly before shaking it. “No. Do you have a ways to go?” He put his head back upright and snorted. “Absolutely. But don’t disregard what you’ve done so far. This isn’t a simple case of you not understanding how it works. We are battling a phobia. I wanted to see your progress in working on it, but to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t expecting much to have changed as much as you have. You proved me wrong.”
Dash grunted, looking away as Silver sighed.
“Fine, you know what… you sucked, it was awful, F minus-minus, you fail, forever,” Silver suddenly took an odd tone as he turned around. Dash’s eyes widened.
“Wait, what?” she looked up.
“Is that want you want me to say? That it was bad and you’re a terrible student? Celestia knows I do the opposite a lot,” Silver scoffed as he bobbed his head back and forth.
“Wait, no…” Dash stood up and stepped towards him. “That’s not…”
“Be proud, Dash!” he turned and pressed a hoof to her forehead, causing her to stop in place. “I know you don’t have any problems being confident in yourself.”
Dash blinked, looking directly into his eyes as his stern look helped back up his words.
“You’ve proven that you can figure things out. You have a bit of a crutch here, but in time… it will come to you it like other skills have. Practice, practice, practice,” he finished as he removed his hoof from her forehead.
“Sorry…” Dash huffed to herself as she looked away towards Soarin and Storm. “It’s just frustrating after how quickly I pick up on other things.”
“I know,” Silver agreed. “Don’t forget I overcame a similar fear with fire. Believe me, it wasn’t a cakewalk…” he trailed off as he eyed Dash carefully. She was still looking away at Soarin and Storm. He started moving towards her quietly.
“Still frustrating…” she sighed. “Seriously, it’s not hard to control its just—” she stopped abruptly as she looked back. Silver was gone. “Silver? WHOA!” she yelped as she felt a hoof push against her back. She tipped forward and put her hooves to the floor before she could face plant.
“Awareness,” Silver said from behind her.
“Will you stop that already?!” Dash growled as she quickly stood up, turned and glared at Silver.
“Not until you’re fully aware,” Silver said with a smirk. Dash exhaled loudly through her nostrils and bit her bottom lip, a little miffed that he went from making her feel good to catching her off guard. Only he would pull such a prank on her and she cursed herself for not seeing it coming. However… now that he had told her there was supposedly a trick to it, she couldn’t help but feel like he was doing it more for his own enjoyment instead of to help her.
“Seriously,” Dash threw a hoof out to her side. “You’re not gonna tell me how this works? It’s easier to learn when I can actually see it… that’s kinda my thing you know.”
“Figure it out,” Silver repeated. Dash flattened her brow.
“I can understand seeing things out of the corner of my eye… but you did that and the one before from behind me… how can I possibly be a hundred percent aware of everything around me at all times?” she pointed over her shoulder. “I don’t have eyes in the back of my head… it just doesn’t work.”
Silver took a deep breath and sighed, shaking his head.
“You think so, huh? After you fought beside her too…? That’s a shame, you’re usually better than that,” Silver said with his focus moving away from Dash.
“Wait, what did you just say?” Dash asked, but Silver’s eyes landed on Soarin. He smirked before looking back at Dash.
“It’s impossible… right?” he said in a sly manner before turning away from her and moving towards Soarin.
Dash blinked, going completely silent as Silver moved away from her. It took her a moment to realize that Silver’s steps were very light, making little to no sound at all against the floor. She tipped her head slightly to see Soarin… who had his back turned to them, still sitting and barking orders to Storm. Silver came to a very gentle stop less than a yard from Soarin before looking back and smirking at Dash again. Soarin clearly had no idea that Silver was behind him, just out of his vision to his left.
Dash gasped. Silver was going to…
Silver set his front hooves firmly in the ground, focusing his eyes on Soarin’s head. With a forward thrust, he swung his back legs around, using subtle shifts in his body to create his full motion… but doing so with his legs? It was the first time Dash had ever seen it, but that wasn’t her main concern. Silver had gone through his motions to harness every little bit of power his body could generate, and was pushing it into a hard buck… that was aimed directly at Soarin’s head.
Dash gasped and was about to yell, but—
Soarin’s wings suddenly twitched.
“What the—?!” Soarin yelled out.
Dash’s eyes nearly bulged out of her skull and her jaw dropped. Soarin, in a split second before impact, ducked his head away and crossed his opposite hoof over to block the kick from silver. He didn’t only block it, he met it with enough force to counter Silver’s full motion power, despite being at an angle disadvantage.
Soarin quickly tipped onto his hooves and stood up, facing Silver as he came back down on all fours.
“What was that for?” Soarin asked, furrowing his brow as he tipped his head to the side.
“Heh…” Silver chuckled as he turned and looked at Dash, his smile growing as she stared in pure disbelief. “See?” he said while ignoring Soarin’s curiosity.
“Guh…” was all Dash could say as she tried to fathom what she had just seen. Something happened, Soarin didn’t simply sense Silver there. That wasn’t possible. How did he feel it? How did he know?
“Still think it’s impossible?” Silver lifted his brow as he approached Dash again. “Soarin has mastered awareness… just as many of the elite Wonderbolts have,” he explained as he stopped in front of her. “Part of what makes us so dangerous in combat is how aware we are of our surroundings. It’s hard to take us by surprise under most circumstances, especially when we’re focused and in control of the situat—” Silver’s eyes suddenly widened as he turned and put his hooves. Soarin’s hoof jammed into his forearms and sent him skidding a yard across the floor. Dash blinked as Soarin landed on his hooves in front of her and smirked.
“Damn! Almost got you!” he jeered as Silver glared at him.
“Is this a challenge, son?” Silver asked while lifting an eyebrow. Soarin cracked his neck back and forth and bounced his eyebrows.
“Heh, you know what? Why not? It’s been a long time since we’ve fought,” he tapped his horn. “And I mean for real, I promise not to go nuts this time.”
“As long as you hold to that and keep the princess magic out of it…” Silver cracked his hooves and grinned.
“Oh, them’s fighting words!” Soarin joked as the two both smirked.
Dash scooted herself backwards as Soarin and Silver rushed at each other and locked hooves. The two kept smiling at each other in a sporting manner as Soarin began to push Silver back, his hooves skidding along the floor.
“Come on, you old stallion!” Soarin yelled as he pushed. “Don’t let a princess overpower you!”
“Just being courteous to a lady,” Silver shot right back with a sneer. “Here, allow me,” he said smoothly before releasing one of Soarin’s arms, letting it slide over his shoulder. Silver latched on and used Soarin’s forward momentum to pull him onto his back and launch him upward.
“Whoa!” Soarin yelped as Silver spread his wings and took to the air. “Bring it!” Soarin eagerly called as he rounded upright and guarded just as Silver thrust his hooves into him. The two pushed off and engaged each other in airborne close combat.
Dash watched them both with a blank look on their face.
“Well… that escalated quickly…” Storm said as he walked over and sat down beside Dash.
“That’s putting it lightly…” Dash said as one of her ears flopped down. “I’m still trying to figure out how Soarin knew Silver was behind him.
“That was pretty crazy…” Storm agreed as the two continued to watch their mentors fight overhead. “I wonder how he did that?”
Wonder indeed. Dash saw the whole thing, but cursed herself for being more distracted by the worry of Soarin getting hit in the back of the head. She saw something happen, but she missed the fine details. And what did Silver mean by ‘after you fought beside her too?’ had she seen a perfect example of it in the past? If she had she had either missed it or completely forgotten.
“What’s the matter? Can’t break an old stallion’s guard?” Silver’s voice caught her attention. She looked back up to see Silver holding his iron defenses up as Soarin tried, and failed to get through them.
“Eh… I could,” Soarin chuckled as he continued to throw punches and kicks.
“What are you waiting for, and invitation? A love letter? Sorry, I only write mushy hugs and kisses to my wife!” Silver taunted as he smirked as he stared down Soarin from between his arms.
“I’m not so heartless that I’d hit an old stallion as hard as I can,” Soarin said with a sarcastic tone.
“Go easy on me and I’ll make you regret it!” Silver suddenly batted away a punch from Soarin and followed up with a punch of his own right for Soarin’s face.
“I’m betting on it actually!” Soarin laughed as he shifted his head left and grabbed Silver’s arm, pulling him in, spinning him around and putting him in a bear-hug from behind. “I like to respect my elders, so here’s a gentle toss!” he said as he spun around and threw Silver towards the ground.
“Sweet Celestia…” Silver grunted as he calmly spread his wings, did an inline twist, and evened out, gliding along the ground as he looked over his shoulder. Soarin had followed right behind and was gaining on him. “I’d like to rip that horn right off your head and corkscrew it somewhere you won’t find it…” he said with a chuckle as he turned to meet a flurry of punches from Soarin as they glided.
“Yikes!” Dash yelped as she and Storm ducked, the two battling Wonderbolts passing right over them.
“Whoa…” Storm managed to say as the two looked on in awe. “It’s so intense, yet so casual…”
Dash smiled as her mind finally broke away from figuring out the awareness ‘technique’. She was missing a good fight, one that she could probably learn something from. But even then, she felt more like focusing on the two individuals fighting. Soarin, her lover. Silver Lining, her mentor. The last time she saw them fight it was serious and frightening. Soarin was not himself, under the influence of his yellow magic flaring out of control and beating Silver senseless with his amplified aggression.
Here… the two were sparring, simply going at it with smiles on their faces, egging each other on and taunting every chance they got. She MUCH preferred this. Watching two ponies she both respected and held in such high regard have a friendly competition was heartwarming. Not to mention she had a private show of two of the most awesome ponies in the Wonderbolts locked in combat. As Storm said, it was so intense, but so casual. It was something she really missed.
All of the recent battles had been life and death. It seemed so long ago that things were normal and they trained hard every day… helping each other, learning from each other, and having fun as they did it. That was the life, far and away the most fun Dash had ever had. She’d do anything to get things back to the way they were. It gave her a whole other reason to see all the coming battles through to the end, doing her duty as a Wonderbolt, meeting their challenges head on to defend Equestria so they can rest easy and go back to living the Wonderbolt life.
She and Storm both flinched as Soarin and Silver slammed down to the floor in front of them… well… more crashed into the floor. They both had the other in a simultaneous headlock as they wrestled on the ground.
“Nice landing, punk!” Silver grunted as he tried to gain the upper hoof, but despite his slightly better position he could get Soarin’s arm off of him.
“Hey! I wasn’t the one flapping my wings!” Soarin shot back as the two struggled. They continued to grapple until Soarin pushed off his hooves and the two flopped over, yelping as they flew off of each other and rolled in opposite directions. They both quickly rose and took to the air again.
The fighting continued for at least ten more minutes, the pace never slowing down, but eventually it was clear Silver wouldn’t be able to keep up with him much longer. While their skill levels were similar, Soarin was stronger and younger, his endurance keeping him going where Silver became gassed.
They landed a few yards apart from each other and charged, slamming their front hooves together once more and locking in place in front of their students. Soarin was smirking and raised an eyebrow, only panting a little. Silver was breathing heavily.
“That… all… you’ve got…?” Silver asked as he chuckled beneath his panting.
“As much as I’m willing to give before I start giving you bruises,” Soarin taunted.
“Heh…braggart…” Silver exhaled and eased up, falling back onto his plot. “Yeah… that’s enough for me.”
“Phew!” Soarin sat down across from him. “You’ve still got it, Silver.”
“Of course I do…” Silver scoffed while panting. “Just a little creaky,” he added as he rotated his shoulder, causing the joints to pop a few times.
Storm and Dash watched as the two shared a good chuckle after the sparring ended.
“And that wasn’t even full tilt…” Storm shook his head. “And they let ME into the elites?”
“Don’t start with that now,” Dash reached over and poked him in the arm. Storm smiled and shook his head.
“No, no… I’m not gonna start berating myself… I just have a long road ahead of me to get on that level,” he turned to look at Dash. Dash looked at him and returned the smile.
“You and me both,” she winked. They both looked back towards their mentors to see Silver and Soarin both staring at them. “Uh oh…” Dash blinked. “I dunno, but I don’t like that look.”
“Hey,” Soarin suddenly smirked as he turned back to Silver. “I bet my student can beat up yours!”
“What?!” Dash’s ears stood up as she glared at Soarin. Soarin glanced back at her with a mischievous look in his eyes that she knew well. He totally said that to purposely get her riled up.
“You shittin’ me?” Silver spoke up as her also smirked. “Your student wouldn’t last five minutes against mine.”
Storm and Dash both looked awkwardly towards their teachers as the two went back and forth about which one of them would beat up the other. They looked at each other for a moment, both with no words to describe what was going on before looking back… and seeing they were being stared at again.
“You two!” Silver yelled at them. “Quit sitting around and fight each other or something!” he said with a smile on his face.
“Uh…” both Dash and Storm said simultaneously.
“Two bits on Storm,” Soarin said while glancing between Dash and Silver.
“That’s it…” Dash stood up and grabbed Storm by the arm, hoisting him up. Soarin was teasing her and she was gonna throw it right back in his face… for fun of course.
“Whoa, Dash, hold on a sec—WHOOOOA!!!” Storm yelled as Dash spread her wings, lifted Storm up in the air with her, and flung him skyward.
“You heard the idiots!” Dash called as she flew after Storm. “I gotta beat you up now!”
Storm regained control of his flight while shaking his head.
“Welp…” he shrugged before putting up his hooves, ready to take on Dash.
Down below, Soarin and Silver were snickering to themselves.
“Wow, she went for it… you’re a bastard, you know that?” said Silver as he glanced at Soarin.
“Trust me, it doesn’t take much. You’ve just gotta challenge her and she goes for it,” he explained as he watched Dash and Storm go at it.
“Oh, I know…” Silver agreed. “Just don’t blame me if she denies you sex now.”
Soarin flattened his brow, keeping the smirk on his face as he looked towards Silver.
“Did we have to go there?” he asked while chuckling. Silver tipped his head as he looked towards Soarin.
“Just telling you how it is, son. Take the word of a married stallion,” Silver said as he patted his chest.
“I have my ways to encourage her anyway,” Soarin defended his ‘moves’ and their effect on Dash. “Besides, it’s not like we’re married…”
“Yet,” Silver finished for him. Soarin snorted and laughed to himself… but Silver saw right through it. He knew how much the two adored each other it was only a matter of time. “Hrgh…” Silver suddenly grunted as one of his arms wobbled. He reached the other hoof over and grabbed his shoulder, holding it steady for a moment until it stopped. He took a deep breath, refocusing on the battle between Dash and Storm.
Soarin was facing the fight, but he had his eyes focused on Silver. That little grunt and wobble did not escape him.
“Is the heat off?” Silver asked before Soarin could say anything. The two looked up towards the ceiling vents high above them. There was no audible noise coming from them, so they assumed the heat had been shut off to let the boiler rest. It wouldn’t be too long before it started up again, but they could feel a sudden chill in the air. “Go grab those flint gloves,” Silver asked, pointing away from them. “Doubt they’ll even notice since they’re fighting, but no reason for us to freeze to death.”
Soarin looked over and did as he was told, getting up and moving to grab the gloves. He kept glancing back at Silver as he made the round trip, catching a few more winces and quiet grunts from Silver. Soarin wanted to ask, but he waited until after returning the gloves to Silver.
Silver struck the gloves together twice, creating two small fireballs that floated before him. He waved his hoof beneath one of them, passing it over to Soarin. It wasn’t much, but the small collection of flames in front of both of them generated enough heat to remain comfortable as the temperature dropped for the time being. Silver wobbled again, this time nearly falling over, but catching himself and trying to play it off, but again, Soarin saw it clear as day.
“So… how are you holding up?” Soarin asked, purposely not being specific to see how Silver replied.
“I’m fine,” Silver answered quickly. Soarin looked towards him and raised an eyebrow.
“Are you…?” Soarin pressed. A silence grew between them, the only sound coming from the fighting and jawing between their students and the tiny crackles and pops of the flames in front of them. Silver took a deep breath and released a heavy, exasperated sigh.
“Has my student been blabbing?” he asked with a low growl.
“No…” Soarin chuckled. “You’re just a bad actor.”
Silver turned his head towards Soarin, flattening his brow.
“Oh, stop looking at me like that, I’m not about to go tell Spitfire… and neither is anypony else,” Soarin assured him. Silver took another deep breath and exhaled through his nose, the flames before him flickering at the burst of air from his nostrils.
“Who am I kidding?” Silver grunted. “I know I really can’t hide it anymore.”
“Hey, hey…” Soarin quickly reacted to Silver’s shift in tone. “We’re not about to rat you out.”
“Wouldn’t matter if you did,” Silver cut him off. “Spitfire is already bending the rules for me. I know she’s aware of my body, I’m just surprised she hasn’t kicked me out yet after how quickly she let the others go.”
“Really?” Soarin blinked in surprise. He was actually unaware of that. Spitfire usually kept him in the loop about what was on her mind, but the condition of Silver never came up. Maybe it was a subject purposely avoided… due to how important Silver was to everypony. “Heh… Even Spitfire, huh? How did you find out?”
“I have good ears, that’s how,” Silver replied, not going into detail.
“After thinking about it…” Soarin chuckled. “I can see why she’d suddenly bend the rules.”
“Oh?”
“Spitfire loves sticking to the Wonderbolt code, but as her foalhood friend, I can guarantee you she won’t let it completely control her. I bet she’s more aware of what you do for us. Screw the code, none of us want you gone, Silver.”
“Good,” Silver replied flatly, trying to play off the fact that those words warmed his heart. “Because I’m not leaving until my wings stop working for good.”
“Heh…” Soarin smirked as he looked back towards the fighting.
Dash had Storm in a headlock, but Storm was in control of their flight. It was getting a little out of control, but Dash was determined.
Soarin glanced back down at Silver to see a small smile in his face, his eyes focused on the flame in front of him.
“No, we definitely need you right now,” Soarin spoke up again, catching Silver’s attention. “With all this stuff going on… the Renegades, the Shadowbolts… and now with this new development of the Shadowbolts being in danger themselves… we need all the help we can get, and a veteran like you is irreplaceable.”
“Hmm…” Silver simply nodded before turning his attention back up to the battle of their students. Soarin did the same, but he found his mind wandering. Specifically to the ‘new development’ he had just mentioned with the Shadowbolts being afflicted with some sort of unknown condition from overusing the crystals. If that wasn’t confusing enough… there was Discord, who mentioned the ‘higher plane of existence’ that was often mentioned by the voices in his head.
Discord said he didn’t want a fourth mortal there that didn’t belong… The yellow voice spoke as if she had always been able to see it, which ruled her out. She spoke of the blue as one that struggled to simply catch a glimpse… and described Soarin as stumbling in by accident. Then who was the third?
Soarin doubted he’d get an answer any time soon… but there WAS something else that stood out from the encounter…
He glanced towards Silver.
Silver and Discord exchanged insults in a manner that suggested it wasn’t the first time the two had met… in fact, the way they went at it made it seem like they had several unsavory encounters prior. Soarin was definitely curious.
“Say, Silver?” he spoke up.
“Yes?” Silver looked towards him.
“I couldn’t help but notice you and Discord seem to have a little animosity going…”
“Pff…” Silver scoffed and rolled his eyes immediately at the mention of Discord. “Don’t even get me started on that sack of snake droppings…” Silver growled.
“Too bad, I’m asking…” Soarin chuckled. “I’ve been dealing with him a lot lately, I’m curious how you two know each other.”
“Fine…” Silver grunted, clearly not eager to talk about Discord, but he started anyway. “I never thought I’d see his sorry hide ever again… I didn’t even know he was out of his damn statue again until recently.”
Soarin listened, his ears flopped up and down and he tipped his head to the side while blinking.
“Wait… you’re talking as if you met him in the past…” Soarin put together. Silver nodded.
“Oh, you have no idea…” Silver rolled his eyes. “I swear if he left us alone for more than a day it was a miracle.”
“Us?”
“Blizzard and I,” Silver looked towards Soarin sternly as Soarin continued to tip his head back and forth.
“Wait, wait, rewind, hold on… How could you and Blizzard have encountered Discord? Wasn’t he stuck in a statue for thousands of years? I never heard about him getting loose until the infamous second coming thwarted by the Elements of Harmony.”
“There’s a reason for that…” Silver smirked. “A reason called Blizzard Strike. Thanks to him… Discord’s little rampage was cut incredibly short, and it is often forgotten by history due to what was going on at the time.”
Soarin shifted so he was facing Silver. Despite the battle between Dash and Storm continuing above them, Soarin focused all of his attention on Blizzard.
“Go on…” he nodded. It wasn’t often that Silver talked about Blizzard, but Soarin never missed a chance to learn more about the legendary Wonderbolt who mentored the now legendary Silver Lining. Silver looked down at his flame for a moment, collecting his thoughts as he readied to tell the story.
“How much do you know about the last Griffon-Drake war?” Silver asked him before starting. Soarin thought for a moment.
“I was too young to remember any of it or understand what was going on at the time… but I read that it was the worst one by far in their long history of fighting,” Soarin recalled. Silver nodded.
“Indeed it was… and the worst part about it was that fighting found its way into Equestria. In the past, they had kept to their countries… their ancestral leaders made sure to keep the dispute between them and not to drag the ponies or any others into the fray. It was a personal rivalry. Well…” Silver shook his head. “Let’s just say that little rule of theirs was thrown out the window at some point. Because King Gerardo of the griffons and Czar Kazimir of the drakes didn’t seem to give a damn who got involved or where they took their battles as long as their side was trying to kill the other.”
“Despite several attempts by Celestia to persuade the warring kingdoms to stay within their borders like their ancestors promised before them, her words went ignored. Ponies were caught in the fighting, several were killed… this was the very reason that Blazetail and Flashwind took action, and tried to convince Celestia to allow the Wonderbolts to intervene and drive them back. Celestia was reluctant for reasons she refused to explain, but as things got more and more out of hoof, she was forced to comply… saying that she herself would face the consequences that would follow.”
Silver huffed, looking into the flame dancing before him carefully.
“We entered the fray with the intention of simply pushing them out and keeping them out… but it wasn’t long before we became part of the fighting. Despite our efforts, the Sky Wings and the Scale Guard got fed up with us and attacked. We were forced to fight them in what turned into a three sided conflict… and the consequences Celestia feared became reality. The constant fighting and disarray had created pure chaos… and it broke Discord free from his prison.”
“I never thought of that…” Soarin cut in briefly. “I once read that Discord was sealed in Equestria because of how peaceful it was known for being… an environment where Discord had no means to build up his strength and escape.”
“Indeed,” Silver nodded. “With how terrible and widespread the war became, he was easily released. The griffons and the drakes continued to war, but the Wonderbolts and the focus of any and all ponies was turned to Discord. He caught all of us off-guard, easily eluding Celestia, warping and manipulating anything and everything he saw fit. He was loose and on a rampage, causing havoc every step he took. Everypony that tried to go after him or fight him either failed miserably or met a sick and twisted end. Many of us, including Blazetail and Flashwind were convinced it was the end of everything. We had warring nations on one side, and the chaos of the war feeding the wrath of the god of chaos on the other…”
Silver paused and smirked.
“But that’s when Blizzard Strike stepped in,” he said as he looked up, smiling and chuckling.
Soarin waited eagerly for him to continue. Everything Silver had just said to him was both interesting and something he had never heard before, but… Blizzard Strike. He wanted more than anything to hear about Blizzard Strike.
The Discord that Silver spoke of also seemed much different than the one Soarin knew. He sounded much more wild and violent, nothing like the prank-pulling, annoying and helpful-in-his-own-way Discord that he had come to know. The ‘reformed’ Discord that lingered about, dropping them clues about what he knew and was apparently ‘helping’ them out.
It was well known that Blizzard Strike was a pony that could make the impossible happen… but how did he best a more primal Discord?
“Blizzard took a much different approach,” Silver looked back down and turned slightly towards Soarin. “One that nopony else had considered. He recognized Discord and his nature, how the god of chaos thrived on confusion, disarray, and desperation. He could see the mischievous and curious nature of Discord, the way he would do anything as long as he was amused or got a laugh from it… how he’d never miss a chance to best somepony or something else. I’ll never forget it… the moment Blizzard walked right up to Discord as we all kept our distance. Others had flown in and gotten batted aside, but he landed and walked at a casual pace right up to Discord… and asked him if he wanted to play a game of chess.”
“Chess?” Soarin blinked as his ears flopped down.
“Yes, Chess,” Silver chuckled which turned into a soft belly laugh as he took a moment to shake his head and catch his breath. “The look on Discord’s face was indescribable. He looked right down at Blizzard like he had never seen a pony before in his life, he was that befuddled. Of course, Blizzard was absolutely right. After a few moments of trying to figure out the brave pony who walked up to him without a second thought, Discord accepted, even provided the board.”
“I can’t imagine trying to play any game with Discord…” Soarin commented as Silver smirked.
“Oh, he cheated every two moves. Most of them were clear as day too, but Blizzard didn’t say a word about it throughout the match… and still won,” Silver paused to watch Soarin’s eyes widen. “Believe it, son. Discord even flipped the board around three times, switching which side they were playing, and Blizzard Strike still found a way to win. Don’t ask me how, all that matters is he did. Discord was speechless. Blizzard simply thanked him for the game, stood up, and walked back over to us. When he got back to us, he looked at our captains and said ‘I’ll take it from here.’”
Silver paused as he looked back at Storm and Dash, they were still sparring, clearly having a good time so who was to stop them? Silver stared at them for a few moments as he kept recalling the past.
“Just as Blizzard said… the Wonderbolts and the ponies no longer had to worry about Discord and could fully focus on quelling the war between the griffons and the drakes… why? Because Blizzard Strike had successfully shifted all of Discord’s focus away from Equestria to him and him alone. As Blizzard’s student… I got to watch time and time again as Discord would appear before us and try to best Blizzard… but no matter what he tried to pull, Blizzard always got the last laugh.”
Silver closed his eyes and grinned.
“Blizzard was Discord’s worst nightmare. He formulated his strategy with a mixture of awareness, wit, philosophy, and personal ideology, brilliantly proving Discord wrong or turning his pranks back on him every time. He saw through all of Discord’s tricks, never falling for any of them and often having something waiting to trick Discord the moment his own failed. It got to the point where Discord tried to find anything, absolutely anything that he could best him at… and it eventually led to Discord challenging Blizzard to prove the significance of mortals and what they could possibly be in the universe compared to gods like him… Blizzard’s response? ‘Well, you’re terrible at Chess.’”
“Oh man… I can bet Discord didn’t like that,” Soarin gritted his teeth while snickering.
“He was fuming so hard I thought he was going to explode,” Silver chuckled. “But it didn’t end there… Discord’s pranks ceased and were replaced by ‘challenges.’ Not those of a physical nature, mind you. Discord put forth many dilemmas and scenarios, engaging Blizzard on what he would do, why he would do it, and what significance it would have in the long run. Sometimes he even engineered live scenarios for us to deal with. Blizzard never missed a beat, answering every challenge, giving solid solutions to every problem, besting every scenario, and firmly explaining why he did what he did. Even when Discord thought he caught him in a moment of bigotry or contradiction, Blizzard would shrug it off, stating firmly that he wasn’t perfect, that he was simply stating what he felt was right and would have an impact, doing what he felt would move things forward because sticking to one’s ideals is important to being credible and making a difference of any kind. Discord was searching for weakness in Blizzard, anything he could exploit. Blizzard wasn’t perfect, just as he said… but he never let his guard down. He never let a single weakness show, absolutely none.”
“No weakness for Discord to exploit… the perfect weapon against him,” Soarin nodded in agreement.
“Discord couldn’t stand Blizzard to say the least,” Silver snorted while sharing the nod with Soarin. “I still don’t know how Blizzard did half the things he did, but he was always ready, always aware, and knew exactly what to say and do every time Discord confronted him,” he chuckled. “Blizzard single-hoofedly humbled the god of chaos… He pushed Discord all the way to the brink of madness. He was completely fed up and threatened to erase Blizzard from existence… but the damage had been done. Blizzard had fully convinced him that he would live forever knowing that there was a mortal who had utterly defeated him, a god. Discord had always disregarded mortals as being useless and insignificant, only to have one best him at everything his twisted mind could come up with. Blizzard simply smiled at him, knowing that Discord wouldn’t do it. After all, being overtaken by rage and simply making Blizzard disappear would only make the sting of defeat worse.”
So that explained it… Soarin remembered back when he was training his magic and he saw Fancy outsmart Discord. Discord’s interest was caught immediately and he even proclaimed he would keep an eye on him in a way that expressed interest over caution.
Silver sighed and shook his head.
“And mortal Blizzard was… because a week later he was killed in the surprise attack when we were on our way to negotiate peace talks. He went down fighting, taking on an army of drakes by himself and not clocking out until he had taken a few hundred with him. Beats me how he did it… Drakes may be much smaller than dragons but they are just as tough. Just another example of how Blizzard made things happen against all odds and circumstances… only it wasn’t quite enough that time.”
Silver paused and Soarin observed his silence, knowing that the death of Blizzard and how he ran from the battle was more or less the reason Silver rarely talked about him, but after a moment, Silver looked back up at him.
“When Blizzard was gone, we feared that Discord would run rampant again, but… when we found him he was once again frozen in stone. How? Princess Celestia was with the group that discovered him, and the only two that were capable of turning something live to stone were Celestia and Discord himself. The only explanation was that he froze himself. Why? You’d have to ask him, but I’m convinced that he punished himself for not being able to best a mortal. Perhaps Blizzard’s death was part of Discord’s decision to return to his prison. Blizzard’s mortal status was proven by his untimely demise, forcing Discord to accept that he had been bested… and now would never get the chance to get even. The god of chaos had been taught humility. Even in death… Blizzard won.”
Soarin didn’t say anything as Silver brought the story to a close. So the seed that eventually led to Discord being reformed was planted by Blizzard Strike. His historic ‘second coming’ was drastic and he caused a lot of damage, but not anything near what Silver had just described. Blizzard had brought him down to earth it seemed, and now… a generation later, the efforts of Blizzard Strike now had the god of chaos himself on their side… or at least that’s how it seemed.
“Whoa!” Storm yelped as he tumbled towards Silver. Silver reached up and caught Storm, the two of them skidding to a halt as the flame in front of Silver instantly fizzled out.
“Oops…” Dash said from above as Silver looked up and glared at her before dropping Storm on the floor with a soft PLOP.
“OOF!” Storm grunted before standing up and pouting towards Dash. “That was a cheap shot…”
“Hey, you left yourself wide open! Awareness, Storm!” she yelled while winking at Silver.
“Pfffffff…” Silver puffed his cheeks out and looked down to hold in the chuckles, shaking his head. “Yeah, I think that’s enough, get down here you rascal,” he motioned for Dash to land.
“Did the heat go off? I didn’t even notice!” Dash commented as she suddenly shivered as she landed. She went right up to Soarin who opened his wing and pulled her in.
“Let’s wait for the heat to come back on and train a little more,” Silver said as he and Storm approached Soarin and Dash. “Then we can hit the showers before it turns off again.”
“What were you guys talking about, by the way?” Dash asked as she pressed into Soarin and tried to absorb heat from the tiny flame.
“Blizzard Strike,” Soarin answered quickly, knowing Dash would immediately pick up on it.
“WHAT?!” Dash’s ears flopped down. “I missed a story about Blizzard?” she frowned in frustration. Soarin looked up at Silver and shrugged. Silver rolled his eyes.
“If you want to know it that badly, I’ll tell you later,” he said, admitting defeat. There was no way Dash would leave him alone about it anyway. She always wanted to hear about her mentor’s mentor.
“He’s quite the pony we can all aspire to be, eh?” Soarin commented while smiling at Silver.
“More than anypony else… we can only hope to come close,” Silver agreed. Soarin put on a sly smirk as he tipped his head.
“I dunno, from all I’ve heard about him, I think you channel him pretty well,” he directed at Silver. Silver lifted his brow.
“Not even close, son,” he scoffed, playing it off. Soarin glanced at Dash before looking back to Silver.
“What do you think Dash, I know he’s told you about him. Do you think Silver is like—”
“I challenge you to name one significant thing that can even slightly match me to Blizzard,” Silver cut him off while looking at him sternly. Soarin averted his eyes, sly grin appearing on his face.
“Well… you’re both old…”
Silver flattened his brow and scowled at them as Soarin and Dash both burst into laughter at his reaction. The scowl turned into a grin as he lightly shook his head.
“Jackass…” he said with a chuckle.
Storm sat between all of them, looking back and forth, completely confused.
“Who are we talking about?”
---To Be Continued---