Touch the Sky

Chapters

Pt. 2 - From the Mouths of Foals
Pt. 3 - Mail Call
Pt. 4 - Flying Interference
Pt. 5 - Duet Magic
Pt. 6 - Thunderstruck
Pt. 7 - Rescue Run
Pt. 1 - Starting Line
Pt. 8 - R&R (Rehash & Recovery)

Pt. 2 - From the Mouths of Foals

“Are you sure Miss Fluttershy said it was okay for me to go with you guys after school?” Trick Step’s eyes flick among the three fillies that had greeted him at the train station, and are now cornering him after school. The trio smiles brightly at him.

“Yeah!” Scootaloo replies cheerfully.

“‘Sides, our clubhouse ain’t all that far from Fluttershy’s anyway,” Applebloom adds, practically jumping in place.

“If she’s not still at the farm,” Sweetie Belle chimes in, smiling teasingly and bumping her shoulder against Applebloom’s.

Tricks looks between Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, confusion evident in his golden eyes. “Why would Miss Fluttershy be at the farm?” he asks.

“Applebloom’s brother is Fluttershy’s special somepony,” Sweetie Belle responds, smiling gleefully while Scootaloo makes a gagging noise and Applebloom shifts her hooves in uncomfortable awkwardness.

“Well… If you’re sure Miss Fluttershy said it was okay…”

Tricks has no more time to respond as he’s pushed towards a small wagon tied behind a scooter. “C’mon c’mon c’mon! Time’s a-wastin’!” Scootaloo urges as he collides with Sweetie Belle, and they run into Applebloom in turn.

The three non-pegasi foals wind up tumbling into the wagon, and Scootaloo quickly dons a purple helmet with two white strips. Sighing, Applebloom pulls out her own blue helmet and a green one for Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo reappears with a golden yellow helmet and enthusiastically puts it on Tricks’ head, leaving him to buckle it himself before immediately hopping to the scooter and she starts flapping her wings so fast, they made a humming noise in Tricks’ ears.

“Hold on,” Sweetie Bell says, making Tricks even more confused.

“Wha-WHOA!!!” Tricks’ question gets cut off as Scootaloo starts speeding along the paths of Ponyville, sending him flailing backwards. Sweetie Belle grabs his shoulder, keeping him from tumbling out the back.

“Told ya,” Sweetie Belle comments with a half-smile. “Don’t worry… You’ll get used to it…”

“Yikes!” Tricks yelps as they make a sharp turn, flinging him sideways into the unicorn filly. Tricks quickly rights himself as they straighten out, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry about that, Miss Belle,” he apologizes, offering her a hoof to help her sit up again. A light pink blush paints Sweetie Belle’s cheeks as she accepts Tricks’ assistance, his auburn coat hiding his own blush.

Applebloom’s giggle makes them jump apart as much as the wagon would allow. “That’s almost as adorable as Big Mac and Fluttershy,” the earth pony filly says, continuing to giggle.

“Applebloom!” Sweetie Belle cries, scandalized.

Before Applebloom can do more than smirk, Scootaloo makes another gagging noise. “Geez guys! You’re all worse than Rarity!”

The path arcs gently this time, sweeping towards Sweet Apple Acres and then banking west and away from the main buildings of the farm. “This is a really awesome way to get around!” Tricks says, smiling towards Scootaloo.

“Of course it’s awesome!” Scootaloo replies over her shoulder, practically glowing with self-confidence. “It’s me!”

“Y’know, Scoots… Rainbow Dash is only your adopted sister… You don’t have to go actin’ like her all the time…” Applebloom comments dryly, though with a small amount of irritation as the clearing near the west orchard comes into view.

“Why should an adoption matter?” Tricks asks in plain and abundant confusion. “Witch Doctor is a better mother than my real mother…”

Applebloom’s jaw drops, and she quickly averts her eyes, mortified. “No one’s saying that adoption matters, Trick Step… You’d have to meet Rainbow Dash to understand why it’s a little annoying to have Scoots imitating her…” Sweetie Belle explains, stepping in to help Applebloom escape the proverbial hoof-in-mouth situation. Applebloom quickly nods in agreement, her expression sheepish.

Scootaloo saves them all from the topic going further by skidding to a stop before a treehouse. Almost immediately, Scootaloo’s removed her helmet and half-ran/half-flown up the ramp, chanting, “Hurry up hurry up hurry up!” at volume. Grinning, Tricks shoves his helmet off into the wagon bed, and darts after the pegasi, closely followed by Sweetie Belle and Applebloom.

As soon as they’re all in the house, Applebloom heads directly to a podium. “I hereby call this meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to order. First order of business, I motion that the Crusaders accept Trick Step as an honorary member during his stay in Ponyville. Do I have a second?”

Sweetie Belle beats Scootaloo by a breath, with her hoof in the air and a shouted “Second!”

“All those in favor, say aye,” Applebloom continues with a nod. Immediately, all three shout out a chorus of ‘aye!’s. With a firm nod, Applebloom hops down from behind the podium, her business-like demeanor broken by her smile. “The Ayes have it. Your continued membership will be contingent upon a review of the Cutie Mark Crusader rules, but there ain’t no reason why we shouldn’ get started with business as usual!” she states cheerfully.

“I think we should try river rafting!” Scootaloo declares adamantly. “I even know where we can get the raft!”

Tricks looks from Scootaloo to the other two fillies, baffled. “Do you guys always do outrageous stuff like that?” he asks, his voice cracking as his voice hits the rising tone.

“Well we gotta find our cutie marks doing somethin’…” Applebloom replies, as though it were a simple fact of life.

“But… I mean… Miss Scootaloo aside, since it seems she likes exciting things…” Tricks responds, still confused, “do you enjoy all these sorts of things?”

“We do have fun…” Sweetie Belle chimes in, but Tricks only shakes his head.

“I mean… Cutie marks define something we’re supposed to be passionate about… Something that we’ll never get bored with…” Tricks stammers, fumbling to explain. “Can any of you say that you have excitement to keep doing anything you’ve done so far?”

“Well Mr. I-Know-Everything-About-Cutie-Marks, why don’t you pick something for us to do?” Scootaloo retorts, full of snark.

Trick ducks his head down, hunching his shoulders. “I don’t know everything, Miss Scootaloo… If you enjoy river rafting, then that’s what you should do…” He pulls a notebook out of his bag and opens it to a written list a few pages from the front cover. Several of the lines are already crossed out. “Witch Doctor gave me this journal two months ago and told me to make a list of things I liked doing and explore those subjects more to help me get my cutie mark. I… I haven’t had much luck with most of them. They were things I wanted to do to make… other ponies… happy…” He trails off, looking sadly to one side at an array of pictures that shows the three fillies with their sisters or each other, having fun or celebrating.

“Crap… Um…” Scootaloo stammers before quickly moving to sit next to Tricks and putting her arms around him in an awkward hug. “I’m sorry, Trickster…” In short order, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle join her in hugging Tricks, less awkward than their pegasi friend.

“I tried a lot of things to try to make Rarity happy… But it only wound up making her mad at me…” Sweetie Belle says in an attempt to cheer Tricks up.

“My parents ain’t around no more… But least I’ve got AJ and Mac and Granny with me… You ain’t got a family…” Applebloom adds, clearly trying to relate with the colt.

Tricks shakes his head, making the fillies retreat to form a close circle around his journal. “Miss Applebloom, I do have a family. I have Witch Doctor, and Nana Brew, and Pappy Sweep, and Monkey. They’re not blood, but they’re family all the same… Like Miss Scootaloo and her sister, Rainbow Dash…”

“Can you stop calling all of us ‘Miss’? Seriously… We’re all friends now, y’know?” Scootaloo asks, her irritation gentled by the teasing glint in her eyes as she playfully jabs a hoof at Tricks’ shoulder.

Tricks laughs, a little ruefully, as he rubs at his shoulder as though nursing a sore spot. “Alright Mi-... Er… Okay, Scootaloo…”

“So what’s on this list of yours that all of us might like?” Sweetie Belle asks, picking the book up with her magic. “Oooh! Music?! You like singing?” she exclaims excitedly.

Applebloom looks uncertain and Scootaloo is outright frustrated by the suggestion, so Tricks quickly takes the book back from Sweetie Belle. “Maybe you and I can do something relating to music when Scootaloo and Applebloom are busy…” he suggests quickly, smiling sheepishly to the pegasi and earth pony fillies. “But for all of us…” His gold eyes rove down the list, looking for something that all of them might enjoy. “Hey! What about this?” he suggests, putting the book back down and pointing to an item that had yet to be crossed out.

“YES! CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ARE GO!!!”

Author's Note

And now that I've given you all Adult-Onset Diabetes from all the cute... :pinkiehappy:

I know this seems a little cheesy to suddenly introduce to the CMC to the concept of doing something they love to get their cutie marks... but rest assured, I have no intentions of giving any of them their cutie marks. I have enough plans that'll potentially have me roasting on haters' flames without adding that fuel to the fire. :twilightsheepish:

In any case, I figured it would take someone their own age that they like to get it through to them...

Now if you'll excuse me... I'm going to go into a sugar-cute coma. :pinkiecrazy:

Pt. 3 - Mail Call

“Mail call!”

Monkey looks up from her perch atop the bunk she shared with Starry Sky. Leaf, on the bunk below and to the right of hers, also perks up. “Hoping for a letter from Double Dee, Leaf?” Monkey asks, chortling as the group of silly ponies that had tormented Midnight Storm at the beginning of the two week camp, all start crowding the mail pony.

“Shaddap… And just try to deny wanting a letter from Witch,” he retorts in good humor.

“Well duh… and your nephew!”

Monkey almost cackles gleefully at the wince on Leaf’s face at the mention of Tricks. “Dammit… He’s not… Gah! Just because he’s a ward in my sister’s care doesn’t make him my nephew!”

“Uh-huh… And Princess Luna’s got nothing to do with the moon…” Monkey replies, her tone sharp with sarcasm.

“Alright kids… Settle down. You’re both pretty…” the mail pony says as he approaches their bunks, having extricated himself from the trio of silly ponies. “Midnight Storm,” he says, chucking a letter at the top bunk of Leaf’s bed, making the dark blue stallion jump alert. “Leaf Wind,” he pauses, eyeing the return label on the envelope before tossing it at the other stallion. “I really hope ‘Double Dee’ isn’t an innuendo… Starry Sky and Monkey Wrench…” A letter is tossed at Starry and two at Monkey and the mail pony moves on, flinging letters left and right at their recipients.

Monkey smiles as she looks at the two letters; one with Witch’s looping scrawl, and the other with Tricks’ shaky printing. Deciding to save Tricks’ letter to recover her brain after reading whatever rambling research breakthrough Witch had made, Monkey opens Witch’s letter first.

“Leaf?” Monkey calls down, her left eye twitching. “Why is your sister heading to that temple in Saddle Arabia you found with your marefriend?” she asks with a plaintive and confused tone wavering in her voice.

“Wait- what?” Leaf exclaims, looking up at Monkey, the letter from said marefriend forgotten on his bed. “You mean she actually left the library?! And she’s heading to the Life Temple!?”

“Have a heart attack later, Leaf…” Monkey retorts. “Why would she head there?”

“No, Monkey… You don’t understand…” Leaf stares at Monkey with wide, terrified purple eyes. “Dee and I were joking about Witchy never leaving the library for an adventure at that temple!!!”

Monkey blinks a few times, silent for a long moment as she stares at the stricken expression on Leaf’s face. Finally, she snorts, and the emotional floodgates fly open, letting loose a tumult of guffaws. Monkey laughs so hard and so hysterically that she falls off her bunk, landing atop a surprised Starry. Starry manages to not get trapped beneath Monkey, pushing the hysterical Monkey off her back and onto her own bunk, much to Leaf’s continued mortification.

“Monkey, it’s not funny!”

“I beg to differ!” Monkey replies, calming down to the occasional giggle. “Never put anything past Witchy when she has a puzzle to solve!”

Sighing heavily in irritation, Leaf rises from his bed, hovers up to grab Monkey’s other letter and tosses it at her face. “Just shut up and tell me what that adorable colt is up to already…” he grumps, returning to his bunk and his own letter.

Her amusement finally fading, Monkey gently opens the letter from Trick Step.

“Sweet… Celestia… Sunny-side-up…” Monkey stammers, feeling full to bursting with overly-fluffy clouds. “Leaf, you’re right… He’s not your adopted nephew… He’s too sweet to be even that closely related to you.”

“What?” Leaf looks up from his letter and makes to grab Tricks’, but Starry beats him to it. Her blue eyes scan the letter before she gets a star-struck expression and makes a quiet squeeing noise.

“It’s so cute!!!” Starry squeals before falling to the floor and giggling helplessly. Leaf makes a disgusted snort as he rolls his eyes and grabs the letter from her clutches.

“Sweet gods, this level of cuteness should come with a warning label…” Leaf comments with a shiver running through him and puffing up his feathers.

“It did!” Monkey counters, giggling. “It was addressed from Tricks!”

Sighing as he folds his letter back up along its original creases, Midnight Storm hops down from his bunk, and gathers up the stray letters before moving to retrieve Tricks’ letter. “C’mon guys… We don’t have much longer before we need to be at the gym,” he says, plucking the contested letter from Leaf’s hooves, and puts all the correspondence atop the two dressers between their bunks.

Starry blinks, standing quickly and eyeing their team captain with concern. “Stormy? What’s wrong? What’d your letter say?” she asks, worried, and puts herself in his way, trying to trap him with their group.

“I’d rather not talk about it,” he answers softly, moving to step around Starry. Leaf and Monkey set aside their sibling-like squabbling to help Starry trap Stormy.

“Stormy… C’mon… Talk to us about it so Captain Riptide doesn’t rip you a new one for being distracted,” Monkey coaxes, and Leaf nods along in agreement.

“Yeah, I mean… unless you’re into that sort of thing… But I’d warn you that Witchy’s not the type of mare to yell at others…”

“Unless they’re hurting themselves,” Monkey corrects.

Leaf shrugs. “Oh… Right… Well… Never mind then… Guess he won’t catch Witchy’s eye then…”

“No, no, Leaf… She’d yell at him,” Monkey says quickly to correct Leaf again. “She got all shades of pissed when I wouldn’t talk about the sour-plot from the fly-meet…”

“Will you guys stop bothering me about Doctor Hour?!” Midnight Storm demands crossly.

“Nope!” Leaf declares cheerfully.

“Not until you tell us what’s bothering you…” Monkey adds in reply.

Starry squashes a giggle and quickly nods in agreement, and Midnight Storm sighs in frustration. “It was from my uncle, letting me know that my mom's sick... He's taking care of things while I'm gone and she's on bed rest.”

“What do you mean ‘taking care of things’?” Starry asks, full of concern.

“Where’s your dad?” Leaf queries as well. Monkey keeps her eyes on Midnight Storm though, and the expression on his face already answers both questions.

“My… My father isn’t around anymore,” Midnight Storm responds quietly, averting his eyes in clear discomfort, “and my uncle’s keeping my family fed and the house clean while I’m away…” Monkey cringes, her suspicions confirmed as Starry makes an outraged noise.

“What?! Oh my stars do you need to go home?!” Starry inquires, moving quickly to put herself beside him and draping a wing over his shoulders.

“I’m sure everypony would understand if you do, Stormy,” Monkey adds, taking Midnight Storm’s other side.

Midnight Storm shakes his head. “No… My uncle said he can handle things until I get back… It should be okay…” He doesn’t sound sure so Monkey and Starry both continue to hug him.

“If your uncle said he could handle it, then you have no reason to not believe him…” Monkey offers.

“And besides… You’re flanked by two buff mares… What’s to complain about?” Leaf adds, earning himself a smack upside his head with Monkey’s wing.

“Do you even know how to help, Leaf?” Monkey demands crossly, rolling her eyes irritably.

“Dee seems to think so!”

“Yeah yeah… You keep her from getting herself killed with plants and restless natives…” Monkey sighs and gently nudges Midnight Storm forward towards the doors out of the barracks room. “C’mon, Stormy… Ignore the comedian-wannabe and let’s go burn off some of that stress by lifting heavy things repeatedly…”

Author's Note

Between Witch and Tricks' letters, there's an extra 500 or so words... :twilightsmile:

Oh noes! Poor Midnight Storm!!! I hope he'll be okay! :pinkiecrazy:

Now if you'll excuse me... I'm gonna go back to work on inducing another Tricks Cute Coma... :derpytongue2:

Pt. 4 - Flying Interference

Amber eyes watch Cadet Squad Apple with baffled curiosity, bemused as first Dancer then Sky are deflected from their captain by the other three. Shaking her head and unable to make sense of it, she finishes helping a pair of pegasi in Cadet Squad Daisy with properly using the machine they’re on, and makes her way over to Riptide.

“How’s Squad Ditzy… I mean Daisy… doing, Midnight?” the captain asks, shaking her head as she slips and uses Sky’s somewhat affectionate nickname for the fourth cadet squad comprised almost entirely of very silly ponies.

Midnight chuckles, a smile turning the corners of her mouth up at Tide’s lapse. “They’re really not that bad… But they’re not who I wanted to talk to you about…” she replies as she steps along side her squadmate.

Tide simply raises an eyebrow at the lowest ranked member of her squad. “Do tell?” she prompts.

Midnight nods her head in the direction of the quartet currently lifting weights; Leaf spotting for Midnight Storm while the two mares do leg presses near by. Tide opens her mouth to yell at Midnight Storm, seeing him start to struggle with his weight, but Midnight quickly puts a hoof over her mouth. “Just watch Apple…” she says, removing her hoof as Dancer swings by again.

Tide sighs, directing a brief scowl at Midnight, before turning her attention back to the scene unfolding. Just as she had, Dancer opens his mouth to reprimand the stallions when Sky’s sister calls out, “Commander Dancer? Can you tell me if I have this set up properly? I had to change the weight setting.” Even from where she observes the interaction, Tide can see Dancer heave a sigh and turns away to help. An eyebrow twitches upward as she then sees Leaf lean down and whisper something to Midnight Storm, and he corrects his performance.

“That’s not the first time they’ve done that if you’re pointing it out to me,” Tide states more than asks, though her voice raises in pitch towards the end. Midnight simply nods, making Tide sigh again. “SKY! GET YER PLOT OVER HERE!!!” she yells, summoning the little brother of Squad Six from the far side of the weight room where he was working with Butterfly Squad.

Sky quickly extricates himself from his efforts and makes his way over to Tide. “Yes, Captain?” he queries, confused.

“Apple’s playing Keep Away with us, using their captain as the ball. Talk to your sister. Get what’s going on out of her,” Tide orders, keeping her voice quiet.

Sky nods and makes as though heading towards Squad Cherry, before quickly side-stepping to approach Starry.

“I think we might need to switch with the colts soon… There’s only so many times we can use the excuse of changing the weights on these things,” Monkey whispers to her teammate as they work on a pair of leg press machines.

“You might be -” Starry quickly cuts herself off as she hears hoofsteps approaching them. Looking to her other side, her older brother looms over her. “Yes, Lieutenant Sky?” Monkey chokes on a snicker, Starry’s query sounding far too innocent and nonchalant.

“Cadet, a word in private,” Sky replies. Though the serious mask is ill-fitting, it’s enough to make Monkey and Starry exchange a nervous glance.

“Yes sir,” Starry replies, then carefully lets the weights back down and stands. Sky gestures with his head to a secluded corner of the weight room before leading her there.

He stops a little ways from the corner, and has Starry come around to face him so his face can’t be seen by the other cadets. “Look, sis… Nice going on the feints but you do know we’re a combat squad, right? The only way your blocking maneuvers could get more obvious is if you played theme music and had a light show in the background… So you’re protecting your captain, and that’s good, but you need to let us know what’s going on so we can fix this. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure my captain’s going to confront him about it and no one wants that…”

Starry chews on her lower lip nervously, her eyes flicking over her brother’s shoulder to glance at her team gathered around the weight racks and talking while glancing in her direction. Grimacing, Starry sighs. “Clear… It’s not my place to give details, but he got some news from home that’s got him stressed out… No pony died, but… It’s still tripped him up a lot. You can’t honestly tell me that you’d be any better off if you got bad news from Mom or me.”

“No… I wouldn’t,” Sky agrees.

“Stormy wants to stay, and we seem to have it under control right now… But I promise, if it goes too long or gets worse, we’ll bring him in to talk. Trust us until then?” Starry pleads earnestly, dark blue eyes wide.

Sky sighs, pressing a hoof to his face. “Dammit Starry… You know I can’t say ‘no’ when you look at me like that!” he complains, though he seems in good enough humor.

Starry beams at him, smiling brightly, and shifts her weight as though to leap at him for a hug, but seems to remember herself at the last moment. She chuckles a little sheepishly before clearing her throat. “Permission to be dismissed, sir?”

“Return to your squad, Cadet,” Sky replies. Starry flashes him one last smile before she schools her expression back into neutrality and hurries back to Monkey, Leaf and Stormy.

“Cover has been blown… I repeat, our cover has been blown,” Starry says in a stage whisper when she joins her friends. Stormy sighs heavily, grabbing his water bottle and taking a long pull from it. “I didn’t tell Clear any specifics, but they know what we’re up to… It’s okay, Stormy… We’ve got you covered,” Starry adds quickly, putting a consoling hoof on his shoulder.

Leaf gives Stormy a friendly punch to his other shoulder, smiling. “C’mon, Cap… You’ve been waiting a long time to come here, and I know it hasn’t worked out exactly as you wanted it to, but you’re here now… Unless you’re gonna quit on us…”

Stormy looks at Leaf with a shaky smirk. “What? And leave you or Monkey in charge? Not on your life, Leaf,” he replies with more bravado than he feels.

“What’s wrong with me?!” Starry demands, though she’s ignored but for smiles on her teammates’ faces.

“That’s the spirit,” Leaf responds, smirking back. “C’mon, buddy… Leg pressing awaits… The girls can handle themselves over here…” he adds, wiggling his eyebrows at Starry and Monkey.

Monkey scoffs at him, her wing missing his flank and making his short purple and pink tail swish. “Just because you helped this time doesn’t mean you’re actually capable of it, Leaf!” she retorts to their retreating backs. Leaf looks over his shoulder and teasingly uses his own wing to blow Monkey a kiss, making her roll her eyes.

“Stallions…” Monkey grumbles before looking at Starry. “I’ll spot first?” she suggests.

“Sure.”

Captain Riptide sits quietly at her desk, a steaming mug of tea sitting next to her as she goes over the paperwork for the day, most of it simply cadet reviews; how they had performed during the day’s weight training among other things. As was to be expected, the performance of the different squads was spread out, with Daisy being on the side of not completing as much as the others due to… accidents, up to Apple which had done well despite today’s obvious distraction of their Captain.

In fact, Apple had her a little worried. They were a strong squad, very loyal and dedicated to one another which reminded her of herself and her squad, but there was clearly something wrong with their Captain. He was distracted, and it was reflecting in the day’s performance reports. Hopefully, he would come clean about it before she had to go and confront him about it, because she really didn’t wish to do that. She might be strict, but she had learned over the years that if there was one thing you didn’t do, it was corner a fellow Captain about their problems. Even if he’s only a Cadet Captain, she had chosen him to lead Apple because she’d seen qualities in him that were required to be a leader, and one does not undermine the authority or position of a squad’s leader simply because they were distracted.

Her choice to put him as their leader was only reinforced today when Midnight had pointed out the way his squad was covering for him, skillfully distracting her own squad from a proverbial weak link in such a way that even she hadn’t noticed it initially. Though she had not shown it outwardly, she had been smiling at the display of loyalty. Squad Apple already had the most important thing to being a Wonderbolt down, something they could not teach into a classroom, nor instill into their recruits. It had to already be present in the ponies, and Squad Apple has it in spades.

Taking a sip from her mug, Tide absently wonders where Midnight got her this tea. It’s an amazing blend, something she could drink all day if she allowed herself. Honestly, she didn’t know why Midnight had gone out of her way to find her this tea, but she was silently thankful for the attention to detail that mare had. She takes another sip as a knock comes from the door.

“Enter,” Tide says curtly, not even looking up from her paperwork. The sound of hooves on the floor of her office stops just short of her desk. “Please, have a seat.” The chair in front of her desk creaks, and she looks up at last to find the subject of her worry seated before her. “Captain Midnight Storm, what brings you to my office?”

“Ma’am,” Stormy starts, then sighs. “I need to talk to you about my performance today, and what’s been causing it.”

Nodding slowly and holding her mug in her hooves, Tide regards the cadet captain with critical eyes. “Lieutenant Sky informed me there were some problems at home, they’ve been causing you some distraction?”

“That’s correct, ma’am,” Stormy replies, sitting in the chair stiffly. “I received a letter from my uncle informing me that my mother’s ill. I typically keep the house in order, and make sure my sisters are looked after. It… It’s been bothering me a lot that I am not there to take care of things, especially since what I’d saved up was didn’t account for losing my mom’s income.”

“I see.” Tide replies putting her mug down on the desk and sighing. “I have to ask then, is it your intention to see this flight camp to the end? Or are you here to request dismissal on the grounds of a family emergency?” She gestures with a hoof to Stormy. “I’ll grant it, if…”

“No,” Stormy says sharply, cutting Tide off. “Erm… Sorry ma’am. I don’t want to go home. My uncle’s taken over things at home while I’m gone. However, after what Starry told her brother, I didn’t want to hide behind them anymore… At least not with you… Does that even make sense?”

Smiling a little, Tide nods. “Yes, it does. You were chosen to be the leader for Apple Squad because I felt you had a good head on your shoulders.” She slides a piece of paper across the table to him. “That said, I took the liberty of drawing up, and filling out, the form that will allow you to leave the camp should things grow worse at home.” She holds a hoof up to forestall Stormy’s response. “I’m not telling you to quit, far from it. But I know how it goes, and I’m giving you a viable way to get out and go home. The Wonderbolts might be a military organization outside the public eye, but we’re also a family.” She picks up her tea again and leans back in her chair. “And family looks out for each other. So, one Captain to another; if you mother gets any worse, and you feel you’re needed at home, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll assure a spot in the next flight camp for you, even if I have to badger Spitfire myself to do it.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Stormy says slowly, sighing in obvious relief. “That takes a lot off my shoulders.”

“Good. Will there be anything else?” Tide says with a smirk. “I’m sure if your squad hasn’t been listening from the door by now, they’re likely eager to hear how this meeting went.”

As if on cue, there’s the sound of muffled cursing outside the door, and the sound of hooves quickly retreating.

Chuckling, Stormy nods. “Well, I am sure by the time I get back, Starry will have told the others how this went.” He shakes his head and smiles, obviously relieved that Tide had not yelled at him over his state of mind.

“Oh, I know the feeling. When her older brother and I were going through recruitment training, I had to speak with Silver Lining on something.” She sighs, shaking her head slowly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pony jump so high when Silver told him to stop eavesdropping lest he ‘find more creative uses’ for his ears or something.”

Laughing, Stormy looks to Tide. “I’ve had to deal with her for barely three days, but I have to admit, if her brother is anything like her, you must have nerves of steel.”

Waving a hoof absently, Tide shrugs. “Oh, you don’t know the half of it. But, it’s really in how you handle him.” She looks to the wall to her left. “ISN’T THAT RIGHT, LIEUTENANT?” There’s a yelp and a large crashing noise in response to her yelled question. Tide looks back to Stormy and smirks. “See? Easy once you know how to deal with it. The real test of wills comes when we have to get him out of bed. I usually leave that to Dancer, since they’re roommates, but sometimes, just to keep him on his hooves, I borrow a page from Silver Lining’s book, and use an air horn.”

“Ah… Opposite problem… She wakes the rest of us up with so much…” Stormy trails off, making a brief disgusted noise. “How can somepony be that awake at five-thirty?!” Stormy demands rhetorically, throwing his hooves up in the air in frustration.

“Explains the talking that early in the morning,” Tide says from behind her mug as she takes a sip of her tea. “I might just have to borrow her sometime, sick her on her brother.” She then sighs and looks to the clock on her desk. “But, I should return to my paperwork, and you to your squadmates.” She puts her mug down and reaches over her desk, offering a hoof to Stormy. “Have a good evening, Cadet. I look forward to seeing how you and your squad progress this flight camp. I expect to be impressed.”

Standing and accepting the hoof, Stormy nods. “I’ll try and do so, ma’am.” He then backs away offers a salute, and then exits the office.

Tide resumes her seat, and sighs again as she picks her mug up and sips at the tea. Absently, she muses aloud, “Where does Midnight get this tea?”

Pt. 5 - Duet Magic

Tricks looks up from his book at a knocking on the door to Fluttershy’s cottage. Angel Bunny is quicker to go to the door and opens it, revealing the unicorn filly caller. Sweetie Belle smiles broadly at Fluttershy’s trusted companion, and then at Tricks, as she enters.

“Hey Sweetie Belle! Where are Applebloom and Scootaloo?” Tricks asks, closing his book and levitating it away to a table with a smile as he rises from the couch.

“AB’s got work on the farm, and Scoots is getting flying lessons from Rainbow Dash… I hope you don’t mind that I came over. Rarity’s going crazy over some fashion thing coming up in Canterlot…” Sweetie explains brightly. “I was thinking we could work on something music related since the others are busy…” she adds shyly, a light pink blush creeping across her cheeks.

“Well… Fluttershy had something come up with a skunk burrow near the edge of the forest, so I suppose we could…” Tricks agrees, though admittedly hesitant. “I told her I wouldn’t leave, so we can’t go to the clubhouse.”

“That’s fine! We can stay here and do something. It’s not like we need a whole lot of room!” Sweetie responds, smiling. “What kind of music do you like?”

Tricks smiles as well, heading into the kitchen, intent on gathering up some cookies and making tea. “Well… Witch Doctor composes instrumental stuff for the Wonderbolts to go with their shows… I like listening to her music; it sounds like it’s telling a story.”

“So you like classical music?” Sweetie asks, following him into the kitchen and perching on a stool. “Do you sing or play anything?”

“I used to sing, but it’s difficult for me right now… My voice keeps cracking… Witch Doctor says I have to wait and see if I can still sing after my voice settles…” Tricks explains, shrugging. “Mister Fancy Pants has a piano in the main house, but I haven’t learned how to play it…”

Sweetie makes a thoughtful noise. “So what were you thinking of doing with music then?” she asks, curious.

Tricks shrugs. “Well… Without instruments, that leaves writing music…” he trails off as his eyes catch on Fluttershy’s gramophone. “Or dancing…” he adds, flinching the moment the words are out of his mouth.

“What’s wrong with dancing?”

Tricks sighs, turning to face his friend. “It’s what my… my parents do… They’re dancers…” he explains, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. Sweetie hops down from her stool and moves to sit beside him, putting an arm around his shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Tricks… But… They only do one style of dancing, right?” she queries hesitantly. “We could do some other dancing instead, right?”

“Well… they trained to do every sort of dancing… But they don’t perform in every style…” Tricks answers, scrunching his face as though the thought left a bad taste in his mouth.

“You know what I think?” Sweetie asks abruptly, snapping Tricks’ attention out of unpleasant memories and back to Fluttershy’s cottage. At his curious look, she grins. “You need a happy memory of dancing! I mean… What if it’s your special talent? You need something good associated with it, so you won’t hate it the whole time!” Sweetie explains quickly before grabbing his arm and pulling Tricks out of the kitchen and into the living room again. Sweetie moves fast, dragging the bewildered colt into the middle of the living space and immediately setting about moving the furniture to clear the center area.

Sighing resignedly, Tricks helps, making sure that none of the various bolt holes for Fluttershy’s friends would get blocked, and mentally notes where everything would need to go back to. Turning, he finds Sweetie already combing through the records in Fluttershy’s collection. “Beat Hooven? Tchaitrotsky? Hoofdel?”

Tricks shakes his head at her suggestions. “Those are all good composers, but not really anything that’s easy to dance to,” he responds, looking through the sleeves himself. “If you don’t mind something closer to ballroom style dancing, we could go with Eponin Dvorak’s chamber music…” he adds, holding up a vinyl record with his magic for Sweetie’s inspection.

“I don’t really know how to do any fancy dancing,” Sweetie replies, the corner of her mouth twisting downward, uncertain.

“That’s the great thing about ballroom dancing; you just follow my lead,” Tricks says, taking the record over to the old gramophone, then carefully removes it from the sleeve to place it over the spindle and on the turntable. With easy motions, he turns the crank a few times and then gently moves the tone arm over the spinning vinyl. Almost as soon as the needle slips into the groove, the sound of a piano, quickly joined by a violin, fills the room.

Tricks steps forward hesitantly, taking Sweetie’s hoof in his and guiding her other hoof onto his shoulder. Tricks then gently places his free hoof onto her waist, trying to remain calm even as his heartbeat pounds in his ears. For a brief moment while waiting for the proper beat to begin their dance, the two foals stand nervously, blushing upon meeting the other’s eyes. Tricks counts silently, taking a deep breath. The dance begins.

The two foals move slowly and clumsily at first as Sweetie tries to find her footing. Sweetie blushes and mumbles with each misstep, her eyes focused on her hooves. Tricks smiles as he watches the filly’s brow furrow with concentration. They stumble as Sweetie overextends her step, barely able to keep their balance. Sweetie opens her mouth to apologize, but Tricks cuts her off.

“Do you trust me?” Tricks asks with a gentle smile.

“Yes,” Sweetie replies, her cheeks bright red from blushing.

“Then don’t worry about your hooves,” Tricks responds. “Just keep your eyes on me, and I’ll guide you through.”

The two foals resume their dance with greater success. The music swells as the violin and piano lines gently intertwine in pure melody. Tricks smiles encouragingly, prompting a good amount of blushing from Sweetie. Even though she is still blushing, Tricks can see Sweetie’s smile reflected in her sparkling green eyes. As the music changes, the steps become much more complicated, but Sweetie manages to keep up well. The violin and piano speed up, hitting the peak of their crescendo before stopping suddenly and returning at a much gentler pace and softer volume.

Despite his warm smile, Tricks can tell that Sweetie is still nervous about her dancing ability, simply from how rigidly she stands and takes her steps. In an instant, Tricks thinks up a solution. He instantly makes a ridiculously serious expression, as though he was one of the many rich ponies he had seen while living in Canterlot. Sweetie giggles wholeheartedly, instantly relaxing. She then copies Tricks’ expression, making her face even more exaggerated than his. The two of them keep their composure for only a few seconds before breaking into grins and laughing, continuing to dance as they do.

Tricks sighs happily. This moment really is perfect. Sweetie Belle laughs happily, the music is flowing, the two of them are dancing smoothly, Fluttershy- wait, Fluttershy?!?!

Tricks freezes as his eyes land on the pegasus mare standing at the edge of the room, smiling as though she might burst with happiness and hugging a very disgruntled Angel Bunny as she does so. Tricks stumbles, falling to the ground painfully and wheezing as Sweetie trips and falls awkwardly over him. Sweetie looks around, confused, but her eyes soon land on Fluttershy, prompting her to turn bright red in embarrassment. Tricks manages to find his voice first.

“M-miss Fluttershy!” Tricks squeaks as his voice breaks. “T-this isn’t- W-we weren’t- I mean-”

Fluttershy giggles gently, cutting Tricks off. “It’s alright, Tricks. You two haven’t done anything wrong. I’m sorry for startling you, but you both were dancing so well together that I couldn’t bear to interrupt. Eponin Dvorak is one of my favorites. In fact, when Mac taught me to dance, we used this record as well.”

Still with blushes burning brightly on their faces, Sweetie nervously coughs as she carefully gets up, allowing Tricks to do the same. “I should probably go check on my sister… Last time Rarity got like this, she didn’t check her mail for three weeks and only read Mr. Fancy Pants’ letter telling her about his visit about two minutes before he knocked on the door…” She quickly starts towards the door, doing her best to not look at Tricks or Fluttershy and nearly making it outside before either could react.

“H-hey Sweetie Belle! Wait up!” Tricks calls out, scrabbling after Sweetie Bell as though the world depended on it. Sweetie Bell slows down, and allows Tricks to catch up, though they both pointedly keep their gaze forward as they make their way down the small path to the mailbox.

“Sweetie Belle,” he starts, his tone rising hesitantly, “I, um… Thank you.”

The filly stops and looks over at him, her brow furrowed in confusion. “What for, Tricks?”

“The-the dancing. You were right. I did need that,” Tricks admits, digging at the gravel path with his hoof. He then looks over at Sweetie, and in a fit of bravery, leans over and quickly kisses her cheek. Sweetie’s ears stand up straight, even as Tricks’ ears go back against his head, both of them blushing furiously.

“Any time. I’ll, er… See you at school, okay?” Sweetie sputters, backing away a few steps before turning with a slight wave and scampering off down the path, face still bright red. Despite that she wouldn’t see, Tricks waves until Sweetie’s out of sight behind the hedge along the only road that came out this far.

A flapping noise from behind him drags Tricks’ attention back to the cottage, and he starts at the sight of Fluttershy grinning broadly as she shakes a couple polaroid pictures, the camera at her hooves. “Oh boy…” he mutters in a small voice.

Author's Note

So this is finally done... Oof...

Much love to Jim and Syl for hand-holding me through the dancing bit... :twilightsheepish: I feel a little pathetic over needing so much help working on my stories... But at least I'm getting them done, right?

Two updates in a week... Look for another TtS update next week - mostly because I haven't even started on chapter 7 of Chase the Wind... :pinkiecrazy:

Love and Light all!
~Witchy

Pt. 6 - Thunderstruck

Monkey sighs and sets the letter aside on her bunk, huffing irritably as a lock of red mane falls into her eyes. “Hey Leaf,” she groans as she sets her head down on her arms. “We have to pick up Tricks on the way home… Witchy’s latest letter is postmarked from Half-Flank, Saddle Arabia… And now she apparently has to hunt for a crystal tree in the Everfree Forest…”

Leaf looks up at the neighboring bunk, a quizzical expression on his face. “What… A crystal tree?!”

“Yah… Apparently, it was that or go to Roan, which I’m told to have you explain why that’s a bad idea,” Monkey replies dryly.

“It’s only the worst idea possible,” Leaf retorts, his usual humor absent. “I mean… Unless they want to never be seen or heard from again… And I’d really rather they stick around.”

“Roan’s that city in Istally that everypony avoids like the Black Death, isn’t it?” Stormy asks, leaning over the edge of his bunk to look to Leaf below for confirmation.

“Yep!” Leaf responds with a firm nod. “Because it is the Black Death… There are some second or third-hoof accounts of ponies who managed to get back to civilization after going there, but they died within days, and nothing grows around their graves, to say nothing of the violence that generally preceded those deaths and the hauntings…”

“Wow…” Starry murmurs quietly in the ensuing silence in their squad’s area. “And I thought Daring Do went into dangerous places…”

Monkey and Leaf share a look before they both crack up, breaking the somber mood like a stone breaks glass. “You get to explain that one to them too, Lover Colt…” Monkey comments, hopping lightly down from her bunk and heading to the window overlooking the academy grounds.

Staring out through the rain pelting against the glass, Monkey chews on her lower lip anxiously as she watches various Wonderbolts rush around, obviously trying to figure out what was going on.

“Careful, Monkey… Stay like that much longer and you’ll turn into Witchy…”

Monkey turns and casts an exasperated glance over her shoulder at Leaf, who had avoided the queries of their squadmates by following her over. He only laughs at her, continuing, “See! Just like that! You’re spending too much time with her for your own good!”

“I do live with her, remember? And you could stand to spend more time with her, Leaf,” Monkey retorts, returning to her weather watching. “There wasn’t rain scheduled for today, and it’s got the Wonderbolts worried enough that they cancelled today’s formation training.”

Starry comes up beside Monkey, nudging the yellow pegasus to one side and pressing her face to the glass. “It is coming down pretty hard for a Code Three…”

“Code Three?” Stormy repeats, joining the mares at the window from Monkey’s other side. “Why aren’t they trying to get rid of it?” he asks, mostly musing aloud.

“Oh c’mon! It’d probably just a Code Two that won’t do any harm to let pass…” Leaf protests. “Sure, it’s cancelled cadet training, but -”

His words are cut off with a flash of lightning, followed by a siren and the speakers around the training grounds crackling to life. “ATTENTION ALL WONDERBOLTS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL. ALL WONDERBOLTS, REPORT TO THE MESS HALL FOR IMMEDIATE DISPATCH FOR A CODE FOUR WEATHER INCIDENT! I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! ALL CADETS, REPORT TO YOUR INSTRUCTORS! ALL WONDERBOLT STAFF ARE TO REPORT TO THE BASEMENT FOR SHELTER!” Silver Lining’s voice rattles everything in the barracks, booming through the speakers and practically shaking the bones of every cadet present.

Monkey turns and raises an eyebrow at Leaf, who at least has the decency to smile sheepishly. “Well… It’s not a Code Three like you guys were saying…” he laughs, but his tone has an edge of nervousness.

“You heard Second Captain Lining… Let’s move it, Apple,” Stormy says, shrugging slightly and heading for the door. The moment his hoof releases the catch on the door, it flies open, wind bursting into the barracks and sending loose papers flying. Leaf jumps forward and forces the door shut, leaning his whole body against it to keep it closed while Stormy quickly secures the latch again.

“Goggles… Goggles would be good,” Leaf comments dryly as he slumps against the door. Stormy laughs nervously in response. As Stormy turns, he nearly misses the pair of goggles flying at his head courtesy of their youngest member, but ducks in time, letting Leaf take them to his face. “Ow! Thanks a lot!”

“Any time, Leaf!” Stormy replies, chuckling and catching the next pair that Starry tosses their way.

Monkey returns from rummaging around their bunks with four of the cadet uniforms and parses them out to her wingmates. “They might not be much, given this storm, but it’s better than nothing…”

“Amen to that!” Starry agrees, quickly pulling her uniform on as the other three do the same. It’s little more than a high-collared jacket, but any protection would be better than none given the situation.

Looking back at the rest of the cadets, Apple Squad can’t help but sigh at the state of disarray the others have fallen into with Captain Silver’s announcement and Stormy’s opening of the door. Collectively shaking their heads, they dart out the door, reasonably certain that the rest of the Cadets would try to make their way to the cafeteria by way of the connected buildings instead of sucking it up and running through the rain.

Bursting through the mess hall doors, Apple Squad wasn’t the first to arrive, but they have the dubious distinction of being the first of the cadets to make it, nearly careening headlong into Third Captain Fire Streak and Captain Riptide.

“It seems as though I just saved myself five bits…” Fire comments with a slight smile at Riptide who smirks in reply.

“Alright you lot. Wait by the bulletin board until the rest of your class gets here,” Tide commands, gesturing with a hoof in the general direction she’d indicated.

“They’ll probably be coming by way of the gym, ma’am…” Starry calls as she follows her friends into the noisy cafeteria. Even so, they can hear Tide’s sigh of frustration and watch through the rain-pelted window as she stomps outside towards the other side of the training facility. Leaf’s light and half-smothered chuckle catches amongst them and soon their all snickering at their imagined scenarios of Tide dragging the other twelve cadets through the storm to the mess hall.

“Daisy, on Dancer! Cherry, with me! Butterfly, follow Sky! Apple and Midnight!” Tide shouts orders over the raging wind to be heard by the four cadet squads behind her. “Divide and conquer!” she adds to her squadmates, and the members of Squad Six shift to take the center positions in the box formations made by the veteran cadets, turning it into a plus formation.

Midnight slips into Apple’s formation between Leaf and Monkey behind Stormy and in front of Starry. “I’m glad I’m with experienced Weather pegasi!” she calls out, barely heard over the screaming wind. Stormy vaguely gestures over his shoulder with hoof, a visible sign of acknowledgement. “Shift Arrow! Let’s go!” Starry moves back a length while Midnight and Stormy switch places, and they charge towards the storm, the last group of cadets to do so.

The instant they hit the cloud layer, Apple Squad’s focus shifts from defeating the storm to simply trying to keep their elite and Starry with them. Their formation shifts into a W shape, allowing Monkey or Leaf to catch Midnight, and letting Stormy keep an eye out for Starry getting blown away by the raging air currents.

“HEAD HALF-RIGHT! WE NEED TO GET TO THE CENTER!!!” Stormy shouts up from the second row. Monkey nods and veers closer to Midnight, waving to catch the elite’s attention, then gestures in the direction Stormy had indicated. The mare nods in reply and angles right, the rest of Apple following her lead.

Within moments of changing direction, the winds are nearly unmanageable for Starry and Midnight, particularly so in conjunction with hail the size of golf balls and rain pelting them from all directions. A particularly nasty updraft throws all of them off course, and only by the grace of Leaf grabbing Midnight’s hoof and Stormy doing the same for Starry did the two lithe mares stay with the group.

As they close in on the storm’s center, the winds gain strength, and the hailstones grow from golf balls to roughly hoof-sized. Monkey sees when one slams right into Midnight’s head, and she grabs for Midnight’s hoof near-instinctively. Just as Midnight stabilizes though, a gale blasts through the group, ripping her from Monkey’s grip and sending her tumbling past Stormy and Starry. Leaf, in an ill-fated attempt to catch Monkey and Midnight, follows and careens into Monkey’s back as she collides with Stormy, sending all three of them toppling plot-over-teakettle in the wind, Starry whipped along from her death-grip on Leaf’s tail.

Between Stormy and Starry using their wings to slow them down, the squad is able to brake enough into a drifting hover and disentangle themselves.

“Where’d Ensign Midnight go?!” Stormy asks as he looks around frantically.

Monkey shakes her head. “She can take care of herself! We need to get to the eye!”

“Which way though?” Leaf questions, finally making Stormy shift the subject of his search. Monkey answers first though.

“This way! Follow me!” she responds. She starts to turn, but Starry catches her hoof.

“How do you know?!”

“Just a feeling. Stormy can lead when he figures it out if I’m wrong,” Monkey explains with a shrug, unable to articulate the instinctual draw. “Get back in Box; Stormy, bring up the rear. Leaf, I want you and Starry to switch sides however much you need to in order to stay downwind of Starry with any cross-winds. Starry, Stormy and Leaf will be keeping you with us while I’m leading.” Both Starry and Leaf look to Stormy for confirmation, and Stormy simply shrugs before he moves into the position Monkey had asked for.

Starry and Leaf quickly do the same, with the mare to Monkey’s right and Leaf to her left, and Monkey starts off in the direction she feels a pull in. With the strong gusts of headwind that constantly attempt to send her cartwheeling backwards, she doesn’t have time to wonder at the odd instinctual draw, or that her wings itch more the further they fly upwind.

“Center’s dead ahead! Watch out for the -” Leaf’s relay of Stormy’s warning is cut off from Monkey’s ears as she plows head first into a wall of wind that sends her reeling to the right. Adjusting rapidly, she sets her wings into a glide to use the gale-force tailwind while occasionally flapping her wings to angle inward.

“Aaaaaah, look out!!!” Starry shouts from behind Monkey, only a second before crashing into Monkey, sending both of them tumbling out of the cyclonic winds and into the calm of the storm’s center.

As the two mares take a moment to right themselves, Leaf and Stormy join them. “What the hay is that?!” Stormy exclaims pointing inward, turning the rest of the squad’s attention in that direction. While Leaf and Starry make mixed noises of confusion, Monkey’s eyes narrow and her jaw drops.

“Smash it!” she shouts, immediately shooting off towards the pink crystal floating in the eye of the storm.

“Monkey! Wait!!!” Stormy shouts as he, Starry and Leaf try to catch up with her.

The crystal flares and fires off a bolt of pink lightning that Monkey easily dodges but scatters her squadmates’ pursuit. Undeterred, Monkey charges forward, darting and weaving as the crystal shoots more blasts towards her. Pink bolts streak across the sky as Monkey pumps her wings furiously to reach the cursed gem. Each bolt threatens to strike her as she moves closer and closer, but Monkey presses forward, squinting through her goggles with determination.

The world beyond her target narrows until nothing but the crystal and the next attack to evade exist, her friends’ calls lost to the whistling wind in her ears. In slow motion, she sees another build-up from the crystal and knows - without a doubt - she won’t be able to avoid the fuschia lightning. Monkey braces herself for the inevitable impact, gritting her teeth in defiance as she prepares herself to power through and smash the infernal gem.

Monkey winds up to punch as time slows down, but the glowing crystal in front of her discharges just as she is about to strike. The force of the strike sends her backwards, the caustic smell of burning feathers assaulting her nose for a moment as she falls through the void, quickly dissipating as she descends into an uncontrolled free fall. Pain threatens to overwhelm her as she twists and tries to right herself, but her wings refuse to move at all and her efforts only serve to make her fall more disorientating.

“Crap! Starry, double push!” Stormy yells, moving under Starry with Leaf. As the two stallions start to angle downward to dive after Monkey, Starry angles upward, fixing her eyes on the crystal. One of her back hooves barely nicks one of Stormy’s, the other brushing against one of Leaf’s. In an instant, Starry pushes against their hooves with a hard downstroke of her wings, sending the stallions zooming downward while she speeds towards the gem, smashing it easily before it could hurl another bolt.

Simultaneously, Leaf and Stormy zip through the sky/winds watching how Monkey was flailing and attempting to straighten herself out – and failing. Locking their wings alongside their bodies, they streamlined themselves much as possible. Getting closer, they both knew the rescue would have to be timed perfectly since if one or both got knocked out, certain death awaited for them.

Stormy growls in determination looking past Monkey to gauge the distance they had left. Rapidly running out of time, he studies Monkey’s flailing hooves willing himself to fall faster. Missing one of Monkey’s arms, he catches one with his arm as his body slams into Monkey’s and does his best to avoid being hit on the head.

Leaf watches Stormy, trying to figure out what the other stallion is thinking but, without seeing where Stormy is looking, he had to guess and hope it was the right option. With Stormy being more streamline that him, Leaf finds himself slightly behind when he sees that Stormy had been paying close attention to Monkey’s upper body. Focusing on Monkey’s legs, he catches both of them while forcing his head to the side so he wouldn’t slam into Monkey’s stomach.

As one, both stallions spread their wings wide, flapping them hard in an attempt to create more resistance as well as angling themselves for a rough landing. When he feels they were going as slow as they could before the ground met them, Leaf flaps one wing to spin them so he’s beneath his squadmates before bringing his wings in. “HEAD AND WINGS IN!” he shouts and Stormy hastily does the same while Monkey tucks her head in. Not a moment too soon, they smack into the ground hard enough to bounce a few times. The rough landing tosses Stormy away, skittering along the rocky ground.

Skidding to a stop with his sister’s roommate atop him, Leaf lays there trying to get his ears to stop ringing while Monkey shudders and twitches. Stormy turns his head to the side with a groan, but otherwise remains still, laying on his stomach.

“LEAF! MONKEY! STORMY!” Starry calls out as she lands and rushes over to them. “Please don’t be dead.”

“Too bad…” Leaf groans from his back. Whatever humor he’d had vanishes as he cracks his eyes open and sees Monkey, seemingly unconscious but for her face contorted into a pained grimace and almost inaudible whimpers. “Aw shit… Starry? Help me get Monkey up.”

“You’re kidding, right?” she retorts skeptically. “There’s a reason you two went after her…”

“Here… I’ll- agh!” Stormy cuts off as he flops back to the ground with a wince. Muttering curses under his breath, he sighs and rolls to his left side, his right arm at an awkward angle and the wing behind it has an additional, unnatural and painful, bend, to say nothing of the scrapes running down his torso. Starry whips around to look at him, eyes widening at his obvious injuries.

“Stormy, don’t you dare move again!” Starry snaps. “Honestly! Do stallions not know how to take care of themselves when they’re injured?” she asks rhetorically, rolling her eyes.

“Starry? I’ve been at my mother’s and sister’s tender mercies enough to know when not to move… but right now, I’m gonna be worse off if you don’t get Monkey off of me,” Leaf remarks dryly, drawing Starry’s attention back to him. As her brow furrows, Leaf puffs an exasperated sigh and raises an eyebrow at her. “Look… My arms and legs aren’t hurt. I can help so you’re not trying to deadlift her. So get your plot over here already.”

Lips pressed together with uncertainty, Starry circles Leaf and Monkey, looking for the best place to lift the semi-conscious mare. “Can you lift her first? I could probably drag her off once I can get my shoulder under her…” Nodding, Leaf shifts with a pained grimace and, grunting from the effort, slowly starts to hoist Monkey upward. Ducking under the yellow mare’s shoulder, careful to avoid the extended wing, Starry pulls Monkey the rest of the way off of Leaf.

Wincing, Leaf rolls to his hooves and wobbles from the spasming muscles in his back while Starry continues to slowly pull Monkey towards Stormy. “Ugh… So much for a relatively tame two weeks…” he grumbles, gingerly following after the squad’s youngest members. “Where are you going, Starry?”

“Saw a cave... over here… before your… spectacular landing,” she replies, grunting between steps. “Last thing… you all need… is to… stay wet… while injured…” She pauses by Stormy, panting and looking between Leaf and the cadet squad captain. “Think you… can help Stormy?” she asks, breathing hard from her efforts.

“Can’t hurt me any worse,” Leaf responds with a shrug, and then winces as his shoulders give a painful twinge at the gesture. It takes no small amount of careful maneuvering, and more than a few expletives - shouted or grumbled - to get Stormy up and hobbling next to Leaf, both wincing as their movements jostle Stormy’s dislocated shoulder and brush against the deep scrapes along Leaf’s back.

Despite this slowing them considerably, they catch Starry just as she’s entering the cave she’d spotted, though it’s not much of one - barely fifteen feet deep. Starry stumbles inside, only barely making it to completely dry ground before she collapses to the cave floor, wheezing from her exertions. Leaf and Stormy quickly follow suit, finding their own patches of ground to flop down upon.

“Well… Shit…” Starry pants, rolling out from under Monkey’s arms. “Now what do we do?”

As rain starts pelting the ground outside, neither of the stallions have an answer.

Author's Note

Again, credit where credit is due; many thanks to Destiny-brave-fire and Sylvian for their invaluable assistance.

Why was a dreaded pink crystal in the middle of a storm over the Flight Academy? What happened to Monkey?! Will they be able to make it back, or will they be found, and in what condition will they be in?!

Stay tuned! Next update mightn't be for a while, but it's gonna be CtW next.

Take care!
~Witching Hour

Pt. 7 - Rescue Run

“I can’t believe I lost them!” Midnight sighs, putting her head against the wall and slowly hitting it. Behind her, Tide paces back and forth with a frown, her hooves beating out a steady tempo against the floor. “The winds were just too strong! Tide, I’ve never seen winds that strong!”

“It wasn’t natural,” Dancer says from where he has been sitting beside the window, staring out into it. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it felt… wrong.”

“Well, wrong or not,” Sky whines, dancing from hoof to hoof near the door. “My sister is out there! WE NEED TO FIND HER!”

“I’m sorry, Sky,” Midnight sighs, ears back against her head. “I tried to stay with them, I really did!” She turns around, opening her mouth to stay more, but Tide holds up a hoof.

“If anypony is at fault, Midnight,” Tide states flatly, “then it is me. I am the Captain in charge of the returning recruits, and Apple Squad is my responsibility.” She turns towards the window, growling her next words. “I shouldn’t have split us all up. I should have made us go out in a group and face the storm head on!”

“Your plan was sound, Tide,” Midnight says softly, a warm, and perhaps even loving, smile on her face. “I am the one who failed.”

“Who failed is of no consequence right now,” Dancer interjects, turning from the window to look at the rest of his squad. “Right now, all that matters is finding them. I am sure Captain Riptide agrees?”

Sighing, Tide stops her pacing and nods. “I do,” she states simply before looking to Dancer. “Commander, take Sky with you, and go searching. The storm has had time to calm, and should be safe now.” She looks to Midnight as she opens her mouth. “Midnight, you’re staying here with me. You were injured when the storm blew you down, and I’d like to keep a close eye on you to make sure you’re alright, and I’ll need help keeping the other recruits under control.”

Blushing, Midnight nods, “Yes, ma’am.” She walks over towards Tide, a slight limp in her step.

Chuckling, Dancer heads to the door with Sky, winking at Midnight as he passes. “We’ll be back shortly, if all goes well.” He then heads out and into the hallway beyond. He leads Sky down the hall and through the few recruits that are currently speaking to the elites administering the camp, many of them having escaped with minor scrapes and bruises.

From there it is a quick trot through the lobby and into the rain.

Without a word, the two Elites take to the sky, heading towards where Midnight had last seen Squad Apple heading; the area the eye of the storm had sat over.

Truthfully, it wasn’t a lot to go on, and Dancer is not particularly optimistic, but having seen, and been in the center of storms worse than this one before, he knew that time was not their ally at the moment, and any clue would be helpful. Beside him, Sky is silent, his face fixed in a look of determination, eyes staring forward beneath his goggles.

“Don’t worry, Sky,” Dancer calls over to his fellow Wonderbolt. “We’ll find them, safe and secure in some cave or something! They’re a resourceful bunch!”

“I know,” Sky replies, his voice tight. “But I can’t help it, Dancer. You said it yourself, this storm was unusually strong… and my sister is so small…” He shakes his head, growling slightly and grimacing into the rain as they fly. “She might be strong enough to be a Recruit, but going into that storm, without an elite, was insane! They should have turned back when they lost Midnight!”

“What’s done is done, Sky.” Dancer comforts his friend, flying close but but not too close. “We’ll find them, and I’m sure your sister will be just as perky and giggly as usual.” Dancer then nods with his head towards an area of clouds still lazily floating in a circle.

Once they reach the area the eyes of the storm had rested over, they start a sweeping search, attempting to locate any possible landing spots, and shelters they can. Their search takes a few hours, and right as Dancer starts to truly feel the cold bite of the rain, Sky flags him over to an area.

“Looks like something landed here, hard,” the younger Wonderbolt says as Dancer comes over. “And it looks like a couple of ponies were dragged off in that direction,” he points away from the landing sight. “I think I saw a cave that way, but I can’t be sure in this rain.”

Nodding, and wiping some of the rain from his goggles with the back of an arm, Dancer smiles. “Well, it’s the best lead we have yet. Shall we go see if your sister is off that way?” Sky starts off even before Dancer is finished talking, forcing Dancer to quickly join up with his younger companion. With a little luck they’ll find Apple Squad and be able to get back to Midnight and Tide without further incident.

As they walk, Dancer continues to smile, hiding his worry from Sky. Judging by the dark stain leading from the crash site, Dancer fears such an incident has already occurred.

Monkey feels a dull ache in the back of her skull, like she made the mistake of back-talking to Captain Riptide three days in a row. She opens her eyes to find a world of darkness and faint gleams of light. The lights shift and shape themselves into a matrix of cogs and gears and all manner of mechanical forms beneath her hooves. Steel and glass rest below her, while a magnificent cloud obstacle course forms above her head. Clockwork birds circle above iron trees with stained glass apples, singing pipe organ melodies above her head. Monkey soon realizes, perhaps a bit thickly, that she’s not in the waking world, but within the world of her subconsciousness.

A mechanical butterfly lands on Monkey’s nose for a brief instant before flying away with all haste. Monkey moves to follow it, but suddenly finds herself pulled straight back down to the ground. When she looks, she has to stifle a scream as she watches snake-like glowing pink chains lace themselves up her legs, around her torso, and around her wings, pulling her down toward the ground. Monkey looks around in horror as larger chains spring up like toxic vines, seizing the clockwork birds and uprooting the wrought iron trees. Pink chains bring cogs and gears grinding to a halt. Monkey closes her eyes, which barely hold back tears.

Monkey feels the chains glow warm as a flash of blue light brightens up the sky. Monkey opens her eyes and looks around. Pink chains recoil as pale azure beams strike them, almost as though burned by the light. The cobalt magic heals the landscape around it, restoring it to the original pristine sanctuary of glass and iron it once was. Gears begin to turn again. Monkey looks around to find her savior, but her jaw drops at what she finds.

A glowing form of Witching Hour, complete with wings of pure blue light, glides by and strafes another group of chains with more blue beams. There’s no sign of recognition in her eyes, or any sign of any emotion besides cold, hard determination. The last of the pink chains fall away from Monkey, allowing her to take flight above the scene.

The Witching Hour avatar fights valiantly, but there are just too many chains for her to defeat outright. With every lance of blue magic, a new chain rises. With every chain, a beam of icy azure strikes it down. It is a pure deadlock of force. Monkey moves to help Witching, but a blast of blue knocks her on her flank as the avatar shakes its head. Clearly, it thinks that this is not a fight for Monkey to be involved in.

Still, it doesn’t look like the avatar can keep up with destroying the chains much longer. Finally, the avatar falls to the ground on one knee, and the chains all spring toward her, large and small, in an attempt to bind her. They never make it, being stopped by countless whip-like beams of glacial cerulean, which tie the pink chains to the ground. The chains writhe within their new prison, but it is useless. Monkey moves to approach the avatar, but a voice sounds in her head.

“-up, Monkey!” it cries, the voice taking on a younger mare’s timbre and echoing slightly in her mindscape. “You gotta wake up!”

And suddenly, Monkey feels herself floating again.

“Dammit, Monks, my sister’s gonna kill me if you got those wings damaged while she’s out of the country!”

Leaf’s voice pierces the fog enveloping Monkey’s brain like a lance, followed swiftly by waves of fiery pain radiating from her wings and chest. The groan that forces its way out of her mouth feels like raw glass in her throat.

Starry squeals in a piercing pitch, and before Monkey can flinch at the noise, the younger mare has her arms around Monkey and squeezing her tightly. A ragged cry of agony escapes Monkey, and mercifully, Starry lets go as she squeaks, “Ohmigosh, I’m sorry Monkey!”

“Ow…” Monkey groans as she slowly folds her wings with multiple cracks and pops of the joints.

“Good to see you’re not gonna be permanently in glide form…” Leaf comments drily.

“Shaddap, Leaf… Not helping…” Monkey retorts weakly. “The crystal…?”

“Starry smashed it while Leaf and I dove after you,” Stormy chimes in softly, “but our landing was pretty rough because we had to deal with your wings at full spread. What the hell was that thing? The storm slacked off as soon as it was gone.”

“Dunno… Witch never let me near the one she’s been studying… Said it let pegasi use magic,” Monkey replies, shifting as she tries to find a more comfortable position to lie in. Unfortunately for her, her stomach was the most comfortable… Or rather the least uncomfortable, as her wings and back protested any pressure on them. “All I know is that the crystals freak her out, and they generally shouldn’t exist…”

“Guess we should be glad you recognized it then, yeah?” Starry suggests, garnering a slight nod from the yellow mare.

“Pretty much… Ugh… How long was I out?” Monkey asks, groaning again as her wings twitch involuntarily.

“About two hours…” Stormy replies. “I was going to send Starry back to the Academy Compound so we could be found once the storm died off but…”

“But I’m not leaving you three alone when you’ve all proven you don’t know how to take care of yourselves,” Starry cuts in sharply, scowling at Stormy who merely shrugs and points at her with a hoof while looking at Monkey as if to say, “see what I’ve been dealing with?”

“Starry… It’s unlikely we’ll be found without somepony going back for help. You’re the only one that can really fly right now…” Monkey explains, sighing heavily as she turns to regard the dappled mare.

Starry scrunches up her face, the logic clearly ringing true to her and leaving a sour taste in her mouth. “That’s what I said…” Stormy adds, obviously trying not to laugh.

“At least be somewhere you can be seen from above, Starry… Do what you can to get yourself noticed… Maybe make a flag out of your flight jacket,” Monkey temporizes, an edge of pleading coloring her suggestion. “I’m sure they’re out looking for us.”

“She has a point, Starry,” Leaf says, a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. Starry puffs out her cheeks and glowers at him before whipping around, her tail lashing out and catching Leaf across his face.

“Fine… Fine, fine, fine,” she grumbles, almost stomping her way out of their small cave and right into the chest of a pony walking into the cave, bowling him over and landing on top of him.

“Again?” A voice comes from beyond the tangled pile of ponies, quickly followed by a very familiar stallion wearing a Wonderbolts’ uniform. “Sky, how in the name of Celestia does your sister keep bowling you over? Do we need Silver to teach you awareness again?”

“It’s not my fault she catches me off balance every time,” Sky grumbles from beneath his sister. “Especially after I’ve been so worried about her!”

“Well, she looks fine to me,” Dancer chuckles as he lifts Starry off of Sky, then offers a hoof to his friend. “Now, let’s get inside and make sure the others are just as alright.”

“For the record, Commander, we’re not,” Stormy grunts from inside the cave.

“And what are your injuries, Captain,” Dancer asks in a dead serious tone, even as Sky’s jaw drops at the state of the two stallion cadets. “Anything serious or life threatening?”

“Nothing life threatening, sir,” Stormy starts, groaning as he levers himself up with his left arm. “However, I’ve broken my right wing and dislocated my right shoulder, and Leaf and I got scraped up pretty badly from a rough landing.”

“That was you two? And you’re still walking?” Sky says in amazement, his eyes wide.

“They landed on me, actually…” Leaf interjects with a sigh.

“Oh, never mind, that explains it,” Sky chuckles and waves a hoof dismissively.

“Uhm… Anyway, there is one more thing to report, but I’m not too sure if it’s serious or not, Commander,” Stormy continues, his brow furrowed. When Dancer motions for him to continue he clears his throat and looks to Monkey. “There was something controlling that storm and it hit Monkey, sir, a crystal of some sort… pink and glowing. Monkey saw it and-” The sound of somepony tripping causes him to look back over at the two elites in time to see Sky stumbling back up after missing a step, and Dancer’s face fall into an emotionless mask.

“Cadet Captain,” Dancer’s voice is neutral and commanding, “I think we need to get you all back to base as soon as possible.” He turns to Sky, who shrinks back a little at his friend’s gaze. “Lieutenant, I need you fly back and get Tide and Silver. Pull them out of whatever meetings they’re in, and tell them to meet us in the infirmary.”

“And if they object?” Sky ventures hesitantly.

“Then tell them the shadows are moving, they’ll know what it means.” Dancer growls, causing Sky to salute and zip off without further questions as Dancer looks back to the squad. “Captain, I’ll carry you, but the rest of you are going to need to fly with me. We don’t have a moment to lose.”

“What’s going on Commander?” Stormy asks, voicing the question the rest of his squad is certainly thinking.

“Something very bad,” Dancer whispers as he goes over to help Stormy onto his back. “Something that could endanger everypony at the Academy.” Dancer waits for them all to stand, then spreads his wings, grunting under the extra weight on his back, and takes to the air.

The rest of Apple follows suit, though both Leaf and Monkey are shaky and slow due to their battered state, but soon they’re all on their way back to the safety of the academy.

“Can we be sure it was them?” Fire asks slowly from his seat in front of Silver’s desk. “The storm was pretty thick; the recruits could have been mistaken.”

“I don’t think they were,” Tide sighs, tapping her hoof against the desk. “Sir, we weren’t able to recover any of the crystal shards, but I believe my recruits. Their captain isn’t one to lie, and while Leaf Wind has a tendency to exaggerate he would never lie about something this big.”

“And the other two?” Silver asks as he reads the report in front of him. “Starry Sky and Monkey Wrench?”

“Cadets Sky and Wrench don’t seen to be the type to stretch the truth,” Tide replies, gesturing to the report. “In fact, Monkey Wrench was apparently attacked by the crystal they saw. None of them know what caused it, however she claims to have knowledge about the crystals through her friend, Chief Petty Officer Witching Hour.”

“Chief Hour?” Fire asks, looking at Tide with a raised eyebrow.

“Indeed, Captain Streak,” Silver replies, tapping one of the personnel reports on his desk beside the report. “Chief Hour was the one to fix her wings, if her record is any indication. I will have to speak with both of them most likely. We don’t know a whole lot about these crystals, let alone why the Shadowbolts are using them, and if Chief Hour has any more information, then she should be sharing it with us.”

“Perhaps I should talk to her, Second Captain,” Tide offers slowly. “After all, one of my squad is friends with her, it would be a simple batter to-”

“No,” Silver states flatly, cutting her off. “Captain Riptide, I know you and Midnight are close, but-”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about…” Tide starts, sitting straight up and attempting to hide a small blush, but the glare from Silver silences her as effectively as a slap to the face.

“But you cannot shield her friend in this,” Silver continues, putting the report down and leveling a stern gaze at Tide to keep her silent. “If she has information regarding these crystals, and the Shadowbolts who wield them, then it is her duty as a Wonderbolt, Auxiliary or not, to disclose that information.” Tide stays silent, her gaze focused on the desk in front of her. “Am I clear, Captain?”

“Crystal clear, sir,” Tide says softly, ears pinned against her head.

“Now then, what is the status of the recruit squads?” Silver asks both Fire and Tide.

Clearing his throat, Fire taps a folder in front of him on the desk, a small smile on his face. “All the recruits under my watch made it out of the storm unharmed, though a little shaken up by the storm.”

“With the obvious exception of Apple…” Tide starts with a sigh, looking up at Silver. “My recruits made it out relatively unscathed. Some ruffled feathers and minor injuries amongst them from battling the storm, but nothing as serious as Cadets Wrench or Storm.”

Silver glances down at the open medical report on the desk, harumphing softly while thinking. “The returning cadets have another four days left. Any less and I’d say just send them both home…”

“But-” Tide starts to protest, but Silver continues on as though she hadn’t at all.

“Medical seems to think Cadet Wrench will be fine after some rest, as for Cadet Storm…” Silver trails off, his eyes scanning further down the page. “Hmmm… He’s going to be out of any physical training with that wing of his.”

“Sir, we can’t send him home now!” Tide objects, standing from her seat in her vehemence.

“Did I say to send him home, Riptide?” Silver retorts sharply, looking up at her with a blank expression on his face.

“No, sir, you didn’t,” Tide says slowly, sitting back down in her chair. “But… the guidelines state that if a recruit is injured and unable to meet the physical requirements for the camp, they’re to be sent home.” She then frowns deeply and looks over at Silver with a determined look. “However, Cadet Storm performed admirably in his role as Captain of Squad Apple, and I’ll be damned if I allowed somepony of his talent and dedication to be sent home now!”

A small smirk flickers across Silver’s face before he replies, "Then congratulations on your new Captain's assistant, Riptide. I hope you both have fun filing all the paperwork you'll have with Apple Squad's injuries. Dismissed."

On instinct borne from years of protocol and training, both Fire and Riptide stand and file silently out of the office. Only when the door latch catches does Riptide turn and look back, a dumbfounded expression on her face. “Did he just…” she starts, almost muttering.

Having stopped a few steps further down the hall from her, Fire Streak resists the urge to smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Allow me to assist in breaking in your new assistant, Captain Riptide,” he offers, though it’s made more of a statement by his efforts to keep his voice from betraying his inner mirth.

Author's Note

Yay! They found Cadet Squad Apple!!! :yay: Of course, Monkey's a wreck, and Stormy's worse off, but at least they're able to stay through the whole two weeks!

**flops over** SO! Here's the penultimate chapter of Touch the Sky... Next chapter will wrap everything up... Hopefully, I'll have CtW08 ready to publish next week... :twilightsheepish: Hopefully...

Happy Reading!

Pt. 1 - Starting Line

“Hey Monkey!”

Monkey turns her head slightly to see the dark-red stallion closing in on her right wing. It’d been a long flight to get to the Wonderbolt Academy, but the leisurely flying is exactly what Monkey wants at this point. “Hey Leaf… Long time, no see. How was Vietmane?” she asks as the high plateau comes into view from behind a cloud.

“Eh… You know… Running errands for Double Dee, keeping her camp supplied, making sure the locals don’t try to kill us… The usual…” he replies with a slight shrug as they continue their wide arc towards the landing strip spanning the diameter of the academy grounds. “I’m surprised Sis didn’t keep you in Canterlot…” he comments dryly, and Monkey scoffs at him.

“Please… After all the hassle I put her through over competitive flying, I’d have to break these for her to even think about having me stay home…” she retorts and then barrel-rolls, sending rays of green light flashing off the crystal edges.

“S’pose that’s true…” Leaf laughs in reply as they spot a group of flight cadets with a squad of Wonderbolts, seemingly waiting for something… Or rather more accurately, the time when all second-time cadets were supposed to report in.

“Shit…” they curse simultaneously, turning sharply and diving in for a landing with the gathered cadets.

As soon as the pair land and drop their bags behind them, the captain of the Wonderbolts squad, a muscular light red mare in full uniform with her black mane and tail cropped short, steps forward, eyeing all of them with a skeptical expression in her green eyes.

“Alright Cadets,” the mare says in a no-nonsense voice. “Listen up, because I am only going to say this once!” she stops in front of the first Cadet in the line. “I am Captain Riptide of the Elite Squad Six. I’ve been tasked with whipping your sorry plots into shape.” She starts down the line, her eyes narrowed. “The three behind me are my squad mates, who have the honor of assisting me!” She stops in front of Monkey and Leaf, eyeing both of them sternly. “We will be pushing you to your limits, and we will be pushing them to the point I am sure some of you will break.”

Riptide turns, and starts down the line again, “Why, you might be asking yourself, are we doing this?” One of the pegasi in the line raises a hoof, and Tide instantly rounds on them with a growl, “That was rhetorical, now put that hoof down before I make you eat it!” The poor soul lowers their hoof with a whimper, Tide narrowing her eyes. “Good, you can follow orders.” She resumes her pacing. “And before anypony else gets it into their heads that they know the answer, you don’t.” She stops and points to one of her squadmates, a grey stallion with a dark brown mane, “Commander Dancer, what are the Wonderbolts?”

“The Wonderbolts are the first and last line of defense for Equestria against threats that go above and beyond the Royal Guard and regular military forces,” the stallion replies in a near shout, standing at attention in the line beside the other two squadmates. Captain Riptide nods and resumes her pacing.

“That’s right! We might fly around in pretty patterns for the general public, but you all signed up to be Wonderbolts, and I’m not going to sugar coat it. You’re all going to train like us, eat like us, and sleep like us. By the end of this, if you don’t have bruises the same color as her,” she says, pointing to a dark-blue mare (who smiles and waves slightly at the line of cadets which earns herself flat stare from Tide), “then you haven’t tried hard enough!” She rounds on the cadets and points at them, the one directly in front of her shrinking a little. “And you had better try your hardest! Or by Luna’s crescent-marked backside, I’ll give you nightmares so horrible, even she won’t be able to pull your sorry tails out of them! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?”

“Ma’am, yes ma’am!” Leaf practically shouts his reply, already mimicking the Wonderbolts under Captain Riptide’s command and standing at attention, while the rest of the cadets, Monkey included, are still trying to digest Commander Dancer’s description for the Wonderbolts and only manage a few scattered and shaky answers of “Yes ma’am.”

Tide, initially scowling at the rest of the recruits, turns her attention on Leaf with a raised eyebrow. “Looks like at least one of you can reply with any sort of quickness! Doesn't mean you've earned any points in my book! In fact, you're a little too eager for this! Perhaps you need to run off some of that energy! Gimme five-hundred laps, all of you! See if some exercise loosens your tongues!”

Monkey knows better than to groan like a few of the other recruits, so she immediately takes off, a downstroke of her wings behind Leaf.

“On your -” Without thinking, Monkey whips around to her left, smacking Leaf in the face with her tray.

“Say that one more time Leaf, and I’m siccing Tricks on you… I will fly to Ponyville, bring him back and have him torment you for the rest of the two weeks, whatever Witch might think of it,” Monkey deadpans in all seriousness.

Leaf chuckles, rubbing his nose. “Oh c’mon, Monks… You can’t blame me for being better at long distance flying… I gotta keep up with Double Dee somehow! Besides, you saw first-hoof how I can’t turn at speed…”

Monkey smirks back at him, the memory of how many times her friend’s brother had plowed headlong into an obstacle giving her no small amount of vindication. “You’d better be more careful going forward… Don’t want Doctor Witching Hour to have to save her baby brother’s wings too, now…” she teases with a grin.

“Yeah… I dunno… But say she did, do you think she could make mine purple? Green looks terrible on me…”

Monkey’s amused demeanor vanishes, and she whacks the back of his head with her wing hard enough to make him stagger forward. “Don’t even joke about that, Leaf. I’ll tell her to make you walk for a week,” she retorts seriously, her voice and face flat and clearly unamused. Leaf, to his credit, smiles sheepishly, ducking his head slightly as they move forward in the press of pegasi jockeying for lunch. Sighing, she shakes her head, unable to stay angry at him. “C’mon… Witch said the safest bet at lunch is the sandwich line…”

They start to break out of the main line to head in the direction of the deli counter, only a voice behind them calls out, “Hey wait up!” Monkey and Leaf turn slightly to look, spotting the waving navy blue stallion with streaks of sky blue in his darker blue mane. Both remember the pegasus as one that hadn’t done particularly well in either endurance or the obstacle runs, but fairly well in his wingball match, rallying his group into a passable strategy, had they been capable of executing it with any sort of effectiveness.

“What’s up?” Monkey asks as Leaf turns back to the line and starts ordering his lunch. The pegasus pants slightly, looking a fair bit battered from their rigorous morning and a touch out of breath. He smiles shyly at Monkey, a slight blush barely visible under his dark coat.

“Sorry… but I heard you talking about Doctor Witching Hour… Princess Luna’s student, correct?” he asks, receiving a brief nod from Monkey in confirmation. “I met her at the Grand Galloping Ball… Um… Oh! I’m Midnight Storm.” He again looks embarrassed, so Monkey smiles reassuringly.

“Well, nice to meet you. I’m Monkey Wrench, Witch’s roommate, patient, friend and several other things…”

“Marefriend,” Leaf coughs loudly, making Monkey scowl and hit his head with her wing again.

“Please… I’m always going to be a patient to her… Between her and your mom, it’s like I never left Cloudsdale,” she retorts irritably with a roll of her eyes. “And this oaf who moonlights as a comedian is her brother, Leaf Wind,” she adds with a quick jerk of her head in his direction while turning back to Midnight Storm. “So, you met our Witch at the ball, huh? Well, she said she was in the receiving line… Oh wait! You’re the guy she cut out of dancing with!”

Monkey grins as Leaf whips around, stopping mid-order to the sandwich server, and Midnight Storm turns practically purple from blushing. “Chill, Leaf… Witchy was just stressed out… You know how she is when she’s like that. One wrong word and she’s out of the room faster than you can imagine her with wings and call her ‘Soarin’!” Monkey cuts him off, clarifying the situation so Leaf wouldn’t think Midnight Storm had done anything to hurt his sister.

Leaf still gives Midnight Storm a stink-eye before turning back and finishing his order, making Monkey laugh before she shoulder-bumps the still-blushing stallion. “Relax Stormy… Brothers are generally protective of their sisters… Especially when their as high-strung as our Witchy,” Monkey explains, finally breaking Midnight Storm out of his mortified freeze.

The trio get through the line easily, though to their amusement and brief delay, Midnight Storm has at least five glasses of water carefully balanced on his tray, not including the few he downed while filling his glasses.

As they take an open end of one table, there’s a small commotion when a dappled white and gray mare drops her tray nearly on top of Midnight Storm’s and goes speeding off towards the squad who’d been running them ragged this morning and had just entered the cafeteria; specifically, the yellow stallion who’d been mostly silent but for occasionally making whispered comments that made the dark blue mare laugh and subsequently made Captain Riptide scowl.

“CLEAR!!!” she shouts, her silver-streaked dark blue mane streaming behind her. The veritable sea of pegasi between her and the yellow stallion parts, some diving directly under the tables, assuming that her call was for a clear path. The mare’s target looks up at the shout, his blue eyes widening as she careens towards him.

“Horsefeathers,” he curses, having only time to brace himself before the mare collides with him, sending them both tumbling back through the doors. The dark blue mare collapses in a fit of giggles, clutching her sides as she rolls about on the floor.

While Captain Riptide simply rolls her eyes and heads towards the food lines, Commander Dancer snorts, looking through the doors. “Sweet Celestia, Sky… Even your little sister can knock you over? She’s not that buff, so obviously you need to stop slacking in training…”

Whatever Sky’s response was, it makes the mare laugh even harder, sending her back to the floor. All the while, Monkey, Midnight Storm and Leaf look on in bemused confusion.

“Our group has the little sister of one of our instructors…” Midnight Storm states, though his voice rises slightly as though in question.

“And she just tackled him through the door…” Monkey adds, trying not to laugh.

“I know how he feels…” Leaf comments drily as Sky and his sister come back through the doors.

“Says the colt who wouldn’t believe that his sister was actually a Wonderbolt until his marefriend confirmed it?” Monkey smirks as Leaf sputters into his glass of orange juice.

“The Wonderbolts accept unicorns?” Midnight Storm exclaims in surprise. “And Doctor Witching Hour is among them?”

“Sure do! They’re in research and training, mainly.” The dappled mare who’d tackled Sky returns just then, sliding into the seat across from Midnight Storm and next to Monkey. “They’ve even got earth ponies in their security and trainer forces. I’m Starry Sky, by the way. Hi! Sorry about nearly dumping my tray on you.”

Midnight Storm smiles and waves his hoof to dismiss the need for her apology. “No harm done. I’m Midnight Storm. You’re sitting next to Monkey Wrench, and this is Leaf Wind.”

“Sky said the team listings would be up after lunch,” Starry Sky says, smiling.

“I just hope I’m not stuck with all the clutzes they grouped me with me before,” Monkey responds drily.

“Hey! I was one of those clutzes!” Leaf exclaims, indignant.

“And how many obstacles did you crash into again?” Monkey fires back, a skeptical eyebrow raised.

“All of them, and several that weren’t even on the course,” Leaf retorts, sounding almost proud of it.

“I don’t think you have much room to complain, Miss Wrench… At least you didn’t have my group…” Midnight Storm sighs heavily in irritation. “I’m pretty sure they’d need instructions to find their own plots, and even then, they’d find ways to screw it up…”

Starry, Leaf and Monkey all laugh loudly.

“Well that’s good luck,” Monkey mutters with a smirk as she retreats from the press of veteran cadets to rejoin Leaf, Midnight Storm and Starry. “Well Stormy, looks like you did something right during that wingball game. You’re the leader of Cadet Squad Apple…” she says, smiling as Leaf and Starry both continue to stare at her expectantly, their eyes attempting to bore holes into her brain as though that would extract the information they desired. “Yes, we’re his squad-mates. Let’s go claim our beds… A note attached to the flier said we need to take two bunks for our group.”

“OH MY GOSH I’M SO GLAD I’M GROUPED WITH YOU GUYS!!!” Starry squeals happily, jumping and putting her arms around Leaf and Midnight Storm.

Midnight Storm grunts and his knees nearly buckle under the mare’s enthusiastic gesture. “Ouch… Starry… Ease up… I’m still wrecked from the other tests,” he groans.

Starry giggles, but does release him, hopping to Leaf’s other side to mimic the action with him and Monkey. “Yes sir, Captain, sir!”

Monkey chuckles as Midnight Storm groans again, shaking his head, while Leaf simply dips his wing under Starry and flips her onto his back. Starry makes a squeak of protest as she moved and then scowls at Leaf. “What was that for?!” she demands crossly, though not irritated enough to remove herself from his back.

Leaf merely shrugs, and answers, “If you’re going to molest your squadmates, I’d rather it be me. You’re making Stormy turn purple from blushing so hard, and Witchy’ll get jealous.”

“My doctor has no reason to be jealous over who touches me, Leaf… Dee, on the other hoof, does have reason to get jealous over who touches you,” Monkey retorts, glaring at Leaf with narrowed eyes.

Leaf shrugs again. “Eh… Dee won’t kill me for carting a hoovesy mare on my back… All I have to do is remind her how many times she would’ve starved or poisoned herself on her adventures without me.”

“Ah, true love,” Monkey comments, rolling her eyes and voice full of sarcasm, “apparently synonymous with survival instincts…”

Meanwhile…

Fire Streak sighs wistfully as he waits for the crowd around the bulletin board to clear to post the pairings for the first-time academy attendees, his eyes following the odd group of veteran cadets, and the dappled white and gray mare specifically.

“Was that Lieutenant Clear Sky’s sister?” asks the blue stallion that stands beside him.

Fire Streak sighs again, nodding. “Indeed, Second Commander,” he answers, clearly distracted.

“Isn’t your sister in the Recruits?” Wave Chill continues, rather confused at the preoccupation of his partner in training the new cadets.

“Yes, that’s Aurora. Recruit Squad Alpha, under Captain Dusk Glimmer,” Fire replies, almost mumbling now.

“Must be nice having a sibling that doesn’t infuriate you around all the time…” Wave comments, trying to draw his companion out.

“It would be… If she gave me the time of day in a clock factory… She never responds to anything beyond an order, and then only with ‘yes, sir’ or ‘no, sir’...” Fire responds irritably, frustration evident in his voice and posture.

“I could understand why she mightn’t like your brother, but…” Wave starts, his own brows furrowing in confusion.

“I’m lead to believe that it has something to do with how my brother and I were protective of her growing up…” Fire starts. “You can imagine my brother was not quite as tactful as he could have been, and while I did try to explain myself logically to her on several occasions, she views us both as overbearing,” he explains further. “What little contact I have with her is through Dusk Glimmer giving me regular updates on how she’s doing…”

“Well… at least your sister isn’t like the Captain’s…”

As if on cue, Blaze enters the cafeteria, swearing about paperwork, cursing Silver Lining for assigning her to the paperwork, and then shouting vulgarities at the chefs until they give her all the jalapenos she desires. Fire and Wave exchange a look of shared understanding, smiling slightly before Fire moves to post the list of Lead and Wing ponies.

Author's Note

AND WE'RE OFF AND FLYING!!!

XD Credit where credit is due; I would NOT have been able to finish this chapter without the invaluable assistance of Sylvian. Thanks to him, I have well developed personae for Leaf Wind, Starry Sky and the members of Wonderbolt Elite Squad 6.
I must also give a nod to Calm Wind again, for creating this wonderful Wonderverse to play in, and for putting his stamp of approval on the last scene.

Next chapter, the shenanigans will continue! Perhaps Trick Step and the CMC will make an appearance in the near future? :raritywink: Stay tuned!

Pt. 8 - R&R (Rehash & Recovery)

“And then they said I could set up a branch here, since I’m a Cutie Mark Crusader now!” Tricks explains excitedly, his voice cracking slightly. “I’m thinking of getting my friends Gust and Spark to help me!” The young unicorn starts climbing up his uncle’s back, ignoring the stallion’s flinching. “How’s your back feeling? Is it healing alright? Are you going to have Witch Doctor look at it when she gets home?”

“Th-that’s nice, Tricks,” Leaf grunts, eyes watering as he attempts to not cry out in pain. “It’s he-healing fine, Tricks. And n-no, I am not going to worry Witch with my back. She probably has enough on her plate!”

“Witch Doctor says you’re not very graceful,” Tricks laughs, continuing to make his way onto his uncle’s back, eventually laying down with his legs dangling over both sides. “She says you run into things a lot.”

“He really does,” Daring chuckles, moving over from where she has been standing with a hoof over her mouth to stifle laughter. “But, he makes up for it in other ways. Now, how about we get off your uncle’s back, hm? It needs to heal, and if you keep climbing all over it’s not going to.” She approaches to attempt to Tricks get off of Leaf, who shoots Daring a thankful look. “Besides, if he doesn’t heal up soon, I won’t be able to drag him off to some far flung place to search for treasure.”

At hearing the mention of treasure, Tricks stands up and plants his hooves into the bandages on Leaf’s back, causing the older stallion to wince and screw his eyes shut. “What kind of treasure are you going after, Auntie Yearling?”

“Well, I was thinking…” Daring starts, stopping as her eyes land on a pony standing in the doorway to the modest home, her bags and cases neatly stacked behind her.

“I see everything’s as I left it…” Witch muses with a smirk. “Tricks, dear, kindly leave your uncle-” She gets no further as Tricks all but teleports from Leaf’s back and runs headlong into Witch.

“WITCH DOCTOR!!!” the colt cries gleefully, clinging tightly to her. “Where did you go? Uncle Leaf and Auntie Yearling said you went to Saddle Arabia! What’d you find there? Did you finish your assignment for Princess Luna?”

“Easy, Tricks,” Witch says, returning the foal’s enthusiastic hug even as her voice holds a chiding note. “Telling you everything will take a while, and I’d like to hear Uncle Leaf and Monkey tell us about their time at the Academy first.”

“But I’ve already heard that, Witch Doctor!” Tricks complains, whining and begging his guardian with wide gold eyes. “I wanna hear what happened to you!”

“And you will, Tricks, but this is important to my assignment from the Princess,” Witch responds firmly, her bemused smile fading to a stern expression.

Chastened, Tricks subsides, ducking his head slightly. “Alright,” he concedes, almost sulking. “But only because it’s for Princess Luna.” Unable to stay stern with her ward for very long Witch gives him another hug to let him know that she’s not truly upset with him.

“So… Shall we skip over the pleasantries of a general good time and get to the storm attack?” Witch suggests, her tone weary and serious.

“I don’t know, Witchy,” Leaf chuckles. “Don’t you want to hear all about me running headlong into obstacles? I mean, Monkey all but died of embarrassment that I was on her team!”

“And don’t forget poor Stormy practically planting his face in the ground every time we mentioned Witch in his hearing…” Monkey adds, smirking.

Witch sighs and pressing a hoof to the bridge of her nose, somewhat regretting the questionable life choices that had lead to her roommate meeting her brother. “Yes… We can deal with all that, including who this ‘Stormy’ is, after you tell me about the attack because I just got done being reamed out by the Command Captains for not telling them I’ve been studying the crystals…”

“Wait, you’ve been studying what now?” Daring asks slowly, frowning. “Witch, tell me your secret project for Luna isn’t studying whatever insane magic the Shadowbolts have.”

“Yearling… Don’t ask me to lie…” Witch retorts wearily as she slumps onto a couch across from Daring and Leaf and next to Monkey’s.

“Fine, I won’t ask you to lie,” Daring sighs, shaking her head. “Just, be careful, alright?”

“So, awkwardness between my sister and my marefriend aside…” Leaf coughs. “What do you want to know about the storm?”

“Primarily, how you both got yourselves injured… And why Monkey knowing about my side project for Luna helped stop the storm from…” Witch hesitates, quickly biting her tongue on her automatic description. “From getting as bad as it could have,” she finishes, sighing.

“Well, how I got injured is easy to explain,” Leaf sighs, rolling his eyes as he points to Monkey. “I got my back torn up acting as a landing pad for Cadet Punches Things Before Thinking About It after she got herself knocked cold! As for her injuries? That’s the part you’re likely wanting to hear, seeing as she got them going after that freaky crystal”

Witch’s jaw drops as she stares at Monkey, ignoring the glare her roommate levels at her brother. “You did what?!” Witch nearly shrieks. “Monkey! How many times have I told you ‘Don’t touch’!!??”

“It’s not like I wanted to pet it and take it home with me, Witchy!” Monkey protests. “I was trying to smash it because some crazy instinct was telling me to! My wings kept itching and pulling me in its direction too!”

“Your wings?!” Witch quickly rises and moves to Monkey, pulling the her friend’s wing to a full extension and her jaw drops at the black-ringed orange spots dotting the crystalline edges. Her shock turns to horror as a quick scan of the wings identifies what was discoloring the crystal from its usual green. She recoils away, blue eyes wide, nearly tripping over the coffee table set in the middle of the couches. “Good gods,” she whispers, her voice full of terror.

“Trainers at the Academy said they were fine… And aside from a bolt from the damned thing knocking me out for two hours and the trippiest dream ever, the wings work just like they have been since you fixed them,” Monkey explains quickly, trying to allay Witch’s fears to no avail.

Witch paces between Monkey’s couch and the coffee table, seemingly oblivious to her roommate/patient’s words. “It’s a good thing I sent them your medical file with everything they’d need to know if something went wrong with- Wait… What dream?” Witch stops mid-rant to look at Monkey with narrowed eyes, her brain finally catching up with the world around her to all appearances.

“Honestly, it’s got to be one of the weirdest dreams I’ve ever had,” Monkey starts. “I woke up in this mechanical and stained glass landscape, complete with clockwork birds and wrought-iron trees. It was beautiful. But then it started being torn apart by these sickly pink vines that glowed like the crystal did, and I tried to fly and stop it, but it grabbed hold of my wings and held me down. But then… well, there was this alicorn that looked like you, Witch. It was flying around with these gorgeous glowing blue wings with dark blue tips as it blasted those vines to Tartarus. When it was starting to be overwhelmed, it released this huge pulse that froze the vines in place, keeping them suspended. Next thing I knew, I had your brother’s ugly mug next to me while Starry was shaking me awake.”

“Witchy? With wings? Ha!” Leaf laughs. “That’ll be the day I ground myself and become a magic genius, am I right?”

“Witch Doctor’d be great with wings! She’d be the best Princess ever!” Tricks declares vehemently, latching on tightly to Witch’s arm.

Despite the laughs of the three pegasi in the room, and Trick’s protests that they shouldn’t laugh at the idea, Witch remains frozen but for her mouth opening and closing, an occasional high-pitched noise escaping.

“I… I… I…” she stammers, about half an octave higher than normal, drawing the confused attention of her companions. “I need to go unpack!” she squeaks before teleporting away in a flash of silvery blue light, leaving the occupants of the room even more confused.

“Was it something we said?” Leaf asks in the silence, drawing the exasperated glance of his marefriend.

Turning to her roommate’s brother after eying the bags still stacked neatly by the door, Monkey sighs. “Leaf… You don’t even help.”

Author's Note

And there we have it... The final chapter to conclude all the shenaniganery from Chase the Wind and Touch the Sky... **flops over** :ajsleepy:

As I've stated before, I could not have finished these stories without the assistance from my lovely (if annoying at times) Trolls - Jim Hoxworth, Sylvian, Zoljen and Destiny-brave-fire. :scootangel:

Now... For a break to get my interlude story written and start on the sequel... At least I already have the first 20+ chapters outlined for it... :unsuresweetie:

Thank you very much for reading. I hope you've enjoyed, and will check out the other stories in the Expanded Wonderverse while you wait!

Love and Light,
Witching Hour