Chapter 4
It was a while before I started to understand that the allies weren’t coming back to the Crystal Empire. I had since stopped going to school, not because of the fact that the lessons had become harder, but because my aunt didn’t have the money to send me anymore, nor since. She really was just a broken mare who lost her sister to a bomb run. She often groaned about the horrible treatment of the gryphons, but she never really refused the bits I brought in from entertaining the soldiers that had taken up an occupation of our town.
There was still little I understood then. I used to see the town marshal in the local inn every Tuesday when I went there for a weekly donut and a hot chocolate after school. He would often regale some foals of visiting families about the dangers of the frozen tundra that surrounded the Crystal Empire, stories of the old days, or the days when Sombra was the ruler, or how he remembered six mares arriving and, with the help of our Princess, vanquished him once and for all.
Now though, it had become a rather dreary place, not at all the welcoming sight it had been in the past. The gryphons had set up a sort of radio station inside, all but banning civilian entry. Most of the floors in this six floor hotel had been turned into a barracks. I couldn’t even get my donut and hot chocolate anymore.
Because of this, I spent a large amount of time in the tavern, playing my harmonica for the gryphons that took over from time to time. I did, however, learn that the pilots were the more respected of the occupying military members. Meteor Squadron in particular was treated by the citizens of Glacier to free food, drinks, lodging, and by more than one mare to a ‘good time’. I didn’t know what they meant, but the gryphons seemed to like it, even if the mares were poorly dressed.
Even with all this going on, I found myself staying around Meteor Six quite a bit. She seemed like the loner type, but I began to notice she had quiet an aggressive side. I saw a crystal pony bump into her by accident. He turned to try and apologize, but the only forgiveness he received was a clawed punch to the face, a kick to his groin and a boot out the door, all from this one gryphon. Everypony around her backed off, even the handsome gryphon male, who they called ‘your majesty’ for some reason, kept his distance when she was angry. Once she threw him though, she looked at me.
I hadn’t even flinched.
Her features calmed after that. She then sat back down next to me, and we continued our song.
Another silent night in the lounge. The only occupants were Rhapsody and her adolescent wingpony who sat at a small table in the corner, sipping a mug of hot cocoa that her leader had brewed for them both. The keeper was behind the counter, wiping it down for the morning that would bring in the great crowd of grumpy and grouchy officers.
Rhapsody grabbed her cup from the keeper and headed for the corner table. Her wings flexed and hugged her a little tighter, trying to shield her from the cold while her tail crept closer to her legs, as if seeking their warmth through her suit. She sat down, hunching closely to the table and wrapping her tail around her left leg. She stared deeply at Amethyst, her rose colored eyes looking towards the cool, steel blue of her counterpart. She was quiet. Of course, after today’s fight, she had every need to be.
During the debriefing, Spitfire had asked why Amethyst had quit fighting. She hadn’t heard the conversation, since she was at an emergency visit to the castle for the coming invasion plans. When she came back and heard about Amethyst’s predicament, she had debriefed Rhapsody personally, wondering what had happened.
“Flap trouble ma’am,” Rhapsody had said. “She was going a little steep and must’ve gotten a piece of hail lodged in it.”
Spitfire had raised her eyebrows and folded her arms. “That’s why she was flying straight? … At such a high altitude?” she asked skeptically.
“Yes ma’am,” Rhapsody replied, keeping her stance and expression neutral. “Her plane was damaged and she couldn’t maneuver properly. I escorted her back to base while Shade and Banshee pressed on and accomplished the mission.”
Spitfire then turned to the Crystal Pony, who managed to look impassive and utterly silent throughout the entire talk. “This true, Lieutenant?”
Amethyst nodded curtly. “Yes ma’am.”
Rhapsody knew it was a bold faced lie, she knew that Spitfire knew it was a bold faced lie, but they both knew she was young, incredibly so. She had fought hoof and nail to get herself into the cockpit and into the skies above Equis. Even so, the upper brass would have her flank doing desk work if they discovered she froze up and almost got herself killed during a dogfight. The Major said nothing else, merely making them promise it won’t happen again, or at the very least, won’t happen too often.
Which led them to this moment in the lounge.
Wraith sat across from Phantom, a gentle but stern stare emanating from her face. “Alright,” Rhapsody said softly. “Talk to me.”
Amethyst sighed and took another sip. It was warm, soft, Rhapsody had added extra marshmallows, but there was still a chill going down the crystal pony’s spine. “I had a moment,” she murmured.
“That’s putting it mildly,” Rhapsody replied, dismissing the simple answer. “You had a bandit on your tail and you froze up. You didn’t move, you didn’t evade, and you didn’t even make an effort to get away.” She leaned in. “It’s like you wanted him to shoot you down.”
Amethyst winced and shrank under the older mare’s gaze. Rhapsody’s wing tips rustled, trying to warm themselves, as if sensing their owner’s cold gaze. “Talk to me, Amethyst… what in the name of Celestia happened? You never froze up like that before. We've had a number of sorties together and suddenly you started freezing up. What's wrong?”
The young pilot swallowed and exhaled heavily, looking out at the moon above Canterlot. The sea green pegasus was patiently awaiting her answer, which so far was not being given so easily. Rhapsody knew that Amethyst was young and liked to take her time. Often times, it irritated her lead pony to no end. But this time, Rhapsody tried to keep her patience. Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long.
“I can’t shake him,” she murmured.
Rather cryptic response, if she ever did hear one. “What?”
“’I can’t shake him’,” Amethyst repeated. She then looked blankly at Rhapsody. “That was my brother’s last line before he was shot down.”
Rhapsody bit her lip and looked down at her mug of cocoa. “I heard about that,” she said softly.
Amethyst nodded. “There were four of us. I was flying a hornet then with the Imperial Air Force. We were given them by the Saddle Arabians, who were getting ready to replace them with F-15Cs,” she explained. Rhapsody reminded herself then that the other AEGIS nations were giving what arms they could to the Crystal Empire’s shattered Air Force. Even old planes, like MiG-21s from Saddle Arabia were welcome. It was pure luck they received hornets. “We took them up to intercept a group of Gryphons flying towards Manehattan.
“I was flying on his wing, and then we broke off to engage. I didn’t even get one, but my brother and my squad mates managed to get a whole number of them.” She then sniffed. “That was when the Meteor’s showed up. Five of them, like always. Blitz was taken down almost instantly. Streak got shot down covering me. Topaz…” Amethyst stopped and wiped her eyes before tears fell again. Rhapsody frowned. She knew that the young crystal pony was sensitive, but this must’ve been breaking her heart. And the sea green mare had never heard the exact details of Amethyst’s first dogfight.
Being the new wing leader of Ghost, she had been read in on all her pilots; Mythic was a model officer but prone to flirtatious acts bordering harassment and Sprig was proud to the point where somepony made a snarky comment about hippogriffs and she'd send them to the infirmary with claw marks or twisted limbs. Rhapsody had heard about Amethyst's first real dogfight, and what she did to send her to a bottom rung fighter wing, but she had hoped one day to get the specifics, and it seemed now was the time.
“Topaz and I went for a full throttle run back to friendly airspace, until he ended up getting one on his tail. He went down low, but the Meteor kept close pace and… Topaz… said he couldn’t shake him.” She dashed a hand across her eyes. “I tried to save him, but the Meteor was too quick. The missile hit him… and he… Rhapsody he just… it was like a fireball…” he suddenly hung her head. “He didn’t even scream… he just… went silent…”
“And you didn’t want to face his fate, so you ejected without even being shot down,” Rhapsody finished. She had read the pilot dossier, which said she ejected prematurely before she even had an enemy on her tail. Her hornet lost control and crashed into the ground, with no pilot to guide it from its doom.
“Because I got scared. I didn’t even get locked onto,” Amethyst added. She sniffed and looked down at her mug. “I should’ve just taken the missile… I got a front row seat to watching my brother’s fighter hit the ground. I lost my brother and I… was just… alone.” Amethyst’s face then turned sour, and angry. Rhapsody had never seen such an expression on this timid mare before. “I did catch sight of the fighter though, and the number written on the side.”
Now the older Lieutenant’s curiosity was peaked. While it had been astonishing to see this young mare put on even a frown, the ember Rhapsody noticed in her eyes was one that had her rapt attention. “Oh?” she asked simply.
“Su-37 Terminator. Meteor Squadron. Number Seven.”
Rhapsody nodded softly and leaned forward. "So you've got a vendetta out on this Meteor, huh?"
Amethyst lost the anger almost immediately and sniffed. "Maybe… if I wasn't such a coward." She sniffed again and Rhapsody scooted her chair a little closer, enough to drape a wing over the younger mare. Amethyst gave a whimper and leaned against her flight lead, who hummed and rubbed her arm.
"You're not a coward, Amethyst. If you were, you'd never had signed on to become a fighter pilot. And trust me when I say that when you're in the skies with us, you are never alone. Alright?" Rhapsody gave the mare a shake and received a sniffle and a nod. The two mares sat in silence and stared out the window, finishing their hot cocoas as they watched the stars wake to shine through the night.
High above the mainland, there was a large aluminum cloud. It had taken almost a week of preparation, but they had finally gotten the chance to take off and the gryphon transport planes were just about to the edge of the enemy airspace. Of course, they were also almost to the edge of their patience.
“Are we there yet?” the co-pilot of the C-17 cargo plane asked. Inside were a number of jeeps and rockets, tightly sealed down for the transport to the rendezvous point at Habun Harbor in western Saddle Arabia. The others were loaded with troops, smaller vehicles, and more than enough equipment for at least a straight week of combat operations. They had received fighter escort, a number of MiGs and Typhoons, but the air crews were still on edge.
“Four more hours, Cade,” the pilot growled. “Quit asking me that same question!”
Cade huffed and folded his arms. “We’re sitting ducks up here, even with the jammers.” He looked out the side where a MiG-29 was flying nearby. They had shared a couple of waves, and Cade found out it was a female pilot through sign language and subtle hints. “Oh damn,” he murmured as she barrel rolled for him. “I’d like to show her a good dogfight when we touch down.”
The alarm suddenly blared in the cockpit. “That may be sooner than you think!” the gryphon C-17 pilot exclaimed. “AEGIS fighters closing fast!”
“Wraith engaging!” Rhapsody cried as her Tomcat barrel rolled and darted after a MiG-29 following the lead plane. The rest of her wing reported their engagements, with Amethyst and Mythic going after the jammer aircraft at the edges of the formation.
“This is Windigo 2, we’re engaging,” cried a unicorn stallion behind Rhapsody. The four F-4 Phantoms began their own dogfights with the escort planes. While they appeared to be lumbering things, the F-4s were actually very good dogfighters. Not the best, but for the young and inexperienced pilots, they were ideal.
Rhapsody kept pace with her MiG target, waiting for the familiar buzz that her missile had a lock. Unlike the past two sorties, they had been armed with air-to-air missiles. It was the type Rhapsody and her friends loved the best. Her eyes narrowed as her thumb hovered dangerously over the missile release button. But each time she came close, the nimble MiG was able to dart from the reticule.
“This one’s quick,” Ditzy praised. “Definitely a good pilot.”
Rhapsody shook her head. “Too bad it’s not one of ours.” She then huffed as her Tomcat pulled into a sharp turn with the MiG. “It’s too close, switching to gun.” The missile unarmed itself and her cannon came to life. Deciding to test their distance, Rhapsody gave a quick burst of her cannon.
Just as the MiG decided to turn hard left… right into the line of fire.
“Nice shooting Wraith!” Sprig cheered.
Ditzy watched the MiG go down. “Was that an accident, or was that pilot just unlucky?”
“Bit of both I’d say,” her pilot replied. The Tomcat banked back into the fight. Rhapsody watched as Mythic and Amethyst both fired missiles into the cargo bay of one of the C-17s. The cargo plane turned into a fireball, exploding and hurtling towards the ground, reminding her of the bear bombers they had shot down.
Amethyst then spoke up, sounding rather melancholy. “I feel kinda bad, shooting at these planes. They can’t fight back and the troops on board can’t get out.” Rhapsody shook her head, pulling up with one of the Windigo F-4s to double team one of the E-767 jammers. The crystal pony was still her usual timid self, even after their attack on the radar station a couple weeks ago. Amethyst had told Rhapsody that story, hoping she’d understand why she was often scared of flying. She had trusted her lead pony with the knowledge of her fears. The sea green mare had no intention of breaking that trust, so she said nothing.
“They knew the risks when they got on-board these planes Phantom,” Mythic answered, his voice almost cold.
“Doesn’t mean that it feels any better,” she retorted sternly.
“Guys, cut the chatter,” Sky Gazer called. “We can discuss morals and the like when the mission’s over. There’s one more jammer and four more cargo planes. If this shipment gets to Habun Harbor, then Windbreak Point will be annihilated.”
“You heard her,” Rhapsody called. “Let’s clean house!” She pulled up behind a Typhoon as it was going for one of the rookie pilots. It tried to get away, but she pressed the button down for a missile to fly off its rail and hit it directly in the engine. The entire fighter went up in smoke and went down to the valley. “Splash one fighter!”
“Splash one cargo plane!” Mythic announced as he unloaded a heavy burst of cannon fire into the engines of one of the C-17s. It listed to the left, as it began to lose power in its wing.
“I can’t get control!” Cade yelled. “Everyone get out while you can!”
“There’s fire all over the plane, you idiot! Every exit is blocked!" one of the truck crews cursed back. Cade hissed violently as he jerked the yoke back and forth. Sparks from the AEGIS fighter’s cannon strike were sent into the cockpit and the console the pilot was at exploded, sending shrapnel into his face. He received several chunks of metal and glass directly into his skull and brain, killing him instantly.
“The last jammer craft was shot down! We’re completely exposed! Their radar is back online!” one of the fighters cried through the radio. Cade tried to pull the wounded C-17 out of its death throes, but it was futile.
He managed one last scream of horror before the plane's rocket cargo exploded.
Sprig winced as the plane burst into five different hunks of charred, twisted metal. It then resembled falling meteorites into the ground. “Poor sods,” she murmured.
“I hear that,” Rhapsody replied.
“Again, they knew the risks,” Mythic muttered. He pulled up as he watched the E-767 jammer go down in smoke and fire. “Just like we do.”
“Don’t need to be so negative, Shade,” one of the F-4 pilots chided. “I’m sure your harem doesn’t enjoy it.”
Mythic ignored that last bit as Rhapsody growled and began chewing him out. He pulled up behind another F-16C and raked it with his cannons, sending it hurtling down through the clouds with barely enough time for the pilot to eject. It was then that one of the rookie pilots yelled for help. “He’s on me! He’s got a lock!”
“Windigo 3 break right!” Sprig ordered. The Phantom pilot did so, and the hippogriff was able to bag her fourth kill of the day. The Typhoon exploded in midair, the pilot going down with it. “Sky Gazer, confirm number of enemy planes.”
“Sky Gazer here. All jammers have been shot down. The last transport plane is down as well, and escort fighters are no factor.” The AEGIS pilots cheered as another mission was a success. “Good job all pilots, Windbreak Point survives another day. And Habun Harbor has lost a good number of inbound reinforcements. All aircraft RTB.”
With that, the AEGIS fighters resumed their previous formation and headed directly south to their new home; the freshly liberated Fisher Air Base. It had taken those weeks since the bombings to reconstruct it, but with the help of volunteering civilians who were freed from gryphon control in a nearby village of hippogriffs, and with ‘cooperation’ from gryphon POWs, the fix up was proceeding smoothly.
Rhapsody suddenly found herself tallying up the friendly fighters around her. It was then that she blinked and smiled behind her oxygen mask. “Hey Ditzy, you seeing what I’m seeing?” she asked her co-pilot.
The grey pegasus mare followed her friend’s eyes, and found herself smiling as well. “I do. We didn’t lose a single fighter.”
“Wait, seriously?” Sprig asked dubiously. Her Fighting Falcon jerked a couple times as she looked around the formation. “One, two, three... four, five… six, seven, eight.” She then laughed. “Holy criminy, we’re all going home safe.”
“I knew I would make it!” yelled one of the pilots enthusiastically. “I just knew it!”
His wingman chuckled. “Settle down Straw. You’ll wet your flight suit.”
“Oh let him celebrate,” Rhapsody ordered humorously. “Let’s land and get some drinks.”
“Last one to the base pays, onyourmarkgetsetGO!!” Sprig’s fighter rocketed past Rhapsody’s, causing the twin-seated fighter to shudder.
“No fair! That’s twice!” Amethyst sped off after her, with Rhapsody pulling ahead, kicking in her twin turbines to full power.
Mythic shook his head while the rookie pilots hung back. “Seriously, you put up with them?” the flight lead asked. “It’s amazing they haven’t gotten you killed.”
“You’d be surprised,” the grey pegasus stallion said. “Best damn pilots I’ve had the pleasure of flying with. Wouldn’t want another group of mares.” He then pushed his throttle forward. “Now excuse me. I need to catch up with my ‘harem’.”