//------------------------------//
// Companion 
// Story: Chaos at the Traders Exchange 
// by ChocolateFan25 
//------------------------------//

"The Traders Exchange in Rainbow Falls? I haven't been there in ages." Fleetfoot muttered when she held the colorful flyer in her hooves. She saw it in the common kitchen on her way to the training hall and it caught her attention immediately. 

The last time she spent on the Traders Exchange she was a little filly. It was a lot of fun for her and she was able to trade her old flying goggles for a love novel. Her very first love novel, and the memories of this one day made her chuckle. A long lasting and, to her, exciting hobby began that day. 

"The Traders Exchange is tomorrow. Wow, on my free day as well. What a coincidence." she said and put the flyer down again. "As if it would be a sign."

Quickly, she trotted through the hallway and up the staircase to get to her room, so she could look for a few things she'd take with her. 

'But going there alone would be boring,' she thought and stopped. 'I'll just ask High Winds, I'm sure she'd like it--'

Fleetfoot's smile disappeared from her face again when she remembered, that High Winds already took a day free so she'd be with her family for once. She was invited to the birthday party of her uncle and she was unsure if she should go. But Fleetfoot insisted, that she should go there. 'It's your family. They see you so rarely already. It wouldn't hurt if you'd stop by.' she had said to the unsure pegasus. 

'Well, it was for a good reason. Even if I'd have known about the event before I convinced her to go, I'm sure I'd have sent her anyway.' Fleetfoot thought and continued her way to her sleeping room. 'But who else could I ask? Misty Fly? But she'll be with the coach for the entire afternoon.' This left her with no one to go. Fleetfoot sighed when she reached the door. 'Looks like I have to go alone,'

She went inside the room and closed the door behind her. On the first glance, her room looked tidy and not as spacious as one would imagine the sleeping room of a Wonderbolt would be. The white floor and the sky-blue walls, both made of hardened clouds, gave the room a cold and neutral look. But it definitely wasn't impersonal. If one would look more closely, all the little things Fleetfoot loved and made her who she is, could be seen strewn across the room. 

The two bookshelves on the other side of the room were completely filled with books about flying stunts, flying science and lots of love novels. All of them were collected over a long time. Even a hoofful of comics were stashed in the bottom of one of the bookshelves. She got most of them from High Winds, so she would be up to date with her favorite comic heroes. And some of them were exclusive covers she got on one of the few comic conventions she would be dragged to by High Winds. 

On her desk and even hidden beneath her bed were countless of letters, drawings and pieces she wrote from time to time. Even though she'd never admit how much she liked to write - it was quite unusual for somepony with her talent and occupation - she'd also never give it up. 

The only thing, that truly stuck out of the normal color palette was the oversized plush version of a pink pony, which was sitting right on her bed. High Winds occasionally told her, that it was stitched together badly and the colors wouldn't fit, it would be wiser to get rid of it. But she could never bring herself to do it. It was a gift from her crush, when they met each other for the first time on the Summer Wrap Up in Ponyville. 

Fleetfoot threw herself onto her bed, which made the covers and the plush pony fly up for a moment. "It feels great to have a few hours just for myself," she muttered and stretched her wings out. The soft mattress made her feel tired for a moment. "That tour across the east coast of Equestria was exciting. But also very stressful." 

Four cities and four shows in seven days proved to be difficult, but very worthwhile. She met a few interesting ponies, snug to a book signing from Sugar Heart, one of her favorite authors, and was able to answer a few questions from her own fans. Even though she didn't have as many fans as Spitfire, who was the Wonderbolts' Captain, she was still very excited over the fact of having fans, who would admire her stunts and celebrate her victories in the races. 

Fleetfoot sighed, but it was more because of relief than sadness. "I'm just so glad to be back here," she said with a smile on her face and cuddled the pink plush pony. She just laid there for a moment, soaking in the serenity. 

A bit later, her gaze fell from the ceiling above her to the clock on the wall. 'I could maybe train for an hour, if I'm quick. I don't need to train right now, but...' she thought and looked to her wings. 'There IS a race scheduled for next weekend. And while the shows don't go easy on the wings, they are not as satisfying as a good round of wing-ups.' Fleetfoot flapped her wings for a few times and felt a slight twitch in them. She was so used to the regular training by then, that it became almost a need to burn off the extra energy. 

She put the plush pony to the side and jumped off the bed. With a quiet thump she landed with the hooves first on the floor and walked straight to her bookshelves. "Well, what could I trade? How about some books? There sure are some I'd spare." she muttered and her eyes wandered across the many spines. 

"I don't need the book about beginner tricks anymore. I mean, I'm far more than an ace by now. And the one with the professional aerial stunts? There are a few good things I'd like to try out... but maybe I get something even better for it? It's worth a try. Oh, and 'The City of Romance' can go out as well. Was written way too cheesy. And it means a lot if I can say that." 

A couple of minutes later and she piled up five books on her bed, that could get her some other, more interesting books or other things in return. She also put a flight goggle to the rest, just for old times sake. "Great," she said and rubbed her muzzle with a smile. "Now I have time to train for a little bit. Oh, I can't wait until tomorrow!"


***


'Almost... Only ten more...' Fleetfoot thought. A few drops of sweat had formed on her forehead and were running down slowly. The muscles in her entire body tensed and her wings outstretched, so she could push herself up and down without much problems. She bend down for a last time before taking her forelegs from the back of her head and put them down to the ground. She took a few deep breaths to relax from the work out and flapped her wings to cool them down. 

The training left her with a faint twinge in every part of her body. But it was the sign for her, that she trained enough for the day and rather enjoyed the feeling. It also meant, that she did the training right and it would benefit her even more in the future. 

She could train even more and go above her limits, but there was no need for that at that point. The next race was still over a week away, there were no shows for the moment and there were also no reports of monsters or other walking dangers in Equestria. 'Calm is boring most of the time,' she thought and took a fresh towel from the bench. 'But after that week I'd be also okay with a few days of relaxation.'

She turned around and planned to visit High Winds in her room after taking a quick shower, when Fleetfoot noticed, that she wasn't alone in the training hall. She heard a few ponies walking in and out in the time she spent with training, but she assumed, that she was the only one left. It was late evening after all and she expected most of her comrades to go out and do things. 

Just a few feet away from her she saw one of the other Wonderbolts, Blaze, with her wings clinging to a chin-up bar. Her body was strained and her lips firmly pressed together. She was so indulged into her own training she didn't seem to notice Fleetfoot either, who stood close by and watched her. 

'I shouldn't interrupt her training. That would be rude. I mean, I would hate it if I'm doing chin-ups and I'd loose count because somepony wanted to chat with me.' she thought and trotted to the exit. A sudden thought made her stop. 

'I could invite her to the traders exchange.'

Fleetfoot shook her head, confused about this sudden idea. 'But I don't know her,' She turned around to the mare, who pulled herself up the bar again. 'Well, even after joining the Wonderbolts, I have been so busy with training and building up a reputation, that I've never gave a second thought about those ponies I work with.'

She looked to the side and rubbed her chin in thought. 'But isn't that a good decision? Being a Wonderbolt is serious business. And a lot of hard work. I spend enough time with High Winds and reading is also time consuming. And I should not forget how many problems it can cause if I'd reveal all my weaknesses and embarrassing secrets just for the sake of 'friendship'.'

It seemed logical in her head and she wanted to walk away when another thought interrupted her. 'And the Try-Outs? All those problems, because I didn't care at all?' Fleetfoot lowered her head and sighed. 

"Stupid conscience," she muttered and turned around. 'It wouldn't hurt to ask her. If she doesn't want or can't come with me, it won't be too bad. But if she does come with me... well, I could use the time for a small chat. Just finding out a few small, but harmless facts about her. Won't harm anypony.'

She gulped and walked closer. Her hooves weren't too quiet on the hard ground, but still not noticeable for the yellow pony. "Ahem," Fleetfoot said and cleared her throat. 

Blaze looked up for a moment, seemingly surprised from Fleetfoot's visit. She grasped the bar with her forelegs, let go with her wings and dropped down in just a few seconds. Just before she'd hit the ground, she flapped her wings once and landed with all four hooves. Of course, the bar wasn't high enough above the ground that the fall could damage her in any way. But simply jumping down would still hurt, and after training for that long it would only add to the twinge. 

"Hi," she said calm and friendly, as if she'd have just started the training. "Is something the matter?" 

Fleetfoot opened her mouth to say something, but she needed a few more seconds to find the right words in her head. "No-- I mean, nothing important. I just wanted to ask if you... well, do you have something planned for tomorrow morning?" 

She tried to hide her nervousness as much as possible. Flying off with her comrades and completing a mission was one thing. But asking one of them to socialize was a complete other thing. And since it was one of her Wonderbolt comrades, it would've long lasting effects if she did something wrong in opposite to some of the ponies she'd meet at one of those after-show banquets. 

Blaze put a hoof on her cheek and looked to the side. "I have tomorrow a free day. But I have nothing planned." 

"Oh, what a coincidence," Fleetfoot thought and tried to loosen up the atmosphere between the two of them. "I have free as well. To relax from the long tour." she told. 

Blaze cocked an eyebrow. "I know. I was on the tour as well." 

Fleetfoot was taken aback by her answer. 'She was? But... I've never noticed her. It's not like I'd ignore her on purpose.'

The yellow pegasus noticed Fleetfoot's confusion and lowered her ears. "I was the one who brought you the cupcake. You know, in Fillydelphia. After I accidentally flew into you, so you dropped your drink." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. 

'I thought that was Spitfire. But they look so much alike. No wonder I don't realize her sometimes.' Fleetfoot thought. She almost told her about the mix-up, but she thought, that it'd hurt her feelings. "Y-yeah, right. Of course I remember. I mean, how could I forget that?" Fleetfoot lied and tried her most convincing smile. She wasn't sure if it worked at all. 

To her relief, Blaze lightened up again and smiled warmly. "Oh, good. Most ponies overlook me, so I'm pretty used to this." She silently added "Most of the time." 

'But she's a Wonderbolt. How can anypony see past her? I see her every day, but all the others...' Fleetfoot wondered, but she pushed the thought quickly out of her mind. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if you'd like to join me tomorrow. There's the Traders Exchange in Rainbow Falls again, where you can trade old stuff for something else. It's always worth a look and I was looking for somepony to go there." 

"The Traders Exchange?" Blaze mused. "I wasn't there in ages." She had a dreamy look on her face, as if she got lost in nostalgia. 

"Oh, you were there once?"

"Sure. I was there with Spitfire, when we were in our teen years. That's where Spitfire got her shades." Blaze told her. 

Fleetfoot lifted her eyebrows. "Really? I always thought they look expensive. Like something only a Wonderbolt Captain would accept on her face."

This made Blaze chuckle. "No, she wasn't always like this. It was quite a good deal, even back then. She got them for her dol--" She stopped suddenly, as if she would've almost told something she wasn't supposed to tell. "Uhh, her doll-like action figure. Yeah, that was it." 

'A doll? Well, I collect love novels. I should be the last pony to judge over others.' Fleetfoot thought. She even smiled a little. 'Come to think of, that's actually cute. Never imagined our tomboyish captain was a normal filly once.' "That's interesting," Fleetfoot said. "And? Do you want to come with me?"

Blaze rubbed the back of her head with her hoof and thought about it. "Are you sure you want to go with me?"

"Why not?"

"Well, we usually don't do things together. Scratch that, we never do things outside of work."

Fleetfoot gulped. 'So... she just doesn't want to go with me?' "I know. But... why not change it? It's not like we're strangers and the exchange is only once a year. Great opportunity."

Blaze took her hoof down again and smiled. "That's really nice of you. I'd gladly come with you. When is it going to start?"

"It opens at ten in the morning. I would say we fly an hour earlier, so we don't have to hurry and we can check out all the Traders before it'll be too crowded." Fleetfoot explained. 

"Then it's settled," Blaze said with a smile. She then turned back to the chin-up bars and said "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to train for a bit longer."

"Sure, go on. It's, uh, not like I can forbid you to train." Fleetfoot said and smiled unsure. 

"I know. I thought you might consider it impolite if I walk away and do my own stuff." Blaze said. 

"No, not at all. I'll hit the showers. See you tomorrow." Fleetfoot said, before waving to her comrade and walking out of the room. 'That went better than expected,' Fleetfoot thought on her way. 'Now I'm curious how tomorrow'll be like.'