A knot formed in Spitfire’s stomach as she walked through the solid steel doors to the Wonderbolt’s locker room. Another performance, another day of slip-ups. The loop around was sloppy, her part in the formation stuck out like a sore hoof, and the early upturnon the nose dive earned her a few quick glances from her teammates. The cheers and applause from beyond the doors didn’t register in her mind, nor did she want it to. Mistakes weren’t praiseworthy.
“Hey Spitfire!” Soarin called. He approached the pony in question and put a foreleg across her shoulder. “You did good out there, boss. It was a tough routine, but we managed to pull through well enough.”
“Yeah, it was a killer!” Fleetfoot’s chuckle from the showers stopped shortly after her step into the conversation. “Not that it’s a bad thing, of course. Just a bit tougher than usual.”
Spitfire sighed. She looked to Soarin, putting on as convincing of a grin as she could muster. “Thanks, guys. Maybe practice tomorrow morning will go a bit better.” Her words alone brought a painful ache to her wings. Practice after practice, day after day, she’d honed the routine. Despite the screaming in her muscles for rest, she pressed on. Perfection was required - nothing less. The others accomplished form while she failed to do so.
“It’s alright, Spitfire,” Rainbow chimed in from a few lockers down. “Don’t take it too hard. I mean, I still did better, but don’t let it get to you.”
Though the rainbow-maned pegasus paid no mind, Spitfire shot her a killing glare. “I’ll be sure to keep it in mind, Rainbow. Thanks for the… input.” Though the poison in her words went unnoticed by the intended target, Soarin detected it all too well.
“Easy there, boss. Just cool down a bit. She didn’t mean anything by it, right Rainbow?”Soarin’s final words took a different, pleading tone.
“Oh, she knows I’m just joking around. She’s probably still mad about our race or something.”
With a loud huff, Spitfire marched to her locker without a word, stripping away her flight suit, shoving it in, and closing the door with a purposeful slam. Her hooves impacted heavily on the smooth tile floor of the showers, echoing through the expanse of the locker room.
An icy jet of water brought Spitfire’s heart to her throat, every muscle in her body tightening. Once the initial shock wore off, she found the water did little to quell the fire still burning in her chest. Rainbow was right - her performance was better. She couldn’t say it aloud - she didn’t need to. Everypony already knew.
After promptly drying herself off, Spitfire headed for the exit only to be stopped by Soarin’s hoof. “Hey, listen. I know you’re upset, but maybe we all could grab some lunch together? C’mon, I think a hayburger would help you out after -”
“Soarin.” Spitfire stared blankly at her teammate, noting his furrowed brow and pleading eyes. “Just stop. I got some things I need to take care of. I’ll see you all at practice tomorrow.”
The stallion opened his mouth to protest, but closed it soon after. Pursing his lips, he nodded. “Sure thing, boss. We’ll see you then. Just… don’t be too hard on yourself, okay?”
Paying no mind to Soarin’s advice or the pat on her shoulder, Spitfire exited the locker room and took to the sky, unsure where to go or what to do.
On the outskirts of Ponyville, Spitfire sat in the shade of a maple tree. A gentle breeze licked at her mane and coat, emulating the blaze still present in her heart. A weakened flame still clinging to the last of its kindling, fighting to stay alive.
She couldn’t look at the sky. While the sight of other pegasi and the space’s other residents brought a familiar comfort, a pang of dread and uncertainty crept into her thoughts. Nothing in Equestria brought a freedom to her quite like flying. The ground teemed with restrictions, limits, the things she fought hardest to break and avoid. Why did the sky hold them, too?
Sensing a shift in the wind, Spitfire gave the air a sniff. The typical smells of grass and various flowers registered, but one scent caught her attention: bread. Fresh baked, in fact. After hearing a nearby crunching of grass, she opened her eyes lazily. A familiar yellow, pink-maned pegasus stood a few paces away, saddlebags slung over her back.
Rising from the ground, Spitfire looked Fluttershy over curiously. “Fluttershy? What’re you doing out here? Don’t you have animals to take care of or something?” She bit her bottom lip, noting she sounded far more irritated than she intended. Not that she wasn’t on edge of course.
Fluttershy raised a brow. “Well, I was just going to see if you knew where Rainbow Dash was. I thought I’d give her a little gift after Wonderbolt’s practice for -”
“Sorry, I can’t help you. Could be anywhere right now.” Spitfire looked to the ground, scuffing her hoof against the grass in frustration. The mere mention of Rainbow or the Wonderbolts brought with it the stinging reminder of why she wasn’t with her team.
Taking a pace back, Fluttershy looked Spitfire over quizzically. “Are you okay? A lovely day like this isn’t so bad, is it?” Silence. Her brow furrowed slightly as she hummed to herself in thought. It was then that an idea popped into her head. Turning to return to the nearby path, she looked over her shoulder at the sulking mare. “I can make another loaf for Rainbow. I was planning to feed the ducks, anyway. Why don’t you come along? I could use another pair of hooves.”
Spitfire sighed. “I… I don’t know, Fluttershy. Feeding animals? No offense, but that doesn’t really sound my speed, if you know what I mean.”
Despite the refusal, Fluttershy’s smile never left. As she left, she said: “Suit yourself. I didn’t know feeding ducks would be too much of a challenge for you.” A small smirk crossed her lips.
“Excuse me?” Spitfire propelled herself into the air and landed mere inches in front of Fluttershy. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well,” Fluttershy began, her voice strangely collected, “you’re a Wonderbolt, right?” Wouldn’t somepony like you have no trouble tossing some bread?”
Spitfire’s jaw tightened. For the shy, nervous pony she’d seen from the Cloudsdale water transfer, she certainly had a sharper tongue than she thought. Still, she needed something to take her mind off her lackluster performance and Rainbow’s salt in the wound. “Count me in.”
Fluttershy’s face lit up, her subtle smirk replaced with a beaming smile. “Great! Follow me!” She circled around Spitfire and trotted along her merry way towards the pond.
Before tagging along, Spitfire couldn’t hide her bewildered stare.
Upon arriving at the pond, Spitfire took in the landscape. The water lay still and calm, save for the occasional ripple of a bug or fish. Frogs sat around the outskirts of the water, either taking shade under the tall grass or waiting for a tasty morsel to fly or crawl past. The sun of the mid afternoon shone off the surface of the water, the celestial image broken apart whenever a stray ripple met the crystal clear portrait. Across the water, a family of ducks recognized Fluttershy and began the swim over to greet her.
“So why are we here exactly?” asked Spitfire, irritation getting the better of her tact.
Looking to her hot-headed companion, Fluttershy smiled. “Doesn’t it feel nice to get away for a while? To just… relax?”
“I guess so, but that doesn’t answer my question.”
The youngest of the ducks reached the shore and waddled up to Fluttershy, uttering a gleeful series of quacks.
“Oh, you’re too kind.” She reached into her saddlebag and retrieved a sizable slice of bread and tossed it to the duckling’s feet. “There you go.”
Though Spitfire was no stranger to other occupants of the sky, she wasn’t aware that they carried a voice of their own. Was scaredy-hooves the only one able to understand them? She eyed the other pegasus curiously, but quickly looked away when their eyes met.
“So…” said Spitfire, scratching the back of her head with a hoof. “How often do you feed these guys? I mean, can’t they get their own food?”
Fluttershy giggled and nodded. “They can and do, but since I like to come here when I need to clear my head, bringing some bread for them is no big deal.”
Her brow furrowed, Spitfire glanced about the pond skeptically. “Clear your head? What would you have to worry about? You just stay on the ground and look after animals all day. If you flew for a living and put every bit of your pegasus instinct into testing your skills in the sky, then you’d have something to worry about.”
Despite the poignant words from Spitfire, a small smile held fast on Fluttershy’s lips. “Does that help you?” Taking another slice of bread from her bag, she tossed it to the next group of patient birds. “Sounds like somepony has something on their mind. Care to talk about it?”
“What’s there to talk about? I already told you you’ve got nothing to worry about.” Spitfire dragged her hoof idly across the dirt with an irritated huff.
“If you say so.”
A flush of heated crimson darkened Spitfire’s cheeks. She was one remark away from her mane igniting. “What does that even mean?” She opened her mouth to continue, but closed it moments later. “You know what? I don’t have time for this. I got places to go, ponies to see, training to catch up on. Maybe I won’t screw those up.” Without waiting for a response, she’d already left the ground. She didn’t get far, however.
“Did Rainbow Dash ever tell you I beat her in a race?”
Though Spitfire had cleared a fair distance in mere seconds, the meek voice of the other pegasus sent an unfamiliar jolt down her spine. Rainbow Dash? Beaten by Fluttershy? “That’s not possible. I can barely outfly her.”
“If you stick around a little longer I can tell you all about it.”
Spitfire raised a brow. She knew Fluttershy wasn’t the worst flyer in Equestria, but good enough to outfly Rainbow Dash? Flying back down to the pond’s edge, her nose scrunched in skepticism. “Okay, shoot. How did you beat Rainbow Dash?” She remained standing, tapping her hoof lightly on the grass.
“Well, it started a few years back when -”
“How’d you beat her? I don’t need all the backstory, just tell me how you won.” After many a loss to the only pegasus that could match her tenacity and skill, Spitfire needed some inkling of how she could get an edge.
Fluttershy raised her brow, surprised yet sympathetic to Spitfire’s impatience. “I’ll tell you, but it’s the whole story you need to hear. Just be a little patient, please.”
With a roll of her eyes, Spitfire plopped onto the ground, crossing her forelegs and resting her chin on them. She huffed, picking idly at the blades of grass with her hooves.
“Thank you. Now, Rainbow has always been… competitive. She’s got a fire in her, that’s for sure. Kind of like you.” She giggled at the annoyed snort she received in response. “Even though I never was much of a racer, I never refused whenever she asked for one. They helped her improve after all.” Her innocent smile turned further upwards into a devilish grin. “But they helped me improve, too. After losing every single time, I started to notice things I hadn’t before.”
Spitfire cocked a brow. “What kind of things? Slip-ups?”
“Not slip-ups. Habits. It became less about trying to beat her and more about studying how she flew.” She outstretched her wings and gave them a few flaps as if to emphasize her point. “For starters, she goes super fast right at the beginning.”
“Well yeah, it’s a race. You kind of want to win those, and you have to be fast to do that.”
“That’s what I thought too, but there’s more to it. No matter where we raced, I noticed she’d start super fast, but she’d slow down after a short time and let herself glide. Have you seen that?”
Contrary to what Spitfire wanted Fluttershy to think, she hadn’t seen that. As much as she wanted to state otherwise, however, she couldn’t deny her ignorance on the matter. “Well, I guess I just never paid much attention to it. Racing is racing. Never thought much about styles before. But I still don’t see what this has to do with you beating her or even how you did.”
Fluttershy tossed another piece of bread to the ducks, but not before taking a small bite, herself. “With every race, I learned something new. She typically glides just long enough to catch her breath before flapping her wings again. Before every race, she always checked the direction of the wind to make sure we flew against it. Shiny objects on the ground can be a little distracting for her, too.”
As Fluttershy continued, Spitfire’s eyes widened. Of all ponies she expected to up pick up on such minute details of flying, Fluttershy was the last on her list. She found herself fidgeting in place, anxious to hear how the observations paid off.
Noting the enthusiasm from her audience of one, Fluttershy continued. “All it took was some proper timing of when I used up my energy and when I didn’t. That and making sure to try it on a sunny day. Light reflects off of so many things.” Struggling to stifle a giggle, she shrugged as she looked to Spitfire as if the entire process presented no challenge.
“That’s… insane. Why hasn’t she mentioned that to any of us at the academy?”
Fluttershy rolled her eyes playfully. “It’s Rainbow Dash that’s why.” Her smile brightened as a young duck from the pond waddled onto shore and nuzzled against her hoof. “She might like to be the top pony, but even the ones on top have their weaknesses.”
The smile on Spitfire’s face faltered, her ears folding back. “Yeah. That’s the truth, all right.” She rested her chin on her forelegs once more, staring idly down at a ladybug that made its way to a blade of grass near her fur. Her head snapped up when something much larger brushed against her leg. It was the baby duck. Looking up at her curiously, it let out a gleeful quack before nuzzling her leg as well.
“But those weaknesses don’t take away from how amazing she is. Me being -well, me - doesn’t take away from who I am. None of our flaws can do that,” said Fluttershy. She looked between the duckling and Spitfire, trying to gauge the other pegasi’s reaction.
Spitfire’s brows furrowed. “How does that work? I mean, a screw up is a screw up. You avoid them at all costs, and they still end up finding you.”
Neither pony spoke for a brief time, the only sounds coming from the occasional quack from the pond’s residents and the wind whistling through the pond’s foliage.
Finally, Fluttershy spoke. “If you say so.”
“What the heck does that even mean?! Stop being all secretive and tell me!” Spitfire snapped back up, wings outstretched, nostrils flared, glaring daggers at Fluttershy. The duckling by her leg jumped in surprise, waddling back over to Fluttershy and hiding in her mane.
Fluttershy on the other hoof, looked Spitfire in the eye as if she saw the outburst coming. She sighed softly, petting the ducking among her pink locks. “What it means is that things are exactly what you say they are. If you think a mistake can’t be good, then it isn’t.” Before Spitfire could interrupt, she placed the duckling back on the ground - who promptly made its way back to the water - and stood up. “The times I lost to Rainbow Dash may have been losses, but I learned something from each one. And I kept learning until I finally won.”
A family of ducks waddled past the pair. The mother entered first, her children not far behind. One by one each duckling followed their mother into the pond until they too rested on the water’s surface - all but one. It flapped its little wings frantically, calling its family back. The others responded with a series of their own quacks, most likely trying to encourage the straggler.
Looking between Fluttershy and Spitfire, the duckling honked, though it beared an apprehensive tone both ponies could clearly make out. With a nod from Fluttershy, the duckling darted towards the water to join the others.
“In the end it’s up to you to change that. Kind words from others can only do so much.” Fluttershy put a hoof on Spitfire’s shoulder. “You have it in you if you’re anything like Rainbow Dash.”
Spitfire canted her head to one side, studying the remarkable pony before her. “How were you able to come up with all this? Don’t get me wrong, I believe you, but how’d you figure this out?”
Looking back to the family of ducks as they swam away, Fluttershy smiled. “I guess I found it’s much easier to be kind to others when I’m kind to myself, too.”
“You’re all right, Fluttershy. You’re all right.” After a solid nod of approval Spitfire sighed heavily, the weight of an unseen world rolling off her shoulders. Looking off in the distance, she noted the sun beginning its gradual descent. “How long do you usually stay out here?”
Fluttershy shrugged. “Until whatever’s on my mind is solved. Were you going to take off soon?”
As she opened her mouth to speak, the little duckling from before waddled back onto shore. Seeing Spitfire still there, it honked at her before running up to her leg.
A faint smile crept across Spitfire’s muzzle. She noted the remaining few slices of bread in Fluttershy’s saddlebag and laid back down on the grass, giving a gentle pat to her new admirer. “I may as well stick around a little while longer. This place is kinda nice.”
Fluttershy gave a slice of bread to Spitfire. She sighed softly as she watched the other pony try to feed the duckling. As inexperienced as she was, she at least had the general idea. With a light giggle, she relaxed once again on the cool green bed beneath her. “If you say so.”