> Bombshells
>  by 007Delta
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> I, Photo Finish
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was a rare occasion for a Wonderbolt to show up in Ponyville.  For that matter, it was a rare occasion for anyone of higher notoriety to find themselves in the quaint town, especially with Canterlot situated only a few hours away.  Ponyville was a mere village compared to the mountainside metropolis, and everypony who was anypony flocked to that alpestrine ode to architecture.

Despite being Equestria's political figurehead, it had an infamous reputation for higher society.  Higher society meant money, and with more money came more celebrities.  With the steady influx of recognizable names and the flourishing local economy, it didn't take long before Canterlot appealed to both the Equestrian noble and the common pony alike.  Everyone knew there was capital at the capitol.

Celebrities like myself, have flocked to this magical town of money and prestige like pampered moths to an engulfing inferno, drawn in by the countless opportunities for fame, money, and attention.  It was a place of happiness and glamour, lived by few and loved by all.

I hated it immediately.  The life of a celebrity is one without privacy, but most ponies know that.  One cursory glance at a magazine stand will tell you more about me and my team than I could.  Every single action you take is either documented, listened upon, or photographed, if not all of the above.  But the worst thing about having a merciless public eye looking down on you at every moment of every day is not what the people say about you... It's what it makes you say about yourself.  Fame has shaped the very pony I am today, and will continue to mold me into someone different every time the press has something to say about me.  It is for this reason alone, that I have taken refuge in Ponyville.

And it is here I find myself, quietly tucked away in a bland café somewhere in the heart of town, enjoying my fourth hayseed mocha.  I loved coffee, but wasn't allowed to drink any when I was with the Wonderbolts, because it apparently, "makes your flying shaky," and Spitfire didn't take too kindly when she caught me sneaking a cup here and there.  In fact, I can't imagine what's going through her head right now.  You see, I was supposed to be with my team over at Canterlot, doing a private flying show for a rich business pony who paid top dollar to have us at his mansion, but instead I decided to... Disappear for a while.  I read about the fallout in the paper the next day.  Spitfire had been interviewed about the issue, and from the dialogue that I read, I could tell she was furious.

So I decided to lay low in Ponyville for a couple days, waiting for the public interest in our little "issue" to die down. 

It was all going so well.  

I had avoided recognition for nearly a week by going under a false name, dying my hair and slightly changing my voice.  My Cutie Mark was never much of an issue; It was often altered and covered up completely, so wearing my real one didn't attract any unwanted attention.

Hey, do you know what's funny?  I've been talking about my inescapable fame for the last several minutes, yet you haven't the slightest inkling as to who I am.  I'll give you a little hint.  I'm not Spitfire, and I'm not Soarin.  Some of you may have been able to fill in the blank, but if weren't, don't worry.  In a loud, German accent, a blue fashion photographer could be heard on the other side of the window as she stared at me in shock.

"Fleetfoot?"

I should have played it cool.  If I simply looked at her in confusion, or just pretended like I didn't notice, she would have walked away.  But I froze, guilt and surprise laid upon my face for her to read as plain as text.

"Zat is you!" she exclaimed.  "I must photograph zis!" suddenly, there was a camera in her hoof.  With a small cluster of white flashes, she had three copies of my guilty mug printing out of the other end of her camera. 

The blue mare began to gallop away, screaming something in a language I didn't understand.  Her pale blue figure was getting smaller and smaller as I stared in dumbstruck horror.  I tore out of the coffee shop and spread my wings wide, before a thought occurred in my mind.  If I flew after her, I would be easily recognized by everypony who witnessed me.  I was part of an aerobatic group after all.  I folded my wings against my body and darted after Photo Finish, gritting my teeth as I chased by hoof.

I had only met that eccentric mare during a few photo shoots for our flying suits a couple months back.  She hailed from Germaney, and made her living as a premier photographer for fashion magazines and other media.  She could easily take the photos and sell them to the press, and if those photos reached the news, Spitfire would come hunting for me like a wild animal.

As I chased the overdressed mare, I had my mouth agape in wonder.  The pony in front of me wore a long, black and white dress, purple sunglasses, and a few other accessories which were ill suited for running, yet the photographer was zooming down the street like a posh, Steuropean bullet.  Never in my life would I have guessed that she could run that fast.  Suddenly, she turned the corner sharply, her hooves digging into the ground before pushing off and heading down another street. 

"j'utilise mon fabuleux Parkour!" she screamed as her white tail disappeared from sight.  I recognized one of those words, but in my rush, I couldn't remember which.

I picked up the pace, using my wings to turn myself more precisely, before an avalanche of leafy green spheres came crashing upon me.  I managed to avoid most of the errant orbs, but the sudden occurrence had distracted me from my target.  I looked down the street, desperately searching for the blue paparazzi in the long, crowded streets, while doing my best to ignore a panicking vegetable vendor as he stood speechlessly over his slain produce.

"MY CABBAGES!" he screamed in shock,

That's when I caught sight of her jumping gracefully from the roof.  She arched high in the air, before landing on a flat topped building, rolling upon her landing, the camera still tightly clutched in between her teeth.  

Then I remembered.  Parkour.  Parkour.  That crazy sport they did in Steurope where people, (typically earth ponies,) would jump off of buildings and run around the city like it was a jungle gym.

She had used the cabbage cart to push herself off and climb up to the rooftops.  Though I was indescribably angry at that prying little paparazzi, I must confess, she was quite the athlete.  I jumped, slamming my wings to my sides in one strong blast of air.  I propelled to the rooftops and landed on all fours.  Suddenly, I heard some curious chatter coming from behind me, and immediately I knew what they were talking about.  It was very uncommon for a Pegasus to climb that high with a single wing beat, and I cursed myself for being so absentminded.  "No fancy flying!"  I told myself, before chasing the photographer, who was a few houses away.  She may have been skilled, but I had training on my side.  She couldn't avoid me for much longer.

I began to gallop, picking up as much speed as I could before making a large jump.  I leapt over to the neighboring house, sailing through the air and landing smoothly, before continuing my run and hopping to another.  Photo Finish was now a mere house away, and I could see her panting as she looked back.  I pushed myself even harder, making an especially large leap while spreading my wings and gliding directly toward the photographer.  Photo Finish barely had enough time to look back around before I was on top of her.

"Pictures, now!" I demanded quietly, but menacingly.  The blue mare underneath me squirmed and wriggled furiously, but I held her in place.

"Ich werde deine Fettpölsterchen abgeschnitten!" yelled the mare beneath me.

"In English!" I said crossly.

"Get off me!" she yelled.  "Zese pictures are mine!  I, Photo Finish, took zem fair and sqvare!" she complained loudly.

As I tried to commandeer her camera, I could see a few of the local Pegasi flying up to get a better look.  Our little discussion was drawing attention, and if I wanted to come out of this anonymous, I was going to have to approach this differently.

"Okay, look," I said, climbing off the foreign mare.  "Let's talk this over really qu-"

That's all I was able to get out before she bucked me in the stomach and leapt off the roof.  I reeled back in pain, catching a small glimpse of the blue figure diving off of the edge.  She spread her front legs wide and performed a slow front flip, before landing back first in a wagon full of hay.  She leapt out quickly, before continuing her gallop down the street.

I let out a low frustrated yell as I continued the pursuit.  I could hear Photo Finish's voice as she galloped like a madpony.  "dummes Pferd! ich laufe schneller als Gummibärchen aus Fett Kind!" she yelled over her shoulder.  I glided gently to the ground, taking special care not to draw any attention to my flying, before I charged after Photo Finish once again.

There was a small group of ponies watching us as the pursuit transpired.  Sweat dripped from my forehead as I forced every muscle in my body to move faster.  I had to catch that mare and destroy those photos, and possibly the camera as well.  I could see Photo Finish begin to wear down, the physical toll she had taken on her body was beginning to slow her down, whereas I had four caffeine saturated mochas to fuel my body.  I could feel them taking effect.  My heart rate began to quicken, my eyes narrowed, and my body felt as if it were cooling down.  I was nearly upon Photo, just a mere hoofs reach away, before she stuck her leg out and grabbed hold of a lamppost.

Physics did the rest.  She swung around it like an exotic dancer, before she jumped off and flew over my head.  I ducked out of reflex, throwing my head down just in time for her to whip by and land in another elegant roll.  There was a now a large crowd of ponies following us, and they stopped and gathered around us as if we were some sort of show.  Photo Finish looked around, and her eyes lit up with an idea.

"Stop right zere!" she exclaimed, holding her hoof out toward me.  I began to walk toward her, irritation in my eyes and caffeine fueled anger in my blood.  Photo Finish continued to hold her hoof out.  "Stop right zere or I tell everypony who you are!" suddenly my pupils narrowed with surprise, and a sly smile stretched across Photo Finsh's lips.  "Zat's right, stay right zere or everypony here vill know your secret!" there were a few noises of excitement coming from the crowd.

Dammit.  She had me by the wings.  "Okay, I'm stopping," I said nervously.

She lifted her head and whistled loudly, the three Polaroids falling gently to the ground as she did so.  I was half tempted to simply dart after them there.  I was fast enough to do it before she could stop me, but then that little snoop could just tell everyone who I was: Defeating the purpose in the first place.

Suddenly, a group of classy looking ponies ran up to Photo Finish, bowed their heads, and awaited orders.

"Take zees photographs and run zem to the three biggest magazines you can find!" directed a winded Photo Finish.

The servants bowed their head a second time before trotting off, their hooves in perfect sync with each other.  

I was crestfallen.  

I was enjoying such a peaceful afternoon, until this little blue mare came and ruined it all.  My ears flattened against my head as I scowled at Photo Finish, who only returned my gaze through her opaque purple sunglasses.  I wanted to hit her. I wanted to hit her badly.  But what would that accomplish?  I would only end up with another ugly article after this one.  I could see the headlines now.  "Wonderbolt abandons team and assaults fashion photographer".

As I thought about my misfortunes, Photo Finish looked at me, her mouth opened slightly as she thought.  Suddenly she called to the servants.  "Vait just a second!  Don't send the photos just yet, hold on to dem for now,"  Photo Finish stared at me as she spoke.  "Perhaps I, Photo Finish, vas a little harsh."  

She raised her head high in the air.  "I must retire to my chamber to think.  I vill send for you in one hour."  She tilted her head high in the air.  "I go!"  She exclaimed, before walking off with her servants.

They moved in perfect unison, Photo Finish in the center and the three servants on either side of her

My mind was an absolute mess after that.  What... What just happened?  Photo Finish had me by the skin of my teeth, took pity on me, and left.  And she was going to send for me in an hour... For what?  Just thinking about that mare confuses me.  I snapped out of my daydream just in time to look around.  Immediately, I noticed that the crowd was still there.  Just staring at me, as if it was waiting for me to entertain it.

"Uh," I said weirdly, causing a small laugh to ripple through the audience.  I smiled awkwardly as I walked away from them, their eyes following me as I left.  No matter how famous I get, I will never get used to the attention.

Well, I had an hour to kill before I was... Sent for.  The way that I saw it, I didn't really have a choice.  She still had those pictures, and if I didn't show up she might just release them anyway.  I sighed deeply.  I came to Ponyville because it was small and quaint, and instead, I just get more attention.

However, there was one thing that didn't add up.  Photo Finish was infamous for her merciless attitude.  Why would she give me a chance, instead of just running off with the pictures?

Suddenly, my face contorted with a mixture of realization and stupidity.  She did just run off with the pictures!

Dear sweet Celestia, I hope Photo Finish is a mare of her word, otherwise, I may have to disappear from Ponyville as well.

And this is why I hate being famous.
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Fleetfoot.  Er, Tradewind.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was about noon, and Celestia's burning yellow sun beat down upon my back.  I decided to spend a little time outside of the city for a while, thinking it best to keep as fair a distance as possible from the hoopla in town.  Surely there must have been talk around the city, friends telling friends about how a famous photographer and some stranger chased each other through town, before having a stand off about some pictures.  I knew this town was eccentric, but surely this was news to even them.

As the buildings rolled by me like residential wheels neath the train that was the street, I could feel eyes boring into my skin.  It was a disconcerting and stress inducing paranoia that I could never ignore.  Even if I was alone, tucked away somewhere in the boondocks of Equestria, my body couldn't help but feel as if there were eyes that lurked amongst the shadows, staring at me while I looked away.  It made my skin crawl and my coat itch.

Finally, I reached the outskirts of town, and breathed a weighty sigh of relief.  I would be safe from attention out here.  Outside of Ponyville was rather beautiful.  Soft green hills turned across the landscape, with a lone mountain jutting out in the distance.  Like a large pimple on the face of a teenager, Canterlot sat, staring back at me.  I thought about my team, wondering how they must be dealing with my sudden disappearance.  It had been a full week since I left, and they are probably getting worried by now, especially Soarin.  He was like an older brother to me, always cheering me up when I had a rough day with Spitfire, or keeping me motivated when I began to fall behind.  He was a true friend, and though I hate what my disappearance must be doing to him, I simply couldn't keep up with the fame.  I was done, and I needed a break.

As I walked the hills, I noticed a figure in the air.  It was that of a Pegasus, and from the speed it was going, I could tell it was a skilled flyer.  I knew it wasn't a Wonderbolt, the technique this pony used was far different from ours.  I followed the figure as it zipped and curved through the sky, before it landed some 50 yards away.  I could feel the caffeine leaving my body as I sat in the grass, casually staring up at the sky.  There were a few small clouds dotting the sky here and there, overlaying the almost monochromatic blue above.  As I watched the clouds gently slide across the airspace, I couldn't help but notice something.  They all slightly resembled... Eyes.

Suddenly, I could feel my skin crawling all over again as my paranoid brain began kicking into overtime.  I turned away from the sky, laying on my side.  The grass was oddly comfortable, and leafy cushion against my face made me want to sleep, but I just couldn't.  The stress from nearly losing my anonymity today caused my stomach to have a constant flutter.  If Photo Finish had managed to identify me, were there others that had accomplished the same task?  Who knows.  Perhaps that Pegasus in the sky was a paparazzi, snapping a few longshots of me relaxing in the grass.

I decided to glance back over at the area where I had seen her, curiosity getting the better of me.  That's when I noticed the figure walking towards me.  She had a rainbow colored mane and tail, a newspaper in her hoof and a smile stretched across her face like a rubber band.  I immediately recognized her as Rainbow Dash.  The Wonderbolts have had quite a few encounters with Dash, often involving her saving our skin from almost certain death.  She waved at me maniacally as she trotted over.

Why was she so excited?  Unless...

Oh no, please don't tell me she recognized me, I have enough trouble as it is.  I forced a smile to my lips as she slowly approached.

"Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!" She babbled out as she stopped in front of me.  I couldn't help but smile sheepishly as she stared intently into my eyes,  

"What?" I said kindly but uncomfortably.  She shoved the newspaper in front of my face. 

"There's a position open!"

At first I had no idea what this mare was talking about, but as I read the headlines of the newspaper she held, it slowly made sense.


"Wonderbolts' Manager Officially Fires Fleetfoot!"


I wasn't too surprised, I knew it was going to happen eventually.  I looked at the headline with a neutral expression, while Dash pranced around like an excited puppy.  "Spitfire sent me a letter, saying she wanted me to replace Fleetfoot!" she blurted out happily.  Deep down inside, I was glad.  Dash really wanted this, and it was a great thing for her to achieve such a high position.  She kept prancing around.  "I knew she wouldn't be able to keep up, I just knew it!"

My face nearly betrayed my whole disguise, but luckily, she kept talking.  "Her physical condition has been wearing down with the last few months.  Spitfire's probably looking for a fresh new face to keep the group youthful!" now I was getting a bit irritated with this teal pony's big mouth.

"Fleetfoot's not old," I said dismissively, but defensively.

"For an athlete, she's getting up there." came her response.  I swear my eye twitched.  Is this what people would say about me? Is this what they thought of me when I was out of earshot?  I was slowly growing angry.

"Really?" I said, the slightest twinge of annoyance in my voice.  "You don't look so fast yourself,"

Dash rolled back in laughter.  "You aren't from Cloudsdale, are you?" she said through a giggle.

"Does it matter?  I bet I could beat you,"

Suddenly Dash looked at me with a mischievous grin.  "Is that a challenge I hear?  I've always been one for challenges."

"Yes, it is a challenge.  In fact, I'm willing to bet you 50 bits that you won't win," my competitiveness was beginning to intermix with my annoyance.  Whatever happened, I wasn't going to let this over confident, job stealing, rainbow headed amateur win.

Dash looked around, studying the landscape, before spotting a tree, some 300 yards away.  She smiled and turned to me.  "First one to reach that tree wins.  Agreed?" I shook my head slowly.  She used her hoof to draw a line in the ground, before readying herself behind it.  I took my place as well.

Dash began counting down.  "Three!" I bent down and narrowed my eyes on the tree.  "Two!" I felt my heart quicken and my muscles began to relax.  I was warmed up from chasing Photo Finish around, and my wings felt limber and flexed.  "One!" I spread my wings high above my body.

"Go!" she screamed, and both of us shot from the starting line.  I flapped my wings hard and quickly, sending me propelling forward.  I kept low to the grass and flew quickly and accurately along the ground.  Dash chose to stick a bit higher in the air.  She was slowly falling behind me as I powered my way to the tree.  We had covered just a little over a third of the distance, and I looked back to see Dash's astonished face.  She was almost 30 feet behind me, probably struggling to figure out how this no name Pegasus was flying so much faster than her.  I spread my wings and began to carve up one of the steeper hills, and launched myself in the air, as if it were a ramp.  Suddenly, there was a blue figure moving past me, a rainbow colored trail emitting from behind her as she streaked through the air.  

She was an incredibly fast pony.  I wouldn't be able to simply muscle my way past her, so instead, I would use her as my weapon.  I gave a few strong flaps before I scrunched my wings as close to my body as possible.  I maneuvered myself right behind Dash, and could already feel the drag around my body dissipate.  I began to accelerate quickly, and I made sure to pick up as much speed as I could, before zooming right over Dash's head.  The look of surprise on her face was priceless.  The tree was but a few seconds away, and as I approached, I spread my wings.  My hooves touched the ground, allowing me to slide in the slippery green grass towards the trunk of the large oak, before I jumped, launched off of the wall with my hind legs, and stopped myself in a slow hover.  Dash reached the tree a mere second afterwards.  

"Impressive flying, but I come out the winner!" I bragged, obviously satisfied with my performance.

Dash circled around the tree, a look of confusion and surprise on her face.  "How..." she hesitated.  "How did you do that?" Dash yelled, awestruck by my performance.  I ignored her question, choosing to stick to the business side of our challenge. 

"I believe you owe me 50 bits," I said calmly, while extending my hoof.

Dash smiled and put her hoof out.  "Alright, one second," she flew off toward the hills where I first saw her, fumbled around the grass for a while, before returning with a grey backpack.  She landed and dug through it, pulling out a brown bag filled with multicolored coins.  She sorted through a few before placing them in my hoof.

"Who are you?  I've never seen you around Ponyville before, and I'm sure I would have heard about a flyer of your skill level,"

"The name's Fleetfoot.  Err! I mean..." I smiled guiltily, trying my best to play it off.  "My minds still stuck on that conversation, I meant to say my name was Tradewind."

"Tradewind?" she said with a short laugh.  "It certainly suits you." I gave a small chuckle.  Dash looked into my eyes, staring at me as if she was just realizing something.  "It's funny, you kinda look like Fleetfoot. Your eyes are similar,"

I shrugged.  "Just one of those faces I guess,".

She laughed.  "Anyway, my names Rainbow Dash!  We should hang out sometime, maybe fly around a bit." she nudged me with her shoulder.  "Maybe you could show me how you managed to beat me so easily,"

I looked to the ground, "Perhaps,"

"Anyway, I have to get in tip top shape for when I head over to Canterlot in a week,  Spitfire wants to evaluate my performance before she lets me join, and I don't want to let her down on my first day on the job!"

I nodded uncomfortably.  "Good luck," my response was a little less enthusiastic than I had hoped for it to be.

It had been about 15 minutes since Photo Finish said she would... Send for me.  However she planned on doing that.  I still felt nervous about what she meant to do with those photos, as I couldn't be 100% sure that I could trust her.  For all I know, this could just be some elaborate ruse to put me off guard while she pranced to every magazine she could think of.

That was another thing, last I recalled, she was a fashion photographer.  What was she doing communicating with tabloids, or even newspaper agencies?  I suppose I would find out soon enough.  I began to trek back into Ponyville, looking for something to pass the time.
> To the Bank and Back
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I re-entered town, weighing the bag of bits I won from Rainbow Dash in my hoof.  I didn't really need the money, I was loaded.  One of the upsides to being a celebrity, was that a seemingly endless stream of cash would come from the various endorsement deals, ads, and other media that used my image for profit.  This small sack of change would be of little to no use to me, so I decided to give it away.

I looked around, searching for someone to give the bits to, before spotting a cream colored earth pony with blue and pink hair.  She was talking to a mint colored unicorn.  They were both ogling at a beautiful silver necklace, with a bright, cerulean colored jewel for a charm, which sat in a decorated showcase in the display window.  I could hear them, talking to each other.

"It's so beautiful,". Said the cream colored one dreamily.

"I know Bonnie, I know."  Said the mint one tiredly, as if she had been talking about this for a very long time.  "We just don't have the money right now, I mean, look at that pricetag!"

I couldn't make out the tag from here, but I was guessing that it was quite a large one.

The cream colored one put her head down in sadness.  "Alright, I'll forget about it for now.  It's so beautiful though.  Can we save up for it?"

"I suppose, but it would take us a really long time.  It might be gone by the time we have enough,"

The cream colored one sighed before they both walked off.  The cream pony looked at the necklace longingly as she trotted off with her friend.

Out of curiosity, I walked up to the display case, wondering how much this necklace cost.  I searched the case, and found a Manila colored tag that read, "$3499".

To the common pony, this was a farcical amount of money... But I could buy that necklace, along with every other piece of jewelry in that store 30 times over, with just the money I made in the last month alone.  

You know what, I'm going to buy it.  For that mare.  It saddens me to think that I get paid all this money that I never use, and there are ponies out here who could fill a book with the things they'd do with cash.  However, before I could actually buy it, I would need to take a trip to the local bank, as I didn't have enough bits on hoof to just waltz in and grab it.  

Some of you might be wondering how I might be living my life under a false alias, without anyone questioning my access to Fleetfoot's bank information.  I asked myself this very same question, and it didn't take very long to come up with an answer.  Before I left for Ponyville, I created a bank account under my false name, and wired a large portion of Fleetfoot's account into Tradewinds, assuring that I would have money, should I need it.  And now was just the time.

I smiled at the gem in the window, my hooves pressed against the glass.  Now to find a bank!

After fumbling around the streets for ten minutes or so, I managed to locate Ponyville's local financial institution.  It was a small, commercial looking building, with a grey door, grey walls, and a white floor.  I pushed open the boring door and entered the bland building.  The bank was deserted, save for a single, bored looking teller, who sat tapping away at a machine I couldn't see.  I walked up to the stallion.

He was a dim shade of brown, and his hair was a grayish chestnut.  His eyes were half closed with a few bags underneath.  His hooves were operating some sort of typewriter behind the desk

"Hi, I'd like to make a withdrawal please?"

The pony behind the desk didn't even look up at me.  "Name?"  He said flatly.  I could tell he had done this thousands of times.  His personality was vapid, just like the bank.

"Tradewind Potluck", I stated, taking special care not to mess up like I did with Dash.

"Amount?"  Came his bored response.  It sounded like he wasn't even listening.

"4000 bits, please."

"PIN?"

I leaned in closer, despite there being no one else in the room. "5, 8, 3, 1" I whispered.

He tapped the information into the machine he had been operating, before a loud ding could be heard, signaling my request had been approved.  He casually wiped his eyes before pulling out four rolls of coins from behind his counter and slid them haphazardly to my end of the desk.  If I hadn't stopped them with my hoof, they would have gone crashing into the floor.

"Thank you for coming to Bank of Equestria, come,". He opened his mouth in a wide yawn.  "again soon." Not once during the whole transaction did he look at me.

I examined the four rolls, making sure the coins were of the right denomination, and that I had gotten the right amount.  Once I verified the bits, I walked towards the door, before I stopped in thought.  suddenly, a mischievous smile stretched across my face, as I hatched a plan to take advantage of this pony's absent mindedness.

Before you go calling the police to report a bank heist, rest assured that I only intended to prank the pony. I wasn't going to try and scam this guy into giving me money that wasn't mine, not like I needed it anyway.  

I walked back to the teller, a smile on my lips as I trotted towards the desk.  I purposefully changed my voice and spoke to the clerk.

"I'd like to make a deposit,"

"Name?"  Came his same, bored response.

I smiled to myself.  "Princess Celestia."  

"Amount?"

I almost blew my cover with a fit a giggles.  He didn't even notice! How bored was this stallion?

"Sixteen trillion, eleventy seven.", came my bogus response.

The teller began to tap away at his machine before he stopped, a stupid look in his face, and glanced up, only to see me fall on my back laughing.  I couldn't help it, he was just so easy to mess with.  I finally picked myself from off the bank floor, only to find him staring at me, obviously unamused.  "Get out of here, you little troublemaker,". He said to me with an irritated scowl.

I giggled all the way out of the bank.

I stuffed the four rolls in the bag with the bits, taking the string and tying it to my left wing, before running off in search of the jewelry shop.

It took me only a few minutes to find my way back to the store, and as I stopped in front of the window, I smiled.  That pony was going to be really happy when she gets this, and a part of me couldn't wait to see her reaction.  I walked inside, greeted immediately by the smell of precious metals and wide smile of a silver unicorn.

There were stands and display counters crammed everywhere.  There was hardly any room to walk through, but I managed to squeeze my way through the displays.

"Hi,". I said as I walked through the door.

"Welcome!"  He greeted.  He spoke with a slight Greek accent.  "You come to buy jewelry, yes?"

I nodded.  "I would like the piece you have in the window."

"Which one darling?  I have quite a few up there."

"The silver necklace.  The one with the sapphire charm."

The jeweler looked taken aback.  "You have that kind of money?"  I nodded once again, plopping the four rolls on his counter.  The unicorn clapped his hooves together and let out a joyous laugh.  "Excellent! I will retrieve the piece for you.  Hold tight!"  His horn lit up in a deep gold, and immediately the necklace flew from the window, before stopping, opening up and sliding around my neck.

"Oh no no, this isn't for me," I said with a smile, "This is for somepony else."

The jeweler's eyes lit up with surprise.  "Oh, of course!  How silly of me not to recognize a face as generous as yours.  Allow me to package this for you."  Suddenly, a black box flew from under his counter, and the necklace jumped from around my neck, landing neatly inside.  The box closed itself, before flying into a jet black, unmarked plastic bag, which I grabbed with my wing.

"One thousand thanks to you, my good friend!  Come again real soon!"

I gave him a wave as I left the store.  Now I just had to find that mare, wherever she was... Where was she?  I should have thought this through a bit better, how did I expect to find her?  She might not even live in Ponyville!

My train of thought was interrupted when the jeweler came galloping out his store.  "Hey!  You overpaid, by... A lot!  You have 500 bits in change!"

"Keep it,". I said casually, before continuing my walk down the street.

"One thousand more thanks to you!  Haha!"  He shut the door to his shop, and I could hear him laughing and singing inside.  Well at least I made somepony happy today.  I guess if I see that mare again, I'll make sure to give her the gift.

It had been about 50 minutes since Photo said she would come for me, and I was starting to get a little nervous.  In the back of my mind, I felt like I was being tricked by that Steuropean Paparazzi.  Dear Celestia, please let her keep her promise...

But if she didn't, I would have to run from Ponyville, just as I did from Canterlot.  Where would I go after this?  Perhaps further south, like Apploosa, or maybe I could hide out in Los Pegasus for a while.  I'd have to go home and plan it out, just in case things didn't end up well.  Shoot, I was really warming up to this place.

But first, I should wait to see if Photo Finish would really send for me.  In order to do that, I'd have to be somewhere she would expect me to be.  I thought, wondering where she would search, before I had an idea.  I would wait for her in the café, where she first found me.  It seemed like the most logical thing, especially since she didn't give me directions in the first place.  I made my way back to the café, the necklace still in it's black bag, which hung securely around my wing.  

Well at least I have an excuse to drink more coffee,
	
> Every Soul Has it's Price
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I sat, nervously swirling white foam atop my hayseed mocha with my straw.  My hooves were quivering slightly; not from the caffeine, but from the suspense.  I had no idea if Photo Finish would actually send for me, or if I was just wasting my time drinking coffee.  As of right now, it had been full hour, give or take.  Now I would find out just how honest Photo Finish truly was.  I figured I should allow a few extra minutes to give her time to locate me, but so far there was no sign of her or any of her many assistants.  I silently cursed myself multiple times.  I was visibly shaking as I waited, and Ponies were beginning to take notice.

I looked like a nervous wreck.  I was sweating, drinking cup after cup of coffee, and I would jerk my head to the door every time it opened.  The business at this hour was rather slow, and thankfully, there weren't a whole lot of people to witness me in my state.

When finally, I witnessed a poshly dressed, show white stallion walk through the door.  He looked around the coffee shop, before resting his eyes upon me, and trotted his way to my table. Immediately, my body relaxed.  He wore purple sunglasses similar to Photo Finishes, and as he sat down, he spoke.

"Fleetfoot?"  He asked quietly.  I nodded my head discreetly.  "That's me,". He gave a quick nod, before motioning with his head, for us to head outside.  We both stood up simultaneously, before exiting the coffee shop together.  I swear, he seemed more like a secret agent than he did an assistant of a fashion photographer.

He led me down a few main streets, before arriving at the front of a quaint looking motel, about 3 stories high.  He opened the door for me, allowing me to walk inside, before letting go and quickly retaking the lead.  We climbed a short flight of steps to the second floor, and continued down a plain looking hallway.  He stopped outside of the one marked, "222".

What he did next both scared the living daylights out of me and made me want to throw up.  He put his hoof to his throat, before giving a big heave... And out of his throat shot a silver key, which was attached to a string, fixed around his tongue.  It bounced off the wood on the door and swung directly toward me, but just before it made contact with my coat, he caught in his hoof, and unlocked the door with it.  As it slowly opened, I could hear a gulping noise, which signaled that he had re swallowed the key.

"What in the sweet name of Celestia was that?!"  I blurted out, but he stood there, his expression unchanged.  "That was disgusting!"

"Photo Finish is waiting for you inside."  Came his neutral response.

I walked inside, keeping a eye on that strange pony, just in case he decided to cough up something else.  As I entered, I noticed that the entire room was dimly lit, with hundreds of newspapers from several agencies plastered around like wallpaper.  For the most part, it looked like a regular hotel room.  There was one bed, a nightstand, and an alarm clock on top.  Photo Finish was staring at me, her purple sunglasses off to the side.  She had taken one of the tables in the motel room, and arranged it like a desk.  There were two stools on either side.

"Take a seat,". She said calmly, motioning to one across from her.

As I sat, I couldn't help but ask.  "What is wrong with your assistant out there?"

"I zee you have met Riko.  He is very enthusiastic about his job."  She gave a dismissive wave.  "Zat is besides ze point.  I have decided that I vill not expose your photos.  However, this will come at great cost to me, therefore, I vill require zat you compensate me for my loss."

My face hardened.  "How... How much do you want?"  I asked slowly,

"I don't vant money.  I have plenty of zat."  She took her purple sunglasses and began to clean them on her clothes.

"What do you want then?"

"You zee, as a simple fashion photographer, people don't tend to think of me as much.  They see me and say, 'look!  A simpleminded fashionista, who gets paid to picture-graph other fashionista!'  It's infuriating.  I am sick and tired of ze fashion world.  It's full of small minded ponies who's only worries are what $5000 dress they are going where zat day."  She made a gagging noise.  "It zickens me!"

She put her hoof on the table.  "Zat is why I have decided to leave zat world.  My new goal in life is to make ponies take me zeriously!"

I still didn't follow her logic.  "So what do you need those pictures for if all you want is for people to, 'take you zeriously'?"

Photo scoffed at my mockery of her accent.  "I need zem because I need news."  She stood up on both her hind legs.   "I am leaving the fashion world to enter,". She paused for dramatic effect.  "the Journalisms!"  She threw her hooves into the air, as if she was making a groundbreaking announcement.  

At this point, my brain had been fried so thoroughly that the voice inside of my head stopped talking.  I had no words to say to this crazy mare.  All I could feel was a slight twinge of annoyance.

She continued talking. "By giving high quality news, people vill start to respect the things I say.  That is how I plan to achieve my goal.  It is foolproof!"

Suddenly, I began to get angry.  I was a just mere stepping stone in this mare's quest for respect, and now she was trying to hold my privacy for ransom.

I slammed my hoof into the table.  "I don't care about what you plan to do!  I don't care!  I just want you to hand me those pictures so I can get on my way, and live the rest of my life.  In privacy!" I buried my face in my right hoof.  "Now how much to you want for the damn pictures!"

Photo Finish merely began laughing.  "Those pictures are not significant to me because of their value in money,". She put her glasses on her head.  "Zey are valuable because it is breaking news.  I don't vant you to compensate me with money, I vant you to go get me some new news."

I was dumbstruck.  The only thing I could do at that moment was stare at her.  How could this pony have the audacity to ask such a thing?  How dare she?  I stood up from my seat, my mind already made.  "No!  I'm not going to violate other pony's privacy just to ensure my own, that's horrible!"

Photo Finish's face was dead serious.  "Not just anypony's privacy, I want a provocative story like yours.  Something that vill make the people stop, gasp, and drop the paper where they stand"

I looked up from behind my hoof.

"Because of you sudden disappearance, everyone has been keeping a very close eye on the rest of the team.  It's all anypony is talking about."

"What, you want me to get some news on them?"

She nodded her head.  "Exactly!"

"No.  I'm not doing any of this.  What makes you think I could go unnoticed?  They know what I look like, I'm one of them!"

"Was one of them,". She corrected, pointing to the latest headline on the wall.  

I ignored her remark.  "I won't be able to just waltz in there and snap a few pictures without being recognized.  Besides, why do you think I would betray my team like that?"

She looked directly into my eyes.  "You've abandoned them once already,"

I didn't want to speak to her anymore.  "Screw you Photo Finish, I'm not going to betray my friends."

"Zen I'm just going to have to publish your pictures."

I stopped.  Anger was beginning to cloud my judgement, and as I turned around to the paparazzi, I raised my hoof.  "You better give me those pictures, or I swear to Celestia,"

"Vat, are you going to hit me?  Please.  Don't make anymore headlines for yourself if you want to live in peace."

"One more word, I swear."

From behind me, I heard Rico enter the room.  There was a gagging sound, and when I turned around, he was holding a switchblade.

There was a small pause, before Photo spoke up.  "No need for zat, Riko, I vill handle zis myself."  She turned to me, a serious expression upon her face.  "Your choices are this;  Go undercover for me, and dig some dirt on ze Wonderbolts, or leave now, and see your story in the paper tomorrow morning.  Make your choice."

I looked between Riko and Photo Finish, desperately trying to make a decision.  If I walked away now, Spitfire would find me and... I don't even want to think about her reaction.  She got physical when she caught me with coffee.  If she found out where I had ran off to, her reaction would be legendary.  However, if I followed along in Photo's ruse, I will get to keep my new lifestyle.  If I succeeded.

I bit my lip, forcing myself to make a decision.  My brain told me to walk out.  It was the most logical thing to do, but my heart was here in Ponyville.  During this last week, I have discovered that I love this little town, and it pained me to think that I might lose it all.

"I need an answer, Fleetfoot!"

I put my head down in shame as I vocalized my next words.  "...I'll go undercover"

Photo Finish smiled and threw her hands in the air.  "Excellent!  Velcome aboard, Fleetfoot!"  Suddenly, her face twisted with thought.  "No no, I cannot call you Fleetfoot... We need to give you a new name.

"Tradewind Potluck,". I said softly,

"Yes!  Zat is perfect!  Potluck ze reporter!"  She smiled.  "I like zat name, it rolls of ze tongue like bowling ball down alley."  She jumped from around her desk.  "I will consult with you tomorrow, I need some time to figure out a disguise for you... Sneaking you underneath your team mates noses won't be easy..."  Suddenly, I began to get nervous.  "But I will do it no less!  Now go! Gogogo!"  She ushered me out of the door, and slammed it as soon as I was in the hallway.

I simply stared at the wall, trying to process the events of the last few minutes.  What have I gotten myself into...

My train of thought was interrupted when Photo Finish re-opened her door, before kicking Riko out of her room, who was as confused and startled as I was.  She slammed the door, which hit him in his rump slightly, causing a slight yell of pain.  He stood up, stretched his legs, before noticing that I was looking at him.  He waved at me slightly, but I didn't bother waving back.  I didn't like him at all, he was the epitome of creepy.  I simply walked away, heading down the steps we had traveled in the first place.  I could hear him call a quick, "goodbye," as I disappeared down the steps, but I ignored that as well.

As I stepped outside, I found myself doing the last thing I expected to be doing.  On my face, sat a strange and out of place smile.  It wasn't one of happiness or joy, but one of disbelief.  The kind of smile you find yourself wearing when you're about to do something dangerously stupid.  "What the hell have I gotten myself into this time,". I said to no one in particular, before I began chuckling my way down the street.  I knew how risky it was, but my brain thought it was funny that I had accepted anyway.  As I laughed, I heard a figure galloping up to me.  I turned around to see Riko, running with something black in his mouth.  (Mind out of the gutter, you.)

As he approached, I recognized it as a bag.  It was plain and unmarked, with some sort of box inside it.  It looked awfully familiar, and as I pondered these thoughts, I noticed that my left wing felt a bit too light.  Then I remembered.

"Hey Tradewind!"  He called to me, his voice a bit muffled.  "You dropped this!"

He placed the box at my feet, only for me to have a blank stare on my face.  How could I be so absentminded?  I almost lost $3500 worth of jewelry!  Not that I really needed the money anyway, but still.

"Uh, are you alright?"

I snapped out of my thoughts.  "Oh, yes!  Thank you Riko."  I smiled at him sheepishly.  He was strange, but at least he was a gentlecolt.  As I thanked him, I noticed something.  He looked at me intently, like he was recording me with his eyes... Yet I wasn't disturbed by it.  The way he looked at me was just... Benign.

"Sorry I had to pull out the knife... I just want to let you know that I wouldn't have used it on you,"

I didn't quite know what to say to this.  I just looked around uncomfortably.

There was a long pause between us both.  It was as if the sheer awkwardness of the situation was slowing down time, each second becoming hours as we both displayed how socially inept we were.

"I... I guess I'll see you later then," he finally stated shyly,

"Yup," I said quickly, before scooping up the box and trotting off.

"Goodbye," he called to me again,

I hesitated, wondering if I should acknowledge him.  After pondering the question, I made a quick decision.  

"...See you around,". I called back.  
> The Calm Before the Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After departing from Photo Finish's hotel, I quickly began to trot my way home.  The longer I remained outside, the likelier it was for me to end up in some other shenanigan.  As I walked from the hotel, I quickly realized that I had no idea where I was.  I looked up and down the street for some sort of familiar landmark, but nothing stuck out in the long, winding street.  

I had been in Ponyville for only a week, and even though the town was small... I still got lost rather easily.  I've spent the majority of my life in the air, so naturally, I was helpless on the ground.  If I ever got lost in Canterlot, I could just fly up, get a birds eye view, and find my way like that, but something in me prevented me from doing the same here in Ponyville.  It wasn't my fear of getting caught, I knew if I flew discreetly, I wouldn't draw attention.  It was something deeper than that.

In fact, I haven't exactly felt comfortable doing any flying since I left the Wonderbolts.  Maybe it just reminds too much of what I left behind, and subconsciously, I'm not comfortable with that.  Maybe.  I don't know.  I'm not a psychiatrist.

As I pondered my mental well being, I noticed an orange figure on what looked like... A scooter slowly approaching.  She buzzed her wings at an alarmingly fast rate, which propelled her down the street at a quick speed.  She navigated through the foot traffic with commendable agility, using her wings to carve around the passers by, when suddenly, a tall red stallion walked out in front of her, carrying a large wagon full of apples.  He turned towards the speeding filly, before his eyes widened in surprise.

"N-nope!"  He squawked just as the filly was about to collide, tensing his muscles to prepare for the impact.

However, no such impact was made, and he opened his eyes just in time to see the orange foal slide out from under him, before jumping back onto her scooter.  She looked back, a proud smile on her face as she admired her work.

Unfortunately, she didn't see the large rock that stood in front of her, and as she looked back at the startled red stallion, her wheel quickly approached the errant stone.

There was loud crack as the rock made contact with the hard wheel, before the scooter stopped and catapulted the filly high into the air.  I noticed the filly was a Pegasus, and as I watched her arch into the air, I expected her to take flight.

She neared the top of her arch, and still failed to regain her bearings, when I noticed her flapping her wings desperately, only to continue falling, which could only mean one thing; she couldn't fly yet.

She was at least 40 feet in the air, and if I didn't do anything, she would have been an orange and red mess against the ground.  I began galloping to the point where I thought she would land, before flapping my wings slowly; causing me to hover just slightly above the ground.  I turned myself around, readying myself to catch the flailing filly as she tumbled.

She smacked into the center of my chest, knocking the wind out of me, but I managed to wrap my arms around her, stopping her fall.  I was about to land, but before I could, I felt a large pain ripple through my back and reverberate through my body.  I felt several leafy objects tumble over me as I slammed through a woody surface.  Finally, I came to a stop amidst the green spheres, holding the filly safely in my arms.

"MY CABBAGES!"  Screamed a horrified pony, who stared at me in shock.

My vision was slightly blurry, and it took me a moment to realize what had happened.  I had plowed straight through his cabbage cart, and now lay nestled in a large pile of green vegetables.  As I came to my senses, I examined the orange Pegasus in my hooves.  She was physically fine, though the traumatized look on her face made it seem as if she had witnessed a murder.

"Hey,". I shook her gently.  "Hey, are you alright?"

She blinked rapidly before answering me.  "I-I don't know," she said distantly, before slowly looking herself over.  "I think I'm alright,"

As I tried to comfort the filly, I noticed a few people around clapping their hooves together and stomping the ground.  It wasn't too many people, but it was enough to be a small crowd.  I put the little filly down on the ground, who wobbled a little as she tried to regain her bearings.

Suddenly, an orange unicorn mare trotted up to me.  Her horn was awash with a bright yellow, as a pencil and notepad floated close to her head.

"Wow!  That was quite an exquisite display," she said, a little awe in her voice.  "My name is Moveable Type, I own the newspaper here in town.  I was wondering if I could do an interview with you really quick,"

I was about to open my mouth to respond, before somepony put their hoof around my shoulder and began speaking.

"This here, is Tradewind Potluck, ace flyer and star athlete.  And that's a pretty serious title, coming from me."

I looked around to see none other than Rainbow Dash, who was leaning on me like I was a pillar in a bar.  "It's no surprise she managed to catch Scootaloo, I would have jumped in to save her myself, but I knew my friend Tradewind here had it in the bag."

The orange unicorn began scribbling down notes at a breakneck pace.  She looked up from her pad to ask another question.  "Where are you from?  How did you learn to fly so well?  Those were some pretty amazing moves."

I tried on respond, but Dash opened her mouth before I could.  "I don't know where she learned it, but she must practice pretty hard.  She certainly an awesome flyer, almost as awesome as myself."

I looked back at Dash crossly, ready to tell her to shut her mouth, and that I didn't want any attention from the press, but was quickly interrupted when the orange filly tapped on my leg.

"Excuse me Miss Potluck?  Thank you for saving me,"

A few "Awwwww's" rippled through the audience.  "Your welcome, little filly, but I-"

"Would you mind telling me how old you are?"

"No!"  I blurted out angrily, inciting looks of surprise from the three ponies.  "Please, no more questions,"

"That's alright miss Potluck, I have enough to work with here.  Have a good day!"

She began trotting off, looking over he notes as she walked.  I could only stare at the audience as they slowly dispersed.  Suddenly, I felt like thousands of eyes were watching from every angle.  The orange filly ran up to Dash, said a few things, before galloping off after the rest of the audience.

Dash just leaned up against me, staring down at me at me with an expectant look.  "Ehh?" she nudged me with her elbow.  I only looked up at her with a twinge of annoyance.  "Ehh?" she said again louder, expecting some sort of response.  

I just walked off, disgruntlement emanating in each of my steps.

"Hey, what gives?  I thought you'd be happy!  I hyped you up!"

"Yeah, I know, but I... I just don't want any attention from the media,"

"What, are you undercover or something?  Why are you so secretive?"

I didn't want to have to tell her the truth, but I did need to think of something convincing.  Something that would make her never question it again.  "I just... I don't know, like my privacy."

How eloquent.

Dash shook her head.  "Don't worry, I'm in the newspaper all the time, it's nothing too big.  You don't have to worry about the public following you around everywhere you go,"

She had no idea that just a week ago, that was a legitimate problem for me.  "I know, I know, it's just... I..." I let out a long weary sigh.  "Can we just drop it?  I don't want to talk about it."

Dash shrugged, obviously bummed out at my lack of enthusiasm at her attempts to talk me up.

"Sorry for trying to make you happy," she said, disappointment in her tone.

Now I just felt guilty.  I turned toward the crestfallen mare, who was slowly trotting away.  "Hey," I called to her, "look, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to say it like that, I just have a lot on my plate, okay?"

She looked back before turning around and trotting over.  "It's alright," she called back.

I felt kinda bad for pushing her to the side like that.  "Hey, do you maybe wanna hang out?  Go grab something to eat?"

Dash looked around strangely, as if she were considering her options.  "Uhh, I kinda have to train... Sorry, maybe another time." I nodded my head solemnly.  "I'll see ya round, Tradewind."

I watched as she turned around the corner, before disappearing behind some buildings.





After my encounter with Dash, I decided to head home.  I was kind of depressed after my encounter with Dash, and wanted simply to lay in my bed.  

For my stay in Ponyville, I had been renting out a house right next to a bakery.  It wasn't anything special, just a regular two story home that one would often see littering the streets of Ponyville.  I lay in my bed, staring at the fan as it slowly spun above me.  My eyes began to droop drowsily as I bored myself to sleep.  It was still about midday, but the events of the last few hours had tired me beyond belief.  I turned to my side, closing my eyes before drifting into a silent, comfortable sleep.

*Bang!*

"Gaah!" I screamed as I jumped out of bed and collapsed onto my floor.  I hopped to my feet and looked around frantically.  It was dark outside.  Wow, how long have I been asleep?  I could a hear a high pitched voice say something, before there was a long, silent pause.  I finally mustered the courage to go investigate.  The noise sounded like it had come from outside, and as I opened my second floor window, I was greeted with another loud, explosion.  In the topmost floor of the bakery, I could see a pink earth pony examining a... Cannon?  What the hell?

She gave it a small nudge with her hoof, only for the decorated barrel of gunpowder and iron to explode in a smalll sprinkle of confetti and glitter.  I must be dreaming, because this was strange even by Ponyville standards.

The pink mare looked towards it before giving it a strange look.  "You're awfully clogged up," she tapped the cannon multiple times, which caused it to fire in quick succession, sending echoing explosions through the town, and more paltry clouds of glitter.  "Why isn't anything else coming out?" She looked around frantically.  "Where's Gummy?"  Her ears flopped, then her tail twitched, and a slight shiver rippled down her spine.  "And why is somepony watching me?"  She turned directly toward me, her hoof pointed in my direction.

As you could imagine, I panicked.  I hid underneath my window rapidly, but it was too late.

"Ooh, are we playing hide and go seek?" she yelled out, "I love hide and go seek!  Let's play hide and go seek!!!"

I slowly peeked out from underneath my window, only for the pink pony to quickly run to her window.  "Aha! Found you!". She bounced up and down rapidly, before coming to halt.  "Now you have to find me!"  She jumped from sight, disappearing from the window.  I could hear her bounces in the room, before she called to me.  "Ready!" she yelled, as if I was actually playing.

There was a long pause in the air as I waited for something to happen.  I was about to call out to her, before a voice beat me to it.  "Aren't you gonna come look for me?"

"I don't want to play," I said groggily.  "I was sleeping before you started firing that thing.  How did you get ahold of that?  That's... That's a weapon!"

There were giggles rippling through the window, before the pink ponies head popped out of the barrel of the gun.  "This isn't a weapon, silly, it's my party cannon!"  She jumped out, landing on her feet before continuing.  "It's broken I think,". She cast a suspicious glance at the party cannon.

She stuck her head inside the barrel.  "I think something's jamming it."  She began squeezing herself through the barrel, wriggling and writhing her way inside.  Soon, her legs were off the ground, and she slid right down the barrel and disappeared from sight.

I looked around nervously, before I heard her excited scream from in the cannon.  "Gummy, what are you doing in here?  You crazy alligator!"  Laughter bellowed from the inside of the gun, before her head popped out once again.  Only this time, there was a green alligator in her teeth.

"Uhh, could you not fire that thing right now?  I gotta get some sleep,". I said wearily.

"Oh, no problem!" she exclaimed happily, before jumping to of sight and grabbing a large, black tube.

Out if curiosity, I spoke up.  "What's that?"

"A silencer, duh."  She put it to the end of the cannon, before screwing it on like a bottle cap.  She tightened, before hitting the cannon with her hoof.  The cannon jolted back violently, sending a huge spray of confetti, glitter, and streamers into my window,(which hit me directly in the face) but no noise was made.

I looked at the pink mare with sleepy annoyance, before closing my window and heading back to bed.  To this day, I'm still not sure if that was a dream.
	
> Beauty Sleep
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I felt a slight tap on my cheek.  "Vaaaake uuup," said someone in an almost song like tone.  "Rise and shine, Tradevind," I felt more tapping against my face, but I stirred and pulled the cover over my head.  "It's time to get out of-  ugh, zis is useless.  Riko!  Get me something loud."

There was a gutteral gurgling sound, followed by the shrill shriek of a bullhorn.  I sat up straight in my bed, my heart pounding and my wings spread defensively.  As I frantically scanned the room, I noticed two familiar faces; Photo Finish's and Riko's.  However, they were accompanied by at least 12 other ponies whom I'd never seen in my life.

"What the buck?!" I managed to scream out.  "What are you doing in my house?!"

Photo Finish looked around like there wasn't a problem.  "What you mean," she deadpanned in broken English.  "I figured out how to disguise you so you won't get caught.  We're going to do it now.  Did you forget?"

"You couldn't wait until I was awake?"

"You are avake!  No need for zat any longer.  Anyhow, here is ze plan." she studied my face for some sort of response, but I was still shocked and confused.  "It won't be a problem tricking most ponies into thinking zat you are Tradewind, the real problem is ze Wonderbolts.  I could simply dye your coat, but there is a small chance that they would still recognize you."

"But then, I thought.  What is ze last thing the Wonderbolts vould expect you look like?  And zen I thought, a stallion!  Vich is why I got this!" she produced a green, acrid looking potion in a glass vial.

"There is no way I am going to swap genders, I like the pony I am, thank you very much,"

Photo Finish's arms drooped to her side.  "But you would be unrecognizable!"

"Will it even turn me back?"  There were some sheepish glances around the room.

"Well... It might take a couple years."

"Years?"  I screamed a out, "A couple years?  No thanks, I'm not sacrificing my gender for your photographs.  That'll make headlines bigger than the one I'm trying to avoid.  What else do you have?"

Photo Finish looked around the room.  "I don't have anything else.  I thought you would be all over zis idea."

"What made you think that?"

"Because you are so manly," she emphasized.

"Hey!"

"Nevermind, zat is not ze point.  We could probably just do something simple, ja?  Shave your head, crop your tail, dye you black and white, it vould be fabulous."

"No, nothing that extreme.  I managed to get by Rainbow Dash with the disguise I have right now, and that pony could spot a Wonderbolt from a mile away."

"I highly doubt zat vill trick your team mates."

"I know, so could you just make what I have right now, I don't know, more convincing?"

"Let me see..."

She began looking over Fleetfoot, quietly walking around her as she eyeballed every detail of her disguise.  She began muttering to herself, before she waved a hoof in her air and began jabbering away in German.  As she spoke, several ponies trotted up to her and placed several items in her hooves.  The first item was another glass vial, to time with sky blue liquid inside.  Immediately I was cautious.

"That isn't going to turn me into a dude, is it?"

"No, quite ze contrary.  It vill make you look more feminine."

Fleetfoot looked strangely at Photo Finish.  "Why do you keep saying I look like a stallion?"

"Because you do darling!  Short haircut, muscular build, raspy voice,  you are very masculine!"

I snorted out of my nose.  No matter what she was doing, she just got on my nerves.  I turned my attention to the vial of liquid, which she held out to me.  I grabbed it in my teeth and popped of the cork, letting it fall to my bed, before tilting my head back and taking a few swigs of the liquid.

It tasted surprisingly sweet.  Almost overwhelmingly so, but perfectly treading that line between enough and diabetes.  It tickled the back of my throat as I swallowed the last of the liquid.

I looked over at Photo Finish expectantly, still not sure of what the potion as going to do to me.  She returned my gaze, a commensurate amount of interest in her eyes as well, when finally, I felt something.

It was a strange itching on my scalp, and as I ran my hoof through my hair, I noticed it was getting... Longer.  I began fidgeting with it frantically, as my white hair drooped down to my neck and over my eyes.  Suddenly, there was a burning in my voice, causing me to sputter and cough.  I put my hoof to my neck, hacking and writhing, much to the horror of the ponies in the room.  Riko tried to jump up and save me, but Photo Finish held her hoof out before he could.

Finally, I fell face first into my bed sheets, letting out pained, weary breaths.  "F-Fleetfoot!"  yelled Riko, "Are you alright?!"

I sat up in my bed, my hoof still on my throat, which felt strange.  I opened my mouth to answer him.

"Yeah, I think so,"

Immediately, everyone's eyes were wide with shock, as well as my own.  Instead of my raspy tone that I usually spoke with, my voice was... Alluringly smooth.  I noticed Riko's eyes flutter a few times, before staring at me with a strange and creepy expression.

I didn't know what to say.  It was the most alien thing I could think of, speaking with a void that wasn't yours.  It frightened me as much as it fascinated me.  "Dear Celestia!"  I said in my new silken tongue, "My voice!  It's, it's..."

"Beautiful," said Riko with half lidded eyes,

"Different" I blurted out over Riko's remark.  Photo Finish handed me a mirror, which I held in my hooves as I examined myself.  My eyes opened and my mouth hung in dumbstruck awe.

"Whoa," I managed to breathe out as I examined my reflection.  My jaw seemed smaller, my hair was down to my shoulders, and my normally light blue coat had been slightly discolored.  I looked like a whole new pony.

I was beautiful.

She looked me up and down, smiling happily at her work.  She turned her head, only for a black box on my counter to catch her attention.

"Vat is this?" she inquired as she trotted up to the box.  She popped of the lid, before she gasped.  She pulled it out of the black box and let it hang from her hoof.  "My, my, vat a beautiful little gem zis is.  It vill go perfectly with your disguise."

Before I could protest and tell her that it wasn't for me, she had already put it around my neck.  I let out a long, weary, devilishly smooth sigh.  Well, the odds of me finding that pony were incredibly slim.  What color was she again?  Well, at least the intention was pure.  As I examined the charm around my neck, I truly understood why that pony wanted it.  It was a stunningly gorgeous piece of jewelry, and as it hung around my neck, I was glad that I had bought it.

"Alright, Tradevind, here is ze plan."

I looked up from my necklace and stared at Photo Finish with a serious expression.

"Catch a train to Canterlot, get me a juicy scoop, and come back home.  Zimple."

I nodded slowly, just as Photo Finish and her troop of ponies left the room, leaving Riko behind.  He was still staring at me dreamily, before I broke his concentration.

"Stop doing that," I said strangely.  "That's creeping me out."

Riko shook his head, before his white cheeks turned a slight shade if crimson.  "Oh, uh... Sorry, it's just that, uhh, you look..."

He never got to finish his sentence, he simply went back to staring at me.

I got out of bed and jumped down to the floor.  My hooves clopped against the wood of my house, and my wings spread out wide.  Riko just kept looking at me, that same mesmerized expression on his face.  Dear Celestia, I hope this won't be everypony's response.

"Riko, you need to go.  I have to get ready to leave.  C'mon,"

He snapped out if his stupor, only to realize I was ushering him out of my house.  "Oh, uh right."  He began walking downstairs, never taking his eyes of me the whole time.  Followed him down and opened the door for him.  He began walking out, but as he watched me, he smacked into the wall, eliciting a small "oomph!" From him.

I sighed as he corrected himself.  Just as he was halfway out of the door, he stopped and spoke.  "Hey, why do you still have your wings up?"

I stopped, and fidgeted for a second.  "Well, it's the morning.  And, well, I... just forget it!  Please get out of my house!"  I pushed him out of the door, before closing it.  I swear I saw his face redden like a beet.

Ugh. Now that I think about it, I could have made a pretty convincing stallion.
> The History of the Wonderbolts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I spent the next hour or so packing.  I didn't want to go to Canterlot, it was the last place I wanted to be, but if I wanted any chance of keeping my new life here in Ponyville, I was going to have to make some exceptions.  As I ran about my house, I couldn't help but notice the weight around my neck.  I was still wearing that beautiful blue arrangement of silver and sapphire, and for some reason... I felt guilty.  I had no reason to really feel bad, after all, it was my necklace to begin with.  I bought it, I took it home, and it was mine to give away or keep.

But then I kept thinking about that mare's crushed expression as she happily walked up to the jewelry store, after having saved up just enough bits, only for it to have been gone weeks ago.  It made me feel horrible, and I hadn't even done anything.  The sun shone through my windows, casting little patches of yellow light through the room.  The sun was just now rising, as was most of Ponyville's residents, sparking a new day of happiness and opportunity... but I could only look sadly from my window.

I felt that slowly, I was becoming a selfish person.  I'm about to go expose some news on my ex-teammates to keep my whereabouts a secret.  The expensive gem I wear around my neck has been growing on me, the urge to give it away has been increasingly dying.  What am I becoming?  Am I a bad pony for doing all of this?

I took a good ten minutes to lay on my suitcase and ponder these thoughts.  Just sitting there, thinking.  I didn't feel good about any of it... I was caught in quite the conundrum.  Well, I wanted privacy.  I was a fool to think it would come cheap.

Before I left to go and expose the secrets of my friends, I wanted to get one last cup of coffee.  I needed it right now.

I went to my bathroom and examined myself in the mirror.  For a moment, I was shocked at the unfamiliar face staring back at me, before I remembered Photo Finish's mixture, and it's almost age defying effect on my body.  Wow, I was stunning.  I looked ten years younger, not that I was really old to begin with, I'm only middle aged, but still.  God, I looked, just wow.

I ran my hoof through my now long hair, just playing with it.  I hadn't had shoulder length hair since I was a filly, and it felt nice to have it grown out like this.  I turned around in the mirror, examining my new look.  As I looked myself over, I noticed it had made my figure more lithe.  It took off a lot of the extra tone I had in my muscles, replacing them with more feminine curves.  It made my flanks wider, and my muzzle just ever so slightly thinner.  What the hell was that stuff?  How come I'd never heard of it before?  This was incredible.  Well, at least that improved my mood a little.

I walked out of my house, a slight smirk on my face as I thought about the reactions I would get to my new body.  I went downstairs and opened the door, greeting the morning air with a deep breath.  As I emerged from my home, I noticed a group of three stallions looking my way, their faces laden with slight surprise.  Wow, already? They were looking at me quite intently, following my every move with their eyes.  For once, being watched didn't feel so bad.  I used my back hoof to sweep the door closed in a rather suggestive manner, causing one of the stallions to visibly gulp.  I chuckled to myself like a foal with a new toy, seeing the effect of my newfound power, before beginning my journey to the café.

I turned heads on every street I walked on.  For a moment, I was able to forget about the deplorable things I was going to do in order to maintain my privacy, and simply enjoy the attention, which considering my motives for fleeing, was a very odd occurrence.  Perhaps it was the fact that people were finally looking at me, and just looking.  No pictures, no records, no names.  Just me.  Instead of maniacally monitoring my every move for something to put into a magazine, they just watched and appreciated me for what I was.  It was a truly heartwarming experience.

It reminds me of when we first founded the Wonderbolts.  However, if I'm going to tell you that story, I might as well start from the very begining, meeting Soarin as a foal.

Despite popular belief, Soarin and I didn't grow up in Cloudsdale, we shared our childhood up north in Vanhoover.  Neither of us were expert flyers back then, I didn't even use my wings all that much as a filly.  Flying was just an activity all the Pegasi did at recess, just as Unicorns did magic and the Earth Ponies played sports.  Soarin and I weren't even friends back then, in fact, he bullied me in grade school.  I hated him for most of my school days.

I used to run home, crying to my mom about him, pleading for her to talk to his mother, tell the principle, or beat him up, or something... But all she would tell me, is that bullies only did what they did to other ponies, because they weren't happy with something about themselves.

As time went on and the school days began drawing to a close, I found out why he bullied the other foals.

He couldn't fly.

Somehow, he had managed to hide the fact all through school, until one day, the teacher called in a coach from Cloudsdale to conduct a flight evaluation of the Pegasi, as part of the P.E. class.  I remember the day so vividly.  Soarin, the Pegasus that had bullied me all through school, had been humiliated in front of the entire class.  At first, I laughed, I'll admit.  It felt good to see the pony who caused you so much grief crash and burn in a burning ball of fire, but as the days went on and the bully became the bullied, I began to notice things.

Soarin was getting thinner, his coat was getting paler, his eyes were constantly burdened with dark bags underneath them.  He refused to speak, he denied food, and he constantly had a hacking cough.  As he fell deeper and deeper into a grim depression, I couldn't help but feel sadness for him.  So one day, after school, I went to apologize.  That day, my mother made me a blueberry cupcake for dessert, which were my favorite treats as a filly, but instead of saving the treat for myself, I decided to give it to Soarin.

To this day, I'll never forget what he did.  

After I had said I was sorry and gave him the cupcake, he looked into my eyes for a good ten seconds.  He held the cupcake gingerly in his hooves, before a tear fell down his eye and he gave me a hug.  He sobbed on my shoulder for a few minutes before he ate the cupcake.  The whole time Soarin sat there, he smiled at me.  It was the gentlest, most forgiving smile that I had ever seen on a stallions face, and it was at this moment, we became friends.

In retrospect, it's hard to believe that one of the most elite flyers of all time couldn't fly as a colt.

At that point, Soarin and I were inseparable.  We did everything together, played, worked, ate, you named it.  Even through he couldn't fly, I didn't care.  There was nothing that could have changed the way I felt.

His parents had known about his inability for a long time, and had hired specialist after specialist to try and teach him, but all of them were unsuccessful.  You see, his wings were abnormally small for his age, and no matter what he did to get them big and strong, they would never be large enough to lift him off the ground.

he had all but given up by the time I reconciled with him, but believe me... The thought plagued him nonstop.  He would work his tiny wings until they were so sore, he couldn't move them.

It wasn't until he was about 17 did his wings finally grow out.  By that time, his muscles were damaged, strained, and overall unsuited for the sudden growth, and his wings looked deformed by the time they were grown to their full extent.  The base of his wings were swollen and thick, while the tips tapered to almost bony flaps of feather and skin.  It was a sad sight to look at, and believe me, no one was affected by it more than him, however, he managed to stay positive and kind despite his condition.

We had both recently gotten a job together.  He and I were both working at, of all places, a coffee shop for whatever bits we could earn.  My mother was beginning to fall ill, and the doctors had told me she didn't have much longer to live, and so I prepared to take control of the household and pay her medical expenses by getting a job.  During this time, Soarin would lend me whatever spare money he had to try and help through my predicament, even going so far as to skip meals, just to give me the bits he had saved.

We lived like this for a year, when the Doctors told me she was due to die in the next few days.  I spent those hours next by my mother's bedside, and like the gentlecolt he was, Soarin stayed with me for every minute.  I cried until my eyes were itchy, and Soarin was there to catch every tear on his shoulder.  She passed away the following morning.

I was emotionally destroyed by this, and lashed out at most of my friends.  I got fired from the coffee shop in a week, and got arrested for assaulting my boss.  Luckily, he chose not to press charges, which he stated he would do if Soarin did him a favor.  I'm not sure what exactly he asked of him, but everytime I bring it up, Soarin would visibly clam up and try to change the subject.  A few days after the "favor," he quit his job at the coffee shop for reasons he wouldn't tell me.

However, there was some good news in all of this.  Soarin had been attending muscle therapy for his wings, (where he got the money, I have no idea.) and they were finally showing some results.  His wings were still a little deformed, but they were fixed enough to try and fly on.

And so, I taught him how to fly.  It took him a whole month before he was able to successfully take off, glide, and land without injuring himself, and never in my whole life had I ever seen anypony so happy.  When he flew, his face would light up with joy, and his eyes would brighten with glee.  He couldn't believe that he was finally able to use the wings on his back.

It was at about this time when I first met Spitfire.  She was a construction worker who had been consigned to a large building complex in Vanhoover close to the place I lived.  I used to walk by the building site everyday and watch them put together the structure floor by floor, and every day, I would see Spitfire barking order after order at each of her subordinates.  I never thought much of her at first, except that she was really loud and bossy, and she was the only mare in that construction team.  All the stallions took orders from her, and as a result, she tends to act, well, masculine.

Okay, I'm not going to mince words, she was a straight up butch when I first met her.  In fact, the first words she ever said to me were, "Why don't you come up here sugar flanks?"

She was catcalling as she ate lunch with the construction team.  It was your classic cliché setup, they were all sitting on a long steel girder with brown bags to their sides.  I didn't pay her much mind that day, I just kept on walking.  This went on for a good week or so.  Whenever I would pass the site, she would make some sort of lewd remark and whistle at me like a stallion, until one day, she stopped me outside of her job.

She straight up asked me to go out with her.  I didn't even know her name at the time.  She didn't even hesitate, she just asked me to go to a dinner with her at this sports bar down the road.  She was confident and loud, and typically someone I wouldn't associate myself with, but... I was a confused mare back in those days, so I said yes.

A couple hours later, she arrived at my doorstep and we walked over to the bar.  We sat down and ordered a few drinks, making small talk about whatever we could think of.  Eventually the conversation turned to sports, and Spitfire told me that it was her dream to become an athlete.  Back then, that dream of becoming athletes was just that; a dream.  None of us had any idea that one day, it would become a reality.

5 days later, she broke up with me, her reason for doing so was boredom (shut up, I didn't have any experience with mares before,).  The relationship was so ephemeral, that I wasn't really even phased by it.  It was just, well, over.  However, she was still my friend, which I know sounds stupid and ridiculous, but that's how it was.  There wasn't even any awkwardness between us, she treated it exactly like it was.  We just weren't dating anymore.

Soon, Spitfire began expressing discontent with her life, saying that she wanted to quit her job as a construction worker and pursue her career as an athlete.  Soarin encouraged her to do so, saying that it was important to follow your dreams and live to be who you wanted to be, and that day, Spitfire really took those words to heart.  Spitfire, in a fit of destiny driven pride, marched to the construction yard and announced her resignation, much to the confusion of the night shift workers.  We started our career as the Wonderbolts that night

At first, we were a running group.  Spitfire wanted to include us all in the sport she chose, and obviously, Soarin wasn't capable of keeping up with us on his wings yet, so we decided to start out as a track team.  We put in a whole bunch of money to have custom made spandex suits for our group, and began training shortly after.  We entered in a competition about a month later, and we... Well, we came last in every event we tried out for.  The competition was made completely of Earth Ponies, who kind of had the advantage of being on the ground their whole lives, as opposed to us Pegasi.

However, Spitfire was not deterred.  The next day, Soarin came over to my house and told me about his new flying exercise; swimming.  He had been using swimming as a workout for his wings. The constant water resistance and muscle use, were doing wonders for his rather sad pair of wings, but thanks to his exercise, they were stronger than ever. After Spitfire heard about this, she had the brilliant idea to try and become swimmers.

The mayhem that followed is... Too ridiculous to tell you about.  I don't even want to discuss how miserably we failed in the water, more specifically, Spitfire.  Swimming was a sport that was ill suited to the pony anatomy, and required much more strength than we realized, but Soarin's manic workout hours had given him the physical strength of three stallions, making him both graceful and smooth in the water.

Anyhow, the only thing we retained from our swimming days, or more appropriately, the one day we tried swimming as a group, were three pairs of goggles.  We were trying to think of some other sport we could all try and partake in, and finally, we settled on flying.  As you know, Spitfire had initially denied this idea, due to Soarin's lack of flight experience, but after a lot of pleading and promises of how he could get better, she finally accepted.

This is where we finally met with some success.  Soarin had been exercising his wings like crazy since the muscle therapy paid off, and his wings finally looked like that if any other Pegasus, and as a result of his new ability to work his wings, he became a huge contributing factor in our group.  In fact, it was his idea to use the spandex suits and the goggles we had to make our costumes that have become so famous over the years.

during the next few years, we slowly evolved into the aerobatic group that swept Equestria.  Along the way we met Misty Fly, Rapidfire, and everyone else who eventually joined the group.  Most people like to think the Wonderbolts are just Spitfire and Soarin, but believe it or not, there are actually 11 of us.  Six mares and five stallions.  We really came a long way to become what we were.

When I finally snapped out of my memories, I realized that I had walked past the coffee shop.  In fact, I had already left town.  I frowned sadly as I thought about my friends.  Could I really betray them like this?  After all the work we put in together?

I buried my head in my hooves, letting my now long hair fall in front of my face.  What do I do?

I had already been fired from the group, but still.  I couldn't just backstab them... I can't just leave them for dead.

Perhaps I could just get a really pointless story about them, something the public would eat up, but not necessarily care about, yeah maybe I could do that.  Then, I could please Photo Finish and still leave my friends relatively untouched in this fiasco.

Actually, now the I thought about it, that was a great idea.  It solves all my problems and keeps everyone out of the line of fire.  How had I missed this before?

I began to gallop my way back home, eager to put my new plan into action.
> Just a Train Away
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was at it's crest in the sky, baking the land like a pie in the oven.  In this merciless heat, I sat on a wooden bench, restlessly awaiting my train, which was due to arrive in a half hour.  There was a bit of shade in the station next to the ticketmaster, but it did nothing to cool the searing waves that washed down upon us.  My ticket sat beside me, crackling gently in the hot wind as it rolled by.  Beneath my bench was a half packed suitcase, containing only a few items.  Some bits, a few changes of clothes, a small notebook, and a box of quills that I got from a very, very specialized store.

The station was littered with a few ponies of varying race.  There was a Pegasus couple, a yellow unicorn, and an orange Earth Pony accompanying an elderly green one.  Suddenly, I looked back to the Pegasus couple, and noticed the stallion looking over at me.  I waved at him shyly, causing his face to light up and for him to wave back.  Suddenly, the pony next to him - which I assume was his marefriend - turned over and poked him roughly in his side, causing him to blush as he looked back and forth between us guiltily.  Then the mare looked around and shot me a dirty look.  I know it's not a very nice thing to do, but I couldn't help but laugh a little bit.  This new look was really something.

Once I finished giggling to myself, I realized a pony had sat down next to me.

"Hey there, Tradewind," said the voice with a tired tone.

I whipped my head around, and saw an exhausted Rainbow Dash looking at me with a tired smile.  "Rainbow Dash!" I said, surprise in my voice.  "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Spitfire sent me another letter.  She said she's want me in Canterlot immediately, because they, they," Dash let out a long, breathy yawn.  "They want to talk to me, so here I am."  She took a note out from behind her and held it for me to read, only it was upside down.

"You look exhausted, are you alright?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

"Well, I was training all night.  I haven't slept since tomorrow,"

My face contorted in confusion.  "You mean yesterday?"

"Yeah, that's what I said," she turned toward me, deep bags underneath her eyes.  "Hey, you look different,  like a lot different.  What did you do with yourself?"

"Oh, this?  I have to look nice for Canterlot, don't I?" I said, a coerced smile on my lips, hiding how much I really hated the urban cesspool.

"I don't know, I'm not all that much into fashion all that much." stated Rainbow Dash drowsily.  She turned her head around and began examining the faces around the station, which was slowly starting to fill up.  Her eyes seemed empty and distant, before she caught sight of the orange earth pony.  "Oh, hey!" she said as she jumped from her seat and began trotting towards the pony.  "Applejack!  What are you doing here?"

The orange pony turned around, before her face lit up with a smile.  "Rainbow Dash!  I didn't see ya all day yesterday, where've you been?"

Dash waves her hoof dismissively.  "Oh, I've just been training."

"For what exactly?" asked Applejack inquisitively.

Suddenly, Dash's face lit up with an excited smile.  "Ok, it was supposed to be a surprise, but I can't hold it in anymore!  I have to tell somepony!"

Applejack leaned in closer

"I'm a Wonderbolt now!" she was practically dancing in place.

Applejack leaned in with a sly face.  "No way," she said, a smile stretching across her lips.  "You ain't pulling mah leg or nuthin'?"

"Nope!" exclaimed Dash, who began to hop around like that pink mare from my dream.  "This is for real!  I'm finally gonna live the life!  Everypony in Equestria is gonna know my name!"  She could contain her happiness any longer.  She began to jump around in drowsy circles, flapping her wings slowly as she lolloped about the platform.

She reminded me so much of myself that I had to smile.  When I was young, I wanted fame and glory more that anypony else.  I trained hard, I flew hard, and I pushed hard.  Rainbow Dash was me, almost 13 years ago.

My daydream was broken by Dash, who was now walking toward me with Applejack.

"And this is Tradewind!  She's a really good flyer too, and she saved Scootaloo."

"Oh yeah, I saw somethin' about that in the paper," said Applejack with a cordial smile.  "Howdy there, Tradewind," she extended her hoof towards me.  "Mighty fine to meet you,"

"Nice to meet you too," I responded with a smile.  I don't know what it was about her, but she just seemed so friendly.  "I take it that you're Applejack?"

"Ah sure am, and this here's my Granny Smith, " she motioned to the elderly green pony, who slowly walked forward.

"Pleasure ta make yer acquaintance," she said with a laxed smile.  "What brings ya on yer way to Canterlot?"

"Just decided to have a change of scenery," I lied.

Applejack nodded her head.  "Yeah, I know that Ponyville can seem so bland compared to the fancy ways they have up in the mountain,"

I nodded my head.  "And what brings you to the Capitol?" I asked with a curious smile.

"Oh, I'm supposed to go talk to some business folk about a large delivery.  There havin' some sort of party, and they need a bunch of apples taken up there for the dinner.  I'm gonna head over and discuss the specifics,"

"Sounds like it's good for business," I added.

"Wonderful," she said with a hint of awe in her voice.  "This'll just about clear up our expenses for the rest of the year, and we'll have plenty o' apples left over for cider season,"

Dash's tired eyes lit up.  "How much cider are we talking here?" she asked with a wide smile,

"I don't know yet, but I doubt the party will be able to buy out our whole orchard," she said with a smirk.  "Granny here's gonna be doing most the negotiation, I'm just here to help her along,"

Granny turned toward Applejack with a slightly irritated face.  "Fer the last time, I can handle mah self.  You don't need to help me with everythin' ya know,"

"I know Ganny, but just in case ya need me, I'm there,"

I smiled at their bickering.  I could tell just from the way they talked that they meant no harm, but it was still entertaining nonetheless.

Dash decided to break the silence.  "I think I'm gonna have to catch a few Z's on the train, I didn't get any sleep last night," her words were slightly slurred together.  "I don't want to be tired when I see Spitfire,"

"You do that, Dash" said Applejack as she patted her drowsy friend on the back.  "And congratulations on becoming a Wonderbolt,"

"Thanks Applejack," she said, her eyes almost drooping closed.

Suddenly, I felt the ground underneath me vibrate and the sound of screeching metal began ringing in the air.  I stood up, grabbed my suitcase with my wing and grabbed the ticket in my mouth, before walking to the edge of the platform.

The train came to a stop in front of the wooden platform, and a teal pony in a blue uniform emerged from one of the cars.  There were a few unicorns exiting the train, before the conductor stood in front of the car.

"All aboard!" He yelled to the sparse crowd, and immediately, a line formed in front of the door.  

It took a couple minutes before everyone was on the train, and speeding towards Canterlot.  I had been placed in a rather plain car, nothing particularly special.  It was a little cramped, but still tolerable.  The floor was decorated with a faint salmon color, and the chairs were a deep brown.  Rainbow Dash was fast asleep a few seats down, and Applejack was chatting with Granny Smith.  There were a few other ponies in the car, but no one of particular interest.

I laid my head back and began to close my eyes.  I might as well get a little shut eye myself.  I snuggled as comfortably as I could into my chair, before something caught my eye.  A pure white stallion was seated inconspicuously a few chairs ahead, a newspaper hiding his face and eyes.  Hmm, something about it seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite put my hoof on it.

I closed my eyes and disregarded him.  Whatever, it didn't really matter.







the loud screech of metal on metal woke me as the train slowly crawled to a halt.  My body lurched forward slightly, and I awoke groggily.  I sat up stiffly in my chair and let a loud, gaping yawn to escape my lips.  Everypony was standing up, grabbing their bags and exiting the train.  I stood up and used my wing to lift my suitcase onto my back, and jumped into the sloppy line that had formed towards the exit.  I breathed a heavy sigh as I thought about my next move.

Well, here I was in Canterlot.  No matter where I ran, how how far I got, it always seemed like I ended up here.  I stepped out into a beautiful train platform.  Marble floors, crystal chandelier overhead... If their wasn't a train stopped at the edge of the closed room, it could be passed for a ballroom.

I've been in this train station many times.  The Wonderbolts travelled quite a lot, and before you ask, no.  We don't fly everywhere we go.  Nopony does.

As I looked around this all too familiar room, I was greeted with an all too familiar face.

Oh no.

Just several feet away from me, a yellow and orange Pegasus with purple shades and  blue jacket was fidgeting in place.  She was looking around frantically, before she spotted Rainbow Dash hurrying off the train.  She practically galloped towards her, much to Dash's surprise.

I could see Dash mouth the word "Spitfire?" Before my ex-teammate put her hoof to her mouth and began talking at a breakneck pace.  I'm not sure what she was saying, but it seemed urgent.  Spitfire ran off with Rainbow Dash, leaving Applejack and Granny Smith both dumbstruck and confused.

I saw them look at each other confusedly, before a snowy white figure walked by them, a folded newspaper in his teeth.  I did a double take as I realized who it was.

Riko.

I stared at him in shock and anger.  He followed me!  First he breaks into my house and lets in a whole group of ponies, and now he's here to keep tabs on me, probably at Photo's request.  Ugh I hated her.  He looked over in my direction, before he froze like a deer in headlights.  I began to march angrily toward him, only for his ears to lay flat against his head and his pupils to narrow down to bullets.

"You!" I said just under a yell.  "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Uhh," he said while practically shrinking beneath me.  "I live he-"

"You better het back on the train and leave me alone," I said icily.

"I can't!" He said weakly.  "My house is here in-"

"Nope!  Not while I'm here on my 'mission',"

Suddenly, I heard a few hoof beats behind me, before I heard a sweet southern accent behind me.  "Hey, is everything alright over here?"

I turned around and forced a smile to my lips.  "Yeah, it's alright.  I was just leaving."

Applejack looked curiously over at Riko.

"He ain't givin' you any trouble?"

"No, it's alright," I said with obvious disdain.  "I can handle this,"  I narrowed my eyes at him before turning around and walking off.

Applejack looked between us with a little hint of confusion before she turned back toward Riko.  I didn't stay to see what happened.  I didn't care.  I don't like that stallion, he's as slimy as Photo Finish, just like the stuff he spits up.

I made my way to the exit and was quickly greeted with bustling Canterlot air.  I took a deep, queasy breath.  

Poshly dressed ponies walked about the paved streets, their heads held high and their eyes as judgmental as ever.  A few stallions looked over at me, but the looks were much different than the ones I got in Ponyville.  These were far more... condescending, almost disapproving.  I felt my skin crawl again as people looked at me.

Back in the lions den.