MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 120: Victory
“Witching, I’ll be fine,” Spitfire pulled her hoof away before Witching Hour could reach for her.
“What? But…”
“Go help the others,” Spitfire ordered, motioning around the lobby. “These are just minor scratches, I can wait.” Spitfire referred to the minor cuts she received from fighting Blade. Her suit was slit open here and there, exposing the small wounds, but she wasn’t in need of quick attention.
Witching reluctantly followed orders, moving away to other Wonderbolts. Spitfire realized that Witching was probably just trying to help the lead captain, but she felt it would be better for Witching to move along and assist the rest of the medical team with the other Wonderbolts and Renegades. She would be fine, a few others were in much more need of help.
They had all gathered in the lobby upon returning to the compound, the medical team meeting them there as if Bliss knew they were returning. Very few ponies were injured to the point of needing the infirmary, including Little Star of Squad Foxtrot and a couple of others. Besides them, the order to put survival as top priority was heeded exceptionally, most of the members of the operation retreating at the first sign of personal danger. Even those who did not had others aware and ready to help them retreat.
It was good to see the Wonderbolts and Renegades all gathered, receiving any minor medical attention needed, but Spitfire was NOT at ease. Not by a long shot. She was back with the rest, but Silver and Rainbow Dash were still missing… and Comet and Squad Zero had still not returned with Wave.
Every part of her wanted to get up and shoot out into the blizzard to find everypony that was still missing, but it was her duty to make sure the rest of the Wonderbolts returned safely. Descent himself suggested she let them handle tracking down Dash and Silver after the encounter with Sin, since the Wonderbolts and former Wonderbolt Renegades were likely exhausted from the mission. Spitfire agreed, placing her trust in the Shadowbolt Renegades. That did not, however, reassure her about Wave. Silver mentioned Squad Zero had taken Wave and were being led by Comet. If that was the case, why weren’t they back yet? Especially if they went ahead. Hopefully it just meant they were taking a long route to avoid detection.
Spitfire refused to claim any sort of success until Wave was secure, and Silver and Dash were found. They had succeeded in throwing the Shadowbolts for a loop, but that would mean nothing if they failed to achieve the full objective. Once everypony was accounted for and secure, she could start planning how they would search for Soarin. As soon as the Wonderbolts got some rest, that was the next priority.
She looked around for something, anything, to help keep her occupied while she was waiting and worrying, but there was little she could find. Most of the Wonderbolts looked worn out, tired from a long day, not to mention most of them were already occupied through receiving medical attention and ice for sore joints. She couldn’t speak to Luna because the princess had gone right back to the barracks to resume monitoring their impaired Shadowbolt captives. She didn’t want to leave the lobby, so that was out of the question. Wave wasn’t available for obvious reasons, same with Soarin, scratching off two more of her usual options for when she was looking for some sort of comfort. That only left Fleetfoot, but she couldn’t find her, at least not in her immediate view.
“Rgh…” Spitfire grumbled quietly to herself, her ears folding back as she started pacing around. It looked like it was just her, and her thoughts as she was forced to wait. She hated waiting, especially after the whole operation had been about getting up and making a move. Now being forced to wait was driving her crazy, not to mention just making her worry more and more.
She made her way over to the lobby doors, looking out into the blizzard, hoping every second she stood there that something good would appear, but it was really just making it worse. She looked down, staring at the Falcon that now rested on the compound deck, that they were lucky was in one piece after Air Mach had ‘landed’ it ungracefully. It only served as further reminder that while they came away with a lot, it would mean nothing if the most valuable things were lost right at the very end.
“My, my, I have to admit—” Spitfire blinked as the faint reflection of Discord suddenly appeared beside hers in the glass of the lobby doors— “That was quite an impressive operation you pulled off. Very fun to watch I might add.”
Spitfire sighed heavily, flattening her brow as she turned and glanced over her shoulder at Discord. He too stared out the window, eyeing the Falcon while twirling a finger in his scraggly beard.
“You stole one of their toys as well!” he continued with a chuckle. “I wonder what we’ll learn from it.” He snickered as he glanced down at Spitfire. She didn’t say anything to him. She simply turned away from the doors, without looking at him, and started walking away. “Not even a hello? How rude.”
“I have better things to worry about right now,” Spitfire said sternly as she stopped a few paces away from him. She wanted somepony to take her mind off of things, but Discord was definitely her last choice.
“Do you now?” Discord asked snidely as he slithered along the ground in between her legs and popped up in front of her. Her expression remained flat and uninterested as she stared up at him.
“As a matter of fact, I do. Now buzz off,” she said sharply before shifting to move around him, but he simply shifted at the same time to prevent her.
“Oh, don’t be like that. The way you were walking around grumbling to yourself suggests you need somepony to talk to. Are we not friends?” he teased while reaching his face towards her and batting fake eyelashes that appeared on his eyes. Spitfire’s flat look turned into a light glare.
“Because I’d totally consider an omnipotent troll who gave me hell when I was in heat a friend…” she reminded him, earning a stifled laugh and several snickers.
“Good times! Am I right?!” Discord winked at her. She only glared harder. “Oh, you’re no fun at all,” he pouted, standing up completely and crossing his arms. “It’s too bad, I was really looking forward to joining your victory celebration.”
Spitfire’s eyes went wide before glaring harshly at him.
“Celebration?!” she suddenly erupted, spreading her wings and hovering up to get eye level with him. “We are not even CLOSE to being able to celebrate! I don’t care if we succeeded in a conflict with the Shadowbolts, we are still missing a few ponies, not to mention Wave Chill is still not back. And after that, we have to find Soarin! Go have your party somewhere else! We don’t have time for your immature tomfoolery!” She flinched as Discord suddenly extended his neck towards her, nearly pressing his face to hers as he smiled.
“Such fire! Such passion! I see the Shadowbolts really pushed you over the edge, huh? That’s good, I was tired of watching you walk around while grumbling and doubting yourself.”
“I’m glad that you approve,” Spitfire said sarcastically while continuing her glare. “Now get the hell out of my face.”
“Hahaha!” Discord laughed as he pulled his head back. “Yes! Keep that up. You’re going to need that strength going forward, believe me,” he commented, earning a raised eyebrow from Spitfire as he reclined and floated up into the air. “But take my advice, sit back, and relax. Everything is better than you think!”
“Apparently you didn’t hear me the first time,” Spitfire growled at him. Discord just wagged a finger towards her.
“Au contraire, ma capitan,” Discord winked, glancing up. “But don’t worry, I know when I’m not wanted. So I won’t stick around to ruin the moment.”
Before Spitfire could question him, he disappeared. She furrowed her brow, not sure if he was trying to tell her something, or if he was only being his usual, annoying self, but then something caught her eye.
Blaze and High Winds, who were sitting across the lobby from her, suddenly jumped up and stared with wide eyes towards her.
“CAPTAIN!” Blaze suddenly yelled out before she and High Winds broke into a sprint towards Spitfire. Blaze only referred to Spitfire as ‘Sis’… so it wasn’t hard to narrow down what had just happened. Spitfire turned around quickly as soon as Blaze and High Winds had rushed by her, her eyes lighting up.
A Shadowbolt Renegade, a dark grey stallion with a shaggy brown and grey mane had just pushed his way through the lobby doors… and he wasn’t alone. Propped up on his shoulder, severely beaten, bruised, and a little bloody… was Silver Lining.
Upon taking in the sight of Silver’s serious injuries, Spitfire’s reaction quickly turned from excited to incredibly concerned. She resisted the urge to rush over to him like several Wonderbolts already were, instead looking for Bliss.
“Bliss?! BLISS! Where is Siren Bliss! Somepony get Bliss over here NOW!” she ordered before turning and pushing her way through the crowd of Wonderbolts all rushing to see Silver. “Clear the way, clear the way!” she yelled while shoving them aside, glancing back to see Bliss come running with both Mahogany and Witching Hour close behind.
“We’re landing, are you doing alright?” Lightning Dust asked as she lowered towards the front doors of the compound with Dash in tow.
“Still a little dizzy, but I’ll manage,” Dash answered as her hooves gently touched down, Lightning Dust still propping her up. Dash glanced over her shoulder. “What’s taking Descent so long?” she asked as she looked back into the blizzard. “I know Soarin’s a big stallion, but jeez.”
“They’ll catch up,” Dust reassured her before reaching towards the doors. “Let’s just get you inside for…”
They both paused for a moment as they opened the doors, only able to take a few steps before they were blocked by a very large group of Wonderbolts all crowding around Silver Lining. Dash could see Spitfire clearing a path towards him with Bliss and her two assistants in tow.
“Looks like we missed the grand entrance,” Dust chuckled as the two of them got absolutely no attention upon entering. Dash shook her head.
“Perfectly fine by me, Silver is the one who needs help the most,” Dash said, knowing full well she wasn’t even half as hurt as Silver.
“Silver, what the hell happened to you?!” Spitfire’s voice came from the crowd, catching Dash’s ears.
“Later…” Silver replied weakly. “I need… to lie down…”
Dash’s ears flopped down. It destroyed her on the inside to hear Silver sound so weak. ‘Broken’ would be the wrong word to describe it, because Silver would never break, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be hurt, and this encounter left him seriously hurt. Dash stepped away from Lightning Dust, entering the crowd and shifting her way through, hoping to get to Silver. She made her to the front, popping her head in between Lightning Streak and Blaze just as Bliss finished looking over Silver’s injuries.
“Let’s get him to the infirmary,” Bliss ordered while turning to Witch and Mahogany.
“Wait!” Silver wheezed before the two unicorns could take him from his helper. “Send somepony to my room…” he said, taking a deep breath and pressing a hoof to his chest. “Get my… heart medication…”
Dash bit her lip as both Spitfire and Bliss nearly unhinged their jaws. There was a collective reaction around the nearest members of the crowd as well.
The secret was out. But Silver had no choice. Dash cringed as Spitfire and Bliss both stepped towards him, Spitfire looking worried, Bliss looking the same, with a bit of anger.
“HEART MEDICATION?!?!?!” the two mares yelled into Silver’s face simultaneously. Bliss threw her hooves up into the air, groaning in frustration.
“Silver you’re supposed to report any outside prescriptions to me!” she scolded him. Spitfire took another step towards Silver, her expression full of worry.
“Silver, how long have you been hiding this?!” she asked. Silver barely had the strength to respond.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t stand it, they could worry about what he had been keeping from them later. What he needed right now was their help!
“HEY!” Dash barked out, drawing attention to herself as she stepped out. Spitfire blinked, just now realizing Dash was back as well, but Dash didn’t give her and time to say anything. “Scold him later! Just do what he says, PLEASE!” Dash pleaded while glaring at them. Spitfire flattened her brow, exhaling through her nose before looking at Bliss and nodding. Bliss shook her head and pointed at Witching.
“Witching, go to Silver’s room and grab his medication,” she ordered, earning a quick nod.
“It’s hidden… in the glass cabinet… behind the junior flight contest photo…” Silver explained, Witching acknowledging the info before running off.
“Come on Gany,” Bliss nodded to Mahogany. “Let’s get Silver to the infirmary.”
Dash breathed a sigh of relief as she and Spitfire watched Bliss and Mahogany carry Silver away. Several Wonderbolts said a few words to Silver as they passed, including acknowledgement, encouragement, and relief to see their old veteran back safe.
“So…” Spitfire spoke towards Dash, drawing her attention. Dash gulped when she saw the stern look in her eyes. “You knew about this?”
Dash averted her eyes. Yeah, she knew all about Silver’s use of medication without Bliss’ knowledge… or anypony else for that matter. Was she going to get in trouble for keeping it secret?
“Um…” she stumbled to find any words. Spitfire sighed and shook her head.
“Let me guess… you found out and Silver forced you to keep quiet?” she asked, basically hitting the nail right on the head. Dash simply nodded in response. “I’m not surprised… I wonder if Wave knew too…”
A brief pause went between them, the void being filled by the chatter of the Wonderbolts conversing around them. Spitfire eventually shook her head.
“Forget about it for now, all that matters is that he’s back and safe… And I’m glad you’re safe as well. Sorry if that wasn’t clear. Can you tell me what happened out there?” she asked.
Dash quickly perked up. She was looking back at the doors, wondering just how far behind Descent had lagged while carrying Soarin. Dash thought about mentioning that Soarin was with them… but she decided to start from the beginning.
“I’ve got a bit of a headache, so I’ll give you the simple version for now,” Dash explained while putting a hoof to her head. She was still feeling the initial punch from Sin a little. “Sin threw me away from the group and followed. Then he punched me in the face really hard. Silver followed, Sin beat him up. Lightning Dust showed up, Sin beat us both up… then Silver got back up and beat up Sin.”
Spitfire blinked several times as Dash paused to rub her forehead.
“That’s definitely the simple version,” Spitfire chuckled. “Anything else?”
“Well…” Dash looked back at the doors, Descent still hadn’t returned. “What happened next is kind of hard to explain without the one who did it,” she said with a small smile. “We better wait for Descent to get back.”
“Descent saved you?” Spitfire tipped her head.
“Nope…” Dash smiled. “Let’s just—” she glanced over her shoulder, perking up and smiling— “Perfect timing!”
“What do youuuuuuuuuuuuu…?” Spitfire slurred as she glanced towards the doors and her eyes grew several sizes.
It wasn’t just her either, several heads turned upon the lobby doors opening again. Descent stomped in, grunting as he pulled along… Soarin.
“Soarin?!”
“SOARIN!”
“It’s Soarin!”
“Commander Soarin!”
“Is that Soarin?!”
The collective reaction from the Wonderbolts came from every direction in the lobby as Descent dragged Soarin in. The Wonderbolts all got up and rushed to see it for themselves just as they had when Silver was brought in.
“You’re heavier than you look,” Descent grumbled.
“Are you calling me fat?” Soarin snorted sarcastically in response.
“SOARIN!!!!!” Spitfire yelled out. Dash yelped, barely moving out of the way before Spitfire ran her over. Spitfire kept galloping in a straight-line, knocking aside several Wonderbolts.
“GAH! FUCK! WATCH IT, SIS!” Blaze yelled as Spitfire shoved her aside, but Spitfire didn’t even look at her. She ran right up to Soarin and stopped, looking him right in the eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
Soarin looked forward through his black eyes, blinking as he noticed Spitfire and the path of destruction behind her.
“Oh, hey Spitfire,” he said with a grin. Spitfire kept staring for a moment before flattening her brow and gritting her teeth.
“‘Oh, hey?!’” she growled at him. “Are you kidding me Soarin?!” she yelled. Soarin just stared, his eyes widening as much as they could beneath the bruising.
Rainbow Dash stepped up, smiling as she saw the two old friends reunited, knowing Spitfire’s ‘anger’ was just frustration with Soarin’s casual response.
“OUTTA THE WAY, OUTTA THE WAY!” Fleetfoot’s voice came from the crowd, Dash stepping aside as Fleetfoot pushed through and also sprinted up to Soarin. “Oh my god! Soarin! You’re—” she was smiling happily, looking ready to throw herself at him and hug him, but she flinched and almost fell over as Spitfire stomped her front hooves on the floor.
“YOU ALMOST KILL YOURSELF BY CRASHING INTO A MOUNTAIN, AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS ‘OH HEY?!’” she yelled right into Soarin’s face as Descent released him, stepping away to avoid any collateral damage.
“Uh… Sorry?” Soarin edged away, putting on a weak smile as Spitfire kept looking him up and down. It was a funny sight. Spitfire looked like she was about to explode with anger, but her eyes were examining him with worry. Specifically, she kept looking back at the damaged horn.
“YOU… YOU… dammit…” She put her head down and slammed her eyes shut. “Why do you keep doing this to me!? You keep taking such stupid risks!” She started stomping her hooves on the floor again. Fleetfoot kept trying to shift up, but Spitfire’s motions were making her keep a little distance just in case. “WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!!!! And… and what happened to the horn?!?! And…” Spitfire’s bottom lip stared to quiver.
“Sheesh, Spitfire…” Soarin rubbed the back of his head, looking down at her as small tears started welling up in the corners of her eyes. “First Dash, now you,” he chuckled, causing Spitfire to look up at him with a glare. “Ladies, I know I take a few spills, but I’m a big colt, I can—”
“STOP BEING SO CASUAL ABOUT IT!” Spitfire yelled at him while lunging forward and punching him across the face… really hard.
Dash’s ears stood up and her eyes widened as Soarin fell over and crashed to the floor roughly with a painful grunt. The surrounding Wonderbolts all took a step back in surprise as Fleetfoot instantly stepped forward and grabbed Spitfire by the shoulders.
“SPITTY! What the hell?!” she questioned. Spitfire blinked and gasped loudly, putting her hooves over her mouth as she stared down at Soarin on the floor.
“OH!” Spitfire began to shudder. “OH GOD! SOARIN, I’M SORRY, I… I DIDN’T MEAN…” she frantically stuttered.
But a collective sigh of relief passed around everypony as Soarin started laughing as he rolled over. Dash quickly trotted over to him and helped him stand as he groaned, but smiled.
“No, Spitfire, it’s fine…” He looked directly at her as Dash propped him up, giving Spitfire the biggest smile he could muster. “I totally deserved that. It’s what I get for making you all worry about me constantly,” he said with a wink.
Spitfire looked down, wiping her eyes, but failing to stop small tears from trickling down her face. Fleetfoot let go of her as the two stepped up to Soarin.
Dash smiled, letting go of Soarin as Spitfire and Fleetfoot both reached up and gave Soarin a big group hug, which he returned the moment they latched to him.
“Just promise me you’ll be more careful?” Spitfire said as the three friends embraced. “It’s hard to watch one of my best friends continuously in peril. You give me so many heart attacks, you’re going to make my mane turn white at a young age at this rate.”
After a brief silence, Fleetfoot pulled slightly away and blinked.
“Are you implying I look old? Meep!” she squeaked as Soarin pulled both of them in as tight as he could.
“I can’t make any promises,” Soarin began. “But thanks, both of you for caring so much. You have no idea how much it means to me.”
Rainbow Dash stepped back, letting Soarin reunite with his squadmates and two best friends. Yeah, she was overjoyed to see him and wanted to completely latch herself to his side, but she could spare a moment to let the other important ponies in his life to be happy…
But only for a few moments, then he was hers again.
However, the brief moment gave her a small window to think about a few other things… in particular, two things.
Little Star and Twister.
Little Star was nowhere to be seen in the lobby, so Dash hoped that meant she was already being tended to. Squall and Matteo were not there as well.
Then there was the case of Twister… What was she going to say to Spitfire? Twister was lost during their escape from the compound, but they would probably all have been captured had he not intervened and led Ruin away. Again, she wanted to believe he was fine. Twister was always fine, but what were his chances of getting out of the Shadowbolt compound? Twister was unpredictable, but he wasn’t invincible. His act worked on Ruin… but not every Shadowbolt.
Dash’s ears stood up when her eyes caught sight of a very familiar large figure in her peripheral vision. She turned and looked towards the eastern hallways just in time to see Matteo and Squall emerge from it. Squall had already ditched what was left of his Shadowbolt suit and had been tended to, multiple light bandages covering the injuries he sustained while charging headlong into Devil’s attacks. Matteo was still in uniform with his hood down.
As they walked in, they both turned towards Dash upon seeing her returned, however Dash was not smiling. She was glaring at Squall.
“Captain,” Matteo spoke up as they stopped near her. He sat down as Squall remained standing. “It’s good to see you ba—”
“Squall!” Dash cut off Matteo, sharply calling Squall’s name as she stepped right up to him. Squall blinked, lifting an eyebrow as Dash stood before him.
“What?” he asked simply. Dash narrowed her eyes at him.
“Don’t you ‘what’ me, buster…” she snapped, but Squall didn’t react, he just kept looking at her curiously. “You know why I’m angry with you… right?”
“Uh…” Squall scrunched his face. “No… I don’t.”
“Are you being serious right now?” Dash growled.
“Yikes, good to see you too…” Squall said sarcastically as he shifted and walked past her. Dash grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him around to look at her.
“TWISTER,” Dash reminded him. Squall tipped his head.
“What about him?”
“WHAT ABOUT HIM?!” Dash threw her arms up. “Gee, I dunno, he didn’t make it out… and you didn’t make a single effort to go after him!”
Squall lifted his brow while edging his face towards Dash’s.
“Dash, really? We didn’t even have time to go after him,” he reminded her of the situation they were in.
“I know that! But, you could have at least showed interest in assisting him. You didn’t even blink when we lost him!” Dash fumed. She had been pushing the importance of their squad as a team to all of them for some time. The fact that Squall let Twister go so easily burned her up. Forget the fact that they couldn’t save him. She felt like Squall had more or less ignored how hard she had tried to bring them all together.
“Dash…” Squall grunted while looking over her shoulder.
“Look, Squall, I know you aren’t the biggest fan of him…
“Dash…” he repeated while making a head motion forward, but she kept going.
“But you know how important it is to care about your squad. I don’t think I could have made that any clearer.”
“Dash…!” Squall said louder while making more head motions over her shoulder.
“Squall, are you even listening to me?!” she yelled while taking a step towards him.
“DASH!” Squall yelled while glaring harshly at her and pointing over her shoulder. Dash flinched and glanced at Squall’s arm extending past her. “Really?”
“What are you…?” Dash trailed off as her eyes went wide, blinking several times as something hit her.
“Dash,” Squall rolled his eyes and grunted. “For Celestia’s sake, what in our history as a squad…” As he spoke Dash slowly began to turn around, looking where Squall was pointing, which happened to be right at Matteo. “Made you think Twister was ever in any danger?”
Dash’s jaw dropped as she stared up at Matteo. Matteo glanced between the two of them curiously and looked over his shoulder once to see if they were pointing at something else. Upon seeing nothing he looked back at the two of them… and flattened his brow.
“He’s on my head… isn’t he?” Matteo asked with a grumble.
“Uh…” Dash failed to utter any coherent words as she stared at Twister. Twister sat with his shoulders hunched, acting like a vulture, shifting from side to side every time Matteo tried to look up and see him. He looked completely unscathed, literally no different than he did before he disappeared while leading Ruin away in the Shadowbolt fortress.
“Did you HONESTLY think he wasn’t going to be just fine?!” Squall huffed with some clear frustration. “You do know who we’re talking about here right? That’s why I didn’t bother trying.”
“You know…” Dash turned back to Squall, putting her head down and blushing lightly in embarrassment. “That’s a very good point.”
Twister suddenly stopped eluding Matteo, instead flopping down between his crest feathers and staring into Matteo’s face, upside-down. Matteo reached up and flicked at Twister with his talons. A very loud, comical WHAP echoed out as Twister flung from Matteo’s head and he landed face first behind Dash. She yelped as Twister belly flopped behind her. She turned away from Squall and looked down as Twister rolled over and lay flat on his back with his hooves propped up on his chest and holding a single daisy. He wore a silly, wide smile on his face as a tombstone popped up near his head that read:
“Here lies Twister. He came for the ruse, he stayed for the cruise. Rest in spaghetti, never forghetti.”
Dash turned right back to Squall with her ears gently flopping to the sides of her head.
“Yeah, uh… sorry,” she apologized while rubbing the back of her head. Squall narrowed his eyes and scrunched his face into an annoyed pout at her. “Look, this has been a stressful day, I’m sorry I blew up at you, I didn’t even think about it that way…” she glanced back at Twister, the daisy had turned into a rose and he was puckering his lips while making kissing noises. Dash turned back to Squall and smiled weakly. “I guess I got caught up in the moment.”
“Yeah, you did…” Squall scoffed, his tail flicking once as he looked away.
Dash didn’t push him. He had every right to be a little miffed. She hadn’t considered the obvious during the mission and as she said… it had been a stressful day. If anything it was nice that Squall simply left it at that and didn’t explode at her. With Squall acknowledging her apology in his own way, she turned back to Twister.
“Twister,” she said his name and he instantly sprang upright, the rose in his hooves was now an orange.
“Yesssssssssssssss?” he asked while his ears flapped like wings.
“How did you get out of there?” she asked.
“I divided by all the zeroes,” Twister quickly replied with his eyes pointing in different directions.
“Fair enough.”
Twister froze completely as Dash reached forward and pulled him into a hug. Dash didn’t say anything at first, but after a moment, she spoke up in a stern tone.
“Don’t disappear like that again, that’s an order. I should have known better, but seriously… in the moment I thought for sure we lost you,” she said roughly, but with a hint of relief. Twister dropped the orange out of his hooves as he blinked and went limp, his back bending over Dash’s arms.
“Ah…” he sighed goofily. “Affection… my one weakness!”
“Don’t push your luck, dummy,” Dash said as she let go, causing Twister to fall right back to the floor. “Is Little Star okay?” she asked, turning to Squall.
“Infirmary,” Squall said simply, still pouting post-premature scolding by Dash.
“That’s good,” Dash smiled. Simple, but to the point, and exactly where she was hoping Star would be. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, her worries about her squad being broken apart, vanishing completely. She turned away from them and looked back towards Soarin as he finished speaking to Spitfire and Fleetfoot and was now walking towards her. Dash smiled as she saw Soarin approaching.
Assuming the group transporting Wave Chill was just running behind… they really had succeeded without losing anypony.
A full, total victory.
“That’s a nice smile,” Soarin commented as he limped up to her. “Everything alright with your squad?” he asked as he looked towards her squadmates. Dash did the same, looking over her shoulder. Squall was still glaring, but Twister was on his back, reaching around Squall’s head and forcing the corners of his mouth into a smile. Squall wasn’t resisting, likely knowing it was pointless to do so. Matteo was seconds away from biting into the orange Twister had dropped. The moment Dash turned to look his eyes widened and he quickly hid the orange behind his back.
“Yep,” Dash nodded turning back to Soarin. “Star’s in the infirmary, but otherwise, everything is fine.”
“Good to hear,” Soarin smiled down at her.
“Now there’s just one thing left…” Dash mentioned while leaning to her right, looking past Soarin.
“Hm?” Soarin glanced back towards the crowd to see Spitfire walking in circles with Fleetfoot following behind her, trying to talk, but having little luck. “Oh… right.”
“Where are they, WHERE ARE THEY?!” Spitfire fretted loudly as she kept walking in a circle. Fleetfoot was sitting in the center of her path, watching her while pouting.
“Spitty, please calm down! I’m sure they’re fine!” she encouraged. Spitfire sharply turned to her, pointed, and opened her mouth to yell, but slammed it back shut before she could say anything, biting her lower lip hard as she resumed walking in circles. “And will you stop that?!” Fleetfoot huffed as she stepped out and grabbed Spitfire’s tail in her mouth, giving it a good yank. But it didn’t stop Spitfire, in fact Fleetfoot ended up getting dragged along, her hooves squeaking against the floor as Spitfire pulled her in a circle.
“Yikes…” Soarin blinked as he and Dash approached and watched Spitfire drag Fleetfoot around. “Spitfire, relax.”
“Don’t you start with me too!” she growled while shifting her path towards Soarin, dragging Fleetfoot with her all the way up to them.
“Please don’t punch me again,” Soarin asked seriously as Spitfire sighed and suddenly sat down.
“YEEP!” Fleetfoot yelped as she was pulled down to the floor by Spitfire’s tail.
“Spitfire,” Dash spoke up. “I saw it myself. Squad Zero and Comet made it out of the fray and were not followed. I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”
Spitfire gave her no response as Fleetfoot pushed herself up and pouted, looking towards Dash.
“At this point, don’t even bother,” Fleetfoot waved her hoof. “SPITTY! YOUR MANE IS ON FIRE!” she yelled into Spitfire’s ear at point blank.
Spitfire still didn’t respond or even react. She just kept looking down and gritted her teeth while her eyes darted back and forth.
“See?” Fleetfoot groaned as she sat down as well.
Soarin looked away as Fleetfoot and Dash continued to fruitlessly try and get through to Spitfire. In fact, he looked up just in time to shift aside as Descent nearly bumped into him.
“Whoa there!” Soarin reacted as he stumbled slightly. “Watch it!” he said while shifting to support himself. Descent, however, did not reply. He walked right up to a small group of Shadowbolt Renegades, focused on the dark grey one that had carried Silver.
“Epic, have you seen Starry Skies?” Descent asked quickly. Epic blinked and glanced around before shaking his head.
“Haven’t seen her since I got back,” he answered. Descent snorted, glancing at Astral standing beside Epic. Astral quickly shook his head no as well.
“Dad, she’s in the infirmary,” Storm Front’s voice got his attention. Descent turned around to see his son approach. “She went there to lie down right after we landed the Falcon on the deck.”
“Hmmm…” Descent hummed while looking down. “Alright…” he turned towards the east hallway, but suddenly stopped and looked towards Soarin. Or at least Soarin thought Descent was looking at him. Upon closer inspection, he was looking right past Soarin.
Soarin watched as Descent shifted and moved towards them, walking right past Soarin, without hitting him this time, and up to Spitfire. Dash was already backing away as Fleetfoot latched herself to Spitfire’s back, threatening to bite her ears if she didn’t stop worrying.
“Spitfire,” Descent spoke up, causing Spitfire to look up at him and Fleetfoot to pause right before chomping down on one of Spitfire’s ears. Dash shifted back beside Soarin, the two glancing at each other as the two leaders came face to face. Descent looked down at her calmly and shook his head.
“Comet is, by far, the most skillful at eluding danger among the entire Renegade force. If Silver gave him an order to take every measure to avoid danger, then that’s exactly what he’s doing and why they aren’t back yet.”
He didn’t tell her to not worry or calm down, he simply stated facts. And perhaps that’s exactly what Spitfire needed to hear because she stopped grinding her teeth and simply sighed heavily.
“I just want him back… I want Wave back,” she admitted. Descent snorted.
“Obviously,” he said harshly as he kept his gaze on her. “Have faith, they’ll be—”
“COMET!” Cannon Ball’s voice came from nearby. Spitfire’s ears shot up, whapping Fleetfoot right in the face. Descent looked over his shoulder towards the doors.
“Speak of the devil. Scratch that, you can put your worries to rest right now,” he said as he stepped aside to clear Spitfire’s view towards the lobby doors.
The full attention of everypony in the room was drawn back to the lobby doors, but this time it was for a different reason. When Silver was brought in, it sparked relief. When Soarin was brought in, it sparked surprise. But when Comet’s name was called… everypony realized who was about to be brought in… The very reason they embarked on the huge operation to begin with.
Comet stepped through the door and held it open as Shine Struck, Swift Justice, and Playbitz came through first.
They all turned and looked as Calm Wind bent down to avoid bumping his head on the top of the door and stepped in…
With Wave Chill resting gently on his back.
The moment he appeared, Wonderbolts began pouring towards Squad Zero, all eager to see their second commander back and alive. They didn’t call his name as they had with Silver and Soarin, they all simply moved to get a look as if they, just like Spitfire, didn’t feel they could really call the operation a success until they saw their objective back home, safe and sound.
They didn’t crowd him. It didn’t take long for them to all notice the painful sight of Wave’s body. The burn lines from the crystal magic running up and down it with near surgical precision. None of them had heard the report from squad three yet, but it was easy for them to discern that he had been tortured.
The Wonderbolts parted, this time willingly, as Spitfire got up and quickly moved towards Wave with Fleetfoot, Dash, Soarin, and Descent in tow.
“My god…” Descent blinked with his mouth slightly open as he examined Wave. He shook his head as Calm lowered himself to the ground, allowing Playbitz and Comet to help Wave off of his back. “What in the world happened? Who did this to him?”
“Ruin,” Dash quickly answered as they remained slightly behind Spitfire and Fleetfoot. “We found him in Ruin’s room, chained to the wall, and being exposed to crystal magic.”
Descent’s eyes went wide and he quickly looked down at Dash. Dash stared back in confusion. Descent looked… horrified?
“I’m…” he stuttered. “I guess I’m not surprised since Ruin always made me uneasy, but… they just let him do that? Blade let him do that?!” Descent looked towards Wave again. “How low… have the Shadowbolts fallen?” Descent paused and blinked, his expression going flat. “Also, how did you get into Ruin’s room? He never let anypony into his room.”
“It’s a long story,” Dash shook her head. “I’ll tell you later.”
Descent accepted her request, releasing a heavy sigh while flattening his brow angrily. Dash could only imagine what was going through his head. While Starry Skies had generally referred to her fellow Shadowbolts as morons and several other blunt words, Descent’s view was much more positive and family oriented. It seemed like his expectations and pride in his former organizations was slowly being chipped away, and it was clearly taking a toll on him.
“Sorry we’re late,” Comet’s voice drew Dash’s attention back to the moment. Comet approached Spitfire and Fleetfoot, letting Playbitz support Wave once they had him down. “We ended up taking quite a long detour to avoid all the commotion,” he explained, basically confirming every bit of assurance Descent gave Spitfire moments before the arrival.
Spitfire didn’t move a muscle, she was simply staring at Wave as Playbitz supported him. Her eyes were wide with nopony able to get a true read on her emotional state. Even Fleetfoot, sitting right beside her, was looking at her quizzically.
Wave was moving, if only a little. He was breathing heavily, and cringing slightly, feeling the effects of his injuries, but still… Spitfire didn’t move.
Rainbow Dash noticed, and quickly stepped up to her.
“Spitfire,” she said while placing a hoof on her shoulder. “When we found him… the first thing he said, while crying, was that he wanted to go home and see you. Please… don’t keep him waiting.”
Spitfire’s ears flopped down as she turned and looked at Dash, her expression slowly turning sad as she heard Dash’s recount of the rescue.
It was all coming down and Dash could see it. The moment Wave was captured, Spitfire had hardened up and rallied them into a large, joint operation… leading them into battle and standing firm in the face of danger. Maybe she was still fighting to keep some of that up. It had proven the strength of her leadership to many, after all. The sight of Wave, however, seemed to be pushing the emotions she buried for the sake of leading right back up.
Spitfire looked to her other side, away from Rainbow Dash as she felt another hoof touch her, belonging to Fleetfoot.
“What? You go all rah-rah and lead us into an impossible mission, but when everything works out, you freeze up?” she winked at Spitfire. “Can’t believe we actually did it? Come on! We did it, and you led us. You deserve what you worked for! Now go to your hubby!”
“Spitfire,” Soarin said as he moved up behind her. She looked over her shoulder up at him to see him smiling down at her through his bruised visage. “What the hell are you waiting for?” he gave her a nudge. “Go.”
Spitfire looked back at Wave, also realizing that all eyes were now on her. Indeed, every single Wonderbolt, new and old, was staring at her. They were all thinking the same thing. Spitfire had led them to a victory with two goals to reach for. The first, to stick it to the Shadowbolts, the second…? To save Wave Chill. They were all on board and willing to do whatever it took, but they also all knew what succeeding would mean to their captain.
Spitfire slowly stood up and slowly walked towards Wave. As she moved, Rainbow Dash shifted herself beside Soarin, lightly pressing herself to his side. The two exchanged smiles as they watched Spitfire approach Wave.
The lobby went completely silent as Spitfire stopped in front of Playbitz, reaching forward and taking Wave Chill from him as she sat down. Her eyes ran up and down his body, the sight of the painful burn lines on his body nearly tearing her heart in two. Her lip began to quiver, her eyes squinting as she reached a hoof up and gently brushed it against his cheek.
“Hgnnn…” Wave stirred the moment he felt her light touch. The slight movement was followed by a painful shudder and a sharp hiss of breath through his teeth as he cringed and his eyelids tightened.
But then he slowly opened his eyes. They were weak, and looked cloudy. They focused right on Spitfire, but he remained silent for a moment as if they were adjusting to a blurry sight. But then his eyes opened a little wider and his lips parted.
“Spit…fire…?” his voice squeaked, but the words were clear.
Spitfire bit her lower lip. She wanted to be strong. She wanted him to not just see his lover, but also his leader who refused to leave him behind. But she couldn’t stop it. She couldn’t keep her emotions from pouring out. Seeing Wave back safe and in her arms filled her with immeasurable relief and joy on a personal level that pushed aside duty.
“Wave…” she said back quietly.
“I’m… home…?” he asked as his eyes slowly moved around, catching brief glimpses of the Wonderbolts gathered in the lobby.
“Yes…” Spitfire’s voice began to waiver, a sniffle escaping. “You’re safe.”
“Oh…” Wave forced his lips into a very weak smile. “Oh… thank Celestia… I…” he paused, cringing as he forced his arms to move. Spitfire fought to hold in tears as Wave pushed through his pain to reach his arms up to her and grab hold of her torso. “I thought…” he gasped and wheezed. “I thought I was done for, I thought…” he looked directly into her eyes. “I thought I’d never see you again…” he closed his eyes, tears lightly falling from the edges as his grip, while weak, tightened around her.
The dam didn’t just break, it exploded. Spitfire slammed her eyes shut as tears began pouring down her face. She opened her eyes back up, revealing a look of pure happiness as she embraced Wave.
“WAVE!” she yelled his name, the two of them closing their eyes and nestling into each other, the couple reunited after fighting through the terrible, terrible prospect of never seeing each other again.
The Wonderbolts all smiled at the sight of Spitfire’s joy. She rarely showed these emotions to them. They knew they were there, but Spitfire’s duty-bound focus often kept her smiles and laughs locked away. Seeing her let them go, especially in a moment that meant very much to them as well, was the icing on the cake.
They had won the day.
Soarin looked down at Dash as she pressed herself into him harder.
“Ow, Dash, too hard,” he commented quietly as he felt little stings of pain from his injuries. Dash shook her head against his shoulder.
“You’re a big colt, you can handle it,” she said, using his own words against him.
“Fair enough, ow…” He let her have her way. Soarin glanced to his other side, seeing Fleetfoot sit still as she watched Wave and Spitfire embrace.
Her expression was… mixed. It didn’t take long for Soarin to put together why, this wasn’t anything new.
Luckily for him though, somepony else offered a nice distraction for her.
“YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!” Air Mach yelled out boisterously as he moved up in between Soarin and Fleetfoot, grabbing them both and shaking them lightly.
“Ow, ow, ow…” Soarin said quietly, but didn’t protest as Air Mach stood up and pointed to the ceiling, shrugging off the flat look Fleetfoot was giving him.
“GUESS WHAT BROS AND LADY-BROS!” he yelled out as he hovered up into the air over Spitfire and Wave Chill, drawing everypony’s attention. CHILLER IS BACK! SOARIN IS BACK! AND I JUST COUNTED… EVERYPONY IS ACCOUNTED FOR!” He briefly crossed his hooved over his face before doing a pirouette and pointing towards the lobby doors. “YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?! WE JUST STUCK IT HARD TO THE SHADOW-DOLTS! WE BEAT ‘EM UP, SAVED OUR COMMANDER, AND STOLE ONE OF THEIR TOYS TOO!” He pounded his chest with both hooves and slowly spun while pointing at all of the Wonderbolts and their Renegade counterparts. “THEY BETTER THINK TWICE ABOUT MESSING WITH US NOW, EH?! VICTORY FELLAS! DRINK IT INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!” he yelled while throwing his neck back and hip thrusting into the air. The Wonderbolts were all quick to share the burst of enthusiasm.
“HOO-RAH!” Lightning Streak suddenly yelled out from the crowd.
“HOO-RAH!” The rest of the Wonderbolts shouted right after, followed by hooting, hollering, and cheering as several took to the air, exchanging hoof-bumps, playful jabs, and sharing the collective good feeling of coming out on top. It had been nothing but running, defending, and more running against the Shadowbolts thus far. Words could not describe how good it felt to not only claim victory, but also slap their enemy right across the face as disrespectfully as possible. It was something all of them desperately wanted to do.
Even though he was hurt, Soarin had pumped his hoof in the air and echoed the cheers along with his squadmates. He looked down at Dash and gave her a big hug, ignoring the pain to share in the cheer as the Wonderbolts all celebrated around them. He glanced up and saw Descent looking around flatly, shaking his head subtly as he sighed. He glanced down at Soarin, locking eyes for a moment before his expression changed into a small smirk, scoffing again before shaking his head some more.
Soarin knew Descent wouldn’t say it, but the Wonderbolts had just proven him wrong. He was against the operation from the start, citing how ridiculous it sounded and refusing to get involved, only to follow behind them as back up and watch as the Wonderbolts effectively sent the Shadowbolts into a whirlwind of deception and accomplish their goal. He was definitely humbled, and maybe a little jealous that he didn’t get to take part in making a statement to their common enemy. He was so sure his tactics were the best course of action, and Spitfire just stuck it to him.
They didn’t come out unscathed, but everypony was back, alive, and well.
Score one for the good guys, it was about damn time.
But for every victory, a defeat runs parallel.
Moon stepped out of the west hallway and into the lobby of the Shadowbolt fortress, his expression remaining flat and unwavering as he observed the open area. The Shadowbolts were all standing and lying about, grunts and groans of pain and frustration filling the room. Beyond that, no words were being uttered, no conversations were taking place. The only other sounds were those of the crystals as they lit up and hovered over bumps and bruises.
Moon snorted, walking in casually as other Shadowbolts from within the fortress also emerged to get a look at the battered and beaten force. Stragglers made their way in through the front doors, some falling flat on their face as they did.
Moon’s attention was drawn to one of the large crystal formations jutting out of the floor. Commander Void was standing against it, the only commander currently present besides him. Void did not look thrilled. He was pretty banged up, his suit torn in several places. He was grumbling to himself, scowling at any Shadowbolts that came remotely close to him.
A bright flash of light right outside drew Moon’s eyes towards the doors along with everypony else’s. A moment later, one of the doors was pushed open roughly, Angel taking a heavy step inside. He braced himself, panting and wheezing with blood dripping down his face as the door bumped against him. He growled and punched the door, forcing it too far and breaking the hinges as he stumbled in and fell flat for a moment. He pushed himself back up glaring harshly into the lobby, any and all Shadowbolts quickly averting their eyes to avoid invoking Angel’s seldom seen wrath.
Shortly after, behind him, Shadow pulled herself into the lobby, grunting as she struggled to pull an unconscious Sin into the lobby behind her. An audible stir began passing around the Shadowbolts gathered in the lobby, and Moon wasn’t surprised in the slightest. Seeing their supposed ‘leaders’ all beaten up and struggling was an unusual sight.
“GAH!” Shadow grunted in pain, falling down as she let go of Sin and let him lay flat on the floor as he continued to snooze. She picked up her head and shook it out, pulling her goggles down as she glared at Angel. “Angel, what the HELL is wrong with you?!” she yelled, the first to really speak out in the silent air of the room. Angel didn’t even look at her he followed Void’s example, and leaned against a nearby surface, grumbling through his battered face. “YOU ALMOST LEFT ME OUT THERE!” Shadow yelled while limping up to him. “Are you listening to me?!”
“SHUT YOUR TRAP!” Angel barked back at her while turning his head so sharply that his hair whipped around. He reached up and shoved her backwards, causing her to stumble backwards and fall over the top of Sin. Instantly any Shadowbolts nearby began backing even further away to avoid Angel at all costs.
Moon watched as the commanders provided a sorry display for everypony in the lobby. He subtly shook his head and exhaled through his nose.
“WELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!” Ruin’s voice came from behind Moon. Moon only grunted in frustration as Ruin slid backwards right past him. “It looks like I missed quite the party!” he looked around mischievously, his eyes landing on Angel first, snickering when he saw the angered look on his usually blank face. “Awwwwwww…” Ruin cooed as he shuffled up to angel and got in his face before patting his head. “Your poor, poor, beautiful face…” he joked, pulling his hoof away and scrunching his face as some of Angel’s blood got on it. He reached forward and grabbed part of Angel’s mane, using it to wipe off the blood.
“I’M NOT IN THE MOOD!” Angel moved to shove him as well, but Ruin shifted slightly, causing Angel to miss and nearly fall right down onto the floor below. Ruin just patted him on the head again, a little higher to avoid getting blood on his hoof.
“Do tell, pumpkin,” Ruin chuckled as Angel continued to growl at him. “My, my…” Ruin continued as he turned and observed Sin unconscious on the floor with Shadow struggling to stand right behind him. “Looks like you guys really took a beating… was it really that hard without little ol’ me out there?” He gently touched a hoof to his chest while batting his eyelashes at them.
“I didn’t lose,” Void spoke up rather randomly from off to the side. Ruin stood up on his hind legs and bent his back all the way backward until he was looking at Void, upside down. He bounced his eyebrows as he smirked.
“You tried to use your magic against Bomber again, didn’t you?” he hit the nail right on the head.
“I DIDN’T LOSE!” Void repeated while stamping a hoof loudly.
“OOOOOOHOHOHOHO!” Ruin cracked up, hovering upside down over to Void. “Sure you didn’t! You crack me up sometimes, you simpleton…” Ruin casually taunted Void as he simply growled in response. “Really, how many times have you tried it? I told you it would never work. I know I’m crazy, but you really should listen to me sometimes,” he said while tapping Void’s nose. Void bit at it, but Ruin shifted back just before being nipped.
“Hmmmmm…” Ruin turned himself upright, looking around the room again. “Where are Blade and Devil?” he asked casually, completely contrasting the defeated mood of the room. Nopony answered at first, but Ruin’s eyes landed on Shadow. She was looking down, her ears flopped to the sides of her head.
“Devil… is dead,” she spoke up quietly, drawing looks from all around. “He…” she paused.
“Overused his crystals?” Ruin finished for her while lifting his brow. Shadow didn’t reply, she simply nodded. “HAH!” Ruin fell flat to the floor and reclined on his side. “Color me not surprised in the slightest! It was bound to happen eventually, the careless twit.” He continued looking around despite Shadow shooting him an angered glare. “So that’s three of us in one day, hm? Trance, Witch, and Devil all snuffed out… and where is our fearless ‘director’ in this whole operation? Blade is never one to miss out heheheheheeee…”
Moon simply watched from off to the side as Ruin gave a blatant disregard for the mood of the moment. But as far as he was concerned, the Shadowbolts had gotten exactly what they deserved. He flinched and blinked as Ruin suddenly slid across the floor and popped up in front of him.
“What about you, Moony-moon? Have you seen Blade?”
A loud BANG sounded out from the front doors, saving Moon from Ruin’s harassment and drawing everypony’s attention to the front.
“GAH… AH…. GRH….” loud painful grunts echoed throughout the lobby, several pairs of eyes going wide as Blade dragged himself into the room. He was severely beaten, heavily bruised, his suit had been so heavily damaged that not even half of it remained. Blood was dripping lightly from his nose, and mouth, one of his eyes was nearly sealed shut by a terrible black eye. His breathing was heavy and his body shook as he grunted and growled, barely managing to stand upright. He teetered his way a few steps, his crystals weakly floating behind him, before collapsing and groaning while grinding his teeth in anger. His crystals clinked against the floor, bouncing lightly before rolling at his sides.
“PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF…” Ruin threw his hooves over his mouth, his cheeks puffing out as his eyes went wide. “HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” he keeled over, laughing maniacally while rolling back and forth on his back, drawing several strange and disturbed looks from everypony else.
Moon disregarded Ruin cackling to himself as he calmly strode up to Blade, who was far and away more beaten than the rest of them combined.
“What the hell happened to you?” Moon asked as he stood over Blade.
“GRRRRHHNNnnnnnnnnn…” Blade only growled as he continued to struggle. Ruin suddenly appeared beside Moon and leaned against him while hanging down towards Blade.
“Let me take a WIIIIIIILD guess here!” he snickered. “Who among the Wonderbolts could have possibly beaten you up MORE than Descent usually does?” he said as he began prancing with light, goofy steps in a circle around Blade. He stopped after making a full lap around him, leaning down and putting his face right up to Blade’s. “OH! I know! You tried to fight Spitfire by yourself, didn’t you! And I thought VOID was an idiot!”
“FUCK... OFF!” Blade finally managed to speak as he released a series of painful grunts while forcing himself up.
“Boy, I’m on a ROLL tonight! You guys are just so predictable, ya know that?” He snickered while flipping his hoof beneath Blade’s chin. Blade didn’t even retaliate, he just kept glaring. Ruin slid back across the floor on his hooves, lining up with Moon again and leaning on his shoulder. “Looks like we’re lucky we were on guard duty, eh Moon?”
“No doubt,” Moon replied flatly, not even gracing Ruin with a look.
“HA!” Ruin slid off Moon and shifted right back up to Blade. “Honestly, part of me wishes I was out there. I would have loved to see you get your ass kicked so soundly,” he taunted while bouncing his eyebrows at Blade.
“RRRRRRGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!” Blade growled fiercely at Ruin, one of his crystals hovering up beside him and lighting up. Ruin casually glanced at the crystal before reaching up and gently pushing it back down to the floor while lifting an eyebrow at Blade.
“Oh, stop it.” Ruin rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Take your lumps and learn some humility, hehehehe…” He couldn’t hold back the silly chuckle at the end.
“You laugh…” Void broke his silence, pushing off of the crystal formation and stomping towards Ruin until he towered over him. “But what happened in here? We were infiltrated and our prisoner was sprung on YOUR watch, was he not? Care to explain yourself, clown?!”
Ruin didn’t cower or flinch and inch even under the intimidating size of Void.
“Don’t ask,” Ruin snorted, waving a hoof. “They unleashed their screwball on me again. But I wasn’t the only one in here you know,” he pointed out. The commanders and the rest of the Shadowbolts all turned and stared towards Moon.
Moon didn’t panic or falter, he remained completely calm, simply raising an eyebrow and scoffing.
“Don’t look at me. I was the one that found Ruin’s door open AND sounded the alarm. Ruin was the one that left the prisoner unguarded to watch our pilot get beaten,” he explained as all eyes went right back to Ruin. Ruin blinked and shrugged while smirking.
“Okay, fine, but I did try to stop them,” he waved it off despite getting several looks of disapproval.
“Commander Blade! Commander Blade!” a voice suddenly came from the doors. Everypony turned to look.
“AH!” Rapidfire grunted as the Shadowbolt stallion tossed him into the lobby and he landed roughly against the floor. He cringed, clutching his chest, breathing heavily as the pains of being without a crystal were the harshest yet. He forced his eyes open, barely able to muster the strength for such a simple motion.
“I found him trying to climb up the side of the outer platform,” the stallion spoke as Rapidfire tried to focus. Was he back in the fortress? Who was around him? He could barely make anything out. It felt like his body was being destroyed from the inside out by the withdrawal.
“Hmph… so… you actually survived.”
Rapidfire knew that voice, and it wasn’t the one he wanted to hear.
He heard hooves sliding across the floor towards him, prompting him to lift his head to the best of his ability and see something. When his vision finally stopped blurring, all he saw was Blade standing over him, severely beaten but glaring down at him.
Rapidfire said nothing.
“WEEEEEEELLL, well, well, well, well, WELL!” Ruin slithered up beside Blade, examining Rapidfire on the floor. “A mountain falls on you, but you live to tell the tale? Not bad at all!” Ruin barely finished before Blade reached up and roughly shoved Ruin aside stepping up and glaring harshly at Rapidfire.
Rapidfire cringed again, his hoof clawing at his own chest. He hated Blade… but he was desperate.
“C…crystal…” Rapidfire sputtered, pleading for his pain to be addressed.
“You!” Blade yelled down at him, not even using his name. “You know where the Wonderbolt compound is! You were there!” Blade yelled, stroking a preemptive, misguided thirst for revenge. His voice rang in Rapidfire’s ears as his pain receptors burned.
“P…please… crystal…” Rapidfire begged.
Blade growled, reaching down and grabbing Rapidfire by the mane. He yanked at it, forcing Rapidfire up off the ground.
“AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!” Rapidfire cried out in pain, the front of his hooves resting limply against the floor as Blade held him in the air.
“WHERE IS IT?!” Blade roared wildly, saliva spraying into Rapidfire’s face.
“I… need… a crystal…!” Rapidfire sputtered painfully, his breath wheezing loudly.
“IF YOU WANT ONE SO BADLY… TELL ME WHERE THE HELL THEIR COMPOUND IS!” Blade ordered, yelling as hard as he could right into Rapidfire’s face.
Rapidfire opened his eyes a little wider as Blade demanded he reveal what he knew. He looked right into Blade’s eyes, filled with anger, and rage. Rapidfire’s vision shifted, looking at the rest of the Shadowbolts. Some of them were watching, but most of them didn’t seem to even care. Rapidfire refocused his eyes on Blade.
He knew exactly where the compound was… but…
Rapidfire had been left for dead. No Shadowbolts had come to find him. He had to make it back on his own… No, even worse, he made it back because of SOARIN. To top it off, looking at all the Shadowbolts, there was barely any reaction to him coming back. Even better, he was being held up in the air, by the mane, and being questioned brutally.
He was more than certain… that if Soarin did indeed manage to make it back to the Wonderbolt compound…
He was likely being showered with welcomes, smiles, and relief.
“…………………………………………………………… I don’t… know.”
Blade’s eyes widened briefly, quickly sharpening back into the intense glare as he growled and ground his teeth together.
“Oh HELL no! I know you were there you useless, little piece of shit! I was part of that operation! NOW TELL ME!”
“I don’t… know…” Rapidfire weakly repeated in defiance. Angel suddenly pushed himself forward, right up beside Blade while glaring at Rapidfire. His crystals were floating with him, a flickering glow emanating from their surfaces.
“You will tell us NOW, you insignificant peon! NOW!” he demanded, doubling the harsh aura being directed at Rapidfire.
“I don’t—” Rapidfire didn’t get to finish. Blade thrust him down, slamming Rapidfire’s head against the floor, his body crashing right down with it. “AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!! AH! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!” Rapidfire wailed as Blade let out his frustration on him.
If the other Shadowbolts weren’t watching, they were now, with the exception of Void still looking away and grumbling. Shadow looked like she wanted to step forward and stop them, but she hesitated. Moon kept watching silently, but Ruin was holding his sides while laughing.
“OOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! THIS IS FUN! HAAAHAHAHA!” Ruin cackled as he shifted nearby to watch Blade and Angel brutally interrogate Rapidfire.
“TELL ME!” Blade yelled again.
“I don’t… I… crystal…” Rapidfire pleaded. Blade pulled back and punched him across the face as he held his head down, rattling it against the hard floor.
“TELL ME NOW!” Blade demanded.
“Crystal…!” Rapidfire cried out. Blade lifted and slammed Rapidfire’s head back down as Angel bent down to get in his face.
“NOW, YOU LOWLY TRASH!” Angel spat in his face. “NOW!”
“AHHHH!” Rapidfire yelped as Blade forcefully turned him onto his back and his crystals slammed around his arm. They flashed brightly, Blade’s magic sword extending from his hoof.
“TELL US…” he lowered the sword and held the edge against Rapidfire’s neck. “OR DIE!” he threatened, holding the edge of the sword close enough to lightly dig into Rapidfire’s neck, but not cut it.
Rapidfire shuddered as he felt the sharp edge against his neck. He looked up, staring into the enraged eyes of Blade and Angel as they demanded he tell them the location of the Wonderbolt compound. Their voices filled with an intense desire for revenge.
Rapidfire’s voice just squeaked, fear filling his heart as he realized the beating he was taking had broken him to the point where he could barely speak.
And if he didn’t answer them…
He was dead.
…
“Blade.”
Rapidfire blinked as the pressure against him suddenly buckled and weakened. Both Blade and Angel’s expressions shifted from anger to shock. Blade’s sword immediately dissipated, both his and Angel’s crystals losing their glow. The two had completely frozen in place as lots of shuffling and gasps came from the surrounding Shadowbolts, all in reaction to the calm, smooth, female voice that came from above them.
“Release him, and DON’T touch him again,” the female voice added.
“Ah…” Rapidfire gasped as Blade removed his hoof from him. Rapidfire rolled over on his side and curled up into a ball, shuddering. His eyes barely squeaked open, giving him no more than a view of Blade and Angel’s hooves… and a set of light blue hooves that landed near them.
“C…Captain, I…” Blade stuttered, his voice shakier than his body.
“Well?” The mare cut him off. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Blade cleared his throat… clumsily. It sounded more like he choked for a moment.
“We… the Wonderbolts…” he paused and swallowed. Rapidfire could easily see both he and Angel shuddering even though he could only see their hooves. “We were caught off guard,” Blade continued. “And… and…”
“Caught… off… guard?” the mare repeated Blade’s words, each one sounding emphasized and harsh. “Is that what you’re calling it? That’s a very generous way to describe it. It looked more like you were humiliated,” she corrected him sharply. “Not only did they make complete fools of you, they also beat you senseless. I trust you idiots each with three crystals and THIS is how you repay me? With blunders and failures? Perhaps it was a mistake to grant you the privilege of the extra power.” The blue hooves began slowly walking around the two of them. “I don’t think I have to remind you the price of wasting the crystal power…” she said as her voice remained commanding and dominant. “You could ask our former pilot… if he was still alive.”
Rapidfire watched as Angel’s hooves shimmied backwards, moving him away and leaving Blade alone up front with the mare. Blade stiffened for a moment, but then took a step forward.
“I apologize, we were unprepared!” he said stiffly with a very forced, shaky tone. “It’s just a minor setback! As soon as we tend to our wounded and rest up, we will redouble our efforts, broaden our search radius, and find their—”
“No.” the mare cut him off abruptly.
“But… but we… we can…” Blade struggled to try and continue but the mare turned quickly, placing herself directly in Blade’s face as he flinched.
“Blade, I said no,” she repeated.
“But, Captain…!”
“BLADE!” the mare’s voice boomed, followed by a collective shift of everypony present, the sound of hooves squeaking against the floor briefly echoing from wall to wall, only to immediately drown back into silence with everypony frozen in fear. “By all means… keep acting like you’re in charge,” the mare suggested.
Even from his vantage point Rapidfire didn’t need to see Blade’s face to know what sort of expression he was wearing right now.
“It would be such a shame…” the mare continued as she took another step forward, likely putting her face so close to Blade that he was afraid to move a muscle. “If I were to take it as a challenge. And if I do… there may not be much left of you when I’m done…” She took another step putting her in a position where her chest was likely pressed to his. “But don’t worry… I’d make sure you’d have plenty of ‘fun’ before I kill you.”
Blade remained completely still.
“I thought not.” The mare stepped back from him. “I gave you guys more than one chance… and you’ve done nothing but blunder time and time again. I’m tired of waiting, and so is our client. We’re going to do things MY way now. UNDERSTAND?” she paused, not a single Shadowbolt in the entire lobby said anything. “Good,” the mare sighed as she started moving away from Blade. “Now all of you go be good little colts and fillies and put some band aids on those bumps and scratches, I’ll give my orders later.” She paused again. No pony moved. “I said GET!” she suddenly raised her voice a little.
Rapidfire glanced from side to side as the Shadowbolts suddenly yelped and started scurrying about, some of them tripping and falling over each other. The commanders followed right with them, all moving as fast as they possibly could to get away from the mare.
All of them were long gone within seconds, except for Moon.
Upon turning the corner into one of the smaller side hallways, he stopped and glanced back. Instead of running away scared, like the rest, he slid against the wall and glanced back into the lobby, where Rapidfire was still on the ground. Sin was still on the floor behind him, but the big lug was really out cold.
“Hmph…” the mare grunted, her voice reaching Moon’s ears. “Put an alpha in the room and watch the betas whimper and hide…”
Moon could only see Rapidfire from his point of view. A crystal dropped onto the ground and rolled towards Rapidfire. His eyes opened wide as he ignored his pain, reached out, and snatched it, instantly pressing it against his chest. He was surrounded by a faint, pink glow in seconds as he released a heavy sigh of relief.
“Th…. Thank you…” Rapidfire barely managed to say.
The moment Moon saw the blue hooves step up, he moved back into the hallway. He didn’t want to risk being seen, but he could still listen.
“Save it, kid,” the mare spoke. “You’re no use to me dead… and if I let Blade do as he pleases then I’m unfit to lead us.”
Moon remained still, not sure what was going to happen, but he kept his ear turned, curious to hear what anything else.
“Now…” the mare spoke again. “I know you found your way into the Wonderbolt compound. That was some stand you put up against Blade,” she paused. “But… forget about that. By now they are too wary, and even if I went out there with you guys, it would be too much of a hassle and a waste of time and resources. However… they can’t stay hidden forever…”
Moon blinked, turning his head as he continued to listen.
“I know you’re a lot more resourceful and diligent than Blade gives you credit for… I’m willing to bet you caught ear of some juicy info on their plans going forward… well?” the mare asked.
Rapidfire didn’t respond.
“Aw, come on now…” the mare’s voice changed, becoming lighter. “Please? I’m asking nicely.” A seductive tone made its way into her words. “I can make it worth your while.”
Moon flattened his brow, resisting the urge to grunt in annoyance, but his ears picked up as Rapidfire groaned.
“They… are heading… for the Crystal Empire…” he said weakly. Moon’s eyes widened as the mare giggled.
“Oh? Really? Anything else?” she pressed.
“And… they are planning… to meet… with the Lunar Guard… halfway…” Rapidfire added.
“Hmmmmmmm… now that's something I can work with…” the mare expressed with satisfaction.
Moon looked down, processing the information he just heard. He looked back and forth before taking a step, but froze for a moment when he heard… something else. He turned his ear back towards the lobby. He heard a few sudden moans… a sharp breath… and what sounded like sloppy kissing.
“Mmmmmhmmhmmhmm… ahhhh…” the mare moaned seductively. “I like to reward those who are helpful… keep it up, kid… and you’ll get moreeeeee…” her sexual slur grew more and more pronounced.
Moon scrounged his face and gritted his teeth, shuddering as he shook his head. He heard what he had to hear, so he started down the hallway.
The fortress was silent, the Shadowbolts likely hiding from their captain after she put her hoof down. That was perfect, because Moon needed a moment to think over what to do next.
But as he walked, he blinked, briefly glancing up at the ceiling before focusing back forward as he moved.
“Ruin, you can’t possibly understand how annoying that is,” Moon said into the air.
Moon came to a halt as Ruin suddenly fell from the ceiling and crashed against the floor. An instant later he was up on his hooves and smiling into Moon’s face. Moon gave no visible reaction. He simply stepped aside and kept walking.
“Hmph…” Ruin grunted as he lifted off and hovered sideways along with Moon. “You’re really no fun, you know that?”
“I’ve never been one for your antics,” Moon explained as he kept looking straight forward and walking.
“Why the long faaaaaaaaaaaaaace?” Ruin asked as he popped up in front of him again while grabbing and stretching his nose comically. Moon just furrowed his brow.
“Because there’s an idiot in my way.”
“OOOOHOHOHO!” Ruin laughed as Moon stepped around him again and kept walking. “You’re always cold as ice to me. Really, I never feel any love,” Ruin chuckled as he turned and followed, keeping up pace directly behind Moon. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you have some sort of personal grudge with me!”
Moon didn’t answer. He just rolled his eyes and kept walking.
Ruin stopped, a creepy, wide sneer appearing on his face.
“No wonder you helped them spring Wave Chill!”
Moon came to a hard, abrupt halt, freezing mid-step. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he swiftly turned all the way around.
But Ruin was gone.
“Not only that…” Ruin’s voice came from behind him. Moon turned, but Ruin wasn’t there either. “But you also fired the cannon and dropped the shield for them!” his voice came from behind him again.
Moon gasped and turned to see Ruin right up in his face, sneering and bouncing his eyebrows.
“Did you really think you were gonna get away with all that?” Ruin snickered.
Moon pushed back on his hooves, propelling himself backwards. His hooves skidded across the floor as he set himself and his crystals hopped off his back. They began to glow and surround him with the pink magic sparks of his telekinesis. But…
“OOOOOOOHHHHHHOHOHOHAHAHAHA!” Ruin burst out laughing and waved a hoof at Moon. “Oh, you crack me up! Relax… RELAX! Put those down!” He waved his hooves forward while bobbing his head back and forth. He chuckled to himself and started walking towards Moon.
“STAY BACK!” Moon yelled, causing Ruin to stop and flatten his brow.
“Moon, really, come on,” Ruin shrugged while lifting an eyebrow at him. “Put them down, pretty please?” he asked in a silly tone while leaning his neck forward.
Moon’s eyes shifted to Ruin’s crystals resting on his back. They were devoid of magic, completely at rest. Moon shifted his eyes back to Ruin, keeping them locked on him as he cautiously lowered his crystals, letting them rest on his back.
“I admit, I was surprised!” Ruin chuckled while leaning against the air as if there was a wall to support him. “The steadfast, dedicated Moon… from nothing to a commander, muscling his way through the ranks… and now he’s a turncoat! Quite a shock, a SHOCK I say!” He suddenly disappeared and popped up RIGHT in front of Moon’s face. “I JUST CAN’T…” he pressed his nose to Moon. “BELIEVE IT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Moon remained still as Ruin cackled in his face. His eyes darted back and forth as sweat began to drip from his brow and down his mask. His expression hardened into a glare, his crystals coming to life again, floating up and shining beside him. Ruin took a step back and folded his ears back hard, making a quiet slapping noise against his scalp.
“Moon, really? Again? What did I just say?” Ruin said while tipping his eyebrows up and down.
“I won’t let you report me!” Moon growled at him. “Even if I have to kill you right here!” He yelled desperately.
“PAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!!!” Ruin instantly burst into a fit of laughter, falling over onto his back and rolling back and forth between the hallway walls as his wings flailed about. Moon kept his eyes fixed on Ruin, his breathing heavy as his mind raced. “Ohhoooooo hohoho that… oh dear, Moon… that is rich.” Ruin bounced up and casually tipped his head, focusing his eyes on Moon. “First of all… you know you could never kill me. Second… Moony, who said anything about reporting you, hm?”
“Wh…what?” Moon blinked, his eyes widening as his crystals stopped glowing and floated back down again.
“Look,” Ruin smiled smugly. “I’m not gonna ask ya why, I really don’t care!” he waved a hoof into the air nonchalantly. “Hell, I do whatever I want all the time and get away with it, so why should I care what you do?”
“You don’t… care?” Moon scrunched his face, giving Ruin a look of disturbed confusion.
“Of course not!” Ruin guffawed as he hopped up and floated casually in a circle around Moon. “I don’t care about anything we end up doing as long as I get to enjoy myself!”
Moon flattened his brow, just standing still as Ruin floated around him.
“So why would I turn you in? Why would I interrupt the show? That wouldn’t be any fun now, would it?” Ruin’s snickering behind his voice grew louder and louder as he slowly shifted closer and closer to Moon, stopping right in front of his face as he released a high pitched, creepy giggle.
“You’re insane,” Moon stated harshly while wincing and glaring.
“Tell me something I don't know, Moony-Moon! OOOOOHOHOHO!!!!” Ruin backed off while bouncing up and down in the air.
Moon had had enough, he didn’t know how Ruin had found him out, or what he was planning, but he didn’t care. Moon had an agenda, and he wasn’t going to let Ruin stall him.
“Hmph,” Moon snorted. “Well, if you’re done making an ass of yourself, I have matters to attend to,” he explained as he stepped aside.
“Indeed, you have to go to the Wonderbolt compound and let them know we know their plans now, right?” Ruin sneered, Moon stopping before he could move past him. Moon remained calm, turning and lifting an eyebrow at Ruin.
“I don’t—”
“Yes, you do. Don’t try and lie to me you silly goose, you know exactly where the Wonderbolt compound is…” Without picking up his hooves he slid along the floor and tipped his head directly into Moon’s view. “Believe me. I was following you when you found it. Quite surprising when you simply turned away though!”
Moon’s jaw dropped and he shifted away, officially disturbed at how much Ruin knew about what he was doing.
“What do you want from me?!” Moon questioned as he turned and squared himself with Ruin again. He was being taunted, played with, but why?
“HAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!” Ruin arched his neck back and threw a hoof over his face as he cackled. “Nothing! Nothing at all!” he exclaimed while bringing his head back down and zipping right up to Moon, smiling and snickering. “Just keep doing your thing! I promise I won’t be a tattletale! I mean… come on…” He closed his eyes as he edged his face closer to Moon’s. When he opened them, the whites of his eyes had turned black and his pupils were small, white dots. “It’s MUCH more interesting this way…” his voice had changed to a demonic echo that mad Moon shudder with fear. “Don’t you agree?”
Moon just stared, not sure what he had just seen, but all he wanted to do at this point was get away from Ruin. All this time he had felt like he was making progress and was in control, but over the course of one conversation, Ruin had reversed it and made him feel like he nothing but a little trouble maker trying to get away with petty pranks.
Ruin closed his eyes and backed his head up. He opened his eyes, their normal colors returning.
“So really, go on! Trust me, if I wanted to turn you in, I could’ve done so multiple times already!” he said while casually stepping back and leaning against the wall. “Go! GO! Don’t hold up the show! Hehehe!”
Moon shivered and furrowed his brow. He looked away from Ruin and started walking away, trying his best to push everything that had just happened out of his head. He glanced back at Ruin after taking three steps. Ruin was just staring and chuckling quietly. Moon quickly turned back and kept moving.
“Just watch your back, Moony-Moon,” Ruin spoke up as Moon continued to move away from him. “After all… it would be such a shame if you met the same fate as Iris.”
Moon froze completely, his ears pointing up, his eyes widening, and his jaw dropping as a strong gasp released from his throat. He swung himself around, turning to face Ruin as fast as possible…
But Ruin was gone.
Moon looked in every direction, even over his shoulder a few times, but Ruin was nowhere to be found.
“Don’t disappoint me!” Ruin’s voice echoed from every direction. “The fun is only beginning! HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOHOOHOOHOOhohohohohohoho…” the voice faded, whimpering out as the sound of Ruin’s laugh became quieter and quieter before disappearing.
Moon looked down at the floor, his eyes wide and his pupils darting back and forth. He slammed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, shaking his head while quietly growling to himself before he sharply turned and started cantering down the hallway.
---To Be Continued---