• Published 22nd Mar 2015
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The Breaking of the Storm - moguera



Deadly threats loom ever nearer for Dawn Lightwing and those close to him.

  • ...
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Loving the Sky

Chapter 14: Loving the Sky

"Captain!" exclaimed Estelle as she scrambled into Spitfire's office, "Firefly's here!"

Spitfire let out a relieved breath. "Thank goodness." It had only been a couple of days since the attack on the Cloudeseum. There had been no word from anypony in the area around Cloudsdale regarding a pony of Flash Spark's rather unique description. That only served to make Spitfire all the more nervous. Granted, there was plenty of empty, unoccupied space in Equestria, especially in the skies above it, where a pony like Flash could hide. But her Wonderbolts had been searching non-stop, aided by the Guard complements of the localities throughout the region, as well as assistance from the Royal Guard. Shining Armor had even been kind enough to put the SES at her disposal.

However, no leads had been found. Wherever Flash Spark was hiding, he was doing a good job of it. Although, for all that she knew, that armor of his was something that he could shed or disguise very easily. It was almost impossible to anticipate what he was capable of when they didn't know what they were dealing with.

"Call Rainbow Dash. I want to get her training started right away."

At Spitfire's command, the pure-white mare with a glittering, platinum mane darted back out the door. Estelle was the Wonderbolts' expert on high-altitude operations and currently held the record for the world's highest flight, having reached all the way to the stratosphere, at an altitude where the average pegasus couldn't even breathe without some form of physical or magical assistance. She also had keen eyesight. Soarin' had once eloquently described her as having "eyes that would make an eagle jealous." She frequently flew high-altitude reconnaissance for the Wonderbolts, her unique pairing of skill and talent making her infinitely useful for spying on situations from high above. Before Rainbow Dash had arrived, she had also been the Wonderbolts' most recent member.

"You seem to be in quite the tizzy," observed Firefly as she calmly strode into the room, as though she didn't have a care in the world, "Did that stallion really scare you that much?"

Firefly was considerably older than Spitfire. Her face was decorated with shallow wrinkles, especially around the corners of her mouth, the hallmark of a mare who spent a lot of her time smiling. It gave her a warm, almost grandmotherly quality when she wanted. Of course, that didn't change the fact that beneath the faint wrinkles in her skin lay muscles of steel, the envy of ponies a quarter her age. Her wings were immaculate, with not a single feather out of place, their leading edges decorated with taut, wiry muscle. Spitfire remembered that Rainbow had once described Firefly as looking the very definition of what it meant to "age gracefully." In spite of her age, her light-blue mane and pale-pink coat showed no sign of fading in color, without so much as a streak of gray in sight. The blue lightning bolts decorating her flank were just as bright and clear as ever.

"He scared me enough," replied Spitfire flatly, "I have no intention of allowing him to get close to Rainbow Dash again if I can help it."

"So I'm here as her bodyguard and her trainer," quipped Firefly.

"Until I'm sure Rainbow can guard herself," said Spitfire, "It may also give us a chance to apprehend that jerk if he makes a move while you're here too."

Firefly shrugged indifferently. "Worth a try, I suppose. I hope Rainbow's up to my training. I haven't seen a pony like her in years."

"I have confidence in her," said Spitfire, "Take as long as you need."

Their conversation was interrupted by Rainbow Dash herself as the cerulean mare poked her head around the side of the doorway. When she saw her Captain and her soon-to-be personal instructor there, she quickly pulled back before marching in. "Reporting for duty," said Rainbow, stopping and saluting crisply, her most serious expression in place.

Firefly's face scrunched up, a faint snort escaping her before she finally gave up and starting laughing. "Oh this is rich!" she crowed, "Spitfire must have tightened things up since the last time I was here."

"I didn't," said Spitfire, here eyebrow twitching, "Rainbow Dash just hasn't gotten the formality we used in the Academy out of her system."

Flinching a little before relaxing, Rainbow tilted her head as she stared past Firefly at her Captain. "Actually...why was protocol such a big deal at the Academy?"

Spitfire chuckled. "It's one thing when you're actually training with us as an actual member and another when you're simply training under us as a prospective member. Keep in mind that attending and even getting through the Academy training is no guarantee of membership. If we didn't draw the line somewhere, everypony who made it into the Academy would be convinced that they'd already made it into the Wonderbolts and would let their egos run away with the idea."

"That makes sense, I guess," said Rainbow. It was an attitude that reminded the ponies that attended the Academy that they were there to learn and that the Wonderbolts who were present were their instructors, not their peers.

"In any case, Spitfire's decided to reshuffle your schedule a little," said Firefly, "So I'm going to take over your physical training for the time being. However, I want you to continue your academic courses as though nothing had changed."

"Really?" exclaimed Spitfire and Rainbow at the same time, causing Firefly to look back and forth between them.

"Why are you surprised?" she asked.

"I figured you'd want to take Rainbow somewhere out of the way to train," said Spitfire.

"Oh please," scoffed Firefly, flicking her hoof in a dismissive gesture, "It's not as though I'm teaching her some kind of destructive technique that needs to be done somewhere far away from everypony else. I can train her right here at the Wonderbolt headquarters without any extra fuss."

"Speaking of what I'm learning..." said Rainbow, staring at Firefly, "What...am I learning...exactly?"

That made Firefly pause. "Oh, that's right. You haven't seen it yet." She gave Rainbow a delighted grin. "Then it's time to show you exactly what you're in for."


Rainbow, Spitfire, and Firefly stood on a cloud overlooking the Wonderbolts' training grounds. Situated on the same plateau that also hosted the Wonderbolts Academy, the grounds were only a short flight from the Headquarters in Cloudsdale proper. The extensive airspace around them was a rigorously enforced no-fly-zone for ponies without proper authorization (even more rigorously enforced since that time five mares decided it would be a brilliant idea to fly a hot-air ballon into the often heavily-turbulent airspace without so much as a "by your leave"). Furthermore, it was also surrounded by what was probably one of the most ingenious pieces of cloud construction that Rainbow had ever seen in her life...the privacy screen.

Sure...the name and its ultimate purpose were perfectly ordinary when described. However, the issue of enforcing such privacy to keep away the prying eyes of ponies who could fly to observe from a variety of angles and distances was not a mundane problem, especially in an area of sky that frequently hosted turbulent simulated weather patterns. Towards that end, the cloud engineers of the Wonderbolts had come up with one of the most brilliant and complex cloud constructs ever created. From within, there was no indication that a privacy screen was in place. The skies were blue and dotted with clusters of clouds. Looking up, Rainbow could even easily pick out Cloudsdale in the near distance. However, suspended between the clusters of clouds that dotted the skies was a paper-thin screen of fog particles, held in place by the pegasus magic that had molded them. From an outside angle, the fog particles caught and dispersed the sunlight, giving the impression that the training grounds were perpetually shrouded in a thick bank of clouds, through which no observation was possible. In its own way, it was an illusion ever bit as excellent as any unicorn glamour.

As Rainbow waited for Firefly's demonstration to begin, she began to notice a variety of pegasi zipping in through the privacy screen and taking up places on the surrounding clouds or even on the landing strip of the plateau itself. It seemed that every member of the Wonderbolts, along with their support staff, was coming over to watch.

Rainbow felt the cloud beneath her hooves jump slightly as another pony joined them. Looking over, she saw Soarin' folding his wings before coming up to stand next to her, grinning like a foal.

"What's all the hubbub about?" asked Rainbow, looking around at the still-growing audience, "Is this really such a big deal?"

"Oh yeah," replied Soarin', "It's not every day Firefly puts on a show. When she does, you definitely don't want to miss it."

"Pay attention rookie," said Spitfire in a stern tone, "This is what she's gonna be teaching you."

Looking around and seeing all the first-rate fliers who seemed to think that it was worth their time to drop everything that they'd been doing to come and watch, Rainbow swallowed hard, feeling a bit light in the head and heavy in the stomach. She imagined herself standing where Firefly was now, all those ponies waiting to see her display what she could do and felt a bit of that anxiety from the Young Fliers Competition rush back into her.

A warm feeling settled across her back and Rainbow noticed that Firefly had wrapped a wing around her, pulling Rainbow up against the older mare's side. "Just relax," she said in a pleasant tone, "Remember, this isn't a performance move. The eyes of other ponies have nothing to do with it." Using a hoof, she turned and tilted Rainbow's head so that their eyes met. Firefly gave the younger mare a motherly smile. "Right now, the only eyes I care about are yours. I want you to watch me."

Rainbow slowly nodded, feeling her anxiety ebb away. This had nothing to do with being a Wonderbolt. This was something different, something special, something meant for her alone. Feeling that actually made a warm feeling rise up in Rainbow's stomach, replacing the earlier anxiety. She would learn this skill from Firefly, become its master, and, someday, pass it down to another pony.

Firefly lifted her wing and walked away from Rainbow towards a clear portion of the cloud. "You've learned a bit, haven't you, of the magic of the different tribes?"

Rainbow found herself nodding. It wasn't just her instruction with High Winds. Rainbow remembered lectures Twilight had given, as well as Storm Front, Red River, Arkenstone, and even Dawn. She remembered some of what they had told her, about the properties of the magic of each of the three tribes.

"Pegasus magic will always be pegasus magic," said Firefly, "Just as a unicorn's magic will always be a unicorn's magic and an earth pony's and earth pony's. Thus, only a pegasus can use pegasus magic." She gave Rainbow a playful wink. "Unless you're an alicorn of course. But that's neither here nor there.

"However, just because we can't use a unicorn's magic or an earth pony's magic doesn't mean we can't apply the principles of their magic to our own. An earth pony's magic uses physical substance as a medium. Using that principle, we can apply it to things like the clouds we work with, our own bodies, or even things we consider an extension of our bodies, like weapons. This is especially true with our favored medium, the clouds."

Reaching down, Firefly scooped up a hoofful of the cloud they were currently standing on. "Back in the days before the harmony between the three tribes, before the windigoes came, pegasus cloud constructs and cloud cities were flimsy, unstable, and unable to last. Only after we recognized the wisdom of our sibling tribes and incorporated that wisdom into our own magic, were we able to create stable, permanent cities of clouds. The Cloudsdale that you were born and raised in is a product of that shared knowledge.

"The basis of unicorn magic is creating an image in one's mind and then using one's will to project that image outward into the world. Ultimately, what they do is a good bit more complex than that, but that is its fundamental principle. Likewise, such a thing is possible for us pegasi. While it is our adaptations of the principles earth pony magic that hold the privacy screen around this area in place, it is that combination of image and will that allows the pegasi maintaining it to create the privacy screen's illusory qualities."

Rainbow found herself recalling another time a pegasus pony had tapped into the principles of unicorn magic. An assassin after Dawn had shrouded Ponyville in an impenetrable fog that made it impossible to tell what direction one was facing or even up from down if a pony weren't touching the ground. The memory made her shiver.

Firefly had evidently ignored Rainbow's discomfort, instead choosing to walk towards the edge of the cloud. "The skill I'm going to teach you has been called the pinnacle of pegasus magic by some ponies." She gave Spitfire and Soarin' a wry glance. "But the truth is that it is the ultimate culmination of drawing upon the knowledge and wisdom of all three tribes. It exists because of the harmony between us. Because of that, I also believe it exists to protect that harmony." She nodded once at Rainbow before leaping from the cloud and taking to the air.

Firefly swooped downwards before curving her flight path back upwards. She soared up towards the peak of the training zone that was defined by the curving path of the privacy screen overhead. Drifting to a halt in the air, Firefly flared out her wings to their fullest, spreading out every feather as far as she possibly could. Rainbow saw her inhale deeply as her eyes slowly drifted shut.

In the next second, Rainbow's eyes nearly leapt out of her head as the sky blazed with light, bright enough to blind her. Normally, her instincts would have made her flinch away, but Rainbow couldn't wrench her eyes from the display. The light seemed to penetrate past her eyes, through her brain, and pierce all the way down into the depths of her heart, where it touched...something...something primitive and instinctual, something that she had known all her life.

It was a feeling that had been buried by countless other feelings, by the weight of triumph and failure, by the dreams she had pursued and realized. It had been lurking there all along, smothered by all the things that were the life of Rainbow Dash and yet, at the same time, was also the very thing that had carried her through that life. She had almost forgotten it, even though it formed the very deepest core of who she really was.

The demonstration didn't even last three minutes. Before Rainbow realized it, it was over and Firefly was already descending back towards the cloud, a contented smile on her face. Even though things were back to normal, Rainbow still felt as though she couldn't keep her eyes off of Firefly.

"That was something else," sighed Soarin' from beside her, abruptly reminding Rainbow that she wasn't alone on the cloud. Both Soarin' and Spitfire were there with her after all. She had gotten so wrapped up in the demonstration that she'd completely forgotten they were there at all. Looking over, Rainbow noticed something was off. Both Soarin' and Spitfire looked slightly dazed, as though they had witnessed something truly amazing that they couldn't quite believe. But...at the same time, what captivated them was merely the outward beauty of what Firefly had done. It hadn't touched them on the same level that it had touched her. Suddenly, Rainbow had an inkling of why Firefly had specifically chosen her.

"Well," said Firefly as she touched down, "It looks like you liked what you saw."

"You can say that again!" exclaimed Rainbow, "And you're really going to teach me how to do that?"

"Well...I can teach," said Firefly, "But it will be up to you to learn. But..." Her smile widened. "...I think you have the best chance of anypony I've ever met of learning this."

"I guess that's our cue to bail," said Spitfire, nudging Soarin', who followed reluctantly.

He paused just long enough to give Rainbow a kiss on the cheek. "Good luck Dashie," he whispered before taking off after Spitfire.

Taking a deep breath, Rainbow did her best to compose herself as she turned back to face Firefly once again.

"Well then," said Firefly, "Shall we begin?"


"Um...a-are you sure about this, Dawn?" asked Fluttershy, looking anxiously up at the sky as she and her son waited in their front yard. It was a beautiful spring day, which was to be expected after all. The sky was blue, dotted with white tufts of clouds that hung around like a faint reassurance that the events of the previous year's drought would not repeat themselves. And yet, in spite of this, Fluttershy couldn't feel completely at ease. After all, it wasn't every day that she made the acquaintance of someone who had nearly killed her son.

"I'm fairly certain," replied Dawn, his tone and posture relaxed, as though he had no notion of how tense his mother was, "They are honorable individuals and they did not treat me all that unpleasantly..." He paused and directed a sheepish grin up at Fluttershy. "For all that they were trying to kill me at the time, of course."

"Of course," said Fluttershy a bit uneasily. While she was all for forgiving other ponies and other creatures for their transgressions, she had to admit that even she thought Dawn was taking things a little far at times. It had been hard enough to sit there and share a Hearth's Warming breakfast with the former Guardsmare that had kidnapped a filly to lure him into an ambush. But that seemed almost normal compared to what Dawn was planning now.

Abruptly, Dawn sat up a little straighter, his ears standing upright and his wings flaring slightly. By now, Fluttershy recognized the signs of the colt spreading his awareness out into the air around him. A second later, he relaxed. "Never mind," he said after a second, "It's just Scootaloo."

The bright-orange filly dropped down out of the sky and landed next to Dawn in the yard. "Am I late?" she asked.

"Not yet," replied Dawn, "I was expecting Miss Twilight out here sooner though."

"I think she's coming," said Scootaloo, "But she had some things to settle with Red and Storm first."

For the second time that afternoon, Dawn once again went on alert. "They're here," he said after a second.

As if on cue, two figures swept past the sun overhead, casting large shadows across the ground. Fluttershy and Scootaloo looked up, their eyes following the pair of winged figures as they swooped around in a wide arc before dipping down towards the open ground between the cottage and the Everfree Forest. All three pegasi watched as the pair of griffons came in for a graceful landing.

Fluttershy shuddered at the sight of them. She particularly remembered one past interaction with a griffon that had not gone well. The last thing she wanted was to repeat her experience with Gilda all over again. Even worse, these griffons had an intimidating presence that made Gilda look like a kitten in comparison.

One of them was a male of exceptional size. He completely dwarfed any pony in Ponyville, actually appearing to be roughly equal to Princess Luna in size, albeit with a great deal more bulk. His front half was covered in ebony feathers that faded away to a matching coat of fur over his hindquarters. His back was supporting a heavy haversack that had evidently been stuffed with something large and bulky, but did not seem to encumber him in the slightest. His eyes swept over the three ponies before stopping to focus on Dawn, his lips curling up in a warm smile at the sight of the colt.

The other griffon was a female. She was considerably smaller than her companion, even smaller than Fluttershy remembered Gilda being. However, in spite of her lack of stature, her body was still covered with lithe musculature that seemed to flow like water whenever she moved. Her forepaws ended in fingers with shorter, stubbier claws than the other griffon, but appeared more flexible and dextrous. Her feathers were rust-colored, fading into a patch of white on her underbelly and transitioning into a brindled pattern on the coat of her feline half. Unlike her companion, her head twisted about, surveying the scenery with a keen interest. She also carried a haversack on her back, but one considerably smaller than her companion's.

"Well now," said the large black one, "It's good to see you again, Little Cub. I see that you've grown some since we last met."

"I'm glad to see you as well," replied Dawn, standing up and walking over towards the griffons, "I said before that I would have liked us to meet again as friends."

Reaching the griffons, Dawn held up a hoof, to which the griffon raised a forepaw, wrapping the clawed fingers of the eagle-like limb, dwarfing Dawn's hoof. A slight twitch of the black griffon's muscles would have likely sliced Dawn's leg to the bone, if not clean off, but Dawn's limb didn't betray the slightest tremor at the contact.

"Now then, who are these ponies?" asked the griffon as he released Dawn's hoof.

Dawn smiled and gestured towards Fluttershy. "This is my mother, Fluttershy. The one next to her is my fillyfriend and student, Scootaloo."

"Ah! I see," said the black griffon, smiling wider at the two other ponies. He lowered himself into a bow, spreading his wings as he lowered his beak almost to the ground. "It's an honor to meet you ladies."

"U-uh...th-thank you v-very m-much," stammered Fluttershy, still a bit troubled by the black griffon's sheer size.

"I don't think she likes us very much," observed the female griffon, her tone neutral, but a faintly disappointed expression on her face.

"Please don't hold it against her," said Dawn, "She has a great deal of difficulty meeting new people. She tends to get nervous in these situations." Walking back to Fluttershy's side, he turned and gestured towards the griffons. "Mom, Scootaloo, this is Skan and Zhan. They are the griffons that I encountered on Diamond Mountain."

"Nice to meet you," said Scootaloo cooly. Even without her tutelage under Dawn in the martial arts, she could easily tell that this pair of griffons were seriously tough customers, even the small one. She wasn't sure how she felt, considering that she knew that these two griffons had, at one point, tried to kill her coltfriend. According to Dawn, it had been nothing personal. But that didn't change the fact that it made Scootaloo feel distinctly uncomfortable, especially since she had once upbraided Dawn severely about his habit of forgiving enemies over Hearth's Warming.

"I think she likes us even less," commented Zhan with a wry smile of her own.

"Ah...well..." Dawn gave Scootaloo a somewhat troubled look, not sure what he'd do about the situation if she held his past conflict with the pair of griffons against them.

An awkward silence descended on the gathering as all of the participants struggled to find something to say. Finally, it was Skan who broke the ice. "I noticed the town when we passed over it," he said, "It seems like a fine place."

"It is," said Dawn, a small smile breaking out on his face.

Leaning over and down, Skan gently ran the tip of his beak through the feathered ruff behind Zhan's head. "What do you think, dear? This seems like a good place to settle down."

Zhan didn't break away from what seemed to be a staring contest between her and Scootaloo. "It certainly looks nice. But if the remainder of our reception is this frosty, we may need to to reconsider."

"Hey!" snapped Scootaloo, "You tried to kill my coltfriend! You're lucky we even allowed you to land here."

"That was business," replied Zhan with an indifferent shrug, "We were hired to protect a certain location that this colt and his friend then tried to break into. If you can't accept that, then there's really nothing to say."

"Uh..." Scootaloo was at a loss for words after a moment. "...But did you have to try and kill him?"

"Our orders were quite clear on the matter," said Zhan, looking slightly miffed, "If I were given the option, I would have rather not."

"So that's it," growled Scootaloo, "It's all about following orders, huh. I guess jerks like you will do anything for money."

"Um..." Dawn looked between Zhan and Scootaloo, feeling the tension beginning to ratchet up. He looked over at Skan and was surprised that the male griffon's smile hadn't faded. If anything, it was widening and he looked like he was fit to burst out laughing at any second.

Fluttershy was similarly distressed by the situation, watching the interplay between Zhan and Scootaloo. She'd seen something similar to this when Rainbow Dash had been arguing with Gilda. The end result of that had been Gilda storming off, never to show her face in Ponyville again. From the look of things, things between Scootaloo and Zhan could be even uglier.

"It's cute that you think you have the right to sit in judgment over us," retorted Zhan, "You talk so loftily about money, but you don't know what it means to put your pride and honor on the line to fulfill the duty that has been assigned to you. You practice your martial arts as a hobby, but to us, it is a means of putting food on the table. Our art is your life, so don't be so quick to judge us just because we ply our skills for the means to live you spoiled brat."

"Oh yeah!" snapped Scootaloo, her wings flaring as she stalked towards Zhan.

"Yeah!" retorted Zhan as she stalked forward as well.

Dawn was fighting down the urge to panic (something he rarely experienced) as he watched the tensions rising between Scootaloo and Zhan. Another glance at Skan seemed to confirm that the big male still seemed content to sit back and enjoy the show. By the time he turned his attention back to his fillyfriend and Skan's mate, the two were practically nose to beak, glaring into each other's eye

Zhan might have been small by griffon standards, but that still made her a fair bit larger than Scootaloo. Still, the filly didn't back down and matched her older, stronger opponent glare for glare.

It went on like that for a few almost unbearable minutes before something seemed to change. Slowly, Zhan's lips peeled back into a smile behind her beak. "Heh..." She began to laugh loudly, breaking off her glare and settling onto haunches.

"Huh?" Scootaloo blinked, bewildered by the sudden change in her opponent's attitude.

"I like this filly," said Zhan after she managed to recover some of her composure, "You don't see many ponies with that kind of spunk."

"She comes by it honestly," mused Dawn, thinking of Scootaloo's big sister.

Nopony was more surprised than Scootaloo when Zhan reached out with her forepaw and gently tousled the filly's mane, running her short, blunt claws through the strands of fuchsia. "You have a strong will, little one. I can see why your coltfriend likes you so much."

"Um...thanks?" said Scootaloo, still completely baffled, her anger having been replaced by confusion.

"I'm sorry about what happened with him," said Zhan, "But, as I said, it is how we earn our living. We have known no other way. Even now, your coltfriend has called us here for the same purpose that nearly led us to kill him."

"That much is true," agreed Dawn, "Scootaloo, this is different than how it was with Shade Steel. I invited my battle with them as much as the other way around."

"Are you sure?" asked Scootaloo, giving Dawn a concerned and confused glance.

Dawn nodded. "I am. Please don't hold it against them."

It took her a moment, but Scootaloo finally let out a sigh and relaxed. "Fine," she groaned. A second later, she whirled around, whipping her head up so that she was nose to beak with Zhan again, the action causing the griffoness to actually flinch back in surprise and confusion as Scootaloo's eyes narrowed. "But I'm watching you."

Zhan backed off laughing. "My...it's easy to forget just how fierce these ponies can be."

"Very true," agreed Skan amiably.

"Sorry we're late, everypony," declared Twilight Sparkle as she arrived along with Storm Front and Red River.

"It's just as well, we're still doing introductions," said Dawn. He gestured towards the new arrivals. "The mare is Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's personal student."

Skan's eyes widened as he took a harder look at the lavender-colored unicorn. "Oh! So this is the mare that Viscountess Sweet Water was always talking about whenever she deigned to visit us."

Twilight flinched at the Viscountess' name. After all, Sweet Water had been the one who arranged the fiasco with the Foal Protective Services that had sent Dawn to Diamond Mountain in the first place. It had all been part of an elaborate scheme to open her up to the Viscountess' manipulations, which had only been thwarted when Dawn had dealt with the situation himself...Or rather, Sweet Water was suspected of arranging the situation. Despite investigations, no tangible evidence had surfaced as proof that Sweet Water was actually responsible for what had happened, much to Twilight's chagrin.

The two griffons turned and bowed politely to Twilight, who blushed at the unexpectedly formal act. "U-uh...I don't really hold any important rank or anything," she said, "There's no need to be so formal."

"If you insist," said Skan, relaxing visibly as he and Zhan settled back onto their haunches.

"Did Spitfire brief you about your reason for coming here?" asked Twilight.

The two griffons nodded in unison. "She explained matters in detail," said Skan, "She also provided us detailed information regarding the assailant to share with you in the event he attempts something here in Ponyville. She is hoping that you may be able to discern something about this Flash Spark fellow's abilities that might help stop him." He reached into his bulging haversack and withdrew a sealed tube, which he held out to Twilight.

An aura of violet energy wrapped around the tube and pulled it over to Twilight. "I'll look it over," she promised. She gestured to the two stallions that had accompanied her. "This is Red River..." The azure earth pony with the crimson mane bowed politely. "...and Storm Front..." The dark-gray pegasus did the same. "They are also staying here on assignment. You will be working with them for the duration of your stay."

The two pairs of mercenaries sized each other up with a glance. "That is acceptable," said Skan in an easy tone. "Since we are acting as official agents of the Wonderbolts, even though we aren't actually members, Spitfire has provided us with a substantial retainer."

"In that case, I'll leave you to work out details with Storm and Red," said Twilight with a smile, "We're counting on you to keep Fluttershy safe."

"She is in good claws," promised Zhan with a sidelong glance at the mare in question. Fluttershy was blushing furiously, especially as she thought about the fact that the reason these two formidable griffons were in Ponyville was for her personal safety.

"I'll leave you to it then," said Twilight, already turning back to Ponyville, "I need to get back to the library and try to figure this situation out."

Her horn blazed and she vanished in a burst of light.

"Well now," said Red as the sparks of Twilight's teleportation spell faded away, "shall we begin?"


"So...how do I do...that?" asked Rainbow, waving her hooves in vague gestures.

Firefly chuckled. "In spite of the fact that it looks complicated, like all powerful techniques, it is actually very simple at its core."

"If it's simple, couldn't anypony learn it?" wondered Rainbow. She couldn't imagine that anypony wouldn't want to learn such a skill.

"Simple doesn't equal easy," replied Firefly as she trotted to the edge of their cloud, "Come. Sit and talk with me."

"Um...shouldn't we be training?"

"If you don't have a proper understanding of the technique, then all the training in the world won't do you any good," replied Firefly, "That's true with any technique, whether in combat, aerial maneuvers, or weather magic. But it's especially true in this case. Understanding is not just important. It's essential. You could say that this technique is born from pure understanding that is then put into action."

"I...I don't get it..." said Rainbow.

That got another chuckle from her teacher, who once again patted the cloud next to her. With a sigh, Rainbow settled down onto the cloud, laying down next to the pink pegasus. It felt odd to her. After spending so many days undertaking rigorous academic courses either preceeded or followed by periods of intense physical training, it felt weird to just sit down and chat with her teacher as though they were just talking about the weather.

"You are right when you say that almost anypony, or anypegasus rather, could learn this technique. It is within all pegasi to obtain the skill that I showed you. True, talent and inclination would shape and develop the skill differently in just about anypony who used it. However, what most ponies are lacking is a certain awareness, a certain feeling if you will, that allows them to truly understand the core of the technique.

"When you saw me demonstrate it earlier, you felt something, didn't you?"

"Yeah," said Rainbow a bit nervously.

"That is the difference between you and most other pegasi," said Firefly, "The reason my demonstration resonated with you is the personal quality you possess, your underlying motivation. It is your drive, what drove you to perfect your flight skills, what made you seek to become a Wonderbolt, the thing you love and treasure more than anything."

Rainbow blinked and stared uncomprehendingly at her mentor. "What's that?"

"The sky."

Rainbow froze. "What?"

Firefly couldn't quite contain her giggles at her student's consternation. "Let me put it this way. To most pegasi, even your fellow Wonderbolts, flying is more of a means to an end. Some of them may enjoy flying and many of them have refined it to an art form, some pegasi even consider their ability to fly to be a sign of inherent superiority. However, only a few love flying for what it truly is, that which connects them to the sky.

"You are one of those ponies. Everything about you, from your cutie mark to your goals, to your endless drive to improve is born from your connection with and your love for the sky. Therefore, you could say that love forms the core of this technique."

"I don't get it," said Rainbow. Something about what Firefly had said certainly did connect with how she felt. It was true, she loved flying, even if it was just for flying's sake. She loved the feeling of the wind flowing through her mane and over her feathers. She adored soaring through the wide, endless blue of the sky. She relished in that feeling of freedom that flight brought her. But how did that translate into what Firefly had demonstrated?

"Helping you understand is going to be the most difficult part," said Firefly, "Because, there's only so much I can teach in that respect. Most of this is going to be something that you discover on your own, through your own efforts and understanding. You are going to have to look inside yourself to discover what you need. Only then will you be capable of that technique."

"Uh...what am I looking for?" asked Rainbow.

She felt a gentle pressure over her back as Firefly laid a motherly wing across it. "I can't tell you exactly what you are looking for. Remember what I said before I showed you my technique?" At Rainbow's nod, she continued. "This is where the concept of unicorn magic comes in. What you are looking for is an image that represents your feelings about flying, your love of the sky...your Wings of the Heart."

For a second, Rainbow was silent as Firefly's words sunk in. Then, unable to help herself, she began to giggle. "That sounds so corny."

That got a laugh from Firefly. "It does, doesn't it. You need to remember though, that for all that it sounds corny, the Wings of the Heart that are born from your love of the sky is a very real source of power. Love is a tremendous power, after all. You remember how the love of Cadance and Shining Armor was able to drive the changelings away from Canterlot?"

Rainbow nodded.

"That is the power that love is capable of. Once you have the image, you channel it out, using your own wings as the medium for your power. That's the earth pony aspect of this technique, by the way. Thus, the technique is born."

Rainbow found herself frowning pensively. Firefly was right. It did sound rather simple, all told. It also sounded difficult as hay. Of all the words that Rainbow would use to describe herself, introspective wasn't one of them. It sounded as though mastering this technique would require some real soul searching on her part and Rainbow didn't think she had it in herself to do it.

"There must be some kind of way to do this," she muttered, "I have no idea of how to look for these Wings you're talking about."

"Well...the best way to start would be to get you more in touch with your magic," said Firefly, tapping her chin.

"How did you do it?" asked Rainbow.

"Well I happened on this technique when I was studying the Gale King," replied Firefly, "My teacher had been saying many of the things about magic that I told you earlier. That was what got me on the idea to explore that concept to its limits."

"So I guess I have to start learning the Gale King," muttered Rainbow. She wasn't sure that would work out from her. From what she had seen when she'd watched Dawn teach Scootaloo, it was something that started by contradicting the way most pegasi learned how to fly.

"We don't have to go that far," said Firefly, "Just the absolute basics will be best. Luckily, I'm going to be in charge of your physical training until you learn this, so we don't have to worry about this impacting your regular training. Once you learn this, it should actually help with your regular training.

Rainbow perked up at that. If anything, that sounded even better to her. By the time she finished learning Firefly's technique, she might be finished with the academic portion of her Wonderbolt training, which would only make it easier to focus on the physical training. Furthermore, Firefly's lessons would probably be less strenuous than her basic training, at least physically, which would make it easier to keep her focus during the Academic portion.

"Awesome! Let's do it!"

In spite of her original optimism, Rainbow felt her stomach drop when she saw Firefly's lips stretch into a grin that promised nothing but trouble.


Soarin' looked around as he stepped into the mess hall. According to the regular training schedule, Rainbow's training should be finished by this point. Normally she stopped off at the living quarters for a shower before coming in. So he wasn't surprised to see her seated at one of the tables, a tray of food resting in front her.

What did surprise him was that she wasn't eating. She wasn't even looking at it really. Rather, as he stepped around to get a better view on Rainbow's condition, he saw her vacant eyes staring past the food on her tray and blankly at the wall, though she probably wasn't even seeing the wall either. This was completely different from the exhausted state he normally found her in. Rainbow almost looked as though her brain had shut down. That she clearly had enough mental wherewithal to get her food, but not enough to actually eat it seemed to suggest that her current state of exhaustion was less physical and more mental. Or magical, he thought, remembering what Rainbow's new training under Firefly was supposed to be for.

Remembering who Rainbow was training under, Soarin' looked around, trying to see if Firefly was actually in the mess hall. However, there was no sign of the vibrant pink mare. There were only a couple other Wonderbolts and a few members of the support staff scattered throughout the room.

I hope I can help her through this, he thought. Getting his own food, Soarin' returned to the table and sat down next to Rainbow.

"Hey," he said whispering the word into Rainbow's ear before blowing gently on it. The ear twitched reflexively.

There was a whole second's delay between that twitch before Rainbow shot upright. "AH!" Her shout echoed across the room, drawing the attention of the few ponies there. However, Rainbow paid them no mind as she whirled to glare tiredly at Soarin', her eyes still looking slightly glazed and unfocused. The way she shifted her head seemed to indicate that she couldn't quite see him clearly and was trying to get her eyes to focus.

"Rough day?" he asked, trying his hardest to hide his grin before Rainbow could see well enough again to notice it.

With a sigh, Rainbow sagged down, staring at the table. "I thought this would be easy," she said, "Or that it would be less work than my regular training at least."

"I'm guessing you were mistaken," ventured Soarin'. He had no idea what Firefly's training entailed. That she often (at least two or three times a year) visited the the Wonderbolts' Headquarters and Academy to look for potential students indicated that she wasn't reluctant to share her skill with other ponies. However, the fact that she had never before found a pony she could teach seemed to indicate that said skill wasn't something she could pass down to just anypony.

"Was I ever," said Rainbow with a groan, "Imagine you've been doing something your entire life and that you'd been good at it." At Soarin's nod, she continued. "Now imagine being told that you've basically been doing it the wrong way the whole time and you have to learn the whole thing over from scratch, all while trying not to do it the way you've always been doing it."

"Ouch," said Soarin' with a sympathetic wince. That would be hard.

"That's basically what Firefly started on with me," said Rainbow, "In order to learn her technique, I have to get in touch with my magic, really in touch with my magic. All the stuff I'd been learning during regular training doesn't even come close."

Soarin' nodded gravely. That might account for her mental exhaustion. Not only was she having to learn a completely new skill, but she was having to stop herself from going about it the wrong way. That kind of constant mental effort would wear down one's nerves until she could barely think straight. To make matters harder, Rainbow was practicing using her magic, which might not have taxed her body as much, but would have done a number on her concentration.

They ate in silence for a little while. Soarin' kept one eye on Rainbow the whole time, trying to make sure that she didn't end up dropping into a stupor again before finishing her meal. He could already tell that she wouldn't be up to their usual activity of reading before bed. Rainbow was likely to conk out the moment her head hit the pillow. Besides that, her mind was clearly elsewhere and he got the impression that he shouldn't distract her from whatever she was thinking about.

Once they finished eating, Soarin' walked Rainbow back to her room and helped her into bed. Laying out and resting her head on the pillow, Rainbow blinked blearily at her coltfriend.

"Hey...Soarin'..."

"Yeah..."

"What made you decide that you wanted to be a Wonderbolt?"

He hadn't been expecting that. Rainbow clearly looked like she was about to drop off at any second. And yet...the way she was looking at him made it clear that hearing his answer was very important to her.

"Well...it's not anything big..." he began, "When I started out, I was like you. I wanted to be a Wonderbolt because I thought it was cool. Of course, this was during the time of the old Wonderbolts, back when they were a bunch of Royal Guard members who got special treatment for doing a little fancy flying every once in a while. As a colt, I didn't really know any better. I just thought they were cool.

"Later, after I got out of school, I joined the Cloudsdale Guard, hoping to earn my way onto the team from there. While I was in the Guard, I learned what the Wonderbolts were really all about. Whenever we had to intervene to help with some weather-related disaster or handle a serious incident, those 'elites' would just sit back and let us regular grunts take care of it. They thought that everything was beneath them, so they didn't bother trying to do anything while ponies were in danger, even if there was something they could do about it. It was always that they 'had to be careful of their wings' or 'avoid activities that were too strenuous, lest their flight skills fall below the team standard.' That left me feeling kinda jaded about the whole thing. So I gave up on them for a while.

"Then, just a little while later, a new mare named Spitfire took charge of the team. She changed things completely. She didn't want the Wonderbolts to be just for show anymore. She insisted on newer, tougher training regimens, higher standards for membership, the whole shebang. This ended up pissing off a lot of the old guard. Pretty much all of them just up and quit. Any who stuck around afterwards ended up quitting later on simply because they just couldn't keep up with Spitfire's demands.

"Because of that, Spitfire basically had to rebuild the team from scratch. She went to the Royal Guard. She went out to weather teams all around Equestria. She searched high and low for ponies that were suitable members. I ended up being one of the ponies she tapped."

"And you accepted?" asked Rainbow, "Just like that?"

Soarin' puffed out his chest a little. "Well, I like to think that I wasn't that eager to get picked. Naturally, with how much she was shaking things up, word of all the changes Spitfire was making to the Wonderbolts got around. I didn't want to get my hopes up. I figured that it wouldn't last and she'd give up once the reality of the situation set in and she couldn't find any ponies to take her up on her offer. I figured that, sooner or later, she'd have to start relaxing her standards and making exceptions and, from there, it would only be a hop skip and a jump to get back to business as usual for the 'elite flyers of Equestria.' I didn't want to be a part of that. I dreaded the idea of being the only pony on the team who actually tried to make a difference. Worse, I dreaded the idea of becoming just another lazy slob who didn't feel like he had to do anything so long as he could wow the crowds with a little fancy flying every once and a while."

"What made you change your mind?" asked Rainbow.

"Well...I decided to at least see what the training was like. If it didn't look like all of Spitfire's work was gonna lead anywhere, I was out. So I joined up." He chuckled wryly. "Wow! It was every bit as harsh as what you're going through now. Compared to Spitfire's setup, regular Guard training was a cakewalk. She pushed me and the others that took her up on her offer to our absolute limits. I'd never worked so hard in all my life."

"And you all stuck with it?" asked Rainbow.

"I did...so did some of the others. A lot of the hopefuls dropped out. By the time Spitfire's first round of training ended, there were seven of us left. Given how few had made the grade by that point, I was feeling pretty certain that the other horseshoe was gonna drop at some point. Then it happened..."

"What?"

"A rogue tornado up north. It was a piece of wild weather that came down from the Griffon Aeries. That sucker was powerful. Not only that, it had been going for nearly a week by the time we got to it. Stuff like that happens sometimes when wild weather mixes with the remnants of our weather.(1) Fortunately, settlements were pretty sparse up there and it didn't do as much damage as it could've if it had gone through a more densely populated region. It did smash up a couple of small villages real good though. More than a few ponies died because of that." He sighed. "The second Spitfire heard about the tornado, she gathered up all seven of us that had lasted through the training and took us straight north. From there, we joined a detachment of the Royal Guard sent to help with the situation. Spitfire set us to coordinating the effort to finally stop and dissipate the tornado. It was a huge task because that sucker was a real monster.

"Afterwards, I was sure that we'd end up heading straight back to Cloudsdale. But Spitfire refused to leave. We went to each of the villages that had been hit and started helping with the cleanup, digging out survivors, keeping the weather stable for ponies stuck without shelter, helping distribute relief supplies, fending off opportunistic monsters, and keeping up communications with the disaster relief offices in Canterlot. I must've made at least three round trips there and back in a week.

"Though it all, I got a picture of just how serious Spitfire was about reforming the Wonderbolts. Only seven of us had made the grade. But she already considered us to be her team and completely put her faith in us to do everything in our power to help ponies in need."

Soarin' sighed and rested his head on the bed so that he was looking Rainbow straight in the eyes. "It was there, covered in grime from head to hoof, so tired that sometimes I just wanted to lay down on the spot and pass out, that I came to realize just how important doing that job was. That feeling I got when I reached a little deeper and drew out a little more will to keep going as long as my help was needed, that feeling of knowing I was making a difference...I really fell in love with it. So I stayed. I decided that this was the kind of Wonderbolt I was hoping to be and that Spitfire was making the team into everything that I dreamed it would be. She was my Captain and I decided to follow her to the end of the sky if I needed to.

"So that's how I ended up becoming a Wonderbolt," Soarin' finished, gazing at Rainbow, losing himself in her cerise eyes and the adorably sleepy look she currently had.

Rainbow leaned over and gently kissed Soarin' on the lips. "You," she said in a soft, whispery tone, "are awesome."

Soarin' chuckled. "Thanks." He saw her eyes drifting shut and he stretched his neck to give her another kiss. "Goodnight Dashie."

Now that Rainbow was asleep, Soarin' took his leave, closing the door behind him. In the darkness of her room, Rainbow slept and dreamed. In those dreams, she could only think about the image Firefly's wings had etched against the sky.

Author's Note:

1) The interaction between wild weather and the remnants of pegasus weather magic can have unpredictable effects. Most often, the results are rather minor and hardly noticeable. However, every so often, such a collision can cause deadly abnormal weather patterns. In this case, a wild weather tornado from griffon lands mixed with the remnants of a pegasus-crafted storm, which expanded both its power and duration exponentially.


And so Rainbow's training continues. For those of you who may have hazy memories of what happened back in Rescue on Diamond Mountain, after Skan and Zhan were beaten, Dawn sent them Spitfire's way in hopes that she would be able to help them, which was how he was able to get back in touch with them now.

Next chapter: Good news and bad news are a packaged deal.