Ch.9 Wonderbolt Trials pt.5
The bugle call for reveille hadn’t finished its reprise by the time Gallus had his uniform on and was heading out the door of their barracks, right behind Firebolt and Silverstream. The first dim rays of the morning sun were on the horizon as they all got into position, lined up in front of their quarters awaiting their C.O.
Solar Flare lagged behind for only a few seconds, taking a bit more time to get his uniform on correctly and stand in line next to Silverstream. He just made it to his spot as one of the Wonderbolt team members came to do a headcount. The recruits watched and waited as Commander Spitfire approached.
“All recruits present and accounted for ma’am.” He saluted her. Spitfire returned the same.
“Very good.” The academy’s C.O. turned her attention on the recruits, stepping closer to address them.
“At ease,” she ordered. “As I was tallying up your scores last night and evaluating the notes left by the instructors on each one of you, I’ve noticed something particular about this group of recruits.” Spitfire marched up and down the line of recruits, her eyes passing over each of them. “It’s been some time since any group of recruits came to the academy for tryouts and done as well as this group has.” The cadets relaxed visibly, having been convinced she was going to start calling out those who had been eliminated from the trials.
“Apparently, we’ve got some flyers here,” she paused in her step right in front of Gallus and Silverstream, “who know a thing or two about what it takes to be exceptional flyers.”
Silverstream and Gallus couldn’t help feeling a bit proud for being singled out by the C.O. for notice. Silverstream’s confidence was back and she was eager to get started for today’s trial, as was Gallus.
“After chowtime, the latest list of trials for today will be posted. All decisions as to recruit assignment are final. There shall be no switching between designations unless formally submitted by your instructors and by my review. Any questions?”
None of them spoke up.
“Recruits dismissed.” She turned now to Blaze standing next to her. “Find your captain and co-captain. I need to speak with them in my office.”
“Yes ma’am.” Blaze knew where they’d likely be, in the lounge. It was Rainbow Dash’s turn to make breakfast today. She headed off to get them. Spitfire still had her morning rounds to do; the principal of the academy was waiting for her.
The bugle call for the first meal of the day sounded and they headed for the mess hall, hungry for food and even hungrier for what was coming next. Cloudy Sky was ready with a great comeback if any cadet gave him any trouble. To his surprise, none of the cadets heckled or catcalled at any of the recruits as they walked in. Everypony was sitting and eating their breakfast peacefully, chatting normally, and not giving them any notice whatsoever.
“Huh? What’s going on?” Cloudy Sky couldn’t help but wonder aloud. “Why aren’t the cadets yelling at us?” He turned to Firebolt and Solar Flare, confused.
“No sense in doing the same thing to us two days in a row, Cloudy. It wouldn’t be as shocking or unnerving as it was yesterday. The cadets will know we’re ready and prepared to call them out for it so there’s no shock or surprise in repeating the razzing again.” Firebolt saw the look of disappointment on Cloudy Sky’s face.
“Shoot! And I came up with the best zinger of a comeback last night if they were going to give us a hard time again.”
Solar Flare gave him a sigh. “Don’t worry, Cloudy. I’m sure the cadets will find some other way of giving us a hard time. Trust me.”
The group headed to the same table they had sat at yesterday, finding some semblance of routine comforting. The conversation between them was light and happy as they ate. Silverstream expounded more about Mount Aris as well as more about her time with Gallus at the School of Friendship. None of the other recruits gave Gallus or Silverstream a second look. Gale Force stopped by their table to say hello.
“Oh, there he is. Mister ‘I’m the greatest air-hockey player of all time’ himself!” Gale playfully teased Nightflight. His friends looked at his rather smug expression.
“What happened?” Firebolt was curious about Nightflight’s exploits last night in the student rec room.
“Oh, Nightflight took on pretty much everypony at the game and gave them a good shellacking,” Brightstar told them with a small chuckle. Nightflight’s grin grew.
“How badly did he beat them?” asked Silverstream.
“He won eight straight games in a row. Not a single cadet or recruit could even come close.” Gale narrowed her eyes at Nightflight, a little deviousness shining in them. “Tonight, I’m making sure you’re on my team for the tournament.”
“Unless the rest of us decide to join in the competition; maybe we should form our own team.” Firebolt played a little one-upsmanship with her friend, wanting to stake her claim on Nightflight.
“Well, that also depends,” Gale turned her head to look right at Gallus and Silverstream, “if our two volunteers decide to join in the game tonight or not as well. It’s four members to a team.” Gallus was not going to pass up the chance this time.
“Count on it. This griffon is ready for anything!” Gallus bragged, his confidence already high.
“I’d like to try tonight. Maybe get to meet some other cadets too. Air-hockey sounds like fun.” Silverstream wanted to make more friends with these ponies and taking part in some student activities seemed like a good way to start.
“I guess we’re all in for this, right?” Solar Flare looked around at his fellow flyers.
“Oh, absolutely.” Brightstar would not sit this out. After Nightflight’s performance last night, this would be epic. She wondered just how many cadets he was going to piss off tonight.
“If you guys come up short a member, I can sub in if you want.” Gale took a quick visual headcount, figuring the seven of them were their own clique.
“That’d be cool to have a cadet on the team; adds to my credibility.” Nightflight got Gale’s goat a bit, having bested three of her friends including her boyfriend.
“Then it’s a date! We’ll meet back here at dinner and go together afterwards.” Firebolt thumped a forehoof on the table. She was already looking forward to having both her new hippogriff friend and an old friend from her foalhood together on the same team. It felt like the best of both worlds.
After consuming as much food as they could in preparation for the long day, the group headed out for the bulletin board with the other recruits. There was an anticipatory buzz in the air. Just as Commander Spitfire had stated, the group had done very well. Solar Flare and the others could all see that the cut list only had three names on it and none were because of poor performance.
“What’s the first trial for today?” Silverstream couldn’t get close enough to see, since everypony was crowding in to read the lists. Being a bit smaller than his friends, Cloudy Sky could wiggle his way through the mass of bodies to get to the bulletin board and read the instructions.
“Classroom lecture?” He wasn’t sure if he’d read it right. This was the first thing everypony was so excited about?
“First half of today is class time then after lunch its first trials of trick flying. See?” Another recruit pointed to the two lists just to Cloudy Sky’s right, indicating who was going in what classroom.
“Hey,” Gallus had made his way closer too and read the lists. Alarmed, he announced, “we’re not in the same class together. Look.” A few more recruits stepped aside now, allowing Firebolt and her friends closer. Brightstar read out loud;
“It says here, every flyer on the blue page goes into the first classroom and every flyer on the yellow page goes in the second. Wonderbolt Blaze and Wonderbolt Thunderlane are to be the instructors today for the classes.” They all looked at the title of each page. Gallus and Cloudy Sky were not sure what the titles meant.
“This list says Lead Pony and that one says Wing Pony.” Nightflight scanned the lists, finding his name among those in the Lead Pony category. Everyone else read the lists, looking for their names.
“What the-? Wing Pony?!” Firebolt almost choked when she found hers. She was a top-tier flyer and she knew it. Why was she being put in the Wing Pony category?
“They’ve put myself, Nightflight, Brightstar and Silverstream in the Lead Pony class today and Firebolt, Cloudy Sky and Gallus in Wing Pony class.” Solar Flare wasn’t surprised to find himself in the Lead Pony category but all of the friends were surprised that Silverstream was included in that class when Firebolt wasn’t.
“But, Firebolt, you’re a great flyer. Why did Commander Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts put you in the class with me and Gallus?” Cloudy Sky found this to be rather perplexing.
“I guess we shouldn’t delay. Everypony else is heading for the classrooms.” Brightstar pointed to the other recruits heading to the classroom outbuildings they were assigned to. Firebolt only growled a little in frustration, feeling she was being held back.
“Maybe it’s a mistake?” Silverstream, too, thought there must be an error in assigning Firebolt to the Wing Pony class.
“No, they’re pretty good at assessing a flyer’s skill level. Commander Spitfire wouldn’t place a pony in a class if she didn’t think they were capable of handling the requirements.” Nightflight hated to be the one to rain on Firebolt’s parade today, but there was nothing any of them could do about it right now. Cloudy Sky and Brightstar headed off to their assigned classrooms, wanting to get the day started.
“I’m going to speak with the C.O. about this!” Firebolt followed after, feeling slighted by having been assigned to what she considered a lesser class.
Off the seven of them went, ready to take all the knowledge they could glean from the instructors. Firebolt, Cloudy Sky and Gallus sat next to each other in the classroom as more of the recruits filed in. While the two or three recruits sitting with Stormbringer gave them sideways looks, the rest didn’t even pay attention to Silverstream or her friends. Everyone there was focused on the task at hand. In trotted a familiar Wonderbolt instructor, ready to share what he knew with them.
His big friendly grin put his students at ease. “Good morning recruits!” Thunderlane boomed.
“Good morning sir!”
“Nice to see some familiar faces in a classroom setting once more,” he was looking over at Gallus and his friends, pleased to be teaching one of Rainbow Dash’s students again, “so let’s not waste time this morning and get right to it. Today, you recruits are going to get a chance to show what kind of flyer you are. No tests of strength or endurance; just an introduction to some of the aerobatic moves you will have to build up into a routine for your first evaluation.”
This got the students murmuring happily, hearing the prospect of getting to show their stuff like they wanted to. “Every flyer come up and take a textbook off the desk and open them to chapter one so we can begin.” Thunderlane watched as they hurried up to his desk, all of them smiling and excited as they scooped up a copy and got back to their seats. Gallus grabbed one for himself and each of his two friends and hurried back to his desk, passing one each to Cloudy Sky and Firebolt.
“Everycreature have a copy?” Thunderlane scanned the room, making sure they were all ready with a book for each of them. “Alright, let’s begin.”
====*****====
“There’s some empty seats over by the window.” Solar Flare was moving and pointing at the same time, trying to nab some seats clustered together for himself and his friends.
“I wonder what they’re going to teach us. What does a Lead Pony do that a Wing Pony doesn’t?” Silverstream took the seat furthest from the window, wanting to be near the front of the classroom. Nightflight and Brightstar took the middle two seats between their friends.
“I don’t know, but that’s why we’re here, right?” Nightflight was curious as to why he’d been selected as Lead Pony. He didn’t think his performance had been any better or worse than his friends. He thought Silverstream and Solar Flare were the leading contenders for such a position. More recruits filed in.
“Oh no, it’s him again!” Nightflight groaned quietly. His friends all turned to see what it was that had caught Nightflight’s attention.
With that air of superiority radiating off him, Wind Raider strode through the door and looked about for an empty seat. Silverstream felt her stomach tighten a little bit. She should have suspected he would be in this class as well.
“Over here.” One of the recruits waved Wind Raider over to sit with a cluster of three or four stallions, welcoming him among them. Brightstar didn’t want to waste the energy or brain power thinking about that creep.
“Don’t worry about him. Just focus on the lesson for today.” Brightstar watched as the black-maned pony took a seat on the other side of the room, keeping his distance from them. The other recruits filed in and quickly got into any seat as their instructor was right on their hooves entering the classroom and shutting the door with a thud. The class was already at attention before she even got to her desk.
“Good morning, recruits!” Blaze’s voice carried clearly across the room, cutting off any last lingering chatter between the newbies.
“Good morning ma’am!”
“I’m sure most of you flyers must be wondering why you are here. Some of you might be wondering why their talents haven’t had the chance to be seen by the instructors yet. Why all the fitness testing and training? Why not start off with what you’re good at?” Blaze paused for a moment, her eyes scanning over the assembled recruits.
“Allow me explain. I and my fellow instructors, as well as Commander Spitfire, have watched you flyers demonstrate exceptional flying skills and abilities that set you apart from the other recruits. Because of your skills, you have been selected as Lead Pony as well as considered potential candidates for Officers Training School or other programs to capitalize on those skills. The academy needs young talented flyers to fill its leadership roles, and you are believed to be those needed the most.”
Her words were forthright and honest. The weight of what she said was not lost on any flyer in the room. The Cloudsdale Defense Force as well as the Wonderbolt Academy had lost many good ponies, and the need to fill the vacancies left behind was urgent.
“I want each of you to take one of these textbooks and open to chapter three so we can begin with today’s lessons.” She pointed to the stack of books on the desk. Each flyer stepped up and took a copy, returned to their seat and opened to the right page.
“We will review some of the basic trick maneuvers and common flight formations from chapters one and two only briefly and then start with chapter three. Before the break, I want all of you to be at chapter four so we can be on schedule for the afternoon’s first flight sessions.” Blaze saw their expressions perk up. “Any questions before we begin?” The room went silent.
“Very well, then. Let’s begin with the fundamentals of proper flight formation.”
=====******======
“What should we do with the gear from the weight training course ma’am? Put it all away or leave some out for training?” High Winds asked as he, Silver Zoom and Rainbow Dash were pushing the wind making machine off the field and back towards the storage shed.
“Keep three or four of the hoops set up, the rest can go back into the shed too. Tell Fleetfoot and Misty Fly to hurry up with the safety nets. I don’t want these recruits waiting around for us.” Spitfire reread the to-do list again, keeping on schedule of the trials on track as well as what she was planning for the next day’s work out.
“Good morning, ma’am.” Soarin saluted his commander as he walked up and stood tall in front of her. She barely noticed him, too deep into her notes to even realize he was there. “Anything wrong, ma’am?” he cautiously pressed, not sure if his leader was in much of a mood to talk.
“I don’t get it.” Spitfire muttered, more to herself then her team leader.
“Pardon, ma’am?”
“I don’t get why I haven’t been able to find who’s supposed to be here from Central Command to look into our trials this season. I’ve kept such a close watch on the grounds, checking the visitor logs and all incoming communications. This should not be hard for me to find out.” Spitfire’s brow furrowed, her mind at work analyzing when was in front of her eyes.
“Permission to speak freely, ma’am?” There was caution in the Wonderbolt captain’s voice.
“Granted.”
“Ma’am, with all due respect, maybe… maybe your sources at Central Command are wrong this time.” He trod very lightly into this area, knowing well that her inside sources had been very reliable over the many moons. “Maybe it’s just a false alarm or something to throw us off our game?”
The commander of the Wonderbolts paused from her reviewing, turning to look at him and ponder this possibility. “I’d like to believe so, Clipper, but without something to show either it was or was not going to happen I can’t risk being caught off guard and nether can the academy if they show up. We just have to keep vigilant.” Soarin didn’t like seeing his C.O. so worried over something as simple as a routine inspection from Central Command Headquarters. They’d been through lots of inspections before.
“Yes ma’am. I’ll make sure the team has all the gear set up and ready for the recruits before they head off to lunch.” Soarin would carry on as his C.O. had instructed, determined to make sure this series of trials went off without a problem. As he left, he asked a final question. “Commander, do you suppose this has anything to do with Rainbow Dash’s proposal? I mean, they’re not coming here and expecting to actually see a hippogriff and a griffon trying out for the academy, are they?”
“I’d like to know myself.” Spitfire was still at a loss for the reason for this visit. She could not recall a single instance when the academy hadn’t kept strict adherence to its code of conduct. She wondered what this visitor would say if Rainbow Dash’s students were seen among the recruits. No matter; she would cross that bridge when she came to it.
====******====
“So how’s the class going for you? What’s it about?” Gallus stretched his wings out again, cramped after having to sit at a desk for the past three hours. Both classes got a fifteen minute break between lecture times in order to grab a snack or get some fresh air before continuing with the studying. Silverstream tried to explain what she was learning.
“It’s a lot more about being a leader for a squad, flight formations and more advanced tricks; ones like I’ve seen the Wonderbolts do in a show. They’re also teaching us about our roles in… combat.” Silverstream had a bit of trouble getting that word out, never having considered herself a fighter or a warrior. She admired the Griffguards who served their kingdom as well those of the pony nation but it felt odd to suddenly imagine herself in that role.
“I’m learning about flight formations and tricks too, but they’re focusing on learning to take directions from out flight leaders. I didn’t know about any of this from our readings in Professor Dash’s class.” Gallus had never suspected what recruits of a military school actually studied, finding it interesting and genuinely appealing.
“I’m just glad Brightstar is with me. Nightflight and Solar Flare are having a tough enough time with this too. She’s been a big help for me. I don’t think I’d understand half of this without her explaining the terms to me.”
“Firebolt is kinda doing the same thing for me. I didn’t know any of the flying moves we do had so many names and different ways of doing them. This is all so new to me. I hope I can keep all this straight in my head.” Gallus thought it quite challenging to comprehend the intricacies of stunt flight and the coordination it took to make it work right. His appreciation for the Wonderbolts’ skills grew with his new understanding.
“Hey, you two. How’s the class time going? Your brains ready to explode from so much learning about trick flying?” The familiar mare’s voice spoke from close by, getting their attention. They turned to see their teacher smiling at them, dressed once more in her Wonderbolt uniform.
“Professor Dash, I never suspected you and the other Wonderbolt members all had to go through such intensive training to fly as a team. I’d assumed you flew well together because of your natural skills.” The griffon made room for her to stand with them.
“Me too. There’s so much more to being a cadet at the academy than I first believed. No wonder it’s so hard for a flyer to get in.” Silverstream, as well, felt her respect and admiration for Rainbow Dash and her fellow Wonderbolt team members increase. This was becoming more of an eye-opening experience for her with each passing hour.
“That’s why we only accept the best of the best here; there’s no room for second tier flyers. There’s too much riding on its cadets and the reservists who run it for the most part.” Rainbow Dash felt that same glowing feeling of closeness with her students again, sharing more of her world and life experiences with two young flyers.
“Is this a private conversation or are non-students of Princess Twilight’s school allowed to join in?” Nightflight joked as all five of the friends came over to say hello, seeing Silverstream and Gallus talking with their teacher. Rainbow Dash was glad to see them again.
“How are the classes going for you guys? You able to keep up with the subject matter?” she joked lightly, making them smile.
“It’s tough, but we won’t let down our recruiters.” Solar Flare was glad to get a break; this was a lot of information to take in so short of a time.
“That’s because we’re the best and nothing is going to stop us from getting into the academy!” Nightflight was unwavering in his belief, his confidence strong.
“Um, yeah, if you say so, Nightflight.”
All seven of them looked at Cloudy Sky, who wore a most worried expression.
“What’s wrong, Cloudy?” Silverstream saw the look of doubt in his blue eyes.
“I… uh…” He looked about his friends, suddenly feeling a little less worthy of being part of the group. His face colored with embarrassment.
“You can tell us.” Solar Flare encouraged him still.
“We’re here to listen, Cloudy.” Firebolt, too, wanted her friend to feel safe.
“Would it help if I left?” Rainbow Dash offered, believing it might make it easier for him to not have an instructor hanging around.
“No, it’s not that. It’s...” Cloudy Sky hesitated, biting his lower lip, wondering what they would say or think of him if he told them. Brightstar came to stand next to him and put a reassuring hoof on his shoulder.
“What is it, Cloudy?” With that gentle look in her eyes and the way she spoke to him, like a big sister helping out her struggling sibling, he felt he could let his guard down and tell the truth.
“I… I’ve never done any trick flying before! I don’t understand what the instructor is talking about!” he blurted out, waiting miserably to hear them laugh.
“Cloudy,” Firebolt got him to look up instead of at the ground, “why didn’t you say something to me at the beginning of the class? I could’ve helped you from the start.”
“You were helping Gallus and working really well together. He caught on so much faster than me that I didn’t want to be a bother to you. I was too ashamed to say anything.” He looked down at the ground again. “Now the instructor is talking about even more complex stuff and I can’t make head or tail of it. I don’t want to flunk out already!” His voice quivered with fear. Rainbow Dash stepped closer to speak with him.
“You know, one of the teachers at the school I work at had a similar issue. Instead of being embarrassed to ask for help because she didn’t know what to do, she didn’t ask for help because of her pride; she felt she alone had to get her job done and wouldn’t ask for help. In fact, she refused help when it was offered.”
“Let me guess; Professor Applejack, right?” Gallus’ instincts were right on the money.
“You know it.” She winked at the griffon, acknowledging his sharp perspective before turning to face Cloudy Sky again. “It took a lot to convince her to speak up and ask for a helping hoof. Don’t be afraid to ask for help; it might be the difference between making it in to the academy or not. You have your friends to call on when you need them. I know I do.”
He knew she was right; he just had to believe again. He had his friends who were there for him, as much as he was there for Silverstream or Gallus or any of them. He didn’t have to take this on alone.
Rainbow Dash and the others watched how his spirit lifted from her pep talk. A small smile returned to Cloudy Sky’s face and he breathed a little easier now.
“Thanks… Professor Dash.” Cloudy Sky blushed, looking up admiringly at the famous Wonderbolt, addressing her as if he were her student. Rainbow Dash smiled right back at the gray stallion, giving him a friendly pat on his shoulder with her wing.
“Hey, think of it as a personal ‘friendship lesson’ courtesy of yours truly.” The whole group was smiling in gratitude for her guidance. Suddenly a bell rang out, ending their break time and sending them back to class.
“You guys get going. Let me know how it goes later today. I’d like to hear about what you learned.” Rainbow Dash waved to them as she headed back to the activities field to help finish setting up the gear for the first flying sessions.
They did as they were told and got back to their classrooms, heartened to push themselves on and persevere. With Cloudy Sky seated to her left and Gallus to her right, Firebolt made sure both her “flight students” understood all the flight terms and proper usages. Cloudy Sky asked Firebolt about certain aspects of doing trick flying; which way to spin into a barrel roll from a certain angle, how to time yourself when doing loop-de-loops and other details that eluded his understanding.
She helped him sort through the choices and pick out four straightforward maneuvers to do and explained how he could string them together into a routine. Cloudy Sky started to catch on, things started to make sense. Gallus, too, picked up a pointer or two from hearing Firebolt’s explanations, mentioning small particulars that were not covered in the textbook and were only from actual flight experience.
Firebolt felt puffed up with pride, shepherding her friends along into this new world of high-flying stunt work and precision flight. Thunderlane walked around the room and listened in to what the recruits were planning for a routine. Back at his desk, he made notes in their files about who was helping who and how well the recruits listened to his instructions. No doubt his C.O. would be most interested in knowing such details.
After an hour, Thunderlane called an end to their first flight lab. “Okay, recruits, I want each of you to come up to my desk and show me what you have planned for a first routine.” Most of the class was eager to show the friendly Wonderbolt instructor what great and awe-inspiring first routines they had come up with.
Cloudy Sky hung back a little, still unsure of what the instructor would say about his routine. He waited until a few of the more boisterous students had gone ahead, each getting approval from the instructor for their efforts and giving each other congratulatory wing-slaps. Finally, Cloudy Sky stepped up to Thunderlane’s desk and nervously handed in his assignment, waiting with Firebolt and Gallus to hear what the instructor’s response would be.
“This is all you’re planning for a routine?” Thunderlane looked at the young stallion, noting his fidgetiness and inability to look him in the eyes.
“Ummm…” Cloudy Sky hesitated, not sure what to say.
Firebolt quickly went to his rescue. “Excuse me, sir, it was myself and Gallus who helped him pick these moves to do.”
“These moves you’ve selected are pretty basic. How come?” Thunderlane had seen all three of these recruits fly and didn’t understand why Gallus and Firebolt had selected more challenging maneuvers for themselves but such an elementary combination for their friend to perform. Cloudy Sky felt a small flush of embarrassment.
“Cloudy’s not really a stunt pony, sir. He’s never done aerial tricks before.” Firebolt explained simply.
“Ah, it makes sense now.” Thunderlane gave an understanding nod and an easy smile. “A first time stunt flyer, I take it?”
Cloudy Sky still had trouble looking up at the famous Wonderbolt, feeling small and unworthy. “Yes, sir.”
“Well,” Thunderlane rubbed his chin with a forehoof as he leaned back in his seat, “I’m not so worried about it at this stage. It’s really about getting familiar with the motions and learning how to develop a routine. Give it a try, but just remember, evaluations are based on the completion and execution of the routine and not on flashiness or overly complicated moves.”
A lavender mare with an almost insane amount of blue and reddish-pink curls for her mane and tail leaned over to look at the sheet of paper and read what Cloudy Sky had composed. Her bright amber eyes scanned Cloudy Sky’s routine. She squealed in delight.
“Oh-h-h, a loop-de-loop! I love doing loop-de-loops, don’t you? Those are my favorite tricks to do! I could do those all day long. Loop-de-loop-de-loop-de-loops! I’m doing a double inverted corkscrew loop in my routine. It’s really similar to a traditional corkscrew but-”
“Excuse me, Ms. Dazzle, I’m sure the young stallion appreciates the input but I think he’s in capable company.” Thunderlane had to politely cut off this chatterbox of a mare. He’d had to stop his lessons twice today due to her incessant talking to everypony around her and her seeming inability to focus for more than five minutes.
Not that Thunderlane discouraged input between recruits, but he’d known and worked with younger inexperienced flyers like Cloudy Sky who’d easily get overwhelmed by the information from over-eager helpers.
“It’s alright, sir. Any help is welcome.” He faced the colorful mare who’d joined in the conversation. “Hi, I’m Cloudy Sky.”
The mare returned Cloudy Sky’s perky grin, giggling like a little filly. “My name’s Razzle Dazzle!” Her wings were constantly flicking and twitching.
“Are you nervous?” Firebolt wondered about the wing spasms this mare seemed to be having.
“No, just really excited to be here. This is going to be so much fun, I just know it. I can’t wait to start flying!” she practically yelled out, prancing in place. Their instructor was not pleased by the outburst.
“Ms. Dazzle!” His tone was less tolerant this time.
“Oops. Sorry everypony,” she tittered. The other recruits returned to their work in their groups once more.
“I’m Firebolt and this is our friend Gallus.” She waved over her griffon friend to meet the new acquaintance. Cloudy Sky watched as Razzle Dazzle’s eyes went wide when she saw Gallus come over. He was already anticipating a repeat incident from yesterday, by her expression.
“Nice to meet you.” Gallus extended a friendly wing to the mare in polite greeting but was caught off guard by her sudden approach into his personal space, her eyes twinkling with the light of discovery.
“Hello! How are you?” The gentle lilt in her voice and look in her eyes left no question to her intense interest as she drank in every detail of Gallus. The griffon grew slightly uncomfortable with her closeness, pulling back a step or two before answering.
“Uh, fine.” He glanced over at Firebolt, looking for help. Both she and Cloudy Sky stood by and watched, for the moment.
“Good.” Razzle Dazzle smiled, her head tilting slightly to one side. “If you don’t mind, I would like to take a quick look at you; just to get an idea of why a flyer such as yourself might be here today; what interest you might have at attending the Wonderbolt Academy.” She looked him over, observing him from every side and possible angle as she walked around him, stopping suddenly to peer deep into his eyes as if she were attempting to see his soul.
“Um-hmm…yes....” She muttered to herself, contemplating her observations. Cloudy Sky and Firebolt didn’t know what to make of such an odd pony.
“Alright… interesting.” She took a step back from him, looking away as if thinking over what she had seen. “I’m not really…I’m not sensing anything or seeing anything just yet, but I think… I think I just need to focus and concentrate a little more.” Again stood right in front of Gallus, her eyes shut as the feathers on the tips of her wings now massaged her temples, as if to focus her brain’s energy. “Concentrating… concentrating… it will come to me…” Razzle Dazzle scrunched her face some and gritted her teeth a little, as if willing her mind to pick up whatever ‘cosmic vibrations’ she was attempting to channel. Gallus was at a loss what to make of this mare’s antics. Cloudy Sky and Firebolt looked on, amused by this show.
“Concentrating… u-m-m-m… nope! I picked up absolutely nothing from it.” She shrugged in mild disappointment but was still smiling.
Gallus blinked once or twice, looking over at his friends and then back at Razzle Dazzle. “Ha… have you ever been able to read another creature’s mind or stuff like that?”
“Oh, um, no. I haven’t been able to do that yet but that never stopped me from trying. My paternal grandfather was a unicorn and I’ve always believed I could tap into the magical power inside me. Persistency pays off, except for when it doesn’t; great words to live by!” Cloudy Sky and Firebolt chuckled a little at her flighty thinking. Thunderlane only sighed and shook his head. A stallion from her group trotted over to them.
“Hey, you guys want her to work with you? Go ahead! Please, she’s driving us crazy with her constant chattering! We can’t concentrate on finalizing our routines and the three of us actually want to pass the trials!” he begged. Gallus and his friends all looked over at the red and blue stallions in the corner who looked back at them, each with horrible silent pleading looks.
The lavender mare valiantly tried to defend herself. “Hey, I was just riffing on ideas for moves with you guys. I kept trying to get your attention and explain how the loops can interconnect and then lead to the-blulp!” An unexpected forehoof from Firebolt over her mouth halted the onslaught of information and she was momentarily startled by the sudden silencing.
The trio looked at one another, wondering if they could help out. Cloudy Sky shrugged innocently at Firebolt, he didn’t mind if she joined them. He thought she was an interesting pony. Firebolt didn’t mind either, so long as she didn’t talk too much of the time they were working.
Gallus wasn’t so sure. This mare seemed awfully curious about him. “Well,” he scratched the back of his neck and looked up at the ceiling, “do we really need a fourth to the group? I mean, we’re working so well as a trio and all…”
The yellow stallion that had come over to plead with them smacked a hoof to his forehead in frustration. The other two ponies of their group moaned with dread at the prospect of being stuck with this blathering mare for the rest of the day.
Firebolt released Razzle Dazzle’s mouth, catching from out the corner of one eye how Thunderlane was quietly watching and listening to what they were saying and doing, taking notes of what was unfolding. She seized the opportunity.
“Why not? Anypony who could come up with a routine like that,” Firebolt inclined her head toward the sheet of paper Razzle Dazzle had left on their instructor’s desk, “has got to be some special kind of a flyer.” Firebolt recognized the talent it took to come up with such an aspiring routine. It was more complex than either of hers or the one they’d devised for Gallus.
“Could I? I’ve always been incredibly fascinated with griffons and how they fly!” Razzle Dazzle’s eyes lit up. She’d never had the chance to fly with a griffon before.
“Perhaps you three could help her trim down her routine down some? It seems overly ambitious for a first evaluation.” Thunderlane wanted to see if the trio that included one of Rainbow Dash’s students would work with a challenging team member. Could one of them help this mare focus more on the task given to her?
When Cloudy Sky looked at the sheet of paper Razzle Dazzle had submitted, his mouth fell open. This bubbly spirit of a mare had strung together a symphony of ten maneuvers that flowed together seamlessly.
What is she doing here in the Wing Pony class? He thought. She belongs with Silverstream and the others in the Lead Pony class.
Hearing disapproval in the instructor’s tone, Razzle Dazzle whipped her head around to look at Thunderlane. “It’s… it’s not right, sir?” Her voice was full of hurt. The Wonderbolt raised an eyebrow.
“Ms. Dazzle, I said it’s overly ambitious. I didn’t say it was incorrectly written out. If this was a routine for a final solo evaluation or the advanced class in trick flying, then it would be more appropriate. The assignment I gave was for each of you to create a routine of four to seven maneuvers from the textbook. You weren’t paying attention during the lesson, young mare. Too much chattering with the others.”
Cloudy Sky stepped in to help out. “I’m sure the three of us can help Razzle Dazzle come up with something a bit more in line with the instructions, sir.”
The griffon shrugged, speaking with nonchalance. “Meh, I guess it’s cool; we can help out.”
“Thanks a bunch! Seriously, we owe you.” The yellow stallion breathed a huge sigh of relief, as did the two others of his group. He headed back to his study group.
“I suggest you get going on your final drafts. There’s not much time before we break for lunch.” Thunderlane pointed to the clock hanging above the doorway. It was Oh Ten Hundred-Thirty hours now; they had ninety minutes left to work. If they were going to help Razzle Dazzle and Cloudy Sky, they had to get moving and quickly. Firebolt scooped up both Cloudy Sky’s and Razzle Dazzle’s submissions from off the desk, hustling all of them back to their desks.
“Yes sir. We’ll get right to it.” Once they were all on the same page in their textbooks, she got down to work. Gallus sat back and mostly listened to Firebolt coach Razzle Dazzle, trying to get Razzle Dazzle to simplify her routine like the assignment required. She emphasized it being more about proper execution than about flashiness or impressing the other recruits or the Wonderbolts. Each time Firebolt would try to simplify one part of Razzle Dazzle’s routine, the changeable mare would add to another part in order to ‘make up’ for the lack of excitement. At least, that’s what it seemed like Razzle Dazzle was thinking.
Cloudy Sky thought Firebolt had the patience of an Alicorn for managing to keep cool in spite of the time restriction and Razzle Dazzle’s apparent tendency to get out of hoof with her selection of aerobatic moves. That, and their new friend’s terrible tendency to veer off and talk about the most unusual topics that had nothing to do with flying.
“C’mon, work with me here, Razzle. Focus! Less about how interesting you thought it was watching a boll weevil walk across a rock last summer at your aunt’s house and more about understanding and applying the principles we learned today.” Firebolt wondered what she’d gotten herself into.
For the love of Celestia, what’s up with this girl? She’s all over the place!
After forty minutes or so, Gallus thought Firebolt needed a break. “Before we tie ourselves up in knots trying to get Razzle’s selection figured out, let’s try to help Cloudy out some.” The griffon moved in closer to his friends. “There’s got to be something in the textbook we can find that’ll make his routine better.”
“I… I just need to find something make it shine; to make it dazzle.” He tried to make a small joke with his new acquaintance’s name. She giggled a little, appreciating the reference.
“I don’t think adding an extra trick move is the way to go.” Firebolt looked over the textbook’s chapter again with them, flipping through a few pages and trying to find something they might have overlooked the first time through. After listening for a few minutes of her new friends recite some of the choices and weather Cloudy Sky could do them, Razzle Dazzle offered up a suggestion of her own.
“Did you consider doing a flipty-loop instead?” Her three new acquaintances were clearly unfamiliar with that maneuver.
“A what? Where did you see that?” Cloudy Sky flipped back through the pages of the book.
“What’s a ‘flipty-loop’?” Firebolt knew a lot of trick moves but this wasn’t one of them. “There’s inward and outward loops.” She looked over at Gallus.
He innocently shrugged back at her. “This is all new to me.”
Razzle Dazzle stared at their uncomprehending faces, perplexed by their confusion. “You know; a flipty-loop!” she repeated, expecting them to catch on, but still only seeing the same confused expressions. “Here, I’ll show you. You start off in a loop like this,” she used her forehoof to demonstrate a pony’s body in flight, “then do an outside loop for the first half then flip over to the inside loop position here,” she indicated the change point at the bottom of the loop, “then you go around one complete time around for the inside loop and just as you get back to the beginning point of your inside loop,” again she pointed to the bottom of the loop, “you flip yourself over again to finish the outside loop position here, and then hit your landing like you planned over here. See? A flipty-loop!”
It took a few seconds to understand her odd explanation, but Cloudy Sky smiled and even began laughing a little once he got it. Razzle Dazzle’s explanation worked far better for him then the textbook. He could actually envision himself doing the trick, seeing the precise movements in his mind’s eye.
“Wait, I see it! I see it! I see how you mean about rotating about my body centerline and actually doing two loops in one! I would never have thought of that!”
Cloudy Sky’s friends, as well, made the connection. They were impressed by the interesting combination of two classic aerial tricks. It was very insightful.
I should’ve thought of something like that myself. Why didn’t I see it? Firebolt was a little annoyed with herself for missing what she thought should have been obvious. She’d spent so much time preparing for the trials, and here was a mare she’d never met before showing her reinterpretations of ordinary tricks like she’d never imagined. Firebolt had always believed herself to be a great flyer, not a spectacular one like her cousin, but she knew her stuff cold and had a good repertoire of aerial tricks she believed that could get her into the academy. But this got her attention. How much more did this mare have tucked away in that brain of hers under that ridiculously huge amount of bouncy curls?
“That was quick.” Gallus couldn’t believe this had gone so smoothly. He had assumed Cloudy Sky’s routine would take longer to work on, and here it was tweaked and ready to go.
“Now you can help me work more on my routine! I’d like very much to get a griffon’s input on these maneuvers I want to do.” Razzle Dazzle turned now to Gallus with a big toothy grin.
“Yeah, well… I’m sure Firebolt could-” Gallus didn’t have the chance to respond as the sound of the bugle blaring over the public address system caught every flyer’s attention.
Cloudy Sky looked up at the clock over the doorway to the classroom. “Hey, why’s the bugle playing? It’s not lunchtime yet.” The rest of the class looked up at the clock as well.
“That’s call for assembly!” Thunderlane got to his hooves quickly, getting the class up as well. “Everycreature head outside right now! Let’s move it!” He hurried them out the door and over to where the other recruits were assembling on the field.
“What’s going-?” Firebolt and her friends hurried out of the building when a second bugle call went out. “Hey, that’s the call for all officers too.” She and her friends made their way to the field, seeing all the Wonderbolt team members joining the recruits on the field. Solar Flare, Silverstream and the others from the Lead Pony class were heading out for the field as well, joining Gallus and their classmates.
====******====
“The flight lead is ‘in command’ both on the ground and in the air. They have the general responsibility for planning and organizing the mission, leading the flight and ensuring the mission is safely accomplished.”
“The flight lead must know the capabilities and limitations of their wingponies. On the ground the flight lead will plan, brief and debrief the mission. They may delegate tasks within the flight if the formation size supports it. Once airborne, the flight lead has final responsibility for navigating, communicating, formation, airponyship and leading the flight successfully through the mission.”
Silverstream listened along with the class and studied the diagrams in the textbook, concentrating on every word. She snuck a peek over at her friends, seeing all of them focused intently on the lesson. This was serious stuff. The subjects touched on were numerous in this class and still were only a sample of what she would study if she were to attend this school.
Having to learn about giving and reading visual signals and cues as a flight leader and how to fly in proper formation was very new to her. Flying was flying. She and Gallus had never given much thought to what they as a griffon and a hippogriff did so naturally. They never felt the need to analyze and perfect a natural skill like flight. Seeing and experiencing just how the pony recruits took flying so seriously was, in spite of her reading of the history of the Wonderbolts, something she had underestimated. Learning how that raw talent of flight had to be harnessed, focused and directed into a single mindset in the quest for perfection of flight was essential.
There was so much to cover that Silverstream felt a little overwhelmed by all the topics. She wrote down all she could, taking notes about this or that aspect of being a flight leader and what to do in various situations. The time seemed to fly by for her, feeling like she was running just to keep up with the lecture and her classmates. Blaze finally brought her lecture to a finish, much to the relief of the class.
“That’s all I wanted to give as an introduction to Flight Lead class today, and I do want to see by our next class session how far you have come with your hoof signals. I will be testing you on how well you remember them.” Blaze could see that after nearly three solid hours and only a brief fifteen minute break, her students’ eyes were rolling into the back of their heads from the onslaught of information. She knew how to perk them back up again.
“For now, I want all of you to start with chapter four; Introduction to Advanced Flight Maneuvers and Formations to begin planning your first solo flight routines.” Instantly, the classroom became abuzz with what they’d been waiting for, the chance to fly and show off their stuff. She knew it was just the ticket to make them interested again. One recruit raised her foreleg, wanting to ask a question.
“Yes?” Blaze pointed to the waiting mare.
“Ma’am, are we working in groups or by ourselves for this assignment?”
“I will leave that up to the flyer in question; this is a good exercise to build teamwork but also it’s to see how well you can plan a routine and execute it for yourself.” Blaze would use this as another litmus test of the recruits, seeing how many would choose to work together and who were better at working solo. The ten recruits split off into five pairs of study partners.
“Brightstar, could… you help me with some of this? I’m not really sure what we’re supposed to do,” Silverstream asked humbly of her friend, having listened to Brightstar answer a bunch of questions posed by their instructor this morning. She seemed to know a great deal about being a Lead Pony.
“I’d be glad to.” Brightstar welcomed the chance to work closer. They’d only talked briefly during mealtimes and the pegasus pony was interested in learning more about her hippogriff acquaintance.
Sitting with Silverstream, Brightstar quickly reviewed the first three chapters they had gone through so far, making sure Silverstream had a basic understanding of the terms and meanings.
“Roll, pitch, yaw, and center.” Silverstream shut her eyes as she recalled the terms for flight from memory.
“Very good.” Brightstar checked off the terms from the list she’d made, as Silverstream got each of them correct. “I think we can start picking out moves for you from the book.”
“You think so? I mean, I feel like I’m not ready to be a Lead Pony, I’ve never done trick flying like this before.” Silverstream shook her head a little, her voice unsure.
“You’ve never done a loop or a barrel roll when flying? Not even for fun?” Brightstar couldn’t believe that. Even the most timid of flyers she knew did a little bit of ‘fun flying’ when they were happy or celebrating something.
“No, no, that’s not what I mean.” Silverstream flipped to the chapter in her book where she started getting lost. “It’s all this other stuff.” She pointed to the first page of the chapter in question. “Everygriff can do little tricks or flips in the air just like ponies or griffons. I’m having trouble with how this is supposed to go together like she explained.”
“Okay, it’s that last topic she was teaching us.” Brightstar figured this might be hard for a newbie like Silverstream to grasp. “I’ll guess that seaponies never had to do complicated swimming routines, I take it.”
Seeing her pony friend grinning like that made Silverstream relax, Brightstar understood her dilemma. “Well,” Silverstream tried to think of some kind of parallel, “back home in Seaquestria, there are seapony groups who do choreographed shows for the royal family, but it’s for the entertainment of the Court and not really for competition.”
“Also, I didn’t know there were ‘correct’ and ‘incorrect’ ways of beginning and ending a particular trick or flight maneuver. I always just twisted and moved my body in whichever way felt right or comfortable. I never knew there were certain ways to do tricks in order to string a whole bunch of them together.”
After she and her friends had watched Silverstream perform like she had during the first day, Brightstar knew her hippogriff friend was capable. Silverstream just needed the right kind of direction.
“Don’t let it throw you off. The easy part is learning the trick moves, it’s only putting them together into a single routine that makes this part challenging. Let’s start at the beginning; your take off and first move.”
Slowly, Brightstar began helping Silverstream to pick out eight flight tricks from the book to put into her first routine. Brightstar explained how to select the order to put each move in and how best to both set-up for and exit from each move so as to be in position for the next. Silverstream soon caught on; it wasn’t easy but the whys and hows for each move selection was eventually explained and put into order.
“You know,” Silverstream looked over her textbook again, scrutinizing one page in particular, “this reminds me of something I’ve seen other seaponies do in one of those choreographed swimming routines. They spun themselves around a lot like this.” Silverstream pointed to a particular flight maneuver on the page. Her words caught Brightstar’s notice.
“I thought you said those seapony teams only did routines or shows for the royal family and the Court of Seaquestria. How do you know what their routines were?” Silverstream went pale, realizing she’d let slip a pretty big clue to her background. She had to think quickly.
“I… I actually got to spend some time in the royal palace as a youngster. My family often had business there, so I got to see a performance or two.” Silverstream relaxed a tiny bit; it was plausible and not quite a lie. She observed Brightstar carefully for her reaction. Thankfully the suspicious light had gone out of her friend’s eyes.
There was a pause between them just long enough to be awkward. “Interesting,” said Brightstar. “Maybe another time you could tell me what that’s like? I imagine it’s lovely.”
Silverstream grinned at her, unaware that her visible relief had once again piqued Brightstar’s curiosity. “Definitely. The motions are so graceful, partly because it’s harder to move in water than in air.”
“Well, if that’s so,” said Brightstar, “then maybe we can incorporate some of the seaponies swimming moves into your routine; make it more representational to both hippogriffs and seaponies.”
Silverstream was only too happy to move the topic back to the work at hand. She had barely managed to avoid a serious slip-up and would have to be much more careful when she spoke. She was desperate not to let her secret out.
Meanwhile, Solar Flare and Nightflight toiled away as a team, quizzing each other repeatedly about this term or that topic and making sure they remembered. An hour’s worth of intense planning passed before some of the recruits completed their first drafts for their instructor to evaluate.
“I’m ready, ma’am.” Wind Raider was one of the first to be at her desk with plan in hoof, ready to impress. Blaze looked over the list of maneuvers and how they were strung together, seeing this recruit understood the material well.
“Very good… this is a good variation to this move,” she commented without looking up at him. It didn’t matter, every other flyer in the room had heard her praise his efforts. “Other than the direction of the barrel roll you want to do here,” she pointed out the small error on the page, “it’s fine for your first flight. Fix that one thing and it’ll be good to go.” Wind Raider was chuffed at hearing how well his routine was planned.
“I will, ma’am. It’ll be perfect for this afternoon.” He scooped his notebook off the desk and got back to his seat to effusive congratulations from his study partner. More recruits posed their routines to their instructor, some getting the okay to do their selected moves while some had to redo portions of their routines for one reason or another. Silverstream and her friends were next in line, each handing off their assignment to Blaze. The Wonderbolt went over Firebolt’s submission first, nodding silently to each of the maneuvers selected and then signing off on the routine.
“It’s fine; you’re good to go with it.” Blaze only took a cursory look up at Firebolt as she signed the paper and moved on to Solar Flare’s work.
“This is wrong here; you’re not going to have your body in the right position if you want to do this move that follows it.” She turned the page around to show him what she meant. “Here,” she pointed to his change from an inverted loop into a descending corkscrew, “you’re going to be facing the wrong direction if you try this and have to twist your torso around an extra time in order to be in correct position. It’s going to throw off your timing.”
When Solar Flare looked at his work again, he saw what she was talking about. “Oh, wait, I see it. I’m supposed to turn clockwise at the end of the corkscrew in order to be in the right spot for my loop.”
“Just change the direction of that and you’ll be fine,” she assured him. “It’s a good selection if you can pull it off. It’s going to be quite a challenge to get correct for this first flight. You sure you can do this?”
“Absolutely, ma’am. It’ll be flawless when I’m done.” Solar Flare took back the sheet, heading back to his desk to get to work. Next up was Nightflight, who handed over his work with a big grin of confidence on his face. Blaze looked over the selection.
“Interesting… interesting…” she mumbled, more to herself then the waiting recruit. Nightflight wasn’t nervous; he’d been flying like this for a long time and this was right up his alley of experience.
“It’s a good selection, just be sure you hit those transition points dead on or else you’re going to look bad up there. You don’t want to stop in the middle of it to correct yourself,” she gave warning as she signed off on his routine. This was one of the more ambitious plans she’d seen so far. Brightstar was next, handing over her repertoire of flight moves for her first showing. Blaze read the list of seven moves and was pleased that Brightstar had obviously put a lot of thought and care into planning them. All the small details of timing and position were accounted for.
“Very good, young mare. This is a well-balanced routine and you’ve got two moves back-to-back that are creatively interconnected.” Blaze signed off on her routine too, thrilling Brightstar, who was relieved she didn’t have to redo any portions of it. Finally, it was Silverstream’s turn. She handed over the page with her selection, waiting nervously for what the Wonderbolt instructor would say.
“This routine is rather unusual with all these variations. What’s the reason for altering these moves so much?” Blaze looked up at the nervous hippogriff.
“Well, I was trying to include some aspects of some of the swimming routines I’d seen back home in Seaquestria into a flying routine. I discovered that swimming and flying have some similarities so I thought I could make it work.”
Blaze scrutinized it closer, trying to envision what Silverstream was attempting to achieve. It was different, incorporating elements of both environments Silverstream was from and melding them into a single routine. “Well,” Blaze sighed a little, “it’s a bit like some of those ‘sky-dancing’ routines I’ve seen some flyers do. But, since it’s incorporated fairly smoothly into the moves you want to do, I don’t foresee a problem with it.”
Sliverstream breathed a sigh of relief, glad it hadn’t been rejected outright. Blaze signed off on her submission. “Word of advice,” Blaze got the hippogriff’s attention away from her two friends standing behind her.
“Yes?”
“You’re adding a lot of showiness to it, and a recruit’s routine is primarily based on covering the essentials. Just don’t let the flashy aspect of it outshine what we need to see you do.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll make sure it’s acceptable in time.” Silverstream eagerly agreed, delighted at having successfully completed her very first flight plan. She and her friends rejoined Solar Flare and Nightflight at their desks, excited for this afternoon. After another twenty minutes of work, a bugle call came over the public address system. Just about every flyer looked up at the clock.
“Hey, isn’t it too soon for lunch?” Solar Flare hadn’t finished his work, aware he had at least forty-five minutes left before he had to submit his assignment.
“That’s the call for assembly, everypony! Let’s go!” Blaze got her students to their hooves and hustled them out the door and towards the activities field. Within seconds, the entire group of recruits were standing on the edge of the tarmac, waiting.
“What’s going on?” Silverstream looked about to see the rest of her friends heading over to them.
“Do you know why they called us to assembly?” She asked Firebolt and Cloudy Sky.
“We were going to ask you the same thing.” Cloudy Sky looked around at the gathered recruits and ‘Bolt instructors standing near the tarmac, watching Rainbow Dash heading over to them. She slowed only enough to speak with her fellow team members briefly before continuing.
“Hey, gang.” She made a quick headcount, finding one extra pony with her students. “Wait, don’t I know you?” Rainbow Dash did a double-take, her memory momentarily jolted. The mare giggled and pointed to herself with the tip of her wing, grinning widely.
“It’s me; Razzle Dazzle, remember?”
It took Rainbow Dash a few seconds to reconnect the name to the recruit. “Wait, I remember you now. The fourth pony yesterday who reached seventeen hoops, right?” Razzle Dazzle nodded excitedly at getting to meet the famous Wonderbolt again.
“Professor Dash, why’d they call everyone to assembly, including the Wonderbolts?” Silverstream inquired nervously.
They all turned at the sound of the door from the classroom building opening and saw Commander Spitfire heading right for them, a look of deathly seriousness on her face. Rainbow Dash knew that look; it was trouble. Big trouble! She felt the worry in the back of her mind tick up a level or two.
“We’ll find out soon enough. Everyone into formation, on the double!” She ordered softly, and the group quickly got into place and stood at attention with the rest of the recruits. Rainbow Dash hurried over to stand with her team.
Commander Spitfire was joined by both Soarin and another reservist from the academy, all heading towards them.
I wonder if it’s because of Gallus and me being here. Did we get Professor Dash or Commander Spitfire in trouble? Silverstream thought to herself as her C.O. headed for them.
====*****====
“All recruits present and accounted for, ma’am.” Thunderlane saluted his captain and commander.
“Very good.” Soarin returned the salute and Thunderlane took his spot in the line of team members facing Commander Spitfire. Soarin stood next to her.
“At ease, recruits,” Spitfire began, clearly suppressing her annoyance. “This scroll just came in from Central Command. It reads: ‘At oh-thirteen hundred hours today, a second group of recruits will be arriving at the Wonderbolt Academy grounds as part of the ‘Wing Up’ recruitment drive initiated this month. You are to incorporate this second group into the current rounds of trials immediately and recall as many additional team members or instructors from the school as are needed in order to comply.”
There was an audible gasp from the Wonderbolt members, hearing how their workload had just doubled, if not tripled. Spitfire heard some of the whispered comments from her team members behind her but continued on.
“Additionally, you recruits are to be immediately moved from your current housing assignments and relocated to barracks B near the main dormitory of the academy for the remainder of the trials. Wonderbolt Soarin will assign two team members with the duty of directing you to your new housing. Be ready by twelve-hundred hours. Understood?”
“Yes ma’am!” All twenty-one of the recruits barked back, realizing they only had twenty minutes to get packed up.
“Dismissed!” Spitfire turned to her team captain. “Get going, captain.” She scratched off another item from the list on her clipboard, handed him the files and headed off to the front office to gather up the next batch of files for the coming recruits. This year’s tryouts were getting increasingly complicated.
“Yes ma’am.” He took the stack of files from her, turning to Rainbow Dash just to his right and handing her a list. “Dash, go get these ponies from the school. They’re probably upstairs in the classroom building’s teacher lounge.”
She took the list and gave him a quick salute. “Yes sir. I’ll be right back.” In a flash, she was off for the classroom building, wanting to nab the reservists while they might still be teaching.
It took Rainbow Dash less than five minutes to round up the requested reservists, racing through the hallways and poking her head into lounges and classrooms. Each reservist reacted with surprise, and then dutifully hurried off to the conference room. Everypony knew Commander Spitfire hated waiting.
The last reservist on her list, Hyacinth Dawn, was right behind her as she pushed open the door to the conference room to find most of the active ‘Bolt team assembled.
It was crowded in the small space and everypony jockeyed around to allow Rainbow Dash inside and closer to the table. Hyacinth Dawn managed to squeeze in and find a spot to stand, allowing Spitfire to begin.
“Everypony here? I want to see the reservists up front right now,” she ordered, watching pony bodies moving aside to let the five of them step forward. Vapor Trail, Sky Stinger, Mountain Haze, Angel Wings and Hyacinth Dawn moved in closer to Commander Spitfire who sat at the head of the desk, facing their C.O. Spitfire eyed the reservists standing in front of her.
“You ponies,” she began, “were selected by Soarin and myself to help us this year with the academy trials; we felt you five were the most capable and ready for this assignment.”
The five reservists seemed a bit surprised by this revelation.
“Excuse me, Commander,” Sky Stinger spoke up, “but wouldn’t the other ‘Bolt team members be better choices? I mean, we’re just second year reservists. It’s not like we’ve had any experience with running the trials.”
“But you do have more teaching experience then the other ‘Bolt team members and are the best of the reservists. I simply can’t pull every full ‘Bolt team member off their teaching assignments from the academy to run the trials.” Spitfire countered. While Sky Stinger enjoyed and relished the compliment of being considered ‘the best’, Mountain Haze was humbled by the kind words as were Angel Wings and Vapor Trail.
“Plus, we’ve got a situation on our hooves right now,” Soarin added, some worry creeping in to his voice.
“What kind of situation?” asked Hyacinth Dawn.
Spitfire continued her briefing. “Apparently, Central Command has decided to dump another two or three dozen fresh newbies on our doorstep for trials without bothering to consult us.”
“But, they can’t do that, can they?” A shocked Sky Stinger looked to the senior team members for elucidation.
“What’s the thinking behind that? I mean, why now and why all of a sudden? Without any notice?” Mountain Haze thought it most peculiar for Central Command to do something like this. This certainly didn’t sound logical or rational.
“How are we supposed to do all of this with only fourteen of us to get it done?” Vapor Trail didn’t think they could. The school required at least ten Wonderbolt members to instruct the classes full time and also to have some reservists on call for help. This would mean there would be no extra team members. The entire teaching staff would be on duty at the same time.
“Who’s going to act as substitute teachers in the academy if we’re helping run the trials, commander?” Hyacinth Dawn looked around at her fellow instructors, unsure if they could pull this off.
“For the next four days, let’s just hope nopony calls out sick because we need all hooves on deck to get through this one.” Spitfire leaned back in her chair, flipping back through the notepad she’d been writing down her instructions on.
“Here’s the assignments; Rainbow Dash, I want you to head up the team members who are in charge of the new arrivals. Get them processed and through the receiving barracks and into their housing assignments ASAP. Then I want you, Blaze, Thunderlane, Mountain Haze, Fleetfoot and Hyacinth Dawn to start at the beginning with them; first evaluations, assignment to classes if necessary and then get them started on the first phase of training.”
“You can count on us, commander.” Rainbow Dash took the instructions from her commander, already starting to figure out what training gear she was going to need from the shed.
“Soarin,” Spitfire began filling out the same forms again with the next list of names, “I want you, Misty Fly, High Winds, Silver Zoom, Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger to continue with the recruits we’ve already started with. I’ll leave it up to you and Rainbow Dash to assign jobs to whomever you feel is qualified for the duty.” She handed off the orders to Soarin. “Angel Wings,” she now looked right at the pony standing nervously at attention, “you have to be the liaison between the groups and report back to me. When everypony has their duties assigned, I want-”
Knock! Knock! A hoof knocking at the conference room door interrupted Spitfire’s train of thought. Silver Zoom reached over to open the door and in hurried Icy Rain, one of the few reservists who were to remain on call during the trials for academy classroom teaching assignments.
“Message for you, ma’am.” He handed her the newly received message and quickly departed. Spitfire quickly read its contents and growled.
“What is it, commander?” Soarin didn’t like seeing his C.O. more upset, well aware of the pressure she was under.
“Oh, it just gets worse by the moment! Listen to this,” she spat. “To encourage the next generation of ponies to take interest in the academy, new arrivals and those recruits currently in the trials are permitted to have their families join them for tomorrow morning’s mealtime. There will be a brief ‘meet & greet’ to take place for one-half hour afterwards so the family members may meet the Wonderbolt team members up close and personally before departing.”
A collective moan came from the Wonderbolt team members, once more called on to do PR work for the academy.
“Geez, as if this year’s trials aren’t hard enough already,” Silver Zoom muttered under his breath.
“I’ll get everything in order for the meet & greet, commander. It shouldn’t take long.” As always, Soarin stepped up to take charge. Spitfire let out a huge sigh, leaning back in her chair again and trying to cope as best she could.
“Misty Fly and Silver Zoom; I want you two to take care of moving the recruits over to the barracks B, get them settled in and off to lunch. I have to be waiting by the main entrance to the grounds with Commander Spitfire when the newbies arrive. You reservists,” Soarin addressed the five ponies standing near the desk, “get suited up and ready for your assignment post lunchtime. We can’t let anything lag behind the timetable for the trials. Everypony has their duty; let’s get it done, folks!” He ordered. The five reservists stood tall and saluted back.
“Yes, sir.” The team began to file out of the room, aware of what was expected of them and of the academy trials now. There was going to be real trouble if this didn’t go off like clockwork.
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Well, it just got complicated!
And I foresee Silverstream being one of those who has a tough time leading given her past. She's good at leading without really knowing it.
Wow, quite the chapter to go back to! Where do I even start???
First off regarding the Wing & Lead Pony classes I can't believe Firebolt got Wing while Wind Raider got Lead
, at least Firebolt have made the best of it with that aerial routine they are coming up with alongside Gallus, Cloudy & the very hyper Razzle (think she may had one too many of Pinkie's sweets 
) Glad that Silverstream had some friends with her in the Lead class, although she needs to be more careful about almost revealing her royal status to the others (Raider mostly
)
Course the real kicker just came at the end there, things are gonna be hectic from here on out indeed!
Thanks for another great chapter Jay, it was well worth the wait!
Afraid what you are doing barely reflects the real thing. There would be no trials. Either someone is deemed fit or they aren't. No one would put raw recruits through tests that have the potential to permanently cripple someone. What recruits can look forward too is one to two weeks of living hell where they are run through an exercise regimen, classes, and everything they do is micromanaged to the nth degree while the training instructors, and yes, senior cadets, play mind games with them. The idea is to break the civilian down so that they can start building the new member of the military. I've been through US Air Force basic training and tech school, and from what I've seen of Officer training, the mind games are ratcheted up to cult levels for the new incoming cadets. Often with senior cadets pulling stunts, Hazing, that has the potential to ruin a person's career should anyone end up in the hospital, and yes, it's been known to happen.
But then this is a fantasy world where a civilian can come in off the streets to join the best flying force in all of Equestria.
In the real world, no one gets into the Thunderbirds, Blue Angels, or the UK's Red Arrows until they have completed basic and either graduated from the academy or Officer Training School and have a set amount of completed operational tours and have a set amount of flying time before they would even be considered for one of the coveted slots in the elite team. But like I said, this is fantasy.
As for the new incoming batch of hopefuls... Ya, I can kind of see someone pulling a stunt like that, but then if the training command isn't ready for a new batch because someone tried to stack the deck with an end-around, the training command would just house them and designated them as AFI troops until training slots were available. That's Awaiting Further Instructions. Such a unit needs minimal personnel and the training command can sit on them indefinitely if they want to. Such individuals will get physical training followed by being put to work policing the base for litter, doing grounds maintenance such as mowing lawns and painting rocks white and lots of kitchen patrol.
Wow, what a chapter!
Silverstream is a lead pony while Gallus is a wing. I figured as much would happen since there's two of them. Gallus makes sense for a wing pony since he never seemed to be the leadership type. Since Gallus was figured out, it could only mean Silverstream would become a lead. Who knows, maybe her royalty training would give her a major advantage in strategical thinking and leadership?
Razzle's a bit hyper, isn't she?
Yikes, a whole new challenge for the trials with a second batch to join the first. While it's clearly going to stress out the Wonderbolts, it's neat to see Sky Stinger, Vapor Trail, and Angel Wings get more important assignments.
This was a great chapter for your return. Welcome back!
10303000 There was an established flight school with an actual classroom in "Top Bolt", and in order to get into the reserves Rainbow Dash had to pass a history test. It's probably similar to the U.S. Army and Navy professional sports teams.
10303000
Just a bit of creative license; Since Rainbow Dash had to train there just to become a WB Reservist, I figured Wonderbolt HQ 'could' have a training school for younger flyers or a sort-of pipeline for flyers to get into military service.
10317181
Oh yeah, it's going to get tough for her, thrust into a leadership role without much preparation. She is going to get seriously tested for her character and leadership role from the least expected places; and there with be several. Hold on to your armrests tight, because it's about to get real bumpy real soon! Trust me!
10320362
It was easier for me to put every flyer as 'co-ed' sleeping arrangements; helped out the story dynamics. I liked the idea of her wanting to look good when she's 'out on the town' with her friends; something she learned from professor Rarity.