A pegasus is up for his Advanced Flight School test. Finish it, and graduate an accomplished young stallion. But when he disappointedly finds out what the test exactly is, he pushes for a... more difficult challenge. Raising the stakes, the officials at the Department of Pegasi Flight wonder, even already aware of his impressive record- is there any merit to this colt's overconfidence? This pony's in for one of the most insane flights of his life.
Cover art by me, 30 minute Photoshop patchwork.
(Sweet Celestia, my first story! Throw me your critisisms!)
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.
"Star', you really sure about this?" Spark asked with concern. He came along as promised, equipped with a cloyd-walking enchantment. "These are trained Royal Guard. And your stupid impulse to add in the Wonderbolts doesn't help either."
Starbuck was inwardly sweating with nervousness, but he wouldn't dare to let it show. "I'll be fine," he replied with uncertainty, slightly having trouble keeping his voice steady. In all actuality, he was really unsure about his decision. If one were to look closely, his wings were fluttering with anxiety. "I've studied all week on evasive manuvers, practiced for five days, and even worked on my weather manipulation. I think I can dodge some Guards, even get in the occasional hit."
"Alright then, if you're so sure... I'll give you my best wishes. Make a good show for us in the stands, alright?" Spark said, trying to add a hint of optimism.
"Yeah. I'll be fine. Thanks."
=+=
Starbuck was standing. Barely. Now on the launch platform, he started having conflicted thoughts as to either stay confident or have second thoughts. On one hoof, staying confident would probably help him raise his morale slightly, and he might just make it out alive. Unfortunately, it was only a logical way of thinking to have doubts. He finally reached a conclusion. I don't have time to worry about what I feel like. I'm here. Get it over with. To far to back down. Money's on me. Let's do this.
"Attention Flyer Starbuck. Please listen to the following information. Acknowledge that you have heard this please," one of the announcer-judges called out through the small gusts of wind.
"Yes, I hear you," Starbuck promptly replied in a loud voice, as to be sure that he was heard.
"Okay. You are aware of the basic rules. Additional instructions that we'd like to mentuon are... No hoof-to-hoof combat. The test is designed to to assss in-flight capabilities. Therefore, direct hoof-to-hoof is illegal." That's good, Starbuck thought, at least I won't be disadvantaged there. I wouldn't have left unscathed. The only physical contact between pegasi will be quick tackles and other such attacks. Once an attack is executed, the flyer must continue flying away.
The announcer continued, "Furthermore, should you choose to utilize hail and ice attacks, rules require that projectiles not be sharp, as to prevent injuries. If it does hapen, the offender will be automatically disqualified, pay a fine, and, should somepony be heavily injured by it, be also faced with possible charges." Not that I would use winter atmosphere attacks, but, nonetheless, duly noted, Starbuck mused.
The voice had more to say, "There is a 3 mile radius boundary. It will be enforced with a magic force field." Makes sense. "...And that should be it. We will limit the amount of attacking pegasi in the air at a number of 8 at a time. Once in the air, you will have a two minute headstart. Objective to meet is fifteen minutes. Launch off in one minute, countdown starting at my call. Prepare yourself. And... mark."
The countdown had begun. Starbuck closed his eyes and tried to steady his heart rate. Then he opened them. He looked toward the stands where all sorts of ponies were watching. Most of them were pegasi, but there were many earth ponies and unicorns who had come to see the spectacle as well. It was almost like a Wonderbolt's show... Actually, technically it was. He was going to be chased by them in two and a half minutes. He looked closer at the stand.
He spotted an lightning blue unicorn in the distance. He also noticed him wave. Gee, I wish I could have Spark's help right now. Twenty seconds remaining. He looked over to the left and spotted some mares. He recognized them from somewhere...
Ah! A cyan pegasus! Rainbow Dash was there. And those were the other Elements of Harmony. Right. He kept staring over to the six until Rainbow gave him a wave as well. He smiled. He had some good ponies behind him, supporting him. They believed that he had the ability to take on his own challenge and come out victorious... probably. Well still, Rainbow was there and he was happy that-
"GO!"
Starbuck was struck out of his trance and pumped his wings. He took of the cloud with an audible thump of air beneath his wings. He flew at a dashing speed, but not his fastest, as to night tire out. He just needed distance.
Thirty seconds out. The air, all to himself. For now at least. One and a half minutes later, he'd be fighting for his life. So for now, all he could do in the meantime was listen to his heartbeat pacen, whether it'd be from anxiety, exerting energy for flying, or both. He could also listen to the wind rush past his-
*Hey Bucky, can you hear me? Acknowledge if you can hear me.*
Starbuck let out a yelp and his wings destnchronized for a moment. He quickly recovered from his shock, "Hey! Who's there?!"
*Bucky, tell me you can recognize my voice...* the voice said in a manner that clearly illustrated a picture of a pony facehoofing.
"...Uhh... Oh. Hey Sparks. What are you doing?" Starbuck finally responded. "Yeah, what are you doing?
*We're giving you a helping hoof. I'm using a spell that lets me communicate to your thoughts. You don't even need to speak. Just think of what you want to say to me. Anyways, there's somepony on this end who'd like to talk to you.*
*Hey there Bucky!* a stallion's voice rang in his head. *I see that you've really applied yourself this time. I'm impressed, bro.*
"Hey there Comet," Starbuck said to hid brother in his head. "How are you? Haven't seen you in a little while."
*Don't worry about how I've been. You're the one that's flying through clouds of problems. Look, being a Royal Gaurd pegasus myself, these guys are aggressive. Just like our warrior ancestors. They certainly are a challenge. You'll need outside assistance if you want to pass, and that's why me and Sparks here hacked into your head. It's all you up there, but you'll fair better if you atleast had an idea of what else is happening. And the Wonderbolts? Why in the world did you add them in?!*
"It seemed like a good idea at the time. I had my confidence higher than Cloudsdale that day. That coffee didn't help water down my confidence either..."
Comet continued speaking, *Well you can't do anything about that now except meet the challenge head-on and come out on top.*
*Hey Starbuck, be advised, pursuers have taken off. They're headed in your general direction,* Spark spoke through the communication spell.
Comet spoke a few last words before getting down to business. *Get your game on now, Star'. A storm's headed your way in about a minute.*
Shorter chapter due to time restraints. I wanted to get this chapter out before the cruise I'm on heads out to sea. Internet cost is high.
*Alright Starbuck, listen closely. Initial report on what you're going to have to contend with,* Comet's voice rang in Starbuck's head. After a pause for observtions, his brother spoke up again. *Okay, so I've got some kind of good news…*
"It's possible to have good news?" Starbuck retorted.
*If you consider the fact that there's only one Wonderbolt in the air, yes. As opposed to the remaining seven also being ace fliers, this gives you a more definite chance of winning. On the downside, they decided to launch Fleetfoot in first. Probably hoping for a swift and quick kill.*
"'Kill'… reassuring."
*Figure of speech, alright? Anyways, in the time we were talking, he's already closed a third of the distance,* Comet informed him. *Seeing that you're already flying in the cloud layer, I suggest you keep flying in it but change your course. As far as I can tell, the last reference as to your whereabouts is the direction you started in. Changing your heading slightly should aid in your… longevity.*
Starbuck complied. "And stop making it sound like I'm going to die. It's counter-active."
*What do you want me to say? 'Survival'?*
The flying pegasus contemplated it, and found the most appropriate answer. "How about 'escape'? Or 'victory'?" He thought about it for a little more. "Alright, you know what? I'm just going to go with whatever you say, since I didn't really put myself in the most favorable of situations."
*Glad we could agree on something. Anyway, have you changed course?*
*Yeah, I sensed him turn a couple seconds ago,* Spark confirmed.
*Okay, well your first order of business is to get the hay out of there. Anywhere out of the direction of the Guard. From that point, you can fly in hiding for at least a couple minutes. It should give us time to think of a good strategy.*
*You'd better think fast, because my magic tells me they've almost closed the gap. They haven't seemed to notice him yet though.*
"Alright guys, what do you want me to do?" Starbuck asked his two helpers.
*Well, you seem to be approaching the arena perimeter. You've flown askew enough from your original heading so that you're no longer on the same path as the others. I'd say turn it around and go parallel to your original flight path,* the unicorn calculated.
"Alright, I'm on it." The flying pegasus did as told and kept within the clouds while turning back. "I've just turned around-"
*Yeah, yeah, I know. My magic can sense that, you know? Go on.*
After rolling his eyes, the grey pegasus continued. "Okay. Now, I know that the Royal Guard isn't stupid, and will eventually spread out to find me. What should I do then?"
His brother answered him. *Well, to be honest, we'd have to cross that bridge when we get there. I'm not sure how they're going to go about that. They'll either fly in their combat formations or going on a search pattern. With the first option, I'd advise you to get away as fast as possible, since you'll have to take on at least two at the same time. While not entirely impossible, it nearly is. It is impossible if they're flying in any larger group number.*
*They just turned around.*
*How are they flying?*
*They've sent out the Wonderbolt and three others alone. The other four are in groups of two.*
Starbuck listened in to the conversation, and decided to add input. "That's good, right? Now I can take them on if I need to."
*Actually, Spark, how spread out are they? And where, relative to him?* Comet asked.
*Hmmm...* he hummed in thought. *Okay. Fleetfoot is flying nowhere near Starbuck, one of the Royal Guard pairs is running wider that Fleetfoot, the other is also running wide, but in the other direction. As for the remaining three, by the time one reaches his general area, they'd be somewhere near above the stadium, with the other two some distance away, by an estimation of at least half a mile.*
*Alright, Starbuck, new plan. When Spark tells you to, get off the defensive. You're going in for the first takedown.*
"Are you serious? How am I going to do that?!"
*I don't know. Don't tackle. That would involve an engagement of a considerable length of time. Go for something quick. Shock him or something.*
"Right... So all I have to do is adjust the voltage output of the cloud when I kick it, right?"
*As long as you don't kill him. Heck, you don't even have to knock him out-*
*Quarter mile gap remaining,* the unicorn informed both pegasi.
Starbuck analyzed the matter a bit more. After a little bit of reasoning, he came to another idea. "Hey, none of them actually know where I am yet, right?"
*No, not yet. Why? What are you planning? You can't run, er, fly away the whole time.*
"No, no, but they don't know where I am yet, and if I let off that lightning, the sound's basically like me saying 'Hey, I'm over here! Come and get me!', and, of course, that won't end well."
*So what are you planning, Buck?* Comet inquired.
"Never thought I'd use it, but how about giving him a nice chunk of ice in the face?"
*Well if you think it'll work, do it now. He's practically right above you now,* Spark updated him.
Starbuck's heart rate sped up. If he screwed up, he could have eight pegasi after him, and he was nearly surrounded in this case. He poked his head up slightly out of the cloud layer, and saw that the Royal Guard pony was in a slow flight, his head swiveling back and forth, in case any signs of the challenger arose.
"Spark," he mentally called. "I'm going for hitting him with some hailstones. Tell me if my flight angle is right." At that, he flew down, then directly at the base of the cloud.
*Adjust it a little shallower... more... slightly more...*
Thump. Starbuck's front hooves made contact with the cloud, while he mentally told his inherent pegasi magic to let out elements of winter. Non-sharpened, that is. A second or two, new impacts were heard, and a little bit after that, a body fell from above right in front of the grey pegasus. Whoa! Glad he didn't land on me, he thought. "Alright, I think he's out cold."
*No doubt he's out cold. Guess the face-full of ice was effective after all. Didn't hear a thing down here," his brother remarked.
Starbuck idly hovered and peered down to where his opponent fell. A long way above the ground, the guardspony was caught by medical personnel that quickly carried him over to be treated. "Well, at least he'll be alright."
*You're gonna want to bust out of there Star, since they're going to be looking in your general area... right about-"
An announcer's voice boomed up from the stadium. "We've just received word on the fallen pegasus. It appears that it was not the flyer Starbuck, and was presumably knocked unconscious by said pegasus. As to adhere to the challenge, we cannot disclose where exactly he fell. It appears that Starbuck may have enough merit to stay in the air a little longer. Guess we will have a fairly exciting event today, folks!"
Starbuck had already flown farther from the general area of the stadium, but he was still able to hear the cheers of the spectators. "Heh, I don't think it's just my wits. Thanks for the help so far guys."
*Don't mention it. We'd hate to see you fail and or go down in flames.*
"Was that supposed to be in a figurative manner?"
His brother spoke up. *Do you think that under the circumstances, that it was meant to be figurative?*
"Right..."
*Anyways,* Spark said, *You've been up for around five or six minutes. That's around ten more to go before you're given the clear to land. Unfortunately, by that time, you're probably going to be spotted. That knock-out really riled those guards up. Their on the hunt now.*
*Yeah, because of that, expect that you won't come in at exactly fifteen minutes. You'll probably be holed up in the sky by them for a couple more minutes. Anything from keeping you from reaching the landing zone. And on the note of 'them', they've sent in a replacement for the one you took out, and he's actually going in your direction with a fierce manner.*
"Oh goodie. I can run, but I can't hide forever. This should be fun..."
