//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Just Like Old Times // Story: A Pegasus Tale // by Forge //------------------------------// Chapter 11 Just Like Old Times Forge shifted uncomfortably in the bag as the girls maneuvered through the crowd ponies. In an attempt to sneak him out of Ponyville, the girls had stuffed him into one of Rarity's bags. "This had better work." he thought to himself. "I hate enclosed spaces." Forge wasn't complaining. (After all, he was getting away from all the crazy fans in town). However, pegasi such as himself weren't comfortable in spaces where they couldn't move or stretch their wings. They were meant for the wide-open skies of Equestria, not small enclosed spaces like a bag. The zipper that enclosed Forge into the bag was unzipped slightly. Fresh air poured into the bag and Forge took a deep, grateful breath of it. "How ya' holding up in there Forge?" Applejack inquired as she peered inside. "Fine. Are we out of Ponyville yet?" "Yeah, we are. We're at the train station now. Figured ya' could use the fresh air." "Oh you have no idea." Forge pulled himself out of the bag and his wings a much needed stretch. "I can't believe that worked! I owe you girls big time." "It's quite all right dear. You don't owe us anything." Rarity said. She looked down at the empty bag where Forge had come out of and she sighed. "It's a shame I had to leave some of my clothes behind though..." "Yes, and thank you again Rarity, but did you really need another bag full of clothes. You're only going for to Canterlot for three days and you're over-packed as it is." Forge gestured to the cart trailing behind her with the large pile of luggage on it. "Those clothes are necessary darling! Canterlot is the most glamorous and sophisticated city in Equestria and I cannot simply stay there without the proper attire." "If you say so." Forge He never fully understood Rarity's obsession with clothing. After all, they were ponies. They didn't normally wear clothes. The trains whistle blew overhead and the conductor's voice called out towards the platform. "The train to Canterlot is about to leave! All aboard who's coming aboard!" "Guess that's us. Come on y'all!" Applejack said. The group followed the farm pony onto the train and settled down into the bunk beds lining the passenger car. Forge leaned back in his bunk and letting out a relaxing sigh. With a final blow of it's whistle, the train pulled out of the station and he was now on his way to Canterlot. "So Forge, what are you going to do once we get to Canterlot?" Twilight asked. "Well, I was planning on finding Soarin and Spitfire and hanging out with them. It's been a while since it was just the three of us." Forge smiled as he remembered all the times he had spent with them. The three of them had a lot of fun before Soarin and Spitfire were drafted into the Wonderbolts. "That sounds awesome! Can I come?" Rainbow asked with fan-girl like excitement. "Uh actually Rainbow, I kinda want to spend some time with them by myself. We have a lot of catching up to do." "Oh..." Rainbows wings drooped to her sides and her ears went back against her head in disappointment. "Aww its okay Dashie! I'll hang out with you all day once we're in Canterlot! Won't that be great!" Pinkie grinned and placed a hoof on her friends shoulder. "Yeah... great." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The train pulled into Canterlot and the group casually stepped off the train. Forge took a long look at the city as they proceeded towards the castle. His last few visits here had always kept him pre-occupied, so he never actually got a good look at the city. The city's multiple waterfalls and rivers that ran through it added a sense of tranquility, while the golden spires of the castle added a certain sense of awe and wonder. Twilight noticed Forge looking around as they approached the castle. She was about to ask him what he was looking at, but was halted by a gentle, angelic voice greeting her. "Twilight Sparkle, my star pupil." Forge snapped out of his trance and joined the group as they bowed their heads. Twilight was the first to speak as the princess approached them. "Hello princess." "I'm glad you could come Twilight. It's so lovely to see you and your friends again." Celestia looked from one pony to another as she acknowledged their presence. She stopped as she noticed Forge amongst them. "Oh." Forge glanced up at Celestia. "Hello princess. It's nice to see you again. And might I say you look as stunning as ever." He winked at the princess, causing her to blush slightly. "Oh... why thank you Forge! But what brings you here to Canterlot?" Twilight appeared beside Forge with a nervous look on her face. She began to rub the back of her head with her hoof as she spoke. "Well uh... you see princess. Forge here was being swarmed by fans left and right in Ponyville. It was becoming too much to handle so we brought him along to help him get away until it all dies down. I hope that's alright." "Oh it's quite all right my dear." Celestia said cheerfully, inciting a sigh of relief from Forge and Twilight. "Forge, you are more than welcome to stay here." "Thank you princess. I promise not to set anything on fire while I'm here." A few snickers were heard from the girls while Twilight shot Forge a disapproving glare. "I certainly hope so." Celestia chuckled, turning towards the entrance of the castle. "Come now. I'll show you to your rooms." The princess led the group into the castle and into a large hallway lined with multiple doors. "Here we are. You may unpack your and meet me in my throne room when you are done." "Thank you princess. We'll meet you there shortly." Twilight said. The princess nodded before turning around and walking towards her throne room. Twilight proceeded to head into her room when she noticed Forge beginning to fly away. "Forge, where are you going?" "To find Soarin and Spitfire. I told you this on the train remember." "You're leaving now! But... you just got here." "I know. But I want to spend as much time with them as possible. Just tell the princess I say thanks again and I'll see you later okay." "Oh. Um, okay. We'll see you-" "Great! Thanks Twilight!" "-later then..." Twilight sighed as Forge flew off around the corner. He just ditched them. Ditched her. It was like they didn't even matter anymore. A tear came to her eye as she thought that. With Soarin and Spitfire around, did Forge even need their company anymore. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Always hungry after a practice, eh Soarin?" Spitfire said as her second in command lifted his head from his pie tin. "As a horse." he said through a mouthful of cherry filling. Spitfire simply shook her head and turned her attention back to her drink. After a long day of practice with the rest of the Wonderbolts, the two of them were enjoying a well deserved break at one of Canterlots local bakeries. "Why am I not surprised that this is where I'd find you two." Both of the Wonderbolts turned at the familiar voice to see Forge approaching them. "Forge!" Spitfire said excitedly. She got up from her seat and greeted her old friend with a hug. "What are you doing here Mr.Superstar? I figured you'd be getting swarmed by fans in Ponyville." "Actually that's what I came here to get away from! Things were getting way to crazy in Ponyville, so Twilight and her friends snuck me out. And I figured that since I was heading to Canterlot, the three of us could hang out like we used to." "That sounds great! I think we're about ready to hit the skies again eh, Soarin?" "Mhmm." Soarin mumbled, his muzzled covered in cherry filling as he finished off his pie. "I'm in!" He wiped the excess filling off of his muzzle and took off after Forge and Spitfire. "So, what do you want to do first?" "How about a few aerial stunts? You two got any new moves, or am I gonna have to school you on how to look good while flying?" "New moves?" Spitfire said pulling up beside Forge. "Heh, watch and learn Forge." Spitfire zoomed past Forge with Soarin right on her tail. Forge simply smirked and gave chase after the two. Within minutes, a growing crowd of ponies were looking up as three pegasi streaked across the sky. Forge, Soarin and Spitfire had attracted their attention as they each tried to one-up each others stunts. Their little show of skill consisted of multiple variations of loop-de-loops, barrel rolls, upside down flying and ending in a large Bucaneer Blaze created by the three. The three hovered in mid-air to try and catch their breath. "Just like old times huh?" Soarin said with a huge grin on his face. "Yeah. Only faster and nothing was set on fire." Spitfire chuckled. "Not bad Forge." "Not bad yourself. I guess all that Wonderbolt training actually paid off huh?" "Maybe. Why don't we ask them?" Spitfire gestured to the crowd of ponies who cheering for the three pegasi. Soarin and Spitfire flew closer to the crowd and were about to take a bow. Spitfire glanced over her shoulder and noticed that Forge hadn't moved. "Well, you gonna come bow with us or what?" Forge thought for a moment. The whole reason he had come to Canterlot was to avoid getting noticed. After a moment of thinking, he reluctantly hovered in between Soarin and Spitfire and took a bow, to the applause of the small group of ponies. "So much for going unnoticed." Forge muttered. "Don't worry about it dude." Soarin said, placing a hoof on his friends shoulder. "That was nothing. They'll forget about this by tomorrow. Enjoy it while it lasts." Forge looked from Soarin to Spitfire and smiled. He was with his two best friends. Unwanted attention or not, he and his friends were together again and that was all that mattered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "And that how Equestria was made!" The entire room looked at the pink mare with confusion. "I'm confused. What was the joke?" Fluttershy asked. But Pinkie was no longer listening. She was busy munching on the many snacks that had been laid out for them by the servants. Princess Celestia looked on and chuckled as Rainbow attempted to take one of the snacks, only to have Pinkie snarl at her like a dog. She always enjoyed seeing the girls. It was only a few days of the year where her royal duties let up and whenever they did, she always made sure she saved some time for them. They all seemed to enjoy their visits as well, especially Twilight. She glanced over at her student and noticed that the mare seemed to be lost in thought. "Twilight, you've been awfully quiet this evening. Is everything all right?" "Hmm." Twilight mumbled. She quickly snapped out of her trance when she realized that it was the princess who was adressing her. "Oh. Uh, yes princess. I'm fine. Why do you ask?" "Well, normally you're busy talking about your studies or elaborating on a new spell you've been practicing. But, you've barely said a word." At this point, the rest of the girls had stopped what they were doing and were looking at their friend with concern. "Hey, yeah! You have been unusually quiet. What gives?" Rainbow demanded. "Are you sick?" Fluttershy asked in a worried tone. "Maybe she's hungry!" Pinkie pulled a cupcake out from her puffy pink hair and placed it in front of Twilight. "No, it's none of those." Twilight said as she examined the cupcake. Oddly enough, there wasn't a single strand of pink hair on it. "I've just been... thinking." "About what?" "Well... do any of you hold one of us in higher regard?" The girls looked at each other with confused looks. "What do ya' mean Twi?" Applejack asked. "I mean do any of you favor one friend more than the rest?" "Oh heavens no!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "I love all of my friends equally!" "Fluttershy is right darling. We all care for each other equally. Why on earth would you be thinking we didn't?" Rarity asked. "It's not you girls that I was wondering about..." Her voice trailed off and she looked down at her hooves. "Then who?" "Oh oh oh! I love this game! Can I guess who it is?" Pinkie placed her hooves to her temples and began to rub in a circular motion. "Is it Spike?" "No, Pinkie its-" "Is it Big Macintosh?" "No, its-" "Is it DJ-P0N3?" "It's Forge!" "Is it Derpy? Doctor Hooves? Zephyr? How about-" Applejack placed a hoof over Pinkies mouth as she continued to try and guess who it was. Twilight sighed and sunk back into her seat as her friends absorbed this new information. "I believe I know what's wrong here." Celestia stated. The girls turned to look at her and noticed that she was staring out her window at three pegasi who were flying nearby. "Twilight. Are you worried that because Forge has a long-standing friendship with Soarin and Spitfire, he will forget about all of you?" Twilight looked away, ashamed. "Yes... It's just... when he flew away it seemed like he had just tossed us out of his thoughts. All he cared about was going to hang out with Soarin and Spitfire. I guess I was just... jealous." "Aww, sugarcube." Applejack said placing her free hoof over Twilight's shoulder. "Ya' don't need ta' worry bout' Forge forgetin' bout' us." "indeed darling. Forge would never forget about us." Rarity reassured. "After all, look at us. We're simply to adorable to forget." Twilight chuckled as her friends put on their best 'd'aww' faces to accent Rarity's point. "Thanks girls. You're right. I'm just overreacting." "Again." Rainbow remarked. The girls all embraced in a group hug and the princess chuckled. "Excuse me Princess Celestia." Celestia looked up the giggling mares and saw one of her servants at her door. "Pardon the interruption princess. I am just here to inform you that dinner will be served shortly." "Thank you. I will be there soon." "Very good. Shall I inform Master Forge as well?" "It's okay!" Twilight said. "I can get him." "Very well Mistress Twilight. I believe Master Forge has landed near the Canterlot Racetracks with Master Soarin and Mistress Spitfire. I'll see to it that proper seating arrangements are made." The servant bowed his head before backing out of the room and heading towards the dining hall. "Okay. I'll go get Forge and meet you all in the dining hall." Twilight said as she made her way to the door. "You seem awfully excited to go and get Forge, Twilight." Celestia teased, causing Twilight to stop in her tracks and begin to blush furiously. "I-I uh, just don't want him to miss a meal that's all." Twilight said nervously as she backed up towards the door. "You know... 3 meals a day... and uh. See you later." Twilight slammed the door as she left. Princess Celestia simply rolled her eyes and began leading the remainder of the girls to the dining hall. "What was that all about?" Rainbow asked as the group made their way to the dining hall. "I haven't the faintest idea darling." Rarity said as they watched Twilight gallop towards the tracks. "Oh. I got it! It was Pound Cake right?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A canvas of pink and orange was overtaking the sky and the air was becoming chilly. Forge, Soarin and Spitfire sat in the stands above the race track as they enjoyed each others company and reminsced about what they had been doing since Flight School. "You did what?!" Spitfire laughed as Forge finished his story. "He he he yeah! His coat was completely burned off! The only hair that wasn't burnt off, were the parts where he had armor on!" "The poor guy must have been so embarrassed?" Soarin said, wiping away a tear. "I'm sure he was! But I couldn't tell if he was blushing or not! He was pinker than Pinkie Pie!" The trio burst out laughing. Soarin was clutching his sides, while Spitfire had her head buried in her forelegs. "A-a-and you know what the best part was?" "W-what?!" "He had to fly back to Canterlot, and walk right through the city so he could report to his commanding officer! T-the whole city saw him that way! Aha ha ha ha ha!" "Aha ha ha ha! Oh my goodness... I-I can't breath!" Soarin choked out between his laughing fit. "He he he! N-no wonder the guards hate you! That's just mean!" Spitfire laughed. The three continued their laugh fit for a few minutes. They eventually calmed down long enough to go back to eating the food they had gotten before arriving at the tracks. Forge looked out at the sky and sighed. "Can you believe its how long its been since we last hung out like this?" "Yeah. Where does the time go?" "It doesn't matter. Even after all this time we're still having fun." Spitfire wrapped her forelegs around Forge and Soarin and pulled them closer to her. "I've got my two best guys right here, right now." "I'm your favorite though right?" Forge said. "It's okay Spitfire, you can admit it. Soarin's a big stallion now, he can take it." Spitfire chuckled, while Soarin simply rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his pie. He quickly devoured the helpless pastry while Forge and Spitfire looked on. "So Forge, are you living in Ponyville now?" Soarin asked through a mouthful of pie. "Sort of. I've been staying in the Apple family's barn. As soon as I get back though, I'm getting a place of my own." "Seems like a pretty quiet town for a speedster like yourself." Spitfire said. "Yeah, it's pretty quiet. But honestly, I like it. There are a lot of good ponies there and other only a few pegasi so I could pretty much own the sky." "That does sound pretty good. Do they know about your..." "Only Twilight and her friends know about my powers. And I don't plan on revealing them to the entire town anytime soon. I actually want to stay in one spot for once and not worry about guards chasing me out." "Can you trust them?" "Of course I can. They wouldn't say anything. They're great friends. I'm lucky to have them..." Forge trailed off as he thought about the girls. They had done so much for him despite knowing about him and his powers. He owed so much more than they realized. "Forge, you still there?" "Hmm?" "You spaced out on us." "Oh. Sorry Spitfire. I was just thinking. So what do you guys want to do tomorrow?" Soarin coughed a little of his pie and stared at Forge. Spitfire had a look of sadness on her face and she hung her head. "What?" Forge asked. "We... actually have to leave tomorrow morning." Spitfire said. "What?! Why?" "The Wonderbolts are going on a tour across Equestria. We leave for Phillydelphia in the morning." "And you're telling me this now because..." "Hey, would you look at that! I'm out of pie!" Soarin said as he began to nervously back away from Forge and Spitfire. "I'm... just gonna... get some more. You two have fun." Soarin quickly flew off towards the city, leaving Forge and Spitfire alone. "I'm sorry Forge. Please don't be mad." "I'm not mad. A little upset though. I mean part of the reason I came to Canterlot was to see you guys. How long are you going to be gone for?" "Six to nine months." "Sixty-nine months!" "No, six to nine months." Forge groaned and placed his head onto his forelegs. "This sucks." Spitfire thought for a moment. "Well... you could always come with us." Forge looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Huh?" "Don't you remember anything? One of the prizes for the Cloudsdale 500 was an opportunity to join the Wonderbolts! You won so you can easily join up and come with us!" "Hey yeah! That could work! But..." Forge looked off into the distance. "If I go with you, I'd be leaving Ponyville behind." "Not forever. Just most of the year..." Spitfire face-hoofed at how bad of an attempt to make him feel better that was. Forge hesitated. Ponyville was the only place in all of Equestria he could call home. And what about the girls? He couldn't just leave them behind. "I-I don't know Spitfire." Spitfire reached out and grabbed Forge's hoof. "Forge..." she began. "I know it's not an easy choice to make. But can you at least think about it. For me." She placed his hoof over her heart. "For us." Forge looked at his hoof, then towards his friends sad face. Spitfire had been his best friend for years. They had chemistry. He remembered how devastated she had been when she had to leave him. He couldn't do that to her again. "I-" he began to say. "I'll think about it Spitfire." A big smile spread across her face and she embraced him in a loving hug. "Thank you Forge." she whispered. She released the hug and nuzzled him lovingly as she leaned against him. Forge smiled at her and gently nuzzled her back. Forge stared straight ahead as Celestia's sun began to set. His emotions were now battling it out inside of him. He didn't want to leave Ponyville or the girls, but he also didn't want Soarin and Spitifire to leave again. "What am I gonna do?" **** Twilight had overheard the whole thing. At first she was somewhat relieved to hear that the Wonderbolts were leaving, but she immediately changed her mind when she heard that Forge may be going with them. Her eyes began to fill with tears as she backed away from the entrance to the racetracks. She galloped back to the castle as fast as she could without looking back.