Chapter 1

   "Beep,beep,beep."

   Zoarin opened his eyes slowly and turned his head toward the alarm clock.

   The clock read 7:05 AM. The time he usually woke up.

   He reached over with his hoof and hit the snooze button. He sat up in bed and stretched out his legs and wings, and let out a yawn.

   He rolled out of bed and walked to the window. The sun was just coming up, a perfect day to do some flying.

   He turned around and looked around his darkened apartment room. He lived in a small apartment building outside of Manehattan. It was small and cramped, but it was his home.

   The room was always messy, he didn't see any point in cleaning. Nopony ever came around, and it made him feel more comfortable.

   Zoarin walked over to his small mirror and looked at himself.

   He was a fairly muscular Pegasus, but not to muscular. His man was midnight black and so was his tail. His coat was a grayish color, as was his eyes. His cutie mark was a lighting bolt with a gold star on either side.

   He looked over to his desk to see the single picture frame on it. The picture was of his long time friend Neutral Star. They had known each other since they both started school, over sixteen years ago.

   Last time he saw her was a year ago at the Best Young Flyer competition. They had trained for months together, and was prepared to win. They had flown better than they ever had before, but lost to a cyan colored Pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail.

   After that, she left saying that she was going to train to become the best flyer. That day also made Zoarin realize something. He realized that he wasn't the fastest Pegasus as he had thought.

   He became determined to be the best, which caused him to be sent to the hospital more often.

   He shook his head and looked away from the picture and walked to his kitchen and looked though his small food supply.

   As usually he had almost nothing left.

   "I really need to buy food more often then just once a month." He mumbled to himself.

   He rubbed his eyes with his right hoof and yawned again.

   "Well, guess I could just go find some restaurant, again." He said while walking towards the door.

   He walked out of the building and onto the ground. He was one of the few Pegasus who lived on the ground. The soft clouds never really appealed to him, he found the hard earth more pleasant to be on.

   He looked around at the other ponies, all getting ready for the day ahead.

   Zoarin never really talks to anypony, but he will always end up talking to a new pony every day.

   He walked across the street to his favorite restaurant, "La Fillie." He liked the way the name sounds. They serve the best flower sandwiches.

   He walked in and sat at his usual booth and sat back to relax.

   "Well, looks who's back. My favorite customer, Zoarin. Let me guess, you want the usual order, right?"

   Zoarin looked to his right to see Judy, the waiter for this restaurant. She was wearing the white uniform all the waiters were suppose to wear. Her man and tail was a bluish color and her eyes were brown. Her cutie mark was a notebook, which he though fit her since she always used a notebook.

   Zoarin gave small smile, "Hey Judy, you know I can't resist the flower sandwiches here."

   She wrote his order in her notebook and looked at him, "They are pretty good, but I prefer the hayburgers."

   She turned and walked towards the counter.

   Zoarin looked around at all the happy ponies eating. He slumped down into the booth and sighed.

   He hated feeling so alone, every time he went out into public. Even though he had many friends, he still felt alone. Like he was missing something in his life.

   He put his head in his hoofs and sighed again.

   "Hey are you okay Zoarin."

   Zoarin looked up from his hoofs and looked at the pony in front of him.

   "Oh hey cotton, I'm fine just need to eat."

   Cotton was a old friend of his. She was a kind pony, with a white coat and violet mane and tail. Her cutie mark was a hammer with a blue X besides it. He has no idea what it means or how she got it.

   "Well then eat. I have never met a pony who would rather starve than eat." She said with a grin.

   Zoarin laughed, he loved her sense of humor, "I just ordered my food, now I'm waiting for it to arrive. So how have you been Cotton, I haven't seen you for a while."

   She slide into his booth and smiled, "Oh well, you know, places. I've mostly been in a small town called Ponyville. The ponies there are nice and outgoing. Unlike the ponies here."

   "Sounds like a nice place." Zoarin said while looking at the counter, waiting for his food.

   "It is, you should visit it sometime."

   Zoarin looked from the counter to her, "You know I don't travel unless it will help me with my training."

   "Well Zoarin, there are plenty of open sky to train in, and Cloudsdale is close by."

   "You had me on the open skies, but you know I don't do well with clouds."

   Cotton smiled, "You know that the Wonderbolts HQ is in Cloudsdale, right?"

   Zoarin looked back to the counter, "I've seen them before, and I have hungout with them all before. I can join anytime I want, but I fly alone now."

   Cotton let out a sigh and glanced around the restaurant. Then she smirked and looked back at him.

   "Also while I was there, I met that Pegasus who beat you last year. You know the one with the rainbow colored mane and tail."

  His eyes went wide and he looked at her, "Wait, she lives there. Whats her name."

   "Rainbow Dash I believe."

   Zoarin sat back and thought,"So that's her name, ummm fits her. Cute."

   Just then Judy arrived with his flower sandwich and sat it down in front of him, "There you go Zoarin, enjoy."

   Zoarin picked it up and took a bit out of it. He loved the taste of those flower sandwiches, and he was always deep in thought while he ate them.

   "So Zoarin, are you going to go to Ponyville to meet her." Said Cotton with a small grin on her face.

   He continued to chew his food and said between bites, "Well I guess..... I could go and... check her out to.... see how good she really is."

   "Oh Zoarin, put down your food and talk clearly for once." Cotton said while laughing.

   Zoarin put down the sandwich and continued, "I need to know how she was able to bet me, and how she was able to do that sonic rainboom."

   She looked at him, "I though you could do a move just like that, didn't you call it the Sonic Zoarboom."

   He looked away, "Uhhh yea, but like I told you the last time I performed it. I don't want to show it off like I'm better than everypony else."

   "But Zoarin, you are better at flying than every other Pegasus. You need to drop your modest act and niceness for a while. Be your own pony for once, don't worry about what others think of you."

   Zoarin thought about this for a minute, "Well she does have a point, how else could I prove that I'm the best if I don't even show off my best move."

   "Sorry Zoarin but I have to get going, I need to go finish unpacking. Nice seeing you again, I'll come over some time."

   "Okay, I need to get home anyway, I need to do a little cleaning."

   She smiled at him, "You mean packing, I can tell you want to go to Ponyville to met this Rainbow Dash."

   He looked at her and smiled, "You know me to well."

   "Well duh, how else could I be your friend if i didn't know what you were like."

   He shook his head and laughed a little, "Only you would know this much about me after so long apart. You should come over before I leave."

   "Will do Zoarin. I'll come over tomorrow afternoon. See ya later." She said while turning to walk away.

   Zoarin looked down at his flower sandwich and smiled. He picked it up and took the final bit. He stood up and walked over to the counter.

   "Thanks Judy for the meal, here's the bits I owe you." He said while placing two bits on the counter.

   "No problem, come again Zoarin."

   He walked out the door and headed across the street to his apartment. He had to get ready for his trip to Ponyville and to the Pegasus who had beat him a year before.