Bullets of Fire

by BlackWater

21 - When Reality Hits

Spitfire looked at the two ponies, not having a clue what was going on. Issai introduced the stallion as Light Scribe - the original court messenger that had gotten sick. She also seemed like she was glued to him as if her life depended on it. The beige unicorn was very serious about getting the letter to Celestia and didn't appear to take notice of the mare beside him. Whatever, Spitfire thought. One speedy letter delivery and she would be done with the dirty cramped tunnels forever.

The captain looked back to the two Wonderbolts behind her in the break room. "Ready to blast this burrow?"

Surprise giggled but Silver Lining was less amused, "Your wit leaves something to be desired but I certainly do appreciate the thought of restoring my mane to what it should be. Not to mention putting all of this confounded exercise to good use. I can't believe I've only managed half what you two mares are up to."

"Patience young one," Spitfire joked. She was getting more exited by the minute. Having a pegasus spend days underground was a recipe for insanity. That was especially true for the Wonderbolts. "Sure you two will be okay here?" she asked the unicorns.

"We won't stay long. I'll go make sure the workers are in order and then we're leaving. Celestia will send a replacement for me - another one I mean," Light Scribe explained. The artifacts were no longer in danger. First, the other ponies weren't aware that Issai was out of the picture. Second, they wouldn't try a second shot with Celestia hot on their trail.

"Well, okay," the Wonderbolt leader grinned. "I guess we'll see you guys some other time. Stop by one of our shows if you feel like it. I'll waive your ticket."

With a motion of her right wing, Spitfire trotted gleefully past the two unicorns. With her two teammates in tow, she couldn't be happier. Finally, she was ditching the dirt and getting back to the real training. Silver Lining was going to make an interesting addition. Surprise trotted faster so she could come up to the captain's side.

"So we're done?" she asked enthusiastically.

"I guess," Spitfire shrugged with her wings. "Celestia will tell us but that unicorn seemed pretty confident that the situation is handled."

"What was with that anyways?" Silver Lining mentioned as he tried to squeeze next to Spitfire on her other side. The tunnel was hardly wide enough.

The orange pegasus sighed. "He was sick for a few days. What's to wonder about?"

Silver Lining persisted, "Perhaps that Celestia asked our captain to oversee security at a dig site? Or perhaps that the court messenger in charge caught a cold in the otherwise warm tunnels? Or how about that weird ring on Issai's horn? She seemed awfully cozy with that Scribe pony."

Surprise almost bounced in her pace with a giggle. "Mystery Mare with Suspicious Stallion?!"

"Ugh!" Spitfire wanted to facehoof. The tunnels really had been getting to them. Her 'Bolts were getting weird. It was a good thing they were about to taste the wind at high speed. "Let's just get some air. I think I heard the clouds calling our names."

Silver Lining cheered but then caught himself short. "It'll be Canterlot before I can take care of this," he pointed to his frazzled mane. "I hope nopony gets a snapshot of me before I can at least calm it down."

Surprise chuckled. "How about you just go for the wild look?"

The tunnels were climbing upwards fast and they were soon able to see the natural light. It had not been seen enough in Spitfire's opinion. "Get those feathers ready!"

It was their captain's mark that caused the two other Wonderbolts to get serious. They dropped their more light-hearted expressions for intense gazes. There was no way they were going to be stuck in the dirt-filled tunnels when Spitfire launched. Her wing power was monstrous and there would definitely be some kick-up behind her takeoff thrust.

She increased her pace and the two 'Bolts followed her lead. As the light at the end of the tunnel began to consume them, Spitfire spread her wings outward and thrust them backwards with a single and powerful stroke. She heard a "gah" behind her that was almost drowned out by the rush of wind and dirt.

In the same instant, Spitfire was taking to the skies. It felt incredible to her to be once again embraced by the warm and natural light of Celestia's sun. The air was like silk to her as it moved through her feathers. Surprise and Silver Lining flew up to either side of her with ease. She was, after all, not trying to give them a race. She just wanted to be in the air again as quickly as possible.

"Not that I don't love eating your holy dust, oh great flame, but would it be so difficult for you to mind your six?" Silver Lining commented with dripping sarcasm. His hair looked even more wild than before. He looked like he had just narrowly escaped a hurricane.

Spitfire tried to laugh gently. "I was being careful. You avoided most of it, am I right?"

"Ugh..." the stallion breathed. "Yes, but..."

Surprise decided it was best to interrupt, "Well just look at my mane!"

Both pegasi looked over to see a very frazzled Surprise. Silver Lining gasped but the captain laughed eagerly. The mare's mane was not actually that bad but it was rare to see Surprise with anything but a subdued style. It was, therefore, a remarkable sight.

Trying to get his mind off of all such matters, the stallion decided to change the subject quickly, "Are we going in the right direction?"

The three ponies were flying through the clouds already but only Spitfire remembered the correct direction to go. "Of course," she replied. "Straight to Canterlot. We're going to have to pick up the pace though. This letter is supposed to be express so don't feel bad if you fall behind."

The wingmare and stallion only nodded in return and began building more speed. It wasn't long before Silver Lining began to lose out to the two mares. He had managed to surpass the average Wonderbolt speed but the captain and her wing were built up far beyond the standard. He eventually lost sight of them. There was nothing for him to do but continue in the same direction and hope that they wouldn't wait too long for him in the city.

He had to get to get up to speed on that physical training.

"Two...hundred," Misty gasped as she fell onto her face. The exhaustion was unbearable but it was something she had to get through. Spitfire never said that she was going through intense training but it was obvious that she was. She never said that she valued Surprise more than the others but that was obvious as well. Misty had no choice now but to push her limits past breaking. She wanted to deny it with every part of her being but she knew deep down that she was jealous of that lucky mare...

Misty relished every opportunity she got to fly as wingmare with the captain. To her, Spitfire was still a personal hero. The term "idol" just sounded too vain to her. Nevertheless, the Wonderbolt captain was a very special pegasus. Perhaps it was because the mare worked so hard. She wasn't like all of those other famous ponies that never did anything but revel in money and fame. Spitfire was who she was simply by the hard work she poured into herself and her team on a daily basis. Misty had lost sight of that and it was why Surprise replaced her as wingmare. That was what she kept telling herself.

Sometimes she wondered if the reason that Soarin' used to repeat as the captain's wing was simply the equality complaints that they received on a daily basis. There was no doubt that Soarin' was a good flier but he wasn't more than an average Wonderbolt either. The team had been balanced on terms of gender and that fact was reflected often in their performances even if the pairings didn't make sense. Some of her teammates, including herself, were sometimes matched up poorly for the sole purpose of maintaining "good gender profile."

Misty hated politics and maybe that was why she was determined to be a Wonderbolt for the rest of her life. She didn't really want to be captain either. That role also dealt with too much politics for her taste. She wanted to be the best that she could be. That's what it all came down to. It was unfortunate that it took the whole deal with Surprise for her to realize that she hadn't been pushing herself. That all changed recently with her own personal training. It was back to the basics for her. With an improved set of muscles (in the proper places), she could once again meet Spitfire's high standard.

"Ow," Misty cried softly. Her body hurt from the strain. For some reason, weird pains started coming on as she increased her wing-up count. She was only at two hundred, which couldn't yet be at the captain's level. Still, she would have to find some way to relieve the pain soon.

Why do I get the feeling that this day is going to be a long one, Light Scribe thought. Oh, because it already has been long.

Issai was eerily quiet as she walked beside him down the long road to Canterlot. She seemed happy at the moment and willing to ignore the stallion's few short errands in the hope of...what? It couldn't be just friendship that she wanted. Marriage was a term more fitting for the crazed mare's ambitions. That, however, would simply not go over well. Light Scribe could already picture the disaster labeled "the workaholic and the insane codependent." They would both need some therapy before knowing what they were going to do with their lives.

That was priority number one for the stallion as they headed for the city. Well, it was the next priority after a quick check-in with Celestia. The letter would arrive long before they did but he was still trying to take a slow pace to be on the safe side. There was no telling who and at what point the conspirators would get information on what was happening with Issai and the dig site.

"I'll have to deal with the tenant first," Issai muttered.

Light Scribe glanced over to the green mare beside him. "Tenant?"

"I couldn't leave my place empty when I left so I rented it out to some young mare. She seemed well enough..."

More than I can say for you, the stallion couldn't help but think. He tried to remind himself not to tempt fate. The mare was acting like a good little filly for the time being, but there was no way to be sure that she wouldn't snap again. He could only hope that he could keep the "good" Issai around by giving her what she wanted. Everything would be taken care of properly when they reached Canterlot. Perhaps he could mask the psychological therapy under the guise of marriage preparation.

Lightning Streak narrowed his eyes behind his grey-tinted goggles. Fleetfoot was better on her hooves than she was on her wings. Dirt-side stunts were her specialty - not aerial ones. He could outlast her even if she took the lead at the start. So, when the starting gun went off, he let her jostle for first place.

The track was not some lame Canterlot oval. It was a countryside Road and Cloud that spun through meadows, canyons, and low-hanging cotton balls. Truly these were the races that he enjoyed most. They got one on their hooves and then back on their wings in ways that those pompous unicorns would never dream of.

Unfortunately, such tracks were also a challenge for safety. Even seasoned fliers could take a nasty spill if they were too reckless. It was lucky for Lightning Streak that he had two teammates in the race that had the good side of caution to keep track of their fellow 'Bolts. It was an unwritten and unspoken rule that you watched out for your fellow pegasi when the track was dangerous.

Lightning Streak made a very rare mistake in his take-off. In fact, it might have been his first such mistake. He was supposed to retake to the air after running to the lip of the canyon. A bad step made him slip on the edge just before his wings could pick up his weight. The result was a failed take-off and an off-beat pegasi fumbling down the canyon's cliff-side. He would have easily recovered if he hadn't repeatedly gotten his head and wings bashed against the cliff as he fell down.

He was lucky indeed to have such cautious and caring teammates...even if Fire Streak was a hot-head.