(A1) - Chapter 3: The Blueblood

No Glory Won

Chapter 3: The Blueblood

"I’m trying to guide an Aircraft Carrier here, I'm not steering a Speedboat!"

Perspective: Night Light

September 15, 1011. 11:25 CST

Today was supposedly the last day for basic training. I have endured 3 months of Rainbow Dash constantly barking orders at me, have been inside of a Centrifuge Machine and nearly passed out due to high G-Forces, and have flown an aircraft (pretty well, I might add) about 5 times already, to get the feel of the controls. Before we had to do that, though, we had to actually learn the controls. It felt more like an institutionalized prison than a training camp. We had to learn the ins, outs, and in the In-betweens, of every aircraft. To know what your aircraft is, and to know your enemy’s, gives you an edge in combat. To know the specifics of what Turn Times you have, your Max Speed, and your Climb Rate, things like that, can give you the knowledge of your encounter.

And knowing is half the battle, after all.

But today - today is supposed to be the final day. Where the ponies will get shipped out for their assignments, their aircraft, their Region, and their Airfields. To be honest, I have no idea what I am getting myself into. I have no idea where I am going, what I will fly, and whom I will be flying with. This was the moment I was deeply afraid of. This would be the moment I would be thrown into the war.

Ponies, me included, gathered around the front of the barracks waiting for Rainbow to show up so she can bark more orders. They lined up in a single file line shoulder-to-shoulder, staring forward with blank faces. They didn’t move a muscle. The number of hardships they have endured from Rainbow’s Discipline had molded these ponies to be obedient, disciplined soldiers.

Finally, after waiting for what felt like an eternity, Rainbow showed. She flew from overhead behind us, performing an agile loop while in the air, and landed gracefully in front of us.

“Alright Cadets, listen up because I am not repeating myself! You’re no longer going to be Cadets in a few hours! I hope you’re ready because you are being deployed today!” Rainbow Whinnied.

“Over the past few months, I have turned you from Nobodies to Equestria’s Protectors. As a Pilot for the Equestrian Air Force, you are the first and last line of defense for our future. You are responsible for ensuring our skies are safe. You are responsible for the pony lives of, not just Equestria, but of all ponykind. Understand, that this is no picnic. This is the fate of Equestria we are talking about here - and ultimately - the fate of The Crystal Empire. and maybe even the world.” She paused, and looked at each and every one of us, staring at our eyes intensely.

“This will be the last time I will see you, cadets. So, for my final lesson to you as a teacher before you become pilots, I say this: Never lose Hope.” The cadets, moving their heads instead of their eyes, looked at each other, then back at Rainbow. “The enemy lives to literally steal the love from within you. Only through sheer determination and willpower can you overpower that opponent. But to do so, you must hold onto the hope that one day, the world will be a better place. That this war will finally be over, and in the end, it will not be told by the changelings and how they have conquered Equestria, but instead by how YOU, the Guardians of the Sky, have fought back against the Changeling Onslaught!”

I should be feeling scared. To be terrified of such a responsibility, and of such a task to perform… Yet, I am not. I can definitely see why she was given the Element of Loyalty. Her Energy, her Undying Loyalty, and her Enthusiasm for Equestria was radiating off of her. I can tell that the others felt honored and privileged to be taught by such a pony. Even I have to admit, I did feel like I was a Guardian in the Sky. But I was gonna have to prove it one way or another.

“There are 3 Transport Chariots on the western side of the Airbase. They have several numbers on it, just find the one with your number and get in it. When everyone is in, the chariots will take you to your destination.”

Nobody replied when Rainbow stopped talking. So she started to look at the list.

“Cloudy Swirl!” was the first name she yelled.

“Marine Shores!”

“MA’AM YES MA’AM!”

“You’re flying a Hurricane. You’ll be stationed at Mariposa airbase. Your number is 6.”

She didn’t reply, she saluted and flew away to the west, no doubt to her chariot.

“Night Light!”

My heart jumped. “MA’AM YES MA’AM!” was all I replied, as I saluted with my wing.

“You’re flying a Fulmar. You’ll be stationed at the ERNS Blueblood in Manehatten. Your Number is 7.”

I saluted once more, to which Rainbow Saluted Back.

“Rainbow Dash, it was an honor.” I replied.

She smiled. “Don’t give me that. It’s only an honor if you’re dead. And you bet you’re flank that you won’t go down as easily, do I make myself clear?!”

“Ma’am yes, Ma’am!” I replied

unfurling my wings. I flew to the Western side of the base with pace. There were in fact 3 chariots lined up, all of them partially full of other ponies. The first chariot had Numbers 1, 4, and 7. The Second one; 2, 5, and 8. And the third one; 3, 6, and 9.

The first one had the number 7, so I hovered over it. It had 3 rows of seats, each of them having their own number as well: 1, 4, and 7. I sat in the ‘7th’ seat row and waited. A Stallion was sitting next to me.

“You’re going to the Blueblood as well?” I heard him speak to my right. I looked and got a better view of him. He had Lime Green Coat, with a Lapis Lazuli colored Mane, With Amber Eyes.

“Yes.” I replied Timidly.

“Well, it’s nice to meet another fellow Wingpony who happens to be going to the same place I’m going.”

“Oh... Well, Nice to meet you, I guess. Do you have a name?”

He pointed to his Cutie Mark, which was a Four Leaf Clover. “Four-Leaf is what my parents gave me, but Lucky is what most ponies call me since that’s exactly what I am: Lucky. What’s yours?”

“Night Light.” I pointed at my Cutie Mark. A Full Moon with a Shining Star to the right of it.

“Hm. Well, I can’t tell why they call you that. I reckon you know why they call me four leaves though.”

“Yes, I can only imagine."

“Well don’t hurt yourself trying. You Flying the Fulmar?”

“Yes.”

“I happen to be Flying an ‘Osprey’. A Dive Bomber, I believe. Hey do me a favor, and try to shoot any of the Buggers on my tail, Capiche?”

“Heh. Yeah, sure. I can do that.” The awkward conversation only lasted for about a minute.

More Ponies were loading up in the Carriages. It took about 10 minutes after I sat down before everypony was ready. The Chariot Pullers one by one signaled that they were ready to take off, and proceeded to fly away. My carriage was heading East Bound, to the Ruby mountains first.

The ride to The Mountain was relatively short. It was the closest destination to Los Pegasus, so the trip took less than a half-hour. The ponies waved goodbye, and we took off. Our next location was more North East Bound, to Whinnysota, a Bomber’s Airbase. There was a full crew for a Halifax Heavy Bomber sitting in Row 4 in front of us, 8 Ponies in total. There were the Gunners, the Bombardier, the Radio Operator, the Co-Pilot, and the Pilot. The trip took about 4 hours to reach Whinnysota. The Ponies in the Seats waved their Goodbyes to us as they trotted out, and the chariot took off once more.

Finally, we were heading to the East Coast, which was Manehatten. It was Late Afternoon by the time we reached Whinnysota The trip would last for about 4-6 more hours before we would reach our destination. I took this as an opportunity to talk to the other ponies while we were waiting. There were 7 other ponies, besides myself, who were to be stationed on the Blueblood.

One of them was Lucky. I chatted with him a bit more. I found out that he was raised Near Acornage as a colt. When he got his mark, he traveled the country, seeing all the cities, before stopping and settling down in ponyville for some time. But then the war came, and he signed up voluntarily as an air force pony.

It still baffled me why anyone would want to willingly sign up for this terrible war. I guess to protect our homeland must be what drives them. But to risk your life to do such a thing must take serious courage and bravery, something I lacked entirely. Even when RD was giving her speech earlier, I still felt apprehensive about the future. That being said, I began to admire Rainbow just a little bit more now. The undying sense of Loyalty to Equestria must be the motivation the other soldiers were looking for.

The others in the Carriage with me were not very memorable, but there were a few faces I remembered - one of whom was Nicknamed “Big Mouth”. Big was raised as an Earth Pony Stallion from Appleloosa. From what I gathered, for his entire life, he had spoken in a very… vulgar manner. He was Constantly Cursing and saying the most ludicrous insults anypony had ever seen. “Sweet Celestia’s Fucking Tit-Nips” was a personal favorite of his…

Another face I remembered was a foreigner Mare from Stalliongrad. She went by “Naya”, as it was short of her real name, which she never told. She had a very radiant attitude and was often talking about the treats and pleasures of her home lifestyle. She never talked about her own past though. Just her country. I found that kinda odd. I didn’t pressure her about it though, given that I had just met her.

There was also Lucky, of course. But Lucky gave no effort to talk about his past, unlike some of the others. There was always this aura of reclusion that resonated off him. He was optimistic, but a loner.

All of this I knew only because they were willing to talk about. For that whole ride in the chariot, I did not pry into somepony else's past life or tried to start a conversation. I really only tried to remember Sunshine and her features - to keep my mind off of what was to come. Dread seemed to fill my soul.

The carriage ride was over before I even realized how much time had passed. I was so lost in thought that time passed with a blur. It was about Dusk when we arrived over Manehatten. The lights from the city were radiating brightly in the distance, as the sun was slowly being lowered, and the moon rising on the other horizon. It looked bigger than I last remembered. More Buildings and factories were constructed to the south of the city, making the city limits expand for another couple of miles. To the East of the Downtown district, I could see the Massive Harbor, with a number of ships stationed in port.

And then I saw it: The ERNS Blueblood. The Pride of the Equestrian Fleet.

The carriage was landing on the carrier itself, as ponies on the flight deck were clearing away for the landing Chariot. I got a good look at the outer shell of the carrier. It was very long, designed to hold more aircraft than its predecessor. There was a Metallic glint coming off of the flight deck itself. It took me a moment to realize that the flight deck itself was armored. The control tower, about 60-80 meters in height, had a spinning radar dish on the top, designed to detect any and all incoming aircraft. And altogether, combined with all of its strengths and its size, it was a very majestic ship. I can definitely see why, having a closer look, why they call it the Pride of the Fleet.

We touched down gently, the side doors of the Chariot swung open, signaling me and the other ponies sitting with me to exit the chariot. Soon, the chariot took off once more, heading westbound, as the sun finally set below the western horizon, it’s purple dusky light still illuminating the sky.

I noticed a Unicorn Pony walking out of the Control Tower onto the Flight Deck, with what I assume is a naval officer’s uniform. She was trotting towards the group of ponies huddle together where the chariot was. Along behind her to the sides were to other sailors.

“At ease, pilots! Welcome to the Blueblood! My name is Admiral Cynosura!” She quickly gave each of us a salute with her hoof. “You are here now because you are replacing the last few sorry sods who were shot down. And I’m not gonna sugar coat you, some of you might get shot down as well.” Me, Lucky, Naya, Big Mouth, along with several others near the chariot, gazed at each other Anticipatingly. “Now, of course, that doesn’t mean that’s exactly what’s going to happen. I can’t see into the future, I’m not a Seer. But that is just about the gist of it around here. You fly, or you get shot down. So try not to get shot down.”

“Well, I'm looking forward to shooting down some fucking bugs, and not vice versa.” Big Mouth commented, ever so politely.

“Are you now? Well then, I guess you should already know what the golden rule in dogfighting is, don’t you?”

“Uh, in case some of us don’t know, it would be nice to remind us that rule.” Lucky butted in. Cynosura raised an eyebrow at us, before shaking her head and sighing.

“Well, the one rule you should always know is to never underestimate your opponent. The enemy is full of surprises, I mean, these are fucking Changelings we are talking about here; they attacked Canterlot during a wedding, for fuck's sake!” Cynosura reminded us. I wonder if this vulgar language was common nowadays. “That being said, never let your guard down. that's how they will get you."

Nopony replied to that,

"Anyways, you’re here now, and I have with me several other sailors who will give you the brief tour of the Blueblood and all of its ins and outs.”

After saying that, the sailors immediately got to work, and trotted towards us. Several of them extended a Hoof towards us, indicating that they are “our” sailor. One of them extended a wing towards me. Another pegasus, Mare, Teal Coat and Lavender Eyes, with a bright red mane. She had a Compass for her cutie mark. She guided me towards the control tower on the port side of the ship, where a bulkhead door was already open leading downward to the lower levels of the ship.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to give you my name since you won’t be seeing me all that much during your sorties anyway, so we will just go ahead and get started. Follow me.” I lagged behind him, sticking close to him as he continued to talk. “The Curfew Quarters are on the starboard side. For the Pilots, like yourself, Floor B has your bed. Find your friends or anypony with an Aviator badge, and they’ll guide you there if you have trouble.” We trekked down a flight of stairs leading to the Lower floors. I saw the Letters Painted on the wall stating what floor I was on. There was A, B, C, and D - which was where we were heading. By the time we got down to the lowest floor, I was greeted with the sight of tens of aircraft all neatly lined up in single file columns.

“This is the Hanger Bay. You’ll find your aircraft in here if not outside on the flight deck, or in the air… or in the ocean.”

“What do you mean ‘in the ocean’?” I asked.

“Well, you aren’t the first replacement pilot, and I bet you won’t be the last. Others came before you, and some of them are now sleeping with the fishes. Literally.”

I felt a tug of sadness mixed with apprehension wrap around my gut. The idea of Death still seemed alien to me, and yet these ponies are so nonchalant about such a thing. They didn’t seem to care or pay attention too much of the lives lost before, which made me uneasy.

“Do you lose ponies frequently at sea?” I asked once more.

“There are ponies who keep track of that sort of thing. Not my job to keep track of that.” was all he replied before he continued to walk. There were a number of ponies of all kinds; Unicorns, Earth Ponies, and Pegasi were all working together and in small groups as they performed basic maintenance of the planes. We walked across the entire Hanger Bay to the other side of the room, which was where another staircase was. We trotted up the stairs, stopping at Floor B, which was where my room was located. There were several halls with smaller bulkhead doors leading into different bedrooms. Each room I noticed had 2 bunk beds, 4 ponies per room. It feels somewhat claustrophobic, especially for a pegasus like me.

We stopped near the end of the hall, and the sailor entered Room B7. “This is your room. Your bed is the bottom bunk on the right. If you have any questions about your daily duties, ask one of the naval officers. Or Admiral Cyno, if you're brave enough.”

“Why do I have to be brave to ask the admiral?” I gave him a curious look.

“I’m pretty sure the admiral has better things to do than answer petty questions, so ask at your own risk.” He answered wittily.

“Are you always this rude to newcomers?” I asked sarcastically.

“I don’t know, have you ever heard of the phrase ‘Curiosity killed the Cat’?” I didn’t answer. He then sighed. “Look, I… I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just… we’ve already lost too many good ponies. I don’t want to lose another one close to me. So I avoid getting close at all. You play with fire, you get burned. So the best piece of advice I can give you is to not get too close to anypony... It’s easier that way.”

I looked at the bed I was given. I sat down flank first and sighed wearily. “Too late for that.” I muttered. The sailor didn’t reply. He stood there as I contemplated to myself on the bed.

“Well, my job is done. Find Captain Beaugard in the Hanger Bay for your instructions. Can’t miss him. He’s a big Sumbitch.” when he finished talking, he left the room with me in it alone, leaving me to my thoughts. I only then noticed as I looked around the room another pony who was laying in the bunk across from me. Their chest slowly rising and falling with each passing breath. Asleep I reckon. I laid in the bunk, and deeply inhaled, holding the breath for a moment before exhaling. This was my new life now. I’d have to get accustomed to it. No matter how painful it might be.

Oh Sunshine, I thought to myself, I hope you're better off than I am. Suddenly, a familiar thought had crossed my mind. My Letter! I frantically sat up and patted myself where my pockets were until I felt something in my right flank. Pulling it out of my jumpsuit pocket, I found the unfinished letter I made for Sunshine. 90 days later, and I still can’t finish it. I reminded myself never to be a writer, should I still be here on this world by then.

"Dear Sunshine," I read aloud. It was the only thing I’ve written on the letter so far. Pulling out my pen with a wingtip and placing the paper on the bed as I lay chest first on the bed, I was intent on finishing this letter.

"Dear Sunshine,"

I paused for a moment and thought to myself. "What should I say?" I spoke aloud. I was never much of a writer. Only a musician more than anything. but when I thought of Sunshine, and all of the happy memories we had, my thoughts began to drift onto the page. Soon, I found myself writing very fast.

“I hope things have been better off for you than I. The last 90 days of training I went through were hellish and tiresome. I’m still sore from all of the exercises. Though, I assume that my troubles must be childlike compared to yours. The frontlines. I pray things are alright wherever you are.

“But I am finally finished with my training. As of right now, I am stationed on the ERNS Blueblood, the ‘Pride of the Fleet’. The ship itself is impressive constructed, if not a bit dull on the decor. Though in war, I suppose decorations are the least of their concerns. Performance and cost are all they seem to care about. But this is my first day on the ship, as I am writing this, so I’ll have to get used to it.

“The other crewmates aren’t as I thought they would be. Some are… alright, I guess, though I haven’t taken the time to get to know them so it’s too early to say really. Some are a little rough around the edges, but they're not all bad. Lucky is one of them.

“I made a few friends before I got to the Blueblood. Lucky, as I mentioned, is one of them. He’s a very kind-hearted pony. Also pretty sarcastic in humor. Big Mouth is the type of pony who has… well, a big mouth. He is very profane in his speaking manner, so he is often loud and rude. Big Mouth fits him perfectly. Then there’s Naya. quite an odd pony. A foreigner in Equestria. I don’t know much about her personally, but she did go on about how great her country, Stalliongrad, is. I don’t know much about it still, but maybe I can ask her later.

“I hope you are well wherever you are, and whatever you are doing. Did you know that THE Rainbow Dash was my teacher? I thought it was crazy on the first day of training, that I am being taught by Rainbow herself. I even saw Spitfire from the Wonderbolts! The Spitfire! I still can't believe I managed to talk to her, even if just for a little bit.

“I am in Manehattan harbor right now as I am writing this. The blueblood is currently in port. From what I can guess, it’ll be a while before the fleet moves again. I think there are repairs going on on some of the other ships in the fleet.

“When you get this letter, Please; write back as soon as you can. I want to know that you are alright. I love you.

“Sincerely, Night Light.”

I finished the letter, and let out a sigh of relief. There had to be some way I could get this message to the front. To Sunshine. I don’t think it’s possible for me to abandon the ship to go on a quick mail run, however.

“Well well, I’d never thought I’d see you here!” A familiar voice erupted from the Bulkhead door, revealing a fiery yellow pegasus.

“Spitfire! What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Are you stationed on the Blueblood for real?”

“Yeah, I thought it was rather obvious.”

“Well, it looks like we won't be so far apart after all.”

“What do you mean? Are you on the blueblood as well?”

“Not me, no. But I am stationed on the Ark Royal. You do know there are 2 aircraft carriers in this task force, right?”

“Oh! Uh... I don't even know what a task force is. So, uh... you’re on the Ark Royal?”

“Not just me. The Whole Wonderbolt Squadron is assigned to the carrier. It’s just been confirmed since last week. Now my whole crew is there.”

“Huh. That is… something else. Small world, huh?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think you would be here on the Fucking Blueblood. The Pride of the fleet, I am a tad jealous.”

Wow. I made the captain of the wonderbolts jealous because I am on a different boat than her. I wasn't sure how to feel about that.

“You mean I made the Spitfire Jealous? For real?”

“Don’t let it go to your head. I didn’t say I disliked the Ark Royal, despite all of its flaws. I am glad to be with my team, as there is no other pony that I would rather fly with than my Wonderbolts. I just wish Rainbow could be here to see that. By the way, how did rainbow treated you?”

“Like hell.” I answered with a pout.

“Heh, thought so. She does have a soft side, you know, it's just… it's hard to see it, most of the time.”

“I’m not holding grudges, she was just rough on me physically, not mentally. Or emotionally… ok, maybe a bit mentally, but I am fine. She did what she had to do.”

“Yep. And soon, you’ll do what you have to do. Did rainbow give you that whole ‘Guardian of the Sky’ talk?”

“Eh… yes. How did you-”

“A couple of Cadets I bumped into on this boat were quite optimistic about Rainbow. Talking about her quite a lot. Kinda reminds me of that filly she looked after way back when - Scootaloo, I think her name is. Nice kid."

The name Scootaloo was unfamiliar to me. I knew at that moment that Dash and Spitfire must've had a unique history together.

"Anyway, I heard your name somewhere when they were talking, so I tried to find you. And here you are.”

“Why find me?” I asked.

“Well, truth be told, I want to help you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Help me? Why would the captain of the Wonderbolts waste her time to help a pony like me?”

“Because I see something in you. I see a force to be reckoned with. When you were doing test flights from Los Pegasus, I saw a form of grace and precision that I only see in the wonderbolts. Seeing you, however, I realized something. Not all pegasi who are excellent flyers are Wonderbolts. Sometimes I forget that. But I want you to be a part of our wing.”

I was startled. “Y-you mean… joining the wonderbolts?”

“Whoa, slow down, one step at a time. I meant that you can be a… a Wingpony, for us. Fly with us during sorties and all of that. You’ll still stay here with your assigned squadron on the blueblood. But during your missions, you’ll fly with us. What do you say?”

“I… I don’t know what to say.”

“All you need to say is ‘yes’ or ‘no’. There is no in-between. I need an answer.”

I contemplated long and hard. Before looking up at her, with a determined gaze, determined to not fail.

“Ok. I’ll do it.”

“Awesome! I look forward to seeing you in the Air, Night Light.” She turned away to walk out of the room but stopped when her front hooves were outside. “By the way, have you thought of a name for yourself?”

“A name? I already have one.”

“No, I mean your… your status name. Your ‘Ace’ name, I like to call it. Some ponies see the war as more hell than glory, but sometimes, with a hero in the sky to rally behind, the ponies can be hopeful. And Rainbow did say to never lose hope, right?”

“Right, but I am by no means an Ace.”

“You kidding? I saw the way you flew, you were amazing! The way you perform your maneuvers, your techniques; as I said, I've only seen that in the Wonderbolts. ”

“I didn’t even shoot anyone down though!”

“You don’t need to be a killer to be an Ace. Grace under pressure, which is exactly what I saw in you - that is what makes you an ace, Night Light. All I am saying is to come up with something. Having a name that ponies will remember who you are as a pilot, and not as a pony, will give ponies a cause to rally behind. Trust me on this. Take your time on it.”

She turned to leave once more before a thought crosses my mind. “Wait, Spitfire.” I called out. She stopped and turned to face me. “Can you do me a favor?”

“What is it?”

I grabbed the letter for Sunshine, and folded it neatly, handing it to Spitfire. “I want you to take this to the nearest postal office. Tell them it’s for a pony named Sunshine Tempest. Please?”

“Do I look like a courier to you?”

“No, but if you do this, I promise you I will not let you down. Just do this for me just this once. Please. It’s for…" I stopped, contemplating with myself. I was starting to have second thoughts, but something persisted me to finish the sentence. A Premonition, almost. "It's for my marefriend.” I finished timidly, feeling flustered.

Spitfires face lightens up as if she remembered something. She looked at the neatly folded letter and sighed. “Normally I don’t do mailpony duty, but… just this once for you, I can make an exception.”

My ears perked. “Thank you, really! I-it means a lot to me.”

“Don’t thank me just yet. I look forward to seeing you in the air, Night Light. Have a good night.” and with that, she left, leaving me alone in this blank, grey room.