Aces High 4: Joint Proceedings.


                                            =Aces High 4=


                                            >"And heeeeeere they are, your Wonderbolts!"

                                            >The six of you zoom over the announcer and pull a high-G turn straight up. You climb and climb to the agreed altitude before you break formation and start your roles.

                                            >You had the simple role, making the boarders. It wasn't glamorous, but it needed to be done.

                                            >The four corners take shape as the rest of the team performs high intensity close quarters flying in the center of the shape your smoke trails were making.

                                            >All at once, at the twelve second mark, you all cut your trails and fly away from one another, letting the smoke trail visage of Equestria's national flag hovering in the air.

                                            >Just as practiced.

                                            >The crowd erupts with applause and the six of you wave as you slowly lower yourselves to the ground.

                                            >As you lower yourself, you scan the crowd for any sign of her.

                                            >So far nothing, that was good.

                                            >You kill your jets on the ground and security lets the crowd swarm you in what Fancypants calls "controlled mayhem".

                                            >Most of them asked for the same stuff, "Sign my photo!", "Sign my wings!", "Sign my son!".

                                            >You kept an eye out for ponies who might try to propose to you, but that hadn't happened in months.

                                            "Yes yes, thank you."

                                            "Thank you for coming."

                                            "Of course I remember you."

                                            >An important part of being a celebrity was fan relations. A lot of famous ponies would just go through the motions to appease people but you find yourself unable to be like that.

                                            >Maybe it's because getting to where you are despite being an alien was an uphill battle, but you felt you needed every advantage you could get, so you committed the names and faces of as many people you could to memory.

                                            >You had just sign a picture for Indigo Brisk who you met in Cloudsdale. Nickle Prickle, someone you wingman-ed for once as a favor was over by the punch seemingly in dire need of another one. Wild Cherry Spice was off bouncing around by the back of the crowd.

                                            >"It's you!"

                                            >And -there- was the voice of the face you wished you could forget.


                                            >You lean over to your security guard, Diggle Daggle his name was.

                                            "Digg, give us a minute."

                                            >"You got it, sir."

                                            >Diggle ushers the crowd away from you and you take the momentary reprieve to collect yourself.

                                            "Hey Dash..."

                                            >You turn around and your field of view is flooded with blue, magenta, and a hint of rainbow.

                                            >"You got a lotta nerve showing up around here."

                                            >You take a step back and lift your flight goggles up.

                                            "I go where the tour takes me, Rainbow Dash. Believe me, I didn't want to come here."

                                            >She huffs and turns away, crossing her hooves. "Yeah I'll bet! Not after what you pulled."

                                            >You groan and rub your eyes.

                                            "YOU left ME Rainbow, and for as stupid a reason a-"

                                            >She zips back over and sticks her face right up to yours. "Not. Another. WORD."

                                            >The air is tense for a second before you back away.

                                            "Fine, whatever."

                                            >You weren't looking for a fight, especially in front of fans.

                                            "Did you just come down here to yell at me?"

                                            >"I wanted to see if you'd show." Rainbow says.

                                            "Okay, why -wouldn't- I?"

                                            >Rainbow shrugs and glares at you. "I dunno, maybe you had some common sense?"

                                            >One of you here had to have it.

                                            >You grumble and wave her off.

                                            "Listen, Dash, I wish I could say it's great to see you again after all this time, but then I'd be lying. If you can't separate -me- from -my job- then that's your problem, not mine."

                                            >You can practically feel Dash's glare boring into the back of your head, but you don't face her.

                                            >"Yeah, yeah okay Anon, real classy." she says before you hear the sound of fluttering feathers.

                                            >You turn to see her gone and sigh.

                                            >"Friend of yours?"

                                            >You turn back and see Soarin' walking past Diggle, if there was one person who he'd let past, it's Soar.

                                            "Nothing just an...old friend."

                                            >Soarin' nods and jerks his head behind him. "Well come on, it's time for the announcement."


                                            >You and Soarin' head up behind the small stage they set up and join the others on stage.

                                            >Fancypants taps the microphone. "'Allo? This thing on?"

                                            >The crowd chuckles.

                                            >Fancy smiles and levitates the microphone into his grasp. "Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlecolts, you all know me and I know a good handful of you so let's not stay hung up on pleasantries, huh?"

                                            >The crowd chuckles again and Fancy goes to the podium.

                                            >"Announcing the teams for the Wondebolt's for this year's RFF racing circuit!"

                                            >This was mostly a formality, pretty much everyone knew who'd they'd probably get pared with. Your money was on Fleetfoot for you.

                                            >"Fire Streak and Fleetfoot, with Fleetfoot as lead flyer!" Fancy calls, signaling for the two of them to trot up on stage together so Fancy could pin the pins on them.

                                            >Really? Would you be lucky enough to get paired with So-

                                            >"Soarin' and Misty Sky, lead flyer Soarin'!"

                                            >Wait, but that mea-

                                            >And finally, our team captain Spitfire and our most known member Anonymous! With Spitfire as lead flyer!"

                                            >What.

                                            >WHAT.

                                            >Your legs move on autopilot and carry you up to Fancy, he pins the silver pin on your chest and whispers "Give them a wave, everypony.".

                                            >You do as instructed and wave to the crowd next to your new "partner" as she glares daggers at Fancypants to the roar of the crowd.

                                            >...

                                            >WHAT.


                                            >It's after the press conference, members of the team and crew are taking individual questions and the fans are milling about.

                                            >You, however, are running around to the back of the stage.

                                            >You need to find Fancy, like, now.

                                            "Fancy! Yo Fancypants!"

                                            >You clear a corner and see Fancy and Spitfire down the path talking, a rather heated discussion by the looks of it.

                                            >Oh well. You half run up to them.

                                            >"-old me that we'd run out this season and I'd be able to-" Spirfire is saying.

                                            >Fancy interjects. "Spitfire, if I've told you once, I've told you a hundred thousand times, sometimes my hooves are tied by the committee."

                                            >"Yeah? And where the buck does that leave -me-, Fancy? I've given the best years of my life to this team and this is how I get paid back?"

                                            >Fancy's face hardens. "The "team" is more than just "you", Spitfire. I suggest you think on that."

                                            >It's by luck that his eyes drift over to you. "Oh, hello there Anonymous."

                                            >Spitfire stifles a jump of surprise and turns her head away from you at mention of your name.

                                            "Uh...yeah, hi Fancy, I was looking for you."

                                            >He puts his smile back on. "Of course, old bean. What can I do for you?"

                                            >You rub the back of your head.

                                            "Are you...sure about these matchups? I mean Soar and Spits are the two senior members."

                                            >Spitfire extends a hoof towards you. "See? He agrees."

                                            >Fancy's smile fades and you find yourself nervous that it's fading at you this time.

                                            >"You two, I told you, our analysts have run the numbers and YOU TWO are the best matchup."

                                            >"I literally can't wrap my head around -how-."

                                            "Me neither."

                                            >Fancy rubs his head. "Well...it's the reality of it, the teams are already submitted to the RRF."

                                            >Fancy trots past you and a broiling Spitfire. "I suggest you two work this out...you really don't have much other choice."


                                            >You watch Fancy leave and turn to Spitfire, she's still pissed.

                                            "Hey, are you-"

                                            >"Drop it." she interrupts.

                                            >You drop it.

                                            >Spitfire takes a few deep breaths and finally meets your eyes. "Right, so, looks like we're partners."

                                            >You nod.

                                            "Looks like."

                                            >"I dunno what races we'll be running, but we need to put some time in together. Where do you train?"

                                            "Usually in the mountains around Canterlot, sometimes in Ghastly Gorge."

                                            >Spitfire rubs her chin. "I usually pull mine up at the Academy, I like to make use of the stuff there. You wanna meet me up there in a day or two and we can see where we stand?"

                                            >Who are you to deny a request from team captain?

                                            "Yeah yeah, sure, I can meet you up there."

                                            >She sighs. "Cool. Look, it's trainee season so we gotta put on our dress blues, you still have those, right?"

                                            >You nod.

                                            "Keep 'em pressed just in case."

                                            >Spitfire chuckles and shakes her head. "Such a coltscout...Alright Anny. I'll see you then, then."

                                            >She starts to trot past you and lightly punches your shoulder. "Now c'mon, we got a town that's just BEGGING for a rager to light up the night and we're the most qualified."

                                            >You follow.

                                            "Didn't we just have a rager, like, two days ago in Cloudsdale?"

                                            >"Well yeah, but you can never have too many, amIright?"

                                            "Uh..."

                                            >"Now come on, I need a drink in me..."

                                            >You follow your new partner along back to the gathering and silently wonder just what you got yourself into.