The Solar Empire and The New Lunar Republic are at war! Again.

Choose thy side and duke it out in the most exciting and destructive verbal sparring evar!!!!

(Okay, to tell the truth, this group is close to dead in interact terms. Liven things up a bit, guys?)

The Human Federation sides with the Solar Empire!
We shall help Princess Celestia hold her rightful rule!

Mobius squadron supports the New Lunar Republic.

"Alright then!" The speaker said. "We have heard the story. The Senate will now take a vote whether to support The Solar Empire and Princes Celestia, or the New Lunar Republic and Princess Luna. We will start with Usea."
"Usea stands by the Solar Empire!"
"Estovakia supports Princess Celestia!"
"Emeria votes for the Solar Empire!"
"Erusia supports Luna!"
The vote continued, but all knew what the result would be. All except Erusia, Yuktabania, and surprisingly the Belkan States had voted to support Celestia. Now once again, The United Human Federation found themselves involved in a war. However, humanity was still recovering from the last war, and it was decided they could only send one fleet to help.
*F.S.S. GLORY*
The Aircraft carrier was now abuzz with activity, having it's entire fleet now assigned under the Solar Command.
"Rogue Squadron, take off immediately to clear the runway!"
The fighters took off, bound for the new Air force base in Canterlot.

F*ck man, North thought, looking at the letter calling for Yuktobanian re-enlistment. The bits in his hooves, however, told a different story.

"Reinstatement of rank, signing, and loyalty bonuses? What the hell, I'll take it." Crumpling the letter, he set out for the nearest recruiting center he could find in Cinigrad

The Canterlot base was rather quiet, until the Jets came in for a landing.
"The Humans are here!" One pony shouted. cheers and whoops could be heard all around. Humanity had played a pivotal role in turning the tide against the Griffin invasion, and having the humans return supporting Princess Celestia was a huge moral boost, though no pony really knew just how little support the Federation could offer in the war.
As Cole removed his flight helmet, he looked around at the city.
"Looks like they've managed to rebuild." He observed.
"Right, rebuilt just in time for the next war." Dare said bitterly, getting out of her cockpit. She had fallen in love with Equestria, and had hoped that the ponies would serve as an example for humanity, standing for peace. Now though, there had been more conflict in Equestria than in the Federation. The Pilots of Rogue Squadron had hoped that they wouldn't have to fight again, but Equestria had now fallen into Civil War, and they had once again been called up to serve.

128th Tactical Fighter Squadron “Sirin” Reporting for the NLR AF.We will defend the True Equestria from the Solar Empire's numberless warships.

Low heavy clouds sunk into the port-city Seaddle. Scootaloo and her squadron Sirin were wiping up the remaining forces. Clearing the way for Luna's airships to bombard the dry docks for the Solar Empires war balloons. Assuring aerial supremacy for the remainder of the war.

"Skylight, is the radar cleared?" Scootaloo asked.

After a few seconds Skylight confirmed, "Nothing on our side, airspace is clear. NLRS Frigate Hugo you are free to engage."

"Have a nice day." Regent added.

Be advised all air-forces, Frigate Hugo is inbound. Commence bombardment of the Seaddle.

A warship equipped with large cannons descended from the clouds, the mist trying to hold the ship back. It took formation and wielded it long barrel toward the city. Just then a blinding light was shot through the clouds, and the frigate was split in two. Fire raged from its, now exposed, hydrogen filled hull.

NLRS Frigate Hugo, Come in over!

"Hugo is dust, we need to get out of here now!" Scootaloo screamed with urgency.

The low clouds cleared to revile the massive sky encompassing warship that shot down Hugo. Even with the section of the sky cleared of clouds, they could only make out part of the super warship.

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Supporting the massive Warship were smaller ships coming from the sea, Federation Cruisers, Destroyers, and one battleship. Fighter Squadrons began to advance from the ships.
"Attention New Lunar Republic Forces," a voice came. "This is Captain Jennings of the United Human Federation assisting with Imperial Forces. Stand down and surrender, you will not be harmed."

"Well, that was quick." North joked with the major sitting beside him in the truck they were in, trying to elicit some kind of response from the quiet stallion.

"You are one our best pilots available," The major simply replied, keeping his head straight forward.

"You're kidding right? I got downed twice while I was in the service!" North exclaimed, surprised at the major's response.

"You're still alive aren't you?" He questioned, now turning his head to face North.

"Yeah," He replied, a quizzical look on his face now.

"And you still have sixty-two kills, right?"

"And your point is?"

"You're the best we've got, statistically speaking." The major elaborated, once again turning his head to face the tarp of the truck again.

At this point the truck they were in stopped, having arrived at its location, Cinigrad International Airport. North hopped out of the back, taking a quick moment to stretch out his sore muscles. The major stepped down beside him, quickly moving to one of the nearby hangers. Northern moved to follow him, already knowing how the Yuktobanian Air Force handled its business.

The major opened up the door on the side, revealing the contents of the hanger to North. Four SU-47's sat inside, all painted up his former squadron's black, green, and blue paint job and three ponies tending to their respective craft.

"Oh, I'm already starting to like this this war."

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"Sky Eye here. All Mobius aircraft report in."

"Mobius 2 on standby."

"Mobius 3 through 7 on standby."

"Mobius 8 on standby."

"Preparations are complete, ready for battle. All aircraft follow Mobius 1!"

Shattered Skies allowed himself a small smirk before returning to his serious demeanor. "O.K. everypony, listen up. We need to put a dent in that fighter cover. Stay fast and stay evasive. Don't let them anchor the fight."

Satisfied with his speech, Skies returned his attention to the coming battle. A quick check of his radar showed that his squadron would have its work cut out for them, even with 74 missiles on each of the F-22's. He had flown against similar odds before, but this was a new enemy with unknown capabilities. Shattered Skies suddenly found his musings interrupted by his AWACS.

"Mobius 1. Engage!"

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"Tally ho on the incoming bandits, eight of them coming from vector five-zero."
"You're not gonna believe this Jean-Luie, they're Ribbons!"
"What the?!"
"Holy Hell, it's Mobius Squadron!'
"Those heroes from the last war?!"
"Looks like they're flying for Luna now."
As the mass of F-15's and F-16's moved to the engage, their own AWACS came over the radio.
"Overlord to all Aircraft, avoid the Ribbons if possible, let our AA deal with them."
"Son of a... where the hell is Rogue Squadron?"
"Not here Falcon One. make do with what you have, don't do anything stupid."
"Copy that. All squadrons accelerate, chase down those scattered Lunars!"
The human aircraft moved into Attack position.
"Mobius Squadron or no, they can't take all of us!" One pilot growled.

The major accompanying North quickly side-stepped his way in between North and the aircraft.

"Sorry, no time for meet and greets. As we speak, the Solar and Lunar alliances are already engaging in skirmishes all across the Continent."

"No offence, but whose side are we on again?"

"As of now, Yuktobania is with the Lunar alliance which, as of now, includes Belka, Eurasia, Yuktobania, and the NLR itself. Now, saddle up and get your squadron moving, you'll be supporting a friendly ISAF squadron with the capture of a nearby Solar Alliance base. Get to know your squadron mates in route."

"Ay ay, Major." North replied with excitement in his voice, already beginning to move his towards the one empty craft. 001 adorned the side and from he could tell, it was his.

"And remember, you're not a merc anymore. You got a whole flight to take care of." The major called, his warning causing North to glance backwards involuntarily.

The other three pilots had already mounted up, and were now waiting for their new flight lead to do the same. The last one in line, a Pegasus mare, even flashed him a small smile. Climbing up his plane's ladder, he flashed one back.

Within minutes, his plane was warmed and already taxing its way to the runway. Giving one last pre-flight check, he took off, his new squadron trailing right behind him.

Over the radio, he simply stated, "Let's do this!"

Cole watched the battle intelligence table.
"So this is how it is now." He said simply, shaking his head. Mobius Squadron. At one time they had been great friends, Rogue Squadron being the best of the Federation, Mobius being the best in Equestria. Now, they were enemies, and odds were they would fight one another. 'I hate this war,' He thought.
"More bad news," A nearby officer said. "Yuktabania and ISAF have just made official declarations to support the NLR. We're starting to get outnumbered
Here."
"Our forces are falling back, we need to do something!"
Cole closed his eyes, and a memory from the last war rushed to him.
~~
"Federation Command has Ordered an Evacuation. You've been ordered to give up Equestria."
"You've gotta be nuts!"
"No way we're leaving this fight!"
"LISTEN! It's only temporary. The plan is to withdraw, meet up with all remaining forces from each area, and then regroup for a counter attack!"
~~~
"Here's what we do," Cole said. "Rally what forces you can, and then have them strike here." He pointed to an airbase on the map. "They've stretched themselves thin, now we have to hit them hard and fast."
"You should go to sir."
"Why?"
"Just as everyone remembers Mobius Squadron, the actions of Rogue Squadron is also fresh in everypony's minds. It'll bring hope to our forces, and dread to there's." Cole considered, then nodded.
"Alright, suit up Rogues, don't want the world to think we've gone soft."

It felt good to fly again.
Cole always loved the Sky, and the Federation had even given him back his beloved F-22 Raptor, which handled like a dream.
But now, instead of flying north to drive back the griffins, he was flying south, attacking the New Lunar Republic. He was now at war with friends and former allies, ponies who had fought and bled beside him during the last war.
It didn't sit right in his stomach. His thoughts were interrupted by his comm buzzing.
"AWACS here, callsign GhostEye, do you read."
"Loud and clear GhostEye."
"You're now under my command. Supporting squadrons coming in at you four and six o'clock."
Two more Jet formations, one F/A-18's and the other F-15's.
"Cloud Squadron reporting."
"Bolt Squadron reporting."
"Hey Spitfire," Dare said. "Long time no see."
"Hey Dare," The Wonderbolt said. "Good to see you too, we'll need to catch up afterwards."

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Scootaloo and Sirin team retreated back to the NLRS Flagship Marigold. The crown jewel of the airship fleet. Surround by it's support ships, the Kottos, Gyges, and the Special Forces Warship Cyrstal. The airspace around the formation was crowded with pegasi.

Sirin team you are clear to land

As Scootaloo touched down, suddenly human fighter squadrons appeared with the Wonderbolts. Two squadrons call-sign Cloud and Bolt.

The warships opened fire.

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"We're taking fire here!" The leader of Cloud Squadron said.
"Looks like they haven't noticed us yet Rogues." Cole said.
"Probably the 22's stealth systems." Dare observed. "Can't detect us on radar. But once we're in visual range, they'll be all over us, especially when they see the Rogue symbols on our tails."
"Well then, let's remind them why we're feared." Cole changed his radio frequency. "Federation Fleet, we have an enemy airship formation in front of us, coordinates Alpha, Whiskey, Foxtrot. Give em hell!"
"This is Battleship Valiant, coordinates locked down, shells on the way."
The Battleship turned broadside, firing it's massive guns as the destroyers launched cruise missiles. Cole kicked in his accelerator.
" Rogue Squadron, Engage!"

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Northern and his flight quickly acquainted themselves with each other, sharing a quick history of their previous military service. As luck would have it, they were all rookies, fresh out of Advanced Tactics Flight school. However, all three of them were well trained and graduated at the top of their class. North had gotten lucky enough to enlist as the squadron was being re-formed.

They continued to make idle chat as they flew towards their destination. Unfortunately, their peace was short lived when a new voice cackled over North's radio.

"This is AWACS Sky-Eye to Zmerya flight lead, come in."

"This is Zmerya flight lead to AWACS Sky-Eye, we read you loud and clear." North replied in the best Equestrian he could muster.

"Alright, Zmerya flight, your tasked to Mobius squadron for the time being. As we speak, they are currently being engaged with a UHF formation. We need you to get in there and help them out," The AWACS replied calmly, no urgency evident in his voice.

"Can I get a vector to the airspace?"

"Turn to vector two two zero, and head straight. You'll fly right into the middle of it." Sky-Eye replied tactfully.

"Thanks Sky-Eye, we're heading out,"

Northern quickly switched back to Yuktobanian comms and told his flight about the current situation. They quickly changed their heading and kicked their planes into full after-burner. North felt right at home as his plane slipping into supersonic speeds, a sonic boom greeting him as he finally crossed the threshold.

"Ok, squad, we're almost to the battlespace, if you have any doubts say so now," When only silence answered he continued, "Okay, good. Flight, head down to one thousand feet. We can slip under their radars and hit them where they least expect it. I know it shouldn't be a problem with your level of skill." Immediately he pitched his nose downwards, expecting his pilots to follow.

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"Damn, this is one of the biggest Furballs I've ever seen!"
The city of Seaddle had turned into a firestorm, as airships from both The Republic and the Empire engaged one Another, UHF Ships bombarded from the sea, and fighters from five different factions were engaged in dogfights.
"This'll be one for the history books," Dare said solemnly. "The day any hope for Equestrian peace died."

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"Holy shit," Zmerya 3 spoke into the radio, taken aback by the amount of fighting happening in front of them. North himself was nervous and he could already feel himself sweating in his seat. However, he had to prove that he wasn't a weak leader and he had to do it quick.

"Good, all Zmerya aircraft stay low, this should be easier than I thought," The coldness in his voice betrayed his own feelings, as he was already fearing what lie ahead in this war. Switching his radio back to ISAF comms again, he called out for the squadron he was looking out for.

"Mobius leader, this is Zmerya flight leader, come in. We're on our way yo aid your squadron and we could use some help finding you."

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As the Rogues weaved through the firestorm, Cole glanced at his tactical display, seeing Mobius squadron tangling with several squadrons of human pilots. He opened a comm frequency, one common to Squadron and flight leaders.
"Shattered, it's Cole," He said softly. "I know you're in this furball, and I know who you're flying for now. C'mon man, talk to me."
"Moving toward the enemy Flagship," Rogue two said. "Preparing to engage."

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Got a single fighter approaching critical range to the Marigold! Does he have a death wish!?

AA guns take aim, erase that fighter from our airspace.

"Stand down commander Rivers, I got this one." Scootaloo said as she swept in behind the jet fighter.

"Splashing target!"

"Fox two! Fox two!"

"Mobius 6, turn and evade."

"I'm right behind him."

"Delouse my six o'clock Mobius 4"

"Sorry I can't!"

"He coming this way!"

"I see him! Twelve o'clock high!"

"You're in too deep!"

"This is Mobius 7, I can't shake him!"

"Mobius 7! Are you hit?"

"Damn, I'm hit! I'll fly this somehow."

"Pull out now!"

"Mobius 1, you've got two bandits on your tail."

The sudden mention of his callsign brought Shattered back to reality. A quick glance at the radar confirmed his squadron mate's observation. Two fighters had slipped in behind him will he was busy pursuing another fighter and listening to the radio chatter. He quietly berated himself for getting distracted while also turning to evade.

"Mobius 1, enemy radar spike." Sky Eye warned, calm as ever. The HUD quickly confirmed the AWACS's statement with the warning tone of an enemy radar lock. The warning quickly changed into an alert as the enemy planes launched two missiles.

"Mobius 1, missile. Break!" Skies quickly followed his squadron mate's advice and broke off completely from the fighter, though not before launching an XMAA to ensure that two fighters didn't become three. With the other fighter possibly dealt with, Skies tracked the two missiles on his radar, accelerating all the while. Once the two warheads came close enough, Mobius 1 turned hard with the help of his air breaks. The two missiles sailed harmlessly passed him. Unfortunately, the two fighters did not. Shattered leveled his aircraft and began to accelerate again. The arrow on his HUD didn't elongate any further, which meant that his opponents were keeping up. Suddenly he pulled the nose of his aircraft up, once again applying the speed brakes, and entered into an extremely tight loop. His two opponents slipped right under him. As Shattered's raptor leveled out, he saw the two fighters, the HUD identified them as F-15's, continue to accelerate away from him, a good tactic since the loop had cost him much of his airspeed. Shattered armed his dwindling supply of XMAA's and fired, forcing the opponents to break and allowing him to catch up.

"Mobius 1, radar lock." Sky Eye once agian confirmed what Shattered instruments told him. He targeted the F-15 on the outside of the turn and fired.

"Mobius 1, fox two!" Shattered announced as two missiles lept from either side of the F-22. The F-15 reversed its turn in a vain attempt to avoid destruction, but the pilot had not reacted in time and the missiles collided with their target. The lead fighter had not had time to react to his wingman's destruction before the raptor behind him drifted into gun range. A hail of bullets quickly turned the fighter into a flaming wreck.

"Mobius 1, ship radars are locking on to you." Sky Eye warned. Shattered noticed that his fight had dragged him towards the enemy fleet. He quickly pulled back into an immelmann and threw the plane into afterburner. After a few seconds of afterburner he found himself at the norther end of the combat zone. A look at the strategic map on his radar showed that the rest of Mobius squadron had pulled away from the fleet and were regrouping to attack again. Before he could move to join them though, four faint yellow triangles appeared on the radar directly in front of him. A quick scan of the skies showed that the new contacts were not above him or in front, so they must have been below him. Before he could dive down to intercept, a voice came over the radio.

"Mobius leader, this is Zmerya flight leader, come in. We're on our way to aid your squadron and we could use some help finding you."

The four triangles switched from yellow to blue and Shattered found himself smirking for the second time today. He quietly wonder why they couldn't find him, before remember the stealth coating and only now would his IFF alert them to his location.

"I appreciate the offer Zmerya." Shattered replied. Before he could continue though, another voice came over the radio, broadcasting on all frequencies.

Shattered, it's Cole," He said softly."I know you're in this furball, and I know who you're flying for now. C'mon man, talk to me."

That voice. A voice he hadn't heard in a long, long time. A sense of nostalgia and dread swept through Shattered, though only for a moment. The blue pegasus was surprised with himself. He hadn't felt that much emotion in ages. Shattered took a moment before replying as evenly as possible.

"What's there to say? Celestia is a tyrant who is suppressing the advancement of her people. Luna offers a better and brighter future." He was spared any further explanation when a new voice cut across the comms.

"This is the flagship Marigold, enemy forces are moving to engage us. Requesting assistance from any available fighters."

Shattered checked the radar again. The rest of Mobius squadron was about to reengage the fleet's fighter cover and he and Zmerya were the closest to the Marigold. Shattered made a decision. "Zmerya flight, I'm at 13000 ft. Adjust you're heading to 090 and form up with me. We need to defend the Marigold." Shattered wasn't happy leaving his squadron to fight the enemy itself, but he had to trust them.

(Wow. If I put this much effort into my own story, I'd probably be halfway done by now.)

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Scootaloo was quick, but Two had years of combat under his belt.
"Not bad kid," He said. The pilot rolled out to the left. As expected, Scootaloo followed, staying on her target. Then he pulled back the accelerator, letting the Pegasus shoot past him, giving her a nice look at the Rogue symbol on his fighter

"But I'm better." He radar gave a whine, letting him know he had a target lock on. "Rogue Two, Fox Two!"

513731
"Rogues, move to assist Rogue Two, take out that Flagship's AA guns to make way for our VTOL's to bring in the Rangers." Cole flipped his craft toward the Marigold, flipping the comm frequency.
"It's not that simple and you know it," Cole said. "You and I both know that things arent as simple as right and wrong, good and evil, especially right now." As he accelerated, he looked at the radar, seeing a single blip moving towards them. It was hard to see, as if it were a stealth fighter. Like an F-22.
Cole's heart sank into his stomach.
"Shattered, don't do this."

(Geez, its me against everyone right now haha)
(Oh, and for those who are confused of how the humans are involved, read this)

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"Zmerya flight, I'm at 13000 ft. Adjust you're heading to 090 and form up with me. We need to defend the Marigold."

"Ay ay, Mobius 1, me and my flight are on the way up." North replied, finally itching to get into combat. While he still felt nervous, he tried to sound as controlled as possible as he switched back to flight comms.

"All Zmerya aircraft, we're going up to 13000 ft, engage any target that get in your way as you go up!" He yelled, ordering his squadron to follow close behind him. As he pointed his nose up, he noticed a large formation of helicopters blocking him and his flights' path.

"Time for some target practice!" Zmerya 3 called, reflecting the entire flights' thoughts.

Immediately, North switched to his SAAMs, tracking two helicopters directly in his path up. With a quick radar lock, he unleashed two of them, watching in triumph as they hit home on their target. He quickly accelerated past the falling wrecks, watching as six other helicopters beside him exploded into fireballs.

North hit his afterburner again, feeling the g-forces push him back into his seat. Taking another glance as his radar, North noted how few targets there were this far out into the bay. In a few minutes North and his flight soon found themselves at 13000 feet like Mobius had told them. What he found surprised him.

"What's happening here?" He called at the two planes in sight.

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"Rogue Leader, you've got four more bogeys entering your airspace," GhostEye said. "Their IFF's identify them as Yuktabanian Aircraft."
"SU-47's," Cole observed. "Haven't flown against one of those in a while."
"Do you want my Wing to break off and assist?" Dare asked.
"No, focus on that Airship, don't worry about me." Dare didn't answer, simply shutting off her comm.
Cole flew in a parade pattern, not showing any aggression at the enemy fighters, but showing no signs of backing down either.
One lone fighter standing between them And the Marigold.
Cole was one of the best pilots in the world, but even he couldn't beat both Shattered and the Yuks if they attacked. The best he could hope for would be to slow them down, buy time for his fellow pilots. But he hoped it wouldn't come to that.
He didn't know who the Yuktabanians were, but he knew Shattered. With luck, maybe he could talk his friend down, though he wasn't holding his breath.
"Just having a little reunion," Cole answered the Yuk on the radio. "Two old friends, now looking at each other from opposite sides of war."
~~~
"Forget About the tricks!" Dare shouted. "Just overwhelm them!"
The three fighter squadrons attacked the Marigold, weaving around AA fire and taking down defenders.
"Bolt Nine, Fox Three!"
"Cloud Six, Fox Three!"
"Rogue Four, Fox Three!"
The shower of missiles targeting the airship's defenses.
Meanwhile, the Federation fleet was also taking aim.
"Don't let those airships get away!" Jennings barked. "Show them why we're the most powerful Navy in the world! FIRE!"
The Battleship's massive guns fired, the shells, headed straight toward the Marigold.

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"Just having a little reunion," Cole answered the Yuk on the radio. "Two old friends, now looking at each other from opposite sides of war."

North chose not to respond, instead arming his SAAMs as a deterrent. Switching his radio back to secure ISAF comms, he called out to Mobius 1 in English.

"Mobius lead, what do we do with this fighter? He claims to be a friend, but I'm not so sure."

At the sight of the Marigold being attacked however, he knew he didn't have time to wait for an answer.

"Zmerya 2 and 3, break off and engage the rest of the enemy attacking the Marigold. Zmerya 4, arm your SAAMs and stay close to me." North ordered in Yuktobanian, his directives cold and precise. "2 and 3, be careful, I'm sure no one wants to see you two in a body bag."

With that, Zmerya 2 and 3 quickly peeled off, diving down to aid the NLR's flagship.

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Cole made no move to follow the fighters, but he punched his comm.
"Five, you've got two bandits coming in at your eleven o'clock high!"
"I see them," Dare responded. "Breaking off too engage. Six, on me!"
The two human fighters broke away from the Marigold, streaking toward the Yuktabanian Aircraft.
'Now it's three against one,' Cole thought. 'Still not good, but better than before.'

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Shattered Skies, for the first time in his military career, was completely unsure of what to do next. Col... no Rouge 1 had deactivated his targeting radar. There was no way Skies could bring himself to attack an enemy who wasn't prepared to fight back, at least, not like this. On the other hoof, he couldn't back down or switch sides. If the rest of his squadron didn't agree he'd have no choice but to shoot them down, and that was not something he was prepared to do. Even if they did, Sky Eye and the rest of ISAF had would never turn, and there was no way he could ever bring himself to shoot down his faithful AWACS. Shattered Skies was completely torn. He wanted to do what was expected of him, but he couldn't turn his back on what he knew was right.

"Warning. Warning. Infrared scans show a large heat signature developing. It's originating from the enemy super ship."

The new development temporary distracted Shattered from his inner turmoil. The ribbon pilot opened up his strategic radar map and what he saw instantly filled him with a sense of dread. Mobius squadron had pulled away from the fight again, and was regrouping for its third assault, but this time, the monstrous airship had turned to face them. A red beam suddenly reached out across the radar map from the airship to the formation of blue triangles. Mobius 1 briefly wondered what it was before he came to the chilling realization. He looked up from the map and opened his mouth to warn his squadron mates, but his shout died in his throat. The airship fired, a brilliant white beam raced across the sky and slashed through the Ribbon's formation.Two planes were instantly destroyed, and a third began to fall.

"Mobius 8's gone!"

"Mobius 5, respond!"

"This is Mobius 6, I'm losing control!"

"Eject Mobius 6! Your tail's been slagged!"

Shattered Skies was stunned. In one move, the enemy had killed two members of Mobius squadron and shot down a third. A feeling of emptiness filled him as he attempted to recover from the devastation. Such a thing had not happened since the surprise attack from Stonehenge over the Faith Park region. Upon remembering the event, a mixture of anger and sadness filled the debilitating emptiness. He was going to destroy that super ship, just like he destroyed Stonehenge, and avenge his fallen companions. There could be no consolation with the Solar Empire now. That only left the issue of Rouge 1. Fortunetly Sky Eye provided the answer.

"Sky Eye to all remaining Mobius aircraft. Command has aborted the mission until a way to destroy the super ship is found. Adjust you're heading to 360 North and RTB."

A part of Shattered wanted to stay and fight, but he knew better. Before he turned to leave, Mobius 1 armed his last four XMAA's and launched them at Rouge 1. He knew they wouldn't hit him, but they'd keep him from following. Shattered turned away, his answer given, but he felt no better for it. He briefly wondered if this is what it would have felt like to face down Yellow 13 if he had known what kind of pony he would have been killing.

"Hey, Mobius 1."

Shattered looked up to see that the remainder of the squadron had formed up around him.

"Where do we go after this?"

Any other time his response may have been filled with pride or confidence or just cool professionalism, but now it was just full of regret.

"To war."

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Northern watched in horror at the explosion that had engulfed the battlefield over the bay. As screams of agony and death filled his comms, his mind went blank out of fear for a moment, but years of combat flying quickly took over his actions.

"This is Zmerya 1 to all Yuktobanian aircraft in the area, bug out and cut your loses. This is a lost battle." He calmly said into his mic, ordering the two other Yuke squadrons in the area to leave. He took just a moment before giving his next order. "Zmerya 2 and 3, regroup with me and 4, we're leaving."

Half-heartedly, he switched back to open channels. "I hope you're all proud. This. This is Celestia's tyranny at its finest, and I hope you see what you've all become." He could feel his fur crawl, a strange but familiar anger he hadn't felt since the second Yuktobanian revolution. "And you, whoever the hell you are," He called out to the lone fighter in the sky, "If I ever find you in battle again, I'll kill with no regrets."

Zmerya 2 and 3 quickly caught back up with their flight lead as they regrouped as they began to return to base. With a quick glance over his instruments, he noticed how little fuel he had left in reserve from the day's actions.

"Mobius flight, we're on low on fuel and need a place to land soon. Requesting permission to follow you and your flight back to base." North's voice was sullen, and he let out deep sigh in both frustration and regret. The explosion reminded him of something so long ago, but still fresh in his mind. He could never the forget the Revolution and what travesties the old government had inflicted upon their populace. He was slipping as he tried to suppress the memories.

"Flight lead, are you okay?" Zmerya 4's voice snapped him back into reality.

"Huh? Oh no, I'm fine 4. Let's just get out of here."

A new and terrifying thought quickly formed itself into North's head. I know how we can even out this war.

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Cole felt his heart pounding inside of his chest, wondering what Shattered's next move would be, when his comm buzzed.
"GhostEye to all Forces," The voice was enraged, yet a twinge of terror was in his voice. "Get out of vector five-one-nine Immediately!"
"What's happening GhostEye?" One pilot asked.
"Falcon One, if you don't want to go home in a body-bag, get out of there NOW dammit!"
Before, Cole could form a question, a bright beam of light tore through the sky, ripping through the Mobius formation. The pilot felt as if he had been punched in the gut, in light of what he was seeing.
Celestia had just fired a super weapon.
Memories that could have been better described as nightmares flooded into him.
Stonehenge
Megalith
The weapons of terrible destruction that had taken the lives of so many of his friends and allies, the weapons that Cole had vowed to destroy if it meant it would cost him his life.
And now one had just been fired at the New Lunar Republic.
Ever since the Federation dropped the first and only atomic bomb on Estovakia during the Unification h war over sixty years ago, humanity had vowed never to use such weapons of terrible destruction again, and to oppose any super weapons. Once this got to the press, there would be outrage among the humans.
This would not stand. Cole would not LET it stand.
Before he could make any reaction, his cockpit blared an alarm. Four missiles were headed straight for him. He quickly deployed flares and evaded the missiles, leaving him unscathed, but still a bit hurt. Shattered had opened fire on him.
To be fair, the reaction was entirely warranted. The pony had no idea that the humans didn't know about the weapon. As far as Shattered knew, Cole could have ordered the weapon to fire himself. Had the situation been reversed, Cole would have done much more than fire missiles to shake of Pursuit. Suddenly another voice came over the radio.

"I hope you're all proud. This. This is Celestia's tyranny at its finest, and I hope you see what you've all become." He could feel his fur crawl, a familiar anger he hadn't felt since the second Yuktobanian revolution. "And you, whoever the hell you are," He called out to the lone fighter in the sky, "If I ever find you in battle again, I'll kill with no regrets."

"If this happens again under my watch, I might just let you do that." Cole said to no one but himself. The human aircraft had all disengaged en mass. They all remained eerily quit. Pilots, sailors, Marines, they had all reached the same terrifying conclusion.
They had become the Griffins. The invaders, the oppressors, and worst of all, showing restraint in battle. They had become the very thing they despised.
"Mission Complete." GhostEye said simply, his voice betraying his feelings. "All aircraft RTB."
"BELAY THAT ORDER." Cole snarled.
"Colonel, what are you-" The pilot switched his frequency so only the humans could hear him.
"This is Colonel Tharen to all Federation Forces. We all saw what happened, and we will NOT stand by this sort of destruction. If any of you still believe in what humanity stands for, follow my orders." There was silence for a moment, then GhostEye answered.
"What are your orders?" His voice had one of finality.
"Fleet awaiting instructions." Jennings answered with the same tone.
"All Naval Forces, regroup with the main fleet and cast off toward international Waters. All Aircraft, return to your carriers, do not return to any solar base. And get Para-rescue teams out here, I want to recover those Mobius pilots before the Solars do."
"But the Princess said-"
"To hell to what the Princess said!" Cole shouted. "She has forfeiting the right of command. The Solar Empire will be getting NO help from humanity, not if they continue to fight like this."

F.S.S Glory
International Waters
"In breaking news this Morning, The United Human Federation has withdrawn from the Equestrian Civil War, protesting the use of Superweapons by the Solar Empire. President Rousey claims it is a gross violation of all the Alliance once stood for, though Princess Celestia claims it is for National Security against the NLR. Although The Federarion is now officially neutral on the war, rumors speculate that a large fleet of Human Warships have gone rogue to continue fighting in the war. Rousey refused to comment on-"
"Dare, turn that off."
"Got it." The Television winked out of existence.
"Alright people, listen up," Cole said. "The President has authorized Death Watch Protocol. We are now no longer official Federation forces. We are now an independent fighting force, and we have been authorized to take whatever actions we see fit."
"What does that mean?"
"It means we have the freedom to do whatever we need to now, but we won't be flying Federation colors in combat, although we will be acting for the interests of humanity."
"What's out first move?"
"It has been determined that Celestia's super-warship could be a threat to the Federation, and we are going to take it out. Intel Major Denison."
"Of Course sir," The Marine said. "We can now confirm that this super ship destroyed the NLRS HUGO, along with several Mobius Craft."
"An attack from the sea would be suicide," Jennings chimed in. "It'd blast us out of the water before we got close."
"An air assault would be even worse though," Dare said. "You saw what it did to the Mobius wing."
"We'll find a way," Cole said. "We always have. Every suit of armor has a weak point, now we have to find that weak point and drive a missile into it

The furball around the Marigold quickly dispersed, as the super warship took it's firing position over the helpless NLR airships.

What, they're pulling back? what are we- All personal abandon ship!

Swarms of pegasi floated out of the limping warship. A beautiful streak of light shot through the Marigold. The hull ripping open like balloon, spiting fire and debris. The Kottos, Gyges, and Cyrstal soon followed their parent warship's fate.

The flock of pegasi split. Some found they're way to carriers and small island bases, other died of exhaustion and took their resting place in the ocean.

Sirin team found the F.S.S Glory. Seeking revenge for their fallen shipmates, they worked with the Federation squadron to destroy the SE Supership. After all the ponies knew best how to combat pony technology.

Come on Calamity, where are you in all of this?

Cole finally felt better, like old times.
The decks of the Glory, which had once been dominated by humans, now had several Pegasi that also milled about the decks, working with the humans to take down that super ship. Just like in the last war, humans and ponies were working together to take down a menace and a weapon that threatened their homes. But this time they weren't fighting Griffins, they were facing Princess Celestia and her forces. And instead of the Federation flag flying high, no colors were on the pole anymore. But things were about to get even more like old times.
"All personnel clear the runway, repeat, clear the runway."
The lone F-15 came in for a landing, it's thrusters powering down. Crew members watched the fighter land on the Carrier, their curiosity turning to surprise and awe as they saw the symbol on its tail.

Cole couldn't help but smile, as the cockpit opened and the pilot removed her helmet, revealing long blonde hair. Seeing her fellow pilot approach, she chuckled.
"You know, when I heard that the entire that the Federation had given to the Solar Empire," The woman said. "I couldn't help but think that a certain former wingman of mine had something to do with it."
"It's good to see you too Talisman."
"What, did you think you could win this war without me?"
"Ughh....." A groan eminatted from the co-pilot's seat, as Cole watched a man crawl out of the aircraft and collapse to the deck. "There's a reason why I was a Marine and not a pilot..."
"Suck it up sweetie," Talisman snickered. "A little hair-raising maneuvers won't kill you."
"But why take the chance?" The man asked, looking very green.
"Wow, you look terrible Riley," Justin, Cole's wingman said. "Is being Married to Talisman really that bad." His laugh was cut short as Talisman jabbed the pilot in the stomach. As Justin tried to catch the breath that was knocked out of him, Talisman smiled sweetly at Cole.
"Now, what's so bad that you decided to call us back out here?"
"Oh you know, the usual," Cole replied shrugging. "A weapon of mass destruction, the world in peril, a mission that could be described as suicidal." Talisman's smile widened.
"Just another day at the office."

"Talisman? Talisman is here?" Regent asked excitedly. "The hero from the Chandelier event?"

Skylight turned her attention to planning table. "Energy Projectors, such as the one that destroyed the Marigold, operate on some kind of crystal, and operated by at least a dozen unicorns. If we could strike the crystal just before it fires, at critical mass..."

"It would obliterate the ship, and anyone close enough to attack it." Scootaloo said grimly. "The blast that would ensue would kill anypony trying to destroy it. Volunteers?"

Regent added, "Not to mention AA fire would chew you up. We would need a whole battalion of flyers to distract the AA guns long enough to destroy the crystal.Then once we destroy it we would lose everypony anyway."

517501
Talisman grinned, pleased at the recognition.
"Glad to know somebody remembers me, I was afraid everyone would only remember Rogue and Mobius squadrons from the last war." Cole studied the tactical info, then shook his head.
"No, too much can go wrong with that plan. Way too much. Even if it succeeded, it would cost dozens, maybe hundreds of lives."
"Why don't we just take it out the old Fashion way?" Talisman asked.
"You weren't there. A straight attack would be suicide, they'd blow us out of the sky before we could even make a dent."
"On a scale of Stonehenge to Megalith, how bad is this weapon?"
"Past Chandelier."
"That bad?"
"Let me put it like this," Cole said. "With a couple support ships, it could blast it's way past all the Federation defenses and be on the mainland in less
Than a day. It could level a large city in less than an
Hour. Coronet, Gracemaria, all of them." He punched a few keys on a nearby console, and it flickered to life, showing a map of the UHF territory. "The President is afraid once the Solars are done with the NLR, they'll turn to us." A red color slowly covered the map. "With that kind of weapon, we would lose Usea within hours, within days Estovakia and Emeria, within two weeks, we'd be completely overrun."
"You really think Celestia would do that?"
"These days, I don't know what to think. What I do know is that we need to blow that thing to high hell, and fast."

"And there's no telling they can't make more." Skylight said solemnly. "While rare, the crystals need to make an Energy Projector can be attained through large scale mining. The only thing stopping them is a platform."

"Right." Scootaloo said. "Any smaller and you risk destroying whatever you fire it from, Just like what happened the Chandelier. The icecaps melted away."

"If we could knock out its load bearings, the next time it would fire it would collapse in on itself." Skylight said.

517917
"That might just work,", Talisman said. "After all, it has a similar system to the Chandelier."
"But there's a problem," Cole said. "The supership is in Solar territory surrounded by a fleet of airships and their fighter squadrons. We could send our entire assault force and we wouldn't even be able to get close."
"Come on Cole," Talisman said, nudging her friend. "Are we any strangers to suicide missions?"
"Maybe not," Cole replied, chuckling. "But before we've had the element of surprise, advantage in numbers, or really good intelligence. We got none of that this time."
"Maybe we should ask the NLR for help." Justin suggested.
"Right because after we helped the Solars at Seaddle, we're totally in their good graces right now."

518691 517917
Camouflage Ripple looked up at the sky above him, or well, lack of sky. In fact, most of what would be considered sky was several thousand feet below him. At seventy thousand feet, there wasn't much air left that was higher than he was, which left the "sky" a wonderful shade of black. If he looked to the left or right, he would see the horizon's curve and a layer of blue that represented much of the atmosphere. Ripple smiled to himself. This was his favorite part of being a U-2 pilot. As he continued to appreciate the view, his recon HUD alerted him to his proximity to Seaddle. Camouflage Ripple opened up an advanced version of the strategic map, which gave a better view of elevation and weather, and began to analyze the situation. His plane, a blue arrow marked Leopard, was following the correct flight path. Confirming that everything was in order, he minimized the map and opened up the sensor suite, checking the status of various reconnaissance devices before activating each one. The plane began scanning everything from radio waves all the way to visible light and recording each for analysis back at base. He could only hope that the information he was gathering would help reveal a weakness in the super ship's defenses. Quitely he mused to himself that the last time he had done something similar was revealing the presence of the super weapon Megalith. Soon Seaddle began to pass away from him as the U-2 sailed onward. With his job done, Camo opened up the strategic map again and began adjusting his heading northward in accordance with the flight path. Once the plane was heading back to base, he zoomed in on the area he had just flown over. The normal black had been covered with full color images taken by the high-speed camera. These images revealed the various shipyards, both naval and and aerial, an airbase, and of course the super ship, which was still in the area. It was a massive white and gold vessel, almost two kilometers long, and it was completely covered in armor and armament. He could also see that it was propelled by multiple propellers on each side of the vessel .The end of the energy cannon was visible off the bow of the ship, but only just. Camo felt a bit of pride in the fact that NLR forces had not fled immediately after it had made its presence known. He was also thankful that he would never have to face it in combat.

519474
A.R.C. Trooper Alpha 101 "PHOENIX"
That was his name. That was all he was out here. Phoenix felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia at the moment. Here he was again, in Equestria gathering intelligence on an enemy force, and transmitting it all to a fleet waiting to strike. But this time, instead of reporting on Griffin movements, he was watching the forces of the Solar Empire, more specifically, their new weapon.
Normally, this wouldn't have been a huge task, but a large part of the human population in Equestria resided in NLR territory, and those who did live in the empire were under close watch, which meant he had to do recon the old fashion way. Currently, he was in a patch of woods, watching the ship through. A pair of binoculars, using the basic recon tool along with an advanced satellite system to track it's movements. For now, he was out of sight and in an area where the solars weren't paying attention too. He'd only ever been caught once, and that was to save the life of Daring Do, a fellow intelligence gatherer, during the last war. He'd been quickly rescued by Daring, and had avoided the worst of interrogation, and while Phoenix doubted the Imperials would use as brutal of tactics as the Griffins, he wasn't eager to test the theory.
As the ship began to move, the ARC Trooper pressed a few buttons on his nearby tablet, transmitting the information to the Fleet, as he continued to watch.

"...Don't know how much more help we can be to you." The Earth Pony on the screen said. "Princess Celestia is already paranoid after the mass CIA desertions to the NLR. Now she's watching me and Daring like hawks, but I don't know if she's worried about us going over to Luna, or if she suspects we're reporting to you."
"Storm, if you think you're compromised then you and Daring need to get out of there. I don't want to lose you two." Storm shook his head.
"No, we're not burned just yet, and we can still help you. We'll be in touch."
"Alright, but be careful. Fleet out." Cole cut the connection, turning back to the Tactical map.
"Phoenix just reported in," Talisman said. "It looks like Celestia's new toy is slowly making it's way toward the NLR."
"We have to find a way to slow it down, the Republic is still reeling from the loss at Seaddle, they won't be able to put up a strong enough defense." Dare noted bitterly. Before Cole could respond, Riley moved next to him, studying the Tactical map of Equestria.
"What's our total fleet force?" He asked. Cole blinked.
"Three Aircraft carriers, Four Battleships, seven Destroyers, two cruisers, two transports, and five frigates."
"Ground forces?"
"Two Marine Battalions and a Ranger Unit, along with supporting vehicles."
"Uh oh, you've got that look on your face," Talisman said, eyeing her husband warily. "What are you thinking Riley?"
"I know a way we can distract their weapon from the NLR." The Marine turned around, a mischievou. Smile on his face. "We launch an invasion of the Solar Empire."

519474>>520362

"This is the only surviving photo of the super ship. SES Monolyth" Scootaloo showed to Talisman. "All the other photos are down in the ships that carried them."

"An invasion would be suicide!" rebutted Skylight."We barely have the hardware to defend ourselves, 25 percent of our operational forces were downed by that... freak of engineering! They cut into us like a hot knife through warm butter."

The planning table blinked with a message.

Recon reports from: U-2, over: Seaddle

"The build up there is huge!" said Regent.

"And the super ship is moving as we speak. Cole, we need to act fast." said Skylight.

520831 (I've have changed my recon description to match your image and the source image.)

520831>>520362>>519474

Prime Minister Nikaniki sat at his desk, a headache compounding the stress of the past few days and the decision he now had to face. The Solar Empire's super-ship, The SES Monolyth, now cast an ominous shadow over the world, and its use had decimated some of the world's most elite squadrons.

The Solar Empire was now building up its forces for a massive invasion of the world, and the results would not look good for Yuktobania and its allies. The Prime Minister let out a deep sigh before picking up the phone beside him.

"This is the Prime Minister, send our allies the plan." The Prime Minister's voice was sad, but he knew this was a necessary sacrifice for the good of the world. They were sending their allies an old missile with a history.

While it was old, it still held terrible power and was still potent, even in this day and age. The missile was reportedly the last of its kind, thought to be the only surviving burst-warhead of the Second Revolution. The regime had used it to max efficiency, nearly destroying the entire rebellion with a string of these weapons. After the war, the few remaining warheads were all disassembled, all except for one.

It wouldn't have enough punch to take down the ship, but it would blow a hole big enough to get an invasion force inside. With them, they could capture the ship and either choose to destroy it or use it to force the Solar Empire to surrender.

It was a far bet, but it was the best option Yuktobania could offer. Now, it was up to the allies to decide if they wanted it or not.

520831>>520911
"Sir," A Petty Officer said, handing Cole a piece of paper. "A message from the Yuks." As Cole read, Riley continued.
"I'm not suggesting we take on the Monolyth directly, at least not yet. I'm saying we strike at the Empire, draw their attention away from the Republic. This fleet has sufficient forces to take and hold a solar city. At least for a bit."
"Here's what we do," Cole said, suddenly entering the conversation. "We secure a beachhead in a coastal city away from the Monolyth, Manehattan maybe, there we can rally all our allies to strike at it once and for all. It's risky, but it gives us the best chance of taking that bastard down." He turned back to the Petty Officer. "Sends this to the Alliance. If they sign off on the plan, we launch our attack at dawn."
"Hey Cole, what about our guest. He'll want to know."
~~~
Their "guest" was Mobius 6, the only pilot who they were able to rescue after the battle. Cole had tried to talk to him before, but a stoic silence had always followed.
"Still not talking eh?" He asked.
"What do I have to talk about?" The pilot asked, teeth gritted. "You know you humans were once looked up too. When you returned to help us drive back the Griffins, we rejoiced. Now you've betrayed all you once stood for!"
"I can't make exuses for what we did," Cole said. "But it's over now. And now, we're striking the Solar Empire back."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Believe me or not as you will. I just thought you'd want payback. When we strike, you could fly with us, or stay on this ship. Choice is yours."

520963

Nikaniki looked over the Human's proposal. It seemed like suicide if the ship wasn't taken out first. All the Solar Empire had to do was turn the ship upon their troops and annihilate their force as they were taking the city. After that, the Solars would have no problem taking out the Alliance.

Even if the ship didn't attack immediately, the element of surprise would be lost and all their extra work would be unnecessary. If they attacked now, their chances of destroying or even capturing it would still be rather high.

The Prime Minister wouldn't feel secure enough to attack the Solar Empire without the ship taken out. He shook his head before crossing out the plan.

(Holy crap, this page is long. Hopefully, it'll default to the second page soon.)

520963>>520911>>520907>>521017

"What if we lure the ship out to sea?" asked Regent. "If we can destroy the crystal it will take out most of its support fleet.

"Aren't you forgetting something knucklehead? You'd die with the the fleet to you know." Scootaloo pressed.

"I know." Regent said with composure. "That warhead, I'll bet a tactical pulse could knock out their weapons, for a few minutes. You guys come sweep in, cover me from the supporting fleet while I make my way to the crystal core. You guys get out in the nick of time, the super weapon is destroyed, I die a hero."

"No Regent." Scootaloo said with solace. "I'll do it, I'm the best flyer in the wing."

521068>>521017>>520907
"No one's dying on my watch," Talisman said sternly. "We don't need Martyrs, we need pilots. We can do this without any suicide missions."
"Sir," The Petty Officer returned. "Reply from the Yuks."
"No good eh?" He read. " Alright. Move the Fleet into NLR waters. We'll try to link up with ISAF forces, hopefully they will welcome us more warmlytthan the Lunars." Before the war, ISAF and the UHF had been great allies. If they were lucky, their ormer friends still held fond memories of the humans. "Either way, you'll be seeing your pals again soon." He said to Mobius 6

521083>>521017>>520907

"So we have about a 2 minute window without fire from the Monolyth, the warhead will manage that, and a way inside. We still need to destroy that ship." Scootaloo said.

Skylight began, "We don't have the schematics to destroy its support structures. We need that before we strike. We'll have to hear the full report from the spy plane to-"

The tactical map blared red alerts, everyone quickly shifted their eyes to the console.

Contact: SES MONOLYTH, Changed course to: ISAF Fleet, in: NLR territory

"You wanted your lure Regent, well there it is." Scootaloo said with worry.