Chapter 2: Soarin Through Trouble

The next morning, Weatherjack awoke in the Apple house. Last night had been a joy for him. He was able to catch up with his family, and have a real conversation with them. After learning of Apple Bloom and her friends' attempts to earn their cutie marks any which way they could, he remembered getting down to eye level with her.

"So, you wanna get your cutie mark, eh Bloom?"

"Of course Weatherjack! We've been tryin' fer so long. And everything's been so bad... Ah don't know why we're still tryin'. Nothin' good ever comes out of it."

Weatherjack placed a hoof on her should, trying to console her. "Y'know, a very wise man once told me: 'The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice versa. But the bad things, don't spoil the good things, or make them unimportant.' And I PROMISE you, getting that cutie mark will be in your pile of good things. You might have to wait a bit though."

She happily smiled at her cousin, nuzzling against him, thanking him for his consolation. She then mentally swore that she would live the rest of her life keeping track of her good and bad piles.

He grinned at remembering her determination, as it had reminded him of himself when he was a colt. After a mental struggle to drag himself out of bed, he descended down the stairs, realizing his fellow family members were not up at this hour. The orange stallion turned to his pocket watch. 9:37. Well, we WERE up late last night... He had decided to take a visit into town, wanting to see how much it had changed over the years. After leaving a quick note on the coffee table, he took off out the door.

The morning air smelled brilliant to him. He remembered how he would always go for a morning jog back at home. As Weatherjack trotted along the trail going into town, he stopped to look at the scenery. Birds, fluttering around without a care in the world. Insects, absorbing pollen and greeting each other freely. Flowers, their beauty almost fully in bloom. He was completely astounded. The pegasus was about to take another step, when a flash of pink jumped in front of him, eyes wide with excitement.

"Oh, hello miss. Um, I didn't see you there," Weatherjack tried to be friendly to the mare that had oddly appeared in his line of travel.

The pink pony jumped up and down, utterly excited. "OH! I can see the resemblance! You're definitely AJ's cousin!"

Weatherjack simply smirked at the mare. She was obviously a friend of her's. "Indeed, my dear pink pony. I'm Weatherjack. Pleasure to meet you." As he did for Rainbow Dash, Weatherjack also tipped his hat at the mysterious pink pony.

Giddy with even more excitement, she spoke a mile a minute. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! I'm one of Applejack's friends! Hey! Have you ever had a-"

And Weatherjack spent the rest of his trip trying to make sense of Pinkie Pie, laughing with her at her constant excitement. She eventually stopped to take a breath, and that portion of the trip was endured in silence. Finally, Pinkie broke the silence.

"I just remembered! I have to plan you're Welcome to Ponyville party! It'll have cake, balloons, pop, decorations, everything!"

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that for me Pinkie Pie. I mean, you do have things to do for yourself. No need to waste time on-

It was no use. "Are you KIDDING me?! You're new to Ponyville, and I throw a party for ANYPONY new to Ponyville. And since you're AJ's cousin, you'll get an Extra Special Party!"

Seeing as there being no avail to arguing, Weatherjack simply nodded and thanked Pinkie for her offer. She had then run off, going to take care of the party business, leaving Weatherjack alone once again. He walked around town for a bit, trying to spot any noticeable changes. Nothing of major difference struck his mind. Slightly relieved, he walked to one of his favorite places in town: the library.

As he walked inside the giant tree/house, he was greeted by a purple unicorn.

She smiled at him. "Good morning. My name is Twilight Sparkle." She held out her hoof.

The orange pegasus tilted his hat, before shaking Twilight's extended hoof. "Likewise. I'm Weatherjack."

Twilight's eyes widened, as she examined the stallion. "The Weatherjack? Hoofington Weatherjack? Weatherjack the time-"

Weatherjack quickly covered her mouth with his hoof. He did it with enough force to keep her from talking, but with enough slack that it didn't hurt her. The stallion's eyes widened. "Who in Gallifrey's name told you about that?" he whispered forcefully. He pulled his hoof off of the very surprised Twilight, who proceeded to explain herself.

"I was able to piece everything together," she explained. "Orange stallion that looked like Applejack, strange happenings in Equestria, mysterious blue box..."

Weatherjack sighed deeply. "You best forget that now. There's no need for someone like me." He trotted toward a table, and sat down. "I'm gonna bury my muzzle in a book if you don't mind." He smiled sincerely at Twilight, showing her his apologies for his outburst just moments before.

He silently sat down at a table, and looked through his bag. "Well well well. Fancy seeing you here bow tie."

After swiftly straightening his bow tie, he looked up to see a familiar rainbow pegasus holding the latest Daring Do book.

"I could say the same about you," Weatherjack quickly remarked, smirking. I didn't take you for a reader, Miss Dash.

She set her book down, looking at the orange stallion. "Just because I'm the athletic one, doesn't mean that I can't be brainy too." And with hat, she continued reading again.

"Fair enough I suppose." He plopped a giant book on the table. It was an oldie, but a goodie to him. The Theory of the Multiverse by Doctor T. Turner. He had read it a thousand times. It was huge too! About a few thousand pages. Now, was he reading it to show off? Perhaps. Does he care? Not a chance.

He spent a good few hours with Rainbow Dash, reading, telling stories, and occasionally asking why she had kicked his foot. When he did, all her response was a smirk, and a short apology.

He decided it was time to scat, so he picked up his book, and set it back in his saddlebag. "Leaving already?" The cyan mare asked, with slight disbelief.

"Afraid so my friend. I've got things to do." After a quick hug between the two, Weatherjack departed from the library, only to see a light blue stallion waiting outside. He was wearing a jumpsuit, and goggles around his neck.

"Hello there!" the orange pegasus greeted. The stallion disregarded the greeting, and walked up to him.

"And just who are you?" he asked.

"Weatherjack. And you are?"

"You don't need to know who I am. What were you doing just now?"

Weatherjack gave the stallion a crooked stare, and then spoke up. "Reading. A glorious book by the way, you see, its about the multi-"

He was cut short when the stallion grabbed Weatherjack by the collar, and hoisted him up next to the building. "Not that you orange idiot. What were you doing with Dashie?"

Weatherjack adjusted himself slightly, then looked back at him. "I was giving her a hug. Why? Is that, like, some sort of satanic sign around here?" He smirked at the stallion.

The blue pegasus shook his head, and spoke. "You were playing hoofsies, with MY Dashie!'

"HOOFSIES? Is that what you guys call it?" Weatherjack tried to hold back a laugh. "Y'know, Iv'e heard some really ridiculous stuff in my day, about Daleks, and Cybermen, but THAT takes the cake..."

The stallion tightened his grip, causing Weatherjack to gag slightly. "Listen here, and listen well you freak. She's mine. And if I see you trying to pull anything, I will personally send you to the moon. Got it?" He slowly lowered the confused pegasus. He the stood up, and made a goofy salute.

"Yes sir Mr.Unidentified Blue Stallion sir!"

Shaking his head, the stallion flew away, leaving Weatherjack to take in what just happened.

At that moment, Rainbow Dash walked out, trying to put her book back in her bag.

"Pho phie, phanna helph phe out." She sputtered, her book resting in her mouth.

Weatherjack calmly walked up to her, and put her book in her bag, trying to bypass what had just happened. He then looked at Rainbow Dash, who was smiling at him.

"Thanks for that," she said. "Hey, as long as you're here, the girls and I are having a little get together tonight. Wanna join us?"

"Hm. I'm gonna have to cancel my meeting with the prime minister, but I should be able to pencil it in." He smirked at her, and then laughed.

She laughed along with him, and together they walked to an open field. During the course of the trip, Rainbow Dash maintained a somewhat close distance to Weatherjack, occasionally nuzzling against him. He didn't seem to mind. Upon arriving at the field, they were greeted by Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, a yellow pegasus, and a white unicorn.

"Well, hello there girls," Weatherjack kindly greeted them. As he did for many others, he had tipped his hat, acknowledging the five of them.

Twilight looked up, and smiled at him. She then looked to the yellow pegasus and the white unicorn. "Girls, this is Weatherjack, Applejack's cousin from Hoofington."

The white unicorn stood up, and walked over to Weatherjack. "Hello, darling. I'm Rarity, one of the most fashionable ponies in Ponyville." She had flipped her mane, trying to show off her glamour. "And might I add, what a lovely bow tie you have there."

On impulse, the orange stallion straightened his bow tie, smiling at Rarity. "Why thank you. It's good to know someone who has a knack for fashion."

He then turned to the yellow pegasus, who was looking in the opposite direction. Weatherjack could easily tell she was shy, since she tried desperately to hide her face. He broke the silence, and spoke up. "Hello there miss!"

He heard a small whimper emanate from her, as be backed away a small bit. He then tried a calmer approach. "Um, I'm Weatherjack miss. Nice to meet you."

It seemed to work a bit, as she turned her head a bit to get a look at the stallion, then quickly turned away. She then squeaked some words that he could not make out.

"Sorry, miss. Run that by me again?"

She turned her head slightly, looking at him again. "I-I'm... Flutter...shy..." She turned her head away again.

Weatherjack looked at her strangely, then proceeded to speak again. "Excuse me for sounding repetitive, but, one more time, please?"

This time, the yellow pegasus faced him fully, revealing her entire face. "It's.... Fluttershy!"

"Haha! Well, nice to meet you Fluttershy!" He held out his hoof, hoping she would take it. Instead, she lightly touched it, and shook it with little force.

Well, I guess I know where the Shy part comes from.

He sat in between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who proceeded to have conversations of their own with their multi-coloered companions. Weatherjack smiled, and lied down, enjoying the serene blue sky above. He loved the way the clouds moved, always majestic, like ocean animals. The birds flying overhead made him feel free, as he wanted to be just like a bird when he was younger. He was a pegasus though, so, not too far off.

He took in every little detail. Oh, a red bird. How interesting. A hummingbird! Good for pollen gathering. More clouds... Aha! That one looks like a pirate ship!

He sat up slowly, and looked at the six mares. "Hey, can I show you guys something?" They nodded in agreement, and listed for his request. "Come lay with me," he stated simply.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack lied beside both of his sides, while Rarity lied beside Applejack, Fluttershy lied beside Rainbow Dash, and Twilight lied opposite of Weatherjack, her head above his.

"Now, look at the clouds." He pointed toward the sky. "Think of how they were created. Why are they there? What is their purpose? They exist, like the rest of us. Why? Because they are fantastic. Everyone, and everything in this universe, is created to be fantastic. All the clouds, their majestic shapes and movements, are fantastic. The birds and animals that dwell in the forests, are fantastic." He sat up, and turned his head to the six, each of them smiling, and deep in thought.

"You all, are fantastic." The orange pegasus smiled. "And you know what? So am I!"

He lied back down, laughing a bit. The thought of them listening to an old stallion's rants were surprising. But in a good way.

Pinkie Pie looked at him. "Wow 'Jack, you sure do say some funny stuff! But it's a good funny. Not like yucky funny, but the real funny. Kinda like the enjoyment you get from clowns. No, not clowns. Clowns are creepy. Yuh...." She shivered a bit, showing her dislike for the subject.

"That was... An amazing observation Weatherjack." Twilight looked at him. "In all my years of study, I have never come across someone with such an outlook at the world."

"Darling, not just the world, but the universe!" Rarity emphasized, spreading her hooves, trying to imitate the infinite possibilities.

Applejack nudged against the orange stallion. "Heh, 'Jack's always been known to leave an impression on things. Always talking about infinite possibilities. Talks so much to put you to sleep!" She smiled, and giggled a bit.

Weatherjack laughed with her. It was true, he has put people to sleep on more than a few occasions. He turned to Fluttershy, who was still looking at the sky, in awe of the words he spoke.

"I never though of it that way." She looked at him. "Thank you. I will appreciate everything so much more!" She jumped up and hugged him. He smiles, and accepted the gratitude.

Fluttershy pulled away, and looked back up at the sky.

"Those were some deep words bow tie." Rainbow Dash looked at the stallion, as he fixed his said fashion accessory. "I've never been big on words, but those were... Fantastic." She smiled brightly at him, and messed with his hair. Laughing, he tried his best to fix it, and smiled warmly at her.

Pinkie Pie jumped up. "Hey guys! how about a game of soccer!" As if by magic, she pulled a soccer ball out from behind her back."

Twilight stood up. "That's a great idea Pinkie Pie!" She looked at the rest of the group, and frowned. "But we have seven people. The teams would be uneven."

"That's quite alright, Twilight," Weatherjack spoke up. "I was never the athletic type, but, I could be the referee! You can't have a fair game without the referee!"

"Aw c'mon Weatherjack!" Rainbow Dash had complained. "I wanna show off my skills against you!"

He looked at her concerned face. "Maybe another time, Rainbow. Besides, my hoofs are still sore from yesterday."

"If we only had an extra player," stated Rarity. "It only-"

"Did someone call for an extra player? I'm always looking for some good clean fun."

The seven ponies turned to face a very familiar light blue stallion, with very dark blue hair. He had not been wearing his suit, or his goggles either.

Hm... Wonder how he found us...

The six mares were looking at him in awe, but Rainbow Dash seemed the most excited.

"Oh my gosh... Oh my gosh... Oh my gosh..." Sputtered the rainbow mare. Her eyes were wide, as she gazed upon him.

Weatherjack turned to her. "Rainbow, are you okay?" She did not respond, stuck in a trance of looking at the unknown stallion.

He walked up to her, and grinned. "Hey there, Dash. Long time no see?"

She almost fainted. Luckily, Weatherjack had held her up as soon as she started to fall.

"S-s-s-Soarin'..." was all she could make out.

"Were you expecting someone else?" He grinned again, and nuzzled against Rainbow. "I hear you guys need another player. Perhaps I could fit that description."

Rainbow Dash got red hot, and looked at the others.

"And maybe, and and I could be on the same team." He got closer to her, nuzzling his nose against hers.

Rainbow backed away a little bit, and looked at Weatherjack. Her awe filled smile had turned into an uncomfortable frown, as Soarin' was coming on to strong to her.

"Maybe, we could... Hang out too..." He smiled, not noticing her uncomfortable position.

Weatherjack turned to the girls. "Girls, why don't you all go get some... Ice cream eh? My treat." He trotted over to his bag, and fished out a small sack of bit. He tossed it to them.

Twilight caught the small sack, and looked back at him. "What about Rain-"

"I'll take care of it." He stated bluntly.

He walked over to Soarin', whow as trying a little to hard with the mare. Rainbow, on the other hand, was trying her best to get out of the situation.

The orange pegasus intercepted Soarin's advances, and looked at Rainbow. "Hey, why don't you go with them to get some ice cream? It's pretty hot out. You all look like you need it."

After nodding quickly, a crimson-faced Rainbow Dash swiftly galloped to her friends. They trotted off, heading towards the small town.

Weatherjack turned, only to face an angry Soarin', who was shooting daggers at him with his eyes.

"Listen, Soarin', was it? I don't know who you are, or what you do. You seem like a pretty smart fellow, and pretty nice too. But that back there, that was just wrong."

Soarin' sneered at him, and got in his face. "What would you know? You probably never talked to a mare, except maybe your mother... Maybe..."

That crossed the line. Weatherjack lost his happy-go-lucky attitude, and revealed a face that only could be worn by a stallion who's seen conflict on more than one occasion.

"I've met some pretty nasty people in my life, but never, I repeat, never, as nasty as the one I talk to right now."

Soarin' tried to give a rebuttal of what Weatherjack had said, but he shot him down. "No..." the orange stallion grunted angrly. "Now listen... You never, EVER, insult my mother the way you did a few moments ago. She has gone through too much for you to say nasty stuff about her. And never, ever, EVER, treat a mare the way you did to Rainbow Dash. They deserve more respect." He gritted his teeth.

"Who are you to judge, freak." Soarin' angrily retorted, fire blazing in his eyes.

"I'm Weatherjack." he stated with force. "And if you don't like it, if you want to take it to a higher authority, there is none. It STOPS with me!"

The blue stallion backed away a little bit, intimidated by Weatherjack's statement.

Weatherjack took a deep breath, and looked at Soarin', still frowning. "I'm sorry I was so cross with you. Don't ever do what you just did ever again. Please, it's not right."

Without a word spoken, Soarin' flew off, leaving the orange pegasus.

That went better than expected.

He shook his head, and walked into town. He quickly found the six mares, who were enjoying their ice creams.

"Hey there Weatherjack." Rainbow said happily, as she walked up to him. She handed him an ice cream, smiling warmly at him. He took the cone, and returned the smile.

Fluttershy looked over at him. "So, what happened to S-Soarin'?"

Weatherjack thought for a bit. He looked at the yellow pegasus.

"He doesn't understand the Weather, I guess," he said calmly, as he took a lick of his sweet treat.

Soarin' flew away from Weatherjack, fire still ablaze in his eyes.

"What the buck does he know. I know how to treat a mare!" he shouted angrily. He thought for a bit about what he said. "No, no he's a freak! Hanging out with my Dashie, making a fool of me! Why I outta..."

He kicked a cloud, then held hos hoof in pain. "Stupid cloud..."

He had decided this a long time ago. He loved Rainbow Dash. He couldn't deny that. So why was she so shy of him coming on to here? He could sense that she liked him, but why was she hiding it? And why was he so calm?

The blue pegasus shook his head, and kept flying.

He sat on a cloud, and put his face in his hooves. He knew one thing: he would succeed. He though for a bit, and looked up, wearing a very mischievous grin.

"I'm gonna send that freak out packing, it it's the last thing I do."

Author's Note

And.... Here we go! Sorry for the long wait, I've had some writer's block, and laziness. my friend kept pushing me to finish, but, here it is!

So, I bet you're thinking, "Why is Soarin' such a jerk?" Well, the way I see it, he doesn't have much of a personality, since he only has two lines in the show. So, his personality is basically cannon. All the cannon personalities that I personally have seen (and a lot of my friends at that), no offence to you guys who write fanfictions involving him, or roleplay as him, he comes out as a jerk about 90% of the time. Sorry if that offends you, but that's my own opinion.

Let's see... Chapter 3... Oh yes! More fun with Weatherjack and Co., and a little more background on Soarin' and Rainbow Dash in store. Plus, some insight on what Weatherjack has been doing all these years in Hoofington. Also, PARTY TIME!!!!!!1!!

Thanks for reading. If you have any feedback, don't hesitate to comment. Thanks y'all!

Allons-y!

P.S. I will be featuring a quote in every chapter, so be on the look out!