Soarin remembers how the Wonderbolts came to be the best fliers in Equestria.
When a wing of Wonderbolt-wannabes challenge the Wonderbolts to a race, they mention how the Wonderbolts are a lie. For a brief moment, Soarin, head of the Wonderbolt wing, flashes back to their life from foalhood to now, remembering how they became the best through controversial means under Princess Celestia's explicit permission.
Disclaimer: I know there is at least one other Taking Flight inspired fanfic and the writer claims he knows the backstory of the song and all that. I don't care. Let them write their story and let me write mine. Mine is based entirely off of the images I got while listening to the song a few times in the mix of my other music after moving on from Fallout: Equestria (theme of the FO:E Wonderbolts). If there are similarities with other Taking Flight fanfics, that is either concidental or they read my story and took from it. Don't tell me of the others because I have no interest in them, just like some authors don't care to see the movie(s) based off of their book(s).
You See us soar through the sky Flight goggles shining bright With wings of steel faster than anypony who can fly
We are the speedy cure We're what you're looking for The antidote sent to impress crowds who always want more
Some say that we're all fake Boy that's a big mistake I challenge anypony, life or death, your choice to make
'Cause we will not back down I'll turn this right around These rumors stain our legacy of which I am so proud
NO! We refuse to let you win You're a liar, and always have been!
NO, WE REFUSE TO LET YOU WIN! YOU'RE A LIAR, AND ALWAYS HAVE BEEN!
There are dark stories of our past that I bet you don't know The truth about where we came from kept secret even though We are so famous, these secrets shame us Lab rats from day one until somepony dare save us
So desperate were we to be known by all Equestria We sold our souls and so ourselves unto Celestia And now we don't even know where we stand within this place Just doing as we're told and hoping one day we'll escape
With all these years I've wasted If only I was brave enough to face it This was too good to be true from the very start I should never have believed this was from the heart
We were but young ponies, so absorbed in our dreams It took too long to realize that we had been tricked with ease Such promises of fame and fortune proved too much to take If asked the same question right now, I'd make the same mistake
For even though I do regret the things that I have done I'd rather take on all the blame myself for everyone It's better to live with it all and save the ones I need Than just give in and let it bring all of us to our knees
(Leave us a)- LO-O-OOOONE!!!
With all these years I've wasted If only I was brave enough to face it This was too good to be true from the very start I should never have believed this was from the heart
With all these years I've wasted If only I was brave enough to face it This was too good to be true from the very start I should never have believed this was from the heart
The name's Soarin. I'm a Wonderbolt, the best fliers in all of Equestria. We are unbeatable, even by the only pony to do the Sonic Rainboom, Rainbow Dash of Ponyville.
Currently, I am leading the wing of Wonderbolts as we fly around Canterlot. We zhoom over a village, goggles glinting brightly and smoked laced with blue lightning left behind us. A wing of pegasi dressed just like us except the blue is dark purple and the yellow lighting is solid blue fly up under as from the village, then fly parallel to us.
The leader glares at me, his eyes covered by his mask. I look over at him, knowing they want a race. I nod. He turns forwards.
Three...
Two...
One...
WHOOSH!
We all push our best as we hit zero in heads, a common deal when unofficially racing while already flying. We pull ahead steadily, our pace consistent. That's when I hear a Canterlot voice from the leader.
"NO! We refuse to let you win! You're a lie, you're a toy, always have been!" he roars in a deep voice.
"NO! We refuse to let you win! You're a lie, you're a toy, always have been!" all of them scream in their deep Canterlot voices.
My memories flash, reminding me of how we came to be Wonderbolts. I hesitate before shoving them out, wondering how they could possibly know the truth. That hesitation allows them to play in detail. For a few seconds, I lose myself to my memories, adding commentary to my consciousness' thoughts on them.
The earliest memory is of me and other Wonderbolts as orphaned foals the day Princess Celestia offered us a new life. We had grouped together after we got lost in the mess of Canterlot. That day, we decided to try to steal food from the royal castle so we could have our own feast for once.
We had made it into the kitchen when a cook walked in. "Thieves!" she cried as she galloped out. We grabbed what we could bolted only to ram into three uniconr guards. They glared at us as we lay on the floor, stunned, before lifting us up with magic, calling for a cook to clean up the mess we left.
They carried us straight to the Princess, dropping us right in front of her. The guards stood behind us, one informing the Princess of our crime: "These foals were caught stealing foof." The Princess looked wickedly mad as she glared down at us. That moment lasted forever.
"Why do you steal?" she asked softly but firmly.
We were all quivering, pressed to the ground. I took a shaky step forward. "W-we need f-food, Pri-Princess..."
"Can your parents not provide?" There it was. The parents.
"They're... They're gone... Princess..."
"Orphans? All of you? How?" The separation.
"We got lost in the crowd..."
"Princess," interrupted a unicorn I hadn't noticed before. "We can help them. They can be raised by us."
"The public will protest."
"Not if we help them become the best fliers in Equestria and host them as a team."
I barely kept up, only comprehending that they could care for us and they could make us the best fliers. The unicorn turned to us and spoke to us, a few young foal pegasi shunned by the Canterlot ponies.
"How does that sound, children? Would you like to be the best fliers ever?" She spoke in a soft tone but the words got us hopeful.
"N-no punishment?" Spitfire asked her.
"I would not unjustly punish foals just trying to live," Princess Celestia said to us. She then turned to the unicorn. "Are you sure it's safe?"
"Yes."
"Then welcome to the royal castle, my little ponies." We were guided out, jumping in joy, by the smiling unicorn, who lead us to our new new life. It wasn't what we expected. But we never complained. We should have; what was done to us wasn't right. It shouldn't have happened to the best fliers in Equestria. The Wonderbolts are a lie.
We were taken to our new home, which was real nice and happened to have almost enough rooms for each of us. But, for a long time until we were pulled apart, we shared a single bed together. It was a fantastic place, but it came with horrors just nearby.
We were allowed to recover for numerous days; we couldn’t tell how long because we were underground. After that, they introduced us to the labs; white rooms, white lights, white coats worn by the other ponies, and shiny metal everything else.
They had us lay on a shiny table while they pulled at us, probing every part of us, not caring for our discomfort. I still don’t understand why they did this so many times, but they did. They then had us run or fly, using a shocking spell to keep us going until we dropped to our bellies, unable to continue.
They checked us, stressed us, rested us and repeated un a cycle for so long we became broke. At first, we were together but broken, shattered. It took us earning our cutie marks as we opened to activities for us to start to repair. But the damage was done. We had separated in the end.
Except for me and Spitfire. We found each other first. We drew closer than the others, especially then, relying on each other to pull through. We stayed in the original room while the others dispersed. We kept the others with us. It was rough for all of us. But we endured.
When we became adolescents, the labs were left behind. They gave us cheaper versions of the modern Wonderbolts uniforms, introducing us to the training grounds. Here is where we were forced to master all our moves.
They relentlessly drilled us, first making us perform every stunt flawlessly once, then making us repeat them over and over again. It wore us thin. The others lost themselves. But Spitfire and I pulled them in, unifying us into the disciplined wing we are known as today.
We quickly became what they wanted, but they weren’t done. They pushed and drugged us until we couldn’t be challenged. They also gave each of us something more during the surgeries they performed. I am clueless on what, but it couldn’t have been ethical or pre-tested.
At last, we weren’t able to be beaten. We are unchallengeable. We are the best. We are fake. We are a lie. All for the benefit of a scientist who only cares for the data, not her fellow ponies.
The memories end. I had lagged us behind in the moments of remembrance, allowing the wannabes to pull ahead. I have us pick up the pace again moments before they yank skywards. We follow, both of our wings narrowing to compensate. I notice the black smoke with dark blue lightning trailing behind them. Just like us.
The wannabes lead the way, bursting through the clouds covering part of the lands around Canterlot. They twist as they burst out the top, barrel-rolling parallel to the clouds. We follow suit, drawing next to them as we skim the clouds with our hooves.
We barrel-roll-twist back through the clouds, plummeting straight down towards a crowd of spectators. We both pull up just in time, our smoke trails mere feet above the ponies. The wannabes pull ahead again. ‘NO! We can’t be beat! We are the best!’ I convey to the others, leading us to push harder.
But it doesn’t help; the wannabes pull farther ahead as we concentrate on circling back around to the start. We flap our wings harder, faster, making them burn with exertion. Our breath billows in and out hotly. Sweat breaks. And we lose.
They reach the village long before us. They land just outside it amongst a crowd cheering and awing at them. We land a distance away, ears and tails drooping. We have lost. They know the truth about us. Our days are past. Our fall has come.
The winners push their way out of the crowd and over to us. When they speak this time, it's not in their Canterlot voices, but it's still rather deep and commanding.
"Do you have anything to say for yourselves, Wonderbolts?" the leader asks.
"You've won. You've beaten the best. Our fall has come." I hesitate as he nods firmly. "I just want to know how you did it."
"Hard training the real way." He turns to the crowd watching. "Go! The show is over; you have no business here!" The crowd hesitates. "GO!" comes the Canterlot voice, sending them running. Once they are gone, I ask them, "Who are you? And how do you know our secrets?"
"We are the Shadowbolts, formed by Princess Luna to end the lies of the Wonderbolts. The Princess offered us to be her Wonderbolts, then tasked us to be good enough to beat you because you are liars and tools, using cheap methods to be the best."
Right at that moment, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, the former looking stern, even angry, the latter looking remorseful, descend and land next to us. We gape and bow to them. "Rise, my little ponies," comes Celestia's majestic yet now-grim voice. We rise. "We are here to tell you the full story. And to ask for your help."
And they did tell us of how she had used unsafe magic and other stuff on us, and then moved on to pegasi in cloud-cities and even to normal ground-based schools. They wanted us to find her and bring her in as our last valiant act, an act to redeem our cowardice, imposed by the magics abused on us.
Two teams of Wonderbolts left after studying the files the unicorn had left behind. We searched for a long while before finding her running from what ended up being her current facility. And the Princesses ensured justice was met. But that also involved us. We were disgraced in front of a court and then let go as normal ponies without a home. We couldn't be royal guests anymore.
I wish I could tell you it went uphill after that, but it didn't. We were rejected for years. Almost nopony let us into anywhere. Only the kindest accepted us. That was barely enough. Now, ten years later, we have finally found peace. It's not comfortable or happy, but it's peace nonetheless. This is how our story ends.
