86: Compete for a Place
Oblivion was quiet as he watched Luna raise the moon. He could sense the magic that pulsed through her as his medallion trembled on its chain. He had joined the mare after sending her a letter with his question about his team. She had replied for him to join her for the evening and join her for coffee. He had chosen to leave Sasa with AJ and the others while he spoke with Luna. The feline had agreed to stay since he would be able to tell her what was going on and inform them.
“What can we do for you, Oblivion Shadow?” Luna spoke up as she turned around.
Her horn lit as a small table appeared in between them and a coffee pot and a teapot appeared. His horn lit in reply and poured both of the offered liquids into the offered cups. Luna looked at him as he lifted his coffee cup and sipped it. He set the cup down and leaned back on his haunches as he looked at her.
“When you wielded the Elements of Harmony which of you commanded Spirit?” He asked her.
She was quiet for several seconds before she considered her reply. “In truth, we do not recall. It did not answer either of us alone. We are not sure what we can tell you.”
“I was simply curious.” He replied. “What do you know about it?”
“We know that with its power we are able to use the Elements of Harmony and unleash their full power. Without Spirit, they are not capable of acting out.”
“Were you able to see anything through it?”
Luna was quiet as she shook her head. “No. Our sister was able to see more of it when we were using them. What can thou see?”
“I am able to see the spirits of those around me. I can gauge the power of them and if they need me to act to help them or not.” He explained and she nodded as she listened.
“Thou did that with Blue Blood if we recall correctly.”
“That’s correct. His spirit was being broken down by a monster that is called a Hym. It latches onto those that feel grief or sorrow and feeds on those emotions and slowly makes them worse. He was being broken down by the Hym and I was able to buffer him further and eventually cleanse him completely of the Hym.”
“So it was a monster that was harming our nephew?” Luna asked.
“Yes. He is now cleared of it and it no longer holds anything over him as it has been destroyed.”
“Thou killed it?”
“I did.”
“Thank Equestria.” She whispered and sipped her tea. “Have thou found others that have need of you?”
“Yes. That is what I am here to discuss with you. One of the Wonderbolts is being broken down in a similar fashion as Blue Blood was. I saw him first at the Young Flyers Competition and then again in Canterlot. I am now watching over him while we work on how to help him further.”
“What does he need?” She asked, her tone intent.
“He is being broken down by the Wonderbolts and their practices of performance before ponies. It is breaking his spirit and I am working with Blue Blood to find a way to allow him to retire early. In the meantime, I have an idea for how to pull him from them when I am in need.”
She looked intently and listened closely as he spoke. “We will help as well. We do not know the Wonderbolts since they are not a part of our troops.”
“I have been told that the Wonderbolts were quite incensed by the formation of my team.” She rolled her eyes and nodded. “I can tell that you have heard their views as well.”
“We have. Our sister is frustrated by their requests for it to be disbanded.”
“Disbanded?”
“Yes. They claim that it is…We need our sister here as well.” She said and got to her hooves. “She should still be awake for another hour. Please wait for us to return.”
Oblivion gave a slight nod as the mare vanished in flash of magic. “Interesting.” He whispered as minutes ticked past him.
A flash of gold went out as Luna and Celestia appeared in a flash of magic. He gave a slight bow of his head in greeting to the elder Alicorn. She sat down and a teacup appeared in front of her and he filled it with the warm liquid.
“I have been told you are asking about the Wonderbolts?” Celestia said to him and he nodded. “Luna mentioned that you are working with one of them to help him with his spirit?”
“True.”
Celestia sighed and looked back at him. “She mentioned that she was telling you about how the Wonderbolts have been asking for your team to be disbanded.”
“She mentioned it but didn’t seem to have as much information about it and asked you here.” He replied and Luna nodded.
Celestia gave another deep sigh and shook her head. “May I be frank with you Witcher?” Oblivion nodded and she sipped her tea before she spoke. “Your team has become a point of deep contention within the ranks. Shining Armor has spoken of the training and other skills that your team has been taught. I agree that they are to stay within your command but the Wonderbolts have now lodged a protest as well. They say that the team is not within the military structure and therefore they are not to be tolerated.”
“So they are upset that they know more than the Wonderbolts do about combat? If I understood that right?” Oblivion replied.
“Yes. Basically.”
“What a bunch of foolishness.” Luna said as she put her hoof on the table. “The ponies look to him for a reason. His team is trained to fight monsters, not ponies.”
“They are taught to fight both, actually.” Oblivion pointed out. “I agree that they are now outside of the system in terms of the availability that I can call on them with. They are also more capable of answering different threats that may come before them. You yourself have seen them in action during that attack on Canterlot.”
“That’s true. We were both impressed by how quickly they acted and without any hesitation. I trust that is what you taught them?” Celestia replied.
“I did, yes. They are trained to act on my command and if needed to protect outside of my commands. And that has become a point of aggravation I assume?”
“Yes. The Wonderbolts feel that the guards are not meant to be acting outside of their jobs. By training them as you did you altered their job and bypassed the usual channels of ascension for new teams.” Celestia explained.
Oblivion shook his head and sipped his coffee. “I have a way to possibly assuage any further issues.” Both Alicorn’s looked intently at him as he went on. “I suggest we bring a Wonderbolt onto my team and that way they are involved to a certain extent.”
Celestia sipped her tea and considered what he had said. “Interesting thought. I had not considered simply bypassing the channels further and stationing one of their own.” She paused at the knowing look on his face and a chuckle broke from her. “You had planned this, didn’t you?”
“In a way. I am working with one of them already and I am of the opinion that putting him to my team will solve issues that have arisen.”
“Which one?” She asked.
“Soarin.”
“I have heard little about him but I do know that he holds a high position within the organization.”
“Commander I believe, the second in command.” He supplied and she nodded.
“Is there any other reason why you are stuck on him?”
“His spirit is being broken by the Wonderbolts and their practices. He has already looked into quitting but has been advised that he would lose all benefits and his records would be seen by potential employers and it would harm his attempts to move on.” Oblivion explained. “Blue Blood and I are looking into how to help him with his job but I can further act if he is put to my team.”
Celestia looked surprised as he finished speaking. “So you will be able to call him away from what is breaking him to allow him to recover?”
“Basically. We are looking through the contracts to see if there is some way to get him out of the Wonderbolts legally.” He explained to her.
“Is that why Blue Blood has locked himself in a room with the contracts and other documents?” She asked, laughter in her tone.
“Basically.” He replied and she giggled. “Is it possible to have him placed on my team and use that to alleviate any further issues?”
“It is possible. But the problem we will run into then is that they may wish to test and send their choice to join and not the one you request.” She countered.
“Is there a way to get around that? Soarin has time served and seniority if I understood his placement correctly.”
She looked thoughtful as she leaned back on her haunches. “I suppose I could recommend him as well due to his interactions with you. Your status as a Captain equal to Shining Armor carries weight even among the Wonderbolts. They all answer to Shining Armor if the time is needed and if that comes up they must answer to you as well. Shining Armor is the Captain of the Royal Guard and he is also involved in the military sector that houses the Wonderbolts.”
“And if we got him involved as well?” Oblivion asked.
“That might go a long way to either help or impede. Shining Armor has clashed with their commanders before and it was not always to the benefit of either side. The Captain is very straight forward but he also knows when to bend a bit. The Wonderbolts do not.” She informed him and he gave a slight cringe as he nodded in understanding.
Oblivion downed the last of his coffee and clicked his claws against the porcelain cup. His mind whirled as he tried to think of a way to ensure that Soarin ended up in the right place when it came down to the end result.
“How are things chosen normally?” He asked and both mares looked at him.
“What doth thou mean?” Luna asked, her head gave a slight tilt.
“When I was challenged by one of the Lunar guards when we were hunting the Wraith I allowed him to challenge my team and see if he could accomplish what they did. He accepted the challenge and was not able to defeat them and that was the end.” He saw Luna’s eyes light up as she recalled who he was talking about.
“Are you suggesting that you allow Soarin to challenge the team?” Celestia asked him, mischief in her gaze.
Oblivion gave a slight quirk of the side of his mouth as he simply looked at her. “Perhaps.”
“That could work, could it not sister?” Luna asked.
Celestia leaned back on her haunches and a grin went slowly over her mouth. “That could work. How would you ensure that Soarin wins against them?”
“It’s easy to tell one of them to allow him to win,” Oblivion replied.
Luna barked a laugh and her eyes were wide with laughter. “Yes. We would love to see it.”
“I know that Silver or Striker could be persuaded to take a dive for him.”
“I know that the others would be asking to challenge them as well. Do you think they would be able to hold them off to allow for Soarin?” Celestia asked him, her expression falling from laughter into concern.
Oblivion looked at her for a second before he nodded. “I do not doubt that they could hold them off. If needed I can speak with Soarin about their tactics and I can school them on how to counter it.”
“Very clever.” Celestia said to him. “The Wonderbolts are not ones to take lightly though.”
“I assure you they can handle it. If not through maneuverability then they can move through force.”
“I have heard that they also fight a bit dirty,” Celestia said to him.
Oblivion said nothing and simply looked back at her and she smiled. The three of them said nothing for several seconds before Luna broke the silence and began to laugh out loud. Oblivion said nothing as she giggled and Celestia sipped her tea as a smile stayed on her muzzle.
Oblivion said nothing as a group of costumed Wonderbolts walked into the coliseum. At his hips the group of guards stood at attention, their armor shined and glinting in the sun. A mare led the Wonderbolts forward, at their lead was a mare with orange hair that stood on end. Her uniform was the standard uniform with a pair of goggles on her head. Another mare walked on her left side and her vibrant white mane stood upright on her head, her coat was a cyan blue. On her right side was Soarin and the stallion looked almost surprised as he stared at the group of them. The two Wonderbolts halted while the lead mare walked toward him. He glanced over to his guards and they remained still and at attention.
“So you’re the one that made this team of guards?” She asked.
Oblivions' ears flicked as her voice was loud and reminded him of his instructors back at Kaer Morhen. “They are mine, yes, but I did not create the team itself.”
“You trained them?”
“I did.”
“So you’re here to get a real soldier on your team? One of mine will be replacing all of them.” She said to him.
Oblivion heard a quiet snort come from behind him. His ear flicked back but he didn’t look behind him. “They have fought their share of ponies and stood against monsters as well. I will not argue with you about their qualifications.”
She looked at him and he could see the other two Wonderbolts looking between them. From behind them, he heard the sound of hooves walking over the grass of the turf. He glanced back and he could see Luna and Celestia accompanied by Shining Armor walking toward him. Both rulers were quiet as they took their place off to the side with a respectful nod to the Witcher, as he returned the gesture. Shining Armor stayed just behind him and away from the Wonderbolt Captain. He saw the look that Spitfire gave him even though it only lasted for a second or two. He had been told that Shining and the Wonderbolts did not always see eye to eye so he assumed that was the reasoning.
Oblivion said nothing as Spitfire came to stand close by him and she looked up and down at him. He watched as Soarin stepped back and let the other Wonderbolt, Fleet Foot, come forward. Oblivion stepped forward as Striker and Vantage walked forward with him. Oblivion lowered his head as they came to stand in front of him and the two guards saluted as he addressed them both.
“The object of this exercise is to keep that Wonderbolt from taking the band that will be attached to your leg. She will be working to take it from you. The difference is that there are two of you but Striker will be the one wearing the band that holds the medallion. Do you recall the Nekkers?”
Both guards shuddered and nodded. “They will not get it.” Striker swore and looked down at the band that was now around his foreleg.
“Avoid them at all costs,” Oblivion said to them.
“What about Soarin?” Vantage whispered.
“Silver and Cross will be handling him.” He replied and they nodded in understanding.
Oblivion looked up as Shining Armor came to stand a few feet away and a slight smile sat on his face. He had been briefed by Oblivion on the reasoning for allowing the Wonderbolts to fight for a place on his team. Shining stayed back as Oblivion raised his head and the two guards watched him intently. He gave a slight nod and they sprang into the air and stayed above him.
“Well least they are quick.” Spitfire shouted and Fleet Foot nodded in agreement. “Just take the band off the Pegasus guard.”
Oblivion looked up as Striker flicked his legs and huddled his forelegs against his belly and looked at Vantage. The Thestral nodded and their expressions hardened as the Wonderbolt took to the air. Shining Armor came to stand next to him and the black Unicorn gave him a hoof bump as the two guards came to fly side by side and they gave a slight bow of their heads to the Wonderbolt who sneered in reply. Striker looked down at the black Unicorn who gave him a simple order.
“Fly.”
Striker and Vantage took off at speed. “Holy shit.” Shining Armor cursed as they flew and Luna set off a loud bell at the sign from him.
The stallions flew side by side as Fleet Foot quickly caught up to them. She flew upside down to try to grab the band on Strikers' leg. Both of them came to a halt in the air and split their forces. Striker and Vantage flew in opposite direction and Fleet Foot went after Striker.
“Why did they split?” Shining Armor asked him. “Striker has the band.”
“Does he?” Oblivion replied.
Shining Armor looked at him and then back to the guards. “What? They aren’t allowed to switch them. Are they?”
Oblivion cast a glance to the side and Shining slowly broke into a smile as he thought it over.
“Fighting dirty, aren’t they?” He chuckled.
Fleet Foot had caught up with Striker and was after his legs when Striker dropped out of the sky and plummeted toward the ground. Vantage crossed in front of him and they clapped hooves as they went by. Oblivion watched the exchange happen and a slight grin tugged at his mouth. The pair of them split once more and Fleet Foot stopped to watch them closely. Oblivion watched her as she took to the air and charged after Vantage. The Thestral veered and spun back to head toward the Wonderbolt.
“Tell me he isn’t playing chicken?” Shining asked.
Oblivion didn’t say anything as the Thestral charged through the air and Fleet Foot veered off as the Thestral refused to change his direction. He looked at Spitfire and she cringed as the Wonderbolt looked at the Thestral as he streaked past. Oblivion watched as the pair of guards whipped past each other and he saw them exchange the band once more.
“Okay who has it?” Shining asked him.
“Striker has it again.” He informed him.
“When did he get it?”
“Just now.”
“Geez. How do you follow it?”
“I have been taught to watch,” Oblivion replied and his orange eyes stayed on the pair of them.
He watched as the guards flew slightly apart as they whirled and charged toward the Wonderbolt. Fleet Foot cringed as they parted to go on either side of her. She recovered and took off after them. Spitfire was shouting at her from the ground about catching up with them and taking the band. She was embarrassing the Wonderbolts. Oblivion looked past her to see Soarin fighting back a smile. His orange eyes narrowed as he looked back to the flying ponies.
Fleet Foot got up under Striker and the Pegasus slammed on the brakes once more and dropped out of the sky like a stone. Vantage dropped down behind Fleet Foot as she took off after the Pegasus and stayed on her tail. The Wonderbolt glanced back and she stared at the Thestral for a second before she started to gain on Striker.
“V!” Striker yelled.
Oblivion watched as Striker raised one hoof and Vantage sped up, flew over her head and spun in the air to fly upside down as he soared over him and took the band from him. Shining laughed as the Thestral took off toward the ground and the Wonderbolt stopped and watched as he moved. She took off after him and the Thestral charged toward the ground.
“He needs to pull up.” Shining cried out as the Thestral refused to change his direction.
Oblivion said nothing in reply as the Thestral was barely three feet off the ground when he veered and his wings tore through the air as he flew past them. The Wonderbolt had pulled up nearly twenty feet off the ground and watched as the Thestral flew on. Striker tore past her and joined the Thestral. Oblivion watched as they passed the band back and forth, just in case the Wonderbolt was close enough to watch for who had it.
“Geez did you train them to be crazy?” Shining asked him.
“No. I simply told them why we are doing this.”
“That works.”
A loud buzzer went off and the Wonderbolt shouted as the two guards had held her off. Spitfire snarled as the two guards flew to land close by Oblivion and the other two guards. Vantage and Striker panted as they gave him back the band.
“That was harder than I thought it would be.” Vantage said through panting breaths.
“I can’t believe we held her off.” Striker replied and a smile covered his mouth.
Oblivion said nothing as Shining laughed from his place at their side. “That was amazing to watch. Are you sure I can’t convince you to train all of my guards?” Shining laughed as he punched the black Unicorn in the shoulder.
“You don’t want him to train them.” Striker panted. “They will quit.”
Shining laughed and shook his head. “Your turn guys.” He said as he looked at the other two guards.
Cross nodded, but the look of nervousness was obvious on his face as he stepped forward. “Great.” He muttered and looked at the waiting Wonderbolt.
Oblivion trained his ears forward as Spitfire yelled at Soarin about the pride of the Wonderbolts, as he nodded numbly. Shining grimaced and his jaw clenched as he listened as well. Oblivions magic gripped the band and he watched as Soarin walked away from the still yelling mare. He watched as the stallion waited for the two guards to come toward him and take their places. Cross looked at Silver and the pair of them nodded as Silver put the band on his leg.
“Sir. We got this.” Silver said as the pair of them saluted and whirled on their heels as Oblivion nodded.
Shining looked at the pair of them as they walked toward the waiting Wonderbolt. Oblivion watched as Soarin looked past them and to the Witcher. Oblivion gave him a slight nod and the Wonderbolt pushed himself into the air. Oblivion had spent the last few days telling the Wonderbolt how this exchange would work and he knew the Pegasus was well informed. The guards were well informed about Soarin’s strengths and they both knew to play slightly dirty to ensure that his victory appeared genuine. The Witcher glanced at the two Royals who were watching intently.
Shining stood quietly next to him as he motioned for the two guards to take their places. They sprang into the air and joined the Wonderbolt. Each of them hoof bumped the other and he saw Soarin try to give them a smile in return. Luna set off the bell and the group broke apart. Soarin flipped backward and tore through the air, heading for Silver, who wore the band. The Pegasus guard dove for the ground with Cross on his heels. Cross blocked the Wonderbolt as he tried to move forward to reach Silver. Cross kept an eye on Soarin and tapped Silvers flanks to ensure he knew where he was.
“That’s pretty clever actually.” Shining mused.
“Cross is blind and deaf on one side so we are using that to our advantage. Soarin is not strongest in terms of pinpoint maneuvers. But in terms of speed, he is in the upper percentile. So we will use that when he does get the band.” Oblivion replied.
Shining chuckled. “You’re a conniving Witcher.”
“It’s part of the training. Trickery is sometimes the best option.”
“Remind me to never play poker with you.”
“I usually don’t play against normal ponies. Just against my fellow Witchers.”
“That just sounds difficult. Oh, who has it?”
“Cross.”
The pair had swapped the band and now Silver was taking Soarin for a quick fly around as the band had been tossed backward and out of his sight. Soarin suddenly stopped after receiving the agreed-upon signal from Silver and he looked up to find Cross. Cross was now flitting through clouds and using the training from Oblivion about hiding to attack as needed. The Wonderbolt soared up with Silver on his tail to find the hiding Thestral. Oblivion watched as they vanished for several seconds and then reappeared as Cross tore out of the clouds and headed for the ground. Silver came up close by him and Soarin stayed in their trail. Cross looked back at the Wonderbolt and Oblivion could barely make it out as he pulled the band off his leg and prepared to toss it to the Pegasus guard.
“Here we go,” Oblivion whispered.
Cross tossed it to the Pegasus and Soarin kicked it into gear and tore between them, snatching the band and racing away from them. Silver moved forward to retake the band and Soarin barrel rolled to keep it. Now it was the job of the guards to use the remaining time to try to retrieve it from the Wonderbolt. Cross moved to stay on his heels and work to keep Soarin at that higher speed. Silver moved up to be beside him and then flipped to be underneath him a move very much like what Fleet Foot had done to the others.
“Run the time,” Shining whispered and looked at the waiting Princesses.
Oblivion said nothing as the Pegasus barrel rolled away from Silver and then dropped out of the sky to head for the ground. Gravity and his own wings speeding him toward the ground. Soarin looked up as he veered up and headed for the skies once more. Silver shouted as he pulled up and moved to follow. Cross cut Soarin off in the air and the Wonderbolt took off in a new direction as the time ticked away. Oblivion glanced at the clock and he could see they had fifteen seconds remaining.
“Come on.” He muttered.
Soarin moved away from the pair of them and Silver caught up just enough to have Soarin’s tail in his face as he flapped his wings to speed up enough to be over Soarin’s back. Cross moved to fly under the Wonderbolt and keep him from dodging them again. Silver sped up and was soon flying over Soarin’s head and he lunged down to take the band as the bell went off. Spitfire yelled in triumph as the three ponies paused in the air and began to glide for the ground. Shining managed to keep his grin off his face as Spitfire approached them. Oblivion remained impassive and blank as the mare trotted to stand in front of him.
“Well now you can get rid of them since Soarin has replaced them.” She shouted.
Oblivion guessed that she was used to being in charge enough that shouting was an intimidation tactic. As a Witcher, he had been roared and screamed at by monsters many times her size and he felt no reason to let her win.
“He will be joining them.”
“What?” Spitfire said to him. “The agreement was for him to replace them.”
“No. That was not the agreement. Your Wonderbolts were not able to beat them completely. Your other Wonderbolt was defeated by the first set of guards.” He pointed out.
“There were two of them.”
“You agreed to them being in groups. I believe you said that they would need more than one to beat them but even then they would still lose.” Oblivion replied.
Spitfire looked annoyed as Celestia and Luna approached them. The Alicorn’s were both wearing wide smiles as they came to stand close by them.
“Quite the show,” Celestia said to them with a wide smile. “It is always a pleasure to see the fruits of the training that goes into both factions of our military. I look forward to seeing what Soarin is able to accomplish working together with the current guards.”
Oblivion kept watching the dark orange mare as she gave a stiff nod. Soarin walked up to them with the band on his leg. He panted as Silver and Cross were close behind him. All three were clearly worn out and swear showed through their fur. Luna grinned as Spitfire looked back at Soarin and nodded to him as she stalked away from them.
“That was harder than I thought it would be.” He admitted.
Silver barked a laugh and nodded. “I was afraid we would screw up the toss.”
“I was terrified,” Cross said to them, his voice quiet.
“You did well.” Oblivion praised.
“It was well done. If I hadn’t been aware of the plan I would have thought it was a stroke of luck for you Soarin.” Shining added.
“It was very well done.” Celestia agreed. “I trust that you can handle things from here Oblivion?”
He gave her a slight nod. “I will tend to things from here.”
Soarin bowed his head to the Alicorn’s as he looked at them. “Thank you for all that you have done.”
“We did very little,” Luna said to him. “The Witcher was the driving force behind it.”
Soarin looked at the Witcher and a faint smile played over his muzzle. “Thanks again.”
“I will make sure to call on you every now and then to aid in getting you away from them,” Oblivion assured him. “While the contracts are gone there is always something that I can call on if I decide to be creative.”
“You? Creative?” Shining teased. “I suppose that can happen.”
“You’d be surprised what he can come up with when needed.” Silver chuckled.
“One problem down,” Oblivion said and they all nodded in agreement.
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I kinda want to see a training montage again
Vanished?
Eh, personally not a fan of this interpretation of Spitfire. I personally didn’t see her as controlling or anything like that, more like a Drill Instructor. The kind that takes no nonsense, is harsh, but they’re still fair. This interpretation is unfair, controlling, less “drill instructor” and more “loudmouth noble commander”
10365819
Then you've forgotten about the season 4 episode where she tried to poach Rainbow using Soarin.
10365627
Crud. Thank you for letting me know.
10366065
What episode was that? And also what do you mean?
No problem
10367023
In episode 10 of season 4 Spitfire attempts to steal Rainbow from the Ponyville team for the Equestrian games using Soarin's injury as an excuse and then lies to both him and her so they can try to keep Rainbow who was supposed to just fill in for the training. Soarin comments how no one bothers to visit him either when they're both in the hospital which is also when all of that gets revealed. Tactics like this to 'steal' team-mates or players is an example of a type of poaching. I'd also like to point out almost everytime we see the Wonderbolts including retirees actually doing anything in the show they either screw up or act like @$$holes (usually because of how competitive they are). The one time we see a example of good characteristics from them is after Rainbow says she doesn't want to be a Wonderbolt over the issue with Lightning Dust which brings their motive into question.
10368692
That's not really an example against her character, given Rainbow has (almost) done the same thing in a different context (The only thing stopping her being her loyalty).
It's been shown repeatedly in the show that the majority of pegasi are competitive by nature. The Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash, background ponies when they've been in the foreground (this does not include background ponies that come in for a single, or couple of scenes).
The only exceptions that can be properly listed are Fluttershy and Derpy.
Your example isn't really counter to what I said. You're just affirming the fact that pegasi are competitive, which is another matter. Of course, you're right in saying that Soarin wasn't visited and that's a bit iffy, but I described Spitfire as a drill instructor. They're not going to visit a recruit in the infirmary unless it's to give orders or something similar, reason being because they have other duties including commanding the rest of the recruits. A combination of competitiveness and that responsibility could've lead to the lack of visitation. Less excuse for the other Wonderbolts of course.
Spitfire trying to, as you say, "poach" Rainbow Dash is simply a matter of competitive pegasi nature, and not a proper example of her character, especially as a singular example. Every other interaction with Spitfire as far as I remember, she's been a harsh drill instructor as I described. She's made mistakes, sure, but there's nothing wrong with making mistakes, and you can't use how harsh she acted during those mistakes as an example because a drill instructor would act that way.
10369174
It's been shown that pegasus are most likely to be militant due to their history. Scootaloo does'nt really count because of her emulation of Rainbow. Asides from the Wonderbolts most pegasus in the show aren't that competitive. The Wonderbolts are shown as competitive to the point that it's not a positive trait. Also I've met and known a few drill instructors due to my father's side of the family and Spitfire doesn't even come close. In fact some would consider it an insult due to the way they train for cohesiveness and teamwork if you refer to the episode that shows the academy where she was happier about one pushing themselves to stand above the rest until Rainbow threatened to leave. Also Soarin was talking about the Wonderbolts as a whole and referred to them as his friends. Honestly of the Wonderbolts who've actually been given some characterization he's the only one who doesn't really have any negative things shown beyond one or two silly quirks that became memes.
10369207
Are you watching the same show? Because p much all of them are in some way competitive.
Only time I've seen it be a negative thing is the whole retired wonderbolt thing, and that doesn't count. He's retired.
Plus, you say it's negative, but again are you watching the same show because there are examples of other pegasi who I'd argue are more negative (Ironically, see Lightning Dust, wannabe Wonderbolt who was kicked out because she was too competitive. Yes, Rainbow intervened, but only via telling Spitfire what Lightning did, hence Spitfire may not have seen it happen)
Note that I use it as a descriptor, that she's like one. I never said she was one. Suppose it would be more accurate to say she's like the stereotypes.
The Wonderbolts are a flight team that train for cohesiveness and teamwork. They have to. Pretty hard to fly in formation without those two things.
Ambition isn't a bad thing. Of course she'd be happy about it. It only becomes bad when it gets out of hand, which Rainbow informed Spitfire that it was.
Out of how many Wonderbolts that've been shown with characterization? What, 4? 2 of which are seen outside of the Wonderbolts? Not a big enough pool to compare things with. Also we never actually see Soarin or the others in a "command" situation. Spitfire is the only one we see portrayed in that position. You can't compare them without an analogue.
Wake the white wolf!✊
10380075
A maze is something you can easily get lost in; it has multiple paths, most leading to dead ends.
A labyrinth is basically the complete opposite. Only way you can get lost in a labyrinth is if you get turned around and even then you’d still be heading towards the way out. A labyrinth is a single winding path, no offshoots and no dead ends.
Ironically, as an adjective labyrinth still means a maze. But as a noun they’re two different things.
10380349
Huh neat, thnx for the info
Ive just started to reread this story and i forgot that oblivion is a damn alicorn wonder how that reveals gonna go
10387563
Yeah same here, I’m quite excited for whenever that happens.