A year... it's been a year since I graduated high school and went on the road with Soarin and Rainbow Dash to the Wonderbolt academy, it was all accelerated.
The accepted application, the Wonderbolt training camp, all the new friends I made, all the special parties we did as a big committee, the difficulties we encountered (especially Spitfire and its legendary scream that I learned to differentiate according to his mood).
Finally, the medal ceremony and our qualification as official Wonderbolts, me, Soarin and Rainbow Dash, the first steps as such, the first shows in front of admiring crowds, the beginning of our celebrity, even a personal fanclub.
No really, between that and the fact that I was accompanied by my best friend but also my boyfriend made me the happiest and most fulfilled stallion during this year. I didn't think so at first, but beyond pleasing my brother and making him proud, I found a personal satisfaction that I hadn't even imagined. There was something incredible about being a Wonderbolt.
And yes...
I did say "was".
For the past week I had been having a harder time than I expected to keep up with the training sessions that had become daily routine and to which I had become accustomed. Of course, they were not without their difficulties, especially considering the high expectations of Spitfire for the new generation that we represent, but by dint of losing a few feathers at the beginning, we quickly notice the more than satisfactory results.
Except that I've been dragging myself for a week now and I don't know why, every time I fly too long or too fast, my wings give me little bumps inside and prevent me from doing more than half the ground now. I quickly listened to everyone's opinion on the subject and everyone was unanimous: go see a doctor.
That's what I did when I had the time to do it, that is to say at the weekend, having to sacrifice a little time that I only spent on Rumble, hardly seeing him the rest of the week. Originally, I was supposed to have a dormitory at the Wonderbolt Academy as an official member, but because of the loss of our parents almost a year ago, I had to force my way through Spitfire to be able to live in Cloudstale, which also forced me to get up earlier than the others who were there to arrive on time. And the return trip only added more frustration to my flight problem.
In spite of everything else, I had to take care of Rumble alone now, in addition to having this problem with the wings now. And since bad news never comes alone... I went to the academy the next day to tell my friends and my captain. Armed with medical papers and the support of my close friends Wonderbolts and my boyfriend, I knocked on the door of his office.
I had forgotten on the way in, but Light, a good friend from high school and also Rainbow Dash's boyfriend, had come this morning to visit everyone. He had only been to the academy about 20 times last year, but his friendliness and outspokenness, in addition to his already established reputation as a rising star in the sport, made him a star even among the Wonderbolts.
He had been so well known since the high school talent cup that even while spanking our direct competitors at the Olympia Academy, Spitfire let him in at will, knowing that he was mostly coming to see his Dashie, as he always called him. He took the opportunity to thank Soarin and me for making arrangements for his girlfriend in case of any problems, even if it was restricted to me cooking for the three of us from time to time.
"Come in!"
But I wandered slightly in my thoughts as I received the invitation to come in, which I did by swallowing my saliva one last time.
"Hello, Captain!" Did I greet with the usual wave of my hand...
"Hello Thunderlane, rest!" She said, returning the sign. "What do you want?"
"I went to see a doctor the day before yesterday and got the results of my wing problem." I confirmed by stepping forward and putting the main document on his desk.
She began to read it aloud so that the other Pegasus behind us could hear. I didn't tell them anything, I hope they won't be too surprised by the news.
"The patient has a rare case of hypercalcemia, a deformity in the bones at the base of the wing that occurred recently, preventing the said patient from flying as he pleases and under the best of conditions..."
As she read the document without showing any apparent reaction for the moment, I could feel the looks of others behind me, empathetic to my new condition. I would be fists and lower my head as she continued.
"Because the deformity is over-developed, it is physically impossible for the patient to fly at full capacity..." she read in a low voice as she put the sheet on her visibly stunned desk, "...preventing her from continuing her wonderbolt profession." she ended with a devastated expression on her face.
Once the information had passed through everyone's mind, Spitfire wasn't the only one who was speechless. All the wonderbolts behind me and Light understood the seriousness of such a revelation and the consequences it would have on me now.
The first to lift the lack of movement was Soarin who came up to me and hugged me from behind to comfort me as best he could. I could hear him moaning and sniffing to keep his tears from coming out, but the scene was relatively quiet.
Until Rainbow Dash exploded.
"Shit, can't we fix him or something?" She let go as she walked towards the Spitfire office.
"It's a deformity Rainbow, unfortunately there's nothing we can do about it." she said in response as she left her strong, screaming mare character and dropped to her seat, truly disgusted that this would happen to one of her most popular members of the audience as well as her friend.
They were all speechless again, and Rainbow Dash, who swallowed these groans in turn, felt compelled to help me in the moment. She and Thunderlane went into another embrace, this time from the front, and the black stallion gave her back without shedding a tear. She was his long-time friend and was determined not to let him down.
God, why... why does this have to happen to me, again to me, always to me...
Everything was going so well last year, before my parents went off in that stupid accident, and now this. I'd finally enjoyed flying with the greatest aviators of this century, I'd finally found a purpose in my life. I LOVED FLYING, I REALLY LOVED IT!
How do I do it now, how am I going to feed Rumble, how are we going to get through this?
And the question I wanted an answer to now: how am I going to make him proud of me?
I slightly loosened the embrace I had with Rainbow Dash in front of me to finally express myself, my voice trembling as I swallowed my saliva again.
"I guess now... I'll just have to get out of..."
"NO !!!" They all shouted back at me in response.
I was surprised they were all in sync on this one, spanking my head up to see Rainbow Dash in front of me and Spitfire a few feet behind his desk.
"That's not some stupid deformity that's gonna get you in here!" The cyan pegasus tells me.
"Even so, you are and always will be a Wonderbolt!" Said our captain as he stood up. "We will find a solution."
"It seems to me that you do other sports than flying now, don't you?" Asked captain wonderbolt in a confident voice.
I turned around to see that Light had stepped forward and was now waiting for an answer from Spitfire. I'm not sure why, but seeing him speak so bravely because of his status left me a little admiring. He knows that he is not his own boss, so he was enjoying the opportunity.
"Well, it's true that because of the strong competition..." she said, looking at the stallion who wasn't in our camp "...we had to turn to other physical practices other than shows and wingball." she nodded.
"So Thunderlane could continue to be a wonderbolt by spanking another sport, that's perfect!" Said the cyan mare as she threw her victorious fist in the air.
"But you've got to be interested in what we've got left, Thunderlane!"
"Uh yes... in view of the situation, I don't intend to be picky." I laughed nervously, bitterly regretting my attempt at humor when I saw that Spitfire wasn't laughing at all.
"Well, everybody out except you, we've got to get this straightened out now." she said, spanking me to come and sit down.
I felt one last pressure from Soarin before he finally got out of my waist and left me. Rainbow Dash also left with an enthusiastic smile on her face, as if to tell me that all hope was not lost. I gave it back to her before she left too.
"May I stay?" Finally asked Light, who hadn't budged from her seat. "I have something to offer you," he said.
"Thunderlane, what do you think?" She asked me.
"Outside opinions are always good to take." but I responded by sitting across from her, Light sitting in the other chair.
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"I hope they find a solution, poor Thunderlane, nothing good's happening to him right now!" Says Soarin as he heads to the training ground with Rainbow Dash, worrying about his boyfriend.
"They'll figure it out, Thunderlane will find another way, and he'll come back, I can assure you." the cyan mare said to him with conviction to comfort him.
They arrived outside and began to warm up as Fleetfoot gave them their instructions for today. They started the drills without their captain and friend, not really knowing if they would be coming back with them now.
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"So, Spit, what do you think?" Asked the prodigy from Olympia Academy after explaining his idea.
After Spitfire gave Light a glare for calling him that nickname, she answered.
"Um... I'm not sure, we're a long way from what we're doing here, but considering the case we have." she said, thinking the pros and cons. "Thunderlane, it's all based on your opinion, I've never done any so no one can help you here." she warned her.
"Don't worry about it, me and the others at the academy, we'll handle it!" Returning Light.
Thunderlane was thinking, should he accept this proposal. On the one hand, Spitfire seemed ready to accept even if it meant he had to fill out a few more papers and make a few more phone calls. But on the other hand, he had never tried this discipline, let alone Rumble, would he react positively to this sudden change, or would he be afraid that his brother would start this dangerous sport?
He finally chose to listen to his friend, even though he still had some doubts.
"Light, when you say I have the ability..."
"Then you do!" He nodded, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Believe me when I tell you that at the academy I see a lot of different types of athletes, and yours reminds me of boxers!"
Boxers...
Boxing... a fighting sport in which two opponents exchange fists until the other weakens and falls down from fatigue. Of course, there are many risks involved in a fighting sport, although some of them are known to wonderbolt runners and wingballers.
But I would have the abilities... I guess with good training and determination, maybe something can be made of me, I thought as I looked at my ridiculous wrists with my thick hands in comparison.
"So Thunderlane, it's either that or pony weather for the academy." my impatient captain said.
"Okay." I said, clenching my fists and smiling at Light. "If you think I can do it, then I'll do it."
"Great, I'll get the others to create a training session especially for you based on your current abilities." he said, writing something down on his cell phone, then looking at me again. "You're gonna be a great fighter if you ask me, aren't you, Spit?"
"Stop calling me that." she says, giving a new pegasus look in pegasus. "I need that training on my desk tomorrow morning, is that clear?" She said, rising almost aggressively.
"I'll e-mail it to you this afternoon, don't worry." he said, still smiling and getting up from his chair. "Well, I'll say goodbye to the others and to Dashie, bye Spitfire, bye Thunderlane." he waved and left, preparing to return to Canterlot.
Spitfire waited a few seconds, until he could no longer hear footsteps in the hallway, to let himself fall back to his chair, expressing himself.
"I hope he's got a good grip on his neck, I don't want you to get hurt unnecessarily!" She said, still looking at the door Light had just disappeared through.
"Don't worry, Captain, I trust him." he said, getting up and preparing to leave, before stopping at the doorway. "Thank you for accepting his offer." said the wonderbolt, bending forward in gratitude.
"Yes, yes, rest and go!" She said hastily.
Thunderlane closed the office and left to tell the rest of the team the good news, even though he didn't know what to do today, while the captain was still brooding. As she put the medical paper in a drawer, an intrigued smile appeared on her face, and she joined hands before leaning into her comfortable desk chair.
"This might get interesting." she nodded.