Death From Above
“And you’re sure about this?”
Nimbus nodded in answer to Storm Runner as the two gulped down pancakes in the dining hall. “Polaris told me there’d be a dogfight today in Prac Ops. You ready?”
Storm Runner puffed himself up. “Do I look ready? Nimbus, I kick flank on a daily basis. I was born ready.”
Nimbus smiled as he savored his pancake, drizzled in syrup and covered with a sprinkling of powdered sugar- absolutely delicious. He wolfed the last of his breakfast down and stared off into space, attracting the attention of Storm Runner.
“So now,” the blue Pegasus said between gulps, “the question is- are you ready?”
Nimbus shook his head. “I have no idea. I’ve never been in a dogfight before. Polaris said he’d be watching me, so… I don’t know what that means exactly.”
“Dang,” Storm Runner said, “no pressure or anything.”
“Exactly,” Nimbus agreed as he got to his hooves and wiped his mouth off, “I don’t know why- apparently it has something to do with some test he did on me yesterday.”
Storm Runner raised an eyebrow quizzically. “Test? What kind of test?”
“It was weird,” Nimbus confessed, “he poked my wing with a needle and apparently it did… something. I’m not sure what.”
“Pretty descriptive there,” Storm Runner said drily as he finished his breakfast, “but whatever. Let’s get to class. I promise, for the sake of Polaris- who’s actually really cool, by the way- that I won’t knock you out of the sky too quickly.”
Nimbus smirked. “Oh I wouldn’t be too sure you’ll get the chance at all, my friend. Let’s just see what happens out there.”
…
Nimbus stood alone on a rocky crag, just south of the campus. Polaris hadn’t been kidding. Ten minutes after Dusk Shine entered the classroom, he and the rest of his fellow cadets had been issued TA-3T training flight suits and helmets, had their hooves dipped in several individual colors of “marker” paint, and had been scrambled to various locations in the Unicorn range within ten miles. As Nimbus breathed in the cool morning air, he recalled his teacher’s instructions.
Today, you will participate in a mock dogfight, as a sort of preliminary skills evaluation. I’m not grading this; I just want to see how naturally capable you all are, so I can design the curriculum for the rest of the year accordingly. The rules are simple- tag your opponents with blue paint before they tag you. If you want to make a game out of it, last pony standing wins.
“Last pony standing wins…” Nimbus said aloud, “and so help me I will be that last pony.” As he stretched his wings, the decades-old headset in his helmet crackled to life, and Nimbus caught the now familiar voice of Dusk Shine on the other end.
“Cadets, radio check.”
Over the radio, cadets sounded off with their respective training callsigns. All cadets were “Yellow” followed by a number.
“Yellow 5, radio check good,” Nimbus said in turn. After helping another cadet through a brief but embarrassing radio failure, Dusk Shine turned his focus back to the rest of the cadets.
“Alright,” he said, “I’m activating your HUDs, stand by.”
Nimbus blinked as the display inside his helmet’s visor flickered to life. Green lines crisscrossed in front of his face, and numbers of all sorts were everywhere. It was nothing if not confusing. Dusk Shine spoke again.
“Don’t worry about your HUDs. If you can read them, feel free, but if you can’t, don’t sweat it. You won’t need them today. I’ll be controlling your radio frequencies, and making the appropriate traffic calls. You just need to worry about painting each other blue. I’ve started the countdown. Good luck.”
A timer popped up in the middle of Nimbus’s HUD, counting down from twenty seconds. At the same time, several green lines flickered into view, detailing altitude and practice area boundaries. Nimbus shivered with excitement. Ten seconds left. Five, four, three, two, one…
As soon as the timer hit zero, Nimbus leapt into the air, scanning to the left, to the right, and above and below him for signs of approaching aggressors.
“Calm down,” he said to himself, “it’s a ten square mile area. I won’t-“
“First kill!”
Nimbus rolled to the side just as a Pegasus dove by, narrowly missing him. Nimbus twisted, following the Pegasus as he spat a stream of curses. Evidently his “first kill” hadn’t gone entirely as planned. The aggressor pulled up, performing a quick roll. “Beat that!” he said a tad enthusiastically.
“Okay,” Nimbus said, surging forward and tapping the pony as he exited his roll, “a roll’s not exactly a complicated maneuver, you know.”
“Go to Tartarus,” the pony replied as he turned and exited the practice area. By now the radio channel was alive with chatter, most of it standard Pegasus banter. Nimbus heard Storm Runner from time to time, displaying his usual carefree attitude, albeit sounding somewhat panicked at times. Seeing no other ponies in the area, Nimbus turned North, towards the college. Ahead, he could see a few Pegasi engaged in a tussle, or a “furball” as Aviator terminology went. Nimbus glanced back. He’d already managed to pick up another pursuer on his tail, and from the brief glimpse he caught of the pony’s distinctive red coat, he recognized the Pegasus as Coriolis, one of the top physical performers at Field Training. This would be interesting.
“Come on Nimbus,” Coriolis said over the radio, “the outcome’s inevitable. Just slow down and make this easier on both of us.”
Nimbus smiled as he began to form a plan. “Inevitable?” he asked, trying to sound sincerely surprised, “are you sure?”
“Yup,” Coriolis replied as Nimbus tried to shake him with a tight loop, “you’re toast. Save yourself some energy and just give in.”
“Yeah… no,” Nimbus said, flaring his wings and stopping sharply. He stalled instantly and dropped several feet as Coriolis passed by overhead. Nimbus continued level flight, watching Coriolis. The Pegasus looped around, aiming himself straight at Nimbus in a dive. Nimbus didn’t change course or speed. Coriols stretched out his paint-covered hooves, ready for the strike, coming closer, closer…
Without warning, fractions of a second before impact, Nimbus wrenched himself into an extremely tight radius loop. Coriolis, unable to recover, could only watch, confused and helpless, as he passed under Nimbus. At the top of his loop, Nimbus changed direction and dove, planting his hooves squarely onto his pursuer’s back and springing off him, back into the fight. Coriolis flew slowly away with a wounded pride and two perfectly-spaced blue dots on his back. Nimbus dove back into the fight, picking off a completely oblivious cadet. As he turned to follow another, he heard a familiar voice on the radio.
“Hey, Nimbus! Get your flank over here and help me out! I’m getting pounded here!”
It was Storm Runner without a doubt, and all of his usual bravado was completely gone. Nimbus seriously considered doing nothing, but decided he couldn’t resist seeing what all of the fuss was about. It wasn’t hard to find Storm Runner. He was near the upper altitude limit, trying to shake off a mare with little to no results. She was stuck onto his tail like glue, lunging forward every so often to try and land a hit on him, but for the moment, Storm Runner was keeping her at bay. Nimbus watched with amusement, keeping an eye out for other Pegasi.
“Well don’t just hover there!” Storm Runner yelped, “help me out here!”
Nimbus shook his head and launched himself forward, trying to find the best angle to intercept Storm Runner’s pursuer. He was closing the gap rapidly, but as he began to alter his course to follow the mare, she darted forward and landed a hit on Storm Runner’s helmet. Storm Runner dropped out of the chase, regained controlled flight, and after a moment, began to register the fact that he’d been hit. His reaction was priceless.
“What? Wait… what?!” Storm Runner said, slowly turning to exit the practice area. Nimbus couldn’t help it. He started laughing. It was probably the biggest mistake he’d made so far. He didn’t notice the mare that had downed Storm Runner until she was diving out of the sun towards him.
“Aw horseapples,” Nimbus swore, spinning away. The mare pulled up sharply as Nimbus tried to use her overshoot to his advantage, forcing Nimbus to disengage and look for another chance to strike.
“Nimbus, Nimbus, Nimbus,” the mare said, transmitting loud and clear, “you could have stayed clear of this and saved yourself a lot of trouble.”
“What, and miss the fun?” Nimbus quipped, “look, as far as I’m concerned, Storm Runner was mine. You took him down first.” Nimbus swung up and over the mare in a lazy arc, following her into a sheer dive, “and besides- who doesn’t like a challenge?” Nimbus was trying hard to remember the name of the pony he was following, but for the life of him, he couldn’t place her. This was troubling, as there weren’t many mares in the program to begin with. The mare kept up her dive, outpacing Nimbus, and he knew he wouldn’t have the chance to catch her. Instead, he focused on her wings as she approached the minimum safe altitude. Slowly, they were starting to rotate, and it was this indication that led Nimbus to his next move. In the blink of an eye, he rotated his wings up, pulling up sharply as the mare below did the same. Now he was on a perfect intercept course, and the mare was traveling too quickly to maneuver enough to avoid him. Nimbus shifted his wings, maintaining his flight path but rotating his body for a four-hooved strike. Seconds later, he hit, leaving four blue marks on the target. As he disengaged, Nimbus heard the mare growl and mutter something.
Music to my ears, he thought. Then Dusk Shine’s voice came over the headset.
“Cadet Nimbus, return to the landing area. Congratulations.”
Nimbus performed a quick victory roll and exited the practice area, coasting to a stop near the other cadets, most of which were either getting out of their flight suits or having the paint hosed off of them. Nimbus spied Storm Runner blinking and staring off into space nearby and trotted over for a chat.
“So,” Nimbus quipped, “what was that you said about knocking me out of the sky earlier?”
“Oh save it,” Storm Runner said, “that mare was on me the entire time. Still bagged three targets before she got me though.”
“While being pursued? That’s pretty impressive,” Nimbus said.
“Well, thanks. Unfortunately I was unable to get her name before she mercilessly defeated me. Ah well. Perhaps some other time.”
Nimbus smiled and turned his gaze towards Dusk Shine, who was tallying up some scores on a notepad. Beside him was a very familiar tan Pegasus: Polaris. The old stallion turned towards Nimbus, nodded, spoke a few quiet words to Dusk Shine, and left. Nimbus was in awe. He’d arrived after all. Dusk Shine lifted his hoof and beckoned everyone to come close. As the cadets gathered around him, he spoke.
“Well, cadets, you’ve completed your first milestone event. Our three top scorers were…” the cadets waited with baited breath while Dusk Shine confirmed his notes, “Nimbus, with four points, Sun Blaze with four points, and Storm Runner with three points. Third place was a three way tie, but Storm Runner stayed “alive” the longest. Our last pony standing was Cadet Nimbus. Please give him a round of applause.”
Nimbus blushed. He’d never done well being the center of attention, and even though he could hear applause, he knew it was mostly false. He had a target on his head now, and his fellow cadets wouldn’t soon forget it.
“Sun Blaze,” Storm Runner whispered, “so that’s her name. Mission accomplished, then!”
Nimbus smiled. As the applause died down, Dusk Shine spoke again. “Now, your next milestone event will be your Dizzitron exam, which will take place at the Wonderbolt Academy. We will spend the next two weeks reviewing exit and recovery procedures, and how these can apply to everyday flying. Tonight, read chapter four in your Flight Maneuvers texts. There may or may not be a reading quiz tomorrow.”
Nimbus felt as if someone had sucked the life right out of him. Moments ago, he felt he’d been on top of the world, and now everything was quickly spiraling into some dark abyss. The Dizzitron- the machine that had gotten him kicked out of the Wonderbolts Academy- he’d have to face it again. Standing in shocked silence, he almost fell flat on his face when he was brushed roughly by a passing pony. Looking up, he recognized her as Sun Blaze, the mare he’d been flying against.
“You look worried,” she scoffed, “I certainly would be. You know I was going easy on you up there, right?”
“Sure,” Nimbus said, “whatever helps you sleep at night.”
Sun Blaze glared. “We’ll see who’s laughing when the Dizzitron scores are out,” she said, storming away. As Nimbus turned to go, Dusk Shine called out to him.
“Cadet Nimbus, front and center.”
Nimbus paced over to Dusk Shine and snapped to attention, saluting. “Sir, Cadet Nimbus reports as ordered.”
Dusk Shine saluted and passed Nimbus an envelope. “Polaris wanted me to give this to you. That was some good flying out there today, especially for a beginner. If you keep your grades up and perform well on the Dizzitron, I don’t think you’ll have much trouble graduating as an Aviator. Now, however, you have another responsibility. Remember when I said teamwork will get you through the year?”
“Yes sir,” Nimbus replied curtly.
“Well, I expect you and your fellow cadets to improve before the year’s over. By winning the dogfight today, you’ve proven to me that you have an above-average understanding of combat maneuvering. Now it’s up to you to pass that knowledge to the other cadets. We either achieve things together, or we don’t achieve them at all, understood?”
“Yes sir.”
“Good,” Dusk Shine said, “then you are dismissed. I expect great things on the Dizzitron exam in two weeks.”
Nimbus watched as Dusk Shine left, not even moving. It was all he could do to keep from breaking down at the mere mention of the Dizzitron. Only Storm Runner’s voice broke him from his state.
“So… you gonna open it?”
“What?” Nimbus said, shaking his head.
“The envelope. Are you going to check it out?”
Nimbus mentally kicked himself for not realizing that he still had a letter. “Uh, yeah. Of course.” He tore open the envelope and pulled out a small note.
“Nimbus,” he said, reading it, “Well done in your dogfight today. If you’d like some assistance honing your talent, meet me on the parade field behind the campus at 0500 one week from today. Signed, Polaris.”
“0500?” Storm Runner said, “that better be worth it.”
“To be honest, I have no idea what I’ll be doing,” Nimbus admitted. Storm Runner shrugged.
“Well what the hay. I’ll come along if you don’t mind.”
Nimbus’s eyes widened. “You? Get up before 0500 in the morning? I thought you abhorred such things!”
Storm Runner grinned. “I do, but I’d like to see how this goes. Besides- if you’re going to be “honing your talent” as Polaris says, you’re gonna need a coach, am I right?”
Nimbus placed the note in his saddlebag and started walking toward the main hall. “If you want to come along, Storm, I’m not going to stop you. You could probably use a few pointers too, especially after getting your flank handed to you up there today.”
The two headed back to the main hall, with Storm Runner practically tailing a stream of excuses. Nimbus tried to laugh at his friend's behavior, but despite his best efforts to put it out of his mind, Nimbus couldn’t stop thinking about both the upcoming Dizzitron exams, and perhaps even more importantly, just what Polaris had in store for him.
He’d find out soon enough.