It was lunch. Cardinal Spitfire had come in with the bulk of the Admirals since they had all gotten out at the same time. She wasn’t needed like Deke and Little. The Admirals didn’t try and talk to her and that was fine with Cardinal Spitfire. She had put her first flight jacket back on. It was keeping her warm when she shouldn’t be cold.

She was trying to find a spot to sit down and eat when a Pegasus who wasn’t paying attention slammed into her, splashing food all over her face and jacket.

Cardinal Spitfire wiped her eyes off with her wings and opened them. Lieutenant Honey Bee was standing right in front of her. A dish slid off his tray and clanked to the ground. He was frozen with fear. So was the entire mess hall.

He had obviously been released from the hospital. Sooner than he should have. Colonel Sky Breeze had to have put some pressure on the clinic to release him here rather than be sent back to the hospital at headquarters.

Cardinal Spitfire was fuming and it was obvious. Her jaw was set tight.

“This is my first flight jacket,” She said through her teeth. The hall was quiet enough that everypegasus heard it clearly. “My jacket from before things happened. My happy jacket.”

A Two Star General fearlessly stepped over to Cardinal Spitfire. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” She cooed. “This should come out. Your jackets are built to last.”

“Thank you,” Cardinal Spitfire finally was able to say.

Cardinal Spitfire was mad. Seeing him was bad enough, but this, while not his fault, seemed personal. She wised up and just dropped her empty tray. It made it easier for the General to get the towels to do their work. The room relaxed as the tray settled on the floor. It was over.

“Thank you Ma’am,” Cardinal Spitfire smiled. “I don’t know what has me in an odd bind right now.”

“It’s your first dear. This jacket has a lot of meaning for you. You have gone through a lot with it.”

“It still was an accident,” Cardinal Spitfire responded. “I shouldn’t be so upset.”

“Emotions are tough,” The General said finishing up. “There, that should do it.”

“Thank you Ma’am,” Cardinal Spitfire smiled. “I guess its back in line for food.”

“Nonsense! We have room here. They can bring you a new tray.”

“But!” Cardinal Spitfire wasn’t able to protest anymore as she was pulled down to the table, ending the conversation. A tray was quickly brought to her. She felt bad. Typically they worked to clean up their messes and got their own food if they spilled. It was cheating, especially with the line at the counter.

“Don’t worry about him dear,” The General said. “He ran off a while ago. He was smart.”

“I don’t intend to command through fear,” Cardinal Spitfire said in between bites. She was suddenly very hungry. More than usual.

Another General at the table spoke. “You get to be up at our rank, you either are friends, or you do not like each other.”

“I am not usually this, emotional. I had a hard time standing still in front of the Admirals for the meeting, and then here, it was a simple mistake. He should have known better with this crowd, but it is bound to happen. I have no idea why I am off today.”

The Two Star General put her hoof on Cardinal Spitfire’s. “When was the last time you were intimate? I was all over the place before we realized I was carrying my first.”

Cardinal Spitfire was shocked at it being so blatant.

“No,” She stammered. “No, its been months now. The last ACS we got one time in. We were married only a few weeks, but separated because of the school. We had no time them, and then we went to our jobs.”

“And there is no way I could ever turn my back on him like that. We made a promise to each other. And he will never break his. Nor will I. I wish it was that simple, but no.”

Cardinal Spitfire sighed a deep sadness. “That would be a wonderful gift, but no. It was a long assignment. It was weeks of mismanagement, not something that just happened. A totally different strategy from the previous sets of missions a few years back.”

“We should get that investigation opened again,” Another General stated.

“No,” Cardinal Spitfire said definitively. “It was laid to rest for a reason. Yes, things should have been different. But no. I trust the officers who put it to rest. Communication should have been better, that is all.”

“Whenever he figures out what is happening, he will come back. Honey Bee will be in trouble only from Shadow, if its deserved. Shadow will let that case rest. Justice will be found though.”

“Why don’t they just come back to their drop point and knock?”

“Because something bad happened,” Cardinal Spitfire said distracted. “Something broke them. They can’t trust above. If they could, they would be back. I am sure they are trying to get a message above. Not an easy thing to do. A message…”

Cardinal Spitfire perked up as she thought it through. If Shadow was going to leave a message without using technology, he only a few options. And only one of them didn’t endanger others. He wouldn’t risk the lives of innocent citizens.

She focused back on the table of Generals. “Sorry. I wish I could say more. But none of you can quickly grasp the complexity of things. The ACUs are quirky compared to the rest of the military. The Wonderbolts are shrouded legends. The Recon team was a mix of both.”

“I can’t explain things properly or risk exposing sensitive information. Information not even Lieutenant Honey Bee knows. Sorry I can’t say more.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” A General waved it off. “We all have to hide stuff and watch our tongues. For a variety of reasons.”

“Thanks,” Cardinal Spitfire smiled. “Thanks to all of you.”

She stood up. “I have to go find my Colonel. Thank you again. All of you.”

“And thank you,” She said to the Sergeant cleaning up the mess.

“Don’t worry about it. You do me a solid every day. Just returning the favor.”

“Do you a solid?” The Two Star General asked the Sergeant.

“Oh yeah,” The Sergeant replied. “She knows our names. Chats with us in line. A lot know our names, but few actually care enough to interact with us and check in with how things are going.”

Cardinal Spitfire didn’t have to find her Colonel. The Colonel was waiting outside on the steps for her.

“Good job. I am surprised you brushed it off like that. I thought the empty tray might be used.”

“It wasn’t worth it,” Cardinal Spitfire said firmly. “He isn’t worth it. I have much, much more important things to do and worry about.”

Cardinal Spitfire took in a deep breath. “Colonel, I want to request some personal time after the ACS is finished.”

“I need you to help lead the Officer School.”

“I know. But there will be some wiggle room, correct?”

“Depending.”

“I am talking four, maybe five days tops.”

The Colonel took a deep breath in. “I do not know the timing. But when the graduation ceremony is over, you will get your free time until the day before Officer School starts.”

“Thank you Ma’am!” Cardinal Spitfire said saluting.

“After everything, I should be saying thank you.”

The flight deck was clear. The teams were just beginning to assemble. It was horribly slow with so many here. Cardinal Spitfire ditched her jacket and slipped off her flight suit. She was defying everything. She dashed straight at the flight deck and charged across it without looking. She took off over the edge.

She had held it in long enough. Yesterday she had restrained herself like a good soldier after she knocked him back. Today she did too. More civil than anypony expected it to be. Yet She was burning inside. And through lunch it had grown to an almost raging fire. She needed to fly. To let it out.

She was going to get to that cave and she was going to leave a message for him if he hadn’t left one for her. Cardinal Spitfire pushed as she began to slowly come back towards the Squad Barracks. She was well past Zone 4 and the Fort’s boundary was coming up. She didn’t want to be intercepted and have to explain anything.

She just pushed her rage into her wings. It forced the fear that Shadow would never return out through her tear ducts, clouding her vision. With a deep breath in she put the last bit she was holding in reserve into what she had and shot off at double the speed than she expected.

General Shielded Vengeance was standing with Nova and The Wonderbolt Colonel watching the flight deck got organized. Most of them were outside.

“Where is Cardinal?” Marble Falls asked them. “I expect her training with us now that the Med-X is out of her system. We are not as good as we think we are when it comes to teaching the combat formations.”

The Colonel made a subtle gesture to her flight suit and jacket on the ground and out of the way.

“You won’t see her for the rest of the day. She has some stuff to work out. You don’t want her today. She is too distracted.”

“Damn it Filly Fooler!” Marble Falls swore. “I need her. I get it, but I can’t just go off whenever I need to blow off steam!”

The sky exploded, almost shattering their eardrums, as a ring of red flames ending in yellow tips opened up like a flower blooming in the sky. There was a long flame burning from it’s epicenter and speeding away.

“And she finally did it,” General Shielded Vengeance chuckled. “Good to see. We haven’t seen a real boom in ages. Even when trying.”

“Yeah,” Nova marveled. “But that isn’t a sonic rainboom. That is flames. She spit fire.”

“That is a horrible pun,” Marble Falls said, unable to stop watching.

“Yeah, but the sky is literally burning,” Nova defended. “Shadow Flare couldn’t do that. His would be a pretty boom. A dainty rainbow like you would expect from somepony who looks like a mare, but not like that.”

They had heard the sonic boom, but the impact of her breaking the sound barrier finally slammed into them, a testament as to how far away she had been. It hit hard but had nothing behind it, ending fast. She was long gone.

When Cardinal Spitfire finally figured out what had happened her heart burst with pride. It was flames. The fire inside her had exploded out. It wasn’t a fucking rainbow, it was her. She was way off her mark because of her speed. She rolled back in and around. If she was already doing it, she was going to milk it.

Cardinal Spitfire zipped around the backside of the Squad Barracks and came in low, right over the flight deck, causing a a team to hit the deck as the air burned above their heads. She turned and flew under the Squad Barracks and began to do loops over and around it, engulfing the air in flames.

She broke it off, hit a hard turn and brought herself over the flight deck. This time she dug her unprotected hooves in and slid to a stop in front of the ACB Senior Officers. She knew her grin was cocky as she began to walk off the deck to get her flight suit and jacket.

General Shielded Vengeance just smiled at her.

As she pulled on her suit, Cardinal Spitfire turned to Marble Falls. “How bad was it teaching them formations?”

Marble Falls was not expecting Cardinal Spitfire to sound normal. There was no hint of anything she had done.

“Bad,” Marble Falls stammered. “I was fuming when I found out you had taken off. Apparently I need to work on my tight formation flying. And you gave us a good hammering during our training.”

“Yes you do,” Cardinal Spitfire said as she put her jacket on.

“General,” Cardinal Spitfire said with a straight face. “On record. I am faster.”

She walked away, never loosing her composure.

“Oh!” Cardinal Spitfire exclaimed turning around. “Just because they have me on some Buck for yesterday’s injuries, well, I can do it any time, anywhere. That fire is inside me. My heart. Not my blood.”

“Damn Buck is making me cold though,” Cardinal Spitfire said walking away.

“Who put her on Buck?” General Shielded Vengeance asked, concerned.

“I did,” Olive Pit said trotting up. “Standard starting dose to help her body repair all the micro fractures in her bones and stitch up any troubled muscles. It is a common medical treatment for the fall she suffered. Especially since she has to keep moving. It was signed off by another, Master Sergeant Sunset Fury.”

General Shielded Vengeance shook his head to get it organized. “I believe and trust you. I saw you work yesterday. You would not endanger a patient. Especially a friend.”

“Her hooves have to be burning,” Olive Pit stated. “A stop like that isn’t fun. At least not when you end it.”

The Wonderbolt Colonel let out a chuckle. “She is feeling a different, better burn.”

“Captain Marble Falls,” Olive Pit said. “No offense, but she just became the dominant Pegasus here.”

“Good,” Marble Falls chuckled. “It is about time some Pegasus began to challenge me.”

“Lieutenant,” The Wonderbolt Colonel said, still watching Cardinal Spitfire saunter off with a good deal unknown swagger. “She just put her chip in the pot for the whole Wonderbolts and made several fold. When I finally got cleared for mine, it was a small one. I popped. But I passes and did my job.”

“I did better than a pop,” General Shielded Vengeance added. “But it’s blast ring was nowhere near that. That lit the sky on fire.”

“Seriously, more bad puns,” Marble Falls interjected.

“We haven’t seen that one like that in my entire career,” The General finished. “And she can teach. And she can do killer acrobatics. And her tight formation flying is top notch. Her clandestine activities, well I didn’t know some things were possible. Her hoof combat is her weakest, but it is solid too.”

“And she can fall out of the sky and live,” Olive Pit added.

“She will go places,” Nova stated. “And Equestria better watch out.”

General Shielded Vengeance raised an eyebrow at Nova.

“What?” Nova shrugged. “I’ve been below. I can say Equestria.”

“Fair enough.”

“Captain,” The Wonderbolt Colonel said. “I gave her free time in between schools. She knows she has to be back by the day before I start Officer School. But I do not know how much time we will have in between and she knows that.”

“But, she isn’t going home. Either home. That was clear and she wasn’t trying to cover anything. Just ask for permission for personal leave.”

“I am lost on that one,” Marble Falls replied. “At least off the top of my head. Somehow, Filly Fooler is involved. That I know for certain.”

The Wonderbolt Colonel sighed. “I wish I could give her the break she needs. Head home and mourn for a week.”

“Please,” Olive Pit snorted. “That refueled her more than a month off could. I have never seen her with that much joy. Although to be fair, we only were in the same Basic Training Barracks together. Basic is stressful. I never got to see the two of them together as one.”

“However,” Olive Pit said changing the conversation. “Captain, you never told us about yours.”

“I can’t, not solo,” Marble Falls replied stoically. “I can do it all and better than most, but I can’t pass that mark. I’ve ridden the edge for a good hour and more, but no.”

Nova chuckled mischievously. “And now you have a young one to prove to you are still the best in all regards.”

“Fine,” Marble Falls said, beginning to move and stretch her wings. “I’ll prove it.”

A deep boom that zipped into a high pitch went off and they saw the colors flow from the sky. It fizzed off a second later and the rainbow trail wasn’t long. But it was a solid Sonic Rainboom.

“And thus it begins,” General Shielded Vengeance smirked.

Another one went off, similar to the first except the blast started high and ended deep.

Marble Falls shook her head. “I better get Pony Patrol. That is Tuff and he has them lined up and shooting out from a formation.”

A third one hit, larger than the others but none were even half of what Cardinal Spitfire produced. Tuff’s last Wonderbolt struck home with another solid boom. The only difference was that it was a pure blue blast. All different shades of blue, but not an ounce of red or yellow in the mix.

As Marble Falls had Pony Patrol line up at the entrance to the flight deck, Astral Sunrise was taking Squad 43 into the air. The Third degrees had a lot to prove. They had to back up their name. Cardinal Spitfire was left to watch over Unit 0 since she had already proven herself.

When they were give the green flag Marble Falls lead them into a slow, perfect take off. She wasn’t in a hurry. This was something you warmed up too.

Astral Sunrise’s boom was like the northern lights, but small. Bigger than a pop, but small.

“Alright Pony Patrol,” Marble Falls said over their coms. “Simple. Fly fast, fly straight and when the air begins to resist, push harder until you breach it and blast off. I am confident you all can do it. Your times indicate you can. Don’t marathon it, sprint.”

“Order is Swirl, Twist, Lemon, Rasp and then me. Thirty Second intervals. So you better make it. It shouldn’t take more than 15 at these speeds.”

They were cruising at a fast pace, swinging in to where the Third Degrees were launching from. The last one went and Marble Falls brought them in perfectly timed for Cinnamon Swirl to jet off. Ten seconds later Cinnamon Swirl blasted past the barrier and put down a good Sonic Rainboom.

Fountain held her own with a boom she could certainly be proud of. Lemon Lime’s was small after a long, high pitched screech leading up to it and grating explosion. The concussive blast was impressive and unexpected from the visual size of her rainbow blast.

Marble Falls heart was beginning to be the only thing she could hear. Raspberry Lemonade shot off on time and Marble Falls began the countdown and then to count up. Raspberry Lemonade finally struck home after 43 seconds.

Marble Falls began slower than she should of with a bit of a wobble. She straightened out a few seconds later and by 10 seconds was at the cusp of breaking the sound barrier. She held there another twenty seconds, her speed perfectly balanced against the force bearing down on hear.

Marble Falls could not fail in front of the others. She would not. She was not ready to give up the dominate Pegasus here yet. She still had a lot to teach Cardinal Spitfire. She couldn’t fail for her. She used the rage of being denied so many times to push herself over the edge and shatter the sky.

Her Sonic Rainboom was only half the size of Cardinal Spitfire’s but it was one of the larger ones for the Wonderbolt standards. The noise was a unique crack as if glass under pressure was fracturing until it finally shattered in all it’s glory.

Marble Falls turned and swung up and around to skid to a landing on the flight deck. There was no time for show boating with so many working to prove they had to stuff to break the sound barrier with an explosion that could damage nearby pegasi and other structures if it was directed correctly.

Nova was the only senior officer on the flight deck. He pointed with his head as Marble Falls walked over to him. She looked up in time to see a really small burst of color and an actual ‘pop’. It was immediately followed up with another small blast and pop. It happened three more times until a small but solid blast finished it out.

“The Colonel go it,” Marble Falls stammered. “I am surprised the Colonel even tried.”

“The Colonel has to assert that rank,” Nova reminded her.

A very loud boom echoed over the Squad Barracks as another Sonic Rainboom exploded in the sky. It was an oval, not a circle. It’s tips were vertical, meaning it would easily strike the ground with a devastating blow, if it was performed low enough.

The Sonic Rainbooms were more than a staple to gauge speed and a status marker. They were a Pegasus’ magic turned into a physic, magical blast like a Unicorn could produce.

The Wonderbolt Colonel slid into a decent stop on the flight deck and dashed off to the side. It was good timing. General Shielded Vengeance touched down but couldn't hold it. He was forced up and then brought himself back down. He bobbed a few more time and skidded off the flight deck. He was slow enough he could easily flip back around and land solidly on all four hooves.

He laughed heartily. “So, I need to work on my high speed landing. But I haven’t flown like that in years. It felt good to let loose and kill the sky.”

“That it was,” The Wonderbolt Colonel smiled. “And Marble Falls finally passed that mark.”

Marble Falls couldn't respond. He face was frozen in a smile.

“So much for a pop,” The General said to the Colonel. “You had a good run popping before you hit a solid boom. I have never seen that before.”

The Colonel winked at him. “I have never had that much riding on me to perform one. Especially a good one. All these young ones were killing it.”

Marble Falls broke free. “Well you showed them you still got it. I wasn’t expecting either of you to give it a go. But I am glad you took up the challenge. Unfortunately, we just wasted half of an afternoon. On an unapproved aerial competition involving highly dangerous activities.”

“That isn’t exactly true,” General Shielded Vengeance said cautiously. “When I presented Lieutenant Commander Cardinal Spitfire with her uniforms, we had a talk. I did challenge her to find out if she could do one and if she was faster, or you were.”

Marble Falls hung her head in exhaustion. “Well then, that is approval enough. She did it when no teams had hit the air yet. Weather starts in the day after tomorrow. So they will lose a few days of general maneuvers. That is my only real qualm.”

Nova laughed. “But you love weather.”

“I just hope they are all ready for it,” Marble Falls replied. “Because I will be running four tracks at once to get the entire ACS through it all in three days.”

“I know you have it,” Nova smiled. “You never give up. You just did something you have been trying for years to accomplish.”

“Besides,” General Shielded Vengeance said. “Unit 0 was first in the sky and Cardinal Spitfire is attacking them with their formation flying. They are adjusting well to that.”

“They have to,” Nova stated. “They will be the extra Pegasus on the Unit for support. Which means knowing how to fly in all types of formations. They will probably know them better than the other ACUs. Typically tight formations are not taught until after or during weather to help them see the full value of them.”

It wasn’t long before a disturbance at the side blockade directed their attention. A Three Star General had entered with somepegasus in tow. Nova’s heart skipped a beat as soon as he realized who it was.

“NO!” Nova asserted. “He isn’t welcome here! The ACUs don’t need Crowd Control. That segment was canceled and both of you know it!”

“That is why I am here,” The General replied. “I am in charge of that and I still think we need their advanced skills to learn it to better protect the Pegasus Race. I am here to go over it with General Shielded Vengeance since I finally know where he is.”

“It is a step backwards,” Nova spat. “And if they are needed, If, they will be able to deploy. It is a waste putting them into Crowd Control. You know nothing about the ACUs!”

“I am the real expert,” Bull stated. “And they need to learn.”

“You don’t know shit!” Nova fired back. “You are a soulless bastard!”

“I do the tough job, but you can’t handle it!” Bull said taking a step forward.

“Go!” Nova ordered. “Last time I told you if you ever came back I would shoot you.”

“You don’t have the guts,” Bull smirked as he stepped right up to Nova. “You can’t kill me and you know it.”

“Don’t push it,” Nova growled.

“You are a coward,” Bull growled back, stepping further into Nova so he was forcing his head back. “You can’t handle the job and you shouldn’t even be in charge here. You don’t deserve your rank. And worst of all, how can you lead Aerial Combat Units when you can not fly?”

“You go too far! You and whoever that General is! Back off now and run. If you get caught here, you won’t be lucky. I have mercy.”

“Mercy is a weakness when your enemy is willing to kill.”

“Back off,” The Wonderbolt Colonel ordered. “None of us need your shit here. And you don’t want to test Nova’s limits. All I know is, His actions will even surprise me and the General.”

“The Aerial Combat Units are better soldiers than the rest of the Enclave,” The Three Star General stated.

“No they are not,” General Shielded Vengeance said getting defensive. “Good, yes. But not better. Its a tough philosophy. It takes the right soldier, but they are not better than any other soldiers. We have many fine soldiers all over. We are small and can keep a tighter grip on them. Most of what you are thinking of is the flare we can do. Show work doesn’t make us better soldiers.”

“Back down,” Nova growled at Bull again. “Or you will suffer my wrath.”

“You have no wrath. You lack a backbone.”

“What steroid regiment are you on?” Nova asked.

“You think I need meds?” Bull barked.

“Yes,” Nova smirked. “I do. It explains why you have no soul and are so ‘tough’ and ‘scary.’ Only steroids can do that.”

“I am my own Pegasus!” Bull said further stepping into Nova and making him crouch down.

“I assure you, he is not on steroids,” The General stated. “Unlike here. His is well honed skill.”

“That is low,” General Shielded Vengeance asserted. “And certainly not true. Ours is still a different skill that isn’t suited for this petty training. You have tons elsewhere you can be training.”

“And we are,” The General huffed. “But we are to do our duty and train them.”

Nova was not going to be left out. “The Council knows, and so do you, that we do not need it! Now go!”

“How does it feel to be put in your place?” Bull asked Nova.

“You might be bigger and stronger than me,” Nova hissed. “But you are not in any position to put me in my place. Nor is your pathetic attempt right now doing that. You are on me because you wouldn’t dare do it to a Wonderbolt or a General. Go whine and cry elsewhere! We have been kind enough!”

Bull laughed. “And what can you really do to me?”

Nova chuckled maniacally. “I am not warning you about me.”

“Who would dare to touch me?”

“That is a really bad attitude,” Nova pointed out. “And conceited. There are many here who would dare. And a good chunk of them already want to.”

“They are in the sky, playing around.”

“So far. But you keep me down here like this, it is only going to be worse.”

“I am shocked nothing has happened,” The Wonderbolt Colonel stated. “What? You don’t think he actually fears you. Or wouldn't put you in your place. No, that isn’t as much fun.”

Bull let a good hearty laugh that wasn’t quiet. “You are all talk! You know shit! You can do shit!”

Bull was knocked back a good twenty feet as Cardinal Spitfire slammed into the landing, forcing him back.

“Who dares?” She growled.

Cardinal Spitfire relaxed, but her voice was confident and clean. “Oh, its you. Fucktard number two on my list. We told you to never come back, or we would put a bullet in your head. You are lucky I am unarmed.”

“Ah, the Red Coward,” Bull spat. “You won’t even face me head on without a surprise attack.”

“All I saw was somepony over Nova. And that meant create space to defuse the situation. Yeah, I used my position to dive. Few others can do what I did to immediately create space.”

Cardinal Spitfire took a few sure steps forward. “I don’t fear you. You should fear me. You were told to never show your face here again. Run. Fly. Leave! Last warning.”

“You are weak,” Bull hissed. “Without the power of the dive you are nothing.”

Cardinal Spitfire charged. She faced Bull head on as they traded blows. She swept his front leg, dropping his head low enough for her to drive her forehead into his nose. She jumped back to stay out of his reach.

Every pegasi who had to undergo Crowd Control had landed and was standing around them, a wide birth. They were not happy he had shown his face.

“We are not letting you force any more of us into a stupid fucking Crowd Control segments!” Arrow barked.

“Orders are orders,” Bull shot back. He was ignoring his nose like it wasn’t broken. “You just can’t take it. I know how weak you were in the course.”

Bull took a step towards Arrow and Cardinal Spitfire jumped in between.

“We warned you,” Cardinal Spitfire hissed. “Don’t be stupid.”

“You won’t even attack me,” Bull laughed. “You are so afraid of me.”

“Crush him,” Flags ordered Cardinal Spitfire. “For us. For you. For Shadow Flare. For the farmers. For the good ponies that fear him because that is all he knows! He causes more problems than he solves.”

“I do a job you are too afraid to do,” Bull growled.

Cardinal Spitfire let her actions do the talking as she went in. She slipped low and drove he hind leg into his sternum. She felt it crack a bit under the pressure. She slid out under his side but he was ready for the move, driving home several strong punches. As Cardinal Spitfire threw a block, he turned it against her and cracked her foreleg.

Cardinal Spitfire screamed with pain and rage as she rolled back and out of his grasp. He was backing her against the Squad Barracks. She leaped forward and then vaulted over him as he tried to block her nonexistent attack.

Cardinal Spitfire bucked him in the chest like Shadow had done to her. Bull took a step to the side and tried to stay up but he fell onto his side. Bull was up no time.

“Enough!” The Three Star General ordered.

Cardinal Spitfire relaxed her stance but Bull didn’t.

“Bull, we are going. It is clear to me that it was a mistake coming here. The ACUs are not what we need to help us.”

“I’ll go once I have finished this whelp,” Bull asserted.

“We go now!”

“I am no whelp,” Cardinal Spitfire hissed. “But before you leave, you should know I am a third. A planned, approved, Third.”

Bull shook his head and then tensed up as he struck. Cardinal Spitfire dodged and weaved the initial volley and then landed two strong strikes on his upper leg. She followed through with a grapple and flipped Bull, slamming him to the ground. Cardinal Spitfire had worked hard on grappling with her size.

Broken arm or not, Cardinal Spitfire was on top and drove multiple punches into his head. She finished with an elbow straight down on his muzzle. She felt bone crack as she rolled forward, again out of his grasp.

“Leave,” Cardinal Spitfire ordered. “Leave now!”

“Or what! You are too weak to finish me in one go!”

“Fighting smart isn’t weak! But if you want, I will finish you. I will rip off your wings and bust a hole to below, sending you to the wastes below where the other soulless bastards are.”

“You don’t have the strength to break the clouds below. Let along rip a feather off my wings.”

Cardinal Spitfire cracked her neck. “One. Last. Chance. Leave.”

“No!”

Bull was forcing Cardinal Spitfire to come to him. But training as a Wonderbolt brought new tricks to her repertoire. Before Bull knew it, She threw him again.

His wing was in her mouth and she pulled it out, despite his fight and strength. Her teeth sunk into his flesh to the bone and Cardinal Spitfire Stomped on the bottom of his wing, using the leverage to snap it. She stomped on it again, higher. And then again and again until the entire wing was broken. Nothing spare.

When she spat it out, it flopped onto him, useless. Bull stood up, composed.

“That’s it?”

Cardinal Spitfire let out several mean laughs. “I figure that busting up one of your wings so bad it has to be removed is a worse, and a more fun, sentence than tossing you below. You will have to forever live with the shame of little me destroy it. It will be evident for all to see.”

“Bad choice,” Bull hissed. “I don’t feel pain.”

Cardinal Spitfire knew the color was fading from her face. She gulped trying to regather her strength. Busting his wing wasn’t easy on her mind. She could almost feel it happening to her wing.

Bull didn’t miss her hesitation and Cardinal Spitfire took several blows before she was able to sweep his leg and land him on his other side. She looked as the wing beneath him that was at horrifying angles, but it didn’t stop her from ripping his other one open and dealing the killing blows to each bone.

She took a few steps back, spitting his feathers out of her mouth. She knew his blood was visible on her lips and mouth. Bull took the moment to stand up.

“You still do not have the guts-”

“Fuck off!” Cardinal Spitfire ordered, silencing him. She began to circle his torn up body. “You are abomination. I knew you were soulless, but this is beyond that! This is a plague on the mind! You have no restraint, no care, you feel nothing and yet you are supposed to teach and lead us in protecting the Enclave from unruly demonstrations.”

“You can not connect with them! You go overboard with no ability to control your actions. Not even your General can get you to stop! You are a danger. A very big danger to the Grand Pegasus Race. You spread fear and hate! You stop peace by force! A world where there is oppression for even thinking about speaking out is not a grand race of any kind!”

“You work against the Council. I have no brand here, but I keep a hold out knife in my jacket. I am going to carve off your Cutie Mark and make it so that when everything heals, its hers over yours. If you survive going below, then you will never be able to come back up. Below is where monsters like you belong!”

Cardinal Spitfire’s lip tilted up into a dangerous smile. “I hope for your sake Shadow Flare never finds you. This is nothing compared to what he would do to you. Even banished below, its not enough for Shadow after all you have done to the farmers.”

The knife was out and in her mouth faster than the eye could see. Cardinal Spitfire moved in with a playful purpose. She had told him exactly what she would do. Now the fun began.

Bull tried, but almost immediately Cardinal Spitfire made the first gash as she slid underneath him. The second was made and she was forced to do a few back springs to get clear. She charged back in, this time she skip to the side and then threw her shoulder into his neck. As he took that half step to catch himself, she finished the one side in a swoop.

She wasn’t cutting with the edge of the blade. Cardinal spitfire was make sure the cut would heal in a nasty, obvious scar. She was tearing the flesh open with the flat tip of the knife.

It was lopsided and wanky, but the outline of the bolt was solid. The cloud was more of a circle than puffy and it only connected to the bolt for more of an ice cream cone look. But pegais would know. And if needed, a real brand would be brought forth.

Cardinal Spitfire was able to buckle his unmarked hind leg and finish his other side in a quick motion. She flipped back a few times to set up.

“Now all that is left is to kick you into the sky. And the make that hole for you to fall through, banished as an enemy to the Grand Pegasus Race.”

Cardinal Spitfire hopped in at full speed but dropped back at the last second. He fell for the feint and She launched herself into him, taking them into the sky. It wasn’t a good launch, but it put them over the side of the flight deck.

Cardinal Spitfire kicked him off her and dropped straight down. She kicked into the highest gear possible and struck as she braked at the clouds. The flaming boom tore open the clouds below and burned out the rest of the sky.

Cardinal Spitfire flipped around and watched him fall into the perfectly laid out hole. She sliced around it, flipping clouds up and into the hole, sealing it up before sweeping back around to land on the flight deck. Unit 24 was exposed more than the others and had caught fire.

Cardinal Spitfire held back a scream of pain as she put pressure on her front leg. She was unable to put any more pressure onto her broken foreleg. The Fight was over. Her body was done holding together. It was screaming at her to stop.

The senior officers were behind her, not by the Squad Barracks. They had watched from the edge as she finished him. She hobbled around to face them.

“How does it feel to make your first kill?” The Three Stared General asked.

“I didn’t kill a pony,” Cardinal Spitfire spat. “He was a beast.”

“Still, how did that feel?”

Cardinal Spitfire was raging about who he was, but the other emotions could not be denied.

“It feels empowering. I feel enthralled. My blood is wanting more. My mind wants more. There is an unexplainable high from it. I love it! My heart says to stop. That I am not this way. Not bloodthirsty. But I am. And it is not the same rage I have over the worthless fuck he is.”

Cardinal Spitfire couldn’t help but clench her jaw. “I feel like a monster. I have his fucking blood around my mouth even. I taste it on my lips.”

“You are not one,” Nova smiled with a deep joy. He had found somepony else who understood. “You have tasted battle. You are a warrior. Many can be soldiers, few can be warriors. A warrior thrives on battle but hopes and advocates for peace. You love it for the same reason I do. We are two of the same because when everything happens, when it all bursts into chaos, we do not. We can control and manipulate that chaos.”

“While others cower or are being brave, we enjoy the moment and chose how we act. They react, we act. It is not a monster to be able to love controlling that chaos. To make sure the righteous actions are taken. It is how you go about it that is the key. And what you did, you didn’t kill him like he goaded you too. You fought for it to end. You only did what you had to do once it was clear how gone he was.”

The Three Star General was nervous, but spoke up with a clear voice. “I will be reevaluating our Crowd Control class and put in new policies. We will retrain if we need to. I had no idea he had taken things so far. I knew he was rough and that pegasi had problems with it, but he never has disobeyed me or gotten close to it. If he could have been taken into custody, he would have been branded and sent below.”

“You did your job,” The General asserted. “I do not know who would have been able to take him in. I am sorry for the pain and suffering he has caused all of you. And I am impressed with your patience and skill. That and you put down a controlled Sonic Rainboom thing in like three seconds.”

“Once you unlock it,” Cardinal Spitfire smirked. “Well then it just is natural and easy for me. That makes not only two total, but two in one day. Not more than a few hours apart.”

“But Sergeant Major Sunset Fury,” Cardinal Spitfire called out. “I must apologize. I learned from Lieutenant Olive Pit how you handle the tough wing cases. I used what you could do to save a wing to ensure you couldn’t. I turned healing into suffering.”

Sunset Fury waved it off. “Please. The last thing you want is to get in a hoof to hoof combat with a Combat Medic. We know how to disable every part of you and make sure its not capable of being patched up. We use it when it must be used.”

“You did what you had to,” Morning Spark spoke up. “And I enjoyed it. Especially the wings. We treated way, way to many minor injuries when he was here last. And we had to patch them up and send them right back out. No rest, no break. It was a pleasure to see him be taken down.”

“Enough chit chat!” Olive Pit ordered. “She is not only battered and bruised, but her leg is fractured and its is swelling fast.”

“Oh,” Olive Pit said as he helped her hobble into the building. “You keep a knife in your jacket?”

“Yeah,” Cardinal Spitfire giggled. “Most Wonderbolts do. Some even add a small side arm. Like a really small one, designed for special… occasions we might face. I probably will begin to carry one as well. We have a few unique pockets inside.”

Cardinal Spitfire looked down at her jacket and sighed in grief. “It has been a tough day on my jacket. Tough enough to retire it from general use. I will have to break my new one in and have this one cleaned and polished.”

“The new one does reflect your new rank,” Olive Pit said as he got her undressed and into a bed in the clinic. “You will spend the night here. Its not going to be an easy night though. If you are going to be up and out, then we need to make some aggressive healing tactics.”

“Sparky’s got them,” Willow said coming in with Sunset Fury behind her. “Lets get to work and get her back on her hooves.”

Before Cardinal Spitfire realized what was happening, she was strapped into the bed. Her eyes got wide, but before she could ask, Sunset Fury answered her question.

“Direct steroid injections are not the nicest feeling. Just relax. It will be taken care of. You will walk out of here in the morning able to perform your duties.”

Cardinal Spitfire took in a deep breath and relaxed. She was in good, skilled hooves.

Next Chapter: Chapter 81 - Fifth Conclave Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 42 Minutes