//------------------------------//
// 3: Formal Introductions 
// Story: Magical Pony Lyrical Twilight StrikerS 
// by PurpleProse 
//------------------------------//

	Longinus Archway Military Training Facility (Long Arch)
Cranagan, Mid-Childa
NCY 0076, Early Summer
11:20 AM

Chrono had a satisfied smile on his face as he looked out onto the glittering waters of Oured Bay from his office’s large window. It’d taken about a month and a half, but here they were. His new base.
Truthfully, it wasn’t a very large base. The eleven square mile campus was positioned near the tip of the curved Longinus Archway Peninsula, approximately an hour or so south from Cranagan across Oured Bay. It had originally been used as a training center during the later stages of the Saint King Unification War, primarily for officers and support staff. Once the newer bases had been built and expanded, however, ‘Long Arch’ had been mostly used as an auxiliary administrative hub and storage space.
That had been changed after Gais pushed through his new rearmament initiatives. Long Arch was one of the bases that had been scheduled for updating and reassignment as a Ground Forces training facility. The facilities had been renovated, with new technology and infrastructure replacing the old. True, the buildings weren’t quite as polished as Central Command, but they were livable.
I really ought to thank the Lieutenant General for his generosity, Chrono thought to himself as he turned back, walking around his desk and running a hand over the faux wooden surface. His office was nice and large, decorated in neutral tones from the cream-colored walls to the warm brown carpet. His desk stood out as slightly anachronistic; all smooth chrome steel and faux wood with a sleek integrated overhead lamp and holographic display. The large black chair behind it was stunningly comfortable, as was appropriate for a commanding officer. I could probably get used to this…
A knock at the door pulled Chrono out of his reverie. “Come in!”
The door hissed open, admitting Twilight and Fate into his office. Fate was once more in her own uniform, Bardiche‘s golden triangle resting at her neck. Meanwhile, Twilight was clad in the colors of the TSAB Ground Forces; brown jacket with dark brown shoulders and a white shirt underneath. The two ponies quickly snapped a salute, hooves touching their brows.
“Special Instructor Twilight Sparkle reporting for duty, sir,” Twilight’s expression was carefully neutral.
“Captain Fate Testarossa-Sparkle, First Equestrian Special Strike Squadron also reporting for duty, sir.” Fate looked every inch the military professional.
Chrono returned the salute. “Welcome to RIOT Force, ladies. At ease. How’s the uniform fitting you, Twilight?”
“It’s alright, though I’m not sure why I need an actual physical uniform.” Twilight gently scuffed a hoof on one sleeve. “I can just have Raising Heart make one. Besides, I’ll be spending most of my time in my instructor outfit or my Barrier Jacket.”
“You won’t be in your Barrier Jacket all the time, sis,” Fate replied. “Besides, the uniform’s more for formal settings and meetings.”
“Speaking of meetings,” Chrono replied, “there should be one more pony joining us. I‘m just wondering when she‘ll show up.”
A quick, staccato knock seemed to answer Chrono. “Enter!”
The door hissed open, admitted a third mare. She was a slim unicorn, her coat a light blue with a flowing blue-white mane and tail. She carried herself like she owned the room, possessing an almost aggressive confidence that showed in each step. She was clad in a simple white dress with sky-blue trim. A large pendant in the shape of a five-pointed star hung from her neck, a small sapphire decorating the five points, and a high-peaked white witch’s hat perched atop her head bearing the emblem of the Saint Church. She bowed smoothly and removed her hat with a sweep of her hoof, bending her neck only slightly. “The Great and Powerful Trixie, Equestrian Liaison to the Saint Church and Zauberer of the Saint Church’s Altenritter unit, reporting for duty!”
“I’m not sure that’s a proper salute, but I’ll take it,” Chrono chuckled in amusement. “At ease, Trixie.”
“Thank you.” Trixie promptly replaced her hat, then turned to face the other two. She regarded Twilight with a highly-arched brow and a snort. “I see Twilight Sparkle has deigned to show her face outside of Equestria for once. Did Chrono really have to stoop so low as to ask for your help too?”
“It‘s good to see you too, Trixie,” Twilight replied with a smirk.
Trixie hmphed, but dropped the arrogant expression. “Of course it is. And it’s just as nice to see you as well.” She turned to Fate and nodded. “Captain.”
“Trixie.” Fate nodded politely. “Are Reinforce and the others here?”
“My assistants are seeing to their lodgings at the moment. As for Reinforce,” Trixie glanced down at her pendant, “she’s with me as always. Reinforce, would you mind joining us?”
There was a soft hum as a sphere of white light formed beside Trixie, quickly condensing into a small pony. She looked like a small, slender filly, delicate and soft. Her coat was as white as snow, while her mane and tail were like spun silver. Her eyes, however, were deep crimson, and far more ancient than her appearance suggested. Her brow bore a slender, fluted horn, while a pair of white wings folded tight against her back. Her Cutie Mark was a white tome outlined in blue, the cover bearing a blue, five-pointed star. 
The little pony bowed her head politely. “Twilight Sparkle. Raising Heart. Fate Testarossa-Sparkle. Bardiche. Chrono Harlaown.“ she greeted in turn, an adult mare’s voice coming from her lips, “it has been a long time since we last spoke.”
“Yes, it has.” Chrono replied respectfully as the tiny alicorn floated up into the air, her wings spread but not flapping. Chrono always took pains to be respectful towards Reinforce. Given that she was actually the living avatar of a Device several hundred times older than the Bureau, it was only proper to show her respect.
“How’ve you been, Reinforce?” Twilight smiled as Reinforce landed atop Trixie’s back. “Everything going well?”
“Reasonably so, Twilight Sparkle,” Reinforce replied. “I have endeavored to keep my Mistress out of trouble… with minimal success, I should note.”
Trixie huffed softly, causing Twilight to giggle. Fate smiled softly as she spoke up, “By the way, Reinforce, Teacher sends her regards and wishes you well.”
Reinforce nodded slightly in acknowledgement, though she pawed Trixie’s withers with one hoof. “Inform Princess Luna that I do so in kind.”
If only Gais knew the amount of firepower I had in this room right now. Chrono chuckled, drawing four sets of eyes to him. “Sorry, I was just thinking about something funny.”
“Oh?” Trixie quirked an eyebrow. “Did I do something to amuse you? Or were you snickering at Twilight’s ugly uniform?”
“Hey! It’s not ugly, it’s practical. Something somepony as vain as you probably wouldn’t appreciate.”
Yeah, I know where this is going, Chrono thought to himself as he coughed. “Has everypony received their limiters?”
“Yes, Chrono,” Fate said gently as she levitated Bardiche off of her neck. “Bardiche and I have had our limiters installed, as have Twilight and Raising Heart.”
Trixie let out a loud ‘harrumph’ as she glanced at Reinforce. “I still don’t see the point of it. Why bother possessing phenomenal magic power if we can’t use it fully? It boggles the mind, really.”
“Well, the stated official reason is that too many high-ranked mages in a single area could destabilize the fabric of reality with their magic.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Of course, that makes no sense given the general resilience of dimensional boundaries. If that were true, Equestria would have imploded a long time ago.”
“That‘s just the justification they use. Really, it all comes down to politics.” Chrono shrugged. “The Bureau is always cautious when a lot of high ranked mages are in a single unit together, partly because it’s a lot of firepower in a single space and partly because the other units start getting pissy if one commander starts hogging all the toys, so to speak. Hence, limiters are put in place to keep tensions down.”
“Hmph. Typical.” Trixie flicked her mane gently and sniffed. “But honestly, this shouldn’t even apply to us. None of us are officially members of the Bureau.”
“That may be true, but for the time being we’re working for them,” Fate replied gently. “Therefore, we must abide by their regulations, even if we don’t necessarily agree with them.”
“Oh, that’s easy for you to say. You and Twilight’s limiters are comparatively light. Reinforce and I, however, are slapped down to a measly A rank. I feel like I’m in a straightjacket… magically speaking.” Trixie huffed, pulling her hat down over her eyes as she let out a low, melancholic groan. “Oh, such is the cost of being so great and powerful, of being a titan amongst ants…”
Reinforce let out a long-suffering sigh and shook her head, eliciting a laugh from the other three.
“Well, it’s good to have everyone gathered together,” Chrono paused as he heard S4U chime, pulling out his Device as a message popped up. “And just in time. Looks like it’s time to address the staff. I’ll meet you all downstairs.”

---

Teana stood at parade rest with the other members of her squad, her uniform neat and crisp and professional-looking, her hair pulled back in her standard pig-tails. She glanced slightly to the side as she inspected her fellow team-mates, checking them over to make sure they were up to snuff. Subaru was immaculate, except for her unruly head of hair that defied Teana’s attempts at taming it. The two kids, Erio and Caro, were also professional-looking, though Caro’s attention seemed to be focused on the purple dragon in the modified Ground Forces jacket beside her. Scootaloo, meanwhile, was fidgeting nervously, her tail swishing even as she stood still, her sleeves of her jacket slightly wrinkled.
Figures, she thought to herself as she glanced up and down the row. To one side were the civilian support staff, a mixture of humans and ponies clad in light blue and cream outfits. The ponies were mostly mares, but Teana could see at least one stallion amongst them. To the other were the military support crew, mechanics and specialists, all in Ground Forces two-toned brown, with various rank badges on their arms. It was then Teana noticed something a bit odd; nearly all the staff looked a bit on the young side. She’d be surprised if there were more than a handful of people over thirty on staff.
Teana’s stance stiffened as she saw several individuals approach. She recognized Captain Harlaown and Special Instructor Sparkle, but not the yellow pony clad in black or the blue pony in white. Captain Harlaown paused as another group approached him and the ponies. The first was a bespectacled man about the Captain’s age with a long blonde pony-tail and a nice-looking green suit, whom Teana didn‘t recognize. She did recognize the other four, however. The first was a tall, well-muscled yet elegant woman with a military bearing and a long, waist-length mane of pink hair. The second was a petite young girl with a faint scowl and fiery red hair pulled back into two braided pigtails. The third was a tall, muscular and dark-skinned Familiar with icy blue hair, lupine ears and a long, fluffy tail. The last of them was Shamal, whom she had met during the exam. All four of them were dressed in Saint Church uniforms: a long black tunic with the golden emblem of the Saint Church on their arms, as well as bands of color along the hems and cuffs: purple, red, blue and green, respectively.
So, that’s the Saint Church’s infamous Altenritter unit. The so-called ‘ancient knights.’ The ones that used to be known as the Wolkenritter. I remember the stories about them. Teana suppressed a shiver. And to think one of them was a medic for my exam.
She glanced back as Warrant Officer Lowran coughed, then took a deep breath. “Atten-shun!”
Teana snapped to attention as Chrono approached the assembled group, nodding to Warrant Officer Lowran before looking back to them. “Good morning, everyone.”
“Good morning,” came the reply, the military members quickly appending ‘sir’ to the greeting.
“I am, as you all probably know by now, Captain Chrono Harlaown. From this moment forward, I am officially your commanding officer and acting head of the Resolution Instructional Operations Task Force, or RIOT Force for short.
“Now, this is everyone’s first day, and there’s probably still a whole lot to do, so I’ll be brief. You’re all here because you were chosen specifically for this unit. This is the first unit of its kind, so there’s no room for screwing around. I expect all of you to put forth your absolute best efforts, whether you’re support staff and mechanics, instructors, or our first batch of recruits.”
Teana felt a little shiver run down her spine as he looked down at the six of them. “I understand that this may seem like a tall order,” he continued, “but those are the facts. I’m sorry to have to put so much pressure on everyone from the start. However, you all knew that before you joined. I’m trusting that you’ll all rise to the challenge and make me proud.
“Welcome to RIOT Force. Now, be about your business. Dismissed!”
Teana quickly saluted as Chrono stepped back, Warrant Officer Lowran stepping to his side and speaking to him quietly. Twilight approached the six of them with a pleasant smile on her face. “Now that that’s over, I’d like you six to come with us to the briefing room.”
Teana nodded, quickly taking the lead as she followed after the purple unicorn, the blue and yellow ones following behind the rest of her team.

---

“Now that we‘ve gotten the introductions out of the way, let‘s get down to the important issues.” Twilight’s horn glowed as she tapped on the little holographic screen, the overhead projector lighting up and displaying a much larger graphic on the board behind her. She smiled up at her students as she walked, the holographic screen trailing along beside her as she lectured. 
“As you already know, RIOT Force is an advanced training group designed to train individuals with unique skill sets and talents. Because of this, we have assembled a unique group of instructors in order to help train you.” Twilight’s horn glowed, the projector quickly flashing up several small profile windows. “In addition to myself, you’ll be training under Captain Testarossa-Sparkle,” she nodded to Fate, “Dr. Yuuno Scrya, and members of the Saint Church’s Altenritter unit, specifically Vita, Zafira and Shamal.” Twilight paused as a hand timidly rose up. “Yes, Miss Ru Lushe?”
“Um…  e-exactly what are you going to train us in?”
Twilight smiled at the young girl, trying her best to imitate Princess Celestia’s patented ‘gentle teacher’ expression. “Everything. All of you have undergone basic training to some extent, both physical and educational. So from here on out, we’ll be expanding your knowledge and refining your individual skill sets and special talents. Basically, whatever your magical tradition or specialty, we’ll find a way to make you better. Do you understand?”
Caro nodded quietly.
“Excellent! Now, during your stay here, the six of you will be divided into two squads.” Twilight’s horn glowed, the projector now showing the trainee’s photos in two columns; one pink and capped with a stylized six-pointed star, one yellow and headed with an equally stylized lightning bolt. An empty blue column marked with a stylized sword stood beside them. “Stars Squad will consist of Subaru Nakajima, Teana Lanster, and Scootaloo, with myself as squad leader.”
“Meanwhile,” Fate stepped forward, looking over at the other three, “Erio Mondial, Caro Ru Lushe, and Spike will form Lightning Squad under my command. “
“Captain Testarossa-Sparkle and I decided on these squad assignments so that your skills would complement…” Another hand popped up. “Yes, Miss Lanster?”
“I’m a little confused by the assignments, Special Instructor Sparkle.” Teana gestured towards the screen quickly. “Shouldn‘t we all be in a single squad? Usually the squads I‘ve been in were larger than this, even for training…”
“That’s true. Normally, you would all be in a single team. However, the squad assignments are set up to more easily allow for inter-squad skirmishes and duty assignments. The squads are small because we’re still in the testing stages, and we only have the six of you.”
“Oh.”
“That isn’t to say that you won’t be working as a full group or individually during training as well,” Fate added. “Given that the Bureau’s tactical doctrine for mages focuses on relatively small squads, we felt it was best to follow precedent. From what I understand, this is a similar set-up to aerial mage training squads in ATIC, as well as the operating structure for high level Enforcer units.”
“You’d be correct, Captain,” Twilight replied. She then turned back to Teana. “Does that answer your question?”
“Yes ma’am…”
“Good,” Twilight paused as Subaru’s hand raised. “Yes, Miss Nakajima?”
“Um, Instructor, who’s in the third unit?”
“Well…”
“That would be me, my dear human,” Trixie smiled as she stepped in front of Twilight. “I will be heading up the supervisory Knight squadron. While you’re in the field, my assistants and I will be keeping an eye on things, just in case anybody gets into trouble. After all, Special Instructor Sparkle can’t be everywhere at once.”
“Thank you, Trixie,” Twilight pushed the blue mare to the side gently before she cleared her throat. “Now, I’d imagine you’re all excited to get to training, right?”
She smiled as Subaru leaned forward in her seat, nodding excitedly. She had to admit, it was nice seeing someone so eager. She looked at the others. Scootaloo seemed less-than excited, Caro was scooting just a bit closer to Erio, while both Spike and Teana looked stoic. 
Well, I guess one out of six isn’t too bad to start with. Work with what you’ve got Twilight.
“Unfortunately, we’re not going to be doing actual training today.” She smiled as Subaru let out a sad little noise. “Instead, we’re going to be doing something slightly out of the ordinary. I want everyone to look at each other.” She paused as the trainees glanced between at each other. “Right now, you’re looking at strangers. You’ve been thrown together into this strange situation, and you might not be comfortable with each other. This isn‘t going to work for me. I want everyone to take the rest of the day to get to know each other. Introduce yourselves, talk, hang out, share stories, and most importantly get comfortable. You’re going to be working together for a good long while, so you might as well try to be friends with each other.” 
She paused, fixing Scootaloo in her gaze. The pegasus frowned slightly, then seemed to deflate. “So take this time to get to know one-another. Tomorrow, we start training in earnest. Now, we’ll leave you to it.”
Twilight glanced to Fate and Trixie, then nodded and trotted out of the room.
“You must have a lot of confidence in those six, Twilight,” Trixie noted.
“They all seem like good kids,” Twilight replied. “I just hope they end up getting along. The last thing we need is friction, right?”
“Still, it might be best to keep an eye on them,” Fate commented.
“Oh, there’s no need to worry about that,” Twilight smiled as she glanced down. “Raising Heart, are the stealth sensors in place?”
“YES MASTER. AUDIO RECORDING IS CURRENTLY UNDER WAY.”
“Wow,” Trixie quirked an eyebrow. “You really don’t leave anything to chance, do you?”
“Of course. I learned from the best, after all.”

---

For a while, the room was silent. It was the cautious sort of silence, the sort that suggested that nobody wanted to make the first move.
At least until Subaru coughed. “So… um… how do we want to do this?”
“I dunno,” Spike replied with a shrug. “Maybe go around the room and introduce ourselves properly?”
“Name, rank and so on?” Erio glanced over at Spike.
“Yeah, sure, if you want. Maybe talk about yourself a bit?”
“What about?” 
“Uh… I dunno. Hobbies, favorite foods, stuff like that?”
Erio nodded in acknowledgement before rising to his feet. “I suppose I could start. Erio Mondial, Private Third Class, TSAB. My magical style is Modern Belkan. I’m classed as a Rank B Ground Mage with a focus on Lightning Elemental Conversion and movement magic. It’s nice to meet you all, and I look forward to working with you.”
“Wait,” Teana interrupted as he started to sit down. “You’re a Rank B mage?! How old are you?!”
“I turned ten last June.”
Subaru let out a low whistle. “That’s awesome. You’re ten years old, and you’re already Rank B? No wonder you‘re in this unit.”
Erio blushed slightly, looking down and rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s… not that big a deal…”
“Like heck it is. Tea and I are nearly twice as old as you, and we’re B rank…”
“I’m sitting right here, you know,” Teana deadpanned.
“Oops… eh-heh…” Subaru grinned weakly as she rubbed her hair. “F-forget I said that.”
“So… anything else you’d like to share, Erio?” Spike glanced at the young man curiously.
“Um… well… not really, no.”
“Okay, that’s cool. So, what about you?” Spike glanced at Caro. The little girl slowly stood up, shuffling her feet slightly as she stood there.
“Um… M-my name’s Caro Ru Lushe… P-Private Third Class, Wildlife Protection Corps Trainee.”
Sheesh, Spike thought to himself, she really IS a lot like Fluttershy. She’s even got the pink hair and everything.
“I’m a Rank C+ Ground Mage, Mid-Childan system. M-my specialties include support magic and summoning.” Caro paused, glancing around at the others before nodding quickly.
“Ru Lushe?” Teana‘s tone was thoughtful, as if swirling the name around in her head. “That’s a pretty uncommon name. It sounds familiar though…”
“I was originally from Administrated World Six, Alzas,” Caro replied. “I was from the Lu Lushe Tribe, aal dov nust drehvahlok…”
“You‘re from one of the Minority Tribes?” Teana crossed her arms as Caro nodded nervously. “That explains a few things.”
“Minority Tribes?” Spike glanced over at Caro.
Caro nodded as Teana explained. “Alzas is one of the administrated worlds that  retains a large population of indigenous people. Some have immigrated to cities, while a minority live in nomadic tribes, wandering the lands. Hence, Minority Tribes.”
“Ah.”
“Wait,” Subaru spoke up, “you said you were originally from that tribe. So, you’re not anymore?”
Caro ducked her head and nodded. “I… I’m a ward of the Bureau now.”
“S-sorry.” Subaru raised her hands quickly. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s okay. I live with Captain Harlaown now. He’s my guardian…”
“Captain Harlaown’s your guardian?” Subaru‘s eyes widened as Teana face-palmed. Caro quickly sat down beside Erio and nodded weakly.
“We… both are, actually.” Erio slipped a comforting arm around Caro’s shoulders.
Subaru bent down in her chair, bowing in contrition. “I’m so, so, so sorry! I didn’t know!”
“It’s okay. It’s not something that comes up in regular conversation, that’s all,” Erio replied, giving Caro a side-hug.
“Way to open your big mouth, Subaru,” Teana groaned, before she stood up as well. “Teana Lanster, Private First Class, 386th Ground Forces Battalion. I’m a Rank B Ground Mage in the Mid-Childan system with specializations in sharp-shooting and illusion magic. And this loud-mouth is Subaru Nakajima, my partner.”
“Um… yeah…” Subaru got to her feet, still blushing quite brightly. “That’s me. Private First Class, 386th Battalion. Same Mage Rank as Tea, but Modern Belkan system, specializing in mobility and close-range combat. You have no idea how awesome it is for me to be here.”
“She’s a fan of Twilight’s,” Spike explained.
“More than a fan,” Teana grumbled under her breath as Subaru’s eyes lit up.
“I…I own all her books. I even have a signed copy of Essays on Harmony and Magic that I got when I was like, seven! I always wanted to be like her… as smart as her, as good at magic as her…”
“Well, you’ve definitely got the enthusiasm down,” Spike joked, causing Subaru’s cheeks to burn brighter.
“My big sis Ginga teases me about it a lot, but I really do want to be like Twilight. That’s why I studied as much magic as I could.”
“She’s not kidding,” Teana commented. “She spends every waking moment reading any book on magical theory she can get her hands on. Hell, she got in trouble in the academy a couple of times for reading during lights-out.”
“Only once or twice,” Subaru muttered under her breath.
“I’m not sure if I should be impressed, or worried,” Spike replied.
“Both. I’d ask about you,” Teana gestured to Spike, “but I’ve already heard more than enough about you from Subaru.”
“Oh, yeah. Maybe I should introduce myself.” Spike glanced to the younger kids. “The name’s Spike. I guess you could call me a Squire, since I’m technically learning under Zafira who’s a Knight of the Saint Church? Anyway, you probably know the spiel by now. I’m a Rank B Ground Mage too. Not really any specific tradition, mostly a mix of Belkan and Mid-Childan. Oh, and I’m a dragon. And I’m basically Twilight’s personal assistant, so there’s that. Or I was. It’s weird.”
“You don’t look like a dragon…”
Spike turned to look as Caro spoke up. The girl’s cheeks flushed quickly. “S-sorry. It’s just… you don’t look like any of the dragons I’ve seen.”
“And you know a lot about dragons, I suppose?”
“A-actually, yes. My people worship dragons…” Caro squirmed slightly. “And I’m… I summon dragons…”
“Wait, you’re a dragon summoner? From Alzas?” Teana’s eyes widened in recognition. “Now I know why that name sounded familiar…”
Teana paused as Erio shot her a withering look. Caro slumped down in her seat, looking very steadfastly at the floor. Her hands clenched into tight fists in her lap.
“S-sorry,” Teana fumbled through her apology, “forget I said anything.”
“So, uh, you summon dragons? That’s cool…” Spike said lamely as the mood of the room quickly nose-dived. “Are your dragons big jerks like the ones I’ve met?”
“Huh?” Caro blinked, looking back to Spike. “Jerks? What? No… well, they can be territorial, but… I don’t know?”
“Hey, relax, I’m not trying to interrogate you or anything,” Spike raised his hands, then chuckled nervously. “Sheesh… we’re all doing pretty good at shoving our feet in our mouths, aren’t we?”
“Speak for yourself,” Scootaloo finally spoke up, swishing her tail as Teana looked at her.
The orange-haired girl snorted. “Do you want to share with the rest of the class?”
Scootaloo glared irritably at Teana. “Not really.”
Spike sighed. “Scootaloo…”
“Yeah, yeah.” Scootaloo huffed, blowing a few strands of her mane out of her face. “Name’s Scootaloo. I’m a Private in the Equestrian Guard. I’m a Rank B Ground Mage, I use the Equestrian System and I’m a pegasus. I kick air at people and I’m fast. That good enough?”
Teana slowly raised her hand.
“Yeah?”
“Out of curiosity, why’re you a ground mage? I mean, you‘re a pegasus, right?”
Scootaloo’s wings bristled sharply and her eyes narrowed. “Why the feather should you care? Maybe I should ask you why you‘re not busy climbing trees or something. I mean, you‘re a monkey, right?”
Spike face-palmed as Teana pursed her lips. “What’s with the attitude? I’m just asking a question. No need to get so damn defensive.”
“They maybe you should stop asking questions.” Scootaloo growled, then began trotting towards the door. “Rut this, I’m outta here…”
“Scoots! Where’re you going?” Spike got up from his seat and started to follow her.
“Outside. Where does it look like?”
“But Twilight told us-”
“I don’t really feel like being friendly right now,” Scootaloo snapped. “so just leave me alone, okay?”
Spike stopped as the young pegasus opened the door with one hoof, then stepped out. The door hissed shut with an air of finality.
“Jeeze,” Teana groused as she crossed her arms. “If she thinks she’s going to work well in this unit with that kind of attitude, she‘s in for a rude awakening…” She paused as Subaru got to her feet. “Subaru? Where’re you…”
“I’m gonna go after her.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah… ‘scuse me, Spike. It was nice meeting you Erio, Caro.”
Spike gave a small wave as Subaru jogged out of the room, then let out a groan as he turned to look at the others. “Well… that went well, don’t you think?”
“Could’ve gone worse,” Teana replied. “So… who’s up for some lunch?”

---

Scootaloo kept her head low as she trotted briskly down the hall, passing by uniformed individuals as she went. Her tail swished irritably as she made her way out into the lobby, then out the front doors to the sunlit exterior of the building.
She inhaled slowly as she stood on the steps, trying to calm herself down. The sun was warm, and the scent of the sea drifted as a breeze swept across the bay. She closed her eyes, letting the wind ruffle her mane and feathers.
This place is so weird, she thought to herself. Even the air‘s different here. It’s not as… wind-like as the wind in Equestria. It’s like something’s missing…
The door hissed open behind her. Scootaloo kept her eyes closed as she heard someone walk up beside her.
“Uh… hey.”
Scootaloo opened her eyes and looked up at Subaru. She snorted and glanced away, staring straight ahead. “What d’you want? I thought I said I wanted to be alone.”
“Yeah, I heard you.” She heard Subaru’s uniform rustle as she took a seat on the steps beside her. 
“Then why aren’t you leaving me alone?”
“Dunno. Maybe I’m just being dumb again. Who knows?”
Scootaloo snorted as she sat down, her rump landing heavily on the concrete. “Yeah… well… you said it. I didn’t.”
“Mhmm.”
The both of them fell silent for a while. Scootaloo stared ahead, looking at the black-topped road that led away from the base, watching it slowly curve northward and into the distance. She didn’t want to look at the blue-haired girl beside her. She didn’t even want to acknowledge her.
Subaru, however, seemed to have other plans. “Sorry.”
“Huh?” Scootaloo blinked, glancing at Subaru out of her peripheral vision.
“About back there. I mean, I guess we’re all a little wary of each other, you know?”
Scootaloo grunted softly. Subaru fell silent for a few moments, resting her arms on her knees.
“Hey, I got an idea,” Subaru said, breaking the brief silence.
“What?”
“Wanna skate around the base a little? I mean, we could do some poking around, get to know where everything is. Probably do us some good to get out of these uniforms and stretch our legs. How ‘bout it?”
Scootaloo grimaced. “Is that even allowed?”
“Sure. We’ve got orders from Special Instructor Sparkle to spend the day getting to know each other. We’ll just tell them we’re doing that.” Subaru got to her feet and dusted her rear off, walking down the stairs before glancing up at Scootaloo. “Come on. Race you to the barracks.”
Scootaloo quirked an eyebrow. “You want to race me? Me? You really must be… wait. I see what you’re doing.”
Subaru gave Scootaloo an innocent smile. “What?”
“Spike must’ve put you up to this or something. I get it, but I’m not biting. Nope…”
Subaru shrugged. “Hey, if you think you’ll lose, just say so…”
“Ex-scuse me?” Scootaloo shot to her feet. “Like I’d lose to someone like you. Last I checked, you’ve got two legs, I’ve got four. I can out-run you easy!”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah!” Scootaloo trotted down the stairs toward her. She could see what Subaru was doing, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to take something like that lying down. “I’ll leave you in the dust! You just watch.”
Subaru nodded. Scootaloo could see the determination in her eyes. It was almost familiar. Subaru reached down, pulling off her shoes and wiggling her toes.
“Alright,” Subaru bent her legs slightly, her shoes held in one hand. “Ready?”
Scootaloo flicked her tail and crouched slightly. “Ready.”
There was a tense pause.
“Go!” Subaru shouted and took off running as fast as she could.
“Hey!” Scootaloo raced after her, galloping as fast as she could. Despite herself, Scootaloo could feel her mood lifting. She always felt good when she ran like this. It felt right, almost; the wind rolling through her mane and feathers, her tail floating behind her like a banner. It almost reminded her of when she was a filly riding on her scooter.
It didn’t take long for Scootaloo to pass Subaru. It wasn’t far to the barracks, and Subaru’s stride was hampered by the skirt she was wearing. Scootaloo came to a stop at the front door, panting softly as she fluttered her wings.
“Yeah! In your face!” She let out a whoop as Subaru slowed to a jog, the girl laughing as well.
“Haha! Okay, you win! But now I’m warmed up!” Subaru grinned, clenching her fist. “I’m not going to be so easy next time, especially once I’m out of this skirt!”
“Yeah, yeah, just keep telling yourself that,” Scootaloo flipped her mane before she trotted in through the doors. Subaru followed close behind.
The barracks were surprisingly nice; the front doors led into a large lobby with staircases on either side leading up to the wings. Both groups shared a single wing, with a communal bathroom and a large common room at the end of the hall. Everything was clean and modern, all in shades of white, tan and green. A large, spherical chandelier hung from the high ceiling above.
“I got to wonder though,” Scootaloo said as she climbed the stairs, “didn’t that hurt your feet running like that? Most humans I’ve seen wear shoes most of the time…”
“Nah, I’m fine.” Subaru shrugged, tapping her heeled shoes against her shoulder. “I’ve got tough feet. I used to run around bare-foot all the time when I was little. Anyway, gimme about ten minutes to get changed, and I’ll meet you outside.”
Scootaloo nodded absentmindedly as she trotted over to the quarters she was sharing with Spike. Each room was built for two people, and resembled a dorm room more than a barrack‘s room. A pair of bunk-beds emerged from the side of the shared closet just to the right of the door.  The other wall was dominated by a long, low desk and several shelves set into the wall for personal effects. Light poured in from the covered window as Scootaloo began to disrobe.
Okay, I’ve got to admit… she seems nice. Scootaloo pulled her jacket free, hanging it up as best she could. She doesn’t seem to be like those other weirdoes. Maybe we could…
Scootaloo paused as she fiddled with her tie, then shook her head. Argh… Come on Scootaloo. You just met her. You really think you can trust someone like her? Get real. She’s just like that bastard Hotshot, all friendly at first, but then…
She huffed as she pulled off her shirt and tossed it onto the bed, followed closely by her tie. She stared blankly at her nearly naked reflection in the closet mirror. Her eyes were hard, and her lips were set in a taut, aggressive frown. She looked like she should’ve had a storm cloud hovering over her head. Even she had to admit, it wasn’t the most pleasant expression.
Yeah… you’re not here to make friends, remember? Doesn’t matter how much she reminds you of… how you used to be. She grimaced as she pulled her skirt off her hind legs before reaching into the closet, pulling out a violet tank-top designed for her shape. Humans were weird about clothing. Even ponies had to be at least somewhat clothed even if the clothes didn’t really cover much. She then dragged out her roller-skates and slung them across her neck.	
“There we go. Much better.” She turned sideways, looking at herself in the mirror. She could see her Cutie Mark on her flank; a purple wheel trailed by a stylized white swirl-shape. Could be a feather, could be wind, could be dust; it was all in how you looked at it. Satisfied, she turned and trotted out, carefully cantering down the stairs.
Subaru was waiting for her right outside, carefully buckling her rollerblades on. She was dressed in loose blue fatigue pants and a white tank top, her arms bare except for the pads on her elbows. “It’s a pretty nice day to go skating, isn’t it?”
“Uh… yeah. Nice day.” Scootaloo slipped her own hooves into her skates, tying the laces with her teeth.
“Hey, uh, you need a hand with those?”
“No.” Scootaloo grunted, rolling onto her back as she tied off the other two skates. Those were the ones that always gave her the most trouble.
“You sure? I could-”
“I said no, okay?” Scootaloo grimaced as she snapped, then rolled onto her side, and then onto her belly. “I mean… I can tie my own laces just fine, even if it is a pain.”
“Okay.” Subaru shrugged and got to her feet, slowly crouching and starting her stretches. “Just asking.”
Scootaloo grunted in reply, flexing her wings as she skated towards Subaru. She watched Subaru quietly as the girl stretched her legs, then turned and bent at the waist. “Can I ask you something?”
“Hmm?” Subaru blinked as she rolled her shoulders.
“Why’re you and Teana friends?”
Subaru paused mid-stretch. “Huh?”
“I mean, you and her. How can you stand being around someone like that? She reminds me of some of the bratty fillies I had to deal with growing up…”
Subaru shrugged, then reached up and popped her neck. “She’s not that bad, once you get to know her. We’ve actually been friends since the academy… about five or six years now, I think.”
Scootaloo quirked an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. She hated my guts back then. There was this one time in training when we were doing a teamed-up obstacle course run. We were supposed to climb a wall together. You know, one of us helps the other to the top, then the other follows up, right? Well…” Subaru’s cheeks went pink with embarrassment. “I might have accidentally overdid the whole ‘helping’ part.”
“Overdid it how?”
“I… kinda threw her over the wall and into the mud pit on the other side?”
Scootaloo snorted, quivering as she tried not to giggle. “S-seriously!?”
“Yeah. Right in front of the drill instructor too. She landed head-first.”
Scootaloo couldn’t help it. The image of Teana covered in mud made her cackle, causing Subaru to join in.
“Y-yeah,” Scootaloo inhaled as her laughter trailed off. “I can see where she hated you. Still… you two are friends now?”
“Yeah. After a while, we kinda got to know each other. I mean, Teana’s still kind of a sourpuss, but once you get past that she’s really cool. She‘s really smart too. I mean, I know stuff, but Teana‘s way better at the whole ‘lateral thinking‘ thing.” Subaru sighed, tucking her hands into her pockets as she kicked the ground, easily balancing on her inline skates. “She‘s just… rough, you know? Trust me, you‘ll probably like her if you try to be nice to her.”
Scootaloo snorted. “Yeah, like that’ll happen. I saw the way she looks at me. She definitely doesn‘t like me.”
“So?”
Scootaloo paused as Subaru shrugged. “First step to making friends is saying ‘hi,’ right? Next step is trying to learn about them. At least, that’s what I’ve read in Twilight’s book. I thought it was pretty good advice.”
“Yeah, it is…” Scootaloo replied before continuing in a soft mutter. “Unless you end up making friends with the wrong pony, that is…”
“Huh?”
“Nothing,” Scootaloo replied. “Come on, let’s get going. We’re wasting daylight.”

---

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, has it not, Fate?”
Fate glanced up at the tall, pink-haired Knight as they walked together. Signum’s skirt swished gently about her legs as she walked, her boots clicking on the floor. “A few months at least. I hear you and the others have been busy.”
Signum nodded. “Our duties to the Church have kept us quite occupied, in addition to our service in protecting our Mistress. The same can be said of you, can it not?”
Fate nodded. “Yes. If anything, working here at RIOT Force will be a vacation for me. However, the Shadowbolts will still be in good hooves while I’m away, so at least I won‘t have to worry too much.”
“Ah yes, your unit. How has it been faring?”
“Well enough. We‘re not exactly a large group, but we‘re pretty diverse. We‘ve got representatives of all three breeds of pony, and even a few bat ponies that transferred from Luna‘s private guard.”
“Ah yes, the Thestrals I believe they‘re called? I’ve yet to meet one face to face.”
“They’re not exactly the most sociable sort of ponies, but they’re incredibly helpful with night-time operations.” Fate shook her head slightly. “I’d tell you more, but I’m not at liberty to share…”
“I know well enough not to ask, Fate,” Signum replied. “However, part of me wonders how well I’d fare against your Shadowbolts.”
Fate smiled. “I doubt Princess Luna would appreciate you beating up my unit, Signum.”
“Then perhaps I should settle for ’beating up’ their Captain. It’s been too long since we’ve sparred…”
“Indeed.“ Fate sighed, popping her neck as she slowed to a stop. 
“I do hope your duties as an administrator haven’t dulled your skills, Fate.” Signum’s expression was calm, but the eagerness in her eyes betrayed her actual mood.
“As if I’d sit on my rump and let my skills go to waste,” Fate smirked slightly. “What do you say, Bardiche? Do you feel like a little… practice?”
The golden triangle that served as Bardiche’s stand-by form chimed softly. “YES, SIR.” Its deep-voiced reply was quick and to the point.
“Laevatein?” Signum glanced down at the small, diamond-bladed dagger hanging about her neck.
“JA.” Laevatein’s reply was clipped and short, its voice higher in tone compared to Bardiche.
“We’ll have to find a proper place to spar,” Fate conceded. “I don’t think Chrono would appreciate it if we destroyed his base.”
“I’m sure we can find an appropriate place.”

---

“You really think those kids can pull together and form a unit, Twilight?”
Twilight sighed as she walked alongside Vita and Zafira, her mane being blown gently by a brisk breeze coming from off the bay. “I’m sure they will. Groups like this usually have some initial teething problems. I’m sure once they’ve gotten to know one-another, things will sort themselves out.”
“Assuming they don’t kill each other first,” Vita grumped. “Mark my words, there’s going to be trouble. I can already tell. Kids that age can be idiots sometimes. They’re not mature like us.”
“Says the Knight who still sleeps with a stuffed toy,” Zafira replied, causing Vita to huff and Twilight to giggle.
“You leave Mister Bunny out of this, Zafira,” Vita muttered darkly, “or so help me I’ll hit you so hard you’ll be un-housebroken.”
“As you wish,” Zafira replied dryly.
“What do you think, Zafira?” Twilight glanced up at the huge Guardian Beast.
“I think it’s too early to tell,” Zafira shrugged. “Spike I know well enough, but I’m reserving judgment on the others. However, I look forward to testing them.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask about that,” Twilight replied. “How has Spike’s training been going? I’ve been asking him, but he doesn’t really feel like sharing…”
Zafira grunted. “He’s progressing well; his persistence and determination have carried him thus far, and he rarely makes the same mistake twice. However, his mood can be… volatile sometimes. He’ll make an excellent Knight one day, once he‘s mastered himself.”
“That’s… good, I guess,” Twilight replied. “But has he-”
Zafira let out a soft grunt in reply, breaking eye-contact.
Twilight sighed. That’s all I’m probably going to be getting out of him for now. 
“What’re we doing out here, anyway?” Vita glanced out at the waters of the bay as they walked.
“I’m actually going to inspect the base’s practice area,” Twilight replied. “It should be just up ahead. Corporal Finieno should be waiting there… ah! There it is!”
Twilight trotted a bit faster as the practice field came into view. The ‘practice field’ wasn’t exactly a field, but rather a small, artificial island floating out in the bay. It was an eight square mile rectangle, the surface of which was covered in elongated hexagons of artificial crystal. A metal bridge extended out to the island from the mainland, merging seamlessly with the concrete pier.
Meanwhile, someone was standing on the pier, looking out at the practice field. It was a young woman, average height but slender with long, waist-length and straight hair the same dark brown as her Ground Forces uniform. Twilight could see the faint glint of her large, oval-shaped glasses as she turned about. She was surrounded by numerous holographic monitors and displays, a hard-light keyboard hovering at about chest height next to her.
“Corporal Finieno,” Twilight called out as she trotted down the stairs to her. The woman quickly turned.
“M-miss Sparkle! Knights Zafira and Vita.” She quickly saluted, blushing slightly. “S-sorry. I didn’t notice you were behind me.”
“At ease, Corporal,” Twilight waved a hoof at her. “No need to salute.”
“Another kid?” Vita sighed. “Jeez, what is it with Chrono and picking a bunch of children?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Vita, Zafira, this is Corporal Shario Finieno. She’ll be helping us during training.”
“Please, call me Shari. Everyone does.” Shari smiled nervously at the two Knights. “I’m in charge of Device monitoring during training, as well as repair and adjustment.”
“You’re a Meister?” Zafira quirked an eyebrow as he inspected her curiously.
Shari nodded quickly, a finger pressing her glasses back up on the bridge of her nose as they slid down. “I received my Class A Device Engineer certification a year ago, so yes, you could call me that.”
“That would mean you’re master Device Meister, then.” Zafira nodded in approval. “I’d expected you to be a journeyman from your looks. That’s commendable for someone of your age.”
Shari blushed. “I‘m eighteen, so I‘m not exactly young…”
“Still a kid,” Vita huffed, causing Twilight to shake her head.
“You’ll get used to her,” Twilight explained as she looked up at Shari. “So, how’s everything looking?”
“Oh! I was just running a quick diagnostic on the simulator, just to make sure everything’s working properly before you guys start training.” Shari swept her hands inwards, bringing the displays around so that they floated before her. “So far, everything checks out.”
“Good. I’ll admit, this is the first time I’ve seen one of these outside of Bureau headquarters.”
“What exactly is it?” Vita quirked her head as she looked out at the glassy island.
“The technical term for it is ‘Squad-Specialized Simulation System,’ or S4 for short,” Shari explained. “It’s a large-scale mana-construct projection system designed specifically for training. It allows us to instantly generate lots of different environments and hazards quickly and easily.”
Vita nodded, crossing her arms. “Okay, I’ll admit,” she said begrudgingly, “that does sound pretty nice.”
“Most of these are at the Bureau’s Headquarters,” Shari continued, “after Long Arch got slated for upgrading, one of these got installed here. It’s one of the first planet-based S4 units. Of course it‘s open air, but given the cooling requirements the bay was the best place to put it.” She shrugged. “At least the weather’s usually pretty nice around here.”
“Sheesh, you Bureau people are spoiled,” Vita shook her head. “Most of the Church Knights train in real-world conditions, like proper Knights should.”
“And here I thought you were actually impressed,” Twilight remarked, then paused as a chiming noise rang out. A communications window blinked into existence in front of Shari.
“One second,” Shari reached up and tapped it, then quickly came to attention as Chrono’s face popped up. “Captain!”
“At ease Shari. How’s the training area coming?”
“I’m almost finished running the diagnostics, sir. I’m speaking to Special Instructor Sparkle right now.”
“Ah, good. Is it ready?”
“Yes, sir. Why do you ask?”
Chrono sighed softly. “I just got a request from Captain Testarossa-Sparkle and Knight Signum for a place to spar. Think the simulator can handle them?”
“I’m sure, sir. Barring something vastly destructive, I mean. I just need to finish the diagnostics and do a quick trial run. Give it an hour or so.”
“I’ll tell them. Harlaown, out.”
Vita shook her head as Chrono’s comm-window vanished. “Of course. Right on schedule.”
“Is… this normal?” Shari blinked in confusion.
“My sister and Signum have a… I guess you could call it a friendly rivalry?” Twilight shook her head. “Whenever the two of them get together, the first thing that always happens is a fight.”
“Signum regards Fate as a friend… of sorts,” Zafira explained. “There are very few that can come close to her level on the battlefield, so she relishes the chance for a friendly duel.”
“I just hope they don’t wreck the simulator.” Twilight groaned. “Last time they had a match, they punched holes in the Royal Guard’s training hall…”
“R-really?” Shari gulped nervously.
“Yeah. Hopefully they’ll retrain themselves. Anyway Shari,” Twilight continued, “how has your progress been on the Devices we talked about?”
Shari smiled, clearly thankful to be on a different topic. “I’ve been reviewing the logs you and Captain Harlaown sent me. I’ve already got the basic designs planned out, but I‘d like to get some more combat data before I start constructing them. Give me a week or two, and I should be able to start prototyping.”
“Excellent!”
“Oh Kaiser,” Vita groaned, “you’re going to spoil those brats, aren’t you?”
“Maybe,” Twilight smirked at the red-headed Knight.

---

Subaru let out a whoop of joy as she vaulted over the steps, landing in with a slight crouch on the ground below. Scootaloo followed just behind her, the pegasus’s wings buzzing fiercely as they propelled her. Subaru smirked and glanced upward as Scootaloo cleared her head and landed about a dozen feet ahead of her, the mare swerving slightly and turning, skating backwards with ease.
“Man, and I thought I was good at jumping,” Subaru chuckled as she skated along manually, as opposed to using the rollerblade’s motors. “How do you manage to get so much distance?”
“I’m a pegasus,” Scootaloo replied.
“Oh, okay.” Subaru shrugged. “Makes sense, I guess.”
“Does it?”
“Yeah. I read that pegasi are a lot lighter than other ponies, and their magic makes them even more so to help with flight. So it kinda figures that you’re super good at getting air-time.”
Subaru paused as Scootaloo grimaced. “Sorry, did I say something wrong? I didn’t mean to ma-”
“Yeah, I know…” Scootaloo swerved sharply, coming to a halt as she turned around. “So, what’s this place, anyway?”
Subaru slowed to a stop beside Scootaloo as she inspected their surroundings. Before them was a large, dark gray building with a high-arched roof. The front was open in a wide, inverted ‘T’ shape, revealing the mechanics working inside. A large helicopter rested inside, its rhombohedral airframe colored a matte dark green, which made the wide, glittering cockpit windows and the TSAB sigil beneath the four-bladed rotor stand out “Looks like the hanger. The motor pool shouldn’t be too far from here.”
“Huh.” Scootaloo slowly skated towards the hanger doors, her tail flicking and her ears perked forward slightly. 
Subaru skated after her, rolling idly between each push. “We should probably leave them alone Scootaloo. If they’re working on the helicopter, then they probably won’t want to deal with us.”
“Hey! You two!”
Subaru and Scootaloo quickly swerved to a stop as a man walked out towards them. He was in his mid-twenties, his blue-green eyes slightly obscured by his long, light brown bangs. He was dressed in a drab olive flight suit with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A pair of green aviator sunglasses protruded from his breast pocket, and his hands were covered in black, fingerless gloves. His boots thumped on the concrete as he approached them, a pleasant smile on his face. “What’re you two doing around here? This isn’t exactly a place to be playing around; you could get in trouble…”
“Ah! S-sorry sir,” Subaru stammered. “We didn’t mean-”
The man chuckled. “Relax. It’s fine. I’m just messin’ with ya.” He paused, looking the two over. “You two must be the new kids the Captain’s recruited. I’m Master Sergeant Vice Granscenic. Nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, sir,” Subaru began to salute, but Vice shook his head.
“No need to call me sir. Makes me feel like an old man. So, what brings you to my neck of the woods?”
“We’re just looking around,” Scootaloo supplied, “getting some fresh air.”
“Well, you probably came to the wrong place. Nothing fresh here except the smell of grease.” Vice chuckled, sticking his hands into his pockets.
“Are you a pilot?” Subaru peered around to look into the hanger at the helicopter.
“Yup! I’ll be ferrying everyone around when needed. I’m used to it though. I was in the Capital Air Force, 1039th Squadron before Captain Harlaown borrowed me.”
“That’s transport, right?”
Vice nodded. “Yup. Though I’ve gotta admit, this is a pretty sweet gig.” He flashed the two a grin and gestured over his shoulder at the helicopter. “I mean, check out what I get to fly!”
“So… it‘s just a helicopter, right?” Scootaloo frowned as she looked at the machine. “What‘s the big deal?”
Vice winced as if he’d been slapped. “Just a helicopter? Kid, that’s a JF-704. Sure, it may look big and bulky, but it’s probably one of the nimblest personnel transport helicopters in service right now. This one’s so new, it’s still got that off-the-assembly-line smell to it. Flying this baby’s going to be a dream compared to the old 604 I used to pilot.”
“Uh, right…” Scootaloo looked a bit nonplussed at Vice’s brief rant. Vice paused, then shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.
“Heh, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to word-vomit all over you. It’s just gear-heads like me tend to get a bit defensive about our machines. Comes from dealing with aerial mages in the Air Force, you know?”
Subaru nodded in agreement. “My dad always told me to respect pilots, because they’re the ones that have to carry you around.”
“Sound piece of advice. Your dad sounds like a smart guy.”
“So…” Scootaloo interrupted cautiously, “why don’t you learn how to fly? If the other mages are messing with you, then why not do what they do?”
Vice paused, then shrugged. “I just have a different skill set. I mean, I know a bunch of aerial mages, and I can see how that’d be useful. It has its advantages: small target profile, higher mobility, things like that. It’s just that piloting just feels right for me, you know? Lets me be helpful. Do something good for once…”
Vice paused for a second. Subaru could see a faint hint of melancholy pass over his face before he shook himself. “Anyway,” he continued as the jaunty smirk returned, “I’m not cut out to be an aerial mage. Way too much work. Give me a cockpit any day.”
“Oi! Vice!”
Vice turned slightly as one of the mechanics called out to him. “Yeah?”
“We’re finished with the checks! She’s ready to be put through her paces!”
“Awesome! Thanks!” Vice turned back to the girls. “Guess the pilot seat’s calling me. Gotta take her up and see how well she handles.”
Subaru nodded. “Alright. Well, we’ll get going then. It was nice meeting you…”
Vice smiled mischievously. “Well, you don’t have to go. You girls want me to take you for a flight?”
Subaru and Scootaloo looked at each other, then back to Vice. Scootaloo‘s eyes were a little wide as she spoke. “Can you do that?”
“I don’t see why not. I mean, you’re going to have to fly with me eventually. Besides, we’ll just be doing basic maneuvers. Nothing fancy.”
Subaru rubbed her chin. “I dunno. If Tea finds out we did something-”
“I’m game,” Scootaloo interjected suddenly.
“Scootaloo!”
“What? Don’t tell me you’re going to wuss out on something like this.”
Subaru grimaced. “But Tea-”
“She’s not here right now, remember? Come on, it’s not like we’re going to get in trouble or anything, right?”
Vice shrugged. “I’ll just have to let the Captain know, but he should probably okay it…”
Scootaloo smirked, flicking her mane gently with one hoof. “See? Besides…” Scootaloo’s expression turned wistful as she looked over at the helicopter, “I kinda want to see how it feels to fly in something like that…”
Subaru started to say something, but paused at Scootaloo‘s expression. She nodded in acceptance, folding her arms over her chest. “Alright then. Let’s go flying…”

---

“I’m not sure this is a good idea…”
“Oh come on Caro, it can’t be that bad,” Spike replied as she walked alongside her and Erio. “I mean, I’m a pretty nice guy. I’m sure Friedrich and I’ll get along just fine. He can‘t be any worse than some of the jerks I‘ve met…”
Caro huffed softly. “M-maybe… but Fried can be a bit cold towards other dragons. Then there’s the fact you and him aren’t of the same… um… breed, I suppose? I’m not sure how he’ll react to you.”
“I’d probably listen to her, Spike,” Teana warned as the four of them approached the barracks. “If Caro’s been with Friedrich this long, then she probably understands him.”
“Friedrich took a while to warm up to me when I first met Caro,” Erio added, his hands in his pockets. “I’d be careful.”
“Just relax, guys. I’m sure I can handle him.” Spike smirked, offering them a thumbs up as they climbed up the stairs towards the front doors.
Teana shook her head and sighed, wishing Subaru was there. She hadn’t minded sticking around with the other four, but between Caro’s shyness, Erio’s stiffness and Spike’s good-natured bravado, she was starting to wish she had someone more like herself to talk to.
At least Subaru was a good listener. Now she’s off trying to console that bratty pegasus…
“Friedrich!” Caro called as they walked into the barracks lobby. “I’m back! Bohet fahdon.”
There was a soft hiss as one of the dorm-room doors slid open before Friedrich trilled and floated down to Caro. Teana watched as the little dragon landed on Caro’s shoulder, her eyes wide with awe. She’d heard of the dragons of Alzas, but she’d never actually seen one in person.
It’s so… small…
“Friedrich,” Caro said as she turned towards them. “These are my new coworkers. This is Miss Lanster, and this is Mr. Spike.”
“Hello,” Teana politely inclined her head to the dragon.
“What’s up?” Spike waved to him. “Nice to meet another dragon.”
Friedrich took one look at Spike, then let out a loud hiss. His wings spread wide as he took to the air, snarling angrily.
“Friedrich? What’s wrong? Los vovahzah?”
The little dragon hissed, quickly alighting on the banister beside the stairs and letting out a rapid series of trills and growls. Caro’s eyes went wide before she stepped forward, hands raised before her.
“Ninonvul? Bruniik? Laan Friedrich, laan…”
“I’m guessing he doesn’t like Spike,” Teana said dryly.
“Dude, I just said hi. What gives?” Spike huffed, a bit of smoke drifting up from his nostrils.
“Um, uh,” Caro blushed brightly as Friedrich turned on his perch, his wings folding against his body as he lifted his head dismissively. “He… doesn’t like you.”
“Did he say why?” Spike frowned as Caro swallowed and shuffled her feet.
“He… he um…” Caro glanced at Friedrich, then back to Spike, “he said that you’re a commoner and a savage… that you’re not one of the true Dov. He basically said you’re not a real dragon, and he wants nothing to do with you.” She paused as Friedrich chirped dismissively. “And that you smell awful.”
Teana watched Spike curiously. The purple drake growled loudly for a few moments, smoke drifting from his nostrils before he closed his eyes. He lifted his hands slowly, palms turned up and inhaled slowly. He held his breath for a few seconds, and then exhaled through his mouth and pushed his hands outward from his chest in a meditative gesture. “Control,” he muttered under his breath.
“I’m… I’m really sorry,” Caro said, looking down as Friedrich flapped his wings. “I didn’t expect him to act this badly…”
“It’s fine. I’m calm…” Spike paused, inhaling and repeating the motions before continuing. “Okay, now I’m calm. I think. I’m just not used to being insulted by a scaly chicken with a superiority complex.”
Friedrich hissed at that and quickly turned on his perch to face Spike. The little dragon flexed his wings and snarled loudly, causing Caro to blanch slightly at the noise.
“What’d he say?” Teana asked as Erio moved beside Caro, touching her shoulder.
“I… really can’t say.” Caro stared at her summon with a mix of embarrassment and worry. “It’s not very polite.”
“Yeah, kinda figured that,” Spike grunted. “I think I’ll wait outside until he’s cooled off…”
“O-Okay,” Caro stammered as Spike turned on his heel and walked off, the door shutting slowly behind him as he left.
“So,” Teana said as she looked at Friedrich, “anyone here surprised that this happened?”
“Not really,” Erio grimaced.
“Friedrich,” Caro looked up at the little dragon, “why would you say such mean things? You only just met Spike…”
Friedrich let out a series of hisses, chirps and growls.
“That’s no excuse!” Caro stomped a foot. “There’s no reason to call him such names.”
Friedrich snorted.
“I don’t care if you think it’s true. He’s going to be your teammate, and you will work beside him. H-hey!” Caro cried out as Friedrich flitted off up the stairs. “I’m talking to you! Come back here!”
“Is that normal?” Teana watched as Caro jogged up the stairs after her dragon.
“It’s happened once or twice,” Erio replied. “From what Caro’s told me, some summons can be temperamental.”
“Shouldn‘t we go after her? I mean… Friedrich is pretty mad. What if-”
Erio shook his head. “He won‘t do anything to Caro. Friedrich may be hard to handle, but he‘s still her summon. Friedrich is incapable of doing anything to hurt her; if anything, we‘d probably just get in the way.” He quickly gestured towards the front door with a thumb. “I’m going to go talk with Spike, alright?”
“Yeah, sure. Knock yourself out.“ Teana grimaced as Erio walked off. Sheesh… between the pegasus with the chip on her shoulder and the elitist summoned dragon, things can‘t get much worse. We haven‘t even started training yet…

---

Spike growled softly as he sank down onto the steps outside, elbows resting on his knees as he held his head.
Don’t know what I was expecting, he thought to himself irritably. Bad enough I get that from Equestrian dragons. But hearing something like that from a foreign dragon?
He snorted irritably, smoke mixed with green embers drifting up from his nostrils as his thoughts turned dark. If he wasn’t Caro’s pet dragon, I’d show that overgrown chicken a thing or two. Maybe I’d wring his scrawny little-
His train of thought paused as he heard the door hiss open. Spike glanced up, turning to look as Erio walked out the door. “Hey,” Spike grunted in greeting.
“Hey,” Erio replied, walking over and taking a seat beside Spike. “Um…”
“Yeah?” Spike looked at Erio as the red-headed kid sighed.
“Look, I’m sorry about what happened in there. Friedrich was out of line and-”
Spike waved a hand dismissively. “Nah, I get it dude. You don’t need to apologize…”
“I should at least explain,” Erio interjected. “Friedrich was the same way with me and Captain Harlaown.”
“Really?”
Erio nodded. “Though I have to admit, he was a bit meaner to you than he was to me or the Captain.”
“Huh,” Spike grunted. “Weird. Guess he doesn’t like boys getting near Caro. I can sympathize with that.”
Erio blinked. “You can?”
“Yeah…” Spike grimaced as he leaned back against the stairs. “Still doesn’t mean he needs to be a jerk about it.”
“Um…” Erio started to speak before Spike cut him off, hissing angrily under his breath.
“I mean, where in the name of Tartarus does a fat little rooster like him get off on saying I’m ‘not a real dragon?’ Like I haven’t heard that line before. If that little… rrrgh!” Spike’s growl deepened in pitch as his claws dug into the concrete steps, his vision turning briefly green as his second eyelids ‘blinked‘. “I’ve got half a mind to go in there and show him what a dragon like me can do. Of course, Chrono may get upset if I smashed the barracks up…”
Spike paused, glancing over at Erio. The kid had scooted away from Spike, his eyes wide. “What?”
“Uh… I… don’t mean to sound rude,” Erio swallowed nervously, “but your eyes were getting… weird.”
Spike paused. His tongue slithered out just slightly of its own accord, tasting the air before he shook his head and blinked properly, getting a hold of himself. “Oh jeez… sorry dude. I guess I wasn’t as calm as I thought.”
“Y-yeah,” Erio kept his distance as Spike slumped.
“Sorry. It’s just… that’s a big sore point for me, if you know what I mean.”
“Being told you’re not a real dragon?”
Spike nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I’m a dragon raised by ponies. Still being raised in some ways, but that’s beside the point. When I tried to rediscover my dragon roots, it turned out that a lot of dragons are… well, they’re kind of big, stupid jerks. Guess that’s true no matter where you go,” Spike glanced back at the barracks door and huffed.
“Oh,” Erio said simply.
“Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I love living with ponies. It’s better than the alternative. But I’m still a dragon, you know? I’ve got my pride. And if someone denies who and what I am… it’s just one of those things that really sets me off. And trust me, you don’t want to set me off.”
“Is that why you were doing the breathing exercises?”
Spike nodded. “Yeah. I learned them from Zafira. You know, meditation and such. Helps keep the bad stuff from leaking out.” Spike shuffled uncomfortably. “Last time I got out of control, I did a lot of damage, and someone got hurt pretty bad. I can’t let that happen again. Ever.”
Erio nodded. “I can understand that…”
Spike blinked. “Huh? Which part?”
“Being told you’re not really real…” Erio looked down, wrapping his arms about his knees.
“That… doesn’t make sense,” Spike scratched an ear frill. “But I’ll take your word for it.”
Erio nodded wordlessly, causing Spike to chuckle. “You know, I’m starting to think we’ve all got a whole lot of baggage.”
“What do you mean?”
“You, me, Caro, Scootaloo… we got issues. Heck, probably Subaru and Teana too.”
“I suppose so,” Erio conceded.
“Not like that’s a bad thing,” Spike leaned back with a sigh. “I’m used to baggage. Heck, I’ve carried a lot of it around. I’m like… a baggage cart guy. Pulling a big cart of neurosis-sis around and… uh… dropping it off or something…”
Erio quirked an eyebrow. “Um… I’m not sure about the metaphor, but I get what you’re saying.”
Spike nodded. However, just as he was about to continue, a familiar voice echoed in his head.
Hello everyone, Twilight’s voice chimed merrily, I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but if you’d like to observe some of your instructors at work, please come to the practice field.
Spike shook his head and glanced over at Erio. The young man met his gaze. 	“You heard that?”
Erio nodded in reply. “Maybe we should go…”
The door behind them hissed open as Teana jogged out. The orange-haired girl glanced between them quickly. “Well?” She sounded impatient.
“Well what?” Spike replied.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Well, yeah,” Spike got to his feet, offering a hand to Erio. Erio looked at his clawed hand for a moment, then rose to his feet on his own.
“Let me see about Caro first,” Erio replied, “then we can go…”

---

A warm gust of wind whipped across the enormous platform, ruffling Fate’s mane gently as she walked. Signum kept pace with her, the Knight keeping about twenty yards distance from her.
Fate kept watch out of the corner of her eye, observing how Signum moved and carried herself. She knew Signum was doing the same as her; trying to suss out any weaknesses or irregularities, any openings she could exploit.
Fate came to a stop. Signum did as well. They turned to face one another as a holographic communication window popped up in front of them. Shari’s face filled half of Fate’s screen, while Signum’s filled the other.
“Ahem… can you both hear me?”
“Yes, Shari,” Fate answered. Signum nodded as well.
“Ah! Good! That’s one thing out of the way. Again, I’d like to thank you both for agreeing to help stress-test the S4’s construct creation system. Hopefully it won’t interfere too much with your… um… ‘practice.’”
“It’s no problem,” Signum noted idly, closing her eyes. “Anything to make the battle more of a challenge.”
“Right…” Shari coughed awkwardly into her fist before continuing. “Anyway, I’ll be cycling upwards through the training field’s complexity as we go, starting with a basic combat environment before moving on to more complex and realistic settings. Just… um… try not to blow the place up, if you don’t mind? The S4 is kinda expensive…”
“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that,” Fate said reassuringly. “Signum and I will try to keep our… enthusiasm under control.”
“Indeed,” Signum agreed calmly, though the thin smile on her lips suggested otherwise..
“Okay. Thanks.” Shari inhaled and relaxed, just as her expression became neutral and professional. “Initiating S4 start-up procedures now! Raising external containment barriers.”
There was a soft, static-like hum as a shimmering curtain of light floated high overhead, forming a geodesic dome over the S4. The huge panes of crystalline substance hummed to life beneath Fate’s hooves, sending a slight tingle along her skin.
“Initiating arena cycle program,” Shari announced. “Stage, set!”
Fate shifted her weight slightly as she began to lift up into the air. Both she and Signum were now standing on a slowly rising platform of solid light and energy, dozens more platforms of various sizes hovering up around them at varying heights.
“I’ll give you both a heads-up before the environment shifts, as we discussed,” Shari continued, “but otherwise, good luck to the both of you.”
Fate nodded as the communication window winked out. “So,” she called out to Signum, “how do you want to do this?”
“As we’ve done before,” Signum called back as she reached for her Device. “Close combat only, first blood.”
“Alright,” Fate replied, her horn lighting up as Bardiche hovered up before her. “Ready, old friend?”
“I AM AT YOUR COMMAND,” Bardiche replied. “GET SET!”
“Alright then,” Fate smiled. “Bardiche!”
Signum removed her Device from around her neck, the diamond-bladed dagger glinting on its chain. “Laevatein!”
“JA, MEIN MEISTER!”
“Set up!”
There was a thunderclap as Bardiche activated, a spherical barrier of golden lightning forming around Fate. Her uniform dissolved away, the cloth converted into energy and stored away as her long braided mane and tail unwove and fluttered freely. Bardiche’s triangular Standby Form collapsed into a circular golden disc as it assembled itself. Sparks of static sprayed out as pieces of black night-steel, metal forged from solidified shadow by Princess Luna, clicked into place, forming a long-shafted, crescent-bladed pole axe. Fate reached out, catching the Device in one hoof as her Barrier Jacket assembled itself on her body. A crimson body-suit spread quickly over her skin from the neck down, followed by close-fitting black armor plates across her limbs, barrel and chest. A high-necked black cape with golden lining unfurled about her neck, held closed by a gold, crescent-moon shaped brooch. Silver boots slid over her hooves, quickly buckled tight with golden triangular buckles. Finally, her long mane was pulled back into a pair of long pigtails, black ribbons tying them back neatly.
“BARRIER JACKET, STRIKE FORM,” Bardiche announced.
Fate exhaled as the barrier quickly imploded, the layers of armor fusing into her barrier jacket. She watched as Signum’s own barrier collapsed, revealing the Knight clad in her Knight Clothing. Her purple tabard hugged her body close, her heavy metal gauntlets and boots glinting in the sunlight. Laevatein, her sword-shaped Device, hung at her hip in its scabbard, the purple grip gleaming and the large, screw-shaped core clicking as it turned. A purple cloak fluttered against her back, pinned at her neck with a five-pointed star-shaped brooch. Her long magenta hair fluttered behind her as a wide-brimmed, high-peaked hat perched atop her head, just like the one her Mistress wore.
“I see you kept the hat.” Fate smiled, Bardiche hovering to her side and into a ready stance.
“Indeed,” Signum replied, tilting the hat back slightly with one finger before slowly drawing her sword. She shifted her weight, holding Laevatein in a two-handed grip.
Fate and Signum squared off for a brief moment, neither one making the first move.
A breeze stirred their hair.
Signum’s hand stiffened.
Fate’s eyes narrowed.
In an instant, the two combatants sprang forwards, covering the distance between them in a heartbeat. Axe and sword clashed, gold and purple sparks spraying in all directions as they met.
The duel was on.

---

“Wow,” Shari whispered as she watched the monitors, her eyes wide with amazement. “This is crazy. Look at them go…”
“Yeah,” Twilight agreed as she watched the battle. She could see the faint streaks of gold and purple light as Fate and Signum dashed and flew, circling and clashing, dodging and slashing through the air.
“At least the sensors are keeping up with them,” Shari continued, tapping on the console as she watched the monitors. A half-dozen screens hovered in the air, following Fate and Signum as they fought. Several others were measuring magical output, ambient energy levels and other statistics, continually compiling data on the pair. “They aren’t stressing the system too much…”
“You think that,” Vita shook her head, her arms crossed, “but this is just them getting warmed up. I’ll bet you’ll be having a lot more problems once those two get serious, even with the limiters.”
“Doubt it,” Shari replied absentmindedly. “Unless they can teleport or something, the S4’s sensor suite should stay on them.” She reached up and turned the communicator on. “Switching environments!”
“Well, I guess I won’t be winking around during training much,” Twilight noted as Shari typed on the console.
“Huh?” Shari blinked, then face-palmed. “Oh yeah, that’s right. Sorry. I forgot that was a talent of yours. Yeah, I’ll have to ask you to hold off on doing that too much…”
“You call it ‘winking’?” Vita quirked an eyebrow at Twilight.
“It’s an appropriate term for it,” Twilight replied. “Sort of like magical short-hand.”
“I know, it just sounds…”
Zafira coughed. “It seems our students have arrived.”
Twilight turned as four of the trainees made their way down the stairs, Teana in the lead as she vaulted over the stair railing. “Ah! Excellent! Good to see you-” Twilight paused, glancing past them to the stairs, then back to them. “Um… where are Subaru and Scootaloo?”
“They went off on their own,” Teana answered. “They’ll probably be here soon, though. Subaru said something about ‘going out for a spin,’ or something…”
“Off on their own?” Twilight replied in confusion.
“Yeah,” Spike added. “Scootaloo got mad while we were all together, so Subaru went off to talk to her, I guess.”
Hmm… I guess those two’ll get along better than I expected. I’ll have to review the audio logs later. Twilight nodded. “Okay… the question is, where are they now?”
“Well, when I contacted her, Subaru said she was going flying.” Teana pointed skyward, towards the S4. “So I’m guessing they’re up there.”
Twilight turned, following Teana’s gesture, then stared at the green helicopter circling the S4’s perimeter barrier. “You’ve got to be kidding me…”

---

“Best seats in the house, wouldn’t you say?”
Subaru nodded excitedly to Vice as she looked out the cockpit window, watching the flash and swirl of the light through the barrier below. The soft hum of the helicopter’s engines reverberated through the cockpit. “Yeah! Thanks for letting us sit in the cockpit, Vice.”
“No problem. It’s not exactly roomy, even for a four-seater, but it’s a damn sight more comfy than the back.” Vice peered back again. “How’re you doing Scootaloo?”
“Fine,” Scootaloo replied skittishly, her wings pressed tight against her sides as she squirmed in her chair. The seat’s restraints were pulled awkwardly around her body as she shifted about, clearly not suited to her shape. Her nostrils were flared and her ears were flattened against her mane.
“Hey, relax.” Vice glanced back and offered her a thumbs up. “You’re in the hands of Vice Granscenic: Ace Helicopter Pilot. I get it’s your first time, but it’s all under control. No need to be scared.”
Scootaloo exhaled and shook her head. “I’m not scared. I’m just… not a big fan of being carried around in a big metal box, that‘s all.”
“Heh, I can see that. I doubt they have helicopters in Equestria. Hold on, we’re going to do a quick, tight bank.”
The helicopter turned sharply. Subaru held onto her seat as she heard Scootaloo nicker softly.
“Okay,” Scootaloo admitted, “flying around like this isn’t quite as cool as I’d thought it‘d be.”
“You sure you’re okay?” Subaru gave the pegasus a concerned look, which Scootaloo brushed off.
“I said I’m fine.”
“Alright Storm Raider,” Vice ordered, “put us in a hover and engage auto-stabilizers.”
“OKAY,” came a slightly feminine voice from the console. Vice slipped his headset down around his neck and turned in his pilot’s seat, unbuckling his restraints.
“And I’m really not comfortable with the fact that a Device is piloting this thing.” Scootaloo grimaced, looking at the console.
“Don’t worry,” Vice waved a hand. “Storm Raider and I’ve been partners for ages. She may not handle a stick quite like I do, but she can still pilot. So let’s watch the light show!”
Scootaloo grunted as Subaru turned back to the window. There was a soft ‘click’ as Scootaloo unbuckled herself and walked cautiously over to Subaru’s side of the cockpit.
“I wonder who’s fighting,” Subaru noted semi-rhetorically as the environment inside the barrier shifted, shimmering lights slowly resolving into a large forest.
“Looks like Captain Testarossa-Sparkle,” Scootaloo replied, her eyes narrowing. “I recognize that light anywhere.”
“Really? Twilight’s sister?” Subaru leaned in closer to the window. “Wow… it looks like you’re right. I can just barely make her out…”
“Seriously? All I see is the lights,” Scootaloo peered in, pressing her nose to the window. “You must have some crazy good eye-sight.”
“Hey, don’t feel bad Scoots,” Vice chuckled. “All I see are lights too.”
“Please don’t call me that,” Scootaloo huffed.
“Sorry.”
“Still,” Subaru continued, “it’s amazing. I’ve read about Fate Testarossa-Sparkle. She’s the ‘Child of Lightning,’ renowned for her skill and magical prowess. It makes sense she‘s the leader of the Shadowbolts and Princess Luna‘s protégé. Looks like she really is as fast as the stories say.”
“I’ve seen faster,” Scootaloo muttered under her breath.
“Huh?”
“Nothing,” Scootaloo replied. “Anyway, she may be cool to you, but I grew up around ponies like her. Ponyfeathers, for a long time Twilight ran the library in my home town. Seeing super-talented ponies isn‘t all that big a deal.” 
Subaru turned and stared at Scootaloo. “You grew up around Special Instructor Sparkle?!”
“Yeah. I could’ve sworn I mentioned-” Scootaloo squeaked as Subaru grabbed one of her hooves. “H-hey!”
“This is incredible! Not only are you an awesome skater, but you grew up with my idol! I bet you know all kinds of stuff the books never talk about. That settles it; you’re my new best friend! And you’re in my squad! That means I’ll have both of my best friends together with me in the same-”
“Jeez! Ease off!” Scootaloo yanked her hoof free from Subaru’s grip. Subaru pulled back slightly, then looked down nervously.
“S-sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out or anything. I… I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No, I’m fine. Tight grip, though.” Scootaloo rubbed her hoof gingerly.
“Sorry. I guess I got excited. Um… but we can still be friends, right?” Subaru offered the slim mare a nervous smile. “I mean… once we get to know each other bet-”
“Yeah, right. You just want to pick my brain about Twilight.” Scootaloo snorted and trotted back over to her seat. “Leave me out of your dumb obsession, alright? That kind of stuff is for dumb fillies.”
Subaru stared at her as Scootaloo climbed up onto her seat, the pegasus pointedly staring out the other window. She glanced at Vice out of the corner of her eye. The pilot was also looking at Scootaloo, his brows furrowed and his mouth in a tight frown. He glanced at Subaru, then quickly smiled and turned back to the console.
“Okay.” His tone was cheerful, though there was a hint of strain it. “What do you say we get back to flying. Right girls?”
“Um… r-right,” Subaru replied.
“Whatever,” Scootaloo answered.

----

The great scythe-blade of Bardiche’s Crescent Form sizzled through the air, missing Signum by a bare few inches as the Knight dodged back. Fate pushed the advantage, whirling her Device about her body and slashing again and again. Signum parried each strike, sparks flying as Laevatein’s indestructible edge met the arc of plasma. Signum turned her wrist, locking blades with Fate once again, slowly circling with the mare as they hovered a hundred feet above the ground.
“You’ve improved since last time, Fate,” Signum smirked, clearly enjoying herself. “A few more centuries of practice, and you may have a chance of matching me.”
“Maybe I’ve gotten better,” Fate replied, her teeth bared in an adrenaline-fueled grin, “or maybe you’re just feeling your age, Signum. Bardiche!”
“SELENE FORM!”
The pole-axe’s head rotated back downward, the energy scythe dissolving as its long, curved edge hooked itself around Signum’s sword. Sparks flew as Fate yanked her pole-arm back, her horn glowing as she threw her own telekinesis behind Bardiche’s auto-suspension enchantment.
Signum followed the pull, shoulder-checking into Fate. The unicorn grunted, but didn’t give way. Bardiche twisted sharply, yanking Laevatein from Signum’s hand and sending it spinning through the air behind Fate.
Signum drew back as her sword buried itself point-first in a nearby high-rise building, the environment having shifted to an urban setting. She quickly drew her scabbard, using it to parry an overhead chop from Fate. “Impressive. Not many can say they’ve successfully disarmed me.”
“Like I said, maybe I’ve been practicing,” Fate grinned, then quickly whipped the butt of Bardiche’s staff at Signum. The Knight, however, flitted away, her body flashing brightly as she accelerated at break-neck speed. Fate pursued, a golden contrail following her as she did so.
There was a wrench of stone and metal as Signum ripped her sword from its resting place. She slammed it into her scabbard as Fate approached. “Hunt her down, Laevatein!”
“SCHLANGEBEIßEN!” There was a sharp report as Laevatein triggered a cartridge. The sword’s blade rapidly segmented into a long chain of blades as Signum drew it from its scabbard, the V-shaped sections of steel connected together by a thin tether of purple light.
Fate barrel-rolled as the blade slithered past her. She could, however, hear the tell-tale rattling as the blade swerved to come in for a second pass. “Bardiche, go Astray!”
“BARRIER JACKET, ASTRAY FORM!”
Fate’s Barrier Jacket seemed to explode, armor and undersuit alike peeling off of her limbs, the armor plating growing more streamlined. Her black cape flashed gold, quickly changing into dragonfly-wing-shaped jets of light.
Signum’s attack met empty air as Fate accelerated, her movements a faint blur of yellow. The knight fell back, parrying the mare’s rapid-fire strikes with her chain blade as sparks of mana flew in every direction.
Golden static flashed across Bardiche’s axe-head as Fate swept the Device back behind her. A set of small energy wings flared out from behind it. “ASTRAY IMPACT,” the Device announced.
Signum quickly raised her free hand, a shield of energy shaped like a Belkan triangle forming before her as Fate swung. Bardiche struck home like a rocket, the sheer kinetic force of the strike smashing the shield apart and sending Signum flying backwards into a skyscraper. Shards of glass and chunks of concrete flew in all directions from the simulated building, hiding Signum’s impact-point from view.
Fate huffed, Bardiche hovering before her in a defensive posture. “You alright, Signum?!”
There was a pause, right before there was a flash of purple light that bisected the building at a sharp angle. The skyscraper’s upper portion bent, then began to fall towards Fate.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Fate tensed her muscles, her Barrier Jacket’s wings flashing brightly as she did a sharp turn and flew backwards, right as the falling chunk of building was quickly crisscrossed by distinctive lines of purple light. The rattling of chains echoed in the air as the building was quickly reduced to falling debris.
Fate raised a barrier as Signum dove down through the clouds of concrete and dust. Laevatein’s Schlangenform quickly recoiled and reformed into its more traditional shape as Signum slashed at Fate’s barrier, cracks spreading across its surface before she broke through. Fate spun, quickly parrying the Knight’s follow-up swing as Signum rushed her, chunks of building falling all around them as they slashed and parried at one another, the strikes so quick they were only flashes of black and silver. The two duelists swirled around one-another, neither one able to break away from the other as they fell downwards.
Then, the world shifted again. The cityscape and the falling debris dissolved away, leaving an empty space behind. Fate and Signum broke free of their melee just as they reached the ground, the pair landing before quickly rushing each other.
They swung.

---

“I can’t look!” Caro covered her eyes.
Twilight, despite herself, felt her breath catch in her throat as they struck. Neither one moved.
“Caro,” Erio said gently, reassuring the little mage, “it’s alright. See? They’re both okay.”

---

Fate slowly unclenched her teeth, her body trembling with tension as she felt a slight sting at the side of her head, just below her right ear. Signum’s eyes were narrowed, her sword-arm trembling slightly as Bardiche bit into her left side.
For what seemed like an eternity, neither one moved.
Fate was the first to break the stillness, slowly pulling Bardiche away from Signum’s side, revealing a shallow gash just under her rib-cage. The Knight returned the favor, Laevatein’s tip stained slightly crimson from the cut on Fate‘s head.
“A tie, then,” Signum noted.
Fate nodded. 
“Interesting. Of the all the times we’ve dueled, Fate, this is the first time we’ve tied.” Signum slowly cleaned her blade, then sheathed it. “I commend you for it.”
“Thank you, Signum.” Fate exhaled. This was indeed a first. She didn’t know how many times she’d fought Signum one-on-one, but every time she could remember, she’d ended up losing. Sometimes she’d been beaten soundly, others it’d been a close fight. But this time, she’d actually tied with her. Had she really gotten that good?
She exhaled, resting Bardiche against her withers. “Shari?”
“Y-yes, Captain?” A communication window flickered in before her. Shari looked more than a little shell-shocked.
“I think we’re done here. You can lower the barrier.”
“Yes, ma’am. Right away.”

---

“So, what do you think?”
Teana couldn’t find the proper words when Twilight asked her question, her eyes still a bit wide and her mouth a little dry. Both Knight Signum and Captain Testarossa-Sparkle were mages so powerful and skilled that they were like squads unto themselves. She’d read enough about both of them to know how powerful they were. However, there was a difference between reading about it and actually seeing it in practice.
So THAT is what an Ace is capable of. What a mage of that skill and power is able to do.
“It was very impressive,” Erio said, his voice quickly bringing Teana back to reality. There was a soft rush of air as Signum and Fate landed on the pier, their Devices deactivating and their Barrier Jackets fading away in a swirl of mana. Teana suddenly felt very, very small as the two of walked over towards them, Fate’s tail swishing as she walked beside Signum. 
Twilight quickly moved to Fate’s side, her horn glowing gently. “Here, let me take care of that, Fate.”
Fate sighed. “It’s only a small-”
“It’s still an injury.”
Fate closed her eyes and politely lowered her head, allowing Twilight to apply a healing spell to the cut. When she was done, the purple unicorn turned to Signum. “You’re next.”
“As you wish, Twilight Sparkle,” Signum replied.
“You bet I wish. Was it really necessary to aim for her head, Signum?” Twilight sounded irritated as she applied the healing spell to Signum’s wound.
“It was the largest target available,“ Signum replied calmly.
“Sure, but one misstep and you’d have taken-“
Twilight stopped when Fate reached over and rested a hoof on her withers. “It’s alright, Twilight.”
Twilight grimaced, giving Fate an irritated look as the golden mare turned to the trainees. “Do any of you have any questions for either of us?”
“Um…” Caro glance nervously over at Signum. “Are the both of you going to be teaching us?”
“No,” Signum replied. “Captain Testarossa-Sparkle will be, but I am not.”
“Oh.”
Teana let out a relieved breath at that. I’m not sure I’d like to be taught by someone who goes for a headshot in a sparring match…
“Don’t get your hopes up if you’re expecting it to be easy just because Signum’s not one of your teachers.” Vita walked over and stood in front of the trainees, hands on her hips as she smirked. “You still have to deal with me, after all. Trust me, when I‘m done with you, you‘ll wish you had Signum. She‘d just put you in the med bay. I‘m not so merciful.”
“Vita, it’s not wise to frighten our students.” Zafira padded over to the little Knight.
“I’m not frightening them, I’m just giving them fair warning, that’s all.” Vita smirked up at the much taller wolf-man, then turned back to regard the others. Teana could recognize the look in Vita’s eyes. She’d seen a similar degree of enthusiasm in the drill instructors during the academy.
I guess it’s a bit too late to back out now…
“Um… ma’am?” Erio looked to Fate as he raised his hand.
“Yes, Erio?”
“I don’t want to impose, ma’am, but I’m assuming that, given my weapon of choice, you’ll be tutoring me in armed combat?”
“That’s correct, Erio.” Fate replied with a small smile. “Considering your skill set is very close to mine, we should be a perfect match.”
A perfect match? Great… Teana let out a soft grunt as she closed her eyes.

---

The sun was beginning its slow descent when Teana entered her room. Truthfully, she wasn’t entirely glad to be back in her room by herself. After the shock from Fate and Signum’s duel had worn off, Teana had been giving some deep consideration to her place in the new unit. She’d excused herself from the group once they’d returned to the barracks, leaving Spike with Captain Harlaown’s wards.
She groaned softly and flopped onto the lower part of the shared bunk bed, staring blankly up at the smooth white underside of the upper bed with her legs hanging off the edge.
A dragon summoner from Alzas, an actual dragon, a pegasus that likely has her own natural Rare Skills, a kid whose style matches one of our Ace-level instructors… Teana ticked down the list mentally, grimacing as she did so. And then there’s Subaru, who’s probably going to end up playing teacher’s pet to Special Instructor Sparkle in addition to all her other advantages. Am I the only one here that’s… normal? 
Teana’s train of thought paused as the door hissed open. She heard Subaru’s footfalls, followed by the sound of the closet door being opened. “Subaru?”
There was a grunted reply, which made Teana sit up on her bed. Subaru’s eyes were downcast as she walked over to the desk, then took a seat backwards on the chair, her arms folding over the headrest as she leaned forward, straddling the backrest.
“Um…” Teana stared at her normally upbeat companion. “Are you alright Subaru?”
Subaru didn’t say anything as she slowly rocked the chair side-to-side.
“Subaru?”
“Tea,” Subaru muttered softly, “am I a jerk?”
Teana considered that statement for a moment. “Well…”
Subaru gave her a puppy-dog stare, causing Teana to pause mid-sentence, resting her hands in her lap. “You can be… over enthusiastic sometimes, Subaru. Why? Did something happen?” Teana leaned forward, her hands clenching slightly. “Did that pony-”
“Scootaloo probably thinks I’m a jerk or something.” Subaru pouted, her chin resting on the back of the desk chair. The blue-haired girl spun around in the chair, doing a single rotation before coming to a stop. “I was trying to be friends with her, but I had to open my big dumb mouth about Twilight…”
Teana sighed. “Look, Subaru, you can’t be friends with everyone. I could’ve told you that. If Scootaloo doesn’t want to be your friend, then fine. Her loss.”
“But…”.
“But?”
Subaru sighed heavily and spun the chair around again. “Nothing… never mind.”
Teana shook her head and climbed to her feet, walking over and patting Subaru’s shoulder. “It’s alright, Subaru. You’ve still got me.”
“Yeah… it’s just… I dunno. I think Scootaloo’d be really cool to have as a friend, you know.”
Teana did her best to ignore the pang of jealousy in the back of her mind. “I know Subaru, I know…”

---

“Not exactly the best start,” Twilight noted with a grimace as she closed the recordings out, stretching as she rose to her hooves.
“Did you expect it’d be?” Fate glanced over at her from her spot on the large bed, her hairbrush humming along as she ran it through her tail. 
“Not really, but I’d hoped it wouldn’t be quite this bad.” Twilight sighed and glanced around at the quarters she was sharing with Fate. The large windows that dominated the sloped far wall provided an excellent view of the bay, while the sleeping space was raised off of the main floor by a short flight of stairs. If she had a complaint, it was the fact that she’d be sharing a bed with Fate. A very large and comfy-looking bed, but a single bed nonetheless. 
“New units always have teething troubles,” Fate observed, tugging the brush with her magic as it snagged, the evening sun catching in the golden locks. “Especially special ones like these. I should know.”
“True, but I doubt the Shadowbolt candidates were this quick to get hostile with one another,” Twilight replied as she climbed up the stairs. “Between Scootaloo’s trust issues, Spike and Friedrich’s little spat, and the whole host of problems Erio and Caro have, this unit’s looking more like it needs a therapist than an instructor.”
“True,” Fate nodded. “But eventually, things will be sorted out.”
Twilight grunted, then let out a yawn as she climbed onto the bed, burying her face into the pillow. “Be honest with me, Fate,” she groaned. “Am I in over my head?”
“No,” Fate replied. “You’ve handled worse friendship problems than these. Just think of this as a practical application of your lessons in friendship.”
Twilight paused, then rolled onto her side. “You’re right, I have. This isn’t any different from some of the problems I’ve had with the girls… I can handle this. No problem.”
“That’s the big sister I know,” Fate leaned in and nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “We should probably turn in early tonight. Training starts in earnest tomorrow, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember.” Twilight nodded, before she quickly climbed off the bed. “Just let me put a few ideas down… I think I may have something that might work…”