Misty Fly sat up with a start, staring out at the moon with a sigh, rubbing her eyes with a hoof. She had almost been convinced this was all a bad dream and that she was gonna be woken up at the call of reveille by her alarm: Surprise bouncing around the bunks of her fellow Wonderbolts excitedly.

“I hate how I don’t even know if it’s supposed to be day or night yet,” Misty Fly growled to herself and untangled herself from Spike and Surprise.

“Same here,” Spike admitted and Misty gave a startled yelp. “Scaredy cat much?”

“Sorry I uh forgot you didn’t get hit with that sleep spell thingy,” Misty rolled a hoof in the air. “Are you okay?”

“Kinda hungry but good I guess. You got any gems?”

“I got this,” Misty tapped a hoof against a purple gemstone hanging around her neck that she always wore under her uniform. “It’s amethyst. It’s my birth stone.”

She hoofed it to Spike and the dragon examined it before licking it to her confusion.

“Tastes fairly good,” Spike commented and started to put it in his mouth before Misty’s eyes widened.

“H-hey wait don’t!” Misty pulled the necklace away from him and stared at him warily. “What the Equestria was that all about? I gave it so you look at it, not try to eat it!”

“Oh sorry. I’m a dragon. Eating gems is what we do,” Spike shot back and Misty inhaled to calm down.

“So uh dragons eat gems? I thought you guys all hoarded gems and whatnot,” Misty commented and brushed her light blue mane down. “I don’t know much about dragons. The only one I’ve met is you. We don’t really go to the Dragon Lands.”

Spike hummed in response before he stretched and walked around briefly, cracking his neck before sighing.

“No Twilight yet?” Spike peered out the window and Misty Fly shook her head after a moment.

“Nope kid. Sorry. What’s your relation to her, anyway?” Misty asked curiously as the mare examined Spike. She wasn’t really on speaking terms with any dragon. She didn’t think anypony except this Twilight apparently.

“She’s my mom I suppose. Sister works too,” Spike answered and Misty choked on air for a brief moment. She tossed Spike a grateful look as he smacked her on the back and she coughed a few more times before regaining control of her breathing.

“So you mean Twilight and a dragon....” Misty trailed off and quickly shook the thought from her mind, tossing it into a deep part of her mind, locking it and throwing away the key so she never had that thought ever again. “Never mind.”

“She hatched me from an egg for her entry exam at Celestia’s School for gifted unicorns,” Spike clarified and Misty gave a slow nod.

“I see. So you’re telling me Celestia just had a dragon egg randomly sitting around?” Misty quirked an eyebrow and laid down on her back.

“I guess. Pretty lucky for me, huh?” Spike asked with a shrug. “I’d rather be alive than be stuck in some dusty storage closet for years.”

“Fair enough of a point,” Misty conceded and tilted her head as Spike continued staring at her wing. “You want to sleep under my wing again, don’t you?”

“Maybe? Twilight normally hugs me to sleep even if she acts like she hates it. She’s always had a soft spot for me,” Spike admitted.

Misty nodded and unfurled her wing as Spike laid under it and Misty closed her wing around him as Spike nuzzled her chest fur.

“Comfortable?” Misty asked with a small smile.

“Mhm.”

“Good,” Misty commented quietly and looked around the sleeping ponies before she bit onto a neaby blanket and dragged it over herself with a content sigh. Being a pegasus gave her a bit of a heavier coat than the other tribes to account for lightning and weather work so she didn’t really need a blanket for her but most if not all pegasus used blankets strictly for the comfort feeling. After all, who doesn’t like being cocooned in a blanket like a filly or a colt occasionally? “I can’t wait for this to be over.”

Misty waited for Spike to comment and glanced down at the snoring dragon with a faint smile.

“Wow this is more rundown than even I had imagined,” Twilight commented as they all stared up at the ruins of a castle. Conveniently, a piece of rock from the upper tower chose then to fall and shatter upon hitting the ground, elicting a startled gasp from Wallflower.

“Is this even safe to go inside of?” Watermelody asked hesitantly and took a cautious step on the crumbling steps and jumped as it cracked under her weight. “I’m not so sure about this one girls.”

“We came too far to just throw in the towel,” Spitfire growled and stepped up the stairs, ignoring the cracking sound of it as she continued forward with Twilight behind her.

“She has a point,” High Winds said after a moment and rested a wing on Wallflowers back. “Come on, nothing in there will hurt you. You got two very powerful unicorns, two pegasi and Watermelody.”

“Damn right,” Sunset chimed in and eyed the castle warily. “I will admit, I’m a bit worried myself but I got Silverspeed, Silver Spoon and Blazey to think about. I love them all, especially my little sister.”

Wallflower inhaled and took a step inside, looking around curiously at the paintings and drapes haphazardly hanging around them. A large pedestal stood in the middle of the room with stones in the middle and Twilight’s eyes lit up.

“The elements!” Twilight breathed in awe and Sunset started levitating a few down as Spitfire and High Winds each picked one up. “Carefully you guys. We don’t want to risk damaging them at all.”

Spitfire gave a noncommittal grunt as she set down a stone in front of Twilight, Wallflower examining it curiously. She didn’t know much about rocks but she did know these looked like plain old boring stones.

“I don’t really see anything too special or unique about these,” Wallflower mused and Twilight honestly found herself a bit inclined to agree with the mare.

“I’m gonna try something. I’d stay back, I don’t know what’ll happen,” Twilight warned and the others took a few wary steps back.

“Come on, let’s go outside and give her some space with her magical rocks,” High Winds jerked her head aside.

They all quietly trotted outside as Twilight closed her eyes.

“What do you think will happen after this?” Sunset asked as she stretched out in the cold grass. “I mean, once she gets the elements sorted out?”

“I don’t know,” Watermelody admitted and started drawing a circle with her hoof in the dirt. “I wasn’t really thinking about that. I guess we go back to our lives, I guess? Painting and attending plays for me. I want to go see a play in Manehatten again one day.”

“We have to go back to Cloudsdale where the HQ is,” Spitfire answered and Sunset’s face fall. “We can always visit. We’ve managed pretty decently these past five years.”

“Yeah we have. I just hate us not being close to each other anymore. The three of us used to do everything together as fillies. Me, you and Blaze tagging along on my back. God, I love that mare.”

“Yeah Blaze is pretty unique. She’s somehow managed to keep both our egos in check,” Spitfire agreed with a fond smile. Blaze always did beat the two of them at hide and seek. Benefits of her having been smaller at the time. Now she was a few inches shorter than the other two, but still had a younger sounding voice. She sounded almost ten in all honesty but nopony mentioned it due to how embarrassed Blaze gets by it.

“And I got my flower business. Maybe I’ll go visit my other sisters in Ponyville in the future,” Wallflower mused and laid on her back, rolling her beating stick next to her.

“How many sisters you got?” High Winds asked curiously from her cloud she had brought to the ground.

“Let’s see. There’s Fuchsia, Cheerilee, Cherry Blossom and Berry Punch so four. Then we go past sisters and I got Cherry Berry as a cousin, Pinchy as a niece or Ruby depending on who you are. That’s about it,” Wallflower received a few stunned looks as Watermelody whistled dramatically.

“Damn girl. How did your mom and dad manage that all?” Watermelody asked and Wallflower glared at the sky. “Uh, Wally?”

“Dad died shortly after I was born so he never really knew me. Anyway as for mom, she was a jerk. We never really had much or a lot to eat. She usually ate her fill and we got what was left. My older sisters always put me first. Berry Punch used a bit more aggressive methods and usually shook down kids for their lunch money to get us all good after. Mom is still alive but none of us are on speaking terms with her. Even Cheerilee hates her and Cheerilee is super kind. She taught me a lot.”

Watermelody wrapped a hoof around her and nuzzled Wallflower slowly with a frown. She didn’t really get along with her own parents but they were nothing like that.

“I’m sorry for asking,” Watermelodys ears flattened against her head as Wallflower shrugged.

“Honestly, it felt a bit therapeutic to get out. In a weird sorta way,” Wallflower admitted with a small smile. Her smile faded to a frown as she and the others heard a shout from Twilight inside followed a bright purple flash at one of the undestroyed towers.

“Twilight!” They called out and jumped to their hooves.

“Come on!” High Winds kicked her cloud away.

With a single nod to each, the mares galloped inside.

Author's Note

Name: Blaze.
Age: 21.
Rank: Corporal.
Status: Alive.
Nicknames: Blazey, Hydrant, The Shrink.

Motto: To stop me, you have to catch me first.

Bio: Blaze is the youngest sister of Spitfire and Sunset. Blaze is the calmest of the three and often finds herself playing peacemaker with the two when they get into their occasional fights. She is a corporal in the Wonderbolts and is content with her position. She has a cutie mark of a heart surrounded by orange flames. She and Sunset were disowned by Stormy Flare in favor of Spitfire. Blaze is a brave and determined pony. She, High Winds and Surprise attempted to corral Spike during his rampage, cutting off his head spikes. She is in charge of the seventy sixth squadron consisting of Cloudkicker, Cloudchaser, Bulk Biceps,Thunderlane and Fire Streak. Blaze took part in the Battle of Canterlot against the Changelings and she temporarily assumed command of the Wonderbolts when Spitfire, Fleetfoot, Soarin and High Winds were occupied elsewhere in the city at Wave Chill and Misty Flys encouragement. Blaze is Sunset's biggest fan, looking up immensely to her older sister and often goes to her for advice. She considers Sunset to be the coolest pony she knows and was known for following Sunset around as a filly. She assisted Sunset, Trixie and Twilight in Manehatten chasing down a jewel thief. Blaze was lead against Tirek by Spitfire and was one of the few Wonderbolts to successfully hit him. Blaze is the closest friend to Lightning Streak and often can be found at Soarin's bar. Blaze is one of the few ponies who Sunset and Spitfire confide in and is known for keeping their egos in check when necessary. Has a burning heart for a cutie mark. Blaze gets depressed often after feeling like she lives in Spitfire's shadow and often gets called Spitfire in the street by civilians.

Abilities: Blaze is one of the few Wonderbolts who spends most of her time reading and is highly intelligent. She has a wing speed of 17.5 and can be found with Fleetfoot reading history books. She can get most ponies to open up easily.

Weaknesses: Blaze's attempts to impress Sunset often end up with her getting injured by crashing into various objects and hasn't gotten the idea that Sunset is already impressed by her and is loved by the unicorn. Her need to be viewed as an equal to her sisters occasionally makes her depressed.

Allies: Sunset, Spitfire, Fleetfoot, Soarin, Misty, Twilight, Spike, Wallflower, High Winds, Raindrops, Watermelody, Silverspeed, Silver Spoon, Rapidfire, Silver Zoom, Dizzy Twister, Surprise, Parasol, Rainbow Dash, Derpy, Dinky, Amethyst Star, Celestia, Luna, Discord, the other Wonderbolts, Stormy Flare(formerly), Cloudchaser, Cloudkicker, White Lightning, Cotton Cloudy, Bulk Biceps.

Enemies: Tirek, Nightmare Moon(formerly),Discord(formerly), Stormy Flare, Wind Rider, Lightning Dust, Sombra, Rough Diamond.

Notable quotes:

"Wonderbolts, attack!"

"Talk about needing a lot of bug spray, right?"

"Push forward, don't let them regroup!"

"Why me? I don't know the first thing about leadership or being in charge!" to Misty Fly and Wave Chill during Battle of Canterlot.

"Behold, the first ever Blaze Fan Club! With one member....me."

"Of course I idolize Sunset. She's brave, strong, funny, kind and amazing older sister. What's not to idolize? She's cool! I love Big Sis a lot."

"How could you do this, Spitfire?" to Spitfire after the Mare Do Well incident.