Loyal Ace

I made my way to the briefing room and arrived two minutes early. Entering the large room, a large pegasus was already waiting near one of the doors. He had a light blue coat and a dark blue main and tail. He was waving me over to him.

"Iridian Bolt, right? I'm Lieutenant Commander Sky Dagger and in charge of your Wing." He took a look over my withers. "And you must be Lightning Blitz."

Looking behind me confirmed that Lightning Blitz was standing right behind me. She stood at attention and saluted Sky Dagger, who returned the salute.

"Yes, Sir. Ensign Lightning Blitz, reporting as ordered!"

I felt a little silly not noticing he was a senior officer when I entered and stood to attention as well.

He looked at me again and continued with a slight nod of his head. "Captain Spitfire might not care about proper protocol, but the Wings under my command will follow it." His gaze softened slightly. "You're not in trouble for not saluting as long as it does not become a habit of yours. Follow me, the rest of your Wing is waiting inside."

With that, he turned around and stepped through the door with Lightning Blitz and myself behind him. Inside was a small meeting room with a table in the middle and enough space for maybe two full Wings. Three other ponies were seated around it, none of them wearing their uniform or flight suit.

"These are the other ponies of your Wing. This is your Wingleader, Lieutenant High Flyer," Sky Dagger said. He pointed at a pegasus mare with a dark grey coat that was nearly black and a deep red mane and tail. Her eyes somewhat matched her coat, but they had a slightly yellowish tint to them. She stood up to her full height and towered over us.

Lightning Blitz and I saluted her. "Ma'am."

"She is also the one that overruled my insistence for a dress code during our meetings," Sky Dagger continued.

"You know as well as I do, Sir, that we are about to go on a mission when we meet under normal circumstances. It's much more practical to show up in our flight suit or nothing at all." High Flyer turned towards us with a smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you two."

She was at least a head taller than anypony in the room, and she looked upon us with a motherly expression on her face. I would have expected somepony like her to be a teacher or something like that. She would also make every model back on Equus envious.

"Likewise, Ma'am," We answered her.

"You can take a seat." She gestured towards a cushion. "And you don't have to salute or stand at attention when we are not on duty. We are going to be a team, after all." We moved to take a seat. "Did Captain Spitfire set you on fire already?" She asked matter of factly. That got a small chuckle out of the rest of the team, and I flinched back a bit. "I take that as a yes then."

"Looks like I'm not needed any more. Remember to get them their training schedule," Sky Dagger noted.

"Yes, Sir. I will," High Flyer said, hiding a smirk behind her hoof. We saluted him before he left us alone. "You should have seen him when Vice Admiral Star Bright set him on fire right in the middle of the bridge. She was our Commanding Officer before Spitfire took over, and that little ritual stuck. It is the best way to get new pilots used to the flight suit and trust it to keep them alive," High Flyer added.

"Isn't that kind of dangerous? What if it fails and we get hurt?" Lightning Blitz interjected, sounding concerned. I didn't question their methods; hopefully, they knew what they were doing.

"We don't do this to make sure they work. They get tested and fully charged before they are hoofed out. It's 100% safe. You could run around fully on fire for an hour, and nothing would happen. They are designed to keep you alive in open space after all," High Flyer said.

"That sounds like a challenge to me," I added absentmindedly. That got a disapproving glare from everypony in the room.

"If you want to get thrown out. These suits are your life insurance, not something to play around with, is that understood!" High Flyer said. Her expression changed in an instant from friendly to disapproving.

"Sorry, Ma'am. It was meant as a joke, nothing more."

She studied my expression for a moment before continuing. "Let me introduce the rest of the team. This is Lieutenant, Junior Grade Strafe Run and Dark Wisp."

That was when I noticed that Strafe Run was a unicorn, not a pegasus like the other pilots. He had a moss green coat and an azure blue mane and tail. His eyes did not match the rest of him at all, being bright pink. Dark Wisp was black with a greyish-blue tail and mane, and dark yellow eyes.

Apparently, Lightning Blitz noticed as well and voiced her question before I could. "If you don't mind me asking, Sir, I didn't know there were any unicorn pilots left."

The unicorn in question answered us. "Don't worry. I'm the last one on the Harmony," He said jokingly. Lightning Blitz's tone did not indicate that she disliked him being here. I was so sure she would look down on him for being inferior or something like that. "At the moment, I'm training to be a flight instructor. As soon as I get my license, I will work full-time and step down as a pilot. I'm good, but the new fighters are limited in their performance if you're not a pegasus."

"On that note. Admiral Twilight has given you permission to train our new pilots. She thinks it would be a good way to prepare you for the exams," High Flyer said.

"Okay then, I'm going to thank her later. How about we head down and get you into your first simulated mission. Permission to go all out, Ma'am?" Strafe Run asked.

"Go for it. I recommend scenario Epsilon Three for the full experience."

We didn't talk much longer after that. Dark Wisp wasn't a pony of many words, and I was excited to get started and to show them my skills.

The simulator room was just five decks down. Strafe Run took the opportunity to show us how to access the stairs in case of an emergency. Now, with a purpose other than just the tour I took in the sight. Right next to the door was a small control station; it would allow a pony to set parameters for the simulation. These settings would then be sent to the simulator cockpits, and the integrated enchantments would create a virtual world. There was almost no telling it apart from reality. The room had twenty of those cockpits. The simulators could be connected to each other, allowing the pilots to share a simulated world. What I would have given for that sort of equipment when I was younger, but the civilian versions of these had severe limitations and still cost more bits than a small house.

Still standing at the entrance, Strafe Run addressed us. "Have you ever flown the MKII before? I'm unsure if they already have these simulators at the Academy."

"They do, but they are still new, and most instructors are not trained on them yet. That's why they still use the MK I's," Lightning Blitz replied.

Strafe run nodded. "Okay, I'm going to give you some short instructions. The flight controls are completely different; getting used to them might take some time." He approached one of the cockpits. "Iridian Bolt, take a seat." I did as I was told, sitting down in the cockpit. It felt a little weird, and the flight controls were awkwardly placed to the side of me; I couldn't reach them at all with my hoofs. "First of all, lay down on your belly and use your wings for the controls."

That was a lot more comfortable. Using my Wings instead of my hoofs to fly the fighter would take some time to get used to, but I could see the reasoning behind it. We have a lot more fine control with our wings. 'Now I understand why unicorns no longer fly these fighters.' They could use their magic to control them, but doing so without seeing what they were manipulating with their magic was almost impossible and took a lot of concentration. The use of one's wings on the other hoof came instinctual to us pegasi.

"Let me adjust your seat. You should be able to comfortably reach the instruments with your front hoofs. Use your back legs to stabilise yourself. The fighter's own antigravity fields will prevent you from moving around if you pull tight corners, but under extreme forces, they can't fully keep up, so make sure you brace yourself during tight turns. The simulator uses the same system to give you a sense of movement," Strafe Run continued. After making sure I was settled in, he turned away from me. "Lightning Blitz, take that one over there and get yourself settled in."

I was still trying to get comfortable but had some difficulties with my wings. I always had bigger wings than other ponies, and this was a downside now. It was a little cramped. After more wiggling around, Strafe Run approached me again after he ensured Lightning Blitz was positioned correctly.

"Hold on a moment," he said before pressing a button on the side and adjusting my seat some more.

"Thanks, that's better. Can you move the controls a little closer?" I asked, and he pressed a few more buttons until I was finally comfortable.

"After training, make sure to memorise the position number so you can quickly adjust the simulator for the next session. I would recommend taking notes when you adjust it later on. That will help the mechanics better fit your fighter's cockpit to your size. Adjusting it after it is fitted is always a hassle, so don't hesitate to experiment in the simulator later to get the perfect position. For now, this will do," Strafe Run said.

He stepped away and went to the simulator controls, input something, and then went to another cockpit. The simulation started, and we found ourselves inside the Harmony hangar.

I could hear Strafe Run talking to us. The enchantments made it sound like he was talking to us over the fighter's communicator. "We are going to start out easy. This will be the position you find yourself in after you board your fighter inside the hangar."

I took a look around. Everything looked almost identical to the real thing, except there were no ponies. I could see the yellow line in front of me. A small jolt ran through the ship as it started to move on its own.

"The fighters get positioned for launch automaticity, keeps the accident rate low and allows us to launch entire Wings at the same times others come in for landing," Strafe Run continued his explanations.

I came to a stop right next to the hangar's white glowing shield. Looking around again, I could see Strafe Run to my right. It was impressive. If I didn't know better, I would have guessed he was right there and not in his own simulator. I couldn't see Lightning Blitz; she must have been on his other side.

"This will be similar to starting from an airfield; just give it full throttle. After you leave the hanger, I want you to keep going straight for ten seconds and then kill your acceleration. This is standard procedure. After that, you will get new instructions." He gave us a few seconds to orient ourselves. "3...2...1... lets go."

And with that, he was off. Lightning Blitz followed close behind Strafe Run, and I left the hangar shortly after. This was a new experience for me. Yes, we did orbital flights in the Academy, but this was something completely different. The only thing I could see was the blackness of empty space.

Lightning Blitz seemed to have a few problems herself. "Wow. How do I orient myself out here? There are no reference points anywhere. I don't even have a speed indicator on this thing. Why didn't we learn this in the Academy?"

The chuckle from Strafe Run made me glad I didn't ask that question. He still answered her even though it was a stupid question. "Because they only cover the basics. This sort of training was always going to be handled at the locations you get stationed at."

That made sense. The training at the Academy couldn't possibly cover everything, and we only studied there for two years. Not that I needed the extra training.

"I want you to look at your heads-up display or HUD. The central dot is your fighter. You should see two other dots next to it. These are other ships surrounding you." I took a look, and sure enough, I could see my fighter as well as Lightning Blitz and Strafe Run. They were even labelled with an acronym of their name.

"Yes, I can see them. But shouldn't we see the Harmony as well on there?" Lightning Blitz asked.

"You can scroll through different zoom levels on the right of the display. It will automatically change the level if an unknown object closes in on you. You can also change that setting to include known objects if you like. The number next to the object is your relative speed to it. In this case, it should be close to zero."

I could see the Harmony on my display after adjusting the zoom level. The number next to it was a lot higher than I thought it would be. At the moment, we were moving away from it at around 150 trots per second, and with no air to slow us down, we would keep that speed until we slowed down. 'Going this fast in only ten seconds, these Drives are quite powerful, and that is without my magic.'

The simulator stuttered for a moment, confusing me about what just happened, but Strafe Run answered that question shortly after. "I just took a safe state of your position for us to come back to later. For now, just experiment a bit, pull some manoeuvrers to get a feel for it, and try to keep within a radius of 5 kt around me. I'm setting up an operating area. The OA will be displayed on your HUD."

As soon as he finished his explanation, I pushed the accelerator forward as far as it would go. I wasn't about to do one of the boring old exercises we did in the Academy; no, I was going all out. On a few occasions, I went far past the OA, having difficulties keeping myself stable. Making a note to adjust my seat later, I continued to pull even more complex manoeuvres.

"Iridian Bolt, try to stay inside the radius. Lightning Blitz, stop doing this by the book. I want you to go all out as well," Strafe Runs instructed.

I tried my best to stay inside our OA but found it difficult because some of the moves I pulled took me through the entire thing. I also had some difficulties keeping my speed in check, which led to me blasting off into the distance a few times.

"You two are doing great; just focus on fine control to keep yourself close by, and remember the best way to slow down is to rotate your ship around and accelerate."

That was easier said than done. It already took a lot of work to control the ship with my wings. After a few minutes of fumbling around, my patience started to wane. 'Why is this so hard? This should be easy.' I took some time to concentrate more on my wings to keep the fighter stable. That was when I noticed a faint glow around them. I could hear a voice over the communicator saying something, but I was too focused on my wings to understand anything, and the glow continued to intensify.

After taking a deep breath, I looked at my location. Seeing that I had already gone way too far, I turned around and accelerated to full. I didn't expect my fighter to make a mighty lunch forward, the Antigrav System that simulated G-Forces pressing me against the leg rest. It didn't take long for me to shoot out the other side of the OA, leaving me disoriented and in pain. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a warning signal blinking and beeping.

"Iridian Bolt, can you hear me?" Strafe Run called out to me with concern in his voice.

To get my nerves under control, I let go of my flight controls and relaxed for the moment to calm down. 'This is a simulation, nothing to be afraid of.' It didn't help much. "Yes, Sir. I'm a bit shaken, but otherwise okay. There is a red light, and the Drive is not responding."

"That is normal. You tripped the safety override. It prevents the Antigrav from causing you injuries if you pull too many G's." With a bright flash, the simulation ended. Strafe Run approached me and helped me out of the cockpit. I managed to stand on my own shaky hoofs, and he led me to the exit. "Lightning Blitz, feel free to continue. I'm going to get Iridian Bolt to the infirmary. If you want to stop, there is a big red button under your controls. If something happens, another instructor or I will be informed and come help you."

Lightning Blitz nodded with a slightly worried look on her face. I wasn't sure she was worried for me or herself, though. We made our way through the Harmony towards the nearest infirmary. As we passed, I got a few worried looks from other crew members, and I tried to hide how shaken I was.

As soon as we entered the infirmary, one of the medical staff noticed and approached us. "What happened to her?" he asked while helping me into one of the medical beds.

"She had her first simulator flight and lost control of her magic," Strafe Run answered for me.

"This doesn't look like normal magic exhaustion." He looked at me again. "What happened?" I didn't know the answer to his question and shook my head. "Can you tell me your rank, name and where you are?"

"Ensign Iridian Bolt, and I'm on board the Harmony inside the infirmary near the simulator room."

He nodded. "Good. Now, can you tell me what happened to her, Strafe?"

"She had a rather violent magic flare. Tripped the Antigrav override and the simulator's main safety switch."

"All that on her first flight? Didn't you instruct her on proper safety?" He moved one of my legs, and I winced in pain. "It looks like she sprained her right rear leg as well."

"I have never seen a pegasy instinctually use her magic. I didn't teach her that, so I assumed this couldn't happen. I take full responsibility for it," Strafe Run said.

I was just confused at this point. What were they talking about? Magic flares were something unicorns got before they learned how to control their magic properly. "What do you mean magic flare?" I had to ask.

"Pegasy magic can flare the same way any other magic can. Normal use of it is just instinctual to them; that is why it doesn't happen under normal circumstances. Feeding power directly into the Pegasus Drive or the simulator is different; it takes conscious effort. That's why Strafe Run here didn't expect you to do it," the doctor explained. He turned to Strafe Run and continued. "Did you get the reading of the flare?"

"Yes, I took a short look at it. There was a gradual build-up and then a 745% spike. I have never seen something this violent."

The doctor turned to me with a shocked expression. His eyes were as large as dinner plates. "You are lucky this happened in the simulator. Otherwise, you'd probably be dead. The Antigrav in the simulator is not strong enough to seriously harm you, but without the safety built into it, a sprained leg would have been the least of your worries."

I was in shock. I was still shaken up by the events, but being told that I could have died was a severe blow. I wasn't even realising the doctor checking the rest of me for injuries.

"Okay, you are free to leave. I put a healing spell on your leg, it should be healed by tomorrow. You also need to drink a lot today to help you recover from magic exhaustion. It will take a few weeks to fully recover, but by tomorrow, you should be able to exercise it again. You're not on active duty at the moment, so there is no need to take you off." He made some notes on a piece of paper before addressing Strafe Run again. "I recommend you get some food into her and then help her to her quarters."

"Thanks, Doc," I said.

He nodded at me before turning to Strafe Run again. "And I will file a report with the senior instructor. You're not in trouble, Strafe, but I think she needs somepony to help her learn about her magic. I know the way we unicorns use it doesn't transfer well to pegasi, and because of that, I'm going to recommend that she get a different instructor."

"Yeah, don't worry, I understand, Doc. Let's get going, Iridian Bolt."

"Bye, Doc, and thanks. Hey, Strafe Run, I know it's inappropriate for me to ask, but can you call me Iridian? I think this bonding experience could qualify us as being friends."

That got a pleasant smile on his face. "Sure, Iridian, I like that. You can call me Strafe. But keep in mind that on missions, we still have to be professional. Admiral Twilight encourages us to be friends with each other no matter the rank, but the protocol is there for a reason."

"Yes, Sir!" I said mockingly.

He rolled his eyes, and I giggled behind a hoof. A Friend. I never had real friends before. I always saw other ponies around me as my competitors. Sure, competing with someone in a race could be fun, but I never thought of them as friends. I hope I don't mess up with my very first one.

As we exited the infirmary, I could have sworn I saw a large purple pony standing in the corner of the room. I dismissed it as me still feeling groggy after the incident with the simulator.