The Fire Maned Pegasus of Cloudsdale

The next morning, the Doctor came in to wake you up. He asked you to get out of bed to do some standard tests to make sure you were ready and able to go outside, like he promised you yesterday. Being on the bed for most of the last couple days, you were a bit wobbly standing on the cold wooden floor. Actually, you almost fell over. Luckily that impact with your face and wall stopped you from completely toppling over.

After a couple minutes of adjusting yourself, things seemed to be fine. He then asked you to move your wings, which you could do. This was the easier part. You unfurled your wings, flapping them like nothing had happened. The Doctor complimented your fast recovery, which made you feel good on the inside.

Be honest, you were more than a little proud when he told you that.

He let you go after you signed some papers, by then; you already had a hoof out of the door. You couldn’t wait to get home, and get into a nicer comfier bed than the dreadful one you had the displeasure of sleeping in for the past few days. Don’t forget, though, you did tell Spitfire that you would go visit her at the Cloudosseum the moment you got out. Then again, you really do need to feel the touch of that soft mattress again, and it’s only a Wednesday, so I’m going to cut you some slack, just this once. Besides, you haven’t had a shower in ages, and you’re starting to stink up the place. You’re right, I’ll probably never change, no matter how good your life gets.

Stepping into your home was like visiting a friend you hadn’t seen for a long time…if your friend was a giant house, and you lived inside of that friend. You know what? That sounds creepy, don’t listen to what I just said. Right now, there’s a big soft mattress with your name on it, and Celestia dammit, you’re going to jump on that mattress and have the sleep of your life. Upstairs is that aforementioned bed, and just as you planned, you jumped right on it, and immediately passed out. Sure you slept back in the hospital, but now, you’re going to sleep comfortably.

You didn’t wake up until the middle of the night.

Opening your eyes to the Luna-raised moon, you look over at the clock to see that it was past four in the morning. Despite that, you are energized, and ready to go. Too bad you have nine hours to kill before you meet Spitfire at the Cloudosseum. That smell that’s emanating from you is still around; why don’t you take a shower?

The hot water hits your bronze coat, and already you can feel the stink leaving you. Nothing that a bottle of apple scented shampoo and conditioner cannot fix. No part of you is left unattended; your hair, your flank, your…*ahem* more private areas…all washed up, and fresh smelling. Got to look your best for the Wonderbolts, can’t just run up to them like some kind of smelly fancolt.

While drying yourself off, you get a good look at that scar the Doctor was telling you about. He wasn’t kidding; it looked really nasty, almost like somepony cut your back with a knife made of fire. The scar went from the top of your neck, all the way down your spine to your flank. No more fur was going to grow on that area, so you’re stuck with that scar for life. Hey, maybe it can get you some interested mares. They’ve been known to dig scars. Dig as in like it, not as in taking shovels and digging into your scar, that would be gross. Oh, you knew what I was saying? Okay then. Just making sure we were on the same page.

With nothing to do, you went to the television to see what is on late at night. Flipping through the movie channels, all you can see is what is normally on the movie channels at night…porn. You paid no real mind to it, though. Everything you have seen is so poorly acted, it can barely even get a reaction out of you. So, you turn to something that actually has some entertainment value…cartoons. You never knew late night cartoon programming could be so enjoyable, as they showed all the old school animated programs that are considered morally irresponsible now, if they were shown in the usual morning timeslot. Slapstick violence galore graces your television, giving you more than a few good laughs before the sun rose up.

You have a nice breakfast; your more common meals have always been assorted fruits and vegetables, and maybe a pastry or two. Having to contend with icky hospital food however, you decide to indulge yourself on some donuts you bought a few days back, before your incident with the lightning. Interestingly enough, they were still good, and still packed with sugary goodness.

After a while of going back to watching the television, you’ve decided you had enough doting around, and feel like finally going outside.

It’s a beautiful afternoon in Cloudsdale; the market street that you live by is busier than usual. Apparently, there’s a big sale on Apple Fritter’s down at your local convenience store, and every pony wants to get a bite of those. You had a fritter once; it tasted good, but you aren’t entirely sure why there is now a bunch of Pegasi tripping themselves over for one. You joke that there’s probably drugs inserted into the fritter, have a bit of a chuckle, like you always do when you think you said something clever, and go on your merry way.

You make it to the Cloudosseum at exactly one o’ clock. Before you can step in, you stop yourself. You can’t just show up right when training starts! It makes you look like a weirdo! Besides, you’re not the one being trained until after the others are finished. Here’s a thought; just wait like an hour before going in. The library across the street might help pass the time a little bit.

You nod your head at this thought. Now, go do that.

The library was predictably quiet, and packed with books you don’t want to read. That Fifty Shades of Hay book seemed to be popular with the mares, however. You managed to pick up a copy of the book, and flipped to a random page. The first thing you read was ‘Anal beads’ and immediately threw the book across the library, and went to the magazines. You were beginning to have some variation of a good time, right up until the librarian kicked you out for having that book you threw strike her face. You apologized, and left in a hurry.

Luckily, your shenanigans bought you an hour, so now it is time to enter to Cloudosseum. Understandably, you walked in with hesitation, nervous about not only making a good impression on your rescuer, but meeting her teammates. The high flying Soarin, the nimble Surprise, the tough Thunderlane, all have their undeniable strengths that both impress and intimidate you, as you feel you can never do what they can do. There’s no time to be a sweating filly; you just took a shower, and you cannot smell like a greasy loony in front of Equestria’s greatest flyers.

You were just entering the field when…

ZOOM! ZOOM! ZOOM!

Three Pegasi dash past you at supersonic speeds, nearly making you lose your balance, and fall on your rump. Looking up in the sky, you see the three Pegasi you were just thinking about, flying through the air like the masters they are. You awe in wonderment at their technique, the flips, the dives, and the rate of speed, all masterful. One thing was missing though…actually…one certain Pegasus was missing.

A whistle blows.

“OKAY!” you hear a familiar voice call out, “FALL IN!”

You look down to the field and see Spitfire, wearing not her traditional Wonderbolts uniform, but an outfit that would befit a drill sergeant at a Royal Guard encampment. The three Pegasi land in front of her in a straight line, as she walks towards them. She shakes her head in disapproval.

“Thunderlane!” she shouts, “Your turn was too soon! You are out of sync with the rest of the team! I didn't recruit you from Wonderbolt Academy, so you can be out of sync! Clean that up!”

“Yes Ma’am!” he straightens up.

“Surprise!” she turns to the other, “That series of loops was real sloppy! They have to be smooth, clean loops, and you are giving me jagged edges! Learn the technique properly!”

“Yes Ma’am!” she straightens up.

“And Soarin!” she looks at the last in the line, her face goes from a hardened commander, to a friendly smile, “Great work. Your technique was flawless.”

“Thanks Ma’am.” he returns the smile with one of his own.

As she looks at the line, her gaze wanders to the fangasming Pegasus far behind them in the stands. Namely, you. She beams in surprise, and flies up to you. You step back just a little bit, afraid that she was going to crash into you, but you knew better, she was perfect in her landing. Upon her hoofs touching the floor, she greets you with a friendly hug.

“You made it!” she says, “I was afraid you wouldn’t show.”

“Uhhh….” you’re still caught up with her hug, “Yeah. I wasn’t going to miss this.”

She separates herself from you, taking your hoof with her.

“Come on. I want you to meet the others.”

“Hold on, I thought you wanted to wait afterwards.”

“Nah, they could use the attention, right now.”

She pulls you down to the field, right in front of the other Wonderbolts. Surprise looks at you with pleasant curiosity, the other two…less so. You’re not sure why, though. It’s not like you’re her coltfriend or something. Soarin especially gives you the million yard stare. You are definitely certain that he’s her coltfriend. Not even five seconds into meeting them, and already you are seen as a threat to one of them. Good job, dude.

“This here, are the Wonderbolts, but I bet you already knew that.” Spitfire says with a smile.

“It’s an honor to meet all of you.” you say, reaching out a hoof for a shake. Surprise takes the initiative, and shakes your hoof welcomingly.

“Hi, I’m Surprise.” she says to you, “Spitfire told me all about you.”

“Really? I didn’t think there was that much to tell.” you chuckle.

“Surviving a lightning blast like that? I hadn’t heard of such a thing! She said that the Doctor told her that it would leave a scar. Can I see it?” she asks you.

“Umm…yeah, sure.”

You turn around, revealing your nasty scar to the others. You can hear both Spitfire and Surprise let out a huge gasp.

“Woah! Sick!” Spitfire says.

“Yeah, it’s pretty gross.” you admit.

“No, I mean it’s awesome! You’re a bonafide badass!”

It takes all of your will not to blush at such a comment, but you fail. Your cheeks glow a bright red. Spitfire and Surprise take notice.

“Aww…he’s blushing.” Surprise says, “Spitfire, I think you flattered him.”

“Stop teasing.” Spitfire says. Her attitude towards Surprise, when not in training, was very much a massive contrast to when they were in training. They seem to be the best of friends.

“It’s okay…” you tell them, “I’ve just never associated myself on the level of badassery before.”

“And you never will.” Soarin shoots a look at you, giving you pause. “We missed two days of training because of you.”

“You cancelled training because of me?” you turn to Spitfire.

“Well, I had to make sure you were okay.”

“A Captain should never cancel training.” he continues, “You saw how we were today. Both Surprise and Thunderlane have work to do, and we have a show in a few days. If she didn’t have to watch over you, they would have perfected their technique by now.”

“Soarin!” Spitfire butts in, “That’s enough.”

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” you say, as you put your head down, embarrassed. All those good feelings you had a second ago are starting to disappear. A scoff is heard from him, as if he’s not impressed with your apology. Just then, something comes over you. Something you’ve always felt, but not an emotion you so easily show to others…annoyance. You put your head back up, looking at him with a strangely confident smirk.

“Next time I get struck by lightning, I’ll be sure to do it on a weekend.” you snark.

Soarin is taken aback by your attitude, so is everypony else…yourself included. Just a second ago, you were a cowering bum, now you are standing up to him. Just as he opens his mouth to retort…Spitfire steps in between the two of you.

“Okayyyy.” She says, “Soarin, go help Surprise and Thunderlane. I’ll deal with this.”

Soarin looks at her, then back at you. He snorts with anger, before going to his fellow teammates. You watch as they take off into the skies for training.

“Your coltfriend is a bit of a jerk. No offense.”

“He’s not my coltfriend. He likes to think he is, though. We used to date for a while.”

“What happened?”

“I just wasn’t feeling it. He’s still the best flyer on the team though.”

“Second best.” you say. She smiles at the remark. “So, you’ve been talking about me?”

“Surprise exaggerates. I just told them that I saved your life, and now I’m helping you get better at flying. That’s all.” She puts a hoof on your shoulder, “Don’t worry about Soarin. He’s usually like this during training. Off the field though, he’s a nice guy, once you get to know him.”

“I’ll hold you to it on that one.”

“Hey, I think what you said was funny.”

“Glad somepony did.” You look around to the seats. “Where would you like me to sit?”

“Anywhere is fine. I still have another couple hours with the team, if you don’t mind.”

“No. Not at all. I haven’t seen a training session before. It’ll let me know what I’m getting myself into.”

“It’s your first time. I might go a little easier on you, when we start.”

“Don’t.” you tell her, which makes her look at you with a bit of both confusion and interest. “I want to know what it’s like to be trained as a Wonderbolt.” you wave, “I’ll see you after practice.”

“Definitely.” she says with a grin, before flying up to her teammates for more practice.

For the next couple hours, you watch as Spitfire commands her team, getting their aerial acrobatics just right, to the point where they eventually become in sync with one another. Your uneducated mind thought that they were perfect from the get go, but that’s why Spitfire is the Captain, and you’re not. It’s not like you had aspirations to become the Captain of the Wonderbolts anyway, right? No? Good.

As you continued to watch them, you did begin to see the problem areas, but not all of them. That’s fine, you didn’t expect to get everything right the first fifty times you saw the same technique over and over again. Spitfire continued to be a hardened instructor, but parts of her nicer personality bled through, as her complaints became compliments. The looks on each of her teammates’ faces when she complimented them became appreciative glowing smiles.

Eventually, they were done. The three passed by you, with only Surprise giving you a friendly wave. The others gazed elsewhere, never looking over at you. It doesn’t matter anyway, you have a Pegasus in the middle of the field waiting for you.

You make your way down to the field, Spitfire’s knowing grin never going away.

“So? What did you think?” she asked.

“It looks like hard work.”

“Intimidated?”

“Would you prefer a lie or the truth?”

“The truth.”

“I’m a little intimidated. But, I think I can do it.”

Her face becomes serious.

“You shouldn’t think you can, you have to KNOW you can. Even if you don’t get it right the first time, as long as you believe you can do it, little things like failure isn’t going to stop you. Now, can you do it?”

You pause. The friendly Spitfire hasn’t come out yet, the Drill Sergeant version of Spitfire stands before you, and she’s not going to take any bullshit. That impresses you; she seems to be willing to train you, no matter what.

“Yes.” you stand tall, “I can.”

Like a switch has been flipped, she goes back to her normal self, with a bright and beautiful smile.

“Great! Now drop and give me one hundred wing ups.”

“What? No loops and turns?”

“You can’t do any of that, if your wings aren’t strong. If you can give me one hundred wing ups right here, right now, without any breaks, I’ll teach you some flying acrobatics.”

You look at the ground, and then back at her. Hey, you’re the one that said you can do it. So go on and do it! I’m not being pushy! You shrug your shoulders, unfurling your wings, and bring them to the ground. Within a few seconds, you begin with the wing ups, pushing yourself off the ground, and bringing yourself back down in a steady succession.

“One…two….three…” you begin counting. Spitfire watches you, sitting down as she waits for you to eventually buckle.

Surprisingly, you were doing well…right up around the sixty mark. You couldn’t take anymore, and fall on your stomach with a thud. That hurt a bit. You get back up with a stumble. Spitfire says nothing, continuing to look at you. Thinking that she’s waiting for you to try again, she stops you.

“Hey.” she goes to you, “What are you doing?”

“Trying again.” you say, “You said get to a hundred.”

“It’s okay.” she assures you, “I didn’t expect you to get it the first time.”

“You didn’t?”

“No. If you did…that would have been amazing. Still, sixty seven wing ups; not bad.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“I’m being serious. Back in Wonderbolt Academy, I didn’t get to a hundred wing ups the first time, either. I topped out at forty two. Here’s my question though; do you still think you can do it?”

“No. I know I can do it…eventually.”

“That’s exactly what I want to hear.” she grins, “How are your wings feeling?”

“Tired. But I can still fly.”

“There’s no need for that. Come with me.”

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going out to eat.”

She takes you to a fast food joint, with all the greasy daffodil burgers and fries you can ask for. You never associated Spitfire as a connoisseur of fatty food, but here you sit, watching this Pegasus down her second burger with no second thoughts. You’ve barely taken a bite of your first. Staring at that delectable meal, your stomach grumbles. You’re hungry, might as well enjoy yourself.

As Spitfire gulps down her hayseed milkshake, she notices you staring at her.

“Is everything okay, dude?”

You better say something, quick.

“I-I just never…”

“Seen a mare like me eat like this?”

“Well…yeah…” you chuckle. She shares the sentiment.

“I get really hungry after a long training session. Eat up; I can hear your stomach from where I’m sitting.”

Adhering to her command, you take a massive bite of your burger. It’s how you expected it; greasy, yet oh so good. A guilty pleasure, to be sure.

“Good?” she asks. You nod. “So…” she takes another bite, “Is it your dream to become a Wonderbolt?”

“No. No, no no.” you wave your hooves in front of her, emphasizing the fact that you don’t want to be in such a profession. “I’m not cut out for that kind of stuff.”

“Then, why did you agree to let me train you?”

“Who am I to refuse an offer from Spitfire?” you smile, “Besides, you saw me in the Fearless Flyers Competition. I could use the training to…you know…not suck as hard.”

“I see.” she chortles, “What are your dreams, then?”

“That’s the crazy part. I don’t have any.”

“What? All Ponies have a dream of some kind.”

“Not me. All I want to do is make an honest living.”

“You have a job?”

“Yeah. I work at the toy store in Canterlot. Daytime stocker. Folks there love having a Pegasus do the work, rather than using ladders.”

“And…you’re happy doing it?”

“Why not? I get paid, have food on the table.” You notice her looking at you a bit funny. Is she judging you for your line of work, and lack of ambition? You certainly hope not. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah…” she snaps out of it, “No, I wasn’t judging you. I’ve just have never met a Pegasus so…”

“Normal?”

“Content. It’s refreshing, actually. Every other Pegasus I met says that they want to be exactly like me, or sleep with me.”

“Well, I don’t want to be exactly like you.” you smile. It takes her awhile to get it. When she does, she nearly spits out her drink. “Shit, I was only joking. I didn’t mean…”

Suddenly, she recovers from the near choke and bursts out laughing.

“No, man, I totally got that!” she continues laughing, “Sorry, that almost killed me!” After a while, she notices the smirk on your face. It’s not the normal kind of smirk, either. You really dig this chick…not in that way. But, she does make you feel…what’s the word…special. “What is it?” she asks you.

“Spitfire? Are…are we friends?” you wonder. She looks at you with a surprised look. Like she couldn’t believe you asked that.

“What kind of question is that? Of course we’re friends. Why would you ask that?”

“It’s just…I never really had a friend before.” you freely admit to her. She pauses mid sip. Her face changes to one of concern, but also pity. She doesn’t fully understand what you just told her, but she feels bad.

“Why not? You seem nice.”

“I have a habit of…being nervous around other ponies. I’m afraid of making a bad impression. So, I just decide to not talk at all.”

“You’re talking to me. You didn’t seem all that nervous when we first spoke.”

“We got the awkwardness out of the way, when I caressed your cheek, mid consciousness.” you chuckle, “Since you stuck around, I guess I made a good impression.”

“It’s not often a near dying Pegasus calls you beautiful.”

“Yeah.” your cheeks blush with embarrassment, thinking about that day, “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize. You said it yourself; I stuck around. Also, you didn’t seem that nervous when you spoke to my team.”

“I don’t think your team likes me too much. Surprise being the exception.”

“Soarin and Thunderlane are just being silly. Don’t pay attention to them.”

“They looked like they wanted to beat me up.”

“If they try anything, they’ll have to deal with me, okay?”

“I believe you, Spitfire. Seeing you on that field today ordering them around was enough of make me a believer.”

“And don’t you forget it!”

The two of you share a good laugh, like friends always should. You finish up your meal, and so does she, leaving a table full of wrappers and empty cups.

“I had fun. We should do this every day.” she says.

“Really? I don’t think I can eat burgers every day.” you slap your stomach, “Have to keep my slim figure.” you joke.

“No, I mean hang out. It’s nice to talk to somepony who doesn’t constantly gush over you, or discuss flying techniques.”

“I’ll tell you what. On the days I don’t have work; I’ll come down to the Cloudosseum, train, and hang out afterwards. I get to be a better flyer, and you can have a friendless Pegasus to talk to.”

“You’re forgetting; you’re not friendless anymore. You got me. Be honest, you couldn’t ask for a cooler friend.”

“You’re right. I couldn’t.” you put a hoof out for a bump. “So…deal?”

She looks at the hoof, then back at you. She smiles, meeting your hoof with her own.

“Deal.”