The training sergeant had just left Spitfire's office after explaining why Rainbow Dash had decided to leave the academy when the Wonderbolt's captain used a key to open a secret compartment hidden behind a cloaking spell. Inside laid numerous random items, papers and medals the flaming pegasus had received in her carrier. However, only one object was of her interest at this moment; a small white glossy sphere. She put it on top of her desk and pushed the top with her hoof. Only a small clicking sound was a sign that something was happening inside it.
After a few minutes waiting, the surface changed and showed the face of an old gray stallion with a short whitening mane. He didn't lose anytime. "Major," he saluted with a nod. "Why the communication?"
"General, Rainbow Dash just left my office. She's quitting the academy," she replied being as direct as she could. She knew her interlocutor enough to know that he hated nothing more than wasting time.
Ironback, one of the lesser known commanders of the Equestrian army, frowned at the news. "I'm sure you understand the consequences for the army's reputation if one of the bearers of the elements, the only one interested in joining the forces, was to refuse and leave."
"Yes sir," Spitfire nodded. The General was as cunning as always and understood right away the reason for the communication.
"What are you waiting for to bring her back?" he cut in with a dry tone.
Spitfire started to breathe a little harder. The last time the General had been that unhappy was after the changeling fiasco. "It's not that simple, sir. The other bearers came to support her and the action of another cadet put all their lives at risk."
"Major, I don't care what you have to do or promise," he spitted out. "You got a mess of your hooves and if you need to give your rank to Rainbow Dash to fix it, then so be it."
The Captain swallowed hard. "I will get her back, sir," she said while saluting.
She was about to close the communication when Ironback interrupted her. "And about that cadet who almost killed this nation's best defense, who is it?"
"Lightning Dust, sir," she replied back, wondering why he would like to know that kind of details.
"Dust?" he asked to himself while looking away from the communication device. He looked like he was digging in his memories. "Would she be related to Star Dust?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Spitfire quickly grabbed the cadet's file off the pile on her desk. "She would be her grand-daughter, sir," she replied after quickly reading Lightning's bio.
A furtive smile appeared on the General's face. "Interesting," he said with a hoof on his chin. "Major, you will expel this cadet."
"Sir?" she asked back. "She's maybe reckless, but she will make a great soldier. She does deserve to be reprimanded, but..."
Ironback interrupted the major by raising a hoof. "And once she had her things packed, you will have her escorted to the hangar twelve."
"Sir?"
"That will be all, Major."
Spitfire saluted, but the sphere had already turned back to its white finish. After the Wonderbolts showed a complete inability to do anything useful in the changeling's invasion her situation kept degrading in the views of the higher brass. Not that any other corps of the army fared better, but the Wonderbolts were the elite, the figurehead of the army. In regard of public relation, they had to perform better. She kept replaying the invasion in her mind and still had no idea what she could have done differently. They were taken by surprise and neutralized so quickly.
She grabbed her hat and kicked her office's door open. She now had to do two things she hated deeply; playing favoritism and punishing a pony beyond measure because she was ordered to. Not that she disliked Rainbow Dash, it is hard to hate the pony who saved your life, but in her line of work she couldn't stand crawling back and begging. And on the other hoof, she had to crush a talented pony's dream. The day had started so well; what made it go so wrong?
Lightning Dust's eyes were red and wet as she sat down in the middle of the dark hangar. The sergeant told her to wait there and left her alone. Losing her leading role was one thing, but when the training sergeant ordered her to pack her things, she cracked. She asked, she begged but the sergeant said nothing beside that he was following orders. It took her a long time to pack her few possessions spread over her bunk. Everything was so blurry as she shook the tears off again. They wouldn't stop pouring out. She was hoping that the Wonderbolt's leading officer would change her mind. That it was all a mistake and she could get a second chance. It didn't happen.
She had waited so long to get the chance to have a shot at the Wonderbolt's membership, and now it was all gone.
What went wrong? She couldn't say. Obviously the tornado was overkill, but it did achieve the goal Spitfire asked them to reach. Was it her fault that some civil decided to choose that moment to visit the training site in a balloon?
"What a pathetic display," a voice said, coming from the shadows. Dust was sure she was alone in the hangar. When did somepony enter without her noticing it?
"It's not every day that you learn all the efforts you did for almost two decades were for nothing," she spitted out while trying to keep her tears inside, but it didn't work so well.
A very large gray stallion came out of the shadows. She couldn't explain how such a large pony could hide so well. "I've read your file, Dust. You're not a quitter and you learn from your mistakes. Am I wrong?"
Lightning finally noticed the army's uniform of the stallion. Her eyes went wide as she noticed his rank. She stood up and saluted. While not in the army, she had trained so hard for that. She wanted the salute to become a reflex and at this very moment it gave her a little bit of happiness to know that it worked.
The General returned the salute lazily. "You were expelled from Cloudsdale's flight school at twelve. To quote your teacher; 'she thinks she's the best, and while that might be true, her attitude is destructive to her own progress'," he said as if he was reading a book. "You came back the year after and graduate with honors, with mentions from that same teacher."
Lightning Dust remembered very well that time. Back then, she felt it was only a road bump along the way to her dream. It was a small setback that gave her a different perspective. In retrospective, she was happy that she managed to overcome her tendency to brag all the time. She had been better than that teacher from the start, but he had experience and tips that once she started to listen, made her jump years ahead of what she could have done on her own.
Ironback walked toward the pegasus and stopped in front of her. The difference of size was impressive as her head was hardly reaching his chest. For a moment she wondered who would win in a fight between him and Snowflake, the white pegasus crazy for weightlifting. "Are you telling me you're giving up?" he asked while looking down on her.
"Of course not!" she snapped back. "Simply... Being expelled from the training camp is..." She took a deep breath. "The Wonderbolts are the best of the best. Now that I have a reprimand on my paper, I will never get in."
"There's other squadron," he replied softly. Dust wondered why this general was showing so much consideration for her.
"Other squadron?" she asked incredulous. "There are no others like the Wonderbolts. I'm no pony for second place."
"Good," he replied with a large smile. Dust looked around, wondering what was going on. Was it all a very sad practical joke? "I have a job for you."
"A job?" she asked confused.
"I'm looking for the best and for a pony that can do what needs to be done," he explained.
"Sir? I don't understand," she said, close to breaking down again. Did this general set her up for his own personal need? Was he the reason why she was expelled from the camp?
"Princess Celestia agreed with me; we are tired of being the last informed when something is happening on our own territory," he explained while eying her for any sign of reaction. "She ordered the creation of a new squad with a very specific mission; identify, gather intelligence and neutralize any threat against this nation, coming from anywhere; outside or within."
Lightning took a moment trying to let that information sink in. "But doesn't the army already have its own intelligence division?"
"Yes, and the last few years proved how inept they are for anything going on under their own noses," he spitted out. "This new group will take no orders from anypony and won't answer to the army's structure. They will send the information found only to me or the princesses."
She shook her head. "But... Sir... Why me?"
He sighed. "I think I already explained that."
"No... I mean, why not Spitfire, Soarin or... or even Rainbow Dash! She had better scores then me," she asked back.
He fought hard to not roll his eyes. His patience was running thin. "The Wonderbolts are a public relation stunt. They are good, but they are also visible and known. I need somepony who are a stranger from the public. Ponies that can stay in the shadows and make sure the population can sleep sound. As for miss Rainbow Dash, being a bearer of the Elements of Harmony, she will always be a high priority target. Beside, from what I understand, she needs to stay close to the other bearers for the Elements to work."
"She... she is?" Lightning Dust asked. Suddenly her eyes went wide. "The balloon?"
He grinned. "Yes, you almost killed them. Now you understand why the Wonderbolts is not in your future anymore. However, I'm offering you something I think would suit you better."
She looked down. Spitfire reaction made so much sense now. Dust fancied herself being able to learn from her mistakes, but this was bigger than she thought. "I... Can I think about it?"
He turned around and walked towards the end of the hangar. "Of course, take your time. We will be watching." Just before reaching the shadows, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I served with your grand-father. If you are only a fraction of the pony he was, you will outperform my expectation."
"My... What? Wait!" she said while standing up. "Does this team have a name?" She stopped, what kind of question was that? Of everything she could ask, why that?
While looking ahead, he nodded. "Yes, Princess Celestia came up with that name, but I find it quite appropriate. To save a forest, you sometime need to burn down a few trees. She said it was also an anagram for something about a doctor, but I didn't understand that part. She named the team 'Torchwood'," he said while walking in the shadows.
Lightning Dust blinked and he was gone. She looked around, and the hangar was truly empty. How did such a large pony could disappear so easily? He wasn't even a unicorn. She sat down. A door had closed in her future and another had opened. Did she really want to cross it?
