Ace Combat Equestria: Shattered Clouds

by Cpt Celti

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The clouds were a sickly yellow and grey, thick in the sky. The sun burned bright, trying to burn through the gloom that smothered the sky, in vain. The ocean roiled around a small, solitary island. The waters crested on the high bluffs, as if they knew what the island housed and how destructive it was. The waves battered hopelessly against the sheer rock, nature itself attempting to break it apart and send down the terrible monster housed in the island, send it crashing into the sea.

All in vain. Nature was giving up hope, but the waters continued the writhe and attack the island with their waves. Above, the winds blew angrily, the clouds refusing to shine the light on such a monstrosity.

Four great cannons, previously aimed like a compass rose, now aimed themselves towards the mainland. Four guns, four cities to be destroyed by the order of the Commander. The three generators hummed at full power as the cannons were loaded with their seismic artillery shells. They would travel hundreds of miles to strike at the mainland and destroy the bastions of AEGIS power. The traitors who signed with the allied forces would be destroyed for their crimes against the Kings.

The young officers, zealots of Sharpclaw's will, carried out the final act of defiance of Gryphnia. They had escaped internment by AEGIS to make sure this attack would succeed. The final cannon was almost in position. Once all four had their targets locked, they would begin firing. There were enough shells to level all within range, and the armies still loyal would be liberated, and the conquest of the continent would begin anew.

The inevitability was a certainty.

Mere minutes away, two helicopters carried their charges low across the water, a unicorn in each pouring themselves into an invisibility spell. Above, a full score were dropping hard and fast above the island. From the other side, their approach masked by the rolling waves, another score were preparing to climb up the cliffs to their destination.

Hidden and sheltered by the gloomy clouds, an AWACS flew far beyond the range of the evil weapon's defenses. The pilots guided the plane through the clouds, keeping themselves scarce; after all, fifteen enemy fighters were making their way to the north.

On another screen, fifteen more were flying to meet them.

The clouds seemed to be writhing in pain, knowing the battle to come, and the results if the assault failed. Rhapsody's heart hurt as she looked around the cockpit at them. They were hurting, but today, they would be saved, liberated. She exhaled as she looked around her airspace.

Fourteen F-22 Raptors flew around her. She would've smiled at all of the Ghost insignia's if the situation were not so grave. She had picked these pilots by hand, for she trusted them with her life, and they trusted hers with theirs. Her original flight stuck close; they struggled with flying their new planes, but soon got the hang of it and would now get to prove how deadly they were. Once again, she was leading an attack, but instead of fear gripping her soul, she felt a surge of confidence. She trusted these mares and stallions, and they were ready.

"Sky Gazer here," Scootaloo called from the AWACS. "Fifty miles from World Breaker. All Ghost aircraft report in!"

Rhapsody pulled her mask up. "Ghost One on standby."

Mythic. "Ghost Two on standby."

Sprig. "Ghost Three on standby."

Amethyst. "Ghost Four on standby."

Shavul, formerly Timberwolf. "Ghost Five through Seven on standby."

Creg, formerly Saber. "Ghost Eight through Ten on standby."

Aquamarine, formerly Gold. "Ghost Eleven on standby."

Tanzanite, formerly Emerald. "Ghost Twelve on standby."

Arthur, one of the squadron's three gryphons. "Ghost Thirteen through Fifteen on standby."

"Preparations are complete; ready for battle," Sky Gazer declared. "All aircraft, follow Ghost One!"

Rhapsody narrowed her eyes and throttled up. Whereas the tomcat roared its charge, the wyvern shrieked like a banshee as she surged forward, the seat leaning back. She looked towards her wings, watching as flaps opened up on the leading edge, and the outer, reversed-swept wings folded inwards. On her console, she saw that the tail had flattened as she blazed forward even faster. She exhaled, patting the console.

"Alright, girl. Let's see what you got."

"I see them! Tally ho on the bandits!" A Meteor called.

"Whoa! They- Jacque, sir! You won't believe this! They all have Ghost insignia's!" the leader's wingman called.

"Only Gryphnian pilots should be flying this airspace! No quarter!" Jacque cried.

Fifteen Su-37 Terminators flew head on towards the Ghosts.

"Wraith, fox two!"

A missile launched from its concealed port on the fighter and lanced out into the lead formation of five Su-37s. The flight dodged and scattered, as did the two other flights of five. "Ghost Squadron, engage!" Rhapsody yanked her stick hard to pull up into pursuit. She inhaled swiftly as she realized she was outturning the Terminator she had selected the attack.

Her missile reticule slowly moved up towards the enemy fighter as she tried to gain a lock onto it. The beeping gave her the clue it was tracking, but unable to target. "Hold still," she murmured. Suddenly the Meteor pilot yanked back, performing a cobra and Rhapsody shot by. "Whoa!" Her missile warning blared and she clenched her teeth as she grabbed her controls. "Hope this works." Delving into her training from days before, she yanked back her controls into a full cobra maneuver. When she pushed back down, the Terminator was ahead of her once more.

"What!?" The Meteor pilot screamed.

"Gotcha!" Rhapsody pressed her button. A second missile shot out and speared the Meteor in the center as it turned to get away. "One down! Fourteen to go!"

"Make that twelve!" Amethyst called. "Ghost 9 got another before getting shot down, but ejected. And Ghost 6 nailed one head-on."

"Good start!" Rhapsody cried as she watched Mythic blow another one out of the sky. His signature Raptor cleaved a Terminator in half with one of his XMAA missiles. It disintegrated before it even hit the water.

Arthur suddenly blew right by her as she pulled out to see the battle. Ghost Squadron, her squadron, was taking the fight to the Meteors. She could see Meteors chasing her Ghosts and vice versa, missile blazing by in near hits, volleys from cannons shredding through the air. The battle above World Breaker was terrifyingly beautiful in a dark way. The best versus the best, yet it was hard to believe that just days ago a treaty had been signed and these pilots were supposed to go home. Rhapsody frowned deeply; she had hoped the war had been over, and that would be it.

Breaking from her mental reverie, she pushed back into the fight, Sprig joining her on her tail. "They're fighting more vicious than we've ever experienced, Major!" Aquamarine cried. "It's like they're possessed!"

"We lost our home, and the war we had fought so much for. To these pilots, and those officers inside World Breaker, we lost our honor and what makes us warriors. They aren't going to surrender," Arthur countered.

Mythic blazed by, sending a hail of lead through the engines of a Meteor. "Then we take them all down!"

Arthur made a grunt of approval. "A wise attitude."

"Baseplate, this is Bravo Two. We've entered the facility and are making our way to the sub control room." The hippogriffs, thestrals, and crystals took up their positions in the facility atrium. Behind them, the door was sealed shut. "We'll hold the position until they get those generators destroyed. Just tell them to hurry up!"

"Contact! Upper floor!" one of the Crystal Commandos cried. Planting herself down with her thick shield, she propped her submachine gun on the top and fired. The gryphon cried out as he fell from the balcony. But six more replaced him.

"Use your grenades! Stone, throw a flash bang!" the thestral leader cried, firing his rifle upwards. The commando beside him kept his shield up as the unicorn behind him fired his own rifle over the shield.

Suddenly, from the right, there was a rush of air. The commando mare failed to see him as her attention was focused on the upper floor. But as she turned, she saw the torrent of fire heading towards her before it washed over her.

"Flamethrower!"

Mythic twisted behind a Terminator, sending a torrent of lead into the fuselage. It burst into flames, spinning out of control for the sea below. He then turned to his right to fight off another Meteor trailing Sprig. "Got your tail, featherhead."

Sprig laughed. "Get a good look, Mythic?"

"Always. It's such a nice tail." The terminator performed a cobra, and Mythic soared underneath. When he was sure the Meteor had regained chase, Mythic pulled back hard on his controls, putting his new Raptor into a tight somersault that got him behind the Meteor and he wasted no time in sending a missile into the engines. The explosion rocked the skies as he flew through the fires.

Amethyst and Aquamarine took turns in a weaving pattern, which forced the Meteor into a straight line. No matter which one he picked to follow, the wingman would have a clear line of fire on the next pass. The Meteor gave a slight waving flight path as the pilot tried to decide who to go after. The path however, allowed a missile to strike him right in the center. Arthur flew over the two Crystal ponies, who saluted before breaking off for more targets.

"He's on me! Persistent bastard!" Harriet, Ghost 14, one of the three Gryphons, kept her head craned back, looking to shake the enemy Meteor on her tail. Another raptor suddenly appeared ahead of her.

"Talisman! Break left!" Tanzanite cried. She did that just as a missile streaked under her and hit the Meteor on the nose.

"Nice shot, Ghost 12."

"After what happened in the Empire," Tanzanite replied swiftly. "I can't forgive the gryphons. But as long as you fly with our wings, you're one of us. I won't let you get hurt."

Talisman smiled behind her oxygen mask. "Good to hear, 12. Let's mop up!"

Rhapsody weaved through the towers that adorned the inner compound of World Breaker, a pair of Meteors on her tail taking pot shots with their cannons. The wyvern, surprisingly, was stealthier than they had thought. Missiles could hardly even track her, but cannons didn't need a radar lock. She felt a few pangs off her wings and she decided a plan was needed and fast. Deciding to try it again, she slammed her hooves into the floorboard and yanked her stick back while throttling down. The Wyvern lurched to a halt and stood straight up. After a few seconds, she pushed her fighter back down and leveled out. The wyvern's targeting computer took over as the two Meteors tried to pull away. Two reticules lanced out and she fired.

The missile ports opened and a pair launched out, spearing them and sending their burning hulks to the ground.
Rhapsody had no time to celebrate though as her warning blared. Throttling up, she craned her neck back to see her newest adversary. A single Terminator had her tail and she resumed her weaving through the compound.

"Lucky to Wraith, the Meteor on your tail is the flight lead! I recognize the number; he's good. Be careful!"

"Roger! Thanks, Lucky." Rhapsody pulled up into the sky. The Meteor pulled up right as she did and kept close pace with her. Once she was in the open air, she kicked her fighter into a cobra and the Meteor flew right by. "Got ya!" She got her reticule up towards the Terminator –

It flipped itself into a cobra, forcing Rhapsody to spin underneath to avoid a collision. "What?!"

"Have to do better than that, Ghost." He squeezed the trigger for his cannon.

A torrent of lead tore into Rhapsody's left wing. The armor was stronger than a normal fighter, but it was enough to prove that she needed to think of a plan and fast. She looked towards the clouds and pulled up high. Just as she had hoped, the Meteor followed her. The wyvern's wings and tail folded, much like her natural ones did, as she throttled up into the clouds. Her eyes strained against the forces as she hurtled up into the air. The wyvern shrieked as she leveled out into the clouds and Rhapsody looked back.

Even through the soupy clouds, she could just barely make out the engine flames as he looked for her. But if she could see his, no doubt the gryphon's superior eyesight could find her engine flames and more. This was accented by her warning blaring in her ears. She pulled up and around to the right to shake it off, but the nimble Terminator was right on her tail. She pulled another cobra, straining the wyvern, and got behind the Meteor, only to be outmaneuvered and he got behind her. Her frustration was mounting, but she had to keep her cool.

But she took a quick moment to check in. "Ghost squadron! Sitrep!"

"Seven Meteors left," Mythic cried. "We got them on the ropes!"

"Make that eight," Rhapsody quickly added. "I've got the flight lead up here with me. Who did we lose?"

Sky Gazer called in at that. "We got Search and Rescue scrambling from the HMS Faerie Flight. Ghost 9 is safe, Ghost 12 is hurt but he's getting pulled out now. But we lost 15."

"Chute?" Rhapsody asked hopeful.

"Negative. Went down with the plane."

She lost one of the gryphons. Rhapsody closed her eyes and shook her head the first death of her squadron, and he was a volunteer. Yalt, call sign Switchblade. "I'm sorry, Lucky," she murmured.

"He was a warrior, Major. He died like one, and died at your side because he believed in what you do. Remember that. Focus on your fight," Arthur called back.

Rhapsody exhaled and nodded. "Got it." She banked sharply, the Meteor hot on her tail. She weaved and rolled through the clouds while the Terminator struggled to keep up. The wyvern was proving its superiority in the turns. The Meteor Flight lead however did not relent his pursuit as was proven by the pot shots from his cannon. Rhapsody pushed down out of the clouds and dove straight for the ground, her adversary in pursuit. She pulled up and was still being followed.

"I can't shake this bastard!" she growled. Then she blinked, remembering a trick Spitfire had taught her during one of their previous sorties together. She recalled how it was used; a basic move, but no less useful. And being an elite pilot, the Meteor tended to use presence as its own weapon, not truly relying on skill. Still, she hoped he wouldn’t see this coming.

Jacque huffed and puffed into his oxygen mask as he narrowed his eyes at the unique plane. The pilot was weaving through World Breaker's small number of towers until suddenly shooting straight up in the air. He growled and turned up in pursuit. This plane was never one he had seen before. Definitely one of a kind, and he felt it had to be the Wraith.

But the peculiar factor was that she was just propelling straight up into the air. Did she think he would accept her challenge to out climb? She was definitely in for a surprise; such petty dogfight tricks were for the old world, the past, where they needed to belong. He locked his gun reticule as they began to pass up through the clouds. "End of the line, Gh-"

He emerged from the clouds… she was gone. "Where the hell…" His warnings suddenly blared, but not for a missile.

Altitude.

The Terminator 's turbines started to choke from what Rhapsody could see from a few hundred yards away. It suddenly flopped on its back and headed for the ground with its engines trying to suck in air that wasn't readily available in the amounts needed. It dropped like a rock, spinning out of control as he stalled.

Her missile locked as he was trying to regain control, and she sent it off the rail. The sitting duck pilot managed to right himself. Then, as he began to throttle up and face her, took the sidewinder through the canopy. Rhapsody barrel-rolled above the explosion and took a moment to look back, watching the Terminator fall to the water below.

"Flight lead is down, Ghosts! Let's mop up!"

"Holy sh- Jacque is down! They killed Jacque!"

"Get a hold of yourself Jace! You've got to take over command! We need orders!"

Jace snarled over the radio. "Kill them all! Even the ones who eject! No survivors!"

"Baxter!" Creg screamed.

Rhapsody panned her head around. "What's wrong?"

"One of those Meteors is strafing the water! They're trying to kill our downed pilots! Baxter was defenseless!"

Arthur snarled. "Dishonorable bastards! We have a code!" Rhapsody caught sight of Arthur's Raptor screeching after the Meteor that had been shooting at the water. She joined him by fighting off another Meteor, but from her pass, she saw the damage was done. The fallen hippogriff from Creg's squadron lay on his back, bobbing in the water. Another pilot from Timberwolf wasn't far from him, the same fate. But Arthur avenged them both by sending a pair of missiles into the Meteor.

"Jace is down!"

"How the hell are they this good? We're Meteor Squadron!"

"Regroup on me! If we go down, it's together!"

The remaining Su-37 Terminators formed up, loading the last of their missiles. A swarm of XMAAs was launched into the clustered F-22 Raptors of Ghost Squadron. The lock was faint, but it was enough for the near twenty missiles to launch.

"Incoming!" Rhapsody shouted. She weaved through the incoming missiles as the rest of her squadron followed suit. Two Ghosts were destroyed however, and Rhapsody couldn't stop to see if they were safe.

"Sky Gazer to all planes! We have less than fifteen minutes before the cannons fire! Down those last few planes and take out those generators!"

"They're also sending out cruise missiles!" Rumble added. "Try and shoot them down, too!"

Scootaloo cried out, "I didn't know that thing could fire cruise missiles! Must be a new addition."

"Ghost Lead to all planes! Double time it and destroy those cruise missiles! They might have seismic warheads!"

"This is Lucky to Wraith. Leave these to us while you go after those generators!"

"Roger. Starting my run!"

The echo of gunfire resounded through the atrium as the remaining Crystal Commandos set of their shields as barricades. The Special Wing Service hippogriffs kept their eyes on the catwalks for anyone trying to take advantage of the high ground.

Their losses were heavy, though. The mare that was burned by the flamethrower did not look like she'd survive her wounds and the SWS Captain was using her shield while their medic did what she could to keep her alive, or at least ease her pain as she passed. Three of the Equestrian Night Stalkers had fallen prey to marksman fire. Two SWS soldiers were wounded bad enough to be kept from the fighting. Despite the odds, they did not relent their position.

Bravo Two's rifle sent another two Gryphons to their Kings with a rifle grenade. He gestured to the right and a Crystal Commando who had retrieved the fallen flamethrower shortly after the previous had his head blown off by a Commando's shotgun, sent a stream of fiery death down their flank. Screams of dying gryphons seemed to delight him as the Crystal Pony maniacally laughed. The lead thestral of the Night Stalkers was taking calculated shots with his rifle at Gryphons who popped their heads up.

There was no retreat for the special forces team, nor was their surrender. They could either get into the room, or they'd die here.

"Baseplate, this is Bravo Two! What's the word on those generators for the sub control room?"

"Ghost squadron is already taking out the last of the fighter resistance and are making their attack runs."

"Estimated time till this door is open?"

"Roughly five minutes."

"We'll be corpses for three minutes by then! Hurry!"

Rhapsody kicked in her rudders to adjust her flight path. The opening in the side of the island was as reported; massive enough for a cargo helicopter to fly into it. She sucked in a deep breath and leveled out. "Wraith to Sky Gazer; making my attack run on the first generator!"

Her vision suddenly when absolutely dark as she was suddenly flying through a tunnel. Her body clenched tightly, her wings almost sinking back into her skin as she started to hyperventilate. She had to remind herself to relax more than once as she leveled out, flying along the brightly lit tunnel. Her breathing began to steady as she focused on the path. When she finally saw a large, wide column with glowing lights, her missile reticule locked on.

"Fox two."

The generator exploded brilliantly. As she exited out the other side of the island.

"Wraith, that must've done something! The cannon that was still turning just stopped and then started back up. It's still turning, but slower!"

"Making my run on the second one now!"

"We've got to take the higher ground!" Bravo Two cried out.

The hippogriff Captain, having caught his name being Wesley, shouted back to the lead thestral; Flux. "We're holding this position, Captain! They'll have those doors open; we've got to give them more time!"

Rhapsody rolled herself level to accommodate the tunnel. A pair of AA guns tried to hit her, but they were destroyed by Aquamarine before they could readjust to hit the aircraft above. Her remaining pilots were chasing and destroying any cruise missiles that were being launched. According to intelligence reports, they were carrying more tactical seismic warheads, capable of leveling small towns. Small and less destructive, they were still priority targets.

The Wraith leveled the wyvern out, pulling back on her power as she entered the second tunnel. She could hear her fighter's engines screaming off the walls as she made her way down in a needle straight line. There was a tunnel coming up to the side, and according to the blueprints, she needed to nail the turn correctly, otherwise she'd be colliding with a solid wall at the end of the tunnel she was flying down.
Making a hard right roll and leveling out, she narrowly missed the divide, locking onto the second generator and destroying it outright. She burst into the open air and exhaled her breath she had no idea she had been holding.

"Second generator down! Making my run on the final!"

"Hurry, Wraith!" Sky Gazer cried. "Reports from the team inside are not good."

"Where the hell is Charlie Five?" Flux shouted.

Wesley crouched down behind the Crystal Commando's shield and looked around as bullets bounced off the reinforced metal. The Saddle Arabian team he had originally sent to cover their flank and then return was nowhere to be seen. "Charlie Five, come in! What is your location?"

"We lost our position! We're pulling out to the choppers to cover the retreat!"

"Come back! We can hold it!" There was a shout followed by a ripple of gunfire and suddenly silence. Wesley's beak curled down. "Charlie Five, come in!" No response. He grimaced and switched his channel to speak to the AWACS outside. "We're going to be annihilated soon! What's the status on those generators?"

Rhapsody kicked her afterburners to full to the other side of the island. She saw the opening, and the two SAM sights above it. They locked onto her location, finding the small holes in her plane and launching their ordinance. She barreled towards them, hoping to time her entrance when a pair of Raptors flew across her path.

"Got your back, Wraith," Lucky called.

"Get in there and let's sink this thing!" Talisman added.

The two heat seeking missiles locked onto the flames of the Raptors and split away from her path. She pitched herself down, angling herself to fly through the third channel. When she entered, the engines of the X-02 Wyvern shrieked and bounced off the walls. She was heading lengthways to the facility whereas the other two were on opposite sides in curves. She was heading straight down the path, barely able to make out Gryphon troops emerging into the tunnel and firing at her with their small arms to no avail. Clearly it was the thought that counted.

She narrowed her eyes as her reticule locked on the final generator. Her cannon roared as she held down the trigger with far more force than she meant to. A stream of scalding lead tore through the vital systems and it burst into flames. She flew through a blast of fire and barrel-rolled out the other side.

"Third generator down!"

There was a hiss as Wesley turned and saw the doorway opening to the sub control room.

"It's open! Go go go! Get in there! Secure the room!"

The remaining Crystal Commandos kept their shields guarding the surviving troops as they forced their way into the room. Even as the guards within began to fire back, a few of the AEGIS soldiers knocked engineers from their stations to take over. Soon the four guards were down and the engineers and cannon technicians held their claws up.

"Please, don't kill me!"

"Move your ass!" Flux shouted as he rammed the butt of his rifle into the beak of the sniveling gryphon, sending him to the floor with a squawk. As Flux sat down, one of the technicians grabbed a handgun, firing and striking him in the neck. The thestral leader gurgled once before Wesley unloaded half of his magazine into the Gryphon's chest. Flux lay on the floor clutching his throat.

"Medic! The rest of you get on those controls! Get those doors open and shut down the launch sequence! The planes will be plunging in any second now!"

"You've got this, Rhapsody!" Mythic called over the radio.

"I'm marking the entrance to the final tunnel! Get in there and destroy the reactor inside!" Scootaloo added. "Get in there, blow this thing, and we can go home!"

"Hurry on those doors. Don't let those pilots die!" Wesley turned back to Flux, who's eyes began to dim in the frail light of the sub control room, his life fluids bubbling up through his muzzle. "Come on, lad. Don't die on me."

Rhapsody rolled and dove down low. The Wyvern skimmed a few feet above the sea, flying right towards the large entrance of World Breaker. This was large enough to fly a damn cargo plane through, she thought, so her fighter had little trouble. Even as the tunnel pitched upwards and then down again, she maintained her speed and heading. The lighting was terrible in here though; solid red emergency lights all over. The adrenaline made her heart race and her lungs burn. Her wings and tail clenched to her body as she gripped her controls as if letting go meant death.

She was deep beneath the top level of World Breaker, according to her altimeter, and beneath the sea level.

"One Hundred meters."

On the cameras, the special forces troops could see the lone fighter plunge heedlessly into the tunnel. One of the Thestrals kicked in the face of a gryphon. "This asshole just shut the doors behind the Wraith. She can't get out the way she came in!"

Rhapsody pulled up into a straight part of the tunnel. The red emergency lights flared, threatening to blind her.

"Shit! The door closed behind her!" Sprig shouted. "Can she get out?"

"Negative, that was her only escape!"

Rhapsody's breathing quickened at the news. Her exit was blocked? This was her final flight? She saw the reactor up ahead; could she ram it? Would it be enough? Would her missiles even scathe it? The Wyvern was a tough plane, certainly a masterpiece; but would it be enough to finish the job?

"Wait! The exhaust chute. How big is it?"

"We're about to find out." The Crystal Commando furiously pounded at the keyboard.

"Tell me she can get out!"

Rhapsody's breathing steadied as she leveled out the Wyvern as she barred down on the reactor, ignoring the shouts of her squadron as they argued if she'd make it out. The reactor stood at the end of the tunnel like a giant pillar of the world. It held up the damnable structure that housed the future anguish of the continent. It flashed with light, trying to compensate the destruction of the three primary generators. The flaring heat within pulsed and was an easy target for her remaining ordinance.

With a tug at her collar, she locked her two remaining missiles.

"Fox two! Fox two!"

The ports under her engines popped open and the two missiles locked, firing. Like spears of great vengeance, the two missiles tore through the air.

"Wraith! Pull up!" A male Hibernian accent screamed over the radio. It was unfamiliar to her, but she decided to take a small chance on top of her huge one. The missiles struck dead on the reactor. The explosion was massive as she pulled up…

Towards a ceiling.

"Get it open!" Wesley shouted. "She's already heading up!"

"I think… Got it!"

Rhapsody could see the reflection of a growing plume of fire and smoke beneath her as the reactor pillar began to detonate from the bottom to the top. She throttled up; maybe the roof wasn’t that thick and she could break through. But she dashed the thoughts as the explosion was catching up to her. She shoved her throttle forward as hard as she could. The wyvern screamed like a banshee as the wings folded. Her seat reclined as the fighter shook as her altimeter spun like a winding clock. The wyvern shook as if in its own personal earthquake. The roof suddenly snapped open, revealing the grey-yellow sky above. Her squadron pilots were flying around World Breaker to find her.

Just before she broke the surface, her vision was filled with orange and red. Angry flames crowded and clung to her plane and the heat was intense, but she pushed on, ignoring the blaring alarms in her cockpit. With a final kick to her afterburners, the wyvern pierced through the thick explosion that had sought to take her down. The death-throes of World Breaker tried to take her with it, but failed.

The Wyvern screamed high into the sky, trailing smoke while below, World Breaker roared its death knell in a curse to the Wraith in the form of a towering inferno bursting through the central vent for the reactor.

"YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

"Target destroyed!"

"There! We got Wraith on radar! Confirmed that World Breaker has been destroyed!"

Cheers and celebration echoed all over the command room in the Canterlot Palace. Finally… the final fight had been won. The war was over at long last.

Lieutenant General Twilight Sparkle grinned despite herself and heaved a sigh of relief at the news. It was all finally over, and her friends had made it through, just as Rainbow Dash had thought they would. Decorum had failed completely in the room. Even the gryphon scientists that had defected earlier were cheering with each other. The news was reaching around the world that the vile doomsday weapon Gryphnia had constructed was no more.

She grabbed her peaked cap and made her way to the door. Despite the celebration, she had her final report to write to the Princess. A General's work never ended even at the end of the horrific war. But before Twilight left, she decided to afford a small consolation for her work, and she stopped at the door and turned her head.

"Commander Sentry." The orange coated stallion turned, smoothing out his electric blue mane and standing at attention before the General. He had only recently returned home and managed to clear himself into the command center to watch the battle.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"I'd like to see you in my office at twenty-one hundred, understood?"

The pegasus stallion smiled and nodded swiftly. "I'll be there, ma'am."

"Good," she replied as she grasped the handle, then turned back to him. "And Flash?" He once again met her eye with a smile. "Don't keep me waiting."

Rhapsody rolled and flipped the wyvern onto its back, then flipped around to see World Breaker. The cannons themselves began to shudder until finally the supports broke and they began to fall to the ground. Plumes of smoke and fire marked the destruction of the cannons as they broke apart. Some fell onto the compound itself while the rest sank to the bottom of the ocean. It was all turning to ruin now.

"Bravo One to AWACS Sky Gazer! That plane that flew into World Breaker… is the pilot alright?"

"Yes, she's fine! She's right here." Rhapsody looked to her right as the AWACS plane lowered its altitude, now in full view of all.

"Good on you, mate!" Sprig yelled. "That's a warrior!"

"True warrior, Wraith," Arthur joined in. "Damn great honor to fight by your side, at last."

"We made it through, everypony! Yahoo!" Mythic's voice broke through.

Equal cheers and compliments flooded the airwaves as Ghost Squadron regained their formation over World Breaker. The super weapon began to shudder as chunks fell away from their supports. The reactor explosion tore apart the systems of the entire island, the sea seeking to destroy the island and swallow it beneath its waves. The cannons had shattered on impact with the ground, ruining them completely from ever being used again.

"So, did we win the war?" the Hibernian accent from earlier asked.

"I don't know," Scootaloo replied simply, then sighed. "History decides who the winner is. But I know one thing… heroes do really exist." Rhapsody pulled off her oxygen mask, blushing beneath her coat. Scootaloo concluded, "We're all looking at one now. And she's coming home."

Rhapsody chuckled and shook her head. "We're all heroes, Sky Gazer."

"'Sometimes, you just have to accept you're a hero'," Amethyst replied.

"Oh don't start using your dad's lines on me now," Rhapsody snipped with a laugh.

Turning north, towards the mainland, Ghost Squadron formed up and headed for home. Rhapsody sighed as she looked back, and then patted the console of the wyvern. "Well girl," she murmured, "I guess I'll keep you for a while."

"Wraith, I'm getting a priority call from Canterlot," Scootaloo called. "It's about Ditzy."

Silence hung in the air before Rhapsody cleared her throat. "Is she alright?"

"I'm sorry… but I think you should go see for yourself."

Comments

[Quick Fix]

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi
Dona eis requiem
Qui tollis peccata mundi

Sorry, couldn't help it.

A worthy match for Megalith in every regard, I salute your ability. Though with those final lines and the possible symbolism we saw over Fyrick before...The cliffhanger is killing me.

[Solana Vin Neighpal]

Mere minutes away, two helicopters carried their charges low across the water, a unicorn in each pouring themselves into an invisibility spell.

Perhaps it should be noted somewhere why this tactic didn't see more use throughout the war. Why weren't there Tomcats or other two-seater fighters with a unicorn as co-pilot shrouding their planes? Why weren't there tanks with a unicorn capable of this on board? Why weren't bombers taking advantage of this? Without a valid reason for it not being more widely used, it just seems that a lot of ponies were holding the idiot ball until now. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually glad it wasn't used. Invisible planes and tanks would start getting into "Mary Sue" territory, or at the very least feel kinda 'cheap'. It just seems like it needs some explanation as to the 'why'.

Minor complaint though. Still love the story. It's a great take on one of my all time favorite game series. (Excluding "Assault Horizon" of course. Never started a second playthrough with that one. Barely finished the first.)

Also, You've used the term "Barrel Roll" Numerous times throughout the story. PLEASE tell me you aren't taking a note from starfox and assuming it is essentially a "flip" while maintaining direction.
If so, it's really called an "Aileron Roll" (It's appalling how many people get those mixed up on account of that game). An actual barrel roll looks more like the path of a cork screw.
(Imagine what the flight path would look like if you pulled the stick both to the side and down. Great for evading missiles in games - not so effective with the actual missiles we have now.)
Since you haven't actually described the motions of her plane when using the barrel roll, I don't know if that's what she's really doing or you're getting them mixed up, but as an Aileron roll has virtually no evasive ability (You're still traveling straight after-all) and she uses the barrel roll to evade, I think you got it right. But still, doesn't hurt to make sure. "The more you know" and all that.