Could Be a...

Chapter 6 – Welcome back

Sparky's trip from the hotel has started to come to it's end as the large sky blue building begins to come into view. Truthfully, the young stallion would have arrived sooner but his flight through the city was cut short. Even still, the trip from Violet's has only been about thirty or so minutes, and as the light orange pegasus starts to trot up the few steps of the main building he keeps that thought in mind.

The stallion pushes open one of the large bluish glass doors as he takes his first hoof into the main hall.

For a moment Sparky just mindlessly trots a little into the room as he looks it over, nothing has changed since the last time he entered the mixed blue and white stoned main hall. The only difference that can actually be seen is that there appears to be more ponies staying here.

The low echoes of conversations that steam from all the ponies snaps Sparky's mind as he turns his attention to search for somepony who might be able to tell him where to go. As the stallion turns his head around the room he moves his right hoof to his satchel as he fishes out his acceptance letter.

With the letter now in hoof the light orange stallion's eyes land to a vibrant yellow coated mare with sun colored mane wearing what looks to be a wonderbolts outfit. Sparky brings his three hoofed trot up as he continues to look over the mare, it's now as he gets a little closer that he realizes she's not a wonderbolt. Instead of the normal Wonderbolt’s gold lightning insignia, there’s a silver bolt that is stitched into the blue outfit.

Despite this fact Sparky still brings his voice up, "Um, can you tell me where I check in?"

Sparky's voice flicks the mare's ear as she turns her eyes from the bulletin board on the wall she was fixated on, "Hmm?"

"Where do I check in." Sparky holds a friendly smile as the mare blinks to the comment.

However, the mare's voice comes back up with a slightly more professional sounding tone, despite the fact she's only maybe a year older than Sparky, "Oh, yes stallions need to check in with their dorms Strix or a WonderBolt instructor..." She holds her hoof out as her eyes move towards the letter in Sparky's hoof.

Sparky extends the paper to her grasp as she continues to speak up, "...The stallion Dodo's Strix is Wind Snap or Streak, they should-...Oh." The mare tilts her eyes up as he gives a little chuckle, "I'm sorry, I thought you were new here..." To her own words she relaxes a little as she cocks her head to Sparky with a slight smile, "Welcome to your second year Puffin."

"P-puffin?" Sparky blinks to the word as he repeats it.

The mare extends the paper back to his hoof as she nods, "Ya, Puffin, all second years are Puffins-...Hey..." The mare squints her eyes a little as she speaks up with a slightly less professional sounding voice, "You wouldn't be that Sparky Volt that was kicked out last year are ya?"

Sparky shifts a little as he takes the paper and places it into his satchel pocket, "Y-ya that was me."

"Really?" The mare cocks her head as she continues, "...Whoa, i'm surprised you got put in second year then."

The comment has slowly brought Sparky's ears down as the stallion just nods his head, "Ya..."

"Hey, don't feel bad about it." The mare wiggles her hoof towards him as she continues, "I heard you knocked out Flaps with your wings, and -ohhhh...." The mare's smile fades a little as her hoof comes back to the ground, "You knew Streak right? The stallion's dorm overseer?"

Sparky blinks to the comment as he speaks up, "Ya, why?"

The mare waves her hoof as she brings her voice out again, "N-nothing, although you need to get checked. Puffins already had orientation and I know Sorin's not in the best of moods today." The mare points her hoof to the near by hallway as she continues, "Go through here and it's the first door on your right."

Sparky nods his head as he turns his attention towards the hall.

Despite the slightly more crowded building there's no pony that seems to be going or coming from this part of the building, so it only takes a few moments for the young stallion to reach the door.

However as he moves his hoof to knock to the door he stops to the two stallion's voice coming from behind it.

"...I understand what you're saying, but at this time there is nothing more I can do for you."

"With all do respect sir I feel as though I-..."

"Listen, i'll see what I can do. But for right now your paper is final and at this time I can not change any of your schedule. I'm sorry."

"...Yes sir."

Sparky quickly takes his hoof from the door as a figure comes to the obscure glass window of the door. However as it opens the young pegasus looks over the familiar white coated and dark maned stallion wearing a wonderbolt outfit.

For a moment the stallion just stares to the younger pegasus standing in the doorway, but he eventually brings his voice up as he gives a slight friendly smile, "Dodo Cloudshaper? How you doing?"

Before Sparky can bring his voice up Sorin has come over towards the door as he speaks up now holding his sight to the light orange stallion, "...Sparky correct?"

"Y-yes sir." Sparky nods his head as he fumbles his hoof to his bag.

"You're late Sparky." Streak moves a little from the doorway as Sorin's voice comes back up.

The comment pauses Sparky's hoof as he nods, "S-sorry."

Sorin blink to the comment as he continues, "Do you have a reason?"

The stallion's stare continues to pierce through Sparky, not because Sorin's eyes and face scream anger or annoyance. In fact the reason the light young pegasus feels a little uneasy is because of the stallion's stern and emotionless face that awaits his answer, "I didn't know when to arrive."

"Did the train arrive an hour and a half ago?"

"Yes sir."

Sorin nods his head as he sighs, "Well, second year orientation is no different than first years I suppose..." His hoof extends towards Sparky as he continues, "The same rules apply, no fighting and you must maintain respect while here."

"Yes sir." To the extended hoof Sparky quickly rushes the paper forward as he hoofs it to the sky blue pegasus.

Sorin looks over the paper for a moment as he nods his head to it, "Everything seems to be in order, i'll sign this in a moment." He moves his right wing up a little as he tucks the paper under it to hold it as he speaks up, "..You know, for suspensions the Wonderbolts academy usually makes the applicant wait at least six months before we even consider renewal. As you should remember, we value the idea of being mature. Truthfully, you should not be standing here today...But, Princess Luna has personally asked us to recognize your approval..." Sorin nods his head to his own words as he shifts to Streak, "And I suppose the ponies that did vouch for you should count for something..."

With a deep sigh Sorin turns his head back to Sparky as he speaks up, "Welcome back to the Wonderbolts Academy."

Sparky quickly nods his head as Sorin turns through his last comment, "Streak, could you please escort him to his dorm."

Streak nods as he starts to trot away, "Follow me Cloudshaper."

As Sparky starts to follow after the stallion Sorin closes the door.

The sound of the door closing turns the taller stallion's trot into a more relaxed walk as he turns his head to following stallion, "Don't let Sorin get you, he doesn't really like it when the princess tells the Wonderbolts what to do... And he's had a few problems lately with the snow duty."

Sparky nods his head as he looks over the wonderbolt outfit the white stallion has on. However for a moment the light orange stallion doesn't speak up, however as he looks over the outfit he finds his voice, "So how is it being a Wonderbolt Apprentice?"

The comment slows Streaks trot down a little as the stallion perks his head up with a deep intake of air, "I didn't pass yet."

"What? Why?" Sparky pokes his head a little closer towards the stallion as he impatiently awaits an answer.

"...My ability as a leader was not adequate." The stallion's voice goes hard as he continues to just stare in front of him, focused on the path across the long building, "...I could not keep my dorm in check and to many problems occurred because of it."

A hot feeling of guilt starts to swirl under Sparky's coat as the young stallion swallows hard, "W-was it because of what I did-..."

Streak quickly turns his head back to Sparky as he gives him a hard look, "No no, you and everypony else in my dorm were my responsibility. And it's my fault that I allowed curfews to be broken and fights to occur. Now lets forget the past, it's a new semester."

Sparky blinks to the comment as they begin to near a staircase at the far side of the room, "It was me who-..."

Before Sparky can finish his comment Streak halts his trot and turns around to him with his hoof raised, "Cloud Shaper, you don't need to say anything. A Strix's year is for six months, I still have time." He moves his hoof back to the ground as he nods up the stairs, "Now, my year is almost up, yours however just restarted. Your room should be the one in the far back up the stairs... Just keep your head out of the clouds this time around." A light smile comes from Streak as he trots away before Sparky can speak up.

With a simple nod Sparky starts up the stairs.

It only takes a few moments to reach the second floor, Sparky holds his head down as he continues to trot down the walk way.

However as he reaches the last few doors in the back his eyes turn to the simple note on one of the closed doors that reads 'Sparky Volt'.

Sparky opens the door as he pulls the note from the door, the room is not much different than the one from last time; however it seems to be a slight bit bigger.

With a sigh Sparky begins to move the satchel from his back as he moves it to rest on the bed. To the absent weight he begins to stretch his wings out as he just takes in the simple relaxed feeling.

However, the moment of relaxing is brought to an end as a familiar sounding voice creeps in from the door's threshold.

"Filly Flank...I thought they put that name on this door by accident..."

Sparky quickly jerks himself around to the doorway as he looks over the dark brown coated and chocolate maned pegasus at the door way. However, Sparky doesn't speak up as he hesitantly just looks over the stallion that now moves a little more into the room.

"You know Flaps still didn't even get the chance to send in a letter, and Streak ended up taking most of the heat for what you did." Sparky feels his wings tense up a little as the stallion's eyes stay to him, "...Streak is a pretty cool guy, and he's still on track for becoming a Wonderbolt if he can prove he can handle a dorm."

The stallion rubs his right hoof to his left leg a little as he shifts to his own words, "And... I know what Flaps did was pretty dumb, and I also know that thing you did with your wings wasn't the funnest thing to feel... So what's you say to a truce?"

Sparky blinks to the stallion as he watches him slowly raise his hoof towards him. However the moment of absent thought is quickly pushed out of Sparky's head as he slowly raises his own hoof, "Ya, alright."

The hoof bump ends quick as the dark stallion nods his head and sways a little, "Alright cool... See you around then Sparky."

As the stallion moves away from the doorway Sparky turns back to the bag on the bed as he slowly begins to unpack, however the stallion looks back to the door one more time still in a little bit of disbelief to what just happened. The stare to the empty door though brings a slight smile to the stallion's faces as he thinks over Streak's comment, it's a new year.

End of chapter 6