Ch. 14 - Tragic Flaw
Chapter Fourteen: Tragic Flaw
He found her in the exact same spot that he had last seen her hours ago. Most ponies would probably have considered it an amusing coincidence, but the sight of the Wonderbolt Captain still hunched over her desk behind a pile of open textbooks, magazines, and photo albums was disconcerting to Soarin’. In fact, the pile seemed even bigger than the last time he had seen it as he could only see the top of the Captain's yellow and orange mane from where he stood. If she had noticed his arrival, she made no movement to suggest as such. In case the Captain was oblivious behind her barricade of books, he slammed the door shut and ensured that only the deaf would still be unaware.
“Somebody there?” Spitfire called out. She didn’t even bother to peak over her books to see who it was.
“It’s me,” Soarin’ answered after a wistful sigh. He knew he shouldn’t have been surprised but that didn’t take the edge off the minor slight.
“Oh, hey hun. What’s up?” She carried on as though nothing was out of the ordinary. A more astute pony might’ve noticed Soarin’s sigh but the Captain’s otherwise razor-sharp perception was oblivious.
Since he knew waiting for a proper welcoming would be a fool’s errand, he trotted over to the other side of the Captain’s desk. Much to his disappointment, Spitfire’s focused remained fixated on her books. A cursory glance revealed she was combing through old photo albums of past competitions, playbooks and flight manuals from the scores of flight clubs across the land, and even old magazine articles about the fliers of old. What Soarin’ saw was the exact same image that he saw the last time he was in the Captain’s office, only now it was a bigger pile. From the stacks of books, Soarin’s gaze crawled over to the sitting pegasus; slouched posture, drooping eyelids, disheveled mane, and the faint aroma of coffee and old takeout food wafting upon her breath.
“Please tell me you’ve gone outside at least once,” a disappointed Soarin’ quipped. He knew the answer already, but he was curious if she knew it.
“Can’t this wait? I’m in the middle of something.” Spitfire’s dismissive wave was disheartening to say the least, but she stopped abruptly after a second. “Actually, scratch that thought. Maybe you could hear me out.” Alas, if Soarin’ was hoping for a change in subject then he was fooling himself. This became self-evident when Spitfire grabbed a binder from her pile, which cause half the wall to topple to the ground. “I’ve been reviewing some of the Blue Thunder’s old playbooks back from their dynasty years in thirty-seven through forty-four. I was thinking that maybe if we incorporated some of their insights into weight-ratios and FPM’s we could-”
She was rambling again. Now Soarin’ loved to see her so devoted and enthusiastic to her new position as Wonderbolt Captain, but if he didn’t put a brakes on this particular train of thought soon, she would keep going on for hours. He didn’t want to take the risk of becoming distracting, not to mention half of the things she would say were going to go right over his head.
“Do you know what time it is?” he interrupted, his voice sharp and abrupt.
Spitfire gave him a blank stare before admitting her ignorance by searching for a clock or a watch. However, the mess on her desk meant that finding anything that wasn’t made of laminated paper almost impossible. Soarin’ let out another disappointed sigh as Spitfire knocked over a stack of books in her desperate attempt to not look like a fool (not that she hadn’t failed in that task just by searching). He gave her a few more moments, if only out of a fleeting hope, before accepting the truth.
“It’s four,” he answered to put an end to the farce.
“Four?” Spitfire chuckled at the news before she relaxed in her seat. “Geez, Soarin’, you had me worried for a moment there. It’s four. What’s the worry? Our dinner reservation isn’t until seven. Your pie will still be there in a couple hours.”
“In the morning.” The stunned silence from his Captain was enough for Soarin’. It was a pity that being right brought with it an even greater sense of defeat. As Spitfire let out a weary sigh and hung her head, Soarin’ trotted around so that he stood behind her. There was no need for him to drive the point further as the Captain had already recognized her failing. “I know you’re excited about your new position, I am too. But you’re pushing yourself way too hard for the past couple of weeks. I’m worried about you. A captain is no good to the team if she burns herself out after the first month.” He could feel the tension in her shoulders and neck. He tried to knead some of the knots out but it was like trying to massage a bag of gravel.
“I’m sorry I missed our dinner,” Spitfire murmured after a prolonged silence.
“It’s not a big deal,” Soarin’ said. He leaned down and offered her a reassuring nuzzle. “It’s just a birthday; it’s not a big deal.” Instantly, the pegasus went from a bag of gravel to a slab of cement in his hooves. “Oh, for the love of-”
“Oopsies?”
She forgot. He couldn’t believe that she forgot something so important; something that he had taken a lot of time and effort on his part to arrange so that they could have a proper night together. For both their sakes, Soarin’ took a step back and several deep breaths to calm his nerves.
“I...I’m sorry, I completely forgot your birthday.” To her surprise, though, the offered apology only prompted a frustrated growl from her boyfriend.
“That’s it! I’m going back to the apartment,” he declared before turning for the exit.
“Soarin’ wait!” Finally, Spitfire was presented with something that could pry her away from her desk. Scattering more of her books to the floor as she vaulted over her desk, she threw herself between Soarin’ and the door. “Please, just give me another chance. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll take you out somewhere nice tomorrow. I promise.”
“My birthday was four months ago!” Soarin’ snapped. “It’s was yours! I was waiting in that restaurant, with a reservation I made half a year ago, for nearly three hours. But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get a chance to see a photo of me sitting alone at the table in the next issue of Pegasus Weekly.”
For a brief instant, Spitfire just stared at the stallion in disbelief. The notion that one would forget their own birthday was almost too absurd to believe. Yet, when she checked the recesses of her memory, the truth was evident. But while most ponies would have admitted defeat at that point, Spitfire took things in the opposite direction.
“Well if it’s my birthday then I’m allowed to not celebrate it if that’s what I want,” she argued. Her brow furrowed as her once passive stance straightened out. “I’m sorry I forgot about it, but we can make up for it later.”
“When? You’ve been saying that for over a month now. Every time we try to do something resembling a date it’s always ‘tomorrow’ or ‘next week’ or ‘another time.’” Despite an earlier desire to leave, now Soarin’ was glad he was barred from leaving. Just like their dates, a chance to talk had also been relegated to the realms of ‘another time.’ “I know this job is important to you; it’s important to all of us. But you rarely come home anymore; you practically live in your office now; you’ve barricaded yourself behind books and meetings; and the only time I get a chance to see you is during practice. What happened to us?”
Spitfire grit her teeth as she glared at the insolent pegasus before her. “I’m doing this for the Wonderbolts,” she declared with pride, “and I’m done with this conversation. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to get back to.”
There went Soarin’s hope for forcing a dialogue. “Breathe Soarin’...just breathe,” he repeated with each deep inhalation. His whole body so tense at this point he could’ve crushed a walnut between his teeth. Here he was being brushed aside for the hundredth time in less than a month. How could she just ignore him like that? Did he not matter to her anymore?
“No,” he said in defiance.
“I beg your pardon?” Spitfire looked unamused but equally unconcerned as she took her seat behind her desk once more. “I said this conversation is over.”
“Well I’m not ready to end this conversation.” It wasn’t the first time the two of them had an argument, but the stress of work and life were starting to take their toll. He felt tense and angry, and he kept pacing back and forth in front of the desk like a predator stalking its prey. “Look at yourself Spitfire - you’ve been pouring over books and manuals and flight routines for months now.”
“Have you read the latest standings?” Spitfire retorted. Somewhere in her pile of books was a newspaper, but like finding the time she was hopeless in this endeavor. “Well, there’s a sports section in here somewhere that shows that we’re five points from the bottom.”
“I know, Spitfire. Pulling my unconscious flank across the sky by ropes doesn’t exactly win many points in style and form.”
“Not my fault you OD’d on cough medicine.” A brief, half-second chuckle, more of a humorous scoff than anything else, eased the tension. “But seriously, this team is in major need of an overhaul and I’m the pony to do it. I just...I need to figure out the right formula. It’s somewhere in here, Soarin’, I just have to keep looking until I find the right combination.”
“Spitfire, the books don’t care how tenacious or passionate you are. If you don’t take time to relax, you’ll burn yourself out. This doesn’t have to be the total extent of your life.”
“Well maybe I want it to be,” Spitfire growled as she slammed her hooves against the desk. “Now I’m ordering you to leave.”
“You can’t just order me out like some junior flyboy. You’re my girlfriend, not my captain, in this conversation.” Soarin’ once again scoffed at her attempt to throw her authority around.
“Could you try, for one minute, to think about the team rather than yourself? Actually, I have a better idea - how about I go to being only one of those things? That way, it’s real easy for you to know where you stand.”
“So that’s how you’re going to play this?” Soarin’ said. He remained defiant despite a flair of panic rising up at the reality of the threat. Spitfire was never one to make idle threats, but if he showed weakness now then he would be relegated to living under her hoof forever. “Eight years together and you’re going to throw it away for the Captain’s position?”
“Eight years in which we’ve both worked hard to get to this opportunity,” the Captain retorted as she rose from her seat. “I am not going to squander this chance to make the Wonderbolts into something that everypony across Equestria can be proud of. Not for you; not for anybody!” With a final slam of her hooves, which knocked over one of the piles of books remaining, the fight ground to a halt. Both pegasus just stared each other in the eyes as though trying to size up if the other was going to back down.
“Fine then.” Soarin’ conceded with great reluctance and a tired sigh. “There’s more to life than just flying and air shows,” he continued as he reached under his wing to procure a small item. “For what it’s worth, I’m sure you’ll be the best captain this team has ever had, but the saying goes ‘it’s lonely at the top.’ When you realize that, don’t bother coming to me.” He took a brief moment to stare at the small velvet-covered box he held in his hoof and then tossed it onto Spitfire’s desk. “I’ll see you at practice...Captain.”
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“How many times do I have to tell you, AJ? I’m fine!”
“No you ain’t. Now please put the darn mask on like the doctor’s told ya to.”
Despite being confined to a hospital bed and anchored with multiple IV lines, Rainbow Dash put up a staunch defense against her friend’s attempts to fit the oxygen mask back into place. Were she not so busy struggling against the pegasus, Applejack might have expressed some relief to see such strength and vigor so soon after a harrowing ordeal. Those feelings would have to wait until she could get the stubborn pegasus to follow the doctor’s orders. Applejack was already on the bed, attempting to pin Rainbow down with her hind legs while her fore legs were trying to hold the defiant mare’s head still.
“I don’t need it!” Rainbow insisted. In an amusing twist, were she not struggling so hard against her friend, she wouldn’t have been breathing so hard. That, in turn, made the pain in her chest worse and made it harder to breath. So despite her insistence to the contrary, Applejack could see the pegasus already getting winded.
“Okay, you asked for this.” An ornery pegasus was no different than dealing with a stubborn bull or mule, both of which Applejack has had plenty of experience with. Shifting her position, Applejack grabbed her friend by the wing and in one swift motion she flung the pegasus onto her stomach. Then using her own weight to keep the pegasus pinned, Applejack slipped the oxygen mask into position, and, as an added bonus, grabbed a nearby roll of tape and secured it in place. “Done. Now was that so hard?”
“You could have just said please,” Rainbow insisted after conceding defeat. The fresh oxygen did alleviate the pain in her chest, however, so it was hard for her to begrudge her friend. Once Applejack got off the bed, Rainbow made herself comfortable again, or at least as comfortable as she could get.
Since having awoken in the Manehattan hospital, neither pony had been given any information as to what happened with Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts. Rainbow should’ve been thankful that she managed to make it out of the ordeal with only some minor burns and smoke inhalation, but that didn’t shake the constant worry. And it was the same worry that plagued Applejack. Her friend put on a brave face but every so often the farmer would look to the door in hopes of seeing somebody familiar coming through. The staff wouldn’t let Applejack near Spitfire or the others so she was stuck staying with Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was glad to have the company, but she saw the wistful gaze in her friend’s eyes, and heard the longing sigh that occurred whenever a doctor or nurse walked by the door but didn’t come in.
“I’m sure Spitfire is okay,” Rainbow spoke up after a brief silence.
“All Ah keep seeing is those medics when they carried her off on a stretcher.” The sullen mare folded her hooves on the side of the bed and rested her head upon them. “Ah wish there was something, anything, Ah could do right now.”
Rainbow Dash knew what it felt like to be standing on the sidelines; powerless to do anything to stop or change what was happening before her eyes. It hit even harder for ponies who were used to taking charge and controlling their own destinies. The pegasus wished she could say something to alleviate her friend’s worries, but everything that came to mind felt like hollow platitudes.
“Just...be there for her when she needs you.” Hollow or not, the platitudes were all that Rainbow Dash had available. It was better than staying silent.
Without warning, Applejack threw her hooves around Rainbow and hugged her tightly. Even though her face was buried into the pegasus’ chest, Dash could hear the farmer’s faint sobs. Warmth and the biting chill of sorrow conflicted inside Rainbow as she closed her hooves around her friend.
“It’ll be okay, AJ,” she whispered into her friend’s ear. More empty platitudes. They were beginning to sicken Rainbow by their mere utterance.
“Am I interrupting something?” a familiar stallion spoke up from the door.
“Soarin’!” Applejack might not have been able to fly but she came close to rocketing across the room to hug the Wonderbolt. It wasn’t Spitfire but at the very least she might finally get some answers. “Please tell me you have good news.”
Soarin’ didn’t say anything at first as he instead opted to gently push Applejack out of the embrace. When she looked to his face, she saw only a tired, but warm smile. That was enough for her to know that she could put her worst fears away. Dash could breath a little easier now too, both in the literal and metaphorical sense.
“Spitfire will be fine,” Soarin’ explained. “Docs say she’s got a kind of resistance to the flames she’s able to conjure up so it was mostly the impact itself that did harm, and hitting Fleet Foot took most of the edge off that.” The mentioning of the other Wonderbolt caused a small grimace to sour Soarin’s reassuring visage. Naturally, inquiries about the other Wonderbolts followed suit. “Most of us are fine, but Fleet Foot got pretty banged up when Spitfire crashed into her. A few torn ligaments in the wing and maybe a mild concussion too. Rapid Fire got a bit singed as well in the blast. The docs are still looking him over.”
“Are the Wonderbolts still able to compete?” Rainbow’s question might not have sounded all that considerate given the circumstances, but it was an understandable concern to the fellow pegasus. Crash or not, the competitions were going to continue, and as the defending champions, the honour of the Wonderbolt’s was at stake. Nobody on the team would risk further injury just to compete, but if there was any chance to continue then they would take it.
“It’s...too early to tell,” Soarin’ regretfully reported. “Fleet Foot is out for certain, and Rapid Fire is still a fifty-fifty; his wings took the worst of the flames so its a question of how many feathers he’s lost. Including myself, three of us are good to fly, and I doubt Spitfire will be willing to give up. I’ve already spoken with a few of the officials and they’ll let us fly the team event with just five members.”
“Ah’m sensing a ‘but’ coming though,” Applejack remarked when she noted the way that Soarin’ trailed off at the end.
“The paired flights are next. Each team puts forwards two pairs. Problem is, Fleet Foot and Rapid Fire are part of our two pairs.” It was enough cause for concern. Paired routines are rehearsed extensively so a last-second shuffling of team members meant going in unprepared. Were they any other team, Rainbow Dash would have counted them out of the competition, but if any team could manage such a disaster, it would be the Wonderbolts. “I can fly with Misty, and if Rapid Fire is not ready to fly in time then Spitfire can take his place. The big concern is whether Rapid Fire can fly in time for the team events, which is the day after the paired events.”
“Don’t y’all have other members you to call in?”
“I’ve already sent a messenger, but they’re all over in Los Pegasus doing a charity event,” Soarin’ said. “Even flying non-stop it’d take them nearly a day to get here, so I’m not holding my breath for a miracle from them.” Soarin’ didn’t want to pull out of the competitions, but his primary concern was the safety of his teammates. There would always be other competitions so letting go of this one was not going to cause him to lose any sleep; how that would affect the captain, however, was another concern to add to the growing list.
Applejack’s concerns were far more immediate. “Can I see her now?”
“Of course you can. I’ll take you to her,” Soarin’ replied with a reassuring nod. He then glanced over to Rainbow Dash. “You want to come too? I’m sure she’ll want to thank you for pulling her hindquarter out of the fire.”
“Oh no, she needs her rest,” Applejack insisted.
Soarin’ thought otherwise, which was made clear when he strolled past the farmer. “I’m sure your friend will be fine,” he said dismissively. “Just gotta get this silly oxygen mask off.”
“That’s what I keep telling her,” Rainbow agreed. “Now just be careful when taking off the taAGGHHHHHHHH!”
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Between the head trauma and the cocktail of medications being pumped into her body, Spitfire’s mind felt about as foggy as the Vanhoover harbor on an autumn morning. She tried to bring her memories into focus, but all she could bring up were brief flashes. She remembered flying through the air; a sense of liberation was washing over her. The wind in her mane and the roaring crowds in her ear - she had been performing. She remembered free-falling; it must have been her Rising Phoenix if she had been performing. But what happened after that?
“Is she awake?” She could hear voices in the distance like echoes through an empty corridor. It sounded familiar, but it left her feeling a warm afterglow. More was being said but she couldn’t make out the words. She tried to focus. “Ah thought you said she was fine!”
“Applejack?”
What was Applejack doing here? Confusion dogged the Wonderbolt’s mind until more memories began to creep back to her. She remembered seeing Applejack. Was she cheering from the crowds? No, that wasn’t right. Applejack had a private box, she would have been sitting alone. So why does Spitfire see images of Applejack close to somepony else?
“Doctors had to sedate her a little while ago. Apparently she was being combative and insisting on getting back to the arena.”
Doctors? Sedation? She didn’t recall being injured or needing a doctor, but then again if she had suffered from a crash it would explain the gap in her memories. Spitfire focused on the gaps in her memory once again. She remembered seeing Applejack next to somepony. She was resting her head against the pony’s shoulder and...smiling. And then a sudden, pervasive sense of panic and dread. Applejack was supposed to be alone. Spitfire realized that it must have thrown off her concentration, but why? Who was Applejack with and why would that bother her so much?
After that the memories became even harder to focus on. There was intense heat and pain. Did she crash? She had to have crashed. It was the only logical conclusion. She must’ve hit the ground or a tree or something, at which point the flaming contrail would have overtaken her and set the ground ablaze. Another flash of memory - it was Fleet Foot. Oh sweet mercy, did she hit Fleet Foot? Suffering for her own mistakes was one thing, but it was unforgivable for another to suffer because of them.
“But I don’t make mistakes. How could this have happened?”
“Helloooooo? Anypony home?”
That voice! That boisterous, self-aggrandizing shrill! She knew that voice. And with the blade of Occam's Razor, the fog in her mind was cut open revealing what she had been searching for.
“That’s not helping Rainbow!”
Following the trail of that familiar voice, her memories and vision began to fall back into focus. She could see the unkempt rainbow-hued mane and those lingering magenta-tinted eyes. She could see that pony in her memories cradling up against her Applejack, and she could see the same pony now hovering over her at the bedside.
“I think she’s waking up!” Rainbow exclaimed.
The sight of that pegasus looming over her, grinning as though she stood triumphant over her beaten remains, ignited a burning hate inside Spitfire. Common sense and rationality vaporized in an instant. Her anger exploded outwards, driving her hoof straight in Rainbow’s face. The Wonderbolt’s erstwhile rescuer dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes whilst the other ponies in the room stared on in horrified silence.
Rainbow was the first to break the silence with the understandably upset, “What the hay was that for?”
“Don’t you ‘what the hay’ me,” Spitfire growled despite her drowsy state. “I saw what you were doing...you...backstabbing, girlfriend-stealing, two-bit harlot!”
The shock that had left Applejack’s mind in a state of temporary paralysis was swept away when she witnessed her best friend being subjected to such a vicious verbal assault. “Hold your horses there, Spitfire!” Applejack stepped in between the two pegasus, not just to protect Rainbow Dash but also to prevent any potential retaliation. “What in the name of Aunt Brown Betty’s biscuits has gotten into you?”
“You told me Rainbow Dash couldn’t attend,” Spitfire said, her anger still simmering but notably calmer now that Applejack was addressing her. “So imagine my surprise when I see you two getting all cozy up in the private box. Did you think I wouldn’t notice when I flew by?”
“Now you’re just talking crazy.” Applejack would have gone with paranoid but she didn’t want to sound too insulting. “Rainbow flew in and surprised me. We’re friends, and I’m allowed to get ‘cozy’ with mah friends!”
“Friend? Ha!” Spitfire said with a mocking scoff. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you - eyeing you up when your back is turned. She’s even doing it right now!”
Now Rainbow Dash had no idea what Spitfire was going on about with the ‘eyeing her up’ remarks. As far as Rainbow was aware, she was just staring at her friend in a mixture of surprise and confusion mixed with perhaps a bit of admiration and gratitude that Applejack was defending her. If there was any ogling involved, it was beyond Rainbow’s own perception. Unfortunately for her, when Applejack glanced back to her as though to investigate this accusation, being put on the spot in such a fashion made the pegasus feel as though a very powerful spotlight had just centered upon her. Whether Spitfire’s accusations held any truth to it or not, the sudden sense of awkwardness and undesired attention triggered a sheepish grin and a rising fluster, which only painted her in a guilty shade of red.
“I...I don’t believe that,” Applejack replied.
Rainbow felt her confidence in Applejack’s support begin to waver. Could Spitfire have figured Rainbow Dash’s motives out? It was a possibility as Spitfire was as perceptive in the real world as she was on the flight circuit. There wasn’t much difference between noticing a flight formation out of place and noticing a pony’s sideways glance when they thought nobody was looking. On top of that, Applejack had likely told her girlfriend about how Rainbow Dash lured her out to the auction block. From that it went to the logical conclusion that Rainbow Dash had never intended Spitfire and Applejack to get together. There were more than enough pieces for Spitfire to have put the puzzle together, and it became apparent that the argument was tumbling in a direction that Rainbow did not want it to go. To run would only confirm anything that Spitfire accused her of, but to stay meant risking a confrontation with the truth that she was not prepared for. Stepping up to her own defense was just as dangerous as it could provoke even more uncomfortable truths from Spitfire.
“She’s probably been trying to steal you away from the beginning.”
“That’s just nonsense - she set the date up in the first place.”
“You actually believe that? You want to know the truth, Applejack? The truth is-”
“Wait!” Rainbow Dash could see this disaster ready to explode in her face. Not matter what happened, the next few moments were going to be ugly and they were going to be messy. But if Applejack was going to hear the truth, then she was going to hear it from the pony responsible for it - she deserved at least that much. Rainbow Dash could feel her heart pounding out of control in her chest as though it were trying to make a break for freedom, which was a sentiment that she shared. However, as everypony began to stare at her, Rainbow felt her confidence take a nose-dive in the shallow end. Her body tensed; her words became a train-wreck in her throat.
But just when Rainbow thought fear had tightened its noose around her, Applejack gave her a gentle nudge upon the shoulder. “What is it, Rainbow?” she whispered.
“She’s right.” Rainbow managed to eek out. “I...I arranged the whole auction thing cause...because I wanted to go on a date with you. I thought if I could just wow you from the start, it would help make sure that you’d say yes.” Her gaze, once glued to a discoloured tile on the ground between her hooves, slowly lifted up to meet Applejack’s. “But then Spitfire showed up and my plan all came apart. I never thought for a second that she would see the same wonderful and amazing pony that I do. I was so certain it’d be a one-time thing. . That’s why I gave you that advice before the first date, and why I didn’t tell you about Rarity’s offer, and why I made it rain on your farm, and why I didn’t want to come with you to Manehattan!”
“Rainbow...” Applejack murmured as she tried to keep eye contact with the pegasus. “Ah...Ah thought you were mah friend. How...how could you do all that behind mah back?”
“Because...because...” Her confidence was wavering again and Rainbow was forced to fixate her gaze on that discoloured tile again just to keep from cracking. “Because I’m crazy about you Applejack. I feel alive when I’m with you...I miss you when you’re not around. I look forward to every second that I can spend with you. I even sleep in the orchard just so its easy for you to find me when you need to. I just...I just can’t get you outta my head.”
When Applejack tried to reach out for the pegasus, she backed away. Applejack deserved better than her, she told herself, and she didn’t deserved to be called a friend. Friends weren’t supposed to hurt each other so much, but that is all that Rainbow Dash has caused.
“But...but I didn’t come here to ‘steal’ anything,” she insisted despite her faltering courage making her voice sound weak. She could feel her eyes beginning to tear, which meant she had to finish what she wanted to say while her lungs could still give voice to them. “I came because I realized that...this is Applejack’s choice...and she chose Spitfire, and I had to accept just being her friend. But...but even that’s just hurt ponies more...so I’ll...I’ll just leave...before I make things worse.” And with that, the last of her resolve disappeared, leaving behind only an overwhelming urge to run away. She bolted for the door and didn’t look back.
Applejack prepared to give chase, but stopped short of the door when Spitfire called out to her.
“Where the hay are you going?”
“After mah friend,” Applejack snapped as she shot back a harsh glare. “Who, for your information, risked her life to save yours!”
As the farmer pony raced out the door in hopes of catching up to her friend, Spitfire was left in a jaw-hanging, confused silence. All she could think was how in the world did that situation just get thrown back into her face like that?
“Open your mouth wider, and you might be able to fit all your hooves,” Soarin’, who had remained silent during the entire ordeal, spoke up at long last. Normally such a verbal jab would have gone ignored, but the angered inflection that carried it brought a sense of dread to the Wonderbolt Captain. “Forgive my rudeness for asking this but what in the flapping feathers is wrong with you?”
The sheer volume and ferocity was almost unheard of from her longtime friend. The Wonderbolt Captain even recoiled in shock and surprise. At first, she didn’t know what had set off her friend like that, but it didn’t take very long for the realization of her own grievous sins to sink in. Once that happened, Spitfire knew that she was in for it.
“What’s the first rule of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire?”
It was a rhetorical question; she wrote the rules to begin with. But even though she knew the answer, she couldn’t bring herself to speak up.
“First rule, Spitfire! What is it?” Soarin’ was bordering on furious now. She had never seen him so angry before. It was almost frightening.
“L-leave personal baggage at the gate,” she stammered.
“Exactly! And what did you do?” More rhetorical questions, but if Soarin’ was hoping for an actual answer, the Wonderbolt Captain was too frightened to speak up. That didn’t matter to him, however, as he was more than happy to carry on. “Ten minutes, Spitfire...all I wanted, all we needed, was for you to focus on your flight for ten measly little minutes, but you couldn’t even do that. You couldn’t keep your head in the game for ten measly minutes! No! You were watching your girlfriend when you should have been watching where you were going!”
“I...I...I’m s-sorry. I didn’t th-think...”
“Of course you didn’t think! If you were thinking straight, you wouldn’t have crashed head-first into Fleet Foot.” Soarin’ was pacing around the bed now with a penetrating gaze that never once broke away from the Wonderbolt Captain. “And now Fleet Foot won’t be able to fly for at least a week. If we’re lucky, Rapid Fire will be well enough for the team event...assuming you can pull your head out of your own hindquarter long enough to think about the team rather than yourself for a moment!”
Spitfire fell deathly silent. He was right, and there was nothing she could use to argue against him. Were their positions reversed, she would be saying the exact same thing except probably a few decibels louder. In Spitfire’s mind, Soarin’ was justified in his anger and every right to bludgeon her into submission with the cold, harsh truth of reality. The Wonderbolt Captain, if she felt right calling herself that anymore, shrunk into her bed, almost as if cowering behind her sheets.
Seeing the impact his tirade had on his fellow Wonderbolt, Soarin’ decided for both of them to have some space. “The Wonderbolts are not about the individual, it’s about the team,” Soarin’ reminded his friend as he headed for the exit. “And the Captain is supposed to exemplify that quality. If you can’t get your head on straight and do your job...then the Wonderbolts will have to find somepony who can.”
*****************************
Soarin’ could still feel the after-effects of his angry tirade as he stepped out into the Manehattan streets. His hooves still trembled and his heart was still pacing from the adrenaline rush. He felt awful. He didn’t regret anything that he said, but that didn’t change the fact that he hated himself for having to be the one to say it. If he were still conscious, Soarin’ would have been more than happy to let Rapid Fire tear into the Captain, but that wasn’t an option. Besides, as the number two on the team and Spitfire’s closest friend, it was his responsibility and his duty. A part of him blamed himself - he should have seen this coming or could have done something to keep it from blowing out of proportions as it had. All he could hope now was to be able to pick up the pieces and still have a Wonderbolts remaining when the dust settled.
It was already morning and he had yet to get any real sleep since the accident. Some rest was in order if he was going to get the rest of the team organized tomorrow, or technically later that day since it was likely past midnight by that point. However, on the way out of the hospital, he noticed a familiar pony sitting on a bench next to the road.
“Hey Applejack. I thought you were chasing after your friend,” Soarin’ commented as he approached the bench.
“Ah was,” she answered with a wistful sigh. “But she flew off.” Her attention was drawn away from the cloudy sky when the bench creaked under a new load. “Ah thought you’d be with Spitfire.”
“I kinda blew a fuse at her,” Soarin’, now sitting next to Applejack, said. “What a mess we’ve gotten ourselves into, eh?”
“Amen to that,” Applejack said with a slow nod. “Ah can’t help but feel a bit responsible for all this.”
“Hey, none of this is your fault.” Soarin’ wasn’t used to reassuring ponies that weren’t part of the team or, at the very least, a pegasus, but he tried what he could. He didn’t know much about Applejack other than the delicious pies she made, but he did know Spitfire. “You can’t control what a pony feels for you or how they’ll react to those feelings.”
“Ah know, Ah know.” The pegasus’ reassurance did little to console Applejack. It didn’t change the fact that she was at the centre of his mess.
“I know this isn’t necessarily my business but...I couldn’t help but notice that you didn’t look or sound too surprised when Rainbow told you how she felt.”
“W-what? Yes Ah was! Shock of mah life, it was. And Ah don’t like what yer trying to imply!”
Soarin’ chuckled at the earth pony’s reaction. The adage of ‘she doth protest too much’ came to mind. She appeared to be more surprised by his remark than she had been in the aforementioned situation.
“Spitfire’s not the only pegasus with keen eyes,” Soarin’ said while keeping his tone calm and polite. “Can you really look me in the eyes and tell me you that you had absolutely no idea what your friend felt?”
Applejack couldn’t even do the first part. A sudden burden of shame dragged her gaze to the ground where she watched her hooves fidget against the bench wood. “Ah...Ah had a bit of an inkling,” she admitted after a prolonged silence. “Ah mean...Ah thought she might’ve, but Ah always just kept telling mahself that she’d never be interested in a borin’ old farmer. When Ah thought she had set up this fancy date with Spitfire, Ah forgot all about it; figured Ah was just imagining things.” Perhaps if she had said something to Rainbow sooner or pressed her friend harder for the truth, she could have resolved this problem before it exploded like it had. “Ah wanted to talk to her about it, but Ah was scared what might happen if Ah was wrong and just made a fool of mahself...or worse, if Ah was right.”
“And so you just kept quiet and hoped things didn’t change,” Soarin’ added. It was a rhetorical statement but that didn’t stop Applejack from nodding in affirmation. “Well can’t really blame you for that. Everypony finds comfort in the familiar. Change scares a lot of pony, especially when it could potentially change something that you’ve learned to rely upon for so long. You....me...even Spitfire, we all just reach for things that remind us when of times passed and the comfort those memories bring.”
Both ponies fell silent for a while, reflecting on the words spoken while watching the world pass them by. Everypony else seemed so carefree and relaxed. Both would have done anything for a chance to gain just a small piece of that sense of tranquility, if even for a moment.
“What should Ah do?” Applejack said.
“I’m not sure I’m the pony you should be asking that,” Soarin’ replied even though he was almost certain that it had been a rhetorical question. “When I was forced to choose between the unknown and the familiar, I chickened out and stayed where I was comfortable.”
“What happened between you and Spitfire?”
“Oh, you should just talk to Spitfire if you want that story,” Soarin’ deflected. “She’s better at telling it than I am.”
“Ah have, but Ah wanna hear it from you.” Spitfire had talked about stress and difficulty from other teammates but Applejack was willing to bet that the stallion had a much different perspective of the events. She didn’t expect Spitfire’s story to be a lie, but perhaps it had been shaded by the rose-tinted glasses of hindsight and perspective.
“We were, um...” Soarin’ tried to explain it as best he could, but realized that the short version would be inadequate. “The thing about Spitfire you have to understand is that she has one goal in mind: to be the best, to the exclusion of all else. To her, everything is a challenge that she aims to be the best at. Doesn’t matter what it is - best flier, best captain, best coordinator, best girlfriend, best lover.” The last few examples brought a warm fluster to both ponies as vivid memories came to mind.
“She definitely is passionate,” she agreed with a slow nod.
“Especially that thing she does with her tongue and your ear.”
“Eeyup.”
There was a brief lull as both ponies were dragged into the gentle embrace of nostalgia. Memories were like a warm blanket that comforted you from the cold, harshness of reality. It was easy for both ponies to get lost in their memories, particular the stallion and the vast repository of memories he had. However, he hadn’t finished answering Applejack’s question and he was soon drawn back to the real world.
“Anyways, as I was saying, Spitfire is a born achiever. You know what happened after your friend Rainbow Dash won the Best Young Flyer Competition? Spitfire went to the library and grabbed every book she could find on flight rescue. She then spent the next week writing out a hundred page manual on pegasus mid-air flight protocols.”
“That’s a bit excessive,” Applejack commented with a raised brow. She remembered the flight competition vividly, especially Rainbow Dash’s spectacular rescue of their friend and the Wonderbolts. She also remembered the endless days of practice that Rainbow Dash put in so that she could win that competition. It was hard to get Rainbow Dash committed to anything resembling work, but there were few ponies that Applejack would rather tackle a job with than the loyal pegasus.
The laugh that Soarin’ gave in response confirmed that she wasn’t the only pony who thought that. “A ‘bit’ excessive? See, that’s the thing with Spitfire - everything she does will be in excess. The Wonderbolts don’t even handle rescue operations, but she didn’t care. All that mattered to her was that she came across something that she couldn’t do so she went and mastered it. Then she made us master it. She would throw herself off a cloud at random just to keep us on our hooves.”
Most ponies would complain about being subjected to such unnecessary hardship, but Applejack noticed that Soarin’ was speaking praise of the Wonderbolt Captain rather than criticism. He must have been drawn to the same passion and dedication that drew Applejack to the fiery pegasus.
“When Spitfire became Captain, it was a dream come true for her,” Soarin’ continued as his tone took a more mournful turn. He slouched forward in his seat as his eyes lingered to the cityscape in the distance. “The Wonderbolts became her life to the exclusion of anything and everyone else. Eventually we were left with a choice - she could be my Captain, or my girlfriend, and she didn’t hesitate to choose Captain.”
“You two seem to be pretty good friends now, though.” That fact alone brought some comfort to Applejack. Things between her and Rainbow Dash might get tense, but it didn’t have to mean the end of their friendship. Maybe things could go back to the way they were before. It was a small hope, but it was all that Applejack had at the moment.
“Comfort in the familiar, remember?” Soarin’ reminded her followed by a heavy sigh. “Things were cold between us for a while, but we gradually began to miss the stuff that had made us friends in the first place. Time heals all wounds, they say, though we never do talk much about those days anymore. Not much point in it, I guess.”
Most ponies would have been left bitter or resentful about such a break-up. She had to admire the fact that Soarin’ sounded as though neither sentiment had taken root. Perhaps like her, he couldn’t fault Spitfire for picking her career over romance. If Applejack were forced to choose between the farm and her heart, it was unlikely she would ever give up the farm. Sweet Apple Acres was her life just as much as the Wonderbolts was Spitfire’s. Soarin’s dedication to the team and their friendship reminded Applejack a great deal of Rainbow Dash’s loyalty.
“Do you still love her?” Applejack asked out of the blue as a thought crossed her mind.
Soarin’ just stared at her for a moment before getting up from his seat. “You should probably go talk to Spitfire. She’ll need some support,” he suggested.
He flew off without another word, leaving Applejack alone with her thoughts and feeling more uncertain than ever.
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Awesome as always... definitely worth waking up when the email came through...
Poor rainbow... if only she'd said that two months ago this mess wouldn't exist... but still, mad spitfire is mad...
WOOOO! FIRST!
The drama exploded exactly as crazily as I expected it to. But with that Chekov's [pony unable to fly in paired competition], I'm starting to wonder if the only way to save the 'Bolts is to have Spitfire and Rainbow Dash join the competition. That would be interesting...
Should be breathe right here. That's the only error I noticed.
But a great chapter for sure. It was awesome and enlightening to see Soarin's side of the messy breakup, and I can't help but wonder how anyone can make this right.
I await updates to this more than any other fic I'm tracking! The characterizations here are just really, really spot-on.
I have even less hope now for an AppleFire (SpitJack?) ending. AJ won't give up Sweet Apple Acres and Spitfire won't give up the Wonderbolts. Worse, now AJ knows Soarin' is still carrying a torch for Spitfire. What keeps the hope alive is that I've read Yours Truly, which did a superb job of showing how a committed and happy long-distance relationship (featuring AJ!) could work.
Minor typo:
"Since having awoken in the Manehattan hospital, neither pony had not been given any information" = double negative, delete the "not"
Drama bomb!
Damn RD, just had to run off like that.Make RD a stand in for teh competition!! She can so it. She knows all the routines!!!
So much for AppleFire. This chapter pretty much tells that to us up front.
Ugh... So much for a new ship.
Yes yes yes! As much as I love the Daring Doo part of the story I'm so glad that you decided to save us from the cliff you left us hanging on last chapter. This story deserves way more views/thumbs up than it has. Take a mustache because you dear Sir or Madame are a boss
awesome story so far, i gotta say that Spitfire is lucky that AJ was standing in the between her and RD after hoofing her in the face. although i have to admit i wouldn't mind seeing an all out fight between RD and spitfire
Darn it!!!! Spitfire get away from Appledash
AND THERE IT IS, FOLKS!
Thank you SO MUCH! After MONTHS of anticipation, they FINALLY spoke about it! :D
Wow, what an awesome chapter. Rainbow finally admitted, and the way you did that scene couldn't have been any better. Awesome job.
(as a side note, there were a couple of typos here and there, I think at one point it said "it's was", in which case it should be "it was")
Awwwwwww yeah!
And so the ship of Applefire sinks at last! At least, I hope it does.
And, that pretty much sums up the extent of Spitfire's devotion. If she's going to be preoccupied with the Wonderbolts, she's not going to be good for AJ anyway.
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn. Spitfire be crazy. At least it's finally out in the open now.
I knew it was going to go off badly, you CANNOT expect one named Spitfire to be a calm pony when she thinks something is up. Pro tip Spitty old girl.......if you didn't blow up on RD and hit her you wouldn't of been so in the wrong with AJ, but just have to deal with Soarin's ire......oh well too bad so sad *what I still miffed Soarin was able to snatch away AJ from RD so easily due to just being loaded with cash during the bidding*
Spitfire was kinda a bitch in this chapter
1428270 I think it`s not so much that she'd be bad for either on their own so much as that she can't multitask. She can't be Captain and in a relationship, because she has to do what she does all the way. Whichever she picks has to get 100%, and I don't think it'll be AJ.
You missed a space after one of the ellipsis and put now instead of not.
Also, having stuff blow up in the faces of people who snap is always good for a few paragraphs or a chapter.
No! No! I demand More Storah! Moar!!!!! *Collapse*
Another great chapter but goddamn it, can no one type breathe when they mean it? Breath =/= Breathe! Why does almost everyone make this mistake? It's infuriating!
YES!!! Buck Spitfire!
So close! Goddamit RD, why do you always run away!
Just... Damn...
I really love Soarin's characterisation in this. It could not be better.
What's that? This story wasn't about him? Fine. Well, Spitfire pretty much threw herself out the window of her relationship with AJ so there's no hope for that. That leavs RD. Hopefully she'll be found before she does anything reckless. I'd hate to see anything bad happen to her after/because of that.
I've been watching this fic for a little over 3-4ish weeks now and I must say I'm impressed with the consistency of updates and quality. You must really enjoy writing, it shows. My only one critique is that, sometimes you seem to forget that they are ponies. For example, spitfire punched rainbowdash. Horses can't really punch in the way that we do, so maybe the imagery would sell better if you kept their anatomies in mind. Like, Spitfire flung her forearm instead of punched.
I agree with the above comments, this fic really keeps up an astounding quality over all chapters. I wasn't too excited about a hospital scene, as I thought they usually all play out the same way, but this turned out very interesting. The only thing slightly upsetting me right now is how so many seem to root for Applefire. We're comparing a sudden relationship with a bipolar careerist, compared to the possibility of one with a long time friend who has been silently yearning for Applejack and with whom she shares interests and history. Poor Rainbow!
Personally, I'm rooting for Applefire. It's an interesting pairing that you've made work.
That, and I'm a fan of heartbreak.
I love how almost every comment is saying that they are happy for the end of the Applefire Ship.
I agree though. 
1432419 And then we said: DAYMN IT SPITFIRE! WE AINT GIVIN YOU NO GODDAMN APPLEFIRE! SO YOU CAN JUST GO BACK TO THE RAINBOWFIRE IN WHICH YOU CAME!
That chapter
1427699 I second that suggestion
1428423 she was also kinda out of her mind on medication.
1435593 Tell it, everypony is going on about how AJ and Dash have been secretly pining for each other - but that's just it, neither one trusted the other enough to risk themselves. Say whatever you want about Spitfire, she saw something she wanted and she had the pinions to go after it, to declare herself. I fully believe that if RD had come to her that night and tearfully explained why she called AJ to the auction Spitfire would have stepped aside - but she didn't, she took it as an excuse to mope and feel sorry for herself.
So now Spitfire is drugged, suffering enough physical trauma to have injury induced amnesia and her misinterpretation is going to be the conviction against her? Really? The only pony with a valid argument at this point if Soarin.
Ahh, so sad for Rainbow Dash
She held herself as strong as she could, but after revealing the truth. . 
I actually felt stressed out during the hospital scene. The way you weave drama and emotion into this is just...damn. You got chops. I'll admit, I felt like kind of a dick for being happy that Spitfire screwed up so royally, but I can't take anymore sad RD. Her and AJ need to hook up, like, stat. Spitty and Soarin can try again, after Spitfire learns her lesson from this little episode. I feel that seems a little too tidy a conclusion for a story with this much angst in it, but I'm a sucker for happy endings. A girl can dream, right? Anywho, psyched to see how this plays out, especially the competition. Will RD and Spitfire have to learn to work together to win the paired routine? Can Dash even legally enter? What ships will be endgame? And will Daring and Blondie ever defeat the evil goat? Find out this and more in the next installments of "What Would Daring Do?"
1436842
Not like medication makes up lies for you. Just lowers your inhibitions. Meaning this is how she truthfully and honestly feels. So yes, Spitfire was a bitch this chapter is not up for debate.
1459209 I never even entered into whether she's a bitch or not (she kinda' sorta' established that in an earlier chapter when she admitted she'd already figured out Rainbow's game and didn't want to tell Applejack because she was worried she'd lose AJ - that's not right.)
What medication will do is make you say things you wouldn't ever believe, and allow you to reach really really stupid conclusions. She should be judged on her overall actions and not one moronic outburst, that's all I'm saying.
Besides, isn't debate fun?
1459257
Ah, but you replied to someone who said she was a bitch, and offered an apologetic-styled explanation on her behalf. We call that defending someone's actions.
You may not have intended it, but it comes across as "It's not her fault so she's not really a bitch."
Just bringing it back to the original poster's point. Spitfire was a huge bluh bluh bitch, and that this is true.
1459288 then let me clarify: She is a bitch, so what?
Let me go further: she used and emotionally abused Soarin, and now that she's panicking about being alone in her old age she's reversed her priorities, completely screwing her teammates. So what?
Edit:1459350 I see your point
1459317
Nothing! Pointing out the obvious for fun and profit. Just because it's obvious doesn't mean it can't be stated, which the original poster felt like sharing.
1427560 "Minot typo:"
Is that a typo only detectable by some residents of North Dakota?
Finally all caught up with the story. And it's a blast!
And now we're here with the AppleDash all out in the open. Dash's confession was wonderfully written and I'm greatly invested in what AJ does next. Kudos to you. Can't wait for next chapter.
This also has, in my opinion, the best characterization of the Wonderbolts I've seen. Especially Spitfire and all the backstory you've given her. Also, weird to see Soarin' so introspective, calm, and understanding. Most stories have him as a goofball.
1469906
No, that would be a "Minor Fargo".
Still one of my favorite fics and most anticipated updates.
WOOOOO! APPLEDASH
Applejack had better realise that her and spitfire could never work. Dash can give her twice as much without taking a thing in return (life on the farm) and he would do it in a heartbeat too.
The tears of confusion and emotion are here. Or maybe that's just because I've been reading for almost 7 straight hours? past 5 in the morning and I can barely stop to get sleep...
Now that was one of the most incredible curve-balls that I have ever had the privilege of hitting me in the face. I am in love with these flashbacks and all of the drama that is taking place. I feel so bad for Soarin', he was going to propose to Spitfire on her birthday. That last paragraph of that scene brought out the waterworks for me. I feel like Spitfire was acting like a bit of a bitch in the flashback and in the hospital. You have done an amazing job with this story.
...
I feel another pic-review coming on! >:)
i44.tinypic.com/2ppet5l.jpg
Spitfire's rage-fury at Rainbow Dash was probably one of the most epic-level overreactions I've ever read in fan fiction, ever, forever. I can safely say that I expected her to have some kind of reaction to Rainbow Dash's presence, but I figured it'd be more along the lines of, "I can't do it now -- you'll have to take someone's place." Instead, Rainbow Dash gets face-pwnd in the most face-scrunching winces I've ever made to a piece of literature. This story just propelled itself into the stratosphere in terms of my opinion of it. This is now one of those fics I can safely recommend to everyone I know. Yes, a few nit-picks along the way, and now you've rendered every one of them moot with just how amazing those few paragraphs were.
This fic is better than sex... I'm having a cigar. Want one?
Ugh my feels bro you got me right in the feels I literally feel sick to my stomach over this whole thing no joke.