A Midsummer Night's Dream.

by Killbles

Oh boy we've got Trouble...

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Chapter Twelve: Oh boy we've got Trouble...

Although Lighting Streak didn’t know it, his statement was unnervingly accurate. The two weeks leading up to the Senate inquiry were some of the worst Shane and Michael had experienced, their time perpetually spent collecting every scrap of evidence, every file, every record of the Jaegers, both in Equestria and on Earth.  They delegated most of the initial training of the four potential teams to Soarin and Wave Chill, their faith in the pilot’s basic abilities enough that they trusted them to guide the recruits through the early stage of the training. The week leading up to the start of the Senate Inquiry was hectic, the new cadets had arrived and settled into the Shatterdome, leaving Soarin and Wave Chill up to their necks in work as they suddenly found themselves teaching eight ponies the basics. Shane and Michael had it no easier, constantly receiving letters from the two princesses concerning the inquiry and regular status updates on the Jaeger hulls from Twilight. Michael was wondering where all the time had gone two weeks later when he was busy packing a large rucksack to take to Canterlot. Soarin watched him curiously from the comer, silently observing the process the human was dutifully undertaking.
“You should’ve done this earlier.” He remarked, noting that Michael had managed to find, lose, find again and then lose the same sheet of paper in the last five minutes.
Michael fixed the Pegasus with a withering look but keep his mouth shut, knowing the pilot was right.
“So who’s running the show while you’re gone?” Soarin asked after a few minutes of silence, deciding it was safe enough to talk again without risking his head leaving its shoulders.
“You’re in charge while we’re gone. I wouldn’t expect anything crazy to happen but if it does, contact us immediately. We’re left you with a training schedule but go with your gut if something seems off.” Michael said, zipping his backpack shut before throwing it carelessly into the corner of his desk. He saw Soarin’s dubious look and flashed him a reassuring smile. “We hopefully shouldn’t be gone too long.”
At that moment Shane barged in, a large knapsack resting gently on one shoulder. “Ready to roll? Luna’s courier just landed.”
“Great.” Michael deadpanned, suddenly wishing he could stay in the relative safety of the shatterdome, surrounded by ponies he could at least somewhat trust. ‘Canterlot’ seemed less appealing by the second. He stuffed a few loose pieces of paper into the folder he was presenting with before tucking the messy binder under the crook of his arm. He grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder with a single deft motion, already wishing he could unpack it all again.
“Lead on.” He gestured.
Shane was happy to oblige, leading them up several levels before emerging out on one of the shatterdome’s expansive balconies. This one had been turned into an impromptu landing pad of sorts, a medium sized airship with a midnight blue paint scheme idling noisily in the early morning air. The ship was sleek, a stark comparison to the large and bulky airships the Equestrian Air Force seemed to favour. A few crew members stood around, busy pumping some sort of oil into the ship’s massive fuel tanks or loading supplies of some description. A unicorn hailed them as they approached, quickly showing them up a dubious looking gangway and into the craft’s interior.
“Please excuse our rush, the Captain wants to get moving before some unfavourable weather sets in.” He apologised, showing them to a well-decorated although somewhat dim room set at the back of the ship. “Make yourselves comfortable, we’ll be casting off soon.”
 

 
The trip took the better part of the day, the courier not reaching Canterlot until well after the moon had risen above the horizon. The small airship looped lazily through the night sky, a calm but overcast evening which seemed silent other than the constant drone of the aircraft’s engines. The moon cast a pale silver light over the clouds, making it look like a slowly tumbling ocean. A few mountain peaks broke through the dense cloud cover, spires of rock and earth in an otherwise featureless landscape.
“You know, I could get used to this.” Michael sighed wistfully, leaning back on a small pile of pillows he’d made in their well-furnished cabin. He gazed up through the large port which sat in the ceiling, watching the stars slowly wheel overhead as the airship entered a shallow turn.
“Agreed.” Shane muttered, looking up from a small language guide he was reading. “You know, it wouldn’t hurt to spruce the shatterdome up a little. Grey walls and piping isn’t exactly the prettiest thing in the world.”
Michael squirmed a little. “I like it that way. Reminds me a little of home.”
“Home.” Shane echoed quietly. They’d been in Equestria for nearly a year. A year without human contact, a year with only a few scraps to remind them of where they were from and who they were. Shane had rooted through the wreck of Brawler Yukon during the salvage, both to recover as much as he could to use on Midsummer Night and to search for any workable parts from Brawler’s own experimental teleporter. Needless to say, months under the crushing ice and snow hadn’t been kind to the machine and anything of value had been either crushed under the Jaeger’s own weight or corroded to all hell. It was a sobering experience but one he’d quickly accepted, other than Michael and his Jaeger, Earth hadn’t really held much for him.
Michael on the other hand, had taken it slightly less well. It wasn’t to say he was moody, but he’d certainly become attached to the small things which reminded him of home, the odd little decorations in his office and his quarters were perfect examples.
“Do you think we’ll get home?” Michael asked.
Shane shrugged. “I can think of one way and I’ll just say now, I’d rather stay here.”
“And that would be?” Michael asked sceptically.
Shane looked back at his book nonchalantly. “The breach.”
Michael’s jaw dropped. “You’re crazy.”
“I didn’t say it was a good idea.” Shane said defensively. “But I mean, if the Kaiju are coming through the breach like they are on Earth… I’d guess there’s a way back through the portal.”
Michael stared back out the window, “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Shane let out a heartfelt sigh. “Look, I get what you mean but I don’t think we run away now. Look how far we’ve come, look how much we’ve achieved.” He pointed out. “You want to leave that all behind?”
Michael squirmed again. “Not really…”
“Well then I think you should get used to call this place home.” Shane said bluntly. “You said so yourself, you like it here.”
Michael remained silent for a few moments. “We have come a long way, haven’t we?’
“Yeah, just to think I nearly shot the damn Head of our Jaeger development team…” Shane muttered, transcribing a few symbols from the guide onto paper. “I would’ve never imagined us doing this a year ago.”
There was a quiet knock on the door, prompting both humans to snap their heads around to look at it. There was a moment of tense silence before Michael answered.
“Enter.’
A bulky unicorn, one of Luna’s underlings who’d shown them in before, slowly pushed the door open and bowed to the both of them.
The aide cleared his throat. “Her highness has invited you to the bridge while we make the final approach into Canterlot, she thinks you would appreciate it.”
“Not one to say no…” Michael muttered, hauling himself off his pile of cushions and following Shane out the door, stooping his head so he didn’t hit it on the doorframe. They followed the pony down a series of narrow corridors before arriving at the ship’s bridge, a large gondola-like structure which hung from the bottom of the airship like a small mound. A series of windows wrapped around the walls, making it feel like they suddenly in a large fishbowl.
“Michael, Shane.” Luna said lightly, perched on a small chair off to side of the bustling command centre. “How has your trip been?”
“Good thank you. I was not aware you were on board…” Michael said cautiously.
Luna laughed quietly, an oddly pleasant sound that reminded him of a tinkling bell. “We haven’t, we only joined the flight some ten minutes ago.”
“Fair enough.” Michael muttered, drifting slowly over to the panoramic display that drifted past the window. They were sinking rather quickly, the airship rapidly dropping until it was skimming just above the cloud layer.
“Sirs, starboard side at our two o’clock.” The navigator said coolly. It took Michael and Shane a moment to realise she was addressing them. They spun their heads to follow her directions.
“Well isn’t that something.” Michael remarked, resisting the urge to press his face against the window like a small child in an ice-cream parlour. Through a hole in the cloud layer he could make out a gleaming city of white and gold built into the side of the mountain. Spires of pure white reached up to the heavens, each tipped with a gold cap and a large star-like emblem. Several waterfalls tumbled down from the lowest tiers of the city, cascading down several hundred metres of sheer mountainside before finally floating to the ground in a fine silver mist. The whole structure seemed to defy physics, a masterpiece of engineering which would’ve had any human engineer frothing at the mouth in awe.
“Damn.” Shane breathed, his eyes going wide at the sight. The airship dropped lower, each individual light burning in the fortresses’ windows becoming visible as they dipped below the clouds.
An amused grin crossed Luna’s face and it occurred to Michael that she’d asked them up to the bridge just to see their reactions. The princess quickly regained her decorum and motioned to the city. “Welcome to Canterlot.”
 
Barely twenty minutes later the airship had docked in a berth behind what Luna had pointed out was the Royal Palace, a sprawling affair which seemed to take up a fair portion of the city. A small crowd of ponies met the ship, a small gaggle of ground crew already busy unloading luggage and tying the airship down, a dozen guards in gleaming gold ceremonial armour and a small mob of low ranking flunkies that heckled for Luna’s attention as soon as she stepped down the gangway. She dismissed them with an annoyed wave and turned her attention to Shane and Michael, both of whom were still staring at the towering spires that reached towards the clouds with a mixture of awe and fascination.
“I’ll assign you an equerry for the duration of your stay. They will both serve as your guide and escort.”
“Escort?” Shane asked cheekily. “You think someone would attack us?”
Luna scoffed. “Hardly, you are both our guests and heroes. I think a knife between the ribs is a little out of the question.”
“Agreed, I doubt a would-be assassin could reach.” Shane remarked dryly, eyeing the short spears the guards carried warily.
Luna, now leading the way towards the palace on foot, threw a look back at him. “It would do well to watch your tongue-in-cheek behaviour.”
“Excuse me?” Shane asked.
Luna rolled her eyes. “There is a certain amount of etiquette required in the Senate. Watch your tongue, lest it put it somewhere you’d rather not be.” She cautioned. “While we think the amount of formalities is somewhat unneeded, it is unfortunately what is expected.”
“Great, rubbing palms with the upper crust is the downside to being a Jaeger pilot.” Shane remarked sourly. “Half of them just want you to increase their power and the other just want a good- ooffph!” He exclaimed suddenly, running into a skinny pony unexpectedly rounding the corner in front of them. There was a crash, Shane tripping over the short pony and nearly ending face down on the smooth cobblestones. Much to his credit, the short stallion recovered quickly and started apologising profusely upon noticing Luna leading the small formation. Unlike most of the ponies either had met, this one seemed much more upper-class, his well-trimmed (although now slightly dusty) jacket and thin framed glasses giving off an air of authority and power.
Luna cleared her throat awkwardly. “This is Senator Hammerlock, he is the elected representative for the Manehatten district.” Her voice suddenly sounded inside their heads. “He is also rather influential in the senate so it would pay to be polite.” She said, stressing the last word in particular. “Hammerlock, these are the human Marshalls, Michael and Shane.”
Michael whacked his temple softly. “Warn me before you do that please?”
Luna rolled her eyes silently, leaving Hammerlock with a puzzled look on his face. The pony recovered quickly though and he bowed his head to them respectfully.
“Good evening to the both of you, a pleasure to finally meet you.” He said cheerfully, adding a solemnly nod to Luna. “Your highness.”
Luna gracefully nodded in return. “Hammerlock is a supporter of you and your machines. The same most probably goes for the majority of his constituents.”
“Well, I represent a small portion of Manehatten at least, the central city to be exact, but I think everypony is in your debt. Not only have you personally saved or city twice but your actions have also provided Equestria with the means to fight back.” He paused for a moment. “You must be very proud of yourself.”
Shane mumbled something under his breath awkwardly, not expecting to hear such praise.
“Hammerlock, are taking part in the committee?” Luna asked curiously.
“Naturally, I have much to present to my colleagues on the matter.” The gaunt stallion proclaimed. “
“Good to hear.” Luna purred contently. “Now if you’ll excuse us, I need to show our guests to their chambers.”
Hammerlock bowed again. “Don’t let me hold you up. Marshalls, Princess.” He nodded to each in turn before trotting off, humming a faint tune to himself.
“He’s a good pony, it’ll be a shame when he retires.” Luna muttered, her gaze drifting after the retreating senator. She seemed lost for a moment before regaining her direction, shaking her head as if clearing a bad memory, “Nonetheless, we must press on. Your chambers are just up above.” Luna motioned, leading the small group onwards again. They climbed a series of intricate stairs, each one carved from a stone of pure white and entered the palace through a narrow gate guarded by another half-dozen watchmen. The castle’s interior was no less lavish than the outside, large banners hanging from the ceiling, each depicting the solar sisters, some hero of Equestria or simply a large blazing sun and crescent moon. Thick red carpets swathed the hard stone floors, muffling their footsteps which echoed around the high ceilings of the palace’s halls.
“You sure didn’t skimp on this place.” Shane remarked with a low whistle, completely taken away by the opulence of the royal palace.
Luna remained silent for a moment, not offering her view on the matter and led them up a large staircase. “Royalty has some perks.” She admitted loathingly.
“Need a holiday?” Shane jeered.
Luna scowled at him, her fierce look the only response she gave on the matter. “Your lodgings are through here, take your pick from any of the guest rooms.” Luna said pointedly, “A guide will be along to take you to the hearing in the morning. I trust these will be suitable in the meantime.”
“Very…” Michael said quietly, pushing one of the doors open to discover the opulence didn’t end out in the corridor. The rooms, although small by human standards, were exquisitely made out, every expense being made for the castle’s guests. A large four-poster bed seemed to dominate the room and a set of wide windows gave an almost panoramic view of the city below. He walked in slowly, his head tilting back to gaze at the intricate design of the ceiling.
Luna coughed quietly. “I’ll leave you two to get settled in, until the morning then.”
Michael nodded. “Until the morning.”
 

 
 
Michael was awakened by a quiet knocking, like an insistent woodpecker banging on the tough bark of a tree. He rolled out of the bed with a groan and groggily made his way over to the door. The bed was a little too small for him, clearly its designers hadn’t had a six foot tall giant in mind when they’d made it. Muttering under his breath, he yanked it open to reveal a tall guard standing outside.
“Sorry to disturb you sir, I thought I would wake you as the senate will be seating within the hour.” The pony said politely. Like most of the guards Michael had seen around the palace, he was decked in an ornate set of ceremonial armour although his garb seemed slightly more ornate than most. A single stripe emblazoned with a sun was embossed on his gorget, possibly a mark of rank or a personal emblem of some kind. Michael’s eyes drifted up to the guard’s blue mane which shot out the crest of his helmet like an ancient roman legionnaire in a way that Michael found impossible to comprehend.
“And you would be?’ Michael asked boredly.
The guard seemed a little embarrassed at his lack of manners. “Flash Sentry, sir. I’m to be your guide for the duration of your stay.”
“Swell.” Michael said blandly. “Mind giving me a moment?”
“Of course, sir.” Flash said, closing the door and backing away. Michael paused for a moment, smiling slightly as he heard the process being repeated across the hall. He busied himself, pulling out a freshly pressed uniform and making sure he looked and smelt respectable. Fifteen minutes later he was out in the corridor, a slightly put-out Shane next to him.
“Enjoy your wakeup call?” Michael asked jauntily.
Shane shot him a glare. “I was already awake.” He muttered under his breath. He withheld any other comment though as Flash Sentry reappeared and gestured for them to follow him. “There’s time for a quick breakfast, I’ll take you to the Senator’s Hall after.” The guard said cheerily, showing them down a long spiral staircase and down a winding series of passageways which dumped them into a wide mess hall.
“If there were more time you could dine in one of the palace’s dining rooms but this’ll have to do. The food all comes from the same kitchens so it’s still pretty good here anyway.” Flash explained, taking his helmet off and finding a seat for them, ignoring the stares of the three or four dozen guards who were already eating. Making sure they were comfortable her vanished, returning a few moments later with two plates laden with boiled vegetables, some toast with a collection of spreads.
Flash didn’t sit with them though, instead mingling with a few other guards who Michael figured were other officers from the markings on their armour and the way the bulk of the other guards stayed away from them. Even then he seemed remarkably out of place and no sooner than Michael and Shane had finished their plates, he was ready to usher them along.
“You have problems with the other guards?” Michael inquired once they had returned to the lengthy halls of the palace.
Flash sighed, his wings flaring slightly in irritation. “Other way around, most of the other officers don’t really like me.”
“Any reason?”
Their guide smiled thinly. “I’m good at my job. I get past on my own merits rather than using my family connections to get me prestige. I’m the Captain of the Guard’s aide, something many of the ‘higher class’ guards are envious of. ”
“Fun.” Shane remarked sourly.
“Hardly what I’d call fun- wait, you’re joking right?”
Shane rolled his eyes, great someone oblivious to sarcasm. “What do you think?” He muttered under his breath.
They rounded a corner, a high pair of ornately carved doors coming into view. Waiting at the edge of the doorway patiently was Celestia, her long flowing mane still shimmering despite the lack of a draft.
“Marshalls, good to see you again.” Celestia said cordially. “We don’t have long before the committee starts so, please, follow me.” She gestured trough the wide doorway before leading them through, Flash tagging along behind loyally.
“This is the Senator’s hall.” Celestia explained as they entered the expansive chamber beyond. Like most of the place, it had high ceilings and broad ceiling to ceiling windows. The chamber was semicircular in shape, dominated by a series of rising, ringed chairs and desks. “The entire senate can convene here but today we’ll be facing just a small council, no more than about 15 or so.”
“How many in the full senate?” Michael asked, his eyes immediately drawn to a long U-shaped table which sat in the middle of the hall. There were already some ponies, presumably senators seated there, each of them breaking off from their conversations when they noticed Celestia.
“Three hundred and twenty.” Celestia responded quietly, gesturing them to another long table which ran across the top of the senator’s table. Some of the ponies were now watching Shane and Michael curiously, their eyes following them closely as they sat down at the table. They noticed Hammerlock siting over on the right side of the table, deep in conversation with another senator sporting a moustache that seemed to dominate most of his face. A few more senators drifted in and took their seats along opposite edge of the long table, facing Michael and Shane with blank expressions. The pony sitting in the centre cleared her throat loudly and called the meeting to order, formally welcoming the two of them before introducing the other members of the panel. With the formalities the assembled senators wasted no time in firing off their first questions, nodding occasionally and asking follow up questions when some point one of them brought to light confused them or needed further explanation.
It quickly became apparent that most of the senators present were more curious than anything, only one being openly opposed to the Jaeger program. Their questions in particular seemed borderline accusatory rather the inquisitive ones posed by the other senators, aimed at exploring the flaws in the program and the massive amounts of funding needed to keep the Jaegers afloat.
It was starting to sorely test both Michael and Shane’s patience.
The senator in particular, Senator Lotus from Bolton, was particularly pushing their buttons. Celestia, who had had taken to quietly sitting at the back of the chamber to watch the proceedings, was forced to intervene at one point, warning the belligerent senator to watch her line of questioning. Most though, were much more pleasant.
“What about mounting Jaeger class weapons on defensive emplacements? Say, turrets and bastions equipped with these large scale weapons?” One of them, a senator from the west coast, asked.
“Most Kaiju are too agile to hit reliably with short-ranged, static weapons. A Jaeger can bring these weapons to bear in both a way that allows it target critical locations while still remaining durable. Static weapons also have the inherent disadvantage that they are well, static, hundreds of turrets would be needed to adequately protect a single stretch of coastline. Coupled with the sheer logistics of supplying these emplacements I think a Jaeger would be cheaper and more effective.”
Hammerlock looked over the rim of his glasses and added to his colleague’s question. “Why not make them longer ranged?”
“We accept the trade-off in range for power, we’d much rather bring down a Kaiju in a single volley than in twenty. Additionally, as I said before, Kaiju are fairly agile and have been quite adept at dodging our own conventional weapons despite their advanced guidance packages, which I will point are more advanced than your own.”
Hammerlock nodded. “A fair point, what about energy weapons? The file you prepared for us mentions your Jaegers using them.”
“They’re short-ranged by nature, atmospheric blooming prevents their effective use over more than maybe, say, 100 metres? Anything further and the energy is too dissipated to be effective.” Michael answered curtly.
“I see, so your Jaegers are designed for short ranged confrontations in mind?”
“That is correct, sir.”
Hammerlock made a satisfied sound. “Well, I think that about sells me.”
“Hardly.” Senator Lotus put in. “If a proposed static defence network were implemented, how many platforms would be needed? I think you greater overestimate the number required.”
Michael leaned back in his chair uncomfortably. “How long is Equestria’s eastern coastline?”
“About 3900 kilometres, give or take.” Celestia answered quietly from behind. Some of the senators sat up a little straighter, as if they were suddenly remembering that Celestia was present.
“Well, you’d want a battery every 500 metres or so, probably closer together even but I’ll go with the bare minimum for now. Assume each battery would take maybe 20 million to erect and arm… Well you can do the math.”
Shane decided to pitch in. “And then you have a system which might, might be able to hold back a medium sized Category II Kaiju. Anything larger will just stroll on in, stomp a battery or two and then be the middle of a city. You’re royal screwed if you get one, like the most recent attack in fact, that tunnels.”
Lotus glared at him and fell silent, the other senators quickly scribbling down notes and murmuring lowly to each other. Shane smirked and shot a look at Michael.
“Yeah, thought that might shut her up.”
 
“Alright, what’s her beef?” Shane grumbled during a brief recess just after midday. They’d been in the chambers for nearly four hours now, four hours of almost constant interjections and loaded questions from the irritating senator.
Celestia seemed to regard the senator for a moment over her thin slice of cake, a snack a waiter had brought in for the assembled committee. “Senator Lotus has always been a very opinionated pony, one who always jumps head first into the lion’s mouth without necessarily thinking it through.” Celestia explained. “She’s lost a lot over the last year, her wife was killed in the Kaiju attack on Bolton, something she personally blames you two for.”
Shane baulked. “Why?”
Celestia shook her head. “The last year has given many ponies to form their own theories about the monsters now arriving on our shores, there is a small faction which believes they followed you or are merely running from something and lash out in self-defence. She subscribes to that first theory.”
“Now what would scare a Kaiju?” Michael asked, before suddenly wishing he hadn’t.
“I’d rather not think of that.” Celestia muttered.
Shane scoffed derisively. “Well I bet none of those ‘theory makers’ have ever seen a Kaiju up close before. I can tell you, when you see one of the beasts hunting someone, that really changes your perspective a bit.”
“Someone?” Celestia questioned dubiously.
“There are many recorded events of Kaiju hunting individuals, stopping at nothing until said individual is either dead or something else, such as a Jaeger, catches their attention.” Michael explained.
Celestia seemed to pale, an impressive feat considering her already snow white coat. She seemed to wonder if the two humans were playing with her before she decided the serious looks they wore had no humour about them. “Regardless, she is somepony you should tread lightly around.” Celestia warned. “Otherwise you might find yourself somewhere you’d rather not be.”
 
After the brief recess more questions were fired off from both sides of the table, some reasonable ones, others less so. At one point Lotus started asking about the arrival of the Kaiju coincided with their appearance before someone helpfully reminded her that wasn’t what they were there for. Lotus took it in her stride though and instead fired off another question.
“Has it occurred to you that instances of collateral damage would be less without the presence of your so called Jaegers? So far several of your operations have caused a great amount of collateral damage whether that be in the form of improperly disposed of remains or physical damage from the passage of your Jaegers.”
“Combat doctrine typically suggests fighting away from civilian infrastructure, ma’am.” Michael answered levelly, noting that she had failed to mention damage actually caused by the Kaiju.
“Well, obviously that wasn’t very well observed…” She replied flatly, scribing something down quickly on her notepad. “Tell me,-.”
“No, how about you tell me something, ma’am.” Michael interrupted. “What is the point of this personal crusade against our program? Tell me, are you looking out for the greater interests of your nation or just a fulfilling a desire for vengeance?”
“We’re the one asking the questions, Marshall.” Lotus snapped back. “It is not your place to question my motives.”
Michael took the bait. “I think I know more of your motives than you do about this hearing.”
“I am knowledgeable enough in this field.” Lotus shot back. “Firsthand experience.”
Michael laughed. “Way I see it ma’am, you’re about as knowledgeable on this matter as a kid running a nuclear reactor. I do not care for your opinion, I do not care for what you think unless that thought so happens to be ‘Gee, these experts we brought in seem to know what they’re talking about, maybe I should listen to them!’. He snapped crossly. “And until that thought goes through what sludge passes as your brain matter, I don’t think you should have a part in this goddamn debate.”
Lotus looked down at him haughtily. “You disrespect my intelligence?”
Michael smiled thinly, ignoring the silent cutting gestures from Shane as he verbally tore into the pony. “No ma’am, calling it intelligence would be an insult to the mentally handicapped.”
The chamber broke out in murmurs, a few ponies to the left side of the table snickering quietly. Lotus through ignored this and drew herself up to her full, unimpressive height. “I’ll have you jailed for contempt.” She warned icily.
Michael laughed. “I’d like to see you try.”
Behind him, Shane pressed his forehead into his palm.
 

 
“You just had to say that, didn’t you?” Shane remarked, trying but miserably failing to withhold a smile at his brother’s predicament.
Michael glared out through the cell door, a gaze which Shane was sure would’ve melted steel. He crossed his arms across his chest and leaned his head against the cold stone wall behind him. “Shut up.”
The door behind them creaked open slowly, a pair of guards ushering in Luna before leaving again. The alicorn wasted no time in fixing Michael with a flat expression, an irritated look which seemed to sum her feelings up instantly. “You lasted one day. One day before getting yourself in trouble. Not only did you make a fool of yourself in front of the committee, we now also owe Celestia several bits.” She said like someone who’d been beaten by their younger cousin at their favourite video game all day.
“You bet on that?” Shane asked, his disbelief evident in his voice.
A trace of an amused smirk crossed Luna’s face. “We emulate the citizenry in this regard. Making bets with a sibling is common practice, no?”
“That’s despicable.” Michael complained, walking over to the cell door and wrapping his hands around the bars. The cell was too small for him, most probably designed with a pony, not a creature almost twice their size, in mind. “Are you here to let me out?”
Luna nodded. “While it would be amusing to have you stew in there for a few more hours you serve no further purpose in here.” She said, unlocking the door and making it swing open without touching it.
“Won’t Senator Asshole be annoyed?” Michael asked, looking at the open portal cautiously.
“Slightly, but they need you back in the chambers for more questioning and only a handful of senators are trying to drag this out further than it should... thankfully. If it was put to a vote she would almost certainly lose.”
“Well that’s a relief.” Michael groaned, working a crick out of his back with a wince. “Tell me, how are we going so far? I honestly can’t tell.”
Luna tilted her head slightly, leading them back out into the narrow corridor which ran towards the small cell block’s exit. “Well enough. We believe you’ve convinced enough of the Senators of the merits of your machines. Needless to say, your flippant remark towards Senator Lotus may have pushed some of her own followers back but drawn the admiration of her opponents.” The alicorn remarked quietly, the guards at the main entrance opening the doors and standing aside to let the small group pass. They were now back inside the gleaming white halls of the Royal Castle, a stark comparison to the dark, roughly hewn stone that lined the prison. Michael was surprised to discover that twilight had fallen, a faint red smear in the sky the only sign of the sun.
Shane blinked rapidly, his eyes not prepared for the sudden change in light. “How much longer are we going to be stuck here?” He asked. “One day of these talks and I’m already sick of it. And he’s doing most of the talking.”
“A few days, probably.” Luna guessed.
He laughed. “A few days and this’ll all be over? At the rate we’re going? You’re kidding, right?”
“The senate is not as airheaded as you might think, they understand the importance of this issue. Well, most of them at least. We are remarkably good at making decisions in quick order.” She boasted. “Besides, you have public opinion on your side; that alone is enough to give any elected representative pause for thought. All it will take is one influential senator to put the motion in and then… well, we’ll see.”
Shane chuckled quietly before he realised the princess was being deadly serious. “Wow, you really live in the perfect world don’t you?”
Luna made an amused sound. “Only when it wants to be.”
 
 

 
 
Although they were both immediately sceptical of Luna’s estimate, both Shane and Michael were pleasantly surprised when Hammerlock came forward a few days later and announced his intent to put the motion forward to the assembled senate. It was good timing, the senate inquiry seemed to be coming to close, the majority of the senators participating having asked the questions they deemed necessary.
“Frankly I think we’ve all had enough of this rubbish. There’s a small group of Senators, maybe eleven or twelve in the entire assembly, who are staunchly opposed to the Jaegers but most seem to be on the supportive side. Frankly this whole inquiry is a bit of a sham.” Hammerlock said over a light breakfast, a small omelette that the castle’s kitchen had prepared for them. “I do believe the support is mostly due to the lack of other options put forward at this time and also owing to the public mood regarding your most recent victory.”
“And would you think their support is likely to change?” Michael asked, poking a small, red and most decidedly unknown vegetable curiously.
The aristocrat shrugged slightly. “Possibly. I believe our best chance at success is an immediate motion rather than delaying and potentially losing funding to another competing program. So far the majority of the committee has no reason to believe that your program isn’t useful.” He adjusted his glasses slightly, fixing the two humans with a cautious look. “I presume you have no opposition to me doing this?”
“None at all.” Shane remarked, picking a shred of something that looked suspiciously like spinach from between his teeth. “Gets us back where we want to be.”
“I’m with Shane, no problems from me.” Michael agreed. “I must ask though, what other options really seem viable?”
Hammerlock shrugged again. “I wouldn’t have a clue, I don’t think much has been put forward as of yet.”
“Well maybe you should suggest to your friends that they come up with something reasonable before trying to can the one thing that is working.” Shane said coldly.
“I’ll be all too happy to let them know your thoughts.” Hammerlock said cheerfully, delicately pushing his plate away and standing. “We best get going gentlemen, the senate will be sitting soon and it would be bad form to appear late.”
 

 
By the time they arrived in the hall the senate was already overflowing, senators of every colour and breed yammering away as they took their places around the mighty chamber.
“I wasn’t expecting there to be so many.” Shane remarked. Noting that their appearance had drawn more than one stare.
“The entire senate is sitting today, not just a select committee.” Hammerlock said cheerily. “All 320 senators from across the nation.” He pointed out a ring of benches which ran along the back wall of the room, curving all the way around until it met with the opposite end of the chamber. “You’ll have to sit up there today, I’m afraid this area is for the senators only.”
“Why do I get the feeling this isn’t going to be quite what I’m expecting it to be?” Shane muttered, following his brother up into the risers that ringed the chamber.
“Nah, it’ll be fine.” Michael said, not sure if he even believed himself. He had no time to change his mind though as the Speaker, a short stallion with wire frame glasses perched at the end of the hall, called the senate to order. The muttering around the chamber died off as the speaker invited several presumably important ponies to make opening speeches. This transitioned into an open floor question-time before Michael finally got bored and stopped paying attention.
The hours slowly ticked by, general political back and forth banter about something was ‘so and so’s’ fault and that ‘X’ was a terrible waste of government spending, the only thing that seemed to be happening. Eventually though, talk started drifting to the eventual fate of the Jaeger program and the results of the senate inquiry. At first there was a ray of hope that things would be over for Michael but the discussion dragged on and on, pointless bickering and debating that seemed nigh on endless. He zoned out, entertaining himself with a small piece of lint he found drifting in one of his pockets. Finally, after what seemed like hours and hours of back and forth rhetoric, Hammerlock rose to his feet and addressed the senate.
“I wish to forward the motion that this senate fund the construction, maintenance and upkeep of five new Jaegers which are to be constructed over the next two years. Additionally, funding shall be set aside for the construction of a new base for these Jaegers to operate from.” Hammerlock said, his voice carrying around the chamber loudly. “We’ve debated this long enough and I believe it should be put to a vote so we can get back to the business of running this nation rather than running it into the ground with pointless and bad intentioned inquiries.”
There were a few quiet hisses at this but the chamber was otherwise silent.
“The Member for Manehatten has made the motion. Lock the chamber please.” The Chair droned as the three massive doors leading into the hall slammed shut with an echoing boom. He looked at Michael over his half-frame spectacles for a moment, waiting for the chamber to settle. He finally cleared his throat. “All in favour, say ‘Aye’.
A chorus of ‘Ayes’ rang out around the chamber, echoing off the high vaulted ceiling and making it sound like they were in a stadium rather than a senate.
“And the opposed? “
A small group of neighs shot out at them, most coming from the small pack of senators sitting directly in front of them. Michael looked at Shane hopefully, there seemed to have been sustainably less ‘nays’ than ‘ayes’
“I think the ‘Ayes’ have it. The motion is passed.” The Chair said after a moment of silence. He glanced down at Michael and Shane before addressing the rest of the Senate. “I think we’ll call that lunch, we reconvene in half an hour. Mark that as… one thirty.”
A low murmur filled the chamber as the assembled senators rose and started chatting with their neighbours or drifting out of the long hall. A few of the unicorns vanished into thin air with sharp cracks but the majority seemed more interested in talking with their colleagues, the two princesses at the back of the chamber or Shane and Michael.
“Five, five more Jaegers! And a new shatterdome!” Shane laughed with relief. “Maybe those pinheads do know what they’re doing.”
“Those ‘pinheads’ just saved your flanks so maybe you should show some respect.” Hammerlock said, appearing behind Shane and shooting him a cautioning glare. “I suppose congratulations are in order.”
“Indeed, thank you Senator.” Michael said, cautiously shaking the small pony’s hoof. “You’ve been a great help.”
“Yes, I suppose I have. Now if you’ll excuse me, my belly aches and there’s this small café just outside the palace that makes salad just the way I like it.” He nodded politely to the two of them. “Good luck, stay safe.”
The two humans murmured their thanks, looking around awkwardly as a few other senators who they didn’t know swarmed around them excitedly.
“Probably a good time to get out of here.” Shane murmured, standing quickly and looking around for their escort, Michael close at his heels. They found him leaning up against the wall just outside the chamber, a bored look on his face as he waited for them patiently.
“Ready to go?” He asked, perking up slightly as he noticed them emerging from the Senator’s hall.
“I was born ready.” Shane replied, feeling more cheerful than he had for days.
“I guess it went well for you?” The guard asked politely.
“Very well.”
Flash nodded.” Good to hear.”
Noticing a score of ponies blocking the passage in front of them, Flash lead them out through one of the palace’s many gardens, allowing the two humans to admire the natural beauty of Canterlot for a few minutes. The prospect though, was quickly shattered as a shadow crept over them.
"Ah, humans… my favourite!" An oddly familiar voice exclaimed from above them. Shane and Michael spun around to see an odd, serpentine like creature snaking its way down the wall towards them.
“What the hell is that?” Shane asked, recoiling slightly as the creature emerged from the shadow it was in, revealing a bewildering collection of body parts that still seemed to all blend together in an oddly coherent body. He could make out a lion’s paw, a goat’s horn and a bat’s wing, amongst other things.
“Discord.” Flash growled, instantly suspicious. He moved between the two humans and the eldritch creature protectively. “What do you want?”
“Flash Sentry, please. Do you really think I would hurt our guests?” Discord asked innocently, battling his eyelids at the orange pegasus. “Now scurry along like a good tin-soldier and leave us be.” He snapped his fingers with an impossibly loud crack and their escort marched off like a clockwork soldier, an indignant look on his face as his limbs starting acting on their own accord with a faint ‘Rikt-rikt-rikt!’. Shane wondered why he wasn’t calling for help before he realised his mouth was forced shut in an almost comical smile.
“Shane, Michael. Such a pleasure to finally meet you in person.” The being Flash had called Discord said smoothly, raising itself up on two stumpy legs. He slithered around them, completely at ease with the world.
“Who are you? Maybe it might be better to ask, what are you?” Michael asked, “And how do you know our names?”
Discord smiled broadly, revealing a set of well-kept teeth. “I dare say everyone in Equestria knows who you are. As for me… well, let’s say I’m complicated.”
“You certainly look the part.” Shane remarked.
“I’ll take that as a compliment!” Discord said smoothly, vanishing in a flash of light and reappearing between the two humans with a soft fizz.
“Well then... Discord was it?” Michael said awkwardly, taking a small step away from the creature. “What can we do for you?”
“Well you can lend me your ears.” He chuckled, a pair of disembodied ears flashing into existence next to his mouth. Both Shane and Michael were horrified to discover each of them was missing an ear, Michael scrabbling desperately at the smooth flesh which now resided where his ear had been.
“Hey!” Shane yelled, snatching at the floating ear next to Discord’s head.
“It’s impolite to interrupt someone when they’re speaking.” Discord scolded, tutting quietly at Shane.
“Yeah, well it’s impolite to steal someone’s body parts you ass.” Shane shot back.
Discord frowned, “Hmm, perhaps I haven’t got this whole ‘manners’ thing down yet; forgive me I’m still learning.” He added, replacing their ears with another snap of his fingers. The creature slithered back up the wall again, looking down at the two humans like they were lab rats.
“You are not creatures of this world. Tell me, how did you come to be here?”
“An accident.” Michael replied.
Discord raised a busy eyebrow. “Space is very large. Certainly larger than a football stadium. Even somehow bigger than the combined ego of your Rangers... Despite its size though, we still have idiots like you coming here.” He smiled thinly, a long fang drooping out of his mouth dangerously. “Considering just how big space is, do you really think you came here just by chance?” He said, the words almost sliding out of his mouth malevolently.
Michael raised a finger to respond but the words seemed to die in his mouth. His jaw flapped up and down for a moment before something finally came out. “Mathematically, it’s not likely, no. What’s your point?”
“Just a thought.” Discord said innocently, now floating in the air like a balloon and working away at one of his claws with a nail file. “And here’s another thought; a Midsummer’s Night always ends with dawn.”
Shane blinked. “What?”
Discord didn’t look up from his claw. “It’s just a thought.” He said again nonchalantly, acting like he hadn’t said anything in the first place.
Shane was about the question him further but Discord had already vanished, a faint fizz and another flash of light the only trace of the existence. The two rangers stood in silence, staring at where the odd creature had stood moments ago.
“A Midsummer’s Night always ends with dawn?” Michael asked quietly.
“Hell if I know, I hate riddles.” Shane grumped. “Unless you take it literally, then well, yeah, makes perfect sense.”
“Don’t suppose he was talking about us, do you?”
Shane laughed and shook his head. “He sounds like a crackpot, certainly acts like one to.” He muttered, rubbing his ear cautiously.
“Suppose you’re right.” Michael said, unable to shake the feeling there was more to the creature’s words than he was letting on.
Shane nodded and stared off in the direction Flash Sentry had marched off helplessly, a faint smirk appearing over his face. As a series of crashes and bangs echoed up the hallway. “I suppose we should probably go help him, just in case he pitches himself over a cliff or something.”
“And that would just be awful.” Michael said, thrusting his hands in his pockets and contenting himself with watching and listening.
 

 
Needless to say once Shane and Michael returned to Manehatten the news of their success in the senate spread quickly around the shatterdome. Twilight, now well and truly on top of the construction of the two new Jaegers almost danced with glee at the prospect of five more machines, along with a new home for the metal giants. After much debate the location of the second Shatterdome was decided to be Trottingham, the large island the city resided on deemed particularly vulnerable to attack while conveniently shielding the other great northern cities of Equestria from direct attacks.
Not everything had gone quite so well though.
One of the cadets had tripped and fallen down a flight of stairs, breaking their foreleg and receiving a hefty concussion for their trouble. It would probably take a month or two before they would be in fighting shape, leaving little doubt that their chance at becoming a pilot had almost vanished. The other teams though had performed remarkably well in their short absence under Soarin and Wave Chill’s supervision though, quickly mastering the basic theory behind the drift process and becoming well acquainted with Jaeger and Kaiju terminology. With the two veteran pilots back though, training could now step up a gear; each of the hopeful crews would soon have to undertake their first drift.
“Are you sure? I mean, me and Wave Chill didn’t drift for a while.” Soarin asked, watching the small class being educated by Michael on the finer points of Jaeger physiology and systems.
“We trained you two in a fairly ad-hoc fashion, with that experience under our belts I reckon we can do a better job this time around.” Shane replied. “No use just sitting them around on their asses and teaching them if they can’t drift.”
“And do you think that’s likely?”
Shane shrugged. “Probably not, I think we picked a fairly good group.”
“Good… right.” Soarin said, eyeing Misty Fly suspiciously. He knew she was fiercely competitive and had an ego that made a dragon’s look meek. While he hadn’t noticed anything particularly out of the ordinary yet, he couldn’t help but notice that the two Apple siblings sat as far away as they reasonably could from her and seemed particularly ill at ease around her and Lightning Streak.  Maybe it was something completely innocent but Soarin had decided to keep an eye on it… for now.
“You have a problem with them?” Shane asked, noting that Soarin’s tone was entirely genuine.
Soarin shook his head, no point blabbing about something that was merely a hunch. “Not as of yet.”
 
The first drift went about as well as could be expected, Applejack and Big Macintosh being chosen to go first. While there was some initial hesitation, the latent talent that Shane and Michael had seen in the sparring ring came to the fore, the two ponies neatly sliding into alignment as easily as a tasty treat going down the gullet of Equestria’s solar monarch, or as Applejack put it afterwards, like well-made apple pie.
Lighting Streak and Misty Fly’s drift went almost as well, a momentary hiccup when Misty tried to stonewall her brother the only flaw before the two ponies fell into mental synchronisation. There was decided amount of dominance from Misty Fly’s side, her style, feelings and temperament carrying over the neural bond much easier than Lighting Streak’s did. This was hardly a concern in of itself, most Jaeger crews tended to have a dominant pilot.
The last pair of candidates were less fortunate, while they displayed excellent compatibility out of the drift their minds refused to link up in the actual pons, relegating them to second-line duty for the foreseeable future. It was a small blow to the program but not one without its perks, for better or worse it had neatly allowed Misty Fly and Lightning Streak, along with Applejack and Big Macintosh to take the two prime positions.
This of course brought with it a new problem to solve; which crew would go in which Jaeger? It was eventually decided on account of their slightly better connection in the drift that the first hull would become Applejack and Big Macintosh’s Jaeger while the second would go to the two ex-Wonderbolts.
This naturally aggravated Misty fly to no end, much to Applejack’s amusement, the orange farmer savouring every moment of her rival’s disgust and outrage at having been put into what she considered the ‘Second-rate’ position.
Of course, if she had known what the end result of this would be, she probably wouldn’t have been laughing.
 

 
Spitfire soared through the sky freely, swooping and climbing like an eagle hunting its prey across a dry savannah. She tilted her wings back, ascending up through the scarce cloud cover like a like a rocket on full burn. She pulled a tight flip and angled herself back towards the ground, flapping her powerful wings three times and pulling into a steep dive. A sonic boom echoed through the empty sky as she rocketed past Mach one, an impressive feat for most pegasi but one she’d mastered long ago in ages past. She let out a whoop of excitement, the sound instantly being lost in the wind that tore at her face.
Then a burning hunk of metal roared past her.
Then another.
She looked back fearfully, a behemoth blazing end to end hurtling after her with a shriek that sounded like a mournful spirit. The ship was breaking apart, chunks of metal the size of houses hurtling past her like meteorites. Despite the conflagration that roared along the ship’s fore decks, Spitfire could clearly read the name printed proudly across the bow.
Lucky Seven.
She beat her wings faster, pushing her body to the edge but the ship still grew closer, a low groan moaning through the otherwise empty sky as the wind tore at its abused hull. She turned her head again as the piece of the bow the size of a hydra broke free and whipped after her. She felt the heat of the flames and the sickening crunch of the metal impacting before everything went black.
Spitfire shot awake, her eyes darting around the small hospital room she was in. She sat still for several minutes, getting her breathing under control and appreciating the dull lighting which gleamed off the thin sheen of sweat that covered her body.
‘Just a dream.’ She reminded herself for what felt like the thousandth time. She’d been having that same dream over and over for the last two months now. Ever since that damn griffon doctor had operated on her. She lifted leg out from under the sheet, a faint click and whir of the mechanical joints the only indication that the otherwise normal looking leg was something else. They’d given her skin grafts but that hadn’t helped her shake the unease of the mechanical limb, now when she looked down she wondered why she could never feel her leg. She sat up, her eyes scrolling slowly around the room, finally settling on a wide portrait of her and the Wonderbolts with a pang of loneliness. She’d barely had any contact with them since Soarin had informed her of his enrolment into the Jaeger program, an occasional letter or liquor disguised as a box of chocolates the only indication that they hadn’t forgotten about her. Even those had stopped though, leaving her with just the nurses and doctors that worked at the Manehatten Specialist Hospital for company. She stared at the framed picture for a few more moments, the thoughts that ran through her head everyday returning like they always did. Had her family abandoned her?
The question tumbled over in her mind for a few seconds before she discarded it hastily, that was just dangerous thinking. She left the picture behind, her eyes flickering to a small calendar hanging on the wall next to it. Her heart leapt with excitement as she realised what day it was.
Scribbled in messy black ink was the large printed letters ‘RELEASE DAY’, the day she would finally leave the hospital and go back to her life, or at least what was left of it. She slipped out of bed quickly, her fore hoof clicking noisily against the polished floor as she packed what few of her personal effects had been brought for her. She’d finished packing in a matter of minutes, the majority of her things lost in the wreckage of Lucky Seven or stored in her barely used apartment in central Manehatten. She trotted out, it was barely ten in the morning and her doctor wouldn’t have made his rounds until late in the afternoon, far too long for her to simply wait around. She trotted quickly down the hall towards the main reception, stumbling occasionally as she misjudged the distance between her and the ground with her prosthetic limb. She was thankful there were no staff around of they probably would’ve escorted her back to her room.
Slinking out to the main lobby, Spitfire waited until the receptionist turned to take a call before darting as quickly as she could towards the main doors. She was out in a matter of seconds, grateful for the fresh air which assailed her sinuses, a welcome change from the slightly stuffy air which smelt suspiciously like boiled cabbage the hospital recirculated. She snapped her signature pair of sunglasses on, ignoring the faint burn mark etched onto the left side of the frame.
“Nice of you to show up. I was beginning to wonder if you would appear at all.” A voice she immediately recognised said. She spun around to find Soarin leaning up against the wall patiently. His green eyes flickered down to her new leg for a moment before tracking back up to her face.
“Didn’t think you’d show up.” Spitfire said pointedly.
Soarin gave her a cheeky grin. “You thought I’d just ditch you, right? Like you did to me?”
Spitfire let out an annoyed huff. “That had happened all of once you dork.”
“Still counts.” Soarin shot back, getting off the wall and shading his eyes from the sun, sincerely wishing he had a pair of sunglasses like Spitfire did.
“You didn’t visit.” Spitfire accused him.
Soarin’s ears drooped slightly, an awkward look crossing his face. “Yeah… sorry, I was busy.”
“Yeah, busy saving the world. Good job.” Spitfire said, slightly more impressed than her sarcastic tone let on. She lapsed into silence, unsure if her words had taken a profound effect on her friend. She was about to apologise when he spoke again.
“So how’ve you been?” Soarin asked, a slightly awkward tone in his voice. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was referring to.
Spitfire shrugged. “I’ve been in and out of rehab for a few months, still getting used to this damn thing. You missed the operation.”
“Operation? I thought they were just giving you a new leg?” Soarin asked, his eyes widening slightly.
Spitfire laughed darkly. “They had to rebuild most of my shoulder and I’m now also the proud owner of a few non-organic ribs. The entire area around my leg has to be augmetic or I’d probably damage something if I pushed myself hard.” She explained, inviting Soarin to prod her ribcage. The stallion poked her chest curiously, unable to tell the difference between her real ribs and her new ones. Her poked her fourth rib down and received a reflexive kick to the face for his trouble.
“Uh, that one’s me. Sorry.” Spitfire apologised.
“Touchy.” Soarin muttered ruefully, rubbing the side of his face where she’d hit him.
“Still hurts a bit. Doc reckoned it might take another few months before I get used to it completely, if at all.” She looked around the mezzanine impatiently, as if talking about her new limb disgusted her. “Now are we going to sit here and chat all day or are we going somewhere?”
“Well, now we’re waiting on you.” Soarin said, trotting off towards a row of taxis. He would’ve flown but with Spitfire around he thought that a little inconsiderate.
“Arse.” She spat, setting off after him indignantly.
“Bitch.”
Spitfire looked at him, an eyebrow raised. On account of their mostly professional relationship it felt weird for Soarin to use such vulgar language. Maybe this whole Ranger thing was a lot more laid back than the Air Force had been.
“What?” Soarin asked, noticing she was staring at him with something that could possibly be interpreted as melancholy.
“Nothing, I just missed everypony.” Spitfire said flatly. “Feels good to be back.”
“Yeah, it’s good to have you back. Now come on, let’s go.” Soarin beckoned, guiding her towards the small row of cabs waiting patiently out the front of the hospital.
Spitfire laughed again. “Where exactly did you have in mind, got a nice little date all planned out for your long-lost boss?”
Soarin smiled thinly. “Trust me, you’re going to love it.”
 
The taxi trundled noisily down the wide cobbled street, Spitfire wincing slightly every time they went over a large bump. Soarin was paying the driver a reasonable amount, why couldn’t he go around the bumps? She held back a curse as the carriage lurched again.
Soarin though, seemed completely unfazed, chatting away animatedly without paying any heed to the treacherous road their driver was trotting down. Spitfire was less amiable, still slightly bitter that she’d abandoned for a few months.
“So what are your plans now?”  He asked.
Spitfire resisted the urge to glare at him. “The Air Force offered me a desk job. I took it because it’s better than nothing and I really haven’t got much at the moment.” Spitfire grumped, clearly less than thrilled with the prospect. She was a natural born flier and the loss of her wing was really hitting her hard. “I’m back at it next month, so until then I guess it’s just hitting up bars and trying to find a way to stay distracted.”
Soarin grimaced but didn’t comment, he could guess easily enough what that meant. Stallions, and probably the occasional mare… depending on her mood.
“So, how are the rest of the Bolts?” Spitfire asked, trying to sound casual.
Soarin shrugged. “I haven’t really been keeping in contact with them since I left. Might be better off asking Misty or Lightning.”
Spitfire threw him a questioning look.
Soarin made a face. “Right, sorry, they’re pilots now. Kinda… sorta… still in training but they’re doing pretty well.” Soarin explained. Watching the shatterdome draw closer. He’d rarely seen it from the ground, most of his time being spent inside its halls rather than outside it. It looked like a massive tree nestled at the heart of the city, sprawling and spreading in every direction, a construction of steel, concrete and faith that seemed to make him feel warm and fuzzy for some inexplicable reason.
“Nice for somepony to tell me.” Spitfire complained.
Soarin shrugged. “Sorry, we’re all pretty busy at the moment with the Jaegers. It’s a bit more than pushing buttons and looking heroic y’know.”
A thought occurred to Spitfire. “Who’s in charge of the squadron then?”
Soarin shrugged. “Rapidfire, Surprise, maybe?”
Spitfire shuddered at the thought. “Sweet Luna, get me inside my office now.”
“Your precious office can wait.” Soarin laughed. “Enjoy yourself while you’re here and relax.”
“What do you think I’m doing?” Spitfire growled, leaning back against the seat and trying to keep her temper down. Too much was happening that she didn’t know about, too much that involved the few ponies she knew and the even fewer she cared about. Spitfire felt like she was being steered along rather than holding the reins, a disturbing feeling for the usually headstrong mare. She liked making her own destiny, carving out her own legacy to live by rather than blindly follow somepony else.
She lapsed into silence, only answering the occasional question Soarin asked her as quickly as she could. The walls of the Shatterdome grew higher as the taxi approached and soon they had passed into its shadow and to the outer rim of fences that marked the edge of the Jaeger Corp’s headquarters.
“This is our stop.” Soarin announced, clambering out of the taxi to pay the pony pulling the cart. Spitfire hopped down, misjudging the distance slightly with her new leg and almost landing flat on her face. Swearing internally, she shook off Soarin’s look of concern and followed her former executive officer through the security checkpoint, the half dozen guards happily admitting them once Soarin showed them his pass although their gaze didn’t seem to leave Spitfire until after she’d vanished behind a large shipping container with Soarin. She shook this off phlegmatically, she was well and truly used to attracting a lot of attention from other ponies, especially ones of the opposite sex. She made an amused sound and followed closely at Soarin’s heels, the stallion making a beeline for one of several large steel doors set into the outer wall.
“Elevator. To get up to the gantries.” Soarin explained, jabbing one of the buttons on the wall with an ease of somepony who knew the place well. “Trust me, I tried walking once. Wasn’t fun.”
Spitfire rolled her eyes, of course Soarin would’ve tried that. The lift whirred to life, smoothly whisking them upwards at a brisk pace. After a few seconds the elevator clunked to a halt, the two heavy doors sliding apart to reveal the shatterdome’s main Jaeger bay.
Thin wispy trails of steam rose from vents in the thick walls, coiling like snakes under the hundreds of spotlights which lit the arena brightly. Thousands of smaller lights were set into the walls and gantries which ringed the central staging area, most were switched off but others bathed metal giants the size of a skyscraper with a pale white aura. Spitfire could only make out two of the machines, one she remembered that belonged to the two aliens and the other as Wild Mustang. Nearly a hundred metres below them, the floor buzzed activity, hundreds of ponies and machines milling around with tools, spars of metal and other odds and ends. It reminded her of a massive beehive with each of the metal giants as a queen.  The alien Jaeger seemed to be having work done on it, a large misshapen arm in place of the much sleeker one Spitfire remembered. There was also work being done on its shoulders, something that looked like a large box of missiles being affixed in place where she remembered a cannon of some sorts being.
“Wild Mustang.” Soarin announced with pride, pointing out his Jaeger housed below them. The damage from Thresher had long been fixed by now, the only trace of the Kaiju a single decal stamped on the left side to the chest to mark their first kill.
“It looks a lot different up close… much bigger than I thought. You compensating for something?” Spitfire asked, her eyes working up and down the machine.
Soarin rolled his eyes and made an amused snort. “Let’s not start.”
Spitfire chuckled lowly, wondering what their relationship would be like if it were slightly less professional. She loved Soarin almost like a brother and now he was out of the Air Force, she felt she could express herself a little more around him than she usually did.
Her thoughts were broken by a cry of ‘Spitfire!’ and a dark blue object which shot out of her peripheral vision and half tackled/half hugged her.
“Easy on the suspension there, junior.” Spitfire growled.
“Sorry boss.” Wave Chill said sheepishly, letting her go and floating half a metre off the deck. “How’s the new leg?” He asked, oblivious to the envious glare spitfire was shooting him.
“Grand.” Spitfire shot back. “Now stop flapping around like an idiot or you’ll be first pony I test it out on.”
Wave Chill immediately dropped to the wide gantry, eyeing her new leg cautiously. “It seems they didn’t fix your temper.” He remarked wryly.
Soarin decided to intervene before sparks started really flying. “I was just showing Spitfire around the Jaeger bay, thought she might like to check out the machines.”
“Show her Castle Bravo, she’d love that!” Wave Chill suggested.
“Castle Bravo?” Soarin asked quizzically.
“One of the construction workers dubbed it that, sorta caught on and spread I guess. I actually quite like it.” Wave Chill explained.  “Bet he’s feeling as pleased as punch.”
“Which one?” Soarin asked irately. To his knowledge neither of the new Jaegers had received proper names yet, leaving Wave Chill’s announcement a little ambiguous.
“The good looking one.” Wave Chill clarified, taking off again and hovering above Soarin and Spitfire like an excited child asking his parents to take him to the zoo.
“Ah right, skinny-legs. Gotcha. Come on, we’ll show you. Have to say, it’s probably more your style than the other one.” Soarin said, leading Spitfire down a narrow gangway and past a small gaggle of construction workers having a tea break. The path went up a short flight of stairs which rose above a high concrete divider separating Wild Mustang’s pen from the newly dubbed Castle Bravo’s.
“Wow…” Spitfire said, her awe evident in the way her jaw seemed to dislocate itself so her mouth could hang open.
Beneath them was another Jaeger clad in a patchwork set of white armour. Streams of sparks floated down from the Jaeger’s lithe limbs like rain and the constant whirr of drills and rivet guns drifted up to their high platform.  Unlike Wild Mustang, this Jaeger had a decidedly feminine form, its sharply angled head and skinny frame making it look like something out of a fashion magazine more than a machine made to fight monsters. Its delicate limbs still radiated power though and unlike Soarin and Wave Chill’s Jaeger, it looked like it could move fast. Very fast.
“I want one.” Spitfire mumbled absently, completely entranced with the massive figure below them.
“Well you’ll have to fight Misty Fly and Lightning Streak for that one. It’s still a bit off being finished though unlike the other one which is basically done.” Soarin laughed darkly. “Gee, Misty was livid when she found out the two farmers were getting a Jaeger first.”
“I can imagine.” Spitfire said, only half listening to what Soarin was saying. Her prosthetic had started twitching slightly, almost as if it know it was in the presence of something that could kill the monsters that had taken away its original. Soarin was still prattling on but Spitfire had stopped listening, her head suddenly throbbing and pounding irately. She found herself drifting back to her final moments aboard Lucky Seven… how stupid and desperate that move seemed now hung in her mind. The Jaeger below was proof of just how far they’d come.
“Spitfire?” Soarin asked, noticing that she’d been silent for the last few minutes. “You alright?”
“Fine.” Spitfire responded quickly, snapping out of her trance and looking away from the Jaeger being constructed beneath them. No, she couldn’t pilot one of them. Not with her crook leg, all she was now was a liability. “Just… just get me out of here. I think I should go home.”
“But you just got here.” Wave Chill protested.
“And I think that’s enough for me, you two are busy so don’t let me hold you back.” Spitfire muttered, turning on the spot and trotting off.
“You going to stop her?” Wave Chill asked.
“I don’t really want to lose teeth.” Soarin pointed out. Watching Spitfire leave with a puzzled look. He’d thought showing her the Jaegers would cheer he up but she seemed worse than ever. Maybe it was just too much too quickly…
“Well what’s her problem then?” Wave Chill insisted.
Soarin shook his head. “I have no idea.” He said quietly. “And I don’t think we’re likely to find out.”
 
 

 
With the two Jaeger teams properly selected, training kicked into high gear. Hours of rigorous study were followed by daily simulator drops which were then trailed by more physical exercises. The new rangers became intimately familiar with their new Jaegers, learning the ins and outs of not only their Jaegers but of the other two as well. Soarin and Wave chill participated in this demanding training regime as well but seemed to be leading them just as often as they were part of them, both Shane and Michael hoping the now bloodied crew would be able to help teach the new arrivals they were expecting.
The months flew by in a blur of simulated drops, whirling sticks and barked commands. The animosity that had plagued the two crews grew as their training progressed, Castel Bravo’s pilots consistently scoring higher in ranked simulated drops, but falling slightly behind in actual physical combat. This led to an almost constant stream of heckling and belittlement from Misty Fly until a few stern words from Michael had caused her continuous verbal sparring to transform into mostly silent scorn.
Things hardly got better when the training turned to co-operative drops. They’d fought with other Jaegers before in their simulated runs but the Jaeger s had always been controlled by the A.I. or scripted to prevent their involvement in the actual fight. They’ never fought alongside a Jaeger control by another pilot. The third exercise, this one actually involving a Kaiju, seemed to send the relationship to rock-bottom. Soarin had been placed in charge of the simulation, he and Wave chill having successfully defeated a small Category III Kaiju with the assistance from Midsummer Night the day previous.
Needless to say, the atmosphere as the four pilots suited up in their sim-suits was remarkably tense, the only words exchanged spoken by the ponies assisting the pilots into their suits. It was almost a relief for them to step into the simulator pods and clip in. Lighting Streak cleared his mind as the drift countdown started, the now somewhat familiar sensation of his sister’s thoughts invading his presence like a roaring and stomping army. He’d initially found it rather unsettling but now it seemed almost second nature to be sharing his mind with her… even if he didn’t particularly agree with her on everything. The cycle ended and Misty’s presence retreated slightly, something he always found amusing as her usually open and undisguised feelings seemed to retreat, especially from him, when she was drifting. It was almost like she didn’t want him to see how she really felt. A wave of annoyance crashed into him as he thought this, his sister clearly not as amused as he was.
The radio crackled noisily for a moment before the low tones of Soarin started speaking in their ears. “Alright, today’s agenda is teamwork. We’re executing a two team drop. Two Jaegers, one Kaiju. You will need to work together to survive.”
“You know, we’ve never done team combat exercises before. Wouldn’t it be smart to teach us something first?” Lightning Streak pointed out.
“The best way to teach someone to swim is throw them in the deep end… and then release a shark.” Soarin said pointedly. “Now have a shark.”
The world inside the simulator abruptly changed, the calm, idyllic beach turning into a fog socked coastline. A fierce wind started howling around the two virtual Jaegers and the rough waters starting pounding up around their knees, sometimes throwing spray up as high as the Jaeger’s chest.
“Uploading Jaeger specifications and releasing the beast. Have fun kiddos.” Soarin announced before the link went silent and lines of data started scrolling quickly across the Jaeger’s display.
Misty Fly and Lighting Streak looked over their shoulder, noting that their compatriots Jaeger resembled the nearly finished machine out in the shatterdome, a titanic behemoth which towered over their smaller machine. She looked down, the sleek form of Castle Bravo quickly rendering into view. She didn’t like the fact that somepony else had named the Jaeger but, although she would never admit it, the name was one she liked. She could see how the worker had come up with the name, the Jaeger’s head bearing a striking resemblance to a landscape centrepiece in one of Equestria’s military bases also named Castle Bravo.
“Hardly seems fair…” Misty muttered under her breath, enviously eyeing the massive Jaeger. Lighting Streak made to rebuke her but the computer chimed a warning before the words had even formed in his mind.
“Warning: Kaiju signature detected. Category III – Designation: Trespasser.”
“Shit, he wasn’t joking about the shark.” Lighting Streak said as an icon pinged up on their sensors. Although the sensors had picked the beast up, the Kaiju was still out of sight, the thick sheets of fog swirling around them down cutting visibility down to barely a hundred metres.
Misty Fly’s mind immediately went into overdrive, all thoughts of envy being chased out as the situation formed in her mind. She started spawning and sharing dozens of different tactics they could use against the Kaiju, some more workable than others. Oblivious to their silent communication, the second Jaeger started grinding forward, each footstep it took shaking the earth beneath them.
“Alright, let them engage first, we’ll move in take it down while it’s distracted.” Misty said.
“Isn’t the point of the exercise to be working together to bring this thing down?” Lightning Streak pointed out, watching the other Jaeger stride through the surf apprehensively. Castle Bravo hesitated a moment, its pilots slightly conflicted.
She raised an eyebrow, a move Lightning Streak felt rather than saw courtesy of the drivesuit she wore. “We are. We can’t see it through this rain so I doubt it’ll see us coming either. They’re the bait, we’re the sword.”
“Isn’t that a little undignified?”
She snorted contemptuously. “Their Jaeger looks like it’s built for it, ours isn’t. They’ll be very good bait.”
“If you say so.” Lightning Streak said, grudgingly finding himself agreeing with her on that point… although he wouldn’t have called Applejack and Big Macintosh bait. Their Jaeger hardly looked like it would stand up in a protracted engagement for very long… still, it felt wrong abandoning their teammates so readily. He would’ve preferred a unified approach, providing a situation where they could offer immediate support if needed rather than leaving the other Jaeger sticking out like a ruffled feather.
“Well let’s move this crate, come on!” Misty encouraged, dropping the Jaeger into a low stride, a graceful gait which covered the ground beneath them at a surprisingly brisk pace.
Lightning Streak tossed another look at the other Jaeger as it faded away into the mist, wondering what its pilots would be thinking as they saw their comrades pull away from them.
He quickly squelched the thought, there was a Kaiju to kill.
 
Applejack and Big Mac could only watch with horror as the sleek form of Castle Bravo faded away into the mist like a ghost.
“Those cowards!” Applejack exclaimed, wanting to do nothing more than chase after them and yank them back by the scruff of their necks. It would’ve been pointless though, their Jaeger was much swifter than their own and catching them would’ve been an exercise in futility.
“I think we got bigger problems.” Big Mac said softly, his voice calm despite the developing situation. He pointed at the Kaiju alarm which was beeping softly as the system picked up the first inkling of the Kaiju on its short range sensors. The Jaeger wheeled around to face the threat, readying both of its hammy fists in anticipation.
They didn’t have to wait long, like a rocky outcrop looming out of fog, Trespasser strode into view through the fog, an alien shriek erupting from its mouth as it spotted the Jaeger prowling through the mist. An orange glow burned deep in its throat, so bright that it even burnt Applejack’s eyes through the Jaeger’s polarised viewport. Applejack and Big Mac held back, watching the Kaiju closely as it circled them, an almost cautious look on its face as it studied its new prey. It had two pairs of heavy arms, each one tipped with a trio of razor-sharp claws. More worrying though, was a large protrusion jutting from its forehead which made the creature look like someone had taped a large axe to its head. Both pilots shied away from it instinctively, neither having any illusions about what the heavy blade could do with the Kaiju’s weight behind it. The uneasy truce seemed to last hours, the Jaeger and Kaiju circling slowly as they each attempted to exploit their opponent’s weakness. Then, like a bullet from a gun, Trespasser staggered towards them at a lumbering gait, its head down and its two long forearms pushing off the ocean bed to give it an extra burst of speed.
Undaunted, Applejack and Big Mac stood their ground, bringing the Jaeger’s arms up in anticipation of the creature’s reckless charge. The earth was shaking now, the Kaiju’s pace increasing as the distance closed between the two giants. It briefly occurred to Applejack that Castle Bravo still hadn’t reappeared on their scopes but she was forced the thought aside as the proximity alarm pinged.
“50 metres to impact.”
With a deliberate precision, Applejack and Big Mac reached out, aiming both of the Jaeger’s hands at the creature’s broad shoulders, trying to avoid the massive axe which seemed aimed straight at the conpod. They wondered if they’d misjudged the distance for a moment, half-expecting the massive blade to slice through the cockpit like butter but a reassuring impact jerked the machine back as the Kaiju slammed into the stoic Jaeger, its heavy blade coming to a stop scant metres from their conpod. They were being forced back now, their heavy feet ripping up the seabed like a gardener ripping up turf but the force of the Kaiju’s charge was being rapidly depleted by the Jaeger’s enormous weight.
“Now!” Applejack barked, swinging the Jaeger’s mass to the side and sending the Kaiju sprawling as it suddenly found itself off balance. Exploiting their opponent’s momentary lack of coordination, Big Mac backhanded the Kaiju across the face, cracking several of its teeth and breaking it skin just below the jaw. The Kaiju screeched again, staggering away from the slow Jaeger so it could regather its wits. After a moment it rallied, hurling itself back at the Jaeger with an animalistic fury. One of its smaller hind arms darted in under their guard and clawed at the Jaeger’s midsection, drawing a squeal of metal as the claws dug into the thick metal.
Applejack winced as the Jaeger stumbled backwards from the strike. They’d taken some damage but the heavy armour seemed to have taken the brunt of the blow.
“Where in tarnation are those two hotheads?” Applejack barked crossly, struggling to stand upright as a line of pain cut across her midsection. Seeing its opening, Trespasser moved in, grabbing the Jaeger’s shoulders and driving its large, axe-like head into their chest. Sparks flew and alarms wailed as the massive protrusion cut through the heavy armour, sending Applejack and Big Macintosh reeling in their harnesses again.  Trespasser roared victoriously and tried pulling the blade free.
It was stuck.
The Kaiju howled and snarled viciously, completely forgetting it had four razor-sharp claws and struggled feebly to pull its massive bladed head out of the Jaeger’s chest. The two combatants tumbled over, Trespasser quickly giving up on pulling the blade out and instead tried to push it further in. Without the aid of the creature’s momentum behind it, though the Kaiju found itself unable to move. It screeched loudly, oblivious to everything but its head stuck deep in the Jaeger’s chest.
It didn’t even notice the white shape of Castle Bravo materialise out of the fog like a spectre, bound up behind it and leap onto its back until the Jaeger was already on top of it. It roared with surprise, its four heavy claws unable to reach this new assailant and tear it free. The Kaiju trashed widely but was unable to shake the agile Jaeger pressed down against it.
“Hello!” Misty Fly called tauntingly, one arm already wrapped tightly around the Kaiju’s neck. The other limb was poised up high, a wickedly-sharp combat blade nearly as long as their Jaeger’s arm snapping down into position under their forearm and locking into position with a sound of metal snapping against metal. The Kaiju barely had time to screech before the wickedly shape blade made a wide upward cut, severing its throat and embedding itself in the top of the creature’s spine. The other arm, still wrapped around the Kaiju’s neck gave it a violent twist, popping Trespasser’s head clean off its shoulders with a spray of blood and a sickening squelch of tearing flesh.
“And goodbye.” Misty finished, wiping the blade clean on the Kaiju’s leathery hide before folding it back into place behind the Jaeger’s elbow with a satisfied click. The perfectly white Jaeger seemed to regard the fallen Apple siblings with disgust. “You’re welcome, by the way. No need to thank me.”
Applejack swore as the screen faded to black, a score being quickly calculated on screen.
“Scenario concluded, calculating score: Engagement time: 6:32. Minimal collateral damage inflicted, critical damage sustained, Kaiju Blue contamination within acceptable parameters. Total score: 56%.” The computer chimed boredly. Applejack scowled, the damage penalty had taken a good 35% off their score, giving them the worst result they’d ever received. With their solo runs they seemed to average around 85 percent, a far cry from today’s score. She glared at Big Mac, surprised to see the stallion slowly shaking his head.
“Don’t even think ‘bout it.” He said firmly.
“Ah am thinking ‘bout it.” Applejack shot back. “She’s a no good, scumsuc-.” She cut herself off, aware that Big Mac was now staring at her sympathetically. “Alright, fine! I’ll talk to her.” She said grudgingly.
“Good, no need to get your hooves involved.”
Applejack wanted to protest but knew big Mac was right, she shouldn’t have let Misty Fly get to her so easily. She smashed her hoof down on the harness release, nearly shattering the small nub with the strike and stalked out of the conpod simulator. The other two pilots were already outside and Applejack wasted no time in making herself known to Misty, storming up to the cocky Pegasus with barely withheld rage.
“What in the hay was that all about?” She fumed.
Misty Fly looked at her like she was a persistent door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. “We practised teamwork didn’t we? Great job distracting the Kaiju by the way, top notch.” She said snidely.
“That wasn’t teamwork!” Applejack yelled.
Misty seemed remarkably unconcerned, unfazed by the angry farmer nearly pressed up against her face. “Yes it was, you distracted him and we brought it down. That’s teamwork in my books.”
“If that was fer real, me and Big Mac would probably be dead!” Applejack snapped, amazed by how pig-headed Misty Fly was being.
“And nothing of value would be lost.” Misty said boredly. “You barely lasted more than two minutes against the beast. I’m constantly amazed at how you even got picked in the first place.”
“That thing was nearly twice as big as us, how long would’ve you lasted?” Applejack snarled.
Misty declined to comment, turning on the spot and marching away. “Maybe next time don’t let it hit you, did you consider that?”
Applejack ground her teeth together, wondering what it would feel like to grind Misty Fly’s face to paste under her hooves. She made to move after her but was stopped by Lighting Streak sticking his foreleg in front of her. He shook his head slowly, a disgusted look on his face.
“Trust me, it’s not worth it.” He whispered.
Applejack growled but backed down. “You sure about that?”
A flicker of a smile crossed his face. “Probably.” He said, relieved to see Applejack relax her stance slightly. His leg was still pressed up against her chest, her coarse orange fur brushing against his in a way that made him feel like he was petting a cat. He racked his mind, trying to figure out something to say to break the tension but all he could think about was his stupid sister.
Any chance at friendly conversation was swiftly dashed though as another Pegasus barged his way onto the room. His bottle green eyes swung around like a pair of search radars before locking onto Misty Fly. “Misty, Lightning Streak, suiting room. Now.” Soarin barked.
“Da da da, I’m dead.” Lightning Streak announced flatly, loud enough that only Applejack could hear him before hanging his head and trotting off towards the suiting room. Misty was already there, glaring at him like it was somehow all his fault.
“What?” She snapped, noticing his annoyed gaze.
Where do I start?” Lighting Streak muttered. “How about here…” He adopted an overly sarcastic tone. “Gee, you’re doing a great job integrating yourself with your other team members, aren’t you?”
“Shut up.” Misty growled.
“No, no I will not shut up. Not until you stop being such a royal bitch to the other side for what I can tell is no real reason. They’re talented, they’re skilled, they’re great until you come along and rip their self-esteem apart. That, or just ditch them for your own personal gain.” Lightning Streak said vehemently. “They’re averaging 86% in solo missions for crying out loud.” He pointed out, aware that it still wasn’t as high as the 94% they averaged and that was all that she cared about.
“And how would you know that?” Misty asked, her tone suddenly curious. She circled around her brother inquisitively. “Are you watching them?”
Lightning Streak looked away awkwardly, not liking the direction the conversation was now going. “Np? Sometimes, maybe... Urh..?” He mumbled into the ground.
Misty smiled thinly. “Now why would you be so interested in them, I wonder?” she teased, knowing full well what Lightning Streak’s interest was. She’d just been in his head and it wasn’t exactly something he’d been hiding… especially when they’d abandoned the Apple sibling’s to flank the Kaiju.
Lightning Streak looked away again, his lips pursed silently.
He was spared any further embarrassment by the stern figure of Soarin appearing around the door frame. The veteran pilot glared at both of them, his impression of the two of them all too clear. Misty Fly cleared her throat. “You wanted to talk to us, Soarin?” She asked, an air of indifference around her
“Sir.” Soarin reminded her venomously. While they were both technically the same rank, seniority in the Jaeger corps was usually determined by length of service and deployments in the case that a ranking officer, such as the shatterdome’s marshal, was absent.
“You wanted to talk to us, sir?” She asked again, prompting a look of surprise from her brother, she usually showed but nothing but respect for their former XO.
Soarin glared at her. “That was some stunt you two pulled back there.”
Misty made no attempt to hide her irritation. “Why is everypony so snappy at me? I finished the mission, that thing ended up with its head on a mantelpiece!”  She snapped crossly.
Soarin shook his head slowly, his patience quickly running out. “That’s beside the point, you misunderstood the purpose of the exercise, Ranger.”
“That’s entirely the point, we’re here to fight and win aren’t we? Victory no matter the cost? I did that, what more do you want from me?”
“I want to you to act like a reasonable pony dammit.” Soarin barked, his fierce tone cowing the other Pegasus slightly. She wasn’t going to lie, seeing Soarin worked up was a truly terrifying thing to behold and it was with good reason she was thankful that he had a fairly cool head.
“You do not ever abandon your teammates, even if you have misguided personal vendetta against them.” Soarin snapped. “I don’t give a flying feather about your opinion on where they came from or who you think they are, they’re your teammates now and you will treat them with the respect they deserve. You pull a move like that again and I swear you’ll never see the inside of a conpod again. Understand?”
She glared at him stubbornly but nodded.
“I want to hear it.” Soarin growled.
“Yes, sir.” Misty spat.
“And you,” He said, turning his glare to Lightning Streak. “Rein your damn sister in. It’s your Jaeger as well, not just hers.”
“Understood, sir.”
Soarin’s glare softened slightly. “Good, now let’s hope we never find ourselves meeting like this again.” He said briskly, trotting out without another word to either of the pilots in training.
 
 

 
With the fallout from the two-team drop still fresh in their minds, Shane and Michael were forced to pay closer attention to the two teams. It was somewhat of an unpleasant surprise, neither expecting to face such severe animosity between the cadets. They had almost no first-hand experience with the matter, their own experiences with other pilots being mostly positive. In the end they decided that Soarin’s stern rebuke was enough, Misty’s attitude having already improved slightly by sheer necessity. Simulated drops continued as normal although they were far more cautious conducting joint operations involving the newly minted crews.
A least there was some good news out of the bad, the massive Jaeger destined for the Apple siblings was completed. Standing a full 89 metres high, the Jaeger towered over everything in the Shatterdome, making the ponies which milled around is feet look like ants. Twilight could barely hold back a stupid grin as she showed Applejack and Big Mac the finished Jaeger from her office, a large quasi laboratory/workspace/think-tank/storeroom that backed onto the Jaeger bay. The J-Tech division, although still very much in its infancy, was already flooded with prototypes, theoretical concepts and wild ideas, anything to better the fighting ability of the Jaegers under the shatterdome’s command. Some would’ve considered it madness but the carefully ordered rows of equipment and almost obsessive amount of cataloguing on Twilight’s part kept everything together.
Somehow.
It was for that reason, Big Mac had decided it was a place best left alone for the most part. He regarded the complicated and occasionally dangerous looking machines which inhabited the long storeroom with something approaching suspicion, things better left for minds more brilliant than his own. He could hardly say no though when Twilight had invited them to look at the machine from the relative safety of the J-Tech spaces, especially not when AJ had so happily agreed to go.
The first thing that struck Big Macintosh was the machine’s size. It towered over the almost dwarf-like Wild Mustang by a good six or seven metres. The enormity of it didn’t finish there, every part of the machine seemed oversized, hands ending in fingers nearly the width of a train carriage, feet that made Wild Mustang’s look like ballerina slippers and a thick barrel-chested design ringed with vents and proudly emblazoned with the symbol of the Jaeger corps, a golden phoenix spreading its wings. The Jaeger was much more heavily armoured than its prototype, thick plates of iron set over the Jaeger’s shoulders, knees and hips to protect the vital components nestled there. In the centre of the chest, directly in front of the snubby conpod, sat a small hump which served to both house the Jaeger’s primary sensor array and protect the giant’s head and neck. The whole display was completed with an ochre paint job not dissimilar to the colour of his sister’s coat. A few details such as the trim on the shoulder guards were picked out in a deep red or brown, breaking up the otherwise flat hull quite nicely. It was a curious sensation, he’d piloted the machine several times already in the simulator and seen it many times when he’d visited the Jaeger bay but the finished product seemed so much… larger.
“I assume you like it?” Twilight affirmed, taking from the two pony’s amazed stares that they approved of the leviathan.
“It’s the most beautiful thing ah’ve ever seen…” Big Mac breathed, his eyes darting from one small detail to the next.
“It still needs a name…” Twilight said, looking at the two pilots expectantly.
Applejack and Big Mac shared a look, they’d been hoping somepony else would come up with a name for the giant, none of the names they’d had were particularly fancy…
‘Perhaps something simple then?’ Big Mac pondered, wondering if maybe they’d been overthinking the whole thing. A simple name that reflected his or AJ’s personality, a name that show what they were here to do. His eyes lit up for a moment as a sudden Eureka effect overcame him. He whispered quietly to Applejack for a few moments, pleased to see she agreed with the Jaeger’s name.
“Ah like Frontier Justice.” He said simply.
Twilight bobbed her head up and down. “Hmm, Not bad.” She said appreciatively, trotting away from the wide window and over to a small alcove in the wall. “These also arrived for you yesterday.” She said revealing a new pair of drivesuits similar to ones Soarin and Wave Chill were issued with. One though, was substantially larger and both featured half-dozen more interface ports had been wired into the shoulders of both suits, hopefully allowing for more fluid and precise control over the Jaeger.
“Nice.” Applejack remarked, trotting over and running her hoof over the smooth shoulder plate embossed with her cutie mark. They seemed remarkably similar to the ones they’d trained in but the undersuit was inlaid with more wiring and as she’d noted before, there seemed to be a few more interface ports than the training suits had borne.
“If all goes well, we should be ready to have a trial run in a few more days.” Twilight said cheerfully. “I’ve run so many simulations for your Jaeger but it’d be nice to put it through its paces, don’t you agree?”
Big Mac and Applejack grinned at each other. “Ah think that goes without saying.”
 

 
 
 
The Jaeger bay was already undergoing frenzied preparations by the time Gearheart clocked in for his shift. He was half an hour earlier than usual, a day like today was well worth the small discomfort to wake up a little earlier. Like most of the ponies who worked in the cavernous space, he was a mechanic, a grease monkey, as the white-collar workers liked to mockingly call him.  Unlike the lucky Jaeger crews though, Gearheart worked on something a little closer to the ground. He was he chief mechanic for one of the massive crawlers which carried the mighty robots from their bays to the massive solid steel launch doors nestled at the end of the bay. Along with three dozen other ponies, a mixture of mechanics, fitters and engineers he kept the bane of his existence, Crawler One-Three, in working condition. Or at least as close to working condition as they could.
 Crawler One-Three was a venerable old workhouse, a piece of junk the Air Force had once used to move airships around before it had been finally relegated for the scrap heap. The Jaeger Corps had been desperate to get their hands on anything and with the Air Force not willing to share their own already limited stock, they’d been forced to use two aging crawlers, Oh-Seven and One-Three, until new machines could be manufactured and delivered. They were old cankerous affairs, prone to breakdowns and throwing tracks at inopportune moments. They’d been refurbished to a reasonable standard after their unexpected career change but their age still showed far more often than anypony would’ve liked. Of the two, Crawler One-Three was the older, Oh-Seven being a slightly newer model though it was still junk compared to the newer designs the Air Force had put into service a few years ago.
One-Three though, annoyed Gearheart to no end. The crawler seemed to always be in need of a complete overhaul and although he and his crew had stripped down all four of the crawler’s massive engines more times than he could count, something always seemed to be breaking or misfiring. He’d jokingly called it ‘The other mare’ as he seemed to spend more time with it than he did his girlfriend, a name most of his crew grudgingly agreed was fitting.
Today though, the crawler seemed to be alright. She’d been cleaned and polished to an acceptable standard and nothing critical had broken in the last week so overall things were looking up. He looked his metallic beast over as he entered its massive enclosure, noting the monstrous Jaeger now perched on top of it. Unlike Wild Mustang which Oh-Seven had carried out a few months ago, this one was standing on two legs on account of it being a little too large to properly fit on while on all fours. He wondered what it would be like to service the behemoth, clambering up and down gantries all day and scurrying out along the hundreds of moveable catwalks which seemed to cover every surface of the bay’s inner wall.
‘No, I’d much rather keep my hooves on the ground thanks.’ He thought, feeling a little squeamish simply looking up at the narrow catwalk wrapped around the Jaeger’s neck. Shaking the thought off, he picked up a collection of tools and moved the back of the crawler, intent on doing one final check of the Crawler’s engines.
The launch was due in a little over half an hour at this point, Frontier Justice, the brand new Jaeger if Gearheart were to guess, was already in position on the crawler’s thick deck and ready to roll,. All the command staff were waiting for was the ‘All-clear’ signal from the deck chief and the crawler could start rolling out. Gearheart was busy checking the oil levels in the aft-right engine when one of the mechanics under his watch scurried up to him.
“Hey, Gear, I was checking the fore-right track unit and it looks like there’s a problem.”
‘Great’ Gearheart thought. ‘Would it be too much to just catch a break?’ He fixed the mechanic with an impassive look. “What’s wrong with it?’
“The seventh pin looks like it had a crack in it. The track is still holding but I reckon it could crack open if we’re not careful.”
Gearheart cursed under his breath. Fixing the link would take time, days even. If the mechanic was right the crack had appeared in one of the most inconvenient places possible. “Show me.”
The grease covered mechanic nodded and led Gear up to the front track assembly, illuminating the tight space with his horn and pointing out the link in question. “Right there.”
Gearheart scowled, sure enough the pin between link seven and eight had developed a long crack running around the circumference of the five metre long rod. It was thin though, barely noticeable unless you were looking very closely. It was a miracle the unicorn had seen it at all.
“Alright, tighten up the track a little. It’ll put a bit more tension on the track but you don’t want thing catching any slack or it’ll fall apart. See if you can’t get in there and patch it up as well. I’ll have a chat with Strong Box and see if we can’t push this thing back and get damn pin fixed.”
The unicorn nodded briskly. “I’m on it.”
“Good lad.” Gearheart said, clapping him on the back before leaving him to fix the problem at hand. He searched around for the deck chief, a skinny little stallion called Strong Box whose small size seemed at odds with the booming voice he usually displayed. Spotting the stallion chatting animatedly with one of the crawler operator’s, Gearheart trotted over, a sense of dread rising in his gut. He hadn’t been here long but he already knew Strong Box valued one pony’s opinion and little else. Naturally, that pony just happened to be himself.
The young mechanic waited patiently until there was a suitable break in the deck chief’s conversation, neatly sliding in like a well-oiled piston.
“Yes?” Strong box asked irately He was already juggling a few hundred small dramas at once and wasn’t looking forward to the bright-eyed mechanic to adding any more.
“We need to cancel the launch.” Gearheart said simply.
Strong Box looked at him like he’d grown a second head. “Come again?”
Gearheart maintained his composure. “We need to cancel the launch.”
The Floor chief smiled thinly. “And why would that be?”
“One of the pins connecting the fore-right track on One-Three has cracked. It’s holding for the moment but it’s only a matter of time before it’ll break.”
“We can’t cancel the launch.” Strong box replied, immediately returning his gaze to another pony who was vying for his attention.
Gearheart wondered if the chief had even heard him. “But the crawler is damaged!” He proclaimed.
“Look kid, Oh-Seven is in tha’ workshop already with a busted gearbox so unless you’ve got another crawler up your arse we’re usin’ that one.” He pointed to One-Three like Gearheart was mentally impaired. “Do I make myself clear?”
‘No, you make yourself sound like an idiot.’ Gearheart thought indignantly. “It needs a proper repair job or it’ll break. Can we at least push it back to get a closer look at the join?” He said levelly.
“Push it back?” The stallion shook his head. “Nothing is pushing this launch back. We do it now or it don’t happen at all.”
“But sir, if the pin snapped while the Jaeger is on the crawler we could have a potential disaster.”
Strong Box gnashed his teeth together. “I’m well aware of that, kid. Just tighten the assembly up and patch that crack. We don’t have time ter take it apart an’ put it back together before the launch. It’ll hold fer a few hours, that’s all its gotta do.  We can take it back into the shop for an overhaul afterwards, alright? I’m not going to have a late launch on my head, you hear?”
Gearbox sighed, that’s exactly what he’d already done. And that, in his opinion, wasn’t enough.
“With respect, sir, I don’t think that-.”
“How long you been here, kid?” Strong Box snapped irately.
The young pony flushed red. “Six months.”
Strong Box snorted contemptuously. “I’ve been working with these things fer ten years, they’re unreliable at the best of times. These sorts of problems happen all the damn time and you think we ‘ave a cry every time somethin’ breaks? No, we work with it. Now get outta my sight before I sic the guards on yer.”
“Well if that thing breaks, it’ll be on your head.” Gearheart fumed, marching off before he could see if Strong Box would follow through with his threat.
 

High up above the floor of the launch bay sat Applejack and Big Mac. Or more accurately, Big Macintosh, as his sister was now pacing back and forth restlessly. They were already fitted in their drivesuits, the dull green finish gleaming under the bright lights.
“AJ, you’ll carve a rut in the floor at this rate.” Big Mac said quietly. “Get a grip.”
Applejack shot a glare at him but stopped pacing, the room suddenly falling silent. She lasted barely a minute before she started up again, pacing back and forth like she’d drunk far too much recaf. She jumped as the door swung open and Misty Fly trotted in, her brother close at her heels like he always seemed to be.
“What do you want?” Applejack asked, her tone instantly suspicious.
Misty looked at her dangerously. “Don’t screw up.” She said succinctly. There was something else in her eyes, a look of envy that screamed ‘This should be my chance.’ at Applejack.  She retreated without another word, all that need to be said already said in those three words.
“That’s her way of saying good luck.” Lightning Streak clarified quietly. He locked eyes with Applejack for a moment. “You’ll do alright, it’s your time to shine.” He laughed quietly. “Even if she doesn’t think so.”
A faint smile graced Applejack’s lips. “Thanks.” She mumbled.
An alarm blared on, a loud repeated buzz which caught the attention of everypony in the room. A moment later Michael stepped through the door, a barely restrained grin on his face. “You know the music, time to dance.”
 
Frontier Justice’s conpod was a lot smaller on the inside. Applejack looked around, shoving away the feeling that the walls were closing in as she stepped into the control room. The interior lights were a faint red, making the inside of the cockpit look like someone had gone a little axe-crazy. Applejack brushed this thought off and marched to the centre of the conpod, clipping herself into the enormous drivetrain with two sharp clicks. With a reassuring jolt of solidity, the harness fell down neatly into place, latching itself on the back of her drivesuit like some sort of obscene parasite.
“Two pilots, on deck.” The computer droned, its voice substantially deeper than the one she was used to in the training simulator. “Initiating launch operations.”
She almost didn’t hear the last part of the computer’s announcement, a deep rumble sounding beneath them as the behemoth started powering up.
Frontier Justice didn’t so much roar into life as it did thunder. The Jaeger’s mighty heart, the new and improved reactor from the Raython laboratories, turned over deep inside the Jaeger’s barrel chest, building up from a low whir to a high whine in a few seconds. Thin streams of oil and hydraulic fluid pumped steadily throughout the Jaeger’s limbs like blood and the ports lining the front of the Jaeger’s chest hissed open, venting the already considerable heat emanating from the reactor.
“Initiating pilot to pilot protocols, starting in ten seconds.” The radio crackled quietly.
‘This is it.’ Applejack thought, trying hard to not let her nervousness show. She had drifted with Big Mac now more times than she could count, but now that they were undertaking the process with a finicky machine… it was a completely different kettle of fish. Dozens of holographic projections danced into life and arranged themselves over the conpod’s viewport as the Jaeger’s systems booted, figures, numbers and readouts that would escape the understanding of anyone bar a pilot, detailing everything from the reactor’s core temperature to the Jaeger’s oil pressure. It was a veritable sea of information. Everything seemed to be a faint tinge of green, whether that was just to complement the Jaeger’s earthy colour scheme or because the computer had defaulted to the setting, Applejack wasn’t sure.
“Drift sequence, initiated.” The computer growled..
The world dissolved into a blue haze before Applejack could muster her thoughts, the now familiar sensation of not quite being inside herself flooded her senses. This time was different though, she could feel her consciousness expand into the machine until she could feel the whispering of steam across the metal hull and the click of gears and servos in the arms.
She also suddenly felt very masculine.
Her thoughts mixed with Big Mac’s like they’d been thrown into a blender, giving her first row seats to his feelings as he drifted into the Jaeger. She noted curiously that Big Mac didn’t feel much different, he seemed basically the same as he always was.
‘Suppose that means it thinks it’s a boy.’ She thought, reasonable, considering that Frontier Justice didn’t really seem all that girly. ‘Feels rather butch…’
Big Mac laughed silently as this, a rare memory of him rolling on his back laughing like an idiot drifting into Applejack’s mind.
‘’Why were you doing that again?’
‘Granny smith was convinced your name was Applejohn. You were also covered in tree sap.’
‘Oh… right…’ Applejack thought embarrassedly, amazed at the way that time seemed to slow as they conversed mentally. She remembered Michael had called it ‘Headspace’ a phenomenon that occurred when two well synched pilots started communicating much faster than they could verbally. He’d pointed out recorded instances where the Wei triplets, a crazy bunch of human pilots by AJ’s reckoning, had undertaken a particularly long-winded conversation in under a second.
With a light whisper the blue mist faded from her vision and reality snapped back into focus, the dozens of holographic and solid displays of the Jaeger’s console once again dominating her field of view.
“Neural handshake strong and holding, good work.” The radio crackled. “Alright boys and girls we’re going for a little test run, let’s see what your Jaeger can do.”
The crawler slowly jerked to life, inexorably propelling Frontier Justice towards the massive bay doors. The grinding and clanking tracks was barely audible over the loud hum of the Jaeger’s reactor, a quiet drone which gradually built in intensity like a slowly waking giant.
Applejack grinned proudly, this was a show she’d never forget.
 
Then quite suddenly, like a supercell breaking over a tiny hamlet, all hell broke loose.
Far below them, the much abused fore-right track of Crawler One-three failed exactly like the young mechanic had predicted it would. A loud bang, like a bullwhip cracking in an empty room, rang out around the launch bay and the tightened track leapt off its runners like a coiled viper. With another snap, one of the heavy treads came loose from the link, jamming itself into one of the bogies and ripping through the structure like tinfoil. The platform Frontier Justice was resting on lurched precariously, sending the top heavy Jaeger pitching forward. One of the ponies guiding the crawler down the ramp was killed instantly, a massive hunk of shrapnel from the bogies swatting him aside before he could even react. A suspenseful stillness filled the hanger, the quiet groaning of the stressed track bogies the only noise that cut through the stunned silence. With a final rending shriek of metal buckling, the already damaged bogie gave way, almost disintegrating under the combined weight of the Jaeger and the platform it was supporting.
Then, like a drunk reaching the point of no return, Frontier Justice started to tumble forward.
 
Up in the conpod things suddenly became hairy. They’d felt a dull crunch but hadn’t seen the track separate from the bogies. The first sign that something was wrong was when the Jaeger lurched forward sickeningly.
“What th-?” Applejack managed before the Jaeger suddenly started falling forwards. She had a moment to notice the deck had tilted forward at a slight angle before the realisation set in. They were nearly 2900 tons of out-of-control iron. They had to do something and fast, before a bad situation turned worse. She could all too easily imagine Frontier Justice toppling though a load bearing wall and bringing the rest of the shatterdome on top of them. They willed the Jaeger to lean backwards slightly, not too much that it’d cause the towering behemoth to tip over backwards instead, but enough that it would counter the forward slope. The Jaeger slowly started to even out and Applejack breathed a sigh of relief.
And then the world dropped.
It was like they were walking on stilts and someone had suddenly kicked them out from underneath them. For what felt like an entire bowel-clenching second they were in free fall. Big Mac let out a heartfelt curse as the Jaeger jumped forward dangerously. Leaning back wouldn’t save them now, they were already pitched forward at a crazy angle and Frontier Justice didn’t exactly strike Applejack as a Jaeger that was particularly agile. Reflexively, she threw out her forehoof in an attempt to stabilise themselves. Frontier Justice followed her, its right arm slowly rising palm down, fingers outstretched, searching for something to brace itself against. Its palm slammed into the edge of the crawler first, tearing through the metal effortlessly before finally embedding itself in the unyielding ground with a deafening crunch. Like a dinner plate hitting the floor, the concrete surface shattered under the Jaeger’s weight, bringing Frontier Justice to an abrupt halt. Applejack and Big Mac were thrown forward violently in their harnesses, shaken but otherwise unhurt. A moment later one of the Jaeger’s knees slammed against the deck, sending another violent shudder through the hull.
“Big Mac, you okay?” Applejack asked weakly, the force of the impact having knocked all the air out of her lungs. She could hear the radio squawking energetically but her head was spinning so badly she could make nothing out.
Big Mac let out a hoarse cough. “Fine, ah think. You?”
“Golden.” Applejack answered shakily. She certainly didn’t feel that great. Her head was pounding furiously and every bone in her body ached like she’d been bucking apples for several days straight. She could feel something slick against her forehoof and she could taste a faint metallic tang in her mouth. Relieved to be in one piece, Applejack let out a faint groan, resisting the overwhelming urge to pass out. She realised numbly that she couldn’t feel Big Mac in her head anymore, something had either shorted the connection or cut it off completely. A sudden sense of vertigo overcame her and she lolled forward in her harness.
“AJ?” Big Mac asked worriedly, unsure if he should detach himself and go to her aide.
“Ah’m… fine.” Applejack rasped, a wave of black overwhelming her senses again. She heard one more cry from her brother before everything turned to black.