Chapters As my brain continued ticking over, my heavy eyelids began to lift. Opening my eyes I murmured sleepily to myself, rolling to the side as I was quickly dropped out of my makeshift bed. I groaned from the sudden impact with the floor, opening my eyes as I was greeted with Soarin’s home once again.
Yeah, still insane I thought to myself as I began to hear snickering coming from behind me. I turned around to see the familiar blue stallion currently sitting at the kitchen table quietly eating his bowl of cereal in an attempt to stifle his laughter. I rolled my eyes as I just laid there in a heap; maybe if I wanted to sink through the floor hard enough it would happen.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Soarin spoke as he got up and trotted over to my limp form, looking down at me with a smirk, “Have a good sleep?” he asked.
“What do you think?” I asked incredulously, looking up at him with another deadpan look. His smirk only got wider the longer I stared at him, “Fine! I’ll get up,” I huffed, throwing the warm covers off me as I wobbled back to my feet.
“You want some breakfast? I got toast or cereal,” Soarin questioned as he trotted back over to the kitchen to make me something. I shrugged, not seeming to really care what I stuffed down my stomach at this point. Soarin smiled and put some bread in the toaster before heading back over to his seat. I trudged towards him, opting to sit in the chair opposite the stallion.
“You’re really not a morning person, are you?” Soarin asked with all seriousness as he raised his eyebrow. I shook my head as I tried to keep my eyes from shutting closed once again. Soarin suppressed another oncoming giggle, most likely from the way my hair was and how my current facial expression must have been.
“So, are you excited to start your first job in Equestria?” Soarin enquired.
I nodded. “I guess,” I said simply, looking over at the toaster that still wasn’t ready, “I hope it won't be that hard.”
Soarin smiled. “Well I’ll be able to introduce you to most of the team today, Fleetfoot should be around on training and Spitfire’s always in that damned office of hers during Academy season.”
I nodded again, nodding seeming to be the only conscious reply I could make in my current state of mind. Luckily, the toaster finished its latest batch as Soarin got up to collect it, “You take butter and jam?” he asked, looking back to me as he made his way over.
“Yeah, I though not too much jam,” I responded, my body starting to perk up from the aromas of freshly made food. Soarin came back over a few moments later as he set the plate of toast down in front of me, cut into more sizable chunks.
“No problem, Bex.” He grinned, I smirked back at him, making a mental note to think up a nickname for him as quickly as possible. As I dug into my meal, my mind began to stock itself up with more questions.
As I took my first bite into the toast I began my onslaught of inquiries, “So, I'm assuming you wanted to become a Wonderbolt since you were little?” I asked, giving Soarin a questioning look.
Soarin sighed nostalgically and nodded happily, “Yeah, ever since I was a little colt jumping up and down at my first Wonderbolt show, I didn’t think I’d actually get to be part of the team, but that’s where my dedication to chase my dreams kicked in.”
“Was the training difficult?” I asked, thinking about all the famous athletes back home, who all had their own hard struggles to fame and fortune. Again, the stallion nodded.
“Well, the training was hard, but the auditions were the hardest. Sometimes there were twenty contestants or more at the tryouts, you had to get everything perfect to even be considered. I had won the young flier's competition the year previous, so I think that helped a lot, but it was by no means easy,” Soarin said with a sigh as a grin spread across his face, “But that just makes the reward of getting that uniform even better, you feel like you are the best around because you fought so hard against everyone else to get there.”
I smiled at that. Soarin had so far seemed like the laidback type, but I could tell that under that there was a stallion with a heart and mind to do great things, it was invigorating to say the least.
“So what about you, then? Had any aspirations of your own?” Soarin asked, leaning back on his chair.
I chuckled, now it was my turn to spill the beans on my life's story, “Well, I guess when I was little I always wanted to be a dancer. I loved doing things related to music, but when I hit high school all that changed. I had a few good moments, but when I graduated I felt different, dancing was still something I was interested in, but I didn’t know if it was something I could commit to… so I took up a job at the local theatre. I felt it gave me the environment I wanted to be in, but... I haven’t danced in a long time.”
Soarin nodded his head as I sighed internally, working things out had never been my strongest suit. “Well, sometimes when you don’t know what you want, you just need to stop thinking about it,” Soarin countered.
“What do you mean stop thinking about it?” I asked, slightly confused by what he meant.
Soarin grinned, “Well, sometimes to know what you want, you have to just forget about the consequences and take a leap of faith. You never have to commit to anything for the rest of your life that you don’t want to do, so sometimes taking that chance and forgetting about all your fears can make you finally see what you’re born to do. That’s how I got my cutie mark.”
“Cutie what, now?” I asked quirking my eyebrow at the stallion.
He proceeded to stand up again and turned to show me his flank, proudly displaying a lightning bolt striking between two purple clouds. I marveled at the sight, never seeing anything like that before.
An amused expression washed over my face as I spoke, “So you’re telling me if I try really really hard and take a leap of faith I get a special mark on my butt?”
Soarin laughed as he face-hoofed in embarrassment. I couldn’t help but laugh along as I reasoned with him, “I do get what you’re saying though. Perhaps when I get back home I’ll give it a shot.”
“That’s the spirit!” The stallion grinned as he came down from another giggle fit. “Also, before I forget,” Soarin mused, heading over to the refrigerator once more as he grabbed what looked like a test tube filled with a green-looking liquid. He turned to me before handing it over, “One of Celestia’s guards dropped a few of these off this morning, drink one a day and you’ll be able to walk on clouds, it’s like a potion.”
I nodded before looking at the vile drink as I scrunched up my nose with disgust. Soarin chuckled at the sight, sitting up to take his cutlery and mine before transferring them to the kitchen sink. He picked up his jumpsuit on the way back and put it on, smiling over at me. “So are you gonna be ready to go in a few minutes?” he asked, taking a look at my disheveled state before smirking, “okay, make that a few more.”
Judging by the rising sun in the sky, I could only think we’d gotten to work just on time as Soarin and I wandered towards the front entrance of the Wonderbolt headquarters. As he opened the door for me, I walked in to see a few ponies trotting around, making the place feel a lot more alive than it did before. I once again followed Soarin through the corridor as he began pointing out everyone we went past.
“That’s Misty Fly, High Winds, and oh! That’s Fleetfoot, hey Fleet!” Soarin shouted over to a pale turquoise mare who looked over to us as Soarin waved a hoof for her to join. She eyed me curiously as she approached, gesturing to me with a hoof.
“This the newbie?” she asked. Soarin nodded to her as she turned to introduce herself, “The name’s Fleetfoot, but most ponies around here call me Fleet,” she began, holding her hoof out as I shook it happily, “I see you’ve already met Cheese Ball.”
Oh I got you now, Soarin I thought evilly as I smirked, turning to look at the stallion whose right eye seemed to twitch slightly at the name.
“Cheese Ball?” I asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible, “Why would you call him that?
Fleetfoot giggled, as if seeming to recall a funny memory whilst Soarin paled in comparison. “Oh, no reason… though let's just say Spitfire and I had a field day with that prank!”
“Could we move on?” Soarin asked with an audible groan enough to make us laugh.
“Alright, don’t get your jumpsuit in a twist, Soar,” Fleetfoot responded with a bat of her hoof as she turned to me, “Anyways, nice to see you, uh…?”
“Rebecca,” I confirmed as she nodded.
“Well it was nice to meet you, Rebecca. I’ll see you guys at the chow hall later on, gotta go do some laps to keep the wings in check,” she said gesturing to them as she trotted away whilst playfully winking at the stallion. I couldn’t help but giggle again as I saw Soarin's now slightly irritated look at the mare, he rolled his eyes as we began walking towards Spitfire’s office.
Conveniently, the captain’s office wasn’t that much of a walk between mine, or Soarin’s for that matter, it didn’t take long before we were outside and Soarin took a few steps forward before knocking on the door. Moments later, a voice came through the closed entrance.
“Come in.”
With the cue given, Soarin proceeded to swing open one of the doors as he trotted in with me close on his hooves. I was immediately shocked by the large pile of neatly organised paperwork that was stacked up on a desk, with what seemed to be like a very busy mare looking over a few pieces of documentation. Her fiery mane and golden fur, which was hidden behind a blue Wonderbolt vest radiated an aura of authority. Briefly her eyes looked up at us, quickly going back down to the papers again as she spoke.
“She the newbie?” Spitfire asked plainly.
Soarin nodded as we came a little closer to her desk, “Yeah, this is Rebecca,” he said gesturing to me, before doing the same with the mare in front of us, “Rebecca this is Spitfire, she’s-”
“Your boss,” Spitfire finished with a smirk as she set down the papers, holding her hoof out as I quickly shook it not wanting to keep her waiting. “So Celestia wants us to take you on as the new stage props manager, well, let’s see if you’ve got what it takes,” she said, handing over the papers she was just reading. I took them in my grasp, reading over the inventory and what looked to be like the layouts of a stadium.
“Our next show is in Vanhoover, you’ve got three weeks to try and organise how much stuff we’re gonna need and where to set it up,” Spitfire began, “now it’s not as easy as it sounds, we need them placed just right to make sure the stunts go smoothly, so the team is trusting you to do a good job, okay?”
“Yes ma’am!” I said quickly, making Spitfire smile in appreciation.
“Good, now as for you, Soarin,” she said turning to the stallion with a deadly grin, seeming to make him wish he hadn’t shown up at all, “I’ve planned a few little training exercises for you and Misty Fly to do today, so hop to it.”
Soarin sighed, seemingly a lot less intimidated, but that was probably a given because of how long they both seemed to know one another. At least that was the best guess I could give with what little I knew about the pair's relationship. I logged that away to ask for later, but for now I quickly sat up and made my way out with Soarin, intent on beginning my work as soon as possible.
“So I’ll see you at lunch, then,” Soarin said as we reached my office, I looked to him and nodded approvingly. He turned to me and smiled, putting a hoof on my shoulder, “Don’t get too stressed, Spitfire likes to intimidate the newbies so that you work hard, but if you have any problems don’t hesitate to talk to her or me about it, okay?”
I smirked back. “Thanks, Cheese ball.”
Soarin's smile deflated into a straight face, making me giggle and roll my eyes, “Okay, okay I get it.”
The stallion rolled his eyes as he turned and flicked his tail in my direction as he trotted away, flashing me a grin before turning away down the corridor. I looked back at my paperwork and set a determined look upon my office before walking in and beginning my day, hoping that I'd be able to prove myself in this alien world.
A few hours rolled by and dawn soon turned into midday. I could tell from the heat that quickly accumulated in the room that it was definitely summer time in Cloudsdale. I scanned over the documents Spitfire had given me as I made a few final notes of my own. Suddenly a knock at the door caught my attention. I reared my head up to see Soarin leaning by the doorframe, his posture seemed slightly more exhausted than usual.
“Everything alright, Soarin?” I asked.
“Yeah, but Spitfire really had it in for us today,” the stallion said as he massaged one of his wing joints.
I smirked. “And here I thought you were supposed to be Mr. Big Shot.”
Soarin stared blankly at me for a moment before suddenly changing his posture by puffing out his chest and taking a more relaxed tone, as if I hadn’t noticed. “I totally am!” he beamed as I giggled at him, seeming to still find him cute under all the handsome exterior.
“So,” Soarin began, smiling, “you still wanna go for lunch?” he asked.
“Sure!” I responded, leaving my papers on the desk as I got up and walked over to him, straightening out my clothes. I was going to have to wash them soon. Luckily my jeans were durable and the cardigan was seemingly smart enough to turn up at work with.
“So what are you hungry for?” Soarin began as we trotted down the stairs and back into the foyer of the building. Just as I was about to reply, a very familiar mare spotted us not too far away.
“Hey guys! You heading out for lunch?” Fleetfoot asked as she trotted over.
Soarin nodded, “Yeah,” he stated simply before looking to the mare who now had a smirk on her lips. The stallion sighed as I tried to comprehend what Fleetfoot was doing.
Finally Soarin spoke, “Let me guess, you want something from Donut Joe’s?”
“Exactly!” the mare said as she gave a small yet very adorable pout, “please?”
Soarin nodded as Fleetfoot jumped over and gave the stallion a brief hug, “Thanks Soar, I’m gonna go wash up, just give it to me when you come back to the training grounds. Have fun, you two.”
“Sure will, Fleetfoot,” Soarin replied as the mare gave us both a wave before trotting away. We turned and began heading for the exit. Fleetfoot seemed like a very proactive mare, I was beginning to like her a lot already.
We headed outside of the building and towards the central city streets. Soarin seemed to know where he was going so I didn’t question it. Instead, I took more of my time to look in wonder at how a world like this was even possible. It amazed me how cloud mass could be turned into such vast structures like skyscrapers and government buildings, though most of the population flew around, Soarin kept on his hooves next to me as we treked along the near empty streets that hadn’t seemed to see much use at all.
“So,” Soarin began, “You decided what you’re hungry for yet?”
“Oh yeah,” I countered, my mind thinking of the many possible foods and delectables that I loved to consume, though this world was different, so I doubted things such as meat were really on the menu. As I continued to ponder, my eyes wandered over a nearby ice cream shop, small ponies of all age groups were overcrowding the stand that was handing out the delectable treats… my mouth began to water.
Soarin too, saw the general direction of where my gaze had wandered off to and proceeded to let out a small chuckle, “Guess you’re in the mood for something sweet, I suppose we can get something at Donut Joe’s too.”
The thought of donuts seemed to settle nicely with my stomach. I smiled and nodded in agreement, “Sounds good to me!”
After making our way across the city, we descended downwards towards Canterlot once again. I could see by the route Soarin took that this was a regular lunch outing for him, perhaps Fleetfoot asked for these things more than I’d previously thought. The second time flying with him wasn’t as crazy as the first, maybe my body was starting to get used to this new method of transportation.
“As your flight captain, I thank you for choosing Soarin Airways,” the stallion announced as we landed just outside the small cafe shop in question. I made sure to be careful as I got back on my feet, looking to Soarin as he showed me into the establishment. It was quite a simple layout, but I wasn’t expecting much.
A stallion turned towards us at the sound of the door opening, his smile widening when he noticed Soarin behind me, “Well if it isn’t Fleetfoot’s favourite delivery guy!”
“Hey Joe,” Soarin said with a smirk as he waved to the unicorn. He then motioned a hoof to me, “I’d like to introduce you to Rebecca, she’s our new stage props manager.”
The stallion beamed as he looked towards me, seemingly comfortable with me being a whole new species to him, “Always nice to meet new folk in my shop, the name’s Joe if you haven’t seen the sign outside,” he said with a light chuckle. “I guess Fleetfoot will want her usual brown icing with sprinkles, right?”
“You got it!” Soarin replied as we cantered over to a few of the bar-like stools next to the counter. As the stallion disappeared into the kitchen, I decided that now might be a good time to get to know some more things.
“I never asked,” I began, turning to Soarin with a smile, “how come you’re so comfortable around Spitfire?”
The question seemed to amuse the stallion as he chuckled slightly before replying, “Well that’s kinda what happens when you’ve known a mare nearly all your life. Spitfire and I went to the same school, shared the same classes, we also hung out a lot due to our paths crossing with junior Wonderbolt training camps and things. We got to know each other pretty quickly, and before I knew it, we became best friends, even though she’s my captain, and Fleetfoot’s for that matter… we get away with a lot more than we really should,” he laughed lightly, but seeming to throw out an air of hesitancy. I raised my eyebrow, seemed as though he wasn't giving me the whole truth about their friendship, but I could respect that given the time we'd known one another. I once again logged it away in my mind for another time.
I decided to change the subject, “So how did Fleetfoot come around?”
Soarin pondered back, as if trying to find the right point in time. “She came in around the same time that me and Spitfire joined up, I don’t think I really got to start knowing her until she and Spitfire became friends,” he shook his head playfully, “those two are hell together, you give em an Idea for anything catastrophic and you can bet your flank it’ll happen to some unfortunate pony.”
I smirked evilly, “Is that why they call you Cheeseball?”
Soarin rolled his eyes and nodded, suddenly no longer in the mood to continue. Just on cue, Joe appeared from the kitchen, a bag held in his teeth as he set it down on the counter, “There we are, I added in a few extras for you two, on the house since this is her first time,” he smiled.
“Thanks, Joe,” Soarin smiled genuinely, replacing the bag for a few bits. The stallion happily took the currency as Soarin and I made our way back towards Cloudsdale, we waved goodbye to Joe as we left the store. I couldn’t help but wonder how many more ponies Soarin knew in and around Canterlot, back at home you took a lot more caution in getting to know randomers. I smirked, thinking about what this world had on “don’t talk to strangers”.
It didn’t take long for us to arrive back at the Wonderbolt headquarters, Fleetfoot looked as though she’d been waiting since the moment we left as Soarin and I entered through the main doors, the giddy mare eyeing the package in Soarin’s mouth.
“You guys don’t know how long I’ve waited for this!” Fleetfoot complained as she made a grab for the bag, taking it out of Soarin’s grasp.
“That’s what you say every time!” Soarin exclaimed with mild amusement as he turned to me, “Well you can have my donut, I’m gonna go do a few more laps of the track before Spitfire wonders where I’ve gotten to, I’ll see you both later,” he finished with a wave before heading off.
Fleetfoot began opening the bag, eyeing Soarin as he trotted away and out of earshot before speaking again. “He’s so into you,” she suddenly spoke.
My mind fuzzed out as I stared towards the mare; she handed me a donut before continuing, “I know Soarin, and if there’s one thing that he hides the worst, it’s liking someone.”
I tried to think of any response worthy of what had just been said to me.l “Um… okay?”
“I mean don’t get me wrong,” Fleetfoot stated, taking out her own donut as she began biting into the soft treat, chewing before she continued, “Soarin is a softie sometimes, but you can easily tell when he’s got the hots for a mare.” She eyed me with a smirk.
My mind was constantly trying to figure out where all this had been coming from. Over the last twenty-four hours of knowing the stallion I could hardly recall any kind of romantic gestures he’d made towards me, nor had he really made any advances on me so far. Then it suddenly hit me.
Was I being pranked?
Words from Soarin rung through, and I could immediately put the pieces together on how this had come around. Fleetfoot continued grinning at me as I quickly felt like I had to make some sort of response. I decided to play along with the little game at hand.
“Oh really?” I asked, trying to sound as hopeful as I could.
Fleetfoot’s grin only got wider as she tried to hide her giggles, I could only grin in my victory behind the mask of my pretend fangirl act. “Well,” she began, “he might ask you out sooner than you think.”
I nodded, smiling. “Sounds good to me!”
With that, Fleetfoot grinned and began heading in the direction Soarin had gone moments ago, softly humming to herself as she went, “Rebecca and Soarin sitting in a tree, K.I.S.S.I.N.G”
I couldn’t help but let a blush run to my cheeks as I overheard, letting her go out of eyesight before making my own way back to the office to finish off my day’s work. My head couldn’t stop thinking about what I had just been told, while I knew damn well it was a joke, never before had my mind really considered any of the ponies I’d met in a romantic way. I began to think of Soarin and my first impressions on meeting him. While I thought he was handsome, I couldn’t really find any other distinguishing features I found myself attracted to, at least not for now, anyway. As I got back to my work, I felt like for the remainder of the day no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the thoughts out of my head.
My first day on the job had thankfully gone by in a flash; while there was a lot of work to be done, it felt a lot less stressful than the much more mediocre job I had back home. I made it a plan if I didn’t take up Soarin’s idea to try dancing again, I would definitely apply for a desk job in the future. As I sat back on the stallion’s couch, eating a bowl of freshly made pasta, my mind kept trying to turn back to what Fleetfoot had said, I felt as though I couldn’t stop but trying to investigate further, even though I was fairly sure no romance was going on between him and I.
My eyes wandered across the living area to the kitchen where he was, currently washing up his own bowl. We’d eaten in relative silence once more, but we hadn’t had a lot of conversation from my sudden lack of brain power. I kept trying to see any sign or gesture that Fleetfoot might have picked up on.
“Hey, eyes are up here you know,” Soarin announced with a smirk, my brain quickly flipping itself back to reality as I averted my face for a moment, wishing I would just stop this daydreaming. Soarin seemed to register my action, coming over as he sat down on the chair opposite me.
“Seems like you have something on your mind,” Soarin began, “wanna talk?”
I suddenly froze, Soarin was probably the last pony on my list to talk to about my current situation. I sighed internally as I forced a smile, “I guess I’m just feeling a little homesick, is all.”
Soarin nodded, thankfully not pressing anything further, “Well, you’ll be out of here soon anyway, I’m sure Celestia will have some brain-nuts on it right now,” he replied, his tone hopeful as he gave me a reassuring look. My smile widened as I felt a small weight lifted off my shoulders. While it wasn’t what I wanted to know right now, it was something I wanted to at least hear from another pony other than the goddess herself.
“Thanks, Soarin.”
“You can call me Soar, you know,” the stallion began, “everyone else does, I don’t mind it.”
I mulled over the proposal, thinking it was a good enough exchange for the nickname he gave me already. I nodded approvingly as he smiled, taking my plate and leftovers before going back to the kitchen. I smirked a little as the thought crossed my mind of Soarin wearing a maid’s outfit, he sure would suit one with the way he acts around me in his own home. I laughed internally at my own joke, laying back onto the couch as my body already began preparing itself for another bout of sleep. As my eyes set back on the window once more, a thought began crossing my mind.
What if I did want to stay here?
Yet another day dawned, by now I’d given up pretty much all hope of this being a simple dream and accepted how crazy my life had become. It had been a week since I was first introduced into this world, since then life had seemed to settle down albeit just a little. Sleeping on Soarin’s couch had become second nature, even though he had offered me a guest room on multiple occasions by this point. I’d usually knock out the moment I came in after a day of work anyway, but it was still nice of him to offer. Talking of work, It had been pretty much what I had been occupying myself with since I’d began living here, the work was stressful but steady. Despite this, I still let Soarin show me a few new members of the team, one of whom was actually my own secretary.
Well, strictly speaking she was the secretary for all the backstage staff like myself, but a secretary nonetheless.
Summer Shines or ‘Sunny’ as we called her was the first of the many other species I’d met since coming to Equestria. Soarin had explained to me how bat ponies had moved into Equestria following a certain battle with Celestia’s sister who I still hadn’t had the chance to meet, not that I particularly wanted to after hearing about her world domination plans, but Soarin had reassured me she was a changed pony. Still, despite what I had learned, Sunny was just as nice as the other ponies I’d met, after getting over constantly staring at those fangs she had proudly displayed, I had began to steadily learn more about her. The questions of sleeping in coffins seemed to hit off a few good conversations at least.
“You doing alright there, Miss Rebecca?” Sunny asked as I looked up from the desk, my workspace thankfully not as piled up as Spitfire’s… yet.
“All is good,” I replied happily, putting my pen down for a moment to stretch out my hand; today had so far turned out to be a rather long one.
Sunny smiled at my response, “Good to hear! Anything you need?”
I shook my head, “No thank you Sunny, the last five hundred cups of tea you brought me were just fine.”
A light tinge of pink hit the mare’s orange cheeks as she looked away a little before replying, “Alright, well in that case I just have one thing, Soarin wants you to meet him outside the gates in ten minutes.”
I raised my eyebrow, “What for, exactly?”
The mare shrugged and smirked for a moment, “Beats me! But between the two of us, Miss Rebecca, I think he has something planned for you.”
I nodded as I stood, flashing a grin back towards her, “You and I think very much alike, Sunny.”
With that, the bat pony simply nodded before softly leaving the room and back down the hallway. I looked out towards the nearby window. The sun was beginning to set, but there would still be light for another hour at least. My mind began to whirl as I locked the door to my office before proceeding in the direction of the main entrance.
Throughout the week that I had now been on this planet, Soarin had always met me back at my office, so why wasn’t he here this time? Regardless of this issue however, I’d managed to navigate myself out of the building with ease now that I had gotten to know my way around. It didn’t take long before I reached the exit and pushed open the door; I scanned the front entrance, seeing the stallion in question over by the gates giving me a friendly wave.
“Sunny says you have something planned for me?” I asked with a smirk as I approached.
Soarin beamed, “She knows me too well, but you’ll have to follow me to find out!” he teased before opening the gates, “Ladies first.”
“If you didn’t have that smug grin on your face, I might have called you a gentleman,” I smirked back, walking past the gate threshold as I looked out towards the city. Soarin quickly closed the gates behind us before nodding to a guard on our way out.
“So you still drinking that cloud potion stuff in the fridge?” Soarin asked.
I giggled, “I think you would know if I haven’t,” I replied, gesturing to the cloud below us.
“Heh, guess you’re right,” Soarin responded with a light blush on his cheeks, “it’s just so natural for me, I completely forget I’m even walking on clouds sometimes.”
I did have to hand that one to the stallion. Even though it had only been a week, I felt the same way, it was like wearing braces for the first time... well maybe after the pain of eating any sort of food goes away.
Instead, that pain had been replaced with the fear of falling to death, but with Soarin trotting alongside me I could keep the anxiety to a minimum. I took a look around the area we were walking along to clear my head from the thoughts of potential doom, the centre of Cloudsdale or at least what I could only imagine was the city centre had slowly begun creeping into view over the horizon.
I’d seen a lot of Cloudsdale on our various walks over the last week even just to and from work, but I was still so fascinated by the roaming cloud parks and not to mention the bustling sound of ponies flying around. I felt like I was almost living inside a beehive with the way in which everyone was so co-ordinated in their flight patterns, almost as if there was no hesitation from them as some soared past at ridiculous speeds while many opted to simply hover around chatting. It was hard to explain without just seeing it, but it was definitely something that these pegasi had made a natural part of their daily lives.
In all my fascination, I’d hardly realized Soarin’s snickering as he stood there next to me. We’d come to a stop outside a large park area, with many sculpted statues and what I could only describe as cloud hedges.
“Don’t let my good looks zone you out, Bex,” Soarin calmly stated with a mischievous smirk on his muzzle. I suddenly snapped out of my reverie, quickly looking at his ever widening grin.
“Oh shove off, Soarin!” I chided, giving the stallion a playful push to prove my point; he stumbled and laughed off the gesture before beckoning me to follow him through the nearest path to us.
It was a short walk, but we took our time trekking our way along the cloud walkway. I kept an eye on Soarin all the while. He seemed a little more giddy than normal which was probably the answer to why he was acting so much quieter. In my head that only translated into the boiling anticipation and the slight fear of the unknown ahead.
The four main paths towards the centre all twisted and turned across the slightly inclined landscape, but all still ended up at the same end along the base of a large statue where an armoured pegasus proudly stood in the centre. It seemed as if it was designed in such a way that it almost seemed to be keeping watch on the ponies both above and below the sky.
“That’s Commander Hurricane,” Soarin began to explain as he gazed back at me, seeming to already know the obvious forthcoming questions. “She used to lead Pegasi back in the day before Equestria was formed, it was a long time ago though, mind you. But back then, legends told that she and her armies were some of the most powerful in the world. It’s a sign of strength that most pegasi, including the Wonderbolts, still carry around to this day.”
“Seems like there’s a lot I still don’t know about you guys,” Rebecca mused.
I'd never thought such a colourful and endlessly harmonic world such as Equestria would have a past that included the likes of armies and possibility of war. But then again, it was never like my own home had avoided the idea of ending hostility between nations, it was just incredibly difficult to make ruthless dictators and appointed ambassadors see eye to eye. In the midst of my thoughts I took another look from Soarin up to the statue now towering above us since we had moved closer, but out of the blue sky a flash of fire suddenly caught my eye. It almost seemed to be effortlessly falling from up there with a lot of power behind it. I thought about taking a step back, but with the grace of a hummingbird the blur in question landed right in front of us without a scratch.
“Surprise!” Soarin beamed as I looked between him and the mare; suddenly both her smirk and mane clicked into place within the deeper regions of my slightly panicking brain.
“S-Spitfire?! I-I mean, Boss?” I spluttered, trying to get the correct wording out of my mouth. She looked different without her uniform on, her light golden mane seeming to brighten up in the glowing remnants of the sun as it began finally setting below the horizon. She’d also done something to her mane, while I still recognized its fire-like design, the mare had chosen to style it with softer curls as opposed to the windswept spikes Rebecca had seen her adorn when in uniform.
“We’re out of work newbie, just call me Spitfire.”
Spitfire grinned, still keeping close to Soarin’s side as the stallion gave her a playful wing brush. Her voice was distinctly more casual, which thankfully cut any tension that was building up.
“She’s soft at heart,” Soarin grinned as he retracted his wing, Spitfire rolled her eyes in response but smiled at Rebecca all the same as the two trotted past her, Soarin continuing the conversation, “I thought the three of us could eat out tonight, usually it’s just me and Spitfire that go out after work at the end of the week, but since you’re now staying at my place, I thought why not bring you along?”
I mulled the idea over in my head and a smile came to my lips, I appreciated Soarin not wanting to leave me out of this, but I still didn’t quite know where the other two ponies stood. Spitfire and Soarin, while clearly good friends with one another, seemed a little something more affectionate, something that I was personally having a hard time putting a finger on with the lack of information I currently had.
“So, same place as always?” Soarin asked over my current thought process, looking over to his Captain.
“I don’t think we’ve ever gone anywhere else, why stop now?” Spitfire replied, beginning to trot slightly ahead of Soarin as we both began to follow her, one soul a lot more curious than the other as she continued. “Besides, it’s probably time that Rebecca sees the nightlife around here.”
As the three of us began to walk out of the city centre, the sun had finally been taken over by the moon. In the short time that this quick exchange between night and day had taken place, the street was quickly lit up with the warm and inviting scenery of lit restaurants and cafes that lined the main city streets of Cloudsdale. I had made sure to keep track of Soarin and Spitfire as they weaved about through the crowded streets that were now littered with ponies banding together around small tables outside the bars and restaurants, the buzz of chatter was in the air as the faint sound of laughter came from across the street. I was still trying to battle with oncoming thoughts in my head around the captain, Spitfire just never seemed like the pony you would see outside of work; almost like she lived for her job. I could understand with Soarin though that Spitfire would spare a little free time since the two were friends. At least on the bright side I could start adding Spitfire to the new list of ‘Ponies I know by more than just their brightly coloured flanks’ .
Spitfire turned back, waving me into a nearby establishment as Soarin made his way through the crowded steps. I spared a passing glance at the few ponies who had begun looking over at me, a sense of both confusion and curiosity in the air as I passed by with the most sheepish smile gracing my lips. With it being only a week I’d still yet to master the art of just ignoring the stares or wide eyed looks that I would usually get around busy areas.
Once I’d reached the entrance, Spitfire kindly lead me through the front door and into the lobby of what I could only describe as a traditional restaurant, fancy chandeliers hung from the cloud ceilings that had been expertly sculpted, with small fountains in the far corners and live music towards the front of the dining hall. I stood next to Spitfire as Soarin had already began enquiring about table space with a waiter. I felt an awkward pause come on as I struggled to think of things to say, I had no knowledge of what Spitfire talked about in a casual setting.
Having no idea and little room to be confident around my growing anxiety, I began to get nervous.
Come on, Rebecca! Think! This is your chance to get on the good books with your new boss!
“So, uh… Hey Spitfire, what made you want to join the Wonderbolts?”
Like she hasn't been asked that a million times!”
Spitfire looked over to me with a raised brow, which quickly dissolved into a small smirk as she gestured to the pale blue stallion ahead of us, “Me and Soar always dreamed of getting into the Wonderbolts since we were foals, it’s how we started getting to know each other in class. Long story short, I think it's worked out for the both of us.”
I chuckled a little at that, at least this mare had a sense of humour. With the conversation started and the knowledge from last week still logged firmly away, I slowly began probing for some answers without going too far. “So, I’m guessing that means you and Soarin must have met pretty early on?”
Spitfire nodded knowingly, “You betcha, met him all the way back before we even learned to fly. Haven’t been able to shake him off my tail since!”
Spitfire then nudged my leg with a hoof, causing us both to let off a little more laughter.
“What’s this about my tail?” Soarin asked quizzically, strolling over with the waiter in tow, “I’ve got us seats upstairs,” he gestured to the stallion behind us. He was tall and looked undoubtedly professional, his tux and hair trimmed to perfection as he bowed gracefully in front of us before showing us the way to the upper level, which just like the lobby was beginning to fill up for dinner service. We were ushered towards a table overlooking the streets below, the stallion smiling as he pulled the seats out for us.
“Your table for this evening, ladies and gentlecolts! I do hope you enjoy your meal, another waiter will be with you shortly,” he spoke in a soft tone, which I interestingly picked up as being some kind of British accent as I watched him trot away.
Soarin seemed to notice my questionable gaze as he and Spitfire sat down in front of me, “It’s common for pegasi to be born all over Equestria these days, now you get them coming from all over the place, like Manehatten, Fillydelphia and Trottingham.” he grinned a little, “Imagine me with a Trottingham accent!”
“I dare to think what a disaster that would be,” Spitfire shot back as she playfully fluffed his mane up with a wing. Soarin quickly tried to fix it as I held back my oncoming need to laugh with Spitfire not faring a lot better, he quickly got her back with a soft bop to the nose which I found to be a cute act of revenge, but revenge nevertheless. It had also started the cogs turning once more in my brain as I tried to work out their stance on one another, however deep their friendship may be, I was determined to at least find out a little more information regarding them both, so long as it didn’t get me in any hot water that is.
We observed the menu, of which I was slightly interested for trying anything but salad at this point. I was slowly getting a hunger back for meat after this long, but having been swiftly introduced to Equestria’s… let’s say objective stance on the killing of animals, I thought it best to keep my stomach unhappy over the idea of a pony fainting at the sight of me devouring a chicken. In the end I chose a simple thousand hooved dressing with nachos, with the three of us all ordering wine of some sort. I began to feel more relaxed as I sat back a little in my cloud chair; I’d come to realise over the last few days how much people back home would be envious of me getting to try out this strangely plush yet spongy material.
“Enjoying yourself?” Soarin playfully eyed me as Spitfire looked up from sipping her wine glass.
I smiled, “I guess you could say I’m finally coming to terms with colourful talking ponies.”
Soarin grinned in response, “Don’t be getting too comfy now,” he playfully chastised. “Otherwise we’ll never be able to send you back on account of us having to pry you off the gates to the headquarters.” We shared a chuckle as he continued, “Besides, I’m sure it won’t be too long now given Celestia’s priority on the matter.”
For how much it surprised me, Soarin was right. It pained me a little to think that anytime now I could just be shot back to Earth, even though it had been just over a week since my arrival, my liking for the Equestrian world and more the ponies who I’d recently come to meet did cause a painful drop in my gut at the thought of leaving them all behind. My eyes cast down slightly as I thought over the idea of just asking Celestia for citizenship, or whatever the equivalent of that was in Equestria; would I need a passport?
“For what it’s worth,” Spitfire began, getting both mine and Soarin’s attention, she looked me in the eyes and I could tell she meant what she said. “You’ve done a good job so far with your work, a lot of ponies don’t understand the logistics or the time your job can take to complete.” I smiled at that as she continued, “It’s good you turned up when you did, a lot of the ponies who have been signing up recently for positions backstage aren’t even fully qualified, they just want to say they work with the Wonderbolts.”
I raised an eyebrow, “And they’ve been accepted?”
Spitfire laughed a little and shook her head, “You think me and Soarin poured everything we’ve got into this team to have it run by students fresh out of Cloudsdale College?” she began sharing an amused look with Soarin, “It’s hard to explain to ponies most of the time, but the Wonderbolts aren’t just a team, we’re our own community,” Spitfire stated proudly, “Our structure isn’t built on the principle of ponies filling the job for five minutes before moving on to greener pastures, that’s why jobs that do come up back-stage are only temporary on the discretion of me and the princess due to the Wonderbolts still being part of the guard. It’s a good tactic to weed out ponies who just want to mooch off the Wonderbolts name”
“Unless of course, you do a good enough job and show your dedication to sticking around,” Soarin finished as he and Spitfire smiled and nodded together.
“So my position has been filled before?” I asked, now very curious to hear about how her job was being monitored.
Spitfire thought back for a moment before shaking her head, “No, you’re the odd one out. The usual temporary job that we hand out is the one for grounds-keeping. But since the recent retirement of our last props and set designer, we needed the position filled fast in order to meet the next season deadlines.”
“Hence all of your current work,” Soarin pointed out, “Which as we’ve said, is very good for someone who doesn’t even live on this planet.”
I tried my best to stop the blood filling my cheeks from the praise, back home I wasn’t used to being commended for my efforts back at the theatre, let alone many other places in the world. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by either Wonderbolt at the opposite end of the table, both of them were giving me large smiles in return.
The urge to hug them both was unprecedented.
Soon our meals arrived, it didn’t take me long to get stuck in. While I still would have prefered meat, this food was a great substitute. I looked across the table to see Spitfire and Soarin playfully chiding one another about the way they ate, Spitfire being a lot more formal than Soarin with his lack of using the cutlery that had been provided. I almost got the feeling that the pair were almost like brother and sister, more than anything. It seemed to relax me more than I had been at the start of sitting down to eat. Knowing this, I began to take another bite at the thought in my head as I leaned over in their direction.
“So, have you guys been going out like this for a while?” I asked casually, taking another bite out of my nacho dressing.
Soarin smirked, “I don’t think Spitfire’s ever let me have a Friday night to myself.”
“Oh come off it Soar, you know you just can’t resist coming out to try and get a chance not to do the morning training. If you somehow get hell to freeze over with me stuck in it, I’ll consider it!” Spitfire retorted, sending Soarin into a fit of stutters that soon just turned into laughter from all three of us.
“To answer your question properly,” Spitfire began after the laughter had stopped, “Me and Soarin have a lot on our plates most of the day, this is usually the most free time we’ll get off during an ‘out of season’ month. It’s hard to really keep up with anyone who isn’t your best friend, who just so happens to be the biggest pain in the flank at the same time.”
We shared another laugh at Soarin’s expense. I was surprised this time not to hear a retort from the stallion, until my ears heard the faint whisper of something under the stallion’s breath as he turned to Spitfire with an almost knowing grin.
“You love me, really.”
My brain froze for a moment when he said those words, I stopped going back to my food as I watched the two ponies in front of me stare at one another. Spitfire only took a moment before she leaned over and nuzzled the stallions right cheek softly before going back to their own food, it was a simple gesture of affection, but my mind couldn’t help but be swarmed with more questions, not to mention Fleetfoot's words almost a week ago.
The rest of the night seemed to roll by quickly, we mostly discussed various things regarding work and how Soarin was going to start introducing me to the Equestrian mail service in order for me to contact the princess directly rather than through himself. It was something which didn’t seem to hard on paper, but in a new world I had doubts of successfully getting something to the ruler of the nation on a first try, but despite this, I was motivated enough to give it a go when I thought it was necessary to send one.
When the bill came, Spitfire and Soarin insisted they both paid the whole amount, which soon turned into another few retorts back and forth from one another. I almost feel glad I never had brothers or sisters of my own, if this is what life for them was like, I was happy to just sit and spectate.
On account of paying for their meals last week, Soarin finally gave in to allow Spitfire to pay for the meal in full. I felt bad for not being able to throw my own two cents, or ‘bits’ into the ring due to the fact of me not receiving a paycheck yet. I hoped in some way I would be able to pay both of them back once I actually obtained some form of currency, but that would have to wait until later. For now we kindly thanked the waiter and vacated the warmth of the restaurant and into the refreshingly cool air outside, a bit of the buzz had died down now that ponies had started to make their way home, but there was still plenty of activity going on. With the streets being slightly less crammed, I decided to walk next to both Soarin and Spitfire as we traversed the main streets back along to the center of town, passing by a few nightclubs that had started creating various lines along the streets.
Spitfire smirked as she nudged me, gesturing over to a particular nightclub with a bright orange sign, the bouncers eyed me as I walked by. My gaze quickly averting from them and glancing to the name of the club…
“Sunrise,” I mused out loud, Spitfire nodding with a small giggle.
“That’s the first club that me and Soarin ever went to,” Spitfire began as Soarin turned to glance his own amusing smirk at the place as they trotted past, “We’d thought since being newly recruited Wonderbolt reserves we’d go out and celebrate, needless to say afterwards we decided quickly that it wasn’t the type of scene for us.”
I chuckled, relating to the situation entirely. While I was a fan of both dancing and music, I couldn’t ever enjoy the overly-loud and claustrophobic spaces that clubs back home were like. I’d personally never gone to one myself on account of me and my friends not being the ‘party animal’ types, but I was still curious about them nevertheless.
“Was there any reason in particular that you guys didn’t like it?” I asked questionably.
Soarin chuckled as he came into the conversation, “Besides the drinks being way overpriced? No, it just wasn’t our style.”
“Or you could admit you two just love to protect one another, it’s too cute!”
“Fleetfoot?” I asked looking over to my left, seeing the arctic blue mare standing in the line to the club along with companion who I’d seen around work, but hadn’t yet had the chance to be introduced to.
Spitfire turned to Soarin with a deadpan expression. He simply rolled his eyes before looking over in Fleet’s direction, “I thought you and Misty Fly were going to a bar downtown tonight?” he asked quizzically. Getting a few looks from the other ponies standing in line as they recognized a few of the names.
Fleetfoot waved her hoof in dismissal, “Yeah, we finished that after the seventh drink,” she explained casually, giggling and bumping flanks with the mare next to her. Misty Fly looked a little more on the shy side as she smiled at me. I gave a small wave back and before Fleetfoot continued, “I’m guessing you guys had a nice time?” she turned to me with a smirk, “You can never separate them can you?”
Spitfire grinned wolfishly, “Well that depends, do you want to spend the whole morning with Misty running a fifty lap practice race with a hangover? I’m sure you’ll be struggling to separate yourselves as well.”
Fleetfoot huffed and crossed her hooves at the comeback, “Meanie,” she replied, sticking her tongue out. Soarin chuckled while Spitfire and I shared amused grins, “Why can’t you play fair Wonderbolt!?”
“Because I’m the captain,” Spitfire stated smugly, causing a few more ponies in the line to share a few glances at the group. I could see over a few crowds that began whispering and pointing over at us.
I could see that Soarin was beginning to pick up on it as well. Meanwhile Fleetfoot was still giving Spitfire a playful set of very convincing evil eyes, I almost felt like laughing at the scene. I could see what Spitfire meant when the Wonderbolts regarded themselves as their own group, as for Soarin saying that him and Fleetfoot get away with a little too much, it was beginning to sound like a understatement. In the midst of my thoughts, Soarin gently nudged Spitfire with his wing, whispering something into her ear as she looked over to the eyes beginning to turn on us. Fleetfoot looked over and suddenly noticed the same thing.
“Oh buck! Now we’re gonna need to find a new place to go party!”
With the awkward situation swiftly handled, in which I mean by me trying not to drown in a sea of ponies as Wonderbolts shot off in different directions as to disperse the oncoming crowd, both me, Soarin and Spitfire made it back to his place in one piece, with the only issue being a slight case of indigestion pain. The thought that just simple days out could turn into this made me feel somewhat bad for the more well known ponies in Equestria, but then again celebrities in our world could just be recognised with a face, at least these guys wore full jumpsuits during their time in the spotlight.
“Remind me to dye my hair blue tomorrow and pretend I was out with family,” Spitfire stated as she looked over to an out of breath Soarin, who had taken the liberty of leaning against the stair banister in order to prop himself up.
I sat down on my now usual spot on the couch. Looking between the two ponies as they quickly regained their strength, “So I’m guessing that’s why you guys never wear your suits outside of work?”
“Exactly,” Soarin nodded as he rubbed his stomach slowly.
In a few short minutes the tension in the air had calmed, Soarin trotted over to me as he sat down on the couch along with Spitfire. He wrapped a wing over her, giving her a sidelong hug as we all recovered in silence for a few moments. I could see the cuteness in the act. My mind was quickly thinking back on this night, it had been one of the more entertaining days of this week, but at the same time one of the most confusing. It had definitely given me a lot to think about over the next few days, but on the bright side I at least could say I got to know these two a lot more, I smiled as I looked over to the pair.
“Fleetfoot is going to get it for being so loud,” Spitfire smirked, shaking her head playfully as Soarin laughed. I made a note to remember to keep a close eye on the mare when we went to work tomorrow. Luckily for both us and the soon-to-be unfortunate mare, tomorrow was a Saturday, which meant that we didn’t have to turn up to work until late afternoon.
“Who was that other mare with her?” I asked curiously, thinking back to the slightly timid mare who had smiled at me.
“Misty Fly?” Spitfire asked, to which I nodded as she continued, “She’s on the primary team with all of us, she’s a little shy if you’ve never met her before. Once you get comfortable around her though, she becomes a whole different pony.”
“You make it sound like she’s an evil villain of some kind,” Soarin smirked as Spitfire laughed a little, playfully poking the stallion.
“What I meant was, she’ll surprise you once you get to know her,” Spitfire elaborated while Soarin was still trying to get her back, the little playfight going on as I stood back and laughed a little. We all had another drink to re-hydrate ourselves after the sudden cardio session, it didn’t take long for the conversation to die down once time started ticking on again. It was getting late, the dullness in my brain signalling that it was time to start getting ready for bed.
I wasn’t the only one in the same state; after a while Soarin finally started making his way upstairs with Spitfire in tow, he turned around to offer the guest room again, but I was already out cold on the couch by the time I laid my head down beneath the blanket. The stallion and mare took another amusing look at each other and then me before heading upstairs.
Author's Note
I hope you enjoyed this latest installment. I'm trying my hardest to write as much as I possibly can while my time is free.
Thanks for reading you amazing people ~ Rumble
The next day came around in the haze of a dull ache in my brain. I had to rub my eyes a little as they adjusted to the bright sky outside the large windows of Soarin’s house that greeted me once again with the realisation that I was still stuck in this pastel coloured world. I threw the blanket off me and sat up, stretching out my arms and then my back as I yawned. Even though I didn’t know the exact time, I could tell it was later than me and Soarin had been getting up usually during the week.
I made my way through the kitchen, making sure to down a glass of water before heading upstairs to get myself ready for the day. Soarin had kindly given me a bunch of standard utensils that I used back home. This included things like brushes, hairspray, moisturiser and a toothbrush. It wasn’t exactly extravagant, but he’d assured me that the next time we go out shopping that I would be able to get some form of makeup and other ‘ladylike’ things as he had called it. I chuckled at the recent memory. I set to work fixing as much of my hair as possible, at this time in the morning it was usually more effort to get the odds and ends back down then they were really worth.
After finishing up in the bathroom like I had become accustomed to every morning, what surprised me was how I hadn’t yet seen Soarin jumping around the house, the stallion who usually if not always had to drag me out of the home with a bottle of cloud walking potion in order to get into the headquarters on time. Even though today was a weekend and we didn’t start till a little later, I was still concerned at the vacant presence in the home. It was whilst walking along the corridor to get back to the stairs that my eyes happened to glance through the crack in Soarin’s bedroom door, it was there that I almost tripped at what I saw. A hand quickly covered my mouth as I slowly got my lungs under control before letting myself breathe properly. Turning back around, I peered into the crack in the doorway a second time.
My eyes had not deceived me.
Within the master bedroom, a large royal navy coloured cloud bed resided in the middle of a blue and white room, facing the doorway I was looking in from, within the thick bedsheets lay the stallion I’d been seeking, his left wing resting over Spitfire as she laid on his chest, her head resting there as Soarin’s lower body seemed to be turned on its side towards the mare who was sleeping on her belly. They breathed softly to one another as they rested undisturbed by the low morning light, I had to fight back my own thoughts at how cute it all looked from here, but I couldn’t still help feel a soft pang in my chest.
I couldn’t say it wasn’t something I hadn’t expected with what I had learned about the two from the previous night, but at the same time it still brought about even more questions to my already flooded brain. Sure, I’d share beds with my best friends during slumber parties if there wasn’t enough space on the floor or in the next available bedroom, but these two were cuddled up closer than I would expect some married couples weren’t even accustomed to. I so badly wanted to question it, but this looked incredibly intimate, and who was I to barge in on two very close friends who might just love sharing a bed together?
With all the current questions weighing on my mind, something seemed to give in my mind. I decided the only pony I could ask on the matter would be Fleetfoot. I softly left the corridor and headed downstairs to make breakfast, leaving the other two ponies to wake up on their own accord. I made a mental note in my brain whilst making a bowl of cereal that I would make it my task to get Fleetfoot alone for a couple of minutes. These conflicting thoughts I had circling in my head needed cleared, and the faster that was done, the better.
As I sat down, listening to the soft chirping of birds outside the nearby windows, I began to mull over the thoughts themselves. On the one hand I’d never even considered Soarin in the romantic sense since Fleetfoot had mentioned it over a week ago, even then I was still under the impression it had been nothing but a simple jest. Having said that though, now that I had gotten to know the stallion more, I definitely couldn’t deny the thought of dating someone of his personality, but there were many factors, big ones, that stood in my way from ever committing to attempt something like that, even if I desperately wanted to.
So why the heck am I feeling this way?
I couldn’t fathom it, was it jealousy? Regret? Guilt? Whatever that feeling was in my chest, I couldn’t work it out. The last time I’d felt this hadn’t been since my last crush back in college, but at least that was with somebody I was at least trying to court on a daily basis. My brain tried to find answers, but as I was deep in thought I hadn’t even noticed that Soarin and Spitfire had descended the stairs and were now eyeing me curiously as Soarin began making coffee.
“Are you… gonna eat that?” Spitfire asked as she quirked her eyebrow at me. I looked between her and the spoonful of now soggy cereal which I had been hovering near my mouth for at least a good few minutes, I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment as I quickly wolfed down the food and placed the spoon back in the bowl. Spitfire didn’t seem to press the issue of my awkwardness any further; she seemed happy and well rested enough to be in a good mood.
I felt that pang once again.
“So, I’m guessing you’re going to be giving Fleetfoot a run for her money today?” I asked jokingly as Soarin hoofed her a mug of steaming hot deliciousness before hoofing me one as well and sitting down between us both. I could see from the mug that he'd thankfully poured that all important cloud walking spell into the coffee mix.
Spitfire grinned slightly, seeming to be fantasising the idea of it in her head, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t really considering it. But no matter what punishment you give Fleet, she always finds a way to get back at you for it.”
Soarin nodded in agreement as he turned to me with that familiar winning smile, “So, you have a good sleep last night? Thought you might have slept in with the later start time at work today.”
I shrugged, trying to keep the thoughts of my morning discovery far out of my head. “I slept okay I guess, but I think my body clock has finally come to terms with waking up at sunrise.”
“That's it Rebecca, I’ll make a morning pony out of you yet!” Soarin cheered as Spitfire chuckled at his foalish antics, it made me smile too.
“So,” I began, keeping my smile. “You guys enjoy last night? Besides the sea of ponies,” I joked.
Soarin smiled as he looked to Spitfire who shot me an amused grin, “Well, it’s not like the first time that’s happened. We’ve had a lot worse as well.”
“True that,” Soarin agreed. “We were once caught on a Wonderbolts’ night out a few years back, had a line of ponies around the door of the bar asking for autographs.”
“It’s all in good fun,” Spitfire shrugged with a small smile.
I nodded, it was nice to know that nor Soarin or Spitfire seemed to think any ill-will of their fans. I knew celebrities back home who would treat them like trash, it was nice to know that things here were completely different. Though, the fame wasn't handed to these ponies, the Wonderbolts earned their fame, with a lot of determination and courage.
It was a story I’d like to hear more about when I had the time to hang out with Soarin and Spitfire again. I finished my bowl of cereal quickly as the other two had some breakfast themselves, I took a moment to gauge them once again. They both seemed well relaxed and happy; it was good to know I hadn’t spoiled anything, which was a win in my book.
It didn’t take long for us all to get ready after that.
Soarin offered to carry me to work but I chose to walk and try to process the current thoughts on my mind some more, so I passed it off that I just wanted to enjoy the weather while it was nice. As I walked across the residential area towards the Wonderbolt headquarters, I began to think over what I was going to ask Fleetfoot when I found her, the mare was probably going to be doing unfortunate work of some kind despite Spitfire brushing off the idea.
Going back to my thoughts, I didn’t think anything was going on between Spitfire and Soarin but the questions still presented themselves nonetheless. It was just something I didn’t expect, but I couldn’t blame anyone for the fact that I’d only been living here for just over a week.
A few ponies passed me as I walked along. Smiling as best I could, I tried to fight away the oncoming heat that was rising through my cheeks due to the constant staring I mostly received.
I understood that it was something I’d just have to get used to over time, but so long as it wasn’t hurting anyone, I didn’t mind too much. Part of me wondered if Soarin had ever had these curiosities when we first met. The stallion had a heart of gold, that was for sure. Spitfire had the same to an extent, even though she acted a bit more on the abrasive side at work, but I could easily chalk that up to her having to manage an entire establishment. I hadn’t spent too much time with anyone else in the Wonderbolts to get a sense of other ponies’ personalities, but I was sure that despite that, Soarin would still take time out to introduce me to the rest of them.
It made me smile as I walked, knowing that feeling of acceptance almost; the welcoming smiles and generosity of these ponies almost made work feel like somewhere you wanted to spend the day… almost.
I hadn’t realised it took me this long to walk, it felt like an eternity had past by the time I finally made it to work. After making it back to the castle within Canterlot, I'd hopped on a chariot ride once more, the guards seemed to be completely fine about it to my surprise, maybe standing around guarding doors all day really was that boring. On the bright side of my long journey, my head felt a bit more organised at least. I breathed a sigh of relief as I made it up to the main gates at the Wonderbolt headquarters. The guards recognized me and nodded as I walked up to them, opening the gate as I past through, maybe being the only species on this planet had its perks?
Getting into the extravagant building, I quickly made my way through the blue and yellow corridors till I arrived at my office. I opened the door and walked in, letting it click softly shut as I looked out to the window. It was a nice day outside. Minus the wild Fleetfoot that was eagerly trying to get in.
Wait a minute.
“Fleetfoot?” I asked, my voice seeming to grab her attention as she looked towards me like a deer stuck in the headlights. I held my quizzical expression as I opened the window, Fleetfoot quickly flying through and dashing towards the door, peeking out as she opened it.
“Fleetfoot, what are you doing?”
“I’m hiding.”
“From who?”
“You know exactly who! It’s Spitfire,” Fleetfoot explained anxiously, closing the door and looking back towards me. “She’s going to have my flank for yesterday! Not that I’d mind it if she wanted to get kinky, but you know what I mean!”
I tried to hold back my laughter as I stood there looking incredulously towards Fleetfoot. I shook my head in disbelief. “Are you usually this scared?” I joked.
Fleetfoot rolled her eyes as she groaned and trotted back over to my desk with a sigh. She looked to me with a pleading look, “You’ve gotta help me, Rebecca! I can’t just go out there and have Spitfire decide whether I should die by endurance practice or wing push up!”
I giggled, sitting down on my chair as I thought up a plan. “Okay, okay! Fine, I’ll help you if you help answer some questions for me, deal?”
Fleetfoot seemed to eye me curiously, her brain seeming to scan me before a smirk suddenly exploded across her muzzle, “Let me guess,” she began mischievously, “if you’re asking me to tell you how big Soarin is down there, I-”
“I don’t wanna know that!” I blurted, my cheeks heating up as Fleetfoot stared at me, “I’m trying to help you!”
“Well if you did want to know that, I can only assume,” Fleetfoot carried on, “But if I assumed I definitely say it would be b-”
“Fleetfoot!”
“Alright!” She giggled. Rising up as she sat up on the desk, she faced me with a smile, “So what’s on your mind, Becca?”
“Well,” I began, pausing a moment to make sure I worded myself correctly; Soarin was the last person I wanted to say something wrong about by accident. “It’s about Soarin and Spitfire,” I started, broadening the question and then narrowing it down, good tactic.
Fleetfoot nodded. “Uhuh,” she began, slightly confused as she tilted her head, “What about them?”
“It’s just,” I paused again, “When we were out last night, they acted a lot different,” I explained, watching Fleetfoot’s expression to gauge her reaction.
“How different?” Fleet raised her eyebrow questioningly.
“Well…” I didn’t know what else to say, “They were quite lovey dovey to one another.”
Fleetfoot’s eyes widened for a moment, a few tense seconds passed between the two of us before Fleetfoot started laughing lightly. I doubled back a moment when she started putting a hoof up to her muzzle to stop the giggling fit.
My anger flared up slightly, did she think I was playing a prank on her? “It’s true! I’m not lying to you!” I exclaimed, trying to sound as serious as I could.
Fleetfoot put a forehoof up in a gesture to stop me as she finished laughing, shaking her head a little before speaking, “I know you aren’t, Rebecca.”
“So, you know about this as well?” I asked curiously, it was hardly a surprise knowing how long Fleetfoot had history-wise with the two.
“Of course I do, you can’t expect me not to have picked up on their adorable little relationship after so many years in the academy and reserves. I don't know exactly where it comes from, but I guess you'll just have to ask them some time” Fleetfoot giggled again, thinking back on it with a smile before turning to me, “It’s definitely not a romantic relationship if that’s what you’re thinking,” she smirked knowingly, “It is, isn’t it?”
I could feel the blush rushing to my cheeks as I tried to hide the embarrassed expression that was clearly visible now. Fleetfoot caught my gaze, and it surprised me to see a more sympathetic expression stare right back at me.
“It’s cool,” Fleet began, “I thought the same thing when I first saw it, but I quickly realised it wasn’t. They’re just the bestest of friends, especially considering the fact that neither really stayed apart from one another growing up, they practically lived together in the Academy,” she explained.
I sat back, soaking all the new information in. It had made sense in my head, but the suspicions had caused some doubt in there somewhere, it was nice to have some of it cleared up.
“Thanks Fleet, I guess I just had some confusing thoughts about it all.”
“It’s no probs,” Fleetfoot got off the desk and dusted her forehoof against her chest, she smirked as she looked out towards the city beyond my window, “But if you do ever start dating Cheeseball, you better make sure you don’t mess up. Spitfire’s just as overprotective of him as he is of her.”
I nodded with the blush only growing redder at the idea, I still had to consider those thoughts about the stallion very carefully, but I took the important information on the matter nonetheless. “Thanks,” I began, “So, you want to get out of Spitfire’s mane for the day?” I asked. Fleetfoot immediately nodded her head as she looked towards me with an hopeful expression. I picked up a folder from the desk, double checking the label I had put on it just to make sure it was the right one. “I needed this order for the next set of props to be delivered here for the Fillydelphia show. It doesn’t need to be sent till the end of the day, but I’m sure you’ll be able to find some sort of traffic issue to make it take a little longer.”
Fleetfoot’s whole posture seemed to light up as I spoke, she dashed over the room and snatched the folder from me, hugging it to her chest like a long lost teddy bear, “You’re a freakin’ Genius, Rebecca! Thanks!”
“No problem, next time try not to get us stuck in a swarm of ponies,” I jested, she rolled her eyes but laughed all the same, it felt good to at least help someone out while they were in a spot of bother. I couldn’t help back to thinking about what Soarin said, maybe I was the new reason why they’d get away with so much stuff? The thought humored me.
I sent Fleetfoot on her merry way, with any luck she'd be back in time before any pony noticed or even better with too little time for Spitfire to punish us both in one day. I just stuck myself into doing some more of the work that had started to stack up over the last few days in the meantime. Sunny dropped by after a while, offering me refreshments and helping me organise a few more bits of paperwork into folders that she’d kindly supplied. It was nice to see someone who cared so passionately about everyone that worked backstage.
“Hey Sunny?” I asked, the bat pony looked over to me with a small smile. “Are you normally always this helpful to everyone? How do you do it?”
She blushed lightly and quickly went back to clipping a folder shut before slapping a label on it and handing it over the desk towards me, “It’s just something I’ve always felt, the obligation to help others. Equestria welcomed my race with open hooves even despite everything that happened during Nightmare Moon, so I feel it is within my duty to show the same love and compassion for everypony else.”
As I took the folder from her soft grip, I was almost bewildered by how much genuine care the mare had for ponies she never even knew beyond work. It was a goal which was achieved by those only too good to grace the earth, but I cherished every one of those personalities that I met. As we quietly went back to working again, a soft knock at the door averted our gazes towards a pale blue stallion leaning on the doorway.
“Hey Soar,” I greeted; it was one of the first times I’d used that nickname on him.
“Not doing too bad, Bex, what about you?” he asked politely, trotting into the room and waving to Sunny who beamed back at him.
“It’s been a bit hectic as usual, but Sunny’s helped me organise all this stuff so I don’t let it all go over my head,” I explained, gesturing to the bat pony.
Soarin smiled, “Good to hear you guys are getting along well, I’d be worried if I found someone who couldn’t get along with Sunny,” he joked.
The mare in question turned around with a tinge of pink, “You flatter me too much, Soarin.”
They shared another smile before he turned back to me, smirking as he leaned in close, “So, I thought I’d ask, but... you haven’t happened to come across Fleetfoot today?” he questioned.
My stomach tightened, needless to say when it came to lying I was worse than bad. I tried to stop the giddy laughter that tried to bubble up through my throat as I gave my most serious expression, “I… I don’t believe I have, why?”
Soarin still kept his smirk, which wasn’t helping matters any better. “Oh, nothing, it’s just that we’ve not really been able to find her all day, Spitfire was just asking after her.”
Oh shit
“Well, um…” I scratched the back of my neck, while averting my gaze, “If I see her then I’ll totally make sure she goes to see Spitfire!” I replied swiftly. I really wish I hadn’t dared to look back at this point, seeing his smirk getting wider already told me I was fighting a losing battle.
“That’s good to hear,” Soarin began, turning on his hooves as he swiftly began trotting back out of the room, “I’ll pick you up here after the days finished?” he asked. I was still slightly in shock but the sudden change in events, I felt like I’d been played and I hadn’t even noticed. In the time I was thinking this, Soarin was already staring at me, awaiting an answer.
“Sure, that’d be great Soarin, thanks!” I quickly began. Waving goodbye as Soarin only chuckled before looking as if he was about to leave. I sighed thankfully, but his voice made it hitch in my throat suddenly.
“Hey, Bex?”
“Y-Yeah Soar?”
“When Fleet comes back, tell her if she doesn’t want to get punished, she may as well give herself anything but a punishment as an alternative.”
Welp, there goes my hopes and dreams of becoming a smuggler
I felt a little ashamed for lying to him, the blush weighing heavily on my cheeks despite the conversation which had been a lot less serious. Though Soarin seemed to give me a reassuring smile that made all those feelings dissipated somewhat, as he finally left the open space of the doorframe, I couldn’t help but want to ask him to come back. Sunny looked at me with a smile, which I only noticed after I’d come out of my small trance. She trotted over to the desk with the last bunch of folders, putting them on my desk and sliding them over to me.
“You look like you have something on your mind, Rebecca,” she said sweetly. I smiled back at her, looking between her and the now vacant doorway. A soft sigh escaped my lips, I denied the feeling for now. If I was even going to pursue the horrible, stupid idea that was forming in the back of my skull, I’d at least have to start by asking a very specific pony.
Looking back to Sunny, I nodded firmly, “I do, but I have no fucking clue how to solve it.”
With all that had been going on since my arrival, it felt weird to finally have a day where there was no routine, no work, no early rises. Sunday was a standard day off for the Wonderbolts, it made sense considering that like on Earth, Sundays were seen as a day of rest for Equestria. The thought only made me feel giddy inside as I kept my eyes closed, snuggling closer to my blanket on the couch knowing that I could get up whenever the hell I wanted to. My mind pondered over the list of things I’d like to do today, but if I was going to go anywhere I’d need Soarin to accompany me.
Opening my eyes, I rolled around and looked over to the kitchen and towards the stairs. There wasn’t any sign of the stallion down here at least. I sat up a little, checking for any form of sound coming from upstairs.
Still nothing.
I assumed he was probably still sleeping, an understandable thing given the time in which we’d both being having to get up tomorrow to start the new week. I got up and made my way over to the kitchen, passing a glance to the windows which provided a great view of the slightly overcast day ahead. Saying that, I’d recently come to learn that pegasi actually control their own weather system across the land, pushing around clouds, thunderstorms, wind directions and even proving the rainbows and snowflakes!
Soarin had told me the factory where it was all made was situated right here in Cloudsdale, which was expected due to the high population of pegasi that lived here.
I sat down in my usual seat at the kitchen table, having taken an apple from the fruitbowl on my way over. I wondered why Soarin only ever had apples for his fruit, it was something I’d definitely have to question him on sometime later. My gaze floated over the open planned kitchen and out to the windows on the far side of the building towards the back of the home. The garden was nicely kept with a few small accessories like a barbeque, which I could only guess was for roasting vegetables and whatnot outside. A few sunbeds were also laid out under a large parasol with some smaller tables. I then looked over to the living room where I’d just come from, the paper and ink bottle sitting on the coffee table from the previous night.
After coming back from work, Soarin had sat me down and taught me how Equestrian mail worked. It was a lot like our own, except for the difference that you could contact royality if you wanted to, provided you had the seal of approval of course.
Celestia had kindly sent some to Soarin during my stay, so the only other thing I had left to do was actually write the damn thing. It was harder to get my thoughts into words that sounded worthy of a royal’s time, especially when it revolved around something as confusing as this that in truth wasn’t exactly an emergency.
Despite this though, the words of Celestia ringing out through my head to contact her whenever seemed to be genuine and were really the things that were compelling me to write to her, If someone in this world knew about the barriers I faced, it was her.
Suddenly the front door opened behind me; I turned back to see Soarin trotting in with a brown bag held in his muzzle, the blue saddlebags on his side were also bulging with items. He smiled when his gaze fell on me, setting the bag down on the kitchen table as he threw his saddlebags onto the chair and I smiled towards him.
“Good Morning!” he sang. The stallion had a skip in his step, something that only piqued my curiosity.
“Morning to you too, Soar,” I replied with a giggle, taking another bite of my apple before gesturing towards the brown bag as I swallowed, “What’s in the bag?”
Soarin had already begun taking things out of the saddlebags and packing them away into the nearby cupboards and fridge, he smirked before sliding the bag over to me. “Why not check it out yourself!” he replied.
With a little hesitancy I grasped the fragile bag in both hands before opening the top and looking inside. My eyebrow raised as I gazed back from the bag to the stallion who was staring at me with a beaming smile.
“It’s a pie?”
“Not just any pie!” Soarin exclaimed, as I looked down into the contents of the bag again, this time taking a small whiff. I realised it could only be one thing.
“Is it an apple pie?” I asked, waving the half eaten fruit I had in my hand for emphasis as Soarin seemed to light up in glee.
“Why would it be anything but the most delicious, mouth watering extravaganza you can shove your muzzle into!”
I chuckled as Soarin took the bag from me, placing it near the oven as he giddily went around packing the rest of the items away. The adorableness of it all tugged at my heartstrings. I sat there waiting for him to finish putting the last few items away before speaking, “So, have you got any other plans today?”
Soarin put a hoof to his chin as he pondered before shaking his head, “Nope! I thought today would be up to ourselves to choose! I don’t really tend to do much besides my flying in the morning and picking up food for the rest of the week, I usually either sit outside in the garden or hang out with some of the other Bolts’.”
“I didn’t take you for the kind to ever relax, Soar,” I responded sarcastically, seeing the stallion roll his eyes playfully as he sat down across from me at the table. I took another bite of my apple as we conversed.
“Well, we all benefit from taking a break at some point,” he said as he grinned.
“Truer words have never been spoken!” I stated, mirroring his expression as we sat there for a little while to think on what might have been best to do for that day. In all honesty I would go along with anything on account of having not much knowledge of Cloudsdale; I could go shopping for odds and ends but they weren’t exactly a high priority on the list of things to do.
“Tell you what,” Soarin began, grabbing my attention as he stood up, “Why don’t you and I go out and explore some more! There’s still one more place I haven’t shown you yet,” He concluded with a wink, standing up and trotting around to me.
“And where would that be exactly?” I asked with a smirk, knowing I wasn’t going to get a straight up answer.
Soarin giggled as he spoke, “Well that’d spoil the surprise wouldn’t it?” he asked, offering me a hoof. “I’m sure you’ll love it though!”
I nodded and took his hoof in my hand, I hadn’t really touched him since the first time we ever shook hooves. This time with the nerves and embarrassment gone, I couldn’t help but take in the feeling of how soft his hoof was. Once I’d got up I made sure to bin the rest of the eaten apple before Soarin began fastening on his saddlebags again. Once we were ready, we made our way for the Cloudsdale.
I was thankful that my brain was starting to get the hang of piecing this sky city together. I was nearly at the stage where I could even start to walk around this whole place on my own without getting lost, but not that I would on the account of my cloud walking spell. I shuddered at the thought of what could happen, glad that I’d chugged another cloud walking potion on my way out the door.
Both me and Soarin had walked into the city centre from his home after our usual flight up to the cloud metropolis, we’d entertained one another with small talk about work and a few of the ponies that I’d recently come to meet. Despite myself knowing that Soarin had knowledge of Fleetfoot’s sudden ‘disappearance’ the other day at work, I decided to skip bringing that one up. We’d made our way as far as downtown Cloudsdale, a part that I’d only past by on the way to work. I hadn’t expected there to be as many ponies as there was, and for the first time not just pegasi.
A few unicorns passed us by as we walked along the streets, I guess it wasn’t much of a surprise since it was a day off nationwide. With the hustle and bustle the stares were kept to a minimum, but I was too busy talking to Soarin to really care about them.
“Still not going to spoil that surprise?” I jested, looking over the stallion as he shook his head dismissively in response.
“Just trust me, Bex,” Soarin assured, trotting a little ahead of me as I began to follow him.
We quickly made our way out of downtown and towards the eastern side near where the buildings and streets seemed to be more traditional. In the distance I could see what I could only describe as a large coliseum edging closer towards us with every step.
I took a moment there and then to see the direction in which we were travelling.
“Are we going where I think we are?” I asked, pointing to the large structure in the distance. Soarin followed my gaze, but didn’t say anything except for his grin slowly widening. I smirked back. Whatever it was that Soarin had cooked up this time it had to be interesting.
The large coliseum began to tower over me as we neared its grand structure. It was easy to tell from the outside that the whole stadium was alive with the sounds of cheering and the faint stomping of hooves. Whatever it was that Soarin was bringing me to, it was clearly in full swing.
We neared the entrance where there were a small group of ponies still entering through the gates with security holding the doors. I followed the stallion in front of me as I avoided the curious glances when we past the crowds and towards the entrance themselves. The stallion standing at the door that we were heading towards raised his eyebrow before quickly smiling and nodding to Soarin as he nodded back. Without a word we quickly passed through the doors and into the large oval stadium.
“Being a celebrity has its perks!” I quipped as we headed down one of the corridors, the thundering sound from the stands above us causing me to raise my voice.
“The Cloudsdale Coliseum is the home stadium for the Wonderbolts, we even run recruitment trials and young flyer competitions here!” Soarin replied back, “It’s just a courtesy that the mayor of Cloudsdale gave us our own seating area for the team, should we ever want to turn up for any event that they might have on!”
I nodded. That wasn’t an uncommon thing in my world either; actors, sports legends and singers alike had their own backstage passes to things, but I could have never expected them to be allowed to just bring anyone they wanted along with them!
“Are you sure I’m allowed to come with you?” I asked as we began ascending the stairway up through the stands. Soarin had chosen to slowly hover up them as I climbed.
“Like Spitfire said, you’re part of the Wonderbolt community,” Soarin retorted, looking down at me with a smile, “Besides, there’s plenty of seats!”
I simply nodded and took Soarin’s word for it as we continued ascending the flights of stairs, It didn’t take us long to finally emerge from the exit and out onto the vast scene below. I almost felt my gut clench at how high up we were.
Ponies all around were cheering and hollering towards the cloud field. At the centre of the stadium, two teams were in a heated battle; one pegasi and the other a unicorn group. Between the two stood a tall net where a volleyball was being punched just over the top and then back again. I quickly averted my gaze to make sure I was still keeping an eye on guide.
Soarin had trotted along a few of the rows towards a single set of bleachers that were coloured in yellow and blue. I felt a little nervous as I followed him along until we reached a few seats in particular, I could see that each seat was inscribed with a name on the top. I sat down next to him, praying that Fleetfoot wouldn’t suddenly decide she wanted to go watch a volleyball game. I also made sure to slouch a little in my seat as to not let my slightly taller stature annoy any of the ponies watching from behind us.
Soarin turned to me with a grin, “I thought this might be a fun pass-time, do you have sports like this in your world?”
I nodded, “Sure! It’s not as big as it is over here by the looks of things, though” I replied, noting just how large the coliseum was. Nearly every seat was filled by ponies enjoying having a good day out, it felt as if I was in the middle of an Olympic event.
“Me and Fleet usually come here with High Winds and Spitfire to watch a few games if we’re hanging out,” Soarin began, another cheer resounded from around us as the pegasi team got another point. “It’s a big game today, Cloudsdale Reapers versus Canterlot Royals.”
“Is it a final?” I asked, getting more interested in the game with each passing second. The points scoreboard was rising every moment as each team of six fought hard for domination over the other.
“It’s the beginning of the play-offs at this time of year,” Soarin explained, smiling my way as I began to cheer along with the rest of the crowd. “You’re really getting into it aren’t you?” he asked with a laugh.
I blushed a little but laughed with him all the same, there was always something unprecedented that I found about the euphoria surrounding a stadium’s atmosphere. The cheering and singing was almost infectious, you felt bounded and loyal to something you never even knew much about moments before you entered.
It was barely five minutes in and me and Soarin were already getting frustrated and at the same time very elated by the way the two teams were performing. I’d worked out early on that we were in the sea of pegasi chanting for Cloudsdale and with Soarin doing the same I felt it was only right to help support the team. But as the game got more intense, I couldn’t help but keep my eyes focused on the stallion as he almost rocketed out of the seat when one team scored a point and annoyingly gruffed when the other equalized.
It was something I was starting to pick up on, Soarin was a child trapped inside an adult body. He sure had a good profession to mirror this, but it was an attitude I couldn’t help but always smile at. Coming from a world in which there was so much stress and not many people looking for the good things in life, here stood this stallion who loved nothing more than to see the silver lining, who never cared about any of the bad things in life, never seemed to complain or challenge anything half heartedly. It was something to aspire to almost, but then again I was still just this outside person looking in, taking a brief glimpse at his life. However, even in that short space of time, I’d wanted to live right there with him.
As the game progressed, Soarin looked over at me with a smile, nudging my arm with a forehoof to get my attention, “So, is this a good enough surprise?” he asked.
I nodded happily, “I never even knew a place like this existed in this world!”
Soarin chuckled, “Well, just you wait until you watch one of our performances here!”
I turned to him with a smirk, “Oh yeah? Just so I can watch one of my props accidentally fall over and knock some poor pony out?” I asked sarcastically.
Soarin rolled his eyes playfully, “Don’t put yourself down! Besides, I’ve had my fair share of hitting props because I wasn’t looking where I was going!”
I giggled, “Seriously? I thought you were supposed to be an ace flyer!” I teased, Soarin’s cheeks going red as I continued to laugh, I couldn’t help but think how adorable he looked. “Maybe I should recheck the size of the hoops to account for your silliness!” I quipped.
“Yeah-yeah, laugh it up!” Soarin began, “But I still think you should really come along, besides you’ll love it when we go off to Fillydelphia in a couple of weeks.”
Shock ran through my brain as I turned to him, “Wait, you’re taking me to Fillydelphia?”
Soarin nodded, his smile wavering a bit in hesitancy at the time, “Why not? Y-You can stay here with the rest of the team if you wanted though.”
I shrugged nonchalantly, “I don’t mind, if you want me to go then I’ll go.”
I smiled, Soarin nodded as we both went back to watching the game, it was still neck and neck at this point as well. The referee had momentarily halted the game for a foul due to the use of a unicorn using magic to stop the ball from hurtling towards her face. It had caused boos and cheers from both sides of the stadium.
The game went back and forth once again for a few moments until both teams had found their rhythm, it was as engrossing to watch as it was nail biting to experience. As the unicorns just began to edge ahead, I took a look back over to Soarin once again and was surprised to see him with a small colt who was almost jumping up and down in joy as the stallion signed a hat that he was wearing, I giggled a little at the scene. Remembering the conversation that I’d had with both Soarin and Spitfire the previous day, it was nice to see that Soarin was staying true to those words, as he ruffled the colt's mane before giving him the hat back. He looked back to the game before catching my eye, smiling sweetly at me as a large cheer erupted behind us as the whole stadium practically shook from Cloudsdale gaining an important point, the pegasus in question celebrating with their team mates.
“Ladies and Gentlecolts!” The announcer boomed over the cheering crowd, “That’s half time here at Cloudsdale Coliseum! With twenty-five to the Reapers and twenty-three to the Royals!”
A chorus of groans and supportive chants began as we all began to wait out in yet more anticipation for the game to be continued once the teams had a chance to regroup and get a breather. Soarin turned to me and patted my leg; I looked over to him as he grinned. “Hey, you wanna stay for the rest of it or do you wanna head out?”
I thought about the question for a moment; I was seriously getting into watching the game at this point, “Well, is there anything else you wanted to do?” I asked, curiously.
Soarin smirked a little, “We could always just head into town so you can get that shopping done, maybe we can even get you some new clothing made!”
I blushed slightly at that, the sudden realisation coming to me that while I may have stayed clean as usual, I’d still had to wear the same clothes for as long as I’d been here. With that urgent fact noted, I nodded towards Soarin with a satisfied smile. The stallion got up and gestured me to follow him as we walked out of the stadium. It was definitely a place where I’d have to visit again for a full game. As I thought about it, maybe it could be something to do with Soarin and the rest of the gang as he’d mentioned?
It had been a great day so far, I usually didn’t get out this much in my free time unless I had planned in advance with my friends, but to do this on a weekly basis? I was actually beginning to enjoy this kind of life. Soarin was trotting next to me though only slightly ahead, allowing me to follow him.
We’d already picked up a few items of mine; some makeup and more lady style shower soap. The mare who I’d procured them from had given me a lot of help finding what it was that I usually styled with every morning and feeling confident enough in that endeavor, we were now heading to a Cloudsdale store which specialised in tailor-made clothing.
It was quite a common thing to have tailored suits and dresses made up by someone in my world, but having them do it for a completely different species was something I struggled to comprehend. Soarin was still very confident despite this point that I had brought up with him on the way from the stadium, but if he had faith, I couldn’t help but feel a little better about the situation.
“So, do you go to this place often?” I asked ahead, looking around at the scenery as we went.
Soarin turned back to me with a nod, “This is where I get my Wonderbolt suits tailored, even Spitfire gets most of the Wonderbolt Academy outfits produced from here too! If anypony can fix you up something, it’s these guys.”
“I’ll trust your judgment,” I responded with a slight chuckle, crossing over to another avenue as Soarin made his way inside one of the stores lining the street. Then, I stopped for a moment and glanced a look up at the sign before I went in.
Flying Attire? This thing better not come with wings or a jet pack.
The place itself seemed fairly flashy, the floor was glossy with chromed racks hanging the clothes to the walls. The panels themselves were painted to give the illusion that you were in the middle of the sky; I had a the niggly feeling that whatever I got made wouldn’t come cheaply.
Soarin meanwhile had already trotted over to the counter and rang a bell on the desk. A few of the staff I could see were already busy with customers, but another staff member was already appearing from the back room to speak with the stallion. The two seemed to know each other by the way in which they conversed.
After a short while Soarin nodded his head before turning around and waving me over, which thankfully distracted me from feeling like I was just awkwardly standing about. I came over as the stallion across from the counter smiled at me, “So it is you who would like to try and have something fitted?”
I nodded and smiled. The stallion returned it with a wave of his hoof as he beckoned us to follow. Both me and Soarin were then lead over to a podium where a large mirror sat just a couple of metres away. I was then ushered up onto the circular platform as the employee began taking various measurements. Some areas I was more ticklish in, much to Soarin’s own delight as he stood there watching. I then shooed him away after a bit to go pursue some other area of the shop.
A little while later and after a lot of awkwardness, the stallion was finally scribbling the last of his notes down onto a pen and pad as he checked the measurements he’d made. I just hoped to god that I didn’t end up gaining or losing any weight if these were going to be tailored to my exact dimensions.
With a nod, the stallion clicked the pen back and looked to me with a smile, “We should be able to get something like this designed, though I will say something that comes as custom as this will cost a little, but I’m sure considering Soarin and the Wonderbolts themselves are good paying customers of ours, we could probably get the price down a touch.”
I smiled, “That sounds great, I’ll have to talk it over with Soarin though,” I replied, turning around to see if I could find the pale blue stallion. When my eyes finally caught him, I smirked to see him browsing the section of stallions clothing, eyeing a pair of dark blue shirts. He looked up to see me and trotted over with a hopeful look.
“Did it all go well?” He asked, smiling when the stallion nodded his head, “Well when do you think it can be done for? I know you guys are a little on the busier side this month.”
“Well,” the stallion began, tapping the pen against his cheek. “It’ll be a little longer given the fact that clothing like this has never even been designed before, at least to my knowledge.”
“Could I help?” I asked, cutting into to the conversation as they both looked back at me. I smiled sheepishly before adding on, “I worked at a theatre, we’ve had a lot of clothes designed for performances. I’m not an expert, but I could certainly give some ideas.”
They looked back between one another before the stallion nodded in agreement, “That could actually work out quite nicely!” he began, “Are you free now? We could probably grab some notes from you on how you’d like it to be designed.”
I nodded in return, making sure Soarin was alright with staying around a little longer before I went off to the desk to help with any additional information they might need. The notes themselves didn’t take that long to gather since they only wanted to know what was fashionable and what wasn’t. At least now I could be happy in the knowledge that I wouldn’t have to stay in these mangy old ones for too much longer. When we finally exited the store, the sky was already turning an orange hue from the sun setting in the distant horizon. Today had definitely been shorter than I had anticipated it being.
It didn’t take us too long to travel back down to Canterlot with the weather still keeping its calm and peaceful atmosphere. Soarin had almost galloped home after we reached ground level, I’d wondered what it was until we both entered through the threshold of Soarin’s Canterlot home once more. As I set the bags down from the recent shopping, I looked over to the stallion who was now in the kitchen; I almost had to hold back my laughter while he greedily shoved the pie into the oven.
“Are you not going to eat dinner before that?” I asked, raising my eyebrow at him.
Soarin swiveled around on his hooves, the light pink tinge on his cheeks was evidable. “Well, I have been waiting all day,” he began.
I waved my hand dismissively at him before grabbing my bags and started on heading up the stairs to find a place in the bathroom for my makeup. “Just make sure you have room for something else other than pie!” I smirked, shaking my head playfully as I saw him quickly turn back to the oven to check the time.
As I finally got the space around me to myself once again, my mind began playing over the day as I set out all my make-up and began putting it away neatly in the cupboards at either side of the sink.
Today had definitely been needed, not just for the chance to relax either. My world was a little more clearer than it had been a few days ago about the stallion I was now living with. Even though it had now been just over a week, I could tell that something was brewing within a deeper part of my body. I looked back towards the exit of the bathroom knowing that downstairs still awaited the untouched parchment and ink that contained my only chance at getting this whole mess in my head sorted, but after today I knew that I’d have to do it sooner rather than later.
I gathered the last of my things and closed the cupboards before making my way back downstairs again. It was now getting a lot darker outside and the lights in the house were brightening up the rooms within. I then descended the last few steps. For the second time today, I glanced over to the letter on the coffee table. I walked over and sat myself down on the couch, looking at the blank piece of paper staring back at me with an infinite number of ways in which I could mentally tackle it.
Suddenly the clanging of metal onto the coffee table made me gasp. I quickly darted my eyes upwards to see the empty tin base of where only a few crumbles of pastry had been left within its circular and hollow form.
“Oh yeah,” Soarin pleasantly hummed, rubbing his now slightly bloated stomach with a hoof. “That was awesome!”
I was stunned, “Did you seriously just eat that whole pie in less than five minutes?!”
Soarin chuckled and shrugged casually as if it was nothing. I never knew he liked pie so much. I shook my head from the thoughts before responding. “So, wait, you still have enough room for dinner?” I asked hesitantly.
Soarin nodded and grinned a winning smile at me, “You know it, Bex!” he beamed before sitting down on the opposite couch from me. “So are you gonna write that letter to Celestia then?” He asked.
I looked down at the parchment once more, at least Soarin had no clue what is was I’d be asking. I sighed a little and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll write it a little later on before bed," I said, brushing it off once more.
Soarin kept his smile and leaned back on the couch, “Well, we’ve got a full day of work ahead of us tomorrow, I’m sure Spitfire will have us all getting ready to go to Filly soon.”
I nodded, the thought of venturing out further than what I knew scared me as much as it excited me, but at least in a way it would distract me from my current situation if only for a little bit. Maybe I might even get to have more days like this with Soarin in the middle of it.
“Hey, Bex?”
My ears perked up slightly as I came out my thoughts, gazing at the stallion, “Yeah, Soarin?”
As I looked over it was clear that Soarin wore a more serious look than he had just a moment ago, “I was just wondering,” he began, “How are you feeling? With all this I mean.”
I smirked slightly, “You mean how do I still feel about being sucked into this place?” Soarin nodded and I continued, “Well… I guess in a way you could say there’s many a worse place to go than this, unless brightly coloured things annoy you.”
We both laughed as I opened up a little more, “I guess it’s tough, more than just homesickness too,” I continued, glossing over my current mindspin involving the pony in front of me, “I guess I’d just like let folks know back home where I am, they’d probably be weirded out at first, but I think they could get used to it; I certainly have.”
Soarin leaned forward again and tapped my leg with a hoof, it was a small gesture that didn’t go unnoticed. “Like I always say, Bex, if you ever need someone to chat to then I’m always here.”
I held back my blush for once, “Thank you, Soarin.”
As if by magic, the stallion quickly changed back to his childlike form. The attitude he had quickly brought a beaming smile to my face as he spoke, “So, you wanna help me make dinner this time?”
I chuckled, “Is it more pie?”
“Can be if you want it to be!”
“Of course it can,” I responded sarcastically.
As we both laughed my concerns out of the window for the night, I smiled looking back at the stallion across from me. It was in that moment alone that I discovered what Soarin was to me, he was like an island where there was no judgement, no cruelty and no depression. He brought peace, laughter and calmness...
… he brought serenity.
Another day at the office they say, and after many years of my life I had discovered that making a good cup of coffee was something of an artform. Everyone has their particular tastes: sugar or no sugar, milk before or after you pour in the boiling water. But no matter what, a good version of this recipe always requires the knowledge of how someone actually likes their coffee made in the first place.
Clearly nobody had communicated this to Sunny, but I could definitely taste the determination in every cup regardless of how it’s made. I also happen to be in a magical horse land trying to get the correct schematics for the upcoming Fillydelphia performance that was now only just beyond a week away, so when it was all said and done I was happy to receive any sort of home comfort in the form of a warm beverage to keep myself as relaxed as possible.
“I wish I wasn’t so bad at maths,” I muttered under my breath, pushing a few strands of hair from my eyes and looking back to the numbers on the page that verified the height and diameter of the loop, showing how each prop would have to be placed with at least a two metre danger zone to allow for any accidental moments if a pony strays off course or falls to injury. Part of me thought that I might be over-dramatising the situation a little, but I chose theatre production back on Earth for the simple reason that I wanted to be as far away from numbers and graphs as I could professionally get.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Miss Rebecca?” I heard Sunny call from the doorway.
“I’m fine, but thanks for asking,” I replied, managing to strain a smile as I looked up to see the familiar bat pony staring back at me from the edge of the room. Sunny tilted her head slightly; a bit of grimace showed on her features which caused me to doubt my own facade.
“You’ve been muttering to yourself for the last hour, Miss Rebecca. I hope it’s nothing you can’t handle,” Sunny said with a hint of worry to her tone.
As much as the comment almost made me want to cry for some form of assistance, the professional side of my brain stepped in along with my pride as I shook my head and replied politely, “I’m sure, Sunny.”
With the reassurance made, Sunny smiled a little before slowly making her way back down the hallway. My eyes quickly averted from the door to the nearby window as I could feel my mind clawing away at me, wishing to call it a day.
Usually at this time in the afternoon me and Soarin would have started making our way home, most of my work was already stacked and ready to go from a hard day’s grind. The reason I was still here however, was the fact that Spitfire needed to speak with Soarin about their management plan to keep this place running smoothly while they were off with me to Fillydelphia. Soarin had explained to me that it’s a good way to keep some form of discipline within the team, whilst allowing for the less primary Wonderbolts to have some form of communication and guideline between them while the more active members were away. I could understand the the theory behind such practices, but when it extended my work hours that was pretty much the moment where my brain would just shut off.
With the knowledge that I’d still be stuck here for at least another half hour because of this meeting, my mind turned to a more pressing issue of the letter that I still hadn’t sent to Celestia, despite my constant self-nagging to do so over the last few days since me and Soarin both had been out to explore Cloudsdale with one another. Since then it had started become something that was growing on my mind day in and day out, but with the increasing pressure of the show and wanting to spend more time with Soarin, it’s only served to increase the worries and fears that I have no clue how to communicate to a sun goddess.
As I thought more about the issue, within my bored state there seemed no better time but to try and experiment with some form of test copy before writing out the real thing at Soarin’s place. My mind began to light up with the thought of doing something more productive as I grabbed a spare blank piece of parchment from the far side of my desk along with a quill.
“Think I better start with an apology,” I mused, writing out the first few lines to acknowledge my lack of updates to the most powerful being I’ve ever met. The casual way I thought about it almost made me giggle. Though I tried my hardest not to, I couldn’t hold back for long before delving into the time I’d spent with Soarin over the last month. I felt as if I was finally clearing the air, even if that just happened to be a blank sheet of paper. Despite my lack of direction making it a bit all over the place, I seemed to get out everything that satisfied both my heart and my mind within an acceptable time too.
“Guess I should probably give it a once over,” I began, beginning to read the first few lines before-
“Miss Rebecca!” Sunny sang as she almost seemed to prance in her step when she entered my office, “I just thought I would come and say goodbye for the day!”
I couldn’t blame her actions, I’d be the same way too if I could head off home at this very moment. I quickly averted my attention and placed the parchment randomly on a one the stacks of finished work I already had organised as I stood up to bid my farewell, “I hope you have a nice evening, Sunny!” I began with a smile.
The brightly coloured mare mirrored my happy expression, “You too,” she began, glancing around my desk, “Seems like you’ve been very busy today! All this stuff has to be completed before you leave for Filly?”
“‘Fraid so,” I replied with a regrettable nod, taking a glance back at my own table to see the piles of work that I’d gone through over the last week. Some detailed all purchases and modifications of the new props while others laid out guidelines for how they should be correctly set up, “I haven’t even be able to give them to Spitfire and Soarin yet for a once over to make sure they’re even happy with some of my plans.”
Sunny nodded sympathetically as she took another look at me and my desk before smiling a little, “Is there any stacks here that need to be taken to Spitfire and Soarin?” she questioned. “If you want, I can drop them off on my way out.”
It barely took more than a split second and without a moment's hesitation to nod thankfully in return, “Well, it’s one thing off my list!” I beamed happily, quickly remembering the piles of paper in question and pushing a nearby stack towards the mare as she attempted to lift them all with a wing.
“Well, see you tomorrow!” Sunny finished after grabbing the last paper, quickly turning and heading off down the hallway. Seeing her go almost made me let out a sigh of relief as I sat down again and looked over to where I had placed the letter.
No… No, no, no
I started picking up the top page to each stack and quickly scanning them to work out if any looked like the page I’d just been working on, the realisation was quickly settling in made my stomach drop. I slowly glanced back up the hallway, one thing very clear in my mind.
Well, shit.
Part of me wondered why my luck always ended up getting me in situations such as this one, running through the hallways of my workplace with a cold sweat and a frantic look on my face. I thought I would have been able to catch up to Sunny by now, but that mare can trot fast if she could navigate this building that quickly. I was getting closer to Spitfire’s office as I finally caught a glimpse of her, but I couldn’t call her over and explain what it was specifically that I needed without her either getting confused, weirded out or both.
As Sunny rounded the final corner to Spitfire’s office, I held back and stopped behind said corner in order to have a vantage point to see what would happen next. I felt like a kid in school trying to get a secret note back from the teacher so my crush wouldn’t find out the truth.
I looked around to seeing her set the stack of papers down just outside the office, my hopes began to rise as I thought maybe Sunny would just leave them at the doorway and let Spitfire and Soarin discover them after their chat. However, the hope soon turned to fear as I saw her knock on the door; hearing someone call her in made my mind suddenly fall into a frenzy.
I have to do something, now!
I looked around as if I was going to find some sort of miracle answer just lying in plain sight, because if it that would work in any world or universe I thought here would be at least somewhat of a very good example. Unfortunately as time was quickly closing on me, I was only finding one way to solve this problem.
I swallowed hard and readied myself as I began to walk forward. I could already feel my heart that was beginning to thump in my chest as I strained my brain to push through the fear of total, impending embarrassment and humiliation. As I made it to the door, my thoughts got the better of me as I didn’t think to check my spacial awareness.
“Ohhf”
“Shit, sorry Sunny!” I gasped, looking down to the poor bat pony in horror as she held a forehoof to her head. My eyes darted up quickly to see Spitfire and Soarin both eyeing me curiously, both seeming to have the beginnings of amusing smirks taking form on their lips.
“I-It’s fine, Miss Rebecca! I’m sorry I should have-”
“No, that was my fault,” I interrupted apologetically, struggling to strain a smile through my wincing. Sunny nodded in acknowledgement, but was still a little bit out of the whole situation. As she came around again, she made a clear exit for the office this time. “Well, I’ll leave you all to it!” she finished before vanishing out of sight, leaving me with the last and undoubtedly biggest hurdle I’d need to get through.
“Is there something we can help you with, Bex?” Soarin asked as I looked over to the stallion. My brain was now beginning to work on overtime as I quickly fumbled an answer whilst trying to keep myself emotionally in check at the same time.
And Soarin’s question still needed answering.
“Uh, n-nothing really. I just came to check up on you guys!” I bluffed, silently praying to myself that I wasn’t looking like a huge idiot right now.
Thankfully Spitfire acknowledged my answer without question, “Well we were just about to finish up anyway, trying to make any headway with fuzzball here can be a bit of a struggle sometimes,” she chuckled lightheartedly.
“Hey!” Soarin began, eying his best friend, “You asked for my help!” he jabbed, folding his arms in a playful manner which looked as funny as it was effective to win the mare over.
Spitfire rolled her eyes whilst maintaining a sizable grin on her muzzle as she took the stack that Sunny had placed on her desk. My heart leapt into my throat as her forehoof fiddled with the top page. I could feel a sweat begin to drip down my forehead as they continued their conversation, oblivious for what was literally teetering on the edge of being revealed to the world.
“Well you’ve helped plan the training schedule at least, so we can just deal with the housekeeping later on,” Spitfire replied, “I’ll let you two get home for now, I’ll make sure to take a quick look at what Rebecca’s done here before I sign out too.”
My body froze right then and there, I could hear the preempted laughter forming in my head from the scene that was inevitable to occur the moment Spitfire raised her hoof. I shut my eyes, but instead of hearing gasps or confusion, I heard something different all together.
Spitfire began to giggle slightly at Soarin’s huffy expression, I opened my eyes again to find she hadn’t taken her eyes off him yet.
“I only meant to poke fun, you big softie,” she teased, leaning over the desk as she nuzzled Soarin’s cheek, another one of those acts which I had become accustomed seeing between the two of them now. Luckily the display in question had brought Spitfire’s attention away from the stack as Soarin dropped the act and began to chuckle along with her. This seemed like a good moment to drop in while I could, quietly moving around the two and towards the corner of the desk where the stack was still positioned.
“Well Since Bex is here, we may as well discuss the travel arrangements for heading out to Fillydelphia,” Soarin began, making me freeze as I looked back to the two whilst trying my best to keep a calm and cool mental state.
“What do you mean?” I asked in an attempt to seem in tune with the conversation, mentally slapping myself afterwards for asking quite an obvious question.
Spitfire smirked at the opportunity I’d presented, “What? You weren’t planning on walking all the way to Filly, were you?”
Soarin laughed, “Well if she wants to start now I’m sure she’ll get there in time.”
I deadpanned and rolled my eyes, “Very funny, I’m dying of laughter here. Seriously though, what do you mean by travel arrangements? I thought we were just flying over.”
“It’s possible,” Spitfire began, “but it’s easier to hook up with another mode of transport to save the risk of anyone getting wing related injuries before the event, or worse.”
Soarin nodded in agreement as he continued the topic of conversation, “For further away cities, the quickest and easiest way to get around is using the train, getting a couple of carriages booked out is easy, and then it’s just a case of getting everyone rounded up for the big day.”
“It should be simple on paper” Spitfire with a small sigh as she seemed to look of distantly whilst remembering past events, “but you’d be surprised how similar the Wonderbolts are to a pack of school foals.” Soarin chuckled again as Spitfire concluded, “Anyways, the train is leaving in the morning which should put us in the city centre for late afternoon, I just hope that everyone stays coordinated and respectful during the journey.”
I nodded along with the conversation, making sure that neither of them saw me as my hand casually found its way onto the top of the paper pile. I decided to continue the conversation in order to keep them distracted. “If you’re wanting that to be the case, then Fleetfoot is going to have to be kept to a minimum throughout the trip.”
“Only if Spits is happy not getting seduced by her into doing any more pranks,” Soarin added.
Spitfire looked at Soarin with a raised eyebrow, “Would you like to be public speaker for the press when we get to Filly?” She dared, filling the air with slight tension.
As Soarin’s eyes slowly turned to pinpricks, my hands slipped the top page away, quickly folding it crudely in my hand before depositing it into my left pocket. In the meantime, Spitfire’s smirk had only gotten bigger.
She chuckled before standing up. “In that case, I’d leave now before my hoof has a chance to write that spot next to your name!”
I had to try and hold back my own smirk while Soarin gave Spitfire a farewell hug before we left. As we said our goodbyes, I was more relieved of the fact that I’d somehow managed to avoid mass rejection and humiliation with a simple conversation.
Should have become a detective, I mused confidently to myself.
I was still conscious of the fact that I had to write out the letter for real when we got back to Soarin’s home in Canterlot. I only hoped I’d be able to sneak it back out in the morning to post to Celestia. With any luck, I’d get a response before we headed to Fillydelphia. Right now though, my main focus was getting back and having some much needed rest time.
Soarin didn’t seem like he wanted to wait around either, so it wouldn’t take us long to get home. Though now it had gone past sunset, and I could feel from my mental clock that we were at least an hour or so behind our usual schedule that my body had become accustomed to. With the exhaustion of work finally setting in, there wasn’t too much conversation between me and Soarin as we exited the building and made our way down to the main gates of the Wonderbolt Headquarters.
My yawning had gotten pretty intense since we’d been outside, and Soarin broke the silence with a little laughter before speaking up, “I’m glad we’re keeping you hard at work, Bex, soon you’ll be begging to go home!” He teased sarcastically.
My brain wasn’t up for an intellectual battle at this point, the rush of adrenaline from my earlier mistake had kept me unaware of how tired I really was, so I decided to play along instead. “If I wanted to leave, I’m sure I’d have held you hostage by now and demanded Celestia to find a solution quicker,” I began with a chuckle, “Imagine that, me some kind of space pirate! Jumping to planets with a trusty ray gun or something.”
Soarin leaned down to allow me to hop onto his back, he looked back to me with a quizzical expression, “Minus the fact that Celestia would probably banish you to the sun or something.”
I giggled at the thought, probably more casually than Soarin would have liked as he chuckled back awkwardly at the comment with a more playful expression that silently asked me not to follow through with that idea. I decided to shut my mouth before I said something crazy, climbing on top of the stallion as he spread his wings before taking to the skies. My body began to relax to the soft, slightly colder wind of the night as we flew through the air which almost lulled me to sleep by the time we reached the ground within Canterlot. As I clambered off Soarin’s back, the only thing keeping me awake now was the thought eating away to finish that letter.
“Home sweet home!” Soarin sang, pushing open the door as I followed in behind him. He began making a his way up the stairs as he continued, “I’m just going to wash up before making some dinner if you’re hungry enough to eat,” he asked.
I nodded, heading over to the couch. “Sure thing, I’m sure some food will help me stay awake for a little longer at least.”
Soarin smiled and nodded before heading to the top of the stairs and out of sight. My gaze averted over to the coffee table where I left most of my things, still having refused to take a guest bed at this point. Before I had even had a chance to really think about anything in regards to it however, I usually ended up crashing on the couch after long nights at the headquarters. As I sorted through my stuff, I found the parchment and all the accessories that I needed to get to work on the letter, my hand dug into the pocket and brought out the folded test letter as I placed it down along with the other things.
Seating myself on the plush couch, I took the quill in my hand before opening up the experimental letter, using it as a guide for what I was about to officially write. My fears began to tug at me once more, almost seeming to pull my hand backwards as my mind began to second guess what I’d already written.
No I thought, pushing my hand back down to the paper this is too long overdue
And with that, I wrote.
Dear Celestia,
I thought it was about time that I wrote to you and updated you on my status regarding my life in your world. Soarin’s been nothing but the best in the time that I’ve known him, the job that I’ve been given has allowed me to stay busy and not dwell too much on the issues that I currently face. The cloud walking potions have been very useful, and I’m currently making friends with more of the ponies at the wonderbolts everyday thanks to ability to walk around and enjoy the social life that Cloudsdale has to offer me.
I honestly couldn’t do any of this without you and Soarin’s help which I thank you both greatly for, but I wish to share that over the course of the past few weeks since I’ve lived with Soarin, I have a concern that I have started to feel some sort of attraction towards him romantically. I think what I’m asking for is some form of guidance as I’m worried about talking to him about said feelings, but with his charm and personality and I’d be foolish to try and deny that I don’t feel some romantic attachment to him.
We’re heading off to the Wonderbolt’s show in Fillydelphia as you may more may not know, Soarin said that we will be travelling by train. I hope to hear back from you soon, and I would love to hear the progress on finding a way for me to head back home if you’ve made any headway in that department.
Sincerely yours,
Rebecca.
I signed the last part of the letter and sighed happily, letting the quill rest to the side as I yawned and flopped onto the couch to relax. I was happy to have that finally done with, and at the very least it was a weight that had been lifted off my shoulders for the next couple of days until I heard my response from Celestia. As I looked to the ceiling of the room, I began to slowly drift off. It didn’t take long before sleep totally consumed me for the night.
It was only a few moments later that Soarin cantered back down the stairs after having washed up, he looked over to the couch to see Rebecca already sleeping soundly. He chuckled to himself as he made his way over, grabbing the nearby blanket in his teeth and draping it over the sleeping lifeform. He smiled towards the human before his eyes gazed over the letter that was resting at the edge of the table.
“Oh,” Soarin blurted as his eyes caught sight of the item in question. He knew that he shouldn’t be reading such a thing, but his eyes had already skimmed over a few of the words before he’d even had time to blink. From what he’d seen alone, he couldn’t help but gaze over to Rebecca with slight shock captivating his face.
With a quick snap of his mind though, the stallion turned to a more serious look as he went back and folded over the letter with his hoof.
Author's Note
Whoops.
Waking up on a couch had become a regular occurrence at this point; I was surprised that more than two weeks have gone by and I haven’t felt the urge to finally take Soarin up on his offer to use the guest bed upstairs. Although, I did have a feeling that Celestia’s first words about the possible longitude of my stay were fast approaching to becoming a reality. With that in mind, I would soon have to make the migration to a normal sleeping area so I stopped feeling like a homeless couch surfer; maybe once I receive a reply from my letter I’ll have a better understanding of my position in this new world.
Remembering that I had wrote that very letter last night, I opened my eyes and looked over to the nearby coffee table and my many items that were still there from the night before.
Hm, could have sworn I left the letter right there.
A few more moments passed as I scanned the room whilst the realisation began settling in. My brain checked off every reasonable place until suddenly my stomach started to sink.
Where is that letter!?
Almost immediately I could begin to hear the sound of my heart pumping faster, the energy allowing me to sit up from the couch rather quickly despite my still dazed state as I began looking behind the couch and running my hands across the plush surface in a hope to feel the damn piece of parchment. In my frantic daze of searching, my eyes suddenly fixated on the stallion making a bowl of cereal in the kitchen who I hadn’t taken note of until now. Automatically, my mind calculated the worst possible outcome. Before I even had a chance to say anything however, Soarin turned around with his meal, only to look beyond the kitchen and to me staring at him as if I was a fish out of water.
Soarin quirked an eyebrow as his face turned to one of concern, I gulped as I saw my own life flashing through my eyes in panic.
“Did you have a nightmare?” Soarin asked with a caring stare as he sat his bowl down on the kitchen table before cantering over to me. I didn’t even feel the rush of relief washing over me, nodding as I to tried to stay afloat with the lie I was now going to have to form around this situation. Soarin offered me out his forehoof which I gladly took as he hoisted me up off the couch. As I found my feet on the ground below, my head was still wandering elsewhere.
“Wasn’t anything too serious,” I assure him, trying to act casually about it.
“I'm sure it's fine,” he started, still seeming to make sure I was alright, “are you sure you’re still okay? I know it’s been a while since you managed to fall into this world, you must be missing your parents,” Soarin said in conclusion as I walked besides him to the kitchen.
“Just had a lot on my mind, all got a bit much,” I replied, trying to deflect going into more detail about it; the last thing I needed was to get into a meaningful conversation when I was so hung up about finding the letter.
As I sat down, Soarin leaned in to his bowl as he trotted back towards the far end of the kitchen, pushing with his muzzle as the ceramic crockery scraped across the granite board towards me, he smiled when he looked up. “Don’t worry about it, eat up and I’ll make another one.”
“Thanks, Soar,” I said, taking the bowl in my hands as I pulled it the rest of the way towards me. My eyes scanned the kitchen as I watched him slide a spoon my way before he turned back and dipped below the counter to fetch the same box of cereal again.
I swallowed, not really knowing what else I could do with the fear that had overcome me. I needed to know now or this was going to eat me alive. Taking a calm breath, I began to speak.
“You don’t know where that letter went, do you? I swore I had left it on the table next to the couch?” I asked as I took a mouthful of cereal, trying to act nonchalant about it as I felt my heart begin to tremble.
Soarin stopped mid-reach for the cereal as if I had just jogged his memory. My heart froze and I swear I could hear the ticking of time in my head as everything seemed to slow down.
“Oh,” Soarin began, for a moment I really believed it was all over, I wasn’t sure whether to throw up or choke on the cereal that was in my mouth as he turned around, a curious smile playing on his lips as he eyed me, “That letter? I saw it this morning and gave it to one of Celestia’s Guards when they came by to drop off more of the cloud walking potion. I hope you don’t mind?”
My brain was now a complete wreck, I couldn’t remember after passing out if I had sealed the letter or not, but if Soarin had seen the letter he wouldn’t have posted it, would he? I couldn’t fathom what to say next.
“T-Thanks,” I spluttered, Soarin seemed to waver slightly which made me unsure. I decided to change the subject very quickly to avoid anymore awkwardness than was necessary, “I’ll grab a potion and get myself ready, we don’t have too long before we have to head to work.”
Soarin nodded, seeming to return to his normal demeanor as he turned back to quickly fix his breakfast again; I walked over to grab one of the potions that were usually in the cupboard next to the fridge that much like the coffee table had also become a small little corner for myself.
As I began to catch myself again I took a moment to admire how well kept the rest of Soarin’s kitchen was. Compared to mine at least it was immaculate for organisation, it was almost as if Soarin had a passion for more than just flying. I smirked thinking about apple pies, taking a potion from the new bundle that had been placed there, at least that meant that Soarin was telling the truth that one of the guards had shown up. I was still wary though, he could have easily taken a moment to glance at what I had written and if he had…
There was no way I was going to get a response fast enough from Celestia to remove this feeling of doubt and fear in my mind. I wasn’t ready to confirm my feelings for Soarin to anyone, but I knew if I went to Spitfire my head would most likely be on a silver platter by the end of the day; that only left one light turquoise mare that I knew well enough for this.
I needed to talk to Fleetfoot.
With that mental note made, I went back to the table and quickly finished the cereal still left in the bowl and headed upstairs before Soarin had a chance to sit down himself; I couldn’t think about having any other conversation whilst my mind was still eating away at the potential scenarios that could come out from today. I made sure to clean my clothes as much as possible, being thankful that tomorrow I would be able to go and collect some new attire from the shop Soarin and I had visited last Sunday. I stared at my own reflection in the bathroom mirror, taking the opportunity to sike myself up for the day ahead.
“You ready soon, Bex?” Came the muffled voice of Soarin through the floor. I almost felt like saying no, but I knew one way or another I was going to have to face the music.
The flight to the headquarters with Soarin had been less awkward than I thought, it gave me confidence that Soarin really wasn’t aware of the contents of the letter. However, there was still a corner of my brain that wasn’t fully satisfied and that just ended up scaring me. I wanted to keep telling myself that all this was just self induced and I had in fact sealed the letter before passing out last night, but as much as Soarin seemed to be acting normal I could almost tell there was something off about his usual spark that was there.
Landing near the gates of the Wonderbolt headquarters, Soarin let me dismount as he flashed me one of his winning smiles at the fact we’d been able to arrive ahead of time thanks to his flying, walking towards the gates as he began speaking. “I’ll be with Spitfire most of the day, so I won’t be able to grab lunch with you like usual.”
The statement left a pang in my chest, Soarin and I had spent our lunches together almost everyday we had to worked here for the last two weeks, it left my mind to gravitate towards what he might say to Spitfire in my absence if he hadn’t been telling me the truth, which didn’t leave my stomach feeling very well. In a good way though, it would free up some valuable time for me to speak to Fleetfoot.
“That’s fine, Soar,” I replied as we passed the gates that he had opened for us, the guard pony nodding on our way into the grounds before closing them behind us. “I have to speak to Fleetfoot today anyways, she um… wanted to talk to me about some props.”
“That’s odd,” Soarin began, turning his head to me as we made our way towards the main entrance, “Fleetfoot gets antsy about delving into any sort of admin work, are you sure you’re talking about the correct mare?” he asked almost jokingly.
I laughed nervously and just shrugged it off, which only made him a little more curious, but he seemed to look like he had more on his mind when we entered the building and had to go our separate ways, so neither of us felt the need to continue the conversation.
“I’ll still see you after work, right?” I asked, turning to Soarin as he already seemed to be heading off in his desired direction. The stallion quickly turned back with a reassuring nod and a smile before he kept heading down the hallway towards Spitfire’s office. I watched him until he left my sight before I looked forward again and began the stairway climb to my office. The only issue currently plaguing my mind was navigating the active minefield that was Fleetfoot and romantic feelings towards ponies she knew. First and foremost, I had to lure her into my domain of the headquarters, but at least I could acquire a certain bat pony to carry that job out for me.
As I alighted the stairs and made a turn towards the office I spied the creature in question, she noticed me and gestured with a polite nod. I smiled back and waved, signalling her to head into the office space along with me without alerting anypony else’s presence.
“Is there something I can assist you with, Rebecca?” Sunny began asking, her sunset orange features seeming to light up along with an innocent tone, hopeful to lend me a helping hoof as I made my way to the chair behind my desk before turning back to face her.
“I need you to find Fleet for me, I would do it myself but I have a lot of paperwork to get through. It would really be doing me a big favour,” I asked, grabbing Sunny’s hoof to add a little emphasis on the urgency of this particular assignment.
To my solace, Sunny beamed and nodded quickly before cantering out of the room without another word. When her hoofsteps dissipated I finally felt as if I could breathe again; this was already becoming stressful.
As I eyed the stack of paperwork that had been put back on my desk after Spitfire’s review earlier in the week and the sun that was only just beginning to ascend the sky out the window, I knew that this wasn’t going to get much better today. Regardless, I put my mind in focus on the work ahead of me until I could continue with my personal struggles later in the day.
After what felt like forever, but in reality was only a few hours I heard a rapid set of knocks sound through my door around the time I would usually be heading off for lunch, but before I got a chance to lift my head and open my mouth the mare I had been wanting to see since this morning burst through the room, eying me with a mischievous look that suddenly made my mind fill with the stain of regret at my choice earlier in the day to speak with her.
“Sunny said you needed to talk to me,” Fleetfoot practically sang as she made her way gracefully over to my desk before resting her forehooves on the opposite side from where I sat. “Let me guess, you want to talk to me because you and Soarin have just had se-”
“What is it with you and lewd assumptions?” I asked, struggling to suppress my laughter at the incredulous statement that was being thrown at me.
“Well, I’m certainly not here to fathom whatever you’re having to calculate,” Fleetfoot retorted, her forehoof gesturing to the scribbles I had been making on a scrap piece of paper. “Not to mention you’d talk to Soarin about most things, so why’d you summon me?”
Fleetfoot had made a good point, two in fact. I wanted to chew on the pen I had in my hand, but that would only slow down the inevitable; I needed to air this out and I knew she was the best pony in my current circle to ask.
“I finally decided to talk about the feelings I think I might have for Soarin,” I began, already beginning to see Fleetfoot’s face begin to light up at the realisation, but before she had a chance to make an advance towards something equally as rambunctious as her previous comments I stopped her, “It wasn’t with Soarin directly, but in a letter I sent to Celestia.”
Fleet quickly changed her demeanor and quirked her eyebrow in curiosity, “And she said, what exactly?”
“Nothing yet,” I answered quickly, “Soarin hoofed it to a royal guard this morning whilst I was asleep... I think he may have read it, even though he doesn’t act like he did. Regardless of what’s happened I need to talk to you, because I know a few weeks ago when I started working here we kinda joked about you thinking he had a thing for me, but I don’t know how much of that was true.”
Fleetfoot seemed to bite her tongue at that, registering that this conversation required something more than her usual, playful attitude. She smiled more genuinely before proceeding, “I know it might have come off as prank, but I did see him looking at you a certain way. I guess you could say I’ve been around stallions long enough to know when they give off a certain vibe and he seemed really excited to spend time with you and not be anywhere else but by your side these last two weeks.”
“So, you’re saying there's a chance that he might actually like me?” I asked with a glint of hope, even though part of me was still suppressing the thought entirely, still not entirely sure about my inner feelings.
“All I’m saying is, what I said two weeks ago wasn’t completely wrong, but it wasn’t completely true either. My guess is if he hasn’t talked to you about it now then it’s unlikely and judging by the fact you’re still breathing Spitfire hasn’t been told either, I think you’re safe to assume he hasn’t read your little secret message,” Fleetfoot suggested, trying to seem reassuring but her usual bout of comedy was beginning to seep through.
I nodded my head as I began to assure myself of the current situation, Fleet had began trotting towards the door again whilst I was still processing everything.
“Are you not heading out for lunch then?” Fleetfoot asked curiously, turning to me just as she was about to leave.
I groaned in response as I reclined in the chair a bit, “I don’t think I could stomach anything right now with everything that’s going on.”
“Rebecca, that’s a dumb reason and you know it,” Fleet snapped back, earning a lighthearted chuckle from myself.
“Okay, okay!” I relented, hopping out of the chair as I moved to join the mare at the door, “I’m guessing you’ve already eaten?”
To my surprise Fleetfoot shook her head, “No, because I had some damsel in distress to attend to!” she began, looking towards the hallway as I blushed in embarrassment. “I have to be back doing training soon, so how about we just eat in the chow hall?”
“Lead the way,” I replied with a gesture for me to follow on after her, not wanting to reveal the current look on my face. Even though I knew where I was going I felt like I was too wrapped up in everything else to care about the direction of my travels as we wandered down the stairs.
Considering Fleet had dedicated most of her break today to console me, I let her go headfirst into attacking the buffet of food that had been laid out in the eating area. I settled for something small to keep myself ticking over, I just didn’t feel like having a big appetite whilst my brain was so emotionally fried. We had found a table next to Misty Fly, a mare who I had now seen a handful of times, but never been properly introduced to as of yet.
With Fleetfoot halfway down a daffodil sandwich, I waited to engage in talks with either of them as I let myself relax a little, to which in no time at all I found my eyes wandering around the grand hall itself and admiring it’s cloud design. It was then that I caught a glimpse of Soarin wandering back down the same hallway that he had earlier in the day when we seperated, I could tell he was heading back to Spitfire’s office and that only made my heart rate rise a little more in my chest.
“Hey Misty, have you met Rebecca yet?” I heard Fleetfoot ask the mare as my eyes shot back to the table and the current conversation that was about to unfold.
“Not properly, it’s nice to finally meet you after all this time!” Misty began as she extended a hoof to me which I gently shook; she seemed like a nice albeit shy pony from the times that I had bumped into her, like that night out last Friday.
Fleet chuckled and gestured to me as she looked towards her friend. “Rebecca’s got relationship problems right now, with a certain someone,” she explained, thankfully sparing her the details.
Suddenly, Misty started to laugh without seeming very timid at all as she glanced towards me before looking back over to Fleetfoot, “No shit?! Should have seen the way some of those fucking stallions at the club the other night were eying her up, like for Celestia’s sake keep your eyes on the damn mares you’re dating!”
I wanted to take what I just heard as a compliment, but I found my eye twitching instead at what had just transpired. Neither Fleetfoot nor Misty seemed to register anything out of the ordinary at all as they laughed together, Misty giving me another friendly and timid smile as she turned to me, “Oh, I’m sure you’re gonna be fine, Rebecca, just remember that there’s no need to rush.”
Is this what Soarin and Spitfire meant about Misty? Almost like she’s got some sort of split personality.
“Hey, Mist,” Fleetfoot asked, finishing off the last of her sandwich before she continued, “Do you think we should introduce some of our choice areas of Vanhoover next week?”
I watched as Misty sniggered; I was honestly more surprised that the Vanhoover tour was so close, being so caught up in my work everything had seemed to pass by in a flash. I guess part of me still felt like I should have been home by now, this far into my stay I couldn’t even fathom what my parents or any of my relatives would be thinking by now, probably assuming I was swamped with work or friends to worry about checking in and I was blessed that it was this month I would be void of having to attend any birthday or family get togethers.
“I think Soarin would have some very fuckin’ choice words for you,” Misty concluded, still shocking my brain slightly with her acute choice of words, I was beginning to think she did this to try and gauge my reaction for future reference.
“Touche,” Fleetfoot began, her usual mischievous spark seeming to ignite in her eyes as her lips curled, “Guess we just have to hope you don’t tell on us then, Rebecca.”
Suddenly I didn’t feel too comfortable in my current position as the two opposite me looked at me with innocent faces, yet I knew that they had something hidden under there, but I remember my mother telling me when I was young that I should always be open to new experiences and I had a feeling this wasn’t meant to be one of Fleet’s famous pranks, but I would still be preparing for seeing things Soarin and Spitfire would rather have me not experience with these two.
At least it was nice to worry about this over the other pressing matters today.
“Sure, my lips are sealed,” I answered, earning a hoof bump from the other two ponies across the table, it felt nice to open up to another small circle of the Wonderbolts.
Even though my eyes had been fixated on the last few pages of the final prop list and fittings for the Vanhoover show, I could tell that the room was slowly dimming as light began to fade from the window, signalling another day of work was close to an end. This week was slightly different than usual as Soarin had informed me. As it was the week before going on tour everyone had been granted a Saturday off work so that we could have a full weekend in our respective homes before packing up.
Knowing I still had a chance to finish all this work up tomorrow was enough to push my exhaustion over the edge as I gave in and pushed myself up off my chair and slid the paperwork over to the neat stack. Taking a leaf out of Spitfire’s book with organisation had really helped ever since I nearly screwed up with the first letter I ever wrote. I sighed, walking out into the hallway as I saw Sunny approaching my office.
“Hello, Rebecca!” she greeted happily as usual, “did Fleetfoot help you out?”
I nodded back with a smile; it wasn’t perfect but it gave me the reassurance I needed. At least on the bright side I had another friend I could let in to my inner circle, plus I would still be hearing back from Celestia which would give me a lot of answers to my questions.
“Great!” Sunny beamed as the mare began to trot past me and down the hallway looking like she was as ready to get out of here as I was, but in a more professional manner, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Miss Rebecca!”
“See you!” I replied back before quickly heading down the stairs and towards the exit of the building that was more quiet than usual; I must have not realised how late it was. Picking up the pace, I opened the doors to the main entrance, my eyes meeting the soft, vibrant green ones that had been so familiar to me over these last two weeks.
Soarin seemed to look more like himself than he had done this morning, his childish excitement flaring up when he approached me, “Was starting to think I was going to have to go back in there and tear you away from the office,” he began with an amused tone.
I giggled at the thought of it, “I just get too wrapped up sometimes, I know you and Spitfire are both counting on me to not make a hash of this, how was she today?” I asked, getting a little worried with what the possible answer might be.
To my surprise, Soarin’s smile only got wider. “She’s her usual, it was really good spending time with her today, guess I just needed to be with my best friend. I don’t think my head was in the best place this morning, probably just a lack of sleep.”
I fiddled with my hands nervously as I could feel my palms beginning to sweat across my fingers. I was still struggling to tell whether Soarin was being genuine with me in regards to the letter, but I felt helpless to press the issue any further as I stood there frozen.
Soarin waved it off with a hoof as he began turning around to trot towards the gate, “So, how was Fleetfoot today? Never ran into her in the hallway like usual so she must have been engrossed in whatever ‘prop talk’ you had requested her to discuss.” he joked, emphasising the fact that Fleet and I had talked about something so out of the ordinary for the mare in question.
“Yeah, I think we got through what we needed to cover. We’re nearly ready for Vanhoover now,” I responded, trying to change the subject as I caught up beside him. His upbeat attitude did make me feel a lot calmer about everything else. I knew that after today regardless Soarin may have seen that I would have everything I needed to answer my questions by the time Celestia got back to me.
“Well, we’ve got the longer weekend this week before the tour! I’m sure that Spitfire was very pleased to announce that a few days back; she’s going to stay over on Friday by the way,” Soarin responded casually as we continued on past the gate. My mind was really too shot at this point to register the fear that was already beginning to seep into my breathing from the words that had just been spoken.
Tomorrow was going to be entertaining.
Author's Note
It's been nineteen months. Just over a year and a half since I've written anything at all.
A lot has happened to me and my life in that space of time. I hope there are still people out there willing to read this, but even if it's just for my own gain I'm glad I finally have the time to write again.
~ Rumble.
So here I am. If I knew more details about how the hell I was sucked into this world I’d tell you, but it just seemed to happen out of nowhere. All I can remember was running around the stage floor, picking up props one by one as I dashed around to make time for the next theatre play, that thanks to a slip up had caused me to try and make up time out of thin air.
I was trying to keep my long brown hair from causing too much of an obstruction in my face, my body had been sweating with stress and exhaustion. When I went into the back room to store the supplies, I was hit with dizziness and nausea swiftly followed by tiredness and then… everything faded black. Next thing I know, I wake up to find the horrified look of an armoured stallion, and before I know it, I’m talking to this all-inspiring goddess pony. I really hoped something I ate last night had brought all this on, but the logical part of my brain wasn’t going to take that for an answer.
“C-Celestia?” I say, somewhat nervous about making sure I got the name correct, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard such a word used as anyone’s name, or a giant pony for that matter.
“Yes, Rebecca?” Celestia responded, her tone graceful as she turned to face me. We were currently walking down one of the halls in what looked like a gigantic palace, but I hadn’t so far been in the right mindset to even begin asking questions up until now. I tried to straighten out my clothes a little more in the meantime, I was only wearing some jeans and a black cardigan that I’d thrown on for the theatre, didn’t want to ruin anything good I owned.
“S-So you say I’m in Equestria, is it?” I inquire, making sure to get the basics out of the way first. Celestia proceeded to nod her head softly in reply.
“That you are, my dear, in what I must say is a peculiar situation indeed.”
That sentence didn’t seem to sound good at all. My brain tried to wrap around any kind of hope that would at least bring some form of comfort.
“But you can send me back, right?” I interjected, my hopeful brown eyes looking into Celestia’s magenta ones. She didn’t say anything at first as we continued walking, as if seeming to calmly come up with the best way to tell me I was going to be stuck here for all eternity as a live museum piece or something equally as horrifying.
“I’m afraid... that will take some time,” Celestia said, taking her gaze away from me as she set her eyes towards the door. Lighting her horn up, they swung open to reveal a large throne room a short distance ahead of us. I watched in wonder as her horn dimmed, a smirk coming to my lips as a thought jumped into my head.
“I hope you aren’t a sith,” I questioned jokingly.
“I’m not sure what you mean, dear,” Celestia replied as she turned to me with a quirked eyebrow. Trying my best not to facepalm in front of her, I simply shrugged it off with a mild wave of my hand. Celestia seemed to get the hint as she didn’t press anything further. Finally, we reached the large throne at the far side of the room. Celestia sat down as she floated over a parchment and quill, beginning to write a few notes down as I simply looked around taking in the various paintings and architecture. I was by far convinced that I was tripping by this point, thinking that only a few moments ago I was looking at the old back closet room of a theatre to waking up in this place, everything just seemed a lot more happy, which made me more creeped out than it did comfort.
“How old are you exactly, Rebecca?” Celestia asked, stopping her quill for a moment to look up at me.
“Oh, um… twenty-five,” I responded after a few moments, rubbing my left arm as she scribbled down a few more things.
“And this planet you come from, do you have relatives at all?”
“Uh yeah, I have my parents, though my grandparents died when I was little. Nothing extravagant,” I replied with a simple shrug. Celestia nodded as she continued to write some more.
Thoughts quickly began to hit me once I had said those words, being here meant I was gone from the previous world. Not that I lived with my parents anymore, but how long would I be stuck here? Surely they would find me missing sooner or later. I knew my mother would throw a fit at my Dad for it, he had to literally pry my Mom off me when I moved out, I never really thanked him for teaching me independance, guess I’ll need a lot more of it now.
“Well Rebecca, I…” Celestia paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, setting the quill and paper down before looking to me with a saddened expression. I began to feel my stomach sink as she continued. “I don’t really know how to say this, but it won’t be a simple fix. I do not know of how you got here, and from what you’ve told me, neither do you.”
I nodded my head solemnly in agreement, struggling to keep my eye contact with her. Celestia seemed to register my expression, leaning over to lift my chin up to meet her eyes. She had a genuine smile spread across her face, making me at least feel a little more calm.
“I know this may be a hard pill to swallow, Rebecca, although I will do all that is within my power to get you back home, even with my best ponies, it may take months before you get back.”
Well that’s me fired I thought, beginning to think of the horror from coming home with a bunch of text messages from angry people both in and out of work. It almost brought an amused smirk to my face, but I held it back as Celestia continued.
“I realise that you are a new creature altogether here in Equestria, but that doesn’t mean you cannot make some new friends in order to make yourself at least feel at home in the meantime. Perhaps finding work will get you acquainted with some ponies? I have a few positions I think I could pull a few strings to get for you.”
Wow, just when I think I’m out of a job I said to myself, letting that amused smirk play on my lips this time. I found it really hard to wrap my head around the whole, sudden situation that had occurred.
“Wait… you’re giving me a job? I’m not even supposed to be here” I asked, genuinely curious as Celestia grabbed a few more papers from beside the throne as she began reading different parchments.
“I understand Rebecca, but unfortunately though things may seem a little uncustomed, I don’t think we’d have enough time to find you a way to live your life any faster. I certainly am not legally allowed to buy you a home and a large bag of bits for a few months,” Celestia finished with a small chuckle.
“So you’re just going to… hand me a job?” I questioned, seeming a bit out of place with the idea as I stood back, raising my eyebrow at the princess.
The goddess nodded, seeming to agree with my current view on the matter. “Well dear, as Princess of Equestria, it is my duty to give my little ponies and any other residents in our fair lands a right to a job and education, though I can’t offer you anything extravagant, there are a few temporary positions I could offer through the Royal Guard,” Celestia began, looking at me with a smile, “So is there any skill sets that you have acquired back in your world?”
“I’m… good at organisation, time keeping?” I blabbered out, unsure of what to really say.
The goddess hummed to herself as she looked like she was trying to think of a better way to get the information she needed. “Hm… Tell me, Rebecca, what is it you do for a living?”
“I do costumes and props at a local theatre, it's good pay I guess,” I stated simply. Granted though the pay was indeed enough to keep the crappy landlord off my back, I still felt as though part of me wondered what things could have been like if I had I pursued other avenues.
Celestia nodded quietly as she glanced over the papers before her eyes seemed to light up before me, I silently prayed that there wasn’t any organisational skills required in being a science experiment.
After skimming over a few more parchments, Celestia's face suddenly lit up. "Ah, I see that the Wonderbolt's previous stage props manager has gone into retirement. Hmm, yes, I believe that's something which should fit nicely within your skill range."
“The Wonder-what's?” I enquired, not really sure on what the term meant.
Celestia beamed, “Wonderbolts, dear, although they aren’t technically part of the Royal Guard, we still keep track of any positions they currently have. They are a stunt flying team, showing off the best of Equestria’s flying pegasi,” Celestia began, only to see my face scrunch up in confusion as she struggled to stop a giggle from escaping her, “Oh, flying ponies,” she made a gesture with her own wings.
“So… what exactly are you then?” I asked plainly.
Celestia smiled cheerfully, “I am an Alicorn, dear, we are the royals of Equestria,” she stated before putting a hoof to her chest, “and if you wish to speak to me anytime for anything you need, then I will always be around here to help.”
Heh, first friend you make rules the country, not bad, Rebecca, not bad, I thought, chuckling to myself as I nodded happily in reply. The back of my mind knew that the likelihood of talking to a pony such as her was going to be rare to come by, so I mentally made a note to only see her if I really needed something of importance.
“Now then,” Celestia began, making me snap back to reality as she continued. “there are a few other jobs I can give you, such as…” She floated some papers over to me as she read them out, “Chariot Cleaner, Royal Gardener and Crash test dummy.”
I gave her a deadpanned look as she grinned at me, realising quickly that the last one obviously wasn’t on the list. Looking it over, the other jobs seemed okay, but the props manager seemed to be the least stressful and if I was stuck here, I may as well make a holiday out of it.
“I’ll take the Wonderbolt job,” I finally concluded, handing back the papers to Celestia, who took them in her magic before making a few quick notes.
“That’s good to hear, I see they’ve been looking for an immediate replacement. In that case we’ll have to get you walking on clouds,” she mused whilst making a few more scribbles.
“Come again?” I asked, not sure if I’d heard that one right.
Celestia nodded as she began. “Pegasi live up in the clouds, wingless ponies can walk on them too, but only by using spells. We will have to make a more permanent way for you, but I shall find appropriate residence on the ground for when you finish your work day. For now a simple spell will have to do, but it will wear off in time.
“What do you mean it’ll wear off?”
I could see the small smirk playing on Celestia’s lips as she replied, “Just make sure you’re always with another pony.”
Okay this world is now officially crazy I thought, closing my eyes for a moment to try and calm my mind.
It didn’t take long before I was flying over the landscapes of this new world. I kept my hands gripped to the seats of the chariot as I was carted through the air by two male ponies, who I knew now were called Pegasi. From their armor I was quick to assume they were part of the royal guard; they also seemed to be quite mute to any of my questions about the place other than where everything was. I quickly learned I was being taken to where the pegasi lived in a city coincidentally called Cloudsdale, and that I was heading to meet a mare named Spitfire.
“Alright, ma’am,” one of the guards said as they began tilting their wings for landing, “we’re almost there.”
It was then that I saw the large city for myself, my eyes almost bugged out as I tried to bend the laws of physics to get my head around the giant skyscrapers and factories made entirely out of cloud mass that was buzzing with life. As we approached, we began getting passersby, pegasi of all shapes and sizes gave me just as much of a stunned look as I did back. A few smaller ponies who I could only think of being children were a little more curious of me, but still kept their distance.
We travelled towards the outskirts where we landed outside a large facility with a blue and yellow emblem crest engraved onto the front gates. I saw one of the guards unhitch himself from the chariot before trotting over to another guard pony. With a few words and a nod of their heads, the male pony turned to me before waving me over. I nodded as I disembarked, quickly freezing as I looked down at the cloud below me.
We all have that part of our brain, the one that simply just says “Don’t do it.” However, given that this world was insane enough, I was willing to give it a test. Keeping my hands firmly on the chariot, I clumsily exited, falling for the last part onto my back. I thanked the fact that Celestia’s spell had worked, but I was still cautious of the spongy surface I was now fully acquainted with. I quickly saw the face of the guard pony as he looked down at me with a slightly worried expression from having watched what was probably a very odd yet amusing display.
“Are you okay, ma’am?” came his simple reply.
“Y-Yeah, I guess I am,” I replied with a groan escaping my lips, taking the stallion’s outstretched hoof as I was hoisted back up. It was strange how a pony who only really stood up to about my chest height could have carried such force, I was equally interested about how neither he nor the other guard pony were even the slightest bit scared about my presence, but I quickly chalked that up to simply being in the military.
As I set my sights back onto the gate, a new pegasus now stood at the threshold. I immediately saw him staring back at me, his emerald-green eyes seeming to almost flash in the sunlight of the day. The guard pony began walking towards him, gesturing for me to follow. The other pegasus, who as I looked him over was proudly displaying a jumpsuit similar to the colours of the crest on the front entrance, smiled and waved as I approached.
“Hey, you must be Rebecca! My names Soarin, pleasure to meet you,” he said, extending his hoof. I could immediately tell his flashy smile was something he obviously reserved for just about everyone he met. I couldn’t help but feel a little special though, as a smile reached my own lips as I brought out my hand and gently wrapped it around his hoof as I shook. This was the first time I had ever been in contact with a pony, and it felt strangely normal for a change.
“That’s me!” I replied happily, letting go of his hoof as I continued, “I’m here to see Spitfire?” I questioned, remembering what the guards had told me.
“Yeah, I know,” Soarin began, nodding, “she’s a little caught up in all her duties as Captain right now, but since I’m second in command I’ll be giving you a tour of the place and what you’ll be working on instead.”
“Uh, sure,” I said with a shrug, the guard seeming happy with this as he saluted Soarin before trotting back to the chariot. Soarin and I began walking towards the complex, the gates shutting behind us. As I took a better look at him now that he was up close, I could see he was an athlete due to the toned muscle in certain areas that was visible through the jumpsuit. His mane and tail were a midnight blue, slicked back with a style that seemed to suit his overall appearance. In other words, he looked quite handsome for a pony.
“So, you’re a… hoomen? right?” he asked quizzically, looking over to me. I nodded and assumed the guard pony must have informed him of such as he smirked before continuing, “Well you don’t look like you could be a changeling, so I think you’ll fit in just fine around here.”
“A changeling?” I questioned as Soarin turned back to me with a nod.
“Yeah… that’s a long story, but don’t worry, I’m sure once you get to know everyone you’ll feel right at home. We’ve had a few employees of different species before.”
I raised an eyebrow, this was entirely new information. Not that I was at all surprised given the fact I hadn’t been strapped to a chair by now. “What kind of other employees?” I asked curiously.
Soarin gave a small shrug as we neared the entrance to the building, opening the door as he gestured for me to take the first step beyond the entrance, “Well we’ve had Griffons and bat ponies before, we have some working for us now, actually, I’ll introduce them to you,” he replied casually, walking past me as he directed me down another corridor and into a much larger hall, seeming to resemble that of an office foyer. I let out a brief sigh of relief, at least there were others that could relate to my current predicament, even if it was just based on the different looks.
“Now,” Soarin began, his voice raised as his tone shifted to a more informative manner, “You are now in the Wonderbolt world headquarters,” he gestured with a hoof to the building around us; I drank up the sights as he continued, “this is where we plan, coordinate and train for all of our shows around the country. You’ll be our new manager for the stage props, which means you’ll be in charge of setting up the arenas for our performances. Any questions so far?” he asked as we stopped in the middle of the area, catching me slightly off guard as I stopped looking around the surprisingly detailed decor.
“Oh, um… no?” I asked, flashing a smile as if I’d been fully listening in the first place. Soarin rolled his eyes at me, making a burning sensation fill my cheeks as he gestured for me to follow him again, I tried my best not to lose footing as I caught back up with the pegasus.
“Well you should be capable of handling the position with your previous experience. As far as Celestia has told us, you used to organise props in your own world,” he asked, turning back to me as I nodded in reply.
“Great! Well let me show you to your office then,” he said, trotting up a nearby set of stairs as I followed, careful to watch my step on the new furnishings that I would now have to come accustomed to. Soarin seemed to know this all too well as he watched, a playful smirk on his lips as I made the few first baby steps up the staircase.
“You’re a natural!” he exclaimed happily as I alighted the stairs. I proceeded to give him a deadpan stare, my brain trying its best not to let me quipp him with a equally bad joke. He chuckled before continuing to trot towards a set of doors, I couldn’t help but soften my mood at his expression, he was cuter than I had first thought. I walked over to him as he stopped and opened a nearby door, gesturing a hoof inwards as he looked to me.
“This is your office, it’s equipped with everything you need to help plan for how you’re going to manage things such as lighting and sound equipment, payments and anything else that may come up like repairs and damage costs. It should be fairly useful, provided you can get up the stairs,” he finished with a smirk.
“Oh ha ha,” I mused, crossing my arms and rolling my eyes, the action making the stallion laugh. I smiled as he chuckled for a little longer at his own joke before sighing happily as he looked back to me. I took a moment to glance into the pretty basic office, although this job was only temporary, it seemed a lot better than what I had back home. The logical part of my brain was already beginning to like the sound of taking this desk job over the stressfulness of life back on earth.
“Well, if you need anything or have any issues then just refer it to either me or Spitfire. I would introduce you to some of the other ponies around here, but they’ve all gone home now,” Soarin finished with a rather dejected look on his muzzle.
“Oh,” I mused, taking a look out towards the sky which had seemed to dim since I’d last saw it. I checked the walls for any signs of a clock, but couldn’t find anything. I began to wonder how they even managed to tell the time, guess hourly rates were out the window. “So what time do you start then?” I asked.
Soarin grinned, “We start at dawn and finish at sundown, though you won't have to worry about getting here on time,” he began as I saw a small shade of pink reach his cornish blue cheeks, the act seemed to trigger a bunch of questions inside my head, but I let him continue, “Celestia has asked for you to stay with me. Since I’m one of the few members of the Wonderbolts that live on the ground, it’ll be the most convenient thing for you.”
As my brain processed the information, it seemed completely viable. With the added bonus of having a ride to and from work, I knew I at least wouldn’t be awkwardly turning up hours late either. I smiled and nodded. “That’s fine by me,” I said happily.
Soarin’s face beamed at my answer, closing the door to the office as he turned back to face me, “Well in that case allow me to fly you back, we’ll get something to eat at my place. I’m guessing you haven’t had anything all day after what happened?”
The words quickly seemed to flip a switch on in my stomach, that immediately rumbled in outcry as I attempted to shut it up by putting a hand to it. Soarin let out another laugh as he trotted towards the stairs, his wing gesturing for me to follow him once more. It didn’t take long before we were back outside, looking towards the open sky as the entrance closed behind us. Soarin turned to me with a questioning look; he didn’t say anything as his eyes scanned over me, as if he was sizing me up. After a few awkward moments went by, he smiled before turning around and spreading his wings, gesturing towards his back as he spoke. “Hop on then, just wrap your arms around my neck, and don’t let go until we’ve landed.”
I stood there dumbfounded for a moment, was this guy completely nuts? We were a long way up from the ground, and I was at least a foot bigger than him. I quirked my eyebrow as I replied, “Are you serious?”
Soarin nodded happily, “You’ll be fine, just trust me okay? I am a Wonderbolt, afterall.”
Although I still didn’t fully understand what he meant by that, Celestia’s words rang through. The spell she had cast was only going to last for so long, either way I was coming back down, and this seemed like the safest option so far. With a sigh I nodded, working out how best to avoid his wings as I tentatively approached and wrapped my arms around his neck, finding his fur to be surprisingly soft. He gave me an encouraging smile before spreading his wings out further and giving them a few test flaps. I felt the force of the air below us as he suddenly crouched down, before I could even open my mouth to ask what was going on he kicked off with a heavy burst of power. The wind hit my face like a freight train as I was suddenly shot up into the air, watching the buildings rapidly getting smaller. Soarin quickly levelled out as he let me adjust myself to get more comfortable on his back.
“You okay, there?” he asked over the sound of the rushing wind. Nodding was the only thing I could really do to respond, my brain currently lost in a war full of hopes and doubts. Soarin tilted his wings to slow down the initial speed, opting to glide across the sky as we began descending downwards.
“We’ll get back to my place in no time at all, I got a good home close to the city,” Soarin began to explain as we started to go below the cloud layer, heading down into the lush, green open world below, “So have you ever flown before?”
As my fears began to subside with the rushing wind fading around us, I looked up to respond, “Y-Yeah, I’ve flown a couple of times… never like this though,” I replied, holding onto his neck a little tighter than I would have liked to, but he didn’t seem to mind it.
Soarin smirked, “Figured, you get used to it after a few times though, soon you’ll be wanting to tour all of Equestria in the skies!”
While he seemed confident in his statement, my body currently wouldn’t agree with it. I didn’t bring up the argument though, as we seemed to be nearing the destination in question. It was a place all too familiar to the one I had left just a few hours ago. The guards had told me this vast mountainside city was called Canterlot, the name seeming to go well with the idea of it being where Celestia resided. As if being on the chariot to Cloudsdale wasn’t bad enough, the passers by this time seemed outright confused. Some choosing to just blatantly stop and stare, a few taking photos, though seemingly more directed at Soarin than me. It seemed odd that he would get more attention over an entirely new creature, or maybe it was the fact he wasn’t scared to carry me. Either way, I made it clear in my mind to ask him at some point later in the evening.
We descended some more towards the outskirts of the city, Soarin choosing to slow down to a crawl before landing just outside a more residential area. I looked around to see a vast majority of ponies all commuting about their daily lives, some trotting by without a care while I recieved a few shocked and confused glances from other strangers. My mind only seemed to remember such encounters from the times where I’d had to run across the background of an ongoing play to grab a character that wasn’t supposed to be on set. I smiled good times
“Come on then, I’ll take you to my place,” Soarin began as he trotted down the street, snapping me out of my daydream as I followed closely by him so as to not lose him in the crowds. We had a lot of heads turn our way, a few seeming to be caught in the battle of staying away or trotting over. I couldn’t fully tell whether they were after me or Soarin, but luckily the ponies started to thin out as we reached a few of the more luxurious places in the city. My head was already beginning to put the pieces together of who Soarin was, as he pushed open a small gate into the courtyard of a medium-sized home, complete with a Wonderbolt statue in the front garden area of the building.
“Home sweet home,” the stallion mused as he turned to me with a smile. We quickly reached the front entrance as he looked under a nearby plant pot and sourced a key. He turned to the door before beginning to unlock it.
“Isn’t that a little risky having a key there? What if someone breaks in?” I asked, genuinely concerned.
Soarin proceeded to laugh as he unlocked the door before pushing it open, trotting back over and placing the key back in its original position, “Breaking in isn’t exactly common here in Equestria, especially in cities like Canterlot,” he explained before smiling as he gestured for me to go in, “ladies first.”
I smiled before entering the building, taking an exciting look around the vast room as Soarin came in behind me before closing the door. The home was surprisingly modern for the older exterior of the building. There were a few cloud-based items such as sofas and chairs, there was also a modern kitchen that was set in an open floor plan, with a lot of windows to draw in as much light as possible.
“You like it?” Soarin asked with an amused grin as I stood awestruck in the middle of the home.
“H-How did you afford a place like this?” I asked, turning to him, seeming like it was the best place to start on finding out who he really was.
Soarin’s grin didn’t leave his muzzle as he trotted into the kitchen area, turning to me as he opened the refrigerator, “Well, I guess you could say I’m a celebrity of some sorts,” he began, taking out what looked like an assortment of vegetables, “stir Fry?” he asked.
“Sure,” I responded with a smile, “What do you mean though, I can tell you’re an athlete… are you famous for your flying?” I enquired curiously, as I proceeded to take a seat on a nearby couch, still looking towards the stallion.
Soarin brought over the items as he started preparing the meal in front of me, nodding before he replied, “Exactly, the Wonderbolts are regarded as the most elite pegasi in the world, we’re the only ponies strong and brave enough to pull off the stunts we can, many ponies aspire to be us, and well… I guess you could say ponies like me are rather rare.”
A smirk played at my lips as I eyed him, “So you’re the big, dazzling, hot shot guy of the Wonderbolts, then?”
Soarin blushed slightly as he looked up from making the noodles, his eyes staring deeply into mine for a moment before he chuckled, “I guess you could say that too.”
My brain came to a clear conclusion at that point in time, here I was, stuck in a new world full of talking coloured ponies with no way out, forced to live with a famous athlete who overall seemed like a really nice guy, while he may be a little eccentric… things didn’t seem too bad for now, besides the thought of what my mental health bill was going to be like when I inevitably went back home.
Soarin meanwhile, had cut up the vegetables and was now simmering it all within a pan, looking over at me with a slightly curious expression, “So…” he began, trying to think of the best way to start the conversation, “What’s it like being here? Is it like your world back home? Celestia's guard said you have a family and all, but he never said about what it was like.”
I laid back on the sofa as I thought over the best way to respond, in all fairness the place didn’t seem a heck of a lot different. “A few minor details… but everything kinda works the same in my world as it does in yours. We all have jobs, friends, family and we live practically the same kinda life as you all do.”
Soarin nodded happily, “At least it isn’t much of a change for you then, just a culture shock,” he smiled, turning the heat off the pan before supplying equal portions of the food. The smell was enough to send my mouth into a watering frenzy. He took the plates in his hooves as he trotted over to where I was sitting, handing me a plate and fork.
“I don’t use those things, but I figured you might,” he said, sitting down with his own plate and proceeding to stuff his face. I giggled slightly at the scene, which made him look up at me questioningly.
“Seems like you’re more hungry than me,” I playfully chided as I dug into my own meal. Soarin rolled his eyes before going back to eating. Content with the silence, we both ate our meals in relative peace. After a dessert where I found out about Soarin’s indescribable love for apple pie, before I knew it, the day was almost over.
As I laid there on the couch looking at the moonlit sky out a nearby window, I heard a voice from behind me.
“You coming to bed?” Soarin asked. I turned back to look at the stallion, who was leaning over the banister of the home’s staircase.
“I think I’ll be good here for the night,” I responded, shuffling the small blanket I had as I adjusted my position on the sofa. It was more comfortable than the floor at least.
“Well,” Soarin began, turning back to head up the stairs, “If you need me, you know where I am. Have a good sleep, Bex.”
My cheeks suddenly felt a little warmer at the sudden nickname, the stallion heading out of sight as I replied, “Night.”
When silence once again greeted me, I sighed as I let my body relax. My mind completely flooded with too many thoughts and feelings to count at once. All I could think to do was to grab some sleep and hope Celestia would keep to her promise of getting me back as soon as she could. Until then… at least I’d made one good friend.
Author's Note
Come one, come all to my first ever attempt at a HiE fiction. I plan on making this my biggest ever fiction, so hopefully bigger chapters will be on their way soon.
~Rumble
