"That's nothing! One time, Soarin got asked for flying lessons by an earth pony colt!"
I held up my hooves in mock surrender, and grinned for effect.
"I could hardly bring myself to say no to that face."
Actually, it kinda broke my heart.
A round of chuckles went up from the Wonderbolts around the table. Spitfire smirked at me.
"We've all been getting a lot of requests for flying lessons lately, but you've been getting the worst of it. What's going on there, Soarin?"
"I dunno. I mean, I try to hang out with them when I can, but I usually tell them they should look into flight school."
I'm probably not the best Wonderbolt to ask, anyway.
Fleetfoot nudged me in the ribs, cocking a grin.
"Maybe you're getting a rep for being soft with the kids. I saw you with that filly in Canterlot; she'd asked me for lessons just an hour before, but I'd told her I was busy."
Rainbow Dash snorted at that.
"Busy with what?"
"With not being busy for a little while!"
As another round of chuckling started, I turned to Fleetfoot.
"Well, you really missed out. She was already doing some stunts!"
"I saw the corkscrews. Yeah, it was kinda impressive."
"Y'know, come to think of it, the foals asking for lessons lately have been pretty good fliers in general. There was one in the last city who could already do a bunch of stunts, too."
Dash leaned forward and pointed a hoof at me, a devious grin forming.
"Well don't get used to hogging all of the fans, Soarin! After I debut my new move, I'm sure they'll all be asking me to show them how it's done!"
Spitfire rolled her eyes.
"Competing for the kids? Really?"
Dash scoffed.
"Hey, I like kids! I have a fanclub back in Ponyville – reminds me why I do this in the first place!"
There were some more good-natured snickers and murmurs, and the conversation slowly drifted off onto other topics, as various 'bolts discussed what made them want to join the team as kids. The sudden uptick in interest from foals over the past few months lingered in my mind, and was still nagging me when I went to the bathroom a few hours later. I went to the bar to grab a fresh drink, and I heard a squeaky filly's voice from behind me, accompanied by a poke to my side.
"Hey, mister. You're Soarin, right?"
I turned to see a grey filly with a dark-blue mane staring up at me with teal eyes full of excitement. She had a pair of brown saddlebags, and a huge, goofy smile.
D'aaawwww... Hey, wait a minute...
"What are you doing out so late, kid? Where are your parents?"
She smiled up at me confidently.
"Oh, I live nearby. Your party was so loud that it woke me up, and I came to check it out. I'm a big fan!"
'Big' isn't the term I'd use! Aww, it's a shame we woke up such an adorable kid this late.
"Is that right? Well, you should probably head home – wouldn't want your parents to worry!"
The filly shifted uncomfortably.
"Oh, yeah, sure... but, could you come outside and see me do a trick, first? It'd be so cool to show off to a Wonderbolt!"
Ah, man... I know the others will poke fun at me, but I can't disappoint her.
"Sure! Lead the way."
I followed the happy filly as she trotted outside. She took up a flight stance, waited to make sure I was watching, and then took off with a huge grin.
Nice take-off and form!
She did a couple of corkscrews in the air, and I felt a giant, goofy grin forming. Then, she took a turn upwards at high speeds, and just at the apex of her flight, she opened her saddlebags, flinging a series of apples above her. It took me a second to register what I was seeing, and that I'd seen it before, as she let the apples fall past her – and then entered a break-neck nose-dive towards them.
That's... that's Dash's new move!
The filly corkscrewed through the air, easily catching all six apples with her saddlebag and pulling up more than ten meters from the ground, coming to a gliding stop in front of me. She was panting heavily, but smiling wildly.
"Did you see that?! Wasn't it awesome?!"
"Uh... yeah. Yeah, it was great, but where did you learn that move?"
Her ears slowly drooped as she saw my face. I did my best to cover it with a smile, but I could tell I wasn't doing a very good job; the expression felt alien and jagged on my face.
"Wha...? I mean, it's, like... it's a Wonderbolt move, right? I just, y'know, heard about it...?"
"Uh, actually, that's Dash's new move. Like, her new secret move, that she was going to show off next week. For the first time."
"Oh... really? Eheh."
We stared at each other for a few awkward moments.
Something weird is going on, but I'm not going to make it any better by busting her chops.
"Hey, look, it's okay. I'm not mad; I was just worried that somehow word had gotten out about Dash's new move. She'd be really upset, y'know?"
"Don't worry! I won't tell anyone!"
"Good, but how'd you hear about it?"
"Uh... Dash was showing off! To some other kids, y'know? I happened to see it."
"Oh, really? Huh. We should go talk to her about that—"
"I should really be getting home! I'll see you!"
And just like that, she turned around and started prancing home.
Should I try stopping her...? Nah, if she wants to go home, I should let her. Still... something seems weird, here.
I waited until she had rounded a corner, and then I took to the sky. It took me a few seconds to make her out on the ground from where I was, but I kept and eye on her.
I should at least make sure she gets home safely, right?
The filly turned a couple more corners, before ducking into an alleyway. Confused, I watched for signs of movement for a few more seconds before setting down near the entrance of the alleyway. I peered in, and once my eyes adjusted, I made out the strands of her dark-blue tail hanging out of a cardboard box behind a dumpster.
Wait... is she homeless?! But... what?! Wait... she had those saddlebags ready before she even came to the pub. She was expecting to find Wonderbolts there! Did she run away from home just to follow the 'bolts?
I realized I was hyperventilating, and stepped away from the alleyway entrance to catch my breath.
Keep it together. There's no immediate crisis, right? Just... some kid living on the streets. What do I do about that?
I paced for a while, thinking.
I can't just leave her here, can I? Should I call someone? Should I tell the local guard, or something? What if I don't have the full story?
Maybe... I mean, could it really hurt just to ask the kid about it? That would be alright, wouldn't it?
I hesitated for a few moments, but then started down the alleyway. At the sound of my hooves, the filly's teal eyes came into view from inside the box. I knelt down outside the box, and we just quietly looked at each other for a few moments.
She looks so scared. Aww, dang, dang, what do I do?
"Uhh... hey. I, uh, wanted to see if you got home alright."
The filly blinked a few times, but didn't say anything.
She's so quiet. Maybe I could, like... ask her a question?
"So, uh. I guess, like... what's your name, anyway?"
I tried for a grin, though it felt more like a foal had zig-zagged a pencil for my expression. The filly blinked at me a couple more times, but eventually spoke up.
"Laverna. My name's Laverna."