Embracing the Fog

Chapters

1 - Hollow Shades
2 - Pizza, Man!
3 - Shadows of the Past
4 - All's Fair in Love and Reconnaissance
5 - Flying Low (Edited)
6 - Shades of the Night
7 - What's in a Name
8 - A Brewing Storm
9 - Bound and Tried
10 - Darkness, Dine-ins, and Dives
11 - Lighting up the Shadows
12 - To Be a Shadowbolt

1 - Hollow Shades

Soarin clenched the map in his teeth, fighting with the wind as he approached the hidden forest town. He felt weirdly naked and cold without his flight suit on, and the trees before him looked even colder with the thick sheet of darkness settling over it.

‘Why would Shadey settle here?’ He asked himself as he tucked the paper into his saddlebag and dove into the shadows.

Nightshade wasn’t expecting him, and that was almost a good thing for once. He wasn’t exactly sure what he’d say to her, and he definitely didn’t know what she’d think of his news. Would she be angry? She had all rights to be angry, but he just felt… dead inside, defeated. And in the end, there was no one else to turn to but his sister.

He landed on the rope bridge on the canopy of the treeline. Blinking, he looked around at the darkened treetop homes of the thestrals that lived here in Hollow Shades. The rest of Equestria was too bright for most of them to live normally during the day, so they hid out in the darkened treetops here in the forest, high above any arcane creatures that might lurk below.

“Uhh, hello, I’m looking for the Shadowbolts compound?” Soarin asked a local, who just blinked at him in confusion, walking right past him, “Wait, wait!” He poked the thestral in the side, the bat pony turning around and baring his fangs.

“SCREEEEE!” He hissed cutely.

Soarin blinked, “Oops, sorry! I’ll just, uh, go now!” Soarin backed off quickly, leaving the pouting thestral staring after him.

Another thestral giggled from behind them, “...You know, that was more cute than threatening, Jon.”

“Shut up Emile!” The fuming one barked, an echo that followed Soarin as he ran.

With the angry one left behind, Soarin plodded through the town, bat ponies giving him suspicious glances all throughout. As he continued to ask around about the Shadowbolts Headquarters, a figure watched him from the darkness.

“Hmph.” She scoffed to herself before ducking back past the branches, gliding down to the forest floor and easily spotting a grey stallion foraging through the plants below. “Charger!” She called, landing beside him.

“Mmm, hello madame.” He smirked, that rich Detrot accent in full play as he adjusted the goggles on his face. “Come to give me a little company?” With him leaning in, the thestral mare had to bat away the strand of dull teal, spiked mohawk that fell in her face.

“I’m not here for that, Charger.” She responded flatly.

“A message from Luna, then? I’d be more than happy to give her a good time.” Charger chuckled, “It must be lonely out in the ni-”

“-No, Charger, focus!” The thestral snapped, shoving him off of her, “There’s a random pegasus tooling around town asking about you guys. Everyone’s been quiet, but you need to know.”

Charger’s mouth pressed into a thin line, “What’s the description?” He asked, suddenly serious.

“Pegasus stallion, dark blue mane, light blue coat, green eyes.” She nodded, and Charger let out a long sigh of annoyance.

“Dumb voice, lightning bolt cutie mark?” Charger asked.

She blinked, “Do you know him?”

“Why yes, yes I do.” Charger said in an equally flat voice, “Well… At least Nightshade’s going to be happy today.” He muttered, “Thanks, uh, captain.”

“Aurora Glitz.” She said simply, “And you’re welcome. Get him out of the streets.”

Charger nodded, “Don’t worry, the dude’s harmless. Mostly.” He took to the air, flying up to the bridges and spotting Soarin easily from the crowds. “You lost, buddy?” He asked as he landed next to the blue stallion.

“Charger!” Soarin exclaimed, “It’s about time, I figured making a commotion would bring someone to me.”

“Well, it worked.” Charger sighed, running a hoof through his mane, “I take it you’re here to see Nightshade, then?”

“...Yeah.” Soarin smiled weakly, “Let’s say that.”

Charger paused, suddenly less annoyed, “Isn’t it mid-season for you guys? As a matter of fact, aren’t the Equestria Games coming up?”

Soarin pawed at the ground, “Could we, uh, could we see Nightshade now?”

Charger stared at him for a few more moments before nodding. Clearly, something was off here, something meant to be between his captain and her brother. “...Alright, follow me.” He said, taking to the sky.

“Thanks, Charge.” Soarin said, launching into the air after the grey stallion, and the two glided to the forest floor. ‘Huh?’ Soarin looked around, trotting after Charger. “...This is it?”

“Yeah, Soarin, we live in the whole forest.” Charger said.

Soarin rolled his eyes, “Clearly. But how come? Shouldn’t you guys be, you know, closer to the skies?”

“Well, unlike you guys, we need to hide out. Living in a city, like, say, Cloudsdale, is a bit obvious.” He scoffed, “Might as well put up a giant neon sign that says ‘THE PEGASI ARE HERE!’”

“...I mean, I guess that makes sense.” Soarin nodded to Charger. Said stallion pushed past a large bush to reveal the entrance to a concrete bunker in the ground, opening the door for Soarin.

“Get in.” He said simply.

“...You guys live here?” Soarin nearly flinched. As a pegasus, all of his senses were telling him that being trapped underground was an awful idea.

“Yeah, don’t order any pizzas, they’ll never find us.” Charger smirked, swinging the door, “Now, you comin’ or not?”

“Uh… Okay…” Soarin trodded slowly into the bunker, biting his lip as Charger followed and the loud door settled heavily behind him. A dark hallway laid before them, another door at the end. Pulling ahead, Charger made three loud knocks before a section of the door slid open.

“What’s the password~?” Giggled a voice.

“Blitz, let’s not do this again.” Charger sighed.

“ANNNT! WRONG~!” Blitz chuckled, “But there actually is a password~! What is it?” The sweet voice growled suddenly.

“Nightshade said we couldn’t use this as the password.” Charger said simply.

“She said you couldn’t say wh-” Soarin’s question was cut off by the door opening.

“-DING!” The door opened into a small room with a desk, a chair thrown aside probably in a fit of excitement, if Soarin knew his sister’s teammate well enough. “HI SOARIN! WOW IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! ARE YOU LOOKING FOR NIGHTSHADE?! HOW’S LIFE?!” The blue-violet mare was in his face in an instant, her two-toned blue mane sizzling with electricity as she talked quickly.

Soarin’s head spun a little trying to process all the fast talking. Yep, Blueball Blitz was still the same. “H-Hey Blitz! Yeah, I’m looking for Nightshade, any idea where she is? I need to talk to her immediately.”

“OH YEAH! I KNOW WHERE SHE IS!” She nodded rapidly, “WHAT’RE YOU DOING HERE?!” She bounced mid air.

“I, uh, I-I’m visiting!” He yelped a little, forcing a smile on his face.

“HAVE YOU EVER VISITED THE HQ BEFORE?!” She trotted alongside him, still very close, “I DON’T THINK I’VE SEEN YOU SINCE WE LEFT CLOUDSDALE!”

“No, I haven’t.” Soarin said simply, watching Blitz hop around, “But Nightshade’s kept in touch with me, just in case I needed to visit. Well, here I am!” He forced another smile.

“YOU OKAY?! YOU SEEM…” She paused her hopping, looking at him strangely, “Pained.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too.” Charger nodded.

His ears drooped, but his smile only softened, and seemed less forced. “Well… That’s not too far from the truth. I really need to talk to Nightshade.” He told the two.

“Yeah, I think she’s in her office.” Blitz nodded, calming down a little.

“Thanks...Can you point me that way?” Soarin blinked.

“Sure! Follow me!” Blitz led him down a hallway connecting the main entrance to everything else in the base, a skip still in her step, and stopped next to the right door. On the way over, Charger had split off from them, going into his own bunk.

Soarin smiled at her, “Thanks again, Blitz.”

“Nooooo problem!” She skipped away as he knocked on the door.

After a few moments, he heard his sister call, “Come in!”

Soarin paused and took in a breath. He was about to ruin his sister’s day, and he knew it. So, with another calming breath, he opened the door. “Hey, Shade.”

“Soarin!” The mare beamed, “I didn’t know you were coming!”

“Surprise!” He grinned, genuinely forgetting his troubles for the moment seeing his little sister’s excitement.

“It's so good to see you, big bro!” She bolted over, nuzzling him.

He draped his wing over her back, pulling the light blue mare close to him, ruffling her similar dark blue mane, “Aww, I haven’t seen you in your suit in a long time!” He grinned.

She laughed, “We just got back from some low temperture training, but why didn’t you write ahead? You’ve never visited us on base before.”

The smile slowly slid from his face, rubbing the back of his head, “Well. S-Sorry. I. Um.” He sighed, deciding just getting it out would be best. “I needed to talk to you, because I need your help.”

“My help?” She blinked, “Anything. What’s wrong?”

He sighed, “I’m not going back to Cloudsdale, Shade. I can’t do it. ...I resigned from the Wonderbolts.”

“...I’m...sorry?” She tilted her head, not quite comprehending what he had just said.

“I quit the team, Shade. I’m no longer a member of the Wonderbolts. The Wonderbolts don’t have a co-captain anymore.” He repeated, understanding her disbelief.

“Wh...why?! You helped run the team, you’ve wanted to be a member since you were little! Why did you quit?!” The disbelief only increased across her face, “What, did you pull a ‘Blightshade’ or something?” She tried to joke, dicing up her confusion.

Soarin smiled weakly, “No, but Spitfire did, sorta. …” He looked at the floor, “I, um, nearly died yesterday.”

“...what?!” Her eyes widened hugely, “DIED?!”

“Sprained my wing in the middle of training, plummeted.” He laughed nervously, “I was probably three feet from the ground before someone finally did something.” He frowned, thinking back on it. “Spitfire just stood there.”

She hissed, “Your teammate, the only other one that’s been there since you started on the team, didn’t DO ANYTHING?!” She steamed.

“That wasn’t even the worst of it!” Soarin scowled, “Then, it took everyone like ten minutes to even check up on me, they were too busy cheering for my rescuer!”

The pale blue pony was rapidly turning red, “WHAT?!” The walls of her office rattled as her mane bristled.

“Then, no one even showed up to visit me while I was in the hospital!” He fumed with her, “Even worse still! Spits tried to replace me without my consent!”

“...” Nightshade’s eyes were the size of pin needles and her face had gone redder than an apple. She stomped over to her desk and grabbed her saddle bags.

Soarin noticed. “Shade, no.” He said quickly. “I already gave her what for when I quit. I really need your help right now. I have no job, and no place to stay.”

“I’m going to fucking kill her.” Her voice shook slightly, but was fairly well contained, “You’re the one thing I trusted her over. Screw the hiding, no one hurts you and fucking gets away with it!” Well, she was contained.

“Shadey, listen, that can wait.” Soarin said, trying to calm her down. “I’ve pretty much disappeared since I’ve quit, and at this rate all I be doing is heading back so she can hunt me down and beg and plead for me to retake my position.”

“SO LET’S RUB HER FACE IN IT!” She hissed, “And maybe scare her with some ghosts from the past.” A dark frown crossed her face.

“...look, your ex-co-leader is unemplooooooyed~!” Soarin said in a spooky tone, jokingly.

Nightshade just sighed, anger dissipating, “What in Tartarus?...Start from the beginning. What happened?”

Soarin sighed, “Well, it started with Cloudsdale choosing Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and I to represent the city in the Equestria Games tryouts…” He explained the situation of Rainbow Falls, his sprained wing that was easily healed with magic, meeting Rainbow in the hospital, and the confrontation after leading to his resigning rather than forgiveness. That cost the Wonderbolts and Cloudsdale the competition. “Then I flew back to the compound, grabbed what little I had to my name, and immediately flew here.” He said.

“I’ll get you a bed. We don’t really have extra rooms, so I’ll get you some space in my room.” She flopped her head down on her desk, “...ugh.”

He trotted over, kissing her cheek, “Thank you, Shadey. I’m sorry that I had to dump all of this on you.”

“Hey, family sticks by each other.” She pulled her head back up, nodding, “Stay as long as you need. Hell, move in.” Shade snickered, “Just don’t become a couch bum. That’s Charger’s job.”

“I heard that.” Came from down the hall, making the two chuckle to themselves.

“I’ll do my best to find a job around here. I get restless doing nothing. Naturally, that’s your fault.” Soarin prodded her side playfully.

She weakly shoved him off, “Maybe you’d like to cook for now? I’m sure the others would appreciate it. Better than playing another round of ‘Guess which food is the one that moves’ with Charger.” She snorted, “Blitz is very good at it.” Nightshade shook her head with a laugh, getting her mind off Spitfire...for now.

“Want me to make and bring you sandwiches like I did when you were in flight camp~?” He teased.

“Only if you wear the dumb apron.”

“Oh, bet on it!” He grinned dumbly.

“The guys are gonna love having you around. Trust me. Just expect Stratus to not understand a lot of your jokes.”

“That’s fine, I don’t understand Stratus in general.” Soarin chuckled, readjusting the bag on his shoulder, glancing around at the windowless walls.

“Uncomfortable?” Nightshade asked, looking up at her ceiling, painted to look like the open night sky, “...You’ll get used to it.” She sighed with a weak smile. “Everyone feels a bit claustrophobic when coming down here for the first time. ...I’ll show you to my bunk, we can put down your stuff there.”

“After that, sounds like I have kitchen duty.” Soarin grinned.

Nightshade snorted, “I have never heard of someone being excited for that.”

“Well, it means I’m helping and not just sitting around.” Soarin said as they walked back out into the hallway, “...What should I cook?”

“May as well go with something simple for now. Dig around and see what you can scrounge up.” There was a pause as the two walked toward Nightshade’s bunk. “It's gonna be great having you around again, bro.” She said softly.

“Yeah! Being close is going to be great!” Soar grinned, his stride more confidant now, “I won’t be so busy, and can actually be here for Hearth's Warming!”

“All that and more, but it also means you have to deal with Blitz’s antics like the rest of us.” She grinned.

“Is that the only downside? ‘Cause I can take that!”

“We’ll see with time.” She laughed, “Either way...” She trotted over to the front of him, pulling Soarin into a hug, “It's good to have you back, bro.”

He kissed her head, “Good to be back, Sis. Maybe retirement will have its perks.” He winked.

“Is it really retirement though?” She smiled, “I doubt you’re done flying for good.”

“I never said I’d stop flying! I’m just retired from the Wonderbolts specifically.”

She giggled, “Then let’s get to work getting you settled in, you still have more of the teammates to meet. They’re not the Wonderdolts, but I’m sure you’ll come to find them just as much of a family.”

“I’m sure they will be.” ‘And better.’ He added mentally as the two headed into Nightshade and Soarin’s now shared bunk, dumping his belongings onto Nightshade’s bed before heading into their main lounge.

Soarin just hoped he’d be able to make a good first impression.

Spitfire stared at the goggles on her desk, still unable to believe they were actually there. ‘No. I know when I’ve been used, Spitfire. You want a better flier? Good luck.’ She flinched again as Soarin snapped at her, slamming the goggles on the table near their tents, ‘I’m done with being stepped on by you and Fleetfoot! Go find someone else to ignore.’

“...” The fiery-maned mare let her head hang, breathing hitched. It was over, just like that. She’d lost her teammate, and her best friend. She had let her competitive nature take over, and dragged her coltfriend through the mud. And now, it was all over.

What had she done?

Author's Note

A lot of you probably aren't used to seeing the Shadowbolts being portrayed like this, huh? Well, rest assured, they're not evil. They are the Wonderbolts' biggest rivals, but they serve an actual purpose in Equestria. That's something you'll see in the next chapter.

Also, this is going to be my back-burner story of sorts. Empty Skies will take priority if it's not a back-and-forth of both. I just love this idea too much to wait until after E.S. is done.

2 - Pizza, Man!

“Alright, people, stand at attention!” Nightshade’s order was really only paid any serious attention to by the elder grey stallion, Stratus, her second in command. Blitz, Charger, and Starry Skies stood there without taking the stance to an extra mile. Nightshade continued, “As you’ve probably already noticed, Soarin’s joined us here at the base today.”

“Hey guys…” Soarin grinned sheepishly. He had never really met the five ponies before him other than Blitz, but had heard all of their names in passing. Standing before them at such an embarrassing time as pretty much begging to live with them wasn't really a good first-impression, on either side. Still, he tried to betray his worn thoughts and keep a smile on his face.

“Care to tell us why, big brother?” Nightshade asked, motioning for him to go on.

“Uh, because I retired from the Wonderbolts.”

“Retired? Why?” Starry Skies jerked back in shock.

Soarin looked at Nightshade, asking her with his eyes if it was alright to just tell the full story. She nodded, “Go ahead.”

Soarin took in a deep breath, “Okay. It started when Cloudsdale chose Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and I to represent the city for the Equestria Games tryouts…” He gave the full story. His near death, Rainbow's neutrality, Spitfire and Fleet’s eagerness to give away his spot, Rainbow deciding to pretend to be hurt in order to not choose, and no one coming to visit him in the hospital. It all led up to his angry rant that announced his split from the team, mid-season, in front of everyone in Rainbow Falls, costing Cloudsdale the Games. It burnt inside to have to retell it, to relive the sensation of the fall, and the throbbing in his wing.

Spitfire and Fleetfoot had disaster training. They had specific training as rookies just in case a teammate was downed, and it meant dropping everything to rescue them. It meant giving up any races they would attend, or any target they were chasing. The 'Bolts, in the end, weren't Equestria's military, and the loyalty of the group was what should have mattered to them. Should have.

At the conclusion of the story, the Shadowbolts were slackjawed. All except for Stratus, he just looked a bit gruffer. “Disgraceful.” He growled. Soarin bit his lip before silently looking away.

“But, wait, if that happens, you’re supposed to forfeit the competition out of respect for the team member, right?” Starry asked Nightshade. “Or at least, that’d be the honorable thing to do, if no agreed replacement was on hoof.”

“If you have an agreed replacement, yes. But that didn’t happen.” Nightshade growled. Her pace only sped up, “But that is why he will be staying with us until further notice. He’s agreed to cook for us, and I can vouch for his skill.”

Starry looked over at the light blue stallion, “You can cook?” She asked curiously, smiling at the shy pegasus. He was clearly hurting, and Blitz wasn't jumping to that as usual, so Starry stepped in.

Before Soarin could speak, Charger frowned at their captain teasingly, “You replacin’ me, Nightshade?”

“Oh, thank goodness.” Blitz put a hoof to her head, before pausing, looking over at Charger, “Heh… Sorry.” The weak reply made her teammates glance at her strangely.

Stratus snorted, “Anyways, it’s only fitting. You’re an alchemist, Charger, not a cook.”

“I can be both!” The gray stallion insisted indignantly.

“The key word there is can.” Starry said, earning a chuckle from the group around her.

Soarin laughed with them, if only to fit in, and even Charger caught onto it after a few moments. Nightshade, meanwhile, couldn’t help but stop herself from sighing. ‘Thanks, guys.’ She looked up and down the line of her team, her heart swelling with pride at the ragtag group before her, showing her brother the kindness she expected from them. Nightshade crossed glances with Stratus, and the gruff old stallion nodded to her. She nodded back, eyes motioning to her office.

“So! Chef.” Charger’s voice cut through the laughter, “What’s on the high-and-mighty menu tonight, then?” He asked, approaching Soarin and tapping the stallion’s chest with a hoof.

Soarin puffed up, sticking out his chest with pride. “Pizza.”

“Oh, thank the divines.” Starry laughed, “It's been forever since we’ve had something like that.”

“Sorry I don’t know how to throw dough.” Charger rolled his eyes, “And we can’t really order out.”

“Well, it kinda was your idea, Charger!” Soarin said.

“I’m known for my good ideas.” The Detrot stallion smirked. Starry and the others, barr Stratus, smirked and shook their heads.

“Well, I’m going to need everyone’s topping orders to make it happen.” Soarin said.

“Olives.” Starry smiled.

“Whatever’s convenient.” Stratus shrugged uncaringly.

“I prefer classic cheese. I’ll add my own toppings if needed.” Charger smirked.

“...really, Charger?” Starry sighed, dragging her hoof down her face.

“Shut up.”

“You already know my preference.” Nightshade nodded to Soarin. “Blitz?”

The mare Soarin normally knew to be as hyperactive as Surprise only gave a distant look before realizing that she was being spoken to.

“Huh? Oh, I’m good with anything.” She shrugged, “I’ll eat whatever you make.”

“...You, uh, doing okay?” Soarin asked her.

“I'm fine.” She responded simply. Despite this assurance, the other Shadowbolts gave each other nervous looks. Soarin was concerned by that alone. Yeah, this wasn't Blueball Blitz at all.

“In that case, I’ll make a huge batch of cheese pizza and put everything on the side.” Soarin said. “That okay?”

“Sounds good.” Nightshade nodded, glancing to Blitz. Her eyebrows furrowed, looking Blueball over. “Starry, if you wouldn’t mind, think you could show Soarin the ropes and answer his questions?”

“Of course.” Starry nodded graciously, “Come on Soarin, let's… check out my bunk.” She smirked, eyelids lowered and thick Canterlot accent oozing with mischief.

“Oh, okay!” Soarin nodded innocently, trotting along after her.

“Here we go… Starry’s got him in her clutches.” Charger shook his head.

“...What have I done to my poor brother?” Nightshade asked, pausing dramatically.

Stratus gave them all an even look, “...It's time for our meeting, Nightshade.”

“Okay, yeah, let's go.” Nightshade replied, the two heading into her office.

“...I’m gonna be in my bunk too.” Blitz turned around, closing her door behind her and leaving Charger to himself.

The grey stallion sighed loudly, putting his head on the back of the couch. “So… you free?” He casually asked the training dummy leaning against the wall of the lounge.

It responded by falling over.

“...Thought so.” Charger said, walking out the main entrance.

Starry's bunk was well-furnished, but Soarin wasn't surprised by that. Considering that Starry's family was originally from Canterlot before moving their estate to Cloudsdale, he was surprised he didn't see plastic all over the ornate furniture, or a giant painting of herself in the room somewhere. Then again, he was glad he didn't, really.

Nightshade had described her as being the most "socially active" of the group due to her upbringing. And considering the look she was giving him as she adjusted herself onto her bed, Soarin had a feeling he would find out just what his sister meant by that.

He was a Wonderbolt, and his name meant big things in both Canterlot and Cloudsdale.

“Thank you for joining me, Soarin~” Starry tittered, grabbing a few things from around her room as she gestured him over.

Soarin walked over as he was told, sitting on the bed next to her. “Hey, my pleasure.” He smiled weakly. In all honesty, it was nice to have a break from thinking about the incident. He swallowed down the anger from having to relive that experience for the third time. “So, you had something to show me?~” His smile was more genuine as he laid beside her.

“Oh, indeed~” She chuckled, turning down the overhead lights and activating a few on either side of the bed.

Soarin smirked, “Oh? Well then why don't you and I get comfortable so that you can give me a little glimpse?~”

“Do you think you’re ready? Yet to meet a stallion that’s interested.” She giggled softly, her cheeks warm and flush.

“Oh, I’m interested alright.” Soarin grinned, “I’ve heard good things.” He winked, leaning into her. Their bodies pressed together, and Soarin was thankful for the heat. These past few hours had been so lonely, and he needed the time to let off some steam. It seemed Starry was just willing enough to let him have that moment.

Nearly cheek to cheek, Starry pulled herself on top of him, and grabbed the comic book on her bedside table, handing it to him. "Well, great, because I have plenty to show you!"

“A Brown Recluse number 1! Aww yeah, Starry, your collection does not disappoint so far!” Soarin beamed, “Nightshade was right!”

...Starry Skies was a gigantic nerd.

“Gotta start with the Marevel! We can move to Snooper Comics later~” She giggled.

“Sounds great! Geez, I haven't read this stuff since I was a colt!” Soarin flipped through the comic gleefully, “...Hmm. Hey Starry, you're supposed to answer any of my questions, right?”

“Well, Nightshade did ask me to, yes.” She smiled, “And if you ask me if one hero is better than the other, you best agree with me, lest it earn you a hundred lashings.”

“Iron Mane, right?”

“Versus…?”

“Captain Equestria.”

“Hmm, the stallion with the bottomless checkbook versus frisbee colt?” She rolled her eyes, “Iron Mane is a genius and can buy anything he can’t build.”

“So, Iron Mane.” Soarin snickered. “But that wasn't my real question. What exactly do you guys do? Shadey’s never been able to give me a full answer.” She never gave him even a hint of an answer, in fact. Any time that he'd ask, his little sister's response was a smile and a pat on the head. A pedantic one, at that, which was a gesture no older brother wanted to receive from his younger sibling. She was lucky Soarin was so merciful and patient. Well, now his patience was running thin, and he wanted to know. It wasn't like they could hide it while he was living with them.

Starry twisted her mouth into a slight frown at the question, as if trying to decide how to answer him, “Well, you were a Wonderbolt at the time...what we do is kinda hush hush, you know?” She shrugged, “We’re really not supposed to tell. Why do you think we're literally underground?”

“Charger said that you guys are hiding. ...You're not criminals, are you?” Soarin asked. He didn't really believe it, but it was the first thing that came to mind. Clearly, he had been watching too many Godstallion movies.

“We’re not criminals…” She deadpanned, “And Charger will kick your flank is you call him one.” Starry added as a warning.

“Got it, sorry.” Soarin rubbed the back of his head.

“We’re a black ops squad that answers to Luna. We deal with threats that go beyond the Elements of Harmony, you know, civilians.” She nodded, “We were on our way to Canterlot during the wedding incident, but by the time we got there, Empress Cadence had already dealt with it, it seemed.”

“Makes sense that you're in Hollow Shades with all the thestrals, then.” Soarin pondered.

“And the bunker. No one looks for pegasi underground.” She nodded, “And we have a few enemies at this point. We’re meant to be a more...permanent solution to serious problems. Far more so than Twilight or-” Starry paused, chuckling, “‘Smile’.”

Soarin sighed, “The Wonderbolts are just your decoys, aren't we?”

“Pfft, what? The Wonderbolts have a similar suffix. That is the only facet the two teams share.” Starry laughed.

“Does Spitfire know about this, or is she in the dark too?” Soarin asked.

“Why in Tartarus would she know anything about us?” She scoffed, “She’s a stunt flier with no relatives here.”

“I dunno; maybe Celestia told her something?”

“You think Luna told Celestia about us?” Starry laughed.

“...Celestia doesn't know you guys exist?!” Soarin nearly dropped the comic in his grip, eyes narrowing.

“You think Luna would run a team of assassins by Celestia? She’d try and shoot it down every chance she got!” Starry tittered, “Luna just approved us herself. Cited that cute little group of Celestia’s as all the reason she needed.” She snorted again, "How does she even think Smile will ever get anything done? Love the threats to death?"

Soarin was too busy panicking to hear her last retort, “You don't understand, Starry! What if Celestia tries sending Rainbow and her friends to settle something you guys should be settling?! They’d be killed!”

“I like to believe one of our rulers aren't that stupid," Starry smirked, casually taking Celestia's name in vain. In another part of Equestria, a loose strain of hair in Princess Twilight Sparkle's mane sprung up.

“Luna doesn't exactly have a say in what the bearers do, though!” Soarin said, still flailing around like an idiot.

“Not our problem.” Starry shrugged, “Equestria is our priority. If Celestia wants to send civilians after something that dangerous, she can. It’ll be on her head.”

Soarin made a few different unintelligible noises, “B-But Dash!” He choked out finally.

“Yes. Dash. Five other ponies too.”

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, “...right. They're a princess and five civilians. ...How does Celestia think that's a good idea again?!”

“Why are you asking me? I’m a Cloudsdale aristocrat!” She chuckled, “What would I know about those Canterlot ponies anymore?”

“Right, I should've asked Misty.” He joked to himself. “Let's… get away from this, politics makes my head hurt.” He rubbed his temples with a hoof as if to prove his point, “So, uh, I need to be getting to the kitchen. Is there anything specific I need to know about your barracks?”

“Not much. Pretty basic setup. Had to build it quickly and quietly.” She nodded.

“Well come on, I need to get dinner started like I promised; we’ll have plenty of time for more comics later.” He smiled, “But I do have more questions for you.”

“Aww.” She chuckled, “Alright. Kitchen’s this way. Follow me.” Starry hopped off the bed, gesturing him onwards with a wing.

Soarin smiled and followed her into the kitchen, getting out the ingredients while Starry settled in at the table. As the two sat in silence, Soarin's mind drifted back to the incident still so fresh in his mind. In a panic, he looked back at Starry, trying to get a conversation going and saving himself from thinking about it again.

“So… It isn't exactly a question per se, but since I’ll be staying here for awhile; I wanna know about you. Who is ‘Starry Skies’?” He chuckled.

“Who am I?” She chuckled, “Well, I was born in Canterlot but moved to Cloudsdale when I learned that a pegasus mare can’t get respect there. Applied for the Wonderbolts and was ignored. Tried to buy my way into training and got laughed out the door.” She frowned, “Princess Luna and your sister found me while recruiting.”

“You kinda did get laughed out.” Soarin rubbed the back of his head, “I remember Spits complaining about it afterward.”

“Ugh, great. Typical.” She shook her head, “I was desperate to make a mark at the time.” Starry sighed, dragging her hoof down her face.

“Well… So was Shadey. I guess you two bonded through that.”

“She tells me that buying my way in wasn’t nearly as bad as her incident.” She chuckled weakly, “And I guess that’s fair.”

“Yeah… That was… That day hurt.” Soarin flinched. Great, there was another incident to try not to think about.

“Well she’s started to joke about it, so she must be getting over it.” She smiled, nodding.

“That's good.” Soarin said, “It's best that she is. She's healing. That's important.” He mixed together the batter while Starry finished talking. Soarin tried again, “What do you think about the other Shadowbolts, Starry?”

“Weirdest family ever, but a good one. All of them have my back as much as I have theirs.” She nodded, “Nightshade’s a good leader for how young she is. Stratus knows his stuff, even if he’s as cuddly as a cactus. Blitz is our heart, which is odd considering she’s trained how to cleave someone’s head off. Charger’s so much fun to tease, too.” She smirked, “Yeah, they’re good ponies.”

Soarin’s eyes widened a bit, “Y-Yeah, sounds like quite the family alright.” He yelped.

“Uhh, you alright?” She chuckled, glancing back, “There something behind me?”

“J-Just, you know. Getting used to the whole ‘my sister’s team are a bunch of assassins’.” He grinned nervously. The words 'she's trained how to cleave someone's head off' didn't escape his mind.

Starry chuckled, “Relax, we’re not gonna off you, Soarin.” She rolled her eyes, “You’re a friend.”

“I know; it doesn’t make you all any less scary.” Soarin chuckled.

“Well, at least we do our jobs well enough!” Starry laughed, “No harm meant, but we are supposed to be scary.”

“Honestly, Stratus just seems like a quiet royal guard type, not exactly scary,” Soarin said. “And Shadey is… Shadey. So… It’s basically just you and Charger.” He chuckled.

“Stratus was a guard so that’s not surprising.” Starry nodded, “Though he may train you to death.”

“...Someone except me doing the training? Now that’s scary.” Soarin chuckled, tossing the pizza batter, “Besides, I’m just your cook, remember?”

“So it seems.” She giggled, “So you’re not going to be joining us?”

“Huh?” Soarin blinked, “Join you, as in the team?”

“Well, yes.” She smiled, “You do have years of experience in both training and flight itself. Not to mention you're our captain’s older brother. A bit of combat training and I'm sure you’d fit right in.”

Soarin paused. For whatever reason, he never considered joining his younger sister’s team. A team he never really knew the true purpose of, only the general location from the letters he was sent. “Do you think Shadey would actually want me?” He laughed, “Are you kidding? I’m just a stunt flier, one of the slowest in our ranks. ...Who wouldn’t stand up for her when she got kicked out of those ranks…” The humor slowly drained from his voice. No! No! He tried to shake out the guilt. 'Stop thinking about it!'

Starry didn't seem to notice him rapidly shaking his head, “Speed doesn't matter. We have Blitz for that anyway. Its overall skill that matters most, and while we prefer to not recruit at all really, I’m sure Nightshade would allow such for you, if you’re interested at least.” He stopped the shaking as she looked over at him.

“I mean… I was going to find something else to do.” He said, throwing the batter once again before putting it down, “I don’t know what, but I wasn’t going to trip Shadey up for too long.”

“Trip her up? You know she loves having you here.” Starry laughed, “Come on, she’s your sister!”

“Yes, and I love her too.” Soarin rolled the batter, “But I’d feel like a burden if I just bummed around here and cooked for you guys.”

“Cooking alone isn’t bumming it. You’re providing a service.” She shrugged with a wing, “And as a full fledged Shadowbolt...” She trailed off, “Something to consider, I suppose.”

Soarin spread the tomato sauce on the pizza, “...Maybe so.” He hummed to himself, “What would you say, Starry? Do you think I’m a good fit for being a Shadowbolt?”

“We’d have to see you in the field, the training field at least. Need to see that before we could judge anything.” She nodded thoughtfully, “I’m sure it’d be curious.”

“By curious, you mean I’d absolutely blow it, right?” Okay, now he was joking.

“No way to know until we see~” She sang, “After all, you’d never look at Blitz and assume she was an assassin, would you?”

“Soarin the assassin… That’d take some getting used to.” He chuckled. He didn't think he'd ever get used to it, honestly.

“All things do, dear cook.” Starry tittered, “But that’s life.”

“Would I get like, a disguise and a codename?” Soarin asked, adding the cheese.

“You’d get a flight suit and a nickname.” She shrugged, “Does that count?”

“Well, sorta.” He put the pizza in the oven, going over and sitting across from Starry. “...So, you’ve been here for awhile. Have any good stories to tell about being a Shadowbolt?” Not that it would help much in making up his mind. He had just been through Tartarus and back on one team. He didn't think anyone would blame him for hesitating with the idea of being on another.

“Do I ever.” She nodded eagerly, “But where to begin…” Starry hummed, rubbing her chin, “Perhaps I should start small. Not everything we do has the fate of Equestria hanging in the balance. Yeah, that’ll do. Okay, it started on a frigid winter night about three years ago…”

3 - Shadows of the Past

A newspaper slammed down onto Spitfire’s desk, making the mare scowl up at the one who had put it there.

“Read it.” Fire Streak said forcefully, frowning back at her.

Spitfire looked over the newspaper, having to do a double-take at the front page. ‘Fan-Favorite Wonderbolt Resigns From Team’

“What?!” Spitfire exclaimed, “‘Fan Favorite Wonderbolt Soarin, resigns from the team due to abuse and a near-death experience while under Captain Spitfire’s watch’?!” She bit her lip. “‘Sources say that the Wonderbolts tried to replace the co-captain right after a sprain in his wing that very nearly caused his dea-’ Is this the national newspaper?!” She panicked.

“Oh yes, The Equestrian was more than happy to put it all over the front page. Might I just say; good job, Cap.” Streak spat, frowning heavily, “If your goal was to slander our good name, you succeeded.” With that final hiss, he left Spitfire’s office, slamming the door behind him. He mumbled incessantly, stomping his way over to the canteen, where the other Wonderbolts were assembled.

Misty Fly approached him, “...The Equestrian?” She asked simply.

“Yes!” Streak threw his hooves in the air, “What in Tartarus are we going to do about our image, Mist?! No one’s going to come to our next show after knowing what happened!”

“I think there's only one thing we can do.” Misty said simply.

“Throw Spits in a lake?” Surprise suggested.

“No.” Misty deadpanned. “We get Soarin back, that's what.” She nodded firmly.

“...Can we at least throw Flatfoot in a lake?”

Misty paused for a long moment, “...Later, Surprise. Later. First and foremost, though, I’m going to the archives.” She got up from the bench she was sitting on as Fire Streak stomped off to grab food of his own.

Surprise was the only one to follow Misty through the double doors of the canteen, “Whatcha need the archives for? They wouldn’t have Soarin’s file updated yet!”

“Soarin’s file isn’t my only clue.” Misty said as she led the charge through the compound. The grass crunched satisfyingly under her hooves as she headed straight towards the office buildings.

“Huh?”

“If I know anything about our co-captain, he loves his family. So… Let’s use his file to locate some other family members. They might know where he’s gone off to.” Misty said, leading the perky pegasus into one of Spitfire’s record offices, down the hall from her actual office. Misty passed by the Captain’s office carefully, motioning for Surprise to be quiet.

“You’re in denial still, aren’t you?” Surprise asked they safely closed the door to the archives behind them.

“Huh?” Misty glanced over at Surprise as she scanned the filing cabinets in the room. It was nearly spotless, not a paper out of line. However, other than the cabinets themselves, there was only a single table in the concrete room and a hanging lightbulb on the ceiling. Misty pulled the chain, clicking it on.

“Soarin’s not our co-captain anymore, Mist.” Surprise reminded with a sad chuckle.

“Yeah, he’ll be the captain if I have anything to say about it.” Misty mumbled, opening the “P-S” drawer of files. Soarin's page was easy enough to find, seeing as it was fairly thick compared to the rest. She brought it over to a table and opened it. An intense feeling of gloom spread over her as she pulled out photos one by one of all the events and races Soarin had ever been to.

Surprise, meanwhile, caught something of interest, “Who’s that?” She pointed out a mare from one of the photos that neither of them recognized, “She kinda looks like Soarin.”

“I don’t know,” Misty admitted, frowning at the photo of the mare. “I’ve never heard of her before.”

“Well… She’s standing next to Soarin. Maybe she’s the ‘Shadey’ we hear so much about?” Surprise asked.

“Considering how similar they look, it isn’t impossible.” Misty said, going through the files in the cabinet, pulling out every “Shade” name that she could find.

“Yeesh, how many ‘Shades’ could there be?!” Surprise groaned, “There’s at least like 20 files here!”

Misty chuckled, “Yeah, but it’ll be easy enough to sort through them.” She opened one of the files before immediately pushing it aside. “Stallion.” She said simply.

“Oh yeah, at least we know that. Helps a little!” Surprise took one from the table, “...Eugh. Red and black.” She stuck out her tongue, pushing the file on top of the one Misty had pushed away.

“Don’t be coatist, Surprise. I have a cousin who’s red and black.” Misty snorted, opening up another file and pushing it aside.

“I feel sorry for you.” Surprise muttered, pushing another file aside, “I think I’ll have to wash my hooves at least four times after this.”

Misty rolled her eyes, continuing to shuffle through the files. Shadewish. Shade. Shadeflower. Darkness Shade. Shade Fly. Misty blinked, ‘Do… I have a cousin named Shade?’

Looking over, Misty saw Surprise giggling profusely. When their eyes met, Surprise whispered, “Shadefish.”

Misty raised an eyebrow, “Surprise, focus.”

“Okay, but that’s gonna be my new password for like, everything ever,” Surprise announced.

Taking note of that, Misty just continued with a sigh. Then, she came upon the familiar picture. She perked up with interest, “Nightshade. That’s our mare.”

“Nightshade?” Surprise trotted over, “Isn’t that the name of the icky plant that makes most poisons? Why would anypony in their right mind name themselves ‘poison’?”

“I don’t know, but apparently that’s her given name. There’s no record of a name change.”

“Then who would name their filly ‘poison’?!” Surprise asked, brow furrowed.

“Rock fans?” Misty asked with a shrug. She was met with a flat look. “Alright, alright, no one in their right mind. That’s like naming your foal ‘Loser’.”

“Exactly. You earn that name in life. Fleet knows all about it.” Surprise nodded.

Misty let out a loud, unattractive snort, quickly covering her snout to hold herself back. “R-Right.” She stuttered, clearing her throat, and continuing to sort through the file. She suddenly recoiled without warning, as if she’d been hit.

“What? What? What is it?” Surprise leaned in.

“Yeah, she’s Soarin’s sister…” Misty grimaced.

“Um, yay? Isn’t that why we’re he-?”

“-She was dishonorably discharged, Surprise, by Spitfire.”

“Oooh…” Surprise closed one eye, leaning away from the file. “Owch. ...For what?”

“Something here about purposefully breaking formation. And a crash. The collapse of a bleacher. Several badly injured audience members.” The two flinches became more and more exaggerated with each detail.

“Yeeeaaah, something tells me she kinda deserved it…” Surprise rubbed the back of her head. Misty let out a breath and passed Surprise a stack of photos, simply shaking her head. Surprise looked through them with chagrin.

The first was a simple photo of a younger Spitfire with her hoof over Nightshade’s shoulder in front of the Wonderbolts compound. The second seemed to be the two of them and Soarin at the Gala, Nightshade squashed between them. Their faces were frozen forever mid-laugh, probably laughing at whatever Soarin’s dumb, smirking face had just said. And the third, a picture of Nightshade and Spitfire as recruits, standing atop the highest stage. They were both puffed out and proud, Nightshade showing off the golden pony-faced pin on her chest. Spitfire’s silver pin was in stark contrast.

Surprise gasped, “Her… wingpony?!”

Misty shook her head a few times, “Second banana to a younger, faster flier. I can relate.”

“B-But Spitifire was a wingpony!” Surprise gasped.

“So were we, Surprise.” Misty reminded.

“Yeah, but we’re us! Spitfire’s our captain.” Surprise said.

“Guess she sees value in the seconds?” Misty joked before pulling out the last part of the file. Her eyebrows shot up, “Post-Wonderbolts… Redacted and reprinted by order of Princess Luna?”

Surprise frowned, “Aw, dangeet! That was the page we needed to see! Now how’re we gonna find her?”

“Not to worry. We’ll go straight to Luna herself.” Misty said, putting her hoof on her chest with a grin.

“Uhhh… How?”

“I have connections.” Misty nodded to herself, “We’ll just have to ask Luna about this-” Misty lifted the page in her hoof up, pointing specifically to the part of the file that was redacted by order of the Princess, "-And we'll find out where Nightshade is. We just need to speak to my father."

Surprise gasped excitedly, "I've always wanted to meet your dad!"

"You... have?"

"Yeah! I dunno anything about him! you never talk about your family and stuff!" Surprise hopped in place by the tips of her hooves.

Misty sighed slightly. "Well... There's good reason for that." She handed Nightshade's file to Surprise as she set off to put each of the folders back in the spot she'd found them in.

"Why? What'd he do?" Surprise tilted her head as she carefully tucked the file under her wing.

"It's not about what he did. It's about who he is." Misty said before turning around and heading out of the archive room.

Surprise followed, closing the door behind them, and lifting off in pursuit of Misty. Specifically, in the direction of Canterlot.

To say the least, Misty’s parents had a ton of money. This is what Surprise was thinking as she stepped past the security guards out front and into the Canterlot mansion. It had to be at least five floors tall, carved into the face of the Canterhorn mountain. Or at least it looked like it, the large, pillared exterior poking halfway from the mountain. The roof was slanted and almost looked like only half of an average roof.

“Sorry about that. Gotta keep the place safe and all...” Misty smiled sheepishly as they walked the long hallways of her childhood. “Dad’s office is just down this corridor.”

"Okay, now I gotta know! What does your Dad do to need his own army out front?"

"He's a politician."

“Huh. So that's how he’s gonna know about Princess Luna and stuff.” Surprise's eyes wandered about the great halls filled with elegant tapestries and golden moldings.

“About Princess Luna? Surprise, he knows her personally! My family is one of the last surviving nobility of the night lines, he serves in her court.”

“Ohhhhh! So he knows her then?” The white mare grinned inquisitively as she gave Misty a sideways look.

Misty sighed, simply trotting across a final hall and giving three curt knocks on her father’s dark oak office door.

“Come in.” A deep voice called from within.

Misty opened the door to her father’s office, “Good evening, Dad.”

“Ah! Misty, my dove, what brings you to my office?” Misty’s father came up to them.

“HELLO MR. MISTY’S DAD, SIR!” Surprise waved eagerly, looking the grey unicorn stallion over. He was tall with a larger build, and Surprise reasoned that he liked food. His thick, straight, blue mane curled at the ends. Lastly, his cutie mark depicted a shooting star wrapping around a roll of parchment.

He chuckled, “Polaris will do, Miss Pie.”

“Hello then Mr. Polaris sir!” Surprise corrected with a grin.

“Well, what brings you both?” Polaris repeated, looking over at Misty.

“Actually, I need a bit of a favor. Can you-”

“-I will handle that favor with only the promise of a more casual visit in the future,” Polaris said, motioning them both farther into his office and sitting in his chair. “Can I at least get that, daughter dearest?” He teased.

“Yes, yes, Dad.” Misty held back an eye roll at her father as she smiled. Oh, her typical father, always wanting his daughters’ attention. “We need to get into Princess Luna’s court tonight if you wouldn’t mind.”

Polaris paused. “Misty. Sweetheart. Dearest.”

Misty tilted her head at her father’s strange, sudden expressions, was this too much? Was she treading on thin ic-?

“You know you can just walk in, right?” Polaris snickered, putting his hoof on his muzzle, and face scrunched in sweet irony. “There’s never anyone in Luna’s court. She’d love to have anyone to talk to besides just me and the odd guard.”

“Oooohhh.” The mares replied in chorus.

“Might I ask why though?” Polaris looked them both over now, eyebrow raised.

“Wonderbolt business, sorry.” Misty said simply, putting up her hooves.

“Yeppers! Secrets beyond your wildest dreams!” Surprise threw her hooves into the air, “...Actually, we’re just tryin’ ta get our friend back.” Surprise said, “And we need the Princess’s help.”

“Well, I suppose I’ll have the two of you ride with me to the castle then?” Polaris asked.

“I mean, that’d be better than flying, I guess.” Misty shrugged.

“WOOO! I CALL THE TOP!” Surprise bounded off towards the front of the mansion. Misty followed, shaking her head all the way.

“P-Please don’t run, Miss Pie!” Polaris shouted to her. He turned to Misty worriedly, "...is she serious about riding on top of the carriage?"

"Absolutely," Misty responded flatly.

4 - All's Fair in Love and Reconnaissance

“So it started a couple of years ago, one of our first missions.” Starry leaned back, taking a breath as she started to recount the tale. “Nothing complex. Spy on a ‘couple griffons that wouldn't buzz off from the border. Celestia was in endless talks with the king, no progress of course, so Luna asked us to take a look in case things came to a head.”

“What, like a war?” Soarin snorted, setting the timer for the pizza to bake. “With the griffons?”

“Not war, but it wouldn't be hard for them to make us look like the aggressors. From there...well that’s a bit of a mess to put it lightly.”

“Well… Uh, you kill ponies and griffons and such. I’d imagine that’s pretty messy work.” Soarin joked.

“An expert can do so cleanly and quickly.” Starry smirked, “No time to leave a mess.”

“...Ew?” Soarin asked.

Starry couldn’t help but laugh, “Innocent little guy, aren’t you?”

“I’m not little! I’m taller than you and Shadey! But innocent… Maybe.” Soarin admitted.

“Cute, but that’s not something that’ll stay if you stick around.” Starry shook her head, growing serious, “We’re not like the Wonderbolts in that regard. We’re the last line of defense that is meant to cut off the head of the problem before it ends in disaster... Or the balls, if the problem is being an asshole.” She nodded, smirking slightly at her own little joke.

“So… What kind of disaster were you faced with this time?”

“Thankfully nothing as huge.” Starry tittered, “A ‘couple griffons weren’t a problem, though that’s not to say a disaster didn’t nearly follow…”

Soarin listened intently as Starry began to tell her story, her voice shifting deeper and attempting a Detrot accent whenever Charger spoke:

“You know...these suits are kinda tight around the rear.”

Starry Skies wasn’t having a good night. Firstly, she had been sent on a mission at the last minute by her captain on orders of Princess Luna. Secondly, it was full black ops, meaning utter silence and deniability.

Sadly, that led to three, the reason staying quiet was so difficult at the moment, “I swear to the divines, Charger. Shut your mouth.”

“I’m just saying.” Charger replied casually, looking out for their targets. “It gets distracting. I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“No, I haven’t.” Starry muttered, “Can you focus on something other than your plots?”

“Why yes, I can.”

“Or my plots.” She glared.

“I never said that; I’m not a creep.” Charger huffed. “See our targets?”

Sure enough, a group of armored griffons came out from the shadows, surveying the area and setting up a camp right on the border. They were talking to each other, but it was completely unintelligible from where Charger and Starry were standing.

“Hmm.” Starry nodded, “Right on the border. I can’t hear what they’re saying though, we’ll have to move in.”

“Right.” Charger nodded. They slipped down the slope ever so quietly, making their way towards the camp. “...So, what are you doing after this?”

“Nothing.” Starry snorted, glaring at the back of his head.

“Cool. Cool.” He nodded, “Wanna go out for a bite or somethin’?”

"I'm not hungry," Starry muttered.

"Not even for a snack? I know a place around here with some of the best-"

“Charger, we’re in the middle of a mission, damn it!” Starry growled louder than she meant. The two paused, noticing how the camp suddenly grew quiet. They each dodged behind a tree with learned swiftness, right as a griffon came charging into the brush where they had just been.

He had a sword ready and was glaring at the horizon, watching for movement. His feathery ears twitched at even the smallest of the forest’s breezes and rustling leaves.

Standing on the tree atop the unaware griffon, Starry spread her blade-laden wings and prepared to drop. In the dim reflection of one of the blades, she watched Charger shake his head at her. He motioned for her to hunker down like he was. She struggled with the thought for a moment before realizing that the griffon had moved on.

Without warning, Charger dove from tree to tree, making his way closer to the camp. Starry followed with noticeably less grace. Her eyes glanced over to watch just how effortlessly he duck and dove between branches. She tried to follow in his example, finding that he followed a rhythm of sorts in his movements. Eventually meeting her in a great oak on the edge of the griffons’ little camp.

“Good call.” She muttered quietly.

“Thanks. You would’ve given us away if you killed him. Even if we managed to dump the body out of sight.” Charger whispered back. The two were pressed close together, trying to keep their talk as silent as possible.

Starry found that despite how close they were, Charger was minding his own space and business. It would have been so easy for him to say something completely uncalled for, but he was stock still and his focus was now entirely on their mission. Starry was just relieved she didn’t have to frame a teammate’s untimely death tonight.

Charger motioned as the griffon that charged at them earlier came back into his camp.

“Whatever or whoever it was, it’s gone now.” He said.

“You just heard a beast or something, big ears.” One of his campmates snickered. “Now, Cap, what’s the deal?” She looked over to a slightly smaller griffon than the two of them, currently looking over a map in the light from the campfire.

He looked up, “Stay here until told otherwise. I want to reiterate, though. If we’re attacked, one of you needs to take this letter to the Emperor’s legion.”

Charger and Starry eyed each other suspiciously.

“Looks as if this border isn’t exactly hard to defend against them.” The big-eared griffon spoke, “If we could just push our luck…”

“I said nothing until we’re ordered otherwise.” The Captain repeated firmly, glowering at his subordinate.

That was all Starry needed. With a nod to Charger, she began to back quietly out of the tree. He followed suit, making their way to the ground in silence.

“So… Where’d you learn to jump through the trees like that?” Starry asked once they were far enough away, “It was like something out of a ninja story.”

Charger chuckled, “Ninjas? It’s just similar to the roof jumping I used to do as a colt. Not much place to run round in Detrot except the rooflines. Didn’t know you’d be so impressed.”

“Well, I was. Sorry for yelling at you earlier.”

“Nah, you were right. It wasn’t really the time.” Charger admitted.

“But I’m still going to decline your offer,” Starry said immediately. “Don’t get any ideas.”

Charger sighed, “Right, right.”

“Listen, Charge, you’re a good stallion and all, but I’m just not interested in relationships. I’d rather we just be teammates and not make things complicated, alright?”

He nodded, “Alright.”

They walked in silence for a few moments.

“But, hey, I’m a free stallion if you ever change your mind.”

Starry rolled her eyes, “I’m not going to, but thanks.”

Several chuckles broke out as Starry finished telling her story.

Soarin blinked as he looked around to see that the others had joined he and Starry at the table. He had been so engrossed in the story that he hadn’t noticed the others come in. Or maybe it was just an assassin thing to come into the room so quietly that you scare the shit out of everyone around you. He had a feeling they’d all insist it was the latter if he asked them.

“Hey, we got what we needed to get. Sure, the flirting thing was at the wrong time, but it was still worth a shot.” Charger chuckled.

“‘Wrong time’ is an understatement.” Nightshade, to no one’s surprise, had put herself as close to her older brother as possible. Namely: right next to him. She chuckled as the timer on the oven dinged, “So… Pizza?”

“Oh yeah, everything’s ready,” Soarin said, going over and pulling the pizza out of the oven. “Help yourselves.” He took a step back, letting the group line up uniformly, get their desired toppings, and then get out of the way for the others.

Blitz trotted by, a piece of cheese pizza hanging out of her mouth. She paused, tilting her head, “Mmmmph?” She pulled the pizza from her mouth, “You okay, Soarin?”

Soarin blinked, realizing that he should’ve gotten in line, “Huh? Oh! Yeah, right.” He nodded.

Nightshade chuckled, “Not used to the structure, are you?”

“Well, no.” Soarin admitted, “It’s usually a stampede to get to the mess hall, let alone the little kitchen in the barracks. I always sat back and waited for the insanity to pass before going up.”

“What kind of operation is Captain Spitfire running, a henhouse?” Stratus grunted, settling down at the table.

Soarin frowned as he got in line behind Charger, biting back a retort. But instead of defending the ‘honor’ of someone who had just screwed him over, he grabbed his own pizza, loading it with all sorts of toppings. Luckily, no one noticed his sudden bad attitude.

"Only if it's a headless henhouse." Charger guffawed.

Glancing over, Soarin could see the sad look on Blitz's face. It seemed as if she had something she wanted to say but just couldn't bring herself to do so. He knew why, too. Blitz had always had some sort of fixation of Spitfire, much to the other mare's chagrin. The image of Blitz barreling into Spitfire at break-neck speeds at the most inopportune time made his throat close, so he pushed the image away.

However, it seemed that Blitz's mood hadn't gone unnoticed, “Soooo, how was the meeting?” Starry asked Nightshade and Stratus quickly.

“Typical.” Stratus responded, “There have been reports of the Storm Kingdom supplying new airships, but no specific orders coming in from the Princess.”

Nightshade spoke up as Soarin sat down, “No new orders coming in is excellent for us, becaaause…” She grinned at Soarin, “I have a proposal for you, Soar.”

Soarin stopped chewing to give her his attention.

“Stratus and I have decided that there’s enough space in this compound for one more Shadowbolt.” Nightshade smiled, “Would you like a trial run to join us, Soarin?”

Soarin swallowed the bite he was chewing. He knew this was coming, but he couldn’t shake the tight knot in his stomach. He looked around at the group looking at him with various levels of eagerness, “I…” He bit his lip.

Nightshade put her hoof on his, “Sorry, didn’t mean to put you on the spot.” She gave him a sad smile, “You can give me your answer in private if you'd like."

“I mean. It's okay. I. Just.” Faces flashed through Soarin's mind: Fire Streak. Lightning Streak. Surprise. High Winds. Misty Fly. Silver Lining. They were all still his team too, Spitfire and Fleet be damned. Then again, while Nightshade hadn't meant it, Soarin did feel awfully pressured with the eagerly awaiting eyes of the Shadowbolts on him. He weighed both options in his head, frowning slightly as he shook his head, “...It’s too soon, Shadey.” His ears folded, “Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Nightshade nodded, “We understand.”

"I'm glad he didn't say yes." Charger said, which led to all eyes glaring at him. "I didn't finish!" He defended, "We would've all wondered in the back of our minds if he said yes just because he was put on the spot. ...Am I wrong?"

"He is correct." Stratus agreed, "Even if we don't have spots on the floor to put him on."

Soarin blinked questioningly at Nightshade, but Starry caught his attention first.

“But to be clear, you’ll still be our cook, right?” Starry asked, already going for her third and fourth piece of pizza. "I don't think I can go back to Charger's slop after this heavenly, cheesy goodness."

"Hey!" Charger pouted, "After that story, the least you could do is give me some respect," He took a bite, chewing it for several minutes, "...shit, this actually is really good."

Soarin laughed, “Yes, I’ll still be your cook. Shadowbolt or not.” Starry and Blitz whooped in response.

Author's Note

Hey guys, I'm back! Expect a blog in another couple of minutes.

Also, big shoutout to River Road for helping Uria and I edit this one!

5 - Flying Low (Edited)

“So...why’d you call me in here, boss?” Blitz shuffled a bit on the office chair. Nightshade sat across from her with a rather concerned expression for her fellow saboteur.

“Well, Blitz… What’s up?” She asked, “You’ve been acting quiet lately, and that’s downright uncharacteristic of you.”

“Well...I’ve been thinking about stuff.” She shrugged, looking down and blinking a bit, “Just...stuff, you know?”

“Anything you need to talk about?” Nightshade leaned back in her chair, “Blitz, your lack of energy is pretty concerning.”

“If you’re worried I’ll underperform in training or on a mission, don’t worry, Nightshade.” Blitz offered a small smile, “I’ll be fine. Just because I’m taking some time to...power down, doesn't mean I’m out of the game.” Even so, the metaphorical raincloud hanging above her spoke wonders.

“No, Blitz, that isn’t what I meant.” Nightshade insisted, looking over at the downtrodden blue-purple mare, “I’m worried about you as your friend. You’re upset, everyone can tell. So what’s the deal?”

“Well...same reason you’re mad! Spitfire was a bitch!” She hung her head, pouting, “I know it's more personal for you and everything but seeing someone I called ‘BFF’ acting like this really just…” Blitz sighed, “It just kinda hurts. Worries me.”

Nightshade simply shook her head, frowning down at her desk. “Me too, Blitz, me too. Might I suggest making a new BFF? Shitflyer clearly isn’t worth a rat’s ass.”

Blitz didn’t respond at first, just keeping her gaze locked on the floor, “...yes, captain.”

“Blitz. Do you still trust Spitfire?”

She didn’t reply to that, “Do you need me for anything else, Nightshade?”

“...Is that all you have left to say?”

“Yes, ma’am. Do we have any upcoming missions or important training exercises?” Blitz asked, standing now.

“Not that I know of at the moment. You need some time to yourself then?” Nightshade asked in turn.

“Permission to leave the bunker for a short while? I think I owe my big brother a visit back home.” She nodded, ‘And a certain someone else as well…’

“Absolutely, I want you back in a week, though.” Nightshade said, “If not earlier. I know being down here is a drain on us, but be ready to spring into things should we need you back.”

“Won't even be a week. I'll be back at the crack of thunder if you need me sooner!” She saluted.

Nightshade nodded at her, appreciating the respect, “You’re dismissed. Go get some rest.”

“Thank you, Captain.” Blitz nodded, trotting out to pack. Once she had gone, Nightshade allowed the worry and doubt to creep back into her expression. It seemed the only way Blitz was going to deal with her issues was confronting them head-on. It was just a matter of hoping there wouldn't be much collateral damage afterward. And knowing Blitz? That was a hit-or-miss call.

Blitz, meanwhile, had nearly run straight into Soarin as she exited the office. It just so happened that she was trotting out as he was bracing to go in.

“Oh! Whoops!” She hopped to the side, dancing around the lighter blue stallion, “Sorry about that, Soarin!”

“It’s alright.” He smiled at her, “Guess it’s not that hard to run into each other in here, is it?” He asked, straining his neck to look up at cement ceiling above them.

“Yeah...speaking of, I’m heading out. Few days leave to visit home. Might give the time I need to clear my head.” She chuckled, clonking a hoof against the side of her head for example.

“Oh well, have a good time then, and tell your brother I said hi.” Soarin nodded at her. As she pushed past him and he put his hoof on the door, he suddenly froze. “Blitz? Is this about Spitfire?” He asked, turning back around to face her.

Blitz paused at his question. She was just glad she was looking away when he asked, “You said it yourself, we pegasi get stir crazy down here. How do you think I am?” She laughed awkwardly, trotting onwards.

That was all Soarin needed to know. Shaking his head at her retreat, he knocked on Nightshade’s door.

The sigh could be heard from there, “Come in.” Seems Nightshade was annoyed already. Soarin couldn’t possibly imagine why.

Soarin poked his head in first. “Heya, Shadey. Uh, I need to talk. You busy?”

“No, no, I’m not busy.” She breathed, painting a smile back on her face, “What do you need, Soar?”

“Umm, well, I wanted to talk about your offer.” Soarin pulled himself into the chair in front of Nightshade’s desk, scooting over towards her noisily. “...This place is echoey.” He pointed out with a blink.

“Are you sure? It hasn’t been very long since we offered in the first place.”

“Well, actually, I want you to make your case. You said it yourself, the Wonderbolts have always been a foalhood dream of mine. And, as much as I’m angry at Fleet and Spitfire, I’m still not entirely sure about the rest of them.” He sighed. “They’re, ya know, still kinda my team. Not in any sense except emotionally now. Should I just leave that all behind me? Besides… Do you really think I have what it takes to be an assassin, Shade? Me?”

“You have to remember that being an assassin is a piece of the job, not the whole thing. A small piece at that. Covert operations, infiltration, scouting, we’re saboteurs.” She gestured, “Just because we’re trained to kill doesn’t mean we have a quota to fill.” She chuckled, “And there are some on the team more qualified to do so than others.” Nightshade paused, musing thoughtfully, “I left them behind...but you have a different connection to them, deeper I suppose. No one says you have to cut ties with every last one of them.”

“I see.” Soarin frowned, “I already know I’m not bad at scouting and such…”

“Like I said before, we can put you through some paces to test your strengths and weaknesses. After that, we can talk more.” Nightshade smiled, “Right now, it's hard to tell anything without knowing where you’d fit anyway.”

He nodded in understanding, “...Hmm. Alright then, I’ll let fate guide the rest of this. It’s kinda a gamble, I guess.”

“Well worst case scenario, you stay our cook?” She chuckled, shrugging with a loose grin.

“If fate should have it that I bake and cook, then so be it!” Soarin laughed, “Just like Mom, eh Shadey?”

“Yeah…” To Nightshade’s credit, her painted on smile looked at least half convincing, “But I’m sure your skills would put her to absolute shame.”

Soarin didn’t notice this, chuckling to himself, “Heh, yeah. That’s undoubtable, Mom’s pies were the only good thing she ever really made.”

“No joke..” Nightshade nodded tersely, finding the room surprisingly more claustrophobic than normal all of a sudden, “Hey...uh, wanna go for a quick flight? It’ll have to stay below the tree lines, but it sounded like you needed it earlier. All the talk of confinement and the like.”

Soarin stretched, falling out of his chair oh so gracefully, “Sure, I could always go for a fly. It’ll help us catch up, you know?”

“I do. Fresh air always does the body good.” She nodded, stretching her wings and shaking out her feathers with a relieved sigh.

“You’ve been locked down here for weeks on end, right?” Soarin asked, “Some fresh air will definately do you good.”

“Don’t get too used to outings, okay Soar?” Shade chuckled, “This is a special occasion.”

Soarin hung his head, “Okay, I won’t. I guess this is just the price I’ll have to pay.”

“Don’t get all mopey.” She elbowed him with a grin as she walked towards her door, “Else I’ll have to find ways of keeping you busy, and when I say ‘I’ll have to’, I mean Stratus will.”

“...So drills then.” Soarin replied.

“You don't sound scared.” Nightshade snickered, “We’ll see if that changes given time.”

“I probably should be scared.” Soarin shrugged with a grin, “But hey, I’m your brother, I can do this, right?”

“Confidence is good too. It’s gonna happen one way or another, repeatedly at that. So it's best to get used to it, be that the fear or the repetition.” Nightshade nodded, leading the way up the compound to the front entrance.

Soarin followed, trotting eagerly next to her, “Sooo… How’s life, Shade?”

“Little hectic, little peaceful…” She shrugged, “Charger flew into a street light while ogling a mare in Manehatten two weeks ago.”

“Mmm, what else is new?”

Nightshade just snickered, “Same old, same old. Though I suppose that’s comforting, during our own roaming ‘off season’, as it were.”

“What, that you get to have lives?” Soarin joked.

“The normal helps balance out the crazy whenever it starts up.” Nightshade spoke simply, “I can only imagine what so much constant stress can do to a pony, especially when they have to deal with a group like mine.”

“Where do you end up going?” Soarin asked, “With our parents gone and all, do you have a place to stay?”

“I stay here.” She stiffened for a moment, relaxing as the door began to open with her passcode, a simple 5 digit punch into the keypad, “As does most of the team.”

“That sounds kinda horrible. Why willingly subject yourself to this tomb?” He trotted out into the cool, damp forest. As before, he could barely see his hoof in front of his face.

“What sounds kinda horrible is calling it a tomb.” She deadpanned back, checking that the door behind them slid heavily into place. “I live here. I never said I spend every waking moment inside, dude.”

“You sure you’re not a purple, gold, and black zombie?” Soarin asked, a dumb grin plastered on his face as he took to the air. “Those bags under your eyes are new though. ...You sleeping okay?”

“That’s a purple, gold, and gray zombie, and the bags under yours aren’t. Are you still sleeping bad?” She fired back.

“Ooohhh no, it’s a whole Shade lighter! Is it in our genetics to just always look tired? Because I sleep just fine.” He chuckled, circling around her in the air like a hawk.

She snorted, hopping into the air after him, “Yeah, yeah. I guess you’re just getting old then, big brother.”

“I am not!” He huffed. “...Maybe just a little?”

She giggled, “Easy bro, only joking. We both have years left in us yet.”

“I know.” He chuckled along, flying at an even clip with her, “It’s just weird to think about all this, isn’t it?” He watched what he could see of the ground through the dim light with a scowl, “A few days ago, I would’ve slapped someone for insisting Spits would turn on me like this. ...I thought we had something special, you know?”

“Yeah…” Nightshade watched the flickers of light dart by as they glided through the treeline, an eternal night emulated by the thick foliage, “I dunno, ponies change I guess.”

Soarin went entirely quiet, just staring ahead as they flew. He didn’t feel anything or want to say anything unless Nightshade did, and there was a great weight in his chest that threatened to pull him to the dark ground below. He didn’t like it at all, but couldn’t stop the feeling.

“I’m not sure what to say, Soarin. Spitfire pulled an utter asinine move that both hurt you and pissed us both off.” She snorted angrily, “Whatever her reasoning was, she put some dumb competition ahead of you.”

“Yes. Yes, she did.” Soarin said forcefully, “And screw her for it! Screw Fleet for it! Screw everyone who sat there and watched me plummet!” He exclaimed, growling.

“So what’s the issue then? Just need to get some anger out? You seem pretty complacent on where you stand with the situation.”

“I’ve been holding it back.” Soarin sighed, “Better now to get it off my chest.”

“Well feel free. Best not to bottle it all up. Otherwise, it’ll come to a head when you least want it to.”

“You’re right...I think a part of me doesn’t want to see me agree to be a Shadowbolt just out of spite.”

“Then don’t join out of spite, that was never the idea on our end.” Nightshade shook her head, “This isn’t about getting back at anyone.”

“It was just a feeling. That’s why I needed to let it all out before I agree officially.”

“Well, are you feeling better then?”

“Yeah.” He smiled at her, “Talking to you does that.”

“Glad I can always help in that regard.” She smiled back at him, enjoying the serene environment for the moment, “It's damn pretty out here. Hope you’re not having too much trouble seeing in the dark.”

“Well, it takes a moment, but I can see shapes.” Soarin said, “I guess the darkness helps you guys as much as the thestrals, huh?”

“We’ve adjusted.” She nodded, “You get used to it...and the night vision goggles, those help too.”

“Oh. Night vision goggles would be great.” Soarin glanced at what shapes of the town that he could see.

As he had seen just a day before, they were elevated huts, hung high in the trees. There was no artificial lighting that was needed, naturally, with the thestrals being nocturnal. It was a relatively short flight from here to Canterlot, and come nightfall Soarin knew the Nightguard would coast over to the castle to assume their duties. It was funny to him how these devoted commuters were more effective than the various members of the day guard.

Just like the Shadowbolts were more effective than the Wonderbolts. The Wonderbolts couldn’t save Equestria. Tartarus, they didn’t even try to save him. This mind wandered farther, thinking of the dragon attack that Surprise, High Winds, and Blaze had nearly been killed in. Who was going to save them if something worse came their way?

“...Yes.” Soarin said finally, so quietly Nightshade strained to hear him.

“Yes?” She glanced over, “Are you certain?”

Soarin nodded slowly, “Not out of spite for Spits and Fleet, not because of the pride… I just want to help. If this is the best way, then so be it.”

“Whatever your reason, we’re glad to have you. Now we just need to see how you hold up in training.” She smirked.

Soarin smiled, “I should be able to hold my own. I wasn’t the Wonderbolts’ trainer for years for nothing.”

Nightshade nodded, “Of course, but that can come later. For now, let’s just enjoy the open air.”

“Right.” Soarin took a long breath of the cool air, letting it run over his wings, coasting along it just to enjoy the breeze. He knew it’d be awhile after this before he’d feel it again.

Blitz came in for landing in an alley off to the side of the street, the crowded walkways of Salt Lick City being too much to land in directly. She trotted out into the crowd and down the concrete path for awhile until she found the other ponies thinning out as she approached a familiar part of the city. While the crowd thinned out slightly, she was able to turn down another path and into a self-contained plaza. City rulings had a hard no-fly zone over the area. Something about keeping things looking nice. It never made much sense to Blitz. It's not like pegasi were pigeons.

Speaking of getting business done, Blitz smiled as she spotted the building she had been searching for. Strike-Up Bakery, the place of business of one Static Spark. A bell chimed as she trotted inside, looking around and keeping her eyes off the dishes for once. Didn't stop her from relishing the scent of baked goods as it drifted her way through.

“Heeeelloo, and welcome to- Heeeey! Blitz!” The yellow stallion waved from behind the counter, “You’re home unexpectedly.”

“As I tend to do most things!” She giggled, trotting up to the register, “Slow day today, bro?”

“Eh, that’s a Tuesday for ya.” Static shrugged, “So, come on, I’ll start closing up.”

“Oh, I’m not staying long, not today at least.” She shook her head, a slight frown growing on her face, “I need some advice.”

“Okay? Well, what’s up buttercup?”

“It's about my B-well...it's about Spitfire.” She sighed, “Did you hear about the thing that happened over at Rainbow Falls?”

“The thing about Soarin quitting and nearly dying, not in that order? Uh, I don’t know who hasn’t at this point. The big news is slandering Spits’s name left and right.”

“Yeah, well...I was thinking maybe I should go...see what’s up?” She frowned heavily at her own phrasing, sitting down and rubbing her face, “I don’t know, I just...this doesn’t seem like something she’d do!”

“Well then, yeah.” Her older brother nodded, “Maybe she has a good reason or something.” He held back the ‘I mean, I doubt it.’ for Blitz’s sake.

“Well...I can’t picture there being a good reason for doing that to Soarin. He’s such a nice guy!” She deflated a bit, “I’m just wondering if I should bother going at all. If this many ponies are all getting mad at her like this, maybe...I don’t know.”

“All I can say is that if she’s your BFF, don’t you think she needs somebody to lean on while everyone else hates her?”

“Well...what if those people are right?” She gulped, looking up at him, “Ponies already gave me that treatment, for a much more personal reason at that.” Her mane sizzled with electricity for a few moments as she sniffled lightly.

Static clambered over his own counter to stand by her side, “The thing is… Do you believe them?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to believe it, but that wouldn’t make it not true.”

“...Well, isn’t there only one way to find out?” Static asked her.

Blitz nodded, “Yeah, you are kinda right, but that’s why I came to you!” She smiled brightly, “A second opinion I can trust.”

“Well, I’m glad that I could help.” Static smiled, giving his sister a hug before scrambling back over his counter. He settled back to where he was when she arrived.

“Mind if I leave my stuff here for now?” She dropped her saddlebags down on the counter before he could respond, “I’ll be back before my leave is-up-so-we-can-hang! Promisseeeeeee!” And with that, Blueball Blitz had left the building, doors swinging open and staying as such from the gust of wind.

“Annnd ladies and gentlemen, she is off to the races!” Static blew out a quick melody on an imaginary trumpet before chuckling to himself and pulling her bags behind the counter. She was clearly on a flight path in the Cloudsdale direction.

6 - Shades of the Night

‘Hey, Shitflier. I know we’ve kinda been assholes to each other for awhile, but… Maybe we could go back to how things were, you know, before it was clear that I was better than you in every way-’ Spitfire pulled a silver pin from an almost pristine drawer, placing it on her desk and looking at it, ‘You know, maybe we can actually be friends again. I know a certain dork that would be over the moon about that idea.’

Next, she pulled out the picture of Soarin that he had signed for her, putting that on her desk and staring at it for a moment. He had on his signature dumb, charming smile, all dressed up in uniform with his goggles just barely visible, fighting his thick blue mane for the spotlight. Spitfire bit her lip staring at it. “Spitfire, never be intimidated by what’s ahead. No one’s a Reserve forever. Keep flying, love Soarin”

A lump formed in Spitfire’s throat as Nightshade’s words came back to her again. ‘Soarin would be so happy to see us get along again, and I think I’m finally ready to agree. I’m sorry that I’ve been such an ass, Shi- Spitfire.’ The tears began to flow harder as she pulled one last item from the drawer...

An engagement ring.

‘There’s no mare I’d trust Soarin with more than you, Sis. ~ Nightshade’

She stared at the ring for a long time. Her chest was pure lead at this point, but she took a moment to shove the items back into the drawer and lock it again. She stood, gathering her jacket and messenger bag before heading out into the hallway.

She knew what she had to do. It wasn’t going to be easy.

Spitfire locked her office door, considering her options. She looked upon the nameplate next to her door plated in gold. Captain Supermarine Spitfire. She’d never given it much thought before, but she noticed how it sat so precariously on the brackets. So easily replaceable.

With a sigh, she threw her bag over her back and headed toward the entrance to the base. She glanced at the now-silent barracks. No one would notice her leaving; she wouldn’t be missed by anyone on the compound. Besides, Manehattan was only about an hour flight, she could be there and back without anyone even knowing she was gone.

She spread her golden wings, taking in the wind speed and coolness of the night. She was lucky that the full moon shone brightly up above; Spitfire was a lot of things, but a night flyer wasn’t one of them. That title went to-

She took a running leap off of the plateau, bursting into the air. Casual flying was always how she dealt with a lot of problems. It gave her the space she needed to collect her thoughts. Her mind wasn’t on herself anymore. That ship had long since sailed. It was the sake of the team, now, and getting the blame mostly off of Fleet. The younger mare had only been supporting a split-second call she had made, after all. Spitfire was the captain, her job was to shoulder the heat and take responsibility.

On top of that, Soarin was her fiance. She needed to embrace the punishment that came from backstabbing him. She alone had chosen to put a stupid competition and her team above him, her best friend and love of her life. It was her fault he had left her.

The streams of wind from her flight tore the tears from her cheeks, and for a moment she closed her eyes to lose herself in the sensations around her. Her pain, sharp and internal; the battering wind, stinging like ice needles against her face; and the howling of the wind in her ears, drowning out the world around her.

You did it again, Spitfire.

Thunder boomed in the distance, and the wind battered her body harder.

When will you learn?

She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter.

Spitfire. Hold onto the pain you feel.

Spitfire. Admit you were wrong.

Spitfire. This is all your fault.

Spitfire. Spitfire.

Spitfire.

“SPIIIIIITFIIIIRE!”

Something collided with her, screaming her name. With a gasp, she opened her eyes, realizing that she was plummeting with the purple mare who was latched tightly onto her. The two landed harmlessly onto a batch of thick, low-hanging clouds.

“DIDYOUJUSTTRYTOKILLYOURSELF?!” Blueball Blitz was in Spitfire’s face at once, talking in her fast, loud way. Except this time, she was panicked.

“...h-huh?” Spitfire blinked at her, still dazed over her encompassing flight.

“DEATH SPIRAL! TOTAL NOSEDIVE! DROPPING FROM THE AIR!” Blitz looked as panicked as she sounded, shaking the golden mare’s shoulders rapidly.

“I-I didn’t even notice!” Spitfire admitted, eyes widened.

Blitz frowned down at her. The size of the frown would almost be comedic if the situation wasn’t so serious. That note was enough to really snap Spitfire to attention. ‘Serious’ and ‘Blitz’ rarely appeared together in a sentence.

“No. I wasn’t trying to kill myself. Relax.” Spitfire said, shrugging Blitz off of her, “I let my emotions take control of me for a moment. I would’ve realized I was falling before anything happened.”

Blitz didn’t seem convinced, “Where are you going, then?”

“Manehattan. Mom’s place.”

“Oh, good. You won’t be alone then.” Blitz let out a relieved sigh.

“Blitz, I told you, I’m not going to-”

“-I know.” It was clear from her expression that she still wasn’t completely sure, “I bet it’s just hard is all. I wanted to be sure there was someone there for you.”

Spitfire let out a sigh. Blitz had the right to be worried, especially after all of that. She definitely hadn’t meant for that to happen, but she was glad Blitz had been there to catch her.

She looked over at the blue mare. “It’s been a long time, Blitz.” Spitfire flashed a weak smile, “How are things on your end?”

“They’re… confusing, honestly.” Blitz kicked a tuft of cloud, pulling her eyes away from Spitfire as soon as the threat of danger had left.

Spitfire opened her mouth to respond, but Blitz continued.

“Ever since Soarin moved in, saying he’d left the Wonderbolts for good.”

Spitfire swallowed hard, taking a step back.

“He said that he nearly died. He said that you let him fall.” Her voice rose, but Blitz still didn’t look at Spitfire. “He said that you didn’t come to visit him after, and that you tried to replace him for someone you thought was better.” She sniffled, “A-And I thought, ‘Could she really have done that? My BFF? My best friend in the whole world? That’s not who Spitfire is. That isn’t what she does to someone so close.’” Blitz finally looked up, tears in her eyes now. “Is it, BFF?”

Spitfire paused. She straightened herself up, and looked Blitz in the eyes. “Yes.” She said with certainty, letting her tears flow freely. “That’s what I did.”

Blitz was about to be angry. She even let it well up in her chest. But when she looked right at Spitfire, she saw a mare that wasn’t without remorse. “...why?” Blitz managed to croak out. “Why turn on him?”

“I wasn’t thinking, Blitz.” The answer was simple. “I was worrying about my team, and Cloudsdale more than I was about anyone else. I never should’ve let it get in front of friends like that. In front of family.” She shook her head, “I bet Soarin hates me after all of this, and I deserve it.”

“...Oh Spits.” Blitz simply sighed. “You really messed up, didn’t you?”

The mare in question could only nod.

“But I think, maybe there’s something you could do to make it up to-”

“-I’m stepping down, Blitz.”

Blitz shook her head rapidly, “C-Come again?”

“I’ve already made up my mind. I’m not fit to be captain, and the bad reputation that the team gained from that incident… It’ll disappear with me. I failed to act the way a Wonderbolt should, and I’ll be pay my due for it like everyone should. Maybe then I can look for forgiveness.” She let out a sigh.

Blitz ears drooped, “I mean, yeah, that’s definitely one way to show that you’re sorry. I guess.”

“You know the ‘Bolts mean a lot to me. And, sure, they do.” Spitfire nodded weakly, “But I’m getting older and I’ve had my fun while it lasted… I think it’s time to fade into obscurity.” She lifted her wings, looking over to the other mare, “Thanks for catching me, Blitz. I think I’ll be fine from here.”

“Okay…” Blitz trailed off as she watched Spitfire take to the skies. She hoped the irony of what happened tonight wasn’t lost on the golden pegasus.

It wasn’t.

Champagne bottles popped loudly back at the Shadowbolt compound, and Soarin was surrounded by the celebration on all sides.

“It’s going to be great having you around, dude!” Charger elbowed him roughly. “Another teammate to join the ranks!” He took a large swig of booze, grinning abnormally wide.

“Oh, here we go.” Starry rolled her eyes with a chuckle, “But he is right. A new teammate is certainly worth celebrating. It’s just a shame that Blitz had to miss it.”

“It’s fine.” Nightshade said evenly, “Blitz deserves her rest, and we can all drink without worrying about her.” She followed Charger’s example, taking a large swig of alcohol.

“It isn’t official yet.” Stratus snorted in his usual monotone, “Training will make or break you, so don’t get too excited yet.”

“WOO!” Charger cheered loudly, getting very excited as he slammed down another can of beer.

Stratus sent him a flatter than usual look, “What did I just say?”

Starry looked over at her captain, “I don’t think Blitz is who we should be worried about.”

“Charger will be fine. He’ll be paying for it by morning if he goes overboard. Trailing will really break them if they go too far.” Nightshade waved off with her wing, chuckling.

Soarin downed a beer himself, “It’ll be fiiinnne. We’re all adults here, right?”

“Yes, and being adults means dealing with the consequences come morning, brother.” Nightshade chuckled, shaking her head at him.

“I’ve been drunk off my ass enough times to know my limit.” Soarin nodded, watching Charger tear through another can of booze.

“Oh. That’s real comforting to hear, Soar. We’ll have a detox ready for you.”

Soarin laughed, “I didn’t mean it like that! Wonderbolts have all sorts of events and stuff we used to have to show up for. Most of the time, there was free concessions waiting for us. No one can turn down free booze. Besides, as Starry implied, I’m not the one who’s downed at least three cans already.”

“And this is why we rarely have alcohol on the grounds.” Stratus muttered.

“You’re just mad because your opposite isn’t here to translate for you~” Charger slurred at him.

“Charger, if you can’t control your inner alcoholic, I’ll force feed you one of your tonics and just hope it gives the right result.” Starry eyed him.

Charger pointed a wing at her, “You stay outta my lab! Tonics are so simple for me to make; I can enjoy myself!”

“Tonic and gin?” Soarin joked.

“No! Is like a potion, dude. Alchemy n’ shit. Is what I do.”

“It's why we call him a drug dealer.” Starry sniggered, knowing the reaction she’d get.

“SHUT UP, STARTY! JUS’ BECAUSE I’M FROM DETROT DOESN’ MAKE ME A DRUG DEALER!” Charger boomed.

“He’s also a lightweight.”

“M’kay, that one I’ll give cred’t for.” He chuckled, “I’m tryin ta build up a tol’rence.”

Nightshade shook her head, “Just don’t poison yourself, Charger.”

“I’d be bad at my job if I poisoned myself…” Charger stumbled over onto the couch, “We poison other people. Usu’lly ashholes.”

“Charger, keep it to the briefing.” Nightshade rolled her eyes.

Charger didn’t respond, now onto his fourth drink. “There. Thas as far as I’ll go. I’m an adolt.”

Soarin took a sip of his own. “...Probably for the best.” He chuckled. Then, he turned toward his sister, “What time should I be reporting in tomorrow morning?” He asked.

“0300 hours.” She replied casually, “That’s usually when we all start our high intensity training for the day.”

“That’s...3?!” Soarin yelped, the realization piercing his buzzed brain.

Starry chuckled at his horrified response, “It’s intimidating at first, but you get in the routine eventually.”

Soarin replied by simply putting his drink into the trash.

“Oh look, he gets it already.” Nightshade smirked, finishing off her own drink.

“...I’m already going to be dead tired tomorrow, I don’t need to feel terrible on top of it.” Soarin shivered.

“Smart man.” Stratus agreed, “I’m not going easy on you, even if you were hungover. Tartarus, I’d kick your flank even harder if you were.” He flashed a rare grin, “And I’d enjoy doing it.”

“Sociopath…” Charger muttered.

“So enjoy this night while you can. You won’t be able to feel your wings this time tomorrow.” Stratus continued, his voice even. “Wonderbolts take anyone and make them good. We train the good to be great. If you don’t rise to our expectations, it’s kitchen duty for you for good, fly boy.”

Soarin let out a audible gulp. Stratus was promising him a hard time tomorrow, and given the stallion’s reputation, Soarin had a feeling that he was about to face a world of pain. It was a wonderful and terrifying thing.

...Mostly terrifying, though.

7 - What's in a Name

Author's Note

NOTE: This chapter is comprised of a mixture of new content and old. This is due to the rearranging of the story as a whole. If you're a repeat reader, you may recognize the first scene but not the second.

Because of this, chapter 8 will be coming out within the next few days as well.

Enjoy!

7 - What's in a Name

Misty was amazed at how unphased the night guard was at their entrance. They barely even looked at their group of three as they walked into the throne room. The thestrals of the night were much more at attention than their day counterparts, but she supposed that made sense. She had heard a mix of things about their Princess of the Night but had never met her face-to-face.

“Princess Luna is a mare of faces.” Her father had told her once, “How you approach her is how she’ll react, no different from any other pony you meet. Unlike Celestia, though, she’s still the most open.”

Considering Misty had made Celestia cry once, she doubted that somehow.

On the other hoof, Spitfire had said that Luna was staunch and more uniform than her sister when it came to Equestria’s… forces. Especially with the Night Guard. Misty wondered if that was lingering old-fashioned beliefs or something to be said about the Night Princess herself. Either way, it definitely showed through her guards.

They approached the Night Throne together, which was really just Luna sitting on Celestia’s throne. The bright yellow sun on the back of it was a bit hard to ignore, and it made the Princess’s darker colors look out of place.

“Polaris.” Luna smiled at the unicorn as he approached, “I see you’ve brought guests to join us tonight.”

“Not exactly, your highness,” Misty spoke, bowing respectfully to cover her sudden speech. “I’m-”

“Misty Fly. Of Wonderbolts fame and youngest of the Northstar lineage.” Luna finished for her, “I know who you are. Your father speaks glowingly of you.”

Misty’s face lit rapidly, “Y-Yes.”

“And your teammate, Surprise Pie.”

“That’s me!” Surprise, meanwhile, sprung up at the recognition.

Luna smiled, “You do remind me of your cousin.”

“That’s Pies for ya!” Surprise grinned back.

Luna chuckled in response, getting up from her sister’s throne and approaching them, “Well, Miss Fly, if you are not here for a social occasion, what may I do for you?”

Misty straightened up, “I want to know why you pulled the post-Wonderbolt information of one of the fliers, Nightshade.”

Luna’s smile slowly faded from her face as the question took recognition, “We know nothing of that.”

Misty pressed nonetheless, “The file said that you, specifically, pulled the information.”

“As I said, Miss Fly, I know nothing of this.” Luna frowned.

“It undoubtedly has your seal,” Misty argued.

“Yes, but I have plenty of my highest night guard captains who also use my seal.” Luna frowned, “Truly if that’s all you came to speak about, I’m afraid that I cannot help you.”

“Then let’s talk to the Captain who authorized this,” Misty replied simply, not backing down, “I’m sure you can figure out who it was.”

“I will not let you do such a thing.” Luna shook her head in finality, “Even if one of my captains did authorize that, I cannot allow you to simply ask them for obviously classified information.”

Misty went to push further, but Surprise butt in, “Ohhh please, Princess! We don’t wanna intrude, but our friend and teammate went missing and we think he went off with her.”

Luna paused, “You speak of the Co-Captain of the Wonderbolts, Soarin?”

“Yes!” Surprise nodded enthusiastically, “We think she’s his sister, and that he’s gone off with her. We need to find her to find him!”

“...One of the Wonderbolts?” Luna cracked a wry smile, “The most popular one, gone? Off to find one of my Shadowbolts?”

Misty and Surprise looked at each other, echoing the same thought, “Shadowbolts?”

Luna smirked, “I have had a change of heart. But I must warn you, if you ask me about this at any moment beyond this night, I will deny it all. I will tell you, at the least, of the night I met this ‘Nightshade’.”

Luna began her story:

“I was still at the point of obtaining my strength after my banishment when I found her dreams. Normally, my focus is on the nightmares of the young foals in Equestria. But something about hers stood out to me.

I arrived in her dreams to see a mare that was bloodied and broken, with two other pegasi standing tall and triumphant over her. For her sake, I’ll leave out the… more personal details, but she was on the ground telling herself repeatedly that she was worthless and a mistake.”

Luna grimaced, but the other two mares in the room looked utterly horrified.

Her birth name meant poison, and now this.

“Only naturally, I dispelled the shadows looming over her and ended her nightmare. However, that’s when I realized why I recognized the mare. In my time as Nightmare Moon, I had seen her brother’s likeness on one of your team’s Wonderbolts poster and used it to try and tempt Rainbow Dash away from her friends.

As I tried to apologize for accidentally using her for my own devices, she broke down. She let everything spill about her past, about how desperately she needed to prove herself, how jealous she was of her brother’s attention, how much she loved him despite that, how she had backstabbed her best friend, and how she’d sealed her own fate in a desperate attempt to gain the title of Captain.”

This fit with some of the things Misty had seen in Nightshade’s file about her crash and discharge. She imagined that this ‘best friend’ was probably Spitfire.

Luna paused, sighing, “I saw a lot of myself in her, to be honest. She’d been through some of what I faced, only on a smaller scale. Thus, I left her dream that night with a proposal: Join me that night at Canterlot Castle, and I’d give her the chance to prove herself worthy of a new team: the Shadowbolts.”

“...The Shadowbolts.” Misty repeated again. “What do they do, exactly? Are they another flight team?”

“I haven’t seen them at the world championships.” Surprise piped up.

“I cannot confirm or deny what it is that they do.” Luna shook her head, “I can only tell you a general location of where they might be.

“So I take it that she got in?” Misty asked, “Nightshade, I mean.”

“She surpassed everything I threw at her.” Luna nodded, “And outperformed. I’d imagine her brother would do the same. And that’s what I’ll leave you both with tonight. If you both go seeking out the Shadowbolts, you already might be too late.”

“They’re gonna kill Soarin?!” Surprise yelped.

Luna rolled her eyes with an amused smile, “No. They might have jumped on the chance to recruit him.”

“Oh.”

Misty shook her head, “With all respect, your highness, I don’t think so. Soarin is a lot of things, but above all, he’s loyal. Loyal to us, and to the Bolts. But thank you for telling us what you could. We’ll be sure to not tell anyone about what we were told tonight.” She began to walk out.

“But, um, could you give us a clue to where we might find them?” Surprise asked Luna.

“Hollow Shades.” Luna chuckled as Misty paused mid-trot, realizing that she was about to walk out with nowhere to go.

“Thanks, Princess!” Surprise burst out of the throne room, knocking over Misty in her haste.

Luna stared after them as they both managed to finally leave, shaking her head, “Your daughter truly is something, Polaris.”

“Yes, she is.” He agreed with a chuckle, “Now, shall we get on with tonight’s duties, your highness?”

Stormy Flare’s cafe was nestled into a quiet corner of Manehattan, the streets lit by only a single lamp across the street from the front. It didn’t need to be illuminated, though. Inside, the light reflected off of the white faux-granite counters with enough intensity to mock a small star. It definitely put the one lamp to shame. Blitz had never been inside of the place, but she had heard her BFF talk about it enough to know that the place was always warmer than it needed to be, but still cozy. Considering the golden glow of the lights, it was no wonder the warmth radiated.

The bells chimed as the two mares made their way into the place. Spitfire let the door slam shut behind them. Sitting at the L-shaped counters were three lonely occupants. A stallion, dressed in a buisness suit, barely noticed them come in from his coffee and newspaper. The two other occupants, a mare and a stallion, sat adjacent to each other and stared evenly as the two walked in. Only when they saw Spitfire looking back at them did they avert their eyes.

The elderly mare behind the counter was immediately identifiable as Spitfire’s mother, seeing as the two nearly looked identical.

“Sweetheart, welcome home.” Her smile was radiant. “I see you’ve brought Blitz by for a visit.”

“HiyamissSpitfire’smom!” Blitz responded faster than anyone could blink.

“Well, yeah.” Spitfire trotted over and took a seat on one of the red barstools. Blitz hopped onto the adjacent one, immediately spinning around just to test it. Spitfire was so busy looking at her mother, that she didn’t notice Blitz’s antics. “Hear the news?”

“Of course.” Stormy dried the plastic cup in her hooves with a rag, “I always see the news about you.”

“Mind if I bunk here for a bit? ...Guess I miss my waitressing days.” Spitfire scratched the back of her head with her wing. Blitz stopped spinning to raise an eyebrow and pout her lips at her friend.

“Everyone knows that’s a lie, firefly.” Stormy didn’t look up from the glass, “But I’d be happy to welcome you back. ...Doesn’t that mean that you’re running from things, then?”

Spitfire curled her lips into a scowl, “I’m taking responsibility, Mom. Stepping down from the team is the best way to admit that I was wrong, and that my judgement call wasn’t the way the Wonderbolts truly act toward each other. Isn’t that what a leader does?”

Stormy put her glass down, shaking her head as she looked to Spits, “It’s not about what a leader does. It’s about what you think is best for yourself, and your concience. Is stepping down from your position really your only choice?”

Spitfire said nothing for a moment.

So, Stormy continued, “I’ll say this: I’m not the one to choose what you do. I will love you and shelter you no matter what you decide. But I know you, Firefly. This will eat you alive if you don’t make the correct decision. All I ask is that you think it through more.” With a finality to her words, she looked at Spitfire and Blitz, “So, are you both hungry? I just pulled this excellent double chocolate swirl pie out of the oven.” Blitz nodded rapidly, and Spitfire gave a small smile.

“Pie would help me think.” Spitfire said, though even she knew that the words dripped with irony. It didn’t help that the couple in the back of the room had made themselves a little too comfortable on top of each other. Spitfire put a hoof in just the right position to block them both out of her sight.

It didn’t take long for her mother to drop a plate of pie right in front of the two, and Blitz dug into it ravenously. Spitfire poked at it, eating small bites to help her understand how best to peice everything together.

“It would help if I could start by apologizing to Soarin. No idea where he’s off to, though. His bunk’s completely empty save for a few photos.” Spitfire said to no one in particular, but Blitz responded nevertheless.

“Oh! I know where he is. He’s with-”

“-Nightshade,” Spitfire finished with her, nodding slightly, “Yeah, yeah, I figured.” She hung her head slightly, “Which leads to my second problem: Nightshade wouldn’t let me around him now no matter how badly I wanted to apologise.”

“...You sure about that one?”

Spitfire stuck another cutting of the pie into her mouth, “Well, not really. It’s more of an educated guess than actual fact. Then, there’s the fact that I wouldn’t blame her in the slightest for it. If I had a brother, and his fiance nearly got him killed, I’d be pissed beyond logic too. That’s why I can’t just show up wherever you’d want to take me.”

Blitz sighed, “I don’t have clearance to take you there anyways, so that’s out.”

“Guess what I can do is start working on my retirement speech, and choose who’s going to succeed Soarin and I’s positions.” Spitfire said, bringing a napkin over to her and snagging a pen from her flight jacket, “Hopefully it won’t be so corny that everyone thinks I’m just doing it to weasel out of my predicament.”

“Would you feel like it would be?” Stormy Flare asked.

Spitfire mused before shaking her head, “No. If I do this right, no matter what other ponies think, I won’t feel like I’ve just gotten by on this.”

“And Soarin?” Blitz asked.

Spitfire hung her head, “I have no idea. I’ll apologize, eventually. I don’t think it’ll be that easy, though. So… our engagement is off. I’ll just have to come to terms with it.”

“Well… I can help, if you really want to make up for what you’ve done.” Blitz said, “Because that incident didn’t sound like the BFF I know. I think even Soarin and Nightshade know that.” She spun around on the stool again for good measure, “I think I can talk to them. Warm them up to the idea of the apology. Let them hear about your retirement as Captain. Then, maaaybe, we can rebuild some bridges with time.” She hopped off of her stool, her wings already spread and buzzing like a hummingbird’s, “Infaaact~ Icango! Rightnow! Andletyougetworking! Andreport!”

Spitfire chuckled, “Hey, if you want to, go on ahead. You know where to find me.”

Blitz’s grin widened, and the cafe began to fill with the smell of ozone as the mare’s mane began to buzz violently with electricity before bursting out of the door with the crash of thunder.

“ANDTHANKSFORTHEPIE!” Echoed behind Blitz as she rocketed towards the horizon at ridiculous speeds.

“Hmm.” Stormy Flare looked at the black scorch marks on her white tile floor with concern, “Must’ve given her too much sugar.”

Spitfire smiled at her mother, shaking her head. "It's good to be home."

8 - A Brewing Storm

The loop repeated over and over, each iteration worse than the last. He was in freefall again, watching helplessly as the ground grew closer with each second. Soarin tried to open his wings, but it was as if he didn’t have any. He tried closing his eyes, but they remained focused on the slowly approaching ground. Blinking wasn’t an option, either.

Screaming? Nothing but a croak came pitifully from his throat, as much as he clawed at it with his hooves. He would be saved if he could just scream - or make any noise at all - but again, nothing but a pathetic whimper.

He watched as the ground was in two hooves’ length, and in a shot of adrenaline - he could blink, and he could scream. It was cut off when he opened his eyes again and found himself right back up at the top of his fall. Again. And Again. And Again. Never losing the sensation and adrenaline of dropping, his blood pounding to bursting with fear and energy that couldn’t be relieved.

No one was coming to save him. He couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t help himself.

The sky around him grew brighter and brighter as he continued to plummet, becoming brighter as he grew closer to the ground than he had any of the other cycles before. Fear pummeled through his veins, almost feeling as if they’d solidified, as he neared the end.

All of the lights flipped on as soon as the three o’clock mark hit, as if on a timer itself. Groggily, Soarin pulled a pillow over his face, only to have it slip between his hooves and subsequently slammed down onto his face.

“AUUUGH!” He yelled as he was met with an airy giggle from his younger sister. All of the pent up energy pushed up behind the scream, and he looked around him and Nightshade’s bunk, disoriented. Nightshade grinned at him as he drowsily came into consciousness.

“Oh look, it’s like you’re in Cloudsdale High again,” Nightshade smirked as she struck his face with the fluffy, air-filled pillow once again. “Brooooo, can you bring me to fliiiight caaaamp?” She drew out the vowels with the highest pitched voice she could manage, imitating a pout.

Soarin groaned louder, and turned away, trying to hide the confusion and fear on his face for a moment. “No… Not the stallion’s locker rooms again. I can still taste the cologne…” He was met with one more whapping with the pillow, and popped up from the bed suddenly, “That’s it!” He exclaimed, grabbing Nightshade’s pillow from her bed, “Come ‘ere!”

Nightshade replied by flinging Soarin’s pillow with her wing, hitting him point-blank on the snout. It slid down his disappointed face in a near comedic fashion. “There. Good. You’re up and ready for early morning training!” Nightshade opened the door to their bunk, grinning deviously as she trotted out.

Soarin rubbed his face with his hooves, tossing Nightshade’s pillow aside with the shake of his head. With her out of the room, he could catch his breath and pounding heartbeat. Nevertheless, he was up, and aware that the nightmare was over. It was funny how a pound of stuffing to the face could wake a stallion up so quickly, even at three o’clock.

As he stepped out of his room, he noticed how the others were already up and looking decently awake. Even Charger didn’t seem to have a problem, despite the entire barrel of alcohol he had downed last night in their little drinking escapade. Granted, considering that he couldn’t see Charger’s eyes, the stallion could be high as a kite for all he knew.

Soarin himself felt exhausted, going straight into the kitchen and downing a coffee in haste. When he poked his head out of the kitchen again, the rest of the team was almost done suiting up.

“So...I don’t have a uniform like you guys do,” Soarin stated the obvious.

“No, but I’ve put in the order for one to be made for you,” Nightshade said.

Soarin tilted his head a little. “Erm, but what if I don’t make it in?”

She flashed him a sly smile. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

A warm feeling rushed over Soarin, and he saw the determined look Nightshade gave him. He was her brother. She had no doubt that he’d pass everything that Stratus threw at him.

“Namely: I’ll be taking it.” Charger cut into the warm and fuzzies.

“Err… Why you?” Soarin asked.

“Because you’re sure as shit not giving it to the mares. And just look at Stratus! The dude’s a mountain!”

“Mountains cannot fly,” Stratus responded evenly.

“Hey, I was talkin about ya, not to ya.”

Stratus made a mental note to make Charger’s training even harsher today.

Suddenly, Soarin was much less tired than earlier. “Let me grab my Wonderbolts suit.” He said, “It’s not the same as yours, but it should be enough to cover me for this morning’s training.”

Stratus snorted, “You’re not coming with us. You’ll be in the kitchen preparing breakfast for when we return.”

Soarin paused, “But what about-?”

“Your training will begin when we return. You’d best warm up after our meal’s been started, you’ll need it.” With that, Stratus turned on his heel and headed out of the base.

“Sorry, dude.” Charger said, pushing Soarin’s side lightly as he passed.

“You’ll do wonderfully.” Starry nodded to him before she and the others filed out, leaving Soarin alone in the base.

Soarin stood in the middle of the empty and quiet base for a moment, taking in the silence around him. It had been a while since he was left to deal with things by himself, and the base seemed to echo with each hoofstep he took. In the kitchen, he was able to scrounge up a few ingredients to make a nice batter for pancakes or waffles. He wasn’t really sure how long they’d take to go on their low-temperature excursion, nor what that even looked like. He did know, however, that the silence in the base left him to his own thoughts.

So, he whistled a merry tune as he flipped the pancakes and piled them high, allowing himself to zone in on just the motions of the job in front of him. It wasn’t glamorous and soon all of their decent food supplies would run short, sure, but at least he felt comfortable in his own abilities. In the kitchen or otherwise. As Stratus suggested, Soarin took a moment to stretch out his wings. When the pancakes had finally piled higher than the inhabitants of the base could possibly eat, Soarin made his way to the middle of the main room and began to trot in place.

When the door opened, he was expecting to see the team back. However, only Blueball Blitz stood in the room. Her body was actively buzzing with the electricity that covered it, and it wasn’t clear if she was slowly sliding towards him on purpose or not.

“Uh, Blitz?” Soarin took a step back. “Do you need help?”

“NOPE! Igotitholdon!” She shook off like a dog, the electricity fading back to its normal levels across the mare’s mane. “Heya Soarin! Are the others doing their high altitude training?”

“Uhh, yeah. Want some pancakes?”

“DO I?!” Blitz scampered into the kitchen with Soarin following cautiously.

With how many flapjacks Blitz was piling onto her plate, Soarin started to question whether his assertion about having too many was a false call.

“Sho~” Blitz slurred, her mouth full of food, “Derd I mush yur fursh day?”

Soarin took a seat with her but didn’t grab any food of his own just yet, “Nope, that’s today. You’re right on time.”

“YUUSH!” Blitz’s hooves waved in the air, “Schweet!”

“Did you, eh, take the time off that you needed?” Soarin asked her, “Weren’t you on leave?”

“Yep!” Blitz had finally finished swallowing her mouthful of pancake, “Talked to my brother and took some time to myself and stuff! Raring to go!”

“In 16 hours…?” Soarin trailed off with a confused blink.

“YEP!” Blitz bounced, “I’m fast action! Quick work! NUUOOM~!”

Soarin let out a chuckle, “But weren’t you supposed to be on vacation?”

“Soarin, a vacation just means that I don’t do work. It doesn’t matter where I do it!” Blitz giggled.

“Guess that makes sense. A staycation.” Soarin said, going back to his warm-up spot.

“Ooooohh, you’re gonna need more of a warmup than that if you’re dealing with Stratus!” Blitz giggled.

Soarin looked up at her, “Do you know what I should expect?”

“Nope! Stratus individualizes alllll his training regimens! Just expect to feel like wiggly, wiggly jelly when you’re all done! He’s gonna push you to your limit!”

“Great…” Soarin sighed, adding a few wing-ups to his warm up. He continued to warm up for what seemed to be fifteen minutes or so before the base door swung open, and the rest of the team came inside.

“Blitz?” Nightshade blinked as the hyper mare ran over to greet them.

“I’m baaack~!” She bounced.

“Um, welcome back…” Nightshade quirked an eyebrow at her as Stratus moved past them and over to Soarin.

“Did you eat?” He asked, standing over the smaller stallion.

“No.” Soarin admitted, “But the food’s on the table for everyone else.”

Stratus shook his head, “In the future: eat. It’s too late now.” He walked past Soarin, “I don’t want to clean up after you if you try to eat now.” He stopped, looking back at the other stallion, “Well?” He snorted aggressively, “You going to lounge around like Spitfire and Fleetfoot, or are you coming?”

Soarin’s eyebrow’s furrowed, and his lips pressed tightly together as he trotted up to follow Stratus.

“You were the Wonderbolts’ trainer, correct?”

Soarin nodded.

“Good.” A smile spread over Stratus’s face. Soarin watched as Charger flinched at the sight of the elder stallion’s grin, and Starry looked slightly worried for Soarin. Stratus turned his back again, “I’ll be able to kick your ass twice as hard when you give up.”

The others in the room stared at him like he was dead in the water, but Nightshade gave him a reassuring smile. That was enough for Soarin to lift his head high and follow Stratus into the room where his mettle as a Shadowbolt would be tested.

It looked like a general gym room if Soarin was honest with himself. However, Stratus was not the kind of stallion to question, so Soarin simply waited to be directed.

“To be a Shadowbolt, there are five specific skills that you must master to the utmost extent. If you don’t master them, you’re dead. If you don’t listen to commands, you’re dead. If you cannot think for yourself on solo missions, you’re dead. Understand me, Greenwing?”

“Yes, sir.” Soarin nodded.

“The six things you need, rookie: Strong body, strong mind, stealth tactics, weapon mastery, climate adaptability, and most importantly… the ability to kill another.”

Soarin knew that was coming, but it didn’t make him any more comfortable with the idea. Then again, he figured that it would come with time and that he’d cross that bridge when he got there.

Instead, he asked, “What weapons?”

Stratus turned around, going over to some sort of bench with a sheet on it. Soarin followed at a distance, unsure if he was supposed to be coming along. Stratus pulled off the sheet two reveal three weapons: the first was some sort of brace of knives that looked like it was trying to imitate a pegasus wing.

“Wingblades,” Stratus said, not even looking at Soarin at this point. “For close-quarters.”

Next to the wingblades was some sort of bow thing that looked like it attached somewhat awkwardly to his hoof by a belt.

“Crossbow, a stolen tech from the griffons and slightly modified so that we can use it. Though, it’s better from distances and heights.”

Stacked up next to the crossbow were several jars of some sort of strange liquids. On the front of each jar, there were symbols of various types, but one had a striking viper head on the front.

“Poisons!” Soarin realized aloud.

Stratus let out a chuckle, “Sometimes the classic way is just the best for the job.”

He pulled out something from around the side of the bench. It was like a crossbow, but there were darts on it instead of arrows. Stratus casually opened one of the jars that Soarin couldn’t see the symbol of and dipped each of the darts’ needles into it. Then, he loaded one into the crossbow thing.

“Now~,” He said smoothly, “Dodge.”

Soarin took a moment to register the command before the first dart was fired right toward his chest, and he rapidly shot into the air with a screech.

“AAAAAUUUUGGGH!”

Soarin’s screams were so loud the gathered Shadowbolts eating at the table were able to hear it clearly.

“Dear Celestia, Stratus works fast.” Starry flinched as she bit into one of the pancakes.

Nightshade was reading a newspaper on the other side of the table, “Uhh huh.”

Shoving another pancake into his gullet, Charger shook his head, “I’ll mish the guy.”

“Charger, shut up, he’ll be fine,” Nightshade replied, gripping the newspaper harder than she intended to.

“He didn’t get Starry screaming this quickly when she was in training,” Charger rebuked.

Nightshade scowled, “I told him to be extra hard on Soarin, alright?!”

Her sudden outburst made the table go quiet.

“...He’s screwed.” Charger continued by downing a black coffee in requiem.

Nightshade just hoped that Stratus wouldn’t rip her brother apart.

9 - Bound and Tried

Three darts in, Soarin was really panicking. Not only was Stratus seemingly enjoying this; the onslaught of darts wasn’t slowing. On top of that, Soarin was beginning to lose feeling in the places that the darts had landed. Notably, in his left back hoof and his side. His wing was also refusing to respond in the way that Soarin needed it to. It was when a fourth dart made contact with his upper leg that Soarin’s left side froze up entirely. Like the flip of a switch, standing was made to suddenly be impossible. The frigid floor brushed against his left side as his body refused to continue moving any more.

A shadow fell over Soarin as he struggled with his right front hoof to drag himself away. The stoic look on the older pegasus’s face convinced Soarin that Stratus might actually kill him then and there. Or worse, that he had failed his first day of training.

“You would’ve been dead four times over already,” the gruff stallion said, “You’re lucky that this isn’t a more deadly poison.”

“I-It’s actually poison?!” Soarin yelped, “Not ‘Haah, gotcha, it was just water’?!”

Stratus’s cruel smile returned. “Processed hydra venom, actually.” He circled around Soarin as if he were looking for the weakest part of the flesh to tear apart first. “Has a nice little temporary paralysis effect that really makes the point clear.” He pulled his face closer to Soarin’s. “DEAD. MEAT.”

Soarin scowled, trying to pull himself up again to no avail. His body was exhausted all over between the fear adrenaline, the sharp needlepoints of the darts still sticking out from his body, and the physical toll of fleeing for what felt like hours. “Th-that wasn’t a fair trial,” he argued, “I want another try.”

“Fair?” Stratus threw back his head with a chuckle. “When there are arrows pointed at your neck when the job’s gone south, come back and tell me about fair.” As Stratus drew closer to Soarin’s face again, the stallion’s large, jagged scar truly became apparent. Soarin wasn’t sure if it was intentional, but the hole through Stratus’s upper lip suddenly helped Soarin understand the old stallion’s deal. “Let me tell you something, boy,” Stratus growled low in his throat, “Though you didn’t fail this little trial, it made some things apparent to me. You have some high endurance, but your dodging abilities are pitiful. You lope around like a tank, and your left side is a gaping target.” He pulled away from Soarin. “If that’s any sort of indication of your stealth ability, I don’t think any kind of training would be able to help your sorry ass.”

Soarin’s ears swiveled back at that news.

“We’ll be trying this kind of exercise again when I feel like you’ve earned it. But for now, that venom needs to wear off.” He swished his tail as he headed out of the room, leaving Soarin still frozen in place on the floor.

“...What, am I supposed to drag myself?” Soarin muttered as he attempted to do just that. The stiffness was losing effect in his back leg, at least. He had dragged himself over to the door only to be met by a pair of grey hooves.

Charger pointed down his snout at Soarin and simply stared at him for a moment.

"Can I-?" Soarin was cut off as his stiff left side was suddenly supported by Charger.

"If I have to drag you to this lesson, I will," Charger chuckled as he pulled Soarin back up to the bench. As they approached, Charger seemed to notice the very apparent jar of hydra venom that Stratus had left open. "Yeesh, he got you with the paralysis stuff, huh? Nasty." He swiftly closed the jar and put it aside. "Guess while you'll be feeling the stuff, I should give ya the rundown on the jars in here, huh?"

Soarin leaned himself against the wall adjacent to the bench, "Not like I can do any other sort of training while I'm like this." Soarin closed his eyes, sighing quietly to himself.

"You'll be out of it in, like... thirty minutes or so. Chill," Charger said as he sorted through the jars, “That’s the whole reason I processed the stuff. Easier for the no casualties sort of missions.”

“Do you get those often?” Soarin asked, picking up his head slightly.

“Ha.” Charger didn’t say more than that on the subject. Instead, he brought over the jar of hydra venom, allowing Soarin to see the three-headed silhouette on the front label. “Most of these are sort of self-explanatory. That’s why the labels and all are there.” He gestured a hoof at each, “My job is to keep stock of what we need and synthesize whatever we’re missing.” As if to prove his point, he put down the hydra venom and looked over another jar, this one with some sort of flower petal on it.

“What’s that? Sap?”

Charger’s head turned Soarin’s way. “Flowers don’t make sap, for one. It’s called nectar. And two, no. This is concentrated poison joke.”

"What does it do?"

Charger put the jar of poison joke on the shelf. "A variety of things, actually. It's literally a prank in a jar. We don't really use it for anything, but it's always good to leave around. Never know when Blitz'll start betting on things again." He adjusted his goggles, taking them off for a moment to scrub one of the lenses with his wing. To Soarin's surprise, Charger's eyes were shut entirely while he cleaned his goggles.

"Uh, Charger...?"

Charger chuckled to himself. "Sorry, there was a spot on the inside that was buggin' the crap outta me." There were very large circles around his eyes and on his snout where the goggles had made an imprint.

Soarin stood from he was crouching by the wall, finding that only his front leg was still stiff and unusable. He leaned against the bench. "You know, this is the first time I've ever seen you take off your goggles."

Charger looked in Soarin's general direction, eyes still closed. "I'm surprised you haven't asked before. Most do." He placed the goggles back onto his face. "You know photophobia, right? Light sensitivity and all?”

Soarin nodded, but for a moment questioned whether Charger could actually see the motion. It wasn't apparent, considering the goggles were so dark Soarin couldn't see Charger's eyes.

"Well... I have a more severe form of it than the average pony," Charger explained, "Most sources of light set me off, but my goggles are specifically designed to block most of it."

"So, you can still see?" Soarin asked.

Charger swished his tail. "About as well as the next 30-something year old. Colors are rough, though. Just looking at you or Stratus in the wrong way gives me a headache."

"Huh," Soarin mused, "Uh, what happens if your goggles get ripped off?"

"I have these things called ears! Ever heard of 'em?" Charger guffawed like he was waiting for that question. "But seriously, we've planned for that. I have extras of mine, but I can borrow any of them if I need to. I'll just have a splitting headache after we finish."

"That... sucks." Soarin's mouth pulled into a thin line.

"It can be unfortunate, but it's kinda my norm. It's hard to explain, but it's part of who I am." Charger stacked another jar with a picture of a chimera on top of one with a cockatrice. "So I'm not exactly sorry for it. Plus, the team knows about it. If I’m ever in a tight spot, they’ve got my back.”

Soarin wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to something like that. Lucky though, he didn’t have to as Charger continued by pointing a feather toward the jar with the cockatrice label, “Back to what I was saying… This is actually a poison of my own creation. I call it ‘cockatrice blood’. It’s not actually the blood of a cockatrice, but it will petrify the insides of whatever it hits. A bit on the gruesome side, but sometimes an example’s gotta be made out of some poor soul. Funny how the overtly gruesome leaves an impression. We tested this out on a mobster’s goons once, and phew. Definitely not the way I want to go. Way too slow.”

Soarin grimaced, quickly opting to change the subject, “And the other one’s chimera venom, right?”

Charger nodded. “I take that you’ve heard of it?”

“I’m pretty sure everyone in Equestria knows a chimera’s venom is the most deadly on the planet.”

“And it’s only natural that I’ve synthesized it too. It’s incredibly effective.” Charger tapped the top of its lid. “If we need the job to look like an accident, we need only plop a single drop into a drink or soup for it to work.”

“That’s lovely food for thought,” Soarin muttered.

“But yeah, as far as deadly or annoying things go, that’s pretty much our arsenal. I’m always looking into making new concoctions, so it won’t be that way forever,” Charger said, “How’s that leg feeling now?”

Soarin shook it, finding that it responded nicely. “Ahh, thank Celestia,” he breathed.

“Better?” Charger snorted in amusement. “Come on, let’s get you some lunch before you pass out.”

“Lunch?” Soarin asked disbelievingly.

“Well, brunch. Whatever.” Charger slapped Soarin’s shoulder with his wing, “Whatever you want to call it. If you don’t get food, you’ll keel over. And nobody’s keeling on my watch.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Soarin chuckled as he followed.

The two passed by right as Stratus came out of his bunk with a stack of papers, crossing over into Nightshade’s office.

“Come in.”

Once he was given clearance, Stratus immediately handed over the papers to Nightshade. She tried not to be too eager as she took them and eyed Stratus’ report over.

“Huh.” Nightshade read over the report again to be sure she was right in what she was about to say. “...He’s more similar to you than I expected.” She looked up to see the small smirk on Stratus’s face.

“Your brother wouldn’t make for a bad soldier,” Stratus agreed with a small nod, “However. A good soldier does not a Shadowbolt make. We’ll see how he does in his stealth test.”

“Of course.” Nightshade nodded, “If he’s anything like me, he’ll do great.”

Stratus quirked an eyebrow at Nightshade. “Captain. With all respect... Your brother is the absolute opposite of you so far. If that’s true, then we need to think seriously about what to do with him if he can’t be taught.” He scowled. “I know he’s your brother, but none of us can act like he’ll get in effortlessly.”

Nightshade seemingly took that to heart, nodding slowly, “Then tell Starry that she’d better get to work on assessing his stealth.”

Stratus saluted at the command, “Ma’am. Also, Soarin will be joining us on our high altitude training in the morning. I think he’s capable enough as is.” He saluted her one last time before taking his leave from Nightshade’s office.

Looking over the report on Soarin again, Nightshade mused exactly how she could help him with his stealth skills if he needed it. She also considered how she’d get Stratus to tell him he didn’t make it in.

Because Stratus was right. If Soarin couldn’t hide himself long enough to sneak by their enemies, there was absolutely no way she could allow him into the team. And she really didn’t want to be the one to turn him away.

‘Your brother breeds success. You only breed misery, you mistake.’

The whisper made Nightshade slam her hooves onto the armrests of her chair. Her head jerked left and right, searching the empty office for the voice. The absence of another pony didn’t slow down the rapid pace of her heart. Her teeth clenched, and she went to stand despite the tremor in her legs.

‘I don’t understand why you’ve become such a bitch all of a sudden, Shade! I thought we were wingmates until the end! ...Well fine. If you want this Captain’s spot so damn badly, you’ll have to pry it from me!’

Her legs only shook harder as she heard the second voice, and tears only flowed harder from her face. A sharp pain rose in her ribs.

“Y-You…” She let out a weak hiss as she slunk back down into her seat, “You did this…”

Her entire body shook as her head pressed against her desk, almost throwing aside Stratus’s report on Soarin. Not again, damn it. She wouldn’t pin it all on him. It wasn’t his fault.

It wasn’t his fault.

“You’d… better make it in… damn it.” Nightshade let out a small hiccup, curling tightly into herself.

10 - Darkness, Dine-ins, and Dives

Soarin could barely see through the darkened canopy of Hollowed Shades’ forest. This wasn’t exactly a good thing, considering that he was following after Starry and trying to avoid looking stupid by running into a tree.

“So… Where exactly are we heading to?” Soarin asked.

Starry swerved around another trunk, “You’ll see. Trust me, it’ll be fun.”

“I wasn’t aware that training could be fun.” Soarin’s eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness the farther they trotted. “What are we working on, anyway?”

“Stealth training.” Starry said simply, “And it’ll be simple. A little game of hide and seek.”

Soarin’s mouth tightened. “I doubt it’ll be that easy. Who will I be hiding from, and will they have darts?”

He heard Starry chuckle, “A team of night guard trainees, and no.”

“Phew…” Soarin hung his head. “That sounds like a game of Guards and Convicts. I’m usually okay at that.”

“Whatever it’s called, you’ll still have to deal with it.” Starry chuckled as they arrived in the center of the forest. Above them were dimly lit huts that hung from the trees. Awaiting them were a crowd of thestrals of varying ages - from tiny colts and fillies to elderly stallions and mares.

At the sight of Starry, a thestral mare smirked and turned to the gathered crowd, “And here we have our lucky volunteer; our quarry for this momentous tradition! Soarin!”

“Wh-what?” Soarin blinked at Starry.

“Oh, look at that.” Starry giggled innocently, “The whole town’s in on the game, it seems. Best that you don’t get caught, sweetheart~”

Soarin swallowed, “Oh… joy.”

“Listen up!” An elder thestral mare yelled over the cheers of the gathered crowd, “Here’s how this works, fillies and gentlecolts: This pegasus is the town’s quarry, and all of us must work as a unit to bring him in. There will be no brawls, only takedowns and handmade traps are allowed. We have an hour to bring down our quarry here, who will be hiding and running from us. The rules are that we all have to stay in the forest - no hiding in homes or structures that aren’t natural.”

Starry leaned in to mutter into Soarin’s ear, “You’d better not rely on darkness alone to cloak you; thestrals can see through it.”

“...I’ll keep that in mind,” Soarin muttered.

“Now, Soarin! You’ll have a five-minute headstart while the hunters prepare their traps. Thank you, and good luck. GO!”

Soarin leaped to his feet, bolting blindly into the forest.

Starry chuckled to herself as she watched him disappear into the underbrush.

Captain Aurora Glitz trotted up to her, “Will you be joining us too, Starry?”

“I think that’d be unfair to everyone involved, ma'am~” Starry tittered.

“Oh? That’s some confidence from the pretty mare I took down so easily last year~” Aurora winked at her.

Starry tried to hide the small blush on her face, “You got a lucky shot.”

“Perhaps I did.” Aurora swished her tail, “The question is, will this year’s quarry be comically easy?”

Starry shrugged, “He’s quite the wildcard, from what I’ve heard. Who knows?” She stared off into the dark forest, “We’ll just have to see how this goes.”

Deep within said forest, Soarin had finally finished running on his hooves, coming to a realization that his hoofprints would be a dead giveaway to the hunters.

He then opted to run in an ovular path around the same clump of trees before launching himself into the air. He flew a few feet to gain some altitude before immediately changing directions and pointing his path back towards the town. To his chagrin, he noted that the thestrals had already started their hunt, and he hadn’t really done much in the way of hiding. The longer he stayed in the air, the more obvious he would be. So, as a sort of last resort, Soarin clung to a tree and quieted his breathing.

‘That didn’t feel like five minutes.’ Soarin’s eyes narrowed as he watched the thestral foals immediately begin to follow the hoofprints he had left for them.

“Search the treeline.” Aurora commanded the older thestrals of the town, “He’ll be hiding where the leaf cover is thickest."

Soarin scowled, tucking his tail under his body. As much as it hurt to pull it so tightly, Soarin knew that night vision of any type could only see shades instead of colors. With the starkly contrasting colors of his tail and his coat, he’d be seen immediately if he didn’t at least try to hide it.

To his satisfaction, the older thestrals flew right over his hiding spot, focusing more on the thicker treeline and going down from there. Just as Aurora had said they would. That left Soarin to his next decision: go while he had a gap of time, or stay in his spot and gamble on whether or not it was good enough to conceal him until they moved on.

Soarin’s answer to his own question was pretty immediate. He backed out of his hiding spot, glancing around to make sure no one was around to watch him do so. However, he paid more attention to his surroundings than to himself. His foot caught his own tail, causing him to lose balance and plummet down a few branches. By the time he looked up, several slitted pair of eyes were rapidly searching the area for him. Their heads had snapped toward him in sync, and their large ears were alert.

Not waiting for them to find him, Soarin immediately took off. He could only hope that his speed could be used to his advantage to get ahead of the crowd. However, his escape flight rustled the leaves of every tree he passed.

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” A chorus of screeches echoed around him, honing in on him and making his ears ring. The sudden loss of hearing disoriented Soarin, but his flight pattern stayed consistent despite this. Behind him, the town had honed in on his location. Nearly in perfect sync, the thestrals created a cloud of fangs and bodies that were slowly closing the gap between themselves and their quarry.

Soarin made the mistake of looking behind him. In the dim light, he could see at least 50 pairs of slitted, glowing eyes coming closer to him. They were all screeching at him, filling the forest with their disorienting sounds.

Deciding not to continue staring at the terrifying wave of eyes on him, Soarin focused on how he’d get out of this mess with his skin still intact. He swerved suddenly between two trees, feeling confident that the two-pony gap would slow down the horde a little.

It didn’t.

‘Oookay, plan two!’ Soarin dove closer to the ground, only allowing the thestrals to get closer. His ears stung as the screeching only grew louder, almost right next to him now. If they got any closer; he’d be done for, for sure.

It was time for another gamble.

Ahead, Soarin spied a rope set up on the ground. He flew right over the obvious trap with ease, but pulled on it with his back hoof, setting it off. A hoof-made net trap fired off above him but narrowly missed him. Instead, the trap fired off as the middle of the horde of thestrals flew over it, trapping at least twenty of them, and causing the few bringing up the rear to halt in their flight path to avoid slamming into it.

Soarin pumped his front leg with a smirk, noting how much quieter the horde had suddenly gotten. Now, it was the case of disappearing quietly somehow.

His answer came in the form of a wetlands area toward the edge of the forest. It took little convincing on his part to dive straight into the biggest body of water that he could find. His dive made noise, but the darkness of the water made it difficult for the horde to tell where exactly he’d gone.

Aurora glanced over the water, growling to herself, “Spread out and find him! He has to come up eventually!” The remains of Aurora’s forces fanned out over the lake, scanning the shoreline for the pegasus.

Soarin, meanwhile, had already surfaced. Hoping that his mane would help to disguise the slight ripples through the water’s surface from a bird’s eye view, he climbed up onto the roots of a tree on the side of the water, leaving no trace of his hoofprints in the sandy soil. Soarin was still sopping wet from dunking himself in the water, and his limbs screamed silently with each painful throb. He was running out of endurance thanks to Stratus’s training yesterday, and he knew it. His time was running short, and he had no idea if the hour had passed or not. He let himself rest for only a moment in the tree, allowing for his coat to dry out drip by drip.

Even with his coat dry, Soarin was too heavy to take to the air again. That left him with the only option available: try to gain some distance by walking, even if it left an obvious trail to follow. He hopped from branch to root, root to fallen log, fallen log to rock, and on for as long as possible. By the time that he ran out of items to hop to, he’d already cleared quite a distance from the water. He focused on what he could hear around him in the darkness. Even the thestrals had the slightest wing beat to their nearly silent flying, and Soarin figured that he could get a step ahead of them if he focused.

All of Soarin’s focusing seemed to be a little too intense, however, as he stepped right into a net hidden with leaf cover. Adrenaline shot through him as he went from a nice, quiet jaunt in the darkness of the forest to suddenly have his hooves swept up from under him. He swung back and forth upside down in a rope net similar to the one he had trapped the thestrals in.

‘...Great.’ Soarin sighed internally as he peered through the darkness. ‘...Maybe they won’t find me here until the hour’s up?’

There was a movement under him, and a sudden, tiny gasp filled the air. “It’s him~! Eeeee-!” The voice of a filly thestral was suddenly cut off. Soarin blinked in confusion.

“Shh! Shh! No! I wanna bring him into town together!” Another filly whispered harshly, “Everyone will be sooo impressed!”

“Ooohhh, okay!”

Soarin was suddenly dropped from his suspension to the ground, knocking the wind from his chest.

“Whoops!” One of the thestral fillies squeaked, “S-Sorry Mr!” She came to land in front of him, and Soarin could just barely make her out as she began to drag the net in the direction of town. Looking behind him, he saw the other filly pushing him from behind. Between the two of them, they actually managed to drag Soarin effectively. Naturally, that meant that Soarin was hit by every rock and stump along the way.

“OW! Okay, okay, can you let me out?!” Soarin asked, “You won, I’ll just walk with you to town! Promise!”

“HA! No way!” One of the fillies huffed, “You’ll just fly off the minute we let you out!” She turned to her friend, “Don’t listen to him, Moongaze, just keep pulling!”

Soarin decided not to push further, simply slumping over, defeated. By two foals. ‘This is embarrassing…’

After getting the net caught a few times, impeding the progress of the fillies’ march, Soarin was finally dragged successfully into their camp.

Starry stared at him, stunned. Then, her face melted into a highly forced neutral expression before she simply lost it, and doubled over, laughing.

Soarin had the odd feeling that he’d never live this one down. It was a repeat of the Clipper incident, only worse. More so that when the elderly mare stopped the timer, she called out to the forest, “THE THESTRALS OF HOLLOW SHADES HAVE WON!”

Which meant, more or less, that Soarin had failed his stealth training.

He was let out of the net, and the elderly mare smiled as she gestured to a table neatly stacked with plates of cooked fish and fruits of all kinds.

Starry rested her wing on him reassuringly, “Eat up. You deserve it.” Soarin sighed, trodding over to the table and helping himself to the fruit.

Meanwhile, Aurora landed in the square, followed by the crowd of cheering thestrals, ready to follow Soarin’s example and dig into the feast prepared for them.

She trotted up to Starry, “Looks like we win again, toots~” Aurora smirked, “And it didn’t take me getting on top of you this time.”

Starry countered rather casually, “No, it just took two fillies to achieve. Didn’t you have him already cornered? What happened there, sweetheart~?”

Aurora blushed, “Wha-I-fillies?!” Her eyes widened, “R-Really?!”

“You must’ve been thinking about me too much.” Starry teased, “I know, I’m very distracting.”

“I-uh-those two got lucky!” Aurora insisted, turning away and quickly joining the festivities, “Are you coming or not?”

“Save me a spot~ I have to take a few notes.” Starry tittered. She jotted down some notes on what had happened before joining the table of thestrals and Soarin.

After the meal, Starry and Soarin made their way back to base.

“Now, come on, did I fail?” Soarin asked Starry as they walked. “The only reason I got caught was that I was exhausted from everything Stratus put me through yesterday.”

“Honestly? I don’t know.” Starry shrugged. “That’s up to Stratus in the end. When we get back, I’ll tell him anything you tell me. I’m not sure how much the actual time that you stayed hidden matters.”

“Didn’t you have to do this?” Soarin asked her.

“Last year. It was my stealth training assignment too.” Starry nodded. “Was kinda fun, until I was piledrived by a few dozen mares at the end!” She laughed to herself.

“What was your time?” Soarin asked.

“58 minutes. They just barely beat me.”

“That other mare sure acted as if she took you down single-handedly…” Soarin said, “Did she piledrive you first or something?”

“You could… say that. She has a thing for me, I think.” Starry chuckled, her tail swishing back and forth as they trotted along.

“Do you have a thing for her, too?”

“Kinda, yeah. Though I’d never tell her that.” Starry said, head held high, “Flirting and teasing her is fun, but I’m not really ready for a commitment like that yet.”

Soarin slowed his pace a little, “So thaaaat’s why you turned Charger down!”

“Duh.” Starry shook her head with a smile, “I thought I made it pretty obvious tonight, Soar.”

“It just didn’t click… I’m tired, okay?!”

Starry snickered as they arrived at the entrance to the bunker. They made their way inside, and she immediately headed to her quarters to write up a report on Soarin’s day. Hopefully, it’d be good enough for Stratus’s liking, but it had too many working parts for a quick judgment on Starry’s part. She’d heard the warning screeches start already at 22 minutes in, and that didn’t bode well for Soarin’s assessment of stealth. They’d just have to see.

Starry saluted as she walked into Stratus’s office. “I have the report on Soarin’s stealth training ready, sir!”

“Good.” Stratus barely looked up from the files that he was currently going through, “Leave it on my desk and I’ll get to it, Skies. Dismissed.”

Starry didn’t flinch at Stratus’s attitude, but she knew by now that a distracted Stratus never boded good things for the team. Nevertheless, she didn’t question her superior. She placed the report on his desk as asked and made herself scarce at once.

As the door shut, Stratus put down the file he had been looking at and pulled over the report. A small smirk crossed over his face as he read the day’s antics that Starry had put Soarin through.

“Taken down by a pair of fillies. Ouch.” Other than that blunder, however, Stratus was fairly satisfied with the results of the day. ‘56 minutes isn’t terrible, especially after getting spotted so early on.’ Stratus raised an eyebrow as he glanced over the report another time, ‘He’ll need some work, but it isn’t impossible. Nightshade will be pleased.’

With a nod, he pushed away the report and focused again on the file in front of him. A diagram of one of the Storm King’s armored airships lay before him, and he did his best to study every nuance and weak spot he could feasibly see. He decided rather quickly that he needed to hand out copies to the others, even Soarin. “...Wouldn’t be a bad final test.” Stratus muttered to himself, “That dictator could go for an ego blow or two.”

11 - Lighting up the Shadows

Training started up again a few days after the incident with the thestrals. Stratus had been adamant that - besides some basic drills - Soarin gave his body some recovery time. On the first day back from rest, as Soarin was making breakfast for everyone as usual, Nightshade came into the kitchen. With a thump, she tossed a brown package onto the table.

Soarin finished scraping eggs onto a serving dish as he glanced over at Nightshade. “Is that what I think it is?” He grinned, barely able to contain his excitement. Nightshade responded by coyly motioning to the package. Putting down the egg pan, Soarin came over and ripped apart the string that held the package together. As he thought, the first thing he noticed inside was the familiar gleam of the Shadowbolt goggles. He picked them up gingerly. “Am I allowed to put this on now?” He asked Nightshade.

“Don’t see why not.” Nightshade nodded. “You’ll need it for training, after all.”

Soarin put the goggles to the side, pulling out the suit that had been folded neatly under them.

He pulled it from the box, looking it over with interest. He’d never held one of the Shadowbolts suits before, but he noticed that it was slightly heavier than he expected. The Wonderbolts’ suits were always thin and light, almost like a diving suit. This, in comparison, had more layers to it, while still giving off the smooth appearance of a flight suit. Soarin imagined that it was for safety, considering that the Shadowbolts seemed to deal with arrows and bolts so often.

It was really and truly his, though, which made the stallion feel light on his hooves.

“Would you stop looking like you’re going to cry and get to training with Blitz already? Time for weapons training.” Stratus huffed as he headed into the kitchen. However, he noticed the suit in Soarin’s grasp and nodded to himself, “Ah, I see that you have your suit. Perfect. You’re a skilled enough flier on your own to come with us to low intensity training in the mornings, but I couldn’t have you come along in good faith until you had the right protection. Pass along the message that Blitz should test your balance with that thing on.”

Soarin nodded, quickly folding the suit and goggles back into the box before heading to he and Nightshade’s bunk to change.

As he left, Stratus turned to Nightshade, “You must be proud.” He told her with the smallest hint of a smile, “I think he actually might make the cut.”

Nightshade smiled back, “What happened to ‘waiting to see’?”

“Well, we’ve waited. And I’ve certainly seen what he has to offer us. Not that it’s our decision, but I wouldn’t object from what I’ve seen so far.”

Nightshade closed her eyes with a happy hum, “Yes, well. What else could we expect? He’s my brother, after all.”

“He’s also a bumbling imbecile, but he has spunk and is fairly obedient.” Stratus said, “He’ll fit into our ranks just fine.” With that, Stratus turned away and headed to fix himself some breakfast.

Nightshade smiled to herself as Stratus passed her by. “Yes,” She agreed softly, “Yes, he will.”

Soarin made his way over to the training room, immediately flinching on instinct. This is where Stratus had shot him with the hydra venom and paralyzed him for a few hours a few days ago. His body had clearly not forgotten about that. She stood in the doorway, frozen for only a moment, before he caught sight of Blitz waving at him. She had the same crossbow latched onto her hoof, but this time with a bolt loaded.

Soarin knew that Nightshade and Stratus had called Blitz their weapons expert, but he wasn’t sure that he wanted to trust her with anything loaded and pointed at his face. The mare was already known for being rather out there with the electricity that was always actively bouncing around her mane. Not to mention how hyper she was.

Nonetheless, Soarin’s legs carried him to Blitz’s side.

“Alrighty there, Soarin! Mornin!” Blitz bounced precariously. “Ready to learn to really aim a crossbow good?!”

“Err, yeah.” Soarin nodded. If Blitz noticed his weariness around her, she didn’t let it show on her face.

“Great! Okay, let’s start by getting you to fasten the belts! Use your wing to tie it up.” She gestured to the empty crossbow sitting next to her on a table. Soarin went over to pick it up, and cautiously began to slip it onto his hoof. “Is that your leading hoof? You want it on your leading hoof. You’ll keep it straighter that way.” Soarin nodded, belting it onto his right. “Now! Let’s get you some target practice! And from now on, Stratus wants you to add this to your morning routine, even on days off! This doesn’t take much of your body’s strength, and it’s highly, highly important!”

“Speaking of Stratus…” Soarin grunted as he pulled the belts on tightly, “...he said that he wanted you to test my flying ability with all of the gear on.”

“Of course!” Blitz giggled, “Totally makes sense. But first, let’s see that aim!” She pushed him into the starting position, “Now, remember this stance! Veeeeerry important stance! Hold it there, and load your bolt with your wing.”

Soarin took her advice, taking out a bolt and tucking it into the crossbow.

“So! Your aim is gonna be suuuper important in any type of mission that we do. Not only because you have a limited number of crossbow bolts, but because a badly missed bolt alerts everything within its radius! Miss too terribly, and you throw the whooooole mission into jeopardy!” Blitz explained as Soarin aimed the bow toward the target in front of him. “Now, just aim and pluck!”

Soarin’s first shot whizzed by, striking the second ring to the middle.

Blitz let out an excited gasp, “Do it again! This time focus on positioning your body square to the target you’re aiming at!”

“...square,” Soarin muttered, shuffling around for a moment before firing again. This time, the bolt struck the fourth ring to the middle.

“Hmm. Don’t overthink it, trust your gut this time,” Blitz said.

Soarin let out a breath, looking over the target and letting the bolt fly again. Again, it struck the second ring from the middle, but to the left.

“Just like that.” Blitz nodded. “Just keep practicing, you’ll get there!” She crept up behind him, sliding his back hooves to the correct stance. “And keep your leading hoof as straight as you can. There you go!”

It went on like this, Blitz edging every little piece of Soarin’s body into what she considered to be a perfect stance and Soarin attempting to fire off shots, for at least an hour. Finally, Blitz called for him to stop once his arrows had run out.

Blitz nodded to herself, pleased with the results. “Okay! Go retrieve ‘em now.”

Soarin had his back to her as he went about the time-consuming task of plucking each arrow from the target.

“Hey Soarin.” Blitz said to him, “You feel pretty comfortable here, right?”

“In the base?” Soarin still didn’t look at her, “Yeah, it gets better with each day. I don’t see it as a tomb anymore, at least.”

“I mean with me.”

“Oh.” Soarin flinched. He’d been hoping that this conversation wouldn’t come up.

“There you go again. I don’t bite, Soarin!” Blitz giggled, “Why do you act like I’m gonna?”

“It has less to do with you and more to do with the last time I was in this room.” Soarin said, “Getting pricked by hydra venom isn’t the best way to make a first impression of a place.”

Blitz tilted her head from side to side, trying to figure out how to phrase her next choice of words. “So… It isn’t because of Spitfire?” She asked hesitantly.

Soarin froze mid-pluck. Was that it? He hadn’t thought about it that way, but being around Blitz had caused some hesitance. He’d figured that it was because she was a hyper little mare around a bunch of weapons. Could he have associated her with Spitfire, somehow?

“Listen, I don’t want to beat around the bush here, Soarin…” Blitz said, “I visited Spitfire during my little break, and I just wanna say… I don’t blame you if you don’t want to forgive her.”

Soarin had tensed up at first, but relaxed slightly as Blitz said her piece. “Really? I would’ve thought that you would’ve been adamant that we kiss and make up.”

Blitz shook her head, “Nah. But I did want you to know that I’m going to be her friend still. I don’t want that to get in the way of you and I being friends. Figured that if I told you now, it wouldn’t come up awkwardly some other way like I was hiding it.”

“I don’t care, Blitz.” Soarin sighed, pulling the last arrow from its place. “I’m not even mad about it anymore. Be friends with her if you want, that won’t get in the way of anything.” For once, he actually meant that. Thinking about Spitfire nowadays simply made him feel drained; the anger had subsided.

“Well! That’s good.” Blitz smiled at him, “And kind of a relief, honestly. With Spitfire retiring and all that, Iwasgonnaendupseeinghermore often!”

“...Excuse me?” Soarin’s eyes widened.

“Oh, yeah, forgot to mention. She’s preparing to step down as captain.” Blitz said casually.

“Because of me?” Soarin felt a little dread creep up, “Sh-She can’t! She’s so young still!”

Even Blitz seemed a little surprised at that. “She said that she’s already made up her mind.”

“I… I need to process that,” Soarin admitted. “...Can we get to the flight training?”

“Oh yeah! Of course! Get your suit on, and I’ll prepare your weapons and stuff!”

Soarin rose with the Shadowbolts the next day, as per usual, and almost forgot that he was supposed to be training with them. Luckily, Nightshade was there to set him straight with another pillow to the face.

“Come on, sleepyhead! Get your suit on! Time to go!” She teased him as she pulled on her own suit.

Soarin’s eyes widened as he suddenly jolted awake. He wasn’t even mad at Nightshade this morning for her usual antics. He shot up at once, grabbing his suit from where he had hung it up the night before, and slipped on his goggles. Looking in the mirror with Nightshade, they nearly looked like twins. Their coats and eyes were their main differences, and with the suits and goggles obscuring that, only their dark blue manes were left showing. It was kind of ironic, almost like Soarin was becoming Nightshade.

This irony wasn’t lost on Nightshade, either. After being told her whole life to be more like her older brother, it was almost ego swelling to see him becoming more like her. In reality, Nightshade knew it was more akin to the two of them meeting in the middle, but it didn’t stop her from thinking highly of herself in return.

“Let’s get to the others.” Nightshade said with a smile.

As they headed out, Blitz was already there waiting for them.

“WOW!” She nearly screamed, “Which one of you is which?! I can’t even tell!” She giggled.

The sudden outburst drew Stratus out of his bunk. He wasn’t completely ready yet, but it was obvious from his disheveled mane that the loud noise had startled him awake. “No, it’s very easy to-” He yawned, “tell them apart. Soarin’s a stallion. It shows.”

Blitz giggled, “I know! But other than that!”

Soarin blinked a few times at Stratus. He was usually so uniform, blunt, and emotionless; it felt weird to see him disheveled and tired like this. Then again, it was a nice reminder that Stratus was, in fact, a living being with his own flaws and not a machine that continued to push Soarin to his limit for his own cruel enjoyment.

“You’re all early,” Stratus grunted, “I’ll be out in ten minutes.”

As Stratus ducked his head back into his bunk, Soarin briefly considered telling Nightshade what Blitz had told him in the training room. However, he could almost hear her response from a mile away. And currently, he was in too good a mood to hear the cutting and blunt “Good.” from her. Instead, he focused on this morning’s flight.

“So… Do we have a formation?” Soarin asked Nightshade. He ignored the dumb grin that Blitz was giving him.

“Just the traditional V.” Nightshade responded simply, “You’ll be on the end with Starry, and I don’t expect you to be perfectly in place.” Soarin nodded and watched as Charger backed out of his bunk. “Speaking of, Charger will be the other end. Just glance at what he’s doing every now and again.” With that, Starry and Stratus came from their bunks as well.

“Alright. Let’s get going.” Stratus said, leading the charge out of the base.

Soarin followed, feeling more prepared than he’d ever been with any of his other Shadowbolt tests. Flying had always been his thing, and he knew it.

This was almost immediately apparent as the group lifted off from the floor of the dark forest. Soarin fell right in line with the others as soon as they were aloft. He’d been practicing every nuance of flying since he had been a little colt, and the extra weight on his back felt like nothing. Once or twice, Soarin felt Starry or Blitz’s eyes settle on him to check his progress. No words were exchanged, but Soarin could almost feel Blitz’s pride.

“Holy moley! You’re a natural!” Her words from yesterday flashed through his mind, “Here, let me teach you about our formation; you’re going to blow everyone away!”

As they rose into a higher and higher altitude, Soarin felt panic flare in his chest as it became harder to breathe in the strangling cold air. He did his best to focus on slowing his breathing and not focus on the frost nipping at the tips of his wings. He felt as if he were gliding through an ocean of dark ice.

At the least, the moon hung in the sky, illuminating the ground below them. It truly was breathtaking to see the quiet cities below them, completely dark and serene. Even as they passed over a clump of clouds, Soarin felt entranced by the swirling of the vapor as it rode the winds naturally. He followed every wing flap of Starry in front of him as they banked in sync. The weight and cold aside, it was nothing he didn’t already know from his many years in the Wonderbolts, and it came to him without thinking.

His thoughts drifted to Spitfire naturally. She was going to step down as Captain of the Wonderbolts early, and for some reason, it made Soarin feel a small twinge of guilt. In the end, he could only really blame her for trying to replace him. It stung, sure, but he couldn’t help but feel like he had blown things out of proportion by breaking their engagement. He could’ve stayed and listened, but the adrenaline from nearly dying had blinded him. It was his fault that he’d started to nosedive anyways, and Spitfire had been looking on in terror. He’d never stopped to consider how that would’ve felt for her.

It didn’t matter now, though.

He pulled his thoughts back to the flight, watching as Nightshade banked again at the head of the formation. When they finally looped around and came to land back on the forest floor, Soarin came into the realization that his teeth had been chattering quietly for the entire flight.

“Soarin, you were absolutely amazing for your first high-altitude flight!” Starry announced once they had all shuffled into the base.

“Th-thanks.” Soarin stuttered as he physically shook, “H-How do you guys n-not get cold?”

“Your body will adjust to it after a week or two.” Nightshade smiled at him, tucking a wing around his shoulders and pulling him in for a hug. “It’s completely normal.” Soarin hummed happily as Nightshade’s hug warmed him up.

“I have to say, this is the best you’ve done so far on any of the tests.” Stratus said curtly. “But don’t get excited yet. I want you to go through more training while we wait for your next step. Your first true mission. In that time, we’ll be focusing on your stealth and evasion. And when that mission comes… It will truly be the definition of whether or not you’ll be right for this team.”

“I understand.” Soarin nodded, “I’ll do my best.”

“Good, now, go fix us some food, would you?” Stratus grunted. “I’m hungry.”

Soarin chuckled and saluted, “I-I’ll get right on i-it!” He was eager to be near the heat of the stove anyways.

The threat of a mission loomed over Soarin’s head a little, as did his shifting thoughts about how he felt about Spitfire. But for now, all that mattered was warming his sore body and feeding the team. His team.

12 - To Be a Shadowbolt

Charger wasn’t expecting for Captain Aurora Glitz to approach him again so soon.

“Well, hello again there, beauty. What can I do you for~?” He asked with a smirk.

“What do you think?” Aurora scoffed, “More visitors for you. Asking about your compound in the middle of the village. Everyone’s been tight-lipped, but we can’t get them to buzz off. They’re insisting that the Princess sent them here and that they want to find Soarin. One of the fillies slipped up and said that she’d trapped him during our ceremony.”

Charger sighed and shook his head, “It’s always the fillies… Can you give me a description of these visitors?”

“They’re two mares. A yellow one and a white one.”

"Two mares, you say?" Charger mused on this for a moment. It was likely that these two were Wonderbolts, and by that extension, Soarin's teammates. He could just about hear Nightshade's grumbling response about Spitfire from here. As much as he knew that he should report this, Charger couldn't help but think of an idea. It was an unfortunate idea, but one nevertheless.

Charger was definitely skilled at chasing off mares, if past encounters with anyone of the other sex had taught him anything. He wasn't sure why his flirtations had never worked for him in the past, but it was probably the most painless way to go about the current situation. His ego was a small price to pay.

"I'll chase 'em off for ya, Captain," Charger replied, "where were they last seen?"

Aurora raised an eyebrow at him. She probably knew that he was breaking protocol by his decision. That, or she had guessed how exactly he planned to pull it off. Either way, she didn't mention anything about it.

"Last I heard, they were in Shadowrunner's tavern. That was only a few minutes ago, so they might still be there," Aurora said.

Charger nodded at her. "Thanks. Either way, I'll alert my superiors about this. Hopefully, we won't continue to see uninvited guests show up around here."

"I sure hope so," Aurora muttered in annoyance as she watched Charger take to the air.

Charger arrived at the dimly lit tavern, glancing around. The thestral bartender gave him a side-eye as he came in. As the two locked glances, the thestral subtly flicked his eyes toward a table across from the bar. Charger nodded, following the directions to see two pegasus mares sitting at a table, talking amongst themselves.

Even with only a glance, Charger immediately recognized them. The yellow mare was undoubtedly Misty Fly. From what they knew about the Wonderbolts, she was the left-wing of Spitfire; Soarin had been Spitfire's right. They also knew that she was from a noble household. More specifically, she was the daughter of Luna's newly-appointed advisor. While that meant that Misty's father knew about the Shadowbolts, it also meant that she was risking her father's reputation for being here. However... It also meant that their claims about being sent here by Luna held more ground.

Next to her was Surprise Pie. She was behind Misty in all known ranks as far as the Wonderbolts were concerned, and had a reputation for being a loose canon. Diving into the Dragon Incident of Ponyville without Spitfire's clearance or a clear plan in place had been more than enough to prove that. She was lucky that she'd been allowed to stay on the team after that stunt. If this excursion to find Soarin had been Misty's idea, it wasn't a shock that Surprise dove into it headfirst. Then again, with her being apart of the Pie family, Charger supposed that it had all been a given.

Charger approached the table, flashing them both a charming smile as he leaned against the back of one of the empty chairs.

"My, my... Two new, pretty faces around here. What a shock and an honor to this little town." He said.

Surprise's muzzle crumpled immediately in disgust, just as he thought it would. "Blech!" She verbalized, sticking out her tongue. She looked at Charger as if he'd just offered for her to eat garbage.

Misty's eyes narrowed at Charger before she spoke, looking him up and down. She crossed her front hooves on the table and leaned closer to him.

"Ooh hoo~ How forward." Misty fluttered her eyelashes. "Feeling lucky tonight, are we? Well! I'm feeling a bit parched. Shill out a few drinks for my friend and I, and maybe we can... discuss a few things." Charger's eyes widened. Luckily, it was hard to see it from under his goggles.

Of course. Of course his flirtations would work the one time he needed it not to.

Charger tried not to let his voice crack as he went along with this. It was all he could do after failing so miserably. He'd be able to gather info this way. At least, that's what Charger tried to justify this as. This was still kind of a win in his book, considering he'd actually managed to get a mare interested in him.

"What an offer," he chuckled, signaling to the bartender to serve them three drinks, "I'd be a fool to turn you down. Besides, no stallion in his right mind would leave two mares thirsty like this."

"Handsome and wise. What more could a mare ask for in a gentlestallion?" Misty asked, her curved grin almost predatory as she leaned in, “and who shall I thank for such wonderful hospitality?”

"Sweet Celestia, Misty..." Surprise muttered, rolling her eyes as the two continued at it. She looked as if she were about to throw herself off of the tree.

“Name’s Charger. And I won’t beat around the bush… everyone knows who you two are.” Charger chuckled at Surprise's discomfort, but it didn't phase him. "So... What brings two famous lovelies such as yourselves to this sleepy little town?"

"We're actually here to find a friend of ours," Misty said, tapping together her hooves idly. "Princess Luna said that he's here visiting his sister, but didn't give us much more information. You wouldn't happen to know a mare by the name of Nightshade, would you?"

Charger rubbed his chin with a hoof as the bartender came by to drop off their drinks. "Perhaps I might. Nightshade's a solitary mare, though; I don't think she'll be very happy if I brought you to her."

"Well, do you know if Soarin's there or not?" Surprise huffed. "We're here to see him!"

"Surprise, calm down," Misty warned.

"It's alright." Charger chuckled, "Perhaps after we share our drinks, I could duck out and talk to Nightshade myself. If we all meet here, perhaps she'll be more lenient to meeting with you two."

"Oh, that would be so appreciated," Misty said with a more genuine smile.

Surprise nearly downed her drink in a single glug. The action was as loud as Surprise could physically make it sound, and some of the cider dribbled down either side of her face.

Charger took the time to take a normal swig of his drink while Misty glared bullets at her friend's behavior.

When Charger had sufficiently drained his mug, he stood. "Alright. I'll be back in a few moments."

He strolled casually out of the tavern, but as soon as he cleared the building, his pace picked up urgently. Charger ducked out of the town, repeatedly scanning his surroundings to assure that he wasn’t being followed before slipping into the compound. Nightshade was sharing a coffee with Soarin in the main room in an attempt to warm up after their early morning flight.

“Cap, we have a problem.” Charger said as the door shut firmly behind him.

Nightshade stood at once, “What is it?”

“Two of the Wonderbolts have made their way over here and are asking around for Soarin.”

Nightshade muttered something about Spitfire in the background.

Soarin stood. “For me? Any idea who they are?”

“Misty Fly and Surprise,” Charger said, “I left them at the tavern in town to speak with you about it.” He looked over to Nightshade. “Sorry about breaking protocol, Ma’am; I figured I could gather some intel on why they were here before approaching you.”

Nightshade let out an exasperated sigh, “I trust your judgment on that. They didn’t follow you here, did they?”

“Not that I know of.” Charger shook his head.

“Then just leave them there.” Nightshade huffed, “They should’ve known better than to come snooping around, looking for someone who doesn’t want to be found.”

“Actually, Shadey… Can I talk to them? That’s all they want, anyways.” Soarin’s ears flattened against his head as he said this.

“Besides, they claim that they’ve been sent here by Princess Luna.” Charger responded.

“...what?” Nightshade whirled around, “Why would she do that?! We’re supposed to be a secret!”

“But Nightshade, I knew that you were around here-” Soarin said, only to have his snout bopped lightly by his sister’s wing. Her attempt to silence him worked, but not without a huff and a pout.

“I’m not sure why either, but that’s what they’re saying.” Charger cleared his throat. “Should we investigate?”

There was a pause as Nightshade seemingly mulled it over in her head.

“Alright,” she said at last, “the three of us will meet with these two, if for no other reason than to shoo them away for good.”

“Maybe Charger and I should go by ourselves?” Soarin suggested, “If all they want is to talk with me, then I’m sure they’ll leave after I talk to them.”

“No, no, I need to assure that they understand that they cannot go spreading our name along to anyone else. The only way I can do that is by doing it myself.”

“Nightshade, please don’t make a scene out of this. They’re still my friends. They didn’t do anything to me, and they don’t deserve to be dragged through the mud for an event they weren’t even present for.” Soarin pleaded with her.

“I’m still going.” Nightshade’s words carried an air of finality to them. Soarin knew that any further arguments would only waste their time. He hung his head in defeat and followed as Nightshade trotted out of the compound.

Charger hung back, his mouth pressed into a thin line. “Well, something’s up with her,” He said rather bluntly as he and Soarin hung back, “Nightshade doesn’t usually lose her cool this easily.”

Soarin let out a breath. He knew that Charger was right, but he also knew exactly why Nightshade was acting this way. She was holding onto the suspicion that Spitfire put the two up to this. For all Soarin knew, that suspicion could’ve been entirely justified. It did seem like a Spitfire kind of thing to do: have a messenger or two summon him to her office for a chat.

However, Blitz had seemingly just met with Spitfire a few days ago and she hadn’t mentioned anything about wanting to talk to him on Spitfire’s behest. Which made it all the more likely that Misty and Surprise had just come to try to console him, or beg him to come back. His hunch said the latter was more true.

As they made their way into the dimly lit tavern, Soarin immediately spotted the two mares at the closest table to the bar. They had apparently seen him too, as Surprise nearly crashed into every table and chair between them as she ran over to give him a hug.

“Soarin! Oh! It’s so good to see you, boss!” Surprise beamed as Soarin accepted her embrace.

Soarin chuckled. “Good to see you too, Surprise.” He looked up as Misty rose from her seat to head over. “But what are you two doing here?”

“And more specifically, who sent you?” Nightshade grumbled.

“We were here to see Soarin! The base is sooooo depressing without him being there! Like, everyone walks around all sad and zombie-like. We really need you to come home!” Surprise pouted up at Soarin with big puppy-dog eyes.

For some reason, that struck a chord with Nightshade, and her teeth ground slightly.

“And we were worried about you, of course,” Misty said as she trotted up, “We didn’t even hear about what happened until after the fact, and you did storm out rather quickly.”

Soarin blushed softly, rubbing the back of his head, “Yeah, well, I’ll admit that leaving the way I did was sort of a… knee-jerk kinda reaction. I didn’t really consider the rest of you guys when I left like that. I was only thinking about how I couldn’t stand to be around Fleet and Spitfire for another minute.”

“So… I take it that you’ve cooled off now?” Misty said.

“I have a little,” Soarin responded, “I think with time, I’ll really be okay. But, to answer the question that I know you’re going to ask: no. I’m not going back to the base.”

“Pleeaase Soarin! We’ll overthrow Spitfire in a bloody revolution and crown you the new captain!” Surprise said. Nightshade and Charger seemed a bit taken aback by the statement.

“No, Surprise. That decision was made a bit too quickly, but I don’t regret it. I’m the oldest Wonderbolt, so it was going to happen eventually, anyways. I’ve made my mark, and I’ve retired. Besides, living here with my sister was a more rational decision, and I’m admittedly surprised at how much I’m enjoying it.”

Even with the funk she was in, Nightshade couldn’t help but smile at her brother.

Soarin continued, “Though, if you two wouldn’t mind carrying back a message for me? I want to let everyone else know that I’m not mad at them. I leave the Wonderbolts with good opinions of most of the pegasi there.” He smiled, at peace with that fact.

“What about Spitfire and Fleetfoot?” Misty asked with her own soft smile at him.

Soarin’s smile dropped a little, “Honestly? I think I’m already less angry at them than I was when I left. So…” He pulled in a breath, “Again, in time, I think I’ll be able to forgive them.”

Surprise let out a disappointed sigh, “It’s going to be so different without you there to play peacekeeper.”

Soarin smiled, “Then maybe you or Misty should take up that role instead. I know that the team would thank you for it.”

“I’ll… try.” Surprise smiled back weakly.

“Then… I wish you two the best, but you guys should really get back to the base. Hanging around here isn’t such a good idea,” Soarin said, “thanks for coming to check on me.” He gave them one last salute, to which the two mirrored.

“No problem, Soarin.” Misty smiled.

“Can we maybe… Visit on occasion? Or hang out? Or something?” Surprise asked.

“Yeah. I’ll write to you guys.” Soarin nodded, “Just… Don’t come around here looking for me again, okay?”

“Yes sir!” Surprise nodded.

“And, uhhh, can I write to you, too?” Charger broke up the touching moment as he looked over with a sly smile to Misty, “I could use a mare like you in my life on the occasion.”

Misty giggled, “Sure, Charger, I await your letters. Hit me up when you’re free, will you?”

Soarin blinked at the sudden mood change, looking in confusion between Charger and Misty.

“Alright Soar, get lover boy out of here,” Nightshade chuckled.

“Way ahead of you,” Soarin replied, nearly dragging Charger out of the tavern. He knew what Nightshade needed to do, but it didn’t mean that he had to like it.

Once they had left, Nightshade set her eyes on the two mares.

“The two of you and I need to have a little chat,” Nightshade said as the bartender turned his back on the three of them.

“Yes, we do.” Misty stood her ground against the other mare, “You’re the Shadowbolts, are you not?”

Nightshade didn’t answer her. “Do you know what they do?”

Misty nodded, “The Princess told us.”

Nightshade’s wings glinted with the steel of the newly revealed wingblades. “Then I think you should be rather quiet about what the Princess told you… Accidents happen every day, you know? Even to the wealthy and the famous.”

Surprise was shaking as she hid behind Misty.

Misty’s bravado was faltering, but she managed to stay in place, “W-We unders-stand clearl-ly.”

“Good. Now leave, and don’t go running your mouths about what you’ve seen and heard.” Nightshade sheathed her wingblades under her feathers again as she began to trot out of the tavern. She paused at the door, looking over her shoulder at them again. “No one will believe you, anyway.” Her grin curled into a crookedly satisfied smile as she left the tavern behind her.

This was the best part of the job.