Fueling the Fire

A young, bright yellow filly sits on a cloud, waiting in a line, a cloud high up, overwatching an obstacle course. Her mane was fiery orange and messy-, it parted to one side of her head, and to the other side in the back. She waits here on her second to last day of flight school, ready to take on the course. A bulky colt with strong wings watched and blew his whistle each time he let a pegasus take off, his name was Coach Cloud. Wearing a red vest with a red cap, a pearl white coat color, and sky blue mane that was pulled back. Young fillies and colts have been learning with him the last one and a half weeks, going on two weeks away from any parents. The flight coach speaks in a voice of confidence "You ready to do this Spitfire?!?"

"Um, yeah... I think so..." with less confidence than her instructor. He shakes his head.

"Spitfire, you've improved in your flight skills faster than any other pegasus out there on that course." He gave a friendly smile and rustles the mane of the yellow filly with his hoof. Spitfire smiled and nods with a more confident look. The whistle blows. Spitfire runs forward with full enthusiasm and takes off, she makes it to the first set of cloud rings and makes her way through like she hadn't been nervous at all. It is hard for the others to believe that the pegasus who was bumping into rings on the same course as the pretest day, is now speeding through it with precision, and even adding spirals as she approached the next ring. She comes to the last obstacle, in her head she says, "I'm going for it.", the corkscrew- she pushes along through and nails it,  only bumping her leg against the last ring which busted into thin air. Frustrated that it would take five seconds off her course time but, she was still proud. The corkscrew rings were optional for fillies and colts who wanted to challenge themselves.  She sets down on the "finished," cloud, where she is greeted by the others who had finished, cheering loudly and calling out to her. Spitfire blushes and turns her head away from the flattery of her fellow fliers. She scratches her mane with a chuckle, "Haha thanks guys." By the time she returns to her room, her fellow bunk mates are already there. They had picked on her after the first day about how bad of a flier she was, but they now remained silent as she walked in. "A conversation gone silent as I walk in the room, that sure is a surprise," spitfire thought to herself, untethered by the reaction she hovers up to top bunk and plops onto the mattress, slowly pulling the covers over as a voice calls up to her.

"Hey Spitfire, great job out there on the course." another voice chimes in,

"Yeah, sorry we were so mean to you." spitfire smirks. "You almost beat that one colts time too." Spitfire raises her hoof out of the covers and waves it.

"Don't worry about it girls, it's whatever. not like it bothered me." she lowers it, thinking about how much they actually had bothered her. "G'night." As the girls continue their conversation, she wonders who was it that had the best time, she knows she has improved, but she still wants to know who's better, if she finds out it'll have to be tomorrow. not worried much, the instructor says he has a special treat for them, and that they'll all be going to the out to the stadium on flight school grounds. He says it's something special for all the classes on their last day. Their counselor comes in and rests in the bed beneath Spitfire and tells them in a sweet voice

"Lights out girls." the lights went out and so did Spitfire.

On a day as clear as all the other days, the classes make their way outta of their beds. After lunch in the mess hall they all made their way out into the stands outside the school. No pony except the staff really know why this is here for the two weeks, and all the students are about to find out. Spitfire sits in a stand on the farthest end of her class. She waits for what's about to happen in the ring with cloud bleachers and an open sky, it's been here all week but they never used it. what could it be for? It was kept very clean and the school seemed to not talk about it til this day. All the stands had a lightning bolt with a blue stripe running across as well. the next class comes in and then the next, a cloud blue colt, with dark blue that was messy like her's sits down next to her. he is quick to converse, "Hey, I saw you fly."

"Oh yeah? when?" spitfire said raising an eyebrow. he smiles cheerfully and chuckles.

"The first day," even more cheerfully "you were all OVER that course." Spitfire turned her gaze away from him, and tried to spare him a laugh.

"Oh... hehe yeah that..." her tone picked up, "Well? How did you do?" he grinned at spitfire,

"Oh? Me? I just got the fastest time in the school." He presses his hoof against his chest proudly. Spitfire bumps his shoulder twice.

"Really? that was you? no way..." still chipper.

"Yeah way!" He looks over to her. "You like my skills?" Spitfire smiles.

"Hehe... yeah I do, but I almost beat them yesterday." He looks at her full on.

"R...Really?"

"Yup," With a proud smile and her muzzle pointed up, "Coach says he's never seen more improvement."

"Well then, ya gotta tell me yer name..." She squints, facing forward and looks at him in the corner of her vision.

"It's Spitfire."

"Well Spitfire, my naaaame is Soarin', the one and only." She tries to contain her laughter and covers her mouth with her hoof. After regaining her composure, she tells him.

"Well, Soarin' the one and only, it's nice to meet you."

"You too! Glad I got some competition." Spitfire pauses.

"Hey what are we do-" She's cut off and startled by a loud voice over a speaker. Completely jumped out of her seat and in the air, she sets back down and listens.

"YOUNG FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS OF CLOUDSDALE COMMUNITY FLIGHT SCHOOL!" A pegasus with nice suit and aviator glasses calls out on a microphone. "PREEEEESENTING.... THE WONDERBOLTS!" A loud roar rush's through the air as six pegasai fly over on each side. Soarin's eyes shoot open and makes a big open smile.

"The Wonderbolts are here!" he can hardly sit down as they roar across the sky with trails of lightning clouds. "Can you believe it?" Spitfire looks at him surprised, and he looks back. "Wh... what? You know who they are right?" Spitfire in an objective tone,

"Well of course I do... just, you seem really excited." The Wonderbolts woosh over again and preform stunts like spirals around each other in synchronized patterns. As they look up they raise there voices over the roaring crowd and explosive flying. Soarin' leans close to Spitfire so she can hear him.

"Well they're the best, and I'm gonna be one of them." spitfire's shocked.

"Really, what makes you so sure?" She looks at him again while he continues to gaze.

"Cause they're the coolest, and that's where I wanna be. I know I'm little, but it'd... just be so cool! You could do it too, I bet."

"you really think so soarin'?" Spitfire looks up at them and admires with him and thinks about what he just said.

"Uhhh... thanks." She says with a little bit of blushing slightly, he didn't notice though.

"I know I'm going for it, and I'm gonna be up there. Mom says I can. She says I can do whatever I put my mind too." he looks up at them as they're routine picks up, The Wonderbolts perform their finale, and the show was over.

After the show she continues to talk to soarin', about flying and the Wonderbolts, they spend the entire day together. he tells her about who the captain is, and how he or she is chosen, by recommendation from others and the decision of the Princess and the Royal Guard Captain, veto'd by the other Wonderbolts if necessary, of course he explains it more childishly. She told him that she was from Canterlot and, he said he was from Cloudsdale.

Spitfire's mom talks to Coach Cloud while she is still talking with her new friend in the main building in the front hall, at-least until his mom arrives. "Well, I gotta get going spitfire, I hope we can see each other again." Spitfire frowned at the thought of good bye, and then smiled, thankful for meeting him.

"BYE! See ya later Soarin'!" She waved with a feeling of sadness, that she may not see him again. She watched him out the front door, he was telling his mom about The Wonderbolts. She could tell as he jumped up and down, unable to tell her everything fast enough. She was surprised he didn't have his cutie mark with this enthusiasm, he was so sure of what he wanted to do. She goes to find her own mother, walking past her coach's office she overhears him. Up against the door way she tilts her head so her ears face the sound.

"That's quite the flier you got there, ma'am." Then the curious filly hears her mom's voice.

"Oh I hope she wasn't bad. Did they pick on her?"

"Oh no I don't think you understand, she's great, an awesome flier." He reassures her. The filly listens in more and smiles brightly looking around back and forth. "I've never seen greater improvement, ma'am, I can see bright future for her in flying."

"Well thank you Mr. Cloud."

"My pleasure Ma'am."

Spitfire and her mom return to their home in Canterlot, right by the main gate to the city, one of the most modest homes you could find in Canterlot. She hugs her father, and tells him everything she told her mom on the way back. she then trots up to her room, happy and feeling the urge to fly in the morning, more than she's ever wanted before, even to fly everyday, she looks at her room, and thinks about The Wonderbolts, she feels the need to decorate it with their image now, she covers up in her own bed now, feeling inspired by soarin' and The Wonderbolts. "They're soooo amazing." She lays in her blue mattress, in a room that doesn't appeal to what she's feeling now, it's almost all too girly to her now. Her bed is still the same old, same old. Eventually the young fillies' mind full of new feelings of speed and practice, grew too tired and went out like a light.