“I’m in,” Soarin sighed, tossing one red chip into the pile.

Fleetfoot nodded. “Me too.”

“Since when are you not?” Blaze chuckled, who was watching instead of playing. Fleetfoot sent her a sweet, teasing smile that caused Blaze to flush.

“Yep,” Wave Chill, Fire Streak, and Misty Fly said, each tossing a blue chip into the ever growing pile.

Lightning sighed. “And I’m out,” he admitted in defeat, throwing his cards down on the table. “I’m gonna go meet Rapid, adios,” he called, flying out the door.

“I am also out,” Spitfire grumbled.

Misty Fly grinned. “Aw, don’t be sad, Spitty.”

“You gonna stay and watch me win?” Wave teased, nudging her with his wing.

Spitfire’s face pinked, it wasn’t often that the two teased one another right in front of their friends, although it was known they did from afar. Whatever their relationship was, they were keeping it private for the time being. Spitfire hadn’t even told Soarin about it, although he pestered her about it quite a bit.

“Aww,” Fleetfoot cooed. “You two are too cute for words!” She smushed her face up.

Wave snorted. “So are you and Blazey there.” He knew Blaze hated being called that.
Soarin laughed, patting Wave on the back.

The two mares stared at him, faces turning pink. Fleetfoot muttered something, rolling her eyes.

“Alright, come on, anypony else gonna raise?” Fire Streak asked, looking at them. Even though he had retired from the ‘Bolts, he still tried to get together with them somewhat regularly, now that things between him and Misty were okay, and the two settled for being just friends.

They all shook their head and one by one, laid down their hands. Soarin glanced over, Misty and Fire both had full houses, Wave had three of a kind, Soarin had a flush, and Fleetfoot, well... “Yes!” she cheered, shooting up into the air. “And you guys called me stupid for never backing down!”

“What’d you get, Flatfoot?” Spitfire asked sarcastically.

Fleet picked up her hand. “Straight flush, oh yeah!” She proceeded to fly to each one of them, showing each Wonderbolt.
Except when she got to Blaze, their faces were so close she ended up looking shyly away and gave her a nervous half smile.

Blaze chuckled. “Lucky mare, you weren’t so much last time~”

“Oh, shut it, Blazey,” Fleetfoot said, rolling her eyes and grinning. “I’ll buy you a drink with all the money these guys got me,” she stated proudly and trotted out the door, Blaze close behind.

“And I’m out fifty bits,” Soarin groaned, smacking his head on the table. “I’m an idiot.”

“I fully agree,” Spitfire responded monotonously.

Wave chuckled and Soarin sent a playful glare her way. “Not like you gained any coin either, Cap,” he retorted.

“I only lost ten bits,” Spit deadpanned and stood from her chair. “Have fun seeing Crash,” she yelled and flew out of the room.

“I really despise your marefriend sometimes, dude,” Soarin told Wave.

Wave blushed heavily. “S-Sh-She’s not my m-marefriend!” he stuttered.

“Just chill, Chill,” Soarin said, laughing at his own little wording. “Red’s not your best colour,” he joked, sending his friend a nice smile, showing he meant no harm.

Wave smirked as his blush faded. “Have fun with your marefriend. She told me she’d be at home by now.”

Soarin’s heart leaped in his chest as he glanced at the clock. Wave was right. “Oh, yeah, guess so.” He tried to keep his cool and hide his excitement.

“Don’t hide your joy from me,” Wave told him, nudging him with his wing. “Everypony on the team knows you two like each other.”

Soarin turned away and didn’t deny it. It was true. As long as nopony knew they were friends with benefits, they’d be fine.

Rainbow Dash. Soarin’s heart thudded in his ears as he thought about her. She had changed his life. Brought in something more than just work and celeb life. Before her, his life wasn’t horrible. He had great friends, a good job, but now... she just brought excitement. He hadn’t felt true, pure happiness for a few years after his excitement when he first became a Wonderbolt had faded away, until she came along, bringing colour and sparkle to his life. And while at first she had squealed like a filly, she quickly settled down and treated him normally before she was even on the team. She brought adventure to the littlest things, whether it was flying, practicing, dining out.... He couldn’t get enough. And he was in two because he could never be the good coltfriend she deserved. He had duties as a Commander. It wasn’t all just fun shows. There was paperwork, not as much as Spitfire’s, but still, meetings, touring, interviews, and was even needed as a member of the Equestrian Air Force from time to time. The Wonderbolts weren’t just an acrobatic stunt team, they were more. And as much as he fell for Rainbow more each day, he couldn’t abandon something that had been part of his life for so long. The job meant too much. His friends meant too much. Equestria and Celestia needed him. Yet Soarin let himself hope that maybe one day... They could really be together.

Since they had already finished up, Soarin flew away from HQ, going to Dash’s house after she had been in Las Pegasus for the night, apparently watching over some of Applejack’s ancient relatives. He wanted to hear and see if she got to go on the famous roller coaster that every ‘Bolt had been on. To quote Misty, “You can’t really call yourself a Wonderbolt if you haven’t been on it.” He continued flying in the direction of her home, thinking about the last time they were together...

Two days ago:
They had gone a pranking spree, targeting Blaze, Silver, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Lyra, and Mayor Mare... who was not exactly pleased. Well, he supposed nopony would be pleased if they had sat on a whoopee cushion in front of a bunch of important council ponies from all over Equestria. It was exhilarating to watch it take place below, Dash’s face buried into his neck slightly to conceal her laughter. They had zipped out of there as soon as everypony moved on from Mayor’s embarrassment, and had chuckled about it all the way to a hidden cloud.
And then she had tugged him onto the cloud and kissed him chastely, giggling, her eyes glittering. He had sighed contently, before grabbing a feather with his wing, placing it in his mouth, and brushed it along her sides, causing her to fall back, twitching and laughing, until she had accidentally kicked him in the stomach. It followed with him groaning and lying on his side while she had profusely apologized whilst trying not to snicker at his state. It was painful, yet he wouldn’t have changed a thing about their time together.
All was well as they had flown to back to Headquarters to say goodnight before Dash had taken off for her house and he was left there, missing her intensely while listening to Spitfire’s lectures about paperwork and teasing about the prismatic mare who was the obvious object of his affections.

“Uh, Dash? You here?” Soarin yelled, knocking on her front door.

One minute, five minutes, ten minutes passed and Soarin flew to her bedroom window. He saw no sign of Rainbow, but he saw the familiar green shell of a certain tortoise taking a nap, a resting smile on his face. “Tank!” he exclaimed happily.

Tank blinked sleepily and cast a look in Soarin’s direction, his smile growing larger. “Hey,” Soarin called. “Is Rainbow Dash here, buddy?”

Tank slowly shook his head no. Soarin sighed. “Do you know where she is?”

He nodded. A yes. Soarin hovered, thinking where she might be. “Is she with her friends?”

Another nod.

“Uh... Sugarcube corner?”

Tank shook his head no. “No? Uh, Sweet Apple Acres?”

Another no. “Carousel Boutique?” he asked hopefully, maybe she was spending time with her fashionable friend. Tank yawned. Alright, one last try. “The Friendship Castle? Princess Twilight’s home?”

Tank stood there, not doing anything before he nodded yes. Score. “Alright! Thanks!” Soarin called, flying away. However, he quickly zipped back and stuck his head in again. “Uh, Tank? Do you need anything?”

Tank turned back, subtle annoyance on his face. Clearly he was trying to get in a good nap. He frowned and shook his head no. Soarin backed away, while he knew Tank was only an animal, he was also Rainbow Dash’s pet and best friend. He couldn’t have him not liking him.

Sighing, Soarin sped towards Twilight’s castle, hoping he wasn’t interrupting anything. He took three deep breaths. “Alright, Soar, they’re just her friends. You know them, they know you, and as far as you can tell, they don’t hate you. Okay.” He knocked three times at the door, glancing around, unable to stand the thought of being rejected by the Princess of Friendship.

“Hey, I know you!” a loud, high pitched voice exclaimed.

Soarin flinched and opened an eye, seeing Pinkie Pie standing there with a wide smile on her pink face. “Uh, heh, yeah...”

“Pinkie! Darling, who is it?” Rarity called, walking in to the foyer, whose dark blue eyes widened when she saw the Wonderbolt standing there. “Why hello Soarin dear!” she greeted with delight.

“Oh, uh, hi Rarity. I... heard Crash was here?”

“He means Dashie!” Pinkie yelled right in Rarity’s ear.

Rarity flinched and glared at Pinkie, rolling her eyes. “Yes, I know, darling. Come on in, Soarin,” she said, stepping aside.

“Thank you.”

They all stood silently for a few moments, unsure of what to say. “Look,” Soarin began. “I really don’t want to interrupt anything. You guys mean the world to Dash, so maybe I should just~”

“Soarin?”

He looked up and saw said pony hovering in midair, looking at him with a friendly smile.

“Hey, Crash,” he said.

She landed softly on the floor and walked closer, ignoring Rarity and Pinkie’s slight squeal. “What’s up?”

“Ah, well, Wave reminded me that... you were back from Las Pegasus, ya know, so thought I’d hear about your ride? The roller coaster,” he clarified quickly. “But I can come back, you know, if you’re busy...” he motioned to her friends.

He stared at the floor while she considered it.

“I’m sure Twilight wouldn’t mind,” Pinkie chirped.

“Mind what? What are you three- Oh, hi there Soarin!” The lavender princess smiled warmly, nodding her head in his direction.

Soarin lowered into a bowing position. “Princess Twilight,” he said quickly.

She scoffed, waving a hoof. “None of that, please, you’re Rainbow Dash’s friend after all. Come in,” she invited.

“You sure?” he asked, still feeling like an intruder.

Twilight brightened. “Of course, we already have Applejack’s relatives here for dinner, so, the more the better, right?”

“You can hear how I am now a member of the Horseshoe Gals,” Rainbow agreed, chuckling a little.

“The what?”

Dash simply smiled and shook her head. “C’mon Clipper, maybe AJ can make you a pie or something.”

His ears perked up at that. “Pie!? Lead the way!” he exclaimed excitedly, flying around the corner where the three came from. He heard the girls laugh as they lead him to the dining room, where Applejack, Spike, Fluttershy, Granny Smith and three other older mares eating some sandwiches and soup.

“Well who’s this handsome, young fella?” Granny Smith asked, staring at Soarin.

“This is Clipper,” Dash told her, sitting down.
Twilight used her magic and pulled up a seat right in between Rarity and Rainbow Dash. “Anything you don’t like, Clip?” Dash asked.

“Eh, I’m good with anything,” he replied.

“Clipper?” the old gold mare asked, “What an unfortunate name.”

Pinkie, Applejack, and Dash snickered.

“It’s Soarin, actually,” he corrected, nudging Dash with his wing. “Clipper’s just a nickname,” he corrected.

“Is he yer special somepony, Rainbow Dash?” Granny Smith asked brightly, wearing a teasing grin.

Soarin watched as Dash’s wings flared out, a clear crimson covering her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. “What? No! You know me, all about being a Wonderbolt, heh,” she said stuttering, trying to keep her blushing under control.

Soarin didn’t know how he felt about that. She probably just didn’t want more teasing, seeing as they both got it from the team already.

“Ain’t he the one who you were talking about back in Las Pegasus?” the other green mare asked. “Oh, excuse me, I’m Auntie Applesauce, call me Applesauce though,” she introduced.

“Nice to meet you,” Soarin replied.

“Well... yeah. But he’s my friend! I talk about my other friends too, you know,” Dash explained nervously.

“You talk about him like he’s special,” the old pink mare pointed out.

“It’s true, true, true Dashie!” Pinkie agreed.

Soarin looked down and kept eating, ignoring the giggling faces of Dash’s friends. “Alright, let’s... leave them alone,” Twilight said, trying to hide her own chuckle. He internally thanked her.

“So, anyways,” he coughed. “How was Las Pegasus? I came to hear the story after all.”

“Well... oh forget it, I refuse to talk if I don’t have some nachos in front of me!” Granny Smith exclaimed, crossing her arms.

Applejack laid her hoof on the table. “Now, Granny, you know you aren’t~”

“Oh don’t you tell me what to do, Applejack! You already ruined Las Pegasus for the most part with your careful rules that you made Rainbow here follow! I fed you and bathed you and put your diapers on, show your elders some respect,” Granny huffed.

Soarin bit his lip, trying not to laugh.

“Well yeah, but~” AJ tried.

“No buts!”

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, Applejack! Loosen up!” she reached under the table and brought out four plates of nachos. “Here you gran-, well, uh, ladies go!”

“Wha thank ya Pinkie Pie,” Goldie Delicious thanked.

“Oh no problem! I always have nachos on the run,” Pinkie exclaimed.

Soarin raised his eyebrows. “You do?”

“Of course! Just like you always have your apple pie, right?”

Soarin turned red and laughed nervously. “Um...”

“Obviously,” Dash interrupted. “He wouldn’t be Soarin without his pie.”

“Hey! What about my super awesome flying? Or my Wonderbolt uniform?”

She shrugged, taking a bite of her sandwich. “Eh, I guess,” she teased, smiling coyly at him.

“And you wouldn’t be Rainbow Dash without your big ego,” he clipped back, returning her smile.

“Anyways,” Twilight began. “Aren’t you going to tell Soarin about your trip?”

“Right! Well, the first few hours weren’t really any fun because~”

“Because,” Granny said. “Rainbow was following Applejack’s boring rules! Full of nap time and soup and low maintenance activities,” she finished, sticking her nose up in the air.

Applejack rolled her green eyes. “C’mon, Granny, aren’t you gonna forget about this already?”

“Absolutely not! You ruined what could have been a great time, dear,” Apple Rose pointed out.

“It all turned just fine in the end though!”

“Not the point, AJ,” Dash said. “The point is, I’m way more fun then you are. They all hate your stupid rules.”

Applejack rolled her eyes, clearly more bothered than she had appeared. She usually didn’t get angry too quickly, but clearly it wasn’t going to be like that tonight. “Oh please, you cocky, arrogant, brash, reckless pegasus! It’s only ‘cause you don’t have to take care of her!”

“Heh, you mean brave, talented and awesome!”

Applejack glared as Rainbow got all up in her face. “Look here, Rainbow Dash, you have no idea about hard work and responsibility it is to take care of these old mares, keep track of your li’l sister, and run a farm! I do these things to protect Granny and my family. Now if y’all’ll excuse us, Granny, Apple Rose, Goldie Delicious, Auntie Applesauce and I have to get going! Thank ya kindly for dinner, Twilight.”

And after a couple minutes of hiding, stretching and glaring, the five mares left.
“Rainbow Dash~” Twilight started.

Dash rolled her magenta eyes. “Oh come on! Don’t get mad, what’d I even do?”

“Insulted Applejack,” Soarin said plainly.

The other four nodded.

“Yeah? W-well, I-I didn’t mean to! It’s not my fault they don’t like her rules,” Rainbow defended stubbornly.

Twilight sighed and lifted the dishes up with her magic, trotting out of the dining room.

“We know you didn’t mean to,” Fluttershy told her softly. “But she’s right. She works really hard to take care of Granny Smith. She has those rules for a reason, Rainbow Dash.”

“I agree. You should go apologize,” Rarity said.

Pinkie nodded while stuffing a donut in her mouth. “Yeah!”

Dash sighed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Tell Twilight thanks. Pinkie, Flutters, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy both nodded. “Bye Dashie!” Pinkie yelled as the rainbow maned mare flew away.

Dash flew quickly towards the door and bolted through it, flying higher and higher, taking a deep breath of the cool air.

“Dash, wait!” Soarin called, quickly catching up to her. “What’s up?”

She frowned. “I don’t know why AJ had to get so...”

“Upset?”

“Yeah! Like, what’s the big deal? So she has to take care of her grandma, we’re Wonderbolts, Soar! Wonderbolts! And she’s just a farmer!” she sighed in frustration, landing on a cloud and lying down.

Soarin smiled and landed beside her, placing a hoof on her back. “Yeah, but... running a farm’s hard work. I can’t imagine doing that every day.”

Rainbow opened one eye, a sign that she was listening.

Soarin went on. “Maybe she’s a little... jealous,” he suggested calmly.

“Jealous? Of what?” Dash scoffed, brushing off his suggestion. “I mean, I am awesome, but—“
“Well,” he continued thoughtfully, politely cutting her off, “you’re the one they think is super fun and exciting and goes to Las Pegasus and rides roller coasters with them. Applejack’s the one who enforces rules and soft food diets and boring activities. They don’t like it. She wants them to... Well, she doesn’t wanna be told she’s boring by her family, which I’m sure you get,” he finished.

Dash opened both eyes and stood up. “I... I guess... ugh... Could’ve defended me back there, ya know. Screw you for being so reasonable,” she joked.

Soarin shrugged, taking his hoof off her body. “Maybe, but... I shouldn’t have. I get where Applejack is coming from,” he explained.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting her to do, but lucky for him, she didn’t yell. “You just couldn’t be a hot-headed, self-obsessed pony like me, huh?” She wore a teasing grin.

He mockingly sighed. “I promise I will try very hard to become one.”

“Good,” she murmured and leaned forward, planting a sweet, short kiss on his cheek. “I’m gonna go apologize. Wait here for me?”

“You know it,” he replied.

She came back about twenty minutes later. “Ready to go, Clipper?”

Soarin had been flying around, practicing a few tricks him and Spitfire had planned to show the team.
“Where you staying tonight?” he asked, flying by her side as they drifted away from Ponyville.

“We’ve got training for the next few days, so Headquarters, I guess,” she answered.

“Aw,” he pouted. “I want you all to myself.”

She smirked, facing him. “Gotta make you wait sometimes. Build the suspense.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” he wondered aloud.

“Oh, Soar,” she sighed gently, hiding a seductive smile. “That’s where all the fun is.” She peered into the distance and turned to him. “Race you back to HQ?”

Soarin grinned, getting into stance. “You’re on, Crash. Three~”

“Twoonego!” she shouted and took off.

Soarin rolled his eyes and sped off, catching up quickly until they were neck and neck. “Hiya, Dashie.” He winked and flew past her.

“Hey! How’d you catch up so fast?”

He grit his teeth and flapped his wings harder. Almost there. “What can I say?” he called over his shoulder. “I’m just so awesome!” He actually wasn’t sure how he was beating her. She had always been the faster one of the two of them.

And with that, he landed first in front of the compound, Rainbow flying in a second later.

“Did I. Just. Beat the awesome Rainbow Danger Dash?!” he yelled, beaming.

“Ha, only ‘cause I let ya.” She nudged him and trotted towards the door.

He chuckled at her proudness. “Whatever you say, Crash.”

“Oh, shit,” she cursed. “I left the photos of me on the coaster at home.” She opened the door, holding it for him.

“Well, guess we’ll see if you were brave enough to ride it later,” he quipped.

They walked into the locker room, exchanging caring, teasing grins. Those vanished when they saw what was before them.

In there was Spitfire, shoulders slumped and crying softly, a blade in her right hoof, and blood dripping from her left.

Soarin shut the door and stared in shock. “Spitfire?” he whispered.

takes place after S8 E5, (Grannies Gone Wild.)

yes, the beginning poker game may have strongly foreshadowed three Wonderbolt couples...

i also felt it was important that Soarin (and pretty soon the rest of the Bolts), spend time with Dash’s closest friends. they’re both huge parts of her life and Dash’s friends are like her first family and the team is her second. plus, i think some of them would get along well, (Pinkie and Surprise, Fleetfoot and Rarity.)