Making a Rainbow Connection

Chapters

Baking is Magic (Edited)
Shattering Expectations
Invasive Feelings
It Takes A Lifetime

Baking is Magic (Edited)

Author's Note

Hello! I usually put this at the end of a story but I thought it'd make sense to give a little context. The first chapter of this story takes place right after Secrets and Pies. It also runs off of Friends Forever comics 11 and 36 being canon, and will call back to those occasionally. That's all the context I feel is necessary so, enjoy the story!
I always appreciate comments and likes, no matter what you say! I want to improve as a writer, so anything you say is helpful, even if it's just pointing out spelling or grammar mistakes!

Also, sorry for the lack of Spitfire in this chapter. She'll be important next chapter, I promise!

Shout out to my editor for this chapter, The Fan Without a Face. Check out their channel here: https://www.fimfiction.net/user/224464/The+Fan+Without+a+Face

Baking is Magic (Edited)

Rainbow's wings ached as she came down for her final descent.

Though she was a trained athlete and an experienced flier, the Wonderbolt training regimen was an entirely different beast, even worse than in the Reserves, but she was starting to get used to it. At the very least, she knew she could hold onto her lunch today.

When Rainbow Dash landed, Spitfire gave her a small grin before tossing her a water bottle with her wing. "Nice job today, Crash. Looks like you won't be stuck on cleaning duty," Spitfire snickered before turning her attention to another Wonderbolt. "Flat-foot! You trying to make us look like amateurs?"

Fleetfoot scoffed and waved a wing in Spitfire's direction. "Yeah, yeah, I'll get the mop."

Rainbow sighed in relief before emptying the water bottle. The cool liquid refreshed Rainbow, giving her just enough strength to make it to the locker rooms. She got out of her uniform before hopping into the shower.

As she washed the grime from the day away, she listened to what little conversations she could hear in the locker room. A few members were talking about the training while others had their own completely unrelated conversations. She overheard Misty Fly and Surprise talk about their plans for the weekend, while Spitfire mentioned visiting her mother in Cloudsdale. It made Rainbow realize something... She hadn't really made any connections with the Bolts.

They were her team and she trusted them deeply but she never really got to hang out with them outside of training. It was hard to consider any of them friends. Obviously, it's not like she came in expecting to make friends with everypony like Pinkie tried to do.

Yet... The only members of the Wonderbolts she was somewhat close with were Spitfire and Soarin, both of which were ponies she'd helped out in the past, but not talked to all that much on a personal level later. How come nopony ever asked me to hang out after practice? Am I not awesome enough? Why haven't I ever asked them to join me? Rainbow paused in the shower, placing a hoof to her muzzle. Am... Am I still still viewing them as above me...? Was that why she couldn't call any of the Bolts her friends?

Rainbow stomped her hoof. That's it! No more acting like a fan pony. I'm a Wonderbolt now. They're not above me. We're a team! And why wouldn't anypony want to be my friend? Plus, getting closer could improve our teamwork. These thoughts lead Rainbow in a new direction. But... Who should I start with? I've already spent time with Spitfire and Soarin... I helped Soarin out of his funk on mount Everhoof and Spitfire with the foals at flight camp. Spitfire's the captain though... The thought made her feel like a teacher's pet. Just thinking about it made her shudder. Soarin is the second-in-command... But I feel like I at least know him better than Spitfire. There wasn't much to him really. Like pie, works hard and has imposter syndrome.

Rainbow nodded as she locked in which Bolt to start with. She turned off the shower head and rushed to find Soarin. Luckily, he hadn't left yet. She dashed in front of him, landing with a wide grin.

"Soarin, how'd you like to spend some time with the Bolts' newest flier~?" Rainbow puffed out her chest proudly as she spoke.

Soarin looked at her with a wry expression before responding. "Crash, is this like last time you came to me to talk? I don't really have an interest in Wonderbolt fashion."

Rainbow huffed, being reminded of her previous ill advised attempts at interaction, before raising a wing to her face. "N-No! I just want to hang out! And you seemed like the easiest to talk to."

"Oh, I'm easy now? You sure know how to make a stallion feel appreciated," Soarin teased before starting to walk past the rainbow mare.

Rainbow grumbled and stepped in front of him again. Ease up on the ego Dash. We're equals. "Look, what I mean is, of all the Bolts, you're the one I feel like I know best. But I don't know if I could really say any of you are my friends. And I want to get to know you better. So... Do you want to hang out sometime?"

Soarin examined the pegasus in front of him, taking a beat before answering. "Eh, sure why not? We got the weekend off so we can hang out then. Meet me by the compound entrance tomorrow. I have just the thing we could do."

Rainbow beamed with excitement before shooting into the air victoriously. "Yes!" she exclaimed before slowly hovering back down. She tried to play it cool, leaning against a nearby wall. "I mean... Sweet. See you tomorrow."

Soarin chuckled before giving her a playful smile and walking past her. "Yeah, see you tomorrow, Crash." With a quick wing gun, Soarin took off, headed towards the barracks.

When he was gone, Rainbow let her excitement show again, doing a little dance in place. "I got this friendship in the bag! And after Soarin, the rest of the Bolts will be a piece of cake!" Rainbow snickered to herself until she noticed Fleetfoot near the entrance of the locker room. She jumped a bit at the sudden realization that somepony was watching her the whole time.

"You're talkin to yourself again, Crash. You sound like a crazy pony," Was all the light colored athlete said in response, a slight smirk on her face.

"No I don't!" Rainbow screeched, completely red faced before taking off, leaving the compound and that awkward moment behind.

***

Rainbow tapped her hoof incessantly, keeping an eye on the sky for her company. The newest Wonderbolt was up bright and early today, a rarity for her. She just couldn't stop thinking about how excited she was to actually hang-out with one of her idols. Sure, she worked with Soarin, but hanging out with somepony outside of work was completely different to hanging with them at work. But he was late! Then a thought crossed her mind.

Soarin never told me what time he wanted to hang out! Rainbow groaned at the sudden realization. What if he meant later on? Did I wake up early for nothing? Am I gonna be waiting here all day? What if he- Oh. There he is.

Soarin glided down to where Rainbow was waiting, small bits of cloud in his mane from... Well, Rainbow didn't really know why he had clouds in his mane. He also had a few scuff marks as well as the trademark bags under his eyes. She raised a brow and gave him a prod in his side. "You just rolling out of bed or something? What's with messy mane?"

Soarin noticed the rogue puff and shook his mane, dispersing it into the ground below. "What d'you mean rough? This is just me Crash. Don't have anyone to show off to today."

Rainbow leaned in closer, giving him pouty eyes. "Aww... I'm not worth showing off to, Clipper?"

Soarin pushed her face away with a grin. "You wanted to hang out, so you get the real Soarin, not the mask. Consider yourself lucky. Not many ponies get to meet the real, raw Soarin."

Rainbow cracked up at the corny pose Soarin was taking. "Sure, sure. Let's just get to it already! You said you had something in mind? Is it some super-awesome secret techniques? Ooo! You gonna show me that famed 'Mastery of Lightning' you bragged about last week? Or-or are you-" Rainbow's rambling was interrupted by a hoof to her mouth.

"Easy now. I figured we'd do something we could do together. Just follow me and you'll see what I've got planned."

Rainbow moved Soarin's hoof away from her mouth, giving him a slight squint at his answer. "Alright..."

Soarin nodded and took to the sky with Dash following his lead. They made some small talk as they flew but Rainbow was honestly more in her own head than the conversation. Soarin said he had something planned for today, but what could it be? There was also something a little weird pulling at the back of her mind. Why did Soarin come to the gate from the south? The barracks are to the north! Was Soarin doing something before we met up? That would make some sense and explain why he seemed a little frazzled. Maybe he was in a rush to finish something.

The two pegasi kept flying until they arrived in Cloudsdale. Rainbow seemed surprised that Soarin was so willing to fly openly in a city where they were so likely to get swarmed by fan ponies, but it seemed like he knew exactly how to avoid the crowds. Soarin knew the streets of Cloudsdale like the back of his hoof, taking back roads and alleys to keep them from sight. Even in moments where they had to navigate a crowd or two, Soarin knew just how to fly past them without making a sound.

I never realized how quiet of a flier Soarin is. Dash mused, finding a new found respect for the stallion as they continued to fly on.

Eventually, the two arrived at what looked like a bakery. There was a big sign over it that showed a very familiar looking pony, holding a whisk and bowl, along with the name of the Bakery. "Whisk It For The Biscuit...? And is that... High Winds on the sign?! When did THIS get here?!" Rainbow gawked at the sign before Soarin graciously picked her jaw up from the floor.

"This place has been here forever. Billboard's new. You comin, or what?" Soarin made his way toward the bakery with a confident stride.

Rainbow quickly picked up the pace and caught up with him, her shock still clear on her face. "But why is High Winds on the billboard? Do the owners even have permission for something like that? There's no way High Winds could have time to be a Wonderbolt AND a baker!"

"You'd be surprised, Rainbow Dash," With that, Soarin pushed open the door to reveal a number of fillies and colts, along with their parents enjoying cakes and pies of all kinds. The smell of baked goods filled Dash's nostrils, so sweet that it almost gave her a sugar rush. It was like being at Sugar Cube Corner all over again.

At the counter stood that same pony on the billboard outside, High Winds, happily handing a bag of sweets to a Cloudsdale family. Soarin approached the counter, greeting High Winds with a cheery demeanor.

Rainbow stood stock still until Soarin ushered her over with a hoof. "Don't be rude, Crash."

Rainbow approached the counter, still grappling with her bewilderment. "How... How are you able to be a full time Wonderbolt AND run a Bakery at the same time?"

"And hello to you too, Crash," The frizzy maned pegasus responded. "It's not technically my place. Parents own it. They just put me on the sign cause it draws the customers in. But I pick up shifts whenever I get time off. Unlike this lazy bones over here." High Winds nudged Soarin, making him jump a bit.

Soarin grinned and playfully patted High Wind's head. "My passions lie in eating pie, not making it. 'Sides, I need my time off. I'm not a workaholic like you."

High Winds batted his wing away with a hoof. Rainbow just stared at the two ponies. "Wait... Soarin, you used to work here too?"

"Course! When I was little, before I got my Cutie Mark I'd help my parents out with the baking all the time."

That line was what broke Rainbow's mind. Her voice grew higher and the realization hit. "You're SIBLINGS? I know everything about the Wonderbolts! I memorized every little detail that I could! How did I not know that?"

Soarin's tone was surprisingly calm in his response, compared to the overreacting rainbow mare. "Eh. We never told you. We want to keep some things to ourselves, you know? Also nopony ever really asked."

High Winds was quick to chime in to her brother's statement. "Plus, it doesn't really matter. The ponies who watch the Wonderbolts don't care that two of their members are twins."

So many things clicked into place for Dash. A part of her always wondered why the two looked so similar. But twins... That begged another question. "So you're twins... I can see it now but... Are you identical or fraternal?"

Soarin was first to answer. "Identical."

Rainbow cocked her head to the side. "But aren't identical twins usually the same gender?"

High Winds answered this time. "Yup!"

"Oh. Oooooh." Yet another thing I didn't know about Winds. You'd think I'd try to learn everything about my idols... No. Teammate. Rainbow shook off her daze. Winds would be another day. Today was for Soarin. "Well... This is a nice place and all Soarin, but what are we doing here? Your plan wasn't just to pig out on pie, was it?"

Soarin shook his head before grabbing some chef hats behind the counter. "We're gonna bake some pies!"

Rainbow's eyes widened and her heart stopped. "WHAT?!"

***

Rainbow was frozen in place at the counter in the back of the bakery. She looked down at the collection of ingredients in front of her with a sense of dread in her stomach. Rainbow was notoriously bad at baking. It was something she often hid from most ponies to protect her image. She was Rainbow Dash! The pony who was awesome at everything! Just... Not this. She looked up from the ingredients to Soarin who was rambling about something, probably pies.

"Uuuh... Soarin? Are you sure this is a good idea for a hang out? You don't want to do something else? Anything else?"

Soarin turned to Rainbow and gave her the brightest smile she'd ever seen on him. "Of course! This'll be a great way to bond! It's how my sister and I bonded when we were little. Why...? Do you... Not want to bake with me?" Soarin's smile shifted to a frown.

"N-No! It's not that! I'm just... Not sure this is the best way to bond. Maybe we could trade flying techniques or something."

Soarin's frown deepened as he slumped a bit. "No, I get it Dash. I just thought this would be a fun way to get to know each other. But we don't have to."

Despite giving her an out, Rainbow suddenly didn't want to take it. Yes, she'd recently learned about being honest about her feelings to friends, even if those feelings might hurt them but... She didn't hate the idea of baking with Soarin. She was just worried about messing up and looking dumb in front of someone she looked up to. Biting the proverbial bullet, she took in a steadying breath before putting on her trademark confidence.

"I just didn't expect it is all! We can bake together. Just don't be surprised when my pie comes out better than yours!"

That seemed to cheer Soarin up as he turned back around to the recipe book. "Sweet! Let's get to it then! The first step to any good pie is the crust. We need to make sure it's perfect before we can even think about the filling."

Rainbow rubbed the back of her head and flew over to the recipe book. "Don't you guys have crusts already? Can't we just use one of those?"

"We could, but all of our pies are hoof made. It wouldn't be our pie if we just took one High Winds made."

Rainbow huffed and grumbled to herself. "Riiiight..."

"C'mon! It'll be fun, I promise!" Soarin trotted back over to the counter with all the ingredients and tore open a bag of flour with his teeth. "First off, we need two and a half cups of flour!"

Rainbow was hesitant but opened a cabinet to grab a bowl for the mix. She placed it on the table before looking at the bag of flour. "Right... How much is a cup again...?"

Soarin giggled and pointed to a series of measuring cups, each listed with their size on the handle. Rainbow grabbed the one labeled, "1 Cup," and dipped it into the bag of flour. She then poured it into the bowl, repeating the process until she had the proper amount. So far so good.

Soarin proceeded to the next step. "Now we need a half a tablespoon of sugar and half a teaspoon of salt," as he said that, there was a voice that called his name from the front counter, making it hard for Rainbow to make out what Soarin told her.

"Oh. Sounds like High Winds needs me! We got a rush. You got this Rainbow, right?" Before giving her time to answer, Soarin rushed off, leaving Rainbow alone before she could answer.

Dumbstruck, she looked at the bowl and ingredients on the table, trying to remember what Soarin had just said, but for some reason, it was gone. "W-Wait... What was it again...? Half a tablespoon of salt and half a teaspoon of sugar...? Soarin! Is that right?!" Sadly, she got no response from the counter. Not feeling like wasting any more time, Rainbow shrugged and went along with what she thought he'd said.

Soarin wasn't back yet so she moved on to the next step. She dumped the bowl of flour into a blender before popping the lid on and hitting the button to start it up. "This isn't too hard. I think I got this!" Rainbow patted herself on the back as Soarin walked back in.

His eyes quickly landed on the blender and the pie crust batter mixing inside. His eyes grew wide as he rushed over to stop the blender as fast as possible. Rainbow just looked confused at him.

"What the hay, Soarin? Why'd you freak out like that?"

"You don't put the mix in the blender, Crash! You have to mix it by hoof!" Soarin almost seemed a little offended that Rainbow would take a shortcut like that.

"That just seems arbitrary to me. Why hoof mix it when the blender is right there?"

"Cause that's not how we make it! There's a method to our pies and if we don't follow it, it'll all come out wrong." Soarin sighed and calmed down, pouring the mix back into the bowl from before. "Look just... Pass me some butter from the fridge."

Rainbow shrugged and grabbed the first butter she found, tossing it Soarin's way. Unfortunately, Soarin wasn't prepared and the stick of butter clocked him in the head. Rainbow put her hoofs to her mouth and tried her best not to laugh as the stick of butter slid down Soarin's muzzle, revealing an unamused expression.

"Oops. Sorry," Rainbow said, through muffled laughs.

Soarin grinned and took what butter he needed from the stick before throwing the rest of the butter back at Dash. She caught it easily, being more prepared than Soarin was. Soarin tossed the butter he needed into the bowl before looking back to Dash. "That was the unsalted butter, right?"

Rainbow paused and looked to the stick of butter in her hooves. It was definitely NOT unsalted butter. Rainbow waved it off and put the stick back in its place. "I'm sure it's fine."

The two continued their pie crust until the mix was ready for assembly. Soarin explained a few of his family methods but all the info just went in one ear and out the other for Dash. It was super hard to focus on the stallions words with something she didn't really care for.

Soarin emptied the bowl on the counter and split the mix into two equal chunks. "Now we flatten it and, when we're done, we'll throw the crust in the fridge."

"Flatten the dough, got it!" Rainbow pounded at the dough making the table jump and startling Soarin. She kept pounding at it, shaking the table and knocking ingredients over. Honestly, this was Rainbow's favorite part, just letting out her aggression on a dessert she didn't care for was strangely cathartic. Until she saw Soarin's look of concern.

"Uh... Rainbow Dash. Might want to be a bit more careful with the dough. You're trying to flatten it, not beat it up." His method was a lot smoother, forming the dough into a round disk shape and patting out any rough edges.

"I thought beating it was a baking thing...?"

"You beat eggs, not pie crust."

Rainbow grumbled again and followed Soarin's instructions. Unfortunately, the damage was already done. Her crust was already looking a bit malformed and lumpy compared to Soarin's. Soarin simply shrugged and took the crusts to the fridge. Rainbow was incredibly bored now.

"Uuuuugh! Are we done now?! That took like thirty minutes," Rainbow groaned at Soarin.

"You gotta have patience Dash. Now we wait one hour for the crusts to form."

"An HOUR?! We're just supposed to sit here for an hour now?!"

"It's the process. We don't wait and the crust won't stick together well."

Rainbow's scowl could give Fluttershy's stare a run for its money. Soarin picked up on Rainbow's frustration and bumped open the freezer. The freezer was lined with different flavors of ice cream. "Yeeeeah, the waiting gets to me too. That's why we got this. Pick a flavor."

Now THIS was something Rainbow could get behind! Rainbow quickly swooped up a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream and dug in. Soarin chuckled and grabbed the chocolate ice cream tub. The two spent a few minutes cooling down with their icy dessert of choice before Soarin broke the silence.

"Hey uh... Rainbow Dash. I know you're not the biggest fan of pies so... I just wanted to say how much it means that you stuck around." The smile that Soarin gave her reminded her why she was still here. It reminded her of the smiles Pinkie used to give whenever she, 'ate,' one of her pies, in spite of her own dislike of the pastry.

"Aww, it's nothing. I may not care for baking but friends gotta compromise, right?" Rainbow returned his smile, her anger and frustration from before melting away.

Soarin gave her a sly expression, pointing his spoon of ice cream at her. "You seemed pretty confident in your baking skills before. Or was that more Rainbow Crash bravado?"

Rainbow took the challenge on the chin and puffed out her chest. "Oh, I'm still an awesome baker! Just not something I do for fun, Clipper."

"Riiiight. Cause Rainbow Dash is awesome at everything, huh?" Soarin smirked before putting the spoon back in his mouth. After swallowing that bite, he leaned against a nearby counter. "You know, I'm starting to believe that. But we'll have to see how this pie turns out."

Rainbow nodded and went back to her ice cream, occasionally taking breaks from it to get to know Soarin better.

***

An hour passed much sooner than Rainbow expected it would. Somehow they got on the topic of Ogres and Oubliettes. She'd never really played it normally, mentioning that one time with Discord, Spike and Big Mac. Quibble also talked about it a few times in his letters, but Soarin's explanation caught her attention way more. Maybe it was because Soarin was better at describing the action side of the game but she was almost tempted to try it sometime.

Before she could ask about it more, a timer dinged, letting the ponies know their hour was up. Rainbow was first up, zooming to the fridge to pull the pie crusts out. "Finally! Now, what comes next?" Rainbow found herself actually excited to bake with her new friend.

The excitement wasn't lost on Soarin. He took a step up to the fridge and pointed towards the lines of fruit in the fridge. "Don't get too excited, Crash. I might start to think you like baking." Rainbow rolled her eyes and scanned the fruit. "Now we decide what filling to go with."

Rainbow's eyes landed on a small basket of blueberries and scooped them up. At the very least, she could pop a few in her mouth while they were baking.

"Blueberry it is. Set those on the table and I'll get the pie tin."

Rainbow did as she was told, placing the pie crusts on the cutting board and setting the blueberries aside. Soarin placed a pie tin on the counter and handed a rolling pin to Rainbow.

"Now roll the crust out till it's nice and flat. I got the under crust, so you're in charge of the top." Soarin got to rolling out his pie crust, leaving Dash with a few questions.

"Um... Alright... What's different about the top?" Rainbow cautiously rolled the dough out, following Soarin's example.

"Well, once you're done rolling it out, you cut the dough into strips."

"Right... Is this good?" Rainbow's dough was flattened but was tearing on the ends, making it look messy.

"Not quite. You gotta fix the tears. Like this," Soarin demonstrated how he fixed the edges of his dough. Once again, Rainbow followed his lead and produced something that was at least presentable.

Soarin then rolled his dough onto the rolling pin before placing the crust in the pie tin.

"Cool! Now we take the blueberries, add sugar, flour, cinnamon and lemon juice." Soarin explained as he overturned the basket of blueberries into a bowl.

One of the berries tumbled out and onto the counter before quickly being scooped up by Rainbow. "Wait, you put lemon in blueberry pie?"

"Yeah! It adds a little bit of kick to the pie! Trust me, it's great. Now pass me the lemon juice." Soarin held out his hoof for Rainbow.

Rainbow scratched her head a bit before looking in the cabinet and finding an assortment of identical looking bottles. She hesitated as she tried to figure out which one was the lemon juice. Most of the bottles were labeled but two of them had the labels scratched out. None of the labels read, Lemon Juice, so she just grabbed the one on the right, unaware that the faded label once read, "Vinegar."

Before she could hand it to Soarin and get corrected, High Winds called for Soarin again. He groaned and moved from the pie.

"Sorry Dash. Sounds like they need me again. Just... add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, half a cup of sugar, four and a half tablespoons of flour and a teaspoon of cinnamon to the bowl," Soarin's voice trailed off as he walked out of the room before he popped his head back in to add something. "Oh! And grab the secret ingredient! It's a family staple. Should be in the leftmost cupboard. Can't miss it!" And then he was gone again.

Rainbow's brain stuttered for a bit as she tried to remember everything he said. She quickly gathered the remaining ingredients and did her best to remember the measurements. She wasn't completely off all things considered. The measurements for the lemon juice were right... If it was actually lemon juice. And the only measurements she mixed up was the Cinnamon and the Flour!

Now it was time for the secret ingredient. Rainbow flew over to the cupboard Soarin mentioned and found a bottle that showed a cheery looking pony on it. Soarin was right, she definitely couldn't miss the bottle. It was the only thing in the cupboard. Curiosity got the better of her. She uncorked the bottle and sniffed its contents. It had a familiar scent of ozone...?

Is it... Lightning? Her question was suddenly answered when the opening of the bottle zapped her hoof with just enough force to make her jolt.

Rainbow stumbled back, crashing into the countertop and falling to the ground. While she recovered, the bag of flour on the counter tipped over, spilling onto Rainbow and covering her in white powder. Rainbow sneezed, kicking up the flour and making an even bigger mess. Luckily, she was able to keep hold of the lightning in a bottle, which she promptly recorked.

Soarin stumbled back in, alerted by the noise. "Rainbow Dash, are you alright?! What's going on in here?"

Rainbow coughed as she got back to her hooves. "I'm fine just... Had a little mishap." Rainbow offered the bottle to Soarin with a shaky smile. "One secret ingredient."

Soarin raised an eyebrow at Dash but didn't question her. "If you say so. I gotta get back to the counter. We're gettin slammed out there. Just add the secret ingredient, mix the blueberries and add them to the tin. Hopefully, I can join you soon." Soarin turned and left once more, not even looking at the bowl of blueberries.

Rainbow sighed and rubbed the spot on her side where she ran into the table before heading back to the bowl.

Soarin didn't really say how much needed to go in the bowl so she just put all of it inside. A small puff of storm cloud landed in the bowl, electrifying the berries and giving them a soft glow.

Satisfied, Rainbow carefully started mixing the berries together. She didn't want to touch them, so at first she tossed the bowl, hoping it'd work like a salad. It wasn't very effective. The stickiness of the berries made some of them stay in place while other berries just tumbled onto the floor. Rainbow almost slipped on them as she reached for a nearby wooden spoon.

After a bit of light mixing, Rainbow decided it was enough to pour them into the tin. The berries tumbled out, not all of which made it into the tin before rolling onto the floor. She sighed and looked towards the door to the counter.

"Soarin! I put the berries in the tin! Are you done yet?!" Rainbow shouted to her teammate.

"I uh... Still got a rush! But you're almost done! Just take the strips you cut before and put them on top of the pie in a lattice pattern," Soarin's reply come in a bit muffled.

"A what pattern?"

"Lattice! You have seen pies before, right?!"

Rainbow huffed and dipped her head a bit. We're supposed to be doing this together. She shook her head and decided to give Soarin a piece of her mind when she was done. Rainbow did her best to make a lattice pattern, but without Soarin there to guide her hoof it came out very sloppy. It didn't look much like a lattice at all, but it wasn't about the appearance. It was about taste and she followed the recipe perfectly! She thought at least.

Soarin still wasn't back, so she decided to take the initiative. She grabbed the pie tin and walked it over to the oven, carefully placing it inside and closing the oven door. It was then that Soarin finally rushed back inside.

"Alright! I'm back! Next step is to-"

Rainbow interrupted and gestured to the oven. "Don't worry about it! I finished everything. Just got to cook it." Rainbow had a smug look on her face, rather proud she handled almost all of the filling by herself.

"Wait, really...? Huh. Maybe I did misjudge you," Soarin complimented as he walked over to check the oven. He looked it over and smiled before setting the temperature to 350 degrees. "Rather impressive Rainbow. You might have a baker in you yet."

Rainbow grinned smugly and lifted her head up high. "You can praise me all you want, but pictures will cost extra."

Soarin rolled his eyes and gestured to the flour and blueberries on the floor. "How about you clean up your mess and we'll go for a fly. Got another hour before the pie's done."

"I thought you'd never ask!" Rainbow sped through her cleaning, eager to finally get some flying in with Soarin. Once the kitchen was spotless, the two headed out, leaving just before the pie in the oven sparked with electricity.

***

Rainbow and Soarin both zoomed into the kitchen, tapping the counter at the same time before busting out into boisterous laughter.

"I win! Told you I was faster! Beat you by a feather, Clipper. Or should I say, Slipper~?" Rainbow beamed confidently.

"I only slipped at the start cause you tripped me, Crash. And you didn't even win! I was miles ahead." Soarin stepped closer to Dash, a competitive smirk on his face.

Rainbow met him, getting her face within inches of his for her taunt. "Sounds like delusions from last place to me."

Soarin pushed further, pressing his forehead to Rainbow's. "Only delusions I see are from you. Probably inhaling too much of my cloud trail."

"Oh yeah? Well-"

The two ponies banter was interrupted by the shrill beeping of the oven. It filled the room with an ominous feeling as they realized the oven window was clouded with smoke. Soarin pulled back from Dash, making her fall on her face.

"Uh-Oh. That's not good," Soarin said, as he reached a tentative hoof towards the handle.

Rainbow got up and watched Soarin from a distance as he slowly cracked open the oven. Black smoke seeped through the opening and quickly filled the room, making both ponies cough as they tried to wave away the vapors. When the smoke cleared, Soarin grabbed a dishrag and grabbed at the edge of the pan. He had to move quickly as the sticky, hot contents bubbled past the ineffective cover. Soarin's lips got slightly burned as a bubble burst near his mouth, causing him to swiftly drop the "pie" on the counter.

The wretched confection was scorched black as small ripples of electricity ran along the surface of the open pie face. The lattice of pie crust Rainbow tried to place had burst, leaving curled up crust in a mess that did nothing to contain the blueberry filling. Probably the result of Rainbow forgetting the egg wash. The smell was off, more sour than sweet and filling the room with its pungent scent. The smell wasn't helped by the black smoke coming off the pie and filling the room.

Rainbow rushed to open a window, sticking her head out of it to get a fresh whiff of clear air. The smoke eventually cleared out of the kitchen, but the stink lingered.

Soarin stared at the abomination before him, almost in awe of it. It took Rainbow waving a hoof in front of his face to break him out of his trance.

"Rainbow I... I don't know what to say..."

Rainbow looked to the baked bad before forcing her gaze away, lest she also fall under it's trance. "I'm... Sure it doesn't taste as bad as it looks. It's not pretty and doesn't... Smell remotely edible, but I'm sure it's fine," Rainbow tried in vain to justify her mistake but Soarin was still stuck by the blackened mess. "L-Look! I'll try it and tell you what it tastes like!"

Before Rainbow could reach for a fork to taste the putrid pastry, Soarin shook his head and held a wing in front of her. His tone was deadly serious, like a hero preparing for a noble sacrifice.

"No... I'll taste it. It was my fault it got this bad. I was too distracted to notice the monster we were creating. So now, it falls to me. If I don't make it... Tell Spitfire of my sacrifice."

"S-Soarin...?" was all Rainbow could mutter as he walked in slow motion towards the pestilent pie. Celestia's sun shined off Soarin's head, illuminating him in light and causing Rainbow to have to put a hoof to her forehead if she wanted to watch his approach. The pie stood tall, a monument to the hubris of ponies.

Slowly... Soarin grabbed a fork from the drawer and pierced the syrupy flesh of his chosen foe. Electricity ran up the fork handle into Soarin's hoof but he shook it off with a simple grunt. Soarin would not be defeated like this! Not by a pie, his favorite sweet contaminated by an evil most foul!

With a thrust, he hit his mark, piercing the crust below before quickly shooting the fork up and into his mouth. Time stood still as the battle for Soarin's taste buds began. His expression remained neutral, putting on a brave face for his subordinate. He stayed there, motionless for a moment, and then two... And then three. Until he finally swallowed. His turn to dash was almost anticlimactic.

"You know, it's actually not that-" Soarin's body was suddenly attacked all at once. His mouth burned from the heat and overuse of cinnamon, causing him to cough up what he'd had in his mouth. The hairs of his coat stood on end as lightning entered his system, making him go bug eyed. The crust was overly salted, drying out his mouth and making him desperate for a glass of water. This wasn't helped by the taste of vinegar, causing his stomach to groan in displeasure.

Soarin placed a hoof on the counter top to steady himself and keep from falling, but the, "edible," bomb he'd just consumed was threatening to overwhelm him.

Rainbow rushed to his aid, helping steady him as he rode out the attack on his systems. "Soarin! Y-You're gonna be fine! Just hold on."

Soarin chuckled weakly and wiped his muzzle. "I... I think I'm through the worst of it. I just need to-"

A surge of energy bubbled up from Soarin's gut to his throat before being released from his mouth in the form of a large lighting bolt that struck the nearby wall, causing a loud crack of thunder. The sound and sudden burst of energy was enough to deafen Dash briefly and cause her to lose grip on Soarin. He fell to the ground, coughing and wheezing. "D-Dash..."

"Oh no! Soarin! Hey, talk to me, buddy. Stay with me!" Panic shook through Rainbow as she looked at the crumpled form of her friend on the floor.

"D-Dash... Did you... Use... All the secret... Ingredient," Soarin slurred through coughs and gasps for air.

Rainbow teared up a bit as she nodded, worry gripping her heart. "I... I didn't know how much you wanted me to use... There wasn't much so I used it all."

Soarin groaned as Rainbow lightly cradled his head in her lap. "It's... Alright... It was on me... I should've stayed..."

"N-No! It's all on me! I don't know squat about baking, but kept at it anyway! I'm probably the worst baker in all of Equestria! And now... Because of that you're..." Rainbow couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. Luckily, Soarin didn't let her.

"I lived a good life... Performed for ponies... Lived my dreams... Traveled the world... My only regret is that I didn't eat enough pie." Soarin let out a weak chuckle as his eyelids grew heavy.

"N-NO! You're gonna be alright! I'll... I'll go grab help!" Rainbow started to get up but she was stopped by Soarin.

"I... I have one more thing to say..." By the tone in his voice, it didn't sound like Soarin had a lot of strength left.

Rainbow teared up more as she looked to the weakened stallion below her. "Wh-What is it...?"

"I... I..." Soarin's eyes closed as his body went limp. Rainbow would've broken entirely if not for him suddenly shooting up from the ground with an impossible speed.

"I got you Crash! Should've seen the look on your face," Soarin chuckled loudly at Rainbow's stunned expression.

Her stunned expression very quickly turned to anger as her face grew hot. "This... Was all a PRANK?! Are you KIDDING me Soarin! I was... I was worried about you, you jerk!"

Soarin giggled louder and wiped a tear from his cheek before shaking his head. "Sorry Dash. I just had to get you back for last week. Think, now we're even."

"L-Last week? I didn't even pull a prank on you last week!" Rainbow was fuming, but her curiosity to Soarin's motives overtook her anger.

"Noo... But your friend Pinkie came by and gave you the most amazing looking pie ever! And you just threw it away. I get you don't like pie but hellooo, you have a pie enthusiast right here!" The Wonderbolt spoke with an almost comic level of seriousness, which would’ve been admirable if it wasn’t about pie.

Rainbow stuttered, taken aback by the stallion's answer. "All of this... Was for that?!"

Soarin's serious tone only grew. "I hate wasting good food, Rainbow Dash. Especially pies made by one of the best bakers in Equestria."

Rainbow stared at Soarin, trying to process everything that just happened. "So... You're saying you pranked me and made me think you were dying... Cause I didn't give you the pie Pinkie made?"

"Well, I didn't mean for it to go that far, the pie we made was pretty bad. But when I saw how bad of a baker you were, I had to play it up a bit. I uh... Probably went a bit far, huh? Sorry about that." Soarin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ya think?!" Rainbow shouted in her frazzled state.

The two stood there in silence for a moment before they both burst out in laughter. As much as it scared her, Rainbow had to admit that Soarin was a great prankster. Soarin was just happy Rainbow was being a good sport about it.

When the two ponies finally composed themselves, Rainbow let out a tired sigh of relief. "How did you even do the whole lightning thing? Was that real?"

"Oh yeah, it was real! Party trick I picked up a while ago. I can put small bits of storm cloud in my mouth and make it look like I'm breathing lightning. I could teach it to you some day."

"You better! That was awesome!" Rainbow cheered loudly, as she thought back to their first meeting. "Wait... Is THAT why you were covered in clouds this morning?"

Soarin pressed a hoof to his nose. "It's not some secret ingredient of my family. Just a fun use of a party trick. You really think we'd put actual lightning in our pies? We'd get sued from here to Manehattan if we did that."

Rainbow shook her head as she realized all the clues leading up to here. "High Winds never even needed your help, did she?"

"Nope. She was in on it too."

"Wait... So is the pie...?" Rainbow looked to the smoldering remains of what could've been a tasty treat.

"Oh no, it's awful. But not as bad as I made it seem, believe me I've tried A LOT of bad pies in my time. I'm a pretty good actor, huh?" Soarin smirked and put a hoof to his chest.

Rainbow couldn't help herself from taking the shot. "You're an alright actor. Don't get too big a head."

"Coming from the queen of inflated egos? Riiiight. And I was good enough to fool you." Soarin jabbed her teasingly in the chest.

Rainbow was gonna shoot back with her own insult, but Soarin's stomach growled angrily at him.

"We should... Clean this up before the smell makes me actually throw up," Soarin suggested.

"Agreed!"

***

Both Soarin and Dash got a chewing out by High Winds for the lingering smell of burnt blueberries in the kitchen and were promptly kicked out for the day. As they walked away the two couldn't stop laughing. Even when one would stop, all that it would take was a look from the other to get them started again. It took a while before either was coherent enough to speak.

"You know... I didn't think baking would actually bring us closer but... I don't think I've laughed this much in a while. I feel like I learned a lot about you today, Soarin."

Soarin nodded as he settled down from his giggle fit. "Glad you enjoyed yourself. Been wondering why we didn't do anything like this sooner."

Rainbow paused and sighed. "Guess... Even with my, 'inflated ego,' you mentioned, I had a hard time seeing us as on the same level. I spent so much time looking up to you guys, I guess I was still seeing you and the rest of the Bolts as idols instead of equals."

"Rainbow, you are one of us. Don't know why you need somepony like me to tell you that. You made it. You can relax."

"Well... Yeah I see that now. Just hard to break that thought, you know?"

Soarin paused and went quiet, thinking for a bit. "Yeah, I think I get it. Honestly, I found it a little hard to approach you too. Even after you came to find me on Mount Everhoof, I couldn't help but compare myself to you. Everywhere I looked you came out on top. You just seemed to have everything figured out." Rainbow looked to him for a bit, speechless.

He... Looks up to me?

"Buuuut... Now I know I'm at least a better baker than you~"

Rainbow lightly pushed him and rolled her eyes at his light jab. "Yeah. One thing you're better than me at. Don't think it'll stay that way. Now I have a reason to get better."

Soarin smirked and waved her off. "I'd like to see you try!"

"Oh, I'm gonna be better than you! So you better brush up before I leave you in the dust!"

"Speaking of leaving ponies in the dust..." Soarin took off at blinding speeds, leaving nothing but rushing wind in his wake. "Last one back to the compound's on toilet duty for a week!" Soarin shouted from the air.

"Hey! No fair! Soarin!" Rainbow took after him, tearing through the sky at speeds that would make jets dizzy.

In the fading sunlight of the day, high above the ground below, Rainbow had one thought in her mind as she raced with Soarin.

I finally have a friend in the Wonderbolts!

Shattering Expectations

The oppressively dull sound of the ceiling fan rang out above Soarin and Rainbow Dash as a straight faced Spitfire glared at them from across her desk.

The lead Wonderbolt had her front hooves crossed and resting on her desk with her chin propped on top. She narrowed her gaze at the two pegasi, giving them just enough time to consider their actions earlier today. After a few minutes of judging stares, Spitfire finally opened her mouth to speak.

"You two know why I called you here, right?" She prodded, her rhetorical question hanging in the air like a fog. The two ponies nodded professionally, their stares holding as they waited for the expected shouting. "Then explain. Explain why I'm dealing with the entirety of the mess hall being filled with soap!" There was a slight raise to the mare's voice, but it hadn't become shouting yet, though it carried the same weight.

Spitfire's two subordinates sat in silence for a beat before Rainbow spoke up. "That was me Spitfire, sir. It was meant to be a prank for Soarin, but it was a bit of a... Slippery situation." Rainbow had the slightest hints of a smirk forming on her face. Soarin did his best to hold back a giggle. Spitfire turned her attention to him, immediately shutting him down.

"Soarin. You seem to think this is funny. Care to explain why Rainbow here thought this was a good idea?" Soarin straightened at the use of his real name, letting him know this was a serious issue.

"Right! Well... Crash and I were-" he interrupted himself, doing his best to keep professional. "Dash, and I have this joke where... She calls me crusty, cause I'm older and the whole, growing up in a bakery thing."

Rainbow snorted quietly, before immediately straightening up again when Spitfire shot her a glance. "So... I guess she got the idea to prank me by cleaning up my act?"

Both of the ponies before Spitfire were on the verge of a laughing fit, but Spitfire wasn't amused. She turned back to Rainbow and raised an eyebrow. Spitfire spoke with a cool anger, letting it simmer as she got more information. "And Rainbow Dash. Why, for Celestia's sake, did you think you needed to fill the entirety of the mess hall instead of, I don't know, anything else?"

Rainbow's voice was defensive, but careful. "Well, I didn't mean for the prank to be on all the Bolts. I just... knew Soarin spent a lot of time in the Mess Hall and wanted to make sure he couldn't miss it. I was gonna clean it up once I got him!"

Spitfire sighed and rubbed her right temple with a hoof. "But you didn't... did you?"

Rainbow's gaze met the ceiling as she nervously answered, "Heh... I uh, guess not, huh?"

Spitfire's glare grew colder as she thought about what to do. Celestia give me strength. Even now they can't help giggling like foals. I can't let this stand. They've had too many chances. Spitfire leaned back in her seat, keeping her expression neutral.

"Rainbow Dash, for causing a disturbance in the compound, you're on bathroom duty for the next month. Soarin, for encouraging Rainbow's reckless behavior, you're going to clean the mess she left. And I expect both of you to apologize to all your fellow Bolts for the disruption. You're both dismissed," Spitfire spat at them. She was going to turn from them when Rainbow spoke up.

"Aww come on, Spitfire! Soarin didn't have anything to do with it. Why's he getting punished?"

Spitfire squinted as she spoke slowly, "Really? So you two haven't been egging each other on to bigger and better pranks for the last two months? You think I don't know about that?"

Rainbow paused, giving Soarin a chance to speak. "But they've all been harmless. 'Til now, we've only been playing pranks on each other. And even this one was pretty tame. We're all pegasi in our prime. It's not like most of us couldn't handle some slippery floor." Rainbow was quick to chime in her agreement.

Spitfire closes her eyes, her cheek twitching a bit. "It isn't about how dangerous the pranks were. You two are Wonderbolts; not just elite fliers but a branch of Celestia's military. These 'pranks,' hurt our image and make us look like a group of immature foals. Our reputation took enough of a hit after failing to stop Tirek two years ago.”

All three ponies winced at recalling that particularly embarrassing display. "And don't think I'm ignorant to the fact you placed a firecracker in the stalls of our most recent show, Soarin. You were lucky it was Rainbow Dash here that found it, and not a civilian."

Rainbow shot up from her seat in mild annoyance. "Oh, come on! That one was funny! It was low caliber. The most it would do is give somepony a start. You act like we're putting ponies in danger." Rainbow floated closer to the desk, resting a hoof on it in a casual manner. "Trust me, I learned all about curbing my pranks from my buds back in Ponyville." Dash seemed to shiver a bit recalling that particular Friendship lesson. "This one just got a bit out of hoof. It won't happen again."

Spitfire grit her teeth. "It shouldn't have happened in the first place! If word got out that two of our best fliers were pulling childish pranks on each other, Equestria would stop taking us seriously."

Rather than back down, Rainbow narrowed her eyes at that. Spitfire knew that look. If Rainbow didn't back down now, she was going to say something she regretted. But Spitfire knew she wouldn't do that.

"You know Spitfire, you're sooo worried about the Wonderbolt's reputation, but when was the last time the Bolts actually did something when Equestria was in danger?" Spitfire held back a snarl, as her gaze grew more fierce.

Soarin immediately knew she messed up and got up from his seat to calm his friend down. "Dash... Spitfire already dismissed us. Maybe we should head out. I can handle the mess hall."

Spitfire held a hoof, her rage at a boiling point. "No, let her speak. Please, Rainbow Dash. Tell me again. What did you just say about the Wonderbolts?"

Rainbow paused for a bit, but her ego was getting the better of her. "You're so worried about the image of the Bolts as some elite military force but you don't do anything! Who saved Equestria twice in the last 2 months? Oh, right. It was me and my friends. Pony of Shadows and the Storm King. Heard of them? And who was the last group of ponies to save Equestria before that? One of them was a STAGE magician. How does Trixie have more credits than a branch of the military? And-"

"ENOUGH!" Spitfire's shout boomed like thunder, immediately shutting up the brash pegasus. Spitfire slammed her hooves on the desk, leaving a fresh crack in the woodwork. "Clearly your friends never taught you to not run your mouth about things you know nothing about! You dare belittle the team and this institution that you're a part of like you're the only pony working to help Equestria! You may be an amazing flier, and even one of this country's heroes, but you have a lot to learn about respect. Ponies have lost their lives in defense of this country and you dare run your mouth cause you're an element bearer? An inflated ego, I can handle, but to so blatantly write off the sacrifices Wonderbolts of the past made... You're lucky I don't ban you from the Wonderbolts for insubordination! You are on thin ice Dash."

Any fight Rainbow had in her, left with each word Spitfire spoke. She simply floated back down to her seat, awaiting her CO's final judgment.

Spitfire seethed in her anger for a bit, glaring between the two dead silent ponies. "Rainbow Dash, effective immediately, I'm pulling you from any shows until you can show proper respect to not just me, but your fellow Wonderbolts. Now, both of you, get out of my sight."

Neither of them had anything to say to that, both giving a quick salute before leaving Spitfire's office in silence.

Spitfire did her best to relax, but she could feel the slight tremor in her forehooves. It would be a bit before she was calm enough to leave her office.

***

The day progressed in silence, word spreading fast that Spitfire gave Rainbow such a harsh punishment. She forced my hoof. That level of disrespect... Spitfire shook her head. She wasn't happy about having to put her hoof down like that. She understood that Rainbow was still young and had only been with the team for about a year and a half. But she wasn't that much younger than Spitfire herself.

Was I that self-centered four years ago? For Rainbow to think she was the only member of the Wonderbolts who was pulling her weight? That's beyond naiveté. Spitfire's mind wandered back to a certain pony many years back. One that pushed her to being the current Captain of the Wonderbolts. One who's wisdom and guidance would be with her until she died. One who's voice she missed to this day.

Before she could get too lost in thought, something broke her from her musing. "Hey, Captain!" a raspy voice called out from across the runway. Spitfire sighed and eyed the blue pegasus.

"If this is about getting back in the show, I'm not in the mood, Crash," She said the name with a little too much venom in her voice.

To her credit, Rainbow took the name she once hated with stride. She looked both ways before crossing the runway to Spitfire. "No, Spitfire it's not about that. I actually wanted to apologize. I got heated and didn't think about what I was saying. I meant no offense to you or the other Wonderbolts."

This was a surprise. It didn't make up for her words but at least she sounded sincere. Maybe her friends taught her more than she thought.

"Look Rainbow, you may be this hot shot that's showed us up a few times and helped remind us what the Wonderbolts should stand for, but you need to realize that just because you don't see us helping, doesn't mean we do nothing."

Rainbow nodded and landed in front of Spitfire, dipping her head a bit. "I understand. I'll be better about seeing that."

Spitfire eyed the mare, seeing she clearly had more to say. "Alright. See to it. Now, what else did you want to talk to me about?"

"I heard your birthday was coming up this Saturday and... Well, I was wondering if you wanted to swing by Ponyville and hang out?"

Spitfire's gaze tightened, trying to figure out what Rainbow's angle was. "If you learned about my birthday, you should also know I keep it a secret for a reason."

"That's why I didn't tell Pinkie about it. She'd probably try to throw you a party even if I begged her not to. We just need to be careful she doesn't find out. Then again, she might know it already cause she's just like that but..." Rainbow's voice faded off, giving a thousand yard stare.

Spitfire hesitated, waving a hoof in front of the frozen mare's face. Rainbow shook her head back to consciousness. "We just won't tell her, alright?"

Spitfire hummed a bit, recovering from her momentary concern. "And what makes you think I want to spend my, 'secret,' birthday with you, Crash? You disrespected me and the Wonderbolts in a huge way today."

Rainbow rubbed her side and glanced at the ground. "You're right. Consider it... Making up for today." Rainbow's attention quickly shot back to Spitfire as an excited smile spread across her face. "Oh! It's your birthday sooooo... If you join me, I'll follow any command you give! Without question! That way, you can get some payback and I'll get some extra discipline."

Spitfire rolled the idea around in her mind. It wasn't terrible. She was already thinking of a few ways she could make Rainbow regret that offer. "You sure about that, Rainbow Dash? You might end up regretting it."

Rainbow's expression oozed confidence. "I can handle anything you throw at me! I've been a Bolt for almost two years, and a Reserve for even longer! I got this!"

I'll make you eat those words, newbie. Spitfire held out a hoof to Rainbow Dash. "You got a deal, Rainbow Dash." Rainbow was quick to meet her hoof with Spitfire's, dooming her to Spitfire's fury. With that, Rainbow shot up into the sky, letting out a loud whooping sound as she went.

"That little pony has no idea what she signed up for."

***

After a moderate flight, Spitfire could see the familiar sight of Ponyville in the distance. Before meeting Rainbow Dash, Spitfire never thought about this little town much.

It was quaint, peaceful and the citizens were friendly, but that was true of a lot of places, and Spitfire honestly preferred places with a bit more energy to them.

But in just a few short years it had become a center for so much activity. Spitfire had to wonder if this place had always been so chaotic or if major events were drawn to Element Bearers like fan ponies to a show.

Spitfire carried a basket in her mouth that Rainbow insisted she bring. It contained an assortment of items she didn't really care about. An ugly old table lamp her mother gave her one year for Hearth's Warming, a few dead light bulbs, an ancient third place trophy she found in her attic; Rainbow did say they should be things that would make a satisfying crunch. Spitfire could take a guess at what Rainbow wanted to do with them but she decided to humor her.

Hope there's more to today than just smashing things.

She descended from the cloud line, making her way to the address Rainbow gave her. At first, Spitfire was confused about the number. She couldn't see any houses on the ground, so where was Rainbow taking her? She'd assumed this was Rainbow's home address. Does Rainbow live in some shack in the middle of nowhere? That didn't feel right.

Then she saw it. A magnificent tower, crafted out of clouds with an artisan's level of finesse added to the pillar's circling its structure. A rounded dome covered the top of the tower with a large waterfall of rainbow flowing out and forming a waterfall that spilled out onto the cloud foundation. Pools of the prismatic liquid rushed even further down, forming more falls to the ground below. Spitfire made an educated guess as to whose house this was, but it felt more like an art exhibit.

She must've got this place after becoming a Wonderbolt. No way could she afford this kind of house on a weather pony's salary.

Spitfire pushed past her shock and landed by the front door, knocking loudly and firmly. "Rainbow Dash! You in there?"

There was an unintelligible yelp followed by several crashing sounds before Rainbow was at the door. She looked like she'd just rolled out of bed. Her mane was a mess and she seemed slow to respond. A loud yawn escaped her muzzle before she spoke.

"Spitfire...? I wasn't expecting you for another few hours. What are you doing here so early?" Rainbow swayed a bit, like she'd fall back asleep.

The Wonderbolt Captain was happy she decided to bring her whistle and shades along. The screech made Rainbow shoot back to life and jump, hitting her head on the door frame. "Ten hut, Rainbow Crash! It's O' eight hundred. What kind of Wonderbolt is still in bed by now? Get your flank moving! We've got daylight to burn."

Rainbow groaned and rubbed her head, trying to wake herself up more. "But we have the day off... We're not even at the compound."

"A Wonderbolt needs to be ready at all times. That means being up early, even when off duty." Spitfire wanted to start the day off right. "Since you seem to still be in Lala land and not Equestria, why don't you wake up with a nice dip in your own rainbow pool."

That definitely got Rainbow's attention. "It's still early! That's gonna be freezing!"

"Are you questioning a direct order from your Captain?" Spitfire leaned in to Dash, looking at her with one wide amber eye. With a grumble, Rainbow plunged herself in the chilly depths, instantly waking her up. Spitfire couldn't help but grin as she watched the pegasus shiver. "Now give me one hundred laps!"

"Yes ma'am!" Rainbow said, through chattering teeth. She lifted off, doing her best to shake off the icy liquid sticking to her fur. While she did that, Spitfire found a lawn chair in Rainbow's house and laid back. Spitfire unfolded her sunglasses and enjoyed her small vengeance, as well as the warm sun beating down on her.

Once Rainbow finished her laps, Spitfire sat up, pulling her shades down to look at Dash. "You awake yet? Or do you need more laps." Rainbow shook her head, no longer shivering from the cold. "Good to see you remembered our deal."

Spitfire took one more look at Rainbow's home before standing fully. "Nice place you got here. Must've saved up a lot to get it."

Rainbow seemed a bit caught off guard but gave a delayed nod. "Oh. Yeah, it was a little expensive. But it wasn't too bad since I made it myself."

That made Spitfire freeze. "You... Made this house? You pulling my leg, newbie?"

"No, ma'am. I've been cloud shaping since I was a filly! This place was easy."

This place would put some cloud architects in Cloudsdale to shame! And she did it alone? Of all of Dash's talents, Spitfire never expected one of them to be architecture.

Might have to look into asking Dash for help with my own pad.

"Suuure... Care to fill me in on what there is to do here in Ponyville?"

"Well, there's Sugar Cube Corner if you're into sweets, we got a new club but they're not open until later, the lake nearby is one of my usual spots..." Rainbow's eyes finally landed on Spitfire's basket of junk. "Oh! You actually brought something! Those are for later. I got something special for us at twelve. We can just leave that here for now." Rainbow rushed to scoop the basket up and dropped it off in her house.

Spitfire considered her options, trying to recall anything that caught her attention on the way in. Spitfire never really had all that much of a sweet tooth, even as a filly. A club sounded like it could be fun but not at eight in the morning and the lake... Spitfire hated getting wet if she didn't have to, the irony of which also wasn’t lost on her.

A loud grumbling sound rumbled as she remembered that café back in town. When Rainbow returned, Spitfire's mind was made up.

***

While the two ate breakfast, an ear piercing screech rang out, immediately alerting both pegasi. Spitfire was first to respond, shooting her gaze to the source of the sound.

"Somepony's in danger! Rainbow Dash, on me!" Spitfire shot from her chair like a bullet.

Rainbow was by her side in less than a second. She tried to speak but still had a bite of her breakfast muffling her. With a quick swallow, she repeated her earlier statement.

"That sounded like Rarity!"

Spitfire nodded before locking in on a fancily designed building, made to look like a carousel. With a quick scan, she couldn't tell what the danger was. All she could see in the windows were ornate dresses covered in way too many gemstones for Spitfire's liking.

The two barged through the door, finding it was, fortunately, unlocked. Spitfire surveyed the room, finding a white coated pony, dramatically posing on a red cushioned couch.

Spitfire recognized this pony, remembering her from the Best Young Flier's Competition and from Celestia's royal garden opening in Canterlot.

Rainbow Dash was first to respond, resting a hoof on the unicorn's side. "Rarity! What happened? That scream could be heard all the way from Yakyakistan."

Rainbow was checking Rarity for any injuries when the fashion pony turned to her friend, mascara running as she whimpered. "Oh Rainbow Dash, it's just dreadful! Fluttershy was supposed to model for me today but she..." Rarity sniffled, making both the concerned pegasi lean closer in anticipation. "She had to cancel..."

The tension immediately faded as Rainbow's expression turned from concern to annoyance. "That's it... That's what that scream was for?!" Dash momentarily paused as she processed the events. “Why am I even acting shocked, you always make a huge deal out of stuff like this.”

"Rainbow darling, you don't understand. I need a pegasus model for my new line! The client's from Cloudsdale and is expecting perfection!"

As she watched the two ponies bicker, Spitfire couldn't help but think of a new way to get back at Dash, a smile quickly forming.

Spitfire cleared her throat, getting both of the friends attention. "Think I know something that could help. You need a pegasus pony, right? Why not Crash here? Heard her talking you up a lot back at the base. It'd only make sense she'd want to help out, wouldn't you?"

Rainbow's look of betrayal could be felt without so much as a glance, but Spitfire just grinned widely. Rarity didn't seem to pick up what was going on between the pegasi.

"You'd... really be willing to help me, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow's gut instinct was to decline Rarity's plea for help, but she was caught in Spitfire's web. A web given to Spitfire by herself. It only struck her now how evil Spitfire could truly be.

"I'd... Love to... Rarity. Nothing would make me happier than helping one of my best friends with... Dresses." She gritted her teeth, trying not to let on her disdain.

Rarity either didn't notice or didn't care, pouncing on her friend with a flurry of thank yous as she dragged her to the backrooms. Rainbow glared at Spitfire the whole time, making Spitfire's grin only grow. She did stop them before Rainbow was gone, giving her a glimmer of hope.

"Toss me your wallet. Gonna go pay for our breakfast."

***

Three hours. Three hours Rarity spent fussing over Rainbow Dash, trying to make the dress as beautiful as possible. Three hours of Rainbow groaning and tapping her hoof and trying to escape. Three hours that made up for it in the best way possible.

Rainbow emerged from the dressing room, dolled up more than she'd ever been in her life.

Her rainbow mane done up high in a beehive style, with diamonds placed about to keep its shape. Bangs hung down from the sides of her face, curling at the end. Rainbow's tail was braided with a bow tied around the base. Pink eyeliner and lipstick that would've given the rugged pony a refined look if she wasn't wearing the mother of all scowls. Her dress was long and flowy, sparkling in all colors with every stomp she took. Small gemstone earrings dangled from her down pointed ears. Rainbow's heels were taking a beating, which was unfortunate. Even Spitfire had to admit they were gorgeous, shimmering with every heavy hoof fall closer.

Needless to say, the sight and experience left the veteran Wonderbolt on cloud nine.

Rainbow made a face like someone mentioned hibernation around Tank, but before she could go off on Spitfire, Rarity followed her out of the back room, bouncing like the floor was made of jelly. "Oooooo~! It's perfect, darling! I knew you'd be the perfect model for this dress! I really wish you'd let me do this more often. You make every ensemble pop!"

"Guess she's not called Rainbow Fash around the compound for nothing," Spitfire teased.

Rainbow's ear twitched twice before turning back to Rarity. "Rarity! Are we done yet? We've been here forever and this make up is making my eyes burn!"

Rarity tutted softly, "Honestly, Rainbow Dash. You're always in a hurry. You should slow down. It's not about the destination, but the journey." Rarity used her magic to quickly remove Rainbow's dress, floating it over to a clothing rack.

The second she was free, Rainbow charged for the door, ready to wipe the make-up off her face and free her hair from its constraints. Spitfire kindly stepped in front of the door, not quite done tormenting the poor pony.

"Gotta say, don't look half bad, Crash. It'd be a shame to have nopony see your new style. I say keep it up for a little longer. I'd love to have some more opinions."

Rainbow's look of utter heartbreak almost made Spitfire feel bad, but Spitfire had to add one last thing. "Better yet, any time somepony mentions your new do, I want you to blow that pony a kiss." Rainbow wanted to scream. It was written all over Rainbow's face. But she didn't want to give Spitfire the satisfaction. This was a challenge and Rainbow Dash never backed down from a challenge. And Spitfire was using that to her advantage.

Once the two left from Carousel Boutique, Spitfire cracked up, no longer able to hold it back. Rainbow huffed, blowing the curly bangs away from her face. "This is cruel and unusual punishment, Captain."

"What? You really do look good." Spitfire looked at Rainbow Dash expectantly. It took her a moment before Rainbow registered what she wanted.

With a growl, Rainbow placed a feather to her muzzle and kissed it before blowing the kiss towards Spitfire. She couldn't help but break again, still laughing as she spoke.

"You certainly put up with a lot, huh Crash? I thought you would've cracked by now." Spitfire wiped a tear from her eye as she slowly recovered from her laughing fit.

Rainbow was quick to snap back at Spitfire, a determined look in her eye. "I said I could handle anything you threw at me and I meant it! This is nothing."

Spitfire had to admire the newbie's tenacity. Rainbow hadn't blown her top even once, despite Spitfire putting her through the wringer. Maybe it was because she had something to prove? Or was Rainbow Dash just really determined to make up for a few days ago?

Despite thinking she knew everything about the brash rookie, she really couldn't tell. Maybe that would change and she'd break later, but Rainbow Dash was still finding ways to impress her.

"Alright, now what was it you wanted to-" A loud explosion rippled through the air, sending Spitfire into emergency response mode again.

"Detonation, five yards. Let's move." Spitfire took off mid sentence, swiftly followed by Rainbow Dash.

After images trailed behind the two Wonderbolts as they closed the distance between them and the potential danger, finding its source to be some form of sweets shop. The structure seemed to be intact, but a look through the window told Spitfire there was some pink mass rapidly expanding. Spitfire barreled for the window, bracing for impact when she suddenly lost all momentum.

Spitfire looked around frantically, trying to make out why she stopped. Purple magic had enveloped her form. Spitfire turned to find the culprit, a pink unicorn with a purple mane and tail. Both had a single streak of light blue hair running through them.

Starlight breathed a sigh of relief and released both Spitfire and Rainbow Dash from her magic hold. "Sorry about that, you two. Didn't want either of you getting hurt."

"Starlight Glimmer? What in Equestria is going on in there?!" Spitfire demanded, her eyes still scanning the building to make sure nopony was inside.

"I can assure you, everything is under control. Pinkie and I just had a little... Mishap. And now she's handling it." The tone was far too casual for Spitfire's liking. Rainbow's response was even more concerning.

"Pinkie ask you to cast a growth spell on one of her cakes again?"

Starlight chuckled nervously and rubbed her forehoof, giving a soft nod. "She said she could stop it from growing out of control this time." Pink frosting caked the inside of the window, obscuring the inside of Sugar Cube Corner. "It's at least better than before so... progress?"

Spitfire was dumbfounded. "Before?! How often do cakes explode here?"

Rainbow shrugged softly, a nonchalant look on her face. "Give or take, about once or twice a week. You get used to it."

Her response left Spitfire utterly floored, staring at the wreckage and the mental image of it being a regular event.

What is this town?!

Spitfire needed a distraction or she would just keep thinking about how Ponyville was a magnet for trouble. Luckily, Starlight was more than happy to give her one.

"Nice to see you again Spitfire. Sorry we didn't get to talk much at the school last week."

Spitfire sighed, actively turning so the cake catastrophe was behind her. "Not a problem. I understand. with both the students and Discord to deal with, you had your hooves full. Your kids aren't half bad. That hippogriff, Silver Stream I think, said she wanted to join the reserves at some point."

Rainbow cocked her head a bit. "Wait, Spitfire... When'd you meet Starlight?"

"Remember the Friendship Festival? Yeah... Spitfire kinda saved me when I was surrounded by Storm Guards." Starlight chuckled nervously before registering what Rainbow was wearing. "Rainbow... Are you wearing make-up?"

Rainbow's shocked expression dropped as she groaned. Rainbow blew a kiss to her friend, making Starlight look at her funny. Spitfire snorted softly.

"I told you, Rainbow. Just because you didn't see us helping, doesn't mean we didn't. Somepony had to protect Equestria while you were gone." Spitfire did little to hide the pride in her voice.

Shame washed over Rainbow Dash, but it wasn't from the embarrassing moment. Spitfire could tell Rainbow finally realized the extent of her disrespect. Spitfire let the rookie sit with her revelation, knowing she'd need time to truly think about her screw-up.

During the silence, the door to Sugar Cube Corner swung open, showing nothing but a hallway full of cake. Then Pinkie Pie stepped out of the mass with a playful prance, completely no worse for wear.

"The cakezilla is under control! Come on in Starlight, the cake is deeeelicious!" Pinkie giggled bubbly, letting out a snort before clocking her friend. "Oh, hi Dashie!" The bouncing pony tackled Rainbow, giving her a tight hug.

The hug seemed to shake Rainbow out of her thoughts, cheering her up just a bit. "Hey, Pinkie. Good to see you."

Pinkie frowned at the unusually low energy greeting from her best friend. "Are you okay Dash...? You look like somecreature served you a big cup of depresso..."

Rainbow chuckled weakly before turning her attention to Spitfire. "I'm alright, Pinkie. Just realized how much of a jerk I've been."

Spitfire gave Rainbow a small smile, hopeful the lesson would stick now. It was then Spitfire realized what time it was.

"Dash, didn't we have somewhere to be soon? Something you planned for us?"

Rainbow's expression immediately shifted, pulling from Pinkie's grip as fast as possible. "Right! Pinkie, I'll see you later! Spitfire and I are gonna be late!"

With the absence of Rainbow giving her balance, Pinkie fell flat on her face. She scrambled to her hooves, still worried about her friend. "W-Wait! Where are you going? Can I come?"

Rainbow looked a little guilty, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. "Sorry Pinkie. It's kinda just between the two of us. We're going to Breakpoint to celebrate Spitfire's-" Rainbow suddenly stopped herself, realizing how close she was to blowing their cover.

"Celebrate...? Like a party? What are you two celebrating?" Pinkie had a sudden suspicious tone to her voice, reminding Spitfire of the pony's, 'investigation' at the compound two months back.

"I broke a new record during training yesterday. It's been a pretty big deal around headquarters. Rainbow Dash here thought it'd be a good idea to celebrate in Ponyville," Spitfire said coolly, turning back to Dash with a confident smile.

Rainbow was quick to nod, but Pinkie Pie turned her head at them, sizing them up with one eye that bulged a bit towards them, actually causing the unflinching Spitfire to take a step back.

Pinkie let out an overdramatic, "Hmmmmmm..."

"We should get going! We still have to stop by my place to grab our stuff. Bye Pinkie, bye Starlight!" Rainbow rocketed off, grabbing Spitfire as she went.

While the pegasi flew, Spitfire waved at Rainbow's friends. Only Starlight returned the gesture. Pinkie was still in that same pose, frozen in suspicion.

***

From the outside, Breakpoint looked like a fairly simple building. It had a fresh coat of paint, making Spitfire think that it was fairly new. Over the door hung a large billboard with the words, "Breakpoint," and a graphic of a baseball bat shattering a vase. Spitfire was... On the fence about this place.

It wasn't long before the two were led into the back by a tall Unicorn. Spitfire hung back a bit, her curiosity getting the best of her. She cracked open one of the doors to Rage Room 1.

She was surprised to find Princess Twilight Sparkle standing in front of a table with an old stereo on it. The only reason Spitfire could tell the pony was Twilight was because of her general body shape. She was wearing what looked like Owl pajamas that covered her whole body.

The Princess levitated a bat in her magic, almost in preparation for something. The stereo squeaked out a strange tune. "Can we pretend that-"

Smash!

Twilight swung her bat down once. Twice. Thrice. She kept smashing, over and over as she cackled wickedly. Spitfire decided that was enough.

She moved onto the next room. Spitfire was already falling behind a bit so she decided to just take a quick glance in this one before moving on.

Rage Room 2 was just on fire, completely on fire. The walls, the table, any scattered objects inside. The only thing that wasn't on fire was Pinkie Pie, who was standing completely still in an alligator onesie. She had an eerie smile on her face. Spitfire only saw a split second but it was enough to make her want to double back.

Spitfire opened the door fully now, only to find the fire was gone and the room was spotless. Pinkie still stood there, with the same smile on her face. Spitfire stared, at a loss for words. Pinkie's head started to slowly turn to her, prompting Spitfire to slam the door and skitter away.

The now shaken Wonderbolt quickly caught back up with Rainbow and the unicorn, definitely feeling more perturbed than she was before. Rainbow shot her a look but Spitfire simply shook her head, telling her not to ask.

After a quick rundown of the rules, the two were led into their room. On the table in the center of the room sat two baskets of personal items that Spitfire and Dash brought with them, but that wasn't all. Old furniture, busted lamps and ceramic dishes littered the room, just waiting to be trashed. Despite how childish it felt, Spitfire had to admit she was getting excited.

The unicorn directed them to a rack of animal pajamas and the stash of blunt weapons in the corner. He told them they had the room for an hour and closed the door behind him.

Rainbow didn't waste any time, getting dressed in a turtle onesie. Or was it a tortoise? Spitfire decided it didn't matter. She grabbed the first set of protective sleepwear she could find and donned it in an instant, which happened to be a tiger.

Spitfire grabbed a metal bat, giving it a few test swings before turning to Rainbow Dash.

"So... I just get to destroy things?" Rainbow cracked a smile as she nodded at Spitfire's question. "Anything in here?" Rainbow just grinned more.

Spitfire clenched her jaw around her weapon and she was off, burying her bat in the glass of an old display case. The shattering sound shot lightning through Spitfire's system as the rain of glass flew past her mane. She cracked her neck before blowing out the wooden frame, sending splinters flying through the air. CRACK With the bat again. CRACK! CRACK! Over and over until the display was nothing but wood pulp and shards on the floor. Spitfire let out a howl and leapt to the next object, bringing all her weight down it in a second.

Rainbow leaned against a nearby wall, enjoying the carnage almost as much as Spitfire was. "Don't think I've ever seen you this fired up, Punt Cake."

Spitfire froze, her eyes glowing with primal rage as she cocked her head to the side at Dash. "What was that, newbie?"

Rainbow Dash held up her hooves in mock defense, backing up with a smug look. "Touchy. Not used to your own nickname?"

Nopony ever called Spitfire by that name. All the Bolts were too intimidated by the Captain's reputation to ever use it. All but one, a while back. And now, Dash. Just hearing the name got her burning even hotter.

"You just gonna stand there newbie, or are you going to help me turn everything here to dust?"

A wicked grin shot across Rainbow's muzzle. "Thought you'd never ask."

The two athletes tore through the room like a storm of timber wolves, cracking, splintering and shattering everything they could get their hooves on.

Rainbow grabbed a glass before throwing it at Spitfire, who in turn shattered it mid air with her bat. Spitfire ripped the door off an armoire with her teeth before Rainbow exploded it with her buccaneer blaze. Spitfire was in a state of complete frenzy and she loved it.

Finally, she turned to one of the items she'd brought with her, a murderous gleam in her eye. She grabbed that old table lamp from her mother. She held it in her hoof as she looked it over.

"I always hated this lamp. It's ugly as sin." Spitfire bared her teeth in destructive glee. "Wonder how well it'll shatter~"

Spitfire lifted the lamp up and readied her bat when it suddenly spoke. "Spitfire! You are too old for this nonsense!" Its voice was high pitched and squeaky.

Spitfire stuttered as she dropped the lamp in shock. "Rainbow! The lamp just SPOKE!"

It then spoke again. "Clean up this mess! Honestly, what kind of example are you setting..." it continued to ramble on as Rainbow flew next to Spitfire.

"Now you see what sets this place apart." Rainbow chuckled as she lifted an item from her own basket. It looked like a limited edition Wind Rider glass cup. The face of Wind Rider started to speak as well, rambling on about Rainbow's insecurities. Rainbow threw it at a wall, shattering it instantly.

"They enchant the items you bring. Makes it more fun to break."

The small lamp was still going on, saying all the things she'd thought before coming here.

"Childish behavior has no place in the Wonderbolts. You should be working, not goofing off. You're setting a bad example for the team."

This wasn't some spell made for catharsis, it gave voice to the nagging voice inside and called out everything a pony hated about themselves.

"You'll never be half the Wonderbolt she was!"

Time slowed as Spitfire's legs kicked into overdrive. Each stomp towards the intrusive thoughts given physical form echoed in her mind, drowning out anything else. This... This was the real purpose of the room, letting a pony buck away at the part of them that was never satisfied. A way to break through that force keeping them down. An escape from doubts.

Glass shards cracked under Spitfire's hoof, pushing her further as she winded up her shot. Spitfire could swear she saw her bat catch fire with the speed she swung it.

The resulting smashing sound sent the whole world into clarity, easing away the tension Spitfire had held for so long. Wings relaxed, her vision cleared and sensations she hadn't felt in forever returned back to her. She tasted the saltiness of sweat from her brow, any aches and pains in her body faded, all freed in a swing of a smoking bat. That ugly lamp was in smithereens before Spitfire, sparking slightly as the pegasus felt true bliss for the first time in a while.

Spitfire wanted to keep going, but her body was so relaxed from the relief she couldn't will it to move. A part of her knew that the voice wasn't gone. It was still in her head. It would never leave her. But she didn't care. She could finally give that voice a piece of her mind. And she could do it again.

That thought gave her the strength to take to the air. Rainbow was still standing behind her as Spitfire turned only her head to Dash. The intense side eye of her Captain was enough to shake Rainbow out of her daze.

"Throw me another."

***

Spitfire and Rainbow Dash left nothing in their room intact. Even Spitfire's bat left melted and disfigured. Spitfire trotted out of the rage room with every muscle aching. Her hooves were bruised through the suit, and her wings hurt too much to fly. Spitfire's mane hung in wet strands, making her look like a drowned rat. The only thing keeping Spitfire standing was pure adrenaline.

And yet, she never felt better.

Rainbow Dash didn't look especially pretty either. The makeup Rarity gave her was running and her hair frizzed wildly. Spitfire gave her permission to finally pull her hair down and wash off her face.

After a few bottles of water, the two Wonderbolts decided to crash in the nearby park to catch their breath. Spitfire wobbled on her hooves before collapsing onto her back with a huff. Spitfire let out a few tired chuckles before turning to face Rainbow.

"So, this is what it's like to hang with the great Rainbow Dash? I can see why Soarin talks about you so much. You're a bad influence."

Rainbow was sprawled out on her back, seemingly just as tired as Spitfire was. She let out a slight giggle.

"If you consider fun a bad influence! Don't act like that wasn't a blast."

Spitfire smirked and looked back to the sky. "Got me there, Crash. It's been too long since I just let myself have fun with something. You were right, I needed this."

"I knew you did. I just don't get why you don't do things like this more often."

"I'm the Captain of the Wonderbolts. I can't just do whatever I want. There's a lot of pressure to perform at the top."

Rainbow sat up, looking to Spitfire with a concerned expression. "All the more reason you need time to let loose. If everycreature keeps winding you up like a spring, eventually you're gonna pop. You need to relieve the tension every now and then."

Spitfire sighed. It wasn't the first time she heard something like this. This conversation was all too familiar to her. She turned to face Dash again.

"You've been talking to Soarin about me, huh?"

"Well, yeah. He's your oldest friend. He worries about you. A lot. And so do I. We're both worried you're pushing yourself too hard."

Spitfire closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "You two don't need to do that. I know my limits." Rainbow seemed disappointed by this answer. She looked like she was going to speak up but Spitfire raised a hoof to stop her.

"But, it's still nice to know you're both there for me. I'll try to give myself more room to breathe." Spitfire got to her hooves, the ache in her legs fading as the moment of relaxation gave her a second wind. "I've been overly stressed because what you said in my office was true. The Wonderbolts have been inactive in too many threats to Equestria. Tirek, Discord, Queen Chrysalis. All threats we were powerless to stop. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. I want to form a team that can stand up against the threats Equestria is facing. But I need the best ponies I can get to do it."

Spitfire stopped, having walked a few paces from Rainbow, who was still watching from the ground.

"Ponies that can take orders and even challenge me when I'm being stubborn. Ponies who will own up to their mistakes and do everything in their power to make up for them. Ponies that care enough about their team members to spend time with them, even if they aren't on the best terms. I need ponies like you Rainbow Dash."

Spitfire turned, walking back to Rainbow Dash and extending her hoof towards her. "What do you say, Dash? Wanna help me build the best team of Wonderbolts Equestria has ever seen?"

Rainbow didn't even hesitate, grabbing it the second Spitfire stopped talking.

"You know it! On one condition." Rainbow pulled herself up with the help of Spitfire, giving her a serious look. "You let yourself have fun every now and then. The biggest accomplishments in Equestria weren't pulled off by just a group of ponies. It was accomplished by a group of friends."

Spitfire smirked. "Guess you're right, Dash. But I think we've got that part down."

Rainbow grinned back. "True."

The two turned from each other, now standing side by side as they looked to Ponyville.

"So... You ready for more fun? We still have half the day left. I've got a lot more orders for you."

"I'm always ready! Part of the Wonderbolt Code, isn't it?"

The two shared a knowing glance, both feeling confident in the future of the Wonderbolts. Spitfire couldn't help but feel a little foalish, being so excited about having a new friend. But maybe foalish things weren't so bad every now and then. And then they were off.

Author's Note

Thank you again for reading. This chapter gave me a bit of problems, but I'm just happy it's finished. I had a whole other first draft that I just was not happy with. A few things stayed but the concept was pretty different. Any comments and likes are appreciated and I hope you enjoyed. Be on the look out for the last chapter coming out (Hopefully) soon!

Shout out to my editor, The Fan Without a Face! You can find their channel here!
https://www.fimfiction.net/user/224464/The+Fan+Without+a+Face

Invasive Feelings

Three months ago

Panic. Panic in the streets of Canterlot as ponies fled in fear from the coming invaders.

Soarin found himself frozen for the briefest moment. Celestia, Luna, and Cadence all defeated in a matter of minutes. It was only by the swift intervention of a civilian pegasus that Twilight wasn't turned to stone as well. Storm Guards charged ponies, rounding them up as screams rang out.

Soarin was suddenly shaken from his trance when he heard Spitfire, his Captain and oldest friend, barking orders at him.

"Clipper! Get your flank off the ground and help me! We need to make a tactical retreat!" If Spitfire was in the same state of panic Soarin was in, it didn't show.

Soarin shook his head and nodded, following his commanding officer's demand. Spitfire, along with the rest of the Wonderbolts, had managed to keep a small group of ponies safe, but there were too many for the elite fliers to carry them out of the city.

Among the group there was one pony Soarin vaguely recognized. Rainbow Dash told him a bit about a pink unicorn that used to run some sort of cult village, but was good now.

He wasn't sure what to make of that information, but he wasn't in a position to be picky.

"Where is Crash? Did she escape already?"

Worry gripped Soarin's heart but he couldn't let himself wallow. He'd just have to trust that his friend was safe. Afterall, she's one of the strongest ponies in Equestria. Though... Maybe strength meant nothing if the Princesses could be dispatched so quickly.

Before he could get lost in thoughts again, he saw a colt running from Storm Guards.

Adrenaline coursed through Soarin as he swooped down, bowling into the group of Storm Guards and knocking them over like an arrangement of pins. The little earth pony trembled, but quickly ran to the group when Soarin directed him towards it.

Soarin angled up again, dodging a few Storm Guard spears from the ground. He scanned for any safe route out of the city, but kept coming up short. The main bridge out of Canterlot was blocked off by Storm King forces and the skies were still swarming with the invader's ships. Anywhere they went could be seen by those ships. Unless they were...

"Underground!" The realization hit him like a flash, or more accurately, like a Dash.

During their last show in Canterlot, Rainbow Dash showed Soarin how to get to the caves beneath Canterlot. Soarin did a bit of exploring earlier and, after getting lost for a bit, found a path that connected to the outskirts of Canterlot, which he made sure to leave markers for just in case.

Soarin flew to Spitfire's side. "Spitfire! I know a way out, but we need a distraction team to draw the Storm King's forces!"

Spitfire nodded and directed Fleetfoot, Misty Fly and High Winds to handle the Storm Guards.

The three Wonderbolts flew together, Fleetfoot directing them to follow her movements exactly. The trained fliers flew in a circle fast enough to form a large tornado, sending it towards a group of Storm Guards. Instead of letting it go free, the three stayed inside its whipping winds to ensure no civilians were swept away.

Soarin took the lead, landing so he could draw less attention while he guided the scared ponies. He was quick to dispatch any straggling guards that got in his way.

The group eventually made it to the secret passage, an old looking hole in the ground near Canterlot's cloud stadium. Soarin quickly bashed through the wooden boarding that was blocking it off and gestured for everypony to follow.

Pony after pony bolted to safety, but a headcount told Soarin somepony was missing. His eyes widened when he saw the colt from before trembling behind a building.

Soarin quickly flew over to him. "Come on, little guy. We're almost there!"

The colt whimpered as he stared at the cave entrance. "B-But it's dark and scary... I want my mom and dad..."

Soarin frowned. "Kid's parents aren't with the group... Must've been captured."

"Your parents are gonna be okay. The Wonderbolts will save them! But for now, we have to go. I'm sure your parents want you safe."

"B-But-"

Soarin reached a hoof out to the colt, giving him a comforting smile.

"I promise. It'll be okay." Soarin thought about something Rainbow showed him one time, and decided to try it out. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

When Soarin stuck his hoof in his eye, he winced a bit, getting a short giggle from the colt.

The young Earth Pony approached and gave a shy look. "C-Can I ride on your back? I think I sprained my hoof..."

Soarin nodded and scooped the little pony up, carefully flying towards the cave. "What's your name kid?"

"Acorn Squash."

***

Soarin spent the next hour guiding the group of ponies through the catacombs. Rumbles and sounds from above accompanied their journey. Soarin did his best to lighten the mood with some jokes, but no pony seemed in the mood. At least Acorn seemed calmer than he was before.

Spitfire didn't say a word during the trip, even to scold Soarin for his childish behavior in such a dire moment.

"She's thinking about her again."

Eventually, Soarin saw light. He rushed towards it, immediately taking off to reach it as soon as possible. Soarin's excitement was short-lived. While they were finally free from Canterlot, Soarin could still see the destruction the city suffered. His heart sank as he took in the true extent of what happened.

Buildings had crumbled from the attack, sky ships still poured out their polluting gas and Storm Guards could still be seen walking the streets, many captured ponies visible from a distance. Canterlot had fallen.

Acorn looked like he was on the verge of tears, but Soarin wouldn't let that stand. He turned his head to the little colt and grinned.

"Hey Acorn, wanna see something cool?"

Acorn looked confused but Soarin didn't wait for an answer. He flew up and grabbed a small cloud before condensing it into a tiny bit of storm cloud.

Acorn looked at the little ball of vapor and lighting, the smallest hint of a smile forming. He reached a hoof out to touch it before Soarin quickly gobbled it up with a satisfied sigh.

Acorn let out an indignant, "Hey!" Before Soarin suddenly hiccupped lightning. Acorn froze while Soarin held a hoof to his mouth. He then hiccupped again, and again. Soon, Soarin was overwhelmed with hiccups, sending small bursts of lightning into the air. Acorn couldn't help but laugh, his sadness from before being buried by Soarin's shocking display.

Between electrified hiccups, Soarin smiled.

Spitfire soon called him down to speak strategy. Soarin set Acorn down with the rest of the civilians and joined his Captain near the mouth of the cave. He looked around for his team members before noticing they were short a few ponies.

"Fleetfoot, Misty and Winds didn't make it out, huh?"

Spitfire gave a solemn head shake, with Soarin feeling his mood drop.

"Hope they're safe. And I haven't even seen Dash since before the invasion."

"I don't know where Rainbow Dash is either. Odds are, she's with her friends." Spitfire said, giving words to Soarin's own thoughts. "But we can't wait for them to solve this, like we always do. We need to find out what Tempest is planning and save every pony we can. Our numbers are too small for a full assault of the city, but maybe we can gather more allies." Spitfire continued, rolling out a map on the floor.

That pink Unicorn from before walked into the cave, a slight awkward smile on her face.

"Hey! Starlight Glimmer. Maybe I could help?" Spitfire looked at her quizzically before the pony stepped forward. "I'm Twilight's student and I think my magic could be of use."

Soarin watched Spitfire eye the pony up, likely familiar with her reputation. Normally, an unexpected guest, especially a former villain, during a Wonderbolt strategy meeting was cause for shouting, but these were desperate times.

After a few seconds of staring, Spitfire sighed. "Fine. Normally I don't let civilians in on our plans, but you're not an ordinary civilian."

"She's allowing Starlight to help? Without so much as a raised voice? Spitfire must really be in a bad spot."

The strategy meeting proceeded, with everypony being given their part. Starlight was to teleport to Ponyville and prepare the Elements of Harmony, should Twilight return with her friends in need of them. Several Bolts were to fly to Cloudsdale and gather the reserves. Spitfire would remain near the caves, setting up a camp for the rescued ponies and to ensure the safety of the ones escaping from Canterlot.

Meanwhile, Soarin was given a special mission. Due to his unique talent with silent flying, he would act as a spy for the Wonderbolts, finding out Tempest and the Storm King's plan.

Everypony was dismissed, but Soarin had something he needed to say before he could get started on his mission.

"Captain. Permission to speak freely?"

Spitfire looked at him, dismissively. "What is it, Soarin?"

"You sure you want me to go back to Canterlot so soon?" Soarin's voice conveyed less fear and more confusion than anything else.

Spitfire looked at him crossly. "We need eyes in Canterlot promptly. Every second we aren't doing something, ponies suffer."

She's deflecting. Soarin opted to alter his word choice a bit.

"What I mean is... You sure you don't want me to stay for a little bit? You seem to be taking this pretty hard and I think you could use a friend."

Spitfire stomped, doubling down. "What I could use is somepony who doesn't question my orders!"

Soarin felt his own anger start to rise a bit. "I'm not questioning your orders, Captain. I'm worried about you. You're always too hard on yourself when it comes to the Wonderbolts."

Spitfire walked up to Soarin, her glare growing intense. "Soarin, do not think you can use our previous connection to disobey me. Get back to Canterlot and give me my SITREP."

"Previous Connection?! Is that what she wants to call it?"

Soarin nickered, not wanting to waste breath arguing. "Fine. I'll get you your SITREP, Captain." Soarin took off, back into the cave with a huff. He tried his best to hold back his tears, telling himself it was just the stress getting to her. But one pervasive thought ran through his mind.

"Are we... Still friends?"

Modern Day

Soarin's stomach lurched as he forced down Rainbow's most recent abomination.

Since their first disaster in the kitchen, Rainbow decided she would learn to bake, even if it killed her. Soarin, knowing Rainbow's baking skills, decided to help her, thinking she might actually kill herself with her current, "talent."

That was the reason Soarin was currently at Rainbow's house today for their lesson... And his stomach was hating every second of it.

Today, Rainbow tried her hoof at cinnamon balls, basically cinnamon flavored donut holes. Simple enough, right? Rainbow's were, to put it mildly, bad. Like eating a sugary moth ball mixed with sand.

Soarin sighed in relief when the powdery mess moved past his taste buds and down his throat.

Rainbow looked up to Soarin, confidence oozing as she waited for his answer. "Sooooo? How were they? Am I the best baker now, or what?"

Soarin took a breath before responding. "Gonna go with, or what."

"What?!" Rainbow's expression dipped as her eyes went wide.

"Don't get me wrong Crash, you're getting better. This was much more tolerable than that pie, but..." Soarin proceeded to rattle of a list of things wrong with Rainbow's "Sweets." Despite Rainbow's confidence, Soarin had quite a few things to say.

Quite a few.

Rainbow just groaned and deflated a bit, waiting for Soarin to finish. "But it's been five months! How am I not an expert yet?"

Soarin chuckled and wiped his muzzle. "You're not used to NOT being naturally gifted, are you?"

Rainbow stuck her tongue out at Soarin before starting to box up the rest of her desserts.

After washing his mouth out a bit, Soarin turned to Rainbow, a question on his mind. He pointed over to a nearby bookshelf as he asked, "New book? I didn't think you read Shadow Spade. I thought you only cared about Daring Do."

Rainbow rolled her eyes before tossing the failed treats in the fridge. "That's Rarity's favorite series. I got it for some book club thing Starlight wanted to do. It's actually not that bad. Once you get past the three or four pages of dress descriptions."

"Rainbow Dash in a book club? Nope, don't see it." Soarin chuckled at the mere mental image.

"Oh, ha ha. It was a bit more serious than that though. Rarity and I had a bit of a falling out recently. We weren't sure we could be friends anymore." Rainbow sighed softly, grabbing the book off the shelf.

Soarin actually looked surprised. "Wait, seriously? I thought you six were inseparable."

Dash nodded and held up the book, just staring at the cover for a bit before turning back to Soarin. "Luckily we figured it out. With some help."

Soarin stared at her, feeling an odd sense of deja vu. He hesitated for a moment. "How'd you do that?"

"Twilight sent us on some crazy goose chase that made us have to work together." Rainbow noticed his expression before stepping closer, curious why he wanted to know how she fixed her friendship with Rarity. "Why?" There was concern in her voice.

Soarin chuckled weakly before looking at his friend. "I've... Kinda been feeling the same with Spitfire lately. I can't even remember the last time we got to hang out. I know she's busy and all but it'd be nice to see her out of work more often."

Rainbow gave a small smile and nudged Soarin's side. "Hey, cheer up man. I'm sure she doesn't mean anything by it. You two have been friends forever! I'm sure she still thinks of you as a friend."

"Easy for you to say. You actually got to spend time with her. We haven't done that in years."

Rainbow frowned, resting a hoof on her chin. "Well... How did you bond when you were young? Maybe you could try that."

Soarin thought back. Obviously one of their biggest bonding experiences was flying, but that wasn't doing him any favors these days. Thinking a little harder, he remembered something else. The thought brought a slight smile to his face.

"Growing up, our parents were pretty close. One year, they dragged us and High Winds on a camping trip. I feel like that was the first time we really bonded."

"Then why not try that again? I already know she's free next weekend. We were gonna hang but... I could cancel if you wanted some alone time."

Soarin, shocked, smiled a bit at Dash. "You'd do that for me?"

Rainbow waved a hoof. "'Course! What are friends for?"

The blue maned stallion couldn't help but smile. Rainbow Dash really was a great friend.

"Alright. I'll get something ready for then. For now, we should probably clean this up." The stallion's eyes wandered to the ceiling, ignoring the dough stains on the walls and floor and instead focusing on the glob of batter clinging to the ceiling.

The sticky mass pulsated, holding quite a few concerning things in it, including a rolling pin, a knife, a salt shaker and Tank. Tank's helicopter blade sparked a bit, the batter making it impossible for it to spin. Both ponies stared at the messy goop, observing the slow struggling of the trapped tortoise.

"How did you-?"

"Don't ask."

***

Despite knowing Spitfire was his friend and that she'd be free that weekend, Soarin struggled to actually talk to her. By Friday he still hadn't spoken with her once about the camping trip.

"Why does this feel like when I asked her out? It's not a date." He thought as he glided through the usual flight routines. "Have we really grown so far apart that normal conversation is rare? Is she even going to want to join me for camping? Maybe... She's moved on from me."

The thought made Soarin lose focus at just the wrong time. High Winds turned, expecting Soarin to turn with her, only to slam into him. Winds was able to keep herself from sputtering too much but Soarin was sent flying out of control, crashing into a nearby cumulus.

"Clipper! Get your head out of the clouds!" Spitfire called out from the ground.

Soarin groaned as pulled his head free from the fluffy vapors. Puffs of cloud clogged up his ears until he tapped his temple to free them.

"Sorry about that, Winds. Lost in thought I guess."

High Winds extended a hoof to her brother. He quickly took it. "Yeah. I noticed." The two flew together, making their way back to the group. High Winds gave Soarin a cheeky smile. "Spitfire trouble~?"

Soarin's face lit up a bit. "How did you know?! Did Crash rat me out?"

High Winds giggled and shook her head. "Nah. I can just tell~ You're super easy to read~"

Soarin grumbled a bit at High Winds' words. "Leave it to High Winds to see right through me."

"Good luck, lady killer~" High Winds teased before rushing back to the group, ready to continue the routine.

Soarin raised a brow, but saved that question for later. There was no way he'd get a good chance to talk to Spitfire if he was voted worst flier of the day.

She'd be too busy screaming at him for him to get a word in anyway.

Sadly, Soarin's performance wasn't getting much better as the hours crept by. His mind kept tormenting him, causing more accidents and collisions. By the time they got to the last maneuver, it would be a miracle if Soarin wasn't on mop duty.

But then, just such a miracle came along. For this next maneuver, every Bolt would fly in a circle, getting closer and closer until the whole team was wingtip to wingtip, then they would all click their hooves together and burst out. In an actual show, each member would have a flare to make it look like fireworks.

Soarin trembled as he tried not to mess this trick up too, only to watch as Rainbow Dash closed in too quickly.

Rainbow barreled into Fleetfoot, tangling her up and causing a domino effect to the rest of the team.

Fleetfoot to Misty Fly, Misty Fly to Lightning Streak until almost the whole team was caught up in the pegasus ball. The only reason Soarin wasn't caught was because Dash was right in front of him, giving him the most amount of time to get out of the way.

"CRASH! Are you serious?! You're making fillies in diapers look like elites!" Spitfire exploded into her mic. She growled and kicked the stand over, yelling loud enough she didn't need the megaphone. "If I could put you both on cleaning duty, you and Clipper would be cleaning the whole week!"

Fear welled up in Soarin as he heard that. "No! I can't be here the whole week! Who even knows when Spitfire will be free again?" Luckily, his fears were quelled with her next words.

"Clipper, move along. You're dismissed! I'm going to have a chat with the newbie." She barked before starting to stomp over to Rainbow.

"Spitfire, wait up!" Soarin called out, catching up with her before she could give the discipline of a lifetime.

The yellow and orange mare looked tired, somehow more tired than Soarin did. She turned to her second-in-command and raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Clipper? I already told you, you're off the hook for cleaning duty today. Even if your showing today was atrocious."

"No, it's not about that. See, I was gonna go camping with a buddy of mine this weekend, but he canceled on me last minute. I was wondering if you'd join me instead?" Soarin's story was mostly a lie, but it felt like the only way he could ask Spitfire to join him.

Spitfire cringed a bit. "Camping? Really? Why would you want to go camping with me?"

"For old times sake! Remember that trip when we were foals? Plus, when was the last time we hung out, outside of work?"

Spitfire actually paused and thought for a bit, trying to remember the last time. "Must've been before Rainbow Falls."

"Exactly! So, come on! I'm headed to Winsome Falls, tomorrow. If you're up for it, I'll see you on the trail." With that, the blue maned stallion took off, giving Spitfire a wave. Hopefully, his more loose approach would work. He really didn't want to go on this trip alone.

***

Soarin tapped his hoof impatiently as he scanned the skies for any yellow dots. He stood at the start of the hiking trail to Winsome Falls with a few saddle bags, filled with camping supplies. In all honesty, Soarin was feeling a little nervous. It had been a long time since Soarin last went camping, and if Spitfire didn't show up, he'd probably just pack up and go home.

"15 more minutes. Maybe she's just running late." He thought to himself, even though he'd already been waiting for 45 minutes.

Just on the cusp of turning around and going home, Soarin finally saw a familiar yellow silhouette rapidly approaching. And with only a minute to spare!

The veteran Wonderbolt waved a hoof as Spitfire braced herself for a three point landing, causing the ground to shake a bit.

"You always gotta land like that? Seems a little dramatic to me." Soarin teased.

"I could just turn around and head back, Clipper." Spitfire responded, not missing a beat.

The stallion made a mock pouting face at her old friend. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you~?"

The mare just rolled her amber eyes and walked past Soarin. "None of that. We starting this or not?"

Soarin sighed a bit, feeling a little frustrated with her attitude. "Yeah. I was waiting for you. For one of the fastest ponies around, you sure took your time."

"I had some last minute things to finish up at the base. You could've started without me. I would've caught up."

Soarin practically had to clamp him mouth shut to keep from groaning. "That's not the point, Spitfire! We're supposed to do this together."

"I didn't know if you were coming or not. I didn't want to go in by myself." It wasn't a complete lie, but it definitely wasn't the whole truth either.

"Well, I'm here now. Let's get this over with."

Soarin furrowed his brow, feeling more than a little peeved at Spitfire's choice of words. But he pushed past it and took the lead, plastering a smile on his face.

"Come on! If we don't make it to the halfway point by night we won't reach the falls in time!" Soarin trotted off, forcing Spitfire to do the same if she wanted to keep up.

"S-Soarin! Get back here!" Soarin's childhood friend called from a ways back.

The pale blue coated stallion just kept running, trailing ahead of Spitfire.

He always was faster than her on the ground. As a Wonderbolt, it was never really an advantage that he got to show off. And neither of them were nearly as fast on the ground as they were in the air.

After a bit, Spitfire got fed up with falling behind her colleague. She huffed and unfurled her wings, taking to the air to chase after him.

As soon as she caught up with him, Spitfire tackled the stallion to the ground, pinning him with a frustrated look on her face. "Soarin! What in Tartarus has gotten into you?!"

The pinned pony giggled and broke free from Spitfire's hold. "I'm just having fun, Punt Cake? Remember what that's like?" Spitfire narrowed her eyes at him, making him giggle again. "What? You can have fun with Dash, but not me? Or are you still worried about looking foalish?"

Spitfire's face lit up a bit at that. "How did you-?"

Soarin tapped a hoof on her forehead. "Cause I know you, Spitfire. We've been friends since we were foals and dated for three years."

Spitfire growled a bit. "I thought we agreed never to talk about that again."

"Like anypony is gonna hear us out here." Soarin wanted to continue, but the glare Spitfire was giving him made him reconsider. "I'm just saying we're really close. Only makes sense I know how you think. Or, at least we were close."

Spitfire observed him for a bit, contemplating what to do next. She groaned and raised a hoof to her head.

"Soarin, I'm sorry we've grown apart. It's been a rough couple of years. And I admit I haven't done much to fix it. But I'm here now. I'm here because I want to be close again. I miss when we were friends."

Soarin was actually caught off guard by that. "Did Dash talk to her or... Has she been feeling the same way I have?"

Soarin smirked and wrapped a hoof around Spitfire. "Alright, alright I forgive you. Sorry for giving you a bit of a rough time. Just didn't seem like you really wanted to be here."

Spitfire surprisingly didn't pull from the stallion, instead looking at him with a small smile. "I'm only here cause you asked. If you remembered that trip at all you'd remember I hated every second of it."

"So you're saying you're not a very happy camper~?" Soarin grinned at his pun. Spitfire deadpanned. "Oh come on! You used to laugh at my jokes."

Spitfire rolled her eyes and pulled from Soarin, giving him a playful smirk. "You used to be funnier." Soarin gasped, looking offended. Spitfire just kept trotting down the path. "You said we need to get to the halfway point, right? Let's get moving then, Clipper."

Soarin smirked and followed after Spitfire, a new mission in mind.

***

As the two athletes continued their hike, Soarin kept trying to make Spitfire laugh, to varying levels of failure. Oftentimes his puns would make Spitfire roll her eyes, earn him a light punch to the shoulder or elicit no response. But he wasn't going to give up!

The two passed by a small stream and Soarin got an idea. He glided down to the water's edge and scanned the rippling surface for his target. After failing to see any, he started to make a strange series of ribbits and chirps.

This caught Spitfire's attention enough to make her stop. "Soarin, what are you doing?"

The croaking athlete raised a hoof. "Speaking Morse Toad."

"Morse Toad? Soarin, what kind of non-" Before Spitfire could finish, a small frog hopped out of the water and onto a nearby stone.

Spitfire made a very uncharacteristic squeak upon seeing the little amphibian. Her eyes locked with it as she tried to contain herself.

The mare's second in command stood beside her with a cheeky grin. He reached a hoof down, picking the little frog up. "Wanna hold him~?"

The usually stoic mare's eyes went wide at her friend's offer. She was trying desperately to keep from squealing like a filly. She didn't move at all, outside of her body quivering.

Soarin giggled and set the little frog on Spitfire's head, breaking the damn.

In that moment, the hard faced, mature, Wonderbolt commander reverted into a schoolhouse filly. Spitfire giggled and trotted in place, squealing in excitement. She took the little frog into her hooves and held it close to her face.

"He's so cute! Look at that little face!"

Soarin held a hoof to his mouth to keep from laughing too loud. "Try all you want Spitfire. You haven't changed that much."

The giddy pony lightly nuzzled her cheek against the critter in her grasp, spooking it. A tongue shot out, hitting Spitfire right in the eye. With a yelp, she dropped her amphibious friend, giving him time to swim away. Spitfire called out to him, still holding her eye.

"W-Wait! Come back! Aww ponyfeathers..." It was then that Spitfire noticed the grin on Soarin's face. Her cheeks went red. "You saw nothing. Right, Clipper?" Spitfire had a threatening tone, but Soarin couldn't take her seriously.

"Lips are sealed, Punt Cake." He teased. "Though you might need to keep an eye on me for a bit."

Spitfire huffed and narrowed her eyes at her friend. After a few moments of silence, Soarin broke it with a question.

"Want me to teach you how to do that?"

"...Yes."

***

After a few minutes of croaking to little effect, the two Wonderbolts decided to continue their journey. The trail led them higher up the mountain to a point where the two started to find berry bushes.

While picking berries Soarin deemed as safe, Spitfire found a peculiar looking bug on the branch of a tree. It sat in a web above one of the berry bushes and had a dark green coloration. It had two wings and eight legs, with four red eyes.

Before Spitfire could piece together what type of bug it was, a pale hoof slammed on top of it, making a squish sound. Spitfire shot her gaze to the pony that killed the tiny creature. The stallion had a look of strained anger as he looked to his hoof, then to the concerned Spitfire.

"What? Flyders are invasive." He said, defensively.

Spitfire's next words were slow and ominous. "Soarin. If you know they're invasive, then you should know something else about them."

Soarin looked at her, puzzled for a bit before suddenly catching up. Unfortunately, it was too late.

The sunlight from the treetops suddenly went dark as the air was filled with buzzing. A deep sense of dread filled Soarin as he turned to the growing shadow. The two ponies looked up to see a large swarm of flyders heading their direction. Soarin had a look of horror, while Spitfire glared at the stallion for his rash decision.

"Clipper... you're an idiot."

It was only a matter of seconds before they were engulfed in the swarm. Bites, stings and webs as the ponies struggled against the gale force of bugs. Spitfire tried to fly away but one of the flyders shot a web at her back hoof and connected the web to the ground, killing her momentum.

"I hate spiders! Get the flamethrower! Burn it all to the ground!" Screeched Soarin, doing his best to beat the invading arachnids back with his wings and tail.

"You just HAD to kill the flyder, didn't you Clipper?!" Spitfire screamed, as she tried to squirm free, to no avail. She placed another hoof on the ground to get more balance but a second web glued it to the ground at a weird angle. The trapped pegasus fell on her face with a huff.

Soarin noticed the trouble Spitfire was in and ran to her side. He held her by the back and tried to take off, only to have a web shot at his wings, entangling them together. Soarin fell on top of Spitfire, winding her, before bouncing off and landing on his back, face to face with his annoyed friend.

"Behold. The great Soarin of the Wonderbolts," Spitfire said, in a dry tone.

"I don't see you doing much better!" Before he could even roll back to his hooves, more webs stuck him to the ground.

If Soarin wasn't panicking before, he sure as Tartarus was now. He kept struggling as his breathing got frantic. "No! NO! This is not how I'm dying! Not spiders! Anything but death by spiders!"

The two were lifted up and wrapped together, forcing them to face each other in their webbed cocoon. They were then hung upside down on a branch.

Just when both ponies thought they would meet their end, the swarm... Left? The flyders just flew away, leaving Soarin and Spitfire entangled.

"Why did they leave? Are they not gonna eat us?" Soarin asked, holding out for a glimmer of hope.

"Don't think so. We're not going anywhere and they know it. They're saving us for later."

Soarin's voice raised as he flailed in their cocoon. "Just let me have this lie!"

Spitfire groaned and turned her head as best she could from Soarin. "Why did I ever come out here with you? Every time we're together we just get in trouble."

Soarin's ears drooped as his voice lowered. "I just wanted to spend time with you."

"Well, now we're closer than ever. Are you happy now?" When the orange maned pegasus turned back to Soarin, the look on his face made her freeze.

"What did I do to make you so disappointed in me? I know I'm a bit of a screw up and I crash a lot but... You could say the same about Dash. Why does she get your respect and I just get ignored?" The usual bags under Soarin's eyes looked heavier than ever, and likely felt equally as weighted.

Spitfire found her lips wouldn't move, no matter what she tried.

"We used to be best friends. Like Dash and the Elements. But now, you avoid me for weeks on end. You never even told me why you dumped me..." Tears welled as Soarin remembered that day, just a week before the try-outs at Rainbow Falls. "Was I just not cool enough for you anymore?"

Spitfire was quiet for a bit, considering her words before speaking. "You didn't do anything wrong. I wasn't strong enough."

Soarin stared at her stunned, waiting for her to continue.

"We were already on a downward spiral. Things in Equestria were getting very scary. In just a year, Nightmare Moon and Discord returned, Canterlot was swarmed with Changelings and the Princesses were captured. As the leader of the Wonderbolts, I'm supposed to protect Equestria and I'd already failed 4 times. The dragon in Ponyville was an added insult to injury."

Soarin however, didn't look satisfied. "So you threw yourself into work? You stopped paying attention to me at all. Even back then, I got that things were crazy, but why break things off?"

"I felt like I didn't deserve you. You're always happy or making jokes, helping ponies feel better. I didn't deserve somepony like that." Spitfire spoke somberly, looking more vulnerable than Soarin had ever seen her. "I failed Equestria, and you deserved somepony better. So I broke things off, hoping you'd find somepony else. Somepony that deserved you." Despite a certain level of sincerity, Soarin knew that wasn't the whole truth.

"Bull, Captain. I don't think that's it." He stared deep into Spitfire's eyes, trying to read her as best he could. "This is about her, isn't it?"

Spitfire didn't need to answer for Soarin to know he was right. Her expression said everything.

"Firefly would be disappointed in what the Wonderbolts have become. We haven't stopped even one of the several disasters that have befallen Equestria. If she were still here-"

Soarin lightly kicked Spitfire's leg, preventing her from finishing that sentence. "Stop Spitfire. You can't go comparing yourself to a pony like Firefly. Anypony in your horse shoes would struggle. Even Firefly."

"How can you know that? She was a legend! Firefly had a perfect record for keeping Equestria safe. And even in the face of impossible odds, she never doubted herself."

Spitfire again looked almost afraid, shivering and shaking with anger and frustration, with tears starting to form in her eyes.

Soarin couldn't help but laugh at that childish statement. "Seems like you and Dash have something in common. If you think Firefly never doubted herself, you didn't know her as well as you thought. She wasn't just your mentor, even if you were the favorite."

Soarin thought back to his foalhood mentor. The legendary Firefly took both him and Spitfire under her wing after a race in Cloudsdale. While neither of them won, she saw potential.

Despite starting at a lower skill level than Soarin, Spitfire was quickly outpacing him. Her fiercely competitive nature and ability to pick things up quickly meant he had to work twice as hard just to keep up.

"Legends have doubts all the time, Spitfire."

One night, after a particularly bad practice, Soarin overheard Firefly talking to herself. She wanted to help both pegasi get into the Wonderbolts, but no matter what, she couldn't get through to Soarin. She felt like she failed him.

Soarin thought about another legend in his life, doubting she was even good enough to be in the Wonderbolts, after ruining a show over a silly nickname.

And there was one more legend who was doubting herself. He looked back to Spitfire.

"I can't say who would handle what you've been through better. But what I can say is you are the best pony to lead the Wonderbolts right now. You're already taking steps to improve. Just, let me help too." Soarin smiled as big as he could, hoping to finally see her return it.

At first, Soarin didn't get a response. He deflated, thinking his words fell on deaf ears, but then Spitfire's voice broke the tension.

"That was so sappy Soarin. Thanks. I needed to hear that." A smile spread across Spitfire's muzzle, as well as a single tear.

The quiet moment wouldn't last between them, they still had to escape these webs before the Flyders returned. Unfortunately, their time was up.

"Uh, Spitfire, I think they're coming back." Buzzing followed Soarin's statement. "And they're... Bringing sticks?"

The swarm returned, several flyders carrying branches of varying sizes. The swarm threw the sticks to the ground, just beneath Spitfire and Soarin. A few flyders grabbed a stick and lifted it up before twisting it until a small fire started.

"What are they...?" Spitfire started before the swarm flew towards them.

A large pointed branch was stabbed through the bottom of the web casing. Soarin and Spitfire were relieved to find the wooden spear hadn't stabbed either of them.

Two Y-shaped sticks were placed on either end of the fire and the Soarin and Spitfire skewer was placed on top. With one more flourish from the swarm, a full rotisserie spit was assembled.

"Oh come on! Since when do flyders COOK their food!" Soarin shouted, his rage at the creepy crawlies resurfacing, shaking angrily in his binds.

Spitfire on the other hoof, just got an idea. "Soarin, you remember how I got my cutie mark, right?" She asked with a grin.

Soarin's mind was racing but he thought back to that moment. "The fire hoop? Didn't you... Wait!"

Another bout of panic quickly set in. "Spitfire! What about me?! Those flames will cook me alive!"

"There's a river just behind you. As soon as you can, make a break for it. Then, I'd appreciate another Morse Toad lesson while I get ready."

Soarin wasn't sure what he hated more. Getting set on fire, or distracting a swarm of flyders by himself. But that was better than turning into a rotisserie pegasus. "Alright Spitfire. Just... Be careful."

Spitfire gave Soarin a grin that brought him back to his childhood. The confident grin of a daredevil before life taught her fear. She had this, and he knew it. He just had to trust her leadership.

"I'll signal you when it's time to duck back into the water. But for now, let's light this web up!"

Soarin nodded, Spitfire's determination spreading to him and overshadowing his fear.

With a countdown, both ponies jerked up, destabilizing the spit and sending them crashing into the fire below.

Fire spread up the web in an instant, sending the flyders scurrying in fear. Luckily, Spitfire was on the bottom, meaning the fire started at her back, freeing her wings.

The fire burned at the mare's back but she barely flinched, instead pushing Soarin off her and into the air so he could make a dash for the river. As he flapped his wings to escape, Spitfire fell to the ground, letting the flames envelop her.

Soarin was a lot less fire resistant, but he had just enough time to splash down before he got any serious burns. Once in the water, he looked around for the nearest frog. When he found one, he snatched it up and resurfaced, calling out to the remaining swarm.

"Hey flyders! You're about to become, Dyders!" He gripped the frog's stomach with one wing before pulling on its legs with his other one. The frog's tongue shot out of its mouth and snatched up a flyder before shooting right back to the frog's mouth with a snap.

This got the swarm's attention. They flew at Soarin in the water. He had just enough time to shoot his frog gun again before dipping back under the water. The flyders stopped at the water's surface, unable to follow him below. Soarin popped out of the water further down the river, thinning the swarm's numbers more as he kept them from Spitfire.

Frogs were not the best weapon, so Soarin could only take out two or three flyders before he had to dive back down and reposition.

"I hope this gives you enough time, Spitfire! I can't keep this up forever."

Spitfire's webbing cocoon fully burned away, but Spitfire's coat caught flame. Exactly what she wanted. She shot from the ground, taking to the sky. Spitfire started to spin, dispersing the flames on her body to her wings. After gaining enough height, Spitfire entered a free fall.

She hurtled towards the ground, keeping her eyes on the swarm as her wings grew hotter. When she was close enough to see Soarin, she gave the signal.

Soarin dived down, watching his Captain from the murky water as she came to a stop with a flap of her wings. The roaring flames that had enveloped her wings shot forward in a bout of fire, incinerating the swarm of flyders in an instant. Even if he couldn't see her properly below the water's surface, the submerged stallion couldn't help but admire the stunning display.

"That's the Captain I know."

When the fire passed over him, Soarin swam to the riverside and gave his friend a hearty laugh. "Now THAT was impressive! Just like old times."

Spitfire joined him in laughter as she fluttered to the ground. "I haven't done that in years! Maybe we should do stuff like this more often."

"Yeeeeah, maybe not. I don't think I want to make a habit out of almost getting eaten by spiders." Soarin went to stretch his wings but a jolt of pain went through him. He looked to see a burn mark on his back as he hissed. "Clearly I can't handle fire as well as you."

Spitfire noticed the burn and pulled a medkit from her saddle bags. "Here, let me look at it."

Soarin winced as Spitfire treated his wound, making her shake her head. "Oh don't be such a baby. You'll live."

"I always appreciated your bedside manor." Spitfire shot him a look which made him shut up.

Once Spitfire was done, Soarin couldn't even feel the burn anymore. Soarin gave her an appreciative smile and wiggled his wing.

"Thanks, Spitfire. I don't know what I'd do without you." Soarin took in the sight of Spitfire, mane a mess and still covered in the occasional strand of web. "And I meant what I said back there. You're exactly what the Wonderbolts need right now."

Spitfire met his gaze, taking in his form as well. She couldn't help but shake her head and smile. "I really don't deserve you Soar'. Come on. Let's get to the halfway mark. I could use a good rest." With that, she walked ahead of Soarin, leading the way with a renewed confidence.

Soarin was more than happy to follow her.

***

As Celestia's sun set for the day, Soarin sat by the fire, roasting a marshmallow. Despite how rough today started and the Flyder attack that would haunt his dreams, things with Spitfire were looking better than they had in years.

He looked at her, sitting on a log on the other side of the fire. She looked happy, and even a bit relaxed. Seeing that made him smile like a colt.

Spitfire caught the expression and raised a brow. "What's that look for?"

"It's been a while since I've seen you like this. I'm glad I could get you to smile again." Spitfire's cheeks reddened a bit.

"I forgot how cute her blush was. Wait... Am I-?" Before Soarin could finish his thought, Spitfire asked him a question.

"Soarin, did Rainbow Dash cancel on me so you could ask me to go camping?"

Soarin sputtered for a bit but decided that there was no point in lying to his Captain anymore. He rubbed the back of his mane and nodded.

"Yeah. I told her about how we haven't spent a lot of time together and I was worried we weren't friends anymore. She pretty much immediately suggested I spend time with you instead."

Spitfire shook her head and chuckled. "I had a feeling. She definitely crashed into Fleetfoot on purpose yesterday."

Spitfire paused, turning her gaze toward the fire. Soarin did the same. Something about watching the flames dance about and listening to the crackle of burning sticks always calmed him down.

"You two are pretty close, huh? When are you asking her out?"

Soarin's mind broke. He felt a slight burning on his hoof and realized his marshmallow, and the stick he was holding had caught fire. He quickly dropped the stick and stomped on it to douse the flame.

The stallion's marshmallow wasn't the only thing burning. His cheeks were next as he defensively asked, "H-How did you know?"

"What'd you say earlier today? I know you, Soarin. The way you act around her is the same way you acted before you asked me out."

Soarin sighed softly. "Should've known I couldn't hide something like that from her."

"Can you really blame me? You've seen her. The unparalleled confidence, her skills as a flier, her dedication to her friends. There's so much to admire. How could any pony not fall for her?"

Soarin caught an odd look on Spitfire's face. It almost looked like... Agreement?

"If that's the case, you should ask her out quick. Before somepony else does."

"What does she mean by that?" Though he decided to push that thought aside.

"I don't know. Being friends with her is great too. I don't want to mess that up if she doesn't like me back or if things don't work out." Soarin tried to be as careful with that last sentence as he could.

"She is a great friend. One who can break you out of your shell, even if she barely knows you." There was a certain level of admiration in Spitfire's voice. One that Soarin could tell was similar to his own. "If not for Crash, I definitely wouldn't have joined you on this camping trip."

"Guess we owe our friendship to Dash. Cause I don't think I would've asked you to come here without her either. She's really something, huh?"

Soarin waited for a response but both ponies just sat in silence.

"I get it now. You like her too, don't you Spitfire?" Soarin didn't need to ask her out loud. He didn't even need to hear an answer.

After a minute that felt like it dragged for an hour, Spitfire finally gave him one. "She's very promising. But don't get too caught up in hero worship Soarin. She's just a pony like us."

Soarin nodded, letting out a slight chuckle as he remembered teaching Rainbow that same lesson. Then, Spitfire said something that confused him all over again.

"Besides, I think you're pretty promising too. You both have a lot in common."

And again, Soarin was struck silent, mind trying to piece together everything.

"Spitfire are you coming onto me now? Why?! I thought we were over. Do you still have feelings for me?" Soarin saw the look she was giving. He remembered how he admired her from the river. "Do I... Still have feelings for you...?"

Spitfire stood up from her seat, stretching her wings and letting out a short yawn.

"I'm gonna hit the hay, Soar'. Recommend you put out the fire before doing the same." With that, Spitfire pulled open the flap of her tent and gave a wave before stepping inside.

Now, Soarin was left alone with his thoughts. Confused thoughts of two of his best friends.

"Do I still like Spitfire? I thought I was over her. I am over her, right?" The more he thought about it, the less sure he was.

"And Spitfire, she has to like Dash too, right? There's no way with how she reacted. So why compare me to Rainbow Dash unless she likes us both?" Soarin's head started to hurt.

"I need time to think. I can't make a decision like this without some kind of plan."

Soarin stood up and grabbed a bucket of water. He poured it over the campfire, letting the flames sizzle out before heading towards his tent.

The torn pegasus laid down in his sleeping bag, his mind still racing with thoughts about what to do. Sleep was slow to come, but it eventually overtook him, whisking his thoughts away.

The days to come wouldn't make his decision any easier, but he knew he'd have to make one eventually. The new friend who'd saved him multiple times and helped him mend a broken relationship, or the old flame that made him question if he truly did move on.

Soarin could only hope he would make up his mind, before it was too late.

Author's Note

This chapter... This chapter man. It has given me such a hard time. With losing motivation, to doubting if it's worth putting out to begin with. This one has been rough, somehow more rough than chapter 2. But I'm glad it's done and I hope you enjoy it.

This story was gonna be three chapters and finish, but I found it hard to justify ending it here. So there's gonna be one more chapter baby! Full disclosure, it's gonna be a shorter chapter and I want to do a sequel story to explore the relationships between Soarin, Spitfire and Rainbow Dash. Just want to make sure this story gets the proper bow it needs!
Again, shout-outs to The Fan Without a Face for editing this chapter. Couldn't have got this story done without you. You can check out their channel here: https://www.fimfiction.net/user/224464/The+Fan+Without+a+Face

It Takes A Lifetime

Spectrum Rush the Awesome charged across the battlefield, greatsword clutched in her draconic hands. Her allies lie scattered around her, all unconscious from the monster's vicious attacks. Spectrum was barely holding on herself. Her wings ached and body was about ready to give out. But she couldn't stop until the beast had fallen. She just needed one-

"Natural 20!" Rainbow shouted at the top of her lungs. The table of ponies around her erupted into cheers, even High Winds, who sat behind her OM screen couldn't help but smirk.

"Spectrum Rush, as you swing your greatsword once more at the creature who has caused so much pain and suffering to your friends... How do you want to do this?"

Dash's eyes lit up as she described how Spectrum tears down her enemy in a blind rage, unsure if she could save the party, but knowing that she could at least end this villain's reign of terror.

O&O is so much cooler than Quibble made it sound!

With the villain defeated and combat over, High Winds called the session there. Everypony breathed a sigh of relief as Rainbow looked to her friends at the table.

Soarin sat across from her, a goofy grin on his face. Fleetfoot sat next to him with Surprise on her other side. Next to Dash was Misty Fly and Silver Zoom.

Who knew most of the Wonderbolts had an O&O game going?

As everypony got up to leave, Soarin nudged Rainbow's side. "Told yah. I knew you'd enjoy this."

Oh yeah! Soarin knew.

"Alright, alright. Don't get a big head on me, crusty. That's my job! I just saved your flank afterall!" Rainbow gloated as she walked out with him.

Soarin smirked and gave a little shrug. "I don't know about that~ I'm the one who gave you that advantage on the last roll. You wouldn't have gotten that crit without me."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. That was true, but that still felt like she saved him in her mind.

As she left, Rainbow said her goodbyes to each of the Bolts. Once they were out of the mess hall, Rainbow returned to her conversation with Soarin.

"Do gotta hoof it to you though. This is a much easier way to make friends than what I was doing. I actually feel like I'm learning about everycreature every session." Rainbow couldn't help but feel pride at how far she'd come. She actually felt like she could call the Wonderbolts her friends. Not just Soarin and Spitfire, but all of them.

Though, they did still like to remind her of her first attempt to befriend them… She really was never gonna live that moment down.

"Glad I could help, Dash." Soarin seemed to be a lot happier around Rainbow lately, and she picked up on that.

Soarin was usually cheery, but Rainbow had come to learn that Soarin hid his true feelings a lot. His sunny demeanor before was mostly an act. Truth is, he wanted others to be happy, even when going through dark times. And he was willing to act as positive as he could as long as it made them smile in turn.

While she appreciated the levity before, she'd come to prefer his real smile. A smile that reminded her of spending time with her closest friends.

Someday. Maybe. I'll tell him. She thought before remembering her gift.

"Oh! I actually got something for you, Soarin!" The rainbow mare pulled out a small package from her saddle bags. It wasn't warm anymore as she'd forgotten about it until now, but it smelled like pie and it even smelled... Good?

Soarin looked quizzically to the bag before grabbing it and opening the top. Inside was a small blueberry pie maybe, about the size of Soarin's Hoof. He held it and examined the pastry closely.

"This doesn't seem half bad. You get this from Pinkie Pie?" Soarin asked, still sizing up the dessert.

"Nope! She helped me a bit, but I made that one by myself." There was a little pride in Rainbow's voice, but her usual ego was toned down quite a bit.

Soarin flinched a bit as he looked nervously at the pie. With a shaky smile he turned to Rainbow. "Oooooh, thank you Rainbow... You shouldn't have."

Dash didn't buy this act for a second.

"Oh come on, quit being a drama queen and try it! I worked really hard on this one. And even Pinkie made sure I followed every step properly." Rainbow huffed at his stalling tactics.

Soarin sighed and bit the bullet or pie in this case, though depending on how it tasted, a bullet might actually end up being more accurate.

Immediately, he was shocked. The pie was... Not bad? It wasn't great or anything but this was hooves down the best thing Rainbow had ever baked for him. He actually willingly finished the small pie, turning to Rainbow with a shocked smile.

"Dang Rainbow, you've actually improved a lot! I'm impressed!"

Rainbow chuckled softly, keeping her ego in check as she took the compliment. "Thanks Soarin. I know it's not amazing or anything, but I'm getting closer. Maybe someday I can make one that you'll like as much as Pinkie or Applejack's."

Soarin was blown away. He was unsure this was the same competitive pony who told him she'd surpass him some day. It was refreshing to see Rainbow being humble. Because of that, he decided not to take a shot at her.

"Heh. Yeah, maybe someday. Still got a long road ahead though." Soarin's tone was encouraging, this most recent dessert proving to him that she could get there.

"I know, Soarin. But I've got time." Rainbow beamed, that feeling of pride returning to her.

I can do this! I'm not trying to be better than Pinkie. I just want to make one Soarin will like.

As Celestia's sun set, leaving the two in the chilly air of the early night, Rainbow and Soarin said their goodbyes and headed off in different ways. Rainbow was quick to get to bed that night, she needed to be up early for a certain new project.

***

Rainbow wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead as she took a moment to admire her work. She eyed up the building, scratching her chin as she tried to think of anything else to perfect the look.

Is this too much color or should I get some more...? She's not exactly the most cheery pony ever. Suddenly, Rainbow got an idea!

After a few finishing touches, it was time to show Spitfire the results of her work. She zipped off to find her, the process only taking a few minutes for the lightning fast pegasus.

Unlike her usual more abrasive attitude, the Captain of the Wonderbolts, simply allowed the Pegasus mare to lead her along.

Rainbow held her wings over Spitfire's eyes, waiting until they got to just the right spot before finally revealing... "Ta-daaaaa! What do you think of your new place, Spitfire?"

The cloud house had come a long way since Rainbow started this project. Once simple cloud walls had intricate carvings of important Wonderbolt figures, the roof was now made of rippling fluffy clouds in the colors of the sunset and the path to the front door had a flame motif, befitting the fiery Wonderbolt Captain.

The house was beautiful, and Rainbow couldn't help but feel pride in its progress, but Spitfire hadn't given her reaction yet.

The straight faced pony observed the building in silence, carefully taking in every detail of her freshly renovated home. Spitfire stepped closer to run a hoof along the surface of the wall. She then kicked the wall a bit, testing its durability. Rainbow tried to read her commander's expression, but the sunglasses made it hard to see her eyes.

Rainbow watched in a stunned silence, her mind racing. What if she doesn't like it? Did I go overboard? Why won't she say anything?! The tension was killing Rainbow!

After what felt like a minute that felt like an hour, Spitfire finally gave her thoughts.

"This isn't exactly what I was expecting when I hired you." Her commander's first words made Rainbow droop a bit, expecting Spitfire didn't care for her designs. Then, Spitfire tipped her shades to look at Dash. "But I can see myself getting used to it. Great work Rainbow Dash."

The tension in Rainbow's body finally released as she shot up into the air. Her excitement was too much to contain, her body instinctively dancing as she celebrated.

All Rainbow's life, she had been showered with praise, making the brash pegasus crave it more than anything. But with Spitfire, that praise had to be earned. She wouldn't just give it to her over every small accomplishment. To Rainbow, that made it all the more desirable. If Spitfire complimented her, or gave her praise, it meant she'd truly wowed her, and that was the best feeling ever. Truly earning Spitfire's adoration and seeing that stern face smile, filled Dash's stomach with butterflies.

Spitfire shook her head and let out a chuckle. "You truly are something. Don't know how you keep impressing me, but you always find a way."

Rainbow giggled and flew back to the ground. "There's always more to a pony than you think. Even when you think you know them, you can learn something that completely changes your perspective of them."

Spitfire nodded slightly, giving Rainbow a nudge and a playful smile. "When did you get so philosophical?"

Rainbow thought back to when she first asked Soarin to hang out. "I learned a lot from getting to know the Bolts better. Soarin and High Winds being twins, Fleetfoot being a huge bookworm, and even Misty Fly struggling to fly until she got her Cutie Mark. I never would've thought any of these things about them until I actually talked to them. Ponies have secret depths to them you'd never know if you don't give them a chance. It makes me wonder what else I don't know."

Spitfire's lips curled up more and started to walked in front of Dash, making her way inside. "It can take a lifetime to truly learn everything there is to a pony. Guess it's up to you to decide which ponies are worth spending that lifetime with."

Those words struck a chord with Rainbow, pulling her deeper into thought. Who do I want to spend that lifetime with? Maybe for most ponies, there would only be one that comes to mind. But I think for me... There are two.

Rainbow turned her attention back to Spitfire. The mare was most of the way through her doorway, almost ready to close the door.

"Wanna come in?" Spitfire asked.

Rainbow shook her head. "No thanks. I've got some thinking to do."

Spitfire laughed at the excuse. "Alright. Don't hurt yourself. You and Soarin both could do with a few more brain cells up there."

Rainbow smirked at the light jab. "You love us and you know it. Without us, you'd be bored out of your mind."

Rainbow was expecting Spitfire to roll her eyes or deny it. Instead she just gave a playful shrug. "Can't say that you're wrong. See you around Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow nodded and took off. As she disappeared from sight, Spitfire could hear her in the distance. "See yah!"

As the wind whipped through her multicolored mane, Rainbow could feel her thoughts grow clearer.

Not yet. She thought, speeding up as she closed in on her hometown. Someday soon, but not yet.

Life is a mystery, you never know what's going to happen next, but you can steer it in small ways. Who you interact with, how you spend your time, what chances you take. Normally, Rainbow Dash was the type of pony to run into choices headlong, but not this one. Matters like this needed to be handled at the right time.

As she landed on the front steps of the School of Friendship, she knew the timing wasn't right. There was a slight chill that ran up the pegasus' back, an eerie feeling that something dangerous was on the way. For now, Rainbow ignored that feeling.

After all, today was when she would take her students on a field trip to see the Weather Factory with Starlight.

Author's Note

Alright! Now it's done! I am so happy with how this tory turned out, even if the ending might not be liked by everyone who reads it. I know I left a lot open and there are still some questions to ask, but I accomplished what I set out to do with this story. Rainbow is actually friends with the Wonderbolts, not just a member.

Another reason why things were left the way they are, this story is getting a sequel! I wanted this one to be a light-hearted set up piece to the next story. One that works on it's own as Rainbow bonding with her teammates but also allows for further development with Rainbow, Soarin and Spitfire. I hope you'll join me for the next story in this series! After a small break.

I'm probably gonna write one or two shorter stories before I jump into the sequel. Thank you for reading and shout-outs to The Fan Without a Face for editing this chapter. Couldn't have got this story done without you. You can check out their channel here: https://www.fimfiction.net/user/224464/The+Fan+Without+a+Face