Ace Combat: The Conversion Bureau

by Eagle

Timeline

“This is the inevitable fate that Ulysses heralded in.”

-Illya Pasternak

1994-The asteroid 1994XFO4, later to be named Ulysses, is discovered to be approaching Earth. Several governments begin constructing defensive super weapons to counter this threat.

1994-Terrorists launch a coup d’état in the Republic of Kaluga.

March 23rd, 1995- Arrival of Equestria and beginning of diplomatic relations with them.

May 28th, 1995-A Belkan pilot is shot down over Osean territory by the 229th Tactical Fighter Squadron, who claimed he was defecting. Rumors circulate that he went AWOL after refusing to carry out a nuclear strike against Equestria, but the Belkan government refuses to comment any further on the action. Rumors also arise that an Osean F-14 was also shot down while attempting to intervene; Waldemar Rald denies this as well.

June 7-10th, 1995-With the economic depression continuing in Belka, the Rald party is overthrown and a democratic government is installed. It is believed that Rald, the remnants of his party, and his supporters in the Belkan military go underground and form a militaristic group bent on regaining power, but their current whereabouts are unknown.

December, 1995-With most of the country overrun, the Republic of Kaluga hires the mercenary 92nd Special Tactical Fighter Squadron “Scarface” and begins to retake the country. Equestrian demands for peace talks are ignored by both sides. Equestrian relations with the rest of the Verusan continent suffer greatly.

1996-As a sign of good will, the new Belkan government gives Osea and Yuktobania each a squadron consisting entirely of elite Belkan fighters.

1998-The Usean Rebellion- With their leaders away from the country, a coup d’état breaks out in the military corps’ general area code NA-P2700. After they succeed in capturing vital installations over most of the continent, Special Tactical Fighter Squadron “Scarface” is again hired to fight back. Despite Equestrian bids for peace, they agree to assist the Usean government in reclaiming the continent so as to bring about peace quicker. This also marks the first time Pegasi enter combat against fighter jets, with the results being mixed. Following the conflict, another situation arises involving a number of missing POWs.

July 3rd, 1999-Despite no longer being able to control the sun, moon, or stars, Princess Celestia claims that the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony can be used to stop the asteroid Ulysses. After tense negotiations, the governments of the world agree. As the asteroid nears Earth, the magic of the elements is used to ‘hold’ the rock in place and stop it from entering the atmosphere…barely. They also do not have enough power to push it back into space or teleport it away. Ulysses remains in the atmosphere, held by the magic, and becomes a sort of ‘second moon’, visible during the daytime. In agreement with the conditions of the treaty, weapons that were made to counteract it, such as the Stonehenge Turret Network and the Chandelier rail gun, are dismantled.

2000-Usean POW dispute- It is revealed that all prisoners of war that were captured by Equestria during the Usean Rebellion were converted. Demands by the governments of USEA to return them are refused. Relations between USEA and Equestria plummet.

2000-Despite an initial surge of conversions during the first year, the number of converts dropped drastically. With few, if any, remaining willing converts, the governments of the world begin asking the Bureaus to close, which is denied. The country of Emmeria closes its bureaus by force, and relations with the Anean continent sour.

2002-Following Emmeria’s example, most other Bureaus have been closed, leading to a sort of ‘Cold War’ between Equestria and the rest of the world.

2003-16 nations on the Usean continent form the Independent State of Allied Forces, or ISAF, in order to counter a possible Equestrian threat. Erusia does not join, wishing to maintain their independence, but agrees to aid ISAF should they come under attack.

2004-Vincent Harling is elected president of the Osean Federation and attempts to better relations with other nations, specifically Equestria.

2008-Despite it being built as a symbol of peace between Yuktobania and Osea, Celestia demands that the Arkbird be dismantled. President Harling attempts to show that it is built as a sign of goodwill between the nations; this lead to the demand that if it was to continue, the two nations must give up a large sum of their citizens to convert. This is denied and the project continues. Relations with the rest of the Osean continent also fall drastically.

2009-All contact between Equestria and the rest of the world stops.

Author's Note:

I don't really count this as a 'chapter', but I thought it was the quickest and best way to show the deterioration of relations. Everything in here is relevant in some way to the story, so I'm trying to avoid information dumping.
Also, the conflict begins next chapter, so expect the story to finally get more action.

Ok, I know I said I was going to trying to show it from the ponies view of the war as well, but I'm having a helluva time getting their characters spot on. I'll still try to feature Dash, Spitfire, and some other Pegasi, but expect it to be focused mainly from the human side.

Sorry if you don't like what I did with Ulysses, but I still want it to play a role later on. Also I had to get rid of some of the superweapons. What would happen if Equestria went to war against all those? They'd get annihilated in the first five minutes.

Just a reminder, I'm new at this so if you see any errors, are confused about something, or have constructive criticism, don't tear me apart right away. Let me know and I'll do my best to fix it.

Thanks to everyone who supports me for this. I didn't expect my first fic to get much attention at all, or at the very least a bunch of downvotes. I'm pleasantly surprised. I think I'll very much enjoy writing this, so please stay tuned!

Comments

[Traveler7]

Interesting way to deal with the asteroid, as well as limiting AC Earth's superweapons. Least we still have our aces, and possibly Arkbird. Possibly.