//------------------------------// // Jaeger Training // Story: Equestrian Rim // by Visharo //------------------------------// "Pleaaaaase?!" Apple Blooms eyes stared deeply into Applejack's. Her sister shook her head again. "But whyyyyyyy?" "Because! Yer brother and yer cousin went galavantin' off to war and got killed fer it! That's the reason ah left the Corps and fer the exact reason yer not goin' to Jaeger trainin', and that's final. Yer not goin' and we're gonna help Granny Smith with the farm!" Applejack put her hoof down with an angry snort. She stared at Apple Bloom for a bit longer before trotting away. Apple Bloom harrumphed and trotted up to her room. She collapsed on her bed with a disappointed sigh. She's been asking Applejack ever since Big Macintosh and Braeburn died on the shore of Baltimare. She sighed again, and buried her head in her hooves; all she wanted was a chance for revenge. Her room's walls were covered in posters of Jaegers and their pilots. She had a poster above her head of Griffonstone's Pride piloted by two of the greatest griffons: Gilda and Giselle! The poster on her door showed the largest Jaeger that's ever been built, around 150 meters in height and 100 meters in length. A red dragon called Razer and a green dragon, Gostir, pilot the massive behemoth; GEM. Apple Bloom was told that the Jaeger Corps spent forever trying to match the Jaeger to the dragons' preferences. On Apple Bloom bedside stand, however, stood a picture frame of the graduating class from three years ago. Coloratura and Applejack, Big Mac and Braeburn; two yaks who Apple Bloom never got the names of, and two changelings who go by the names Pharynx and Thorax. The eight were standing in front of the Baltimare Shatterdome, a large complex that houses Jaegers and its pilots. Apple Bloom sighed again and got up. She trotted over to Granny Smith, hoping for her approval at least. When she got there, Granny was sitting in a rocking chair, knitting something, and humming a tune. "Granny?" Apple Bloom said once she was in earshot. "Yes?" "Why won't Applejack let me be a Jaeger pilot? Ah know she says it's because of Big Mac's death a year ago, but ah'm not convinced." Apple Bloom confessed, dragging a hoof around in the dirt instead of looking directly at Granny Smith. "Look at me, child... ah said look. Applejack was there, she was watching the whole thing. She saw Big Mac's lifeline go flat. An' not to mention, yer parents died fighting a Kaiju in the first few waves. Not a day goes by when ah don't miss my son and daughter-in-law, but that's how life goes. Applejack didn't want ya to feel the heartache that she experienced, so she packed up, left her Jaeger and her co-pilot, just so she can protect ya. Ah say that's mighty respectable, but if ya really want to go, just remember, she loves ya and so do ah," Granny Smith smiled a sad smile and then fell asleep. *** Apple Bloom stretched and climbed out of bed. A large yawn escaped her muzzle. She looked at her various posters and news reports before landing on the picture frame beside her bed. She smiled, she knew what she was going to do. Apple Bloom trotted down the stairs, picked up a stack of apple pancakes, and sat down. She chomped on a few while waiting for Applejack to sit down as well. Apple Bloom's sister's orange coat looked fresh and her blonde hair tied with a red ribbon. Apple Bloom ate another pancake, planning her words carefully. She gulped down the last morsel and took a breath. "Applejack, ah understand yer concern, but ah wanna be out there in a Jaeger fightin' Kaiju. All mah friends are already in Jaeger trainin' school, even Babs! Granny Smith told me about yer pain and ah understand, but ah need to do this." Apple Bloom finished her rant and held her breath. "Alright." Applejack smiled sadly, "ah can't stop ya." "Wait, really? Ah can go?" Apple Bloom stared in shock. "Yes, really. Now git, the train is going to leave in a few minutes and promise ya won't do anythin' rash. Promise me!" Applejack stared at her sister with such intensity that she could only nod. "Thanks sis!" Apple Bloom took another pancake in her mouth and galloped off to the train. Apple Bloom double-checked that the train would end up at Van Hoover, bought tickets, then jumped on and gave the conductor said tickets. She couldn't hold her excitement down and couldn't stop squeeing. She got various confused and concerned looks from the other passengers, but she didn't care. SHE WAS GOING TO BE A JAEGER PILOT! *** Apple Bloom stood in front of the Van Hoover Shatterdome, swallowing at how massive the structure was. It was for sure, larger than Canterlot, but it still somehow fit next to Van Hoover. As the name suggests, it was a large metal dome with next to no windows and two large doors that swung outwards. Apple Bloom was about to step forwards when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She glanced back and saw a familiar sight, "COUNTESS COLORATURA!" The whitish-light blue pony giggled and shook her head; her blue, two-toned, spiral mane shook about, "Apple Bloom, you should know better, I don't like that name. You and everycreature should call me Rara." "Sorry, ah just got excited. What bring ya here Rara?" "I got transferred here and I've been told that I'm teaching you and the other students. Now isn't that going to be exciting!" Coloratura smiled, gesturing for Apple Bloom to follow her into the Shatterdome. A large gasp overtook Apple Bloom the moment they stepped inside. "Is it that Winged Glory? The pegasus Jaeger piloted by Spitfire and Soarin? SWEET CELESTIA! That's Obsidian Fury! Muad Pie and Mudbriar pilot that one, they've taken down five Kaiju! And that's..." "Yes yes, I think we get it. You know all the Jaegers, now how about we move to the barracks. The other Cadets are waiting." Coloratura smiled and trotted away with Apple Bloom scampering behind her. They reached a large door with the label 'Cadet Quarters' a few minutes later. The moment Coloratura stepped in, a pony yelled something about a Ranger on deck, and soon everypony was standing with purpose. Apple Bloom's first thought was that why were there only ponies? "Cadets, this is Apple Bloom. make her feel welcome. Later today, we'll continue training. Apple Bloom, you're going to have to train harder because the other Cadets have had training already. Oh, we're also getting a new Ranger, so be prepared," and with that, Coloratura flicked her ears and trotted away. "Apple Bloom! Ya made it!" Said pony didn't have time to react before she got tackled. "Babs!" Apple Bloom flipped a brown earth pony, with a red cut mane hanging on her right side, onto her back. Both of them were grinning. "You know this newbie?" A gruff voice asked. Apple Bloom looked behind her, and saw a peachy, earth pony, mare with a light blue poofy mane. Her cutie mark was a half-eaten peach. "Ayep. This is mah cuz! Apple Bloom, ah want ya to meet Peach Fuzz, Candy Pop and her sister, Mallow Marsh, Wind Sprint, and you know the rest." Candy Pop was a pink earth pony mare with a frizzy orangy-purple mane with a lollipop as a cutie mark. Her sister was a unicorn, had a white coat, and her mane was a strange palette of black, brown, and white. Mallow's cutie mark appeared to be a marshmallow. Wind Sprint was a purple pegasus with a blue and pink striped mane. Her cutie mark was a red horseshoe in a blue blaze. The other ponies were, "Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle! Cutie Mark Crusaders forever!" Peach Fuzz rolled her eyes at the trio giggling in the corner and sat down on her bunk. *** "Alright Cadets, since we haven't paired you guys up yet, this'll be the test for that. every Jaeger needs at least two pilots, there are a few exceptions, like Crimson Typhoon who needs three pilots. There are eight of you, so that means four pairings. Pair up and fight, no dirty tricks. We will be using sticks, three hits is a win. Three wins and move on to another pony. Try not to use magic or your wings if you can help it. Now begin!" Ranger Pay Check yelled out. He was a black earth pony with a close-cropped red mane. His flank bore a paper receipt. He was one of the few remaining Mark I Jaeger pilots. Apple Bloom found herself in front of Candy Pop, a wooden stick in her jaws. Apple Bloom grabbed a stick as well and took up a fighting stance. They both watched each other warily, then the pink mare lunged forwards. Apple Bloom barely had any time to lift her stick before she got whacked on the muzzle. She gasped in surprise and pedalled backwards to avoid another hit. The two mares circle each other again, this time with more caution. Apple Bloom lunged to the right and swung the stick to her left, hoping to get Candy on her side. Instead, she stepped aside, let the stick hit nothing, then jabbed her stick at Apple Bloom. The latter fell over with a grunt, but quickly rolled away to dodge the second attack Candy lined up. Apple Bloom was frustrated, she hasn't landed a hit, and Candy has struck her twice with relative ease. Maybe it's her inexperience, but she wasn't going down without a fight. This time, Apple Bloom stood in a single spot, her stick slightly raised. Candy narrowed her eyes, her ears flattened, and then snorted. She gripped the stick harder and charged. Instead of moving, Apple Bloom stood in place and watched. Candy jumped up and brought her stick down for a devastating strike. In the very last second, Apple Bloom rolled to her left and brought the stick upwards, slipping past Candy's defense and striking her in the chest. The pink mare flew past Mellow and Babs. The two who were previously fighting stared at Apple Bloom in shock, then looked at where Candy Pop landed in horror. Apple Bloom just had enough time to hear Babs say, "run." *** "Ah'm impressed. First day and yer already in the medbay. Beat mah record for sure, though ya didn't beat dad. Took 'im an hour, or at least that's what Granny says." Apple Bloom opened her eyes with a groan, then yelped when she saw her sister sitting beside her. "Applejack... why are ya here? And why are ya in a uniform?" "Ah'm the new Ranger here. Didn't Rarara tell ya'll?" Applejack puffed out her chest showing off her green army coat. She smoothed some wrinkles with a hoof before trotting over and looked at her sister with a concerned eye. "Rarara?" "Eyup. RAnger ColoRAtuRA. We had great fun back in our Cadet days. Now ah'll lay low if ah were ya, that Candy did a number on ya." "Ah'm fine Applejack, just lemme sit u..." Apple Bloom gasped in pain; she fell back with a whimper. "When can ah be released?" "Oh, you're awake. Good, this is not going to hurt a bit. Just lie back and you'll be back on your hooves." A bright yellow unicorn entered Apple Bloom's vision. Her horn glowed pink and in a few seconds, Apple Bloom felt a whole lot better. "My thanks, Doctor Pura Vida. Come on AB, we're headin' back to the other Cadets." Applejack trotted away after waving goodbye to the doctor. Apple Bloom shook herself, leaped off the bed, and followed her sister. "Why did ya come back? I thought ya didn't want to lose anypony no more... is it because of me?" Apple Bloom's ears wilted just a little. "Oh sugar, ah was comin' anyways cuz Rarara needed mah help with the new Cadets and ah don't turn nopony in need. If ya need any help with anythin' ya know ah'm yer pony. Here we are." Applejack rounded a corner into the Cadet room. "Ranger on deck!" Babs Seed yelled out. The room was filled with shuffling ponies. "CADETS! Ah'm Ranger Applejack and ah'll be helpin' Ranger Coloratura and Ranger Pay Check. Ya'll might know me from bein' the Element of Honesty, part of the Friendship Council with Princess Twilight and the others, or maybe even from my Kaiju fightin' days. First things first, ah want Candy Pop to apologize to Apple Bloom here, then we can get to business." Applejack motioned with her ears for Candy to step forward. "Come on now, ah ain't gonna bite." "I'm sorry Apple Bloom, it's just I've been bullied a lot, so I trained in zebra martial arts. I didn't break anything?" Candy lowered her head apologetically. Peach Fuzz just looked on with an expression Apple Bloom couldn't decipher. "It's ok Candy, nothing too bad. I've had worse." Candy looked up with a cautious smile, her smile getting wider when Apple Bloom smiled back. "Now that's done with, onwards to the training simulator!" Applejack barked out, trotting away without waiting for anypony. *** "Why are there only pony cadets? Ah also haven't seen any other creatures around and their Jaegers." Apple Bloom asked her friends while they were marching to the training simulator. "Yep! The Van Hoover Shatterdome is pony exclusive, isn't that awesome!" Scootaloo jumped up, her small wings buzzing about. "We're not entirely sure why it's only ponies, but we haven't heard any disagreements between Princess Twilight and the other royals." Sweetie Belle added with a flick of an ear. "Ah suppose, but ah also really wanted to see other Jaegers like Griffonstone's Pride or Brawling Carol. Guess we'll have to settle with pony Jaegers." Apple Bloom tried very hard not to feel disappointed, but it wasn't working. "Hey, what's wrong with pony Jaegers? Did you see Winged Glory earlier? It's piloted by two of the best Wonderbolts, besides Rainbow Dash, they're totally awesome! They took down Scuttleback two years ago!" Scootaloo gushed over her heroes. "Though I admit, Brawling Carol is pretty awesome as well." "You're stupid. Everypony knows that Onyx Titan is the best. It's taken down seven Kaiju all around Equestria!" Peach Fuzz butted in, looking indignant. "Eh, doesn't really look that cool. What about that Daybreaker one? It's small, but it looks super cool!" Sweetie Belle jumped up and down, much to Peach's annoyance. "Yeah, it's always with that darker one? Nightmare Moon I think it's called. They are super awesome when they fight together!" Scootaloo followed suit and started jumping with Sweetie Belle. "But nopony knows where they're from, or who their pilots are. Ah also find it suspicious that the Jaeger's named after Nightmare Moon." Apple Bloom reasoned, she fell silent, deep in thought. "Hey, as long as Princess Luna doesn't care, then it's fine!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, her hooves and Scootaloo's clanging on the metal floors from their jumping. "Alright Cadets, this is the training simulator. Pair up with a pony the same race as ya, this'll make the drifting easier." Applejack paused, waiting for the ponies to pair up, then continued, "Now, ya'll go pair by pair and start off by fightin' a Category II." *** "Launch the grapple hook! Apple Bloom! Are ya listenin' to me?" Babs yelled, struggling in her suit, trying to move the simulated Jaeger to fire at the oncoming Kaiju. "Neural Drift unstable. Left Hemisphere disconnected." "SHUT IT DOWN! Apple Bloom followed the rabbit, didn't she." Applejack sighed, "training sim is over, ah'm gonna discuss what we've learned about ya'll with the other Rangers. Now git, get some..." "Warning! Kaiju, category III. Rangers Applejack and Coloratura, you are needed on deck. Warning! Kaiju..."