Broken Sky

by Fyn16

Awakening: Part II

Awakening, Part II

Nimbus tightened his tie with his teeth and glanced down at his newly-polished hooves, checking himself over one last time for any imperfections. He certainly didn’t enjoy uniform maintenance, but according to Polaris, even the most trifling of faults would stick out like a sore hoof in a crowd of ponies that had essentially made a career out of being perfectionists. If Nimbus wanted to be an Aviator, he’d said, he would have to look the part.

Behind him, Polaris was busy inspecting the back of his dress blues for lint. Evidently Nimbus’s lint checks hadn’t been thorough, because by the time his mentor finished going over his suit with a lint roller, the device was covered in hair and debris. Polaris chuckled as he tossed the roller over to a waiting attendant. “Like I said earlier, Nimbus, those ponies in there can tend to be unforgiving if you let the small details slip. Just remember to remain confident, and know that I’ll be right here for support.”

“Of course,” Nimbus said, trying to look confident. The prospect of being among Equestria’s best military fliers was humbling, however, and it wasn’t something he’d be able to clear his mind of easily. He stiffened his legs and puffed his chest out a little as one of the Canterlot Guards approached him. The pony’s polished gold armor caught the room’s light in a dazzling display as he stopped in front of him.

“Cadet Nimbus and Professor Polaris, you may enter the Canterlot Palace Banquet Hall. Enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you,” Nimbus replied as the guard opened one of the immense double doors in front of him. The light spilling out of the banquet hall was so thick it seemed concrete, like gold syrup spilling out of the crack between the two doors. Inside the hall, Aviators and a few of Equestria’s upper crust were socializing. A few took notice of Nimbus as he entered, but nopony made a move.

“This is it,” Polaris said, “I’m going to find Corona Flash and catch up on what he’s been up to. You’re welcome to join me, but don’t feel like you have to stick around. This is your night. Mingle as you please!”

Nimbus was about to take Polaris up on his offer to join him; he’d only just met Corona, and the stallion seemed like a great guy. However, a gold flash out of the corner of his eye changed his mind.

“Actually, there’s somepony I’d like to speak to first,” Nimbus said, “I’ll meet up with you later, when they bring the chow out.”

Polaris nodded, “well, don’t let me keep you waiting. Enjoy yourself- you’ve earned this.”

Nimbus turned and headed towards a small table where a small group of Pegasi were conversing. He thought he saw the tip of a fire-orange mane in the group, but he couldn’t tell for sure. His suspicions were confirmed, however, when he spotted the pony’s familiar, unique dress uniform- the Wonderbolt Officer Uniform. He’d spotted Spitfire, of all ponies.

As he approached, the gold mare took notice. Speaking to a younger Wonderbolt cadet beside her (the Academy representative, Nimbus reasoned), she excused herself from the group and trotted over to Nimbus. The orange cadet snapped to rigid attention on instinct, eliciting a laugh from Spitfire.

“Please,” she said, smiling, “at ease, cadet. This is a social gathering, not drill and ceremonies.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nimbus said, slightly unlocking his legs. He was trying his best to keep his cool, but he was suddenly beginning to realize he’d never bothered to notice just how much decoration Spitfire’s uniform bore. The clanking metal and bold ribbons were nothing if not intimidating, to say nothing of her status alone.

“Enjoying Canterlot tonight, Nimbus?” she asked, catching him off guard with her nonchalance.

“Er… yes, I am,” Nimbus replied, “it’s the first time I’ve been here, actually.”

“First time to Equestria’s capitol?” Spitfire remarked, “then this is quite the occasion. I assume this is quite a treat for you, then.”

“To be honest, it’s pretty intimidating,” Nimbus admitted, “that’s probably not the thing I should be saying right before a competition like this, but I can’t help it. Big cities… there’s something about them. I’ve grown up in a small town all my life.”

“You’ll get used to it, trust me,” Spitfire said, taking a seat and snagging a golden-brown pastry from a passing cart. The Wonderbolt downed the treat in two wolfish bites, once again completely surprising Nimbus. Once the initial shock passed, however, he began to feel himself relaxing. If the pony who’d been his worst nightmare at the Academy was sitting here, talking to him like an equal, then why couldn’t he do the same? Slowly, almost reluctantly, he leaned back in his seat and started munching on a few cheese cubes from a nearby snack table. He saw Spitfire smile faintly in approval and knew instantly he was doing the right thing. Spitfire’s gaze shifted to a podium at the front and center of the banquet hall.

“Pay attention,” she whispered to Nimbus as a guard took his place at the podium, “looks like we’re due for some announcements.”

The guard cleared his throat in a low, rumbling growl before speaking. When he did, he addressed the crowd of Aviators in a voice that carried a degree of power to it.

“Aviators and guests, it is of my utmost regret to inform you that the Honorable Princess Celestia will not be dining with you on this night. This is due to her previous commitment to attend the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville from midnight to tomorrow afternoon. That said, we will begin to serve our main course shortly. Please find your way to your assigned seats, which are labeled by name. That is all.”

The guard stepped down and Nimbus turned to Spitfire. “Ma’am, I’m sorry we couldn’t speak longer. It was a pleasure meeting you once again.”

“The pleasure was mine,” Spitfire said, standing up and turning towards her cadet. “Perhaps I’ll see you later. Have a good night, Nimbus.”

As the mare began to walk away, Nimbus caught one last detail that made his heart leap. Whether by design or simply circumstance, one of the pockets on Spitfire’s dress blues uniform was undone.

Interesting, Nimbus thought, if I didn’t know any better, I’d call that sloppy uniform prepar- he froze. Had he seen a glint? Squinting, he made out a shape he knew well. In the pocket was a Wonderbolt pin- his Wonderbolt pin!

“You brought it with you,” Nimbus mused, whispering to himself as he headed back towards Polaris. His chest was swelling with pride as he passed by other Aviators on his way to his mentor. There was no doubt in his mind now. In only a month, he would be an Aviator. Spitfire, too, had kept up her end of the deal. The pin was a sign that she had not forgotten the promise he’d made, and it made him all the happier to know she still cared about his future.

“Have a good talk?” Polaris asked as his student pulled up a chair and sat down across from Corona Flash.

“I did,” Nimbus answered, “with Spitfire, in fact.”

“Excellent,” Polaris said, “Corona and I have been discussing his last few sorties.”

“Not too interesting,” Corona added quickly, noting the flash of interest in Nimbus’s eyes, “mostly just keeping nosy Griffons away from trading vessels in international waters.”

“Oh really?” Nimbus said, “what exactly are the Griffons up to?”

“Well, nothing much to be honest,” Corona replied. “They just like to snoop around when they can. Usually if they get too close to the ships we’ll send a squadron of Aviators up to intimidate them a bit. Odds are you’ll end up getting stationed on the coast somewhere if this is still going on when you graduate.”

“I guess it could be worse,” Nimbus admitted, “we’re not at war with them anymore.”

Polaris chuckled, “no, we most certainly are not at war. I’d almost say the tension between our two nations is the highest it’s ever been, though. What we really need is a cooperative project- something to come together on. They don’t want another war, and we don’t want one either. Then again, we want to appear strong. Take this business with the Awakening for example- how would we appear if Celestia simply gave in to those terrorists’ demands? I tell you, Nimbus, don’t ever go into politics. It’s a world of headaches.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” Nimbus remarked. At the head of the room, trays of food being pushed by ponies in suits were making their way towards the tables. Nimbus’s mouth watered. The selection of dishes was mind-blowing. Polaris saw the stars in his student’s eyes and chuckled.

“Eat up, Nimbus. This is ten times better than anything you’ll have on campus.”

Nimbus nodded, eyes wide. He certainly had no doubt that Polaris was right. The food was still far away, but the sheer scent of it was driving him nearly insane with anticipation. The trays were coming closer, but as they did, they began to slow as the ponies pushing them started to look questioningly towards the back of the room. Two guards were pushing the big double doors shut. When the doors closed with a thundering “bang,” everypony in the room fell silent. There was something in the sound- such a finite but powerful accent- that the atmosphere had suddenly become much more serious. For a few moments, nopony said anything. Then, a yellow Unicorn ran out towards the podium from the front of the room, panting and eyes wide. He wore a bag over his back and flank, which, as Nimbus had learned earlier, indicated that he was a royal courier. The pony glanced frantically around, then stood at the microphone.

“Everypony, if I could just get your attention for a few moments, the Royal Guards have recommended that the banquet be postponed briefly. It’s just some minor civil unrest outside the palace- should be under control shortly. Now if you would just follow the guards posted behind me, we’ll move you farther into the castle. Thank you for your patience.”

“What the hay?” Corona hissed, “food’s here! What kind of unrest disrupts a banquet like this?”

“No clue,” Nimbus said. Something was tugging at his subconscious, however. Something about tonight…

“Oh no,” he mumbled. Surely it couldn’t be possible. The Awakening had been quiet for the past month and a half after all… he’d almost forgotten about them and their promise to bring back Nightmare Moon. With dwindling activity, he’d been almost certain they’d disbanded.

Hang on, Nimbus, he thought, you’re getting ahead of yourself. It’s probably a coincidence that this is happening on the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration. Yeah… just a really convenient coincidence…

Polaris caught the worry in Nimbus’s eyes as they both stood and headed towards the front of the room. “Something the matter?” he asked.

Nimbus shook himself from his thoughts. “No, it’s- it’s just…” he sighed, “I don’t know, it’s probably just a crazy coincidence, but remember when we talked about the Awakening?”

“I do indeed,” Polaris said, nodding as he recalled the brief conversation they’d had on the subject.

“You still think Nightmare Moon doesn’t stand much of a chance of coming back tonight?”

“I can’t say for sure,” Polaris sighed, “but now that you bring up the subject, whatever’s going on out there is quite possibly Awakening-related. Good instincts, Nimbus.”

“Thanks,” Nimbus said as they left the banquet hall, transitioning to a windowed tunnel that led farther into the palace, “I’d rather my instincts be wrong right now, though.”

Corona shook his head, “if it’s really the Awakening that’s behind this, it’s probably just some protest or something. Nothing to worry ab-“

Corona stopped mid-sentence and craned his neck to look out a window as they walked by.

“What the hay?”

Outside several fully-armed guards were scrambling to their posts, while a flight of Aviators took off into the sky.

“If that’s just unrest,” Nimbus said, hesitantly, “than that is without a doubt the quickest response to a minor threat that I have ever seen.”

Polaris was about to respond, when Corona suddenly yelled “down!” forcing Nimbus and Polaris to the floor just as several high-velocity electrically-charged air rounds blew out the window behind them. Nimbus could feel the displaced electricity as the rounds blew past his mane. These were the real deal- someone with REAF weaponry had fired on them.

“Move!”

At the front of the line, guards were hustling the Aviators through faster than before as more rounds lit up the sky with electricity.

“You were right, Nimbus,” Polaris said, standing back up, “Celestia preserve us. I’m not letting those ponies get away without a good fight. I’m heading to the Armory. You two,” he pointed to Corona Flash and Nimbus, “get to safety.”

“No way,” Corona said, “with all due respect, sir, you’ll need a wingpony out there.”

“Make it two,” Nimbus said.

Polaris looked from Nimbus to Corona, and then back to Nimbus. “You two realize that this is a potential career-ender, right? You’re disobeying a royal order by not following the rest to safety.”

“But we also have the chance to support our guys out there,” Nimbus said, “and who knows how widespread this thing is? We’re coming with you.”

Polaris looked around warily as other ponies rushed past. “Fine, follow me and keep your heads down. If we draw attention to ourselves, we’re done.”

Nimbus followed Polaris, with Corona tailing him as they snuck through the crowd, pushing past ponies as they walked back towards the banquet hall. To Nimbus’s surprise, nopony tried to stop them. Perhaps they believed going back would be suicide, or perhaps there was simply such an air of confusion that nopony really cared where they were headed. Either way, they made it to the banquet hall and took off galloping towards a side door. Polaris yanked the door open and pushed Nimbus and Corona inside, shutting it. The room was pitch black, but as Nimbus’s eyes adjusted, he could see a staircase.

“Armory’s up there,” Polaris said, trotting up the stairs, “come on.”

Nimbus was panting, but he didn’t dare show any signs of fatigue. This wasn’t a simple training exercise at Practical Operations. This was real. He’d committed to seeing this through, and if he backed down now he would not only cast himself in a bad light; he’d be at greater risk for being caught disobeying orders. He pushed these thoughts out of his mind as they reached the top of the stairs, coming face-to-face with rows upon rows of weapons and armor, and in one corner…

“Flight suits,” Nimbus said, identifying five grey TA-4B suits positioned near a corner, “and helmets. Let’s go!”

The three ponies wasted no time in slipping into the form-fitting suits. Nimbus couldn’t help but take the time to marvel at how well-maintained these were compared to the practice suits he and his classmates had worn at Operation Indigo a while back. The equipment functioned perfectly, the helmet’s smooth surface was flawless, and the suit fit perfectly. As he adjusted his helmet, he noticed Corona giving Polaris a crash course in the use of the Heads-Up Display in the helmet.

“Just ignore all the green lines, sir,” he said, “knowing you, you probably won’t use half of them anyway.”

“This is ridiculous,” Polaris scoffed, “they spoil you Aviators these days, you know that?”

Nimbus chuckled as he finally reached the perfect fit for his helmet. “I’m good to go,” he said.

“Comm check,” Corona said, flipping down his visor.

“Flight callsign is Thunderbolt,” Polaris announced over the radio, “Thunderbolt One, radio check.”

“Loud and clear,” Nimbus and Corona echoed, checking in themselves.

“Report outside for immediate launch,” Polaris said. The ponies turned and headed for the door when it opened in front of them. Nimbus’ s heart nearly stopped as he thought of how he could justify this. He was in one of Equestria’s most technologically-advanced pieces of equipment, disobeying orders from the Crown. As far as he saw it, there was no way out of this. He cringed, waiting to be berated by a guard, but dropped his jaw in disbelief as Spitfire trotted into the room, holding up her hoof to her mouth in a “shushing” motion as she grabbed her own flight suit. Nimbus shook his head, breaking into a slight grin despite the circumstances. Then he closed his oxygen filter mask over his face and loaded his HUD, following Polaris and Corona up another set of stairs to the roof. Polaris looked back at the group, then nodded once.

“Thunderbolt Flight, Thunderbolt One- you two ready?”

Nimbus nodded, “Ready.”

“Affirmative,” Corona stated. Polaris lifted up a trapdoor at the top of the stairs, and the three ponies dashed up onto the roof. Nimbus had to duck as a Pegasus breezed by right over his head, pursuing another Pegasus with his CAL-2 blazing. At the palace gates, he could see guards in fierce battle with a few ponies wearing black, hooded robes. The dark ponies moved like the wind, nimbly darting around the guards’ spears with ease.

“Engage the enemies at the gates,” Polaris said, stretching his wings and launching into the sky.

Here we go, Nimbus thought, launching himself into the air. He was surprised to note that he could hear himself breathing heavily. He hadn’t even been in the air long, but the stress was increasing by the second. It was still dawning on him that he would shortly be firing live rounds, and that the ponies on the other end of the rounds would be trying their hardest to kill him. He fell into formation beside Polaris and Corona, targeting the group of hooded ponies with his HUD. Time to target was only milliseconds. Nimbus let his first rounds fly through the air, crackling towards their targets as he and the other Pegasi swept over the enemy. Several rounds found their marks, striking enemies and causing them to spasm, keeling over in temporary paralysis. Nimbus winced. He knew about the effects of the rounds, but to see them in real life was something else entirely.

The Pegasi banked over the guards, who waved in appreciation before regrouping and manning their posts. Over the city of Canterlot, the city lights mixed with whizzing sparks of electric rounds as ponies battled in the skies. Down below, the ponies that hadn’t already taken shelter were running for their lives in the streets. More robed ponies were either sweeping through the streets, starting fires and attacking guards, or galloping at full speed towards the city center. Nimbus followed Polaris as he turned away from the action briefly to make a radio call.

“Canterlot Air Defense, this is Thunderbolt Flight requesting sortie.”

Moments later, a response crackled back over Nimbus’s comms. “Thunderbolt, this is Canterlot. We do not recognize your callsign please state your intentions.”

Nimbus gritted his teeth. The controller had seen right through their false callsign. Quick thinking on Polaris’s part saved the day, however.

“We were assigned a temporary callsign in the wake of the attack,” Polaris explained, “get us a sortie!”

“Sir, I am going to need more proof of who you are than that,” the controller explained. Nimbus was so busy paying attention to the radio call, that he forgot to check his six o’ clock.

“Thunderbolt Three, one on you!” Corona Flash called, breaking rapidly to the left to chase a pony Nimbus hadn’t even realized was there. The pony managed to fire off a few rounds from his own CAL-2, several of which hit Nimbus. He fought for control of his muscles as the electric charges attempted to lock his wings up. Corona gave chase, following the pony towards the ground.

“Thanks, Two,” Nimbus groaned, returning to controlled flight.

“Just keep your head on a swivel next time,” Corona called as he maneuvered to match his target, “I don’t want to be the one scraping you off the sidewalk after your wings seize.” Polaris, meanwhile, was still in a heated argument with the controller.

“Listen, Sergeant,” Polaris growled, “we are in a furball up here, and would really appreciate some sort of objective to organize ourselves.”

“I’m a First Lieutenant, sir,” the controller cut back in, sounding offended.

“Well you won’t be for long if you can’t at least give us a sitrep.”*

Polaris’s statement was met with brief static on the other end. Clearly, the controller was thinking things through. Finally he spoke. “Thunderbolt, assist with suppressing enemy air forces over the south sector of town. Expect to be monitored by Air Traffic Control. Squawk one zero five three.”

“One zero five three,” Polaris echoed, “thank you, Canterlot.”

Nimbus automatically input the code Polaris had been given- a transponder code meant to identify friendlies from foes- into his suit’s IFF system. Anypony not squawking the code was fair game. He breathed one more long breath afterwards; he’d almost bought it seconds ago. There would be no second chances. If he was to survive tonight, he’d have to be on top of his game. Below, Corona finished his target with a chain of direct impacts from his CAL-2. The pony’s wings went rigid as he crashed into the streets below. Not even bothering to watch, Corona was back in the flight in seconds, inputting his squawk code.

“They have TA-4Bs, like us,” Corona said, “jet black.”

“Definitely the Awakening,” Nimbus said, nodding. Polaris rolled slowly to the right, turning on course.

“You heard Canterlot, Thunderbolt Flight,” the old Pegasus said over the radio, angling himself towards the city’s south side, “no matter who these ponies are, we have our orders. Get your priorities straight and steel your nerves. We’re hunters tonight.”

Nimbus shook the last of his second thoughts free of his mind. Polaris was right- this was exactly what he’d known he might face after signing up for Aviator Training School. Now, after all of his achievements, struggles, and setbacks, it was all coming down to this night, here in the skies over Canterlot. Nimbus fixed his eyes dead ahead, taking in the black night illuminated by the city lights, mingling with crisscrossing streams of charged air rounds and the occasional sharpshooter's arrow and felt a strange calm wash over him.

It was finally time to prove he could succeed.

Comments

[kyubbiman]

I predict a 100% chance of awesome battles and kick ass moves in the near future with a chance of awesomeness on the horizen

[Itchy]

Very well done man! I loved seeing how things evolved as you wrote this, and after reading kyubbiman's review I couldn't help but laugh knowing the answers to his question. Being your sounding board rocks! I'll see if I can't get my lazy butt in gear to work on my own stories now (I really need to compete with this...)