Turmoil is an animal, following those who feed it the most

'Something isn't right here' was Soul's first thought.

The Everfree forest seemed to look more gloomy than when Soul and Daring had passed through to Zecora’s. For some nagging reason, Soul couldn’t help but feel that it was connected to the appearance of Jay’s demon. It was as if the forest had reacted in some way to the dark presence he had given off.

Soon, the look of Soul’s surroundings told him he was close to his destination. He held his scythe as he flew over a batch of poison joke flowers, careful not to touch any. Upon landing on the other side, Soul could see Zecora’s hut just a little bit farther down a path. When he got closer, however, he spotted a rather impatient-looking Daring sitting outside the hut, apparently waiting for Soul to return.

'It looks as if I’ve got some explaining to do. I wonder if they’ll even believe me.' Soul thought, now cautiously approaching the hut. He never found it easy to talk to Daring when she was annoyed or angry. Trying to tell her about humans and demons certainly wouldn’t help.

Daring soon noticed Soul as he came close to the hut, and walked forward to meet him. Soul braced himself for the worst, but was surprised that Daring didn’t seem angry.

“Soul! I’m glad you’re okay” Daring exclaimed as she approached him “You certainly took your time with whatever that was, huh?”

“I’ll explain everything, but it’s better if I tell it to both of you” Soul quickly said as he walked past Daring and entered the hut. Zecora was seated on a small stool and sipping a steamy tea when she noticed Soul walk in, followed by Daring.

“Ah, Soul, my good gothic friend” Zecora piped up, putting the tea down beside her and walking towards Soul “I assume that problem has met its end?”

“More or less” Soul replied, walking past her so that she and daring were behind him. He turned to face both of them “I may have a bigger chance at catching those humans than I thought”

“Really?” Daring asked, suddenly more concerned “What makes you think that?

Soul took a deep breath and began telling the events that transpired in the last hour or so, starting with the scene he arrived at in Ponyville all the way to Jay’s explanation of his powers and presence in Equestria. When he was finished, Soul gave Daring and Zecora a moment to take in what he had said before he continued “I think whoever it is that did this to me may very well be the people Jayhawk is after”

Zecora closed her eyes as if pondering something before speaking “It seems this situation is dire indeed” She said, opening her eyes to face Soul “The help of this human may be just what we need”

“So, where is he?” Daring confusingly inquired “Wouldn’t it have been smarter to bring him here with you?”

“Well…yes, it would have” Soul admitted “But he’s off to watch the Wonderbolts’ show with Rainbow Dash and the others. He told me that he has ‘a plan’ to help our progression. I think you should come with me, Daring”

“That depends on what this guy’s plan is” Daring remarked “Did he tell you anything more than that?”

“No, but I trust him enough to make the right decisions” Soul replied “He can be very clever. I 'm certain that what he is planning will aid us, somehow”

Daring lowered her head and stared at the ground, seemingly unsure. She scuffed her hooves on the ground a bit as she pondered her decision. As he watched her, Soul formed an idea out remembering one of Jay’s aspects.

“He has really big wings” Soul blurted, quickly grabbing Daring’s attention as her wide eyed gaze shot up to meet his.

Daring’s eyes slowly narrowed as she took a few steps closer to Soul “…How big?” she quietly asked, half glancing back at Zecora.

“Just one wing is longer than my entire body” Soul relayed, sure he would grab Daring’s interest “They’re pretty nicely layered, too”

Daring took a step back from Soul, staring blankly into the distance. Soul guessed she had begun imagining as he noticed a bit of blush form on her cheeks.

Daring quickly regained her composure before speaking “Well...I guess this plan could work, whatever it is” She said “Plus, I haven’t seen the Wonderbolts fly in a long time anyways”

“Alright then” Soul replied. He turned to Zecora as he continued “We’ll be heading off now. Thanks a lot for the help, Zecora”

“The medicine I gave you will wear off with time” Zecora said, turning towards five vials of the same potion for Soul’s disease on a tray. She lifted the tray and dropped the bottles into Daring’s bag “Take a dosage every a days to feel sublime”

“Again, thanks” Soul said as he turned towards the door “Expect me to come back, however”

“Indeed, I anticipate you will return” Zecora happily replied “A permanent cure is what I intend to learn”

“That would be great!” Soul quickly exclaimed through the door “I’ll let you know if I find anything!”

Soul shut the hut door behind him and began walking towards Ponyville, followed closely by Daring. When they were nearly out of the forest, Daring decided to spark a conversation.

“So, do you think this guy will ever snap again?” Daring asked “Sounded like it was a pretty close call”

Soul took several seconds before replying “If he does, I really hope it’s not against us” Soul admitted “I just barely got out of that fight with my life, and only because Celestia and Rainbow Dash helped me”

Daring frowned at Soul’s reply as she returned her gaze forward. Soul could tell she was worried. He really was the only one who stood any chance against Jay’s demon, and even he wasn’t enough. If and when Ira showed again, Soul was unsure what he would do.

I can’t stop him. No matter what he does, I won’t be able to stop him alone The thought pounded against Soul’s mind like a bouncing ball. He soon found himself frowning with his own worry Just who am I dealing with here? Is he really my ally? He was willing to kill me for his freedom in Tartarus...

Before Soul realized, him and Daring were walking into the outskirts of Ponyville. He quickly looked around for where the show he was headed for might be, scanning the town from his distance. Soon, Soul spotted a field in which a stadium and a total of eight bleachers were placed alongside an oval running track, where ponies could watch the Wonderbolts from the ground. A slim box-shaped tower stood beside the bleachers on the left side. Soul guessed it was the tower in which the announcers would be sitting.

“Over there” Soul relayed, pointing a hoof towards the half stadium “That must be where the show is being held”

The two made their way through town towards the field, where other ponies were gathering for the show as well. Soul scanned across the various crowds for Jay’s familiar shape and height. After a few checks, Soul spotted Jayhawk at the ticket booth and 6 familiar ponies behind him.

Upon approaching, Soul could hear the apparent quarrel between Jay and the ticketmaster. To his surprise, Jay sounded rather upset about the situation.

“You’re kidding me!” Jay exclaimed. He turned towards the group “Am I being punk'd? This is just a big joke, isn’t it?”

“...I’m sorry sir, but this is a pony-exclusive show” Replied the Ticketmaster in a slight monotone “I’m not allowed to sell you a ticket”

“Well, I didn’t know you ponies were racist!” Jay yelled, returning his attention to the vendor “What makes me any less privileged than the ponies around me? I'm with these mares, anyways!” Jay motioned his hands to the 6 ponies standing behind him.

“It’s been requested by the Wonderbolts themselves that only ponies be allowed to attend” The ticketmaster confidently relayed

“Oh, really?” Jay said, shifting his sheath on his back Well ,the ‘Wonderbolts’ are going to have to deal with it” Jay pounded the booth’s table with his hand, causing two rather bulky stallions to approach the ticket booth. Soul guessed they were the security.

“Is there a problem over here?” One of them asked as they walked towards Jayhawk

“Ugh...I don’t time have to for this bullcrap” Jay said, attempting to walk past the guards” Let me pass”

“No ticket, no entry, pal” The opposite guard stated firmly, standing mere inches from Jayhawk

“You two realize I’m getting in there anyways, right?” Jay said quizzingly “I’d suggest you try to avoid any injuries, and just step aside”

Jayhawk placed his hands on both of the ponies and attempted to push them aside, in which one of them reacted by shoving his hoof into Jay’s face. Jay stood still before slowly placing his hands on his hips and meeting the surprised guard’s gaze.

“Thamnu sir, mar I haff another?” Jay muffled through the hoof on his face.

Suddenly, the other guard moved forward and threw a hoof towards Jay’s stomach. In reaction, Jay spun around the incoming attack and swiftly landed a powerful elbow into the side of the guard’s head that downed him instantly. He then flicked a left side kick towards the other guard before meeting his surprised expression with a speeding roundhouse kick from his opposing leg. After downing both the guards, Jay stood in a readied stance above them both, expecting them to react.

“Wow...” Jay said while slowly letting down his guard, a tone of surprise in his voice “You’d think they would get security that would be able to take more than one hit”

"Jayhawk! What have you done!” Twilight exclaimed worryingly as she glanced at both of the guards, who held their heads in pain on the ground.

“Uhm...beat up a couple security guards?” Jay asked, confused. The tone of his voice made it sound like it was a regular thing for him.

“Couldn’t you have taken a less barbaric approach?!” Twilight angrily yelled, stomping up to Jay “This is only going to cause more trouble!”

“Not if these ponies are smart enough” Jay confidently remarked “I doubt any more security guards want to get their asses firmly kicked”

As if on cue, three more security guards rushed out of the doors leading to the stadium, covering the entrance. Jay sighed lightly as they took positions to stop Jay from entering.

“Well, I guess you guys are dumber than you look” Jay spoke under his breath, cracking a few of his knuckles and he walked forward “Outta the way, please. I don’t want to hurt any more innocent ponies”

Jay advanced slowly as he waited for one of the guards to stop him. Suddenly, one of the guards quickly jabbed a hoof into Jay’s chest, which he quickly caught in his left hand without paying attention. An growing expression of pain covered the guards face as Jay clutched his hoof.

“I...said...PLEASE!” Jay yelled before he slammed the back of his other fist into the pony’s face, sending him flying into a wall beside the doors. After the display, Jay held out both his arms in an embrace-like style “Any'pony' else wanna go?”

Another one of the guard replied to Jay’s taunt as he jumped forward and tackled Jay. The pony pushed Jay nearly a foot back before Jay stopped him completely and countered the tackle by jabbing his knee into the pony’s stomach several times. Jay then picked the pony up off the ground and spun him in a few circles before tossing him toward the other downed pony.

“But, I guess a little quarrel every now and then does make life a bit more interesting” Jay said towards the last standing pony, dusting off both his hands “Don’tcha think so?”

“Now Jay, that’s quite enough” Applejack spoke up, expecting that no other ponies would do so “Y’all don’t gotta go hurtin’ those fellas just cause ya can’t be bothered t’ solve a problem peacefully”

As Jay turned his attention towards Applejack, the last security guard took the advantage and bucked Jay in the stomach with his hind legs. The pony then followed the attack by trying to land another buck into Jay’s face. Yet, to the pony’s surprise, Jay bent his body back and just barely dodged the hit, then pulled backwards from the dodge and landed his foot in the pony’s stomach as he back flipped into the air. The force of the kick pulled the pony skyward, slamming his head on the ground behind Jay as he landed the flip with the same foot still on the guard’s stomach.

Jay took one last glance at the pony under his foot before looking towards Applejack “You were saying something, AJ?” He asked casually.

“Ah was sayin’ it’s better to try an' solve a problem without violence...” Applejack repeated with a tone of annoyance

Jay blankly stared at Applejack before looking back at the guards he had just beaten up “Well, I guess it’s a bit late for that?” Jay joked as he stepped off the pony on the floor and continued forward “I said I didn’t want to hurt them, and they didn’t comply"

Applejack was about to rebut when Jay stuck out a hand towards her “They attacked first, I was simply defending myself. You can’t say that makes me the bad guy” Jay stated confidently. Applejack looked as if she would say something, but remained silent. Jay smiled quickly before turning around.

Upon adjusting his direction towards the ticket booth, Jay noticed Soul and Daring standing off to the side as he passed “There you are, Soul! I’m glad you could make it” Jay said as he approached Soul ‘Who’s this?” He asked, beckoning towards Daring

“This is my friend, Da-” Soul was cut off as Dash swooped in closer

“Daring Do!” Dash exclaimed excitedly “You’re supposed to be Daring Do, aren’t you?!”

“Uhm...yeah?” Daring replied worryingly

“Wow! That’s gotta be the best cosplay I’ve ever seen!” Dash said, flying around and inspecting Daring “You look exactly like her!”

Daring stared at Rainbow Dash with a confused look for a few moments before letting out a small laugh “I AM Daring Do. Those books are based on true stories, you know. It says so in the beginning of every one”

“Oh, well...I knew that” Dash quickly stammered “I just...didn’t know that it was really you, that’s all”

“Okay then” Daring chuckled “Whatever you say”

“Hold up, I’m confused” Jay cut in, one hand on his chin “Books...and stories?”

“Daring is an explorer, and somepony she knows writes stories based on her expeditions” Soul explained “She’s the friend I was talking about”

“I see. Interesting” Jay said, looking down at his shoes “I wish people wrote books about me...” He mumbled quietly before raising his head back up “So, we all headed in to watch this show or what?”

“Why not? You just a couple beat up guards” Dash remarked with an obvious tone of sarcasm “I’m sure we’re good to go”

“If anyone else has any more problems, they can deal with me” Jay said, pointing his thumb towards his chest “Otherwise, I think we’ll be allowed to buy tickets now”

“So, you beat down the guards, but you’re still willing to buy a ticket?” Dash inquired ““Aren’t these the guys who are supposed to check our tickets anyways?”

“Hey, I may be an asshole, but I’m not a crook” Jay quickly stated, as if expecting Dash’s question “We’re going to pay like nice people if nobody stops us. I didn’t want to fight them anyways”

Jay walked back to the ticket booth and leaned one elbow on the table, staring at the Ticketmaster. The clerk simply stared back with a pressured expression. After several moments Jay spoke “So, about them tickets. I’ll take 9, one for me, 6 for the group, and 2 for the couple there” The mention of the word “couple” caused Daring and Soul to exchange embarrassed expressions as they inched apart slowly.

“U-uhm, yes...one adult tickets costs ten bits, so that will come to...ninety bits” The clerk replied nervously.

Jay was reaching into his wallet when he froze and stared back at the clerk “..bits? Ninety...’Bits’?”

“Jay...” Soul butted in as he approached “I don’t think our currency is the same. Equestria’s money system consists of gold coins known as ‘Bits’”

“Although it was quite kind that you were willing to pay for us all” Rarity added in “I don’t suppose you have any bits on you?”

Erm...” Jay quickly searched his wallet, reaching in different spaces “Considering I’m from a different dimension...I assume I currently have zero...’bits’” Jay concluded, closing and putting his wallet away.

“It’s fine, Jay” Twilight assured, seemingly cooled off from before “We can all pay for ourselves”

“Yeah, but-” Jay was cut off by Daring as she walked forward

“I’ll pay for your ticket, Jay” Daring quickly stated, dumping thirty bits onto the small booth table “I assume I’ll also be paying for Soul anyways”

“Thanks, Daring” Soul said, reminded that he didn’t have any money “I kind of...forgot”

“Yeah, thanks. I appreciate it” Jay added in.

After paying their way in, the group quickly found seats near the left side of the middle portion of the stadium. The show started a few minutes after they all took their seats. Jay shifted uncomfortably in his spot several times.

“Jeez, they didn’t even build this place for anything but ponies” Jay remarked, shuffling to a stop as he looked at Soul beside him “I feel offended. I really do”

Soul chuckled a bit before laughing “This town IS called “Ponyville”. They had every right to assume only ponies would attend”

“That’s beside the point, I...” Jay suddenly trailed off as his gaze shifted towards the sky to see a group of blue suited pegasi swoop past the half-stadium, leaving a trail of black clouds that pulsed with electricity “Wow...neat”

“Mares and gentlecolts!” Boomed one of the announcer’s voices over the intercom “Please give a warm welcome to...The Wonderbolts!”

The announcer's voice was immediately followed by the crowd cheering in joy for the display above them. Pegasi on clouds in the sky could also be heard, often rooting for their favorite Wonderbolt. The ponies in the stands stomped their hooves in applause for the flying troupe as they performed loops, corkscrews and various other minor tricks before collaborating into one display where they all grouped together while flying and zoomed outwards. The turmoil of their trails caused a large black cloud to form and poof out into a burst of lightning that lit up the sky.

'Well..looks like these pegasi know quite a few tricks. Seems like they have a teamwork dependency. I’ll have to take them one at a time...' Jay thought as he over-viewed a situation in his mind. After they performed a few more cloud-based tricks, Jay stood up and headed for the announcer’s tower.

Soul was about to inquire as Jay passed when Daring beat him to it “Where are you headed off to, Jay?” She asked as he passed her to the stairs of the bleachers

“Ah, nothing, really. Just going to challenge the Wonderbolts” Jay spoke so quickly that Soul nearly missed what he said.

Daring had almost mirrored Soul’s reaction as she inquired “What?! You know who those pegasi are, right?” She exclaimed in a surprised tone.

“Not exactly. Which is why I’m hoping they won’t disappoint me!” Jay concluded before stepping down the bleachers and making his way to the tower.

Soul found himself practically holding his breath as he watched Jay approach the tower, speak with a stallion standing by the door, and walk inside. He had never actually seen Jay fly, and Soul knew he didn’t know the Wonderbolts' real capabilities.

He’s serious about this! I wonder if this is part of his plan? Maybe he plans to lose...or maybe he actually thinks he can win?” Soul’s mind riveted with possible outcomes. Soul was beginning to wish more and more that Jay had told him what his plan was instead of leaving him to watch. As expected, the announcer came on and began to spiel Jay’s request as soon as the show had seemed to take a standstill.

“Mares and gentlecolts, it seems that the Wonderbolts have a challenger! He is none other than a rare human, named ‘Jayhawk’!” The announcer’s mention of Jay’s race and name brought mostly confusion to the crowd “Let’s head out to the field now to see what the Wonderbolts have to say!”

As the announcer finished his spiel, the Wonderbolts slowly came to a halt on the field. Jay, and a unicorn levitating a microphone, exited the tower and walked towards the troupe on the field. All along the seats, the spectators watched in quiet anticipation.

“I can’t believe he’s actually doing this!” Soul heard Dash exclaim from a few seats beside him “There’s no way he took what I said seriously!...”

“Rainbow Dash, what are you talking about?” Twilight, who was sitting next to her, inquired to the context of Dash's words.

“Jay has these huge magical wings that he showed me when he arrived in Ponyville” Dash explained “And when we raced to the library, he actually beat me with his own sonic boom!...And, I might have accidentally blurted out that I thought he was better than the Wonderbolts...” Dash chuckled sheepishly.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to find out what happens by watching” Twilight concluded as she returned her attention to the field “I’ll be pretty impressed if he actually beats the Wonderbolts at their own game”

Soul returned his gaze to the field to see Jay and the announcer meet the Wonderbolts, who stood in a group a few feet from Jay. The unicorn levitated the microphone so that him, Jay, and a surprisingly attractive mare could all speak into it. The announcer started first.

“So, miss Spitfire, what do you have to say to this one of a kind challenger?” The announcer spoke in the most cliche voice he could

“Well, we don’t usually get challengers, but...” Spitfire stopped and looked Jay over “..you looking for a ground race or something? You obviously can’t fly against any of us”

Jay leaned toward the mic to speak “Actually, ‘miss Spitfire’, I’d beg to differ that fact” He said in a confident tone. Soul couldn't see, but he guessed Jay was smirking slyly like usual.

As if in reply to the confusion of his opponents, Jay slowly un-equipped his sword's sling and belt, dropping them on the ground beside him. Then, in a few sudden swift movements, he threw off his jacket and red shirt to expose his bare, and surprisingly well toned, chest. Once his clothing hit the ground, Jay crossed his arms for several moments, and threw them out wide. His motion was followed by a poof of light and feathers and white angelic wings that spread out to nearly double the lengths of his arms. A good portion of the crowd marveled at the sight before them.

“Wow...you weren’t kidding” Daring said to Soul, still looking down at Jay “They’re huge...”

“I told you so” Soul replied, finding amusement in Daring’s reaction.

Jay’s wings folded on his back as he leaned towards the microphone once more “These will allow me to race any of you in the sky” Jay stated, carefully eying all the members of the troupe “So, who’s going to be my opponent?”

Suddenly, a sky blue pegasus with a much darker blue mane pushed past a stunned Spitfire to the microphone “I, Soarin, will race you! Let’s see what you got, man!” Exclaimed the stallion, who flapped his wings several times in preparation.

“It looks like we have our match!” The announcer said excitedly “Soarin will race against the winged human, Jayhawk! Jayhawk, since you are the challenger, you may pick the course in which you and Soarin will race”

“Alright, then...” Jay said while inspecting the area around the half-stadium “How about one lap around that mountain top and back, starting at the track?” He decided, pointing towards a slightly distant mountain on the outskirts of town.

“Deal” Soarin said as he shook hand to hoof with Jay before they both headed towards the beginning of the track and faced the mountain in readied stances. At this point ,the crowd was cheering and applauding for Soarin. Jay seemed to be bent down and gripping on the soil firmly, and Soul could now see the smirk on his face. (Battle Music?...Race Music!)

“Racers! Are you ready?!” The announcer inquired loudly, to which both Soarin and Jay nodded “Okay! Take off in three...two...one...GO!”

Soarin quickly took off in a running start, taking early flight at the turn in the track. It took Soul and, most of the crowd, a few moments to realize that Jay had not yet moved, but was crouched at the start and holding onto tightly the ground while running on the spot. The kicking of his legs soon caused a small plume of sand to form behind him, and upon noticing it, Jay let go of the ground.

Soul, Daring, the mane six, and most of the crowd all shared the same expression at what transpired. Jay had taken off in the blink of an eye, zooming across the dirt on the track in nearly a second and taking off in his speed. He passed by Soarin in mere seconds and flew through the sky at an incredible pace, performing constant, quick dives to gain more speed. Just as he passed, Soarin quickly took the initiative to catch up to Jay’s sudden jump in the race

Eventually, the race became heated as Soarin managed to match Jay, and the two flyers began constantly flying ahead of each other in respective order. Neither seemed to be winning the race as they grew closer and closer to the mountain top.

'This one’s pretty fast. He can match me in speed, but I wonder if he can match me in acceleration!' Jay’s thoughts sounded through his mind as he flew across the landscape. Soon, he and Soarin were at the mountain, turning around it’s peak and heading back towards the stadium. 'I guess I’m about to find out. Hope you’re ready for this one, Soarin'

Jay quickly dived straight down, flying close to the mountain and swerving to match it’s rugged shape as he let gravity increase his speed. Just before he hit the ground, Jay swooped directly up, breaking through a white burst of light and reaching a speed faster than sound itself. He regained a bit of his altitude and ripped through the air towards the finish line, passing a surprised Soarin in just a few paltry moments. Jay flipped forward and lined his feet to hit the ground, sliding through the dirt past the finish line to slow himself down and eventually coming to a complete stop several feet farther. The crowd was oddly silent.

Jay slowly stood back up, carefully dusted off any visible dirt on his body and raised one fist into the air, to which the crowd responded with roaring cheers and applause as Soarin slowly flapped towards the track. After a few seconds, Jay leaped up high and kept himself afloat in the air as he raised both arms victoriously.

'Alright, now just cheer for a bit longer...' Jay thought as he quickly pressed his temples and examined the crowd closely using his "Hawk Eye" ability. He could see dozens, maybe hundreds of ponies cheering in their seats. All but one, which Jay quickly spotted and focused on. He quickly matched eyes with a dark grey pony that had a crimson red mane, and his piercing emerald green eyes stared back at Jay from the distance.

'There you are' Spoke a triumphant inner voice

Author's Note

....yeah, he's good at a lot of stuff.