Ace Combat Equestria: Shattered Clouds

by Cpt Celti

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Soarin rubbed his eyes as he held the phone to his ear. "Yes, sir. I understand. But who will they be sending?" he asked the other side of the conversation. Rainbow sat in a chair across from him, dressed in her typical uniform of sky blue blouse and dark blue pants with her garrison cap tucked away on her shoulder. Soarin was dressed the same, but with a bit more sweat from the rather tense conversation he was having with the Air Marshal of Hibern.

"Six squadrons?" he asked incredulously. "With respect sir, isn't a bit excessive?" He was silent as the other end spoke, turning Soarin from red to pink with embarrassment. "No sir, I meant nothing by- ... Yes sir. I understand, I'll inform them myself." He then turned to his marefriend and bit his lips, turning silent as he asked. "On a completely separate note sir, will the Major be alright?"

He frowned deeply a few seconds later. "No, sir, I was just cur- ... Yes sir... yes sir my orders are clear... Thank you, sir. Goodbye." Soarin all but slammed the phone down, running a hand through his blue man.

"Well?" Rainbow asked as patiently as she could.

Soarin put his hands on his hips, his tail swaying as he tried to calm himself, but he finally turned and stared at Dash. "They're moving forward with the launch, and until further notice, I'm in command of the Equestrian Air Force wings in the Hibern theatre."

Rainbow Dash whistled, crossing her legs. "So there's a lot on your plate, huh?"
Soarin nodded before looking back out towards the base where he could see a few pilots conversing with ground crews. Some were arguing about the quality of fuel, which was terrific for some planes but barely adequate for the rest. Ever since their air force had taken such a huge blow from Sky Breaker just two weeks ago, AEGIS had all but ceased air operations in all theatres while they tried to rebuild and regroup. Transfers had been placed, reservists were called in, and Soarin had the 'enviable' job of organizing them.

"They're expecting a huge turnout of Gryphons, and possibly Meteor Squadron, when they find out."

"So they'll be sending us to counter them?" Dash asked, not exactly expecting an answer. Of course the Wonderbolt squadron would be sent along with the others. Their best pilots from the Air Force, Navy, and even the few Marines would be sent to the rocket base for defense. "Who are they sending in total?"

Soarin blinked and turned around. One his desk was the list of wings he'd be sending to defend the rocket launch. Reaching down, he picked it up and began reading off the names. "The Air Force is sending us, Ghost, Saber, Timberwolf and Windigo. Navy is sending Harpy and Taurus. Marines are sparing only one squadron; Hellcat, and they're primarily a strike fighter wing, F-4 Phantom IIs."

Rainbow nodded and looked out towards the flight line where there were fighters landing on the runway and parking on the flight line next to those who were already stationed here. The air force wings were meeting in Hibern and flying out to meet with the carriers that housed the naval and marine pilots. In total, there were over thirty aircraft.

"Will we be ready in time?" Dash inquired once again. She had no idea why, but she was full of questions. Mostly because their fearless Major had been given her Article Thirteen rights. Currently she was being held in the Canterlot dungeons awaiting further charges for striking a General. The same General who had confirmed 'Operation Black Out' a go, but had not received approval from the Air Marshal who was two ranks higher than he. In essence, he had sent almost a hundred planes and pilots to their graves without prior approval. That same General had a cell just a few doors down.

"We won't know till next Thursday. Until then," he sighed, then looked at the mound of transfer requests, equipment requisitions, and leave authorizations. A stack easily taller than his desk.

How did Spitfire do it and not go insane?

Rhapsody glared ahead. Her rifle dug into her shoulder as she let off round after round from her rifle. Empty. She quickly reloaded. They kept coming, faster and faster, but their numbers were dwindling fast. Just a few more minutes and they'd be done for. Finally, a bullet whizzed by Rhapsody's ear and pierced the skull of the last enemy.

"Nice shot Mythic!" Rhapsody cried. "Let's find the ammo drop and reload before the next wave."

Rhapsody pressed the button to reload. The pair of hands on her screen rushed to do as she commanded as she ran to the beacon that marked a drop zone. Nearby, Mythic jumped from his sniping position whilst Amethyst came down from her turret. Sprig would have a hard time finding a rocket drop for her launcher; which was why the sea green mare preferred a good rifle. Pilot she may have been, but she liked a good, well-oiled lead thrower now and then.

Ghost Wing was lounged on the couches in the break room. They had gathered a small crowd as four of the members let their hands sweat on the controllers. Their space age soldiers rushed to a nearby drop point where their superiors had sent down equipment for them to fight the evil alien invaders. Their fifth member was crouched by Rhapsody, offering her insight now and then while she sipped a vanilla milkshake.

Rhapsody took a moment to look at the newer faces where old ones had been before disappearing from existence just a couple weeks ago. AEGIS had transferred in reservist pilots to fill in spots where they were needed. Saber was practically a brand new squad. The same could not be said for Timberwolf. They had been practically wiped out, so the six faces that occasionally watched the four of them or went about their own devices were essentially the "new" Timberwolf wing.

"Can't believe they included only two rockets!" Sprig complained.

Amethyst shook her head, brushing back a few locks of her mane. She had cut it much shorter since the beginning of the month, the light pink hair now just barely at the back of her neck. As usual, Rhapsody kept hers at a medium length in a small tail tied in the back. The crystal pony rushed her character to the pod that housed new shells for her shotgun. "That's what you get for grabbing the power weapons. Ammo is in short supply," the young crystal pony jabbed.

"Plenty of ammo for me and Rhappy," Mythic added in. He and Rhapsody shared a look of unspoken agreement. His mane had been tied back as well like Rhapsody's. For reasons she couldn't explain, she liked it tied like that. It wasn't as short as hers, but definitely a handsome style for him.

"Oh whatever!" Sprig cried. "I can take out anything with - "

"Nothing if that isn't shut off and you all aren't in the briefing room in twenty seconds!"

Everypony spun to see Captain Rainbow Dash standing with her arms folded back. Not wanting to keep her waiting when there was important information, the pilots poured away from their arcade machines, their console and computer games, and their drinks and into the brief.

They were supposed to be relaxing for another three days before the launch. What was up?

"The launch has been pushed to today," Major Soarin announced.

The room filled with unbelieving mutters and chatter. Today? As in 'today' today? "They need to launch the rocket soon, since we've just gotten intelligence supporting the information that Gryphnia discovered our plans to launch a spy satellite that will give our front line troops much needed data on enemy movements. It will also help us determine where we need to strike next."

He stepped away from his podium, pressing a button that switched on the projector. A large island chain popped up, as well as icons for the rocket and the surrounding structures. A number of red arrows were aimed and approaching the base from the northeast. Whereas a number of blues were moving in from the northwest, west, and south.

"The marines and navy are already scrambling their pilots. We were the last to be told for some reason," Soarin muttered. "The Gryphons are already sending up their planes to destroy the base, but scouts report that they are mostly carrying air-to-air missiles. Why this is, we don't know, yet. But we need to get moving today, and get moving now." He pressed the button that shut off the projector. "This mission is simple: take-off, fly to the rocket base, and shoot down anything on the IFF that isn't friendly."

"Any ground targets?" asked the new Saddle Arabian Captain of Timberwolf, Shavul.

Soarin shook his head in reply, but it was Captain Dash who answered. "The navy has already reported that what little ships Gryphnia has left are gathering mostly in the capital. There's also no landing craft or advance amphibious forces already making their way there." She held up her hands when a few hands began shooting up amongst the newer pilots.

"No more questions. We have no time. So let's go. And Mother Mare be with us."

Commander Vrye rushed down the halls, pushing his way through when needed through the number of AEGIS soldiers that were trying to evacuate non-essential personnel to the shelters dotted around the base. While to the public eye, it was a popular tourist attraction, during wartime it was a heavily guarded facility, protected by the Navy and the Air Force jointly. Hippogriffs, Crystals, Saddles, and Equestrians alike both herded civilians and guided authorized operators to the control room.

Despite the strategic importance of the launch base, AEGIS still hadn't set up its own grid of SAM sites, nor a functioning military base nearby to defend it. For now, the mass of airplanes heading their way, not mattering which branch, would have to do. Vrye apologized when he inadvertently knocked down a Saddle mare who was trying to ask him how much longer till the launch.
If his orders had been carried out, they should already be counting it down.

He burst into the room, where he was met by a pair of AEGIS marines who looked him over and quickly verified his ID card. Once cleared, they allowed him in. "How much longer?" he shouted.

"T-minus ten minutes and counting, sir!" his second, a unicorn named Space Walker announced. Nearby, his partner, Star Gazer was crunching in the last number of digits to the rocket. Vrye looked out the front towards the launch pad. Grinding his beak, he turned to the radar station where a Crystal was pounding furiously into the four hundred thousand bit computer where the enemy was coming from.

His hands worked feverishly until he finally spun around. "We've been able to total a number of Gryphnian fighters sir!"

"And?" Vrye asked impatiently.

The Crystal swallowed. "Over fifty. And Meteor is leading the charge."

Vrye snarled and shook his head. His feathered tail flicked angrily as his wings flared in his anger. He just wanted to get the rocket launched and gone before the damned gryphons could shoot down their Navy and Marine fighter protection and then pound the launch base with everything they had. Seriously, all he wanted was a vacation.

"Sir!" Space Walker cried. "We're getting a call from the Air Force! They made it!"

"Sky Gazer to all planes! Engage and destroy all targets!"

"Ghost engaging!"

"Wonderbolt engaging!"

"Saber engaging!"

"Timberwolf engaging!"

"Windigo engaging!"

The mass assortment of fighters held their formation at full throttle. Rhapsody gripped her control stick tightly with her left hand firmly on the throttle. Just in front of her, the four F-15Ss of Wonderbolt took the lead. Saber was to her left, Windigo to her right, and Timberwolf behind her wing.

Her F-14A seemed to be the oldest fighter in the formation. Even her mates were flying new planes. They had taken considerable damage over the past couple weeks of small skirmishes with gryphons. Sprig had a cannon tear open her Falcon's tail which she just barely managed to limp back to the base. She was forced to bail out when the engine caught fire. Amethyst was nearly blown out of the sky when she froze up after Sprig uttered the same line that always made her stop and remember the horrid day her brother was killed. A missile clipped her flaps on her left wing. She landed, but the plane had to be scrapped. It would take too long for it to be repaired when she was needed in the sky.

Mythic was, grudgingly, flying a shiny new EF-2000 Typhoon, which he, with Rhapsody's help, had decorated the nose to the same insignia that was on his long lost Falcon. The delta wing fighter tore through the sky as it was followed by the newly acquired F/A-18 hornets of Sprig and Amethyst, the latter of whom sighing in remembrance, since it was the first plane she ever flew in the war. It had taken some work, but Rhapsody managed to keep her Tomcat in the air and in the books as fit for duty.

Ahead of her, her console picked up the blips of six enemy fighters heading right for them. Her IFF counter locked them into her HUD. Before she could say something, they opened fire. Those air force pilots who knew what they were doing managed to dodge the number of missiles heading right for them at head on. But two from Saber and one from Timberwolf were taken down. The Wonderbolts blazed ahead, launching their counter-strike.

A hail of bullets and missiles tore open the sky and pelted three of the gryphon fighters. The rest got away.

"All fighters, break off and engage!" Soarin ordered.

Rhapsody took the hint and yanked the stick upwards to pursue the enemy F-15C that nearly shot her down. The pilot pulled up, circling back downwards in an arch, but the mare pushed her Tomcat into a pursuit. Her HUD beeped as she narrowed her eyes. The g-forces pushed against her as she waited for the right moment. It came faster than she expected, and she wasted no time pulling her trigger. "Wraith, fox two!"

The missile flew off the rail, streaked forward, and pelted the enemy Eagle right in the wing. It blew it off, forcing the pilot to eject into his own fierce tailspin. Turning away, Rhapsody pushed her throttle up to follow the telltale silhouette of Mythic's fighter.

"They're already all over the launch site!" Amethyst cried.

"No shite, sky larks!" a gruff pony called. "The Marines were the first to respond as always! Oorah!" His proclamation was echoed by several other marine pilots shouting his same simple phrase. Rhapsody shook her head. She had a respect for Marine aviators, but really, to her, they should stick to the beaches while she protected the clouds. She'd take the sky over a beach of machine guns any day.

"Don't forget which navy hauled your sorry flanks all the way here," a navy pilot cried.

"Will you all shut your traps!" Soarin cried over the radio, earning immediate silence. "The air force is running this operation. Now I want all of you to scramble and destroy any and all Gryphnian targets."

"Roger bolt lead!" Rainbow shouted. "You heard the stallion! Lets clean the skies!"

Rhapsody pushed her throttle up until she was directly above the rocket base. She turned her eyes every which way, trying desperately to count the planes. This was the largest furball she had ever seen or been in. Fighter jets of every make, size, and model were streaking all over the clouds that seemed to be trying their best to get away from the flurry of the fight. She frowned at their plight, knowing full well the white puffs wanted to be elsewhere than here.

But relentlessly, she pushed into the fray, downing a pair of MiGs that were pursuing a Marine F-4E. Ditzy continued to shout out enemy positions. Rhapsody kept her eyes focused on the skies ahead. Her wings ached through each turn, and more than once did her tail flick up and hit the control stick. She was already sweating under her helmet and mask. Her rose eyes were so focused, that she barely heard one of the Timberwolf pilots yell out his warning.

"Heads up! We're merging with Meteors!"

Six craned her head around, gazing at the skies. "You're here," she murmured. "You've gotta be."

"You okay, Six?" Meteor Seven called.

Six pulled herself from her stupor. "Yes. I'm alright. Just... keep your eyes open for a specific F-14."

"Any reason, ma'am?" the younger Meteor Eight asked.

Six blinked, then sighed. "No reason. Just... keep an eye out. And watch out."
Eight and Seven didn't question or argue. They simply throttled up and went into the fray head first. Six took one last look around, sighing to herself.

"You're here... Just gotta find you."

Rhapsody barrel-rolled to avoid a missile coming right at her nose, firing a burst from her cannon. The heavy bullets tore into the F/A-18, but didn't destroy it. The plane was smoking yet still able to fly. She circled around just as that same pilot did, her Tomcat's engines roaring as she pulled as tight as she could into the turn. Finally, she locked on with a missile and fired. The weapon streaked towards its target, but the lithe navy fighter twisted away.

The pegasus mare swore to herself as she went into pursuit. "Man, this one's quick," Ditzy muttered.

"He won't be quick much longer," Rhapsody called back. She throttled up to chase, gaining on the more nimble fighter. She gave a few test bursts of her cannon, sending rounds over and under his wing and just past his engines. She was getting closer now. The gryphon pilot was twisting left and right, trying to shake her, but all she needed was just... a little...

A missile streaked in and tore the fighter in half. The two halves of the Hornet spun out of control towards the ground. Rhapsody didn't see a chute.

"What the-" Ditzy started, only to see a marine F-4E blaze right by them.

Rhapsody snarled, shouting, "You took my kill, jarhead!"

"Didn't see your name on it, butterfly!" he chuckled back and disappeared again into the fray.

"We can't count kills in this furball, Wraith," Mythic suddenly chimed. She caught sight of his new Typhoon pursuing an F-15C. He unleashed a pair of missiles that shot forward, pelting the enemy fighter at the same time. The Eagle was obliterated, reminding Rhapsody that no matter the plane, Mythic was vicious, borderline ruthless, in a dogfight. Deciding not to pursue the issue, she turned back into the fight.

Another five minutes went by, with Rhapsody downing three more fighters. But more Gryphnian planes were coming in, of every make and model. Reinforcements were coming in from the AEGIS held mainland though. Explosions, bullets, and missiles all dominated the skies. Ponies, gryphons, hippogriffs, crystals, and saddles vied for complete control of the rocket base. Something was itching at Rhapsody's neck though.

These fighters were packing air-to-air missiles, meant for dogfighting. None of them were carrying bombs of any kind, which meant that something bigger was coming. And the pegasus pilot was willing to bet her pension that it was on its way.

"How much longer till the launch?" Commander Vrye cried out.

The crystal typed on her console. "We're sixty percent complete. Another six minutes."

"This base will be destroyed in less than two minutes! Get it done!"

"Harpy three was shot down by a Meteor!" a navy pilot, a Saddle, cried.

"Keep the fledglings out of the fight with the Meteors!" a Hippogriff marine responded angrily.

When a pair of bullets whizzed by her canopy, Ditzy yelped and turned around. She narrowed her misaligned eyes as best she could to see the pursuing fighter. Rhapsody couldn't see, so the grey mare simply told her to keep dodging. More rounds flew by, narrowly avoiding the fighter. "It's a MiG-29," she announced.

"Got it!" Rhapsody cried back. She pulled up a bit then slammed the brakes. Another wave of bullets dashed right under her and Ditzy as they were pushed back into their seats and the MiG followed suit. The Captain pushed her nose forward and throttled up, giving chase on the lithe MiG-29. The Tomcat bared its teeth as Rhapsody kept the pilot in her gun sights. She and her quarry twisted through the fight, dodging other fighters, bullets, missiles, the whole lot.

The MiG pilot was starting to get desperate and dove low towards the ground. Rhapsody gave him a few bursts, only to scare the pilot back into the sky. But as he kept twisting, Ditzy kept her eyes peeled on the battle zone, looking for anything... peculiar...

"Is that?" she murmured to herself.

It was then that the MiG must have made a mistake, because Rhapsody shouted, "Wraith fox two!"

The missile tore itself from the rail to go after the MiG, who climbed high with the missile in pursuit. The F-14A pulled up with him so she could try and confirm the kill, but this pilot was more skilled than she had thought. He pulled a midair flip, sending the missile right by. It went up and out of control into the sky -

It suddenly exploded as another fighter went by.

The Su-37 Terminator jerked violently.

Meteor Six yelped and desperately tried to gain control. "I'm hit!"

"Did you-"

"I did," Rhapsody muttered to Ditzy, though unable to believe it herself. "I did..."

A pilot abruptly called out, "Whoa! A Meteor's hit and trailing smoke! Whose kill was that!?"

Six regained control of her fighter, grinding her beak together as she determined she could no longer fight with a badly damaged wing. The plane was still operable, a couple days on the ground for repairs and it'd be fine. But this... this...

"Who was it that shot me!?" she yelled angrily. "See's who's responsible for that shot!"

Meteor Seven suddenly murmured, "It's a Ghost."

"How did you do that!?" Amethyst cried. "Nopony's ever successfully damaged a Meteor!"

Rhapsody didn't have an answer, but her brain started talking to her instead. This was a chance to really rack up a serious reputation as a dogfighter. She pulled into a tight turn to follow the trail of smoke, and it wasn't long before she spotted the wounded Meteor. It was listing to its left, but still made every effort to escape the battle zone. Rhapsody flipped the switch on her control stick, arming a missile.

"Wraith here, I've got eyes on the wounded Meteor," she announced.

"Hang on Six! We're coming!" Eight cried.

"Negative," Six suddenly muttered, catching the entire squadron by surprise and stunning them into silence. "I want to see what this pilot's gonna do."

"Take the shot Wraith!" Sprig yelled.

Mythic also offered his two bits. "Take it down! That'll show Gryphnia!"

Her missile lock alert blared. "I've got tone," Rhapsody declared proudly. Her thumb rested on the button to launch. One press, and she'd solidify herself as a feared dogfighter for being able to wound and shoot down a Meteor. The elite pilots of Gryphnia, the ones responsible for the deaths of hundreds of pilots, and this one was just sitting here. Oh the kill she could get, the prestige, she could see the whole base congratulating her, and the King of Gryphnia seeing that his prized elite pilots were not invincible.

"Take the shot!" Ditzy cried.

One press, one button away and she would destroy this wounded, retreating...

Wounded. Retreating. Escaping.

Rhapsody's brow stitched together. A thought came to her head, and it was not her brain talking now, but rather her gut. Her instinct. This kill, it-it wasn't fair. There was a pilot's code about a kill. About giving your opponent, the enemy fighter, a chance to fight back, a way to defend themselves. It showed a pilot when to take the life, and when to let them go; knowing they've had enough. This pilot was doing just that; they were retreating. The Meteor had had enough. The smoke trail was evidence enough. There was no honor in this.
Wraith sighed and pulled the switched back down, disarming her missile. And just as fast, she pulled up into a loop and back to the fight as a pair of Meteors broke off their pursuit of her.

"What are you doing?" Ditzy said. "They were right there!"

Rhapsody didn't answer, even as Mythic and the other started their own protests on her reluctance to destroy a Meteor. She simply pushed her Tomcat back towards the fray, sighing to herself. When her wheels hit the ground, she was going to catch hell for this. But it wasn't time for glory, she had a rocket base to save.

The control room rocked from the impact of another fighter crashing to the ground. Vrye couldn't tell which side it was on, for both sides flew the exact same types, but it was a miracle that none of them had hit their control room, let alone the rocket.

"Commander!" the crystal pony cried. "AWACS picked up new contacts!"

The fireball that was the result of Rhapsody's hail of bullets crashed into the ocean as she pulled up after a MiG-29. She wasn't sure if it was the same one she was after previously before she accidently hit the Meteor, but she had half a mind to start targeting this particular class of fighter. As she flew, downing two more fighters, Mythic and others jabbed at her for not finishing off the Meteor she had wounded. She had simply left the latest comment with an 'I'll tell you later'.

"Sky Gazer here," Scootaloo called. "B-2 Bombers approaching from the northeast. Intercept them before they reach the launch site!"

"Negative contact," Sprig answered. "Nothing on my radar."

"We don't have them either, mate," a hippogriff from the control room answered.

"Look harder! The bombers are difficult to detect on radar, they're stealth."

Rhapsody followed her compass to the northeast. Gritting her teeth, she jerked her control stick hard in that direction and opened her throttle. The twin engines roared and her wings folded back. Her tomcat roared to life as she pushed her fighter to the limits in that direction. Ditzy kept her eyes peeled on the area, only catching sight of an F-16C coming at their side before a missile struck it. Before long, Mythic was on her wing.

"Pained me to shoot down such a beautiful aircraft," he muttered.

Rhapsody merely chuckled before the two fighters made their way to the northeast.

The bomber pilot eyed the launch base, blinking rapidly.

"What's going on? Enemy fighters are still a factor!" he cried.

"And Meteor squadron bailed on us!" his co-pilot added.

Cloud Burst, the Gryphnian AWACS, then called, "Just concentrate on your duties!"

The pilot grumbled to himself and sighed heavily. "Target sighted. Entering bombing pattern!"

"Update here from the control room!" Vrye called. "Three minutes to launch!"

The Typhoon that was tailing her broke off.

"A group of gryphons followed us. I'll hand them, Wraith," Mythic informed her. "You take out the bombers."

"Roger that," she replied and twisted, pulling the stick back as she pulled herself behind the six B-2 bombers. In the distance, she could see Mythic getting his hands full of enemy fighters. But she knew how good of a pilot he was, so she actually gave him little thought. With him destroying a MiG dead on with a hail of bullets only confirming her point, Rhapsody turned to her task at hand.

She flipped the switch on her control stick and tapped on her control panel in front of her. On her computer in her cockpit, it showed a green outline of her weapons load-out. The standard sidewinder missiles were highlighted, but after she tapped a few buttons, four larger, and much more powerful and expensive phoenix missiles were armed. But she would need to save them for a few more moments.

The Tomcat positioned itself behind two bombers bringing up the rear. Saving the missiles, she put her switch back into place and pulled her control stick's trigger. Her cannon roared as it spat hot lead out at the rightmost bomber. The torrent of bullets pelted the stealth bomber's wing, sparking something and causing huge chunks to fly off. Ditzy squeaked as Rhapsody narrowly dodged a few, but then they both screamed in surprise as Rhapsody pushed down.

The entire wing tore off.

Turning their eyes back up, the bomber was still flying, they saw. But it was listing badly, until finally it couldn't fly straight anymore. The left side was engulfed in flames as it was flung to the left. A sickening crunch was the prelude to it ramming right into its fellow. They both practically exploded in midair, forcing Rhapsody to break hard to the right to avoid a massive shower of debris from the death throes of the bombers. She could only imagine the screams of the crews onboard.

Pulling herself up and around behind the remaining four, she rearmed her phoenix missiles. The display flashed again to the much larger missiles. On Rhapsody's HUD, four red squares shot out and encompassed the four remaining bombers. Her tone blared that all four had locked on and were ready to fire. Her thumb rested on the button. She murmured, "Let's hope these 'million-bit missiles' leave a mark."

She jammed it down.

She heard a loud thump and then a thunderous roar underneath her fighter as four large smoke streaks flew out towards their prey. Rhapsody and Ditzy watched anxiously as they soared out to the engines of the bombers. Watching the reaction and detonation was like a train wreck in slow motion. Four missiles impacted the four bombers in almost a domino effect. One after the other, the phoenix missiles impacted the rears of each B-2 bomber, causing different explosions and reactions on the plane, but the damage was the same.

The entire group of bombers was destroyed, leaving only burning hulks of stealth material plummeting to the ocean below. "Nice work Wraith! All bombers confirmed destroyed! Now sanitize the remaining airspace of enemy fighters!" Sky Gazer ordered.

"This is insane!" cried Talon Eight. The gryphon was being pursued by a Typhoon with a weird dragon design on the nose. His F/A-18C was giving it all he had, but this was getting out of hand. "The Meteors abandoned us, the bombers are gone, how in the hell are we supposed to win this now?!"

Then AWACS suddenly shouted, "We'll win when you shut the f-" A piercing scream was all he had left to utter as an earsplitting screech was heard over the radio.

"Cloud Burst is down! Repeat, Cloud Burst is down!" another pilot cried. "We're totally screwed!"

"Talon Three, you're in command!" another announced. "We need orders!"

A disheartened grunt was all she uttered until she suddenly cried out. "I'm hit! I can't hold her! Ejecting!"

"Son of- Whose left in Talon?" the same pilot asked vehemently.

Talon Eight managed to dodge another missile and a burst from cannon before finally uttering, "I-I am!"

"Orders!"

He squeaked in terror before pulling away when a Gryphnian F-14A began chasing the fighter on his tail. Now free of pursuit, he tapped his helmet to make sure he had everyone. "We lost this one! We can't destroy the base without bombs and there're too many AEGIS fighters! Remaining fighters bug out! Full retreat!" With little hesitance, he pushed his throttle up and turned his nose away from the fight. But he didn't get far before he heard a missile lock warning.

Nor did it take long for the alarm to shut off, just like the pilot's life.

Rhapsody pulled her Tomcat up from her kill and began a pursuit of a MiG-29 before the order came in. From what she could see, there were no more Gryphnian MiGs in the sky. "Remaining bogeys are bugging out!" Huffing, but still smiling, Rhapsody closed her missile switch and pulled away, letting the gryphon go home with his wings still attached.

"All AEGIS personnel pull back to safe distance," Vrye suddenly announced. "We're lighting this thing!"

"C'mon guys!" Amethyst chirped. "Let's watch the launch!"

"T-minus ten... nine... eight..." Rhapsody watched the rocket start building up smoke below, then saw the fiery glow underneath. This was it. "Four... three... two... ignition... LAUNCH!"

The glow intensified and the mass of metal began to shake and propelled into the sky. As it began to rise, many of the surviving pilots began murmuring 'ooohs' and 'ahhhs' as it lifted itself into the sky. The rocket began picking up speed, and Rhapsody could just barely hear the powerful engines sending it up into the air and away from the launch pad.

"Wohoa!" Mythic cried.

"Yeah! Look at that!" Sprig chipped in.

Ditzy hollered. "Go baby go!" she yelled as it rose higher and higher, and soon it was barely within sight.

"This is Commander Vrye at Launch control," the hippogriff called over the radio. "The rocket has reached thirty-thousand feet and climbing. It is now immune to enemy action." He then chuckled and added. "Thanks to you, the launch was a success."

Cheers and cries of victory resounded perfectly through the radio as Rhapsody watched the rocket climb higher, until even the bright glow of its thrusters were no longer visible. She sighed to herself and smiled behind her mask. Cheers also erupted from the Air Force, Marine, and Navy pilots that had taken part in the assault.

"All planes, this is Major Soarin," the light blue pegasus stallion called. Rhapsody caught sight of his F-15S flying to the west. "This mission is a success. Congratulations to every one of you, and our thanks to our fellow pilots of the Navy and Marine Corps."

"Yeah, we may rent the skies, but I think we pay our rent in full," one of the Marine pilots said.

"Oh whatever," Sprig muttered over the radio. "Let's just go home."

"One step ahead of you, Lieutenant," Rainbow suddenly said. "Check out below." Rhapsody tilted her Tomcat to see, and her rose eyes widened. Ditzy gasped. Murmurs of amazement and adulation resounded throughout the squadrons.

"Is that..?" The grey mare asked, not fully needing an answer.

Applejack leapt from the turret of her tank and landed solidly on the ground, heaving a contented sigh. Rarity simply climbed down as best she could in the field boots her friend had forcefully made her put on. It was a beach landing after all, and dress slippers were not to be worn. The unicorn mare fussed about the comfort of the boots, but she managed to sludge her way up to the Colonel's side.

All around, landing ships were offloading their cargo. Tanks, infantry, anti-air guns on tracks, mobile artillery guns, ever vehicle of every shape, size, model, and serial number poured onto the island that housed the rocket base. A few helicopters flew overhead with their smaller, gunship counterparts, both as protection and hauling additional equipment. Applejack removed her helmet and tossed it behind her as one of her commanders caught the wayward piece of armor while slipping on her cowpony hat.

Hundreds of troops were landing and setting up camp on this island. Equestrians, Saddle Arabians, Hippogriffs, Crystals; all were gathering and preparing themselves for the invasion of Gryphnia. And it would be a rough battle ahead. Many of those jumping off the landing ships and hovercrafts would not be seeing this war to the end, but the Colonel did not allow herself to dwell on it. She had plans to start making with the General who was riding on top of a Leopard that rumbled off its hovercraft under heavy guard.

Before she could say something, a thunderous roar threatened to destroy her hearing. Her tail flicked angrily and she grabbed and held onto her hat. Turning up, a wide grin crossed her muzzle, even as her ears swiveled back to save themselves from the sound. Rainbow Dash's signature fighter, along with the rest of her squadron flew over head. A number of other fighters that flew alongside the Wonderbolt's squadron flew beside them, with the lead planes performing a victory roll as they soared overhead. A number of ground troops cheered and waved back at them.

Applejack took off her hat and waved it at the airplanes as they soared above and back to their respective bases. She then replaced her hat and turned to Rarity. But the white unicorn was in a state of melancholy. She looked down, prompting a soft frown from her orange friend. "I do wish Fluttershy was up there. It would make this victory feel a little more like just that." Her words were calm, but there was an edge to the softness in her voice.

A soft hand rested on her shoulder. Rarity turned to see Applejack offering a smile to cheer her up. Slowly, the unicorn mare adjusted her beret and gave a weak smile back. "C'mon Rare's," the tank Colonel said. "We got a lot of work to do."

While one would think that Applejack cared not for her timid pegasus friend, one also had to accept that death happened in war. Even the most kind was not spared from the fire. Fluttershy was one such. The five friends could only come to an agreement that, while Fluttershy was the most reluctant the most unwilling to fight in battle, she had shown amazing courage to stand up and join anyway. For that, even Rainbow considered her a hero.

Shoulder to shoulder, Applejack and Rarity met the General with a crisp salute and headed for the command center of the base.

"It won't be long now, it won't be long 'til it begins," the barkeeps daughter confided to me. As a member of the resistance, she eagerly awaited the allied invasion of the mainland.

"What about all these people?" I asked softly, gesturing to the Meteor Squadron crews and Gryphnian soldiers that had taken up the bar and the bistro tables outside. But when I finished, she answered, with a frown.

"We'll run them out of here. All of them. This is our town, our land, the Crystal Empire's land."

But a part of me knew she didn't truly mean that from the bottom of her heart. She did not seem truly confident of that statement, even if she said it herself. It was Meteor Eight who had captured her heart. The handsome gryphon prince who almost constantly clung to Six's side. They were so close their left and right wings could have been one. I knew she had this crush on him through her jealous glances at Six.

While other pilots of Meteor Squadron rotated out to others who needed the expertise, Seven and Eight stayed by Six's side constantly. They rarely left her side, all three keeping one another safe even on the ground. Even as the only female in the entire squadron, she had complete trust of the two princes.

But today, they kept a closer watch on her. Six looked shaken, holding a model of a large plane with wings that were able to fold back. It was a two-seater plane much larger than Six's, but the way she held it was through something akin to total respect. Six kept retelling the story of the very promising pilot she had come across earlier that day. Meteor squadron was sent to rally with other Gryphnian fighters, only to return after Six's plane was heavily damaged.

It was a sight none of us had ever seen before. There had been scorch marks on her plane once, but that was buffed away and repainted. While the others landed gracefully, hers was sloppy, as if she was more interested in control than expertise and smoothness of letting her wheels hit the ground. Almost immediately after her fighter stopped moving, the crew chief was barking orders to tend to the wing. As I got closer, Seven and Eight rushed by me to see to Six.

She shoved by them and stared at her wing. The tip was burned, scorched to nearly nonexistent. This was a kind of damage even I knew would take days to repair. Six ran her hand over the wing and the tip. Her face was neutral, even as they began asking if she was okay.

"This one was good," she murmured, holding the model plane level. "It had to be a female pilot. A male would have finished me off..." She then smiled and sighed, closing her eyes softly setting it down next to her mug of coffee. "If she can stay alive a little longer, this pilot could be a very worthy opponent."

Her eyes then turned sad. Not because she would be out of action for a long time, but because until she and this other pilot met on the battlefield again, she would have to deal with lesser opponents. And seeing her like that made me frown.

She deserved a worthy opponent...

Comments

[Quick Fix]

Congratulations, you took on Shattered Skies and you made it a ride every bit as worthy as the original. I couldn't help but play both versions of Comona as I read and that just made it perfect. Can't wait for what's coming next!

[Cpt Celti]

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It means a lot to hear that. Thanks!