Passing With Flying Hazards

by The Grey Pegasus

Setting the Stage...

Two young stallions were walking down a hall. One pegasus, one unicorn. Said unicorn stops after a certain point.

"Hey, good luck. Always knew you got guts. But this is sonethin'," the unicorn exclaimed to his partner, a light grey pegasus. He was the color of rainclouds almost, a tad lighter. His messy mane was a dark rust color, almost brown.

"Aw, don't be worried buddy, it'll work out. My reputation precedes me. Besides, remember? We're headed for the top- the Royal Guard. We'll make it in, no sweat," the pegasus reassured his companion, a smart unicorn with a coat of silvery blue and a mane of oily black.

"Oh, confident as always," the unicorn replied with a tone of teasing sarcasm,"but first you gotta pass the Advance Flight Exam. I mean, come on, do you really gotta push the Department for a harder test? Why don't you just keep it simple like I did on my Advance Thaumaturgy Skills test? It's almost like a free entrance ticket."

"Yeah, well, it's not exciting enough. I mean, cone on, do you really think the real Advance Flight Exam can actually count as a legit exam at this level?"

"I can see where you're coming from dude, and, well, I guess it's just you being you. Never backs down from a challenge. And if said challenge can be stepped on and over, get a harder challenge."

"Yup! We know each other so well after all these years, don't we? I'm glad I live in Canterlot, despite all the stuck-up pricks here. Never would've met you if I was in Cloudsdale."

Moving the subject along, the unicorn asked another question to his winged companion. "So testing is in Cloudsdale, right?"

"Yeah, you could probably find one of those cloud walking spells to help you out. You are going to watch the testing, right?" the pegasus replied.

"Well, seeing that you're planning to increase the fun, why wouldn't I?" the unicorn answered with a grin on his face.

"Mister Starbuck, we're ready for you," said a pony, sticking his head out a door.

"Well that's my cue," said Starbuck to his friend,"Wish me luck Spark."

"I thought that was the point of all this," Spark sarcastically shot back.

Starbuck rolled his eyes with a smile, then walked into the room.

=+=

"Well, that was fun," Starbuck declared as he met Spark outside of Canterlot's Department of Pegasi Flight office. "Took 'em a bit of convincing. Probably because I'm not a Cloudsdale native. You know, with all the 'best flyers around thing'." The two started walking along the street. "Hey, you want to go grab a bite to eat?"

"Why not, I could go for a snack," Spark answered. He returned to the subject, "Anyways, eh, I don't blame them. Last time I remember, you came in third behind two Cloudsdale flyers last competition."

"Hey, I half my medals are first and second place. That was a lucky gust of wind! A couple milliseconds wasted! Photo finish my flank..."

"S'all right. I know the math-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You unicorns and brains-"

"At least you don't deny it! So anyways, you never told me what happened in there."

"Oh, right. Well, they sent final judgement over to the capital city of flying. With headquarters over there and all, I guess it's only right. The DPF doesn't get requests like this often. After all, it does determine whether I get my Advanced Flight certification or not," Starbuck stated.

"When do you find out?"

"They told me two, three days. Depending on how busy they are over there. Besides, it gives me some time to prepare."

"Hehe, you better prepare. You hear about what they do to pegasi that fail their tests in Cloudsdale?" Spark spoke as they sat down at a cafe. They placed their orders and immediately went back to the conversation.

"Really? You're going to bring that up? It was interesting, I'll give it that. But everyone knows that part of the Rainbow Factory is restricted because of the sensitive parts and high voltage of the spectrum-to-matter converters."

"Yeah, yeah, just thought it'd be a fun and fitting jab to make. Besides. Look at you- they can't make any colors out of you. Except for your mane and tail; they could probably get some red out of that. Maybe they would use the rest of you to darken the overly bright coat colors to rainbow standards," Spark said, poking fun at the pegasus' coat.

"Oh yeah. Real funny," Starbuck returned with amusement, "And as intriguing that story was, Rainbow would never do that. Might be hard-headed, even aggressive, but I don't think she can go psycopathic."

"Yeah, everyone knows your-"

"Your orders, sirs," said the waiter. He took a minute to dish out the food, then left to serve other customers. The two ponies thanked the waiter as he went away, then returned to their conversation.

"Where were we again?" Spark asked his friend.

"Actually, I forget," Starbuck replied with honesty.

"Hmm." Spark thought for a moment before speaking up again. "Well then, so is there a specific test you asked for or are they just going to make one up?"

"Actually, I was going to suggest an advanced acrobatics team entrance test or something, but the stallion gave me a nice idea... unintentionally."

"Really then? So what'd you request?"

"The Royal Guard Basic Air Combat Test."

"WHAT?!"

=+=

Two days later,
DPF Headquarters, Cloudsdale

Starbuck was once again outside of an exquisite, formal looking building, except this time it was made out of clouds rather than stone, and the wind was fresh with the high-altitude air. Rainbow fountains pouring the liquified spectrum were placed all around. He trotted into the lobby and inquired about his appointment with the board. He was told to wait, and so he did. He entertained himself by looking around, viewing the pictures on the wall of the large hall. Famous pegasi from the history of Equestria. Some were paintings, originating from even before the banishment of Princess Luna, at the time Nightmare Moon. But the most recent one was of a familiar rainbow maned pegasus, a photograph of the Sonic Rainboom from a while back. Before he could comment on it however, he was called up.

He was directed to a room that was much like the other rooms; made of clouds. It was furnished with wooden tables and other non-cloud furniture. Inside the room was a small panel of pegasi, ready to question Starbuck to affirm his wish for a more difficult test. "So, Mister Starbuck, we've received all the grades from your teachers and even a recommendation from your race coach. A copy of the basic request is in front of all us right now. But we've yet to hear a statement directly from you," one of the pegasi spoke to him.

Starbuck was ready with his answer and replied to the panel. "With all due respect, I believe the test is below my level, and only stresses the basic lessons of the flight course. As my unicorn friend told me, it appeared to be a free ticket in. It seems like a test that one could study for much like a math test." He paused for a moment to observe the twelve pegasi in front of him. Some just stared at him with interest. Others wrote notes. The remaining ones were shuffling through the papers for who knew how many times. He continued. "But the test does not have much focus on the specifics. Many things are expected. Sure, there are portions where they make the weather unpredictable, but once it happens, you know what to do. But as my hazardous weather flight teacher told me, in real flight, one can not actually expect anything." He continued his argument for a couple more minutes.

Once finished, the panel members mulled over what they were just presented. Then one of them spoke up. "I understand your arguments, and I'm sure my colleagues here also do, but is it really necessary for the test to be the Royal Guard test? Recruits taking that have at least two weeks of studying combat tactics and intensive basic Guard training."

"I'm sure I've got enough wit to make it through. Besides, there wasn't anything in the rules that said I couldn't take that test," Starbuck replied with confidence.

"Oh, you're that confident, eh?" A dark orange stallion exclaimed. "Well, I don't think the Wonderbolts are out doing anything big that day. How about we raise the stakes and add them in? Thay are after all a trained Royal Guard regiment."

"Flamefeather, are you crazy?" A fellow panel member voiced out.

"Maybe. But look at this kid," Flamefeather pointed at Starbuck, "He's bursting with confidence. He had the guts to ask for all this. Why not add an extra challenge?"

"Well, I can see where you're coming from. And we pegasi are a tenacious race, aren't we. Besides, I guess it's been a while since anything exciting happened. I could go for some gambling too..." The speaker turned to Starbuck. "You up for it?"

"Challenge accepted," the grey pegasus declared.

"Are you doing this for kicks also? Because you actually conveyed the feeling of boredom talking about the regular test."

"Admittedly, yeah. The real test also does lack luster, among other things," Starbuck said.

Flamefeather chuckled. "You know, you remind me of another cocky flier. Rainbow Dash. You ever heard of her?"

"Well yeah. Of course I have. She's-"

"Alrighty then. Didn't ask for your opinion of her." Starbuck quietly grumbled in annoyance at being interrupted. "We're running out of time. Now- you are aware of the rules and hazards of the test, yes?"

He answered back. "Yes sir. The goal is to survive in the air for the set amount of time, which is usually fifteen to twenty minutes. In the air, the only rules are really fight or flight. No weapons, but weather resources such as clouds can be utilized."

"Correct. In the air, you will most likely be involved in air combat. Attempting to hide is futile. You are allowed to attack and knock out the opposing pegasi. Because this is a special request, you will have no allies with you in the air. There is an option to win by knocking out all pegasi, but that is nearly impossible. There will be a good lot of them hunting you, though they will not all be sent all at once." There was a pause so the information could sink in. "Of course, since it is not really a fight to the death, medical personel will always be on standby, and rescue teams are there to catch fallen pegasi, whether it'd be you or somepony else." Flamefeather looked to the rest of the board, receiving nods and the occasional shake with a grin. "And with that, I wish you luck as the others here also do. We send you off with the official verdict of 'request passed'. See you back in Cloudsdale in a week." With the support of the board behind his decision, Starbuck turned to the door.

One step closer. Only things left to do were to practice and train, possibly study some more air combat maneuvers, and then the mock dogfight itself. Even though it was labeled as essentially a military training excercise, it was going to get very real up there. The danger was present, and the certification as an 'Advanced Flier' was at stake. Well at least I don't get macerated to liquid if I lose... Starbuck thought. As he reached the door, a voice he recognized as Flamefeather called out to him.

"Hey Starbuck. We got plans to make this public. Don't lose- my money's on you."

And with that final blessing, Starbuck walked out the room with renewed vigor.