Hurricane Force Winds...

by Skyblitz

Chapter 5: Hard Lessons

Chapter 5: Hard Lessons

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"Oh my Celestia, Tempest! Tempest can you hear me?" Spitfire screamed as she ran towards her captain. The stallion had pinned himself down by landing on his wing, and from what the yellow mare could tell, he was barely conscious. Even though cloud was a fairly soft material, the base of the stadium's seats were made from skystone. A deep red gash on the Wonderbolt's head showed where he had come into contact with the hard material.

She skidded down next to her captain, hooves shaking in shock as she tried to find some way to move him. No! DON'T move him, I could make it worse, screamed Spitfire's mind as she withdrew her forelegs. Tears began to well up in her amber eyes. She felt so helpless, so useless.

"HELP! Somepony, anypony, we need help!" the golden mare shrieked, hoping that the acoustics of the empty stadium would amplify her voice enough so that somepony nearby could hear her. The silence that followed was almost painful.

"Ssss-Spi..." came a moan from beside the fiery maned mare. Spitfire's gaze locked in on Tempest. The wounded stallion was struggling to speak, and his uninjured foreleg groped around in the space above him for something to hold. Spitfire wrapped both her hooves around his, tears falling from her cheeks.
"It's okay", she lied, "I'm here Tempest, I'm here. J-just, don't go to sleep, stay with me okay? You stay awake, you hear? Help's on the way...j-just..." she trailed off, tears choking her as she looked upon the broken body of her captain and friend. The aqua coat on his poll had turned into a ruddy brown as blood started to seep from his head wound. His storm blue and silver mane was dishevelled and messy beyond belief, and his eyes were only half open.

But thankfully, Spitfire felt some small relief when Tempest's hoof tightened in her own. With a strained smile, Spitfire stayed by his side.

Around half an hour passed before a miracle happened. An orange coated pegasus stallion walked into the grounds of the Cloudesium from the main entrance. In his mouth he held a torch, and a white shirt and tie hung round his neck. The security pony barely stepped into the main arena before he was assaulted by a tearful and distressed Spitfire.

"Thank Celestia! Oh my Goddess, you have to help us. Please...i-its Tempest, T-Tempest Wind. H-he, had an accident...he fell...please just get somepony here quickly. He's hurt, just go an get somepony, anypony!"
The guard took a second to realise what the distressed mare had spouted before widening his eyes in shock. He bolted off into the sky faster than lightning. With a silent prayer on her lips, Spitfire returned to her captain. Her heart almost stopped.

Tempest wasn't breathing.

---

Soarin' slowly opened his eyes. Rainbow Dash was like a statue, her rosen eyes closed and her wings rigid with shock. It wasn't until a few seconds afterwards that Soarin' had realised what he had done. All of the drunken haze seemed to disappear in seconds as he saw the blushing face of the cyan filly in front of him. Rainbow had a look of sheer shock plastered on her face, her rosen eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"W-What w-w-was that?" she stuttered, moving away from the table slightly. She knocked over an empty cider mug with her hooves, breaking the awkward silence that had descended. Soarin' turned away in shame, spluttering over his words as he felt his cheeks redden. The pale blue stallion clopped both his forehooves together as he sheepishly grinned at Rainbow.

"Um...I'm sorry..?" Soarin' said painfully, squinting his eyes as he did so. Rainbow Dash looked at her idol in front of her, shocked beyond all logical boundaries at what just occurred. Soarin'...a Wonderbolt, her role model...just kissed her? The rainbow maned pony spluttered incoherently, tears starting to well up beneath her bright magenta eyes. She wasn't even sure as to why she was crying. The kiss was one of the most surreal feelings in her entire life, and it certainly wasn't a bad thing. But...

"S-Sorry? You kiss me and s-s-say you're sorry? W-What...?"
Soarin's green eyes darted back and forth nervously. What had he done? Did he really...? The pale blue stallion stood up abruptly from his chair, letting it fall with a clatter onto the floor. Pressing a forehoof over his eyes, he forced himself to look at the distraught young filly, her rosen eyes imploring for an explanation. it was easy to blame it on the alcohol, but Soarin' could not deny that he had felt an attraction with the feisty Rainbow Dash.

"Listen, um...I'm sorry, I, I shouldn't have done that. I'm gonna leave now" Soarin' mumbled. But as he flexed with powder blue wings to fly, Rainbow's cracked voice halted him.
"W-Where are you gonna go?"
"Home"
"You m-mean Cloudsdale? But that's miles away"
"I'll manage"

Soarin' flapped once and launched himself into the air.
"Wait!"
Damn it
he stopped in mid air, turning to look at Rainbow. She quickly wiped a moist eye with a forehoof and shook her rainbow coloured mane from her face. Soarin' couldn't help but watch her blush profusely.

"Um, do you, wanna s-stay round m-m-mine tonight?"

Soarin's mind raced a thousand miles a second. If he said yes, he would be betraying his trust to Spitfire and his foal, his friends and new family in the 'Bolts. If he said no, he would break the dreams of a young confident filly who he had stupidly guaranteed a place in the flight team's ranks, and be left with a long freezing flight back to Cloudsdale at night. And what would greet him when he returned? An angry and distraught Spitfire, an undoubtedly pissed Tempest, and most likely an equally pissed Rapidfire and a disappointed Fleetfoot. Against every sane thought process in his mind, Soarin' finally spoke.

"Fine...just until morning...and separate beds!"
"Well yeah? Who may be a Wonderbolt, but I'm not letting you in my room" Rainbow chuckled nervously. Soarin' let out a small grin and landed back onto the balcony of the Three Horseshoes.
"Lead the way"

---

Hurricane raced towards the Cloudesium, Storm Rider and his captain Silverfall soaring beside him. The silver armour of the Sky Wardens glittered spectacularly against the moonlight, blue plumes whipping behind the three pegasus ponies. They weren't alone. Behind them trailed a team of half a dozen Healers and medical ponies, two bearing a folded up stretcher between them. The emergency services had received the call only ten minutes before. A panting security guard from the Cloudesium had reported an accident involving one or more of the Wonderbolts. Hurricane secretly hoped it was Soarin'...

The team of ponies glided over the mighty arena before fluttering down towards two ponies in the stands. one was a distinct fiery shade of gold. Spitfire...
"Descend!" came Silverfall's echoing command. The three Sky Wardens and the Medical Ponies swirled round in a wide arc towards the pair of ponies in the stadium stands. Spitfire waved frantically to her captain's saviours as the Sky Wardens landed gracefully.

Silverfall marched towards Tempest before signalling the Medical ponies to perform their duties. He removed his curved silver helmet, revealing a mane of stunning white on a coat of shadow grey.
"What happened here?"
"H-He was practising a n-n-n-new trick...for the s-show next week. He fell...he" Spitfire faltered as she watched the medics perform a multitude of probing and tests. Silverfall nodded grimly before turning behind him.
"Hurricane, take her to the Tower. We'll need to know everything"

Spitfire froze when she heard that name. She turned her amber gaze to the other two ponies who had accompanied the captain. No way. Standing there in the gleaming armour of the police force of Equestria's floating cities, stood Hurricane and Storm Rider. The same Hurricane and Storm Rider who threatened to rape her three years ago.

"No! Keep away from me!" the golden mare exclaimed, causing Silverfall to stare at his two officers with confusion. Storm Rider lowered his head in shame, but Hurricane raised his higher, a sly smirk pulling on the corners of his mouth. The Sky Warden Captain turned back to the distraught pegasus mare, her eyes almost aflame with anger and fear.

"I have no idea what you are talking about" the white stallion said smoothly.

"Horseshit! You...you and HIM! You threatened to rape me three years ago, Don't you dare make out that nothing happened. At the Academy, you would have beaten me if Soar hadn't of been there, you almost killed him, you almost killed all of us at the Wonderbolt track! Don't you dare touch me!"

Storm Rider at least had the decency to look genuinely ashamed of himself, the dark blue stallion lowering his head and wings as he refused to meet Spitfire's angry stare. But Hurricane's smirk almost twisted into a sneer. Silverfall stepped towards his two fellow Sky Wardens with a steely glare.

"Is this true? Answer me!"

"Of course it's not" Hurricane quipped, giving a beautifully forced tone of disbelief. "She's clearly mistaken us for two other ponies."

"Those were some very specific events she mentioned, like the Wonderbolt Track...?"

"With all due respect sir, I don't have to stand here and be accused of attempted rape, murder or beatings. The events of this evening have clearly affected her-"

"How dare you!" Spitfire spat, stunning even the cocky blue maned Warden before her. "I can easily have three other Wonderbolts testify against you, and you are damn lucky that we didn't report you straight away! It was out of decency that we didn't, against all common sense. You gave me nightmares for weeks after that night at the Spectrum Causeway."

Storm Rider winced at that. It was all Silverfall needed.

"The two of you are to report back to the Tower of the Iron Cloud. Wait for me there in the Hall of Sentinels to await my questioning. Until further evidence is gathered, the two of you are relieved of duty."

Hurricane's face remained neutral and unmoving, a perfect mask of composure. With an almost undetectable smirk, he simply said: "Yes sir." The pair of armoured pegasi lifted from the stadium stands and back into the starry sky. It was a long while before either of the them spoke again.

"Bucking bitch!"

---

The silver light of the moon was partially obscured by a stray ribbon of cloud, causing Rapidfire to squint his eyes as he continued his search for the suddenly missing Soarin'. He and Fleetfoot had arrived at his cousin's luxury cloudhome earlier that afternoon to ask what Tempest had wanted. What they found was a distraught Spitfire and an absent Soarin'. With absolutely no idea as to where he may have gone, Rapidfire had volunteered himself to find him in case the rather rash Wonderbolt got himself into trouble.

So far, after a good four hours of searching, Rapidfire finally decided to relent. The cold wind was biting at his fur and feathers, making the golden maned pegasus shiver and clack his teeth. Fleetfoot was waiting for him back in Cloudsdale, and Soarin' could be anywhere in Equestria. Groaning, the Wonderbolt began to veer back round the way he came.

It wasn't until then that Rapidfire noticed a small little town nestled in the wide dark valley below him. Thatched roofs pointed upwards into the night sky, and thin wisps of grey smoke trailed from the many chimneys. In the centre of the quaint village stood a magnificent oak tree, lights shining from the rounded windows jutting out from its boughs. If Rapidfire's memory served him, the town was that of Ponyville. He and the Streak Brothers had once passed over it whilst on a training flight. One last stop, thought the golden maned pegasus. Bending his wings, Rapidfire dived downwards. Maybe Soarin' was here?

It was almost midnight, and the streets of Ponyville were virtually deserted save for the few ponies gathered round a charmingly rustic old bar called The Three Horseshoes. The oil lamps that stood beside the wide cobbled streets shone brightly, and Rapidfire wondered how earth ponies could sleep at all with their yellow beams streaming into the houses. Thank Celestia for cloudhomes, he thought.

The grey coated stallion trotted through the streets, peering intently into the shadowed alleys that ran between the cottages, whilst still keeping a wary eye skyward in case of any sign of movement in the air. The pale moonlight offered a little illumination, but Rapidfire found himself straining his eyes just to see five yards ahead. And the wind was so cold.

"Dammit Soarin', where are you? I can't keep looking for you all night..."

But just as the Wonderbolt considered leaping back into the air, he heard a very familiar laugh. Ears perking up, he turned behind him and let out a relieved smile. Soarin' was gliding along the wind currents, heading towards the west end of town. However, as Rapidfire started to open his mouth to call the pale blue pegasus, his eyes caught sight of another. Even in the night time light of the moon, the vibrant rainbow coloured mane was as bright as a multicoloured candle. She was a mare, no older than seventeen by Rapidfire's guess.

They looked happy. Very happy.

Keeping his wingbeats silent and delicate, the grey coated stallion began to follow the merry pair.

---

Soarin' let out another - if slightly timid - laugh as Rainbow Dash finished telling him of her time at the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. The pale blue stallion's mind flashed back to his first time there...where he met Spitfire for the first time.

"So anyways, Gilda and I are hiding behind the desks, and Mr. Steelfeather comes in. Everypony in the class knew what we did, but they all kept quiet. So when he goes to sit down, he sits on the pin that me and Gilda put there! I have never seen a full grown stallion jump so high in my life!" Rainbow gasped, and blasted out an echoing laugh.

"You think that's bad? Me and Spi-" Soarin' stopped. He couldn't bring himself to say her name, due to a strange mixture if anger and shame.

"Yeah...you and who?"

The Wonderbolt shook his head. "Never mind."

An awkward silence descended over the pair before Rainbow brought some much welcome news.

"Um, well...here it is."

Soarin' snapped out of his rather pensive state of mind and looked up to see a tall conical cloudhome, vibrant rainbowfalls cascading down the cloud around it. It looked cosy. The stallion's jaded eyes watched as Rainbow pushed open the front door before stepping aside.

"Um...a- after you I guess" she mumbled with a little giggle on the end.

The pale blue pony smiled and stepped inside the tall cloudhome. He was pleasantly surprised at his surrounding. He was greeted by a spacious living room with a glowing fireplace, in front of which stood a plumb cushioned sofa. Various shelves stood around the fireplace, adorned with random bits of memorabilia from Cloudsdale and Canterlot. Soarin' grinned when he saw a bright gold Junior Speedsters Racing Badge sitting proudly on the mantle piece.

To his left stood a curved kitchen counter top not unlike his own at his apartment. The kitchen was in a state of minor chaos, glasses and cutlery scattered around the room. Rainbow Dash strutted in beside her idol and waved a forehoof in a sweeping motion before her.

"Well, this is home...err, my room's upstairs on the left, bathroom on the right. I got no spare bed or anything so err...is the couch okay for you?"

Soarin' nodded. Maybe tonight wouldn't be so bad. He would fly out at dawn, leave a 'thank you' note for Rainbow, and slip back into his apartment in Cloudsdale. Then he and Spitfire could finally sort out the matter of the foal. With a heavy heart, the blue stallion finally realised just how much of a plot he had been at the Cloudesium. Spitfire hadn't deserved any of it. His thoughts were interrupted by Rainbow's voice.

"Um, can I get you anything...or?"

"No thanks, um...thank you Rainbow, I'll be fine."

"W- wait, I'll get you a blanket or something, hang on" The cyan filly zoomed upstairs, returning with a neatly folded quilt. As Dash shook it out, Soarin' let out a laugh. The blanket unfolded to reveal a stitched face of one Tempest Wind. Behind him stood Spitfire, and behind her stood Soarin'. The blue Wonderbolt beamed as Rainbow set the quilt down on the sofa.

"I think they got my eyes wrong" Soarin' chuckled. Rainbow blushed a little as she looked at the stallion's eyes to check. Despite the events earlier that evening, the pale blue stallion still found the feisty young mare to be incredibly cute. Shaking his head at his thoughts, The athletic stallion trotted over to the couch, setting his haunches down amongst the cushions. He couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn that Rainbow's hoof brushed his shoulder, if very lightly.

"So um, g'night I guess. Err, do want breakfast in the morning?"

"Um thanks, but I've mooched off you enough already. Thanks Rainbow, but I got to get back to Cloudsdale as soon as possible. Wonderbolt things you know? Among other things..."

The cyan filly looked a little downcast, but let out a small smile and nodded. With a wink and and flutter, she disappeared into her bedroom upstairs, leaving Soarin' alone in the living room.

Both ponies however halted when they heard a loud banging come from the front door.

Rainbow Dash hovered back down the stairs as quick as lightning.

"You expecting anypony?"

"It's your house"

The banging continued to boom the cloudhome. With a frustrated grunt, Rainbow Dash seized the door handle and pulled. The sight that greeted her eyes was that of a tall, athletic stallion with a swept golden mane. His grey coat shone in the dim moonlight.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"R- Rapidfire, what are you doing here?" Soarin' spluttered.

"I could ask you the same question."

The pale blue pegasus stallion shot a look at the cyan filly in front of him, and then back to his best friend. He realised suddenly how badly the situation must have looked. Here he was, standing in the cloudhome of an attractive young filly he barely even knew, about to curl up on her couch and stay the night.

"Rapid, I can explain. It seriously isn't what it looks like. I was j-"

"Well what does it seriously look like then, Soarin'? Cuz to me it looks like you abandoned my cousin cuz of your little bitch- fit, went off into the blue telling nopony where you were going, left all of us - especially Spitfire, completely pissed at you, and now you're trying to hook up with some random filly you don't even know! I thought you had standards!"

"Don't you dare talk to me of standards, buddy" Soarin' hissed back, adding an icy venom to the final word. Rapidfire's frown turned into a look of true anger, and the tall stallion shoved his way past the shocked Rainbow Dash, who was still in shock at the presence of two Wonderbolts in her house.

"You don't have any respect for anypony do you? You take everything you have for granted. When was the last time you thanked Spitfire for paying for the team's night outs? When was the last time you showed any appreciation after Tempest showed you a new move? Or when me and Fleetfoot got you that new pair of flight goggles for you birthday? You show nothing!"

Soarin' flared his wings up defiantly and marched to his fellow Bolt, Rainbow scuttling clear of the two angry stallions. But Rapidfire wasn't finished yet:

"I don't know what Spitfire sees in you sometimes, I mean...you can be a complete plothole! You've always been a plothole! Arrogant, self- centred, lazy, cocky, ignorant little foal! I bet you don't even know that Spitfire's there sometimes. What she does for you, what she feels about you. I bet you don't even love her!"

Rapidfire was silenced when a pair of strong forehooves smashed into his muzzle as Soarin' lunged at him. The pair of stallions hurled out of Rainbow's doorway and onto the cool cloud outside. Rapidfire growled and bucked Soarin' off him, sending the blue pony rolling onto the cloud. The golden maned pegasus leapt onto his friend and tried to pin down his hooves, unfortunately too late. Soarin' headbutted him off, switching positions by hauling himself onto Rapidfire.

"You bucking mule! How can you say that? You motherb-"

A grey hoof slammed into Soarin's head just above his eye. The blue Wonderbolt returned the strike with a kick to Rapidfire's stomach. From inside the cloudhome, the multicoloured form of Rainbow Dash looked on in shock, hooves to her mouth and eyes pushing on the edge of tears.

"Stop it! Just break it up, dammit! Stop!" she shrieked pointlessly.

The pair of pegasi continued to batter each other, Soarin' blocking his friend's kick with his expansive wings before his own punch was halted by Rapidfire's foreleg. The blows continued to rain down on both stallions, but the fight finally came to a close when Rapidfire raised his two rear hooves high before bucking Soarin's face with the force of an avalanche. The blue pony flew backwards, almost falling completely off the cloud.

With a heavy sigh, Rapidfire relented. He turned to the distraught Rainbow Dash.

"Not a word of this to anypony, you understand?"

A frantic nod was received before the cyan filly shut her door hard.

Limping slowly towards his beaten friend, the grey coated stallion felt a pang of self hate upon looking at what he had done. His best friend lay eagle spread on the edge of the cloud, his fur covered in bruises and bloody scrapes. A quick look at his own body showed Rapidfire a similar sight.

"Dammit Soar, dammit!" he croaked, the anger with himself eclipsing that he felt for his friend. As the standing Wonderbolt edged forwards, he heard something which surprised him hugely.

Sobs. Soarin' was crying.

"Goddess dammit...I'm sorry R- Rapid I- I'm so sorry..."

"Hey, hey come here" Rapidfire replied, suddenly overcome by a wave of remorse and sympathy. This was the first time he'd ever seen Soarin' cry, and he knew it wasn't from the buck. His friend may have finally realised just how much he had screwed up in the past. But despite everything, he was still his friend.

And friends stick by each other, no matter what.

The wounded grey pegasus knelt down with a wince. It was less than a second before Soarin' hugged him, burying his face into Rapidfire's bloodied coat. With an understanding sigh, the gold maned pony wrapped a foreleg and a wing around his foalhood friend. They had been through thick and thin together, for over fifteen years.

"I'm sorry too. I, I shouldn't of said those things..."

"No, n- no, you've made me see...I- I'm such an idiot...I'm sorry for everything" Soarin' broke as a fresh tide of tears overcame him. He had been so wrong, so blind. How could Spitfire forgive him? In a single night, Soarin' felt as if his whole world just came crashing down.

Rapidfire silently cursed himself as he felt his own eyes begin to water.

"C'mon buddy...time to go home..."

Author's Note:

This chapter was a pain, but I hope I didn't disappoint. Once again, thank you for you patience :)

Comments

[Mariacheat-Brony]

pffew! i feel bad for Rainbow but i am very glad Soarin stop himself. Spitfire will need him now more than ever.

one question tough, Rapidfire is Spitfire's cousin right ? in the prequel didn't you made him look a bit much like her ? like yellow coat and orange mane ?

[brickguy213]

Update! Yessssssssss!!!!!!!

[Skyblitz]

2004430 Rapidfire always had a grey coat, but his mane colour kind of changed from orange through to gold. I needed some form of uniqueness so he wasn't TOO much like Spitfire

[RandomPerson78642]

Ohohoh yus.

Excuse my bad grammar, but I need to read this pronto.

[brickguy213]

You did not disappoint, great chapter! Poor Rainbow, and poor Soarin... But he DID deserve it! I hope Spitty screams at him or something... Well, at least he didn't have sex with Rainbow, I'll give him that...

[Hyper-Insomniac]

Irresponsibility