takes place during S8 E23, (Sounds of Silence.)

there may or may not be a double post today as well... keep an eye out

“Alright, thank you Wonderbolts!” the announcement pony spoke. “What a great race, as always, it was an honour to have you here.”

The ‘Bolts hovered in a straight line, all smiling widely to the cheering crowd of ponies.

“Pretty impressive there, Clipper,” Dash whispered to him. “Have we ever tied before?” She grinned cheekily.

Soarin chuckled. “Remembered the time I beat you, Crash?”

“Hmm.” She shook her head. “Doesn’t cross my mind. Must have been a dream.”

“Nah,” Soarin quipped, grinning right back as they began to fly to the backstage and start saying hi to the VIP ponies. “It was your worst nightmare come true.”

Dash just smiled. “Okay, race you backstage right now.”

“Okay~”

“Onetwothreego!” she shouted and zipped the short distance to the room.

He was left in the dust again. A literal and figurative sense. She always shone so brightly, stood out with her talent and mane, unafraid to speak up and voice her opinions.

How could he think he deserved her?

He was Soarin. He felt completely average to her. He hadn’t broke dozens of Wonderbolt records, hadn’t saved Equestria and been rained as a hero. He didn’t get up and fight or always stand up for what he believed in, although he did try.

Shaking the feeling off, he zoomed after her, but due to his distracted mind, he flew in about twenty seconds later, his smile dissipated.

Passing Rainbow, he saw her frown out of the corner of his eye.

“Uh, Clip? You okay? You’re never that slow.”

He shrugged off her concern. “Yeah I’m good, Crash.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Come on, let’s shower quickly. You gotta go out soon and meet your biggest fans.” She nudged him and winked, flying off to get the sweat off her body.

Soarin smiled to himself. “You gotta go out soon and meet your biggest fans.”

“Soarin?”

He whirled around and smiled when he came face to face with Midnight, her green eyes having a smile in them.

“I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show up,” he told her.

She smirked. “I’m with one of the biggest Wonderbolt fans in Equestria.” She motioned to Copper, who had struck up a conversation with Rainbow Dash and Lightning Streak. Soarin felt a pang as he remembered what went down a couple months ago. “So of course I was bound to come.”

They both chuckled. “Come on, let’s go back here,” he offered, weaving his way through the crowd. Midnight followed eagerly, trotting behind him.

Once they reached the back room with a balcony and a couple chairs, he sighed in content. “So,” she said, walking to stand beside him.

“So,” he echoed, casting his gaze out on the magnificent view of Canterlot. “Do you live here?”

She nodded. “Kinda.”

“Kinda?” Soarin turned to face her.

“Yeah, I own a jewelry making business actually. I have one here and in Manehattan. I rotate between weeks,” she explained.

“Have I heard of it?”

Midnight giggled a little. “I don’t know. It’s a pretty silly name, Copper ended up writing down a bunch of ideas and I picked one out of a hat.”

Soarin chuckled. “Indecisive then? Must be hard to do that when you own your own business,” he mused.

She scoffed a little playfully. “Only when it comes to certain things.”

“You’re in luck, I can make decisions over hard things but when it comes to the simple choices it’s hard to choose.”

“Exactly! Like, apple fritters or apple pie.”

Soarin’s eyes lit up excitedly. “You like pie?!”

“Who doesn’t?” she laughed.

“One of my very fast, cocky, and colourful teammates,” he replied while thinking of Rainbow.

Midnight hummed. “Hmm, now who could that be?” She looked at him, running a hoof through her pink streaked hair. “Could it be Rainbow Dash?” she asked sarcastically.

Soarin’s eyes went wide mockingly. “Ah, smart mare,” he remarked.

They laughed a little, and Soarin calmed a little. She was nice.

Looking out over the scenery was calming and relaxing, and Soarin felt some sort of ease around Midnight.

“How long have you been a Wonderbolt?” she asked after a few minutes.

He calculated in his head. “Huh, wow, almost eleven years.” Was he seriously twenty-nine years old?

“Impressive.”

“I guess. Now tell me, what’s your shop called?”

Her pink cheeks turned a little red. “Starry Jewels,” she said eventually. “Don’t make fun! It was all Copper’s idea!”

Soarin bit back a laugh for her sake. If it was was any of his teammates or Dash, he would have kindly teased them, but since he barely knew the lady next to him, he held off. “Alright, alright,” he agreed, smirking a little. “Anyways, I think Fleetfoot’s mentioned it before. It’s on Saddle Row in Manehattan, right?” he guessed.

“Correct.”

“Do you know Rarity? She owns Carousel Boutique in Ponyville and Canterlot Carousel in, well, pretty self explanatory.”

“Oh! Rarity. Yeah, she’s very nice. I love her shops, actually.”

Since he wasn’t totally into this sort of thing, he didn’t know what to say. “Yeah, she is nice.”

“And she’s friends with Princess Twilight,” Midnight added. “She’s my favourite princess.”

“Hey!” he smiled. “Should there really be favourites?”

Midnight nudged him softly and Soarin caught a scent of her floral perfume. “Come on, Soarin, don’t tell me you don’t have one.”

“I don’t have one,” he said, trying to stay seriously.

She cocked an eyebrow.

Feeling a little daring, he leaned in a little closer. “You promise not to tell?”

She nodded eagerly. “I promise.”

“Promise you won’t tell, Dash?”

She bumped her hoof against his. “Pinkie Promise, Soar.”

“Alright,” he gave in, acting like he wasn’t actually going to tell her. “Twilight and Cadence.”

“Called it,” she quipped, smirking at him.

“You some sort of mind reader?”

She nodded as her horn started glowing. “Obviously, but don’t say anything. Can’t blow my cover.”

“Oh shit, sorry,” he muttered like this was a serious deal.

Slowly, Midnight cracked a grin and Soarin followed until they were both quietly chuckling.

“It must be kind of bad being famous.”

Soarin looked around for a moment, a certain memory coming to mind.

“It kind of sucks being famous a lot of the time,” he confessed.

Her eyes narrowed as she thought for a moment. “Well, now that I’ve experienced it, a lot of it isn’t fun.”

“Exactly.”

Her cyan hoof stroked his mane thoughtfully. “But come on. We’re the best flyers out there. Ponies look up to us, and we get to inspire creatures all over the world, give them something to work for. The fans are everything,” she pointed out.

She put almost everything in a new light, always making him feel better. “I... I guess.”

“You guess? This is what we’re meant to do, Soarin. We’re Wonderbolts, and we get to do the thing we love most as our job. We get to fly.”

Soarin turned towards her and lifted her chin with his hoof. “Thank you.”

She grinned back and backed out of his grip, flapping her wings. “Of course. Now come on.” She beckoned to him. “Let’s just fly.”

“Okay,” he agreed, spreading his wings and letting himself be free.

Remembering Dash’s words, he smiled. “Actually, it’s pretty great.”

“Really?” Midnight inquired.

“Yeah. I get to meet ponies who support me, like, not the fake ones, I inspire colts and fillies, and I’m doing the thing I love the most.”

“Which is...?”

He stared at her for a second.

“Flying is...”

Dash scanned the sky. “Freedom,” she finished softly.

He couldn’t have said it better. “Yeah,” he agreed.

They looked at each other and beamed happily.

“Flying,” he answered wistfully.

Midnight nodded and bit her lip. “Huh. Wow,” she said, studying him intently for a moment. “You’re really passionate about it.”

“I am. I love it. Being famous isn’t always the best, but... I love my job and my team. Wouldn’t change anything for the world.

Except one thing, he thought in the back of his mind, a memory of him and Rainbow cuddling in the morning for a bit after a night of rough sex. She had only allowed his affectionate side for a few minutes before proclaiming she didn’t want to go ‘soft’.

“It’s nice to see a pony who isn’t just in it for being popular,” Midnight remarked. “I guess some do.”

“Some do, but a lot don’t,” he told her. “I’m sure you know Coloratura’s former manager did that.”

“Sven Gallop,” she snorted. “So delightful.”

“He sounded lovely,” Soarin agreed sarcastically and checked the time on the clock. “Oh, shoot,” he said.

Midnight’s green eyes looked around. “What is it?”

He sighed. “I have to go. I have to get back with the team, fly back to Headquarters.”

She was quiet for a moment as a tooth came over her lip. “Yeah, okay.” Hesitantly, she glanced at him. “Maybe I’ll see you again?”

“I’d like that,” he told her, sending a friendly smile. “But now you better leave before they kick you out.”

She grinned. “Good thing I’m a unicorn, then.”

A flash of white light and she was gone.

Soarin smiled to himself as he walked back to join his friends.

“So, your date was nice?” Misty asked him, biting into a potato.

“She wasn’t a date. I met her at the party last night and asked if she wanted to hang out a little after the derby, so we did. All we did was talk on one of the balconies.”

“That’s a boring date,” Surprise said aloud.

“It wasn’t a date,” Soarin repeated.

“Alright, whatever. Was she nice?” Misty interjected.

Soarin nodded while looking across the room at Spitfire, Rainbow Dash, Silver Zoom and Rapidfire. They all laughed at something Rapid said and Soarin couldn’t help but wonder what it was.

“Uh, yeah,” he responded. “She was nice and sweet and funny.”

Surprise tilted her head. “Then why are you not more excited?”

He sighed, and the girls understood when they saw his longing look at Rainbow.

She’s not you, he thought to himself.
And no mare ever would be.