In the City
"It's been too long since I've been here," Rainbow Dash stated, taking a seat across from her father in the booth. "I think the last time I ate here was after I graduated from Flight School with Fluttershy." Sky Strike grabbed one of the menus placed on the table and lifted it to his eyes, his gaze scanning over the pages. The restaurant was much more successful than it was ten years ago. The menu had tripled in size, and the building was much bigger with two floors instead of one, and it was much cleaner. Posters of Spitfire and Soarin were posted over numerous walls, including a giant one signed by both wonderbolts that was nailed above the entrance.
"This place has definitely been getting a lot more money lately." Sky Strike stated, taking in the foreign surroundings. His eyes drifted over to one of the posters that were placed on the wall next to the both.
"So this is Soarin and Spitfire, now..." He said quietly, a gentle smile graces his lips. "They aren't the little squirts that I used to know. Soarin looks like a heartthrob and Spitfire looks like a model... but they're still the little flight geeks I remember." He chuckled, flashes of memories and sadness sinking over his eyes.
"If you sound this proud now, wait till I make it!" Rainbow Dash grinned cheerfully, waving her hoofs excitedly in the air. "I'll blow past those two the moment I take off!" Sky Strike cocked an eye and grinned, folding his hooves over the table.
"Oh?" he chuckled, "then you must be pretty confident in acing the written exam!"
Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest, "Of course, I'm ready to- wait, what?"
Sky Strike feigned a gasp, huddling back in his booth with his hooves. "You mean you didn't know?!" The written exam that covers aerodynamics, physics, health, and wonderbolt formations and techniques?!" Rainbow Dash's jaw practically hit the floor, her hooves dropping down by her sides.
"Y-You're joking, right?" Dash laughed nervously, sweat beading down her forehead. "G-Good one, dad!"
"Rainbow Dash," Sky Strike cleared his throat, his voice oddly stern and serious. "There's few things I take seriously that exist. There's a reason why all the wonderbolts are the best of the best. Wonderbolts need to be incredibly athletic, but they have to also understand a bit of aerodynamics and physics. They need to understand biology to a degree so that they can heal and prevent injury if they are ever dispatched, and the wonderbolt formations and techniques covers both stunt flying and military flying strategies." Sky Strike leaned in, his eyes staring into the souls of Dash's irises.
"But don't worry, sport. With your old man here, and a good friend who can help your studies, I'm sure that you'll have so much information crammed into your head that you'll just explode!" Sky Strike leaned back and laughed wholeheartedly, grabbing his stomach with his hooves.
"D-Dad! That isn't funny!" Rainbow huffed, her cheeks burning crimson ."Don't do that to me!"
"You should have seen your face..." Sky Strike wiped a tear from his eye while he continued to giggle. "As soon as I mention studying, you get all white!"
"S-Shut up..." Rainbow frowned, crossing her hooves in front of her chest. "But were you being serious?... I've never heard anything about a written test!"
"Of course there's one." Sky Strike smiled, closing his menu and setting it down lightly on the table. "Wonderbolts have to be physically and mentally fit. The reason I went to college in the first place was to take classes to prepare for the exam"
Rainbow groaned, dropping her head like a rock onto the wooden surface of the table. "My dream just got a little farther away..."
"Oh, come on! Where's that confidence that you're always beaming with?" Sky Strike grinned, ruffling the mane of his daughter. "I didn't say you were in it alone! You have me, who passed the test, and you have Twilight who probably knows ten times the amount of information that's on it! I'm sure that when the time comes, you'll be ready!" When he removed his hoof, Rainbow lifted her head and gave him a small smile.
"You're right... I'll definitely pass it on my first try!" Rainbow nodded, bumping hoofs with her father.
"I'm sure you will! You just won't do as well as I did..." Sky Strike chuckled, giving his daughter a sly smile.
"You kidding me? I'll blast past your score a whole ten minutes faster than you did!" Rainbow grinned back, her wings fluttering in the face of a new challenge. "Just wait and see!"
"Tough luck, kiddo." Sky Strike smirked, glancing left and right. "You know, we've been here for a while and the waiter hasn't come up yet. I don't remember it being this slow before..."
"They were all crowding around these two ponies that just came in," Dash shrugged, "I didn't see who they were. Some rich big shots, I guess?"
"Hm," Sky Strike hummed, spotting the small herd of ponies that his daughter pointed out. The crowd was moving rather slow, and whoever the ponies were freaking out about were completely blocked by their colorful bodies. "And here I was hoping to be noticed by people who recognize me."
"Well, you've kinda been dead for the past ten years, and ponies tend to just forget about those kinds of things," Rainbow Dash stated as a matter-of-factly.
"True," Sky Strike shrugged, "I guess everypony just moved on." He frowned, a lonely feeling creeping over his shoulders. He had thought he had gotten over it, but maybe it was just impossible. Rainbow Dash gave him a concerned expression, and he answered her with a warming smile.
"Time to get a waiter," Sky Strike stepped out from the booth. "I'm too hungry to wait any longer!"
Two blurs, one blue and one orange, suddenly shot through the restaurant, speeding right by Sky Strike and Rainbow Dash before scattering up the stairs, dashing right up into the VIP section. Sky Strike blinked, his rainbow mane now a rainbow-fro. He glanced back at Rainbow before he snickered, his daughter's hairstyle mimicking his own.
"Hey! Why are you laughing?" Rainbow Dash growled, "you look just like me!"
"Oh, sweetie..." Sky Strike wiped some gathering moisture underneath his eyes. "On the contrary... I look fabulous!"
Soarin and Spitfire took a relieving, fresh gulp of air. Even though they tried so hard to stay hidden, it was to no avail. They were recognized as soon as they stepped into the building, no doubt with help from their incredible fame and routine lunch-visits from their practice. Thankfully, the VIP section was mostly reserved for either the rich, famous, or high-ranking political ponies. It was completely off-limits to the normal ponies, and the burly pegasus-guards were going to be a big help with the growing crowd trying to make the upstairs journey.
"We should have figured this was useless..." Soarin shook his head. "We always think we'll trick them the next time." He looked over at Spitfire, who was strangely peering down the stairs.
"Uh, Spit?" Soarin frowned. "What's up?"
Spitfire shook her head, beating around senseless thoughts in her brain. "It's nothing. I just thought I saw something is all. Anyways, usual table?" Soarin nodded, and the two pegasi made their way over to their favorite spot in the restaurant.
The place they had officially claimed was a nice little two-seated table that sat in front of a large window in the corner of the room. At the right time of day they could overlook the beautiful city of Cloudsdale in a golden, glorious cloak of sunshine that cascaded down from Celestia's sun. Watching the everyday ponies go about their lives gave them a strange sense of peace, and it was one of few places where the renowned wonderbolts could relax.
"Man, it's a really nice day out." Soarin smiled, glancing through the placed menu on the table. "I'm glad we have today off. It seems that we've had practices on great weather, but the weather team always schedules rain on our off-days."
"No kiddin'." Spitfire huffed, flipping through her own menu. "Actually, speaking of news, did you hear about the strange storm over Ponyville?"
"Strange storm?" Soarin asked absentmindedly, his eyes thoroughly scanning the names of apple-pie. "What, did the weather team lose control or something? Hard to belief since Rainbow Dash is in charge there. With skills like those, I'm surprised that she hasn't tried to join up with us yet."
"She would definitely make a great asset to the team," Spitfire said, plopping down the menu onto the table. "But that's besides the point. I heard it was a sudden, spontaneous thunderstorm... sort of like a magical essence storm." She looked hard into Soarin's widening eyes. "Sort of like what happened ten years ago."
Soarin sighed, setting the small booklet onto the table. "Spitfire, I know how you feel, but you've got to let this go. We all have regrets, and I keep saying this over and over, but you're letting it really drag you down."
Spitfire glared, her ears twitching in irritation. "And I keep telling you, Soarin, that there's good reason for that. But you know how unpredictable these magical essence things are- we took that same class together. They're unpredictable, and anything could happen. Like what if he's still out there, somewhere? What if he's trapped, screaming for help? What if he's-"
"Been dead for ten years?" Soarin frowned, quickly shutting up his childhood friend. "Look, Spit... I'd like to believe it as much as you, but the reality is that he's gone. We've gone ten years without him, and we've been just fine. I don't know what's gotten into you recently, but you have done nothing but bring him up any chance you could for the past few weeks. Ten years, Spitfire. Ten. Years."
"Yeah, yeah..." Spitfire waved it off, her eyes casting down onto the table. "I'm sorry, Soarin. You're right... it's just that I've been getting this really strange feeling recently, and it's been bugging the heck out of me. It's probably nothing, but I'm having just a hard time shaking it." She sighed, laying her head down onto the cold surface of the table. "Maybe I've just been tired, lately..."
"Maybe." Soarin added, his eyes looking to the streets of Cloudsdale. His eye caught a small family of ponies laughing and playing on the streets, and a small smile crept up onto his lips.
"Hey..." He started, "do you... do you think I'd make a good father?"
"Hm?" Spitfire blinked, looking up from the table. "Where did that come from?"
"Nothing in particular." He replied, leaning over to the window to watch the family disappear on the corner of the street. "It's just a thought, you know? We've never really had good parents, so how would I know how to start? Well, Sky Strike was definitely the closest thing I had to a father."
"And you complain that I bring him up too often." A playful smile graced Spitfire's lips. "But anyway, I think you'd make a good father. Well, you'll probably panic the first time you try and change diapers, but I think you can definitely do it."
Heavy hoofsteps and sharp clanking metal noises quickly interrupted their conversation. A group of armored pegasi were making their way by the two wonderbolts, their eyes casting stern gazes in front without even looking over at the two celebrity flyers.
"Well, it looks like the Colonel made some time to stop by during work." Soarin whispered to Spitfire, his eyes spotting a distinctive pony lost in the sea of soldiers. The pony's body was completely encased in shimmering crimson armor, an intimidating helmet hiding its face within. Everypony knew it was the Colonel. There was nopony but him who would wear such armor, and he would always travel with a small platoon of troops.
"Man, talk about wearing protection." Spitfire whispered back, snickering. Soarin couldn't help but grin at his friend's joke, watching the small parade of soldiers stomp their way downstairs. There were a few yells from the crowd that had been building at the base of the steps, but they were probably being easily shoved away by the guards.
"Geez... it's been almost a decade since he took that position, and I've never seen him out in the open by himself." Soarin frowned, glancing over at Spitfire. "What about you?"
"Same." Spitfire shrugged, casting her eyes out towards the window. "I only hear scary things about him. Like, he completely froze a company of soldiers with just a glance."
"That's pretty scary." Soarin nodded, grimacing at the things he had also heard. "I wonder what his problem is."
There was a loud shout that echoed from the first floor along with banging that lightly shook in the floor beneath the two wonderbolts. Before they could even blink, they heard the sound of breaking wood, and multiple blurs fired past the large window that they were seated right next to, causing the two wonderbolts to jump in immediate shock.
"Um..." Spitfire blinked, the menu flopping onto the floor from her jerk of surprise. "What just..."
"I don't know," Soarin shrugged, quickly recovering and sitting up in his seat."But what I do know, is that I've been here for around ten minutes, and I still haven't gotten my pie."
"So I was saying," Sky Strike started, taking a small nibble at his piece of pie. "That when somepony says to fly with your heart and to forget about the technicalities, that makes no sense. Technicality and passion go hoof in hoof. If you're able to pull of more moves with more finesse and finer ability, you're able to express even more of your emotions and soul when in the air. You listening to me, Dashie? This is very important stuff." He licked his lips clean, raising an eye at his daughter.
Rainbow Dash groaned, rubbing her head while taking a small sip out of a straw. "Flying is easier when you're actually doing it when talking about it..." She grumbled, looking down at her half-finished pie meal. "I love flying just as much as you, dad, but when you're not doing it you're talking about it all the time!"
"I'm surprised you don't! From what I hear, it's either napping or some popular book series that I've heard you've read multiple times over." Sky Strike smirked, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "You're my daughter! Flying is in your blood, bones, wings, mane, spleen, everything! You should be preaching it to everypony and all ponies who dare cross your path!"
"Whatever..." She rolled her eyes. A small commotion suddenly caught their attention, scattering a few of the ponies that were pushing to get up the stairs. A small group of armored ponies practically blasted through, knocking fans and paparazzi aside. Rainbow Dash frowned, chewing slowly on her pie.
"Well, that wasn't very nice." She swallowed, wiping her lips with her hoof. "Last time I checked, guards were paid to help people, not shove them to the side!"
"Not all of them are like that... but why are they here?" Sky Strike frowned, "is this some sort of special military routine or something?" Suddenly, the flash of crimson armor caught his eye, and he felt something lift in his chest.
"Dad?" Rainbow Dash blinked, seeing her father's eyes widen like dinner plates. His wings readied themselves at his sides, his ears flickering excitedly.
"That's him..." He stated, standing up from his seat. "That's the Colonel! That's Fluttershy's father!"
"What?" Rainbow Dash blinked, her own eyes widening. "Seriously?" He pointed his hoof and she followed it, spotting the crimson-armored stallion directly in the middle of the mob of guards.
"Hey... didn't you say he wasn't ferocious?" Dash inquired, looking at the Colonel with doubt in her eyes. "It's kind of hard to look kind and cuddly when you're completely decked out in three inch iron plates."
"That's him, alright..." Sky Strike smirked. "I'd recognize that shyness anywhere!" Before Dash could protest, he charged out of his seat, his wings launching him at the mob of heavily-armed soldiers.
"Wulfwind!" Sky Strike screeched, "It's me! Sky Strike!"
It happened all so fast that even Rainbow Dash had a hard time catching it.
The Colonel glanced over, hearing Sky Strike's shouts. It appeared that he was quickly shocked, and he barked out a quick order to the guards surrounding him. The troops quickly went into action, rushing to form a single line with their shields acting as a thick, impenetrable wall while the Colonel dashed out from the building. However, they weren't expecting Sky Strike's sudden burst of speed, and he quickly knocked them each aside before they could get into position. The Colonel was out of the door by then, but so was Sky Strike who was hot on his tail.
Rainbow Dash growled, slamming a few bits onto the table. "It's on me!" She yelled in anger, her wings sprouting to take flight. In a split second she was out, pulling up close behind the two speeding pegasi.
The two blue blurs chased the crimson streak over the streets, weaving and dodging all incoming pegasi traffic. They crossed over the streets, dashed through crowds, and through almost impossibly small alleyways. The Colonel, although clad in his bulky, clunky armor, was able to maneuver himself surprisingly well. But Sky Strike and Rainbow Dash were still more than enough, keeping up with him every step of the way.
"Wulfwind!" Sky Strike called out loudly, his mane whipping back from the rush of air. "It's me, Sky Strike! Your best friend, remember?!"
"Silence, you fiendish spirit!" The Colonel answered back, his voice deep and menacing like his armor. "You shall not fool me, you shape-changing demon!"
"For Celestia's sake, man!" Sky Strike growled, "we haven't played ponies and castles in forever! This is no time for roleplay!" Taking in a deep breath, Sky Strike quickly accelerated, slamming his body into the armored soldier's shell. The Colonel quickly spun out of control, his body slamming into the cloud streets below. He bounced from the impact, spinning into an alleyway and in to a pair of trash cans.
Sky Strike landed perfectly on his hooves, his body a little wobbly from the impact. "Ouch..." He rubbed his side, wincing at the jumps of pain that flickered over his skin. "Maybe tackling wasn't the best idea...." The alley way was sealed off from the other end, leaving the Colonel trapped. Rainbow landed behind her father a second later, watching the armored guard cautiously.
The Colonel was sitting back on his haunches, his head still spinning from the rough landing. He eventually shook it out and stood up defiantly, his chest puffing out for intimidation.
"Nice try, evil spawn..." The Colonel growled. "But it is no use. You will be defeated here today, but I will stand victorious over your smoldering corpse!" His voice rumbled with anger, the power in his voice sending a slithering chill over Rainbow Dash's spine.
"U-Um, dad?" Rainbow Dash blinked. "Are you sure this is a good idea?..."
'It's worse than I thought." Sky Strike murmured, taking a small step back. "He's completely lost it. He either thinks I'm some sort of demonic ghost or a changeling... "
"Dad?" Dash asked in a whisper, watching the Colonel's wings spread out in fury, his breathing sounding vicious and beastly.
"It's been a long time, Wulfwind." Sky Strike smiled. "Sorry that it's been a while. Something happened, so I've kinda been gone for a long time..."
"Silence!" The Colonel growled, digging his hoof into the cloud pavement. "Your words mean nothing!"
Sky Strike gave the Colonel a sad smile and took a single step forward. "I hurt a lot of people by disappearing, Wulfwind. My wife... my daughter... Apple Marston, too. But you took the worst of it, didn't you? After all, we have been best friends since the first day of school, remember?"
The Colonel remained silent but stayed on edge, his body rising with each breath he thrust into his lungs.
"We were inseparable, huh?" Sky Strike smiled, taking another small step. "Even when we got married we got together as much as we could. Well, it was always at your house. You were always terrified of the outside world, weren't you? But that's what I was there for, right? I was your shield, Wulfwind. I was your shield... and you the one that held all my secrets. You were the one I could always talk to."
The Colonel took a single step back.
"I'd talk to you about lots of things, huh?" Sky Strike smiled sadly. "Like how I was worried about Dash's future, or about how if I made the right choice to become a father. But you were the one that always broke my doubts, Wulfwind. You always told me I made the best choice... you were the one that kept me going. Remember when we were younger, when the other ponies would always tease you? They'd always say you would be nothing without me, but that wasn't true. Without you, I would have crumbled a long time ago, Wulfwind. Without you, I couldn't be me."
"...Sky Strike..." The Colonel's words came out like a gentle whisper, catching the reins of the gentle breeze coursing through the alley.
"And then I left you, didn't I?" Sky Strike said, the volume of his voice dropping drastically. "I left you alone for ten years. Your shield was gone, so you needed to put on armor. You needed comfort to face the world around you... and I'm the one that made you face all of that. Lot's of things have changed over the past ten years... you became Colonel, my family moved on... and one of my closest friends had left, and I didn't have a chance to say goodbye."
"Apple Marston..." The Colonel said softly, his body now far from tense.
"So please, Wulfwind...." Sky Strike took in a deep breath. "Please... right now, I need you more than ever. Please, Wulfwind... it's really me."
With a loud clank, the crimson helmet fell to the ground.
Rainbow Dash's jaw practically hit the ground.
A beautiful, silver mane caught the gentle whisper of the wind, flowing brilliantly in the rays of the gorgeous sun. The pony's coat was a white that was even more polished than Rarity's, and it glimmered wondrously even in the small shadows of the alleyway. However, it wasn't the beauty of the stallion's mane or coat that had caused Dash so much shock...
"Uh, Dad..." She blinked. "If... if you ignore the colors, then..."
"Yup." Sky Strike nodded. "He looks exactly like Fluttershy."
"Sky Strike..." Wulfwind's eyes flowed freely with tears as he broke into a gallop, his forehooves stretching out preparing to give Sky Strike a tight, loving embrace.
"Yup." Sky Strike nodded again. "My best friend totally looks like a hot mare."
"I-I'm so sorry, Sky Strike..." Wulfwind murmured, twiddling his hooves above his desk. "E-Ever since ten years ago, I-I've had to create a whole new personality just to survive out there..." Sky Strike and Rainbow Dash were sitting in comfy padded chairs in Wulfwind's office, seated directly in front of the Colonel's desk.
"Yeah, I understand." Sky Strike nodded, giving his friend a big smile. "To be honest, I sort of expected something like this. You were always good at putting on different roles for yourself... I should have expected it would be the 'Crimson Knight' back from our days of playing Ponies and Castles. Though I have no idea how you made that armor."
Rainbow Dash repeatedly looked back and forth between Sky Strike and Wulfwind, still completely lost. "Wait," she started, "so the big bad Colonel was a role completely created by Wulfwind, and in truth he's actually a shy pansy with the body and face of his daughter who, at one point, was a model?..."
"Y-Yes, it's true." Wulfwind nodded nervously, his words coming out in true Fluttershy fashion. "I-I'm afraid of going out and m-meeting new ponies... t-the big scary stallions w-will sometimes hit on me, thinking I'm a m-mare..."
"Huh..." Rainbow Dash clicked her tongue. "Wow. You actually are worse than Fluttershy."
"Tell me about it." Sky Strike playfully rolled his eyes with a smile. "When his daughter was born, I had to force him into the same room to see her. He was so shy about meeting her for the first time that he passed out half a dozen times."
"I-It was a full dozen, actually..." Wulfwind cleared his throat, "s-so, anyways, let me get this straight. Ten years ago, in that strange storm, you were either transported here through time, or you were somehow kept away for all that time and was just finally released?"
"Something like that." Sky Strike nodded. "I don't really know for sure, and I'll probably never know. But what happened happened, and now I'm just trying to fix up everything. I've managed to help patch things up with Dashie here, and I came by to see you right away. I want to let everybody know who was close to me that I'm back. And back for good."
"And I'm guessing this includes Starlight, correct?" Wulfwind asked. Rainbow Dash grumbled, turning her head away in frustration. Sky Strike sighed, reaching up to scratch the back of his head.
"Yeah... and I've heard the whole thing from Dash." Sky Strike winced at the thought. "So she's living in a comfortable mansion in Canterlot with ole' Wolfgang, huh?"
"I'm sorry..." Wulfwind said softly. "I can't imagine how that feels..."
Sky Strike smiled sadly. "Well, it definitely hurts. One minute, she was my entire world, and the next, she's somebody else's. Not only that, but she has her own kids, and has gotten her dream job. I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't even see her, you know? All I'd do is bring back the past... and in her case, that's best left forgotten." The room went silent, with each pony staring quietly at the floor.
Dash glanced up at her father, the sad glimmer in his eyes wrenching her heart. She didn't want to be anywhere near her mother. But for her father, that was obviously a different story. Truth be told, she didn't even know what to do. She wanted to be away from her mother, but... she wanted him to be happy. Dash silently groaned in frustration, rubbing her forehead with her hoof. Why was life so complicated?
Wulfwind was the first to break the silence. "No." He shook his head. "You're here now. Even if she has a new life, you still need to go see her. If you still truly love her, that's the right thing to do. If you don't, you'll just regret it later."
"But... what about her new family?" Sky Strike asked. "Wouldn't I be intruding?..."
"As far as I'm concerned, you and Rainbow Dash were there first." Wulfwind smiled softly. "All in all, you're still family. Besides, I can tell that every fiber in your being wants to go see her."
Sky Strike's mood lifted, and he gave his friend a knowing smile. "Like always, you're right." He chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm glad I came to see you first. How is it that you always know what to say to make me jump right back in?"
"Because I know you, Sky Strike." Wulfwind smiled. "It's been a long time since I've been able to talk with somepony like this... ever since you left and Apple Marston passed away, I've been having a hard time." He sighed, running his hooves through his beautiful silver mane. "I was starting to forget who I was... the strong, imposing Crimson Knight, or the shy, terrified Wulfwind. But seeing you again made me remember that I'm both those things. We're both responsible for making each other the way we are, really." Sky Strike and Wulfwind chuckled at one another, a warm aura seeping into the atmosphere.
"Geez, why don't you two just kiss already." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. Sky Strike playfully punched her, giving out a little laugh.
"So why don't you two stay the night at my place?" Wulfwind asked. "You plan on making it to the Wonderbolt Anniversary in Canterlot, right? That's not until tomorrow, and if you two fly at a fast pace, you'll make it there rather quickly. You're probably a little eager to meet Spitifre and Soarin, huh?"
"A little?" Sky Strike smirked. "I can't wait to see their show. Last time I saw them, they were just getting good at synchronized flying. Now that they're captain and vice-captain of the most esteemed flying team in Equestria, I imagine that their skills are probably through the roof. I'm sure that they surpassed me by far, now."
"They're definitely some of the best." Wulfwind smiled, looking over at Rainbow Dash. "W-Well, at least for now. When your daughter takes the stage, I'm sure that she'll be the next biggest flyer for generations. I heard at the best young fliers competition, she even performed the s-"
Rainbow Dash coughed loudly, quickly interrupting Wulfwind. "A-Anyways, you said something about staying at your place? Man, I could use a nice long nap right now!"
Sky Strike and Wulfwind looked at each other and shrugged, giving one another a small grin. "Sure thing, kiddo." Sky Strike chuckled, reaching over and ruffling his daughter's mane. "The little princess needs her beauty sleep, huh?"
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash puffed, eliciting a loud laugh from the two stallions.
"That was so good!" Soarin burped, sitting back in his seat. He padded his stomach, happily groaning at how full he was. "This place never ceases to amaze me!"
Spitfire, on the other hoof, was deep in thought, staring mindlessly outside the window. "Yeah, seriously." She said without thinking, her brain elsewhere.
Soarin frowned. "Hey," he started, "your mind better be on the show tomorrow. It's one of the most important shows we're ever going to fly, you know. Both the princesses will be there along with half of the city! I heard that diplomats from Saddle Arabia are also attending, so we gotta show them what's what!"
"Yeah, great." Spitfire added. "Saddle Arabia. Whoo."
"Um, Spit? You feeling okay?" Soarin asked, his voice dripping with concern.
"Yeah..." She said quietly. "But that feeling I told you about? That really strange one? Well, it's really acting up right now, and I'm a little worried."
"Well I don't think you should worry too much about anything. Everything seems to be fine right now. The big show is tomorrow, it'll be back in Canterlot, and our team is in top shape. What could possibly go wrong, Spit?"
"...I don't know." She shook her head. "I... I guess I am freaking out a little too much here. You're probably right.. everything is going to be okay."
Soarin smiled, but he couldn't stop the small nagging feeling in the back of his head.
Something was definitely going to happen.
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You know, today I was looking over my favorites and I saw this... I thought to myself, its been awhile since the last update... I go to the next page and it was just updated... I wonder is that works on others too?
Should be 'then'.
Other than that, nice to see this back.
Well it's about time. That was a nice chapter.
Oh gods, that was priceless! Fluttershy's father is bishounen!
And I hope Sky Strike manages to meet up with Soarin and Spitfire before the show, cause if they caught sight of him during...
Wonder how Rainbow will react when she realizes that she, Soarin, and Spitfire are a few legal technicalities away from being siblings? I mean, if not for fiscal limitations, those flashbacks made it clear Sky Strike would have adopted Soarin and Spitfire, and with how Spitfire especially has been grieving, I doubt she'd object to an unofficial adoption even at her age to call him Dad...
...aside from the fact that he likely now looks to be of appropriate age to date her...
...good lord, that would be awkward.
I was very happy to see this story update!
So glad this is back!
Can't...stop...laughing...
Also, this little thing you have going on with spitfire and soarin managing to miss sky strike every time is getting slightly frustrating.
This is extremely strange...two fics with the exact same cover arts just updated on the exact same day....
On a side note: FRIGGIN AWESOME! SOOOOOO WORTH THE WAIT!!
uhhhh... is this right?
...well that was shorter than I hoped. Not that I didn't enjoy the reunion with Wulfwind, but I was more looking forward to Spitfire and Soarin... who barely missed him. Still, good chapter. I wish it was longer, but that doesn't detract from it. :P
It lives! Wonderful!
I'm glad for the update. It has been a long time for this story. I can't wait for the next one. Promise me, the next chapter won't take 6 months before it gets released. Great work though.
"Oh yeah, new chapter! That means Soarin and Spitfire confrontation, hell yeah!"
*Next chapter*
Pls no bb don't do this to me again
god hurryPraise the moon, it's back!
img0.joyreactor.com/pics/comment/full/pewdiepie-girls-girl-725913.gif
I'm going to imagine Fluttershy in her poison joke voice now.
Please don't kill Sky
allmystery.de/i/ta18f36_rainbow_dash_sadface_2_by_iks83-d4oqjae.gif
Huzzah! So happy to see this had updated!
Didn't saw THAT one coming.
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Don't give the author ideas.
So Sky Strike meets Soaring and Spitfire next chapter?
...
...
...
Damn You Sir! Thou Art Such a Tease!
I can just imagine Rainbow's next conversation with Fluttershy.
Rainbow: Hey Fluttershy, you're dad is hot.
Fluttershy: Oh, um... Eep!
Also, I don't think this has clicked with Rainbow yet but,
this means that Sky Strike thinks Fluttershy is hot.
You're back horray.
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I don't think dash is homo not that there is anything wrong with them but just not her.
Bet 100 bits that Sky won't meet Spitfire or Soaring until two chapters from now
4130996 You may be right, but that doesn't mean she doesn't like the look of an effeminate stallion does it?
Anyone know Armed with Wings?
He totally looks like that guy.
So happy.
So, if Sky Stike adopts Soarin and Spitfire, then they will be sister/brother to Rainbow Dash.
Then if Sky Strike marrys Fluttershy's dad. Then Fluttershy will be.....
This needs to happen.
Soarin' NO you do NOT say that! now everything will go wrong!
dang it spitfire not you too
now everything is totally gonna go wrong no quetions about it.. anyway great chapter hopefully we don't have to wait to long for the next chapter. but again just like any great artist would say: "you can't rush art!" keep up the good work 
I have to say, that bit about Fluttershy's father looking like a hot mare just made me chuckle. But yes! Youve updated! Im quite glad to see it too. Here's hoping to many more updates.
P.S. Writing on a phone is way more difficult than it's worth.
I DEMAND MORE
LONGER CHAPTERS
and STORYLINE 
please...
Been a long time since it was updated.
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Nope. Soarin' simply REALLY likes his pie...
It's back!
Grahhhhh!!!!! Just bucking meet already!
You're going to torture us with this for a long time, aren't you?
... I hope so.
I WANT MORE CHAPTERS!!!!!
P.S. I loved the part where Sky convinces wulf that he's real.
We'll, was kinda expecting to see the soarin, spitfire, and sky strike reunion special this chapter but seeing fluttershy's father and his personality is just as good! Glad to see your back. Already can't wait to see what happens next!
This fic has returned from the dead! It's....It's a miracle!
4135921 That would be an amusing post if it wasn't for the fact that it was Sky Strike, not Soarin', who took a "nipple" of the pie.
Do you know when exactly her father is going to find out about the sonic rainboom? And do you mind giving a little bit away about what you've planned for how she's going totel him because I'm certain all your readers would like to know.
Before I read this chapter, I sorta imagined that Fluttershy's dad would either look like this
th01.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/234/6/8/joseph_stallion_by_10art1-d5bydvc.png
or like this
th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2013/087/8/1/german_military_pony__speedpaint___by_sycoartworks-d5zmhp9.jpg
but after reading this, this is the image that appeared to me.
fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/099/3/f/fluttershy__s_dad_by_blooddragon01-d7dqgp1.png
I like this chapter, I'm glad to see that you've picked up this story again and I'm eager to see more.
I can't wait, there's so muuuch drama waiting to happen, Spitfire's reaction, RD's reaction to her reaction, and boy will I have a field day of feels reading the iron lady's reaction, I mean it doesn't really matter how Rainbolt will play things out, if he just tries to say he's sorry and say he's out of her life for good on his own that wouldn't do much good....ugh this is just so nnnng.
That show is most likely going to be a disaster, I can feel it
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Try giving him Fluttershy's hair. There should be a version of that in the previous Pony Creator.
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Like I said, when I read it, that's what I saw. When I was making the image, the hair just seemed right to me.
when will this be updated?!
R.I.P. fanfic
Any chance that the fic will be updated anytime soon?
The part with the major amused me greatly, its always amusing to see such occur, and remind them that there is always someone stronger out there, someone who makes them look like a novice.
Good thing the Colonel isnt the top of the pyramid!
On another note... I am surprised and shocked at Twilight....a pony who was missing for 10 years comes back and she says NOTHING to the princess?
For shame Twilight, for shame.
Update anytime soon?