Fueling the Fire

Soarin' arrives at The Wonderbolt Academy, it had been a long trip and he had even gotten lost. Somehow he ended up in a place far away called Appaloosa. He nearly forgets it all when sees the runways and the full blue structure. There are pillars, four of them, two small to the left, and one tall and skinny on the right, in the center a large one stands with the main doors in the front. The bases of them expand outward, and the centers thin out and then back out near the top, it's  huge, and shrouded in clouds. Off to the side he can see the cadet training field, he makes his way towards it and flies down onto the field.

"looks like they're not starting yet." He looks around with his wings fully spanned out, a young mare, a pegasai like the rest catches a glimpse of him, she doesn't look like a Wonderbolt, her violet-blue with a blue streak in it is more dressed than a typical Wonderbolt. She walks up to Soarin'.

"Excuse me? are you a cadet here?" she inquires. Soarin' looks at her, and sees she has, a notepad, glasses, and a studious looking dress shirt with a tie. He hesitates.

"Ummm.... yes." Soarin' nods and smiles, but she's quick to catch him off guard again. He was confused as to who she was, her outfit has ribbons and medals on it.

"May I take a look at your flank?" Soarin's ears fold back and he raises his front hoof, he grins sheepishly.

"Umm... My flank?" She nods and adjusts her glasses.

"Your cutie mark to be exact." She makes her way steadily to his backside, Soarin' hesitates again.

"Uhh.. my cutie mark? Sure." She studies his side rather analytically, but Soarin's face turns red anyways, she taps his side to call his attention, "yeah?" her eyes now on his eyes.

"this is truly iconic, and amazing in design." Soarin'S surprised, proud of his cutie mark he may be, but still surprised, it's just a lightning bolt with a pair of pegasus wings, wings the same color as him. "I am Indigo Sharp. I design all the Wonderbolt posters and uniforms. I've been requested to come up with a new logo, I decided to look at the cadets and see if any of there cutie marks would suffice. Yours is perfect. Would you mind if I got a few pictures."

Spitfire flies over the academy in awe of the structure, she flies around the pillars and the structures. Everything was there, all the courses, it was everything she had ever dreamed. "this makes that trip worth it." It was a long flight. Then she spots the training area, forgetting the entire trip she flies towards it casually. She sees ponies with whistles and sunglasses. There's what appears to be a runway, off of ground that somehow just floats in the air. Spitfire sets her hooves on it, and looks around. She see's pegasus without uniforms, looking around like her. Then she spots a crowd, and a familiar face, a mare and a team of colts with camera's are all taking pictures around him. particularly around his backside, she covers her mouth and snickers. After they clear away, Spitfire trots up to him to say hi, but first she wants to know if she remembers her, like she remembers him.

"Hey there..." Spitfire says raising and eyebrow. He responds back in a stressed tone.

"Hey." he lowers his head, "You want pictures of it too, or my wings and mane?" Spitfire's expression tightens.

"What? No." then she giggles. "You already know who I am?" Soarin's ears perk up his neck stands up straight.

"I do?" She smiles as he looks closely  like his vision is impaired."Sp...Spitfire?"

"The one and only, how you been Soarin'?" She grins and tilts her head happy to see him.

"I've been great!" he nudges his front hoof closes to her forward. "What are you doing here?" She scowls slightly.

"Well I'm a cadet." He bursts in joy, and his voice raises.

"Really? that's awesome Spitfire." Soarin' flaps his wings in place in excitement, Spitfire smiles brightly in the process. "I was worried that I was gonna have to make new friends, now I already know I have one. This is great."

"I'm glad you're here too."

A speaker comes on and a voice can be heard of out of it, it was a rough voice and firm in tone. "all cadets on site report to the front hall, this is your Captain Thunder Clash, all you light weights will be fitted for cadet uniforms, immediately! at 17:00 hours you will all report for duty for your first work out session. LET'S MOVE IT FLIERS!" the speaker goes off and all the ponies turn there attention towards the large building in the sky. Spitfire turned towards Soarin'

"Well I guess it'll be time to show are stuff soon." The two of them make there way inside, which is almost as impressive as the outside, the academy ceiling can be seen in the main hall, and all the levels above, walkways all along the sides. Desks, and lounging areas, Portraits of past Wonderbolts captain's and honorable mentions. Two officers in dress shirts adorned in medals and ribbons come with another at there side, they carry a blue uniform.  Two are mares and Two stallions.

"Alright! I want fillies on this side," she points to her right, "and I want colts on that side." The two lines split at Soarin and Spitfire, each line makes their way into a locker room, each of them in both locker rooms just drop off they uniforms in place for each to grab, Spitfire finds her size and sees that the zipper is very well hidden, she pulls it up, for a perfect fit, while soarin' is the first to get his cadet uniform on. He looks in a mirror and adjusts his mane. Butterflies fill his chest to wear the uniform. All the ponies walk out of the locker rooms in they're uniforms, first the boys, then the girls. Now the lead colt speaks.

"Alright fillies if you'd follow those two mares over there." He points to the female directors, "They will lead you to your cadet dorms, Gentlecolts follow me." The colts followed their director, Soarin' pears into a room. as he shows four of them into it, he sees only four beds and five more male fliers left in line, and he sees he is in the back, then the other four are given themselves a room. Soarin' follows his instructors to the next door.

"and you're the lucky one." He opens the door, "we have nine boys and seven mares, so... here you are." Soarin' makes his way into his room, a little bummed that he'd be alone all month. He took some comfort that he could talk to Spitfire. He receives his stuff from the luggage drop off and lays unpacks in his lonely dorm room. He sighs and lookes out the window, then glances upward at the clock, it would be 17:00 hours soon.

Seven Mares and Nine colts stand in the grass next to the pavement, all arranged neatly in a line. Spitfire and Soarin' on the end next to each other can see a pony in a different uniform then all the rest. He walks with two of the directors they had seen before. A whistle jingles around his neck as he walks. His mane is black, and swept up like many of the cadets, but it comes down in the front a little, his eyes were a dark, cold blue. His coat was a light gray tint. it dawns on everpony that he is the captain and they all stand up straight and tall. He continues to walk but then stops when he passes the line, the other instructor's spread out in front of them. The captain turns around, his mouth opens, his commanding voice shakes some of the cadets. "Well, now.... You butterflies actually got lucky enough to be accepted. Never in my years as Wonderbolt Captain have I seen a less promising lot of pigeons!" Spitfire hears Soarin' swallow, the captain's voice was rough, while it was commanding and firm, it was tamed as well. He walks on, in front of the line, glancing at each cadet. "If you don't know what you're in for, this academy will hit you so hard heads will roll!" He gets really close to the mare next to Spitfire, after flinching, she straightens out once more.

"Yes, sir. Crystal clear." He straightens out her posture and passes Spitfire, and then turns after Soarin'

"So... you think you can be Wonderbolts, well I'll tell you, standards sure have fallen. Let's see what you're made of! I want one hundred laps, followed by a hundred wing ups! LET'S MOVE!" he blows his whistle and they all take off. flags in the clouds showed the laps they were supposed to take, Spitfire and Soarin' fly close to the lead, the others not far behind, none of them lacking skill. Spitfire passes up Soarin' and flies close in front of him, he keeps up with her but can't help being stuck nose to tail with the mare. With a look of determination on both of their faces they zip past their first lap, a director keeps track on the starting cloud, after a while Spitfire finishes first with Soarin' close behind. Thunder Clash watches and nods, he then walks away after saying something to the one of the directors, while another follows him. The cadets are then left with one instructor to time their wing-ups, Soarin' is the first to finish and Spitfire fourth. the instructor stops the watch at the last pegasus to finish and blows a whistle.

"Alright, good work everypony, Captain Thunder Clash said I'd dismiss you once we're done. you're free to go about your day, dinner is waiting for you in the mess hall." Spitfire hustles next to Soarin' who's heading back to the academy.

"Hey there... where did you think are captain went off to." Soarin' laughs.

"Don't know, he's got quite the mouth on him though." She matches his walking speed and walks next to him.

"He's just doing his job, though, I'm sure." Another colt trots along side them with orange hair, and white streaks, his coat was a very light Cream color.

"Hey there, names Fire Streak. Where do you think the captain went off to?" He looked at Spitfire as if Soarin' didn't exist, and walked rather close to her side.

"Well hello. My names Spitfire, nice to meet you Fire Streak. I was just asking the same thing. Not very captain like is it?" The intrusive colt hovers in front of Spitfire, flying backwards as he talks to her.

"You wanna join me in the mess hall, my fellow fiery maned pegasus." Spitfire tries not to laugh at the idea.

"You know? maybe I will..." as she thinks about the advice Vinyl gave her. Soarin' interjects in a panic.

"Spitfire, I have to show you that thing, remember?" Spitfire objects quickly and confused.

"What thing?"

"You know," Soarin' nudges his head towards the door a few times while peering at it. Spitfire quickly catches on and nods.

"Right, that thing!" playing along, "ugh, sorry Fire Streak, I gotta see this." Fire Streak hovers in place as the two of them gallop off to the main hall in a hurry, baffled and confused. Spitfire and Soarin' get inside as they let out a few breathes, most of the cadets were in the mess hall, so it was really just them along with the actual wonderbolt occasionally walking by.

"Man- what a creep." Soarin' Says between breathes.

"Yeaaah... admittingly, I thought so too..." She smiles at a confused Soarin'.

"If you thought he was being as intrusive as I did, then why did you say you'd eat with him?" She looks up, and then back down at the ground.

"Well my friend back home told me I should be more social. put myself out there, Y'know?" Soarin' smiles at her and bumps her chest

"Well trust me," rolling his eyes extravagantly. "You don't wanna put yourself out there for that kinda guy." He raises a smirks and nudges her again. "Now silly, are you hungry after out speeding me or what?"

"Oh yeah I am."

Soarin' and Spitfire eat by their fellow cadets who were late to the party like they were. luckily no Fire Streak in sight. They eat peacefully and talk about what kind of stunts they performed and how hard they have practiced. one of the girls to Spitfire, "Wow cloud buster, me too! I'm from Manehattan."

"No, kidding, did you use it to practice?"

"a bit... a bit... but it was more of a hassle to me, I used the city as a practice course."

"oh yeaaaah? how did that go, Fleetfoot?" Spitfire asks skeptically.

"Well, ummm... I broke a lot of windows...." Everypony listening laughed, but respected her as a flier.

"We've all crashed I bet." Everypony at their table proceeds to tell each other about there most wild crash. Spitfire tells her story about almost dive bombing the royal princess. Soarin' tells his story and the others tell there's, soon after it was time to clear out the mess hall.

"Well see ya tomorrow Soarin'." Spitfire says casually.

"Hey yeah, you too, oh and Spitfire." She turns.

"Yeah, Soarin'?" He blushes and smiles.

"It's really great to see you again." He grins at her.

"you too,  you're still that hotshot I met as a kid." looking into his eyes that are like two emeralds Spitfire winks at him. His mind goes to deeper places about her. She turns with a smile on her face and slowly moseys on out to her room. Soarin' warm in the face, can't help but stare at the yellow flank of Spitfire as she walks away, he was flying behind it all afternoon. So full and smooth looking, as her muscles in her legs sway beneath the skin, giving the shape a little bounce, he tilts his head a little to see if he can just get a small glance past her tail. He thinks about what it would feel like to place his hoof on it, and rub it, probably soft and warm. Soarin' shakes his head as she walks out the door. Soarin's face flushed and red as a feeling of butterflies in his chest possesses his entire being. An even more prominent feeling pokes it's way through between his legs. He clenches his legs together in embarrassment and quickly gallops his way towards his room, he reaches the mane hall and then the dormitory, with no ponies stopping him along the way he shuts himself off in his room, safe and free of public eye, he relaxes.

Soarin' peers his head out of his room with his muzzle facing down to the floor, he looks both ways and then glances back into his room, with an embarrassed expression on his face. Despite his relief, shame still holds over him. intending to explore around a little more, he leaves his room with no fear of the eyes around him. He walks through the academy with only Spitfire on his mind, not just about these feelings he knew he was feeling, but about what she was doing, and about being Wonderbolts together, how crazy it was that she was here. He knew he was getting ahead of himself, a little character trait he had always known about himself. His thought train is interrupted when he bumps into somepony while not paying attention to where he's going. It's the captain. he was talking to a mare who was one of the security gaurds working at the academy. He wears a dark blue uniform with a black tie, decorated in medals and ribbons, with epaulettes on his shoulders. Soarin' quickly apologizes, "Terribly sorry sir, won't happen again." He seems frustrated at first, but then as if he knew Soarin' well, his frustration fades.

"At ease, cadet." Soarin' starts to trot away, Thunder Clash stops him with his words. "Cadet..." Soarin' turns back. "You looked good out there today, I see potential in you."  Soarin' salutes him.

"Thank you, sir."

after wondering for another hour or so, Soarin' makes his way to his bed and unzips his cadet uniform. He feels as if it was a good day, assured by his captain, and the return of a friend he had only been seeing for the second time. Like him, it all felt fast, He couldn't wrap his head around Spitfire how he felt about that. He dosed off into sleep.