What Might Have Been

What Might Have Been

Chapter 2: Possibilities

By: SleeplessScribe

That was that. Nova and I, while we were still good friends, were always finding things with which to compete. We’d compete for who could eat the fastest, who could eat the most, who could hold their breath longest, who could jump highest, who could fly fastest, who could fly highest, and so many other things.

Time flew by, and all too soon we had become too old for Sunbeam Daycare. That’s when our parents enrolled us in Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. Whenever Nova wasn’t pushing bullies off his sister’s back or in a class that I wasn’t also in, we were together, and it was great.

Nine Years Old

Junior Speedsters was awesome! For the most part, everyone was nice, I learned a lot, and most importantly, I had Nova in most of my classes. Granted, for the actual school-like classes, we only had two where we were seated close to each other, but it was still great. However, I should have known having such a close friend who also happened to be a colt would come with… drawbacks.

Nova wasn’t at lunch today because he had a doctor’s appointment, so a few of my other friends were chattering about him when I came over. Of course, Nimbus was the most outspoken, and she never seemed to have a problem saying things most ponies would have kept to themselves.

She batted an eyelash as I sat down, flashing me a smug grin. “So Spitfire, when are you gonna tell us about Nova?”

I waited until I was done sipping juice to even acknowledge her. “What’s there to tell? We’re friends.”

Every day, I looked to the dainty, pink-haired pegasus in the hopes that she might say something, but she never did. As Dive Bomb, the filly between her and Nimbus, spoke, I made a mental note to at least ask her name.

“No, you can’t just be friends! You’re crushing on him hardcore, we can tell!”

I just rolled my eyes. “Mom told me there’s nothing wrong with a filly and a colt being friends. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to stop talking to him just because you think it’s a problem.”

“Bah! Hey, what do you think, kid?” Dive started nudging the shy girl beside her, but all she did was look away and scoot her seat back some. Honestly, I didn’t really understand why she sat with us.

“Hey, she’s not a part of this, leave her out of it.” Dive turned back to me with a smirk mirroring Nimbus’.

“What’s wrong, don’t want her spilling your little secret?”

I have to admit, I was getting just a tad frustrated now. “You know, I’d understand if I were blushing and fumbling over my words, but I’m not! Nova and I are just friends, and there’s nothing wrong with that! Why are you two even pushing this so much?”

“We think he likes you….” All heads turned in the direction the whisper came from. That small pony was looking up at us with her chin practically on the table, one eye hidden behind her long mane. “He talks about you like you’re really special.”

We all sat there in silence as we processed what just happened. Not only did the quietest filly in the entire camp just speak, but she also revealed something apparently so well hidden that it never got back to me.

“Wait, since when? I never heard anything about this.”

Nimbus groaned and nudged my shoulder. “Sorry for pushing you, but yeah, that’s why. We’re just trying to hook you two up.”

I stuck my tongue out at her. “Ugh! As if! I said it was okay for fillies and colts to be friends, but I am not into that mushy stuff, and I’m sure Nova isn’t either. Besides, I’m way too busy training for the Wonderbolts to have time for ‘hooking up’.”

Now Nimbus was rolling her eyes as she returned to her food. “Whatever. Just like my parents said, you’re gonna grow out of that, and when you do you’ll be all over Nova like bees on honey.”

Nimbus was getting a very detailed view of my throat now as I pretended to vomit. “Bleh! No, I won’t be. Maybe you two can waste your time buttering up guys, but I can’t. This conversation is over.”

It literally was. One of the directors got on her megaphone, calling for the end of our lunch. Nimbus and Dive Bomb had a different class to go to now, but I headed for our track for P.E. However, I did stop and nudge the quiet filly that was sitting with us on the way.

“Hey there! I, uh, never actually got your name.”

She lowered her head and managed to hid most of her face behind her mane. At first she started mumbling, but eventually I was able to make out what sounded like an attempt at regular speech.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”

Again, she lowered her head, but this time she was at least a little louder. “F-Fluttershy….”

“It’s nice to meet you, Fluttershy!”

All I got in response was a small squeak. It may have been selfish of me, but I really wanted to know what she knew, so instead of leaving her alone like I should have, I walked with her. “So… what exactly has Nova said about me?”

Her ears twitched when I said this, and she actually raised her head back up. “Oh, nothing major. He just talks about how long you two have been friends. Sometimes he mentions his admiration for your flying skills, too.”

“Anything about… what he thinks of me?”

Fluttershy looked at the ceiling, just for a moment, then looked back down at me. “The phrases ‘worthy rival’ and ‘best friend’ come up a whole lot.”

I couldn’t help but smile when I heard that. “Well… thanks, Fluttershy. I—oh crap!”

She jumped at my exclamation, and I bolted the opposite way of where I was going. “Sorry, I didn’t even notice we were going away from the track!”

Luckily, years of hard work made me as fast as lightning, and I managed to get to P.E. without being late. However, I was greeted by a foreleg to the chest as it was held out across the door. Nova pulled me into a hug the minute I flew into it, prompting me to start laughing.

“Hey! Let go of me, you goof!”

He was laughing as well, and he had a pretty solid hold on me too. “Nope. I didn’t hear any magic words!”

“Hocus pocus, let go of mecus.”

My friend blew a raspberry, but he let me go all the same. “And you say I’m a goof.”

“Whatever. So, how did the appointment go?”

He puffed out his chest and grinned. “Doctor said I’m healthy as a horse. No pun intended.”

I chuckled at that, hitting him in the shoulder. “See? You are a goof.”

“Yet you still hang out with me.”

Now I was rolling my eyes as I stuck my tongue out at him. “Of course I am! You’re like, the only other pony here who can match my coolness.”

Nova threw his front hooves up and started shaking them side to side. “Oh, no, no, no. You’re almost at my cool level. Almost.”

I already had a retort ready, but Bench Press’ whistle rang out through the air. “Alright, fledglings! You remember our warm up routine? Good! Get warmed up, and we’re gonna start today with ten laps around the track! Get to it!”

To be honest, I really hated our P.E. teacher’s lack of interaction. It was always just “do this and leave me alone.”

Nova took the opportunity to turn it into a race, and we spent at least eight out of our ten laps neck and neck. Of course, we were the first two to finish warming up and everyone else was left watching us as we zoomed around the track. Right as we finished the tenth lap, Nova slowed down and did a front flip.

“Woo! Yeah, winner!”

“Pfft! No way, I finished before you did!”

“Did not!”

“Did to!”

“Did not!”

“Did to!”

We stood there for a second, glaring into each other’s eyes. However, as the moments went by, that glaring softened into a kind, friendly gaze. Before I knew it, Nova had his wings around me in a warm, tight hug.

“I don’t care if you don’t like this, I like doing it.”

My eyes shifted away from him, seeing as how I was way too embarrassed to look at him and say it. “It… it doesn’t feel all that weird anymore.”

He raised his brow and poked my stomach. “Who are you and what have you done with Spitfire?”

“Oh, shut up!”

Due to our amazing talents, we had all the time in the world to talk before even one pony from the rest of the class completed the ten laps. “So… I’m gonna ask something weird, Nova.”

My friend pointed a hoof at me and furrowed his brows. “No, that was not me who knocked over your trash can this morning.”

I shook my head and pushed his hoof down. “No, not that. I know you talk about me a lot. What… what exactly do you say about me?”

He blinked a few times before tapping his chin. “Um… I talk about how cool you are. Sometimes I tell others how awesome it is to have you as a friend. I gloat about all the races with you I’ve won. I—”

“Hold on just a second there! You haven’t won that many races! Only like two or three.”

Nova smirked and leaned forward into my face. “I’ve won like, five. You just don’t want to admit it.”

I swatted at him, though he managed to draw back before I made contact. “No, we’ve only raced about six times, and I know I won more than one race!”

“Did not!”

“Did to!”

“Did not!

“Did to!”

My friend chuckled and reached out to give me another hug. “You really are awesome, Spitfire, you know that?”

I leaned back after her let me go. Getting embarrassed always sucked, because blushes showed right through my yellow coat. “Th-thanks Nova.”

He grinned and proceeded to give me a noogie. “What’s wrong? Any other time I would have said that, you’d be going on and on about how true it was. Something up?”

My gaze shifted towards my right, though anywhere away from Nova would’ve worked. “It’s nothing. I’ve just got some stuff on my mind right now.”

Nova raised his brow and nudged me. “Talk. We’re friends, so I’m here for you. You know you can tell me stuff.”

It took a lot of time for me to finally spit it out, and when I did, it was about as smooth as crocodile skin. “Well, Nimbus and Dive Bomb were talking about how we should hook up and mushy stuff like that. I told them a hundred times that I’m way too busy for that… but it got me curious as to what I actually am to you. Then I find out that you say really, really nice things about me. I’m just confused right now.”

He tilted his head and began to tap the side of my head with his hoof. “Are you sure you’re Spitfire? The filly I know would never let something like this completely mess up her mojo.”

I had to smack his hoof away before I could think straight again. “Yes! I am Spitfire, you butt! I don’t know what’s wrong with me… I’ll be fine once we get to actually doing something. Just sitting here is giving me too much time to think.”

Nova rolled his eyes and leaned back. “Yeah right! It’s Friday, so Bench Press is probably just going to make this a free day like he always does.”

“Probably….” Indeed, after the last of our classmates had crossed the finish line, Bench Press blew his whistle and called for a free day, or as he put it, a “Do Whatever You Want for an Hour.”

I have to admit, having P.E. as the last class of the day was awesome, but it kind of dragged on longer than it needed to when we were left to our own devices. It was easy to just pick up a ball or something and start playing a game, but Nova and I always had to have our own twist.

We really couldn’t think of anything good this time around, so we just played a game of WINGS using a ball and some aerial tricks. I got to go first, but sweet Celestia, Nova managed to copy my trick every time. After an hour that felt like five, we finally heard the whistle blow, and after everything was cleaned up, the bell rang to let us know it was time to go home.

Nova and I lived decently close to each other, so we always walked home together. For the most part we were silent, but as my thoughts and curiosity got the better of me, I decided to break the silence before I was driven insane.

“Nova, I’ve been doing a lot, and I mean a lot, of thinking. I still don’t think I have time for anything like ‘hooking up’ but… I think Nimbus may have had a grain of truth in her words. I… I do like you. It just feels like we’ve already been through so much in the five or so years I’ve known you. You know what I mean?”

My friend stopped walking, and I took me a few steps to realize he was no longer beside me. I turned back to him and was met with a rather comforting smile. “I do. We’re not just friends, we’re best friends! I mean, seriously, nopony in all of Cloudsdale, or Equestria even, could be as cool as you! Well, except me of course.”

I felt myself calming down as his words sunk in. “Yeah… yeah. There’s nothing weird about this, you’re just my best friend!”

He smiled and flew over me, turning upside down and lining himself up with me almost perfectly. “It’s only right though, isn’t it? Two pegasi as talented as us should be friends! I mean, it would almost be a crime for us not to!”

After a moment I started giggling, but another thought crossed my mind. “Say… I just thought of something. Nimbus kept talking about hooking up… but what does that even mean?”

Nova just shrugged, and we laughed all the way back home.

Thirteen Years Old

Junior Speedsters graduates usually spent all day getting ready for the graduation ceremony. A special track was set up that was able to safely accommodate the entire graduating class, and they all participated in a massive obstacle course race. Nova and I started practicing the day before, and we only stopped long enough for dinner and a few hours’ sleep. Graduation day couldn’t come fast enough, and even when it did, we had to kill a good seven hours practicing again.

Finally, the bell rang out through the grounds, calling all graduates to the track and everyone else to the stands around it. All the participants lined up at the starting line, and the administration staff took their spots up in a special stand above all the others. However, I spotted two other ponies that were with them this year.

It always took a few minutes for everything to get started, so I turned to Nova and gave him a wink. “Good luck.”

He just grinned. “Who needs luck when you’ve got skill? We’re gonna blow these guys away.”

I never could tell if it was mere confidence or bravado that made him say stuff like that, but I didn’t really care either. Before I could say anything else, we heard the voice of our principle echo through the air.

“Fillies and gentlecolts! This is a momentous day! For it is on this day that our proud senior students will be given the chance to show everyone here what Junior Speedsters Flight Camp has taught them! Today, our graduates will race through this special obstacle course, and they will have their names called out as they cross the finish line and receive their diplomas. Now, without further ado, let the race begin!”

The principle held a flag up just for a moment, and an air horn blared as the flag came down. Everyone took off in a flash, and for the first time in a long time, Nova and I weren’t at the front of a race. However, after some bobbing and weaving between our fellow students, we both soon found ourselves in front, and moments later, far ahead of the group. It was actually really surprising how they managed to get those small tornadoes and rotating shaft poles in a track made of clouds, but I never questioned it. All I was focused on was zooming through each challenge I was presented with while still maintaining my speed.

The longer I went, the faster I got, but Nova still managed to stay right beside me. I forgot how big this track actually was, and as we approached the midway point, we were both going faster than we ever had before. I looked over at my friend for just a split second, and I saw that the clouds beneath him were actually splitting along a fine line. A quick look down revealed the same happening to me. We started to hear cheering from the crowd, but it was soon drowned out by a loud screeching. My eyes were starting to water now, but it didn’t last for very long.

“Nova Dash! Spitfire!”

I started slowing down the minute I had a hold of that diploma. When I finally stopped, the crowd was roaring, and Nova was doing front flips in the air. “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Check it out, Spitfire!”

It stood out like a sore hoof. Nova turned around to show me his flank, and my eyes widened when I spotted the firebolt stamped on it. He started to grin as he flew towards me, and he began to laugh when he got behind me.

“Looks like I’m not the only one.”

My ears twitched, and I immediately turned to look at my own flank. I now had my own fiery cutie mark, and it looked to me like three flames in the form of a phoenix. Before I knew what happened, I had thrown my forelegs around Nova and was screaming in joy.

Had it not been for the fact that we had gotten our cutie marks, we would’ve stayed and watched all the others finish. However, we absolutely had to get to our parents and tell them what happened, and we were allowed to leave once we had gotten our diplomas. Just as we were about to leave the track, those two ponies I saw with the administration stepped out and blocked our path.

The mare adjusted her glasses and stared the both of us down. “Mr. Dash. Miss Spitfire. Do you know who we are?”

We traded looks before shrugging. The stallion just stood there, scribbling on a clipboard as the mare continued to speak. “We are scouts for the Cloudsdale Academy for Advanced Pegasi. Our school received letters from this establishment recommending you two for entry. Now, I’m sure you two know that our academy is reserved for only the most talented of pegasi, and graduation from the school is the first step towards a possible career with the Wonderbolts.”

My ears fell flat, but Nova’s perked up as he grinned. “I’m going to assume you’re either here to tell us that we were good, but just barely under the mark, or that we’re going to be accepted.”

She slowly nodded. “I’d be lying if I said I was not impressed. Not only did you display speed and agility far beyond the levels of your classmates, but the fact that you both received your cutie marks after winning this race tells me that you were both born to walk this path. Obviously, I’m here to let you know that you’ll be receiving letters of acceptance this summer, and will be allowed entry as soon as the new school year starts, but more than that, I’d like you to know that I myself will be recommending you for the advanced placement program. Unfortunately, we have business elsewhere now, but we will be in touch very soon. Have a good day.”

I waited until they both flew off before flinging my forelegs around Nova again. “Can you believe it? We are going to attend the Academy! That’s the most prestigious flight school in all of Cloudsdale!”

“I know! That’s too awesome for words! Not only that, but we’re going together!”

Neither of us could resist a strong high-hoof, but it still wasn’t enough to release all of our new found excitement. We shouted out together, and I’d bet money saying the whole crowd could hear us. “Yeah!”