//------------------------------//
// Chapter 127: Fractured 
// Story: Piercing the Heavens 
// by Calm Wind 
//------------------------------//

MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind

Chapter 127: Fractured





Soarin lied flat on the ground… well, whatever you’d call the floor whenever he appeared on what he had come to know as ‘inside his head.’

His spirit, alight with a soft, flickering blue glow, lay before the large, bright yellow image of the mare as it stared down at him with concern. She tipped her head from side to side as she watched his spirit flicker. It remained strong despite the beating the horn was taking, but she was still worried that any further pressure could cause the horn to break. It was already in danger of being broken if Soarin happened to engage in combat again, but it didn’t help that he kept bumping it against things. His emotions were also taking their toll. No doubt they were enraged by what was being done to hold him back… but they had no choice, it was that or risk the horn receiving a blow in battle, the perceived lesser of two evils. She only hoped it would work out, even she was unsure of where to go next.

“So close… yet so far…” the blue stallion’s voice came from behind her. The mare looked over her shoulder to see the blue silhouette of the stallion sitting a few paces away with his back turned to her. The mare stared at him for a moment or two, but said nothing as she turned back around and looked back towards Soarin. “Still haven’t found your tongue, eh?” the stallion taunted, sounding rather smug and content. The mare, again, said nothing. “Good, I was getting tired of arguing with you.”

“Why?” the mare suddenly spoke up. The stallion took a deep breath, releasing an exasperated sigh.

“Really?” he asked as he glanced to his left. “Are we seriously going to have this conversation again?”

“Look at me,” the mare asked as she turned around to face him.

“No,” he quickly denied while staying put. The mare grunted, standing up and moving herself in front of him, sitting down less than a yard from him and staring down at him. 

“Should have kept my mouth shut and enjoyed the silence,” the stallion grumbled as he refused to look up at her. The mare kept staring at him for several seconds, their eyes never meeting as she slightly loomed over him. 

Eventually… the mare sighed.

“You know what? Fine…” she suddenly said. 

“Hm?” the stallion hummed, but didn’t grace her with eye contact. 

“I acknowledge it… Everything that you’ve been saying, it’s all true,” she continued. 

That did the trick. The stallion finally stopped disrespecting her attention, turning his head to face her directly while lifting an eyebrow. The mare shook her head.

“I’m not perfect, I don’t have all the answers to everypony’s problems, I sit on a pedestal of greatness for all of ponykind to look up to, but I have failed them constantly. One disaster after another… I have the power to see the future, but I constantly fall short of averting catastrophe. I sell myself as a beacon of hope, order, and prosperity, but more often than not, my actions do more harm than good. There are times that I’ve wondered just how meaningful my power really is, if it really is my place to rule when mortals end up solving more problems than I…” she trailed off, pausing as she looked over his shoulder at Soarin laying on the ground. “Nothing has made me more aware of that than the recent years… six mortal ponies earning the right to wield the unspeakable power of the Elements of Harmony… a power that rejected me after I impulsively misused it against my own sister…”

The stallion remained quiet, watching her carefully as she looked away from him.

“I am immortal…” she began again. “I wield magic that’s naturally far more powerful than that of any living being… but it seems my designation as a ‘goddess’ ends there.”

“Thanks for telling me what I already know,” the stallion chimed in with a grunt. “Are you going somewhere with this?”

“Your goal is to become immortal, yes? To ‘prove’ to me that you can?” the mare asked.

“Yes, and?” the stallion asked with another grunt, rolling his eyes.

“You see my struggles clearly enough to call them out… what makes you think you won’t be burdened with the same?”

A silence rushed between the two as the mare posed the question. They stared directly into each other’s eyes for nearly a whole minute before the stallion gave any sort of response.

“Feh,” the stallion scoffed and whipped his tail. “I won’t make your mistakes.”

“You don’t know that,” she quickly rebuked.

“You underestimate me,” he growled right back.

“You underestimate that which you seek!” she stood up and glared down. “The power, the responsibility, it’s not so simple. You already failed once, even if you should succeed upon trying again, you will not be ready for it. It will overwhelm you.”

“This is pointless,” the stallion said as he stood up and turned around, slowly pacing towards Soarin. “We’re just going in circles now.”

“Only because you’re failing to see the greater point in my actions,” she hissed as he moved away.

“Oh?” he looked over his shoulder. “This should be good, enlighten me,” he asked sarcastically, but then blinked in surprise as she turned and sat down, facing away from him. She remained quiet for a moment, but she had his attention.

“You were a great pony,” she began. “One worthy of gracing the pages of history books for all of eternity. But your descent into madness and chaos… It destroyed your legacy, erasing decades of heroism, bravery, and prosperity, replacing it with violence, brutality, and oppression. The pony you became rubbed out all traces of the pony you once were. It still completely eludes me how that doesn’t bother you at all.”

“I willingly left it all behind, I believe I already told you why,” the stallion grunted as he readied to turn and ignore her again, but she continued.

“You did tell me why,” she spoke up, stopping him mid-turn. “You did it for me, correct? Because you loved me?”

“Hmph,” the stallion snorted, looking away. “What, you wanted to hear me say it again or something? That WAS why I did it, but don’t forget it was YOUR actions that pushed me away and forced me to seek it out for other—”

“I’m doing this because I STILL love you,” the mare cut him off. The stallion went completely silent. His eyes were wide for only a moment, quickly narrowing into a skeptical glare. “You can claim I pushed you away all you want… I still love you and I only want what I feel is best for you. Had you still been the legendary warrior and king, I would have let you pass on with your pride and dignity intact… but I refused to let you die as a monster,” she paused, taking a deep breath and sighing as she let her head hang. “I’ve already explained my intentions, and I did everything now because I believed you could help us fend off this evil that is lurking under everypony’s nose, waiting to strike. I’d hoped you’d see and understand the true opportunity I’ve given you here, and exactly how far I’ve stuck my neck out through my own rules just to pull certain strings for you,” she turned back around to face him. “I kept your spirit intact within me… for more than one reason. You wish to know the one that wasn’t based on my feelings?”

The stallion kept his narrowed eyes on her as he waited for her to continue. She took his stare as acknowledgement to continue.

“I hoped that one day an opportunity would arise… One that would give you a chance to be redeemed. So you could once again act as the great stallion I grew to love against my own decree. I saw this conflict looming before us, and I saw it as a fitting moment for you to take action and remind the world of the hero that once protected the lands. Then your honor and respect would be restored and you could take your rightful place in history,” she reached a hoof out to him. “A second chance… if you will. To right the wrongs and die without regrets. It’s something mortals can only dream of.”

The stallion gritted his teeth and snarled at her.

“How deplorably naïve…” he sharply replied, immediately taking his eyes off of her. “You lecture me on how your own actions have done harm to mortals and then preach to me about second chances?! Do you even listen to what you say? Do you even think about it?”

“That’s not…” 

“Keep your ‘second chances’ to yourself. I knew the consequences of my actions and I accepted them. If history remembers me as a monster, forgetting all that I did beforehoof, so be it.”

“You really don’t regret any of it?” the mare pressed while moving towards him. “Did your actions not cause you any pain?”

“Need I remind you that it was YOUR actions that caused ME pain?” he lashed back, causing her to freeze in place. “Forget it, Celes. Your intentions are noted, but I’ve no reason to respect them. I have my goal, and you are not swaying me from it.”

“But…” the mare looked down and shuddered. “But…”

“You might as well add this to the growing list of your ‘decisions’ that have blown up in your face. Your solution to your ‘actions’ doing harm was yet another ‘action’ that will ultimately do more harm than what you’re trying to fight against if I get my way. How does that make you feel? I doubt you even took a single moment to think it through.”

“I…” the mare bit her lip and gritted her teeth.

“Welcome to reality, O great goddess of the sun…” the stallion said sarcastically. “I don’t care how long you’ve existed. You have no respect or awareness for actions that have consequences. I honestly can’t believe that you really just offered me a ‘reset’ as if it’s really that easy to erase a past. When you make your bed, you have to sleep in it.”

The stallion stood up and walked past Soarin, moving away from the mare. She remained still, staring down at the ground as the stallion’s words sunk into her deep. She shook her head, and took a deep breath as she slowly looked up.

“So… I guess that’s it then,” she said, causing him to stop. “I concede defeat. This chance I took… it has been a complete failure and as a result, I’ve made the life of a good stallion a living hell,” she said while looking at Soarin in between them. “I should have just let him die… I would have saved him a lot of pain and suffering, and you would have still been contained within me. I don’t know if my power would have been enough to solve this conflict, but at least it would have had my full, undivided attention.”

“You’re finally getting it… but it’s too little, too late,” the stallion reminded her.

“I know,” the mare shot right back. “But it was you who just told me… I’ve made my bed, so I intend to sleep in it,” she reached a hoof forward and stomped it to the ground, causing a loud CRACK and the white light of the surrounding area to pulsate. “If you go through with this… if you gain an opening to seize control of Soarin… I will help him resist you.”

“Heh,” the stallion scoffed. “Even with only a fraction of your power?”

“Even with only a fraction of my power,” she growled.

“Then you will fail,” the stallion turned to keep moving.

“And you will have to kill me.”

The stallion stopped again, but after a moment, he put his head down and snickered. 

“You really do take me for a fool…” he turned around and tipped his head. “You could call upon your full power whenever you’d like, but you refuse to do so because it will destroy Soarin… and both of us. I know self-preservation when I see it. I’m calling your bluff. You wouldn’t risk your life like that. Not with more at stake for Equestria. Would you really take yourself out to stop me? I thought your goal was to stop whatever this enemy you keep referring to is. Honestly, what good did you think would come from fighting something dangerous…” he paused while placing a hoof on his chest. “With something you consider MORE dangerous?” he shook his head. “You immortals are so short-sighted… You want to know why I feel I won’t make your mistakes? Because I have the judgment of somepony without the luxury of unlimited time. When life is short, you are forced to develop judgment. I can see through everything you say and claim. The more you talk to me like you know better, the less inclined I am to believe a word you say.”

“Am I bluffing?” the mare glared. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say I’m calling yours.”

The stallion opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing, flattening his brow as he closed it.

“I don’t think you would be willing to kill me if I stood in your way. You’ve seen first-hoof how long I’ve held onto my feelings for you… I wonder if you have truly shed your feelings for me. After all… you didn’t protest when we resonated and bonded through Soarin and Rainbow Dash.”

The air around them went quiet as they locked eyes and battled wills again, but they were interrupted as Soarin began to stir between them. The stallion snorted as he turned away.

“I guess we shall see who is bluffing who… all in due time…”





“Oooo… Oh…” Soarin groaned as he opened his eyes, coughing as he picked his chin up off the floor. His vision was blurry for a moment, and his head felt like it was splitting in two with one of the worst headaches and dizzy spells he had ever had in his life. He must’ve hit his head pretty hard, which would explain the headache. Probably been out for a short while too because he was hearing the voices in his head again. They were muffled, the words inaudible to him, but he could hear them conversing and arguing again about something.

He felt something heavy on his back, the metal scraping and clanging that sounded out when he moved quickly telling him that he had some sort of machinery on him. 

“HHHNNNRRGGGG!!!! Ahhhhh…” Soarin grunted as he pushed himself up, several bangs and clangs ringing out as a control panel slid off of him. He reached up to touch his head, his hoof brushing against a tattered portion of his suit. He pushed it up with his hoof to see the mask portion of his suit hanging down from his face, nearly torn to pieces. Yeah he definitely hit his head, that was the only way to explain the ripped mask too, hopefully the horn was fine. He was still too dizzy to get a good close look at it.

“Soarin!” Fleetfoot’s voice caught Soarin’s ears as he shook his head and mane out, his vision finally clearing up and he blinked and looked around. His initial thoughts about being covered in broken parts had him worried, but as he got a look around and saw Fleetfoot standing in the doorway to the bridge. She ran towards him, letting the door swing shut behind her. Soarin breathed a preemptive sigh of relief.

Spitfire, Blaze, Fire Streak, Squad Zero, the unicorns… they were all up and moving about, helping anypony that may have been stuck or trapped, but nopony looked hurt. It brought him pause, but he made sure not to get too comfortable with it, because he’d only rest easy once he made sure everypony down below was alright as well.

“I’m fine,” Soarin quickly said as Fleetfoot stopped a few paces from him. He didn’t want anypony fretting over him since he was perfectly fine aside from a headache. Even though this was easily the worst, he had had so many headaches recently that they were becoming a natural occurrence and didn’t bother him quite as much anymore. He could feel the warm air of the badlands coming through the broken windshield nearby. There was an eerie calm about the surroundings, but compared to all the shaking, rattling, and explosions during their escape, anything quiet would seem that way. From the looks of things, they managed to land without the place breaking to pieces and since they were not frantically moving about, they had eluded the Shadowbolts… for now. For the time being it seemed like they had earned a moment of respite. And after the crazy scenario they had just gone through? That would be welcome.

Soarin looked over to see Lucky lying on the floor, looking up at the ceiling and breathing steadily.

“Are we there yet…?” Lucky said in a tired, silly, hysterical tone. Soarin chuckled before cringing again, a hoof going right to his head. 

Scratch that, this headache was… pretty damn bad, and actually bothering him. He wondered why it hurt so much… and didn’t Fleetfoot just approach him? Why hadn’t she said anything yet?

“Fleet?” Soarin said her name as he turned back to look at her, but she wasn’t looking him in the eye. She was staring wide eyed slightly ABOVE his eyes.

“Uh… Soarin…” she pointed at his horn. Soarin looked up, wincing as he did due to his head throbbing, but his eyes widened regardless when he saw it.

“Oh…” Soarin gritted his teeth as he quickly noticed what had her attention. The cracks in the horn had gotten larger. They now extended all the way to the base of the horn. “That’s… not good.” Even Soarin wasn’t going to try and spin it in his favor. He must have hit it again as they crashed and it didn’t look good. It was holding together, but if his headache was any indication he had just made his chances of being allowed into action again even worse.

Not that it seemed to matter… because the amount of shouting he was about to do at Spitfire for holding him down when Dash was in danger was probably going to get him grounded even longer, or at least she would try.

“It looks worse,” Fleetfoot spoke up as she hovered up and looked at the horn closer. Soarin quickly stepped away and reached out a hoof to pushed her back by the nose.

“Okay, okay… not you too, Spitfire’s already going to give me more hell for this,” he grumbled. Fleetfoot pouted as she landed.

“Since when am I not allowed to worry about you?” she asked while stepping towards him and poking him in the chest. “I care about you too, you know.” She reminded him. Soarin sighed as he continued to rub his forehead.

“Sorry,” he apologized while looking past her towards Spitfire, who was still fretting over the unicorn staff members and helping any others that were stuck. “First Dash, now you… both of you are being alright about it. I’m just pissed at Spitfire right now.”

“I didn’t notice,” Fleetfoot said sarcastically while rolling her eyes. “But… she’s stressed you know?”

“Doesn’t matter, she’s keeping things from me and she’s somepony I trust not to do that…” Soarin trailed off, perking up as Spitfire suddenly turned and rushed out of the bridge. Fleetfoot looked just in time to see her leave as well. “Look, I don’t want to talk about it,” Soarin began again as Fire Streak and Blaze both followed after Spitfire. “You came up from below, right? Is everypony okay?”

“I… uh…” Fleetfoot rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “I kind of, didn’t even look. The moment we stopped moving I rushed right up here to make sure you guys were okay.”

“How about we go down then,” Soarin suggested, still rubbing his head. “I want to make sure Rainbow Da—Everypony is fine.”

“I heard that,” Fleetfoot said while lifting her brow as the two turned to follow after Spitfire as well.

“Whatever, let’s go…” Soarin grumbled. He was worried about the others despite the Rainbow Dash slip of the tongue, but he wasn’t looking forward to what was going to come right after. There was going to be a little confrontation with Spitfire… and it probably wasn’t going to be pretty.





Soarin fought off the pain in his head the best he could as he and Fleetfoot glided down around the pillar sticking through the broken staircase. With the Nimbus now at rest, the ease of flight had returned, much to his approval. With the way his head hurt, he doubted he could have focused enough to fly against the motion. Fleetfoot kept glancing back at him as they slowly made their way down, never once looking him in the eye, each time focusing on the horn. While it was a little frustrating, Soarin was okay with it. Fleetfoot was just showing concern in a similar fashion to Dash. She wasn’t making a huge deal about it, confronting him, or making it an integral part of the overarching planning process… like a certain lead captain was.

As they reached the bottom, the scene was similar to the bridge. Ponies all strewn about, slowly picking themselves up while wincing and groaning… only on a much larger scale and with a clear absence of overturned mechanical control stations. 

The first thing they saw upon landing was Spitfire rushing around and checking on everypony with Blaze and Fire Streak doing the same. Blaze immediately found High Winds, diving into her and hugging her. Fire clearly wanted to do the same for Misty, but held back in favor of remaining professional and taking count of his entire squad. However, Soarin’s eyes immediately drifted, looking for a specific mane as always. 

As usual, it didn’t take long to spot, but it was also easy because she was right beside a large griffon and a divine alicorn. Soarin breathed a sigh of relief as he saw both Dash and Luna. Luna looked… incredibly hurt, but she was alive. She was unconscious, a faint stream of blue light rising from her horn and beneath her eyelids. Soarin was even more relieved to see Dash was mostly unscathed. It’s not that he didn’t care about Luna at all… Dash just kinda, sorta… had her spirit tied to his and he’d die if she did… It made her his highest priority among other reasons to say the least.

“Descent! Blazetail!” Spitfire’s voice caused Soarin’s ears to tilt as he started moving. He looked over as he walked, watching as Spitfire and Descent helped Blazetail stand up, the old retired Wonderbolt groaning and cracking several joints. Soarin stopped momentarily to watch.

“Ah!” Blazetail looked up and around frantically the moment he was up. “Head count… HEAD COUNT!” he called out, looking around, making a hoof motion to Pixie and Fairy, the closest Renegades. They both nodded and immediately went around. “Where is my wife?!” Blazetail added as he shoved off Descent, nearly falling right back down to the ground.

“I’m right here…” Flashwind called out, pulling Blazetail’s attention to his left as she limped over to him.

“Flash!” he quickly moved over to her and grabbed her by the shoulder, propping her up.

“Honey, I’m fine,” Flashwind said with a light chuckle as she reached up and squeezed his hoof. “Gonna have—ah…” she cringed. “Very large bruise on my left leg, but I’ll manage.”

Blazetail frowned as he looked his wife over, leaning to the right to see his wife holding her left back hoof off the floor. He quickly turned around and looked for the twin mares. They were still going around, taking count.

“Descent,” Blazetail spoke up as he looked over his shoulder at him. “Do you have all the Shadowbolts?” 

“Just sent Starry around,” Descent nodded. “It looks like we have everypony… but I want to make sure.”

Both of them turned to Spitfire. Spitfire took a deep breath and turned to Fire Streak. 

“Fire?” she simply said his name. Fire Streak, who was nearby with his squad, immediately nodded and saluted. 

“Right away,” he said as he turned and gave orders to his squad to streamline the process.

Spitfire looked at Soarin the moment Fire left, but Soarin immediately turned his head away to distort her view of the horn. He didn’t know what she did next, if she stayed still or followed him, but he immediately began moving as if he was never looking. He would put off any crap about his horn for as long as he could, which… was silly considering that he was approaching Luna, but he cared less about that and more about Rainbow Dash.

Dash was sitting on the floor, her back up against Matteo, who laid flat on his stomach, panting. Squall was also sitting against the bulk of the large griffon with Luna lying on her side beside them. Twister was laying on his back, over Matteo’s back, snoring fast asleep with one of Matteo’s large black feathers floating above his mouth that got sucked towards him every time he breathed in and pushed back into the air every time he breathed out.

Soarin kept his eyes on Twister for only a moment before diverting a hundred and twenty percent of his focus to Rainbow Dash, who was panting and wheezing, head down with her mane covering her eyes, and a hoof over her heart? Soarin bit his lip when he saw her hoof position, but knowing their connection, it likely had to do with the state of his horn and the splitting headache that he was still fighting.

He readied to say her name as he moved towards her. But before he could, her ears twitched and perked up. She looked up, revealing a very exhausted pair of eyes behind the dusty lenses of her goggles. Her open, panting mouth quickly turned up into a smile, but it only lasted for a moment as she gasped. 

“Soarin…” she said his name weakly as she pulled her goggles off of her head and dropped them to the floor beside her. Soarin sighed as he saw the positioning of her eyes. Just like Fleetfoot, she was looking right at the horn, but he didn’t feel the need to mentally prepare to repel any verbal assaults, he knew what Dash’s approach would be and it was not the same as Spitfire’s. However, when she stood, Soarin picked up his pace to reach her before she could say anything.

“Dash…” he said with concern in his voice.

“The horn, it’s—”

“I know, just… hold on a second,” Soarin halted her, touching her face and looking her over, fighting back his headache as he made sure she was okay. He took a deep breath and sighed, letting his head tip down and rest his chin stop her nose. “I mean…” he spoke up. “I’m alive… so I know you’re fine, but… for Celestia’s sake, Dash… you scared the hell out of me.”

“Oh…” Dash’s ears flopped down as she glanced away, reaching up and wrapping an arm around Soarin’s neck to hug him. “Sorry, I…” she shifted her cheek as she rested it against his, glancing at Luna. “When I saw Luna falling, I just acted, I couldn’t just…” she trailed off as she stared at Luna, lying still, but breathing.

“I know how you think,” Soarin reminded her with a brief smile. “Still scared me.”

Dash pulled back and looked up to Soarin’s forehead. Soarin instinctively looked away, but Dash grabbed his chin. 

“Soarin, let me see it,” she demanded in a soft voice with a firm undertone. Soarin exhaled through his nostrils as he reluctantly turned and dipped it to let her see the new damage. She cringed when she looked at it, her eyes examining the cracks that, while not necessarily new, now extended all the way down the horn. “That’s—”

“Bad, I know… and my head hurts, and all the usual crap,” Soarin said as he forced his head back away. Dash immediately furrowed her brow.

“Soarin, stop it. I’m not going to chain you to a wall, I’m just concerned,” she told him sternly as she poked him in the chest. 

“I know…” Soarin said with a grunt. “Guess I’ve just got a hair trigger right now. I know Spitfire is going to give me hell about it.” He looked back at Dash to see her gritting her teeth and glancing between his eyes and the horn. Soarin’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “Oh no… no no no, not you too…”

“Look, Soarin,” Dash started as she narrowed her eyes into a serious stare, placing a hoof softly against his chest. “I was… okay when Discord said that the horn was fine, but now it looks even worse. Until I hear otherwise, I may have to agree with Spitfire a little…” she trailed off and pouted as Soarin glared at her. “I said A LITTLE, Soarin. I just want to make sure nothing bad happens to you. You know that, don’t forget my life is tied to yours in more ways than one…”

Soarin’s glare faded and he sighed tipping his head down. Dash’s life was tied to his… that was something they had lived with for a little while now. It gave Dash more leverage to convince him otherwise on certain subjects and she was milking it here. He knew that Dash wasn’t Spitfire. He knew that if he were to take action to save others she would do the same thing, unlike Spitfire who recruited Squad Zero to pin him to the floor. 

Dash loved him, and he loved her. There was a mutual understanding between them and he knew Dash wouldn’t exploit their connection for personal gain or leverage. It was just as much about the fact that she loved him as it was about her own survival, maybe even more.

“I can’t accept that…”

“Soarin…” Dash grunted, pouting harder as she put her other hoof up on his chest as well.

“But, for both of us, I promise you that I won't act unless I absolutely have to… or if it’s for the sake of your safety. Unless those conditions arise, you have my word that I will be as careful as possible,” Soarin assured her.

Dash immediately realized what he did. She scrunched her face as she broke it down. He basically promised to remain out of danger as long as she did… but that meant he didn’t want her in danger either. 

“Well played…” Dash said while smirking and lifting an eyebrow.

“Who me?” Soarin snickered as he looked away, but Dash propped her hooves up on top of his shoulders.

“Look, I’m just glad we’re both alive… let’s keep it that way, okay?” she said as she started leaning forward, moving her lips towards his. Soarin glanced past her briefly to see Squall groaning and rolling his eyes as Dash readied to kiss him. Soarin held in a chuckle, ready to meet Dash’s lips half-way.

“Captain!” Pixie and Fairy both yelled at the same time while flying over the top of Soarin and Dash. Soarin’s attention was instantly pulled away. Dash blinked and frowned, but she noticed Soarin watching the twin sisters fly towards Blazetail. 

“Sorry,” Soarin said as he looked back at Dash. “Excuse me…” he reluctantly pulled away as he turned and trotted towards the captains to hear the headcount reports. Any disappointment from Dash faded quickly and was replaced with curiosity. If something was important enough to pull Soarin away from kissing her… she wanted to know what was happening too. She left Luna and her squad behind, following close behind Soarin, approaching Spitfire, Descent, and Blazetail.

Dash flinched and stopped, nearly bumping into Soarin’s plot as he came to a halt about ten paces away. She blinked and shifted beside him, for a moment wondering why he didn’t keep going, but she quickly recalled he was less than enthusiastic about Spitfire confronting him about the horn. So from their spot, they listened in.

“Pixie… Fairy…” Blazetail removed his hoof from around Flashwind and turned towards them as the twins landed. “Well…?” 

The twins both looked at each other for a moment… a long moment. Eventually, in a break from their usual synced movements, Fairy shuddered and lightly waved a hoof at her sister. Pixie frowned as she watched her sister turn away. She took a deep breath as she turned to face Blazetail.

“We…” she began slowly, hearing her without her sister either finishing or speaking with her was strange, adding an extra element to what was clearly not good news. “We lost one.” 

Soarin gritted his teeth, Dash’s ears flopping down as the two listened in. They both watched Blazetail. He remained stoic, sighing and closing his eyes. 

“Who?” he asked.

“Graceful Gust…” Pixie clarified, swallowing as he voice almost cracked.

“I see…” Blazetail turned away, running right into an open arm of his wife. She looked up at him, brushing a hoof against his cheek. “I’m fine… it’s… definitely not the first time,” the old captain grasped his wife’s hoof as he looked back to see Pixie hugging her sister. Bomber approached the two twins, a very sad look on his innocent face as he bent down and gently picked up the twins, hugging them both. 

“Descent…” Starry’s voice came from above. Soarin and Dash tore their focus away from the old Wonderbolts. Descent said nothing as he turned away from Spitfire and looked up towards Starry. She landed in front of him, but unlike the Renegade twins, she didn’t even hesitate.

“Raptor and Dozer. We have everypony else,” she said without a smidgen of sorrow in her voice. 

Soarin flinched as he felt Dash grab his arm. She hadn’t moved from her position, but he looked down to see her reaching out and gripping his arm tightly. Soarin looked at her for a moment before returning his eyes to Descent.

“Hmm…” Descent hummed in response. He, like Starry, showed no emotional response, but he turned away and looked down. “Unfortunate… they were fine warriors. May they rest in peace,” he spoke with strength in his voice, showing his resolve in the face of loss and his experience in dealing with losing those he fought beside. 

Dash’s grip on Soarin grew tighter, and he knew exactly why. The Renegades had lost three… a former Wonderbolt and two defected Shadowbolts. It was a shock. They had already lost a small number of ponies throughout the conflict, one of which Dash still felt slightly responsible for, but despite Descent’s lack of reaction, Dash was certain, that even if she had his amount of experience, she would never get used to knowing that ponies she had fought beside were now… gone.

But that was just a part of it, Soarin knew there was one specific thing on her mind… and it wouldn’t be answered until…

“Captain Spitfire!” 

“Hrnk!” Soarin grunted, Dash pressing to his side and squeezing his arm even tighter as Fire Streak flew over their heads with Surprise, Misty, and Lightning all following behind. Soarin quickly unfolded a wing and closed it over the top of Dash as they awaited Fire’s report.

Squad Three had their backs turned to them as they landed, but Spitfire’s reaction when she faced them was enough to tell Soarin and Dash… that the news wasn’t good.

“I… don’t like that look,” Spitfire said to Fire Streak. Fire was trying to remain strong, but he couldn’t shake a slight frown. His squad wasn’t helping. Anytime Misty didn’t smile was a problem. Surprise had already sat down, ears flopped down and hair slightly deflated. Lightning Streak refused to make eye contact with Spitfire. Spitfire took a deep breath, focusing on Fire as Fleetfoot approached to listen in. “Report.”

She braced herself, several others nearby also listening. Soarin and Dash didn’t even move.

Fire closed his eyes.

“Three.”

Spitfire flinched as Fleetfoot gasped loudly beside her. Spitfire glanced at Fleet as she shuddered and staggered backwards, looking back at Fire as she failed to hold back some shaking of her own. 

“Names and squads,” Spitfire remained professional despite the news. Fire Streak opened his eyes, the corner of his mouth subtly quivering.

“Ember, Squad Nine. Ranger, Squad Fourteen. Black Bird, Squad Twenty,” Fire listed them off. 

Spitfire kept her eyes on him for a moment, her ears turning as she heard the sound of a plot hitting the floor behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Fleetfoot sitting on the floor, a hoof over her mouth and her eyes wide as she shivered.

Spitfire turned back, spreading her wings and lifting off, hovering up to take a look around. Her eyes moved about, locating Squad Nine, Squad Fourteen, and Squad Twenty. The three remaining members of Nine and Fourteen were already huddled together, embracing one another with their goggles on the floor, post Wonderbolt sendoff salute. She looked over as Squad Twenty stepped back from each other, removed their goggles, and dropped them to the floor, spreading their wings as they looked up. Two of the remaining already with faint traces of tears streaming down their faces.

Spitfire couldn’t bear to look at them. She refused to show weakness. Loss was something Wonderbolts had to deal with in times of conflict. Her family atmosphere project had its benefits, but one downside was much, much more pain when a member of the family fell.

But something else pushed her thoughts aside… Something, that if confirmed… was going to make her REALLY angry. She quickly dropped back to the floor and turned to Fire Streak. Fire blinked as Spitfire rushed up to him and got right in his face.

“Fire Streak.”

“C-captain?” Fire acknowledged her as her eyes narrowed.

“I’m going to ask you something… and I want you to be COMPLETELY transparent and honest with me,” she began. Fire swallowed and held himself firm as he nodded.

“Of course, ma’am,” he acknowledged. Spitfire pressed a hoof to his chest.

“Were Ember, Ranger, and Black Bird… all present in the lobby BEFORE the move was made to rescue Luna?” she asked very harshly. Fire Streak’s eyes widened, his mouth hanging slightly agape for a brief moment as the question surprised him. He swallowed and started looking over his shoulder, but Spitfire reached up, grabbed his chin and pulled him back. “FIRE.”

“Y… uh…” Fire stumbled over his words. “Ember and Black Bird, they were both present before we launched the final time. I don’t know about Ranger.”

Spitfire’s bottom right eyelid twitched as Fire answered. She let go of him and looked past him sharply at Surprise and Lightning Streak, ignoring Misty. 

“And you two?! Did you see Ranger!?” she asked, her voice rising. Lightning Streak’s mouth was shut tight, he just shook his head quickly. Spitfire’s eyes landed squarely on Surprise, who was tucking her neck as far into her shoulder as she could.

“Um…” Surprise squeaked. “Ranger was… right next to me before I followed behind the rest…” she admitted.

Spitfire barely waited for her to finish, she turned and looked at Descent. 

“Raptor and Dozer? Were they in here?” she demanded. Descent narrowed her eyes at her.

“Raptor yes, I don’t know about—”

“Dozer was here…” Lightning Dust spoke up from off to the side. “But, why?”

Spitfire turned away from her and looked at Blazetail and Flashwind. 

“Graceful Gust?!” she yelled simply. Blazetail and Flashwind both shook their heads, but Valkyrie cleared her throat.

“Yes… she was here before we—”

Everypony flinched, as Spitfire stomped a hoof to the floor so hard that it chipped the tiles beneath it. 

It took Soarin a moment to realize what was happening… and why Spitfire was asking. He looked down at Dash, his eyes widening considerably when he noticed that she was as stiff as a statue, frozen in place, mouth hanging slightly ajar.

The six ponies that died… were all killed as they were saving Luna.

“Ah!” Soarin flinched as something suddenly roughly bumped into him. He barely had enough time to look as Spitfire rushed at him, reached her hoof under his wing and grabbed Rainbow Dash by the chest of her suit. Before Soarin could do anything, Spitfire roughly pushed Dash right out from beneath his wing, Dash yelping as Spitfire drove her backwards, Dash’s hooves skidding along the floor until Spitfire pushed her all the way against the mail counter. Dash’s plot was forced to the floor and her front hooves were pushed up as Spitfire applied all of her force against Dash’s chest, holding her firmly against the metal counter.

Dash’s pupils nearly disappeared, shrinking as she stared into Spitfire’s eyes. She was glaring fiercely, her eyes filled with rage as her breath hissed through her nostrils. Not even Silver Lining had ever given Dash a look that send chills of fear down her spine like the one Spitfire was forcing upon her.

“DASH…” Spitfire’s voice was harsh with a low growl hidden in her tone. “THIS… IS WHY… YOU FOLLOW… MY ORDERS!” she yelled right into Dash’s face. Dash’s heartbeat quickened, sweat began running down her forehead, and little squeaks escaped the back of her throat as she felt an untamed pressure pushed upon her. “You DELIBERATELY ignored them… and now six ponies are DEAD! FOUR OF THEM WONDERBOLTS!”

“AH!” Dash cringed as she felt Spitfire’s pressure on her increase.





“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!” she yelled. 

It wasn’t wild, it wasn’t out of control… and that was what terrified Dash. Spitfire was imposing her voice of authority, grinding it into Dash that she was not pleased with her actions. In fact, she was LIVID. She had been yelled at by Silver in a similar manner, but this was different. This wasn’t a little training mishap… 

Six ponies had died. Apparently they all died after following her out to save Luna. However, Dash was barely able to concentrate on that shock, instead facing the controlled wrath of their lead captain. Spitfire’s eyes cut deep into her, letting Dash know that Spitfire felt the six deaths were entirely her fault and her blame to shoulder. She didn’t know what to say or do… or how to feel. Her actions led to them saving Luna… but at a cost that Spitfire found unacceptable. She wanted to defend her actions, but she was being completely overwhelmed.

“HEY!” Soarin yelled as he turned and readied to rush towards them, but he yelped as Something tugged on his tail. He quickly turned around and saw Fire Streak letting go of his tail. Fire quickly turned his full attention to Sarin, held up a hoof and shook his head.

“Let me handle this,” he said quickly, but Soarin wasn’t having it.

“She saves Luna and THIS is what she gets?!” Soarin growled. He looked past Fire to see Fleetfoot trot up and grab Spitfire by the shoulder.

“Captain… go easy…” she tried to cut in but Spitfire turned and glared at Fleetfoot without taking any pressure off of Dash.

“I’ll get to you!” Spitfire snapped at Fleetfoot. “I’m curious how you forgot my orders were to bring Dash back! Not to join in her reckless act!”

“What?!” Fleetfoot reacted, throwing her hooves up. “I only slowed down when I saw they were actually gonna catch Luna! At that point the rest of the Wonderbolts were already out there, what the hell was I supposed to do? HEY! I’M TALKING TO YOU!” Fleetfoot yelled, but Spitfire had turned her attention back to Dash.

Soarin growled, ready to go give Spitfire a piece of his mind, but Fire reached up and firmly pressed his hoof against Soarin’s shoulder.

“Sir! Please! Trust me!” he requested.

Soarin blinked, tipping his head, but didn’t say anything else. Fire shifted aside and trotted over towards Rainbow Dash and Spitfire. Spitfire was still grilling her as Fire approached.

“I don’t know what part of your training gave you the idea that you can question my orders…”

“Captain!” Fire yelled as he approached and lightly coaxed Fleetfoot to move aside, but Spitfire paid him no notice.

“BUT THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE! AND NOW—!”

“CAPTAIN!” Fire Streak, in a bold move, stepped beside them and pushed his hooves in between them, only managing to push Spitfire a little bit, but it was enough to get her attention. She said nothing, she only redirected her incredibly strong gaze to Fire, but Fire held himself firm. “Captain…” Fire said calmly, keeping a serious expression on his face. “If I may be so bold… you should not entirely blame Rainbow Dash for what happened.”

Everything went completely silent. Spitfire stared at Fire Streak as he held himself in her glare. Everypony else around the lobby was watching them, the faint breathing squeaks of Rainbow Dash the only audible sounds.

“I’m listening…” Spitfire finally said, her eyes fixed on Fire, but kept her iron grip on Dash’s suit. Fire cleared his throat as he took a single step backwards.

“Dash is not innocent of instigating the launch. She disobeyed direct orders and flew out on her own, her whole squad following behind her,” Fire began. 

Dash shivered as he spoke, feeling Spitfire’s hoof squeak against her suit tighter as Fire mentioned her launch.

“However… the first thing I did after she and her squad left was give the order with my authority as the third captain… that no pony was to follow and everypony was to stick to your orders,” Fire glanced over at his squad. “Believe me, I gave Misty the very same order with the sign language… but mere seconds after I did, she shook her head and rushed out to follow Dash.”

Dash stopped shivering, blinking as she felt Spitfire’s grip loosen as well. 

Misty was the first to follow?

Even after she punched Fire?

“Then…” Fire continued with a sigh. “My brother and Surprise followed right behind her. And before I knew it, several other Wonderbolts were rushing forward and taking flight… leading to the Renegades joining in. Before long I was… the only pony left in the lobby, and flew the coop with the rest while cursing myself.”

Dash was listening to Fire, but her eyes were locked on Spitfire. She had calmed down quickly. She was not free of anger, but she had stopped forcing it towards Dash.

“So it pains me to say… that every single Wonderbolt ended up disobeying direct orders. They were rallied by Rainbow Dash, and through our efforts… we saved Princess Luna, and…” he paused while holding up a hoof. “Because we did, Luna was able to give us one more chance to escape, probably a better chance than we would have had if Dash had not made the brazen move. It came with… a cost, but those who died, did so while doing their duty. They put themselves in harm’s way intentionally. Chastise Dash for not following orders… but I must implore you not to blame her for those we lost.”

Dash exhaled as the strain on her suit faded, Spitfire letting go the moment Fire Streak finished. Dash fell forward, landing back on her front hooves. She looked up, freezing again as her eyes met Spitfire’s. The anger was gone from them, but they still held a strength that pressed down against Dash.

Then Spitfire looked away, her eyes slowly moving towards the three squads who had just lost one of their members. They had come together, huddled up with their goggles in a pile within them. They were all looking towards her. Spitfire examined their faces. They were holding strong. A few tears were falling, but none of them had broken down. A mare from Squad Twenty suddenly sniffled, looked down and quivered, but the moment she did the other eight ponies immediately turned to her, offering a comforting hoof or wing. The mare shook her head, looking back up and swallowing as she wiped away the tears.

Other Wonderbolts began heading towards them to offer their support, creating a large group surrounding the squads as they all dealt with the shock of losing a precious wingmate. But it was how they were dealing with it that struck Spitfire the most. They understood where they were, they knew the situation, and they were not breaking under pressure. 

“Hmmmmmph…” Spitfire released a long grunt as she looked back at Dash one more time. Dash gulped as their eyes met again, Fire may have ‘saved’ her, but that didn’t change the fact that Dash disobeyed orders… again. There were bound to be consequences. “We’ll talk LATER,” Spitfire said sharply while narrowing her eyes.

Dash flinched and cringed, but Spitfire turned away from her and moved the large group forming around the three squads.

Dash’s back legs gave way, dropping her to her plot as she exhaled and finally found the time to breathe. She looked up as Soarin rushed towards her, pushing past Fire Streak as he bent down to check on her. Fire Streak remained in place, looking between Spitfire and Dash as Soarin looked her over.

“Grrr…” Soarin growled quietly as he glanced towards Spitfire. Dash blinked as she finally looked up at Soarin. She wanted to tell him not to be angry at Spitfire. She disobeyed direct orders and six ponies died. She felt Spitfire’s reaction was mostly justified despite saving Luna. She didn’t want Soarin to have more reasons to be angry at the lead captain. The two of them already had enough disagreements going between them between the horn and whether or not Soarin should enter combat. She decided to distract Soarin…

“Hngh…” she grunted as she stood up, acting more shaken than she actually was to get Soarin to look back at her. “Ah…” she exhaled, leaning against him. Soarin quickly turned to support her, but didn’t say anything. Dash looked him in the eyes and shook her head. 

She was, honestly, a little scared of herself at the moment. When Midnight of Squad Six was killed after she collided with her in the heat of battle, she felt like everything was crashing down on top of her. They just lost six… SIX… and the shock wasn’t nearly as strong. Had she already accepted it so easily? Wonderbolts have a sworn duty to fight and protect Equestria… and sometimes, in the line of duty… they die. Perhaps Silver’s words to her after the death of Midnight sunk deep into her head. It was part of the job. 

But that didn’t mean she was okay with it. She never would be.

“How do you handle it?” Dash suddenly asked Soarin.

“What?” Soarin tipped his head as he held onto her. She looked down and shuddered.

“How do you handle… losing ponies? How do you get used to it?” she clarified. Soarin’s ears flopped down and he sighed.

“I never have,” he replied quickly. “And I never will… None of us will.” Soarin placed a wing over Dash as he looked down at her, but blinked as she pulled away and slipped right out from beneath it. She walked towards Fire Streak, who had his back turned to her as Misty approached from the other side. He was looking at Misty, but when she stopped and looked over his shoulder at Dash, he too glanced back.

“Fire St—Er, Captain,” Dash began weakly, switching from her usual friendly exchange style with Squad Three to formal. She stopped right in her tracks as Fire gave her a look that she had never seen from him before, one of disapproval and a little frustration. 

“What?” he asked in a harsh, hard tone that made Dash cringe as he turned to face her. Regardless, she continued.

“I just wanted—, I mean…” Dash stumbled over her words. “Thanks for… that. With Spitfire, I didn’t know what to—”

“Save it,” Fire Streak hissed, causing her to freeze and immediately stop talking. Her eyes were open as wide as possible as Fire glared at her. “I only reported as I saw it all happen. I didn’t do any of that for you,” he snorted and turned his eyes away from her. “The only favor I did was leaving out the part where you punched a superior officer.”

Dash’s lip began to quiver, not out of sadness or an emotional outburst, but because she felt like she had really screwed a lot of things up. In the heat of the moment she made so many split-second, questionable decisions, but she couldn’t just do that… she was a Wonderbolt, she had to keep a level head at all times, or at least the best she could. If she wanted to keep being a Wonderbolt, she had to keep herself in check.

“Eep!” she squeaked as Fire suddenly took a step towards her and poked his hoof roughly against her chest, narrowing his glare further as he got right in her face.

“Don’t EVER… do that again. Understand?” he growled as Dash inched her head backwards. Dash swallowed and nodded.

“Y-yes sir…” she quickly replied. 

Misty Fly stepped up behind Fire and began reaching her hoof out to his shoulder, but he turned and trudged away before she could touch him. She looked at Dash, staring blankly for a moment before giving her a slightly flat look. Dash was probably lucky that was all she got… since she punched Misty’s stallion, but she was the first one to follow Dash out so maybe that helped her case a little. Misty’s flat look turned into a pout as she turned and quickly followed behind Fire, leaving Dash behind, shaking and contemplating everything she had just done.

She sat down again, letting her head hang. Her eyes moved back and forth along the floor before her as she thought about everything. She did what she thought was right… maybe some of the ways she did so were not well thought out… such as punching a top tier captain, but did she make the right choice? Should she have just left Luna out there? Would Luna have died or not?

She sighed as she saw a shadow appear beside her. She glanced up only a little to see Soarin’s leg. He simply sat down beside her, not offering any words or touching her. Dash picked her head up further to look at his face, but he wasn’t looking at her, he was sitting like she was, contemplating what had happened. Only, he wore a more serious and angered expression that her. She could tell he was likely holding back some strong words for Fire Streak, but despite Soarin currently being a little pissed off at just about everything, he was still a lead squad commander, and had to show at least some restraint. He couldn’t show favor to her, especially her being a recruit and Fire Streak being a third captain. In fact, she was certain that if they were not a couple, he likely would be berating her right now for half of her decisions.

They had gone from a situation that was out of control to a situation full of somewhat fractured trust and friendships… The conflict seemed to be taking a real toll. The possibility of getting killed was still as high as ever, but should they survive, could they make it to the Crystal Empire without breaking from within?

Dash looked up at the group surrounding the three Wonderbolt squads, her eyes shifting over to see the retired Wonderbolts gathering to comfort each other over the loss of one of their own. She then looked towards the defected Shadowbolts. Descent wasn’t showing it, but she had learned enough about him to know he respected those who fought beside him. Lightning Dust and Storm Front kept trying to approach him, but Starry kept pulling them both back to leave Descent alone.

“Everypony listen up…” Spitfire suddenly spoke as she rose up from the group, drawing everypony’s attention towards her. All traces of anger were gone, instead replaced with a serious, professional look that she directed towards everypony. “I know this is a lot to ask in a moment like this… but we must stay focused. We can’t afford to pause and mourn losses right now.” It looked hard for her to say such a thing, but as eyes turned towards her, faces hardened and ears listened. “Regroup with your squads and rest until further orders. We’ll pay our respects to the fallen once we’re out of harm’s way.” She lowered herself down, specifically right near Squad Nine, Fourteen, and Twenty. She approached them as they all stood attention despite what they were going through. Spitfire looked each one of them in the eye for at least five seconds each before nodding at all of them. She removed her goggles, dropped them on the floor in front of her, spread her wings, and looked towards the ceiling. She held the sendoff salute for a moment or two before looking back down at them. “Stay strong for us… and for them,” she encouraged. They all saluted her through any wayward tears and regrets.

“Move! MOVE!” Bliss’ voice suddenly echoed throughout the lobby. 

Dash and Soarin looked away from Spitfire to see Bliss pushing her way through the crowd.

“Where’s Luna?!” she demanded as everypony instantly began moving aside for her. Dash looked back over towards her Squad, Matteo scooting himself aside on the floor as Bliss started nearing them. Squall forced himself to his hooves and moved as well as Twister remained on Matteo’s back. “Oh… dear…” Bliss slowed down as Luna came into view, sprawled out on the ground, unconscious, but still breathing as faint blue light continued to rise from her horn and from beneath her eyelids. “Luna!” Bliss yelled as she broke into a gallop and slid to her haunches in front of her, her medical magic immediately glowing to life upon her horn as she examined Luna carefully.

Spitfire moved away from the group to join Bliss’ side in examining Luna. 

If nothing else, she was relieved that something good did come from the operation, at least that’s how Spitfire looked from Dash’s point of view.

Maybe Dash was just fishing for something to make her feel better now, but she felt, she HOPED, that despite her actions, Spitfire was able to at least appreciate that Luna was safe. That counted for something, right?

She didn’t know how to proceed. Under normal circumstances, she would have rushed to Luna’s side and made sure she was fine, but she wanted to keep a little distance from Spitfire after everything that just went down… plus Soarin was also avoiding their captain…

What an absolute mess… and they hadn’t even gotten around to addressing the state of the Nimbus yet. 

“Oh, here you all are!” a very familiar voice suddenly came from all the way from the east hallway. 

Dash’s ears stood up and she instantly looked over, only to have her view blocked by the group of Wonderbolts, but she didn’t need to see to know who the voice belonged to. She was more wondering how he got out of the infirmary.





“Can somepony PLEASE tell me…” Silver pushed his way into the crowd as everypony just stared at him. “What the hell is going on?!” he asked, unaware of the current situation as he trudged forward, wincing every step as he dragged an unwanted passenger along. Witching Hour was holding onto his tail with her teeth and trying to use her magic to hold his hooves, but Silver kept moving, Witching’s hooves skidding along the floor as he pulled her. Little Star was trotting along right behind them, but she quickly broke away upon seeing Matteo, Squall, and Twister all completely tuckered out off to the side. “WELL?!” Silver yelled out, drawing Bliss and Spitfire’s attention away from Luna for a moment.

“Witching…” Bliss grunted as her assistant failed to restrain Silver. Witching dropped Silver’s tail, released her magic, and face-planted on the floor before looking up and shaking her head.

“He forced the straps off, I couldn’t stop him…” she admitted as Silver kept moving forward until he was right up beside Spitfire, looking down at Luna.

Silver looked Luna up and down, he looked back at the group of Wonderbolts and Renegades, noticing the slightly somber air among them. He glanced at Spitfire, who was glaring at him, and then lifted an eyebrow.

“What?” he asked her, completely oblivious to the situation. 

Taking a chance, Dash trotted away from Soarin and right up to Silver, doing her best to stay on the opposite side of him to avoid eye contact with Spitfire. 

“Silver…” Dash spoke up, causing him to completely turn and look at her, eyebrow still raised. She made a few hoof motions, while tipping her neck awkwardly, determined to not meet Spitfire’s eyes. 

“Hmm…?” Silver switched eyebrows. 

“Just come over here,” she said with a flat expression. Silver glanced back at Spitfire before exhaling and doing just that. He walked behind Dash, but she kept walking awkwardly as if trying to keep him directly behind her.

“What the hell are you doing?” he questioned.

“Silver… just… please, shut up and come over here and quiet down… We lost six ponies in battle. I’ll explain everything later…” she pleaded. Silver’s eyes widened for a brief moment, before returning to normal. He didn’t protest upon hearing the tragic news and did as Dash said, following her back over towards Soarin.





Spitfire kept her eyes fixed on Silver and Dash as they moved away, ignoring Soarin behind them for a moment as she turned back to Bliss and Luna. 

“Bliss, how is she?” Spitfire asked preemptively as Bliss continued to look her over with her magic alight.

“She’s—” Bliss began, but before she could go any further, they both jumped in surprise as Luna suddenly kicked her legs out, barely missing Bliss as she began to thrash and scream. Everypony in the lobby turned in shock as Spitfire and Bliss both reach down and pressed their hooves against Luna’s side.

“Luna?! LUNA!” Spitfire yelled as Luna’s body jerked and contorted, but it only lasted for a few seconds. 

“Haaaaa! Aaahhhhh… Haaaaaa…” Luna exhaled loudly several times as her eyelids squeezed tightly. “Hrrrggnnnn…” she grunted and cringed as the light rising from her horn and eyes faded and the ethereal flow of her mane suddenly resumed, albeit much weaker than it usually looked. Spitfire and Bliss removed their hooves from her as she slowly opened her eyes and looked back and forth between them while taking heavy, wheezing breaths. 

“Luna…?” Spitfire said her name as she bent down. “Luna are you alright?” she asked rhetorically. Luna just stared, barely able to keep her eyes open as she came to her senses. 

“We…” she squeaked. “We…” she looked around as much as she could, looking at all the ponies nearby for a moment. “Gods… we were so… careless…” she immediately berated herself. Bliss frowned, but Spitfire instantly flattened her brow. 

“Luna, look at me, don’t think about that right—” Spitfire reached down and pressed a hoof against Luna’s shoulder, but immediately regretted it.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Luna cried out, her body twitching and curling right back up as she shuddered in pain. Spitfire pulled her hoof back and gasped as she and Bliss looked at her in surprise. Spitfire had no idea what she had just done, and was confused because the two of them had just touched her to calm her down… or did their touch shock her back into consciousness before? At this point they had no idea, not even a smidgen of an idea. Whatever the problem was, it had something to do with divine alicorn magic, and neither of them were an expert on the subject. “P—please!” Luna barely managed to say. “Do not… touch us…! Our body…. Is… is burning…” Spitfire and Bliss looked at each other while biting their lip. If they couldn’t touch her, what in the world were they going to do to help her? “Head… hurts… Can’t feel… wings…” Luna continued to wail as ponies began gathering around to show concern, but kept their distance.

They kept still, allowing Luna time to calm down and relax as much as she could. When she finally opened her eyes again, she saw all the Wonderbolts and Renegades standing around her. She closed her eyes and let her head rest against the floor.

“Princess…” Spitfire spoke up, but trailed off as Luna sighed.

“We were caught off guard… and forced your hoof to save us… shameful…” she sputtered. Spitfire opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. Luna was once against treating herself like a burden, so the last thing Spitfire wanted to mention was that they lost six ponies in the process. That wasn’t her first choice anyway, but she hoped everypony else way feeling the same way. She did however, feel the need to let Luna know that her efforts after the fact gave them a cleaner avenue of escape as Fire had mentioned. She was miffed at Dash for disobeying orders, but it would be foolish of her to not recognize what did come of it all.

“But we were also able to escape because of you. In the end our effort to rescue you helped but—” Spitfire cut herself off. She looked down to see Luna staring at her as if waiting for more, but Spitfire shook her head. “All that matters is you’re alive… but to be blunt, there’s a lot of… things happening to you we know nothing about, like light rising from your horn and eyes, it stopped after you woke up. Your mane flow ceased while you were out as well.”

“We are not… surprised…” Luna said weakly as she curled up her body a little more. “Some of the… mysterious spells our divine alicorn magic allows us to use are… dangerously powerful… and can really hurt the user if not used properly, carefully, without extreme focus, or overused,” she spoke in a broken pattern, taking short pauses to breathe. “Only our sister has… AH!” Luna cried out, arching her neck back before curling up tighter. Spitfire flinched and reached forward, but stopped just short of touching her, nearly forgetting what happened the last time she did.

“Luna, enough,” Spitfire spoke instead. “Just rest for now, we have to figure out what to do next,” she forced the subject forward. 

As if they weren’t already dealing with enough problems, now Luna was in such bad shape they couldn’t even touch her without her screaming in pain. 

They went through hell, lost six ponies, almost lost Luna, and their airship was grounded. She had to accept the circumstances for now and move forward, there would be plenty of time for explanations, reprimanding, and personal confrontations later. As the captain, she had to push on and work towards their next goal.

Although it was a revealing sight… to see one of the great divine alicorn sisters fall victim to her own magic. For so long the sisters had been viewed as beings of unparalleled power with the ability to control the very sun and the moon that rose and fell overhead day and night if they so choose. Tales were told of their incredible magic, but it seemed the reality of the divine alicorn powers were not so romantic. Their magical powers were so strong, so taxing, that even they could not fully control them depending on the nature and complexity of the spell. Spitfire couldn’t speak for Celestia, but Luna had just showcased two divine magic techniques that both carried a toll on her body and mind. She didn’t doubt Luna’s power, her incredibly impressive use of conventional magic in the form of blasts, shields, and natural tasks spoke for itself, but once she delved into the powers unknown to mortal ponies, it nearly tore her apart.

Then again, Spitfire recalled the last time she saw Celestia, when she saved Soarin, and how the spell nearly knocked out her out. Luna claimed that Celestia had a better grasp on the divine level of magic… but it was clearly dangerous and had to be handled with care. Not even the divine alicorn sisters were without their struggles… barely the perfect beings they always seemed to be.

But that was best left to discuss later. Luna’s challenges throughout the scenario were proving the alicorn sisters were not quite so all-powerful. But while they were not all-powerful they certainly were powerful. Their prowess would not be denied, even if it fell a little short of the legends they occupied.

As Spitfire turned away and left Luna in the hooves of Bliss for the time being, she looked up at all the ponies gathered around. 

“Give her some space please…” Spitfire asked sternly. Everypony immediately backed away and began regrouping as she asked them to earlier. Fleetfoot approached her as they moved.

“So…” she began in a shaky tone, clearly trying to hold back how devastated she felt, but she couldn’t hide it from Spitfire. “Now what are we gonna do?”

Spitfire exhaled through her nostrils as she looked down for a moment. She was already regretting a few of her outbursts earlier, specifically when she lashed out at Fleetfoot while berating Dash. Fleetfoot was definitely letting it go for now, but Spitfire had a feeling she’d pay for it later. She turned and looked back up at Fleetfoot.

“That all depends on if Rivet is still alive down—”

“Where is Captain Spitfire?!” Rivet’s voice suddenly came from the west hallway on cue.

“That all depends on what Rivet can tell me about the Nimbus,” Spitfire corrected herself as she turned to look towards the west hall. “Over here Rivet!” she called to him as she turned and approached the small engineer with Fleetfoot in tow.

The lobby was already bustling again, or at least as much as it could be in the current state of affairs. Squads were coming together and checking on each other, friends were finding friends, loved ones finding loved ones. Spitfire glanced towards the recruit barracks as she watched a few couples find one another, wondering… hoping that the captives and Wave Chill were fine. Bliss’ assistant, Mahogany, emerged from the recruit barracks hallway and moved towards Bliss as Spitfire and Fleetfoot approached Rivet, so hopefully that was a sign.

Following her own advice, Spitfire refocused to get the rundown from Rivet before she worried about anything else, no matter how much it clawed at her. She looked Rivet over as they approached, he was covered in dark splotches, likely from working machinery as it was spewing smoke and oil. Some of the marks looked like bruises, but she couldn’t tell the difference. 

“Before you say anything,” Spitfire began as she and Fleetfoot stopped in front of Rivet. “I’m glad you’re alive, you look like hell.”

“I know,” Rivet immediately replied with a grunt. “I ordered everypony evacuate the engine room for an hour or so. We just opened all ventilation to let the smoke clear out.”

“I hate to immediately push the subject, but we don’t have much of a choice… can you give me a rundown on the damage and status of the systems?” Spitfire got right to the point.

“No need to waste time, so don’t worry,” Rivet agreed with her eagerness. “I was able to get a good look at the extent of the damage before we were forced to air out the whole floor, and… there’s no way the systems are in any condition for us to take off again.”

Spitfire gritted her teeth and cringed, but Rivet shook his head.

“It’s nothing I can’t fix though,” he added quickly to reassure her, earning a sigh of relief.

“How long?” Spitfire got right back on track, but Rivet shook his head again.

“That… isn’t the problem,” he admitted. Fleetfoot pouted at him.

“Sheesh, stop teasing us… are we screwed or not screwed?” she demanded, but she squeaked and shut right up as Spitfire elbowed her and gave her a glare.

“We’re not trying to rebuild the whole place like before,” Rivet explained. “It’s just a matter of repairing what broke during the flight just now. Nowhere near as big of a job. I estimate that if I have full cooperation and support, it should take one, maybe two days around the clock to get back up and running.”

“But what’s the problem?” Spitfire asked. 

“The problem is supplies,” Rivet quickly clarified. “We enjoyed a nice surplus of parts and pieces when the Renegades were making runs for us, but we don’t have much left over. I guess it will all depend on if Descent can—”

“What do you need?”

“GAH!” Fleetfoot shot up into the air, catching herself in a hover as she looked down to see Descent standing right behind where she just was. “Sheesh, Spooky! Give a girl a little warning!” she complained, but Spitfire, Descent, and Rivet all ignored her as Descent stepped up to Rivet. 

“We have several Renegade outposts hidden in these canyons with lots of stockpiles to draw from,” Descent explained as Spitfire eyed him skeptically.

“For Celestia’s sake, Descent,” she growled. “Just how many of these ‘secret bases’ do you guys have?”

“Several,” Descent answered without looking at her.

“And where in the world are you getting all of your supplies from?!” she pressed further. 

“Trade secrets,” Descent again answered simply. Spitfire only gave him a flat look in return, but Descent didn’t waver. “Did you already forget that we were fighting the Shadowbolts long before they finally attacked you in broad daylight?”

“Oh, please...” Spitfire rolled her eyes sarcastically. “Don’t remind me…” she huffed and looked back towards Rivet. “Okay, if Descent gets what you need, you said two days?”

“That’s the best case scenario,” Rivet said with a nod. “Could be a little longer depending on how bad the damage is outside, but the more important issue is the machinery down below, obviously.”

“Alright…” Spitfire glanced back at Descent. “Work with Descent and do everything you can. I want to stress the urgency of the situation, we can’t afford to stay still for too long, I bet the Shadowbolts are already looking for us.”

“Noted,” Rivet agreed before he approached Descent and began listing off what he needed.

“Yo, Captain!” Air Mach suddenly called, drawing Spitfire’s attention as Fleetfoot finally landed beside her again. Air Mach was standing between them and Luna, waving his hooves. “Princess wants ya!” he called while beckoning them. Spitfire’s eyes went to Luna as she and Fleetfoot began trotting over. She was surrounded by a faint green glow from Bliss’ soothing medical magic and she had stopped shuddering, but her face was still wrought with pain.

Air Mach moved aside and fell in line behind Spitfire and Fleetfoot as they continued towards Luna, all three of them stopping in front of the injured princess and looking down.

“What is it, Princess?” Spitfire asked, not expecting a quick reply. Luna slowly opened her eyes, a level of calm showing from within them as she lay still and let Bliss’ pain relief magic work. She remained on the ground, somewhat curled up, but focused her eyes on Spitfire with a purpose.  

“We must… move quickly…” she spoke pausing for a moment to take a few breaths and find a position that allowed her to remain as still as possible. “We have to meet the Lunar Guard.”

Spitfire blinked as Luna’s gaze remained fixed and serious. Her head was so full of the issues they were facing in the immediate situation that she had completely forgotten that’s what their next goal was. Unfortunately… it didn’t look like they were in a position to move immediately.

“That… might be a problem,” Spitfire said while gritting her teeth. “I just spoke with Rivet, we’re probably going to be stuck here for a day or two.”

“No! Rgn…!” Luna cringed as she made her disapproval clear. “We must reach them! I gave them a direct order to meet us… they are likely almost in position!”

“But…” Spitfire began but then started thinking about it. Luna sent them a message, and they were on their way… but the message was likely just to fly out, not to prepare for a long stake out. Meaning, they would be without food, water, or any other supplies. “Hmmm…” Spitfire looked down and hummed. 

“They will not be… equipped to wait,” Luna continued, confirming Spitfire’s thoughts. “And we… are in no condition… to send another message.”

“That’s a given,” Spitfire immediately agreed as she pondered further. Two days… forty eight hours at least. With the Shadowbolts on the hunt, it was highly likely they would be found before that time was up. They needed the extra support, and the Lunar Guard would provide just that. And with the conclusion she just came to, it seemed necessary that they had to find a way to meet them for their sake as well. “Hold on a moment,” Spitfire pointed at Luna. “Fleet, Air Mach, wait here for a second…” she ordered as she turned and looked back towards Rivet and Descent. She caught a glimpse of Soarin as she moved, he was over with Dash and Silver, conversing. She couldn’t see him too clearly from her spot, a few ponies in the way, but she was beginning to wonder why he had remained a good distance from her. Fleetfoot and Air Mach had already fallen back in line with her. Then again, based on their earlier arguments and knowing his general thought process, he was probably still at odds with her. She’d deal with him and their personal issues later, they had some planning to do.

She made her way back over to Rivet and Descent as Rivet finished listing off his supply needs.

“That’s… a lot,” Descent commented while blinking.

“There’s a lot of damage,” Rivet calmly clarified.

“Are you sure all that will only take two days to fix?” he asked skeptically. Rivet scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Is that a challenge?” the little mechanic asked with a glare. Descent waved a hoof and shook his head.

“Whatever you say, I’ll get what you need, you just do your job,” he said to avoid sparking more conflict than needed. He turned to see Spitfire approaching as Rivet left to check on his crew. 

“Descent, gather up your leaders and meet me by Luna,” she ordered.

“In a moment, I have to gather the teams for supply ru—”

“Now,” Spitfire added sternly before turning away. Descent blinked and scowled at her as she turned away, but huffed and started moving to find Starry, Blazetail, and Flashwind, acknowledging that it was probably more important at the current moment.

“Soarin!” Spitfire yelled.



	

Soarin looked up and away from Silver and Dash as his name was called. He saw Spitfire beckoning him.

“Get over here!” she ordered, turning away and moving back towards Luna and the rest of the lead squad. Soarin snorted, never given the chance to reply, but when he saw the top Renegades also heading over to the group, he knew he had to do it. He was reluctant to, knowing full well Spitfire would finally get a complete look at the new damage of the horn, possibly Luna as well but he had no choice. If he refused, it would raise suspicion and maybe another argument. He wasn’t in the mood for that, so he chose the lesser of two evils.

“I’ll be back,” Soarin said as he tapped Dash on the shoulder.

“Pff…” Silver grunted as Soarin stopped to face him. “Screw that, I’m getting in on this,” he stated firmly as he turned and started walking ahead of Soarin towards the group. Soarin glanced at Dash, who only chuckled and shrugged as she too turned and started moving right behind Silver. Soarin could see a bit of hesitance in her steps, knowing that she was approaching Spitfire again, but she kept herself strategically placed with Silver blocking her from view. 

Realizing he had been standing still for a few seconds and another barking of orders from Spitfire was imminent, he broke into a trot, moving quickly past Dash and Silver to make his way over and join the meeting just as Descent arrived with Starry and the former Wonderbolt captains, Fire Streak gliding in as well as Spitfire called to him.

Soarin slowed as he moved in, Spitfire’s eyes moving to him immediately as he poked his way into the huddle forming near Luna. He kept his mouth closed, secretly gritting his teeth as Spitfire’s eyes moved up and they widened, looking directly at the horn. He glanced down at Luna, noticing that she was also looking at the horn, despite the fact that turning her neck at such an angle was clearly a little painful. Soarin narrowed his eyes as both Spitfire and Luna glanced at one another, but then he was surprised when they didn’t say anything. Both of them only looked at him one more time and then the horn before refocusing on the group.

“So… what’s the situation?” Descent spoke up. 

“We have a little problem regarding the Lunar Guard, but let’s get the smaller, obvious stuff listed and out of the way first,” Spitfire began as they all listened in, Silver and Dash hovering behind the group just close enough to hear without drawing attention. “We’re obviously not safe here, even if we’re slightly hidden in the canyons. There isn’t much we can do in terms of a weather distraction here so we’re going to have to go at this the old fashioned, more conventional way.”

“Patrol shifts?” Blazetail immediately chimed in, earning a nod from Spitfire.

“Exactly, we have to have a perimeter of vision with no blind spots so we can be ready and able to respond in case they are nearby or on the verge of discovering us,” Spitfire explained. “Let’s not worry about squads or ranks here. We need to organize ourselves in teams with broad skill sets to make balanced effective patrol teams.” She turned to Descent. “Descent, no offense, but due to the less organized style of the Shadowbolts, I’m going to ask you and your team to focus more on supply runs and let the current and former Wonderbolts handle the patrols.”

“None taken and I agree,” Descent quickly brushed the comment aside. “But if you let me send Astral and his scouts out there first, we can map out the most effective patrol route through the canyons. That’s literally his job so the rest of us don’t have to worry about it, so I suggest we use him.”

“Sounds good to me,” Spitfire nodded. “We’ll set up teams for the scouting, but let’s be smart about it. A large force of Wonderbolts and Renegades should remain here in the Nimbus for the worst case scenario. I feel that I and the other three leaders should remain here for that purpose,” she suggested, earning a nod from Descent, Blazetail, and Flashwind. “Now…” she trailed off for a moment as she glanced towards Luna beside them all. “The bigger problem to address… the Lunar Guard. Due to them being under the impression that we’re meeting them in a few hours, along with the fact that they will have no supplies while waiting, and lastly the fact that Luna won’t be able to send another telepathic message in her current state… we’re going to have to send a small task force out to find them and bring them back here. Our plans going forward heavily lean on us having the support of the Lunar Guard, so this is not a negotiable objective. I’m going to ask for some senior members from the Renegades to accompany a few hoof picked Wonderbolts to head out and—”

“One moment…” Luna suddenly spoke up from the floor. Everypony turned and looked at her as she cringed and groaned, turning herself so she could see all of them. Bliss urged her to take it easy, but Luna refused, whatever she had to say taking precedent over how much pain she was in. “There is… another problem…” she said as she continued to cringe every few words.

“Oh, joyous…” Spitfire said sarcastically as she sighed and focused on Luna. “Well, I don’t see how it can get much worse, so lay it on me,” she asked while waving a hoof at Luna.

“The bat ponies of the Lunar guard are… not very trusting of outsiders,” Luna said while looking away. Spitfire and the rest stared flatly at her.

“Luna…” Spitfire’s eyes hardened into a concerned state of light, controlled hysteria. “What does that mean…”

“They are trained to… only follow and respond to my orders… I fear they will not trust you…” Luna said as she continued to avert her eyes.

Everypony flinched as Spitfire suddenly slapped a hoof over her eyes, moved it up and pressed it against her forehead before wiping it down, dragging most of her face with it as she released a long, frustrated groan.

“LUNA!” she yelled out straight up towards the ceiling. “That’s… KIND of an important detail! Why didn’t you mention that before?! We would have factored in your safety into our original plan! UGH!” She grunted again as she turned around sharply, whipping Fleetfoot in the face with her tail before she thrust her wings out, knocking Air Mach stumbling into Soarin. Soarin held himself steady as Air Mach bounced off of him before looking towards Luna with a scrunched expression and a lifted eyebrow.

“Outsiders?” he asked as he stepped towards Luna. “How would we be considered outsiders? We’re the Wonderbolts! Part of the Equestrian military force!”

“Rightfully so…” Luna said with a sigh as she turned and looked towards Soarin. “But as I’ve mentioned many times… The Lunar Guard has been uniquely trained to be very different from the Royal Guard. It was done intentionally. They are warriors of strict loyalty, meant to be a trump card against those who may threaten Equestria… in a way they are similar to the Wonderbolts, trained and bred to be something different that a possible invader or threat won’t expect…”

“Again, Luna…” Spitfire suddenly turned back around and pushed past Soarin. “This would have been GREAT to know EARLIER! We can’t even touch you without you screaming out in pain, how are we supposed to get you to the Lunar Guard?!”

“We did not… think of it,” Luna said with a sigh. “And we did not want to burden you further with our safety. We admit our actions to protect the Nimbus were also on impulse, a reflex… We’re sorry.”

Everypony looked towards Spitfire as she pressed her hoof to her forehead again and released a long, agonizing groan.

“So… is there anything we can do?” Soarin asked. “There has to be some way we can prove it.”

“We’re afraid that won’t be possible without us,” Luna repeated. “Without our presence Captain P.L. will not…” she suddenly trailed off and blinked.

“What?” Spitfire removed her hoof from her face quickly. “What, what, WHAT?!” she pressed while stepping up, hoping Luna somehow had an alternative after this little… well… huge mishap. Luna looked away for a moment before looking around at all of them.

“Captain P.L., the leader of the Lunar Guard is an old, seasoned veteran. If there is anypony within the Wonderbolt ranks who has dealt with him in the past… he may be willing to listen,” she explained.

Spitfire and Soarin both looked at each other, before they both looked back at Blazetail and Flashwind. Blazetail immediately shook his head.

“I knew you were going to look at us,” he said with a sigh. “Unfortunately… any trust we had with the Lunar Guard was sacrificed to push forward the Renegade operation.”

“Indeed,” Flashwind added as she leaned against she husband. “Captain P.L. was very much against Luna’s employment of the Renegades. It was mostly due to the Shadowbolts among our ranks, but they chastised us and condemned us often for letting ourselves be used by those who were ‘untrustworthy’ with a history of ‘dishonorable work’.” She explained as she looked towards Descent.

“In short, he’s an ass,” Descent said with a scoff as he rolled his eyes. 

“He is not!” Luna quickly retorted, cringing for a moment as she raised her voice. Everypony looked back to her. “Unfortunately… the captains of Gold Squad are correct… The Lunar Guards detested my use of the Renegades. They didn’t question my choices, they just… disagreed with them. Captain P.L. continuously refused to work with the Renegades despite my requests for him to do so. What we asked was outside his line of duty, so we respected his choice to defer and didn’t press the matter, allowing them to continue their duty of protecting us without further protest. There is little hope that any of the Renegades will be able to convince them.”

“Which means…” Spitfire looked towards her Wonderbolts in the huddle, moving her eyes between Fire Streak, Fleetfoot, Air Mach, and Soarin. “We must rely on one of our Wonderbolts,” she exhaled loudly as she furrowed her brow. “I can’t leave, I need to be here to bolster our defenses, even so… I haven’t dealt much with the Lunar Guard… I’ve only ever met Captain P.L. once and that was before I was captain.” She paused, her eyes shifting between the Wonderbolts present. “What about any of you?” she asked, her eyes landing on Fire Streak first, who had been quietly sitting and listening throughout. He tipped his head slightly before shaking it.

“I’m afraid I’ve never directly interacted with them…” Fire admitted. Spitfire turned to Fleetfoot, but she immediately held her hooves out and vigorously shook her head.

“Ooooooh no, don’t look at me… I hate those bat ponies… the last time I went near one, he bit me!” she recalled while cringing. Spitfire rolled her eyes and looked towards Air Mach, but immediately shook her head before he could strike a dramatic pose. He froze mid pose and sighed while flopping to the floor. She looked at Soarin, but her eyes went to her horn. 

“No…” she said before anything else. Soarin glared at her, but didn’t say anything. 

He knew why she didn’t want him, but he didn’t protest. His relationship with the Lunar Guard wasn’t the warmest either, and as of recently consisted of him being scowled at while waiting for his magic lessons with Fancy Pants, as well as being hit by a tidal wave while Discord posed as a sailor on a boat over them.

“Dammit…” Spitfire grumbled as she turned back to Luna. “Blaze and High Winds are a definite no… Wave used to go on some night stealth missions with them, he might have been an option if he weren’t afflicted… I know Misty doesn’t like them either… Lightning Streak and Surprise are a definite no…” she continued to mumble and weigh her options, but it was looking increasingly bleak… 

“A-HEM…”

Somepony nearby suddenly cleared their throat. Spitfire’s ears perked up and she blinked several times. She looked to her right as Fleetfoot moved aside and everypony else followed the sound.

Silver Lining limped forward, leaving a startled Rainbow Dash behind him as he stopped right between Fleetfoot and Air Mach. He lifted his brow and looking directly into Spitfire’s eyes.

Spitfire’s pupils shrank right before she slammed her eyes shut, shook her head out, and glared, quickly holding out a hoof.

“Oh no… no, no, no, no, NO. Don’t you even think about it, Silver!” she didn’t even give him time to explain his reasoning. She made a choice as captain of the Wonderbolts to bar him from combat and assure he not get himself killed, and she was going to stand by that. “You are NOT going anywhere!” she added to swiftly get her point across.

“I have a lot of experience with those stiff-ass moon-humpers,” Silver completely ignored Spitfire’s disapproval while also earning several surprised looks from the rest, but mostly Luna for his choice of words. “I know exactly how to handle them and I’ve known Captain P.L. for a long time too. In fact… he owes his life to Blizzard Strike several times over. My mentor stepped in to pull his reckless, albino ass out of certain death more times than I could count during the last Griffon Drake War. He’ll listen to me… he owes a few favors.”

Everypony blinked and glanced about at each other, eventually all looking at Spitfire. She was quiet for a second, but narrowed her eyes quickly after.

“No. Forget it, Silver, it’s not happening.” She swiped her hoof across her body before turning to Luna. “Princess, is there anything else you can…” Spitfire trailed off when she saw Luna looking directly at Silver. “Of for the love of Celestia, please don’t say what I think you’re going to say…”

“We’re afraid…” she began while gritting her teeth. “Silver might be… the only one who can. We had not considered the kinship between Captain P.L. and Blizzard Strike… P.L. often spoke highly of him. It was strange to hear too. P.L. never spoke of anypony else with such words… and if Silver was Blizzard’s student… then…”

“I was with Blizzard every time he stepped in to help P.L.,” Silver added to help his case. 

Luna looked back at Spitfire. Spitfire looked down, and took several deep breaths, groaning and grumbling in between every one. She turned and glared hard at Silver, stepping towards him and standing eye to eye with him.

“Fine,” she gave in, clearly unhappy to do so. Dash’s eyes went wide behind Silver as she heard Spitfire cave, but she had little time to react as Spitfire pushed herself closer to Silver, nearly jamming their noses together as she pressed a hoof to the burn scar on his chest. “BUT! READ MY LIPS, SILVER…” she said as she narrowed her eyes further. “You are ONLY going along to converse with the Lunar Guard captain. You are not to engage in any fighting or anything else, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!”

Silver simply remained stoic and said nothing in response. His lack of verbal acknowledgment made her simmer turn into a boil, but she kept it under control.

“Oh, okay tough guy, if you’re going to be that way…” she turned away from him and looked at the Wonderbolts present as well as glancing about the room. “Squad Three will lead this mission… with Fleetfoot, Air Mach, Blaze and High Winds flying backup…” 

As she explained, both Soarin and Rainbow Dash immediately noticed that she left Soarin out. Soarin growled to himself, but held himself back for the moment.

“Also…” Spitfire trailed off, glancing at Silver. “You can’t fly too well right now, can you?”

Silver grunted, scrunching his face.

“I can fly just—”

“Didn’t think so,” Spitfire cut him off. “In that case…” She paused, ignoring Silver’s glower as she looked around, but as she looked back, she spotted Rainbow Dash behind Silver. Dash quietly yelped and tried to shift out of sight, but it wouldn’t do her any good. “Rainbow Dash, attention!” Spitfire yelled. 

Dash swallowed, and quickly moved back out, instinctively placing herself in view and standing upright as Silver had grilled into her over several months of recruit training. Spitfire approached her and got in her face in a very similar manner that she had to Silver. Silver did not interrupt, he just watched, wondering what was going through Spitfire’s head… and still wondering what he had missed, especially now with how Dash seemed a bit reluctant to face Spitfire directly.

Despite the visible anxiety, Dash held herself firm as Spitfire’s eyeballing persisted for several more seconds. 

“Listen up, Dash,” Spitfire finally began, without pulling her face back at all. “You’re NOT off the hook… but I have a mission for you and your squad. Carry out these orders effectively… and maybe I’ll consider overlooking your reckless maneuver.”

Dash’s eyes widened, but she nodded quickly. Spitfire just kept staring at her as she looked around, eventually finding Dash’s squad, who were all looking towards them already, Matteo, Squall, and even the newly arrived Little Star all watching. Twister was still draped over Matteo’s back. 

“Silver,” Spitfire looked back towards him. “I am assigning Squad Foxtrot to be your personal escort, they will remain with you behind the group of top tier elites,” she explained, Dash’s jaw dropping slightly as she looked towards Silver. Silver looked like he was getting more and more annoyed by the moment.

Spitfire’s eyes landed on Little Star and her bandaged wing for several seconds.

“Hmmm…” she turned and looked around the lobby. “Storm Front!” she yelled out. Within seconds, Storm Front emerged and looked about, spotting Spitfire and gliding towards them.

“Captain,” Silver growled as Storm Front landed beside Dash, wondering what was going on. “With all due respect, I think you’re going a little overboard with—”

“Dash,” Spitfire cut him off again as she pointed. “You are relieved of command of Squad Foxtrot.”

Silver, Storm, Dash, and even Soarin off to the side all flinched and blinked in surprised.

“Wait… WHAT?!” Dash blurted out instinctively. “But…!”

Spitfire ignored her and turned to Storm Front. 

“Storm Front, with Squad Foxtrot being down a member, you will lead them in this task of protecting Silver Lining as he follows the top elites to meet with the Lunar Guard. He is to be carried on Matteo’s back and kept out of any sort of action. Your secondary objective is to fly backup for the top elites, but your primary objective is to KEEP SILVER OUT TO DANGER, forcibly if need be.”

It seemed like the shock of Dash’s relief of command was still settling in. Storm heard everything she said loud and clear, but he was still very confused as he and Dash exchanged several glances. Spitfire suddenly turned back to Dash. 

“I know you and your squad has a good relationship with Storm, that’s why I’m putting him in the lead. It’s only a temporary change. Instruct your squad to follow Storm’s orders and please, for the love of Celestia and all else that is divine…” she paused and pointed at Silver. “Do anything and everything necessary to keep this old, stubborn, son of a bitch from getting himself killed!” 

Dash and Storm just stared silently as Spitfire finished, but she was confident that she had gotten her point across. She turned and glared at Silver, who was making it visually clear he didn’t agree with anything Spitfire had just put forward. She, however, brushed off the look he was giving her and gave him a flat, slightly sarcastic look in return.

“If you won’t listen to me, maybe you’ll listen to some of your recruits you often speak so highly of?” She glanced back at Dash. “Or your student?” she added. Silver’s eyes widened for a second, but he quickly brought his expression back to its hardened look. Dash was also surprised, but… by now, she wondered if Silver’s ‘secret’ training of hers was really that much of a secret at all anymore. “Alright everypony let’s…”

“HEY!” 

Spitfire stopped mid-sentence and looked over towards Soarin, her flat expression remaining as he angrily stomped towards her. 

Soarin had his eyes locked on her, eyes narrowed into a harsh glare as he stepped up and stood right before her, looking down as she looked up at him. He let it go before, but now that Dash was involved, he wasn’t thrilled that Spitfire blatantly left him out of this operation. It was no mystery why, but he’d be damned if he didn’t fight her on it. Including Rainbow Dash added a whole other perspective he could work with and sell his case.

“What?” Spitfire asked flatly.

“What about me?” he asked first, looking to hear her explanation first, which he assumed would be weak enough for him to punch right back. Spitfire paused for a moment, glancing up at Soarin’s horn before looking back at him. If she was hiding any worry about the state of the horn, she was doing a damn good job of it.

“You’re staying here,” she said, beginning to turn before she even finished the sentence, but Soarin reached out and angrily grabbed her shoulder.

“Hell no!” Soarin yelled. “If you’re sending Dash out there, I’m going with them!” he stated adamantly. Spitfire didn’t react, or show any sign of matching his tone. She remained completely cool as she looked back at him and narrowed her eyes.

“Soarin, I am sending nearly all of the top tier elites out for this dangerous mission. As the two strongest Wonderbolts, I want both you and me here as a final line of defense,” she explained, but Soarin had NONE of it.

“BULLSHIT!” he yelled right into her face, nearly spitting as he belted. “That’s complete and utter bullshit, and you know it!” Everything stopped in the lobby as everypony’s attention was drawn to the two highest ranking members of the Wonderbolts, one clearly keeping better control of themselves than the other. “If you were really serious about this mission, you would have put me in command! This has nothing to do about our defenses and everything to do with the horn and all of the secretive crap that you and Luna keep passing back and forth right in front of me!”

“Soarin.” Spitfire said simply as she leaned forward. “If you really think I’m going to change my mind from earlier… you’re dead wrong,” she made crystal clear as Soarin grew angrier by the word. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed the horn’s damage has gotten worse. If anything, I’m now more concerned about it than I was before. You are going to stay right here and that’s final.”

“Okay, so let me get this straight…” Soarin prepared his retort as his heavy, angry breaths hissed through his nostrils and teeth. “You’re willing to bend over backwards and let Silver, who is on the verge of falling to pieces, be taken out into danger… but you’re digging in your hooves about me and the state of this stupid head ornament that’s been forced on me when I’m perfectly ready, able, and capable of taking care of myself!?”

Dash suddenly flinched as the heated exchanged continued in front of her. She quickly placed a hoof over her heart, feeling it suddenly beat a little faster. She blinked and looked at Soarin… it was very faint, but his eyes were beginning to emit a dim glow.

“That’s as hypocritical as you can get!” Soarin yelled the light began to rise from his eyes. “Stop walking around the truth, dammit! Do you have any idea how much it bugs me that a pony I’ve trusted my whole life is suddenly treating me like this?!”

Dash glanced at Luna as her heartbeat continued to quicken. Luna was staring wide eyed, shocked, and terrified. Luna could see the light rising from Soarin’s eyes as well, but despite Spitfire being right in front of him, she showed no reaction to the magical phenomenon. 

“Soarin,” Spitfire again barely lifted her voice. “I am your captain, and you will follow my orders. Keep this up and I will have you detained.”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” Soarin absolutely lost it. “NO! You know what?! I am a lead commander! And part of my duty is to call you out when you’re abusing your authority! If you really were worried about me, you’d either keep Dash here or let me fly out with them! What happens to her affects me too!”

“Your personal matters do not affect my decision making, Soarin,” Spitfire said calmly.

“Ah…” Dash cringed, her ears flopping down as her heart beat fast enough for her to nearly feel it pushing against her chest. She looked back up with dismay as the argument continued.

“NO! SCREW YOUR ORDERS AND ‘DECISIONS’!” Soarin unleashed his fury, faint streams of light rising from his eyes. “UNTIL YOU CUT THE CRAP AND COME CLEAN WITH ME, I REFUSE TO FOLLOW OR ACKNOWLEDGE ANYTHING ELSE YOU SAY!”





“Okay Soarin, let me ask you something…” Spitfire remained firm, everypony around them surprised and impressed that Spitfire had managed to keep her cool in the face of such criticism from her best friend. “You’re talking about your duty right now… well,” she lifted an eyebrow. “Your duty is to the Wonderbolts. Are you pushing for this right now for the good of the Wonderbolts, or for the good of Rainbow Dash?”

A hush stuck between them. Soarin continued to glare and growl, but despite several attempts to reply, he said nothing.

“I thought so!” Spitfire continued, pushing into his face and finally raising her voice.

“I…!” Soarin tried to preemptively retort, but she had immediately thrown the net over him. He did indeed come forward only after he found out Dash was going.

“Soarin, you’re walking on thin ice right now!” Spitfire continued while poking him in the chest, staring him down even though he towered over her. “You just finished questioning several of my orders without a base of accusation other than your personal feelings…” She pointed at Rainbow Dash. “I wouldn’t be sending her if she wasn’t capable! I’m even sending all but three top tier elites with her! If you had any of your senses about you, you’d see how safe she will be simply by the company she’s going along with!” She took another step forward, forcing Soarin to take a step back. “You better stop thinking of yourself and start thinking about all the ponies we have here that we’re trying to get to safety!”

“I haven’t forgotten about them!” Soarin desperately tried to counter, but he walked right into a trap.

“Oh, okay then!” Spitfire rolled her eyes. “So that’s what you meant up on the bridge when you said ‘I don’t give a shit about the others. Is Rainbow Dash safe?!’”

Soarin’s eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and his pupils shrank as the light faded from his eyes. He took a few steps back from Spitfire before looking around the lobby. All eyes were on him, some shocked, some confused, and some… angry? He looked towards Dash to see her holding her hoof over her heart, he couldn’t read her thoughts, but she looked just as shocked as the others. 

Then he looked back at Spitfire as a very disturbed look crossed his face. 

Did she… really just do that?!

He wasn’t going to deny saying it, he was in the heat of the moment, adrenaline was pushing him to save Dash and he was being prevented from doing so… his anger had boiled over when he yelled that at Fire… WHY did Spitfire have to repeat it in front of everypony?!

“I think you need to stop criticizing me…” Spitfire began again, drawing Soarin’s horrified eyes back to him. “And start getting your own priorities in line.”

Soarin bit his lip, scrunching his face and ears falling to the sides of his head as he continued to absorb the wide range of different looks the others were giving him. He squeezed his eyes shut before shaking his head out.

“RRAAAAAAHHH!!!!!” he yelled out, throwing his head back before turning and running. Everypony in his path moved aside as he sprinted towards and disappeared down the east hallway.

Nopony spoke, and nopony moved for at least a minute. All eyes were glued to the east hallway where Soarin had disappeared. Eventually everypony began looking around at Spitfire and each other, murmuring. Not even Descent, Blazetail, or Flashwind had anything to add on the matter… nor did they feel they should.

Dash just remained still, speechless as she stared towards the east hallway. Soarin’s apparent remarks didn’t bother her so much, she understood his thought process and knew he was terrified when he saw her fly out. She could see him losing his cool and yelling something like that, but did Spitfire really have to do that? Sure, Soarin was in her face and yelling at her in front of everypony but… 

She was so conflicted, she had absolutely no idea how to feel about the situation. It just felt like more and more stress was being pressed down on them by the second. It was being driven by the out of control escape and now the clearly fractured emotions of their leaders and everypony else as they watched an intense division and disagreement between two of their highest ranking and trusted members.

Dash glanced to her left to see Storm still sitting beside her, he was shifting his eyes back and forth between her and the east hallway, looking like he had something to say, but no voice to say it. Perhaps he was wondering why she wasn’t going after Soarin, which he had every reason to wonder. Soarin was a good friend and a mentor to him, so he probably knew that Soarin often searched her out for comfort.

But comfort didn’t seem like the right thing to look for now. This was clearly something of a different nature. Hugs, kisses, and words of encouragement couldn’t solve everything, and Dash felt it would be best to leave Soarin be to figure things out, not to mention she had other things to focus on at the moment, namely, Silver Lining and the mission they were about to embark on… but everything that just happened in front of her was definitely going to hurt her focus.

Dash flinched as Spitfire suddenly walked by her and up to Luna. The two began quietly conversing, nothing audible reaching Dash’s ears, but Luna looked nervous, incredibly nervous. Despite that though, Spitfire just shook her head and turned away. The look on her face surprised Dash. Spitfire looked disturbed, like her strong stoic demeanor had completely vanished into thin air and she had just done something she did not want to do at all… maybe even regretted.

What was going on with Spitfire, Soarin, and Luna? Seeing them and how their actions were causing drama they didn’t need was killing Dash. She cared about all of them, but had no idea what to do.

Fleetfoot approached Spitfire as she started aimlessly pacing away from Luna. She rested a hoof on Spitfire’s shoulder.

“Spitty… what the hell was all that about?” she asked with great concern in her voice. Spitfire stopped, but didn’t even look at her she simply sighed, gritted her teeth and roughly pushed Fleetfoot away from her. “Ah!” Fleetfoot yelped as she stumbled and glared. “HEY!” she yelled while glaring, but Spitfire spread her wings and rose up into the air.

“EVERYPONY, LET’S GET MOVING!” she yelled.

Nopony moved, they just kept staring at her. She flattened her brow and took a deep breath.

“NOW!” she yelled as loud as she could. Everypony flinched and slowly, reluctantly began moving again.

Dash glanced about as her squad approached her, she turned and focused on them as Storm joined their side and they all looked to her, confused and wondering what was going to happen. Dash didn’t say a word, she merely shook her head and looked at Storm.

“Uh…” Storm rubbed the back of his head. “Hey, uh, guys…” he began awkwardly. “Captain Spitfire has… given you a mission and put me in charge of you…”

There was a brief wave of shock, but the only one who reacted was…

“Wait, WHAT?!” Squall reacted as he glared at Storm. Storm only looked at Dash. She sighed and nodded.

“Yes, Spitfire said that,” she confirmed, her voice quiet and weak. “We’re going on a mission with the top tier elites… Silver is being taken with them, it’s our job to keep him out of danger… and because Star is still hurt, she relieved me of command for this mission and put Storm in charge.” Dash explained with a very monotonous, continuous tone.

“But… What… We…” Squall kept looking between Storm and Dash, his brow scrunching with discontent. Matteo placed a set of talons on Squall’s shoulder as he stepped up.

“Rainbow Dash… what is happening? Why were the Captain and Commander arguing?” he asked. Dash looked up into Matteo’s ever-serious eyes as he questioned her, but she sighed and shook her head. 

“If I knew for sure, I’d tell you… look, we just need to do as we’re told, we’re already in trouble for breaking rank and disobeying orders more than once, plus we should be more worried about the full plan and the Shadowbolts.”

“But clearly there’s something personal affecting you and everypony else,” Matteo pressed.

“Thanks for pointing that out, Matty…” Dash said sarcastically as she glanced at Star, who had just pushed herself forward in between Matteo and Squall’s legs.

“So… you guys are leaving me behind again…?” she said with a sad pout. “What the hell did I earn my spot in the Wonderbolts for?”

Star’s discontent was loud and clear for all of them. Dash knew exactly how she felt. She remembered Star’s background, how she had tried so many times, and the tears she shed when she finally put the uniform on. She was already much further along in age than most of them, so being held back was eating at her… however, Dash felt Star could still be put to good use while stuck in the Nimbus.

“Star, you’re not coming with us, but I have an order… no, a favor to ask of you…” Dash began. Star blinked and her eyes lit up slightly, which was exactly what Dash was hoping for. Star just wanted to be useful, after all. “Go find, and keep an eye on Soarin for me… I don’t have time to go to him now. Tell him I sent you and don’t leave even if he demands it, okay?” 

Star tipped her head side to side before frowning, but nodding.

“O…okay… I’ll try,” she said as Dash looked up at Squall, who was still glaring at Storm.

“Squall, stop it,” Dash ordered, drawing his attention. “It’s just a temporary change. Storm ranks above us, so please respect his command.”

“Hmph…” Squall grunted with discontent as he averted his eyes. 

Dash took a moment to look over her shoulder. Everypony was on the move again. The air surrounding the conflict between the elites had not faded, but it was clear the objective at hoof had taken precedent for the time being. 

“Alright, everypony…” she trailed off as she heard a loud snoring. She tipped to her right to see Twister was still fast asleep on Matteo’s back with the feather still bouncing up and down over his mouth. At least she knew where he was, which couldn’t be said at all times. Twister suddenly inhaled much stronger than he had before, sucking the feather right into his mouth. He shot upright and began hacking and coughing violently, rolling off Matteo’s back and landing on his stomach, he exhaled loudly upon hitting the floor. The feather shot out of his mouth and smacked Dash right in the face. She scrunched her brow and shook her head out, before looking flatly towards Twister as he held out a feather duster, made with Matteo’s feathers, and continuously brushed it against Matteo’s wedding ring on his talons.

“Alright,” Dash started over. “Everypony standby until we’re ready to launch—oh…” she turned and looked at Storm. “Sorry, you’re in command.”

“Pff…” Storm puffed his cheeks out and shook his head. He turned to the rest of Foxtrot and pointed at Dash. “What she said,” he said a little comically. 

With that, Star turned to leave and honor Dash’s request, inconspicuously brushing her tail against Squall’s leg as she began to move away. Squall turned and watched her leave, but did nothing else as he, Matteo, Twister, and Storm began making sure they were ready to go and in the right place. Dash was ready to do the same, but…

“Dash,” Silver’s voice suddenly came from behind her. She turned around to see him take two more, weak limping steps to place himself right behind her. 

“Yes?” she asked while tipping her head. Silver pointed to the broken stairs near the central propeller pole.

“I need to get a suit. Can you help me get up to my room? I want you to fill me in on all the crap nopony is telling me too,” he ‘requested.’

“Oh…” she glanced at his wings. They were free from bandages, but based on what she saw before take-off and his lack of ability to do consecutive wing-ups, he was going to need some help. Spitfire had voiced an idea to have Matteo basically carry Silver on his back, maybe that was one of the reasons she chose their squad. “Alright…” she turned to Storm. “I’ll be right back.”

Storm gave her a nod as she turned and placed herself beside Silver, reaching out to help him, but he declined.

“I can walk, dammit, I just need… help getting up to the third floor,” he grumbled reluctantly. 

“Fine, fine…” Dash said while rolling her eyes as they slowly moved towards the stairs, the pace slow due to his limping.

“So… what happened?” Silver pressed again, reminding Dash that he was stuck in an enclosed space during the entire battle that just occurred.

“Well… it went like this…”





As Silver and Dash walked away, they were unknowingly being watched by Spitfire. Her interest was not in Dash, however, despite the lingering disappointment she had in her. 

She was looking solely at Silver.

As Dash helped Silver liftoff and the two slowly made their way up the stairs, Spitfire looked down at the floor, and then towards the rest of the team she had put together to protect Silver. She was sending out the best she had, minus Soarin… and she had an extra squad in the form of Foxtrot, led by Storm Front as a personal escort and guard to keep Silver out of harm’s way… but…

“Hmmm…” Spitfire scrunched her face, feeling… unsatisfied. Despite the elite team she had put together, she felt like it wasn’t enough to give her pause. And with all the crap she had to deal with here including being a pillar of defense and handling Soarin… she didn’t want to be worrying about Silver.

She looked up and around the lobby, quickly finding exactly who she was looking for.

“Shine Struck!” she yelled, quickly grabbing attention of the small mare and the rest of Squad Zero packed around her. Upon beckoning them over, the whole squad followed behind Shine as she responded.

“Yes… Captain?” Shine asked the moment they stopped in front of her.

Spitfire remained quiet for a moment, looking over her shoulder at the team of ponies preparing to escort Silver.

“I have a favor to ask…”





“Did you listen?” Silver asked as he and Dash turned left down the third floor hallway towards Silver’s and Wave’s room.

“I… uh…” Dash hesitated, looking away and biting her lip. Silver glanced at her as he limped along, lifting an eyebrow. 

“Well?” he pressed as Dash averted her eyes. 

“I… kinda… punched Fire in the face and—”

“PFFFFFFFF…” 

Dash stopped in her tracks as Silver tipped his head down, his cheeks puffed out as he put a hoof to his mouth.

“PAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!” he burst out laughing. “HAHA—OO! OW!” he cringed, the shaking from the laughter stinging his stiff joints and nerves.

Dash just stared blankly as Silver found something that she felt was a big mistake… amusing? Silver continued to chuckle quietly as his laughter died down, but he glanced at Dash, tipping his head.

“What?” he asked as Dash scrunched her brow.

“That’s not… the reaction I was expecting,” she admitted while looking away. “Fire wasn’t very thrilled, and I’m sure Spitfire, had he told her, would have torn me a new one for it.”

“From what I saw, you ended up saving Luna, right?” Silver said as he continued to limp, leaving Dash slightly behind.

“Yes…?” Dash replied as she started moving along with him again. 

“Then it all worked out,” Silver said simply, still chuckling as they reached his door. 

“But… six ponies died following after me…” she tried to be clear of her discontent, but she didn’t even realize that she said it VERY quietly. Silver didn’t even hear her as he kept chuckling at what he had heard. Dash continued to be a little befuddled. It seemed like Silver wanted to say more about it, but he didn’t. He just kept smirking as if he was proud of something…

Her? For punching a senior officer? Wouldn’t be the first time he liked something she did that seemed off the beaten path, but this felt like a stretch, especially with how much Silver spoke of how things used to be in the Wonderbolt ranks before Spitfire shook things up.

They reached the door and Dash made a move to open the door for him, but had to stop quickly to avoid running into him as he pushed himself forward and opened it himself, limping his way in and letting the door swing shut, forcing Dash to hold out a hoof and push through it as well.

“I can guess the rest…” Silver began as he limped into his room and leaned against his bed with a sigh. “Luna did some weird Alicorn shit that put her in her pain to the touch state, Soarin is angry because Spitfire is keeping something from him, and Soarin said or did something before thinking. I’m strapped to a bed for a few hours and everything goes to hell… figures,” Silver ended with a scoff as he rolled his eyes.

“That’s surprisingly accurate…” Dash chuckled while blinking as Silver got it generally spot on. 

“You spend enough time doing what we do and it’s easy to call out what your fellow idiots will do in any situation,” Silver explained. “We lost six though…” he continued as he released a quick sigh. “Unfortunate…” he kept it simple, but trailed off while looking down and remaining silent for a moment or two. Dash was shocked at how natural he sounded at first, but it quickly faded. She knew Silver cared, but he fought in the last Griffon Drake War, so losing fellow Wonderbolts wasn’t anything new to him. It still weighed on her though.

“So Bliss actually strapped you to the bed?” Dash asked with a smirk, changing the subject for her own sake as Silver leaned his body further against his bed.

“She finally made good on that threat,” Silver confirmed with a nod. “I guess I finally poked the bear too hard…” Silver trailed off and slumped down, sitting with his back against his bed.

“Are you alright?” Dash asked instinctively, approaching him as he hung his head and took several deep breaths. She gritted her teeth and winced the moment she asked, knowing she had walked right into a lawn mower. Despite Silver’s head being tipped down, she saw his eyebrows angle down the moment she asked. 

“Ask me again and I’ll—”

“Kick my rainbow ass, I get it. Sorry that I care,” Dash cut him off quickly, causing him to look up and blink. Dash tipped her head to the side, giving him a flat, unamused look. Silver smiled, chuckling and shaking his head.

“Who am I kidding?” Silver sighed as he looked away. “I’m a wreck. I’m limping like an old mule and I can barely flap my wings without feeling like I have a branding iron being held to my back. I’m going to be carried out on the back of a tubby griffon and have to rely on everypony else for personal safety…” His smile turned into a frown and he exhaled through his nose. His tone slowly descended as he spoke, from casual to sad. Dash’s ears flopped down as she listened to Silver admit how weak he felt, something she never thought she’d hear from him. Silver looked back at her, the frown remaining. “It’s hard, Dash… hard to admit when you may actually be done. I’ve already shed my tears, already came to terms with it, but looking back will always hurt. I guess it’s time I stop being such a stubborn ass and accept that I need help…”

“Silver…” Dash took a step forward, concerned because this was a side of Silver she basically never saw, but he held out a hoof. 

“Stop. I don’t want to waste time with sympathy… You can hug me against my will all you want later. We need to get moving to ensure our safety. I may be done fighting… but I’m answering the call again for the sake of the Wonderbolts and everypony else.” He put his hoof down and looked towards his closet. “Could you be a dear and get one of my suits for me?”

“Oh…” Dash blinked, Silver was asking for help. She immediately nodded. “Sure,” she said with a smile as she turned away from Silver and approached his closet. She grabbed the edge of the sliding door and slid it open, revealing all of Silver’s suits. Eager to help, she reached in and grabbed one of the suits…

But right before pulling it off the hanger. She completely froze, her eyes widening. 

“Be a dear…?” Dash repeated to herself, her left eye twitching… because no way in a million years would Silver ever use such fluffy, sappy words. 

Then she heard a clatter behind her.

Dash let go of the suit, and quickly turned around.

Silver was up on his hooves, and had moved all the way across the room to his cabinet, where he had pushed aside another picture frame and had pulled out a bottle of his prescription painkillers he had stashed in the back. He was holding the bottle in his mouth, with one eye over his shoulder, which grew wide when he saw Dash turn around.

“SILVER!” Dash’s eyes narrowed into a sharp glare. “What are you doing?!” she yelled as she galloped over to him. 

Silver immediately turned to her, but arched his neck away as he held out a hoof to stop her.

“Oof!” Dash grunted as she ran into his hoof, Silver extended one of his wings also to hold her back as she stared at the bottle he held in his mouth. She growled and gritted her teeth. “And just WHAT are you doing with those?!” she asked. Silver only grunted in response as he held her back.

He was… holding her back? He had the strength to do so? He was still wincing and cringing in pain… but he was definitely not as weak as he just talked himself up to be. She couldn’t believe how easily she fell for the sick puppy act.

“You can’t be serious…” she shook her head as Silver continued to glare at her. “Acting all weak and powerless to soften me up, then pop some pain pills when I’m not looking?!” It wasn’t hard for her to put it all together. Silver was trying to slip it all right under their noses, then try and fight despite everypony telling him not to. “You are NOT fighting! GIVE ME THOSE!” she demanded as she tried to reach for them, but she failed to come close as Silver held his wing out to keep her away.





“SILVER!” she yelled again, annoyed that he was being so reckless. “I know Spitfire has been giving erratic orders lately, but I agree with her when she says you should STAY OUT!” She gritted her teeth and squinted, emotion pouring forth as her frustration hit its peak. She cared so much about Silver, but he seemed hell-bent about disregarding the dangers he posed to himself.

Silver grunted painfully and pushed his wing out, forcing Dash backwards and knocking her over onto her back. She tumbled, but quickly stood right back up as Silver spat the bottle out into his hoof and stomped the other hoof down, asserting himself and forcing a heavy glare upon Dash that caused her to halt right in her tracks before she could reach him again.

“Dash… I am staying out,” he growled, wincing in pain and his legs shuddering as Dash remained in place for a moment, but she quickly brushed off his harsh tone and glared at him.

“Yeah, like I’m about to believe that! Why else would you distract me and then go for a hidden stash of painkillers right before leaving? You got me with that little sob act, but I know you, Silver, and I’m NOT falling for this!” she barked back at him, but before she could take a step, she took a good look into Silver’s eyes. His glare had faded, and was replaced with a stern, strong look that cut right into her.

“And what happens if we get ambushed, everypony goes down, and I’m left as the only pony left to fight?” he asked.

“That…!” Dash was quick to fire back before thinking, stopping after the first word because… she didn’t really know how to argue against that.

“It’s called thinking ahead, Dash,” Silver snorted as he placed the bottle on the floor in front of him. “Fine, I tried to sneak it past you because I knew you’d protest, like you are now. I stabbed my own dignity to distract you and you called my bluff… but my body IS broken. My limbs shudder with every step I take, my wings ache like never before when I fly… When looking at things realistically, I agree with Spitfire as well. My time has come and gone, fighting would be a mistake. I intend to follow Spitfire’s orders, but,” he held a hoof out and pointed at her. “If something happens and I’m the only pony that can act to save the ponies I care about… then orders be DAMNED. The painkillers don’t fix me, but if I need to fight… they’ll help me resist the pain as I do.”

Dash stared as she listened. ‘Orders be damned…’ That spoke volumes to her because it was literally a stance she had just taken, and acted on in order to save Princess Luna. Hearing Silver say the same thing confirmed what she felt as she made the bold move earlier… Silver totally would have done the same thing.

But that didn’t change the fact…

“Silver…” Dash spoke up weakly as she bit her lip. “You really should just follow orders and…” she trailed off, not sure where she was going with it. Silver spoke loud and clear and it resonated with her. It was as if desperation was welling up inside of her to ensure Silver’s safety no matter what the circumstance.

“Did you follow orders when you rushed out to save Luna?” Silver put the spear right through her, using her own actions to justify his. She knew it was coming, but had no answer, regardless she resisted… or at least tried to.

“No… but…” she stuttered while looking down.

“That’s right, no buts,” Silver cut in. “No ifs, ands, butts, plots, or asses about it.”

Dash blinked and looked up while lifting an eyebrow, but she ignored his interesting saying as she finally felt she had something to use against him.

“But, Silver, I’m on thin ice. I’ve disobeyed orders twice now recently. I don’t intend to keep doing it and you shouldn’t do it either, so please…” she reached for the bottle, but Silver placed a hoof down in front of it.

“Who are you to suggest what orders I should follow?” Silver asked harshly.

“Silver, STOP IT!” Dash blurted out as she stomped her hooves on the floor. “JUST STOP—”

“Tell me,” Silver cut her off. “If you came across a village of ponies that was set ablaze, and Spitfire ordered you to stand down because it was too dangerous… would you listen?”

“OF COURSE NOT!” Dash shouted without hesitation, but then blinked and leaned backwards as she realized how quickly she answered. Silver smirked.

“Thanks for proving my point,” Silver said smugly as he removed his hoof from the floor in front of the bottle. Dash made no move to grab it. 

“I…” Dash sighed, slumping down. Silver had masterfully flipped the situation from him and his safety to her and her actions. She hated that he could do that. “Silver, I just don’t know… I don’t know if what I do is right or wrong. You tell me to do what I feel is right, and then when I do it, I get yelled at. Then I do it again here, and you push me down…”

“I’m not giving you orders,” Silver said as he lifted an eyebrow, but Dash shook her head.

“I don’t CARE what it is! How can I do what I think is right if it only seems to get frowned upon and get ponies killed?!” she yelled while sitting down and squeezing her eyes shut. “I can’t even stop you from hurting yourself!”

“Dash…” Silver sighed as he flattened his brow. “You should ask Blazetail about what he thinks of me sometime… or maybe ask him about Blizzard Strike…” Silver said with a sudden chuckle. Dash looked up and scrunched her face, wondering what the hell that had to do with what was happening now. “I don’t think you’ll get a very positive answer. He may sugar-coat it now, but he hated us, especially Blizzard. I think Blizzard followed his orders, maybe twice. Blazetail was a good captain, but he was too… passive. Blizzard joked about having a backup plan for every order Blazetail gave because ‘our brave captain doesn’t know his ass from third base’ as he used to say.”

Dash stared at Silver with a scrunched brow and a pout. Silver shook his head.

“Look, Dash, what I’m saying is, you’re thinking way too hard about it,” he paused, leaned forward and pointed at his face. “Look me in the eye and tell me EXACTLY why you made the move to rescue Luna.”

Dash stared into Silver’s eyes blankly as she thought over his words. The answer was simple.

“Because I thought I could… and because… I didn’t want her to die…” she answered in a broken sentence.

“Exactly,” Silver winked. “You know…” he looked off to the side. “If there is one thing I regret as a Wonderbolt… it was how I trained Wave.”

“Huh?” Dash blinked. Silver glanced at her and saw her surprised expression. 

“What?”

“When you say you trained Wave…”

“Yes, I once weighed making him my pupil before you,” Silver admitted, earning a slightly frustrated look from Dash. 

“And you never told me?” she asked, confused.

“I didn’t realize it was such an Equestria shattering secret,” Silver joked, but shook his head. “Look, that’s not the point,” he brought them back on track. “My point is, when we lost Blizzard, I thought it was a sign that I had to harden up and become a more firm, rule abiding Wonderbolt. I took Wave Chill under my wing after he became an elite… but I made the mistake of drilling him into a stiff soldier who never questioned orders. As I grew older and I watched Wave work his way up through the ranks and become a member of my own squad, I realized the mistake I made. I wanted to have an impact on somepony like Blizzard had had on me, but whenever I watched Wave Chill work, I couldn’t see anything that reminded me of the pony I was under Blizzard. Make no mistake, Wave Chill is a fine Wonderbolt, one of the best… but he rarely thinks for himself… and I blame myself for that.”

Dash remained quiet as Silver looked away for a second before looking back at her and giving a single nod.

“Dash, don’t EVER turn into a drone that only follows orders. If a life is in danger and in your heart, you know you can save it… then save it. Orders are meant to keep just that… order. They are not there to take precedent over your conscience or your better judgment. If you ask me, you did exactly what you should have done, even though you ended up punching a senior officer in the face. I’m surprised Fire complied with the orders, to be honest. Though, based on how all the Wonderbolts followed you out there, it seems everypony had the same thing on their mind, but it looks like you were the only one with a big enough brass set to actually do it,” he paused, shaking his head. “I don’t know what Spitfire was thinking with orders like that, but then again, it was probably because of her lack of wartime experience. She is a great captain, but this whole shit show has been her first real test of command. She’s bound to make a judgment error or two. I’m just glad you led the charge against her orders, because a good captain becomes a great captain over time the more their orders are questioned or challenged. If Spitfire lives in an echo box, she’ll never learn and grow to understand those she commands or how best to lead them.”

“But…” Dash started, but trailed off and sighed.

“But what?” Silver immediately pressed.

“But six ponies died. Three of them current Wonderbolts,” Dash said as she let her head hang. While she felt less shocked by it than the first time, it still weighed heavy on her. She didn’t care if Fire described it as them willingly following, she still felt a little responsible.

“But you saved Luna,” Silver reminded her. Dash looked up at him with a disturbed expression.

“But six ponies still died!” she said defiantly as if he wasn’t even acknowledging the fact.

“Was it your fault?” Silver quickly asked.

“I…” Dash hesitated. “Well, they followed me… and…”

“They didn’t have to follow you, but they chose to. Did they come out there to save you or did they help you save Luna?”

“They…” Dash blinked, remembering the process that unfolded after she launched. After the Wonderbolts and Renegades reached them, they worked together for the sole purpose of getting Luna back to the Nimbus. So Silver was right… they didn’t fly out just to save her, they flew out behind her and worked together to save Luna. “They flew out to save Luna…”

“Exactly,” Silver said again with a nod. “Spitfire can’t and shouldn’t blame you for any deaths that occurred. They died in the line of duty while working to save a pony that means more for the future of Equestria than any single Wonderbolt ever could. We lost three from our ranks… but just like I said with Midnight, get used to it,” Silver reminded her sharply. “As Wonderbolts, we face death on a regular basis… and I guarantee it won’t be the last time we lose somepony in this conflict.”

Dash looked up as Silver finished, the two of them staring at one another for a few moments before Silver reached for the pill bottle. He stopped halfway through the motion, looking up at Dash, but she made no move to protest or stop him. He smiled as he grabbed the bottle, dropped two pills into his hoof and took them down with some water from an old bottle that was sitting on its side on his bed. He cringed as the lukewarm water washed down the pills, but looked down, took a deep breath, and sighed.

When he looked back up, Dash was moving towards his closet. She reached in and brought down on of his suits, carrying it back over to him. 

She held it out to him, a look of determination beside some lingering doubt in her eyes as she waited for him to take it. Silver wasn’t expecting a few words from him to completely turn her around. It wasn’t that simple, it never was. But she understood that he was doing what he felt was right just as she did… and now she was willingly giving his suit to him. 

Silver took it from her. 

Dash stepped back and watched as Silver, with some difficulty, shimmied his way into the suit, slid his arms and legs into the sleeves, secured it tightly, and placed his hooves on the mask. He stopped before pulling the mask up, turning and facing the mirror in the room before he did. He stared at himself for several seconds, Dash staying quiet as the moment moved along.

She didn’t know exactly what was going through Silver’s head, but she had a pretty good idea.

This was likely the last time Silver would ever put on a Wonderbolt uniform for a mission.

She was certain that he had gone through this process countless times, but never once thought about when would be the last. It had to be a hard moment for him.

Silver closed his eyes, reached up, and pulled the mask up over his head, letting it rest firmly against his face. He shook his head and mane out before opening his eyes, and taking another long look at himself.





Dash simply waited, letting Silver take all the time he needed. Everypony was waiting for them down in the lobby, but they could afford a minute or two. She knew Silver was aware of the situation, but this was an important moment for him.

He knew where he stood, he knew that his career was over, but it took him by surprise. He never had the chance to take one last look. He never had the chance to accept it before taking on one last mission. But now, being called upon to handle an important objective, he had his chance to go through the process one last time.

And then, after taking it all in, he turned away and faced Dash, limping over to her.

She stood up as he approached and reached out, gently touching a hoof to his chest.

“Did you take your heart medication?” she asked him suddenly. Silver blinked, but simply nodded.

“I already took my dose for the day in the infirmary.”

“Okay, just making sure,” Dash said as she turned around and the two started heading towards the door. “You’re not fighting.”

Silver flinched and stopped mid-step as Dash kept moving towards the door. He narrowed his eyes and glared at her.

“What the hell did I just get done saying to—”

“To follow my conscience and judgment,” Dash cut him off as she reached for the doorknob, grabbing a pair of Silver’s goggles that were dangling from it. She turned around and looked at him seriously. “And those are telling me not to let you fight.” She tossed the goggles over to Silver. He caught them, but kept looking towards Dash. “You’re going to fight if the rest of us go down? Fine. Then I won’t go down. So if you try fighting otherwise, you can bet your ass that I’ll hold you back, even if I have to punch you in the face too.”

Silver blinked as Dash stared him down with a stern glare. He lifted an eyebrow and smirked for a moment before pulling on the strap of his goggles and stretching them over his head, placing the lenses over his eyes.

“Hmph… if you say so,” he said as he adjusted the goggles and approached the door. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Dash turned as he reached her, and the two made their way out, but Dash perked up as they stepped through the door.

“Oh, this is kind of random, but I was wondering…” she suddenly began.

“Hm?”

“You guys keep calling the captain of the Lunar Guard Captain P.L.” Dash glanced at Silver. “What does P.L. stand for?”

Silver blinked and snickered as the door began to close behind them.

“What?” Dash asked quizzically. 

“I’ll let you ask him when we get there.”

---To Be Continued---