A Family lost
The extravagance of Rainbow Dash's birthday/anniversary celebration had reached a level of epic that no one could have anticipated thanks to the combined efforts of Pinkie Pie, the resident party planner, and a traveling party pony named Cheese Sandwich. The meeting of these two ponies ultimately resulted in a social event that dwarfed even the Grand Galloping Gala in all its grandeur: Streamers and confetti, fired from party cannons, rained down over the roads. An amber stream of cider cascaded from the spout of the town fountain to froth and splash over the walls of its stone basin. Ponies young and old filled their bellies with barbecued hay burgers, freshly-baked sweets, and cupcake-topped pizza, the slices of which were so large that they could have doubled as an edible blanket after eating the first half and collapsing into a food coma. Those who were not eating, passed out near the cider fountain, or relaxing in the giant punch bowl were crowded near the large stage at the center of town, enjoying the musical performance of Pinkie Pie as Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity provided their services as background dancers.
♪Get your hooves up, party's starting out right now
Everypony, everypony get down
Time to make a wish, better make it right now
It's been a year and today is your birthday party♪
Ponies near the stage danced in a state of mirth and merriment. The ones who were able to catch on to the main chorus of the song sang along.
♪Make a wish, it's your birthday
Make a wish, it's your birthday party
Make a wish, it's your birthday
Make a wish, it's your birthday party♪
Pinkie Pie was just coming to the second verse of her song when her tail began to twitch. Her ears flattened back, her mane deflated, then reinflated. She stopped singing and looked curiously at the sky. The DJ adjusted the switches on her board and brought the volume of the music down when she noticed Pinkie's sudden spasms. The ponies in the crowd, including Rainbow Dash, stopped dancing and looked on at the Pink mare's erratic change in behavior.
Applejack, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity traded curious expressions with one another.
"Darling," Rarity said, "are you feeling all right?"
Pinkie Pie gripped her tail to keep it from trembling. "Something's coming this way!"
A hushed chorus of murmurs broke out from the crowd in front of the stage. Pinkie Pie's precognitive ability was not a secret to the citizens of Ponyville. The local saying was, 'When Pinkie's tail starts a twitchin', it was time to stop, look, and listen.'
Pinkie Pie, guided by her sixth sense, craned her head back and scanned the sky. It was her mane that twitched this time. She couldn't see it, whatever it was, but she could feel it approaching. "Whatever it is, it's coming from over there." She pointed toward the city of Cloudsdale as it loomed in the distance.
The throng of party-goers turned their collective gaze toward the direction in which Pinkie Pie had indicated. All was silent, save for the subtle whisper of a gentle breeze blowing through the town.
An object began to materialize far off in the distance. It was small at first - barely a speck that only the keenest of sight would have been able to discern. The ponies squinted and leaned forward in an attempt to identify the airborne enigma as it rapidly approached. Some in the crowd yelped with a jolt of surprise when a powerful clap of thunder roared from its direction, a jet of black smoke following in its wake, like a smoldering meteor tearing through the atmosphere. The unidentified flying object's speed accelerated, and a white ring of air rippled from where it broke the sound barrier with an earth shattering boom. When it was high above the stage it angled sharply in a dive. There was no time to warn anyone to get back. The object fell upon them like a shooting star, then crashed into the stage, sending a web cracks sprawling through the wooden platform.
The prostrated ponies that had braced for impact near the stage dared a timid peak. Applejack and all of her friends uncovered their heads to goggle at the pillar of smoke, straining their senses in an attempt to identify their new guest. Its form was abstract at first, an apparition wreathed in an opaque shroud. The silhouette assumed the form of a pegasus when its wings fanned out, and when the smoke dispersed, all beheld the Wonderbolt standing before them.
Soarin dropped an army green duffel bag on the ground with a heavy metallic thunk. Tendrils of residual smoke lazily wafted from the tips of his wings as he scanned the ocean of party attendants, then he let out an impressed whistle from between his teeth. He turned to Rainbow Dash and her friends on the stage. They could only gawk -- shocked, awed, and reasonably startled. "I wasn't expecting a turnout like this," he said. "You're more popular than I thought, Dashie."
"Y-yeah... I'm pretty awesome..." Rainbow Dash stammered, her saucer eyes betraying the nonplussed visage behind her mask of bravado. "What are you doing here?"
Soarin regarded the inquiry with exaggerated offense. "What, I can't give my regards to the birthday girl on her special day?"
"I didn't mean it like that," Rainbow Dash said defensively. "I mean, you're a Wonderbolt; you have more important things to do, don't you?"
"I'm not a Wonderbolt anymore; I quit, remember?" Soarin took the duffel bag he had brought with him, unzipped it, and began to assemble the object inside. "I often myself thinking..." He paused as he looked curiously at two pieces of metal and attempted to figure out how they were supposed to connect. After some experimental tinkering, he managed to couple their latches together with a careful alignment of the threading, a few twists, and a sharp metallic clack to indicate they were in place. He nodded in satisfaction before he continued. "I often find myself thinking of what the perfect gift would be. Like, what would truly be special? Just about anything in this world can be bought, but, c'mon, where's the fun in that? I mean, don't get me wrong, commercialism has its place when it comes to gift giving, but I think you deserve something special, something that can't just be purchased from a store. What is that, you ask? Why, your fondest wish, of course."
Rainbow Dash exchanged bemused looks with all of her friends.
Pinkie Pie, first to break the silence, started hopping in circles around Soarin as he worked. "So, you're here to grant Dashie a wish? So, you're like a genie, or a magician? Oh, oh, if you're going to saw a mare in half, I volunteer!"
"I'm no magician, per se." Metallic clicks, the stripping of duct tape, and the sliding of greased iron threads twisting into place could be heard from the item Soarin was tinkering with. "But I can pull a good time out of my hat."
"But you're not wearing a hat," Pinkie Pie observed.
"You're right." Soarin gave the object a hard pump, and with that final clack of the metal slide riding along the steel rack, he had finished assembling the device. He rested the long tubular object on his back, grinned, and said, "Guess I'll just have to pull it out of somewhere else."
"What the hay?" Applejack finally spoke up, eyeing the object in question. "Ah thought you was gonna give her yer flight suit -- not... Whatever that thing is."
"Wait, what?" a very flummoxed Rainbow Dash broke in. "Why does it sound like you knew he was coming to my party? And what's this about a flight suit?"
Applejack ignored her friend's questions and regarded Soarin with an expression that could only be described as a 'what the hell are you doing' expression.
Soarin's response was a cocky grin that said 'you'll see' before he started in the direction of the microphone. The speakers popped and pattered as he gave the mic a few experimental taps, then he held his now-assembled device aloft for the world to behold. "This little piece of hardware, fillies and gentlecolts, is the culmination of what you get when you take the mad geniuses that are the Wonderbolts pyrotechnics team and lock them in a room with a few scraps of metal and a crate of energy drinks: I give you the Combustible Ordinance Launching Tube, or C.O.L.T for short: It operates and functions much like a party cannon, but it's far more portable and easier to load than its bulky predecessor. She fires eighty eight millimeter stadium grade rockets, it's beautified with a cobalt finish, sports a hair trigger and a polymer foregrip, and features a recoil-absorbing ergonomic stock for maximum comfort - for the grenadier who simply doesn't have time for a dislocated shoulder. This is only a prototype, but as soon as all the testing is done, you will be able to pick these babies up wherever fireworks are sold. Shop smart. Shop S-mart."
Pinkie Pie's smile was ecstatic. "Can I get mine in pink!"
Soarin shouldered the C.O.L.T and inclined it. His hoof found the ignition switch. The launcher kicked with a loud boom. The rocket trailed a swirling stream of rainbow smoke until it suddenly bloomed in the twilight with a deep rumble that rolled throughout the sky, and night was turned to day. The mares met with Soarin at the helm of the stage, gazing wide at the shower of blues and reds and greens and purples setting the firmament ablaze.
Rarity's eyes became glittering sapphires as they reflected the conflagration. "Simply divine!" she said, enamored.
"One rocket did all of that?" asked a thoroughly intrigued Twilight Sparkle.
"So... Awesome," murmured a starry eyed Rainbow Dash.
Soarin was aware of Applejack standing next to him. He stole a glance at her. She stared in silence, captivated by the display. The light from the bursting showers illuminated her coat in a way that made it look like molten gold. It invigorated him that she was enjoying the show so much, but it wasn't over. Just you wait, he thought. It's just getting started.
Soarin focused his attention on the sky and waited. A smile touched his lips when the silhouettes of Spitfire, Fleetfoot, Wave Chill, High Winds, Rapidfire, Blaze, and Lightening Streak became distinctive through the veil the fireworks had created. Right on time.
The sounds of mild amusement escalated to frenzied exclamations of excitement as the Wonderbolts tore through the vibrant firestorm, the tips of their wings slashing white lines through the air as they flew in perfectly synchronized formation. In a flying V they dove together, then banked to soar just above the group gathered before the stage. Soarin noted how Wave Chill, all decked out in his flight suit, flew just low enough to give a young colt standing on his father's back a passing a high hoof. Both father and son were thrilled by that.
Nice improv, Waves. Soarin then glanced over at Rainbow Dash to gauge her reaction. She was hyperventilating, forelegs tightly crossed over her chest, as if to keep herself from falling apart from the rapture of it all. "You had the Wonderbolts show up to perform at my birthday?" she exclaimed.
Soarin laughed. He figured that Rainbow Dash would be excited, but she was taking it to a level that not even he had anticipated. It was kind of cute how, despite her tough tomboyish exterior, she just couldn't fight back her girlish squees of mirth when she was so ecstatic. "Sure did," he said. "And now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for me to perform my... My..." A small lump was beginning to form in his throat. He hadn't expected this part would make him emotional. He fought to keep his voice from becoming husky. "It's time for me to perform my last aerial stunt with my team, ever." With a deep breath he swallowed that pesky lump, and forced it into the deepest pit of his stomach. This was supposed to be a happy occasion. He would have plenty of time to be misty-eyed later.
He returned to his duffel bag and retrieved another rocket. He loaded his launcher, then fired it into the sky. Spitfire gave the signal to the others, and, in perfect synchronization, as if they were merely reflections of each other instead of individuals, they pivoted in the air and tore after the projectile with powerful bursts from their wings. Their sudden explosion of speed tussled manes and blew the hats off of those standing too close.
A suspenseful calm came over the enthralled crowd as the Wonderbolts spread out to orbit around the rocket. Faster and faster they went, until they were a blurry cerulean ring in the sky. A vortex was beginning to form.
Soarin then popped the last shell into the C.O.L.T before he opened his wings and took to the sky.
The rocket finally burst in the air, and what spread forth upon its detonation was a colorful ring of light, a rainbow nova. The tornado The Wonderbolts had preemptively created sucked it in, and then they became as one, a shimmering vortex of iridescent flames. The Wonderbolts then dispersed and made their way to the stage. Their job was now finished. The rest was up to Soarin.
Everyone watching the spectacle down below began to 'ooh' and 'ah.' Meanwhile, Soarin was hovering by, launcher in hoof. He took aim once his former team were at a safe enough distance, then fired the final rocket into the base of the funnel. The resulting explosion engulfed the winged stallion in an expanding nimbus of colorful flames.
The throng down below was in a cacophony of gasps. The Wonderbolts, however, remained calm as they hovered above the stage, some shaking their heads and laughing at the reactions of those not privy to the stunt.
The fissure of rainbow fire continued to ripple, and all thought their rocket launcher-wielding hero consumed by the hungry firestorm -- until -- like an action hero outrunning the wall of fire chasing him down a narrow corridor -- Soarin emerged, his widespread wings carving rainbow wisps into the night sky.
Wild cheers echoed throughout the town from ponies near the stage, on the stage, and even from those who were now observing from opened windows. Many had even climbed atop their roofs to observe the spectacle from their homes, Soarin had noticed.
He joined his team to gaze up at the sky, to observe the climax of their stunt. It wasn't long before the ovations and applause began to dwindle, and the entirety of Ponyville's populace had become bereft of breath at what the Wonderbolt's had created.
The tornado's eruption mottled the sky in an aurora of shifting colors. Green faded to blue, blue faded to purple, purple faded to orange. The spiraling waves danced fluidly about the sky like clusters of bio-luminescent sea life drifting lazily in a starry current. Its beauty even managed to enthrall The Wonderbolts. They had not yet had the privilege to perform this particular stunt, as it was being saved for the grand finale of their Los Pegasus air show, the most anticipated airshow of the year.
Soarin couldn't help but find it funny that this little backwater town would be the first to observe the Wonderbolts' most fantastic aerial stunt yet, but this trick was merely a gift from Spitfire. Soarin had yet to present his own gift. He touched down on the stage and approached the microphone. Before he spoke, he took a few minutes to let the others around him enjoy the romantic atmosphere the aurora created: Some gazed dreamily. A few babbled to each other in amazement. Lovers intimately nuzzled and held one another while gazing at the array of airborne colors.
Soarin looked up at the sky and let the serenity of the moment take him. My last show ever, he thought, wistful, yet strangely at peace with himself. And I went out with a literal bang.
All in attendance were still looking up at the colors in silent reverie. There were some couples among them that had started making out. Soarin cleared his throat into the mic to get their attention. "Now, now, Ponyville, remember, there's kids here too. Why don't you save the real fireworks for when you're in private, eh? You know who you are!" Soarin swept an accusing hoof over the crowd. The adults had a chuckle at that. "The Wonderbolts, fillies and gentlecolts. If that wasn't an entrance, I don't know what is!"
A thunderous gale of applause erupted. The Wonderbolts took a bow amidst the cheers and whistling and roaring clop of hooves. Rainbow Dash and her friends were all stamping, clapping and hooting to contribute to the collective of mirth and revelry.
Looks like everyone's having fun, Soarin thought. He then gave Spitfire a nod. The fiery-maned captain gave her team a signal before they descended to the stage.
"What's happening?" Rainbow Dash oscillated as they landed all about her. "Is this part of the show?" she said, magenta eyes blinking in puzzlement.
Spitfire, glowering, did not deign to answer as she produced a tubular container from the inside of her flight suit, which she wordlessly thrust out for Soarin to take. Spitfire and Soarin met eyes as the object was being transferred between them. The rancorous look in her eyes was nothing short of poisonous, as if it conveyed a vow of retribution. No one seemed to notice the exchange as Soarin began to slide the object out from Spitfire's foreleg. Just as it was about to clear her hoof, she gripped down tight on it, her eyes narrowing into an even sharper grimace. Unintimidated, Soarin waited patiently for her to let go, and after a moment she finally did.
Soarin taunted her with a derisive smile before he turned away from her. He cleared his throat into the mic. "Front and center, noobie," he said, indicating Rainbow Dash.
The perplexed mare tilted her head. "What did you call me?"
"He called you noobie, noobie," Rapidfire replied.
"He's calling you to stand with him," Wave Chill urged her on with a flick of his hoof.
Rainbow Dash wasn't sure what to make of her situation as she went to meet with him. Several times she would look to The Wonderbolts, then to her friends, as if they would render some clue as to what was going on. When she had fallen in beside Soarin, she just looked awkwardly out at all the ponies in front of the stage. There were so many eyes in that audience silently staring at her, and every single one looked just as clueless as she was. She rubbed her leg coyly and said, "So, you gonna tell me what's going on?"
Soarin gave her a playful wink. "I already told you, I'm here to grant you your fondest dream." He raised the piece of parchment for the audience to see. Ponies in the crowd squinted in an attempt to read the tiny print, but the only words legible from where they stood were the bold ones at the top that read 'Conditions of initiation.' He turned the parchment over, took one last look at Rainbow Dash, then read it out loud for all to hear.
"Upon the signing of this document, I, Rainbow Dash, acknowledge that I am a reserve for the Cloudsdale Wonderbolts. Upon my day of completion of the academy, I will fill the now empty seat in the team and bear my title as an official Wonderbolt with pride and honor. I understand that this seat shall remain open exclusively for me upon my completion of the academy and all of its courses. However, if I should fail to complete said courses, therefore failing to graduate on the applicant's expected date of completion, on the thirteenth sunrise of the month of hearthfire, this contract becomes null and void, and I, Rainbow Dash, shall relinquish my reserved slot on the team."
Soarin set the contract flat on the ground for Rainbow Dash to stamp with her hoof print, cementing her position in the team she had always pinned to be a part of, but she remained silent, nonplussed. The crowd watched on in anticipation. Rarity and Fluttershy stood with their hooves over their mouths, while Pinkie Pie's and Twilight Sparkle's jaws hung open in a silent gasp. Applejack was the only one who wasn't looking at Rainbow Dash. She was looking right at Soarin, a perplexed look on her face, as if she was trying to determin if he was real or was merely a figment of her imagination.
The lull was beginning to make Soarin feel uncomfortable. "Isn't this what you've always wanted?" he said in a low voice, so only she could hear him.
"You're... You're actually making me a Wonderbolt?" She said in a breathless whisper.
"No, Dash. It's still up to you to make yourself a Wonderbolt. All I did was pull some strings to make you a reserve. If I could make you a Wonderbolt right now, I would, but you still have to graduate from the academy. Your spot is guaranteed so long as you finish your courses. Oh, and by signing this document--" Soarin turned the contract over to reveal another body of print on the other side. "Just for a little icing on the cake, this contract is also a property deed. By giving this document your stamp, you also inherit my estate. It will just be empty space since I've moved out, so I figured why not just move you into it right now. Of course, if you prefer to live here in Ponyville, you could always use it as a dorm for you and your friends, to make the commute to the academy easier during the season."
Soarin then felt a disturbance in the force. He lifted his gaze to notice Spitfire trying to burn holes into him with her eyes. "What?" he said, brusquely.
"The estates are not sorority houses!" Spitfire barked. "I never approved of this decision, nor did you ever mention it to me!"
"No, you didn't," Soarin held the document up for spitfire to see. "But the board did, and I even got the deed notarized."
"Who in the hoof did you find to notarize that?" The Captain demanded.
"I'm not going to say his name, but a certain little dragon in this very town just happens to be a licensed and full-fledged notary of the public. As a matter of fact, he helped me write out the deed and this contract for a diminutive little fee of a few gemstones. Both the contract and deed are stamped with the official seal and watermark of the Canterlot court, and this little dragon whom I speak of is a direct assistant to a princess, therefor his legal authority is an extension of Celestia herself. You could disregard the deed if you'd like, but I wouln't if I were you."
"Check mate!" Wave chill blurted, earning him a scathing glare from The Captain.
"And there is only one more thing to do," Soarin announced. "The only thing keeping this contract from becoming legally binding is your hoof print."
"I'm afraid I'm going to wake up any minute," Rainbow Dash said softly, overcome with emotion. It isn't every day that one's dream is suddenly presented to them in the form of gold-trimmed parchment.
Rainbow Dash's friends were joining her by her side. "Darling," Rarity said, "this is your dream come true!"
"Yeah, doesn't that make you happy?" Pinkie Pie asked.
Applejack placed a comforting hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Ain't nopony gonna make you sign this thing if you don't want to, sugarcube."
Rainbow Dash wiped a tear from her eye. "This is all happening so fast." She took the parchment in her hooves and scanned her eyes across the texts several times. Her friends watched in silence. The crowd and even the Wonderbolts waited in anticipation for her answer. "This part, right here." She pointed to a line of text. "If I should fail to complete said courses, therefore failing to graduate on the applicants expected date of completion on the thirteenth sunrise of the month of hearthfire, this contract becomes null and void."
"A deadline had to be set," Soarin explained. "There's an empty slot in the team that needs to be filled as soon as possible. You'll be inheriting my schedule when you graduate, and last time I checked, there was a whole year of special appearances and events you'll be attending. You'll need to be a full time student to make the date, but I'm sure you're more than capable of handling that."
Rainbow Dash swallowed. "A-a whole year, huh?"
Soarin could see the hesitation written in Rainbow Dash's expression. "Dashie," he said softly, "isn't this everything you've ever wanted? This contract will secure your future."
"Travel to exotic locations," Wave Chill put in.
"Basking in the applause and admiration of thousands of screaming fans," Blaze added.
"A solid seven figures a year?" Rapid fire incentivized. "You'll be making a lot more than you ever did at that minimum wage weather patrol job of yours."
Soarin was beginning to puzzle as to why Rainbow Dash was being so hesitant. She continued to stare silently at the contract while the team poured the incentives on her. When finally, with a sorrowful sigh, she rolled the contract back up, walked over to Soarin, and held it out for him to take back. "I'm very sorry, but I can't accept these terms."
The dumbfounded stallion could only goggle at her.
"I'm sorry," Rainbow Dash said, with a smile that was as grateful as it was sincere. "You must have gone through so much trouble to put all of this together. This is honestly the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, but I'm not ready to make a commitment like this just yet."
Soarin had put a lot of effort into this contract in order Spitfire-proof it, yet it was Rainbow Dash who had been the one to end up foiling him. He should have known it would backfire on him in some way, as his hopes and plans were wont to do. "Are you sure about this?" He asked her, trying his hardest not to look dejected.
"Yes. My friends need me, and I need them, and they'll always come first. Don't get me wrong, I do plan on becoming a Wonderbolt eventually, but it's going to be on my own terms."
"I see..." Soarin felt the sting of disappointment, but he hid it well. All he really wanted to do was make Rainbow Dash happy on her birthday, and he supposed he had already achieved that just by showing up. Forcing himself to smile, he took the parchment and tore it in half, then he tore the halves into quarters. Before long he had two hoofs full of legally notarized confetti, which he threw into the air for the wind to take. "There's no point in dwelling on it, then."
Rainbow Dash gave him an apologetic smile. "So, you're not mad?"
"Mad? Why would I be mad? You still have your birthday party to enjoy, and if nothing else, you at least have that to gaze at for the next few hours." Soarin pointed to the aurora burning away in the sky. "And it's all thanks to Spitfire, who so graciously planned out our entrance just for you on your special day. Isn't that right, Spits?"
Spitfire's eye twitched. Her lips pulled back in a forced smile, taught as a bowstring. "Sure. Happy birthday, Rainbow Dash," she uttered through a row of clinched teeth. "I guess since you won’t be needing us anymore, we'll just be heading back to Cloudsdale."
"You guys don't have to leave just yet!" insisted Rainbow Dash. "We can hang out, can't we? The party's just getting started."
Soarin could practically feel Spitfire impatiently rolling her eyes behind her goggles. "Look, Rainbow Dash, Soarin has caused a lot of trouble for me when he abandoned the team the other day, so I have a lot of work to do to make up for his—"
"Oh, my Celestia!" High Winds broke in. "I smell churros!" She turned to Pinkie Pie. "You have churros here?"
Pinkie Pie nodded. "Yeah, I just put some in the oven before I got on stage. They should be done any second now. Want one?"
"I haven't had a churro since I was a filly!" The Wonderbolt said wistfully.
"You're supposed to be on a diet," Spitfire scolded her.
"They have a fully stocked bar." Lightening Streak grinned as he eyed the tiki bar. "From the looks of the stamps on those bottles, they have brands of aged bourbon I've never seen before. They may even have some of that Griffonstone rum I've been looking for."
"Don't even think about it, you old booze hound!" forbade The Captain. "You have a cover shoot for a sports magazine tomorrow morning. You won’t be in any shape to go to it you get sloshed tonight."
Wave Chill touched down on the stage and threw an arm over Soarin's shoulders. "All these girls, dude. There must be, like, fifty mares to every stallion in this town. And there isn't even a bad looking one among them..."
"Yeah, Ponyville's funny like that." Soarin noticed Fleetfoot standing on his other side. "I suppose you're going to agree with Spitfire, like you always do, and tell everyone to go home?"
Spitfire placed her hooves on her flanks. "Well, Fleetfoot? I'm sure at least you understand the importance of adhering to a strict schedule, don't you? Help me convince these idiots we can't afford to waste our time here."
"Actually..." Fleetfoot pointed a hoof out past the crowd. "I don't suppose you know that guy over there, do you, Soarin?"
Soarin followed the direction in which her hoof had been indicating, and noticed the muscular, golden, stetson-clad stallion leaning against the tiki bar with a drink in hoof. "Braeburn? Yeah, I know him. I actually work with him. Why?"
"I do declare," Fleetfoot purred, mimicking the drawl of a sultry southern belle. "That gentlecolt is givin' me the vapors. Don't suppose you could introduce us?"
"Fleetfoot!" The fiery captain exclaimed. "What's gotten in to you?"
Without missing a beat, Fleetfoot looked the captain in the eye and said, "Hopefully that stallion if I play my cards right."
Soarin snorted back a laugh.
Spitfire's baleful eyes fell upon Blaze and Rapidfire. "Let me guess, you're both staying as well?"
"This could be a chance to settle a little dispute between me and Rainbow Dash," said Blaze, grinning competitively down at the rainbow-maned mare on the stage. "She toots a mighty big horn about how she's the fastest flyer in all of Equestria. This could give me an opportunity to put her in her place."
"I'm with High Winds on those churros," Rapidfire put in. "Haven't had any real food since I joined the team six years ago. I'll burn the excess calories off at PT tomorrow."
Spitfire, exasperated, threw her hooves up in the air. "Fine, you children go have your fun! The only adult on this team has many crucial matters to attend to." The captain spun around in the air toward Cloudsdale, then turned her head slightly to offer Soarin one final farewell from over her shoulder.. "Oh, and Soarin..." Her muzzle wrinkled, her teeth gleamed in a harsh sneer, her tone laced with as much malice and venom she could muster. "I really do hope that you're less of a failure in whatever occupation you've decided to take up. I feel sorry for the next poor sap who wastes their time and effort with you. Know that when you broke your oath with us, you've brought disgrace to all of Cloudsdale. I would even go as far to say that you've disgraced your family... If you had one!" And without even giving Soarin the time to respond to her statement, she departed for Cloudsdale.
Soarin didn't show it, but he was caught off guard by how affrontive her remark was. He had no family to speak of, other than a mother whom he hadn't spoken to since his father's funeral half a decade ago. The closest thing he had to a family these passed few years were The Wonderbolts... Perhaps that's what she meant."
"Whoa!" Rainbow Dash was rushing to Soarin's side. "What was that about? I've never seen that side of her before."
Soarin sighed bitterly as he watched the captain's form shrink in the distance. "Be grateful you're not a Wonderbolt yet, for when you are, that side of her will be something you will become all too familiar with." He could feel Rainbow Dash's sympathetic hoof resting upon his shoulder. He quickly composed himself, turned around, and managed to smile at her. "Hey, don't make this night about me, Dashie. It's your birthday!" He pivoted toward the crowd and extended his hoof to his former team. "We're the Wonderbolts, and we are here to party with you tonight, Ponyville!"
The declaration was received with cheers and applause, the nastiness that came hurling from Spitfire's mouth like an envenomed spear immediately forgotten, much to Soarin's relief. Wave Chill dove from the stage and let the crowd catch him, as the other members of his former team departed to pursue their respective pleasures.
Soarin had made a point to spend time with each member of his former team, knowing it would most likely be the last time he would have the opportunity of seeing them outside of a stadium. He knocked back shots of exotic liquor with Firestreak - the oldest Wonderbolt and self-appointed liquor connoisseur of the team. Soarin was sure to buy him one last shot before he left him there at the bar. "I'll miss ya, kid," was his parting words.
Soarin played the announcer for Rainbow Dash and Blaze's race. Rainbow had won the first race, and Blaze won the next two in a row, but the results were always so close that it almost didn't matter.
Soarin was then dragged into a cupcake eating contest between High Winds, Rapidfire, and Pinkie Pie. Much to his surprise, he was the first one to drop from the contest. Pinkie was Ponyville's grand cupcake eating champion, and she had successfully defended her title that night. Pinkie Pie promptly celebrated her victory by eating more cupcakes.
Soarin hung out with Wave Chill, his best friend, who wanted to do nothing more than chat up Ponyville's female populace. He was a smoothe talker, that one. All he had to do was initiate a conversation with a girl who was eying him shyly from a distance, and It wasn't long before he was surrounded by mares, all eager for his attention. He told them stories of his and Soarin's glory days, made them giggle and blush at his flirty jests, and kept them all thoroughly entertained. Soarin really didn't have much to offer in the way of witty banter, so he mostly let Wave Chill do the talking. Last anyone saw of him that night, he was leaving the party with a red haired mare with a rose on her flank.
Soarin tried for all he was worth to enjoy the rest of the party, but Spitfire's remark kept creeping into his mind. Her words served as a reminder that he was no longer a part of them, that they were the closest thing he had to a family, and he had willingly thrown that all away. His thoughts kept taking him back to one question: If I'm not a Wonderbolt anymore, what am I? The thought intruded upon him again and again, until he could no longer pretend to be happy. He felt as if he was without an identity, without a family, without anyone to validate him. He felt alone, isolated, despite the presence of all those around him.
The familiar lump in his throat returned, accompanied by a heavy sensation in his chest. Was he really going to get this choked up over leaving The Wonderbolts? He was miserable as a Wonderbolt; Spitfire had seen to that. But he was miserable now, as well. The only difference was that he now no longer had anyone to confide in. Outside of Cloudsdale, the home he had known all his life, and without his family, he was alone in a strange world... Soarin finally decided it was time to leave the party. All he wanted to do now was be alone with his thoughts... His thoughts, and a strong drink.
Upon his departure, Soarin had purchased a bottle of cheap wine from the bar to take home with him. When he made it back to Sweet Apple Acres, he used the key the family had entrusted to him to let himself inside the house, where he procured Braeburn's bottle of whisky. "I'll just pay Braeburn back tomorrow," he told himself. He doubted Braeburn would miss it tonight; he was busy somewhere doing Celestia-knows-what with Fleetfoot.
Bringing the wine and the whisky back to his barn, he had mixed the two spirits in a bucket he had rinsed out, and he created a lethal concoction of fortified wine. It didn't taste very good, but it would do the trick. He could already feel his head swimming after half a glass. He tipped it back and drained what was left of it.
The orange flame in his lamp he had set on the table, which was his only source of light, became blurry and distorted through his inebriated eyes. He could feel the vice grip on his heart steadily loosening with each passing second. "If you had one," he chuckled mockingly. "Screw you too, Spitfire," he slurred. His head began to sway this way and that. "I may not have a family, but at leasht I'm shober -- and you'll be-- hic--drunk in the morning."
Soarin, with glazed, unfocused eyes, reached for his bucket to poor another glass for himself, when he was startled by a rapping at his door. He froze. Could it have been Braeburn wanting to know where his whisky had gone? He left his glass on the table, grabbed his lamp, then drunkenly stumbled his way to the door.
The impatient knocking grew louder.
"I'm coming!" Soarin shouted. He grasped the large barn doors by their iron handles and pulled them open. "Yeah, what do you wa--" He blanched to find Applejack standing in the glow of his lantern. She was the last one Soarin wanted to talk to right now. She was most likely here to yell at him about not sticking to the original plan. He wished he had just given Rainbow Dash the damn flight suit.
Applejack crossed the threshold of the barn, eyeing him. Soarin backed away as she approached.
"Ah just don't know what to with you," she said. "The crazy entrance? That fancy-schmancy bazooka thing ya pulled out at the party? That crazy explosion that nearly deep fried you? And then - to top it all off - you go and try to draft Rainbow Dash into the Wonderbolts? You are some kinda batshit crazy, you know that?"
Here it comes, Soarin thought, bracing, as if he was preparing himself for a devastating collision.
"You promise to dance with me, but then what do you do? You just disappear from the party and ditch me, like it ain't no thang? You broke mah heart, sugarcube."
"I know, you don't have to tell me! I'm nothing but a-- Wait, what?"
Applejack smiled seductively as she approached him. "Sugarcube," she purred. "You. Promised. Me. A. Dance."
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i2.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/013/306/2dd.jpg Hmmmm
spitfire is a dick.
Loving this story - Soarjack is my OTP!
Spitfire, hope something comes up that puts her in her place.
Here's hoping that Spitfire will eventually eat her words.
Groovy.
Well played.
spitfire was a real bitch, i actually used to like spitfire, but lately between this story and the show version of the wonderbolt captain, my opinion has lessened on her. wavechill and lyra awesommeeeeeee.
love SoarinJack
YEAH. GO SOARIN. I can't wait for that chapter. I'm glad this story updated. Best of luck with the next one.
i hate the fact that i can only like this story once! i love the way the Wonderbolts all stayed and enjoyed the party.
i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/289/284/a83.png
Spitfire you bitch.
Brining Soarin's personal life into this is going too far! Lock and load boys! 
1.bp.blogspot.com/-YbudKjd0auI/UYNC7YZE1uI/AAAAAAAAVRc/GQvuBR4qg34/s1600/Reloading.gif
Time for a game of duck hunt.
Soarin you lucky son of a bitch.
It's another dream isn't it?
He's gonna wake up and find he's pulled poor Braeburn into another hug...
Spitfire really disappoints, not that you're doing a bad job at portraying her. Her character reminds me of someone who saw their position so more important than anything else, she's so set in her way that only what she thinks is what matters. I do enjoy how you've written her, she definitely needs to bring down a peg or maybe ten. Such a disgusting ego and selfish desire for herself, especially on the whole Equestrian games, you couldn't visit Soarin, it'd take at least fifteen minutes, tops, for an athlete like you. Of course she'll pass the blame onto him for making them fail so she can save face. I hope you plan something for her later on in the story, keep writing.
Aw yeah! Wavechill's gettin' laid! Thank you for not making Lyra gay like EVERYONE!
And Applejack likes what she sees
You know. Soarin can still get a shot in on Spitfire. Whose word to the press on what happened do you think would have more an effect on the citizens anywhere in Equestria? The Captain of the Team or the word of one of Equestria's Princesses PLUS the rest of the Elements of Harmony who have saved Equestria multiple times. Hell, pretty sure Soarin just asking Twilight alone to tell the press alone would be enough, but pretty sure he's too depressed and drunk right now to think of that.
I do like the fact you still kept the lesson Dash learned from that little stunt with the Wonderbolts. However...that warm fuzzy feeling was kinda numbed with Spitfire's remark. Reading on, it became more clear as to what you meant, and really, there's got to be some form of backlash in Spitfire's future. (I mean, not only was she insulting Soarin, she also insulted Sweet Apple Acres, and by extension Applejack herself, in front of a huge crowd. Somepony's got to say something at the very least.)
I'm not too crazy with some of the formatting done on the chapters. Some large walls of text that could be broken down.
The entrance Soaring made was ridiculous and it grabbed my attention until everypony just let him get away with it.
4134954 What are you talking about? Lyra is a female unicorn, and Wave Chill is a male pegasus...
4135108
I don't think that's what he's getting at. He was thanking you for making Lyra heterosexual instead of homosexual like most stories portray her as.
I see in Spitfire's future, her career with the Wonderbolts going up in flames. Seriously, somepony just needs to clip her wings and knock some sense into her.
4135108 oh.my.god. please tell me you re-read the comment and realized your mistake
Super-ultra-mega-sempai-sama-kitty-cookie-awesome chapter!
4135460 I did. Serves me right for reading a comment after staying awake for 72 hours straight
Spitfire, Let it go. It's not worth it.
Also,You have no clue what Soarin has gone through, so just buck off. You deserve the same fate as Lightning Dust.
4134954 sorry for reading your comment wrong, dude. I feel like I am the only wavechill x lyra shipper in the world.
Nice Evil Dead reference. Groovy.
4136082 No worries dude. I've never heard of Wavechill before(one word right?) but I'm up for any straight Lyra. I myself like the idea of Lyra sexually harassing Butterscotch to no end. She's just having fun but she would love to have fun.
Also, I picture Applejack and Soarin dancing to this:
She's got spunk and he's too drunk to care.
Better give her her freakin dance Soain.
Nao it iz time for a chapter of the dances!
Spitfire really need to be put in her place.
Right now she is arrogance, cocky, bitchy, Damocles kill worthy.
4136082 Who is Wavechill? Before this story, I'd never heard of him. And why do you ship him with Lyra?
4136374 Isn't Butterscotch r63 Fluttershy? And wouldn't having a male Fluttershy mean that all the ponies are gender-flipped, including Lyra? Or is Butterscotch somepony else?
4137546 You don't have to genderbend every character at once. It makes people easier to keep track of but only a few changes makes things much more interesting.
4137666 Fair enough, but do you have an example of your LyraScotch? Because if there's a story like that out there, it sounds like it'd be a hilarious read.
Thats grounds enough for a one-way trip into the Rainbow Factory's Pegasus Device. (that is if it exists)
IT CAN'T BE REAL!
Its just a myth scoots... or else Fluttershy would be missing, she did drop out of flight school.
4137546 Wave Chill (It's two words) Is one of the male Wonderbolts. After Rainbow Dash wins the best flyer competition, she's seen leaving at the end with her arm around him on her right side. I like characters that are not given a lot of show time, because it allows me to be creative with their personality. In this story's case, he's a bit of a playcolt.
4137567 Damn, KarmaDash, you're REALLY persistent with getting me to ship big mac and RD together in this story. What if I just begin every paragraph from now on with "RD and Big Mac were in Soarin's barn smexing, meanwhile...."
4134664 Just had an amazing idea, if you're following me... Make a couple dummy accounts, and use them to add more likes to my story. I'll be in the corner, twirling my mustache if you need me...
4137882 haha ok, if you want me to i shall
4137871 I am okay with this.
Something tells me Soarin is dreaming.
4137871 Then I will love you forever
As far as fanfic Wonderbolt shows go, that was one of the best I've ever read. Great job on it, very creative and spectacular.
Go AJ!
4137675 I just might. And Lyra's not alone. Yes it is self promotion.
4139598 I'm cool with it. Self promote to your little heart's content.
Jesus Spitfire is a fucking cunt.
With that out, I greatly enjoyed this chapter, from the amount of effort that Soarin put to make the best birthday gift there its, to the gift itself, and how Rainbow reacted to it, toppled off by an almost sad ending with a twist
I must say this was a roller coaster of emotions.
It was a great day when I decided to favorite this story, and whenever the next chapter comes next, I sure hope that Spitfire dies in a fire
But seriously whatever comes next I know it's going to be another blast 
I kinda see AJ giving Spitfire a frankensteiner sooner or later. Hopefully sooner.
4148186 A German Suplex or a Stone Cold Stunner would be better
That was awesome in all aspects. Also *wolf whistles* go Applejack!