Those That Bond Together, Stay Together

Do not own any rights to any characters. Ever. Damn.

Chapter 2

Rainbow Dash settled down contentedly in Spitfire's embrace while Soarin' paused to gather his thoughts. The rainbow-maned mare was excited about hearing this story. She really had never thought about how Soarin' and Spitfire might have met and bonded with one another. This was going to be a good tale, Rainbow Dash just knew it.

"It all started with The Wonderbolts…" Soarin began as he flashed back to a time before he had ever met Spitfire, let alone Rainbow Dash.

Flashback

Soarin' was beyond excited. All of his hard work and dedication had finally been rewarded because he had made the ultimate cut for a high-flying Pegasus. Soarin' was leaving home to join The Wonderbolts. The Wonderbolts! The young stallion checked over his room to make sure that he hadn't forgot anything that he would need living at The Wonderbolts' headquarters. His father stood in the doorway giving him one of his classic, crooked grins. Soarin' was the spitting image of his sire with the exception of their cutie marks.

"You all set, Champ?" Sky Flare asked his son.

"Yeah, I think I've got everything," Soarin' responded excitedly, "Can you believe it, Dad? The Wonderbolts want me!"

"And why wouldn't they?" Sky Flare said looking proudly at his only son, "Your mother and I taught you everything you know. Your mother and I were Wonderbolts so of course the genes would pass to you. We knew you'd make the cut. You're our colt."

"Soarin' and Sky Flare!" a voice yelled from downstairs, "Get down here and eat! I made pie!"

"Pie?" the stallions gasped in delight together before tripping over one another to get down to the kitchen.

Soarin' grinned in pleasure as he gobbled his treat and smiled in appreciation at his mother. There was nothing better than his mother's pie. Wing Glider always made it for her family to celebrate good times in their lives. A pie always made Soarin' think of happiness and home. He would really miss his parents.

"My little stallion is all grown up now," Wing Glider sniffed sadly after the family had finished their snack and Soarin' was ready to leave, "You will write, won't you?"

"I promise, Mom," Soarin agreed, "I'll make you both proud."

"We are already proud, Soarin'," Sky Flare said with a hitch in his voice, "You just be careful and visit whenever you can, do you hear me?"

"Sir, yes, sir," Soarin snapped out giving a salute to the stallion he had always admired the most before turning to leave.

"Wait, Honey," Wing Glider called out as she hurried over to tuck his clear Pegasus Crystal necklace back around his neck and into his mane, "Don't lose this."

"I know, Mom," Soarin' said rolling his eyes, "The crystal will help me find my life mate one day. I won't lose it."

"Be safe and listen to your captain," Wing Glider ordered before kissing her son gently on his nose, "We love you so much. Bye, Honey."

Tears began to float in Soarin's eyes. He hadn't known leaving home would be so hard. He cheerfully waved goodbye to his parents and took off into Cloudsdale's crystal-blue skies. He was ready to start this new chapter in his life.

Cloudsdale was huge and in another neighborhood a different Pegasus was preparing to leave her home, but not quite as happily as she would have liked.

"I can't believe you are saying this!" Spitfire shrieked at her mother, "After how hard I worked to make The Wonderbolts and you can't even be happy for me?"

"How can I be happy for you when you are ruining your life," Golden Light snapped at her daughter, "A mare should have a quiet life and a quiet job. Not go gallivanting across Equestria doing air tricks."

"A quiet life?" Spitfire spat, "You mean stand around looking pretty and waiting for a stallion to carry me off and marry me?"

"That's right, Honey," Golden Light cooed happily, "Don't you want to raise a nice family and settle down?"

Fire Storm cringed at his daughter's answering shriek of disgust to her mother's question. His daughter may have gotten most of her looks from her mother's side, but that little filly had his attitude and backbone through and through. Now if only his ears could handle it?

"What in the hay?" Spitfire hissed, "What century do you live in, Mother? A mare can do and be anything they want to be. Did you ever ask me if I wanted to settle down? No! You are just putting your wants and desires on me, again! I don't do frou-frou, dresses, or marriage. I am going to go places. You wait and see!"

"But Darling…" Golden Light began before her husband gently cut her off.

"That's right, my Little Warrior," Fire Storm said looking at his daughter with pride, "You show the world what kind of a pony you are, okay? We will support you, both of us. You make me proud. Show them what you got!"

"I will, Daddy," Spitfire agreed as she ran to nuzzle her number one supporter, "You wait and see. Someday I won't just be a part of The Wonderbolts, I'll be the captain."

"I have no doubts," Fire Storm assured his daughter as he pulled his scowling wife over to say goodbye.

"I don't like this," Golden Light wailed, "I don't want you to go."

"Oh, Mother," Spitfire groaned realizing just how much her mother really loved her, "I'll come back and visit all the time. I promise, but I am still not wearing a dress. Okay?"

"Do you promise?" Golden Light sniffled out.

"I promise," Spitfire agreed giving her mother a forgiving nuzzled before she walked out the door and took off into the sky.

"Fires never get really put out…," Fire Storm called after his daughter as his wife waved goodbye.

"…they only blaze back all the brighter," Spitfire shouted back the familiar phrase as she waved goodbye and turned in the direction of The Wonderbolts' headquarters and thought, "I am ready for this. I have been ready for this my whole life."

Spitfire pushed hard to reach her destination as quickly as possible. She used every opportunity she had to practice at getting her flying skills honed and perfected. Only when the large training grounds and headquarters of the Wonderbolts loomed ahead of her did the golden Pegasus slow down.

"This is it!" Spitfire cheered to herself as she landed gracefully in front of what would be her new home, "I'm really here. I finally made it."

Spitfire jumped in surprise when a light-blue, stallion Pegasus landed gently beside her. His dark blue mane was a mess and he had the silliest grin on his face, but even she could not deny that he was a handsome stallion. It was odd that for some reason he looked vaguely familiar to her.

"Hi," the stallion chirped cheerfully, "I'm Soarin'. Are you going to be a Wonderbolt too?"

Spitfire sized the new stallion up carefully and quickly determined that he would be no challenge to her.

"I'm Spitfire," the Pegasus mare finally answered, "And would I be here if I wasn't going to be a Wonderbolt?"

"Well, you never know," Soarin' answered honestly without really thinking of his words, "My Mom and Dad always said that a lot of ponies hung out around The Wonderbolts' headquarters when they were Wonderbolts. You could be a fan."

Spitfire saw red at being compared to a fan before Soarin's full statement sunk in fully.

"Your parents were Wonderbolts?" Spitfire asked with wide eyes, "Who?"

"Oh. My dad is Sky Flare and my mom is Wing Glider. They are retired from the team now," Soarin' said casually as Spitfire realized that this stallion was the spitting image of the Legendary Sky Flare which was why he looked so familiar to her, "We better go in. The Wonderbolts' orientation will be starting soon. Captain Thundercloud doesn't like it when ponies are late."

Soarin' led the way with an air of familiarity that allowed Spitfire to know that he had been here many times before. Anger and jealousy pricked at the mare's heart.

"Brat probably only got in because of his parents," the golden Pegasus groused to herself, "I could probably fly circles around him. Stupid, bucking, pretty-stallion. Blech!"

Soarin' led her to a large room that housed The Wonderbolt team. Spitfire looked at the uniformed group in awe. Three other newbies were seated at a table looking very excited. She and Soarin' quickly trotted over and took the last two remaining spots. She vaguely heard Soarin' happily greeting the other three, but her eyes were glued to Captain Thundercloud who was walking to a podium at the front of the room.

"We are here today to welcome our new recruits," the large captain boomed quickly silencing everyone in the room, "From this day onward you will be expected to hold up the ideals and standards of The Wonderbolts. Hard work will get you far, but teamwork will get you farther. There is no "I" in team so you must strive to be your best and support your teammates."

Spitfire sat up a little straighter in pride and noticed the other rookies doing the same. She wanted to gag however, when she saw Soarin' give the intimidating captain a cheerful wave.

"Soarin', you never change, do you?" Captain Thundercloud chuckled out as the rest of The Wonderbolts tittered at the well-known, young stallion.

"Sir, no, sir!" Soarin' called out as he gave a chipper salute as the rest of the Wonderbolts outright laughed in delight at their former teammates' son.

Spitfire again felt jealousy and spite nip at her heart. This "Soarin'" was someone to watch very carefully. Nopony was going to get in her way so she wouldn't reach her dreams.

"Good. Let's keep up that great attitude and work hard to continue to make this the best flying team that Equestria has ever seen!" Captain Thundercloud roared as the rest of the room cheered in response.

Spitfire and the other rookies were led to their new quarters after they had been introduced to the rest of The Wonderbolts team. She discovered that she would be sharing her dorm room with a quiet mare by the name of Ice Wind. The other three rookies were Soarin', Rapidfire, and Lightning Streak who would be sharing a dorm room of their own together. The rookies were then given a practice schedule and a tour of the facilities. Soarin' annoyed Spitfire to no end by telling all types of interesting facts about the headquarters that he had learned from his parents. By the time the five had eaten dinner and were left to their own devices, night had arrived and Spitfire was ready to throttle a certain stallion.

"Would you shut up," Spitfire snapped at Soarin making him look at her in surprise, "I don't think I've seen you be quiet since we met. You are trying to get on my nerves, aren't you?"

"Wha?" Soarin' gasped out, "I wasn't trying to annoy you. I was just trying to be friendly. We are a team. We have all worked hard to get here. Today's a day to celebrate. We are finally Wonderbolt Cadets."

"No," Spitfire corrected, "Today's a day to understand just how much work we have ahead of us. We have to work hard at integrating ourselves into this team and babbling all the time is just annoying."

"Who died and left you in charge? What's your problem, Princess?" an arrogant voice interjected.
Spitfire stiffened in anger and whirled on the owner of the voice, Rapidfire. However, it was Soarin' who moved faster than a blink and ended up nose to nose with the startled stallion.

"It is rude to call a mare anything, but her name without permission," Soarin' ground out with strong-willed, rage in his eyes, "Her name is 'Spitfire' not 'Princess.' Do I make myself clear?"

"Oh…um…yes. Never happen again," Rapidfire stammered out as Lightning Streak and Ice Wind giggled at his plight before turning to the confused Spitfire, "Sorry. I'll never say something like that to you again. Well, goodnight!"

In a flash Rapidfire retreated to his new room. Soarin' shook his mane out and turned to Spitfire.

"I apologize for annoying you today," Soarin began, "I tend to babble when I am excited. I'll try to refrain in the future."

"Okay," Spitfire agreed grudgingly, "Apology accepted and thanks for saying what you did to the stallion-pig, but I could have handled that just fine."

"I don't doubt it," Soarin answered with a ghost of a smile, "Good night, everyone. See you at practice in the morning."

Spitfire and the others quickly followed Soarin's and Rapidfire's actions and went to their rooms to get some sleep before their first Wonderbolts practice in the morning.

"I didn't need his help," Spitfire grumbled to herself as she made her bed.

"Soarin's real sweet and quite a gentle-stallion," Ice Wind offered to her new roommate, "Lightning Streak and I went to school with him. He has never changed since colt-hood. You'll get used to him. Soarin' is a lot of fun to be around."

"I am not here to have fun, Ice Wind," Spitfire firmly stated, "Look. I think everyone here is a fine pony, but I came here with real goals to meet. I can't allow myself to get distracted."

"I understand," Ice Wind answered, "Doesn't mean a pony can't have friends even if he or she is working towards goals."

"Yes, your right," Spitfire commented giving her new friend a smile, "Doesn't mean that we can't be friends."

The two wished one another "sweet dreams" and fell asleep so as to be ready for the next day.

"I'll prove myself to the team tomorrow. They'll never know what hit them after they see my skills," Spitfire thought before drifting to sleep.

To be continued…