Black Hawk Over Equestrian Skies

by TheronSniper


Ch. 1 The Rift

"Nothing makes a man more aware of his capabilities and of his limitations than those moments when he must push aside all the familiar defenses of ego and vanity, and accept reality by staring, with the fear that is normal to a man in combat, into the face of Death."

–Major Robert S. Johnson, USAF

Chapter 1: The Rift

"Got a ping back from the ROW. Pack of Hybrids down below!"

"Goamann confirm reading again?"

"Ping reads correct! Twenty of the bastards escorting Cleansers!"

"All wings on me, dive into the thick of them."

"Yes Leader."

"Acknowledged Leader."

"Copy that Lead."

"I hear you Lead!"

Five cruising crescent shaped objects began to go into a forty five degree slope downwards towards a shoal of organic looking metal constructs that were quickly closing distance. The black sparrows had begun to pick their targets, the underside of their bellies had opened up to reveal rectangular blocks with uneven surfaces in their design. A plate near the transparent hood of where the pilot sat fell into the craft as another internal object jutted forth two feet out of the body. The cone of fuel burning copper green which propelled the five aerial vehicles spouted from the center of the sharp edges of the waning moons. Beneath the engine two rudder-like fins ejected from the metal machine, violently spinning from the speed and wake of the fighter.

They were eager to sting and claim their day's kill, but the one lunar vessel as dark as night maintained the formation with the zig zag line of dark red down its back. The others kept their place behind the Leader knowing one mistake then would cost them dearly in the first encounter. The alpha leader began to hasten their approach like a hawk with a pigeon in its sights, only instead of a fat flying rat the images of ghastly tubular enemy bombers were their prey. Long barges with ribbed sides and a strange hood that extended from the front to the back made a lazy crawl to some unknown destination, their numerous fins which gusted exhaust along with the primary propulsion twitched and moved. High winds from the tumultuous weather of Thanalos II that hung low to the ground seemed to hassle the alien invaders even at their altitude. It was a pleasurable note to take in which further egged on the fighter craft.

"Strike 2 I got a lock on!"

"Strike 3 defending Strike 2, incoming turret fire!"

"I'm with you Strike 4 you have a bomber turret on you!"

Escort fighters of the Arch Enemy had begun to fire at Flight Da'gon, having picked them up on their sensors. Sickle shaped strike craft diverged from the bomber protection web and fired wildly at the incoming five fighters. Xenos weaponry let loose homing munitions which zipped through the air and towards the small crescent vessels with godly ease.

"OHHHHhhhh Frak!!!"

"Missiles!! Watch yourself Strike 2!!"

"Strike five stung one Cleanser!"

"Strike three defending 2!!"

An enormous blue blast erupted from one of the barges of the vile foe, it detonated like a kerosene tank set off by high heat. Its carcass began to gently flow downwards into the sea of electric clouds rambling like a severed high voltage cord. The very clouds welcomed the newest death with open arms as arks of electricity touched the hulk until it disappeared beneath the sea of storms. What short joy it brought to Flight Da'gon was momentary at best as their ROW pinged even more targets all around them.

"Bad guys inbound watch your six strike two!"

"Strike three go east now!!"

As the entire wing flew past the bomber squadron and its protective escorts, the assailants were well on their way to being struck down by retaliatory fire. No sooner had they reached far beyond their targets did missiles begin to surge forwards towards their crafts, many deploying countermeasures or simply jerking and turning radically to throw off the homing projectiles. Strike two and three were breathing heavily into their microphones as their last minute attempts to throw off a wall of missiles nearly cost them their lives.

"Strike two status? Strike three status?" Lead asked over the comm.

There was nothing to lead as the fighters continued swaying and turning maddeningly as even more projectiles were given birth towards their utter destruction. No one could focus on one another as the entire sky became embroiled in mechanical vehicles which each sought the destruction of those alien to them. Flight Da'gon however managed to turn the entire encounter into their favor when the two pilots managed to shake off the chasing demons of the skies. Using radical moves to evade, their would be deaths became acts of valor which saved the operation by merely staying alive.

Several more Arch Enemy bombers were stung as the pilots pushed onward, harrowing the enemy with all their strength. Yet, it would not be the same for the next pass as the very air around them began to sport tears, some were jagged and longer than six heavy cargo ships nose to tail while others were enough for a fighter craft to slip through. It was as if the heavens were parting through reality as bright white light so mighty no one could look directly at them. Both sides flinched as their canopies shone from the multiple sources of heavenly illumination, fighters swung away from chases as the enemy bombers dived down beneath the orb of lacerations.

In the confusion, there were casualties from the panic to regain some kind of sight in the air. Hybrids fleeing away from the area zipped and snapped with near hits to Flight Da'gon, it was then that the losses were incurred.

"I've been HIT!!"

"Who's hit!?!!"

....

"WHO'S HIT!!??"

"I... can't tell but... I think Strike Four's going down!"

Goumann's swift ship managed to clear enough of the ruptures where he could swing his head around to get a visual. What he saw struck a cord in his very heart as his vessel shuddered in sympathy, he swallowed the lump in his throat as he said those very words of Fourth Strike. His breath heavy from excitement knowing he could have been Strike Four while he was within the affected zone. There were three trailing smoking objects each going their separate ways in three directions, two of which were clearly the grotesque forms of the Hybrids albeit in pieces. The other was Strike Four and he knew it was friendly by the three white dots on both wings even as they separated from the main body, those marks were Riedel's Harbinger and the record of his kills. He had become an ace only three days ago, when their sortie had been created and sent to Vol's Reach to help drive off enemy air support. Each of those kills were escorts while most of everyone else had gotten their own tally from the support ships in the battlefield. Riedel never quite received the short party by the fitters and the team upon the news, congratulations and the little festivity had fallen deaf upon his person. That side of the pilot was what Goumann knew after their sixth sortie out, after Riedel had scored his first kill and then his second before they had to leave for more fuel. He was not someone who took a life and swayed it off as if it were nothing, it stuck to him like a scar that would never heal. It seemed then that Riedel finally found respite from his ailments of his own kills, he probably found peace as all of those who were dead did.

In the wide arch Goumann had let his ship travel in a longitudinal path, he let himself drop his defenses to see Riedel's vessel fall further down for a few more seconds before the fuel cells of the craft detonated. A pilots cremation in the massive aerial war being waged upon the homeworld, one which the death toll kept mounting with each day. Fragments blossomed downwards just as pink lightning arched before the debris, the mourning had been snipped off quickly by Hybrids on Goumann's tail. In a desperate attempt to escape the flares of energy lances, Goumann swerved the craft as the cockpit blared the lock on warning he quickly ignored while turning his head in each every way to keep a single eye on the foe hot on his tracks. His body jutting left to right as he narrowly avoided hits to his fighter, the canopy lit every few seconds from enemy strikes as if a flash bang erupted overhead. In a stroke of bad luck he pulled a muscle in his neck in the panic that kept him from swiveling about. Wincing from the sharp pain, he pushed the stick up and had inadvertently drove his plane into one of the tears. It was far too late to do anything about it as his eyes shut tight when the error was realized.

Tailed by three foes, the pilot entered through the blinding lavender light and into a whole new world which he had little time to even perceive as the dashboard howled the the lock on the Arch Enemy still had.

Goumann swerved his craft to the right sharply which tugged the G force against his body beyond the perimeters of the defenses of his ship, feeling gravity pull at his blood with such intensity that his soul almost felt like it was being ripped away. More spears of enemy fire passed overhead as he evaded certain death still, recovering from the dimensional gateway he hit every flap and pulled up to stall his speed. Coming to a stop and breaking in mid air just soon enough to put the three Hybrids before him and his gun sights. Feeling ire over the destruction the aliens had brought upon his world, Goumann bared his teeth in a ferocious scowl as the opportunity for a kill came forth. With a deep guttural yell, he depressed the trigger with his thumb to send searing lances of bright blue beams which struck forth with zealous speed and detonated the foes who had fallen in a near straight line in confusion. Before they had time to break apart, his munitions found home and burned through the strange metal of their hulls with ease. Whatever engines they had were punctured, armaments detonated, and wings were torn off by the damage alone.

He had no time to register the new world he had been transported to, but in that instance of victory his ship sailed straight through the debris of the alien ships as they slowly broke apart at the speed they were going. His Harbinger passed through the rain of disaster which lacerated the wings and cracked the reinforced canopy of his cockpit. One lucky piece of armor ripped through his engine that powered the fighter and cut all propulsion dry, red lights flashed as a mechanical voice initiated alarms. Yet Goumann was far too worn out by the three days of constant flights that drained his spirits till all that was left had been the manifestation of self preservation and dogged determination. Having lost close to two thirds of his home to the onslaught, he managed through with little sleep and fewer meals as the Arch Enemy did all it could to hamper supply lines. Having dispatched the Hybrids in one volley left the pilot feeling strongly accomplished and satisfied, masking his alertness to the fact that his ship was then falling down into a dropping slope.

He did not even attempt to pull up, not that he could, as his entire viewing ports saw a forest of some kind quickly enveloping his vision. Three kills in one shot was an accomplishment never before achieved, if he wasn't an ace then he was at this point. A point where he blacked out just before his interceptor leveled out and sliced through trees before breaking apart scaring all wildlife within his landing path.

The Castle Of Friendship....

When all the song and dance was concluded for Twilight's new home and now the Castle of Friendship, the sky detonated in a huge array of lavender light as rips emerged after the castle had formed. Four objects roared through the air up above Ponyville through one of the parted seams of time and space, one being seemingly pursued by three others of different shape and design. Everypony looked up and watched the ending dogfight bleed through as the lead object suddenly slow down and then spew thin lines of light into the chasers. They broke apart almost instantly as the attacker washed through their broken bodies and soon began to emit smoke itself.

Twilight and Discord watched as the mysterious show ended with the black moon crash landing in the Everfree. Even more so as the jagged injuries of reality closed back up and vanish before everypony's eyes. When festivities should have been underway with Pinkie Pie leading the way, there was a solemn silence over the town after what was seen. Something bad had happened and it needed investigation as soon as possible, but what hamper to the joy after defeating Tirek would mean for the future of Equestria was still largely unknown even as Rainbow Dash punched it towards the crash site. Her rainbow colored after image pointing to the direction of the object in the dangerous forest only Zecora knew how to traverse.

Discord coughed into is taloned hand, "Well it seems things have gotten rather out of hand once again. Care to join me in seeing how our new 'friend' is Princess Twilight?" he grinned softly.

Before she could return an answer, the draconequus snapped his talons together and instantly teleported the two near the location of interest.

Not far from the crash zone did two other entities emerge from other tears. Beyond the attention of Discord were the forms of Sunset's Demon form and Midnight Sparkle who floated downward into the Everfree. Both of which were cautious of each other yet nonetheless waited for the other to react or move so much as a finger.

As it stood, the two godly entities gauged each other curiously before they said a single word. The cartoonish world they were thrusted upon held so many questions to ask, but at the time they knew they had no chance of getting answers. Even as the aerial battle overhead roared loudly, they were heavily focused on one another as the magic from both their forms gave off an impressive aura.