Chapter 1 (Revised): Orientation
Chapter 1
The back corridor of the Canterlot Stadium was eerie, to say the least. The drab, grey walls of the hallway were dimly lit by only a handful of overhead lights; half of which were broken. Under the spotlight of a flickering light, a single pegasus wearing her Wonderbolt uniform stood looking down the stupidly long hallway.
I- I lost… How did I lose?
“Hey, Blaze! Wait up!" Spitfire waved her hoof to get the new recruit's attention.
“Gah! Wha-?” Turning her head, the yellow pegasus saw Spitfire trotting up to her.
“What’s up, Blaze. You alright?”
“I’m fine. You just startled me, that’s all.” Blaze replied.
“Oh. Sorry.”
“It’s alright, ma’am. What’s up?”
“How’d you like your first derby?”
“It was… intense. I thought I had the race in the bag, but you just whizzed by me on the final stretch. How’d you do it?”
“Why, so you can beat me next time? You’re just going to have to try harder next time, Blaze,” Spitfire answered with a sharp laugh.
“Heh, I guess so. Don’t think you’ll win so easily next time, Captain.”
“Who said it was easy this time. I haven’t raced that hard in ages.”
“Thanks, Captain.”
“Spitfire.”
“Huh?” said Blaze with a confused look.
“My name is Spitfire. You don’t have to keep calling me Captain all the time, you know. Especially when we are off duty like this.”
“Yes, Cap– I mean. Yes, Spitfire," said Blaze, correcting herself as she resisted the urge to salute Spitfire.
“Ugh,” Spitfire sighed, “Come on, let’s go grab some lunch back at base.”
“Why does it bother you so much to be called Captain anyways?” Blaze asked as the two of them walked down the long corridor towards the exit.
“It doesn’t really bother me, but I like to think that we can drop the formality once and a while.”
“Sure.”
The walk continued in silence for the next few minutes
“Hey, just curious. Did you go to the Gala last weekend”
“No, my older sister was having her wedding in Las Pegasus. Not that I’d want to go anyways. I was born and raised in Canterlot, and after so many years of being around high society types, I just had to get away.”
“It’s not so bad. You should really try and come next time.”
“Don’t count on it, ma’am.”
“Heh, you missed out. Animals stampeding into the the ballroom, cake flying across the room, and destruction of property. What a night.”
“Celestia! What in Tartarus happened?!”
“The bearers of the elements of harmony. That’s what happened.”
“You’re telling me that the six ponies that are suppose to represent harmony and friendship crashed the most prestigious event of the year?!”
“Yep. One of the funniest sights I’ve ever seen. All the upper class ponies were losing their minds. You should have been there.”
“As funny as that sounds, you’re still not going to get me to go to the Gala, Captain.”
“Can’t blame me for trying.”
“I’m guessing you ran into Rainbow Dash again.”
“Sure did,” Spitfire said with a bright look in her eyes. “That pony is truly one of the best young fliers I have seen. Pulled off a sonic rainboom in the midst of saving not only me, but three other ponies. I owe her my life… Heh, I guess that makes us even... Wow, I completely forgot about all that.” Spitfire gaze drifted
off as she began to stare off into the distance; not really paying attention to where she was walking.
“Huh? Even? What are you even talking about?”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. Celestia, I haven’t thought about my academy days in a long time. Would you like to hear about it?”
“If it gets you to answer my question, Spitfire; then yes,” Blaze answered.
Blaze had been in the Wonderbolts for only a few weeks and Spitfire was always telling one story or another about her past. Whether it was about a memorable mission, or a funny story about something that happened while she was on leave, she was talking about it with somepony. Most of the time Blaze would be up to hearing about it, but sometimes she would politely tell the captain that she was too busy.
“Hey!”
“What?!”
“You didn’t call me Captain that time.”
“What do you mean, Captain?" laughed Blaze with a huge smirk on her face.
“Drat.”
The duo soon found themselves at the stadium's exit. They pushed the doors open and were quickly blinded by the flash of a dozen cameras as the two were ambushed by reporters.
"Come on Blaze... Just smile and wave," Spitfire instructed.
The two started walking through the crowd. Spitfire and Blaze were swarmed by ponies asking for autographs and reporters asking questions.
"So Blaze, what's it like being the newest Wonderbolt recruit?" asked one reporter.
"I-It's really great. It's nice being part of such an elite group of fliers," Blaze replied, giving a nice smile for the camera. A fan thrust a pad of paper toward Blaze to get an autograph.
"I bet you'll best Spitfire next time. I think she just got lucky this time," Blaze heard a young colt say.
"So Spitfire, what's it like to win yet another derby," a reporter asked Spitfire.
"Feels great, Bob!" Spitfire shouted over the crowd, as she signed another autograph.
"Think that there's another pegasus out there who can best you in a race?" the same reported asked as a follow-up question.
"If there is, I’d love to race them," replied Spitfire.
"How do you feel about the rest of the Wonderbolts?" another reporter asked Blaze.
Before Blaze could give her answer she was pulled away by Spitfire.
"Sorry everypony, no more questions. Blaze and I have things to take care of. I'm sure that if you have more questions, you can set up an interview in a week or so." Spitfire turned her attention to Blaze and whispered, "Come on, Blaze. Let's get out of here. I'm famished."
With that the two took off out of the crowd. The two did a few flips for the crowd and waved goodbye, as they flew off towards The Wonderbolts HQ.
Reaching the Wonderbolts Headquarters, just outside of Canterlot, Blaze and Spitfire made their way to the mess hall. The two quickly grabbed their food and sat down at a nearby table.
“So Blaze, ready to hear my story?” Spitfire asked as she finished up her lunch.
“Sure thing, Captain.”
“Well, it all started back in the year 989 of Celestia's Reign, when I got my acceptance letter to the Wonderbolt Academy…”
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
It was a bland summer day, and I was having lunch with my parents at our old house in Cloudsdale. It wasn’t a spectacular lunch, just some daisy sandwiches and some hay fries. It could have been a normal lunch, and a fairly dull day, but at that moment the doorbell rang. My dad got up and answered the door, to find that it was just the mailmare. He took the mail in his hoof and glanced at it. A curious look came over his face.
“Were you expecting any mail, Fire?” he asked.
“Me? No I don’t… WAIT! Yes! I sent in my application for the Wonderbolt Academy a few weeks ago. That must be the response letter.”
I leapt out of my chair and snatched the letter from his hooves, tearing it open to see what the letter said.
“YES, YES, YES!!!”
“What does it say, dearie?” my mom asked.
“I got accepted to the Academy!” I shouted.
“Oh Celestia!" A huge grin came across my dad's face. He grabbed me and gave me the biggest hug, while tears ran down both sides of his face.
"Congratulations, Fire! I am so proud of you. I know it’s been your dream to go to the Wonderbolt Academy." He released his death grip on me and wiped away his tears. "Don’t forget about us when you’re famous and what not,” my dad said with goofy smile.
“Heh, don’t worry Dad, I’ll keep in touch,” I said, giving both of my parents another hug. My dad ran to the other room and grabbed the phone. He immediately called all his buddies to tell them the news.
"Hey, Daze... Guess what?..." I heard him say from the next room.
“What else does the letter say?” my mom asked, as she rolled her eyes at my dad's antics.
“Let me see.” I quickly scanned the letter, reading all the important information.
“Congratulations, you have been accepted… blah, blah, blah… You will be part of a small group of potentials… Be at The Academy in exactly one week, at 12:00 sharp. Don’t be late.”
“Does it say if you need to bring anything?” Mom asked. That’s my mom for you. Always thinking about stuff that I would have thought unimportant.
“Ummm… No, it doesn't. I’ll just bring what I think I’ll need. I’m sure they will give us everything we need there.”
“All right, if you say so.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll have a blast, Fire. I have friends whose sons went to the Academy. Said it was the best three months of their lives. Also the hardest," said Mom, sad to see me leaving the nest so soon.
I finished my food as quickly as I could, and ran off to my room to begin packing. My dad was still on the phone talking to his friends. He did this every time I did something noteworthy. Oh Celestia, he loved to brag about my accomplishments. I could hear my mom yelling from down the hall as I was packing.
“What are you in such a rush for? You have a week until you have to leave.”
“I want to make sure I am absolutely ready. I don’t want to forget anything important,” I shouted back from my room.
“Don’t you want to tell you friends the good news? I’m sure they will want to know that you will be gone for three months.”
“I’ll let them know later. I want to make sure I am completely set to go before I do anything.”
After I finished packing, I met up with my closest friends to tell them the exciting news. They were all so happy for me, if not also slightly jealous. A few of them had also applied and got rejected. They said they would send letters and told me to keep in touch. You know how friends are about stuff like that. I promised them that whenever I got the chance I would try and write to them about life at The Academy. We also promised each other that we would hang out everyday before I had to leave.
Those seven days went by quickly, and next thing I knew, I was flying up to the Wonderbolt Academy. As soon as I arrived, I saw a group of pegasi forming a line. I figured that was where I needed to be, so I flew down and quickly found my place in the formation.
“Psst. What are we waiting for,” I asked the light blue pegasus next to me.
“We are waiting for our drill instructor to show up,” she whispered back.
“Any idea what he is like?”
“I heard he is tough but fair. An old pony with a lot of experience under his wing," replied the pegasus.
At that moment an old, grey stallion marched up in front of us. He was wearing his traditional navy blue uniform, which had at least 10 medals and twice as many ribbons on it. The metals clinked together with every step he took. He was tall, intimidating stallion with a gray coat and a sleek black mane and tale. He looked as if he could take you on with his hooves tied. When he first spoke, it sent shivers down my spine. I immediately turned my eyes directly forward and stood at attention.
“My name is Captain Strike. You will address me as either Captain or sir. You WILL answer me, when I address you. Is that understood?"
“Yes, Sir!”
“When you are told to do something, you will reply with an aye aye sir, and do what you’re told. Is that understood?
“Yes, Sir!”
“Reveille is at 06:00 every morning, and lights out is at 22:00 each night. You will eat when I say so. Take a shower when I say so. Defecate when I say so. For the next three months, I am in charge of your life. Understood?!
“Yes, Sir!”
“GOOD! That’s what I like to hear. Welcome to the Wonderbolt Academy. I bet you're all think that you're going to be Wonderbolts, don't you?"
"YES, SIR!"
"Well let me be the first to say... YOU WON’T! By the end of the first few weeks, some of you are going to drop out. A few others will be kicked out, and by the end of the three months, I'll bet you that only four of you ponies will be left. This is going to be the toughest three months you will have ever faced. You will be pushed physically and mentally. You will cry – You will sweat – You will bleed. You will wonder why you ever signed up for this. Now are you lot still set on being here?"
"SIR, YES, SIR!"
"Ha! Very well. Now this here is Lieutenant Shine. He will take you to the supply room to get you outfitted for your training. He will also be showing you to your barracks. Now get out of my sight before I decide to make you do laps around the Academy.”
AYE AYE, SIR!”
Lieutenant Shine was younger than Captain Strike, and he had a clean white coat and a blond mane. Lieutenant Shine was not as intimidating as Captain Strike, but he still held an air of confidence around him. He looked like somepony you could respect. We were shuffled into a small, unpainted room with a thick yellow line on the floor. Lieutenant Shine was the first to speak.
“All right, recruits. Get on the line. When you get your uniform, move to the room on your right and put it on. When you get your uniform on, move on to the next room and wait for me there. Understood?!”
"Yes, Sir."
“What was that? I didn't realize I was in a old pony retirement home.”
"YES, SIR!"
“That’s more like it, when you address me, or Captain Strike, I expect that kind of response. Not a whisper. Not your inside voice! A clear, loud ‘Yes, sir’ for the world to hear. Or so help me, you will be running laps until you puke!
“YES, SIR!”
“Good to know we understand each other then.” At that he turned and banged his hoof against the door beside him. “Let’s get these recruits outfitted, Storm!”
An audible ‘Aye Aye’ came from behind the closed door. A small pegasus trotted out from behind the door carrying a bag on her back. She took a tape measure out of her mouth, walked up to each of us, and quickly measured us with her tape measure. After measuring us, she went into her bag and pulled out the standard Wonderbolt-in-training uniform. She grabbed a hoofful of uniforms and started throwing one to each of us. I figured that was the signal to go into the next room to put it on. It didn’t take long, but it also wasn’t the most comfortable thing to wear.
After we all got our uniforms on, we were shown to our barracks. Just like the supply room, it wasn't spectacular. It was what you would expect for a military barrack. Four drab concrete walls, a cold concrete floor, and metal bunks stretching across both sides of the room, with two thick black lines painted on the floor in front of the bunks.
Lieutenant Shine gathered us around him. He showed us where our hooflockers were, where the bathroom was located, and how to properly make our bunks. After that, we were each given a pile of sheets and a pillow.
“You have five minutes to make your bunk, and I want it perfect!” We started moving to our bunks to make them.
“What am I talking to a bunch of flippin’ mute pegasi?! Maybe some wing-ups will waken you ponies up. GET ON THE GROUND, NOW!” Lieutenant Shine barked.
We all dropped to the floor instantly. It was that moment that I learned not to mess with Lieutenant Shine.
“When you come up, you will sound off in unison. Are we clear!”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Down!... Up!”
“One!” we all shouted together.
“Down!... Up!”
“Two!”
...
“Down!... Up!”
“TWO HUNDRED!” At this point my wings were getting sore and my throat was dry from all the yelling.
“Alright, on your hooves. Let’s try this again. You have five minutes to make your bunk. Go!”
“Aye aye, sir!” we all shouted at the top of our lungs.
“Not loud enough! Wing-ups, NOW!”
After yet another set of two hundred wing-ups, we were finally able to put sheets on our bunks. I started making my bunk as quickly as I could. I was about halfway through making mine when Captain Strike marched in. He walked right up to the pegasus’s bunk next to mine, giving it a quick look-over.
“You call this a well made bunk, cadet! My five year old daughter could make her bed better than this. Start over!” And at that he bucked the bunk with his hooves, sending it toppling onto its side, with the sheets strewn across the floor. Looking at Captain Strike, I could tell he enjoyed seeing all the shocked faces looking back at him.
“What are you all looking at?! Get over here and help her," he barked.
“Aye Aye, Sir.”
I quickly dropped what I was doing and turned around to help the pony with her bunk. It was the same pony I talked to as we were waiting for Captain Strike. The look on her face was of pure shock, as she just stood there with her mouth agape.
“Hey, it’s alright... We can get this done, but you’ve got to help me out. What is your name?”
“Fleetfoot.”
“Well, Fleetfoot,” I grunted as I tried to lift the impossibly heavy bunk, “I’m Spitfire. Now, how about you get over here and we get your bunk made, huh?”
“Yeah... Yeah, okay.” At that she snapped out of it and walked over to help me fix her bunk.
After we finished with our bunks, Captain Strike gave us an hour before lights out to get acquainted with our fellow recruits, seeing as we would be training together for the next three months. It wasn’t a large group, only about 8 of us total. I had already met Fleetfoot, she was a quiet one. She didn’t really say much during that hour. Then there was Rapidfire, and like his name suggests, he was a motor mouth. Then there was Soarin. Oh Celestia, he was a boaster. Still is, kind of. Then there was Blasting Cap, who didn't last long. He had an explosive attitude, which resulted in him being the first to be booted out of The Academy. Three other pegasi were off talking amongst themselves, getting to know each other. In that group was Silver Lining, Fire Streak, and Clear Blue. I don't remember much about the first two in that group. They were gone by the end of the second week. But Clear Blue, I remember very clearly. She was a grey pegasus with a powder blue mane. The hour went by slow, which was nice. It allowed us all to get comfortable and relax. But soon it was over, and Lieutenant Shine came in to give the lights out.
“All right recruits, social time is over. Lights out!”
At that he shut off the lights and we all scrambled into our respective bunks, ready for the next day. And what a day that would be.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
RAAAAARW!
“What in Equestria was that!” Spitfire yelled; almost falling out of her seat.
Right at that moment, Soarin burst into the mess hall. His mane was disheveled, and he had a look of dread on his face.
“Spitfire. Ponyville. Dragon.” said Soarin as he gasped for air.
“Soarin, slow down and take a breath… Now, what were you saying about Ponyville?” asked Spitfire.
“There is a dragon on the rampage in Ponyville right now!
“Ugh. Ponyville again?! You sure the elements can’t take care of this one. They always do by the time we get there anyways.”
“I don’t thinks so, ma’am. From what I could see, the dragon has caused damages to some of the commercial buildings in the town, and it has kidnapped on of the bearers as well.”
“Holy Celestia,” Blaze gasped.
"Alright, alright. There’s no time to lose. Go grab your gear, Soarin. Blaze and I are going to go ahead and make our way to Ponyville. You’re just going to have to catch up,” Spitfire instructed. “Blaze. Blaze! Where did I put my goggles?” she said as her eyes darted around the room.
"They are on your head, Captain," answered Blaze with a stifled laugh.
“What?! Oh. Haha. There they are.” Spitfire slid the goggles over her eyes.
"Looks like we’re gonna have to continue my story another time, Blaze.”
“No problem, Capt. Anytime you and I have time off, my ears are open.”
“Good to know. Let’s fly!”
