Tale of Soarin McLighting

by Electuroo

Chapter 16: Wondrous Wonderbolts

Tale of Soarin McLighting
Chapter 16: Wondrous Wonderbolts

Soarin rubbed his head in a confused manner trying to make heads and tails of the map he was provided with to find the Wonderbolt HQ in Cloudsdale. Not only did he have to keep an eye on the map, but he also had to keep an eye on the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The main reason he had to keep a good eye on them was them being so high above the ground.

Standing outside a shop Soarin held the map with one hoof taking a good look at it and the shop he and the girls stood next to. “Soarin are we lost?” Scootaloo asked.

“In complete honesty, yes... I might had seen his life in pieces as a dream for years, but being here and trying to navigate Cloudsdale is tricker than I thought it be.” Soarin answered with complete honesty to the filly.

“Wow I wasn't expecting that...”

“Being truthful?”

“Yeah.”

Soarin adjusted his leather coat a bit putting the map back in one of the pockets. “Just hope asking again doesn't result in being laughed at, or you girls being pointed to me.”

“Ah know! We asked and they said 'ask Soarin' he's a Wonderbolt!” Applebloom grumbled loudly. “Ah thought comin' would be fun, but it's full of feather brains that just either ignore or are... erm...”

“Ignorant?” Soarin suggested the word to her.

“Yeah that!”

Sweetie Belle step up to another Pegasus. “Excuses me ma'am we looking for the Wonderbolt HQ do you know where it is?”

The mare looked down at her and back at Soarin. “Ask him.”

“But...” The pony flew off. “I hate to admit this but can we forget about it and go home?”

“Yeah. I rather forget about the Wonderbolts now and just hang out with you Soarin.” Scootaloo chimed in with Sweetie Belle

Soarin turn to the shop again. “How about we get some ice cream, then go back to Ponyville. Ok girls?”

“Ok!” They cheered.

Soarin took out the map again and taking a good look at it. “Somethings off about this map...” He watch them enter the shop. “The directions lead us to around here and then nothing.” Soarin looked over the edge of the clouds fluttering his wings a little. “It's sketchy and I'm worried for the children’s safety... I'm taking a guess and saying that this map was suppose to get us lost. And the ponies being rude...” He muttered and place it back into his pocket walking into the shop.

“Girls I think we've been-” Soarin stared at what was before him, at a table was Spitfire, Fleetfoot and Soarin of the Wonderbolts. “Bloody knew it...”

The fillies starred with dumbfounded expressions on their faces as they were only a few feet away from three of the Wonderbolts. “Hey Blue, took you long enough to figure it out.” Spitfire just smirked and motioned with her hoof for him and the girls to join the three pegasi. “Hey Freeze Droplet! Four of your best ice creams for our friends here!”

“Coming right up Spitfire!” The smooth talking pink stallion said as he got to work on creating four cups of ice cream for the latest customers into his shop.

With an slight nudge from his foreleg, he pushed the fillies gently in the direction of the table. They snapped out of their trances and quickly went over to the table, jumping up onto the round chair around the large table. In his mind the logic centres were saying that everything from the table made out of wood and fabric to the counter with glass, metal and other materials should just fall through the clouds.

He stepped up to it and joined them, sitting opposite of the Wonderbolts on the other side of the table. “I would question how much of this should be falling through the clouds, but seeing through the eyes and ears of Soarin for 15 years in my sleep I know very well this is just bloody possible without any need of a logical reason.” He glanced to the smooth marble floor. “Still mixed with 60s and ancient Greek is another of how mixed up things can be and still work.”

Spitfire open her mouth but closed it. “And before we get started with the bloody meet and greets I like to say this.” He glares at Spitfire. “Instead of getting the locals to play your stupid little game and make us waste an hour of going around in circles and me worrying non-stop for the safety of the children you should have been got up and step out to tell us.” Blue didn't raise his voice keeping it calm and pointed it out to her on a plate.

“Would you?” Spitfire answered with her own question. Lowering her shades over the eyes looking directly into his.

“Yes. Specially if I notice children are involved.”

Soarin sighed. “Spits I told ya he not as easygoing as I am.”

“True, and this was all part of it.” She crossed her forelegs. “I could see you were handling it quite well, even it was unexpected.” Spitfire took a good look at the fillies. “I gather you three had sensed that he felt very uneasy with you tagging along.”

Scootaloo answered first. “Yeah pretty much. He's foalsitting us this weekend after all, and he also promised that he would take us if we behaved.”

“And we did! It's really amazing to be here, my sister came and kinda got into a little trouble.” Sweetie Belle rubbing her head a little. “She kinda knocked all you out.”

Fleetfoot, who was drinking a soda, swallowed hard with a coughing fit before she could collect herself. “Your Rarity's sister?” Sweetie Belle nods. “Well any pony falling from this high up would have been flailing around like that, we got it into our heads to just go right in without thinking about it and result lead to us being rescued by Rainbow Dash.”

Blue turned his eyes away thinking about it. “So that smash in the face and sudden wake up I had sometime last year was Soarin being KO'd by Rarity.”

“So how much do you know of Soarin's life Blue?”

He took a look good look at the counterpart blue white Pegasus without any form of Wonderbolt clothing on. “Every since the day after the break in on the London Museum 15 years ago, I seen bits and pieces of his life. At first me being so young it was just a bloody awesome and cool dream but as I got older and it continued I started to lose it. Being a test pilot for the RAF on experimental planes with risks involved gave me some freedom but at the end I had to go see a quack about it.” Blue explained as the ice cream was handed out to each and everypony around the table.

Blue took a spoon with hoof scooping out some of it. “What does a duck have to do with it?” Applebloom asked and started to eat her ice cream.

“It's short for a doctor that works on those that are emotionally damaged, depressed and such. A psychiatrist.” He answered. “Applebloom if you were to close your eyes and see, feel, and hear another's life as if you were really there with no continue of said actions, how would you feel when waking up knowing this stuff?”

Applebloom shivered at the thought of that. “Ah don't want to even think about it. Yer explain' what happened to ya gives me the shivers.”

“Yeah double for me.” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said together.

Spitfire eating her ice cream swallowed and tapping the bowl with her spoon. “So how did you cope at the end?”

Blue looked down at the ice cream on the spoon not eating any yet. “Mist... Mist Dangerfield. She I love with everything I have. It might come out weird but she stayed by me and helped so much. Yes there was a temper to her side but there would be days were I just want to just smash the place up. But Mist made sure I wouldn't do anything stupid and set me up with a device to record everything I dreamt of or thought I dreamt of.” Blue ate the ice cream off the spoon and took another scoop.

“That wasn't something I was expecting.” Fleetfoot was a bit surprised by the response. “Why are you so open about it?”

“Because somehow and for some reason I was stuck watching.” He point to Soarin. “His life, I feel like I violated another's life, I saw, felt and know the way he lives, the love of apple pies, the feelings he has. The joy of being a Wonderbolt co-captain. Even you Spitfire, you were a total twat at times.”

Spitfire blinked. “Twat? Are you calling me a idiot?”

“Yes.” He said bluntly.

“I would say you got some of this from Soarin's head but you not being Soarin and living a life that completely screwed up, I take it this from your own experiences with your flight team and ours. Am I close?” Spitfire was a little anger but kept calm.

Blue shrugged. “Pretty much. Team Spitfire had their stupid moments but one thing we don't do is be as reckless as you've been. And one of them has to do with what I learned from Twilight about a pony called Lightning Dust. It took Rainbow Dash confronting you to finally get your plot off that seat behind the desk to realise what happened and how much you completely...” Blue was about to say fucked up but looked at the fillies.

“In kinder terms then, any cursing in front of the youngsters and be grilled by their families, you really screwed up and had to make amends to her and her friends, making her lead pony meant Lighting Dust got off easy.” Blue went back to eating his ice cream.

“What do you mean?” Soarin dared asked.

“If that stunt was pulled off in the Royal Air Force that would risk not only the safety of the fliers and those that visiting or spectator it would of gone under investigation and the one responsible for almost taking another's life would have been court martialed. And if found guilty not only have they been dishonourably discharged from the services, but would have been taken to court by law and stand trial for breaking the law and putting the lives of everyone at risk.” Blue gave them the details flat out on the table so to speak.

“If found guilty, depending on the charges it would be community surface towards a prison term for months to years depending on how many charges they were found guilty on.”

Spitfire felt tense when hearing this, the ponies of this other world were more strict than anything she ever had to do. “Wow the more I learn about ya, the more differences we have.” Soarin replied.

“I wouldn't mind that happening to Lightning Dust, would teach her a lesson.” Scootaloo muttered.

“Why?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Because she even got Rainbow Dash hurt during the flag capture test! Rainbow Dash told me that even she can get hurt and what Lightning Dust did was out of order and Spitfire letting it go as it nothing is stupid too!” Scootaloo glared at the captain. “The Wonderbolts are awesome but what's the point of being one if others in the team can get hurt and you care nothing for it! If that's the case then they're just cadets like Rainbow!”

Spitfire lower her head flips flopped over a little. “Your right. I really did mess up. Thinking about those mistakes makes you wonder how I overlooked it. But it taught me that in order to be a team, we must work as a team. Kid that mistake...” She rose her head up. “Will never happen again. I promise you.” Her hoof held up to Scootaloo.

Scootaloo clop her hoof against Spitfire. “Sure! Rainbow Dash is like a sister to me! I take your word Spitfire!”

Spitfire smirked and turned to Blue. “As for you Soarin McLightning, it has been refreshing to have my flank kicked by somepony that might look like Soarin and sound mostly like him, but at the end of the day we learned something right here and now. You're not him and you fly some strange plane instead of using your wings for life on this Earth of yours. As a fellow flyer, I respect everything that was said right here at this table.” Spitfire got off the seat and stood on all fours. With one foreleg over her forehead.

Blue got off the chair too standing on all fours he saluted with his right foreleg over the forehead. “And I respect the way things work here, I am just somepony lost in another's lands and making a living as best he could. As respect to your own choices even, though I think they were stupid, it's plain to see that our lives and worlds are not so much alike. But coming to a common guards between two Pegasi and two experienced flyers, I hormonally accept that this is the way things are. Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts.”

Blue held out his hoof to Spitfire and with a clop they shook. “Now Co-captain Soarin McLightning of Team Spitfire how about we take you and the youngsters to the Wonderbolt HQ and join us for a little party.”

Applebloom gasped. “Party!? You mean somethin' Pinkie Pie made?”

“We have our own Wonderbolt that love to create parties.” Spitfire smirked

“This is going to be so awesome!”

“I wonder who that pony is.” Sweetie Belle thinks, Scootaloo gets pumped up for the party.

As they left, with the girls all riding on Blue's back, he took a look at Soarin as they took off and flew to the Wonderbolt HQ. “Blue next time keep out anything that I personally thought and said in private. I rather not get grilled and dragged into trouble because of what you know from my life.”

“I pinkie promise. Cross My Heart, Hope to Fly, Stick a Cupcake in my Eye!” Blue did the motion with what he said. “Now you're safe.” The girls giggled.

Soarin blinked. “What was that about? What kind of promise is that?”

“One you don't want to break. Trust me, Pinkie Pie knows no matter where she is.”

“Bu-but that...”

“After being in Ponyville for the last few weeks you know not to question anything Pinkie Pie does.” Blue responded. “She is the most incomprehensible friend you can ever have.”

The girls laughing at the expression Soarin was giving. “I'm going just accept it and leave it at that...” Soarin suddenly felt nervous looking around. “I am very sure I thought I saw her for a second...”

“Maybe.” The girls said together. Soarin shivered at the thought and quickly shook it off and continued flying with the other pegasi to the HQ of the Wonderbolts in Cloudsdale rounding the Colosseum.

The ponies keeping in formation flew through the city, in and out of buildings with other ponies flying in a path which almost look like a road but in the skies. A few stood on clouds with signs held with their wings and a whistle in the mouth. Blowing it and a sign raised with one green on both sides, another red on both sides pointing in directions.

Blue thought back to seeing this during the Great Blackout a few years back when the power through London blacked out for almost two weeks. The police kept things going with the army on the roads directing traffic, using signs and whistles. They manage to go through a green sign and pass a rather large cloud with an building showing two flags of Equestria hanging from it, he gathered this was City Hall, the centre of Cloudsdale government.

From a distance he could see the Weather Factory on the city edge it size what was seen mostly from ponies on the ground, not the vast miles of cloud supported buildings to schools and Flight Camp. Standing on what he believe a busy street with ponies walking around talking to each other, at a park where he saw flowers, grass and even an guard with fountains stood on clouds, even a tree in soil.

Blue had to stop staring at the sight before him, the girls were speechless too, they heard and seen pictures of it but the true beauty of pegasi magic to hold up something like this park was unbelievable and almost too impossible to imagine. No words could describe what they saw.

“Pretty neat right?” Soarin come to a hover beside Blue. “The clouds are so thick here that anything can sit on it, even ponies without cloud walking magic, with the City Hall and Wonderbolt HQ being around this city centre. It gives Pegasi pride and joy to know we can create something like this.” Soarin point out to the crystals scattered around shimmering with an energy that really gave the area an unique feel.

Blue stared at each of them. “Each crystal in this area enhances the clouds to become a solid allowing soil, trees and many other things to stay up in the clouds, including effecting all of Cloudsdale from this very point. It's what helps keeps your machines up in the factory, to everyday object that should pass through that isn't pegasi. It only affects all ponies in this area but those outside it would be affected by a Cloudwalking spell...” Blue recalled what Soarin had spoken to some ponies before when giving a tour a few months back. “Sorry, recounting what you said in that tour.”

Soarin chuckled. “Guess a history lessons not needed then.”

“Bloody no. I have that burned into my brain already...”

“Well let's get to the HQ, it's just right there.” Soarin pointed to the building with a gate up, a few ponies in a different type of uniform, compared to the Wonderbolts flight suit or uniform, stood outside the academy. The outfits was blue with yellow markings but was more armor like. The pegasi also held crossbows and spears in their blue hoof shoes.

“Bloody damn, they look like they're ready for war...”

“Yeah. Being the city centre and all with the city hall and HQ in the same place, you can't get more secure then here, you did notice the strange feel the area too right?” Blue nods. “It a magical field that protects the crystals, if they were to go, well half the city would just fall apart.”

Blue took a note, he notice some ponies looking a little out of place and how well defended, even an ground attack would find it difficult to get near to this place. “Would explain why the city look much smaller than it does. I am sure we flew for a mile or so before getting here.”

“Yeah that would be illusionary magic that Princess Celestia put up.” Soarin explained. “Make it that most only see the Weather Factory and look a heck of alot smaller then it really is.” Soarin glide down to a landing on the path walking up to the gates of the Wonderbolt HQ. “They're with me.”

The guards nod and opened the gate. Blue lands and walks in with the girls jumping down and walking alongside him to the HQ, they notice it had large circle pillars every so often with a roof hanging over the top. The front had two massive statues of marble Wonderbolts flying with one hoof out in front. The flags were of the Wonderbolts and of Equestria over the arch, the door was large and wooden with metal crisscrossing through it.

The doors was open and Spitfire walked in first with Fleetfoot afterwards, the two stallions and fillies followed into the building. The guard ponies at the door push them closed with a hoof each against them.

Within it had a very modern feel to it as they walk down the corridor past the front desk with some ponies talking to the clerk. Blue took note of everything and saw some stop to look at him directly, he had this look many times in Ponyville and shrugged it off as they went down a more lower ceiling and smaller corridor. The girls talking to each other about how amazing the place was.

They came to a set of double doors, pushing it open Spitfire turn and put a hoof out for Blue to go first. Upon entering it look like a cafeteria but it was shifted and moved around. Tables with food all the way around the wall in front of him with a stage and some ponies playing music with their hooves and wings tugging on strings. Others were general conversations, while some were playing some of the party games.

Streamers and balloons were all over the place with party decorations and a disco ball in the middle moving around with the reflective lights dancing on the ceiling to the floor.

“Welcome Soarin McLightning! And Cutie Mark Crusaders! We've been waiting forever!” A white pegasi with a blond mane and tail puffy like Pinkie Pies with a cutie mark that was almost the same except with the colour of the balloons differently coloured compared to how Pinkies appeared.

“Hello Surprise, pleasure to meet you.” He smirked in a not surprised tone of voice.

“Surprise!? She looks like Pinkie Pie, but white and yellow with wings!” Scootaloo gasped. “Are you cousins to Pinkie Pie?”

“Yeah I am! About three times removed down the family I think!” She giggled. “I can never keep track of the Pies to the Flies!” She giggled again. “But when it comes to flying with the Wonderbolts, my party thrill goes and I put my serious mane on!” She pull her mane back and it went spiky. “See, this my serious mane! Cool right?”

“Yeah. It is!” Sweetie Belle replied. “Do you have a sense like Pinkie Pie?”

“Nope, I just get wind of things.” Surprise hovered over them. “Here your party hats!”

“Thank ya Surprise.” Applebloom adjusted her party hat. “Come on let's have fun!”

“Yeah!” They cheered and runs off to enjoy the party.

Blue was about to stop them but Surprise put her hoof on his. “Don't worry they'll be fine! Soarin, me and the others will keep an eye on them! They're in the safest place in Cloudsdale! Come on and enjoy the party!” She pulled him in and Spitfire with her fellow members just smiled and walked in as well to join in the festivities of the party.

He chuckled softly as he was freed, taking a glance at Spitfire. “The word fine isn't a word used for the ponies around here.” Spitfire shook her head a little.

As the party went on the CMC was having a blast interacting with not only the Wonderbolts but the crew that work alongside them to get things prepared to the everyday pony that work with the paperwork and booking their performances. Soarin McLighting watched happily as they enjoyed their time, taking this time to just chill out with some snacks and drinks, the weekend sometimes being a tad crazy and overall been fine for the stallion.

Spitfire sat down at the table where he sat at. “So Soarin why the heck you doing all the way back here and not mingling and talking to the other members of the Wonderbolts? Let them get to know you? This was the reason for the get together.”

Then with a slow look around at the party happening around them she continued to speak. “Yet all the effort Surprise made it seem rather pointless.”

Soarin looked at each of the Wonderbolts enjoying the time together sharing their experiences and the fillies listening to their stories. The Soarin of Equestia hovering over a pie with Scootaloo aiding him to swipe it from his forelegs. “I know what you had in mind Spitfire, yet we have our own bloody differences. Why did you think I didn't come here?” Soarin took a sip from the Apple Cider.

“The city's amazing and so are all the pegasi here but it's been hard to even adapt to sleep in a cloud house. Half... Well most of the time I spend my time sleeping in the hanger on the sofa. I couldn't even think about sleeping this high up, visiting yes but staying this high up sleeping. Not a not a bloody chance.” Soarin drank the last of the cider in the mug.

Spitfire was surprised by the response. “I heard from some ponies you're quite the flier, but hearing you rather sleep closer to the ground, well that's a surprise.”

Soarin stared into the empty mug held in his wing. “Would you believe that three princesses allowed me to have two aspects of Earth, one human and the other well has the mythical beings like dragons, griffins and ponies with similar but different histories?” His eyes left the mug and turn to Spitfire.

“Yes, Princess Celestia informed me via a letter a week ago.” Spitfire answered. “So what makes you knowing two versions of your home so special?”

He shrugged. “Maybe the fact that the last cloud city was on British soil, well hidden from the world kinda city.”

“There's a pegasi city like Cloudsdale in the pony version of this British?”

“Yeah Great Britain or the United Kingdom whatever you choice has, and the world, has secrets. Each country does, like the USA with their Area 51 for example. That air base is so secretive that all we got are guesses, theories and such. I am sure that somewhere in Equestria that someplace is far larger that it looks from the outside, like the city of Cloudsdale for example.”

As he begins to talk the other ponies start to gather around to listen to him while the ones on stage kept the music going on the nod from one of the Wonderbolts. “Hmm, that is true.” Spitfire agreed on that point. “So what is the name of this last Pegasi city?”

“Britannia is the cover name for it, but it's true was name lost in time. We use the name from a warrior of the past. But the city itself ever changing as the years past, and when the new laws came into play when weather control became a tool for war, it ended all but one city. The rest was swept away into the winds as it where, no pony control the weather any more. But those in the RAF only know of the tale of the last cloud city of Britannia.” Soarin explains to them about what happened to the cities and only one left.

He rose the mug up with the tip of his wing balancing it there. “Over the years that past, the RAF created a unique weather system to make it look as natural as possible, but can also be controlled to keep the city hidden. Balanced at a single point and a few miles in size while being about three miles above the ground, the city of Britannia sits trapped within the eye of the vortex jet stream between the sea bounders of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. I only heard tales of it like many of those in the RAF. A tale cadets are told.”

Soarin McLighting spun the mug around gently. “No one's ever been able to get near that location due to the winds that blow non stop and the fact there always a naval or air presence from the Royal Naval and Air Force.”

“How can you know it's real?” Rapidfire asked.

“Bloated out images from maps, the ever endless presence of the naval and air force, and the fact the weather haven't changed over that part of the sea in almost 200 years when the last of the cloud cities was destroyed. Take your pick on what you'd believe.” He glanced over to the Wonderbolt.

Soarin chuckled. “Blue has a point, there's quite a lot of unanswered questions, what about the human side of things to it?”

Blue thought about it. “Nothing much just sea. That's what I mean. The human and pony sides are similar but that's when things get a little crazy. The reason more believe it's there is because after the Great Blackout that happened on both versions.”

“I heard of this, what was the Great Blackout?” Spitfire asked Blue. “I am curious...”

Blue sighed. “A moment that showed us that we were too depended on technology. Two weeks of nothing electrical. No lights, no TV, nothing. The solar storm that washed through our star system and created high levels of magnetic interference with all electrical devices. The governments in most parts of the world were prepared for it and shut down the whole power grid to protect it at a heavy cost.” Blue thought back to it. He recalling the toughest weeks and years to come.

“Sometimes something so wonderful could be the worst thing to happen. And the storm was exactly that... It lit up the night sky in a dazzling shower of clouds of rainbow light dancing together. Lives were lost throughout the weeks and years to come after it all happened, still even today we are slowly recovering and getting our lives back together.” Soarin put the cup down. “Not all stories are happy... And this isn't one of them.”

“Couldn't your princess do something?” One of the other wonderbolt members asked.

Blue shook his head. “Our world don't have Alicorns like you do.” They gasped. “Different world different rules guy and girls.”

Spitfire shook her head with a sigh. “How about something more cheery?”

“How about Bolt! The fastest Earth Pony on Earth!” Scootaloo called out.

“Yeah! Tell them Soarin!” Sweetie Belle wanted to hear it again.

“Ah like to know if he still races!” Applebloom eager to know.

Blue smirked. “Ok sure thing! Everypony gather around, this about something I haven't even told the crusaders about how Bolt still keeps going strong and a few years back he beat his own personal best and how he just managed to keep his seat on top. But it also about how he cares for those around him too, his friends and his family.”

Blue starts to tell them and from by the doors Discord stood with his arms crossed. “Hmm how interesting. Not only one but two different dimensional ponies arrived. Still having him appear out of thin air before me was a little of a shock.” He drunk the Apple Cider in an large mug. “Got to say it refreshing to be surprised. I think it about time to pay a visit to his filly friend at the Crystal Empire. Oh the fun!” With a click he was gone in an flash.

One of the Wonderbolts noticed Discord disappeared and put his hoof over the ear. “Ma'am you might have some company...” He whispered and removing the hoof continue to listen to Blue.

Author's Note:

Not so much of a spoiler. We all know Fluttershy writes to Discord! So that how he knows about Mist :P

Don't try to make sense of how he instantly get mail from her!

Comments

[D3rpyh00ves]

AGHAHGAHGAHGHGHAHG
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NAO!

No just kidding.. I'm very lonely.. not.
Welp, That was random.. Anyways! Go at yo own pace yo, I mean, you did just continue this..
I think I'm crazy..