Sundance sped towards the exit of the Mech Bay, nearly keeping pace with the medium and light Mechs. Many of the cadets had switched to a different Mech today and they looked almost like a real army rushing out of the Bay as a result. The Commander had abandoned his usual Mad Dog for a Solitaire and was leading the way back to the training field. "Look alive, cadets. Live fire training starts today, so this is not a time to be asleep at the controls. If any of you fire before I say so, you will be cleaning the entire hangar, along with every Mech in it, for the rest of the month."

"Come on, guys! You heard what the Commander said, we get to fire our weapons today!" Sundance called over a private comms channel to his friends. He glanced at the rear camera and saw his friends ambling not far behind him. "It's so good to have you back, Solis. Having a permanent companion like the one I had to deal with yesterday would have been unbearable," he thought.

Solis purred cheerfully, just as excited to be in a full BattleMech as Sundance was. It hadn't even been a full minute yet, but she was already adjusting well to the expansive systems of the Hellbringer and was nearly functioning at her normal speed thanks to the help from the battle computer.

"Is it just me, or does Sundance suddenly seem unusually happy? It's kind of creeping me out a bit," Mist said from inside his new 'Mech. Chartreuse had switched from the Summoner today, and he had jumped on the chance for a heavy OmniMech.

Chartreuse laughed in her usual, kind way. "I'm guessing the DI computer swap worked?" she asked. Surprisingly, when she asked what other BattleMechs were available, the Commander offered to let her try out an assault Mech. She had agreed, obviously.

"Yep. Solis is just fine in here as far as I can tell. No problems at all, just a bit of lag as she adjusts." Sundance patted the controls gently, and Solis hummed happily.

"Solis? You named your Mech?" Chartreuse asked, intrigued.

"Yeah. Solis is a misspelling of the word solace. I liked the meaning and sound of it, so I just changed the spelling around a bit to make it a name." Sundance shielded his eyes as he and Solis stepped out of the Bay. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun had risen well above the mountains. It was a beautiful day, perfectly reflecting how Sundance felt.

Solis beeped encouragingly. She was happy that Sundance had given her a name, considering none of her past pilots had even bothered thinking of her as more than a machine. It was a wonderful change of pace.

"I still can't believe the Commander let you pilot an assault Mech. A Clan Marauder, of all things! I thought you said they were only for the older cadets, Vermilion?" Mist said. He had been moping nonstop ever since Chartreuse had excitedly told them she had been given an assault Mech.

"They're supposed to be. I guess Commander Charcoal decided to make an exception." Vermilion had opted to keep his Timber Wolf Prime. He was almost as good at piloting 'Mechs as Sundance was, so it made sense he wouldn't want to give up one he had almost immediately formed a bond with. While he couldn't understand a 'Mech's emotions, just like the rest of the other cadets, he was very good at making his 'Mech understand him and what he wanted it to do.

"Maybe Commander Charcoal isn't as mean as you said he is. I think he genuinely cares about all of us, and he wants what's best for the Sibko," Chartreuse said as she folded her forelegs.

"Hmph." Vermilion pressed the throttle forward to pass Sundance and catch up with the other cadets as he left the comm channel.

Chartreuse giggled and pulled up beside Sundance. Her massive Marauder struggled to keep up with the much lighter 'Mechs, and it shook the ground heavily as it walked. "I guess he couldn't handle being proved wrong. By a mare, no less," she said jokingly. "I hope I didn't hurt his masculine pride too much."

Sundance laughed. He was pretty sure Solis was laughing too, but it wasn't something he had felt from her before. "I guess not. So what exactly is on that thing? I know Mist said it's eighty-five tons, but that doesn't tell me much, other than it's fucking huge."

Chartreuse thought for a second. "Hmm... Let's see... It's got two medium pulse lasers, four ER small lasers, and three ER PPC's. The Commander said he thought I'd like this Mech, so I decided to give it a shot. Figuratively speaking," she said.

"That's a really good loadout. I heard it's supposed to be a real workhorse," Mist said as he chuckled at his own bad joke.

Chartreuse sighed. "It's a bit slow compared to the others, but hopefully it makes up for that today. Speaking of which, we're almost at the training field, so enough of your puns." The cadets all began slowing down as they neared where the Commander had stopped, and Chartreuse went to stand next to Vermilion.

Mist pulled up next to Sundance, feeling dejected. "It wasn't that bad of a joke. Was it?" he asked.

Sundance shook his head at his friend and went to stand next to Chartreuse and Vermilion, leaving Mist to seriously reconsider his humor.

Over in the distance, Sundance could see massive steel targets in the shapes of different BattleMechs situated in front of the mountain. It was hard to see from a distance, but they didn't look like full Mechs, just cheap models. The different parts of the Mechs were painted in different colors, presumably so the cadets could identify them easily.

"As I said earlier, you are going to be firing your weapons today for the first time. It is critical that you pay attention to everything I say. We do not need another accident like what happened five years ago," Commander Charcoal began.

"What happened last year? Did someone die?" Mist asked jokingly over their private comm channel.

"Yes, actually," Vermilion cut in. "My brother told me about it the last time I saw him. One of the idiot cadets was messing around and fired all of his weapons while aiming at another cadet's cockpit. I'd assume the cadet responsible for the death was executed, but nobody knows for sure."

Mist leaned back in his seat and scratched the back of his head. "Oh. Shit. I uh, I didn't mean to-"

"Yeah, we all know what you're trying to do. You're not impressing anyone." The other cadets all suddenly ran off down the field in the direction of the targets Sundance had noticed earlier. Vermilion turned to follow them. "Try thinking about what you say before you open your mouth next time." Vermilion ran off after the other cadets and left trails of dust as his Timber Wolf stepped through the dirt.

Chartreuse turned the torso of her Marauder towards Mist and Sundance. "Let's go. Commander Charcoal told us to line up by weight, so the four of us are on the end. And keep your weapons lock on so you don't blast a hole in somepony." Mist opened his mouth to speak, but Chartreuse lumbered away in her 'Mech before he could say anything. He turned towards Sundance, dispirited.

"They'll forgive you, Mist. Just make sure you apologize to Vermilion before the day is up. Remember what happened to his brother," Sundance said comfortingly. "Come on, let's not get the Commander after us by sitting around." Sundance headed after the other cadets with Mist trudging along behind him through the dirt.

The four of them lined up at the end of the line of 'Mechs facing the targets, with Chartreuse in her Marauder on the very end. She was followed by Vermilion in his Timber Wolf, Mist in his Summoner, and finally, Sundance and Solis. The only other heavy Mech being used by the first year cadets was on Sundance's right, and if he remembered correctly, it was a Clan Rifleman.

Commander Charcoal stepped out in front of the cadets in his Solitaire next to Chartreuse. The top of his tiny 'Mech barely reached the height of the Marauder's hip actuators, and it was strangely comical. "You see those targets? They are about two hundred meters out from the firing line, so it is a bit closer of an engagement distance than some of your 'Mechs are designed for," he said as he motioned towards a red line painted onto the ground a short distance from the cadets. "You will all be split into groups based on your 'Mech's classifications later this week, but for now, this is how we will operate."

He started walking down the line of cadets. "What we are going to do is have one cadet at a time step up to the firing line. They are going to fire for a full minute as often as possible without shutting down from the heat. You will get three scores; effectiveness, heat tolerance, and number of overheats."

The Commander stopped at the end of the line next to the other light Mechs and turned back around. "If any of you override the shutdown sequence and burn out your Mech, you will be the one to explain to Cadmium exactly why a perfectly good 'Mech now needs an overhaul. Assuming you survive, of course." He turned back towards the light Mech at the end of the line. "We will start with you. Do not turn off your weapons lock until I say so, and turn it back on as soon as I tell you."

The cadet walked up to the firing line nervously. It was a strange 'Mech Sundance hadn't recalled ever seeing before. Both of its arms were mounted high above its torso, giving it a unique silhouette. "That's a Fire Moth, one of the fastest light 'Mechs in the Clans," Mist explained. "It's really unusual to see one in a training camp. I wonder why it's here?" he wondered aloud.

"Oh, and the targets move, so be aware of that," the Commander said, almost as an afterthought. "Weapons lock off, and begin!" Almost immediately the Fire Moth began firing all of its weapons, being lasers and missiles as far as Sundance could tell. Most of the missiles from the first volley completely missed the target as it suddenly shot sideways, but the pilot managed to rake one of the lasers over the target. After a brief lull while the weapons cooled and reloaded, the Fire Moth continued firing. This cycle continued for about half a minute, by which point the cadet seemed to get his aim dialed in and was landing almost half of his shots.

Mist shook his head. "He's firing too much. That config of the Fire Moth has ten double heat sinks, but it can't fire indefinitely." He eyed the smoke coming out of the 'Mech. "That's a bad sign. He has to be close to-"

Mist cut off as the Fire Moth automatically shut down and its arms drooped as it vented smoke out into the air. Surprisingly, Sundance actually remembered when all the cadets were taught about automatic shut downs. 'Mechs were designed to shut down before their internal temperature reached the point where they damaged themselves by melting their electronics or synthetic muscles.

"There it is. That's what happens when you don't watch your heat. If that happens in battle, you'll be a sitting duck," Mist explained. "It's actually still possible to damage your Mech even if it shuts down by itself depending on the Mech's loadout and the pilot's carelessness. Neither of us really have to worry about that, though. Chartreuse, however... Every single weapon on her Mech is an energy weapon." Mist glanced over at her. "With a loadout like that, it wouldn't be hard for a new MechWarrior fry their Mech despite all of its safety protocols. I hope she's as good at heat management as she is at piloting."

"Don't worry about her, Mist. Chartreuse is one of the best pilots in the Sibko." Sundance said to his friend.

"I know, but... it's hard not to worry about her. It's like those superhero comics I used to read as a colt. I had always imagined myself as the hero, facing extreme danger and always coming out on top despite the odds. But I never thought about it from the point of view of the hero's friends and family, all of whom must have been worried sick because they wanted the hero to be safe, but there was nothing they could do to help. I guess I kind of understand them now.

"And I know she isn't going to make a stupid mistake like that. It's like you said, she's an amazing MechWarrior. Ever since Vermilion told us about Comman- uh... about what war is really like, I've been thinking about it a lot. Even if she's an amazing MechWarrior, what if she gets into a situation even she couldn't handle? There's nopony who could survive something like a swarm of Dire Wolves or Warhawks, no matter how good of a MechWarrior they are or what 'Mech they're piloting." Mist sighed. "This whole situation of being thrown into war is just terrifying."

Sundance stared at his friend, surprised. "Wow. That was uncharacteristically mature for Mist," he thought. "I think you should just worry about what's here in front of you. We have years until they put us into battle."

Mist sighed again. "I know, you're right. I'm still going to worry, though. I've always just ignored my problems instead of facing them, which obviously hasn't taught me anything." Neither of them said anything for a long moment. While they had been talking, all of the cadets in light 'Mechs had already taken their turn, and they were halfway down the line of mediums. There was a Stormcrow on the firing line currently that was blazing away with its array of lasers. Many of the shots completely missed the target, but the cadet managed to get a few good hits in before their turn was up.

After a while, Mist finally broke the silence. "It hardly even feels like we're twelve. I don't know about you, but the past five years have felt like an eternity for me." Mist rested his head on his seat and stared out of the Summoner's cockpit. "Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if the soldiers had never invaded. I guess I'd probably be in school right now, reading a comic behind my textbook or doodling 'Mechs in the margins of my notes," he said, chuckling a bit. "But here I am instead, talking about life and worrying about war. Foalhood is great."

Sundance nodded. "Yeah, I get what you mean. We're young, but we're definitely not colts anymore."

Mist looked over at Sundance. "If we make it through this somehow, what are you going to do afterwards?"

Sundance thought about that for a few moments. "I don't really know. I've never thought ahead that far." He scratched his neck. "I guess the first thing I'd do is sleep until lunchtime and eat a decent meal for once. After that, who knows? Maybe I'd get a job as a Tech, or become an arena pilot."

"That sounds like you. Never been one to plan ahead," Mist said as he grinned at Sundance. "Ideally, I'd want to settle down somewhere quiet with Chartreuse and never set hoof in another battlefield. After seeing how bad of a pilot I am, I doubt I'd last very long in war, so the sooner I get out, the better. My dreams of grandeur will have to go to someone else."

The last medium stepped away from the firing line, having spent most of its time shut down. Sundance didn't recognize what 'Mech it was, but he had seen a lot of laser fire out of the corner of his eye. The Clan Rifleman next to Sundance stepped forward, and he noticed the Mech swayed quite a bit as it walked. "I guess they're not used to the extra weight. It does take quite a bit to get used to, I guess," Sundance thought, eyeing the 'Mech as it overshot the firing line. It turned around slowly before trudging back across it.

"Come on, cadet! We do not have all day to wait while you lumber around. I know the weight of a heavy takes work to get used to, but we can not wait around anymore," Commander Charcoal said over the comms. The cadet nodded and turned back around to face the target. "Now begin!"

The Rifleman fired all of its lasers immediately and missed with every single one. Mist shook his head again. "He has the same problem as the Fire Moth pilot. The Clan Rifleman has nineteen double heatsinks, but even that isn't enough to cool four Large Pulse Lasers firing simultaneously for long." He glanced down the line of cadets. "I wasn't really paying attention to how the other cadets were doing, but the Commander doesn't look happy. If most of the others are having the same problems we have a lot of work to do."

Almost as soon as Mist stopped talking, the Rifleman shut down and blasted waves of heat out of its exhaust vents. Sundance looked at the target. If he had to guess, only a third of the cadet's lasers had actually hit, and there was barely any damage to the critical components on the target. "I'm sure everypony's aim is going to get better eventually, but I agree their heat management shouldn't be this bad. It's like nopony actually paid attention during our classes about heat management," he said.

Mist chuckled. "Well, I guess we're about to see how much you listened in class." He nodded towards the Rifleman, which had turned toward them and was trudging back to the line of cadets.

"More than him, I'm assuming." Sundance walked up to the firing line and glanced at the weapons display. "One LB 20-X Autocannon with cluster rounds, two ER Medium Lasers, a single ER Small Laser, an ER Large Laser, and an ATM 6 with medium range ammunition. This shouldn't be too bad," he thought.

"Weapons lock off, begin!"

Sundance fired the small and medium lasers first to get a feel for the weapons systems. The lasers shot over the target and completely missed. Sundance adjusted his aim down slightly, struggling to follow the moving target. "This is harder than I thought it'd be," he thought. Solis hummed encouragingly, trying to help him keep his focus. He brought the crosshairs over the target and fired the large laser, hitting the left torso of the fake Mech. The laser moved all over the target as he followed it, but he managed to keep it on target for most of its duration.

"I think I'm getting the hang of it. Let's give the autocannon a try." Sundance fired the small and medium lasers again, using them as a guide for the autocannon. When the lasers glanced past the center torso of the Mech, he fired the autocannon. Disappointingly, the spread of cluster rounds only glanced the right torso with the rest flying past the target. "Damn." Sundance glanced at the heat indicator. "Forty-seven percent. Still plenty of room left," he thought. He fired the large laser again, then the autocannon, using the large laser like he had the small and mediums. This shot was much closer to where he had intended, and about half of the cluster shot landed on the center torso. Solis beeped excitedly.

"Now we're getting somewhere. Maybe I should try out the ATM's," he thought as he glanced back at the weapons screen. "I wonder if I can lock on to the target. I don't know what the point of target practice would be if some of the 'Mechs here couldn't use their missiles." Sundance pressed the targeting button, and the Hellbringer beeped as the target was highlighted on his heads-up display and its information popped up on one of the screens. "Huh. I guess that answers that question," he thought. He brought the crosshairs over the target again and waited while the missiles locked on to the target. After a brief delay, Sundance heard a long, harsh whine, and he fired the ATM. Its six missiles fired out of the Hellbringer's right torso, and all of them flew through the air and managed to hit the target.

"Not bad. Let's keep going." Sundance fired the lasers and autocannon again, managing to keep almost all of his shots on target. He smiled to himself. "This isn't all that bad. Maybe I will be an arena pilot after I get out of the military," he thought. The Mech's voice and a noticeable increase in the cockpit's temperature brought him out of his focus, notifying him of the heat levels.

Heat Level Critical.

Sundance glanced at the heat indicator again. "Ninety-two percent? I guess I got a bit carried away," he thought. Solis beeped agreeably, struggling slightly with the elevated temperature. She didn't have to deal with much heat as a training 'Mech, so this was a strange situation for her to be in.

Sundance kept firing the weapons for the rest of his turn, managing to hit most of his shots and keep the heat level below eighty percent. The cockpit temperature steadily rose, but before it became uncomfortably hot the life support system kicked in and started drawing the heat out into the open air. Had he not been wearing the cooling suit, he would have been in danger of a heat stroke with the temperature so high.

"That is enough. Weapons lock on and head back. Nicely done, cadet Sundance," Commander Charcoal said. Sundance sighed and leaned back into his seat.

"Phew. That was more stressful than I expected it to be," Sundance thought. Solis buzzed happily, glad that Sundance was proud of himself. She could tell confidence was something he really needed. As Sundance turned back towards the line of cadets, Mist cut in on their private comm channel.

"That was really good. You actually managed to hit the target, which surprised me. I was expecting you to whiff every single shot." Mist winked at him. "Let a real MechWarrior show you how it's done. I'll probably have the best heat management and accuracy out of anypony here."

Sundance grinned at his friend as they walked towards each other. "I'll never let you hear the end of it if you overheat," he said.

Mist stuck his tongue out at Sundance before stepping up towards the firing line. His Summoner stomped to a halt and waited. At the Commander's order, Mist began firing at the target he had selected. A couple of lasers shot out of his Mech, which were followed by an autocannon barrage and a missile salvo. Sundance couldn't recall the specifics of what was on the Summoner C, but he remembered Mist bragging about the Ultra Autocannon/20 on it. The UAC/20 was one of the best close range weapons that could be mounted on a Mech, and from the looks of the target Mist shot at, it certainly did a good job of tearing up armor.

Over the course of the next minute, Mist continued his assault on the target and impressed Sundance with how many shots he managed to hit. Mist wasn't as accurate as Sundance, he noted, but he was still quite a bit better than the other cadets. By the time Commander Charcoal called him back, the target was barely recognizable. "Shit, that autocannon really did a number on the target," Sundance thought. Solis beeped in agreement.

Mist sauntered back over to the line of cadets. "How was that? Never reached above seventy percent heat," he said proudly over the private comm channel.

"That was actually really good. You weren't as accurate as me, of course, but I have to give you credit for your heat management," Sundance replied as he leaned back in his seat.

Mist pressed a hoof to his chest in an exaggeratedly conceited way. "Well, of course I did well. It would've taken a miracle for me to do worse than the other cadets." The two of them laughed at this, the painful truth of it only making the joke funnier. "Anyway, let's watch Vermilion. I want to see what he can do with that Timber Wolf," Mist said, turning around to watch. Vermilion had already walked up to the starting line and was gazing out at the targets. "I hope he won't stay mad at me for long."

Sundance looked at his friend sympathetically. "I'm sure he won't as long as you give him a heartfelt apology. I know he looks tough on the outside, but I think he's a lot nicer than he lets on," he said.

"I sure hope so. I don't want to lose any of the friends I've made here. I don't think I could go back to the way things were when I was alone." Mist sighed. "I wish-"

Mist cut off as Vermilion began firing and an excessive amount of missiles fired from the Timber Wolf's two shoulder-mounted missile racks. The Long Range Missiles struggled to hit the relatively close target, but a decent percentage of them managed to connect. Shortly afterward, the Mech's array of lasers and machine guns began blasting at the target.

"Holy shit. I had a feeling that was going to be amazing to watch, but I didn't quite expect that," Mist said in awe. "The Timber Wolf Prime carries two Long Range Missile-20 launchers. LRM's are really hard to hit at close range, so I'm surprised he managed to hit as many as he did," he explained to Sundance. "I've never seen that many missiles fired at the same time. I can't imagine how terrifying it would be to get hit by that."

Sundance nodded. The missile salvo had blasted pretty much all of the paint off of the target, and the Timber Wolf's lasers were making quick work of tearing apart what was left. Sundance turned towards Mist. "What were you going to say?"

Mist shook his head. "It's not important." He glanced towards his friend. "You know, I think Vermilion might even be about as accurate as you are. He's certainly hitting most of his shots," he said with a grin. Sundance shot him a wry look. "Although, he doesn't seem to be watching his heat quite as closely. He's going to overheat if he isn't careful."

Mist was unsurprised when the Timber Wolf shut down a few moments later. Sundance wasn't as good at noticing when a 'Mech was overheating as Mist was, but he had noticed Vermilion was firing the lasers quite a bit. "That was bound to happen. He was firing the ER Large Lasers way too much. He probably would have been fine otherwise," Mist said.

After a brief delay, the Mech powered back up and resumed its onslaught against the target. Before long, his time was up and the Commander called him back. Vermilion turned around towards the line of cadets and walked over to stand in his place next to Mist.

"I can't get over how graceful the Timber Wolf is when it walks," Mist said with a nod toward Chartreuse, who was lumbering slowly towards the firing line in her 'Mech. "Especially compared to massive 'Mechs like the Clan Marauder."

Sundance nodded. "You're right. I guess all of the weapons on the Marauder make up for that, though."

Mist nodded. "Yeah, none of the 'Mechs here would stand much of a chance up against that beast, even if Chartreuse was as bad of a pilot as them." Chartreuse finally reached the firing line, and the Commander gave her the OK to begin.

Sundance and Mist were both taken aback when Chartreuse began firing. The three ER PPC's nearly blasted a hole all the way through the target, and the lasers made short work of tearing apart what was left. There was a brief delay while the Marauder vented its heat before it continued firing salvo after devastating salvo. What impressed Sundance the most was the number of shots Chartreuse missed, or rather, the lack thereof. By the time her minute was up, he had counted four missed PPC shots and only a hoofful of lasers missed.

She turned back around and stomped to her spot in line. Mist stared at the target with his mouth agape. Chartreuse's target had been blasted to pieces with chunks of armor littering the ground. Many of these pieces were still glowing red from the heat of the energy weapons.

"How did she do that without overheating? You made it sound like a huge problem with how much you were stressing about the energy weapons on her 'Mech," Sundance said to Mist.

Mist shook his head. "The Clan Marauder has twenty-one double heat sinks, so it excels at dispelling heat. Even so, she must have been really close to the heat threshold," he said.

Commander Charcoal walked down the line of cadets again, silencing them before cutting in on the comms. "That was an acceptable training session, I suppose. Accuracy will come with practice, but I expect all of you to review heat management before our next session. Some of you were particularly disappointing in this regard." He stopped at the end of the line next to Chartreuse. "Others, however, did exceptionally well. Including cadet Mist, which was unexpected." Mist huffed with outrage, but luckily he wasn't connected to the comms.

"We are done for the day. Now that all of you are familiar with your weapons, we are going to streamline target practice tomorrow. You will all be split into groups the next day based on skill level and the optimal engagement distance of your Mechs, so I suggest you make any final Mech switches before then. You are all dismissed," the Commander said before walking towards the exit of the field.

Mist glanced over at Sundance, who nodded to him. The sooner Mist apologized, the better. He turned towards Vermilion and was about to open a private comm channel, but the Timber Wolf wasn't standing where Mist had expected it to be. In fact, it wasn't anywhere nearby. He kept turning and found that Vermilion had already charged past him, and was halfway down the field before he could react. He looked back at Sundance, feeling discouraged.

"Don't worry, you can still talk to him before lunch if you hurry. Come on, let's try to catch up," Sundance said. Mist nodded, and the two of them charged off down the field. Most of the lights and mediums had already made it off the field, so it was pretty much empty by the time Mist and Sundance reached the exit, save for Chartreuse who was trudging along well behind them, and the Rifleman who was even further behind.

"I don't think we'll be able to catch up to Vermilion. He isn't any slower than we are. In fact, all three of our Mechs have the exact same top speed," Mist said as they raced down the path towards the hangar. They had lost Vermilion through the trees, but Sundance was fairly sure he could hear the Timber Wolf's heavy footsteps close ahead.

"We're not far behind him. The hangar is right here, so we should hurry," Sundance said as he nodded towards the Hangar Six, which had just become visible through the trees. He thought he caught a glance of Vermilion's Mech going through the massive doorway, which meant Mist could still make it in time.

"Well, wish me luck, I guess," Mist said before speeding ahead of Sundance. He disappeared past the hangar doors, not too far behind Vermilion.

Sundance sighed. "I hope everything goes well with Mist's apology. I don't think I was wrong about Vermilion, but you know how Mist is with words," he said to Solis. She hummed comfortingly. She had gotten a decent grasp of Mist's personality through the comms, and while she agreed he wasn't the most thoughtful pony, she was fairly confident his apology would get through if he truly meant it.

Sundance walked through the hangar, being careful not to step on anypony. While most of the cadets had the common sense to not walk in the middle of the floor where a Mech could easily crush them, it never hurt to be careful. He stepped carefully into Solis's 'Mech Bay and turned back around to face the open hangar.

"I guess that's it for today, Solis. Firing your weapons sure was fun, huh?" Solis beeped in agreement. She had never gotten to fire weapons before, and it was certainly an exciting experience she never thought she would be able to have. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. Hopefully we get to shoot a bunch more. Bye, Solis," Sundance though. Solis chimed a farewell, and he powered down the Hellbringer.

"I wonder how Mist's apology is going?" Sundance had noticed Mist racing across the catwalk as he neared the end of the hangar, presumably trying to get to the lockers before Vermilion did. Sundance got out of his 'Mech and took off his neurohelmet, blinking at the light. He caught Vermilion walking into the locker room, but he didn't see Mist anywhere, so he assumed he was already in there waiting for Vermilion. The catwalk shook as Chartreuse lumbered into the hangar, and Sundance walked around the catwalk to her Mech Bay and waited.

After Chartreuse shut down her Marauder in its Bay, the 'Mech's access hatch opened and she climbed out with her neurohelmet already tucked under one foreleg. Sundance walked up to where she was standing. "You were amazing out there. I didn't realize you were so good at shooting," Sundance said.

"Well, I did have the highest combat simulation score out of all the first-years," she replied. She gave him a strange look. "The two of you left the training field quickly. Where'd you get to in such a hurry?"

Sundance nodded towards the locker rooms. "Mist wanted to apologize to Vermilion. He feels pretty bad about the joke he made."

Chartreuse nodded. "Mist didn't really think that one through, did he? I kind of want to hear how it goes, so let's head over there." She led the way over to the locker rooms with Sundance close behind her. As they reached the locker rooms, Chartreuse nodded towards Sundance. "Let me know how it went. I can't exactly go into the boy's locker room," she said jokingly.

Sundance smiled. "Sure thing." They went into the separate locker rooms, and Sundance walked in just in time to hear the end of Mist's apology. He moved over to his locker, which was situated near Mist's, and began changing out of his cooling suit as he listened in on his friend's apology.

"...again, I'm really sorry about it. I honestly didn't mean anything by the joke," Mist said. He was standing next to Vermilion, who was busy stripping from his cooling suit.

"Yeah I know you weren't trying to be mean, but that wasn't exactly funny." He dropped the cooling suit on top of his neuro helmet and threw on his cadet jacket before slamming the locker shut. "I'll forgive you, but you had better not make pull any more stunts like that. I don't know if you're blind or stupid, but Chartreuse isn't going to like you for bad humor."

Mist scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I know. I'll figure something else out. Sorry again," Mist said. He finished changing into his own cadet jacket and closed his locker.

"Stop apologizing, damn. Once is enough. Now let's go eat lunch. You coming, Sundance?" Vermilion said as he walked towards the door.

"Yeah, give me a moment," Sundance said as he put on his jacket. He hung up his cooling suit and was about to close his locker door when he heard a squeal coming from somewhere else in the hangar. He turned to his friends. "Did you hear that?"

Vermilion and Mist nodded. "Yeah. Who was that?" Mist asked.

"No idea. I'm sure we'll find out if it's something important," Vermilion said before walking out the door. Sundance closed his locker, and he and Mist followed Vermilion out.

Just as Mist and Sundance walked out of the boys' locker room, the door to the girls' locker room crashed open and Chartreuse charged out excitedly, already having changed into her cadet jacket. "Guys, guys, look! Look at what happened!" She said, animatedly turning in a circle. "I finally got my cutie mark!"