Renaming Starlight's Village

by Brass Polish

22. Sky Stinger's The Limit

Author's Note:

Sky Stinger’s and Vapour Trail’s goal of becoming Wonderbolts together seems like a longshot when their friendships with their respective WingPonies grow.

Winter wasn’t quite done with Starlight’s Village. It hadn’t snowed in weeks, but it rained quite a lot, and it was still very cold. But some of the villagers didn’t have the luxury of remaining indoors, keeping toasty by the fireplace with a bowl of stew. Gaffe, Night Glider, and the Crusaders were running around the area trying to find the bundle of dynamite they’d left in the Cave.

“What’s up?” asked Lightning Dust when she saw them all rushing about.

Scootaloo told her about the dynamite.

“Ooh. Maybe Evensong’s back,” hissed Lightning Dust. “I’ll be on my guard.”

And she took off to inform the rest of the Village of the problem, leaving Scootaloo the shiver from more than cold; it never occurred to her that Evensong Glisten might be responsible.

“I can’t take this anymore,” said Apple Bloom, her teeth chattering.

Her fellow Crusaders agreed, and told Gaffe and Night Glider that they wanted to turn in. Gaffe, who was used to freezing conditions, and Night Glider, who’d recently had six tastes of such conditions, were quite understanding, and told the three CMCs that they’d carry on searching. So off the Crusaders went to the Cafe, lamenting the lack of a weather team in this northern Village.

*****

It began to rain in the evening, so Gaffe and Night Glider stopped their search and headed indoors. It rained all night, and as the Sun rose the next morning, the temperature seemed to get lower and lower. The road that ran along the middle of the Village was practically a long wide sheet of ice. Villagers were slipping and sliding as they made their haphazard progress going about their business. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo in particular were struggling to remain upright as they fled from the Cafe and down the road. They were in a hurry; not because they were continuing their search for the dynamite, but because their cutie marks told them they had a mission. But as they skidded towards the cave…

BANG

Some panicked voices joined the reverb. The Crusaders looked around, wide-eyed and fretful.

“It’s okay, everypony!” came a voice.

Heads turned to see Bend Twist’s head poking out from a window in Party Favour’s cottage.

“Just one of my brother’s balloon animals burst, that’s all.”

*****

Stunned and delighted at Bend Twist’s turnaround though they were, the Crusaders continued their sluggish progress towards the Cave.

“This better not be another no-show,” groaned Apple Bloom.

It wasn’t. Far from it.

“How many cutie marks are there?!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle.

One by one, 2-dimensional symbols drifted past the teenage fillies and into the Cave.

“One… two… three… four!”

“I think…” said Scootaloo, “I recognise two of them.”

She looked to the sky.

“Yep! They belong to Sky Stinger and Vapour Trail! But I don’t know who those other two pegasi are… unless…”

*****

Sky Stinger and Vapour Trail landed, followed by their two companions. They’d met Scootaloo before, so introductions were short on that front.

“These are my fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders. That’s Apple Bloom, and that’s Sweetie Belle,” said Scootaloo. “And are these two your WingPonies from the Wonderbolt Academy?”

“Yep,” said Sky Stinger. “This is Updraft. She’s my WingPony.”

“Hi,” said Updraft.

“Hi,” said Apple Bloom.

“And this is my WingPony,” said Vapour Trail. “B Line.”

“Hi,” beamed B Line

“Hi,” said Sweetie Belle. “You look happy.”

“I super am!” B Line exclaimed. “I passed my Wonderbolts History Exam yesterday!”

“Oh! Congratulations,” smiled Scootaloo. “Does this mean…? Are all four of you in the Wonderbolts Reserves now?”

“I just got my papers confirming I’m in the Reserves this morning,” grinned B Line.

“That was when all of our marks started acting up and wafted over here,” said Sky Stinger.

*****

The Crusaders showed the four Wonderbolt Reserves the Cutie Mark Grid. For a while, they just watched as the five cutie marks (including Evensong’s) chased each other around the Maze. Vapour Trail turned to the Crusaders, about to ask what their problem might be. But she could see the three fillies were shivering.

“Shall we head to the Village and talk about things?” she suggested.

Apple Bloom had a thought. “Is this really the best time for us to have a mission?”

And she told the visitors that the Village was on high alert because a bundle of dynamite went missing.

“What was it for?” asked B Line sharply.

“Well, nothing in particular,” said Sweetie Belle. “Our last client was a log driver, and he wasn’t exactly happy about the idea of coming here. Our friend Night Glider went to find him and ended up getting a lit bundle of dynamite caught in her tail.”

“Oh,” said B Line. “I thought maybe you wanted to blow a hole in this Cave.”

“What for?” asked Scootaloo with a raised eyebrow.

“I dunno. It seems like a bit of a hike between here and the Village,” shrugged B Line. “Just a thought.”

“Say, B Line,” said Sweetie Belle, “you wouldn’t be related to B Rainy, would you?”

“B Rainy? Doesn’t ring a bell,” B Line shrugged.

“Oh.”

*****

The party left the Cave, and when they reached the end of the road, there was B Rainy. He gave no indication that he recognised B Line as he approached them.

“No offence, but this might not be the best time for you three to have a mission,” he said.

“I thought that too,” said Apple Bloom. “But it’s not up to us. It’s up to Sweetie’s Grid.”

“Oh sure, when it’s an inconvenience, it’s my Grid,” muttered Sweetie Belle.

“Anyway,” said B Rainy, “we’re having a Town Meeting in an hour to discuss the missing dynamite. Did they…”

“They told us about it,” said Updraft.

“Good,” nodded B Rainy. “I guess there’s no harm in talking things out in the meantime. But keep a sharp eye out for trouble.”

*****

If this meeting were taking place back at Sweet Apple Acres, there would’ve been no way all seven of these ponies would fit into the tiny Clubhouse.

“You two have always wanted to become Wonderbolts together, right?” Scootaloo asked Sky Stinger and Vapour Trail.

“Ever since we were foals growing up together in Stratusburg,” smiled Vapour Trail.

“And after Rainbow and Twilight helped us get over our little… speedbump at the Academy,” said Sky Stinger, “we were both made LeadPonies.”

“And we were each assigned a WingPony. I got B Line, and Sky got Updraft,” said Vapour. “We’ve all become good friends since our time in the Academy. So now… I guess we all want to try and become Wonderbolts.”

“Yeah. All four of us,” said Sky.

“And why not?” asked B Line. “We’ve all passed our Exams. All four of us are on the Reserves. Our path is pretty clear.”

“Me and Vapour passed our Exams on the first go,” said Updraft. “Sky needed two tries. Guess how many B…”

“It doesn’t matter!” snapped B Line. “We’re all in now. It’s only a matter of time before we are each inducted into the Wonderbolts.”

“The problem,” said Updraft, “is that the likelihood that all four of us will be members of the Wonderbolts at the same time is rather slim. Scores of pegasi become Reserves, but not one of them is guaranteed a high spot in the cue. And let’s face it, we’ve all got different levels of experience. It’s not too unlikely that two best friends can become wonderbolts together, but when you add to that, you dampen the chances. In short, Crusaders, me and B Line might have jeopardised Sky’s and Vapour’s lifelong goal.”

“No,” said Sky automatically. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re our best friends. There’s no point in becoming Wonderbolts without you two.”

“Would you feel that way if they promoted you two and left us in the cue?” asked Updraft.

*****

Inwardly, Apple Bloom was recalling what she’d heard about Starlight’s reign.

When she created the cult of equality, she was trying to avoid the reality that there are thousands of ponies with similar talents and abilities, and inevitably, some will be better than others. And since the Wonderbolts only recruit the best flyers, it does kinda seem like a longshot that all four of these pegasi will make the cut.

Then she remembered that despite having the same talent, each of the four Wonderbolt Reserve’s cutie marks was different; one was an upside-down lightning bolt, one was a rising star, one was a springy cyclone, and one was a cloud with an arrow through it. Regaining confidence in potentially finding a solution, Apple Bloom put Starlight’s old dogma out of her mind.

*****

“What do you four do outside the Wonderbolts?” she asked. “What jobs or hobbies do you have?”

“I work on Stratusburg’s weather team with Sky,” said Vapour Trail. “And B and Updraft moved in with us. Updraft’s a construction worker, and…”

“And B Line’s a freeloader,” chuckled Updraft.

“Don’t start!” snapped B Line. “Just because I’m unemployed, doesn’t mean I’m a freeloader.”

“I’m joking. You know I don’t mean that,” said Updraft with a smile. “You do most of the cleaning and laundry around the house. And you make the best roast potatoes and carrots in existence.”

“Thanks,” said B Line, placing a hoof on Updraft’s shoulder. “Still, I know I ought to find work. It’s just… I only ever had one goal in life, and that was to be a Wonderbolt.”

*****

Scootaloo glanced out of a window.

“The Villagers are gathering for the Town Meeting,” she said.

So the party filed out of the Treehouse. As they did so, Vapour Trail quietly confided in Apple Bloom.

“I really do treasure B Line and Updraft. But all my life, I’ve wanted to become a Wonderbolt with Sky Stinger. It seemed plausible all that time, but with B and Updraft with us… I just… I just don’t…”

“The road’s kinda slippery,” Apple Bloom interrupted. “Think you could give me a lift?”

Vapour Trail was happy to oblige. As she flew down to join the crowd with Apple Bloom riding on her back, Apple Bloom’s doubts began to redouble.

Are we sure this isn’t a friendship problem? she wondered. Couldn’t the Friendship Council help these four better than the Cutie Mark Crusaders could?”

*****

B Rainy and Gaffe were about to call the meeting to order.

“Hey!” shouted Sky Stinger as a gust of wind made everypony shiver. “Maybe the dynamite’s in that guy’s hair!”

He had spotted Bend Twist; hair by Zephyr Breeze of Manehattan. He started feeling around his long mane and tail.

“I’ve never been in the Cave, dude!” snapped Bend Twist. “Get off! You’re messing up my mane!”

Party Favour, not displaying the slightest hint of surprise at Bend Twist’s explosed cutie mark, shooed Sky Stinger away from his brother.

“Sorry,” said Sky. “I get carried a--”

“Quiet! Quiet!” came a voice.

It was Mancy. He stood in the middle of the crowd, holding his hoof up for silence.

“Silence, everyone,” said Undercoat’s brother in a flat tone. “The psychic’s getting a vision.”

“Shut up, Scumble!” snapped Night Glider.

“It’s not what I’m seeing,” said Mancy impatiently; but not without an appreciative smile towards Night Glider. “It’s what I’m hearing.”

*****

The gust of wind had died down. Everyone perked up their ears. A faint clunking sound could be heard. Heads turned towards Old Lady Cooper, who was rocking back and forth in her chair as usual.

“Look!” exclaimed Hawk Head, pointing to the icy ground next to the rocking chair. “A fuse!”

“That daft old coot picked up the dynamite in her rockers while she was making her rounds!” spluttered Professor Glomgold, struggling to remain upright as he turned to look.

Old Lady Cooper made no comment as everypony in the Village looked at her rocking in her chair, the bundle of dynamite sliding back and forth, bumping on the seat supports. Muga and Coan, who were nearest to her, went to go take the dynamite bundle out of her chair. Then the wind picked up again. Old Lady Cooper slid down the icy road in her chair.

“Get her!” shouted Gaffe.

Several ponies tried to give chase, but only ended up slipping and falling on the ice.

“I got this!” called Lightning Dust.

She flew swiftly towards Old Lady Cooper. But her wings only made a draft, causing Old Lady Cooper to slide off course. Lightning nearly collided with a picket fence. Big Mac made a grab for the fuse, hoping to reel in Old Lady Cooper. He caught it, but as the wind changed direction, he found himself being swept off his hooves and dragged along the icy road after the old mare in the rocking chair. Sugar Belle and the Crusaders dived on top of him. He slid to a stop, but the fuse popped out of the dynamite bundle. Old Lady Cooper skidded on, knocking Double Diamond over along her way. Even Professor Glomgold’s magic wasn’t working. He had to lean forward to focus on his target, and this caused him to overbalance and nearly fall over himself.

*****

“Alright, enough slapstick!” shouted Lightning Dust after another minute of failed attempts to stop Old Lady Cooper from sliding around with the dynamite. “Night Glider, B Rainy, come here! And you four!”

She pointed to Sky, Vapour, B Line, and Updraft.

“You’re all Wonderbolt Reserves, aren’t you?! You can help! If all seven of us fly at her at the same time, our drafts will cancel each other out!”

She watched as Old Lady Cooper’s rocking chair skated towards the middle of the road.

“3, 2, 1, charge!”

She, Glider, Sky, Vapour, Updraft, and the two Bs came at Cooper from all sides. She spun like a top in their conflicting drafts. At last, the chair was stopped and the bundle of dynamite was secured. The villagers applauded.

“Yes! Got it!” Lightning Dust held the explosives up in her hoof. “Great work, you guys. You four are totally gonna be Wonderbolts one day. You’re great flyers.”

Apple Bloom saw Vapour Trail’s face go red. They caught each other’s eye, and Apple Bloom did her best to convey to Vapour that there was no need to feel ashamed.

*****

“So,” said Lightning Dust, “what do we do with it?”

“B Line suggested,” said Updraft, “that you could blow a hole in the side of the Cave and move the Cutie Mark Grid into the Village.”

Concerned muttering broke out among the villagers.

“It’s Gaffe’s dynamite,” Night Glider pointed out.

“Yeah, but I quit my job,” said Gaffe.

“Okay, then I’ll just take it back to the log drivers,” said Night Glider.

She held her hoof out, but Lightning Dust held onto the bundle.

“Why not move the Grid?” she asked. “Why not try and help make things easier for our Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“You don’t have to do this for us,” said Sweetie Belle sheepishly.

“But we want to,” said Day Star. “Right everypony?”

Chatter broke out; some approving, some still concerned.

*****

“All we need is a plan,” said Lightning Dust. “B Rainy, let’s put our heads together. What do ya say?”

“I’d be glad to,” said B Rainy. “The thing is, it might be plausible to do it right here, right now. The road is icy. We could probably slide the Grid onto town and just in front of the Crusaders’ Treehouse. It doesn’t leave much time for planning, though. And without a weather team, there’s no telling if this ice will hold out.”

“You don’t have a weather team here?!” piped up Sky Stinger. “We can help! We can keep it cold in this town so the road stays icy and slippery!”

Some complaints wafted over the crowd.

“Oh, come on! Suck it up, everypony!” called Lightning Dust. “We won’t have another chance for almost a year!”

*****

“It’ll be a big job,” said Night Glider. “We’d need five big task forces of pegasi. One to waft the Grid up the road, one to get it to stop in the right place, one to be on hoof in case something goes wrong at the Cave, and two to keep the Grid from hitting any cottages.”

“Whoa,” said Lightning Dust, the enthusiasm draining from her face for the first time.

“Don’t forget one to keep the weather at the right temperature,” put in Gaffe.

“Six task forces of pegasi!” burst out Night Glider. “In this tiny Village? Is it worth it?”

“You know, the Wonderbolts did a good job of blocking that Cave up last year,” said B Rainy. “Could you Reserves talk to them and ask them to help?”

“Yeah!” said Sky Stinger.

“No problem,” said Vapour Trail.

“There are only so many Wonderbolts,” said Updraft. “That might not be enough for a big job like this.”

“Maybe,” said Night Glider. “It’s not like last year, where there was only one spot to be worried about. But what if…?”

She trailed off, but B Line seemed to read her mind.

“Let’s try,” he said to his three best friends, “to convince them to wrangle in all hooves. The Wonderbolts, the Reserves, maybe even some Cadets.”

*****

“What if the dynamite damages the Grid?” asked Sweetie Belle four days later.

“You could probably fix it,” said Scootaloo.

“How? I don’t even know what spell I used to turn the Vault into a Grid in the first place,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Maybe you don’t have to know,” suggested Apple Bloom. “The same way you don’t even have to cast a spell to make you invincible.”

“To ponies who don’t understand their cutie marks, you mean. Right?”

*****

It was still cold in northern Equestria, but most of the northern cities had undergone Winter Wrap-Up by now, and the Sun could be seen shining down. Not over Starlight’s Village, though. B Line had led the town pegasi on a mission to gather clouds in the area to create overcast. They were now flying above the town trying to keep the clouds from drifting away so as to maintain the ice sheet on the road. It was a tricky job. Clouds were rarely interfered with in this area, thus were harder to control. The task force was struggling to keep the clouds from sidling away; apart from Night Glider and B Line, that is.

*****

The construction company Updraft worked for sometimes undertook demolition contracts, and it seemed she’d learned just enough about setting explosive charges to work out where to place each stick of dynamite. The Crusaders watched as she moved along the Cave floor, adjusting the length of each fuse so that each stick would go off at the right time. Lightning Dust entered the Cave, grinning broadly.

“I thought the Wonderbolts wanted you to stay out of this plan,” said Scootaloo.

“Yeah, that’s the only reason they agreed to it, but get this,” said Lightning, holding up a match book. “Spitfire said I can light the wick.”

*****

Outside the Cave, Spitfire was giving the Wonderbolts a final briefing.

“When that wall is blown open and the big rock slides out, our goal is just to slow it down! We’re not trying to stop it! We’re just trying to keep it on that path!”

She indicated a sheet of ice that led from the side of the Cave to the start of the Village road. The natural elements had not caused this; it was made by the town pegasi manipulating some rain clouds. Standing by at the start of the road were a squadron of Wonderbolt Reserves and Cadets, led by a well-rested Soarin. A similar squadron, overseen by Fleetfoot, were standing by at the end of the road, while on each rooftop sat one Wonderbolt representative. Everything was in place. Eyes turned to the Crusaders.

“All ready,” said Spitfire.

“Well, okay,” said Apple Bloom, resigned to being the one to call the shots. “Lightning! Light the fuse!”

*****

The operation had a few hiccups. Lightning Dust exited the Cave as soon as the wick was lit. After several seconds, the bangs echoed around the Cave. As the reverb continued, Lightning could see that the charges had blown a decent sized hole in the side of the Cave, but had not quite been enough to dislodge the Cutie Mark Grid and send it sliding away. There was a large crack in the ground beside it. Lightning looked around. The desert stick - the so-called Staff Of Sameness - was still there. Lightning darted into the Cave, grabbed the staff, wedged it into the crack, and heaved. The crack lengthened. The Staff snapped in two, but not before the Grid shifted. With a crunch, it listed, slithered, and exited the Cave through the fresh hole.

*****

All went well on the Cutie Mark Grid’s journey down the slope. The Wonderbolts kept it from going too fast, and Soarin’s squadron had already begun creating a draft to blow it down the road. The Crusaders watched the Grid’s progress with apprehension.

“It’s spinning around,” said Sweetie Belle. “I hope it doesn’t end up facing the wrong way.”

The Grid had been rotating all along its journey, but not fast, and not enough to hinder the task forces. Soarin’s squadron was now sending it on its journey down the road. But the draft was a little too strong. High above, some clouds abruptly got away from B Rainy. Before he could reign them in, a sunny spotlight touched the icy path ahead of the Grid. A large crack formed. The Grid hit it with a frightful crunch and veered off course. Rainbow Dash charged into action to keep it from hitting Sugar Belle’s Cafe. Some other pegasi on her side of the Village pitched it to help, but their combined efforts, while successfully guiding the Grid back to the middle of the road, had caused it to go too fast.

“Now!” shouted Fleetfoot in alarm.

Her squadron tried to slow the Grid to a stand just before the Treehouse. But it was going too fast to stop in time, and Fleetfoot’s squadron had to flee to avoid anypony getting squashed between rock and Tree.

*****

A collective gasp punctuated the loud crunching as the Tree at the end of the road was knocked flat. The large stone Cutie Mark Grid had taken its place. And perched on top of it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ Clubhouse. There was a final crunching noise as the Grid broke the ice beneath it and settled.

“All clear!” called Spitfire.

Everypony went to survey the results of their work.

“Oh, that’s good,” said Scootaloo. “It’s facing the right way. Anypony who gets called to the Village will see it right away.”

Sweetie Belle was pleased. Apple Bloom was staring up at the small wooden building. It appeared to have remained structurally intact. Apple Bloom walked around the Grid to look at the Tree that had been uprooted. It was lying on the other side of the road between the Schoolhouse and the Hostel. Apple Bloom turned to look at the gathered villagers. None of them seemed the slightest bit concerned about the Tree. Then Apple Bloom remembered; none of them even knew who’d planted that Tree there in the first place.

*****

A cheer broke out. Ponies were congratulating each other on an overall success.

“Thanks for your help, Wonderbolts,” said Scootaloo, snapping a salute to Spitfire.

“Happy to serve,” said Spitfire, returning the salute.

She turned to Sky Stinger, Vapour Trail, Updraft, and B Line.

“You four were right. Recruiting Reserves to join Wonderbolts for volunteer work is a great idea. I can see us doing this more often in future.”

The four Reserves smiled, but Vapour Trail’s was the broadest of all. The unlikelihood of all four of them becoming Wonderbolts together suddenly seemed like nothing.

*****

“I enjoyed being a weather pony,” said B Line.

“You did great,” said B Rainy. “You had no trouble with those clouds at all.”

They looked up at the sky. The pegasi had all flown down to the town, and the clouds had all scattered, casting an uneven sunshower upon the Village.

Lightning Dust ambled up. “This town could do with a weather captain, you know.”

B Line’s eyes widened. He turned to look at his three best friends. He couldn’t speak for a moment.

“Only if I can be your second in command,” smirked Updraft.

“You want to stay here?” asked Sky Stinger. “That’s a great idea.”

Vapour Trail agreed. “We’ll miss you, but if you think you’ll be happy here, we’re all for it.”

“We’ll hold a Town Meeting tomorrow to get everypony’s approval,” said Lightning Dust.

And with that, the four Wonderbolt Reserves’ cutie marks went off; as did those of Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.

“Hey, guys!” called Apple Bloom. “This Grid makes a good ladder.”

And as she climbed up the new steps to the CMC’s Clubhouse, four of the five cutie marks navigating the Maze found the Star in the center of the Grid, sparkled, and disappeared.