The Quickverse Chronicles

by Quick Fix

Clipped Wing (Soarin/Flitter)

Wonderbolt Airbase, Cloudsdale
July 10th, Year 16 under the four princesses

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From a distance, the Equestria Defence Force Airbase that sat like a guardian attached to the renowned cloud city looked silent, almost deserted. Even seven years after it's construction had been completed, it had maintained an air of quiet respect, everypony present in the city knowing that the headquarters of the legendary Wonderbolts was constantly devoted to all aspects of serving and defending their home. From aerial displays, to supporting emergency services, to homeland protection, they had always been the best of the best. Even after the team's integration into the nationwide military of the EDF they still upheld this mantra. Team members now had to be both the most skilled flyers and trained fighters. Any pegasus could managed to be accepted into the ranks with only one of these qualifications would likely remain a reserve for the duration of their stay.

Today, the squadron was out on training exercises with other units, leaving mostly base personnel on hoof for now. There were still several others at the base though, mostly trainees or reserves on standby. One major exception to the rule was currently waiting outside the base infirmary, pacing slowly. The pegasus mare had a light blue-purple coat, mint coloured mane and tail in a carefree style, light purple eyes and three blue dragonflies for a cutie mark. It was Flitter, formerly a Wonderbolt reserve, now lead weather pony for the Ponyville area and wife to Soarin, one of the legendary trio that headed the Wonderbolts.

Flitter had never been in the base before, despite being a solid flyer her comparative lack of nerve under pressure had left her at a constant disadvantage and despite Spitfire and Soarin's best efforts at the time, she had chosen to leave rather than face the ever increasing demand that came with being part of a military unit. There had been one bright side to it though, Soarin and her had become close friends during her time in the reserves and after she had left they had been able to take things further. Despite the reservations of others who knew about them, they had managed to make it work and ultimately got married just over a year ago.

She never really stopped worrying about him though, and while his doctors visit today wasn't for anything serious, the result of it could be a huge influence on his, and their, future. She kept looking over at the door to the doctor's office every so often, trying her best to look calm about the whole thing. After what felt like an eternity, the door opened and Soarin walked out slowly, adjusting the bars that marked his first lieutenant rank on his shirt in an effort to avoid immediate eye contact. Flitter didn't comment on it, she knew that he preferred not to look at somepony until he knew what he was saying to them, even her. She simply trotted over and wrapped a hoof round his shoulders, holding it as he gently returned the hug with a nuzzle to her neck.

"I got the test results in there. They just confirmed I should go through with it." Soarin finally said, the meaning all too clear to her. They'd talked at length about this for days and as hard as it would be, they both knew it was best in the long run.

"Okay...When are you gonna tell Spitfire?"

"Soon as she gets back and finishes debriefing. If they're on schedule, that won't be too long..." Soarin looked down as he failed to keep the disappointment out of his voice. Flitter simply stayed close and comforted him until he looked back up at her with a hopeful glint in his eye. "Hey, since we've got a little time, there's something I've been hoping to show you. If you're okay with it."

"Of course I am. " Flitter replied, rubbing a hoof behind his ears as she knew how much he liked that.

Soarin smiled slightly, the same somewhat goofy look that everypony liked coming back to him as he nodded and set off at a trot. Flitter sighed slightly as she followed, unable to resist smiling herself though. The two of them made their way out onto the base grounds, currently deserted with all the active Wonderbolts still away. Soarin took off as soon as he had space, Flitter following him into the air and toward a section of the base that raised an extra two stories above the rest. Once they reached the roof Soarin landed again and looked round, waiting for Flitter to join him before sitting down and resting his hooves on the edge of the roof.

"I like this spot, good for perspective." Soarin said, sounding more relaxed already.

"It's quite a view, I can probably see our house from here." Flitter commented as she sat down next to him. They were looking at Cloudsdale from the north and from this angle, late afternoon sunlight reflecting through the rainbows coming from the weather factory bathed about a third of the city in light of all colours.

"Well actually," Soarin pointed to a residential area near the center of the city that was currently sporting a green glow from the rainbow. He looked over at his wife and grinned at the look on her face as she realised she really could see their house from here. "As soon as I learned about this view, I started coming up every night I had to stay at the base. I thought if I couldn't be there for you myself, I could keep watch, make sure the lead pony in my life was safe."

"You old softie. That's actually really sweet." Flitter said with a giggle, leaning in and kissing his cheek. He smiled warmly and wrapped a leg round her, the two of them simply enjoying each other's company while they could. Soarin's duties meant the two of them usually only had a few days together in a month. It did nothing to dampen their feelings however and now that the decision about his future had been made, they would have more time to make up for it.

After several minutes the silence in the air was broken by the sound of approaching pegasi. A wing of five was approaching the base, unmistakably Wonderbolts even from a distance, due to the tight formation they flew. Soarin focused on them and gritted his teeth slightly as he recognised Spitfire's colours at the front, knowing it was time. Flitter placed a hoof on his shoulder gently, her touch reassuring him that it was still the right call. As they stood up and moved toward the Wonderbolts landing ground in the base, the flying group landed and Spitfire's voice rang out clear as anything, her tone more than a little vexed.

"Staff Sergeant Gyr, you may think that I wasn't able to keep track of you in the middle of a battle, even a mockup, but would you care to explain why I could see you slacking off!?"

Even from his vantage point, Soarin recoiled slightly. He knew that even after they had become official soldiers, Spitfire only liked to address her team by rank when she wasn't happy with them. She clearly had an axe to grind about their training exercise. In her advancing age she had set out to make sure that when the inevitable time came that she had to pass from leadership, the next captain would be leading the Wonderbolts at the best they had ever been. Whatever had gone on earlier, she clearly didn't appreciate how it had gone down, even now she was staring down a white stallion, both their expressions unreadable behind the goggles and outfits but the unease between them practically radiating across the whole base. The whole city even.

"Should, I get out the way?" Flitter whispered, drawing Soarin's attention away from Spitfire's continuing tirade. It was true that the captain probably wouldn't appreciate seeing a civilian pegasus on base right now, even if she had all the verification cleared and was with the squad's second-in-command. On the other hoof, part of him knew that having her stay would help him focused on what he was going to say.

"No, this time you're the one backing me up. and making sure we get this done. Just stay close and we'll be fine." He told her, watching as she blushed slightly and nodded.

"Yes sir." Flitter said, still unable to completely shake the habits that came with being a Wonderbolt after all these years. The two of them waited for Spitfire to start winding down with the debrief before dropping down to ground level. By then she seemed to have burned off most of her fury and was back to keeping things professional.

"Silverspeed, Mobius, you newbies did good out there," Spitfire said as she moved in front of the two ponies clad in reserve colours. "When Rainbow Dash's group returns, I'd like you to compare notes with them. Alright, everypony, take a breather and be ready for a group meeting in thirty. Dismissed!" The four ponies in front of her took off and headed for the barracks, leaving Spitfire alone as she removed her goggles and sighed in exasperation.

"Captain." Soarin called to her as he trotted up, slipping back into his professional look quickly. Spitfire looked round at his voice and waved the two of them over, her smile weary but genuine.

"Hey Soarin, Flitter. You two taking care of each other?" She asked as Flitter caught up, her voice sounding the same as she looked.

"Yes ma'am." Flitter replied, saluting her former superior as a mark of respect. It was no secret that both of them had regretted her choice to leave the Wonderbolts, but that had been eleven years ago and it wasn't worth dwelling on since they were still friends.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Soarin added, giving Flitter a quick hug before looking back to Spitfire, his face more serious than before. "That aside though, there's something major I need to talk to you about, Boss."

"Okay. I'm listening." Spitfire sounded a little tenser as she said it. Veteran members of the team tended to only use nicknames in regular conversation when they were being deadly serious.

"Well, a week ago I was approached by General Blitzwing. He wanted a Wonderbolt to transfer out of the active unit to become the new head trainer at the Sky Wing Academy. Everypony knew you'd never accept, so he came to me."

"Oh." Spitfire looked away for a moment, having a good idea where this was going.

"I've uh...I've decided to accept his offer."

"Clipper! You..." Spitfire snapped immediately. Soarin braced himself for the incoming outburst, about how he couldn't just up and walk away from the team because some stuffy coat from command wanted it. It never came though. She sighed and ran a hoof down her muzzle, suppressing her impulsive reaction before looking back at him, her voice calm again. "Are you sure? I mean we've got such a good thing going right now, you're an icon to the newbies here, one of the most consistently effective ponies we have, a living legend. You're unquestionably the best stallion flyer in Equestria and...Well, I'm just so used to having you on my wing through everything."

Soarin suddenly found himself unable to meet his superior's gaze. The last thing he'd expected was for her to be hurt by this development and for a moment he wondered if he could really do this to her. Flitter's presence by his side was a gentle reminder of why he was doing this though, driving down those fears and giving him the strength to speak again.

"The Wonderbolts are made of legends, we gotta step aside eventually so some new ones can be made. Besides, best flyer?" He flexed his wings slightly and shook his head. "After what happened at the tryouts for the Year one Equestria games, I've never been as good as before that point and my wing fitness is dropping off even more now. You've managed to make your prime last far longer than anypony but I can never recapture what I was fifteen years ago. The Wonderbolts are the best in Equestria and, well, when evaluations come up next we both know that I'm not going to be the best anymore."

Spitfire opened her mouth to reply but any words she could find died in her throat. As much as it hurt to admit it, Soarin had a point. It had been fifteen years since he had damaged his wing after crashing into a training ring and...She didn't want to remember how badly she had reacted. The point was, even with recovery time, he had never quite regained his former skill. Her options now were either to protest the transfer and try to keep her best friend flying by her side, or let it happen and make a space for one of their promising reserves to become a full Wonderbolt, as well as allow him to finally have a chance to lead. It hurt even more as she knew it wasn't even a choice.

"I, understand." She finally replied, her voice shaking slightly. Soarin and Flitter glanced at each other for a moment, each wondering who should say it.

"Are...You crying?" Flitter finally asked, making Spitfire blink and lift her goggles before rubbing her eye with a hoof. Looking down at it, she saw the spot on her flight suit she'd used was damp.

"I, well...guess I am." She replied, her normally fierce eyes shaking slightly as she fought to keep her emotions in check.

"I understand, end of an era and all. It's not going to be the same without the rest of the 'legendary trio' there..." Soarin shook his head slightly, refusing to dwell on it. "Speaking of which, when should I tell the others?"

"We'll make the announcement at evening roll call. For now, why don't you take Flitter on a tour of the base? Enjoy the time you've got left here."

"Wait, really?" Flitter asked in excited disbelief, wings shooting open before she could contain herself. Despite how serious they had been just moments before, Spitfire and Soarin couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

"Really, you earned it from how hard you worked in the reserves. Heck, if you'd made it onto the full team you'd already have your nickname set. Twitchy. I'll find you both later." Spitfire smiled as Soarin nodded and led a rather ecstatic Flitter back toward the base. Though she remained composed on the outside, she was completely torn up on the inside.

Soarin and her had been flying together for at least eighteen years now, they had lead the Wonderbolts to countless triumphs and several ponies that went into intricate detail about the team's history claimed that they were actually the single most effective pegasus teamup since Major Sky Strike and Officer Easyglider over four hundred years ago. They had been a huge part of each other's lives and now...Now they had to split up. Odds were it wouldn't be for too long though, she was already one of the longest serving Wonderbolt leaders ever and most of those who had held the role retired around age forty five, she was already forty nine. There wasn't time to let it gnaw at her though, there were still sixteen other pegasi in the group and she needed to decide which of the three eligible reserves was going to be promoted to the main squad.

It never felt good to say goodbye to one of her wingponies and there was doubtless going to be some strong reactions when the announcement was made later. However hard everypony was going to take it though, was nothing compared to what she was going through.

Author's Note:

Well, this is a bit of a relic piece if I'm honest. I actually wrote the bulk of it last May and never got around to posting it, partly because I wanted to wait until I'd written Moral Grounds but also pure forgetting. One round of reworks later, hopefully it still holds up.