//------------------------------// // 112. The Wonderbolts Academy - Part 4 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// “You did what?!” Everypony couldn’t believe it! Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane had just returned, their saddlebags packed and ready to go, and they’d just explained what happened in Spitfire’s office. “Becoming Wonderbolts were your dreams!” Rarity reminded them. “Eeyup.” nodded Macintosh. “It was our dream, everypony,” Thunderlane corrected. “I’d rather just be a weather captain than some reckless, self-serving stunt-flyer any day.” “Ditto…” Rainbow Dash said but the tone of disappointment was as thick as molasses. “I’m sorry, you guys,” Twilight said to them comfortingly. “We know how much this meant to you.” “But you can’t let this get you down,” Midnight added. “There are times when we chase after a dream but along the way we begin to see it might not be what we really wanted after all.” “It just means that if one dream doesn’t work out, you can always work towards another,” Blueblood assured them. “Thanks guys,” Rainbow Dash felt a little better as they shared a moment when… “Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane!” Everypony looked to see an angry Spitfire storming up to them, accompanied by her assistant trainers, “How dare you barge into my office, rant at me, and storm out without giving me a chance to respond! Listen, the Wonderbolts are looking for Equestria’s most promising and tested fliers!” Then she took off her shades, and sounded regretful, “But you guys were right. Reaching our potential should never come at the expense of our fellow ponies and I should’ve taken my position as your teacher more seriously in regards to your safety and setting an example. What kind of Wonderbolt- No, what kind of pony would I be if I encouraged such behavior? What kind of message would that be sending… It’s ponies like you two whose standards are what the Wonderbolts are supposed to be about!” She looked to her assistants and they stepped out of the way to reveal a nervous Lightning Dust. Spitfire whirled around to face her, Lightning Dust flinching and feeling something rip off her uniform. She was shocked to see her lead-pony pin was gone and Spitfire giving her a reproachful look as she pointed her hoof, telling her to march. Lightning Dust lowered her head in shame as she walked away, escorted by Fast Clip and Whiplash. Spitfire faced Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane saying, “You guys aren't wing-ponies – You’re leaders!” She held up the pin she’d taken from Lightning and pulled out another from her jacket, pinning them to Dash and Lane’s cadet uniforms, the two of them smiling and Rainbow couldn’t help it! “Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!” Thunderlane chuckled and then said, “Thank you, ma’am, and… sorry about our behavior. We could’a done that a little more…” “Aw, forget it,” Spitfire waved it off. “And it wasn’t just you guys who helped me realize my mistakes.” “Whattya mean?” Rainbow Dash asked. “She means me.” They looked up and saw Glide fly down and alight himself next to Spitfire. “Hey Dash, Thunder, congrats.” “Glide?” Rainbow Dash was confused. “What do you have to do with all this?” “I’m not really a cadet, Dash, and my name isn’t really Glide!” he said, “I’m actually… Soarin!” In a brief flash, Glide’s colors changed, his mane became dark blue, his coat light blue, his cutie mark revealed itself to actually be a lightning bolt streaking past two clouds which vaguely formed the outline of a heart, and his eyes turned from sunset red to a bright and happy green. “Soarin?!” everypony gasped, including Spitfire. “You’re the inspector?!” Spitfire snapped. “Got that right,” Soarin smiled deviously before putting on a stoic manner and facing Spitfire. “Captain Spitfire, as of now, your surprise inspection is over.” “Inspection?” echoed Thunderlane. “Y’mean to say you were undercover for some kind of evaluation?” “Yes, indeed,” Soarin confirmed. “The Wonderbolt Administration Office called me in and informed me they were concerned with Spitfire’s teaching methods and standards, and requested I carry out a surprise inspection, and gave me permission to carry it out as I saw fit. I decided the best way to perform such an inspection and get the best results would be to experience Spit’s teaching methods for myself. I went to Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns and asked one of the teachers for a way to magically disguise myself!” “And it was a glamour spell, wasn’t it?” Twilight fished. “Mm-hmm,” Soarin nodded. “The teacher told me the glamour would last until I revealed my real identity, as I just did! With my disguise, along with the advantages the Management Office gave me, I faked my admission into the academy and was registered Cadet Glide. For the most part, Spitfire trained us fairly well, but then you chose Lightning Dust to be a lead pony, which I found questionable. It got worse the more I saw Lightning Dust train, how she disregarded Dashie’s injured wing, tripped everypony else up in the obstacle course, and finally when she roped Dash into making a tornado, endangering our visitors, and expressed no remorse for doing so! All the while only concerned with proving her skills and coming out on top.” He gave Spitfire the stink eye. “As for you, Spits – You didn’t pay close enough attention to Lightning Dust’s behavior, encouraged it as a matter of fact! Not to mention you gave Dash and Thunder the wrong impression of what the Wonderbolts are about! In fact they’re partly the reason this inspection took place at all.” “Us?!” Dash and Thunder echoed. “Well yeah,” Soarin said as he walked up to them, “Dash, you represent an Element of Harmony, and Thunder, you’re one of the Guardians of Harmony! You really think the Wonderbolts aren’t gonna take an interest in those kinds of details?” He looked at Spitfire again. “Spitfire, my overall inspection has shown me that you are driven but insensitive to the cadets’ plights, your standards are misplaced, and it’s only when somepony calls you out that you realize the error of your ways, if you will… But since you did, I guess I can give you a passing grade, but you’re still on thin ice. So I’d keep what you learned here in mind.” Spitfire was blown – And ashamed. She really had misplaced her standards in the Wonderbolts and her ethics and morals had suffered with them. “Thanks, Soar… I promise to be a better officer. Starting now!” She whirled at Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane, “NOW GET OUT THERE AND GIMME TWENTY!” “Yes ma’am!” they answered and flew up to join their class in the air, all of them saluting the best among them, as flyers and as ponies, and followed after them to continue their training. “Wait! You didn’t even get to open your care package!!!”