Act One: Sparkin' -- Prologue: Down Memory Lane
The six mares talked amongst themselves giddily as their apple carriage continued down the road towards Canterlot, their faces bright with anticipation.
“I can’t wait!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “This’ll be the bestest-best party ever! Everypony in Canterlot’s gonna have a blast!”
Applejack chuckled. “Ah can’t wait to start sellin’ mah apple pastries,” the orange farmpony said. “Apple Brioche sent me her secret recipe fer, well...Apple Brioche, and this is mah first time makin’ ‘em.”
“You’re gonna knock ‘em dead, AJ!” Dash said excitedly. “As for me, I can’t wait to hang with the Wonderbolts!” She pumped a forehoof into the air. “I’m finally getting to meet Spitfire and Soarin’ again up close!”
At the mention of the name of the male Wonderbolt, two pairs of eyes flicked towards Twilight Sparkle, who did her best to hide her blush.
“Ya sure he’s gonna be there, Dash?” Applejack asked.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and blew a raspberry at her friend. “Pfft, duh! I mean, Spitfire’s the flight leader, and Soarin’s the second-best flyer. He’s not the fastest, Fleetfoot’s got that covered, but he’s pretty nimble, has more stamina and can glide in the air the longer than most of the other Wonderbolts.”
Rarity failed to hide the smirk on her face as she looked at Twilight out of the corner of her eye. “And how would you know, Dash? Did anything happen after the Young Flier’s Competition?”
The sky-blue pegasus narrowed her eyes. “Right,” she drawled sarcastically. “Soarin’s not the type to get caught up with groupies. He told me so himself.”
This time the other five mares looked to her with rapt attention. She didn’t talk much about her day with the Wonderbolts after the Young Flier’s Competition. She often got too hyped-up and started to natter on about everything that happened with a speed that almost rivaled Pinkie Pie’s rapid-fire speech.
“All those gossip papers talking about how Soarin’ slept with this mare or that filly are wrong. Spitfire even told me after he turned her down for drinks or dinner a couple of times that she thought he was a coltcuddler.”
The lavender unicorn’s eyes grew wide. She felt heartbroken after they fell out of contact and heard the rumors, but having those rumors, well...dashed, lifted her spirits. Oh Celestia, did I just think that? she thought with an inward chuckle.
Her gaze flickered to Rarity and Applejack, both of whom seemed to divine her thoughts, and they smiled knowingly.
“Anyway, I asked him about it after doing a couple of wind sprints on clouds that Spitfire set up, and he laughed when I asked him if he was a coltcuddler,” Rainbow Dash went on. “He said that he had a friend from when he was in Flight School that he had a schoolcolt crush on. I asked if she was in Flight School, too. He said she was actually a unicorn from one of the more prestigious academies in Canterlot.”
“A unicorn, really?” Rarity asked, feigning curiosity. She leaned closer. “Do tell.”
“You seem awfully interested,” Dash said warily.
“I love hearing a good love story,” the powder-white unicorn replied simply.
“What makes you think it’s a love story?”
Rarity paused a moment, taken aback by Rainbow Dash’s question. “Well...”
“You just said that the rumors ‘bout Soarin’ weren’t true, right?” Applejack cut in. Rainbow Dash nodded. “Well, if’n you think about it, if he ain’t ruttin’ around with every mare that throws herself at ‘im, and he ain’t a coltcuddler, then he must have somepony on his mind. Ah mean, he is a red-blooded stallion with red-blooded stallion needs, ain’t he?”
As Dash looked away in thought, Rarity nodded her thanks at Applejack. The orange farmpony winked in reply.
“I guess you’re right,” Dash finally said with a nod. She shook her head, remembering her tale. “Anyway, he told me that he was really into this filly before he joined the Wonderbolts. He even got all misty-eyed when he mentioned it. I didn’t want to hear any details, but he told me that she was the only mare that he was with.”
“What was her name?” Fluttershy asked.
“That was the weird thing,” Dash replied. “I asked him a couple of times who this unicorn mare was. He never told me her name, only that she was ridiculously smart and really beautiful. He also said that he wished he could apologize for falling out of contact.”
“That can happen, being a celebrity,” Rarity said. “Right, Twilight?”
The lavender unicorn jumped at the mention of her name. “Huh? Oh, right.”
“How would she know, Rare?” Dash asked indignantly.
“Hellooooo?” Pinkie drawled in a sing-song voice. “She’s Princess Celestia’s private student and we helped her save Princess Luna, remember?” She hopped up excitedly. “Ooh, ooh! And she saved Ponyville from the Ursa Minor, too, and we helped her defeat that meanie-pants Dis...”
“What meanie-pants are ya talkin’ ‘bout?” Applejack asked.
Pinkie Pie looked at her five dumbstruck friends. “Wait, too early? Ohhhh...” She nodded slowly. “Yeah, too early.” She turned to Rainbow Dash again. “Anyway, she’s not a celebrity-celebrity, but Twilight’s kinda famous, she just doesn’t talk about it a lot.”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “I guess...”
“So he said, if given a chance, he’d apologize?” Applejack asked.
“Yeah,” Dash replied. She looked from her to Rarity. “Why are you two so interested all of a sudden?”
Rarity smiled. “It’s always nice to meet a celebrity who’s honest and charming,” she replied, her words taking on an undertone that only Twilight and Applejack would understand. “Besides, it’s not everyday that you get to meet a celebrity and get to know him up close and personal.” She glanced at Twilight. “He seems like a real stallion to me.”
“I thought you wanted to try and hook up with the Princess’ nephew,” Rainbow Dash said.
“I do,” Rarity replied, “but I’ve not heard much about the Princess’ nephew. Soarin’, on the other hoof...” She couldn’t resist smirking one final time in Twilight’s direction. “Well, you’ve told me so much about him, Rainbow Dash, that I can’t help but be intrigued.”
At that the sky blue pegasus doubled over laughing. “I don’t think Soarin’ would be interested in you, Rarity.”
Rainbow Dash missed the secretive glance Rarity gave Applejack and Twilight Sparkle. “One would be surprised at how the world works, Rainbow Dash. You never really know a pony.”
Author's Note
Special thanks goes to Aurora for giving me the opportunity to write this follow-up! Hope y'all enjoy! Now to watch 'The Best Night Ever' again...
Act One: Sparkin' -- Soarin' I: Meeting Flames
Soarin’ coasted over Canterlot Castle, enjoying the feel of the wind through his mane and underneath his wings. He closed his eyes, tilted his wings downward, and felt his body slowly rise. He flapped his wings once to pick up a bit of speed and continued upward into a loop. With a knowing grin, he opened his eyes as he hit the apex of his loop, his grin turning into a full-fledged smile as he began his descent. He finished his loop with a corkscrew, ending up upside down. He flapped his wings a few more times to maintain his speed, and he sighed contentedly he resumed his lazy coasting still upside down.
He felt a rush of wind blow past him diagonally, and he opened one eye. A burst of blue and orange zipped through his field of vision and he smiled knowingly. She’s awful frisky tonight, Soarin’ mused as he righted himself and saw the blur in Wonderbolt-blue again.
“Come on, lazy-colt!” Spitfire shouted. “You’re gonna let everypony see me show you up with a simple Bottle Opener?”
He grinned mischievously, lowered his altitude and met her speed so that he was parallel to her. He looked up.
“Nice try, Spitfire, but you’re not gonna show me up!” he shouted.
“Oh? Think you can keep up with me, fly-boy?”
“Sure can! Helix into a PMV Mirror Gallop?”
“You sure you’re not afraid I’ll burn your tail off like you thought last time?”
“Not this time, hot-shot! Bring it on!” With that, he slipped his goggles over his eyes and shot forward, beginning a corkscrew of his own. They kept parallel to each other in that spiral for a few moments before beginning to tighten their maneuver dangerously.
“Ready?” she called out.
“You bet!”
“Start on my right forehoof!”
“Gotcha!”
They stopped their spiral so that Spitfire was over him and he was upside down again, and with a nod from her, they charged forward through the night sky, their speed increasing and nearing their Pegasus Magic Velocity. Soarin’ felt the air tighten around him and his ears pop, but it all seemed secondary to him as he felt his body closing in on that line that crossed into Pegasus Magic Velocity.
There was a tremendous boom that seemed so distant from him in that instant, and he knew that he passed the threshold. He felt like a particle of light in that moment, as if he was flying thousands of kilometers in a single eyeblink. He looked up to see Spitfire with an euphoric smile, a roaring inferno at her tail. She looked down at him and nodded once. She lowered her right forehoof to him, and he lifted his left forehoof to meet hers...
At the touch of their front hooves, they immediately broke into a furiously paced gallop, their heads lowered in determination to keep in perfect pace. He heard the steady thunder of their hooves hitting each other as if they were both running on solid ground, and he laughed loudly.
“Keep...going,” she panted, “I feel like trying something new tonight.”
“What’s that?” he shouted.
“I’m going to bank left. Keep pace with me, and on my mark, start a spiral.”
Spiralling a PMV Mirror Gallop? Is she rutting insane?
“You buckin’ sure about this?” he shouted.
“This is about as euphoric and physical as I’m gonna get with you, Soarin’,” she jibed. “Make it special for me and the Princess, wouldja?”
He sighed. “Say when!”
“Banking left in three...two...one...Bank!”
She tilted her body to the left, and Soarin’ followed her perfectly, the two pegasi still galloping through the air in perfect unison. They continued in a wide arc, and Soarin’ chanced a glance at their combined trails. Spitfire’s ability upon reaching PMV was leaving a trail of fire in her wake. His PMV ability was creating a personal jetstream. Though visible only by a thin cloud trail, anything caught in it would be sucked in his wake like a vacuum.
“I’m gonna start the spiral,” she said.
“You like being the dominant one, don’cha?”
“Tell Cirrus that, and I'll kill you!” she shouted with a laugh. “Spiral in three...two...”
Soarin’ tightened his jaw. You crazy Bling Bitch...
“Go!”
Spitfire twisted her body in the air, and he followed at that exact moment, astounded beyond belief that he maintained perfect rhythm with her. They continued their spiral, galloping in perfect unison, and he chanced another glance back. Her trail of fire merged with his jetstream, making it twice as thick and twice as fast.
“Your trail’s catching up!” he shouted at her.
“Seven more seconds then we break, fly-boy!” she said as she laughed uproariously. “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever pulled! And I’ve never felt so bucking awesome!”
“Next time, you get somepony else!” he shouted.
“Fraidy-cat!” she teased. “Break in three...two...one...”
Immediately, they broke apart and decelerated. Soarin’ felt as if he’d hit a wall of pillows as he slowed to a safer speed. He spied an empty landing strip reserved for chariots, and he glided purposefully towards it. As he alighted on the golden ‘C’ on the landing strip, Spitfire landed on the one beside him. She grinned at him and winked.
The sound of applause finally registered in his ears, and he looked around to see many ponies, unicorn, earth pony, and pegasus alike, applauding their aerial maneuver. He waved shyly as Spitfire nudged him and tilted her head in the direction of the palace. He nodded with a tired grin and followed.
*-----*-----*-----*-----*
“Spitfire, you are completely. Bucking. Guano. Crazy!”
Spitfire grinned like a foal that got the last cookie in the jar. “Aww, lighten up, Soarin’.” She put a hoof to his shoulder. “Got the adrenaline flowing, didn’t it?”
“Still...”
“Look, you’ve been on edge since we got a letter from the Princess asking us to be here, and that was a month ago,” Spitfire said. “We’ve been friends for years. You may put up a facade to look cool and collected in front of everypony else, but I know you better than that.”
Soarin’ sighed. “Am I that readable?”
Spitfire smiled. “Not only am I your flight leader, I’m also your friend.” Her smile faded and her expression changed to one of slight worry. “Your old flame’s gonna be here, ain’t she?”
Soarin’ nodded. “Yeah. We sorta fell out of contact after I joined.”
Spitfire shrugged. “You really have it in for this girl, don’t you?”
Soarin’ smiled weakly. “We’ve been pen pals since we were teenagers, and...” He paused. “...And she knows me like nopony else. I just...I don’t know, I feel comfortable around her, like she doesn’t judge me. She’s also really smart but doesn’t look down on other ponies for not being as smart as her.”
“You’re also worried about all those tabloids saying you slept with one filly or another, aren’t you?”
Soarin’ shrugged. “Yeah, I guess that’s mostly what’s on my mind.”
Spitfire smiled and kissed Soarin’ on the cheek. “Look, if she is here, and she sees you and freaks out, you send her my way, okay?” She winked. “I won’t hesitate to tell her that you turned me down, and every other mare that threw herself at you. I’ll even get Fleetfoot in on this, get her to tell your girl the same.”
“Thanks, Spitfire.” The sound of galloping drew him from his conversation, and all his thoughts flew out the window when he noticed a familiar lavender unicorn trotting past the line of dignitaries up to the Princess.
Spitfire immediately saw his jaw drop, and she turned and followed his gaze. She blinked twice in surprise, glanced back at Soarin’, back to the unicorn, and back to Soarin’.
“That’s her?” she asked.
Soarin’ just stared numbly. She prodded him in the barrel and he snapped out of his reverie.
“...Huh?”
“She’s the mare that you’ve been fawning over?” Spitfire asked incredulously. "The Princess' private student?"
“Y...yeah,” Soarin’ replied shyly. He put a forehoof to the back of his neck.
Spitfire glanced back at the Princess and her student. “Well, she is pretty.” She looked back to her friend. “Why don’t you go say ‘hi’?”
Soarin’ was about to reply when he suddenly heard and felt his stomach rumbling. He grinned nervously and Spitfire just smiled.
“On second thought, why don’t you go grab a bite?”
He nodded abruptly. “Yeah. Sounds like an idea.” He took one last look at Twilight, who looked up happily at the Princess as she stepped beside the alicorn. He trotted leisurely down the massive hallway towards the Eastern Garden, cut off in midstep by a snow-white unicorn in an elegant dress, talking to herself as she made for the doorway to the Eastern Garden.
Yeah, I know that it's been a while since I updated this, but my other work, The Truth, has been on my mind a lot recently. Anyway, after watching the entire episode of The Best Night Ever several times (and they won't be the last for the sake of this fic, believe you me), I think it's safe to say that I'll be working on this fic a little bit more in the coming days. Oh, and this holiday weekend I'll be at BroNYCon. If anypony wants to meet up with me, hit me up with a FIMfiction message or comment in this story or The Truth. I'll update as much as I can before then. Hope to see some of you this weekend!
