Chapter 5: Airfield of Wonder
Later on that Fall, a number of questions came to the attention of Princesss Celestia, and they all involved the Equestrian Air Force. Some of those from the Wabash Cannonball pointed out that they had several aircraft on their train, and that they could be used for combat purposes. At this same time, those in the Equestrian Air Force, including the Wonderbolts, raised the notion that the time for upgrades had come.
"We fought through the Imperial War Princess Celestia, and now we see that we need better weapons! Our guns, bombs, and other tools of war are from yesteryear, and were not NEARLY as effective against the Imperial Alliance as they should have been! Yes, we know that the Caribou and the Zebras are gone, but what about when the next villain shows up? We might not survive!"
Jim put what the Wonderbolts said into perspective. "What they've said Princess Celestia does indeed have merit. The Equestrian Army has upgraded their weapons and armor thanks to the efforts of the Foreign Legion, and we have provided the advisers and blueprints to upgrade the Navy, but the Air Force is still woefully inadequate. However, all is not as dark as it seems Princess. I have a plan that may very well work, AND it won't cost too much either. If you are willing to hear me out, I will tell you of my solution to help the Equestrian Air Force."
Celestia was very intrigued. She knew that building, fielding, and maintaining planes and other air-related weapons, as well as the hangars, runways, barracks, and other such required items was most likely going to be VASTLY expensive, and perhaps not something that could be done.
Nevertheless, she did nod to Jim. "Yes, I am willing to hear you out Jim. You may explain your plan to me."
Jim then took a deep breath, and went for it. "Well Princess, the first part of my plan involves the planes, weapons, and other ground vehicles that would be required to maintain them. The truth is, as you know Princess, we're right now as we speak sitting on top of a HUGE cache of planes, trucks, missiles, and everything else that a plane would need to fight, and keep flying!"
Celestia's eyes became quite wide. Sure enough, she remembered the HUGE underground storage vault beneath Canterlot Castle that was filled to bursting with Earth weapons, including all kinds of planes, and the vehicles that were needed on an airfield. All of them had been preserved with Magic in the same condition that they were in when they arrived in Equestria, which in most cases was largely intact, or easily repairable.
"Yes, Yes! I see what you're saying Jim! With your plan, we could FINALLY put some of those planes, trucks, and other weapons to some good use! However, that brings us to a bit of a roadblock; what are we going to do about a large facility to house such aircraft? It would need hangars, barracks, a firehouse, a main control tower, multiple runways, a mess hall, garages, and other such buildings. I fear that we will have to build those from scratch."
Jim shook his head. "Never fear Princess, for that is the second part of my plan. As it turns out, there's a GREAT slab of real-estate outside of Ponyville that would be PERFECT for a main Air Force Base!"
"And what is this site?"
Jim pulled out a few pictures, most of them being aerial shots, and handed them to Celestia. "The old Wonderbolt training base! As you may recall, for a while, in addition to the main Wonderbolt HQ just outside of Cloudsdale, the Wonderbolts also maintained a secondary base that was used for training operations. The base had been decommissioned for a while, and while it did get a second life during the Imperial War to train new recruits, and to serve as a base of operations, the Wonderbolts, and the Air Force have once again moved out.
The base itself is still in excellent condition, as it's still maintained by the Wonderbolts just in case its needed, and they themselves still use it every now and again. It already has hangars, a control tower, barracks, a mess hall, a fire station, and 2 runways. Better still, the Wonderbolts are willing to sell the base to the Government so that it can be turned into an Air Force Base, and the way I see it, the Government buys the base from them, refurbishes it to suit the needs of the modern Air Force, and then once the base is up and running, we use it as a test. If the base succeeds, then other Air Force Bases should be built at strategic points around Equestria, and if it fails, then we figure out why, and correct it."
Celestia thought about that. "So basically, we use it as a test-bed, and if it works, we apply the model elsewhere?"
Jim nodded. "Yes, that is correct Princess."
"And what will have to be done to the Wonderbolt base to make it ready for the Air Force?"
Jim looked at other notes that had been given to him by surveyors, other engineers, and architects. "Well, some of the hangars will have to be enlarged, as will the barracks, and the mess hall. A water tower will have to be added, as will 2 more runways, bringing the total up to 4. The small firehouse will have to be enlarged to house more vehicles, and a tank for water, as well as a tank for chemical foam that will have to be added too. Other than this, radar and other instruments will have to be added to the control tower, and of course you'll need service vehicles, personnel jeeps, transport trucks, fuel trucks, fire trucks, and enlarged spaces to house all of them. Thankfully, we already have all of the vehicles that we need, but I do have to know how difficult it will be to accomplish the rest of the necessary renovations." Jim then handed Celestia the rest of the notes.
She looked them over for a while, before handing them back to Jim. "Well", She said at last. "When all is said and done, this might not actually be as expensive as you might think. With your leading expertise, guidance, and crews to help build, coupled with those of the Equestrian Armed Forces, and civilian contractors, assuming that work begins soon, I can see the entire base being up and running very quickly."
Jim agreed with her. "Yes, I think that it will be too. If we start it by October, then I can see us being able to work on it all Winter, provided of course that the Weather Pegasai keep the snow clouds, and Winter weather AWAY from the Air Force Base, and with all of us working together on the renovations, then I can realistically see the ENTIRE base being up and running by Spring!"
Celestia then summoned representatives of the Wonderbolts, and told them that the Government was indeed willing to buy their old training base, and would convert it into an Air Force Base for the Equestrian Air Force. The Wonderbolt representatives agreed, and once the training base, and the land that it sat on were given over to the Government, Celestia transferred the ownership to the Equestrian Air Force, which they shared in a sort of joint partnership with those from Battalion 4009. Once it was all said and done, the Wonderbolt Training Base was soon to be renamed Ryerson Air Force Base, in honor of Ryerson Engineering, the American company that a lot of our engineers had trained at, and was dedicated to building and testing experimental technology; very much like what the Equestrians were now doing with aircraft! (Yes, the same Ryerson that later merged with General Electrics and a few other companies to form General Atomics).
The rest of that Fall, and on into the early part of Winter, those of us from Battalion 4009 who wanted to, aided by others from the Foreign Legion, and the Equestrian Air Force, set to work on enlarging the old Wonderbolt Base, and turning it into Ryerson Air Force Base. Luckily, a lot of the facilities were already there, they just had to be enlarged, and/or added to. Another benefit was the large amounts of people, Ponies, and others from the Foreign Legion helping to build the base.
Diamond Dogs helped to dig the foundations for new buildings, while Minotaurs helped rip up the ground so that a new runway could be built. Griffons helped the Pegasai hoist building materials up into the sky, as well as assisting with the hoisting of new radar antennas, satellite dishes, and other communications and spotting relays. In less than 2 weeks Ryerson AFB was off the ground, but it still had a ways to go before it could be fully up and running.
Soon, Runways 3 and 4, as well as a 5th emergency runway were all paved out, and rolled smooth. Skilled ground crews were hard at work on painting the new lines on the runways, as well as their numbers, and other important markings. Other roads for vehicles and taxing aircraft were also laid out, paved, and marked, and not a moment too soon, as the first round of ground-crew vehicles were starting to arrive from Canterlot.
The first wave of vehicles were transport trucks, personnel jeeps, fuel trucks, other maintenance vehicles, and of course, specialized airfield fire trucks, as well as 2 ambulances. However, 80 vehicles had been ordered from Canterlot, but 81 had shown up at the airfield. Jim was surprised. Which vehicle was the odd one out? After checking over the list that a technician had given him, Jim was able to determine that the vehicle in question was a Vietnam-era US Army gun-truck. It was painted dark blue, and seemed to be in pretty good shape considering its age. 
"Ok, now how did this end up here?" He asked one of the ones in charge of delivering the vehicles.
The stallion in question just shrugged. "I don't know Mr. Jim. This truck was sitting in the line of vehicles that was supposed to be delivered here, so it was included. However, this one may have been meant for the Army side of things here at Ryerson."
Jim knew what that meant. Part of the AFB was dedicated to the Army, since they would need an air-wing to support them. In addition to their vehicles of Humvees, tanks, gun-trucks, half-tacks, personnel carriers, trucks, fuel vehicles, and jeeps, they would also also have at their disposal planes such as the A-10 Warthog, C-130's, AC-130 Specters, transport helicopters, KC-135R Stratotankers, and even a few Apache Gunships! When the Army was coming, watch out! They were SURE packing the heat!
Jim then looked at the gun-truck, and then at the Army section of the base. "You know, that's probably what happened. I'll drive it over there, and see about getting it parked." Jim then walked over to the truck, and after climbing inside, he started the engine, put the truck in gear, and drove it over to the Army-Zone. Once there, he informed those there that they had one more gun-truck to add to their inventory, and the officer in charge of the gun-trucks told Jim where to park it.
Once he was done, Jim walked back to where he'd been before, but as he did so, he noticed the back of the truck for the first time. Just below the back bumper, the truck's licence plate was visible. The truck was registered in Michigan in 1968, and the words "Ghst Trk" were visible.
"'Ghost Truck'?" Why would they call it that?" He figured that it may have been an inside joke, or perhaps even the name of the unit. Jim made a mental note to find out later, and then got back to work.
However, the cream of the crop was what everyone at everypony at Ryerson was there for, the airplanes of the Equestrian Air Force. There were PLENTY to go around, and they were everywhere! There were T-6 and T-38 trainers, TBF Avengers, TBM Avengers, SBD Dauntless dive-bombers, Vought F4U Corsairs, F4F Wildcats, F6F Hellcats, P-51 Mustangs, P-40 War-hawks, Supermarine Spitfires, Stukka dive-bombers, B-24's, B-25's, B-17's, B-29's, B-26's, B-32's, and even B-36's! For those with a more modern idea of an Air Force, there were also aircraft like F-4 Phantoms, F-5 Tigers, F-9 Panthers, F-87 Sabers, F-100 Super Sabres, F-104 Starfighters, F-105 Thunderchiefs, F-106 Delta Darts, F-14 Tomcats, F-15 Eagles, F-16 Falcons, A-10 Thunderbolts, F-22 Raptors, and even the elusive F-35's! There were even a few B-1's, B-47's, B-58's, and B-52's, but these numbered no more than 8 aircraft; 2 of each. And of course, there was a small fleet of tanker planes for aerial refueling, and other planes were being brought into service from time to time, but some were more top secret than others.
These were then divided into the categories of fighters, bombers, interceptors, aerial refueling, and ground-attack. There were enough airplanes to create 4 bomber squadrons, 6 fighter squadrons, 6 interception squadrons, 2 aerial refueling squadrons, and even 4 ground attack squadrons! There were enough spare parts and fuel to keep all of them running for years, as well as enough crew to crew all of them sufficiently, with some to spare. Other planes were kept in reserve in the Canterlot bunker, with some of these to be later moved to other air force bases once they were up and running.
Out of all of it though, even though the planes were a mix-match of planes from WW2 to the Modern Era, there was one plane that stood out above the rest. This plane was a B-29 that was as famous as it was infamous. That plane was none other than the legendary B-29 known as "Kee Bird".
Somehow, someway, after having crashed in Greenland in 1947, and then accidentally burning to a crisp during her restoration attempt in 1994 and 1995, Kee Bird found her way to Equestria. She was fully intact, although some of the scars and burn marks on her still bore the testaments of the crash that trapped her in Greenland, and the fire that claimed her. Now that she was a part of Equestrian Air Force Bomber Squadron 1, she was also the "face" of the Air Force in a way. She appeared on recruiting posters, and was instantly one of the most recognizable planes due to her distinctive red tail.
No one or anypony knew how she got there or why, but most who knew her story was glad that she was there. She deserved a second chance after the cruel hands that Fate had dealt her, and maybe now she would finally leave the ground; something that she hadn't done since 1947!
As Fall turned into Winter, the Winter of 2029-2030, a new problem arose. Reyerson AFB was all up and fully running, and all of the planes were there, and there were troops, ground crew, and airmen at the base, but the problem was that there was almost no one at the AFB who knew how to fly! Yes, you read that right, there was an air force full of planes, and no one knew how to fly them!
Of those in Battalion 4009, only a handful like Lt. Nathan Hughes knew how to fly, and this was because of their flying the Battleship Express's gunship. In spite of this, none of them were qualified to teach flying lessons, and this led to a serious public debate. Why on Equus had the military spent all this money to get an American-style air force base fully up and running, fully equipped with planes, and other ground vehicles, not to mention an Army-Air section, if no one or anypony there even knew how to fly them?!
Don, Jim, Joe, Frank, and others met with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Prince Shining Armor, and other Equestrian military officials to discuss this problem.
"How many of those within Battalion 4009 even know how to fly Major?"
Don sighed. "Well, we have 4 full-time pilots for our gunship, as well as 4 other reserve pilots. Aside from this, I can name a number of others who do have flight experience, though most of these were in civilian aircraft, and of those who did fly in the military, most either didn't last long, (due to being shot down, or transferred elsewhere) or were primarily working as ground crew."
Shining put a hand over his face. "Remind me again who's idea it was to build a full air force of planes, despite the fact that NOPONY knows how to fly them?"
Jim answered him. "It was my idea, Prince Shining Armor. And as strange as it may seem, I do have a plan for the situation at hand. Yes, it looks dark, but there is a way around it."
"Which is what Jim?" Frank asked. "Set up some kind of flight school taught by the few who are qualified pilots?"
Jim nodded. "You're very close Frank. My plan involves us first teaching our future pilots to train with training simulators, and then have those who pass with the highest marks get trained in the T-6's, and T-38 trainers. Then those guys get evaluated, and based on their scores, get transferred to either fighters, bombers, interceptors, or ground attack. Those who can't make the cut can always become ground crew, flight-support units, or just keep training until they can make the cut."
Celestia thought about that. "You know, that actually is a very good idea Jim. It should solve the problem very quickly of us lacking trained pilots and aircrews, and it should get our new air force up to full battle-readiness here before too long."
"And what are your estimates for how long this will take Mr. Jim?" Luna asked him.
Jim looked at a few charts. "Well, my tentative estimates put the first batch of pilots ready for their planes by February of 2030. However, this is just a tentative estimate, and while we're now into November of 2029, there could be a number of drawbacks and delays."
Don sighed. "My biggest fear is that we'll lose everybody from battalion 4009 to the Air Force, and there won't be anyone left to crew the train!"
Jim chuckled a bit. "One step ahead of you there Don! Battalion 4009's work with the Foreign Legion can/could include time with the Air Force, but they'll always have to come back to serve a stint with the Battleship Express. Plus, the Imperial War Museum is still under construction, so there's that to help build too."
Joe then spoke up. "I just know that the list of would-be recruits for the Air Force is gonna be a mile long! EVERYONE is most likely gonna want to be a pilot, or an aircrew member! Although this may be a good thing, as the Air Force won't be short on new recruits!"
The others in the room laughed a bit at this, before laying down plans to put Jim's plan into action.
Sure enough, just as Don had predicted, and Joe had expected, the line to join the Equestrian Air Force started in Ponyville and ended in Griffonstone! TONS of Americans, Ponies, Griffons, Minotaurs, Diamond Dogs, and others in the Foreign Legion wanted to be able to fly a plane, or even to serve on one. Even I myself was among those who wanted to join, and I actually had some military flight experience. (I'd flown in the copilot seat on a C-130 during WW4 prior to everything going nuclear, and I had some civilian flight experience before this).
Sure enough, I passed all of the physical and mental health requirements, and was soon sent to Ryerson AFB for training. Once there, with help from the Wonderbolts, who although weren't pilots, or were training anyone to fly, did help to whip the new recruits into shape for their upcoming Air Force training. (Not that we all even needed it, with most of us coming from the Army, RWD, Foreign Legion, a combination of the before-mentioned three, or even the US Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard).
Days started early, and were a mixture of classroom learning, and massive amount of simulator training. Some of the learning involved studying the aircraft in depth up close, while the rest of it was on everything that we were going to need to know for being a pilot, gunner, navigator, radioman, or bombardier. It was a bit difficult, considering the lack of qualified teachers, but it was getting done.
I was part of the first group who graduated from the simulators, and then made our way into the actual cockpits. Like most of the others, I was trained/retrained with the tough, hardy (and easily repairable!) T-6. A turbo-prop plane, these planes had been helping pilots for the Air Force and Navy learn their trade since WW2! 
Phased out in recent years by the T-38 jet trainer, most of the T-6's were sold off to private hands. (And in the case of the Equestrian Air Force, depending on what we were interested in/qualified for, those who wanted to fly the old-timey planes trained with the T-6, while those who wanted to fly more modern planes trained with the T-38). 
My first time in the cockpit of the T-6 that I trained in was a very fun experience. It was January of 2030, and while the skies were clear, the weather was a bit cold that day. I was sitting in the front seat, while my instructor, Lt. James Patterson, was sitting in the seat behind me.
"You ready for this Ensign?" He asked me.
I was about to correct him that I was a captain, but then I stopped. I wasn't considered a "true" captain anymore. I was an ensign until I was certified, and then a lieutenant until I was a full Air-Force pilot with my own plane. THEN I could be called a captain again!
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready Lieutenant. You?"
"Yeah, I'm ready. Begin engine startup procedure."
"Roger that." After running through a checklist, I finally got the T-6's engine to start up. Once it was idling nicely, I radioed the tower for permission to taxi.
"Ryerson Tower, this is T-6 11, requesting permission to taxi."
"Roger that T-6 11. Permission granted. Taxi out to Runway 3."
"Acknowledged." I then checked all around the plane to make sure that the ground was clear, before beginning to taxi out to Runway 3. Once we reached it, I did a final check with Lt. Patterson before radioing the tower again. "Ryerson Tower, this is T-6 11, requesting permission for takeoff."
There was silence for a few moments. Finally, a voice said. "Acknowledged. T-6 11, you're cleared for takeoff, over."
"Roger that." I then began to throttle up the plane to takeoff speed. Soon, T-6 11 was moving down the runway, and before too long was in the air. Once the plane's wheels were up, I began to turn right to start us on the training course.
"I'm impressed so far Ensign." Patterson remarked from the back. "You've remembered your training well, and are doing a remarkable job of applying it in practice. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you'd been a pilot before. Is this true?"
"Eh, I did have some experience with flying civilian planes, and I did act as a pilot in WW4. I haven't flown since the wars went nuclear though."
"Well, that would certainly explain a few things, such as how you've been able to score such high marks; you've already been through at least a rudimentary version of it before. Now then, let's see you go through the rest of your paces."
The rest of that day, as well as the others that followed when it was my turn to fly with a T-6, I was put through my paces in the various courses that had been set up. I continued to earn high marks, and I was REALLY hoping to be assigned to a fighter plane. My dream was to be able to fly a Spitfire, but only time would tell if that dream would become a reality.
I was getting close to the end of my pilot training though, and I would soon be given my final exams, and then, provided of course that I passed, I would be given a plane of my own, be that a fighter, interceptor, bomber, or ground attack plane.
Long story short, on February 4th, 2030, I passed my final exam. In a sort of ceremony, myself, and the 60 others who were a part of my group who passed, were given our wings, and were promoted from ensigns to lieutenants. I was also informed that due to my height, I wasn't going to be able to fly a fighter plane. I was sad, as this meant that I wasn't going to be able to fly a Spitfire. I then waited to see what kind of a plane I was going to be given.
Soon though, I had my answer. I was brought together with 10 others, including Todd, Andy, and other Humans, Ponies, and 2 Griffons, and to our shock, surprise, and delight, we were given none other than Kee Bird! We were going to be her crew! I was her Pilot, Todd was her Co-pilot, Andy was her Left Gunner, and the rest of my crew filled the roles of Flight Engineer, Bombardier, Navigator, Radio Operator, Radar Observer, Central Fire Control, Tail Gunner, and Right Gunner. None of us could believe our luck, and that we were even going to be given the privilege of getting to paint our nose art!
"HOWEVER!!!", Sky Marshal Air Shield, the stallion in charge of Ryerson AFB told us, "There are strict rules about this! No obscene images, no nude or topless females, and all nose art MUST be approved by a superior officer first!"
This wasn't going to be a problem for us. While many others groaned about no nude or topless females, all of us on Kee Bird took a more patriotic approach. We decided to make a large angry-looking eagle in a dive-bombing position with a bomb in its talons, with an Equestrian and American Flag behind it, and our nose art was quickly approved. Soon after, once the template was created, those who were skilled in doing so began to paint it onto Kee Bird's nose on both sides.
"Well, this is certainly going to look a LOT cooler than that old tiny little bird that Kee Bird had originally."
"Yeah!" Todd agreed.
"One question I still have though. Why won't they let anyone have the kinda raunchy nose-art like they did back in WW2, and beyond?"
I sighed. "Well Andy, times have changed. Those bombers were used in a war where innocent eyes didn't have to see them. However, here in Equestria, innocent eyes probably WILL see these planes, and we do NOT want to start any controversy! Several guys did break the rules, and they were reprimanded. Plus, I've always found nude, topless, or even raunchy bomber nose-art to be rather distasteful. I'd much prefer more patriotic artwork."
"Like that one B-24 from WW2, 'Fightin' Sam' with the artwork of Uncle Sam on it?"
I nodded. "Yes, exactly Todd. Or like our Kee Bird, or even the Enola Gay."
"Eh, why was she called that again?"
"Well, Col. Paul Tibbets named his B-29 that after his mother, who's name was Enola. And as I'm sure you're aware, back in the 40's, if someone was 'gay', it meant that they were happy."
Andy nodded. "My favorite bomber is the B-29 'Bock's Carr'. The nose art reminds me of something that the RWD would make a cartoon out of."
Todd and I agreed. "Yeah, it really does Andy."
We all continued to talk about this for a while longer, until we had to meet up with the rest of our crew for a briefing with Col. Rain Heart, the officer in charge of our bomber division.
Around this same time though, something else was happening. In the Army section of Reyerson, reports kept coming up the chain of command regarding the gun-truck that Jim had delivered a few weeks prior. Everyone kept saying that there was something wrong with the truck.
The truck seemed normal, and it drove ok, its machine guns and mortar launcher all worked, but there was just something......not right about it. Some said that they felt like someone was watching them when they were by the truck, even though no one else was around. Others said that "Ghst Trk" wasn't a US Army group, but was instead what the truck really was.
"I'm telling you, that truck's a ghost!"
"It can't be a ghost!" Major Armistead, the man in charge of the Army section replied skeptically. "It's sitting right there, plain as day, and look!" He gave the truck a few whacks with his hand to prove that it really was real. "It's solid as a rock! It can't be a ghost, because ghosts aren't solid!"
This seemed to be the end of the argument, but Jim however had a different take on the matter. When he was able, he began to dig through the archives in the Battleship Express. He was looking through old US Army records, trying to figure out where the truck, now called the "Ghost Truck", had even come from. He traced the engine's serial number to a truck that was made in Detroit in 1968, before making it to Vietnam in 1969, but was lost in action in '71. The wreckage of the truck was later scrapped by the South Vietnamese, before it was sold back to the US as scrap metal, and that was seemingly the end of it.
"But that can't be! If it was scrapped, how the heck is it still here?!" What made Jim even more confused was the fact that there were a few pictures of the truck, but none of them showed it even having a licence plate!
"Ok, now this.......this is weird. Maybe that plate was added on as a joke, but was taken off at some other point. I mean, there's only 4 pictures of the truck here on file, and only 1 of them show the back. I guess the truck found its way here after it was destroyed in Vietnam, before its hulk was scrapped, and sold back to the US as scrap metal." However, Jim had a sneaking suspicion that this wasn't the end of the story.
He checked the records again, and found that a second truck had been made; identical to the first, but much later. This truck was made in Michigan again, but this time for the US Army in WW4! The truck survived the war, and was used again in WW5, but it was lost to enemy action during the Futa invasion of the US in WW6, during the (failed) defense of Salt Lake City. And just like Jim suspected, the truck's licence plate was a duplicate of one made in 1968, and it said "ghst Trk" on it.
"Hmm, so I guess that it was a homage to the original, which was scrapped. Just like how our Big Boy 4009 is a homage to the original 4009, which was scrapped. So I guess that this is the end of the story. 'Ghost Truck' was lost to enemy action during WW6, and found her way here. Nothing more than an old gun-truck with a LOT of history to it!"
Jim was feeling pleased that he'd solved the mystery of the "Ghost Truck", but in reality, the mystery was about to get a whole lot stranger.
One night not too long after, an incident happened with the "Ghost Truck" that seemed to tread on the very edge of the Supernatural. On the night of February 22nd, the truck was sitting in its usual parking spot at the Army Motor Pool, when all of a sudden, its engine roared to life! The truck's headlights came on, and after it shifted into gear, the truck began to move! It pulled away from the motor pool, and went speeding off at almost 40mph!
One of the stallions who was on duty in the motor pool saw the truck, and he called it in. "Yes, there's a gun-truck on the move, and its going WAY too fast! I can't see who's driving, but whoever it is needs to slow the f@#k down before they f@#king kill somepony!"
Since there were plenty of lights at Ryerson AFB, and the truck was painted blue, it wasn't too hard to spot. It was speeding down the vehicle path, and it seemed to be heading towards the runways! Multiple calls were made to the radio in the cab, but there was no reply. However, at one point, the truck stopped at an intersection, and its right turn-signal came on. The truck then turned right, and headed out past a hangar, and out onto runway 1! It then began to speed down the runway at nearly 75mph!
By this point, everyone and everypony at Ryerson had heard that something was up, and other vehicles were chasing after the rouge truck. However, the truck was rapidly running out of runway. When it did hit the end of the runway, the truck slowed down, did a full 180, and then began to speed the other way! However, the driver of one of the jeeps chasing the truck was able to get a clear view of the inside of the cab as the truck went by, and to his shock and horror, the cab was empty!
"THERE'S NO ONE DRIVING THE TRUCK!!!!"
"What?! What do you mean that there's no one driving the truck?!"
"JUST WHAT I SAID!!! THE CAB IS F@#KING EMPTY!!!!! THERE'S NO ONE IN THERE!!!!! I TRIED TO TELL YOU THAT THE TRUCK WAS A GHOST, BUT YOU ALL DIDN'T LISTEN!!!!"
Everyone and everypony who heard that was shocked. Most assumed that the truck was somehow being controlled either by Magic, or by remote control. However, once the truck was out of runway again, it got off the runway, turned left, went down a few side-roads, and soon arrived back at the Army Motor Pool. It then pulled back into its spot, and shut its engine and headlights off.
The truck was surrounded in seconds by MP's, and other soldiers and airmen, but to their shock, the entire truck was empty! There was not a soul in sight, and the truck's seats were cold, meaning that no one had been sitting on them! Not satisfied with this, Col. Armistead ordered the truck to be towed immediately to the motor pool's garage, and COMPLETELY disassembled to find the radio transmitter that was used to control it.
"I DON'T CARE IF IT TAKES ALL NIGHT, BUT FIND OUT HOW THAT TRUCK RAN ON ITS OWN!!!! AND IF I CATCH THE ONE(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS, I'M GONNA HANG THEM SO HIGH THEY'LL BE ABLE TO LOOK DOWN ON THE MOON!!!!!"
The work took all night, but by breakfast the next day, the truck was all stripped down to its most basic components. However, to the growing unease of those who did the deed, they could find no signs of either a radio transmitter that would have been used to control the truck, or signs that the truck had been manipulated with Magic.
"I can't understand it Sir!" Bill Dansen, one of the mechanics told Col. Armistead. "We've taken the ENTIRE truck COMPLETELY apart, and we STILL haven't found ANY signs of a transmitter, OR evidence of magical tampering!"
The colonel was shocked, and a little bit scared. "Well, then how do you explain what happened last night? And PLEASE don't mention that TV show 'Supernatural'!"
"But Sir, that one episode had a ghost truck in it. What if this truck is like that one? Or maybe it's still haunted by the ghost, or even ghosts of those who were killed on it?"
"I have another theory." One of the other mechanics, a Unicorn named May Belle spoke up.
"Which is?"
"Well, it builds on Bill's theories. What if this truck is the one that was lost back in WW6, and its still haunted by those who died with it, but instead of them manipulating the truck, what if they ARE the truck?"
"Um........what does that mean?"
"It means that what if the truck is alive? This would explain how it was able to operate itself, and why it's seemingly so unusual."
Colonel Armistead was at a complete loss. May's answer seemed WAY too fantastical to be true, however, Sky Marshal Air Shield, as well as other officers were DEMANDING an explanation for what happened the previous night. Armistead then ordered a fresh crew of mechanics to put the whole truck back together.
"It's no good to anypony in a cajillion pieces, so please take all of those pieces, and turn them back into a Vietnam-era gun-truck! THEN we can see about having the truck reevaluated!
The fresh group of mechanics nodded, and quickly got to work on the task.
By late that night, the truck was all back together again. It was then placed in a disused hangar, where it was studied by a group of scientists to try and determine what was going on with it. What they found was truly astonishing.
"WHAT?!?!?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT THE TRUCK IS ALIVE?!?!?!" Sky Marshal Air Shield couldn't believe his ears!
"Just what I said Sir. As impossible as it may seem, the truck is indeed alive. From what we've been able to deduce so far, the truck has all of the normal characteristics of a gun-truck of its kind; it burns diesel, has six-wheels, 2-wheel drive, all of its weapons work, and everything is in the right place, however, in one special way, the truck is VERY different from the others. Just like its licence plate suggests, the truck is indeed haunted, but yet the spirit, or spirits, have embedded themselves into the very fabric of the truck's being."
"And what does that mean for those of us who don't speak Paranormal?" Col. Armistead asked.
"It basically means that the spirit, or spirits, have wholly claimed the truck, and can manipulate it at will. This means that they live on through the truck, and can operate it at will. The headlights are their 'eyes', the wheels are their 'legs', the cab is like the 'head', the engine is the 'heart', the gas tank is the 'stomach', the exhaust system is the 'digestive system', the weapons are the 'hands', and the truck's controls are like the 'brain'. Everything works as it should, and the truck can be controlled by either a Human or Pony operator, or one from beyond the grave!"
Armistead then thought back to a similar report that I'd once given about Big Boy 4009. I'd said that she too was alive, and I'd compared her mechanical features to parts of the Human body. "And, is there any way for us to control the spirits, or at the very least predict their movements?"
The lead scientist looked at her notes. "Eh, actually, I think that there may only be one spirit. After looking over the data again, this conclusion makes the most sense. However, in regards to your question, I can tell you with a fair amount on certainty that the spirit is harmless, and last night was simply the spirit trying to show us that it was still there. If it wanted to cause harm, then it could have used the truck's weapons, which were loaded at the time, or it could have used the truck itself as a battering ram. Because it didn't, and it didn't damage any property, I'd say that it was just trying to both show us that it was still there, and that it liked to be chased."
Air Shield put a hand over his face. "And can you perform more tests on the truck's abilities? I'd like for it to be able to be used here as a gun-truck."
"Certainly!" The truck was then experimented on some more.
Over the course of the next few days, the tests continued. The truck did sometimes respond when asked to do something, though sometimes it didn't, or it did the opposite of what was asked. It was clear that the truck was sentient, and while it knew the difference between right and wrong, it, like a Human, sometimes didn't care what was wrong. The truck drove itself around some more, and it was also started up and operated by a Human driver. The truck responded to its controls, and it was eventually determined, (based on a series of tests) that the truck's spirit was female. However, after repeated failures to figure out who the spirit was, the scientists took to calling her, (and the truck) "Ghost Truck". The truck responded well to her new name, and she did her best to please.
However, most found a living truck to be too creepy, and the truck was eventually banished from Ryerson AFB. However, she wasn't without a job for long. The RWD needed another vehicle to supplement their ground forces, so she was taken in for use with the Battleship Express! Ghost Truck found a home on the train, and the crew were fascinated by the truck that could operate itself. Don, Jim, and a few other officers were talking about finding a few more similar vehicles to Ghost Truck replace their aging fleet of weaponized construction vehicles, but for the time being decided that Ghost Truck would do just fine with the "Construction Brigade", and that they would look into possibly also adding an Army tank when an option for such hardware would become available.
Not long after this, on February 28th, it snowed. This wouldn't have been too much of a problem, if the Pegasai up in Cloudsdale hadn't lost control of a few snow clouds! Now the rule about no snow at Ryerson Air Force base was broken, and the whole base was covered in snow! Kee Bird got stuck in the snow while I was trying to taxi her back to her hangar, and we had to call in a tractor to help us because we got stuck in the snow!
Luckily, thanks to everyone and everypony at the base working together, plus help from the Weather Pegasai, the snow that covered the runways, roads, taxiways, roofs, planes, and other vehicles was cleared away in short order. Ryerson was back up and running again, but despite the cold, tensions were running hot.
For the past number of months since becoming pilots and aircrew, all of us had been grounded for seemingly no reason. The only ones flying out of Ryerson were the trainees in the T-6's, and the T-38's. No fighters, bombers, ground attackers, helicopters, or any other types of aircraft had left the ground. All we were allowed to do was taxi our planes back and forth on the runways. Time and time again we all kept asking why on Equus we were being kept on the ground, but we never got a straight answer.
"I don't get it. This is the 'AIR Force', not the 'Ground Force'!"
"This is why we became pilots and aircrews in the first place! We signed up to FLY, not taxi on the ground!"
"Why aren't we allowed to fly?! The trainees and other cadets get to fly, but as soon as you're a pilot, or an aircrew member, you can't do that anymore! WHY?!"
Even those from the local media were asking the same questions. "Aside from trainer planes, Griffons, and Pegasai, no aircraft have ever left the ground at Ryerson Air Force Base. Why is that? Why are Ponies wasting their tax dollars on a massive fleet of planes that does nothing but roll around on the ground?!"
The "official" reason given by Sky Marshal Air Shield was that until the crews were better trained, they weren't allowed to fly. However, the crews were all insisting that they were told that there was no further training for them after their final exams to become pilots and aircrews, and that the official explanation was a load of bullshit.
"I don't get it guys." I told my crew one afternoon as we sat in Kee Bird, "We signed up for the Air Force to fly, but yet here we are doing nothing but taxing back and forth all the time."
"Yeah", someone in the back of the plane agreed. "The 'boom' in Boomers just went bust!"
We all laughed a bit. Since we crewed a B-29 that had been lost, we all started jokingly referring to ourselves as the "Boomers", in honor of the group by the same name at Nellis AFB in "Fallout: New Vegas".
"Yeah. The boom went bust ever since we all became aircrew. Why the f@#k did we all even agree to do this?!"
"Because we all thought that we would be flying, that's why!" I then grabbed the controls, and with Todd's help, eased Kee Bird up to taxiing speed.
"Hey, what are you guys doing?"
I looked back at Soarin, who was our Flight Engineer. "We're doing what we always do, heading out to the beginning of the runway, and ask for permission to take off."
"Why Leopard?" Our navigator asked. "They ALWAYS say no!"
I sighed. "You got any better ideas Dash?"
Dash groaned, before pushing her rainbow mane out of her eyes. "No, not really."
"Ok, then, let's go!" I then began to maneuver Kee Bird out to top of Runway 2. As I did, I half-glanced back at Dash. We were still friends, despite our romantic falling-out, but knowing about what our history had been before I'd time-traveled, it felt so bizarre. "She's supposed to be my marefriend, and now she's just my good friend, and Kee Bird's navigator. It feels like I'm living someone else's life!"
Eventually, we made it to the head of the runway. Once Kee Bird was fully facing it, I got on the radio with the control tower.
"RAFB Tower, RAFB Tower, this is Captain Leopard on B-29 Kee Bird. We're requesting permission for takeoff, over."
I heard a voice sigh. "Captain, must you ALWAYS do this every day? The answer today is the same that it was yesterday, and will be the same tomorrow. NO! No you CAN'T take off!"
"Why?"
"You know why! Because Sky Marshal Air Shield, and Col. Armistead said so!"
We all groaned. "Ok, fine, we'll leave, but mark my words, we'll be back tomorrow!"
"And the answer will still be the same Captain. No, you won't be able to take off!"
We all kept groaning, griping, whining, arguing, and voicing our frustrations among ourselves the whole way back to the hangar.
Finally, on March 7th, one week after this, we were at our wits end. We of Kee Bird decided that if we weren't going to be allowed to take off that day, we would go on strike. We were sick and tired on not getting a straight answer on why we were being kept on the ground, and we would let our frustrations be known.
Once all 11 of us were inside of Kee Bird, at our stations, and all strapped in, Todd and I got the all clear from our ground crews, and all while looking out of the cockpit windows, we started Kee Bird's engines. Once they were all going, we got permission to taxi, and as we always did, we headed out to the head of Runway 2. Once we were in position, I radioed up to the tower like I always did.
"RAFB Tower, RAFB Tower, this is Captain Leopard on B-29 Kee Bird. We're requesting permission for takeoff, over." However, little did I suspect that everything was about to take a turn in a whole new direction, and we owed it all to a series of little mistakes.
Up in the tower at the time was a rookie air traffic controller named Stuart Grant. He was talking to his friend Iron Flash, and their talk was almost turning into an argument. Stuart was assigned to handling bombers that day, and was told to keep them grounded. As he was arguing with Iron though, my call came in.
"RAFB Tower, RAFB Tower, this is Captain Leopard on B-29 Kee Bird. We're requesting permission for takeoff, over."
Stuart then reached out to grab the mic in front of him. He was about to reply to me, but then Iron said, "You're crazy Stuart!"
Stuart then grabbed the mic, and without meaning to, pushed down the talk button. "Yeah, sure, whatever." He meant to say that to Iron, but I heard it too, and so did everyone and everypony else on Kee Bird.
Stuart then meant to press the talk button on the mic, but he instead accidentally hit mute. "What was that again Captain? I didn't copy." He then let go of the mute button, and everything was normal again.
Out on Kee Bird, we couldn't believe our ears. Had we REALLY just been given permission to take off? I decided to make sure that we weren't being messed with. "RAFB Tower, RAFB Tower, can you please repeat that? Do we have permission to take off?"
Stuart heard the message, but he was still arguing with Iron. Once again, he grabbed the mic too hard. "Yes, I said sure! I don't care!" He then thought that he was pressing the talk button, but was instead pressing mute. "You know the rules Captain, no take offs!" He then let go of the mute button.
Once again, we on Kee Bird were dumbfounded. However, we knew that we had to act fast before anyone or anypony changed their minds.
"Alright, you guys all know what to do! We've been training for this day, and now it's FINALLY here! Let's get Kee Bird back into the air for the first time since 1947!"
"YEAH!!!!" All others on the bomber cheered. Quickly, all stations sounded off, and once we were all ready, Todd and I closed our cockpit windows, all other windows were shut and sealed, and then we both grabbed the throttle controls, and we pushed them forwards to full. In moments, Kee Bird's engines throttled up to their full capacity, and after I released her brakes, Kee Bird then began to race down the runway; both for her flight, and for her date with Destiny.
The first one in the control tower to realize that anything was wrong was the mare in charge of the air traffic controllers, Clear Skies. She knew that no planes were supposed to be taking off, and when she saw Kee Bird throttling up, she immediately turned to Stuart to ask him what the heck was going on.
"Lt. Grant, why is that plane taking off?!"
Stuart looked up and saw Kee Bird racing off down the runway. "What?! I don't know! I never gave any orders to take off......." As he was grabbing the microphone, he then remembered the argument that he'd been having with Iron. He then looked at the mic, and realized that he's pressed mute when he should have pressed talk, and talk when he should have pressed mute.
"Oh no!"
"What? What did you do?!"
"I accidentally DID give them permission to take off!"
"WHAT?!?!?!" Clear skies was shocked. "How the f@#k did you do that?!"
He then explained to her what happened at about a million miles an hour.
Clear Skies slammed a hand over her face. "Tell them to abort right now!" Stuart was reaching for the mic, but she grabbed it instead. "Kee Bird? Kee Bird, this is the Control Tower! Do you read me?!"
I picked up. "CT This is Kee Bird, go ahead."
"Abort the takeoff now! Wires were crossed up here! I repeat, ABORT THE TAKEOFF NOW!!!!!"
"They can't!" Stuart yelled. "They're at the point of no return!" (This was a spot on the runway marked with yellow and black lines. Once a plane reached this point, it was either take off, or crash. Kee Bird was moments away from hitting it).
"CT We're at the point of no return!" I echoed what Stuart had just said.
Clear Skies knew that what she was about to do could get her fired, but if she didn't do it, 11 lives could be lost, and a whole B-29 destroyed. She grabbed the mic again.
"TAKE OFF KEE BIRD!!!!! I REPEAT, GET IN THE AIR!!!!! PULL UP NOW!!!!"
"Copy that Control Tower!!!!" I then gripped the control yoke in front of me, and I began to pull back hard. "Pull Todd, PULL!!!!" I yelled at him.
He quickly complied with his own control yoke, and moments later, to the shock and awe of everyone and everypony who witnessed it, for the first time since 1947, Kee Bird shuddered a bit, before her wheels left the ground! We were quickly gaining altitude, and Todd and I eased our control yokes forwards a bit, as we didn't want to climb too fast. However, we were still climbing, and as Todd pushed the lever to raise up the wheels, the rest of the crew of Kee Bird were cheering that they'd FINALLY left the ground!
"Yehaw!!!! NOW we're a part of the Air Force!" Andy yelled from where he was.
"No kidding Andy!" Soarin agreed with him. "We're FINALLY in a plane that flew!"
"This is so awesome Leopard!" Dash told me. "Kee Bird is flying!"
I looked back at her while Todd held Kee Bird steady. "Yeah, we did it Dash. First time since 1947! Now in 2030, 83 years after she crashed in Greenland, Kee Bird is a proud B-29 once again!"
"And what are we gonna do now Leopard?" Todd asked me.
I sighed. "Well, since it sounds like we're probably going to be in trouble when we get back, might as well make the most of our time in the air."
"And what does that mean?"
"Well, we're fully fueled, fully crewed, but lacking bombs and bullets, so we could fly for a while. Let's circle around Ponyville, fly to the Crystal Empire, circle around it, then fly to Canterlot, circle around it, and then come back. Provided of course that we can get that far without being ordered back."
The rest of the crew agreed with me, so we went with my flight plan.
The funny thing is though, I submitted my flight plan to the Ryerson Control Tower, and to my surprise, it was granted!
"Your getting permission was NOT supposed to happen Captain, and it was a mistake that it did, but now that it has, the genie is REALLY out of the bottle! News Ponies are going crazy, as are other aviation enthusiasts, and they would NEVER let us forget it if we ordered you home before they got to see a show, so you may proceed, over."
"Let me guess, they threatened to stop donating to the Air Force, and divert their tax-dollars elsewhere if you cracked down on us?"
"That's correct Kee Bird. That, and if we didn't allow other planes to fly. Yes, you guys will be the only ones to fly today, but come tomorrow, and the days after, we've been ordered to schedule regular flights. Prince Shining Armor was right. If we keep you guys grounded all the time, and never let you gain anymore experience, come a real emergency, this whole enterprise could, and possibly would be a multi-billion Bit flop, and it would only serve to arm our enemies."
"Yeah, you have a point CT. At any rate though, we'll give those on the ground a show that they won't soon forget!"
"Roger that Kee Bird, CT out."
Sure enough, Clear Skies was right. I was flying Kee Bird low enough to be able to see the ground, and sure enough, Ponies and people alike could be seen waving and cheering for us. We assumed that many of them had their cameras out, and were taking pictures and video.
True to the flight plan, I first flew over to Ponyville, and after executing a right banking turn, we began to circle the town. After a few laps, and letting everyone and everypony get a good look at us, we leveled out again, and flew on. Our next stop was supposed to be the Crystal Empire, and it would have been, but Cloudsdale was in the way. Instead of going around it though, we decided to circle it too. We wanted to show the rest of the Pegasai up there that planes were cool too. To our surprise, there was a lot of cheering for us.
"Wow, I guess that even the Pegasai in Cloudsdale like us."
"No kidding Leopard." And now those of us on this plane who can't fly naturally can say that we flew over Cloudsdale!"
I nodded. "Yeah, you're right Todd." We then flew on.
Eventually, we did indeed reach the Crystal Empire. Everypony there had been given a heads-up in advance that we were coming by for a flyover, and a few laps around the Empire. Just like before, Ponies came out to cheer for us. Using binoculars, one of the gunners, a Griffon named Ginger, spotted something.
"Hey, I can see the Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire! They're standing on the main balcony of the Crystal Castle, and they're waving to us!"
"Really?" Todd looked as the plane passed by the Crystal Castle again, and sure enough, Ginger was right. "Yeah, she's right! Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor are indeed waving!"
Moments after Todd said this, our radio came to life. "Big plane in the sky, big plane in the sky, this is Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire. Please acknowledge, over."
"Shining Armor, this is Captain Leopard, of the B-29 Kee Bird. How's the view from down there?"
"It's looking REALLY great Leopard! I was REALLY starting to wonder if we'd ever see a plane fly out of Ryerson that wasn't a trainer!"
"We were wondering the same thing Shining. But at any rate, we're up here flying, and you're down there to see us!"
"Roger that Leopard! And it's a really great view! Cadence is taking a LOT of pictures for later!"
"So are we Shining. A few of those here on Kee Bird do have their cameras, and they're taking some really nice aerial photos."
"I would imagine."
We flew a few more laps around the Crystal Empire, and after waggling our wings one more time, we flew off back in the direction of Ryerson.
Our final stop of the day was Canterlot City. We wanted to show the Ponies there that their tax dollars were hard at work with the Air Force, and that it was money well-spent. When we arrived, they too had been given a heads up of our arrival, and a lot of them were cheering for us. I waggled the plane's wings in hello, and we began to make our laps around the city.
Soon though, our radio came to life again. "Kee Bird, Kee Bird, this is Princess Celestia, please acknowledge, over."
"Princess Celestia, this is Captain Leopard on Kee Bird. I read you loud and clear."
"You're looking great from down here Captain Leopard. Your B-29 is amazing!"
"Eh, thanks Princess! We're just glad that we were able to do this today. We decided to stop by and show the Ponies of Canterlot that their tax-dollars are still hard at work with the Air Force, and that our planes really DO fly, and are not just for show!"
We all heard Celestia laugh a bit. "Yes, I can understand that Captain! And I must say that Kee Bird is a VERY beautiful B-29. Her aluminum color, mixed with her red tail, and your incredible nose art; so amazing!"
"Thank you Princess. And no doubt you'll be seeing, and reading a LOT about Kee Bird in tomorrow's paper."
"I know that we will Captain. And thanks again for stopping by!"
"You're welcome Princess. It was our pleasure!"
After saying goodbye to Celestia, we circled around Canterlot one last time, before waggling our wings again, and then heading off back towards Ryerson AFB.
When we got close, we were given permission to land on Runway 3, and as we came in for our landing, Todd pulled the lever down, and Kee Bird's 3 wheels came down. Once we were over the runway, I eased Kee Bird down the rest of the way, and her wheels soon hit the tarmac. It was a bit of a bumpy landing, since it was my first with a B-29, but I was right on the money with where Kee Bird's wheels needed to be when she hit the runway. After braking hard, we slowed Kee Bird down, and were then given permission to taxi back to the hangar.
When we arrived though, there was a HUGE crowd waiting for us. It was a mixture of airmen, ground crew, Army soldiers, Royal Guards, and News Ponies. After we stopped, Todd and I shut all 4 engines down, and after taking a quick moment to collect ourselves, we took our radio headsets off, and set them on the control yolks in front of us. We then unbuckled our seatbelts, just as everyone and everypony else on the plane did too. Then, once the hatches were opened and the ladders lowered, we all climbed out of the plane.
Once we were on the ground, we were all being hailed as heroes for some reason. Heck, all we did was be given faulty orders, we executed the orders, and flew around a few cities. We didn't conduct a raid over enemy territory, and we didn't drop an atomic bomb either. Why were we being hailed as heroes?
"You did it!" Someone yelled. "You showed the rest of Equestria that these planes really CAN fly!"
"And that's a cause for celebration?" I asked quietly.
"Yes! You just proved once and for all that an air-fleet of planes, and a large air force base is NOT a waste of time and money, and that the planes really DO fly, and that tax-dollars aren't being wasted! Yes, it may not seem like a big accomplishment, but you all should really feel proud of yourselves!"
All of us looked at each other. Sure, maybe we hadn't done much, but we'd certainly done SOMETHING! All 11 of Kee Bird's crew then gathered together for photos with their plane.
"4 Humans, 5 Ponies, and 2 Griffons. Together, they make up the crew of the B-29 Kee Bird. These 11 individuals flew a plane that has not left the ground since it crashed way back in 1947, on the Human nation of Greenland. They also proved once and for all of the worth of the Equestrian Air Force, and that it's NOT a waste of time and money! They're heroes and inspiration to Ponies, Humans, and other species everywhere, and all of Equestria thanks them for their flight today!"
The crowds continued cheering, and we all felt good about our accomplishments.
In the aftermath of that day, both Stuart and Iron were put on probation for a time, and were given retraining on how to properly use control tower communications equipment. Neither of them were fired, (for which they were VERY grateful!) but they both made promised to keep ALL future arguments out of the control tower! Clear Skies wasn't reprimanded for ordering Kee Bird to take off, since we were already past the point of no return. And of course, we on Kee Bird weren't reprimanded either, since it wasn't our fault that what had happened happened. It was just an unfortunate mistake that sparked a fire that really ignited a blaze of enthusiasm for the Air Force, planes in general, and of course, more recruits to join the Air Force.
And true to their word, by the next day, several flights were happening at Ryerson, slowly working up to full-base operations. Ryerson AFB soon became a VERY busy place, both on the ground, and in the air. The pilots and aircrews were getting trained, and continued to prepare themselves for the day when their skills would be put to the test, the ground crews kept the planes flying, the fire teams got ready to rush in in case any emergencies happened, air traffic control kept all the planes where they needed to be, and the officers over all of them kept everything running smoothly.
And it was a good thing too, the fact that we were getting ready for having our skills put to the test, and that we had an air force at our disposal now, as both the skills, and the air force, would be put to the ultimate test in less than 6 months time when something really big went down..........
Stats
Page generated in 0.096 seconds
Total duration
653 users online
1,153,303 hits today, 2,814,898 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Great new chapter for this story Scar, I can't wait to see what happens next along with what you have planned for the Sequel of this story, how long until you have the Epilogue out?
9435756
Hey Dusk,
I’m glad that you like the Chapter. The Epilogue is in the works, and will hopefully be done soon. And don’t worry, you’re going to LOVE what comes after this story!
no f7u cutlass?
9672050
Hello Jimerjam,
And those might come in the future. The Equestrian Air Force is just getting off the ground, and like I have said, (or will say in the Epilogue if I didn't say it here) there are more planes waiting in storage in Canterlot for shipment to either Ryerson AFB, or other AFB's that will be built in Equestria in the future. F7u cutlasses might make an appearance someday on another AFB, or they might come to Ryerson. You'll have to wait and see as the Equestrian Air Force develops and expands.