Bullets of Fire

by BlackWater

7 - Pranks and Secrets

Somepony needs to tell me why I'm standing outside of the hotel with nothing to do," Wave Chill whined.

The 'Bolt stallions were now gathered just outside of the hotel. The mares were still inside as they moved around to settle their luggage. "It's not like there's anything to do inside, you know," Fire Streak rebutted.

Silver Lining had found a bench nearby where he parked himself and stared at the clouds as they passed by. "Real gripping action there, Silver," Lightning Streak joked. The pegasus just smiled politely in response.

Soarin' was trying to wrack his brain for an idea when Misty came out carrying a satchel. "We didn't forget about you guys, just for the record," she exclaimed. Soarin' brightened when the mare opened the satchel to reveal six movie tickets. The labels read "Mare on the Moon."

Lightning Streak darted over faster than the others in excitement and Wave Chill smiled, "Thanks, Misty!"

Her return smile was lopsided. "Oh I didn't get them. Blaze was the one that picked them out. She said it was some kind of action movie - the kind of thing you guys would like."

"Don't stereotype me," Fire Streak joked.

"Oh I think it's quite safe to," she countered. "Anyways, enjoy!"

With that she left down the street. Apparently, the mares had sent her to pick something up. Probably something girly like scented conditioner, Fire Streak thought.

"Hey, the viewing's in an hour," Soarin' realized.

Silver Lining casually trotted over, "I guess we should get ready then. Everypony have bits for snacks?"

Misty looked down the aisles and almost gave up when she finally spotted the cinnamon oat toasties that Fleetfoot demanded as a necessity. She was willing to get them since she needed to pick up facial tissue anyway. She knew they would need it for the tears that would be shed throughout the brutality of T or D. As she picked up the bag of snacks, a thought struck her. Blaze had insisted on being the one to pick out the movie tickets for the guys. They didn't go to the movies often so none of them were familiar with the recent titles. Something was strange about it. Shrugging it off as inconsequential, Misty walked over to the counter to pay for the goods.

It was past noon and the sound of hooves could be heard clearly in front of the theater. The thunder they produced was not moving into the theater, however. It was moving out. The movie "Mare on the Moon" had started some two hours ago and it had taken them nearly half that time to get out, as a certain bouncer-like stallion had insisted strangely but insistently that they stay. He must have been paid off by one of the girls.

"Why didn't I know?!" Wave Chill cried.

Fire Streak did likewise, "It was so obvious!"

As Rapidfire banged his head on a lamppost, Lightning Streak lamented their agony, "It was a trap! Blaze will pay dearly for this...this indignancy!"

Suddenly Soari'n turned to his fellow 'Bolts, "Where's Silver?!"

"Oh no! He must still be in there!" Wave Chill screamed.

Rapidfire turned from the lamppost, "Stallion down. Stallion down!"

As Soarin' about-faced to rescue their comrade, Fire Streak grabbed his shoulder. "He would have wanted it this way..."

The stallion shook his friend's hoof off of his shoulder and turned away so that his tears wouldn't show. "He was a good pony," he whispered.

Sitting in the middle row of Theater #2, armed on either side by soda cups and buckets of popcorn, Silver Lining cried.

"So what kind of movie did you pick out?" Spitfire asked as Blaze continued situating their belongings in their new hotel room. It had just randomly come up when she heard that the stallions had been given movie tickets for the late morning movies.

"The best one," she replied in a near fit of laughter.

High Winds gave up the truth, "It was a fillyflick. Really, Blaze. You have no sense of restraint."

Spitfire couldn't help but giggle a bit. Perhaps Celestia had rubbed off a bit on her but, honestly, who wouldn't find it amusing?

"Mare on the Moon. I saw that one," Surprise smiled innocently. She obviously didn't realize how the movie would go over with the males.

"As did I," Fleetfoot added in. "But it was too mushy for my liking. I don't want to imagine how the guys took it."

Spitfire had to grab a pillow to suppress her laughter. There would be so much retribution from the other half of the Wonderbolts - but that was for another time. Right now, Spitfire was going to enjoy it along with Blaze. It was a guilty pleasure.

Blaze couldn't help but add, "I promised this really strong looking stallion that I'd go to dinner with him in a couple days if he made sure they stayed until the end."

High Winds stifled a laugh and Fleetfoot was next to comment, "Neither of you have any restraint." Apparently, the mare was taking the chance to prove her superior sense of dignity. Misty, however, was not going to let the posturing slide.

"We're Wonderbolts, Fleetfoot. I doubt any of us has the normal amount of restraint."

"We'll sure find out during Truth or Dare, right Misty?" Blaze suggested.

Putting up a sour face, Misty looked about ready to pounce. "I do all the errands and that's how you thank me?"

"Girls!" Spitfire intervened. "Let's just chill. This is a vacation right?"

Misty turned with embarrassment, "Sorry, Spitfire. I know we were supposed to help you relax...."

"Yeah, well we're not even gonna do the game until tonight," Blaze felt obligated to say.

High Winds found the opportunity to cut in, "But there's a lot of other games we could play!"

Surprise just smiled faintly as she held up Scrabble between her front hooves.

"Yeeeeaaah, how about this instead," Blaze countered as she held up Twister.

Fleetfoot facehooved but Spitfire saw her chance to shine. Celestia's stretching exercises would make her far better than the others. When wouldn't a captain want to show her moves?

"I think we have a competition," she said.

In a certain palace, Princess Celestia stretched her hooves. It had been a drag of a day and she almost considered faking some emergency to get Twilight over. It was just not as interesting without somepony like Spitfire to mess with. When was she coming back for training anyways? Oh well. Maybe Luna was doing something productive. She loved to interrupt her sister. After all, if you wanted to have fun then why not tempt fate?

"Where did you guys go? I've been looking all over for you?" Silver Lining complained. He had finally found the rest of his troupe after exiting the theater and searching Canterlot for a good 20 minutes. He was surprised to catch a glimpse of them outside of the Canterlot wall as he made his aerial search. Honestly, he couldn't begin to imagine what business they had in an empty dirt field. It looked like the kind of place that had been cleared of trees and rocks for a building, but didn't get used in the end.

In response to him, the other stallions merely gave him a cold stare. "Traitor," Wave Chill remarked.

"What? You didn't like the movie?" Silver Lining asked.

His friends merely stuck out their tongues in disgust.

"More importantly," Silver Lining continued, "what are you all doing in this field?"

His question was quite legitimate. It made little sense even after Fire Streak started explaining. "The only way we will wash ourselves of that dribble is to go back to our roots. Real stallions do physical labor and what work is more backbreaking than digging an underground dirt fort?"

"Fire," Silver Lining started. "We're pegasus. Dirt forts are Earth pony roots. Second, I don't think I've ever seen you do any kind of physical labor before."

Without a comeback, Soarin' was next to speak. "It's still fun...."

"I'm not so sure about that," Lightning Streak doubted.

Rapidfire threw a dirt clod over his shoulder. "How do I get out of this stupid job?"

Fire Streak turned to him in fury, "You'll dig and you'll like it!"

"Careful. You might chip a hoof, Silver," Wave Chill said snidely.

With a humph, Silver Lining trotted over to the hole that they had started digging in the field. Furiously, he began thrusting dirt out of the hole. Fire Streak just watched in amusement before Lightning smacked him across his left wing. "You gonna help or just be the evil overlord?" Lightning complained.

They all quickly joined up and attacked the ground with the raw power of their front hooves. "Some vacation," Rapidfire smirked. "I guess it's too late for a refund."

"Just a little further and then we'll dig that way," Wave Chill pointed as he briefly paused his digging. "That'll be the ramp down."

"See what we can do when we work together?" Fire Streak stated.

"Nice change of heart, slave driver," Lightning couldn't help but butt in.

Soarin' grabbed a massive pile of dirt with both hooves and tossed it out of the deepening hole. "No kidding."

"Hey, are we stallions or mares? I don't see your heart in this, Rapid," Fire responded.

"Miffed? I'm so sorry about that," Rapidfire countered.

Lightning Streak and Wave Chill burst out a laugh even as they sent chunks of dirt zipping over their manes.

"How about a work chant?" Soarin' suggested.

Lightning Streak beamed, "Ah, I know one!"

Fire Streak rolled his eyes. "Oh great."

Starting on a deep note, he started the song, "On the eve of my day's wearies..."

Soon even Fire Streak was joining the solemn tune as the other stallions gave a thundering voice to the old song. "...Ten tons more and I went asunder..."

The sun spent its last light and Surprise knew her time was up. Truth or Dare was never her strongest game and Blaze was a fiend at it. Tonight would be a massacre but she assured herself that, after the embarrassment, she would be able to recuperate by reading the latest book in the EQuest romance series - under the protective covers of the sleeping bag, of course.

Fleetfoot drew the curtains closed in their overpopulated hotel bedroom. Only Blaze and High Winds were missing, but they'd arrive shortly. Spitfire was sprawled over the closer of the two beds and she rolled over to look at Surprise, who was laying on the floor. "You don't need to be on the floor. The bed's really soft," the captain suggested.

Surprise hesitated, as she didn't want to seem to pessimistic. "No, that's okay. I'll be in the sleeping bag anyways, so I'll be fine."

The mare had always been on the shy side even for a 'Bolt, but Spitfire wasn't going to let any of her members get pushed around. "Blaze doesn't usually mean badly. I'm sure she just wants to have some fun and I want you to have fun too," she put on her best grin. Then she leaned over close to the shy mare's ear and whispered, "I've got you covered for the game, so don't worry. You'll be sleeping in a bed tonight...and not one with Blaze in it."

Surprise looked up at her superior with an expression befitting of her name. "W-why...?"

"I'd never leave a 'Bolt behind," Spitfire raised her front right hoof. "Don't leave me hanging."

The near-white pegasus displayed her ever-rare smile and tapped Spitfire's hoof with her own. Internally, Spitfire felt victorious for cheering the poor girl up. The moment was lost though when Blaze erupted into the room with all the grace of a nuclear explosion. High Winds was trailing behind her, albeit with greater dignity. "You mares ready to get marred?!" Blaze hollered.

"If that was supposed to be witty then you failed. Quite badly," Fleetfoot remarked.

"You worried, Fleet?" Blaze challenged.

The mare met her friend's gaze with scorn, "We'll see about that. I'm going to give you the worst dare in the deck!"

Spitfire took her cue, once again, to step in. Removing herself from the seductively plush sheets and getting her hooves back to the cold floor, she put herself between them. "Chill, everypony. Blaze, you got the deck?"

"Riiiiiiight here," she whipped it out of the satchel she had carried into the room. After using her teeth to toss it to Spitfire, she beamed a smirk of overconfidence. Surprise felt the need to hide.

The captain just rolled her eyes as she picked it up and placed it on the bed next to her. "Uh, Blaze?"

"What?" asked the rambunctious mare.

"Why does it say 'extreme edition' on the front?"

High Winds just sighed, not wanting to explore the subject further than she already had. Blaze readily answered, "Because the Truth cards in the regular deck were lame. I didn't want us trading cookie recipes. I want secrets. Juicy ones."

Fleetfoot facehooved, officially making it a regular custom. Spitfire decided to let the 'edition' slide to avoid two weeks of "whiny Blaze sauce," as the others put it. She would have to up her ante though. After all, she had somepony to protect.