//------------------------------// // Metal birds // Story: No mare left behind // by Aqua_Breeze //------------------------------// "So, Twi, I wanna know something," Rainbow Dash said. "Just ask," Twilight said. "You said humans don't have wings, right?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That's right," Twilight said, "Why?". "But you also said they can fly, right?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Yes, but not on their own," Twilight explained, "They use these large machines called planes, which are, surprisingly, made entirely out of metal". "Just how big are they?" Applejack asked, "If they're made out metal, ah can't imagine they'd be too big". "It all depends on what the plane is designed to do," Twilight explained, "but they can be pretty big, and can easily weigh a few tons". "How exactly does a few tons of metal fly?" Applejack asked. "It all comes down to science," Twilight said, "Each plane has two stationary wings, three fins on the tails, and a propeller. The propeller works like a fan. As it spins, it pushes air towards the plane, and allows it to move forward as a result. As the plane moves forward, air is able to move around each wing. Each wing is designed so air pressure is greater on the bottom to provide lift and get the plane into the air when it's moving fast enough". "So, it's kind of like a big gliding pegasus?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Well... I guess you could put it that way, yea," Twilight said. "And what about those fins on the tail?" Rainbow Dash asked, "What purpose do they serve?". "Stabilization," Twilight said, "The two on the sides allow for vertical control, while the one on the top allows for horizontal control". "Ah still just don't understand how ya get something that weighs tons off the ground like that," Applejack said. "I don't really know about how that really works, but my dad told me once that the faster something flies, the lighter it becomes for a little while," Rainbow Dash said. "That's not how weight works, Rainbow," Twilight said. "It kinda makes sense, though," Rainbow Dash said, "Think about it, Twi. The faster one of those planes moves, the easier it is to get further from the ground, right?". "That's right," Twilight said. "So the faster you go, the higher you can go because you weigh less," Rainbow Dash said. "The faster you go, the faster and harder air hits the bottom of the wing, allowing you to get into the air," Twilight said, "You don't lose weight in any kind of way". "I believe you mentioned there are different planes designed for different tasks," Luna said, "What tasks do they perform?". "Well, the most common plane is a fighter. They engage other fighters in aerial combat known as a dogfight," Twilight said, "There's also different kinds of bombers as well. Level bombers fly straight and level and are designed for taking out airstrips and taking out building cover in cities. Dive bombers are used to take out single important targets on land, or deal massive damage to a ship at sea. Torpedo bombers drop torpedoes while flying towards enemy ships. Torpedoes are meant to hit below the waters surface, but will explode if dropped from too high, so torpedo bomber pilots have to fly really close to the waters surface, giving them the most dangerous job out of all three bombers in my opinion. Now, one thing bomber have in common is a tail gunner that provides a little protection from fighters behind the bomber". "Did you get to fly any of them?" Luna asked. "These things are amazing!" Twilight exclaimed. "Do you have planes in your world?" Nick asked. "No, we don't," Twilight said, "So, how do they work exactly?". "I'm not a pilot, nor do I have any desire to fly, so I don't really know," Nick said. "Any chance of me getting in one?" Twilight asked. "We'll have to wait and see," Nick said, rubbing Twilights head. As the two walked on, Twilight found it increasingly difficult to contain herself. All the technology around her that was just waiting to be explored. After a short while, the roar of engines coming life could be heard. Like filly, Twilight ran towards the source of the sound to find a squadron heading out for some training. You could almost see the stars sparkle in her eyes as the first plane rolled past and started lifting off the ground on its own. After the last plane got into the formation, Twilight spread her wings and got ready to take off herself. It didn't take Nick long to figure out what the purple alicorn was about to do, and he held his left hand firmly on her back to hold her down. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Nick said. "Why not?" Twilight asked. "They're supposed to be the only ones in this airspace right now," Nick said, "You go up there, and you'll just get shot". With that, Twilights wings folded back in and her ears dropped. "Hey, now don't be that way," Nick said. "I just wanna get up there and fly with them," Twilight said. "You might get the chance later," Nick said, "And who knows, maybe the captain can even secure you a chance to fly one of those Spitfires". "Spitfire huh?" Twilight asked nobody in particular, "I know a pegasus by that same name. She's one of the three captains of Equestrias air force, the Wonderbolts". "Really now?" Nick asked. "Yea, though sometimes I question how she became a Wonderbolts captain," Twilight said. "And why's that?" Nick asked. "Well, when Rainbow was in the Wonderbolts academy, we decided to visit. When we got there, though, one of the cadets decided to start up a tornado for whatever reason," Twilight said, "Spitfire, decided to commend that cadet on a great performance when that tornado would've put me and my other friends in the hospital, or worse, had Rainbow not been there". "Well... shit," Nick said, stunned. "Then, during the last Equestria games, one of her teammates got hurt pretty badly, and decided it'd be best to just simply replace him with a member from another team," Twilight said. "And she's an officer?" Nick asked. "Yes, somehow," Twilight said. "Good evening, sir," Nick said, snapping into a salute as Dreadson walked over. Twilight tried to salute quickly, but ended up fumbling and tripping over her own hooves, resulting in her faceplanting the ground. "That didn't look very pleasant," Dreadson said. "I'm fine, don't worry about me," Twilight said as she raised herself up. "Good," Dreadson said. "Say, uh... would it be possible for me to get permission to fly one of those planes, sir?" Twilight asked. "With coordination like that?" Dreadson asked jokingly, "I'll see what I can do. You don't need a plane to fly, but it'd be interesting to see how well you can pilot one". "So, did you get the chance, or not?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Well, I didn't get permission," Twilight said, "But I didn't really let that stop me". "Wait a second," Rainbow Dash said, holding her right hoof up, "You... doing something you're not supposed to do? I never knew you actually had it in you, Twi". "That's not going to become common, is it?" Celestia asked sternly. "I had my reasons," Twilight said. "And what were they?" Celestia asked. "Research," Twilight said, "I knew I'd eventually go into a fight with these things, so I needed to know how they worked". "So, what was it like?" Rainbow Dash asked. Night soon arrived. As the rest of the pilots and Marines slept, however, Twilight was up and about. She had but one goal on her mind: flight. She had her cloak up, making it impossible for others to find her. When she found the parked spitfires, she walked up to one and looked it over. The plane was huge, and her muzzle just barely cleared the top of the wing. It impressed her just how something this big and heavy could get itself off the ground with static wings. As she got around the left wing, she figured it was time to climb in the cockpit. She placed her front hooves on the wing and lifted herself up. As her back hooves made contact, however, they did so with the left aileron, snapping it down. After the shock of losing her balance so suddenly, Twilight tried to put the aileron back into place. After failing the third attempt, Twilight just ripped the aileron off and set it on the ground... something she'd come to regret. After climbing in the cockpit, Twilight was suddenly confused. So many buttons, switches, etc. that she had no idea how to use. She was starting to think about turning back, but quickly threw that thought away. After about an hour, Twilight had enough basic knowledge of how to fly the plane. It wouldn't be enough to fly very long, but it'd get her off the ground at least. She used her magic as a key to start the engine and started taxing slowly to the grass strip. After aligning herself with the grass strip, she increased engine power so the plane would move faster. As the planes speed increased, Twilight slid back, holding onto the flight stick. After enough time, Twilights death grip on the flight stick allowed the plane to gain altitude quickly. After regaining her composure, Twilight pushed forward on the flight stick to level out. Not long after leveling out, Twilight saw light shoot into the air. She didn't pay any attention to the spotlights as she flew. It didn't take much longer for her spitfire to start banking to the right. Without thinking, Twilight jerked the flight stick to the left. Lacking a left aileron, however, the spitfire couldn't correct its bank. Twilight started to panic when it became obvious that she wasn't staying airborne much longer. Her panic making her forget that the cockpit was still wide open. As the spitfire got closer to the ground, Twilights mind clicked on and she put up a shield. The light from a fire was all that gave away Twilights crash location. As a ground crew, along with captain Dreadson, approached, they saw Twilight slowly climbing out of the burning wreckage. She was covered in a purple aura, giving away that she'd put up a shield just before impact. Before anybody else could do anything, Twilight slumped over and passed out, her limb body sliding off the wing.