//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Return to Ponyville // Story: Violet Hill // by TorontoFCBrony //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash was preparing herself for her first organised show. On this day she was leaving the place she used to call home, Ponyville. She had her whole weekend planned. First, she was going to rock the performance and wow the crowds in the town she calls home. Then, she would stay for a few days with her friends at Twilight's library. A slumber party with her five best friends; what could be better? She packed her bags with everything she needed, which was mostly just the clothes she was going to wear. The clothing involved her uniform for the show, some nice clothes in case they were to go out in the evening, and a robe for when she would stay up all night giggling with her friends. Just the thought of what this weekend was going to be like made Rainbow excited as a young schoolfilly. She heard a knock at the door as soon as she zipped up her suitcase, which could go on her back. "Just a minute, my love," she shouted out. She knew it was Soarin because of the knock; it was his special knock that he always used to let her know it was him. Upon opening the door, she saw Soarin, who was in his Wonderbolt uniform already. He had nothing else packed because he was only going for the show and then he'd come back to the headquarters with the others. "Good morning, Dashie," he greeted. "Are you almost ready to go?" "I'm ready as I ever will be," she responded. "I'm so excited. I'm going to have a weekend with my friends and a show in front of all the ponies I love. It's going to be great!" "It sure is," he responded. Soarin helped his marefriend by grabbing and holding on to her backpack suitcase. He put it up on his back and shook his head to signal that it was time to go. The two of them went to the front of the building. Outside waiting was Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Rapidfire. The show in Ponyville was going to feature these five pegasi. "All right everypony, are you all ready?" Spitfire asked the group. All of them had different responses in what they said, but the answers all meant the same thing. They were all ready and excited for their next show. Rainbow was almost shaking in excitement. She did have some nerves, but her happiness to do a show in front of the town she called home outweighed her nerves. "Okay then, let's go," Spitfire shouted out to the collective. The five of them flew in a v-formation on their way to Ponyville. While in the air over the fields and farmland of Equestria, Spitfire flew up beside Rainbow to have a short talk with her. "So, Rainbow, you're planning on staying a few days here, aren't you?" the captain asked the newest member of the team. "Yeah, I'm planning on staying for a few days with my friends because I haven't seen them for a while. I hope that's okay with you. I know our next show isn't for ten days," Rainbow responded as they flew with the wind blowing back their manes. "It's totally fine. You can stay as long as you'll be ready for the next show. You'll need some training and practice before every show to prepare the routine, so please don't take longer than three days here," Spitfire requested. "Sir yes ma'am," Rainbow said while saluting Spitfire with her hoof. The two of them shared a laugh about Rainbow's way of addressing the captain. Rainbow looked back to see Soarin sweating and panting due to holding her heavy backpack for her. "Do you want me to carry it for the rest of the way?" she asked as she flew over beside him. "Oh... no... pant... I got this... gasp," he said while wiping the sweat from his forehead. Rainbow shrugged and kept flying. "Well, thanks, I guess," she said to him. The five Wonderbolts made their way to Ponyville. As they flew over the town to get to where the bleachers were set up for the show, Rainbow looked to see where her former house was. She was saddened to see that it had completely blown away, but that is what happens when a cloud home is not taken care of for a few months. Nothing remained of it at all. Rainbow had a face of disappointment, but she had a new home now. They landed at the location of where the show was going to take place. It was in an empty field located close to Sweet Apple Acres. Bleachers were set up in two sections that were facing each other, with an empty area in the middle. There were about two thousand seats set up. They went to the middle of the setup to make sure everything was set up to their liking. That’s when Rainbow could hear the voice of Pinkie Pie coming from around the corner. “I just saw them land! Let’s go,” she could hear Pinkie yell to the others. Around the corner came Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Spike. All of them had wide and eager expressions to see Rainbow in her Wonderbolts uniform in their own town. Rainbow looked back at them with a large and welcoming smile. Scootaloo was the first to come and jump into Rainbow’s hooves for a massive hug. Rainbow picked up the young filly and spun her around in a circle. “How’s it going, squirt? I haven’t seen you in so long! You’re bigger than the last time I saw you,” she said to the filly in her outstretched hooves. “Oh, Rainbow! I’m so happy to see my big sister again. I can’t wait to see your show today,” Scootaloo said to the pegasus that she looked up to as a hero. The two closed their eyes as they hugged up against each other. Rainbow at this point did not care about what others thought about her. She didn’t care anymore about looking cool. Being with Soarin softened her a little bit, and she finally felt comfortable to act loving in front of others. Spitfire interrupted the loving hug between Rainbow and Scootaloo to remind her, “We still have a show to put on! You can hug later.” Rainbow looked back at Spitfire with a frown. She put down Scootaloo and apologised to her friends, saying, “I’m sorry, guys. I’ll just have to see you after the show.” Her Ponyville friends said bye to her and left, allowing the Wonderbolts to finish up their preparation for the show. Rainbow turned to Spitfire and said to her, “You’re right, we have work to do. Sorry that I got distracted.” “Not to worry, Rainbow,” Spitfire told her. “Interaction with fans is very important, but there is a time and a place for everything. We need to prepare and do the show first, then you can talk to others. Got it?” Rainbow replied, “Got it. What do you want me to do?” Spitfire looked over to see Mayor Mare walking up to them. They were supposed to meet her here for the instructions. The mayor came over and said, “I’m sorry I’m a few minutes late. We are all so excited to have you here! What are you planning for the show?” Spitfire explained to the mayor, “Well, we want you to introduce us as we fly across the sky over the fans. We’ll then come down and I’ll say a few words to the fans. I’ll also have Rainbow Dash here say a few words because Ponyville is like home to her. So we need to set up a small stage.” Rainbow had a smile on her face because of Spitfire saying that she would be able to have a short speech in front of her fans and friends. Even though it hadn’t happened yet, it felt like an honour already. Mayor Mare agreed to do what Spitfire had told her. She went and gathered a number of worker ponies to set up a stage. They also set up a small portable room that would act as a change room for the performers. Ponyville did not have a permanent stadium at this time, so they needed to work with what they had available. While the workers were working on the setup of the stage, Rainbow went up to Spitfire to thank her. “Thanks for the opportunity to perform and speak in front of my town. I really appreciate the chance.” “Don’t worry about it, rookie,” Spitfire replied. “We always give every member a chance to have the spotlight at different times. All you need to do is say a few things to the fans and then we will begin our show. Just don’t take too long!” “I promise I won’t, skipper. I won’t need too long to say what I need to say,” Rainbow replied. About an hour later the stage was set for the show to begin. The fans all filed in, and both stands were full to the max. Rainbow looked out from the door from their trailer on the side to all the fans there. She could name every single individual in the audience. The more she looked, the happier she became. She could see her five friends, the cutie mark crusaders along with all of the other young foals, Big Macintosh with Granny Smith, the Cakes, among many other friends that she considered her extended family. “All right everypony, time to get this show on the road,” Spitfire announced. Rainbow snapped out of her happy thoughts and put on her game face. She put on her goggles, and so did the others. They went outside and saw Mayor Mare take the stage, which was their key to get going. The Wonderbolts flew over to a field a few hundred metres away to get ready for their big entrance. “Fillies and gentlecolts,” the mayor announced over the microphone to the fans in attendance at the outdoor, makeshift stadium that they set up on this beautifully sunny spring day. “Welcome to the Wonderbolts in Ponyville show!” The fans all shouted out a cheer. That was the Wonderbolts’ queue to start flying. The mayor continued, “Ponyville is proud to announce: the Wonderbolts!” She waved her hoof to the sky just as the five Wonderbolts flew across the sky. The noise they made sounded like jets flying through the sky as they blew past the crowd a few dozen metres above them. The fans shouted in excitement as they flew by in their v-formation. Spitfire was in the middle, with Rainbow and then Soarin to her left, and Fleetfoot and Rapidfire to her right. The show ponies flew around in a large loop and then came down to the middle of the grounds where the stage was set up. They all stuck a perfect landing. The fans all gave the Wonderbolts a standing ovation with clapping and whistling. “Please welcome the captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire,” the mayor said as she pointed over to the fiery pegasus who was approaching the microphone. “Thank you, Mayor Mare,” Spitfire said on the microphone. “Hello everypony! We are very happy and proud to be performing a show for you. It’s great to be in the best town in Equestria once again.” The shout-out made the Ponyvillians scream with pride. Spitfire continued while looking at Rainbow Dash, who was standing just off to the side, “We have a new member on the Wonderbolts performing her first organised show today. You may know her very well. Please welcome: Rainbow Dash!” All of her friends and fan shouted and cheered as Rainbow took the microphone for a few things that she wanted to say. “Hello everypony,” she said and then paused and clenched her teeth because of the loud feedback sound the microphone made on the speakers. She continued, “I'm so happy to be back home and performing for you today. I see all the faces that have supported me over the years in helping me follow my dreams. I love you all and I can’t help but smile as I look at your welcoming faces. Thank you… thank you so much for supporting me. We are going to give you an amazing show today that you will never forget!” Those words proved to be true. Rainbow and Wonderbolts really did put on an unforgettable show. She dealt with her nerves, which were not as strong as she thought they would be. Performing alongside the ponies she idolised a few years ago just felt natural to her. They performed synchronised flips and spins. They flew fast and individually just above the heads of the ponies watching, sometimes causing wind from their high speeds to blow back their manes. Loud cheers were a regular occurrence during this show. The time finally came for the final act. The Wonderbolts grabbed their smoke machines to perform the writing of ‘Ponyville’ in the sky with smoke. “Are you ready Rainbow?” Soarin asked. “It’s just like we prepared. You’re going to write the two letter L’s.” “I’m ready because I had the best teacher,” she replied as she picked up the machine. They took to the sky and turned their machines on. Spitfire spelled the P and the O in pink. Soarin spelled the N and the Y in orange. Fleetfoot spelled the V and the I in green. Now it was Rainbow’s turn. She flew in the air. She flew upwards, turned around and came down. She pressed the button to let out the yellow smoke. She spelled the first L flawlessly. She turned off the smoke for a second as she went forward. She did a quick turnaround, turned the smoke back on, and began to spell the second L. She made the lower part of the letter, and then quickly shot up in a ninety-degree angle. The force pulled her cheeks back as she went straight up. When she reached the correct height, she turned off the smoke and came to the ground. Rapidfre finished off with the harder letter E in purple. Rainbow looked to see the ‘Ponyville’ that was spelled in the sky in all capital letters. She smiled proudly as she looked over to see her letters, which were made to perfection. She was astounding during her first ever show. She had given her friends and fans a show they would never forget. Soarin came over and put his arm around her neck and over her shoulder. “You’ve done really well,” he said to her while giving her a kiss on the cheek. Spitfire congratulated Rainbow on her fantastic performance, and so did Rapidfire and Fleetfoot. After the show, Rainbow got dressed out of her uniform and into her normal clothing, which was actually being completely naked. It was now her time to go and speak to her friends, who were waiting for her behind the bleachers. As soon as she came around the corner she saw her five friends with Spike on Twilight’s back, as well as the cutie mark crusaders, who had waited patiently to see her. They all ran over and gave a group hug. It wasn’t the best hug though, having so many ponies in it. “I did it, guys. I can’t believe I did it,” she said to them. As the hug ended, each of her friends had words of congratulations to say to her. “You were fantastic, Rainbow. We are so proud of you,” Twilight said. Spike shook his head in agreement while he stood beside Twilight. “You went so fast! It was really cool,” he said. Rainbow shook her hoof on the young dragon’s head to thank him. Fluttershy approached Rainbow, “That was amazing. Did you hear me cheering for you? I tried my best to make sure you heard me.” “Of course I heard you, Fluttershy. It was me who taught you to cheer in the first place, after all,” Rainbow reminded her jokingly. Rarity and Sweetie Belle then came up to her. “Darling, that was simply wonderful,” Rarity said. “Yes, darling, that was splendid,” Sweetie Belle said in her best Rarity impersonation. This gave Rainbow a chuckle and Rarity a small glare. Applejack and Apple Bloom came next. “Sugarcube, I am mighty proud of you,” Applejack said to Rainbow with the tip of her hat. Apple Bloom then shouted out, “That was super awesome! If only I was a pegasus, I’d get my cutie mark for flying as fast as you!” Finally Pinkie Pie hopped over and said, “Dashie! You were super-duper awesome-possum! I’m so happy to have a friend like you!” Rainbow was just so ecstatic at the wonderful reception she had gotten from her friends. Thanks so much guys, I’m so thankful that you enjoyed it.” Rainbow then realised that there was one pony who didn’t talk her yet. “Hey, Scoots,” Rainbow said as she came over and bent down to the young, orange pegasus who was waiting patiently off to the side. “Did you enjoy the show?” “Oh Rainbow Dash, I loved it!” Scootaloo shouted while hopping and fluttering in the air. She actually flew in the air in a small backflip, the most that Rainbow had ever seen her fly. Rainbow lifted an eyebrow at the sight of that. Scootaloo then continued while standing normally, but with a huge smile, “I want to be a Wonderbolt one day. I want to be just like you!” “One day you will be, squirt. Just believe in yourself,” Rainbow said inspirationally to the young and excited filly while giving her a soft noogie on the head with her hoof. “Oh, I’m never washing my hair again,” Scootaloo said as she ran back to her crusader friends. That was when Soarin came over. He said hello to all of Rainbow’s Ponyville friends, and then said to her, “Fantastic job once again Rainbow. I can’t tell you that enough! I’m going to go back to the headquarters with the others. You’re going to stay here with the others, right?” Rainbow confirmed his question. They engaged in a hug, and then Soarin gave Rainbow her bag of clothes for the next few days. He said goodbye to her and her friends, and left with the other four Wonderbolts to go back to Cloudsdale. It was now time for Rainbow to have a nice, relaxing few days with her friends. The six of them went back to Twilight’s library with all of the belongings they needed for the weekend. Rainbow paid for the vegetarian pizza that they had delivered to the treehouse. Finally she had some time just to spend with her friends. It was time to giggle, to tell stories, and to just be friends. -------------------------------------- Meanwhile, back in Cloudsdale at the headquarters, Soarin was just getting settled back in after a tiring day of flying to and from Ponyville, as well as the performance itself. He was sore from all the exercise it took to make fans rejoice. He had just gotten out of the shower in his room and dried off. He sat down at the foot of his bed and sighed tiredly. That is when he heard a knock at the door. "Come in," he shouted out. His door was unlocked. The pony who knocked was Spitfire. She popped her head through the door. "Soarin, can I come in for a second?" she asked from the doorway. "Uh... sure, I guess," Soarin responded while still sitting down. "Thanks," Spitfire replied while walking in. She walked over and sat down on the foot of the bed beside Soarin. Soarin's eyes widened a little bit. He knew that Rainbow would not like it if she found out that he was in a room alone with Spitfire at night. Spitfire, after thinking for a few seconds, said to Soarin while still looking down, "I've been thinking a lot about how things have been recently, and I've been thinking about what we used to have and I see how happy Rainbow Dash is with you and, well... I want you back. I want us to be together again, just like old times." Soarin now had reason for his eyes to be even more open. He looked at the wall, and then to Spitfire. "You know I'm happy with Rainbow Dash, right?" he asked her. "Yes, I know. But I still want you back," she replied. "Spitfire, no. I'm really in a good place right now. In fact, I'm the happiest now than I have been in years. She's the one for me, and one day I'll marry her. You broke my heart, and I don't think I will ever be able to fully get over it," he said to her sternly. "I know, I know," Spitfire said. She continued to talk to Soarin, saying, "But please, Soarin, please give me a chance. I've been so lonely. I've had nopony to call my own. Remind me of why I loved you in the first place. Give me one night with you. Rainbow will never even find out!" Soarin looked her in the eye and said, "Spitfire, no! I don't care if she would never find out, I can’t do that to her!" "Come on Soarin, just one night. Let me feel good again," she said. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Just one night," she whispered into his ear. Soarin had no response. He just sat there silently while looking at the wall, thinking to himself. He looked back at Spitfire, who had the most seductive set of bedroom eyes. She kissed him once on the lips, and then a few times on the neck. Soarin didn't kiss her back, but he didn't resist either. Spitfire continued to kiss him on the cheek and neck. She then leaned on top of him and whispered in his ear, "Just close your eyes and pretend I'm her. Let me do all the work." She began to kiss him even more. This time he did close his eyes, and when she kissed him passionately on the lips, he returned it. He put his hooves around her back while kissing her with his eyes closed. As they continued to make out, Spitfire whispered, "Oh Soarin." "Oh Dashie," Soarin said in return while continued to kiss her. Spitfire's fur felt ever so soft on his hooves, and her tongue tasted like a fiery breath mint in his mouth. "Taste the Rainbow, Soarin, taste the Rainbow," Spitfire said seductively. That is what did it for Soarin. He opened his eyes suddenly to realise what he was actually doing. If he was to go any further with her he would never be able to have Rainbow's trust again. "Spitfire! Get off of me! You nutcase!" he shouted out while pushing her away. She fell over on her back on the bed. Soarin got up and yelled at her again, "Get out of my room! And don't ever try to break up me and Rainbow again." Spitfire glared at him and said, "Fine. I guess I'm not good enough for you." She began to walk out the door. Soarin got up to follow her. As soon as Spitfire left the doorway, Soarin stopped her. "Spitfire, wait," he said quietly. Spitfire stopped and looked at him with a smile of hope. "You're darn right you're not good enough for me!" he yelled at her as he slammed the door in her face. Soarin went back to his bed and sat down at the foot of it. He put his face in his hooves. He was so embarrassed and ashamed at how far he went with Spitfire. Even though he did not sleep with her, he still felt horrible. "Rainbow, I'm sorry," he said to himself as a tear came down his face.