Bullets of Fire

by BlackWater

14 - Hoof by Hoof

Their performance now lay before them. Practice was over and they simply had to do what they all had prepared for. Thankfully the show was in the late evening, which gave Spitfire and Surprise at least a small amount of rest. The Wonderbolts were all lined up behind the stage entrance. It was an outside show, of course, so they could see the stars shine faintly in their battle to pierce the veil of light that the stage lights projected. The evening had gotten long indeed for so many of the stars to be showing themselves.

The crowd had already started to roar its cheers as the announcer declared the show's agenda. First was the warm-up sprints. Those would lead into the high-velocity acrobatics, which made the bulk of the show. The finale was the Wonderbolt Firework, a relatively new stunt that required the entire team. It had been drastically improved by the two lead mares' increased strength.

Spitfire looked onwards to her team, as it was lined up neatly before her. As captain, she was last to exit the stage enclosure and meet the open air. Surprise was right in front of her and she needed no time to regard the mare. They had become as close as sisters over the last few weeks. In fact, Spitfire was on much closer terms with her than she was with Misty - formerly her most trusted confident. Of course, Spitfire's mind never came to that particular thought as she regarded the blue-maned yellow mare.

After Surprise and Misty stood Rapidfire and then Silver Lining. It looked as if the two stallions had been on rather friendly terms lately. The captain considered it a positive turn since Rapidfire tended to be introverted and was at risk of the same breakdown that Surprise had gotten through. What the two stallions had in common, however, was hardly her guess. The two were as opposite as two ponies could get, if she was any decent judge of character.

After the two stallions was High Winds. How the mare managed to keep such an extravagant mane in spite of her flying was quite to Spitfire's wonder. Well, she decided it was okay not to know. After all, she had little interest in fashion. The closest she often came to such things involved edgy flight jackets and streamlined sunglasses. "Cool" was her "pretty."

After the team's fashion police stood Spitfire's only real complaint. The rambunctious Blaze was about the only pony in all of Equestria that could make her regularly exasperated. Even now, the mare wore a smirk, as if begging the world to challenge her. It was a contrast to Soarin', who was placed right before her. His own look was some odd cross of careless and determined. There really was no other stallion like him.

It was harder to see that far up the line but Spitfire could nevertheless make out or guess the ponies by wings and manes. Fleetfoot was next, wearing a painted look of dignity. She tried too hard sometimes, unlike the two stallions in front of her. Fire Streak and Lightning Streak were in another heated debate. It was doubtless something trivial, such as which one of them owed the other a soda. Lastly, Wave Chill was in the very front. He would be first to show himself to the crowd and it suited Spitfire just fine. The stallion sometimes had a sharp mouth but he was a solid flier and rarely disappointed.

Spitfire nodded to herself. Her team was in excellent condition and this performance was going to go over seamlessly. Having heard it so many times before, she didn't budge when the announcer started calling them out. That said, she still felt the chill of adrenaline course through her veins. It happened no matter how long one was in the show business. It was that great, or small, rush of expectation that one could feel from the awaiting crowd.

As soon as Wave Chill exited the stage enclosure and was visible to the outside stands, waves of cheering came upon them. Even without being onstage and before the stands, the sound was annoyingly loud. It took a few moments for Spitfire's ears to dull it back down to background noise. It was only possible because she had spent so much time around such masses. Guiltily, she knew that the cheering would be loudest when she came out.

Each of the 'Bolts left the safety of backstage and earned their own cheers as they took the takeoff positions on stage. Quickly, Spitfire looked backwards to make sure the orange glow rod was still attached firmly to her suit. It was crucial to making their Fireworks maneuver spectacular. It was hard to tell if it was on well since it was attached between her wings, so Surprise gave her an "okay" when she noticed her captain was worried.

Blaze walked out to the crowds and got a very healthy cheer. Spitfire rolled her eyes and Surprise giggled - though it was well lost in the sound of the cheering. More of the Wonderbolts entered their positions and, when Silver Lining entered the stage, there was a very distinct cheering from the mares in the crowd. Surprise seemed to get a kick out of this as well. In fact, her humor had overall increased since being lead wingmare. Why that was, Spitfire had little clue.

Soon, the off-white pegasus was called and the captain steeled herself. It was about to get hot and not just from the stage lights.

"Are you all ready for the flame?" the announcer played the crowd up. They obliged all too well in return. "Are you ready to turn up the heat tonight?!"

The crowd sounded so energized that it seemed like it was about to turn violent. The announcer used the moment to introduce the final Wonderbolt. "The fireball from Celestia's own sun-"

Spitfire gulped at the mention of the alicorn. She had to remind herself that the announcer was merely provoking the audience and had no idea about the awkward truth hidden in his statement.

"SPITFIRE!!"

At the very second of her cue, Spitfire launched out into the open air of the outdoor stage grounds. The crowd exploded in cheers and clops as hooves beat against the floor of the stands. The Wonderbolts may not have been new but their reputation was as strong as ever. The majority, if not all, of the audience members were dedicated fans.

She finished her quick fly-around and landed, more slid, into her launch position in front of her ten Wonderbolts. Surprise, her wingmare, was right beside her. The lead pair would take off while the remaining groups followed - just as everything was practiced.

The announcer began a backwards trek off stage. He obviously knew that the Wonderbolts weren't going to waste time with words before the show. They always did the talking afterwards, where they could engage with their fans. Spitfire had to remind herself that the evening and night were now completely taken in her schedule. They would be doing autographs and such long after the show was over. There was no chance that any of them would have any energy left over for anything but getting sleep.

The audience's cheering died to a cold silence in expectation. The announcer had given the last few words about the show officially starting and had left the stage. Now was the heart-wrenching moment where everything started and hopefully nothing went wrong.

There it was again. Wings flapping, she heard the sound of the wind. The stage behind her; the Earth reaching out to her. She felt the rush as she stretched her wings and escaped death.

The Wonderbolts took off from the stage in a near perfectly unified launch. Up and up they went at lightning speed before diving through the death-drop. Spreading their wings, the ten 'Bolts followed their leader to rocket back upwards and build their velocity to a peak. The sound of their movements was as thunder to their loyal fans.

Spitfire forced her eyes not to squint instinctively behind the protection of her goggles. She felt more than saw Surprise beside her. The air may have separated them physically but she felt her presence nonetheless. Somehow the 'Bolt was closer to her as a wingmare and friend than Misty had been. Perhaps it was all of the horrible training that they had endured together.

Now the lead wing (as the two lead pegasus were called) led the Wonderbolts back downwards to the stage grounds. Each 'Bolt was like a shooting star etching its way across the sky. The glow rods attached to them made this possible and also helped the audience keep better track of them. The rods were each of different colors as well so that the fans could monitor their favorite 'Bolt. It might be said that most male fans tracked Spitfire and most female fans tracked Silver Lining, but that is not quite the proper point to be made here.

Speed was, again, not the agenda of the show and therefore the team ended most of their sprinting right then. When Spitfire and Surprise began approaching the ground once more, they prepared themselves for their unique acrobatic stunts. Surprise began drifting beneath Spitfire.

This maneuver was dangerous, as were all the ones in this particular show. Most Wonderbolt stunts were risky and that was perhaps why Celestia was so stern with the captain previously. This particular stunt could easily end up with two broken necks. Only professionals should attempt such things - and professionals of professionals at that.

Surprise stopped flapping her wings and closed them up against her body. Spitfire grabbed the wingmare below her and pivoted forward. The result was a lightning fast two-pony somersault against the ground that had them springing back up into the air after the roll. Spitfire shot off at a high angle and Surprise bolted at a lower one.

The crowd roared after a stark second of stunned silence. But more was, of course, to come. Even as the orange and white streaks of light faded, the ten other Wonderbolts imitated the same stunt (albeit somewhat slower). The effect was five pairs of pegasus hitting the ground and then exploding back upwards in a colorful display of light. It seemed the 'Bolts had caught onto something visually spectacular after their previous light-show performances.

The lead orange mare was already curving into the next move. She shot past Soarin' and collided hooves with Fleetfoot, which sent her twirling in a sharp turn. It looked like horrible chaos as the other members collided in similar fashion, but it was all carefully coordinated. Each pony fell at just the right moment so that they were all synced at the same altitude when they re-engaged their wings and shot straight up, fighting gravity as a dragon fights for its gold. Each 'Bolt had their back facing the audience so the glow rod colors were clear and they appeared as a multicolored strip across the sky.

They drifted back towards their partners, who were in position next to each other. Back hooves met back hooves and they stretched wings as far as they could and pushed. They pushed with all the strength they had and sprung from each other. The outermost pegasus, Misty and Lightning Streak, fell back down to start the next stunt. All other members were crossing paths once more and would smash together if they had not engaged properly. Each Wonderbolt grasped the other's shoulders with their front hooves, spun 180 degrees, and launched each other out in a swirl of color. Still their speed remained swift and Spitfire released effortlessly from Wave Chill's spin. After a few more aerial acrobatics, the captain would loop back to her wingmare near the ground.

Thus the show went on for quite some time. Not so long that anyone could get bored or that any Wonderbolt could get too tired. The final maneuver was suddenly upon them and Spitfire felt glad. The night would still be long but she was ever closer to well-deserved rest.

Each of the Wonderbolts separated themselves in the sky and came back together like and enormous Hoberpony Sphere made of mere light. All twelve pegasus met together in a single mash-up of pony limbs that lasted only a fraction of a second before exploding back outwards at a speed exceeding their earlier stunts. The result was their planned Wonderbolt Firework - greatly enhanced by the power Spitfire and Surprise added to the team push-off. Each pegasus showered outwards in an expanding sphere formation, which made it look very much like a multi-colored firework.

The audience began their thunderous applause even before the stunt was entirely complete. The announcer eventually retook the stage to close the show. Not much more could be said of that night minus one small incident at the signature booths. Spitfire accidentally nodded off prematurely as she was signing autographs. The pen fell from her mouth and she let out soft neighs as her body refused to run any longer on zero energy. The fans all thought it quite cute, rather than getting upset, and found photos of the sleeping captain more valuable than any inked paper. Surprise had to fight quite fiercely to protect her friend's dignity and almost wound up asleep herself. It would be little use to detail any more of that particular episode, so it will remain as minor as it was.

It was not until the next day that Spitfire realized she had somehow been transported to her hotel suite.

Comments

[BlackWater]

@Man Of War: Thank you very much! I do try to keep everything in good order throughout the story. I certainly hope that future chapters are enjoyable as well.

[Man Of War]

1512200
Well, this one certainly was. I just have a quick question, from what point of view is everything taking place? For most of it it's the normal 3rd person, but in a few spots it switches to 3rd omniscient. But anyway, looking forward to the next chapter.