//------------------------------// // 109. The Wonderbolts Academy - Part 1 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// A couple weeks passed since the incident with Trixie and the Alicorn Amulet. Life went on in Ponyville, and the days continued to be interesting. The Cutie-Mark Crusaders went on a camping trip with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Blueblood, who had insisted on going, partly to bond with Sweetie Belle, and partly to show off his old Ursa Scout skills (which unfortunately had become rather rusty, evident by Blueblood having a nasty encounter with poison oak). When they returned, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash had become honorary sisters and Sweetie Belle had actually warmed up to Blueblood, after entertaining the idea of having him as a future big brother. But recently, Midnight had been getting a tad reclusive, spending almost all of his free-time in his workshop, diving into his chores, and sometimes he even slept in his workshop as there had been a few nights where he had woken up screaming from his nightmares and he didn’t want to worry his family. Another thing bothering Midnight was the mysterious Hooded Pony who had used Trixie to terrorize Ponyville, but the fact that he had stopped Midnight from killing Chrysalis at that wedding back then really begged the question for Midnight – Is he friend or foe? At the park, Twinken and his friends were playing hoofball but his head wasn’t in the game, which led to a rather painful experience when Scootaloo and Apple Bloom tackled him. They took a break and Sweetie Belle got Twinken an icepack for his bump. “Just hold it to get the swelling to go down,” she instructed as Twinken telekinetically pressed the pack to his head. “Urgh, thanks…” Twinken groaned but his friends would have to be blind to miss the concern on his face. “You’re worried about your brother, huh?” Button inquired. “…He just hasn’t been the same since Trixie,” Twinken admitted. “He prefers being alone, he hardly talks to anyone, whenever he’s doing chores he’ll always say he’s too busy to talk… And I think he’s been having nightmares again.” “I wonder if Princess Luna could help him the way she helped me,” Scootaloo wondered. “She told me in my dreams that you have to face your fears or the nightmares won’t go away.” “Y’know what?” Twinken put the icepack down and looked determined, “I’m gonna look into that. I have to go see Twilight!” The Crusaders all hustled over to Golden Oak Library and knocked at the door. It opened to reveal Spike. “Hey guys, here to check out a book or two?” “Hi Spike,” Twinken replied, “Is Twilight in?” “Nuh-uh, she just left to see everyone for a picnic,” Spike answered. “Also, I think they’re expecting something in the mail.” “Well, can we come in?” “Sure,” Spike gestured them in and as they took in the library, Spike asked, “What can I do for you guys?” “Spike, I have a big fat favor I need to ask you…” Twinken said hesitantly, making Spike’s eyes widen. On the hill below Rainbow Dash’s cloud mansion, she and her friends eagerly awaited the message for her and Thunderlane, and by extension their friend Cloud Chaser. They rested upon a picnic blanket enjoying their snacks, the weather, Twilight had her nose in her books again, Rarity soaked up some rays, and Fluttershy listened to the nearby birds while Blueblood, Big Mac, Thunderlane, and midnight played touch hoofball nearby. Rainbow Dash was just being cool while Pinkie Pie couldn’t stop hopping about. “Oh, I wish the mail pony would just come already! I can’t wait another minute if Dash and Thundy got in or not! Oh, why couldn’t Soarin tell us?” “Soarin’s still a Wonderbolt, Pinkie,” Twilight reminded her. “And the decision of who joins the academy is not up to him.” “Where is Soarin anyway? You’d think he’d be here to support Rainbow Dash,” Rarity brought up. “He said he got called for some Wonderbolt business,” Rainbow shrugged, “Said it was kinda hush-hush.” “Pony-pile!” They looked to see the guys piled up on each other, laughing as they fought over the ball, Pinkie yelling, “How can you play hoofball at a time like this?!” “Pinkie, relax,” Midnight scoffed as he and his buds got untangled from each other, “You’re more nervous than Dash and Lane!” “We are so not nervous, eh Dash?” Thunderlane shook his mane confidently. “So not,” Dash agreed, her nose up in the air. “When we get into the Wonderbolts Academy-” “If you get in, if you get in” Pinkie corrected, getting all up in Rainbow’s face. “Don’t jinx it…” “I’m telling you, it’s in the bag!” Rainbow assured. But again Pinkie (with a rather disturbing look on her face) echoed, “Don’t jinx it!” She was yanked away from Rainbow Dash to Midnight, who said with a flat look, “Pinkie, do you want to lose your mouth again?” Pinkie gasped and covered her precious mouth, not wanting to go through that again. “They are the best fliers in Ponyville,” Applejack cut in. “Don’t you mean, I’m the best? And Ponyville?” Rainbow Dash scoffed, as she zipped around a nearby cloud, fashioning into a slide, and went for a quick ride. “I’m probably the best flyer in all of Equestria!” Then a dark gray blur cut through the cloud, sending Rainbow for a loop, and it revealed itself to be Thunderlane. “If by the ‘best flyer’ you mean the biggest blowhard, then yes, Dash, you probably are. I’ll admit you might have me licked in speed, but endurance and control often matter more.” “Hmph! Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made me a Wonderbolt on the first day,” Rainbow tooted her horn as she glided lazily on her back, and bumped into something. Looking up, she was met with the face of a mail pony, “Got some mail here for Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane.” Rainbow grabbed them, quickly giving Thunderlane his, and ripped the envelope open, Thunderlane following suit. Thunderlane’s eyes brightened at what he read but then he heard a defeated Rainbow say, “I… didn’t get in…” Everypony gasped to hear that, Thunderlane going, “What?! Gimme that!” He looked at her letter and then smirked at her, “You big faker, you did too get in!” “Thanks for ruining the joke, Thundy!” Rainbow snapped, snatching her letter back while everypony else gave her a humored look. “But come on! Like I wasn’t gonna get in.” She found herself in a rolling tackled hug by Pinkie, squeezing her as she said, “I’m just sooooo happy for you!” “Uh, thanks?” Rainbow Dash strained. "Uh, Pinks? We kinda need to get going,” chuckled a worried Thunderlane. Pinkie gave one more lung-crushing squeeze, making Rainbow gasp for breath when she let go. “Okay I’m done.” “Sooner we get there…” Rainbow said to her co-captain who nodded and agreed, “Soon we get to show `em our skills!” The two weather captains blurred into their saddlebags held up by their friends, Thunderlane saying, “See you guys in a week!” “I’d wish you luck…” Midnight said with a sneaky tone. “But we won’t need it!” agreed Rainbow before she and Thunderlane took flight. As they watched their friends fly off, they heard some kind of feedback ahead of them and looked to see Pinkie with an oddly large megaphone. “DON’T FORGET TO WRITE-WRITE-WRITE-WRITE-WRITE!!!” As they all groaned and rubbed their aching eardrums and tried to straighten their manes, Pinkie asked, of all questions, “Do you think they heard me?” None of them answered and neither did any of them notice a rather familiar wisp of ashy magic whisk away to Canterlot... only for an ember of magic to intercept it and make it go up in smoke.