Chapter 29
The Hind landed firmly on the helicopter pad. Though called a flying tank for a variety of good reasons, the large gunship was cowed by the arsenal that dotted the HMS Midnight. The two escort helicopters, both Tiger helicopters from Hibern, banked away and let the Hind power down without incident. The side door opened, and a pair of soldiers from the Special Wing Service jumped out, standing on either side of the doorway, rifles at the ready.
Pulling his coat closer to his frame, Marcus stepped out onto the deck. Having shed his combat armor before boarding, he had gone to his old bedroom and found most of his clothes still there. Looking upwards towards the rest of the ship, he eyed the crew compliment. Some of the crew who had heard the Gryphon Prince was arriving on their ship had flocked to the upper decks to get a glimpse. Nearby, sailors on watch took the occasional glance towards the enemy helicopter that had landed on the aft of the battleship that had anchored in the bay of Fyrick.
"Your majesty, this is unwise," one of the SWS soldiers murmured. The Prince followed the soldier's eyes towards the nearby hatch that remained open. The Solar Monarch herself was standing steadfast, flanked by a pinto pony who looked more like he belonged in an office than the bridge of a battleship. Still, his uniform was prim and his medals gleaming. His peaked cap high on his head, he commanded authority on this vessel, despite being so young. Behind the Princess and the Admiral were two heavily dressed guards. Though ornamented, they were no doubt fully capable of fighting in battle. "You still have enemies around, and one of them may take action."
"The Princess informed me that she was taking the necessary precautions for my safety. If I felt she was not trustworthy, soldier, I would not have agreed to meet her here." Marcus smoothed his coat, flexing his wings, and waved to the pilot. "I'll be back in a while. Come out and get some air." Though very reluctant, the two pilots began to unclasp themselves from the Hind's cockpit.
Marcus proceeded to the open hatch where the Solar Monarch and the Equestrian Admiral stood. Celestia met him halfway, and the two bowed to each other, as two greeting rulers properly should. "Thank you, Marcus, for showing your trust in me," Celestia murmured.
Marcus simply nodded and waved to the hatch where the others were standing. "If we don't show solidarity, then there is no hope that we can end this conflict peacefully. I am anxious to sign this, and be done with it."
"Well, below, the others are waiting. And I believe you can understand that they share your feelings." Celestia extended a wing, letting it shield the Prince from the setting sun.
"I've never been on the Midnight before," the Prince marveled, staring in awe at the guns and crew that rushed about their duties, but still made parting glances at the Prince and Princess. "I hope the next time I'm aboard, that it won't be for something like this."
"It is a hope duly appreciated and shared, Marcus," Celestia commented in a motherly tone. "Now come, let us end this conflict once and for all."
"Right this way, General."
Twilight followed the soldier through the maze of stretchers. Wounded soldiers, both of AEGIS and Gryphnia, laid waiting for treatment. Medics from both sides tended the wounded, forgoing factions and just trying to help ease pain, and the afflicted just didn’t seem to care, as long as the pain stopped. When she entered, a gryphon was stitching up a saddle mare while a hippogriff held a cloth to her forehead as she worked. Twilight herself was nearly on the verge of gagging, trying to maintain her bearing as she was guided through. Missing limbs, missing eyes, missing lives; she could barely stand it. But there was one pony she wanted – needed – to go through this to see.
"Twilight!" Rainbow called. "There you are! Over here!"
Relieving the guard, Twilight brushed by him and hurried over. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie were all around a gurney in the ward reserved for the most extreme cases. The one who was laying before them was no exception. She fluttered her eyes open and looked at the new arrival, managing a tiny smile. Her head was wrapped in gauze, as were both her wings, and her legs had been propped up to keep weight off them. Her yellow coat had lost much luster, and her once luscious and long pink mane and tail had been cut to nearly bare.
"Hi Twilight," Fluttershy managed to rasp.
Twilight smiled wide and sat down beside her. "Hey. Sorry I'm late."
"It's okay, Twilight," the pegasus mare whispered. "It's... just like we said. We'd be... back together one way or –" She stopped and gave a furious series of coughs.
"Easy darling," Rarity soothed. Guiding a glass of water to the mare's lips. "You need to save your breath."
Applejack gave Rarity a nudge. "This from the mare who flooded her with questions about how she got through it?"
Rarity huffed and looked away. "I was being a concerned friend."
With a small chuckle, Fluttershy clasped both Twilight's and Rarity's hands. "I'm just... happy it's all over... and we're back together."
With barely another word, the six mares simply sat, on laying down, and enjoyed the company that had eluded them for so many months.
"Really, cous! I'm just... a little banged up."
Applebloom's voice rose significantly. She was speaking through a satellite phone given to the Staff Sergeant by Applejack when she went to check on her kin and her friend in the next ward. But the Manehatten born mare had good company in the form of a Crystal Commando stallion kneeling by her gurney. Applebloom sounded on the verge of tears. "Ya'll call missin' yer legs jus' 'a little banged up'? Are ya'll crazy?"
Babs chuckled and rubbed her forehead. "Cous, they're gonna give me new legs, and I'll be fine."
"Ya'll better be! Or I'll tear up that Gryphon who did it!" the younger mare cried, determined.
"You're crazy when you're mad, cous. Besides, the Gryphon who did it is in a million pieces across the city."
"Ya'll haven' seen crazy, yet! Now, know when ya gonna come down for the reunion? Or do I need to go to Fyrick and fetch ya myself? You know I will! Warzone my eye! Ah'll come over and drag ya back west by yer ears!"
"It's gonna be a few months. Fitting the legs, getting my discharge, that whole shebang, ya know," Babs replied with a shrug. "It's gonna feel a lot smaller with moms and pops not there."
Applebloom sighed and seemed to calm herself down. "Yeah... Well... get here soon, ya here? It's been too long and I got a few jars of Zap Apple Jam to make soon. It's almost season, and I need a taste tester."
Babs Seed laughed and held up her thumb. "Lookin' forward to that, cous! Hey, mind if I bring a date?" She laughed at the Crystal Pony's bewildered expression.
"You did what?!"
"Calm down, Rhapsody! We weren't seen!" Sprig sneered, but couldn't suppress a giggle.
"But... right on the skyscraper?!" Rhapsody waved her hands to the two. "It's a miracle you weren't seen!"
"We finished just before the chopper arrived." Mythic merely shrugged and leaned back in the chair. "Regardless... it was awesome."
Spitfire and Rhapsody shared a look, which they promptly covered with their palms. "What am I gonna do with you two?" the Wraith muttered.
"Make them bleach the tower?" Amethyst offered, and then squeaked as the medic pulled back the cotton ball. "It's not that bad! Take it easy!"
"Well LT, if you would just hold still, I can clean what is bad!" the Corpsman muttered to her.
Rhapsody chuckled and flexed her right wing for the medic looking her over. All of Ghost Wing was being inspected for wounds. Spitfire merely had a few bruises, able to land her own plane at the hastily cleared runway at the Fyrick International Airport, and parked with the rest of the Wonderbolts. Ghost Wing however, did not have that luck. Rhapsody had bruises and a number of cuts along her body and missing several feathers. Mythic had a portion of his ear missing from bullet wounds, his faint bruises from his scuffle with the Gryphon pilot, and a mark consistent with a beak bite on his right shoulder, but he merely gave a sly grin when it was addressed. Sprig had a broken wing, but with a few braces and healing spells, would be good as new by the end of the week. Amethyst had cuts and bruises, but she definitely looked stronger because of them. Rhapsody smiled at the young mare; she had earned her wings, truly, with today's battle.
But then there came the sting that hurt deepest: they had lost their planes.
While Rhapsody mourned her fallen Tomcat, her first plane, the bird she had flown since her training days, her wingmates had lost two. She felt for them; it was as though a rug had been ripped out from under them. A pilot without a plane was like a ship without water; it slowly becomes useless over time. But Rhapsody knew they wouldn't be this way forever. They'd file their forms, get new planes, and life would go on.
Still, the fact of the matter stung. It was as though, save for the Major, no one had made it through the battle. Spitfire, however, had landed beside the Captain when she made it to the command center and reminded her of her own words: A plane is expendable, it's getting the pilot back that counts.
So yes, she could... tolerate the loss of her beloved Tomcat. If offered, she'd turn down a replacement; there was only room in her heart for one Tomcat. For now, she was content sitting in the medical compound with her squad. They were alive after the fiercest battle of their lives, and their careers. And on top of that, the way the squad's resident male, and equally resident hippogriff, were observing each other, things were certainly starting to look up.
It was at that moment, a lone Sergeant ran in, pointing at the television screen nearby. "Channel three, Corporal! News from the Midnight!" The Saddle Arabian mare looked back and nodded, turning a few dials and then pressed a button. The screen switched over from news of a fire being put out in the residential area to the deck of the Midnight. Cameras were snapping photos of a rather handsome Gryphon, flanked by the rest of AEGIS's leadership. The Gryphon prince was shaking hands with Princess Celestia and both were giving smiles to the camera, though Rhapsody could also sense the sadness behind each one.
"Turn the volume up!" Amethyst cried.
Once loud enough, they could hear the stallion speaking to the camera. "... On the deck of the HMS Midnight, the flagship of the Royal Equestrian Navy..."
Shining Armor folded his arms as he and the sailors on the Midnight watched below as AEGIS's leaders stood alongside Prince Marcus. The ponies waited with baited breath as the Gryphon spoke. He was talking about a coming peace that would last as long as tolerance and unity stayed strong. Work had completely stopped as all eyes were glued below. Behind the Gryphon, beside Prime Minister Iron Beak, he could see his beloved watching as Celestia took up the pen and signed her name.
"The tension in the air is thick," the stallion murmured softly above so as not to disturb the proceedings. "You could cut it with a blunt knife..."
The blue mare held her colt close. He barely fussed as he stared off into space. His fogged eyes were a testament to his disability, but to anyone who knew Bolero, he was hardly hampered by it.
"Is she coming home, mommy? Is Rhappy there?"
The mare bit her lips and clutched the yellow foal to her chest. Come on, Rhapsody, she thought to herself. Something. Tell us you're alright!
"The Princess has signed," the stallion murmured. "The Prince needs to sign, and this is all over."
Onyx Karat stared at the screen in the medical tent as his doctor finished sewing his left jacket sleeve shut. Onyx had ordered it, telling him if he did not have a left arm anymore, there was no point in having an open sleeve. Around him, his troops were watching, holding their breaths.
Twilight and her friends held hands and breaths as they watched the Prince sign the Treaty of Fyrick. His claws moved swiftly and he set the pen down. Fluttershy sat up as best she could so as not to accidently kick off the small television screen that had been set up. Rainbow Dash knelt beside her broken left wing while Applejack and Rarity hovered on her right. Pinkie Pie and Twilight leaned on the bed as they watched the final events.
The Prince leaned back up and faced Celestia. After a few moments, and what appeared to be a few quick words, her hand met his claws.
Twilight, though seeing the sailors aboard the Midnight cheering, could've sworn she heard it all the way from the bay. The six friends, parted after so many months, shared a tight embrace, but none as tight as the one from the yellow pegasus mare who they had thought lost. Tears were shed, even from the brashest of pilots, staining her cyan coat.
In Canterlot, screams and cheers echoed through the streets as the news spread through the city. In Cloudsdale, just outside Cumulous Air Station, the bartender made a declaration that drinks were on the house. In Ponyville, a celebration was being planned for the heroic return of their local heroes. The families of those heroes would be content just having their loved ones back home.
The Crystal Palace shared enough of a celebration that the one after the liberation of Glacier was put to shame. Hugs, kisses, even dances were shared in the command center once again. Total bearing was gone as the victorious shouts were deafening to anyone in the room. A lowly Sergeant had dipped a Lieutenant and kissed her firmly on the lips. What was more amusing was that she wasn't even fighting it. By the door, a bright orange stallion stood beside his charge, who was clutching his hand tightly, eager to see her mommy and daddy come home so much her oversized wings began to flutter.
Sahurma was alight with glee and celebration. Songs were being sung and dances were in the street. The gem of Saddle Arabia was brighter than it had ever been, jubilation taking over not seen for decades.
Taelur in the Republic of Hibern was roaring with howls of victory as bagpipes and trumpets rang through the city, joining in the loud ringing of the Palace bell towers. The Royal Family declared another victory for their nation.
Rhapsody and Amethyst held tight as the news reached the AEGIS Command Tent. Beside them, Mythic had grabbed Sprig and dipped her down, and pressed his muzzle to her beak. She squawked in surprise, but slowly closed her eyes. The cheers were deafening as the news ran like wildfire through the base, and into the city streets.
The sea green mare let her friend go as they watched the their two squad mates share a kiss, then the Captain turned to Spitfire, who had cross her legs and folded her arms. When her golden eyes met the rose of Rhapsody, she swiftly shook her head. "I'm not kissing you!" she declared.
Rhapsody simply laughed and shook her head. "I need a phone."
The Hind landed back home on the tarmac, with perhaps a bit more force than what was necessary.
"Present, ARMS!"
Celestia looked out from the doorway of the helicopter, the blades powering down and a strong procession lining both sides of the gangway, rifles at the ready. Ponies of all tribes, Hippogriffs, and even Saddle Arabians stood at attention as she stepped down the steps and onto the tarmac. Beside them, some Gryphon soldiers stood with who were, just hours ago, their enemies. Behind her, Luna, Cadence, Ironbeak, and Kaubr followed suit and looked around Fyrick. Celestia frowned deeply, noting plumes of smoke and numerous aircraft flying around the city. Beside her, Marcus looked out on the city with her.
The two Tiger helicopters that had escorted the helicopter flew off to patrol the airfield. With all of them in one place the city was on full lockdown, but this particular airfield was the most secure area in the entire city. Still, Celestia was visibly on edge; regardless of them being victorious, this was still a hostile city. Regardless that all had signed on the line, there were still numerous pockets of resistance. Thankfully, not many had been discovered this far east of the city.
"I can feel the sniper sights on my neck," Ironbeak murmured.
"Relax, beaky," Kaubr chided. "They are fierce warriors, the gryphons, but they've been cowed."
"That does not mean there are not those who do not want to surrender," Luna offered. "It would indeed be wise to be on your guard. The way we are gathered, a single rocket could kill us all."
Cadence nudged the lunar princess. "Must you be so morbid, aunty?" she whimpered.
Luna stared down at her niece. "I am merely speaking from a tactical standpoint, Cadence."
"Marcus would not allow harm to come to us," Celestia called back, silencing the darker, fearful banter. Marcus nodded in confirmation. "Look there, his troops are keeping us covered."
Sure enough; beside several ponies and hippogriffs stood several gryphons in full combat gear keeping an eye on the group. They looked angry to be guarding the rulers of the enemy nations, but their Crown Prince spoke, so they obeyed. There were still pockets of resistance in the city, but with the help of local troops, they were being routed and disarmed before more damage could be done. But what more damage could they do to the citizen's morale, mused Celestia.
"Don't suppose I can apologize for any of this?" Marcus asked, solemnly.
Celestia shook her head. "There is nothing to apologize for, Marcus. None of this was your doing."
"But as the new ruler of Gryphnia, the responsibility falls to me." He hung his head, giving it a solemn shake. "Just as my father took the responsibilities of his father."
Kaubr folded his arms and clicked his tongue. "The sins of our fathers," he murmured.
"It's a bitch, isn't it?" Ironbeak huffed.
Marcus nodded softly, hearing them. "I'll take his transgressions, and work my best to right them."
Luna nodded as she stepped forward. "Admirable, Prince Marcus, but you must understand that not all of Gryphnia will bow to you because you occupy the throne. You may try to make things right, but many will still not swear loyalty or fealty. I speak from experience." Luna turned to Celestia, who frowned at her sister and looked towards the ground.
"Regardless," Marcus replied, diverting the conversation. "I'd agreed that Gryphnia would hand over our advanced weapons, our stealth fighters, even the Terminators. And the Warlord's Talon is already yours. Under the tag of 'advanced weaponry', there is one piece in mind I am humbly turning over to AEGIS."
The AEGIS leaders followed the young Gryphon Prince through the maze of hangars of the airfield. Guards flanked all sides, eyes surveying the surroundings for any threats. When they arrived at their destination, there were four more Gryphons standing at the door; two guards, and two high ranked officers. The one speaking turned, standing at attention as the leaders stood before him. His blue uniform pressed cleanly; he looked to be the best kempt and clean within a mile.
"Your Majesties," he greeted with a bow. He then smirked at the Hippogriff. "Arnold."
"It's been a while, Gustav," the Prime Minister commented, folding his arms. "Last time we were in Gryphnia together... We were drunk and hitting on the Gryphon who is now your wife."
Admiral Gustav Ba'rne wagged his claw in the air. "You were the one who was drunk off your tail feathers. I was trying to excuse you."
Cadence then whirled on the Prime Minister. "You said that he was the one who was drunk."
"Arnold! For shame! You've certainly delved deep into politics if you're telling such fibs."
"Anyway!" Marcus quickly interjected, though not without forcing down a smirk. "Ba'rne... the hangar? It's still standing I hope."
Admiral Ba'rne nodded. "It is. Arnold, we'll speak later. Until then," he turned and addressed the group. "As you are no doubt aware, Gryphnia has been developing new technologies to combat AEGIS. We've developed small arms, but one of the crowning achievements has been fighter technology. The Su-37 and the 47 are the pinnacle of our air forces, but our Research and Development techs wanted to push further, so, paraphrasing a long speech the General here gave me," he pointed at the Gryphon General who simply waved, shyly looking away from the presence of so many world leaders in one place, "they combined them."
Without another word, the Admiral stepped to the door and gestured for them to follow him. The guards that flanked the door turned to face each other, and both slid their keys into the locks and turned. With a hiss, the door shuddered and rose up. The Admiral stepped through, and was soon joined by the leaders. What stood before them had them struck dumb, but it was Cadence who spoke.
"What the hell is this?"
"We call it – "
"IT'S ACTIVE! ADMIRAL!"
"RESTRAIN HIM!"
"Take him down!"
The collected group turned to the shouts, watching as a gryphon in a lab coat over his army uniform was charging for them with a pair of hippogriffs on his tail. One launched himself, flaring his wings, and wrapped his arms around the running gryphon. They both landed in a tangled mass of feathers, fur, and squawks. The second hippogriff aimed his rifle at the gryphon as he struggled while his comrade fought to put cuffs on him. "Admiral! It's operational! We don't know how but – "
"Shut up!" the hippogriff on his back yelled, promptly shoving his face into the tarmac. Yet the gryphon refused to be silenced. Guards along the rooftops took glances down at the commotion, and even a few gryphon guards looked half-tempted to jump down and help their restrained comrade.
"Wait! Let him up!" Marcus shouted.
The hippogriffs stopped their struggling, looking up at the Prince. Marcus turned to his fellow rulers, hoping for some sign of cooperation, when Ironbeak stepped up. "You heard the Prince! Let him up! Come on, then!" Ironbeak reached down, grabbing the fallen gryphon by the arm and hoisting him to his paws. He growled indignantly, but the Prime Minister continued to dust him off. "Now, lad, what were you saying?"
The gryphon glared at the Prime Minister and his troops, then turned his attention back to the Prince. "Your Majesty, it's World Breaker. It's active."
"That's impossible! Construction isn't even completed yet!" Ba'rne countered harshly.
"The structure itself isn't complete, but it has enough supports that it can still fire!"
"Pray tell, gentlefeathers," Luna interjected swiftly, "but what is 'World Breaker'?"
The gryphon opened his beak to speak, but the Admiral broke in first. "Reginald Sharpclaw, call him whatever you wish, but he was not stupid." He groaned and removed his cap, smoothing the feathers on his head. "When he saw that Sky Breaker was being targeted, he commissioned a new super weapon that would trump the destructive power of the Sky Breaker Turret Network in the event that it was destroyed or captured."
Cadence tilted her head. "A series of railguns that fire shells hundreds of miles to destroy aircraft with bursting shells of tungsten is a little hard to outdo in terms of destructive power."
"But we managed it," Ba'rne countered. "Well... rather he did. Your Majesties, Prime Minister, we need to speak in private. This," he waved to the hangar, "Will have to wait. Rest easy that it's yours, but I fear we don't have much time."
"The shells were designed to travel farther than the burst shells of Sky Breaker," Ba'rne continued, "But unlike Sky Breaker, World Breaker's fire was meant to hit the ground. Each shell carries a warhead designed to burrow in the ground and let out a series of shockwaves that measure to the highest point on the current scale for earthquakes."
Celestia bolted upright in her chair, her eyes glaring at the Admiral. "Seismic Weaponry was banned after the First Continental War! Gryphnia violated those terms? You're the ones who drafted it!"
The Admiral turned to the Solar Monarch. "We may have violated the sanction, but Reginald's request was for our researchers to find a way to make them less destructive and keep their shockwaves localized."
Ironbeak stood up. "Do you remember the words the first developers of the Grand Slam bomb when they were pitching the idea to the allies?"
Ba'rne sneered and hung his head, accenting each word with a chopping motion of his hand. "'The radius of the shockwaves should stay within one mile of the epicenter of the quakes'." Celestia opened her mouth, and Ba'rne swiftly pointed at her, cutting her off. Celestia blanched and lifted a brow at the gall. The Admiral was nothing if not bold. "And before you say anything, your majesty, I am aware of what happened. The seismic waves leveled the Corvian fortress and the three adjacent cities and went five times beyond the projected range. Over fifty thousand dead. I am aware. My uncle was on the plane that dropped it."
"So you are indeed aware of our apprehensions?" Luna snapped. "What prompted Sharpclaw to create a doomsday weapon?"
"As I said before, he was not an idiot, despite being a drunk. He prepared for the eventuality that he would lose." Ba'rne nodded to a pegasus mare, who came up with a set of photographs. "When those four fighters were sent to intercept your U-2, I knew that you had pictures of World Breaker. That's why he hastened construction. He disregarded much of the aesthetics and focused on making sure the complex could handle the recoil of the four cannons, and the thicker armor would be bolted on later."
The picture came onto the projector. There was a large circular complex on it with four massive cylindrical objects facing all four primary directions. "Each cannon can be turned to face an individual target. Takes about an hour for reach cannon to make its rotation to each desired direction and adjust its angle of fire. Because they're so large, and the shells are so huge, it could take days for the right target to be pinpointed and the projected path calculated. The algorithms for each shot take days to calculate, so you can't just point it and fire like a regular cannon. For these, you want the most destructive result possible, and it's impossible to destroy the shells in midflight. And the fact that it's way out in the ocean makes it impossible to conduct a stealth mission to shut it down from within. The enemy would have to charge right into the defenses; AA platforms, a whole slew of SAM sites, thankfully no naval support, but the remaining Meteor squadron pilots have been recalled to it. It's virtually impenetrable. And being that the war just ended, and Fyrick has been taken, the contingency plan has been implemented," Ba'rne concluded grimly.
Kaubr, who had been silent for a rather long time since arriving, finally spoke up. "And what is this 'Contingency Plan'?"
Admiral Ba'rne sighed, looking to the Prince. Marcus was frowning deeply, then nodded at him. "My father believed that... his forces could dispatch AEGIS within months, subjugate the conquered to his side, and have all the nations in his control. He believed in a vision of Gryphnia occupying the entire continent for the foreseeable future, his sons of the next generations ruling the lands that stood against him. He believed that the kings of the past willed that Gryphnia control all of Equis. And if not..." Marcus swallowed and wiped his forehead. "Then the continent would see a level of destruction unseen since the Corvis War five hundred years ago, and it would be turned to dust and sunk beneath the waves. If he could not have the continent, then he would see it be destroyed."
Silence reined the room to a standstill. The ever vocal Ironbeak was at a loss for words. Kaubr fell back into silence, running a hand done his muzzle. Cadence clasped her hands together and hung her head. And while her sister was hiding her face, Celestia remained standing, soaking in the information. Sharpclaw, the king she had personally guaranteed would rule over Gryphnia after the Second Continental War, had descended into a madness worse than his father. The reality of the failure hit her deeply, but she was thankful no one made mention of it.
Still, she turned her eyes to the gryphon engineer who had been nearly restrained and arrested just half an hour ago. "How..." she nearly choked on her words before she managed to find some strength. "How long... till they fire... World Breaker?"
The engineer frowned deeply, shrinking under the tender gaze of the Solar Princess. He looked to the Admiral and the Prince. Both looked back at him, hinting that he should answer swiftly. The gryphon swallowed and looked at the clipboard under his arm. His words struck Celestia to the core.
"Days, Your Highness... days. And judging that the treaty signing was broadcast world wide, they've probably already begun calculating the targets."
Admiral Ba'rne nodded, confirming the Princess's fears. They needed a plan, and fast. A response force needed to be formed that could be counted on to undertake such a monumental task, and do so without too much public knowledge. But after such a huge victory, she didn't know how to break this news to her troops. They were celebrating a hard earned victory and an end to the destructive war. But she knew she had to, somehow. Unless...
"We need to strike before they fire, then." She gave her peers a shaky, but confident smile. "And I think we all know who can do this."
"Yes, mom, I'm fine!" Rhapsody said for the, what felt like, fourth time. "I'm a little banged up, had to eject, but I'm okay. I watched the treaty get signed on TV."
"And you were really close?" Bolero asked, shocked.
"Sure was, buddy! The Midnight is out in the bay with the rest of the fleet. I can see it from here. I think they're still celebrating." Bolero giggled and there was suddenly barking. "Yes! Hello, Lucky! I hear you too, boy!"
"He needs out, Bolero," Rhapsody's mom stated to the young colt. There was the sound of shuffling hooves as the colt moved his way to let the dog out.
"How's he doing, mom?" Rhapsody asked, her voice softer.
Her mother sighed. "Still just chugging along, honey. Doctor said to not move around the furniture too much, since he's getting used to the current layout." The mare groaned. "Which sucks, because I need to replace the couch, soon."
"Dad loved that couch, mom. You can't get rid of it!"
"Well... he's..." Her mother fell silent.
"Yeah... yeah I know," Rhapsody answered softly, knowing exactly what was going to be said. "Bolero still not over it?"
"Nope... anytime Reverie is mentioned, he just breaks," her mother muttered. "It was almost seven years ago, and it still hurts him."
Rhapsody simply nodded, leaning against the desk that held the tent's phone. "It hurts me too, mom. But hey, treaty was signed, war's over, I'll be home in a couple weeks. Maybe not even that long." A knock on the wall drew her attention, and the mare turned to see Amethyst standing under the tent flap, point frantically to the left. Judging by her expression, it was incredibly urgent. "One sec, mom," she said, and then lowered her voice. "What?"
"General Iron Wing and General Sparkle want to see you. They're here with a Gryphon with very big gold markings," the crystal mare answered with a hushed voice.
"What do they want?" Rhapsody replied, equally hushed.
"Didn't ask. And they don't look like they want to tell me, and they're right around the corner." Amethyst looked back down the hall and winced. "And General Sparkle just tapped her watch."
Rhapsody groaned and looked back to the phone. "Mom, the Canterlot brass want me for something. Probably to give me a medal or something, I don't know."
"Well, alright," the mare replied, sorrow dripping in her voice. "Just, take care of yourself and come home safe, alright?"
"I will mom. Love you, and tell Bolero I love him too. Bye." Rhapsody hung up her end and set it down, and then rubbed her eyes as she stood up while turning her gaze to Amethyst. "Okay... what do they want?"
Rhapsody slumped in her seat, running both hands through her mane. Her skin paled beneath her coat as her eyes shrank to pinpricks.
Another super weapon.
Artillery shells that cause earthquakes.
Said shells can launch across the continent.
Meteor Squadron had fifteen more planes. And they were all there.
The news slammed into her as if she had taken a missile to her chest. To top it off, this news were being delivered to Rhapsody by Princess Celestia herself. Flanking her was General Sparkle and General Iron Wing. Both officers eyed her sternly, making her shrink on top of her distress of the news that they just dumped onto her.
"This attack is going to be incredibly dangerous, Captain," Princess Celestia murmured to the pegasus mare. "I do not mean this lightly when I say that the fate of millions rests on your shoulders if you agree to undertake this."
"So... why am I here?" Rhapsody asked simply.
Princess Celestia turned to the purple unicorn. The mare nodded at the alicorn and regarded Rhapsody. "We selected you to lead the assault on World Breaker. You did a phenomenal job with Sky Breaker and Glacier, we thought you were an excellent choice for this. Your leadership skills are exceptional and – "
"General," Rhapsody quickly interjected. The mare stared back at her, more than a little shocked that a Captain had cut her off, but the pegasus mare didn't acknowledge it. "Please, why am I here? What sets me above Major Spitfire? Or Captain Dash? Those are damned heroes for Mother Mare's sake; I'm a pilot who just gets lucky."
"Luck had nothing to do with it, Captain," Iron Wing said. "It wasn't luck that you were able to sink two of Gryphnia's battleships, leveled Sky Breaker, liberated Glacier, and shot down Meteor Squadron's five best pilots."
"I had help," Rhapsody quickly added.
"And they followed your lead, Captain," Celestia remarked. "You're a hero in the eyes of many across the continent. There is no shame in admitting you're a hero."
Rhapsody shrugged, unable to counter it. Onyx Karat's words came to the forefront of her mind. Maybe she was a hero and would have to live with it. She could do that, she hoped. "But anyway," Iron Wing commented, breaking the silence. "We need you on this, Captain. We need you to lead a special response squadron that will attack this threat head-on and succeed. The Wonderbolts were a choice, but the Major recommended you. And if a Wonderbolt, their damn flight lead of all ponies, vouches for you instead of them, you've got the job. Hands down."
The pegasus mare nodded, then looked out the nearby window where she saw jets flying. She saw the telltale silhouette of F-14As flying over the water, and the depressing surge of nostalgia hit her as sure as those waves that lapped gently at the beaches around Fyrick. It had been less than three hours and she wanted her Tomcat so badly. "We'll need planes. My wingmates and I lost ours in our fight with Meteor Squadron."
General Sparkle smiled. "Leave that to me – and my ponies. We've got just the fighter in mind."
"Speaking of," Celestia added, then turned to Iron Wing, "General, take her to the Admiral. I'm sure he's eager to meet our Wraith."
"That's right." Iron Wing gestured to Rhapsody. "This way, Captain."
A series of pathways through hangars that were half ruined greeted Rhapsody as she followed General Iron Wing and two soldiers through the wrecked complex. A good number of ponies and gryphons were cleaning up the debris and patrolled the air above. Rhapsody kept letting her eyes wander around her surroundings. AEGIS had really done a number on this part of the city.
Entire hangars had been turned to scrap. Some were filled with supplies, ammunition crates, even medical supplies. A few even had the charred remains of fighter aircraft in them, the parts that could be salvaged being removed. Pegasi and hippogriffs flew in pairs and coordinated with gryphons who just wanted to get this done with as the clean up proceeded without knowledge of Rhapsody's existence beneath them.
But one hangar, as she saw, was completely unscathed.
Outside, there was a pair of gryphons who looked to be in a heated conversation. But the stronger of the two, an aging gryphon in a deep blue uniform and high peaked cap, thrust a claw at the meeker of the two and that one cowed away. The stronger one smoothed out his uniform, and then turned to see the Captain and the General approaching. He folded his claws back and held his head high, his piercing golden eyes locked on Rhapsody.
"Captain. The Wraith." His words echoed far more than should've been possible, Rhapsody thought. She stood up straight and saluted him, and he responded in kind. "It's actually an honor to finally meet you. We met only once before, when you sank my Warlord's Claw in Habun Harbor." Rhapsody visibly winced at that. "And the Talon in the bay."
"Erm..." Rhapsody coughed. "I... I'm sorry, sir?"
The Gryphon regarded her sternly, even more than before. "Never apologize, Captain. You are a warrior of the skies, and you defeated me at both turns with sheer skill. You won those bouts and have nothing to be ashamed of. Apologizing is a sign of weakness and can give leverage to your adversary. Just as you defeated my daughter in a fair fight to the death in these very skies, you have earned your victories, and my respect as a warrior."
Rhapsody blanched and realization hit her of who he was referring to, and who she was standing before. She grimaced and cleared her throat, standing up straight and placing her hands back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir, all the same," she managed to say.
The Gryphon curled his beak in a smile and held out his clawed hand. Rhapsody tentatively reciprocated and met him with her own small smile. "Indeed. I'm Admiral Gustav Ba'rne, head of the Gryphnian Naval Forces, by the way. Introductions finished, now to business. AEGIS's intelligence department is already inside analyzing the plane, but we felt it needed that you see it as well, so you know what you're dealing with. General?"
The older gryphon grimaced and the two placed keys into the slots on either side of the door, which caused a green light above both. Without preamble, the Admiral allowed the door to hiss again and raise up, and Iron Wing waved for Rhapsody to enter as well. The mare sighed and followed.
Her breath caught in her throat. Her ears drooped. Her wings fluttered as she struggled to keep them under control before they could flare out.
"Captain, may I present," the Admiral announced, waving his hand at the aircraft, "The X-02 Wyvern."
Rhapsody was at a loss. She stepped closer to it, walking around the technicians carrying equipment and clipboards as they examined each and every inch of the aircraft. The sleekness of the plane caught her completely off-guard. It was as if modeled after a dancer; trimmed without a single flaw. "It's... it's..." She couldn't find any words for it.
"Beautiful?" Admiral Ba'rne offered. Rhapsody nodded simply, barely registering that the Admiral was beside her. "I figure you might as well be read in. As I'm sure you're aware, technology must evolve. And while the F-22, the Su-37, the F-15S, and the Su-47 are state of the art, there must always been one better. And this is the response." He walked close to the fighter, and Rhapsody followed along as he pointed everything out. "You are looking at the pinnacle of fighter technology. Fly-by-wire canards, variable geometric reverse-swept wings that fold inwards before breaching mach one, stealth capabilities, internal weapon storage. Even the vertical stabilizers fold flat to accommodate speed, and even then it can outturn a Berkut, outrun a Terminator, and is stealthier than a Raptor.
"The Wyvern is capable of carrying just about anything the Raptor and the Nighthawk can, with the maneuverability of the Berkut. It's designed to literally replace five different planes, all the way down to the A-10. This prototype is meant as a carrier based plane, but others were on the books to accommodate the Air Force."
"Until we got too close," Rhapsody finished. Ba'rne turned to her, and at first she thought she was going to receive some backlash. But he simply nodded.
"Exactly that. This is the only one ever fully developed; the prototype. It's fully mission capable, can handle any available ordinance, but needs extensive training to handle the complexity of the onboard systems and advanced maneuvering capabilities." They passed by a pair of hippogriffs examining a weapons bay right between the intakes while a Gryphon showed an earth pony mare with a clipboard the missile compartment behind the same intakes. "From AGMs to bomblets, the Wyvern can handle just about any type of weapon with remarkable accuracy."
Rhapsody tilted her head. "Um, backing up just a bit, sir, what do you mean by 'extensive training'? How long?"
Ba'rne curled his beak into a frown, rubbing his chin. "Roughly... a full two months for a regular pilot. Meteor Squadron was to be the test bed squadron for the Wyvern, and we calculated from their expertise that it may take only one."
Rhapsody pursed her lips, and then asked the question she already knew the answer to. "And who will be flying it?" Ba'rne answered her with only a look. Iron Wing mimicked it and now the answer was reinforced. It was as she feared: she was the one flying the advanced prototype fighter that took two months to learn how to fly. "That being cleared up... How long do I have?"
The Admiral answered all too swiftly. "Five days."
Rhapsody grimaced, slowly, cautiously placing her hand on the nose of the Wyvern. Smooth almost to the point of glass, just as she thought. She felt a surge, something welling up inside her, that made her wings quiver and her tail flick. But when she removed her hand, she felt a new surge of disbelief and apprehension. "Alright, Admiral." Rhapsody whirled on the gryphon, her voice raising as she sized him up. "Throwing rank out the window, because I want to look you in the eye when I ask this: You expect me to jump into the cockpit of an advanced, carrier-based, multirole, stealth fighter prototype that hasn't even been combat tested and lead a squadron against a super weapon designed to level cities from all the way in the ocean and I have five days to learn how to fly it?!"
"Yes," Admiral Ba'rne answered matter-of-factly.
It caught Rhapsody off guard, but she decided to roll with it. She huffed and shook her head, throwing her arms out. "Well... when do we start?" she asked incredulously.
Ba'rne opened his beak to respond when an Equestrian Technical Sergeant landed beside them, saluting. "Admiral. Checklist is complete. It's all set."
"Good, thank you Tech Sergeant. Open the hangar." The pegasus stallion saluted again and glided over to the hangar door. The Admiral turned back to Rhapsody, who gave him a look of wary confidence. "Hope you skipped supper, Captain. The fuel truck will be here in five minutes and once the tanks are full, you're taking off. What you're about to experience is going to be akin to driving a bus then switching to a sports car. This is state-of-the-art fighter technology, and we are entrusting its safety to you." A gryphon rushed up with a helmet that looked like it was pulled from a science-fiction movie. The visor looked akin to a dragonfly's eyes, and didn't even have a slot for her ears. The Admiral took it and then handed it over. "We need you, Captain. I don't need to tell you what's at stake should you fail. Did they mention that Fyrick was a target of World Breaker?"
Rhapsody paled under her coat once more, and merely shook her head. She had been told about the theorized targets being the capitals of each AEGIS nation save for the Crystal Empire. Four shells. Four unpreventable impacts.
Canterlot was built into the side of a mountain. It'd be dislodged from its supports and the entire city would collapse into the forest below.
Taelur in The Republic of Hibern, capital of the Hippogriffs, was in a snowy valley. It'd be buried in tons of snow.
Sahurma in Saddle Arabia was in a desert plateau. It'd be buried in sand and rock.
Fyrick was a city on the waterfront. Tidal waves would sink it.
Millions would die.
But she wasn't alone. She was never alone in these endeavors. Mythic, Sprig, Amethyst, and even the absent Ditzy; they were with her all the time. They always had her back, and therefore, they couldn't lose. They can't. They wouldn't. There may be more at stake than her home, and her country, but she was never by herself when facing the enemy.
Rhapsody reached out, grabbing the helmet and examining it. She'd live with the lack of ear slits; she'd cut them in later. The dragonfly-eye visor looked bulky, but she had to remind herself this was the prototype. Still, she gave the Admiral the confident smile she had given General Sparkle and Princess Cadence.
"I'm your mare, Admiral," Rhapsody declared. She snapped to a salute. "You can count on me."
The Admiral returned the salute. "I know we can. Now... Let's see what you've got."
Five days went by faster than anypony was ready for.
Rhapsody's stomach had felt all of those days, and after she had just been through a harrowing five carrier landings in a row on the same day, the temptation of food was thrown out the window. Not even her newest promotion could cheer her up. Rhapsody had performed more than enough carrier landings, barrel rolls, somersaults, simulated attack runs, simulated dogfights, formation flying with her wing's new planes, and by the end of it all, the mare was exhausted. But after a two hour nap, the Admiral himself would knock on the door and tell her they needed another go because someone got a measurement wrong. When she landed, she tasted her breakfast once more.
But as she walked away from the Wyvern, she couldn't help but smile. That fighter was amazing; it was agile, fast, and the controls just felt ergonomic. When she breached mach one, the seat tilted back, and it felt like she was lounging. All she needed was a dispenser for bourbon, and she'd have a new car. The computer-controlled surfaces of the wings and the canards allowed for exceptional maneuverability. The numbers that had only been speculated were updated again and again. The flights she did inside it were exhilarating each time she powered up the engines. For the past few days, though missing her Tomcat, she had grown fond of the plane.
She took a look back at the Wyvern, and had to resist the urge to ask for one more joy ride.
But she pushed the urge down, because in a couple hours, the true test of the Wyvern, and herself, would begin.
"A joint team of special forces troopers will enter the fortress World Breaker here," Ba'rne explained. "The fortress itself is still in construction, so there are plenty of places to make an underwater insertion. The Night Stalkers will enter from the west side of the island, and the Special Wing Service will HALO jump and enter from the east. The Crystal Commandos will be flown in by helicopters covered by stealth magic by the unicorns on board." A trio of arrows colored blue came from the edges of the map and met on either side of the fortress.
"In the meantime," General Iron Wing added, taking over, "the Ghosts will make an attack on any airborne targets, in this case, Meteor Squadron. Satellites tell us that there is exactly fifteen Su-37s in the makeshift airfield; which is exactly how many fighters are left in the entire squadron. You're going up against the best of Gryphnia's remaining air forces, here."
"The Night Stalkers, the Commandos, and the SWS will also have their hands full," Ba'rne interjected, "as we discovered last night. They've got a full two brigades of infantry and their own special forces inside. And every single one of them was fanatically loyal to Sharpclaw. They will fight to the death to keep World Breaker from falling into enemy hands. We're expecting them to take heavy casualties."
"We'll have to move fast then," Rhapsody replied simply.
Ba'rne and Iron Wing shared a look. "Easier said than done, Wraith." The General pressed a button on his remote, and the circular fortress expanded. Three lines emerged at the southern point and connected with a perpendicular line that ran from the left side to the right. "I don't know how fond you are of this, but you're going to be performing a 'tunnel flight'.
"There's a trio of generators in the fortress. Each one can only be accessed by driving through the tunnel, but it's wide enough for helicopters to fly in. We were able to get measurements, and your planes can fly through well enough." He then sighed. "I'm afraid this will be the toughest part. You'll need to fly into the tunnels and destroy the generators. We're counting on you to do this, Wraith, because once those are destroyed, the troops inside can get into the control room and shut down the cannons before they fire."
Rhapsody and her assembled pilots absorbed the news. More than a few murmured disheartened, but they took deep breaths to remain calm. She sat up straight in her chair and nodded to the General and the Admiral. "You can count on us, sir."
The Admiral pointed a claw at her. "Millions of lives are on the line here, Major. I don't need to tell you the consequences if you don't succeed."
"We will, sir."
Minutes later, Rhapsody marched onto the flight line, fully geared in her flight suit and her specially designed helmet. She had managed to get ear slits carved into it, so it was much more comfortable. The wyvern sat at the head of the line, and behind it were a full squadron of F-22 Raptors. Some being transferred in from Equestria while others had been confiscated from their previous Gryphon pilots. But she had been informed that she was flying with eleven pilots she had handpicked to fly in the squadron. Yet when she looked towards the back of the line, there were three more preparing for takeoff. She hadn't been notified of any extras who would be taking off with her squadron.
"Ma'am," she heard to her right. Rhapsody blinked and turned to the speaker, and was completely caught off guard when a trio of gryphons marched right up to her, fully geared for a sortie. The three stood stalwart as they regarded the new Major of the newly formed Ghost Squadron under her full command.
She regarded them and nodded. "Can I help you?" she asked.
The lead gryphon snapped to a salute. "Captain Arthur, Major. Call sign Lucky. My Lieutenants and I are here to join you in combat."
That caught her off guard even more. Rhapsody stared at the three and looked between them. The two behind the Captain mirrored the look. If they were not asking to join her, they were pleading, but the pegasus mare pursed her lips and looked out at the other gathered pilots who were shooting them looks of apprehension. Rhapsody returned her look to the three and exhaled. "Are you here under orders from Admiral Ba'rne? I won't force you to fight your own people. You don't have to do this."
The Captain shook his head vigorously. "No ma'am, we don't. But we want to. We heard that our home was one of the targets of World Breaker, and we wanted to join you in destroying it. We're not here under orders ma'am; we volunteered."
Rhapsody slowly found a smile coursing her lips as she soaked in that information. The gryphons did not echo the smile, but she could feel that they were happy by the reaction. Gripping her helmet in her right hand, she extended it outwards. The Captain pressed his helmet to hers, and the two other gryphons followed suit. "In that case, I've flown against gryphons for too long. It'll be a privilege to fly alongside you."
"The privilege is ours, Major," the female gryphon to Arthur's right replied. "To fly alongside the Wraith as allies."
"Ditto," said the gryphon on the left. "It's an even fight now."
"Harriet," the female said again. "Call sign Talisman."
"Yalt," the male to the left added. "Switchblade."
The three then joined the gathered AEGIS pilots who stared at the three gryphons, but wisely said nothing. She noted Mythic and Aquamarine sharing a few words with the Harriet, and the gryphon gave Mythic a smile. A swat in the back of the head from Sprig kept Mythic's mouth shut. Amethyst looked nervous standing next to Yalt, but gathered herself and stared ahead at the Major.
Rhapsody in turn looked over the faces she had chosen to fly with her in the newly formed Ghost Squadron. Everypony in the squadron had been quickly trained on how to fly the F-22 Raptors. Mythic's wings flared wide when he received the news that he was assigned a Raptor, and, with his new marefriend in tow, painted the nose with his signature dragon design. The Wyvern next to his Raptor had been given hastily painted markings of the Royal Equestrian Air Force and her harp cutie mark painted on the nose. On the tail was a hastily drawn insignia of the Ghost that made the five friends famous.
The sea green mare very much wished Ditzy could see this. But the last call she got from Time Turner said that she was in bad shape, so perhaps it was best she wasn't. Everypony thought she was getting better, but it proved that the damage they had thought healed back in Canterlot was deeper than the doctors thought and she was heading back into surgery.
But she was forced to put down those thoughts as she looked out at the fourteen pilots who chatted amongst themselves. The gryphons looked to be singled out, but within a few seconds of noticing it, Amethyst walked to Arthur and shook his hand. It was a start to a unified squadron, and the true test would be in a few minutes when they were in the skies for the biggest fight of their lives.
Rhapsody grabbed the bullhorn provided by General Iron Wing as he stepped beside her.
"Good Morning, pilots." The bullhorn screech got their attention, and all at once she had fourteen pairs of eyes on her. She was startled for a moment at such attention, her throat going dry almost immediately, but she cleared it and continued. "I have just a few things I'd like to say before we take off. In less than an hour, every one of you will be taking part in the most important battle of this conflict. Where we're going, there is a group that refuses to back down, and wants nothing but destruction of all who they deem their enemy, and it's up to us to stop them. This mission will result in the end of those who want to commit atrocities too great to say, and have instrumented untold chaos across the continent."
She saw the faces look at each other, a few murmurs exchanged. The gryphons were looking uncomfortable, but made no comment to it. "Although we are of different countries, and of different races, we have fought, suffered, and died together, fighting for what we believe in. I know you are hesitant to the arrangement that has just been made right now, but this Squadron is based on unity, and tolerance, and therefore they are welcome here. Remember that."
The murmurs ended and Mythic shared a look with Arthur, and then shared a nod. "We all fought for what we believed in; honor, glory, freedom. And today, as one, we gather on the battlefield as a unified force to defeat the last vestiges of resistance who would see our homes destroyed. We gather here now to liberate this continent from the tyranny of fear and oppression, and restore that freedom to our entire continent, our people, our friends, and our families.
"This victory will herald in a new era of prosperity for the Equis Continent. Victory will be ours, everyone. We shall return peace to our homes and our people. We will win back our peace, and our futures." Cheers and mutters of victory began to chime in. Rhapsody smiled as she saw the gryphons joining in, and continued. "I chose all of you because I've flown with you and trust you with my life, just as you trust me with yours. Look to your comrades around you, and know I chose them because I know that they will protect you as you would protect them. We go into this battle as one, and we will emerge the victor stronger than ever!" Cheers began to grow louder as the ground crews had filed in to listen to her speech. They were all hearing her, all of them with rapt attention. "We are unified, we are proud, and we will bring in this era of peace for all! The skies and the clouds belong to all who hope to dream, to wonder, to hope. Let us bring back those dreams, those wonders, and those hopes that have eluded us for so long." They raised their voices in a unified roar of victory, and Rhapsody found herself with them. Even Iron Wing found himself along with it.
"Join together, and let us take back our shattered clouds!"