I remember trying. I worked hard to be Lightning’s ‘precious cousin colt.’ Being good took a lot of effort. I hated that I couldn’t be me, but sometimes I also hated being me. As I got older, the things I wanted to do grew worse. Picking fights at school? Small time compared to the ideas that haunted me later.
I could have really hurt ponies. Aunt Flit and Uncle Meter have no idea how many times I considered…
Back then, I was so scared of what I could have been. In a way, I still am. I know what I’m capable of, and sometimes it keeps me awake at night. But usually I just run with it, because there’s only one pony who could control me. Lightning was the only one I loved enough to be willing to change for.
But by the Goddess, it was hard.
—Gulfstream Dust, Book of Shadows XLVIII,
June 2, 1007
July 29, C.Y. 1003
Foal Mountains
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Gulfstream paid it no mind. All around him were gravestones. The most lavish ones were shaped like cutie marks, but most just had the symbols carved in a traditional headstone. Some were made of marble, one or two of granite, but most of concrete.
The graves before him bore no stone at all. No, these mounds were marked only by a pair of wooden plaques. The names of Golden Field and Deep Dust were clearly legible... for now. Within a few years they’d be gone, the wood rotted, and their memories relegated to Gulfstream’s head and a filing cabinet in the town hall.
His aunt and uncle had said their words. Now they lingered on a bench down the hill, far enough away to give him his privacy but close enough to keep watch. He didn’t mind. They were trying to look out for him. Still, he wished…
With a sigh, he sat between the two earthen mounds, now covered in grass. He rubbed a hoof on each, pulling up the loose, fertile black soil that ponies used around here for this kind of thing. It was some sort of tradition; going back to nature, or something like that. It provided little comfort to the colt. But the smell...
He’d already gone through the usual pleasantries, all while his aunt and uncle were there. None of it meant much. Okay, that wasn’t true, he really did miss his parents. A lot. Everything else felt hollow and pointless, like how his aunt and uncle insisted on saying that he was a ‘good boy.’
They really had no idea.
But now that he was alone, saying what he really wanted to was difficult. For once, that didn’t anger him. He couldn’t be angry, not before these two. He wished he was, it would have made this easier.
At last, he turned his attention to the grave on the left: Deep Dust. “Dad, have you ever been angry at somepony? I don’t mean the kind of angry where you hit a stallion for talking bad about Mom. I mean…” He hesitated, his eye going to his aunt and uncle. The words came out slowly. “I m-mean, really angry. Angry enough to want to do more than hurt a pony.”
He perked his ears. Only thunder answered him, of course.
“Lightning wants me to be good,” he whispered. He rubbed both forehooves on his mother’s grave, stirring up the soil so he could get a good whiff of it. She’d have liked this soil. She’d used some in her gardens. “I wanna be good. For Lightning. And for you, Mom.”
He raised his dirt-coated hooves to his muzzle and breathed it in. It smelled so good… just like her.
Tears began to form.
“I… I think I’m s-sick.” He bowed his head, heart twisting as he finally admitted what had long been disturbing him. “I think Lightning knows it. She’s been trying to help. She has helped. I’m getting better at controlling m-my anger.”
He sagged to his belly, unwilling to look at the two mounds that rose over his small form like mountains. “It’s not normal anger. I keep wanting to hurt ponies. No, worse than that. They get hurt and I… I don’t feel anything, except maybe pleasure. It’s not normal. I know it’s not. A-and sometimes I…”
He paused, took a deep breath, let it out. He did it again. And again.
“Two days before we left to come here, I…” Another breath. “I-I asked Aunt Flit if I could take a look at Uncle Meter’s lab. She said no, th-that it was too dangerous without Uncle Meter home. I was so mad.” Another breath. Another glance to make sure he was alone.
“I thought about taking that croquet mallet from the attic and… and…”
He buried his head in his legs, trembling and holding back more tears. He struggled to keep his voice down. “I’m a b-bad pony. A terrible pony. I don’t want to be bad. I want to be good, like y-you. Why do I keep thinking these things?”
He breathed. Slowly, carefully, savoring his mother’s earthen scent. He imagined her rubbing his mane and humming to him. “Help me. H-help me not think these things. Help me feel guilty. Th-that’s the worst part, sometimes I don’t even feel bad about it. Sometimes I’m just scared I’ll get caught.”
Lying on his side, he staring at his mother’s mound. The wind of the coming storm blew his mane before his eyes. He ignored it. “Sometimes I hate being me. Sometimes I wish you’d taken me with you. At least then ponies would be… safe.”
Another deep breath. His heartbeat was slowing down to normal speeds. He rolled onto his back, wings splayed out to touch both mounds. Above him, the sky roiled with grey clouds. They were in turmoil.
He could relate.
“Lightning’s trying to help. She’s been good to me. Too good. I don’t know that she can help me.” He reached out to rub his hooves in the dirt again, one on either side. “I love her. I think she’s the only pony in Equestria I really like. I tolerate others, but Lightning…”
He paused, his gaze roaming to a bright spot in the clouds. He could just imagine the sun hiding behind there. And thinking of the sun made him think of its partner…
“There’s another pony I really like,” he whispered. “I d-don’t know if you’d approve, though. Her n-name is… Nightmare Moon.”
He pulled his hooves to his face and breathed in. He kept quiet for a while, thinking and enjoying the smell. He could almost see their faces… And hers. He smiled.
“She’s done bad things too. Princess Luna… maybe she knows how I feel. Do you think she could help me?” He turned his head to his father’s grave, eyes imploring. “Do you think I’ll meet her again? If I do, maybe I’ll ask.” His smile grew a fraction. “Yeah… I think I will. Maybe she’ll even remember me.”
The idea began to solidify in his mind as he sat up to gaze out over the cemetery. “She was the one who suggested I could be a warrior. M-maybe if I join the Royal Guard I can meet her again. I wonder how old you have to be?”
He pondered that for a few seconds, the idea growing stronger and stronger in his mind. “Yeah. Yeah! Princess Luna knows what it’s like to be a bad pony, but she didn’t seem bad when I met her. A little scary maybe, but not bad. Maybe she’s not bad anymore. She can tell me how she did it!”
Stepping out from between the mounds, he looked back at them one last time. “Don’t worry about me, guys. I’ll be a good pony, you can count on it!”
Heart filled with confidence and conviction, he spread his wings and flew for his aunt and uncle.
July 31, C.Y. 1003
Cragsleaf
“You come right back, alright?”
It took some effort to keep from rolling his eyes, but Gulfstream pulled it off. “Yes, Uncle Meter.” He pushed the door to their room open and stepped out into the hall. He paused to take in the dark surroundings with a frown.
“It’s the third door on the left, dear,” Aunt flit mumbled from the bed.
“Right.” As an afterthought, “Thanks.” Closing the door with a light kick of his hind leg, he promptly turned right. Should he feel guilty about lying to them? Probably. One more lesson he needed to learn.
He opened his wings and flew, not daring to risk the sound of his hooves on the floorboards. The hall was lit only by the occasional torch, but that proved more than enough to get him to his destination. He didn’t bother to land, hovering high as he examined the worn wood.
How long had it taken him to get here? Ever since he’d learned they’d be staying in Cragsleaf again. That was when the idea hit him, at least. It was a good move, right? Lightning would approve, wouldn’t she? He just had to knock… and face the consequences.
So why did his hoof resist when he tried to raise it?
“You can do this, Gulfie,” he whispered, trying to imagine that it as Lightning saying so. “You’re wasting time. J-just knock.”
He didn’t want to. The idea of doing it reignited that old, familiar fire within. Why should he be here? What good would it do? It’s not like anything would change for the better! He shook his head, trying to push down the vicious thoughts as he had all day and into the night.
Again, he tried to imagine Lightning’s voice in his head. This is a good start. A good choice for a good pony. You do want to be a good pony, don’t you?
“I do,” he whispered through clenched teeth. “But w-why do I have to do this to be one?”
He could see, with startling clarity, Lightning’s concerned frown. It gave him the strength he needed to raise his hoof. It hit the wood once, and the sound seemed to echo through the entire inn like a gong. He winced, the heat in him flashing at his own weak reaction. Hooves shaking, he forced the emotion down and braced for what would come next.
Except nothing did. He waited, staring at the door. It didn’t open. With a groan, he flew a little closer and pressed his ear to the wood. He could make out snoring, an unpleasantly familiar sound.
His brow furrowed as he considered his options. “She’s gonna make me wake the whole building.”
Of course, it could be argued that he’d tried. His aunt and uncle would be expecting him back before long, so…
No.
Before he could reconsider, he banged on the door, though even through that determination he tried to temper the sound. He set his ear to the door; the snoring had stopped. Determined to press his advantage while his courage was still up, he knocked a few more times. She’d wake up, she’d talk to him, and he’d… He’d try. At last, the doorknob shifted. He floated back, crossing his forehooves for lack of knowing what to do with them, and waited.
He tensed as the door opened, but the pony who peered out wasn’t the one he was after. It was a purple mare with a grey mane, who rubbed one eye and glared at him with the other. “Whaddaya want, kid?”
Gulfstream narrowed his eyes at the pony. Had he worked up all that courage for nothing? “Where’s Rainbow?”
She scowled and started to close the door. “It’s too late for visiting fans.”
“Tell her it’s Gulfstream.”
The mare rolled her eyes and closed the door… only for it to jerk open half a second later. Rainbow gaped at Gulfstream, her mane a tangled mess. There was no questioning the concern in her tone. “Gulfstream? Why are you here so late? Did something happen?”
He brushed off her apparent worry, wings buzzing as he flew a little closer. “Who is that?”
“My roommate.” She stepped out and began to close the door, but kept it open a crack. “What’s going on?”
He stared into her eyes, trying to find some hint at deception, anything to indicate that the pony he’d just seen… His search shifted. Rainbow’s eyes weren’t of uncertainty or anger, but of concern. An image of Lightning sobbing in her bed flashed into his mind. He was glad his legs were tightly crossed or he might have done something he’d have regretted later.
“Gulfstream?”
Right. He came here for a reason. He gritted his teeth and landed. “I just… wanted to…” The words were like poisoned barbs in his throat.
Though her eyelids drooped, Rainbow remained patient. She sat and leaned forward expectantly.
Expectant of what? Why should she expect anything from him?
No, he was being unfair. Lightning said…
Lightning said…
Lightning…
He bowed his head in defeat. Through the anger that held his tongue, he could feel the threads of shame wrapping about his heart. “I… I c-can’t.”
Rainbow cocked her head. “Can’t what?”
Though he knew it to be pointless, still Gulfstream tried again. He worked his tongue, lashing it against the bonds of frustration. He wanted to scream at himself to grow up and make Lightning proud. The image returned every time. Lightning’s sobs pierced his ears, her desperate hold crushed his ribs, her tears tickled his cheeks.
“Hey, are you okay?”
He was crying. When did that start? He rubbed his eyes and looked up at Rainbow with a confusing combination of hatred and fear.
“N-no, I’m not.”
Rainbow leaned back, her wide eyes darting about the hall as if in search of assistance. She rubbed the back of her head and made a feeble attempt at keeping her cool. “Look, I don’t know if I’m the right pony to talk to about… whatever this is.”
No, she probably wasn’t, but she was here. Right now, at this moment, Rainbow was the only one he could talk to. His aunt and uncle… they wouldn’t get it. Rainbow might not get it. Probably not.
But she was here.
Gulfstream bowed his head, fighting back a sniff. “I w-was gonna forgive you.”
He could almost hear her jaw drop. “You were?”
“Good ponies… forgive. They forgive, don’t they? I p-promised Mom and Dad. Lightning would want me to. So why c-can’t I…” He rubbed his eyes and cursed under his breath. “Every time I think about it, I get so… mad.”
His eyes met hers. He took in her surprise and worry and knew she couldn’t help him. Still, he had to ask. “Rainbow, is there something wrong with me?”
They held one another’s gaze for some time. Rainbow’s eyebrows rose high and her bottom lip trembled. He saw her swallow. He just waited, hoping she’d tell him everything he felt was wrong… no, right… no… he didn’t know. He just wanted her to say something. He couldn’t even be upset right now, which was almost as distressing.
At last, Rainbow shook her head. “N-no, Gulfie. It’s… hard to forgive sometimes, especially when the pony you’re forgiving did something really bad.”
Were his mind running at full spread, Gulfstream might have latched onto that confession with a vengeance. Instead he just stared at the floorboards. This was supposed to be his moment, the big turnaround, the instant he shed the anger. Instead, it clung to him in the recesses of his mind. Or was he the one clinging to it? He shivered and tried his best not to sob.
Rainbow fidgeted from side to side. “Um… but… you know, this is a good thing, isn’t it?”
He glared at her, and she pulled back. “How is it a good thing? I failed. I can’t…” The energy faded from him.
At his lingering silence, Rainbow tried again. “You came here to forgive, right? Okay, so you failed. But… but isn’t trying worth something? I think Lightning will be happy you came here, even if it didn’t go as planned.”
As much as he hated to take hope in anything she might say… “D-do you really think so?”
“Absolutely.”
He looked up at her. For reasons he couldn’t fathom, he smiled.
She returned the expression. “You’re on the right track, Gulfie. It’s hard to reach the top, but once you get there it’s a glorious thing.”
He came so very close to asking ‘How would you know?’, but managed to keep it in. That little bit of restraint watered his mood and broadened his smile. “Thanks, RD. I’m sorry I woke you for nothing.”
She waved a dismissive hoof and yawned. “Eh, don’t worry about it. I’m glad you’re trying, kid. Really, I am. You don’t have to forgive me for what I did, it was…” She hesitated, her eyes turning away. “It was wrong.”
Yes, yes it was. Even so, Gulfstream found the fire to be tolerable, and he didn’t lose his smile. “I should go back. Aunt Flit and Uncle Meter are probably wondering why it takes so long to use the bathroom.”
Rainbow chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, probably. You gonna watch the performance tomorrow? It’s our last one in Cragsleaf.”
He shook his head. “Can’t. We have to leave for Cloudsdale early tomorrow, and you’re still pretty low on my aunt and uncle’s list of ponies.”
“Can’t blame them for that.” Another long yawn escaped her, which prompted him to do the same. “Well, goodnight, Gulfstream. I’m sure things will get better for ya. You’ve got a great trainer, after all.”
Another image of Lightning, this time of her grinning, filled his head. Gulfstream smiled and nodded. Just as they parted, though, a thought came to him. “Rainbow?”
She paused, hoof touching the door. “Yeah?”
He grinned. “I still hate you.”
She glanced at him for a moment, then smiled. “Of course you do.”
August 8, C.Y. 1003
Hurricane’s Spire
Gulfstream landed on a rocky outcropping and took in his surroundings. The earth was barren and grey, completely devoid of life. All around him, crags rose up to make a veritable maze of jagged doom. He couldn’t imagine anypony trying to get through this place by walking. He glanced at his hooves and shifted them to keep well away from the small, sharp-looking edges that decorated every surface.
But the truly interesting thing, at least to him, was the great pillar that rose high into the sky. At least, ‘pillar’ was the best way he could think of to describe it. It appeared almost as though some giant had cut a perfect oval into the earth and pulled out a perfect chunk of soil. It towered over him, disappearing into overcast, grey clouds.
The flapping of wings announced a pony just behind him. “You shouldn’t land, it’s dangerous.”
“I can take care of myself.” He launched anyway, turning to face the pony. It was Derpy, who was out of her mailpony uniform for a change. He smirked and waved a hoof at himself. “Don’t worry, the ‘package’ is safe.”
She tapped his muzzle with a smile. “I am the professional deliverymare, and I won’t have my reputation ruined. It’s not every day I get assigned to deliver live cargo, y’know.”
“Right.” Gulfstream flew a small circle, his gaze set on the spot where the tower of stone and earth met the clouds. “So… we really can’t just fly up there? It’s not like it’s that high.”
“Nope.” Derpy hovered in the center of his circle, one eye following him while the other followed his gaze. “Protocol and all that. You don’t want some Windigos to get you, do you?”
“Hah!” He paused to puff out his chest and perform a walk-like strut in mid-air. It wasn’t as easy as it looked, which only enhanced his smugness. “I can take a bunch of popsicles.”
Just at that moment, a flash of blue light erupted from the sky. Something similar to thunder rolled through the air, and Gulfstream looked up in time to see the image of something vaguely equine and big outlined in the clouds. He flinched at the sight. “L-Listen to them, bunch of bullies. They know a threat when they see one!”
Another rumble, slightly louder, made him drop closer to the ground. To give him the room he’d need to charge, of course.
“That usually means somepony’s coming down,” Derpy said. “Looks like we’re right on time.”
He glanced at her curiously. “So you come here for deliveries a lot?”
She shrugged with a bored expression. “Oh, once a week or so. Even Wonderbolts need the postal service.”
Now his attention centered entirely on her. He’d never really thought about Derpy’s job before, but… “Doesn’t that include, like, top secret stuff?”
Another shrug. “Sometimes. Not usually.”
“And they let you deliver it?”
She blinked, then gained a sheepish smile. “What? I’m just a mailmare.”
“A mailmare handling super secret things that might be dangerous.” Gulfstream took a moment to swirl this idea around in his head. It dawned on him that Derpy was a lot more important a pony than he’d ever given her credit for.
No wonder he liked her.
Another bout of thunder rolled across the sky, catching his attention. The sound trailed behind that blue light, which spread out from a point near the earthen column like a ripple of water in a smooth pond. He kept looking for a sign of lightning, but it never came.
Then, in a smooth motion, the clouds immediately around the spire opened wide, roiling and churning like the edge of a storm as the thunder erupted in a continuous ruckus. The clouds around the area began to shine and flash, as if there might be azure explosions behind them. Gulfstream watched, jaw dropped, as a convoy of carriages and pegasi fled from the opening. The ponies spread apart as soon as they were clear of the clouds, all flying in their own unique directions and destinations.
One came hurdling straight towards them, trailed by a brilliant streak of electricity.
Gulfstream’s heart skipped a beat and, before he could even think about it, he darted forward. He broke into laughter and crashed right into Lightning’s chest. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs, but all he cared about was the hooves wrapping tightly around him.
Lightning let out a whoof of air and they dropped several feet before her wings flared to catch their descent. “Gulfie, you are getting way too big for that.”
He giggled like a mad foal. “Can’t talk, must snuggle.”
With a sigh, she squeezed him close and rested her cheek on his head. “It’s good to see you too, kiddo.”
“Hey, LD,” Derpy called before coming to a hover beside them. “One excitable colt, as ordered. He’s in your hooves know, Celestia help you.”
Lightning, still holding Gulfstream with one leg, reached out to accept her hoofbump. “Thanks for volunteering, Derpy. He didn’t give you too much trouble, did he?”
Gulfstream glanced at the deliverymare, quietly urging her response.
“He was well behaved the whole way,” she declared with a grin. “Your parents told me to tell you they’ve been really happy with him these past three weeks.”
Lightning barked a laugh and knuckled Gulfstream’s mane. “I knew you had it in you, Gulfie!”
“Hey, no fair!” He squirmed in her grasp in a determined effort to escape. “You’re supposed to catch me first!”
“Tough. Take it like a stallion.” Lightning laughed and didn’t stop, until at last he managed to squeeze out of her grasp. He glared at her for all of two seconds before descending into laughter as well.
“You better get up there,” Derpy warned. “Hole will be closing soon.”
Lightning’s laughter died. “Weren’t you going to come up?”
But the deliverymare shook her head. “Sorry, I got work. Don’t worry, though; I’ll be back the day after tomorrow to pick him up. I wasn’t going to leave you stuck with this knucklehead longer than necessary.”
“Hey!”
Lightning grabbed Gulfstream before he could do anything beyond that yell. “Sorry to hear it. See you later, Derpy!”
She rocketed up, and Gulfstream quickly forgot Derpy’s little jab. His heart swelled as the wind whipped through his mane. When he looked up, he found the great circle in the clouds opened wide before him.
Then it dawned on him how it would look to arrive at the Academy like this. “Hey, I can fly too, y’know.”
Lightning didn’t slow down, but she gave him a peering look. “You promise to stay right by me? Those clouds are no joke, Gulfie.”
He nodded against her chest. “Promise!”
Though she appeared hesitant, she complied. He spread his wings and quickly caught up, and the fact that he was flying alongside her at speed made his heart pound. Oh, she was probably going ‘slow’ for his sake, but it still felt good. Flying with Lightning always felt good.
Then they entered the cloud ring.
Despite how the clouds roiled and flashed, Gulfstream had expected the area between them and the pillar to the calm. Instead, fierce and icy winds buffeted him from all sides, roaring in his ears as if the windigos themselves were at his back! His wings worked overtime to keep him steady, and a glance revealed that Lightning was watching him out of the corner of her eye. Knowing he was being judged, Gulfstream didn’t dare complain.
It dawned upon him that this was all part of the defenses for one of Equestria’s three most important military bases. If the winds weren’t enough to deter a foe, the idea of falling onto the spikes below would probably do the trick. He couldn’t imagine what flying through the clouds would be like!
A flash of blue light drew his eye. Once again, he could just recognize the outline of what appeared to be a horse amid the clouds. Almost three times the size of a normal pony, blue-white contrails following its every motion, it cast one chilling gaze at him with flashing blue eyes before disappearing into the clouds once more.
And windigos. Those would scare just about anypony off by themselves. Gulfstream worked extra hard to keep from moving closer to Lightning.
Yet for all the anxiety he felt, his heart was racing… and he loved it. He whooped and laughed and embraced the cold, grinning like a foal. A hard wind knocked him off course towards the pillar, bringing him back to the present. Settling himself between the pillar and Lightning, he noticed his cousin’s smirk and hoped he wasn’t blushing.
Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the winds stopped. Gulfstream blinked and looked around, quickly realizing that they were truly above the clouds. They stretched out in a seemingly endless plain of grey, shimmering in the exposed sunlight. He looked down at the great opening beneath them and considered the possibility of diving back in, but that idea came to a crashing halt when the clouds closed up, leaving no trace of the passage.
“Gulfie, that was pretty cool.”
Lightning hovered over him, a proud smile on her lips. “You went through that the first time faster than half the new recruits.”
He chuckled and rubbed a hoof through his mane before striking a pose. “Well, what can I say? I come from a family of awesome.”
“Awesome and reckless.” The lightly whacked him on the head. “You realize that if you get caught in those clouds, nothing short of Celestia herself will be able to get you back out?”
He flinched and bowed his head. “Yeah… sorry, LD.”
When she didn’t answer, he looked up to discover her staring at him. “What?”
“Nothing.” Her smile returned, wider this time. “That’s just not the kind of reaction I was expecting.”
The blush came back to his cheeks and he glanced away… to find himself looking at the top of the spire. His brows rose as he took in the unnaturally flat surface, devoid of any grass. Just smooth dirt and rock. A few buildings took up space along the outer edge opposite them and a training runway took up half the surface. “Is that it?”
She hovered next to him and nodded. “The top of Hurricane’s Spire, training grounds for the Wonderbolts.”
“Yes!” Gulfstream began flying circles around Lightning. “I’m gonna see the Wonderbolts Academy!”
Lightning laughed and reached out a hoof to catch his leg. The two spun in place for a few cycles before she managed to slow him down. “Yeah, but that’s not it.”
His ears folded as he looked from her to the base. “What? But you said—”
“I said it was the training grounds.” She turned him around to face it, the tucked a hoof under his chin. She tilted his head up and he promptly gasped.
Hovering in the sky was a vast structure, an airship held aloft by not one, not two, but three massive blimps! Large propellers kept the thing moving in a lazy circle around the base, the underside comprised of a long, broad compartment that reminded Gulfstream of a falcon’s beak, complete with the curved tip near the front. Extra compartments rose like walls on either side of the air bags, giving the whole structure the image of a floating iron and stone fortress.
And there, emblazoned upon the front and sparkling in the sunlight, was the insignia of the Wonderbolts.
“That,” Lightning whispered in his ear, “is the Perilous, former command ship of the Quinese Aerial Army. Now? It’s the Academy.”
Gulfstream looked up at her, then back to the airship. All he could manage was a quiet “Wow.”
The interior of the Perilous was all hard metal and solid wood. Pipes ran everywhere, rivets held it all together, and the entire structure shook to a quiet humming. Uniformed ponies, many of them not pegasi, wandered about the hallways. Gulfstream had the mixed pleasure and uncertainty of standing on solid ground while thousands of feet in the sky, and the whole thing amazed him to no end.
“You mean Celestia stole this thing from the Qilin?”
Lightning tsked and shook her head. “No, she claimed it as one of the conditions to their surrender in the Mongol/Qilin Accord. Totally different.”
“Right.” He shifted from hoof to hoof; the vibrations in the ‘ground’ still didn’t sit well with him. He followed her through the halls, eyes roaming to images of officers and paintings of battles long past. “This place is amazing. I never thought something this big could fly. Is it magic?”
“Yep.” Lightning guided him into a carpeted area with a lot of wooden doors lining it. He saw the names of many a famous pony set in plaques on each, his eyes growing wider with each one. “They use enchanted crystals to power everything. Big ones, the size of a full grown stallion. I hear they have to replace them every decade or so. Come on.” She had to drag him away before he risked knocking on the door with Soarin’s name on it.
At the end of a hall was a wide shaft leading both up and down. Lightning launched, and Gulfstream followed. The interior of the shaft was far more utilitarian that the hallway, all metal bars and wires with very little lighting. They passed by what appeared to be a lift with assorted crates, carefully descending along rails and powered by a trio of unicorns.
After passing numerous floors – Gulfstream wondered just how many there were – they came to a landing. As Lightning continued to lead, Gulfstream pranced beside her. “So are there, like, weapons on this thing?”
Chuckling at his enthusiasm, she replied, “There used to be. The Qilin can’t fly on their own, so they loaded all kinds of things on the Perilous for self defense. But we’re pegasi; we can fly. It made more sense to make the ship a mobile staging platform.” She caught his uncertain frown. “Basically, it now carries soldiers to the battlefield.”
Gulfstream cocked his head to one side. After a few seconds of thought, he asked, “But if we can fly, why do we need something big and slow to carry us anywhere?”
“We don’t,” Lightning said, “but for unicorns and earth ponies, this thing’s a lifesaver. It’s the only mobile command center in the world, and that makes it super important.”
“But I thought you said it was the Wonderbolts Academy.”
She paused and gestured down a side hallway. “It is.”
Gulfstream looked into the hall and spotted a pair of doors. His eyes widened at the name on the plague above them: Capt. Spitfire – Wonderbolts and Academy Headmaster.
“Wow…”
Lightning grinned and tugged on his wing. “Come on, Kiddo. We’re not gonna bug the captain just so you can get an autograph.”
“But—”
“No buts.” She pulled him along, her tone softening. “Don’t worry, we’ve the rest of today and all of tomorrow. I’m betting you’ll meet her at dinner.”
Even so, Gulfstream’s eyes kept on the door right up to the last second.
More corridors, more uniformed ponies. At last they came to a stop in an average sized room with a long window over a bed; Lightning’s place. Gulfstream hopped onto the bed and pressed his hooves to the glass, staring with wide eyes at the clouds far below. Even as a pegasus, he found the whole experience riveting. “This is so cool.”
“I thought you might appreciate it.” Lightning walked over to a closet and pulled it open. “Check it out.”
He turned and felt his wings snap open to the sight of a Wonderbolts trainee flightsuit. “Whoa… is that yours?”
Lightning giggled and patted the garment. “It’s in my closet, so I sure hope so.”
He bounced on the bed, a grin splitting his face. “Put it on! Put it on put it on put it on!”
Her giggle became a laugh, but she closed the closet. “Hold on to your feathers, Gulfie. I want to talk to you first.”
He shook his head frantically. “No time for talking. Flightsuit, you, now.”
She grinned and walked over to the bed. “Nope. Talk first.”
He threw his head back and groaned. “Fine, let’s get it over with!”
“First, ground rules.” She leveled him with a serious expression. “I’ve got a map of the ship. I’m going to let you have it, Gulfie – to keep – but it’s more than just a souvenir. I want you to keep it with you and check it before you go anywhere. Some places are off limits, and you will not go where you’re not supposed to be. Got it?”
Realizing the importance of her words, Gulfstream sat down properly and nodded. “Got it.”
“Good. Second thing.” She pressed her hoof to his head and kept it there. “Several of the Wonderbolts are on the ship right now, but that doesn’t mean you can go hunting them down. They’re busy ponies and don’t have time to deal with crazy fans.”
He pulled back and rubbed his head. “But I thought the Wonderbolts loved their fans.”
“They do, but they’re also soldiers.” Her expression hardened once more. “This isn’t a raceway or an airshow, Gulfstream, this is a military base. Every member of the Wonderbolts is also a major officer of the Equestrian Air Force, and they have responsibilities besides looking cool. This is where they work, and you can’t go around interrupting that.”
He sighed, wings slouching onto the bed. “Fine…”
A few seconds passed. As he waited for her to continue with the next rule, he focused his attention on the bed. He could still feel the ship’s vibrations through it… but only barely.
The bed shifted. Lightning sat by him, her wing pulling him close. “Last thing,” she whispered in his ear. “I’m really proud of you.”
He glanced up, feeling just a spark of pleasure at her words. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She nuzzled his mane with a grin. “You’ve been good these last three weeks. You didn’t need me looking over your shoulder to do it, either. That’s great, Gulfie.”
His heart sank at her words. Had he been good? Really?
“What’s wrong?”
He turned away, head hanging to almost touch the bed. He knew he should tell her, but to do so meant admitting things. He pursed his lips and concentrated on the opening. It was like pulling teeth. “I met Rainbow. In Cragsleaf.”
It took several seconds for her to respond. “I see. Um… H-how was she?”
What would she want him to say? The truth? A lie? Did she still like Rainbow after all this time? “She’s… okay. I think. She’s joined a stunt team. That’s why she was there. On tour.”
“Oh. That’s good?”
There is was, the hesitation. The concern. It told Gulfstream everything he needed to know, and it tried to bring out that fire within him. Putting it out seemed easier these days.
“Gulfie?” Lightning slid off the bed so she could look him in the eye. “Is there something you wanted to tell me about Rainbow?”
For a fleeting moment, he thought he would admit it. He would open his mouth and confess to how he just couldn’t forgive the pony Lightning still cared about, how his promise to his parents already seemed so feeble as a result, how the only thing keeping him from doing something terrible was her. It almost happened.
And Lightning would be disappointed. She’d get angry at his failure. She might even decide he wasn’t ready for this and send him home. None of that mattered compared to the knowledge that he’d failed her, and she knew it.
So it didn’t happen. He pushed the urge down, no matter how badly he wanted to let it out, and locked it away.
“She… wanted you to…”
Lightning leaned closer, hope shining in her eyes. “Yes?”
The fire returned. It burned subtly, lit by the spark in those eyes. Eyes that revealed a desire to see, to know about, to be with Rainbow again. Gulfstream hated those eyes.
“She wanted me to tell you something, but… I forgot to write it down.”
Lightning stared at him for a moment. The way the light died in them, he thought she might be running a knife through his ribs.
“Oh. I… I see.” She patted his head. Her smile was weak. He hated that smile too. “That’s okay, Gulfie. I’m sure it was nothing.”
He bowed his head as she turned away. He didn’t feel at all like a good pony.
The fire simmered.