Quality

April 15

Mez sniffed, unfurling his wings and letting a stray, mud green feather flutter away. The air was muddled with sea salt and aircraft exhaust, but through it all he could still sense a tingle of perfume coming from Mayfix. He sneezed immediately.

“Bless you,” the lime green mare responded rather timidly.

“Thank you miss,” Mez replied stiffly.

The two newcomers stood about on the main deck under the slowly waning day. All around them aircraft rolled by for cleaning and fixing. A bunch of serviceponies were dusting off the deck, walking up and down the runway looking for loose bolts or debris that might cause any damage. On the other end of the massive ship, landings and takeoffs were happening on regular intervals, an exercise to keep their pilots at peak efficiency. It was a thankful sight. Despite the entire ship doped up, they still manage to keep practices like this running. Either that or just mere boredom.

Under the heat of afternoon sun Mez and Mayfix shuffled in position. Their uniforms were oddly comfortable, but it was not practical for weather as warm as now. Mez earlier helped the inexperienced engineer get into her jumpsuit, the brushing of furs leaving them in an awkward state of affairs since then.

So far everything seemed to be going smoothly. Mez had thought bullets would be whizzing past his being the moment he got off the autochariot. Instead he was teamed up with a rather cute but evidently distressed mare.

“Sergeant...I don't think I can do this…” Mayfix admitted, her voice stirring with dread.

“It’s alright, ma'am There most likely wouldn't be any fighting in this mission.”

“Have you been to a lot of missions, sergeant?” Mayfix asked curiously.

“No, ma'am. This is actually my first operation.”

“Oh dear, I'm dead…”

Mez felt a little embarrassed admitting that, but he mostly felt a pang of guilt. His mission was to protect Mayfix, but his lack of experience most guaranteed he would fail.

The stallion sighed sadly. Here he was, finally a seahorse. But fate ruled it to be the only time he would ever be called one. And being entrusted the safely of a civilian no less. The world has large boots and it cannot help stepping on everypony.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… I'm just still so scared right now…”

Having nothing else to say, he could only reassure her. “It'll be fine, miss. We'll… I'll make sure nothing awful happens.”

That seemed to calm her down slightly. She at looked at Mez with watery eyes and gave a small smile, something Mez returned.

As for him, he did not particularly feel scared, only concerned. This was his one chance to impress Lieutenant Sofia. If there was anypony who could recommend him to anything other than crew work, it was the fabled Ghost of East Oceans. He was determined to display exceptional performance, showing that he could hold his own in the field. That performance hinged on protecting the engineer throughout the operation.

If nothing else, it was a win for both Mez and Mayfix. Mez does a fine job, all the while keeping Mayfix safe.

A moment or so later Lieutenant Sofia and Sergeant Espress trotted toward them from the tower of the ship. Exactly two in the afternoon. Of course, Mez came on deck almost half an hour early just to be ahead of schedule. And Mayfix, having no bearing on the reality that she was now practically a seahorse, followed him out of necessity.

“At attention,” Lieutenant Sofia instructed just as they reached them.

“Hey guys!” Espress greeted happily. “How's it going?”

“Don't answer that,” Sofia waved, nudging her compatriot to get in line just like everypony else, beside Mayfix. Espress seemed like a flighty character. She was carefree and friendly. It was perhaps uncharacteristic for a seahorse who has seen many battles, but it was a welcoming personality nonetheless, somepony to ease him into the dangers that laid ahead.

Mez guessed he probably did not need to impress her just as he should the lieutenant, but instead he could learn something from her. Few people could get in the good side of a veteran seahorse. And Espress clearly knew just how to do that.

Sofia gave a rather tired salute to her impromptu unit. They returned it naturally, Mayfix doing so awkwardly late.

“Right. No policy may be in effect but we are still conducting this operation on Seahorse ROE. That means no civilians.”

Mayfix perked.

“Miss Mayfix, you are therefore promoted to Private First Class, congratulations.”

Mayfix drooped.

Mez looked at the fellow green pony worriedly, in his mind reassuring her and himself that things will go fine, despite having no experience in their current matter.

“Are you… wearing perfume?” Espress asked Mayfix foxily.

The engineer looked away from Espress and mumbled incoherently. “I'm…. I was…”

“I should inform you that a seahorse caught lying to their superior will face severe punishment,” Sofia said nonchalantly.

Mayfix timidly tried to hide herself with a lock of yellow mane. “Y-yes, sir… ma'am… I'm sorry, it's just that… the smell of the ship was going to-”

“Alright, I don't care,” Sofia quickly said. “Just make sure to wash it off before we move out. I'll not have us compromised because hostiles have inadvertently picked up the scent of strawberries.”

Mayfix simply nodded, while Mez sniffled again. It smelled more like bubblegum to him.

The lieutenant was clearly sizing Mayfix up. She had the impossible task of becoming a seahorse in just a day, being a little hard on her was sort of necessary. It was only in the best of the mission that she did not go too far.

“The target is a cargo ship carrying a weapon of that belongs to Canterlot, under a foreign seal. Our main objective is to get in, disarm, retrieve and out quickly.”

“Our insertion shall then be a controlled drop from above. As silently and stealthily as possible.”

“Exciting!” Espress commented, bumping her shoulder at Mayfix playfully.

“To make things simple. Sergeant Espress and I will drop together, and I'll use my magic to control our descent,” Sofia walked over and stopped in front of Mayfix.

“You and Sergeant Messerschmitt, on the other hoof, will drop together. You'll be strapped to him and he will dive down to the ship before landing. Understood?”

“Yes, ma'am,” Mayfix replied.

“We are here on deck to practice just that. Obviously, we normally won't need to,” She said, eyeing Mayfix still. “So it is very important that you remember what you learn today.”

Mez once again felt a gurgling in his stomach. He was not sure if it was because he was somewhat airsick, or embarrassed at the fact that a pegasus like him was airsick.

Regardless, he was not about to bring it up to Lieutenant Sofia again. The scorn that would bring would not ever be absolved even with his own death. Instead he kept his head low, pretending to tighten the straps of his uniform.

The team rode on their autochariot as it flew alongside the Tide and its two-destroyer escort, up to its designated altitude. The sun shined its light perfectly staight through the cabin, adding a vivid yellow tint to the interior.

The four seahorses all wore a midnight blue combat suit, including a black magically-enforced vest and a shock helmet that protected the entire head, save for the area where the muzzle of the wearer jutted out. They looked pretty cool, but sad was Sergeant Mez that he could only get to wear it on this operation.

“Five hundred feet and holding, ma'am” The pilot said, indicating they've reached their intended altitude.

“Very well. Private Mayfix, pay attention,” The lieutenant said tersely.

“Just before we drop, the pilot will give us the clear by activating a red light. Five seconds later, Sergeant Mez will jump out the chariot, taking you along with him. Five seconds after that, I and Sergeant Espress will jump, controlling both our descent with my magic.”

“Once Mez reaches near the deck, he will hover and unstrap you, and it is up to you to stay upright and land standing up. After that, insertion is complete. All this should take place in the span of less than thirty seconds.”

“Saying that, we still gave you a reserve parachute. If you for some reason get unstrapped from Sergeant Mez, you can activate you chute by pulling on the red handle dangling on your left shoulder.”

A second later, the doors of the autochariot opened, and the air became a cacophony of whirring noises, from the rotors of the aircraft to the high altitude breeze.

Like clockwork, Lieutenant Sofia and Sergeant Espress began preparing, locking their vests in place, donning their flight goggles and tightening the cotton straps of their suits. Espress whistled at Mez, making him return his attention to his own preparations.

Mez secured his own suit diligently. Seeing Mayfix confused and out of the loop again, he stepped ahead and helped her, making sure her vest hugged her body tightly and her flight goggles did not fall off. Mayfix felt stiff, clearly scared again. Unfortunately, he could only pat her shoulder and give more orders to her.

“Alright, look here,” Mez said loudly, getting Mayfix to look at him through her goggles, albeit with a face that looked at though it was about to cry. Luckily she did not. “I'm going to connect this blue rope to you. We’ll jump together, so when we're airborne, I can pull you to me and secure your vest to mine.

Before Mayfix could respond, a loud holler echoed in the cabin. Espress exclaimed, “We're about to jump! Mez, Mayfix you're first so get ready!”

“I've never been this high, ma'am!”

Mez seemed to recall somepony else saying that on the ship, but for a completely different context.

“I-I don't know if I can't go through with this!”

“You don't even have to do anything!” Sofia yelled. “Get on with it!”

“We'll jump together on the count of three,” Mez said, tugging Mayfix’s rope and vest reassuringly.

His words seemed to calm Mayfix down a little, but Mez kept his hoof on her for some momentary assurance. He lead the green unicorn to the door of the autochariot, the ocean stretching below as far as the eye could see.

“Ready?” Need began. No doubt his partner want not, but the lieutenant’s patience was running thin. He will have to take control of the situation.

“One, two,” at the last count, Mayfix wrapped her hoof around Mez, the unicorn clinging to him tightly. He was going to tell her to let go, but instead he though this might be a more preferable mode of exit. It ascertained they both of them left the craft at the same time, at least.

“Three!” Mez hopped out the autochariot, Mayfix still bound to him by the hooves. A familiar feeling began to take hold. No longer did he feel airsick, contained by metal walls and gears. The rush of air was like a douse of cold water to the face, stinging, freezing and refreshing.

He spread his wings and slowed his flight to look at his passenger. She shut her eyes tight, refusing to view the perfect scenery from below. “It's fine, Miss! We're flying straight!”

“Please just get me to the ground!” Mayfix begged, still stuck to his person like a lost child. He sort if felt bad for her, missing out on a relieving experience like this, then again she was not exactly trained for anything other than desk work.

“You'll need to let go then, so we can land quickly and properly. If you stay like that, you might clip my wing,” Mez said.

Mayfix hesitated. Oh course she was not doing that. He gently prodded the green pony, trying to unglue her from him. Not budging.

When he was sure his flying was stable enough, he brushed Mayfix with a hoof, stilling her shivers. Surprisingly, that got her to open her eyes and gaze towards him.

“You need to let go! Don't worry, I'll hold onto you!”

Mayfix shut her eyes again, hesitated a moment, before finally letting go. She fell briefly, to which she let out a short but loud shriek. In that instant, Mez grabbed the unicorn by the barrel and hooked her vest to his. They were now flying soundly, with Mayfix below him. Mez struggled slightly with the added weight, but at least she was not swaying around in the air like a swinging ball hanging by a thread, else that would have made flying tremendously harder.

“What's going on down there?” Espress asked. Mez looked around, curious as to how he could hear her voice clearly in the howling breeze. Not long after he realized she was taking through the radio.

“We're diving towards the Tide, ma'am. ten seconds to arrival.”

“We're right behind you. Don't miss, okay!” The sergeant said in a rather pitched tone.

Mez was sure he would not, now that his passenger was slightly more cooperative for now. She had both hooves covering her eyes, not daring to take a peek.

Mez was tempted to just fly around, finally free from the constraints of the autochariot. Maybe a gentle cruise above the clouds would assuage Mayfix's apparent fear of flying.

“A-are we there yet?” Mayfix asked though the radio, looking up slightly.

“Five seconds, get ready. I will unhook you just a few feet above ground, so make sure you land on all fours, alright?”

“O-okay!” She responded nervously.

“Here we go!”

The ocean and the ship suddenly drew closer within the last few seconds, sending a sudden rush of panic to Mayfix. A mere second later, Mez slowed drastically and unhooked the mare from him. It was supposed to be a simple landing, but the panic stricken engineer flailed her hooves at the last second and landed on both front hooves first, before the rear portion of her body followed quickly and with a thud. It was not a perfect landing, but a landing nonetheless.

Mez flapped his wings and settled just ahead of Mayfix. A few serviceponies on deck were not busy or high enough and decided to help Mayfix up. Thankfully she seemed unhurt, Still, a painless landing was the least he could have done.

“Are you okay, miss?”

“I’m…. No actually,” the engineer stumbled, crouched on the deck and shivering lightly. “I think I'm going to be sick…”

“That was great!” Sergeant Espress and Lieutenant Sofia descended onto the deck gracefully, aided by a varnish of unicorn magic wrapping both of them. To control the flight of two ponies while traveling and a considerable velocity was quite something. The lieutenant's arcane prowess was certainly admirable.

“Not really, but acceptable given the variables at work,” Lieutenant Sofia added, a little understanding of the situation. A landing like would earn him a failing grade in Flight School.

Mayfix had no time to cheer her partial success, as she ran to the side of the ship and dispensed this morning's buffet into the ocean in a rather vile reconstitution.

“Oof, that doesn't look too good,” Sergeant Espress commented.

“I would prefer another practice landing,” The Lieutenant admitted, then looked at w her e Mayfix ran to. “ But once again, beaurocracy had other plans.”

“Sergeant Messerschmitt,” Mez stood at full attention at the announcement of his name, with Sofia staring up at him observantly. “Well done. I expected a worse outcome, but whatever you did worked.”

“Thank you, ma'am,” He said, justified pride walking up in his stomach.

“In fact, based on today's events I feel it best that Mayfix liase with you for the duration of this mission. She'll be under your supervision, so do not ever leave the receptionist in your sight, understood?

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Right. Take her to your room and get some rest,” Sofia ordered. “But just her. You, on the other hoof, will report back here in an hour. We’re head to the armory for your live combat test, see how well you handle with a gun.”

“Understood, ma'am.”

Mez trotted back into the ship with mixed emotions, the pride he felt moments ago leaving as quickly as it came.

At the moment he worried more about Mayfix. The lime green was walking slightly behind him, tiredly and sickly. She clearly did not want to be here, but for some reason she agreed to this when given the choice. There were plenty of reasons to say no to bring part of a highly dangerous seahorse mission. So maybe she was not she really given a choice.

The two walked into their room and Mayfix immediately limped onto her bed weakly.

“How are you holding up, miss?”

“Fine, Sergeant…” Mayfix said. “I'm just tired.”

“If I may ask, why did you agree to this?”

“Well... you heard what the captain said. I'm the only pony for the job…”

“Yes, but it seems clear to me that you do not want to be here, ma'am,” Mez paused. “May. Any other engineer could have taken your place.”

“No... I'm the only one they got. And when they sent me here, they told me to just say yes to everything Captain Ark asked. I had to agree.”

“I'm unfamiliar with who your are referring to,” Mez said.

“I dunno either. I don't even know why we're doing this.”

“It's too retrieve stolen property ma'am,” Mez reminded, a hint of concern in his voice. “Or is there something else you have forgotten to brief is about?”

“No it's… oh, yeah. Right, it is. Sorry, I'm just tired, my head’s not straight. I think I should go sleep. Or home,” Mayfix sighed solemnly. “Oh, and thank you for your help today, Sergeant.”

“It's my job, ma'am,” Mez paused again. “May. Get some rest.”

Mayfix nodded before passing out onto the bed.

Mez blinked. May mentioned a they, but she was not clear on what that was. Most likely it was institute she belonged to. He couldn't seem to remember the name, though what was clear was that the institute produced weapons for the Navy.

Only a moment had passed and May was snoozing soundly. Good, she needed the rest. He still felt a little sorry for her. The shock and the physical exertion would certainly take a toll on any untrained soul. He knew that all too well, being a boring Coast Guard before being a Seahorse.

Sadly he still needed to focus on the task at hoof. Placing himself in Lieutenant Sofia's spot, being rough on the engineer was the only way to prepare for the mission.

Mez stretched and headed out to the main deck. It was relatively early towards the lieutenant's schedule, but in his experience being punctual was something superiors favored.

“Welcome back!” Katashin greeted happily from the counter. “I see you brought a friend too. I love that!”

“Hey Katy,” Espress responded casually, taking in the wonderful sights once again.

“Afternoon, miss. We'll need one of those rifles we ordered and access to the range.

“Sure thing. No one's been in the range in the while, so I'll probably have to call the upper deck and let them know that those cracking sounds they'll hear isn't an iceberg or a broken engine,” Katashin lifted a clean, daper suitcase from behind the counter and opened it towards the seahorses, presenting a partially disassembled firehoof, its pieces fitted neatly and snuggly in each shaped compartment that was padded with a bushy fabric.

Mez recognized the make if the gun. An Orchard Industries rifle, produced from their only factory in Ponyville. The company has pretty low production compared to other manufactures like the Hoofgang Company, but what they lack in numbers they make up for in superior quality. Many customers cosign to the reliability of their products, the guns said to last centuries.

“Sergeant Messerschmitt,” Sofia paused. “Espress is right, that may be too long. Sergeant Mez, what sort of experience do you have in firehooves besides Seahorse School?”

“We are issued sidehooves in the Coast Guard. I only fired it once, but only as a warning shot.

“So, none then. Great,” Sofia said.
Katashin retrieved a key from her pocket and lead them to a room behind the counter. It was a crude space, the walls cemented and soundproofed with minimal effort placed to the deed. down range were pony cardboard cutouts, all roughly the size of a small stallion. They had no out perforations on them, the wall behind them however, was riddled. It spoke loudly to the ability of thee when it came to shooting targets. It was safe to say that should a mutiny occur in this ship, it would be a short lived affair.

“For this test,” Lieutenant Sofia began. “ You will fire at these targets at different ranges. For each range you're given five rounds. If at least three of those round hit a target, you pass the test.”

“Yes ma'am,”

Mez held the rifle with a hoof. It was relatively light, as he held it without his hoof rocking from any sort of stress.

The rookie went through the motions of basic gun handling. First, he stood up. Both hooves are now free to hold the gun properly. Most ponies object to this method, as it slowed them down considerably and standing on both hindlegs for too long was quickly tiring. But Seahorse School taught him that the most effective way to fire a gun was by standing still and holding the gun with both hooves for stability. Of course, they also emphasized finding effective cover to negate the standing still portion. Given enough endurance practice, a pony could move on both hindlegs and fire their weapon at the same time.

Mez unlocked the safety of the firehoof, inserted a magazine into the slot, and chambered the first round.

a strobe light in the range turned red, and Lieutenant Sofia ordered, “Fire at will.”

Mez fired.

Miss. He fired again.

Hit, a shot to the neck. He fired again.

Hit, the cardboard cutout stood no chance. He fired again.

Miss. How he could miss at these short ranges baffled him. He fired again.

Hit.

“Right, good enough,” Sofia commented. She was neither impressed nor disappointed, but for some reason to Mez, being just good enough was worse than either great or horrible. He was not settling for good enough.

After Mez had once again reloaded, Sofia promptly ordered, “Next range.”