Soarin’s point of view in the comic Friends Forever: Issue 36. releasedin the beginning of 2017.

Earlier:

The Wonderbolts were in Cloudsdale, performing another show that always captured the crowd’s attention.

“We love you Fleetfoot!” several fans cheered.

Soarin, Fleetfoot, Wave Chill and High Winds had just finished a stunning diamond streak, while Spitfire, Rainbow, and the rest of the team had flown around it, making it sparkle. Just as Soarin had finished, he still couldn’t erase the thoughts that had accompanied him to every show.

Not good enough, not worthy, you are not Wonderbolt material.

Now:

In those few moments, his gaze had averted towards a random cloud, and had caused him to crash right into Wave Chill, which then caused the whole routine to be messed up.
Luckily for the level-headed team, they had recovered quickly and had all managed to finish cleanly. However, while the rest of the team had been concerned and confused that their second-in-command had been so distracted, Spitfire the captain had been severely unimpressed. He replayed their conversation as he flew through the harsh winds that never ended on the famous Mt. Everhoot.

Earlier:

“What the hell was that, Soarin?!”

He looked away, officially guilty. “I don’t know...”

“You don’t know? You don’t know?! You messed up in front of everypony! You crashed right into Wave Chill and ruined our routine, and right in our hometown for pony’s sake, Soar. What has gotten into you?”

Her cold words had him flinch, and he let a single tear roll down his cheek. He must have let what happened at the Equestria Games Tryouts really get to him.

“Look, Soarin...” Spitfire said gently, changing to a friend. “What’s up? Are you okay?”

He shook his head and sighed. “No, Spit. I’ve been distracted, ever since you replaced me... I don’t think I’m good enough for this...”

Her concerned expression turned to a very distraught one. “Soarin, you’re one of the best Wonderbolts! How could you say that?”

He looked right into his friend’s orange eyes, and couldn’t help but feel a singe of anger. “Because I haven’t proven myself.” An idea formed in his head and he nodded determinedly. “And I’m going to.” He saluted and formed his mouth into a thin line. “Captain, I’m going to Mt. Everhoot. I’ll be back as soon as I feel I’ve improved.”

“Soarin, you don’t need to do that! You’ve proven yourself time and time again~”

“Not lately I haven’t,” he interrupted darkly. And with no other word exchanged, he flew out of the room.

Now:

Soarin had just finished a delivery, and was speeding his way back to Jett’s, wanting to make as many deliveries as possible. However, it was hard to navigate in the dark and he hadn’t slowed down by the time the runway came into view. He was gonna crash. Dammit, dammit, dammit.
He could hear pony’s voices yelling all around him, but a raspy voice stuck out to him.
He smashed into the trees and fell, landing in a pile of snow. Hastily, he stood up and brushed himself off, placing his goggles on his forehead and walked away from the trees.

“Kid! You okay?” a male’s voice shouted.

Soarin looked away, trying to rid of a stick attached to his jacket. “I’m good, just a little beat up,” he replied as he removed the stick.

“Soarin!” a familiar female voice called out.
No, it couldn’t be, had she come all the way up here? He felt his heart flutter as he laid eyes on Rainbow Dash. Her mane whipping in the wind, and the front part of her body covered in her Wonderbolt jacket.

“Crash?” he asked. “Make that beat up... and embarrassed,” he groaned. He just had to screw up in front of her.

The blue male pegasus smiled at him. “Good job, kid. A little rough, but you made the delivery.”

The short brown one nodded his head. “Come on inside and get some hot cider. Might be the best out of Sweet Apple Acres yet!”

“Come on, Soarin, let’s get~” she stopped mid sentence and turned to him, eyes lighting up. “Did he say Sweet Apple Acres cider?? How’d they manage that?”

Soarin reminded himself of why he was here. And it was not to swoon over and fall for Rainbow more than he already had. “Why are you here, Crash? Spitfire send you?” he asked, giving her a knowing look.

She bit her lip and Soarin tried not to stare at them, moistened by the cold. “Well yeah, but only because she knew I’m a strong enough flyer to get up here!” she exclaimed.

Really, Spit?
“Or she doesn’t care enough to come herself,” he said, frowning.

Dash looked at him sympathetically as they walked. “I’m sure that’s not it,” she told him gently. “Let’s go in and talk about this over some cider,” she proposed.

I wish I could.
“Uh... maybe later, Crash. I need to make sure the delivery is okay.”

“Okay, then. We’ll talk later.” She put up no argument and instead stared at the ground before announcing, “I’m gonna have cider!” And with that, she disappeared inside.

He flew away, and was happy to find he needed to go to a nearby town and pick up a few satchels. As he flew, his mind raced. She sent Crash, huh? Why didn’t she come herself, is she that... afraid of me? Or angry? Or disappointed? Not that I’m not happy to see Crash, Celestia knows I always am... but I don’t want the mare I like to pity me! You should have come, Spitfire. I need my best friend.

He dove downwards and stopped at a small building, heading inside. “Hello? I’m here to pick some satchels!”

A minute later, a young stallion appeared, clearly nervous. “Are y-you from Jett’s?” he asked, eyes wide.

Despite his mood, Soarin managed to smile. “I am. Do you where the satchels are?”

The boy nodded. “Yes s-sir. I’ll go g-get them for you.” He scampered away.

Not worthy, not good enough.

He returned, a large bag full of tanned leather satchels in hoof. He laid them on Soarin’s back and nodded at him. “Good luck out there, sir.”

“Uh, yeah, you too!” Soarin closed his eyes as he opened the door, but resisting the cold, he gave a few strong flaps and lifted into the air, keeping himself steady as he headed back to Jett’s.
Fortunately for Soarin, he was a strong stallion and had incredible strength and endurance. And although he wasn’t having loads of trouble here, he felt the desired need to prove himself. He would be unstoppable. Fearless. He shifted as he saw Jett’s, and promptly dropped the bag into a delivery box, before dashing to the front door, opening it with a loud smash.

“C’mon Soarin! Let’s get out of here before you get yourself seriously injured!” Dash yelled the second he burst through the door.

I don’t quit so easily, Dash. “No way! I’m going to master this mountain!” He turned to Jett and lifted his chin. “Jett! Gimme a cider.” He flapped his wings in an effort to get the snow off before walking over and sitting next to the prismatic mare.

Jett rolled his eyes and stared at Rainbow Dash. “We’re out of cider. Somepony drank it all.”

Soarin looked at Rainbow. “What?” she asked. “Clearly you’ve never had to contend with Pinkie Pie for it,” she defended. Shaking her bangs out of her eyes, she looked at Soarin, a believing smile on her face. “C’mon! You’re a Wonderbolt! We’re the best flyers in Equestria. You’ve already proven yourself.” She leaned her head on a hoof.

Soarin looked away, unable to meet her gaze. “Not lately I haven’t.” Her face turned to a frown and he continued. “Proving I’m good enough to be a Wonderbolt is one thing,” he said. “Staying that good is something else. Did you see me at that last show?” he muttered.
She wouldn’t tease him now. They had gotten to know each other well, having a natural connection with one another. He felt comfortable confiding in her as a friend, although he still didn’t want to appear weak. Crushes were confusing.

She nodded. “Okay, yeah, that was awful, but~” She was interrupted with a loud buzz. “Wha-what’s that?” she yelled, shocked.

“The extreme weather alarm,” he replied, looking at the ground.

Her jaw dropped. “You mean the weather hasn’t been extreme before now?” she cried, pupils shrunken.

“Urgent message from Yakyakistan!” the mail pony announced, eyes going in two different directions.

Soarin watched as two senior ponies picked up the letters. “What is it?” the blue one asked.

“The yak strain of the Equine flu has hit them hard! They need a triple order of Everplant right away!” the brown pegasus exclaimed, reading the note.

The blue one shook his head, baffled. “Well they’re not getting it right away! There’s no pony crazy enough to go out in this storm,” he exclaimed. “And it’ll take hours to get the weather cleared up.”

I am.

“But yaks need that medicine!” the older pegasus protested.

Soarin stepped forward with determination. “I’ll do it.”

“You sure, kid?”

Soarin nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

He was about to receive a couple instructions when a voice rang out. “He’s not sure!” Rainbow interjected, stepping to him, features hardened.

“Stay out of this, Crash,” Soarin told her.

He didn’t want to sound harsh, but he couldn’t let her get mixed up in his problems. She didn’t back down. That was the Crash he knew.

“Well, if you’re going, then... I’m going with you!”

No, no, I can’t let you get hurt. And while he could say that in his head, he had no right telling this headstrong mare what to do. “Suit yourself,” he said simply.

She walked with him as they both trotted to the edge of the mountain, looking out as the winds showed no sign of stopping. They glanced at each other, magenta meeting emerald. Thank you, thank you, you’re so amazing- No, Soarin. Stop it. Later.

“Uhh, Soarin?”

“Yeah?”

They took off, flying higher. “You sure you want to do this?” she called.

He felt the thrill as the air pushed through his mane. “You know it!”

A daring look made its way onto her face and she pulled on her goggles, speeding up. He did the same, and together they rounded corners and made sharp turns through the hills and mountains, dark blue and rainbow jetting out behind them. Despite the circumstances, Soarin felt free. Just him and her, flying. They had a mission, and he couldn’t think of anypony else he’d rather be doing it with.

Dash flew ahead and turned, leaving him in the dust for a second, but in that second, a rumble of thunder echoed and Soarin could only watch as a bolt of lightning struck Dash. “Ahhh!” she screamed, unable to fly and plummeted towards her doom.

Oh god, oh god, Dash, my Dashie, no no no.
Adrenaline kicked in and Soarin shot straight towards her, forgetting everything else. All that mattered was that he reached Rainbow Dash. All that mattered was that she was safe, and he would be able to breathe. And everything would be okay. As long as she wasn’t hurt.
He caught her in his arms, carrying her bridal style and spotted a cave, flying towards it. He could feel her small, muscled body shivering slightly as she silenced herself, realizing she was alright. He landed in the cave and set her down gently. Please be okay. I don’t know what I’d do without you. You have to be okay. Please, please. “Are you alright?” he murmured.

She nodded, stunned and sat down, looking at the ground. He took a seat beside her and examined her body, making sure there weren’t any injuries. Even with her mane tangled and tired eyes, Soarin thought she was the most beautiful mare he had ever seen. He didn’t think that would ever change.

Rainbow turned to him and grinned. “You really saved my hide back there. That dive was amazing,” she told him gratefully.

Soarin smiled a little. “You aren’t the only one with fancy moves,” he replied.

“That’s why I don’t understand what you’re doing here. You’re a great flyer.”

He became quiet, only for a second. “I don’t expect you to understand.”
I’m nothing compared to you.

She gave him a reassuring yet playful look. “Try me,” she challenged.

He sighed. “You’re a naturally good flyer, Rainbow Dash,” he began. “A great one in fact. You did a sonic rainboom as a filly!”

She puffed her chest. “Pretty awesome, right?” Absolutely.

He lowered his head and closed his eyes, ashamed. “But me? Maybe I have some raw talent, but I’ve always had to work harder. I always knew I wanted to be a Wonderbolt, but nearly everypony told me that I’d never be that good.” He couldn’t look at her. He was officially embarrassed. “So I practiced harder than anypony. Practically did nothing else.” And with that, he opened his eyes.

Dash furrowed her brow before smiling again, trying her hardest to be positive and encouraging. “And you became a Wonderbolt! So, what’s the problem?” she questioned, listening intently.

“Just because I made it, doesn’t mean I still don’t feel like a fraud sometimes.”

“What?”

He gazed at her. “You saw what happened last show,” he reminded.

She shrugged. “We all have bad days. Did you forget my first official appearance?”

The memory made him smile. Eventually, Dash always made him smile. “Heh, no, I didn’t... Rainbow Crash.” They both chuckled.
You always seem to make me feel better, even if it’s just for a minute. “I don’t know... I guess I’ve never completely gotten over Spitfire wanting to replace me during the Equestria Games.” With you.

At that, Rainbow bobbed her head. “Yeah, that wasn’t great. But she’s really worried about you being up here.”

Doubt it. Nah, come on, Soar, you’re like her brother. She deserves the worry.
His emotions were confusing. “Not enough to come herself.”

She gave him a gentle smile. “Spitfire’s not exactly warm and fuzzy, but she respects and cares about you. We all do.” She looked at him with such... care in her eyes. “You’re the heart of the Wonderbolts, and we would not be a team without you.”

He averted his gaze, touched by her kind words. Thank you, thank you. “You really mean that?” he asked.

“Of course I do! All the ‘Bolts think you’re amazing.” She grinned. “And you don’t need to come to the top of a mountain to prove it,” she added, smirking a little.

Soarin only smiled, finally feeling confident. He just needed an apology. “Thanks, Dash. That means a lot.”

They both stretched. “One more thing,” she said. “The next time you’re feeling adventurous, hold off for a couple hours until the weather clears.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “Fair enough. Let’s go make this delivery!”

They grinned and sped off.

The delivery went smoothly now that the weather was clear, and as they whipped and spun through the air, they talked and laughed. “You and High Winds scared Spitfire?” Dash questioned, laughing.

“Right? She totally freaked out! When she found out it was a prank...” his eyes went wide and he grinned. “Not sure you wanna know.”

“Of course I do, it’ll make me sure to never scare the Captain. And it’s been tempting many times,” she replied, slowing down.

He smiled at her mischievousness. “Fine, fine. Clean all the toilets for a month and do Lightning Streak’s laundry.”

Rainbow’s rosy eyes widened in horror. “Oh god,” she exclaimed, smiling. “You’ve been through a lot, Clipper,” she sympathized sarcastically.

“It was really hard on me,” he agreed, wiping a fake tear from his eye.
They both laughed and looked at each other, smiling happily, content with each other’s company. They dove as the bar came into view, and when they got inside, Soarin announced cheerfully, “Delivery complete, Jett!”

“Soarin! Crash!” He opened his eyes and saw none other than Spitfire sitting at a stool, a satisfied and calm smile on her face.

“Spitfire? What are you doing here?” Even though he was still hurt, he felt joy at seeing his best friend.

She smirked. “Getting my two best flyers off this mountain!” Sighing, she stepped forward and looked Soarin in the eye. “When I found out you were upset that I sent Crash instead of coming myself, I realized it was a mistake. Also, I am still ashamed of how I acted during the Equestria Games Qualifiers. I just didn’t want to admit it. Can you forgive me... for all of this?” she asked, looking into his eyes with a sincere, hopeful look.

“Of course,” he answered. I love you. They all took a seat at the bar, Spitfire in between the two. “But how did you know I was upset about you not coming?”

He saw Dash smirk and she gestured to the cross eyed mailpony beside her. “I may have taken advantage of the mail service here.”

Spitfire turned to him. “What do you say? Ready to come back and start planning routines for the Spring?”

“Sounds like a plan,” he smiled.

She turned to Rainbow. “You too, Crash! You weren’t planning on taking the Winter off or anything, we’re you?”
Soarin flashed her a teasing smile, knowing full on that she was planning to take the winter off.

“No ma’am!” she replied in her assured voice. She rolled her eyes playfully at him.

They all stood up. “I guess this is it, Jett. Thanks for everything,” Soarin told him gratefully.

Jett smiled. “Thank you, kid, for taking more chances than any pony I’ve ever met!”

Spitfire turned, clearly ready to leave. “Now grab your things and let’s go straight home!” she announced.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dash grin. “Well, maybe not straight home.” She looks at her teammates with a daring look. “There’s a mighty nice wind current out there right now.”

Soarin and Spitfire glanced at each other, meeting her challenging pose. They smirked and opened their wings. The three didn’t say anything, they flew out of there with Grace, soaring towards the Crystal Castle where Shining Armour and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza resided.

The three zoomed, Dash in the lead. “Guess all the weather warnings about this place were just an exaggeration,” Spitfire called, her and Soarin both ahead of Dash now.

Soarin chuckled and shook his head. “Whatever you say, Spitfire.”

“Yes ma’am!” Rainbow yelled.

Soarin smiled and in a long time, he felt truly, completely happy.