Touch the Sky

[RainbowFoxxy]

Spitfire was at her desk making last minute changes to a routine the Wonderbolts would be practicing next week.

"Double round into a cork screw? Hmmmmm.... not sure that makes sense...." She picked up a pencil in her mouth and scratched some more notes to herself. "I'll finish this later. The crew should be out there soon."

The yellow pegasus got up from her desk and had soon changed into her Wonderbolts attire. Hopefully some recruits had shown up today. She had sent her team to advertise a free training day for any interested pegasi or griffons days ago. Interest had been high enough to go ahead with the event as planned and so she hoped there would be willing recruits outside. It was all part of a recent campaign to give back to the community.

The Wonderbolts had always been there for the inhabitants of Equestria. They not only put on shows that were adored by many but they also seemed to be there to help whenever troubled times came. Still, it didn't hurt to give a little more. She would be hard on whoever decided to show, that was just her way. Spitfire did enjoy these kinds of days, though her demeanor might not exactly show it at all times.

Spitfire made her way out side and trotted to the main area of the training grounds. She wondered if Soarin' and any of the other Wonderbolts might be there already. Perhaps she could squeeze in a little training time for them too. Most Wonderbolts didn't mind showing off a little after all...

[QuickLime]

Gale being Gale was already out and about, flying a lazy loop above the training ground, doing a twist in the air and flipping backwards...Not so much showing off as it was warming up! He was a bit tired and not quite all awake yet, dawning his WonderBolt's uniform as per usual, goggles on and all, his mane was already a mess from flying since he tended to zip around when he flew normally..

He could have sworn he heard hooves, and glanced down, seeing Spitfire enter the area! Oh dear He didn't really know Spitfire personally..or at all but she was the captain! So he moved to fly down and salute her "Good morning Ma'am!"

[SteelEagle]

Soarin' had seen these sorts of camps come and go in the high skies of Equestria. They were different from the Wonderbolt Training camps which required applications and a weeding out process. Those were more intense and netted them a greater number of reserve team members and future stars. These region wide tryouts were more relaxed- many different programs and tracks for ponies to partake in, but it was an open event and so they didn't expect as much. Spitfire ran it hard and ran it well but there was a reason that these events didn't bring in a quarter ofthe team despite having four times as many ponies show up to every event. It still had its uses- training didn't hurt anypony anywhere and he had a sneaking suspicion Spitfire enjoyed ordering little civilians around like her own personal toys. Hey, everypony had their evil little quirks about them. All he was saying is that if she were a unicorn, he was sure she'd brainwash ponies into being super competitive.

In any case, Soarin' had spent the past few weeks advertising the event in the Strand. In years previous had gone up north but he was getting to the age where mass transit in between performances or appearances was becoming almost a requirement if he had several in a row. City after city he was mobbed by ravenous fans of his powerful flying style and spent as much time signing autographs as he did speaking about the camp. Good thing was that they had done these camps often enough that it was an easy enough concept to explain and he spent as much time schmoozing up with a hottie and getting some fine wine on the Wonderbolt's dime as much as he actually worked. Celestia bless his job, he got to goof off as often as he sweated...and sometimes those things were the same thing, if you caught his drift.

But today was the day of days. Ponies and griffons from across the nation would show up and it would be up to the Wonderbolts to keep everypony or everychick in line and on task. Spitfire was born for this- Soarin', less so. He was a good leader in his own right but more of a gentle shaper, a molding knife at work, rather than the crude but effective instrument that Spitfire was. Plus on days like this during programs such as this he didn't see the need to blow a fuse or four. It would pay off to be a simple aid rather than an instructor he figured- he wasn't holding his breath on this producing much other than positive memories. As Spitfire made her way out to the main ground, an in-uniform Soarin' trotted to meet her. He greeted her with a yawn.

"Not a bad crop I figure. Turnout is decent, some noted drop-outs from the camp- talent level isn't bad. Gale-" he began before the pony made his introduction, which Soarin' replied to with a wink and a hoofbump, "-have a few instructors and aids ready to go and my wings are a buzzin'. Your lead, Captain," Soarin' stated breezily behind his cool mask of confidence, gazing out over the field.

[RainbowFoxxy]

"Good morning Ma'am"

Good Gale was here. Spitfire had for once left it up to her Wonderbolt team to decide who would show up for today's training. All she had said was that she needed at least three of them to be there. Although she would have been fine with any of them, there were some that would work better for this kind of event than others. She gave the blue pegasus and curt nod and then smiled

"Good morning Gale. Glad you could join us for this!"

Then Soarin' appeared. He had been sent to the Strand to advertise the event this year. No doubt he had gone about his task in the way Soarin' always did. The Captain smiled again, this time hiding it from them. She was ever glad to have Soarin' as her second, though she seldom expressed her feelings with words.

"-have a few instructors and aids ready to go and my wings are a buzzin'. Your lead, Captain,"

The Captain pulled her goggles down over her eyes and spoke. "Well, I'm thinking we run a few training laps of our own to warm up while we wait for the recruits." She flapped her wings. "Follow me!"

With that Spitfire was off like a shot! She pushed herself in a steep ascent, stretching her front legs forward. Her mane and tail streaked out behind her like fire. She was in her element. Nothing felt better to her than some break neck flying. Eventually she stopped flying upwards and turned, heading down in a blur of momentum. When she was back near the training course she swooped easily through some rings and then turned around. She went through the next set backwards before landing back on the ground.

-------

Flourish had made her way into the training grounds while the Wonderbolts were doing their warm up. She watched with her mouth slightly agape as they flew. The pegasus felt honored to have been invited today and couldn't wait for a chance to talk to the famous team!

[Pretzelparty]

This was an interesting Development in her life. Ever Since she was a foal, Mistral had a knack for super fast flying and sharp maneuvering. Her small size and extra light weight made high speeds easy for her to achieve and her larger wings helped to give her extra lift and make sharp turns. While her primary talent was in the category of deception and being clever in general she'd managed to keep herself a top notch flyer by way of constant exercise and almost constant use of her wings.

Mistral's reasons for attending this camp were mostly rooted in her idea that she didn't have a back up plan in her life. For most of her time traveling she'd decided that she didn't need one beyond 'mess with con artists' but in hindsight this may have not been the best idea. Equestria was known for being a peaceful place, outside of the occasional changeling invasionand moments of chaotically rooted events- ponies were known to be honest, upstanding citizens and those who made a living doign dishonest deeds were usually a rarity. Being a pony who would actively seek out such an uncommon occurrence in this peaceful part of the world was difficult so she needed something to do that she felt would keep her mind and body sharp. If she could make a living a professional flyer than she'd try and see if she could somehow weave her talent into that application but for now she had to worry about making it through this camp.

Among the lineup of attendees stood the ivory coated pegasus, she made sure to stand up straight. She kept her wings to her side and tried her best to keep a look of professionalism. On her face were the slightly stylish looking Goggles. It might or might not be in the paperwork that they were prescription.

I'll let you guys choose whether or not it is in the paperwork. if you think it can lead to more interesting events in the thread feel free to say it isnt!

[RainbowFoxxy]

Spitfire turned her head to see if the other Wonderbolts were following her as she requested.

"Let's go you guys! Get those wings flappin!" She called back to them.

Flourish saw an ivory coated pegasus enter the line up. She seemed to be ready for anything with those awesome goggles. She nudged the pegasus and smiled.

"Can you believe we get to train with the Wonderbolts!" Flourish was rarely this excited.

[SteelEagle]

Soarin' was excited about working with the new fliers, but truth be told there was always a bit of apprehension along for the ride. New recruits brought with them the energy of their bodies and convictions and with that often came a streak of recklessness and youthful abandon that he couldn't match. It could make them more interesting fliers, but it always also made them dangerous ones who didn't really have the same sense or mortality that Soarin' had about his flight schedule. That was one reason he was more than happy to get on with Spitfire and Gale and get some practice in before the mass of recruits arrived. Limber up the wings and be at top form to both stay with the new recruits as well as be in a position to help them should something to terribly wrong. He didn't expect anything to go wrong but a Wonderbolt was ever vigilant and eternally prepared. He nodded at Gale and Spitfire and then let his wings loose, hot on the trail Spitfire blazed out in front of him.

Or close enough, anyway. She was incredibly fast and Soarin' couldn't keep up with her and everypony knew it, especially Soarin'! It vexed him when during unimportant events she decided to shoot off like a rocket but she was closer to the age of the recruits than she was to Soarin' anyhow, so it didn't shock him at all. Where she was a blur of excitement streaking across the air in foerce turns, he was a broad stroke of a brush gently if swiftly still wafting from point to point. He wasn't going to break himself getting up to speed. What use was a torn to shreds Soarin' anyway? If he was going to find his replacement, he was going to find said replacement doing it his own way, darnit. Still, he made a few turns and crisply followed a basic workout flight program, taking a shortcut or three- every veteran had them- to find his way at the upper limit of his abilities next to Spitfire.

"So boss, look at the list? Any names really stand out?" Soarin' asked between breaths as he flew alongside his captain of captains. The list didn't feature too many great unknowns, teh classification he used for ponies who scored exceptionally well in preliminaries but were otherwise unknown, but it still looked really solid. He was excited to see who could come out of it as assuredly they would get some good reserve team material out of the upcoming camp. The already stacked roster could only expand so much before others had to leave, but in the end it was a cut throat business. Soarin' needed to know Spitfire's thoughts- anypony who stood out was due closer inspection and great expectations.

[Lux]

Up in the blue sky, a streak appeared that looked like flames, twisting and weaving through the clouds an it circled lower and lower to the ground. As the contrail became clearer, one could see a white Pegasus stallion creating the designs. Finally he made his final descent and came to a stop before the ponies that held a special place in his heart: the Wonderbolts. Like many Pegasus ponies they were the example of the best in speed, agility and charisma, a goal that Sky Flare hoped to one day achieve. But there was something else, a more personal reason why he went to see them. If it were not for a Wonderbolt Sky would have not found his talent and perhaps not his cutie mark. For this reason he felt like he didn't want to squander the gift given to him. For this reason he chose to participate in this training opportunity.

"Hello there," he said to the Wonderbolts Spitfire and Soarin, "I'm Sky Flare. It's great to meet you two. Er... I hope I'm not late for this practice."

He looked to see three other ponies in attendance. One mare he recognized while the others were new. Well there was nothing like a good first impression.

"Hi Mistral, nice to see you again. You remember me from the cloud moving with Rainbow Dash, right? Oh and hello you two. What's your names?"

[RainbowFoxxy]

"So boss, look at the list? Any names really stand out?"

Spitfire slowed her pace as Soarin' came alongside her and asked about the list.

"Yeah, I got a chance to look it over. Lots of young, energetic ponies on the list...as usual..." She rolled her eyes playfully at Soarin'. "You know how it goes." The Captain looked towards the ponies lining up down below. "Anyway let's see... keep an eye on that one there." She nodded at Sky Flare. "I've heard he's got some raw talent. Might just do well if he's got some Wonderbolt molding. There's also a white mare," She noted Mistral. "A possible precision flyer. I figured we'd put her through some patterns today and give Sky Flare a run for his bits on speed tests."

She had swooped down and landed into a trot while speaking. This brought her right to the line up.

"I'm Sky Flare. It's great to meet you two. Er... I hope I'm not late for this practice."

Spitfire nodded her head in greeting, sizing up the new recruits with a glance.

"You're not late for practice at all. But we'll see if you come in on time when we get to speed trials today!" She spoke in a way to drum up enthusiasm from the recruits. "Welcome to the Wonderbolt School of Flight all of you. If you think you've got what it takes to join our team then today is your day to show us what you've got! All of you take a warm up lap!" She nodded to the basic loop she wanted the recruits to fly.

Oh and hello you two. What's your names?"

"Hi!" Flourish smiled at Sky Flare. "The name's Flourish! Good to meet you!" It was then that Spitfire told them to warm up. Flourish jumped into the air, flapping her wings hard to try to keep out front. She really wanted to impress Spitfire and Soarin'!

[Pretzelparty]

"Can you believe we get to train with the Wonderbolts!"

The ivory coated pegasus jumped slightly in surprise as she was given a sudden nudge from the mare at her side. Mistral had been so focused in trying to keep some impressive posture for the Wonderbolts present she failed to notice the presence of the bright blue pony at her side. After coughing into her hoof to clear her mind of any reflexive skittishness she looked to the mare at her side ,"I'm still not to sure I ain't dreamin'!" The mare lifted up a hoof and adjusted her goggles on her face. "It'll be nice ta try seein' just how good my flyin' is when compared to da pros!", said the monochrome patterned mare, giving her wings a nice long stretch.

Suddenly there was what appeared to be a blue flaming streak soaring through the air. She thought that pattern looked familiar and once the pony who it belonged to made his grand entrance, the mare chuckled once she figured out where. He'd been with her on...

"Hi Mistral, nice to see you again. You remember me from the cloud moving with Rainbow Dash, right?

... Exactly the job he just said he'd met her on. That was quite the assignment they's been on but Mistral didn't really care much about it beyond earning a few extra bits to live on and a chance to make an honest living as opposed to her own somewhat shady past-time. "Nice ta see ya again, Sky... here ta do a little showin' off fer da wonderbolts are ya?", she asked in a mildly teasing tone.

"Welcome to the Wonderbolt School of Flight all of you. If you think you've got what it takes to join our team then today is your day to show us what you've got! All of you take a warm up lap!"

The mare blinked a few times after flourish took off in the direction of the course, from the way she was flapping she had to be expending an unnecessary amount of energy. With a sigh the mare stretched her wings and soon she took off in a black and white blur. Despite her already impressive speed Mistral was still pacing herself, she knew that flying wasn't all about speed and she was pretty sure the Wonderbolts were aware of that too. Misty's light weight and large wings made her speedy movements on the course as precise as she'd described on her application here and it made catching up to Flourish fairly easy, she had to admit that Flourish was indeed fast though. Once she caught up to the fellow flyer she raised her voice to get her attention,"'Ey! Yer not gonna impress the Wonderbolts if ya burn yerself out, Flourish. 'dis ain't a race, remember? It's a warm up!",After Misty said her peace she fell back a bit and made sure to pace herself, glancing back a short moment to see if Skyflare was following along.

[Lux]

"Hi!" Flourish smiled at Sky Flare. "The name's Flourish! Good to meet you!"

He smiled as the mare greeted him warmly. Sky of course wanted to meet the Wonderbolts and get a chance to show what he can do but meeting other ponies was something he always looked forward to doing.

"So, where are you from Flourish? Do you live in my hometown of Cloudsdale or somewhere else?"

He was happy that Mistral remembered him as she teased at why he was there.

"You know it! I don't get chances like this everyday! But of course this gives me the moment to hang out with other cool Pegesai."

"You're not late for practice at all. But we'll see if you come in on time when we get to speed trials today!" She spoke in a way to drum up enthusiasm from the recruits. "Welcome to the Wonderbolt School of Flight all of you. If you think you've got what it takes to join our team then today is your day to show us what you've got! All of you take a warm up lap!"

Sky breathed a sigh of relief that at least he wasn't late for the party. That would be a bad start in trying to be a shining example to the other ponies. Still the mention of a speed trial worried him a little. Sky was by no means the fastest Pegasus, his talent being his quick agility instead. If getting into the Woderbolts training meant speed, he was going to have to fight for it.

"You got it," he said enthusiastically as the white stallion took to the sky, meeting up with the other ponies shortly after.

"Yeah, the last thing you want to do is pull a wing muscle before the actual test begins," Sky said to Flourish as he slowed his wing flapping to a cruising speed.

[RainbowFoxxy]

Spitfire watched as various pegasi lifted off into the air.

'Ey! Yer not gonna impress the Wonderbolts if ya burn yerself out, Flourish. 'dis ain't a race, remember? It's a warm up!"

She nudged Soarin' as she heard Mistral call out to Flourish.

"Yep, let's keep an eye on this one. She seems to have a basic understanding of how things work around here. No need to burn out before we even get the day going. They're all going to need their strength to span out for longer than a little warm up session!"

She was too far away to hear what Sky Flare said to Flourish but Spitfire did notice both of them slowing to a cruising speed. That was a good call for now. No need to pull muscles and get tired on the warm up.

Flourish heard the comments from the other two pegasi but she ignored them both. She had speed to spare! She would show Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts she was worthy of making the team! The light blue pegasus banked quickly into the turn leading to the hoops. Her wings flapped hard and smoothly as she maneuvered her way through the course.

"Oh shoot!"

She had time to cry out as her wing seized up. She tried to keep flapping but found herself in a steep plummet towards the ground.

"Help!" She called out frantically, wondering if anypony would be able to keep her from falling.

[Pretzelparty]

"Oh shoot!"

Mistral winced as she heard those words come from Flourish's mouth. She'd said those very words many times herself when she flew as a filly and failed to understand the basics. Her fears were fully realized when she saw the blue mare's wing seize up and then it's owner speeding towards the ground. Misty would have to save her lecture for flourish until later seeing as now this mare needed her help.

On her way down she passed sky flare, "Sky, you try and help me kick some clouds under her, use Cirrus pattern clouds to soften her descent , I'll try and gather sum fluffy nimbus clouds ta cushion her! We've got no time to lose!"

"Help!"

"Flourish if ya can hear me, hold ya wings out flat and try right yerself so it's like yer layin' perpendicular to da ground. Yer posture change should slow yer descent!" shouted the ivory mare before going into a nose dive to go after her friend. On her way down to flourish she noticed several small cloud formations on the way, as she passed them she gave each of them a strong kick that sent then flying downwards and past flourish until they coalesced into one large cloud that would provide a cushion for the plummeting pegasus to land on, "Try and steer yerself ta the cloud below ya!" she bellowed to flourish while still diving to make sure she could catch her in case her original plan failed.

[Lux]

There were times when a pony's advice no matter how obvious was heeded by the listener. Often it was to appease the advise giver to put their fears to rest, while there were those that actually took an interesting in any warnings or other bits of information. Today though was not the case.

As much as Sky Flare, Mistral and even Spitfire whose credit as the leader of a champion and famous aerial team should have lent credence to her words, spoke to her, the older filly refused to listen. And her failure cost dearly as her wings cramped up and she plummeted to the ground.

"Sky, you try and help me kick some clouds under her, use Cirrus pattern clouds to soften her descent , I'll try and gather sum fluffy nimbus clouds ta cushion her! We've got no time to lose!"

"Got it," he said as he took off and began to gather several clouds. One of the major things a Pegasus learned at a young age was the types of clouds. It wasn't for ponies just looking to manipulate the weather but knowing clouds was essential for flying as a Pegasus had to know whether they would be flying into a harmless cirrus or cumulus or a bad cumulonimbus. He placed one after the other until the sky looked like a ladder of clouds leading towards the cloud patch that Mistral made. Sky then waited to see if this would be enough or if he would need to catch the older filly should she break through them all.

[Ashton]

LIGHTNING STREAK

There was a streak cutting through the sky and it landed nearby with a flash and a sound like lightning, as the dust cleared, a blue and yellow pony in the familiar flight suit walked forward "I think I overdid my arrival" he muttered, though chuckling, he had been expecting a large number of participants today and wanted to impress them though from the looks of it, he had indeed wasted the effort

Streak smiled at his teammates as he entered "Morning Captain, Vice-captain" he said, Saluting them, overly formal perhaps playing up the event since he usually was a lot more casual "Leutennant Lightning Streak Reporting For Duity, Sir, Ma'am" he said with a smile "What's on the agenda? Tornados? reverse-cork-screws? Perhaps a real challenge like the legendary double-inside-out-loop?" he was still smiling, continuing to play up the event. Yes, he lived for this kind of 'act' just like the air shows where he gave 110% to every one even though he was far too old for immature drama he usually caused by his crowd-pleasing antics.

[SteelEagle]

Soarin' listened to Spitfire's musings with interest. There were always a few birds that came to camp every year that piqued both of their interest. Not long ago it had been Rainbow Dash, though her actions had made herself a name long before she ever applied. But when you looked at the roster of the reserves you saw a lineup of ponies who got their start not in the big camps but in smaller open tryouts like this. Ponies were free to come ad go here and because of that knowing who would flame out and who would charge in was an inexact science at best. A lot of ponies had been tagged as potential stars and after the day was done their names were forgotten. Others came out of nowhere and shocked the veterans with their skills. As the crowd started to arrive and ponies took to the skies to prove their worth, it was comforting to know that the both of them had the same ponies tagged as possibilities.

One of them made a point of introducing himself, Sky Flare. Soarin' waved warmly at the attendee as he made a friendly move. It was always good to make sure the Wonderbolts could put a face to the name. That always helped your chances if you did well. It could also hurt your chances if you did poorly, but few ponies planned on providing bulwarks against their incompetence as opposed to possibly increasing their odds of success. It only hurt if you made a mistake, common Flight Fanastic motto from his old days. It held true even now. "Hey there, Sky Flare. Hope to see you rock the tryout today!" Soarin' offered as encouragement before beating the sky down some with his wings and bridging the gap between him and his flight lead. It wouldn't be a hard day for them, but they still needed to set the tone for the tryout. Failing Wonderbolts wouldn't be the prettiest thing to see, would it?

Speaking of pretty thing to see, Lightning Streak's arrival was a bit over the top and yet in perfect character. He was one for a challenge and a daring thrust into the sky, and if some of the new kids on the block got intimidated because of it then such was their cross to bare. All that mattered was that he was going to help them today and all his silliness aside from that was a gentle reminder of why they kept him around- great skills, great attitude. It was rare to have somepony who wanted to do such tricks all the time! The energy of youth. Soarin' missed it. "Join us for a lap, Lightning! just warming up so we can help those trying out today. No big tricks today. Get up in the air, you bum!" Soarin' prodded his friend with a smile, disaster- or an opportunity- striking soon afterward.

Flourish was another pony who Soarin' had his eyes on. And she had a competitive spirit, rocketing around the course while trying to prove her worth. She was definitely faster than Soarin', but she forgot one of the most important lessons any athlete had to learn. Proper warm-up was the first stepping stone to success. She hadn't warmed up and as a result, her wing locked up and sent her in a free for all. It appeared somewhat more dangerous than it was, as several reserve team members were acting as security for the event and were positioned close to the ground. But a more interesting solution was presenting itself. Some of the ponies who were coming to try out started to work together in an attempt to save the falling Flourish, Sky Flare and a somewhat lesser known pegasus known as Mistral. Soarin's first instinct was to rush down there and help save the pony in danger, but he held himself back- the most important tests rarely had a grade attached or timers taken. Working together lead to companionship and camaraderie, and the most important aspect of the Wonderbolts was teamwork. It was with baited breath and a stony expression that Soarin' stopped his lapping and looked at the tryout ponies to save Flourish.

[RainbowFoxxy]

"Flourish if ya can hear me, hold ya wings out flat and try right yerself so it's like yer layin' perpendicular to da ground. Yer posture change should slow yer descent!"

Flourish grimaced and tried to do as Mistral had suggested. Her wing was still cramped but she managed to stretch it out so. The other one she stretched all the way out which caused her to spin in a circle and slowed her down. She hit the clouds that had been kicked under her in a poof. She could feel embarrassment seeping through her and she wished the cloud would swallow her up. It was only the call of Spitfire that saved her. Maybe she could sneak away once everypony else was lined up...

Lieutenant Lightning Streak Reporting For Duity, Sir, Ma'am" he said with a smile "What's on the agenda? Tornados? reverse-cork-screws? Perhaps a real challenge like the legendary double-inside-out-loop?

"Lighting Streak! Good to see you! We could use some more hooves to help this new pack out..." Spitfire nodded to the scene that was taking place out on the grounds. It appeared at this point that Flourish was going to be fine. The others fliers had managed to get her out of immediate danger and so for the moment the Captain did not intervene.

"If you'd like to get some warm up in, now's your chance. I'm going to call everypony back here in a couple minutes."

The Captain flapped her wings and took off into the sky. Once she was nearer most of the other fliers she put her whistle in her mouth and blew.

TWEEEEE!!!

"Alright! Everypony line up here in front of me!" She ordered while hovering in the air.

[Lux]

At first Sky ignored Soarin's greeting, not because he disliked the Wonderbolt but because he had a more pressing matter: saving Flourish form a not nice meeting with the ground. With the clouds in place he could only watch as the pony descended. She crashed through the first, then the second, to his relief slower than the first. It was working, but to the final effects he wasn't sure. Finally she broke through the last one and softly landed on Mistral's cloud, embarrassed but looking ok.

"You ok Flourish?" he said to the female Pegasus, "Look, I know you're trying to prove you're the best out there. I'm trying to do that too. But getting yourself hurt isn't going to make things better. We need to be a team, ok?"

With that the white stallion heard Spitfire call the ponies over to start the next task and flew up to join them.

"Hello Soarin," Sky said finally getting the chance, "Great to see you. Don't worry, I'll give it my 110 percent!"

[RainbowFoxxy]

Look, I know you're trying to prove you're the best out there. I'm trying to do that too. But getting yourself hurt isn't going to make things better. We need to be a team, ok?

Flourish flushed deep pink as the pony Sky Flare came to talk to her. She wished again that the cloud she had landed on would swallow her up. Sadly, that was not going to happen. Not only would she not be able to fall through the cloud, she couldn't hide inside it now either. Everypony had seen what she had done. She had tried too hard and now she was paying the price. Flourish tried to look away as she spoke.

"Yeah, I know... thanks..." She spoke in a reserved manner. Her embarrassment had reached it's peak and although Sky was being nice, she wished he would go away. she could get out of the training ground faster if nopony was watching her.

She looked to where Spitfire was hovering. She looked so strong and confident. Everything that Flourish wished she could be. "I'll never be as good as Spitfire. I can't even do a warm up correctly..." Suddenly she decided what she would do. "Sky Flare, do you think you could stick with me for a little while. I could use some help after this... just for a little while?"

Spitfire continued to wait for the fliers to line up in front of her. She called them all again. "Let's go everypony! I'm not getting any younger here! Sky Flare, Flourish, let's go!"

[Ashton]

((hey! what happened to the posting order? what's the new order? I've been waiting patiently for Zoebel to post, and not only was she (and I skipped) but this round it appears steel was too! what's going on?!))

[Pretzelparty]

(ooc: Sorry for the lack of posts creativity has been drying up lately i'll try not to leave you guys hanging again)

Fortunately for Flourish, Mistral's plan to save the plummeting pony paid off perfectly. Once Flourish landed safely in the cloud the goggle wearing mare wiped her brow of sweat from the sudden excitement in this camp. Misty figured that flourish didn't need any lectures from her, if anything that would be Spitfire's job. SKy flare had taken some initiative and flown down to check on the injured pony and the two of them exchanged a few words.

Suddenly from below there was a the sound of a loud sharp whistle. Looking to the source of the sound, Misty saw Spitfire blowing on her whistle before stating her orders...

"Alright! Everypony line up here in front of me! Let's go everypony! I'm not getting any younger here! Sky Flare, Flourish, let's go!"

Sky flare wasted no time heading to get in line, flourish for obvious reasons was stuck on her cloud for the time being. Mistral flew over and to The cloud Flourish currently was resting upon and flew at a pretty fast but not breakneck speed with Flourish's cloud in front of her so she could get in line as well. Through the short trip down the ivory mare said nothing and just slid the cloud with Flourish on it next to her place in line as she waited in place for further instruction.

[RainbowFoxxy]

Spitfire looked around. Most of the fliers had gotten into a line of some sort and so that was enough to continue with the flight training day.

"Thanks for joining us, all of you..." She glanced to Flourish with her eyebrows raised. Some ponies just never learned...

"We will be running some basic drills first and then, those of you who seem talented enough will be paired with a Wonderbolt for some one on one training. If you fit the grade we might even ask you to come back for a Wonderbolts tryout!"

She was fairly sure that would get most of the ponies fired up. "You all see that set of hoops over there right?" She nodded in the general direction of the loops that were placed on top of poles. "Whichever of you gets back here first will earn three points, two for second, one for third!" She waited a moment. "Get flying!"

[Lux]

Sky Flare was about to join the group when he heard Flourish say, "I'll never be as good as Spitfire. I can't even do a warm up correctly..."

"Hey, don't feel that you're out of this. Everypony messes up one in a while. The point is how you react to it. You can either give up or continue, but it's better to say you did something and find you can't than not try it at all."

"Sky Flare, do you think you could stick with me for a little while. I could use some help after this... just for a little while?"

"You bet!" the white stallion said with a smile, "I can use a flying buddy here. Well help each other get through whatever we need to do."

"We will be running some basic drills first and then, those of you who seem talented enough will be paired with a Wonderbolt for some one on one training. If you fit the grade we might even ask you to come back for a Wonderbolts tryout"

Ah... nothing like a pep talk to get Sky Flare to focus with intent. To pair with a Wonderbolt would be the sweetest of dreams the stallion could imagine, and getting to tryout for his life long dream was even better. He imagined himself in the famous blue and yellow uniform, performing epic stunts in front of hundreds no thousands of ponies chanting his name...

He quickly shook the imagination from his mind as he focused on the first goal.

"You all see that set of hoops over there right?" She nodded in the general direction of the loops that were placed on top of poles. "Whichever of you gets back here first will earn three points, two for second, one for third!" She waited a moment. "Get flying!"

"You ready Flourish? All you have to do is to get through each hoop. They want you to be fast, but you need to be accurate mostly so you don't miss a hoop. I'll be watching out for you, and I'll see you back at the finish line. You can do it. I have every faith in you."

Sky Flare then took off, focused on the first hoop, realizing that speed was going to be an issue, but he hoped that his agility could help him make some time up.

[SteelEagle]

Soarin' kept his eye on the developing situation but it worked out as he had assumed it would. The trainees moved well and moved fast and before anything got of wing, Flourish was safe and sound. Soarin' wouldn't hold it against her that she had such troubles off of the bat. Nerves could cause a normally highly skilled flier to turn around in the air like a tornado without control until they were brought back to reality. If it became habit then causing your teammates to rush and stop what they were doing to save your flank was a bad way to earn a reputation. Luckily, she could make any memory of her failure a distant one at best if all that happened from now on was a streak of competent flying in the sky with the Wonderbolts as her trainer. Spitfire had set up a generally easy course but one that would still force them to be on their toes, something Soarin' was all about. Ponies started to fly the course and Soarin' took his place further down the course.

It was an important place to be. The course wouldn't test a pony at first, not a pony who had ay ability to speak of anyway. It wouldn't become a process of elimination that would separate the mares from the fillies until you had approached the mid-way point. Then the wear and tear on those who tended to go all out right off the bat would show itself, and the endurance of the best would be put to the test. Most ponies would make it to the end but most errors and negative marks came from the end portion. There were better fliers on the team who could go ahead and defeat him in tricks or a race without too much trouble but very few were as experienced at him in the small things that distanced the best from the stuntponies. Not that anything was wrong with a stunt pony, but there was also a reason nopony ever wanted to grow up making thirty bits a show rather than three thousand with full medical.

Flourish and Flare ran the course together, a good sign. Working in pairs was the cornerstone of working on the larger teams as teamwork had to be built at every level.

"Good start! Keep on going! Show us whatcha got!"

[RainbowFoxxy]

You ready Flourish? All you have to do is to get through each hoop. They want you to be fast, but you need to be accurate mostly so you don't miss a hoop. I'll be watching out for you, and I'll see you back at the finish line. You can do it. I have every faith in you

Flourish was happy to have a new friend in Sky Flare. He was so nice and he was helping her out and now they were flying the course with the Wonderbolts watching! She concentrated on not missing any of the hoops that Spitfire had directed her towards. Her wings banked her left and right, she swooped up and down not missing any of the hoops. She knew Sky Flare would be close by and he was hopefully making it through all the hoops as well.

"I can do this!" She grit her teeth and beat her wings a few times to gain speed. Her wing clipped the side of one of the rings but not enough that anypony would be able to notice. "We got this Flare!"

"Well, well, well, she sure shaped up quick..." Spitfire nudged Soarin' as they watched the fliers go through the hoops. "Maybe we have a couple new recruits on our hooves huh?" The captain's wings slowly lowered her to the ground and she kept her head up, watching to see how Flourish and Flare would conclude their flight.

"Once everypony is through go ahead and give them a talk and we'll have them run through again... see if we can get any more speed out of them." Spitfire wanted Soarin' to basically tell the fliers that they could preform better. It would be different coming from him than from her but today it just felt right to have Soarin' do some of the talking.