Warfare: Cogs of the War Machine

by Im a B O X

A Payload of Papers

2050, 5th year of the conversion war,

Every nation was preparing, a storm was brewing, the planned invasion of Equestria was brewing, everyone knew that as fact, it was an undeniable fact that everyone knew and would probably have (and probably will) need to live through, the boiling point will reach its climax when the time is right. But for now, preparations are made, military strength and plans are brewing up all over the world, from enemies and allies, every nation had a plan, they usually do, even in the most mundane or exotic of things, there was a course of action to be taken, but a special event was to be held on this fateful day, one that seeks to bring a reminder of what life was before the conversion war. A mission, more than just scouting of mainland Equestria, the delivery of a message, a show that was meant to remind that although it is in the battlefields that the tides of warfare are waged, there is a different battlefield that is being waged, a battle of politics and control, a small portion of the struggle that has plagued most of humanity since the dawn of time and has caused them countless of times to push further than ever before in all the fields they could ever conceive, the voice of the devil as some might say, true satisfaction.

---

Tokyo, Japan, 22:25

Tokyo International Airport was bustling tonight, for their special occasion that was to be underway. The UN council had announced the previous day a plan, a political move for those who knew more than the average Joe, instead of dropping bombs on the beaches and coastal cities of Equestria before the invasion, the UN has decided to set a little bit of a callback present for Equestria, or anybody really, who knew the references in history, despite literally being nothing more than a political move to spite the Equestrian government, the UN council had decided that since BB/Battleship were being used for the invasion, with plenty of air support from the surrounding regions and aircraft carriers that were being deployed. In place of the usually plentiful Moab bombs (like it’s a lot of bombs) that this plane would carry, the cargo of the newly revived, redesigned, and built R-34 strategic bomber turned high altitude reconnaissance aircraft (with improved engines and radar equipment for longer operations) for today was boxed upon boxes of papers, all written with messages from all over the world from that point in time.

These letters ranged from the usual harmless thank you or words of encouragement letters (from pacifist maybe) to outright racist and outlandish slurs of (questionable) viewpoints and sources, and then their the middle of the pile, letters of taunts and everything in between, made for the sole purpose to spite those ponies fanatic enough to fight an already lost war, yep, they are going to quite literally drop loads of paperwork’s worth weeks of compilations for Equestria to probably use as toilet paper or to quite literally pick shit up.

“HEY Captain!” shouted a pony within the Airport, it was already late but this outlandish outburst paid well for the unlucky bastard that decided to take this mission up, at least compared to what people have planned for the coming months.

“CAPTAIN! A message from High command, they requested that I join you on your flight! I’LL BE YOUR CO-PILOT! YEY! Also, they sent a message that some fighter jets to escort for the journey, from mainland Vietnam and Philippines they said.” said an eager young mare with a big smile on her face, seemingly bursting at the idea that she might actually be able to see the ground below from a bird’s eye view, although.

Looking to his back, the pilot for the R-34 was Captain Ryusuke of the 11^th Company of the JASDF, chosen by the UN as the pilot for this long journey across several Seas,

“Really?” he asked, “then I ask you to stay put on the seat while we're up there, I don’t want to deal with a noisy bullshit you probably have,”

“But-”

“NO, I just… don’t, not today Diamond Back, please, maybe later, but please just stay put while we're still in the danger zone, ok?”

“Fine…”

“Good, now come, will still have a long journey ahead of us.”

And with that short conversation, they headed to the plane they were going to pilot. The midnight hour was near, the R-34 is on the runway and is about to lift off. The night will pass, and in the due time in the morning, Equestria will wake up to a sight like no other, for those that remember will know, the papers are more than just a callback for a desperate attempt to avoid another world war, it was a foreshadow of the propaganda and politics that was about to ensue as a result of this bloody war, it was the truth that Equestria is being given to choice to respond properly to.

---

Outside the airspace of Indonesia, nearing the Equestrian mainland, 6:40

The R-34 was flying at a decently high altitude, at around 5,000 meters (which is high). It was being tailed by two fighter jets at different attitudes of their own, the first one flying around 500 meters higher to the forward right to the bomber while the second one was flying around 300 meters below and behind the far back left of the bomber. These jet fighters were a heavily modified Mig-31 Foxhound and F-15 Eagle respectively, both jets having been revived from the initial motion of them being pulled out of service, but because of the war, like most things in the war, humanity had to cancel and reconsider some decision for economics and securities sake, one of which was continuing the use of already aging half-century-old designs for the military.

So because of this, planes and equipment such as the previously mention Mig-31 and F-15 were instead extensively redesigned and upgraded with the newest tech possible while also trying to increase the development of the current developmental stage armaments, unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to keep an exceptional security level (the security was decent at best, yes, but that won’t cut it when your enemy could just telefrag you), so they decided to also bring back some pretty old but still usable stuff, like the remaining Iowa class BB’s, coming back as seaworthy and operational.

Flying over well over an altitude of 5,000 meters, the three aircraft start their descent as they approach the Equestrian coastline, starting from Manehatten and going parallel to the coast down and ending Baltimare. But there was something wrong, something had been changed, Diamond Back could feel it, in all her time of observing and serving with Ryusuke, which had been around two years by now, she had never experienced a moment in her life when he was this silent, even in those short moment when they would just be passengers of an airliner, he always found a way to make it interesting, now… now he’s just silent, seemingly being fixated on something.

“Hey, captain…” Diamond began, “you’ve been awfully quiet since we left the Indonesian airspace, is there something wrong?”

“….”

“Captain? Hey captain…” she looked around the cockpit, everything that she understood as far as she knew was operational, but ever since they started to approach the Equestrian coastline, it slowly but surely became silent.

“Huh- Wha- Oh, oh sorry Diamond, I was just thinking of something.” He replied, although from what Diamond had learned and gathered, his silent behavior would seem to tell otherwise.

“Oh, well ok,” She observed for a short while, his hands remaining calm, his expression mostly blank.

---

The rest of the flight to the coastline was mostly silent, like, completely silent, no radio chatter, no interactions, nothing, not even a word from the supposed escorts that they had. The sky was mostly clear, Diamond knew that, she knew what was about to happen, at least she thinks so. From what she was able to gather from her sources, this bombing run was completely harmless, the worst they had carried and could drop were papers, which could actually help Equestria in their time of need.

Approaching the coastline, they had descended into an altitude of around 1,000 meters. The city of Manehatten was approaching view, it gave Diamond Back a smirk on her face, she remembered a time before the war, a time before all this chaos had ensued, a time when she was just the average posh amongst the ponies of Manehatten, and such were the times.

Then, out of the middle of nowhere, after who knows how much time had passed since last radio contact was made, the radio began chirping to life.

“This is Eagle 15, I repeat, this is Eagle 15, Request a roll call to pilots within the vicinity, over.”

Moments later, Ryusuke still hadn’t decided on whether or not to respond to the request, but he was beaten to it by the pilot of the Mig-31,

“This is Foxhound 31, I repeat, this is Foxhound 31, I hear you loud and clear Eagle 15, over.”

With the third pilot now acknowledging the request, it was Ryusuke’s turn to respond to the call,

“This is castle top, I repeat, this is castle top, I can hear you both loud and clear, over.”

There was a small moment of silence before it was interrupted by the pilot of the F-15,

“Good, good, castle top, request to drop the formalities, over.”

Ryusuke responded with a simple “Go ahead,” basically breaking the formalities for the three pilots.

“Thank you sir, so, could both you see target Alpha, Beta, Charlie, and Lockheed, from your cockpits and maps? Over.”

The response of both remaining pilots to question was an “affirmative”

“Good, good, well boy’s, let’s do the traditional ‘Line Abreast’ formation, then, after target Lockheed is in sight, break off immediately, head away from the coast as fast and soon as possible, over.”

“Affirmative.”

“Roger that.”

“Very well, good luck gentlemen, and may you return safely.”

And with that, the two fighter jets made their way and flew parallel to the huge bomber, the sight of which made Diamond Back ever a bit more nervous.

“So, could I ask…?” She began, “What is the objective you plan on accomplishing?”

“Oh it’s just the dropping of literal papers onto of the cities of Equestria, that’s all, and also the bombing of the frontline railway network for said cities.”

“Wait, what? REALLY?” She responded, although she already knew this from her countless sources, it was still best that she keep up her appearance, after all, she had an image to maintain in a field that was dangerous, to begin with.

Continuing on, as if seemingly nothing was wrong, Diamond took note of the fact that the captain, much like earlier, was still reserved when it came to his response, so she decided to ask the question that would break the icy silence of the cockpit,

“What are you thinking about?” She asked, “you aren’t as open as usual, your much more reserve, and… well, it concerns me to no end.”

Looking at his, then to the window sides of the cockpit as if he was searching for something, he once again looked at his companion directly into her eyes, into her soul, and with a knowing smile he responded,

“It’s nothing of concern, I just miss my family.” He finally responded,

Once again gaining the false sense of security, Diamond looked around the cockpit, trying to remember if she left or was missing something important in the picture. She knew she was safe, she told the ESS about this specific operation, and as a sign of trust, she promised them that she would be the co-pilot should something go astray. Yet everything went well, too well for her liking, but she didn’t have time to think, they were nearing the Manehatten skyline, and the delivery drop was about to proceed.

Looking down below at the payload that is being dropped, Diamond Back couldn’t help but give a smirk of satisfaction. She expected the humans to be smarter than this, but it was also nice that they were sympathetic enough to actually try and prolong the war by giving Equestria much-needed resources and time for a potential victory, at least that’s what she believed in. But deep down, like all the citizens of Equestria, the war from a logistical standpoint was lost, Equestria was consuming, using, and losing too many resources at a rate where it could not be replaced/produced even at a 1:1 ratio.

While looking down, she looked at the skies beside her, clouds everywhere, and where there are clouds, usually pegasus scouts would be there. A sense of security once again washed into her soul, she was safe, she knew and kept repeating it to herself, but sooner or later, the ugly truth would relive itself.

---

Passing over Manehatten and Fillydelphia was a breeze, the pegasus guards that Diamond had managed to put on guard during this operation was great, pulling some string here and there with the use of some special help from Equestrian officials, and she even managed to convince the officials of Canterlot to let them pass without trouble, as to avoid arousing suspicion that the mission might have been leaked. They all hid on the clouded days, plane as sight, she could even see a cloud moving at the same speed as the aircraft, which she immediately knew was one of the pegasus groups sent to guard her safety should anything go astray. But once she looked at any other direction that had a cloud, she decided to look down and have some sightseeing, then she looked up once again, then in a slow creeping manner, the feeling of dread crept and made its way onto the back of her head, filling her with doubt at the thought that this might all be for naught, after all, who’s to say Equestria wouldn’t just down a plane just because they could.

Looking around the cockpit once again, her face showed a frantic look of a lost filly, as if she was trying to find something, anything out of place. Seeing her franticness, Ryusuke decided now was the right time to strike one last conversation,

“If you think you're safe just because fighter jets flank us, I suggest you try to reevaluate what you saw,” Looking to his side, telling the mare who he considered his companion for the trip, he placed a knowing smile up to his face once more, “It’s best if you ask now before it’s too late, what’s wrong?”

Looking out the cockpit windows once again, Diamond took note that the railway networks that Equestria had been still mostly intact, no craters, no explosions, just silence and the humming of engines.

“W-what are we doing?” She finally asked, “I mean, there has to be an awfully quiet, there’s probably a reason as to why it’s been that way, is there? I mean, I think you know that there’s probably something hidden or something from us to figure out, right? So please, tell me what I am missing.”

Looking towards his worried companion, Ryusuke told her one simple thing,

“After the final drop, then I’ll tell you.” He said.

Looking at what this person just said, Diamond couldn’t help but feel something unexpected was about to happen, but that could wait for a bit later she decided once again, the final airdrop of the letter was coming, Baltimare was in sight.

While dropping the countless numbers of letters and papers above the Baltimare skyline, the ponies on the ground could only stare at the metal bird that flew over their city, seemingly dropping papers of hope and conviction. The disappointment was what greeted most of the ponies of Balitmare, Fillydelphia, and Manehatten, papers upon papers of propaganda, at least that’s what they’ve been told or believed in. But to the select few that knew how to look outwards, that knew when to accept an opinion or truth, to accept a dire situation that they had, this only served to exemplify fear. Humanities invasion of mainland Equestria was final, with it brought consequences, but the simple act of dropping letters upon letters of warnings, no matter the message of the letters, be it giving worlds of advice or encouragements to whoever read it, the message was clear as day, it was a warning and nothing else for what is to come.

---

Passing over Baltimare and baking hard for the open sea, the pilot of the R-34 managed to look back at what was about to happen,

“So, I believe I owe you an answer to your questions, correct?” he asked.

“Oh-Uhm, yes actually, but first, why has it been silent, like, you’ve been silent, the radio is mostly silent, the entire trip is silent, why is that?” She asked.

“Do you want the long or short version?”

“Short, maybe explain how or why, please.”

“Well, it’s for security reasons for this flight,” looking around, he points her to face to the side of the window cockpit.

“The UN council wanted it so that when we took off, very few would know the true nature of this flight and the actual objectives.”

“And what are the true objectives of this mission?” She looked back, “I mean, I’m sure, there is more than just a simple reason of concealment if radio silence is that important, still, the point stands, there has to be a better reason as to why the way it is.”

She looked once more at her companion, yet he still motioned her to look outside the window,

“If you want my honest opinion, the flight was rigged from the start,” he said, “Haven’t you noticed the silence?”

“Yes I’ve noticed the silence, but what does it have to do with… thing.” She suddenly tried to remember what day it was, trying to remember as hard as she could, why was it silent, what has the reason?

Silence once again befell her ears, she was one of Equestria's best agents for crying out loud, she should know and be able to solve this riddle. She looked up to the person to her side, a smug smirk was the only thing she could see, she was being taunted, her ability to notice and deduce things being tested.

“Do you want to know?” Ryusuke asked.

She looked, and the sudden realization of what was missing, but at that very moment, a metal bird faster than she could keep track of passed her gaze. Baffled by the sudden intrusion of that mysterious being, it was directly followed by a sudden ‘boom’ and a ripple effect that trailed it.

Recovering from the initial shock, she looked to the only person that she could look to, yet what she saw was the reserved face of a human being.

“Wh-what was-”

“Sayonara.” was the only response he gave in his final moments.

And with a sudden alarm within the cockpit, the sudden jerk of movement the plane in a rapid and swift motion, and the captain hit his head on the controls, knocking him unconscious. The same happened to Diamond, but unfortunately for her, she managed to avoid a concussion of her own. Recovering from the jerk, she looked out the cockpit, blood still bleeding from the hit she took, what she saw was a sea of flames, dozens of Equestrian ships, probably filled to the brim with goods and materials, all burning, all sinking to the bottom of the ocean, before she herself succumbed to another jerk, hitting her head, never to recover from this second and final hit, slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea, with this plane and the unfortunate shipments that she saw in her final moments.

---

“This is Eagle 15, I repeat, this is Eagle 15, Operation Sea Mad is a success, I repeat, Operation Sea Mad is a success, Castle top has already been shot down, over.”

“This is Foxhound 31, I repeat, this is foxhound 31, Operation Rainfall is a success, I repeat, Operation Rainfall is a success, over.”

“Roger that, this is ATC of USS Gerald R. Ford, Both of you, Eagle 15 and Foxhound 31 are clear for landing, over.”

“Copy that.”

“Copy that.”

---

The news of this event spread like wildfire across Equestria, from words and letters written, this event only further either fuelled the flames of hate that Equestria had for humanity, taunting them before one of Equestria’s most important battles in their entire history, or it had the desired effect by the UN council, poured water upon the flames, creating doubt and fear amongst the populace. This also served as a turning point for the ESS, with this event being the pinnacle moment and manifestation of their inability to not only compete but also put a challenge with some of humanity’s top agencies and with them losing more and more of their most important foreign agents by the day, sometimes by the hour, it forced them to think defensively for the coming months and keeping order in Equestria. As for the rest of Equestria, the effects of this small ‘coastal raid’ was negligible at best for the Equestrian economy from that point, but it significantly contributed to the fear, doubt, and overall dire situation that surrounded the Equestrian populace up until the days leading up the landings and after.

Unfortunately for the ESS and Equestrian populace, this day would mark the undeniable truth of the chaos that is about to ensue. It essentially meant that any Equestrian shipments passing through the sea would have a high likelihood of being intercepted by human intervention, land shipments through the railway network and roads was still an option, but the fact that both modes of transportation (combined) could not hold up to the same capabilities as a single shipment filled to the brim showed the importance of this form of transportation, this further strained the Equestrian supply line, it also meant that they had just lost an undefined portion of goods and one of their most reliable modes of transportation.

This was further exemplified by the fact that because of what Operation Rainfall had done to Equestria, it had caused mass suspicion amongst the populace, plenty more problems became much more apparent on the coastal and major cities, with the ESS and Canterlot officials being further enraged at the already dire situation that they were in, unfortunately, half of the entire payload that was dropped was articles upon articles of crimes and statistics made to look like letters, while the other half was a letter directly from the UN council, “Surrender now or face the consequences.”

Equestria’s response to all of this, denial, denial and the refusal to admit something till the bitter end, until the final mountain top stood alone. The bitterness, desperation, and true extent of the war were about to come to full swing once the war entered its final stages.

The Invasion of Equestria was about to begin.

Author's Note:

I was planning for this to be a sort of airlift thing, but I realized that I diverted too much from that original plan, so I decided it was going to be a story about the operation that happened before the invasion of Equestria, Operation Rainfall, and Operation Sea Mad, the former being the main focus of this story, the dropping of letters and papers either mocking the Equestrian High command and war as a whole or giving Equestria one last “proper” chance of surrender through these papers.

The latter Operation, Sea Mad, was focused on the destruction of Equestrian transport ships around the coast, the main objective of these two operations was the destabilization of the Equestrian morale, which it was hoped would influence the number of ships Equestria was willing to put into open waters, which would also influence how the invasion of Equestria was going to play out. Operation Rainfall also served as the assassination of one of the ESS most prized foreign agents, Agent Diamond Back.

---

Hey it's me

Listen, this is all non-canon, I’ll just keep repeating that ok, remember, it's not canon unless proven otherwise, treat this as an AU of mediocrity, It's probably decent enough for most of you reading, maybe. Some references here and there, I forgot what I added, but you guys would probably figure that out.

constructive criticism would be nice, also I would probably read your suggestions for the story (I need some names. )

Comments

[shining paladin]

awesome chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the next chapter