The Apple To My Heart

Your The One

Flying is a remarkably easy thing. Any Pegasus pony, clever earth pony or unicorn could potentially fly. All it took was either the natural wings of a Pegasus, a unicorn's spell or a steam-powered flying machine. The true art, what Soarin' always reflected on, was knowing were to fly. With literally infinite directions to go, a Pegasus was only limited by their own abilities and imagination.

Soarin' had been born to fly. As a Pegasus pony that was nothing special, but for Soarin' being born to fly meant much more than simply having the ability to. To him nothing compared to the rush of wind in his mane as he sliced through the skies. The adrenaline, the thrill, and the absolute joy he felt flying; it was nothing short of paradise for him.

A slow smile found its way to the WonderBolt's face as he tore through a cloud, trailing wisps of mist in his wake. This was life! This was what he had been born to do, and joy sang in his veins. Soarin' was further fueled by a righteousness of purpose. He was a WonderBolt, a protector of Equestria. He had grown up poor and alone with only the WonderBolts to look up to. They had given him something to strive for, a model balance of athletic potential and moral goodness to hold himself to. They had saved him before even knowing his name.

A second Wonderbolt, her fur a pale grey and her mane ash white pulled up alongside Soarin'. The two grinned at each other as they flew.

"So how are things with the farmer?" Cloud-kicker sneered with her grin. Soarin' rolled his eyes and flapped with wings once, pulling in front of the mare and exploded into sub-sonic, leaving Cloud-kicker to cough in his wake. The mare Wonderbolt quickly caught up with Soarin' as he slowed and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Hit a sore spot, eh?"

"Not at all." Soarin' replied, dodging a small fluffy cloud, "Things with me and Applejack are fantastic. I just didn't like the way you said farmer."

"I just hate seeing such a fine stallion go to waste." She said with a shrug. Soarin' narrowed his eyes.

"Applejack is not a waste, rookie." He said carefully, "Watch it, or I'll have you stationed to the winter pole patrol."

"Whatever." Cloud-kicker said, "Just so you know, if it wasn't for those damn rules on fraternization Sky Runner or I would have jumped your bones by now."

"So noted." Soarin' said. Flirting, although frowned upon, was common amongst the WonderBolts. The rules were strict; no two active WonderBolts could be in a relationship. So to avoid lustful buildup, the WonderBolts made a joke of their attractions and just left it at that. Most of the time that was enough, although it was not unheard of for two WonderBolts to wed soon after one retired.

The WonderBolts were an ancient order in Equestria. They had their own Hall of Heroes, their own traditions and rituals. Although not as secretive as the Unicorn's Guild of Magic, or as massive and cumbersome as the Earth pony's Union, the WonderBolts played their part none-the-less. They were the first responders to disasters, and during rare times of war, they were the spear-tip of Celestia. Although no WonderBolt had died in combat in centuries, they were always ready. A full team of ten WonderBolts was on station in Cloudsdale every minute of the day, waiting to be deployed to anything. The rest of the WonderBolts were spread out amongst all of Equestria. Those ponies not engaged in mandatory duty rosters were free to pursue their own goals. Many WonderBolts chose to patrol the skies, or assist small towns in any way they could. Some had families, but most didn't.

To any outsider, the WonderBolts were an over-stretched, poorly organized slapdash group of show-ponies. The truth, to those who bothered to look, was almost the exact opposite. Their lack of central organization only enforced a WonderBolt's autonomous nature, but it required extreme discipline to maintain. Celestia herself had said that any potential WonderBolt had to have the personal drive to wake up every morning and actively seek to make Equestria a better place.