Chapter 20
Scootaloo banked hard on the outside edge of the turn, her wingtip a span behind Silver Zoom. It wasn't easy, given she was having to fly faster than the others, and she was so focused on following Silver Zoom perfectly that she was a little surprised to see the ground coming up under their group. Timed with the others, she landed on the field perfectly and gave her wings a few extra flaps to straighten her feathers before folding them.
"We might have to change your nickname, Stumble." Soarin walked up to the wing of pegasi, Spitfire at his side. "Nice pattern, everypony. The commander has a special job for you. We have a newbie coming in today. I want you to linger high up, then dive at zero-down. Pull up just before hitting them and leave them in a smoke-field. Got it?"
It wasn't uncommon for a little hazing like that—stuff that hurt nopony and showed off the precision flying of the Wonderbolts to a special guest. Scootaloo hadn't been with the 'Bolts long enough to see more than her own such treatment, but it had been fun to have a bunch of great fliers show off on her first day here. She snapped a salute as she slotted into the rear takeoff position.
One by one they took off with Surprise in the lead. This was her wing, after all, and she took point. Each of the ponies behind her had to speed up to reach their assigned position, with the last being Scootaloo on the far edge. "Wing, hit a seventy-five, keep your wings working and let's see that flight magic in five beats!"
Scootaloo counted the beats of Surprise's wings, not her own. As the fifth beat came down, each of them tilted upward, beating their wings and feeding magic through them in steadily increasing amounts until all were flying in perfect formation behind Surprise. When Surprise leveled off, each of them followed suit and reduced their magic output.
Wings still, apart from the odd flick of a feather or two, Surprise's eyes were scanning the ground below. An old trick, she waited for Soarin's wings to ruffle before she gave the call to dive. "Crash-dive! Aim for the blue mare's six, then pull hard and use whatever you got to keep in formation and on me. Now!"
With her goggles on, Scootaloo was focused on two things: keeping in the right position relative to Silver and waiting for Surprise's signal to pull up. She was so focused on the pair she didn't even notice who the pony they were buzzing was until the fly-by was over and they were pulling off, smokers pouring dark clouds out behind them. "That was Rainbow Dash!"
"Yeah!" Silver was, himself, still focused on his position on Surprise's right wing, but he could deal with that as second nature now. "The commander was finally happy with her physical shape and had the okay for a civilian hire."
Even with the high-speed part of their stunt over, it still wasn't easy to hear, but Scootaloo got the gist of it. "So she's joining?"
"Yeah."
They followed Surprise in a wide curve, shutting down their smokers as they reached the ground. Soarin approached them with his clipboard. "Okay, nice work there. Commander was happy with it."
"Spitfire, happy?" Surprise asked.
"Yeah, Slowpoke, she was frowning less." Soarin waited for the other ponies to stop laughing. "Okay, okay. Calm down. New assignments. We have a show in a few days, and we're a 'bolt short. That's how the commander got Rainbow in. That means we need to train her up fast. Slowpoke, you and Sideways will be taking her through the routine. I've got Spitfiretoo swapping to this wing to put the rest of you through your drills."
"Blaze is stepping up to sergeant?" Surprise asked.
"Word is, Stumble is the first of many we're going to have coming up from the Guard. Don't spread it, but the E.U.P. is expanding with all this new action on our borders, and that means the Guard wants better comms. Until the new telephone network can be expanded to cover the whole country, there'll still be a need for the fastest fliers in Equestria." It warmed Soarin to his core to see the rest of the Wonderbolts stand a little taller at that. "And that also means that we'll be taking a few more civilian 'Bolts to fill in when we're on duty."
Nodding her head, Surprise asked, "Does she have a nickname yet?"
"Nope. Everypony who has ever worn the uniform has screwed up at least once in the first week, and I doubt even Rainbow Dash will be an exception. Stumble, you come from the same town as her. Anything crazy we should keep an eye out for?"
Soarin's question made all eyes turn to Scootaloo, who was still reaching up to lift her goggles free. "Uh, headstrong, kinda do-her-own-thing, and if there's a way to expand her ego, she'll go for it."
Silver Zoom elbowed Scootaloo. "You just described every single Wonderbolt ever."
"I'll send Spitfiretoo over as soon as she arrives. Take a break for a few, but don't go too far." With that, Soarin checked his clipboard and saw that Blaze should be working on her endurance. Heading to their running track, his mind raced as he tried to remember what he'd seen Rainbow do at the one Gala he'd seen her at.
"Better keep your wings limber," Surprise said, nodding to Silver as they started walking off to the dormitory. "We're going to need to keep her focused on staying tight and working in a wing. Do you think you can fly third so she stays between us?"
"You're asking if I can hold my spot in a formation, despite having the pony I'm meant to follow out of position? Come on, Slowpoke, who do you take me for?" Silver snorted and shook his head. "Only reason I don't push for sergeant myself is that you need a good second."
Nodding, Surprise checked both ways on the field they used to take-off from before they crossed it. "If we're getting more recruits, we'll need more trainers—more sergeants."
"You'll have a fight on your hooves if you want to make me sergeant soon. You know who Stumble's parents are, right?"
Surprise didn't stop until they were past the field, but she looked at Silver with a raised eyebrow. "Have you been digging into things best left undug?"
"It's no secret. I asked a friend who works admin at the training center in Canterlot." It was hard not to be defensive, but Silver didn't sweat it.
"I'm having a premonition," Surprise said. "It's somepony— No! Someponies important. Two names are coming to me..."
Silver groaned at the melodramatic tone. "You could have—"
"Captain Lyra Heartstrings and Captain Sweetie Drops?" Surprise asked.
The knowing grin on his sergeant's face made Silver narrow his eyes. "Okay, yeah. How did you find out?"
"So, when Princess Luna's school first opened, and they needed some volunteer trainers, I put my name in. Some really good kids there, and a great filly named Scootaloo. Anyway, the two ponies who set up the school for the princess were Lyra and Sweetie." Shrugging her shoulders and heading to the barracks where Spitfire and Rainbow were inside, Surprise continued. "Then there was Lyra's training for a stupid race."
"Should we head in?"
"Nah. Commander will know we're out here. Besides, she'll be having a great time yelling at every little thing the newbie does wrong. You know how she is?"
Spitfire walked out of the barracks to find the two trainers she'd asked Soarin to find. "Hey, nice timing Slowpoke, Sideways. Newbie is still inside getting ready. Hope she's not too much of a hoofful. If you can get her flying in formation by the end of the day, there'll be a commendation in it for both of you."
"Commander?" Surprise asked. When she got a nod to continue, she went on, "When will we get time to practice too?"
"If you can wear out the newbie, you get the rest of the day." Walking to the runway field, Spitfire checked both ways, waited for Soarin, and then crossed over safely. Spotting Blaze's group, she walked over to ask how their training was going—only to notice something from the corner of her eye.
Rainbow felt great. She was now a real Wonderbolt and, even if she had gotten lost in the dormitory, she'd found a side door and rushed right over to the field. "Hey, look out!" It was already too late. Soarin and his wingman were rushing down the field for a low-pass and, although Rainbow dove out of the way, she still got clipped and thrown through the air—right into a trash bin.
Scootaloo, who'd watched the whole event with growing shock, could already hear the muttering of the other Wonderbolts. It was Fleetfoot, though, who finally opened her mouth to speak.
"More like Rainbow Crash." It would get Fleetfoot free drinks for a week. The laughter that bubbled around her cemented the name as Rainbow's nickname among the Wonderbolts.
It stung. It stung Rainbow hard to hear her childhood name used against her again by ponies she admired so much. "Hey! You guys buzzed me on purpose!"
"Not quite. You forgot rule number one, Newbie." Spitfire raised an eyebrow at the other Wonderbolts present.
"Always check both ways before crossing the runway!"
Scootaloo's mouth snapped closed, not even realizing she'd chanted the words along with her squad. Thankfully, Blaze seemed to get some kind of signal Scootaloo barely caught Spitfire giving, and gave the order to call their squad away and leave Rainbow to Spitfire to handle.
With two days left before the show, Scootaloo was comfortable that she knew her part. That wouldn't stop them spending two more days drilling on it.
The first night in the Wonderbolts' barracks had been a bit weird for Scootaloo, but given she'd spent weeks in the barracks in Canterlot and then time at Luna's school too, it was more that everyone in the room was older than her, than anything else.
Now, though, she was used to it. Some time had seen her settled in and comfortable among her squad and the greater Wonderbolts too. There were two full squads of regulars, while they could pull in reserves as they needed them. What made it super easy to relax in the barracks, though, was training as a Wonderbolt was hard work. Every day was spent flying as hard and accurately as she could, so that each night she'd shower, chow down, and then collapse in her bed—completely exhausted mentally and physically.
Tonight, though, Rainbow Dash was in the room, and while Scootaloo didn't have quite the fawning adoration for the mare that she used to, it was still someone she actually liked. And, Scootaloo could tell Rainbow was hurting over something.
Climbing out of her bed, Scootaloo walked across the darkened hall to where she could feel Rainbow tossing and turning simply from the air currents her covers made. "Rainbow, come outside and talk." When the movement stopped, she added, "That's an order, Newbie."
This time Scootaloo heard the covers tossed aside and walked slowly for the side door of the dorm. When she was outside, and heard the door close behind her, she asked, "So, spill it. What's up?"
"Nothing."
Scootaloo rolled her eyes, though in the darkness she wasn't sure if Rainbow could see it. Gathering up all the courage and stick my nose where it's neededness of Lyra, she said, "Don't give me that. I know a pony who's hurting, and you're definitely that. So, one Wonderbolt to another, tell me what's eating you."
It wasn't nothing, and Rainbow realized that Scootaloo wasn't the little filly she could brush-off anymore. "This. All of this. It's nothing like I thought it would be."
"What did you think it would be?" Scootaloo kept from saying the obvious, that it was probably harder work than Rainbow usually did, because they both knew it was that.
"I don't know, but I didn't— I didn't think they'd call me names."
Stiffening when she heard a sob, Scootaloo stepped closer and put a wing over Rainbow's back—or at least she hoped it was her back. "What happened?"
Once the tears came, it was hard to fight them off. Just like when she was a filly. Rainbow struggled to speak and explain everything. "When I— I know I was supposed to check before crossing, but I was really excited and then— They called me Rainbow Crash, just like—like when I was a filly."
Rainbow had never seemed so small to Scootaloo before. She sat down and pulled her into a tighter hug. "The nickname? Rainbow, they didn't know that. We all have stupid nicknames."
The answer was so far from what Rainbow had expected that she froze and listened. "Huh?"
"Stumble. That's mine. It happened on my second day. I'd been flying and hadn't had enough to eat the previous evening or breakfast—because I felt so sick with worry that I wouldn't fit in—and Hangnail, that's Cloud Bank, told me my blood sugar was low. How I looked, wobbling and almost falling over, earned me that name." The memory alone was enough for Scootaloo to spend a part of every day checking over her energy intake and ensuring she wasn't going to bottom out again. "It's a thing we all go through."
"What about"—Rainbow sneezed out the gunk that'd been gathering in her nose—"what about Soarin?"
"Clipper."
"Surprise?"
"Slowpoke."
"Silver Zoom?"
"Sideways. Look, ask them about their nicknames. They're all stupid accidents they had in their first week, when they tried to show off how awesome they were." Scootaloo could feel Rainbow's shuddering had stopped. She gave her friend a squeeze with a wing. "Crash is a pretty cool one, actually, though a bit more obvious than some. You should ask Spitfire what hers is, and the story behind it."
"F-Fleetfoot?"
"Flatfoot. In the morning, when she walks past you, jump out of the way and pretend she stepped on your hoof."
It was all too much. The weight of her dream turning into a nightmare had eased. It was weird, for Rainbow, to have light shed upon the situation in the dead of night, but she wrapped a wing and a foreleg around Scootaloo and hugged her. "Thanks."
"It's—"
"Don't say it's nothing, because it's everything. I couldn't take another day of—of this. Well, that. You know what I mean. Every time somepony said Crash, it would remind me of when I was a foal. I couldn't think straight and…" It had been hard to talk, to say what she was feeling, but the darkness had helped; so had the hug. "Thanks."
"Hey, we're both from Ponyville. We gotta stick together." Holding out her wing to get a high five, Scootaloo realized it was too dark to be seen and folded it back to her side. "Are you ready to sleep now?"
"How can I sleep? I'm a Wonderbolt!" Rainbow said it with the same kind of energy she'd heard Twilight use when talking about new books.
"Well, Crash, come on. If there's one thing Guardponies know how to do, it's wear themselves out running."
Rainbow barely saw the movement of Scootaloo running out from the deeper darkness of the area around the barracks. Giving chase, she found Scootaloo already running for the end of the field and had to break into a high-gallop.
When Rainbow caught up with her, Scootaloo laughed. "Come on, Crash, you can run faster than that!" She poured on the speed, adding a little pegasus magic to the mix, and forced Rainbow to stretch out and run.
And, run they did.
When Rainbow woke up the next morning, she was stiff, sore, and excited. She jumped out of her bed moments before the sun rose and froze. The memory of the previous night filled a place inside that had been hollowed out by her first day in the Wonderbolts.
"Hey, Crash, sleep well?" Fleetfoot asked as she straightened her bed.
"Yeah. I did. Thanks!" Making sure to get her bed done in time, then look busy while loitering around the foot of it, she waited for Fleetfoot to walk past and then cried out, fell over, and grabbed her hoof. "Hey!"
All the quiet ponies who were rising turned and looked at Fleetfoot. She froze, looked down at Rainbow, at the way she grabbed her hoof, and felt a blush start to rise.
"Hey, Flatfoot?" Scootaloo asked, bumping against Fleetfoot's off-side. "Might want to be careful around Crash. Don't want to ruin her chances of performing by stomping her hoof."
Looking from Scootaloo to Rainbow, Fleetfoot couldn't miss the big grins on their faces. For a moment she felt a little annoyed, then she remembered that she'd been the one to give Rainbow her nickname. "Nice one, Crash. Did Stumble put you up to this?"
"Yeah." Scootaloo smiled as Rainbow took Fleetfoot's wing and used it to pull herself up. "Did you know Rainbow when she was younger?"
"First time I met her she was saving 'Bolts from becoming pancakes. Why?" Fleetfoot tucked her wing back to her side once Rainbow was on her hooves. "Something bugging you?"
"Not anymore." For Rainbow, that was all she needed to hear. Fleetfoot had come up with the name and, as Scootaloo had said, it had nothing to do with her foalhood issues. "So, uh, who am I training with today?"
"Unless the commander tells you otherwise, you'll be with Slowpoke and Sideways again." Fleetfoot grinned at the look of surprise on Rainbow's face. "You know which is which?"
Rainbow nodded, pulling on her uniform. "Surprise is Slowpoke, Silver Zoom is Sideways."
"That's Corporal Silver Zoom and Sergeant Surprise, Crash. Nicknames you can use to bypass rank, but if you say their name, you should stick to using their rank too."
Scootaloo chimed in. "Flatfoot, she doesn't know ranks yet. She's not here through the Guard, remember?"
"R-Right. Yeah. Sorry, Crash. I'll inform the commander that she needs to set some time aside for you to learn the command structure and all our ranks." It pained Fleetfoot to forget, but she was glad to have something to show for it. "Nice work, Corporal Scootaloo."
"So, uh. Why Flatfoot?" Rainbow asked as she pulled her head through the end of her suit and shimmied a little to get it smooth over her coat.
"Stomped on the commander's hoof on my first day. She shouted at me for nearly two hours, then admitted I'd broken her hoof and an academy record." The latter was actually something Fleetfoot was proud of. No Wonderbolt had screwed up faster. "Come on, both of you, or we'll miss breakfast. And, Stumble, you don't want that again, do you?"
Rolling her eyes, Scootaloo replied, "No, Sergeant."
"Remember, if you feel woozy, what do you do?"
"Take a swig of the rocket fuel." The doctor had drummed it into Scootaloo. Her frame was a little small for her age, but her magic output was high for any pegasus. "And, then try to find some actual food. This would be easier if I could hide cupcakes in my mane, like Pinkie."
"Who's 'Pinkie'?" Fleetfoot asked.
Rainbow got a chance to laugh at Fleetfoot. "You'll meet her in Ponyville. She'll be the mare shouting the loudest and carrying more cake than anypony could carry."
"Does she carry around any pies?"
Shuddering, Rainbow shook her head. "Nah, not unless she sees me coming. Why?"
"Hook her up with Soarin and find out." Leading the way to the mess hall, Fleetfoot dropped into her sergeant role and started drilling both Scootaloo and Rainbow on the upcoming show. In truth, of course, she used it to remind herself what routines they had planned.
"What is this stuff?" Rainbow asked as they walked to a table with a bowl of porridge and a cup of coffee each.
"This is like a risotto, but they're using fish stock and vegetables to make it with oats. You get used to it." Taking a long pull of her coffee, Scootaloo let out a sigh. "And this is bliss. Eat up, it's pretty good, and high in protein and carbohydrates. Everything a pegasus needs to spend hours of their morning flying hard."
Rainbow gulped down the first mouthful and blinked a few times at the spiciness of the porridge. "I didn't eat so much fish in Ponyville. Big Mac would give me one a week, out of what he caught for Rarity's cat, but is this really daily— What?"
"You might want to talk to the chef about changing your diet, if you don't want to be having fish for two meals a day." Picking up her own spoon, Scootaloo dug in, the savory porridge filling her empty stomach and building her up to fuel her morning. "I can't wait until we visit Ponyville and I get to catch up with my moms and everypony again."
"Oh, yeah, you've been at this a while now, right?"
"Mmhmm." Not long, of course, but Scootaloo had learned the ropes, and the ropes involved a lot of flying. "You'll settle in too. Don't worry."
Gulping down two more mouthfuls of porridge, Rainbow worked up the courage to say, "Thanks. For last night, I mean. I felt terrible and you— You're a great friend, Scootaloo." She could remember when Scootaloo was a little filly, and idolized her, then they'd become more distant and now—now they were living their dreams together.
The night before a big show was hardly the time to be filling the head of a promising new flier with anything but the stunts that they'd been training on, but this wasn't something Spitfire thought would throw anypony off their game. "Come in!" she ordered, when she heard the knock at her door.
Scootaloo marched in, showing no hint of worry or confusion, was a relief for Spitfire. She nodded toward the seat. "Take a seat, Corporal."
Despite preferring to stand, Scootaloo did as instructed. She waited while Spitfire finished some paperwork, acutely aware of the term hurry up and wait. Eventually, though, Spitfire pushed the last of her paperwork aside and looked up at Scootaloo. "Commander?"
"You know I like to keep as close to my command as possible—I bunk in the barracks like everypony else." Spitfire was taking her time working up to her point—a luxury she usually didn't have. "And I'm a light sleeper. That's the kind of teamwork and support I expect from Wonderbolts—and then some. You did good."
Scootaloo didn't even realize she was holding her breath. She exhaled and took another before trusting her voice to say, "Thank you, Commander."
"It's an old tradition. When I look in the logs, everypony has had a nickname since General Flash Docker Magnus. I don't know the history of that nickname, but I wish I could find out." Spitfire got up from her chair, and was glad to see Scootaloo stop shifting in hers and rise too. "We're going to get more new blood. The 'Bolts, right now, are heavy on younger fliers; more of us below twenty-five than above it. As you know, we're going to draw new blood not only from the Guard, but also civilian fliers.
"I want a whole wing of civvies, with some top-notch leadership, before this time next year. That means we need to streamline the fitting-in part. You've seen how Crash has had to adapt, and she was a huge fan of us and knew most of us by name. There will be more ponies who don't know the binding of purpose that the Guard gives, and they'll have the same reaction to a bad nickname as Crash did.
"So, when we have our new intake, I want you to be a trainer for them—Guard and civilian. Keep an eye on them when they get their nickname. If things are going badly, handle it or find Hangnail."
Spitfire waited for Scootaloo to salute and acknowledge the command. "And, Stumble, this doesn't make you a sergeant. Don't go putting on airs over this."
"Sir! No, Sir!" Scootaloo saw Spitfire's mouth pull into a half smile. "There'll be a new barracks, right?"
"Unless we start installing bunk-beds, yeah. The 'Bolts are going to grow a lot. I'll keep the current barracks as the main one, for—" Cutting herself short, Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "Tell me what you're thinking, Stumble."
"That you're reinforcing the Guard and non-Guard status. If you're going to build an extra barracks, build a third for that extra wing—and have the different wings bunk together. Top wing bunks in the old barracks, and make a contest of it." It wasn't hard to see Spitfire liking this. Scootaloo knew Wonderbolts were already competitive when on-base. "A regularly scheduled flying contest, not directly against each other but style and time based, would be a great incentive."
"Yeah. I like that. Good thinking, Stumble. How do you think Crash will handle tomorrow?" Walking to the door, Spitfire opened it and led the way into her outer office.
"She might try to show off a bit, but I think Slowpoke and Sideways have her reined-in. About a twenty-percent chance of it."
Walking along, leading the way to the mess, Spitfire asked, "Would it be worth giving her one more good yelling-at to discourage, or would that make it worse?"
Scootaloo couldn't help grinning at that. "I'll talk to her, but a good yell won't hurt. She needs to get used to your everyday voice."
It got a laugh from Spitfire as they walked into the mess together. She nodded toward one of the free tables and led the way over.
"There was one other thing. I don't know if Flatfoot brought it up, but non-Guard newbies might have trouble handling the food. It's a lot of fish." Scootaloo didn't shy away from the mild fish curry, loading up her bowl with that, some rice, and a disc of puffy roti.
Remembering an earlier report by Fleetfoot, Spitfire replied, "She mentioned it. Not going for the spicy stuff?" Filling her own bowl with the mild-spiced curry too, Spitfire knew full-well why none of the fliers were having the hot option.
"I am not that crazy. Stumble's not the worst nickname, and I am sure everypony would make an exception and let me have a new one if I ate that and had a problem tomorrow." Following Spitfire back to the table, Scootaloo got comfortable on the bench before she started dipping the bread into her butter fish.
"In a year, Stumble, bring up getting a promotion to sergeant." It wasn't just that Scootaloo's parents were who they were that made Spitfire eager to promote the mare, but all the great qualities she recognized: compassion, leadership, and a tenacity that had led a flightless filly to join the Wonderbolts. That she was exceptionally smart, too, helped.
Rainbow Dash knew that her friend, Pinkie Pie, loved making up words. The strange thing was they were useful words, and one dominated Rainbow's mind now.
"What was that, Crash?" Soarin asked, flying ahead and to the right of her.
"Nervouscited, Clipper." The names were easier to use even as her own nickname stung less and less.
"Huh? Bit louder!"
"Nervouscited!" Saying the word louder made it buzz in Rainbow's head even more. Cloudsdale was parked at Canterlot, and they had another show the next day there, but for today they'd flown hard to reach Ponyville and it was exhilarating to have all these pegasi that could keep up with her and even push her to fly faster.
Taking an eye off Soarin's wingtip for a moment, Rainbow spotted Scootaloo on the other side of the formation Soarin was leading. Like the rest of them, she wore the tight flight-suit of a Wonderbolt. At first her feelings about Scootaloo—Stumble—had been complicated.
Rainbow could remember the stupid magic show she'd gotten worked up at, and only found out that Scootaloo was meant to be part of the show after already having made a fool of herself. It was one of Rainbow's bigger regrets, losing the admiration of the filly, but now they had something amazing—they were both Wonderbolts.
And that was enough. Enough to be friends and enough to be the best of fliers together. Well, she wouldn't admit it out loud, but Scootaloo's training had given her a slight edge, but Rainbow was still the only pony alive who could do a sonic rainboom, and that mattered—but mostly for her pride.
They had been flying at a slight nose-down for a while, gaining more speed by the second, but Soarin gave the signal that a dive was coming. Three. Two. One. She tipped along with the rest of the wing, in perfect formation with Spitfire's wing, and shot toward the ground.
Halfway down, their speed increasing, Soarin gave them the signal to fire their first smoke charges. Rainbow pushed a little of her magic into the tube under her left wing and started its plume of deep blue issuing forth.
Pulling out of the dive and coming in low over the field set up for the show, the Wonderbolts split into the next part of their routine.
It went off without a hitch. Rainbow could tell she still had a lot to learn, but taking Soarin's lead and signals, she was able to manage the flying and even come in with the rest of the 'Bolts for a perfect landing.
A strange shiver of what might have been ran through Rainbow as she flipped back her hood along with the other fliers. What kind of stunt would she have pulled to prove that she was a Wonderbolt, if she'd never found out her nickname was just that? "The stupidest kind," Rainbow murmured.
And that's when Rainbow got blindsided by something pink. She was knocked off her hooves and caught by a hurricane with a mane. "Pinkie!"
Hugging Rainbow, Pinkie Pie laughed and launched into her questions. "How do you fly so fast? Where does the smoke come from? Why aren't you answering? What's the meaning of life? Do you weigh as much as a duck?"
"Slow down, Pinkie. Did you like our show?" The best question defense, at least with Pinkie Pie, was a good question offense. So, Rainbow launched into her own to distract her friend from some of the weirder questions.
Lyra didn't crash-tackle Scootaloo the same way Pinkie had done for Rainbow, but she did get a good hug before backing off and giving her a once-over. "Well, it's not armor, but you're looking good in that uniform, Scoots."
Unable to keep her wings from fluffing a little at the praise, Scootaloo replied with, "Yeah! It feels great to do some serious flying, but I didn't join the 'Bolts only to fly shows. I've been helping the commander with new recruits since she wants to expand the Wonderbolts soon. She, uh, told me I should make an appointment in a year to talk to her about promotion. Is that normal?"
"If I had a recruit under me that showed initiative, and I was looking to expand my command, I'd encourage them too." Not having worn her own armor for the show, Lyra felt oddly light and under-dressed—something she tried to berate herself into ignoring to little success. "How'd Rainbow shake down in the Wonderbolts?"
"Usual hazing, which is what the commander wants me to help her with but, after that calmed down, she's put her nose to the grindstone. You saw the result." Stiffening when she saw Spitfire walk over to stand beside Lyra, Scootaloo saluted.
"At ease, Corporal. Go about your day. I think Soarin has set up an autographing line over there." Spitfire returned the salute with practiced ease and then nodded to Lyra. "Enjoy our little show, Captain?"
"Not as much as another captain." Lyra nodded toward where her wife had cornered three Wonderbolts and was doing her best not to act the rabid fanfilly—and failing utterly. "Sometimes I wish it was her that got the wings."
"I heard you got some training with them and are cleared to fly?" Watching as Lyra stretched her wings out one at a time, Spitfire took careful note of the muscles that showed beneath the otherwise fluffy feathers. "Good preening work; that's usually the hardest thing to teach a pony who's unfamiliar with feather care."
"Yeah. Honey Glaze said I should be able to fly, and I've been doing little bits here and there." Fishing for an invitation, Lyra could only hope that Spitfire would take her on. "I guess I should see a pony about some more long-term training to—"
"Inform your princess you'll be getting specialized training and head on up to Cloudsdale in two days. Dawn, if possible. And hide that thing on your head." Lyra's antics of getting several princesses trained incognito hadn't gone completely under the radar. Spitfire had needed to extract it from her staff sergeant with alternating shouts and gifts. When Lyra looked at her in shock, she knew the information was fact.
"You know?"
"I'm the commander of the second best information-gathering division of the E.U.P. Guard. Of course I know. Just make sure you get your butt up there and I'll see you get to spend some time flying." Spitfire could already imagine how things were going to go. The truth, though, was that it would help her kill two birds with one stone—teaching her how to fly right, and giving Scootaloo a chance to prod at the hazing ritual.
Snapping to attention, Lyra stared at a point above Spitfire's head. "Yes, Com—"
Flicking her wing out, Spitfire shoved Lyra's hoof down. "Knock it off. If the others see you, they'll get suspicious."
"You know I'm not being secretive about these anymore, right?" Flicking her own wings only a little before ruffling them back down, Lyra smiled a little wider. "You want me to poke at something?"
Spitfire groaned and nodded. "The hazing. To hear Scootaloo talk about it, it almost cost us Rainbow Dash in the 'Bolts. With opening up for another wing, we're going to be taking more civilians in—and I don't want them to be lost because somepony couldn't tone down the fun."
Lyra tapped her chin and asked, "So you want me to arrive as a civilian?"
"Can you pull it off?"
"I might give myself away. Old habits die hard. What if I was a civilian who let their reserves training lapse? That would mean I have an excuse for any Guard habits."
"That will work. You can fly a bit, right? Or will we add in that you were injured and are recovering?"
Nodding, Lyra tried out a limp, then shook her head. "I can fly, but I'm not exactly the best for my age. The real problem will be not letting it slip to Scoots."
"She'll figure you out in no time. Might as well tell her. That mare is too smart by half to be a corporal. Why didn't you take her into your division so you could promote her to sergeant and bounce her over to me?"
"Scoots wouldn't have gone for it. Besides, if I'd had her and her special somepony in the same room, neither would make it past corporal."
"Wait. That stallion that sticks to Princess Twilight's side is Scootaloo's…?" Spitfire found herself nodding. "I can see that." She cleared her throat. "Just so you know, and I know you won't ask; neither you nor Sweetie Drops' being her parents have any bearing on my decision."
Lyra didn't even realize there was a knot in her stomach until that statement unraveled it. She nodded and replied, "Thanks. I could never have asked that; you're right."
"Hey, it's not like I wouldn't consider any pony you raised to be a pillar of ethics and outside-the-box thinking, but it's still pretty cool to see the two ponies I helped get together doing such great things."
It took Lyra a moment to remember that it had been Spitfire who'd followed Cadance's request to put on a private show for Sweetie Drops so many years ago. "I'd forgotten that. Is it wrong that I'd like to be the pegasus flying past her that she fixates on?"
"That's almost half of what being a Wonderbolt is all about—if you ask any of the stallions. I think you're pretty safe to picture that since she's your wife. Anyway, you have your orders. I'll go take somepony's position in the autograph line."
"One last thing," Lyra asked. "Would you consider non-pegasi for the Wonderbolts?"
"You're the second pony to ask me that. I'll tell you what I told Captain Stiff Peaks: 'If they can perform to the same standards as I would expect of any Wonderbolt, I'll pick them up in a wingbeat.'" Taking her leave, Spitfire left a grinning Lyra to one of her favorite duties. Slipping behind the desk, she nodded to Fleetfoot. "Have a break. Now, who am I making this out to— Scootaloo, you're supposed to be back here, not asking for autographs!"
Grinning for all she was worth, Scootaloo prodded at the poster. "Make it out to Sweetie Drops."
"If you want to do more training, I'm all for that." Twilight lowered her book further to look Lyra over. "The disguise is a good one. Did Trixie help with it?"
"Nopony makes better illusions than her. If she'd only sign up for the Guard, I could retire since she could twist any villain into knots with her hallucinations. Also, Twilight, thanks." Lyra had made a promise with herself to be open with her feelings where Twilight was concerned, and right now a hug was the only way of showing sufficient amounts of friendship to match what was in her heart. "You've always got my back."
"Of course I do, and speaking of that, we need to talk seriously about something when you are done learning how to impress your wife." The teasing tone, Twilight was pleased to see when they pulled apart, had put a big grin on Lyra's face. "It's not urgent."
"You've got me curious now, Twilight, but what's the gist of it?"
"As you know, I put Spike on the job of collecting every book he could. Copies were fine—but I want a complete library. There are two things I have discovered in some more esoteric books. There is a land known as Skyros, that doesn't appear on any map…"
"And?"
"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both came from there—along with another alicorn. I don't have details, or even a name, but it is clear there were three." Biting her lower lip, Twilight looked at her own hooves. "I don't know how to ask either of them about it. It's like—"
When Twilight didn't finish her sentence, Lyra took a guess, "… when Celestia concealed Luna's existence?"
Nodding, Twilight struggled to maintain any semblance of composure. "It was hard to trust her after that, but I managed. Why would she have hidden another alicorn?"
"I think we should ask Luna."
"I'll ask Luna—you go and get yelled at for a few weeks. It feels wrong going around Celestia like this, but"—Twilight closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed—"it could be similar to the curse from Nightmare Moon."
"Twi—"
"I know Nightmare Moon wasn't a completely different pony from Luna, but it helps to think of it that way." It was a topic they'd gone over before, but Twilight couldn't visualize the gentle, caring mare Luna as Nightmare Moon. "It's my problem, though, and I'll work through it eventually."
"We're all works in progress, Twi. A pretty awesome pony taught me that." Arguing, Lyra knew, would get neither of them anywhere. She decided to give her friend a hug.
The hug was, in Twilight's opinion, a good idea. She squeezed Lyra. "I know they don't talk about it, but I also know one day they'll move on and it will be up to us to keep this whole world from imploding."
"Yeah. We gotta figure it out, though. I don't want a throne and all that, so you can handle that bit."
"What?!" Twilight pulled back and shook her head. "No way. I want to be a daring adventurer, charging around the country and dealing with friendship problems! Oh! Maybe I could become a pirate queen?"
"You can't. You've got a castle and a crown. Meanwhile, I have been looking at some great peglegs in Baltimare. They have an oak one that— Hey!" Lyra cut her gag short mostly because of Twilight poking her on the nose. "My nose is not for boops!"
"Boop!" Trying to get around Lyra's defenses, Twilight ended up teleporting to the side—only to get blocked again. "Oh, using magic? Two can play at this game."
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I can't remember if any creature asked...
Sweetie Drops, how are your wife's wings making you feel? A dream come true?
Ask a Question: So how many Boops did you and Twilight get from The Great Booping Contest?
Great chapter to read today. Got to see a better form from Crash then what it could be. Also it seems Scootaloo learns that for going above and beyond for Rainbow, she gets the reward of more work.
Can't wait for MOAR chapters.
Hmm, Griffins, Hippogrifs, Dragons, Not Idol, and hybrids?
Oh dear, I just realised a joke Lyra could try.
How does a Breezie get into the Wonderbolts?
They ride a Hen Harrier.
i love this story more and more.
a 3rd alicorn now this is interesting.
are you going to start bringing in G5 pony's?
11784076 Maybe I already have.
Iiiinteresting... You're going to totally derail G5 lore, aren't you? : )
11784218 Me? Nevah!
Silly Twilight. What do you think this is, an iisaw story?
While you’ve been much better about considering the relentless march of time than the show, it still feels weird to have Scootaloo not just in the Wonderbolts, but as Dash’s mentor. Good work in derailing one of Rainbow’s worst moments, but still bizarre.
In any case, looking forward to more. Especially how G5 gets messed with far ahead of schedule.
Scootaloo has really come into her own. Her first major life plan is nearly complete, where will she go next?
It's really interesting to see how despite some extra maturity, Rainbow is still Rainbow. She's certainly not the teenager from the show. Heck, all our favorite ponies are so much more robust, it's really neat!
Oh hey, we're caught up! ...... Oh, we're caught up... Whelp, on to the waiting queue! But that means we have a question opportunity!
To Lyra: having experienced flight bat pony style, pegasus style, and ballistic teleportation style, which is your favorite, and why haven't you convinced more unicorns to virtually trapeze themselves through the air?
This was a good chapter and I like how things were cleared up quckly and the reason why Rainbow wasn't told sooner. The episode was horrible because there was a complete absence of communication fortunately Spitfire learned from this mistake and is taking steps to prevent a repeat. I wonder when Opaline Arcana will be revealed and I bet that nothing about it will be pleasant.
11786471 There is still much of G4 to work through. This season, though, was busy with content that Lyra and co aren't likely to be part of.