Soarin The Rainbow
“Do i make myself clear!” Spit Fire blasted.
“Yes ma'am!” Soarin answered.
“Great! Then you’ll have the stick by the end of tomorrow. When i come back again in 15 moons i expect nothing less that top notch Wonderbolts!”
“You can count on me Spit Fire!” Soarin assured his general.
“You have been in charge of this gang before Soarin. I have no doubt that these fliers will not miss a single wing beat while I'm away.”
Spit Fire rose from her seat.
“Dismissed!”
As Soarin trotted out of Spit Fires office he was greeted by Blaze, one of his fellow wonderbolt companions.
“So? How did it went Soarin?” She asked.
Soarin hesitated answering Blaze at first. He should be cool. But he had never failed Spit Fire before. He felt the nervosity lay inside him like a boiling tick mud. But this was the Wonderbolts, if you don't have self confidence here you fake it till you make it. Especially if you are supposed to lead like Spit Fire expected Soarin to do.
“I’m supposed to take charge by the end of tomorrow.” Soarin answered confidently.
Blaze sensed that Soarin was nervous. She always knew when he sounded to confident.
“Im sure it will go fine. You have gone through all of the routines before, and the others respect you.”
“So. Whats your impression of out newest recruit?” Soarin changed the subject.
“You mean Rainbow Dash?” Blaze asked.
“Yes.”
“I thinks she's ok. She sure nails all the routines. And she is tough. But nothing you can’t handle heh?”
Blaze laughed and nudged Soarin on the leg. Soarin almost laughed to but he kept his cool. This was serious now. He needed to become a leader.
But becoming a leader wasn’t a problem for Soarin. What Soarin really hoped for was that he would become the leader that makes the wonderbolts better than they were before.
Anything else would make him the transition, the alternative, the bland phrase ‘oh yea i remember that colt, he was leader for a while’.
The following day there were a training session. Spit Fire was still in charge and flew as lead pony. To the right of Soarin flew Rainbow Dash.
So far she had proven herself to be one of the best recruits in wonderbolt history. Her wingbeat timing and air handling pretty much put her in a league of her own.
He looked at her now. Her beautiful mane and tail were completely streaked in the colors of the rainbow. Did his heart just give an extra beat? No... He turned away his head and focused on his flying.
At the end of the day Spit Fire had the Wonderbolts assembled.
“Listen up flyers!”
Soarin stood perfectly still on his hooves together with the others. Spit Fire continued.
“I will be going away for a while. While I'm gone Soarin is going to take charge!”
When Spit Fire got till the end of her speech she called out Soarin.
“Soarin. Step up!”
“You have your work cut out for you.” Soarin heard Spit Fire whisper in his ear as she walked past him.
When Soarin stood in front of the group he felt the confidence grab hold of him. He was ready for this!
“Attention fliers!” He shouted.
All the fliers stretched themselves. Soarin walked past each one of them.
They all seemed to be discipline itself ponified. He looked at Fire Streak now, who kept his head held high. But did Rainbow Dash throw her head in his direction for a split second there? Soarin thought he saw it at the edge of his eye.
He flung his head toward her now, but she were standing completely straight. Maybe it had been his imagination.
The following day they had their first training session with him as a leader.
He flew point now. On his signals the group pulled of various choreographed moves. Soarin now raised his hoof and gave the signal to form a big V.
The move went smoothly with him flying at the point of the V. He gave the signal to turn the V into an A without the middle line.
He watched the other fliers pass him bye on his sides. He saw Rainbow Dash looking at him on the way. This caused her to bump into Surprise. The following chain reaction sent four fliers tumbling.
“Rainbow Dash!” He heard Blaze shout.
But Soarin wasn’t thinking about Rainbow Dash. He was way to occupied cursing himself.
‘Well. This begins well!’ The thought speared right through his brain. Soarin had a bad feeling about his time as a leader.
After the training flight Soarin called in Rainbow Dash into Spit Fires office, which were now his office. Rainbow Dash entered through the door now.
“What is it Soarin?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Rainbow Dash. About that training flight we had today. What was your impression of it?”
Rainbow Dash were silent for a moment. She then answered.
“Nothing that comes to my mind sir.”
“I was thinking about what happened when we preformed number 28. That should have been an easy move for you, but you seemed a little distracted.”
Rainbow Dash looked at Soarin with disciplined eyes, but was her hoof shacking slightly?
“I lost my eye on the ball sir! Nothing that will happen again sir!”
“I sure hope so Rainbow Dash. Thats all for now. You are dismissed!”
“Sure sir?!” Rainbow Dash blurted out. It sounded almost like a question.
Soarin looked bewildered at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dashs pupils diminished.
“...I mean... yes sir!” She stammered. She turned around and trotted out of his office.
‘Sure sir?’ The words echoed inside Soarins mind. Why would Rainbow Dash ask if she truly had been dismissed from his office?
The following day they had a new training flight. This time it went smoothly. But was there something different from their last flight?
Soarin looked to the right. Rainbow Dash was not flying in her usual position. He leaned his head slightly. The rainbow mane was flying at edge of the formation, furtherest away from him. She had switched place with Fleetfoot.
Soarin approached Fleetfoot after the training.
“I don’t know why she wanted to switch place. But she kept begging me.”
Soarin approached Rainbow Dash later the same day in the locker room.
“Hi Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow Dash wailed her head around and looked at Soarin. For some reason she seemed too be caught up in the moment.
“Oh...a...Hi Soarin.” She answered hesitatingly.
Her towel went sliding down from her mane to the floor. She didn’t seem to notice it while she were looking at him.
She smiled nervously. Her smile then froze for a second. She seemed to take a deep breath, as if she was trying to pull herself together. She put on a blank determined look.
“Was there anything you wanted to ask me sir?” She spoke formally now.
“Nothing serious Rainbow Dash. I just wanted to ask you why you wanted to switch place with Fleetfoot toda...”
“To practice on my right wing maneuvers.”
The answer came ridiculously fast. Rainbow Dashs disciplined face twitched. Her pupils diminished slightly.
Soarin wasn’t sure what to think. Rainbow Dash truly seemed to have something on her mind.
“Eh... Rainbow Dash, is there anything...?”
“Oh... Look at the time. Gotta go. Se you later Soarin!”
“But Rainbow Dash...”
But Rainbow Dash had already left the locker room. Soarin stood there alone and watched the door waver back and forth.
The following days didn’t fair so much better. All the other wonderbolts seemed to listen to what he said but for some reason, as soon as Soarin were about to give a command to all of them, Rainbow Dash either ruined it or found a way to avoid complying.
Eventually the other wonderbolts started to question why she should come to their training flights at all. Soarin started to worry about her future as a wonderbolt and his own future as a leader.
One training day they went for a flight over the forrest. Soarin gave a command directly to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash complied but somehow either he or she had mixed up Port and Starboard (Left and Right). The mistake sent High Winds tumbling into a tree and, unfortunately, into a hospital.
Soarin were now standing outside the hospital. He felt his heart hanging by a thread. The words of Spit Fire echoed inside his mind.
‘When i come back again in 15 moons i expect nothing less that top notch Wonderbolts.’
Soarin wasn’t sure if he had said Port or Starboard. The world went blurry as tears formed in his eyes. He closed his eyes and snorted. He quickly swallowed his cry in case a wonderbolt was nearby.
As he walked away from the hospital he stopped. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He had made his decision. He was going to have to temporarily suspend Rainbow Dash, just for a little while.
Even though he didn’t know if he had said Port or Starboard in the latest incident it was still clear that Rainbow Dash had let herself become distracted during their training flights for a while now.
Soarin called in Rainbow Dash to his office, but she never appeared. Soarin checked by the wonderbolt lockers, but she wasn't there. He then flew all the way to Ponyville and started asking around. But nopony seemed to know where she might be. He was now soaring through the clouds. Suddenly he spotted a black cloud ahead.
Soarin flew up and landed on top of the cloud. He didn’t have his wonderbolt uniform on. In front of him he spotted colors within the blackness. The colors laid on top of the cloud.
“Rainbow Dash?” Soarin asked.
The cloud shifted. The blackness disappeared. The whiteness made the cloud spectral as the sun beams hit it. The Rainbow mane rose and turned around.
“Oh. Hi Soarin.” Rainbow Dash said. She sounded relieved.
Soarin had the news of her suspension at the tip of his tongue. But for some reason it didn’t seem to matter now.
“Rainbow Dash. Are you alright?” He asked.
Rainbow Dash smiled.
“Yes.” She said.
Soarin walked up to her. Rainbow Dash got up on her hooves. She now looked at Soarin with goggly eyes. Soarin decided to get straight to the point.
“Rainbow Dash, about those situations back there. You seemed to be a bit distract...”
He never got to finish his sentence. Rainbow Dash threw herself forward and kissed Soarin on the mouth.
Soarin was taken completely by surprise. He pushed away Rainbow Dash and backed of. He looked at her in disbelief.
Rainbow Dashs face twisted, like she just realized that she had done something stupid. Her eyes sparkled with regret as the cloud underneath her turned black again.
Soarin wasn’t sure what to do. He flapped his wings and left the black cloud behind him.
Soarins mind were in complete turmoil as he flew over Ponyville. The thoughts went through his mind in black and white.
He could se Spit Fires disappointed face when she hears about the Rainbow Dash incidents, black and white.
He could see the disappointed faces of the rest of the wonderbolts when he informs them that Rainbow Dash has been suspended, black and white.
He could see High Winds battered wings laying on the hospital bed, black and white.
He could se that rainbow mane in flight...
Suddenly Soarin stopped. He hovered in mid flight. He breathed heavily as he though about Rainbow Dash.
Her rainbow mane brought colors to his dark thoughts. Her kiss delayed on him.
There were no worries anymore about leadership and responsibilities, only happiness.
A smile formed on his face. He wailed around and flew faster than he had ever flown before.
Rainbow Dash was sitting on the rim of the black cloud. She looked out over ponyville and let her thoughts torment her.
How could she have been so foolish and fallen in love with the leader of the wonderbolts!? How could she, one of the most resilient and toughest ponies around, have fallen for a colt so easily? And on top of that, fallen in such a hoof shaking way that she couldn't even focus on the thing she were best at... Flying.
Up until 10 moons ago she had been the most awesome pony ever. Now the only thing she could think of was how it would feel to wrap her wings around her own awesome pony.
She didn’t care if she were to be suspended or not, all she wanted was him. But now she had probably ruined it both for herself and for him. Rainbow Dash felt the tears running down her cheeks. She started snorting.
There was a patch of white and blue in the distance. Rainbow Dash squinted her eye. The tears stopped. She felt her heart race.
“Soarin!”
A huge smile formed on her face. That huge smile of happiness slowly transformed into a broad smile of determination. Rainbow Dash spread her blue wings wide.
Soarin heard a huge explosion. He looked up. A huge circular rainbow spread itself up in the sky. A straight rainbow painted itself out from the middle of it. It was a sonic rainboom and it was coming toward him! Soarin gasped as he was swooped up by the rainbow. The world went blurry. The rainbow ended through the window into Twilights library.
Soarin found himself laying on the library floor. He looked up. Rainbow Dash was lying just beside him. Their lustful eyes met. Soarin felt his heart thump violently.
“Rainbow Dash.” He whispered in the middle of his heavy breath.
She came hurling toward him. He felt her wings wrap themselves around him. Her hooves planted right beside his head. Her kiss landed on his mouth. The weight of her body sent him backwards into Twilights bookshelf, causing all the books to fall down.
Soarin wailed around and tossed Rainbow Dash onto a table ahead, causing all the parchments and quills to fall to the floor, he then threw himself over her.
“Oh Soarin!” Soarin!” He heard her exclaim as he wrapped his wings tightly around her blue body and bathed her in kisses.
Inc was thrown and smeared all over the empty parchments. Books were flying in all directions. The heavy breathing of Soarin and Rainbow Dash echoed the crystal library walls.
There was the crashing sound of furnitures breaking and decor tumbling. A banderole was torn down. It fell down over them. It bumped violently as the birds underneath found their way into their nest.
The rest of the banderole slowly soared toward the ground, revealing Twilight Sparkle standing in the doorway staring in disbelief with her mouth open. Behind her stood her entire tour group consisting of small fillies and colts from the Ponyville school house.
“Twilight? Is this another friendship lesson Twilight?” Pipsqueak asked enthusiastically.
