Ch18 - The Wonderbolts
Celestia’s Tiny Student
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Chapter 18
The Wonderbolts
Clouds raced by Celestia as she made her way to the Wonderbolts Stadium, the powerful flaps of her wings propelling her steadily towards her destination as the afternoon sun hung high above her.
“Twilight,” Celestia called back, “I still don’t understand why you’re so adamant about not using your magical ropes? What if you fall off?”
Twilight readjusted her hooves, which were held tightly to her mentor’s neck, before she replied, the cool breeze whipping her mane back and the contents of her saddlebags rustling about. “Because I don’t need them. Even if I do lose my grip, I’m sure you wouldn’t let me fall too far, would you, Princess?”
Celesia closed her eyes, smiling as she took a deep breath of fresh air. “Of course I won’t, my dear student, though I doubt you would even need my help in the first place.”
The two passed by a number of pegasi flying to the same show, picking up more than a few curious stares from ponies surprised to see their Princess flying about without her chariot or her guards. Celestia flew with a whoosh past a group of unwary pegasi, giggling at their surprised exclamations at her sudden appearance. I was missing a lot of fun by keeping up pointless appearances. So what if I don’t fly in a chariot from place to place like I should? My subjects shouldn’t be the only ones to enjoy the wonders of flying.
Over the shrieking wind, Celestia heard her student shouting in excitement. “Twilight, you really do enjoy flying, don't you?”
“Yes I do!” she shouted cheerfully.
Celestia chuckled, turning around to add, “If you enjoy it so much, how about I have a custom saddle made for you? You know, so you could ride on me or other pegasi more comfortably?”
“Really, this sounds like a wonderful ide—wait a moment, am I being disrespectful by riding on you, Princess? The idea of riding on you on a saddle—oh no, I’m embarrassing you in front of all your subjects, aren’t I!” Twilight spoke, her eyes widening and she looked frantically around.
Celestia quickly stopped the oncoming panic attack with a barrel roll, unable to stop herself from grinning when she heard Twilight yelp in surprise. “Twilight, at this point I just want us to enjoy our time together; my reputation won’t be ruined because of a few flying tricks. And besides, very soon you’ll be learning from some of the best fliers in Equestria instead. This is the last time we can fly like this together for a long time.”
Twilight readjusted her grip of the princess as she nodded her head. “In that case, full speed ahead, Princess! Let’s show those pegasi some real flying, alicorn style!” she shouted cheerfully.
Celestia was happy to comply, beginning a slow climb for more altitude. It has only been half a year since she started to use her wings during her public appearances instead of riding in a chariot, and as a result, she was able to access more of her innate pegasus magic and her flying skills had stopped resembling that of a waterlogged chicken.
Even inexperienced, Celestia still gave Twilight a hard time as she did a few basic aerial maneuvers, hoping to make the moment memorable. Adrenaline and excitement energized Twilight’s senses as she did her best not to fall off her mentor’s back. However, as her hooves began to slip from Celestia’s neck, she quickly began to regret that she was not using magic ropes to keep her in place.
It was when Celestia swept into a dive that the last piece of fur slipped from Twilight’s grasp and she began to fall. A twinge of fear ran through Twilight as the distance between her and her mentor increased every second, though she quickly suppressed it and began to concentrate.
Celestia performed a few more small stunts. “What do you think about this one, my dear student? I learned it just recently,” she asked cheerfully. After failing to hear a response, she spoke again, somewhat worriedly this time. “Is something the matter, my little student? Was I too audacious in my attempts?”
After a few more seconds of silence, Celestia quickly noticed a sudden lack of anything holding onto her neck. After confirming this suspicion with a quick sweep of a hoof, she began to panic. Celestia turned back and started to fly around in search of her student. A few moments passed before she attempted to calm herself, consciously slowing her quickened breath and realizing full well that Twilight could take care of herself despite her tiny size.
After clearing her mind, Celestia flew back, looking around carefully until she noticed a small lavender light in the distance, the light silhouette of her student inside. Wasting no time, Celestia flew under Twilight. “Jump on, my faithful student.”
Twilight released her self levitation spell and was once again holding tightly to her mentor’s neck. “Thank you, Princess.”
Wasting no more time with amateurish stunts, Celestia, with a powerful flap, began speeding towards the great colosseum on the edge of the city. Its seats were packed with an excited crowd numbering in the thousands surrounding a large, open central area. A few safety measures separated ponies from a long fall to the ground while clouds in various shapes served as obstacles for the participating pegasi. Celestia landed gracefully and gently in the VIP spot specially prepared for her. Her two pegasus guards were already standing attentively on either side, no longer bothering to escort the most powerful being in the world whenever she flew on her own.
Twilight climbed eagerly to the top of Celestia’s head, watching from behind the golden crown as the announcer’s voice boomed throughout the arena, proclaiming the entrance of none other than the magnificent Wonderbolts.
“There she is... So small, and yet so valuable,” one unicorn whispered to another. They were sitting in the back seats of the stadium, discreetly observing the little unicorn atop Celestia’s head as the rest of the crown was fully focused on the Wonderbolts show.
“Yes, she is the princess’s personal treasure, after all. It would be quite the tragedy if somepony were to steal it away from her,” the other unicorn replied quietly.
“Oh, she would be devastated with worry that somepony would damage her treasure beyond repairs.”
“And I bet that the princess will be very, very generous to a pony who would bring her little pet back to her unharmed. After all, what worth would be a magically talented student without her tiny horn on her cute, little head?”
“Oh, she would pay a very high price to ensure that it won't happen. The only problem is that the little treasure never leaves the princess or the guards’ side for even for moment.”
“It is just a matter of time until she find herself without an escort. Patience is a virtue, and those who wait patiently are always rewarded.”
“I’ve noticed how much you are enjoying these shows, Twilight. It seems that magic, reading, and adventuring are not your only passions any longer,” Celestia said cheerfully as she looked up at her tiny student, who gazed back down into her big eyes, returning the smile. The glowing, thundering contrails of the Wonderbolts hung in the air above them, the remains of a bright and explosive finale.
“After you taught me that magic is more than just unicorn spells, I have become even more thrilled to learn about it, and once I uncover the secrets behind pegasus magic and finish creating my first spell, I would love to study the powers of earth pony magic as well.”
Celestia beamed at her student’s words. Twilight, you are so open minded to the world around you. I‘ve met many wise and powerful unicorns in my long life, but they’ve always thought that unicorns were superior to pegasi and earth ponies, and too many of them completely disregarded the existence of any magic outside of unicorn spellcasting.
“Princess Celestia?” Celestia turned to the pegasus guard at her side, who snapped a curt salute before continuing. “I’ve been informed that you were planning to discuss a few plans with the Captain of the Wonderbolts? Shall I lead you to them?”
Celestia simply shook her head. “Not at the moment, Sergeant. Though I do indeed need to meet with them soon, I think we can simply intercept them at their headquarters so they can prepare for their upcoming vacation. Meanwhile...” The princess looked up at her student still perched on her head. “We still need to keep up public appearances, and I am more than certain that there are a few ponies out there who would like to talk with their princess and her faithful student.”
Twilight simply groaned at the prospect, to which Celestia gave a chuckle as she added coyly, “I’m quite aware of how enthusiastic you are about these public appearances, Twilight, but try not to fall asleep before we can get to the Wonderbolts, alright?”
“Wake up, my little student.”
“Hhrrr... Are we there yet?” Twilight asked, her voice heavy with sleep as she tried to sit up, looking blearily at her surroundings.
“Well, if it isn’t the famous Twilight Sparkle. Chilling on the princess’s back I see,” said a coarse female voice.
Twilight quickly jumped up to her hooves as she tried to focus on the big yellow face of a uniformed pegasus in front of her. “Oh my... I... ummm... are you...,” Twilight hastily sputtered, her mind still hazy from sleep, blushing from the embarrassment of leaving a bad first impression.
Celestia chuckled. “My faithful little student, I would like to introduce you to Spitfire, the Captain of the Wonderbolts.”
“C-captain of the Wonderbolts?”
“The one and only,” Spitfire said proudly.
“Umm... Hello, it is an honor to meet you. Your show was amazing.”
“No sweat. Your show was kind of impressive as well.”
Twilight blushed as she rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. “M-my show?”
Spitfire gave a short laugh before looking back at Twilight, a relaxed expression on her face. “A couple years ago, some of my teammates and I were attending a party in your name. We’ve always tried to act professional and give those annoying nobles the attention they’re so desperate for, but when we saw you levitating those stuck-up ponies in the air and then dazzling them with a few illusions... well, that party was a bit more bearable.”
“T-thanks,” Twilight said hesitantly, before she furrowed her brow at the pegasi captain. “Wait, how do you know those were illusions? I didn’t think anypony else noticed.”
“Heh, I may not be as spell-wise as the unicorns, but we Wonderbolts are still very perceptive. It’s not hard for us to tell the difference between illusion and reality from, say, a hundred yards away.”
Twilight was impressed. She knew that pegasi had to be very perceptive to notice small details from the air at long distance or to swerve away from obstacles, but being able to distinguish what was real was something new. “Wow, that’s amazing,” she said in obvious awe.
“Anyways,” Spitfire said, waving off the compliment, “what brings a tiny celebrity like yourself to the Wonderbolts Headquarters? I’m sure that you’re not just here to say hello.”
Celestia cleared her throat, catching Spitfire’s attention. “We are here to seek your assistance in Twilight’s studies,” she stated, an innocent smile on her face. “In order to ensure that you and any volunteers you can find will have time for this, I have written up documents allotting the Wonderbolts a one month break from their duties.”
Spitfire raised an eyebrow. “A study, eh? And what can an airhead like me do to assist?”
“My little student is currently studying a branch of magic which you are very experienced in: pegasus magic.”
“Pegasus magic? Really…” Spitfire turned back to the tiny unicorn perched behind the alicorn’s neck. “And why would you be interested in pegasus magic, Miss Sparkle?” she asked suspiciously.
Twilight glanced around, unsure how to answer for a moment. “Well, I’ve already learned a lot about many different kinds of spells, but once my mentor took me on a flight around the castle, I found flying really exciting. She taught me everything she knows about pegasus and earth pony magic, and I couldn’t help but to go over any book on the topic I could find,” Twilight said, her hesitation quickly turned into excitement.
Spitfire gave Twilight a disbelieving look before turning back to the princess. “Is she for real? Since when did unicorns become interested in anything outside of their own horns?”
Celestia chuckled. “Twilight is anything but an ordinary unicorn.”
Spitfire nodded slowly before turning back to Twilight, who was looking confusedly at her. “So you wanna learn the wonders of pegasus magic? Well, you came to the right place. You’ll be an expert when I’m done with you.”
“That’s wonderful!” Twilight said excitedly. “Maybe I can finally be able to finish the spell I’m working on!”
Spitfire was curious about the spell Twilight was talking about, but decided to leave the question for later. Her gaze once again fell on Princess Celestia. “So let me get this straight. You’re giving us a month of vacation as a cover for your student to learn from us? Like, a school camp or something?”
Celestia nodded with a wide smile. “Yes, but I’d like to make it clear that I only expect you and your volunteers to assist and take care of her. The rest are free to use their free time as they wish.”
At least until I swipe a few of them to train me, Celestia thought. Off the record of course, to help me stand against my sister in aerial combat.
Spitfire thought deeply for a moment, narrowing her eyes at Celestia’s innocent smile, before letting out her breath. “Fair enough.”
Twilight had listened quietly to the discussion, only for a question to pop up in her mind. She poked her mentor in the neck a few times to grab her attention. “Excuse me, Princess, but what do you mean by ‘take care of me?’”
“Oh, that’s quite simple, my faithful, little student. For the next month, you will spend your time with Spitfire and the Wonderbolts as a part of your studies, and your personal guards will finally get their own well-deserved vacation. I trust that Spitfire will be able to make your stay here both comfortable and safe,” Celestia said encouragingly.
“Well... if you trust them to take care of me, then I’ll trust them too,” Twilight stated with a curt nod.
Celestia levitated her little student up and lightly hugged her, willfully ignorant of the amusement of the Wonderbolts in the room. “I will miss you Twilight, but I am sure you will have a wonderful time here, and I wish you the best of luck with your project.”
“Thank you, Princess. I’ll miss you too, but I promise that I will do my best.”
Celestia nuzzled Twilight briefly before she set her down on the floor, turning back to Spitfire again. “I hope the two of you will get along. Farewell and best of luck,” she said, before she exited the room, Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts bowing in respect.
Spitfire straightened back up as the door closed behind the princess, looking down at the floor at the tiny unicorn mare she was now responsible for, who was looking at her curiously. “Hop up,” Spitfire said, about to lower her wing to Twilight’s level. She was pleasantly surprised, however, when the unicorn jumped smoothly to her back before she had even moved.
Spitfire raised an eyebrow at Twilight, amused. “You’re pretty quick. I like that. Now let’s start with a few introductions to my teammates,” she said as she gathered the Wonderbolts in a line, briefing them on Princess Celestia’s orders and introducing Twilight to each member. She concluded with a request for volunteers to assist in the little unicorn’s study.
However, despite Twilight’s fame and much to Spitfire’s surprise, most of the Wonderbolts decided to enjoy their vacation rather than hang out with the tiny unicorn, leaving Twilight with only Spitfire and Soarin' as companions. The lack of initiative annoyed Spitfire to no end.
“Where do you think you’re all going? Vacation isn’t starting just yet! To the training grounds! NOW!” Spitfire ordered loudly, her eye giving a subtle twitch. She turned to the unicorn on her back, only to notice that she was now hiding under a slowly vanishing magenta bubble.
“Everything alright, Twilight?” Spitfire asked concernedly.
Twilight simply nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. It’s just that my ears are a bit sensitive, so I use a soundproof barrier whenever somepony is screaming or yelling.”
Spitfire gave an awkward smile, lowering her head slightly. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. So, what’s the first thing on the schedule?” Twilight asked excitedly.
“Maybe we can show you around. Hey, maybe we can start with the canteen! They’re serving some delicious pie today, I’ve heard,” Soarin' said. His stomach took that moment to begin growling, and Spitfire simply rolled her eyes as she followed him out, her passenger stifling a giggle.
“Soarin’,” Spitfire said, raising an eyebrow at the other pegasus. “How do you manage to stay in the Wonderbolts with eating habits like that?”
Soarin’ finished inhaling his pie, turning with a smirk to his superior seated at the table next to him. “Why do you have them serve pie so often if you think the Wonderbolts can’t handle it?”
Spitfire returned the smirk. “Touché. Looks like I’ll have to cut down on the sweets I’m feeding you featherbrains,” she stated nonchalantly, turning away from Soarin’s horrified expression to Twilight, who was busy chewing through a tiny piece of Soarin’s pie, broken off and placed in a separate saucer. “Sooo, Miss Sparkle—”
Twilight held up a hoof, stopping Spitfire as she finished swallowing. “Twilight will do just fine.”
“Very well, Twilight. Is it true that the princess herself flew you around on her back?” Spitfire asked curiously.
“Yes she did, after she—” Twilight hesitated, unsure whether or not she could tell other ponies about how her mentor shrunk herself twice a day to play along with her crazy adventures.
“After she… Hmn?” Spitfire said, chewing thoughtfully.
“Nevermind,” Twilight quickly said, taking another tiny bite of Soarin's pie. “But yes, she does let me fly on her back, and I’ve very much enjoyed the experience.”
Spitfire chuckled. “Well, I’m not sure if you know, but you’ve sure got the princess into high gears recently.” Twilight looked confusedly at her, and Spitfire raised an eyebrow in response. “Haven’t you noticed? She’s been so much more cheerful since she took you in as a student, and she no longer flies around in a silly chariot as if she was embarrassed of her wings,” she said, frowning as she gulped down the rest of her sandwich. “No offense to the princess and all, but in my opinion, not using those huge wings is such a waste.”
Twilight stopped through her piece of pie. Spitfire does have a point. First, the princess shrunk herself to play with me. Next, she began training alongside her royal guards, and now, she’s stopped using her chariot and is flying from place to place under her own power. I hope that these changes I seem to be responsible for are a good thing.
“Twilight? Something the matter?” Spitfire asked, interrupting Twilight’s contemplation.
The tiny unicorn shook her head in response. “No, not really.”
“You fazed out for a second there, Twilight. You sure nothing’s bothering you?” Soarin' asked, finishing off his third pie.
“Actually, there is something that I’ve always wondered since I watched your practice sessions a while ago. Whenever a Wonderbolt has an accident that would send most other ponies to the hospital, I’m surprised that they’re able to recover so quickly and continue on. How can pegasi endure so much more than an earth pony?”
Spitfire burst out into chuckles. “Rather odd question coming from a pony who survived falling from the princess’s tower like it was nothing.”
Twilight blushed. “But but, it really wasn’t! Princess Celestia cast a protection spell on me in those days, and my small size made the fall—”
“Regardless,” Spitfire interrupted, “protection spell or not or whatever other advantages you had, you’re still pretty tough. Well, for a unicorn, that is.” She bumped Twilight with a hoof lightly, grinning widely.
Twilight regained her balance, giving Spitfire an awkward smile. “T-thank you, I guess.”
Soarin', swallowing another piece of pie down, spoke up. “Well, back to your original question, the reason pegasi recover so easily comes mostly from our biology and our magic,” he began, ignoring Spitfire as she rolled her eyes. “Being a well-trained pegasus lets us fly fast, but when you fly so high and so fast, you crash often and you crash hard, so our bones are a bit more elastic to compensate. Pegasus bones will absorb the force and bend rather than crack or break like the bones of earth ponies or unicorns.”
Twilight listened eagerly to Soarin's lecture, taking notes on a tiny notepad she had produced from her customized saddlebags. “Of course, it still doesn’t make us invincible,” the stallion continued. “While crashing into a solid rock won’t result in permanent damage, crashing into something sharp will still end up as you’d expect.”
Spitfire gave a snort of amusement. “Soarin' was always best in anatomy and physiology. Strange subjects to master, but I guess it’s helped him in his flying career.”
“Hey! I thought it was because I got skills,” Soarin' replied, pouting.
Twilight paused for a second in her note-taking. “Thank you, Soarin’. It seems I will need to consider bone alteration in my spell as well,” she stated cheerfully, before jotting down a few more details.
“Spell? What spell?” Soarin' asked curiously, the two Wonderbolts looking pointedly at Twilight.
“Just a little project of mine. Ever heard of a spell that can give ponies butterfly wings?”
Spitfire rolled her eyes. “If you mean those pathetic imitations, then yeah, they’re fine if you want to look like a fairy,” she said caustically.
“Well, I’m trying to create a more advanced spell that can temporarily convert a pony’s inner magic into pegasus magic, the result of which, I’m hoping, will create proper pegasus wings and—D-did I say something wrong?” Twilight looked hesitantly between her two audience members, who were now staring at her as if she were crazy.
***
“It’s quite an idea you have there, Twilight,” Spitfire said, trotting out onto the main grounds, the tiny unicorn sitting comfortably on Soarin’s back, “but I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Twilight nodded. “I hope that what I can learn here will help me along. It’s a fantastic concept, and I’d love to see where this takes me.”
Spitfire smirked. “Well, I have a few ideas on how to start,” she remarked, before turning to gesture over the entire area. “Welcome to the Wonderbolts Training Facility. I feel that the best way to teach about pegasus magic would be to show you how we train ourselves and, in turn, our magic,” she said, glancing over at Twilight’s awed expression. “We have smaller facilities in almost every major city in Equestria for members of the Wonderbolts to prepare for our shows, though most of our most talented candidates are sent to the Wonderbolts Academy here whenever we have an open spot on the team. What do you say? Fancy enough for your tastes?”
Soarin' grinned as he watched his new, tiny friend nod in agreement, her mouth still hanging open. Things were already big enough for Twilight’s size, but the wide open training area was humongous, managing to feel spacious even with all the pegasi working to hone their skills present.
“So, any questions?” Spitfire asked.
Twilight slowly recovered from her amazement, looking around the grounds eagerly before focusing on a large, circular wheel at the far edge. “What’s that?” she said, pointing at it with a hoof.
Spitfire turned to look at what the tiny unicorn was pointing at. “Oh, that’s the Dizzitron. We use it to simulate what happens when a strong wind knocks a pegasus off balance or if the pegasus hits an obstacle and loses control during a flight. The purpose of it is to improve recovery time, since it can often decide the pony’s fate.”
Twilight jumped off from Soarin's back as she ran to inspect the giant machine, soon teleporting from place to place to check it from every angle. “You sure are a very curious one,” Soarin' said as he walked closer, momentarily considering how to catch the tiny pony before simply giving up after several failed attempts to catch up with her, keeping a close watch on her instead as he shifted his weight restlessly.
“Calm down, please,” Soarin' pled as his eyes darted about between each bright flash of light, before Twilight teleported to reappear atop Spitfire’s head.
“Can I try it!” Twilight asked, causing Spitfire to jump, captured off guard by the tiny unicorn screaming in her ear.
“Try what?” she asked, shaking off her daze.
“The Dizzitron, of course!” Twilight replied cheerfully.
Spitfire blinked few times before before nodding in understanding. “Oh, you want a demonstration? Sure, why not? Just let me...” She drifted to a stop as Twilight leaned over to look upside down into her eyes.
“No, I mean, can I try it out?”
Spitfire, Soarin', and two of the Wonderbolts close enough to listen in stared at the tiny unicorn in silence, before they all burst out in laughter. Spitfire herself fell to the floor laughing breathlessly, Twilight jumping off her head to the grass just in time.
“G-g-good one... You sure have a great sense of humor,” Spitfire said, wiping tears from her eyes.
“But... It wasn’t meant to be a joke. I really mean it,” Twilight said hesitantly, causing Spitfire to look at her disbelievingly, even as the other pegasi fell into greater fits.
“You sure about that, Twilight? First off, you have no wings, so this machine will probably throw you to the other side of Canterlot,” Spitfire said, rising back to her hooves as she maintained eye contact with her charge. “Second, even if you were a pegasus with wings and all, do you think I would let you use it considering your size?”
Twilight stomped her hoof angrily, her tone serious and firm. “I may not have wings, but I can still fly!”
Before Spitfire and Soarin' could reply, she lit her horn and levitated herself into the air, flying a few orbits around Spitfire until she stopped herself in midair in front of her nose, a sly smile on her face. “Any objections now?”
Spitfire rubbed her eyes with her hooves, unsure if what she just saw an illusion or not. “So you can levitate yourself. Neat.”
“That’s right. I know I can’t fly half as fast as an average pegasus, and to be honest I can hardly fly as fast as most ponies can run, nor can I levitate myself longer than ten minutes before my mind becomes exhausted, but I can still fly,” Twilight said, her forelegs crossed as she stared intently into the giant eyes of the Wonderbolt Captain.
“So,” Twilight said, a note of finality in her voice, “can I try out the Dizzitron?”
Soarin' chuckled. “We could always let her try. Worse case scenario, we’ll just catch her.”
Spitfire fell silent for a moment, looking impassively at the pony floating in front of her before giving a curt nod. “Fine, fine, but if you get hurt, I’m not answering to the princess for that. Deal?”
“Deal,” Twilight stated firmly as she levitated herself closer to the Dizzitron. The metal handle that was made to keep pegasi immobile proved too big for her, so instead she cast several magic ropes around herself, expending plenty of magic to make sure they were durable enough.
“Okay rookie, I still think it’s a bad idea to let a unicorn do a pegasus’s job, but if you insist, we will set up this to the speed we use to test our recruits.” Spitfire paused and took a deep breath before continuing, a more serious tone in her voice. “The moment I say release, you will need to dispel those magic ropes of yours without delay. Do it even a moment later and you will hit the floor. Do I make myself clear?” she shouted.
Twilight gave an affirmative shout, and Spitfire nodded, turning to Soarin’ at the controls. “Start the Dizzitron!” she ordered as the stallion pushed the lever, and Twilight slowly started to circle around faster and faster.
After ten seconds, Spitfire gave the signal and Twilight dispelled her magic ropes, launching her high into the air, two Wonderbolts already in midair to catch her if she got too close to the ground.
The world spun turbulently around Twilight, but the dizziness was nothing compared to her experiences with power surges, the uncontrollable outburst of magical energy causing much more debilitating headaches than her current state. Without wasting a moment, her horn lit up as she stabilized herself, stopping her spinning in a mere four seconds.
Twilight took another few seconds to calculate the coordinates of the finish line she was meant to fly, shaking out the dizziness as best she could. She stopped levitating herself and immediately began concentrating on a teleportation spell as she fell towards the ground. Her spellcasting was notably longer than usual, but she managed to reappear very close to the finish line. Twilight quickly switched spells again, levitating herself past the finish line as Spitfire stopped the stopwatch in her hoof.
“How did I do?” Twilight asked, the last remnants of her disorientation soon wearing off.
“T-ten seconds,” Spitfire said in disbelief as several of the other Wonderbolts gathering around shared the same expression on their faces.
“Is... that... good?” Twilight asked, looking uncertainly at the growing crowd.
“Is that good? An average recruit takes at least fifteen seconds to recover, and the best of us take at least seven on a good day. The fact that a unicorn can match up to top notch Wonderbolts is pretty darn impressive, if you ask me!”
Twilight teleported onto Spitfire’s back, causing the pegasus to jump at the sudden contact. Spitfire spread her wing, motioning for Twilight to sit on it, which she did, blushing as she gave a hesitant smile to the captain. “T-thanks, then.”
“So. How did you do that?” Spitfire asked, an eyebrow raised.
Twilight gave a wide smile. “It’s actually very simple. Even though I can’t levitate myself around quickly, I can still stabilize myself in midair with my magic far faster than a pegasus could with wings. While casting spells does require a lot of concentration, I’ve learned how to cast spells even under the worst of circumstances from my time with the princess, so the moment I saw the finish line, teleporting close to it was easy.”
Spitfire snorted in amusement. “I never expected to be really impressed by a unicorn, but you’re not half bad. Are you sure you’re not a pegasus in disguise?” she asked jokingly, causing Twilight to try to hide her growing blush behind a feather.
“I don’t have any flying skills, but it turns out that my magic was very useful for this test. I’m sure that if I was a pegasus, I would take three or four times longer to get to the finish line.”
Spitfire chuckled. “Well, I’m not sure you’d do quite that badly if you can handle this that quickly,” she said before turning to the rest of the training area. “C’mon, this thing isn’t the only type of training we do around here. There’s much more to try out for an amateur flier like you.”
Hours passed as she tried to analyze the Wonderbolts flying movements, asking a plethora of questions and participating in a multitude of exercises as she tried to gain as much information as possible. Despite her best efforts, Twilight ended up having more than a few embarrassing accidents, her huge reserves of magic unable to keep up with the stamina of the elite pegasi. The sun had barely passed the horizon when the final whistle blew.
“Time’s up everypony!” Spitfire said, her voice carrying clearly over the entire area as Wonderbolts assembled in a line in front of her. “Starting tomorrow, you all get one month passes to spend time with your family, sleep on clouds, or do whatever you slackers do in your spare time. Just keep in mind that once the vacations are over, you will not be happy if I have to get your lazy flank back into shape. Am I clear?”
“Ma’am, yes ma’am!”
“Good. Now go and pack your stuff. It’s too late for you to leave already, so rest up because I want all of you outta here by tomorrow morning!”
The Wonderbolts gave a final salute before turning to walk back to their quarters, leaving Spitfire, Soarin' and Twilight alone. “Is she always this hard on her teammates?” Twilight asked quietly from her perch on Soarin’s wing.
“Nahh... She’s usually much more relaxed, but I guess the lack of volunteers to assist you in your studies put her in bad mood. After all, while they’ll be chilling out on a beach somewhere, Spitfire and I will be stuck with you,” Soarin' said, before he caught himself being a little more frank than he intended. “Teaching you, I mean. About pegasus magic.”
Despite Soarin's attempts to correct his mistake and the enjoyable day she had, Twilight looked down guiltily, wondering if she really was just a burden for them. On one hoof, Spitfire and Soarin' were really nice and kind and they seemed to have fun in her company, but what if, in reality, they thought she was just wasting their time?
“Hey you two! You coming or not?” Spitfire shouted, prompting Soarin' with his little passenger into a quick trot to catch up.
“Hey Twilight, I was wondering,” Soarin’ asked, giving her an awkward smile as he tried to compensate for his slip-up. “If you’ve flown on the princess, would you like to also fly on a Wonderbolt?”
“Umm... Sure, I guess, b-but I wouldn’t want to impose.” Twilight replied hesitantly.
“Oh, I won’t mind, and I’m sure Spitfire won’t either, right?” Soarin' asked enthusiastically.
The captain nodded her head, still looking forward as she replied absentmindedly. “Yeah, sure, whatever...”
“That settles it. I have some materials we can use to sew a saddle for your size. Y’know, so you can ride comfortably and enjoy all awesome stunts we do.”
“Well, last time I tried to sew didn’t turn out spectacularly, but I think I’m up to it now. Sounds good,” Twilight replied.
Soarin’ lit up in a smile. “Alright then! By right back,” he said, before he placed Twilight on Spitfire’s back and trotted off.
Twilight watched as the stallion disappeared out of her sight before she turned to Spitfire. “So where are we going? Do you have any rooms I can stay in?”
“Indeed we do. Right now though, I have a bit of paperwork to do, considering our unexpected vacation, and I need to reschedule our performances until after this month. I don’t think I can accommodate you in my room, but there should be some empty rooms elsewhere in the barracks,” Spitfire said as she approached a large, metal, building, marked clearly with a stenciled ‘3’ on its front. “A couple of my teammates told me that room three should have two beds open, so you’ll be sleeping there tonight.”
Spitfire pushed the door open and walked inside, completely failing to acknowledge the other Wonderbolts already present as she placed Twilight on a free bed near the door. “Make yourself comfortable. I bet that Soarin' is out to find materials to make a saddle with you, but I would suggest you leave it for tomorrow morning. I’ll be sure to tell him where to find you later, so for now, just get some rest.”
Twilight nodded, sliding her tiny saddlebags onto the table next to her temporary bed before moving to examine the pillow. “It’s a bit smaller than what I’m used to, but it should do,” she murmured, before she jumped onto the big pillow and situated herself comfortably in the middle. She turned back to the pegasus captain, giving a small bow of her head. “Thank you for your hospitality,” Twilight said gratefully.
Spitfire raised an eyebrow, “You do realize you have the entire bed at your disposal, right? Not to mention quilt, if you want it.”
Twilight smiled awkwardly. “Well... I’m so used to sleeping on Princess Celestia’s pillow that I have trouble sleeping anywhere else. As for quilt, I don’t think I’ll need it. Nights aren’t really that cold this time of year.”
Spitfire took a quick glance outside, noting the high clouds near the edge of the cliff that surrounded the high-altitude base. “Suit yourself,” she said, before turning to leave. “I have some work to do, so I’ll see ya tomorrow.”
Twilight took a moment to examine her new surroundings. Five separate bunks spanned the area, each with its own nightstand near the head and a hooflocker. Her own bed, though still humongous compared to her, was noticeably smaller than the princess’s, only made to hold one normal sized pony. Windows broke up the uniformity of the walls, and a sparse collection of posters and trinkets made the space slightly more welcoming. Overall, the room was notably austere and ordered. Professional.
The main item that drew Twilight’s attention, however, was the small bookshelf on the other side of the room, filled with books and even a few snacks piled on top.
With her magic drained and unwilling to teleport, Twilight simply jumped to the floor and walked towards the bookshelf. “Maybe just one before I go to sleep...” she murmured, passing by the other occupied beds.
Twilight climbed up onto the shelf, giving a wave and a friendly smile to a nearby Wonderbolt, though the pegasus simply ignored her. With a shrug, she turned and began checking the books one by one. Most were just stories and tales for entertainment with a few comic books arranged near the end. There were more than a few Daring Do books on the shelf, so she decided to give the series a try, selecting the first of the collection.
The book itself proved to be fairly light compared to some of the books she had encountered in the past, so as an impromptu challenge, she balanced it on top of her head as she maneuvered back to her bed, once again passing by the three pegasi, who were now shooting glares in her direction.
Once she was close enough to her bed, Twilight threw the book onto it and climbed up herself, a simple task considering that the bed itself was far lower than her mentor’s. She propped the book up on the pillow before she began reading, becoming more and more entranced with each word and completely failing to discern the low whispering of the other Wonderbolts.
Minutes passed. Twilight eagerly flipped through the pages of her novel until the shadow of a pony fell over her and her reading material. She turned to find all three of the pegasi now surrounding her bed, towering above her. “H-hello, can I help you with something?” she asked out.
The three pegasi smiled innocently. “Not really,” one of them said, his voice deceptively smooth. “We just wanted to take a closer look at the princess’s pet.”
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Darn cliff again
I smell 3 future pink slips
Twilight gets kidnapped. Celestia will burn them until not even their ashes remain
.
lol little Twiny sure is a dare devil for her size trying the dizzytron and getting launched lol.
alo maybe an dea for a sequel or something havig Twiny try a new spell which sends her to an alternate Equestria and meeting Twilight who a nornal sized unicorn.
3672137 I approve of that idea
Snnrk this should be fun .... For everyone else but the pegasi
3668023
Yea, it is indeed a funny image.
3671820
I will try to upload next chapter ASAP, but I once tried to upload 3 chapters in one day, and two of those chapters didn't notified about the update, so now I update just one chapter a day at best just to not be sorry. So stay tuned.
3671844
I do not really understand what you mean by saying that, mind explaining ?
3672026
We will see.
3672137 3672263
Yeap, Twiny being daredevil is very accurate, she really love trills of getting her well being on the line, but it is not because of lack of fears, it is rather because she learned to defeat even strongest of fears. ( I mean, she already learned that she can survive fall even from highest of towers, she survived being squashed by her mentor mighty hoof inside golden horseshoe, she withstand a duel against tiny princess and even asked Cadence to smash her into the floor, so yea, Twiny will not hesitate to test her limits ).
I am afraid that my sequel I am working on already have 40 chapters done ( bonus chapters not included ), and editing it all for my editors will take humongous amount of time, so I cannot afford to write this kind of story, but if someone is willing too, all he need is to contact me and I can assist in writing it (though I can only give advices, nothing more than that ). But Twiny universe is not done yet since Twilight is still in Canterlot.
3672269
What "snnrk" mean, I have hard time understanding what you tried to say in this comment.
Flim! Flam!
Prepare your anus!
3672517 when you try not too laugh and you blow air out your nose
3672517
if i understood correctly the three kidnappers are all wonderbolts, when they get cought they WILL lose their job.
Yey, new chapter! [Damn long comment]
I would just skydive at this point, spreading my arms and legs and catching as much air as possible to slow my fall, maybe do a few stunts until Tia caught me!
Murder the ones who want to abduct Twiny...
Lol...
Do they have robotic retinal scanners in their eyes?
Very true..
Not sure if magical treatment or 'whip-time' treatment...
Forgive me if I missed the type of spell she was creating, but what is it?
PIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Spitfire, same the damn flitring for the damn bedroom and don't put on an akward show for Twiny...
Error here
How many does he have...?
Oi, two pegasi, SAVE IT FOR THE BEDROOM DAMMIT!!!
Ok, now I know the spell
This will not end well...
THAT'S AN ACADEMY AND WORLD RECORD!!!
The time when she became a fan of A.K. Yearling
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK, SPITFIRE, SOARIN, TIA, WHERE ARE YOU NOW...
Cliffhanger, and a damn long comment...
How old is twillight supposed to be in this chapter, its been kinda confusing for me lately
Wow, bad decision making 101. Either these ponies are going to haze Twilight (in which case good luck with that morons), or the kidnappers have finally revealed themselves. Either case they have sorely misjudged the repercussion. On the one hand Twilight is incredible both in magical power and in physical strength with will power to match. She will not go quietly. On the other Celestia is fast shifting to war mode. Troops are available and she herself is rapidly honing ridicules powers back to razer sharpness.
Perhaps it is time for a demonstration as to why no one bucks an alicorn princess. Nor indeed her most faithful friend/student.
3672591
I am sure they will.
3672770
Who said that they are foalnapers, I am not that predictable.
3672859
Twilight have levitation spell to keep herself save in the air, though skydiving may seems an interesting game what Twiny can play with the princess from time to time, if she already didn't.
Awww, who would not want to abduct their own Twiny, she is so cute.
Public appearances = nobles ask tons of questions, the most boring thing for Twilight to participate in ( Blueblood did his best to make Twilight popular among nobles, but I think that now it is not much better ). So yea, she tend to fall asleep during them.
Skills I would assume.
Spitfire will learn it due time... from personal experience.
No comment.
She is trying to turn earth pony or unicorn into pegasus, and beside Philomena, Wonderbolts will make a wonderful test subjects.
They are just teasing, Twiny do not mind.
What error, my pre-reader say that "Spitfire does has a point." is fine. It is in Twilight thoughts by the way.
Who knows, that's a mystery what will never be solved.
What Twilight hear: Soarin may not be the best flier in the team, but he is smart and educated, and this help him stay in the team.
What you hear: Soarin know the anatomy upside down, and he is great in the bed, so I keep him in the team.
Will it ?
Nah, average Wonderbotls score around 7.5, and Spitfire record must be better, so Twilight did fine, but not the best.
Yeap
Tia entrusted Twilight in Spitfire's care, Spitfire busy with paperwork let Soarin keep her company and Soarin went to get sewing stuff, leaving Twilight alone, so yea.
3672983
Twilight became Celestia's student in age of 7, so at this point she is 18 years old, just 1 year before she will go to Ponyville ( yea, Twilight endured 11 years as a tiny student ).
3673000
Bad news, Twilight entire day was levitating herself in the training area, her magic is drained, not to mention that she is outnumbered by 3 giants. Even the strongest cannot do much when out of breath, and those 3 Wonderbolts choice the best moment to do whatever they are planning to do.
All I can say is that her war mode will be unleashed at some point, when however I wont tell.
No comments, you will all find out in due time.
3673310
should be...
Also,
should be...
Oh dear...
A) A conspiracy for ransom kidnapping.
B) Celestia no longer around.
C) No around-the-clock security.
3673310
I must admit, she's cute as hell, but why abduct her like THAT?!
Damn good skills then...
Lol
What would you say, without thinking?
A: Spirfire does has a point.
B: Spitfire does have a point.
Agreed.
Yeap!
For unicorn standards
Soarin' being the volunteer, Spitfire will get blamed for the kidnapping probably for not keeping a close eye on a famous pony, a small one too...
Did you like the damn long comment?
I believe you meant alteration.
These kidnappers (fillynappers?) are going to be in for a surprise when they find out Twilight doesn't need protection from Celestia. I mean, if she levitate loads of nobles at a party, I'm sure three Pegasus wont be that much harder.
3675521
The snowball fight was probably better experience than the party ... or even better yet ... Twilight and Tia's games of tag.
Three pegasus (even wonderbolts in training) wont stand a chance
3675536
True. To be honest, any scenario could be used to demonstrate her power, and still not do it justice.
3673396
Fixed.
3674219
A smart villain strike when the good guys are weak or spread out, still, would you really think that Twiny would be captured in the middle of Wonderbolt Headquarters, capturing her now would not seems to wise.
3674744
To pet her, feed her and keep in a cage and hug. Though some will just do it for ransom, well, their lose.
Fixed.
Considering that none unicorn ever tried, it was easy, and I doubt any unicorn will try to beat this record anytime soon.
Well, in her defence, who would expect foalnapping in the middle of Wonderbolts Headquarters, though I am unsure why everyone assume it is the moment of her capture?
Yeap, though next chapter is coming right away, it is a shorter one so it not took that long to polish.
3675162
Fixed, thanks.
3675521 3675536 3675587
You forget that Twilight is exhausted from her training, and Wonderbolts are world class athletes, not to mention Twilight is outnumbered and out-sized, I would not bet on her if I were you.
Of course
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say
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what is eiderdown? What does it translate into?
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This was a cute chapter. Although I'm not liking ponies calling Twilight a pet, but I hope she's going to be ok.
OOOOOOO, they gonna get it now!
Oh no, this part again. Poor twi.
Mayhew's Log: Ch18 - The Wonderbolts... OH no... Twi is gonna wreck that pony's business. Okay so it was a solid chapter, I'm excited to read the Wonderbolts arc and see more of the shadowy figures plotting to steal Twilight and subsequently be destroyed by the tiny pony... I can dream... Next Chapter! Allons y!
Just realized something. Twiny will be nigh indestructible in alicorn mode.
3676052
How about I reward you with a bullet into your brains you fucktards!!!
Sounds to me like some bitches need to die by fire!!!
Or, you know, decimated!
3676052
Still there, I'm afraid.
Guys, just stop expositing and DO it.
Well, not yet.
6938765 i have been corrupted by the intrawebs, every time iseethe words "do it" i keep thinkingof shia lebouf(OR HOWEVER YOU SPELL HIS FUCKN NAME)
7546026
I think his name is spelled:
i.imgflip.com/mgamk.jpg
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I am both dreading and looking forward to when this subplot unfolds. On one hand I don't want them to abduct twiny, but on the other hand I really want to see them get what's coming to them