//------------------------------// // New Operatives // Story: The D.R.A.G.O.N. Intiative // by Stardust Speedster //------------------------------// A Hint of Danger Deep in the center of the Academy, high ranking officials quickly tapped on computers, watching a screen every second they looked up. They were doing a routine scan of the satellite telescopes before the first day of the semester began. One man, a P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Operative, was about to finish his section of space. Everything seemed normal, with no major disturbances among the stars. He took a moment to take off his reading glasses, sighing as he was about to finish. His CO walked up to him, as he gave a salute. "Good work today, Private Speedster. I trust the check was uneventful?" the older stallion mentioned. The younger one put down his hand and shook his head. "Yes sir, General Soarin. Nothing but a few asteroid clusters, but already most of the ships have cleared the radius." He pointed to the screen, where the markers of the ships were above the dots representing the asteroids.The other workers made their way out, preparing to leave to their family. Soarin took a look at the new Operative, and how nervous he acted in front of him. "Relax, Speedster. You're more shaken than a 'corn in a firefight!" he chuckled, making the man slouch a little. "I know this is only your second month at joining the Lunar Ranks, but I believe you have what it takes to be a true ace. You would've made your brothers proud." he said, a sympathetic look on his face. The younger operative sighed then began to leave. "Thanks, Soarin. I wish I could stay and chat, but this is also my second month as a teacher in the Academy, and a new batch of Trainees are coming today." he said with a nod as he left through the door. "That kid grew up too fast for his own good," the OC muttered as he picked up his stuff and left. It would be only a few moments before the next shift of technicians could come in. In the few moments of quiet, the private's computer was still left on the scanner. No one noticed when it began to flashed text urgently. EMERGENCY. SHIP 121098 HAS TAKEN HEAVY DAMAGE IN SECTOR 6. D.R.A.G.O.N. OPS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN PERIMETER. SENDING ASSISTANCE REQUEST NOW. The New Faces The tram pulled into the docking station, murmurs of excitement, joy, and fear escaped the doors. As the gates opened, dozens of young teens exited out of the tram, carrying suitcases and bookbags. The last of the new trainees exited slowly as they thanked the driver. One was a mare with purple fur and a two tone striped mane, who had a look of nervousness on her face. She wore a clean striped shirt underneath her jacket, with it all tucked neatly into her dress pants, giving her a professional look. The other was a younger stallion, who had the same purple fur, with a messy green mane and goatee to match. He wore a much less formal shirt, depicting one of his favorite bands underneath a purple jacket, and denim jeans. The younger one grabbed his small backpack and jogged up with the other, smiling all the while. "So, Twilight, are you ready for our first day at the Academy?" said the younger one. The older one smiled to herself and took in the scenery. "You know it, Spike. I guess we're both excited that you and I get to go to the highest school for Operatives in all of Equestria, but we should probably keep calm and maintain a good first impression." Twilight said, more to herself. " What do you mean keep calm? I'm fine. I wasn't the one who kept asking me how far we were on the tram, or the one wh-" he stopped as she gave him a glare. He rolled his eyes as they made their way to the front of the school. Once they walked in, they felt dwarfed by the size of the building. It looked like the inside of a museum, with giant glass windows giving out a clear view of the bright, blue sky above. The Academy went on so high that it made Twilight nearly fall over from leaning back. Luckily, Spike managed to catch her. As they looked around, they saw many girls and boys their age walking around, chatting with others. Many wore a necklace bearing a symbol on it. Strangely, all of them varied, from roses to gears and everything else. Twilight instantly recognized them to be the school I.D. for students, recalling them being mentioned from the pamphlet of the school. The two spotted the front desk, where they were supposed check in at. A long line of people surrounded it, pushing and moving around. The two siblings shared a sigh as they moved to the back of the line. "They must be like us, trying to get their rooms and classes." Spike thought. After what seemed like hours, Twilight and Spike had made it to the front, and met an older woman at the receptionist's desk. She turned around to give them a warm smile. Why, hello there! May I help you with anything?" she asked. Both Spike and Twi looked at each other before she decided to speak up. "Yes, I believe you can. My name Is Twilight Sparkle, and this is my little brother Spike," she gestured to the stallion, who waved back with a smile. "We are new trainees for the academy, and we were wondering where we are supposed to go before our classes." "New trainees, you say? Let me just look up your names," the mare chirped, clicking away on her computer. Not five seconds later, she pulled out a ticket and gave it to Twilight. She looked down at it, reading it while Spike looked at her questioningly. Welcome to the Operatives Initiative Academy! TRAINEE TWILIGHT SPARKLE, AGE 20, SIGNING UP FOR U.N.I.C.O.R.N. INTIATIVE DORM ROOM: HALL T, DOOR 2, ROOM 3. TRAINEE SPIKE, AGE 17, SIGNING UP FOR U.N.I.C.O.R.N. INITIATIVE DORM ROOM: HALL T, DOOR 5, ROOM 4. PROFFESSOR: JOHNATHAN M. SPEEDSTER, LUNAR DIVISION. "If you follow the signs to the dorm hallways, just find the "T" floor, then unpack. Your classroom numbers should be there, as are your roommates! Have a nice first day, you two." The receptionist waved, as they walked away. As she said, a clear sign directed them to the dorm hallway, then they saw they needed to ride an elevator. As they the two got on, Spike pressed a button that was marked "T", and they lurched up as they rose. "So, what do you think so far, Twi? Pretty cool stuff, am I right?" he smiled. Twilight tried to act calm, but her joy bubbled through as she grinned back at him. "Why, it's the most amazing-looking place I've ever seen! Did you see how huge this place is? And to think, all of this was created by Doctor Starswirl!" she gushed, as Spike rolled his eyes, knowing how much of a fangirl she was about Starswirl. Although he'd never admit it, he thought he was pretty amazing too, considering how he started all the initiatives and guides the school personally. As both were deep in thought, the bell dinged, the door sliding open. The two stepped out to locate the dorm. Finding the one marked "#2"in fancy font, they knocked on the door. After about ten seconds, they heard a mare yell "Coming!" and hoofsteps approaching the other side. When the door opened, it revealed a mare with pink fur and a mane to match. She wore a pink shirt that matched her mane, three different colored balloons on the center, as well as a pair of faded jeans. "Oh. My. God. You must be the new roomie! Come on in!" she gestured, the two sharing a look as they walked in, the pink mare closing the door behind them. The dorm room was rather big, with many hallways splitting up into different areas. The main room had a T.V, with the news playing about some well received orchestra last night. A dinky couch with a tan color sat in the middle, with a few folding chairs sitting around a coffee table. On one of the chairs sat confetti with balloons hanging on it, a card reading out "Welcome to our dorm!" written out in pink. The mare hopped in front of them, holding out her hand. "Oh, silly me, I forgot to tell you my name! I'm Diane, but my friends call me Pinkie Pie!" Spike offered his hand, which she took and practically shook his arm out of his socket. As he shook his head around, she giggled. "You're pretty funny, guy! What's your name?" "Uh, Spike. And she's Twilight..." said the stallion, confused. Just as Twilight was about to receive a killer handshake, the lock of the door jiggled and opened, letting a mare step into the room. She was a fairly tall mare, with white fur that looked sleek and well groomed. Her purple mane was styled in a way that made any others look shameful, with her tail just as kempt. The stallion then saw her straight posture. "Maybe she's from Manehattan." he thought to himself. Her eyes were a deep blue ocean, holding life and energy that made her stand out even more. As she walked up to them, Spike began to look at her figure. She wore a tight fitting white sweater, which hugged her quite nicely. Her pants were made of some kind of black fabric, not that he knew much about fashion anyways. It seemed to fit her lower half and accentuate her curves, giving off a perfect hourglass figure. Each step held a bounce for either her top or bottom, yet still holding some form of grace. As Spike watched this swaying pattern of skin dance, Twilight noticed him and stepped on his foot, him clutching his leg soon after. "What was that for?!" he whispered. "Do not treat her like a piece of eye candy, Spike. I saw you staring. I'm still you're big sister, and I can..." Spike zoned out as he watched that beautiful mare turn to look into his eyes. His heart instantly began to beat faster. She smiled at him, then walked up to Twilight, still lecturing her brother. "Excuse me, but are one of you our new roommate?" she asked in a mid-atlantic accent. As Twilight gave out introductions for both of them, she sat on the couch with a cup of coffee in her hands. "Well, it certainly is nice to meet you two. My name Is Rarity, and I am a Cadet U.N.I.C.O.R.N. in training." she said fluently. "Rarity," Spike thought. "That name suits her so well..." He instantly wished he was in this dorm instead of his sister. Remembering that he needed to head to his dorm, he turned to Twilight. "Uh, Twi? I better get to my dorm before class begins." She looked up at him, looking a little sad. "Oh, right. Well, I won't hold you. See you in a few hours, little brother!" she smiled, giving him a hug in front of the two strangers. Spike felt his cheeks get red as their eyes watched him. "Aww! How cute! See you later, Spike. I hope we can get a chance to know each other sometime." said Rarity. As the stallion walked towards the door with his luggage, Pinkie Pie stopped him. "Psst. Hey Spike! If you wanna hang out later, go to the Academy Gardens at 7 o' clock tonight!" she whispered, handing him a flyer. Before he had time to read it, he was already out the door, it shutting firmly behind him. "Okay...door number five," he remembered, heading down a few feet. He hasn't even been here ten minutes, and he could tell this school was going to be interesting. Once he got to the door labeled "#5" in a look similar to a comic book picture, he slowly knocked on the door, wondering who he would meet next. A few seconds later, a soft voice called out from the other side. "U-uh, hello? Who's there?" it squeaked. "Um, hi there. My name is Spike, and I'm the new roommate. Pleased to meet you." Spike tried to say as friendly as possible to a door. After a moment, the door slowly opened to reveal a mare with yellow fur and pink mane, and a shy face poking out from the bangs. It looked like she was wearing a yellow shirt with a phoenix chick on the front. She saw him, and looked somewhat frightened. "Hmm, maybe I should get her to talk to me."he thought to himself. As she let him inside the dorm, he saw how this one appeared different. Like Twilight's dorm, there was a T.V. and a couch, but that was where the similarities ended. A few multicolored beanbags sat around the television, where a tray sat, holding some tea cups and sandwiches. The walls were covered in posters of various famous operatives, specifically P.E.G.A.S.U.S. ones. In one windowsill, a pot held a small Bonsai Tree that was neatly trimmed. The stallion turned his gaze to the shy girl in front of him, then put on a comforting smile. "You have a really awesome dorm here, Ms.-?" he asked. She seemed to lighten up a little. "Oh, my name is Fluttershy. It's really nice to meet you, Spike." she said walking over to the tray of food. "Would you like some tea?" she asked, holding it to him. Spike's stomach rumbled in conformation, so the two sat down. As it was served, Spike noticed that Fluttershy had wings on her back, much like some of the P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Operatives he has seen. "So, Fluttershy, what kind of initiative are you a part of?" he asked. The mare set down her tea daintily and looked up at him. "Oh, I'm an E.A.R.T.H. Op Cadet." Spike gave off a strange look, surprised. "Oh, I could see how it's surprising, what with my wings and all, but I've always had a real love of animals," she said with a smile, as a white rabbit ran into the room. "Hello, Angel. This is our new friend, Spike." Spike put his hand down to pet the little guy, just as it bit his hand and ran off again. "Ow! What was that for?!" he exclaimed, rubbing his sore hand. Fluttershy ran off to the kitchen, then came back with some ointment and a bandage. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry about that, Spike. Angel's really skittish around strangers, but once he gets to know you, I'm sure you'll become the best of friends!" she spoke, just as she finished wrapping the bandage around his hand. "Better?" she asked. Spike forgot his anger towards the little beast when he looked into her eyes, kindness radiating from them. "...Yes, thank you." he said. "So, are there any other roommates in here that I haven't met?" "Well, there's Rainbow Dash, and she's really athletic, not to mention one of the best Pegs' in her class. And there's also Applejack, an E.A.R.T.H. Operative who's really good at cooking. Speaking of Operatives, what kind are you going to be?" "I'm going to be a 'Corn," he replied proudly. "That makes sense," Fluttershy said, picking up the empty tea cups. "They usually assign groups of all different Ops, so that everyone gets a feel of what everyone does. At least the Dean says that." Spike remembered that he had to unpack, so he got up from his seat to the kitchen, where Fluttershy set the cups into the sink, where they were cleaned by robotic scrubbers. "I don't mean to be rude, Fluttershy, but I should probably get to my room and unpack. Could you tell me where the rooms are?" The mare nodded and pointed to a room on one of the branching hallways. "We have about an hour before classes begin, so take your time." she called as he walked down to find the room marked "4". He opened it to see a clean room, with a small bed and a dresser. A fan spun slowly on the ceiling, blowing the curtains of the window. Just as the stallion sat down to unpack, he saw a note and a box on the pillow of the bed. He opened the note, and it read out: Hello, Spike! I congratulate you on making it to the O.I.A., and at such a young age! It makes me glad to see students who have advanced faster than most do. I'm expecting great things from you! You are assigned to my classroom this year, and I hope we can help you fulfill your dream of being a U.N.I.C.O.R.N. Operative. If you ever need me, just feel free to message me. See you soon! -Professor Speedster, Room ----- Spike stared blankly down at the note. "Well, that 's a little strange. At least I know where the class is at now," he shrugged. He then opened the box that sat on the bed, In it, sat a small necklace, looking just like the ones he saw on the kids earlier. On his, he saw a picture of a silver flame on it. On a piece of scratch paper, it read out: School I.D. for Spike. Have a good semester! -Dr. S. "School I.D.? Didn't Twilight mention something about that on the ride here? Eh, that explains why everyone else had one like this." the stallion accepted. He put the necklace on, and it fit him perfectly. The stallion rubbed it's glossy finish, the stone feeling cool under his fingers. He finished unpacking soon afterwards, then turned to his clock. He had about forty five minutes before class started. "Maybe I should go see what classes Fluttershy has," Spike said, walking out of his room with the necklace still in his hand.