The Wonderbolt Academy

Watermelody groaned quietly and smacked her dry lips together as a wet tongue started to lick her cheek as she forced her eyes open, wincing at the sunlight coming through the pale green curtains.

She stared at a large Germane Shepherds brown eyes staring back at her curiously before licking her again.

“What in Celestia’s name?” Watermelody mumbled and pushed herself back. She slowly realized the blankets above her followed by a soft pillow under her head. “Where am I?”

“My house,” Wallflower answered with a small smile from a chair across from her. “Good morning.”

“Good morning. Now how did I end up here exactly?” Watermelody asked and pushed down vomit as she locked eyes with the dog. “I woke up with him licking my face. I didn’t fu-”

“No, not at all!” Wallflower waved her forelegs around in front of her a bright red face. “Nothing like that. Rufus is fixed so even if you did nothing would happen except me being really, really mad at you. I don’t even know why you’d do that with a dog in the first place.”

“I never would!” Watermelody shot back and turned green at the mere thought. “Can we please change the topic? To literally anything else.”

“Gladly. Well, you got really drunk and drank Surprise under the table. Honestly, you could probably rival my sister in a drinking competition though I don’t it. Berry Punch has a strong liver and stomach. Anyway, you passed out on the table and I carried you home with White Lightning and Raindrops. Sassaflash and Dizzy took Surprise to her place,” Wallflower explained and Watermelody grimaced.

That explains my pounding head.

“Do you want some water?” Wallflower asked as Watermelody sat up with a groan. “I take that as a yes. Be right back.”

Wallflower exited the room as Watermelody stared at the ceiling before closing her eyes, the pounding in her head making her internally regret challenging Surprise to a drinking competition.

“Hey,” Wallflower nudged her after setting down the glass and some pills. “It’s been ten minutes. Wake wakey.”

“Urghhh,” Watermelody groaned and sat up again. “Thanks Wallie.”

“Anytime. So uh,” Wallflower laid on the cool hardwood floors on her stomach and stretched out. “Other than go to plays and paint, what do you like to do?”

“I usually just hit up the clubs,” Watermelody tapped a hoof against her chin before she downed the water and pills. “Being an artist isn’t glamorous as many think. It doesn’t make a lot of bits. I very briefly danced in a club to help make some money to get along in my art career.”

“Really?” Wallflower gave her a skeptical look. She didn’t really pay attention to papers or well, anything really outside her friends and her plants but she did know Watermelody’s parents names. They were quite well known in the Manehatten stock markets, after all. Most ponies didn’t get far in Manehatten without having interacted with them at least once. “I’ve heard of your parents. Couldn’t you have just borrowed bits from them?”

“My Ma and Pa are unique ponies. They never really approved of my art career,” Watermelody admitted and looked away with a sad smile before holding up a hoof to stall Wallflower from speaking. “Don’t get me wrong, they love me and I love them. They gave me everything as a filly I’d need to succeed as an adult. Good education and stuff. They still send me letters all the time and I send them letters back. They wanted me to follow in their hoofsteps and well, being a stock broker wasn’t me. Hell, you see my cutie mark. It’s a music note. That’s not related to being a stock broker.”

“Well, yeah. My mom wasn’t really a good pony herself,” Wallflower commented and closed her eyes briefly. “She was annoying to say the least. She pretty much was always out with different stallions or mares often leaving us at home to fend for ourselves. Cherry and Cheerilee looked out for me and Berry a lot.”

“I wish I could relate. At least you had them, right?” Watermelody offered weakly as she flattened her ears against her head.

“I guess.”

“So uh do you like to sing? I love singing,” Watermelody smiled weakly. She didn’t necessarily want to make the other mare feel awkward, especially considering the family topic was tense.

“Sometimes when I’m alone. Singing is okay. I don’t think I’m too good at it in all honesty,” Wallflower admitted as Watermelody gave her a doubtful look.

“Well, sing me a song. I’ll be the judge. It’ll be like one of those shows we always hear about, ya know?”

“Sorry but no. Maybe another time when I’m not super worried about ponies outside hearing. Some came knocking on my door before and tried to hire me for some school as a teacher. Obviously, I ran away.”

“From your own house?” Watermelody pointed out with a raised eyebrow as Wallflower blushed before nodding. “Why didn’t you just run inside instead of away?”

“Ya know, I don’t know.”

“Mind if I stay for a bit?”

Wallflower paused for a moment and smiled finally.

“I’d like that.”

“This,” Spitfire proclaimed and waved a hoof at the machine in front of the assembled pegasi. “Is called the Dizzatron. It’s goal is to get you very, very dizzy. After fifteen seconds, you’ll be released from the safety belt inside and sent twirling through out the sky. Your job is to regain control and land back here. If you don’t regain, we have two ponies with clouds to catch you.”

Parasol looked at it nervously and gulped as Spitfire walked down the row of ponies, eyeing them each before pausing and staring at her.

“You. Get in the Dizzatron,” Spitfire ordered and pointed a hoof as Parasol looked past her nervously. “Now!”

Parasol gulped again and fluttered over to it as Fleetfoot helped her in.

“You’ll be fine. If you don’t regain control, Lightning and Fire Streak will catch you, okay?” Fleetfoot said casually and adjusted the other mare briefly. “Now just sit there. It’s enchanted to release when the lever is pulled, okay?”

“Did you do this?” Parasol asked and looked down at the ground.

“Yeah we all did. Sunchaser currently holds the academy record for it. Now good luck,” Fleetfoot winked and flew back to join Spitfire. “She’s good.”

Spitfire nodded and gave Twilight a nod as the unicorn pulled a lever. She had spent hours reading the instruction manuel. It was pretty straight forward. Parasol spun around in a circle as she resisted the urge to vomit.

“Release!”

Twilight’s magic pulled the lever at Spitfire’s orders as Parasol launched out and went spinning as Spitfire watched intently as the pale yellow mare recovered and landed in front of her stumbling.

“Nice work. Twenty five seconds,” Spitfire glanced at her stop watch. “Go stand next to Fleetfoot.”

Parasol hid her grin as she joined the turquoise mare as Spitfire pointed at Merry May.

“Next!”

Raindrops and Dizzy watched as each pegasus got chosen before them as they each either came to a stop on their hooves and slammed onto the ground, a few occasionally landing in the safety net.

“Raindrops, you’re up!” Spitfire called out and the jasmine mare bumped hooves with Dizzy before flying with Fleetfoot to the machine and getting pushed inside.

“Oh sweet Celestia,” Raindrops whispered and held on as she started spinning around.

“Release!”

Raindrops went flying head over hooves and stopped after a few turns, flying back down and sliding around as she tried to stop in front of Spitfire.

“Landing was shit but you did well. Work on your landing more,” Spitfire glanced at her. “Fifteen seconds. Not bad. Dizzy, get up there. You’re the last one.”

Raindrops turned to watch with her friend with a smile. If anypony could do well at this, it was her. Dizzy held onto the metal bar and started spinning around as the group watched.

Raindrops was starting to get Dizzy just watching as Spitfire ordered her to be released and Dizzy went flying.

“Oh shit,” Spitfire whispered as Dizzy hastily spread her wings as the mare screamed and started to plummet. “Dizzy! Hang on!”

Spitfire took off and jumped slightly at the yellow blur past her as she and Fleetfoot both stared with wide eyes.

“Was that Raindrops?” Fleetfoot asked as the mare caught Dizzy with the two behind her followed by some other Ponyville ponies.

“Looked like it. She’s never been that fast before.”

Raindrops stared at Dizzy as the two landed and Fleetfoot gave the orange mare a worried look.

“Broken wing it looks like,” Merry May noted as she examined the wing hanging limply. “Probably from when she smacked it on the machine. Her trying to fly is what did it in.”

“Shut that stupid thing down,” Spitfire snapped at Fleetfoot and Twilight. “Nopony has ever been hurt like this by it. I don’t want it used till we figure out why it happened now.”

“Yes ma’am!” Fleetfoot saluted hastily.

“Have Twilight look at it. She’s smart. And somepony take Dizzy to medical please,” Spitfire jerked her head to the looming white building.

“Am I getting out?” Dizzy asked worriedly as Raindrops shifted to place her on her back.

“No you’re not,” Spitfire answered and hung her sunglasses around her neck. “Once you’re cleared in medical, you’ll be helping me do paperwork and cooking if they let you. Nice save Raindrops.”

“Thanks. She’d have done it for me,” Raindrops blushed slightly and nuzzled her friend. “You’re way strong than me Dizz.”

“Is Raindrops getting kicked out? She has no wing pony. I don’t want her screwed over because my injury,” Dizzy scoffed and Spitfire frowned with Twilight.

“I’ll give you a temporary replacement. You’ll be with Whiplash till Dizzy here recovers. Everything you do to help me will be counted as training,” Spitfire patted Dizzy with a hoof. “Focus on healing. Use this as a lesson. Even Wonderbolts get hurt.”

“Yes ma’am!” Dizzy nodded and tried to salute as Spitfire shook her head and pointed at her wing sternly. “Oh. Right.”

Spitfire watched Raindrops and Merry May walk away with Dizzy wincing as Spitfire glanced at Twilight with a worried expression.

“We gotta figure out why that happened. Only a few ponies have been hurt on the Dizzatron and it’s not something I like to have happen. Especially on my watch.”

“Agreed,” Twilight shifted her weight nervously and glanced back at Fleetfoot and another Wonderbolt covering the Dizzatron with a tarp and a red x mark on it. “Glad she wasn’t killed.”

“Me too,” Spitfire exhaled. “Me too.”