High in the sky, a large purple hot air balloon appeared above the clouds along with three figures flying near it. In the hot air balloon basket, Spike pulled the lever to release more flames, and then looked out into the sky. Ember and Matches, both dressed in the armor they wore on the day of their arrival, were flying nearby, and Twilight was in front of the balloon. He kept staring at Ember, hoping she would acknowledge him, but he couldn’t tell if she noticed him underneath that helmet.

“Spike?”

The dragon turned to see Rarity next to him. “Hey, Rarity,” he said.

“What’s wrong, darling?” she asked. “You look a little tense.”

Spike sighed and looked down. “I guess I’m just worried about Ember.”

“Why? She seems to be enjoying her stay here so far.”

“Ember seems to be upset,” explained Spike. “She told me not only does Master Ash seem to have some family trouble about this bond between ponies and dragons, but it seems something is really making her annoyed. I tried to talk to her about it last night, but she didn’t want to talk. I hope everything is okay with her.”

Rarity frowned. “Spikey, I’m sure everything is fine,” she said. “She’s just under a lot of pressure is all.”

“I know that,” replied Spike. “I’m just nervous with how she’s been lately. Ever since the library incident, she seems more and more tense. I just want to help her. I don’t want everything I’ve done to help change the way dragons are be for nothing; especially after what I’ve done to help Ember.”

“Spikey, it’s okay,” assured Rarity.

“I hope so,” said Spike in a gloomy voice.

Rarity looked on at the discouraged look on Spike’s face, and felt a mixture of guilt and sadness in her. She looked down and sighed softly.

Perhaps I have been a little too hard on Ember, she said to herself. Spike has worked hard to bring ponies and dragons together as friends, and now I’m making it harder than it should be. Sure she may seem to… like Spike, but I can’t stand to see Spikey Wikey sad like this. I will do what I must to make him happy!

Rarity looked over at Ember for a moment and closed her eyes. Ember, I may not really like you, but I don’t want to ruin Spike’s efforts. For his sake, I’ll give you a better chance.

A loud gust of wind buzzed through the air, catching the group’s attention.

Matches looked around frantically. “What’s that noise!?” he asked.

Twilight turned around and beamed. “We’re near the Wonderbolts Academy!” she answered. “That sound is probably some of the members coming close to us!” She turned back and gasped. “Here they come!”

In the clearing below, two pegasi flew up and came towards the hot air balloon. Two blue streaks zoomed by it, leaving behind two trails of black smoke. The group gasped in surprise and the balloon to shake a little.

“Was that them right now!?” wondered Ember. “I couldn’t get a good look at them!”

“It is!” confirmed Twilight. “It looks like they’re giving us an escort to their base!”

“You got that right, Twi!”

Twilight and the others looked to their left to see Rainbow flying in her Wonderbolts outfit and giving them a warm smile.

“‘Sup, guys?” she called out. “You all ready to meet the Wonderbolts?”

Matches looked at Ember, and she nodded. “We’re as ready as we’re going to be,” she replied.

“You got it! Just follow us and we’ll give you an escort to the base!” Rainbow looked across the balloon and at the other Wonderbolt, a black stallion with a grayish mohawk. “Thunderlane! Stay close to the balloon as it descends to the landing strip!”

“Yes, ma’am!” said Thunderlane with a salute.

Spike pulled a long cord and the balloon slowly started to descend. Ember looked forward and saw a rather large mountaintop ahead. At the top was a large airstrip and what seemed to be a large crowd gathered around it. Ember looked around more and was shocked to see several buildings in the clouds and what looked like a rainbow waterfall flowing over the clouds.

Matches let out a loud whistle. “Whoa. Talk about having your head in the clouds, huh?”

“I’ll say,” replied Ember. “From the looks of that crowd, it seems we’re really going to get the welcome wagon.”

The hot air balloon descended more and more to the ground, and Ember, Matches, and Twilight followed them. Rainbow and Thunderlane stayed by their side and were looking around the area carefully. The others cheered in excitement as they got closer to the ground. The balloon then hit the ground. Rainbow and Thunderlane both landed nearby and stayed close to Ember and Matches.

Slowly, the others got out of the balloon basket and took a look around. Starlight looked on in awe and mouthed to herself quietly. Twilight noticed how she was acting and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Ember looked around the airstrip and got a better look at the crowd waiting for her. There were all pegasi and all stood still with the hands at their side like as if they were statues. Some of them were wearing the blue and yellow suit similar to what Rainbow was wearing. Others had on a similar outfit, but looked more like a leotard instead of a flight suit. At the end of the runway were more pegasi, but all of them were dressed in blue officer uniforms and wearing sunglasses and officer’s hats.

The sound of footsteps caught the group’s attention, and they looked forward. Ember saw two pegasi walking up towards them. She barely recognized Soarin in the officer’s uniform and sunglasses he was wearing. Next to him was an orange yellow mare that had a mane that looked like her head was on fire, and was dressed similar to Soarin.

Rainbow walked up and saluted. “Captain, Lieutenant, Privates Dash and Thunderlane reporting back from escort duty.”

“At ease, Dash,” said the mare in a rather stern tone. She looked over and stared at Ember and Matches for a moment. She looked back at Rainbow. “Are these those special friends I’ve heard about?”

Rainbow nodded. “Yes, mam.” She moved out of the way and held a hand out towards them. “Captain, this is Dragon Lord Ember and her personal bodyguard, Matches.”

The captain walked up towards the two dragons and stared at them intensely. Ember and Matches looked at each other and felt the piercing gaze of the Wonderbolts’ captain looking at them. She moved her head up and down slowly as she paced back and forth between the dragons.

The captain then stopped in front of Ember. She raised a hand up and saluted. “Lord Ember, it’s a pleasure to welcome you to the Wonderbolts Academy. I am Captain Spitfire, leader of this division.”

Ember hesitantly returned the salute. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said. “Just call me Ember please. I get called Lord enough back home.”

Spitfire nodded. “Very well. Lieutenant Soarin has told me a little about you and your mission. Since we’re all friends here, I believe it’s only fair to show the leader of our new ally the best air force Equestria has to offer.”

“I look forward to it,” said Ember.

“Also, Dash here asked if it was possible to do a race with you,” said Spitfire. “She said that she wanted to see who was faster; a pegasus or a dragon?”

Twilight groaned and rubbed her forehead. “Rainbow, why did you do that?” she asked irritably. “This isn’t really the time or place to ask something like that.”

“Actually, princess, I was a bit curious myself,” said Spitfire. “I want to see how dragons fly and maybe pick up a few things from them.”

Twilight blushed and smiled sheepishly. “Oh...um, that’s great,” she muttered. “I hope it turns out well.”

“That’ll be later though,” said Spitfire. “In the meantime, I’d like to give Lo...um, Ember and her guard here a tour of the base.” She looked over at the two Wonderbolts near the dragons. “Dash, Thunderlane, you two are to come with me and Soarin, and serve as the guards.”

“Yes, mam!” they said, both shouting in unison.

Spitfire walked up to Rainbow and leaned her head against her ear. “By the way,” she whispered. “I don’t want to see you two having another ‘private talk’ during this tour. Got it?”

Rainbow’s face turned a deep shade of red and she nodded. “Y–yes, captain,” she muttered.

Spitfire moved away and smiled. “Good.” She turned around and looked at the large crowd of assembled Wonderbolts. “All of you are dismissed!” she bellowed. “Return to your positions and stay alert! I don’t want any kind of incident here today!”

The crowd saluted and marched off. Row after row of pegasi took off into the sky and flew off in various directions. Ember and Matches looked on in awe as the sky was blocked by the numerous pegasi flying off.

Ember looked over at Spitfire. “I have to admit. I’ve never seen such a coordinated group of ponies like this,” she said.

“We’re one of Equestria’s first lines of defense,” said Soarin. “We’re always ready for whatever dangers come this way.”

“Then why have you all always been beaten by every danger you face?” asked Pinkie in a chirpy tone.

Soarin and Spitfire flinched and looked irritated. Pinkie felt a hand be put over her mouth and was pulled aside by an embarrassed Rainbow Dash.

“Heh, heh...good joke, Pinkie,” she said nervously. “She’s always joking around like that.”

Pinkie struggled and moved Rainbow’s hand over her mouth. “But it’s true though. They always lose in every battle. Tirek, the Changelings, and even Spike when–”

A purple blur tackled Pinkie, and she was sent to the ground. She felt another hand put over her mouth and looked up to a panicked Spike.

“Pinkie, be quiet about that!” he whispered. “I don’t want Ember to know about that!”

Pinkie muttered something and nodded.

Spike got off of Pinkie and helped her up. He looked over at the others, who looked puzzled, and smiled sheepishly at them. His eyes fell upon Ember, who narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.

“Spike, what’s going on?” she inquired.

“Nothing!” he quickly answered. “Just Pinkie being Pinkie is all. Don’t worry about it.”

Ember stared at Spike, making the drake gulp nervously.

“...Let’s move on,” said Ember after a minute.

“That would be for the best,” said Soarin in an irritated tone. “Why don’t we begin by showing you around our barracks and training area?”

“That sounds good to me,” said Ember.

“Let’s move out then!” ordered Spitfire.

The group started walking off towards the barracks, but Spike stayed in the back and away from Ember. He felt an arm wrap around him, and he looked over to see to his surprise Rarity looking at him with a worried look on her.

“Are you going to be OK, darling?” she asked.

Spike nodded. “Yeah. I just didn’t want Ember to know about…that.”

“That’s understandable, Spikey,” said Rarity. “Just know if you need somepony to talk to, I’m right here for you.”

Spike smiled softly at her. “Thanks, Rarity. I don’t want to spend the day sulking around though. Let’s catch up to the others and see what Ember thinks of the Wonderbolts.”

“That would be a good idea,” agreed Rarity.

The two of them walked off, and Spike’s eyes drifted over to see Rarity’s arm still around him. His face turned slightly red and his heart skipped a beat.

Rarity has never done something like this before, he said to himself. I wonder what’s making her do this?...What am I even saying!? She’s holding my arm closely!

Rarity looked over and noticed her arm. She gasped and quickly removed her hold on Spike. She looked away and felt heat rise up to her cheeks. I don’t know what I was thinking there, she said to herself. I don’t want to freak Spike out like this; especially with how he may feel towards Ember.

The two of them remained silent and didn’t look at each other as they caught up to the rest of the group.

Three Wonderbolts marched passed a building and came to a stop. A red pegasus wearing a backpack in front of the other two turned around and narrowed his eyes.

“Alright, you two have your assignments,” he said. “Hurricane, you help Fleetfoot with patrolling the west side of the compound. Gusty, you are to stay by the main entrance and watch for possible intruders. Understood?”

“Yes, Sergeant McCloud!” both pegasi said in unison.

McCloud nodded. “Good. Move out.”

The two pegasi saluted and turned to take off into the sky. McCloud watched his two teammates fly off and then turned around to walk off. He turned the corner to walk an alleyway between two buildings. He stopped and took off his backpack to open it up. He pulled out a list and his eyes went down the paper.

“That should do it,” he said to himself. “I got all the men to their positions. I better report to my post before the captain chews my head off.”

A loud clank rang out from behind, making McCloud jump a little and turn around.

“Who’s there!?” he demanded. “Identify yourself right now!”

He looked around and aside from a few crates nearby, there was no sign of anypony else. He put the list back and put on his backpack. He turned back around and walked off again.

“Excuse me, sir?” a stallion’s voice called out.

McCloud turned and saw a red hand waving at him from behind a stack of crates near him.

“I could use your help, McCloud,” he called out.

“Who are you?” asked McCloud. “You don’t sound like somepony I’ve met here before.”

“Um...new recruit!” the stallion called out. “I’m having some trouble with my uniform and I could use your help.”

McCloud rolled his eyes and sighed. Typical recruits. Where does Spitfire find these ponies?

He walked over and narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong with your uniform, newbie?”

McCloud turned the corner and was suddenly grabbed by the neck. He gasped as he was slammed against the wall and was hit in the face a few times. He groaned and slumped to the ground.

Above him, Hot Streak smirked as he looked over McCloud. “What’s ‘wrong’ is that I don’t have a uniform. I think I’ll borrow yours for a while if you don’t mind.”

Hot Streak unzipped McCloud’s uniform and chuckled to himself. “Don’t worry though. I’ll put you in a place so nopony sees you like this.”

A couple of minutes later, Hot Streak emerged from the alleyway and zipped up his uniform. He placed his old clothes inside the backpack and put it on. He looked back and smirked as he gave a salute.

“Thanks for the help, idiot,” he said. Hot Streak took off into the sky and flew off towards the barracks. “Now to give Ember a trip to this pony place she won’t soon forget.”

Ember and Matches looked around the Wonderbolts base and heard and saw various activities going on. They saw an officer barking orders at some pegasi doing pushups with their wings. Another officer was nearby shouting as more pegasi were running around a track. The feel of the wind blowing against them as several Wonderbolts were flying in the sky and through some rings. Ember and Matches looked at each other with impressed looks on their faces and nodded.

“What you see before you is the heart and foundation of the future of the Wonderbolts,” said Spitfire. “We mold these cadets into the best of the best, and they become the next generation of Wonderbolts.”

Matches saw some more cadets running nearby and were looking exhausted. “I see you really push them hard.”

“That’s the purpose of this camp,” said Soarin. “We push them vigorously and make sure they give it their all and much more. If these cadets want to make it to the Wonderbolts, we make sure they can prove they are Wonderbolts material.”

“That includes testing their flying skills and speed,” said Spitfire. “We have some of the finest pegasi in Equestria training these recruits. One of our best trainers should be around here to tell you more.”

Spitfire looked around the field and frowned. “Sergeant McCloud! Where are you!?”

She waited a moment, but nopony showed up.

Spitfire leaned over and whispered to Soarin, “Where is he? He should’ve been done by now.”

Soarin shrugged. “I don’t know,” he whispered back. “Maybe he’s doing a final security check.”

“You called for me?” a gravely voice inquired.

Spitfire looked over and saw McCloud panting a little and had a forced smile on his face.

“Where have you been!?” she demanded. “I thought you would’ve been done by now assigning security?”

“Uh...had to help a cadet out with his uniform,” he answered. “Nothing that I couldn’t handle.”

“Where is this cadet now?” asked Soarin.

“He’s currently ‘tied up’ with other duties,” said McCloud.

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. “You alright, sergeant? You sound a little off.”

McCloud laughed to himself. “I just have a bit of a sore throat. Nothing I can’t handle though.” He looked over and his eyes fell upon Ember. “Enough about me though. Who do we have here?”

Soarin frowned. “Did you hit your head getting out of bed this morning, sergeant?” he inquired. “That’s Dragon Lord Ember. Show some respect to her!”

McCloud flinched a little and his eye twitched. “Of course...sir,” he muttered irritably. He walked over to Ember and saluted her. “Pleased to meet you, Lord Ember”

Ember looked at McCloud for a moment and raised an eyebrow. She returned the salute. “A pleasure you meet you, sergeant,” she said hesitantly. “Please just call me Ember though.”

“Sergeant McCloud is one of our top trainers in preparing cadets for becoming full fledged Wonderbolts,” said Spitfire. “He always makes sure that all cadets give it their all and show how fast they can be.”

“Which is why he’s so interested in the race between you and Dash,” said Soarin. “He wants to see which is faster; a dragon or pegasus? Right, McCloud?”

McCloud jumped a little and gulped. “Uh...yeah!” he said in a shaky voice. “I’m ready for it alright! I can’t wait to see what you two have!”

Spitfire took off her sunglasses and narrowed her eyes. “What’s with you, sergeant?” she demanded. “You’re acting like you have your head in the clouds or something. Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

McCloud gulped and nodded. “I’ve just been very busy with what I’ve had to do. After all, I got to make sure security is top notch.”

Spitfire looked at McCloud, who smiled sheepishly at her, and then looked away. “Anyway, I’m sure McCloud here would love to see what you’ve got, Ember.”

McCloud looked over Ember’s shoulder and stared at Spike. “What about him?” he asked.

Spike shrunk back a little and tried to hide himself.

Ember stepped forward and got in the red pegasus’ face. “Take it easy,” she ordered. “He doesn’t feel like flying.”

McCloud rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’m here to make sure these ponies are ready for….um, whatever it is they have to do.”

Soarin tilted his head in confusion. “You sure you’re feeling alright there, sergeant?”

“Um...yes!” he hesitantly answered. “I guess I’m just a little nervous since we have a Dragon Lord visiting us.”

Spitfire and Soarin looked at each other with puzzled looks on them. Spitfire looked back at McCloud and said, “Alright, well I think you better get back to your duties. I expect you to be back here at 1400 for the race. Understood?”

“Right!” McCloud turned around and began to walk off.

“Aren’t you forgetting something, sergeant?” asked Soarin with a tinge of irritation in his voice.

McCloud turned around and even behind the sunglasses, he could see the furious look Spitfire had on her.

“Oh! Erm...sorry!” He gave a quick salute.

Spitfire returned it. “We’ll talk about this behavior of yours later, sergeant,” she said in an icy tone. “Dismissed.”

McCloud nodded and ran off. Ember looked on at the pegasus until he turned the corner and disappeared behind a building. She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head.

“You’ll have to forgive me about seeing that,” said Spitfire. “I don’t know what’s wrong with McCloud. He’s usually so level headed.” She looked over at Ember. “You okay there, Ember?”

The dragoness had a bewildered look on her as she watched McCloud walked off. She turned back after he was gone and nodded slowly. “I am. I just feel like, somehow, I’ve seen this guy before.”

“Seen him before?” asked Matches. “What do you mean?”

Ember shook her head. “I don’t know. I just get this feeling I’ve met him somewhere before.”

“Well, how about we change the subject?” asked Soarin. “We’re ready to take you on a tour of the Wonderbolts Academy if you’re ready, Ember.”

Ember smiled softly. “That sounds like a good idea.”

“You all go without me.”

The group turned their heads and saw Spike hanging his head and frowning.

“What’s wrong, Spike?” asked Ember.

“Nothing,” he said in a gloomy tone. “I just need some time alone. I’ll go walk around the base.”

“Is this about what McCloud said?” asked Twilight.

“It’s nothing, okay?” insisted Spike. “I just want to go walk around. Besides, Rainbow’s house has so much Wonderbolts memorabilia it may as well be a museum itself. I can always go there for a history lesson.”

Twilight frowned. “Alright, Spike. Just don’t get in the way of the Wonderbolts please.”

“I won’t.” He moved to walk away, but he was suddenly stopped by a hand holding onto him. He looked over and saw, to his shock, Rarity looking at him.

“I’ll go with him, darlings,” she said. “I think Spikey Wikey needs somepony to talk to.”

Ember glared at Rarity and grumbled.

“All I want to do is talk to him,” she said in a forceful tone. “I think it’s better if Spike had a friend to talk to about this with.”

Ember rolled her eyes. “Fine, but just remember to talk to him as a friend.”

Rarity scoffed and took Spike’s arm. “I’ll keep that in mind, darling,” she said the last word in an icy tone. She and Spike turned around and walked off.

Matches waited until the two of them rounded the corner and then looked at Ember. “What was that about?”

Ember waved a hand. “Nothing. Let’s get started with this tour.”

“But, Ember–”

“Just drop it, Matches,” she ordered.

A feeling of tension filled the air as the group looked at each other with puzzled looks on their faces.

“Maybe we should go ahead and get started,” said Spitfire. “Follow me please, Ember. I’ll show you around our barracks first.”

Ember nodded and together with the others walked off with the Wonderbolts’ captain into the small gray building.

Spike and Rarity walked along the grass and said nothing. Spike heard the whooshing of the wind blowing and looked up to see several Wonderbolts flying in the sky. He let out a sigh and looked down at the ground. Rarity frowned as she saw the crestfallen look on Spike’s face.

“Spike, I thought you were over this,” said Rarity. “Why are you still upset?”

The drake kicked the ground. “I guess it’s still just a touchy subject to me,” he said. “I know Ember told me about the Dragon Council seeing me about my lack of wings.”

“So what’s the problem then?”

Spike stopped and looked at Rarity with a solemn look on him. “I’m worried that they may not have the answer. Ember told me it’s possible my wing growth is delayed, but what if I truly can’t ever fly?”

Rarity frowned again. “Spike, you’ve lived your entire life without wings and never once felt bad about it. What’s so different about this?”

Spike close his eyes and clenched his hands. “Because every other dragon I’ve seen has them. I suddenly feel naked without them, and I’m certainly not like the other two types of dragons Ember told me about.”

“I understand, Spikey, but there’s still that other option.”

Spike shuddered at the thought. “No thank you. I don’t want some mechanical wings stuck to me and stick out like a sore thumb.”

Suddenly, Spike was pulled back and he turned to see a stern Rarity staring at him.

“Spike, I understand your fears, but you shouldn’t worry about this,” she said in a firm, but gentle, voice. “We’ve been friends for years and I’ve never thought that you would look better with wings.”

Spike looked away in shame. “I know what you’re trying to say, Rarity, but this is different. I’m learning more about myself, but now I’m even more lost than before.”

“Why do you think you’re lost? Having no wings doesn’t change anything in my eyes about you, Spike. You’re still one of my best friends and a wonderful gentledrake.”

Spike blushed a little and smiled softly. “Thanks, Rarity. I guess I just feel empty.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Empty? Why do you say that?”

Spike rubbed the back of his head and had a solemn look on his face. “Ever since I met Ember and went to the Dragon Lands, I’ve been learning so much about dragons. What Ember has told me about them is so amazing, but yet I feel like a part of me is missing.”

“I take it this is about your lack of wings?” wondered Rarity.

Spike slowly nodded. “I just don’t feel like myself anymore. The more I learn about dragons, the more lost and out of place I feel. What Ember has told me and what Twilight said in her letters have made me feel kind of lost. It’s changed me a lot; especially Ember.”

Rarity flinched a little and forced a smile. “What do you mean by Ember changed you?”

Spike blushed a little and looked away to hide it. “I...I don’t know,” he said hesitantly. “I guess it’s because Ember has had a pretty big impact on me.”

“Oh,” Rarity said in a hollow voice. “I guess she has.”

She looked away and wiped away a tear that had formed in her eyes. Suddenly, she felt a hand laying down on top of her hand. She looked back and saw Spike smiling warmly at her. She could feel her cheeks burning up as she smiled back at him.

“You know, Rarity, Ember wasn’t the only one who had a major change in my life” he said. “Sometimes I don’t know what I would do without you. I can always talk to you about anything it seems.”

“That’s what friends are for, Spikey Poo,” said Rarity. “I know that there are so many things you want to know, but don’t let it all get to you. Remember, you have not only me, but your friends as well.”

Spike nodded. “You’re right.

“Ah, there you two are.”

Rarity and Spike looked over and saw Spitfire, Soarin, and the others approaching them.

“You alright, Spike?” wondered Starlight.

The drake nodded. “Yeah. I just needed some time alone, and to talk to a friend.” He looked at Rarity with a smile.

Ember felt her blood boiling as she looked at the way Spike was staring at Rarity. She huffed and turned away. “...Jerk,” she muttered.

“What did you say?” asked Matches.

“Nothing.”

“I hope you’re feeling better there,” said Soarin. “I don’t think you two would want to miss seeing this.”

Spike and Rarity looked at each other with curious looks. “Miss what?” they both asked in unison.

“You’ll have to see for yourself,” said Spitfire. “You two coming, or should we leave you alone?” She winked as she finished her question.

Spike rubbed the back of his head. “Well...I…”

“Of course they’ll come.”

Everypony turned around and stared at a stern looking Ember.

“I mean, Spike and Rarity shouldn’t miss out on this, right?” she inquired. “The Wonderbolts haven’t told me what they want to do yet, but I think you two should come along.”

“Ember, don’t force them to do something they don’t want to do,” warned Matches.

“It’s okay, Matches,” said Spike. “I’m feeling better now. Besides, I don’t think I should make Ember worried about me.”

“But, Spike,” objected Rarity.

Spike waved a hand as he got up. “It’s okay, Rarity,” he assured. I’m feeling a bit better now thanks to you.” He walked over to the group and looked back at Rarity. “Come on. I don’t want to miss out on anymore of this.”

Rarity sighed as she felt her heart sink and slowly nodded. “Okay, Spike,” she said in a forced happy tone. She got up and walked over to join with the others.

“Follow us please,” ordered Spitfire.

The two Wonderbolts walked off with the others following shortly. As Rarity walked close to Spike, she noticed Ember came closer to the other side of Spike. They both looked at each other and glared at one another as they walked next to Spike. With a huff from both of them, Rarity and Ember looked away and followed the group.

Spitfire and Soarin led Twilight and the others out to a wide open field. Ahead, Ember noticed McCloud standing idly and a few red tubes stacked on a small metal rack nearby. She felt an uncomfortable twist form in her stomach. She could’ve sworn he was looking at her, but the goggles over his eyes made it hard to tell.

Spitfire turned around and smiled. “Welcome to our aerial acrobatics training course,” she said.

Ember looked around the open field and tilted her head. “What course? All I see is grass.”

“We don’t train our cadets for this kind of stuff on the ground. This is a more advanced course that takes place up there.” Soarin pointed a finger up to the sky.

The group looked up and saw a large number of hoops, some black clouds shooting out lightning every couple of seconds, a few balls tied to a pole and swinging around it, and another large black cloud with rain pouring down.

Matches raised an eyebrow. “This is what you consider acrobatic training?” he wondered.

“We have to be ready for any kind of condition,” explained Spitfire. “Rain, sleet, snow, wind, and other obstacles are stuff we have to prepare for when performing shows, doing rescue missions, or other missions we need to do.”

“Seems a bit excessive, but alright,” said Matches. “You said you wanted to show Ember something, right?”

The captain nodded. “Correct. Before we do that race between Dash and Ember, I would like to see her skills alone.”

Ember looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is that you show us your moves in the sky,” answered Spitfire. “There’s one thing I’d like you to try out.”

She looked over and yelled, “McCloud! Bring me one of those canisters on the double!”

The pegasus gave a half-hearted salute and picked up one of the canisters. He ran over and quickly showed it to the captain. Ember looked at the red tank and noticed it had a spout at the bottom, but also black straps on it as well.

“What’s this for?” wondered Ember.

Spitfire tapped on the canister and took it from McCloud. “This is a smoke canister. It allows us to fly around and spray out some white smoke to write or make images in the sky. It’s something we sometimes use in shows.”

“You want me to use this thing?” asked Ember.

Spitfire nodded. “Correct. I want to see how good you are by using this tank, and writing something in the sky, or drawing something.”

Ember raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure if I’ll like it, but okay,” she said. “How do I use it?”

Spitfire pointed to a red button with a wire attached to it on one of the straps. “Just press this and smoke will start shooting out. Soarin told me he’d demonstrate how it’s done.”

She turned around. “Lieutenant, are you ready?”

Soarin nodded as he strapped on the tank. “Yes, captain.”

“Go for it then.”

Soarin nodded and flew off into the sky. The group watched as the sky blue pegasus went higher into the sky. He came to a stop and his finger pressed the button on the strap. Soarin took off again and flew around in a loop as the smoke trailed behind him. He went around the sky creating what looked to be a circle at first, but curved up at the bottom and down when he reached the top. Then he did one quick look around the top and flew off. He smiled and held out a hand to show his work.

The group applauded and whistled loudly. Applejack blushed and chuckled softly. She felt a punch and looked over to see Rainbow nodding and grinning at her. Applejack looked back up and smiled as she saw an image of an apple near Soarin.

“Heh. The only thing that pony loves more than pie is that farmer,” said Spitfire. “Alright, Lieutenant, come back down!”

Soarin nodded and flew back down quickly and landed near the crowd.

“Nothing to it,” he said. He looked over at Ember. “Your turn now.”

“Alright. It doesn’t look too hard.”

Ember walked over to McCloud, who held a canister out for her. She turned around and felt it being strapped to her body.

“You can do it, Ember!” called out Spike.

Ember smiled softly and chuckled to herself.

“He seems to like you a lot.”

Ember’s face turned red as she looked over at McCloud. “That’s because he’s my friend,” she replied.

McCloud smirked. “You sure? He seems to like you, and your face is red.”

“That doesn’t mean I like him like that,” she replied with anger building in her voice.

“Maybe, but I can see that you think of him as something special.”

“I don’t.”

“Then why is your face turning red?”

“Can we get this over with!?” demanded Ember in a nasty tone.

McCloud smirked and said, “Fine with me. Just don’t let those thoughts of Spike get in the way of your performance.”

He stepped back and slapped the tank. “It’s ready, captain!” he called out.

Spitfire nodded. “Whenever you’re ready, Ember.”

The dragoness shot a glare at McCloud for a brief moment, and then took off into the air. She flew up higher and higher until she got to the relative area Soarin was flying around. She looked down and nodded at the group below. She placed a finger over the button, and turned to fly off. She pressed it and could hear some of the smoke escaping as she flew around. She looked back down and saw McCloud staring at her with a smug look on his face. She scoffed and grumbled to herself.

“What’s that guy’s deal?” she asked herself. “He doesn’t know anything about me or Spike, and yet he thinks I somehow like him? And what did he mean when he said to not let Spike get in my way?”

She curved up and down at least three times and then started making a circle. “I don’t know what McCloud’s issue is, but he’s wrong about Spike. He’s my first friend, and nothing more than that.”

Ember moved over and began making a curve out of smoke. “So what if he is kind or pretty cute? It doesn’t mean anything to me. Besides, Rarity is insistent that Spike loves her.”

She looked back down and saw Rarity leaning against Spike. She felt a surge of anger course through her and she gritted her teeth. “Stupid bitch!” Ember shook her head and growled. “I don’t know why I’m getting so worked up. It’s just Spike hanging out with one of his friends after all.”

“Um...Ember?” Matches called to her.

The dragoness just kept flying. “She may have looks, and Spike seems to like her as well, but that doesn’t change anything! Spike is my friend, and that’s all there is to it.”

“Ember!”

“I am not jealous!” she shouted.

“Ember! Stop!”

She stopped for a moment and looked back down. “What!?” she bellowed. She then noticed the shocked look on Matches.

“Um...I think you made your message loud and clear,” he muttered.

Ember raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Matches pointed up at the sky. “Just look.”

Ember flew around and looked at the smoke formation she made. She clapped both hands over her face and her cheeks were burning red. In front of her was not one, but two smoke formations. One had an image similar to Spike’s head and to the right of it was a large heart. Ember felt all her anger give way to panic and embarrassment. She slowly turned around and looked down at Spike.

The drake stared back at her with a shocked look on his face, and could faintly see some red on his cheeks. Ember then felt a cold feeling wash over her again. Her eyes wandered over and she saw the livid look on Rarity’s face. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Her mind was racing with panic as she asked herself so many questions.

Spike felt a jab to his shoulder. He looked over and saw Rainbow with a smug look on her.

“Nice one,” she said. “Didn’t think you could make the Dragon Lord herself fall for you.”

Spike said nothing and looked away. His cheeks turned red and he could feel sweat building up on his forehead as numerous thoughts raced through his mind.

Ember quickly flew around the smoke formations until they were wiped out. She flew back down and looked panicked.

“I can explain!” she objected. “I...I wasn’t trying to do something like that! It’s just...well...I....”

“Just what exactly, darling?” inquired Rarity in an icy tone.

Ember waved a hand in front of her and stepped back. “You don’t understand!” she pleaded. “McCloud said some stuff, and I got caught up in my thoughts! I wasn’t trying to do something like that!”

“Then what was that we saw?” wondered Rarity.

Ember lowered her head. “I...I don’t know,” he said. “McCloud said some things, and I just got distracted I guess. I didn’t mean to make something like that though!”

Soarin raised an eyebrow. “What did McCloud say to you?” he wondered.

Ember rubbed the back of her head and looked down to hide the heat building in her cheeks. “Um...well…”

“Captain Spitfire!” a panicked voice cried out.

Spitfire turned and her eyes widened with shock as she let out a gasp. Two other Wonderbolts were running up to her carrying a red stallion stripped completely down to his black boxers. The stallion groaned and tried to raise his head up.

“What in Tartarus is the meaning of this!?” demanded the captain. “Who is that stallion!?”

“Captain, it’s...it’s McCloud,” answered a blue stallion.

Silence fell upon the group, and everypony looked at themselves with bewildered and shocked looks.

Spitfire looked furious and shook her head. “Ridiculous! He was just right here!”

“We found him though in a crate near the mess hall,” said a white stallion. “He was banging against it loud enough for us to hear it.”

Spitfire wiped the sweat building up on her forehead. “It...it can’t be though. What the hay is going on here!?”

McCloud raised his head up and groaned. “A...attacked,” he muttered. “Somepony attacked me...”

“What!?” yelled Soarin. “Sergeant, did you see who attacked you!?”

McCloud shook his head. “I...I couldn’t tell. It was pretty dark in that alley. I did see he was a red pegasus though.”

Soarin narrowed his eyes. “If you are really McCloud, then who the hay is that!?” He pointed a finger to his right.

“Lieutenant, look!” Thunderlane shouted.

Spitfire and Soarin looked up and saw a small figure running off and then taking flight into the sky. The two Wonderbolts looked at each other with stern looks on them. They nodded to each other.

Spitfire looked at the two Wonderbolts holding McCloud. “You two, get McCloud to the infirmary at once!”

“Yes, mam!” they both shouted in unison.

Soarin glanced at Rainbow. “Dash, get after that imposter!”

Rainbow saluted and smirked. “I’m on it, sir!” She looked over at Ember and shrugged. “I guess that race will have to wait.” She opened her wings and took off towards the fake McCloud.

“Thunderlane, get Lord Ember and Princess Twilight to the bunker at once!” ordered Spitfire. “The same goes for their friends too! I don’t want them caught in the crossfire! Soarin, you come with me and help secure the compound!”

“Yes, mam!” said Thunderlane with a salute.

“I’m on it!” obeyed Soarin. Together, they both flew off and headed towards the base.

Thunderlane waved a hand and narrowed his eyes. “Come on! We got to get you all to safety!”

Twilight nodded. “Come on, everypony!”

Matches began to walk with the others to the bunker, but stopped as he noticed there was one missing. He turned around and saw Ember still standing there frozen. He ran over and grabbed her arm.

“Ember!” he called out. “We have to go!”

She remained motionless.

“Ember!”

The dragoness gasped and looked around frantically. “What’s going on?” she wondered.

A loud blaring alarm started ringing out throughout the base. A few small groups of pegasi flew around in various directions. The sound of something cackling echoed from a nearby loudspeaker.

“Attention, Wonderbolts!” shouted Spitfire. “There has been a breach in the base’s security! All security teams are to be on the lookout for a red pegasus with a yellow mane and wearing a Wonderbolts uniform! This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill!”

Matches tugged at Ember’s arm. “That is what’s going on! Come on, we have to hurry!”

Ember said nothing, but nodded anyway. The two ran off and caught up with the group waiting for them. As they ran, Ember looked back up at the sky and the small clouds of smoke still around from her message. She could still see the image she unconsciously made in her mind. She looked away and tried to get a glance at Spike. Rarity was holding his arm and looking right back at Ember with such a glare, she felt like a dagger had pierced her.

“I...I didn’t mean to,” she muttered to herself.

Ember looked around the bunker they were forced into. The room was circular with no windows, and it had some office chairs around a circular table. Around the table, the others were handling the sudden lockdown in their own way. Applejack tapped her foot impatiently and had an irritable look on her. Fluttershy looked around the room nervously and was shaking a little. Twilight hugged her pegasus friend and tried to smile, but she was looking nervous.

Then, Ember’s eyes fell on Spike, who was looking down at the ground, and Rarity holding him. The dragoness looked away, but could see out of the corner of her eye the daggers shooting out of Rarity’s eyes at her. She rubbed her head and sighed.

“You nervous too?” asked Matches. “I don’t blame you if you are.”

“Huh?” Ember asked in confusion. “Oh...yeah. I’m alright though. I just want some time to myself.”

“Do you want to talk to–”

“No!” snapped Ember.

Matches backed away and held his hands up. “Sorry!”

Ember groaned and lowered her head. “It’s not you, Matches,” she assured. “I just...well...I don’t know what happened out there.”

She turned away and sulked. I just wish I could explain what I did. McCloud, or rather that fake one, just distracted me about Spike! I don’t even know what I was doing! I wasn’t trying to do something like that!

Ember looked over at Spike again, and could see the awestruck look on his face. What am I even suppose to say to him now? I can’t just tell him that what I made was a mistake. It could hurt him even more! Wait, why do I even care what he thinks of me? I don’t like him like that damn it! I just...I just...I just….

A loud thud echoed throughout the room, and everypony jumped in surprise or, in the case of Fluttershy, hide under the table. The group looked over and saw Ember leaning over and shaking violently. Her fist was against the wall and it had cracks around it. The group looked at each other with concern on their faces.

“Are you alright, Ember?” asked Applejack.

The dragoness removed her fist and stood up. “...I’m fine,” she said coldly. “I’m just...I’m just frustrated is all.” She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to see a worried Twilight.

“I know you’re concerned about what’s happening, but try not to stress out,” she said in a comforting tone. “The Wonderbolts will catch whoever impersonated Sergeant McCloud.”

Matches rubbed his chin. “Do you think this has anything to do with our visit?” he wondered.

Twilight shook her head. “It could be possible, but I’m not sure. If this impersonator was trying to do something to you or Ember, he wasn’t doing a good job then.”

“I have to agree with Twilight,” said Starlight. “If I ever got that close to Twilight back before she showed me friendship, I would’ve taken full advantage of the opportunity.”

The group looked at her with perplexed looks.

Starlight blushed and chuckled weakly. “It’s just a thought,” she muttered.

“Well...she’s not wrong,” said Twilight. “It’s not known though what the fake McCloud wanted to do. We probably won’t know anything until he’s caught.”

The pounding of the door echoed in the room and made everypony jump again. They looked over and the door opened up. Spitfire, Soarin, and Rainbow marched in looking tired.

“Did you get him, captain?” asked Ember.

Spitfire removed her goggles and shook her head. “No. He got away,” she said with a tinge of frustration in her voice. “We combed this base and turned it upside down. We didn’t find him at all.”

“We even checked the perimeter around the base and nothing at all,” said Soarin. “We have patrols looking through the mountains right now. We can only hope he hasn’t gotten far.”

Rainbow growled and kicked the floor. “He even got away from me. I don’t know who that guy is, but nopony can outfly me.”

“Did McCloud say who attacked him?” asked Ember.

Spitfire shook her head. “No, but he was able to say that the pony did look pretty similar to him. We checked the area where he was attacked, and found this.” She held up a small bag that had a jagged black patch in it.

“What is that?” asked Matches.

“This looks like something from a coat we believe,” said Spitfire.”McCloud said that he was able to put up a small fight. This is the only evidence we have at this point.”

“So what happens now?” inquired Applejack.

“Now that the base is secured, the best thing to do is to get you and your bodyguard out and as soon as possible,” said Soarin.

The group gasped, but Twilight held up a hand and nodded.

“It’s probably for the best,” she said. “The Wonderbolts need to focus on the investigation about this break in.”

“Correct, your highness,” said Spitfire. “We don’t want to hold you all up here any more than we need to. Since the imposter McCloud is long gone, you all should be okay heading back to Ponyville.”

“We’ll still give you an escort back,” said Soarin. “Dash, that’s where you come in.”

Rainbow saluted. “Understood, sir. I’ll get Thunderlane and we’ll both escort them home.”

“Very well,” said Spitfire with a nod. “You have one hour to be back here to help in the investigation. So you two better put your personal feelings aside on your way back to base.”

Rainbow blushed heavily again. “Understood, ma’am.”

Spitfire nodded and moved out of the way. “Dismissed.”

The group started filing out slowly. Ember’s eyes fell on Spike, who still seemed shaken up. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t find the words. She wanted to say something, anything, to him, but just couldn’t think of anything. Before she could think of anything else, Rarity passed by and shook her head at her.

Ember looked down and kicked the ground. This just got a lot harder.

The moon had risen by the time the hot air balloon touched down near the castle. Ember and Matches landed on the ground shortly after. Rainbow and Thunderlane landed nearby and looked around the area.

“Looks clear,” said Rainbow. She looked over at Twilight. “We’re going to go ahead and head back to base.”

Twilight nodded. “Alright, but be careful on the way back. That imposter may still be around there.”

Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly and smirked. “He’s going to learn then that I’m not so easy to take down.” She looked over at Thunderlane. “Come on. I don’t want to be forced to clean the compound for a week because we’re late.”

Thunderlane nodded, and both of them took off into the sky. The group watched until they were specks in the night sky. The sound of a door creaking open caught everypony’s attention, and they turned to see Spike walking in.

“Where are you going, Spike?” asked Starlight.

He didn’t bother turning his head. “I’m just...tired is all,” he said. “I want to go to bed.”

Ember stepped forward. “If this is about what happened earlier, I can explain.”

Spike said nothing.

“Please, Spike. It wasn’t anything like that. I was just...well...um…” She felt her train of thought derailed and words failed her.

“I just want some time alone to think is all,” said Spike.

Before Twilight could say another word, Spike walked in and the castle door closed. Ember looked down at the ground and put a hand over her chest as she felt some sudden void in there.

Spike, what am I going to do? she thought to herself.

Spike laid on the bed in silence. His mind was racing with many questions and images of both Ember and Rarity filled his mind. He put his hands over his face and rubbed his forehead. He rolled over and his eyes fell upon a photo on his desk. He picked it up and looked at it. It was a photo of him and Rarity at the Crystal Empire shortly after the Crystalling. They were both smiling and sharing some cotton candy together. He felt a warm feeling in his heart, but yet the images of Ember flooded his mind again.

He groaned and sat up. “What am I supposed to do? I always liked Rarity when I first met her. Now I’m not so sure anymore. Sure I’ve only known Ember for a while, but she’s been really kind, sweet, gorgeous, and…”

Spike slapped himself and shook his head. “What am I even saying!? I like Rarity...and yet, Ember has had an impact on me as well. She’s the one who’s really shown me so much about dragons, and while she is a bit hard, she’s still nice and wants to help me out. She’s the kindest dragon I’ve ever met, and she’s even pretty cute.”

He looked back at the image of Rarity and frowned. “But Rarity taught me so much about being generous and I’ve always enjoyed being with her. I love helping her out and she always appreciate my help. I’ve always liked her so much, and she’s so beautiful in more ways than one.”

Spike leaned over and held his head. “What do I even do now? I can’t just pretend I didn’t see what Ember did today, but yet I’m not even sure she likes me like that. She’s never really shown much love interest in me. Rarity, however, seems to care so much about me. Yet, I’m not even sure what she thinks of me. They both see me as a friend, but yet I don’t know who I like more.”

Spike suddenly froze as a terrible realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He fell back onto his pillow and he had a look of pure shock on him.

“I...I think I’m in love with two of my best friends,” he said in awe. “Yet I don’t know who I like more.”

Author's Notes:

I am truly sorry with how long this chapter took, people. I never wanted it to get it out so late after the previous chapter. I've been overall busy with work and I've lacked motivation as well. I really hate just doing something like that when I'm sure you all don't want to be kept waiting for new chapters.

I can assure you all that we're pretty much at the halfway point now of this story. And I will do my best to work harder and get more chapters out soon. Part of the problem as well with this chapter is that I've been trying to tone down Rarity's actions in this story. I have to admit that I haven't been really writing her well for somepony who is jealous. I'm making her not so much jealous as I am making her an insufferable byayh. I hope this new chapter will make up for some of that.

Hope you all enjoy, and thanks for being patient!