//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Stormy Horizons // Story: Hurricane Force Winds... // by Skyblitz //------------------------------// Chapter 3: Stormy Horizons "I've battled hurricanes and blizzards, but this..." "You're joking..." "Do I look like I'm bucking joking?" Soarin' sat there motionless, staring back and forth between his distraught marefriend and the positive pregnancy tests that littered the room. Spitfire was shaking slightly, her gaze half turned away from Soarin'. The pale blue pegasus shook his head in confusion before flinging his forehooves behind his head. "Are you sure?" he asked out of desperation. He knew the answer as well as Spitfire did. "Of course I'm bucking sure!" she cried. Her amber eyes streamed again with a fresh tide of tears, her feathered wings ruffling. "Soar...its our fault, we let this happen, that night...Goddess-dammit we should have used protection!" she threw the tissue in her hoof to one of the many piles standing around her like a mocking audience. With a final sob, more out of frustration than sorrow, Spitfire stood up and stormed out of the living room down the curved corridor that led to the balcony. For a full minute Soarin' just sat there on the curved couch, dumbstruck and dazed. Pregnant? What? The pale blue stallion rubbed his temples in rhythmic circles and took several deep breaths. "Okay...relax, it can't be as bad as you think" he muttered to himself. That was stupid. It was exactly as bad as he thought. If word somehow got out about this ill timed pregnancy, one or both of them would surely be kicked out of the Wonderbolts. Highly active aerobats didn't perform very well whilst a foal was growing inside them. Spitfire was devastated. Not knowing what else to do, Soarin' stood up and cantered down towards the balcony. Spitfire was leaning out over the polished silver bannisters, her beautiful face hung down in shame. Timidly, Soarin' walked towards her, shaking slightly himself. "Hey..." he whispered as gently as he could. Spitfire jumped slightly at hearing his voice, but soon turned around to face her coltfriend. She had stopped crying, but her eyes still held within them an innate fear and anger at the whole situation. Soarin' slowly walked up beside her and draped a loving wing around her. Despite all her anger and frustration, Spitfire yielded to Soarin's gentle touch, and buried her face in his soft coat. "I'm just so scared Soar...what are we going to do?" she muttered, hugging her coltfriend tightly. "How can we have a baby, how can we cope? You only just turned twenty last month, you're too young to be a father, just like I can't be a mum...the Bolts..." Soarin' hugged her before giving her a warm, loving nuzzle on her cheek. "It doesn't matter, we'll get through this, like we've gotten through everything before. We won't tell the Bolts yet, not until we figure out what to do..." "But we can't keep something like this secret! Sooner or later I'll start to show-" "We will get through this. Look at me Spitty", he cupped her worried face in his forehooves, "I love you, and I will do everything I can to help us get through this. We'll deal with the rest of the team later". It was an improvised speech, but it seemed to lessen Spitfire's terrifyed expression. "Thank you Soar...thank you..." she whispered. *** Unbeknownst to the two pegasi on the balcony, their intimate and private conversation was being overheard. As the golden and blue pegasi embraced, three other ponies were zooming overhead. The Sky Wardens acted as the police force within the boundries of Cloudsdale and the other floating cities, consisting of highly trained and athletic ponies who were beaten only in speed and agility by the Wonderbolts themselves. The three Sky Wardens were flying in an arrowhead formation as they shot over the penthouse district of the shining town. However, one pegasus in the three stopped when he saw the two ponies on a wide curved balcony. He recognised them, and not from their huge fame as memebers of the Wonderbolts. "Hey, Hurricane! Stop gawping and hurry up!" yelled the commanding officer of the trio, his silvered helmet crowned by a sky blue plume. The strong white stallion snapped his gaze back to his superior before nodding. "I'll be right there, just...I gotta do something first" "What, exactly?" Hurricane smirked briefly. "Its of a...personal nature. I'll be back at the Tower in a few minutes. Tell my dad will you? He'll know what its about". The other pony in the patrol, an athletic pegasus with a dark blue coat and light blue mane fluttered beside the larger white stallion. "Ya know, I doubt Marshal Skyfire would be happy about you spying on two Wonderbolts, even if he is your dad. C'mon Hurricane, just let it go. It was over three years ago that all this happened, why are you still obsessing over it?" said Storm Rider, a little concerned for his friend. Hurricane chuckled lightly before turning his dark indigo gaze to his friend. "Oh Storm, I'm still 'obesessing' over it because it shouldn't of bucking happened. I should be standing on that balcony. I should be living in that apartment, and I should be the one with her by my side, not that buckin' coltcuddler!" He raised his voice to emphasise his anger. Soarin' had been the one to cost him his future career as a Wonderbolt, and that Spitfire too. Hurricane didn't really care wjhat happened to the pale blue stallion, just so long as it was painful and hurled him as far away from Spitfire as possible. But the golden mare on the other hoof...the things Hurricane planned to do to her would give fully grown ponies nightmares. "But that doesn't give you the excuse to break the law by breaching somepony else's privacy, despite who there are" called the commanding officer after listening to the two. Hurricane restrained an irritated growl before composing himself. "Very well sir. I'm co-" "All we need to make sure of is that the Bolts don't find out about the pregnancy..." Hurricane's face twisted into a cruel smile as he heard Soarin's voice bounce off the curved buildings around his penthouse. The sound was amplified up in the clouds where Hurricane hovered. "Actually sir, I think I've heard everything I need too..." *** Soarin' and Spitfire flew in silence towards the Cloudesium. The Bolts had called for an emergency practice session at the last minute, something about trying out a new trick for the air show in Fillydelphia next week. The two athletic pegasi rode the wind currents, saddlebags on their backs. "What do you think Tempest wants to try? We've got a full performance plan already, what d'you think he's thought of?" asked Soarin', trying to keep Spitty's mind off the monumental distraction of having a baby foal inside her. It seemed to be working, if just a little bit. "I dunno, maybe he came up with a new idea. You know how he likes to grab the audience with both hooves. Maybe its some new display trick, like the Blazing Storm Burst". Soarin' thought of the spectacular finale that they had been practising for the best bart of a month for this upcoming air show, and wondered what in Equestria could rival it in shear brilliance. Shaking the thoughts from his head as they neared the gates of the Cloudesium. The cream coloured mare by the name of Surprise was just trotting through the arched entraced as the two pegasi landed. Surprise glanced at Soarin' and then at Spitfire, something in her gaze hinting at something along the lines of disappointment. The pale blue stallion paid the stare no mind, clearly oblivious to its hidden message, but Spitfire noted the strange look. Being a mare herself, she seemed more atune to the subtle and sometimes almost undetectable (for stallions anyway) signs and hidden meanings that some mares just seemed to radiate. Not choosing to pursue the matter any further, the fiery maned mare followed her team mate into the stadium. "Listen everypony, before we start practice today, I want to go over some things with you all. Some things that a few of you seemed to have forgotten over the course of your stay here. What is means to be a Wonderbolt", Tempest Wind said to the flight team as they scrambled into their uniforms. Spitfire turned her head as her captain said those last few words, her ears perking up. The aging stallion sighed before continuing. "Some of you are wondering right now, 'what does he mean?' Well, what I mean is that there are, or were, certain beliefs and creeds that the Wonderbolts before me held above everything else. I'm sure that everypony here is aware of our motto, Citius, Altius, Fortius?" Everypony nodded, "those words mean Faster, Higher, Stronger...and it is by those words that the Wonderbolts based their performances on, constantly battling with themselves to do even better then what was believed possible. But...in recent days that motto as been forgotten, and that some of you have taken the fame and status that comes with the flight team and used it to gain selfish and self centred wealth!" Everypony reeled back slightly at the captain's sudden rage. Never before in the three years that Spitfire had been in the Bolts had Tempest ever raised his voice to them. Something must of happened, something must have happened to the proud stallion. Surely... It was then that Spitfire saw the look on the face of Surprise. She had her eyes closed, and shook her head slowly when she met Spitfire's gaze. What? "Spitfire, Soarin', see me outside in twenty minutes" muttered Tempest icily, and left the changing rooms as Surprise trailed after him. "The rest of you go home, no practice session's happening today..." Everypony turned to face the two startled pegasi, their faces twisted into a look of shock and confusion. Soarin's gaze shifted rapidly from one pony to another, as if seeking the answers to Tempest's dire summons somewhere on their faces, whilst Spitfire shuffled uneasily on her hooves. The silence that lingered was almost tangible until Lightning Streak spoke. "What the hay was that all about?" asked the golden maned stallion, adding a slight chuckle at the end in an attempt to lessen the awkwardness. It didn't work. Rapidfire and Fleetfoot made hesitant moves towards the pair of named ponies, but neither of them made any attempt to say anything. Eventually, Soarin' and Spitfire simply decided to sit in the changing rooms and wait. As the time passed agonisingly by, Gusty and the Streak Brothers left to go home, but Rapidfire and Fleetfoot chose to remain behind with their friends, if only for a few minutes longer. "So do you have any idea as to what Tempest wants? He seems pretty pissed at you two. I mean, did you do something to him recently or what?" asked Fleetfoot worridly, her green eyes scanning Spitfire's amber ones intently. Soarin' sat next to her, but didn't have a wing draped around her withers, or even a hoof at her side. The pale blue pegasus seemed incredibly reserved and uncharacteristically silent. Spitfire shook her head slowly, even though in her heart she knew. However, Spitfire refused to believe that the pregnancy was the matter at hoof. Soar and her had been alone when she told him, and there was no way that somepony could have found out. Surely? The time soon came when Tempest called the two pegasi in question to him, forcing Rapidfire and Fleetfoot back to their cloudhome. Soarin' plodded behind Spitfire outside, the hoods on their flightsuits lowered. Despite the fact that there was no practice session, both ponies felt some measure of comfort when wearing the blue and gold uniforms. Their captain was sitting in the stands of the Cloudesium, whispering to Surprise, who still lingered with the aging stallion. As Spitfire and Soarin' approached, Surprise leaned forwards and gave Tempest a small peck on the cheek before flying away. Both Soarin' and Spitfire were slightly taken aback by this, but both showed no signs of being. It was a rumour amongst the flight group. Surprise was the second oldest pony their other than tempest himself, and the Streak Brothers often joked about how the two were dating. It came as a shock to the two silent ponies that this little joke turned out to be true. As the two young athletes came closer, Tempest turned a weary gaze towards them, his own hood lowered. With a hoof he gestured to the seats in the row before him. "Sit", he said sternly. Soarin' flicked a glance over to Spitfire before setting his haunches down on the cloud chair. The Wonderbolt captain sighed briefly before looking at the two team members before him. "It has come to my attention that a certain unplanned...complication has arisen between you two. The source was anonymous, however they came to Surprise and told her of this issue, having overheard the two of you on your balcony yesterday. Under normal circumstances, I would be happy for the two of you. However, these are not exactly stable times...as Spitfire already knows" Soarin' turned to his marefriend, his mind still reeling from the fact that their intimate conversation had been overheard. Spitfire's head was downcast, looking at her hooves. "You see Soarin'," the blue astallion's head snapping back to his captain at the mention of his name, "I'm not getting any younger, and I'm more than aware of my somewhat frail condition. I realise that i've been holding the rest of the team back due to my old bones. And that was why three weeks ago I came to Spitfire after the practice session. I had been watching her for the past few months, and I came to the conclusion that it was her who would be next in line for captaincy of the team. i plan to retire soon, and Spitfire will take my place as leader of the Wonderbolts" "What?!" exclaimed the pale blue stallion, his gaze turning back to Spitfire. "Spitty, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you say anything? Why the buck did you keep this in the dark?!" Spitfire was trembling slightly, and tears had begun to form in her burned golden eyes. Nevertheless, she met Soarin's confused and angry gaze. "I was sworn to keep it a secret. Tempest Wind made me keep my silence. He was going to announce it after the flight show next week" "But why? Why couldn't you tell me?" "Because i knew you'd act like this!" Spitfire wailed. "You'd become all jealous and angry. I know how much you dreamed of leading the team one day...and I didn't want to keep that dream from you. I'm sorry Soar-" The blue stallion threw his hooves behind his head and stood up off the seat, turning his back before breathing deeply. Calming himself, Soarin' turned back to Tempest Wind, who clearly had more to say. "However...due to this untimely pregnancy, I may be forced to withdraw my decision. A pregnant mare can hardly be expected to perform highly aerobatic stunts, let alone lead a team of other ponies doing the same" Spitfire gave her captain a weary look. "What are you saying" "I'm saying that I'm going to withdraw both of you from the Wonderbolts- at least until you manage to sort things out with this foal" The entire sky fell silent. The silence remained until Soarin' reached up to the top of his neck and drew down the zipper that held the flight suit together. With a comtemptuous and angry whinney, Soarin' hurled the skintight uniform into the stands. "Don't bother, I bucking quit" "What?! Soar, wait, you can't-" "Don't say a word to me!" Spitfire's heart broke. "Soarin' wait...we can sort thi-" "What other secrets have you been keeping from me, huh? Have you been ruttin' the Streaks behind my back? Or what? How can I talk to you, if you told tell me anything?!" Spitfire suddenly felt anger boiling inside her rapidly. Standing up herself, she rounded on her coltfriend. "Don't you dare talk to me like that, I have been nothing but faithful to you since he started dating three years ago. How can you even accuse me of doing otherwise?" But Soarin' simply turned away...and took to the skies. "Nice knowin' ya Spitty" he hissed before zooming into the far blue yonder. Spitfire briefly thought about chasing after him before thinking better of it. He just needed to calm down, just let off some steam. With a sigh, she turned back to Tempest Wind. They had some issues to discuss. Soarin' flew as fast as he could away from the Cloudesium, away from his cloudhome, away from Cloudsdale. he needed to think some things through. Looking around him, he spied the distant spires of Canterlot to the north. But it was the small quiet town in the valley below which caught his attention, it seemed more peaceful than the captial of Equestria. Adjsting his wings, Soarin' dived towards Ponyville.