Chapter 79: The Other Side of the Wonder
MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 79
“I’m so glad we pay these guys,” Fleetfoot sighed in relief as the earth pony security team barred any reporters from following them into the back entrance of Cloudsdale’s flight arena. “And thank Celestia for the cloud-walking spell that let them come up here with us,” she added.
The Wonderbolts had arrived at the Cloudsdale flight arena in the center of the city an hour after they had finished breakfast. Spitfire redrew their arrival route on the spot after the cacophony at the ground station. Thanks to the new arrival plan and location, they were able to slip into the back entrance of the arena with only a few reporters and photographers trying to get to them.
“Alright, listen up recruits,” Spitfire spoke up, slowing down until she was walking beside the recruit squad bringing up the rear. “I’m sure you’ve noticed we are here two hours in advance. There’s a reason for that,” she began explaining. Dash listened carefully. They were on the lookout for Shadowbolts, but they were also there to observe the Wonderbolt show routine. “The shows are a big publicity stunt and bit maker for us. So a lot of stuff happens beforehoof. The two hours gives us time to get ready at our own pace and take care of anything we need to do. It’s also, however, one of two times we let special visitors and VIPs in to meet us. Since this is our prep time, it’s just a short hello and an introduction. The real time we spend with them is afterward at the reception.”
Getting ready and meeting VIPs or lucky fans who won a contest or a raffle to meet them… Dash couldn’t believe she would be on the other side of it. She remembered trying endlessly when she was younger, entering every single raffle and contest or whatever to win a Wonderbolt visit. She never won it, but she tried endlessly. Going from being a desperate fan to BEING one of the celebrities being visited was… she couldn’t even describe it.
They continued on through the back hallways of the arena. Arena security guards were posted around in case any fans were brave enough to try and sneak in. With their own security guards, plus the arena security, they had a nice blanket of protection. Not that the Wonderbolts were incapable of handling themselves, but after seeing how eagerly the media bombarded them, Dash was glad they had them. They eventually made it to a room labeled ‘lockers’ and entered.
It wasn’t a locker room like Dash expected it to be. It was a wide open, square room about twenty-five yards wide and long with a low ceiling. One long bench wrapped around the entire wall, with two openings on the other side of the room that contained doors. One door was labeled ‘stallion’s locker room’ and the other ‘mare’s locker room.’ Dash figured these locker rooms were for changing into their suits and storing their bags, as well as bathroom facilities and showers.
As soon as they entered, Dash and her squad observed as the elites simply tossed their bags down and went about their business casually. Fleetfoot flopped down, back first, on a part of the bench and rested her head against her bag.
“Somepony wake me up in half an hour,” she said with a yawn before turning over on her side facing away. Soarin walked by as Dash stared at Fleetfoot.
“Fleet always takes a half hour nap right after we arrive,” he said with a wink as he made his way towards the stallion’s locker room. The recruits just stood still, a little awkwardly as the elites moved about. Dash wasn’t sure what to do, and upon glancing at them, Squall, Little Star, Matteo, and Twister didn’t know what to do either.
“Guys… what are you doing?” Storm suddenly asked as he approached them. Dash gave him a blank look, her ears flopping to the side.
“What are we supposed to do?” Dash asked. Not because she wasn’t sure, the situation was just foreign to them all. Storm looked over his shoulder as the rest of the Wonderbolts went about their preferred pre-show routine.
“Well, relax, take a load off, watch what some of us do… I guess,” he chuckled. “I mean, anything besides stiffly standing by the door, sorry, it just looks funny.”
“Nice to know our confusion is amusing,” Dash playfully stuck her tongue out at him before turning to the rest of the recruits. “You heard Storm, mingle, relax, sit down, we’ve got two hours,” Dash said with a shrug.
They all looked between each other for a moment before Squall, without a word, cracked his neck to one side before walking to one of the bench corners and sitting down. Matteo looked back and forth, settling for a spot on the bench nearby. Little Star broke away and headed to the mare’s locker room. And Twister… was standing on his head next to Point Dex. The captain of squad seven readily ignoring Twister as he dug through his duffle bag. Dash turned back to Storm.
“So… what’s YOUR pre-show routine?” She asked, not really knowing what else to do, especially since Soarin was still in the locker room.
“Me?” Storm pointed at himself. “Besides my nerves slowly turning my body into an earthquake of jitters as show time approaches?” he shrugged. “I get really nervous, but it’s been getting better. Soarin has been a big help. I’m still new to all this, but I’ve been trying out some methods that Soarin suggested. Like putting the flight suit on right when we arrive and look in a mirror for a while. That’s what he does before shows. I bet that’s what he’s doing in the locker room right now. He says it helps him get his mind focused on performing.”
“I can see that…” Dash nodded. Obviously she couldn’t go observe because Soarin was in the stallion’s locker room, but she could image how cool it would be to see him go through his motions. Staring at oneself in the mirror may appear goofy or weird to some, but Dash knew certain methods to psyche herself up, and one that always stuck out was looking yourself in the eye. The pony in the mirror was the only pony you had to best. If you could beat yourself, you’ve won the day. Dash blinked and looked towards Fleetfoot. “Have you tried napping like Fleet?” Dash chuckled as she watched the famous Wonderbolt treat the bench like a makeshift bed.
“I wish I could be that relaxed…” Storm chuckled. “You have no idea Dash, I’ve been so nervous I’ve had a hard time sleeping the past three nights.”
“Whoa…” Dash stared in disbelief at Storm. “I mean… I have a bit of stage fright myself, but that’s pretty bad.”
“You’re telling me,” Storm chuckled. “Being a sudden member of the high tier elites doesn’t help, I feel pressured to perform my absolute best. My first show was a bit of a disaster.”
Dash felt like asking him about it, but she figured it wasn’t a pleasant memory, so she let it be.
“Here you go, ma’am.”
Dash and Storm turned to see Spitfire taking a clipboard from one of the security guards. She started looking it over before sitting down, grabbing a pen and writing on it.
“Although I can only imagine…” Storm began as they watched Spitfire. “How much pressure she’s under all the time. I can’t believe how much she does, I’d be crushed.”
“She’s the lead captain for a reason,” Dash smiled. “But I agree. I dunno if I could handle all that work.”
“Hmmmm…” Spitfire suddenly hummed and her ears folded back. Storm and Dash both perked up. Spitfire looked up from the clipboard and glanced around the locker room. “Air Mach!” she called across the room. Air Mach was striking poses with Twister, who was wearing an identical pair of shades. “Is Soarin still doing his thing?”
“Lemme check!” Air Mach said while giving Twister a hard pat on the back that knocked the silly pony over. Air Mach pushed open the door of the stallion’s locker room and peered in for a moment before turning back to Spitfire. “Yep!” he confirmed.
Spitfire sighed and shook her head, glancing at Fleetfoot before looking towards Point Dex.
“Dex, come here for a second…” she said as she stood up and approached him.
“Oh, that must be the visitor list,” Storm spoke up before snickering. “Looks like she isn’t too pleased by a name on there, I wonder who it could be?”
“Ah, Storm,” Dash suddenly realized upon remembering a certain friend of hers that now had VIP access to all the shows. “Is Derpy going to be here?”
As soon as the name left her lips, Storm frowned and his ears flopped down.
“No,” he said with a sigh. “She couldn’t make it to this one. She had to work overtime to pay off some bills she had misplaced.”
“Again?” Dash lifted her brow. Storm looked at her and tipped his head curiously. “Oh, this isn’t the first time she’s done that,” Dash added with a chuckle. “She’s a tad forgetful at times, I’m sure that’s not surprising.”
Storm smiled and rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, she can be a bit ditzy at times, but she’s such a cutie and a joy to spend time with. I can forgive a few mishaps, mostly because they just make her more charming,” Storm’s wings began ruffling slightly as he smiled and blushed lightly. Dash held in a snort, not sure if Storm even knew his wings did that when he thought about Derpy. “But to be honest, I’m actually kind of glad she’s not here right now. I don’t know if I want her around when we have a Shadowbolt lurking. From what I’ve heard about them, I’d hate to see Derpy get caught in a conflict,” he added. Dash couldn’t help but fully agree.
“I see what you mean there…” she thought out loud as the sound of a locker room door opening caught her attention. Soarin walked out, already wearing his full uniform including the mask and the goggles. Upon exiting, he removed the goggles, letting them dangle from his neck and removed the mask as well.
Dash glanced back at Storm, who seemed to be thinking about Derpy again because the goofy look was back on his face and his wings were ruffling again. Maybe he found his way to relax. Dash decided to leave him be and head towards Soarin.
“Already set to go, huh?” she asked as she approached. Soarin looked towards her the instant he heard her voice and greeted her with a smile. It wasn’t the usual cheerful smile. He looked incredibly serious and focused… which Dash, admittedly, thought looked sexy.
“I like to get in the mood early,” Soarin nodded. “The longer I’m focused before a show, the more natural it feels when we start.”
“Get in the mood, eh?” Dash nudged him as they walked over to part of the bench nearby.
“Saw that coming,” Soarin said with a chuckle as he sat down and took a deep breath. Dash took the seat beside him and watched him carefully. Normally at this point, the two of them would joke or maybe she’d consider leaning into him. She didn’t because it would be too much public affection, but even if they were alone, she probably wouldn’t have. She decided to observe instead, curious to see Soarin’s pre-show routine in full.
It had also been a while since she had seen him in a show. If there was one thing she observed whenever she saw Soarin perform, he was HEAVILY in the zone. His soft expression turned hard, sometimes glaring a little. It wasn’t frightening at all, but it just looked different, as if he had a separate mindset altogether. It reminded her of how he looked while in combat, suggesting he got just as serious about entertaining their loyal fans as he was about protecting the lives of Equestrians. Passion for his job, and passion to protect the lives of others, it was things like this that made Dash swoon like she were Rarity… but she’d never admit it.
Soarin knew Dash was observing him. But he remained focused as he closed his eyes and took slow, deep breaths. He wanted Dash to see his routine, to give her a full example of Wonderbolt show prep. He pictured their routine, ran through all of the motions in his head, and reviewed all of his cues. He had to do a lot of throwing in this show. Luckily it was mostly of Spitfire and Fleetfoot. He only had to throw Air Mach once, but it went without saying, he was a lot heavier than the two mares. He had gotten plenty of rest and forced himself to not hit the gym for three days so his muscles wouldn’t be sore and he’d be able to fully utilize his moves without discomfort.
His confidence in general had been higher lately in terms of his natural abilities. He used to only manage about three Sonic Blastoffs before his body would give out. Now he could manage ten, maybe even more before he started to feel the wear and tear. It was a significant increase, one that followed with his increase in working out. It wasn’t like he was a slouch before, but after the first encounter with the Shadowbolts and how he almost died, he felt the need to really kick himself in the ass and hit the gym hard. The magic may have helped a bit in this increase in strength and endurance, but he had been working out a lot more and a lot harder, and the mirror didn’t lie. He could say the same for a lot of the Wonderbolts lately. Since the Shadowbolt attack and Spitfire’s increase in the training load, a lot of them were looking much more fit than ever before. The Shadowbolts gave them quite a beating during their last encounter. Spitfire was clearly determined to make sure they were ready.
“Soarin.”
Speaking of Spitfire… Soarin opened his eyes, both he and Dash looking towards Spitfire as she walked up to them.
“What’s up?” Soarin asked as they looked her over. Spitfire looked a little uncomfortable. Soarin and Dash glanced at each other briefly. “Or rather… what’s wrong?” Soarin rephrased the question as Spitfire held up the clipboard she had been walking around with.
“It’s our guests for today… Um…” Spitfire bit her lip. “They…”
“Kids?” Soarin finished for her. Dash perked up, blinked, and glanced between Soarin and Spitfire. Spitfire sighed and nodded.
“Yeah, the winners of the Canterlot Junior Flyer Meet three weeks ago are going to be here,” she said as her ears flopped down. Soarin glanced at Dash, taking note of her curiosity.
“There’s an annual Junior Flyer Competition in Canterlot’s middle district. We sponsor it every year and send a few Wonderbolts to help run it. It was two days after we sent you guys home for your rest weeks. It’s eight events and the winners of each are given VIP access to our next big show…” Soarin paused and looked at Spitfire with disappointment. “But they gave them THIS show? It would have been awesome if we had more than just two squads.
“Sure, whatever…” Spitfire looked away from them.
Dash found Spitfire’s sudden behavior to be uncharacteristic. Why did Spitfire seem so unenthusiastic about it?
“Spitfire…” Soarin lifted an eyebrow. “You can’t hide from them, you’re the biggest role model of all of us.”
“I know… I just, never know what to say or do,” Spitfire groaned uncomfortably.
This was a hoot. Spitfire? The fearless lead captain of the Wonderbolts who every day directed and controlled hundreds of skilled flyers… didn’t know how to handle kids?
“You don’t have to do anything Spitfire, we’ve been over this,” Soarin continued. “Have you seen how Fleetfoot and I handle it? Just smile, be friendly and encouraging, ruffle a few manes, get your picture taken… you don’t need to do anything specific.”
“Alright, alright… They’re going to be here in fifteen minutes, so be ready, and round up any others that are willing, at least two more. They’re going to meet all of us later, but for now let’s keep it simple, and find a way to distract Savage and Air Mach, I don’t want their dumbasses making this go on for too long, we need to stay on schedule,” she looked around, her eyes landing on Fleetfoot, still napping. “Fleet, get up,” she said as she walked over.
Dash looked up at Soarin, who squinted and released a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, his soft expression was back.
“Looks like I’ll have to refocus later, don’t want to scare our little fans,” he smiled. Dash shook her head as she looked towards Spitfire.
“I never would have guessed… Spitfire isn’t good with kids?” she asked. Soarin nodded.
“Well, to be honest, it’s not surprising if you think about it. She’s used to being hard and strict. Hell, she’s like that nearly twenty-four seven. Whenever we have young fans visit, it’s important to shed that image to give them an experience they’ll never forget… I guess it’s just hard for Spitfire to turn off.”
“WHAT?! KIDDIES?! YAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!” Fleetfoot yelled as she sprung up from the bench over Spitfire, grabbed her uniform from her bag, and cantered into the locker room to put it on. Dash stared wide eyed at Fleetfoot’s display of eagerness.
“Fleetfoot, on the other hoof,” Soarin chuckled. “Is completely the opposite. She loves our colt and filly fans. In fact, she’s incredibly popular with our young fans, especially the fillies. She knows exactly how to make them smile… we always get lots of positive compliments about her from the parents. I’d say about eighty percent of the fan mail we get from young fans are addressed to Fleet.”
“You know,” Dash smiled. “I’m not surprised about that. I can see how her cheerfulness resonates well with the kids,” Dash paused as she thought further. “Actually, I’ve seen a trend here.”
“Trend?” Soarin blinked and glanced towards Dash.
“Yeah,” she nodded. “Fleetfoot seems to be the biggest public figure of the Wonderbolts.”
“Ha!” Soarin let a laugh go. “You’d be absolutely right. Spitfire is the most well known in terms of being our leader and being professional… but Fleetfoot is definitely the most outgoing. She goes to more events than the rest of us, has the most endorsements, and hasn’t missed a photo-shoot since she became a member of the lead squad. ‘Sexiest athlete’ three years running in Pony Magazine and cover mare for Pony Sports’ tri-annual beach issue ten times in a row. She really eats up the attention, but she makes a lot of bits for us through it,” Soarin blinked and looked towards Dash as she held a hoof over her mouth, snickering loudly. “What’s so funny?” Soarin ask with an amused grin.
“I just find it heavily ironic… that she’s such a sex symbol AND complimented by parents…” Dash shook her head as she started giggling. “How does that even work?!”
“That’s the glory of being great with kids,” Soarin chuckled. “She gets let off the hook for putting bright smiles on little faces. Though I’ve seen quite a few father’s get jabbed in the side by their wives when she’s around!”
“HAHAHA!” Dash burst out laughing, leaning into Soarin. “Oh, that’s rich…”
“Say…” Soarin smiled down at her. “Want to meet them too? I need two more for this short encounter.”
“Me?” Dash removed herself from him and looked up in surprise. “Not the other elites?”
“You’re good with kids,” Soarin said while winking. “As I have witnessed, and like Spitfire said… there are a few ponies here we’d rather not get involved until later for the sake of time. Speaking of which…” Soarin glanced over and looked between Air Mach and Macho Savage. “One second,” he said as he stepped away from Dash.
He approached Point Dex first.
“Yo, Dex,” he said casually as he approached. Point Dex looked up from a stack of personal notes he was looking over and adjusted his glasses.
“Commander?” he replied with a salute.
“We’ve got some kids we’re gonna meet outside, but this is a short and timely part of our schedule, can you distract Savage for me so he doesn’t come out and start rambling?” he asked. Dex scoffed.
“Give me twenty point five seconds and I’ll have that low-watt bulb confused for an hour,” Dex plainly stated.
“Make it happen,” Soarin gave Dex a pat on the back. Point Dex stood up, neatly placed his notes in his bag, and walked up to Macho Savage, who was in the process of continuously flexing and kissing his arms.
“Savage,” Dex said his name as he approached him from behind. Savage did a full spin.
“THREE-SIXTY!” he yelled as he stopped, facing away from Dex again.
“Try one-eighty,” Dex said with an exasperated sigh.
“ONE-EIGHTY!” Savage yelled. Stopping and looking Dex directly in the eyes, face to face. “WHAT UP, LITTLE NERD CAPTAIN DUDE?!”
“I have a question for you,” Dex said, ignoring what Savage called him. “If the madness is truly unstoppable… than could the madness possibly stop itself? Under the laws of physics and an equation of motion that describes an unstoppable force, meeting an immovable object, could you stop your own madness? Or would the madness stop you?”
Macho savage stared blankly at Dex for several seconds.
“The Madness is confused…” he mumbled while scratching his head. Dex turned and gave a wave to Soarin, who pointed and winked in response.
“That takes care of him,” Soarin chuckled as he returned to Dash. "Now to take care of Air Mach… Learun!” Soarin called over to Lead Runner. He was up and sauntering towards Soarin in seconds.
“What’s up, handsome?” he asked while leaning into Soarin. Dash backed away and blinked, surprised at the motion.
“Could you help a guy out and keep Air Mach busy for a while?” Soarin asked with a smirk.
“Oh, that’s easy! Sure thing, darling!” Lead Runner grinned devilishly as he let go of Soarin and moved towards Air Mach.
“Uh…” Dash blinked as she watched Lead Runner swung his plot back and forth as he moved towards Air Mach.
“Lead Runner is gay,” Soarin said quickly. “And is our one weapon against Air Mach’s… grandstanding,” Soarin chuckled.
“Oh,” Dash smirked and looked towards Lead Runner as he snuck up on Air Mach and leaned into his side.
“HEY SEXY!” Lead Runner yelled as he pressed himself into Air Mach’s side.
“GAH! BACK! BACK I SAY!” Air Mach flipped out as Lead Runner forced him towards the locker rooms. “THE GREAT ANIMAK REFUSES TO BE CORNERED!”
“Does he now?” Lead Runner kept teasing him as he backed Air Mach all the way into the locker rooms where more over the top yelling was heard.
“And that takes care of that,” Soarin whipped his hooves together and nodded.
“You’re so bad, I love it,” Dash chuckled as Spitfire approached them again.
“Five minutes,” Spitfire reminded Soarin flatly as she passed. Soarin nodded and glanced over to the mare’s locker room. Fleetfoot emerged, wearing her flight suit the same way Soarin was, with the mask and goggles down. She was smiling brightly, looking incredibly excited to meet the kids.
“Go get your suit on,” Soarin nudged Dash.
“You sure?” Dash asked just to be certain. Soarin smiled and nodded.
“Trust me,” Soarin winked.
“Alright,” Dash turned and unzipped her bag. She felt a little nervous, making her first ‘public’ action as a Wonderbolt, but just as with everything else, it was something she’d get used to. Besides, there was nothing to be afraid of. It was going to be no different than it always was with Scootaloo. In fact, she thought about how great it felt whenever Scootaloo revered her as a role model. Now she could be a role model for so many more… it almost made her giddy to get out there.
“Kids?” Storm’s voice caught Dash’s attention. She looked over to see Soarin talking to him.
“Yeah, our VIP’s today are the winners of the Junior Flyer Meet you worked at,” Soarin explained.
“Oh!” Storm smiled and his ears stood up. “Sure! Let me get my suit on!” he nodded as he too went for his flight suit.
Dash wasn’t surprised to see Storm like kids. After how nice and caring he was to Derpy moments after meeting her, she was more than certain he was good with them. He seemed eager enough at least.
Dash turned her suit over until she found the open end and shimmied her limbs and body into it. It was the first time she had worn it since the banquet and it still felt amazing to put on her own Wonderbolt flight suit. She wanted to look at herself in the mirror once she had it on, but judging from how Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot were gathering by the door, she and Storm had to hurry up. So she made sure she had her goggles around her neck and her mask removed. She adjusted the suit slightly to make sure the lightning bolt was centered on her chest before turning and approaching the group. Storm caught up with them moments after she did.
“Alright…” Spitfire said as she saw Dash and Storm join them. “They’ll be here any second. As always, this is something they earned, so be nice, let them take pictures, and of course, watch your language,” she explained.
“And have a good time,” Soarin added while nudging Spitfire, earning a giggle from Fleetfoot.
“I’ll do my best…” Spitfire sighed as a knock came from the door. “Yes?” she asked through the door.
“They’re here, ma’am,” one of the security ponies called through the door. Spitfire turned and looked at them.
“Alright guys, we have fifteen minutes with them, be brief and let them know we’ll be seeing them again after the show,” she explained before she took a deep breath and pulled the door open.
Dash couldn’t see past Soarin as they walked out, but heard a bunch of little gasps as they started filing out of the door.
“Hey there!” Fleetfoot greeted cheerfully as Dash stepped around and thought she was going to have a heart attack. There were eight little ponies, five colts and three fillies, standing in the hallway with one or both parents. They all looked to be between the ages of six to ten and were all staring up at them with wide eyes that were getting wider. They were all wearing miscellaneous Wonderbolt merchandise. All but two of them had Wonderbolt-brand flight goggles either dangling around their neck or propped up on their head, one of the fillies wore a Fleetfoot shirt, three of them had Wonderbolt hats, and one of the colts was wearing a small replica of a Wonderbolt flight suit.
Dash was not surprised that the kids were entirely focused on Soarin, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot. Mostly Soarin initially, probably because he was a really big pegasus, but once they started looking around, Spitfire and Fleetfoot were getting their own share of the awe.
“How’s everypony doing?” Fleetfoot crouched down. A few of the faces turned to VERY wide smiles as Fleetfoot’s friendliness sunk in.
Art by: natis120
“I heard you guys really tore it up at the competition! Wish I could’ve seen it,” as she spoke the kids all seemed to loosen up and had gathered close to Fleetfoot. It was very charming to see how well Fleetfoot instantly handled the situation. Soarin was letting Fleetfoot do her thing before he said anything and Spitfire looked nervous. “So what events did you guys win?” Fleetfoot asked as she sat down and all the colts and fillies began talking at once, all eager to tell Fleetfoot about their victories. “Hehe, one at a time!” she giggled as tried to listen to each.
Dash smiled as she watched the kids flock to the lead squad, then smiled even wider when she saw how happy the parents looked as well. Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot were living legends and role models, heroes to the children as much as they were heroes to all of Equestria. Eventually, the kids broke away from Fleetfoot and were walking up to Soarin and Spitfire as well. Soarin, of course, smiled and gave words of encouragement, taking pictures and congratulating the kids. With the help of Fleetfoot, Spitfire was able to loosen up a little and interacted a little. It was good she did, she was the lead captain after all, the professional symbol of the current Wonderbolts.
There was one colt who was standing behind the rest nervously, a small grey colt with a yellow mane and a blue Wonderbolt hat turned backwards on his head. He looked younger than the rest and despite his mother nudging him gently he remained back and just stared directly at Soarin.
“We’re just the side show, huh?” Storm chuckled. Dash’s attention broke from the nervous colt to Storm and smirked.
“Did you really think we’d get any attention after those three stepped through the door?” she joked. They were sitting right beside them, but the kids were all gathered around the lead squad.
“Of course not, but…” Storm smiled. “I love seeing this. Look at how happy these kids are,” he pointed to the young ponies giddily gathered around the three. They were all smiling with excitement. A few of them were even bouncing as they interacted with the three celebrities. “This is probably the happiest moment of their lives and they all deserve it. The lead squad sets such a great example and showcases such positive influences… it’s the kind of pony I want to be. It was something my father always said to me when he snuck back into the house…” Storm paused and smiled.
“‘Be a pony that leaves an impact,’ he would always say. ‘One that can be looked up to, one that can inspire… and does it all through constant hard work and dedication,’” Storm glanced at Dash. “I’ve been living by that for years… and I joined the Wonderbolts in hopes of surrounding myself with great ponies like these three and many others. They radiate the meaning of those words my dad drilled into my head. I can only hope to someday be looked upon like this,” Storm suddenly paused and blinked, looking down in front of Dash.
“Huh?” Dash blinked and followed Storms eyes, stopping when her eyes fell upon the nervous little colt… who was now standing right before her.
“Looks like you have a little fan,” Storm smiled at Dash, but Dash looked at the colt curiously. It was as if… she had seen him somewhere before. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Soarin’s signature on the back part of the hat, facing forward with the way the colt was wearing it.
“H…hewwo…” the colt said nervously. The voice. Dash recognized the voice. And the cute way he couldn’t pronounce L’s.
“Oh my gosh…” Dash’s jaw dropped. “I remember you!” she said as a smile grew on her lips. “Soarin!” Dash suddenly called over. Soarin blinked and looked towards her. “Soarin come here!” she waved him over. Soarin glanced down at the little grey colt in front of her and his eyes widened. He quickly turned and moved towards them.
“Is that who I think it is?” Soarin smiled with excitement as he approached. As Soarin approached, the little colt’s eyes and smile grew three sizes, his tail started swishing back and forth and his wing started flapping uncontrollably. “No way! What a small world!” Soarin chuckled as he stood before the little guy and smiled down at him. “How are you doing, little dude? Good to see you again!”
Dash glanced at Storm, who was watching the scene curiously. She leaned back to fill him in.
“Soarin and I met this colt in a breakfast diner in Canterlot… that’s where Soarin signed the hat,” she pointed at the hat and winked.
The little colt didn’t say anything, he just kept smiling and bouncing as Soarin stood directly before him. The colt showed no interest in Fleetfoot and Spitfire, only Soarin. Recognizing the colt was too excited to speak, Soarin decided to ask.
“So what event did you win?” he asked the colt.
“Um… um… um… the… um…” the colt stuttered and looked back at him mother standing nearby.
“The two hundred straightaway,” she said with a smile and a nod.
“Dat one…” the colt said while pointing at his mom. Soarin lifted his brow in surprise.
“The two hundred? The speed race? How old are you?” Soarin asked quickly.
“Um… um…” the colt looked down and bobbed his head as if counting. After three attempts he looked back at his mother again.
“Six years old,” she said with a light laugh.
“Dat many…” the colt said while pointing at him mom again. Soarin and Dash looked at each other with their jaws dropping.
“Wow!” Soarin exclaimed while smiling down at the colt. “That’s incredible! Hey Spitfire!” Soarin called over as he turned and hooked his hoof around the colt’s shoulder. The colt looked like he was about to burst with his idol’s hoof draped over him like a buddy. Spitfire turned broke away, letting Fleetfoot handle the rest of the kids as she had already been doing.
“What’s up?” she asked as she eyed the giddy little colt.
“Did you hear about this?” he pointed at the colt. “Only six years old and he won the 200 meter straight!”
“Oh?” Spitfire blinked and looked at the colt who lost his strength in his back legs and plopped down on his plot, almost overwhelmed with excitement as Wonderbolts stood all around him. “The youngest age allowed to compete and he won the most competitive event… that is very impressive,” Spitfire smiled and nodded. Spitfire wasn’t good at being casual in public events, but when it came to discussing flight skills, she’d tackle it easily.
“I think we’ve got ourselves a future Wonderbolt sitting right here!” he looked down. “What’s your name?” he asked.
“Swift ga… gaaaaaawe…” he tried to pronounce his name. This time Soarin looked up at the colt’s mother.
“Swift Gale,” his mother confirmed while clearly loving how happy her son looked.
“Swift Gale, huh? Whaddya think Gale? Wanna fly with us someday?” Soarin asked the colt as he gave his shoulder a light pat.
“YA!” the colt squealed with delight as he received compliments from the best flyers in Equestria.
“Watch out, Spitfire!” Soarin looked up at her. “Someday Swift Gale here’s gonna be giving us a run for our bits!”
Soarin looked over at Dash and smiled before looking back down and talking to the colt some more, who, as Storm had said, looked like he was having the best day of his life.
Art by: Foxenawolf
Dash glanced up at Spitfire, who had just been approached by one of the security guards and whispered to. Spitfire nodded as the security guard turned away and looked toward Soarin.
“Let’s wrap this up, they’ve got to get them settled in the VIP boxes before the rest of the spectators start rolling in,” she said simply before turning to Fleetfoot. “Fleetfoot, they’ve gotta get moving,” she said while twirling her hoof in the air.
“Aww…” Fleetfoot frowned briefly before replacing it with a smile and turning to the kids again. “Hey guys! We have to get ready for the show now, but don’t worry! You’re gonna see us all again after!” Fleetfoot said to dispel and sad faces amongst the young ponies. “Bye!” Fleetfoot waved as she stepped away from them.
“That’s me too, little buddy,” Soarin patted the colt on the head. “I’ll see you again after the show, alright?” Soarin was taken by surprise as the colt turned and hugged Soarin’s arm.
“You’re da best Soawin!” the colt exclaimed as he squeezed Soarin's arm.
“God, that’s adorable…” Dash put a hoof over her mouth to conceal the goofy smile on her face.
“Aw, thanks, little dude!” Soarin chuckled. “Now before you go,” Soarin lightly separated the colt from his arm and held his hoof out. “Gimme your best hoof bump for good luck!” Soarin challenged him. The colt smiled and bumped hooves with Soarin while throwing his little wings outward. “Yeah! There we go! Alright Gale, I’ll see you after the show,” Soarin said with a wink before Swift Gale happily bounced back to his mother.
“That is one cute kid,” Storm commented as Soarin turned back to him and Dash.
“Second time I’ve seen that one… but damn… winning the junior 200 at age six, that’s REALLY impressive,” Soarin nodded contently.
“Yeah, I saw him do it when I worked the meet,” Storm explained. “Had no idea you knew the kid, maybe that’s why he’s so good, he has a hell of an idol to look up to.”
“Oh stop,” Soarin comically waved a hoof out at Storm before turning to Dash curiously. She was staring at the colt as he hugged his mother happily. “Equestria to Dashie, still with us?” Soarin chuckled.
“Huh?” Dash blinked and turned to Soarin. “Oh, was just thinking about how awesome and cute that just was… I mean did you SEE how happy he was when you put your arm on his shoulder? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pony that happy before in my life,” Dash nudged Soarin. “I believe the first time we saw him you were saying something about being nothing special,” Dash snickered.
“Oh, don’t start that again,” Soarin playfully swiped his wing against her.
“It WAS cute though…” Dash winked. “He was so excited he didn’t even ask you when or why you became a princess,” Dash said while shooting a glance at the horn. Soarin looked up at the horn and shrugged.
“Well,” he grinned. “Maybe that kid could set an example. All the publicity I’ve been getting over this thing has been so annoying. It’s like they care about the horn, not about me. I wish more ponies were like him,” Soarin turned and smiled at Dash. “Nothing is more sincere than an innocent child.”
“Dash,” Spitfire’s voice drew their attention.
“Yes, ma’am?” Dash quickly answered, sensing a serious tone from Spitfire as the security led the kids and their parents away.
“Round up your squad,” she nodded. “I want to explain how this will work to you guys now.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Dash saluted before shooting a brief glance at Soarin and Storm as she turned and walked back to the waiting room. Soarin watched her enter the room before turning back to Spitfire.
“How much time do we have?” he asked.
“Roughly an hour, maybe a little more, plenty of time for them to figure out their portion of the plan,” Spitfire explained as Soarin and Storm followed her back into the waiting room. "You guys are free until show time,” she stated before breaking away from them.
Soarin glanced at Storm and the two of them shrugged before parting and going to opposite sides of the waiting room. Soarin sat down on the bench and closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths and started to focus again. It wasn’t long before picturing the show and his moves brought back the focus he had before the visit. He opened his eyes, glaring down at the floor, breathing in through the nose and breathing out through his mouth.
“Alright, listen up,” Spitfire’s voice caught his ears. Soarin glanced up and saw Dash standing attention with her squad behind her. Spitfire was pacing back and forth in front of them. Curious as to what Spitfire actually wanted them to do, Soarin listened in. “As much as the Shadowbolt matter is important, you ARE still on this trip to observe us at work,” she began. "This show has three parts. The first two are our routines, and the third, an organized wing-ball game for the crowd’s enjoyment. You are to observe us during the routines, but when the wing-ball match starts, I want you to take up high altitude positions around the arena and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. If you see anything and can CONFIRM… let me repeat that, CONFIRM that it is a Shadowbolt, give us a signal and chase until we can catch up.”
“What sort of signal?” Dash asked. Spitfire opened her mouth to speak but stopped, not quite sure herself.
“I could do an Aquila Grido,” Matteo suddenly spoke up. Everypony turned and looked at him blankly.
“Uh…” Dash blinked. “Who are you doing? And should I tell Gilda?” she asked. Matteo snorted and rolled his eyes.
“An eagle cry,” Matteo specified. “It’s a traditional battle cry to signal a forward charge. It’s a very loud, long screech. Believe me, you will hear it.”
“Sounds good to me, as long as you don’t deafen us in the process,” Spitfire accepted the idea.
“SCREAMING EAGLES!” Twister yelled into Matteo’s ear while wearing a black bowl on his head that formerly sat by the door and had mints in it. Matteo reached up and pushed down on the bowl until Twister was forced all the way to the ground, and then sat down on Twister. Twister made a loud whoopee cushion noise as he was nearly flattened beneath Matteo’s weight. Dash sighed and slapped her hoof over her face as Spitfire just lifted an eyebrow.
“Sorry ma’am…” Dash apologized, but Spitfire shook her head.
“I knew what I was getting into when we selected him, don’t worry about it,” said Spitfire with a swish of her tail.
“Oh, uh… speaking of… Twister, there may have been some damage caused to our hotel room last night…” Dash confessed awkwardly. Spitfire rolled her eyes and turned away.
“Later Dash, just make sure they’re all ready, we need all five of you for this to work. I’m counting on you… CAPTAIN,” Spitfire emphasized before walking over to a part of the bench and sitting down.
Soarin saw the whole scene and watched as Dash stood still and thought to herself, clearly thinking over everything Spitfire had just told her. She looked a little nervous. Soarin glanced at her squad. Little Star was trying to pull Twister out from under Matteo and Squall was slowly shifting away from them.
Could they handle this? Soarin believed in their abilities, but this WAS a bit to put on their shoulders so soon. He couldn’t dwell on it for too long. He had to focus on the show as it was not only part of his job, but also instrumental in Spitfire’s plan working. They had to be natural and go along with things if it were to have the desired effect and convince the Shadowbolt they were unaware… if he was even still around. It was a plan based on speculation and prediction. Which… felt like a horrible plan, but it was all they had.
How do you catch something you know little to nothing about? It was almost like they were chasing ghosts.
---To Be Continued---
d'aww Fleetfoot is really good with kids!
But like Dash said, it's ironic, since she's a sex symbol and also a we;; rounded citizen with the kids.
A brief chapter, meant to show more of the world the Wonderbolts live in.
Hoping for some action? Oh just you wait 
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! 
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A nice and sweet chapter that left a couple of mysteries to be answered.
There's been such a large build-up, I'm guessing that something big is happening soon
and adorable kids 
And Piercing the Heavens just got featured
Aww cute kids I really like that fleetfoot's good with 'em mostly because of her cheerfulness
I predict that some action will occur at the show
Bwahahahahahaha
yay
I can tell dat foxenawolf is great artist
Come on squad foxtrot you can do it
And that pic with SwiftGale is sooooo cute
Ok this is literally 5 hours after I posted this comment because I came to a realization that dash looked up to blazetail and flashwind and swiftgale looks up to soarin and maybe dash. blaze tail and flashwind saved dash from…a tornado i think sry I forgot anyway I'm getting the feeling that soarin and dash will save swiftgale from something deja vu much?
yay new chapter.
we got some low key fluff and dat picture gave my screen diabetes
oh and fleetfoot loves kids(no surprise their ) and spitfire hate them oh god please can we has some character humor on this
and those last paragraphs are ominously ominous
I was wondering when exactly you were going to relase this, and it's as i guessed.Master of writing, is also the master of timing!
Awww, wouldn't it be perfect if they made all of your stories canon?
No, seriously, this was just perfect to read before the S5 tonight. And it was such a adorable chapter!
When Fleetfoot had her nap you missed a golden opportunity to draw something on her face. Preferably mustaches.
I sooo hope one of them is Arctic Blast!
Right... either the Chiller is quite potent and she knows about the parasite growing inside of her... or she's had one before, and something happened to it. My guess is on the latter. It would also explain her reluctance to get into a relationship even further than 'rank'.
Drop the 'the'.
he returned to Dash. "Now to take
I know of another Swift Gale pegasus... but he's older and more devious. I think he adopted Pip in that story. Still, I wonder what role this colt will have to play in the future...
room. "You
Quotation marks, thou are fickle things.
work,” she began. "This
I was kinda hoping one of the kids got excited to meet Dash, perhaps having seen her do the Sonic Rainboom. Oh well, maybe at the after show?
...oh who am I kidding, another Shadowbolt interruption will stop that happening!!!!
Nnnnyaaaah I see it I want to read it but the whole marathon is on right now and pony ball z episode is on right now. Nnnyah i guess the chapter will have to waitNnnnnnyyyyaaaah read it anyways worth it. pretty nice sweet chapter! that kid tho
ct.fra.bz/ol/fz/sw/i60/2/11/26/frabz-SO-CUTE-f76cf5.jpg
5822284 you need to get a reality check on humor.
Great chapter. It was cute. I can't wait to read what happens next. I love the kids scene.
THAT COLT! is my favorite! i love swift gale! so cute!
Here comes the disaster. Here comes the disaster. I have a really bad feeling about this.
SWIFT GALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!
Dash is right, Soarin is awesome (but I knew that already) I loved this chapter
I love kids
SEASON 5!!!!!!
can't wait. I have a half hour wait
I really hope there's a big chase. I really want to see a big chase.
Twister.... errrr i really have nothing to say about him now just no twister just no.....
5821826
Gotta step back every once in a while from the action and mystery to make the world more real
5821854
Indeed i saw it
I love when i hit the long story feature box 
5821914
i didn't even think of that actually
that would be an interesting detail 
5821918
it was actually not based on the comic where Spitfire is not good with kids, i had my outline like that before the comic came out, but i thought it would be a fun touch. Big tough captain of the Wonderbolts is shy/nervous around children
And yes, Fleetfoot loves the kids, and knows exactly how to handle them
And yessssssssss quite spooky words...
5821936
I would squeal like a little school girl on helium if they made my stories canon
5822029
That probably wouldn't end well for the drawer of the mustaches
5822112
the cuteness glows!
5822160
Yeeesh guys... enough with Spitfire being preggers it's not happening
Thank for those dude!
Oh, everyone thinks im going to ruin the show with Shadowbolts why would i do that?
5822179
Soarin's biggest fan
(aside from Dash 
)
5822575
I could see Twister doing it. I'm sure he wouldn't mind.
5822284
Actually there's a reason im still using the ye olde canterlot dialect with her.
The first fic in my series was started just before season 3 began and finished after only a few episodes. SO i had Luna first appear back when we still knew her to speak that way. We didn't hear her speak normally until after i had finished my second fic too so i decided to keep it so she would be consistent. Plus it's helped with me making her stand apart in certain situations, and her use of the dialect actually helps the impact of a moment you will read later 
And thanks! glad you enjoyed it my friend
5822307 Glad you liked it!
5822355
Isn't he adorable?
(i think i know what this means 
)
5822367
Oh come on now, why would i ruin something like this?
5822399
The brave little guy that approached Soarin in the diner way back makes his EPIC reapperance! and brings lots of d'awws and diabetus with him
5822438
do you now?
5822469
fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2015/057/f/0/untitled_drawing_by_valspan-d8jlymr.png
5822595
this is a very true statement
Wasn't the season 5 premiere AMAZE- BALLS????
I liked it 
5822570 why weren't you watching season five while writing that or do you have to wait
also do the media know of soarin and dash relationship or not
5822602
i already have a shipping for him *smirks*
5822573
Hahaha!
I wonder what would happen if something made me THAT happy, considering my screams sound like that on a daily basis over the smallest things!
No, but seriously.They should really use at least some inspiration from your stories, cause we all know they are probably just gonna make Dash a wonderbolt straight away in one of the episodes.So much for all the fics about how she became one, and she's probably gonna slide right in the role as the captain too
Thanks for another great and fun chapter. Between this and the start of season 5, it's turning out to be a pretty good day.
5822719
shhhhh i wasnt able to watch it, so no spoilers please until i get a chance
5822725
yes i was unable to watch the premier, waiting to watch it later online
And no the media does not, they arent trying to hide it, but they havent been super open about it in public
5822915
No problem!
I wasn't able to watch the premier, but im hoping to find it online somewhere later 
5822719
Where can I find it!?
Cuteness overload head will implode in 10 seconds.
You can watch it here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2lqwd7_my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-s05e01-02-cutie-markless-parts-1-2_animals
5823065
5823183
*comment posted 1 hour 13 mins ago*
welp!
Yay new chapter!! every new chapter you write is something to brighten my day!
I'm sure this one will be just as good as the others!!!
5823397
hope you like it!
And here I thought they would let Little Star meet the kids... though I guess nothing would stop her on the second time...
Considering there will be the second time, just who knows what those red-googled shadowbolts may plan...
MEEEP!!! So much cuteness!
