takes place after S3 E7 (Wonderbolt Academy.)

“Hey, Spit,” Soarin greeted, walking into her office.

She looked up from the photos she was stamping and perched her sunglasses on her head. Why she was wearing them inside, Soarin had no idea. “What is it, Soarin?” she asked.

Soarin sat down across from her. “I was just wondering how the academy went. Seemed pretty hectic, huh?”
She sighed loudly and went to turn back to her stamping when Soarin put a hoof on hers. “Come on Captain, take a break. Ten minutes.”

She seemed hesitant but nodded, and her captain persona vanquished for a little while. “It was hectic,” she chuckled. “But way more interesting than previous years. Why?”

He shrugged, not revealing why he was asking. Truth was, he wanted to hear the story of Rainbow Dash. “Can’t a friend ask?”

Spitfire blinked, unconvinced, but told him. “Started out normally. Me yelling, them being afraid. Except for two. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust. They were good fliers. Got the best time on the dizzitron.”

“Really, what time?” he asked.

“Rainbow Dash got six seconds, Lightning Dust had six and a half. Mind you, Lightning went at maximum speed.”

Six seconds? That was better than his record, which was nine. “Wow. So, were they partners?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I paired them up... thought they’d be unstoppable. I made Lightning Dust lead pony, which was a mistake.” Spitfire looked at the ground. She hated making mistakes.

“Why?”

Spitfire shook her head and grabbed her chair, sitting next to him. “Lightning Dust turned out to be reckless, she put everyone else in danger, including some of Rainbow Dash’s friends who came up to visit her. She had Rainbow clip her wing, and then for cloud busting, she made Rainbow make a tornado. It made a mess of things. Then Rainbow Dash came to my office, telling me what happened, and then, she just... quit.”

Soarin blinked, surely he had heard wrong. Their number one fan, quit The Wonderbolt Academy?

Spitfire took his silence for surprise. “I know, right? Who would’ve expected that? No pony has ever told me off like that.” She gazed around. “I like Rainbow Dash. She has... a certain quality.”

Soarin stayed quiet, motioning for her to continue.

“Anyways, I came out and got mad, since I didn’t even get to say anything. I apologized for not seeing what Lightning Dust was doing, then I made Lightning leave. I gave Rainbow Dash her lead pony pin, and she joined again. She's a leader, and I wish I saw that earlier. Anyway, she just graduated top of her class. Other than that, only a couple of them have Wonderbolt material, but I liked everypony. They tried their best. I admire that.”

Soarin nodded, taking it all in. This was the first time he had been awake to hear about Dash’s act of loyalty. Representing her element. She was confident, self-assured, and although she was cocky and a little arrogant, maybe slightly self-centred, she was kind at the heart, and she clearly loved and cared about her friends. He admired that greatly.
“So, Dash isn’t mad at you?” he asked his captain.

Spitfire studied for him for a couple minutes, taking in his tone, and expression. She knew Soarin just as well as he knew her and finally smirked, leaning close to him. “You seem awfully interested in hearing about her, Clipper. Something you want to tell me?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows.

Soarin blushed and parted his lips in surprise and embarrassment. “I don’t- I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he huffed stubbornly.

“Come on Soarin, you wanna know what happened. You danced with her at the royal wedding. She’s the only fan you seem to actually like. She wanted to get to know you. She’s talented, loyal, kind... she saved our lives, your pie... hell, she’s helped save Equestria. I can’t blame you if you have a little crush.”

Soarin scoffed. “By the way you’re talking about her, it seems like you’re the one with the crush, Captain.”

Spitfire rolled her orange eyes. “Mares compliment each other without it being romantic all the time. Now, come on, I’ve seen you staring at the photo of you two dancing dozens of times. Fess up, Soar.”

He shook his head and crossed his forearms. “Nope. There’s nothing to tell, because I don’t like her like that. Besides,” he grinned mischievously. “It’s not like you tell me about you and Wave Chill, hmm?”

Spitfire tilted her head, a confused look on her muzzle. “What are you talking about?” she questioned, genuinely curious.

Soarin looked away. Did she really not know how Wave felt about her? It was obvious to the entire team, even Blaze, who was pretty aloof.
“Never mind,” he said quickly. “Anyways, you better get back to that work, huh?” he jumped off the chair and hovered at the doorway. “See ya later Spits!” he called and quickly flew away to the gym.

As he lifted his weights, Soarin’s mind wandered to Spitfire’s accusations on how he felt towards Rainbow Dash.
Okay, she’s pretty, like, really pretty. She’s a great flyer, probably better than me. She’s saved the world, me, my pie, she’s an element, she’s loyal and caring underneath the tough exterior. She made an effort to have an actual conversation it’s me. So, she’s impressive and cool. That doesn’t mean I like her, right? I just... admire her. Yeah, that’s all it is. Like the way she admires us. That’s all it is.