//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: New Arrival // Story: On a Wing and a Prayer // by White Comet //------------------------------// The sun barely warmed the ground on this cold evening in Equestria. At least the gentle breeze wasn’t as harsh as it could have been, which took the edge off it. Being an airfield, the wind had lots of open space to bluster. But usually the activity around the airfield more than heated things up. Planes of various shapes and sizes were parked far and wide around it. Most of them with ponies working on them. Some were in hangers, but most were on the open taxiways. The ambient noise was shrouded by the sound of engines running, tools grinding, and ponies chatting. Inside one of the far hangers, a dark faded yellow pegasus slowly trotted through under the wing of his plane, giving his white mane with a few streaks of sky blue a quick brush with his hoof. The sight of the aircraft never failed to impress him. A big four-engined bomber, the Halifax was an older design from the Northern Development Bureau to fulfil a need to carry a large payload deep into enemy territory. It had several maintenance ponies tearing it apart to work on it. Occasionally they threw him a gesture or a smile. The noise of the machinery made it difficult to hold a conversation, so he simply smiled and nodded back. He watched his plane as he continued to walk all the way to the back of the hanger, where the volume was much more tolerable. He approached a workbench, currently adorned with several tools, but also where he left his letter. He had read it several times already, but he had to keep re-reading it to believe it. Or rather, one particular sentence. ‘By order of Bomber Command, Flying Officer Spark Igniter is hereby promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant and is to take command of NDB Halifax reg HP4970 with immediate effect.’ He couldn’t hold back a smile even if he wanted to as he glanced down at his new rank that he bore upon the shoulders of his uniform—the two blue stripes of the Flight Lieutenant. “Still can’t believe it, eh?” Spark Igniter jumped at the sudden voice behind him, dropping the letter back on the workbench. He quickly rushed around to look at the older stallion standing behind him. A brown coated balding stallion currently adorned in the same blue-grey uniform he was wearing. “L-Lieut - I mean uh, s-Squadron Leader Hailstorm, sir!” The stallion tried to catch up, which only made him stutter as he raised his hoof in a salute. The older stallion chuffed, “I may be a higher rank now Sparky, but you can still just call me Hailstorm,” he saluted back with a smile. “I just came to ask how you’re settling in.” “Well...I haven’t actually been up to the cockpit yet,” Spark admitted, looking over at his plane. “They’re really overhauling her, Sir. I don’t want to get in their way.” Hailstorm nodded, stepping to the side to look over at the plane with Spark. “The Halifax may not be modern, but it’s far from obsolete. A few upgrades here and there will serve her well.” Spark nodded in agreement, “I hear they’re on the cusp of getting into the flight testing phase with the Lancaster.” “I’ve heard that too,” Hailstorm replied, “But if the Changelings swallow us up the same way they did with Olenia, it may never get off the ground.” He turned and slowly walked back towards the front of the plane. “Are the rest of the crew here?” “Mess,” Spark replied, following behind him. “Would you like me to gather them?” “That won’t be necessary, I just wanted to introduce you all to somepony.” Hailstorm explained, stopping a few steps out the front of the hanger. He bought his hoof up to his chest to check the time on his watch. “He should be here any minute now…” He said to himself, gazing around the active airfield. All the ponies and machinery moving around made it difficult to spot… “There he is,” Hailstorm motioned to a Navy blue unicorn hitching a ride on the back of a fuel tanker sporting some saddlebags on his back. The fuel tanker slowed to a crawl outside the hanger, giving the unicorn enough time to jump off in front of them before it sped back up again. Hailstorm waved his hoof over to the stallion to catch his attention, who trotted over to them. “Sir!” He greeted, motioning into a salute. Hailstorm and Spark saluted back, giving Spark a moment to take in his new flight engineer. A navy blue stallion with a dark burgundy mane, brushed back and well-groomed. He was definitely fresh out of training, uniform spotless. One thing immediately caught his attention on the uniform, though; the flag on his shoulders. It wasn’t the Equestrian flag. He was a Riverlands pony? Spark wasn’t really well versed on that part of the world, so he couldn’t pinpoint exactly where from. There was also the name patched on the breast of his uniform - ‘Kobalt Zvjezdaprah’. There was no way in Equestria he was getting that pronunciation right first time. Hailstorm cleared his throat as he finished the salute. “Sparky, allow me to introduce your new flight engineer, Pilot Officer Kobalt Zvjez...zvez....uh,” Hailstorm raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to better read the name badge. “Z...vez…” “Zvjezdaprah,” Kobalt corrected him quickly, “But it translates to Stardust in Ponish.” Well, mystery solved for Spark at least. His accent was definitely foreign but had a hint of Equestrian in it. At least he wouldn’t be hard to understand over a bad radio… “I’ll leave you to settle in, with the capable hooves of Lieutenant Spark Igniter here,” Hailstorm turned to face Spark. “Catch you on the radio,” He raised his hoof in a salute. “Thank you, Sir!” Spark replied, saluting back. Hailstorm nodded, then turned to walk away. Spark looked back at Kobalt with a smile. “Well, nice to meet you Kobalt. I’m the CO of your plane and its pilot, Spark Igniter. Although most just call me Sparky,” He introduced himself with his hoof held out. Kobalt took his hoof and gave it a shake, all the while looking at the Halifax in the hanger. “Is that our plane?” He asked. “Yeah, that’s her,” Sparky twisted on the spot to look at it. “She’s called the Mystic Mare. She’s just getting an overhaul at the minute, strange problem with engine four.” “Mind if I have a look?” Kobalt asked. “No, not at--” In a flash of light blue, he teleported away. “...All?” Sparky turned to look back at the plane, where Kobalt had suddenly appeared on the wing, startling the mechanics. “What’s the problem?” He asked bluntly to the mechanics. “Uh, i-intermittent misfire,” One of them stammered, being caught by surprise. “Hmm…” Kobalt raised an eyebrow and stroked his chin with his hoof. His horn lit up in the light blue aura of his magic and projected outwards onto the engine. It started projecting through the engine and turning certain parts see-through, almost like he was doing an X-ray of the engine. His magic remained on while he stared at it for several seconds before he eventually withdrew it. “Port magneto is worn. Replace it.” Leaving no room for discussion, he teleported back down to Sparky. Sparky glanced back at the plane briefly, where he got very disproving looks from the mechanics. Sparky bit his tongue and did his best to ignore them. He looked back over at Kobalt and cleared his throat, “Let me show you around,” he motioned, trotting down the taxiway adjacent to the runway. Kobalt naturally followed him. “So...you’re from the Riverlands?” “Wittenland, but my family's heritage is Riverlands,” Kobalt answered flatly. “Oh right,” Spark pondered. While he didn’t know much about that part of the world, he knew that Wittenland was famous for its powerful unicorns. Which would explain his magical ability… “So, what brings you to Equestria?” Kobalt shrugged, “I wanted a new life, I couldn’t see a good future for myself in Wittenland...“ Spark raised an eyebrow at his vague answer. He could have pressed harder, but decided not to. Maybe Kobalt was trying to avoid the question. He could just pick it up later. For now, he changed the subject. “Well, you seem to know your way around an engine. I take it you found those lessons easy during training?” “Yes,” Kobalt replied...plain and simple. Kobalt grinded his teeth a little, sensing that this stallion was going to have a common theme of short, blunt, vague answers. “So...sounds like you have good engineering knowledge. Where did you learn that?” “Experience,” Kobalt replied. “I never had the money to replace something when it broke back home. So I learned to fix it instead. I even made a small business out of it back home.” “...Good to know…” Sparky replied. Kobalt so far seemed...tolerable. His instinct still told him that there was something odd going on, though. But he couldn’t quite put his hoof on it… At the end of the runway, they turned a corner towards a big wooden building. “Well, home sweet home,” Sparky pushed through the wooden door, holding it open with his wing for Kobalt. “This is the typical residence for us. Enjoy it while it lasts, because I’ve heard rumours they’ll resort to fields and tents if the Changelings blow them to Tartarus.” Kobalt took a few steps in and took in his surroundings. The stench of the aged wood and cigarette smoke made it smell no different than a typical bar. The subtle jazz music coming from a gramophone managed to slightly overcut the ambient noise of the various conversations happening around the tables, chairs and sofas scattered around the open area. A few dozen ponies were present, either chatting, eating or playing poker to pass the time. An open fireplace warmed the room up nicely. “Hey there, Sparky!" Kobalt looked at the mare approaching Spark. A red-coated earth pony mare with a dark yellow mane, quite messy and parted to the right side. She wore the typical dark brown leather flying jacket of the ERAF. "Or do I need to call you LIEUTENANT Sparky now? Congrats!" She praised him, quickly throwing her forelegs around him in a hug. “Thanks Snap,” Spark replied, quickly returning the hug. He didn’t hold it for long before he pulled away and cleared his throat. “Good timing actually, as this is my replacement,” he motioned with his hoof towards Kobalt. “Meet Pilot Officer Kobalt Stardust. He’s our new flight engineer.” “The new Sparky, huh?” The mare grinned and raised an eyebrow, extending her hoof towards Kobalt. “Snapshot. I’m the Mystic Mare’s mid gunner.” Kobalt simply shook her hoof back, not saying a word. “Come meet the rest of the crew,” she encouraged, twisting on the spot and trotting towards a table at the back. Kobalt walked alongside her. “Hey guys, our new FE’s here!” Snapshot called, drawing everypony’s attention. Kobalt stopped short of taking a seat, and his eyes bounced around all the ponies looking at him. They were all wearing the same brown leather flying jacket. He was given his own before he arrived, but it was in his bag. “Welcome to the madness,” An older earth pony stallion greeted with a smile. “The names Barber, the Mares’ navigator,” he introduced himself. His coat was a very faded red, and his mane was even more faded to the point where it was a combination of faint pink and grey, probably a vibrant red and another colour at some point in his youth. It was funny because he only looked middle-aged at best, but his mane and tail told a different story. “Nice to meet you,” Another younger unicorn Stallion greeted, probably around the same age as Kobalt. He sported a light lime green coat and blue mane with a streak of lighter blue through it. He was looking very sharp, his mane and tail cut short. “I’m Astute, I’m the bomb aimer. Keep the plane running smoothly, and we’ll be on target,” he finished with a wink. “Funny you mention that Astute, he already might have fixed that problem with engine four,” Spark Igniter explained, bumping his shoulder against Kobalt’s. “Getting stuck in already? There’s hardly a grease mark on you hun!” Another unicorn mare sitting at the side of the table joked. She had a celeste coloured coat with a long wavy magenta and lemon yellow mane and tail. “My name's Melody, I’m the plane's radio operator...well, ask my mother, and she’ll tell you that my names ‘Melodic Symphony-’” she imitated a posh accent, waving her hoof around in an exaggerated manner “-but everypony calls me Melody.” Her flowing mane, her cute little face with just the right amount of makeup, her perfect…’contours’. Kobalt couldn’t deny it, she was a beautiful mare. But he knew better than to try anything. He didn’t doubt that every stallion in this squadron had done so already… At the back of the table, an earth pony stallion meekly raised his hoof in greeting. “Slingshot...rear gunner…” he spoke softly but in a deep voice. And rightfully so, because he looked like a big earth pony. All muscle, and much taller than anypony else around the table. His coat was a pewter grey colour with a dark black mane. A very long straight mane tied back in a ponytail. For such a big intimidating pony, he was very soft-spoken. A gentle giant perhaps… “He’s also my brother,” Snapshot butted in with a smile, but then covered half of her mouth with her hoof. “He also doesn’t speak much…he’s kinda shy...” she loud-whispered to Kobalt. Kobalt looked around his new crewmates...seems like everypony was introduced. He nodded in acknowledgement. “Kobalt Stardust...your new flight engineer,” he explained quickly, pulling up a chair with his magic and taking a seat, laying his bags down beside him. He sat there, and...nothing. Silence. He was expecting whatever conversations they were having before he got there to carry on...but nothing. “So…” Barber broke the ice, tilting his head to look at Kobalt. “You're from Wittenland?” “Yes,” Kobalt replied flatly. ...once again, silence. Spark found Kobalt’s silence somewhat irritating, but maybe he was just shy or nervous. Although his attitude towards the mechanics earlier contradicted that thought. “So...what brought you to Equestria?” Melody asked, raising an eyebrow. “Especially at a time like this.” “I wanted a change,” Kobalt replied...once again, bluntly. “Wait,” Astute butted in. “If you’re a unicorn from Wittenland...isn’t Wittenland famous for its powerful unicorns?” Kobalt raised an eyebrow at Astute. “I...suppose?” “So...are you any good at magic?” Kobalt shrugged his shoulders, “I guess…” “Don’t be so modest,” Spark chuckled, batting Kobalt on the shoulder. “He was doing some crazy magic on the plane earlier, some sort of X-ray spell.” “X-ray spell?” Astute raised an eyebrow. Kobalt nodded, “I crafted it back when I was a colt...it’s useful for helping me fix things,” He explained. “That’s...pretty cool,” Astute chuckled, “Magic like that will certainly be useful. And it sounds like you’re just the stallion for it!” He encouraged with a wink. “Speaking of which kid, what did you do before coming here? Back in Wittenland?” Barber asked. “Just a handypony,” Kobalt replied, sighing. “Nothing special...” “I see…” Barber continued, “And you say Wittenland, but I can hear a pinch of Riverlands in your accent...” “My family's origins are from the River Republic,” Kobalt explained, “I probably picked it up from my parents.” Barber chuckled, “So can you speak Rijekan?” “Da li ti?” Kobalt spoke back while raising an eyebrow, switching to the language as if it were as natural to him as walking. Barber shook his head, “Only tourist-Rijekan,” he joked, chuckling. “And even then, I haven’t been to that side of the world for many years...it’s enough for me to work out that the last part of your name there means Stardust in your tongue.” He explained, pointing to the name badge sewn onto Kobalt’s uniform. Kobalt glanced down to the name badge on his chest. “Yeah,” He answered back. “Even I worked that one out, Gramps,” Snapshot butted in, getting a few laughs from his crewmates. “Gramps?” Barber scoffed, “Please young lady, I’ll have you know I’m only old enough to be your father,” he replied sarcastically, earning even more laughs. Kobalt felt the left corner of his lip twist upwards, finding humour in the banter between them. It eventually died down, and the table returned to silence… With nothing more to say, Kobalt stood up and looked at Spark. “Can you show me my bed?” He asked, taking his bags in his magic. “Oh...uh, sure…” he stood up himself, clearing his throat. “Follow me…” Without so much as a goodnight, Kobalt followed Spark through a series of doors leading down to the quarters. Good thing he didn’t check behind him, as his crewmates weren’t exactly looking happy. “Well, this is yours…” Spark opened a door leading into a small room with two bunk beds on either side. It had a few floor lockers at the end of the room. It had a faint dusty smell to it, nothing unusual. It had a window at least, but the plain white curtains were drawn over it.“It’s not homely, but beds are alright. Top left is yours,” He instructed Kobalt, pointing at the bed in question. “Floor lockers at the front.” Kobalt stepped in and placed his bags down by one of the lockers. “Thank you,” he spoke before beginning to take off his uniform. Spark nodded and took a step to leave, but then stopped. “Just a heads-up, Barber snores like a god-damn freight train.” He said with a chuckle, hoping to get a reaction out of Kobalt...but he didn’t get so much as a hiss…”Haha...ha…” Spark left Kobalt to sort himself out, closing the door behind him with his wing. Out of sight, he cringed and gave his face a rub with his other wing. He trotted back to the mess, only to see that everypony had an equally confused look on their face as he did. At least the feeling was mutual... “Well he sure is the life of the party,” Snapshot blurted out sarcastically. “It ain’t even late…” “Oh cut him some slack,” Astute replied, “Guy came to Equestria seeking a better life, and now he’s about to go to war. How would you feel in his position?” “Astute, bro, we’re on the brink of war, and we’ve gotta trust him to get us home after Changeling cannons have turned our fuselage into Aquileian cheese. Would you?” Snapshot asked seriously. “I would,” Spark interrupted, drawing everypony’s attention. He took his seat back. “I saw him diagnose an engine fault in a matter of seconds. He may have his...quirks, but I trust him to know what he’s doing.” “It could have been a fluke,” Snapshot answered back, batting a hoof. “Or a guess to make it look like he knew what he’s doing.” “Yeah, you’re his superior. He probably just wanted to make good first impressions,” Astute deduced in agreement with Snapshot. “You’re only saying that because that’s something you would do, Astute,” Spark replied with a smug grin, earning a huff and a roll of the eyes from Astute. Spark chuckled then looked over at Barber. “Anyway, what do you think Barber?” He asked, looking over at the old stallion. Barber finished lighting a cigarette before speaking. “I think he’s genuine...but he’s hiding something. Thankfully due to my...ahem, ‘experience’…” “Age,” Snapshot snarkily corrected. “EXPERIENCE,” Barber reiterated, “I can make some pretty reasonable guesses…” “Care to elaborate?” Spark questioned with an eyebrow raise, waving his hoof. Barber took a draw from his cigarette and slowly exhaled. “From what I’ve read, Wittenland has a pretty big class divide. It’s gotten better ever since Queen White Star took power, but it’s still there. When he says he came here seeking more opportunities, I think he just had nowhere left to go and was after money.” “If his skills are all that-” Snapshot pointed at Spark, referring to his engine fix “-couldn’t he just...get a better job in Wittenland?” “That’s a good question,” Barber replied, “Snapshot is right, I have no doubt he could find a better life from himself in Wittenland…” he finished with another draw of his smoke. “...But?” Spark pressed for more answers, keeping his eyes locked on Barber. “Think about it for a moment,” Barber winked, taking another smoke and resting back in his chair, tipping it onto its back legs. Spark groaned, “C’mon, don’t leave us hanging on every word.” “As somepony who's been busking in every corner of Equestria, I kind of understand where he’s coming from,” Melody chimed in. “No offence, but I don’t see how your attempted music career compares…” Astute replied, raising an eyebrow. “I just meant that when you get desperate, you start looking further afield...in Kobalt’s case, maybe even to another continent…” Melody shrugged, “Just a thought…” Spark looked back over at Barber. “Are they right?” Barber shook his head, “Not quite what I had in mind.” “Then, what was it?” Spark replied chuckling. It was frustrating but in a funny way. He knew Barber was just playing mind tricks with them, deliberately forcing them to rack their brains. Barber took a final drag from his cigarette before stumping it out in the ashtray on the table. “Well, It’s all good speculation...but try thinking about it in the other direction. Instead of thinking about what drew him to Equestria, think about what drove him out of Wittenland.” Drove him out of Wittenland? Spark rubbed his chin as he turned his thinking around to try and ponder...but he couldn’t put his hoof on anything… “Nah I got nothin’,” Snapshot folded, resting back in her seat. “Me neither,” Melody agreed. “I mean...can we ever fully understand anypony’s personal issues?” Astute raised. “...Geez, I'm amazed you kids can even read books,” Barber sighed, rubbing a hoof against his right temple. “But I’ll enlighten you. I think he’s in trouble. I think he came to Equestria to escape from something…” “What makes you say that?” Spark asked back. “Just a hunch,” Barber replied, “But from what I just saw, it’s the only thing I can think of. Why else would somepony come to a country on the brink of war and enlist in the military?” “Maybe he just wants to fight against the Changeling menace?” Melody suggested, “If Equestria were to fall, where do you think they’d go for next?” “Actually I agree with Barber,” Astute spoke up, “I think he is in some sort of trouble...or rather, was...maybe legal trouble. He didn’t sound like he had many bits to his name. Like Melody said, ponies get desperate and go to extreme lengths. Maybe he committed a crime. I reckon there’s a price on his head back in Wittenland.” Melody chuckled, “Alright mister SMILE agent, even if that’s all true, how did he get here without being caught?” Melody suggested. Astute looked over at Melody with a shrug, “Who said he came here legally?” He suggested with a smug grin. “Now there’s a thought,” Snapshot added, “That would explain why he’s giving us the cold shoulder. He probably thinks we’re buttering him up to make him spill the beans.” Spark sighed and stood from his seat, “We could speculate all night. Bottom line is that we won’t know until he tells us. Let's just do our best to make him feel welcome, he might open up some more once he gets to know us.” “You got it, Cap’n,” Snapshot joked with a half-hearted salute. Aside from Snapshots snarky response, everypony looked at him approvingly. “Good,” he finished, turning. “I’ve got some stuff to finish before our training flight tomorrow. I’ll see you in the morning,” he waved with his wing before starting a slow trot. His crew all said some form of goodnight as he walked towards the door. He trotted out and headed down the walkway towards the operations building. Despite trying to take his mind off it...he couldn’t shake the thought. Kobalt was a mysterious unicorn. But Spark would happily give him the benefit of the doubt down to nerves. They’ve all been there once before after all… For now, he just had something to look forward to tomorrow; his first flight in a Halifax as the CO.