Magical Pony Lyrical Twilight StrikerS

by PurpleProse

4: First Class

Subaru grimaced slightly as she nibbled on her pen, leaning back against the couch she‘d commandeered in the Barracks lounge. She fixed the sheet of paper with a determined look as she re-read what she’d written.

---

Dear Papa and Sis,

I hope everything’s going well for both of you while I’m not there, though you’re both probably really busy at work. Me and Tea Tea and I have settled in here at Long Arch, and I’ve got to admit, it’s pretty nice here. We share a room, but the barracks are much nicer here than at the 386th. We even have our own private room together! With bunk beds! Reminds me of my room at home!

Anyway, today was our first official training session with Twilight Sparkle. I’d love to say that we did well, but we had some problems this morning…

---

Simulated buildings and roadways flashed along in Subaru’s peripheral vision, the whine of her skates ringing in her ears as she rocketed along at full speed towards the intersection. The target drone was ahead of her, the silver sphere of metal easily matching her pace with its tiny engines.

I‘m in position, Teana’s voice crackled in her head over the telepathic connection, Try to get it to turn left up ahead.

Right. Scootaloo, did you hear that? Subaru glanced around quickly. Scootaloo?

Yeah, yeah. Relax you two I got this.

A tell-tale streak of orange shot past Subaru, the thrumming buzz of Scootaloo’s wings nearly drowning out the whine of Subaru’s skates. She had to admit, the little pony was a lot faster than her. The pegasus let out a shout as she leapt into the air, somersaulting and launching a spray of crescent-shaped projectiles towards the fleeing drone.

The drone swerved and weaved through the incoming projectiles, eliciting a loud curse from Scootaloo as she landed. “Stay still and let me hit you, you damn…”

“Scootaloo! Left! LEFT!” Subaru shouted as she drew her Revolver Knuckle back. There was a sharp report as a Cartridge triggered, the gears spinning up to full speed as she took aim.

“Revolver… SHOOT!”

Subaru punched the air and sent a swirling vortex of wind and mana surging through the air to the right of the drone. The machine swerved left.

“Hyaaah!” Scootaloo rose up on her hind legs and jumped, performing a quick backflip and unleashing more of those purple crescent strikes. The projectiles flew wide, forcing the drone back to the right just as they passed the intersection

SCOOTALOO! Subaru winced as she heard Teana’s telepathic screech of anger. What the hell are you doing?! What were you aiming at!?

The drone! What does it look like!?

I can’t believe this. We talked this strategy out! You and Subaru were supposed to drive the drone towards me so I could snipe-

And let you have all the glory? Scootaloo’s voice was thick with scorn. Like I’d-

We DISCUSSED this. The drone reacts too quickly for either of you to-

We didn’t DISCUSS anything! All you did was come up with this hare-brained scheme while Subaru just nodded like a bobblehead!

Um… Subaru interjected nervously. Guys?

I didn’t see YOU coming up with a strategy. Maybe if you weren’t so interested in showing off your skating-

And maybe if you could actually keep up instead of making us do all the work-

Guys?

Hey, I don‘t have a pair of wings. What’s your excuse, feather-brain? Too chicken to fly?

WHAT? Scootaloo’s voice quivered with anger. Okay, how about I come over there and buck you right in the face, you rutting-

GUYS!

WHAT?! Subaru winced as her head rang from the dual telepathic shouts.

Um… the drone’s getting away…

Teana let out a frustrated groan. Now I have to find a new sniping position. You two keep pursuing…

Sure, Scootaloo growled. We’ll do something useful while you play hide-and-seek.

Subaru tried to suppress a sigh as the telepathic bickering continued.

---

“Hey, what‘s up?”

Subaru was jerked from her reverie at the voice. She quickly turned her head to look at Spike as he approached, a towel slung over his shoulder as his claws clicked on the ground. His scales were gleaming, and he smelled like he’d just come out of the shower.

“Oh…uh…” Subaru grinned weakly. “Just… you know… writing a letter.”

“Letter? Wow, that takes me back.” Spike scrubbed the towel behind one of his ear frills before he climbed up onto the couch. “Who’s it for?”

“My dad and sis. I try to write letters as often as I can when I’m not at home. Ginga thinks it’s a bit old-fashioned, but I like doing it.”

“Can I see?” Spike leaned over curiously.

“Sure.” Subaru tilted the paper and clipboard in his direction.

Spike quirked an eyebrow. “Wow… your handwriting’s pretty. Is Mid-Childan that fancy or are you just showing off?”

Subaru blushed and pulled the letter away. “Neither, really. When I was young, my mom had me and Ginga practice calligraphy. You know, for dexterity and fine motor control and stuff. I guess it’s just one of those things that stuck with me.”

“Lucky. I mean, I’m no slouch with a quill myself, but you make my handwriting look like chicken scratch… Oh, uh, could I ask you something?”

“Hmm?” Subaru blinked as Spike hopped off the couch.

“Do you mind checking me over real quick?” Spike did a quick little pirouette. “I wanna make sure I cleaned off all the soot and stuff…”

“Soot?”

Spike chuckled softly. “Yeah, our practice got a little out of hand…”

---

“Raaaah!”

Spike’s feet kicked up a cloud of dust as he stepped into the drone’s personal space. The drake drove his fist into the drone, sending it flying backwards out of the glowing green circle he was guarding. He followed the strike by leaping up and smashing a second drone flying back with a powerful roundhouse kick. The two drones collided against one of the boulders ringing Spike’s clearing and collapsed with a crackle of sparks.

He turned, still in a defensive stance as Erio flickered into view. A thin trail of yellow electricity arced out from Erio’s feet as the red-headed kid skidded to a halt. The young human’s weapon was a simple silver staff that ended in a tuning-fork-shaped head holding a pale yellow gem. Static hummed between the spike‘s pointy bits and slowly rippled down Erio‘s arm.

“The next wave’s coming… in about three minutes.” Erio leaned against his staff, panting softly as he tried to catch his breath.

“And just when I finished cleaning up this mess,” Spike grimaced as Erio took a deep breath. “You okay dude?”

Erio nodded, wiping his forehead with the back of his Barrier Jacket’s sleeve. “Yeah. Sorry, not used to using my Sonic Move spell this much. Takes a lot out of me…”

“Don’t overdo it, man. We’ve still got to hold both defensive points for another ten minutes. How’s Caro doing?”

“Okay. Friedrich‘s been blasting anything that gets in range of his fire breath. Most of the drones don’t even get near the circle.”

“Great.” Spike exhaled. “Look, I’m sorry for making you run around like this…”

Erio shook his head. “It was my idea to separate the group to begin with. At least this way I can intercept the drone squads and thin them out before they get to you two.”

“Right… speaking of which…” Spike glanced back towards the large crevices opposite of him. “Where are they?”

ERIO! SPIKE!

“Caro!” Erio’s eyes widened at the telepathic cry. What’s wrong? Caro, respond!

It’s the drones! There’s too many of them! They’re all converging on me and Fried! T-there’s something different about them… they’re dodging Fried’s shots!

We’re on our way, Spike replied, glancing at Erio. “Think you can manage to run dragging me along?”

Erio grimaced. “I can try. Can’t promise it’ll be pleasant though…”

“I can handle that. Let‘s move!”

Erio nodded and reached out a hand to Spike. The purple dragon nodded and grasped Erio’s wrist. Erio did the same as a bright yellow Belkan triangle spun into existence beneath his feet.

Spike inhaled as lightning crackled over his scales. “Ready.”

“Right.” Erio’s muscles tensed as the crackling intensified. “Sonic Move, Engage!”

There was a loud crack as Spike felt himself lift off the ground, trailing behind Erio as he ran. The world turned into a sketchy blur as they raced towards Caro’s position, the walls of the simulated rock field flickering by. The rushing air smelled like ozone, and Spike felt his arm muscles clench up as lightning licked over his claws.

And just as fast as it started, it stopped. Erio skidded to a halt, then toppled over as Spike landed on top of him with a loud grunt.

“Erio? Erio!?” Spike rolled off his companion and gave him a quick shake. “Dude, are you alright?”

“Urgh…” Erio moaned, turning his head so his face wasn’t buried in the dirt. “Go… I’ll catch up… we’re within range…”

“You sure you’ll be-”

“I said… go…”

Spike gritted his teeth, then scrambled to his feet and took off running. He could hear the ominous whooshing of Friedrich’s fire breath as he approached Caro’s defensive point.

Three dozen drones were congregated around the choke-point that lead to Caro and Friedrich, blocking off Spike’s view. They were all clustered together like silvery billiards balls, their little engines humming softly. Several turned towards Spike, their barriers engaging with a humming sound.

“W-what I ask for,” he heard Caro chant, “is a roaring inferno t-that consumes all! Dragon Flame Boost! Burst-”

“Hang on Caro! Backup has arrived! Yaaaaaah!”

Spike let out a battle-cry and leapt into the fray… right as he heard Caro’s voice again.

“-FlareOHNOFRIEDSTOP!”

And then Spike saw a sphere of orange flame the size of a medicine ball rush towards him and the swarm of drones.

---

“Luckily, I managed to get a barrier up to block the actual explosion.” Spike concluded with a shrug. “I’m just glad I’m a dragon. Anyone else woulda been cooked.”

“Wow,” Subaru winced.

“Yeah. He puts out a lot of heat for such a little lizard.” Spike grumbled and folded his arms. “Of course, he’s got Caro helping with her magic, so I guess that counts as cheating.”

“At least it was an accident, right?”

“Dunno. Maybe. Though I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t be unhappy if he turned me into dragon flambé. He doesn‘t like me, that‘s for sure.”

“At least Lightning is doing better than Stars,” Subaru sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I feel awful about Tea and Scoots. I tried to get them to focus, but they seemed more interested in shouting at each other than working together…”

“Jeez. That bad?” Spike scratched one of his ear frills.

Subaru nodded. “I just wish I knew what Scootaloo’s problem is. I know Tea’s got problems with ponies, but Scootaloo seems to take things way too far.”

“What’dyou mean?”

“While we were coming back here, she threatened that if Tea ever said anything about her wings again, she’d… uh… ‘buck her so hard her parents would feel it.’ And then it kinda went downhill from there.”

Spike winced. “Oh… wow…”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m down here. Tea needed some breathing room.”

“I bet. Where’d Scootaloo go?”

“Probably her room. I didn’t want to go and check…”

Spike nodded. “Wise decision.”

Subaru shifted uncomfortably. “Um, Spike? You know Scoots, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well… I was wondering if you could tell me why she seems so sensitive about flying. I mean, I kinda noticed some stuff while we were going around yesterday, but I didn’t think much about it. After this morning though…”

Spike nodded, then sighed. “Yeah, I see what you mean…”

“So, can you…”

Spike grimaced, running a hand over the green fins along the crown of his head. “Yeah… but you gotta promise not to tell anyone else, okay? It’s kinda personal.”

“Promise.” Subaru nodded intently.

Spike glanced around the room furtively before he carefully climbed up onto the couch beside her. “Alright,” he said in a low, conspiratorial whisper, “the big reason Scootaloo is really super sensitive about her wings is… she can’t fly.”

Subaru blinked. “Huh?

“Scootaloo can’t fly. At all. Period.”

“How?”

“As best I can understand it,” Spike leaned back into the couch cushion, “it’s got something to do with her magic. You know a lot about pony magic, right? You’ve read all of Twilight’s books.”

Subaru nodded. “Pony Linker Cores are different from human ones because all of them have pre-set mana channels for racial Rare Skill magic, including their Special Talent. That‘s why all unicorns can use telekinesis, all earth ponies are super strong, and all pegasi can-”

“Fly,” Spike completed her sentence.

Subaru’s eyes widened. “So her Linker Core…”

“Yeah.”

“But… that’s not too bad, right? She‘s still really capable…”

Spike shook his head. “I don’t think you realize how important flying is to pegasi. That’s, like, their big deal. Their entire culture is focused around being airborne. So if a pegasus can’t fly…”

“Oh…” Subaru‘s voice came out in a whisper. “Oh no…”

“Yeah. And not everypony is as accepting of it as the ponies in Ponyville are.”

“No wonder she’s so super-defensive,” Subaru looked down.

“Well, that’s part of it… but I’ve already said way too much.” Spike glanced nervously over his shoulder. “If Scootaloo finds out I blabbed about her secret, she’ll turn me into set of dragon-skin saddle bags.”

“Lips are sealed,” Subaru replied.

“Pinkie Promise?”

“Huh?”

Spike chuckled. “Repeat after me.”

Subaru nodded, slowly miming along with Spike as he recited the words of the Pinkie Promise.

“Okay,” Spike nodded in satisfaction. “Now that’s that. Remember, you can’t break a Pinkie Promise without consequences.”

Subaru giggled. “I won’t, honest.”

There was a soft chime as the barracks loud speaker turned on. “Would Stars and Lightning squads please report to Briefing Room One for debriefing and evaluation?” The announcement sound artificially cheery. “I repeat, Stars and Lightning squads, please report to Briefing Room One.”

“Looks like Twilight’s ready to hand out grades,” Spike groaned.

“I’m really not looking forward to this,” Subaru replied, picking up her clipboard.

---

“Ugh…what a morning…” Twilight groaned as she trotted along, her head lowered.

“Told you the brats were going to be trouble,” Vita noted, her hands tucked into the pockets of her tunic as she walked briskly beside Twilight.

“Quiet you,” Twilight grumbled.

“It’s impolite to gloat Vita,” Fate chided gently as she trotted beside her sister.

“Hey, I can’t help it if I was right.” Vita gave a nonchalant shrug.

“So I noticed,” Twilight grimaced. Vita’d had a ring-side seat to her squad’s little breakdown, all throughout the exercises she’d run them through.

“Hey, if you’d like I could pound a little bit of sense into their heads.” Vita smirked and lifted a fist demonstratively. “Nothing builds teamwork like shared misery, after all.”

“Gee, you make it sound so tempting,” Twilight replied sarcastically. “No thanks, Vita. It’s a bit early to let you loose on them. They’re new to their squads, so a little friction is understandable…”

“That wasn’t friction, Twilight. That was outright hostility.” Vita shook her head. “Trust me, you need to nip that sort of stuff in the bud quick.”

“I’m planning on addressing it, Vita. Don’t worry, I know just what I’m going to do.”

Vita quirked an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yes. I’m going to do what I do best.”

“And what’s that?”

“Lecture them!” Twilight and Fate said at the same time. Twilight blinked, then blushed as Fate giggled.

“Am I really that predictable?” Twilight’s question came out slightly weary.

“A little, yes,” Fate replied before leaning over and nudging Twilight’s neck with her nose. “Don’t worry though. I’m sure your lecture will work just fine.”

Vita rolled her eyes, but didn’t reply as they reached the Briefing Room. Twilight was thankful for Vita’s silence as she pushed the door open. She quickly glanced over the assembled trainees before she walked in, trying to keep her expression carefully neutral.

The group dynamics were easily visible, especially to her. Lightning Squad sat close together: Erio and Spike were seated next to each other, the two of them looking only slightly comfortable with each other’s presence. Meanwhile, Caro sat a little ways away from her teammates, using Erio as a buffer between her and Spike. Her eyes were locked on the surface of the desk before her. Stars Squad, meanwhile, was far tenser. Teana, Subaru and Scootaloo sat with a seat between each other, Subaru stuck between her two associates. Neither Teana nor Scootaloo seemed willing to even look at each other, their gazes firmly locked straight ahead. Meanwhile, Subaru looked a little nervous, fidgeting slightly in her seat.

The trainees stood as Twilight, Fate and Vita entered the room. Twilight made her way to the center, quietly sending a command to Raising Heart to bring up the records from the practice sessions that morning.

“Have a seat,” she said, quickly going over the mental bullet-points that Raising Heart was projecting for her. “As you’ve all likely guessed, the three of us have gone over your performance during this morning’s training session. Now, while we recognize that this was your first sortie in your new teams, my fellow instructors and I have a few… concerns we’d like to address before we pass out the individual evaluations.”

She waited as the six trainees shifted uncomfortably.

“We‘ll begin with Lightning Squad.” She turned towards Erio, Caro and Spike and smiled faintly. “First of all, I’d like to applaud Erio for his strategy during the mission. Your plan took into account your teammates strengths, while playing to your own capabilities, which Captain Testarossa-Sparkle found to be highly impressive.”

“T-thank you, ma’am.” Erio blushed slightly.

“Unfortunately,” Twilight continued, “you did end up overexerting yourself with your constant use of movement magic. Of course, that’s why we do these sorts of missions to begin with; so we can iron out these little problems. Now, both Caro and Spike performed quite well in their defensive roles. However, I’m afraid we have to cover the incident that happened during the last scenario.”

Caro raised her hand timidly. “Um… m-ma’am?”

“Yes, Caro?”

“I-it was my fault ma’am. I didn’t see Spike a-and I couldn’t call Friedrich off in time.”

“I see…”

“Hey,” Spike interjected, “it wasn’t your fault. Friedrich probably just decided to blast me along with the drones.”

“But I was the one who panicked and pulled you out of position…”

Twilight sighed. That much was true, she had to admit. Maybe sending a sudden oversized wave towards Caro’s position had been a bit much. With Erio exhausted and Spike dazed by the blast, Lightning had failed that mission. Still, three out of four missions passed was still pretty good.

She coughed loudly, interrupting the debate. “Be that as it may,” she continued, “the three of you still performed admirably. Just make sure to take the criticisms we’ll offer into consideration during this afternoon’s practice. Erio, try not to over-exhaust yourself when using your magic. Caro, try to get a better control of Friedrich‘s aim. And Spike,” she smirked playfully, “make sure to communicate with your teammates before jumping into the fray. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” the trio replied.

“Now,” Twilight turned towards the other three, “I’d like to address Stars Squad. Unfortunately, your performance this morning was… sub-par, to say the least.”

It was interesting to watch their individual reactions. Subaru looked at the ground, Teana’s eyes hardened and her body language tensed up, while Scootaloo looked away, her nostrils flared and her feathers ruffled.

“Normally, I would chalk your lackluster exhibition up to inexperience as a unit, but I couldn’t help but listen to your team’s telepathic communications.” She glanced between Scootaloo and Teana, her mouth forming a thin line of irritation. “So, would either of you like to explain yourselves?”

“It’s not my fault,” Teana answered first, giving Scootaloo a sidelong glare. “Scootaloo refused to follow along with the strategy we agreed upon. I can only do so much-”

“Maybe if Teana actually included the rest of us in the planning process, then maybe I would’ve been more willing to play along,” Scootaloo snapped, returning the glare. “Instead, Teana spent most of the prep work telling us what we’d do instead of considering other ideas.”

“I would have considered other ideas if they had had some actual tactical merit, instead of all three of us running around like confused chickens.” Teana’s voice grew a little louder.

“Or maybe you were more interested in staying up above us lowly peons while we did all the running around for you.” Scootaloo’s wings stiffened.

“Well maybe if you could aim your attacks instead of flailing around blindly trying to show off, you could actually HIT something!”

“Like you’re one to talk! Which one of us missed a golden opportunity to snipe the drone before it crossed the goal line because she was busy reloading? Oh yeah, it was-”

“ENOUGH!” Twilight shouted, quickly silencing both of them. “That’s enough from both of you! This is exactly the problem I saw during the exercises. If the two of you are going to work together as a team, you need to at least make an effort to get along. As it stands, I’m deeply disappointed in both of you.”

“You,” she pointed a hoof at Teana, “need to try to consider your teammates when formulating combat strategy. While I recognize your planning skills, Miss Lanster, not everyone will agree with your choice of tactics, nor will your ideas always be the best. One person can‘t consider every possibility.”

She then turned to Scootaloo. “You, on the other hoof, need to learn to trust in your squad mates and not escalate the situation. You’re a member of a team, not a solo act. Act like it!”

“Then put me with a squad that isn’t being led by some tin-hoofed tyrant and I might,” Scootaloo replied.

Twilight could hear Vita’s knuckles pop as the little Knight balled up a fist. She glanced back slightly, watching as Fate lifted a hoof to block Vita’s advance.

“Your insubordination is duly noted, Private,” Twilight said slowly, with an almost aggressive level of calm. “However, if that’s what you want, then I’ll talk with Captain Testarossa-Sparkle about transferring you to Lightni-”

Twilight stopped as Subaru stood up slowly. Teana and Scootaloo turned to glance up at her. “Yes, Subaru?”

“Um… with all due respect, ma’am… I would like to request that Scootaloo remain on Stars squad. Ma’am.”

“What?” Teana’s voice was almost a squawk.

“What?” Scootaloo looked confused.

Twilight quirked an eyebrow. “May… I ask why?”

“W-well,” Subaru shuffled her feet slightly, not quite making eye contact with her, “I just… don’t think it’s a very good idea, for one. I think… maybe if you just give Scootaloo another chance, we can work something out.”

Twilight raised her eyebrow further. “Is that so?”

Subaru nodded. “With your permission, ma’am, I’d like to take responsibility for our team’s actions this morning. It‘s my fault things got out of hand.”

“How?” Where in Equestria is she going with this?

“I should have spoken up more and tried to get Tea and Scootaloo to calm down. But I didn’t. And during the planning stages I should’ve stuck up for Scoots more. I mean, you‘re kinda right about Tea…”

“But-” Tea started, but Subaru waved her off.

“We’re all sort of… you know, new to all this. Me and Tea, we’ve been working together for a long time, so we know each other. But then Scootaloo came in and… well, we’re still trying to feel things out, you know?” Subaru sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that… I’m sorry. Just give us a little more time. I promise. We‘ll work things out… somehow. I‘ll take responsibility for Scootaloo‘s behavior if you want…”

Twilight stared at Subaru for a moment. Did she actually just say what I think she said?

Twilight risked a glance at Scootaloo. The slim pegasus was staring up at Subaru, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity, thought Twilight could swear she saw a hint of a blush. Her expression quickly vanished as Scootaloo noticed Twilight’s attention, replaced with her more typical grumpy look as she turned away.

“…Alright,” Twilight said after what felt like an eternity of silence. “I’ll honor your request. However,” she looked between Teana and Scootaloo again, “I want this to be the last time something like this happens, understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” Teana said. Her face was stony and her expression moody.

“Yes… yes ma’am,” Scootaloo replied softly.

“Good.”

---

Subaru sighed as she stepped out of the briefing room, then leaned against the wall beside the doorframe and let out a heavy breath. She’d expected Twilight to act like that, given their performance that morning. She hadn’t expected Teana and Scootaloo to just start fighting in the middle of the debriefing.

I guess we’ll just have to do better during this afternoon’s practice. I just hope Teana isn’t too mad…

She paused as Teana stepped through the door. The orange-haired mage looked at her, then strode up and grabbed Subaru’s wrist forcibly.

“We need to talk,” Teana hissed softly, “now.”

Subaru followed, allowing Teana to drag her along. She followed her down the hallway a little ways, right before Teana turned and pushed the door to the woman’s bathroom open. Their shoes made soft clicks on the yellow and black tiled floor as they walked past the stalls to the end.

Teana quickly let go and whirled to face her. “What the hell was all that about Subaru?” Teana’s voice was low and angry.

“What was what all about?”

“You know damn well what I’m talking about, Subaru. Why were you defending that arrogant, stuck-up little squirt?”

“Because…” Subaru paused, then frowned. I can’t tell Tea about Scootaloo’s issue… I promised Spike I wouldn’t.

“Because?” Teana’s foot tapped on the floor as she crossed her arms. “Because why? Come on, spit it out.”

“Because… someone had to.” Subaru shuffled nervously, glancing away from Teana and looking at the stall doors. “She’s our teammate, right?”

“Not with the way she’s acting, she’s not. You and me? We’re a team. That feather-head’s just a third wheel.”

“Well, we’ve only just started working together Tea. Maybe once-”

“And another thing,” Teana interrupted, pointing an accusatory finger at Subaru’s chest. “What the hell was with you telling Instructor Sparkle that you’d take responsibility for her? She’s already in trouble for insubordination. Do you really want her hanging around your neck like a damn albatross? Think of your career!”

“What about it?”

“Are you trying to be dense? If you’re associated with a troublemaker like her, then she’ll just drag you down!”

“So?” Subaru replied simply. “It wouldn’t be the first time I got in trouble because of my friend.”

Teana opened her mouth, then shut it quickly and huffed through her nose. “Fine. Whatever. Like I can keep you from doing something stupid.” She threw her hands up in surrender as she brushed past Subaru. “We’ll talk about this later, when you‘re feeling more sensible.”

“Okay… Tea.” Subaru replied as Teana stormed out through the bathroom door. She shook her head as she walked over to one of the sinks, then leaned forward and rested her forehead on the cool surface of the mirror as she closed her eyes. She could hear Teana’s muffled voice just outside before things faded into quiet.

“Did I do the right thing?” The muttered question reverberated off the tile walls. Subaru opened her eyes again as she stood up. Naturally, her reflection didn’t have an answer for her. She ran her hands through her hair and shook herself before walking out of the bathroom as well. Her shoulders slumped as the door closed behind her with a hiss.

“Hey.”

“Uwah!” Subaru jumped at the voice, then quickly turned in the speaker’s direction. Scootaloo looked up at her from her spot beside the door, leaning slightly against the wall with one foreleg crossed over the other. “Oh… S-Scootaloo… Hey.”

Scootaloo looked up at her quietly, causing Subaru to swallow nervously and point a thumb at the door. “Um… were you…?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo replied.

“How much did-”

“Enough. I saw Teana drag you into the bathroom. I was gonna give her a piece of my mind, but… well…”

“Oh…”

The two paused, making eye contact for a few moments.

“So… why‘d you do it?” Scootaloo broke eye contact, looking down and scuffing the carpet with a front hoof.

“Huh?”

“Why’d you stick up for me like that? If you‘re trying to impress Twilight, then-”

Subaru quickly shook her head. “I-It’s not about her, honest.”

“Then why go to all that trouble?”

“You’re my teammate.”

Scootaloo arched an eyebrow in disbelief. “Seriously?”

Subaru nodded sharply. “Yeah. You’re my teammate Scootaloo. Teammates stick up for each other when they have to. Besides, I think you’re pretty cool, even if Tea doesn’t understand why.”

Scootaloo gaped slightly at her. “But… but you barely even know me.”

“So?”

Scootaloo stared up at her, then shook her head and smirked. “I think Teana might be right. You really must be an idiot.”

“Uh…” Subaru paused as Scootaloo stood up fully.

“But,” Scootaloo stretched slowly, her wings flexing as she rose up on the tips of her hooves, “you’re the kind of idiot that I might end up liking…”

“So… does this mean we’re friends?” Subaru smiled nervously.

“Ehhh…” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Maybe not quite yet… but I’m willing to consider it, you know?”

“Oh, okay.” Subaru shuffled, then gestured down the hall with one hand. “Do you wanna get some lunch or something?”

“Maybe later. I kinda have a few things I want to think about first. In private.”

“Okay. That’s fine. I guess I’ll see you at practice then?”

“Yeah.”

Subaru turned to walk off.

“Subaru?”

She stopped, glancing over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

Scootaloo blushed nervously and glanced away, her Device earring swaying as she did so. “Thanks.”

Subaru smiled faintly. “No problem.”

---

“I swear, those two are going to make me gray before my time,” Twilight groaned softly as she walked down the corridor towards Shari’s maintenance lab. “I’m just glad Trixie wasn’t there to see it,” she noted to her tiny companion. “She’d have had a field day seeing me like that.”

“True,” Reinforce noted as she floated along beside Twilight. “I’ve noticed my Mistress does seem to take great relish in teasing you, Twilight, even though she really should be more mature.”

“Well, that’s Trixie for you. If she wasn’t being obnoxious, then I’d be worried.” Twilight let out a soft snicker before glancing over at Reinforce. “I’m glad you decided to come with me to meet with Shari. It‘s nice to know you and Trixie aren‘t completely joined at the hip.”

Reinforce smiled playfully. “It’s mostly for her safety. My Mistress, though clever, can get into trouble when I’m not around to watch her.”

“Gee, I can’t imagine why.”

“We all have our faults, Twilight Sparkle. Some overcome them, and some learn to live with them. The same can be said of your students, can it not?”

“True,” Twilight sighed.

“I assume that’s one of the reasons why you’re going to speak with Miss Finieno?”

“Partly. I wanted to make sure she got the data from this morning’s training sessions. I figured you’d like to meet her properly, since she’s in charge of our team’s Devices.”

“Indeed, though I doubt I’ll need to avail myself of her services.”

“Hey, you never know,” Twilight replied as the two of them approached the lab’s double-doors. Her horn lit up as she pressed the button, the doors hissing open. “Shari? Are you in here?”

“Back in the back,” came the reply, “come in, Twilight!”

“Already on first-name basis, I see,” Reinforce noted.

Twilight nodded and stepped into the lab. The room in question was rectangular in shape, most of it dominated by a large workbench in the center. A glowing holographic screen covered one of the walls across from the workbench, showing numerous schematics and sets of data. The blue-gray walls seemed to swallow the light, and the floor was matte black and smooth. A door on the far side of the room hissed open as Shari stepped in, her uniform having been traded in for slacks and a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves.

“Sorry for the mess,” the Device Meister said distractedly, her brown hair tousled and messy, revealing a stylus tucked behind one ear. “I was working on something and-”

“It’s alright. If this is a bad time, I can-”

“Oh no! It’s quite alright!” Shari grinned, reaching up to adjust her glasses. “I needed a break any…way…” Her voice trailed off as her gaze fell on Reinforce. Her eyes widened and one of her hands rose to her gaping mouth.

“Um, Shari, this is Reinforce. I’m sure you’ve heard of her. Reinforce, this is Corporal Shario Finieno, also known as Shari.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Reinforce politely inclined her head.

“Oh… oh my gosh… you’re really her. The Reinforce!” Shari swallowed loudly. “I never thought I’d actually meet you personally. I-it’s such an honor! Should I bow? Or salute? Oh my gosh…”

“Easy there,” Twilight’s horn lit up as she gently steadied Shari with a nudge of her magic.

“S-sorry.” Shari blushed brightly, leaning against the workbench.

“Don’t worry, I’m aware that some are not used to my presence.” Reinforce floated over to the workbench and landed. Her hooves clicked gently on the glassy surface as she walked over to Shari. “Some people can be overwhelmed, to say the least.”

Shari, meanwhile, slowly knelt down so that her head was level with the tiny alicorn. “How could they not be? You’re the living avatar of the Buch der Nachthimmel, the prototype of all Unison Devices of the Belkan Era, the master-work of a living goddess…”

Reinforce’s cheeks glowed red as she ruffled her wings. “I think that’s enough of that, thank you.”

Shari let out a squeak and pulled back slightly. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just… you’re the sort of Device that Meisters could only dream of creating. To see something that I’d only heard about in textbooks and lectures is just… just…”

Twilight quirked an eyebrow. “Incredible?”

“Yes! That!”

“Thank you,” Reinforce replied with a soft sigh. “Now,” she continued, giving her wings a quick flap and taking a more serious tone, “I believe you have some business with Twilight?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry.” Shari adjusted her glasses and stood back up. “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”

“I wanted to make sure you received the data from this morning’s practice,” Twilight replied, walking over and glancing at the large holographic screen. “And I figured I’d take a look at the designs you worked out so far while I was here.”

“Oh yes, everything came through just fine, both from the S4’s sensors and from Raising Heart’s.” Shari swept her hand through the empty air, manipulating the holographic screens into a set of six neat columns. “There’s also the readings I got from the onboard scanners I added to the trainee’s Devices. If you keep up the pace, I should have more than enough data to start fine-tuning by the end of the week.”

“You’ve already started prototyping?”

“Not yet. I do have the designs mostly finalized, though. Here, let me show you.”

Shari reached down and flicked the power switch on the workbench. Reinforce glanced up as holographic models sprang into existence above her, hovering in the glowing golden light of the bench’s emitters.

“Huh,” Twilight said as she inspected them. “Custom designs, I see…”

“Mhmm. I actually did my certification on nonstandard and atypical Device construction. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a traditional staff-shaped Device, but it’s not always the best tool.”

“That’s probably why Chrono recruited you,” Twilight replied, walking around the workbench as she looked at the diagrams. “I’ll admit, some of this is a little over my head…”

“Really?” Shari blinked. “I’d thought you were familiar with-”

“Oh, I’ve got a working knowledge of Device engineering and construction, but it’s hardly comprehensive.” Twilight smiled embarrassedly. “I know enough to build a basic Device, but custom work of this caliber is a bit outside my repertoire.”

“Well, I have had a little help.” Shari pulled the stylus from behind her ear. “I’ve been consulting with Meister Atenza at the Main Branch for some of the modular component designs.”

“I’ve met Miss Atenza,” Reinforce flew up amidst the holograms, inspecting them curiously. Her horn glowed faintly as she manipulated one of the schematics, expanding it. “She’s quite gifted. I would have liked to have met her under better circumstances than our first meeting.”

“Oh… oh that’s right,” Shari gasped. “You met her while the Wo- I mean, the Altenritter were on trial.”

Reinforce nodded solemnly. “She was very kind to me, and she treated me well. I could tell she had a love for her work.”

“Well, she is head of the Main Branch’s Engineering Division.” Shari replied with a smile. “She was my mentor while I was getting my certification. We got along fantastically… but anyway…”

“Some of these designs are quite impressive,” Reinforce noted. “Though the circuitry could use some work. Have you considered using a direct crystallization matrix for the thaumic circuitry instead of separate components?”

Shari blinked. “Well… yes, but the problem with integrating a DCM into the component means that if the part containing the matrix is damaged, then I’d have to reengineer the entire component instead of just replacing the circuitry. Besides, direct crystallization is really expensive to do, and isn’t as flexible or customizable after-the-fact as modern magical circuits.”

“True, but in my opinion the tradeoff for durability and weight makes up for it. If I remember, my creator used a similar process while reconstructing Twilight and Fate’s Devices.”

“Really?” Shari looked to Twilight curiously.

“THAT IS CORRECT,” Raising Heart replied, the jewel glinting against Twilight’s uniform.

“Princess Luna didn’t go into specifics,” Twilight replied, “but I’m sure you could ask her…”

Shari went a little pale. “Me? Ask Princess Luna? I… I’m not sure I could. I mean…”

“Oh relax,” Twilight waved a hoof. “I’m sure Princess Luna would love to have someone to talk shop with! After all, she’s working on a Device for Spike right now. I could introduce you if you like.”

Shari made a noise that wouldn’t have been out of place coming from a terrified mouse.

Reinforce coughed, pulling Shari’s attention back to her. “Do you mind if I give you a little assistance with these designs? Some of these look quite impressive…”

“S-sure. Please, go ahead…”

---

For Shamal, the hustle and bustle of the commissary at lunchtime was nothing more than background noise as she picked at her pasta salad. The blonde knight sighed softly, twirling one of the spiral noodles around, lost in thought.

After my last trip to Canterlot, going back to eating cafeteria food is a letdown, even if it is decent. She speared a few noodles and lifted them, slowly turning her fork to inspect them..

“Is this seat taken?”

Shamal glanced up from her lunch tray as Yuuno approached, blushing slightly as she swallowed. “Oh, no, please, have a seat Yuuno. Sorry, I was miles away…”

The archeologist took a seat across the table from the blonde-haired Knight, adjusting his glasses. “That’s alright. Nothing wrong with that. I hope I wasn’t interrupting something… Were you in conversation with someone?”

“Huh? No, no. Nothing like that.“ The faint scent of grilled meat drifted beneath Shamal’s nostrils, causing her to wrinkle them involuntarily. “I see you decided to try the mystery meat…”

“I’d hardly call it mystery meat, Shamal. It’s just ground beef.” Yuuno lifted his utensils and started working on his own lunch. “I don’t get many chances to indulge in red meat, what with living in Equestria. I don’t mind eating vegetarian, but man cannot live by hay bacon alone.”

“I suppose so.”

“Have you gotten settled in, Shamal?” Yuuno smiled, taking a bite of his lunch.

“Yes. The base’s clinic is quite nice. It’s hardly state-of-the-art, but for our purposes it works. It’ll be nice to have a proper care center for once. I’m more used to on-site triage than working in an office.”

“Hmm.” Yuuno swallowed. “I’d imagine so, since you’re working with the Altenritter. Is there really that much carnage?”

“Not really, but it’s our duty as Church Knights to provide support to the faithful in times of need. Mostly it’s things like disaster relief, guarding pilgrimages and so on. Just a few months ago, the six of us were assigned to guard a caravan to a particular holy site. Are you familiar with the name ‘Wilfried Jeremiah?’”

“Only a little bit. If I recall, he was known as ‘The Black Jeremiah,’ a legendary but nomadic smith and martial artist that helped refine Saint King Sägebrecht’s fighting arts.” Yuuno tapped his fork against his lips in thought. “But not much else. He wasn’t exactly the sort that left many records behind…”

“Indeed. We were escorting pilgrims to what was believed to be the grounds where he instructed Sankt Kaiser Olivie Sägebrecht in the arts of war. Of course, the route was quite perilous, what with the rocky terrain and the nasty local mega-fauna. We almost lost a few of our charges during the journey.”

“Must’ve been rough,” Yuuno replied.

“We managed, if only just. I‘m just glad I got some leave afterwards…” Shamal let out a dreamy sigh.

“I think I know how you spent it,” Yuuno teased gently. “So, how was Fancy Pants?”

“As wonderful as always,” Shamal replied with a small smile. “He had business in Los Pegasus, so we spent a week there with him showing me around and taking me to parties. Then we came back to Canterlot and… well…” Her cheeks turned bright red. “We had some… private time to ourselves.”

Yuuno blushed as well, then coughed loudly. “I don‘t think I need details on that, but it‘s good that you had fun. Though you could have come and visited me and Twilight if you were in Canterlot…”

“We didn’t want to bother you. Besides, we had our own plans.” She sighed and shook her head, frowning sadly. “Just a pity we won’t be able to get together for a while, what with my duties here.”

“It’s not like you’re stuck here, Shamal,” Yuuno consoled her. “Besides, I’m sure Chrono would be fine with giving you leave if you asked.”

“Maybe, but for now I still have my job to do, as do you.”

“True. Honestly though, I feel a bit out of place here.” Yuuno popped another chunk of meat into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “I’m an academic,” he continued around the morsel, “not a soldier, my skill at magic notwithstanding.”

“That’s probably why Chrono brought you on board. Nothing wrong with a different perspective on things. Not to mention I can’t think of a single other person as skilled at defensive magic as you.”

“Well, aside from Twilight’s brother, but he’s busy being an Imperial Consort.” Yuuno chuckled.

Shamal giggled as well. “True. Princess Cadence might be upset if Chrono stole… him…”

“Hmm?” Yuuno blinked as Shamal looked past him. “What’s up?”

“Some of Twilight’s students just came in…”

Yuuno turned to look, following Shamal’s gaze. Lightning Squad walked into the commissary first, headed by Erio and Spike. Caro trailed along behind the two boys, looking a little embarrassed. Erio glanced back to her, then motioned her forward as he pulled out a tray for her.

Teana soon followed, or rather stalked, through the doors after them. She nodded curtly to Spike as he addressed her, before picking up her own tray and getting in line. Erio glanced up at her, then shook his head as he and Spike overstacked their respective trays. Caro blushed at the mountain of food her companions were carrying, glancing down at her own tray. Teana, however, seemed to pay them little mind, jerking slightly as the cook spoke to her.

“Looks like trouble in paradise,” Yuuno noted rhetorically.

“I guess training didn’t go too well this morning for Stars Squad. I don’t see Subaru or Scootaloo anywhere.” Shamal popped another fork-full of pasta salad into her mouth as she watched Teana break away from the others, taking a seat at an empty table.

“Maybe I should see what’s going on.” Yuuno turned back to Shamal. “Do you mind if I-”

“Oh no, go ahead, I’m almost done.” Shemal gently waved him off.

“Alright. See you later Shamal.”

“See you, Yuuno,” Shamal waved a fork as Yuuno rose to his feet and picked up his tray.

---

Teana leaned forward, elbow resting on top of the table as she stirred the mixture of meat, rice, and various vegetables together on her plate. Truthfully, she wasn’t really all that hungry, but she knew she had to eat anyway. If nothing else, it gave her something she could take her irritation out on.

Ugh…If I didn’t know better, I’d say Subaru was trying to drive me crazy. She grimaced, shoveling some of the goulash into her mouth and chewing mechanically. If there’s one thing worse than having one idiot on our team, it’s having two of them. Subaru on her own I can tolerate, but…

“Mind if I join you, Miss Lanster?”

Teana’s head snapped up as the blonde gentleman stood across the table from her. She swallowed quickly, coughing a little as a bit of rice caught in her throat. “S-sure. Go ahead… um…” She paused, his name escaping her.

He took a seat, setting his tray before him. “Yuuno.”

“I know what?”

He chuckled. “No, that’s my name. Yuuno Scrya. I‘m afraid we haven‘t been officially introduced yet.”

“Oh… OH!” Teana snapped her fingers. “Dr. Scrya! Special Instructor Sparkle mentioned you yesterday. Sorry, I should’ve recognized you…”

Yuuno shrugged. “That’s fine. We all get distracted sometimes. Something troubling you?”

Teana grunted. “Just problems with my team.”

“Yeah. I noticed you were all alone.” He glanced over at Lightning Squad’s table, then back to her. “I’m guessing there’s some friction between you and your teammates?”

“You could say that.” Teana stirred her food again.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to talk about it?”

Teana frowned, quirking her lips slightly in irritation. “Um… permission to speak freely?”

“Well, technically I’m not an officer,” Yuuno chuckled softly, “but sure. Go ahead.”

“Me talking about it won‘t do much. After all, I‘m not the one with the problem.”

“What do you mean?” Yuuno leaned forward, chin resting in the palm of his hand.

“I mean exactly that.” Teana tapped her fork on her plate. “On the one hand, I have a pegasus with, let’s face it, a pretty piss-poor attitude that doesn’t listen to a word I say in the field. On the other hand, I’ve got my long-term partner that seems more focused on making friends than training.”

“I see.”

“Now, Subaru I can handle,” Teana continued, irritation creeping into her voice as she stabbed a chunk of hamburger. “I’m used to Subaru. I like Subaru, despite her occasional… lapses in judgment. But Subaru and her new pony friend together is just…. Ugh, it’s enough to make me tear my hair out.”

“So you think the problem is Scootaloo?”

Teana paused. “Well… she’s not helping, that’s for sure,” she replied cautiously. “I’m not sure I can trust her like I can trust Subaru. And since Subaru‘s so set on being friends with her, I‘m… concerned.”

Yuuno nodded, taking a bite of his lunch.

“Not that I don’t understand what Subaru’s doing,” Teana quickly added. “I just think Scootaloo’s going to be a bad influence… or worse, get her in trouble. Subaru’s always been too soft-hearted for her own good. I have to keep an eye on her, so she doesn‘t fall in with the wrong type of crowd…”

“’The wrong type of crowd?’” Yuuno quirked an eyebrow quizzically as he repeated her words.

Teana swallowed. “Well, individuals like Scootaloo. You know, troublemakers. People who put themselves before the unit…”

“Ah.”

That one syllable set off alarm bells in the back of Teana’s head. “If you thought I was talking about something else, sir, then I apologize…”

“Don’t worry, Miss Lanster, I wasn’t implying anything.” Yuuno took a sip from his glass of water before continuing. “However, I’ll admit that Scootaloo can be a handful sometimes. I should know.”

Teana blinked. “Oh?”

Yuuno nodded. “I spent a good amount of time in Ponyville, so I knew her while she was growing up. And yes, she was quite a mischievous little filly.”

“However,” he raised a finger as Teana began to speak, “she’s also had a rough life, especially recently. I’d imagine she’s not really inclined to trust someone new, especially if she thinks that person doesn’t respect her.”

“If she wants respect, she should earn it,” Teana grunted.

“Maybe.” Yuuno pointed his fork at her. “But it’s up to you to give her that chance, don’t you think?”

Teana grimaced, turning her attention to her plate. “I suppose so, sir…”

“I hope so. From what she’s told me, Twilight’s expecting good things from your team, and you in particular.”

Teana blinked, then looked up at Yuuno. “S-seriously?”

Yuuno nodded. “Oh yes. She had nothing but good things to say about you when we discussed team assignments. If she seems hard on you, then that’s probably why. Just thought you might like to know.”

“Um…t-thank you, sir.”

“No problem,” Yuuno smiled, then resumed eating.

Teana watched him for a moment, then looked back down to her plate. So I impressed Special Instructor Sparkle that much, huh? Really? Well, after this morning she’s probably changed her mind about me… I’ll just have to prove myself.

---

The sun was high overhead when the trainees returned to the practice field. The glittering surface of the S4 reflected the afternoon sunlight as the trainees and instructors worked.

“Are you ready, Caro?”

Teana watched as Caro nodded nervously, the little summoner glancing at her draconic partner. Special Instructor Sparkle stood a ways away from Caro, her Barrier Jacket active and her staff hovering beside her. The purple unicorn was surrounded by a cloud of glowing energy spheres, the targets lit up in all colors of the rainbow.

“Y-yes ma’am,” Caro replied, taking a sturdy stance, the pink jewel on her bracelet-shaped Device glowing gently.

“Good. Launching Target Type One!” Twilight’s horn flickered as a dozen projectiles shot skyward. The swarm of softball-sized blue spheres blinked as they flew.

“Remember Caro,” Twilight said as she turned to look back at the pink-haired girl, “this is to practice accuracy, not area of effect. Concentrate on shooting them down before they reach you.”

“R-right,” Caro replied nervously as she pointed skyward. The blue spheres had completed a lazy arc and were now heading towards her. “Fried, attack!”

The little dragon let out a trill as flames licked from the corners of his mouth, right before he exhaled small spheres of flame. The orange shots sailed upwards towards the incoming projectiles. Most of the shots flew wide, though a few hit their marks.

“Focus, Caro,” Twilight ordered, her voice gentle. “Guide Fried’s blasts as best you can. Can you do that?”

“I-I’ll try. Fried, geinmaar aak daar yol?”

The dragon snorted, but gave a quick nod in reply. Caro’s brow was furrowed in concentration, the jewel on her bracelet glowing as she raised her arm and pointed skyward at the falling targets. Friedrich’s eyes glowed as well, matching the brightness of Caro’s Device.

“Now, Fried!”

There was a loud crackle of flame as Friedrich loosed another volley. Several more targets were incinerated, leaving about half of them in the air as they fell closer. Caro’s bracelet glowed brighter as sweat beaded on her forehead.

“That’s it,” Twilight said excitedly. “Keep going, just like that. You almost got them all.”

Caro let out a little grunt of concentration as Friedrich drew in breath, then released another volley. Spheres of bright orange fire leapt upwards, catching a few more targets.

Unfortunately, it didn’t catch all of them. Two spheres of light drifted down and connected with Caro. The girl flinched back as the blue spheres exploded with a crackle of static, the light on her bracelet disappearing along with the glow of Friedrich’s eyes.

“S-sorry about that, Fried.” Caro shuffled as Friedrich let out an irritated trill. She looked over to Twilight, then blushed. “I… guess we still need some work.”

“That’s alright. I don’t expect perfection all the time,” Twilight replied as she walked over to Caro. “You two did well, though. Your second and third volleys were much more accurate. How did you two manage that?”

“As a summoner, I have… well, it’s hard to explain. There’s this… link between me and Friedrich that I can use to control him…”

“Interesting. So it’s like a telepathic leash of some sort?”

“It‘s deeper than that. It’s like…” Caro frowned, clearly struggling for the words. “It’s like Fried is a part of me, but yet not… if that makes sense.”

“Ah! Okay! I didn’t realize your bond with Friedrich went that deep.”

“It is. Of course, that bond can be abused. In our tongue, such an act is called ‘Faal Zeymahsesil Thur.’”

“Um…” Twilight blinked. “Translation?”

“Roughly speaking… it means ‘Soul-Sibling Tyranny.’ I… I don't like doing it, because I don‘t like… using Fried like that” Caro winced as Friedrich landed on her shoulder, letting out a loud squawk. “And Fried says it makes his head hurt when I take control.”

“I‘m sorry to hear that.” Twilight turned to the little dragon. “You’ll have to work on your aim then, won’t you Friedrich?”

Friedrich let out a snort, followed by a soft trill.

“He says he will, but he makes no promises,” Caro supplied.

“As long as you try.”

“Um…” Teana raised her hand. “Ma‘am?”

“Yes, Teana?” Twilight turned to look at her.

“I can help if you’d like. After all, sharp-shooting is my specialty. Maybe I can give them a demonstration?”

“Mm…” Twilight considered it for a second, then nodded. “I don’t see why not. Caro, why don’t you and Friedrich take a step back, please?”

Caro nodded and retreated while Teana drew her Anchor Gun from its holster. She popped it open as she walked forward, quickly breech-loading a pair of cartridges. She snapped the barrels back into place as she came to a stop in front of Twilight. The gun was raised and pointed skyward, her index finger resting parallel to the trigger and not on it. “Ready.”

Twilight nodded. “Very well. Since you’re a skilled sharp-shooter, I’ll provide you with some more advanced targets to practice on.” The mare glanced over at Caro and Friedrich. “Both of you should watch Teana carefully while she’s shooting and see what you can learn, alright?”

“Yes ma’am,” Caro replied. Friedrich chirped in reply.

Twilight nodded, then walked back to her cloud of energy spheres. “We can start when you’re ready, Teana,” Twilight replied, the cloud closing ranks around her.

Alright. Time to show her what I can do… Teana snapped into position, taking a two-handed grip while her stance shifted slightly. “Ready!”

“Launching Target Types Two and Five!”

Two dozen orange and purple spheres shot skyward, sizzling as they did so. They reached the end of their arc, then turned and flew towards Teana. The orange targets swerved from side to side in a regular pattern, while the purple spheres barrel-rolled through the air.

Teana took aim, her eyes scanning the targets as she measured their movements. She focused, inhaled, and opened fire. Orange blasts erupted from her Anchor Gun as she mentally triggered the Shoot Barret spell, the bolts sizzling through the air as they headed towards their marks.

With each shot, a target vanished. Teana felt her Anchor Gun shudder with each pull of the trigger as she sent the blasts flying along.

Soon enough, the sky was clear.

“Well,” Teana heard Twilight say, “that was impressive. I‘ve never seen anyone shoot down a set of targets that quickly before.”

Teana quickly flicked her Anchor Gun open, ejecting the spent cartridges before slipping a fresh pair into the barrels. “I am a Lanster,” Teana replied with a note of pride as she looked to Twilight. “The bullets of a Lanster never miss their mark.”

“So I noticed,” Twilight smiled. “Looks like I was right about you, Teana. When it comes to sharp-shooting, your skills are top-notch. Now,” she turned to look at Caro, “let’s see how well you can explain them.”

“Huh?” Teana blinked.

“Explain what you did to Caro and Friedrich. It‘s all well and good to show your skills, but I‘d like to see if you can help your teammates apply them to their own magic.”

Teana paused, nibbling her lips uncertainly. So the demonstration wasn’t good enough for her? I should have known. Fine, I can handle this. I’ll show her…

“Teana?”

Teana blinked, glancing at Twilight. “Yes, Instructor?”

“Your explanation?”

“Oh! R-right. Ahem… well…”

---

Erio’s staff snapped upwards, catching the overhead blow that Fate had launched at him. There was a static-like as Fate’s staff struck, small sparks leaping from the golden telekinetic aura surrounding the bludgeon, causing Erio to squint slightly.

“Very good,” Fate complemented, the golden mare suddenly flicking her staff back and slashing quickly at Erio’s side. He quickly turned his own Device, blocking the attack. “Your reaction times are just as fast as I expected, and your form‘s quite solid. I’m guessing you‘ve been training.”

“Yes ma’am,” Erio replied, blocking another strike as he and Fate circled each other. “It was Captain Harlaown who provided me with some basic training… until his injury, at least.”

“I noticed. You’ve picked up some of his tells, like the way you hold your staff.” Fate thrust her staff forwards. Erio intercepted with a quick swing of his own. “I assume you’re planning on using a polearm?”

“Yes ma’am. Ideally, I’d prefer something like a spear.”

“Mm, it’d fit with your style actually.” Fate pulled her staff back, looking contemplative. “Though your style‘s closer to staff-fighting than spear-fighting. It’s a lot different from the way I handle Bardiche.”

“Speaking of which,” Spike interjected from his position, his legs crossed as he watched the two practice, “why aren’t you using him right now? I mean, you’re in your Barrier Jacket…”

Fate smiled slightly. “Bardiche’s head is a bit stronger than these practice Devices. Chrono might get upset if I break things I‘m not supposed to.”

“INDEED,” the Device in question added, the golden triangle connected to Fate’s left front hoof.

“Yeah, I guess that’s what happens when you’ve got an axe with a blade made from solidified darkness,” Spike replied. “Kinda hard to practice with it.”

Fate nodded, then turned her attention back to Erio and raised her staff. “Now that we’ve got the warm-up out of the way, I’d like to step it up a little. Do you feel ready, Erio?”

“Whether I am or not is unimportant,” Erio replied, holding his staff in a defensive position. “I can’t get better if I’m not challenged.”

“Yeah, I’d be careful saying something like that,” Spike warned with a wince. “You might end up getting more than you expected.”

“I can handle it,” Erio replied as his weight shifted, his eyes locked on Fate.

“The exercise is simple,” Fate said calmly, the golden glow surrounding her staff intensifying, matching the light coming from her horn. “All you have to do is fend off my attacks for as long as you can, understood?”

Erio nodded sharply, his breathing slow and steady, his eyes narrowed and his muscles tensed. His grip on his staff was tight and hard, his knuckles aching slightly as he waited for Fate to attack.

Fate struck, her staff snapping forward in a quick slash. He parried, golden sparks flying as their staves met. The second blow came just as fast, but he caught it as well. Then came the next one, and the next one, and the next, each swing and thrust parried. Fate’s motions were quick and precise, the tempo of attacks slowly but steadily increasing.

His thoughts raced as everything else seemed to move slower, his vision narrowing to the clashing of their weapons. Tiny tendrils of golden electricity danced between his fingers and along the surface of the staff as he blocked and dodged. And yet, Fate’s strikes moved at normal speed to him.

The blows continued to come, each parried strike emitting a splash of sparks. Fate’s staff spun and slashed at him, forcing him to quicken his pace. His breath came out in a hiss as he spun his staff, his feet quickly shuffling as he backed away from her.

Fate followed, her bright red eyes narrowing as she swept her staff in a quick, downward arc. Erio hopped over the swing, but staggered slightly as the follow-up thrust cracked against his upraised staff. He could feel his muscles burning as energy ran through his body, thin trails of golden-colored lightning flickering between his feet and the ground as he stepped backwards. His defense still held out against Fate’s assault, if only just.

And then, Fate’s staff flickered and blurred. There was a sharp crack as his staff flew out of his hands, right before a swing connected with his left calf. Erio landed on his side as his staff clattered to the ground behind him, his breathing quick and shallow.

“Erio, enough!”

He blinked as he heard Fate’s voice, before he shook his head and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply, trying to calm his racing heart. The humming crackle of the static slowly dissipated. After what felt like an age, he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, then opened his eyes.

Fate looked worried. “You did it again.”

“I… I did?” Erio sighed as Fate nodded. “Sorry, ma‘am…”

“You don‘t need to apologize, Erio. Are you alright?”

“I‘m fine…” Erio winced, rubbing his leg where Fate had struck him. “I had plenty of energy thanks to lunch, so I didn‘t overdo it…”

“I’m sorry I didn’t stop you before. It took me a second to recognize what was happening…”

“Would someone mind telling me what just happened?” Spike walked over to them, looking between the pair. “You guys started out normally, and then all of a sudden all I saw were a pair of blurs and a whole lotta sparks.”

Erio sighed. “I have…control issues. Sometimes, when I get too focused in fighting, I unconsciously activate my magic…”

“Seriously? I thought all magic was, you know, consciously controlled and stuff.”

“Normally, yes,” Fate replied. “However, that’s not always the case. Some mages, if they‘re not taught properly at an early age, pick up instinctive triggers for their spells.”

“So it’s kinda how unicorn foals have magic surges?” Spike looked over at Erio. “But… you’re trained, right? I mean, you seem to be pretty on the ball when it comes to magic, even…”

Erio looked down at the ground. “I only started learning proper magic a few years ago, after Chrono adopted me.”

“Really? What about-”

“Spike,” Fate interjected firmly, “enough.”

Erio raised a hand. “It’s okay, ma’am.” He then turned to look at Spike. “I didn’t… grow up like most kids. I was in a pretty bad place when I ended up in the Bureau’s custody. I was an anti-social B-class mage with no formal training, a natural affinity for lightning, and little-to-no control over myself. After a while… I was considered too dangerous to try to teach.”

Spike frowned as Fate walked to Erio’s side, leaning down to nuzzle his cheek. Erio reached up, gently touching Fate’s mane before he stood up. “But thanks to Captains Harlaown and Testarossa-Sparkle, I know enough magic that I can properly control and channel my power… most of the time. Other times, like this morning and just now, I… well…”

“Yeah,” Spike winced. “Ouch.”

“For what it’s worth,” Fate replied as she floated Erio’s Device over to him, “your control has improved significantly. I’m sure with further practice and a proper Device, you’ll be able to keep yourself fully in check.”

“I hope so,” Erio sighed, looking to Spike. “Still, I’m not going to ask you to pick up the slack because of-”

“No, dude, it’s okay.” Spike shook his head as he approached. “Remember what I said yesterday? You’re not the only one who’s got control issues.” He then smirked and extended a clawed hand. “At least we can keep an eye on each other, right dude?”

Erio looked at his hand, then slowly extended his own and grabbed a hold. There was a loud crackle of static as flesh met scales, but Spike didn’t so much as flinch. Erio felt his lips quirk in a smile, despite himself. “Right… dude.”

And out of the corner of her eye, Erio could see Fate nod in satisfaction.

---

Subaru let out a whoop of joy as she launched off the ramp, sailing through the air at full speed as her motorized rollerblades whirred loudly. She had to admit, the course Shari had designed for her and Scootaloo was pretty intense; all steeply banked curves, ramps and blocky obstacles. It was like a skate park with all the features dialed up to eleven.

And Subaru was loving it.

She turned in mid-air, the wheels of her skates grinding along the wall of one of the large, cube-shaped hazards. She kicked off and sailed through the air beofre landing with a slight crouch, the wheels of her skate squealing as she gunned the engines. Her lips pulled back in a fierce grin as the wind whipped through her hair. She extended one hand to the side as she approached the oncoming corner, then took the turn tight and sharp. The tips of her fingers scraped the rushing ground slightly as she came out of the turn at speed, sparks spraying from beneath the wheels as she raced down the home stretch towards the glowing finish-line.

Almost there… Subaru narrowed her eyes and sent more energy to the engines. Just a little more…

A loud beep rang out as she crossed the finish-line. Subaru turned, grinding to a halt as she put on the brakes.

“How’d I do?” She turned slowly skating over towards Shari and Scootaloo.

“Pretty good, Subaru,” Shari replied cheerfully as she typed on her keyboard. “You shaved about a half-second off your fastest lap time.”

“Yes!” Subaru pumped a fist.

“Not bad,” Scootaloo congratulated her with a faint smirk, “for a slow-poke like you.”

“Now, now Scootaloo, there‘s no need to get competitive,” Shari replied, glancing over at the pegasus.

“Sure there is,” Scootaloo replied as she balanced on the brake-pads of her skates. “Nothing wrong with making it a race, right?”

Subaru laughed as she gestured to the hovering screen that showed their times. “If this is a race, I think you wrecked me. Even your slowest lap’s nearly two minutes faster than mine.”

“Mmmf… well, I’m pretty sure I could do better than that,” Scootaloo replied, then glanced to Shari. “My turn now?”

“Yup. Just be careful, alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” Scootaloo replied as she skated over to the start line.

“Alright, scanning sensors locked on,” Shari announced, tapping on the holographic keyboard. “Beginning countdown for lap number five!”

There was a loud claxon as the timer counted down. Scootaloo extended her wings, her stance lowering as she licked her lips, her tail swishing as her muscles tensed.

The countdown hit zero, and Scootaloo shot off the starting line like a bullet, the thrumming of her wings echoing in the wind.

“Wow, look at her go,” Subaru said as she shielded her eyes.

“I know, right?” Shari moved the sensor monitors closer, watching Scootaloo as she took the first curve high and wide. “Look at that speed. You’re probably the only one that can even come close to keeping up with her without enhancement magic.”

“Well, not with these skates I can’t…” Subaru blushed slightly as she stomped one of her rollerblades, the wheels clicking on the ground. “I mean, I did pretty good building the motors for these, but I know when I’m outclassed.”

“Mmm…” Shari gave a non-committal grunt.

“Um, Shari?” Subaru scratched her hair. “I‘m just curious, but what’s all this data for, anyway?”

“Well, Twilight and I are using the data we’re collecting to refine your training regimens,” Shari replied. “The better we understand how you six tick, the better we can help you improve, you know?”

“Oh.” Subaru frowned and rested her hands on her hips. “In that case… I was wondering about something.”

“Hmm?” Shari blinked as she looked at Subaru.

“Do you think there’s some way I can teach Scoots something? I mean, one-on-one? I know that sounds odd but…”

“Well, I’m not the one to talk to about that. You’ll have to ask Twilight for permission.”

Subaru swallowed. “Do you think she’ll allow it?”

“Well, wouldn’t hurt to try,” Shari replied. “She seems pretty reasonable.”

Subaru nodded as she heard the buzz of Scootaloo’s wings grow louder. The slim mare shot through the finish-line in a blur of orange. She swerved sharply, her skates sending up a spray of sparks as she flared her wings, her mane and tail whipping as the gust of the backwash from her deceleration rushed past her.

“How’d I do?” Scootaloo skated towards them, her wings folding against her sides with a quick rustle of feathers.

“Good. This run wasn’t quite as quick as your third one, but I think we’ve got enough for an initial baseline now.”

“If you say so…”

“But we’re not done yet,” Shari continued, turning to face them and resting her hands on her hips. “Now it’s time for some partnering work.”

“Partnering work?” Subaru and Scootaloo met each other’s gaze for a moment.

“Mhmm. It’s nothing too extreme. Think of it as a modified slalom course.” Shari reached over to her console and began typing. The course slowly dissolved away like a mirage as a new one took its place. A wide channel formed along the ground, dotted liberally with thin glowing pylons of light.

“The exercise is simple,” Shari explained as a diagram made up of two glowing arrows in motion. “All you have to do is pass along either side the targets as close to the same time as possible. If you take too long to pass the same target or get too far away from one another, it counts as a failed run, understood?”

Subaru nodded, though Scootaloo raised a hoof.

“Yes, Scootaloo?” Shari looked to her.

“Uh… don’t take this the wrong way, but what’s the point? I mean, when are we going to be doing slaloms in the field?”

Shari adjusted her glasses with a faint smirk. “That’s not the point. The exercise is to see if you can match each other’s pace and maneuver in tight proximity to one-another. This is about precision of movement and awareness of your teammate, not speed. Now, before I forget…” Shari turned back to the console and hit a button.

Subaru blinked as she heard a humming noise, right before a thin ribbon of green light ran along the ground connecting her to Scootaloo. “There’s the tether,” Shari continued as she turned back. “For the duration of the exercise, the two of you will need to stay within six feet of each other.”

“Seriously?” Scootaloo looked at the tether irritably, pawing at it with one skate-clad hoof. “Lame…”

“What‘s the matter?” Subaru’s question made the pegasus jump slightly. “Do you think I‘ll slow you down?”

“Uh…” Scootaloo paused. “Not…really? I mean, I’m built for speed. It’s not that you’re slow slow, but you’re not quite on… my… level…” Scootaloo’s voice trailed off slowly before she coughed. She looked slightly sheepish as she shuffled her skate-clad hooves. “Uh… that really sounded better in my head, honest.”

Subaru shrugged. “Hey, I’m not disagreeing. You’re crazy fast, Scootaloo. But you know, sometimes speed’s not the most important thing, right Shari?”

Shari nodded. “Exactly. Take your time and do your best to match each other’s speed and maneuverability. We’ll be doing several runs, so it’s not like you need to be in a hurry.”

Scootaloo sighed. “Yeah, okay… let’s just do this thing.”

Shari nodded. “Take your places at the start, then!”

Subaru carefully skated along beside Scootaloo, heading towards the glowing start line. She crouched slightly as Scootaloo extended her wings, the feathers rustling as she lowered her stance. There was a soft whine as Subaru mentally gunned her inlines’ engines.

The starting klaxon rang out.

“Go!” Subaru let out a shout as she let off the brakes, the squeal of her tires mixing with the hum of Scootaloo’s wings.

---

Vita stood at the pier, watching the training field with a moody look on her face. The little Knight’s arms were crossed, and the afternoon sunlight made her bright red hair gleam faintly against the black surface of her uniform. She could see the faint shapes of the trainees going about their work atop the shimmering plane of the S4, highlighted by flashes of magic and the spark-like spray of cast-off mana.

“Come to watch the kids at work?”

Vita glanced back as she heard the familiar voice. Chrono approached her, his uniform coat half-on, his bad arm resting beneath it.

“Yeah. Figured I’d keep an eye on things,” Vita huffed, turning to look back at the S4.

“I’m surprised you’re not down there yourself,” Chrono noted, looking down at her. “Having second thoughts about being an instructor?”

“No,” Vita grunted, her hands resting on her hips. “Twilight and I decided it was too early to let me at ’em. Don’t worry, I’ll be whipping them into shape soon enough. What about you, Captain Harlaown? Decided to take a break and wander amongst the peons?”

“Why not? I needed to get out of the office anyway. And just so you know, you’d probably do better if you used the monitors.”

Vita grunted again as Chrono produced his Device, the black card of S4U’s Standby Form glinting as he swiped it through the air. Three large holographic monitors winked into existence, each one showing a separate group.

“Pretty good group of kids,” Chrono noted, almost as though he were speaking to himself. Vita glanced at the monitors, watching for a moment.

Subaru and Scootaloo were racing neck-and-neck, swerving around glowing beacons as they went. They rounded a curve sharply, the glowing green tether linking them flashing bright red before vanishing. The pair came to a halt, Scootaloo stomping a hoof in irritation as Subaru raised both hands, clearly trying to calm the pegasus down.

Meanwhile, Spike and Erio were trading blows under Fate’s watchful eye. The short dragon moved with purpose, his hands moving to block Erio’s staff strikes. His stance was solid and firm, very different from Erio’s quicker footwork and rapid attacks. After a few blows, Fate stepped in, talking to them quickly before they resumed their fighting stances.

Finally, the last monitor was trained on Teana and Caro. The orange-haired gunslinger was crouched down beside the smaller girl, pointing upwards as Twilight launched several targets into the air. Caro looked to Friedrich as the dragon landed on her shoulder and tilted his head back, letting out small shots of flame. Twilight was watching the two closely, her expression thoughtful.

“I guess so,” Vita replied morosely.

“You sound disappointed,” Chrono noted, causing Vita to huff.

“Maybe I am.” Vita sighed, looking down at the ground as she idly kicked the surface of the concrete. “Maybe I’m just not used to training kids. At least the Church Knights I teach are older… mostly. The brats usually end up with the other teachers, not me.”

“Scratch that,” Chrono replied. “You don’t sound disappointed, you sound old.”

Vita shot a playful glare at him. “Hey, I was around before your grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather was even conceived. I’m allowed to sound old.” Her gaze landed on Chrono’s arm, her expression softening before she looked away. “Especially now,” she murmured under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” Vita quickly replied. “How’s the injuries?”

“Same as before,” Chrono sighed. “Thankfully I’m mostly functional now, though not enough for active duty.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t get prosthetics,” Vita looked him up and down. “I mean, they’re pretty damn expensive from what I hear, but it shouldn’t be too hard to afford a functioning-”

Chrono shook his head. “Already looked into it, but I‘m not interested. I’d have to go through a biometric adjustment regimen to avoid rejection. I can’t really afford to be sick for that long just to have a working right arm. Not right now. I already spent enough time in the hospital with the injuries I had.”

Vita nodded solemnly. “Chrono…”

Chrono held up his good hand. “Vita, I already know what you’re going to say, and you don’t have to. You already apologized enough for what happened on Hyou-Gaki. If it hadn’t been for you and the others, I’d be dead because of my own carelessness.”

Vita nodded, then jumped slightly as S4U beeped loudly.

“Looks like my break’s over,” Chrono chuckled as he held his Device up. “S4U, open channel.”

A holographic screen appeared in the air at Chrono’s command. Griffith’s face filled it. “Captain,” he said, “Director Gracia is on the line. She wishes to speak with you and the Altenritter.”

“Right,” Chrono replied, his tone business-like. “Inform the Director I’ll be with her as soon as I get back to my desk. Alert Signum and the others.”

Griffith nodded and quickly adjusted his glasses. “Yes sir, right away.”

“Looks like Lady Gracia wants to borrow us or something,” Vita noted as Chrono dismissed the window.

“Probably,” Chrono replied, putting S4U away and shrugging his lame arm into the corresponding jacket sleeve. “Come on. Let’s not keep her waiting.”

---

“Alright everyone, line up!”

Subaru did her best not to look tired as she and Scootaloo skated up and fell into position alongside the others. The sun was starting to disappear behind the horizon, turning the surface of the training field a brilliant shade of orange.

To be honest, Subaru didn’t look as tired as some of the others. Scootaloo’s wings were drooping against her sides, while Erio and Spike looked like they were about to lean against each other. Caro swayed slightly, causing a weary-looking Teana to reach over and gently push her back into balance.

Twilight stood before them, lined up with Shari and Fate. “I’d imagine,” Twilight began, “that you’re all a bit worn out?”

A weary chorus of ‘yes ma’am’s’ was the reply.

“Well, that just means that you’ve worked hard today. You should be proud of that. Not to mention you all performed much better during this afternoon‘s exercises.” Twilight replied cheerfully. The cheer quickly vanished, however, as Twilight began to pace. “However, you all still have a lot of work to do. This week is the warm-up. Things will be getting a lot more intense from here on out, understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” Subaru replied alongside the others.

“You probably all know this, but it‘s imperative that all of you take care of yourselves,” Fate added. “Cool off, get cleaned up, make sure to get supper from the commissary, and get to bed early. There’s no need to put any further stress on your body than there already is, understood?”

“Trust me; Fate knows how important self-care is for a mage.” Twilight then looked to Erio and Caro. “And all that goes double for you two. Your bodies are still developing, so any mistakes or deficiencies could have lasting impacts on you and your magic. So take care of yourselves, alright?”

“Yes ma’am!” Erio and Caro replied.

“Good. Now, Shari will send your performance logs to your personal terminals later tonight.” Twilight exhaled and came to a stop, looking at them. “Other than that, we’re done for the evening. Class dismissed.”

“Yes ma’am!” The six of them saluted, which Twilight quickly returned.

Subaru heard Teana groan as Twilight, Fate and Shari stepped away to confer. “I feel like my arms are gonna fall off,” Teana muttered, stretching the offending limbs over her head and behind her back.

“You think your arms hurt? Try having wings.” Scootaloo grimaced as she slowly skated along. “Everything from my neck down aches.”

“Oh, poor baby pegasus,” Teana snorted.

“Guys,” Subaru sighed, “can we not do this right now?”

“Yeah,” Erio groaned. “Besides, my whole body hurts. You two got off lucky.”

Teana and Scootaloo glanced at Erio, then at each other, then grumbled softly in agreement.

“Maybe we should head back to the barracks,” Caro suggested as Friedrich hovered beside her. “I’m sure a good soak in the baths will help.”

“Yeah,” Spike winced. “Hot water sounds pretty good right now.”

Subaru nodded as the others began to file away, turning to look at their instructors.

“You coming, Subaru?”

“Huh?” She turned as Teana called her name. “You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up!”

“Right, whatever.”

She waved as Teana turned away, then skated over towards Twilight and the others, slowly coming to a halt as she swallowed nervously. “Um… excuse me… Special Instructor Sparkle, ma’am?”

“Hmm?” Twilight turned to face her, looking up at her curiously. “Yes, Subaru?”

“Um, Shari suggested I speak to you about something… regarding Scootaloo, I mean.” Subaru ran a hand through her hair nervously.

“Oh! Of course.” Twilight smiled up at her. “Shari told me about that. I take it you had something specific in mind?”

“Well, um…”

Twilight sighed. “Subaru, please, just relax and tell me your idea,” she coaxed. “I’ll probably give you the go-ahead, provided it’s nothing too extreme and you follow all the safety protocols… and do it under supervision, of course.”

Subaru blushed. “Sorry, ma’am. Here’s what I had in mind…”

---

…but even with the problems we’re having, I’m sure we’ll be able to work through them. I’ve got Tea with me here, and I’m pretty sure that once Scootaloo’s gotten used to us we’ll do just fine. Plus, it seems like the other squad’s getting along nicely!

Anyway, I miss you two a lot, even though we’re not really that far away from each other. Take care of yourselves while I’m away, okay? I’ll write to you as soon as I can.

Love,

Subaru.

Comments

[djthomp]

I see that training is going well so far.

Spike let out a battle-cry and leapt into the fray… right as he heard Caro’s voice again.
“-FlareOHNOFRIEDSTOP!”
And then Spike saw a sphere of orange flame the size of a medicine ball rush towards him and the swarm of drones.

For both teams, even.

Ahh, so there's at least part of the story regarding Scoots. And cross dimensional Pinkie Promises? Somewhere, somehow, Pinkie knows.

“Hey, if you’d like I could pound a little bit of sense into their heads.” Vita smirked and lifted a fist demonstratively. “Nothing builds teamwork like shared misery, after all.”

I like the way Vita thinks.

“Yes. I’m going to do what I do best.”
“And what’s that?”
“Lecture them!” Twilight and Fate said at the same time. Twilight blinked, then blushed as Fate giggled.

Hah!

Daaaaaaaaaamn, Scootaloo. She is lucky Vita didn't just kick her flank hard. Or simply get kicked out of the unit by Twilight. Or one then the other.

Custom devices for the kids, made with the assistance of both Reinforce and Luna? They ought to be pretty impressive by the time they are complete.

“I think I know how you spent it,” Yuuno teased gently. “So, how was Fancy Pants?”
“As wonderful as always,” Shamal replied with a small smile. “He had business in Los Pegasus, so we spent a week there with him showing me around and taking me to parties. Then we came back to Canterlot and… well…” Her cheeks turned bright red. “We had some… private time to ourselves.”

Oh my! /takai

But seriously, nice to see that it is going well for the two of them.

You now, as much as Scootaloo has a right to her privacy, I can't help but think that keeping her disability a secret is going to turn into a huge tactical mistake at some point in a fight. Here's hoping that if that happens, it happens in training as opposed to a live fire engagement.

“So I noticed,” Twilight smiled. “Looks like I was right about you, Teana. When it comes to sharp-shooting, your skills are top-notch. Now,” she turned to look at Caro, “let’s see how well you can explain them.”
“Huh?” Teana blinked.
“Explain what you did to Caro and Friedrich. It‘s all well and good to show your skills, but I‘d like to see if you can help your teammates apply them to their own magic.”

That's the way to stick your foot in it, Teana. Twilight of all ponies is not going to be particularly impressed with a skill demonstration that cannot be taught, especially when the purpose of the demonstration was specifically to teach someone.

Huh, I don't really remember what happened with Erio in Striker S, but that explanation about his magic just screams "guy who will eventually go berserker mode in a fight".

“No,” Vita grunted, her hands resting on her hips. “Twilight and I decided it was too early to let me at ’em. Don’t worry, I’ll be whipping them into shape soon enough. What about you, Captain Harlaown? Decided to take a break and wander amongst the peons?”

Heh, just when they least expect it, instructor Vita is going to bring the pain.

Can't wait to find out what Subaru's idea for Scootaloo is.

[EspyLacopa]

4074030
See, I figured it'd be obvious what Subaru wants to teach Scootaloo: How to make Wing Roads.

[djthomp]

4074242 That's what I get for only having faint memories of Striker S. Is that one of Subaru's skills, or am I forgetting something else?

[Ack Sed]

Aww, this was nice. Thumbs up!

[Divine Path]

Slow progress. That's all they'll ever need.
As the persons of magic strive
towards finding a spell that may cause bliss;
a tragedy engulfes the hope, surreptitious
and oh so deplored.
May the magical friendship embrace these hapless,
may their light sustain each other in turn.

Awaiting further releases.

[Serifina]

4074260 It's a spell Subaru and her sister Ginga share. It's the magical pathway they can create to rollerblade along.

[djthomp]

4076366 Gotcha, thanks.

[Pinklestia]

It would be better if Spike and Scootaloo had switched teams. Having two dragons and two rollerbladers speedsters in the same teams is unbalanced.