Spitfire sighed as she looked down at the paperwork she had yet to sift through for today.
Having to go through the resignation forms for not one, but two Wonderbolts was a chore that would have soured anypony's day. Fire Streak had decided to retire and teach at Cloudsdale Flight School, full time no less. It was a sudden change of heart that had shocked the 'Bolts, but the Captain could understand Streak's reason for leaving. To fault him on his decision would have been foalish and immature at best.
However, Spitfire didn't hold back her shock when she had heard that Silver Lining had also decided to end his career early.
It was days after the Ponyville performance that he had discussed wanting to see more of the world, explore new things, and how the Wonderbolts' routine airshows weren't showing enough to satisfy his wanderlust. The team had bid him farewell earlier in the week, and were only recently allowed to come back to Cloudsdale to examine the list of suitable candidates.
Of course their first option was Rainbow "Crash" Dash, who had, on several occasions, exemplified what a Wonderbolt should be. Though she was ecstatic to fulfill the role of Fire Streak back in Ponyville, she was only one pony. A pony who could perform the legendary Sonic Rain-Boom and was one of Equestria's six most renowned heroines, but only one pony, nonetheless.
Surprisingly, the previous list of reserves had at least 65% of the candidates drop out, either to join the Royal Guard or work locally to pay for their time at the Academy. With Thunderlane, Cloud Chaser and even Meadow Flower all crossed out, she had to turn to the fresh batch of reserves to see who had scored high enough to be given a chance at making it big time.
Adrenaline Buzz.
He was on the younger side of the reserves, having signed up at 19 with the most impressive scores out of the batch. He had passed his written exam with a perfect score, and placed at 5th in his trot through the academy. Everything lined up for Buzz to take up the newest opening on the team, so Spitfire had seen to contact his residence and inform the lucky colt of his time to shine.
\\\//////
(2 Days Ago)
Spitfire glanced at the mounted clock in the reception area of the Wonderbolts HQ, reading 7:55 for what felt like the twelfth time that morning.
'Never gets easier,' she thought to herself.
Just as she was about to take another glance at the clock, the doors opened to reveal the new cadet.
Buzz walked in with a wide smile on his face, examining the entry with beaming cerulean eyes. His wings twitched at his side, the brown feathers blending with his dark fur. Buzz brushed a hoof through his thick blue mane, tapping the back of his neck a few times with the same hoof.
His eyes settled on the mare and he snapped to a crisp salute.
"Private Adrenaline Buzz, reporting for duty, ma'am!" he said.
Spitfire responded in kind with a salute of her own.
"At ease, Private."
Buzz lowered his hoof to the ground and tapped it twice before setting it down.
"It's an honor to be here, ma'am. I still can't believe I've finally made it."
"Well believe it, kid. We had a couple of our own retire not too long ago, and your file was at the top of the list."
Buzz wiped his hoof under his eyes and craned his neck back before nodding.
"Thank you, ma'am."
"It's just Spitfire when we're off duty," she assured him.
"Alright. Good. So, what happens now?"
"Let's introduce you to the rest of the team."
\\\//////
(Present)
Spitfire smirked as she remembered the surprise party after Buzz had shown up. It was great seeing the veterans embrace the newbie, telling him the ropes and introducing each other. Speaking of surprises, Spitfire could have sworn she saw the very mare examining the colt a few times, more particularly the newbie's... assets.
Chuckling at her own joke, Spitfire pressed her hoof against the ink pad on her desk before she began to stamp documents absentmindedly. She didn't have to worry about imprinting on something illegal, as she had run these documents through twelve lawyers before bringing them to her own desk.
She began to think back to when the newbie was introduced to the Wonderbolt's most intimate tradition.
Nicknames.
\\\//////
(Last Night)
Soarin' and Fleetfoot watched as Buzz chatted away with High Winds and Misty Fly, his primaries shaking as the newbie constantly either tapped his hoof on the ground or stretched his neck to the side. As they observed the colt, they whispered to each other, unaware of their Captain approaching the two out of sight.
"Yeah, but the music's in measures of three, I have this vinyl at home," Fleetfoot said.
"Well what if he doesn't like the music and is thinking of something else? He could be trying to freestyle a story of how he got to the Academy for all we know," Soarin' countered.
"Do you realize that you just said that?"
"Yeah, but free-styling is all the rage nowadays. Right?"
"Do you seriously not keep up with young pony things?"
"Oh, like you do, miss, 'I can't stand this film-student garbage'."
"Those edits are terrible for not only the material, but for the industry as a whole and you know it!"
"So who's going to carry who home this time?" Spitfire said.
Both Soarin' and Fleetfoot turned to see Spitfire standing behind them. They took several steps back to let their Captain step between them as Soarin' answered her.
"We were just comparing notes on how the newbie's taking it all in. So far, he looks really nervous. And I don't mean 'dinner with your coltfriend's parents' nervous, I mean 'forced muzzle-first down Cloudsdale's sewage system for a hundred bits' nervous."
"Really? What makes you say that?" Spitfire asked, eyebrow raised.
"It's just the way he just can't stay still for more than a second," Fleetfoot said. "I mean, his wings are twitching, his hooves are twitching, his neck keeps twitching, I think even his face keeps twitching."
Spitfire looked across the room to examine Buzz's facial features. True to Fleetfoot's word, his face kept scrunching up every now and again, though they were sparse compared to his motions with his hooves and wings. Every few seconds, he was either tapping his hooves on the ground, rustling his wings at his sides, twisting his head or running a hoof through his mane before tapping the back of his neck.
"I didn't think he'd be this nervous about joining the team. Maybe we should try to help him relax."
Spitfire motioned for the three of them to approach the cadet. Buzz saw them and said something to the other two Wonderbolts before meeting the three halfway.
"Hi there, Spitfire! And Soarin'! And Fleetfoot, too! How's everything going?" Buzz asked.
"Hey newbie," Spitfire started, "you doing alright?"
Buzz nodded.
"Better than alright! I get to meet my personal heroes! I've thought about this day for years, and it's just as great as I hoped it would be!" he said, knocking his right forehoof on the ground.
"That's great to hear."
"But are you sure you're doing alright?" Fleetfoot asked.
"Yeah, you look like you're about to bre- I mean, like you're really nervous," Soarin' corrected himself.
Buzz lost his smile and looked between the three as his head arched to the right.
"What... what do you mean?" he asked.
"Well, your wings are shaking and you keep doing this," Fleetfoot emphasized by arching her head side-to-side.
"And you keep tapping your hooves on the ground," Soarin' added.
"Oh... look, I-I know those can be distracting at times, but I swear, they've never gotten in the way when I'm flying. They're just some ticks, don't, just... I'm alright."
"Are you absolutely sure?" Soarin' asked. "I mean, where did you place with the rest of the class?"
"First, sir," Buzz answered, the sense of informality fading as his mood soured.
"You just need to relax, newbie," Fleetfoot stated. "Can't have you twitching up a storm in the middle of a performance, can we?" she teased.
Adrenaline's face looked as though he had been gut-checked mid-flight.
"L-l-look, I-I can fly just fine, b-b-but don't use that-"
"Yeah, you need to lighten up, Twitches," Lightning Streak added as he came up to the group.
"What? No, I don't-"
"Seriously, you need to take a chill pill, Twitches," Misty Fly joked.
"Can you please not call me that?" Buzz said, putting more volume into his words.
"Hey, don't sweat it Twitches, it's how we Wonderbolts identify with each other," Soarin' explained. "You know what my nickname is? Clipper! 'Cause I keep clipping my wing on everything!"
"I don't care, could you please not-"
"They call me 'Slowpoke'," Surprise added.
"But I-"
"And my nickname's 'Hoof-in-Mouth'!" High Winds shouted.
Spitfire laid a hoof on Buzz's shoulder to gain his attention. He looked at her with pleading eyes, mentally begging her to stop whatever was going on.
"It's alright, newbie, it's just tradition. You get a few nervous jitters now, get a nickname for it, but it's nothing to worry about. You just need to relax."
For some reason, that didn't seem to ease Buzz's complexion at all. In fact, his eyes carried a sense of betrayal at the words.
Buzz backed away from the group.
"I'll... just go find the barracks," he said as he walked towards the door.
"Hey, Twitches, don't take it too personally, it's just a-"
Soarin' didn't get to finish the statement as the door closed behind the brown pegasus, leaving the veteran 'Bolts stunned in silence.
"Jeeze, somepony's freaking sensitive," Lightning Strike commented.
A murmur of harsh comments mumbled about as the pegasi drifted to other ends of the room, intent on cleaning the remains of the party.
"Wow, you'd think he'd never had a nickname before," Soarin' said.
"Yeah. I mean, it's just some nervous tick. Everypony gets those, but you don't see half of Equestria having a sissy-fit about somepony else pointing it out."
\\\//////
(Present)
Spitfire shook her head as she remembered Buzz's behavior after the party. Any time somepony would call him by his nickname, he'd turn away and just leave. It didn't matter who had tried calling him, Surprise, Lightning, Soarin', he had even ignored the Captain herself. At that point, she had decided to talk to him about his attitude.
She glanced across her desk to see the brown and blue pegasus standing before her desk, having stood there for the past few minutes as she sorted through her paperwork.
"Ma'am, I-"
Buzz stopped when Spitfire raised her hoof.
"Save it."
Buzz slumped his shoulders back as he tapped at the tiles of Spitfire's office.
"You've been behaving like a spoiled brat who doesn't want to participate unless they get their way. We welcomed you to the team because your test scores and records shine like a fine bit, and now you're squandering your chance because you don't particularly like the nickname that your wing-ponies gave you."
"Ma'am, it's not tha-"
"I did not give you permission to speak, Private," Spitfire said. "I want you to know that you started walking on eggshells the moment you walked out on us like that last night, and your behavior thus far has done nothing to earn points in your favor."
"Captain Spitfire-"
"Quiet. You have outright ignored other members of the Wonderbolts who were trying to communicate with you, had several near-collisions due to you inability to listen when somepony signals you-"
"Captain-"
"-And to top it off, you attempted to leave the training strip in the middle of practice for our upcoming routine."
Spitfire glared over her sunglasses at the newbie. Buzz looked like he had taken quite the verbal lashing, trembling in his seat. His eyes looked like they were ready to burst with tears, a few strays already dampening his fur.
The Captain sighed as she brought her hooves together on her desk.
"Now, I'm going to give you a chance to say your piece, and-"
Buzz's hoof slammed something metallic onto Spitfire's desk. When he pulled away, his official Wonderbolt Badge was left on the mahogany surface. Spitfire watched as he pulled off his flight jacket and threw it on the ground.
"I quit."
Without waiting for a response, Buzz turned and bolted from Spitfire's office.
Spitfire bolted from her seat and galloped after Buzz, shouting commands at him as she followed.
"Get back here, newbie!"
Bursting through the doors to the compound, Buzz and Spitfire took off, though Buzz's flight was cut short as Spitfire tackled him. Her hooves wrapped around his barrel, pinning his wings and forelegs as she kept a steady hover.
"Let me go!" Buzz said, kicking out towards nothing.
"Did I give you permission to bitch?"
Spitfire lowered them until Buzz's hooves touched the surface of a desolate cloud that overlooked the Wonderbolts facility. Spitfire forced him onto his haunches before meeting his eyes with her own.
"As your Captain, I am ordering you to explain yourself, Private."
"I quit. I don't-"
"Did I say you could go? No, I didn't. Now I demand an explanation, Twitches."
"Don't call me that!" he shouted.
"Do not raise your voice at me!"
"I don't care! Discharge me! Fire me! I just want to leave!" Buzz shouted before choking back a sob.
Spitfire backed up a bit to see that Buzz was shuddering with each breath, his eyes leaking profusely.
"Buzz, what is going on with you?"
The pegasus tried to keep his gaze on Spitfire, but he collapsed to the cloud and started shouting through the condensed vapor, his hooves pounding on it.
"I hate that nickname! I can't stand it! I studied and trained so hard so I wouldn't have to hear it anymore! And it just keeps following me wherever I go!"
His shouting gave way to full wails as he curled up and broke down.
"I-I-I tried t-to work ha-hard so that I could m-make it here! But that name! I ca-ahahah- I can't get away from it! It's all I'll ever be! It's all I'll ever be-he-he-hee!"
Spitfire landed and slowly approached the pegasus as he wailed into the cloud. She reached out a hoof and slowly stroked Buzz's mane as he let his tears fall through the cloud, inattentive to who was around him.
After what felt like hours of choked sobs and pounding at the cloud, Buzz finally began to calm down as he took deep breaths, still curled up. His wingtips shook and twitched as he sniffed up whatever had pooled up by his nostrils.
"Buzz," Spitfire said softly, "please. What's wrong? Why... just, why?"
Silence hung over the two pegasi as Buzz sat upright and breathed deeply.
"That was my nickname from Flight School, grades five through nine. It was something that my bullies came up with to torture me over my... condition."
"Condition?" Spitfire asked.
Buzz nodded.
"Four weeks before I started the third grade, my parents took me to a clinic to run a check-up and have my vaccines administered. The next morning, I had woken up on the floor of my room, lashing out in uncontrollable spasms. My wings, my legs, my neck... everything was just thrashing about against my will. My parents thought I was having a seizure and I couldn't feel or control anything for three days. The hospital staff had to strap me down and sedate me while they tried to figure out what had happened.
"I woke up four days later, a whole four days after my trip to the clinic, strapped to a hospital bed with feeding tubes and different wires running from my head and chest to these huge machines. Every time I'd try to move something, each limb would buck around like they I was in a rodeo. I was so scared that I would never get up.
"Then a doctor told my parents and I that the clinic hadn't used a properly sterilized needle for my vaccine, and I had an allergic reaction to whatever was in there. They said that the allergic reaction triggered a chemically induced meningitis, which resulted in me developing Tourette Syndrome. They said they had medicine to dull some of the effects, but they weren't potent enough to entirely subdue the Tourettes.
"When I came back to school, it was like my own prison in Tartarus.
"I couldn't sit in a desk without kicking something, and I couldn't hold a pencil without flinging it across the room. Food and drinks were out of the question, so I had to be spoon-fed and drink out of sippy cups. My grades plummeted because I couldn't hold my textbooks or get any sleep. It got so bad that my parents were thinking of switching me over to Special Education just so I could pass.
"When my classmates heard about it, they either went out of their way to 'avoid the retard' or made fun of my inability to walk, talk or do anything like a normal pony should. They'd mimic my ticks, burble out gibberish when I tried talking, and gave me the nickname, 'Twitches'. They called me that for three years.
"One day... I just broke. I had ran home in the middle of class and just cried until I couldn't. It was so bad... I almost..."
Buzz slid his hoof over his own throat.
"After that, I had to see several physical therapists, Neurologists, Psychiatrists, and tutors to help me along. One day, my physical trainer got my family some tickets to see the Wonderbolts. When I saw them soar through the skies, unbound by anything... I just knew that I had to make it here, not just for myself, but for everyone that helped me make it this far.
"That's why I hate that nickname. It reminds me of when my life was at its worst. I had no friends, I couldn't function on my own, and I didn't feel like putting up with anything ever again. Every time I hear that, all I can go back to is how pathetic I was. That I could never make it to the Wonderbolts. That I could never make it under my own power. That I'd always be that freak who can't go to the bathroom without somepony wiping his flank for him. And to hear it from the ponies I idolized for so long..."
Buzz shook his head solemnly.
"I just can't do this. It's not a matter of physical stress, is mental stability. If I hear that name again... I don't know what I'd do. I'm sorry Spitfire. I'm sorry for wasting your time and that of the Wonderbolts, but I just can't take hearing that name again."
The pegasus tried to stand up but was forced down by the embrace that Spitfire gave him.
"Captain?"
"Buzz... I'm so sorry."
Buzz sat there as his eyes began to moisten once again before he returned the gesture. They sat there for a full minute in silence before Spitfire pulled back.
"I should have come to you about the nickname instead of blaming it on your level of maturity. If we had known that you were treated like that growing up-"
"Then I would have gotten a spot out of pity. I didn't want to make it this far because somepony felt sorry for me. I made it this far because I studied and worked hard at what I loved doing. But I don't want you to change a Wonderbolt tradition because of some colt-"
"Stop it, right now. You've earned yourself a Wonderbolt title with sweat and focus. You have a right to speak with us about how our interactions effect you on a moral level. We can't have a promising newbie flank out because we didn't let them reach their best. We need to work together to find our zenith."
Spitfire stood on all fours and offered a hoof to Buzz. Buzz looked at the hoof and smiled before resting his own on it. Spitfire pulled him up and helped brush off cloud residue.
"Thank you, Spitfire."
"No problem, Buzz."
\\\//////
(12 Days Later)
Buzz looked at the picture between his primaries with a warm smile on his face. He felt a feather tap his shoulder and turned to see Spitfire in her full Wonderbolt outfit.
"Ready for your debut?" she asked.
He nodded.
"Ready."
"Hey! Spitfire, Bones, we're up!"
Buzz and Spitfire turned to see Soarin' at the door to the lockers, looking ready to burst.
"Come on! We've got two minutes before they call us out! Let's go!" he shouted before taking off.
Buzz shook his head as he tucked the picture into a pocket in his bag.
"I still can't believe you told them that story about band camp," Spitfire remarked.
"Yeah, well, it's an infinitely better nickname than the last one," Buzz commented, sliding his goggles over his eyes.
"Let's go then, Mr. Bones," Spitfire teased on her way out the door.
"By your lead, Mistress Milfbuster."
