Ace Combat: Shattered Friendships
Downtime: Reminiscing and Reflecting
Author: Draconis187
Pinkamena sat in Blinkie’s Manehattan apartment, slowly sipping cocoa as the rain pelted the windows. Pinkamena sighed contentedly as the drink warmed her from the inside. Her flat mane obscured the one side of her face and she made zero effort to change it, feeling little need to do so.
“Thanks, Blinkie. The cocoa is delicious,” Pinkamena said before taking another small sip.
Blinkie gave a small chuckle and smiled, moving the bang of her grey mane behind her ear, “Still not as good as you make it, Pinkie.”
Pinkamena frowned slightly, “I’m not going by that anymore, Blinkie. I told you when I came here. It’s Pinkamena.”
“You’re still Pinkie to Inkie and I,” Blinkie joked, giving her sister a mischievous grin.
Pinkamena ignored it, “How is she?”
“It’s not easy working that farm on your own. We barely managed with Ma and Pa when we were fillies. She’s clearly struggling to make ends meet but she turns down al my attempts to help out,” Blinkie replied sombrely.
Pinkamena softly chuckled, “That’s Inkie for you. She was always as hard to sway as a boulder.”
“Yeah…” Blinkie looked out the window, sat next to Pinkamena on her couch with a mug of her own cocoa in hoof. “Are you sure about leaving your friends behind?”
Pinkamena nodded, “It’s about time I grew up, Blinks. I can’t throw parties and life under somepony else’s roof for the rest of my life. The Cakes were great and all but they have their own problems raising Pound and Pumpkin Cake.”
Blinkie looked at her sister with a sad expression as a flash of lightning lit up the sky, “It was a good run though.”
“Yeah it was,” Pinkamena replied with a small grin, looking down at her mug. Her face reflected off the brown surface as she took another sip. The thunder finally followed the lightning, the shockwave reverberating through the apartment.
“Any idea about what you want to do now? I could always do with an assistant at my office,” Blinkie offered, “It does get a little hectic from time to time and Tartarus knows I need the help.”
Pinkamena shook her head, “I don’t think being a private investigator would suit me, Blinkie. I need to be free, not stuck in four walls, filing paperwork.”
Blinkie chuckled, “There’s the Pinkie I know. Too free for a stick in the mud like me.”
“That isn-” Pinkamena stopped as Blinkie’s hoof shut her mouth for her, covering her mouth.
“I know, Pinkie. I’m just trying to cheer you up,” Blinkie said, removing her hoof.
Pinkamena grinned as she finished her cocoa. Two thoughts went through her mind at that moment. One was how much cocoa it would take to fly her to the moon through the sugar rush and, “You know I was thinking… aircraft.”
**** **** **** ****
Baltimare was sweltering hot as the weather team had overdone the previous week’s rainfall and decided a few good days of sunshine would do the city wonders. Chrysalis hated the smell of the salty air as she walked along the piers.
She hated it but had little choice. She was the only Changeling for miles as the air burned their noses for some odd reason. Chrysalis was tougher than the drones of her hive so the effect was more of a minor case of the sniffles every once in a while. It was still annoying though.
She sat on the edge of the pier, watching ships go by. Her disguise was that of a unicorn, the similar to the one she was using in the present day except her coat was light beige. Ponies walked or flew by, ignoring her as they got in and out of the moored ships as they went about their day to day lives.
Chrysalis lost everything she loved. Her subjects were her life, her purpose and now… it was gone. What was one to do when the thing they were groomed for since birth was suddenly taken from them? How can one pick up the pieces and carry on? Was it possible to have more than one purpose in life?
The unknown scared her somewhat. She tried to think of something, anything that could get her to stop herself from breaking into tears. When nothing came, the waterworks did instead. She was never one for showing her emotions, it showed she was weak but she didn’t care right then. She had nopony to be strong for anymore.
A few tears fell onto the wooden pier as she silently sobbed, getting a few odd looks from passers-by. If she had been in Ponyville, they would have asked what was wrong but in the cities… they didn’t care enough.
They were too busy to give her more than a sympathetic look. The minutes soon turned to hours as she sat there, immobile and sobbing softly.
As the sun set in front of her, a loud noise came into her audio range. Chrysalis’ subconscious chose to make her ignore it, preferring to wallow in self-pity. It wasn’t until the noise became a deafening roar as the source flew overhead, heading towards the sunset at breakneck speed.
She at it and saw a Wonderbolt Gripen flying towards the sunset, as if chasing it away. The fur on her body stood on end as the plane became nothing more than a dark silhouette in the horizon, the roar of the engine dying as the distance increased with each passing second.
It wasn’t until the air show the next day, when she saw the acrobatic moves of the planes as they streaked and crisscrossed the sky… that she smiled. Her new purpose… was looking down at her from the sky on wings of steel.
**** **** **** ****
Pinkamena opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a bunk bed inside the Cadence’s Heart as it made its way with the rest of the Allied Fleet. It had just been a day since Campaign No. 4101 was a success. She laid her head back on her pillow and let out a long sigh.
Her muscles were sore from working on her plane so quickly after touching down. While she usually cared little for it, she was slightly pleased over the fact that Cipher helped her. She couldn’t explain it, she truly considered gutting the maintenance staff if they touched her plane and yet she was fine letting her flight lead assist.
“You’re a hypocrite, Pinkamena,” She berated herself under her breath.
She lay under the thin covers of her bunk for a few minutes before getting up. As she opened her door, she saw Dash walk past her.
“Oh hey, Pinkamena. What’s up?” Dash greeted with a confident grin on her face.
Pinkamena gazed at her for a few seconds and muttered, “You really haven’t changed much, have you?”
“What’s that?” Dash asked as she didn’t hear her former friend.
“Oh, nothing. I’m fine, Dash. Off to get cleaned?” Pinkamena asked.
“Nah, they don’t have my brush here. Twi’s wanting to head back to Valiant as soon as possible,” Dash said, waving her foreleg in the air, “As soon as we’re done having breakfast, we’re gearing up.”
Pinkamena raised an eyebrow, “Really? I thought we were going to use this ship as a springboard into the Crystal Empire.”
Dash shook her head, “Nope. She figured that having us all in one location was dangerous. If we lost the ship, we would lose rather quickly. She figured rather have us stay at Valiant and launch from there with a tanker if we weren’t going to make the trip on our own. It is quite the strategic point after all.”
Pinkamena rolled her eyes, “You just care about your room don’t you?”
Dash looked at her with shock, “Do you think I’m really that shallow?”
“Yes,” Pinkamena deadpanned.
“Fine. Yes, I want my bed and my stuff. Is that so wrong?” Dash said.
Pinkamena gave a rather cruel sounding chuckle, “Same old Dash.”
As Pinkamena went back inside to don her flight suit, Dash walked off down the hall. “I really wish I could say the same about you, Pinks.”
**** **** **** ****
Cipher got up from bed, groaning loudly. Mornings were as bad as Mondays and Monday mornings were worse. Her eyelids fluttered a little as her eyes adjusted to the light. Even after so many years she was still not entirely used to the bright light greeting her when she woke.
Her thoughts wandered to her dream. Why did she think of it and why now of all times? Was her subconscious trying to tell her something or was she just trying to find a reason behind something that could be a pure random event?
She donned her flight suit and helmet after checking her disguise was in order. She opened the door of her solitary room before looking for the mess hall for sustenance.
**** **** **** ****
The mess hall was filled with rowdy conversation as Solace and Techno were joking around with each other. Snake also shared a few laughs with them until Cipher entered the hall. The two mercenary squadrons as well as the rest of the crew eating nearby went silent for a few seconds. It was so quiet they could hear a pin drop.
Cipher surveyed the room through her helmet, her breaths audible to those nearby. Solace looked at them all and laughed heartily.
“Here’s the mare that made this all possible!” He shouted with glee, “Come sit and be merry! Take the helmet off too! Please?”
Cipher groaned at the latest attempt at getting her to remove her helmet. At least he asked nicely, though it didn’t help in the slightest. It was a wonder nopony had tried before to simply remove it. Then again if they tried, they’d get a hoof in the face.
Cipher ignored the stares she got as she walked through the mess hall and collected some food by the kitchen counter, using the her sickly green magic to levitate it next to her. As she walked back towards the way she came in, the Crystal Ponies were murmuring, voicing their varying opinions under their collective breaths.
While Cipher might not have cared for it, her fellow mercenaries did. Some were whispering a few unsavoury comments to his comrades. Solace walked up to one of the maintenance crew members and glared at him.
“So she doesn’t eat with the rest of us, is there something wrong with that?!” He curtly spat.
“W-well… you have to admit it is unusual,” The Crystal Pony replied, shaking a little from how quickly Solace’s mood flipped on its head.
“I found it rather strange myself when I first saw her take food and leave to go to her room but that’s how she operates,” Solace said, breathing heavily as he tried to restrain his anger. A smile soon split across his face, “I’ll find out why when I finally get to see the face under that helmet.”
Snake chuckled, “You’re never going to give that up are you?”
Solace laughed, “Not until I succeed, Snake. Not until I succeed.”
**** **** **** ****
Twilight stood on the deck of the aircraft carrier a little later in the morning, smiling as she spoke with Barricade. The captain chuckled as they spoke, oblivious to the situation the pair of them were in with regards to the war.
“So, you’re all set then to head back?” Barricade said with a small smile.
Twilight nodded, “Thanks for putting up with us for the night and using the carrier, Barricade.”
Barricade laughed and gave Twilight a playful swipe with his hoof, accidentally knocking her off her hooves, “Whoops. I guess I don’t know my own strength.”
Twilight’s mane was messed up a little as she stood up again, “Oh, i-it’s no trouble just… be careful next time. Earth Pony endurance after all.”
“I will. I’m sure we’ll see each other again, Princess Sparkle. Good luck to you and your group,” Barricade said as Eagle Eye was brought up to the carrier’s catapult.
“Preferably when this war is over, at a celebratory feast for us all. Farewell, Barricade. Till next we meet,” Twilight waved as she walked up to the AWACS and boarded.
The crew were all ready and waiting for her to get on before commencing with final pre-flight checks. Thunderlane chuckled as he saw Twilight sit down.
“What is it, Thunderlane?” Twilight said with a sigh.
“Got a crush on the Crystal Pony Captain, Miss Sparkle?” He said with a grin.
Twilight immediately facehoofed, giving herself a black eye in the process, “No Thunderlane. Now get us back to Valiant.”
Thunderlane chuckled and looked forward, “As you wish, Princess.”
Cipher’s F-15 was attached to the catapult once Thunderlane finally got launched off the deck. She gave her plane a final check as it went up the elevator earlier and waited before getting onto the deck. As she received clearance and a goodbye, something struck her as rather peculiar.
The ship’s crew were standing nearby, saluting her. Some too busy to drop everything looked on from their posts, saluting as well. Cipher couldn’t understand it. She played a simple part of three other squadrons and yet they were treating her differently to them. She couldn’t tell if she should be happy or concerned about it.
Soon her Eagle roared to life as she increased the throttle and got slung off the deck of the carrier like a missile. Her body lurched backwards from the sudden increase in speed, making her somewhat squash against her seat before pulling up to cruising altitude.
She was soon joined by Pinkamena, Grabcr, Vampir and the Wonderbolts and began to take formation. Galm took point in front of Eagle Eye, Grabcr flew on Eagle Eye’s starboard side with Vampir on the port side. The Wonderbolts flew in a reverse wedge formation behind the AWACS.
**** **** **** ****
Aloe smiled as the rest of the crew inside Valiant Base Control Tower cheered at the successful return of their charges, even more so due to the fact they suffered no losses. Maintenance crews got ready to assist any repairs needed to be done on the squadrons as their power tools were warmed up and prepped like a racing team’s pit crew, anxious to get to work and gape in awe of whatever battle scars adorned the planes.
The mercenaries and the Wonderbolts broke formation and got in line to land in order: Eagle Eye, the Wonderbolts, Galm, Grabcr and finally Vampir. Tires screeched as the brakes of their planes engaged, kicking up smoke as the planes halted. One by one, the squadrons landed and taxied to their respective hangars. Most were glad to be where they considered being home.
As Cipher parked her Eagle in her hangar, she laid back in her seat and let out a sigh. There was much still to be done in this war and they all knew it. But she knew one thing: the Griffons were now worried and for good reason. Their operations have been highly successful thus far, lifting the spirits of the two supporting nations in their bid to turn the tide of war on its head.
But it was going to cause a problem. The more they succeed in their counter attack, the more desperate the Griffons will get. A desperate opponent can be both dangerous and unpredictable.
The mess hall became the centre point of celebrations once more as Solace opened up his alcohol reserves. Pilots, air traffic controllers, maintenance crews and even Princess Twilight sat around several tables, drinking merrily. Laughter and exaggerated boasting filled the room while a few were not so merry.
Pinkamena continued to sit on her own, combat knife impaled in the table nearby should anypony try something to get her to join the festivities. Her flight lead, Cipher laid on her bed in her own section of the barracks.
The former queen chuckled softly to herself as she wondered what would have happened had she not been exiled. Attack again but more openly? Convince the Griffons to help and cause a war on two fronts?
She shook her head. What happened in the past stays in the past. One couldn’t try to cling onto it and hope the present was nothing more than a bad dream. It didn’t mean she had to like it though.
**** **** **** ****
There were another two ponies that were not in the mess hall at the moment: Grabcr Squadron. Techno and Snake were going over their planes again, making idle chat with each other and a few of the less alcohol inclined maintenance crew.
“I’d hate to eat this Swiss Cheese,” Techno chuckled, trying to diffuse the slight tension in the hangar as he looked at his Black Widow’s bullet holes.
“Techno…” Snake started but he saw his friend sigh deeply.
“I know… We were lucky. Celestia damned lucky,” Techno said, “If we were at the Round Table, things may have gone differently.”
“We’ll replace whatever parts are too far gone and repair what can be saved. They’ll be as good as new,” Quick Fix said with a grin.
“Be good to them but I’ll do my own inspection tomorrow. For now, I still need to rest. That catapult is murder on one’s back,” Techno said with a small smile.
“At least we get paid for this,” Snake said as he and Techno Watt left the hangar. The sound of power tools and the glow of welding rods filled the hangar behind them.
“And praise Celestia for that,” Techno said cheerfully.
**** **** **** ****
Rainbow Dash took off her flight suit. The thing smelt of her sweat, the heat of the flight back as well as the previous day’s operation compounded on her coat’s condition. Good thing she had more than just one suit.
A knock came from Dash’s door. Three quick knocks with one more after a two second delay. She didn’t even look at it as she shifted her gaze across her room, “It’s open.”
Her door opened with a creak and two ponies entered. It was Spitfire and Soarin, out of uniform. The pair of them sat near the door after they entered the room.
Dash could tell it was them by the way they breathed and the way Spitfire knocked. They proposed a code between her and the two a few weeks after Dash was made captain. She was apprehensive for the need to have such a code at first but in the end found it to be useful.
The three quick knocks and the fourth delayed one indicated a casual conversation. Most times it was the pair of them as Soarin and Spitfire were the highest ranking Wonderbolts even before Dash was inaugurated into the captaincy. The truth was that the code was developed when Spitfire was still captain.
Dash’s eyes stopped as she found what she was looking for in her showcase. Next to the picture of herself, Spitfire, Soarin and the Wonderbolts at her inauguration ceremony was the one taken just after Twilight’s coronation. The happy faces of her friends and the Princesses brought a tear to her eye.
“Can I help you two?” Dash said slowly as she picked the picture out of the showcase.
“If this is a bad time, Dash we can come back later,” Spitfire said.
“Nah, it’s fine. What’s eating you?” Dash said with a small smile, picture still in hoof.
“We were just a little worried about you when you just went to the barracks. Usually you’d be with Solace and the others, challenging them to a drinking contest. Is there something wrong?” Soarin said this time, concern written into every line of his furrowed brow.
Dash didn’t respond for a few moments and brought the picture into their view, “This is the Pinkie Pie I knew.”
The pink mare was hard to miss. The smile she had gave off a fair amount of glare from the sunlight from that day. Luckily it was not enough to obscure the subject. There was not one sad face that day, nothing but smiles all around and a bright outlook to the future.
“Happy-go-lucky, random and so hard to make frown it was almost impossible,” Dash said with a frown, “It’s just hard to wrap my head around the fact she’s… not there anymore. You heard her over the radio, she was… sadistic.”
“Dash… heartbreak does things to ponies. Things that we would least expect most of the time,” Spitfire said sombrely, “Most turn to drink or gambling for relief. She found it in… forcing her pain onto others in order to escape it.”
“And her meeting Twilight again made her remember that day. And the promise she broke,” Dash said turning around and placing the picture back.
“I thought if she apologised, she would be forgiven,” Soarin said.
Dash shook her head, “Doubtful that would work anymore. That was the old Pinkie. This newer one is most likely not so forgiving. Let’s go and get that drink. I’ve had enough depressing thoughts for one day.”
**** **** **** ****
Twilight walked through the base after having a small drink. She still had to pay the mercenaries and she would not forgive herself if she failed to complete her task. Then she could go and get thoroughly plastered. The base was mostly quiet, save for the sounds of Grabcr Squadron’s planes being worked on and the noise from the mess hall behind her.
Twilight was running through so many scenarios in her head, trying to figure out a way to talk to Pinkamena. She needed to show her old friend she was sorry for what she did but every scenario ended up with her either being rejected or with Pinkamena’s combat knife lodged into her body somewhere.
“Maybe I’m over-thinking this,” She muttered to herself as she entered Cipher’s section of the barracks, “I’m sure she’ll accept it and we can be friends again like nothing ever happened. That sure sounds like something she’d do. It is random enough.”
Knowing Cipher’s preference for privacy, Twilight slid the mysterious mare’s pay under her door and swiftly left. Her thoughts quickly turned to Cipher. Twilight was not sure what to make of her.
She was a good pilot, of that there was no doubt at all. What did unnerve her was the mare’s constant desire to shut herself off from the rest of the world. Twilight wondered if she wasn’t horribly disfigured and that was the reason she refused to remove the helmet. Perhaps she was simply a social shut-in?
Regardless of Galm’s strange members, Twilight knew that Equestria would need them and the other mercenaries. Now more than ever.