In the dorms of the Academy, Jessica slept in her bed, having a particularly pleasant dream when the sound of an alarm clock woke her up. She woke up instantly, reached over, and pressed the snooze button on the clock. She sat up and stretched her arms over her head. "Morning jessica." Jessica jumped a little at the voice and turned her head to see spike standing at the end of her bed. Jessica shook off the slight startle.
"Spike, you're up, and, ready? When did you wake up?" A voice came from the bathroom.
"I woke him up and helped him get ready for the day. Morning Jessica." Jessica slid out of bed and walked towards the bathroom, stopping just before she was able to see inside.
"Morning twilight. Uh, you're not doing anything in there that you wouldn't want others to see right?"
"You're Good Jessica. Come on in." Jessica nodded and walked the rest of the way, finding twilight brushing her teeth, and combing her hair simultaneously. She noticed both hygiene utensils being surrounded by a purple aura that matched the aura around twilight's horn. She proceeded to the sink and picked up her own toothbrush.
"Do you use your magic every morning when getting ready for the day?" Twilight nodded.
"Mhm, it saves valuable time which could be spent doing something more important. Like learning the ins and outs of Starfleet academy. Ooh, I'm so excited. A whole weekend dedicated to studying! How fun." Jessica chuckled.
"I can definitely see why people call you a scholar. Your IQ must be through the roof." Twilight giggled.
"I don't know about that honestly, but my IQ is pretty high, what about you?"
"Last I took an IQ test I had an IQ Of 150 over a span of 13 dimensions of intelligence."
"Impressive. Let me guess, top of our graduating class here?" Jessica nodded.
"I don't brag about it very often, but it is fun to put those hotshots in their place on occasion." Twilight nodded.
"I can see why Commandant Forrest wants you to catch us up in our classes." Jessica smiled as she spat out the toothpaste in her mouth.
"He wants to make sure you ponies and dragon get all the right information, and between me and Luke, you'll get that and probably a lot more." Twilight smiled.
"I can't wait." Spike nodded, speaking from outside the bathroom.
"Meanwhile I can't wait much longer, think you girls can hurry up in there? This dragon needs to go."
"We'll be finished in a minute spike." Jessica put down her hairbrush.
"Hey twilight, this might sound like a dumb question, but spike is potty trained right?" Twilight nodded.
"Yes. His body might develop slower then normal, but his mind is that of a 20 year-old so he understands a lot for his age in dragon years." Jessica nodded.
"Then he should be able to keep up with the curriculum here."
"Yes, he should." Spike rolled his eyes.
"I'm right here guys." Jessica and twilight chuckled.
Commandant Forrest was in his office, having a sip of tea when his doorbell beeped.
"Come." The door opened and one of the commandant's staff entered.
"Commandant, just got a notice from the phaser range, they've gotten everything ready and the phaser saddles for the hornless and handless cadets from Equuis are there waiting for them." Forrest smiled.
"Good, get the notice to Cadet Cosmos immediately."
"Sir, permission to speak freely?"
"Always."
"I've caught a glimpse of the profiles of some of the new cadets, are you sure giving them weapons is a good idea?" Forrest nodded.
"I trust that cadet cosmos will instruct them in the proper use of Starfleet issued weapons. Besides, weapons are to either be in the range or in the armory at all times. That includes weapons mounted on saddles."
"But sir, we don't have a way to store them beyond throwing them on the floor."
"Not yet, but I already notified mr magnus to whip up a stand for them." The officer nodded.
"Of course, magnus can whip up anything."
"That he can. Anywho, get the notice to cadet cosmos as soon as possible." The officer saluted.
"Yes sir." The officer turned to head out the door.
In the study area, a cadet with pointed ears was sitting in one of the chair reading something off a PADD when she heard the door open. The cadet looked up from her pad to see a good friend that made her smile, and secretly made her heart skip a beat whenever she saw him. "Do my eyes deceive me or is Luke cosmos in the study area for the first time this semester?"
Luke looked up from the computer he had just signed into and his eyes went wide at the sight of his Romulan friend and fellow cadet, and secret crush. "T'Nea! You're, here, in the study area." T'Nea giggled.
"My roommate was making too much noise this morning. So, in an effort to get some peace and quiet, I figured I'd head here because logically, what cadet spends their Saturday morning here?" Luke chuckled.
"Well, it's not gonna be quiet for long, my sister is on her way with some new cadets that she and I are tutoring to catch them up in the four weeks they missed." T'Nea nodded.
"Yeah, you guys told me and Ivan about the new cadets from Equuis. I take it you've met them?" Luke nodded.
"Spent the afternoon with them yesterday. They're a nice group." T'Nea smiled.
"I'm sure coming from a planet priding itself on friendship and harmony."
"Yeah. Oh, and also, since we need to focus on getting the new cadets up to speed, Jessica and I can't make it to band practice tonight." T'Nea frowned.
"Aw, Ivan's is gonna be bummed. Open mic night is next weekend and we can't really go out there if we don't practice." Luke sighed.
"I know. That's gonna be Cosmic Harmony's first ever gig. But, orders from Commandant Forrest come first, you know that." T'Nea sighed.
"Yeah. Still, I just, want us to make a good first impression, you know?" Luke nodded as he placed a comforting hand in T'Nea's shoulder.
"Hey, it's gonna be fine. I know it's hard being the only Romulan at the academy. But you have just as much right to be here as anyone else. Heck, if evolved quadrupeds can be here, there's no reason why you can't be here too." T'Nea sighed.
"Thanks Luke. I'm grateful that you can look past my species where I'm concerned." Luke chuckled.
"It helps that you act nothing like the rest of them. You're trusting, positive, and more xenophile. Plus you have a sense of logic that they don't." T'Nea chuckled at that last one.
"Yes. They are completely illogical towards everyone else." They both stood there chuckling until they both heard the door open. T'Nea turned around to see Jessica step in with a pony and a dragon following suit. "Hey Jessica." Jessica stopped, surprised to see her friend.
"T'Nea. I didn't expect to see you here." T'Nea nodded.
"I was looking for some peace and quiet because my roommate was making a lot of noise. Though it seems like I'm not gonna find it here because class is about to start. And who do you have with you? Two of the new cadets?" Jessica nodded as she gestured towards twilight and spike.
"These are my roommates twilight sparkle and spike. Guys, this is T'Nea, the first Romulan to ever join Starfleet. And the third member of Cosmic Harmony." T'Nea nodded as she shook hands with twilight and spike.
"Nice to meet you T'Nea."
"So you're the third member of the band that Jessica wouldn't stop talking about last night." T'Nea nodded as she suppressed a giggle.
"Yep, that's me. I'm on the Keytar. With Luke as lead guitarist and vocalist, Jessica on bass and our fourth member, Ivan, on drums, we're the group that get'll the party going next weekend." Whilst she was saying that, the door opened again and the rest of the Equuis gang stepped through, pinkie instantly hearing the word party.
"Did someone say party?" Pinkie beamed at the prospect of a party. Jessica twilight and spike smiled.
"Hey guys."
"How was your nights?" Rarity gave a small yawn.
"It was a delightful evening, surprisingly I slept just as well as back home." Rarity only then noticed the stranger in the room. "Oh, hello dear, are you a cadet here too?" T'Nea nodded while Jessica cleared her throat.
"Guys, this is one of my friends T'Nea. T'Nea, this is Rarity..." Jessica sounded off the names of the ponies while T'Nea shook hands with them. "And pinkie pie, the resident party planner as I'm told." T'Nea nodded.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Welcome to Starfleet Academy."
"Thanks. This place is nice."
"So much more advanced than anything we have on Equuis." T'Nea nodded.
"Yeah, when I first got here, I was blown away simply by the food replicators. There was nothing even close to that in the Romulan Star Empire."
"Yeah, all this has been a new experience for us, but we're happy to be here."
"Yeah Yeah Yeah. Anyway, T'Nea, I heard that there's a party planned?" T'Nea nodded. "It's more of a get together then a party, has anyone heard of open mic night?" Everyone nodded.
"Mhm. We have those on Equuis." T'Nea smiled.
"There's one scheduled in the mess hall next weekend. Everyone's invited." Pinkie smiled.
"Ooh, we should go to that! It'll be an awesome opportunity to make friends!" Before pinkie could get too excited, Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder.
"As much as I love a good get together, we won't be doing any of that unless we get caught up in our studies." Jessica nodded.
"Right Rarity, you girls, and dragon, need to get caught up so you can succeed here. T'Nea you are welcome to join us." T'Nea smiled.
"I won't say no to a refresher course." Jessica nodded.
"Alright, everyone find a seat, because class is in session." Pinkie smiled and bounced to her seat.
"Cue spontaneous musical study montage!" T'Nea, Luke and Jessica all just stared at Pinkie for a second. Twilight covertly signaled them to just roll with it.
'I swear, that pinkie continually baffles me.' Was what went through Jessica and Luke's minds.
'Something about pinkie pie seems a little, off, I'm gonna have to ask Jessica and Luke about that later.' Was All T'Nea could think At that moment. Shaking her head, Jessica turned the big screen on.
"Alright. Now, lets get the boring stuff out of the way and go over the rules regs and everything else in the Starfleet Academy handbook." Jessica was met with a couple groans from her class. "I assure you it's not gonna take long at all."
The rest of Saturday went off without a hitch, the Equuis cadets were understanding the material just fine, with only a few blemishes that were easily cleared up. Sunday went the same way, right up until the afternoon when it was time for Phaser training, which found everyone at the phaser range. Jessica grabbed 2 phaser pistols and gave one of them to spike, T'Nea grabbed a rifle, and Luke was helping the ponies into their phaser saddles. Rainbow was grinning like an absolute dork.
"Aw yeah, now this is tutoring I can get behind, look out evil, because rainbow danger dash just got a lot more dangerous!" Jessica giggled as she pressed a few buttons and several targets descended from the ceiling.
"Well, don't get too excited danger dash, these things are not not allowed outside the phaser range. Mainly because of their lethal potential if handled incorrectly." Everyone nodded as Luke finished helping Fluttershy. "Alright, all phaser saddles are good Jessica." Jessica nodded.
"Alright. Now, you all did well in the written portion of the Academy crash course, now it's time for the more practical portion, phaser training." Jessica did twirled the phaser in her hand for a second, then she and T'Nea both aimed their weapons and fired a beam of energy that hit the targets square in the middle. The sound from the shots spooked Fluttershy, causing her to hide behind her mane. Rainbow saw this and immediately drooped a wing over her.
"It's ok Fluttershy, it's nothing to be scared about." T'Nea nodded.
"Yes, there's nothing to worry about. So long as you don't find yourself on the business end of these things." Jessica nodded.
"Yes. These things can be extremely dangerous if in the wrong hands/hoofs/claws. Which is why we are first gonna go over how to turn these things onto safety mode whenever you aren’t using them.” Starlight raised a hoof.
“Uh, not to question your knowledge, but, do you know how our saddle phasers work? Because while You clearly know how to work a normal phaser, I doubt there were any phaser saddles before today.” Jessica nodded.
“Your right Starlight. You guys have the very first phaser saddles ever made. Fortunately, the engineering team which built the things left a manual.” Jessica pulled out her PADD and Called up said manual. “Right, Uh, Luke, do you want to take spike and work with him while T’Nea and I work with the ponies?“ luke nodded.
“Sure thing Jessica. Come on spike.”T’Nea grabbed a phaser and tossed it to Luke as spike nodded.
“How cool is this? I get to learn how to be a sharpshooter! This is so amazing!” Twilight and her friends chuckled.
“Yep, mind of a 20 year old, but he can still act childish sometimes.” Jessica chuckled.
“Yeah, though typically you don’t want that when handling these types of weapons, they have enough power to utterly vaporize anything they hit.” T’Nea nodded.
“Indeed. Which is why by default all phasers have a safety mode which automatically activates when you holster it.” Jessica began looking through the manual on her PADD.
“And for you ponies, the safety is triggered whenever you stomp your hind right leg. Hind left to take it out of safety. And forelegs for switching between stun and full power.” Rara smiled.
“That sounds simple enough. What about actually firing?”
“Says here that if you want it to fire manually, you simply blink and the phasers fire whenever you’re looking directly at a target through those targeting glasses.” Starlight smiled.
“So that’s why we have these things on, that’s genius.” T’Nea nodded.
“Yes, Starfleet engineering never ceases to amaze me these days.” Jessica nodded.
“Yeah. They can come up with some pretty wacky stuff. Now, lets get firing on some targets. Line up side by side.” Everyone, including spike and Luke, got into a line standing side by side. Luke glanced at Spike.
“So, think you’re ready for some target practice spike?” Spike nodded.
“Betcha I can get a bullseye before you do.” Luke chuckled.
“Well someone’s confident in his aiming skills.”
“You’d be surprised how good I am at aiming.” Jessica cleared her throat.
“Ok, everyone ready?”
“Ready!”
“Alright. Safeties off!” While Jessica, T’Nea, spike, and Luke flipped a switch on their phasers, the ponies stomped their hind left legs and instantly were met with HUD on their glasses, as well as a computerized voice.
“Heads Up Targeting System, engaged.” The ponies began looking around through their glasses, noticing that their reticles followed their actual eye movements.
“Wow!”
“This is incredible!” Jessica chuckled, the Equuine cadets’ reactions the technology have been priceless all weekend.
“Alright, lets let’em rip.”
At that, 13 beams of energy began firing at the dozens of targets mounted on the far end of the range. 99% of them hitting the targets, and of that 99%, 85% made the bullseye. It was overall a good session. At the end, they put their phasers away and the excitement wasn’t dying down yet.
“That was awesome! Did you see that triple bullseye I pulled with my phaser saddle and horn? That’s gonna be so useful in combat.”
“I suppose your horns could be registered as weapons, they are just as much offensive as they are defensive tools.” Starlight nodded.
“Speaking of defense and offense. That was a great idea Twilight, testing whether or now phaser shots could go out of a shield, but not in.” Everyone else voiced their approval. Twilight smiled.
“Well, I figured we’d have to test that theory at some point, and we were at the range, it just made sense.” Luke nodded.
“Yep, it made a lot of sense, I—“ Luke’s phone went off and he immediately checked it, what he saw caused him to grin. “Jessica, T’Nea, Ivan just invited us to pizza in the mess for dinner. You two in?” T’Nea nodded.
“I’m in.”
“Me too. Anyone else in?” Jessica looked around. Everyone was nodding.
“I could go for some grub right now.”
“Yeah. I haven’t eaten since lunch. I’m starving.” Luke smiled.
“So I’ll text Ivan and tell him we’re all on our way?” Everyone nodded.
“Yes, Tell him we’re bringing the new cadets too.”
“Got it.”
The group came to an intersection and Jessica shifted a PADD she was carrying. “I’ll meet you guys in the mess hall, I gotta go to Commandant Forrest’s office and let him know that the Equuine cadets are caught up and cleared for class.” T’Nea nodded.
“Go on ahead Jessica, see you in the mess.”
“Right.” Jessica began jogging off.
Commandant Forrest was packing up his PADDs for the night when his bell rang. “Come.” The door opened and Forrest saw Jessica step through. “Cadet. Little late isn’t it?”
“I’m sorry if I’m delaying you getting off duty sir, but you did request that I let you know when the Equuine cadets were all up to speed and ready for class as soon as it was the truth.” Jessica handed the PADD she was carrying to Forrest. “All 10 cadets have completed the crash course and scored well on the end exam.” Forrest smiled.
“Good. Thank you for your help with them cadet. I knew I could count on you.” Jessica nodded.
“Always sir. Starfleet officers are supposed to count on each other. It’s in the job description.” Forrest chuckled.
“That it is. Good work cadet. Dismissed.”
Jessica saluted and exited the room. Smiling. ‘Yep. Definitely made the right choice joining Starfleet. I cannot wait to see what the future holds.’ At that thought, Jessica proceeded to the mess hall, where her friends, both new and old, were hanging out.
To be continued.