-- Burning Bright --
By: DarkAura89
I sighed to myself, shaking my head and rubbing a hoof against my temple. It was the second day of tryouts, and it looked like it was gonna be another bunch of ponies who thought they had what it took to make the Wonderbolts. Sadly, it seems they didn’t quite understand the level of skill we’re looking for. Every year it’s the same thing; everypony and their aunt comes out thinking they’re the hottest flyer in Equestria and that they’ve got the skills needed, yet we only get at most two or three who actually have them.
Tryouts weren’t even half over and I was already starting to question if this is going to be one of those years where nopony’s good enough to make the team. Yesterday we had three unfortunate ponies who crashed and ended up in the hospital. Today we’ve already had one who crashed and nearly took out some of the other hopefuls in the process.
I looked down at my clipboard to see the day wasn’t even half over yet. Celestia help me. A good, stiff drink sounded wonderful right about then. It had been long enough since the last hopeful, and it was time to get on with it. The sooner this gets done, the sooner I can get that drink.
“Number six-eight-one, you’re up next. Make sure you’ve got your goggles and that you’ve properly warmed up. I don’t wanna see anymore ponies end up in the hospital.”
From somewhere in the crowd of potential recruits the usual reply of “Yes ma’am!” was shouted followed by movement as the next pony up moved towards the exhibition area. I noticed it was a stallion this time as he made his way forward out of the crowd. Not unheard of, but given Equestria’s population distribution we tended to get more mares showing up for tryouts.
His appearance was a little hard to make out beneath the trainee uniform and goggles, but it looked like he had a light blue coat and navy mane. I checked the roster again and noticed this was his first time trying out; unlike many of the other first timers that showed up, it looked like he’d been training for this knowing just how fit you had to be. His body had the toned physique of a veteran flyer who took what they did seriously. If it weren’t for the nervous trembling and the trainee uniform, I’d have mistaken him for an off duty Wonderbolt.
“Alright six-eight-one, let’s see what you’ve got. We’ll start out with the basic flight maneuvers, then move on to some of the more advanced stuff, then you’ll get a chance to show us any stunts you’ve created or anything else that you feel we’ve overlooked that’s important to this tryout. And please try to keep it interesting.” I looked over at the waiting veterans to see who was ready to run this evaluation, noticing that Fleetfoot seemed recovered enough and a touch bored. “Fleetfoot! You’re up. Put this colt through the paces and let’s see if he measures up!”
While the first two parts were usually pretty similar between ponies, and as a result uninteresting, the final part always kept the veterans entertained. Ponies had the strangest ideas of what kind of tricks would “wow” us. Usually the tricks they came up with just amounted to flying really fast or showing off some ridiculous light show that they think will impress us.
Fleetfoot nodded my way, letting me know she heard me, as she made her way over to the stallion to give him a briefing on what was going to happen. Well, guess it was time to sit back and watch to see if this stallion was as capable as he looked, or if his physique was just for show.
As soon as they took off, it was obvious that the poor guy was still a bit nervous but he managed to work through the first round with only a few mistakes. As I watched him getting a quick lesson on the first advanced maneuver that he’d have to perform for the second section from Fleetfoot, he didn’t seem to relax anymore; If anything he seemed even more tense. While it was clear to anyone watching that he had some real talent, he needed to learn to relax a bit and just enjoy what he was doing. As Fleetfoot finished her lesson on performing a corkscrew, she moved back to let him try what he’d just learned. I could feel in my gut that something wasn’t quite right though as I watched him get ready to show her how much he’d picked up.
I paid close attention as he started the corkscrew and noticed that his left wing wasn’t quite at the right angle, but before I could say anything he started the maneuver. I watched helplessly as he lost control and barreled into the clouds below, crashing into them with a resounding thud.
I flew over as quickly as my wings would carry me and was relieved to see he didn’t have any obvious injuries and was still conscious. That was a good sign. Most ponies who crashed that hard usually woke up in a hospital bed sometime the following day. I let out a breath I wasn’t aware I’d been holding, “Geez! You’re one tough stallion. It’s not often you see a pony crash that hard and walk away from it.”
He let out a groan as he shakily worked himself back to his legs. “Well, I’ve had a lot of practice crashing, ma’am.”
I laughed a bit at the fact he was joking at a time like this. “Well, at least you’ve got a sense of humor about this.” Watching as he steadied himself, I reached over to give him a pat on the back for that accomplishment, but remembered that he’d probably still be sore. Crashing hurt like Tartarus, the voice of experience reminded me, so I opted to help him steady himself instead.
“Ma’am, if I may ask, did I blow it?”
“Huh?”
“Well, I mean I just screwed up a pretty basic maneuver and crashed pretty hard. I just want to know if I’ve blown my shot at making it into the Wonderbolts this time around, ma’am.”
“Why? You thinking about giving up?” I smirked at the rookie knowing full well most ponies in this scenario would probably call it quits to cut their losses. They figured if there wasn’t a chance, they’d just quit early and come back next year.
“No ma’am! I’m no quitter. I’ll finish this if it puts me in the hospital ma’am. Just curious was all ma’am.” He shored up his stance almost instantly with the response. Despite possibly being a bit dazed from the impact yet, he was showing that he was ready for whatever order came next. His voice had lost the informal tone he had been using a moment ago, and returned back to the formal tone that we drilled into the rookies.
Huh. I hadn’t been expecting that reply. “Ah! Well, yeah, you screwed up the maneuver, but you also walked away from the crash, so I’d say you’ve still got a chance.”
“That’s good. I was worried I’d blown the past few months worth of training.” He sheepishly ran a hoof through his mane, and I noticed his muscles relax a bit as the tension left his body.
“Just a bit of advice: relax a bit. I can tell you’ve got some serious skills, but if you’re so worked up about blowing it you’re not gonna perform at your best.” I closed the distance between us and gently threw a hoof around his neck as I met his gaze. “I can tell you’ve got what it takes to be a Wonderbolt. All you’ve gotta do is prove it.”
“Thank you ma’am.”
I gave him some space as he stretched his wings and checked to make sure there were no major injuries. He still seemed a bit nervous and tense, so I decided to give him a bit more encouragement to get him to relax a bit more. “Since I can tell you’re still a bit nervous, I’m gonna tell you what somepony told me when I was learning to fly. I can tell you belong up there, and if anyone’s worthy to be a Wonderbolt in this group of hopefuls, it’s you.”
I looked over to him and met his eyes and noticed they were a rich emerald. “You know, seeing you up close, you remind me of somepony I used to know.”
A faint blush rose to his cheeks and I noticed he seemed a bit jumpier than before. Wonder what it was I’d said that got him on pins and needles. “Well, I guess I’ve just got one of those faces.” He let out a nervous chuckle as he averted his eyes.
Celestia, he’s cute when he blushes. “Hmmm. Guess so. You know… I never asked what your name was.”
The look of terror on his face caught me by surprise. “I… um… my name?”
“Yes,” I said as calmly as possible in an attempt to relax him, all traces of the drill sergeant gone from my voice, “your name.”
He mumbled something under his breath, but I couldn’t quite make out what he’d said.
“What was that?”
“Soa…”
That time I could have sworn… “Almost. Again, with a bit more volume this time.”
He sighed, deflating a bit as he cleared his throat. “Soarin, ma’am.”
Huh. Why did that name sound so-
Buck. I thought he looked familiar.
It was my third day trying to fly this week, and already I could tell it was going to go just like my other attempts: badly. I could hover for a bit, sure, but anytime I tried to get more altitude my wings gave out after a bit, ending with me getting a mouthful of dirt or landing awkwardly. Earlier in the week I’d almost gotten ten feet off the ground before losing focus and landing on my wing. Mom totally freaked out over that. She didn’t let me practice for the next two days! Reading’s fun and all, but a filly as cool as me’s got to get out and learn to fly.
I did most of my practicing in a park on the outskirts of town. Cloudsdale might have been a city in the sky, but the ponies who built it knew what they were doing. They’d found a way to enchant some clouds to hold dirt, so a few parks were scattered around the city. This one was one of the smaller ones, and not very many ponies visited it, so it was a great place for me to practice flying.
I’d already spent the morning working on my hovering and stretching my wings like mom and dad told me to do. They keep telling me that it’ll help me build up my wing strength, but so far I don’t think it’s working. After just one try today, I already had a few scrapes and knew there were gonna be a few nice bruised later. I didn’t really feel like trying again though. Maybe I was still too young, or wasn’t strong enough. Maybe I wasn’t meant to fly.
NO. That’s not it. I know I’m supposed to fly. I’m going to be captain of the Wonderbolts one day. This is nothing.
But... why am I having so much trouble then?
“Why is this so feathering hard!”
“That’s not really language a little filly should be using.”
I looked behind me to see who was there and saw a colt, about my age, laughing into his hoof. “It’s not funny!” I yelled.
He stopped laughing right away and looked at me. His coat was a light blue and his mane a deep navy. I looked into his green eyes and saw there wasn’t anything there that said he was serious about his last comment.
“I’m sorry. I just thought it was funny to hear someone my age using that kind of language.” He cantered up to me and sat down a few feet away from me. “So, what’s got you so down?”
“None of your business!” That’ll show him!
“Problems flying then?”
Buck. Me. “No...”
“...” He tilted his head and gave me a deadpan look.
“Yes...” Damn he’s good. “I’ve been trying to learn for months and all I’ve been able to do is hover. I’ve practiced every day I could, and all I’ve managed to do is sprain a wing and get a few bruises and scrapes! It’s not fair! Other ponies can fly, so why can’t I?” I slammed a hoof into the ground, wincing as it impacted.
He sat there for a moment, and I wasn’t sure what he was up to. He slowly got up and worked his way closer to me, then he sat down next to me and draped a wing over my back. “It’s okay.” He laid a reassuring hoof around my neck. “I believe in you. One day you’ll be an amazing flyer.”
I laughed at that. “You don’t even know me. How can you say I’m going to be amazing? You don’t even know my name!”
He stared at me blankly for a second, and I thought I saw the gears moving in his head before something clicked. “Oh Buck! Sorry. I’m such an idiot!” He facehooved hard enough to make me wince. “The name’s Soarin.” He turned to face me and stuck his hoof out expectantly.
Who does this colt think he is? What’s his deal? I stared at his hoof for a bit before making up my mind. “Spitfire.” I shook his hoof and smiled back at him.
“Nice ta meet ya Spitfire. As for why I believe in you: you haven’t given up yet.”
“Huh?” Well put Spitfire. Well put.
“Well, you said it yourself. You’ve only gotten a sprained wing and some scrapes and bruises so far, yet you’re still out here trying.”
“Well, yeah. I’m not going to give up. Doesn’t mean I’m going to be good at it.”
“Well, no,” I noticed him blushing when I looked over to him, “but there’s something about you. I just don’t know how to put it. You just seem like you belong up there, flying.”
“Oh? Why don’t ya tell me what you really think?” I teased.
“I... I don’t... but... HUH?!?” Note to self, he’s cute when he’s flustered and blushing.
“Relax. I’m just teasing.”
“Oh. That’s-”
“Then again, you’re pretty cute for a colt...”
Yeah. The stammering and blushing’s definitely cute. Not that I’d ever let him know.
“I’m kidding. Relax Soarin. What do you mean though?” I noticed he exhaled a bit this time as he went back to having his wing draped across my back.
“Like I said,” he rubbed the back of his head with a hoof, “I don’t know how to put it. I just see you trying your best and... I don’t know... I just know you’ll do it. I feel like if you say you’re going to do it, that’s it. It’s as good as done.”
“I’m still not sure I quite get it, but I’m feeling a bit better now.”
I looked over at him and he was staring up at the sky with a goofy grin on his face. “I guess the best way to put it is you’re inspiring. I wish I had that much confidence.”
“I don’t... buh... what...” Not cool. Oh, and I totally didn’t blush. I’m too cool for that.
“You know, you’re kinda cute when you blush.”
Celestia damnit I don’t blush!
“Still doesn’t explain why you think I’m going to be amazing.”
“Like I said, I can’t explain it, but I just know it.”
I sat there thinking about his words and felt a bit better as they sunk in, but I wasn’t quite ready to try flying again for the day just yet. “Soarin?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you really think I’ll ever be good at flying?”
“Wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t think so.”
“If I tell you something, promise not to laugh?” I looked at him and shot him a look that promised pain if he broke his word.
“I promise.”
I sighed. He seemed like a nice colt. I’d already told him more than most, so I guess this last bit won’t hurt...
“My dream is to be the Captain of the Wonderbolts.” I turned away, not wanting to see him laughing at me.
I didn’t expect the hoof he used to turn my face to make my eyes meet his.
“I’m sure you’ll make it. If anyone can, it’s you. I can tell you belong up there. Now, if I tell you something, promise not to laugh?”
I nodded, still not quite sure what to say. I can’t believe he thinks I’m worthy of being a Wonderbolt...
“I want to be a Wonderbolt too. I know I’m not good enough to be a Captain, but I just want to be a part of the team.”
He hugged me first. Honest.
“I’ve never told anypony that before. Thanks for not laughing at me.”
“Why would I laugh?”
“Maybe because I’m a filly who can’t even fly.”
“So?”
“What do you mean ‘so’?”
“Well, just ‘cuz you can’t fly now doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to fly. I’m sure once you start, you’ll just keep getting better until you make your dream real.”
Huh. That actually makes sense. I wasn’t blushing again. I swear.
“Yeah. You’re definitely cute when you blush.”
Buck. My. Life.
“Shut up! Or I’ll... I’ll... just shut up!”
“You know Spitfire, this was nice. I don’t normally talk to too many ponies. Most of them just think I’m a loser, so they ignore me or laugh at me. Would you mind if I came back tomorrow and practiced with you?”
“Sure,” I looked back at him, “just so long as you promise not to laugh when I crash.”
“I’ll promise not to laugh at you crashing if you promise not to laugh at me crashing.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” I smiled at him. Maybe my dream wasn’t so far off after all.
“You…” I stared slack-jawed at the stallion standing in front of me.
“Hi Spits.” He rubbed a hoof along the back of his head while trying to look anywhere but at me. “Long time no see. I heard you made Captain a while back and I thought about coming over to congratulate you, but I figured you’d forgotten about me.”
“Soarin... you should know I could never forget about you. If it wasn’t for you, I doubt I’d have gotten this far. Every day I trained and every time I tried out, I thought about what you said back then, and it kept me motivated.”
Celestia. He’s cuter now when he blushes than he was back then.
“I just…” he sighed a bit, lowering his head and slumping his shoulders before continuing, “I guess I just figured an important pony like you wouldn’t want anything to do with a nopony like me.”
“Hey! You know that’s not true! I don’t care where I am or what I’m doing. I always have time for friends.” I raised his face up to meet my gaze, “I’m glad to see you finally decided to try out for the Wonderbolts. I know this was your dream back then, and like I said, you’ve got what it takes. You just need to relax a bit and show us that you’re capable. I can tell you belong in up there flying, and you’ve clearly been practicing enough to have the skills to be a part of the team.”
“Spitfire…”
I stared at him for a bit before an idea popped into my head. “Hey! Fleetfoot!”
“Yeah Captain?”
“Go relax. I’ll be administering the rest of this evaluation.” The look of sheer terror on her and everypony else’s face was priceless.
“But Captain… I can-”
“Fleetfoot, I am perfectly capable of handling the administration of a cadet evaluation.”
“Yes ma’am. I’m not questioning you ma’am, but you shouldn’t need to do this with all of the rest of us present.”
“Well, it just so happens I feel like giving this one, so go get ready for next one.”
I could tell Fleetfoot wasn’t satisfied with my answer, but she accepted it and flew back down to the rest of the Wonderbolts who were waiting. Looking over to Soarin, I finally noticed the expression he had on. It was a mix between terror, excitement, and nervousness.
“Well Soarin, you ready to get this over with? I’ll be giving you your instructions and doing the evaluation. Hopefully having a familiar face around will help you relax a bit.” I smirked a bit as a smile slowly worked it’s way onto his muzzle.
“Yes, ma’am. Whenever you’re ready, ma’am.” I chuckled a bit at his salute and his newfound confidence.
“Well then, let’s get on with it.”
Everything went well through the second round and even through the final round, but there was one more thing I wanted Soarin do before I allowed him to be done. I had remembered part way through his demonstration of some stunts he’d developed a stunt that we’d worked out after I’d finally learned to fly. I knew if he could still pull it off, he’d be guaranteed a spot in the Wonderbolts and a fast track through the ranks.
“Soarin, before I mark this evaluation down as complete, I have a request.”
“Yes, ma’am, what is it?”
“Do you remember back when we were young how we practiced every day to get better at flying?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Well, there’s a move from back then that I’ve tried to get into a show ever since I’ve been captain, but nopony’s been either good enough to keep up or in-sync enough with me to pull it off right.” I met his gaze and put on my sternest look. “Do you remember Firestorm?”
The look in his eyes was one of realization and a bit of concern. “Spitfire… It’s been awhile since I practiced that move. I remember how to do it, but I’m probably rusty.”
“Based on what I’ve seen today, you’re still probably more than capable to perform it. All I really want to see is if you’re still as in-sync with me as you were all those years ago. Either way, you’re gonna end up as a Wonderbolt, but if we pull this off you’re gonna be moving up the ranks pretty quickly.”
“I…” he looked at me and I could see his confidence starting to falter a bit, but as he met my gaze it slowly seemed to come back, as he realized how much this meant to me. “Alright Spits. For old times’ sake, I’ll do my best to make you proud and to prove I’m worthy of performing with a mare as amazing as you.”
I swear I didn’t blush. I’m far too cool to blush from a comment like that.
“You’re still cute when you blush.”
Buck. My. Life.
“Yeah… well… you’re pretty damn cute yourself when you blush.” Damnit brain! Don’t just say whatever pops into your mind! “Well, whenever you’re ready.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The stunt itself wasn’t all that complex in theory, but the effect it gave was still pretty stunning when pulled off right. It consisted of two pegasi flying in close quarters at high speeds which led to a sort of blending of their mane and body colors to an outside spectator. The overall effect it created depended upon the two ponies colors, but for Soarin and I it was a mix of oranges and yellows with blues, hence Firestorm. Depending on the level of trust with the other pony, it’s even possible to add in other moves to the stunt, like a corkscrew, to enhance it even more. I’d gotten close to getting some of the others to help me pull it off, but the ones who could keep up with me I couldn’t trust, and the ones who I trusted couldn’t keep up with me.
Now though… I had the perfect chance to let everypony on the team see this move when it’s done right and the perfect partner to do it with. I hoped Soarin could keep up and that he still remembered enough to not mess up the timing.
As Soarin worked his way over to me and lined up next to me, I could see some of the faces of the other Wonderbolts and a few of the ponies who’d also came out for tryouts. While the potential recruits looked confused, every one of the Wonderbolts had a light of recognition in their eyes as they realized what I was about to do with a pony who was, in their eyes, an outsider.
I looked over to him and met his gaze, then gave him a nod to let him know I was ready. When he returned the gesture, I took off with him right behind me. We kept the pace a bit slower than where it needed to be until he got in line with me again, then gradually sped it up. As I’d expected, Soarin matched my pace perfectly and never fell behind or got ahead.
Once we got up to performance speed, Soarin took his position on my right and gave me a nod letting me know he was ready for our usual routine. I returned his nod and gave him a countdown. “Three. Two. One.” And with that, I started banking left with Soarin perfectly in line with me, mirroring my movements in his own. As I kept banking left, Soarin kicked the difficulty up a level and started on the second part of this section; he started to fly in circles around me, never getting ahead, never falling behind, and always in line with me. As he sped up I could hear a few gasps from the Wonderbolts hopefuls down below. All I could think is that they hadn’t seen anything yet.
As I straightened out, Soarin fell back into place on my right. Again, I looked to him to confirm he was ready, and again I received a nod letting me know he was. I gave him another countdown, then began to climb in altitude. This next part was the most dangerous part of our version of this routine, and if it were anypony else, I wouldn’t even think of attempting it. Once we got high enough up, we started our dive. It was a steep dive, not quite straight down, but getting close to that point. As we dove, we started to rotate around a point in between us in a sort of helical double corkscrew, picking up speed from the dive and speeding up the rotation until I was sure that everypony watching only saw a blur of orange and blue swirled together. We broke the dive before we got close to the clouds and made a landing, skidding to a halt right in front of the other Wonderbolts, Soarin on my right as he had been for the entirety of the stunt.
The looks on their faces said it all. There wasn’t a single closed mouth in the whole group. Even the veterans were stunned speechless.
“Now that,” I looked over to Soarin, “is how you perform a close quarters flying maneuver with another pegasus and create a stunning visual effect with minimal effort. I assume nopony has any objections to Soarin being our newest member?”
Ah… the sound of stunned silence. Definitely one of those sounds that lets a captain know she’s doing her job. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it.
“Well then, welcome to the Wonderbolts Soarin.” I gave him a tight hug and watched as his face turned a bright crimson. “I’m so happy you finally made it into the Wonderbolts.”
“Thanks Spit- I mean… Captain.”
“It’s fine Soarin. You’re my best friend. If anyone’s allowed to get away with calling me Spitfire, it’s you.” I chuckled a bit at the blush forming on his cheeks.
I saw him breathe a sigh of relief. “Thanks Spitfire. If it you hadn’t taken over my evaluation, I probably would have blown it from all the nerves.”
I could feel myself starting to get a bit sentimental, but then again, I didn’t care. My best friend had finally gotten his dream to come true. “Just happy I could help Soarin.” I leaned in closer to his ear and dropped my voice to a whisper to make sure my next words were for his ears only. “I missed you so much. I’m so happy my best friend is on the team. You were my first real friend Soarin, and I’m looking forward to getting to spend time with you again.”
“I missed you too Spits,” he whispered back, “I’ve been dreaming of this day for so long it almost doesn’t feel real. If I’m dreaming, don’t tell me please. Just let me enjoy it a little longer…”
“It’s not a dream Soarin,” I wrapped a foreleg around his neck, “This is real.”
I didn’t cry. I swear it.
Okay. Maybe I cried a bit, but I’ll be damned if anypony notic-
“Spitfire, are you crying?”
Damn him and his observant nature.
Author's Note
Well, it's done. I wanted to write something in first person for a change of pace. I don't think I'm very good at it, but then again, you can't get better if you don't practice. Hopefully it's not too bad and at least somewhat enjoyable. Again, huge thanks to my prereaders JetGrey and Teal-Tome.
