Chapter 31: This Chapter Shall Pierce the Heavens!
MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 31:
A week of rest was exactly what Dash needed.
Her first day back was a roller coaster of emotion, starting at the epitome of pissed off, falling into a pit of sadness, pulling herself out with newfound confidence, and responding sympathetically to make up for the trouble her initial anger had stirred up. That was more mood swings than Rarity on an ice cream binge after a less than satisfactory sale of a fashion line she worked so hard on.
It took a punch to the face and an accidental stalking of Applejack and Thunderlane’s make out session, but Dash felt like a new mare. She had always been reckless. She had always been one to throw punches before asking questions. It was never really of consequence. In fact, it became something that set her apart from her friends.
That was only part of it though. Normally she had her friends around to hold her back if the situation called for a more controlled approach. Her friends weren’t there to hold her back when she stormed into Soarin’s room. She was on her own pursuing her dream. It became clear that she wouldn’t always be able to rely on them to cover her shortcomings.
Her rash behavior finally had true, real consequences… and it was something she would never forget. She still had to fix the most important piece to put everything back together the way it was, but she was confident if she approached it maturely, she would find a way.
The week went by fast, but she couldn’t help but wonder how Soarin was doing the whole time. The fact that they had to go a whole week without contact after what she had done tore her apart. She wanted to go to him immediately, but she couldn’t. She just hoped a week for him to stew wouldn’t make the damage permanent.
As for Soarin… the only word that could describe how he felt… was tired.
So very, very tired.
He just wanted to be a Wonderbolt and live his life without any more shit. He was tired of all the drama caused by both him and those who got close to him. He was tired of his body and the way it felt like he had no control over it. He was tired of the higher powers keeping him in the dark and using him to satisfy what they believed to be right. He was tired of Rainbow Da—
No… that wasn’t true. If there was one constant in his life aside from the Wonderbolts that had been welcome, it was Dash. He was miffed at her for being so immature about his decision… but it didn’t mean he wanted to just get rid of her. He’d never dream of leaving her behind. Just as he took on a major commitment with the Wonderbolts, he felt Dash was the same.
Despite her forceful way of getting him to realize how dumb his old way of approaching mares was, Dash was a choice he ultimately made. He wanted her in his life. He didn’t want magic, nor did he want a fake horn with a terrible name or to always be at the mercy of deities and their agendas.
He wanted Dash. He loved her. Why did she have to make things complicated and difficult for him right now though? He was going through enough… he didn’t want relationship woes on top of that. He hoped she would wise up and be realistic. An apology would be nice, but it didn’t feel like an apology would immediately mend the situation. He had poured his heart out to her. He did quite literally everything he could possibly do to show and prove he loved her… and she was so quick to step on it? He’d forgive her… maybe… but how could he know she was being sincere? She’d have to prove that to him.
As if this wasn’t enough, what the hell was with these Celestia premonitions? Back when he was infused with the magic they gave him a simple explanation upon waking. Celestia stepped in and used an old abandoned magic to restore him. Why? Because he was a valued member of the Wonderbolts and still had much to accomplish.
He wished that was still the explanation. Future incidents? Somepony else changing what was meant to happen by trying to kill him? Shadowbolts? Addictive magical crystals? Kayn Ost? What the hell?! Why couldn’t anything be given to him straight?!
He could yell all he wanted. He couldn’t do much about it. This was the course his life had been forced into, so he’d have to live with it.
At least Luna didn’t call him in again for the remainder of the week. He didn’t really feel like talking to her anyway. He was able to get back to his daily routine of training, magic practice, and never feeling tired enough to get a decent amount of sleep.
The week flew by… and Soarin wasn’t sure if he was ready to see Dash again… Or if she would be ready to see him.
Their relationship seemed unbreakable at first… but in reality it had only just begun. They had overcome challenges from without… now they had to face one from within. If they could conquer this challenge together, then their relationship would truly have the strength to be unbreakable.
“Come on, come on, come on…” Dash tapped her front hooves against the floor of the train car frantically as it approached the station. She was standing directly in front of the door, waiting for train to come to a complete stop and for the conductor to give the all clear to disembark.
The train was late. Dash was mentally slapping herself the whole ride for not getting an earlier ticket to Canterlot.
They were to report to the lobby of the Wonderbolt compound promptly at 3:00 PM. The train to Canterlot was a half an hour ride. Thunderlane had warned her to take the noon train. All she said in response was ‘have fun sitting around and doing nothing for two and a half hours when you get there.’
She was eating those words like a gourmet meal. The 2:00 PM train was twenty minutes behind schedule. She was already prepared for an ‘I told you so’ from Thunderlane, but she most definitely DID NOT want to show up late. She couldn’t afford a single slip up if she wanted to be chosen as one of the five to be the new on-compound recruit squad. Talk about a terrible first impression during a very important selection process.
As soon as the door opened, Dash fired out onto the platform and zipped down through Canterlot Central Station, nearly knocking over a few other ponies before she got to a safe flight altitude above the floor.
She glanced at the large clock in the main lobby. 2:52 PM… give or take knowing how old the clock was. She knew she could make it to the compound from the station in five minutes or less, but she refused to let herself feel safe until she was standing in the Wonderbolt compound. She slowed down to go through the doors of the station exit and then burst right back up into the sky.
Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go!!!!
The compound was easy to find, being right next to the castle and all. Dash locked on target and pumped her wings as fast as she could. Other pegasi moved out of the way as Dash shot through the sky like a freshly fired arrow.
She was impressing herself. A week of rest did wonders for her. No sore joints and no wing spasms. She at least had that going for her. She mentally cheered as the compound slowly came into view and approached faster and faster. She was sure she had only been in the air for four minutes at most.
She touched down on the front walk of the compound a few feet from the doors, and did her best to calm down. She didn’t want to make it look like she was rushing. She slowly walked through the doors and smiled upon entering. The clock above the admissions desk and the large Wonderbolt logo read 2:57 PM. All the other recruits were gathered, but still just lingering in the lobby. Dash glanced around and saw all the familiar faces.
Matteo, Twister, and Thunderlane. She also caught a glimpse of Little Star waiting patiently near the front and off to the side, Squall was leaning against the wall by himself.
No Storm Front though. It actually made Dash feel sad. She liked Storm Front. He was one of the most pleasant ponies she had ever met in her life. He had earned his spot among the elite squads, but she was going to miss having him around with them.
“Train troubles?” Thunderlane’s voice came from beside her as she joined the group.
“Don’t start with me jackass,” Dash rolled her eyes but smiled, earning a chuckle from Thunderlane. “I didn’t miss anything did I?” she asked while subtly holding her breath. Thunderlane shook his head.
“Fleetfoot came out here and told us all to give them a few minutes. Spitfire’s gonna come greet us apparently,” he explained. Dash glanced over the group to see Fleetfoot speaking to a nearby staff member.
“Okay good,” she sighed in relief. She looked about at her fellow recruits. They all looked like worthy flyers. The Wonderbolts definitely did a good job at whittling down the large number of cadets that showed. She wanted to go greet Matteo and ask how Gilda was, assuming he went back to the Griffon Kingdom on their week off. He was busy talking to others though, so she decided not to bother him for now. Twister… well, if Twister wanted to talk he’d find her. Dash wasn’t even going to try with Squall, he had made his point. Maybe Little Star? Too late, she had disappeared into the group of ponies that all towered over her.
Dash settled on just waiting with Thunderlane. She leaned against the admission desk and glanced around the compound lobby.
Her interest was immediately caught by Fleetfoot. She had finished talking to the staff member at some point and was now low to the ground, slowly creeping along as if trying to sneak up on something. Dash leaned further over in curiosity, but wasn’t too surprised at what she saw.
There was a mail counter along the left wall of the lobby before it turned down into a hallway towards some of the facilities. Waiting patiently with his hooves up on the counter, was that little yellow stallion Dash had seen Fleetfoot basically torture with affection on more than one occasion.
An orange pegasus stallion with a short, messy brown mane walked up and nodded to the yellow stallion with a smile.
“All set, I’ll let you know when the shipment arrives,” the orange stallion said. He looked up suddenly and chuckled. “Better get moving. Your mistress is after you again," he made a small head motion towards Fleetfoot. The yellow stallion flinched and sharply turned his head to see Fleetfoot approaching fast.
“Oh Riiiiiiiivet!” she cooed.
Rivet? Dash blinked as the name registered. She had heard that name on more than one occasion as well. Usually paired with ‘have Rivet fix this’ or ‘tell Rivet we need this.’ So that little guy was this Rivet? He apparently made lots of stuff for them… and apparently was also Fleetfoot’s personal toy.
Rivet squeaked in surprise when he saw Fleetfoot and immediately darted for the nearby hallway as the mail stallion chuckled. Dash watched with amusement as Fleetfoot gave chase. What a poor little guy… but at the same time Dash was sure many stallions would kill to have a famous, good looking mare like Fleetfoot be that affectionate with them.
As Rivet neared the corner of the hallway, Dash’s eyes widened as a very large and muscular light blue stallion with a straight, semi-long brown mane casually walked out into Rivet’s path. Rivet ran nose first into the stallion’s side. The stallion blinked and looked down to his right to see Rivet bounce off and shake his head out. The stallion looked past him to see Fleetfoot fast approaching.
The stallion immediately scooped up Rivet with his right wing and passed him over his back into his left wing, closing it over his small frame. Fleetfoot stopped in her tracks and glared up at the stallion as another large, but not quite as pumped stallion with light brown fur and a black mane of similar style but slightly messier, walked past them and continued into the lobby. Dash’s attention was drawn to the second stallion briefly because he had some interesting features, namely a large scar over his nose and black tips on his wing feathers.
“Come on! I saw you pick him up!” Fleetfoot’s voice drew Dash’s eyes back towards the first stallion. Good god, he was massive! He was almost twice the size of Fleetfoot. He looked like he spent 24/7 in the gym, but he had a more balanced musculature compared to Bulk Biceps. He resembled Big Macintosh more in terms of size and body type. Dash had never seen him or the other stallion that had walked by. She wasn’t familiar with all of the Wonderbolts, but she never expected to see a stallion bigger than Soarin among them. The other was about Soarin’s size, but this blue guy was just BIG.
The blue stallion had a smirk on his face and kept shaking his head whenever Fleetfoot demanded to be given Rivet.
“Open your wings!” she finally asked. The stallion shrugged and opened both of his large wings, but Rivet was nowhere to be seen. “What the?” Fleetfoot blinked as the stallion snickered. “WAIT!” Fleetfoot sharply turned around and pointed at the light brown stallion who was now almost halfway into the lobby. “Hold it, you!” she ordered.
The stallion flinched and casually turned to face Fleetfoot, also wearing a silly grin on his face. Fleetfoot trotted up to him and gave him a comical glare.
“You guys think you’re so clever, but I’ve got you figured out!” Fleetfoot chuckled as she hovered up and crossed her hooves. “Well? Where is he?” she asked.
The blue stallion over by the hallway suddenly gave a sharp, loud whistle. The brown stallion quickly extended his wings. Rivet fell out of the left onto the floor. Before Fleetfoot could do anything, the brown stallion reached his left wing down and reached it beneath Rivet, he did a similar maneuver, tossing Rivet with his left wing over to his right, but instead of grabbing hold of Rivet with his right wing, he used it to launch Rivet into the air.
“Yipe!!!” Rivet squeaked as he lifted into the air until he was about five feet below the high ceiling of the lobby.
Dash’s eyes widened as some…thing zipped in from the opposite hallway and intercepted Rivet. Dash couldn’t tell who or what it was. Whatever it was, it was both moving very fast and blended in almost completely with the dark blue color of the walls and ceiling. It grabbed hold of Rivet and swiftly shot down the hallway past the light blue stallion, who didn’t even flinch as they sped by.
As soon as Rivet and his unseen savior had disappeared the blue and brown stallions burst into laughter. Fleetfoot pouted at them both.
“You guys SUCK!” she whined as Spitfire and Soarin came down the stairs. “Oh!” Fleetfoot quickly gained her composure, ready to be professional… at least a little.
Dash was amused by the whole exchange. She kept her eyes trained on the two big stallions as they continued through the lobby and into the other hall, but her curiosity quickly took a back seat as the lead squad approached.
Dash felt her throat tighten when she saw Soarin. He hadn’t spotted her yet, but she wasn’t prepared for how… nervous she would feel. She was very adamant and very gung-ho about fixing everything, but would it be easier said than done?
“Everypony listen up!” Spitfire called to them. It was amazing how quickly all other conversation stopped. Those who had made it this far had already learned to greatly respect Spitfire’s authority. “Let me be the first to officially welcome you all back to the compound,” she began pacing back and forth. “Tonight is all about getting settled in. We aren’t going to start kicking your asses until tomorrow. So… just like with the tryouts last week. Get comfortable and get some sleep tonight. Your barracks room has been cleaned and all set up for you… try your best to keep it that way,” she stopped pacing and nodded to Soarin. Soarin walked over to the admissions table.
“We have schedules, issued water bottles, and binders here for you,” Spitfire motioned towards the admissions desk. “The schedule will give you a basic idea of how the weeks will go. Until you memorize it, please keep it with you so you don’t waste our time looking for you. Our training is rough and taxing on the body. Keep your water bottle with you at all times… filled… so you stay hydrated. Show up to training without a water bottle, you aren’t training till you haul your ass to find it. Lastly the binders. Any information you need to know about the facility or about our office hours is in the binder. Please don’t bother us unless it’s really important, okay? The binder will also be where you keep any notes during meetings on flight formations, maneuvers, etc.” she stopped and smiled proudly.
“No matter which five of you get selected to stay on the compound, we are all proud of all of you for earning some form of Wonderbolt status. Again, welcome. Now form a single file line to pick up your gear,” she motioned towards Soarin and Fleetfoot.
As they were told, they all lined up and began receiving the schedules, binders, and water bottles. The water bottles were light blue with white pop-tops. The Wonderbolt insignia was in the center of the bottle on two different sides. The binders were just plain white binders. There were only a few sheets of paper in them now, but Dash was confident it would be packed full later.
Dash purposely got in line near the back. She was still nervous about facing Soarin. What was she supposed to say? Should she say anything? It’s not like this was a good time to apologize. It was in front of the rest of the recruits. Dash had nearly forgotten about her desire to keep their relationship quiet… but if she remained quiet, could she fix it?
She got closer…
And closer…
And closer…
And then she was at the front of the line. Fleetfoot said something to Dash as she handed her a schedule and water bottle, but Dash paid no attention.
Soarin’s eyes met hers.
They looked directly into each other’s eyes.
Soarin’s expression was flat. Devoid of emotion. Dash wasn’t sure if he was staying in character… or if it was meant to be hurtful. While there was a large chance that he was keeping professional… why could Dash only think of the hurtful side? She stared right back at him. She wanted desperately to say something, anything. But she said nothing… and he said nothing.
Soarin simply handed her a binder.
Dash took it… and kept walking.
Dash felt crushed. It wasn’t a good time to do anything… but, she was hoping to at least give off a vibe, or maybe give him a smile. Nothing happened. Neither of them showed any love or hate. It felt so… plain.
Dash sighed as she continued walking towards the barracks… but she did not see that Soarin had turned to look at her as she disappeared through the doors into the recruit barracks.
“What the hell was that Soarin?” Fleetfoot remarked as they entered Spitfire’s office. Soarin blinked as he closed the door behind them. Spitfire wasn’t there yet, but she said to meet in her office after handing out the recruit paraphernalia.
“What was what?” Soarin asked while walking over and leaning against the wall. Fleetfoot rolled her eyes and flopped down on the couch.
“Not even a hello? You were so cold to her!” Fleetfoot threw her hooves out, visibly annoyed. Soarin picked up on what she was saying and quickly glared.
“Fleet… this is none of your business. For once, could you just leave me the hell alone to deal with my problems? You don’t have to stuff your nose in my crotch every time I have an issue.”
“Bleh! You wish! That was rather crass, don’t you think?” Fleetfoot stuck her tongue out in disgust.
“Well pardon me, I think I’m actually gonna stand up for my personal space for once,” Soarin pushed off the wall and sat down in one of Spitfire’s chairs. “Besides… I’m an elite squad member and she’s a recruit. Personal stuff is going to have to happen off the record.”
“Oh that’s a load of shit and—”
“No, it’s exactly what I want him to do,” Spitfire cut off Fleetfoot as she entered. Fleetfoot scoffed and turned over onto her back on the couch. “Soarin,” Spitfire began as she walked around behind her desk. “As your friend, I hope you can find a way to mend relations with Dash… but as your captain I remind you to keep things professional when you must. Personal issues are taken care of during personal time, not during Wonderbolt time,” she paused as Soarin glared at her. “It’s JUST a reminder Soarin, you’ve already shown composure once, I expect you to continue it,” she added and Soarin’s glare faded.
“So what’s this meeting for?” Fleetfoot asked as she turned so her hooves were propped up in the air and her head hung off the front of the couch. Spitfire sat down in her desk chair and leaned back.
“Something really important we need to take care of…” she said with a very serious tone. Soarin perked up.
“Our fourth member?” He asked. Spitfire nodded.
“Precisely,” she acknowledged Soarin as she bounced the swivel chair back and forth lightly. Fleetfoot spun around and sat up.
“So… full or part time?” she asked, suddenly very interested. Spitfire shook her head.
“We can’t afford to do a full roster re-haul right now. What we need to focus on is the organization and our secondary functions. We are a military force, that will always be our most important role in Equestria… but donation money doesn’t cover half of our expenses. In short, we need a stand in member for the time being in order to continue our shows. Without the lead squad in attendance, we’ve been getting terrible show reviews and the money flow has weakened considerably. We need to change this and get our finances back on track.”
“Rapidfire was an effect specialist…” Soarin thought out loud. “So… we need another effect specialist? Or are we going to change it up?”
“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” Spitfire replied while leaning forward and resting her elbows on the desk. She took a brief look at Soarin’s body, but quickly diverted her eyes and took a deep breath. Soarin rolled his eyes. At least she was keeping it under control. Spitfire refocused and continued “So yes, we need another effect specialist.”
“Surprise?” Fleetfoot chimed in. Spitfire instantly shook her head.
“Under normal circumstances… or should I say under the old Wonderbolt code that would be exactly what we do,” Spitfire gently rubbed her hooves together as she explained. “However, I’m willing to bend them a bit for two reasons. One, squad three is a family. They share a very strong bond, and I would rather step down as lead captain than force them apart. Two, we have to take into account that whoever we pull up to our squad… will be replaced in their squad by Storm Front.”
“Oh… that’s right…” Soarin looked down and pondered. “That puts us in a bind, Spitfire… do you really want a low tier elite member in the lead squad? No offense to them, but…” he trailed off as Spitfire shook her head again.
“It may cause a little bit of controversy, but I already have somepony from a high tier squad in mind.”
“Wow Spitty,” Fleetfoot chuckled. “Brave move. Not only are you gonna put Storm through the high tier training… but you’re also gonna put him up in front of all our cocky low tier squads? You sure you want to put that monkey on his back?”
“He’s already earned the elite spot,” Spitfire nodded. “I’m sure he can handle it. Besides… this is also for the good of our squad… which right now is very important for the organizations finances. We can’t have Surprise, but we can have the next best pony for the job.”
“Next best pony?” Soarin thought. Squad four was a synchronized flying squad. Squad five only had element handlers. Squad six was a mock battle squad… “Squad seven?” Soarin spoke up. Fleetfoot froze and her eyes widened. It was so harsh that Soarin could see her lock up clearly from his peripheral vision. He blinked for a second, then realized why. “Oh… ha… haha…” Soarin chuckled at Fleetfoot’s reaction.
“Spitfire…” Fleetfoot looked at her in a state of shock and pure disbelief. “You aren’t seriously considering…”
“Is there a problem Fleetfoot?” Spitfire raised an eyebrow at her.
“I HUMBLY request you pick someone else!” Fleetfoot sharply stood up and planted her hooves on the other side of Spitfire’s desk.
“Fleet, he is the most qualified member of the Wonderbolts to fill this role for now. Do you have reasons to object? I’m listening,” Spitfire kept a straight face.
“He’s a dumbass… and annoying as hell… and I can’t stand him! Want me to get a list? I’m sure I could write them ALL down!” Fleetfoot grinded her teeth together, but the look of dread stayed plastered to her face.
“All personal reasons,” Spitfire said sternly right back. “Do you have any professional reasons?”
“I…” Fleetfoot’s mouth hung open, but she found nothing to say.
“I thought so,” Spitfire nodded as Fleetfoot backed away from the desk. “Now then… I sent for Storm Front before we gathered, he should be here any moment—” she was cut off by three knocks on the door. “Wow, talk about timing! Come in!” Spitfire called as Soarin glanced at the door. He chuckled as he saw Fleetfoot flop back down on the couch and sulk in his peripheral vision.
The door opened and Storm Front walked in with a unicorn mare staff member behind him.
“Thanks,” Spitfire said to the unicorn. “Sorry to bother you again, but could you also go grab squad seven for me?”
“Yes ma’am,” the unicorn saluted before leaving and closing the door behind her.
Storm Front immediately stood attention to show respect, but Spitfire waved a hoof at him.
“At ease, Storm,” she requested. He exhaled and stood casually. Soarin did his best to suppress a chuckle. Storm looked so nervous that he might have an accident. “First, I just want to congratulate you again,” Spitfire began. “You stood out amongst so many and deserve the elite spot. I expect great things from you.”
“T-thank you, ma’am!” Storm stuttered nervously. Soarin failed to hold in a snort, but he quickly focused as Spitfire shot a glare at him. She turned back to Storm and looked at him sternly.
“Now… because of certain circumstances we must adapt to meet, you are being given another opportunity. We are merging a member from squad seven into our own for the time being and we need somepony to take his spot...” she noticed a visible flinch, but it’s not like she was expecting him not to be a little nervous. “The training will be incredibly difficult… but from what I’ve seen you do, I am confident you will be able to handle it. "Squad seven will be here shortly to exchange their member for you… but before they come I want to make sure of one thing…” Spitfire took a deep breath and hardened her expression even more.
“Storm, I am sure you are aware by now… or are figuring out that we are not just stunt flyers… yes?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am, in fact I’ve known for a while ma’am,” he replied in form despite being told to be at ease.
“I’m curious then,” Spitfire kept her eyes locked on him. “You have made it apparent that you dislike seeing others get hurt… yet you join a military organization… that at any time can be called into combat. You have me worried this will be a problem. Prove me wrong.”
“Ma’am, I have always disliked hurting others and seeing others get hurt,” Storm quickly began almost as if on cue. Soarin blinked as he listened. The timing was too perfect. It was as if Storm knew the question was coming. Always prepared? He just proved that to Spitfire. Storm continued. “However, if I see those I care about, or those who cannot protect themselves in danger… I will fight and defeat our opponents to keep them safe.”
Soarin nodded in satisfaction. He glanced over at Fleetfoot, but she was still sulking. Soarin rolled his eyes and looked to Spitfire instead. She was smiling.
“Good answer. No, that was a perfect answer. Welcome to the Wonderbolts, Storm,” she nodded and extended a hoof. Storm hesitated, but reached forward and shook hooves with Spitfire. He almost looked giddy to do so. “Now…” Spitfire leaned back. "Squad seven should be here any minute. But… be warned, we’re exchanging you with their captain… and their captain is a tad—”
Spitfire was cut off as a large BANG came from the door as if it was kicked. Storm turned around in surprise, but the door was still closed.
“Stupid…” Spitfire finished with a sigh.
The doorknob turned very quietly and the door was pushed open just enough to take it off the bolt. There was a brief pause before the door was kicked again and it swung open.
A tall, white, absolutely ridiculous looking stallion jumped in and pointed dramatically into the room. He had a short, blue, spiky mane, wore a red cape, and was wearing a pair of red sunglasses that were shaped like two long triangles, extending way past the sides of his head.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Calling us away from training… you’ve got a lotta balls captain! I like it! Bringing us here can only mean you have a mission of DEE-VINE proportions for us!” the stallion yelled out at the top of his lungs as three other Wonderbolts walked in behind him: two stallions and a mare.
The first stallion was very short, cream colored with a poofy orange mane. He wore a pair of large circular rimmed glasses and looked absurdly unamused.
The second stallion was a little smaller than Soarin, but very muscular… at least up top. He wasn’t very proportional just like their strength coach Pec Bounce. He was red, with a scraggily brown mane pressed down to his neck by a red handkerchief that was tied over his head and a full brown beard. He donned a pair of sunglasses that were so ridiculously designed they looked more like ski goggles.
The mare was… well… huge. In fact she was the same size as Soarin, and almost as muscular. Her fur was a dark shade of green. She had a large, fluffy mane and tail that were a nice golden brown color. Despite her rather strong figure and appearance, she wore a very gentle expression along with her dark blue eyes and faint freckles right above her cheek.
“Air Mach…” Spitfire sighed while addressing the stallion in front. “Do you ALWAYS have to kick my door open?”
“Air Mach? How dare you call me by a name I’ve long abandoned! It lacked the stallion spirit! The name is Animak! It sounds kinda like my old name and rolls off the tongue a lot better! Plus, it'll be easy for my enemies to yell out when I fly into battle to kick some ass!”
“He’s an idiot…” Fleetfoot mumbled loud enough for them to hear.
“A real idiot…” the small stallion said with a thick foreign accent.
“A huge idiot…” the large mare said with a sigh.
“OH YEAH! CAPTAIN ANIMAK IS FOR REAL!” the gruff stallion nearly strained his voice. The small stallion turned to him.
“You’re an idiot too.”
“Air Mach,” Spitfire addressed him again despite what he had just passionately proclaimed. “The lead squad needs a highly skilled effect specialist to stand in for Rapidfire until we can formally find a new member. I have decided it will be you,” she rolled her eyes as he struck another pose. Soarin couldn’t stop snickering. Air Mach was such an idiot… but he sure knew how to entertain. Fleetfoot might not like it, but Soarin always enjoyed Air Mach’s antics. Spitfire continued. “I hereby temporarily relieve you of captain of squad seven in favor of becoming the fourth member of the lead squad.”
“HA! My rise to fame and a whole new level of greatness!” Air Mach pointed his hoof towards the ceiling. “Rest assured captain ma’am! With my added might, surely we will have the strength to pierce the heavens!” He turned to the other members of squad seven. “Macho Savage!” he pointed at the disproportionate, bearded stallion. “While I’m gone I appoint you in charge! I can think of no finer stallion to carry on my spirit!”
“Point Dex, you are the new captain of squad seven for now,” Spitfire said to the small stallion with the glasses.
“Point Dex!” Air Mach shifted his body so he was pointing at the small stallion instead. “While I’m gone I appoint you in charge! I can think of no finer stallion to carry on my spirit!” he repeated word for word as Dex rolled his eyes and Macho hung his head in defeat.
“Celestia alive! Do you have to yell EVERY TIME YOU SPEAK?!” Fleetfoot suddenly snapped from over on the couch. Air Mach turned and pointed at her.
“Ah! Fleetfoot! Fear not, your one and only stallion among colts is now here to protect you around the clock!” he smirked while leaping over and standing before her.
“Spitfire whyyyyyyyyy?!” Fleetfoot whined as she shifted as far down the couch as she could.
“Hey! That’s no way to treat a sincere stallion! Give it time, lady! You’ll never know what hit ya once I’ve been around!” Air Mach continued to yell.
“JUST KILL ME NOW!!!!!” Fleetfoot flopped chest-first onto Spitfire’s desk and slowly slid off in despair as Spitfire sat perfectly still and serious.
Storm hadn’t moved the whole time. He just watched quietly as the ridiculous scene unfolded around him. Soarin finally calmed his constant chuckling, took a deep breath and walked over to Storm.
“Come on, let’s introduce you to squad seven…” he said as Fleetfoot and Air Mach continued to bark at each other in the background. He pulled the confused Storm by the shoulder over to the short stallion first. “This is Point Dex. I guess he’s going to be your captain. He may be small and not much of a force, but he’s probably the smartest pony I’ve ever met save for our chief engineer of course,” Soarin looked to Dex, who furrowed his brow
“I will figure out how Rivet does it someday, I swear it,” he said as he reached a hoof out. “Welcome Storm, I hope you aren’t like Captain Idiot over there,” he made a head motion towards Air Mach. Storm turned and looked just in time to see Fleetfoot punch Air Mach square in the face, but Mach didn’t even flinch, nor did his sunglasses bend an inch as if they were unbreakable.
“I guarantee you I’m not like that,” Storm said with a nervous chuckle. Soarin led Storm over to the large mare. Storm blinked, finally getting a good look at her. “Whoa…” he blinked as he looked her up and down, and then up again to see her face. She blushed in embarrassment, but smiled.
“This is Autumn Rain,” Soarin introduced her. "As you can probably guess, she’s the strongest mare we have in our ranks. But don’t let the muscles fool you. She’s very kind and gentle.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said quietly while holding out a hoof. Storm reached forward to shake it, but was almost yanked down as he did.
“Whoa!” He steadied himself before falling.
“Oh my! Sorry… I get excited when I meet new people…” Rain hunched her shoulders up shyly while sticking only the very tip of her tongue out of her mouth.
“Yeah, she’s gentle unless she gets excited. Then be careful,” Soarin chuckled as he led Storm over to the bearded pony. “Last but not least, this is—”
“OOOOH YEEEEAH! I’m THE Macho Savage! I bring the MADNESS! And the madness is ALWAYS runnin’ wild! DIG IT!” Macho cut him off.
“Uh… yes,” Soarin tried to take over as he had to hold tight to Storm’s shoulder to prevent him from reclining too much. “He’s—”
“YOU’RE IN THE DANGER ZONE NOW BROTHER!” Macho reached forward and pulled Storm into a head lock. “I’m a tower of power! Too sweet to be sour!”
“Right, now—” Soarin tried again.
“TOO HOT TO HANDLE AND TOO COLD TO HOLD! YA BETTER WATCH OUT KID! THE MADNESS IS COMIN’ AT YA!”
“Help…” Storm looked at Soarin desperately. Soarin smirked.
“Have fun Storm!” Soarin gave a brief wave and turned away. They were an interesting bunch, but Soarin was sure Storm would be in good hooves. Confident all was well, despite Fleetfoot trying to choke Air Mach a few feet away from them, Soarin leaned on Spitfire’s desk. “Everything looks normal, what do you think?” he joked. Spitfire let one laugh escape.
“We’re a bunch of highly trained comedians… I swear…” Spitfire shook her head, but she looked satisfied.
“Oh, I was curious…” Soarin suddenly remembered something. “Who did you assign to train the new recruits?” he asked. Spitfire leaned aside as Air Mach came flying at her desk, bounced off, and fell in a heap on the floor. He sprang up quickly, completely unscathed and pounded his chest.
“Fleetfoot, you fight with the spirit of a true stallion!” he proclaimed passionately as he approached her again.
“I’M A MARE!” she snarled back at him.
“Well then…” Spitfire turned to Soarin. “As I’m sure you are well aware, this is the most potent group of recruits I have ever seen. So I want to make sure they have the absolute best training we can offer them,” she answered, but stopped there. Soarin blinked and stared, waiting for her to say more.
“So… mind telling me who you chose?” he rotated his hoof towards her, beckoning her to answer.
“I just did,” she replied seriously.
Soarin continued to stare as he repeated her words in his head.
“The absolute best training we can—” Soarin’s eyes widened. “Wait… Spitfire, what? You can’t be serious…”
“Mmhmm…” Spitfire nodded.
---To Be Continued---
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4882933
sweet mother of mercy
yeah... i'll... look through these later i guess
I have a feeling Soarin was picked.
Nice new chapter, my personal favorite after the first one of the part
granted there have only been like 3 chapters now...
I do believe I saw a few cameos in there... about 8 or 9?
So finally Fleetfoot has her own bane! It's not just me!
And... I'm sorry for messing up so bad on the last chapter, I probably did just as horribly on this one too...
Sorry to all of you readers who had to deal with that...
4883045
KES, SHUDDAP. YOU DID FINE
4882895
So how's the river down there?
Anyways 31
And so it begins to pierce the heavens!
THAT IS TOO BAD CAUSE I WILL QUOTE YOU ON IT!!!
And I think my favorite part of the story from now on shall be Animak and Silver Lining's interactions. That is bound to be hilarious.
RIVET BALL!!!
4883045
Looked good from what I saw.
and Soooo many cameos/appearances.
oh and CALM... GO LONG!!!
4883090
after how i accidentally named the story that... it was bound to happen eventually
4883126
oh god... i hadnt really thought of that... so many hilarious possibilities now!
4883206
I'm open! I'M OPEN!!!!!!
SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM!
Yay!
More great chapters!
Hope you had fun on your break week. Good to have you back though.
4883233 This is gonna be fun!!!
... if you ever get the chapters out!!!
4883288
Thank you!
4883284
AND THE BEAT GOES ON...
(god i miss that glorious man...
)
4883294
DOHOHOHOHOHOHO
4883324 Dohoho?
Great chapter. Air Mach is crazy. He is like Bulk, surprise, and Lightning all rolled into one. Great job. I can't wait to read the next one.
All I can say is.......YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
All aboard the hype train.
Oh no a Kamina insert. You know not the manlyness that has been unleashed.
....
....*gulps down the rest of his cider*.....
Oh celestia this is just priceless. When you first mentioned Air Mach's features I just lost it 
. (Kamina will be missed though, manly tears....manly tears 
).
Macho Savage......just reading the text and you still can hear Randy Savage yelling at you, from beyond the grave (may his soul rest in peace). Absolutely AWESOME!!!
Oh God...
Wonderbolt shenanigans is right! How do you come up with characters like that? XD
Yeesh, judging by how Air Mach behaves around her, I'd say Fleetfoot would rather be at a dinner date with a dragon where she's the meal.
I know how she feels. I'd have the cops on that guy for being too loud.
All we need is a Tiny Tina cameo then we should be set for life.
SOARIN JUST KISS HER IN FRONT OF EVERYONE! THATS WHAT EVERYONE WANTS!
So Air Mach...Animak...or how should I call him is that pony you once mentioned...
It looks like Fleet really doesn't like him. 
Will she ever forgive Spitfire that she's choosed him? I don't think so 
Is it just because the way he is acting or has he done something to her in the past...?
And also...how old is he?
Anyways, awesome chapter
Was not expecting to see this when I got home tonight... But that's what I get for living down under
...
... And I feel sorry for all of the recruits... Only five will be selected because only five will survive... Literally 
Very well done...can only see the craziness amplifying
And I'm sure I know who's training
So many cameos, so much laughs.
And I could guess who that was that saved Rivet when he was thrown.
Again I enjoyed it. I love this story!
Ack. I wish I could comment sooner, but the chapter was released while I was asleep again. Anyways, great chapter, I think of the Anamaniacs when I see squad seven. But I hope to see more soon.
Till the next one
-R
4883206
Eep! Don't throw me!
I'm fragile...
X3 the lead squad will be EXTRA funny now x3 and a lot more ruckus between air mach and fleetfoot but im more curious about whats gonna happen to the recruits o.O
There it is! He said it! anicongruence.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/family-guy-s07e12-42000576717-07-10.jpg
Also
No, no it couldn't be.
Oh my god yes.
Shipment? Shipment of what? Anti-affectionate-mare devices? Also, mail pony? Eh, gotta do the small jobs to get the big jobs.
” Spitfire leaned back. "Squad
” Soarin introduced her. "As you can
It seems that quotation marks are your Achilles heel.
Spitfire, you sure that's a good idea?
4883391
Thank you!
4883412
WOO WOO!
*chugs away*
4883466
What's worse, that... or the fact that i unleashed Kamina and Macho Man Randy Savage at the SAME TIME?
4883467
Kamina and Randy savage in the same squad with a pony like Dexter dealing with them all the time
a recipe for fun eh?
Squad seven = squad cameo!
(Autumn Rain is a pony i created to represent my special lady
She's tough, she's strong, she's an amazing athlete, but she's really just gentle and adorable
)
Cheers buddy!
4883523
Squad seven isn't entirely original, three of them are based on popular culture
Air Mach (Animak) is supposed to be like Kamina from Gurren Lagann
Point Dex is supposed to be like Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory
And Macho Savage is supposed to be like the one and only (and the late
) Macho Man Randy Savage... a former professional wrestler if you are unfamiliar with him i recommend looking the name on youtube, you won't be dissapointed 
Air Mach and Macho Savages dialogue will generally be loosely based on quotes by the characters they are based on, but i'm doing my best to put personal twists on them in order to keep it original
Autumn Rain however, is original... and is a pony i created to represent my lady
She's tall, tough, strong, and one hell of an athlete, but really adorable and gentle at the same time 
4883617
I've finally revealed the one pony Fleetfoot cannot best
4883644
i have not played boarderlands 2... but i just looked up the character, oh damn
Oh, Lord, not wrestlers... Anything but wrestlers...
If ANYTHING can turn Storm Front to the dark side...
I shudder to think what the lowest ranking squad is like...
4884182
haha i havent really established ages on them yet, but Fleetfoot hates him because he pursues her as his "one true mare" but he's incredibly rediculous and over the top with things to the point where Fleet can't stand him... but there's nothing she could do about it
(see face punch that couldn't even break his glasses 
)
Fleetfoot is known as the prankster and causer of shenanigans... but Air Mach is the one pony she cannot get the better of
4884258
To give you an idea... i was excited to write this chapter... i'm even MORE excited to write the next one
And here I thought I was going to need my broom for the shenanigans!
4884276
pull through my friend! the damage has been done, and realization has struck... it's time to rebuild! slowly... but it will be rebuilt
(but i can understand... Scootafail did one hell of a job with that pic... really makes the feels sink in even more...)
4884361
I've been dying to put in some of these characters for a while
such a nice release to finally use them 
4884381
Thank you!