Like clockwork, a bugle began to blare at six in the morning. Scootaloo’s heavy eyelids slowly opened and she tried to cover her ears with her pillow. It was no use though; the sound was still loud and clear, and she knew that she needed to get up.
“Ugh, I hate waking up early,” Scootaloo moaned while climbing out of bed.
“Come on, it’s not that bad,” Blue Yonder said, as she picked up her book.
“How can you read at a time like this?” Scootaloo asked, rubbing her eyes.
“They called ‘lights out’ in the middle of an exciting climax last night,” Blue Yonder explained. “I just got to know how it ends.”
“Suit yourself,” Scootaloo yawned as she grabbed her towel. “I’m going to go take a shower.”
The shower helped wake Scootaloo up and she had a lot more energy and desire to face the day. Yet she still felt a little groggy and had a hard time processing things in her mind. It didn’t help that Blue Yonder was talking on and on about the book she had just completed while they were heading for the Mess Hall.
“I totally didn’t see that coming!” Blue Yonder said. “This changes everything! That’s what I love about this series; it always keeps you on the edge of your hooves, but it’s smart about it. I can’t wait for the resolution to come out in the next book! Too bad it won’t come out till next year.”
“Look,” Scootaloo interjected. “I enjoy reading as much as the next pony; but right now, I’m not in the mood. Can we just eat in peace for once today?”
“Oh, sure,” Blue Yonder said, feeling a little dejected.
They got their food and quietly made their way to one of the tables. Unfortunately, the “peace” that Scootaloo wanted didn’t last long as they were soon joined by Silverwings. He was actually a bit chipper this morning.
“You guys aren’t going to believe what we found in a secret compartment in the wardrobe cabinets last night,” he said after setting his food down.
Without missing a beat, Blue Yonder spoke, “A portal to a fantasy land with talking critters under the tyrannical rule of some ‘Ice Queen’ and you joined a resistance to fight her alongside an all-powerful lion creature and defeated her, then you became king for many years, found your way back to the wardrobe, went through it and found yourself back here and no time had passed whatsoever?”
Both Scootaloo and Silverwings stared agape at Blue Yonder’s sudden outburst. However, Blue Yonder was unashamed and waiting for a response.
“No, but that would be awesome,” Silverwings finally said. “Actually we found some items stashed away by previous cadets. While we were preparing for the inspection, we found that there was a piece of wood on top of the cabinet that you can remove. Underneath it is a compartment where some of the wires for the lights run up. Inside, we found items like pictures, love letters, a toy golf club set and even a hacky-sack.”
“Cool,” Blue Yonder said. “But tell me, did this discovery keep you from cleaning up your room?”
“No!” Silverwings said a little too quickly. “Okay, maybe a little. Yeah, we didn’t do so well on the inspection.”
“That’s what I thought,” Blue Yonder said while taking a drink of her juice.
They all returned to silently eating their food when suddenly, Silverwings’ ears perked up. He looked around the Mess Hall as if expecting to be jumped by something at any moment.
“Oh no,” Silverwings moaned. “Here comes Hot Shot.”
“Why don’t you just stand up to him?” Blue Yonder suggested.
“Yeah,” Scootaloo agreed. “You don’t have to let him drag you around everywhere.”
“I’ve tried,” Silverwings said. “He just won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
“He can’t force you to do something that you’re not willing to do,” Blue Yonder pointed out.
“I know,” Silverwings sighed. “But technically what he drags me to do does help us in training. I better go see what he wants to do today.”
With that, Silverwings got up from the table and trotted over to where Hot Shot was. Scootaloo and Blue Yonder resumed eating.
“What are we going to do today?” Blue Yonder wondered.
“I think Rainbow Dash said something about an obstacle course on the third day,” Scootaloo said. “It doesn’t sound too hard.”
***
Scootaloo felt like she was being shoved backwards by a freight train. She managed the hoops and cloud dodging just fine at the beginning of the Wonderbolt’s famous obstacle course—especially since they were like all of the other hoops and obstacles she had encountered thus far at the academy. Now Blue Yonder led them into the storm cloud where winds blew on them from every angle except from behind.
“Come on!” Blue Yonder yelled when she noticed her wingpony was falling behind. “You can do it!”
“I’M TRYING!” Scootaloo shouted back.
The course was designed to test their precision flying under extreme conditions. Scootaloo felt that this course certainly focused on the “extreme” part of that a little too much. It took all of her energy and focus just to stay on course. Scootaloo had never really flown through bad weather before—Rainbow Dash had always made sure that it was a good day when she spent time with Scootaloo in her flight training. Flight Camp and Flight School had also never tested her in extreme weather conditions either.
Finally they exited the storm cloud and Scootaloo could see daylight again. She could also see the end of the course. Both she and Blue Yonder picked up speed and reached the finish line. It was a good thing that it wasn’t a race, because they were one of the last companionships to finish.
“Well, that wasn’t so bad,” Blue Yonder said a little winded.
However, that was nothing to the heavy breathing that Scootaloo was doing. She was trembling on her legs and desperately gasping for air like there was no tomorrow.
“Speak….for……yourself,” Scootaloo muttered between breaths before she collapsed on the ground.
Blue Yonder moved forward, but Major Soarin told her to get back along with everypony else. He then looked her over and checked her vital signs. Soarin wasn’t a doctor, but he was certified in first aid and knew what he was looking for. Finally, Soarin helped Scootaloo up and moved her to a nearby bench.
“Just sit here for a few minutes,” Soarin said, setting her down.
“Are you okay?” Blue Yonder asked.
“I feel like I’m going to die!” Scootaloo stated between shallow breaths.
“You’re not going to die,” Soarin reassured her. “Do you have a history with asthma?”
“No,” Scootaloo answered.
“Then you’re going to be fine,” Soarin concluded. “Drink some water. If you start breathing normally in a few moments then you won’t even have to see the doctor in the infirmary. Don’t worry, this kind of thing happens all the time. Flying through extreme weather conditions isn’t something we normally do, even in the Wonderbolts.”
That said, Soarin left her side and returned to the other cadets and wrote something down on his clipboard. Only then did Blue Yonder approach her companion again.
“How are you feeling now?” She asked.
“Better, I guess,” Scootaloo replied after taking a drink from the canteen at the bench. “Though, it can’t be worse than you getting stuck in your uniform.”
“WHAT!” Blue Yonder exclaimed. “Yes it is!”
“Come on,” Scootaloo teased. “We have pictures to prove it.”
“Well there’s a video showing you gasping for breath!” Blue Yonder retorted, her face growing a little red.
“Lets see, losing all breath after traveling through a hurricane or getting your head stuck in your shirt?” Scootaloo said putting her hooves up and weighing the matter. “No, I still think yours is more embarrassing.”
“You’re the evil one!” Blue Yonder huffed.
“I know I am,” Scootaloo replied smugly.
Soon, they both started laughing. It had been a long day. It wasn’t quite over yet, but they were content living in the moment.