//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Worst Possible Luck // Story: Tale of Soarin McLighting // by Electuroo //------------------------------// Tale of Soarin McLighting Chapter 1: Worst Possible Luck Spitfire was checking through the file on Rainbow Dash that had been given to her by Soarin, her co-captain for the Wonderbolts. He stood on the other side of her desk, waiting for her verdict on letting Rainbow Dash enter the Wonderbolt Academy. He’d pulled a few strings here and there and didn't need much of a push after what Spitfire had told him about what she did as team leader for the tornado drill to get the water up to the weather factory from Ponyville to Cloudsdale. “So?” Soarin said, edging a little closer to the desk with a soft clop of his hooves on the ground. Spitfire put the file down and looked right at Soarin, both ponies were wearing their officer’s uniforms rather than their flight suits. “I have to admit, she has surprised me time and again. From saving our rumps to the wedding gift to being able to manage a team to get the water up to Cloudsdale, even with so many off with the feather flu,” Spitfire said, looking at the picture of Rainbow Dash. “But...” “Yes?” He gave her a quizzical look, raising an eye. Spitfire gave him a serious look and pressed her front hooves together a few times, tapping them. “She can be a little prideful, works too hard to make a good impression and tends to be a little bit of a show boater, although she is loyal to her friends, and will stick her neck out for them.” He looked at the letter on the table beside the file, then back at Spitfire “Does that mean she's in?” “For now, yes. I will have to see how she do in the Academy though, she has to prove herself like any other cadet that wants to be a Wonderbolt. It takes more than just skill, it takes teamwork, determination and most of all by far, trust amongst those you work with.” Spitfire took the letter signed it and stamped it with a green tick. “I won't take it easy on her, not for a second Soarin.” “I know Spits, I wouldn't think of you doing it any other way.” Soarin took the letter with a hoof, placing it in the envelope. “I will get this posted ASAP.” “See that you do Soarin, you’re dismissed, enjoy your trip to Cloudsdale, I bet your family are eager to see you again.” Spitfire smirked to her co-captain. He saluted, putting a hoof to his head “That I will Spits, see ya around.” He turned and trotted out of the office to give the letter to the post stallion, who was patiently waiting outside the building for the letters of approval and rejection for new cadet postings at the Wonderbolt Academy. “The ball’s in your court Dash,” he whispered as he approached the stallion waiting for him. “Here are the letters.” He gave the saddle back to the post stallion and with a nod, the stallion flew off, carrying the mail. “Now to get home and enjoy my time off while I’ve got it.” He smiled and took off to Cloudsdale. RING RING RING... RING RING RING... RING RING RING... Soarin put his hand on the phone, pressing the touch screen to shut off the alarm. He yawned, feeling drained for the most part, but what really got him down was the endless fog outside the front window of his spitfire, The Blue Lightning. With a sigh, he reach down to his handset pushing a button on it. “Soarin McLighting... day two in this fog...” He checked his watch for the time. “I am not even sure if it is day two... the time is 9:39pm if my watch is working correctly... Most of the systems are showing me random displays that I don't trust any more... still, the autopilot’s working, I can be sure of that...” Soarin looked at the power levels of the engines, seeing the twin engines still working. “I am sure there was only two hours of fuel left in this tank... how the plane’s still got power is beyond me, but the roaring sound of Blue Lightning's engines are proof enough and the propeller’s still spinning...” Soarin looked out ahead seeing just enough of the front of the plane to make out that it was slicing through the fog. He sighed heavily. “It all started so well... before this happened. We were set and ready to go, ready to show the spectators our moves and perform to the crowds on the beach and fair...” All three spitfires moved into position on the runway, all set to go with their engines buzzing and their propellers spinning. The sound of their engines drowned out the noise of the fair and music at the fields close to the beaches, not to far from the small town. The air controller stood, looking out of the control tower window as the three world war two planes lined up for take off, he turned to the man at station giving a thumbs up, before turning his gaze back to the old planes. The man at the table looked to the air radar. “Team Spitfire you’re clear for take off.” “Copy control, Ruby out.” He looked up to see her plane start to move down the runway, picking up speed, her chatter came through the headset. “Alright ladies, see you in the skies, keep to the flight plan and give these people a show, we’re first up so make sure you give a good impression!” “Soarin I didn't know you had a gender change,” said Nathan with a chuckle. “Nathan, just get your brown ass off the tarmac,” Soarin replied. The controller shook his head at what he was hearing as Nathan's plane started to speed down the runway and took off into the sky. “Whatever you say lover boy,” Nathan replied. Soarin chuckled “Well at least I have a love life.” “Ouch,” the controller spoke with a smile as he saw the plane with Soarin in it take off into the sky. “Nice take off team, have fun out there and play nice ok?” he spoke into his headset. “Oh they will” Ruby replied “Right boys?” “Right captain!” they replied with a chuckle and she just groaned in annoyance. The controller turned to the radar operator. “We’ve got a busy day ahead of ourselves, keep an eye on the radar and the planes ok?” “Sure sir.” The operator replied, sitting back at his desk and looking to the radar screen as the controller watched the three spitfires fly to the sea, doing a turn formation towards the spectators down the coast line. “Great weather all around sir, it’s looking to be a fine day.” “It sure is.” The three planes flew about 200 feet above the waves of the North Sea, rolling below across the beaches with a calm, cool breeze blowing through. Soarin in his spitfire, The Blue Lightning, flew close behind the other two planes. He looked out to the east at the endless sea rolling towards the mainland coast of the UK. “What a view,” he whispered. “It never grows old seeing that sea.” “Indeed Soarin, it’s one heck of a view,” Ruby replied through her head set. “Just keep in formation and let’s do our routine, that way we can land and spend the rest of the day enjoying the nice sunny clear view of the North Sea.” “You’ve got a deal Ruby, I'll bring the beer,” Soarin replied. “I will bring the fishing rods and chairs” Nathan said afterwards. “That only leave the sacks.” Ruby chuckled, then saw the fair just ahead on the fields by the beach. “Alright boys we coming to the spectators, ready?” Soarin checked his systems, “Green.” “Same here,” Nathan also stated the condition of his plane's gauges. The planes moved into an arrow formation flying a little lower with speeds slowed to the safe minimal for their first bypass for the spectators. The crowds cheered as the three spitfires flew by them. A lady, standing on a stage spoke into a megaphone as the planes flew by with the roaring sound of their twin engines. “The seventh annual air show has begun everyone! Welcome Team Spitfire!!!!!” The left and right planes split on cue heading in different directions before turning around in the sky, flying by each other and leaving the first plane still flying straight. They flew under and around the plane, spinning around before they got into formation and did a turn together, getting some height before they all span together in a slow motion formation. All the planes flew in sync, wowing the spectators, they went out to the sea and turned back to do a flyby right over the heads of the people at the beach then flew inland over the countryside, following the flight plan. They flew right into the sky and the crowd cheered as they performed a massive half loop before turning around to right themselves and make their way back over the spectators. During this point the controller watched from the tower with pride. “Sir?” The controller turned to the women at the weather station. “We’re getting a report of a fog bank moving in due south-east, it’ll be with us in the next ten or so minutes.” The controller looked at the screen for himself. “Damn, and today was a great start.” He looked out of the window and then back to the weather watcher. “Keep an eye on it for now, the group that are out there at the moment are at minimal risk. If this fog bank proves to be a problem we will just have to redirect them to another airfield inland.” “Yes sir, I will keep tracking it” She replied. “Team Spitfire? This is air control, you have a fog bank bearing down due south-east from the North Sea. We won’t know the seriousness of the fog until we can get a visual. Keep performing, and we will keep you updated on the progress.” “This is Ruby, we hear you loud and clear, ” Ruby replied, “ Advised and received, over.” Soarin flicked some switches on the dashboard, doing a check on oil pressure and fuel levels. “Still going out of whack, the reports are unreliable...” he muttered. “Same went for that bloody fog bank, we should have quit our performance then and there, flew off inland and landed at the nearest airfield...” He leaned his head against the headrest, still wearing his helmet and visor. “Not that it would of made any difference... how was I supposed to know this would happen... lost in an endless fog bank... a real sick joke...” Soarin pushed the button, turning the device off, and placed it back into his jacket pocket. “Alright Soarin... what would the pegasus do in a situation like this?” He tapped his hand on the steering column, thinking what to do. Hours past... soon it became another day with no results or a reason for this cloud of fog. He hadn’t slept in all that time and was feeling weak, annoyed, fed up, sick, thirsty and just wanted out of this fog bank! He thought back to how he had ended the fog bank in the first place. Taking the handset, he pushed the button. “Soarin McLighting... thinking about what I could have done differently, when it all happened...” He rubbed his chin a little. “I am not even sure if there could have been a different path... my body feels sore... I feel so tied... my throat is dry and my stomach is moaning at me for not have eaten anything for three days... got the worst possible headache too...” The three spitfires finished their performance to find the fog bank sitting only a few hundred meters offshore. It was about a mile or so wide, just as high too but it didn't seem too dense, from what they could see. “This is control, we believe it is safe for you to fly through for a landing at the airstrip, we launched one of our weather drones into it.” “Soarin you’re first up, take the lead,” Ruby spoke through her headset. Soarin looked at the fog bank as they flew around it for a pass, “I don't know Ruby, this fog bank looks rather strange, don't you think? It’s just sitting there, we got wind and yet it’s not moving...” “Seriously Soarin, yer gonna throw a theory with the darn British weather! If I remember correctly, it was you that said that the British weather always has a strange sense of humour!” She said back with a hint of annoyance in her voice. Nathan spoke in turn. “I have to admit it, you did say that Soarin, if you don't feel so sure about it, fly through it towards the sea, do a pass through over the airstrip and we will be right on your tail.” Soarin put a hand on top of his helmet “Fine...” He contacted air control. “We’re doing a fly over to see if the fog bank is fine, do you approve, control?” “We do, and we will keep an eye on you from down here, godspeed,” the air controller replied. Soarin turned his plane around with the others no so far behind, flying towards the fog bank over the airstrip. “Soarin?” “Yes Ruby...” “Chill.” Soarin's spitfire approached the fog bank, “Copy that Captain.” “See you on the other side Soarin and...” His plane entered the fog bank and as soon as it did, the message he was getting from Nathan suddenly cut off. Soarin frowned a little and decided to wait until he crossed the fog bank. Suddenly, he felt something was wrong. He looked at all his displays. They were going crazy, showing fuel drop then fuel rise, oil pressure shooting through the roof then normalizing, and engine power erratically rising and falling. “What the hell...” he checked them for anything wrong and saw the height of the plane was all over the place too. “Nathan, Ruby abort! This fog bank is making my systems go whacko! Repeat, abort!” All he got was static on the ear piece. “Air control!” nothing... “Anyone, do you copy!? The systems seem to not be responding, repeat! Displays are going crazy! Hello!” still nothing. He turned on the emergency broadcaster. “This is Soarin McLighting of the spitfire Blue Lightning, I went through a fog bank and all my systems are going crazy. I cannot tell where I am or what is going on at this second. Anyone getting this, please reply. Mayday, I have no navigation! Mayday!” He groaned, feeling very weak... “I was in a real panic... heck, I bet anyone would flying into a endless sick joke of a fog bank... bloody sleepy and don't know if I will wake if I go asleep again... but all I want to do now is sleep... I just don't feel up to it anymore... I just want to give up... bloody ficking idiots at air control... I should have... what’s the point this is much my fault as theirs... this is... Soarin McLighting. This might be my final report on my recorder... if anyone finds this... just tell Mist I love her to the bottom of my heart... and that I miss my friends... Nathan and Ruby... great spitfire pilots and the best friends I could ever ask for...” Soarin sat on a cloud, looking down at a picnic going on with Rainbow Dash and her friends. This was the day that he would start to see whether she’s got what it takes to be a Wonderbolt. He knew the letter would arrive on this day. He listened in to them talk from his viewing post on the cloud, peering down, keeping just out of sight of them. “Ooooh, I wish the mailpony would just come already! I can't wait another minute to find out if Rainbow Dash got in or not!” He could see Pinkie Pie hopping on her hind legs then sitting on the ground, shaking. “And I thought Rainbow Dash would be nervous... nah, that’s silly. Rainbow Dash looked calm and collected. “I'm not nervous at all. When I get into the Wonderbolt Academy...” she began. Pinkie Pie was on top of her, hooves against her chest. Soarin blinked in amazement, looking to the ground and then back to them, he had never seen an Earth Pony move that fast... “IF you get in! If you get in! Don't jinx it!” Rainbow Dash tried to reassure her friend. “I'm telling you, it's in the bag.” “Don't Jinx it!” came the instant reply from Pinkie Pie. Applejack was talking with half an apple in her mouth. “She is the best flyer in Ponyville.” Soarin rolled his eyes as Rainbow Dash took off into the sky as Applejack said this, and pulled off some stunts. “Spits is right about her for sure, she is very confident in herself and definitely a bit of a show boater.” Soarin chuckled to himself as she made a slide from the cloud she had twisted around. “Nice move though, and a wicked slide,” he whispered as he saw the mail pony arrive. “Right on time.” “Got a letter here for Rainbow Dash.” She grabbed the envelope and ripped it open. What Soarin heard next almost made him fall out of his cloud “I... didn't get in.” “Wh-what!? That can't be right, Spits signed it personally, I was there!” Soarin was about to zoom down when he heard the next words. “Gotcha! Ha, you guys are so gullible. Like I wasn't gonna get in!” Soarin put a hoof to his head. It was a prank, he saw that in the report and felt rather gullible for falling for that trick... “I should have known that would happen... gah! Horseapples to you Rainbow, you got me good.” Soarin rolled his eyes and sat back down on his cloud. Soarin watched Rainbow Dash get her bag off the girls, they was prepared for this. “The sooner I get there, the sooner I get to show my stuff! See you guys in a week!” “Good Luck!” Applejack called out. “Won't need it!” Rainbow Dash called out flying away. Soarin laughing softly “Famous last words Dash...ie?” He looked down and saw Pinkie Pie pull out a... “Is that a Megaphone!? Where the hay did she...” “DON'T FORGET TO WRITE!!!” The sound wave hit his cloud with enough force to send him flying out of control, tumbling around until he crashed into a tree. Slowly sitting up against a branch he rubbed his head, feeling the ringing in his ears, his mane in a total mess. Soarin sat, dazed, with his head moving around in a circle. “Wow, that’s some Megaphone... she’s got Spits beat by a mile...” was the last thing he said before passing out, falling forwards with a thump, and landing on the tree branch in front of him. Rattling sounds echoed around Soarin’s head as he came to his senses. He groaned and opened his eyes to see that the autopilot had been disengaged. The plane seemed to be caught in heavy cross winds as it was flaying around from left to right with no control to the control column. He took hold of it with two hands, feeling adrenaline pumping it’s way through his body. He pulled back on the column with all his might, levelling it out. But he knew that wasn't what was wrong, these cross winds were extreme! “Come on Blue Lightning, hold together!” He turned the plane into the cross winds, but another hit his side, sending the spitfire into a spin. Pulling hard on the lever, he regained control of the plane. “Damn it! “What the bloody hell is going on out there!?” A bright light appeared in the distance, coming right for the plane. It was huge. He swerved the plane through the cross winds, dodging the large ball of light as it shot by. “What the bloody hell is that thing!?” It turned around, making another pass towards him. “Not today you stupid light bulb!” He increased power to the engines, the plane barrel rolled around it but the light hit the top of the cockpit and the plane. He was blinded for a second, but shook it off as if the light did almost nothing to him, or the plane. Soarin wasn’t sure what it was, but he wasn't going to take any chances. The light was making another pass as he saw it turn around, aiming right for him He used the plane to keep dodging it with each increasingly speedy pass. He growled under his breath, ears flat against his top of the helmet. He froze for a split second. Soarin looked at his reflection through the windscreen to see that his helmet and visor was bigger than before, and so was part of the cockpit, but what really got him was the size of his eyes, they was huge and hung over his new snout... He snapped back into action,“I’ll worry about that later. I’ve got a light bulb to out first!” He pulled back on the controls then leaned forwards, moving the plane into a spin and narrowly missing the light again. Soarin gritted his flat teeth with annoyance. “This stupid light bulb won't give up!” He turned the plane right for it. “Ok light bulb, time for a game of chicken!” He pushed the engines to their maximum, flying right for it. His pupils shrunk to almost pinpricks, these new eyes of his sure had a way of showing his expression. With a deep serious look he stared at the light coming right at him. “One... Two...” he waited for the last second “THREE!” and turned the plane, it’s underside hit the light, passing right through it and it still didn't give up. Soarin felt strange suddenly, as if he had nothing on below his waist apart from his fur and a tail against the seat. He increased the thrust to maximum and kept flying directly ahead. His only hope now was to try and outrun it. Slowly he began to gain distance from the floating orb, giving him enough time to look down at what was happening to his body. “Oh you gotta be kidding me! Hind legs and hooves!?” Soarin saw that from the waist down he now had a rump with a mark of a bolt with wings on the side of it, hind legs and hooves, all light blue in colour. Sticking out of his rump and hanging down between his legs was a dark blue tail, flicking with the reflection of his annoyance and the adrenaline in his body still. He fit perfectly into the cockpit which had itself been modified to make it fit for a pony to fly. Even his hands were caught in it and he watched as his fingers violently contracted into his hands, forming hooves that grasped the transformed steering column. Before he could get to grips with what was happening he looked back to see that light closing in from behind. “That’s it! I’ve had enough of this game!!!” He pulled on the lever with one hoof, pushing a few switches with the other to do a complete standing flip of the plane. Flying upside down, he pointed the plane right at it. “You bloody light bulb! I’ve had it with you! Come and get me!!!” He flew the plane right into it. Soarin felt his torso expand, morphing into wings which pressed up against his leather jacket. His arms felt different too, heck they didn’t feel like arms anymore, the pumping of his heart felt fast and rushed, the body felt strange, yet familiar at the same time. The lights dimmed and he saw light blue hooves sticking out of his leather jacket sleeves at the controls of the plane. He looked to his left to see one of the two wings he had against his leather jacket and taking one look down, he saw the form and shape of a... but this thought was gone when his eyes saw what was ahead... His eyes widened larger than anything even possible, ears through the helmet holes were perked right up with alert, wings flared open, pressing against either side of the cockpit... two words escaped his snout. “OH SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!”