Featherweight wiped the sweat from his brow and carefully picked up the photo he had spent the last hour painstakingly working on. He lifted it up and looked at it inspecting every detail. He smiled and opened the door from the makeshift darkroom he had made in the bathroom. He walked into his room and placed the photo down on his bed.
"Perfect. It developed great. Now all I need to do it get a tack and pin this to the wall right next to my poster."
The room was simple. One window, a desk, a bed, and a bookshelf filled mostly with books. The walls however were covered with hundreds of photos ranging from ponies talking to aerial shots of the town of Ponyville. He even had a picture of Princess Luna and Princess Celestia when they were both in Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration. The only spot not covered in photos was a poster of the Wonderbolts that had Wing Commander Soarin' smiling down at the room. What made this poster special to Featherweight was that it had been signed by six members of the Wonderbolts including Soarin'. He found a tack and placed the photo next to the others he had taken of Soarin' and Fluttershy. He took a step back and looked at his work.
A knock came from his door. "Hey champ. I see you got some new pictures. Get any good ones?"
A pegasus stallion of deep sea green walked into the room and gave the colt a smile. The stallion had a buzz cut mane that was deep brown but was starting to go grey near the base. His cutie mark resembled a roll of film. Featherweight ran over to his father and gave him a hug.
"You bet. I got a bunch of really nice nature photos for the FFP." He grabbed his father’s hoof and started dragging him towards the poster. "But these are best ones of the day. Check them out."
He pointed to the small collection of photos he had taken the day before. His father inspected them and an amazed look passed over his face. He looked from the photos to the poster then back again.
"Is that who I think it is?"
Featherweight beamed. "Yeah, he was just walking through the forest with Fluttershy. Then he started flying and I got that picture and that one I got when he was talking to Fluttershy. I never knew that she was friends with him."
His father stared at the photo for a moment then started rubbing his chin. "Do you still have the negatives?"
Featherweight nodded. "Yeah."
His father gave him a smile. "Do you mind if I make a few more of these. I think I could use them for my paper up in Canterlot."
The young colt looked worried. "I was going to make some more for the Wonderbolt club down here."
His father leaned down and wrapped his leg around him. "I promise that I will bring it back as soon as I can. I'll even bring you back some of that Canterlot taffy your so fond of."
The young photographer smiled brightly as his mind went to the sugary, chewy treat he loved dearly. He wiped the small amount of drool away and nodded to his father. The stallion gave his son a quick hug and a kiss on the head and headed to the darkroom. He couldn't believe how good his week had just gotten.
Soarin' walked up to his home. Compared to the other Wonderbolt homes his was lack luster but he liked it that way. It was a simple two story home that was nestled away from many of the more crowded streets. It was technically within the city limits of Cloudsdale but was definitely not in the city itself. The home itself had a simple floor plan. The first floor held the kitchen, a small dining room, a bathroom, and a living room. The second floor held his bedroom with attached bathroom, a guest room, another bathroom and a workout room that doubled as an office.
He walked into the home and placed his flight suit and saddlebag on the back of his couch. Like most of the things he owned it was simple. He never bought anything fancy or overly expensive due to the fear that a pony would notice and think that because he bought something 'rich ponies' would buy that he thought he was better than them. The only things he owned that he had paid top bit for was the workout equipment he had and even that was only due to Spitfire convincing him to buy them because it would help him with his training.
He glanced around the home and began to think about it. One particular event that was brought to the forefront of his mind was when the gossip magazine Equestria Weekly had wanted to interview him and tour his house for an article. They had told him it was about the homes of the Wonderbolts and how they lived. The interview went as well as he could have hoped for. It mostly entailed them asking if he bought anything that was expensive and exotic or flashy. His answer to that question was a pair of salt and pepper shakers that were shaped like Eagles. The interview ended quickly after that. He found the article a week later and felt a wave of relief when they put his house as a footnote saying that it was nice and humble.
That memory brought him to his next thought. What if Fluttershy wanted to visit? Would she like it here? He looked around the home and began to wonder if he should do something to make it look nicer. His thoughts turned away from home improvement when he felt a strong ache in his wings and back. He went over to his couch and tossed himself onto it. He laid down and started thinking about the day he had at training.
Something had changed. Something had changed the way he flew and his teammates noticed. He had flown better than he had ever flown in his life. He had out flown every other Wonderbolt and when he noticed that he thought they would have been mad at him. Instead they had told him that they were amazed and congratulated him on his amazing performance. Spitfire was the only one that knew the real cause. All she had done was tell him that he did well and that she was hoping that this change was permanent and gave him a wink.
"I hope it is too."
His thoughts turned to the plans he had made for the upcoming Saturday. He had made reservations at an expensive and rather fancy restaurant. He had spent a good portion of an hour arguing with himself over whether or not he should get such a reservation at such a fancy restaurant but in the end he decided that Fluttershy was worth it. The cost meant nothing, but to see her smile once again was all he could think about. A smile spread across his face as he thought of how her lips felt against his and how her smile melted his heart. He was lost in the thought when a knock came from the door. Another knock came from the door and he was pulled away from the wonderful memories. He rose from the sofa with a slight groan and made his back to the door.
He opened it. "Hello. May I help you?"
At first he didn't know what to make of the grey mailmare in front of him. Her blond mane was getting in her eyes and after a second Soarin' couldn't stop himself from staring at her eyes. One was looking right at him and the other was looking off to her left. She was holding what looked like a covered cage in one hoof and a envelope in her mouth. She tried speaking but her words were muffled.
"Canh ah comm imf?"
Soarin' looked at her for a moment unable to talk as he stared at her eyes. He realized that he was supposed to answer and nodded his head quickly. She gave him a smile and walked inside the house. She placed the covered cage and the envelope down on his kitchen table then turned to look at him.
"Now I was told to tell you that this is from a Miss Fluttershy and she hopes you like it."
Soarin' tried his best not to stare at her eyes but couldn't. He looked at her in silence for a moment then before he could stop himself he asked a question that he regretted instantly.
"What's with your eyes?"
He placed a hoof to his mouth and braced for the angry response. Way to go moron now she's going to be pissed at me and tell everypony that I'm rude to ponies with—
"Oh, I was born with them like this. I can make then move in almost any direction I want. Kinda help me when I'm cooking at home and my daughter want to show me something. Doesn't really help when flying though."
She gave him a warm smile. "You’re not the first to ask but you had the funniest reaction yet."
Soarin' gave her a smile back. "Thanks. I didn't want to be rude about that but I couldn't stop staring."
She continued to smile. "Don't worry about it." She pointed to her eyes, one of which was looking off to the right and the other at him. "Besides I never have to worry about somepony not looking me in the eyes when I talk to them."
Soarin' gave a chuckle at that then walked over to his bag on the sofa and pulled out a few bits. When he offered them to her she shook her head.
"No thanks. However if you wouldn't mind doing something for me, it’s nothing much but..."
She trailed off and reached into the mailbag she had on. Soarin' watched for a moment with mild curiosity as she dug through the bag. After a moment she held up a folded piece of paper to him. He took the paper and unfolded it to see a hoof drawn picture of three Wonderbolts flying through the air with a small crowd on the ground beneath them. He found himself impressed by the quality of the art work and couldn't help but feel his heart warm up as he looked over it. The style was nothing close to all the stuffy museum pieces he had been forced to look at over the years but he could tell that they had put their heart into it and he liked it more than those other pieces that high society called 'art.'
"Would you mind signing it for my daughter? She's been to only one show but she really loves you guys."
He gave her a smile. "Of course. Let me find a pen real quick."
He found a pen and clicked it. "What's her name?"
The mailmare was practically jumping in place. "Dinky. Thank you."
He gave her a friendly smile. "Is she a pegasus like you or..."
He let the sentence die there so she could answer. She shook her head. "No, she's a unicorn. She had to sit on my back when we saw you perform in Cloudsdale."
He started to sign the paper. "She's lucky to have such a wonderful mother like you."
She blushed at the compliment. He finished signing it and gave it back to her. She read it quickly then gave him another friendly smile.
"Thank you so much. I hope that you enjoy the gift. Have a nice day."
She joyfully pranced out the house and shut the door behind her. Soarin' sat there for a moment then collapsed to the floor out of breath. He had never had to be face to face with a fan for so long without Spitfire or another Wonderbolt nearby to grab the spotlight. He lifted his hoof and noticed it was shaking. He placed it back down on the floor and took several steadying breathes. He glanced at the door and gave it a weary smile. Despite the wracking of his nerves he had meant every word he had said. He couldn't think of a better example of a mothers love than to hold her child through an entire performance because they couldn't sit on a cloud.
His attention was torn away from the door and his well wishes of the young Dinky by a small caw from the covered cage. He looked over with a disbelieving look. Is that what I think it is? No it can't be... could it? He slowly rose from the floor and made his way over to the table. Another noise came from the covered cage this time softer. He gingerly lifted the covering off the cage and was greeted by a pair of sharp amber eyes. The eagle in the cage let out another sharp cry and tilted its head. Soarin' opened the cage door and the eagle flew out and landed on his shoulder.
He adjusted his stance now that some more weight had been added by the eagle making his left shoulder a perch. "How did you end up... the letter!"
He quickly picked up the envelope and opened it. The thing that struck him first was the light scent of baking, as if the pony that had written this letter had been making something at the same time. The second thing that came to the forefront of his thought was how perfect the cursive writing was. He would go so far as to say it was the most beautiful and perfect hoof writing he had ever seen. He shook his head and focused on what the letter said.
Dear Soarin',
I hope you don't mind me sending you this friend because when I went out to feed the animals this morning he seemed so lonely and sad. At first I had no clue what was wrong with him but then I remembered how he had perched on your shoulder. When I mentioned you to him he brightened up and really seemed to like the idea of seeing you again. So I thought I would send him to you and he could be your friend. I hope that this isn't sudden or could possibly harm your wellbeing or possibly put you under any sort of burden. If it doesn't then there's a list of things you may want to get for yourself and him. I hope he makes you very happy. I'm still looking forward to seeing you this Saturday.
Your friend,
Fluttershy
Soarin' pulled a second piece of paper out and quickly read the list. Most of it was pretty common stuff such as food, falconry equipment, and some training items so that he could play games with the eagle. He looked at the raptor on his shoulder wondering if he should accept the gift. She knows that he likes me and that I enjoyed his company yesterday. She wants me to have a friend that I can play with and have an emotional connection with. He reached up to the bird tentatively and gently poked it in its chest. It gave its wings a small flap but didn't do much else. She wants to make sure I'm never alone. That I will always have someone there for me. The simple notion brought a strange warm but tight feeling in his chest. He felt his eyes begin to water. He wiped the forming tears away before they grew much larger.
"Alright. Let's give you a name. I can't have you living here without a name."
He walked into his living room and sat down on the sofa making sure not to upset the eagle on his shoulder. He gave the bird a look over.
"How about Mango?"
The response wasn't one he liked. The bird dug its talons into his shoulder. Wincing slightly Soarin' shook his head.
"Okay. This may be harder than I thought. How about Sharp?"
The bird flapped its wings and let out a small cry. Soarin' shrugged. "Can you blame me? Okay so that one won't work..." He looked at the dark feathers and thought about everything he knew about eagles. "How about... Shade?"
The bird let out a cry of triumph and spread its wings wide. Soarin' felt the talons dig in once more as Shade maintained his balance.
Smiling through the pain Soarin' stroked Shade. He had a new friend and the sudden inspiration to do something equally as nice for Fluttershy.