//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Reconnaissance // Story: The War Machine // by Urimas Ebonheart //------------------------------// The War Machine Chapter 10: Reconnaissance "This means war," Celestia says with a heavy frown. I look between the two princesses while processing the information; if we are at war, we'll need to do some reconnaissance of the enemy territory and assets. "Celestia. I'd like your permission to use the Lab's facilities to fabricate an experimental flight conversion module so I may scout out the Gryphonian capital and any possible military targets," I ask her. Luna gasps and looks at me wide eyed. "You can fly?" she asks with wonder. "Possibly, the F Twenty-eight Valkyrie Jet module is untested, but the schematics for it are in my Trailer's hard-drives. With it, I will be able to reach speeds of one-thousand, six-hundred and thirty miles per hour. I shall use it to get visuals of the gryphon kingdom and record any points of interest as well as any assets they may have," I reply. Both Princesses just stare at me with surprised expressions. "H-How fast?" Luna asks in awe. "One-thousand, six-hundred and thirty miles per hour," I repeat the speed. After a few seconds of silence, Celestia shakes her head. "Granted... Just, when you have completed it and are ready to go, do not attack anything without my consent; we do not want to accidentally kill or injure civilians," she tells me. "Agreed, I shall begin fabrication immediately," I reply and look to Luna. "I will require your aid in melting the materials and moulding them into the proper shapes," I inform her. "Very well, what materials will you need?" Luna replies and asks. "Rutile and Ilmenite for Titanium and I'll need Aluminium to forge them into an alloy," I answer. "I have heard of Rutile and Ilmenite before, but not this Titanium you speak of," she says confused. "Titanium is a much stronger metal compared to Iron or Steel: it is more resistant to corrosion, rust and has the second most strength-to-density ratio of any metallic element besides Titansteel, but it is much lighter," I explain. "Alright. We will have these materials brought to you, how long will this flight module take to build?" Luna asks as we leave the room. "With human standards of forging the parts and components, three to four months. With you helping to forge the metal and parts with magic, most likely a month or two by my calculations," I reply. We enter the Lab where it's now good as new after the radio detonated, Luna left to retrieve the required materials and I download the schematic from my Trailer to my own hard-drive. One week Later Twilight and Spike are returning to Ponyville for something called winter wrap up, she asked if I wanted to go but I was in the middle of fabricating the jet engine of the module and apologised to her. Celestia is back on her hooves and has told me to go with her to keep her and the other bearers safe from any possible attacks while Luna watches over our project. So here I am on Sweet Apple Acres watching ponies pulling green and yellow ploughs with two wheels and a small roof covering the ponies heads to push the snow off the fields for replanting crops. I also have my pistols and rifle with me as an added safety measure. "But surely there's something I can do to help?" Twilight asks Applejack. "Ah don't know Twilight, ya don't seem like ya could push a plough very far, no offence," the orange mare replies. "I know I can!" Twilight says and stands in one of the free ploughs. She pushes and grunts as she tries to move it, but gets no results. I then notice her horn start to glow and I walk over to her. "You know they said no magic remember," I tell her and she sighs as her horn's glow fades. "I know I know, I just feel useless right now. I couldn't help with the nests, I couldn't help with the ice, I couldn't help with the animals and now this... There's nothing that I can do here," she replies dejected. "There is bound to be something you could help with," I try to encourage her. "It's hopeless... Let's just wait at the Library until it's over," she says and walks off with her head hung low. Spike looks between me and Applejack before running off after Twilight. "I'm going to go and try to cheer Twilight up," I tell the farm mare and begin to follow after them. "Alright, let her know ah'm sorry will ya!?" she asks me. "Of course, Applejack. Have a good day," I reply. I arrive at the Library and squeeze through the door, Twilight is looking miserable on the couch while Spike is sorting a few books on the shelves. "Applejack says she's sorry," I tell the forlorn purple mare. "I know it's not her fault, my skills lie in magic and science... I just didn't think I would be this useless in anything else," she says. I sit on the floor in front of her. "You are not useless, it was you and Celestia who repaired and saved me, I wouldn't be here right now without you or her," I tell her getting a faint smile in return. "You just don't have much physical strength like the others, but I'm sure there must be something you could do for Ponyville." "Like what?" she asks. I go to reply but I hear Applejack arguing with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash outside. I stand up and look outside the window. "Ya'll need to melt that snow now so we can get to plantin'," Applejack tells Rainbow Dash. "On it!" she replies and starts to fly off but Fluttershy calls out to her. "Wait! All the little animals homes will be flooded if you do it too fast!" she says to the rainbow-maned mare. "Oooookay," Rainbow Dash replies stopping in the air. "Go!" Applejack then tells her. "Stop!" Fluttershy quickly retorts. They go back and forth until Rainbow Dash loses it. "Will you make up your minds!" she yells at them. "What is going on out here? I thought my amazing speech would get everypony to do better this year... but it would seem we are going to be late yet again," the town's Mayor says walking over to them. "Late?" Twilight asks with shock. "Twilight," I say getting her attention. "you are adept with organising, perhaps you could direct the teams to be more efficient?" I tell her. She gasps and her eyes light up. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that before? Spike, get me some parchment, ink, and a quill! We've got a winter to wrap up!" she says with enthusiasm. It only took thirty minutes to organise the teams and get them going, Twilight said I would be more help on the farm pulling the ploughs with my strength. So here I am pulling a plough with each hand to my left and right beside the other ponies pulling theirs. "Hoowee, Adam! Ya doin' mighty fine! Same for the rest of ya'll! Keep up the good work!" Applejack yells at us. It took us two hours, but we finally got it done. The other ponies pant and have some drinks while I just walk off towards Applejack. "My task is completed, I shall head back to see if there is anything else I can do to assist," I tell her. "Alright, thank ya kindly fer yer help partner, we just need ta get plantin' an we should be done here," she informs me. I nodded to her and head into town. Over the next two days, the snow is carted away and the grass and flowers begin to sprout and bloom. Birds begin to sing and the sun shines brightly. Twilight was given the title of All Team Organiser and I was thanked for my participation as well. I am eager to continue with my project and asked if Twilight's friends wanted to come to Canterlot with us. They agreed as there was nothing else to do now for a few weeks and I let them ride in my Trailer with Twilight in the back just to make sure they don't touch anything they shouldn't. Two Weeks Later Over the last two weeks, Twilight and her friends have been hanging out a lot in the city and I've been invited a few times. Ever since the attack, gryphons living in Equestria have been put on close watch and any who enter Equestria will need proper documentation and then pass lie detector spells before entering the nation. The flight module is forty-five percent completed so far and today is the day I test fire the completed jet engine. It is clamped down in a titanium clamp that is bolted to the floor. "Initiating engine test number one in five, four, three, two, one, ignition," I say and activate the engine that is connected to my core's power supply.. The turbine inside begins to spin and increases speed, the others watch from behind the safety of a blast shield as the engine's roar gets louder and louder. "Five-hundred miles an hour," I state as the bluish flame extends out the back of the engine made by the energy of my core which is causing the turbine to spin. "One-thousand miles an hour," I state again as the titanium clamps start to shake and rattle. The heat coming out of the engine blows stacked papers off the tables. "One-thousand and five-hundred miles an hour, shutting down engine," I say and cut the power to the jet engine. With the advancements of Human technology, fuels such as oils and petrol are a thing of the past; my core will be more than enough to sustain seven days of constant flight with a full charge. "That was so awesome! Look at the wall!" Rainbow Dash shouts out as the steel wall used to block the jet flame is scorched black. "Such force and power! Humans use these Jet engines to fly across their world?" Luna asks me. "Yes, in the past they used fossil fuels to power them and the first engines used propellers to pull them through the air," I reply and unclasp the engine from the clamps. "Can that really make you go over fifteen-hundred miles an hour?" Rainbow asks me. "It should do once I finish it and the new titanium plating I'll need to reduce my weight," I reply and place the engine on the table where I begin work on the retractable wings. "Cool. Hey, when it's done, do you wanna race? I wanna see how fast you can really go!" she challenges me. "It would be a good test to see if a pegasus can keep up," I reply knowing full well she wouldn't be able to. "Sweet, so how much longer is it going to take? We need to head back to Ponyville tomorrow," the prismatic mare asks me. "Another month at least," I reply. "Luna, could you forge this titanium into this shape please," I ask her, pointing to the left wing on the blueprint. "Very well," she replies and her horn glows. "Well, we're off into the City for dinner! I'd tell you not to stay up too late like Twilight, but we all know you can actually stay up all night... or all week... or all the time," Pinkie Pie says with a wide smile. Twilight just grumbles at being used as an example as they all leave giggling. One Month Later Luna has helped me finish the flight module, along with the new lighter plating. Twilight has also completed her project to increase the radio's signal length by nearly two times its normal distance. Speaking of radios, the new personal radios have been in production and selling in Canterlot like wildfire, ponies are enjoying the music and variety available. The others returned to Ponyville with some more guards as well to protect them, a pegasi watch tower made from clouds has been put together above the town to keep an eye out. Twilight, Luna, Celestia, Spike, the scientists and I are in the Castle Gardens about to perform the first flight test. My jet skate system has been removed and replaced with the F-28 Valkyrie Flight Module, my tasers have also been replaced with stabilizing thrusters like the ones on the soles of my feet. My titansteel plates have been removed for lighter but not as durable titanium plating made to be aerodynamic. My boots also have horizontal and vertical flight stabilizers on the sides and heels, though I don't have the new weapons made or installed yet. "Are you sure that it's ready?" Twilight asks me with concern. "I did say it was only experimental and untested, but the schematics were sound and I detect no flaws in the module," I reply. "That makes me feel sooo much better," she says sarcastically. "I have full confidence that Adam will succeed," Celestia says as I perform a pre-flight systems check. Stabilizers - Online. F-28 Valkyrie Engine - Online. Weapon Systems - Offline. Countermeasures - Offline. Altimeter - Online. Aneroid Barometer - Online. Radio Connection to Trailer - Online. "Pre-flight systems check complete, I am ready for ignition," I tell the gathered ponies. "Oh this is so exciting! I cannot wait to see how well this works," Luna says hopping in place like a child. "Please clear the launch site, engine ignition in ten seconds," I announce and get into my take off stance. The stabilizers on both my hands and feet ignite and I lift off the ground easily, with this flight module, I only weigh one point zero-seven tons. I hover about a metre off the ground. "Five, four, three, two, one, Ignition," I count down and the Valkyrie Engine turns on, quickly spinning up. The power increases and I slowly start to move upwards and forward, once I've gained enough thrust and force, the retractable wings extend as I lean forward and take off into the clouds at two-hundred miles an hour. I search through my music files for an appropriate tune for my first flight. I soar past the clouds and increase my speed to five-hundred miles an hour, I bank to my left and turn back towards Canterlot. I continue to climb until I reach ten-thousand feet and level out, I reach six-hundred miles an hour while my scanners and systems lookout for any obstacles in my path. "Adam... This is incredible!" Twilight tells me over the radio. The others are watching my flight on my Trailer's computer screen through my optics. I now hit seven-hundred and forty miles an hour where a cone forms in front of me nearly breaking the sound barrier. I increase the engine's output again and hit seven-hundred and seventy miles an hour and break through the barrier, a sonic boom goes off high above Canterlot as I continue to pick up speed. Mach one achieved. "Amazing! He just broke the sound barrier!" Twilight shouts with glee. I bank to the left again and begin to circle Canterlot while gaining more speed, I'm flying at nine-hundred miles an hour now and I'm leaving a visible trail at my wing tips. "Fascinating, no living being on Equus can fly this fast," Luna says. I'm now at one-thousand miles an hour and begin stress testing the wings, I perform barrel rolls, corkscrews, loops and other maneuvers which put a lot of strain on the wings. It seems I cannot go beyond one-thousand miles per hour if I wish to keep manoeuvrability. "Test flight of the F-Twenty-eight Valkyrie Flight Module is a success, returning to landing zone, over," I say over the radio. "Alright, Adam. We'll meet you out there," Twilight says and the radio cuts out. I activate the air brakes and begin my descent, I reduce speed to one-hundred miles an hour and hold my hands out and begin to level off my height and slow myself down to a hover above the Gardens as the wings retract so they're pointing down. Just before I touch down, my left hand stabilizer bursts and I tilt to the left. With a heavy thud, I go visor first into the dirt leaving a one inch deep impression. "Adam! Are you alright!?" Twilight asks me with worry as I pull myself out. I shake my head to shake off the loose bits of dirt on my visor. "I am fine Twilight, it appears the left stabilizer overheated, I will have to increase the cooling systems to ensure it will not happen again," I reply and stand up. "Oh thank Celestia, I thought something worse happened," she says and sighs. Luna walks up to me with a wide smile. "That was a grand performance my friend! Never have we seen such speed achieved before!" she says with a grin. "Thank you, Luna. But I must go back to the Lab and fix the problem with the stabilizers," I reply. "Of course, we must perfect it before your flight to Gryphonia!" she exclaims excitedly and we head back inside to begin fixing the problem. Two Days Later I have solved the cooling problem and have tested it by hovering in place for three hours. The Canterlot newspapers have made a headline on my little performance, stating that the Wonderbolts are no longer the fastest flyers in Equestria compared to me. I can't deny that, I doubt any living creature could fly faster than technology could produce. Rainbow Dash flew up to Canterlot and instantly challenged me to a race once she heard about my test flight. I tried to refuse but she wouldn't take no for an answer, so here I am preparing to take off for flight test number two. "You ready to eat my dust, Adam!?" Rainbow taunts me. "I am merely testing out the new stabilizers and making sure nothing in the engine has degraded since the first test," I reply. "Uh-huh, sure, whatever helps you feel better," she says and gets into position to take off. "Are you sure about this, Adam? I don't want to see Rainbow get hurt, both physically and her pride," Twilight says to me. "I do not wish to hurt her either, but I will still consider this a field test and push the engine and systems to their limits," I reply and get ready myself. "Alright, just don't be too hard on her," she says and steps back. "Ten seconds until ignition," I say aloud and turn on my stabilizers and hover in the air, the new cooling systems working like a charm. "Three, two, one, ignition," I say and Rainbow takes off towards the next mountain. The engine powers on and the turbine starts spinning quickly, I lean forward as the wings extend and take off after Rainbow Dash. It takes me five minutes to catch up as Rainbow is flying a good three-hundred and twenty miles an hour already. I pull up beside her and she looks at me stunned. "Wha!? No way!" she says and pushes herself more. Increasing my own speed, I rocket past her and break the sound barrier as I reach the mountain. I bank to the right and go around the mountain and head back towards Canterlot, passing Rainbow Dash in the process. I land in the Gardens and we wait a few minutes for Rainbow to arrive, she lands on the grass and looks quite angry. "I don't know how but you must have cheated somehow!" she accuses me. "I have done no such thing, my flight module can produce more force and thrust than a pegasi's wings can. This was just the inevitable outcome," I reply and check my systems. "Yeah right! No pony is faster than me!" she yells at me. "I am not a pony, this is just what this flight module was designed for, flying at high speeds to scout and attack targets. Would it shock you to learn that humans have created an unmanned aircraft capable to reaching speeds of thirteen-thousand miles an hour?" I reply. "Wha... b-but, no way is that possible!" Rainbow frowns at me while the others are surprised by how fast it can go. "But it is, now if we are done, I have to prepare for my flight to Gryphonia," I say to her and walk over to my Trailer to recharge my core to full. "Rainbow Dash," I hear Twilight talking to the pegasus. "You're still the fastest pegasus in Equestria, it's just Adam's technology was built to go that fast, if a pegasus tried going at those speeds, I doubt they'd survive the gravitational forces pushing on them," she explains to her. The prismatic mare grumbles but relents. "Fine, but I'm still keeping my title as fastest in Equestria!" she says and flies off back to Ponyville. "I'm sorry about that, Adam, she just really hates losing," Twilight tells me. "I understand, she is competitive," I reply and finish my systems check. "All systems are green, I'm ready to scout Gryphonia, Celestia," I tell the white alicorn. She sighs and looks to the north west. "Alright, Adam. All I want you to do for now is fly over their capital and the surrounding area looking for anything out of the ordinary like soldier placements or any technology that we don't know about," she tells me. "Understood, do you have any maps or information I can use before I go?" I ask them. "We have maps and books on gryphon culture in the Archives," Twilight replies. One Hour Later I've read and processed all the books on gryphon culture and the maps of their kingdom, while the country is small the population is quite large. I have reattached my missile launchers to my shoulder weapon ports in case for some reason I am forced to land and have to defend myself, I also have two Tac-90 Pistols with five magazines each as well as three fragmentation grenades and flashbangs. "Are you ready, Adam?" Celestia asks me. "Affirmative," I reply. "Then you may begin," she says and stands back with Twilight and Luna. After powering up the engine, I take off towards Gryphonia. I have been flying at one-thousand and three-hundred miles an hour and have long since lost contact with Canterlot and my Trailer. It did not take long to reach the borders of Gryphonia and I have flown over a few small towns, but I have seen nothing militaristic yet. I stay at an altitude of seven-thousand feet and use my optics to look below while my scanners and sensors keep track ahead of me. I see the capital of Gryphonstone ahead and get ready to circle around it, I slow down to two-hundred miles an hour and look throughout the city to see soldiers in the streets with the same flintlock rifles and pistols I saw in Canterlot. But what get's my attention is a crude and rather cheap looking tank with four large rubber wheels instead of tracks sitting in front of the Castle's gates, it seems to have noticed me flying overhead and aims its barrel at me. It fire's with surprising accuracy as the shell misses me by mere inches, I increase my speed and altitude and continue my observations while easily avoiding the incoming shells. The architecture looks similar to old Viking style buildings but much more sturdy looking, I watch as soldiers gather in the streets and start manning what looks like artillery cannons on the city walls. I'm now having to actively dodge incoming shells as there are twenty barrels all gunning at me. My radio comes to life and the voice of Jackaal speaks up. "So, Equestria has sent the machine to come and spy on us? We knew you would come eventually, the King is very displeased with the alicorns keeping that technology all to themselves," he tells me in an almost sarcastic tone. "The King is dead, you assassinated him," I reply, getting a faint shocked sharp intake of breath from him. "We know you've taken the throne for yourself and you attempted to have plans and documents stolen from Canterlot by bribing one of our guards. It failed," I tell him and perform a barrel roll to avoid more shells. "And what evidence do you have for this accusation?" he asks. "The confirmation from the messengers the Princesses sent to inquire about the theft attempt before you murdered or captured them," I reply and notice a few towers with antennas on top of them, must be their radio towers. "We received no such messengers, and you will leave gryphon airspace right now or we will take this as a sign of aggression from Equestria," he tells me. "Then by all means, perceive it like that. You have killed or have taken prisoner those Celestia calls friends, she's had enough of your greed for technology and the blood stained letter from her messenger finally pushed her over the edge. You have murdered a member of royalty and almost killed another, your words no longer have any meaning nor credibility," I tell him. "You have made an enemy out of Equestria, and I am their friend, thus, you have made an enemy of me." I hear him barely growl under his breath. "Oh? And what can one machine like you accomplish?" he asks. I stay silent for a few seconds. "You don't want to know," I reply and cut the signal off. I continue to avoid their shells and scan for any other energy signatures, I detect a crude but functional coal based power plant in the northern section of the city. Should we attack, that would be a good starting target along with their radio towers. I believe I have observed all I can from this distance without getting closer, I bank to the right and make my way back to Equestria.