The Wonderbolt, carrying the pie in his mouth, made for the V.I.P. section when one of his teammates walked up to him, “Always hungry after a show, eh Soarin?”
“Heh, yeah,” Soarin replied realizing too late that he’d opened his mouth and gasped as he saw it fall, “MY PIE!!”
But just before the pie hit the ground, somepony zoomed outta nowhere and grabbed it, a somepony named Rainbow Dash, as she held it up.
“You saved it! Thanks,” Soarin said with a smile, but before he grabbed the pie, he gasped. “Hey! Aren’t you that pony who saved my tail in Cloudsdale and won the Best Young Flyer competition?”
“That’s me!” Rainbow Dash said, barely containing her excitement. “Rainbow Dash!”
“Well, Rainbow Dash,” Soarin chuckled, sounding a tad sheepish, “Um… would you… like to share this with me?”
“Uh sure,” Rainbow Dash giddily followed Soarin into the V.I.P. section, but secretly squealed, “I’m… hanging out… with the Wonderbolts!”
And sharing a pie with Soarin!
They sat down at a table where Soarin grabbed a knife and slit the pie in half.
“Hey waiter, can I get a plate over here?”
A waiter pony brought one over and Soarin placed one of the pie halves onto the plate and slid it towards Rainbow.
“Enjoy, I know I will!”
Rainbow Dash smiled before Soarin dug into his pie half, eating a tad messy, when he noticed the confused look Rainbow was giving him. He stopped eating and wiped his mouth off, looking a little self-conscious.
“Uh, sorry if that…”
Rainbow smirked and immediately dug into her own pie half, eating just as messily as Soarin had, much to his surprise, when Rainbow lifted her face up and licked the mess of her mouth.
“As my pal, Applejack, who you got this awesome pie from, would say, ‘that’s good eating’!”
They both laughed, and felt a warmth in their chest as Rainbow asked, “So Soarin, what’s it like being a Wonderbolt?”
“Well… it’s an experience, I’ll tell you that,” Soarin stated, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s exciting an’ all, but…”
Rainbow was a little taken back by the look on Soarin’s face, a look that hinted some regret.
“Well, my dad wanted me to become a Wonderbolt like him so that’s what I did! Believe it or not, I’m still among the rookies on the team right now.”
“Really?” Rainbow was honestly surprised. “Well, I know you’ve only been on the team for a couple years now, but everpony says you’re one of the very best flyers among the Wonderbolts!”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Soarin seemed to debate, “but that’s only because of how hard Spitfire pushes us all.”
“Well she must be doing something right, considering how awesome and successful you guys are!” Rainbow assured.
“Well, Dash…” Soarin now looked afraid, “Honestly? There are times I wish I wasn’t a Wonderbolt.”
“What?! Why?” Rainbow Dash was shocked. Soarin was among the most famous and skilled Wonderbolts and (however much she denied it to everypony) her biggest crush. She’d heard of him when he was training to join and watched him ever since he did. He’d always been one of her most revered heroes, not just because Soarin was an amazing flyer but she’d seen him in the public eye, when he attended publicity events. Soarin had won races and donated nearly all of his winnings to charities across Equestria.
“Well, believe it or not,” Soarin explained, “I’m actually trying to earn a degree in weather management.”
“You’re in college?” Rainbow was truly surprised. The Wonderbolts were rarely shown just as themselves, the personal lives were all but simple facts everypony knew they must have but never really noticed.
“Yeah, but it’s not going well,” Soarin admitted when they heard, “Yo, Soar!”
They turned to see Spitefire walking over, saying, “Come on over here, and pose for this picture with me.”
“Woman, can’t you see I’m talking?” Soarin said, a little more irritably than he had intended, surprising both Rainbow Dash, and Spirfire.
“What did you just say to me?” Spitfire was shocked that Soarin would dare take that tone with her.
“Look, Soarin, I don’t like posing for photos anymore than you do, but-”
“I am talking with Rainbow Dash, here, Spit!” Soarin maintained, sounding like he was trying to contain himself, Rainbow having a bad feeling.
“Soarin, may I remind you that I am the Captain of the Wonderbolts!” Spitfire stated, starting to sound high n’ mighty.
“Now get over here!”
Soarin glared at her and simply said, “No.”
“You can’t ignore a direct order from me!” Spitfire snapped.
“Yes I can,” Soarin said, his eyes narrowed. “I’m quitting.”
Both mares gasped at Soarin’s words, Spitfire saying, “You can’t just quit! You have an obligation to this team-”
“I have an obligation to myself!” Soarin yelled, suddenly everypony looking at him. But he paid them no mind, his fury set upon the flaming yellow mare in front of him, Rainbow stepping back.
“I am sick of travelling around, doing these stupid shows for a bunch of screaming fans, going to public events, smiling till my cheeks hurt when I just want to get it all over with! I want to have a life, Spitfire! I want to have an average life, I want to have a job and earn my living, I want to start my own family, and I want to stop feeling like an idiot for failing my courses because your unreasonable training regimes don’t give me time to study!”
Silence fell upon the V.I.P. section as everypony’s gazes shifted between the two Wonderbolts. Spitfire held Soarin’s gaze and saw a tear starting to go down his cheek. She sighed.
“Seems like your mind’s made up. Fine then, Soarin. You’re fired.”
Spitfire turned around to rejoin the other Wonderbolts, as Soarin unzipped his flightsuit and stripped it off. He noticed Rainbow Dash giving him a sympathetic look and instantly felt ashamed.
“Sorry ya had to see that…”
He started walking away when he felt a hoof on his shoulder, and he saw Rainbow giving him a small smile.
“Let’s finish that pie. I was enjoying our talk.”
Soarin and Rainbow held each other’s gaze and in that moment it all felt right.