Thread 62: Stories 31-45

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NC
'Dear Diary, in order to re-aquaint myself with the new Equestria, I have picked up something called the hive gazette.'

'...Yeah, it's drugs.'

'You fucking explain ponies seeing giant mushrooms, otherwise.'

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NC
'Dear Diary, as it turns out, it's not drugs.'

'...It's fucking Discord.'

'IT'S FUCKING DISCORD WHAT THE FUCK!?'

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NC
'Dear Diary.

'I abandoned today's plan to re-connect with the princess to try and save Equestria. En route to the throne room I encountered a baby dragon who pressed a Smith&Wesson revolver to the temple of somepony and demanded to know if they 'feel lucky, punk' plus a butteryellow winged unicorn who exploded into millions of spiders when I greeted her. I think some of them crawled into my ears.

'I haven't slept for three days. At this point the world with terrorists, nukes and police brutality sounds safer than this hellhole. Maybe I died and went to hell when I entered the mirror?'

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>Twilight
"Dazzlings"
~~~
The Dazzlings are doing their magical music number to entrance the schools

>Hmmm... I think I see the problem. YOINK!

Steals their jewels and tosses them into a trash compactor

"DO NOT THROW SOULS!"

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NC
>FUCK THIS WORLD!

*SHOOP!*

~~~~

>TWILIGHT! I've got to warn you! Stay with me if you want to live!

"I can't, Spike's trying to learn how to be a giant dragon from the shapeshifting bug queen."

>...THIS IS THE SHIT I'M TALKING ABOUT!


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>DT
"SS"
'Guards'
{Civilians}
~~~~
DT has a carrot in her mouth like a cigar.
>Alright, maggots! Welcome to the simulator! Today I'm going to make you face your fears.

"They look scared already."

>Even better because a skeleton army is attacking and your orders are to evacuate the citizens to the boats.

"Isn't that worse?"

>No no, it's better. I want Alpha and Bravo to enter the homes and get civilians out while Charlie and Delta fend the skeletons off!

'Am I on Charlie?'

>For the last time, Charley Horse, yes, you're on Charlie and you're fighting skeletons!

'Damn it.'

Air raid siren goes off as the Skeleton army starts their attack. DT and SS listen to the guard's chatter.

'I'm coming up on the first house.'

{Save my baby!}

'I will, but Ma'am please we have to move.'

'The skeletons are trying to flank us! Delta needs to get us more cover fire!'

'I'm running out of shotgun ammo!'

'They're everywhere, mare!'

'I'm hit! I need a medic!'

{My son's missing! Have you seen a little boy?}

'Sir, everypony is being evacuated to the boats. I need you to cooperate with us and move quickly.'

{Waaaaaaaaah Mommyyyy}

'Get this girl to safety! Ma'am please watch over this girl and get to the boats.'

{My stuff!}

'Do you care more about your stuff or your life. Move! Follow this guy over here.'

'Why hasn't Alpha moved up the next block yet? We're getting hammered out here!'

'We're not moving fast enough.'

'I'm busy carrying a baby!'

{My Grandma, why isn't she with us?}

'We're out of time you have to get to the boats.'

'Some of the skeletons got through!'

'I can't do this!'

'Hey, don't run away!'

'A skeleton just picked up our RPG!'

'Get down!'
BOOOM

'FIRE!!!'

{My legs!!! AHHHHH MY LEGS!!!}

'The situation is FUBAR!'

'We need to fall back!'

'Hold on, we're not done with this block!'

'The entire block's on fire, I'd say we're done!'
Another explosion as skeletons set fire to more houses.

'We can't hold them off any more!'

'The third bridge has been destroyed! We're cut off!'

'Run! That skeleton is on fire!'
As a flaming skeleton is about to leap on to a boat DT pauses the simulation.

>...What was that?

'Alpha and Bravo were taking too long to evacuate the civilians...and we couldn't hold the line against the skeletons.'

'...a few of us also ran which allowed the skeletons to pick up our weapons.'

>You had one job! Fend off those spooky skeletons! Oh and the groups evacuating the civvies? How did you cut corners not saving old ladies and still not get them out in time?! You! What are you doing?

'This one looks like my neighbor's kid.'

>Not surprising, since the simulator has a big database of ponies. You're bound to find an NPC that looks familiar. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you saw a lot of familiar faces among the ponies being evacuated. That's why despite how scary the situation is you need to do your duty. Remember, this isn't about you. It's about the ponies you're trying to protect. You're putting yourselves at risk to keep ponies at home safe. Don't you forget that.
The guards went silent as it sank it.

"Wow, DT that sounded very-"

>Your baby is on fire! Do you think it's parents like their baby well done? We're restarting again! I want those reaction times perfect!

"aaand the moment is gone."

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>Applejack
"Celestia"
~~~
>Hey, 'Tia, Ah got a question for ya.

"And I have for thee questions three! Answer them well lest my own answer you see."

>... Alrigh'...

"Question the first: What is thy name?"

>Applejack.

"What is thy quest?"

>Ta help Equestria in any way Ah can.

"What is the value of Planck's Constant rounded to the nearest millionth?"

>Applejacksquat.

"Wro- Wait, how did you know that?!"

>This job's been awful for mah body but mah mind's gotten a lot sharper. So, 'bout mah question?

"Fine... What is it?"

>Ya'll know where in Equestria Caramel Sandiego is? That red-clad tramp made off wit' tha week's cake shipment.

"I-I don't know-!"

FLING!

"AHHHHHHHHHHAAHAHAHAH! SEE? LIKE THIS I STILL WIN!"

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NC
>Maud
~~~~
She takes a bite of another house And spots Shining.

>...so that's where he is...

Calmly chews. Crunch crunch crunch.

>...maybe the next house has a different flavor.

Walks away.

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>AJ
"Celestia"
~~~

>Hey, Tia? Got a question.

"Oh come on! You have a literal COUNCIL to debate this stuff with now! Why me!?"

>Ah' jus' like talkin' ta' ya'.

"...Aw..."

>And askin' ya' iffin' ya' knew why Cherry Jubilee is counted as a minor noble.

"...What now?"

>Yep, checked it an everythin'.

"...Huh... I... I have absolutely no idea who that is."

>Oh. Huh, guess ya' wouldn't know, then.

"I would not."

>M'kay.

"..."

>...

"..."

>...So ya' just hand 'em out ta' everybody?

"Applejack, RARITY is a princess, I do not make good decisions sometimes."

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>Sunset Shimmer
"Trolly Cart Pusher"
~~~
"Snacks, drinks, and newspapers! Come get your snacks, drinks, and papers!"

>I'll take one of each, please.

"Special today, you get all this for two bits."

>Sweet.

Sunset unfurls the newspaper and blinks

>... What the fuck is this?

"The Hive Gazette, it's the biggest rising news source in Equestria, Empire, and even Griffon Kingdoms. Run by a changeling at that. Real success story."

>The fuck is a changeling?

"... You been out of town for a bit?"

>Basically in another world.... What the fuck is cordyceps? Or rather why are we recovering from it? It can only infect ants and spiders at best! Why is this sporting goods store advertising guns? Why are robots being sold and are better than back on earth? Why did the royal guard qui- Wait, nevermind, know the answer to that.

"Miss? Your eye is twitching..."

>I know the answer to this... I know the answer to it all... TWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!!!

Sunset Vs. Technological Osmosis

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NC

>Twilight
"Spike"

>Achoo!

"Bless you Twi, you getting sick or something?"

>No, I just have this weird feeling that someone is talking about me

"Hmm, that is weird"

>Oh well, I'm sure it's nothing.

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>Chitania
"Coffee Mare"
'Prostitute'
~~~

>WHAT DO YOU MEAN, NO!?

The mare behind the counter at the coffee shop just gave her a look of one speaking to a particularly stupid child, and boredly blew a bubble of bubblegum before letting it pop and going back to chewing.

"I mean no, get out of my store."

>WHAT!?

"What do you mean, what? You friggen stomped my house, my store, my favorite spot at the park and a whole bunch of other stuff, why would I sell you coffee?"

>My bits are the same as everyone elses!

"No, they're not, they touched big monster. I don't want no big monster bits."

>DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I CAN DO TO YOU!?

"Yeah, I do."

She shook in rage, titan magic instinctively welling up inside of her, begging her to let it out and let it consume the world.

But she knew it was a trap, that's what they wanted.

Sternly, she spun on her heels, and walked off.

"...Three... Two..."

Another entered in right on cue.

'Hiya! Can Ah' get a-'

"I'm not giving you a latte, I know you're with the bug monster."

Defeated, the prostitute turned to the window, and gave a shrug.

The roar was deafening.

"...So did you and her really-"

'Surprisingly? Nope. Didn't even try, and I offered it for free.'

"...You know, if she wasn't a giant bitch, she'd actually be-"

'Yeah, she gets that a lot.'

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>Spike
"Henchmen"
~~~~
Spike stands outside the entrance of a heavily fortified pyramid in the middle of a desert.
>Come out! I know you're in there with the cakes! There's no where to run now! In the name of the princesses, you're going to return those cakes you stole!
A megaphone pops out.

"Ha you and what army?

>You're looking at him.

"You're pretty funny kid. We're behind 15 feet of solid steel. That's just one of the blast doors. Don't get me started on the walls. We also got plenty of food to eat. Unless you brought siege weapons, *munches* you're not breaking through this fortress. *more munching* Mm mm this cake is delicious. Mmmm I bet you wish you had some right now. This tastes so good."

>...I miss having DT.

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>SA
“Spitfire”
'Guards'
~~~~~
The soldiers of the Crystal Empire were no strangers to fear.

The group had, in fact, been a broken, whimpering mess not too long ago. A pile of sad who screamed in fear and collapsed into tears at a particularly bad amount of smoke.

...Their fire department had suffered, just a bit.

But while they had at last conquered their fears of enslavement and become a premier fighting force that any country would be proud to have on their side, they still occasional found times when they felt fearful and unsure.

Watching their prince tackled through the streets by a blazing red bundle was among them.

'Sire, are you sure-'

>NO! I am handling this personally! NOBODY INTERFERE!

This was not the first time he had shouted that. In fact, he had been very vocal to the matter the instant they appeared on the scene mere minutes after the fight had broken out. Even still, the warring factions of desire to obey and duty within them battled it out as they watched him take a strike to the side of the face. Their prince was not one for meaningless bravado, and as such they were not sure how to react when confronted with him acting so very different from what they know. Was this a test, they wondered? To see if they would obey his commands when it clearly went against normal nature?

But at the same time, the princess was ensuring that not so much as a single piece of road, house or even fruit was damaged, the well known supervillain was also standing excited off to the side, and the guards who recognized that their princess was less... 'their princess', noted that the real royal was not rushing to his aide either, so perhaps this was a test to them in order to ensure they would stand aside and let him handle what is obviously a personal matter?

...Why was the former captain of the Wonderbolts here anyway? That seemed kind of important.

Not as important as the fact she had bitten their prince at least twice, but still.

Important.

>Nobody interfere while I BEAT THE YELLOW RIGHT OFF YOU!

Whatever had happened, it appeared it was less important than him socking her and sending her sliding across the smooth, crystal streets.

“Oh yeah!? I plan to beat the red onto you!”

She jumped above and past him him, hind hoof landing a strike right to the back of his head and he too was sent sliding away.

The streets were very smooth, you see. Excellently maintained... occasionally made moving day a pain.

>...Wait, what?!

“I MEAN BLOOD! I'm going to beat blood onto you!”

He caught her as she tried the same trick again, pulling her down to his level before wrapping both hoooves around her and suplexing her into the ground.

>...Your blood? Are you planning to bleed on me? How... how would that work otherwise-

There was a boom of speed as she rocketed away from his grip, sending him tumbling down while she began arcing through the streets until she narrowed in on his exposed back.

And then promptly bounced off the shield he tossed up.

“CHEAP ASSHOLE!”

>If you're going to do the super flying thing, I'm using shields.

“How is that the same!?”

>You need magic to fly, it counts.

“You know what!? FINE!”

Again, she took off, only managing to amuse the stallion.

>No yeah, this'll work. Fly at it really hard, I'm sure that'll-

But she did no such thing. Quite visibly, she missed.

>...Oh no! You have clearly scared me from my shield and I will soon be racing away in fear!

Again, she passed by him.

>No! Not 'flying beside me', anything but that! How did you know that someone ineffectually flying beside my was my greatest fear! You have conquered me, good madam!

Once more, she passed by him.

>...Okay, this is getting sad. Is there a part four? Notice I'm not saying part two, we're up to four. Is there a-

That streak once more was at his side.

But this time, it did not leave it. Any of it. Any side of the circular bubble shield.

>...Ah.

Her speed at it's peak, it was child's play to make a tornado strong enough to pull him from the ground, shield and all. An unfortunate feeling began to form in the pit of his stomach as happy, delightful ground left his hooves, and he slowly began to spin.

>Uh oh.

He dared not let his shield drop in fear of he himself being the one subjected to the high speed winds surrounding him. However, while the shield protected him from whatever force the winds supplied, it was in the end merely a sphere.

Which meant it was going to spin.

A lot.

>Ahhhhh... crap!

And spin he did. No matter how he struggled to run in tandem with the movements, it was not too long before it simply moved too fast for him to keep up with. Soon, the force of the momentum had him pinned to his own magic, pressing down on him with the weight of a obese hippo with a glandular problem.

Had he been able to see straight, he would have noticed when the red surrounding streak vanished, and was instead replaced by the open air high, high above his city.

But the mare did not leave him wanting for long. She returned very shortly.

And struck him with everything she had.

A weird disparity swept through the Empire. On the one hoof, the adults were terrified as they watched their prince literally bounce around between buildings, covered only by his tell-tale shield.

On the other hoof, the children were loving the PING PING PING that rang out as he ricocheted around above their heads like a pinball.

Apparently a child at heart, Spitfire found herself quite entertained as well. Every time he looked like he would fly out into the open air surrounding them, she would rocket in it's path and bat it right back into the city.

“HA! What now, little stallion!? You enjoy it when a mare bounces you around!? Sorry, this is way more fun for me than you!.... Bet you're not used to hearing that one! HAH!”

Had he the ability to open his mouth without spewing around, Shining Armor would likely have spewed vile of more verbal form than the physical, but the frequent spinning made that quite impossible.

That and concentrating enough to keep his magic set to 'reflect' as well as shield, otherwise he would have turned into a terrifying pink wrecking ball, rather than the rubber-like, harmless bounciness that was likely the only thing keeping dear Eighteen below from flying off into an uncontrollable rage.

“How do you keep falling for that same trick? Over and over and over! You'd think after the, what, sixth time I bounced you around the Cloudsdale Stadium you would at least just let the bubble pop and save some dignity! You never learn!”

Perhaps, in another life, she would have been totally correct, and he would never have learned the counter to this trick, forced to forever be bounced around until he landed harshly and lost once more. But a life turned strange to him had given him new perspectives on the world, new angles with which to look at problems.

Most importantly, new ways to make his family happy.

Right now, he quite shared that happiness.

Spitfire did not.

“WHAT THE FU-”

She had precious little time to realize the shifting of magic was forming something besides the bubbles he normally made, even less time to put together why it was stretching out so oddly. The only boon she was granted was the brief flashes of a memory from her childhood regarding a pet she had for merely a week before it had gotten loose.... or at least that was what her father had said.

Just before the tube twisted around every single building and pointed the exit right at her, she thought to herself how much she missed that hamster.

>HAH!

His ball of pain merely glanced her, sending her rolling along it's frame like a pedestrian in the way on free-drinks-and-hoverbike night. The magical tubing caught him, perfectly twisting around every obstacle before bringing him rolling right back to her. He struck her, again and again, even her speed unable to dodge every blow.

Finally, he landed a solid shot to her side, and knocked her from the air. Her attempts to stop her descent were mildly effectual at best, quite painful sounding at worst.

With a thump, the pegasus had been plucked from the air like a stray feather on a wing.

>You done yet?

Cockiness was not something he normally thought one of his vices. Quite the opposite, most days he wondered if he was inadequate in some form, incapable of being the leader, husband, brother or father he needed to be. That said, he did allow himself brief moments where he considered himself the cock of the walk.

>I hope so, cause frankly if I wanted to punch someone ineffective for ten minutes, I'd just get an inflatable clown... which is pretty much just you, but with a lot less hot air in it.

This was one of them.

>You had enough, 'Captain'? Good. I've had enough... failure...

But when he caught sight of her face as she stumbled to stand, he realized why it was he was not one for taunting. Sometimes, it had the tendency to backfire.

By the look of pure, unrestrained rage on her face, it had backfired like lighting a short fuse and then discovering that the TnT stick was on top of a stockpile of heavy munitions.

In a flash, she was gone.

>...That's not good.

He heard her, long before he saw her. The rush of sonic power clearly visible even though the snowstorm outside of his shield. He watched as she began to circle not just him, but his entire city in its entirety.

>Thaaaat's not good.

She picked up more, and more, and more speed until he had no idea where she began on the red streak that surrounded him and where the streak itself ended.

Then, in a turn which would make most physicists balk in improbability and Rainbow Dash give at least an eight out of ten, she jutted straight up. Soaring straight up into the sky until she was not so much as a red dot in the white expanse.

Up high, where the air was thin and the cold was even more than the icy tundra below, Spitfire arced around, wings splayed wide as she curled over backwards. And then she fell.

Straight down.

A ring of fire exploded out in every direction as she broke the sound barrier, heading back towards earth like a bomb waiting to destroy everything in their path.

None in the city had been present when Rainbow Dash had made her daring rescue back at the young fliers competition, none had been even in the general area. This, among other things, was what caused them to gasp in shock when she looked to hit the ground in the distance outside, only to turn at a seemingly impossible ninety degree angle at the last second and blaze her way across the snow covered ground.

Straight towards the prince.

Unbothered by what may well be an unstoppable engine of destruction heading his way, he conjured his strongest shield around him, and prepared for the deadliest game of chicken he had ever been a part of.

...Well, one of them at least.

>We both know you won't.

He stood his ground, his shield proud and powerful, unmoving, unblinking in the face of the red, blazing rocket narrowing in on him. At least, he was until he noticed that it was not slowing down. If anything, it was going faster.

Much faster.

'S-SIRE GET OUT OF THE WAY!'

His mind could not focus on his guard's begging, nor the screams panic from those around him. His attention was locked in like a laser on that shape as it carved twin streams of snow as it approached his shield.

>Slow down...

His eyes grew wide as she ignored a voice she clearly could not hear, her flight path unaltered.

>You have to slow down...

In front of him, the red dot only grew larger.

>My shield will hold, you know my shield will hold... but you won't.

A twinge of something long since forgotten panged in his heart.

>You can't... even if you broke through you wouldn't be... you need to slow down.

She was too far away for him to see her face, but even still... he knew.

>You have to slow down...

It hit him harder than it would have if she had connected.

>You have to slow down.

Time slowed as she finally reached the edge of his city, and made it through the shield.

>You have to slow down!

There was no time left. In a fraction of a second, she was very nearly upon him.

>SPITFIRE!

Mere microseconds before she would have connected to his shield, the magic fell away.

She still did not slow down.

'SIRE!'

The guard's voice was drowned out by the rush of wind and the racks of pain surging through him as her body connected to his chest.

A streak of red and white arced through the streets of the Empire, lighting it up like a stream of fire racing down a thin path. In a time passed so quickly none could even turn their heads, they once more left the Empire, and soared clear into a snowbank.

The explosion of white may as well have been a bomb detonating, waves of snow pouring off in every direction and sending a cloud clear up into the air.

Out there, in the seemingly endless snowstorm that forever plagued this country, there was silence.

...It was a long time before that silence was broken.

>Ow.

Be it by the grace of his instinctive magic or a movement by one who is trained to catch someone at high speeds and decided at the last second to spare him, he did not know. All he knew was that he was, seemingly impossibly, alive.

The pain in his chest made it quite known, while he also made it quite known he wished he was not so much alive.

>Owwww...

Wisps of smoke wafted up from twin hoofprints on his chest, no less than the second worst impromptu tattoo anyone in the Empire had ever gotten. Thankfully, the tingle rather than searing pain told him this one was more the type of tattoo Two would enjoy, rather than the one dear Sprizter was going to regret for the rest of his life.

>...Should probably let them know I'm not dead.

A single orb of magic wafted up from his horn, ascending into the sky and letting out a burst of magic to tell the world that, indeed, Shining Armor lived. It also told them “Stay in the castle perimeters”, but only to the soldiers who had been trained to recognize his signals. Still, he was confident they would keep anyone from rushing out into the snow.

“Y-you dropped your shield?”

More bitterness was crammed into those four words than most did while describing their least favorite scorpion sting.

“K-knew you were a scardey little bitch.”

The fact she remained stalwart and standing while clearly nursing a head injury of some sort was nothing short of impressive. Normally, he would give her some sort of regard.

His punch to her face hopefully conveyed this was not a normal situation.

>You moron! You utter, stupid, defective moron! What was your plan!? Splat against my shield!? Was that it!?

She lived up to her name as she spat on the ground, sizzles of steam rising up from the snow.

>Well great, you almost died! You happy now!? You almost went kersplat and gave my streets a fantastic coating, congratulations!

“Keep pretending you care, asshole. Maybe someday somebody will actually believe it.”

>Oh yeah, poor you! Poor you who has lived such a terrible life and met such a terrible fate! Wah! Waahhhh! Poor baby Spitfir-

The sound that left him when she swung under his chest and hooked him right in the stomach had no words, with the nearest description only being that of a braying from a donkey mixed with air slowly being let out of a balloon.

“Asshole.”

He wheezed, but the breath leaving him was not enough to slow him. He dodged as she tried to strike again, getting out of her range shortly.

>F-fuck you, obviously I cared enough not to let you turn into a smear of fur and stupidity! I didn't want you to die!

“Bullshit! You just freaked out because I was about to crush you!”

>Why, in the name of Celestia, do you think I wanted you to go splat!?

“Because you're an asshole doesn't care about his so called 'friends'!”

>What the fuck are you talking about!?

Like an orange rocket, she tackled him, ramming hard into his chest and knocking him down so low his coat blended with the snow.

“I needed you, more than I've ever needed anyone in my whole life! I needed you to back me up and help me right there! It meant everything to me, and I needed you! And what did you do!? You abandoned me like everyone else! You stayed quiet and left me like everyone else!”

She shoved down on him again, pushing him deeper into the snow.

“But it didn't matter to you, did it? Nooo! You had everything you wanted and didn't need me anymore, why the fuck would you care!? You weren't the captain, you had nothing to prove and nothing to gain, so of course I was just gone! You got to go home and just fuck your hot wife in your giant crystal castle! You got everything you wanted, and fuck everyone else!”

Her hoof cocked back, fast and dangerous.

“I wasn't surprised when Soarin' or Fleetfoot didn't rush to help me, I wasn't surprised when the princesses picked that freaking necklace wearing asshole over me, but not you! I didn't care if everyone else didn't back me, but not you!”

She struck him across the face, hard.

“NOT! YOU!”

Harder, and harder.

>OH SHUT UP!

And he responded in kind.


Pressing the issue with a blow of his own, she was off him soon enough, nursing her own cheek and glaring as he began to rant.

>I did stick up for you! I stuck up for you long past when I should have! But you know what? I shouldn't have! I should have just let you get kicked out at the start!

He pressed forwards, shoving her away.

>I can't believe you... after everything that happened, you...

He spat, partly to clear his mouth, partly in disgust.

>You have the nerve to blame me after you let them get that bad...

“You're one to talk!”

He took the blow to the face without flinching, striking her right back without so much as shifting his hoof.

>No, fuck you! My guards were incompetent, badly trained, some of them were cowards and a lot of them were jerks, but they're not even close to being on the same level as drug users who show off and use their status for VIP invites! They may have sucked badly at being guards, but they were clean, not second rate rockstars! They never stole or broke the law or abused their position under my watch, and I would never have let them!

No matter how many times she was hit, she just got right back up.

“It's not the same for me! My Bolts didn't have the same standards! It wasn't about keeping the peace or catching purse snatchers! You just had to stand around and not burn the place to the ground to be a good captain, that's all! You didn't have to do anything worthwhile!”

She was upon him again, but her movements had slowed, become sloppy and easily dodged.

“A Wonderbolt Captain is a failure if they don't break almost every record! They're a failure if they're not better than everyone who came before! A captain is a failure if they don't show the whole world they're amazing! If I didn't prove I was the best fliers on the whole planet I would have been the worst captain in history! I had an image to keep up! I had to make sure they performed better than any Wonderbolts before this just to stay ahead! I didn't have to just look good, my whole crew had to be the best! They had to look like a bunch of stars and fly better than the rest of the planet! I couldn't have anyone perform at even a little less than their best, don't you understand!? I had to get results!”

He lashed out amidst her wobbling strikes, sending her sprawling with one shot to the side.

>No! That's not good enough! That stuff was dangerous, Spitfire! It could have done horrible things to them! It probably did do horrible things to them! You let them endanger their bodies and live the fast life without any care for what they were going to go through if something went wrong! You didn't just ignore your duties, misuse money and disregard what you were supposed to, someone might have died!

“I didn't give it to them! I didn't give my okay to do it! I just... I just needed them to perform. I just didn't look into how they were doing it, that's all!”

Her attempts to arise proved fruitless. He shoved her again, pushing her to the ground.

>Do you think that's better!?

“NO!”

Her screech pierced his ears, his body... and just a bit in his chest.

“I was wrong, okay!?

The fires in her eyes flickered, as if being smothered by the snow that surrounded her.

“...I know I was wrong, I know I should have tried harder, done my job right, made sure everyone stayed clean, I know it now, okay... but I never got another chance!”

In a blink of an eye, the fire was back, practically turning the white around her to steam.

“Where was my second chance!? Where was my do over!? Luna got one, Discord got one, Chrysalis got one, everyone else got a chance, where was mine!?”

She shoved away from him, digging herself beneath the snow just enough that she could stand up.

“I was wrong! I'm not denying it! I put up with everything, the pain, the humiliation, everything she heaped on me because of it! I put up with all of it just so I could get my chance! My chance to finally step up and prove myself!”

She began to pace, each step letting out a crunching sound like the crumbling of her sanity.

“It's not fair! You messed up too! You left Equestria defenseless and filled with racist dicks, you didn't train them worth a damn! And what do you get!? You get a hot wife, a kingdom, an army, a fucking castle and you even get to lead them again! You get everything and I just got to play dress up and be used as a hoof stool! You got your chance! Where was mine!?”

>Why is that my fault!?

She swung her hoof, inadvertently tossing a wad of the snow into his face.

“She would have listened to you! If you just asked she would have given me another shot! She listened to you for everything! I just needed one shot! I just needed a chance! But where was it!? Where were you when I needed you to just give me a chance!?”

>At the very start.

Four little words, each one far colder than the ice that surrounded them, and enough to freeze her dead in her tracks.

>Do... do you really think I didn't say anything when they said they wanted to replace you? Spits... me and Celestia weren't on the best of terms right then, but I still asked her... I said 'just make it a paid vacation, don't fire her'. Damn it, Spitfire... why do you think it was just a test run? Why do you think you got a whole month to get your shit together instead of just getting kicked out or put on probation?

Her ears flickered back, mouth opening without a sound.

>I told her, “put Dash in charge for a bit and make her see what's wrong”. I was sure if you just saw her, a rookie, doing your job and doing it okay, you'd jump up! You'd take it as a challenge and work just as hard, if not blow her out of the water just to show her how it's done. That was the Spitfire I knew. That was my friend from the old training days, that was the Captain of the Wonderbolts. I just told her to wait... but you didn't. You got back, saw everything that was wrong, and you just laughed and said you were going to make her do it all... even then, I just said you were being lazy, not bad. I said “nobody does the paperwork”, even pointed out to Celestia she didn't do it most days. I was hurt, but it wasn't that bad...

His voice, and his head, went low.

>...Do you know how she looked at me when it came out? When she found out how you guys performed so well? She just gave me this... this stare. She had never really looked into it because I told her it was probably fine, she trusted me enough that if I said you would never let something like that happen, you wouldn't. But you did... and she just gave me this look, like I had just... right then, too. At the worst time. I ended up looking like the biggest dumbass on the planet.

His hoof, the only part of him not shaking with anger, rose up, and pointed right at her.

>...I backed you, I vouched for you, I did everything I could so that you wouldn't get fired. I did this because I knew how much this meant to you, how much you needed to be a Wonderbolt. I knew this was your dream, and I backed you... up till that day. I had never felt more betrayed in my entire life, and you just did not care. You just kept treating everything like a joke... That was the day I knew that the Spitfire I knew was... gone.

At last, even that too began to shake, and not with the cold.

>The one who used to talk to me and brag that she was going to make them the best Wonderbolts ever, who swore she really did care about training the best fliers, who was so dedicated to making Equestria a better place... was replaced by someone who didn't care about her job and just wanted the results and the bragging rights. Who cared more about the records she could put up and the parties she could get invited to, not what being a Wonderbolt actually meant. You weren't the Spitfire I was willing to fight for.

Slowly, it went back down.

>You weren't my friend anymore.

“...I know...”

Her whisper was almost lower than the wind that whipped around them, almost quieter than the world.

“I know how bad it all was. I know I just let it get so bad because I cared about my guys being the best, not how they got there. You think I didn't realize that every time I walked through the empty halls it was because of me? Not them, they didn't know any better, me. I should have stopped it, and it hurts that firing all those hopefuls who dreamed of being Wonderbolts was the right thing to do. They were right to get rid of them, but so many dreams died right there, and it's my fault. I know it...”

She looked at him, looked to him like he were glass and she could see right through, looked at him and saw past him, beyond him.

“I just wanted a chance.”

Her eyes, and her look, caved, collapsing as if her very face had begun falling apart.

“I wore the stupid maid costume, I cleaned the halls with a toothbrush, I even cleaned her fucking laundry with my tongue! I did all of that! I worked myself to the bone just for a chance! I didn't have to, I could have quit, but I just wanted one shot at showing I learned! I learned my lesson and I'll never do it again!”

She began to choke, a mixture of the cold freezing her very lungs and the bile in her chest bubbling to the surface, and slowly creases began to form as if she was about to crack.

“B-but even when... even when I did everything right. Even when I stepped up, lead my team in a crisis, fought monsters, saved civilians and protected home and country, I did it all right... nobody would give me another chance. They wouldn't even consider it. It didn't matter that she messed up and abandoned us, it didn't matter she made a mistake at the worst time just like me, it didn't matter. I didn't deserve another shot...”

At last, she broke.

“I tried! I tried so hard! I just wanted to s-show them! This meant everything to me! This was my dream! I put up with the humiliation, the degradation, and I'd go through it all again just for a chance to prove it! To prove this was something I could do, that I could have really made a real change besides just some records! I messed up! I know I messed up! I messed up worse than anyone! But... b-but is that it!? Am I just done!? Is everything good I tried to do pointless now, and I just have to accept that I'll never get another chance? I messed up and broke so much stuff, but nobody will give me a chance to put it back together! Nobody will give me a chance to make it right!”

She tried to tackle him again, but her strength was gone. She could not move him anymore than an ant could have moved a statue. Desperate, she could only turn to beating him with the side of her hoof, doing little more than ruffling the fur on his chest.

“I-I just want to make it right! I just want to fix it! I just needed you to tell her to let me fix it! I needed you to help me! I needed you, Shining! I needed you!”

Two more slow, steady hits... and then the hoof stopped.

“...I needed my friend.”

She felt him shift, his forelegs moving against her. She expected them to push her away. She did not expect white to envelope her, and not have it be the coldness of the snow. Chilled though she was, she could not keep the words from continuing to pour out.

“I-I'm not the worst captain. I can make it right. I learned. I learned... I learned my lesson and I won't do it again. I'll do all the paperwork myself. I'll train them the right way. I'll help them be the best. I won't slack or slouch off anymore. I'll prove it... just... just give me a chance.”

She went limp, held up only by his grip, what little fire within her blown out like a candle... and then it was gone.

“I-I can be a good captain... I can be a good captain... just let me prove it...”

Silence hung over them as she grew quiet, whispering more to herself than she ever did him. The wind picked up, shrouding them entirely in its white wall and closing them off from the world. His coat seemed to grow in layers as the snow stuck to it, bulging out from his body. And yet, he never moved, merely content to hold her, and be a shield.

It was only after the raging wind slowed down that her voice once more could be heard.

“...I-I'm sorry... I know... I know that she must have hated you for letting it get that bad. I'm so sorry... I know how much her trust meant to you. S-she probably hated you... and it's all my fault. I didn't want that to happen, I s-swear. I didn't want you to get in trouble for my fuckup. I didn't know you stuck up for me...”

>Didn't mention it to anyone for obvious reasons.

She nodded, finally in understanding.

“I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...”

Once more, they grew quiet, and the wind was almost still.

>...Spitfire?

“Hm?”

>...I'm sorry I gave up on you.

“Y-you were right to.”

He sighed, mist leaving his mouth as if it contained the rage that has seeped into his body not so long ago.

>No... you did.. you did step up. You were just like your old self back there, you were taking it seriously again... But even though you changed, I didn't care. You finally made an effort, and I just ignored it because I didn't think you deserved another shot. I was still so angry at you I didn't even care... that you were suffering so much.

“I deserved it.”

>No. You're right, everyone deserves a chance to change for the better. Denying you because you hurt me, specifically, and made me look bad... that's just a terrible thing to do. I've been hurt worse by others, they've done worse and it never stuck with me like this, but you... you stung me more than that. You hurt so much because you didn't just turn on me, but you never said you were sorry. You talked like it was everyone's fault but your own... I hated you for that... but I was wrong, and I was too mad to see that I was wrong, or care enough to even think about it. I'm sorry.

She nodded again, no words coming from her broken mouth, no movement in her body.

>...Spitfire?

“Hm?”

>I don't think you're ever going to be a Wonderbolt Captain again.

As if her words were a spell to melt the bones of an animal, she slumped in defeat.

“N-no... no I'm not.”

>I promised Celestia I would stay out of her choices for her army. I promised her I wouldn't get involved. If she picked Dash, then she has to make the call if Dash has to step down. And... I really doubt she would.

“...If you were still there, would you have asked for me?”

>...I don't know if I would have asked for you to be a captain again. On top of the fact she... you know, helped save my Kingdom and helped cheer up my subjects, she's also one of my sister's best friends. She's trying, and I don't think it would be right to take that away from her after all she's done for me.

“...Yeah, I understand.”

>...Hey, Spitfire?

“Hm?”

>I would have told Dash to cut the punishment shit out or I'd punch her in the face.

A snort, more unto that of a choke than a giggle, left her. Still, she did not deny that even in the raging cold, she felt a bit of warmth inside her.

“T-thanks.”

>You want me to go see if I can get you back on the Wonderbolts? I probably can.

“Would you?”

>Yeah... Dash owes Eighteen a bunch of favors. Shouldn't be too hard.

She mulled over his offer in her mind, rolling it around like a bit of meat she was savoring, examining it's every corner in her mind like a jeweler did a fine cut diamond. Her head, she knew, had the answer already, a resounding yes so loud it might have caused an avalanche.

“...No.”

But her heart, in a rare occasion, won in the end.

>You sure?

“I don't... I don't think I'd ever be able to go back there. I'd try for a while to make it better, make it like it should be... but I know the resentment would get to me, eventually. I'd hate her eventually... she doesn't deserve that. I'd hate them all eventually, and I'd only make it worse. I don't belong over there anymore.”

His grip tightened, the only sign he could give in this position to grant her any more comfort than he already had, the only show he could give that he understood, and was concerned for her.

>Where will you go?

“...I don't know. I... I still want to help fliers get better. I learned, I know what's important now. I know what really matters, and it isn't records or numbers. I can do better... not that I'll get the chance now. Don't think anyone will hire the psycho who went at foreign royalty and punched him through the streets.”

>Speaking of, how do you feel about dungeons? Because I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to arrest you right now.

He r hoof landed squarely in his gut, winding him. A taste of nostalgia returned to him, happier times spent long ago that no longer felt so toxic in his mind. Her laugh beneath him was a good feeling... one he truly missed.

“Y-you dick.”

Despite the discomfort, he only looked... thoughtful.

>...hrm...

“What?”

>...Do you really want another chance?

That voice was one she recognized. That one was a tone long since forgotten and put aside in her mind, cast away for fear of deception and trickery. Hearing it fill her ears again was like fitting into a perfect, well worn glove.

Her eyes looked up to him, and she saw him smile.

That smile was, once more to her after what felt a lifetime of hate and disgust, now as warm as the grip of a dear friend. A feeling that it had been far, far too long since she had experienced it.

...She had missed it so...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Spike
"Henchmen"
~ ~ ~ ~
Spike continues blowing the door red hot only to stop to catch his breath. He wobbles for a moment.
"What's wrong? Getting light headed from all that huffing and puffing?"

>I'm going to get through this door!

~later~
Spike falls through a hole in the steel door Clutching his stomach.
>Ugh I'm so full. Who uses 15 feet thick steel doors?

"We do. It's impressive how you managed to figure out how to wrap your mouth on the door. While we're moving on to the next cake, I hope you're ready for the next door!
Spike looks at the next door and sighs.

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