Chapter 3: Fire
Burning spirit, blazing bright. Of one whose heart was born for flight..."
Soarin' stared blankly at the plain ceiling above him and sighed. Some of the bandages covering his body had been removed, leaving his wing and thigh free of linen. But the large binding around his chest and stomach remained. The x-ray results for that section of his battered body revealed that Hurricane's kick had shattered a rib and bruised three others around it. Nurse Redheart had warned that if he had continued to pound that area, bone fragments may have punctured Soarin's left lung.
The thought was harrowing...
On the positive side, Rapidfire was finally out of hospital from the feather flu, and was currently sitting next to the pale blue pegasus.
"Wait, so... He barged into you when you caught up with him?" the orange maned stallion asked.
"Yep..." came the monotone reply from Soarin'.
"You didn't say anything or do anything that may have caused him to do it?"
"Nope..."
Rapidfire grunted with impatience at his friend's lack of response.
"Hey, I'm just sayin', I know what you're like sometimes. You can get a bit overconfident and maybe a be a bit of an ass. I'm just trying to rule out the possibility that you may have said som-"
Soarin' rounded on him.
"You weren't there! So don't tell me what may or may not have happened. The dude's a plothole, and thats the end of it.”
The blue pegasus slumped back onto the bed with another sigh.
Two more days, thats what Nurse Redheart had said. Two more days before he was well enough to leave the dingy building and return to the vast liberating sky.
"Why was it so important that you won this race anyway? It was just a class sports lesson...what made you so damn determined to win?" asked Rapidfire curiously.
Soarin' blinked in surprise. His friend didn't know about his feelings for Spitfire, and the pale blue pegasus briefly thought about telling him.
"...Because the dude's a plothole like I said, and he needed to be beaten," he replied hesitantly.
"And yet you're the one in here beaten bloody..." Rapidfire said, raising an eyebrow disapprovingly. Soarin' couldn't help but smile. He hadn't smiled in a while, not since he had woken up. He turned to the orange maned pony and grinned.
"Glad you're back buddy..."
Spitfire stood patiently at the upper end of the cloudroad that was known as the Spectrum Causeway. It was so named firstly due to its proximity to the Rainbow Factory, and secondly because of the prism shaped street lamps that ran down its dead straight length. The sunlight fragmented on the prismatic lampposts, sending arcs of rainbow coloured lights across the cloudroad, creating archways of glittering colour.
The yellow mare had begun to pace. Despite the hatred she felt for the bucker that was Hurricane, she suddenly felt very nervous. She had seen what Hurricane had done to Soarin' personally, and she had seen his racing expertise. He was fast. Very fast, and Spitfire was doubtful that even she could beat him. The only reason she was doing this was to defend Soarin's honour...
That and because of the off chance she could kick Hurricane's flank into next week.
She turned abruptly turned as she heard laughter coming from the direction of the Academy. She almost growled when the white form of Hurricane crested the clouds. Three other stallions followed him. Spitfire had come alone.
"Hey beautiful!" came the smug voice of the white stallion as he approached with a dumb grin of his face. Spitfire scowled at him. "Still see you haven't changed your mind about me..." Hurricane continued, flexing his wide wings and tensing his athletic body.
As much as Spitfire despised the stallion, she had to admit he was quite attractive. His coat was pristine apart from the injuries that Soarin' had given him, and it clung to his large muscles tightly. His mane was two shades of blue, one dark the other light. His cutie mark was of a swirling blue tornado like icon.
Despite the large bruise running down one side of his race, Hurricane was undoubtedly handsome. His eyes were of a dark indigo, and had an aura of confidence about them.
Had he been someone other than a complete and utter ass, Spitfire would have gladly dated him...
"No, I haven't changed my mind..." she muttered icily.
The white stallion laughed. The other three stallions with him sniggered as well. Spitfire's already pent up anger was beginning to boil over.
"So, you said you wanted to race. Well, I'll say what I said to that coltcuddler Soarin'. You're in way over your head," Hurricane gloated, lifting his chest up high and proud.
The orange maned mare laughed, hiding her insecurity well.
"We'll see about that cripplewings. Here's the deal: First to reach the end of the Causeway wins. If I win, you apologise to Soarin' and admit what a plothole you were him to the rest of the school"
Hurricane smiled again.
"That's it?" he asked, clearly amused. Spitfire nodded firmly.
"Ha!" came Hurricane's response, "Hear that boys, I gotta say how terribly sorry I am to that little foal. I'm so scared that I'll lose" he added sarcastically.
He then locked gazes with Spitfire, indigo battling amber.
"And what if I win... What do I get in all this?" Spitfire didn't respond at first. In truth, she hadn't actually thought that far into the deal. She felt quite stupid.
"I've got an idea" the white stallion suddenly said, suspiciously cheery, "If I win...
You'll be my marefriend."
Spitfire looked at him with utter disgust. "W-what? You've got the be buckin' joking. You're the biggest plothole I've ever met. Why the hay would I agree to that?"
"Because if you don't..." Hurricane's indigo eyes scanned the area around Spitfire. The orange maned mare followed his gaze, and saw that the three other stallions had encircled her. "...I guess we'll just have to have some other sort of fun with you tonight..."
Spitfire turned to him. She tried her best, but fear clearly broke through her mask of confidence.
"You wouldn't dare... I'll call the Sky Wardens. You so much as touch me and I swear I'll tell them." She had begun to back away from the taller stallion, only to be stopped by the forehooves of one of the other ponies. She shook him off and rounded on him.
"S-Storm Rider, p-please... Don't!" she stammered. The dark blue pegasus just smiled slyly. He had been a good friend of Soarin'... Surely he wouldn't.
She backed away again, this time she was seized by the forelegs of a dark grey stallion. She kicked him hard in the muzzle before beginning to flap her wings to fly away.
She howled in pain as hurricane's strong hoof clamped onto her primary flight feathers, preventing her escape.
"Now what do you say, Spitfire... Deal?" Hurricane whispered cruelly into her ear.
The yellow mare bit her lower lip. She would not buckle under his threats, she would not.
But seeing the three other stallions laughing and leering at her filled her again with fear.
"I swear to Celestia, if you touch me again I'll tell the Sky Wardens.
"Go ahead, my dad's the Sky Marshal, and Storm Rider's brother is a Sergeant. Tell them whatever you want. They won't believe you"
Spitfire began to whimper, but quiet enough that Hurricane couldn't hear. Seeing no alternative, the yellow mare sighed.
"Alright... Deal."
The white pegasus let go of her wing and smiled broadly. "Well then, lets get on with it!"
"YES!" Soarin' yelled out in exultation. "Hell yeah! I'm finally getting out of here!" The pale blue pegasus almost leapt out of the bed with joy before being brought back down by the sharp pain in his chest. Rapidfire ruffled his friend's dark blue mane as he grinned hugely.
"That's fantastic! When's the doctor coming?" he asked happily to the smiling nurse at Soarin's bedside.
"He's here now. If fact, he's right here..." she said as a tall dark blue unicorn pony walked into the cubicle. He had cast a cloudwalking spell on himself, and was clearly still getting used to the feeling of walking on them. He wore a white doctor's robe and wore a pair of round spectacles.
He smiled warmly at Soarin' as he entered the room.
"Hello there Soarin', my name is Doctor Tourniquet. I believe Nurse Cloudheart here as told you what I intend to do".
Soarin' beamed and nodded.
With magic, Doctor Tourniquet would be able to heal Soarin's injuries in a scant few minutes. It was by pure coincidence that the Doctor was giving a lecture at the school that day, and when he heard about Soarin', he was more than happy to help.
The pale blue pegasus relaxed his body as he was instructed by the unicorn. He watched tentatively as the long blue horn started to glow with a sky blue light.
Rapidfire had been told to wait outside, but Soarin' smiled to his friend as he saw him staring curiously through the cubicle window. The light across the horn intensified, and he felt his body begin to tingle.
"Now, there will be some discomfort during the process, maybe even pain. If at any point you wish me to stop, just say so" Tourniquet said.
Soarin' smiled.
"No worries Doc, I'll be fine. I survived this didn't I?" he said pointing a hoof at the area of his broken ribs.
The Doctor shook his head amiably in disapproval before closing his eyes.
"I'm about to begin, be ready"
Soarin's body relaxed, but his mind raced. He was finally going to leave the cringy hospital wing and rejoin his friends in the sky. And he could finally tell Spitfire about his fe-
A hot tingling sensation ran up across his chest. Soarin' gasped, more in surprise than pain. he could feel the tissue of his bones reknitting themselves as the doctor's magic raced through his body. It was without a doubt the strangest feeling he had felt in his life. He winced as the first rib fully healed itself, the magic then moving onto the next bruised bone.
"Buck..." Soarin' muttered.
"Please don't use that language around me, sonny." Tourniquet said with a raised eyebrow.
"Sorry". Despite the weird sensations rippling across his chest, Soarin' smiled. Just a few more minutes and he'd be flying again.
Spitfire raised her golden wings into ready position. She ruffled her feathers from wingpit to wingtip, making sure that everything was in order. She couldn't lose. She couldn't. She had to do it for both herself and Soarin'.
"Ready Spitty?" Hurricane's voice drifted over from her right. The yellow mare locked gazes with him.
"Don't call me that. Only Soarin' calls me that."
"Well if you're gonna be my marefriend in the next three minutes, I gotta have some kind of pet name for you!" the white stallion replied.
"Heres yours: mule-plot." retorted Spitfire icily. Hurricane laughed again.
"See boys? I told you I like this one" He winked at her.
Spitfire turned away, trying to keep her frustration under control. she had to focus now. Storm Rider's voice echoed out across the cloudroad.
"Three...
...Two...
...One...
...GO!"
Both Spitfire and Hurricane shot away faster than bullets. The yellow mare beat her wings furiously, keeping her focus dead straight in front as the rainbow arches flashed away above her. Her eyes were squinted to prevent them from watering, and her fiery mane was swept back behind her. She was moving so fast that it began to flow and flash like a real flame. She dared not turn to her right, but from what she could see in her peripherals, Hurricane was neck and neck with her perfectly.
Her wings became solid blurs as Spitfire diverted all of her energy into her muscles. Sweat fell away from her brow as she still picked up speed. Inch by inch... She pulled in front of the white stallion.
Almost there...
She could see the end of the Causeway where the cloudroad met the greater city of Cloudsdale. The sun had almost completely disappeared below the western cloudbanks, bathing the city in the glow of twilight. So close now...
Spitfire smiled as she dared a glance behind her. Hurricane had a look of complete and utter outrage on his face, his wings beating furiously in order to catch the orange maned mare. But Spitfire would not let up now, and she continued to fly faster.
It was then that she noticed the heat building up near her flank...
Curious, she glanced behind her...
And screamed in shock as her eyes her greeted by the sight of roaring flames running down her back. Her wings faltered.
Losing balance, Spitfire veered downwards towards cloudroad. The collision was extremely hard, and Spitfire skidded across the rainbow hued clouds before flipping over and landing on her wing, pinning herself down. But the worst pain came when she saw the brilliant streak of blue and white pass over her head like a rocket... Across the finish line.
No... No! Oh sweet Celestia, no!
Hurricane approached her unmoving body with a smug grin stretched across his face. "Well, well, well... What happened there?" he asked arrogantly.
Spitfire couldn't honestly answer. Where in Equestria did those flames come from? Had she caused them, or had Hurricane done something? Either way... She lost... She lost, and... She was Hurricane's...
"No!" I won't be your marefriend, the deal's off!"
Hurricane shook his head disapprovingly.
"Oh no Spitty, you can't do that just because you lost... It’s not fair."
"Buck off! I'll never go out with you, you're a lying pile of cr-" Spitfire stopped when she noticed Storm Rider and the other two stallion approach her from three angles.
She cast her head down, tears beginning to well in her eyes, but she kept them from falling.
"That's better..." said Hurricane quietly, "now come here...". He put his foreleg around her withers. Spitfire batted him away at first with her wing, but soon remembered the others around her. "This is going to be a wonderful relationship" muttered Hurricane evilly.
It didn't work. The tears fell at last. Spitfire cursed herself silently for being so weak, and for letting her best friend down too...
"...Oh Soar, I'm so sorry" she muttered to herself.