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// Important Announcement: I'm allowing someone to adopt this story, read for details. 
// Story: The New World (Cancelled) 
// by Yin or Yang 
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The weekend had finally arrived, much to the delight of all the students of Ponyville Elementary, and Scootaloo was eager to go out with Rumble to Sky High Restaurant to where she woke up earlier than she usually did on the weekends. Scootaloo cleaned up and waited outside the orphanage, counting the seconds that went by in her head until after about three minutes, she noticed Rumble and his big brother, Thunderlane, trotting towards her. Scootaloo rose up and approached the two with an excited smile.

"Hey," said Scootaloo. "Are you two all ready?"

"We sure are," replied Rumble. "By the way, Scoots, this is my older brother Thunderlane. He's a huge sports lover."

"Nice to meet you," he said. "I've brought enough bits in my saddlebag to easily cover all three of us, so let's make this an exciting experience."

The three trotted down the road for what felt like ages to Scootaloo, who saw this as more of an exercise than hanging out. Ponyville was especially busy on the weekends, with ponies of all ages trotting about, doing activities that ranged from errands to playtime and everything in between. Scootaloo, Rumble, and Thunderlane finally arrived at Sky High Restaurant, a humble structure designed in a style very similar to the buildings of Cloudsdale, a bold marble structure with columns erected purely for decoration. A brightly lit sign displaying the restaurant's name in blue letters rested atop the ceiling and stained glass windows, which all had psychedelic patterns, added flair to the building. Scootaloo was highly impressed as she trotted by the building and the three casually entered the establishment. Once inside, they were greeted by one of the workers in the restaurant, who looked happy, but naturally so.

"Good afternoon," said the worker. "Are there only three with you?"

"There are," replied Thunderlane. "By the way, is it possible if the three of us could chat with the owner of this place?"

"He's volunteering at the bar stand, I'll let him know you're here. Follow me, please."

Scootaloo, Rumble, and Thunderlane closely followed the worker and inside, the three immediately noticed the relaxing mood of the establishment. Most of the tables were filled with customers who were all enjoying themselves with friendly laughs and conversations. Classical music played on a jukebox stashed away in the corner, soothing the ears. Candles were lit in the middle of the dining tables to add to the restaurant's mood and the humbleness of the bar stand gave the whole place a homely feel to it. Scootaloo wondered why she had never heard of this restaurant until now, as it seemed like the perfect place to go out and have a meal with friends. The three were seated on cozy bar stools and approaching them was a light blue pegasus stallion with a flowing dark blue mane. He noticed that Thunderlane was there and immediately halted in surprise.

"Thunderlane," the owner yelled enthusiastically. "It's great to see you again. Is everything going well?"

"A bit," replied Thunderlane. "I've been scouted by some football clubs and am just waiting to get a response from one of them. It's nice to meet you in a nice place like this, Soarin."

Soarin turned his attention towards the two youngsters with Thunderlane and smiled. "Who are the cute kids you have with you today?"

"I'm Rumble," he replied. "I'm Thunderlane's younger brother."

"I'm Scootaloo," she answered. "I'm Rumble's friend. It's nice to meet you, Soarin."

"So then, what do you want to ask me?" said Soarin.

"We wanted to ask you about your experience as a member of the Wonderbolts," replied Rumble. Rumble rubbed his mane gently as though he was a bit nervous as to how Soarin would respond. "That is, if you're okay with that."

"I can tell you a little bit." Soarin dragged over a chair and sat by Rumble and company. He cleared his throat and stretched his wings, memories both good and back returning to his mind. "As a Wonderbolt, I felt like I was on top of the world. It was a challenge getting there, as anyone who has tried to join them can attest to, but it was worth it. However, despite the countless number of successful missions and every show going perfect, there were some speed bumps along the way, some of which I'm sure you are aware of."

"If the Wonderbolts were so successful," asked Scootaloo, her eyes looking confused, "then why did they disband?"

"I'd hate to admit it, but Ponyville's campaign of lashing out against us emotionally hurt the team, especially the captain. We were almost universally beloved by the other towns and cities, so our disbanding came as quite a shock."

"That reminds me, what happened to Spitfire. Why is she so, well, emo?"

Soarin sighed heavily and stroked the back of his head. "It's because I was in the middle of a big misunderstanding. See, during the tryouts for the Equestria Games, I embarrassingly hurt one of my wings. Spitfire didn't know how long I'd be out, so she recruited Rainbow Dash out of the blue and it escalated into Dash and I thinking she was throwing me under the bus. She said that it was her fault, but the day after, when I thought about it, I knew the truth behind it. That's the origins of her depression."

"Can you tell us a bit more?"

"She was really hard on herself, placing the blame on herself when things didn't go right, and the majority of the time she wasn't the one at fault. She reached a breaking point when she was nearly killed by that giant red thing six months ago. She hated herself and when Ponyville did their whole spiel about Rainbow Dash being a billion times better than us and starting her own flight team, the rest of the Wonderbolts got a fraction of Spitfire's despair, and then we split up. As for cheering her up, I have a theory as to why she is the way she is."

"What would that be?"

"Spitfire thinks she doesn't have any friends."

Scootaloo, Rumble, and Thunderlane dropped their jaws upon hearing Soarin's theory. While it seemed incredibly unusual for the Captain of the Wonderbolts to feel this way, based on what Soarin told them, they knew it was plausible, but why was a whole different mystery to the three.

"But isn't friendship magic?" asked Rumble, still visibly shocked. "Someone must have cared for her, right?"

"You're right. I see her as a friend. In fact, all of the Wonderbolts saw her as a great friend. I wish there was some way we could convince her that she wasn't alone, but she's so distraught that it would prove difficult."

"One more thing. Why did you build this restaurant?"

"With the Wonderbolts a relic of the past, the team members had to find a way to pay the bills, so we each adopted something we are good at. I'm good at running a restaurant, Fleetfoot is talented with a guitar, Spitfire writes poetry under a pseudonym, and so on. All of us keep in touch with letters from time to time, and while we are still very successful, we still have this feeling that something is missing in our lives. Maybe it's our old jobs, maybe it's something else."

"Thanks for taking your time to tell us this."

"No problem. Can I get you guys anything while you are here?"

"Yeah," said Thunderlane, rubbing his stomach as it growled for food. "I'm starving. How about you guys?"

Scootaloo and Rumble cutely nodded their heads in synchronization, something that Thunderlane chuckled upon seeing.

"Alright then," said Soarin, "what can I get you guys?"



Rarity and Sweetie Belle agreed on getting Spitfire a gift basket from Sugarcube Corner as a method to apologize to the latter. While Rarity was unsure of whether it would be effective at all, Sweetie Belle egged her on to carry out the plan. They trotted together into Sugarcube Corner, which smelled just as sweet as the last time either of them were in the shop, and Rarity approached Mrs. Cake, who was working at the register for the day.

"Good afternoon," said Rarity, who was twirling her curly, purple mane as she spoke. "Do you sell any gift baskets here?"

"We sure do," replied Mrs. Cake. "What do you need it for?"

"It's for an apology towards somebody who is afraid of me for something I shamefully did in the past. I'd rather not go into details, but that's the reason."

"Fair enough." Mrs Cake went into the kitchen, which was walled off from the customer area of Sugarcube Corner, and returned with a large, carefully woven basket filled to the brim with an assortment of delicious chocolates and sweets. A yellow bow was tied on the basket and a card was attached to the basket's handle. "Who do you want to address this to?"

"Her name is Spitfire, and be sure to mention that it's from me, Rarity. By the way, here is the price of the gift basket." Rarity gave Mrs. Cake a large sack of bits, which Mrs. Cake counted with precision and proceeded to place them in the cash register.

"Thanks for stopping by. I hope your apology goes well."

Rarity exited Sugarcube Corner, carefully levitating the gift basket with her magic. Sweetie Belle adorably smiled and followed closely behind her big sister. Once the two were outside, Rarity closed her eyes and contemplated about what she should do next. She was aware that she didn't know where Spitfire lived and that she doesn't know anybody who would. Rarity wondered if the post office would assist her, since they were always good with deliveries. She thought that Celestia should be able to keep tabs on the addresses of ponies, being the ruler of one of the largest kingdoms. It was there she decided that the post office would be her next stop. Rarity trotted to her left and Sweetie Belle closely followed, knowing what Rarity was doing as though she could read her mind.

Ponyville's post office was a plain, rectangular wooden building with a semi-cylindrical roof. Celestia's cutie mark adorned the front of the post office and was flanked by two logos that looked like envelopes. Rarity entered through the glass doors and approached one of the postmares, a grey pegasus with a blonde mane and crossed eyes. The postmare was resting on her desk, as all of the employees at the post office were, but all of them were awake and alert despite their posture.

"Hello, Rarity," the mare jubilantly said. "How can I help you today?"

"Hello, Derpy," replied Rarity. "I have a package that I need delivered to a Miss Spitfire. Do you know where she lives?"

"I sure do. I know where everybody lives. What's the package? Is it something fun?"

Rarity smiled looking at Derpy. Her whimsical attitude made her one of the most beloved ponies in all of Ponyville and as such, was a living symbol of happiness. Rarity gently handed Derpy the gift basket and upon receiving it, Derpy's eyes glittered.

"All of that looks delicious. I promise that I'll deliver it as soon as I can, which happens to be now. Bye, Rarity."

Derpy rushed out of the post office with the gift basket around her front leg, flying quickly towards Spitfire's house. Sweetie Belle looked up at Rarity, whose facial expressions seemed to hint at a rush of anxiety. Sweetie Belle tilted her head and grinned at her sister, patting her to try and cheer her up.

"Don't worry about Spitfire. What's important is that you tried to make amends," said Sweetie Belle.

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better," replied Rarity. "I'm just hoping that she isn't too down in the dumps. From what you've told me, she sounds like such a kind mare. It feels tragic knowing that I hurt her feelings so much. I wish that my gift basket, as small as it is, can cheer her up just the tiniest amount. Let's head on home, Sweetie Belle. Thank you for accompanying me."

"No problem Rarity. It's so much fun being with the best pony in all of Equestria."

Rarity gently hugged Sweetie Belle and Sweetie Belle hugged back, both filled to the brim with bliss knowing the affection they have for each other. The two released each other from their warm embrace and trotted back to Carousel Boutique.



Scootaloo, Rumble, and Thunderlane exited Sky High Restaurant with filled stomachs and slowly trotted towards the public park. The three sat down on the same bench where Scootaloo and Rumble had mingled the day before, but instead of thinking about Cloudsdale, all three of them couldn't stop thinking about everything that Soarin told them. They wondered why Ponyville would be the only town in all of Equestria to go on a smear campaign against the Wonderbolts. It wasn't like the Wonderbolts were an unknown group that only made local papers, which made the whole thing even stranger. Scootaloo and Rumble were curious as to what the last squadron was doing and if they could meet up with them. As Scootaloo looked up into the sky, she saw Derpy flying with a basket of some sort quickly. Derpy's high velocity made Scootaloo think that she was carrying a basket of chocolates, but to whom it was being delivered to was none of her concern. She lowered her head and turned to Rumble, taking in the sights of the park.

"Rumble, do you think it'd be possible to get Soarin and Spitfire to meet up with each other?" asked Scootaloo. "I mean, if anyone can prove that she has a friend, it's somebody who sees her as a friend."

"Good luck with that," said Rumble in a sarcastic tone. "The odds of them meeting up with each other again is astronomically low. Spitfire seems to be more of an introvert from what I've heard. They would literally have to bump into each other when they are buying groceries."

"By the way, I got a letter from Princess Luna to go talk with Princess Twilight. She-"

"What?" interrupted Rumble and Thunderlane. Neither of them were expecting Scootaloo, as great of a friend as she is, to get a letter from Princess Luna, let alone one to meet with Princess Twilight.

"You know two princesses personally?" shouted Rumble. "That's amazing. I've never seen any of them in the flesh, and here you are knowing them on a first name basis."

"Yeah, it's a little bit bigger than I thought, judging by your faces. Anyways, I was going to ask if you had any questions for Princess Twilight."

"Hmm, maybe if you asked her about Cloudsdale, she could give you an answer to its mysteries."

"Sounds like a plan. Anything else?"

"Not really. Anyways, Thunderlane and I are heading back home. Do you want to join us?"

"Sure. Let's get going then."

The three arose from the bench and trotted back to Rumble's house. They all kept thinking about the Wonderbolts as they went along the smooth dirt roads, but all of them had a strange feeling inside that the Wonderbolts would be back in some form. After all, their logo is the Symbol of Hope. Scootaloo then realized one last thing to ask Princess Twilight, which is the origins behind the movement for safety and why the Wonderbolts logo is the Symbol of Hope. It was a lot to consider for a small filly.



Derpy glided through the air and once her eyes picked up on a beautiful mansion down below, she gracefully landed and stared at the structure in front of her. The mansion was colored a light blue and had an impressive front porch decorated with smooth colonnades, flower pots, and statues. Derpy trotted towards the mansion and knocked on the front door. She placed the gift basket down and immediately took off into the air, ready for another delivery. Spitfire opened the front door and looked down at the gift basket in front of her, carefully examining its contents before bringing it inside. Spitfire noticed an envelope wedged between the boxes of chocolates and neatly opened it. She unfolded the letter inside and read its contents.


Spitfire,
I am deeply sorry for everything that I did to you and the Wonderbolts as a whole. I don't know why I behaved the way I did those instances and I should have considered the safety of everyone around me. I recognize that I not only hurt you, but Soarin, Misty Fly, Blaze, High Winds, and Surprise as well. I never see you in the open, and you disappear if I think I see you, so that is why I am writing this letter to you. The basket of assorted treats is all yours to do with what you want, and while it may not be able to make up the emotional damage I may have done to you, I hope you do enjoy it. I hope that the future is bright for you and all of the other Wonderbolts.
Sincerely, Rarity


Spitfire dropped the letter from her hoof and watched it fall to the cold, smooth floor below. She closed her eyes, feeling as though a dagger pierced her chest as memories of the last Best Young Fliers Competition rapidly returned to her. Spitfire let out a deep sigh before picking up the basket and placing it on the living room table. She looked at the basket one more time before collapsing onto her couch, sinking into the extremely comfortable cushions, and cried herself to sleep.