Twilight wasn't surprised to see Aries awake before her again, but she was surprised to see him reading one of her books.

Aries turned his head when he heard her exclaim in surprise...with an actual equine sound. "Am I not supposed to touch your books?" he asked.

"Uh N-no! yo-you can read as much as you like! I just...didn't picture you as a reader." Twilight replied, still staring at the book in his hands like it defied logic by existing.

"I do not read for recreational purposes, as you do, but I still know very little of this world and it's people. So I decided to research your race and your allies...I can't help but notice that you have personally written the more informative books about dragons and changelings." Aries explained, causing Twilight to blush.

"Yeah, I'm sure you've noticed from those books that our alliance with their races are fairly new, as well as why that is." Twilight replied.

"Indeed, though I am more interested in these." Aries said showing Twilight exactly which book he was reading: The History of the Wonderbolts. "I believe that I may find potential recruits within their ranks."

"That's a great idea." Twilight exclaimed. "The Wonderbolts are the most esteemed pegasai in Equestria. Rainbow Dash is a member, and you seemed pretty impressed with her."

"Indeed, Rainbow Dash has proven herself against the Daemons. If the rest are even half as capable as her, then my training should make them somewhat significant." Aries stated. "So when should I contact them?"

"Actually, this time it's not a where, but a when. You see, pegasai have the ability to walk on clouds, and so they live in the floating city of Cloudesdale. If you're going to visit them, then you'll need me to accompany you in order to cast a spell that will let you walk on clouds yourself." Twilight explained.

It was hard to tell on account of the emotionless helmet, but Twilight believed that the hesitation was from him considering whether or not to let her use magic on him again. She remembered the unhappy look on his face while she removed his armor yesterday, and what he had told her of the Imperium's general distrust of magic and the reasons behind it.

Although the hesitation was barely noticeable. "Very well, I accept your assistance in this matter."

"Excellent, I'll just ask Starlight to mind the school while I'm gone." Twilight stated.

A Few Hours Later

Aries moved a foot off the hot air balloon that he and Twilight had traveled in, and lowered it to the cloud...resistance, as though it were springy.

When Aries planted his entire foot, he stepped out of the balloon completely with full confidence, though he was still distasteful on having to rely so heavily on magic. He allowed it to happen yesterday because power armor was not made to be removed by hand and he felt that Buck Wild deserved a true fight, but just to get from place to place...he really wished Jerrik was here, that would be a little better.

Twilight was next to exit the balloon, after which, she stepped in front of the astartes and led him to where they would find these Wonderbolts, Equestria's elite warriors. Aries tuned out Twilight's tour routine about the base itself and observed the training.

Something was off, he could see several pegasai training their flight strength and performing aerial maneuvers, but no combat training. Odder still, a formation halted to stare at the World Eater, their Sergeant corrected them at first, but when he saw what drew their attention away from training, he gawked as well.

Aries halted in his tracks "IF YOU HAVE TIME TO SIGHTSEE, THAN YOU HAVE TIME TO SWEAT AND BLEED!!GET BACK TO WORK!!!"

The Wonderbolts shot off like a bullet...and those that hadn't noticed him until he shouted promptly double timed their routines.

"Woah, were you drill instructor back home?" Twilight asked, her wings unsettled as though she was fighting a primal instinct to take flight.

"No, but I find my expectations lowering by the second, this is pathetic." Aries grumbled as he stomped past Twilight.

Before he could get too far ahead, a familiar rainbow colored streak made it's way to them, halting before the astartes.

"I thought I recognized that voice, you got a set of pipes, dude." Rainbow Dash smiled at the astartes.

Aries pondered Rainbow Dash's words, but not noticeably. "Yes, well, I'm afraid that these 'Wonderbolts' leave much to be desired." Aries said, pointing to the team of flyers that had irritated him.

The minute he pointed them out, another pegasus that had been chasing after Rainbow Dash diverted course and landed close enough to be heard by the team in question at a reasonable volume, which she proved to be unnecessary. "STORMY SKIES!! YOU AND THOSE NEWBIES GET DOWN HERE, RIGHT! NOW!!"

Aries examined the apparent commander, she was along the same size as Rainbow Dash with a bright yellow coat and a mane that was two shades of orange that looked like flames. She also had ember colored eyes behind a pair of sunglasses. And unlike Rainbow Dash and the other Wonderbolts who wore flight suits, this pegasus wore a heavily decorated jacket.

The team in question landed in formation before the irate pegasus, Stormy Skies front and center.

The commander started pacing down the team's length, her anger clear. "Does anypony wanna tell me what our guest ment by 'sightseeing'?"

"W-we got distracted ma'am, we didn't know what that creature was, or what it was doing here." Answered Stormy Skies. Aries bit back a complaint of his own, it was one thing when no one else was disciplining them, but for now, he would let their C.O. take care of them.

"So, you all missed the memo about how there is a new threat to Equestria. The memo that a new ally is putting together a new military detachment to fight this threat. The memo that he would be coming here to scout potential recruits...the memo that I personally gave everypony on base so that they would know that he was coming...you missed THAT MEMO!?" The officer shouted.

Stormy Skies hung his head, but another pegasus wasn't done trying to justify their slip-up. "We're sorry Spitfire, we just didn't know he'd be so-" The commander, apparently named 'Spitfire', was nose to nose with the mare before she could say another word.

"Do you know happens when you get distracted in a flight formation newbie?" She had removed her glasses in order to stare the recruit in the eyes.

"U-uh um, W-we mess up?" The pegasus answered weakly.

"And do you know what happens when you miss up on a high-risk formation?" Spitfire continued.

"Uh, we..we could crash?" Was the reply.

"And what happens when you crash newbie?" Her eyes narrowed. The recruit gulped, her expression saying that she knew what was coming.

"We end up in a fu-" "YOU END UP IN A FULL BODY WING AND HOOF CAST, DRINKING THROUGH A STRAW!!" The recruit pressed her ears against her head as Spitfire let her have it.

"YES MA'AM! I'M SORRY MA'AM! IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN MA'AM!" The recruit couldn't get the words out fast enough.

"Good." Spitfire turned around and took three steps...before realizing that something was wrong with this picture. "WHAT ARE YOU NEWBIES STILL DOING HERE!! BACK TO WORK YOU LAZY LUMPS!! NOW!!!"

Spitfire watched them leave, with slightly less motivation than Aries had given them, before letting out a sigh and trotting to the group. To her credit, Aries is certain that he only noticed her shock and awe at his appearance because he's an astartes. "Sorry about that sir, it's their first week."

The pegasus then proceeded to clear her throat and put her forehoof against her head in a salute. "Captain Spitfire, Commanding Officer of the Wonderbolts, at your disposal sir."

"At ease Captain, I was never one for ceremony, a title doesn't make a warrior after all." Aries replied.

"Oh, I can assure you that Spitfire is as tough as they come. I may have been awesome before I joined the Wonderbolts, but Spitfire's training made me 20% cooler." Dash affirmed.

"20% won't be enough for the coming war, nor will a week of 'flight manuvers', I was under the impression that you were military." Aries inquired.

Spitfire gulped audibly. "I'm sorry to disappoint you sir, but since Equestria hasn't seen an actual war for centuries, we're mostly just...show-ponies." The word was bitter in her mouth, and her head hung in shame.

Rainbow Dash was about to say something, but Aries beat her to it. "I have already found one promising recruit among 'show-ponies', perhaps there is one among your number who isn't satisfied with his position."

Spitfire hid her relief well from her fellow ponies. "I was hoping you'd say that, I would've been a bit embarrassed if I had called up the rowdier recruits for nothing."

"Lead the way then." Aries said. Spitfire chose to trot rather than fly while Rainbow Dash zoomed off ahead and Twilight fell in step beside Aries.

"Okay, so one bad impression and one good impression?" She asked of the World Eater.

"Hmm, yes, I believe so. Although at present, I only consider one of them recruitable." Aries replied.

They arrived at their destination. The Wonderbolts present either looked confident...or like they couldn't be bothered.

"ATTENTION!!" Shouted Spitfire, the Wonderbolts obeying with varying degrees of haste.

Spitfire swallowed her anger for the moment. "Listen up maggots, you have been chosen because our new friend here..." She pointed at hoof at Aries, earning a few oohs and awes. "...needs some ponies to whip into shape for a big fight against a new threat to Equestria...AND YOUR IT!!" At the last word, she pointed her hoof at a random mare...who promptly fainted at the idea of fighting.

After Spitfire remembered how to close her mouth, she started scratching the back of her head with a forehoof while looking at Aries with a nervous smile.

However, before he could reply, someone else commented on the situation. "Hah, or not. I guess someponies just don't have what it takes to get their hooves dirty."

The speaker was a stallion who Aries had noted as having the least motivation, though now, he showed the least fear. That was promising.

"Alright newbie, YOUR IT!!" Spitfire said to the speaker, who stepped up confidently. "Alright, what's the routine?"

Aries stepped up to him. "Fight me."

The volunteer looked confused for a moment, but then, with a shrug, his confidence returned. He took to the sky and prepared to dive bomb the astartes.

Aries didn't take a combat stance, he merely took the time his opponent took to approach him to position himself. Then, when his opponent was close enough, Aries kicked him in the gut just hard enough to stop him, not hard enough to break anything.

The pegasus fluttered back down to the cloud, coughing and wheezing. "Wha-WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Aries looked down at him. "You've failed, you may return to your 'flight maneuvers'."

The pegasus straightened up immediately. "WHAT!? Your failing me because I complained when you kicked me in the stomach!?"

"Are you going to complain when a Daemon kicks you in the stomach...with a Hellblade?" Aries deadpanned.

The pegasus was shocked at first, but then he busted out laughing. "PWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! YOU ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO FIGHT!? AAAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

"THUNDERBOLT!!" Spitfire shouted, failing to stop the pegasus' laughter.

"I c-I can't help it Captain. D-did you hear that!? AHHAHAHAH-" Having grown fed up with the display, Aries put his foot down...on top of Thunderbolt, stomping him through the cloud they stood on.

Everypony gasped in shock at the display, except Rainbow Dash who had started laughing herself...Then Thunderbolt returned, he wasn't laughing anymore.

"Alright pal, you can drop the 'tough guy' act, your little sham isn't fooling anypony." Thunderbolt said, completely unaware of how close he was coming to death.

Any other World Eater would've butchered the fool by now, but even Aries' more contempt brothers who mocked him for 'belonging to the Salamanders legion' knew better than to question his honor. "Explain."

Thunderbolt rolled his eyes. "Oh please, it's obvious that you're just trying to score some brownie points with the princesses by putting on this big show of putting together a team to fight the next big bad to threaten Equestria, which will undoubtedly be defeated by Princess Twilight and her friends like all the others and you'll look good for being ready to do what the Wonderbolts and Royal Guard never do, even when they encounter the threat first."

Aries just looked at him for a few seconds before grabbing him the neck, slamming him through the cloud a few times before grabbing his tail and throwing him away.

"Uh, why are you doing that?" One of the recruits asked him.

"Because it keeps from killing him...barely." Aries replied.

When Thunderbolt came back, he looked like he was going to try to give Aries another mouthful, but Spitfire intercepted him. "THUNDERBOLT!! You've been dismissed."

Again, Thunderbolt rolled his eyes. "Oh please, like you're going to do anything, do you really want me to bring up the Wonderbolts 'heroic' track-record?"

"Stand. Down." Spitfire all but snarled.

"pfft, Whatever." And at last, the fool left.

Spitfire walked back over to the group grumbling about Thunderbolt.

"Man, what a weasel. Why is that even a Wonderbolt anyway?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"Uuuuugggghhh, because Thunderstorm is his dad." Spitfire explained.

"Uuuhhhh, who?" Dash asked, causing Spitfire to face-hoof.

"Gah, you're killing me Dash. Thunderstorm is the Cloudesdale noble who funds us, and his ancestors funded the original Wonderbolts. They realized that with Equestria being so peaceful that we didn't need as much actual military training. And then, with our recent losing streak, Thunderstorm started talking about cutting us off completely and talking to Twilight about convincing the Elements of Harmony to show off for the people instead."

"WHAT!?" Shouted Rainbow Dash and Twilight, along with the less attentive Wonderbolts who shared Rainbow Dash's neglect of common knowledge.

"But why? And what do you mean by losing streak? I thought we were at the top of our game." Said Rainbow Dash.

"Since you came along, yes. Our shows have been packed more than ever. But you're one of the Elements, the real heroes. Look at our accomplishments since before you joined us Dash, that losing streak." Spitfire replied.

Twilight was about to interject, but then she made an expression that told Aries that she knew what Spitfire was talking about, though Rainbow Dash was still clueless. "What are you talking about? You're shows were on fire for years before I showed up, especially you Spitfire. I followed you from your rookie years, and how you always wowed the crowd with your signature move: The Hell Blazer."

Spitfire smirked a little for a second, as though grateful that Rainbow Dash thought so highly of her, though she shouldn't. "I'm not talking about the shows Dash. I'm talking about when we were utterly useless against Tirek, I'm talking about when Twilight's pet dragon grew the size of Canterlot and went on a primal rampage and our attempts to stop him ended with us trapped in a water tank like a bunch of moths, I'm talking about when we went to judge that little flight competition you were in when your pal Rarity lost the magic that let her fly and fell from Cloudesdale and we rushed in to save her only to get knocked out cold by her flailing hooves and need you to save us, while performing the legendary Sonic Rainboom that was only supposed to be a myth...FOR THE SECOND TIME!!"

Aries listened to the rant with varied emotions, mostly because he wanted to know more about that part with Spike.

"Combine that with the fact that we were actually losing our audience until you showed up and saved our flanks again, it's really hard not to see Thunderstorm's point." Spitfire concluded.

"Huh, when you put it like that..." Said one of the Wonderbolts, putting a hoove to the bottom of her muzzle in contemplation.

"WHEN YOU PUT IT LIKE THAT NOTHING!!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "The Wonderbolts are a symbol, a disarmed army that means we don't fight to survive anymore. You think I didn't know that when I signed up?"

Spitfire blinked a bit. "Well, I guess I should've known, you just talk about how great we are all the time, I kinda assumed you were in denial." The two stared at each other, and then they laughed.

"Hmph, a symbol that you needn't fight anymore. That the threats are so small, you need but a few champions to keep them at bay. I hoped to, one day, bring such a thing to the imperium. To see the men and women of the Astra Militarum return to their families. The Ist, IIIrd, VIIth, IXth and XIIIth legions reduced to ceremonial parades as the Xth and XVIIIth focus less on weapons and armor and more on progress as the IVth and XIVth protect our borders eventlessly whilst my brothers and I hunt down our routed foes beside the Vth, VIth, VIIIth, and XVIth legions...a fool's dream, but one I cannot fault you for indulging as I once did." Aries lamented.

"Thanks, nice speech. Too bad your only choice is our star player." Spitfire said, gesturing to Rainbow Dash.

"Why do you say that?" Asked Aries.

"Well, I heard you when you said that you only saw one of us as eligible, and I don't think I changed your mind." Spitfire lowered her head.

"I was not referring to Rainbow Dash, I was referring to you." Aries brought Spitfire's head right up. "WHAT!? M-ME!?"

"You acknowledge that your methods won't be enough when the Daemons come, are you willing to be as useless against them as your other foes, or will you let me mold you into a capable warrior." Aries shifted into a combat stance as he spoke.

The message was clear, Spitfire removed her jacket and signiture whistle, ordering Rainbow Dash to hold them.

"Fight until the pain is unbearable, begin when you're ready." Aries stated.

Spitfire charged him head on, but pulled away at the last moment to fly around him. If he were mortal, he would not be able to track her. And even as an astartes, it was difficult.

Spitfire increased and decreased her altitude at random, keeping just out of reach of the World Eater, until she suddenly closed the gap and struck, flying over his head and kicking off of his helmet to knock him off balance and circling around to strike again.

It is at this point that Twilight received an answer to one her less pressing unanswered questions about the astartes... what was with that strange backpack.

The stabilizer engines automatically rotated to the direction Aries was falling and fired off at full power, righting the space marine, who proceeded to launch a kick at Spitfire who barely dodged.

Spitfire came about and feigned a charge again, but this time, Aries remembered the split-second her eyes started turning before she did, and waited. The minute her eyes turned, he kicked where she would be.

Aries struck home, kicking her in the chest and catching her wing down. She hit the cloud hard and skidded a good distance.

"SPITFIRE!!" Shouted Rainbow Dash as she rushed to help her friend to her feet.

"Is that all you've got, because it's not enough to pass." Aries said walking over to the pegasai.

"WHOA! WHOA! TIME OUT ARIES! that kick of yours broke her wing dude, she can't fly anymore." Rainbow Dash interjected.

"The enemy won't care, so neither will I." Aries replied.

"Bu-" Rainbow was about to protest further when. "He's right Dash, I got careless...heh, story of my life."

Rainbow Dash turned to Spitfire, who held her broken wing close to her body. "I can keep going...no, I will keep going...I've HAD IT! with losing every fight and being called a hero. It was one thing when you and the Elements could do the heavy lifting for us while we get points for trying, but if this is even half as bad as Celestia made it sound in her letter, then that's not good enough anymore. So I'm doing more than just trying this time."

Spitfire screamed a battlecry as she charged on hoof, turned, and bucked.

Her hooves smashed into ceramite, pushed against it, but in the end, fell to the cloud without moving the astartes even a centimeter.

"...You pass." Aries said.

There was a silence, as if everypony was waiting for Aries to realize that he said the wrong word, and then Rainbow Dash started cheering along with the Wonderbolts who, until now, still stood at attention.

"See a doctor about your wing, practice ground combat, and keep in mind that if you find yourself spending more time healing than you do training...you never had a chance to begin with." Aries ordered his new recruit.

Spitfire said nothing, she was too exhausted, and fairly certain that she sprained her legs. She just smiled in silent victory.

However, her smile disappeared when she realized something. "Daaaash, when you rushed over to help me, did you drop my jacket and whistle...through the cloud."

Author's Note

I am SO! FUCKING! SORRY!! about that. this should not have taken this long, but alas, I am both blessed and cursed with a wondering mind, meaning that by the time I start getting deep into writing one fic, I've already come up with 6 new ideas. combine that with 3 of my DD buddies moving away (we had our farewell game over the weekend) and Springtime allergies and it just took me longer to focus.

I would beat myself up about it more, but then I realized some people take a month to do what I usually do on a weekend, so I'm really just disappointed that I promised an update every weekend and now it's Thursday.

Outside of that, I do remember the review about the Astra Militarum not being a thing before the Horus Heresy, so why did I say it again? The answer: next chapter.

P.S. I may or may not start a new story that I write beside this one...keep an eye out.