//------------------------------//
// Soarin Stays on Routine 
// Story: Stone and Sky 
// by Visiden Visidane 
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It had been two weeks since his accident, and Soarin found himself in an odd state of doldrums. Spitfire had not taken too kindly to his sudden disappearance. When he came back, he found his spot as her Second Wing occupied by Rainbow Dash of all ponies. He had expected the demotion, but it was a bold move regardless. It would have made more sense to move up the veterans. He thought he'd be upset over it too, but he was actually relieved. It meant that he wouldn't have to work so closely with Spitfire. After the whole thing with the engagement, he was happy to get some distance.

The past two weeks went by as awkward practices. The rest of the Wonderbolts knew that something was up, but none of them wanted to say anything. Soarin perfected his part of the routine in a day, given how easy the minor part was. As the sessions wore on, he was pretty much operating at twenty percent. The rest of his attention drifted away to idle thoughts. What was he supposed to be doing now? Sure, he still enjoyed being a Wonderbolt. He liked pushing his flying to greater heights, he liked the pay, he liked being famous. Yet, he was caught in this wierd pocket of time in his life. He wasn't going to go any higher in the team. In fact, he just slid down quite a bit in the ladder. He wasn't going to get any more famous. He'd performed in Canterlot, before the two princesses and everything, and he was on several issues of the most famous magazines out there. And the money...the money was more than enough. He had scrimped and saved even during the times when the pay was rolling in. He didn't know what to do with all of it. When he was younger, he dreamed of blowing it all on pies. As time went on, it was clear that he would die trying to eat all the pies he could buy with a fraction of his money.

"Rainbow, you're off your mark again!" Spitfire called out.

Soarin had to suppress a snicker. He wasn't laughing at Rainbow. If the others saw him, though, they'd probably think that. He actually felt sympathetic. The memory of being in this position was what tickled him. Second Wing was hard. Not to toot his own horn or anything, but he thought it was harder than Lead Wing. Spitfire dictated the pace of the routine. Even if she screwed up and went too fast or too slow, the rest of the team would adjust. Second Wing had to keep in perfect sync with her, right down to the slightest change of speed. Given that the position also recieved a lot of attention, it was far, far easier to notice Second Wing screwing up than Lead Wing, or anypony else on the team. Soarin understood it even when he held the position, and he understood it even better now that he watched at a distance.

Rainbow was a good flyer. Excellent even. The sudden promotion just came as a big shock to her, and the equally sudden spike in scrutiny and expectations did not go so well. She was buckling under the pressure. Anypony would be if they went from Auxilliary Wing to Second Wing.

"Ponyfeathers," Fleetfoot muttered as she hovered near Soarin. "We're a couple of days from our Canterlot performance. You think she'll get this, Soarin?"

Soarin grinned and shook his head. "Nope!" he said cheerily. "I'd love to see her do her best, though. This should be interesting."

"That idiot, Spitfire..." Fleetfoot grumbled. "I know you screwed up, but you'd think she's doing this just to spite you."

Soarin didn't reply. It wouldn't have mattered if that was Spitfire was doing. He thought he'd be angrier with Spitfire. He was actually angrier at himself. He should have realized much earlier what she wanted. He'd have saved some time and money. And he'd have pissed her off less. A shrill whistle from Spitfire signaled for them to get back to starting positions. With a shrug, Soarin obeyed, though he was already pondering if he could catch a few Z's while doing this routine.





Typical Canterlot crowd today. A full stadium with the nobles by the nosebleed section and the rest filling up the base seats. Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight Sparkle in the Royal Box. Interesting. Princess Celestia was a big fan of airshows so her presence was expected. Princess Twilight, though? Soarin glanced at Rainbow Dash, who was still far from comfortable at Second Wing. Rainbow's friends were probably out there as well to support her in a very high profile performance. That may have brought more harm than help. Soarin scanned the crowd. He had seen Rainbow's friends before. Maybe he could spot them.

His gaze surveyed the excited mass of ponies, then stopped at a single not so excited one.

A gray mare with a light gray mane sat sullenly next to some unicorn nobles. Soarin raised an eyebrow. Those sort of seats were expensive. He knew Limestone ran a business, but she must be loaded, or really loved airshows.

Limestone presented such a sharp contrast to the veritable sea of ponies surrounding her. A dot of grayness among such vibrant colors, a stern look amidst all the excited smiles. Soarin couldn't help but stare. What was she doing here? He had since marked down Pie Rock Farm as somewhat close to Ponyville, not exactly an easy trip to Canterlot. Did she come here to see him? He shook his head. He wasn't that awesome. In fact, he embarassed himself by crashing into her farm. Still, this was a great coincidence. He hadn't paid her back. His wings felt lighter when he remembered her off-handed remark. This was redemption too. Now, he was wishing that he had a more important role.

A loud blare from the sirens around the stadium signalled the start of the performance. Soarin grinned and slammed his front hooves together, a move he hadn't done in a while, he realized. Next to him, Fleetfoot raised an eyebrow. "Somepony's excited," she remarked.

The routine was too easy. Too routinely even. Soarin swooped close to the crowds and flashed a trademark cheeky grin. The mares swooned, even the stallions chuckled at the bold maneuver. As he passed Limestone, though, he dipped his head low. Her eyes widened briefly, only for her usual scowl to come back twice as hard. That was...weirdly adorable. He was tempted to make another pass to see if he could get her to actually smile, and how angry that might make her. Alas, Auxilliary Wing wasn't exactly a prime position to interact with the crowd. He had to fall into the background while Spitfire and Rainbow Dash took the lead.

Soarin held his breath. Here was the big moment and...





Soarin was all too happy to leave the stadium after that disastrous, albeit very silly ending to the show. Spitfire had been yelling until her throat gave out. Rainbow Dash looked to have shrunk at least five inches. The others were stone-faced and downcast, unsure if they should also be contrite, despite performing to their usual standard, or laughing along with Soarin, who was taking the full barrage of glares from Spitfire. He had done so deliberately too. Better to distribute the heat between himself and Rainbow. He could take it easily. This wasn't the first disaster he had participated in.

Now that the show was over, he was excitedly hovering above the crowd of departing unicorns and earth ponies. He looked for that speck of gray and that one scowl among colors and smiles. It didn't take long to find Limestone. She skirted the main bulk of the crowd, looking around rather than making her way home.

"Miss Limestone!" Soarin called out. He waved, and swooped in towards her.

The effect proved more than Soarin expected. The rest of the crowd pointed at him and talked excitedly among themselves.

"Look, it's Soarin!" one mare squealed. Several foals jumped up and down while a group of pegasi tangled wings trying to get to him.

Limestone, on her part, brightened up at the sight of him. The thought of her looking for him made him unusually giddy. When the crowd noticed who he was calling out to, all eyes focused on her. At this, a flush broke out across her cheeks. She scowled even deeper and gestured at him to follow. Soarin was happy to comply.

The two of them ran off, with some ponies still chasing.

"Just how popular are you?" Limestone groused. "This is just my luck, isn't it?"

Soarin could only laugh before grabbing hold of her forelegs with his. "Over here!" he said. "We'll ditch them, and I can show you one of my favorite eating joints."

Still scowling, she let him lead the way. Palomino Pastries was always an important stop for him whenever he was in Canterlot. The best pies in the whole city baked here on a daily basis. Just the thought of hot fruit filling and flaky pie crust made his mouth water. Once the coast was clear, he eagerly showed her the place. "Wanna have dinner?" he asked. "My treat to pay you back."

Limestone stared at him wistfully. There was that odd look she also gave him back in her farm. She looked as if she had to say something, but couldn't. "Sure," she said in her subdued, husky voice. "Sounds good."

They sat down and ordered: mugs of coffee for both, a nice, whole apple pie for Soarin, still steaming hot from the oven, a slice of key lime pie for Limestone, light on the condensed milk, and extra tart. Soarin watched curiously when Limestone dug out a rock from her saddlebag, placed it between her front hooves, and ground it to fine powder over her coffee.

"What did you think of the show?" Soarin asked after a big bite of pie.

"It looked..." Limestone pressed her lips together. "I don't know much about these feather-- I mean these pegasus shows, okay? I thought it looked nice at first, and then it turned into a clusterfuck."

"It did, didn't it?" Soarin said with a laugh.

Limestone put her fork down. "So, what happened?" she asked. "The brochure I read said you were Second Wing, the second most important pony in your group. You were barely in there. That Rainbow Dash they had flying up there...I know a worker in over her head when I see one."

Soarin shrugged and explained the whole situation.

"I'm all for disciplining lousy workers," Limestone said after a long sip from her mug. "But discipline's supposed to help the business or team, not make it worse. Your captain's an imbecile."

The "lousy" remark stung, but Soarin merely sighed. "Maybe she is," he replied. "It's my fault too." The discussion was not going places he would like to while eating pie. "Say, you said you didn't know much about flight shows, right? So why'd you come to one now?"

Oh, that question caugh her off guard. Limestone's eyes widened before she suddenly turned away. "None of your business! I mean..."

Soarin tilted his head and rested it on a hoof.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," Limestone mumbled.

"Really?" Soarin asked, The answer took him aback a bit. He was expecting a spluttering excuse.

Limestone polished off the rest of her pie so swiftly that her last bite took out the head of her fork. She swallowed anyway, metal tines and all, then wiped off her muzzle.

"Thanks for the invite," Limestone said hurriedly. "I...uh...need to go." She pulled out a bunch of gold bits from her saddlebag, and slammed them on the table. "Keep the change."

"Hold on!" Soarin said. He grabbed a hold of her front hoof.

The next thing Soarin knew, he was upside down, still holding on to Limestone's hoof while she held him suspended in mid-air. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I was about to ask the same," Soarin replied. "What's the rush?"

Seeing the stares they were drawing, Limestone set him down and settled back to her chair. She didn't say a word though. Soarin was content for a while just watching her. She was an interesting study of contrasts all by herself. Those bright green eyes drew in attention with ease, like bright fires on a lonely, gray mountaintop. Her mane and eyebrows gave of sharpness and harshness, but she sometimes displayed these oddly soft responses. She caught him staring and flushed slightly, adding just a touch more color to the grayness. "What are you looking at?" she asked.

"You," Soarin said, smiling. "So tell me about what you do, Miss Limestone."

"Drop the Miss," Limestone said. "I run a Rock Farm. You've seen it, right? Pretty boring and straightforward job."

"I've heard the term," Soarin said. "But I still can't get my head around it. Farming...rocks?"

"Well, of course you can't get it," Limestone said. "You're a fff...pegasus."

"Feather-back," Soarin said.

Limestone paused, then had to stop herself from gaping.

"It's fine," Soarin said. "We call you dirt-muzzles sometimes. Not a big deal. At least, not with me."

Limestone smiled. It was Soarin's turn to be a bit awed. He was going to enjoy getting that out whenever he could.

"I suppose, I can explain it so even a feather-back can understand," Limestone said. "So..."

The conversation went on for quite a bit. Enough for Soarin to get in a couple more pies in there. Through it all, he also surreptitiously paid for the meals without getting those gold bits involved. Judging from the pile, they looked to cover the meal and ten more like it. It was nice hearing about Rock Farming. It sounded...solid, not just because it involved rocks, but also it involved a lot of building things. Soarin's thoughts strayed to his old complaints and the incident with Spitfire. Something stable to build into...

"Hey, it's getting late," Limestone said. "I should really go."

"Yeah," Soarin replied. "It was great seeing you again, Limestone. Thanks again for what you did for me."

Again, Limestone shot him that brief, wistful look.

"Say," Soarin said. "Maybe we can meet again?"

"That would...that would be nice," Limestone replied. She turned around swiftly, as if hiding her face. "I'll think about it! And when I'm not busy!" With that, she galloped off.