//------------------------------//
// Repaying a debt 
// Story: A Job With Benefits 
// by Boomstick Mick 
//------------------------------//

Luna's shroud of twilight blanketed the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, bringing with it the nightly symphony of the surrounding nocturnal wildlife. Soarin admired the encompassing sights and sounds as he made his way to his dilapidated hovel, a pack filled with pillows and blankets provided by his employers on his back. Granny Smith and Applejack were nothing short of generous to him upon informing them of his situation, that he lacked even the most basic of necessities, such as bedding. They had even offered him a couch from their den as a house warming gift, but he had politely declined. As destitute as the Stallion's situation seemed, he still had plenty of money left over from his previous occupation; it would harry at his conscience to accept such charity when he was well-off in terms of finances. 


When Soarin finally arrived at his barn, he placed his hoof upon the door. This was the moment he had been dreading for some time now -- it was time to see his new living quarters. He turned his head and took one last longing look at the cozy-looking two story homestead across the field before finally pulling the barn door open. The hinges, black and rusty from decades of neglect, made a harsh metal-on-metal grinding sound. The scream that emitted from the hinges of the front door of the Apple family home suddenly seemed like a beautiful siren's song in comparison. 


Soarin crossed the threshold of his new home and scanned around near the doorframe for a light switch, but he couldn't seem to find one. He didn't know why he was expecting to; the construction of the old barn may have predated the discovery of electricity itself. He moved forward at a slow, methodical pace, careful to not collide with any foreign objects within the blackened confines of the ruined structure. 


He felt his hoof kick something, something that felt like glass. The object was sent rolling until its brass bottom and glass body caught the pale shafts of moonlight shining through the hole in the roof, and he realized that it was an old kerosene lantern. Soarin picked it up to inspect it. "An antique," he mused as he examined the archaic device. He gave the flint nob an experimental twist and, much to his surprise, the wick inside of the glass cylinder came to life with a dancing flame. "Must have been recently used."     


No longer blind, Soarin lifted the lamp level with his face and observed his new surroundings. It was now understandable as to why Apple Bloom could think this worn down structure was haunted. If he could rewind time back to when he was a kid he may have thought the same thing. There was a derelict scarecrow in the corner, which cast an unsettling dancing shadow upon the wall behind it in the lantern's tawny glow. The twisted stitched smile and its wide-brimmed hat didn't make it any less chilling to gaze upon. An old harvesting scythe hung from a nail on the wall. Next to it was a rusted old pair of gardening sheers, which looked as if they were large enough to decapitate a Minotaur with one snip. Brown, corroded chains, once used for storing large farm equipment overhead, hung and swung loosely from the rafters. There did not seem to be one floor board that didn't creak in protest to his weight, and the walls and what was left of the roof groaned in agony every time the wind shifted. Soarin contorted his face into a forced expression of optimism, hoping that maybe if he poured some tender love and care into this place, he could upgrade it to a piece of crap. 


Soarin noticed a wooden upper deck at the far end of the barn. Curious, he approached it. With the handle of his lantern clinched between his teeth, and with a languid leap, Soarin cleared the twelve foot jump and grappled the ledge of the hayloft. Though his muscles ached from the labor he had done with Braeburn earlier, he still managed to pull himself up and over the threshold with minimal effort. There was a round window recessed in the wall, and below it was a pile of straw. It wasn't much in terms of a bed, but it would have to do. It was either that, or sleep on the rough wooden floor to risk waking up with an ass full of splinters. He set the lantern down, spread his bedding over the soft straw, and immediately collapsed into it. The stiff stalks would normally irritate him, but in his fatigued state he might as well have been lying on a cloud.  







Soarin was suddenly stirred from his sleep by a mysterious creaking from somewhere in his barn. He opened his eyes, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw who was standing over him. "AJ?" Soarin turned his head to survey the ledge of the second story deck, then he looked back at her. "How'd you get up here?" 


With a playful giggle the cowgirl placed her hooves against Soarin's chest and straddled him. 


"AJ, w-what are you..." Soarin's words escaped him with a quivering sigh when she leaned down and gently kissed him up and down his neck. The stallion could feel his blood heating as he closed his eyes, enjoying the sensual caress of the mare's soft lips. Soarin no longer needed to ask her of her intentions. She was making them quite clear. He wanted her the moment he saw her, and it was now obvious that she felt the same way about him. He reached out to take her in his arms.


"Partner," she purred in his ear. 


"What did you just call me? What happened to sugarcube?" Soarin's eyes rounded when her voice suddenly became deeper. 


"Yer a good lookin' guy an' all, but ah prefer mah stallions to be a little more... How should ah put this..? Female."


Soarin's eyes snapped open, and staring right back at him were the quizzical eyes of a bulky golden stallion. It took the somnolent Pegasus's brain a few seconds to register the situation... 


"GAH! BRAEBURN, WHAT IN TARTARUS!" He shoved the earth pony back in a panic. "What're you doing in my bed!"


"Ah was tryin' ta' wake ya, when you suddenly pulled me on top of you," the cowboy explained matter-of-factly. 


"I thought the roosters were supposed to wake me," Soarin said.


"Shoot, they stopped crowing 'bout an hour ago," announced the cowboy. "If Ah would'a known you was one of them sleep-cuddlers, ah would have kept mah distance and splashed some water on ya, or somethin'."


"Well, I'm sure as tartarus awake now..." Soarin paused awkwardly. "I guess I'm not used to waking up this early yet. AJ isn't mad at me, is she?"


"She didn't seem too miffed about yer absence over breakfast. Ah asked if she wanted me ta' go get ya, but she said she had somethin' special planned for ya. Said she wanted ya to be rested up."


"Rested for what?"


Braeburn shrugged. "Dunno, but she said she wanted to talk to ya about it when ya woke up."


"Do you know where she is?"


"Last Ah saw, she was headin' for the cellar."


"I guess that's where I'm headed, then." Soarin stretched before rolling out of his crude makeshift bed. He sidestepped Braeburn, approached the ledge of the deck, and he spied the ladder the Earth Pony must have used to gain access to the loft. "So, that's how you got up here?"


"Yup," Braeburn replied. "Ah tried callin' out to ya from down below, but you was dead to the world. Sorry if Ah startled ya."


"And I'm sorry I violated your personal space." Soarin smiled sheepishly. "No one has to know about that, right?"


"Shoot, you think Ah want anyone knowin' about it?"  


That was all Soarin needed to hear. Feeling too awkward to carry on with the conversation, he turned his head and studied the large hole in the roof. It was just the right size to accomodate his wingspan for swift egress. "I'll go see what AJ wants with me."


"No problem. Ah'm gonna be helping Big Mac out in the orchards if ya need me."


"Sure," Soarin said, "and again, I'm sorry for... You know." 


"It's alright," Braeburn said with a lighthearted chortle. "Next time Ah'll get Big Mac ta' come wake ya up. He likes ta' cuddle, too."


That was Soarin's cue to end this uncomfortable bit of dialogue before it could get any stranger. "I'll, uh, catch you later, Braeburn," was his farewell before he hastily took off through the hole in his roof.  


Soarin soared across the emerald pasture, then rounded about the Apple family house until he came upon the cellar in back. Its doors were hanging wide open on their hinges, with the large iron padlock dangling loosely from the latch that clasped them shut. Carefully he descended the stairs, into the darkness of the underground corridor. 


The air in the belly of the cellar seemed cooler and dryer than it did above ground, and it was thick with the sweet yet bitter scent of ripening fruit. There were rows upon rows of wooden barrel racks, which were spaced from each other at just enough of a berth to allow one to walk between them.   


Soarin skirted along the edge of the tall wooden columns until he noticed a light source burning at the far end of the cellar opposite him. It was Applejack rummaging through a wooden barrel by the light of a kerosene lamp. "Hey, boss," Soarin announced as he approached, careful so as to not startle her. "Breaburn said you wanted to talk to me?"


Applejack looked away from what she was doing to greet him. Her hair caught the firelight from the lamp, making it shine with a radiant golden aura. Her smile was as welcoming as it always was. "Hey, there ya are," she said sweetly. "How ya doin', sugarcube?"


An angel without wings. "Rested and ready to work, madam captain," Soarin responded with an eager salute.    


Applejack chuckled. "You don't gotta address me with them fancy titles, Mister Hotshot Wonderbolt." 


"Yes, Captain. Madam, I mean. I meant Madam AJ! Dammit!" 


Applejack snorted as she restrained a laugh, a quizzical smile spreading across her face.


Soarin wanted to slap himself, he felt so stupid. "You know what," he said, "let's start over again. Hello, my name is Soarin, and I'm here for the job in the paper!" Soarin pretended to reach out to shake her hoof, in the hopes that his silly antics would distract her from how ineloquent he was being.


Applejack laughed at that. "You are so silly."


"Yeah," Soarin admitted with a self deprecating smile, "that describes me pretty well."


Applejack punctuated the end of her mirth with a sigh before she turned herself around to resume whatever it was she had been doing, before Soarin came bumbling in and distracted her. She removed an apple from the barrel, then examined it with a scrupulous gaze, then dropped it in a satchel bag that she wore at her flank. Soarin watched with mild amusement as she did this, unsure as to what could be going in to her seemingly strenuous process of selecting a piece of fruit. "Mind if I ask what you're doing?"


"Picking out some apples for the pie stand. Only the best will do."


"Well, that makes sense, since you do make the best pies," said Soarin.


Applejack chuckled. "Granny raised me up to be modest, but on this Ah'd have to agree. Mah apple pies are to die for." Her voice took on a wistful tone as she said, "Especially when you add in a pare."


Soarin screwed up his face. "Did you say a pare?"


The Earth Pony looked back to favor him with a smile. "Story for another day, sugarcube." She turned back to face the barrel. As she was digging around she said, "Did ya know it's Rainbow Dash's birthday today? We're planning a party for her tonight at the Ponyville town square, and Ah bet she'd get a real kick out'a you attending it, Mister Wonderbolt."



The announcement took Soarin by surprise, so much so that he forgot to be awkward. "Rainbow Dash, It's her birthday?"


"Yup, an' If ah'm not mistaken, ya'll know each other pretty well, don't ya?"


Of course Soarin knew Rainbow Dash. He had nothing but admiration for her for saving his life on several different occasions. He owed a debt to her that he feared he would never be able to repay. "It's Dashie's special day, huh? I don't mind hanging out with her on her birthday, but I'm not a Wonderbolt anymore."


Applejack dropped another apple in her bag before she responded. "Yeah, Ah know that, but Ah still think she'd get a kick out'a you showing up to her party."


Soarin scratched his chin as he pondered over what would be a suiting gift for someone who has saved his life not once, but twice. Not to mention all the times he had read about her saving the world with her friends, whenever the crown or the fate of Equestria hung in the balance. "I don't suppose you have any gift ideas?"


"Ah do, as a matter of fact. That actually brings me to the other thing Ah needed to talk to ya about."


"I'm listening," Soarin said attentively.


Applejack looked back at Soarin with an expression that was difficult to read. "You, uh, still got that flight suit of yers?"


"I have a whole closet full of them in my quarters back at the academy. Why?"


"Well, Rainbow Dash likes to collect Wonderbolts memorabilia. And Ah was thinkin' that -- maybe, since ya ain't gonna be usin' em no more..."


Soarin, anticipating the request, smiled amiably and said, "She can have one."


"Really?" Applejack's face was aglow with gratitude. "Ya mean it? Ah mean, Ah know those suits must have some sentimental value to you."


"AJ, it's okay," Soarin insisted. "I'm not a big fan of holding on to the past. If you think Rainbow Dash would like one, I'll be more than happy to present one to her as a gift." He of course omitted the fact that the suits technically weren't his to give away. They were the property of the academy. However, they were custom tailored to his exact measurements; It wasn't likely that they'd be worn by anybody else. They would probably be stored away when the board eventually turned his estate over to his replacement, to never see the light of day again. If Rainbow Dash wanted one, he didn't see why she shouldn't have one. 


Applejack bounded across the short distance between them and threw her arms around him. A sudden flash of heat stung Soarin's cheeks as he stood there, in her embrace. 


"Oh, Sugarcube," the oblivious farmer said, "you are sweeter than granny's cinnamon apple fritters! Thank you so, so much! Ah can't wait ta' see the look on Rainbow Dash's face when she sees your amazing gift! Name your price. Don't be shy, now. What would you say giving that suit up would be worth to ya?"


Soarin stood an entire head taller than Applejack. In such close proximity his senses detected a hint of the orchards wafting off her mane. She smells as good as she looks. Flustered, Soarin cleared his throat before he spoke. "I don't really want anythi--"


"Oh, shush!" Applejack cut him off. She looked up at him with that adorable smile of hers. "There's gotta be somethin' Ah could give you in return, now spit it out - an' Ah don't want ta' hear ya say you don't want nothin'!"


Soarin was taken aback by the mare's insistence. He quickly thought of what he could possibly take from her without feeling like a jerk, as this stubborn mare obviously wasn't going to take 'nothing' for an answer. Standing there with her arms around him, he thought, until an idea finally came to him. "Uhm... I don't suppose you dance?" 


"Dance?" Applejack finally released Soarin from her embrace and gave him an inquisitive look. "Yeah, Ah can dance pretty good. Why?"


Asking her to dance with him... The request felt strange now that it had passed through his lips, but he was in too deep to turn back now. At this point he might as well give it a shot. "If there's going to be dancing at Dash's party," he ventured, "maybe you can save one for me?"


Applejack cocked an eyebrow at him. "You want me to pay you for the flight suit with a dance?"


"I like dancing." Soarin shrugged as he played at being the nonchalant. "Spitfire used to make me take dancing lessons so I wouldn't embarrass her at the gala. I took to it pretty quick."  


"So, you dance, huh?" AJ said. "Okay, Ah'm cool with that. If yer sure that's what ya want."


"That's all I can really think of," Soarin replied. "I guess I have my orders, then. I'll come back as soon as I have that flight suit."


"Sugarcube, Ah ain't ordering you around," Applejack laughed before she turned to resume her business with the barrel. "Why don't you go ahead and take the day off?" She began to inspect yet another apple, then added, "Maybe that'll give ya some time ta' get whatever it is ya need ta' get done before Dash's party tonight." 


"Sounds good to me," Soarin said to the back of her head. "I'll see you at the party, then. Tonight at the town square, right?" 


AJ deposited the apple into her bag. "Five sharp."


"Got it. I'll see you there." Soarin then turned on his heels and made for the steps. 


"Sugarcube?"


Soarin stopped, then turned his head to look at her from over his shoulder. Applejack was giving him a smile that was sweeter than mulled cider, a smile that was the very portrait of sincerity. "Thank you so much. Ah really do mean it. Thanks."


That smile of hers was enough to get Soarin bothered. Did she even know how pretty she was when she smiled like that? He could feel the redness returning to his cheeks. "Uh... Anytime, captain... I mean Applejack. Sorry, I know you don't want me calling you that. I'll try to work on that."


Applejack sighed. "Sugarcube," she said forgivingly, "just call me AJ."


"Sure," Soarin stammered. So long as you keep calling me 'sugarcube.'




 


Tender nostalgia welled up within Soarin as he trotted across the desolate campus of the Wonderbolts academy. It hadn't been that long since he had last been here, but it felt strange knowing that he would most likely never see it from the inside again. Everywhere he looked, everything he saw, every cloud and every structure of the campus grounds had a thousand memories attached to them. He strolled along the cloud-paved area between the colt's and filly's dormitories, then flew to the roof tops, from where he could see the spot where he had had his first kiss with the girl he would always meet up with after curfew. Her mane was green, her coat a light blue. Her lips tasted like mint, he remembered. The memory made him smile. He lifted his gaze to look at the stage across the campus quad, where the celebration in his honor was held upon becoming a Wonderbolt. He remembered how much fun it was: the proud look on his parents' faces, his friends' painful gauntlet of congratulatory punches he had to endure. Soarin sighed as he took in all the precious memories.  


When he was done cantering along the cloudy road of memory lane, he made his way to the Wonderbolts' personal estates located at the private sector of the campus, the area where nobody but official members of the team were permitted to tread. He touched down upon the well maintained courtyard between the two rows of opulent homes, and he entered through the doorway of the one that had once been his. Soarin, wasting no time, ascended the stairs to his bedroom, and found his suits hung neatly in his closet. He selected one at random, as anyone would do, and stuffed it in a bag.


With his errand now concluded, Soarin left his quarters with his prize in hoof, but as he was descending the stairs to his foyer he noticed a familiar blue pegasus darkening his doorway. Soarin forced a smile as he approached the familiar figure, secretly wishing that he could have come out of this ordeal a little more stealthily. Things could have been worse, however. It could have been Spitfire waiting for him. "Wave Chill," Soarin greeted him, "how's it go--" 


His greeting turned into a solid 'oof' when his former subordinate fiercely embraced him. Soarin dropped his bag. "Soarin!" Wave Chill wailed, "You magnificent bastard, you're back! Spitfire told us all that you abandoned us, but I knew better!"


"Hold up," Soarin was saying, as he was disentangling himself from the overly affectionate stallion's grasp. "She said I abandoned all of you? I wouldn't have quit in the first place if Spitfire and Fleetfoot hadn't colluded to screw me over on yet another event. I was the one who was abandoned -- so don't let her make you think otherwise." 


Wave Chill looked at him apologetically. "Yeah, I figured her story sounded a little one sided. But you know how the captain can get when she's been slighted." 


"Slighted?"


Wave Chill nodded. "She's seriously pissed off about them not qualifying for the games this year. Says it's all your fault."


"The Wonderbolts didn't qualify?" Soarin parroted the revelation incredulously. Somewhere deep inside he could feel just an ounce of vindictive triumph for the blow he had dealt to Spitfire's pride. The Wonderbolts had taken first place in The Equestria Games every year since Spitfire had become captain. And now, because of him, they didn't even qualify. There's a first time for everything, I suppose. Soarin had to restrain a smile as he imagined Spitfire's reaction to him telling her that.


"So, what's your plan, man? Are you coming back?"


"No, I'm just here to nick one of my suits before the board can throw them all into storage," said Soarin, who wouldn't normally be so forthcoming over his illicites, but Wave Chill was a longtime friend of his; out of everyone he knew on the team not to be a snitch, it was Waves.


Wave Chill smirked knowingly. "Ah, I got ya. Gonna hang on to those memories, huh?"


"You could say that."


"That's cool, that's cool... Just don't let Spitfire catch you. She's still fuming about you abandoning us."


Soarin, face purpling, let out a sharp stream of air through his nostrils. "I was the one who was abandoned. Spitfire was the one who abandoned me. Whatever yarn Spitfire spun to you was a lie!"


"Alright, alright, I believe you!" Wave Chill said in an attempt to placate him. "You can rant and rave about it all you want, but it's not going to change the fact that Spitfire has it out for you now, and Fleetfoot is backing everything she says."


Soarin rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"


"If it's any consolation to you," Wave Chill offered, "it'll be a pain in Spitfire's butt to find your replacement; picking a Wonderbolt out of the crowd of our cadets isn't an easy task. Rainbow Dash is the first one that comes to mind, but Spitfire refuses to sign her on, despite the urging of everyone else on the team." He then leaned in and added in a hushed tone, "I think she's secretly worried RD would end up supplanting her as captain. Give that girl another season of training at the academy and she'll be flying circles around Spitfire. You just watch."


Soarin smiled at the visual of Spitfire glowering indignantly as the higher ups ceremoniously presented Rainbow Dash with her former title. "You're probably not wrong," he agreed, looking down at the plastic bag containing his flight suit. He forgot about his own problems for that moment and went back to his regrets about the gift he would present to Rainbow Dash. A worn out old hand-me-down, with no use other than to collect dust, simply wasn't a befitting gift for someone who has saved his life on numerous occasions. 


"I haven't a doubt in my mind that Rainbow Dash could make for a chill captain." Wave Chill shrugged. "She has more raw skill than anyone else I've met, but she still needs more experience under her belt. Getting in the Wonderbolts would be the first step, though." 


The statement got Soarin's noggin jogging. A devious smile began to creep along his face. 


Wave Chill furrowed his brow when he noticed his friend's sudden shift in demeanor. "You feeling alright, dude?" 


"I have an idea," Soarin announced. "The gift for Rainbow Dash. Paying off my debt to her for saving my life. I can even get in one last jab at Spitfire. Three birds with one stone." Without another word Soarin left his former dwelling, leaving a confused Wave Chill to puzzle over his actions as he quickly strode toward Spitfire's quarters.  


The Captain's Estate was an easy thing to spot. It was the largest of the houses, towering at the head of the long courtyard that bisected the residential area. It was more of a mansion in truth, with its own wrought iron gate to wall it off from the rest of the campus. Soarin knocked hard on the captain's door, then waited patiently for her to answer. 


The moment the door opened, the edges of Spitfire's eyes sharpened into a searing hot glare. She grabbed Soarin around the neck, pulled him through her doorway, and pinned him against the wall. "I knew you'd come crawling back!" she growled.


"You missed me that much?" Soarin taunted.


Spitfire pulled him from the wall only to slam him into it again. "Your pathetic little fit of butthurt cost Cloudsdale the Equestria games! You made a fool out of not only yourself, but all of us!"


"Well, you should have found someone to replace me. Oh, wait, you did do that, and it didn't go so well for you." 


Spitfire didn't have a rebuttal for that. Instead she changed the subject. "I hope you're not here to ask for your position back, because I already tore up your contract."


With her hooves still pressed against his neck, Soarin gave her a calm, calculating look. "That's good, now you're going to write up a new one."


"Excuse me? Have I gone insane, or was that an order I just heard you give me!" 


"I'm calling in a debt you owe."


"The only thing I owe you is a couple smacks upside the head for that stunt you pulled at Rainbow Falls!"


"Not a debt to me. A debt to Rainbow Dash. Did you know it's her birthday today?"


"So, what? I don't owe her a damn thing."


"Really? Because if it wasn't for her, your body would be the consistency of a cheese pizza, right along side mine, and that spazmatic unicorn with the gaudy butterfly wings."


"That doesn't mean I owe her, Soarin! She did the same thing for us that we would have done for her. No more, no less."


"Oh? Suppose I tell everyone about how you whimpered like a baby after that dragon trapped you against that mountain a few years back? You know what I'm talking about, don't you -- of course you do."


Spitfire's ire began to falter under the accusation, and Soarin knew he had her. "I don't know what you're... I-I never--"


"Oh, yes you did. You might not remember, but I sure do." Soarin placed the back of his hoof over his head in a melodramatic display of mockery. "Oh, I thought I was going to be left for dead under that bell!" he exclaimed, mimicking her voice in a high falsetto. "I saw my life flashing before my eyes! I don't want to die a virgin!" He then gave his former captain a coy wink. He noted with satisfaction the perturbed expression on her face, the shame in her eyes, the bead of sweat running down her forehead. He had always figured he'd be able to use that fit of post traumatic hysteria as a bargaining chip one day. When you're the captain of the most elite flying team in all of Equestria, your reputation is everything, and he knew that news like this would absolutely humiliate her if it got out. 


Soarin could feel Spitfire's grip around his neck loosening. Her furious gaze softened to that of an annoyed frown. "What do you want, Soarin?"


Soarin smiled. "How about you, me, and a few members of the team have a little discussion over lunch? I know a nice little diner where the cutest little waitress works."