April 19th, 2006
1400 Hours
Unicorn Range, Equestria
Even after the land’s natural magic had declined and the weather had more-or-less been allowed to flow on it’s own, Unicorn Range was still coated with snow. The snowfall would rarely cease entirely, only shifting between moderate amounts in the summer as it was now, to near impassable in the winter months. ponies would seldom pass over the range, and even the pegasi would rarely fly over due to the cold. Some old local myths, and ones that spread out evolved into larger legends, told of a number of ponies that actually lived amongst the mountains.
Night Glider had never flown over the mountains herself, but aircraft did not suffer the same problems as exposed pegasi did. Even so, she thought she felt the cool air blasting by outside as the F-15E made its way over the range. She nudged the jet over slightly and flew past Horn Peak, the tallest point in the range and in the shape of a unicorn’s horn, which had given the range its name.
Glider recounted several other legends about Horn Peak alone as she passed it. A prominent one said that the peak itself was indeed magical like a real unicorn’s horn. Another she had heard from a traveling merchant said that it was the horn of a giant unicorn that had died, with the mountains being used as a sort of tombstone save for the horn piercing through and cutting the clouds. Yet another said that the peak was the birthplace of the first unicorn, and as such the birthplace of the unicorns as a race.
“Glider One, how is your plane looking?”
“Everything looks good, King One.”
“Good, we got word that the Changeling bomber formation that hit Fillydelphia earlier flew over the range to hit their target, so it's up to us to intercept the next one before it passes through. No problems from the cold?”
“Not immediately,” she answered the other squadron leader. “We should be done before it becomes a problem.”
“Don't assume too much, Glider.”
“I won't, Rector. By the way have you seen that mercenary flight anywhere? They were supposed to meet us here.”
“I haven't, but if they're absent we won't wait for them. We can stop the bombers on our own.”
“It'd still be nice to have some help though.”
Rector grumbled to himself lightly before calling out for the missing team.
“This is King One to the mercenary unit. Are you reading me?” the pony asked, not receiving any response. “This is King to Galm, do you hear me? We are at the rendezvous point and are waiting on you. Please respond if you hear this.”
“Hey look, at our five, two Eagles coming up from behind,” Glider called out, watching as the jets easily caught up and leveled out next to their formation. “Look at those paint schemes on them! It's them alright, the team we were told about.”
“Galm do you read me? Say something immediately!”
“Here comes the snow!” a new voice chimed over the radio in a simpler tone.
“Save your sightseeing for later,” Rector shot back. “Is the AWACS with you?”
“Yeah, we got ‘em right here,” the human mercenary confirmed. “Galm Two to Eagle Eye, you hear us?”
“Affirmative, this is AWACS Eagle Eye, we’re reading you,” the control plane replied. “Bearing three-one-five, Changeling bombers approaching. Galm One, Galm Two, maintain present course.”
“This is Galm Two, roger that.”
“King, Glider, are you ready to engage?”
“Glider and King are ready,” answered Night Glider.
“Alright, Gambler flight is catching up now as well. Follow the Galm Team to the engagement point.”
“I hope you're able to stay strong in a dogfight. Our enemy has proven themselves to be very capable,” Rector warned.
“Well, no one wants to bail out into a mountain of ice, so we’re counting on you, flight leader,” Galm Two responded.
“We’ll see how long you last then.”
“You better have our pay ready and waiting.”
“Hey, that's only if we all make it through this alive!” Glider yelled.
“Be ready to pay up! We’ll be back before you know it!”
Glider watched as the two planes sped ahead, breaking formation and leaving the Equestrians to catch up.
“I hope they're good pilots.”
“We’ll find out soon,” Rector replied. “For now just keep up and ready yourself for battle.”
“It sounds like they're full of themselves. Just look at that one with the red wing, spinning around up there. Show off!”
“Gambler lead, flight of three, arriving in the airspace and heading to intercept. Is everyone else here?”
“This is King, we’re all here and moving to engage. Galm should get there first.”
“So you've met Cipher and Pixy huh?” the American pilot asked. “I've heard some stories about those guys.”
“What kind of stories?” Glider wondered aloud.
“I'll save it for when we get back. It'll be good bar talk. Let's mop these guys up quick and I'll treat you all to a hot drink. Whiskey, rum, wine, just get home on time.”
“Glider One, two bombers ahead at our ten,” Rector noted. “Looks like their escorts are occupied. Engage them directly.”
The two Eagles moved in to claim their first prey. The elderly-looking Badger bombers stood little chance and both were struck by radar guided missiles at near the same time. The burning wreckage of the two mingled together as it fell, striking the side of a mountain with the flames being extinguished on contact with the snow.
“First flight is down,” Glider notified. “Moving on to the next one.”
“Second flight of bombers is already down,” the AWACS responded. “Move on to the main formation.”
“Already!?”
“Come on Pixy, leave a few for us!” one of the American pilots complained.
“Not a chance, and don't forget that you're still paying tonight.”
“Alright Gambler flight, looks like some of those escorts are still buzzing around. Let's clean them up. King, Glider, we’ll leave the bombers to you.”
The two Equestrians moved on and were greeted with a lopsided air battle before them. The two F-15s were casually taking apart the formation at their own leisure, and any of the escorts that tailed onto one were quickly killed by the other. In spite of being outnumbered, it seemed as if the two mercenaries could not be touched as they are away at their victims seemingly at a random choosing.
Rector pulled up and charged at the leftmost group of bombers in the formation, followed closely by Glider. Two missiles were launched and another two bombers fell. Glider had selected her own target but the leader F-15 painted in blue struck it first, hitting it hard with a Sidewinder that tore it apart. The plane continued to weave through the formation, paying little mind to the firing of the bomber’s gunners as he picked away at them.
“Alright, it looks like they're not all talk,” Glider noted.
“I suppose I did underestimate them. Still, let's not be left-wait,” Rector stopped, noticing one of the bombers break away and turn around. “One of the bombers is leaving the battle.”
“Why would they leave after coming this far?”
“System malfunctions perhaps. Let them go, focus on the remaining formation.”
Glider did so as Rector kept an eye on the retreating bomber. Before he could continue on, he saw the red-winged Eagle dive down and fire a missile into the helpless enemy. The plane descended into a death dive as the pilot turned back to the main engagement.
“Only mercenaries would shoot down a plane that's out of commission,” Rector fumed to himself.
Glider continued forward but the number of remaining enemies was rapidly diminishing as the two F-15Cs cut down their targets with missile and gun. She selected another Badger off to the right and locked on, firing and destroying the aircraft. It would turn out to be the final kill for the Equestrians as the final target was felled by the lead mercenary plane.
“All enemy bombers confirmed down, operation complete,” the AWACS announced.
“Alright, we did it!” Night Glider celebrated. “That wasn’t too bad, huh?”
“You did well, Galm team. Far better than I originally thought,” Rector apologized.
“Just remember where you are when you’re up here and save the judgement for later. Talking doesn’t mean much if you can’t back it up,” Pixy replied. “Your friend did well though. She’s got potential.”
“What about your squadron leader? He doesn’t talk nearly as much as you,” Glider observed.
“Don’t worry about that. Cipher and I are going to get along just fine, huh buddy?”
Rector and Glider returned home after the engagement. For Rector, the first taste of combat felt experimental to him. Glider had taken it fine, better than he thought she would. He, on the other hoof, had an odd feeling of being out of place. It was clear that these humans were much different than he originally thought.
He tried to relax after the battle, eating a salad only to kill time as he felt his body calm down from the rigors of flight. Colonel Ulrich, the leader of the 94th Fighter Squadron, passed him in the mess with a drink before turning to talk to him. Rector had not spoken to him much, only on terms of business, and he assumed that would be the same reason this time.
“How did the mission go?” he asked.
“Perfectly. All targets were destroyed, no casualties.”
“Excellent!” the Colonel said with a beaming smile. “It’s good to bring in some victories. We’re in real need of them right now. It’s good to see you ponies are taking to combat well, too.”
“Thank you,” the Equestrian replied, leaving out the assistance they had from the mercenary team. “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”
“I suppose? I just thought I would ask. I heard it was a success but I wanted to hear how well,” Ulrich explained. “I’ll admit though, it’s a little odd getting to understand you. Ponies I mean. Not in a bad way, just strange trying to understand something so different. I think it’s good to keep up when it comes to combat though.”
The American relaxed back and brought the drink to his mouth. Rector was having some difficulty understanding just what he meant, and instead waited until he was finished. The Equestrian watched the man chug down the cup of what looked to be coffee in one large gulp, setting the empty cup on the table. Ulrich did not so much as flinch as he went back to smiling and waiting for a response.
“Is there anything you would like to know?” asked Rector. “What’s confusing you?”
“Yes, I suppose… well one of the things is naming. It seems a bit weird to me. I’ve certainly heard plenty of odd human names but yours are different. Same language as us but different. Kind of alien. Though I guess that fits, huh?” Ulrich went on. “Would you mind telling me about your name? What it means?”
“It is not a name really, not in the normal sense for ponies,” Rector explained vaguely. “More of a… a title.”
“Like how a knight is called ‘Sir’?”
“Not quite. I suppose it could serve as both a name and title. It seems closer to a royal heir being given a previous name. Similar to… let's say Louis the Fourteenth, an example from your world. Certainly his name but named for those before him, as a title almost, passed down the line.”
“So you're royalty then?”
“It may be better for me to explain the origin itself.”
“Yeah, that sounds better.”
“Long ago, before the three tribes of ponies United to form the modern Equestrian nation, there was a king, King Golden Chisel, who ruled a great state city-state consisting of many races that came to and fro and passed through on the roads the city lay on. That city, Manedus, grew incredibly large and wealthy because of those roads and the trade and travel that took place on them.
“Eventually an invasion came, a group of Minotaurs who desired to control the city. The king sent out a call to the surrounding lands to form an army. Not all answered but some of the greatest families did, and the army consisted of ponies of all races. The battle was won, and the city’s independence secured; this was the first time ponies of all three kinds joined together in such close fashion.
“Our board game, our chess, was made in recognition of that battle. That is how it came to be in our world. The major pieces were all based on some of the major clans that fought in it.”
“And yours were rooks, huh?”
“Rooks were based on ours, yes. Since then our family has passed on a collection of titles as names. I was given ‘Rector’, while my brothers and sisters were given synonymous titles.”
“You've got a very unique reputation to carry on don't you?” Maurice said.
“It was not the last time such a gathering happened,” Rector continued. “A similar event took place decades later, and understandably many more answered the call to rally. These volunteers were given new pieces in various forms of chess that came up over the years. Ferz, Nightriders, and many others.”
“Are they still around, like you?”
“Of course. Once Equestria came to be the city was annexed into the new country. There was less a need for such rallies but the families continued their lineage and were honorable guards of Equestria. They are doubtless still around, if they have not been killed yet, though I could not tell you where. Scattered amongst the armed forces probably.”
“And what about your family? Those brothers and sisters you mentioned.”
“I haven't heard from them in some time,” the Pony replied without thinking first. “I… haven't seen them in a few years.”
“From the war?”
“No… no not directly. That's not the real reason.”
“Some kind of falling out?”
“No, not that either. It was a choice I made that separated me from them. A journey, more of a mistake. One I would prefer to keep to myself.”
“Oh, sorry to pry. I'll do that sometimes without noticing. One of my lesser habits.”
“Yes, it's a private matter.”
“Sorry,” Ulrich repeated. “How did your friend Glider do in her first fight?”
“She performed well, and I'm glad for that.”
“That's good. I know you two stick pretty close.”
“I try to look after her. She's a lonely sort, and I've been with her for some time now”
“Is she alright? To be honest with you I've heard a few rumors going around from the ponies around here.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“Various kinds. She doesn't talk much about her past either, no one seems to know about it. So naturally plenty of theories have sprung up regarding it,” the human explained. "Secret political organizations, cultic rituals. The most prevalent seems to be that she's actually a Changeling spy, considering she came out of nowhere and jumped right into the Air Force.”
“Hmpf, this gossip is never different. No more than fanciful ideas concocted in the heads of the imaginatively paranoid to explain what they do not know themselves,” Rector answered angrily. “But I can assure you that Night Glider is not a Changeling.”
“I believe you, but I’m not the one-“ Ulrich stopped as he felt his small phone vibrate in his pocket, pulling it out to answer. “Hello? Yeah...okay. Where to? Alright get everyone to briefing room four. I’ll meet you there.”
The American shoved the phone in his pocket again and stood from the table.
“Sorry, have to scramble. Canterlot’s under attack again and they need help.”
“Again?”
“Yeah, but don’t worry we’ll take care of things. You take care of yourself and your wingmen, Captain Rector.”
With that Ulrich headed off in at a brisk pace, leaving Rector with an empty coffee cup and his thoughts once more.
