Chapter 6
Over the next few days, I was wondering to myself why the two heirs to the throne of Gryphnia would be here on the frontlines. They left every other day to go on a sortie, but when they returned, all five came back, and they looked just as happy as ever. Meteor Six seemed to have a sort of kinship to the two princes, even going as far as putting her arms around the brothers as she guided them towards the makeshift barracks before letting me follow them into town.
I was fiddling with a model plane of the exact type they flew when they returned one night. Six’s plane looked a little scorched, something I had never seen before, as if somepony had almost gotten her. Six's plane was always as beautiful on landing as it was on take-off, but here it had been blemished. I tilted my head as she climbed out and ran her hand over the nose of her plane where the number zero-zero-six was painted. As I walked over, Meteor eight came over and asked if she was alright, to which she hastily confirmed.
She then started saying how close this pilot was to getting her. How if she hadn’t pulled up when she did, she’d have been shot down by this allied pilot. Six wasn’t able to get the insignia, but she said she would probably recognize the flying style if they ever went at it again. Seven said it was most likely another overconfident dweeb trying to challenge elite pilots by themselves. But Six merely shook her head, saying he was wrong.
“This pilot was good," she had said. "Skilled, probably more than they even realize.”
Her eyes then lifted to the clouds, as if expecting this pilot to soar by at any second. But she just shook her head and patted the nose of her fighter, adding, “I honestly would love to get into a dogfight with this one… I don’t even think I’d be disappointed about being shot down either…”
The two brothers just looked at her, before she simply shrugged and waved for them to follow. They did before Six looked at me and smirked. “You comin’ squirt?” I blinked and nodded before I could fully register her words. Wrapping the Meteor Squadron jacket I was given around me a little closer, I took up a spot between Seven and Six, who guided me to the town.
It was at the moment, despite my age, I realized I had actually changed sides. These gryphon pilots were not so bad once you stayed around them long enough. My aunt chastised the barkeep for tending to their drinks, her drunken rants had become more prominent by the day to the point where I had been staying with Meteor Squadron more than I had been at home. In a way, I had become an impromptu member of their group, even the flight crew chief showing me the different parts in a fighter engine.
In a city where the allies had been driven out, where the citizens were oppressed, where our previous way of life had been forbidden, where I was practically alone, I had found a new home.
Despite protests from her friends, Rhapsody hurried along to the offices of the base and squadron commanders. The second the wheels of her Tomcat hit the ground, she was removing the straps from her suit and jumped out of the cockpit before the ladder was in place. The result was her wings screaming in pain at the sudden takeoff and Ditzy yelling for her to slow down.
Her hooves carried her enflamed legs all the way to the offices when she reached the door to the command center, where she panted for breath. Spitfire hadn’t made it yet, so she at least kept her end of the bargain by being there before she –
“Good. You’re here. Inside.”
The Major walked by, opening the office door and allowing the younger pilot entrance. Rhapsody quickly stepped inside. She jumped a little, her wings flaring for a moment when the door was slammed behind her. Her tail flicked indignantly, as if protesting the sudden gesture of shock. Spitfire moved to the front of the desk, slamming her helmet down on the table. She didn’t sit down, and whilst her hooves were screaming for her to sit, Rhapsody remained standing at attention, her helmet in the crook of her arm.
Once she had closed the windows, the golden furred Major turned around. “Now,” she started slowly. Suddenly, Spitfire slapped her palms on the desk, making Rhapsody jump just a bit. “What the hell were you thinking, Lieutenant?!”
Whatever words she had thought up to defend herself dried her in throat at the Major’s raised voice. Rhapsody had been in Spitfire’s office a multitude of times, but not once had she raised her voice like this. Major Spitfire had never… never… yelled at her before. This sort of thing fully made Rhapsody aware she had royally screwed up.
“I-“ she tried to start something, but her mind kept drawing blanks. How could she justify her actions? Making two wings of green pilots attack the most elite squadron of Gryphnia?
“You ordered a squadron of green pilots to engage a formation of five Meteors!” Spitfire snapped. "Gryphnia's most elite squadron!" She began pacing; running a hand through her mane, huffing and puffing like a raging Minotaur. Rhapsody could probably bet that one motivational speaker whose name escaped her would cower at the Major’s mannerisms at the moment. Even Rhapsody found herself needing a bathroom. “Do you even realize what could have happened if my squadron had not arrived when we did? AWACS’s orders were to retreat south!”
Rhapsody now found something to add at the right time to add it. Though, she was hoping her words were being chosen carefully. “With respect ma’am, do you realize what would’ve happened had we followed that order and not engaged?”
Spitfire’s eyes narrowed considerably as she leaned on the desk. “Enlighten me,” she hissed through her teeth.
“Had we followed AWACS’s orders, and flew south like we were told, we wouldn’t be here,” Rhapsody said as calmly as she could. She was angry simply at being yelled at, one of her least favorite things, but also a bit scared of the Major’s voice. There was just something in the tone. “We had been traveling south, but those fighters were much faster and a lot more agile. Major, we were sitting ducks since we were flying straight.”
Spitfire raised an eyebrow at the Lieutenant. “And you ordered to engage… why..?”
Rhapsody swallowed hard. “Either way, we were going to die. Whether you hadn't shown up or were late. Even if we were going to die, I was going to try and keep those pilots alive as long as I could, maybe even take one of the Meteors out with us. It was unlikely, and we probably would’ve all been shot down, but at least, I think, the effort would’ve made a statement that Meteor Squadron is not as terrifying as Gryphnia makes them out to be. As long as somepony stands up to them, they have a chance.
“Was I scared? Yes. Hell yes I was scared, but flying normal and following the orders to retreat would’ve assured our quick deaths. I… I wanted those green pilots, if they were going to die, I wanted them to at least go down swinging, instead of crying for someone to save them. That if they were going to die, their families would receive a note telling of how heroic they were standing up to Meteor Squadron. I wanted to make a statement, ma'am, that we can stand up to Meteors.”
Spitfire stared long and hard at Rhapsody, who had barely moved under the scrutinizing gaze of the Wonderbolt Major. Her rose eyes continued to stare at the blinds of the office window. She thought back to the dogfight. They had almost all been killed had Spitfire’s group not showed up when they did, and Rhapsody had always been afraid of dying, not solely death itself. But there was a surge she found in herself when she had chased those Meteors. Those greenhorn pilots had put up a desperate fight, mostly because the other order meant certain death. Of course either way was certain death.
Whether she obeyed or disobeyed, all of the pilots she was leading would have been lost, something which she felt Spitfire knew. But whatever was on the Major’s mind was lost in her expression. It remained neutral as Rhapsody explained. But when she finished, the Wonderbolt stood, and sniffed, running a thumb under her nose.
“So your main focus was just prolonging their lives a little longer? To help them die as heroes?”
The question offset Rhapsody a little, but she managed to answer, “Yes.” As soon as she finished, she added. “Planes can be replaced ma’am, pilots can’t. As long as the pilot makes it home safe, the mission is a success. It’s not about the planes making it back, it’s about the crew.” The sea green mare didn’t know where she had come up with that, but it came out before she could shut herself up, so she let it hover in the air.
Spitfire pursed her lips, putting her tongue against her cheek. She turned away from Rhapsody and opened one of her desk drawers. “What you did,” she began, “Was a direct violation of orders, and incredibly dangerous to not only yourself and your co-pilot, but to our allies around us." She started rummaging through the drawer, no doubt looking for her transfer orders to probably send her to back to Canterlot. "You gave an order that would have gotten them killed, but it would allow them to live just a little longer and get them the commendations they deserved for their actions against the Meteors, and indeed make a statement. You disobeyed… but in the end… it was definitely the right thing to do Lieutenant. Instead of getting them all killed, you kept them alive much longer, and indeed proved even the most inexperienced of pilots can stand up to the greatest of enemies.”
Her hand kept rummaging through the drawer before she grabbed something. She placed her clenched fist on the desk and slide it towards Rhapsody. “’It’s about getting the crew back that counts in a sortie’. That’s the kind of line I’d expect from a true squadron leader. You've performed excellently under intense circumstances.” She unclenched her fist and revealed what she had covered up.
Underneath where her hand had been was a pair of silver bars. They looked worn, but as if polished on a daily basis. Alongside the bars were additional and matching insignias for a cap. “Those are my old Captain’s insignias. Wore those when I was Captain of the Wonderbolts. Before the war started, of course.” She eyed Rhapsody and quirked her brow, staring. After a few seconds, the Major held out her hand to them. “Are you going to take them or not?”
As if in a daze, the sea green mare quickly picked them up in her palm and looked at them, then at the Major, who was smiling; warmly, genuinely smiling. “Congratulations, Captain.”
Now it was Rhapsody’s turn to smile. She shifted them to her left hand and snapped to attention, giving a crisp salute. “Thank you ma’am.”
Spitfire returned it and sat down. “I need to get some paperwork done for an attack we’re going on in a week or so. We’ll be launching another offensive next Friday and I want everypony on this base to be ready before then. Dismissed.”
No longer seeing her need in the office, Rhapsody spun on her hoof to exit. She grasped the handle and opened the door, but was halted by Spitfire clearing her throat. Rhapsody turned and was met by the once again very stern gaze of the Major of the Wonderbolts. “You do something like this again,” Spitfire said softly, “I’ll kill you myself. You got that?”
Rhapsody kept her features leveled as she nodded. “I understand, Major.” With a returned nod from Spitfire, she left the office, closed the door, and leaned on the wall across the hall. She opened her hand, staring at the new insignias to replace her Lieutenant’s rankings with. ‘Captain’. She was finally a Captain. A grinned forced itself onto her muzzle, going ear to ear as her rose eyes lit up.
Before she knew it, she was running down the hall to find her squadron.
“C’mon everypony! Keep it rolling! Get those leopards into the garage where we can work on them.”
Two AEGIS tanks rolled out of the nose of the C-5 Galaxy aircraft that had just landed. The orange earth pony Colonel that was shouting at them was gruff, but she was kind to her troops. Even if she was coming off as uncouth, as their intelligence officer worded it, the gathered soldiers knew she was under a lot of pressure. But the second the two tanks had joined the others in the garage, she waved her hat in the air and whooped.
“Yeehaw!” she hollered. “That makes ten! That's another battalion in the works! Looks like the air force is doing their job.”
Around them, various vehicles from all around the continent were lined up for assignment. From main battle tanks to armored personnel carriers to mobile missile platforms, everypony had an integral job in the battle to come. Saddle Arabians and Equestrians compared notes about the M1s while Crystal Ponies cleaned off their Laclercs and Hippogriffs took stock of how many Challenger IIs had made it.
A pair of Hibernian Tiger helicopters flew overhead with Equestrian AH-64s as they patrolled the airspace. Humvees drove by delivering news or supplies as everypony gathered got their wits about them and mentally prepared themselves for a soon-to-come onslaught. Fighters flew higher above while some landed for refueling. Transport helicopters delivered crates by the ton before flying off to gather more. Prissy or not, Rarity could organize a large operation as well as any group of young officers, despite how much she didn't want to be in a war.
“Well of course they are,” a snow white mare replied haughtily. “They’re the only ones who can actually make a decent enough dent on the Gryphons for us to move our troops here.” The Lieutenant Commander’s horn it up as she lifted a clipboard from a pile of crates of tank rounds. She then clicked a pen in her pocket and began checking off the list. “Let’s see, Bravo, Hotel, Omega just arrived, Tango is ten miles out, that just leaves Alpha.”
“They ain’t comin’,” the Colonel suddenly remarked as she adjusted her hat back on her head and headed for the Windbreak Point offices.
The Lieutenant Colonel blinked and watched her go, trotting up beside her as best her dress shoes could handle. Even on important assignments, and field work, she preferred to wear them. While maybe not comfortable, they were definitely stylish to her, unlike the Colonel’s clunky boots.
Whilst it took little to convince the earth pony to serve her country and the allied forces of AEGIS, even if it took much for Twilight to get her to leave the farm, Rarity was a whole different story. She did not like the idea of fighting, even less going through her classes of intelligence and cyber warfare. Though she made it through, she did not like the idea of travelling military style.
Applejack may have missed the farm badly, but she felt her mechanical skills were needed. She proved such going through basic training, and then into officer’s school, becoming a Colonel in just a few months due to prowess, and her being an Element of Harmony was also a deciding factor on her position. When the war started, she was given a full battalion. Gryphnia then took over much of the mainland, and the mare was given command of half the allied forces that were participating in the coming offensive.
“What do you mean ‘they aren’t coming’?”
Applejack opened the door and stepped inside, removing her hat. “Exactly that, Rares. Got a wire from Taelur this morning. All four planes were shot down before fighter escort could move in. Apparently…” she heaved a sigh and leaned against the wall. She then turned around and looked Rarity directly in the eyes. “Apparently they got lost. Sky Breaker shot ‘em down before they realized where they were. Last known location was just within its effective range.”
Rarity removed her beret and ran a hand through her mane, sighing. “Poor dears…”
Applejack shook her head and pushed herself off the wall. “Well, we now know that Sky Breaker is still active… not as if they’d shut it down now.”
“Well of course not!” Rarity exclaimed. “And how can you say such a thing? Those soldiers are dead and all you can say is something we already know?” Rarity grabbed Applejack’s shoulder as the earth pony tried to continue down the hall. The Colonel spun and raised an eyebrow at the unicorn. “Why does it feel like you don’t care?”
Applejack narrowed her eyes, snorting. Rarity leaned back a little at the gesture. “Ah care about every single one of mah troops, Rarity,” she growled. “Don’t even think for a second about otherwise. Ah’m sad ah lost a good lot of soldiers who had to die because someone in the command room back in Canterlot misplaced a zero, but we now know Sky Breaker still works. And if ah let myself get worked up about losing my troops, ah won’t be able to focus for the invasion.”
“About that,” Rarity quickly said, hoping to relieve the tension just a little on the subject. “Do you have to join your troops on the battlefield? Safety of a tank or not, it’s incredibly dangerous, and losing a battalion commander as well as an Element of Harmony would be a severe blow to troop morale.”
Applejack’s face twisted back into one of a good nature, if a little apprehensive still. “Don’t you worry your pretty little mane, Rares. Against my better morals to be up with my crew, ah'll be back on the secondary lines barking orders. If only Twil-“
They were interrupted by a pegasus stallion rushing towards them. He looked out of breath, but needed to speak with the mares. He gathered up some breath, snapped to attention and saluted. Applejack and Rarity returned it. “What is it Sergeant Major?”
Thunderlane inhaled and exhaled rapidly, but gestured behind himself to give them a clue. “We got a wire from Canterlot. General Sparkle wants to speak with you both.”
Applejack and Rarity looked at each other, then back at the Marine. “Lead the way.” Thunderlane nodded and rushed back the way he came, the two mares in tow.
Twilight had news for them, hopefully good.
“You’re serious?” Rarity asked incredulously.
Twilight Sparkle nodded, adjusting her position in her chair. The new Major General of Intelligence Division, she had also earned enough prestige to excel at her training in the Ministry of Defense for Equestria as well as lead a top team of agents in the intelligence command in Canterlot. She wore the typical intelligence uniform; a pressed purple and gold suit with matching buttons. Her cap was decorated with the Royal Sisters crest and the two stars of a Major General.
Much to many a pony’s dismay, the Elements of Harmony had chosen national defense roles as their future careers. While Fluttershy seemed to be regretting her decision to join the Air Force, Rainbow Dash had gotten herself into the Wonderbolts, and consequently became one of their top aces. Applejack was now an Army Tank Commander with Rarity as her adjutant. Twilight herself kept away from the front lines, however, and went into military intelligence. The only one who wasn’t usually concerned for her own safety was Artillery Commander Pinkie Pie.
“I’m very serious Commander,” the purple unicorn, though her tone suggested she did not want to address her closest friends by their ranks. “Habun Harbor is still bottled up with ships. Thanks to the 14th Tactical, they can’t raise anchor and leave for Windbreak Point. With no new fuel, they can't steam out.”
“Can't believe they actually did it. They took the oil fields out of commission?”
Twilight smiled. “What do you expect? Rainbow Dash and her pilots can easily wipe out something like that.” Twilight looked towards another screen adjacent to the one she was speaking to Applejack and Rarity through, it's light blinking, indicating there was a call. It was coming from Hibern, so she could only guess who it was. She pressed the connection button and guessed right. Both Rainbow and Fluttershy were standing together in their working uniforms and smiling, happy to see their friends were alright.
The Intelligence General was just glad to know they were at the front and still alive.
“All we need is Pinkie and we’ll all be together,” Rarity casually observed.
Twilight scratched the back of her head. “She’s actually busy at the moment. Got her orders earlier to lay down cover for an armored brigade pulling back from southeastern Hibern.”
Applejack swore and shook her head. Rarity just sighed. “Well I hope she’s alright.”
“Ah! She’s fine!” Rainbow commented offhandedly with a negligent wave of her hand. “Remember that siege on Freido just last month? She was right in the center of town, about dead asleep when they found her. Not a scratch on her. She then ordered that the gryphons be given ‘extra invitations’. Remember that?”
Applejack grinned. “A brigade of artillery grunts hold off an armored force twice their size and hold the town for air support. Even in war, Pinkie Pie is still Pinkie Pie.”
They all shared a soft laugh, which did wonders for them. The war was taking a lot out of them, and grouped talks like this were rare. But that didn’t stop them from trying to get together over a communications channel and share a few laughs and old stories before the war. Big Macintosh was working the farm with Applebloom from what Applejack had heard. Rarity had exclaimed many a time that Sweetie Bell was thoroughly enjoying her new record label, and even did a few concerts with an army group to perform for soldiers. Scootaloo had followed Rainbow Dash’s hoofsteps and joined the Air Force.
Out of all of them, Twilight could be considered the most worried of the group. While she was safe in Canterlot in a well guarded palace surrounded by guards round the clock, her friends were off in the fight. At any second they could disappear out of thin air, never to be heard from again. Twilight shook the thoughts away fiercely, earning a distressed murmur from Fluttershy.
But it was Rarity who spoke first. “Dear, are you feeling alright?”
Twilight quickly wiped her eyes before they noticed anything. “Yeah, I’m alright. I-I just miss you girls is all.”
“We miss you too,” Fluttershy murmured, almost in tears herself.
It was a shared feeling of longing to see each other again. They were shedding blood, sweat, and tears for this war, and to many it seemed that AEGIS might not make it through the fight. The gryphons were strong, but AEGIS wasn't giving up yet. Still, they had lost plenty of friends to the fire. Applejack lost her aunt and uncle during a night bomb raid on Manehatten, the major city in Equestria closest to the border with Gryphnia. Her own cousin Babs Seed was with the Equestrian Marines and would be arriving at Windbreak any day. She had seen some serious action despite just having recently enlisted. Pinkie’s eldest sister was caught in a firestorm while she was trying to cover her brigade that was retreating over a bridge. Rainbow Dash was escorting a group of cargo planes when her wingpony, Dumbbell, had been shot down, one of the five Wonderbolts to have been killed by the Gryphons. Even Twilight herself had almost lost her brother, who was heavily fighting on the northern front in the Crystal Empire.
The knock on her office door prompted Twilight to look away from the screens. “Yes?” The door slowly opened, revealing one of the palace guard messengers. He snapped to a crisp salute.
“Ma’am, the Princess wishes to speak with you about the coming invasion.”
Twilight nodded, replying, “Tell her I’ll be there in a moment.” The guard nodded and left her alone. The purple unicorn sighed and looked at the screens. “Sorry.”
Rainbow Dash waved her off and Fluttershy nodded her understanding. “Better not keep the Princess waiting, Twi,” Applejack said. “We need orders, and she gives them.”
“And please tell her to put in a requisition for a different color blouse for mare officers, perhaps something in lilac with a hint of mauve?” Rarity pleaded and drawled, alternately tugging her collar for them to see.
Rainbow Dash leaned in. “You’re still on that Rarity?” she asked bluntly.
“Well of course!” she responded curtly, as if it was obvious. “Battlefield it may be, but that doesn’t mean I should not look my best.” She turned her head up, emphasizing her words by fluffing her mane just a bit.
Twilight rolled her eyes and tapped at her screen. “I should probably go then. Hopefully we’ll see each other soon.”
Applejack pointed at her. “Ah don’t wanna hear no negative talk, Twi,” she warned. “We will see each other by the end of this, ya hear?”
“Yeah! We’ll see each other when the gryphons sign their surrender!” Rainbow added stridently, causing her counterpart Captain to squeak and shy away, but regardless, the yellow mare behind her nodded her agreement.
“In that case, see you girls soon,” Twilight said. She pressed two fingers to her lips and held them to the screens. Her friends did the same, a sort of parting gesture they adopted before they were all deployed. The General disconnected and the twin screens sank back into her desk. She then reached over for a tissue, wiping her eyes quickly before she let loose another storm of tears, fearing that every time she closed their screens was the last time she’d ever hear their voices or see their faces.
Regardless, she gathered her files and headed for the throne room where the AEGIS national leaders had gathered. She prepared herself as best she could, but deep down, she knew this was going to be a thoroughly large and long meeting. If only Pinkie Pie could have made an appearance, she wouldn’t feel this gloomy. After smoothing her skirt and replacing her peaked cap on her head, mindful of the groove for her horn, she exited her office and out into the courtyard and headed down the path towards the meeting. This planning needed to be perfect, so Twilight needed to be as collected as possible.
This invasion would be the decision for the war; a chance for victory, or inevitable annihilation.