New Moon (My Little Pony)

35 A Win(1/5)

The sound of glee and stupor invaded the empty bleachers where Wind Rider sat. The frivolous joys the ponies participated below annoyed him; however, not as much as bearing witness to the travesty of three nitwits.

Emerging from the curtains on a stage, where Lazuli had her opening speech, came Carrot Cake. The way he merrily carried himself with a lanky body disgusted Wind Rider. It made him wonder if this stallion had an ounce of pride in himself. From how Carrot could easily prance across the stage in a cupcake suit with foals, Wind was convinced that Carrot cast it away a long time ago.

"How do I make her stop?" Wind asked. He rocked a baby filly in her hooves, but her crying persisted. He even devolved to using voice impressions he never envisioned himself doing in his lifetime and even that didn't calm the filly. "Ugh, forget it. Just take her back."

"Hold on, Wind," a mare chuckled from the hospital bed. She held a hoof to her mouth to stifle the laughter quaking her insides. "You haven't even tried the peek-a-boo yet."

"Are you enjoying this!?" Wind leered at the mare.

"No, of course not" the mare waved a hoof with a cracked smile. "Now do it for Lazuli. She'll love it."

Carrot Cake exited the stage after sharing a bow with the foals to the audience. The ponies clapped at the performance despite the mundanity of it all. All they did was skip around and flaunt their silly outfit, but apparently, that's all it took to please these ponies.

Next to appear through the curtains was Bow Hothoof. Unlike Carrot, Wind recognized Bow to have acceptable conditioning of his body. However, with the extent Bow built his body, Wind knew he would never prosper as an ace flier. There's also the matter of respect he would lose from how he flung around in a long dragon costume on the stage. From behind, Wind could see the hooves of foals following Bow's direction.

He then became alerted to the cheering of a familiar voice. It was his little sister, Windy Whistles, loud and overwhelming as always. As always, she and their parents were prone to be the loudest amongst the crowd.

"You can do it Lazuli! I believe in you!" Lapis's voice rang the ears of Wind and their daughter. Their filly flapped her wings to ascend to the air but inevitably fell flat on her belly yet again.

"Can you at least stay in the air for five minutes?" Wind grumbled.

"You got to encourage her," Lapis advised. "Come on, give her one of your famous motivational speeches."

"You mean the ones I give to recruits that bother me with their lack of confidence?"

"C'mon, you're really good at it. Do it, do it," Lapis began to chant.

Wind could only groan at his wife's suggestion. But when he saw his daughter try again to float off the ground, he could feel something prick inside of him.

Wind Rider picked her and held her high above himself. The filly blinked at her father's motion as he awed her with a comforting smile. "I know you're trying your hardest. Don't get glum on me, I know you're going to do great in the future. Wanna know why? You have us at your side."

The next to emerge from the curtains was the country stallion, Bright Mac. Wind saw no point in evaluating the prowess of an earth pony. However, he couldn't ignore a distinct blush on the stallion.

Wind didn't know how to expect a grown stallion to feel decorated in a lion costume. His son, Little Mac, and groups of foals growled and roamed the stage. Bright on the other hoof, stood still as if his hooves were glued to the flooring.

Wind noticed Little Mac pulling on his father's costume. He emulated another roar from the foals that like the cry of a kitten.

Bright gaped at his son and then to the crowd. His lips pursed and a heavy dose of sweat became evident on his face. Even so, Bright shut his eyes and took a breath.

"Don't tell me," Wind groaned. "Are you really going to do it?"

With a blush redder than the freshest apples from Apple Acres, Bright Mac let out a quivering roar alongside his son. Wind and the audience sat astonished by this development.

Wind's body cringed at the nonsensical theatrics that he became witness to. It was an execution he wouldn't wish upon those he hated most. However, his mind did not wane long on this when a piercing laugh rang in his ear.

His eyes searched the crowd, and he found Loving Bud hurling in a fit of laughter on her blanket. The mare held her belly and rolled about. Her friends and family gawked at her, but like a domino effect, they and the rest of the crowd became infected with her laughter.

"Nonsense, all of it," Wind commented and then leaned back on the bleachers. Of course, that mare would find joy in something so irrelevant. And now she's set his own daughter down to that bar.

"Oh Wind," Wind Rider perked at a nearby voice. "You won't have much enjoyment being a spoilsport." Loving Hope revealed herself coming down the steps of the bleachers to meet Wind.

Wind scooted an inch from Hope when she sat next to him. "I didn't come here to play silly games."

"Come now," Hope said. "Everypony needs a chance to loosen themselves every now and then. I'm sure Lazuli would really like that."

Wind eyed at the mare. "What I have with my daughter is for us to dispute. I don't need any advice from a happy-go-lucky mare."

"But restraints are such a bore. It's moments like this when we can all appreciate being alive."

"You and I clearly have different standards. I'll have you know that it was due to my restraints that made me the pinnacle of what it means to be a wonderbolt."

"Forget prestige for a moment." Hope patted on Wind's back. Wind grunted and caressed his back from the monstrous strength this mare continuously forgets. "All that should concern you is Lazuli. She's been doing great for herself in this city."

"And how do we not know she's just being strung along by a mare," Wind argued. "She had a great future set for her as a wonderbolt, and yet she decided to throw it away for a coaching job. It baffles me how she could do that."

"This is about her inheriting the mustang record, right?"

"That is my greatest success as a wonderbolt. Before I found the drive to become the ace I am today, I let so many things get in the way of my growth. It was only when I cast them away when I finally delved into my true potential. And look where it has led me." Wind Rider pulled his aviator jacket to display his wonderbolt emblem before Hope.

However, Hope kept her sight on Wind. "It led you to Lapis."

Wind raised a brow at Hope. He then sighed and leaned back on the bleacher. "It disturbs me how alike you are to my wife. She was an investigative nut as well."

"You know, maybe you're just not seeing this from the right perspective. Maybe you try looking at things from Lazuli's eyes rather than yours."

"Didn't I tell you that it wasn't any of your business?"

"Oh I know," Hope said. "I'm just shooting ideas from my head. You're welcome to take them if you like."

"Hmph." Wind averted his gaze back to the field where he found his daughter. Her jolly laugh with Bud and the foals vexed him with a feeling. A sensation that used to shower him constant euphoria; when everything was still whole long ago.