Bolt of Love

by Silentpegasus

Chapter 10: The Instigator

Chapter 10

The Instigator

The entire town of Ponyville froze as the massive bear let out another deafening roar. The force made several windows crack and ponies fall on their backs. Lance stood still as a statue. His horn flared and made his pipe vanish. The white stallion cracked his neck and looked over at Shining.

“So, how do you want to handle this?”

“I’ll call for back up and-”

“Be serious.” He said in a flat tone. “It’ll take too long for Celestia to send reinforcements. We gotta take care of this thing now.” Lance said in a flat tone. “We have two options; either convince it to leave us alone or get ourselves completely involved and kick some serious ass.” Lance said in flat tone. “I vote for the latter.”

Before either of them could react the butter yellow Pegasus mare flew towards the massive beast. The mare gulped and poked the bear on the nose. The Ursa squinted and saw a small yellow dot hovering in front of him.

“Um, excuse me Mr. Major?” Te large mare looked at the small yellow speck and let out a low growl. “I was just wondering if it would be too much trouble for you to not destroy our town? It would be very much appreciated.” She said with a weak smile. The beast roared and tried to swipe the mare like a fly. The beast’s paw hit nothing but air.

Fluttershy felt an odd sensation around her and found herself sitting next to the group of mares. Lance let out a sigh and his horn stopped glowing.

“So much for diplomacy.” Shining said with a chuckle.

“The we do this the hard way.” Lance said with a grin.

“You’re not going to fight that thing are you?” Rarity asked.

“That’s the plan.” He said as he began to stretch. “You want in Shining?”

“Um...I don’t-”

“Come on. It’ll be just like the old days.” He said with a smile. The guard Captain looked at his friend who was giving him his version of the puppy dog eyes. The stallion let out a sigh and nodded.

“Fine. How do you want to play this?” Shining asked as he cracked his back. The mares looked at Shining in surprise.

“You take care of the town folk while I deal with this thing.” He said as he looked at the massive bear.

“Always the instigator.” He said as he rolled his eyes. Shining’s horn flared and his armor appeared around his body. Lance grinned and the two stepped towards the massive beast. Lance’s horn flared and his right hoof started to glow and crackle with electricity. Shining’s horn flared and a large dome shield surrounded his body. Twilight watched as the crackling magic concentrated in Lance’s right hoof started to spread and encircle his body. “I’m going to need everypony to stay back! Get to safety!” Shining yelled.

“What about you?” Twilight yelled.

“Relax, I’ll watch his back for ya.” Lance said with a smirk. “Now go!” The mares nodded and started to round up the towns folk one by one. The Ursa Major was then focused on the two glowing stallions in front of him. Lance smirked and charged forward. The group of mares all stopped and watched as the beast swung it’s claw at an alarming speed.

The beast could almost feel the stallion’s fur on it’s claws. The next thing it knew the stallion vanished from it’s sight. It then felt something small and hard connect with it’s jaw. The beast’s eyes moved and saw the small glowing pony from earlier. The force knocked the massive beast onto it’s side. The massive bear’s body landed with a loud thud and shook the ground.

The group of mares looked in astonishment as the white stallion landed in front of the guard captain. Lance was panting and looked up to see a few familiar blue suited flyers racing towards them. The golden haired flyer stopped with the other group of ponies.

“Captain Spitfire, Lt. Soarin and Second Lt. Fleetfoot reporting for duty sir.” She said with a salute.

“Good, help round up the town folk and get them somewhere safe.” Shining said in a commanding tone. “We’ll deal with-”

“No, Shining. You throw up that shield of yours.” The ponies all looked at him in shock. “I’ll deal with that thing.” He said as his horn started to glow.

“Are you insane?” Spitfire yelled.

“You’re going to use ‘it’ aren’t you?” Shining asked. Lance gave him a sturdy nod.

“I need you three to lure that thing away from the town and keep it busy.”

“How are we supposed to do that?” Soarin yelled.

“You guys are performers! Improvise!” Lance yelled. “I need at least two minutes before it’s ready.” He said as he sat down and his horn started to glow.

“When what’s ready?” Spitfire asked.

“Just do it!” Shining barked. His eyes shrank as the massive bear got up and let out a massive growl. “That’s an order!” The three Pegasi looked at one another with nervous looks before nodding and taking flight towards the beast. Shining’s horn glowed and fired a few spell volleys at the massive beast. The salvos hit the massive bear’s face. The Ursa then saw three blue blurs flying in front of it’s face like flies.

Soarin broke from the V formation and slammed his hoof on the large bear’s nose. The combined force form his wing power was enough to get the beast’s attention. He then dodged one of the bear’s claws. He rejoined the other two Wonderbolts and the group started to fly around the bear’s head. The large bear lashed out randomly at them.

The group scattered as the beast swatted at them. Fleetfoot banked right. The Pegasus was then met with a large blue paw that sent her flying towards the ground. Soarin and Spitfire both raced to their comrade’s aid. The two managed to slow her down as they hit the ground. The two able bodied ponies looked up to the beast with a raised paw. The large Ursa slammed it’s paw down, hellbent on crushing the small blue flies.

The three flyers gulped and comforted one another as they waited for the pain. The three heard a loud crashing sound and thunder booming in the sky. Spitfire opened her eyes to see Shining Armor standing in front of them with his horn glowing and a massive dome around them. The blue stallion then saw several bolts of lightning strike the massive bear, stunning it. The red maned stallion the appeared next to them.

“Spitfire, get yourself and these two back to Ponyville.” He said as he threw her a red crystal.

“What about-”

“That’s an order!” He yelled. The Pegasi gulped and smashed the crystal on the ground as Shining stood next to them. The four ponies then vanished in a puff of smoke. When Soarin reopened his eyes he was surrounded by a group of ponies that were huddled together in the middle of town.

“Where’s Lance?” Rarity asked in concern.

“He stayed behind to deal with that Ursa Major.” Shining said in a flat tone. The mares all gulped and started to run towards the edge of the town. The guard Captain’s horn flared and he teleported in front of them. “Don’t go any closer or you’ll get caught in the blast!”

“What bla-” The cyan mare was cut off as the large beast roared and the white stallion was flung a good kilometer away from the beast. Lance regained his composure and landed on the ground just outside of the small town. Lance let out a long breath and focused his magic into his horn.

The lavender mare and guard Captain then felt a massive pressure coming from the stallion. The ponies watched as lightning started to crackle around his body. The swirling bolts of lighting then followed as he raised his right hoof. The bolts then started to combine and grow longer. The magic then seemed to form a bright blue spear that was radiating magic at an incalculable level.

“Here it comes! Everypony take cover!” He yelled as his horn flared and a massive wall made of pink magic appeared in front of the town. As Lance stood up he focused what magic he had left into his hooves. A small crater then appeared below the white stallion as he crouched.

As the beast roared Lance took action. He launched forwards at an alarming rate with the lightning spear raised. As he reached a few feet in front of the beast he jumped up so that his body was eye level with the Ursa. The bear’s eyes shrank as Lance pushed forward and rammed the weapon into the monster’s hide. Lance then used his remaining magic to jump off the animal’s pelt and launch himself back towards the town.

The guard Captain made a hole for the stallion’s body to slip through and caught him before he hit the ground. The ponies then heard a deafening cry and looked up to see the small blue spear starting to expand. The electric bolts seemed to wrap around the massive beast and shock it. The smell of burning fur could be smelt for miles. The spear then enveloped the massive beast in a sphere of light.

“Here comes the blast!” Shining yelled as the blue sphere shrank and expanded one last time to create a massive explosion. The force knocked down several trees and beat against the large magical wall. Shining concentrated and focused his magic to reinforce the wall that was starting to crack from the magical force. The ground underneath the ponies shook violently and started to crack.

The mares watched in amazement as the sphere vanished the Ursa Major was no more. Shining panted heavily and dropped the shield. The golden and cyan Pegasi flew up and saw a massive smoldering crater where the beast once stood. Lance chuckled as he laid on his back and stared up at the clear blue sky.

“Heh, looks like I still got it.” He said as he slowly sat up. The six mares and the Wonderbolts both ran up to him.

“What did you just do?” Twilight asked.

“That spell I used electrocuted every cell in the Ursa Major’s body. That scorch mark is all that remains of it.” He said as he panted heavily.

“Are you alright dear?” Rarity asked as she walked up to the stallion.

“I will be. Once I rest for a bit.” As the words left his lips the town ponies then crowded around him and started cheering. “Oh great.” He said in a low tone. “Hey Shining.” The guard Captain looked at his friend who was pointing to his own eye.

“Gotcha.” He said as he summoned ten pairs of dark sunglasses. He quickly levitated a pair to each of the elements, the two conscious Wonderbolts and to the red maned guard. “Put these on and don’t take them off until I say.” Shining said as he put a pair on. The other ponies shrugged and put them on as Lance summoned a small green crystal in his hoof.

“I will answer any and all questions if you all could just look right here.” He said as he held the crystal up. The crowd all focused on the gem as Lance’s horn flared. A bright green flash then blinded the ponies. The flash only lasted a second.

“What are we all doing out here?” One of the ponies from the crowd said. The six mares all looked at one another in shock and surprise.

“Not sure.” Another said with a shrug. The crowd then dispersed and went about their day. The ponies then removed their sunglasses and glared at the stallion.

“Explain. Now!” Twilight yelled. Lance nodded and held out the crystal.

“This is a memory crystal. I used it to erase the last five minutes of their memory.” He said in a flat tone. “No pony, except for us will know what happened here today.”

“Why did you do that?” Dash yelled.

“My mission is to remain undercover while I guard you. I can’t do that if everypony in town knows that I’m a guard.” He said in a hushed tone. “The mission cannot be jeopardized.” He said in a flat tone. As he took a step forward he felt a massive amount of pain rip through his body. Lance staggered for a moment before being caught by Shining.

“You okay?”

“I just need a bath.” He said as the guard captain rested him on his back.

“Um I think that a bath is the last thing you need right now.” Spitfire said as she looked at the officer.

“Just get me to the bucking spa.” He said in a rough tone. “Bring her too.” He said as he pointed to the still unconscious Fleetfoot.” The ponies rolled their eyes and obeyed. Soarin lifted the mare onto his back and followed the group towards the spa. As they made their way through the busy streets they were catching a lot of attention from town folk.

They entered the shop to see the spa sisters sitting behind the desk. The two immediately got to their hooves and bowed to the celebrities.

“W-welcome to our Spa Captain Armor. I’m Aloe.” The pink mare said with a smile.

“I’m Lotus. It's an honor to meet a stallion such as yourself.” The blue one said with a smile. Lance raised his head and got off his friend’s back.

“Hey girls. We just need two hot baths. Plain water.” He said with a pant. The two sisters looked at one another in surprise and complied. The two sisters led them back to the bath area and filled tow baths with water. “How badly is Fleetfoot injured?” He asked as he looked at Spitfire.

“She’s been out for a while now. I don’t think it’s life threatening.” Shining’s horn glowed and he scanned the Pegasus mare.

“She’s got a minor concussion and a sprained wing.” Shining said with a sigh. Lance’s horn glowed and bottle of red pills appeared in his hoof. The Colonel then looked at the Wonderbolt Captain.

“She’s your soldier. You can either wait three weeks for it to heal on it’s own or I can speed up the process and she’ll be flying by tomorrow.” He said in a flat tone. The Wonderbolts looked at one another in shock. “I’m warning you. It will be extremely painful.”

“Do it.” Spitfire said in a commanding tone. Lance nodded and threw one pill into each bath. The water started to bubble and turned a light pink color. The two Pegasi put their comrade into the water. The liquid around the mare started to bubble and fizz. The mare’s eyes snapped open and she cried out in pain.

“Hold her! If she leaves the bath then it’ll backfire!” Lance yelled. Shining’s horn glowed and he restrained the mare. Fleetfoot felt her bones move back into their proper place. The pain ripped through her body and the mare grunted in pain. After her bones had finished healing the mare relaxed and panted as she rested her body against the bath’s edge.

Lance then stepped into his own bath and held still as he submerged his entire body in the pink liquid. The water started to glow a bright pink and the stallion started to thrash around in the water. Lance’s head slowly emerged out of the water. The ponies watched in amazement as the burns that covered his body seemed to heal on their own.

“What in the name of Celestia is that?” Twilight asked.

“I just changed these two baths into Lazarus pits.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight’s eyes shrank at the words.

“The royal guard has a Lazarus pit?” The mare yelled.

“Correct. I took the potions that are used and converted them into pill form.” He said as he levitated the small bottle containing the red pills. “Portable Lazarus pits.”

“Okay, I’m lost here.” Dash said as she rubbed her temples. “What in the hay is a Lazarus pit?”

“A Lazarus pit is an ancient potion.” Twilight clarified. “It can heal any injury. Even if the pony is half dead it will bring them back to one hundred percent efficiency.”

“That sounds awesome!” Dash yelled.

“Yes, but there is a price.” Shining said. “For what ever the reason you use the pit for you get ten times the pain in return as you use the pit. I’ve heard of some soldiers dying after they were healed because their bodies couldn’t handle the pain so they started to shut down.” The guard Captain said in a low tone. “Which is why we don’t use them on a regular basis. Unlike Lance here.” He said with a grin as he looked at the stallion.

“Buck you.” Lance said in a rough tone. “I can handle the pain, unlike most ponies back in the guard.”

“What are you talking about?” Applejack asked.

“It’s not that Shining doesn’t want to use it. It’s that he can’t.” Lance said with a smug grin.

“I’m not following.” Applejack said as she scratched her head.

“Unicorn and Pegasus bodies aren’t built to handle that amount of pain and would break under the strain.”

“So how can you handle it?” Dash asked.

“I’m half Earth pony. Earth pony bodies are a lot stronger and can take a lot more punishment. I’ve also endured more pain than anyone else has.” He said as he narrowed his gaze. The stallion then sat back and let the water heal his wounds. The room was then filled with a white light and the ponies all closed their eyes.

As the group opened their eyelids they saw the three Princess’s standing before them. The white stallion gave them a nod as the other ponies bowed. Celestia scanned their faces and smiled.

“I’m glad to see that you’re all alright.” Celestia said with a warm smile. “Spike sent me a letter about the Ursa Major and I came as quick as I could.”

“We’re fine Princess.” Twilight said with a smile. “Thanks to Lance and Shining.” She said as she looked at the two guards.

“We saw that explosion from Canterlot.” Luna said.

“Overkill is underrated.” Lance said with a smug grin. The white goddess looked at him with a blank expression on her face. “Anyway, why were you here in the first pace Shining?” He said as she shifted his gaze back to the Captain. “I doubt that this was s simple ‘hey how ya doing’ type visit.” Shining chuckled and summoned an envelope.

“I wanted to personally invite you to the grand galloping Gala.” He said as the ponies looked at him in shock.

“I don’t know Shining. Cadence might get jealous.” He said with a smirk. The ponies all giggled at the white stallion blushed in embarrassment. “But seriously, why in the name of Celestia’s royal flank. No offense Princess.” He said as he looked at the goddess who had a look of surprise on her face. “Would I want to go back there?” He said in a rough tone.

“We need somepony, other than myself to represent us.” Shining said.

“Find some other stooge.” At this Celestia frowned at the stallion.

“It’s very important that you attend and I won’t be taking no for an answer.” She said in a rough tone.

“It’s also important that you keep a certain Operation; Black Talon under wraps isn’t it?” Twilight heard Celestia gulp and a look of fear and anger creep across her face. Celestia gritted her teeth and cracked her neck in frustration.

“I see. Perhaps I should look elsewhere.” Everypony in the room looked at the white Alicorn in surprise. Lance bit his lip as an idea came to him.

“Hang on second Princess.” He said as he held up his hoof. “I’ll agree to go without a fuss if you give me five more tickets.” The ponies all looked at him in surprise.

“Why do you want five more?” Celestia asked.

“I recently had a run in with one of my sisters and they’re anxious to see me.” He said with a sigh. “Send them invitations and I’ll agree to go.” Celestia let out a sigh and smiled.

“I will send them immediately.” She said with a smile. The Alicorn then turned towards the six mares. “I will also extend invitations to you all as well.” She said with a smile.

“Us?” Twilight asked. “After what we did last time?” The mare asked in confusion. “I thought we ruined the party.”

“Ruined it? Ha! I haven’t had that much fun in years!” Soarin yelled. The mares all looked at the Wonderbolts in surprise.

“Yeah, you guys know how to party. The only reason we went last year was in hopes of you guys there again and really show those Canterlot dweebs a party.” Spitfire said as Fleetfoot gave a reassuring nod. Twilight looked at her friends who all had uneasy looks on their faces.

“We’ll talk it over.” Twilight said in an unsure tone.

“I will await your response.” Celestia said with a smile before vanishing in a flash of light along with her sister. Lance then got to his hooves and climbed out of the bath.

“I’ll see you all later. I need to rest.” He said as he dried himself off and vanished in a flash of red light. Spitfire looked over at Fleetfoot who flexed her wing and smiled.

“We gotta get going too.” She said with a shrug. “Hope to see you all at the Gala.” The flyer said with a smile. The three Wonderbolts left and gave a wave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance walked into Carousel Boutique to see three familiar fillies race up to him. The three tackled him toe the ground and smiled.

“Dude that was awesome!” Scootaloo yelled.

“What was?” He asked trying to sound innocent.

“That crazy lightning thing ya did!” Applebloom said as they got off him and he stood up.

“Wait, you guys remember that?”

“Duh! We didn’t miss any of it.” Sweetie Belle said.

“Well, we missed one part when everything went green. Then everyone started to leave.” She said in confusion.

That explains it. They didn’t make eye contact with the crystal. I should probably do it to them now and- He was cut off as Sweetie Belle gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks for saving us from the Ursa Major.” She said with a giggle. Lance gulped and looked at the three fillies.

“Listen girls. It’s for the best if we don’t talk about the Ursa Major thing.”

“Why not?” Applebloom asked.

“I need to keep a low profile and if I can’t then I’ll have to leave.” He said with a shrug. “Sorry, but rules are rules.” The fillies looked at one another and let out a sigh.

“Okay.” Sweetie Belle said with a sigh.

“Thanks.” He said as the filly hugged him. He returned the gesture and smiled. “Now if you three will excuse me. I need to get some rest. Saving the day is hard work.” He said as he trotted upstairs. “You guys might want to go check on your sisters and Dash.” The fillies nodded and galloped out the door in search of the mares. Lance let out a sigh and crawled into his bed and let the sleep he deserved take him.

Comments

[spetsnaz pinkie pie]

M.I.B. AWESOME SAUCE!!!!

[Jman796]

I believe the excuse was a "bursting swamp bubble cause you to hallucinate"

[Silentpegasus]

3136755 What?

[Jman796]

3138121 In M.I.B 1/2, whenever they use the memory wiper, that is the excuse the agents use

[Silentpegasus]

3138296 Oh. right.

[Vic Fontaine]

This is getting really good! Please say that there is more on the way! :)