"Day five, test 15. Seriously, starting off easy. 1% thrust capacity," Twilight said as she stood ready to test again. She was still aching from getting slammed around by her thruster boots. "In three... two... one." The thrusters kicked on and she began hovering a foot or so off the ground, carefully keeping herself steady and landing after several seconds. "So far so good. Alright, let's bring it up to 2.5%. Three... two... one." This time she was pushed a bit higher into the air and started floating about the lab slowly. "We're still okay." She then noticed the chemistry area coming up. "Okay this is where I don't wanna be!" She carefully avoided passing over the table full of chemicals. Figuring out how to control her flight, she moved back to her starting point and landed. "Okay. I can fly."
Twilight spent the next day putting together a suit and put it on. "Dusk, you there?" she asked as she put the faceplate on.
"At your service, ma'am," the AI answered.
"Engage Heads Up Display."
"Check."
"Import all preferences from home interface."
"At once, ma'am." Twilight did a walk around as she watched her preferences pass across the screen while being uploaded. "Upload complete. We're online and ready."
"Do a virtual walk around," Twilight instructed.
"Calibrating virtual environment," Dusk answered.
"Do a check on control surfaces."
"As you wish." Twilight watched the HUD display as the suit's various flight control panels were tested. "Test complete. Preparing to power down and begin diagnostics."
"Scratch that," Twilight said. "Do a weather check and start listening in on ATC."
"Ma'am there are still terabytes of calculations needed before an actual flight is-"
"Dusk. I know what I'm doing," Twilight assured. "Ready? Three, two, one." The thrusters kicked on and propelled her into a hover. "Here we go." She tilted her hooves and poured on more power, being propelled out of the cargo door and into the open air. "Woooo!!!" She couldn't help letting out that cheer as she flew over the Everfree forest. "I'm starting to see why Dash loves this so much!" She did a number of spins as she flew around town and over Sweet Apple Acres, seeing the Cutie Mark Crusaders camping outside their clubhouse with her HUD's telescoping feature. "Let's see how high we can go." Looking skyward, Twilight began her ascent into the heavens. The lights of Ponyville quickly becoming pinpricks.
"Ma'am, a potentially fatal buildup of ice is beginning," Dusk informed her.
"Keep going," Twilight said as she kept ascending. "Let's see how far we get before the icing stops us."
"As you wish," Dusk answered with what sounded like hesitation as they flew higher and higher, the ice continuing to build up.
When the thrusters finally gave out and the suit's systems totally shut down, Twilight grabbed the manual release for the flaps in her telekinesis as she made mental notes. When she was done, she deployed the flaps and broke the ice away, kicking the thrusters on and resuming stable flight toward her library once everything had rebooted. "Dusk, take note. Main transducer feels sluggish at plus 40 altitude. Elevation ceiling before total system shut down is approximately 90,000 ft above sea level. Hull pressurization is also problematic. Likely due to aforementioned icing."
"A very astute observation, ma'am," Dusk said as they landed in the lab and Twilight began removing the suit. "Perhaps if you intend to explore Princess Luna's domain, we should improve the exosystems."
"Reconfigure the shell metals. Use the gold titanium alloy in the Royal Guard standard issue armor. That should ensure fuselage integrity while maintaining the power to weight ratio," Twilight instructed.
"Shall I render using proposed specifications?" Dusk inquired as Twilight sat at her desk and poured herself a drink.
"Of course," Twilight answered as she sipped her drink, watching the render take shape on one of the computer monitors.
"The render is complete," Dusk said, the screen showing a gold colored suit.
"That... is the most ostentatious thing I've ever seen," Twilight said. "Make it purple with the gold for accents." She finished her drink and smiled once the render was updated. "I like that. Put it together."
"Commencing automated assembly," Dusk said. "Estimated completion time: five hours."
Twilight looked at the clock and smiled. "In the meantime, I've got a date. Don't wait up."
Twilight smiled as she saw Facet waiting for her outside their favorite restaurant. "Hope you weren't waiting long, Facet."
"Not at all, love," Facet said, smiling back after pecking her on the lips. "You look beautiful." His eyes roamed over her dress, recognizing his sister's work.
"And you look so handsome," Twilight answered with a giggle. "Shall we?"
"We shall," Facet said, walking with her into the restaurant. "Reservation for Belle and Sparkle."
"Right this way," the host said with a friendly smile as he led them to their table on the second floor balcony. Which gave them a wonderful view of Canterlot and the night sky.
"It's such a beautiful view," Twilight said as she and Facet sat down, smiling at her coltfriend.
"It pales compared to you, Twilight," Facet said, smiling at the blush he got from her. "Seems like forever since our last date."
"Yeah," Twilight agreed, looking at the waiter. "A bottle of wine, please." She smiled at Facet as the waiter trotted away to procure the wine. "I'm just glad I can finally spend some quality time with you."
"Me too, Twilight," Facet said, levitating a jewelry box over to her. "A little welcome home present."
Twilight took the box in her own magic and opened it, letting out a small gasp as she pulled out the ornate necklace in it. Intertwined gold and silver with pearls, diamonds, and a flawless ruby. "Facet... It's beautiful." She gave him a loving smile as his magic aura took the necklace and fastened it around her neck.
"And it makes you even more beautiful," Facet said. "It's the work of my own hooves."
Twilight giggled. "I'll be right back. Need to visit the little fillies room."
"I'm not going anywhere," Facet said, giving her a knowing smile.
Twilight headed to the restroom and smiled as she looked in the mirror. She loved the jewelry he made her. Such an artistic mind. Facet saw beauty in everything, even her nerdy moments. Part of why she fell in love with him.
"That's a very nice necklace," a mare beside her said.
"Thanks," Twilight said with a smile. "My coltfriend made it for me." She then noticed she was talking to a very familiar looking pegasus. "Aren't you the mailmare?"
Ditzy Doo turned and looked at Twilight, sans derpy eye and all business. "It's my cover." She showed her a badge. "Agent Ditzy Doo. Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."
"That's quite the mouthful," Twilight quipped.
"That's what acronyms are for," Ditzy replied. "Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D."
"And what do you want with me?" Twilight asked, falling into a similar business tone.
"We need to debrief you about the circumstances of your escape from captivity," Ditzy said. "There's a lot of unanswered questions."
"Can it wait?" Twilight asked. "I'm on a date."
Ditzy pulled an envelope from under her wing. "Look these over when you get home. You know where to find me." Leaving her with the envelope, Ditzy left the restroom.
Twilight leaned on Facet as they entered the library. "I had a wonderful time, Facet." She put her foreleg around his neck and pulled him into a tender kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too," Facet said, smiling at her before noticing the envelope she had been given. "What's this?"
Twilight pulled it out with her magic. "Almost forgot about it. Ditzy Doo gave it to me. Wonder what it is." Opening the envelope, she pulled out a series of pictures. Looking through them, they saw terrorists armed with Sparkle Industries weapons, and timestamps that showed they were taken the day before.
"I thought you shut down the weapons division," Facet said.
"I did," Twilight said. "Someone is still selling." Going into the lab, Facet following her, she tossed the pictures onto a work table and went to the computer. "Dusk. Is the Mark III ready?"
"As of ten minutes ago, ma'am," the AI answered.
"Increase the strength of the repulsers and add in the following devices," Twilight instructed as she typed.
"At once, ma'am," Dusk said.
"What are you doing, Twilight?" Facet asked. "What's the Mark III?" He then noticed the Mark II. "And what is that?"
"The Mark II," Twilight said. "The Mark I was how I escaped captivity."
"You mean... You've built a suit of armor that I'm guessing is powered by that thing in your chest?" Facet asked.
"That's right," Twilight said. "A secret project that aside from you, only Rainbow Dash knows about. I swore her to secrecy."
"Then consider me sworn to secrecy too," Facet said. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." He went through the motions of the Pinkie Promise without hesitation. "If you need anything, just tell me. I'll do whatever I can to help you."
"Calibrations and adjustments complete," Dusk announced.
"Time to suit up then," Twilight said as she changed into a black formfitting bodysuit. Her ARC reactor glow shining through it.
Facet watched as she stepped onto a tiled section of the floor that opened up and lifted a pair of boot like objects that she slipped her front hooves into, letting the sliding platforms slide her forward and allow her hind hooves to step into an identical pair of boots. A number of robotic arms folded out holding what he guessed to be the rest of the suit and started putting them into place on Twilight's body. The mare slowly being covered head to hoof by the purple and gold suit.
"After she was suited up, Twilight turned and looked at Facet. "I'm going to find that weapon stockpile and destroy it. My company's double dealing will end one way or another." With that, the faceplate slid down, the eyes lighting up before she took off out the cargo door and into the night, setting a course for the region named on the pictures. Coltmira. Over the Everfree, she went supersonic.