Spitfire Stumbles
As Spitfire, Soarin', and Fleetfoot descended upon the landing strip to the Wonderbolt Academy, they were greeted a chorus of cheers that could be heard from miles around. Spitfire's lips curled into a sad smile. She was used to ponies cheering her, especially when it was her own team. But this time, she didn't feel like she deserved it.
When they touched down, the other members of the Wonderbolts gathered around to receive them. They all exchanged salutes.
"Welcome back, you guys," said Rapidfire. "I take it you all qualified for the Equestria Games?"
"Yep!" said Fleetfoot with a wide grin. "And we're gonna take the gold, jusst like lasst year!"
"Heh, I dunno," said Soarin' with a chuckle. "That team from Ponyville has a lot of spirit."
"Yeah, I guesss," said Fleetfoot. "But then again, sso do we! Issn't that right, ma'am?"
Spitfire didn't respond. She was too busy staring into space and being lost in her own thoughts.
"Um, ma'am?" said Fleetfoot, raising an eyebrow.
"Huh, what? Oh, sorry," said Spitfire. "Yeah, we do. And we're gonna show them the best Cloudsdale has to offer."
Soarin' tilted his head. "You okay, Spit? You've been awfully quiet ever since we left the tryouts."
Spitfire gave Soarin' a forced smile. "I'm fine, Soarin'," she said. "I was just, thinking."
"About the tryouts?" said Soarin'. "Spit, it's okay. I'm not mad at you about that."
"Mad at her about what?" asked High Winds. "Did something happen, ma'am?"
Spitfire bit her lip. "Well..."
"SURPRISE~!"
Before Spitfire could respond, Surprise bounded in out of nowhere and threw confetti over Spitfire and her wingponies.
"Congratulations, Cap!" she squealed. "I knew we were all gonna qualify for our events, so I took the liberty of putting together a big party for the whole team!"
"Um, thanks Surprise," said Spitfire, looking more and more uneasy by the minute. The other Wonderbolts started to catch on.
"What's up, Sis?" asked Blaze. "You always love competing in the Equestria Games. Why do you look so upset?"
"It's, nothing," said Spitfire. "I'm fine, really."
Nopony was believing her. She sighed.
"Look, I don't wanna talk about it right now," she said. "It's great that we're representing Cloudsdale again, and I'm really looking forward to the Equestria Games."
"Then act like it, silly!" said Surprise. "This is a happy occasion, and we should celebrate! I even made some sweet potato pie!"
Soarin's mouth started to water. "Ooh, that sounds good," he said, licking his lips.
"You always say that about pie, Soarin'," said Silver Zoom, rolling his eyes.
The Wonderbolts shared a laugh. Spitfire heaved another sigh.
"That's, great Surprise," she said. "You guys get started; I'll catch up with you later. I, need some time alone."
She then took off towards the base.
"Wow. She really looks out of it," said Misty Fly. "What exactly happened, guys?"
Soarin' and Fleetfoot exchanged looks for a moment before turning to the other Wonderbolts.
"There was actually a bit of an incident during tryouts," said Soarin'. "I think Spit's still dwelling on it."
"Well, tell me all about it," said Misty Fly. "I'm gonna go talk to her, but first, I think we need to know what's going on."
Fleetfoot sighed. "Well, it'ss like thiss..."
***
Spitfire sat at her desk, staring blankly at the Qualifying Medal in her hooves. She sighed and shook her head.
Did I do the right thing? she pondered. I'm not perfect; I know that. But, I should be holding myself to a higher standard. I'm better than this. I...
Her musings were interrupted by a knock at the door.
"I'm busy," she said curtly.
"Spitfire, it's me."
Spitfire grimaced. "I said I didn't wanna talk about it, Mist," she murmured.
"Soarin' and Fleetfoot already told me everything," said Misty Fly. "Please, let me in."
Spitfire sighed. "Fine," she relented.
Misty Fly walked in, her face clouded with worry. "Spitfire, you know we care about you, right?"
"Yeah, I know," said Spitfire. "Trust me, I'm not trying to hide stuff from you guys. I just need some time to reflect on what happened."
"Well, I heard Soarin's side of the story," said Misty Fly, sitting down across from Spitfire. "Let me hear yours. Maybe you'll feel better after you've gotten it off your chest."
Spitfire paused for a bit as she mulled it over. She then let out another sigh.
"Okay, I might as well," she said. "Knowing you guys, none of you are gonna leave me alone until I do, anyway."
"I told you we care about you," said Misty Fly with a chuckle. "Now, what happened?"
"Well, at the tryouts, Soarin' got injured," said Spitfire. "It looked like he was gonna be out of commission, so Fleet and I needed a replacement. But it was gonna take too long to head back to the Academy and get one of you guys to sub for Soarin', so we went with a different option."
"A different option?" parroted Misty Fly.
"When Soarin' was injured, he was saved by a member of Ponyville's team, Rainbow Dash," said Spitfire.
Misty Fly grinned. "She always seems to have a knack for saving us, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, she does," Spitfire said with a soft smile. The smile quickly faded as she cast her gaze downward. "She was there with Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps."
Misty Fly placed a hoof to her muzzle. "Well, that doesn't sound like a bad team. Rainbow Dash and Bulk Biceps are both Wonderbolt Cadets, and you said yourself that Fluttershy made a massive contribution to Ponyville's rainwater collection."
"Yeah, about that," said Spitfire, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "I get the feeling that they were having an off day. Bulk's enthusiasm was getting the better of him, and Fluttershy wasn't doing too well, either. It's like Rainbow Dash was carrying the entire team."
"Oh," said Misty Fly. "That must've been tough for Rainbow Dash."
"It was. And I didn't exactly help matters any," said Spitfire glumly. "See, without Soarin', Cloudsdale would've been disqualified because we had no third member for the relay. So, Fleet and I decided to, recruit Rainbow Dash."
Misty Fly's eyes widened for a moment. "What? But, why?"
"Well, it was either that or have Soarin' fly on a bad wing," said Spitfire in a pained tone. "You know I couldn't do that to him, or anypony else on my team. I wanted him to focus on getting better."
"So, you decided to have Rainbow Dash substitute for him," said Misty Fly.
"Yeah, but Soarin' took it the wrong way," said Spitfire, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her hoof. "He thought that because Fleet and I were too busy training to visit him that I was replacing him on the team. And just to make things more complicated, I inadvertently put all this pressure on Rainbow Dash, and that forced her to fake an injury to get out of deciding between her team and mine."
Misty Fly knitted her brow and nodded contemplatively. "I see. What happened then?"
"Well, eventually, Rainbow Dash revealed that her injury was fake, and she called me out on my inexcusable behavior," said Spitfire. "I made amends with her and Soarin', and we all ended up qualifying for the Equestria Games. But, I still feel terrible about what I did."
"Mmm," said Misty Fly. "Well, do you know what I think?"
"What?"
"I think you're being too hard on yourself."
Spitfire shook her head. "It's a nice thought, Mist. But honestly, I'm better than this. Everypony on this team knows that I'm better than this. I was trying to show concern for Soarin', and it made me look like a heel."
"That's not your fault, Spitfire," said Misty Fly, walking around the desk and draping a wing around her comrade. "You had a decision to make, and you made it. That's what captains do. This particular decision didn't turn out to be right, but you didn't know that. You made a mistake. It happens to the best of us."
"I know that, Mist," said Spitfire. "I've never claimed to be perfect. If I mess up, I take my lumps and learn from the experience. That's how I've been taught. But, I gotta have some standards, y'know? I really feel like I did a disservice to Rainbow Dash and Soarin'; two ponies that I have a very deep respect for."
"I understand," said Misty Fly. "However, Soarin' has already forgiven you, and he said that Rainbow Dash forgave you, too. Maybe you should forgive yourself. Everything turned out alright in the end, didn't it? So, just look at your mistake, learn from it, and move on."
Spitfire breathed a deep sigh. "I'm trying, Mist. I really am. But, I didn't think it would be this hard. I-I hurt my team, Mist. That's not something I can just brush off."
Misty Fly frowned. "When life throws you for a loop, you have to correct your course and keep flying. Do you know who said that?"
Spitfire blinked, and then deadpanned. "You're quoting me, aren't you?"
"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true, Spitfire," said Misty Fly with a warm smile. "I'm not asking you to act like nothing happened. I'm asking you not to get all mopey about it. That's not the Spitfire we know and love."
Spitfire paused for a second, and then smiled. "You're right, Mist. I'm sorry," she said. "I'm feeling a little better now. Thanks for listening."
"Anytime, Spitfire," Misty Fly cooed, nuzzling Spitfire's cheek. "Now c'mon. Let's go celebrate with the others. We're all waiting for you."
"Sure," said Spitfire. "I'll be right behind you. I just have to take care of something first."
"Oh? What's that?" asked Misty Fly.
Spitfire winked. "Just one last thing to deal with before I put this behind me..."
***
As the Wonderbolts all waited in a darkened mess hall, Surprise was the only one gabbing away.
"Y'know, maybe we should skip the Equestria Games one of these years," she said.
Blaze raised an eyebrow. "Are you nuts or something? I don't think Spitfire would like that. Or Cloudsdale, for that matter."
"Yeah, but think about it," said Surprise. "Cloudsdale always has us compete for them, and we're supposed to represent all of Equestria."
Fleetfoot smacked her forehead. "You can't repressent all of Equesstria in the Equesstria Gamess, Ssurprisse. It'ss againsst the ruless."
"Well, the rules are silly," said Surprise with a pout. "Besides, if we compete, we win. We should give somepony else a chance."
"One, that's an exaggeration," said Rapidfire. "Two, we're competitors, not saints. Three, be quiet! The Boss will be here any minute now!"
"I know how to throw a surprise party, thankyouverymuch," said Surprise, sticking her tongue out at Rapidfire. "In fact, she should be here right about..."
The doors to the mess hall opened, and Spitfire and Misty Fly walked inside. A few seconds later, the lights came on and the Wonderbolts jumped out of their hiding places.
"SURPRISE~!" they all cheered. "We forgive you, Captain Spitfire!"
Spitfire tried her best not to get choked up. "W-wow. Wh-what brought this on?"
"Soarin' and Fleetfoot told us why you were feeling down, Cap," said Surprise. "So I decided to make this an impromptu Surprise Forgiveness party for you! Feeling better?"
Spitfire smiled as her eyes watered. "Much. You guys are the best," she said. "Oh, by the way. I've got something for you, Soarin'."
"Huh? What is it, Spit?" asked Soarin'.
Spitfire said nothing, but instead walking over to Soarin' and placed a card in his hoof. As she left to join the festivities, Soarin' read the card to himself and smiled.
Soarin':
I know you've already forgiven me, but I still want to say that I'm sorry for what happened at the tryouts. Know that you will always be part of this team, and I would never replace you. Giving my badge to Rainbow Dash was my apology to her, so this is my apology to you. I look forward to working with you and Fleet to make Cloudsdale proud.
Your friend and wingpony,
Spitfire
PS: Don't show this to High Winds. I don't want her getting any ideas about us. You know how she is.
"Heh, wasn't planning on it," Soarin' said to himself as he put the note away. He then looked over at Spitfire and sighed whimsically. "You're a great captain, Spit. I guess you just needed a little reminder of that."
Author's Note
This is just my take on Spitfire's motivations in the episode (which I felt was pretty good). Ever since I wrote Wonderbolts Under Fire, I've been itching to write another story involving the Wonderbolts (and Misty Fly in particular), so I'm glad this episode gave me the opportunity.
Speaking of Misty Fly, I think between this and Wonderbolts Under Fire, I've unintentionally given her the role of the Wonderbolts' unofficial shrink. Meh, I don't regret it. 
