Author's Notes:

BOOK 1: PART 4: COMMITMENT

They were flying through the course at high speeds in their official formation. That included quick changes at the spit second. They would elongating a side to make hard turns by making their inside edge more compact. Avoiding an obstacle often meant one side rotating up so they were upside down above the other, or stacking up on top of each other to slide through a tiny space.

On top of that, individual pegasi had to be ready to roll up or down if something popped up only in their way. Below, gunfire was one of those reasons. But there was no way to simulate hot lead and lasers coming that them.

Shadow wondered how much of this ruined city was from Captain Marble Falls memory. At least what she could remember. The full buildings they were headed into may or may not represent some city, but Shadow would not even recognize El Nino. And not just due to their speed.

A directional flag popped up and they were forced to turn to the left. It was a very tight turn, forcing the left wing to slide in. Shadow lost focus and slammed into the building. He dropped to the ground, unconscious.

“DAMN IT FILLY FOOLER! FALLING OUT ON ME AGAIN!”

Shadow woke up to them around him. A medic was looking him over. They had pulled him out of his armor.

“I am fine,” Shadow said trying to wave the medic off. He was pushed back down.

“What happened trainee?” Captain Marble Falls asked.

“Lost focus,” Shadow said. “I have run into worse.”

“Not at these speeds,” She shot back.

“I do not see any reason that he shouldn't be able to continue,” The medic said leaving.

“You don't just lose focus,” Captain Marble Falls stated.

Another Unit zoomed past them overhead.

“I can't be perfect,” Shadow said.

“You know that isn't a valid answer,” The Captain said annoyed. “You, Shadow Flare, do not lose focus. Ever.”

“I lost focus and misjudged the distance.”

“This wasn't clipping the building. You slammed into it face first. You armor saved your ass.”

“My mind slipped off of flying. I tunneled,” Shadow said sitting up.

“If you think that you can just glide through this, you are wrong. I can remove your ass from recon if I feel you are not ready. I can keep you out of recon for life. Shape up or you will die.”

Captain Marble Falls took off.

“Can she really do that?” Arrow asked. “You are already in.”

“Oh yeah,” Shadow said as Flags pulled him to his feet. “She can. It was not an empty threat.”

“I knew she had connections, but you are just here for supplemental training,” Flag said. “Right?”

“It's all complicated,” Shadow said shaking his head. “I have to pass or I will get pulled.”

“That didn't sound like just passing,” Cardinal Spitfire commented as another Unit screamed past them.

“Nope,” Shadow shrugged. “Lets go. I learned my lesson. Focus is back on track.”

“You armor,” Flags pointed.

“Right,” Shadow chuckled.

They ran the entire course three more times. It was long and there was an infinite number of paths that could be designated for that squad to fly. The flags made it so that they never got close to taking the same path twice, even for a short time. Pure reaction.

“Alright 41,” Captain Marble Falls said as they gathered around. “Good job, except for the run where Filly Fooler fell out of me again. Much better than I expected and much better than the other Units. Speed and reaction times were very impressive. If only one of you was a Lieutenant. What is left of the afternoon is off.”

They all went to take off their gear and get cleaned up without a time limit.

“You are just staring at you locker,” Arrow said poking Shadow.

“Huh? Sorry.”

“You are not okay,” Dipper stated. “I think its the letter. The Captain doesn't know about it.”

“That was a week ago,” Shadow said.

“So?” Dipper asked. “You have to work this out or you will get injured. Or worse, take one of us out.”

“I need a walk,” Shadow responded. “Clear my head.”

“You and your farming life with walking,” Arrow called out after him. Her voice was like a babbling brook, full of laughter, yet it felt cold.

He walked to the Squad Barracks and around the back. From there, he could see all of the recruit flight decks. They were almost done with that segment and were looking good. They were a special training group outside the normal ones in winter and summer.

“I thought I might find you here,” Captain Marble Falls said sitting down next to him. “Three intensive days leading. You poured it all into them, even though you barely got to know any. Thus is the life of an instructor.”

“But seriously, what happened?” The Captain asked confused.

“I stopped thinking,” Shadow admitted.

“So, what were you trying to not think about?” She asked kindly.

“This letter,” Shadow said pulling it out of a pocket. “Came when you had to leave for the afternoon.”

“That makes more sense. Bad news?”

“No, good news,” Shadow said quietly. “It worked. The farm will be passed down for their generations.”

“Because of you,” She said happily.

“Yes and no,” Shadow sighed. “I already am and always will be a big part of their farm prior to any of this coming up. It is all complicated. This 'science' stuff complicates the beautiful wonder of life and loving one's partner. It screws up what a farm family means to us. They already did that by founding that Homestead, but even more so now.”

“I am happy for them. They want me apart of everything that I can be and I want it as well. The wonder and simplicity of it all is destroyed. That is what confuses me the most. This could even go as far as saying it is extramarital sex.”

Shadow let what air was left in his lungs out. “My home, my community thrives on simplicity. Without it… it shakes the foundation.”

Captain Marble Falls nodded. “And you don't fly well and just blank. Is it okay if I read the letter?”

Shadow passed it to her. “It isn't anything new you didn't know.”

It didn't take long to read it. “I didn't know you withdrew bits to help. And asking for your help to pick a donor for your own sister…”

Shadow chuckled. “We love our community and they are handling things great, but this is going to really make things spin. And it doesn't matter how accepted their farm is, no stallion would be a donor, even paid and on a failing farm. That is way to foreign.”

“I have had recruits join up to support families, but never support like this,” She smiled. “You really are a special brother. You should figure out how to tell Cardinal Spitfire. Together you two overcome everything us instructors, and life, have been thrown at you. You will figure this out together.”

“I am very afraid,” Shadow said quietly. “I do not know how she would respond… Things are… complicated enough without throwing this into the mix.”

“You feel like you cheated on whoever you will marry,” Captain Marble Falls said getting excited. “That is it. It is so simple. You said it could be viewed as extramarital sex and you already view it as such. You can't fully see the amazing gift and love from it all. You only see it as if you did something the community finds very, very distasteful, shameful, and as a whole, tearing down, not building the community up.”

Captain Marble Falls pulled Shadow in for a tight hug. “I do not hug recruits or trainees. She stated firmly. “But I do hug friends. And you my friend, need a hug and reassurance that what you did is not shameful.”

“I could not do what you did. Well, do the opposite. My brother is having trouble. They have had two miscarriages. I don't think I could help them if there was a way to help, despite being family. Family means so much more to you than I can ever understand. Did you even blink when they asked?”

Shadow chuckled while he enjoyed the warm embrace. “They didn't directly asked. Just stated they wanted it and were behind it. I finished putting it all together asking the obvious question that they wanted me.”

“Of course that is how your family handled it,” Captain Marble Falls chuckled. “I wish we could call them.”

“I sent a letter to my family and another to my community a week ago,” Shadow said. “No idea when it will get to them, but the two of them would have had to be home by the time I sent the letters. I never sent a specific one to my sister, but they physically saw and spent time with me. I am way behind in keeping everypony posted. You guys have been brutal with no spare time. And we are better soldiers from it.”

“I pull off when I can,” She said kindly. “You had that afternoon off. It didn't even take two hours to fix.”

“What exactly happened about the armor?” Shadow asked.

“A certain pegasus wanted it issued to themselves. The few Mark 4s around here are all carried by officers or in positions they can not be removed from. It was the last one. You were a freelancing sergeant who's training didn't require you to have the Mark 4 model.”

“Let me guess. That pegasus has Mark 3?”

“It has been issued to that pegasus for years, and not from Fort Wind.”

Shadow pulled out from the hug.

“Thanks for caring,” Shadow smiled. “And for figuring that out. I also hate how easily you understand us.”

Captain Marble Falls chuckled. “It took a bit, but I figured out to read recruits. There are only so many personality types.”

“Today's exercises. How realistic were they?”

“Way to realistic. Nova and I pieced it together with what we could remember. We built the back half as if the city was still standing. Many buildings were hugely intact. Plenty still are. Think you could handle lead?”

“I have to,” Shadow replied. “I have to.”

“You will have a few days to prepare,” Captain Marble Falls said walking away. “Tomorrow brings weather.”

Shadow made it in time for dinner and polished it off before half of them were done. They were lazy at eating dinner in an attempt to avoid the skills session. They were lined up before Shadow was done preparing. They could handle dive rolls, back flips and springs, the tucks were coming along nicely, along with hoofstands. They all could handle doing it alone, now they just had to learn to hold it longer and walk.

“This one looks complicated,” Captain Marble Falls admitted.

“Just a different mindset,” Shadow stated.

He took a few steps back and launched into a simple vault. He landed on the cloud behind him that was ready.

“A simple vault,” Shadow said from on top. “You can see I got up the same high as the next floor of a building. It is useful in many ways, including being able to stay lower when you come up on a new floor, rooftop or anything. Along with the sneak aspect, you are in motion, which allows you to transfer that into a dodge, attack, or anything else. It is way faster than flying.”

“Very useful if your wing is injured,” Captain Marble Falls added.

Shadow finished setting up the last two sets of clouds. Each squad had their own, including the Wonderbolts. Shadow watched them as they slammed into the cloud walls.

“You have to apply the pressure of your hooves at an angle,” He coached. “Their angle dictates how you will move.”

Cardinal Spitfire never had a problem with vaults so she was helping others. The Captain picked it up on the first try, and the rest of the Wonderbolts were right behind her. Shadow moved the landing platform back to challenge them.

It was a short training session. Most of them had taken their fair shares of slams and falls.

“How high can you do?” Shadow was asked.

“Six,” Shadow said after a few seconds to think.

“Prove it.”

Shadow smiled and set it up. He got a good running start and then vaulted off the first. He was fine for the first two, after that it became tough. Third and four he dropped a lot of height. Five his back hooves were on the bottom of the wall which meant that for six he had to double over, bringing his rear hooves to his front to spring off. He got a good push, allowing him to float through the back flip and easily land on all four hoofs.

Cheer erupted from below. They had thoroughly enjoyed watching him be challenged for once. They all helped bust the clouds up and headed off to bed.

“That felt good,” Shadow said as he came into the Unit. “I haven't pushed myself like that since before Basic.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Flags said. “It suits you and calms you.”

“I have not had time,” Shadow chuckled. “I got a little here and there, mostly in exercises. Diving to avoid this, vaulting to get on top of that.”

“It was good to see you, you,” Cardinal Spitfire said.

“In other words, no more kissing walls,” Arrow poked.

Shadow slowly shook his head as they laughed.

“I am getting the extra sleep if I can,” Shadow said plopping onto his bed.

“I wonder what is tomorrow,” Dipper said. “I got the feeling it was not going to be the same thing.”

“Weather,” Shadow yawned from under the covers. “Wind, Rain, Cold and then Ice. Maybe not in that order.”

“How do you know that?” Flags asked as he laid down.

“The Captain and I ran into each other on my walk,” Shadow said as if it was nothing.

“Look out Cardinal Spitfire,” Arrow giggled. “You are going to have to fight for the Captain's love.”

Cardinal Spitfire gave her an evil glare.

“What?” She whined. “There is no way they just ran into each other. She sought him out.”

“Just friends,” Shadow sighed.

They all looked at him, wanting more details.

“As soon as graduation ended, things got really interesting and we kept running into each other at the wrong place and time,” Shadow explained. “So when she became my weapons instructor, things just fell into place. Have you seen her go easy on me?”

“I would say she is toughest on you,” Chocolate said as he killed the lights.

“Good,” Shadow admitted. “I felt that as well. It is all out of love and what is best for me, and all of you. She got a deeper look than anypegasus at the base here for what recon means. She knew what she was doing for the armor and my guns. She has predicted things well. And I am sure there is a checklist on things I have to excel at for this school.”

“You seem to know a lot more than you let onto,” Cardinal Spitfire coaxed. “I didn't think you held much back from me when you got kicked into being Acting Captain. I thought you only left out one or two minor things so I could help screw your head on straight. Now I wonder just how much you know.”

“Fair,” Shadow said turning onto his side to look at her. “I know that I know more than I do. I just do not know what I know.”

Cardinal Spitfire chuckled. “That sounds about right.”

Shadow sighed and calmed his mind down to sleep. He looked at Cardinal Spitfire. She was also on her side, looking at him. Shadow thought he saw a smile on her lips. It was hard to tell in the lighting. There were no windows in the units.

“Weather!” Captain Marble Falls said as they lined up in the morning. “Today we will all start with winds. The weather segment is under my exclusive control. For now, we will be running in teams. These weather patterns are no joke. I need to make sure that you are prepared to handle them in your team before you face them in a Unit. Go eat, then we will begin a light workout to get you in gear for excessive winds.”

“Is this going to be as bad as I think?” Flags asked.

They all said 'yes' at the same time and laughed.

“You might want to start with Arrow as lead,” Shadow suggested. “She was tested on this not to long ago.”

“I got tested on wind,” Arrow frowned. “But not gale force patterns she sent you into.”

“Be ready for everything to shift,” Cardinal Spitfire advised them. “Be ready to spin out, be ready to be thrown into clouds. Just know that most of the day you are going to fail because she will make you fail.”

Flags was obviously disturbed.

“We are not being throw into a twister,” Shadow stated. “Just learning how to navigate and anticipate. Learn by failing. “

“Cardinal Spitfire and Filly Fooler,” The Captain greeted them after breakfast. “I was trying to figure out how to challenge you two. This is the same course after all. I decided that I am going to have you dropped into that to start.”

“That is a twister,” Flags exclaimed.

“Good observation flags,” Captain Marble Falls said. “I am assuming they said I would not toss you into a twister?”

Flags just nodded his head.

“Well they were right. I am only going to drop them into it. She wants Wonderbolts, and Shadow knows what recon requires.”

“So apparently I definitely know more than I know I know,” Shadow stated.

Captain Marble Falls sighed. “I can't seem to keep ahead of you two. To a degree, you predicted a twister.”

“They were apart of it too,” Shadow said pointing to the others.

“He thinks you have a checklist,” Arrow bounced back. “For him getting into recon.”

“Nope,” The Captain smiled. “I am the checklist.”

She sent them on their way. Shadow and Cardinal Spitfire stood on the cloud looking down into it. There was an unnerving lack of instructors or anypony where they were.

“Sorry,” Shadow said.

“Sorry? For what?”

Shadow just pushed her off the cloud and into the vortex. If she said anything, it was sucked away before it reached him. Shadow leaned over, relaxed and fell as loosely as he could into the cloud. He kept his eyes closed for a bit, feeling things out.

When he felt he had it, Shadow opened his eyes and began to fly with the vortex. He first attempt to slip out slammed him back into the middle where he sucked away and taken where it wanted him to go. He had hit a harder wall than his head on collision the day before.

Shadow had no idea where Cardinal Spitfire was. She could have already escaped, or be lying somewhere injured, the second being very unlikely. Seeing where you were was impossible and there was no way to navigate. It was like your vision was also torn away by the wind.

Shadow set himself back into feeling the wind. When he felt he was connected he made a second attempt, only to find himself hitting a solid wall again and spinning out of control.

Captain Marble Falls chuckled as Arrow and Flags were kicked out to be caught in clouds placed there for safety. The other squads were having just as much trouble. But the other Units were not hers, so it was less satisfying. Very satisfying, just not absolutely completely satisfying.

Besides Cardinal Spitfire, there were the four others from their barracks who were wanting to go to Aerial Combat School. But they were not in Units together and they seemed to have forgotten everything they were supposed to learn. Then again, this was all weather that would ground any groups except maybe the Wonderbolts. And even she wouldn't go into these conditions unless it was absolutely necessary. And there were few necessary reasons to risk these.

Shadow forced himself to relax. He had been in for almost two hours and still had not see any sign of Cardinal Spitfire. He only knew the time from his armor's heads up display. It was all he used it for right now.

Every attempt to follow the wind and then slip out with it failed. It was time to think backwards. The cyclone was strong enough to keep him inside when he followed it's rules. Which meant he had to break it's rules. The first was the direction he was going in.

Shadow slipped backwards and was facing the strongest he had ever flown against. He let it pushed him back as he slipped closer and closer to the wall. He could hear his wing's armor shred the wind. He slipped to the side more and more.

Soon Shadow was in a lot of pain as his wing was trying to be ripped back. It was now or never. Shadow pulled himself into his wing. At the same time he flipped it open for optimal surface area. He used it to block his body and roll out of it's grasp.

Shadow was free but in a nasty spin out. When he finally got his eyes to stop looking at two different spots he opened his wings and pulled up, gliding back to the flight deck. He never made it as his wing gave out. Shadow was falling helplessly with a wing that was unable to bear any weight.

As he began to try and glide down with a single wing he was picked out of the sky and before he knew it, set down on the flight deck besides the Captain.

She just looked at him and then at the Wonderbolt who had brought him.

“DAMN IT FILLY FOOLER!”

Shadow shook his head trying to clear it from the noise of the wind and her yell.

“Where is Cardinal Spitfire?” The Captain asked focusing on the wind track.

“No idea,” He said as he tried to pop his ear. “I couldn't see her after I kicked her in first.”

Captain Marble Falls almost fell over laughing. “You are going to get it for that move.”

“Calculated risk. And now I am putting everything on her not hurting an injured teammate.”

“What did you do Filly Fooler?” She growled, looking at him.

“Busted my wing getting free. Could only do it because of the armor.”

“How exactly did you get free?” She asked with her jaw tight.

Shadow explained his method.

“You sliced a hole in that and slid out!” The Captain exclaimed. “That… is impossible. That should have failed as well. I ramped that thing up so high not even in my armor could I escape!”

She shook her head annoyed. “Get out of your armor and lets get ice on that wing.”

Shadow came back with and ice pack on. “Ma'am?”

“Yes?”

“How was I supposed to get free?”

“Let it spit you out,” She said annoyed. “There is supposed to be no way out. Apparently that is flawed thinking, but it obviously came with grave consequences that could have proved deadly. And yes, there are a few Wonderbolts watching for safety. She has not exited.”

Shadow laid down and watched them work on the wind patterns. Captain Marble Falls worked them all through lunch. Weather was her forte and guilty pleasure. Mid afternoon, the first team made it past the last headwind and was given leave to rest.

It wasn't much later that Cardinal Spitfire was shot out of the twister. Her panicked screams were very easy to hear. She also was snagged and brought in.

“Damn it Shadow! That wasn't funny!” She said stumbling over. Her anger was sucked away and converted into just enough energy to keep her standing. “Did you hurt your wing?”

Shadow just nodded.

“How?” She asked very concerned.

“I used it to slice a hole in the wall to slip through,” Shadow replied with no emotion. “Not smart. Well, smart, but I was sent into an unrecoverable fall. Hence the ice pack.”

Cardinal Spitfire shook her head. “I can't be mad at you right now!” Cardinal Spitfire stomp the ground, pouting a bit. “I want to, but can't. And not because you are injured. I don't know why. I just can't.”

Captain Marble Falls turned to look at them. “Cardinal Spitfire, you are free for the day. You can remove your gear.”

“Are we doing skills Captain?”

“Shadow?” Captain Marble Falls asked.

“Nothing physical,” Shadow decided. “I do want to see if they could apply anything they have learned on the ground to out there.”

“This will be an interesting session. Very valuable for future training.”

Cardinal Spitfire joined them after a little while. He braids were wet from a shower. She laid down next to Shadow to watch the others with him.

“I am glad we are not in that,” She said to him after a while.

“We would have been able to conquer it our first go, even that last headwind. Our flying has improved so much.”

“That headwind holds nothing compared to that twister. I hate that course, but now you made me wish we could attack it together, but somepony had to hurt himself.”

“We will see it tomorrow in the squad,” Shadow replied. “And we will figure out a way for all of us to deal with it.”

“Progress on the others?”

“They come around every so often, but I can't really tell much from here.”

Shadow stood up. “Lets go for a walk.”

They quietly walked around for a while before Shadow sat down in one of the two private places in the zone. Cardinal Spitfire laid down beside him, head on the ground. Shadow sighed contently and laid down as well.

“Las Pegasus,” He said softly.

Shadow knew she was awake, but she had decided not to respond.

“I went there to meet up with Early Blossom and Cherry Tart. You remember my response from day two about filly foolers not being good for a farm where I am from, and hurts the community. Still holds true. Cherry Tart is pregnant.”

Cardinal Spitfire's ears perked up.

“A farm can't survive unless it is also producing foals. I had some things to work out in my head over the whole thing. The letter they sent me telling me she was pregnant, it forced it to weigh heavily on my mind. Hence me slamming into the wall. The Captain figured things out and knocked some sense into me last night. She had the advantage of escorting me to the family emergency.”

Shadow sighed and put his head on the ground besides her's. He had to close his eyes before he could continue.

“She is pregnant because of me, from me, by me, something me. That is where I was getting caught up on. Still am. The whole thing was done with medical science. I was the donor and then they took mine and then took all of her and did… it.”

“I much prefer the quiet simplicity of two ponies getting married, having fun getting intimate and letting the magic happen. The wonders of pregnancy and birth. Simple. Wondrous. A miracle. This was anything but that. It took all of that away.”

“I am honored that they asked me. It wasn't because I was family, but what I represent. I became a key part of their farm before joining, and now am even a bigger part. They will never give up the bedroom they gave me. It is mine for life. I will end up there to live out my days. I didn't even think about not… donating.”

“But since, I have been working through shame. I didn't realize that as honored as I was, as easy of a decision it was, that I felt ashamed. Not for helping them… but because I had it twisted in my head that it somehow effects me and my future love life. That I already cheated on my special somepony by helping my sister and her… spouse.”

“You are so stupid.”

Shadow opened his eyed to find Cardinal Spitfire's looking at him. He picked his head up to look her eye to eye.

“So stupid. But your simplicity...” Cardinal Spitfire planted a slow kiss on his cheek. “And yet you didn't even think before feeding me to that vortex.”

Shadow chuckled and she joined in.

“I had no idea what to do. I just instinctively tossed you in first. I do not understand how I never got any sign of your existence in the vortex.”

“I was as lost and scared as you were I guess.”

She put her head softly on the ground. “This isn't two scared…”

“I understand that no matter what, it is scary,” Shadow replied. “Has anypony here spoken to you about any of… it?”

“No,” She said. “But we are teammates in a squad. And after this…”

“Recon,” Shadow said smiling at her. “And then after that, eventually you test and pass and become a Wonderbolt. And eventually you settle into a Unit assigned to some base. And I will be settled into a Unit at some base. There are plenty of bases. And then we both will retire. And who will we retired to?”

“That is what I was told a few weeks back,” Shadow explained. “With assurance that there are a lot of military families with both parents active duty Enclave soldiers. Actually, it was Lieutenant Glitter after watching us together, working and leading naturally.”

“And Captain Marble Falls,” Shadow said slowly. “Well she didn't give any warning that it was bad. She only said more about our ability to work together. She told me I needed to tell you because together would would overcome it. That we have overcome everything they have thrown at us, and that life has as well.”

“You use gambling references,” Cardinal Spitfire said. “Have you ever gambled?”

“Yes, but not for bits. Not for anything serious except pride. And that did get heated. You had your chips and you won and lost and you didn't turn them in at the end. You held them for next time, with whoever you were playing. Luck always seemed to tilt my way. On top of being smarter than they are. Why?”

“This is a huge gamble. Both of us have to put every chip in. And… I have never gambled so I can’t continue with the metaphor.”

They laughed together. Shadow let all of the air in out and laid his head onto Cardinal Spitfire's. They quietly stayed like that for a while until the noise by the Squad Barracks indicated the others had been released for dinner.

They continued in silence as they entered and got their food. When they sat down at the table, everything changed. They were no longer alone and they were pulled into the conversations and stories.