Being a popular and handsome wonderbolt is not easy, believe me...
I'm not complaining about my condition though, my dark, flowing mane at the back of my head and my shiny silver coat make me a very popular stallion with the ladies. Not to mention my rank as second in command of the wonderbolts with Soarin, which I made up in a few months of hard work.
Between popularity and a dream job, my life was shaping up nicely, the brush strokes are clean and smooth and my bright future is just beginning... too bad there's that mare as a superior. I may be more and more appreciated at shows and even my flying skills are unquestionable, but still, she treats me worse than anyone else.
I can't understand how Soarin has survived all this time on her hooves, he must just be in love and enjoy being dominated...
BUT THAT'S NOT MY CASE!
I especially hate it when people don't call me by my full name: Silverwings. Even though I never knew the people who gave me that name, but hearing a diminutive name makes my tail bristle until it's as strong as a whip, which I use to gain respect in these cases.
Another of my wonderbolt friends don't like to be hitting by the captain, Thunderlane, who finds his method less conducive to a close-knit team than to a battle where it's every man for himself once on the field. He has however learned to tone down his ardor to be a good role model for his little brother, something I don't need to do because choosing me and copying me is handicapping yourself for way too many situations if you like to have an easy life. But then, tonight, as I return with them to our hotel in the city we're supposed to play in tomorrow, I know she'll yell at me again.
And not because we're coming home after the "curfew" she set herself.
"But come on, this will never work!" Said the white stallion, afraid of what was going to happen, trembling.
"You have a better idea, we have no choice, we have to try." said the one with the unique light blue hairstyle, trying to convince Soarin not to stress, and himself by the way.
"Guys, I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of this, I'm the one who's going to get yelled at as usual!" I explained to calm them both down, indifferent to what was waiting for me.
"But finally, you don't realize the gravity of the situation, it's horrible what happened." Soarin said speaking louder, they could hardly understand his words as his jaw was chattering.
I simply let out a light sigh before opening the sliding door of the hotel. And of course...
"SILVERWINGSSS!!!"
She was waiting for me hand and foot.
"SPITFIRE! WE CAN EXPLAIN EVERYTHING!" The first commander gasped as he lowered his head closer to the ground and his hooves held him weakly upright.
With her mane reminiscent of flames and her yellow coat, not to mention her commander's jacket with a few paltry medals, Spitfire stood in front of the door I had just passed through, only about ten centimeters separating us.
Behind her, most of the other wonderbolts members hurried over as they recognized her screaming my name. From Fleetfoot to Misty Fly to the new Rainbow Dash, all had arrived in a flash. They were expecting a show, and they weren't going to be disappointed.
Unlike Soarin, there was no way I was going to bow down in any way, so I started my little game with my most likely fake smile.
"Hi Spitfire, sorry for being so late, we didn't see the time..."
"What's that!" she interrupted me, pointing to the bandana that was covering my left eye.
Surprisingly, she seemed less angry than usual, you'll tell me... I've done worse than arriving at midnight.
"Oh this is a pirate bandana I found at the market earlier. It was nice so I bought it, it looks good on me right?" I asked the rest of the team in the back.
"I think it's pretty cool." said the cyan mare that I didn't know very well yet.
Anyway, I'll make a mental note to thank her later.
"Take it off !" said my commander as she stifled Rainbow Dash's response, putting on a not-so-cheerful face.
Mind you, she never smiles.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to keep it on at least until tomorrow's show." I retorted. Now we should all go to bed...
"Take it off before I do it myself !" she ordered without waiting for me to finish my sentence.
The order came out so abruptly that Soarin hid behind a plant pot. Thunderlane wanted to retaliate, but he quickly realized that it would be useless to fight. He followed the request I had made earlier, before coming here.
"Good night Silverwings." he said simply patting my shoulder with a brotherly hoof.
Then he passed without any particular request from Spitfire and went up to his room under the gaze of the other pegasus. Soarin also went to his bed before things got out of hand. Because between me and this mare, things usually get out of hand for a lot less than that.
Being kicked out of the wonderbolts just for that didn't sit well with me, so I followed his kindly expressed "request" and removed the bandana with a hoof, letting the truth come out.
As I lifted it, the rest of the team saw my left eye... or rather what was left of it. I hadn't bought this stupid bandana to be a rebel, but to hide this filth. A deep cut was visible now, where before I could see the scenery more precisely than now. Just to be sure, and for fun, I waited to see everyone's reaction.
Surprisingly, most of the pegasus present were taken aback when they saw what had happened to me, I even saw Mistyfly pass out, which would have made me laugh under other circumstances. Rainbow Dash and Fleetfoot were shocked judging by their gaping jaws, although I could sense that they were also curious to know the end of the story.
And of course, Spitfire, who I could have shown closer to disgust her, widened her eyes in surprise, hold on, looks like she doesn't like her minions to be messed up.
"What the... how did you do that to yourself ?" She said as she craned her neck back, but didn't move her hooves, which remained stuck to the ground.
"To put it simply, a poor mare was being harassed in the bar where I was and I decided to defend her. I kicked the side of her captors with this scratch as a souvenir." I summarized in my impassive tone.
From the looks of their new faces, they were going to tell me that I didn't understand the gravity of the situation. Yeah, I like to pretend I'm impassive about everything, even though I admit that the stupid knife stung me on the spot, I thought as I rubbed the wound from which the blood had stopped flowing.
"You... have... but... but..." she tried to say, before suddenly resuming her usual tone, that is to say higher for my side and only my side. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT, YOU'RE CRAZY !" She let go of me.
OKAY, I'M SICK OF IT!
"OK, I'M SICK OF IT ! I LOSE AN EYE FOR A MARE AND YOU TELL ME I SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE IT !"I was dropping.
"YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE IT, YOU SHOULD HAVE CALLED THE LAW ENFORCEMENT !"
"IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE IN TIME, YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ACTION !"
"I BET IT WAS YOU WHO STARTED TO FIGHT THEM !" She said, pointing at me with her hoof, something I hated.
"AND PROUD OF HAVING DONE IT, IT DESERVED A GOOD LESSON !" I said as I pushed his hoof away from my face.
"IT'S NOT YOURS TO DO, SO I DIDN'T TEACH YOU ANYTHING AT CAMP WONDERBOLT ?"
"OH YES I DID, I LEARNED THAT YOY SHOULD NEVER LET ANYONE WALK ALL OVER YOU? AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF YOU !" I replied.
We continued our indecent argument for a good minute, I didn't see the time pass, and frankly, it was great. To finally be able to yell at her like she had been doing since my first day was a real release. As hard as I was being right now, I was careful not to say anything too hurtful to her, because I had some notes in reserve that she wouldn't have been able to respond to.
"Uh, Spit, Silver... you ...." try Rainbow Dash to say fotr stopping this, not the best for that.
"WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING HERE AGAIN, GO TO BED NOW !" This shitty mare and I screamed at the same time with our eyes filled with blood and the reddish veins visible on our necks.
In less time than it takes to say "wonderbolt", the pegasus flew down the stairs, up to their room in undisguised fear of what would be done to them if they stayed. But they were far from finished.
"AND SOARIN AND THUNDERLANE, DID THEY HELP YOU ?"
"It all depends on what you have in store for them, but your pet SOARIN was too scared not to act !"
"HE WAS NOT FEARFUL, HE JUST UNDERSTOOD THAT IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO !"
"I'd call that a cowardice! YOU'VE BRAINWASHED HIM SO MUCH THAT HE'S NOT ACTING RATIONALLY ANYMORE !"
"IT IS YOU WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND !"
They still had enough lung to go on all night. I'll give him this point though for stopping this ultimately unconstructive exchange.
"ENOUGH, GO TO THE INFIRMATION AND SHOWER BEFORE GOING TO BED, I WILL DECIDE YOUR FATE TOMORROW !" She said for making end to this night.
"THE NIGHT OF LUNA WAS WORTH IT !" I say as I finally pass the doorway.
I head to the infirmary in a huff. I can't believe it, I'm sacrificing an eye to save a mare from a bad omen and all she can do is howl to wake up the whole town. I could feel the walls weakening every time one of us opened our mouths.
Fortunately, there is no one in the infirmary at this late hour, I am not in the mood to run into anyone. I apply some ointment on the wound as gently as my agitated state allows me before heading to the showers.
Still nobody when I enter, Thunderlane and Soarin will surely do it tomorrow morning before the show. Maybe I was too hard on the latter, the fault of you know who. It's hard to admit that I called him a coward, he was scared and I totally understand that, attacking armed ponies is far from reassuring, especially when one of them ends up stabbing you in the pupil.
But one thing is for sure, Thunderlane probably saved my life in the chaos. I was on the ground with a bloody eye and my crying was about to start, so I couldn't thank him enough for jumping on that stallion with the knife firmly in his hoof.
It's as I start the water jet that I check my mental notes: thank Thunderlane and do it every chance I get, also thank Rainbow Dash for answering me instead of leaving an overwhelming silence, and apologize to Soarin, because I imagine that even cloistered in his blanket, our screams must have reached him.
As I close my one eye, I begin to calm down and feel the warm, invigorating water running through my body. From my slashed head to my dull tail, to my tightly closed wings around my waist, beginning to open up to enjoy.
Then I hear the shower door move and look who is now entering.
My wings retracted as far as they could in an even faster time than the cyan pegasus' Sonic Rainbow, and my face knew no other shade of color than scarlet.
"IDIOT, IT'S THE STALLIONS SHOWERS HERE !" I yelled in surprise and embarrassment to my commander.
She had just walked in without her navy blue uniform and even her mane wasn't as commanding as it was earlier, it fell around her head.
"Calm down, I've already closed the mare showers so I'll do it quick here." she said before taking a seat on one of the desks and opening a new salvo in an indifferent manner.
If the showers are separate it's for a reason, I thought as I looked away and quickly regained my color. I can't believe I seriously blushed in front of that mare, she'll probably use it against me later, but what's done is done.
I'm still letting the water flood me while I'm cleaning my wings thoroughly, it's cold outside and I was there not fifteen minutes ago. Besides, I have a show tomorrow and I'm headlining with Spitfire and Rainbow Dash, unless she changes the plans at the last minute to teach me a lesson.
"Why?" I asked without controlling my mouth this time.
"Why what?" She asked not surprisingly..
Damn, I spoke out loud, I didn't want to ask her. But hey, I might as well go, I just hope the nice shower will keep us from going back for a scene.
"Why are you so hard on me?" I asked without looking at her, keeping my head tilted forward with my mane scattering across my skull.
The question must seem odd to her since she doesn't answer right away. I wish RD was here to say something, but two mares in the stallion showers would have done a lot for me.
"I'm hard on you because you did something totally stupid and could have kept your left eye !" She answers me not as curtly as I thought she would.
It must be the hot spring that helps with that.
"I care about you and I care about the whole team, and I don't want this kind of incident to happen, especially from a second in command." she says.
I wanted to argue something but she didn't give me time to speak.
"From now on, when they ask you about your scar, tell them that a cat scratched you very bad." she said as an order.
"That's ridiculous !" I said, barely above a whisper.
"As ridiculous as what you did, take it as a punishment. I could also have taken away your rank." She said not for menacing, but more for explain she have a lot of ideas for me.
His argument finally made me smile since that confrontation in the bar. It feels good to smile while the water feels good. I allow myself a slight chuckle before answering.
"It's times like these that show you're not the captain for nothing, Spit." I said, turning off the water.
"I told you not to call me by that nickname, only my family can call me that." she said as she ran the soap over her perfectly sculpted body.
Damn, I looked at her again, I have to stop being so optimistic.
"But aren't wonderbolts a family to you ?" I said as I grabbed my towel and started to dry my mane, ruffling it horribly in the process.
I didn't even look at her, but judging by her lack of a negative response, I could tell that my statement made her smile, rare as those moments are. Even rarer if you count the fact that I was the one who brought her to this.
"Do you really think what you just did ?" she asked in a tone as sweet as a filly's.
Okay, that REALLY made her happy to hear that. I passed the blue towel over my marble body as I answered.
"I can assure you that for someone who has never really known the love of home, this is where I feel closest to it." I said as I dared to turn back to her with a smile.
What I didn't expect was that she would turn around and her eyes would make contact with mine. Her warm smile was so sweet that she really looked like a cute, innocent filly. She was still in the shower and her mane hid the rest of her face a bit. This is the first time I've seen her like this, and I have to say it really suits her.
...
WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING!!!
I quickly shook my head from left to right to convince myself that I hadn't thought it, messing up my hair even more than before. Finally, I looked away, replacing my towel on the banner for fear of blushing at her again.
I slowly made my way out feeling her gaze still on me.
"Good night, Spitfire." I said simply after a slight fake cough.
"Good night, Silver." she replied in my back.
I finally closed the door and was able to take a deep breath before blowing all the air into my lungs from my nostrils. It was so unusual to see her like this that I was almost uncomfortable.
I decided not to think about it and headed to my dormitory without thinking about it anymore, hoping that it wouldn't take up my whole night. I closed the door to my room before snuggling into my comforter as comfortable as the water that flowed, on my silver coat.
I start to close my eye as I think back to her "goodnight Silver" she had said to me and I finally chase any thoughts of her away from my dreams.
Wait.. !!!
"SHE SERIOUSLY CALLED ME SILVER !!!"
