A lot of ponies think that ‘The Wonderbolts’ are just a fancy flying team. That ‘Wonderbolts’ is just a name they made up to call themselves. Very few know the truth, and very few know that it takes more than a great flying to become a Wonderbolt.
A lot of ponies think that ‘The Wonderbolts’ are just a fancy flying team. That ‘Wonderbolts’ is just a name they made up to call themselves. Very few know the truth, and very few know that it takes more than a great flying to be a Wonderbolt. All the stunts that ponies see are things that these elite fliers incorporporated back during the times of Operation Buccaneer Blaze, Operation Ironwing and even The Colt War.
Some of these stunts performed at shows are toned down anti-personnel maneuvers designed to ground and/or kill hostiles during a conflict, the most dramatic of which would cost the flier their life. Maneuvers such as, The Buccaneer Blaze...
The Wonderbolts is actually a fairly new name for the Royal Guard's aerial performance team tracing their history all the way back to Commander Hurricane in the founding days of Equestria herself. Before they were simply known as the Equestrian Royal Flight Team, a bit of a mouthful and not nearly as catchy as Wonderbolts.
~
“Status report!”
“Sir! Dogger and Trident are down. We may need to abort Operation Buccaneer Blaze, we can’t afford to lose any more!”
“I know the cost of what we’re doing here Spitfire. Squad up and take Soarin with you.”
~
Canterlot
Royal Guard Training Camp, East Wing CMAP Program Time 1312hrs
“Listen up fillies and colts!” A large rust colored stallion with a silvery, short cropped mane barked. “From this day forth, you’ll be a member of the CMAP. This is designed to give you a leg up on your peers when you enter the Royal Guard, one that will grant you Officer status and a spot in what will come to be known as STRYKER.” He glared at the young pegasi all lined up in front of him. “Any questions?”
A yellow filly with a fiery orange mane raised her wing.
“Yes?” He bellowed.
“What’s the CMAP?”
“Good question. Who here knows the answer?” Not a single colt or filly volunteered to answer. “Very well then. CMAP stands for Cutie Mark Acquisition Program. You are the first group to go through it, so at this point it is merely an experiment.” The buck smiled, “I am Master Seargent Ironwing, do not bother telling me your names as you will have call signs when you get your cutie marks, until then you will only be known as Recruit or Junior Airmen.” He eyed one sky blue pegasus colt in particular. “That being said, welcome to the program. Now head to your barracks and get settled, because tomorrow, there will be no breaks. Dismissed!”
¤
“Junior Airmen Spitfire! What in the blue blazes are you doing? I thought that since you were the first to get a cutie mark, you’d be beating everyone here!” Master Sergeant Ironwing growled “Why can’t you fly through that course with ease?”
“Sir, I was unaware of any faults in my flight pattern, Sir!”
“Unaware? Spitfire, being unaware will get you killed, buck up and pay attention. I want you through this course in ten seconds flat otherwise you and the rest of your squad will be doing wing pushups until I sweat. Is that clear?”
“Sir, yes sir!” With that, Spitfire headed back to the starting line of the course and awaited the whistle to start. “C’mon Spitfire, you can do this,” The young mare whispered to herself. “You’re the leader of this group, they look up to you and they depend on you.”
Ironwing blew the whistle and Spitfire sprung forth, weaving between the set of logs with ease. Next came the fog weave, a dense amount of fog had been placed within the second half of upright logs, making navigation harder. Plus, they had been spaced closer together, making the challenge that much more complicated than the beams from before. Once again, she came through quickly without falter. After that came flying through another set of beams, these ones were placed parallel to the ground at varying heights and distances from one another. Luckily, these ones would not contain any intrusive fog, but one slip-up and even the strongest fliers would be knocked out cold.
“Seven Seconds!”
Finally, the least bit of the course, beams and logs, all placed at random angles from the ground and clouded in fog, the most difficult part of the course, and she only had three seconds left.
“Eight Seconds! Come on Spitfire, don’t fail me!”
She nicked a beam with her wing, knocking her off course and unceremoniously slamming her into another pole.
“Nine! Where are you Spitfire?”
She got back up and darted through the last little bit of beams that was left.
“Thirteen Seconds? What part of ten seconds don’t you understand Spitfire? Get on your muzzle and push holes in the dirt. ALL OF YOU!” Ironwing commanded and watched as his recruits performed the grueling exercise. “I thought you cared about your team,” He yelled in the yellow fillies ear making her cringe. “You should be more concerned about them than yourself! Now look what you did, they’re all suffering because of you. Is that what you want Spitfire? Do you want your team to suffer because you couldn’t hack it?”
“No sir!” Spitfire groaned.
“What was that? Speak up I can’t hear you!”
“NO, SIR!” She shouted.
“You’re mumbling Spitfire, how do you expect your squad to follow orders if they can’t hear you?”
“NO SIR! I DO NOT WISH FOR MY TEAM TO SUFFER DUE TO MY MISTAKES!”
“Prove it. Get up and fly through that course in under ten seconds. You make it, you all get the rest of the day off. If you don’t make it, you all fly until you can beat ten seconds but you won’t be eating tonight. Is that clear recruit?”
“Sir, yes sir!”
“Good, now fly!”
Eight months of hell known as the CMAP program. That’s what a group of twenty six young fliers endured in order to earn their cutie marks and guarantee themselves a place in the Royal Guard. A grueling training regimen that could make even flightless pegasi go from dodo to aerial ace. In the end, only three had been unable to complete it. The reasons have been labeled classified.
Just outside of Canterlot, a group of ten pegasi stood awaiting their orders. A motley crew of specially trained Equestrian Special Warfare operatives. Their commanding officer, Spitfire, bore a grim look as they awaited the arrival of Command Chief Ironwing. The snow had drifted up to their gaskins, chilling them each to the bone.
All this meant nothing though as they were sure that wherever they were headed, it would be much, much worse.
“Glad you all could make it.” Ironwing trotted up to them, a pair of Unicorn Royal Guards flanking him. The ten pegasi each lifted a wing in salute and waited for him to follow suit. He too saluted and cleared his throat. “Princess Celestia has given me strict orders to assemble who I believe to be the best of STRYKER, which is why you’re all here this lovely evening. So lets get down to it.”
Command Chief Ironwing tugged a folder out from his saddlebag and motioned for his two escorts to set up the small table they had brought with them.
“Intel shows that there has been a dramatic increase in SFF activity. This indicates that they may be up to something.” The pegasi remained silent. “This is a reconnaissance mission, however, deadly force is authorized if Spitfire here deems it necessary to engage.” Ironwing opened the folder and took out a small map. “This is your AO. Right here.” He pointed to a small structure that had been drawn on the map. “roughly ten kilometers from your LZ is where we believe all SFF activity is centered. There’s a ten hoof high wall surrounding the complex and one gate in. I know you all can fly, but that will get you killed on the way in, they’re expecting pegasi, so tonight, you are Earth ponies until you need to bug out. We need you to get in there, secure any intel you can and destroy the structure.”
The older pegasus looked at the ten in front of him and smiled inside. He had made the mares and stallions who they were today, he was completely confident in their abilities although they had yet to see combat.
“Moving on. You will be flown in by two teams of ERGSOCC’s¹ and deployed ten kilometers from the AO. Take note of the way home because your ride in is a one way ticket, they will not be coming back for you. Any questions?”
Not a sound was heard aside from the wind through rustling the branches of the trees that surrounded them.
“Good. You all have one hour to prepare and you’ll be off. And remember, bring a jacket, it’s gonna get a bit chilly out there.”
~
Equestrian STRYKERs have been outfitted with the latest in Equestrian Technological Advancements. From weaponry like their Close Quarters Hoof Blades and Long Range Crossbows to communications equipment made from simple items that have been enchanted. They’re always properly outfitted for any situation, and it is this superior outfitting that places them at a tactical value above that of common guards and hoof-soldiers.
As such, it should come as no surprise that a pegasus like Spitfire would take extra care to ensure her team hadn’t forgotten anything and that they all knew how to use their equipment properly. So when a communication error arose within her team, she took it as a personal insult and lashed out. One particular instance of this was right after the CMAP Program where the soon-to-be ESPECWAR² Operatives, were performing equipment exercises and training drills.
Spitfire, having been designated Arc Team leader after CMAP and given ‘Cadet Honors’ for her performance, was now leading her team through a training exercise against Colt Team. “Sound off,” she said quietly into the enchanted pin on her lapel.
“Soarin, two.”
“Firefly, three.”
“Fleetfoot, four.”
“...”
“Hornet, sound off,” Spitfire said quietly with a stern tone, “Or so help me Celestia, when I find you, I will make you do wing push ups until I sweat.” Nothing. No reply came from their fifth squad mate. “Soarin, where the buck is Hornet?”
“Spitfire,” Hornet spoke softly just to her right. “Somethin’ wrong?”
“You’re damn right something’s wrong!” She whispered harshly, “Where the buckis your LAPCOMM³?”
“Right here, ma’am.” Hornet pointed to the collar of his fatigues, signifying that he did indeed have his LAPCOMM.
“Why didn’t you sound off?”
“It’s not working, I don’t know what’s wrong with it.”
“Give it here,” Spitfire ordered “You probably broke it or something.” She took the pin and rolled it around in her hooves, nothing seemed wrong with it, the only thing she noticed was that it wasn’t turned on. “You idiot, you didn’t even turn it on,” she said and tossed it back to him. Letting him finagle with the device himself.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Just buck up and stay frosty.” Spitfire turned back around and began crawling under a bush. Once on the other side, she notified the rest of her squad to follow. “Fan out and keep your eyes open, we have no idea where Squad Colt may be, and if they get the jump on us, your flanks are mine. Copy?”
“Copy that.”
“Loud an clear.”
“...”
“Dammit Hornet, turn your LAPCOMM on!”
*SHHHK* “Solid copy ma’am.”
Having gotten there issue done and and over with, Arc Squad set about completing their assignment. Locate Squad Colt and ‘neutralize’ them.
~
Spitfire could feel the temperature drop as they neared the neared the Arctic region. The fur on her withers rose as it dawned on her that they were finally being deployed. She didn’t have time to revel in her emotions, however, as a crack of static came through her earpiece followed by the voice of the ERGSOCC flight team leader.
“ETA five minutes. How copy?”
“10-4 Shadow 1. How’s your team?”
“Smiles and giggles Ma’am. Ready up, we’ll be landing shortly.”
“You heard him. Double check your gear and double check your flight buddies. I don’t want any screw-ups here tonight.”
She listened as her squad rustled around checking their gear and hoped that Squad Bingo was doing the same. She was counting on them to be perfect and synchronized in their efforts. Like all squad leaders, she knew not to doubt her team, but there would always be that small fear that somehow, something might happen and put them all in jeopardy.
landing safely and quietly, they all stepped out of their crafts one by one, and fanned out to scan their surroundings. They waited until the ERGSOCCs had flown out of the area before they even considered moving. Even then, they remained still for nearly ten minutes. Nothing showed up, so Spitfire got them all up and moved off toward the objective. She sent Firefly out ahead with a long range crossbow to map out their route and ensure that they wouldn’t have any nasty surprises along the way. She had Thunderceptor lag behind to watch their flanks and make sure nothing snuck up on them. Everything, it seemed, was working like clockwork. They had no hiccups the entire time they moved.
They trotted quietly through the snow, concealed by the multitude of trees surrounding them. As they came to a clearing, they caught a small glint of light coming from within a small building. Spitfire motioned for their Cartographer to come up and detail her on their current whereabouts. She found that they were on the edge of a small forest to the East of their objective, which meant they had walked an extra three kilometers out of the way.
“No sign of hostiles in the structure,” Firefly reported over her LAPCOMM.
“Solid copy Firefly, keep your eyes on target. We don’t wanna miss anything.”
“You got it. Firefly out.” Another hiss of static and the line went silent. It was imperative that they keep chit chat to a minimum, lest an emergency arise.
“SkyKnight, Thunderceptor, you two flank left and set up overwatch on that hill to the south.” Spitfire ordered calmly, not even bothering to look at the two.
“Aye ma’am,” SkyKnight replied.
“You got it,” sounded Thunderceptor.
“Mustang, Hellcat, you two fly up to the edge of the treeline to the North. Keep your eyes on the road and notify me if anybody comes in to crash our party. Corsair, you link up with Firefly and keep the perimeter secure. You so much as see a rabbit headed our way, take it out.”
“10-4.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“On my way.”
“Soarin, take point, Fleetfoot and Hornet, on me. Lets move.” With that, the four ponies quickly galloped to the wall and awaited an overwatch report.
“You got two armed Clydes at the gate. One patrolling along the wall.”
“Take em out Thunder.”
“Check.”
Thunderceptor loaded a bolt into his crossbow and waited for Skyknight to do the same. When he was cocked and ready he spoke up. “Alright buddy, you take the one on the right, I’ve got left. We shoot when their friend rounds the corner.”
“Got it.” The duo laid down and watched through their scopes as the Clyde patrolling the wall slowly walked along the barrier then rounded the corner.
*FFT* *FFT*
“Splash two. You are clear to proceed.”
“Copy that. Moving.” Spitfire stood up and silently, behind Soarin, moved up toward the entrance. She watched as he slid underneath the gate and waited for him to open it up for them. As soon as it was clear, she, Hornet and Fleetfoot slipped into the compound. ______________________________________________________________________________ ¹ ERGSOCC - Equestrian Royal Guard Special Operations Combatant-Craft ² ESPECWAR - Equestrian SPECial WARfare ³ LAPCOMM - LAPel COMMunications Device
Spitfire’s amber eyes scanned every nook and cranny of the complex that wasn’t currently concealed by Soarin’s position in front of her. She had come to realize that if Soarin wasn’t on his ‘A’ game, they could very easily walk into a trap, and given his past record of habitual negligence, a small modicum of doubt attempted to seek it’s way into her mind.
Soarin, however, seemed very different tonight. He was moving slowly, much slower than he normally did. Almost as if he was doing the same as she, checking every feasible spot for a potential trap, even the smallest of snowdrifts presented a potential hazard for her entire team. She looked back and noticed both Fleetfoot and Hornet doing the very same thing. Any prior worries she had about her team instantly vanished. They were more than capable of sticking to textbook basics, even if it was unbearably cold.
“How do these damn Clydes deal with this cold all the time? I’m starting to lose feeling in my hooves,” Skyknight sounded over the LAPCOMM frequency.
“The same way we put up with your stink all day,” Firefly replied quickly from her end, earning a stifled giggle from Fleetfoot. “So can it and keep eyes on.”
Spitfire followed closely behind Soarin as they came near the edge of what seemed to be the barracks. “Hold fast Arc,” Thunderceptor warned as he watched the team through his optic. “Got one hostile bleeding the lizard right around the corner. Spitfire, want me to take him out?”
Spitfire looked in the general direction of her overwatch team and motioned for them to not engage. They’d just have to wait until he finished, then move on.
Once the stallion had ‘finished,’ Thunderceptor relayed the “all clear” message and they pressed forward. Spitfire spotted the main ‘hub’ of operations the second she peeked around the corner of the barracks. It was well lit from all sides and two sentries were stationed at each door, albeit unattentive and far from professional.
She reached out and quickly tapped Soarin’s rump. When he turned to see what she had done that for, she silently motioned toward the main building. Apparently he had missed the brightest spot in the whole place, likely due to him focusing on the ground and everything in front of him, she’d have to thrash him about it later, but for now they had to find a way inside without being detected.
“Thunderceptor, Skyknight, Firefly, Corsair,” the golden mare commanded over her LAPCOMM. “Can you check out the structure to my three o’clock position and come up with a plan for where we’d be best able to enter undetected?”
“Sure thing ma’am,” Firefly replied over her own device. “Corsair, on me.”
“Copy that, moving,” he replied dryly.
While she waited for a report from her flying duo and overwatch team, Spitfire took some time to sit down and check over all her equipment. She didn’t have much on her save for the bare essentials, a low-profile cold weather jacket and her hoof blades, but she needed to know everything was secure and ready.
“Hornet, come over here real quick.” Spitfire knew that Hornet was obviously the least precise member of her team, so she needed to make sure all his equipment was good to go. He quietly made his way to her side and sat down.
“What’s up?”
“Check your gear,” she ordered calmly. “I wanna make sure you didn’t lose anything on the way here.”
With that, Hornet shrugged off his saddlebag and began rummaging through it. As time dragged on, Spitfire noticed Hornet’s expression grow more and more frustrated.
She sighed, somehow she expected him to have lost something, but given his role in her squad, she had to have him on the entry team. He was the one that had full medical training, the other four only had the ‘stop the bleeding’ training, not much else, so it was up to him to carry First Aid gear and administer medical assistance when necessary. “Hornet.”
“Yeah, I know... I just can’t find my First Aid Kit.”
“I know.” she motioned for him to stop and looked at him. “That’s because it was never in your saddlebag to begin with. Left side of your jacket, that’s where it is.”
Hornet hastily scanned his left side, and just as she’d said, it was sewn right into his coat. “Huh... How about that. Thanks for let-”
“Back in formation,” she sternly replied. After some hesitation on his part, she looked Hornet dead in the eye. “Now. Or so help me Celestia I will slit your throat where you stand and not lose a minute's sleep over it.” While that wasn’t entirely true, it was the context and severity of the notion that sent Hornet quietly scurrying back to position. “Firefly, Corsair, status report,” she queried over her LAPCOMM.
“Working on it ma’am.” Corsair’s voice. “This ain’t easy. Place is locked up tighter than a Royal Guard’s rear during the Gala.”
“You would know, wouldn’t you?” Hellcat joked from his position near the road.
“Knock it off Hellcat, or I’ll bury your head so far up Skyknight’s ass, you’ll be smelling shit for a month. Copy?”
A short moment of silence. “Solid copy...”
Firefly sounded moments later. “Spitfire, I think I have a solution.” She sounded rather ecstatic in Spitfire’s opinion. While that wasn’t weird, it certainly wasn’t expected. “Southern door, two guards. One is nodding off, the other is preoccupied with a book of some sort. As of now, that’s your best bet to gain entry. Your only problems are the lanterns near the door.”
“Good work Firefly, keep this up and I may just let you have your way with Soarin later,” Spitfire joked and watched as her blue friend visibly stiffened and looked her way with a frown. With a quiet smirk she motioned for him to continue onward.
As they worked their way around the outside of the building to gain a good staging area for entry, Spitfire began formulating how best to go about taking out the two guards at the door. She knew Hornet was a no-go as he wasn’t good enough to take somepony out silently. They didn’t want to kill these guards either as it would leave messy evidence that they were there, so she was out of the question. So that left it up to Soarin and Fleetfoot.
By the time they reached their staging area, she had just about come up with her plan when Soarin interrupted her thought process. “I’ll take the nodder, Fleetfoot can take the book-worm, she’s faster and way more silent than me. So if he puts up a fight, she can end it faster.”
“Just what I was thinking,” Spitfire smiled slightly. “If it weren’t for me, you’d make a good squad leader.”
“Thanks, but until you bite the dust, I’m content being second in command.”
“Well, you heard him Fleet. You take out the reader, Soar’s got the nodder. Quick and silent, don’t kill them.” Fleetfoot nodded primly, Soarin did nothing. “On my mark. Three...” she turned her gaze South and caught the small glint off of one of the Crossbow scopes from the moonlight. “Two...” She looked to the East and saw a figure streak downward in a blur followed by a small burst of snow on the hillside. “One...” This time, she looked up toward the moon, she could just barely make out a single wing slowly flapping. “Mark.”
In a blaze of muffled glory, Soarin and Fleetfoot raced toward their targets and in mere seconds, incapacitated them, motioned for Spitfire and Hornet to move up, and swiftly killed the light from the lanterns near the door. One by one, they stacked up and prepared to enter. As swiftly as he could, Soarin bucked the door open and darted in with Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Hornet filing in right behind him.
~
“Congratulations Spitfire, you just killed your team,” Ironwing boomed from the balcony just above her and her team. They had just ran through the breaching simulator for the fifteenth time that evening, and every time they did, Ironwing found something wrong with how they performed.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” the golden mare screamed in frustration. She looked around at her team. “What’d we do wrong?” Everypony was in position, she couldn’t find a single thing they did that could warrant his decision.
She heard him chuckle for a good bit. “You stopped as soon as I spoke.”
Mind games.
His smug grin did wonders for her mood, every fiber of her being wanted to fly up there and beat him featherless. She sighed in defeat. “Everypony stack up again, let’s just get this done and over with.”
With that, they all shuffled back out the way they came and prepared for re-entry. They breached once more, although this time, they didn’t stop as Ironwing began to speak. They blazed through the course without missing a beat, making sure to not harm the ‘civilian’ targets and neutralizing the ‘hostiles.’
“Congratulations Spitfire, you didn’t kill your team,” the older pegasus laughed at his own little attempt at a joke, paying no attention to the fuming glares pointed at him. “That’s all for tonight. Get cleaned up and hit the barracks, you’ve got the day off tomorrow.”
~
*BANG*
The door to the office blew off the hinges in a fantastic display of projectile splinters and dust.
Spitfire, the second to enter, immediately went to the right, Soarin to the left, behind them Fleetfoot and Hornet covered the forward portion of the room.
“Clear right!”
“Clear left!”
“Clear forward,” Hornet and Fleetfoot called in unison. There was nopony inside the barren room, not even so much as a startled field mouse taking refuge from the winter weather. Something was amiss and it made the fur on the back of Spitfire’s neck stand on end.
“There’s nothing here,” Soarin stated, warning everypony to the blindingly obvious.
“Congratulations, Spitfire. Your team survived, and it only took you three hours to accomplish your mission.” Spitfire knew that condescending voice.
“Command Chief Ironwing... What in Celestia’s name is going on here?” Spitfire inquired through grinding teeth.
“Well isn’t it obvious?” He chuckled merrily. “This was a test to see how you, your team, and your leadership skills would perform under stressful conditions.”
“What about the Clydesdales?”
“Golems,” he stated simply. “Unicorn contractors employed by the Equestrian Armed Forces can be quite handy at creating realistic incarnations of real ponies, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yeah...” Her nerves pushed to turn around and buck him as hard as possible, but her mind wouldn’t allow it. “Command Chief Ironwing, why in Celestia’s name did you make us come out here, to nopony’s land for some stupid training exercise?”
“I just told you, to see how you would perform under pressure. You all did very well I must say.”
Just then a thought struck Spitfire, why didn’t any member of her team notify her that Ironwing (or anypony for that matter) was approaching the building? “Why didn’t my team notify me that you were coming in?”
“We were watching you the whole time,” Ironwing strode into the room and pulled a cigar from his coat pocket. “I had two Royal Guards approach each member of your team and tell them what was going on as your squad stacked up by the door. Told them not let you in on what we were doing.”
“I see,” Spitfire intoned dryly. “What now?”
“Remember when I said you had a one way ticket in?”
“Yeah.”
“Have fun flying home.” ____________________________________________________________________________
Operation Guardian One week after Operation Frigus Canterlot, Equestria 1400 Hours
Command Chief Ironwing sat in his office, quietly sifting through personnel files, analyzing the traits of every STRYKER Operator outside of squads Arc and Bingo. This provided an issue for him, when it came to Operations that involved heavy combat, counter insurgency operations or even clandestine reconnaissance, just about any squad would fit the bill. This time, however, he needed a squad that would best fit the bill of public relations and equinitarian efforts.
Less than fifteen hours ago, a hurricane managed to form off the coast of Gallopfrey, a small island roughly two hundred kilometers southwest of Fillydelphia. The hurricane, now dubbed ‘Hurricane Tradewind’, managed to sweep through Gallopfrey and reduce the island to a pile of rubble seemingly overnight. Due to the current state of the Equestrian Royal Guard, a team needed to be dispatched immediately to the area to assist in any way necessary.
The orders were brought to Command Chief Ironwing upon Princess Celestia’s request and a note that told him to ‘pick the team best suited for the job’, hence his current predicament with him now pouring over the members of STRYKER noting each operator's skill sets and personalities down to the smallest detail.
The more he looked through the files, the clearer the answer became. With his decision made, he stood from his desk and went to the door. “Private Melon, notify the members of Squad Filly that I want them in my office five minutes ago.” with a quick salute, the stallion, clad in gilded steel, galloped down the corridor and out the East Entrance toward the STRYKER Barracks.
~
Canterlot, Equestria One week after CMAP Graduation 1200 Hours
“I figure that since we’re a squad now, we may as well get to know each other better,” a rather small stallion by the name of Bluejay said as his new team sat under one of the few trees near the Royal Guard barracks. “So let’s start with introductions. As you all know, I’m Bluejay, your Squad Leader. I was born in Manehatten and volunteered for the CMAP the second I saw the recruitment posters.” The cerulean pegasus looked around at his quiet group. Not a single one of them seemed to convey even the slightest interest in doing anything outside of eating, sleeping and laying about. As seconds turned to minutes, Bluejay became irate. He glared at a filly perched closest to him and pointed at her with seemingly violent intentions. “Well?”
“Well… Ya’ll know me as Rocky,” the dusty brown mare to his left said with a strained smile. “I’m from Coltarado Springs, just outside Appleloosa.” her azure eyes looked up thoughtfully, remembering her old home. “It was hard for me to get my cutie mark when all I had to do was hang out with the younger buffalo that lived nearby, so when a group of them Royal Guards came to Appleloosa and started talkin’ about that there CMAP, well, I was hay in a hoofbasket crazy ‘bout goin’. After all, I always wanted to get me a good look at Canterlot an this was the perfect opportunity.”
There was another long pause, which was soon broken by a sweet voice, one almost like a songbird “Well, I’m Jetstream.” Sitting to Bluejay’s right, a young mare whose cerise coat shined almost as bright as her smile. “I’m from Haliflanks, which if you don’t know, is South of Tramplevania,” she finished with another smile and looked to her right at the mint colored stallion with the, in her opinion, beautiful pine green windswept mane.
“You guessed it, Blackhoof,” he raised his left forelimb showing his one off-colored hoof. “Like Jetstream, I’m also from Haliflanks. My parents were both medical ponies from Cloudsdale, so I got a lot of my first aid skills from days spent lounging about their office reading medical journals.”
“Ace. All you need to know,” a cobalt stallion said with obtrusive anger in his voice as he sat away from the group under the shade of a nearby tree. He looked away dismissively and waved a hoof as if to say ‘Be gone with you.’ “The less you know, the better.”
The other four looked at him with an almost heartbroken demeanor. He had been an introvert ever since he entered the program, never talking much and never opening up to the others. Something that, quite frankly, was getting on Bluejay’s nerves a tad too much. “Alright Ace, I’ve had it up to here with your attitude.” the cyan stallion intoned with a frown as he raised a hoof above his head. “As your Squad Leader, I order you to knock it off and tell us about yourself. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to report you to Command Chief Ironwing for insubordination.”
Ace chanced a glance at his squad leader, taking note of the pure determination plastered across his muzzle. “Ace. Born in Detrot. ‘Coltcuddler’. There you go, happy now you pathetic, imbecilic excuse of a squad leader?”
“Very,” Bluejay fired back without missing a beat. “Well, I guess that just about sums up our little talk. You’re all free to go and do as you please, just don’t get in too much trouble.” With his half hearted speech over with, Bluejay stood and gave a crisp salute to his comrades. He turned tail and began to saunter off, but just as he was almost out of ear shot, he shouted back at the group “PT at zero five hundred, be there!”
The rest soon did the same, with Ace flying off in a huff. Blackhoof had just made his way into the courtyard when he heard the soft beating of wings next to him followed by a quick tap on his withers. He didn’t bother looking as he already knew who was there. “Yes, Jet?”
“How do you always know it’s me?” She asked landing next to him.
“Because I’ve memorized the pattern at which you beat your wings... And because you’re the only pony that does that.,” He recalled casting a sideways smile.
“Oh. Well hey, I was wondering.” She made her way in front of him, bringing Blackhoof to a stop. “If you’re not busy today, would you maybe like to come see DJ Pon-3 with me?” Jetstream inquired, while trying to hide the blush quickly forming on her cheeks.
Blackhoof took his time mulling over the question, all to mess with the mare’s twitterpated head. “Oh I dunno, I mean, I got stu-”
“Pleeease?” The purple mare pleaded, trying her best to give Blackhoof her best ‘pouty face’.
“Know what? Yeah, I’d love to go with you.”
“SWEET! I’ll drop by the barracks at three. Meet you there?” Without another word, she flew off with images of dancing, fast music and the stallion of her dreams clogging her mind, all fighting to be at the front of her daydream.
~
One by one, the mares and stallions of Filly Squad filed into Command Chief Ironwing’s office, Ace lagging behind like he always had. They all stood at attention and held a salute until Ironwing returned the motion. “I apologize for bringing you all here on such short notice, but I’ve recently received orders from Princess Celestia stating that I needed a qualified team to rendezvous with the Royal Guard Harmony Wing Fourth Division in Cloudsdale, from there you will fly to Stableside where you will board the ENS¹ Coltenhagen en route to Gallopfrey to assist with disaster relief efforts,” he looked to Bluejay who stood motionless, taking in every word Ironwing that escaped his commanders lips. “I know this is not a Combat Related detail, but given the state of affairs with Gallopfrey and your respective attributes, I feel you’re the best team for the job. That, and we need to keep civilians away from the Training Station and their respective Archives, as there’s been reports of suspicious activity. Am I understood?”
“Orders acknowledged sir,” Bluejay voiced with a stalwart gaze. “Give my team ten minutes to prep and we’ll be on our way.” He offered another crisp salute to their Commanding Officer and quickly left. The other four followed his example and promptly found their way out behind Bluejay.
When the door closed behind Ace, Ironwing let loose a strained sigh and went back to pilfering through more files that had been brought to him from different sects of the Royal Guard.
Ever since he had given the order to gather Filly Squad, his eyes had been stuck on six troubling words, ‘Astro Mythonomicon is currently unaccounted for’.
~
Like most any trip, the one to Stableside to board the ENS Coltenhagen was relatively routine. Not a shred of turbulence, both physical and emotional, dared bother the mass of pegasi as they flew over towns and streams toward their destination. That was up until they had landed. From their greeting, it was clear that somepony hadn’t relayed the information that they would be arriving. If any iridescence was present before, the situation was now blatantly opaque. Bluejay, as the squad leader had decided to board the vessel as if it were a mere fishing boat, but instead was stopped by two spears aimed directly at his throat.
“Present proper authorization or head back the way you came,” a bored looking buck said as he gave Bluejay a thorough once-over.
“Second Lieutenant Bluejay, leader of FIlly Squad, STRYKER Operator. My squad, the guards currently under my command and I would very much like to board the ENS Coltenhagen as it prepares to sail to Gallopfrey.” Bluejay looked over the guard carefully and smirked as he noticed the rank embelished on his armor. “Now I suggest you remove your weapon from my throat before I lodge it in your rump. How copy?” Bluejay asked before addressing the guard in tones laced with venom “Seapony Apprentice Clearwater?”
In mere fractions of a second, the two guards stood at admirable attention with the news that they had just confronted an officer. “Aye sir. You may proceed.”
“Much obliged.” Bluejay was never one to use rank to persuade others, but at times like these, it seemed he needed to put some minor enlisted sailors in their place. “At ease.”
Rocky couldn’t help but look at the two ponies with a gaze that spoke of deep seeded hatred for naval ponies. Once all the STRYKER operators and Royal Guards had passed out of earshot and onto the vessel, Clearwater looked to his companion and began to mock Bluejay. “Hey, look at me, I’m a STRYKER butter bar. Hurr hurr. I can kill ponies by just looking at them.”
“Hay yeah, damn STRYKERs. What makes them so special anyway? Oh hey, look at me and my fancy wings! Aren’t I cool?”
“You know the great thing about wings?” the two ponies stood at abrupt attention at the feminine voice behind them. “It makes it easier to sneak up on squids like you and slit your throats.” Clearwater shuddered in fear as he felt something warm and moist trail up over his cheek. “Hmm… Salty,” the voice said. There was a burst of wind as the pony flew back to the ship, leaving the two guards shaking.
Jetstream landed next to Blackhoof with a giggle. “Oh those Navy ponies can be so fun to mess with.”
“What did you do, Jet?” Blackhoof asked with an annoyed sigh.
“Oh… Nothing much. I just snuck up on them as they were talking smack about us and the Lieutenant.” She suppressed a laugh before adding. “I even told them I could kill them, then licked one of their cheeks just to freak them out a bit.”
Blackhoof furrowed his brow and gave Jetstream a mildly disturbed glance. “You are one seriously messed up pony, you know that?”
“Yeah, but you know you like it,” Jetstream cooed as she gave Blackhoof a tad bit over-friendly nuzzle before trotting away to the female quarters.
"And you’re a tease!” Black shouted back with a huff.
Operation Guardian One week after Operation Frigus Aboard ENS Coltenhagen 2100 Hours
Subdued silence gripped the vessel as it sailed East toward Gallopfrey. The effects of which shone like a light on the sailors aboard the ship. To them, glass waters were a sign of troublesome sailing ahead, the pegasi however didn’t mind to smooth waters as they had heard countless times of the effects of seasickness and wanted nothing to do with the motion induced vomiting.
Not to mention they could easily take flight to avoid any mishaps while aboard the vessel. Somehow, it still didn’t help Blackhoof avoid taking on a tinge of green and hanging his head over the edge of the deck.
“You keep that up and we might just start calling you barf from here on out,” Jetstream chided hovering next to his sprawled figure.
Stifling another bout of vomit, Blackhoof cast Jetstream a cursory glance “Go buck yourself Jet, this ain’t funny.”
“On the contrary,” she giggled “it’s quite the giggle-worthy predicament you’ve gotten yourself in.”
“Well why the hay aren’t you right here next to me yakking your guts out?” His last spout causing him to heave once more over the edge. Once finished he wiped his muzzle with a hoof and looked back up. “It’s not fair.”
“Guess I’m one of the lucky few.”
“Yeah… How long till we hit Gallopfrey?”
She sighed and landed by his side offering a helping hoof. “At the rate we’re going, I would have to guess another day and a half.” Jetstream answered guiding him up to his haunches. She chanced a glance at the sky and noticed some thunderheads far to the south displaying their electric power “Come on, let’s get you to your rack and I’ll find you a spill bucket so you don’t have to stay out here, looks like we’ll be hitting a bit of a storm later tonight.”
“I won’t argue that,” Blackhoof groaned “Last thing I need is to be sick and wet.” He managed a halfhearted smile and rose to wobbly hooves.
Gallopfrey Coast 2130 Hours
A thinly veiled moonlight cast an eerie silhouette among the wreckage of fishing vessels that had once been moored along the coast. Now all that remained of ships were waterlogged scraps of wood and torn sails floating on the surface. Many more parts of the seaworthy craft dotted the beach having been dumped ashore during high tide.
One sole unicorn seemed to casually stroll among the wood on the beach, occasionally bringing up a piece and taking a few moments to glean some sort of mystery from the splinters and paint chips.
So far, most seemed to be unworthy of even a cursory glance, others the close scrutiny of an experienced jewel hawker. The unicorn had been going about this task for four hours now and had yet to cease. It wasn’t until he came upon a soaked board of considerable length did his actions take on a different purpose. This new board, sitting atop barnacle infested boulders had one simple phrase painted elegantly across it. Phoenix Dawn.
‘There it is,’ he thought ‘The piece I’ve been looking for’. Chancing a glance back toward the ocean he noticed a single strip of cloth that had once been the sail of the Phoenix Dawn, a simple red and gold striped motif signifying the ship had been traveling to Gallopfrey from the Northern Shores of Mareway. Among the common exports of timber and and metal ores was supposedly an ancient text known as The Penumbra Article, said to be written by Starswirl the Bearded himself.
Now whether that rumour was true had yet to be determined. However that did not matter to the unicorn. All that mattered to him were the secrets locked within the tome. Secrets that could only be accessed by the spell required to open The Penumbra Article.
The book was originally destined for the University of Gallopfrey department of Arcane Science for extensive study. In fact, very few ponies knew that the book was headed to the small remote island as mentions of the lexicon had been hushed to the point of taboo outside the small guild within the University. The unicorn had his sources of course, his little birds telling him of deeds done under the noses of the commoners. Research projects and study sessions of everything from methods of masculine enhancement to the more acceptable dark arts.
When he had learned of the fabled book traveling from Mareway to his small island he was ecstatic, to say the least. To finally get his hooves on such a text was not a chance to squander. As such, he spared no expense in bribing some of the local pegasi to kickstart the squall that had virtually destroyed the island. Was it worth the twenty thousand bits he spent? Of course! This book was a priceless artifact and he knew that if he didn’t get his hooves on it now, he would never have such a chance again, and to let those eggheads at the university fiddle with it was an unquestionably abhorrent.
Now, all that he had left to do was get the book from the wreckage of her hull, Phoenix Dawn.
“Let’s see if that underwater breathing spell works…”
University of Gallopfrey 36 Hours Later
Upon arrival at the small island, the team of STRYKER operators noticed that unlike most of the island, the college in which they would focus their efforts was seemingly unscathed. Later inquiry would confirm that the professors of the college had indeed summoned a shield to protect the institution against the maelstrom.
Before any of the operators had a chance to comment on the situation a pink blaze of light erupted before them, placing a roseate mare before them.
“Hello!” she greeted, “My name is Cepheid, here to-” The sudden appearance of a joyful pink mare in a disaster area was not well taken by the group. Before she could finish her sentence, Ace was behind her with a hoof blade pressed tightly against her throat. “Well… This is certainly unexpected. I mean you no harm, friends.” She pawed lightly against the hooves holding her in a vice grip. “I’m merely here to escort you to the University.”
“I don’t like this,” Ace growled, pressing the blade harder into the mare. “What do you want me to do with her, ma’am?”
Jetstream sighed and moved to unhinge the anxious buck from their envoy. “Let her go, Ace, she’s here to help. This is a disaster relief effort after all.”
“On the contrary, miss.” Cepheid corrected, “Your mission here is quite different. While you’re here ‘officially’ to aid the local populace, that is merely a cover. If you’ll follow me, I’ll explain further.”
Jetstream looked to the others, puzzlement clear in her features. They had been briefed by the chief that they were here to help with reconstruction and medical aid of the ponies of Gallopfrey. “Alright, show the way, Cepheid.”
“With pleasure,” the mare beamed and began trotting toward the university proper. “You see, we requested the Princess send some personnel to locate an artifact that had been sent here from Mareway for study. Unfortunately, due to the hurricane, the ship it was on never made it to port and it is believed to have gone down with the ship. This is unconfirmed however as we don’t even know if the ship was destroyed in the storm. The only lead we have is a Marewegian sailor that washed up on shore yesterday morning.” The mare trotted around the prop of a ship that had been flung inland. “Other than that, there’s no evidence of the vessel having been destroyed. For all we know, he could have simply gone overboard, but the ship should have been docked and unloaded by now if that were the case.” She paused at a sign for a local bakery advertising a sale on muffins. “This leads us to believe that the ship has gone down, the artifact with it.”
“Just what is this artifact?” Blackhoof asked. “And why does it require such an acquisition of personnel?”
“The Penumbra Article.” Cepheid stated matter-of-factly. “It’s said to have been written by Starswirl the Bearded himself and contains numerous spells, tactics, designs and experiments for military use prior to the banishment of Princess Luna herself.”
“Oh… So it’s kind of important.” Bluejay tittered.
“Kind of,” Cepheid offered and continued toward the University. “We need you to either locate the vessel or the wreckage, and recover the book.”
“So that’s why the Princess sent us.” Rocky, who had remained silent until now guessed, “We’re the only team with dive training at the moment.”
Jetstream sighed, “It sure seems that way. But we don’t have our dive equipment.”
“Oh that’s alright, our Marine Biology department can lend theirs to our cause.” Cepheid assured the team, “They understand the importance of the situation at hoof.”
With that, the team was shown into the foyer of the Arcane Science building. The heavy oaken doors remained ajar as the squad wandered through the threshold, quickly absorbing any important details of their surroundings. Directly to their front was a wide staircase leading to the second floor, splitting off in a ‘T’ to allow access to the east and west wings. Above that, a crystal chandelier showcasing an ever changing prismatic display of light. Shifted from reds to greens and everything in between. If not for the mission, they wouldn’t mind touring the facility simply to see all the interesting features located within.
Cepheid led them down the eastern hall, occasionally pausing by on artifact or object and offering a brief explanation for the pegasi in tow. It seemed the University had no shortage of arcane knick knacks and toys. Finally, they arrived at what could simply be called an office. Having been converted to a makeshift living area with the removal of the desk and addition of five cots.
“I do hope this is fine, this is the best we can do at the moment as the dormitories are full.” Cepheid explained, showing the group into the room. “After you get settled in, you can find me at the reception desk in the foyer, we can go over more details to aid you from there.”
“Thank you very much ma’am, these accommodations will suffice.” Jetstream offered a smile, “We’ll be out there shortly.”
With that, the roseate mare backed out of the room and trotted back to the entrance.
“Well, this is certainly Spartan,” Ace intoned plopping on the cot farthest from the door.
Rocky laughed, “What did you expect? Five Star room and board at Hearthswarming Inn?”
“No,” the buck sighed, “But cots? Why not just leave us with bivvy sacks and woobies instead.”
“We’re not in the field, that’s why,” Blackhoof added stretching out on the cot next to his complaining friend.
Jetstream set her kit on the center-most cot and made for the door. “If you ladies are done moaning, we’ve got work to do.” She tossed open the door and trotted back the way they had came.
“You heard the Lieutenant,” Bluejay said, flapping her wings, choosing to fly through the halls instead of walk.
With a groan, the three bucks removed themselves from their positions of comfort and followed the blue mare back to the foyer.
~
20 Minutes Later
“There’s not really much else to tell you that will help. You know what to look for, how the ship was marked, it’s projecting bearing… What else can I tell you?” Cepheid sighed, hoping she had done everything she could to assist in the recovery effort.
Jetstream pondered for a moment, there wasn’t much else they needed to know and she was reasonably sure the could locate the book and be on their way home well within two days. Finally the thought occurred to her. “Are there any ponies we should be aware of? Ne’er-do-wells, troublemakers, anything of the sort.”
It was Cepheid’s turn to think. “OH! That’s right!” she trotted back behind the desk and produced a sheet of paper with a picture on it. “Around here, the students have been advised to steer clear of this pony.” Handing the paper to the officer in charge. Jetstream examined the image of the unicorn with silvery coat and charcoal mane, he certainly wasn’t winning any beauty contests with his multitude of scars and bloodshot eyes. Even the irises left a foreboding feeling in her gut with their odd yellow hue. Cepheid continued. “That’s Aphelion, while he hasn’t done anything yet, we’re still being cautious. He seems a shady character, what with his prancing about with that cloak of his, always hiding his ugly mug.” She noticeably shivered making the team wonder if maybe the unicorn was just some creepy stalker and not really of any concern to them.
Jetstream folded the paper and began tucking it into the pocket of her uniform. “Thank you, is it fine if I keep this?” Cepheid nodded her affirmation. “Well, if that’s everything, I suppose we can begin our search. Rocky, Bluejay, head North and start scanning the beaches, report to me your findings in two hours.” The two nodded and took off in a flash, barreling through the entryway. “Black, Ace, you two head east. Same deal.” Like the previous two, a nod was her only affirmation then they were gone in a gust of wind. “I’ll begin looking into this Aphelion character…”
