Chapter 9
Rhapsody ran her hand over the nose of her Tomcat. It bore a few scars of past fights, but showed no sign of giving up its spark to fight. Just past her canopy was her kill record, a collection of tallies in the shape of the Gryphnian sun instead of black lines. There were a total of seventeen confirmed kills on her record in the past few sorties. Ditzy was with her, both in their regular flight jackets to keep out the approaching warmth. While keeping their bodies warm, it failed to protect the most vital part of a pegasi’s body; the wings.
The two mares kept their wings hugged tightly to their backs whilst Rhapsody’s multihued teal tail wrapped itself around her leg. The lead mare ran her palm over the scores and exhaled, creating a soft plume of her breath in the air. Rhapsody was a mare who could hold her liquor well, even if she went overboard this night. But it was a celebration, and she allowed herself some indulgence. Even still, at this time, she was clear headed as ever.
Sprig had carried the passed out Mythic to his bunk, deciding she was going to meet with Amethyst in their quarters and catch some sleep. Whilst Spitfire had approved of this party being thrown for them by the General, she would drill the hell out of them in the morning to get rid of the hangovers. Rhapsody had no doubts Mythic was going to be a nightmare to wake. Poor stallion loved his drink, but couldn’t hold it to save his life once he got started.
The insulation in the all metal hangars didn’t help the situation much either, but Rhapsody grew up in a city where the winters were cold. Her blood was thick as a result, so her body kept a good temperature to stay out with. That didn’t mean she didn’t like to dress warmly, though. Poor Ditzy from Ponyville wasn’t used to such cold weather.
They both stared at the cockpit of the Tomcat, the grey mare looking at it longingly. Rhapsody caught her gaze and frowned, looking at the co-pilots seat. It prompted her question. “Ever thought about applying for your own fighter?”
The question seemed to catch Ditzy Do off-guard. The grey pegasus started and looked at her friend, then back at the fighter. Her head tilted, causing her misaligned eyes to quirk a little with the gesture. The thought had been bugging Rhapsody for months. They were assigned the same fighter, but she often wondered if her friend ever wanted to fly by herself. Ditzy had often eyed the pilot's seat of the Tomcat, so it was natural for Rhapsody to think that maybe it was time her friend had her own.
“Not really.” Now it was Rhapsody’s turn to be off-guard. “I… don’t want to make the choice of ending an opponent’s life.” She looked towards the sea green mare, the rose eyes asking for elaboration. “You all have to make the choice to kill, and I know it can’t be easy.”
“You’d be surprised,” Rhapsody countered. “In the heat of battle, you need to make the decision fast. Often times, you don’t. You just pull the trigger and fly off, and sometimes you don't even see the impact. It's usually lock-on, fire, fly off, and AWACS tells you if it hit or not.”
“But who are we to decide who gets the trigger pulled on them?” Ditzy asked. “They’re pilots just like us. And I… because we’re the same, we fight for the same thing, or so I tell myself.”
Rhapsody leaned against the nose of the Tomcat. “Gryphnia wants to take over the entire continent and the surrounding islands, butchered whole cities in the name of securing their well-being, and they have tortured civilians, brainwashed them. You’re saying we shouldn't fight them?”
“Ever think they say the same thing about us? That we’re the warmongers? We did strike the first blow of the war, and they were just trying to secure more resources,” the wall-eyed mare replied calmly.
“They were hanging Sky Breaker over our heads as a tool to rule the continent,” Rhapsody snapped, perhaps harder than she intended. Ditzy recoiled back a little, raising a wing halfway as if to shield herself from the verbal sting. Her friend backed off a little, seeing the gesture. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Ditzy replied meekly with a nod. “I just don’t like fighting. I don’t mind flying with you, I trust you to keep me safe; I just don’t want to be the one pulling the trigger. I want peace.”
Rhapsody bit her lips and slid her hand down the fuselage towards the beginning of the wings. “We all want peace, Ditzy. But often times somepony needs to die for it to come about. A true peace is worth fighting for.” She hung her head. “I don’t like it any more than you do.”
The grey mare’s misaligned eyes threatened to pour out their sadness, but she forced them back as she leaned back against the fighter, hands in her pockets. Biting her lip, she sniffed and shook her head. “I hate war.”
“But you still want to defend your country,” Rhapsody added. Ditzy slowly nodded. The sea green mare sighed and leaned next to her friend. The Tomcat was oddly warm, as if sensing their cold and it felt to Rhapsody that if the Tomcat could move on its own, the massive aluminum and titanium wing would have encompassed them to keep out the cold. The Captain knew deep down that this whole war did start because of AEGIS. Anypony with half a brain knew that they had struck the first blow, even if they didn’t fire the first shot.
Suddenly, Rhapsody felt a hand nudge her. She looked to her friend Ditzy, who had huddled up beside her friend as a light mountain breeze filled the hangar through the open windows up at the top. The Tomcat wasn’t able to do much more for their warmth, so Rhapsody began steering them both away towards the doors. “C’mon, let’s head inside before you catch a cold,” Rhapsody said.
“Rhappy?” Ditzy suddenly inquired. Her friend looked down at her friend and tilted her head. “We’ll be okay, right? Like… with all the fighting… you, me, Mythic, Sprig, Amethyst.” Ditzy then bit her lips, blinking hard. “We’ll make it, won’t we?”
A sudden chill went up Rhapsody’s spine, and it wasn’t from the breeze. It was a chill that the coming battles would really test her pilot skills. And it wasn’t just herself she had to look after. Behind her seat, Ditzy was completely defenseless. And she had a family to return home to, and a daughter who needed her mother. While Rhapsody had a family of her own to see again, Ditzy had more responsibility. Joining the Air Force was a noble decision, but she needed to survive this war not just for her own sake, but for her daughter's.
Ditzy started a bit as Rhapsody’s arm tightened around her friend and her wing circled around her. “I promise you, Ditz,” the Captain murmured. “I’ll look after you. I’ll make sure Dinky’s mother comes home safe.” Ditzy smiled and gave her friend a firm shake. The two mares exited the hangar and headed for the barracks where they could sleep.
And Rhapsody could try to shake off her hangover that was beginning to rear its ugly head.
“It’s a pretty straight forward attack; the only downside is how far into Gryphon air space you’ll need to fly.” Spitfire pressed the button on her remote. The screen shifted from the large string of valleys to the mountain range the pilots would be flying over on their way to the target: a massive solar power plant. “Because it’s supplying about sixty percent of the power for Gryphnia in this region, you’re bound to run into trouble on the way there. But probably not much since they’re trying to fight on four fronts.”
Multiple red dots decorated the screen where there were going to be possible skirmishes with Gryphons. Spitfire stepped away from the podium, aiming the built-in laser pointer of the remote at the map, drawing lines along it. “You’ll approach from the southwest and head straight there. We don’t want anypony getting lost, so stay together. Command wants this to be a quick in and out. Fly in, blow some crap up, then get the buck out there.”
Amethyst suddenly raised her hand. Spitfire pointed the remote at her. “Lieutenant?”
The crystal pony mare nodded her thanks and stood up, asking, “What about Sky Breaker?” The question caused a few mumbles of agreement, and the Major actually pursed her lips, looking off to the side. “This is far into their territory, wouldn’t it be within range?”
Everypony looked towards Spitfire, who kept her face neutral, but clearly giving off the aura that radiated confidence. At least that’s what the major hoped. “According to the General, Sky Breaker is just outside of range. They can fire, but it won’t hit. Still,” she looked back at the map and folded her arms. Her tail flicked just a bit as she continued, “There will be a huge response, so this attack is going to be big. That’s why we’re sending our best.”
She turned around, seeing the knowing gazes the pilots shared with each other. Save for Fluttershy, who looked even more terrified than any other time she was leading a sortie. She saw Rhapsody from Ghost, Lighting Dust from Timber Wolf, and Creg from Saber give each other smiles. Fluttershy from Blue Jay was much less enthusiastic. Everyone knew they were the best under the command of Major Spitfire, and they’d be leading their squadrons into this attack. Her four squadrons that she could rely on the most other than Wonderbolt.
Of course her words with the General could not be forgotten. A quick in out, but a lot of these pilots wouldn’t be coming back home tonight. A deep strike into Gryphnia was always laden with peril. But she had confidence that, regardless of casualties, they’ll succeed. She shoved her errant thoughts of the General aside and turned her attention back to the map. She pressed the remote again, which showed the main power complex and three red circles in different places.
“These are your primary targets,” Spitfire continued. “You’ve got the command center here, a collection tower to the north, and an R&D complex just east of that. Should be pretty easy to spot with the massive chimneys.” She looked back around, turning her attention to the flight line. “Once you reach the target, you’ll be engaged by serious enemy air power. We’re talking AA guns, SAMs, fighters, you name it and they will send it up to kill you.”
“Nothing a few bombs can’t handle,” Mythic replied, leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands behind his head. Before Spitfire could retort, Wraith had swatted him with her left hand, causing him to almost fall over. A quick wing kept him from falling, but her glare made him be quiet. Still, the grey stallion kept a good humored smile on his face.
“You’ll be loaded with the standard layout of missiles and bombs,” Spitfire added. "Hit those three targets, and then keep on the attack against the solar panels themselves. We really want them to be hit hard when we attack this place.” She pressed the remote again and stood back behind her podium. Her gaze turned stern as she regarded each pilot. She then turned her eyes to the left, placing her sunglasses on her muzzle. “Captain Fluttershy, you’re in command of this attack. I expect a lot from you.”
The yellow pegasus mare made an almost adorable squeak before nodding sharply and bringing her hand to a salute. “Y-yes ma’am.” Spitfire nodded and stood straight. The rest of the AEGIS pilots followed suite, saluting. The Major returned it swiftly.
“This attack will not only cripple their industrial output of arms, but it’ll be a tactical diversion as they try to repair their power supplies. This is the best way we can make them focus on something other than our imminent invasion plans,” she added. With a finally button, she shut off the screen and the lights turned back on.
“You have your orders, Mother Mare’s speed to you all.”
Rhapsody’s engines roared as they kept an eighteen plane formation. Her Tomcat and three Fighting Falcons kept a good pace with others of their same fighter type, as well as Jay Squadron’s five trademark F-15Cs and Es. Timberwolf was flying a flight of four MiG-29s, who seemed to almost be racing the three EF-2000s and twin Tornado-IDSs from Saber, determined to beat the other in reaching the area first. Rhapsody eyed them with some contempt; they were practically forgetting about the task at hand, more interested in their competition.
“Sky Gazer here to all planes. You’re almost to the target area, and they’ve already sent a welcoming party for you.”
Rhapsody pulled back on her power, disconnecting her fuel nozzle from the KC-10 fuel tanker craft. The large plane pulled up and banked to the south, finished refueling the fighters. Looking down at her radar, there were a few blips heading right for them. Looking back up, she narrowed her eyes and caught their silhouettes. “Confirmed visual on bandits,” she called.
“This is Timberwolf One,” Captain Lightning Dust announced. Her MiG regained its previous stature in the formation. The four green and brown camouflage painted MiGs increased their speed towards the front of the formation. “Requesting permission to engage while you proceed to the target.”
Fluttershy seemed to sigh in what sounded like relief. “Granted, if-if that’s what you really want.” The four MiGs wasted no time propelling forward. “Jay Two and Three, go and help them. If… if that’s okay. I-I mean it’d be-“
“W-we’ll go, Captain,” her wingpony replied. “Just head for the target, we’ll cover you.”
With that said, the remaining fighter-bombers shot towards the target area. But then it seemed like the hornet’s nest had been struck. “Sky Gazer here, confirming radar visual on six more fighters heading right for the main formation. You can’t proceed until they’re all taken down. All wings engage!”
“Saber 3 engaging!”
“Jay Four engaging!”
“Wraith One engaging!”
The F-15C gryphon pilot ground his beak together. He twisted his fighter left and right, finally getting the large F-14A fighter in his gun sights. He had heard about his brother being nearly killed when a lone fighter this same color and tail design sank his ship.
He had every intention of taking this pilot down in revenge.
Ditzy craned her head left and right. “He’s still on us! Man, he’s fast.”
“He’s flying a more agile fighter,” Rhapsody countered. “But I have a plan. Hold on!” Without even warning her co-pilot, the sea green mare shoved her stick forward. The Tomcat pitched downwards towards the deep ravine. It was narrow, but she had other ideas.
“Wraith One! You’re heading towards the ravine!” Sky Gazer cried. “What’s going on?”
Rhapsody grinned behind her oxygen mask. “I’m playing a reverse game of chicken.”
A giggle was heard near Sky Gazer’s spot on the AWACs plane. “Hey Scoots, she said chicke-“ He yelped in pain but ended in laughter.
“Shut up, Rumble!” she cried.
“Hmph! No way to treat your fiancé!”
“Will you two lovebirds focus!?” Lightning Dust cried.
Rhapsody kept her nose aimed downwards, whilst unbeknownst to her, Ditzy’s hand was slowly growing closer and closer to the eject handle as they got closer and closer to the ground. “Gimme a visual Specter!” Rhapsody suddenly ordered. Ditzy spun her head around and looked. The F-15C Eagle was gaining, as also evident by the missile warning alarm on the pilot’s console.
“He’s still on us! He’s-“ She blinked when she saw the Eagle pilot suddenly pull up hard. “He broke off!”
Without further hesitation, Rhapsody yanked her control stick back, almost to the point she was afraid she’d torn it off. The Tomcat’s wings and flaps screamed and strained as she pulled up from her steep dive and then sudden climb. The g-forces pressed the two mare’s bodies into the seats as Rhapsody pulled up hard, gritting her teeth until she was almost vertical and still pulling back. At least, just as her vision began to strain and narrow, the Tomcat reached her intended position during the circle.
Right behind the Eagle.
Twisting right-side up, Rhapsody opened her throttle, letting her afterburners flare for more speed as she chased the more agile fighter. This pilot was good at keeping himself out of her missile’s crosshairs, but she had planned on a gun kill anyway. She pulled up harder and harder until her gun-sight was just ahead of the Eagle before letting off subtle bursts of fire. The first few bullets missed, but when she saw sparks after a quick adjustment, she pulled the trigger and held it down.
A thick and heavy stream of 20mm cannon fire tore into the Gryphon fighter. Her gun hit its mark and successfully sheared off the left wing. The F-15C entered a severe barrel roll towards the ground. “Splash one fighter!” Rhapsody cried.
“Confirmed kill,” Sky Gazer agreed. “Wraith, you’re at the solar power plant. Begin your attack run.”
“Copy that!” Rhapsody throttled up and flexed her fingers over her gun trigger.
“This is Shade, I’ll cover her.”
“Banshee here,” Sprig cried. “I’ve got the sky covered.”
“Phantom engaging hostiles above the plant.”
The AA crews rushed outside, seeing the four fighters closing fast. The two gryphons manned their ZU-23 anti-air gun and aimed high into the air. The gunner pulled down his trigger, opening fire and sending a volley of 23mm shells into the air. Nearby, more gryphons were firing up their ZU-57s and aiming their barrels at the four.
“Let’s go! Let’s go!” the commander shouted. “Get them out of the air! This place is too important to lose!”
Black clouds pelted them from below. They weren’t the soft white that Rhapsody had flown through and laid herself on to rest. These meant death.
Sprig said, “This flak is thick!”
“Of course it is! This place supplies power to pretty much the entire southern front of Gryphnia,” Amethyst retorted quickly. Rhapsody weaved through the flak, keeping her nose level as she thrust towards the ground. She narrowed her eyes, zeroing in on one of the flak guns firing just by her at Sprig. The hippogriff was weaving and the two dropped a bomb almost at the same time. The two medium sized bombs created a large explosion, vaporizing the crew and shattering the gun itself. They both weaved upwards to avoid a barrage from one of the two tanks carrying twin auto-cannons.
Rhapsody darted herself to the left just as an enemy MiG-29 shot into view. She grinned and took off in pursuit. The Gryphon pilot didn’t seem to notice her just yet, as his maneuvering was slow. She easily locked on a missile and sent it directly into his turbines. As she looked around, she noticed another MiG heading her way. Banking right, the MiG over shot her. But the nimble MiG was able to outturn her and got on her tail.
Ditzy turned around to watch the gryphon fighter pursue. “He’s close! I think he’s- “ she let out a yelp as a flurry of bullets flew by their fighter. A few hit their mark though and tore a trio of nice holes in the fuselage. Ditzy looked to where they were and gasped. “Another foot and that would’ve hit me!”
“He won’t be trying to hit us again much longer!” Rhapsody cried as she drove her Tomcat down towards the solar panels. They were massive plates in groups of three-by-two, six in total. And they were scattered all over. The MiG she had just shot down crashed into two and then ricocheted into the remaining four. This one on her tail was determined to do the same. She craned her head back to see him turning into her just as she banked hard to the right. “C’mon you bastard,” she murmured.
“A little closer,” the gryphon muttered. “Just… a bit… MORE!”
He pulled the trigger, sending another barrage towards the Tomcat. He missed, cursing, and continued his pursuit. The pilot was skilled, he had to give that to them. But they way they were flying, it seemed too… He suddenly squawked as he pulled up to try and get away.
Too late.
Mythic banked left just as his missile hit the target. The gryphon pilot careened as a fireball into the collection tower. The fighter tore through the tower, sending it ablaze and splitting it in half. The solar collection tower erupted into sparks and crashed into the crater below, lined with more panels to collect the sun. Chunk of steel and glass fell, crashing and burning the ground all around.
“Thanks for the save Shade,” Rhapsody called, thanking Mythic.
“That’s two you owe me!”
With that, the pair split off just as the remaining AEGIS fighters in the group joined the fray. Rhapsody looked at them, sadly counting that two from Jay Squadron had been lost. Still, they had more than enough to begin a massive assault on the remaining targets. “Here we go everypony!” Lighting Dust cried. “Plenty of targets to choose from.”
“Ghost wing! Destroy the remaining targets,” Sky Gazer ordered. “Everypony else, begin shooting down the remaining enemy aircraft and destroy the solar collection panels.”
With their orders received, the remaining AEGIS fighters engaged.
Commander Ga’el grimaced as he watched over the seven gun turrets, gathered in a circle around the central control hub that also acted as a jammer, turning their attention far to the south. He narrowed his eyes just as one of his Lieutenants burst in. “News I take it?”
“Yes sir!” the gryphon nodded with a salute. “Major Pers is asking for support fire. The solar power plant is taking severe casualties and half the facility has been destroyed already.”
Ga’el sneered behind his beak and turned to one of the Senior Sergeants in the control room just beyond the towers. “How long until the guns are charged up to fire?”
Turned back, the gryphon tapped on her console, completely focused. Her claws darted nimbly across a console she had worked on for years. This was her job, her station, and no one knew it better than her. Finally, once the last digit was in, she spun around. “They’ll be ready to fire in ten minutes.”
Commander Ga’el turned back towards the south. The turrets already began to turn towards the south.
“Ten minutes.”
Another F-16C was sent down in a blaze as Rhapsody pulled her Tomcat up and away. “Scratch another bogey!”
“These guys are tough. They must really not want us here,” Sprig concluded snidely.
Creg, the lead pilot for Saber Wing, suddenly wanted to chime in. “Well we’re still better. The good guys always win in the end.”
Fluttershy’s strike eagle dropped a cluster bomb onto a trio of AA guns, shredding them as she pulled up. “Let’s not keep the channel flooded,” she ordered. Then softer, “If-if no one really minds, that is.”
Rhapsody shoved her hand into her face, her tail swishing between her hooves in irritation. Seriously? Rainbow Dash managed to make her a flight lead? Well, at least she managed to have enough courage to fight in a sortie. Ignoring the shy yellow pegasus, the Captain pulled up and weaved through a pair of chimneys as she began to pursue a Gryphnian Tornado-IDS.
This pilot however, did not understand how to fight other fighters besides those still on the ground. The Tornado was clunky, slow, worse than Rhapsody’s aging Tomcat. But this meant that the Tomcat was faster. The swing-wings of the Tornado folded back as the pilot tried to use speed to get away from his pursuer. Rhapsody matched his speed, and gained faster, her afterburners screaming. The wings folded back as well to compensate for more speed through the sudden turns the enemy pilot was making.
Ditzy held on, keeping her eyes on the sky around them. The other fighters were occupied with chasing or being chased by Rhapsody’s fellows, so the sea green mare was open to focus on this one. Finally, her HUD blared its alert that she had a lock. Wasting no time, Rhapsody pulled the trigger. The missile flew off the rail just as the Tornado peeled off to the left suddenly. The missile lost track and veered to the right, just barely missing the tail.
He’s better than I gave him credit for, Rhapsody thought, regaining her senses and going into pursuit once more. But this time, a third party was involved. A missile warning alarm revealed itself on Rhapsody’s console and she was forced to break off. Ditzy turned around to see another F-14A on their tail. “They have the same type as us!” she proclaimed to Rhapsody. Finding a bit of courage, the wall-eyed mare grinned and rubbed her hands together. “Let’s show him who can fly one of these better!”
Rhapsody grinned behind her oxygen mask. “Now you’re talking like a true dogfighter Specter.” Ignoring the sudden blare of a missile launch, she yanked the stick to the left, sending her banking that way and the missile passing right by. Pulling the stick back to her, Wraith pulled the Tomcat into an upward helix, the enemy Tomcat hot on her flanks. She viciously fought the g-forces pushing her back into her seat.
The engines roared as they kept her aloft, her fighter willing in every move its pilot wanted. They were one fighting unit in this sky. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of straight turning up into the sky, Rhapsody relinquished her hold on the stick. The Tomcat righted itself with a quick jerk of the controls and she pushed her throttle forward. Again the afterburners screamed their release as they shot Rhapsody and Ditzy Do into the fading light.
The gryphon pilots pursued, anxious to get another kill on their record.
“Blue Six here,” the pilot called, “I’m in pursuit of what appears to be the lead plane in the formation. I won’t let ‘em get away.”
His co-pilot let out a whoop as they leveled themselves out behind the AEGIS fighter. They were the true pilots of the F-14A Tomcat, not these damned ponies. Grinding his beak together, the young Lieutenant twisted left and right to match the enemy pilots moves. These were simple tactics, easy to copy. Even their sudden breaking was –
Breaking? As in hitting the brakes?
The gryphon Lieutenant was so focused on when he was going to kill the pilot he failed to focus on how. The Tomcat he was pursing lurched to a halt and he flew right under them. His co-pilot turned his head back. “Damn this one’s good!” he cried.
“Too good!” his friend replied. “Hold on!”
The enemy Tomcat pursued relentlessly as the Lieutenant weaved through the clouds to try and shake him. A burst flew by the canopy, causing the pilot to yelp in sudden fear and jerk the stick to the left…
Right into another volley.
Thick rounds pelted the fuselage and tore into the cockpit. The co-pilot held up his arms as the shrill shrieks of bullets flew by him, leaving only the sound of the engines, alarms, and warnings of loss of cockpit pressure. He blinked his eyes open finally and looked around. He patted his chest and looked himself over. They hadn’t hit him! The bullets hadn’t gotten him. Reaching into his pocket, he removed his girlfriend’s lucky wing feather, rubbing it against his cheek. It really had come through!
“I’m okay Marvin!” he cried. “I’m okay-“ He froze in his jubilation and stared forward at the massive crimson stain on the canopy. Turning his eyes around the pilot’s seat, he saw his longtime friend and fellow aviator slumped forward with half of his helmet missing.
The co-pilot began to hyperventilate and realized they were on a collision course with the command center of the power plant. Wasting no time, he reached down and yanked on the eject handle. The canopy blew and sent him hurtling into the open sky. Once his chute deployed, Corlo watched as the Tomcat he had only flown in for a couple of months, along with his best friend, crash directly into the control room. He then relinquished to his pilot's training and snapped himself away from the parachute and allowed his wings to keep him aloft as he surveyed the area.
The shriek of an engine turned his attention to the culprit. A grey F-14A with a spectral horse on the tail. He sneered and huffed, spitting at the pilot, at the fighter.
At the Ghost…
“Confirmed kill on a bandit and the control room of the facility in one sitting!” Sky Gazer reported. “Rhapsody, how many times are you going to amaze us?”
“Eh, comes naturally,” the sea green mare replied smartly.
Mythic chuckled. “You’re such an ass.”
Now Rhapsody laughed. “Last I checked, I was a pegasus.”
“Oh shut up!” Sprig teased. “Besides you missed one more target – “
“R&D compound destroyed!” Sky Gazer called.
Sprig blinked and looked around, seeing Rhapsody pull up beside her, completely devoid of bombs. Right behind them both, the smoldering ruins of the Research and Development building was a burning wreck, hit by the sea green mare’s remaining bombs and a hail of bomblets from one of the Saber EF-2000s.
“You were saying?” Rhapsody asked coyly.
Sprig didn’t reply, instead banking away from her wing leader and heading south.
“Sky Gazer here, all targets confirmed destroyed. This will definitely keep Gryphnia busy!” The four MiGs from Timberwolf took the lead in the return formation as the remaining three Jays pulled up as well. Everypony looked scratched and bruised, but otherwise very much alive and well. “We’ll tally up the kills when you all land. Congratulations, mission complete. All aircraft RTB.”
The turrets locked themselves into position, and green lights flared at the top of each one indicating it was loaded and ready to fire.
“Fire.”
“Man I am looking forward to some good pancakes when we land,” Wraith said.
“I just want another muffin,” Ditzy countered.
Amethyst giggled. “You could eat muffins all day huh?”
“You better believe it!”
Scootaloo shook her head, a smile across her muzzle. Adjusting her headset around her neck, she leaned back in her chair on board the AWACs plane. She was a bit sad Rainbow Dash didn’t come along. It would’ve been nice for them to talk again while –
An alarm blared on Scootaloo’s console, causing her to shove aside her musings and look it over. Four blips were heading right for the AEGIS fighters, but they pulsed like they were… they were… No…
“No…” Scootaloo murmured.
Rumble looked at her, tilting his head curiously. “What is it?” he asked.
She didn’t answer him, simply staring at her radar screen as the blips got closer and closer to the formation. Gryphnia… they had managed to increase the range? Again!? Scootaloo tore the headset from her neck and shoved it back onto her ears. She furiously tapped for a squadron wide channel, which included the base back in Hibern. Virtually terrified, the orange mare pulled the microphone to her muzzle, her voice loud and clear.
“All aircraft! Incoming from Sky Breaker! Four rounds ETA thirty seconds!”
“Sky breaker?!”
“They manage to increase the range this far?” Mythic shouted incredulously.
“It’s gotta be birds or something,” Sprig challenged.
“This isn’t a misread!” Sky gazer shouted. “Get below two-thousand feet! And terrain mask.”
Now she had everyponies attention. Sky Breaker, the massive Gryphnian super weapon capable of shattering whole squadrons in the air. It’s exactly what ruined the previous attack launched against it. But two-thousand feet? Terrain mask? How were they supposed to do that, fly underground?
Rhapsody jerked her head left and right, seeing nowhere for them to go. Mountains, rocks, craters, a ravine, more rocks – She looked back to her right. “There!” she cried. “Dive into the ravine! Get low and stay low!”
“Are you nuts?” Lightning Dust shouted. “It’s suicide to fly into that ravine!”
“You got a better idea, mate?” Creg asked as he and his remaining Saber Wing pilots peeled off to follow the Tomcat. Rhapsody pushed her throttle forward, reaching the rim of the canyon. The five remaining Sabers, and her own wing began their descent to follow her. The others were still trying to reach them when the warning came in.
“Ten seconds to impact!” cried Sky Gazer.
“Timberwolf get down here!” Sprig ordered, regardless of speaking to another Captain.
The four MiG-29s darted close, two managed to make it inside. The remaining two were engaged by a pair of enemy F-15C Eagles that were trying to keep them from regrouping in safety. “We can’t disengage! They’re too fast!”
“Eight!”
“Forget about it! Get your flanks over here now!”
“They’re too good! We can’t break or they’ll get us!”
“Five!”
Lighting swore violently. “You’ll be killed if you don’t! Hurry!”
“We’re comin- They got a lock!”
“Two! Impact – NOW!”
The world shuddered, the sky shook. Rhapsody had to shield her eyes for a moment as a blinding flash overtook her vision just beyond her. A massive tear in the air was the prelude to a great explosion of pure light. It was a bolt of light blue that exploded into a rainbow of colors, before coming together as a bright white orb and then detonating. The explosion caused her to shriek and shield her eyes again as the very air around her seemed to break with an earsplitting roar and blinding flares.
Two screams were heard over the radio as the two Timberwolves who couldn’t make it to the canyon were destroyed in midair. Rhapsody looked over as the debris from the pair of MiGs hurtled to the ground. Three more explosions of the same caliber caused her to grip the control stick to right herself and squint hard to keep out the offending flare of light and death. The world literally shook all around her as her eyes bulged while keeping her body rigid.
“What power!” the Saber lead cried.
“Timberwolf Two and Three are incommunicado!” Timberwolf Four whimpered. “They didn’t stand a chance."
“And they destroyed their own fighters that were pursing,” Mythic added. “They don’t even care who they hit, do they?”
A warning blared through the radio as Sky Gazer tapped at her console. “Apparently they don’t,” she muttered angrily. “Four more rounds incoming! Twenty seconds to impact!”
“That’s not all!” Lightning Dust cried. “Look behind us!”
Ditzy turned around to see, and she gasped. “Gryphnian fighters followed us into the ravine.” From what she could count, five enemy fighters of different makes and models were hot on their tail. A scream soon followed the news. “They got one of the Sabers! A Tornado!”
“Saber Five is gone!” Amethyst reported.
“They’ve got us right where they want us,” Rhapsody hissed. “Our only chance of safety just became our death trap.”
“I told you this was a bad idea! Above or below two-thousand feet, we’re dead either way!” Lighting cursed.
Suddenly, Rhapsody grunted from the sudden thump of wind. Mythic had increased his speed. “Throttle up and deploy flares! That should keep them occupied!”
Rhapsody nodded and followed suit. Her Tomcat’s turbines roared, as if sensing the fear of its pilots and fellows surrounding it. It gave the Captain everything it could as she blazed forward. Sprig and Amethyst pushed their throttles up to match speed. The latter most fired off a pair of flare countermeasures to shake off a missile aimed at her. She banked hard to dodge a burst of gunfire, the belly of her F-16C just barely touching the walls of the canyon.
“Ten seconds! Stay low!”
Lighting dust had been through plenty of sorties, but she had never come up against Sky Breaker. She lost two planes within seconds, and those two were her best. The rookie pilot behind her was barely keeping his cool. She could hear his labored breathing through the comm channel. “C’mon Raindrops, suck it up!” she ordered. But she couldn’t hide the shaking in her own voice. This wasn’t like the other battles, she could very much die here if she wasn’t careful. And being careful right now was nearly impossible.
Her console suddenly blared a missile lock. She made a cry of terror and looked around the ravine for a way out. Without thinking, she banked to the right, causing the missile to blaze right by her. A second flew by though, not having her targeted. But it got one of the EF-2000s from Saber Wing. “No! They got Saber two!”
“We’ll be annihilated if we stay down here!” Banshee from Ghost Wing shouted. The stalwart hippogriff had finally met not only her match, but her better in every way. This was an enemy she couldn’t fight in her current state, nor vicinity. Lighting had always heard of the hippogriffs being a hearty and brave race. But now she was hearing a new emotion from this one. Fear.
“Six!”
Another missile warning. The ravine was too narrow, she couldn’t outturn it. “Five!” She needed to escape, Lighting needed a way out! “Four!” Up. Her only chance. Fear gripped her heart. She pulled the stick back and pulled up high into the air, kicking in her engines. The missile streaked under her and she breathed a sigh of relief. She then realized belatedly it wasn’t meant for her, but rather her rookie. Raindrops.
“I’m hit! I can’t hold-“ Static completed the sentence as she pushed her head down. The camouflage colored MiG-29 crashed into the mountainside. And it was too late before Lighting realized exactly where she was as well. Her altitude was at three thousand feet. She looked forward, and a tear slipped from her eye. Captain Lighting Dust choked a sob down and closed her eyes.
“Impact –NOW!”
Rhapsody held onto the handles of her canopy as the air and ground around her shook violently, as if she were on the ground and caught in an earthquake. Her Tomcat shuddered violently to stay aloft as more rips in the sky. Another brilliant display of colors was the prelude to the terrifying blast of pure white that tore open the sky. She looked up into the sky, seeing chunks of the last Timberwolf MiG tumble into the canyon. She grimaced and grit her teeth, turning away from the final impact of the cockpit against the canyon wall.
The resulting explosion caused parts of the rocky wall to shoot out in front of the retreating AEGIS fighters. With Mythic in front, he was the most vulnerable, unfortunately. A rock the size of Rhapsody’s head pelted his left wingtip. His Fighting Falcon shook and twisted on its side, smoke shooting from the metal as he seemed to struggle to maintain control.
“Shade! You alright?” she inquired.
A grunt followed her question as she watched the F-16C fighting hard to regain momentum and maintain speed. “It’s fine, I’m fine,” he replied hastily. Two more bolts from Sky Breaker shattered the tranquil dusk of the sky. And as Rhapsody watched, three more Gryphnian fighters trying to escape the onslaught were taken out of the fight. Not one was able to eject.
“They’re just firing at random!” Saber lead, Creg, mumbled loudly. “All they want is for us to be gone.”
“And they’re succeeding,” Sprig added in, without necessity. Ditzy craned her head back to see how many were left. All five enemy gryphon fighters were hot in pursuit. But as she watched, Sprig slowed down considerably, nearly crashing into the ravine.
“Banshee!” Ditzy cried. “What are you doing? You’ll be hit!”
The female hippogriff didn’t respond, instead throttling back up and tailing the lead fighter, an F-15C. She wasted no time in raking her cannon across the wings. Both of them peeled off, one of which striking an F/A-18 directly in the cockpit. A double kill. But a hail of bullets flew by her canopy, pelting her in a few places and causing her to weave dangerously close to the walls and floor of the ravine.
“Sky Gazer, this is Wraith!” Rhapsody called. “How much farther till we’re out of range!?”
The silence that responded was long, and fear began to grip Rhapsody’s heart. She kept weaving through the rocks and through the twists and turns of the ravine. She waited, and waited, and wait- Was she reading a map folded out on her lap? What was taking her so –
“Fifteen miles till you’re all out of range! Keep going!”
“You heard the mare!” Amethyst shouted, finding some resolve despite the hell that was surrounding her. “Punch it!”
“C’mon everypony!” Fluttershy cried, finally finding a voice. “Follow Ghost Wing! If that’s okay-“
“Yes Captain! It’s okay!” Creg yelled. The yellow pegasus mare squeaked in fear and pushed her throttle up. The F-15E with butterflies painted on the nose took up a position beside the F-14A lead fighter of Ghost. They twisted around a corner into a new area –
A thick barrage of bullets greeted them. Four Gryphnian MI-24 Hinds were waiting in ambush for the retreating pilots. Mythic twisted, firing his cannon into the rotors of one and sending it crashing to the ravine floor. Sprig and Amethyst simply pulled up and over, narrowly avoiding another barrage from Sky Breaker that wasn’t announced. Scootaloo must have been letting the shock get to her. Rhapsody couldn’t blame her at all.
The sea green mare pulled herself up and over, but Captain Fluttershy failed to make a move of her own.
A heavy hail of bullets hit her fighter.
Half the canopy was torn through, her co-pilot shrieking and then falling silent. The rest of the gun fire ripped open the back of her Strike Eagle, sending a thick plume of smoke and flames out behind her. “I’m hit! This is Jay One! I’m ejecting!” Fluttershy reached down and pulled her handle, being thrown into the air. She cried, tears flying off her cheeks as she felt, for the first time, a real life ejection from a combat aircraft.
Rainbow Dash had always said it was like the Dizzatron back at the academy, but this was ten times worse! No, not even that little! Finally, her chute deployed just as the AEGIS and Gryphnian fighters soared underneath her. She watched them go by and turned her head around. One of the hinds fired an anti-air missile that shot right by her chute, nearly making her ears bleed by how loud it was as it impacted the back of the last EF-2000 fighter from Saber Wing. Only Wing-leader Creg was alive in his Tornado.
Lazily, she just let herself fall to the floor via parachute, her limbs, tail, and wings limp. Tears rolled down her cheeks and towards the ravine. Regrets flew right into her face as she began to cry.
Why did Rainbow Dash say this would be good for her?
“Jay One and Saber Three are down! Anyone see a chute?”
“Affirmative! Two chutes confirmed! They’re okay,” Rhapsody reported. “Sky Gazer, distance to safety?”
“Two miles!” she was answered.
Rhapsody looked back towards Ditzy. “Are we still being pursued?” she asked.
Ditzy looked back, but Sprig and Amethyst beat her to it. “Negative on that. They broke off.”
“The Hinds too,” Amethyst added. “We’re safe. We’re all safe.”
The realization that they were in the clear hit them, but Rhapsody didn’t relax herself. She heaved a sigh and pulled off her oxygen mask, taking in deep breaths of air. She looked around as the remaining AEGIS fighters haphazardly took up formation as they pulled up and out of the canyon. Seven. That’s all that was left of the attack squadron of eighteen fighters. And Captain Fluttershy and Saber Three were parachuting deep behind enemy lines with practically no way for allies to get to them.
A painful tug at her heart reminded her that she could've been one of those that would have been killed. And part of her cried for those that didn't make it. Rhapsody closed her eyes and gripped her controls when the realization came crashing into her. This war had taken a terrifying turn, and it didn't look to be in AEGIS's favor.
“No… not all of us.”