Surprise!by NailahChaptersChapter 1: Soarin's PlanChapter 3: The PartyChapter 2: A Distraction TacticChapter 1: Soarin's PlanSoarin knew it wouldn't be easy...heck nothing was ever easy when you were a Wonderbolt, but he couldn't help but worry. It was only a few days until Spitfire's birthday, and like usual, she simply told him she didn't have time to worry about such a trivial thing as a birthday. He knew how hard she worked as the leader of the Wonderbolts, but even she deserved to have a birthday party. Soarin decided to do the one thing she wouldn't see coming, he decided he would plan a surprise party. He decided to go find Rainbow Dash, Fleetfoot, Thunderlane and the other Wonderbolts. “Thank you all for coming here today on short notice, I really appreciate it.” he smiled towards them. “So what is this about anyways? You do know we have to get ready for training in a few hours right?” questioned an annoyed Rainbow Dash. She was eager to show off a new trick she had learned to impress Spitfire. “I agree with Crash, what is all this about Clipper?” questioned Fleetfoot as she lowered her glasses down with a glance towards Soarin. “Ah come on gals, I'm sure whatever he has to say is important, otherwise he wouldn't have asked us all to come,” replied Thunderlane. “I am curious as to what this is all about,” Blaze smiled she knew it had to be something important for him to ask them all out here without telling Spitfire anything. She couldn't help but notice that Spitfire wasn't here. Perhaps she was simply just preoccupied with getting ready for their training session. She always did seem to work too much. She worried about her. “Well...to be honest it's about Spitfire. I need your guys help. She's insistent on not needing a birthday party...and with how hard she works, I feel she really needs one. Not just any birthday party though. It has to be a surprise and no one needs to tell her anything of what is going on. I want us to be able to do this, to show how much we appreciate and value her as our leader. Is that all clear?” spoke Soarin. “Well then why don't you ask Pinkie Pie. She's the party expert after all,” suggested Surprise. “No I want it to be from us. I want us to be able to do it. We all know how great Pinkie is with parties and if I need her help, I'll ask but I want to see if we can do it ourselves, I think it'll mean more that way,” replied Soarin. “So if that's everything can I go now? This is totally boring just sitting here,” complained Dash. “Actually Crash, I need you most of all. I need you to keep Spitfire distracted. I'm sure you can think of something,” replied Soarin. “Distraction, got it. Later!” and with that she was off like a rocket. Soarin couldn't help but shake his head, typical Rainbow Dash. She seemed to always be in a hurry. Soarin looked back towards the rest of the Wonderbolts whom were still sitting there waiting to see what else Soarin had to say. Soarin took a deep breath as he looked back towards them with a slight smile on his lips. He knew how important this was. He couldn't afford to slip up now. Spitfire had always been so strong for them and had done so much. She really could use a break. He could at least give her a party, whether she wanted it or not. “Hey Soarin, I could help out by cooking for the party, it is something I really enjoy...” suggested Thunderlane, wanting to be helpful. He understood why Soarin wanted to do this, and every little bit he could help he would offer because Soarin was right, it would mean more to Spitfire if they did this themselves. “Sure, that would be great! Thanks Thunderlane, it really helps. Every little bit.” smiled Soarin softly. “I could get party supplies?” suggested Surprise with a big grin on her face all excited. “Just be sure Spitfire doesn't see you alright?” suggested Soarin. “No worries, I'll be as invisible as a ghost.” smiled Surprise as she then dashed off with a giggle. Soarin shook his head. Between Rainbow and Surprise, those were the two he was really worried about. He took a deep breath and extended his hoof up towards his chest and breathed in and out steadily to calm his nerves. “Aww come on Soarin, you worry just as much as Spitfire does. This'll be easy as well pie!” smiled Blaze as she went right up to him. “So what can I do to help? There has to be something right?” she asked eager and excited. After all she knew how important this was and no matter what she was going to make sure it was a success. “Well...we'll need a place to have the party, can you look into that?” questioned Soarin. “Well why not have it right here at the Wonderbolt's headquarters? Anywhere else and she might catch onto ya you know?” smiled Blaze. “I suppose you do have a valid point but she needs a break from all of this. I mean...here would be a good spot wouldn't it?” questioned Soarin towards the others whom all nodded their heads with a yes. High Winds walked over towards Soarin after Thunderlane had sat back down on the benches. She knew he was nervous, she could see it in his eyes. She could understand why, after all this was a lot of pressure for him to take on. He was probably worried about it not being good enough. She wanted to calm his nerves a bit, after all she and Soarin had known each other since they were at the Wonderbolt's academy. She had been his wing pony. Soarin was a good leader, which is why Spitfire often put him in charge when she got too busy with paperwork and other things of that sort. She knew she had to help. “Hey Soarin,” she spoke up. Most of the other Wonderbolts were still sitting there. Thunderlane had walked off to start working on some recipes to try for the surprise party in a few days. Surprise and Rainbow were long gone by now. Fleetfoot had left saying she wanted to practice and everyone else was still there waiting their turns to see if they could offer any assistance to help out with this party. Sure it would be easy to just ask Pinkie Pie to plan it, but she knew that they needed to do this, not just for Spitfire, but to show everyone they were capable of something so trivial as Spitfire would say. “Yes, High Winds what is it? Did you have a question for me?” asked Soarin softly. “Well...yeah I guess I do. What can I do to help you? You can't do this all by yourself you know? You need a helping hoof, or in this case, a helping wing. Let me help with the planning of the party, that way you can focus on the details.” smiled High Winds. “That's actually not a bad idea, you sure it isn't too much to ask of you? I'm trying to take the pressure off of most of you. If you all do little things, they add up to something big.” smiled Soarin. “Ah come on Soarin, you know I'd do anything for you. We've always been a team and becoming a Wonderbolt hasn't changed that any. We gotta stick together, it's what makes us such a great team.” responded High Winds as she hugged Soarin without asking. She just couldn't help it, he worried almost as much as Spitfire at times, and that was really saying something. Soarin smiled softly and returned the hug gently. He was glad to have had such a good Wing pony back at the academy and now he was glad to have such a wonderful friend. After that Soarin decided to address tasks to each wonderbolt. He put Lightning Streak in charge of decorating the Wonderbolts headquarters for the party, of course she would need to work with Surprise on that after she returned with party supplies. He decided to put Misty Fly in charge of getting a cake as it wasn't a hard task for her to do. Last but not least he decided to put the rest of them in charge of watching the party area for any signs of Rainbow or Spitfire and to alert him if they showed up before it was time for the party. They only had a few days to work with, and everything had to be just right. He wasn't worried...he was beyond that. he was a wreck. He felt a hoof on his back as High Winds smiled at him. “You got this Soarin. Just like we always do.” spoke High Winds. Soarin turned his gaze towards High Wind's eyes. He couldn't help but to calm down even just slightly. Soarin was glad to have her around to help out with the planning of things. She was right no one pony could do this alone. Well except maybe Pinkie after all, she was good at that sort of thing. But it was the first time he was planning a surprise party and he couldn't help but be nervous and he was really hoping that Rainbow Dash understood that she needed to keep Spitfire distracted for a few days. “So what now?” questioned High Winds curiously. “Now onto the hard part, keeping Spitfire from finding out what we're up too, and that isn't going to be easy.” replied Soarin. “Again, you got this. With all of us putting our heads together, it'll be a party like no other.” smiled High Winds. Soarin couldn't help but worry but High Winds was right, he had this kind of situation before and he always found a way to resolve things peacefully...most of the time anyways, he could only hope it would be the same with this. It had to be perfect. Author's Note Thank you all for reading this and any constructive criticism you have you can give as this is my 2nd contest entry. I put my heart into all my writing so I hope you all enjoy it. Chapter 3: The PartySoarin couldn't help but to take a deep sigh of relief, so far Spitfire hadn't been seen anywere near the headquarters. That meant Rainbow Dash was actually taking this seriously and he was glad for that. He couldn't pull this off without them all functioning as well...as a team. He looked around the main area where they often practiced, the field was beginning to look rather nice, tables and chairs, and even streamers hanging from the flag poles. He just hoped that Spitfire would actually appricate this, even if it was “just a party” to her, it was more than that to him. He knew that most ponies didn't really look up to them, sure they had their fans but a lot of ponies questioned if they were actually helpful or not and if they cared for one another. Soarin had always cared about the team and he always would. Nothing would change that, no matter how often Spitfire chewed him and the others out, she was the leader, but more than that. She was his friend. He suddenly felt a hoof upon his shoulder. He turned his glance to find High Winds once again by his side. “Hey Soarin, you okay?” she asked concerned. It seemed like he was just literally starring at the sky endlessly. She just wanted to be sure everything was alright. He always took on the burden when Spitfire wasn't around, and this time he was doing it for Spitfire, even if she might not want it. “Hey, High Winds, it's good to see you. I'm doing great.” smiled Soarin. He actually was happy and more calm, then he had been the last time they had spoken. “Alright, well I had Derpy send a letter to Twilight to see if she and her friends wished to come to help with prepartions for the party.” said High Winds. “Oh that's great. I just hope Pinkie Pie knows that this is something we wanted to do. I don't mind her coming, but I feel this is something we should be able to do.” “You know Soarin, sometimes you are a lot like Spitfire. You think you have the wait of the whole world on your shoulders, and you feel like you have to carry that burden alone, because you want to be strong for the rest of us. The truth is, we all feel that way, we all struggle, and we all want to impress Spitfire. We want her to know just how valuable she is too us, so if that means we need a little help, I don't think it's a bad thing.” replied High Winds. She meant every word of what she said, but more than that she wanted Soarin to understand that, it never hurt to ask for help. Sure, it was often hard for someone like him to ask for help, espicially as secondary leader of the Wonderbolts but sometimes you had too, espicially for an occasion such as this. Soarin smiled towards her, he couldn't deny, that she was right. Though he just wanted this to be special. He knew how much it meant for Spitfire to have a successful day of training when preparing for a big event, and he wanted this to be no different. “Alright, have Surprise ask Pinkie Pie if she has any recommendations or if there is any last minute things we need to do before Spitfire returns.” replied Soarin. “Alright, Clipper, see you in a shake's of a lamb's tail!” smiled High Winds and with that she flew off into the sky. Soarin couldn't help but watch as she flew up and away. She had really come a long way from the young mare he had seen back at camp. *******8 Surprise had to be cautious, who knew where Rainbow Dash would take Spitfire. She was always glancing back and forth before taking off from the Headquarters to head down to Ponyville for supplies. When she landed she just about crashed into one of the ponies walking through the town, because she was so nervous about Spitfire seeing her. So far so good. What was she supposed to do again? Oh right! Get party supplies, well she knew the best one to ask. She knew Soarin wanted this to be something they did, but he never said she couldn't ask Pinkie's advice. After all she was the party expert. She headed right for Sugarcube Corner and walked in to see Mrs.Cake behind the counter packing up a cake for a delivery. “Oh hello there dearie, is there something I can help you with?” questioned Mrs.Cake as she finished boxing up the order. It was scheduled to be picked up later, so there wasn't any need to worry about it now. “Oh yeah, have you seen Pinkie Pie around?” questioned Surprise looking back and forth suspiciously, just to make sure that Spitfire wasn't here for some random reason. I mean this was Rainbow Dash, she wouldn't put it past her to bring her to Ponyville, but then again did Rainbow even know that she was here? She quickly shook that thought out of her head, she had to get the supplies and get going. She didn't have time to waste! “Hmm...well I think I saw her heading out towards Twilight's Castle awhile ago.” replied Mrs.Cake. “Oh well...maybe you can help me but you gotta keep it a secret!” whispered Surprise as Mrs.Cake leaned forward as Surprise whispered about the “Surprise” in her ear. “Oh...I see. Sure I would love to help. As a matter of fact, could you deliver this cake for me? It's for the party actually.” smiled Mrs.Cake innocently. “You already knew about it?” questioned Surprise worried. She was wondering just who all knew about this party. Well as long as Spitfire didn't know it didn't really matter.... “Yeah. I was asked to make a cake for it, oh it's so exciting. She doesn't know yet does she?” questioned Mrs.Cake curiously. “Nope, and hopefully it stays that way.” replied Surprise as she took the boxed cake and decorations in a knapsack over her back for the party and hurried back towards Wonderbolts headquarters. She couldn't help but notice Rainbow flying by, and she hurried by before Spitfire saw her. Seemed like the two were having a race, go figure. Of course Rainbow Dash would challenge her to a race, oh she couldn't help but wonder who would win but she couldn't worry about that now. She had things to do! She hurried to the party as she landed down with a thud. She smiled up towards Soarin who just gave her a look. “Did you get it done?” he whispered. “Of course. I told you, you could count on me.” smiled Surprise. She only hoped that Spitfire hadn't seen her. She couldn't help but be nervous, but hopefully everything worked out for the best. ****8 Thunderlane was probably the most calm one of the group here. He could understand why Soarin was so nervous, but there was really nothing to worry about. It wasn't like this was the end of Equestria. This was just a nice little party that they decided to have for their leader. He had his grill on and flaming as he was making carrot dogs and hayburgers in prep of the party in a few hours. Though he had a small tag along by his side running errands for him from the kitchen and back. Rumble had refused to work on his cutie mark for the longest time because he just wanted to be like his big brother. Thunderlane didn't mind his help, but wished he would find his own way in life, he wanted the best for his brother. “This is so boring.” complained Rumble sitting on his flank in the grass next to where his brother was working. “Well you could always help decorate.” suggested Thunderlane. “After all every little bit helps.” smiled Thunderlane and with that Rumble went off to help Surprise set up the party. It was beginning to look like a real party now, it was hard to believe but they might actually pull this off! Soarin could only hope. Now everything relied on how long Rainbow could keep Spitfire distracted. They only had a few hours to go yet. Though to Soarin it felt like a few minutes rather than a few hours. *****8 “Crash, I won just face the facts and admit it.” smirked Spitfire as she sat back down at her desk. She couldn't help but notice most if not all of the other Wonderbolts weren't around. She couldn't help but wonder if this had something to do with her birthday. She sighed, she really hoped that Soarin wasn't trying to throw her a party again, she had told him numerous times it wasn't important. What was important was that they got their trainings done and that they were ready for any threat that Equestria might face. “Fine, you win but you have to at least see my new trick. Come one please.” begged Rainbow. She had to find a way to get her to go down to the training grounds where the party was being held. “Will it take long?” questioned Spitfire. “Nope. It won't even take more than a minute or so.” smiled Rainbow Dash. “Fine...let's just get this over with.” replied Spitfire as she allowed Rainbow Dash to take the lead. She wasn't sure what sort of new trick Rainbow Dash had learned now, but if it was anything like the Rainboom then it was certainly worth seeing. Though she couldn't help but wonder where every one was, it wasn't like them to not be around. Though it didn't take her long to figure it out. “Surprise!!!!!!!!!!!” they all shouted as they jumped out from under tables and some behind flag poles as Spitfire entered the training area. She looked over towards Rainbow. “Was this your plan all along?” “Nope, it was Soarin's idea, but Happy Birthday Spitfire!” smiled Rainbow Dash. Spitfire couldn't help but sigh. She walked over to where Soarin and High Winds were standing. “Listen....Spitfire...” began Soarin but before he could finish, Spitfire put her hoof up to his lips. “No, it's fine. I get it. You think I work too much and forget to actually celebrate the smaller things in life. Thanks.” smiled Spitfire. “Really?” questioned Soarin surprised. “Well, then I have a gift for you.” he smiled as he handed her a pie. “You and your love of pies.” replied Spitfire with a smile as she accepted the pie and put it in her knapsack to eat later. Spitfire was going to enjoy the party, but more than anything else, she was enjoying how she was able to bring all of them together for something so trivial, now if only they would all arrive for training without being late, then that would really be a surprise. Author's Note I hope you all enjoyed this little piece of mine. It's taken me some time to get everything just right. Let me know what you think. Chapter 2: A Distraction Tactic“Man, I hate all this paperwork. I really miss the academy right about now.” spoke Spitfire as she was still shifting through this week's paperwork. She had managed to get through about half of it, when Rainbow Crash came bursting in the door. She lowered her sunglasses towards her with a raised glance. “Can I help you Crash?” she asked as she picked up the pile that was finished, shuffling them all neatly together, and placing them over in a file folder to be mailed out tomorrow morning. “Yeah...I was hoping you and I could get some practice in, and I've been dying to show you this new trick I learned.” smiled Rainbow. Which none of this was a lie, she really always did look forward to showing off her skills to the boss. She admired Spitfire and she wanted to show her that. Besides she wasn't sure how else to distract her, so she simply went with her gut on this one. “You realize I don't have time for that right? See this stack of papers? I have important Wonderbolt business to attend to. I don't have time for fun and games.” replied Spitfire defensively. Though inside she did want to see what Rainbow Dash had learned, this kid was an amazing recruit and the fact she was the only one ever to do a Sonic Rainboom was beyond spectacular but she couldn't let that show on her face, as a leader she had to remain focused, calm and level headed. Most importantly, she had to look out for her team and if these papers didn't get done who knows what would become of them. As much as she often loathed it, it had to be done and she highly doubted any of them would step forward to do it. “Aww come on Spitfire! You have got to see it. Unless you're scared that I might be better than you now.” smirked Rainbow Dash. Rainbow easily knew how to really get her attention, by challenging her. A test of skills, to find out who was the better Wonderbolt. “Listen, Crash you know I'm leagues ahead of you. I'll admit you really have impressed me on multiple occasions, that doesn't make you better than me.” began Spitfire. She had her now, she just had to fuel that competitive side in her. Besides, Dash knew as well as anyone that not even Spitfire wanted to sit around all day doing boring paperwork. I mean come on, who would? Maybe Twilight...no totally Twilight. She just nodded her head. “Rainbow?” questioned Spitfire. “Is there something you actually needed to ask or are we done here?” “I already told you, I have a new trick to show you and not just that but I think I'm better than you.” replied Rainbow Dash. Typicial Crash, cocky, and confident, it's what made her such a good flyer, but there was more to being a Wonderbolt than that. You had to have the skill sets of a leader and not even Spitfire was sure she was quite there yet for the longest time, but her skills as a flyer put her far ahead of most of her recruits. Certainly not above her own level though. She couldn't simply let Crash think she had the advantage here. She smiled towards her as she responded. “Alright Crash, you're on, on one condition,” began Spitfire. “If I win, you have to finish the rest of the pile here by the end of the night.” “Deal.” replied Rainbow Dash without even a second's hesitation. She gulped, she could so do this. Her idol...she could so beat her in ten seconds flat. “Confident, I like that. It won't score you any bonus points during our race though. Alright, first one to Ponyville and back wins, sound fair to you? But to spice it up, fifty laps.” suggested Spitfire. “Hmm...you're on.” replied Rainbow Dash. This was perfect, she didn't expect a thing out of the normal. Now she just had to win because she didn't want to have to do that paperwork... Spitfire decided the two of them would start the race from the weather factory, located right in Cloudsdale, and away from Wonderbolts Headquarters. “Alright Rainbow Crash you understand the rules? Fifty laps, first one to cross this line wins.” explained Spitfire as she drew a line into the clouds. “Sure, got it. Now come on let's get going already.” replied Rainbow ready to show her just what she was made of. She wasn't about to let Spitfire think she was better just because she was the leader. I mean come on that was like saying Twilight was better than her just cause she was an alicorn now. Pfft! “Ready....Set...Go!” announced Spitfire and the two of them both took off into the sky, flying at top speed, though Spitfire allowed Rainbow Dash to think she was ahead of her for now. After all fifty laps was a lot of flying. She knew from experience that she needed to take her time but remain at a consistent speed. Rainbow would likely breeze through the first twenty five laps and would begin to feel the burn, where she would pace herself. Though out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Surprise heading towards Ponyville, she couldn't help but wonder why she was going there but she wouldn't worry about it now, after all she had a race to win. With a grin she continued on, not thinking much about what she had witnessed. Rainbow couldn't help but glance back to see where Spitfire was, and she was like ten paces or so behind her. With a grin she flew by even faster. This was so easy but wait what if she went too fast? Ugh...why did this have to be so hard? Oh forget it, all she was going to do was win this race then she could worry about everything else later. Finally, the final lap was coming up, Rainbow Dash was exhausted. She wasn't sure how much longer her wings would carry her. She had used up nearly all of her reserved energy and just when she thought she had won, Spitfire blew by her crossing the finish line first. Nooooooooo!!!!! Spitfire smirked as she looked back towards Rainbow Dash as she patted her shoulder. “I hope you enjoy paperwork and it had better all be done by morning. Now if you'll exuse me I'm going to go get a well deserved massage.” replied Spitfire. She couldn't help but love the look on her face. Someday, Crash might understand just exactly why she was such a good leader and why she would never lose to her.
Chapter 1: Soarin's PlanSoarin knew it wouldn't be easy...heck nothing was ever easy when you were a Wonderbolt, but he couldn't help but worry. It was only a few days until Spitfire's birthday, and like usual, she simply told him she didn't have time to worry about such a trivial thing as a birthday. He knew how hard she worked as the leader of the Wonderbolts, but even she deserved to have a birthday party. Soarin decided to do the one thing she wouldn't see coming, he decided he would plan a surprise party. He decided to go find Rainbow Dash, Fleetfoot, Thunderlane and the other Wonderbolts. “Thank you all for coming here today on short notice, I really appreciate it.” he smiled towards them. “So what is this about anyways? You do know we have to get ready for training in a few hours right?” questioned an annoyed Rainbow Dash. She was eager to show off a new trick she had learned to impress Spitfire. “I agree with Crash, what is all this about Clipper?” questioned Fleetfoot as she lowered her glasses down with a glance towards Soarin. “Ah come on gals, I'm sure whatever he has to say is important, otherwise he wouldn't have asked us all to come,” replied Thunderlane. “I am curious as to what this is all about,” Blaze smiled she knew it had to be something important for him to ask them all out here without telling Spitfire anything. She couldn't help but notice that Spitfire wasn't here. Perhaps she was simply just preoccupied with getting ready for their training session. She always did seem to work too much. She worried about her. “Well...to be honest it's about Spitfire. I need your guys help. She's insistent on not needing a birthday party...and with how hard she works, I feel she really needs one. Not just any birthday party though. It has to be a surprise and no one needs to tell her anything of what is going on. I want us to be able to do this, to show how much we appreciate and value her as our leader. Is that all clear?” spoke Soarin. “Well then why don't you ask Pinkie Pie. She's the party expert after all,” suggested Surprise. “No I want it to be from us. I want us to be able to do it. We all know how great Pinkie is with parties and if I need her help, I'll ask but I want to see if we can do it ourselves, I think it'll mean more that way,” replied Soarin. “So if that's everything can I go now? This is totally boring just sitting here,” complained Dash. “Actually Crash, I need you most of all. I need you to keep Spitfire distracted. I'm sure you can think of something,” replied Soarin. “Distraction, got it. Later!” and with that she was off like a rocket. Soarin couldn't help but shake his head, typical Rainbow Dash. She seemed to always be in a hurry. Soarin looked back towards the rest of the Wonderbolts whom were still sitting there waiting to see what else Soarin had to say. Soarin took a deep breath as he looked back towards them with a slight smile on his lips. He knew how important this was. He couldn't afford to slip up now. Spitfire had always been so strong for them and had done so much. She really could use a break. He could at least give her a party, whether she wanted it or not. “Hey Soarin, I could help out by cooking for the party, it is something I really enjoy...” suggested Thunderlane, wanting to be helpful. He understood why Soarin wanted to do this, and every little bit he could help he would offer because Soarin was right, it would mean more to Spitfire if they did this themselves. “Sure, that would be great! Thanks Thunderlane, it really helps. Every little bit.” smiled Soarin softly. “I could get party supplies?” suggested Surprise with a big grin on her face all excited. “Just be sure Spitfire doesn't see you alright?” suggested Soarin. “No worries, I'll be as invisible as a ghost.” smiled Surprise as she then dashed off with a giggle. Soarin shook his head. Between Rainbow and Surprise, those were the two he was really worried about. He took a deep breath and extended his hoof up towards his chest and breathed in and out steadily to calm his nerves. “Aww come on Soarin, you worry just as much as Spitfire does. This'll be easy as well pie!” smiled Blaze as she went right up to him. “So what can I do to help? There has to be something right?” she asked eager and excited. After all she knew how important this was and no matter what she was going to make sure it was a success. “Well...we'll need a place to have the party, can you look into that?” questioned Soarin. “Well why not have it right here at the Wonderbolt's headquarters? Anywhere else and she might catch onto ya you know?” smiled Blaze. “I suppose you do have a valid point but she needs a break from all of this. I mean...here would be a good spot wouldn't it?” questioned Soarin towards the others whom all nodded their heads with a yes. High Winds walked over towards Soarin after Thunderlane had sat back down on the benches. She knew he was nervous, she could see it in his eyes. She could understand why, after all this was a lot of pressure for him to take on. He was probably worried about it not being good enough. She wanted to calm his nerves a bit, after all she and Soarin had known each other since they were at the Wonderbolt's academy. She had been his wing pony. Soarin was a good leader, which is why Spitfire often put him in charge when she got too busy with paperwork and other things of that sort. She knew she had to help. “Hey Soarin,” she spoke up. Most of the other Wonderbolts were still sitting there. Thunderlane had walked off to start working on some recipes to try for the surprise party in a few days. Surprise and Rainbow were long gone by now. Fleetfoot had left saying she wanted to practice and everyone else was still there waiting their turns to see if they could offer any assistance to help out with this party. Sure it would be easy to just ask Pinkie Pie to plan it, but she knew that they needed to do this, not just for Spitfire, but to show everyone they were capable of something so trivial as Spitfire would say. “Yes, High Winds what is it? Did you have a question for me?” asked Soarin softly. “Well...yeah I guess I do. What can I do to help you? You can't do this all by yourself you know? You need a helping hoof, or in this case, a helping wing. Let me help with the planning of the party, that way you can focus on the details.” smiled High Winds. “That's actually not a bad idea, you sure it isn't too much to ask of you? I'm trying to take the pressure off of most of you. If you all do little things, they add up to something big.” smiled Soarin. “Ah come on Soarin, you know I'd do anything for you. We've always been a team and becoming a Wonderbolt hasn't changed that any. We gotta stick together, it's what makes us such a great team.” responded High Winds as she hugged Soarin without asking. She just couldn't help it, he worried almost as much as Spitfire at times, and that was really saying something. Soarin smiled softly and returned the hug gently. He was glad to have had such a good Wing pony back at the academy and now he was glad to have such a wonderful friend. After that Soarin decided to address tasks to each wonderbolt. He put Lightning Streak in charge of decorating the Wonderbolts headquarters for the party, of course she would need to work with Surprise on that after she returned with party supplies. He decided to put Misty Fly in charge of getting a cake as it wasn't a hard task for her to do. Last but not least he decided to put the rest of them in charge of watching the party area for any signs of Rainbow or Spitfire and to alert him if they showed up before it was time for the party. They only had a few days to work with, and everything had to be just right. He wasn't worried...he was beyond that. he was a wreck. He felt a hoof on his back as High Winds smiled at him. “You got this Soarin. Just like we always do.” spoke High Winds. Soarin turned his gaze towards High Wind's eyes. He couldn't help but to calm down even just slightly. Soarin was glad to have her around to help out with the planning of things. She was right no one pony could do this alone. Well except maybe Pinkie after all, she was good at that sort of thing. But it was the first time he was planning a surprise party and he couldn't help but be nervous and he was really hoping that Rainbow Dash understood that she needed to keep Spitfire distracted for a few days. “So what now?” questioned High Winds curiously. “Now onto the hard part, keeping Spitfire from finding out what we're up too, and that isn't going to be easy.” replied Soarin. “Again, you got this. With all of us putting our heads together, it'll be a party like no other.” smiled High Winds. Soarin couldn't help but worry but High Winds was right, he had this kind of situation before and he always found a way to resolve things peacefully...most of the time anyways, he could only hope it would be the same with this. It had to be perfect. Author's Note Thank you all for reading this and any constructive criticism you have you can give as this is my 2nd contest entry. I put my heart into all my writing so I hope you all enjoy it.
Chapter 3: The PartySoarin couldn't help but to take a deep sigh of relief, so far Spitfire hadn't been seen anywere near the headquarters. That meant Rainbow Dash was actually taking this seriously and he was glad for that. He couldn't pull this off without them all functioning as well...as a team. He looked around the main area where they often practiced, the field was beginning to look rather nice, tables and chairs, and even streamers hanging from the flag poles. He just hoped that Spitfire would actually appricate this, even if it was “just a party” to her, it was more than that to him. He knew that most ponies didn't really look up to them, sure they had their fans but a lot of ponies questioned if they were actually helpful or not and if they cared for one another. Soarin had always cared about the team and he always would. Nothing would change that, no matter how often Spitfire chewed him and the others out, she was the leader, but more than that. She was his friend. He suddenly felt a hoof upon his shoulder. He turned his glance to find High Winds once again by his side. “Hey Soarin, you okay?” she asked concerned. It seemed like he was just literally starring at the sky endlessly. She just wanted to be sure everything was alright. He always took on the burden when Spitfire wasn't around, and this time he was doing it for Spitfire, even if she might not want it. “Hey, High Winds, it's good to see you. I'm doing great.” smiled Soarin. He actually was happy and more calm, then he had been the last time they had spoken. “Alright, well I had Derpy send a letter to Twilight to see if she and her friends wished to come to help with prepartions for the party.” said High Winds. “Oh that's great. I just hope Pinkie Pie knows that this is something we wanted to do. I don't mind her coming, but I feel this is something we should be able to do.” “You know Soarin, sometimes you are a lot like Spitfire. You think you have the wait of the whole world on your shoulders, and you feel like you have to carry that burden alone, because you want to be strong for the rest of us. The truth is, we all feel that way, we all struggle, and we all want to impress Spitfire. We want her to know just how valuable she is too us, so if that means we need a little help, I don't think it's a bad thing.” replied High Winds. She meant every word of what she said, but more than that she wanted Soarin to understand that, it never hurt to ask for help. Sure, it was often hard for someone like him to ask for help, espicially as secondary leader of the Wonderbolts but sometimes you had too, espicially for an occasion such as this. Soarin smiled towards her, he couldn't deny, that she was right. Though he just wanted this to be special. He knew how much it meant for Spitfire to have a successful day of training when preparing for a big event, and he wanted this to be no different. “Alright, have Surprise ask Pinkie Pie if she has any recommendations or if there is any last minute things we need to do before Spitfire returns.” replied Soarin. “Alright, Clipper, see you in a shake's of a lamb's tail!” smiled High Winds and with that she flew off into the sky. Soarin couldn't help but watch as she flew up and away. She had really come a long way from the young mare he had seen back at camp. *******8 Surprise had to be cautious, who knew where Rainbow Dash would take Spitfire. She was always glancing back and forth before taking off from the Headquarters to head down to Ponyville for supplies. When she landed she just about crashed into one of the ponies walking through the town, because she was so nervous about Spitfire seeing her. So far so good. What was she supposed to do again? Oh right! Get party supplies, well she knew the best one to ask. She knew Soarin wanted this to be something they did, but he never said she couldn't ask Pinkie's advice. After all she was the party expert. She headed right for Sugarcube Corner and walked in to see Mrs.Cake behind the counter packing up a cake for a delivery. “Oh hello there dearie, is there something I can help you with?” questioned Mrs.Cake as she finished boxing up the order. It was scheduled to be picked up later, so there wasn't any need to worry about it now. “Oh yeah, have you seen Pinkie Pie around?” questioned Surprise looking back and forth suspiciously, just to make sure that Spitfire wasn't here for some random reason. I mean this was Rainbow Dash, she wouldn't put it past her to bring her to Ponyville, but then again did Rainbow even know that she was here? She quickly shook that thought out of her head, she had to get the supplies and get going. She didn't have time to waste! “Hmm...well I think I saw her heading out towards Twilight's Castle awhile ago.” replied Mrs.Cake. “Oh well...maybe you can help me but you gotta keep it a secret!” whispered Surprise as Mrs.Cake leaned forward as Surprise whispered about the “Surprise” in her ear. “Oh...I see. Sure I would love to help. As a matter of fact, could you deliver this cake for me? It's for the party actually.” smiled Mrs.Cake innocently. “You already knew about it?” questioned Surprise worried. She was wondering just who all knew about this party. Well as long as Spitfire didn't know it didn't really matter.... “Yeah. I was asked to make a cake for it, oh it's so exciting. She doesn't know yet does she?” questioned Mrs.Cake curiously. “Nope, and hopefully it stays that way.” replied Surprise as she took the boxed cake and decorations in a knapsack over her back for the party and hurried back towards Wonderbolts headquarters. She couldn't help but notice Rainbow flying by, and she hurried by before Spitfire saw her. Seemed like the two were having a race, go figure. Of course Rainbow Dash would challenge her to a race, oh she couldn't help but wonder who would win but she couldn't worry about that now. She had things to do! She hurried to the party as she landed down with a thud. She smiled up towards Soarin who just gave her a look. “Did you get it done?” he whispered. “Of course. I told you, you could count on me.” smiled Surprise. She only hoped that Spitfire hadn't seen her. She couldn't help but be nervous, but hopefully everything worked out for the best. ****8 Thunderlane was probably the most calm one of the group here. He could understand why Soarin was so nervous, but there was really nothing to worry about. It wasn't like this was the end of Equestria. This was just a nice little party that they decided to have for their leader. He had his grill on and flaming as he was making carrot dogs and hayburgers in prep of the party in a few hours. Though he had a small tag along by his side running errands for him from the kitchen and back. Rumble had refused to work on his cutie mark for the longest time because he just wanted to be like his big brother. Thunderlane didn't mind his help, but wished he would find his own way in life, he wanted the best for his brother. “This is so boring.” complained Rumble sitting on his flank in the grass next to where his brother was working. “Well you could always help decorate.” suggested Thunderlane. “After all every little bit helps.” smiled Thunderlane and with that Rumble went off to help Surprise set up the party. It was beginning to look like a real party now, it was hard to believe but they might actually pull this off! Soarin could only hope. Now everything relied on how long Rainbow could keep Spitfire distracted. They only had a few hours to go yet. Though to Soarin it felt like a few minutes rather than a few hours. *****8 “Crash, I won just face the facts and admit it.” smirked Spitfire as she sat back down at her desk. She couldn't help but notice most if not all of the other Wonderbolts weren't around. She couldn't help but wonder if this had something to do with her birthday. She sighed, she really hoped that Soarin wasn't trying to throw her a party again, she had told him numerous times it wasn't important. What was important was that they got their trainings done and that they were ready for any threat that Equestria might face. “Fine, you win but you have to at least see my new trick. Come one please.” begged Rainbow. She had to find a way to get her to go down to the training grounds where the party was being held. “Will it take long?” questioned Spitfire. “Nope. It won't even take more than a minute or so.” smiled Rainbow Dash. “Fine...let's just get this over with.” replied Spitfire as she allowed Rainbow Dash to take the lead. She wasn't sure what sort of new trick Rainbow Dash had learned now, but if it was anything like the Rainboom then it was certainly worth seeing. Though she couldn't help but wonder where every one was, it wasn't like them to not be around. Though it didn't take her long to figure it out. “Surprise!!!!!!!!!!!” they all shouted as they jumped out from under tables and some behind flag poles as Spitfire entered the training area. She looked over towards Rainbow. “Was this your plan all along?” “Nope, it was Soarin's idea, but Happy Birthday Spitfire!” smiled Rainbow Dash. Spitfire couldn't help but sigh. She walked over to where Soarin and High Winds were standing. “Listen....Spitfire...” began Soarin but before he could finish, Spitfire put her hoof up to his lips. “No, it's fine. I get it. You think I work too much and forget to actually celebrate the smaller things in life. Thanks.” smiled Spitfire. “Really?” questioned Soarin surprised. “Well, then I have a gift for you.” he smiled as he handed her a pie. “You and your love of pies.” replied Spitfire with a smile as she accepted the pie and put it in her knapsack to eat later. Spitfire was going to enjoy the party, but more than anything else, she was enjoying how she was able to bring all of them together for something so trivial, now if only they would all arrive for training without being late, then that would really be a surprise. Author's Note I hope you all enjoyed this little piece of mine. It's taken me some time to get everything just right. Let me know what you think.
Chapter 2: A Distraction Tactic“Man, I hate all this paperwork. I really miss the academy right about now.” spoke Spitfire as she was still shifting through this week's paperwork. She had managed to get through about half of it, when Rainbow Crash came bursting in the door. She lowered her sunglasses towards her with a raised glance. “Can I help you Crash?” she asked as she picked up the pile that was finished, shuffling them all neatly together, and placing them over in a file folder to be mailed out tomorrow morning. “Yeah...I was hoping you and I could get some practice in, and I've been dying to show you this new trick I learned.” smiled Rainbow. Which none of this was a lie, she really always did look forward to showing off her skills to the boss. She admired Spitfire and she wanted to show her that. Besides she wasn't sure how else to distract her, so she simply went with her gut on this one. “You realize I don't have time for that right? See this stack of papers? I have important Wonderbolt business to attend to. I don't have time for fun and games.” replied Spitfire defensively. Though inside she did want to see what Rainbow Dash had learned, this kid was an amazing recruit and the fact she was the only one ever to do a Sonic Rainboom was beyond spectacular but she couldn't let that show on her face, as a leader she had to remain focused, calm and level headed. Most importantly, she had to look out for her team and if these papers didn't get done who knows what would become of them. As much as she often loathed it, it had to be done and she highly doubted any of them would step forward to do it. “Aww come on Spitfire! You have got to see it. Unless you're scared that I might be better than you now.” smirked Rainbow Dash. Rainbow easily knew how to really get her attention, by challenging her. A test of skills, to find out who was the better Wonderbolt. “Listen, Crash you know I'm leagues ahead of you. I'll admit you really have impressed me on multiple occasions, that doesn't make you better than me.” began Spitfire. She had her now, she just had to fuel that competitive side in her. Besides, Dash knew as well as anyone that not even Spitfire wanted to sit around all day doing boring paperwork. I mean come on, who would? Maybe Twilight...no totally Twilight. She just nodded her head. “Rainbow?” questioned Spitfire. “Is there something you actually needed to ask or are we done here?” “I already told you, I have a new trick to show you and not just that but I think I'm better than you.” replied Rainbow Dash. Typicial Crash, cocky, and confident, it's what made her such a good flyer, but there was more to being a Wonderbolt than that. You had to have the skill sets of a leader and not even Spitfire was sure she was quite there yet for the longest time, but her skills as a flyer put her far ahead of most of her recruits. Certainly not above her own level though. She couldn't simply let Crash think she had the advantage here. She smiled towards her as she responded. “Alright Crash, you're on, on one condition,” began Spitfire. “If I win, you have to finish the rest of the pile here by the end of the night.” “Deal.” replied Rainbow Dash without even a second's hesitation. She gulped, she could so do this. Her idol...she could so beat her in ten seconds flat. “Confident, I like that. It won't score you any bonus points during our race though. Alright, first one to Ponyville and back wins, sound fair to you? But to spice it up, fifty laps.” suggested Spitfire. “Hmm...you're on.” replied Rainbow Dash. This was perfect, she didn't expect a thing out of the normal. Now she just had to win because she didn't want to have to do that paperwork... Spitfire decided the two of them would start the race from the weather factory, located right in Cloudsdale, and away from Wonderbolts Headquarters. “Alright Rainbow Crash you understand the rules? Fifty laps, first one to cross this line wins.” explained Spitfire as she drew a line into the clouds. “Sure, got it. Now come on let's get going already.” replied Rainbow ready to show her just what she was made of. She wasn't about to let Spitfire think she was better just because she was the leader. I mean come on that was like saying Twilight was better than her just cause she was an alicorn now. Pfft! “Ready....Set...Go!” announced Spitfire and the two of them both took off into the sky, flying at top speed, though Spitfire allowed Rainbow Dash to think she was ahead of her for now. After all fifty laps was a lot of flying. She knew from experience that she needed to take her time but remain at a consistent speed. Rainbow would likely breeze through the first twenty five laps and would begin to feel the burn, where she would pace herself. Though out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Surprise heading towards Ponyville, she couldn't help but wonder why she was going there but she wouldn't worry about it now, after all she had a race to win. With a grin she continued on, not thinking much about what she had witnessed. Rainbow couldn't help but glance back to see where Spitfire was, and she was like ten paces or so behind her. With a grin she flew by even faster. This was so easy but wait what if she went too fast? Ugh...why did this have to be so hard? Oh forget it, all she was going to do was win this race then she could worry about everything else later. Finally, the final lap was coming up, Rainbow Dash was exhausted. She wasn't sure how much longer her wings would carry her. She had used up nearly all of her reserved energy and just when she thought she had won, Spitfire blew by her crossing the finish line first. Nooooooooo!!!!! Spitfire smirked as she looked back towards Rainbow Dash as she patted her shoulder. “I hope you enjoy paperwork and it had better all be done by morning. Now if you'll exuse me I'm going to go get a well deserved massage.” replied Spitfire. She couldn't help but love the look on her face. Someday, Crash might understand just exactly why she was such a good leader and why she would never lose to her.
