"Soarin, bank left!" Spitfire called through the ringing in her ears as she flew along side her fellow Pegasus. The two of them intertwining their flight techniques in perfect harmony with the other. There was no Wonderbolt uniform, no lightning, no adrenaline rush; just Spitfire and her friend, flowing as one with the beautiful orange sky and the mountain peaks lined with a silver that glimmered romantically in the setting sun.
Spitfire pulled up and looped backwards behind her partner and hovered just enough to gaze upon him. His strong muscles, his snow white wings and coat and that beautiful sapphire blue mane. Her mind was away from her, so much so she lost control of her wings and started to fall back toward Cloudsdale. Soarin twisted in mid air and looped back around to spot her. His heart beat faster. Blood rushed to his brain as his instincts took over and he set of at a breathtaking pace towards Spitfire. His ears stung but he didn't care as he tore through the air as the drag affect started to take him, he soon reached her and scooped her in his arms before raising into a hover. They were in direct proportion to the sun, Soarin's coat buried in the glow of Spitfire's thanks to the Celestia's sun setting over Cloudsdale.
Spitfire fluttered her eyes open and gazed upwards into her best friends brilliant green eyes and almost lost herself again before shaking her head free of her thoughts.
"Wh...What happened?" She mumbled quietly.
"You just stopped and started to fall, what happened?" he asked curiously, cocking his head sideways.
"I... Erm... Must have gotten a head rush when I looped... Yeah that was it heheh..." she replied, nervously darting her eyes back and forth. She started to flap her wings and gain balance. Her heart rate increased as she released herself from Soarin's strong grip; brushing her muzzle in his flowing mane as she rose up, catching the smell of pie crust as she inhaled. Her orange cost did nothing to hide the crimson blush that formed on her orange cheeks. She beat her wings a few more times to distract herself.
"Well erm... I better go home..." she announced quietly.
"Aw come on Fire, just a few more runs!" he cried aloud.
Chucking at his enthusiasm, she nodded her head. They took off again in a gust of wind climbing as high as they could through the cold air. The sun had just set and Luna's moon was starting to shine above the horizon; bathing Spitfire in halo of moonlight and casting her shadow against the clouds behind her.
Soarin smiled to his friend before calling out "should we try it again? Perfect conditions" he stated.
Spitfire knew immediately what he was referring to, the new move they had been practicing every spare minute they had together. The Flaming Sapphire. It was extremely complex and required both speed and precision from both flyers. "Are you serious!?" she called back, remembering the crash he had suffered recently. She grimaced and her chest tensed at the mere thought of it. She didn't want him to end up in hospital again, not after how he shattered the main support bone of his wing in three places. She had panicked so much that she almost thought he wouldn't fly again. She had wept for days over her best friends bedside as she vowed not to leave him. Not even for Wonderbolt practice which she adored so much but felt it wouldn't be the same without him.
Feeling herself tear up she shook away her thoughts, whipping her flowing flaming mane as she did so. "I can't" she said simply "not after what happened last time"
Soarin glided over to her and touched a forehoof to her cheek and brought their eyes to a lock, gazing into each other. "We'll be fine" he assured her with a warming smile. "Trust me" he continued still holding his gaze with Spitfire. She gazed deep into his eyes again relishing in the trust she felt for him, ever since the day she had met him at Summer Flight Camp all those years ago.
***
Spitfire was gliding around outside her cloud cabin, having just had a shower and dried off, she wanted to take to the air and relax before the day started officially and the other campers would awake. She flew up into the clear sky relishing in the orange glow of the sunrise the wind making her fire-like mane flow behind her as she beat her wings gently. She landed quickly after hearing the bell and walked along the clouds toward the mess to have breakfast. She wandered what to have, oats, daisies, hay or... THUD. She walked straight into a brown, blonde maned pegasus.
"Watch where you're walkin' matchstick!" he shouted at her. Unable to say anything, the scared filly dropped and covered her face with her hooves. "What's wrong MATCHSTICK? You obviously had the guts to walk into me! You looking for a fight or somethin'? ... Of course you're not, look at you! You're a pathetic flyer, you don't belong here!" he kept insulting her for about another thirty seconds until Spitfire picked up her ears as she heard a crack. Through teary eyes she looks up to see a pair of white rear hooves buck straight into the bully's chest.
"BACK OFF JET!" the stranger screamed, staring down the bully before him who was now clutching his upper rib cage in pain. Jet backed off, shuffling backwards across the cloud. The white Pegasus colt walked over to Spitfire and placed his forehoof onto her cheek. She looked up to meet his gaze. "Green eyes" she thought as she stated into them. He wiped the tears from her cheek and helped her to stand.
"The name's Soarin, you okay?" he asked with a friendly tone, still looking into her amber eyes.
"Y... Yes... Thank you" she responded between sharp intakes of breath to compensate for her previous crying.
He smiled to her kindly, he was no threat to her, she even considered him a friend already. She hadn't made many friends and none of them would go to the lengths he did to defend her. "You wanna get some breakfast? I'm starving and nopony sits with me?" he asked.
"I... I'd like that" she replied smiling sweetly to her new friend. "My name is Spitfire, by the way" she added before accompanying him into the mess hall.
***
A slight gust of wind rustled her main and cleared her head once more. Still gazing into Soarin's eyes she simply nodded, knowing it would be safe. Because he was sure, and she trusted him. "Okay, let's give it another go" she softy spoke, grinning broadly to him.
"Now your talking!" he beamed at her before taking off, flying around ten metres away from her.
"Ready?" he asked, to which Spitfire just nodded her agreement, feeling butterflies in her stomach. Soarin started to dive, and Spitfire followed suit not even a second later. They gathered speed as they bounded towards the moonlit fields, the wind making their ears ring. Spitfire had gathered enough speed by now, and all a sudden her mane was aglow with the brightness of a thousand suns. Soarin soon followed, his mane responding similarly to the increasing speed, flowing gently despite the speed and emitting a sapphire glow. Seeing this, Spitfire's eyes soon reflected the sparkling beauty of the Pegasus next to her. They were nearing the ground at a extraordinary pace... A few more feet and they wouldn't be able to stabilise themselves. Spitfire clenched her eyes shut but refused to slow down. She thought of Soarin, all the flying practices they had shared, all the techniques they had learned from each other. Her heart beat faster, the adrenaline rushing to her brain. Her wings responded instantly as she wretched her eyes open.
It all happened so fast; the ear splitting burst of a flame, and the sudden explosion of sparkling blue next to her. They pulled up in unison and brought their magical radiance within inches of each other. Racing toward the open sky; with Spitfire bathed in the warm glow of fire that surrounded her body, main and tail; and Soarin, glimmering in the blue shimmer of his mane and tail. They flew higher, spiralling in a double helix and bringing their colours together, the brilliance of the the glittering blue bathed in the amber inferno, the orange mare emitted. It lit up the sky in all it's beauty. "I did it!" she thought before turning with crying eyes to gaze upon Soarin and his radiating mane contrasting with his sparkling emerald eyes.
"We did it".