Chapters The train pulled into the staion at Las Pegasus. Raindrop opened one eye and looked out the window."Finally"she thought. It had been a 9 hour train ride from Vanhoover to Las Pegasus, and being a pegasus herself she hated being in small spaces where she couldn't fly, for long periods of time. She stepped on to the platform and looked around. There was many ponies at the station, because after all she was in one of the biggest cities in Equestria. She grabbed her suitcase and exited the station. When she got out to the street she hailed a taxi to bring her to her hotel. The taxi arrived at the hotel and Raindrop paid the driver and headed inside. The hotel she was staying in, paid for by courtesy of the wonderbolts, was the most high class hotel in all of Las Pegasus. She walked up to the front desk to get her room key."Hello there, my name is Ms.Drizzle, I have the sunset room booked". She had to go around with a fake name so nopony knew the idenity of one of the wonderbolt scouts.
"Of course Ms.Drizzle, we have you here, I will go and get your room key and have the concierge bring your bags up". With that she rang a little bell and went into the back room. A stallion walked over to Raindrop.
"May I take your bags Miss".
"Of course, thank you very much". The recptionist came back to the counter.
"Here is your key Ms.Drizzle, I hope your enjoy your stay at The Golden Sun. Walter, please take Ms.Drizzle's bags to the sunset room".
"Of course, this way Ms.Drizzle". He walked towards the elevator. "Your room is on the premium level Ms.Drizzle so you will need to take the premium elevator to get to it".
"Of course". They got in the elevator and and Walter pressed the button labled sunset. The doors closed with a ding and the elevator went up. The doors opened again and Walter led Raindrop to her room.
"If there is anything else you need just let me know Ms.Drizzle". With that he left her in her room, for the next few days.
"Time to make this place feel a bit more like home". She went to the bedroom and threw her suitcase on the bed. Inside was a few changes of clothing for any events, some photos of her family and her paper's for work. She put the photo's on her dresser and some of the tables around the suite. She put her clothes in the wardrobe."That's much better". Then she heard a rumble in her stomach. She looked at the clock and saw it was just after 6p.m."Perfect time for dinner, I hope they have good food here". She left her suite to down to the hotel restaurant.
Raindrop returned to her suite 3 hours later."That was an amazing meal". She had bumped into one of her friends who was staying in the hotel aswell. Her name was Rarity and she was here for a fashion show which had her clothes in it. Upon opening the door she spotted a letter on the ground. It had the Wonderbolt insignia on it. She picked it up and opened it. It read:
Dear Raindrop,
You have 10 days to spend in Las Pegasus, 8 of which you will spend checking out the candidate Nitroblast as a possible new recruit for the Wonderbolts. The other 2 days you are free the spend doing whatever you like. If the candidate is a success you will return with him to Cloudsdale and help him begin his training, if not you will be heading to Baltimare to check out another pegasus we have heard about. Hope you enjoy Las Pegasus.
Cpatain Spitfire
"Of course, no time for rest when there's talent to be found". She threw the letter back on the ground and went in to the bedroom."I guess day 1 starts tomorrow. With that she got in to bed and turned off the lights."Let's hope this isin't the same as Vanhoover".
Raindrop was woken up the next morning by a knock on her door."I'll be there in a minute" she shouted, hoping that whoever was there could hear her. She got out of the bed and went to the door and opened it.
"Good morning Ms.Drizzle, we have brought you your continental breakfast cooked by the finest chefs Equestria has to offer. We hope it is to your liking". Raindrop took one bite and melted.
"This food is amazing".
"I'm glad it is, enjoy your breakfast Ms.Drizzle". She left Raindrop to enjoy her breakfast. Raindrop finished her breakfast and went over to her bag. She pulled out the file on Nitroblast.
"Name Nitroblast, Gender male, Age 22, Senior in college, there on a scholarship in football. Seems like he could make the cut, but first I'll need to see his flying first hoof. It says he is in the University of Las Pegasus, so I guess I know where I'm going today". She put the file back in her bag and left the suite. When she got to reception she asked them to call a taxi for her. After a few minutes her taxi arrived. She told the driver where she wanted to go.
"Pardon the comment but you don't look like a college student".
"I'm visiting a friend, now stop asking questions and go". The driver didn't say another word. He dropped her off at the front gate of the university.
"According to the paper Nitro's team have a game today which will give me a chance to see how is flying is, and if he plays nicely with others". She walked through the campus until she saw a sign for the playing fields. She reached the playing field to find it full of fans. She was able to get a decent seat which gave her a good view of the pitch. A sudden cheer from the fans told her the game was about to start. The players went on to the field. She spotted Nitroblast as one of the wingers."Must be a fast one if he's on the wing" she thought to herself. The ball was played back to the quater back who threw the ball like it was a little pebble. It sailed through the air. Raindrop thought it was pointless as nopony would be able to catch it, but then she noticed the ball was now in Nitro's hoof and he had just scored the first touchdown of the game."He has speed, I'll give him that". The game continued on and Nitro showed off his speed and agility. After the game Raindrop started to write a few details about Nitroblast for her report back to Spitfire."Good speed, good control, works well in a team". She would have to come back to another one of his games incase this was a once off performance. She left the campus and got a taxi back to the hotel.
Raindrop got back to the hotel very quickly. When she got there she was greeted by her fellow wonderbolt Soarin."Hello Ms.Drizzle, I was just about to ask for you at reception, but it seems you have just saved me the trouble".
"What can I do for you sir".
"Is there somewhere we can talk in private". He glanced around as he spoke.
"Of course we can go to my suite". Raindrop led Soarin over to the lift."Up we go".
They reached Raindrop's suite and they went inside.
"So how goes the scouting" Soarin said as he walked around the suite inspecting the little improvements Raindrop had made.
"Not great, Vanhoover was a complete waste of time and if this kid is also I'm off to Baltimare to check out another one. This job has me all over Equestria". Raindrop hopped on to her bed and let out a long sigh.
"Hey it's not all bad, at least your travelling Equestria in 5 star hotels, and Spitfire let's you take a few personnel days in each city".
"I know, it's just i don't want to travel Equestria looking for ponies to be Wondebolts, when it's clear they shouldn't".
"I know it seems like a hard life, but that's part of being a Wonderbolt. Spitfire made you a scout as she knew you had a eye for talent, and she expects you to do your job". Soarin trotted over to the door."I have to get back to the base, I'll tell Spitfire everything is going well. Don't forget to send your report in the next few days". With that he left the suite, leaving Raindrop alone to her thoughts.
"Let's hope Nitroblast is the most amazing flier Equestria has seen in a long time".
Nitroblast raced down the field to catch the ball. He reminded Raindrop of Rainbow Dash with his speed. Nitroblast's touchdown won the game for his team which meant they were through to the semi-finals. Raindrop took and few more notes then nodded to herself."Okay I think he's ready for the trials". She went to the locker rooms after and waited for Nitroblast to leave. She spotted him and went over to him."Hi there Nitroblast my name is Raindrop. I'm a scout for the Wonderbolts, and I think you might have what it takes to become one". Nitroblast grew a smile half the size of his head.
"Are you serious, like is somepony going to jump out and say we got you Nitro".
"No I'm dead serious, you have talent kid and with the right training I think I can make a Wonderbolt out of you"."I will do some personnel training sessions with you to see if you are Wonderbolt material".
"Okay, just tell me what I have to do".
She handed him a piece of paper."Here is a list of exercises you are recommended to do from now on to build up wing strength and stamina. I will meet you here tomorrow at dawn to start your trials".
"I'll be there". He trotted off home to go and tell his family the good news.
Nitroblast raced home to tell his family the good news. Nitroblast lived in the suburbs of Las Pegasus. The only reason he was attending the best college was because he had a scholarship for football. When he reached the house he met his mother in the garden."Hello dear, how did your game go".
"It went great mom I made the winning touchdown which means we are through to the semi-finals".
"You make me so proud Nitro". She gave him a kiss on the forehead.
"I have even better news".
"Better news than football, I find that hard to imagine".
"I was approached by a Wonderbolt scout who is going to put me through some trials to see if I'm capable of becoming a Wonderbolt".
"That's amazing sweetheart. When do they start".
"Tomorrow at dawn, and she gave me a sheet with exercises to help improve my wing strength and stamina, so I'm gonna start training".
"I hope she put's you on a diet, with the lack of food you eat. Speaking of food dinner will be ready shortly, why don't you go tell your sister the news". Nitro went inside the house to find his sister. He found her in her room doing her homework. She heard her door opened and she turned around.
"Nitro" she screamed."How did the game go, did you win" she asked and she jumped on him and hugged him.
"Of course I won, Nitro doesn't lose". He smiled as he hugged his sister back."I have even better news though".
"What" she asked him jumping up and down on her bed.
"I am training to become a Wonderbolt".
"Really, that's so cool, have you met any Wonderbolts yet, have you met Soarin he's my favourite".
"Calm down kiddo, I was only asked today by a scout and my training starts tomorrow".
"Can I watch you train, please".
"You will have to ask mom during dinner, oh by the way dinner will be ready soon". He left the room and closed the door behind him.
Nitro ate his dinner as quickly as he could so he could get back to his training. Then the front opened and a call came from the hall.
"I'm home everypony". Nitro's sister Glide ran in to the hall.
"Daddy".
"Hello sweety how was your day".
"It was really fun daddy, and Nitro became a Wonderbolt".
"Oh really well that's great sweety". He came into the kitchen and kissed his wife on the cheek."Hello darling, lovely smells in the kitchen".
"Nitro has some news to tell you so grab a plate and sit down". He grabbed a plate and started to put food on it.
"So what's the news you have for me".
"I was approched by a scout from the Wonderbolts who wants me to do some trials to see if I'm capable of being a wonderbolt. My training starts tomorrow".
"And will this affect your study or football".
"It shouldn't, but dad it's a chance to be a Wonderbolt, don't you think I should focus on it".
"I think you should focus on college more, considering the fact the only reason you are in college is because of your football scholarship". He continued to eat his dinner.
"But this could be a chance for me to become a Wonderbolt and not have to worry about college".
"And if you don't, and you lose your scholarship for not being able to keep your grades up because you were to busy focusing on a pointless thing, then what will you do".
Nitroblast looked at his father."I don't feel hungry anymore". He got up and left the table. His father continued to eat his dinner.
"Was that really nessessary". He looked at his wife.
"He needs to learn that life is tough and you don't always get what you want".
"Not without trying and encouragement". His wife took his and her plate over to the sink and washed up, leaving him there hungry.
The sun was just starting to rise on the university campus and Raindrop was waiting for her possible Wonderbolt. She spotted him racing towards her on the horizan."Reporting for training ma'am" he said with a salute.
"Coach will do just fine Nitro, now are you ready to be put through the toughest training in your life".
"Yes coach" he said with a firm nod.
"Alright then, drop and give me 100 push ups". Nitro got down and started to do the push ups. Raindrop could hear him counting under his breath."Don't count just remember to breath, leave the counting to me". He did as told and stopped counting and instead got his breathing in to a steady rythem. After a few minutes Nitro had done the 100 push ups."Good work, now give me 10 laps of the field. Raindrop planned to push him to his limits on the first day to see what he could do, then work on what he couldn't over the nextfew days and rely on him to maintain his skill at everything else. Nitro knew he was being pushed to his limits so he gave it everything. After the eighth lap he felt the 100 push ups start to take it's toll on his wings. Sweat dripped from his face. After what seemed like a whole days normal football training he had finished the 10 laps."Great work, you completed that in an amazing time". Nitroblast smiled at the comment."You have a 30 second break then we move on to something else". He went over to his kit bag and took a quick gulp of water and returned to Raindrop.
"What's next coach".
"Now that I've seen you push your wings to their limit it's time to teach you that you don't always need to use your wings. Your going to run 10 laps of the pitch to help build your stamina". Nitro walked to the halfway mark on the pitch."Go" Raindrop said and he started to gallop around the edge of the pitch. Nitro had only just finished lap 4 and he was was exhausted. His gallop was starting to turn in to a very fast trot, but by lap 7 it was a very slow trot but Nitro was determined not to give up and he trotted on. After a good hour of trotting he finally fell across the finish line with a thud.
"Well done Nitro, you have done an amazing first day. I'm going to let you go home and shower so you can get to college. Wouldn't want to keep you from your study now. I'll see you here tomorrow at the same time". She then flew off and left him there completely exhausted.
Nitroblast got home and had a warm shower. At this time his mom and sister were just waking up. His dad had left for work the same time as him."How did training go sweetheart" his mother asked as they sat down for breakfast.
"It was exhausting, I flew longer and harder than I ever have before". He gobbled down the breakfast his mother had put before him.
"It's good to see this training is making you eat more. Just try to leave the plate darling" she said with a soft grin. His sister then entered the kitchen.
"Hey Nitro, how did training go, did you meet any Wonderbolts yet" she asked him bouncing on the spot.
"Let your brother eat his breakfast in peace Glide, and you need to have yours and get dressed for Junior flight school". Nitro went to his room to get ready for college. He put his books in his satchel and said goodbye to his mother and sister then went to college.
The ball rang to indiacte class was finished."Finally" Nitro thought "Time to hit the pitch and play some football". He and his other teammates made their way to the changing rooms. he got changed into his kit and headed out to the pitch.
"Alright men we have the semi finals coming up soon so we are going to be training extra hours to make sure we annihilate our next team. Now I know they are a Griffon team but that's no reason to be afraid. We beat the top Dragon team without any hassle so Griffons won't be any different. I want you all here at dawn every morning until the semi finals okay".
"You got it coach" was the response he got from everypony except one.
"I won't be able to coach as I have to help look after my little sister" Nitro said to cover up that he was training to become a wonderbolt. As he was here on a scholarship he wasn't allowed to train with anypony else or his scholarship would be terminated.
"That's a pity Nitro, but I still expect to see you at all other practices okay".
"You got it coach".
"Good now let's start with laps". Nitro moaned at the thought as he remebered this morning.
After training Nitro had a shower in the University locker room shower. His teammate and best friend Flarestreak trotted over to him.
"Dude what you said to Coach Johnsen was a complete lie, what's going on". Nitroblast looked at his bestfriend.
"You have to promise not to tell anypony".
"You got it bro, now what's going on".
"I have been scouted by the Wonderbolts and I have to train with them in the mornings".
"Are you pulling my hoof dude".
"I'm serious, why would I lie to coach Johnsen otherwise, if he found out he'd have my scholarship terminated".
His friend looked at him."What does your parents think about it, aren't they worried about you getting caught".
"They don't know that if I'm caught with the Wonderbolts that I'll lose my scholarship". He let his head drop.
"That's harsh. Look dude I won't say a word to anypony but you need to figure out that problem soon before somepony finds out". Flarestreak grabbed his bag and left the locker room leaving Nitroblast with the remaining members of the team who where deep in their own conversations.
Raindrop got back to the hotel with a smile on her face."Nitroblast definately has the makings of a Wonderbolt, all I have to do is mold him into one" she thought to herself. Even though she didn't do much of the exercises herself except for demonstrations, she felt exhasuted."I need to go to bed earlier if I'm getting up at dawn each morning". She went and had a shower, knowing that she had the rest of the day off she took an extra long shower. After that she headed down to the lobby to see what the hotel had for lunch to help her decide wether to eat in or out."Hmm all posh courses that i can't even pronounce the name of, no thank you". She left the hotel to explore Las Pegasus and find a place to eat lunch. After about 20 minutes of searching she came across a small cafe."Hay fries and a milkshake only 4 bits, now that's a lunch I can eat". She headed inside to get her meal. There was only one other pony in the cafe who was drinking a cup of tea while reading a newspaper. Raindrop glanced at the cover "Las Pegasus University to play Griffonia College" which had a picture of who else but Griffonia's best player and Las Pegaus' best player, Nitroblast."I'm suprised he applied for Las Pegasus University when other Universities would of loved to have a football player of his talent". She continued to eat hay fries as the thought ran through her head."Doesn't matter now though, he's on the road to becoming a wonderbolt". She finished her milkshake and left the cafe to continue her little tour around Las Pegasus.
Nitroblast finished class and since he didn't have practice today he went to a nearby cafe with his friends. Flarestreak spotted the sign outside the cafe."Alright they have hay fries and a milkshake for only for bits, that will be three helpings for me". Nitro laughed at his friends appetite.
"Your already as fat as a cow and you want to be even more fat" Nitro said jokingly.
"Gotta keep the muscle levels up, our quaterback has a solid defencive wall for a reason". Flarestreak started to down the hay fries and was finished within a few minutes. His other friends weren't even half finished their fries. He took a sip of his milkshake and thought about the problem he had at hoof.
"I'll worry about it when I get home" he thought to himself.
He arrived home an hour later. His mother was in the garden yet again tending to her beautiful flowers."How was school Nitro" she asked him as he walked up the path.
"It went really well I got a C+ on that math test". He gave a fake smile, he should of done much better but had been putting in to much football practice and not enough study time.
"Well I'm sure you can get that up to a B+ in no time Nitro, just imagine your study is like football".
"I'd be the top of all the classes if that was the case mom". He smiled, his mother always knew how to make him smile."I'm gonna get up and start studying then, I'll see you at dinner".
"Of course Nitro, but before you do your father said he wanted to talk to you". Nitro guessed he was probably going to get him to give up the Wnderbolt thing again.
"I'll see what he has to complain about". Nitro went into his house and found his dad in his study."You requested my presence". His father had a serious look on his face.
"I sent a letter to the school about the posibility of you being offered an offer from the wonderbolts. They said if such a thing did happen, your scholarship would be terminated immeadiatly and you would no longer be allowed in Las Pegasus University". He looked at his son with stern eyes."Do you have any idea what would of happened if I hadn't mentioned that you actually got an offer from a Wonderbolt scout, you would be out of an education, think of the stress it would cause your mother". Nitro looked at the ground.
"I know dad but..." he was cut off by his father.
"Of course you knew the risk and yet you still went ahead with this. That scholarship is the only thing giving you an education, do you want to just throw that all away".
"Of course not".
"Then why would you accept the offer from the scout".
"Because..."
Raindrop walked over to Nitroblast as he fell over the finish line."Nitroblast I haven't seen a pegasus as good as you since I trained alongside Rainbow Dash. Here is a folder containing information about the things being a Wonderbolt trainee entail. If you have any questions just swing by my hotel and I will answer them for you. Now since you don't turn 18 for another few months I will need a parent or guardian to meet with me and sign papers for you to come to Cloudsdale after your taining here is done, so you can become an official Wonderbolt trainee. By the time we go there you will be 18 so you won't need a guardian with you". She handed him a folder with multiple documents."Get that permission slip signed asap so you can be ready to go to Cloudsdale within a few weeks after your training is finished. My hotel name and room number is in their if you need to talk to me. I have to go and write your report so they#ll be ready for you at the academy. I'll see you here tomorrow for some easier training". She flew off in the direction of her hotel. After his shower Nitro looked through some of the documents. One in particular caught his attention "If the participant is of educational age and does not attend any school the wonderbolts will personally pay for him to attend Cloudsdale national college". At least he had a backdoor if he was caught by the school, but he enjoyed playing football so hopefully they wouldn't find out. He put the file back in his bag and went home.
Raindrop returned to her hotel after a nice day exploring Las Pegasus. She had found a nice little cafe with a great lunch deal which she would definately return to."Better get some sleep, I've got to be up early and meet Nitro at the pitches for more training. At least this time he doesn't have to train till he nearly passes out". She was heading over to her room when she heard a knock on the door."Aww feathers who would be calling this late at night". She went to the door and opened it and was greeted by a familiar face."Thunderlane".
"Hey Raindrop, how goes the scouting, any stallions I need to worry about".
"Just about any colt that can fly should be a worry to you" she teased him.
"You really know how to make a friend feel good" he said sarcastically.
"Come on in, do you want something to drink".
"That would be great I just flew in from Cloudsdale, I am exhausted". He flopped onto the couch."I'll have an Applejack Daniels with extra ice".
"This late at night, with you flying, your getting some nice apple juice". She got a groan as a response from him."So what brings you out to Las Pegasus".
"Like you I am also here on Wonderbolt business, I'm looking into which arena to have the Las Pegasus show for our next tour across Equestria".
"How long are you staying for".
"Two days then I'm off to Vanhoover". She trotted over to him and handed him the apple juice."Thanks".
"No problem, so how are things back at the base".
"Do you want the facts or the gossip" he said with a sly grin on his face.
"Facts first then gossip".
"Okay, the new recuits could be a lot better, we have a new trainer brought in to help out each Wonderbolt personnely with gym training and Rainbow Dash got promoted to 2nd lieutenant".
"Is the personnel trainer good looking" Raindrop quizzed him with a sly grin on her face.
"Oh she is definately good looking" Thunderlane responded with a laugh after seeing her reaction.
"Okay, what's the gossip".
"Let me think, Soarin is still trying to hit on Rainbow Dash, Fleetfoot broke up with her coltfriend and Spitfire has a secret admirer".
"WHAT". Raindrop nearly choked on her water."Since when does Spitfire have a secret admirer".
"Since she found a letter left in her office. What about here any gossip with you".
"Not a single piece sadly".
"Well that's a shame, anyway I better head to my hotel, the wonderbolts have put me up in a cheap 3 star hotel down the road, can you beleive it".
"Yes I can, we should meet up tomorrow for lunch"
"That sounds fun, I'll meet you in the lobby around 3"
"See you then Thunderlame" she said jokingly as he left the suite. She went to her bed and fell asleep within a few minutes.
Nitroblast got up the next morning feeling pretty tired."How am I going to be able to train if I'm this tired". He got out of bed and got his bag ready. He gobbled down a bowl of oats before he left and headed for the pitches. When he got there Raindrop was nowhere in sight. He waited for about five minutes before he saw her in the distance.
"Sorry I'm late I didn't get to sleep that early".
"Same here" Nitro responded with a loud yawn."Please don't tell me we have to do the same as yesterday".
"Don't worry, yesterday was a test to see what your limits were. Now that I have a good idea of your skills we can start the real training. Now what's the first things a good wonderbolt needs".
"Skill".
"No a wonderbolt needs to be able to think. Being a wonderbolt means being part of a team, and if you can't think then you shouldn't be part of a team. if you don't think you put your team at risk, I know this from first hoof experience with a cadet I trained with".
"Working in a team is easy for me, I do it all the time".
"I know that, but you need to know the things being a wonderbolt involves. Now what's the next things a wonderbolt needs".
"To know what to do".
"It's skill, wonderbolts aren't Equestria's best fliers for no reason, it's because they have skill which I also know have".
Nitroblast let out another yawn."Is there anything else a wonderbolt needs to be able to do".
"Being able to react to any situation. Wonderbolts aren't just show ponies, we are also an elite branch of the Equestrian army and if we are called to serve we need to know how to react".
"Well I'm pretty sure I can do all those things".
"Of course you can, otherwise we wouldn't of scouted you, my job is to help you hone your skills so that when you go to your official trials in Cloudsdale you will pass with flying colours. Now we have 6 days in which to hone these 3 skills. We will spend today working on your flight skills. Then the two after that on your thinking, then the last three on reacting to situations. Now letss get started with some drills.
After a two hour session of working on flight skills Nitroblast had a huge adrenaline rush. His teachers were supirsed to see all this energy from the stallion who was normally very quiet in class. After classes he headed out to the pitch for football training.
"Nitroblast I want you working on different plays with Ironhoof. The rest of you will be doing tackling drills, let's get to work".
Nitro went through some basic techniques with Ironhoof, the teams Quarter back, and when they felt like they could do then blindfolded they moved onto the harder stuff.
"So what's the real reason you can't train in the mornings Nitro".
"Excuse me".
"You are the teams most dedicated player, you wouldn't miss practice just because you have to look after your sister, you'd bring her with you. What's the real reason".
"You promise not to tell anypony".
"You got it bro, now spill".
"I got scouted by the wonderbolts and I have training sessions in the morning".
"Man your pulling my tail, are you serious. Why would you keep that a secret".
"Because if the coach finds out I lose my scholarship".
"Damn, well I won't say a word".
"Thanks man". They continued with the techniques for the rest of the training session.
After training Nitro went for a bite to eat with Flarestreak. After saying goodbye to Flare he took the scenic way home. When he got home he was suprised not to find his mother in the garden."She's probably inside making dinner" he thought to himself. He went into the house and entered the kitchen to find his mother and father. His mother got out of her chair and turned to face him.
"Your father needs to talk to you". She left the kitchen. As she was leaving Nitro noticed a tear roll down her cheek. He sat down opposite his father.
"Well just like I said you blew it".
"Blew what".
"Your scholarship, I got a letter from the school less then an hour ago saying that they found out you were training with the wonderbolts. They have requested a meeting with them tomorrow".
"How could they have found out" Nitro thought, the only ponies I told were Flarestreak who would never tell on me and Ironhoof who was also a close friend.
"I can fix this dad".
"No, I'm going to fix this. We are going to go to that meeting tomorrow and you are going to tell them that you have quit the wonderbolts as you realised your scholarship is more important. Do you understand". Nitroblast glared at his father.
"I said I'm going to fix this". Nitroblast got up from his chair and left the house.
Nitroblast flew around Las Pegasus. He was angry."How could they have found out". He flew in the direction of the university."Flarestreak would never tell anyone, he's my best friend and Ironhoof is also a good friend of mine, we went to junior flight school together. He wouldn't tell the school, so how could they of found out". Nitro reached the university and stopped."Where did the Wonderbolt Scout say she was staying again" he thought to himself."Oh yeah The Golden Sun, which is all the way on the other side of town. I'd better get going". He took off through the sky.
Nitroblast arrived at the hotel and took a step back."Woah this place is fancy as hell". He went inside and headed to the front desk."Excuse me I'm looking for a guest with the name Raindrop".
"Of course, just one moment". She went into the back room and came back and few minutes later."I'm sorry but we don't have any guests here by that name at the moment".
Nitro had a puzzled look on his face."Oh, okay thanks". He headed for the door but was stopped by a hoof on his shoulder. He turned around to be greeted by Raindrops face.
"Hey Nitro what are you doing here".
"I have a bit of a problem, the university found out I was training with you and unless I stop my scholarship will be terminated. I don't know who even told them".
"I told them".
"You did what" Nitro asked completed shocked.
"Yes I told them. Since you are training with the wonderbolts, it's protocol that your school be informed so they can make can know why you miss a class or if you are abscent".
"I might lose my scholarship because of you".
"That is another reason why we have to tell the school. If a student is on a scholarship the school has to accept that the student is training with us and let him stay or they let us take him with us tp the university in Cloudsdale".
"Well what did the school say" Nitro asked.
"They said they were going to have a meeting with you tomrrow about it, and they would get back to me after it".
Nitro thought for a second."If the school didn't tell you does that mean I'm being kicked out".
"Maybe or maybe not, it's hard to tell, universities vary with their respones to their students being wonderbolts in the making".
"Well at least I can calm my dad down with the fact that I will still get an education".
"A better education if you ask me, Cloudsdale university is one of the best in Equestria for pegasi. You should head home to tell your parents, I'll see you tomorrow for training".
"Yeah, I should go, I'll see you tomorrow. Nitro left the hotel and headed for home.
Nitro got home and went straight to his room."I'm so tired" he thought. He flopped on to his bed. He thought for a bit what the school might say about his training but he fell asleep a few minutes later. He dreamed that night about being a full time Wonderbolt, flying alongside Spitfire and Soarin. He would always remeber he would have Raindrop to thank for it.
Nitro woke to the sound of his alarm buzzing in his ear."Gotta get up for training". He went into the kitchen and got an apple for breakfast. He sat down to eat the apple and noticed a note on the table. It was from his dad.
Nitroblast,
Be at the principal's office after your last class for the meeting. Don't be late or skip the meeting or I will ground you for life.
Dad
"How thoughtful" Nitro thought. He grabbed his satchel and headed out the door. He met Raindrop at the pitch."Morning" he said as he started streching.
"Have a good sleep".
"Nope but I gotta keep going". He started doing some warm up laps. When he was finished he went over to Raindrop."What's on the agenda today coach" Nitro asked rubbing sweat off his coat.
"Today we are going to do reaction tests. I'm going to put you in certain scenario's and you have to react in the correct manor. Think you can handle it".
"Okay let's get started".
Two painful hours later Raindrop told Nitro he could stop."You did very well reacting to the scenario's, you even did things in some I didn't think possible, well done".
"Thanks" was all Nitro was able to manage.
"I'll let you shower off and get to class, tomrrow we will talk after you have had your meeting and the university has got back to me. With that she flew off. Nitro heaed to the changing rooms to have a shower.
Nitroblast knocked on the door to the Principal's office."Come in" was the response he got. He opened the door and saw his father sitting in a chair opposite the Principal. The Principal was a kind mare called Lilac Parchment."Take a seat Nitro". He sat down beside his father."The school received a latter from the wonderbolts yesterday to infrom us your were training with one of their scouts. This would be fine for any other student, but we found you are here on a scholarship for football which states that you are not allowed to partake in any outside sporting activities outside the university. As the athletic flying falls under a sports category we are going to have to terminate your scholarship unless you resign from training with the wonderbolts". She looked at Nitro's father the whole time.
"So if Nitroblast quits the wonderbolt's his scholarship will not be terminated".
"No it will not be terminated if he quits". Nitro's father remained silent for a minute. Eventually he spoke.
"I'm sorry to say but I will not let my son give up training with the wonderbolts just for a silly scholarship. Nitrovblast could not believe his ears. Had those words really came out of his father's mouth."he has trained very hard with them and I know he has what it takes to be a wonderbolt. Thank you for your time Ms.Parchment". My father stood up and walked to the door."Are you coming Nitro". Nitro nodded in response and got up. The flight home was akward.
"Why did you give up my scholarship dad".
"Well I got a letter from your coach who said you have real potential, and that I would be crazy to let you pass up this oppurtunity. She also mention that you would be attending Cloudsdale university if your scholarship was terminated. I went to Cloudsdale and I know it's a well better school than Las Pegasus so I agreed to let you go there".
"Thanks dad". The rest of the flight home was in silence.
The two pegasi arrived home just before sunset. Nitro's mother was waiting in the hall. His father walked past her into their bedroom. His mother turned to look at Nitro with a worried look on her face. Nitro responded with a soft smile."I'm off to cloudsdale". He then walked past his mother to his own bedroom.
Nitroblast woke up early next morning to a knock on his door."Get up Nitro" he could hear his father say quietly as not to wake up his mother or sister. He reluctantly got out of bed and grabbed his bag. He went into the kitchen to grab a snack before the flight to cloudsdale. When he got into the kitchen he saw a note on the table. It read:
My dearest Nitroblast,
I'm going to miss you som much, I can't wait to see you in 6 months when your a full wonderbolt. Make sure to write lots of letters so your sister doesn't get too lonely. Be safe.
Mom
Nitro smiled thinking about his mother and sister. He would miss them, but at least his father would be with him. They were going to be staying in his fillyhood home. It belong to his grandparents before they passed away. They used it as a summer home now.His father called from the hall "Nitro, you ready to go".
"Yeah, just one sec". He grabbed an apple and put it in his bag and went to the hall.
"You ready for a long enough flight".
"Yes, let's go". They headed out the door but crashed into a pony.
"Oh sorry, my apologies. Ah, Nitro just the pegasus I was looking for. You didn't show up to practice so I came here to see if everything is okay". She finfished her sentence and noticed the bags."Are you on the run" she asked jokingly.
"Well the school terminated my scholarship because I want to persue becoming a wonderbolt, so my dad has offered to bring me to Cloudsdale and live there while I do my training".
"That's great, we can go right now. I'll have a letter sent to the hotel once we reach Cloudsdale to have my stuff picked up. Also your father doesn't have to come with you, we have barracks where cadets can stay".
"No thanks Raindrop, I think I would prefer to have family around".
"That's fine by me, just don't be late for your training. Let's get going then".
"Of course". The three pegasai flew off in the direction of Cloudsdale.
They arrived just before midday. Nitro's grandparent's house was quite average in size, but it was in a very rich part of town. They arrived at the house and unpacked their bags.
"I presume you know how to get to the training grounds" Raindrop said as she was about to leave.
"Don't worry, I can show him" Nitro's said before he could respond.
"Okay, well be there tomorrow around midday and I'll show you around the campus. I'll let you settle in here first, don't want to have you going to too many new places on your first day here". With that she left them to unpack.
Nitro went upstairs to his room. They hadn't come here since his sister was just a tiny filly. He saw some posters in his room of football teams and the wonderbolts. He never remembered being much of a wonderbolts fan at that age."Nitro, I'm going out to get some suppies, I'll be back shortly" his dad called from downstairs.
"Okay" Nitro shouted back. He heard the door close after him. Nitro lay down on his bed and let out a long breath. He was tired after the long flight and needed to rest before tomorrow."I'll just take a short nap till lunch" he thought.
Nitro woke up some time later to the sound of laughter downstairs. He got up to investigate. As he entered the kitchen he saw his father talking to a young mare, the same age as himself. She seemed very familiar."Ah Nitro your finally awake, an old friend had stopped by to say hi". The mare turned around to face Nitro.
"Hey Nitro, long time no see, woah you've grown".
"Hey, umm" Nitro was clueless.
"Don't you recognise me, well probably not as last time you saw me I didn't have my cutie mark and my mane was purple. It's me Starwind" she said with a bright smile on her face.
Nitroblast remembered her. She had changed a lot."I remember you now, we used to play when I stayed here as a colt. You also foalsat my sister".
"That's right, speaking of your sister where is she" Starwind asked.
"She's in Las Pegasus with my mother, only me and my dad are here".
"Why just the two of you. Guy's week" she said jokingly.
"Actually I'm training with the wonderbolts" Nitro responded.
"Get out" Starwind said with a gasp.
"It's true" Nitro's father said. Starwind stared at Nitro.
"Well you have the build of a wonderbolt, but we will have to see if you've got the skills" she said."I have to go, the rainbow factory doesn't run itself".
"Wait you run the rainbow factory" Nitro said with suprise.
"I'm the director actually. My uncle runs the factory. Anyway I gotta get back there, maybe you can come over for dinner sometime".
"Yeah sure, sounds good".
"Okay see you then". She turned and left the house. Nitro noticed his father smirking at him."What" he asked.
"You need to work on your flirting" he said and left the room laughing.
Raindrop arrived at the Wonderbolt academy not long after leaving Nitro's house. When she went through the front door that place seemed very empty. She went directly to Spitfire's office. Before entering she knocked on the door."Come in" was the shouted response she got. She opened the door and went inside."Hey Captain" Raindrop said.
"Raindrop, what are you doing here, aren't you scouting pegusai to become new wonderbolts".
"Yes ma'am I am, I have brougth one of the recruits here as he is going to be ar taking int he education programme aswell".
"I see thank you for letting me know, I'll head down to the barracks and talk to him later".
"He's not staying in the barracks ma'am, he's staying in his own house. He will be coming from there each day for training".
"Ok then, he'd better not be late. I'll give him the official welcome tomorrow. I'd suggest you don't unpack, you'll be of soon to Manehatten to check out two new possible recruits".
"Of course ma'am, I'll be ready to leave first thing in the morning". With that Raindrop left Spitfire to get back to her work.
Nitro went for a walk after dinner to see if he could remember this place from his foalhood. Some bits he recognised other bits, not so much. After what seemed like hours walking Nitro noticed the sun was going down so he decided to head home. He went straight to bed so he would be well rested for his first day of official training as a wonderbolt recruit."How hard can it be" he thought.
Nitro's body ached all over. He could barely move his hoofs, let alone his wings. Spitfire walked infront of the cadets."Alright cadets, that was a quick test to see if you didn't fluke your way in here. Since all of you pasted you get the rest of the day off. Hit the mess hall, but have a shower first. If any of you have any questions, I'm busy so ask one of the other coaches". With that she flew off in the direction of her office. Nitro looked around at the other cadets. He didn't recognise any of them."Well, I'd better get to the showers before everypony else does" he thought and bolted for the changing rooms. By the time the rest of the cadets got in he was already on his way to the mess hall. When he got to the mess hall he was suprised by the amount of ponies there. But then of course all the wonderbolts would be on lunch aswell at this time. To his suprise he was able to find an empty table, which he realised from the stares of other wonderbolts was the rookie table. While he was eating a hoof tapped him on the shoulder. It was a few of the other cadets.
"Mind if we join you" one of them said.
"Not at all" Nitro said moving over to make room."I'm Nitroblast by the way" he said.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Shockwave, these three pegusai are Comet, Eclipse and Glide. We grew up together and always dreamed of becoming wonderbolts. So here we all are".
"You must be really good friends if you've carried your dream this far".
"Nothing can split us apart, ain't that right guys".
"Your darn right" the one called Comet replied.
"So do you know anypony here".
"Not really".
"Well you can hang with us if you want". Shockwave said with a smile.
"Thanks" Nitro replied.
"We're going back to Glide's house after we eat, you wanna join us" Comet said.
"Sure, it would be great to have some friendly faces around here".
"Well let's get eating the sooner, we finish the sooner we can go" Eclipse said.
Nitroblast arrived home quite late, late enough to raise suspicion from his father."Hey Nitro, where have you been you missed dinner".
"Oh sorry about that dad I was out with some of the ponies from the academy. We went back to one of their houses after training and I ate dinner there".
"Oh okay, well maybe let me know next time" he said.
"You got it dad, anyway I'm gonna hit the hay, long day of training tomorrow".
"Well remember not to go of on another adventure tomorrow, we've been invited to dinner by Starwind. I expect you to be home by sunset, got it" he asked.
"Yeah dad I got it" Nitro said and ran up the stairs to his room. Dinner with Starwind tomorrow. Nitro liked the idea, he could fix his image of being a goofy idiot he had made when she was here yesterday. Nitroblast tuned off his light and went to bed.
At the academy Raindrop was getting ready to head off to Manehatten to check out the next pony who was on her list. But before she left she had to have a meeting with Spitfire. She knocked on her door and waited for the response of "Come in". Just like she predicted Spitfire shouted "Come in". Raindrop opened the door and went into her office.
"You wanted to see me before I left captain".
"Raindrop, yes I wanted to talk to you about the cadet you scouted".
"Is there a problem with him".
Spitfire softened her expression."Oh no there's nothing wrong at all, what I was going to say is would you stay here and train him personally. He is a very bright pegasus, who I think would excel if he was trained personnally and I think since you already know him you would be perfect for the job".
"I would love to Captain, thank you very much".
"Okay Raindrop, I'll let you unpack your stuff, his training starts at sunrise, I'll leave his schedule in your room".
"Of course Captain". Raindrop let the office to go and unpack her stuff.
Nitroblast woke up early the next morning and headed to the Wonderbolts academy. He was greeted by a familiar pegasus at the door."Hey Raindrop, what are you doing here, I thought you were off scouting again" Nitro said as he gave her a hug.
"Spitfire gave me the option to stay here and train you personally, so I accepted her offer" she said with a beam on her face.
"That's awsome" Nitro responded doing a quick backflip.
"I have your schedule right here, and by the looks of it they expect a lot from you here, but then again it reminds me of my training schedule when I was a cadet". The two of them headed through the main building out towards the training fields."You won't be training with me everyday as there will be certain group exercises you will need to learn but other then that it will just be the two of us".
"That's fine by me coach" Nitro said as they trotted across the field.
"Within the next few months I'm sure I can make a full fledge wonderbolt out of you, sure they were able to make one out of me" Raindrop said jokingly. Nitroblast laughed at the joke.
"Now according to this schedule you have to warm up with 50 laps of the field flying anf on hoof" Raindrop said staring at the clipboard.
"Your kidding me" Nitro whined.
"No I'm not now get to it, there's even worse to come" she said as he flew off.
After training Nitroblast met up with the other pegasai he had met the day before and they went flying together. After that he headed home to grab some food.
"Hey dad, I'm home" Nitro shouted after opening the door. He got no response. Then a thought hit him like a brick."Oh no, I'm late" he said. He flew upstairs and gave him mane a quick check over then went back out the door. He knocked on the door to Starwind's house. She opened the door and welcomed him in.
"Sorry I'm late I completely lost track of time" he said apologising.
"Not at all, I was just talking to your father about how he was looking for a job here in Cloudsdale. They went into the kitchen where Nitro's dad was waiting.
"Where have you been" he said sternly."I told you to be on time".
"I'm sorry, I forgot". Nitro sat down beside his father.
Starwind sat down beside Nitro."So how was training today" she asked him ask she put the food on the table.
"It was exhausting, Spitfire has me training personally with one of the wonderbolts to make sure I reach my best possible potential" Nitro said.
"Sounds like a lot of work, you should eat up" Starwind said with a smile. She then turned to his father."So you said you were looking for a job".
"Yes I am, since I had to give uy my old one in Las Pegasus because the distance is too much to fly each day".
"Well I'm actually giving up my job in the rainbow factory and I could ask my uncle if it would be okay for you to take the position" she said.
"That's too kind of you Starwind, how could I not accept" Nitro's father said with a smile.
"Great, I'll let him know when I see him tomorrow".
After they had eaten and chatted for a bit, Nitroblast and his father took their leave and headed home.
"That was a lovely evening" Nitro's father said.
"It was indeed. I'm gonna hit the hay I'll see you tomorrow" he said as they got through the door.
"Goodnight Nitro" he called after him. Nitro layed on his bed and thought about the past few months. Things had changed quite a lot, but he didn't find any of it bad. He knew a lot of things would change in the future, but he knew he would face them head on.
