Trumpets sounded loudly from the arena stage entrances. As the fanfare progressed, pegasi in leather brown jackets began to fly in to the arena. They came in groups – some from above, others through the hole at center stage. A few more came rocketing from the tunnels, with a final group blazing overhead before entering as well. As each pegasi flew in, they carried with them a piece of cloud. Each one proceeded to pack their piece in with the rest before flying over to the others. As each piece of cloud was added, a walkway was beginning to take shape, leading to the dead center of the arena.
“Wow, they can really fly!” Soarin’ remarked as the last of the pegasi flew in.
“They seem pretty slow to me,” Blaze sighed with a roll of his eyes.
“Sarcasm?” Soarin’ questioned, turning his attention to Blaze.
“Uh, no,” Blaze said, “I’m the fastest pony alive.”
It was Soarin’s turn to roll his eyes. “Whatever you say Blaze.”
The trumpets ended their piece as a new figure emerged from the tunnel and walked out to center stage. Over top his purple fur was a jacket, beaming with badges. A pegasi flew over a microphone to center stage.
“Welcome to the academy for the Protective Pony Platoons for Pegasi!” he shouted into the microphone. “I am Commander Easyglider, and I will be leading most of you in your drills throughout this summer.” His voice was extremely rugged and bitter.
“Wow, a purple pegasi for a drill instructor? That’s rich!” Blaze laughed. “I don’t think I’ll be able to take him seriously!”
“I would personally like to welcome you, ALL of you, to the academy,” he said, putting a weighted emphasis on the words “all of you”, and cocking his head straight left.
“What the heck was that?” Soarin’ asked.
“Soarin’, look over there!” Blaze exclaimed, throwing out his hoof in front of Soarin’s face. Soarin’ turned his attention to where Blaze was pointing. It was hard to pick them out from a distance at first, but Soarin’ noticed two griffons sitting next to each other. As if they weren’t noticeable enough, no one sat near them. The crowd formed a neat ring around them, more than several seats away, avoiding them like the plague.
"That's odd," noted Soarin'.
“Without further ado,” Commander Easyglider continued, “everyone stand in salute to General Flash!” Everyone in the Cloudiseum got to their hooves as another figure walked slowly out to center stage.
Soarin’ studied him from a distance. A lightning bolt inside a shield stood out on his flank in comparison to his dark brown fur. His black mane was hinted with a touch of gray, giving a slight indication at his age. No one made a sound as they quietly returned to their seats. He stood at the microphone, gazing at the crowd, seeming to command everyone’s attention.
“Welcome,” he said, with a gruff voice. “I am General Flash, president of this academy. You will be seeing a lot of Commander Easyglider and me throughout your stay. In addition to being Commander, Easyglider is also my Lieutenant, second in command, and your drill sergeant,” Flash explained. “Let me briefly explain what your life will be like here,” Flash continued. “You will struggle. It will be difficult. Most of you will drop out. Even more of you will simply fail. If you are lucky, you will make it onto the reserve list. But a few of you,” he said, after pausing for a few seconds, “will earn the right to wear one of these brown leather jackets, like these fine pegasi over here.” An uncomfortable silence plagued the Cloudiseum as Flash took a pause in his speech. “Only the best will survive here,” he stated, almost with a warning tone. With that, he left his spot at center stage, and walked out of the arena. Commander Easyglider followed right behind him, holding his head high.
The pegasi who put out the microphone came forward and took center stage. “You have the rest of the day to yourself,” he said in a much more peaceful tone. “Take time to accommodate yourselves, explore the academy, eat, and rest up. Further instructions for tomorrow will be posted tonight in your dorm’s dining hall.”
“That was depressing,” Soarin’ stated flatly, as everyone began to get up and leave.
“Yeah, no kidding,” said Blaze. Even he seemed a taken aback.
The two got up and headed down the glassy stairs. The sun beat down as they exited the Cloudiseum. They were both lost in their own thoughts as they walked side by side down the cloud walkway. Soarin’s mind wandered back to his dorm room and roommate situation. Realizing that he and Blaze were simply walking in silence, Soarin’ decided to break the quiet atmosphere.
“Well I don’t know about you, but I have to head back and unpack. I was running behind earlier,” Soarin’ stated, half expecting Blaze to take off.
“What hall are you in?” Blaze questioned, snapping out of his quiet haze.
“Willow Hall,” Soarin’ replied.
Blaze suddenly stopped walking. “No way! Me too,” he laughed. “I guess we can keep going the same way.” The two traveled in silence for a little while longer before Blaze spoke up again. “Mind if I just come chill in your dorm room for a while? I haven’t unpacked either, but all I have is a single suitcase,” he said noncommittally. “I can take care of that later tonight.”
Soarin’s mind thought back to earlier today. “Willow Hall…single suitcase…hasn’t unpacked…” he thought to himself, putting pieces of the puzzle together. “Oh Celestia, is Blaze my roommate?”
Soarin’ stopped walking. Blaze turned around and gave him a confused look. “Blaze, I think we’re roommates,” Soarin’ said. Blaze responded with a laugh.
“I wish,” he stated flatly. “I already met my roommate. I’m probably just further down the hall.”
“Hmmm….” Soarin’ pondered. “I wonder who my roommate is.”
“You comin’ or what?” Blaze asked, smirking. Soarin’ realized he had been sitting there on his haunches in thought.
“Calm your pinfeathers,” Soarin’ smiled, getting back on his hooves. “Even if I don’t know my roommate, at least I have Blaze,” Soarin’ thought to himself. “I guess he’s not that bad.”
The two continued to Willow Hall, talking about the introductory ceremony. Their laughter filled the corridor as they neared their wing of Willow Hall. Soarin’ stopped them in front of room 260.
“Home sweet home.” he said lowly, wondering if his roommate would be on the other side this time.
“You’re pretty close to me. I’m in 269,” said Blaze, glancing down the hallway as Soarin’ opened the door. The two walked into an empty room. The suitcase was still in the same place, unopened and unpacked. “Looks like it’s just us,” Blaze stated.
“I still have no idea who my roommate is,” Soarin’ replied as he flapped up to his bunk. He grabbed the suitcases and tossed them down to Blaze.
“Well he can’t hide from you forever,” Blaze said with a laugh. “I bet he’ll come knocking on the door any minute now!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Well that was a rather….interesting ceremony,” Aerial stated slowly as her and Spitfire exited from the Cloudiseum.
“I know,” Spitfire replied. “It seemed more like a warning than a warm welcome.”
Aerial jumped into the air, perfectly catching a breeze beneath her outstretched wings. “So what’re you going to do with that satchel?”
Aerial asked as she floated alongside Spitfire.
“Well I should probably find its owner,” said Spitfire as she examined the cutie mark stitched into the bag. “I shouldn’t look inside, but there will probably be some indication in there,” she continued, sitting down on a fluffy cloud bench.
“You could just walk around looking at every pony’s butt,” said Aerial with a giggle, as she landed in front of Spitfire. Aerial snatched the satchel from Spitfire’s hooves playfully and took out a paper from inside. “Lucky for you, it’s a stallion. Looks like you’ll need to find the ass belonging to one Mr. Soarin’,” she said with a big grin on her face.
“Hey, gimme that!” Spitfire exclaimed, snatching the paper back with a slight blush on her face. “Hmm…” she drawled out. “It looks like he’s on the other side of Willow Hall! I think I’ll stop there on the way back.”
“Alright, I’m going to go check out the practice field.”
“Meet back at the room in half an hour?”
“Deal,” Aerial said, catching another breeze and drifting away.
Spitfire got up from her cloud bench and walked into Willow Hall. She noticed the same light green stallion was working the front desk. “What can I do for you?” he asked sleepily, slowly rolling his eyes up to greet Spitfire’s.
“I need to know what room…Soarin’ is staying in,” she said, pulling out the paper as a double check.
“Oh, yeah!” he replied. “I remember that guy. He was running late and said he didn’t have his papers. I’ll take that and file it for him. Soarin’ is in room 260 of the west wing,” he said, taking the papers from Spitfire.
“Thanks!” Spitfire replied happily, starting off down the hallway. She slowly counted as the numbers grew to room 260. Locating it, she sat down in front of the door with a pause. “Let’s get this over with,” she thought, letting out a loud sigh.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“I’m just saying, I seriously am the fastest.”
“There’s no way you’re the fastest pony here Blaze.”
“No, I’m the fastest. Period.”
“Whatever,” Soarin’ said with a wave of the hoof. “You know there’s a lot more to flying than just being fast.”
“Said someone who’s not the fastest,” shot back Blaze with a chuckle.
“Whatever featherhead,” Soarin’ laughed, as he whipped a pillow up at Blaze, who was lying on Soarin’s bunk with his eyes closed. “We’ll see how well you do against me in the drills tomorrow!”
“You?” Blaze laughed hysterically. “You’ll probably hit your face on the ground during a wing-up and give yourself another black eye!” Blaze continued, half hanging over the edge of the bunk. Soarin’ was about to throw another pillow at him, when a knock at the door interrupted him mid-swing. Both ponies looked at each other, then back to the door. The knock came again.
“I told ya’ your roommate would be here soon! Better go get that, dude,” whispered Blaze.
Soarin’ tentatively walked towards the door. “Why would my roommate need to knock?” he thought, reaching for the doorknob.
Throwing it opened, he was greeted with a mare sitting on her haunches. Emerald eyes met amber as the two stared, neither knowing what to say. Spitfire’s glowing golden fur reflected in Soarin’s eyes as he traced Spitfire’s physique. He noticed her tail swaying slightly from side to side, showing off a golden streak in her orange hair. A satchel lay over her back, resting next to the firebird on her flank. He shifted his gaze back up to meet hers, but didn’t find them. Spitfire’s eyes had also wandered, slowly making their way up Soarin’s muscular back. She could see the definition in his well-trained wings. They were neatly tucked at his side, ruffling slightly as she traced her way up. Her gaze gradually ascended back up his navy blue mane. Spitfire noticed that he was staring blankly back into her eyes. Her eyes were nearing the end of their journey, gently making their way back to meet his emerald stare...
“What happened to your eye?!” Spitfire blurted out suddenly. She hadn’t realized how awkwardly quiet it had gotten. “Way to go Spits,” she inwardly hissed, mentally chiding herself. Soarin’ shied away a little bit, his face turning a light crimson color. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Spitfire began, before being cut off by a riotous laughter coming from somewhere in the background. Spitfire had been completely oblivious to the pony half-hanging over the bunk. He had been watching the whole scene, apparently amused.
Blaze was laughing so hard that he fell off his bunk. “Uhh…ignore him,” Soarin’ began with a cough. “Can I help you?” he said, hoping his forced smile would hide his growing blush.
“I…I found your satchel after you dropped it,” Spitfire replied shakily, removing the satchel from over her neck. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting so nervous?” she thought, fumbling with the satchel.
“Oh! Thank you,” Soarin’ squeaked. His voice seemed to jump an entire octave. He mentally punched himself for the embarrassing voice crack. “Did that really just happen? You sound like a freakin’ filly!”
Blaze began laughing uncontrollably as Spitfire handed the satchel to Soarin’. Blaze composed himself slightly, and bolted over to Soarin’s side. “Soarin’ watch out! It might attack again!” he exclaimed throwing one hoof around his back, and the other pointed accusingly at the nearby doorknob. He couldn’t keep up the dramatic act. Blaze fell to the floor in laughter, rolling from side to side. Spitfire stifled a small giggle as she watched the theatrics. If Soarin’s face wasn’t noticeable before, it was now, sporting a deep shade of red. Blaze got to his feet, and began flying back to his perch on Soarin’s bunk. “So classic,” he muttered between laughs, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Soarin’ stole a glance at Spitfire, whose face displayed a mix of confusion and amusement. “I uh, kinda slipped face first into a doorknob this morning,” Soarin’ muttered quietly, turning his head away again in embarrassment. Spitfire lifted a hoof to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her giggling.
“So Soarin’, is that your roommate?” Spitfire said, trying to shift the things away from the stallion’s obvious embarrassment.
“Thank Celestia no,” he said with a roll of the eyes, relaxing a bit. "That's Blaze. I met him at the Cloudiseum."
“Making friends already,” Spitfire smiled, raising an eyebrow.
“I like to think of him as more of a parasite.”
Spitfire gave an unnecessarily loud girlish laugh at the joke, feeling her face heat up. “Are you blushing?! What’s wrong with you?”
“I never caught your name,” said Soarin’. He thought he could see a slight pink tint on her cheeks as he extended a hoof.
“S-Spitfire,” she stuttered quickly, shaking his hoof.
“Well Spitfire, thank you for returning my satchel,” said Soarin’ with a small grin.
“No problem! I’ll catch you later!” Spitfire got up and briskly walked away. It turned into a trot as she neared her side of Willow Hall. Spitfire was still trying to control her blush, more than happy to be out of there. She came to halt in front of her door. She threw herself into her dorm room, panting as she leaned against the inside of the door on her hind legs.
“You look like you saw a ghost Spits!” said Aerial from her desk. “I take it the satchel exchange didn’t go well?”
“It was amazing,” Spitfire instantly thought. She shook her head, quickly clearing the thought. She forced herself to calm down, and slowly walked over to Aerial. “It was fine,” she said coolly. “I’m going to take a quick nap,” she said, flying up to her bunk.
Spitfire swiftly buried herself in her sheets, throwing them over her head. Her head was swimming with thoughts of the pale blue stallion. “What the hell just happened?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“What the hell just happened?” thought Soarin’, as Spitfire turned and bolted down the hallway. “That was really weird,” he thought aloud.
“More like hysterical!” Blaze chirped in from behind him.
“You’re such an ass!” Soarin’ said with a smirk, whipping his satchel at him.
“You’re the one that made an ass of yourself!”
“Shut up! It’s not easy when you embarrass me like that!”
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Blaze said floating down off the bed. Soarin’ shot him a confused look. “Dude,” Blaze said with a roll of the eyes, “she was really hot! You should have asked her to dinner or something.”
“Are you kidding me? You saw how fast she left,” said Soarin’, slightly dejectedly.
“Well at least you have me!” Blaze said, grinning.
“Oh yeah, perfect.”
“Come on, don’t you want to get to know me over dinner?” Blaze said slyly, draping a wing across Soarin’s back.
“Celestia, you’re terrible,” said Soarin’, shoving Blaze’s wing off him. “Let’s go eat before I kick your flank!”
“Like you could!” laughed Blaze, flying over top of Soarin’ to the door.
“Hey, I was already in a fight, remember?” Soarin’ chuckled, pointing to his black eye. “I’m one tough stallion!” he said, closing the door behind him.
“You’re a freakin’ marshmallow!” Blaze laughed back, punching Soarin’ on the shoulder.
“Oh excuse me for not being so brash, “Mr. Fastest Pegasi Ever”,” Soarin’ said with his best impersonation of Blaze.
The two continued to playfully joke at each other’s expense as they walked down the hall to the cafeteria. Despite what Soarin’ had previously thought, he was quietly enjoying Blaze’s company. The prospect of having to handle camp life alone suddenly seemed daunting to him. With Blaze he had someone to laugh with; someone to keep relaxed in this new experience.
The two wandered into the large mess hall, taken aback at the quality. Soarin’ had quietly expected a dirty, old cafeteria that served some nasty mush. The place was actually rather open, complete with a glass roof. Two wooden sets of stairs on the outside of the eatery ran up the walls to a second floor patio that overlooked the rest of the cafeteria. The dinner line stretched up to serving stations, complete with hanging fruit baskets. Ivy vines covered the walls of the hall, complementing the flower pots dotted around the cafeteria. Soarin’ and Blaze snaked their way up to the end of the line.
“Customizable sandwiches and hayfries? Hay yeah!” said Blaze excitedly, giving a hoof pump into the air. “This place rocks!”
“Everything smells so good!” said Soarin’, with an audible grumble from his empty stomach.
Soarin’s eyes grew wide as he saw the array of options for his sandwich. By the time he had placed and received his order, his mouth was watering. He carefully balanced the tray on his wing and made his way to a table in the back. Blaze quickly joined him, barely able to contain himself from slamming his face into the food.
“I don’t even care if I get fat!” he exclaimed, pulling up for a breath of air between bites.
“This is better than anything back home!” said Soarin’ through a mouthful of food. He chewed thoughtfully and swallowed his large bite. “You never told me where you’re from.”
“So you do want to get to know me?” Blaze said, giving Soarin’ a sneaky smile. Soarin’ smacked his hoof on his forehead, cursing his curiosity. “I’m from a town called Windsoar,” said Blaze, turning back to his food. “It’s a pretty small place that doesn’t have much. It’s nothing like this. Cloudsdale is right next to here, and it’s huge! I’ve never really been to a big city like this.”
Soarin’ noticed his shift in demeanor. “This is actually a big deal to him,” Soarin’ thought between chews. “He probably needed someone like me…” “Well it looks like you’ll have to suffer through it with me!” Soarin’ finally replied. Blaze didn’t say anything, but a noticeable smile grew across his face as he went back to his food.
The two ate in silence for a while. Soarin’ was deep in thought when Blaze started shaking him excitedly. “Look over at the line!” Blaze exclaimed. He could feel the heat rising to his face as he glanced over. “Alright, second chance! You can ask her to sit with us!”
“No way Blaze! She’ll probably just be creeped out.”
“Come on Soarin’! Grow some stones!” Soarin’ was glaring daggers at him. “If you don’t say something to her, I will for you,” Blaze threatened.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“You better make up your mind quick, she’s headed this way!”
Soarin’ began to panic. “Blaze, come on! I don’t like her or anything, just leave it be!”
“I saw you earlier! If you don’t say something I will, and it won’t be pretty.”
Spitfire was a couple tables away, focused on the tray on her outstretched wings. She was almost at the table when Blaze opened his mouth. “Hey Spi-“ was all he managed to get out before Soarin’ stomped his hoof on top of Blaze’s.
Unfortunately for Soarin’, Spitfire had directed her eyes up at him. “Hey Spitfire!” he began nervously. “I was…umm you know…wondering if you wanted to….I mean if you don’t it’s fine…” Soarin’ sputtered.
“Wanna sit with us?” Blaze chirped from behind Soarin’.
“Sure!” Spitfire said happily. “Mind if my roommate joins us?”
“More the merrier,” Blaze said, winking at her.
As Spitfire went back to find her roommate, Blaze jabbed Soarin’ in the side. “What the hell man! That killed my hoof!”
“You deserved it!” Soarin’ hissed quietly. “Why’d you interrupt me?
“Because you’re a nervous train wreck!” whispered Blaze.
The two were quietly whispering jeers at each other as Aerial and Spitfire approached the table. Noticing, they instantly stopped, sitting up straight with large smiles, trying to appear well behaved.
“Hey guys! This is my roommate Aerial!”
“You suck!” hissed Blaze to Soarin’, through his clenched smile.
“Please to meet you both,” Aerial said, sitting down across from Blaze. Spitfire followed suit, sitting across from Soarin’.
“I’m going to kill you later,” Soarin’ hissed back, kicking him again.
Blaze gave an audible grunt. “What was that?” asked Spitfire.
“Nothing!” Soarin’ said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Aerial. I’m Soarin’.”
“And you are?” Aerial questioned, glancing at Blaze.
“That’s Bl-“ Soarin’ began to say, before grimacing in pain. Blaze had thrust his elbow into Soarin’s side.
“I’m Blaze!” he said happily. “So you two live in Willow as well?”
“Yeah…” Spitfire said slowly, observing Soarin’, who was doing his best to not show any pain. “Did you guys looks at the schedule for tomorrow?”
Blaze was reeling for another quick jab, but was interrupted as Soarin’s hoof grabbed his, stopping it in its tracks. “Nope! Why?” Soarin’ replied, as if nothing was happening under the table.
“Are you two alright?” Aerial asked.
“Uh yup, fine,” said Blaze. Both sat up straight again with large smiles.
“Truce?” Soarin’ whispered, as Aerial and Spitfire began eating.
“Screw you.”
“Come on.”
“Fine,” Blaze hissed, giving in to the stalemate.
“What are you two whispering about?” Aerial questioned with a smirk.
“Whispering? What whispering?” Soarin’ said nervously, his eyes quickly darting from left to right.
“Anyways,” Aerial continued, “The schedule for tomorrow is up on the wall.”
“We should take a look at that,” said Blaze.
“No need,” Aerial interrupted. “Since we’re all in Willow, we’ll be in the same line of drills all summer,” she stated knowledgeably. “Wake up is at six A.M., with drills starting at the fields behind this hall at seven.”
“Damn, that’s way too early,” said Blaze with a sigh.
“Hey, what happened to your eye Soarin’?” asked Aerial out of the blue.
Soarin’ responded by dropping his forehead down against the table with a loud groan. Blaze burst out laughing. “Captain Klutz over here hates doorknobs!” Aerial shot him a confused look. Soarin’ groaned again. “No, let me tell it this time!” said Blaze excitedly.
Soarin’ and Blaze began telling the story, with Aerial laughing along the way. No one noticed Spitfire, seemingly lost in her food. Taking opportunities as they came, she kept stealing glances at the stallion across from her. “He sure is muscular…” she mindlessly drawled. Spitfire didn’t notice she was staring at Soarin’ until he turned and caught her looking at him. “Oh crap,” she thought, instantly averting her eyes back to her food.
Soarin’ looked back down at his plate, caught off guard by the act. “Was she staring at me?” Blaze and Aerial continued talking, unaware of the tension right next to them. Spitfire and Soarin’ awkwardly kept trying to steal glances at each other, each attempting conceal their subtle blushes.
Soarin’s ears tuned into the conversation next to him. “Well, I’m done eating,” said Blaze, rubbing his belly.
“Me too!” said Aerial tiredly. “Are you ready to head back Spits?”
“Oh, uh yeah,” Spitfire said, forcing a smile to her face. “See you boys tomorrow!” she parted, getting up from her seat. Her gaze seemed to linger on Soarin’s eyes as she got up and walked away.
“See you then,” said Soarin’ quietly, barely audible.
“You really like her, don’t you!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Whatever you say hombre,” said Blaze with a laugh, getting out of his seat. “I’m going to head back to my dorm room. I’ll catch ya’ during drills.”
“Later,” Soarin’ replied. He decided to sit there for a bit, lost in thought. “Did she really keep glancing at me, or am I imagining things?” he thought, looking up at the glassy ceiling. The sky was clear, dotted with bright little stars, shining in the distance. Soarin’ thought the night looked very picturesque from this altitude. Deciding that he should get to bed, he got up and deposited his tray. Soarin’ was so lost in thought that he didn’t even think twice to when he opened the door to his room. He mindlessly walked in, halting in his tracks when he heard a noise in the dark. A mysterious figure hopped down from the bunk on the right as Soarin’ flicked on the lights.
Light gave definition to the shadowy character’s features. He was taller than Soarin’, looking down at him. His wings were large and showy, with bright yellow highlights on the tips of his dark brown wings. His wings matched his fur, with a thick, dark brown coat. Sticking out from his behind was a long, thin tail, with a white to yellow transitional fluff at the end of it. The yellow fur from his neck up sharply accented against his dark brown coat. Blue spots were dotted in pattern under his sharp, golden beak. He sat on his hind legs, with a gray talon stretched out in greeting. Light blue eyes stared sharply at Soarin’.
“Hi. I’m your roommate Gale, Gale the Griffon.”