Bullets of Fire

by BlackWater

15 - Odd Mention

Celestia gave her sister one final and assertive look before leaving her bedroom. Luna was asleep now and if, by some ancient skill, she managed to trick her sister into believing she was asleep when she was not...there would be Tartarus to pay.

The white alicorn closed the door behind her with a magically muted click. She had much on her mind from recent incidents in Canterlot. Something was ahoof in the shadows and it was her royal duty, as it had been for many centuries, to ensure no harm came to her subjects. Celestia was not some simple mare that could be easily manipulated. However, the problem remained elusive. The only thing she knew was that the incident with the Royal Post was not as straightforward as it had seemed when the court closed the case. A few ponies were found guilty of shady dealings and given appropriate punishments. That, perhaps, was the trouble. It was too clean and it made no sense. Why would those sadly misguided subjects soup together a deal that they knew would get them caught?

She decided to send a private investigation team of her own to look into the Red Tulip office down off Mane Street. It hadn't yet changed hooves since the court ordered repossession. She hoped to receive the report within 24 hours. It was just one more thing in addition to all her usual duties. At least she still got some downtime with training the Wonderbolt mares and reading Twilight's letters. She finally replaced her grim expression with a smile at the remembrance of her pupil. The unicorn seemed to have stuck to her lesson about "nothing to report." The last letter Celestia received was a relaxed one explaining how friendship also meant "enjoying the peaceful times together." The Mare of the Sun was almost jealous of that one. What she would give to be a simple filly again!

Celestia finally left the long hallway and arrived in the dark throne room. The lights were out because morning was coming on. She still had some time before raising the sun, so she decided to just light her own way with a light spell. She heard something move in the dark but didn't have to ask what it was. "Is the report ready?" she asked into the shadows.

A pegasus fluttered out of the dark and landed quietly into a kneel before the ruler. It was a male pegasus dressed in a dark robe - a messenger assigned specifically to her investigation team. "Nothing unusual to report," his grave voice seemed to echo strangely in the room. "We found only one unusually piece of documentation - merely an odd mention. There was a note buried in the office paperwork that read 'Verify with Actus.'"

Actus! Celestia wasn't about to forget that name. He was the militant-type Earth pony that had grabbed over one million bits from the treasury due to a border dispute. Whether the problem had originated with his people or hers was no longer an issue since the matter was resolved. It was a bad omen if he was somehow involved with the Red Tulip case. "Why" remained a valuable question, though.

"Thank you, Direway. Inform the team that they have a week off effective immediately. That includes you."

The pegasus, still kneeling with his head bowed, gave his thanks and left quickly and quietly. The alicorn decided to have the northeast border records checked for Actus' movements and whereabouts. If he had anything to do with the Red Tulip trouble then he might very well get involved in further issues, which no good ruler would want.

Celestia called one of the early morning messengers into the deserted throne room to take her instructions to the Foreign Affairs office. Afterwards, she continued to ponder the entire case until it was time for her to raise the sun.

Soarin' coughed. "Ugh," he moaned as he finished clearing his throat. It was never a pleasant sensation to swallow something wrong. The ferocity to which he attacked his apple fritter was far beyond safe, so he could only blame himself. Wave Chill patted his back and thanked Celestia that Soarin' hadn't chocked. Wave Chill hated taking up the slack from his other team members.

The Wonderbolts were enjoying a very warm and welcome morning meal. As there was no table or configuration thereof that would seat them all, they were arranged in three tables of four. Spitfire felt she got the short end of the stick when she wound up sharing a table with Blaze. As usual, the mare talked more than ate.

Misty was seated elsewhere with High Winds, Silver Lining, and Rapidfire. "The nuances are critical!" Silver Lining agreed with High Winds. The fashion mare had just finished a rant about how the most important fashions were the "small things." She now continued to carefully consume her gravy-drenched biscuit entree. The hotel restaurant wasn't the best but it certainly got close to it.

"Yeah, I'm sure everypony noticed that clip on your goggle strap," Rapidfire joked as he more messily tore at a jumbo-sized chocolate doughnut.

The jest was aimed at High Winds, who was quite willing to cease her eating to defend her fashion sense. Misty didn't really care. It was simply all apart of the morning droning that she was all too used to. Her thoughts were on other things. But too much thought about one's life goals would just give her wrinkles around her eyes, she tried to remind herself. It was a core belief of the style-queen beside her.

"Yes!" Fleetfoot exclaimed far too loudly from across the restaurant. She had just been informed by Spitfire that their next event was a race - one she was participating in. The races in Canterlot were actually a tad boring compared to the more lively events scattered throughout Equestria. Fleetfoot was excited because it meant she had another shot to best her record at the Canterlot track. Rapidfire had leapfrogged her scores several times and she always needed to put in the extra effort to keep her record ahead.

Rapidfire just gave a "tch" and resumed the doughnut consumption. One of the tables, taken by four of the Wonderbolt stallions, was currently a hot zone of debate. Soarin' was still swallowing large amounts of orange juice in an attempt to remove the scratchy throat sensation left after his previous near-choking. Wave Chill was trying aggressively but quite unsuccessfully to prevent Fire Streak and Lightning Streak from causing additional choking (to each other). Both stallions hotly disagreed which one was going to come out first, as they were both in the race with Fleetfoot. Actually, the disagreement was less about first place and more about their finishing positions relative directly to each other.

It all turned out to be a typical 'Bolt breakfast. Having settled some quick matters with her team and event registration in the early hours, Spitfire finished breakfast and took her chance to train at the palace alongside her wingmare. It was typical exercising and survival. The cannon experienced more ammunition, which was much to the girls' dismay. Celestia had no intention of keeping pace and seemed to want the two mares to expire. No instructor like a tough instructor, Spitfire firmly decided. It was a position she had to take with her own team so such matters deserved little consideration, especially after so many weeks of training. She and Surprise both reached 191 wing-ups, which is of little note besides the shear determination it took them to get in the extra 191st.

Three of the 'Bolts - Fleetfoot, Fire Streak, and Lightning Streak - went onto the race while the others attended to their own interests. Misty indulged in more personal training for reasons all her own. High Winds engaged in all of her usual fashion agendas and Rapidfire declined going about with Wave Chill and Silver Lining so that he might finally finish a game he had started some time ago. What happened later that day between the two "up and about" male Wonderbolts was, perhaps, of more consequence.

"It's basically like being fired," Wave Chill continued another one of his non-consequential rants. "Only it's worse because you're not allowed to find a new job."

"How does it matter? We could all retire right now and live like royalty," Silver Lining half-heartedly countered. He was more focused on the matter at hoof rather than Wave Chill's complaint archive.

"Of course I know that," the dark-maned stallion replied. "Anypony who's ever been a Wonderbolt can practically retire first year. We do this because it's not about the bits...it's the dream. And now I feel like I can never go to sleep."

Silver Lining wanted so badly to facehoof. Wave Chill was getting his horrendous grin on because he thought that once again he said something utterly profound. It was moments like those that Silver Lining wanted to ditch his refinement and pommel his smug smirk. It was just one of his pet peeves.

They were currently approaching the dirt fort that Fire Streak had started them on quite a few moons ago. It's earthly entrance lay before them. The goalless project was doomed to failure from the start but Wave Chill had insisted on a proper farewell. He might have thought a farewell to be philosophical or poetic. Silver Lining suspected the stallion simply had closure issues. He didn't pursue the thought further due to previous experiences with team members. The past tended to be a draconequus box of horrors - at least with the Wonderbolt types.

They went into the small underground portion of the fort. Not much was dug out so it was a short trip and the walls were rough. Silver was actually surprised, as he hadn't remembered them even doing as much as they apparently had. Wave Chill walked to the very back of the cavernous room and pulled a rose out from the satchel slung over his back. Silver had been wondering about it and took the opportunity to hit his head on the dirt wall. It had been some weird poetic thing. He had to keep himself from pegging the 'Bolt as a weirdo because, after all, they all had their oddities. Except himself...of course.

Wave Chill turned to his travel partner, "Well there's nothing for it now. I still want to do something though..."

"Like what? There's nothing to do here or in Canterlot. We're off for the day," Silver remarked. "I'd go support our buddies at the track but I really don't want anymore of the Streak debate."

Wave Chill gave a "hmph" in agreement and turned his gaze to the back walls. He started scratching at it with his front hooves. "Earth ponies used to get a blast out of this, huh? I don't really-"

Wave Chill's boredom and odd sense of poetic justice almost ended right then. Neither stallion had bothered to note either that it had rained since they had last been there or that pegasus dirt-digging was subpar to Earth pony standards. Their light hooves were used to clouds rather than clods. Thus Wave Chill's meddling, which should have been minor, broke a very important chunk of dirt and sent the fort into a quick and total collapse.

Wave Chill was caught unaware and was unable to act as he had the ability to. His thoughts were filled with all sorts of philosophies and arguments that he believed made himself clever. The heavy dirt clods that hit his head didn't help matters either. And so came one of those very exceptionally rare moments in Silver Lining's life when he saw the tunnel...only Wave Chill was at the end of it, in this case. Watching the other stallion after completing his complimentary head-to-wall, he was about as alert as could be hoped for when the problem occurred.

Adrenaline. One beat from the wings and Wave Chill was in his front hooves (looking quite out of it). Another beat and they were out of the dirt fort and onto the surface. It happened so fast that Silver Lining never had time to think beyond action and he realized how close it had been when he saw the dirt covering his entire body. Wave Chill was dumped on the ground with a look of momentary shock on his face. Silver eventually joined him on the ground when the adrenaline caught up and he realized fully what had happened. Scrapes with possible life-ending tended to leave a mark on one's memories.

Silver Lining eventually returned to normal and began stressing about how filthy he was. His tail, in particular, was a disaster. No good-fashioned pony would call it anything otherwise.

Wave Chill was the first to speak after a long while. "We're never doing another dirt fort."

Comments

[BlackWater]

1529278
I really need to watch my Twiiter habit and use the proper reply features. xD
When I started writing this fic, I had it planned for 3rd person. However, I didn't have any more detailed perspectives in mind so I don't really recognize when I go into omniscient and back. It's not meant to be like a narrative from a third-person pony so think of the whole think as generic 3rd or part-time omnicient. Or you can think of the story being told by an omniscient Derpy.
Wait...that's an awesome fic idea. lol

[Man Of War]

1546233
Ah, I see, and oh boy, a story told entirely by Derpy, that does sound interesting.