//------------------------------// // Epilogue: Memories yet to be made... // Story: Race the Wind // by Skyblitz //------------------------------// Epilogue: Memories yet to be made... "Two hearts, two souls, who light the sky. Of ones who were born to love and fly... Three Years Later "Ahhh, Goddess-dammit... Buck... Spitty! I need help!" called Soarin'. His marefriend came trotting into the changing room, a resigned smile on her face. She giggled and shook her head slightly as she watched Soarin' try and fit his wing through the holes on the flightsuit. One thing she would say about the uniforms: they were incredibly tight, and quite frankly didn't leave much to the imagination. "Oh Soar, you featherbrain. Come here, let me see if I can -". She grabbed the fold of lycra-like material and tugged it as hard as she could around Soarin's large feathered limb. The wing finally popped through, albeit with Soarin' cursing all the way through the process. "Ahh, thanks Spitty. Ya know, we should really do something about the uniforms, they're way too tight" he said ponderously as he struggled to stretch the hood over his face. On the other side of the room, Rapidfire was having trouble doing up his zipper, despite the help that Fleetfoot was giving him. The other team members strutted around in various places around the room. Lightning Streak was chatting with his brother, Fire Streak. And Surprise was talking intently with Tempest Wind. The older stallion now had streaks of grey lining his dark blue mane, and faint bags could be seen beneath his eyes. The Wonderbolt captain was getting old, Spitfire knew. And she honestly doubted how much longer he could keep up with his younger, fitter teammates. Last training session, he was the slowest of the entire flight team, but nopony would dare say so to his face. But Spitfire could tell that the captain knew about his deteriorating condition. She would sometimes catch glimpses of him preening his feathers with a forlorn expression, and sometimes he could stop what he was doing in order to stretch his legs and joints. Spitfire doubted it would be a great length of time before the older stallion would retire from his flying days. It was a great shame, Tempest had been their friend and mentor for three years, ever since that amazing day when she, Soar, Rapid and Fleetfoot were all accepted into the Wonderbolts. "Okay everypony, show starts in two minutes!" came the excited voice of another team member, Gusty. The yellow maned mare cantered into the changing rooms, flightsuit already on perfectly. Gusty was a relatively new member of the team, only joining roughly six months ago. In that time she had already proven herself a dedicated and skilled aerobat, as well as an exceptional athlete. In a strange way, Gusty reminded Spitfire of herself when she was younger. The constant hum of the crowd above them sent shivers done Spitfire's spine. She had performed in dozens and dozens of shows and performances before, but the orange maned mare always got a nervous feeling just before going out. Tempest had told her that that was a good sign. It showed her that she wasn't egotistical on her abilities, and nerves can help a pegasus pull off some of the greatest displays of aerobatics in all of Equestria. But there was something very special about this particular show - or rather, its location. For the first time since they joined the ‘Bolts, Spitfire, Soarin', Rapidfire and Fleetfoot had returned back to their old Flight Academy's stadium. The buzzing crowd above them were young fillies and colts, eager and ready to see the greatest flyers in Equestria perform for them. "Hey", said Soarin' cheerily, "no need to be so shaky". He wrapped a pale blue feathered wing around Spitfire's withers comfortingly. Spitfire always loved it when he did that. It made her feel safe. She turned her amber eyes to lock with Soarin's own orbs of stunning jaded green. Soarin' often told her how dazzling her own eyes looked, but until now she never really saw just how loving his were. She managed a small smile. "I know, I know, its just that... It’s been three years since we were last here. I can't believe its been that long Soar. I don't wanna let everypony down when we perform in our old training grounds again. This place is kinda special to me. Its the place where we managed to prove ourselves as potential Wonderbolts!" Soarin' nodded. He understood. With a small chuckle, the pale blue stallion nuzzled her neck warmly, causing Spitfire to giggle like a filly. "Thirty seconds everypony!" yelled Gusty excitedly. As Soarin' turned to follow a laughing Rapidfire and Fleetfoot out of the changing room doors, Spitfire grabbed his shoulder with a forehoof. As he turned round, she gave him the most passionate, loving, warm kiss she could muster at this point. As she pulled away, Soarin' simply smiled at her. "C'mon Spitty, lets go get 'em!"   The End