//------------------------------// // Chapter 48: Breaking Free // Story: Piercing the Heavens // by Calm Wind //------------------------------// MLP: FiM Piercing the Heavens By: Calm Wind Chapter 48: “Whoa!” Storm stepped aside as Dash nearly ran right into him in the mess hall. He shifted to stabilize his tray before looking towards her. “Dash?” he blinked as he watched her move quickly. “Can’t talk! Gotta—MRPH!” she ran face first into Matteo’s chest. Matteo held his tray up to avoid anything being knocked over. “Pa-tooeh!” Dash pulled back and spat out a few black feathers that got lodged in her mouth. “Um… pardon you…?” Matteo lifted an eyebrow. “Oh… we heard something interesting…” Storm approached and tried to start, but Dash shook her head. “Sorry! I gotta go! I already ate! Bye!” Dash shifted past Matteo, leaving both him and Storm very confused. Dash burst out of the mess hall and almost hit Little Star with the door. “Whoa!” she yelped as she tumbled backward. “Sorry!” Dash turned her head and yelled before running directly into Twister. She fell over on top of him and quickly propped herself up. He snickered and sneered. “I know I’m hard to resissssst…” he bounced his eyebrows, “but you know my heart is already set.” Art by: mlplover789 “Oh, get over yourself…” Dash scoffed and pressed her hoof awkwardly against his nose to support herself as she got up off of him and continued down the hall. “Where are you in such a hurry to?” Twister appeared beside Dash, hovering as she trotted. “None of your business, Freaky,” Dash reached her wing up and pushed him back, but he appeared on her other side as she did. “You don’t run me over and expect me not to wonder why you’re in a hurry…” he twist-turned in the air to avoid Dash’s other wing as she swiped it at him. He hovered in front of her upside down. “I expect you to mind your own business…” Dash snapped at him. He was getting on her nerves. He lifted an eyebrow… well, dropped an eyebrow since he was upside down. The eyebrow detached from his head, went down and out of Dash’s view, then came down from above and reattached to his face. “If you say so… but…” he lifted up and stopped to let Dash pass beneath him. “Can’t guarantee I won’t try…” he said slyly as he went on his way towards the mess hall. A sudden chill ran down Dash’s spine. She blinked and looked back, but Twister was already long gone. Dash flattened her ears and shook her head. She decided to just ignore it… because Twister was… well… weird. Dash blinked as she closed the door to Soarin’s room and stood in the hallway, confused. He wasn’t in his room? She assumed Spitfire would take him there… unless she was still with Luna. She was curious though because Spitfire never said she was taking Soarin with her to see Luna. “Hmmm…” Dash thought out loud as she began making her way back down the steps towards the lobby. Where could Soarin be? She had some time to look around still before she had to report back to the barracks for the night, so she ran through the possible scenarios in her head. If Spitfire took Soarin with her to see Luna… which would make the most sense since it seemed Soarin was having control issues… and she wasn’t back yet, Dash was sunk either way. If she didn't take Soarin with her, Dash assumed he’d be in his room… but he wasn’t there… Dash hit the lobby and looked back and forth. Her eyes landed on the east wing. Most of the recruits were still at dinner… Bliss’ training room was nearby too. Did they take Soarin there? It seemed unlikely because Bliss, while she was a unicorn, was a practitioner of athletic medicine, not a paranormal magic doctor. So if Soarin wasn’t in there… “Ah!” Dash’s ears stood up. Of course! If she couldn’t find Soarin anywhere else in the compound… it never hurt to check the gym! Dash quickly turned and trotted down the west hall. She had to do something. She didn’t know what, but she had to do something for Soarin. She was already a little pissed that Spitfire didn’t let her near Soarin. Dash was aware she had her recruit schedule to follow, but this was important! As awesome as the fight between Soarin and Silver was, Soarin didn’t seem himself. It didn’t help that the new yellow magic was practically rising off his head like a flame on a candle wick by the end of it. Spitfire also had to step in and stop him. If he were fighting Rapidfire that would make sense, but Soarin was fighting Silver Lining! An old, respected member of the Wonderbolts! Soarin would never go too far against somepony like that! She also had to consider Soarin’s strange mannerisms throughout the day. At first she thought he was just feeling good and the blue dark magic was suppressed, but now it seemed like he was possessed by something completely different… but unlike the dark magic it was putting him in a euphoric state instead of a painful state. It’s much harder to resist something that feels good than it is to resist something that gives you pain. Dash didn’t care how confident or sexy it made Soarin. It was still kind of a longshot… but at least there was a chance that— “WHAT THE?!” Dash yelped. Something grabbed her. She was about to retort, but she was roughly yanked towards a nearby meeting/classroom. She stumbled in as she was let go and sharply turned as the door was slammed. She blinked and her eyes widened. “S-Soarin?!” she exclaimed as he stood beside the door, leaning against the wall, and grinning rather smugly at her. “Hey babe, what’s up?” he ‘greeted’ her. Dash stared at him quizzically as he approached, but soon found herself… feeling a little tingly. The way he was moving towards her was so smooth and suave. He… he looked sexy. She felt her face heat up and she bit her lip, but she forced her mind to stay on topic, no matter how much her eyes liked what they saw. “Where…” she blinked and shook her head out and puffed her cheeks out while blushing slightly. “I was looking all over for you, where did you go after you woke up?” she wanted to know. His answer would help her understand her current situation. “Pff…” Soarin shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Spitfire was talking to Luna… it was boring… so I left,” he winked. He suddenly dipped forward slightly and grabbed his stomach while groaning slightly. “Yikes… Spitfire throws a mean punch, eh?” he chuckled. Dash’s eyes widened. “You left? But… it’s about your—EEP!” Dash yelped as Soarin suddenly rushed forward and grabbed her arms. Within seconds he had her up against the wall and staring wide eyed into his seductive gaze. She blushed madly as he leaned forward and brushed his body against hers, sending shivers throughout her body. “Hey, forget about it. When’s the last time we had some fun?” Soarin said smoothly into Dash’s ear. She felt her face heat up and she inhaled sharply as she felt Soarin’s hoof gently run across her chest, around her neck, and down to her back. “Soarin? I… oh…” Dash shivered as he rubbed his hoof against her weak spot, the spot right in the pit of her wing joint. Soarin ran his hoof over it before pressing gently against it. Dash’s wings flared out and she gasped quietly. “It’s… been a while…” she finally replied to him, giving into how good it felt. Soarin sneered and ran his lips across the crook of her neck. “Way to long…” he said slyly as he made his way up to her other weak spot, her ears. “I could use some quality Dashie time… I’m feeling it babe, I need you,” Soarin kept talking to her seductively. “Soarin…” Dash was too busy tingling and twitching to think straight. Soarin was disabling her with her sensitive spots… and he was coming onto her so fast, asserting himself. Normally she’d get her own action in, but he was being so… sexy. She couldn’t fight back. It was like he was a different… Dash’s eyes widened as Soarin kept feeling around her body. She tried to say something, but he crashed his lips upon hers. She once again found herself unable to say or do anything as she got drawn into a hardcore make out session. She didn’t fight it, why would she? This wasn’t the first time they had gone hard like this… it was probably going to lead to more. She moaned as she felt Soarin’s lips press hard against her. He forced his tongue into her mouth and pinned hers before she could fight back. It was incredible, he had her at his mercy instantly, and she wanted it. It was like he was radiating sexual desire and she couldn’t resist it. He began feeling around her body as he kissed her, his hooves running all over her and teasing her by pulling away every time they felt like they would get extra adventurous. Dash couldn’t deny it… she was loving every bit of it… but… Something… Something felt wrong. For some reason, despite how much she was loving it, she suddenly was struck with a tremendous sense of dread. You know Dash… I’m all for roughhousing and wrestling… But I don’t think… I really, truly show you how much I love you enough… Dash’s eyes opened quickly as Soarin continued to kiss her and feel around her body. Dash, you’re a tough mare… you’re a badass… you’re a bundle of action. But... I feel like you need to be told… just how beautiful you are… Dash suddenly felt like… like… Sometimes… I want to dial back the roughness… I want to be soft… and gentle… because you are just that special to me… Like it wasn’t Soarin! “No… NO!!!!” Dash thrust her arms out and shoved Soarin off of her roughly. Soarin looked at her in disbelief. “Dash? What the hell?” he threw his arms out. Dash shook he head roughly. “Stop! Just STOP IT!” she yelled and pointed at him. “Soarin, THIS ISN’T YOU!” she yelled as she backed away from him. “What are you talking about?” he took a step towards her as his horn and eyes began to glow a faint yellow again. “Babe, what’s wrong with…” “NO! SHUT UP!” Dash didn’t let up. Soarin’s eyes widened as she went on. “I don’t know who you are… you’re not him…” she backed into a wall. Soarin tried to approach her. She grabbed his hooves as he tried to get ahold of her and threw them away. Fed up, she pulled back and punched Soarin across the jaw. He stumbled back and looked at her while shaking. The yellow glow in his eyes had intensified to the point where Dash could barely see his pupils. “You’re not the stallion I fell in love with!” she yelled as a tear squeaked out of her right eyes. “I want my Soarin back!” Soarin froze. His eyes slammed shut and the horn began to flicker with the bright yellow light. “Ah!” Soarin opened his eyes and the light was gone from them. He slammed them shut and opened them again… the light was back. “D-Dash…? AH!” Soarin flinched and stumbled backward, the yellow light both pulsating and flashing from around his horn and in his eyes. His body was twitching and shaking. Dash watched in confusion and alarm. What was going on? Was… it what she said? “RGH!” Soarin dropped to the ground and smacked his head down against the floor once. His body stopped shaking. “Soarin…?” Dash took a step forward, but yelped in surprise when Soarin’s head rapidly picked up from the ground and he sneered at her. The horn and his eyes were enveloped by the yellow light again. Dash didn’t hesitate. Her flight reflex kicked in. She made a move towards the door, trying to get away from Soarin. She was yanked back as Soarin easily intercepted her and grabbed her by the arm. Dash yelped and turned around, pressing her free hoof against Soarin’s chest as she tried to pull free. Despite being caught, the two still moved towards the door until Dash’s back was up against it. She was cornered and had no idea what to do. Soarin had her firmly pinned against the door, his eyes were glowing bright yellow and he was licking his lips. Dash tried desperately to reach for the doorknob, but her left arm was being held down. She couldn’t reach it with her right. She was trapped. Art by: mlplover789 “Soarin!” she tried calling his name, but he didn’t back off. “SOARIN!!!!” she tried again to no avail. It was like his mind was completely gone. She could no longer see his eyes beneath the magic. The horn was glowing so bright she had to squint her eyes. All she could hear was his heavy, pleasurable breathing and the quiet chuckling that seemed to never end. CLICK The door opened. Dash fell back with it as it opened, pulling Soarin with her. THUNK Dash heard what sounded like a punch as she shut her eyes and fell over, but something caught her from behind and gently let her to the floor. “That’s no way to treat a lady… son.” Dash gasped and opened her eyes. She tipped her head up to see Silver Lining standing over her, rolled up, bloody gauze stuffed in one nostril, black eye, and everything. He glared at Soarin with his good eye as Soarin shook his head out from the punch to the face. The light faded slightly from his eyes, but still remained in force. “What?! You can’t be serious Old Timer…” Soarin burst out laughing. “Back so soon? C’mon man, you couldn’t wait a few minutes? I was about to get some!” Dash literally shivered at Soarin’s words. He was definitely not in control of anything… he almost… sounded like Rapidfire. It was scaring her. She flinched as Silver stomped a hoof down beside her. “You’re about to get a reality check if you don’t back off and get your ass under control!” Silver barked at him as he stepped around and in front of Dash. “Reality check?! HA!” Soarin reared his head back as he guffawed. “Listen to yourself! I just beat you black and blue three hours ago! You can’t be serious!” Soarin kept laughing. Silver cracked his neck and firmly set his hooves on the floor, spreading his wings out and glaring. “I don’t joke, son.” Silver stated sternly. “Now are you gonna fight or taunt me like a coward?!” he yelled. Soarin stopped laughing and smirked at Silver. “You crack me up…” Soarin snickered loudly as his horn and eyes began to gleam brighter. “You want another beat down that badly? FINE!” Soarin leapt at Silver. Dash scooted to the wall as the door closed behind her. Silver stepped up into Soarin’s path, but instead of going on the attack, Silver put up his hooves and shifted his stance to take a defensive position. Soarin knocked aside a table and a few chairs in the small room as he threw a heavy punch towards Silver. Silver weaved and batted Soarin’s punch aside. Soarin’s momentum sent him flailing to the right of Silver and crashing into a few chairs. Silver backed away and retook his defensive stance. “Heh… lucky shot…” Soarin jeered as he stood up and faced Silver. “You think so, huh?” Silver said through his guard. “I KNOW SO!” Soarin charged Silver again. He put his hooves together and tried to smash them over Silver’s head. Silver put his hooves up and braced his body. Soarin’s attack struck Silver’s hooves, but his body absorbed all the shock as he shifted his body down very slightly like a spring compressing under force. Silver thrust his hooves up, throwing Soarin’s arms up, before thrusting his shoulder forward to knock Soarin off balance. But instead of pressing his attack, Silver again shifted to defense. Soarin growled and threw another heavy punch, looking to break Silver’s arms off if he had to. Silver ducked and twisted his body 180 degrees. Soarin’s hoof passed by his right cheek. Silver grabbed Soarin’s arm and used the forward motion to hoist Soarin over his back and throw him. Soarin yelped as he crashed into and knocked over a table before tumbling into the wall. “I guess that was a lucky shot too,” Silver taunted as he put his hooves and bobbed back and forth. “Rgghhh!!!!” Soarin growled as he rose to his hooves. Dash watched with curiosity. Silver just got destroyed by Soarin a few hours earlier… what was different here? Dash used her analytical eye to take in all the differences of this confrontation. For starters, they were in a classroom, a very condensed space. Neither of them had the luxury of flying and they were stuck in close quarters. They were forced to use straight up combat without the swiftness of flight. Secondly, Silver was only defending. When they fought earlier Silver was pressing the offense like none other. Here he had shifted tactics, and it looked like Soarin didn’t have an answer for it. “Where’d that confidence go, son?” Silver cracked his neck back and forth as Soarin snarled at him. “You mean to tell me all the basic combat I taught you went down the drain?” Silver scoffed. “Your fancy strap-on horn magic makes you supercharged, but apparently it makes you careless too!” “Shut up!!!” Soarin yelled as the yellow magic flared brightly from the horn, his eyes and his mouth. He charged at Silver, using his wings to lift his body up slightly and pull his hooves back for an all-out assault. Dash stood up, keeping her eyes on Silver. She had to see it. She had to see how he could suddenly have the upper hoof against an opponent who was better, faster, and stronger than him. She had to see and analyze the skills of her mentor and at the same time pray he could subdue Soarin before anything bad could happen. Silver batted Soarin’s first punch away… and then proceeded to block and deflect every single punch Soarin threw. The punches were wild and careless. Filled with strength, but easily tamed by Silver’s refined defenses. Silver didn’t take a single step backward either, holding his ground like an unbreakable wall. “Listen well, son!” Silver spoke up as he continued to shield himself perfectly. “Cause I don’t think you heard me the first thousand times I drilled into your skull!” Silver grabbed Soarin’s arm as it came straight at him. He diverted it to the left while sticking out his leg. Soarin flew forward and tripped over Silver’s leg. Soarin fell face first to the ground, grunting painfully as the horn struck the ground. “SHUT UP!!!!” Soarin yelled wildly as he pushed himself up and nearly tripped over the chairs strewn about while trying to charge at Silver again. “The most important part of combat…” Silver weaved to avoid an incoming punch, then put up his hooves to block two more followed by sweeping his hoof out to divert an incoming lariat. Soarin thrust himself forward, clashing head on and pressing his arms against Silver’s. Silver didn’t move but glared at Soarin through their arms. “IS SELF-DEFENSE!” Silver barked in his face. Dash blinked. Those were the exact words Silver had said to the recruits two days prior. She could see it up close too. The way Silver moved with precision and control, the way he shifted his weight as he blocked to nullify Soarin’s strength. It was masterful. Soarin’s magic made him unstoppable out in the open, but in close quarters his basic fighting abilities were hindered by it. Silver forced Soarin off and quickly put his guard up. The tables had turned, completely and literally around the room. Soarin thrust at Silver again, but Silver stepped aside and pushed him along, tossing Soarin past him and towards Dash. Dash yelped and dove out of the way as Soarin tumbled and crashed against the wall. “If you can’t defend yourself… or take a few hits…” Silver continued as Soarin scrambled to his hooves and charged wildly towards Silver. Using both his hooves and wings, Silver shielded himself completely. Soarin charged and rammed Silver like an angry bull, no longer even bothering to use his hooves. Silver’s back hooves skidded against the floor, but Dash saw the shifts in Silver’s body. They were subtle, but he put himself in a position of leverage with his legs bent and his back locked upright. They slowly came to a halt. “THEN YOU’RE USELESS!” Silver finished right into Soarin’s face. “RRRRRGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Soarin growled as he pushed off and began throwing rapid, wild punches. They were all sloppy and inaccurate, some of them missing horribly, and others looking more like flailing swings than powerful controlled punches. Silver continued to repeat the words he spoke to the recruits. “It’s my job to whip you into shape and make sure you’re ready to fight any opponent!” said Silver as he used small, controlled movements to easily defend himself against the barrage of aimless attacks. Silver ducked as Soarin tried to headbutt him. Soarin yelped and fell forward onto Silver’s back. Silver forced his body up, toppling Soarin over the top of him and landing near Dash. Dash pressed herself against the wall as Soarin looked up at her, his eyes completely blank and filled with the yellow light. He growled and pulled back a hoof to strike her. She gasped, not registering what was happening in time. She was moving to put her hooves up, but Soarin’s hoof was already heading for her face. But then Silver reached forward and caught his arm. He yanked Soarin away from Dash, pulling Soarin towards him. “And warriors…” Silver pulled back his free hoof, and made subtle shifts in his body. He delivered a heavy punch right between Soarin’s eyes while pulling Soarin towards him. Soarin flew and struck the wall beside Dash back first before crying out in pain and falling to the floor. Silver quickly dove at Soarin, got on his back, and pinned him to the floor. Silver forced Soarin’s hooves behind his back with one arm and pressed his forearm to the back of Soarin’s neck with the other. “MUST know how to defend themselves…” Silver glanced at Dash. “Before they can defend others!” “RGH!!!” Soarin began to growl and thrash beneath Silver’s grip. “Damn!” Silver cursed as he struggled to hold Soarin down. “Dash!” he suddenly called to her. “Huh?!” Dash flinched in surprise as Silver yelled her name. He looked up at her and made a head motion to him. “Call to him again!” he ordered. Dash blinked. “Wh-what?!” she was still up against the wall without a clue of what to do or what Silver was asking. Did Silver… see the whole interaction between her and Soarin before this? There was a window on the door… was he talking about when she yelled at him and apparently caused a brief break in the magic? Was that the key to stopping Soarin? “YOU GONE DEAF OR SOMETHING, SKITTLES?! OPEN UP YOUR DAMN TRAP AND TALK THIS DUMBASS INTO CONTROLLING HIMSELF!” Silver barked at her. Just as she thought, that’s exactly what Silver wanted her to do. Dash quickly shook her head out and focused on Soarin. She pushed off the wall, positioned herself in front of Soarin, and crouched down so she was nearly face to face with him as he lurched and pulled at Silver’s grip. Dash remembered well… the kinds of things that really got through to Soarin. No amount of pleading and crying would do any good. Back during the dark magic transfer, the only reason they were able to save Soarin was because Spitfire… “What the HELL is wrong with you Soarin!?” Dash yelled in his face. “You spent all that time learning to control magic and for what?! To get drunk on it?! Get a hold of yourself, dammit!” she projected so hard she was almost spitting on him. Silver blinked in surprise, he clearly wasn’t expecting it. Silver’s eyes widened and he moved his head aside as Soarin suddenly arched his neck up, nearly stabbing Silver in the eye with his horn. “AH!” Soarin yelled out as the yellow magic began flickering around his horn and eyes. It was working. “I know you’re in there, Soarin! I know you can hear me! And I KNOW you are better than this!” She yelled as she reached forward and grabbed his head. “BREAK FREE!” she yelled while shaking his head. Soarin slammed his eyes shut. The yellow light expanded out from his horn, forcing both Dash and Silver to squint as it shone brightly to the corners of the room. Then it quickly condensed back towards the horn… but it didn’t disappear, it hovered in a small aura around the horn. “Ahhhh rrrgghhhh…” Soarin groaned painfully as he stopped thrashing beneath Silver. “Soarin?” Dash said his name quietly as Soarin’s eyes remained shut. Dash jumped back in surprise as the horn began flickering again, but this time it was different. The horn began flickering with both yellow and dark blue light. The flickers were random and sporadic, but the two colors could clearly be made out as they crackled, popped, and fizzled around the horn. Dash suddenly panicked. “Silver! Get off of him!” Dash quickly yelled. Silver blinked and glanced between them. “Get off of him! Quickly!” she repeated. Silver thought she was crazy, but clearly she knew more about this than he did, so he obeyed. “Ahh… Ahhhhh...” Soarin continued to groan as Silver released the pressure from Soarin’s back and the different colored auras continued to flicker. Soarin remained on the ground, panting and wheezing, his body shivering slightly as the two auras continued to glow. The blue aura would grow, but then be pushed away by the yellow. The yellow would grow, and then be pushed back by the blue. It was almost as if the auras were fighting for dominance. “D-Dash…” Soarin suddenly forced out quietly. His voice sounded labored. “Soarin?” Dash quickly bent down to him. “Soarin! I’m here!” “Dash…” he sputtered again as the auras flared randomly. Dash yelped and blinked as the magic seemed to lash out towards her, but she felt nothing as it crashed against her face and dispersed. She blinked and quickly refocused on him. “Soarin, what’s happening, talk to me!” she reached for him. Before her hooves could get close his right arm shot out towards her and clutched her hooves tightly. “It… it hurts…” Soarin grimaced as the two colored lights continued to press against each other atop the horn. The magic seemed to react to her touch, flickering in different patterns more frantically. That was all Dash had to see and hear. She immediately reached for him, hugging him around the neck tightly. It was all she could do. She knew she could calm his magic. She had to get him out of the pain. “AAAHHH!?!?!?” Soarin suddenly cried out in pain in a tone that suggested it was sudden and unexpected. Dash blinked and looked towards him in confusion. The flickering blue aura began to shrink and fade… but the yellow aura grew?! The yellow magic pushed itself all the way back onto the horn and began glowing brightly. Soarin’s eyes remained stuck open, but his mouth slowly began curling into a smile again. “Haaaa… hahaha…” Soarin began chuckling again. “What?! But…but…!” Dash stuttered. The blue magic receded from her as it always had… but the yellow magic didn’t?! “AH!” Dash yelped as Silver suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her off of Soarin. “Ha ha-AAHH!!!” Soarin cried out again as the blue magic suddenly flared back up intensely, pushing back against the yellow with such force that a small shockwave fired out from the horn. Dash and Silver were so close to him that they were blown back the blast. Silver toppled over onto his back, grunting as Dash landed on top of him and rolled off beside him. “Soarin!!!” Dash quickly rolled over and got to her hooves. She wanted to go to him, but her trump card against the magic was not working. “HRG!!!!” Soarin grimaced and his eyes snapped open while glaring forward. He slammed his front hooves to the floor as he remained on his stomach and strained every inch of his body. The two auras calmed and returned back down to the flickering, conflicting auras as they had been before Dash tried to hug him. He gasped and let his chin fall to the floor, panting and sweating from the amount of stress being applied to his body from within. Dash was speechless, and felt powerless. What was she supposed to do? It was always as simple as her getting to him to make the magic behave, but the yellow magic clearly didn’t work the same way as the blue. If she went to him he would only revert to the shameless and crass state she and Silver had just worked so hard to get him out of. “L-Luna…” Soarin suddenly spoke, his voice laced with unbearable pain. “Huh?” Dash’s ears perked up as she approached Soarin again. Silver started reaching forward to hold her back, but stopped halfway and let her approach. “What is it Soarin?!” Dash crouched down, taking care not to touch him again. “The… Princess…” Soarin forced out while grinding his teeth. “Take me… to Luna…!” he pleaded desperately. Dash hesitated as she readied to reach for him. To Luna. She needed to get him to Luna, but she couldn’t touch him. She wasn’t about to ask Silver and put him in danger, who knows what would happen along the way. What was she supposed to do?! “We are already here.” Dash and Silver both sharply turned to the door to see Princess Luna herself in the doorway with both Spitfire and Fleetfoot behind her. “There he is…” Spitfire sighed and shook her head as they entered. “What the hell happened in here?!” Fleetfoot glanced around all the tables and desks pushed and strewn about. “It looks like a tornado interrupted class…” “Hmm…” Luna ignored Fleetfoot as she stepped around the chairs and tables, making her way over to Soarin. She merely gave a nod to Dash as she stepped up and began examining Soarin, specifically focusing on the flickers of blue and yellow light in the horn. “Most puzzling…” she pondered out loud. Dash made a move to confront Luna, but Silver reached up and pulled her back. “Don’t get in her way,” he ordered. Dash glanced back at him, the look of unwavering worry for Soarin stuck to her face. They both looked towards Spitfire as she approached. “From the looks of things…” Spitfire began as she looked around and then focused on Silver. “There was a bit of a confrontation.” “Perceptive, Captain,” Silver huffed he looked at Spitfire sternly. “I was told you had taken him to see Luna, I guess he didn’t like that?” “Yes…” Spitfire sighed again and shook her head. “I took him to Luna, but when he came to, he escaped quickly,” she glanced down at Silver’s arms. They were covered in light bruises. “Did you fight him again!?” Spitfire asked in disbelief. Silver motioned to the wrecked state of the room. “Speaks for itself,” he stated. Spitfire shook her head. “After that ass kicking you took, I’m surprised you were able to subdue him… Good work,” she didn’t ask for the details. “Captain Spitfire,” Luna suddenly called Spitfire to her. Spitfire diverted her attention to Luna. Dash watched as the two conversed quietly before Spitfire turned to Fleetfoot. “Fleet, go get Air Mach, fly downtown, and bring back Fancy Pants,” she ordered. Fleetfoot’s ears flattened instantly. “What?! With Air Mach? Can I take somepony el—?” “NOW!” Spitfire yelled, cutting her off. “Okay! Okay! I’m going! Jeez!” Fleetfoot rushed out. Dash turned her attention back to Luna. She watched as the princess’ horn and eyes began to glow as she examined him. Spitfire returned to Luna’s side. Dash wanted desperately to go to Soarin’s side, but she knew it was a bad idea… and that hurt. It REALLY hurt. Up until now she felt like she could always be part of the solution to Soarin’s magic problems… but this time, her presence almost made it worse. She was able to call out to him with her voice, but the effect on the dark magic appeared to only make the yellow magic stronger. She felt like she suddenly went from being a release for Soarin, to being another problem for him. She perked up as Silver sighed and sat down on the floor. Dash glanced at him for a moment, and then looked back at Soarin before giving up and plopping down beside him. She eyed Silver’s bruised arms. “Are you alright?” she asked him out of courtesy. Silver blinked as if surprised. He looked down at her beside him briefly, looked back forward, and nodded. “Physically, I’m fine. I have no idea what the hell is going on, but I’m not gonna bother asking… it looks too complicated,” he commented as he watched Luna and Spitfire tend to Soarin. Dash looked back as well, before suddenly realizing that she had yet to do something very important. “Um…” she hesitated, but caught Silver’s attention. “Thanks…” she bowed her head slightly. “Dunno what would have happened if you didn’t step in… I really couldn’t stop him.” “I saw you looking around the lobby, so I followed you,” Silver suddenly admitted. Dash instantly picked her head back up and blinked. “When I saw Soarin pull you into this room I decided to stay nearby just in case. It was already strange that he was back so soon from seeing Luna with Spitfire. When things got out of hoof, I saw fit to step in,” he explained. “You… followed me?” Dash was still processing that part. Silver suddenly chuckled and smirked at her. “You’re my student now too, you know,” he used her own phrase. “Or did you already forget yesterday? Let your mentor keep an eye on you.” “Heh…” Dash smiled, she couldn’t argue with that. Something about Silver straight up calling her his student felt REALLY cool. “I saw you watching the fight,” Silver spoke again, re-catching Dash’s attention. “What did you see?” he glanced down at her. Dash thought for a moment, but really could only think of one response. “I saw you turn around your fight with him earlier and kick his ass instead,” she said with a slight amusement. He narrowed his eyes at her. Dash’s smug feeling faded and her eyes widened slightly under his gaze. Was that… not a good answer? “I guess that’s a crude way to put it,” Silver grunted as he looked between Luna and Spitfire at Soarin. “A few things can be taken from what you saw. The first being rule number four,” he looked at Dash. “Never fight angry. Controlling your emotions is essential to survival. I made the mistake of fighting with the urge to rip Soarin’s head off three hours ago. Here, I remained calm while his emotions ran wild. Despite his superiority to me, my level head gave me the means to victory,” he looked back forward and sighed. “No Wonderbolt is perfect Rainbow Dash, not even those of us that have been around the longest. You saw me make a critical mistake and I paid for it. Remember that.” Dash took in everything he said and nodded. “What else did you see?” he suddenly questioned again. “Huh?” Dash blinked. “Um…” she fought for a response. “Come on Dash, you can copy special techniques within minutes of seeing them, but that analytical eye of yours missed the whole fight?” Silver huffed with a slight tone of disappointment in his voice. It actually stung a little to Dash. So she quickly thought over everything she had just witnessed, remembering something key. “Oh!” she quickly turned to Silver. “The battlefield was different, close quarters, both of you were forced to fight without flight,” she recalled for him. Silver lifted an eyebrow while cracking a smile very briefly. “Good. You were at least aware of that much, but you left out something very important,” he nodded as Dash listened intently. “Rule number five: learn from defeat. You don’t experience defeat the first time you lose to a specific opponent. You are defeated if you lose to them again. You must analyze and adapt to your enemies. You have to figure out and exploit their weaknesses,” he motioned to Soarin. “Under the influence of his magic, Soarin fought very differently. I was already hindered by my emotions, but I was also unprepared for his assault. However, I realized that while his attacks were strong and made great use of speed in the wide open space, I realized his basic movements were sloppy and lacking discipline,” Silver pointed to the ground. “It was a lucky break that we fought in a room such as this. I was able to exploit that weakness by fighting in an environment that forced us into basic fighting tactics.” “Wow…” Dash said out loud as she realized how complicated Silver’s breakdown of the battles were when in her eyes all she initially saw was a battle in a meeting room. There was so much more to combat than she realized. “Victory is not guaranteed through strength, speed, and skill,” Silver went on. “Awareness and discipline will always be stronger than any punch or kick you can throw. If you can master those, even opponents who outclass you physically…” he motioned to Soarin. “Can be brought down.” Dash stared at Silver as he looked back forward and cracked his neck while grunting in discomfort. So much wisdom at once. It was almost overwhelming. Silver was almost too much to handle. The lead squad Wonderbolts were obviously more impressive physically and skillwise, but so far Silver had blown her away more than any Wonderbolt ever simply through his experience and valuable lessons given. And she had only been his student for a day. What would she be capable of once released from under his wing? The thought alone was enough to make her shiver in anticipation. “We are very confused…” Luna suddenly spoke up as the magic faded from around her horn and her eyes reappeared from the light. “I don’t like the sound of that,” Spitfire voiced her worry as Dash’s attention was drawn back to Soarin. Luna was confused? That wasn’t a good sign. What was wrong with Soarin? She had to know! Luna sighed and shook her head. “We wish we could explain it… but the only explanation we can offer is that Commander Soarin seems to have two separate reserves of magic within him,” she stated. Spitfire stood still while staring at Luna as if waiting for her to continue. “And…?” Spitfire beckoned her. Luna blinked and shook her head. “That’s it.” “That’s it!?” Spitfire threw her arms out. “That’s really reassuring Princess!” “We’re sorry,” Luna let her head hang in shame. “This is… something even we have never encountered before. Our sister may have known something, but we’ve never seen a pony with more than one source of magic in their body before… it’s quite puzzling. Even more so because Commander Soarin is a pegasus. “Um…” Dash stepped forward. Silver flinched as she interrupted, since he told her specifically not to, but he sighed and let her go. “Princess…” Dash walked up to her. “Soarin… he…” she stopped and looked at him as he breathed steadily on the floor, but his face was still written with pain. His horn continued to flash the two different colors. “Something strange happened,” she mentioned. Luna’s ears perked up. “What dost thou mean? Please tell us, anything you can tell us will help. We are left in the dark,” Luna eagerly pressed Dash. “You know how his magic reacted to me right? It would calm and he would have better control?” Dash was actually curious, she had never actually relayed this information directly to Luna, but to her surprise, Luna nodded while rolling her eyes. “We are aware… Discord reminds us often…” she said with slight annoyance. Discord? Dash was a little surprised at first, but then she realized Discord was always bringing her into the picture to help with Soarin. So that made sense. She continued. “Well… it was strange, I tried to calm the magic like I always do… but while the blue magic receded... the yellow magic didn’t. He almost lost control again when I tried,” Dash explained. Luna stared at her while contemplating… but looked very confused. “We…” she blinked a few times. “That’s… we don’t know… That’s very strange…” she bit her lip as if embarrassed that she couldn’t provide an explanation. Luna sighed and let her head hang. “I apologize… once again, we wish we could provide wisdom like our sister, but… we are at a loss. We appreciate your information though… hopefully Sir Fancy Pants can provide more insight. It is shameful for one such as us to admit, but he shows an understanding of magic on a level even we do not possess. Hopefully he can give more insight.” “But—” Dash wanted to know more. Luna just told her she knew nothing, but Dash’s desperation to know about Soarin compelled her to press the subject. Unfortunately Spitfire felt otherwise. “Rainbow Dash,” Spitfire spoke up as she stepped forward and placed a hoof on Dash’s shoulder. “I appreciate your concern for Soarin, and I know you care for him more than any of us… but we’ll handle it from here…” she glanced up at the clock on the wall that somehow remained in place despite how many chairs had been tossed about the room. “You need to get back with the recruits. Silver, take her back,” she ordered. “What?!” Dash stared at Spitfire in disbelief. Did she just hear that correctly? Dash thought that Spitfire more than anypony would understand how important this situation was to her… and to Soarin. Silver already had his hoof on her shoulder and was trying to coerce her away. But Dash resisted against him. She didn’t even pay attention to his orders to stand attention and start walking. When it came to Soarin, she didn’t care about rank or status. He was more important to her than anything! “Dash…” Dash’s eyes widened. Luna, Spitfire, and Silver all looked towards Soarin. Spitfire and Luna took a step back as Soarin suddenly forced his hooves to the ground and slowly rose up. He grunted and shook his head out before slowly opening his eyes. The two magic auras suddenly flared from his horn, but Soarin stiffened his body and glared towards the horn on his head. The magic was quickly sucked back in and he exhaled sharply. “Soarin?” Dash said his name as he chuckled and looked up at her. “Sorry… Dash…” he managed to say between heavy breaths. “I don’t… know… what’s… happening…” it was almost painful to hear, every word was labored, filled with discomfort, but Soarin kept speaking regardless. “But… I won’t… give in… any… more…” he forced out as the yellow aura suddenly flared around his horn. She growled and whipped his head around as the magic slowly receded back into the horn. “This damn… magic… doesn’t know… who… it’s messing… with…” he smirked as he winced in pain. “I’ll AH!” Soarin fell to the ground. Spitfire stepped towards him and offered a hoof, but Soarin swiped his hoof around and batted Spitfire’s away. “I’ll be fine…” he chuckled between breaths and winked at Dash. “This magic… doesn’t know… who the… HELL… it’s dealing with…” he said with confidence. Literally the instant after he said it, his eyes rolled back and he fainted. Dash’s ears shot up and she took a step towards him, but Silver’s grip on her shoulder stopped her. Spitfire walked up in front of Dash and shrugged. “Dash… we are lucky…” Spitfire’s demeanor was surprisingly casual. Dash stared at Spitfire with a mix of confusion and worry. “We are the only two that understand how stubborn this idiot can be,” she chuckled as she made a hoof motion to Soarin. “Leave him to us. Like he just said, it’ll take more than a little rebellious magic to keep him down,” Spitfire winked at Dash. “Uh…” Dash glanced at Soarin, then found herself smirking. Spitfire was right. Soarin wouldn’t go down easily. The fact that Soarin managed to break free and say to her himself that he would fight the magic gave her pause unlike any other. “I’m worried about him,” Dash said. “But he’s also stubborn. He’ll be fine," Dash nodded to Spitfire. Spitfire smiled back and pointed at Silver. “Get her back to the barracks. New training cycle tomorrow, right?” Spitfire asked Silver. Silver nodded. “It’s already nine,” Spitfire mentioned as she glanced at the clock again. “She needs her rest, get going,” Spitfire made a hoof motion to Silver. “Yes, Ma’am,” Silver replied obediently before yanking Dash along with him. She was surprised when he did initially, but any fears she had for Soarin were suddenly gone… she was so worried, but did it make her forget that Soarin would sooner kiss Rapidfire than let ANYTHING control him? Dash smiled as Silver pulled her towards the door. He’d be fine. After all, he was a stubborn ass… a stubborn ass she loved to death. ---To Be Continued---