(NOTE: Unlike the second two in the Soarindash trilogy, i have yet to apply Edits to this story. I apologize ahead of time if it is a little sloppy, i plan to fix it in the future)
(Timeline position: Two months after the events of Soft Spoken With a Big Heart.)
(For timeline info, please visit my homepage)
“MAIL CALL!!!” A shrill goofy voice caused Rainbow Dash to jump straight up out of bed and cling to the cloud ceiling. She stared wide eyed at the floor where the noise came from to see Derpy’s head sticking through the cloud floor of her bedroom with Dash’s mail in her mouth. After spitting it out, she saluted, “Bye-bye!” and disappeared beneath the floor. With aggravated sigh Rainbow Dash released herself from ceiling and hovered towards the mail, wondering if Derpy could find any more ways to give her a heart attack.
“Huh?” Her eyes caught the edge of a picture beneath the envelopes. The word “-derbolts”. She quickly pushed the envelopes aside and picked up the copy of the day’s newspaper. She scanned the paper over and over, eyes growing larger every second. “Ohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigosh!!!!!” She erupted with glee, dropped the paper and fired out of her room, through the front door, and out into the sky. She flew in dozens of circles before zooming towards the center of Ponyville.
The paper lay sprawled out on the floor, the headline covering the whole front page with a picture of the Wonderbolts streaking across the sky. “Wonderbolts debut new show in the skies of Ponyville!”
MLP: FiM
Head in the Clouds
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 1
“Tomorrow they’re gonna be here! I don’t even have to leave Ponyville! It’s gonna be SO. AWSOME. AHHHHH!!!!!!” Rainbow Dash zipped around the inside of Sugarcube corner talking at a mile a minute. Applejack and Twilight both had their faces flat on a table with their hooves covering their ears.
“Thanks for letting us know. Again.” Twilight complained as she squeezed her eyes shut.
“Good gravy Dash, give it a rest! You’ve told us about twenty times per day for the past week!” Applejack angrily stomped her hooves on the table. Rainbow Dash stopped right in front of her, upside-down, the goofy smile still spread across her face.
“How can I? I’ve never seen a Wonderbolt show so up-close! Every time I’ve gotten tickets I end up in nosebleed seats and can barely even see them! Tomorrow they’re gonna be doing all their stunts RIGHT. THERE. EEEEEEEHEHEEE!!!!!” She flew right over Applejack’s head and slammed right into Pinkie Pie. The two tumbled into a pile of sugar bags, luckily not breaking them, but cushioning their landing. Pinkie stuck her head out over Rainbow’s body at Applejack and Twilight.
“Will someone pleeeeeeeease restrain her?! She’s ruining my cupcake baking time!” Pinkie complained while pointing to a stopwatch around her hoof. Dash flopped off and fluttered back into the air.
“Sorry, I just can’t contain the excitement!” She sped through the front door and took to the sky above Sugarcube corner, giggling with excitement and she flew circles around the place. She didn’t care what her friends said. Yes, she may be going a little overboard, but how could she not? Seeing a Wonderbolt show up-close was a major part of her life’s dream. After tomorrow, she would see firsthand the tricks and techniques of her idols. So when the day comes that she finally has a shot, she’ll know what she needs to work on.
She flew in circles, her head in the clouds, imagining what tomorrow would bring her. However, her daydreams were cut off by a scream from Sugarcube Corner. Dash glanced down to see Mrs. Cake frantically moving around near the upstairs windows. Dash flew down to see what had gotten the baker so flustered.
“What’s wrong Mrs. Cake?” She asked through the window as Mrs. Cake looked about the room. Dash recognized the room as the Foals’ room.
“Pound! Where’s Pound?!” Mrs. Cake yelled as she overturned every loose object in the room. Dash glanced at the crib and noticed Pumpkin was sitting in it alone. Before she could say anything, Mrs. Cake snapped her head towards the open window. “He must’ve flown out the window! Oh what was I thinking leaving it open!?” She galloped over to the sill nearly shoving Dash out of the way as she looked around outside.
Seizing the situation, Dash looked around for signs of the little pegasus foal. She gasped as she looked up. Pound had indeed flown out the window, and the talented little foal was shakily flying higher and higher, right towards a common airway used by pegasi a good two hundred feet above the main street of Ponyville. Pegasi traveled quickly along this path. If Pound were to slip into it, there was a high chance of a pegasus colliding with him.
“I got him!” Dash fired towards the Pound with only seconds to spare before Pound entered the airway. She could see pegasi flying at high speeds back and forth as she neared her objective, keeping her pace, but not going so fast that she would slam into Pound. “Gotcha!” She yelled out as she gently wrapped her forelegs around Pound.
The foal flailed briefly, but settled quickly as Dash slowed them down. Unfortunately, her deceleration had edged them a couple inches into the travel space of the airway. An oblivious pegasus mare’s hoof slammed into the side of Dash’s face, forcing her into a falling spiral. Pound fell from her gentle grip and began tumbling towards the ground. He was unable to level himself out, his wings not developed enough to handle the uncontrollable fall.
Dash leveled herself out and glanced all around, spotting the tumbling foal. Pound had already fallen almost half the distance to the ground. Without any hesitation, she plunged downward, pushing herself as fast as her wings could carry her. She had a lot of air to cover between them, but as the “fastest flyer in equestrian” as she so often called herself, she knew she could reach pound in time. Or could she? She pushed herself to the limit as she realized just how close Pound was getting to the ground. He had lost the slight cushion of his tumbles and was now falling straight down, head first.
She neared the threshold of a sonic rainboom. She had to make it. Pound would be seriously hurt or worse if she didn’t. Then more problems arose, the closer he got the ground, the harder it would be to pull up without slamming to the ground, she tried to angle her descent, but it only slowed her down. If she went too fast and broke the “rainbow barrier”, she would surly slam straight into the ground. Her thoughts kept swirling as she watched in horror. Pound was few mere feet from the ground.
Then out of nowhere the sound of an air-pocket being shattered boomed throughout the streets of Ponyville. Rainbow only caught a quick glimpse of a light blue streak that fired along the ground, covering at least three times the ground her top speed ever could. The blur zipped beneath Pound, two forelegs grabbing hold of the foal the instant before he hit the ground. The blur crashed to the earth, digging a small trench thirty feet along the ground until finally stopping. Small flames lingered upon the upturned dirt as ponies began to emerge from the surrounding buildings and gather around.
Dash’s mouth hung agape. She couldn’t put any words to describe what she had just witnessed. The speed was unreal. Even when she performed a sonic rainboom she never reached such a velocity. She flew down to the crash site and landed near the edge of the trench where the dust was still clearing. She made out a pegasus stallion with a light blue coat and a dark blue wild mane, but her attention was drawn towards his forelegs where he slowly un-tucked them to reveal an unscathed Pound. The foal stared wide-eyed at his savior as Mrs. Cake pushed past Rainbow.
“Pound! Oh my little Pound, you’re okay!” She grabbed Pound from his arms and huggedhim tight. Cheers were beginning to erupt from the crowd as the stallion stood up and cracked his neck.
Dash wanted answers. Who was this stallion that just showed her an impossible display of speed? Who was he to walk into town and show off when she was clearly the fastest flyer of Equestria?
“Whew, that was a close one!” Said the stallion as he stretched out his wings and shook the dirt from his mane.
Dash froze. She had heard that voice somewhere before. She quickly recognized the mystery stallion, finally getting a look at his face. Her eyes widened and shakily glanced at his flank to see a cutie mark of a lightning bolt with angel wings. It was Soarin, the Wonderbolt power flyer.
“AAAAA-mph!” She covered her mouth with her hooves to muffle her scream as a raging blush appeared on her face. Soarin glanced towards her, hearing the one second squeal, and smiled.
“Hey, it’s our buddy, the rainboom!” he trotted towards her, her eyes growing wider as he approached. “Sorry I had to step in there, it didn’t look like you were gonna make it.” He grinned and glanced back at the crowd closing around them. Dash’s pupils shrunk as she put two and two together. Soarin was close enough to see the scenario, watch her go after Pound, and hadn’t moved until he realized she wasn’t going to make it. She let her hooves fall from her mouth to the ground, her mouth hanging open at the realization. Soarin had gone from a dead stop to a speed much faster than her fastest dive in a couple seconds or less, and over presumably a very short distance.
“Whoa, sorry I gotta fly before I get mobbed. Hope we see you tomorrow at the show!” He spread his wings and lifted off the ground, picking up speed so fast that those trying to follow him gave up almost instantly.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called towards her. Dash didn’t hear her, or any of her other friends. She was too busy staring in the direction Soarin had gone in. Two things were boggling her mind. The first was the pure, incomprehensible ability of a Wonderbolt compared to her. The second, Soarin, the famous light blue stallion of the Wonderbolt’s main squad had just approached, acknowledged, and SMILED at her.
“Earth to Rainbow Dash?” Applejack waved a hoof in front of her face. Dash only blinked twice. Then released an uncharacteristic girlish squeal before falling over.
Ponies lined the streets and rooftops of Ponyville as the excitement built all around. The Wonderbolt show over Ponyville was about to start and everypony was waiting anxiously. Rainbow Dash and her friends had secured the top balcony of the town hall tower, Dash dragging Fluttershy to the roof to watch with her.
“Is it safe up here?” They-they won’t fly too close will they?” Fluttershy’s quiet tone failed to reach Rainbow as she giddily bounced up and down.
“I HOPE they fly really close! I can’t wait ahhhhhh!!!!!” She squealed delightfully. Down below Rarity watched Rainbow with a confused interest.
“Is she always like this with the Wonderbolts?” She asked nopony in particular.
“This is why we never bring them up.” Twilight answered with a chuckle.
“She goes from tough cookie to surprise birthday cupcake in less than a cup of sugar!” Pinkie exclaimed while waving her hooves over her head and staring at Rarity. As confusing as the statement was, they all knew she meant Rainbow Dash becomes a different person and they all could see it clearly.
The Wonderbolts were Dash’s dream, her purpose, her drive. Every morning she woke up, she started the day staring up at the Wonderbolt poster above her bed on the ceiling. It was an old poster her grandfather had given her back when she was a young filly. It was worn and grainy, but she cherished no piece of Wonderbolt merchandise more. Her grandfather had told her it was the first Wonderbolt poster ever put up back when the team was formed. It was a very motivational piece of work, showing an image of ponies looking up at three Wonderbolts blazing across the sky. The caption at the bottom read: Ambition. The subtext: Let your heart soar higher than the heavens.
It was a code she lived by. The mentality that she believed would one day win her the life she always dreamed of.
“Look!” A pony called out among the crowd. All eyes went skyward as a single cloud floated to the center of the sky above Ponyville. Dash instantly froze and stared wide eyed at the cloud overhead. Four Wonderbolts stood at the edge of the cloud with their backs turned. Even from behind, Rainbow could tell it was the famous four of the Wonderbolt lead Squad. On the left and right, Fleetfoot the “Silver Streak” and Rapidfire the “Artist”. In the center, Spitfire the “Searing Flame” and Soarin the “Power Flyer”.
All went silent as all the Wonderbolts except for Soarin tipped backwards and let themselves freefall. All watched in anticipation as they grew closer and closer to the ground, their wings still pinned to their body. With a loud bang that resembled a thunderclap, all eyes looked back up to see Soarin fire from his spot, causing the cloud to explode. Mere yards from the cloud, an air pocket built up and shattered around him in seconds and Soarin’s image became a blur. He began twisting as he approached his teammates. The spinning and the speed created a cyclone that expanded around him. The winds were fierce and all the ponies watching were forced to shield themselves.
The cone expanded and engulfed the other three members. The instant the cone overtook them, they all spread their wings and forced themselves opposite of the cyclonic winds. It made them appear to be flying in place. The reverse in the force caused the cyclone to implode on itself and the three other members were thrown in three different directions, streaking smoke across the sky. The reverse of the winds cushion Soarin enough for him to land roughly, but safely on all four hooves. He fixed his eyes on Spitfire, who angled down as Rapidfire and Fleetfoot angled up. His nostrils flared, his wings spread out sharply and he dug his hooves into the ground.
Rainbow Dash gasped and quickly left the shivering Fluttershy on the roof, descending to the ground to watch. Soarin was only a few yards from town hall, If he was about to do the same thing he did the other day she wanted to see it up close. She fixed here gaze on him and watched with an analytical eye.
Soarin bent his wings forward while leaning back. His muscles flexed and tensed as he gritted his teeth. In one fluid motion, he reached his front legs forward, planting them firmly in the ground. Then he brought his back legs up, as he drove them down, he pushed off his front legs, extending his body, and swinging his wings back. With this motion complete, he pushed hard off his back legs before the previous motions could carry him forward.
The end result was a loud boom and Dash had to shield her eyes as a pocket of air around him lashed out at any nearby. She quickly looked back and stared after him in admiration. He careened along the ground at speed that almost seemed faster than when he had done this the other day. She tried to break down the process she witnessed in her head, but it was so fast. Had he just jump as he thrusted his wings back? It didn’t seem that simple.
Soarin reached Spitfire as she flattened out right above the ground. She reached her front legs up. Soarin hooked his hooves with hers as her passed by and pulled up fiercely into a loop. Halfway through the loop he released her, the added speed pushed her to his speed. Spitfire smirked as a trail of fire broke out behind her. Fleetfoot and Rapidfire had been flying in loops, creating a tunnel with their smoke trails. Spitfire careened through the center, leaving a trail of flames in the middle of it.
Soarin put on the breaks, and slammed to the ground once more. He repeated his motions and rocketed like a bullet towards Spitfire, directly into the trail of fire. The crowd gasped as he pulled off the daredevil tactic, but the flames blew aside, expanding into rings every few feet as he pulsed through the trail. He reached the tunnel and his speed caused the smoke to collapse inward as the fire expanded outward. The heat of the fire collided with the clouds of smoke, causing a chain reaction of a lightning bolt that traveled along the length behind Soarin. There was an immense crack of thunder behind him and he emerged from the smoke with a trail of lightning rising from and surrounding his body. Fleetfoot, Rapidfire, and Spitfire all pushed dark clouds together to create a large dark cloud and together tossed it higher into the sky. Soarin went after it as it raised higher and higher, the lightning sparking and crackling as it trailed from him.
He collided head on into the cloud. The electricity spread throughout it and a lightning bolt jutted out, followed by a crack of thunder, and a light drizzle began to fall. Soarin exploded from the back of the cloud and turned about, stopping beneath the rain. There was still some electricity coursing around him. He threw his wings and legs outward, forcing the energy out of his body with a few crackles and pops around him. The four Wonderbolts all slowly glided down and congregated on the ground. They all removed their goggles and took a bow.
The silence broke and the crowd erupted in cheers beneath the calm light rainfall. Everyone was applauding except Dash, who sat like a statue staring in complete awe at her idols. The applause died down the four lifted off to let the other squads do their performances.
Dash remained quiet for the rest of the show. The other squad performances were not nearly as awsome as the opening act, they were impressive nonetheless. She enjoyed it, but she couldn’t break he mind away from the spectacle of the main act, Soarin’s techniques, or just Soarin. She never really had a favorite Wonderbolt. They were all equally awesome in her book. But after that performance that was centered around him, she wanted to know everything. How did he do that instant full speed start? How did he push aside fire? How did he survive with the electricity of a lightning bolt coursing through him? Every single part he played in the show was beyond awesome. In fact awesome was too light a word to describe it. She couldn’t find words to describe it.
“ARE YOU DREAMING?! WHATS IT ABOUT!?” Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared in the replayed images from Dash’s mind. She blinked and saw Pinkie’s eyes less and an inch from hers.
“Wha—”
“Oh you’re awake! I couldn’t tell if you were asleep or awake and asleep!” Pinkie bounced away. Dash was in Sugar Cube Corner, which was filled with her friends and lots of other ponies who had just seen the show. She couldn’t take her mind off of it, and it was probably because the only topic of conversation in the entire bakery was about the Wonderbolts. She sighed as her friends continued conversing around her, beginning to wonder if she’d ever become a flyer of such fierce ablilty.
“I’m sorry everyone, but something’s come up and we have to close.” All turned to Mr. Cake standing on the counter who was already shaking his head at the reactions. “I apologize, but please make your way out in an orderly fashion. We’ll have a half price sale tomorrow so no complaining, now move along.” After the generous next day offer the complaining subsided and they all began to leave. Dash was about to leave, but Mrs. Cake stopped her.
“Oh no, you six can stay, in fact we insist!” She said with a smile on her face. Dash shrugged, sighed, and sat back down. Soon the whole place was quiet, save for Dash and her friends.
“Okay, the coast is clear!” Mr. Cake yelled up the stairs. The six ponies turned to see what was going on. Then it hit Rainbow Dash. She had a feeling what was going to happen, but she was afraid to say anything.
From the stairs appeared Spitfire, Fleetfoot, Rapidfire, and Soarin all out of uniform.
“Oh my! This is a surprise!” Rarity spoke up first as all their faces lit up. Save for Rainbow Dash who sat still with her jaw nearly on the floor.
“Heyyyyy!” Pinkie appeared between all of them. “That was an awesome show! Can you do it again?!”
“Sure.” Spitfire smirked.
“REALLY? AWSOME!”
“We’ll do it again next week in Canterlot.”
“OKAY!” Pinkie sat there smiling at her. “Heyyyyyy wait a minute.” The rest of the Wonderbolts chuckled.
“I thought I saw the Wonderbolts fly off after the show,” said Twilight, “what are you four still doing here?” Fleetfoot tossed her sparkling silver mane over her shoulder and stepped away as Pinkie continued to hassle the other three.
“As the lead squad of the Wonderbolts, we’re expected to perform at every single show. The other squads get mixed and matched from show to show.” She explained. Soarin and Rapidfire broke away, leaving Spitfire to deal with Pinkie’s assault of weird questions. Rapidfire took over.
“We decided it was time to take a few weeks off, I can’t even remember the last time we got to relax.” He was cut off by a heavy sigh from Soarin.
“We thought Ponyville would be a good place, but even in a small town like this we get mobbed by ponies.”
“Well shucks it sounds like you four could use a nice, quiet, wide open place!” All eyes turned to Applejack. “Y’all can stay at sweet apple acres for a while as long as y’don’t disrupt our harvest.” Spitfire shoved her hoof into Pinkie’s mouth.
“If you don’t mind the four of us slouching around.” She said as Pinkie’s muffled questions kept coming.
“Ain’t nothing sugarcube, I promise you’ll be comfy and never eat better meals in yer life!” She puffed out her chest with pride.
“Then it’s a deal,” Spitfire smirked, “but I gotta warn you, Soarin here has quite an oversized appetite.” Applejack smirked right back.
“Y’all never met Big Macintosh.” She winked.
During the commotion, Rapidfire had made his way over to Rainbow Dash.
“Hey there, I’ve seen you before. You’ve been frozen like that since we came down.” His voice directed at her snapped her daze and she shook her head.
“What? Uh, I mean, um, omigosh,” She put her hooves on her head, staring wide eyed at him. Her flustered state made Rapidfire chuckle.
“Whoa there, I don’t bite, I know I’m a Wonderbolt,” he slowly bent his head down to hers, “but at the end of the day I’m just a stallion and you’re just a mare, riiiiiiight?” He smoothly slurred. Dash nearly did a full pigment change from blue to red.
“I, I, I, I, Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, GOTTA USE THE BATHROOM!” She zipped from her chair and crashed right through the mare’s bathroom door. The other wonderbolts all looked up in surprise and confusion, but Rarity stepped in front and waved them off.
“Oh nothing to worry about, Rainbow Dash is quite a fan of yours. This is perfectly normal.”
“Even when we get away we still really can’t” Fleetfoot sighed. Soarin kept looking towards the bathroom door, then narrowed his eyes at Rapidfire. He approached his teammate subtly, figuring out what really happened by the smirk on his face.
“Rapid, I know this is going to be our vacation,” he glanced over at the bathroom again, “but that doesn’t mean go chasing mares, could you just try to sit still and relax?”
“Oh loosen up Soarin. I’ll be relaxing alright, especially with these six beautiful mares around.” Soarin grunted and shook his head.
“Just don’t break any hearts.” He put clearly.
“Have I ever?” Rapidfire smirked.
“Want me to get the list?”
“Hey it’s their fault for getting attached.”
“And you just eat them alive don’t you.” Soarin glared, ready to scrap, but Spitfire stepped between them, crossing her front legs and placing her hooves on their mouths.
“Gentlemen, I’d prefer to avoid escapades of testosterone while we’re on vacation. Understand?”
“Yes captain.” They replied in unison, Rapidfire with much more gusto than Soarin.
Rainbow Dash gasped and panted for air as she stared directly into the mirror in the bathroom. Her wings refused to fold neatly to her body, the feathers all puffed and ruffled. It was enough of a shock that her life heroes were suddenly hanging out with her friends. Was Rapidfire, flirting with her? A Wonderbolt? That was too much to take all at once.
“Rainbow Dash?” Her gaze refused to shift from her reflection. “Darling, you’re sweating! Are you alright?” The reflection of Rarity appeared beside hers. “I know the Wonderbolts always get you worked up, but this seems a little more than usual.”
“Rapidfire.” Said Dash.
“Excuse me?”
“He, did you hear what he said to me?”
“The orange one? I saw him talking to you, what did,” she paused and her eyes lit up. She put her hooves on Dash’s shoulders and forced her to look her in the eye. “Details.” She sounded giddy and Dash instantly pushed her off.
“NO! No, no, it, I don’t know,” she put her hooves on her head and squinted, “he sounded too confident, too smooth, I, I, didn’t know what to do! It was intimidating, scary,” she shivered, “I didn't know, so I just ran.” She suddenly started knocking her hooves against her head. “I bet I looked so stupid! They probably all think I’m weird! What a horrible impression! How will I,”
“Everything alright in here?” Spitfire stuck her head in the door.
“AHHHH!!!!” Dash ducked behind Rarity, who smiled awkwardly.
“You could say that.” She shakily replied. Spitfire sighed and entered, walking up to Rainbow Dash.
“Hey, hey, relax girl.” She patted the shaking Dash on the back. Rainbow Dash settled and stared up at her. “Soarin told me what he saw. Rapidfire right?” Dash nodded silently with her eyes stuck wide. Spitfire sighed. “As usual,” She crouched so she wasn’t looking down at Dash. “Look, don’t let him get to you. Rapidfire is, how should I put it, a tail chaser. Probably the biggest flirt in Equestria. No matter where we go his eyes are always darting around for mares. Just don’t let him sweet talk you, and you’ll be fine, but be ready he’s pretty good at it.” As she finished she noticed Dash had frozen in place. She chuckled and ruffled Dash’s mane with her hoof. “Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to keep him under control. We’re here to relax and have a good time. Come hang with us!” She ended with a smile and left the bathroom.
Rainbow Dash stood up from the floor and sighed as Rarity looked her up and down. This was going to be an interesting experience.
Two days went by. Rainbow Dash had spent both locked up in her cloud house rehearsing what she would say to the Wonderbolts. Yet even after the hours spent she felt so nervous that she wasn’t sure if she’d even see them. Plus she began to feel the rehearsing was pointless, because she wanted to be natural and not too stiff. She paced back and forth over and over to the point where there was almost a visible divot in the cloud floor below her.
“I’ll just go over there and hang out. It’s that easy. But what if it ends up being awkward, what if I have nothing to say, what if they’re trying to relax and I annoy them? NO don’t think that way, make an impression! Maybe you can show them some of your moves! But what if they’re not interested in them? Maybe they’ll think I’m annoying for hassling them when they’re on vacation, but then—” She turned around in her pace path for the umpteenth time, but this time came nose to nose with someone who had silently entered her house. Her eyes widened and her pupils shrunk and she stared into the friendly smile of none other than Soarin.
“Hi!” He said cheerfully right before she screamed directly into his ear. “Whoaaaaa that felt like it went RIGHT through my brain!” He stumbled back and shook his head.
“WHEN DID YOU—”
“Just now.”
“HOW DID—”
“You left that window open.” Soarin calmly answered her flustered questions, pointing to the open window of her living room. She put a hoof over her heart and heaved as it beat furiously from shock.
“The rest of your friends have been at the apple farm, they’re all very nice, but I was hoping to get to know you.” He went on casually, oblivious to Dash’s complete state of disbelief. There was a genuine Wonderbolt in her house talking to her. When did the universe explode and allow such a ridiculous fantasy to be real? But she did catch, “get to know you” and the first thought that came to mind was Rapidfire’s advance on her. Soarin was still spouting casual conversation despite not being answered, but stopped when he saw her somewhat shrink away. He examined her for a moment and recognized her body language to be just like last night. He sighed and looked her right in the eyes with sincerity.
“Look Rainboom, you don’t have to worry about me getting all Casanova in your face. I’d rather full speed collide into a mountain than give off an impression like Rapidfire.” He slowly put a hoof to the side of his head to represent the collision. He hopped over and crouched down to be eye to eye with her. “I just want to enjoy my vacation! I don’t get to be a normal pony very often you know.” He ended with a wide grin.
Dash was still nervous, but Soarin gave off a completely different air than Rapidfire. Nothing about Soarin’s movements or conversing felt intimidating. In fact he seemed very upbeat, talkative, and goofy. This was not the way she had envisioned Soarin, the “Power Flyer”. He reminded her of Pinkie Pie in a way, only not quite as out of control and less reality bending.
“I feel kind of bad,” he started up again as she processed everything going on, “I’ve run into you a few times over the past year or so, but we were always pre-occupied by something.” He tilted his head from side to side. “I think it’s about time we got to know our biggest fan!”
Dash was glad he could talk so much, because she still didn’t know what to say. She had all that time to come up with something, and now that he seemed to be waiting for a response she still had nothing.
“Uhhh, um.” She stalled. “O—okay?” She forced a smile.
“Great! Cmon, let’s fly!” He turned to the window and spread his wings. Dash just stared at him as he smoothly took off and flew out the window. She blinked a few times before realizing he was probably waiting for her.
“Impression dash! Impression!” She quietly chastised herself as she quickly forced her stiffened wings into flight. But right when she got to the window sill,
“You coming Rainboo—” Soarin poked his head back in and the two collided head to head. They tumbled out the window and onto the clouds outside her house. They groggily sat up, Soarin quickly shaking his head and laughing. “Well this certainly has been an interesting day so far!”
“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Dash wanted to curl up and disappear, how many more times would she make a fool out of herself in front of her heroes, the pile of screw-ups just kept stacking higher and higher. She was snapped from her thoughts as Soarin grabbed her by the shoulder’s hoisted her up, and placed her on her hooves.
“No time to be sitting around! C’mon!” He was off again like nothing had happened. Dash quickly followed behind, keeping up with his casual pace. The whole exchange with Soarin just now, while full of clumsiness, had been a rather educating experience. Soarin was a Wonderbolt, and to her the Wonderbolts were the epitome of pegasi, gods among mortals. But seeing this side of Soarin brought that idea a little more down to earth. She got to see the pony side of him. He was just like her and every pony else, a face and personality with quirks and faults. She now knew Soarin the pony, not just Soarin the Wonderbolt. That felt pretty cool. She smiled, now feeling a lot less nervous, almost forgetting completely about the night before. She wanted to know what the rest of them were like.
They flew casually to Sweet Apple Acres, landing in the open barn door. AppleJack and Twilight were talking to Fleetfoot and Spitfire.
“Hey where’s Rapid?” Soarin asked. Fleetfoot rolled her eyes and pointed a hoof towards the door.
“Followed white and pink to the house to “Help” them.” She responded sarcastically. Soarin frowned and shook his head.
“Hold on, I’ll go save them.” He turned, but Dash caught his shoulder.
“Actually there’s no n—” she paused quickly and briefly pulled her hoof back. Worried that she invaded his space. Wonderbolt space was sacred space to her. “N-no need to worry about it.” She stuttered briefly before regaining her tone. “He picked the wrong two to mess with.” She said with a wink.
“As charming as you are,” Rarity’s voice suddenly came from the door. It had a harsh tone of sarcasm, “I think I’ll pass thank you.”
“Heh, playing hard to get eh?” Rapidfire smirked as he followed behind.
“Playing not interested Darling, there’s a huge difference.” She batted him in the face with her tail and walked towards them. Spitfire and Fleetfoot snickered to themselves. Rapidfire looked like he was about to make another run at her, but Pinkie zipped in front balancing a tray of full water mugs on her head.
“So what’s it like when you hit the sound barrier? Ooo! Wait! Do your ears pop when you fly too fast? Is the sky still blue when you have your goggles on?” She never gave him a chance to respond, continuously pouring ridiculous questions to him. He backed away from her and eventually flew out the door. “Hey wait I wanna ask you something!” She tossed the tray of water mugs across the barn to the table, they all the mugs landed on the tray and the water landed back in the mugs. She quickly bounced after Rapidfire.
“I think we found Rapidfire repellant.” Spitfire chuckled. “Just have every mare in Equestria know Pinkie and he’ll never bother them again!” They all shared a good laugh. Rainbow Dash made a mental note to find Pinkie Pie if Rapidfire got anymore ideas.
Rainbow Dash sat with her friends and the three Wonderbolts as they conversed and had their refreshments. She remained quiet, only laughing when a joke or funny story was told. Eventually Applejack mentioned cooking up some apple pies. Soarin followed quickly at the mention of Pie and Twilight went to lend a hoof as well.
Rainbow Dash found herself alone with Spitfire and Fleetfoot. While her strange experience with Soarin had calmed her nerves a little, she was still afraid to speak up. She told herself to be herself, to be the normal outgoing, rough talking, and confident Rainbow Dash all her friends knew. As with most important moments of her life, she was frozen, never expecting the moment to actually occur.
“Ahhhh.” Spitfire stretched out her body and wings. “I’m feel like a flight, my wings are stiff.”
“Sounds good to me.” Fleetfoot agreed, rising from her seat. Dash just glanced back and forth, avoiding eye contact.
“Hey come with us!” Spitfire wrapped a hoof around Dash’s shoulder, causing her to visibly flinch. “We’ve gotten to know all your friends. You’re the only one left.”
“Uh, sure!” Dash wasn’t sure how to feel. She had met Spitfire twice in the past, but Spitfire clearly didn’t remember her.
“Yeah, we need to make up for the flight contest, gala, and wedding. Did I miss any?” Fleetfoot added. Dash’s eyes went wide as Spitfire nodded in agreement. They did remember her. She smiled and followed them towards the barn door, lifting off behind them.
Dash began to think about her nerves and what really caused them. It wasn’t the Wonderbolts, she was afraid of herself. They all clearly remembered and acknowledged her, but she was still worried about creating an impression. They were here on vacation and they wanted to get away from their fandom, so if anything her nervous behavior was only reminding them of it. She felt a weight lift off her chest, if they wanted to be normal, then she had no reason not to be her normal self. Her confidence returned, she pulled up alongside them.
They glided around the skies of Sweet Apple Acres. Dash found casual conversation with them and was enjoying herself immensely. She got to learn about the two of them as she had with Soarin. Spitfire was very proud and outspoken, not afraid to talk about her accomplishments. It didn’t come off as gloating, more as confidence and pride, which were good qualities for a Wonderbolt squad captain. Fleetfoot, while a bit blunt, was very smooth and stylish. She seemed very street smart, and well versed in dealing with lots of different people and situations.
Dash wasn’t quite sure how to handle all of it. It wasn’t bad, in fact she loved it. When she thought “Wonderbolt” now, the images of the uniform clad fliers that usually came up instantly were being slowly replaced by Soarin, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot out of uniform as normal ponies just like everyone else. She was getting to know the famous stunt fliers on a personal level, a privilege barely any others had. Then she decided to ask how old they were.
“WHAAAAT?!” Dash put on the breaks and came to a halt. The two Wonderbolts circled around and hovered beside her. “You’re both only a few years older than me?!” she had her hooves on her head, “But, wha-, how? You’re the lead squad! I figured you’d all been at it for a while!” She was dumbfounded, and suddenly felt inadequate.
“A lot of luck.” Fleetfoot shrugged.
“It was a little more than luck,” Spitfire added with an eyeroll, “Dash, it takes a lot of skill and talent to be a Wonderbolt, but it’s also being in the right place at the right time. I’m sure you remember Blazetail and Flashwind.” The two names caused multiple bells to ring in Dash’s head.
“Gosh, how could I forget them?”
It all went back to when she was a filly in Cloudsdale. The first Wonderbolt show she had ever seen. She was far back in the nosebleed seats, but during the show a weather team working nearby lost control of their wind system. The winds blew over the stadium so strong that a lot of Pegasi were forced out of their seats. The stadium’s funnel structure caused the wind to swirl around. A small tornado started to form, but the Wonderbolts broke formation in their show and began subduing the weather shift. In the confusion, Dash had been separated from her parents. A pegasi trying to find shelter bumped into her, and the wind caught her little wings, throwing her upwards and towards the tornado. She flailed about, trying to save herself, but the wind was much too strong.
She heard a scream and caught brief glimpse of her mother shooting towards her. She was desperate to save Dash, disregarding the circumstances and the danger. Her mother’s hooves were an inch from grasping her, but their proximity to the tornado became too close. Now they were both being tossed about uncontrollably through the air. The situation seemed dire. Dash shut her eyes. But then she felt something grip her tightly. She was no longer spinning and now moving incredibly fast away from the tornado.
When she opened her eyes she was staring up at a Wonderbolt mare with a flowing white mane. She set her down and glanced to the side. A bright red Wonderbolt stallion with a short, bright orange and yellow mane set Dash’s mother on the ground. Dash’s mother immediately ran up to her and hugged her tightly, but Dash barely noticed. She was staring in awe at the two Wonderbolts as they turned and sped off to finish weakening the tornado. It was probably the most defining moment in Dash’s life besides the day she got her cutie mark.
“Wow, that's quite a story. Small world huh?” Said Fleetfoot in awe.
“They’re pretty much the reason I became such a huge fan. Did you know them well?” Dash asked with excitement.
“I wouldn’t say we knew them well, but we were lucky enough to get their attention.” Spitfire landed on a cloud and settled on it. Fleetfoot and Dash did the same. “Soarin and I were competing in an amateur stunt contest in Manehatten. Fleetfoot here had come all the way from Fillidelphia to compete. We all managed to snag the top three places, and after getting our simple trophies and celebrating our small victory, they just walked up to us. It was such a surprise. You should’ve seen the look on Soarin’s face. I thought he was going to pass out!” She laughed as she recalled the memory. Fleetfoot gasped and exhaled while rolling her eyes back, impersonating Soarin before taking over.
“They were just passing through and saw the competition. They told us they had been looking for ponies with our specific talents and invited us to Wonderbolt tryouts. We ended up on the 3rd squad with Rapidfire, and two years later the legendary Gold Squad retired. They held a competition between the top five squads to see who would replace them. Since all four of us have very different styles, they chose us and voila.” Fleetfoot shrugged. “Like I said, right place at the right time.”
Rainbow Dash listened with awe. She always felt she was a long way away from her dream, but if a coincidence was all it took to be recognized, her chance could come at any moment. She wondered if there was a way she could grab their attention while they were here. It was too perfect a chance to pass up, but she didn’t want to seem pushy. She was also worried that she wasn’t quite on their level yet. She was jarred from her thoughts as Fleetfoot suddenly pointed down towards the orchard.
“Oh Spitfire there he is!”
“Where?”
“I told you I saw a huge stallion by the trees yesterday!” Fleetfoot looked at Spitfire giddily. “C’mon! Trust me he’s an eyeful!” She dropped through the cloud and glided towards the trees. Spitfire followed close behind. Rainbow Dash blinked, wondering what had them so excited. Then she looked down and saw a familiar member of the Apple family hard at work below.
“Uh oh,” Dash quickly followed behind them, hoping she would stop them before a certain other pony would. She landed nearby as the two peeked out from behind an apple tree towards Big Macintosh.
“See? What a hunk!” Fleetfoot giggled.
“Whoa,” Spitfire’s eyes widened, “look at those muscles! He looks like he could move a house!”
“And he’s huge! So stallionly!”
“That would be Big Macintosh. Applejack’s older brother.” Rainbow Dash put herself in front of them. “Yes, he’s big, hunky, and quite a stallion,” they tried to look around her. She spread her wings out to prevent them. “but you should probably leave him be. He pretty much works around the clock. Plus he’s a bit shy, doesn’t talk much, but most of all,”
“Um, excuse me.” A very quiet voice came from behind them. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth as Spitfire and Fleetfoot turned to face her.
“Oh, Fluttershy! So you do talk,” Spitfire smiled, “After how quiet you were at the barn,”
“Please don’t bother Big Macintosh, he’s very busy and has a lot of responsibilities on this farm.” Fluttershy cut off Spitfire, earning a surprised look from them both.
“What’s the deal? We were just admiring the sights.” Fleetfoot turned back to look at Mac but Fluttershy moved in front of her next to Dash.
“Please. Don’t. Bother. Big. Macintosh.” She said sternly. Spitfire and Fleetfoot glanced at each other as Dash rapidly contemplated what to do.
“Look honey, can you blame us? I mean look at that fl—” As Spitfire spoke, Dash saw Fluttershy’s eyes start to widen with a harsh glare forming. With no other option Dash zipped between the two and covered their mouths with her hooves.
“Hey we were just walking around and came across Mac, he’s very busy so we decided not to bother him! See you around Fluttershy!” She forced them to turn around with her and started dragging them away. “Just play along you’ll thank me.” She whispered to them and let them go. As soon as they walked a good distance away, Dash breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
“Mind telling us what that was all about?” Spitfire asked, slightly annoyed. Dash cringed at her tone, hoping she hadn’t angered her too much.
“Well, as I said, Big Macintosh is very quiet. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him speak a full sentence. The only pony outside his family he ever seems to converse with is Fluttershy. Don’t ask me, apparently there was some circumstance where the two became close. Anyway, she’s VERY protective of him, and trust me, you don’t want to see her when she snaps.” Dash explained nervously, hoping they’d accept it. Spitfire’s expression remained annoyed, but Fleetfoot stared dumbly at Dash.
“Wait. Those two are,” she turned to Spitfire who only eyed her quizzically, “that shy, frail, timid, gentle mare and that hunk of eye candy?” Spitfire got the memo and both turned to Dash.
“Hey, hey, I couldn’t tell ya. Whenever anypony asks her she squeaks, turns completely red and runs off.”
“Oh man,” Fleetfoot covered her mouth with her hoof and blushed, “how does he not break her?” Spitfire’s eyes widened and she gave Fleetfoot an uncomfortable look. Dash looked confused.
“What do you,” then realization hit, “AH! CHANGING THE SUBJECT!” She lifted off, the two Wonderbolts close behind.
Rainbow Dash spent the rest of the afternoon with them. Again the wave of accomplishment washed over her. It felt weird knowing her role models personally, but at the same time it was exhilarating. She bid them farewell as the sun began to set and flew towards the Cutie Mark Crusader’s hideout on the south side of the orchard. It was almost time for her daily training session with Scootaloo.
She had promised the little filly a few months back that she would help her with her flying troubles. At first Dash assumed the only reason Scootaloo couldn’t get off the ground was because she never went to flight school and therefore just needed a little teaching, but after a few months of little progress she was beginning to think there was something wrong with her wings. They were still very small despite being old as most other fillies who were already flying up and about. She had been wondering what to do, she wanted to help Scootaloo, but how do you tell a young pegasus they have bad wings? She kept telling her that it takes time, and to keep her chin up. Encouragement from her always lifted Scootaloo’s spirits, but how much longer could she keep it up?
She began her descent towards the Crusader hideout, catching glimpse of orange and purple between the trees. Scootaloo was out front, doing wing warm-ups Dash had taken straight from flight school.
“Huh?” Dash slowed to a hover as she saw another pegasi land nearby.
“Hey kid, whatcha doing here?” The voice gave it away. It was Soarin. Dash floated down and landed in a nearby apple tree.
“Huh? Who are you mister?” Scootaloo asked cautiously. Soarin hesitated for a moment.
“Oh, I’m Sorewings, me and a few friends are staying on the orchard for a few days.” Dash had to hold in a fit of laughter. Soarin had clearly changed the name in case Scootaloo was a crazy fan. But Sorewings? Her sides were aching trying to contain the giggles.
“Oh yeah! Applebloom said something about some pegasusususes staying at her house. I’m Scootaloo, protégé of the great Rainbow Dash!” Dash scrunched her face and put a hoof over her eyes. She’d here about that later.
“Oh? I’ve heard of her!” Soarin played along. “I heard she’s a great flyer!”
“She is! I’m waiting for her right now! She’s teaching me how to fly!”
“Huh?” Soaring tipped his head. He watched as Scootaloo continued to do her warm-ups. Dash watched as his eyes narrowed, examining Scootaloo’s wings. Dash bit her lip. She hoped he wouldn’t say anything to her. He trotted up to Scootaloo and took a closer look at her wings.
“Whatcha doin?” Scootaloo asked with an eyebrow raise.
“Hold still a sec kiddo.” He pushed one of her small wings out with his hoof and looked it up and down. He let it go and rubbed his chin. “How long has Rainbow Dash been helping you?”
“It’s been two months I think?” She replied while returning to her routine.
“Two months huh.” Soarin’s ears drooped.
“Why?” She asked, realizing he knew something.
“Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t please.” Rainbow Dash whispered to herself as she watched Soarin.
“Well kid, I’ve got some bad news,” Soarin began. Dash’s mouth hung open. He wouldn’t, “you’ve got stunted wings.” Dash felt the air leave her lungs. How could he do that? Scootaloo’s eyes widened and her mouth hung open.
“W-what?” Her lover lip quivered. “But, but,” she was young, but she knew what that meant, “but I,” tears started welling up. Dash felt an intense wave of anger rush over her. She had never seen anything so low and uncalled for her entire life. Flight was what defined a pegasus. There was nothing more disgraceful to a pegasus than being permanently grounded. Any respect she had for Soarin was gone if he was capable of being either that cruel or idiotic. She spread her wings and readied to rush in and give him a piece of her mind.
“Hey!” Soarin bent down and ruffled Scootaloo’s mane, “whoa there, dry those tears kid, you wanna know a secret?” Scootaloo sniffled loudly and looked like she would burst out crying any second. Soarin stepped back and spread out his powerful, toned wings. “I had stunted wings too when I was your age!” Dash’s wings screeched to a halt right before she could push off from the branch. Scootaloo instantly stopped sniffling and stared wondrously at his wings.
“Really?” Her voice was filled with awe, any traces of tears gone.
“You bet! Just because you have stunted wings doesn’t mean you can’t fly. It just takes a little extra practice and dedication.” He smiled. Dash returned to her sitting position on the branch and watched with curiosity. Her brief moment of rage quickly disappeared, replaced with an analytical eye. Soarin had stunted wings and he became a Wonderbolt? That feat alone was beyond amazing. But what interested her more was how he handled the situation. He revealed Scootaloo’s problem to her and turned it into motivation. She never thought of that scenario, but she felt someone else who had a similar problem had a better chance of putting it the right way. It was masterfully done, but then again he was a lead squad Wonderbolt, it was to be expected.
“Please Mister Sorewings! How did you learn to fly?” Scootaloo bounced up and down excitedly with her little wings flapping continuously. Soarin chuckled.
“I’m sure Rainbow Dash has you doing a lot of good things already, but here let me show you a few things to help those wings grow.”
“Yay!” Scootaloo cheered.
Art by: lortstreet54
Dash was speechless. Soarin was leaving quite an impression on her. As if his Wonderbolt status wasn’t enough to make him amazing, he was kind, upbeat, selfless, and inspiring. Not to mention his willingness to help Scootaloo and do a much better job than she felt she ever could. All of his qualities were very endearing. She had never met a pony like him before, nor felt so drawn to any other pony like she was to him.
Sure he was goofy, a tad forward, and a pretty sloppy eater, but those small imperfections made him seem more real, and not just some dreamy image. She pondered these thoughts as she watched him show Scootaloo some extra techniques. A smile formed at her lips.
Rainbow Dash ended up staying hidden as Soarin pretty much took over her afternoon session with Scootaloo. She contemplated showing up once or twice, but she was enjoying watching them too much.
“Oh it’s late isn’t it? I should go home now.” Scootaloo said with a frown, which turned upside-down as she looked to Soarin. “Thanks so much Mr. Sorewings! Dash must’ve been busy, it’s too bad you couldn’t meet her.”
“Oh I’m sure I’ll see her at some point,” Soarin smiled, “now don’t forget to do those wing stretches in the morning and before bed. Make sure you do some of those extra exercises after school before you train with Rainbow Dash. Keep that up and you’ll be in the air in no time!” He ended with a wink. Scootaloo smiled wide and grabbed her helmet and scooter.
“Just you watch! I’ll be the best flyer in all Equestria!” She sped off with vigor. Dash stood up on the branch and stretched out before gliding down.
“I was wondering if you were gonna come down.” Soarin turned to her with a smile. She flinched briefly.
“You knew I was there?”
“Kinda hard to miss a rainbow in an apple tree.” He grinned. She glanced back at her mane and tail. He had a point. She shrugged.
“You looked like you had it under control, I wasn’t about to butt in on a training session with a Wonderbolt,” she smirked, “Mr. Sorewings.” She added while chuckling. He laughed with her and faked like he had aching wings.
“Cut me some slack, stunt flying is taxing!” He let his wings droop comically.
“So,” she looked at his wings, “you had stunted wings huh?”
“Nope.” He casually replied while folding his wings up.
“WHAT?!” Dash looked at him in disbelief, “YOU LIED TO HER!?”
“About myself yes.” He continued to act as if nothing had happened. Dash wasn’t sure what to think. Her opinion of him was on a never ending rollercoaster.
“That, that,” She fumbled with how to reply. Her head was starting to hurt.
“Not about stunted wings though.” He added. Dash stopped and looked towards him, completely stumped.
“You’re putting my head in a vice, what are you talking about?” She demanded. He smirked.
“Just because she has stunted wings doesn’t mean she can’t fly. It just means it’ll take more time and work. Yeah I lied about my wings, but she’s just a little filly, it wouldn’t have mattered if it were me, you, or any other Pegasus. If she never knew there was a problem she would never know what she needs to focus on. As long as she knows and believes that it’s possible she’ll succeed,” he walked beside Dash and nudged her in the side with his elbow “and with a role model like “the great Rainbow Dash” I doubt she’ll have trouble staying motivated.” He flashed her a smile.
Dash stared blankly at him. Genius. It was pure genius. She would have never put all that together. The more she got to know him, the more amazing he seemed. Then she found herself blushing. She quickly turned away. Luckily he was looking towards the sky as night began rolling in.
“Hey looks like Luna has the stars out tonight, wanna go for a night fly?” He suggested with a friendly smile. Dash regained her senses and nodded.
“Yeah let’s go.”
Soarin and Dash flew across the clear night sky, exchanging stories about their friends and occasional jokes. Soarin was very quick and clever, usually catching her off guard with a pun or sarcasm. After a little while they rested on a stray cloud the weather team seemed to miss.
“I’m gonna have to talk to Thunderlane about doing a thorough job.” Dash sighed.
“You work for the weather team?” Asked Soarin as he got comfortable.
“I work late morning if they need a weather change, but since they usually change the weather early morning and late night I don’t get called in much.”
“Sounds like straining work.” Soarin joked.
“I get to sleep in and I still get paid, nice try but I’m content.” She fired back with a smirk.
“Can’t argue with that.”
“Say Soarin,” she was curious about something. She wasn’t quite sure why, but after hearing Spitfire’s story about becoming Wonderbolts she had a question lingering in her head, “I was talking to Spitfire and Fleetfoot earlier about how you became Wonderbolts,”
“They didn’t say anything about my reaction did they?” Soarin quickly asked. Dash paused and snickered. She mimicked the face Fleetfoot made with a sharp inhale, a weak scream and fell on her back. “Oh it wasn’t THAT dramatic!” Soarin laughed. “Sorry I interrupted what were you saying?”
“Well, they talked about how you three were competing in a competition. I was wondering, how long have you known Spitfire?” Her question seemed to surprise him. He was expecting something less personal and more Wonderbolt related.
“Gosh I can’t remember a time I didn’t know her.” His eyes trailed off into the stars, recollecting his past, “She lived next door to me in the suburbs of Manehatten. She was the first friend I ever had. I can remember she always used to race with me and all the other colts. We never beat her she always left us in the dust. We both dreamed of being professional flyers, and trained together day in and day out in hopes of one day reaching that goal. As we got older I began to feel we were in over our heads, but she kept pushing me to train and improve. One wild shred of luck later and we reached our dream. I definitely couldn’t have done it without her, she’s like the sister I never had.” He ended with a nostalgic smile.
Art by: NightyScribbles
Dash listened to the whole story with great interest. She felt a strange wave pass over her when he called her a sister. She wasn’t sure what it was. Was she jealous of Spitfire for knowing Soarin for so long or was she touched by a story of perseverance? Maybe it was something else, but another thought dawned on her.
“Oh! This is something I’ve always wanted to know!” She patted her hooves on the cloud excitedly, “which one of you is the fastest?” She asked eagerly.
“Fleetfoot.” Soarin answered quickly like it was painfully obvious. “At least at top speed, hence “Silver Streak”. She just takes longer than the rest of us to reach full tilt.”
“Oh?” Now Dash was even more interested, “So what are the differences between all of you?”
“Let’s see,” Soarin rubbed his chin, “Spitfire is by far the most agile, and is the best with different trails, especially flame trails, “Searing Flame”. Like I said, Fleetfoot can hit some ridiculously high speeds. When Rapidfire isn’t chasing mares I guess he’s really good at manipulating effects like mini tornados and weaving trails. “The Artist”” He stopped there.
“Aaaaaaand?” Dash leaned towards him.
“What?”
“Don’t give me that, you know what I’m waiting for.” She crossed her hooves and stared at him.
“Oh yeah, little old me.” Soarin smiled wide while tapping his chest. “Well, I’m actually the slowest of the four, but I do a lot of the heavy work, like catching and throwing the other three. I can also hit my top speed faster than the rest using my power acceleration, “Power Flyer”. You probably saw me do it at the show.”
“I did but,” she frowned, “I only caught a glimpse of it, I tried to get close, but I couldn’t quite figure out how you did it.” Her eyes widened and she stood up quickly. “Could you teach me how to do it?!” She asked with a bright smile and pleading eyes.
“I could,” he tipped his head to the side, “but why do you want to learn it?”
“Psh, why else? To be better than you at it!” She replied with a sly grin. Soarin suddenly coughed then hacked and grabbed his throat. Dash looked towards him with concern, “You okay?” His coughing became violent and he fell over on his back while gasping for air. “Soarin!? What’s going on!?” She jumped over to him and turned his head towards her, panicking all the way.
“The smmm” Soarin coughed hard, cutting himself off. Dash continued to look him up and down in confusion and worry. “The smmmuuuuuhhhhhhh” Soarin forced out before arching his neck back. “I can’t BREATH, the SMUG around you, it’s so THICK, the SMUUUHAHAHAHAHA!!!!” He burst into a fit of laughter. Dash realized she had been played and glared at him. “Oh the look on your face was priceless.”
“You’re terrible!” She pushed him into the thick of the cloud before beginning to laugh herself. Soarin’s head popped out of the cloud as their laughter eventually ceased.
“Sure, I’ll show you, but,” he yawned loudly, “let’s do it tomorrow I’m dead tired.”
“Sounds good to me.” She answered as he removed himself from inside the cloud. “Oh I have a weather team meeting before noon, I’ll come by after that.”
“Then it’s decided, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he took a step towards her, “and Dash?” To her surprise, he gave her a small hug, gently brushing his neck against hers with an arm around her. “Thanks for spending time with me, it feels good to be treated like a normal pegasus.” With a wink and a smile he flew off, leaving a very confused and very red Rainbow Dash behind on the cloud.
---To Be Continued---