Academy Wars: Season 1

by JP Jackson

Rainbow Dash: 1

“A’TEN HUT!”

Rainbow Dash snapped to attention at the drill sergeant's command, drawing her hand back from touching her newly shortcut rainbow colored hair.

She was dressed in the regular W.M.A student uniform, a dark green blazer and tie over a white shirt. Because they were doing the physical exam she was blessed with pants instead of those horrid skirts the female students were forced to wear. She wondered if she could find an old boy’s uniform to wear instead.

Every one of the other students were dressed exactly the same as she was, stiff uniforms and stances to match stiff expressions and moods.

The bald headed drill sergeant passed up and down the line of new recruits. Today was Testing Day, the day every day-dreaming military student both feared and anticipated. Of the 200 plus students applying for a position as a Wing Mage here, less than half would be allowed to enter Wonderbolt Academy, the top military academy in the Kingdom.

“So you pieces of shit think you’re good enough to go to my school do you?”

Rainbow's Dad’s voice echoed through her head.

‘Unless he addresses you directly, it’s a rhetorical question,’ she remembered. Don’t answer.

“Well let me tell you little ladies something, YOU’RE NOT! Otherwise I wouldn’t have to beat all the bullshit you’ve been learning out of those tiny brains of yours!”

He stopped in front of a nervous looking Unikai.

“YOU! What’s the fourth Armor Form cast sequence?!”

“Um…”

“NOW!”

“I-I…”

“I-I,” the drill sargent mocked “FIFTY LAPS!”

The boy rushed off, Rainbow Dash held back a scoff. Lightweight.

The sergeant went up and down the line terrifying random recruits, but the time he reached Dash, twenty more students were running laps.

“YOU! What’s your name?!”

“Rainbow Dash, sir!”

‘Look at him, but don’t make eye contact, look straight through him.’

“Are you Thunder Dash’s kid?” The drill sergeant asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Thunder Dash was one of our best students, you think you as good as him?”

“Yes, sir.”

DAMN! She let her confidence get the best of her.

“We’ll see then won't we? Summon your wings private!”

Dash stepped forward and closed her eyes.

Lungs were the Focus of Xepher, Lord of Air, focus your magic through there and… BOOM!

Giant translucent wings sprung from her back, sending out a burst of wind and they flew open. Her wings were the pride of her last school, the largest in the school and shining like multi colored gems.

“Cute,” was all that the drill sergeant had to say. “Do you think this is some kind of gods-damned talent show!” he shouted.

“What the hells was all that runoff energy about! Are you trying to impress me? BECAUSE IT’S NOT WORKING!”

Rainbow dash flinched as the drill sergeant yelled.

“Back in line!”

Dash folded her wings and stepped back into the line of students

‘It’s their job to make you feel worthless.’ Her father had said.

Well that was working just fine!

“Since Ms. Dash seems so eager, we’ll go ahead and get you lowlifes in the air. Spread out and summon your wings!”

There was a rush of wind as the rest of the students summoned their wings.

“Can none of you horny bastards control yourselves? Conserve all the runoff energy, don’t let it out like some sort of damn windmill!”

“Up in the air, all of you!” the drill sergeant snapped.

Dash tensed and leaped into the air, using her wings to launch up farther than the other students. The drill sergeant flicked a finger and several loops formed in the air, each about 20 yards apart.

“You will race to the end of this course, we will be judging you as you do so, do whatever it takes to get to the finish line.”

Dash readied herself; this would be easy as flying over a field!

“GO!”

The drill sergeant's voice sent Dash rocketing off. She was through the third hoop by the time all the other students had cleared the first one! She had raced falcons, dodged falling rocks in cannons and had broken the sound barrier (and her legs) on multiple occasions. Competing with a bunch of racing club n00bs would be easy (especially when they were all fighting with each other)!

Suddenly something slammed into her side, knocking Dash off course. She spun and slammed into one of the rings. She shook her head and glared at her assailant, an athletic looking Unikai boy, the same boy who the drill sergeant had sent around the track. He had a terrified expression on his face. He only gave Dash a passing glance as he flew past.

“So you want to play rough do you?” Dash hissed.

Dash took off like a bullet after her assailant navigating her way through the throng of students that had caught up with her, until she reached the front of the pack where the punk was. Dash slammed into her rival at supersonic speed sending the both of them hurtling through the next nine hoops in only a few seconds!

Dash grabbed onto the attempted hit man and chucked him to the side he spun around for quite a while until her regained focus and sped at Dash.

Armor magic wasn’t her specialty, but she had to try.

The Bones, Skin and Muscles were all the Focus of Terrus, Lord of Earth. Dash called magic from the Aether and pushed it onto her skin. Hard, solid plates formed around her body, protecting her as the boy smashed into her.

The boy spiraled down, his wings disappearing as he plummeted towards his doom. Dash froze in the middle of the air, she looked toward the finish line, some of the faster students were already reaching it. If she went now she would easily make it before the rest of the students, but that would mean that the boy would die! Although judging by the mess of broken forms on the ground, that hadn’t stopped allot o f people.

Finally going into a nose dive toward the ground, she chased him. She scooped up the boy seconds before he reached to ground. Hauling him over her shoulder she rocketed back up to the finish line and tore across it, just in time to not finish last.
“About time Ms. Dash,” the drill sergeant said as she floated down to the landing pad. “I was wondering if you had forgotten about us!”

Two men came and took the collapsed boy away. Dash watched as the loaded him into a medical cart and took him away.

***

The day wasn’t so easily won though. There was still combat practice. Although most of the students had gotten plenty of practice already, this time they would be fighting intentionally.

The students were allowed access to the class D weapon storage, blunt and old weapons that would have luck cutting butter, let alone flesh. Dash decided to go light and strapped a backless breastplate over her chest and grabbed a spear and a bow.

‘Be faster than your opponent, then you won’t have a risk of getting hit.’

They had announced that the applying Wing Mages would fight the applying Armor Mages. Dash grinned, with this she would easily out run some slow stupid Armor Mage.

The students had assembled in a small room that was attached to the arena where they would be fighting. Posted on a wall were the pairs that would be fighting. Groans and shouts of delight echoed as the students learned their fate. A student looked up at Dash.

“You’re lucky,” he said. “You got some country hick for your opponent.”

Dash looked over at the poastings.

1. Rainbow Dash (G.P.A: 88) Vs. Apple Jack (G.P.A 67)

If some 60th percentile hick was all she had to worry about this was going to be an easy A!

***

Dash sauntered out onto the battlefield suited up in her chosen armor and weaponry. Across the field her opponent entered, a Greatsword slung across her shoulder.

She was bigger then Dash, athletic, tan and summer blonde. And, Dash noticed with disgust, much more well-endowed.

“Ya’ll look ready for a beetin’,” The girl said with a smirk.

Gods! She even had a stupid hat! As if she could get any more stereotypical!

“I was just going to say the same thing, except I was going to speak correctly,” Dash Quipped back. The girl glared down at her.

“This will be a one round fight,” the moderator said from his perch above the arena. “Try not to kill each other.” He rang the bell to signal the match start.

Dash soared back on her quickly summoned wings, kicking up dust and blinding her opponent. She knocked an arrow, these little toys didn’t even have arrow heads but putting some earth magic in them would be more than enough.
She focused earth magic into the light arrow shaft, a dull orange glow surrounded it the she launched it, then using air magic she knocked several dozen more in just a second, launching them at her opponent. Small explosions echoed from the dust cloud as they connected with her quarry.

Dash descended down to view what was left of her foe, the smoke cleared and out dashed the farm girl! All the arrows clutched in her left hand and the Greatsword, covered in an earth magic aura, clutched in her right. She swung the sword in an arch down at Dash, who was just able to dodge out of the way in time. How was she able to catch her arrows?!
The she saw it, a grey and red gauntlet of aura round her hand. Fire and Air combined, that was a simple yet powerful speed-based combo. But where on earth did an Armor Mage learn Fire magic.

Dash didn’t have much time to ponder this as the girl swung her sword at her head again. Dash ducked down and pulled out her spear, focusing Air magic into it she sent out a flurry of jabs. She and the girl danced back and forth trading attacks, Dash swooped around using her wings to the best of her ability, but the Armor Mage’s skill easily matched hers. They both struck their blades pausing at their opponent’s throat. They paused panting.

“Not *huff* bad *huff* for a farm girl.”

“You *pant* anin’t so bad *pant* yourself.”

A slow clap echoed from the stands, the girls looked up, standing there was a woman with wild read and yellow hair in a blue officer’s uniform.

Colonel Spitfire!

Dash saluted. The other girl followed suit.

“C-Colonel! It’s a pleasure.”

“At ease private.”

Dash loosened and the Colonel jumped down to the arena. Colonel Spitfire was one of the heads of the academy, and a military legend. During the Dragon Wars she had fought off and entire army of Daraki warriors by herself.

“I was watching your little battle, I’ll admit, I was impressed. It’s not just anyone who can maintain such skilled spell casting under that much pressure.”

“Thank you ma’am.”

“Thunder Dash was our best student, keep it up and you may one day be one tenth of the warrior he was.”
She turned to the other girl.

“Where did you learn fire magic?

“Pa’ taught me,” she muttered.

“You won’t need it as an armor student.”

She stepped back and looked at the sweat covered girls.

“Return to your homes, the results will be displayed tomorrow morning.”

As Spitfire walked past she tapped Dash on the shoulder and whispered in her ear.

“Just so you know; you passed.”

Dash smirked, of course she did.