S6 E24: Top Bolt (What If?)
Inside the compound at Wonderbolt Academy, Rainbow Dash was cleaning out her locker. It was her first major period of time off since being accepted into the Wonderbolts' ranks not too long ago. As she did so, she couldn't help but brag to the others about what she was going to do. "Spring training with the Wonderbolts was great and all, but I can't wait to get back to Ponyville," She told them in no uncertain terms. "I can catch up on Daring Do with Twilight, help Applejack make my favorite cider, and even have a sleepover with Pinkie."
"We get it, Dash, you have a fun week planned," Misty Fly grumbled. "It's all you've been talking about for the past few days."
"Might wanna make the most of it, newbie," Spitfire commented, trotting past. "Because meanwhile I'm stuck here running trials week at the academy."
"But you love yelling and blowing your whistle, don't you?" Rainbow asked.
Spitfire grinned, as she opened her locker. "Soarin told you that, didn't he? That Soarin, always a wisecracker, but he's a nice guy at heart. Besides, I may not exactly like it, but somepony's gotta whip those cadets into shape so it might as well be me."
"Don't go too hard on 'em now, captain." Rainbow playfully cautioned.
"Relax, Dash, this isn't my first trials week. And if I need your help, well I'm sure you'll know," Spitfire laughed in reply. "Now you'd better get going. And I hope I'll see you here bright and early when your week off is over."
"Yes ma'am!" Rainbow saluted, and once she'd cleaned out her locker and put on her flight jacket, she took off. "This is going to be so much fun!" She thought out loud. But she had barely left academy grounds when her cutie mark started to glow. In fact, a giant projection of her cutie mark suddenly appeared in the sky. "Another map adventure, huh? Well, better see what it's all about." Rainbow said to herself, and zoomed towards Twilight's castle as fast as she could.
Twilight was waiting for Rainbow when she arrived, as were Spike and Starlight (who had just come back from the Crystal Empire). "Good, you're here." Twilight smiled.
"I came as soon as I got the signal," Rainbow replied to Twilight, and then she asked. "So, where's the map calling me this time? Yakyakistan? Baltimare? Rainbow Falls? Here? Please say here!"
Starlight gave Rainbow a nervous glance, and reluctantly she said. "Well, do you want the good news or the not so good news?"
Rainbow sighed, she had a bad feeling about where this was leading. "Great, what is it?" She asked with dread.
"Well, the good news is, we've both been called by the map." Twilight beamed happily, displaying her glowing cutie mark.
"Sweet, been a long time since we've done anything together!" Rainbow cheered! But then she remembered the other part of Starlight's message and she reluctantly asked. "Wait, does that mean there's bad news too?"
"Uh, I guess. I mean, it all depends," Spike said with a nervous laugh. "The map's calling you two to a place I'm sure you're familiar with."
Rainbow looked at the map and saw the symbols depicting her cutie mark and Twilight's cutie mark, were currently hovering over the symbol for Wonderbolt Academy up in Cloudsdale. Rainbow groaned. "You've gotta be kidding me, I was just there! Why didn't the map just call me while I was up there and send you to me?!"
Twilight and Rainbow quickly made arrangements to head up to Cloudsdale, even though Rainbow warned Twilight. "Spitfire's running trials week for the new recruits. Most of 'em will make it into the Reserves, but she's not going to take kindly to anypony disturbing her at this busy time."
"Well we'll just tell her that we're on official friendship business, and that we'll do our best to stay out of her way," Twilight suggested, then she turned to Starlight and Spike and asked them. "You two can manage until we get back, right? I don't have to worry about a bunch of out of control, mindless clones running amuck, do I?"
"Twilight, that was just the one time! I didn't mean for any of that to happen!" Starlight whined.
Spike just played it off and reassured Twilight. "Relax, Mom, I'll keep an eye on big sis for you. You just worry about finding and solving that friendship problem. This might be the perfect opportunity to invite Big Mac over for another guy's night."
"Just please don't make me the damasel in distress this time!" Starlight protested.
"You could always join in if you want," Spike suggested. "The more the merrier."
Starlight shook her head. "Thanks, but after what Discord did I'd rather not be any part of swinging swords and skeleton soldiers, thank you very much."
"Your loss." Spike shrugged, as he and Starlight watched Twilight and Rainbow Dash set off for the Wonderbolt Academy.
"So, what kind of friendship problem do you think we're being called for?" Twilight asked Rainbow, as the two approached academy grounds. "Do you suppose it's possible we're here to help some recruits, or maybe the Wonderbolts' themselves?"
"How should I know, I'm on the bottom of the totem pole, it's not my place to ask questions. Besides, I wasn't expecting a map mission just after I got to come home for the week," Rainbow protested. "Why don't we ask Spitfire? She knows everything that goes on at the academy, she should be able to point us in the right direction."
Suddenly, just as Twilight and Rainbow had touched down on academy grounds, a pegasus mare with a pinkish-white coat, a two shaded pink mane and tail styled loosely (with a pink bow in the mane), and blue eyes came up to them and said. "Um, I just wanted you to know, you two are my favorite ponies in all of Equestria."
But just as the mare had said this, another female voice commented. "Oh well isn't that sweet? Now get going on those laps, Angel Wings! I do not have all day!" The voice was enough to scare Angel Wings into the air, and the owner of the voice soon revealed itself as Spitfire, sporting her whistle, sunglasses, and of course her academy outfit. "Ah, Rainbow Dash, Princess Twilight, what a surprise," She greeted in a friendly tone. "What brings you here? I hope you realize this is trials week, I'm a very busy mare right now."
"We're here to solve a friendship problem," Twilight explained. "Have you by any chance noticed any of the cadets having trouble with friendship?"
Spitfire shook her head. "I'm their drill instructor, my job is to put them through their paces and make sure they know what's expected of them. I don't have time to concern myself with their personal relationships, not that I've noticed any of them quarreling with each other."
"What about the Wonderbolts then?" Rainbow asked Spitfire. "Any of them dealing with a friendship problem that might need a second opinion."
Just then, as if in answer to Rainbow's question, there came the sound of a rather audible argument. And the voices arguing sounded very familiar. "How many times must you be told, Flatfoot? Chain of command says I'm in charge while Spitfire's away, and that's final!" A masculine voice argued.
"But the chain of command also mentions that Spitfire's right hoof pony gets to take charge whenever she's not available! So that means you answer to me, Clipper, not the other way around!" A feminine voice argued back.
Spitfire groaned, putting a wing over her face. "Not again!" She remarked.
Rainbow realized at once who the voices belonged to, and when she and Twilight (along with Spitfire) drew closer, they could see that the ponies involved in the argument, were none other than Soarin and Fleetfoot. Turning to Spitfire, Rainbow asked. "You mean to tell me they've been arguing like this before?"
Spitfire reluctantly nodded, and sighed. "It happens every time I'm running trials week or busy with other academy business. The both of them think they should be in charge because of their position, and they always quarrel nonstop. I've tried to get them to knock it off, and even had the other Wonderbolts attempt to play peacemaker, but nothing seems to work."
Twilight and Rainbow exchanged glances. "You don't think this is the problem we've been called here to solve?" Twilight asked. "I mean, the map's friendship problems usually are never this obvious."
"Maybe, but it's the first real sign of trouble we've seen since we got here," Rainbow concluded. "All of the cadets seem to be getting along just fine with one another." And indeed they were, all of the cadets were flying about without any signs that they were at all unhappy or upset for any reason. In fact, it was easy to hear their excited buzzing, as they zoomed back and forth overhead.
"If you girls wanna play friendship counselor for those two, be my guest," Spitfire spoke up, eyeing the arguing Soarin and Fleetfoot from afar. "But you're on your own if you do so, I'll be busy drilling these recruits til kingdom come. Good luck, because you'll certainly need it," And with that, she flew off while barking out. "Hey, who said you guys could take a break?! You don't stop flying til I say so, now move it!"
Rainbow and Twilight quickly approached Soarin and Fleetfoot, both of whom were still arguing as though they had nothing better to do with their time. "I'm telling you, Soarin. Spitfire would never trust a pony who's always sneaking pies, especially apple pies. That's why she'd want me to take charge in her absence." Fleetfoot said with a smirk.
"Oh really, and you think you're so much better, Fleetfoot?" Soarin snipped. "You may be the fastest Wonderbolt, but you're always the first one to tire out or rush ahead. Don't know about you, but that's hardly the kind of behavior Spitfire would want in a de-facto leader. Don't forget, I was in charge when Wind Rider sent Spitfire away and tried to frame Rainbow Dash for the crime. Besides, I've got seniority."
"That's only because you and Spitfire were childhood friends and she felt sorry for you!" Fleetfoot protested. "You always get favorable treatment, I had to actually work to get where I was!"
"You know Spitfire doesn't play favorites!" Soarin snapped back. "How dare you imply I didn't make my way up the ranks fair and square!"
Just then, a powerful voice echoed out! "Stop!" Soarin and Fleetfoot both turned to look, as they saw Twilight and Rainbow Dash approach them, Twilight using her magic to effectively silence the two arguing Wonderbolts and thus get their attention.
"What's this all about?!" Rainbow inquired. "Why are you two arguing about who should be in charge while Spitfire's running trial's week? What difference does it make, it's just a temporary position."
"Because as far as I'm concerned, Fleetfoot's out for my position. I'm sure it's no secret she wants me off the team," Soarin snorted, once allowed to speak. "She tried to boot me off when we competed for Cloudsdale at the Equestria Games, but Spitfire wouldn't let her."
"I was trying to do you a favor, Soarin," Fleetfoot insisted. "How could you be expected to perform well knowing that you were flying for your friend who couldn't be there, and one of our Reserve members? Besides, maybe you should take that a sign that you're not invincible, just because you're second from the top. There's always somepony waiting for you to let down your guard."
"And paranoia like that is exactly why I'm in second in command and co-captain, and you're just Spitfire's right hoof mare," Soarin snarled, sticking out his tongue. "Come on, Crash, tell me I'm right."
Fleetfoot snapped back. "Don't listen to that guy, Crash, he's just jealous. I'm the one's who right, aren't I?"
Rainbow wasn't sure how to respond, she really didn't like the idea of having to pick sides in an argument like this. "Uh... I don't know, really I don't," She sheepishly answered. "Couldn't you just ask Spitfire and clear this all up with her after trials week?"
"Or maybe you two could take turns?" Twilight suggested. "Whatever your differences are, some silly temporary title shouldn't cause you to yell and argue. You're both fine Wonderbolts in my book, and I'm sure there's room for both of you to share the leadership role while Spitfire's away."
But Soarin and Fleetfoot both pointed a hoof at each other and shouted! "Not with that pony!"
"But you guys-" Rainbow began, only for her plea to be cut off.
"Enough of this," Soarin snorted. "I'm not staying here to be insulted. I know I'm right, and I'm sure Fleetfoot will come to her senses soon enough." And he flew off with some angry flaps of his wings.
"Pah, what does Soarin actually know?" Fleetfoot remarked with a glare. "Just wait, he'll come around eventually. I try to do something nice for him, and this is how he repays me?" And she too flew off, leaving Twilight and Rainbow to just look at each other with concern and confusion.
"Well, that could've gone better." Twilight unhappily sighed.
Rainbow and Twilight tried to look for Soarin and Fleetfoot off they flew off, but there seemed to be no sign of them anywhere. It quickly became apparent that, wherever the disgruntled Wonderbolts might be, they didn't want to be found. After an exhausting hour of searching all over the academy grounds, both Rainbow and Twilight were forced to give up, their wings ached all over.
"Why can't the map ever give us a straight forward mission?" Rainbow asked Twilight, as the two landed on the runway, panting heavily. "Just find the problem and solve it in the blink of an eye, is that so much to ask for? At this rate it's gonna take all week."
"I hope not," Twilight panted. "Now that Starlight's come back I've got to start her friendship lessons back up again. No way am I letting her slack off again. There must be something we haven't thought of that'll solve this friendship problem, it doesn't seem as difficult as getting as two families to stop fighting."
"Or trying to patch things up with Gilda while in Griffonstone." Rainbow agreed.
Just then, Spitfire blew her whistle. "Hey, you two! Clear the runway, now! I've got cadets coming in any minute, and they need a landing path free of obstacles!"
"Sorry ma'am!" Twilight and Rainbow both apologized, and got off the runway just in time. One by one all of the cadets came swooping down and skidded to a halt on the runway.
"Adorable, they're so full of hope," Rainbow commented in a soft tone of voice. "Reminds me of the time I was just a cadet. Feels so weird looking back, to remember a time before you had wings, Twilight."
Twilight blushed. "Yeah, and let's not forget all the crash landings in the Golden Oak Library. To say nothing of how much of an amateur I was when I first gained my wings. Sure is weird how time flies."
But the happy reminiscing was cut short, when an angry looking Spitfire approached the two, her eyebrows raised and her whistle dangling from her neck. "Okay, what's the big idea?! I told you two to stay out of my way during trials week, and the next thing I know you're blocking the runway!" She complained. "I want answers and I want 'em now!"
Rainbow immediately took the blame. "Sorry, Spitfire, ma'am," She saluted. "We were just exhausted from looking for Soarin and Fleetfoot. We couldn't get them to settle their differences and they just flew off."
"We searched hi and low, and everywhere in between," Twilight added. "It's like they've just vanished into thin air."
"Oh, is that all?" Spitfire asked, her tone changing from angry to sympathetic. "Well, you don't need to beat yourselves up too badly. I'm sure you gave it your best shot. Knowing Soarin and Fleefoot, they'll turn up eventually," Then she sighed. "But I don't have time to mount a search party, I've got these new recruits to train. They're the most promising batch yet, but they're so sloppy. I guess I'm gonna have to drill them all on basic technique in the classroom portion."
Twilight's eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing that! "Classroom portion?!" She asked, hoping she hadn't misheard.
Spitfire nodded and sighed. "Yeah. It's everypony's least favorite part of trials week, but it has to be done. Usually I get Soarin or Fleetfoot to take care of that for me, but it looks like I can't count on either of them to show up this time. Oh well, sometimes being captain means doing the things you really don't want to do, for the sake of the team."
But Twilight suggested. "Well, maybe we can help!"
"What do you mean we?" Rainbow asked Twilight. "I'm not an egghead like you."
"But you know everything there is to know about flying," Twilight explained. "Between your knowledge and my teaching skills, I think we can really whip those cadets into shape."
"So, you'll be the substitute teachers?" Spitfire asked Twilight and Rainbow. Twilight eagerly nodded, but Rainbow nodded very reluctantly. "Alright, but be warned about what you're getting yourselves into," Blowing her whistle, Spitfire shouted. "Alright, newbies, line up for classroom portion!"
All the cadets started pushing, shoving, and tripping, as they tried to assemble themselves into a line. Spitfire just shook her head and whispered. "You've got your work cut out for you."
"We'll do our best, Spitfire," Twilight promised. "In the meantime, why don't you go look for Soarin and Fleetfoot and see if you can't talk some sense into them? Maybe they'll listen to you more than they listened to us."
"It's worth a shot, but no promises," Spitfire replied, as she began to flap her wings. "Best of luck to the both of you."
Sometime later, as Twilight and Rainbow prepared to head into the academy classroom (which was set up opposite of the barracks and mess hall), Rainbow was commenting to Twilight. "I don't see why we need to take Spitfire's place for this. What exactly's the point of teaching some cadets? You learn more by experience than you ever do by some text book."
"That may be true, but this gives us a chance to scour for new friendship problems here," Twilight explained to Rainbow. "I'm pretty sure Spitfire can talk some sense into her teammates, that can't be what the map called us here for. We'll find a friendship problem among the cadets a lot quicker if we put ourselves in a place where we can interact with them," She then asked Rainbow. "Did you bring the secret weapon?"
Rainbow smirked, pulling out an air horn. "Sure did. I catch any cadet falling asleep or slacking off, I give 'em a blast to wake them up!" She demonstrated by pushing on the air horn, causing it to let out an audible blast.
"Just don't get carried away now." Twilight laughed, and then she and Rainbow headed into the classroom.
But as soon as the door swung open, Rainbow couldn't resist blaring the air horn again as she proclaimed! "Wake up, newbies! Class is in session!"
The cadets were all talking and chattering amongst themselves, and it was pretty obvious what they were all thinking. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship. And this is my good friend, Rainbow Dash, the youngest and newest member of the Wonderbolts." Twilight greeted, introducing herself to the cadets.
"But you can call us T-Sparks and The Dashinator!" Rainbow boasted. "We're going to be your substitute teachers for the classroom portion, so no snoozing! 'Cause if you do-" Rainbow blared the air horn once again. "So, any questions?"
"Yeah, where's Spitfire?" Asked a male cadet. "I thought she was going to be teaching us."
"Spitfire had a 'Wonderbolts Emergency' to tend to on short notice," Twilight quickly replied. "Rest assured, she believes we're qualified enough to teach you. Now then, we've told our names, so it's time you told us ours. And then we'll begin the lessons, okay?"
The cadets all nodded slowly.
"Good," Twilight smiled. "So, who wants to be first to tell us who they are?"
The classroom portion flew by quicker than either Twilight or Rainbow would've liked, and one by one all of the cadets filed out of the classroom and back into the sky.
"Well, I guess there were a few problems, though strangely none of them friendship related," Twilight commented. "But overall I'd said that went pretty well."
"Yeah, nopony fell asleep," Rainbow yawned, and when Twilight pressed her she corrected. "What? I'm not a student. Besides, I didn't actually doze off. Maybe I was tempted once or twice, but I caught myself."
Twilight didn't elaborate further, she and Rainbow just headed back to the runway. "So, do you think Spitfire managed to solve Soarin and Fleetfoot's feud while we were busy teaching?"
As if on cue, Spitfire touched down on the runway, looking quite exhausted, and without either Soarin or Fleetfoot anywhere near her. "That answer your question?" Rainbow whispered to Twilight, as they quickly trotted over to the Wonderbolt captain.
"I tried my best, girls," Spitfire told them both. "I'm sorry, it seems that even threatening to put Misty Fly in charge while I'm gone wasn't enough to straighten them out. I'm the captain of the Wonderbolts, not a friendship counselor. So, how did teaching go? You spot any cadets that might need extra help?"
"No, all of the cadets seemed to be pretty quick learners," Twilight replied to Spitfire. "Although there was this one stallion, Sky Stinger I believe his name was. He seemed to be awfully full of himself, even boasted that he was the best flyer where he came from."
Spitfire just rolled her eyes. "Figures, there's always at least one hot shot who thinks they're the best of the best. He'll learn soon enough that it doesn't matter how good you think you are. If you wanna make it into the Wonderbolts, you've got to realize you're always gonna start out as a small fish in a big pond. Guess he'll learn that soon enough."
"I feel sorry for his partner, Vapor Trail," Rainbow commented. "I think it's clear she wants to make it in with Sky. I'm worried she might try to sabotage her chances if she doesn't think Sky's gonna make it."
"Like I didn't have enough on my plate dealing with Angel Wings," Spitfire sighed again. "And of course Soarin and Fleetfoot's argument. At this point, I give up. They can argue and bicker to their heart's content as far as I'm concerned, I don't have time to deal with it. The cadets and trials week come first," She then ordered. "Alright, cadets, break time's over! Back into the sky! Time to see how good you do navigating the obstacle course! You know the drill, single file in alphabetical order! Angel Wings, you're up first." And all of the cadets lined up as Spitfire had ordered, as Angel Wings took to the air with a flap of her wings.
"Guess we're back to square one," Twilight said to Rainbow. "Getting Soarin and Fleetfoot to reconcile their differences and stop arguing."
"But we already tried talking to them at the same time, and I'm pretty sure Spitfire did the same," Rainbow commented, hanging her head. "I don't see what more we can do, Twilight. I'm nowhere near as pushy as Spitfire can be, and neither do I have the authority or rank to give weight to my words. Even you can at least amplify your voice to sound intimidating."
Twilight shook her head. "Perhaps what we need, is a gentler approach. Rather than try to force them to get back together and be forced to take sides, why don't we break off and each talk to one of them?" She suggested. "Maybe then we can find some common ground between them, and go from there?"
Rainbow tapped a hoof to her chin, as she pondered deeply. "Well... I guess it can't hurt to try that approach. Why don't you go talk to Soarin, and I'll see about talking to Fleetfoot?"
"Okay, but why do you want to talk to Fleetfoot?" Twilight asked Rainbow, as the two of them took to the sky in search of the two Wonderbolts.
"Fleetfoot's always more tempermental and ego-driven," Rainbow explained. "And if anypony knows what that's like, it's me. Soarin's always been more laid back, he's usually a nice guy. So I think you'll have better luck talking with him."
"I... guess that makes sense," Twilight reluctantly agreed. "We should try to meet back here before long though, so we can discuss what we've found out."
"Right, we'll meet up again in half an hour tops!" Rainbow firmly replied. "Now let's split up! You look for Soarin, and I'll try to find Fleetfoot!"
"Wait, but I-" Twilight began, only to be cut off as Rainbow zoomed away. Twilight just sighed. "-Don't know my way around the academy like you," She then groaned. "Guess I'm on my own. I just hope Soarin doesn't prove too hard to find."
And as luck would have it, Twilight ended up bumping into Soarin, quite by accident. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Soarin. I really didn't see you there, I swear!" Twilight hastily apologized.
"It's alright, at least you're not Fleetfoot," Soarin replied, as he and Twilight touched down on the ground near the classroom. "Speaking of which, I hope you're not here to try and talk me into patching things up with the hothead. If she really thinks the bolts will somehow listen to her, just because she's the fastest among us, I'd like to see her try and do it. But I guarantee you she'll fail."
"It sounds like you and Fleetfoot have a long and complicated history, if what Spitfire says is true," Twilight commented. "Did this all really begin when Fleetfoot tried to replace you just for one occasion?"
Soarin shook his head. "No, that was just the straw that broke the camel's back. From day one Fleetfoot was a bragger and a blowhard, always boasting about her speed as if that was somehow a feat worthy of praise," He spoke in a tone that indicated rare traces of anger. "For the record, I could easily outfly her if I wanted to. Most of the times I let her win because those derbies are for charity, or for entertaining the elites of Canterlot. Fleetfoot never understands the importance of pacing yourself."
Twilight was busy writing down notes on a sheet of paper, as she encouraged with a nod. "Go on, go on. Tell me more, please. Maybe tell me about Fleetfoot being Spitfire's right hoof mare?"
"Look, I didn't mind Fleetfoot getting that promotion, I really didn't," Soarin answered. "Misty Fly needed some time off for personal matters, and even when she came back she chose not to reclaim the title she used to hold. Fleetfoot more than proved herself to be a worth pony, even if she could be a bit rash. What I did mind, was the sudden uptick in her ego once she got that promotion. It seemed like she became even more boastful, even more hotheaded, and even more arrogant. I once heard her boast that if it weren't for her, the entire Wonderbolts would disband."
"And, did you talk to her about any of this?" Twilight asked Soarin. "I would hope you don't expect your teammates to be mind readers."
"'Course I talked to her, but she didn't listen. She thought I was just jealous of the fact that Spitfire picked her to replace Misty Fly, never mind the fact that I'm happy being the Wonderbolts co-captain," Soarin remarked, his eyes narrowing in anger. "And then in retaliation for that, she tried to boot me off the team before the Equestria Games, and she would've succeeded too if Spitfire hadn't intervened! Fleetfoot claimed she did it for me, but I wasn't born yesterday, I knew what her real motivations were!" Soarin then sighed. "It's a real shame too, when Fleetfoot was among the junior Wonderbolts, she seemed to be a lot sweeter. She was like that adorable little sister, we even joked about making her the team mascot. I guess nothing lasts forever."
Twilight made sure to jot down everything she deemed important, working her quill to the point where it nearly caught fire as a result. "Fascinating," She commented to Soarin. "Well, thank you for telling me this. But I think you need to tell Fleetfoot how you feel, maybe this time she'll listen."
"Listen to me? Seriously?" Soarin grumbled. "I very much doubt it, but I suppose I'll tag along just so you can see for yourself." And he followed Twilight as she took off across the academy grounds.
While Twilight was busy talking to Soarin, Rainbow had the rather fortunate stroke of luck to run into Fleetfoot as she was hanging out near the mess hall. "Hey, Fleetfoot! You got a moment or two to spare?!" Rainbow called, landing beside the mare.
"Huh? Oh, it's just you, Dash," Fleetfoot said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Sure, I've got nothing better to do at the moment. I just hope whatever you're here to talk about, doesn't involve that goody twohorseshoes co-captain whose name just so happens to be Soarin."
"But don't you think maybe it's time you two stopped fighting and shouting?" Rainbow suggested to Fleetfoot. "Whatever your grudge is, it's not worth ruining your friendship."
"Friendship? That's a very strange way of saying that I should patch things up with an ungrateful stallion like Soarin," Fleetfoot snarled. "I try to do something nice for him when he needs it most, and he takes it as an insult. All because he thinks his position as co-captain makes him an obvious choice for anything involving the Wonderbolts. So what if he's been around longer? Seniority doesn't automatically make you more qualified than someone younger!"
Rainbow tried to put a wing around Fleetfoot as she cautioned. "Look, if anypony knows what it feels like to be on the bottom of the totem pole and be eager to prove yourself, it's me. But you know that's not how the Wonderbolts operate. I had to learn that standing out wasn't always the right thing to do, that there's no I in team," She said in a gentle tone. "And just look at the position you've snagged for yourself, Spitfire's right hoof mare. I know a lot of ponies would kill to be in your position at such a young age."
"Try telling that to Soarin, he's like the obnoxious old brother I never wanted," Fleetfoot complained. "There's no winning with him. I try to prove I could beat him in a race fair and square, he claims he lets me win because I don't pace myself. I tell him that being co-captain doesn't always mean he outranks me, he just claims I'm lucky to be in a position anywhere close to that. I try to give him some time off to be with his friend without costing the team, he perceives it as a threat and thinks I'm out for his position. Far as I'm concerned, he's ungrateful. And the hard truth is, he wasn't always that way. Back before I was Spitfire's right hoof mare, back when I was a junior member of the Wonderbolts, he would always stick up for me and support me. I should've known then it would be too good to last."
Rainbow was unsure just what to make of all this, so she just said the first thing that came to her mind. "Maybe it's all just a misunderstanding? I know Soarin, and I know he's not arrogant or a jerk. Perhaps you two just need to do a better job of communicating about what's bothering you."
"I doubt that very much, but if you really wanna see for yourself, I guess I'll play along," Fleetfloot reluctantly replied. "Just don't be surprised when it doesn't work out." And then she followed Rainbow, as the two Wonderbolts headed across the academy grounds.
Despite not having arranged to bring the two feuding Wonderbolts to the same place at the same time, both Twilight and Rainbow were left to hope that things would work out, as they both gave each other nervous glances and waves.
"What is she/he doing here?!" Soarin and Fleetfoot both demanded at the same time, refusing to make eye contact with each other.
"Don't look at me," Twilight hastily replied. "This was Rainbow Dash's idea, I just played along."
Both Soarin and Fleetfoot exclaimed at the same time. "What?!"
Rainbow immediately swooped in, as she forced the two Wonderbolts to look at each other and said to them. "Look, whatever your problems with each other, you're both Wonderbolts. You're both on the same team, and you both want to be the best you can be. It's time you talked things out and tried to explain just what it is that's driving a wedge between you. I'm sure even the other Wonderbolts are tired of you fighting non-stop and not speaking to each other. Don't you think it's time you at least tried to patch things up?"
Neither Soarin or Fleetfoot said a word, they'd been so busy thinking about themselves that they hadn't stopped to think how their teammates might feel, or the kind of example they might be setting for others.
But before either one could get in a word edge wise, a pegasus mare with an extremely light greenish-grey coat, a light grey/light greenish-grey/pale green mane and tail styled up like whispy clouds, light-grayish turquoise eyes, and a cutie mark depicting a shooting star, came rushing out onto the runway! Spitfire recognized the mare at once. "Vapor Trail?! What are you doing out here?! And where's your partner, Sky Stinger?!"
Panting heavily, Vapor Trail explained. "It's Sky Stinger! I told him he wasn't all that good a flyer and he needed a lot more practice, and he completely flipped out on me!" Vapor appeared to be so unnerved that she was speaking quite loudly. "Then he just flew off somewhere to prove he didn't need anypony's help and could totally fly fine on his own! It's all my fault, I shouldn't have been covering up his weak fly skills to make him feel better!"
"What?! You mean to tell me that Sky Stinger left academy grounds, without telling a soul?!" Spitfire exclaimed, her sunglasses sliding off her face in shock!
"Please, you've got to help me find him! He could be in serious danger!" Vapor Trail pleaded! "He's a little taller than me, has a moderate cerulean coat, a light sea green mane and tail styled into a set of bangs, eyes a light sea green in color, and a cutie mark that depicts an upside-down lightning bolt! I think he took off towards the southeast!"
"We'll do what we can, Vapor Trail," Spitfire assured the frightened mare. "I'll assemble a search party at once. And when I find that Sky Stinger, I'm gonna give him an earful for leaving the academy in the middle of trials week!"
Just then, a high pitched whining sound filled the air. Everypony seemed to stop what they were doing, as Spitfire recognized at once what that sound meant. "It's an academy emergency, something must be up!" She realized, and instructed to the recruits. "Everypony stay here unless told to do otherwise, I'll be back shortly!" And indeed she was, Spitfire came back in the blink of an eye with bad news. "A couple of storm clouds somehow slipped out of the weather factory and now they've banded together in the southeast," She informed, taking off her sunglasses. "Needless to say, bad weather's on the way, heading right for the academy. It's nothing too serious and it's expected to pass very quickly, but I'm not taking any chances! I want everypony inside until the storm has safely passed, no ifs, ands, or buts!"
"But Sky's out there all by himself, he'll never make it through the storm!" Vapor Trail protested! "You've got to help him!"
"I'm sorry, Vapor Trail, but I'm not jeopardizing the safety of the recruits or the Wonderbolts," Spitfire said with a shake of her head. "Flying through a storm is very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, even experienced pegasi opt to stay away from storms if they can. Sky will just have to hold on until the storm has passed. I don't like the idea of leaving anypony to fend for themselves, but I'm also not going to risk lives to save a hot shot recruit that wanted to prove himself. The storm will be here any minute now, hardly enough time to find the ponies best suited for the job."
"Then I guess I'll have to do it myself!" Vapor Trail vowed, as she slapped on a pair of flight goggles and took off in the direction of the approaching storm!
Spitfire could hardly believe her eyes! "Is she crazy?! She's putting herself in harm's way flying into that storm!" She exclaimed, shaking her head! "I hope none of you other recruits are getting any ideas! I haven't had a cadet injured on or near academy grounds, and I'm not about to let that happen to any of you! Inside, now!"
All the cadets quickly rushed for the nearest shelter that they could find, but Soarin looked at Fleetfoot and said to her. "Come on, we've gotta help those newbies! They'll never find their way back without our help!"
"But Soarin, that's dangerous! You know the risks with flying in storms, especially ones like this that pop up unexpectedly!" Fleetfoot protested with worry. "What if something happens to us?!"
"We're Wonderbolts, it's our duty to help ponies in need no matter the risk to ourselves!" Soarin vowed! "We'll be fine, we've dealt with storms before so we know a thing or two," With a wink he then added. "Don't tell me the high and mighty Fleetfoot of all ponies is afraid of a little inclement weather?"
Fleetfoot groaned as she looked at Soarin, who had that massive grin on his face. "Oh, I hate when you do that!" She grumbled. "Fine! But if I get hit by a lightning bolt, it's your fault!" And she and Soarin took to the skies, forgetting all about their feud.
Having seen all of this, Rainbow Dash was quick to dig into her saddle bag and pull out her flight goggles. "I had a feeling I might need these," She said to Twilight. "Those guys need my help!"
"But Rainbow, you heard what Spitfire said," Twilight protested. "Please, think this through, don't be reckless! Soarin and Fleetfoot can handle things just fine!"
"Maybe, but I've got lots of experience with storms, especially surprise ones like this!" Rainbow firmly vowed. "I've got to make sure they can find their way out! I'll be fine, I promise!"
Reluctantly, Twilight decided not to argue. "Then you'd better be quick about it, the storm will be here any minute. Best of luck, Rainbow Dash, and be careful!"
"I will, you just get inside and leave everything to Soarin, Fleetfoot, and I!" Rainbow replied, zipping away in a rainbow colored blur!
Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Fleetfoot, all caught up to Vapor Trail, just as they reached the outer edge of the storm. High wind and heavy rain soon battered them, and were it not for their flight goggles they wouldn't have been able to see a thing. Soon, they were seeing the flashes of lightning and the crackles of thunder, as the wind and rain only grew more intense!
Suddenly, amidst the roaring wind and booming thunder, Vapor shouted! "Look, I can see Sky!" And sure enough, there was the stallion Vapor had described! He seemed to be trying his hardest just to stay in the air, and with every flap of his wings you could see that he was exhausting a lot of energy.
"Sky!" Vapor called out, flying towards her partner!
"What do you want now?!" Sky snorted! "Come to rub salt in the wound about how right you were?! Because you were right after all, I'm not Stratsburg's most promising flyer! In fact, I'm not a good flyer at all, I stink! You should've just left me here to crash and burn!"
Vapor shook her head. "Don't be silly, Sky! This isn't about your flying skills, I came back because I'm not giving up on you!" She then pleaded. "Please, let me help you! We can work on your flying skills together back at the academy, but for now we need to get out of this storm! Your pride isn't worth this!"
Any will Sky might have had to resist, was melted away when he looked into Vapor's eyes and saw how worried she was. "Okay, okay, it's a deal!" Sky promised. "Now please tell me you know how to get us out of this storm!"
"That's why I'm not the only one who came flying after you, I've got three of the best Wonderbolts right here with me!" Vapor Trail smiled.
"Enough with the chit-chat, we've gotta get out of here, now!" Rainbow said firmly. "It's too dangerous to stay inside the center of the storm for long!"
"Fleetfoot, you stay with Sky and help guide him, I'll take care of Vapor!" Soarin instructed.
Fleetfoot nodded. "Right, and we'll both follow Rainbow Dash's lead! So lead us on, Dash! Show us what Spitfire saw in you when she made you a Wonderbolt!"
Despite the conditions, Rainbow smiled. "I was hoping you'd ask! Hang on tight, everypony! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"
And indeed it was. Flying back through the storm (which was now directly over the academy grounds) was a frightening, hair raising experience the likes of which the five ponies involved in it would never forget. Often times they had to divert their route a little, as a straight forward path was too turbulent for them to attempt. The whole time, Soarin and Fleetfoot, though they occasionally separated, shouted orders and directions back and forth to each other, as if they'd never been fighting at all.
At last, just as the storm was moving on from the academy, and the sky was beginning to brighten, the five pegasi touched down carefully on the still soggy runway. All of them exhausted, but triumphant. Everypony came rushing out to see them, cheering loudly and asking questions!
"That was a very near thing back there," Sky panted, very much out of breath. "Thanks for not giving up on me, Vapor Trail. I'm sorry I got so mad earlier and stormed off."
"That's alright, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth earlier," Vapor replied, hugging Sky tightly. "And whatever punishment we receive from Spitfire, we'll face it together."
Just then, Angel Wings came up and said to the two. "Um, I just wanted you to know. You two are my new favorite ponies in all of Equestria."
"Hey, I heard that!" Rainbow remarked, causing Angel Wings to flap off into the sky.
"Well, we'd never have made it out of there if it weren't for the help of the Wonderbolts," Sky commented, turning to Soarin and Fleetfoot. "You two especially, thanks for helping guide us out."
"You're welcome." Soarin and Fleetfoot both nodded.
Then Soarin said to Fleetfoot. "You know, Fleetfoot. We make a pretty good team, you and I. You could be my wingpony."
Fleetfoot laughed as she replied to Soarin. "Horseapples. You could be my wingpony."
Just then, Spitfire pushed through the crowd, turning her attention to Sky and Vapor. "Alright you two, the party's over!" She said sternly. "I must admit, that was some pretty good flying you put on back there. But you also disobeyed Wonderbolt protocol, and that kind of reckless attitude is something I can't just overlook," Both Sky and Vapor gulped, as Spitfire added. "I think there's a spot on the Reserves for the both of you, if you can prove in the evaluations that the flying skills you displayed back there weren't just a fluke. But if you join the team in any way, you'll be both on probation for three months. In the meantime, I expect you both to study hard, I'll be expecting great things from you in your solo evaluations. Is that clear?!"
Sky and Vapor both nodded. "Yes ma'am." They both said at the same time, and then they turned and trotted off.
Once the crowd had dispersed, Soarin and Fleetfoot turned to Rainbow Dash and Twilight. Soarin was the first one to speak. "Thanks for helping us settle our dispute. If you hadn't brought us out here, we wouldn't have been here to help rescue Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail in that storm."
Fleetfoot proceeded to add. "And we never would've remembered how great we are when we work as a team. Or that we need to do a better job of talking to each other whenever things go wrong," To Soarin she apologized. "I'm sorry you got the wrong idea about me trying to replace you at the Equestria Games."
"I'm sorry I took my position for granted, and that we both forgot about how close we used to be when you were a junior member," Soarin apologized back. "I hope it's not too late to start over."
Fleetfoot hugged Soarin tightly as she insisted. "Of course it's not, it's never too late!"
At that moment, Rainbow and Twilight felt a tingle on their flanks. Turning to look, they saw their cutie marks glowing brightly, and they knew what that meant. "Looks like another job well done." Twilight said with a smile.
Rainbow nodded. "Yup, now let's go home. I can't wait to catch up on Daring Do, make cider with Applejack, and do all the other things I was so looking forward to on my week off from the Wonderbolts."
As Rainbow and Twilight neared Twilight's castle a short time later, Twilight was wondering to herself. "I sure hope Spike and Starlight are doing okay. I know we haven't been gone that long, but it has been more than half a day at least."
"Ah, I'm sure they're fine," Rainbow replied. "As long as Starlight's not pulling any crazy spells, or Spike's inviting Discord over, I think everything will be a-okay."
Upon arriving in the main hallway of the castle (after pushing open the front doors), Twilight called out. "Spike! Starlight! We're back!" But there was no reply, and neither did either one come rushing forward to greet either Twilight or Rainbow.
Soon, the two knew why. Upon entering the throne room to set their saddle bags aside and empty them out, Twilight and Rainbow were surprised at the sight that greeted their eyes!
Spike had set up the fantasy world of Spiketopia in all its paper and cardboard glory, as his custom made character Garbuncle the Wizard rested in the middle of the board, which draped over the table map. Spike himself was sitting in Twilight's throne, the character guide for Ogres and Oubliettes resting nearby alongside several different colored dice.
Seated across the table, in Rarity's throne, was Starlight. She had her own fictional character who appeared to be designed to look like the rogue character type, if the hood and leather jacket were any indication. And she seemed to be completely engrossed in whatever sort of quest her character was intended to complete, as it rested besides Garbuncle.
Twilight barely resisted the urge to gasp, instead opting to clear her throat. Spike and Starlight turned in surprise! "Oh, hey girls!" Spike quickly greeted, as Starlight nervously waved a hoof. "You're back already?" Twilight and Rainbow just smiled, opting to say nothing.
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Hey there. Very little I can say beyond excellent job on the last rewrite in this volume. You make VERY valid points in the author's notes, as usual, PLUS you did a great job on the characterizations, exchanges, action and wrap-up in all the right places. Altering the focus to Soarin' and Fleetfoot makes FAR more sense as you pointed out.
Of course, now that Rainbow is a full Wonderbolt, Fleetfoot is only the SECOND faster Wonderbolt (two words: Sonic Rainboom), but that's another story.
Now, for another rewrite idea (either for the next volume or for Volume Seven [because I already KNOW there IS going to be a Volume Seven]):
Daring Done: Instead of it being obvious that Callberon is framing Daring, it's more of a case of Villain Has A Point (after all, even Superman only OCCASIONALLY stops to help repair the damage caused in his fights). Plus, it is made clear that Rainbow allows herself to be captured ON PURPOSE specifically to motivate Daring to get back in the game (even if only temporarily). Also, instead of a Bond Villain Stupidity based confession on Callberon's part, Daring simply acknowledges that she needs to learn to be A LOT more careful and agrees to donate the proceeds to the book sales to help out the villages she does her adventuring in.
Of course, if you don't like the ideas or if you already have a better one (both of which, I will concede, are entirely possible) I profusely apologize for wasting your time.
At any rate, I will very definitely be looking forward to more of your work, but will also respect the fact that real world concerns need to come first.
8418801 Daring Done isn't high on my list of rewrites at the moment, assuming I ever wanted to rewrite it that would probably not be for least three more rewrite volumes, assuming I can keep cranking out one or two a year.
8419296
Fair enough. I can completely understand that.
8419308 I didn't consider the error with Fleetfoot, but I could shrug it off in that she's referring to full time members, Rainbow Dash is only part time.
8419499
An extremely valid point. I didn't think of that myself to be honest. Good eye on that. :-D
I read most of these chapters in this and other volumes, and I actually enjoyed how more fleshed out your interpretations of those episodes were, even the ones the fans had trouble with.
You think you might write another volume having most of the season 7 episodes once that season is done? I'd like that. Of course it's your call. Keep doing what you like to do.
8486494 I do intend to do another volume involving Season 7, with eight episodes included from it and two other episodes. Then I'm thinking I might have something later next year for the comics, and have that as something of a frequently updating series.
10809713
Sure. I will