Those That Bond Together, Stay Together

Please do not post my work on other sites. Plagiarizing is wrong.

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

Chapter 7

Rainbow Dash looked at Soarin' with widened eyes before carefully sitting up to throw her forelegs around the stallion to assure herself that he was really fine. Spitfire and Soarin' shared tender looks at one another over their youngest life mate's protectiveness. Soarin' quickly settled the rainbow-maned mare against him and rubbed her back soothingly with a hoof as he covered Rainbow Dash back up with her blanket.

"I'm fine, Baby," Soarin cooed down to the distressed filly.

"Soarin' is right here with us," Spitfire comforted her youngest life mate, "He survived just fine."

"But how did he survive? What happened next?" Rainbow Dash asked urgently giving Spitfire and Soarin' pleading eyes, "How did Soarin' get out of the water?"

"How, indeed," Spitfire began as she shuddered at the memory.

Flashback

The crowd continued screaming in horror and The Wonderbolts held their breath and waited to see Soarin' come back up to the surface. Spitfire desperately searched with her eyes where Soarin' had plunged into the water and saw nothing. She was amazed to find that her heart was screaming at her in real pain. Soarin' wasn't coming back up!

"Come on! Come on!" Spitfire urged waiting to see Soarin' kick to the surface, "Where are you? I know you can swim!"

"The ocean is too cold, he's drowning!" Ice Wind screamed in horror, "Where are the lifeguard ponies? They've got to get him out of the water! He'll die!"

A shot of pain so fierce tore through Spitfire's entire body and left her trembling in agony. The golden mare's world all begin to tear apart within her. Soarin' die? Soarin' couldn't die! Soarin' needed to be in the world. The world couldn't exist without Soarin'. Then Spitfire realized that her world couldn't exist without Soarin'.

"No!" Spitfire shrieked as nearby teammates whirled on her in surprise, "Soarin'!"

Before The Wonderbolts knew what was happening, Spitfire sped down to where Soarin' had sunk and dove down into the watery depths. The water was like icy knives stabbing into every surface of Spitfire's body. The Pegasus mare was not a strong swimmer, but she searched desperately for the lost stallion.

"Where are you?" Spitfire thought to herself frantically before seeing something glow in the water.

Deep down a fiery-gold sparkle shone out to the mare and she felt a tug from her heart to follow. Spitfire pushed herself further down and discovered what was pulling at her. Soarin's Pegasus Crystal sparkled at her as it floated on its cord around the neck of the stallion as he sunk down into the water back first. Soarin' eyes were closed behind his goggles and his face was peaceful.

"Celestia, no!" Spitfire internally denied as she swam down to try and pull the stallion back up to the surface, "You are not drowning! Not on my watch!"

Soarin' was heavy and Spitfire's body was starting to go numb from the icy, cold water. Her soaked wings felt like stone and began to pull her down with the weight. Spitfire wasn't making head way to get the two of them to the surface and she was running out of air. She knew the only option to survive was to abandon Soarin' to die. She gazed desperately at the still, stallion's face and her heart broke.

"I love him," Spitfire suddenly realized as she hugged Soarin' close to her body and closed her eyes behind her water-filled goggles, "I won't leave him. We'll go together."

As Spitfire was trying to rescue Soarin; simultaneously, the stallion was letting himself give up. His body was so numb he felt no pain of drowning at all.

"I'm ready to go now," Soarin' decided before he felt a sudden tug on his corporal form, "What?"

Soarin' continued to feel strong tugs pulling at him before he finally felt something wrap around him in a hug. Sluggishly Soarin' allowed his eyes to open for what he thought would be the last time. He saw to his foggy bewilderment that Spitfire was wrapped completely around him.

Spitfire was wrapped completely around him?

SPITFIRE WAS WRAPPED COMPLETELY AROUND HIM AND THAT MEANT SHE WAS DROWNING!

"No, bucking way!" Soarin' growled to himself as the bonded stallion in him woke with a vengeance and adrenaline shot through his body.

Soarin' grabbed Spitfire with one foreleg and surged to the surface using not only his remaining legs, but also his heavy-as-hay wings.

"Got to get Spitfire to the surface!" Soarin' raged, "Got to get her to safety. Move you dithering idiot! Faster!"

Spitfire's eyes shot open when she felt herself pulled tightly against Soarin's side. To her surprise she saw that Soarin' was fully awake and even more amazingly enough bringing both of them to the surface at breaking speed.
"How?" the golden Pegasus thought in bewilderment before freezing in shock as Soarin' burst out of the ocean's grip and flew the both of them, despite soaked wings, to the closest part of the beach and landed roughly upon the sandy shore.

The two Pegasi pushed their goggles off as they gasped and coughed to spit the water out of their systems and desperately gulped in needed oxygen. They were both shivering badly from the cold. Spitfire vaguely heard yelling voices and knew help was on the way, but she only had eyes for Soarin'.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Soarin' demanded and when Spitfire gasped out that she was fine the stallion smiled in relief, "Thank Celestia! I am so glad."

Spitfire's happiness at knowing the stallion was okay ended as Soarin's green eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he collapsed face first on the beach. Spitfire vaguely remembered desperately screaming his name again and again as the pony-medics arrived. Soarin' was placed on a stretchers and the golden mare fought hard to stay beside him. She kicked and bit anypony who pulled her away and finally the pony-medics simply allowed her stay at the side of the comatose Soarin'.

Spitfire didn't remember when she collapsed, but the next thing she knew she was waking up in a hospital bed, dry and warm. Her uniform had been removed and her parents hovered near the bed.

"Where's Soarin'?" Spitfire demanded sitting up and startling her parents, "Where is he?"

"The stallion that got you into this mess?" Golden Light asked fretfully, "You shouldn't have dove into that water. You know that you have never swam all that well. You nearly gave us a heart attack. What were you thinking?"

"Where is he?" Spitfire demanded as she ignored her mother, "Where is my life mate?"

Golden Light and Fire Storm froze at their daughter's words. Life mate? Their daughter that refused to even date a stallion had a life mate?

"He's dead?" Spitfire wailed in devastation when her parents remained frozen and her eyes filled with tears.

"No! No, he's not dead," Fire Storm quickly assured realizing just how much his daughter must love this "Soarin'," "You two have been unconscious for the last 24 hours. He woke up first and is in the next hospital room, but…"

"But what?" Spitfire again demanded as she began to kick out from beneath the covers and tried to stand up.

"Spitfire, my Little Warrior, lay back down," Fire Storm urged, "The doctor needs to see you before you move around. You nearly drowned."

"What is wrong with my life mate?" Spitfire choked out as she stumbled to her feet.

"Some water got into his lungs," Golden Light answered assisting her daughter into a warm, fluffy robe as her motherly intuition allowed her to know that there would be no stopping Spitfire, "He has pneumonia. He is ill. That stallion is a hero. He saved both you and Captain Thundercloud."

"Pneumonia?" Spitfire breathed out before she tore out of the hospital room and barged into the stallion's room next door.

Spitfire froze in the doorway to see Soarin' lying so very pale except for a rosy, fever blush that colored his cheeks in the hospital bed. He was lying on his back covered in a thick blanket. The stallion's coat was slicked with sweat and he seemed to be having trouble getting enough air into his lungs and would shake with small fits of coughing. An oxygen mask covered Soarin's muzzle to help him breath and his eyes were closed. The golden mare did not notice that his parents were also in the room. She only had eyes for Soarin'.

"Soarin'?" Spitfire called softly quickly moving to his side and rubbing her hoof gently along his overheated foreleg, "Soarin'? Can you hear me?"

Soarin's eyes opened and he looked blearily at Spitfire. He recognized her and the edges of his mouth turned up into a slight smile while his eyes lit up.

"Hi, Big Guy," Spitfire greeted as tears began to run down her face, "How are you feeling?"

Soarin' shook his head and weakly pointed a hoof at her with a concerned look on his face. Spitfire realized what he was asking.

"I'm fine all thanks to a stallion who somehow was able to fly with soaked wings," Spitfire reassured the stallion as she wiped her tears away even as more fell, "Are you okay?"

"My son is very ill and needs his rest. What is going on here?" a mare's voice said from behind the young couple.

Spitfire turned to see Soarin's parents giving her a questioning look as her own parents entered the hospital room also looking curious.

"He will get well," Spitfire asserted before turning away from the other ponies in the room and focusing back on Soarin, "You're going to be just fine. You hear me? I'm here now. I'm right here with you, my life mate. Forever."

Soarin's eyes flooded with tears of happiness as he internally felt his and Spitfire's bond seal into place. The bond was complete. His life mate was safe. Soarin' weakly reached out to the mare and Spitfire quickly crawled onto the bed beside him to kiss him gently on the forehead.

"I love you, Soarin'," Spitfire cooed down to her life mate as he mouthed the words back to her through his breathing mask, "I am so sorry it took me so long to know that I love you. Go to sleep now. I'm right here. I'm staying right here. Everything is going to be okay now."

Soarin' smiled up at Spitfire with love and relief in his eyes as his soul filled with new found strength being lent to him by his new life mate. He didn't want this moment to end, but his body was exhausted. Soarin' wrapped his forelegs around Spitfire and heeded his life mate's orders by almost immediately dropping off to sleep. The bonded stallion within him urged him to hurry up and get better. Soarin' had a mate to protect. He wasn't going to do any good for Spitfire in a hospital bed.

Spitfire smiled and cuddled Soarin' close. She frowned at his temperature and grabbed a cool washcloth she found in a bowl of water sat on a table beside his bed and placed it across his brow to help bring his fever down. A light cough made her aware that both her parents and Soarin's parents were still in the room.

"I guess you would like an explanation?" Spitfire quietly asked so as not to disturb her ailing life mate's slumber.

"It may be nice since it seems that we are all going to be family now," Wing Glider said as Sky Flare gave her a surprised look, "What? You didn't notice that our son's Pegasus Crystal had changed colors?"

"He…he bonded?" Sky Flare stuttered out, "When? Why didn't he tell us?"

"It's a terribly complicated story," Spitfire admitted, "Plus, it's my entire fault that it is complicated. Let me introduce my parents and then tell you what happened."

The two sets of parents settled down after introductions and Spitfire quietly told the tale of how she and Soarin' had bonded. The golden Pegasus blushed terribly as she told of her negative reactions. Nopony interrupted her as she guiltily explained how much she had hurt Soarin' before she had realized how much the bonding to him was meant to be. Spitfire also admitted to how ashamed she felt at having to discover that she truly loved the stallion at the perils of nearly losing him.

"I am so sorry," Spitfire lamented, "I was a fool."

"No you were not," Sky Flare denied as his wife and Spitfire's parents shook their heads firmly, "You just were taken by surprise by the bonding. Not a lot of Pegasi know about Pegasus Crystals anymore. It must have been quite a shock."

"This is my fault," Golden Light said sadly as her husband put his foreleg around her shoulders, "I pushed you so hard to settle down that I made you fearful of what being with a stallion would mean to you. You were scared. I am so sorry, Darling. I was wrong."

"It's not your fault, Mother," Spitfire began, "I was horrible to Soarin'. I am so ashamed."

"Stop it," Wing Glider ordered firmly, "You are a life mate now. The past is past. There is no point in fretting over it. Your immediate job is to help my colt get better. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Spitfire agreed wholeheartedly as Sky Flare and Wing Glider gazed lovingly at the young couple, "Soarin' is going to be just fine. I'll make sure of it."

"Then you bring him to me," Fire Storm ordered as a look of amusement came over his face, "I want to know who he thinks he is bonding to my daughter without my permission?"

"Daddy," Spitfire whined as all the parents in the room giggled quietly before turning serious, "I can't wait to introduce you to him. Soarin' is quite a stallion. I know you will approve."

"I approved the minute I saw how much he loves you," Fire Storm assured his daughter, "That stallion is A-okay in my books."

"Wait…what about Captain Thundercloud?" Spitfire suddenly remembered, "Is he okay?"

"He is fine," Sky Flare assured, "The doctors repaired his wing, but I am not sure about how long it will be before he returns to The Wonderbolts. Old Cloudy is too stubborn to be out of the sky for long. Do you want me to let your team know that you guys will be okay?"

"Yes, please," Spitfire agreed, "I won't leave Soarin's side until he is well again. He needs me."

Spitfire looked down at her life mate tenderly once she was left alone in the room with him. He shivered slightly and gave a light cough which made her pull the blankets up tighter around Soarin' before lying down to share her body heat.

"I'm right here," Spitfire whispered to her sleeping life mate, "Just get better soon. We have our whole lives together to look forward to."

To be continued…