[Cloudsdale] Fliers of Excellence [CLOSED] (Tryouts/Competition) [ENDED]

[CrimsonNova]

Fleetfoot high-hoofed Crescent back, and grinned to herself, happy. She wasn't out of breath, but her wings felt a little tired. She joined Kicks and Sky, and sat down on her rump, and then slid into a lying position on the cloudy ground.

She smiled to the two rookies, and waited for them to analyse the routine. She was anticipating the outcome of this trial.

[Conor Colton]

Colton looked over the routine, with Sparks peeking eagerly over his shoulder. Colton wasn't much for complex flight patterns like this...in fact he had never attempted something like this is the past. Regardless though, he knew what he was getting into and had no desire to back down now.

He took about a minute or so to look over the individual flight paths, his in particular. He pictured it all in his head before making sure he knew his path in and out. He took Sparks off his shoulder and set him down next to Fleetfoot. "Look after him for us while we do this, would ya Fleetfoot?" He asked with a smile.

The pegasus walked casually over to Crescent's right wing side, nodded at Sky to show he was ready and spoke up. "Alright...I'm ready...Oh...and one more thing...we pull this off, maybe we could call this trick the Crescent Sky Kick...I dunno, has a nice ring to it." The pegasus stated as he limbered up his wings and smiled.

[Lux]

Sky Flare listened as Crescent explained what was to happen. Apparantly the Maniac Moonbeam was a stunt, but it was actually a group stunt. Sky had seen group stunts before when seeing the Wonderbolts perform. The thought about doing a group stunt was a bit of an issue for him. Sky was used to solo stunts, and he had never participated in a group stunt. It wasn't that he was against flying with someother pony, but he was unsure how he would do with a group.

He watched the two dive into the hole in the stadium. Suddenly the sto appeared in a twisting spiral that rose higher and higher in the air. Then The two ponies dove throught the spiral they created.

Sky stood amazed that he was going to do this. Then he relized the one thing that kept him going. That was courage. He needed to keep the courage to be able to pull off this stunt.

"Alright then," Sky said with a smile, at the two ponies that compleyed the stunt, "What do I have to do?"

[CrescentBlaze]

Crescent looked down and adjusted his red and black flight suit a little, Fleetfoot hadnt been kidding when she had said they got itchy after a while. He looked up to see Kicks asking Fleetfoot to look after his bird that, to be honest, Crescent hadnt even noticed before. When Kicks suggested they name the trick after themselves he put a hoof to his chin pondering the name Kicks had presented. He thought Satin might get a little jealous that her name wasnt included but Satin Ribbons doesnt work into the name of a cool trick very well anyway.

"Well sounds good to me! Looks like we'll be doing the Crescent Sky Kick! Oh and Sky if you're confused just take another look at that diagram there, basically you two lift off at 45 degree angles away form me, then as I start to slope downwards you both converge and touch wing tips to mine. Then I'm going to do a forward loop and you guys will do 3 slow tight circles around me staying within wing length. once I level out you will both cross beneath me, kicks you will cross over top of sky."

Crescent lowered his goggles and flared his wings, waiting for sky to take position on his left wing.

[Conor Colton]

Colton smiled at the approval of his impromptu name of the trick.

"Thanks. I'm sure ponies from all over Equestria will be cheering when we say we'll be doing that trick!" He stated confidently with a smile.

Colton readied himself. The pegasus didn't have goggles so he prepared himself merely by revving up his wings.

"Okay Colton...this is is...The big one...or...the first big one...let's do this!" He stated mentally to himself, ready for action.

[Lux]

Sky looked at the diagram. It was tricky as he had to not only see what he was doing but he had to know what the other ponies were doing. But after studying it he understood. Crescent would be in the center creating the core of the spiral and Sky and Conor would be at opposite ends doing the outer part.

"Ok I think I got it. Let's do this!"

With that he flew to his starting point, waiting for the sign for the trick to begin.

[CrescentBlaze]

Crescent crouched in preparation for take-off and steeled his mind once again. His gaze narrow and and his focus slimmed to himself and the two ponies beside him. He knew if anything happened to them any consequences were on his hooves; he would have to pay extra attention to them both in case he had to save either of them.

"Ok. On my mark. 3...2...1...GO!"

Crescent launched into the air accelerating as best he could at a direct ascent. He reached a good cruising speed and held it there not wanting to push himself faster than the others could go. When was, to his best estimate, 400 hooves above the stadium he sloped forward, tilting himself downward and waited for the other two to convene upon him before initiating the next move.

[Conor Colton]

Colton blinked right before Crescent said go, he accelerated alongside him, keeping an eye on how fast he was actually going as to not overshoot anypony. He continued following along and waited for the right moment.

When that moment came he turned his head towards Sky, he nodded to signal for them to break away from Crescent. The pegasus did just that and started his turn of about 45 degrees. It was at this point that Colton became the most focused, he kept his eyes on both Sky and Crescent. He could hear Sparks cheering them on with a series of chirps and cheeps.

The pegasus cleared his head and began heading back towards Crescent, doing as he had instructed and touching wing tips with him. He awaited the next portion, and hoped all would go according to plan.

[Lux]

Sky looked at Crescent and Conor. The moment Crescent gave the go ahead Sky dove with the two into the hole in the stadium. This was the easy part.

Now touching his wingtips with Crescent's as instructed, he waited for the next part. Alot could go wrong here. He could get sucked into the vortex or thrown away from it. But he just needed to focus on what he was doing and the other two to pull this off.

[CrescentBlaze]

Crescent felt the recruits touch wing tips with him right on time and nodded to them. He continued the forward loop and, as an extra guide for them, did a slow corkscrew so that his wings would indicate where they aught to be in the spiral. He turned three times while he worked his way through the loop, paying extra attention to make sure they remained in sync and avoided any collisions. As he leveled off he raised and dropped a hoof, fighting hard against the increased drag, to signal the two to cross beneath him. As far as he could tell they had both done well, but he would have to consult Fleetfoot as she had viewed the whole stunt. He made his was back to the starting point and waited for Kicks and Sky. While he waited he turned to Fleetfoot.

"So how'd they do? I couldnt see everything form the air."

[Conor Colton]

Colton nodded back to Crescent in mid flight, he began his 3 tight circles, keeping a close eye on his surroundings. Again, the pegasus cleared his head and focused solely on the objective at hoof. He continued to do his 3 circles, finding them not too challenging to pull off.

When he noticed Crescent levelling out, he knew what he had to do next. He adjusted his altitude ever so slight to be just under Crescent. With a quick turn he flew towards just under Crescent. He knew he had to cross over between Crescent and Sky so when he approached his mark he levelled his wings out and sucked in his gut.

The pegasus shot between the opening between the two pegasi with relative success, he looked back to see that everything had went according to plan. Now was the time for Colton to let it out.

He stopped himself in mid air and exclaimed out, "Yes! Woohoo!" He didn't let his outburst get the better of him though so he approached Crescent and Fleetfoot, expecting Sky to follow slowly behind. Once he reached them, he kept his excitement to himself, but still widely grinning.

[Lux]

At the exact point Sky began to make his spiral around Crescent. At first the force that was being generated took him by surprise, but with an adjustment of his wings he was able to compensate. He then got to the point that he had to break away from the spiral and fly under Crescent. Using the force he generated from the Spiral, he rockete down under Crescent, not far behind Conor.

"that was awesome," Sky yelled as he settled back toward where they were to meet.

[CrimsonNova]

Fleetfoot smiled and nodded as Kicks deposited his pet next to her, and jumped as it started to chirp for him when he took off.

She watched as they began their routine, her eyes peeled for any mistakes. She noticed a couple of things, and waited for them to finish. She couldn't help but laugh at Sky and Kicks' exclaims as they landed. Was that what she had looked like?

She turned to Crescent and nodded, then turned to the others, not getting up from her lying position on the fluffy cloud. "Umm, Kicks - I can call you Kicks, too, right? - uh, you were a little too speedy. Sky got left behind a little bit during. Sky, you messed up a little on your wing placement, and lost a little momentum, didn't you. No matter, those things can easily be worked in if Crescent decides you're on the team .. Aside from that.."

Pause for dramatic effect.. Ahem..

"You all did really well!" She grinned at them all, and stood up slowly, stretching her legs once more.

[CrescentBlaze]

Crescent smiled after Fleetfoot recounted the tiny mistakes. Not acceptable in a performance but these two hadnt been trained yet and once they had Crescent was confident they would make more than exceptional additions to the team. He was ready to make his decision and strode with a strong step to stand before them. He stood there for a moment thinking of exactly what he would say. He normally wasnt one for meaningful speeches but he felt the moment called for effort on that front.

"Alright guys here it is."

He walked up to CloudKicker first.

"Kicks, you have some real talent. You've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that your speed, confidence, and ambition in flight make you worthy to be a member of my team. As such I extend to you membership to The AeroBlades as my Right Wing. Congratulations!"

Crescent extended his hoof for Kicks to shake, a wide grin on his face.

[Conor Colton]

Colton stood at attention as Crescent walked over to him. He gulped expecting the worse for his slight slip up but what Crescent had to say next...There was no way Colton could have prepared for it.

He stood there after Crescent had finished talking with an almost dropped jaw, whereas Sparks' jaw had already hit the soft cloudy ground. Not wasting any time, Colton took Crescents hoof and shook politely. "I wholeheartedly accept, it's an honour to be given such a position...I'll make the proud, captain." The pegasus stated with a wide grin before letting go.

He pondered whether it would be okay for him to sit down next to Sparks at that point, but he remained standing just in case.

[CrescentBlaze]

"Glad to hear it Kicks! Your my right wing, that means if for some reason I cant you will lead the team in my absence, be it practices, races , or shows. Its a big responsibility but I know you have the right stuff for the job. You are dismissed. Oh and you dont have to call me captain unless we're practicing or at an event, during those you answer to me and the rest of the team answers to us both. Any other time we're all friends."

He left Kick's with a playful wink and walked over to Sky.

"Dont think I forgot you! Sky Flare you too have proven yourself to be beyond excellent and a more than worthy to be a member of my team. Your agility and precision, as well as your speed and determination have convinced me. I offer you membership to The AeroBlades as my Left Wing! Congratulations!

Crescent raised his hoof to the white pony to shake and smiled just as he had for Kicks.

[Lux]

"Congratulations, Kicks," Sky Flare said as he waited for his results. There was that little worry that he wasn't good enough to be part of the team. Then Crescent gave the verdice to the fiery mane stallion stating that he got in.

Sky was so excited he wanted to fly into the air and do tricks, but he controlled himself. "Thank alot! It's an honor to be part of the Aeroblades!"

[CrimsonNova]

Fleetfoot smiled widely at them both and stamped her hooves, a little too enthusiastically and ended up punching a small hole in the cloud below. She giggled sheepishly. "Oops."

She trotted over to Crescent and whispered in his ear. "Are you presenting them with uniforms today, or after their training?"

She then went to Sky and Kicks, shook their hooves, and planted a friendly peck on each of their cheeks. "Congratulations you two! I hope you'll train hard and make Crescent proud!"

[CrescentBlaze]

"The uniforms will be custom tailored to reduce drag. I'll be sending them to canterlot to visit the tailor our sponsor hired."

Crescent was just as excited as the two stallions he had just drafted. Finally he had his team! He brimmed but kept his composure. It kind of stunk but as Captain he had to set a good example, plus there was still the business of uniforms to take care of.

"Ok you two congratulations once again! Before you go we need to discuss a few things. First off is the practice schedule. You will both be required to attend practices every other day at the stratostadium. Due to this we will never have the same schedule twice in a row. Hopefully this will be a good thing for you. However before that there will be a two week period of daily practices to whip you into shape, we'll be working on improving you're endurance and speed. That will begin this saturday so make sure to clear your schedules. Last up is your flight suits. They will be custom tailored to you to reduce drag, they will also be lightning proof and heat resistant. For those you will leave tomorrow for the Lace estate in canterlot home of our sponsor the owner of the lace clothing line Strait Lace. Upon arriving you will be sized up for your suit and stay over night, picking up your uniform in the morning."

​Crescent took a deep breath after that spiel.

"Ok...any questions about your fellow team members or your task before you go?"

[Conor Colton]

Colton felt the need to raise an objection regarding the schedule. There was a slight complication with the whole situation.

"Uh...Crescent? There is a slight problem with that whole thing..." Colton was thinking about a pony who he had travelled to Cloudsdale with, he was concerned whether this schedule would conflict with how often he'd be able to see this certain pony.

"It's a...a personal matter...would we be able to...talk in private...please?" He asked rather sheepishly. Colton should have probably considered this when he first came for the tryouts...It was a slight blunder on his part.

[CrescentBlaze]

"uh-oh"

Kicks' words immediately made Crescent nervous. It sounded as if he may have to break up his team before they really began. Still he kept his calm demeanor and addressed his recruit professionally.

"Of course Kicks. If you'll just follow me."

Crescent lifted off and soared to the top of the stands. He opened the door to the announcer's booth and stepped inside with Colton, trying to keep his nervousness from showing as best he could.

"Whats the issue Kicks? We can make slight adjustments if necessary but nothing too major."

He began unconsciously chewing his bottom lip.

[Conor Colton]

Colton followed. Once the two of them had reached the booth he could let his concerns be heard.

"Don't worry, it's nothing too major..." Colton said, seeing that Crescent was slightly nervous.

"It's just a concern on the first two weeks...Not a big one but..." Colton sighed and just got to the point.

"Well...I'm...I'm engaged...to this one mare...Quantum Flux." Colton said before taking out a picture of the red headed unicorn from one of his saddlebags.

"Before we tie the knot we were gonna go travelling...and for now we've settled down in Cloudsdale...I told her about this and she thought it'd be a good opportunity...especially since we intend to travel more when we actually are married...But I have a problem with the whole non-stop two weeks thing...Is there anyway I could...get a decent amount of breaks...y'know...to go see her...or at least stay with her overnight?...She's right here in the city so it shouldn't be too big of a problem."

Colton exhaled after all that, hoping his new captain and friend would understand the situation.

"And I promise, if I fall behind I'll pick up the slack."

[CrescentBlaze]

Crescent chuckled to himself. He realized he had neglected to mention how long the practices were each day.

"Haha, no worries Kicks, and congrats to you and the lucky mare. The practices are only three to threa and a half hours long starting at 9 am. You should have plenty of time to take care of life outside The AeroBlades after practice each day, besides, you arent the only one one the team with a special somepony.

Crescent tone became more serious as he realized he may have an issue of he own to address.

Now I have a question for you. You say you're planning on doing a fair amount of travelling after the wedding. Can I count on you to be around for all the practices and shows? I need you to be honest with me. This is a full time job and I cant accommodate you beyond a missed practice here or there and the very occasional missed show or race. In joining the AeroBlades you make a commitment, not only to yourself or I, but the the team as well, in addition to being a role model for foals and aspiring fliers across Equestria. If this is too much responsibility for you while you're trying to begin a new life with your special somepony tell me now.

[Conor Colton]

Colton breathed a sigh of relief when Crescent told him about the times of each day's practice, "Phew...that's a relief." Colton stated as he chuckled along with the pegasus. When Crescent became more serious though, Colton knew he had to think about this.

He thought intensely for about a minute or so before responding to Crescent.

"I know this is a full time job, Crescent...That's why I was interesting in this in the first place...This is such an amazing opportunity that it's almost unbelievable...This way me and her could travel...and we could have a way to support ourselves...This is pretty much an ideal situation for me. I do promise that I'll commit to this for now...I will try my darnedest to make you proud and to do all those things you said..." Colton paused for a breath then continued.

"But keep in mind, even if I do miss the occasional show or practice or anything here and there...It won't be without reason...And I'll try to manage my time between her and the team...So yes...I'm prepared for this...I'll still need to talk with her about this but...Consider me ready." He stated authoritatively.

"That sound alright to you?"

[Lux]

Sky took a mental note of everything Crescent said. The two week practice time would be grueling, but he wasn't worried. He knew practices wouldn't be all day. The main thing he had to remember was going to the Lace mansion to get his flight suit made.

"I don't think I have any questions," Sky said after thinking.